Inside the Astral Gate. Li Pin carefully reviewed the detailed intelligence Sasha had gathered about recent events in the Yin Luo Galaxy. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. "Ai Sa?" "It's him," Sasha smiled. "In the dozen or so stellar years since your disappearance, it's thanks to this prodigy from the Golden Emperor Clan constantly causing trouble for the Aristocratic Alliance that they never had a moment to breathe. This, in turn, allowed Gaia Civilization to develop peacefully." She added, "Based on my analysis of Ai Sa's personality, his grudge against the Aristocratic Alliance is one reason for his actions. The other... he's probably repaying a favor to you. Otherwise, he'd feel indebted." Li Pin was genuinely puzzled. "A favor? He owes me a favor?" "Of course," Sasha explained. "The Aristocratic Alliance once schemed against him, and Ai Sa didn't hesitate to lead an army straight to their headquarters in retaliation. That time, you also stepped in and took down three Eternal Solar Flares' combat-specialized avatars." "That counts as a favor?" Li Pin couldn't understand. He had only fought those combat-specialized avatars to enjoy a good battle. How did that translate into a favor? "You might not think much of it, but that's just how Ai Sa is. He never asks for help, yet if someone lends him even the slightest hand, he repays it ten—no, a hundredfold." Sasha chuckled. "Of course, his way of repaying favors is subtle. He never makes it obvious. Just like how he's been suppressing the Aristocratic Alliance all these years, indirectly aiding Gaia Civilization. To those unfamiliar with him, it would simply seem like he's exacting revenge for what the Aristocratic Alliance did in the past." Hearing that, a term immediately crossed Li Pin's mind. "This kind of personality... tsundere?" Sasha smiled. "That's just the personality model I constructed based on the data in my database. I can't guarantee absolute accuracy." She continued, "Besides, even without Ai Sa's interference, Gaia Civilization would have struggled for only a few more years at most. Once news of your return spreads, plenty of forces will act against the Aristocratic Alliance on your behalf. "Take the head of the Homo Sapien Alliance's Yin Luo Galaxy Office, for example. If nothing unexpected happens, she has likely already brought the upper ranks of the Shuo and Ying Clans to justice for their past actions in colluding with the Aristocratic Alliance to suppress Gaia Civilization." As for the justification for their punishment... there were too many reasons to count. During Lan Yunguang's era, the Aristocratic Alliance had run rampant across the Yin Luo Galaxy. The Shuo and Ying Clans, as their loyal lackeys, had committed more than their fair share of crimes. The Homo Sapien Alliance might have turned a blind eye before, but once it was time for retribution, not a single one of them was innocent. Sasha concluded, "The matter regarding Astral God Yin Luo's succession should be settled now." Li Pin nodded. "By my calculations, there are only three to five stellar years left before the succession battle ends...." That meant, for the next three to five stellar years, he would stay in Gaia to ensure its victory in Astral God Yin Luo's succession. As these thoughts crossed his mind, the surrounding spatial fluctuations finally settled. Li Pin stepped forward and exited the Astral Gate. The moment he emerged, the synchronized voices of more than a dozen people rang in his ears. "Welcome back, Prodigy Li!" Outside the Astral Gate. Li Pin surveyed the assembled figures. Among them, only Xia Yan and Lin Yu were somewhat familiar to him. As for the others, while he recognized them, this was the first time he had met them in person. For instance, Shuo Caihua of the Shuo Clan and Ying Wuzong of the Ying Clan, both Astral Gods. He had also seen images of Yan Qing before, though they had never met face-to-face. Before Li Pin made a name for himself in the Heavenly Prison World, a prodigy like Yan Qing would never have personally come to greet him outside the Astral Gate. "You're all too kind," Li Pin said, nodding to the crowd before turning his gaze to Yan Qing. "Executive Officer, I wouldn't dare trouble you to personally welcome me." Yan Qing smiled. "Prodigy Li, your actions in the Heavenly Prison World, sweeping through and eliminating alien races, have earned immense prestige for humanity. "You've directly or indirectly taken down dozens of alien prodigies and saved over a hundred thousand human talents. With such merit, it's only fitting that any sector official would personally welcome you." "Just seeking survival, nothing more," Li Pin replied calmly. At this moment, Yan Qing stepped aside slightly, revealing Shuo Caihua and Ying Wuzong. "Since taking over as the head of the Homo Sapien Alliance's Yin Luo Galaxy Office, I have reviewed past incidents and found that the Shuo and Ying Clans repeatedly violated the Alliance's decree forbidding interference in Astral God Yin Luo's succession. The key members of both clans have already been apprehended. "I understand that you also serve as a councilor in the Yin Luo Council. Since the internal affairs of the Yin Luo Galaxy aren't something I should overly involve myself in, I'll leave the matter of dealing with them in your hands." Upon hearing this, Shuo Caihua and Ying Wuzong, having already foreseen their fate, turned pale with despair. They fixed their eyes, filled with silent pleas, on Li Pin. Yet, he paid them no mind. He understood Yan Qing's intention the moment she spoke. Now, it was up to him to seize their assets. As for how he would go about it and what he would gain from the process, the Homo Sapien Alliance wouldn't interfere too much. As long as it wasn't too inhumane, he could handle it as he saw fit. Li Pin recalled