Beastmaster of the Ages

Tianming looked into the distance at the three thousand central mountains. They looked ever so vast, while seven thousand other mountains circled it from the outside, demarcating the inner and outer circles of the sect. The inner sect was where the elites stayed.

The Veildragon Palace and celestial orderians had taken over the inner sect while the original sect members were driven to the outer sect, deprived of the higher-quality nova source, divine ores, caeli, pills and other resources of the inner sect.

"There's nothing we can do about it. They have six of the dragonsprings that control the inner sect's formations. If we hadn't retreated, we would've easily been attacked," Long Wanying said. Losing their dragonsprings was the same as having a blade held to their necks. When the Veildragon Palace broke off from the sect ages ago, they took three dragonsprings with them, something the Seven Dragon imperials couldn't stop.

"How powerful are the fifteen million cultivators that came?" Tianming asked.

"The ten million from the Veildragon Palace are part of their Veildragon Army, which has a minimum entry requirement of being a fifth-level constellier. Basically, the Veildragon Palace had everyone who was stronger than a fifth-level constellier come here. There's also around a million people who are ninth-level constelliers or higher. They're called Torchdragon Souls and are about as strong as a hundred thousand swordpupils."

"So, up to ten million fifth-level constelliers and around a million from the Torchdragon Souls that are ninth-level constelliers or above…." Tianming felt a headache building up. There were far too many powerful elites on Orderia; even normal soldiers here were at least constelliers. Those beyond that would be in the elite army units. The Veildragon Palace was far stronger than Supracloud Sanctuary, whose army mostly consisted of people under the fifth level.

The Veildragon Palace probably had near a total of a hundred million constelliers across all levels, making them comparable to first-rate factions, perhaps even the Empyrean Sword Sect. They also had a million swordpupil equivalents, roughly the same number as the Empyrean Sword Sect. Their forces, coupled with the celestial orderians', made them one point five times as powerful as the Empyrean Sword Sect.

"What about the five million celestial orderians?" Tianming asked.

"They're part of the Flamefiend Army and all of them are fifth-level constelliers and above. There's more than five hundred thousand of them who are stronger than ninth-level constelliers."

Not even the alliance's million-man army would be able to rival them in numbers or proficiency. Even so, Tianming wouldn't let that keep him down. These elites had been cultivating for centuries and had reached the peaks of their lifetimes, so it wasn't something a junior could possibly contend against. Such a gap between the generations was only to be expected.

"What about those on our side?" Tianming asked.

Long Wanying smiled and said, "So far, there's twenty-five million troops in the Ninedragon Army, among whom are the Saintdragon Souls that number two and a half million elite ninth-level constelliers and above. That's all the forces our sect can muster. Naturally, we have many more constelliers below the fifth level, but they're too spread out and can't be called to us yet."

That was the full extent of the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect's might. The Ninedragon Army was comparable to the Veildragon Army, while the Saintdragon Souls were equivalent to the Torchdragon Souls. In terms of number and proficiency, the scales were tipped in favor of the sect.

"Even though we have many more people, they have the dragonsprings and are holding three Dragon Imperials hostage. If we fight without the support from our formation, we'll lose eight hundred people for every thousand we defeat. That way, even if we win, our sect will still be ruined. The celestial orderians definitely have no qualms about seeing us suicidally wipe ourselves out against the Veildragon Palace," Long Wanying said.

"I see…." That wasn't a fight that they could afford to take place. Even so, Tianming was really impressed at the might the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect possessed. By now, Tianming and the rest were now inside the Myriaddragon Mountains. The ten thousand dragon peaks looked even more impressive up close, each of them a home to many beastmasters and dragon lifebound beasts. It was a haven for dragons! Lan Huang was extremely excited to be there; despite its odd appearance, it was still a dragon at its core.

They were welcomed by about a thousand elite seniors led by the long-horned Saintdragon Emperor. "Wanying, Yang Ce, you successfully came back!" The Saintdragon Emperor and other elites could barely stifle their excitement.

"It's really Li Wushuang!"

"To think that she dared to cause trouble at the Azurecloud Continent at a time like this…. She's really looking down on us too much."

"The Whitedragon Empress and the grand minister must've spared quite a bit of effort to catch her."

The Greendragon Emperor gave a look to the Saintdragon Emperor, who turned to them and said, "Mobilize the troops and march for the Skydragon peaks! We'll pave our way with Li Wushuang!"

"Yes!" said the thousand generals and officers of the Ninedragon Army. They immediately scattered and rallied their troops and almost immediately, the mountains were filled with bustling activity. Tianming saw countless dragons soar into the sky, mounted by their beastmasters as they assembled into neat, orderly ranks. It was a majestic sight to behold. Tianming had only seen battles on the scales of millions of people, but this was a wholly different thing. Dragons filled the skies wherever the eye could see.

"Ninedragon Army!" the Saintdragon Emperor's voice could be heard all across the mountains. "Join me in a march to reclaim our dignity from the celestial orderians and Veildragon Palace for the sake of the three Dragon Imperials!"

"Aye aye!"

The cultivators here were far more organized and disciplined than those of the Azurecloud Continent. They were a superior fighting force by every measure.

"Onwards!"

Tianming found himself in the midst of countless troops the moment he arrived. They swarmed toward the three thousand Skydragon peaks without delay. A huge commotion came from the inner sect, a clear sign that they hadn't been expecting a sudden attack. However, that wasn't to say that they had been completely at ease. It was wartime, after all.

Soon, tens of millions of troops emerged from the inner sect. The two armies of dragons met at the border separating the inner and outer circles. The oppressed Ninedragon Army seemed far more ferocious, thanks to the person the Saintdragon Emperor had as a hostage.

"That's the sun emperor's sister, Li Wushuang!"

"I heard that she's the second most powerful person in Orderia! Not even the Dragon Imperials dare to mess with her!"

"I see, so they're trying to…."

"Our chance has come."

The warriors had been waiting far too long for this day.