Chapter 622: Gain

Buzz, buzz!

The Supreme Demonic Sword struggled, but Li Pin refined it directly and stored it in his Mini Astral World.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

With his authority as its owner, his control over the blade far surpassed Astral God Bi Luo's.

Xuan Jian panted heavily. "This sword... this sword... I..."

He stared at the Supreme Demonic Sword, recalling how it had seemed ready to throw itself into his embrace moments ago. Unable to hold back, he said, "Li Pin, if you don't want this divine weapon, I do! I'm willing to trade my entire life's worth for it!"

Li Pin said nothing and instead suppressed the Supreme Demonic Sword deep within his inner spirit, letting it coil around his Dao, which gleamed like a gemstone.

He used his Dao to subdue the sword while also sharpening his own Dao through it.

Seeing that Li Pin wasn't responding to him, Xuan Jian got agitated. He stepped forward and shouted, "Li Pin! Heavenly treasures belong to those destined for them! That sword was clearly trying to choose me as its master—"

Li Pin cut him off before he could finish. "Quiet!"

Ripples spread across his inner spirit lake. The force swept over Xuan Jian's avatar like a gentle breeze, cleansing his inner spirit.

"Do you even hear yourself?" Li Pin asked.

Xuan Jian snapped out of his daze but stood frozen on the spot. "I... I want..."

After all, this was only his avatar. Separated from his true form, he had been affected by the Supreme Demonic Sword's power. Now, with Li Pin's inner spirit clearing his mind, he gradually freed himself from its influence.

As he fully came to his senses, the realization of his earlier words and actions—his near-uncontrollable urge to strike Li Pin and seize the sword—sent a chill down his spine.

Xuan Jian looked at Li Pin. "That sword..."

Li Pin didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "That Eternal Solar Flare from earlier, do you think his actions were normal?"

"Normal?"

Xuan Jian pondered for a moment.

At first glance, everything seemed normal, but after a brief interaction... especially when it comes to the Supreme Demonic Sword...

He immediately understood what Li Pin meant.

He recalled the records of the Supreme Demonic Sword within the Mara World. Even as an Astral God, he couldn't help but feel an uncontrollable surge of dread. "That's a demonic sword! A true demonic sword!"

"It managed to enslave even an Eternal Solar Flare, reducing him to nothing but its servant," said Li Pin. "Do you really think you can control it just because you obtained it?"

Xuan Jian took a deep breath.

A weapon of this caliber...

He glanced at Li Pin once more.

The scene of Li Pin merging the Solar Flare Divine Weapon with the demonic sword resurfaced in his mind, and his eyes flickered with admiration.

Many believed Li Pin had already reaped immense rewards in the Mara Divine Treasure World with the two Solar Flare Divine Weapons. But they had no idea. His greatest gain was control over a Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon.

In other words, he had become its rightful master. The sword had only remained in another's possession until now, when it was finally delivered to him.

Of course... only someone as powerful as Li Pin could hold onto such a treasure. Anyone else, no matter how strong, even with a fully prepared combat-specialized Astral God avatar guarding them, would still end up robbed and killed.

"I will keep this strictly confidential," Xuan Jian said. He paused briefly before adding, "But... if a Cosmic Radiance Astral God gets involved, I won't be able to hide it."

To Cosmic Radiance Astral Gods who had condensed their True Spirit, the minds of lesser beings were as transparent as glass. If they wished, they could read every thought in their target's mind.

Xuan Jian quickly reassured him, "But don't worry. You bear the mission of breaking open the Void Divine Treasure World. The Hall will ensure your safety. Besides... while Cosmic Radiance Divine Weapon is valuable, someone of the Cosmic Radiance Astral God's stature would never deign to take action against you over such a matter."

Li Pin nodded.

Still, this is beyond Xuan Jian's control. But a Cosmic Radiance attempting to silence both of us is unlikely. As an Astral God, losing an avatar won't affect Xuan Jian's True Form.

Of course, Li Pin had his own other considerations.

He hadn't entered the Astral World. Even if a Cosmic Radiance Astral God

wanted to deal with him, they could only send an avatar.

And their combat-specialized avatar... should be far stronger than Bi Luo's

, Li Pin thought.

A flicker of anticipation rose within him.

He quickly turned to Xuan Jian. "There's no need to hide anything. Just report it."

"Report it?" Xuan Jian was momentarily stunned. "That'll bring you a lot of trouble."

Li Pin smiled. "Do I look like I'd be afraid?"

Xuan Jian recalled the power Li Pin had displayed when he crushed the Eternal Solar Flare's combat-specialized avatar.

