Beastmaster of the Ages

"A formation made by a god? Which one?" Tianming asked with a look of wonder.

"I'm not sure. Perhaps it has something to do with the founding ancestor, based on the dragon patterns I see," Yi Xingyin said. "Even given my understanding of heavenly pattern formations, this one is completely beyond me. Despite my efforts to familiarize myself with all kinds of formations throughout my life, I've never seen one this mystical before. However, it seems to be in a rather odd state. Perhaps because it was dormant for far too long, some of its internal aspects are clashing. It might be on the verge of collapse."

"So even formations have expiration dates, eh?" Tianming said.

"Of course. Nothing lasts forever in this world. While it looks to be a little unstable, it should last another century without issue."

"That's great then."

"No matter what, there's a possibility that this formation was created by the founding ancestor. We must make sure that nobody destroys it."

Tianming shared the same thought.

"There's a commotion up ahead! It could be a fight. Someone might be trying to destroy the formation!" Yi Xingyin said in an alarmed tone. During their journey there, he had consumed quite a few healing spirit herbs and had recovered enough to be barely able to move. However, it would take a long rest before he regained the ability to fight.

"I'll go and take a look. You should stay hidden," Tianming said.

"Alright." Yi Xingyin wasn't too bothered, knowing that Tianming was more than capable of protecting himself. All he wanted to do now was not cause any more trouble than he already had.

Tianming settled him down at a nearby star before hurrying off to the blood star. As Yi Xingyin's lifebound beast had remained within his lifebound space the entire time, it was still able to fight and should still be able to hold on for quite some time against an enemy.

"Tianming, you have to make sure to stop Nonahall if they're trying to destroy the formation, no matter what! Whatever it is they're trying to do, we can't go wrong trying to stop them!" Yi Xingyin yelled.

"Alright!"

It didn't matter what the true purpose or nature of the formation was. All they had to do was the opposite of what Nonahall wanted. After parting ways with Yi Xingyin, Tianming went to the other side of the blood star and saw two powerful elites facing off against each other. While their levels were suppressed to the seventh-level death phase, they seemed more powerful than Long Cangyuan.

"Isn't that the Hexapath Swordfiend? And that's... Dugu Jin!" Tianming had heard that Dugu Jin, the one that had attempted to assassinate Feiling, had barged into the Kilostar Domain. He was no doubt an enemy, too! Yet now his enemies were fighting each other. Tianming decided to stop and see how it turned out.

"It's said that Feng Qingyu is among the top three most powerful people on the continent. How is Dugu Jin able to hold his ground against him?" Tianming looked around and saw Dugu Jin's two blood dragons. They were terrifyingly competent fighters with high star counts, even higher than Long Cangyuan's four dragons. Flashes of blood streaked around as they attacked. Dugu Jin himself wielded a blood-colored draconic baton. If it weren't for the suppression of the sealing formation, strikes from the baton would cause landscape-altering changes.

On the surface, it looked like Feng Qingyu was being attacked by Dugu Jin and his two dragons, but that was a superficial analysis at best. Feng Qingyu was a member of the Tai'e House of Jian, and their house's unique capabilities lay in their swordbeasts. Tianming didn't know how powerful his swordbeasts were, but he noticed there were six swords by Feng Qingyu's side. All of them seemed to look roughly the same, though they were a little blurry due to the sheer speed Feng Qingyu employed while using them in the fight. However, Tianming knew without a doubt that they belonged to the set of weapons called the Hexafirmament Eradicator, which had once been used by the Hexapath Sword God.

While the Hexapath Eradicator was comprised of six swords, it was actually considered a single divine artifact. Feng Qingyu wielded one sword in each hand, while the other four moved about without even being held, as if there were invisible limbs swinging them around. Countless varieties of stances and forms could be performed with those swords; it was not for no reason that the Hexapath Swordfiend was famous. It was likely that his swordbeasts were controlling those swords. Even with the suppression of the sealing formation, Feng Qingyu's sword ki soared through the skies, forming countless blades of blinding light.

"Tell me what this is!" he snapped, glaring at Dugu Jin.

"Hehe..." Dugu Jin chuckled as he deflected one attack after another. He wasn't about to volunteer any information any time soon.

Normally, one wouldn't expect Dugu Jin to be able to hold his own against Feng Qingyu, but Tianming noticed a faint detail. Throughout the fight, countless draconic heavenly patterns on the formation of the blood star beneath them seemed to be attracted to Dugu Jin and were fusing with him and his lifebound beasts. As the fight progressed, the bloody mist around him grew thicker and thicker, gradually making him harder and harder to take on.

