In the vast expanse of the Astral World. A floating island with a diameter of over ten kilometers was drifting through the void. From time to time, fragments of astral matter, some only a few meters across, others a dozen meters in size, hurtled toward it. Yet before they could even shake the island's foundation, the protective barrier surrounding it, like an atmospheric shield, would dissolve them upon contact. The energy and mass from these fragments reinforced the barrier while also slightly expanding the island's size. And as the island grew, so too did the energy and mass of the Astral God. Li Pin remarked, "The path of Divine ascension... It really does resemble the transformation into an Earth Immortal." Sasha smiled and said, "It's just a matter of choosing a different direction. A Divine Being cultivates their Natal Planet, which is why they exist in a solid form. "Legends, on the other hand, rely primarily on energy. But Your Highness, if you don't need this mass, you can convert all of it into pure energy. The only concern is that this process might trigger the Eternal Oblivion Force." Li Pin nodded. He was merely feeling a little unaccustomed to his current state. As Sasha had said, if he didn't wish to maintain this form, he could transform himself into a cluster of high-level energy at any time. Back in the Legendary stage, cultivators had already mastered converting matter into energy. Now, as an Astral God, his skill in this had only grown more refined. However, doing so in the Astral World required extreme caution due to the influence of the Eternal Oblivion Force. It was perfectly normal for one to spend thousands or even tens of thousands of years on the process. Sasha continued, "Additionally, the advantage of ascending to the Astral World as a solid Divine Being is that you can rapidly accumulate the necessary mass and energy by capturing astral matter. This allows you to bypass the energy accumulation stage with ease at dozens of times faster than a Legendary Being." A projection of data materialized before her. "No matter how talented a cultivator is, people often describe the accumulation phase before the Cosmic Radiance realm as a lengthy process. It could take thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Even the fastest Legendary cultivators, unless aided by external forces, require that much time to complete the Starshine and Solar Flare energy accumulation stages. "But for Divine Beings, this limitation does not exist. In this regard, maintaining your Divine form during ascension is far more advantageous, Your Highness." "So, your suggestion is for me to first gather enough material to ensure I can reach the peak of the Solar Flare Realm before converting into energy form?" Li Pin asked. "Yes." Sasha nodded. "Of course, you could also exchange resources at the Humanity Sanctum, which would significantly cut down the time required for energy accumulation. The cost wouldn't be low, but it's still within your acceptable range." She paused for a moment, then quickly worked out a statistic. "If you travel to the Humanity Sanctum in your current solid form, without selecting a Cosmic Radiance guardian, the success rate is only 12.71%. "If you choose to transform into an energy-based form, it would take 1,029 years, but your success rate would increase to 31.02%. "If you enlist the aid of a Cosmic Radiance as your guardian, the probability jumps to 93.67%." "How did you arrive at these numbers?" Li Pin was surprised. "Is traveling through the Astral World really that dangerous?" Sasha explained, "It's not that the Astral World itself is dangerous. It's that traveling through it without a guardian is. The Black List hasn't been updated, but multiple races have already laid out assassination plans against you. "If you were in the Material World, your safety would be assured. But here in the Astral World, where the exact trajectory of every drifting fragment has never been fully calculated... your chances of being ambushed on your way to the Humanity Sanctum exceed 99.99%." She paused before adding, "Of course, this assessment is based on your directive that I provide only informational support and no direct intervention. If I were factored into the calculation, then even in your solid form, your chances of returning to the Humanity Sanctum safely would be 99.99%." Li Pin nodded. "Assassins from alien races." As a future Cosmic Tyrant, if eliminating him now required sacrificing only a Starshine or a Solar Flare being, any rival race would be more than willing to make that trade. Regardless of whether he transformed into energy or remained in his current form, his return to the Humanity Sanctum would inevitably draw attention. Once exposed, it was only a matter of time before the enemy acted. After all, a bounty had undoubtedly been placed on his whereabouts. In the face of profit, no one would care about the so-called greater good of the human race. Some might even leak his location out of sheer jealousy toward his talent. He had never doubted the dark side of human nature. "How far am I from the Humanity Sanctum?" "That's not an accurate way to put it. In the Astral World, everything is moving at high speed. Distances are always relative. For example, right now, you're drifting at an incredible velocity—one that would far exceed the speed of light in the Material World—but because you're within the Astral World, you don't feel it." Sasha offered a brief explanation before providing precise data. "The closest point in your trajectory to the Humanity Sanctum is in half a stellar year. However, the actual journey would take over a hundred stellar years. And as I've explained, since distance here is relative, the gap between you and the sanctum will