Beastmaster of the Ages

When Li Tianming pulled out the Blazing Dragon Chainblade, he had yanked out all of the Volcanic Drake's internal organs as well. Of course, that meant that the remaining Magma Blast had splashed all over his body too. If it was someone like Wei Guohao was here, that would be fatal, but that candlelight was useless against the Molten Infernal Armor!

"Ji Changyan, still planning to kill me now?" Li Tianming walked out of the flames unharmed, like a devil from the depths of hell.

Li Tianming had his own principles. He wasn't one to pick a fight with others, but he would show no mercy if others were to provoke him first. Such were the rules of the martial world, where only the strongest survived. He was not strong enough three years ago, which resulted in Midas' death!

He never considered himself to be a merciful person, and in fact there were quite some people he had grudges with in Ignispolis. If it wasn't for his gratitude towards Sage Chen, Chen Yao and Xue Lan would be on his hit list.

"Tian Zhu!" Ji Changyan's face was distorted with anger, "I will kill you and shred your corpse to pieces!"

Ji Changyan's eyes burned red as he attacked once again.

"What for?" Li Tianming had thought that the death of his lifebound beast was enough to extinguish his will to fight.

"You know nothing! The Abyssal Trials is a battle of life and death, and none shall be spared from it! I don't know who you may be, but with your naivety you aren't gonna get far!"

"But I'm not the one who's going to die here," Li Tianming said.

"So what? I have come prepared, and I'm ready to die in this Abyssal Battlefield. I failed, because I underestimated you!" Even Ji Changyan's eyes were bleeding.

"Why?"

"I was born in Torch Dragon, with the rest of my life decided before I even reach twenty. This is not the life I want to live. I want to leave the country and explore the rest of Flameyellow Continent, even if I end up dying outside my hometown!"

Li Tianming remembered that Jiang Qingluan had mentioned something along these lines before. It appeared that royal heirs like them seemed to have a particularly strong longing for the outside world. He sighed. "Forget it, I will give you a chance. If you want to leave, I will let you go now."

"Ha! What makes you think I can't kill you by myself!" Ji Changyan sent his Crimson Dragon Lance flying forward once more.

That young man had gone completely mad. In that case, there was only one thing left for Li Tianming to do.

Li Tianming readied his Soulless Seven Howls as Ji Changyan recklessly charged up to him. Howls and cries echoed as the Blazing Dragon Chainblade pierced through Ji Changyan's body from an unexpected angle.

Blood flew.

Ji Changyan crumpled over, his eyes wide open as he stared at Li Tianming.

"What's your name?"

"Li Tianming."

"And which clan are you from?"

"Just a farmer."

"Ha! Just a farmer!" That was the last thing Ji Changyan said before he stopped breathing.

Li Tianming took a deep breath. His foe had chosen a inopportune time to fight, and yet, Li Tianming had still won. Ji Changyan had made a mistake by underestimating Li Tianming, and the price he paid was the premature end to his grand ambitions. That said, he couldn't find any joy from this astounding victory. He thought about what Ji Changyan said about the Abyssal Trials, and realised that he couldn't refute anything that the dead prince had claimed. What exactly was the purpose of the Abyssal Trials, and was it really a battle royale where only one person could remain standing?

"Big brother, is the Abyssal Trials really this cruel? Do you think Heaven's Elysium will arrange it such that only one person can live through this?" Jiang Feiling's voice trembled.

"That's not necessarily true, don't scare yourself." Li Tianming comforted her. It was to console himself as well, since he too wanted to avoid that terrifying idea.

"But, Qing'er… Qing'er is here too… I don't want her to die…" Jiang Feiling whimpered.

That was the thing that Li Tianming feared the most too. He could not give a damn about anyone else, including Chen Hao, Xing Que or Mo Lin. But there was simply no way Li Tianming could kill Jiang Qingluan. He would never let her die here!

"Don't worry too much about it. This guy probably just went crazy from his own speculations, and he's already dead because of it," Li Tianming suggested.

"Big brother, I think I understand now."

"What?"

"The scariest thing about this Abyssal Trials is not that only one person can make it out alive. It's the fear of not knowing the rules. At this rate, more and more people will become like Ji Changyan."

Li Tianming nodded in agreement. How long more will they have to struggle in the dark before eventually being consumed by the shadows like Ji Changyan did?

"Big brother, can we go somewhere else? I don't want to see the body," Jiang Feiling said.

"You don't like it when I kill?"

"Not that."

"Then?"

"I don't know… Perhaps I'm too ignorant to feel others' pain. But at least I can hear the voice in your heart. Even if I don't like all the killing and fighting, I'm willing to put my faith in you."

