Beastmaster of the Ages

"Why not? I'll completely dominate everyone and become their one and only sovereign!" Tianming said excitedly.

"So you want to unite the Myriad Solar Sects and swallow up the celestial orderians to become the eternal sun emperor?" Xiaoxiao jokingly said.

"That's right. That's what I'll do. I wonder if it's too much."

"It's fine. Having a strong imagination is a good thing."

"This nova source world's air seems like it's on fire. It makes people really riled up, affecting them subconsciously. The entire world is like a battlefield filled with conflict and struggle, which in turn causes the talented to stand out even more," Lingfeng said.

The Soulfiend was swimming in the river, trying to catch up to Lan Huang. Tianming noticed that even the Soulfiend had worn its angry face at the front since they arrived at the sun. The atmosphere of the world itself was affecting even its mental state.

Tianming closed his eyes and was seemingly able to hear the cries of countless warriors permeating his being. "The nova source is like a poison… One that makes people crazy for it."

He looked down and absorbed the nova source around him. Though it had been filtered by the sun's fusion formation, it was still a mild poison, one that could spark one's desire to fight.

"Feng, Xiaoxiao, I used to have no grand goals. All I wanted was to be able to relax with my family and friends and live peacefully with dignity without being disturbed. But since my fight with the divine moonrace and the awakening of the true legacy of the sovereign, I feel my ambitions rising. I want to dominate and conquer, especially after coming here. Back then, the most we did was take resources from those we conquered. But now I can gain even stronger faith from the people and grow endlessly powerful. My cultivation is related to rulership, so that's how I shall grow stronger!"

His ambitions were indeed rising thanks to the nova source, and that didn't conflict with his original goal at all. "Not to mention, I'll also be able to strengthen my believers and supporters. They'll grow stronger with me." He took a deep breath, his black and gold eyes both shining with passion.

"Then do as your heart commands. Become who you want to be," Xiaoxiao said.

"Brother Tianming, I find it really interesting as well. This feeling is contagious. I used to not have a good reason to fight. All I wanted was to bring Qingyu back. But after hearing what you said, I feel my blood boiling too. If you want to conquer the sun, I'll be your weapon," Lingfeng earnestly said. He had changed somewhat after being rescued from the xenomemory space. He used to be an aimless youth, but now he saw what he wanted to be in Tianming, having been saved by him twice already.

"If you really pull that off, perhaps I might hold off on wandering for now. I'll take care of the little things for you and maybe get an official position," Xiaoxiao said.

"I allow it! Xiaoxiao, you shall be the first chief eunuch!" Ying Huo said.

"Don't you have any common sense? Women can't be eunuchs," Xiaoxiao snapped.

"Fine, then Feng will be the eunuch," Ying Huo said with a laugh. Ye Lingfeng couldn't help but chuckle.

"Go daydream somewhere else," Tianming said, flinging Ying Huo to the side. As it complained, Tianming continued, "Enough daydreaming! We need to start from the bottom of this world. We'll take it step by step. First, we'll join the rest of these people and fight to join the Sky Palace. Either way, having a high status so that others won't dare to cross us is of utmost importance. We don't have any foundation here, and require protection. Otherwise we'll just be driven to desperation, like we were on the moon. It's better to just side with a strong power, right?"

"I'm also rather curious about how powerful the others around our age are, given the resources and nova source they have access to." Ye Lingfeng was far more powerful than before, and after all that he had experienced, he was also much colder. He sounded like a natural killer whose gaze alone could take lives.

"Better not boast for now, lest others try taking that little worm out of your belly," Tianming said.

"Brother…" Thinking about what had happened, Lingfeng looked a little pale.

"Flowers will always bloom again, but youth will never come twice. There's no need to overthink it. All we need to do is to move forward without regrets."

"Alright." Lingfeng nodded.

"I have to tell you something else about Qingyu, so be ready for it," Tianming said seriously, turning back to look at the general direction of the territory of the celestial orderians.

"Alright."

