Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 16: Astral Crystal

Phew.

Li Pin let out a long breath.

The ferocious beast he had visualized in his mind dispersed, and his boiling qi and blood began to calm down.

In an instant, an unprecedented weakness surged through his heart.

It was as if he had had a high fever for several days. Li Pin felt like all of his energy had been sapped. Even his spine seemed unable to withstand gravity. Li Pin wanted nothing more than to lie down in bed in the most comfortable position he could take and not move at all. However, he knew it wasn't the time.

Li Pin suppressed the weakness that arose from his aching bones. He raised his left hand and wiped the blood from his face.

It was a small wound and wasn't enough to disfigure him.

He then took a breather and lifted his foot. His shoes needed to be replaced—they had spoiled from him stomping too hard.

Fortunately, he had been able land that last kick in time. The blow he had struck with the Eight Enormities True Fire Force held no less power than a full-force attack from a Core Force martial artist. It could demolish the walls of a house.

However, two successive strikes from him still failed to kill the demonic cat on the spot. The real fatal blow had been the heavy trampling he had launched from the air.

This ferocious beast was far above him in terms of muscle toughness and bone density. Even ordinary bullets might not have been able to pierce through its body. The demonic cat would've been able to remain on the offensive even if it had sustained multiple hits to its non-vitals.

Moreover, these ferocious beasts were likewise species that evolved after having bathed in starlight. Amongst other beasts, they were akin to the Astral Cultivators. This was evident by how the demonic cat had been standing upright, like a "human."

It wasn't imitating humans, but the great Astral God.

If one shot this kind of creature with a gun, there was a high probability that the gun would blow up as soon as it was fired.

"Hmm?"

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As he moved his foot away, Li Pin seemed to notice something. He quickly found a fingernail-sized crystal in the puddle of blood and flesh.

"This is... an Astral Crystal!?"

When a ferocious beast or demonic creature died, there would be a probability that an Astral Crystal would be left behind. The more powerful the ferocious beast or demonic creature, the higher the probability that an Astral Crystal would drop, and the better the quality of the Astral Crystal left behind.

Astral Crystals were the main material for forging astral equipment.

The probability of getting an Astral Crystal from ordinary ferocious beasts like the demonic cat was close to zero.

Unless...

After this demonic cat evolved, it consumed an Astral Crystal that belonged to another stronger ferocious beast. It was likely that the Astral Crystal it had consumed was difficult to digest and thus was still left behind in its body.

Li Pin quietly stashed away the Astral Crystal.

Astral Crystals were precious. He didn't want to attract unnecessary trouble by revealing this kind of wealth.

"It's dead! It's dead! The demonic cat is dead!"

At this moment, a cry of surprise suddenly came from the bus. The exclamation was filled with the joy of narrowingly escaping death.

The outcome of the battle between Li Pin and the demonic cat had been decided the moment the battle started. The entire process took no more than three seconds.

The bus's passengers, who had been consumed with fear, finally broke out of their stupor. It was as if they had woken up from a dream.

"We're saved, we're saved. The demonic cat is dead. We are saved."

"Boohoohoo.... That's great, just great...."

The passengers were surprised and delighted at the same time. Two of them even began to shed tears of joy.

Li Yunyao came to her senses with a jolt, and she screamed, "Brother!"

She shot to her feet and flung herself in front of the window.

Li Pin waved his hand at her. Then, with his right hand behind his back, he went around the front of the bus and re-entered leisurely.

The driver was the first to stand up, his face full of gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Martial Artist, thank you, thank you for saving us."

The others on the bus did the same.

"You're welcome," replied Li Pin. "Report this incident to the Security Affairs Department."

He then added, "I used a secret technique to stimulate my qi and blood. I've consumed a lot of energy and need to rest. If you want to thank me, just get to Sanshun stop as soon as possible."

The driver nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes, I'll make sure we'll be on time. We'll be on time."

"Let's first send Mr. Martial Artist home so that he may rest soon. He is our savior!" everyone concurred.

Li Pin accepted the courtesy of the passengers. It was a good thing if they could go back earlier.

"Brother..." Li Yunyao looked at Li Pin, her face filled with agitation, worry, and disbelief, "you... killed the demonic cat!?"

