Beastmaster of the Ages

"Why are you together?"

The one who spoke was a woman in white. She was beautiful, with a tinge of sadness visible under her cold expression.

"Lin Xixi, the Pentaphase Earth Sect has also lost more than a dozen of our brothers and sisters. We want revenge," said Zhao Tianxing.

Of the thirty-five Octagram disciples who had entered the Nether Battlefield, only twenty-two remained. The rest had most likely died in battle.

"In order to lure away those Nonahall Ghost Sect beasts, they went out one by one, but none of them came back." Lin Xixi looked dim.

Glancing at Zhao Tianxing, she said, "So you want revenge? Our people aren't enough to deal with just the Nonahall Ghost Sect alone, let alone five divine realms combined. They said that after they dealt with the Monorigin Divine Sect, they'd use the rest of the time to sweep the other layers. None of us will live."

"The situation has changed." Xuanyuan Yucheng explained briefly, then asked, "Rather than sitting here and waiting for death, it's better to fight."

Lin Xixi looked at Tianming, a little startled. After a while, she looked up, her eyes colliding with the fiery gazes of the Octagram disciples.

Laughing coldly, she said, "What gives them the right to be so cruel? Aren't they afraid of forcing our sect to stand with the Monorigin Divine Sect?"

"They aren't afraid. First of all, even if we die, we're nothing compared to the entire sect. Secondly, our divine realm is declining. They're strong and powerful, and are trying to force us to submit. The sect can't protect us. In the Nether Battlefield, whether we live or die depends entirely on ourselves," said Zhao Tianxing.

"Fine then! Since the goddess' disciple has killed so many of them, then so be it. Since our meeting is fated, we'll join hands, no matter how the divine realm behind us decides. We'll put everything else aside, just for revenge, just to survive! Even if our divine realms meet on the battlefield in the future, we'll fight alongside you to the death in the Nether Battlefield."

Lin Xixi stretched out her hand. Her red eyes were hazy with tears. Too many of them had died. Who said the vulnerable deserved to be trampled by others?!

"You're right! What gives them the right to be arrogant? Aren't we human beings?" Zhao Tianxing grasped Lin Xixi's hand in his.

They were indignant over the loss of so many brothers and friends.

"Since it's all fated, then count us in. No matter what the elders decide or what the future situation is like, I, Dongfang Zichong, am your friend, in life and death." Impassioned, he stretched out his hand, finally revealing his true temperament.

Only the Archaion Sect was left. Of course, Xuanyuan Yucheng's decision went without saying.

Standing next to them, he said, "Thank you all. My life has always been ordinary, without any brilliance or glory. To be able to stand with all of you today, I'll have no regrets even if I die."

Right now, their numbers could almost match the other five divine realms. However, the situation wasn't optimistic because their enemies were rather strong. The Yinyang and Heptastar disciples who had managed to survive were all fighters.

Just as Xuanyuan Yucheng was shaking hands with the others, the hell barrier formations on the more than forty Archaion Sect disciples suddenly glowed, including Tianming.

"They've destroyed the hell tree."

"They'll come for us next."

They all looked at each other with fiery eyes.

"We must quickly find a battlefield that suits us. Most of our opponents are disciples of the Nonahall Ghost Sect, so the swamp and blood pool layers aren't appropriate," said Xuanyuan Yucheng.

"There's no need to look. We'll fight here," said Lin Xixi.

Everyone looked up.

"You're right! This mountain is a natural defense. There's only two entrances, and the walls are strong enough to remain standing for a while. As long as we defend the entrances, we can take on fewer opponents at a time. They can only enter one after another!" Realization dawned upon Xuanyuan Yucheng.

"Yes!"

"The metalstar layer is made entirely of metal. The Nonahall Ghost Sect disciples would have no advantage here."

"They should be on their way up, so we don't have time to pick another battleground. We'll fight here."

Having made their decision, they separated and headed to the two entrances.

"One entrance is bigger than the other. The Archaion Sect disciples will guard the smaller entrance. The rest of you add up to more than seventy. You can defend the bigger entrance. Watch the situation and protect each other when the time comes," said Xuanyuan Yucheng.

The Archaion Sect Sect currently had the most disciples, so their overall strength was greater. They had to shoulder heavier responsibilities.

"Alright."

"Get into position. I'll look for them," said Tianming.

"Be careful."

"I will."

His gaze met Xuanyuan Yucheng's. This was the calm before the storm, and they were all breathing heavily. But they knew this would be a desperate battle. At the very least, they possessed an unparallelled will to fight. Many had even disregarded death.

Leaving the mountain, Tianming dashed across the layer like the wind.

"Will they live?" Ying Huo asked solemnly.

"I don't know." Tianming shook his head.

