Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 352: Order

Lin Langya and his group promptly handed over the prepared information on the Great Moon Imperial Tomb to Li Pin. Additionally, they included some details about that mysterious divine armor.

However, the so-called legendary power of this armor was merely a claim within the Great Moon Dynasty and had never received external validation, so Li Pin didn't dwell on it. What slightly piqued his interest was the origin of the materials used for the divine armor.

The materials came from an alternate dimension!?

Unfortunately, Lin Langya and his team knew little about this matter. After two failed attempts to restore their kingdom, the Lin Clan had lost far too much to investigate further.

With no clear answers in sight, Li Pin shifted his focus to the information gathered about the Great Moon Imperial Tomb.

The Great Moon Imperial Tomb housed the remains of twenty-two emperors of the Great Moon Empire.

Through countless renovations and expansions, the tomb complex now spanned an astounding six hundred square kilometers—ten times the size of Hualong Mountain, home to the Dragonfist Sect.

As ferocious beasts and demonic creatures began to occupy the tomb, drawn deeper by the allure of the Celestial Core, they further excavated, expanding the internal chambers once again.

To this day, no one truly knew the full extent of the Great Moon Imperial Tomb's size. However, several members of the Lin Clan had ventured deep into the tomb on multiple occasions, hoping to retrieve the divine armor said to grant power rivaling that of a Legend.

Through great sacrifices, they had roughly mapped out the tomb, concluding that a sixth and possibly a seventh layer likely existed beyond the original five.

As for whether there was an eighth or ninth layer below that... no one could say for sure.

While studying the information on the Great Moon Imperial Tomb, Li Pin summoned Meng Xueya of the Royal Empire to have him convey the desire for the empire to return Lin Xingchen.

Naturally, Meng Xueya wouldn't refuse.

After half a month of discussions and expert advice, a new system gradually took shape.

The Dragonfist Sect was to be renamed the Celestial Martial God Hall.

Among the many factions in the world—like the Martial God Hall, Divine Martial Alliance, and Heavenly Martial Alliance—the Celestial Martial God Hall would undoubtedly stand out as the true beacon for all martial artists.

The Hall would establish a Grand Elders' Council, which would oversee its development strategy.

As of now, Li Pin was the sole member of the council.

Beneath the Grand Elders' Council, a Hall Master was appointed, assisted by three Vice Hall Masters.

Given the current international landscape, Li Pin assumed the role of Hall Master. Shi Shihu, Xing Hui, and Xie Longcheng took on the roles of the three Vice Hall Masters.

Going further down the hierarchy, Elders and Protectors supported the Vice Hall Masters.

The Elders aided the Hall Master in managing the hall's affairs, functioning in mid to high-level roles. The Protectors, on the other hand, formed a direct combat and oversight branch under the Hall Master's command.

Each Elder had several deacons to assist with various matters.

Anyone seeking a position within Molong Country needed to first acquire membership in the Celestial Martial God Hall.

The position they could hold depended on their rank within the hall.

In theory, any Elder could govern a region akin to Molong Country. Or perhaps, when their contributions and strength reached the level required to oversee a nation, they would earn the title of Elder within the Hall.

Aside from the Elders, Department Head, and Deacon levels, there were the disciples themselves. They were divided into Registered Disciples, Formal Disciples, Core Disciples, and Divine Children.

Each disciple served as a potential Deacon or Elder, receiving dedicated training and guidance from the Hall.

As they aged and their martial progress slowed, they would be assigned external duties.

The type of position they held corresponded to their disciple status; a Registered Disciple might serve as a clerk; a Formal Disciple could manage a small town; and a Core Disciple would begin at the city level.

The Divine Children held a rank equal to the Elders, recognized as the Hall's innermost core and nurtured as future Vice Hall Masters.

Through this structure, the Celestial Martial God Hall swiftly completed its internal assignments.

Martial Gods with managerial skills were appointed as Elders, while those who weren't experienced in this domain and solely focused on cultivation were designated as Protectors.

Under Shi Shihu's direction, twelve Elders, each accompanied by a team of deacons, were soon dispatched to the twelve newly established administrative regions within Molong Country.

With these Martial Gods stepping in, the once-chaotic Molong Country rapidly stabilized.

Li Pin guided the overall direction but didn't handle every matter personally. He understood deeply that in a world built on individual strength, his own power was the foundation of everything.

Be it the Celestial Martial God Hall or Molong Country, as long as he remained powerful, he could rebuild these forces at will, even if they were obliterated.

***

On the peak of Hualong Mountain.

Amid crackling lightning, Li Pin descended from the sky, gently landing on the ground.

He had just completed another round of magnetic refinement.

Sensing his progress, he quickly estimated an accurate timeline for his training.

It will take another two months to reach the Top-Tier Martial God level, Li Pin mused.

Seeing him finish his training, Xing Ying quickly approached.

Li Pin looked at her. "Now that the Celestial Martial God Hall needs people, as one of the few Martial Gods within, do you have any department in mind?"

