Beastmaster of the Ages

"The Sky Palace's alleged stance on this is also really suspicious. There's a lot of things we can suspect about the so-called secret meeting Shi Yan talked about. Even though the Sky Palace has indeed been a little weird lately, there's no way they would go to such extremes and abandon us entirely. No doubt, the Empyrean Sword Sect is just trying to take advantage of our misfortune. Tianming, your beast reported that they mentioned it was a haphazard plan to fool us, right? That's just as good as proof that suppressing the wargodeans and Blueblood Starocean is merely part of their own ambitions.

"The Empyrean Sword Sect probably just wants to get to the Azurecloud Divine Tree. They might not necessarily step up in battle for the sake of your sect. However, they still want the four of you to become their disciples, so they'll at least appear like they're doing something. But when the situation goes south, they'll just leave the continent altogether and leave the Azuresoul Palace behind to take on the wrath of your enemies. They won't suffer any casualties as a result.

"Thirdly, they want to kill you, Jiang Qingliu! That means they'll take advantage of when you leave the Azuresky Myriadsword Formation. The killer won't be able to enter, otherwise, so all you can do is stay put for now. As long as they want these four disciples, they won't dare to go too far. You can also rest assured that my friends will soon be coming over. Even though they only rank ninth among the other factions, they're sending quite a lot of people over. Even if they can't compare with the Empyrean Sword Sect, they aren't pushovers either. With them here, we also have a say in how things turn out."

She was probably talking about the 'girl friends' she had mentioned back then. It appeared that she was pretty well connected, something that Long Xiqian couldn't compare with, which made her unfit for being the Whitedragon Empress.

"I already know all that. Tianming has been really clear about all this," Jiang Qingliu said with a sigh.

"I know how it feels to be backstabbed by those you trust." Long Wanying gave him a pat on the shoulder.

Though the Empyrean Sword Sect's methods were just par for the course, the truly scary part was how the Azuresoul Palace was silently complicit in all this. No matter how cruel the enemy was, it wouldn't hurt Jiang Qingliu at all. However, Gujian Qingshuang and the others' silence was the thing that truly pained him to think about. He had fought for the sect's glory since his youth, yet now it seemed that all of his effort from back then had been wasted. He had thought that this would be his home, yet he no longer seemed welcome here. That feeling was enough to make many feel despair.

"Should we tell the chief instructor and the other elders about what was said in the Driftsword Halls?" Yu Ziqian asked.

Long Wanying and Jiang Qingliu looked at one another and shook their heads.

"Why?"

"We only heard it because of Tianming's unique ability. That's a trump card that we shouldn't reveal, not to our enemies, nor to our friends. Otherwise they'll only take precautions against it. Not to mention, they've already kept quiet about this, so if we tell them that we know what they're planning, they might feel even worse about it and behave unpredictably. We also can't put our full trust in them any longer. Naturally, the four of you are still safe. Only Jiang Qingliu is under any real threat for now," Long Wanying said.

"Tianming, you should keep listening in on them while we plot our next move. The Empyrean Sword Sect seems to be going all out with their plan, and even if we tell the chief instructor and elders, they might not believe us. Not to mention, the Empyrean Sword Sect can change their minds at any moment. We shouldn't reveal our hand just yet," Jiang Qingliu said. If they opened up to the elders about this, there would be no salvaging the situation any longer.

"Master...." Yu Ziqian looked at him, his eyes filled with anger. "Damn those Swordbearers! What are those five thinking? They think they can dominate the entire Azurecloud Continent by relying on the power of others? How shameless!"

"Ziqian, you can't put it that way. They hardly have any power to resist. The Empyrean Sword Sect is really pushing hard. Perhaps they're keeping silent so they can strike when they have an opportunity. We'll just see if they take the initiative to send me out. Before that, let's give them the benefit of the doubt," Jiang Qingliu said.

Most of the ones from the Empyrean Sword Sect that had come were grade-one swordpupils and above. In other words, they were tenth-level constelliers, at least, that had been cultivating for more than a century. They were much further ahead than disciples like Tianming and the rest, who could do nothing but worry for Jiang Qingliu.

"Don't worry. You won't die as long as I'm here. My friends from the Group of Celestial Maiden Halls are almost here. With them around, nobody will be able to touch you," Long Wanying said confidently.