"That's right, the demonic cat is dead. Practicing martial arts has its benefits," Li Pin said.

"But... but don't the books say... that every ferocious beast is terrifying? They are just like those powerful Astral Cultivators...."

"They aren't the same," Li Pin said. "Ferocious beasts and demonic creatures are not comparable to Astral Cultivators. Demonic cats are one of the most commonly seen creatures that an Aura Force Master can kill. There are many instances of Aura Force Masters slaying ferocious beasts. I only managed to kill the demonic cat because I caught it by surprise. The bus is about to set off, so go back to your seat now."

"Is that so?"

Li Yunyao knew that things were by no means as simple as Li Pin made them out to be. However, she had gained a grasp of her brother's abilities from this incident.

When Li Yunyao heard the passengers' heartfelt words of gratitude, her gaze filled with pride as she looked at Li Pin.

In reality, it was far more dangerous for a martial artist to fight off ferocious beasts than Li Pin had made it sound.

It was true that there were quite a few ordinary ferocious beasts that had died at the hands of Core Force martial artists. But there were even more Core Force martial artists who had died to ferocious beasts.

Even if the demonic cat was one of the weaker ordinary ferocious beasts, it was by no means something that any level-two martial artist, or even level-three martial artist, could fight against without preparation.

It was just that the situation earlier did not allow Li Pin to consider or hesitate. He had been left with no other choice but to put his all into that one strike and deliver it. Fortunately, with the help of the bus and the instantaneous eruption of two blasts of Core Forces, he came out on top.

Li Pin sat in the seat in front of them and turned to Lin Xiaolu. "Are you frightened? It's okay now, the demonic cat is dead."

Lin Xiaolu shook her head vigorously, followed by a vigorous nod. Shock was written all over her pale, little face.

Li Pin didn't comfort her too much. He closed his eyes and circulated the Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique.

In this world, there'd be at least two or three Astral Cultivators in each city, even if it was a county city.

Demonic creatures could sense Astral Cultivators from twenty or more kilometers away. Similarly, even though Astral Cultivators' perception was slightly inferior to demonic creatures, they could still sense demonic creatures a little over ten kilometers away from them. If they did sense them, they would either directly engage in combat with them, or they'd seek out help first.

Therefore, the safety of the city was guaranteed.

However, things were different for the villages and towns.

There were no Astral Cultivators stationed in villages or towns. There was only the Security Affairs Department's operation team. If ferocious beasts or demonic creatures appeared, they would request aid from the county city. There'd be an expected delay of at least half an hour.

No one would know for sure what would happen in that half an hour.

However, this couldn't be helped. It was unrealistic to have everyone concentrated in the city. Without people farming vegetables and fruits, the city's massive consumption demands would not be satisfied.

Many ordinary people wanted to settle in the cities. However, they were forced back to their county cities, towns, or villages due to the high housing prices and living costs in the cities.

Furthermore, all the countries were developing their county cities, trying to merge villages and towns with the county cities, promoting the unification of all three. This created the illusion that ordinary people were settling down in county cities rather than villages or towns. This would give people a degree of psychological comfort.

***

The driver quickly started the vehicle after having someone call the Liuchuan County Security Affairs Department to report the situation.

He looked at Li Pin who was resting with his eyes closed with respect. He then concentrated on the road, making sure to drive smoothly while maintaining the speed of the vehicle.

Luckily, the location where the demonic cat appeared was not far from Sanshun Town. They were only a few kilometers away.

In less than ten minutes, the bus rolled to a stop outside Li Pin's house.

When Li Pin alighted the bus, everyone on the bus followed him down, saluted, and thanked him with gratitude. They all knew that if it weren't for Li Pin being on the bus, at least half of them would have been killed.

Li Pin waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

As Li Pin watched the crowd, who still had lingering fears from the encounter, board the bus, he understood why martial artists in this world had the status that they had. He also understood why martial arts flourished in all the countries in Gaia.

In this world, there were situations where firearms weren't of much use and the ability to become an Astral Cultivator depended on the individual's rare aptitude for cultivation. It would be difficult to find someone who had the gift to cultivate even among ten thousand people. Therefore, practicing martial arts was naturally their only straw to save themselves.