Beastmaster of the Ages

Tianming hadn't returned to the Welkin plane for a long time. All he wanted was to reach the Flameyellow Continent as soon as possible. Meow Meow made haste, falling like a meteor. Its speed was certainly faster than the march of a hundred thousand men. The Welkin plane, the place he called home, gradually grew larger in their sights.

They finally arrived on the Flameyellow Continent. Although the wind, clouds, sea, and earth here weren't as dreamy as in the Divine Moon Realm, this was the place where he had spent twenty years growing up. Despite its simplicity, it had left a lasting mark on Tianming.

He descended upon Taiji Peak Lake.

On the mountain peak, a girl dressed in blue stood in the wind, staring at the sky as she awaited his return. She was Feiling. Although she was in charge of the empire, no one could stop the tens of thousands of people whom Prince Fengyue had sent to investigate.

Tianming descended from the sky and landed beside her. Her long hair fluttered in the howling wind and her eyes sparkled. Even in the face of a coming disaster, their love was so immense it overflowed. The moment she saw Tianming and realized he was safe, she sighed in relief.

"How many of them are there?" Feiling knew that the number would determine whether or not they could resist.

"A hundred thousand," he said.

"A hundred thousand.... A hundred thousand. How ruthless." Feiling shook her head and smiled bitterly, her eyes flashing with a cold light. Quietly clenching her fists, her body shook following the tremors from her albi.

"They're ruthless indeed," said Tianming.

"Do you have a solution?" asked Feiling.

"Yes, I can give my life if that's what she wants. But I'm afraid that even if I surrender, her people will still massacre this continent," said Tianming.

That was very likely to happen. After all, they were already here. Why not kill a few more to avenge the deaths of the Divine Moon Royals?

"Don't go." Feiling firmly held his hand.

In view of their relationship, she was unwilling to return Tianming to the hands of Sovereign Xi. It would mean things were completely hopeless.

"Well, we must fight at least. How can you be so sure you'll fail if you don't fight? I've never conceded without a fight, Ling'er." Tianming held her delicate hand.

"I'm sorry, Big Brother." Her eyes gleamed with tears.

"Why are you apologizing?" Tianming pulled her into his embrace.

"I failed to stop them. I feel as if I've done a lot and fought so hard during this period, but it seems that nothing has changed," she said painfully.

"If it was that easy, I wouldn't have such a headache over this. I don't blame you. There's nothing I can do but fight," Tianming said solemnly.

He discovered a subtle change in Feiling, though he couldn't say exactly what it was. She seemed more profound.

"Do you think I've changed?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Do you still recognize me?" she said nervously.

"How can I not? I'd recognize you even if you turn into ashes," said Tianming.

"That's good. I'm afraid I won't be who I used to be. I'm afraid you'll forget me." Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, she smiled. "Fortunately, you have a good memory. I'm not afraid anymore."

"What nonsense." Tianming glared at her. "Do people know what's about to happen?"

"Yes. They know because I spread the word. Since there are gods coming, I thought everyone should know the truth. Now all the beings in the Tianming Dynasty know that the death of the specter race was no gift from the divine moonrace, but the result of your machinations. And now, everyone knows that the sovereign of the Divine Moon Realm wants your life and has sent a great army to persecute you."

Everyone had a right to know. Tianming didn't want these people to be kept in the dark; they would make their own judgments on the rights and wrongs of the matter.

"Big Brother, they won't blame you because everyone knows that without you, the human race would've been annihilated by the specters."

Without Tianming, the specters would still have eventually appeared. Even if someone else had informed the divine moonrace, perhaps Liu Yizhao and the others, they wouldn't care about the Flameyellow Continent. Their retaliation against Huiyue Yin's coercion and shifting the blame onto the specter race was now common knowledge. Now that the veneer of cordiality had been torn away, people had to know this secret. Only then would they understand what Tianming had done in order to keep everyone alive.

"Following your instructions, I've asked the citizens to leave the cities and hide in the mountains," said Feiling.

During this period of time, the people of the continent had been plagued by disasters. In the war of the Nine Divine Realms, many took refuge in the mountains and forests. Then, with the emergence of the specters, they were forced to return to the cities because of their unchecked presence in the mountains. Now that the specters were sealed in the Abyssal Battlefield, the gods were coming for them instead. They had to hide in the mountains once more.

