Chapter 696: Sudden Change

As Li Pin arrived, the gathered Astral Gods simultaneously cupped their hands in salute.

The air buzzed with discussions and greetings.

"Prodigy Li is here."

"So, this is the Prodigy Li who struck awe into the alien races in the Heavenly Prison World, making all contenders bow before him?"

"Who would have thought that someone like Prodigy Li could emerge from the Yin Luo Galaxy? His Excellency Yin Luo must finally be at peace in the afterlife."

Amid the murmurs, hundreds of Astral Gods turned their gazes toward Li Pin, their faces adorned with smiles.

This scene left Li Yunyao and Xiang Tianxing utterly astonished.

Li Yunyao scrutinized the crowd, seemingly grasping something yet finding it hard to believe. "These people... their energy fluctuations don't feel like those of a Legend or a Divine... Are they..."

Si Yue identified them immediately. She spoke in a heavy but certain voice, "They are Astral Gods."

Then, as if needing to emphasize the point, she added, "All 331 of them, without exception, are Astral Gods' avatars, representing the will of 331 Astral Gods!"

Xiang Tianxing and Li Yunyao's pupils dilated simultaneously at the number.

331 Astral Gods!? 331!?

Throughout the entire Yin Luo Galaxy, with all its planets and civilizations, only three Astral Gods existed. Their families ruled the Yin Luo Galaxy, standing as its unshakable overlords. Yet now... here stood 331 beings of the same level as those supreme rulers?

And judging by their expressions... they were friendly, no, even respectful, toward Li Pin!

Li Pin... isn’t he just a Divine Being? Even if he is an exceptionally talented one, potential is still just potential.

Before those who had merged with the Astral World and attained eternal existence, even being treated as an equal was the best he could do.

But the attitude of these Astral Gods completely overturned everything they had known about these lofty beings.

Yan Qing stepped forward with several Homo Sapien Alliance staff members and greeted him with a smile. "Prodigy Li."

Li Pin acknowledged her with a nod. "Much appreciated."

She chuckled. "The Homo Sapien Alliance stationed personnel here in the Yin Luo Galaxy precisely for this matter. If anything, we should be thanking you for allowing us to conclude our assignment ahead of schedule."

The Homo Sapien Alliance extended its influence to star systems, but it rarely interfered in their internal affairs.

Forget Astral Gods. Having Divine-level cultivators overseeing such locations would have been considered quite good.

In the Alliance's hierarchy, Cosmic Radiance corresponded to Star Abyss, Solar Flare to Star Domain, and Starshine to Star Cluster. Only exceptionally prosperous or unique star systems, clusters, domains, or abysses had higher-level overseers.

"This must be the current successor to Astral God Yin Luo?" Yan Qing turned to Li Yunyao. "Truly extraordinary. With His Excellency Yin Luo's legacy in your hands, it will surely flourish. Perhaps one day, you may even rise to become a beacon like the great Light of the Ark, whose name in Cosmic Radiance inspires awe in the Astral World."

"You flatter me," Li Yunyao replied humbly.

Surrounded by so many Astral Gods, Li Yunyao dared not show the slightest hint of arrogance.

Yan Qing then turned to Li Pin. "Shall we begin?"

"Let's begin," Li Pin responded.

Yan Qing addressed Li Yunyao once more. "Enter His Excellency Yin Luo's core and absorb its power. Once activated, the vast expanse of the starry sky will channel its astral energy toward you."

She paused briefly before adding, "At that point, depending on your strength, you'll be able to precisely sense the astral energy in certain regions and choose to exclude specific areas from being drawn upon."

Li Yunyao nodded.

Years ago, when it became clear that no one else could compete for the position of Astral God Yin Luo's successor, the Si Clan had already prepared numerous records detailing the inheritance process for her.

"Go ahead," Yan Qing said.

Li Yunyao rose into the air and flew straight toward the massive sphere of astral energy. It spanned a full kilometer in diameter and was condensed to an extreme density.

The moment she entered the sphere, the entire altar began to glow with starlight.

All one thousand and twenty-four stone pillars surrounding the altar immediately burst into radiance, shooting beams of light straight into the sky, extending countless miles into the universe.

As the beams surged forth, the sphere of astral energy at the altar's center pulsed with brilliance, resonating as if responding to some unseen force.

This resonance struck closest to Xiang Tianxing.

A strange feeling washed over him, as though something essential within him was slipping away.

Fortunately, while Li Yunyao might not be able to precisely control the astral energy further away, she could still clearly distinguish the energy right next to her, where Xiang Tianxing stood.

Soon, the oppressive sensation of having his power stripped away dissipated from Xiang Tianxing's body.

He let out a subtle sigh of relief.

"It has begun," Li Pin said calmly.

"Prodigy Li, there's no need to worry," Yan Qing reassured him with a smile. "This inheritance core exists partly in the material world and partly within the Astral World. Very soon, she will enter a special cultivation ground within the Astral World, a place bathed in the brilliance of a Cosmic Radiance. Under the protection of that elder, Li Yunyao will gradually adapt to the Astral World until she fully becomes a qualified Astral God."