"The ruler of the celestial orderians is known as the sun emperor. He's the strongest fighter in all of Orderia and rules half of the entire world, so he's to be feared. He has adopted Qingyu and made her his heiress apparent. In other words, Qingyu's the next in line to become empress of Orderia. She's also considered the top genius of Orderia. Though she's considered to have had a really late start compared to others, thanks to the sun emperor's personal guidance, it's said that she's made up for her slow start." That was what he had heard from Yu Ziqian.

"Is that a good or bad thing?" Ye Lingfeng asked.

"It's hard to say. It sounds good, but I've got a feeling that tells me it isn't." Tianming had felt that his godfather wouldn't joke about these things. Based on the letter, it didn't sound good.

"Alright. So if we can join the Sky Palace, we might be able to help Qingyu somewhat, right?"

"Let me tell you another interesting thing."

"What is it?"

"The sun emperor has another sobriquet: the Indomitable Emperor. It's said that he's never been defeated by anyone his age. Now, he's the most powerful person on the sun." Tianming held his laughter back, but couldn't help but chuckle. "Because of that, his parents named him Wudi, meaning unmatched… And his surname is Li… So his full name is Li Wudi…"

Ye Lingfeng was completely flabbergasted.

……

There were no nights in Orderia, only constant beams of light with heat to accompany them. A warm gust brushed along Lan Huang's back as Yu Ziqian laid on it. He had tried to console his junior, Mo Yuling, only to be brushed away once more by her mockery.

"It's over for me now. It's all your fault, you old crook! You insisted on giving me some kind of Ultimate Pill Body, causing my cultivation to unpredictably rise and fall… And right as I was about to save the damsel in distress, you caused a pill recession. Now I've lost everything… I'm at rock bottom! I'm sorry, my fellow brother… I've made you suffer with me!"

There was a picture of a large black cauldron on his skin beneath his clothes. It looked ancient and seemed to have scales, each of which seemed made from countless smaller cauldrons.

An ancient voice came from within the large cauldron. "You little brat… I was just doing it for your own good. I'm using all I gained throughout my life to forge you up, but you're complaining because of a minor inconvenience? It's just a young lass. Once your pill recession is past, you'll have power on par with an ultimate genius! That lass of yours will immediately regret it and come flying into your embrace!"

"Stop boasting! The pill recession keeps coming back every day. These years, I've had less than three power surges! The other times, I'm stuck trying to trick others! Do you know how hard this is for me? I'm always afraid I'll get exposed and be beaten up! If it weren't for you needing so many divine pills, I wouldn't have to fake being a genius to get resources!" Yu Ziqian complained.

"Why are you so impatient? Is that the attitude you should have if you want to achieve great things? Once your Ultimate Pill Body forms, you'll soar to the peak of power! The Sky Palace's doors will be open to you! When I still lived, I was known as the Ultimate Pill God. Even if you're a completely useless pig, I'll be able to feed you until you become a star."

"Then how much longer will it take?!"

"Just keep on waiting!"

"I can't… I want to show off…"

"Gan Gangan… Did you grow up eating dogsh*t?"

"I'm Yu Ziqian, not Gan Gangan!" [1]

"What's the difference? They basically look the same!"

"Gaaaah!"

"Whatever, I can't be bothered to waste too much saliva on you. Let me just remind you of one thing."

"What is it?"

"Of those three, the black-haired youth has a terrifying vita. I think he's noticed me."

"Then aren't we done for?"

"No. This fellow has no relationship with my enemies. And to be honest, these two men, while they're still young, have top talent. They might come from some peak faction in Orderia. Never cross them, and make sure to stick close to them. Trust me, it'll be good for you."

"Fine, if you're going so far to say that, I'll have to thicken my skin and suck up to them!"

"Come on, you were planning to lick their boots to begin with, right?"

"Shut up! It's called networking!"

……

Tianming and Lingfeng were standing on Lan Huang's head. Turning back, they saw Yu Ziqian smiling as he came over.

"There's an old man in his body," Lingfeng said.

"What do you mean?" Tianming asked.

"A peak god whose divine soul survived after death possesses him."

"A portable grandpa? Then he's not a fake genius at all."

Would Yu Ziqian be a friend or foe? That was something he had to determine for himself.

. Yu Ziqian is written as 于子千. All three characters look similar to 干 Gan. ?