Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 249: Hypnosis

Li Pin sat in the car heading back to his residence.

My mind has evolved and been significantly enhanced. It's now comparable to the pure, life-forfeiting, ultimate transcendence of Martial Saints. But my mental spirit is still only at forty-five points. It still needs further refinement for me to precisely control the Lifeform Force Field.

Nevertheless... he was getting close to it.

Over the past few days, he had been continuously optimizing and improving his Lifeform Force Field. While unable to significantly reduce the energy consumption, he could better manage its power and intensity with more precise control. Lowering the intensity naturally reduced the consumption.

By now, he could maintain the conversion consumption from a hundred percent to sixty percent.

Though only a temporary solution, it represented a deeper understanding of the Lifeform Force Field. Moreover, with the legendary astral equipment, he could continue refining it.

As he had predicted, within two months, perhaps even one and a half, he would reach a point where the Lifeform Force Field could be fully utilized without relying on the legendary astral equipment

"This training on the Lifeform Force Field has drained my Vitality, Qi, and Spirit significantly. I'm feeling quite exhausted."

Li Pin could feel the mental fatigue creeping in. He closed his eyes slightly, intending to use the meditation art to restore his mental spirit.

However, he quickly realized that something wasn't right!

Though the Lifeform Force Field had put a heavy burden on his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit, it shouldn't have exhausted him to the point where he needed meditation before even reaching home.

In the next moment, his scattered mental spirit sharpened considerably. He abruptly opened his eyes.

He quickly noticed that both his driver and Zhang Yuesheng had fallen into a semi-conscious state. The car continued forward but was no longer headed toward his mansion. Instead, it was descending the mountain, seemingly leaving Dragon Gate Hall.

Li Pin quickly realized what was happening. "This is a spiritual attack!"

He was under a spiritual attack! Zhang Yuesheng and the driver had been hypnotized. Furthermore, since his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit had taken a toll over the past few days, his mind had been vulnerable as well.

If it weren't for the fact that they were within Dragon Gate Hall, where the attacker didn't dare act directly, he could've been killed on the spot by a Martial Saint the moment his mind faltered.

Li Pin's thoughts raced. This method... An Astral Cultivator has acted?! And a top-tier one at that, skilled in Spiritual Secret Arts!

A powerful body was required to nurture a powerful mind. The two mutually reinforced one another. For this reason, even Martial Saints tend to have a lower mental spirit than their qi and blood with their honed Martial Will.

While qi and blood could be enhanced through astral energy, mental spirit could only be cultivated through the nurturing of the body.

One was like an empowerment, while the other required diligent practice. As a result, even Astral Cultivators often had mental spirits significantly lower than their qi and blood.

Given these circumstances, most High-Class Astral Cultivators had mental spirits not much greater than a Martial Saint with Martial Will. Astral Cultivators who had once been Martial Saints were the only exception to this.

Even so... Li Pin had nearly been hypnotized. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

This led Li Pin to believe his opponent was a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator. However, he quickly realized that that was not the case.

No, that's not right! This is the Dragon Gate Hall. What Top-Tier Astral Cultivator would dare to attack me under the watchful eyes of Master Astral Cultivator Ran Dongsheng? Even if they had planted a hidden operative long ago, it wouldn't make sense to use such a high-level tactic for a mere one-on-one exchange.

Li Pin focused his mind, expanding his perception to trace the source of the hypnotic force trying to subdue him.

In mere seconds, he grasped something.

His mental spirit condensed. Within his spiritual world, a Great Sun Golden Crow began to rise. Its boundless radiance mixed with blazing flames surged into the sky, instantly shattering the barrier that suppressed his mental spirit. It thrust him into an entirely new realm.

In this realm, he sensed the presence of six individuals. Although he couldn't see them or pinpoint their exact locations, he could unmistakably feel their existence.

This phenomenon which defied scientific explanation filled Li Pin with awe.

However, he didn't pause for even a second and unleashed his Martial Will to its utmost within this spiritual domain. The Great Sun Golden Crow seemingly transformed into a blazing sun, unleashing terrifying heat that engulfed the realm in flames.

As the inferno erupted, startled cries and screams echoed from various directions.

At that moment, Zhang Yuesheng and the driver jolted awake.

Zhang Yuesheng reacted instantly. "This is bad! We're under attack!"

Without hesitation, he pressed a special button on his body.

A unique wave burst forth from him.

In less than three seconds, a blinding light appeared in Li Pin's vision.

Yes! Light!

It wasn't a human figure, but a radiant, brilliant light!

Waves of astral energy fluctuations so concentrated it was almost solid constantly radiated from the figure, accompanied by a low growl filled with anger. "How dare you!"

