Beastmaster of the Ages

Yue Lingji mounted her Blizzard Dragon, wind and snow swirling around her. She had but one motive, to wait for the trials to end. No one here was able to withstand her anyway.

"Too easy." She pursed her lips.

Just as she finished that sentence, she felt a burning sensation from behind her. Yue Lingji turned around to find a youth clad in flames.

She sneered. "It's you!"

The previous time they met, not only did he manage to escape her, he'd even saved her would-be prey. That was the only time things did not go her way in the trials. Him having the audacity to fight for the manna was more than enough to fill her with an urge to kill.

"Nine is the number for emperors. Not a bad idea to kill you and clock my kill count to nine. You must be from Vermilion Bird, what's your name?" The way she looked at Li Tianming was full of arrogance.

"Me? My name is Yo Diedi." As he spoke, his Aeternal Infernal Beast Ki was already burning fervently.

"Yo Diedi? What an odd name. Not that it matters, since that name belongs to a dead man now." With a smirk, she and the Blizzard Dragon swooped down onto Li Tianming.

The little chick faced them with no fear, an equally evil smirk appearing on its face.

"Ooo, what a pretty dragon. That's one I wanna ride." It grinned.

"Go ahead then, if you can," Li Tianming replied idly.

Yue Lingji was definitely going to be a tough opponent, and she would be the strongest obstacle between him and saving his mother. This was the only chance for Wei Jing to survive, and even death would not stop him!

Li Tianming knew how his mother had suffered from her Lifesbane, and it was his greatest wish to see her healthy and young once more. After twenty years of pain and torment, Wei Jing definitely wouldn't want her life to end on such a miserable note.

For Li Tianming, Wei Jing who gave him his life, and everything else he ever had. There was no way for him to repay her for what she had done for him, just like how there was no way the young grass could ever repay the spring sun's kindly rays. For Wei Jing, Li Tianming would fight till his last breath, opponents be damned.

His burning passion and fervent spirit were enough to even scare Yue Lingji, such was his determination.

Yue Lingji suddenly came to a realisation. Yo Dadi… Daddy? Did this punk try to play me?

"How dare you!" Realising that Li Tianming had tricked her, killing intent radiated off Yue Lingji.

With her two grade six weapons, the Wind Cometh Blade and the Snow Fall Blade, pointed towards Li Tianming, she closed in on Li Tianming. The Blizzard Dragon froze the lake surface solid with a single breath, letting Yue Lingji fight as if she was on land.

It was the dragon's spiritsource ability, the 'Blizzard Breath', capable of freezing anything within three kilometres. The ambient temperature around the Lake of Islands dipped suddenly, turning the already-hostile climate inhabitable for almost every living thing around the region.

Li Tianming clenched his left arm tightly, the power in his arm almost ripping the bandage into pieces. In his right hand, the Blazing Dragon Chainblade curled around his arm, like a flaming dragon.

"You blessed me with life, and I would never be able to come back from those three years without you. Mother, I can never repay you for everything that you have done for me, so at least let me fight for you this time! Yue Lingji, DIE!" Li Tianming roared, his fighting spirit making the whole world tremble under his feet!

This was the first time he had fought ever since he entered fifth level Spiritsource. Even though his level wasn't high, his actual strength was enough for him to deal with Yue Lingji. Furthermore, he had Jiang Feiling's help, allowing his Aeternal Infernal Beast Ki to run wild through his body!

Given that Jiang Feiling was attached to him throughout the trials, they had long learned to work well as a group of three. The Celestial Wings gave Li Tianming a tremendous advantage in aerial combat while the Temporal Field helped him to suppress his enemy in terms of attack and movement speed.

The little chick was also doing its part, as a set of Infernal Armour was swirling around Li Tianming the moment he moved out. Not only was he covered in an armour of flaming feathers, Li Tianming was also enveloped by a layer of Infernal Blaze!

The barrier was shrinking fast, and he didn't have much time left! Even Mo Lin's group was forced to move, concealing themselves on an island closer to the centre.

