Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 394: Message

"A Homo Sapien Alliance!"

Li Pin accepted the document.

The term "Homo Sapien Alliance" was coined by translating it into the Gaia race's language, shaped by their cultural and environmental context. In essence, this was how Gaia's civilization understood this vast entity.

The crucial detail was that this intelligence came from an invader from another civilization! An invader who claimed to have come with goodwill but was captured and interrogated by Gaia's supreme experts.

"This invader claimed to have come from a civilization called... the Divine Dragon Empire, translated into our language and context. However, since he was an invader, our initial contact was anything but friendly.

"Ultimately, we could only rely on interrogation to obtain information. But his mind was exceptionally resilient. The secret arts we used to extract verifiable evidence from his memories... failed," shared the Solar Radiance Sovereign said in a heavy tone. "That man from the Divine Dragon Empire perished as a result."

Li Pin's gaze fell on the document describing the Homo Sapien Alliance. "So, all we have are verbal accounts? Testimonies obtained through interrogation?"

The Solar Radiance Sovereign affirmed. "Yes. According to his account, the Homo Sapien Alliance is the largest coalition of humanoid and human-like species in the vast universe.

"Its territory stretches far beyond a single galaxy, and its presence can be found in nearly every corner of the cosmos. This enormous alliance comprises countless civilizations, and the Divine Dragon Empire is merely one among them."

These descriptions held little importance. Every thread pointed toward the most familiar and revered existence among Gaia's people—the Astral God.

As Li Pin perused the document, his eyes abruptly paused, and he asked, "The Astral God... has fallen?"

"Yes, fallen," the Solar Radiance Sovereign replied, a hint of sadness in his voice. "The Homo Sapien Alliance came here in pursuit of this fallen Astral God."

Li Pin could hear the grief in Solar Radiance Sovereign's tone, and he inexplicably felt sorrowful himself.

It wasn't just him; the other Supreme Experts felt the same. However, unlike Li Pin, they quickly regained their composure.

"This is the mourning of the Atomic Will," Fan Xiu remarked thoughtfully. "Even though the great Astral God had fallen over a century ago, every time we think of it, we cannot help but feel this deep sorrow and pain."

These words jolted Li Pin to his senses. Only then did he realize how unusual his grief was. He wasn't even an Astral Cultivator, nor had he ever meditated on the Astral God and had no connection to it. Yet, simply hearing this news left him in profound sadness.

This influence left Li Pin deeply shaken.

What astonished him even more was that such a magnificent being, whose brilliance illuminated an entire galaxy, had fallen.

Could an Astral God even... perish?

The Solar Radiance Sovereign continued, his tone carrying both gravity and sorrow, "When a great whale falls, it sustains countless lives.[1] As the man from the Divine Dragon Empire put it, the fall of an Astral God within our galaxy is an unprecedented opportunity for all civilizations here.

"A being like that, even within the vast Homo Sapien Alliance, stands among the most exalted beings. The scattered starlight from this Astral God will nurture great civilizations—civilizations capable of holding significant influence across the Alliance."

Li Pin continued reviewing the data while listening to the Solar Radiance Sovereign.

The fall of a whale. This was how other civilizations described the demise of an Astral God.

"If the fall of this Astral God brings such immense opportunities, why hasn't the Homo Sapien Alliance acted on it?" Li Pin asked.

"This is both to honor the remains of a great Astral God and to adhere to the Alliance's protective policies for nascent civilizations," the Solar Radiance Sovereign replied. "And this is the greatest crisis Gaia's civilization faces.

"The fall of a great Astral God unfolds in three stages. Based on our own understanding of time, the first stage spans 102 years. In universal terms, where the time scale is measured in stellar years, that equates to ten stellar years.

"During these ten stellar years, the Astral God's starlight showers its domain, granting every civilization within it rapid advancement.

"The second stage, from ten to one hundred stellar years, marks the arrival of the Homo Sapien Alliance. They step in to assist these civilizations and guide their development.

"Finally, the third—and cruelest—stage begins after one hundred stellar years. The Alliance will select the most exceptional civilization among them to inherit the Astral God's legacy, hoping to cultivate a new Astral God for humanity."

The Solar Radiance Sovereign paused, and Li Pin quickly pinpointed the critical issue.

Li Pin pressed for answers. "To select the best one and pass on the legacy of this great Astral God? How will they choose? And how does this inheritance work?"

No one answered his question. Not even the world-renowned Solar Radiance Sovereign or the Supreme Commander, Yuan Zhenchuan. The other Supreme Experts remained silent as well.

Faced with a matter that would shape the future of humanity, even these Supreme Experts felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness. This helplessness forced them into silence, birthed from knowing they couldn't influence the outcome.

