Beastmaster of the Ages

Long Wanying's words shocked even Jiang Qingliu. The others were all elites of the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect and had turned around, tuning the conversation out. It appeared that this bickering was common among the two women, and they didn't hold back. Sometimes, they even lashed out physically.

They had fought one another countless times since their childhood; Long Xiqian had only toned it down after Long Wanying became the Whitedragon Empress. Now, it seemed like they were going to break out into a fight again, but it was a little different than usual.

Long Xiqian blinked a few times after she heard that, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What are you talking about? Are you sure you didn't misspeak?" she snapped, her arms around her chest as her thin lips curved slightly upward.

"Of course, not. It isn't like Long Longlong has never been defeated. He and the other three couldn't take down Weisheng Moran even while working together, and even suffered a heavy defeat. Don't tell me you haven't heard about it."

"So what? Long'er's still young! In another decade, not even ten Weisheng Morans would be able to defeat him.

"Stop being in denial, alright? I'm sure you've fed him more than a few divine pills. Even the Saintdragon Emperor might not be aware of them."

"You'd better have proof if you're going to accuse me of that!" Long Xiqian growled.

"Accuse you? Oh, no, he's your son and none of my business."

"I think you're just jealous. Why do you want Li Tianming to join? Are you going crazy over wanting a son of your own?"

Those were really hurtful words to say to someone who had lost their husband and children, but it wasn't the first time Long Xiqian had gone for a low blow to tear open her healing scab. Long Wanying's world had collapsed on that day, but by now, she was already somewhat numb to the intentional offense in Long Xiqian's comment. She looked at her calmly and turned to the Saintdragon Emperor. "Saintdragon Emperor, why do I feel like you're overestimating yourselves? Do you think our sect can afford to take in two grade-eight divine artifacts? This is a path of no return! The nail that stands out gets hammered down! I understand that having the cauldron is an alluring prospect, but it's almost doomed to fail. Don't forget that our sect isn't even complete right now. Do you think our only enemies are those in the Myriad Solar Sects? There's fellow kin on the other side of the sun that want to exterminate us! Think this through properly!"

She knew that her reasoning wasn't well thought out, but all of them understood her points. They'd made the decision they had simply because the greed in their hearts had overcome their sense of danger.

"None of you have ever come to the Voidsky Realm yourselves. But now that you're here, don't be in too much of a hurry to make your decision. Watch closely and see for yourselves. Let the battles play out at least before we decide on who to bring back. What if one of those four joins the Sky Palace? Would we still have a choice then?" She was trying to appeal to the Saintdragon Emperor with a peaceful, yet firm tone.

"Saintdragon Emperor, we feel that the Whitedragon Empress has a point."

"Given how chaotic things already are, getting rid of the Lifesteal Silverdragon and Dragonblood Desecration is pointless. Our enemies aren't interested in them. Instead, they're going to want the cauldron the most."

"The treasures of the Ninedragon Emperor are his legacies, but not the cauldron. As such, we don't have a legitimate claim over it. All the factions must be starting to band together against us, and we have to be prepared."

Quite a number of elites of the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect stepped forward. They had been Long Wanying's followers for a long time, and she was just as powerful a leader as she was a fighter, commanding the respect of many. Now, most of the people there were supporting her point of view, something that was sure to enrage Long Xiqian. After all, this woman had been getting in her way since she was born, yet was still somehow able to make everyone like and protect her. It was almost as if she was the dear daughter of the Saintdragon Emperor instead of her.

"Are you really suggesting that someone from the Azuresoul Palace will be able to join the Sky Palace?"

"All I said was that the person who will join the Sky Palace won't be your son," Long Wanying said.

"Hehe... it looks like people really do get jealous over things they don't have." Long Xiqian was rubbing even more salt into the wound.

Long Wanying finally retracted her smile. "Long Xiqian, I've been quarreling with you for years, and time and again I learn more about how shameless you are. You aren't fit to be my rival anymore." It was a ruthless bullseye.

Right as Long Xiqian was about to explode with rage, the Saintdragon Emperor shot her a glance. Though she managed to stop, her demeanor was now far colder than before. Letting her father down was the one thing she had never wanted to do since childhood, and that was still true even now. She begrudgingly lowered her head, blaming everything on Long Wanying in her mind. You vile widow, always getting in my way! Even though you lost your husband and son, you still refuse to stand down! You're disgusting! You deserve to be alone!