Li Pin nodded.

A Tier Six Legendary was fundamentally different from a Divine. Once a Divine entered the Astral World, they were entirely on their own.

However, a Tier Six Legendary had the option to seek refuge under a more powerful being, allowing that protector to shield them from the unpredictable dangers of the Astral World.

"The only question is how long it will take her to fully control these abilities," Li Pin pondered.

"Since she's inheriting this power, it's essentially a process of adapting to abilities that were originally meant for her. The speed of this process is countless times faster than conventional cultivation. Based on her talent... at the fastest, it could take her a few decades to a century, or at worst, a few hundred to a thousand years to fully unleash her Starshine-level strength."

Yan Qing smiled faintly. "The same logic applies to the Solar Flare stage. It just takes longer. But... no matter how slow, within ten thousand stellar years, she will undoubtedly reach the Eternal Solar Flare level."

After saying this, Yan Qing, who had once been hailed as a prodigy herself, couldn't help but sigh. "To nurture an Eternal Solar Flare in just ten thousand stellar years... This is precisely why countless forces are willing to go to any lengths to interfere in the battle for the Astral God Yin Luo's inheritance.

"Even with the strict regulations imposed by the Homo Sapien Alliance, their enthusiasm remains undiminished... The efficiency of this god-making process is simply too remarkable."

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Ten thousand stellar years to achieve Eternal Solar Flare...

For those at the pinnacle of human talent, it might not seem like much. But even for peerless geniuses, such growth speed was astonishing.

After all, across the vast Astral World, the ratio of Starshine beings to Solar Flare ones exceeded one hundred to one.

Out of a hundred Starshine Astral Gods, not even one was guaranteed to reach the Solar Flare stage.

The average lifespan of a Starshine being exceeded a million stellar years. Yet, within such an immense span of time, less than one percent managed to advance to the Solar Flare level. This alone spoke volumes about how difficult it was to achieve Eternal Solar Flare status.

The ever-present Eternal Oblivion Force in the Astral World made every increase in power demand an equal increase in control.

Moreover, the key to ascending from Starshine to Solar Flare lay not in energy accumulation, but in energy level.

Compressing energy was far more challenging than merely accumulating it.

One misstep, and the boundless Eternal Oblivion Force would come crashing down, crushing a Starshine cultivator in an instant.

This was why most Starshine Astral Gods would rather halt their cultivation than take reckless risks.

In theory, the lifespan of a Starshine Astral God was infinite. But the reason their average lifespan was only a million stellar years was simple: too many of them were blinded by ambition, convinced they could take the next step in their cultivation, only to find their lives as fragile as paper, swiftly perishing under the power of the Eternal Oblivion Force.

As the two conversed, countless streaks of starlight began to appear at the horizon, illuminating the vast cosmos.

"They're here," Yan Qing murmured.

The starlight surged in from all directions at the speed of light—or even beyond it—converging upon the inheritance core. The already radiant core grew even more dazzling, to the point where it became nearly impossible to keep one's eyes open.

Most of this starlight flowed into Li Yunyao. In that moment, a mysterious resonance seemed to form between her, the inheritance core, and a distant point within the Astral World's alternate dimensional space.

The resonance centered around a core within the Astral World, drawing Li Yunyao, the inheritance core, and the vast astral energy streaming in from across the Yin Luo Galaxy toward the Astral World itself.

An Astral God in the crowd couldn't help but sigh. "One step to the heavens..."[1]

Their gazes toward Li Yunyao were filled with both admiration and jealousy.

But what could they do? They weren't born in Yin Luo.

In fact... some Astral Gods observed Li Pin with quiet scrutiny.

Even if they had been born in Yin Luo, could they have competed against Li Yunyao, who had Li Pin's full support?

Rumor had it that before entering the Heavenly Prison World, he already possessed combat strength equivalent to the ninth step of the Supreme Ladder.

And now... who knew how far he had grown?

For all they knew, even if they descended with a Divine True Body, they might not be able to suppress him.

Buzz! Buzz!

As the surrounding Astral Gods were immersed in their envy and speculation, the ceaseless flow of astral energy suddenly shifted.

As if drawn by another force, the incoming starlight veered off in another direction.

That direction... was the core region of the Yin Luo Galaxy.

And it wasn't just the astral energy. Even the thousand-meter-wide inheritance core, condensed from the densest astral energy, showed signs of breaking away from the altar and drifting away from this region

It was as if... something there was calling to it.

The sudden change sent a wave of shock through the gathered Astral Gods.

"What's happening?"

Even Yan Qing's expression darkened slightly.

This phenomenon...

An Astral God muttered, voicing the thought lingering in everyone's mind.

"The inheritance has begun, but... why does this feel like the successor is someone else?"

1. It's a Chinese idiom that implies a sudden, almost miraculous rise to prominence or power, as if leaping straight to the heavens in one step. ☜