The beam of light shot through the air, blasting toward a business vehicle less than a hundred meters behind Li Pin's car. The steel-built business vehicle melted instantly under the barrage of radiant beams, like snow exposed to the scorching sun, revealing seven figures within.

Immediately after, the humanoid figure, shining like a streak of light, clenched its hand in the air. The space within a radius of several dozen meters compressed as if grasped and crushed by an unseen force.

The technique defied imagination.

Just as he captured the seven individuals, the life force of six rapidly faded. By the time the radiant figure returned to their side, six of them had already died.

The radiance dissipated, and the figure gradually reverted to his form of flesh and blood. At the same time, a suit of battle armor with a black cape appeared on his body. The armor seemed to merge seamlessly with the astral energy surrounding him, becoming inseparable from his being. It was evidently his natal battle armor.

The man inspected the six bodies, then shifted his gaze to Li Pin nearby, a hint of surprise flashing across his face. "They seem to have suffered from backlash!?"

At that moment, two others arrived in a hurry. One of them was the Top-Tier Astral Cultivator, Zhang Songbai.

"Qingshan, what happened here?"

"That man, is he Li Pin, the Dragon Prince?"

The man referred to as Qingshan bore the surname Xia. He was one of the people in charge of the Dragon Gate Hall. His expression darkened as he glanced at the six corpses. "Someone infiltrated Dragon Gate Hall, attempting to harm Dragon Prince Li."

"Li Pin!?"

Zhang Songbai was shocked, and he appeared in front of Li Pin in an instant. The gusts generated by his rapid movement stirred up dust along the way. Even the trees on either side swayed under the wind pressure, sending leaves and debris flying into the air, creating a scene of swirling dust and stones.

However, upon sensing that Li Pin inside the car appeared unharmed, Zhang Songbai breathed a sigh of relief.

For safety's sake, he still asked, "Are you alright?"

Li Pin nodded, his gaze drifting to the wreckage of the business vehicle behind him. "Those people...."

"We'll investigate immediately." Zhang Songbai glanced at Li Pin. "Your spiritual state doesn't seem right. Get some rest."

With a serious expression, he added, "Dragon Gate Hall will provide you with an explanation for this."

Though physically uninjured, Li Pin had strained his mental spirit significantly by unleashing his power, manifesting the Great Sun Golden Crow to burn through the void and obliterate that spiritual domain.

He nodded in understanding, instructing Zhang Yuesheng to drive him back to the mansion, where he immediately lit the Spirit-Restoring Incense to recuperate.

Meanwhile, news of the incident spread throughout Dragon Gate Hall, alerting everyone.

Even Ran Dongsheng, the Hall Master, also a Master Astral Cultivator, arrived to assess the situation.

The potential Li Pin displayed was unparalleled among the Dragon Princes. With the imminent update of the Hidden Dragon List and Transformative Dragon List, he was bound to dominate the rankings. Yet, at such a critical moment, he encountered an attack within the Dragon Gate Hall.

The hall's reputation and development could take a hit if they didn't handle the situation properly.

***

Half a day later, Li Pin had recovered some of his spiritual state. Feeling that his mental spirit needed the aid of medicinal pills, he left the training room to retrieve some Pill of Rebirths.

Upon exiting, he found Zhang Songbai already waiting for him outside. Judging by the tea and snacks placed nearby, it was clear he had been waiting for some time.

"Li Pin, how are you? Has your Vitality, Qi, and Spirit been affected?"

As Zhang Songbai spoke, he handed over a vial of precious medicine that radiated a bright blue glow, much like the Great Sun Elixir. "This is Azure Water. It's excellent for soothing the mind, restoring mental spirit, and healing spiritual damage."

Li Pin wasn't surprised upon seeing the vial.

Despite the common belief that there were no shortcuts in spiritual cultivation, much like the elite schools on Blue Planet, which claimed admission was based solely on strength, fairness was often relative. Once a person's status reached a certain level, there were always ways to gain entry into those prestigious institutions.

"If I'm not mistaken, those six were Martial Saints?" Li Pin remarked. "Sending six Martial Saints after me... That's quite the move."

"It's the Divine Adoration Sect!" Zhang Songbai knew what Li Pin wanted to ask and answered without hesitation. "These six are undercover agents nurtured by the Sect. They recently assassinated Wang Liancheng and several other prodigies. I didn't expect them to be bold enough to target you, the Dragon Prince, within Dragon Gate Hall."

Li Pin nodded. "The Divine Adoration Sect...."

That faction was indeed most likely to be the ones behind this.

"I understand why they'd come after me. But what I'm curious about is... how did six mere Martial Saints manage to suppress my spiritual consciousness from afar?"