Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 393: Civilization

Li Pin's words stirred a wave of astonishment through the crowd.

Several Master Astral Cultivators whispered among themselves.

"An invasion from another civilization?"

"An army?"

Those who already had some information on the matter wore slightly tense expressions.

The Legendary figures exchanged a silent glance, their expressions serious.

One Legend couldn't help but ask, "The civilization army you mentioned... could it be the one discovered near Death Valley?"

Then, as if a thought occurred to him, he added, "The reason for the tenfold surge in the number of creatures in Death Valley—could it be related to this invading civilization?"

Li Pin nodded. "Yes."

Hearing this, Yuan Zhenchuan couldn't help but sigh. "It seems another intelligent species has emerged."

Zhao Kunwu echoed his words. "The Blood Demon Bishop, the Fallen Bishop, the Blood Moon Demon King... The number of intelligent species is indeed growing."

The Master Astral Cultivators felt the atmosphere turn heavy, but the Legends' interruption dulled the initial shock and panic at the idea of an extraterrestrial civilization.

Li Pin glanced at the two Legends who had changed the subject. He subtly sensed their intent, so he waited for their next move.

Yuan Zhenchuan explained, "Hall Master Li, since you've just joined the Human Alliance, you may not be familiar with the discussions from our previous expansion conference.

"The Human Alliance and the Special United Squad have been formed to confront the rapid rise of these intelligent species. Referring to them as new civilizations isn't incorrect. They are rapidly rising and competing with humanity for dominance over Gaia.

"Right now, we're focused on eliminating these intelligent species by resolving the crises on Dark Moon Island, at the Demon-Sealing Fortress, and in Blood Moon Gorge. And the crisis you discovered deep within Death Valley, Hall Master Li, is also part of that. But it must be tackled step by step."

Zhao Kunwu proposed, "That's why I suggest inviting you, Hall Master Li, to join the Special United Squad. With your help, we can significantly speed up the progress on Dark Moon Island. Once that's secured, we'll have the manpower to address the crisis in Death Valley or any other perilous regions."

The other Legends quickly voiced their agreement.

"Exactly. Hall Master Li, as a Martial God, you could infiltrate enemy lines to scout their formations. We wouldn't have to proceed as cautiously as we are now, fearing we might accidentally walk into an ambush of demonic creatures."

"With precise intelligence from you about the perilous regions, our squad's clearing speed would definitely double, or more."

"Knowing your enemy is the key to victory! Hall Master Li, your joining the Special United Squad would truly be a force multiplier."

The Legends looked at Li Pin, their eyes full of anticipation.

Yuan Zhenchuan turned to Li Pin. "What do you think, Hall Master Li?"

He smiled and added, "We're confident you wouldn't joke about matters regarding the perilous region, Death Valley. We'll send our own people to confirm it.

"However, priorities must be set. The creatures of Dark Moon Island are spreading rapidly to the other islands of the East Sea's Thirty-Six Countries. This is a situation that requires immediate action. The creatures in Death Valley remain dormant for now, so we'll push it lower on the list."

Li Pin listened to Yuan Zhenchuan's reasoning and found it hard to argue. He knew that the interdimensional space filled with true and false demonic creatures was a powerful army cultivated by another civilization or intelligent species. However, from others' perspective, these threats weren't urgent.

After all, didn't the Blood Demon Bishop have an army? Didn't the Blood Moon Demon King? The legions led by these lord-level demonic creatures grew by the day.

Humanity's strength was limited. They could only tackle one perilous region at a time, beginning with the most pressing. As for those that hadn't yet spread... no matter how dangerous, they had to wait.

For all the Master Astral Cultivators and Legends, the current situation was a race against time between humanity and other intelligent species inhabiting Gaia.

"I'll go investigate personally," Li Pin said. "If the creatures deep within Death Valley really pose a catastrophic threat, it will become our next priority."

At this point, Wan Guliu, the most respected figure from the Tianyuan faction, spoke up. "If the threat proves urgent, I'll initiate a vote to suspend the Dark Moon operation and pivot to the newly discovered danger in Death Valley."

"Thank you," Yuan Zhenchuan nodded at him and turned back to Li Pin. "This is the Human Alliance's proposal. What do you think?"

Li Pin gave a slight nod. "Very well."

The Human Alliance wasn't the Celestial Martial God Hall. They couldn't operate solely according to his will.

"Then, Hall Master Li, do you agree to join the Special United Squad?" Yuan Zhenchuan asked.

"I do," Li Pin replied. "Once I've settled a few things, I'll meet you all on Dark Moon Island."

Yuan Zhenchuan smiled. "Then we'll await your arrival, Hall Master Li."