Why hide? Because they were weak! Weakness was a sin. In order to survive, they had to flee and were at the mercy of others. But did they have any other choice? Not at all.

No one could decide where they were born or what talent they possessed. However, did they deserve to be homeless and forced to flee in desperation just because they didn't have cosmic force and an inheritance of their ancestors?

The Tianming Dynasty's current structure was stable. Xuanyuan Dao and Li Caiwei were both working hard to execute their orders in a short period of time. That would make it harder for the gods to kill, but it couldn't entirely stop them. It was only a matter of time.

"Big Brother, I've recently grown stronger. In order to be of help, Xiaoxiao has also begun refining her caeli. With her talent, she's made great progress and may be able to help," Feiling added.

"Alright, but I'll reveal myself in a while. I'll need you and Xiaoxiao to stabilize the rear."

Tianming met up with Lin Xiaoxiao, Xuanyuan Dao, Li Caiwei, and the others. He handed Lin Xiaoxiao the Pentamoon Slayers' Crimsonstar Heavensbow and Obsidian Soulpiercer, both grade-three divine artifacts. Lin Xiaoxiao had swallowed all hundred thousand caeli. The Archaionfiend's natural talent was superior to Tianming's Caelum Prime.

Tianming still had to take time to comprehend his gains, while Lin Xiaoxiao seemed to just gulp them down. Although she couldn't compare to Tianming in terms of combat power, she had made great progress in her cultivation level.

At present, her divine will had reached Hexaunity Sky, which was ahead of Tianming. However, she lacked the power of stellunar source and only possessed the combat effectiveness of Dipole Sky. Although Lin Xiaoxiao was sure to become a beast in cultivation, she could only play a small role in a war against a hundred thousand gods.

"If there's a chance, I'll make sure you get more caeli," said Tianming.

"Can they be devoured?" asked Lin Xiaoxiao.

"These caeli have been around for millions of years. It's time they returned to the universe."

Now that Tianming understood the nature of caelum, he was no longer entangled with this issue. The Vita was the basis of human beings. Terrae and caeli were equivalent to the universe's match for all souls and originated from heaven and earth itself.

"Try this."

Tianming pulled out two pills the size of his thumb from the Skydragon. As soon as they appeared, a strong fragrance spread. On the surface of the pills were faintly visible divine ordered patterns.

"What's this?" Feiling and Lin Xiaoxiao asked curiously.

"They're grade-two divine pills known as stellunar pills, refined from brightmoon fruit and supplemented by a formation. They contain the medicinal effects of the brightmoon fruit, the power of a moonsoul, the divine ordered patterns of a divine hazard. The moonsoul, a variant of the stellunar source, provides power equivalent to the stellunar source and supplements astralforce," Tianming explained.

Feiling had learned a lot about divine artifacts and divine pills. However, this was the first time she had laid eyes on a divine pill. It was made from divine herbs, yet possessed medicinal effects that surpassed the herbs.

In Orderia, divine pills could be used as currency to buy everything. These two stellunar pills were taken from the Pentamoon Slayers' spatial rings and there were a total of six left. Tianming wanted to keep the remaining pills for himself.

If he couldn't reach the Divine Moon Realm or lacked access to a stellunar source at a critical moment, this kind of divine pill would be extremely useful. Its effect was superior to tribulation herbs.

Without wasting any more time, Feiling and Lin Xiaoxiao began absorbing the divine pills and replenishing their astralforce.

Tianming assumed the gods had arrived by the time these arrangements were made, and flew into the starry sky on his own. Through the clouds and mist, he could see a hundred thousand gods, majestic and mighty. They had appeared in the sky above the Flameyellow Continent surrounded by hundreds of thousands of totems.

For ordinary people, this was the coming of the gods! In that instant, the continent fell into dead silence. Under this terrifying pressure, the totems started to speak in unison. Their voices merged, sweeping across the mountains and rivers, shaking the mortal world.

"All living beings of Flameyellow, listen! Your Human Emperor, Li Tianming, committed a grave sin in the world of the gods, the Divine Moon Realm, and has been classified as a first-degree felon. He is now a fugitive. This man is bold and reckless, an evildoer who has committed innumerable crimes. He dares to evade the law after disrupting the order of the Divine Moon Realm and causing a terrible disaster! Hence, our sovereign has passed down her order—If Li Tianming does not surrender at once, all one hundred thousand of us are to destroy the Flameyellow Continent to atone for his crimes!"