As the blood dragons fused with him, his aura began changing. Tianming soon realized that the one trying to break the formation was Dugu Jin, and Feng Qingyu was trying to stop him. It was almost as if the two's priorities were reversed. Dugu Jin used to be a peak elite of the Archaion Sect, after all, but with Feng Qingyu getting in his way, he wasn't able to reach the blood star, so there was no need for Tianming to step in and intercept him.

I wonder if my black arm can pass through a formation created by gods.... If it can, what could be waiting for me within it? he thought as he looked at the bloody formation around the star. Immediately, he headed toward it.

Right then, Feng Qingyu discovered him. Almost immediately, a sword flash pierced straight towards Tianming, forcing him away. The two started glaring at one another.

With a cold glare, Feng Qingyu snapped, "You of all people shall not enter!"

He sent one of his six swords toward Tianming and had it rampage around as a stern warning. Dugu Jin also noticed him and his expression was one of cold mockery, a clear sign that he wouldn't be taking Tianming's side.

Just as Tianming was considering whether he should force his way in, Xue Yi and You Ying arrived, causing the situation to develop even more confusingly. Xue Yi immediately spotted Tianming and his expression turned even more furious. But this time around, he didn't charge straight at him. Instead, he looked at the blood star and turned to Feng Qingyu. "Brother Feng, are you trying to stop Dugu Jin from entering?"

"Yes. Do you know what that is?" Feng Qingyu asked, temporarily stopping his assault.

"Of course. That's the basis of the sealing formation. Once we break the blood-colored formation, we will be able to remove the suppression of the sealing formation and recover our power. It'll make searching for treasures much easier. At the very least, we'll no longer be hindered by a mere junior," Xue Yi whispered, shooting Tianming a look.

"Are you sure?" Feng Qingyu had his doubts.

"I am. The starmap states as much."

"Then why's Dugu Jin trying to destroy it too? He's the one that caused the formation to manifest."

"I'm not too sure about it myself. Perhaps he has some kind of relationship with the creator of the formation. Either way, destroying it can only be beneficial for us. The lifespan of the formation is already nearing its end, so it would probably dissipate in a few centuries anyway," Xue Yi said, still keeping his eyes carefully trailed on Tianming. "Brother Feng, did you know that the brat actually found Great Emperor Xuanyuan's Kilostar Photondragon and killed Qing Ming and Long Cangyuan?"

"What?!" Feng Qingyu felt a chill down his spine as he stared wide-eyed at Tianming.

"No need to be so alarmed. Our power is suppressed by the sealing formation, and he seems to have the favor of the gods in here. He'll only continue growing stronger with time. I managed to grab the Photondragon from him using Yi Xingyin as a bargaining chip, but killing him is still incredibly difficult! If we don't destroy this formation, we'll have no choice but to leave the Kilostar Domain and hand it to him on a platter! Everyone in here might die! I even suspect that the sealing formation won't have any effect on him! It must have something to do with Great Emperor Xuanyuan, this formation included. Additionally, are you aware of the treasures he has on him now?" Xue Yi hissed hatefully.

"Yes." He had heard about what happened to Ye Bodhi, too. Furrowing his brow, he said, "So even the Kilostar Photondragon showed up. Mind giving me a look?"

"Feel free." Xue Yi generously handed the trident to Feng Qingyu in a show of trust.

As Feng Qingyu inspected the weapon with a look of awe, he sighed. "Divine artifact though it may be, we aren't able to utilize it at all. Are you suggesting he managed to do it?"

"Not only was he able to use it, each slash of his was able to tear the skies open. By relying on this divine artifact alone, he was able to move the power of the stars to kill ten thousand of our tribulation elders!" Xue Yi raged.

"In other words, the Kilostar Domain has a big deal to do with Great Emperor Xuanyuan, and the treasures here probably belonged to him. It wouldn't be hard to explain why the imperial son was able to open the domain, then. After all, the Kilostar Domain was something the emperor left for his descendants to bring back to his sect. It's a shame that we managed to take control of it."

"If we don't destroy this sealing formation and kill that brat, the consequences will be unimaginable. Brother Feng, we're no longer just fighting Li Tianming. We're indirectly fighting against Great Emperor Xuanyuan himself, understood?" Xue Yi said.

"Got it. Let's destroy the formation!" Feng Qingyu agreed.

Xue Yi hid his elation and turned to Dugu Jin. "I heard that Brother Dugu here has attempted to assassinate the goddess twice."