Beastmaster of the Ages

In the courtyard of Dragonfang Springs and far away at Little Saintdragon Peak near a large, green boulder, two people separated by a great distance were each looking at a cockroach in their hand and using them to communicate.

"Feng, did you hear what Yin Chen said? My brother said the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb can move now. He's learning more about it to see if we'll be able to make use of it," Qingyu said with a soft voice.

"I know. That's our last resort," Lingfeng said.

"I guess you can rest assured now. With him around, we'll be able to escape no matter what," she confidently said.

However, the black-clad youth sitting on the boulder furrowed his brows even more. Shaking his head, he said, "It won't be that easy. The sun emperor is intent on using you as a piece in his game, so there'll definitely be many more safeguards and traps. Escaping won't be as easy as you think."

"I know. But we still need some hope, at least. We must persevere, got it?"

Lingfeng shut his eyes and clenched his fists tight.

"Dummy, don't be so worried. I'm fine right here. No matter how many times Long Renshe comes, he won't even get to see me, let alone touch me. If he's desperate, I'll just die. There's no way he'd dare to do anything radical to push me. The most troublesome thing now is that I don't know what they're trying to achieve with this wedding, or how it'll affect you guys," Qingyu said.

"I see…."

Hearing that he was still worried, she asked, "Feng, what're you thinking right now?"

"I just feel really lost. I don't know what I can do. I feel useless with all that's happening. I can't take you away, nor can I participate in this war. You're in their hands, yet I'm just as helpless as I was back in the Divine Moon Realm. I—" His eyes were bloodshot with rage, but there was nothing he could do but rail against the circumstances that weighed down on him like a mountain.

"Don't say that. You're still really young. There's no way fighting someone like the sun emperor will be easy. Some things have been ordained by fate and there's no use fighting it." She began feeling a little pessimistic. Apart from threatening to kill herself, there was nothing she could do. The sun emperor's shadow loomed over all of them like the flaming clouds that blanketed the entire world.

"No, I still want to do something." He grit his teeth, his mind racing through more and more radical hoops. His fiendish nature seemed to push him to a path of no return at full speed, without any fear of death. He took a deep breath and said, "Qingyu, that's enough for now. I'll go talk to the Dragon Imperials. If we have a chance, I'll do my best. I wasn't able to protect you last time, so I want to make sure I don't have any regrets this time!" He didn't say how he would do it, but he was filled with a wild determination.

"Feng, I'll support you no matter what you do." Lingfeng thought that she would ask him to be careful, yet she had only reassured him, motivating him even further. Qingyu understood him well. Given his type of cultivation, there was no turning back once he set his mind on something. "If our struggles result in nothing, I'm willing to die when you do," she added. Though Yin Chen repeated the words without the gulp at the end, Lingfeng could feel her emotions in his soul.

"Then let's cultivate and fight together just like when we were at the Divine Moon Realm. We'll face any danger together, no matter what kind!"

"Yeah!"

The promises of youths were simplistic, but it was precisely because of that that they contained so much raw power.

"Qingyu, I don't wish for any harm to come to you," he said once more.

"Haha, I'm the older sister here. I won't let anyone bully you, Feng." They would keep an eye out for each other, their feelings eternal and unchanging.

……

Tianming and Long Xiqian snuck back to the Myriaddragon Mountains after he had more or less some idea about how the tomb worked. He had tested it out by knocking on the drum when he was near the mountain range, and as expected, the tomb began rumbling and tried flying toward him and he quickly canceled the command.

"It should be fine now!" He felt far more confident about things.

"The Ninedragon Imperial Tomb doesn't have offensive and defensive capabilities like the Divine Sun Palace, so we must make sure to keep the element of surprise. Only use it at the crucial moment," Long Xiqian said.

"Alright!" The testing was complete. As they were about to reach their destination, Yin Chen told Tianming that Weisheng Moran was nearby. She had begged it to bring her to see him. Since they were passing through and she had come such a long way, Tianming decided he would grant that wish. "Aunt Qian, I'm going to meet a friend of mine nearby."

"I'll go with you, then," she said. Her power wasn't too far off from Long Wanying's, and now that Tianming was exposed to the celestial orderian threat, she wanted to make sure he was protected at all costs, at least until Tianming returned to Little Saintdragon Peak. Her sense of gossip flared up as she asked, "What friend is it? A young lover, perhaps?"

"No…!" He began sweating.

Ying Huo flapped its wings while perched on his shoulder and said, "They're not lovers yet. They just help each other relieve their biological needs."

"Shut up with your nonsense, you damned bird!"

"Biological needs!" Xian Xian echoed without knowing what that meant as it secretly engraved the words on its branch.

Long Xiqian was only confused by the explanation, but she seemed to sigh with understanding when she saw Weisheng Moran. The way the young girl looked at Tianming was filled with romantic yearning. "You have a good eye, young fella. This girl is truly pretty, tens of thousands of times prettier than Long Wanying was in her youth."

Tianming told her that he would go see her alone before they were close enough.

"Alright, I'll keep an eye out for you. It's only natural for young folks like you to want some intimate action…. Just make sure you don't make too much noise," Long Xiqian said.

Thankfully, Feiling seemed to be asleep. Tianming quickly made his way to Weisheng Moran. She seemed as charming as ever, her skirt fluttering as she held her iconic green umbrella. She seemed to have been waiting for quite some time. Pouting, she said, "What is wrong with you? This little fish came here to help you, yet you're ignoring me."

"Stop messing around. Just say what you came to say," Tianming said.

"Wow…." Long Xiqian only heard the slightest whisper and her ears flushed red as she thought, these young folks really get straight to the point, huh… There's no modesty at all!

She smiled as she imagined the budding romance, only for her expression to freeze. Wasn't Weisheng Moran a dreamless celestial? They were both male and female, right? She gave Tianming an even more impressed look. "A young hero indeed. Even his taste can be rivaled by none. What kind of wild pleasures he must be seeking out…."