"I wish to stay by your side, Hall Master," Xing Ying replied. "I believe that it's far more important to see to your daily needs than to handle external matters. Ensuring none of your valuable time is wasted on trivial life matters is crucial; after all, you are everything to the Celestial Martial God Hall."

Li Pin didn't press the issue further.

"Hall Master, there's been a response from Tai Li of the Royal Empire's Supreme Holy Sanctuary..." informed Xing Ying. She hesitated for a moment, then continued, "They claim that Lin Xingchen's injuries are severe and that moving him isn't suitable right now. They promise to return him to the Celestial Martial God Hall once he recovers."

Li Pin paused. "Hm?"

He's severely injured? That's obviously just an excuse.

A hint of concern flashed in Xing Ying's eyes. "In theory, given your current international influence, Hall Master, even if you hadn't personally requested it, the Royal Empire should have taken the initiative to return Lin Xingchen, who bears the title of being your disciple, to maintain peaceful relations with you. Now, it seems they're trying to stall...."

Li Pin remained calm. This was exactly what he had expected.

"Apparently, a team from the Royal Empire's Supreme Holy Sanctuary is already on their way to the Celestial Martial God Hall, supposedly to formally apologize for the situation with Lin Xingchen..." Xing Ying added.

Li Pin thought it over briefly. "The apology is a pretense; their true aim is likely the Black Gold Mine. The only question is how they plan to approach this."

They couldn't afford to be passive. Clearly, it was time to make a trip to the Great Moon Imperial Tomb.

On one hand, he needed to challenge himself and unlock his potential as soon as possible by facing the lord-level ferocious beasts and demonic creatures within the tomb. Then, with the additional aid of the Thunder Stone and Primordial Electric Crystal, he'd accelerate his journey to becoming a Top-Tier Martial God.

On the other hand, he wanted to see if the divine armor, rumored to bestow strength comparable to that of Legends, was truly as remarkable as claimed.

"Increase defenses around the Black Gold Mine," Li Pin instructed. "Also, I'll be heading out for a while."

Xing Ying had anticipated this. She bowed and said, "Understood. We will do everything we can to safeguard all the assets of the Celestial Martial God Hall."

Li Pin nodded. The first batch of Thunder Stones had already arrived, supplemented by the sale of top-tier astral equipment and various gifts from visiting representatives of different nations. Many Martial Gods had begun using Primordial Electric Crystals for their training.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before a High-Class Martial God emerged from the Celestial Martial God Hall. Then, he wouldn't have to shoulder all the pressure alone.

***

Li Pin had gathered ample information about the Great Moon Imperial Tomb, and visiting it was part of his original plan. After a quick word with Xing Ying, he set off alone, not informing anyone else of his departure, and headed a thousand miles to the tomb.

The transportation infrastructure in Great Moon was in a dire state, making for an uncomfortable car ride experience. Therefore, Li Pin decided to fly to his destination. Since he relied on the Celestial Force Field for flight, he wouldn't experience the same toll an Astral Cultivator experienced while flying.

In just half a day, he had crossed the thousand-mile distance and arrived in the region of the Great Moon Imperial Tomb.

Compared to its prosperity decades ago, the area surrounding the tomb had long since become a haven for ferocious beasts and demonic creatures. The former inhabitants had either fallen prey to these creatures or relocated far away.

As he descended into the area, Li Pin could see ruins—buildings either collapsed or overgrown with various plants. From the state of the ruins, it was clear this had once been a thriving city.

"The Great Moon Imperial Tomb, spanning 1000 miles, is teeming with ferocious beasts and demonic creatures. The outer areas are manageable, but in the core region, the creatures' power escalates rapidly. Besides the Wild Boarmen, other species lurk here. The Giant Moths and swarming Giant Flies are known to be the most troublesome."

Both the Giant Moths and Giant Flies could fly. The Giant Moths posed a threat comparable to Top-Tier Astral Cultivators. The Giant Flies, while slightly weaker, were still stronger than a Ghoul. They relied on their numbers to swarm their enemies. Swarms of dozens at a time could be a nightmare for any Astral Cultivator.

As Li Pin approached the tomb entrance mid-flight, hundreds, if not a thousand, Giant Flies, each measuring between 1.5 to 2 meters, had already locked onto him.

Though he could easily kill these creatures with a single move, their sheer numbers made them especially annoying.

After managing to shake off the swarm, he proceeded more cautiously.

Following that, it took Li Pin three hours to cover less than a hundred miles, during which he inevitably encountered several Wild Boarmen.

He had no choice but to swiftly dispatch the creatures blocking his way.

The basic qi and blood of the Crimson Boarmen only reached 330, while the Dark Boarmen averaged 310. At best, they matched Top-Tier Astral Cultivators in qi and blood.

High-Class Astral Cultivators might not possess full sets of top-tier astral equipment, but they usually had at least high-class ones. So long as they didn't get trapped by three or five Wild Boarmen at once, they could handle ten to twenty by adopting a hit-and-run tactic.

If even Top-Tier Astral Cultivators could manage this, it was certainly no problem for Li Pin.

With this level of caution, he arrived safely at the entrance to the Great Moon Imperial Tomb just as the sky was about to get dark.