He thought,

It all makes sense now. Tier Nine strength! Li Pin definitely possesses Tier Nine strength! Even if his Power Level hasn't reached 450,000, it wouldn't be far off.

At his level, unless Cosmic Radiance's combat-specialized avatar appears in person, conventional methods would be utterly ineffective against him. And with the Hall behind him, he could rest assured, free from any concerns.

Realizing this, Xuan Jian smiled. "Given your strength and standing, there's hardly anything in the universe that could threaten you now."

A trace of admiration surfaced in Xuan Jian's heart.

So, this is the power of absolute strength. With enough strength, all those troubles that once seemed overwhelming would be nothing more than minor obstacles.

"Let's go. Keep moving," Li Pin said.

Xuan Jian nodded.

Watching Li Pin continue as if nothing had happened, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

The first time they met, Li Pin wasn't even a Divine Being. How long had it been? Not even fifty stellar years? In such a short time, Li Pin had already grown to a level that left even him feeling inferior.

Yes, he was feeling inferior.

Li Pin might not have become an Astral God yet, but with his foundation, the contributions he made in the Void Divine Treasure World, and the support of the Heaven Ordainment Sect and the Grand Hall, securing a foothold in the Astral World was already a certainty.

Once that happened, with the talent and potential that earned him a recommendation for the Eternal Ascent of Humanity Initiative by Mu Hai, his rise would be inevitable.

Even if someone told him a thousand stellar years from now that Li Pin had become an Eternal Solar Flare, he wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

Xuan Jian sighed inwardly.

People really can't be compared.... Back then, I was once the most renowned prodigy in my star domain too....

***

The two swiftly departed the star region.

Once they were gone, numerous nearby Legends arrived one after another.

But when they saw the chaos, the shattered star system, planets knocked out of orbit or even torn apart, none of them dared to investigate further.

As soon as Li Pin and Xuan Jian left the area, their communications were swiftly restored. After confirming with Li Pin once more, Xuan Jian wasted no time in sending the report.

As expected, this set off a flurry of activity. Even Bai Chao personally reached out, inquiring about his condition and repeatedly reminding him to act cautiously, prioritizing safety above all.

Even Li Pin was slightly surprised by their level of concern.

However, considering the significance of the Void Divine Treasure World, he could understand.

Li Pin glanced at his communication bracelet. More than a dozen messages arrived at once, all from Astral Gods.

Li Pin took note of this. Without realizing it, his circle had shifted. His acquaintances had gone from Legends and Divine Beings to Astral Gods.

A person's circle often reflected their level.

Retracting his gaze from the communication bracelet, he refocused on his Mini Astral World, where divine items floated within, radiating starlight.

Even the energy waves from his Natal Planet couldn't easily shake or destroy them.

He looked at one particular treasure. "The Astral Ocean Pearl...."

Among all the spoils he had obtained from his battle against Bi Luo, this was the most valuable. A non-standard yet fairly common Solar Flare Divine Weapon, it housed an internal sea of astral energy that could continuously replenish itself with external energy. Essentially, it functioned as an energy reservoir, an external core, and more.

It could store up to 200,000 units of energy. However, since the weapon itself converted the energy rather than the user refining it directly, anyone who obtained it would have to temper, adapt, and refine its energy from scratch.

Depending on one's mastery over astral energy, reaching the weapon's full potential could take ten, dozens, or even a hundred stellar years. Each time its energy was depleted in battle, the process would have to start all over again.

It was quite cumbersome. It was sometimes even less efficient than cultivating a Divine Being as a manifestation medium. Despite that, it remained the top choice for many Solar Flare Astral Gods when developing combat-specialized avatars.

Using a Divine Being as a manifestation medium carried risk.

No living being could truly remain composed in the face of death, especially those with enough status and power.[1]

Besides, for an Eternal Solar Flare, a few dozen stellar years hardly mattered.

As for the need to recover after battle, the Astral God circle remained relatively stable.

Normally, even an Eternal Solar Flare might not engage in full-scale combat once in a thousand stellar years, making this divine weapon an exceptionally practical and cost-effective choice.

Li Pin studied the treasure and murmured, "A dozen to a few dozen stellar years..."

It could come in handy. With my current energy intensity, and an additional 200,000 units... even a Tier Nine Astral God's avatar wouldn't be a threat.

Aside from the Astral Ocean Pearl, there were thirteen other divine weapons. Nine of them formed a complete set, enhancing various aspects. Their combined value easily exceeded 30 million Divine Treasury Points.

Adding the remaining four weapons... even without counting the most expensive one, his total gains from this battle approached 40 million.

1. A reminder that Astral Gods manifesting through Divine Beings could result in the death of the particular Divine Being. ☜