Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent-Chapter 445: Storm

Li Pin's figure appeared above the Great Shang Imperial Palace. Alongside him were the eight Top-Tier Martial Gods of the Celestial Martial God Hall, as well as numerous High-Class Martial Gods. Notably absent was Lin Xingchen, who was not among them.

Additionally, outstanding talents from various fields were also rushing at full speed toward the Great Shang capital.

The Celestial Martial God Hall was situated between the Royal Empire and Great Shang, each lying just over a thousand kilometers away in a straight line. The two nations shared a border, and aside from the boundary line itself, there were no barriers restricting the movement of people.

The battle between Li Pin and the five Heavenly Realm Experts of Great Shang—Zhao Kunwu, Ji Xuanyuan, and others—had erupted over the capital itself.

With millions of eyes watching, the conflict unfolded in full view. Though the battlefield eventually shifted into an alternate dimension, news of the clash had already spread like a storm across all of Great Shang.

A year ago, Li Pin had failed to secure the title of the world's strongest.

Yet, the efforts of Yuan Zhenchuan and the Tianyuan Federation in building up his reputation had cemented his status in people's minds.

To the public, this formidable Martial God, even if not surpassing the Solar Radiance Sovereign, was considered second only to him.

Now, such a formidable figure had arrived in the capital of Great Shang, engaging in a life-or-death battle with the nation's five Heavenly Realm Experts.

Despite the government's continuous efforts to portray their side as defenders of justice and reassure the people that justice would prevail, the public could not quell their anxiety.

The unrest severely disrupted operations across Great Shang. Some wealthy individuals had already fled through various channels, planning to return once the situation stabilized.

The chaos made it easier for the Celestial Martial God Hall to seize control of key departments.

***

As the personnel from the Celestial Martial God Hall gathered, Li Pin turned his gaze toward the elite Astral Cultivators arriving from all directions.

These included Top-Tier and Master Astral Cultivators, the core members of Great Shang's upper echelons, second only to the ruling class.

Once enough of them had gathered, Li Pin turned to Xie Longcheng and said, "Bring them in."

Xie Longcheng responded respectfully and excitedly, "Yes."

At this moment, two figures appeared at the horizon, arriving one after another. One was Qiao Baishi, a Heavenly Realm Expert from Tianyuan, and the other was An Na, the secretary-general of the Gaia Alliance.

"Hall Master Li, His Excellency Yuan Zhenchuan sent us to assist in taking over Great Shang," Qiao Baishi said, glancing at the people behind Li Pin.

Although the Celestial Martial God Hall had governance experience with the Molong Country and the surrounding dozen or so nations, those regions were far smaller compared to Great Shang, one of the Six Extremities of the world.

An Na quickly added, "Under the orders of the Solar Radiance Sovereign, the Gaia Alliance has issued a mandatory announcement.

"It condemns Ji Xuanyuan and Zhao Kunwu for undermining human unity and notifies all departments in Great Shang that governance will be temporarily overseen by the Celestial Martial God Hall."

Li Pin nodded in agreement.

This was precisely why he had discussed matters with the Solar Radiance Sovereign and others.

While taking over Great Shang by force wouldn't have been difficult, it would have caused significant harm to the land and people. With the Gaia Alliance's moral justification, the people would be more likely to accept the Celestial Martial God Hall's rule.

To the ordinary citizens, it mattered little who ruled.

The middle class might panic, but their limited influence wouldn't cause major disruption.

As for the upper class, upon learning of the deaths of Ji Xuanyuan, Zhao Kunwu, Zhu Zhao, Ying Huo, and Jin Taibai—two Supreme and three Heavenly Realm Experts—they had two choices: comply and await inspection, or flee as far as possible, praying they wouldn't be targeted by the Celestial Martial God Hall.

"From here on, I'll leave the rest to you," Li Pin said, his gaze sweeping over Shi Shihu, Xie Longcheng, and the others. "If any Master Astral Cultivators prove stubborn, I will personally—"

"Hall Master Li, your status is too exalted for that," Qiao Baishi quickly interjected with a smile. "I'm here specifically to deal with any Master Astral Cultivators who fail to recognize their situation."

After all, Li Pin's methods left little room for mercy. If forced to act, those offending Master Astral Cultivators would either die or be crippled.

If Qiao Baishi handled them, they would still face severe punishment, but at least their lives would be spared.

This was precisely why Yuan Zhenchuan—or rather, the Solar Radiance Sovereign—had sent him. Master Astral Cultivators were seen as seeds for future Heavenly Realm Experts, and saving even one was considered worth the effort.

"Very well," Li Pin said before giving orders to Yue Ying and the others. "Apart from Xing Ying, the rest of you will assist Shi Shihu and Xie Longcheng."

"Yes," the remaining Top-Tier Martial Gods responded in unison.

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Though their strength was below the Heavenly and Legendary realms, they were more than capable of handling Master Astral Cultivators. With the Great Shang lacking both Heavenly and Legendary Experts, their power was more than enough for the task.

