Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 97: Halfway

Rumble!

A tempest of violent gusts erupted.

A deathly aura, stimulating the soul, thundered down toward Qiu Chufeng's forehead with an earth-shattering might.

"Ahhh!" Qiu Chufeng roared wildly.

He wanted to muster his remaining strength to fight back and reclaim the glory of his peak days as a Martial Saint. Unfortunately for him, his previous attack had seemingly drained every ounce of his strength, leaving him feeling feeble and worn out.

Ultimately, he found himself noticeably slower than Li Pin even after activating his qi and blood. He could only watch helplessly as Li Pin's fist violently smashed into his head.

"Noooo!"

Boom!

Shockwaves rippled outward as the pulverizing Aura Force tore through Qiu Chufeng's body, spraying blood in all directions.

Qiu Chufeng's hair was blown into an erratic mess as blood spurted from both of his eyes, his nose, and his ears, all at the same time.

The tyrannical Aura Force, unleashed with savage ferocity, pulverized Qiu Chufeng's skull, the Martial Saint of the Taibai Kingdom, on the spot.

However, his eyes didn't display regret over his inability to reach his peak condition; it displayed... fear.

In the face of Li Pin's final punch, he succumbed to fear, preventing him from reaching his peak state and channeling his rage into an extreme emotion. This inhibited him from unleashing the invincible conviction of a Martial Saint, where spirit and force united, delivering a strike that embodied the glory of a Martial Saint.

Li Pin slowly pulled back his outstretched arm. "Amidst life-and-death situations, one will undoubtedly be subjected to great fear. But it is precisely in that fear where one can find their peak, elevate themselves, make a breakthrough, and surpass their old self!"

Qiu Chufeng's eyes were filled with blood. His lifeless body slowly collapsed to the floor, his life force fizzled out.

"And you couldn't even do that..." murmured Li Pin.

He turned his gaze toward Teng Sheng, Qiu Chufeng's disciple.

When the Core Formation martial artist Teng Sheng met Li Pin's eyes, he recoiled in terror, his frame trembling. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he turned to flee at top speed, completely devoid of the courage to confront Li Pin.

Died! Sect Master has died!

Qiu Chufeng, once capable of executing a strike of Spirit Qi Unity and honored as a Martial Saint, had been killed by this monster!

Teng Sheng didn't even have the courage to seize Li Pin's weakened state to deliver a sneak attack. He only had one thing on his mind, and that was to get as far away as possible from this monster!

However, as Teng Sheng retreated, Li Pin burst forward. With the Blood-Seething Secret Art, his power surged to its peak. Using the strength of the Eight Ferocious True Fire Force Lilong, he moved like a dragon soaring through the sky and quickly caught up to the Core Formation martial artist.

"Li Pin!" Teng Sheng shouted in terror

Teng Sheng erupted his Blood Core not to fight back, but to escape faster.

"Live and let live! You have already killed our Sect Master! Why bother exterminating us completely!?"[1]

"Exterminate you completely? You came to my doorstep for what reason?" Li Pin leaped forward, quickly closing the distance between them. "Was it to invite me to a feast?"

Unleashing his strength, Li Pin threw a punch fueled with the power of the Lilong, resounding with a thundering boom.

Teng Sheng felt his scalp tingle with terror as an unprecedented sense of death loomed over him, disrupting his life force and driving him to near madness.

"Aaah!"

Desperate, Teng Sheng twisted as he channeled his qi and blood from the eruption of his Blood Core, igniting his entire being in a desperate attempt to counter the impending doom.

As Li Pin had said, a true martial artist needed to face great fear to find their peak, transcend themselves, make a breakthrough, and surpass their old self.

However... Teng Sheng clearly was oblivious to the true meaning behind Li Pin's words.

He thought that his peak, his transcendence, would come from a wild roar and an emotional outburst, whereby he'd unleash his strongest attack. However, in reality, he lacked an absolutely calm mind!

He couldn't find that hint of sublimation in the midst of crisis and death. His way of unleashing all his power was nothing but reckless, purely seeking death!

In his moment of desperation, he exhibited decent strength. However, there were simply too many flaws and openings.

Li Pin's figure leaned slightly to the side, his left hand deftly skimming past the force of Teng Sheng's punch. In a swift motion, his fist viciously intercepted at Teng Sheng's neck!

Snap!

His thyroid cartilage shattered! His cervical vertebrae snapped! The nerves in his neck tore apart!

Teng Sheng's entire head was bent and deformed from the strike; it was a grotesque sight to behold. The force of the impact sent him staggering back several steps.

He stared at Li Pin in terror, mouth agape like he wanted to say something.

However, ultimately... due to the disruption of neural pathways from his brain to the body, he quickly lost control over his body and collapsed.

Even as he lay on the floor, he did not die immediately. His body twitched involuntarily due to special neural reactions. The convulsions continued for more than ten seconds before finally subsiding, signaling the end of his life.

Li Pin pulled back his fist and turned to look at the middle-aged man who had come together with Qiu Chufeng and Teng Sheng.

However, the moment the man met Li Pin's gaze, his eyes widened with horror, and his face paled with shock. He suddenly clutched his heart as his face became wreathed in agony. He fell to the floor, curled up in pain, and then... died.

The attacks that Li Pin and Qiu Chufeng had unleashed with the resonation of their organs and with their full strength caused strong reverberations through the air in the surroundings.

Teng Sheng had been at the Core Formation realm and fared much better than the martial society staff member, who was clearly far from reaching Core Formation. Being close to the battle, he had been injured internally by the aftermath of their clashes.

