Beastmaster of the Ages

The sun emperor breathed out a long sigh, then smiled. "You're right. I haven't lost in far too long, so I let my emotions get the better of me. What happened today was an exceptional accident." He looked at Number One for a long while before he continued, "Not to mention that, while the Solar Wheel was crucial, my forebears have considered the possibility of losing it. So we spent a few generations making a backup wheel, and it's finally about to be completed. It's remained unused up until now, but I suppose it's about time I spent some effort to perfect it."

His words caused the seven to grimace. They obviously hadn't predicted that he would have a backup wheel, though whether or not that was a bluff remained to be seen. However, was it even necessary for the sun emperor to make such a bluff? It certainly didn't seem so.

The flames around the sun emperor's body vanished. He dusted his robe off in a relaxed fashion and said, "Thank you for helping me regain my cool."

"Sun Emperor, you sure regained your cool incredibly quickly," Number One said with a pained smile. At the end of the day, he wasn't sure if the sun emperor had really lost his temper or was just waiting for a good reason to stand down. Either way, his ability to control his emotions was shocking to see.

"Everyone, do wait for what is to come. The setback I suffered today is only a temporary delay. I'll return with the backup wheel to reclaim my Divine Sun Palace." The sun emperor turned around and picked up Li Wudi and his huge blood-colored kunpeng before casually leaving, the battlefield falling into complete silence with his absence.

"The Sky Palace's elites showed up and that was all it took to scare the sun emperor away?"

"They're far too powerful!"

"He left with his tail between his legs so quickly! Hahaha!"

The cultivators in the Myriad Solar Sects finally relaxed. It went without saying that the Sky Palace also enjoyed a boost in its reputation. The alliance that had just been about to form had fizzled out before it had a chance to begin with the sun emperor's departure—there was no longer a need for it. Once transmission stones came in with news of the celestial orderians' retreat, that was completely set in stone. The Myriad Solar Sects would no longer be able to form a united front and depose the Sky Palace. They truly had come at an opportune time to 'drive the sun emperor away'. Most normal people wouldn't have the slightest idea of the implications of what had just happened.

"Congratulations, everyone! The Myriad Solar Sects no longer have anything to worry about!" said the seven from the Sky Palace before they left, adding to their air of mystery. Everyone cheered, temporarily forgetting the role Li Wudi and Tianming had played in all this. Not to mention, they didn't announce the fact that the sun emperor had a backup wheel for the Divine Sun Palace. However, the Saintdragon Emperor, Northdipper Swordsage, and the rest didn't buy this one bit.

"The sun emperor's temper faded far too quickly. That's probably an even more dangerous sign for us," the Northdipper Swordsage said.

"I have to agree. The Sky Palace is definitely on his side," the Saintdragon Emperor said. They were far too shameless! Even though the battle had come to a close, it only foreshadowed even more troubles to come. Most of the smaller factions didn't know about what had happened at all and even began celebrating their victory.

"That kid is gone. Do you think he'll return?" the Northdipper Swordsage asked, pointing skyward.

"Him, eh?" The Saintdragon Emperor took a deep breath. "He can only continue growing if he leaves Orderia. The day of his return will be the day the Myriad Solar Sects are united. Trust me. Those kids are the real Sky Palace. They're the ones who truly inherited the will of the Sky Palace."

"I see. I stand with you on that," the Northdipper Swordsage said.

"Why?"

"I've seen the disaster that almost consumed us. I'm a denizen of the territory of the Myriad Solar Sects, after all." Protecting his home and heritage was all the reason he needed.

......

Corpses were strewn all across the bloody battlefield. A woman covered entirely in blood flipped through the sea of corpses and finally found a cold, middle-aged man. Even though he didn't have any outward wounds, he was dead. In fact, he had been dead the entire time.

"Brother Xuan...." She hugged his corpse and cried in pain. "You stood guard in the Primodragon Cave all those years... now you can finally rest in peace."

He had led the charge of the hundred thousand Dragon Imperials to contribute to the sect one last time before he fell. Long Wanying put Long Junxuan's body into a crystal coffin. There was another coffin beside her containing the body of a man clad in black with his hands held at his chest in a peaceful manner. Then her worldcleanse whitesoul dragon lifted the coffins away.

......

The Voidword Continent wasn't that far away from the Myriaddragon Continent. Yet despite the all-out war that had taken place in the latter continent, the Voidword Continent seemed completely peaceful. They hadn't participated in the battle at all, nor had they sent a single soldier to the conflict. To many factions, the Voidword Continent was a forbidden land. People who mistakenly wandered into it would immediately be killed by the Voidword Shrine, the most mysterious faction of them all. They maintained an incredibly low profile, seldom showing themselves in public. It was as if they kept themselves secluded in a place where the Myriad Solar Sects had no influence.

Today, Voidword Shrine was just as quiet as it usually was. Yet a cry of pain sounded out from an altar not far from there.

"No... no...!" A slender, hairless specter youth was held down by two elders and brought to the sacrificial altar. There was a gigantic sculpture of a white skywolf on the altar, standing proudly and magnificently. The eerie blue light coming from its eyes illuminated part of its body.

"Kong!" the skywolf sculpture suddenly opened its mouth and spoke, causing the youth to look up at it. "You've come of age. The bloodline of you scorching imperials allows others to detect a hint of the skywolf royals' scent. Your sacrifice will benefit countless others of our kind. It's the honorable right of those with your bloodline. You should be proud."

"No, I don't want to die! You're just trying to lure the Skywolf Star here!" Kong yelled.

"Oh.... As a skywolf royal, you don't seem to want to contribute at all. In fact, you doubt us. You aren't fit to bear the bloodline you've inherited. Your only purpose is for us to burn you up." The door of the altar suddenly sprang open and a pale flame appeared in front of Kong.

He drew a cold breath when he saw the millions of skeletons under the altar; the flame only burned away flesh, not bones. Every skeleton that burned there was his future self. He shuddered at the thought of his inevitable fate. From the moment of his birth, it had been decided that he would be tossed into the altar after he reproduced. He finally understood why every single skywolf royal was an orphan the moment they were born.