only widen thereafter. "Additionally, to ensure the security of this region, there are no large landmasses or islands nearby where you could hitch a ride. The closest one is three stellar years away, moving in parallel to your trajectory and maintaining that path for forty-nine stellar years. However, in fifty-six stellar years, a continent will intersect with your position." "If that's the case..." Li Pin's expression shifted. "Is it really just about keeping a safe distance from the chaos, or did the Heaven Ordainment Sect deliberately arrange things this way?" "The probability of deliberate intervention is 91.31%," Sasha stated. "Because the continent that will intersect with your position in fifty-six stellar years belongs to the Heaven Ordainment Sect's Guardian Dharma King—King Great Luo of Wisdom, a Sacred Monarch." Li Pin immediately understood. "Then that island three stellar years away, the one moving in parallel to my path, must also be under the Heaven Ordainment Sect's control?" Sasha confirmed. "Correct. It is an outpost guarded by a disciple of the King Great Luo of Wisdom." "They've certainly put effort into this," Li Pin remarked sincerely. Sasha remarked with a smile, "Looks like they value you quite a lot, Your Highness." The island orbiting parallel to him, three stellar years away, was actually a precaution the Heaven Ordainment Sect had set up. If he ever found himself in danger, he could seek help from that island. The two would remain in parallel operation for forty-nine years. In other words, during this period, the island would effectively serve as his protector. As for the King Radiant of the Infinite, who would arrive fifty-six stellar years from now, he was likely meant to extend an olive branch once Li Pin had endured fifty-six years of hardship in the Astral World, experiencing its harsh conditions firsthand. If he chose to accept the king's help, he would naturally bear the mark of the Heaven Ordainment Sect from that point onward. "As expected, every gift in this world comes with a price, even if I paid for it with the information on the Void Divine Treasure World," Li Pin said. The Heaven Ordainment Sect had provided him with these coordinates, ensuring that from the critical moment of his ascension to Astral Godhood until now, he encountered no celestial calamities to interfere with his progress. But in exchange, they had placed him far away from the Humanity Sanctum. Unless he was willing to risk traveling there himself or spend centuries, even millennia, converting back into an energy form, his only other option was to request the Heaven Ordainment Sect's escort. "Your Highness, it's mainly because you're simply too exceptional," Sasha said with a smile. "Do artificial intelligence also praise people?" Her tone utterly sincere, Sasha replied, We don't. But everything I say is based on facts. Whether it's your mastery of the fourth level of the Primordial Supreme Technique in just ten stellar years within the Heavenly Prison World, or the mysterious power you demonstrated in the Oblivion Divine Treasure World and upon entering the Astral World, all of it is nothing short of extraordinary. "Since our arrival in this vast universe, you've ranked among the top thirty in terms of excellence." Then, she added, "And that includes the Supremes, Highlords, and Transcendent beings I've encountered." "You flatter me," Li Pin responded before shifting his gaze toward the vast and boundless Astral World's sky beyond the atmosphere. "Well then, let my journey through the Astral World officially begin." "Your Highness, aren't you planning to contact the Heaven Ordainment Sect?" Sasha asked. "After all these years of living with me, you should have a pretty good grasp of my personality by now. What do you think?" Li Pin countered. "Understood." Sasha swiftly projected an image. "I have a map of this section of the Astral World. Though it's an outdated version with limited accuracy, I've calculated thirty-seven routes leading to the Humanity Sanctum..." "No," Li Pin interrupted. "Calculate the route with the highest density of Astral World Fragments." "If Divine's solid forms are the best way to rapidly accumulate energy, then... I want to see just how effective they truly are," Li Pin said with a smile. "Understood. Switching to the second set of calculations." Sasha quickly projected another set of routes. "This plan highlights 119 paths. Based on the concentration of Astral World Fragments, the danger levels are categorized into 119 tiers..." Li Pin was a bit surprised to see Sasha present an alternative plan so quickly, but then he chuckled. As expected of artificial intelligence. Over time, she had likely built a personality model based on his actions. Her previous suggestion to the Humanity Sanctum was based on the fact that, as an AI, her top priority was keeping her owner safe. However, the fact that she had only mapped out 37 routes to the Sanctum but had dedicated more calculations to 119 routes leading to Astral World Fragments showed where her real focus had been. "Let's start with the most dangerous one," Li Pin decided. "The one hundred and nineteenth route passes through the Shattered Star Sea. If everything goes smoothly, your mass will grow to the level of a mountain range with a diameter of 100 thousand kilometers. "In the Material World, that would be equivalent to a large star with a diameter of nearly 100 million kilometers... This energy standard matches that of a peak Solar Flare. Once you elevate your energy level accordingly, you'll become a true peak Solar Flare being." As Sasha spoke, streams of data flashed continuously. "Peak Solar Flare?" Li Pin chuckled. "Then what are we waiting for? Set course for the Shattered Star Sea."