Several Legends joined in, all beaming with smiles.

"With you on our side, Hall Master Li, the complex terrain of the Ox Demon Temple, the unknown enemies, and sudden attacks will no longer be a problem."

"We'll be able to map the entire area without hesitation! Hall Master Li, we'll see you on Dark Moon Island!"

"Now, onto the Star Alliance proposal regarding the reassessment of the perilous level in the Tenfold Heavenly Domains...."

Yuan Zhenchuan's gaze shifted to Lin Ken, Wu De, and the others as he recapped the report findings, concluding, "Thus, we believe the perilous level of the Tenfold Heavenly Domains has not yet reached the highest crisis threshold."

Wu De, Lin Ken, and the other Star Alliance Legends grew somber. However, given it was the Human Alliance's decision, they found it difficult to oppose directly.

Moving on, proposals were either approved or rejected by the Human Alliance Council. Among them were proposals for sharing Legendary Astral Techniques, legendary astral equipment, legendary beasts, and legendary secret arts.

This made Li Pin realize that the cohesion within the Human Alliance was far more complex than he had expected. Though each proposal was voted on quickly, by the time the expansion conference concluded, over three hours had passed.

Just as Li Pin was about to exit the virtual conference room, Yuan Zhenchuan called out to him, smiling. "Hall Master Li, several of the Legends would like to meet you. Since everyone is here and has some free time, would you like to join us for a quick chat?"

"Alright," Li Pin agreed.

He had a feeling this "quick chat" might not be as simple as it seemed.

With Yuan Zhenchuan's invitation, the environment around Li Pin shifted. To his surprise, he found himself in another conference room. Unlike the previous one, which had been filled with thousands of Master Astral Cultivators, this one held only nineteen people. Yuan Zhenchuan, Wan Guliu, Fu Qingtian, Ge Lin, Tu Tan, Zhao Kunwu, Fan Xiu, and Wu De were all present.

After a quick scan, Li Pin realized that not only were all nineteen attendees Legends, but each one held the title of supreme expert.

"So... is this the Supreme Council?" Li Pin asked.

"This is the real Human Council," answered the Solar Radiance Sovereign.

Yuan Zhenchuan had relinquished his position as host, signifying that the Solar Radiance Sovereign—universally acknowledged as the world's foremost Supreme Expert—presided over this meeting. This was in contrast to the expansion conference, where Yuan Zhenchuan had taken the lead.

Li Pin didn't fully understand but trusted that these powerful figures would explain things to him.

"Hall Master Li, What you discovered is likely a spatial connection point," the Solar Radiance Sovereign said.

His words made it clear that humanity wasn't as ignorant of alternate dimensions as it might seem.

"There is some truth to the idea that astral energy contains information, which can grant intelligence to demonic creatures. But it's also misleading. It's true that astral energy guides species to evolve in certain directions, but it's not enough to explain how demonic creatures could form their own unique civilization in just a few decades."

The Solar Radiance Sovereign paused. "The reason these creatures developed their civilization so quickly after gaining intelligence is that... another force is secretly guiding them."

Hearing that, Li Pin quickly lifted his head. "So, there really is another civilization?"

"Yes!" The Solar Radiance Sovereign nodded firmly. "From the intelligence we've gathered, it's not just one civilization too."

"There are countless others," Ge Lin shared calmly.

"Countless?" Li Pin looked at the solemn faces of the Supreme Experts. "What do you mean by countless?"

Yuan Zhenchuan couldn't help but let out a sigh. "If our information is correct, it means exactly what it sounds like—countless."

"Information extracted under pressure might not be reliable," Wu De cautioned. "He could be feeding us half-truths to trick us into revealing ourselves, leading Gaia into disaster. Until we're truly out of options, we shouldn't gamble with Gaia's future."

His words sparked a rebuttal from Ge Lin, the Supreme Expert. "But if we don't take this gamble, Gaia will miss this chance entirely."

Wu De argued back, "A chance? The ones calling it a chance are the same ones behind this. If everything is a lie, then this chance might just be leading us straight into a trap."

"Enough. There's no need to argue," the Solar Radiance Sovereign intervened, halting their dispute.

He turned his gaze to Li Pin. "The situation Gaia faces is far worse than you realize. Often... it's not that we refuse to give others a chance or that we want to hoard all the resources, leaving nothing for the people. It's not about enforcing centralization, controlling thoughts, or monitoring information... it's that we simply don't have the time."

He handed Li Pin a piece of intelligence. "Because... if this information is accurate, we are dealing with something of an unprecedented scale... a vast entity, created by an unknown number of civilizations."

He paused, his expression growing grave. "A Homo Sapien Alliance."