Their numbers were equal, but even having the terrain advantage didn't necessarily mean they were all competent.

"Then what do you think?" asked Ying Huo.

Tianming had always been able to strategize. But this time, he chose to remain silent on the matter.

"Everything I can do has already been done. Next up, I'll kill as many of them as I can!" said Tianming.

He had personally contributed to the union of these four sects, but the disparity in strength between them was irreparable. He was currently glowing and had nowhere to hide.

Mounting Meow Meow, they headed all the way down.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm giving them more time to prepare!"

Soon, Tianming came across their enemies on the fourth layer. They had found no one despite combing through the layers below.

"It's the goddess' disciple, Li Tianming!"

Upon noticing him, they shouted and raged. Many of the glowing spots were about to chase after Tianming.

"Stop!" someone ordered.

Having suffered at Tianming's hands, these disciples composed themselves.

"Leave him alone. Look for the other disciples of the Archaion Sect first!"

"Yes!"

Ignoring Tianming, they went on their way. If that was the case, Tianming wouldn't be able to buy some time for the others.

"It's not that easy to ignore me."

Since they wouldn't make a move, Tianming would. He quickly approached the large group.

About a kilometer away, countless death stares shot toward Tianming as he struck out at them with Archfiend.

Eight Desolation Fienddragon Whip—Centurius Dragonslay! The long whip turned into a hundred dragons, aimed directly at his opponents. In the darkness, Archfiend remained well-hidden. Once unleashed, it resembled a hundred dragons ambushing the enemy.

The screams of several people suddenly filled the air. Tianming's whip had left bloody streaks across their bodies.

"You're courting death!"

The crowd was furious.

"Don't just stand there barking. Chase me if you dare, but don't bark if you're all useless bastards," Tianming's cold voice sounded, provoking them into rage.

However, they continued heading up. Tianming's whip flew out, instantly soaring over a kilometer. Eight Desolation Fienddragon Whip—Eight Desolate Demon Dragon Whip! Eight fienddragons darted from eight different directions. Hell was coming, and they were completely surrounded.

Three strikes in a row! The first strike hit one of the disciples, exposing his hell barrier formation. The second strike shattered said hell barrier formation. During the third stake, the whip wrapped itself around the disciple's neck. With a sudden pull, the man was dragged over. His neck broke at once and his head flew out. The corpse hit the ground, still warm.

"He's dead. Are you still going to run? What's so great about Nonahall, Hexapath, and Biritual? Sooner or later, you'll all be killed, just like those from Quadform. You're cowards, every last one of you!"

Tianming laughed mercilessly. All hundred of them were boiling with anger.

"Kill him first!"

"Why are we hesitating?"

"This bastard's out of control!"

Most of them were Nonahall disciples. The disciple Tianming had killed was also one of them. Therefore, the ones in charge were the minor ghoul kings of the Nonahall Ghost Sect.

Enveloped in a ghostly mist, the three wore robes of different colors that shrouded their entire being. The robes were gray, white, and black. The white- and black-robed ones wore tall hats, giving them an extremely eerie and terrifying feel, like grim reapers who extracted souls.

The white-robed one was wrapped in chains, while the man in black robes carried a club, bursting with killing intent. The one in gray robes, who stood in the middle, was extremely thin and petite. The robe hung so loosely over his body it seemed as if he wasn't made of much flesh and blood.

In front of them, not even Jiang Wuxin or Chu Xiaoqi could say much, not to mention Changsun Xingyue. At that exact moment, the gazes of all the Nonahall disciples fell upon the three of them.

"Yama, let me teach him a lesson." From the minor ghoul king's voice, it was evident she was a girl. She had a white chain that resembled the spine of some sort of creature wrapped around her body.

"Jiang Wuxin, you go." The gray-robed minor ghoul king Yama turned to Jiang Wuxin.

"Yes." Jiang Wuxin nodded. Without another word, he went after Tianming.

"The rest of you follow me to the metalstar layer. I'm guessing that's where they're hiding." Yama raised his head, his gray eyes spinning like whirlpools of death. Narrowing his eyes, he added, "It seems they've gathered together. Perfect, we'll kill them all in one go."

"Yes!"

The team of more than a hundred people suddenly accelerated.

...

Seeing that Jiang Wuxin was hot on his tail, Tianming gave up on provoking them.

"Jiang Wuxin is already at the fifth-level life phase and the Wuxin Art is very difficult to deal with. I don't have to fight him here." If he returned and used the terrain to his advantage, he might have a chance.

Meow Meow immediately turned and ran, but Jiang Wuxin still chased after them.

"Li Tianming, they promised me," his cold voice sounded from behind.

"Promised you what?"

"Your life is mine to take."