Tianming didn't know how to react to the name of that sect. Group of Celestial Maiden Halls was the name of the ninth-ranking sect. It wasn't just 'Celestial Maiden Hall', 'Group of' was part of the horrific abomination they called a name. However, nobody could deny the legitimacy of their history and heritage, not to mention that they ranked above Blueblood Starocean. They were one of the few sects among the Myriad Solar Sects that had much higher female membership, so they were often considered a matriarchy. They were based out of the Soulcelestial Continent, from which many of the most famous beauties had originated. Generally, people from the continent were capricious, straightforward, and clear about who they liked and who they scorned. Many astounding women throughout history had come from that continent, and quite a few people wanted to go there for themselves.

"We'll know whether the Sky Palace really had a secret meeting with the other first-rate factions once they arrive," Long Wanying said.

"Who's leading them?" Jiang Qingliu asked weakly.

"My good friend, of course. I haven't seen her for ages. She's really loyal. Unlike the many other sects that didn't answer my calls, thanks to what happened to my sect, she immediately responded to my transmission stone."

"Do you mean Heroine Yan?"

"Yeah. What's wrong? Have some thoughts about her?"

"Not really.... She isn't the most reliable sort, but nobody can doubt her power and loyalty."

"You'd better not tell her that to her face or she'll punch a hole in your stomach."

"Of course. I wouldn't dare. Guess we can expect a good show to play out between the One-strike Slaughterer and Fiendhead Yan. I wonder what kind of havoc those two titans will wreak...."

"She's here to protect you, you know."

"Fine!"

Tianming was relieved to hear that the ninth-ranking sect would be there to help them.

"Tianming, keep watch on them. If you have any questions about cultivation, you can also ask me about it. As for all this plotting and chaos, leave that for when you all mature," Long Wanying said.

"Alright." Tianming nodded. "Aunt Ying, why is Heroine Yan called that? Does she like heroics or something?"

Long Wanying chuckled. "Young man, her name is Yan Nuxia. Nuxia, or 'heroine', isn't her title. It's her actual name. Her actual sobriquet is 'Fiendhead'."

Those from the Group of Celestial Maiden Halls really had a penchant for weird names. So far, those matters wouldn't disrupt Tianming's cultivation progress, so he settled down and did what he should. They weren't the ones at risk here; however, these hidden developments would soon spread across the entire Azurecloud Continent. It would soon be a place where the many sects clashed with the puppets of the celestial orderians in a proxy war. Those that weren't going to participate would keep their eyes open to the developments and plan their next moves accordingly.

......

Tianming and the other two were lodging in Yu Ziqian's residence on Fairman Peak. Like many places near the mountain range, it was wide and expansive, filled with many natural sights. No doubt, it was a decent place at which to rest and recuperate. If only Yu Ziqian didn't bring group after group of female disciples there.

"Friend! The pleasure ball I gave you is of the best quality! It's made from the membrane of the petal of a flower called the Grandspring Autumnmoon, so it's incredibly elastic. It can withstand your manly thrusts without breaking, and won't harm the body of your girl! I have a hundred of them, so come get more if you need more!" Yu Ziqian said first thing in the morning.

"Buzz off. Do I look like someone who'd need something like this?!" Though, Tianming stashed the item into his spatial ring while his beasts were out and about before he kicked Yu Ziqian out.

Xian Xian had taken root at the bottom of Fairman Peak and was growing splendidly. Its nine flowers and the additional Eternalbloom were nourished by the nova source around them. Feiling's flower seemed to be growing larger and larger, and looked far more vigorous than before. Tianming talked beside the flower every single day, and it would flutter its petals as if it could hear him. He was missing her more and more with each passing day of peace and could almost feel the human warmth coming from the petals.

Tianming put the ball away, only to hear a chuckling sound from within his lifebound space. Yin Chen had just finished evolving.

"What're you laughing at?"

"I have... to tell... Chicken Bro... about your... pleasure ball..."

Flustered, Tianming said, "Nonsense. There's nothing of that sort."

"If you... want it... kept secret... feed me... more metal," Yin Chen threatened.

"I'll take you to the Soulbreak Mountain immediately!" Tianming hurriedly promised. If Ying Huo found out about it, he would never hear the end of it. Its loud beak would spread the secret to any and everyone in an instant. Soulbreak Mountain was the closest mine to the sect.

"Come out first and let me see how you've evolved." As Yin Chen didn't have a main body, there were no stars to be seen in its eyes. Only it knew how many stars it now had. "What's your star count now?"

"Six thousand... three hundred." It was now a six-star divine beast, on par with the azuresky qilin in terms of classification. Tianming looked at the ninety thousand little eggs that had come out of his lifebound space, but it didn't look like much had changed on the surface. However, Yin Chen's abilities had undergone a transformation.