Beastmaster of the Ages

"It's good that she's never touched a man before," Tianming said.

"How so?" Feiling asked.

"There's no pressure when I touch you then."

Feiling was almost speechless. "Could your thoughts be any more dirty?"

"I can't help it! She's been lying there for ten thousand years, and you're fused with her now…." Just thinking about it made Tianming think it was rather stimulating.

"Whatever. Anyway, there's no more Xuanyuan Chi, only Jiang Feiling," she said seriously.

"Understood!"

"So?"

"I was thinking, isn't this kind of the same as having a beauty in both arms?"

Feiling could only find appreciation for the way his mind worked.

"Right, so how are you now with your new god physique? The Hall King said you didn't have any power in you."

"Yes, the godly power of the god physique has run dry after so long." Feiling pouted, looking rather adorable.

"It looks like you can't escape your destiny of being bullied by me." Tianming sniggered.

"Says who! I can cultivate now!" Feiling laughed.

"Really? But don't you still lack a lifebound beast?"

"I don't need one. Xuanyuan Chi didn't either. She relied on Demon City to cultivate something called the Perpetia Sutra. It doesn't need symbiotic cultivation, and it helps you become a god faster. It was what let her become the continent's tenth god at age twenty."

"Wait, are you saying I'll have a god in the family in twenty years?"

"Nope. It's really so, so complex that I'm feeling dumb. I need to start from the Beast Vein stage, so who knows how long I'll need to catch up to you."

"Who cares! Now you don't need to fear growing old and dying." Tianming was happy.

"I can already live two thousand years with the god physique." Seeing Tianming react, Feiling asked, "Big Brother, what're you thinking?"

"I need to become a god, so you don't become a widow."

"Without you, I wouldn't have this physique. Wherever you go, that's where I go." Feiling's eyes fixed on him and she spoke with full seriousness.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Since you said something so touching, does that mean I can bring my Grand-Orient Sword when I go to bed next time?" Tianming asked.

"But I'm shy…."

"So Ling'er, you did know what that meant! And here you kept saying it was my sword hilt."

"Quiet!" Feiling blushed. Only an idiot wouldn't know what that thing was.

……

Regardless, Xuanyuan Chi was a true god. She had a god soul, too! For Feiling to survive her encounter was already a huge stroke of luck. She had originally been meant to be a mortal soul that was fated to live for less than two decades.

It had only been through these two's struggle that the current laughter was called for.

When they passed through the Bottomless Pit, Feiling whispered to Tianming, "When we were fusing, I heard a voice saying something even Xuanyuan Chi didn't."

Tianming perked up his ears.

"The voice said that the Demon City wasn't always the Demon City. It used to be known as Perpetia City."

……

When they returned to the Divine Capital, Tianming immediately noticed that the city was on fire. Many buildings had collapsed, and corpses littered the streets. The once bustling city had become a purgatory after a short four or five months.

As they neared, they started hearing the snarls of countless lifebound beasts, as well as intermittent screaming and crying.

"How could this have happened?" Bai Xiaozhu felt dazed.

"Nothing to be surprised about. It's a conflict for the throne, and they're always bloody affairs. In the past, the Autarch would make sure the succession went smoothly. But now that Autarch Qian's gone, it's regressed to such a state," Bai Mo said indifferently.

"What's the situation now?"

"Both sides are heavily injured. Autarch Yun has a slight advantage, but he just can't take down Jiang Ling for good. Many have died. The nation's power will probably take a hit after this. Those around the Theocracy will be itching to stick their noses in."

"Is the dao palace good?"

"Of course. Our disciples still continue cultivating. We just won't interfere. Now, the dao palace is perfectly united." Bai Mo grinned.

"That's good then." Tianming didn't care about the Theocrats. The more of them that died, the better.

"Tianming, you dealt them a heavy blow by killing the crown prince. Autarch Yun will probably demand an accounting from the dao palace over this," Bai Mo said.

"Should I hide?"

"No need. He no longer has the power to challenge us. We can ignore him as long as the Evil Suppression Formation is up. You just need to focus on cultivating. If he doesn't know what's good for him, we'll just take care of him and help put Jiang Ling on the throne."

"Why not just help the dao palace ascend the throne?" Tianming frowned. Wasn't this the best chance to exterminate the Theocrats?

"We'll see how things go. Don't worry, the Palace Lord and Dark Hall have their plans."

"Alright!" Tianming was aware of the two powers' relationship.

The Theocracy had once belonged to the dao palace. Now, the Theocrats had declined and the crown prince had fallen, ending their line.

"Perhaps it might be time for the dynasty to change." Tianming smiled.

……

They passed through the Evil Suppression Formation, finally returning to the safest place in the world. No matter how dangerous it was outside, it remained lively inside.

"Big Bro Tianming!" Ye Lingfeng was still weak. His eyes opened and he looked emotionally at Tianming.

"What is it?"

Ye Lingfeng pointed at the black pillar. "That belonged to the Primordial Demonlord."

Tianming was surprised.

Did that mean the Prime Tower and Cyclic Mirror came from an even stronger god?

"At least four gods died inside Perpetia City," Tianming mused.

"Can I take it away?"

"Not right now. I haven't spoken to the seniors about the Primordial Demonlord and God-Emperor. That pillar is what's guaranteeing the safety of the dao palace for now."

"Alright." Ye Lingfeng wasn't anxious.

At this moment, a girl with white hair rushed out. "Big Brother, Ling'er, Little Feng!"

"My little sis got even prettier!" Tianming gave her a hug.

Qingyu began chatting with Feiling. "Why do I feel like you're different somehow?"

"That hand you're holding now belongs to a ten-thousand-year-old hag." Tianming sniggered.

"Nonsense!" Feiling glared at him.

As for Qingyu, she was simply confused.

"Hey, Big Sister Qingyu…." Ye Lingfeng lifted his head up weakly.

"Yes?"

"Can I give you a hug too?"

"No, guys and girls can't touch."

Ye Lingfeng was stunned and looked at Tianming.

"What is it?" Tianming asked.

"I, I didn't know you were a woman!" Ye Lingfeng's thought process was that Li Tianming and Li Qingyu had hugged, which made them the same gender. "Wait!" He tapped his head. He'd been with Tianming so much that he couldn't not know if Tianming was a girl. Which meant….

"Big Sister Qingyu, so you're a guy! Wait, so why can't I give you a hug?"

……

There was a beautiful city to the north of the capital, called Dazzling City. It was the headquarters of Dazzling Pavillion, and controlled all of the trade and commerce. Meng Tingyu, their Pavilion Lord, spent most of her time there.

She was currently playing the zither inside a building. Her playing wasn't very smooth, due to the heavy downpour outside annoying her.

Suddenly there was a flash of lightning. A figure wearing a conical hat appeared by the window.

Meng Tingyu hurriedly knelt down, her forehead pressed onto the cold and wet floor.

"Greetings, Your—"

She hadn't finished speaking before she was interrupted.

"Little Yu, how are the little fish I wanted?" The voice was slightly aged, but it was gentle.

"Ready, there's seven hundred thousand."

"Where are they from?"

"The capital's been a mess recently. To fool people, I had the 'merchants' go by sea to the Earthorgin Realm and find some small fishes from a remote country there."

"And the quality?"

"Middling. However, I've been taking good care of them, so they're in good condition."

"Did you talk to the people in power there?"

"Yes. They're all intelligent people. This is the third time they've contributed fish, so cooperation has been smooth."

"Good. However, I'm going to need a lot more fish this time."

"I'll make the arrangements. How many?"

"Another three hundred thousand."

"Yes!"