The conference room fell into pin-drop silence for a full thirty seconds. Finally, Gi Lin cut that silence. "An exceptional successor will emerge. With the Homo Sapien Alliance's support, this successor will reclaim all of the Astral God's power through a unique method.

"During this process, all the astral energy refined and purified by the Astral Cultivators will ultimately serve to elevate this successor to the Astral God's glory."

He paused. "It's a legacy—the inheritance of the Astral God."

Li Pin listened in silence.

He had long suspected there was an issue with the Astral Cultivator system, but he never imagined it was this severe.

As it turned out... all that training and hard work that all Astral Cultivators put in would be funneled to a single heir. This was the ultimate goal of Astral Cultivators: helping that heir ascend to the divine realm of the Astral God one day.

Yuan Zhenchuan said, "You might say that the real crisis is still 90 stellar years away, a whole nine hundred years. Then why do we insist on the Astral Cultivation system when it would only benefit someone else? Why do we continue down this path so determinedly? Why deny other paths the chance to develop?

"It's because if we aren't strong enough, we won't even make it to the third phase. By the time the second phase begins, the Gaia civilization would be gone completely."

Yuan Zhenchuan turned his gaze to Li Pin. "Even with the Homo Sapien Alliance watching and guiding us from above, how can they cover every front against such a massive threat? This creates openings for other civilizations! And what's the best way for those civilizations to secure their own inheritance?"

"By eliminating all competitors!" Li Pin answered.

Between civilizations, there's only survival or extinction; mercy didn't have a place.

"Exactly; eliminate all competitors," Yuan Zhenchuan said. "And there are countless ways to do so: meteor strikes, supernovae, stellar collapses, hostile species attacks, self-destruction of civilizations, world mergers, and so on. But none of these are the main issue."

He gestured. "The real issue is that we might not even last to the second phase. The Homo Sapien Alliance only contacts the dominant species of a planet—the most powerful race on that world. They do this by detecting something akin to a Divine Kingdom—a unified spiritual collective construct."

"A spiritual collective structure like a Divine Kingdom? The Divine Adoration Sect?"

"Yes. The Divine Kingdom acts as a receiver for the Homo Sapien Alliance. By the second phase, the Homo Sapien Alliance will broadcast messages, inviting the Divine Kingdom of the Gaia civilization into their fold."

Yuan Zhenchuan explained, "When it came to building this Divine Kingdom, the Legends were divided."

The Supreme Expert of the Star Alliance added, "Because we can't be sure if the information we received is true or false.

"Let's not forget, we got it through brutal interrogation. The informant would surely hold a grudge. I suspect this Divine Kingdom spiritual collective structure could either reveal the location of our Gaia civilization or be some kind of unique beacon that makes it easier for the enemy to strike a fatal blow."

Yuan Zhenchuan didn't deny Wu De's concerns. He simply replied, "That's why, to this day, constructing the Divine Kingdom is still just an idea. We haven't taken action. The Divine Adoration Sect was formed out of dissatisfaction with this decision, likely supported by some unknown faction."

Li Pin glanced at the assembled leaders.

Each of these Supreme Experts wore solemn expressions. They had received the intelligence but couldn't determine its authenticity. It was like sending radio waves into space to contact extraterrestrial life—no one could predict the consequences. Would it bring a brighter future, or... total annihilation?

Yuan Zhenchuan said, "Let's get back to the point. We now face an even more pressing dilemma. Figures like the Blood Moon Demon King, the Blood Demon Bishop, the Lord of the Tenfold Heavenly Domain, the Slave Master, and the Fallen Bishop all possess the capability to establish their own divine kingdom.

"In theory, the information within astral energy shouldn't allow them to build such a kingdom so quickly. Yet, they've done it. We suspect another civilization is covertly guiding them."

Yuan Zhenchuan paused briefly. "This also lends some credibility to the intelligence from the Divine Dragon Empire."

However, speculation alone was insufficient. When it concerned the future of Gaia civilization, no one dared to act rashly. This was why they had yet to build a Divine Kingdom till now.

"Are you saying that if these demonic creatures became Gaia's dominant power, they could also qualify for the Homo Sapien Alliance?"

"Why not?" said Yuan Zhenchuan. "They're evolving toward the Astral God. Doesn't that make them just as humanoid in form?"

He went on to declare, "So, putting aside whether this information is true or not, even setting aside the disputes among the Six Extremities and the goal of global unification, our top priority is to eliminate every demon on Gaia capable of creating a Divine Kingdom."

1. A metaphor that highlights the interconnectedness of life and the cyclical nature of existence. Suggests death can contribute to new life and growth. ☜