If it weren't for the Saintdragon Emperor, she would have definitely said all that out loud. Her life now was perfect; though her husband was married into her family, he was a capable person. Their children also showed quite a lot of promise, Long Longlong especially, after obtaining the Ninedragon Imperius.

Right as she was imagining the moment her son took first place and got a candidacy to join the Sky Palace, the Saintdragon Emperor had an answer. "Alright. We'll do as the Whitedragon Empress says and leave the decision for after the Voidsky Skirmish."

Long Wanying breathed a sigh of relief.

"The final battle is about to begin. Make sure to keep this spot defended. When Li Tianming's imperial star formation shatters, immediately take him into our protection," instructed the Saintdragon Emperor.

"Understood!"

......

The moment the countdown vanished, a nine-colored formation appeared beneath the Skyward Stele. Within it was the final battlefield. By now, everyone who was ranked outside of the top eight had been eliminated and ejected from the Voidsky Realm. Nearly all billion participants were out by now, their journey into the Voidsky Realm having finally come to an end. The number of people outside the Voidsky Flame Pillar suddenly soared. While many were unwilling to leave just yet and wanted to see how things would turn out, their seniors swiftly took them away the moment they emerged.

Many of the disciples weren't even aware of the treasures within the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb and had only just found out from those outside that the area around the Voidsky Flame Pillar might erupt into battle at any time, with many of the sects setting up themselves for an incoming conflict. It was an incredibly volatile situation, and everything would go down after the final battles concluded. The 'children' under thirty would be mere cannon fodder in a battle of this scale and level, so they were hurriedly evacuated from the area.

More and more cultivators assembled until they numbered in the hundreds of millions, and most of them tried to keep themselves hidden. Each of them posed a threat to Tianming and the rest. An absolute lockdown had formed as the various factions of the Myriad Solar Sects, and even the celestial orderians, worked in the background.

......

The sound of the flaming storm could still be heard. Tianming was standing with Lingfeng, Xiaoxiao, and Yu Ziqian. They were within the Voidsky Flame Pillar and had been heading toward the Skyward Stele for quite some time. By now, they could be certain that there was nobody else in the Voidsky Realm.

Looking up, they saw the grand arena formation. The eight red names on the stele above looked a little different from before, as well: Tianming and Long Longlong's names were highlighted and their points and ranking had vanished; the implication was clear.

"Looks like the first battle has started." Before Tianming could react, a flaming storm carried him toward the battlefield. He hadn't even bid the rest goodbye yet. Fortunately, Ying Huo and the rest were within his lifebound space.

"Everyone, get ready to fight. Meow Meow, wake up. Lan Huang, stop playing. And Xian Xian, are you done digesting your food?" Tianming always came close to breaking down when dealing with those three. Only Ying Huo was raring to go and perched atop of his head, using its wings to style its 'hair'.

"It's just a couple of feathers. What's the point?" Tianming said.

"What do you know? I'm going to display my proud form before billions of beautiful girls. The first impression is important, you know. With how large the sun is, there must be many girlies who'll secretly harbor some feelings for me!" Ying Huo said earnestly.

Tianming burst out laughing. The storm was carrying him north; it was said that the celestial orderians made the north pole of the sun their home.

"With how big a deal all of this is, I wonder if Qingyu has seen me through the skyward eyes?"

"It's very likely she has."

"Then I have to do even better to reassure her. She must know that I'm looking for her."

Ying Huo suddenly sighed.

"What's up with you this time?"

"I'm afraid I'll perform too well and make Suo Yue fall for me. I don't want to be a fool like you. The forest is big, so perching on only one tree for the rest of my life is just a huge waste."

"Compared to Suo Yue, you look more like a maggot."

"What did you say?!" A maggot? That was a huge blow to its self-esteem! "Li Tianming, I'll claim your balls!"

......

Tianming went slamming into the arena formation. He saw a hundred skyward eyes hanging above him as the flames vanished. The terrain looked completely peaceful and nothing stood out. It was almost deathly quiet. "Dammit, with so many skyward eyes around, those folks outside can even count my hair follicles...." Right after entering, he felt fifty of those eyes focusing on him.