***

Li Pin and Xing Ying stepped away from the crowd, heading directly to the Chengtian Hall, which served as Ji Xuanyuan's residence. Adjacent to it stood the imperial treasury.

The fact that these two areas were connected suggested that Ji Xuanyuan, as the emperor, personally guarded the treasury.

Li Pin said, "I'm quite interested in Zhao Kunwu's Sacred Word Technique. It's said that this technique originated from a shared opportunity between Ji Xuanyuan and Zhao Kunwu long ago.

"At the time, Ji Xuanyuan had already committed to the mental spirit path, so Zhao Kunwu expanded upon it. But the imperial family must still have preserved the cultivation method for it. Look for it."

"Yes!" Xing Ying eagerly responded and began searching.

The Chengtian Hall was at the very heart of the Great Shang Imperial Palace!

A few years ago, hunters like them wouldn't have been qualified to enter the Great Shang palace, let alone step into the Chengtian Hall, the center of power in one of the Six Extremities.

Yet now... not only had she arrived at the Chengtian Hall, but she was free to search its treasures. The dramatic shift in her status and fortune was t beyond description.

After instructing Xing Ying, Li Pin walked through the interior corridor and arrived at the entrance to the imperial treasury. There, an elderly man, frail in appearance, waited quietly.

Seeing Li Pin, the old man remained calm. "They lost?"

Li Pin was somewhat surprised. "Master Astral Cultivator? Heavenly Realm?"

He truly couldn't discern the elder's realm.

"I'm just a failure who once tried to ascend beyond the Legendary realm—or perhaps beyond the Heavenly," the elder said, his expression devoid of regret. "But if I had obtained the Cosmic True Dragon Secret Art twenty-six years ago, there might have been hope."

Li Pin recalled, "Twenty-six years ago..."

Back then, a brilliant and extraordinary Supreme Expert named Ji Shenglin had emerged in Great Shang. He was like a saint descending to this land.

At that time, aside from the ridiculously powerful Six Divine Rings, his strength had already reached the peak of what Legends could achieve.

It was said that he had even fought against the Solar Radiance Sovereign of that era, though the outcome was never revealed.

Soon after, Ji Shenglin entered seclusion, intending to break through the Legendary realm and reach an even higher level. From then on, he disappeared without a trace.

Everyone assumed he had failed. No one expected that the man who failed was still alive.

"How did you attempt it?" Li Pin asked.

Ji Shenglin explained, "The greatest difference between a Legend and a Master Astral Cultivator lies in the ability to dominate Atomic Will. By influencing Atomic Will, one can unleash unimaginable powers.

"It's like creating an intricate painting—normally, it takes a lot of time, but with artificial intelligence, you can have AI do it for you. The power scattered by the great Astral God is like ready-made AI, and dominating Atomic Will is like gaining control over it."

"That's why I believe the realm beyond Legend must involve crafting even greater authority—akin to an administrator's authority, one that can strip others of their power and forcibly reduce them back to Heavenly realm. Therefore, I chose the path of restructuring Atomic Will."

Li Pin looked at Ji Shenglin and shook his head. "That's impossible."

Atomic Will, in essence, was formed from the thoughts scattered after the fall of Astral God Yin Luo. Even in death, those thoughts were of such high quality that they far surpassed anything in the Heavenly realm.

Perhaps in the future, once Li Pin perfected his inner spirit, he might attempt it. But Ji Shenglin...

"I failed," Ji Shenglin admitted. "My spiritual will was backlashed by Atomic Will to the point where I can no longer condense it. If I even attempt to gather it, all Atomic Wills will reject and attack me."

He paused slightly, then continued, "However, after years of research, I've discovered something.

"If I forcefully condense my spiritual will at the cost of my life, the Atomic Will under my control, combined with those that reject and attack me, will create an unprecedented Mental Spirit Storm—a storm capable of erasing any Heavenly Realm being from existence."

Li Pin quickly pictured the scene. "A storm formed by spiritual will fused with Atomic Will!?"

Erasing any Heavenly Realm would be no empty claim.

"If you choose to retreat now and allow the Great Shang Royal Family to survive, our Ji Family will acknowledge our mistakes and accept punishment, even if it means we have to cede everything outside the capital district to you."

Ji Shenglin, the once-legendary figure who had disappeared twenty-six years ago, looked at Li Pin with a plea in his eyes. "But if you refuse to leave any path of survival for the Ji Family..."

Before Ji Shenglin could finish, Li Pin interrupted eagerly, "Please, do it."

"......"

Ji Shenglin swallowed his words. "..."

"Please show me the full extent of a peak spiritual will triggering a storm of Atomic Will. I want to see how powerful it can become!

"When countless Atomic Wills condense and manifest even a sliver of the Astral God Yin Luo's divine might, can it reveal a force stronger than the mental spirit itself—inner spirit? I need this to validate the path ahead of me!"

Li Pin spoke earnestly, bowing deeply to him. "I'm counting on you."

Ji Shenglin stared blankly at Li Pin. "..."

Clearly... there was nothing more to say.