"Ling'er, I won't let you down." Li Tianming looked up into the sky. The dark clouds felt more depressing than ever, the rumbling thunder fitting his mood.

"This is a living hell for us, and many aren't gonna leave this place alive… we are truly pieces on a chessboard. In that case, who are the players of this accursed game?"

Either way, that person needs to die!

......

Li Tianming swiftly incinerated Ji Changyan and his Volcanic Torch Dragon, tossing the Crimson Dragon Lance into the bottom of the lake. A day later, the little chick refined the manna successfully.

With an explosion, Ying Huo emerged from its chamber.

Li Tianming looked at it eagerly, interested to see its new appearance. But sadly, Ying Huo was still Ying Huo, the size of his palm and looking tender as ever. In fact, the only difference was that a little horn shorter than a centimeter had popped out from the top of its head, making it even cuter.

He didn't know what to say to its new appearance. What happened to the cool Primordial Chaos Beast that he was promised? How could anyone take him seriously with a lifebound beast like this?

"What? What's wrong with me being forever young?" the little chick said with a tinge of guilt.

"Look at you, and you are still thinking of banging chicks every day? Do you know no shame?" Li Tianming laughed.

"Li Tianming! You may bully me now, but one day. One day!"

"One day?"

"My willy will be bigger than your head!" the little chick screeched.

"Haha..."

With a brother like this, no matter how cruel the Trials might be, Li Tianming found his confidence again. It was never his style to be pessimistic in the first place. All that mattered for now, was to protect his loved ones and kill his foes!

"Let me have a look." He noticed that a new star had appeared in the little chick's eyes. Furthermore, he could sense that at seven stars, the power from the little chick's bloodline felt much stronger than regular seven-star beasts!

"Wanna find a place to cultivate and try it out?" Only through symbiotic cultivation could the benefits of this evolution be transferred over to Li Tianming.

The little chick turned its head away proudly. "Well, now you are begging me for my help? Who was the one laughing at me just now?"

"You coming or not?" Li Tianming flexed his left arm.

"Yes boss, right away boss." And so, the little chick's dictatorship ended, strangled in its cradle.

They found another secluded place before running their Aeternal Infernal Codex. It had been a while since Li Tianming last felt the bloodline of the Aeternal Infernal Phoenix empowering his own body. Not only did his beast veins strengthen, his infernalsource was bigger and more stable than ever. His Aeternal Infernal Physique had been enhanced, and even his mind felt clearer than ever!

Even though Ying Huo seemed to have just gained a little horn, the royal manna had brought its power to a new level, making it stronger than most seven-star beasts! Once they were done with the cultivation, their strength would defy their cultivation level by leaps and bounds. Ying Huo's new ability was something worth mentioning too. All these further boosted Li Tianming's confidence.

"We should prioritize finding Jiang Qingluan first. We'll be a lot less worried with her by our side," Li Tianming suggested.

"Yeah, I'm really worried that she might run into someone like Ji Changyan too," Jiang Feiling said.

"Let's go." They departed, determined to explore and find Jiang Qingluan.

......

Day six of the Abyssal Trials!

"What is that?" Li Tianming looked forward and saw a thin membrane that looked like the Heavenly Pattern Barrier.

"Have we reached the edge of the Azure Domain already?" Jiang Feiling asked. The barrier was set around the borders of the domain, and encapsulated the whole region.

"No, this shouldn't be the border of the Azure Domain!" Li Tianming frowned. He stood three meters in front of the Heavenly Pattern Barrier and observed it quietly.

And then, two meters, one meter…

"The barrier is closing in on us," he concluded.

The Heavenly Pattern Barrier was a huge sphere, where the top half of the sphere encapsulated the Azure Domain. But now, the barrier was closing in, suggesting that the sphere was gradually shrinking!

"If this continues, it means that the barrier will slowly shrink to nothing at all. Sooner or later, all of us will be forced to meet up at the center! This barrier works only on beastmasters and lifebound beasts, and won't affect wildbeasts…" Li Tianming knew that at this rate, they would end up all together at the same place.

And when that happens, what would the rules of this game be? He didn't know, but that would definitely be the last day of the Abyssal Trials.

After this new discovery, they continued their search for Jiang Qingluan. However, instead of Jiang Qingluan, they found two unexpected people instead. It was Chen Hao and Xing Que! The twins must have been really lucky to run into each other, since their fighting strength was now doubled.

When Li Tianming found them, the two had seen Li Tianming as well, which brought a smile to their faces. Two of them, against a single Li Tianming in the Abyssal Battlefield? It was like their birthday came early this year.

They probably wouldn't kill him just yet, but at the very least, they would have Li Tianming banging his head at their feet, begging for mercy.

Until his head blew up from fear.