An explosion marked the battle's first exchange, but Li Tianming's burning fist was not aimed at Yue Lingji, but at the frozen lake. The punch, infused with the Infernal Blaze, instantly shattered the frozen layer of ice. Li Tianming was not going to let her fight on ice, since it was an arena that she was familiar with. In comparison, fighting on water would impact her agility, but Li Tianming wouldn't be affected since he had the Celestial Wings.

"What a spoilsport." Yue Lingji sneered, as she stepped on the broken ice to strike at Li Tianming. In her left hand, she executed the Whirlwind Nine Strikes with her Wind Cometh Blade, her right using the Glacial Squall Sword Art with the Snow Fall Blade at the same time.

Both were supreme source-ranked arts that controlled the power of wind and frost respectively. To use two arts at the same time was an impressive feat, one that required incredible talent from the user. The Blizzard Dragon beside her held all kinds of powers too. Under its influence, not only did the lake continue to freeze, but even the water vapour in the air was solidifying into tiny icicles.

"Of course a clown wouldn't know his place. Who are you to take something that never belonged to you in the first place? The draconic water obelisk was mine from the start!" She swung her swords towards Li Tianming, her eyes full of disdain.

However, Li Tianming could tell that her words had other implications. As he dodged the incoming attacks, he frowned and asked, "Are you saying that first place was decided before the trials even began? Was that why you used grade-six weapons?"

It was quite unbelievable to think that Heaven's Elysium had secretly decided a winner after arranging for such a grand event. Li Tianming had rejected that possibility before, but hearing what Yue Lingji had said gave him second thoughts. Furthermore, that manna was the exact same type as her dragon. No matter how he looked at it, this prize was pretty much intended for her.

The idea was an insult to the image of Heaven's Elysium that he looked up to. But as someone who was no longer naive, he acknowledged that possibility. Within the Elysium, the law of the jungle probably existed too, allowing people with power to make things go the way they wanted.

Like sending specific individuals into the Elysium, for instance.

That was something that Li Tianming could not accept. After all, Wei Tiancang had already decided that Wei Jing could only be saved if Li Tianming was victorious in the trials!

"That's just your hyperactive imagination. Are you trying to deny the fact that you can't defeat me in battle, coward?" Yue Lingji's face was expressionless, but her attack speed increased by a notch.

"Pray tell, then. Why are you holding grade six weapons?" Li Tianming smirked.

"They are just grade five."

"Grade five weapons with blue heavenly patterns?" Li Tianming laughed mirthlessly at the blatant lie.

"Cut the crap, I can still defeat you without using these weapons. I'd have handed the manna over if you had defeated me, but since you chose to accuse me instead, I have to shut you up permanently!"

With those words, the Blizzard Dragon used its 'Frost Tornado'. A column of water spiralled towards Li Tianming and the little chick, backed by a fearsome might.

"Die!" From the side, Yue Lingji's swords went straight for his throat!

"Remember what you have said! If you lose, you better hand over the manna!" Li Tianming snapped back at her.

"Sure, if you still have your head by then!" With a terrifying strike, the Snow Fall Blade closed in on Li Tianming's neck — his head would fall off any moment now!

Instead of the sound of blood spurting out of his neck, a metallic sound rang through the air. She stared in disbelief at the fact that Li Tianming had blocked her sword with his left arm! The Snow Fall Blade barely scratched his arm, but it did tear off the layer of bandage, revealing the hexagonal black scales that had blocked her weapon!

Before she could feel surprise, the little chick, which had been hiding behind Li Tianming, blew out some Infernal Blaze at her. Enveloped in flames, she was blown back from that attack. Fortunately, the Blizzard Dragon had frozen her into a ball of ice before the Infernal Blaze could touch her skin.

The ice exploded into shards a moment later, taking the Infernal Blaze along with it to reveal an unharmed Yue Lingji. But what happened just now was enough to shock her.

"What the hell is wrong with his arm?!"

But there was no time to ponder on that question. While she was reeling from that attack, Li Tianming and the little chick had turned on the Blizzard Dragon. The latter, in particular, had lunged towards the dragon with an evil grin.

It was going to ride a dragon, and nothing was going to get in its way.