the information Sasha had shown him about the actions of the Shuo and Ying Clans. While they weren't the masterminds, they had acted as the vanguard, paving the way for their superiors. He responded without hesitation, "In that case, Gaia Civilization will take care of this matter properly. We won't trouble you with it, Lord Yan Qing." "Prodigy Li, I'll leave this to you, then," Yan Qing said. With a wave of her hand, two Astral Gods' avatars stepped forward, dragging away the helpless and despairing Shuo Caihua, Ying Wuzong, and the others. Li Pin paid no attention to their pleas. Since those two clans had chosen to align themselves with the Aristocratic Alliance, they naturally had to bear the consequences. As for Lin Yu, he stepped forward decisively and said, "Recently, I've been feeling my age catching up with me, and I find it increasingly difficult to manage the affairs of the Yin Luo Council. I wish to step down and pass the position to someone more capable. I hereby recommend the esteemed and highly respected Councilor Li as my successor." Li Pin glanced at him. The Lin Clan had fared much better than the Ying and Shuo Clans. They were often compelled by the Aristocratic Alliance to align with them, but they had never taken direct action against the Gaia Civilization. In fact, they had occasionally provided crucial intelligence in secret. After a brief consideration, Li Pin stated, "Complete your current term. When the next election comes, which is in thirty years, I'll recommend someone to take over as Chairman." Realizing Li Pin had no intention of holding the Lin Clan accountable, Lin Yu silently breathed a sigh of relief and quickly responded, "Then... Councilor Li, I'll follow your decision." "Has the Aristocratic Alliance completely withdrawn from the Yin Luo Galaxy?" Li Pin asked. No one would understand the situation better than a local like Lin Yu. However, it was Yan Qing who answered, "They've withdrawn, but not completely. Some still linger, unwilling to let go." He added, "Not long ago, I visited Gaia and drafted a series of development assistance plans. This seems to have caught the Aristocratic Alliance's attention. But their intelligence network... isn't advanced enough to grasp the current influence you hold, Prodigy Li." While speaking, she briefly glanced at Lin Yu. Perhaps even the Lin Clan still had no idea why she, someone who had always remained neutral, had suddenly sided with Gaia Civilization against the Aristocratic Alliance. With their level of access, they simply had no means to learn about matters concerning the Heavenly Prison World. Maybe in another ten years, once the news had fully spread, they would catch whispers of it from others. But for now, even the most powerful aristocratic clans in the Aristocratic Alliance lacked such intelligence channels. At most, they knew that Li Pin had been trapped in the Heavenly Prison World and had recently been rescued, nothing beyond that. Li Pin nodded. "Unwilling to let go..." If they refused to back down, then it remained to be seen whether they had the strength to stir up trouble again. He stopped dwelling on this matter and changed the subject. "The successor list is out, right? Who's ranked first?" "Li Yunyao," Yan Qing replied with a smile. "With the Aristocratic Alliance's young elites repeatedly suppressed, the astral energy favor they once enjoyed has weakened... And as for Ai Sa, he has already begun dissipating the astral energy within him." She paused for a moment, giving Li Pin a peculiar look. The timing of Ai Sa's decision to withdraw from the competition for Astral God Yin Luo's inheritance coincided precisely with her visit to the Gaia civilization. It was during this visit that she had leveraged her authority as a Level 13 Executive of the Homo Sapien Alliance to designate Gaia as a civilization of significant contribution and a priority recipient for aid, a status that would last for an entire stellar year. Recalling how Ai Sa had relentlessly pursued the Aristocratic Alliance before she stepped in to protect Gaia, it was hard not to suspect that Li Pin and that prodigy from the Golden Emperor Clan had reached some kind of understanding. Li Pin was slightly taken aback. "Ai Sa has started dissipating his astral energy? I thought there were still a few years left." "If he waited any longer, it would have been too late," Yan Qing explained. "As for the hundred-stellar-year timeframe... it's only an approximation." She paused briefly before adding, "We can wait until a hundred stellar years have passed to fully awaken the residual will of Astral God Yin Luo and bring forth its successor. But that doesn't mean the other contenders will have the luxury of time to grow until that moment." "And where is he now?" Li Pin asked. "He's already gone to the Humanity Sanctum," Yan Qing replied. "With his experience in controlling energy at the million-unit level, combined with the unique talents of the Golden Emperor Clan, it won't be long before he ascends directly to Astral Godhood." "The Humanity Sanctum, huh..." Hearing this, Li Pin felt a tinge of regret at missing the chance for a final showdown with Ai Sa. However, if Ai Sa hadn't undergone any significant breakthroughs in the past few decades, the gap between them would only have widened. Perhaps a future confrontation at the Humanity Sanctum would be an even more fitting stage. At that moment, Yan Qing suddenly interjected, "The timeline for completing the final transformation and birthing the successor of Astral God Yin Luo is flexible." She smiled faintly. "If you're in a hurry, Prodigy Li, we can expedite the process at any time, forcing the successor's emergence! She could then draw upon the collective power of all the young Astral Cultivators in the Yin Luo Galaxy and ascend to Astral Godhood in a single leap!"