Then, the staff member experienced unprecedented fear when he witnessed Li Pin ruthlessly slaying both Qiu Chufeng and Teng Sheng with devastating force. This triggered a surge of adrenaline that overwhelmed his already weakened heart, ultimately causing him to die of fright.

Calmly withdrawing his gaze, Li Pin entered his mansion, where he took a medicinal pill to replenish his primordial qi.

Activating his recently acquired "self-healing" passive ability, he simultaneously circulated the Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique to restore his depleted primordial qi from using the Blood-Seething Secret Art.

While doing this, he downloaded the surveillance footage from the entrance onto his phone.

"The matter is far from over," muttered Li Pin.

The Solar Vermillion Sect was already ready to totally strain their relations to their breaking point to kill him. Moving forward, they would definitely show no mercy.

The Solar Vermillion Sect lost its master, Qiu Chufeng, but Qiu Chuyun was still alive. In addition to that, the sect still had many Aura Force Grandmasters and Core Formation Martial Artists.

In order to avoid the fate of being surrounded and killed by Qiu Chuyun and his men, the best solution was not to give them any more opportunities!

Coming to a decision, Li Pin locked the front door of his mansion. He glanced at the empty garage and thought to himself, It's time to buy a car.

With determined strides, he left Riverscape Marvel. Coincidentally, a taxi happened to have just dropped off a passenger in the neighborhood. Li Pin quickly hailed it.

"Five Elements Sect," he told the driver, stating the address.

As he glanced at the recorded video, memories of the emergency defense tactics he had learned during his certification exam flashed through his mind. He knew what he needed to do.

***

It was almost eleven at night, which meant that even Jiang Province City, the capital of Jiang Province, got to catch a breather from its usual traffic.

The Five Elements Sect wasn't far from Riverscape Marvel. In less than twenty minutes, it was already within sight.

Despite it being almost midnight, the Five Elements Sect was still brightly lit, as if preparing for a major confrontation. The regular disciples had already left, leaving behind only those willing to fight and risk their lives for the sect.

Not long after Li Pin entered the Five Elements Sect, a disciple quickly recognized him and exclaimed in surprise, "Master Li, you're here!"

"Where are the people of the Solar Vermillion Sect?" Li Pin asked.

"They are in the common hall," the disciple promptly said. "Let me take you there."

Li Pin nodded.

To prevent anyone from rescuing Li Pin, Lin Yuzhi kept Lian Hongchen occupied, and Jiang Qingyue was sent away.

As for Cao Tianyou, the other Aura Force Grandmaster of the Solar Vermillion Sect Qiu Chuyun had brought along an elite unit from the sect and personally arrived at the Five Elements Sect under the pretext of a martial arts exchange. This was also why the Five Elements Sect was still brightly lit even though it was close to midnight.

"Good job, Martial Brother Fang!"

As Li Pin reached the entrance of the common hall, he could already hear cheers coming from inside.

There weren't many people. The Five Elements Sect and the Solar Vermillion Sect, despite nurturing batches upon batches of disciples over the decades, totaling tens of thousands, only a hundred or so disciples were loyal and remained to fight for their sects.

The disciple showed Li Pin the way to a building resembling an indoor basketball court. "Master Li, they're inside."

Li Pin immediately stepped forward and pushed open the door.

In the center of the building, two disciples were engaged in a fierce sparring match. Though it was meant as a friendly competition, their strikes showed no mercy, targeting vital points.

Groups of people were seated on either side of the sparring area.

The Five Elements Sect had a noticeable numerical advantage with around 120 individuals, while the Solar Vermillion Sect had just over sixty. Despite their smaller numbers, each member of the Solar Vermillion Sect was full of vitality and vigor. In terms of their physical and mental condition, they clearly surpassed those from the Five Elements Sect.

The leaders of the groups were none other than the two grandmasters of the respective sects, Cao Tianyou and Qiu Chuyun.

As Li Pin pushed open the door, all eyes from both the Five Elements Sect and the Solar Vermillion Sect turned toward him, except for the two disciples engaged in combat.

Cao Tianyou, initially looking concerned but preoccupied with Qiu Chuyun blocking the door, almost thought he was seeing illusions when he spotted Li Pin. In the next moment, he stood up abruptly.

On the opposite side, Qiu Chuyun frowned, his eyes betraying a hint of regret. It wasn't clear what he was thinking of.

"Master Li, you're here! Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" Cao Tianyou uttered three "excellents" in a row, then promptly invited Li Pin over. "Come, have a seat! No one can lay a hand on you in the Five Elements Sect!"

Li Pin nodded.

Cao Tianyou let out a slight sigh of relief. "I suppose you must have received Chairman Lian's message, left your residence, and hurried over to us immediately. That must mean you managed to avoid Qiu Chufeng, didn't you?"

But as Li Pin approached, Cao Tianyou detected an unfamiliar aura around Li Pin with his keen senses.

"You..." Cao Tianyou's pupils dilated slightly. "Did you get intercepted by Qiu Chufeng and get in a fight with him!?"

Surprised, Cao Tianyou exclaimed, "That old bag is considered the pinnacle among martial artists with the Martial Saints title. How did you manage to get away?"

"How did I get away?" Li Pin paused for a moment. Then, he continued, "I killed them all. Naturally, I was able to get away after that."

Then he added, "Tell the martial society to visit Riverscape Marvel, collect the bodies, and clean up the mess. I don't want to scare my neighbors."

1. When there is room to spare someone, spare them. ☜