Beastmaster of the Ages

Within the Nine Dragon Formation, Xuanyuan Dao, Li Caiwei, and the sect masters of Triflair, Pentaphase, and Octagram, as well as many third-origin tribulation elders were all battling Ghoul King Di Zang and his lifebound beast. By the looks of the situation, all was under control. Having arrived at Soulburn Hall, Ouyang Jianwang was protected by the inner formation and safe for the moment.

The crisis brought by the remnants of the specter race had been eliminated after Dugu Jin and Feng Qingyu slew Ghoul King Po Suo and Jiang Wuxin respectively. The remaining ghoul king, Di Zang, wouldn't be able to overturn the heavens. Victory was in sight, but there was still a large Nonahall army outside. The four major sects were still sailing close to the wind.

Tianming hadn't participated in the battle against Di Zang. He retreated to Xuanyuan Lake with the Amnestic River Voidbanner.

"There are three hundred million vitae imprisoned by this banner. Let's see if I can tear it apart."

There were two parts to the Amnestic River Voidbanner. The first part was a gray spear that served as the flagpole, and the second part was the banner that imprisoned three hundred million vitae. These two parts combined constituted the power of this divine artifact.

"Feng Qingyu's Hexafirmament Eradicator cracked after attacking the Prime Tower, which proves that the Grand-Orient Sword and Prime Tower are of a higher level."

Placing the banner on the ground, Tianming roared and used all his strength to pierce the banner with his sword.

Although he failed to break the banner, it trembled. It was clear the Grand-Orient Sword had a certain effect on it.

"It isn't broken? One more time!"

Focusing on one spot, Tianming stabbed the Grand-Orient Sword over and over again.

Ten, twenty times! Those who weren't aware of the sword's might would assume he was fooling around. On his thirtieth strike, the sword finally pierced and tore the banner, causing a loud buzz. The banner violently vibrated, then evaporated into a large cloud of white mist that rose into the air and gradually spread out.

Three hundred million vitae was no small figure. Among them were the vitae of beasts. The thick white mist propelled Tianming outside and instantly filled most of the battlefield before soaring into the clouds. Upon closer inspection, the clouds and mist that swept across the entire battlefield seemed to contain countless figures, all staring at him.

"Thank you..." a voice sounded in his ears. It wasn't spoken by one person, but by hundreds of millions. Tianming felt as if the entire world echoed these two words.

"Thank you for freeing us."

"You'll be rewarded."

"Don't stray from this path."

Toward the end, the voice no longer sounded like it came from these vitae, but from the heavens and earth.

"Transcend all living beings and escape the mortal coil, and boundless beneficence will follow."

Tianming had never experienced such resonance of the soul. When these mist-like vitae soared into the sky and began dissipating, it seemed like they were responding in kind; Tianming's Imperial Will grew once more.

"I recently advanced to the seventh-level death phase before entering the Ninefold Hell. It's only been a few days...."

His present epiphany was similar to attaining the dao. This was the Imperial Will that he cultivated, a special path of cultivation. Ordinary people seldom possessed this mode of comprehension. Cultivating in the mortal world, fighting wars, and slaughter were all ways to learn through experience and begot good fortune.

Three hundred million vitae were saved. In the transcendence, Tianming's heavenly will was sublimated.

"I might be able to break through to the eighth-level life phase."

This time, his Imperial Will had grown tremendously. The Grand-Orient Sword in his sea of consciousness was stronger and more defined.

"I'm close to the eighth-level death phase."

Three hundred million vitae was an impressive figure indeed. However, the closer one approached completion on the path of Samsara, the more difficult it became. Ghoul King Si Ling's crimes were trifles, compared to the Nonahall Specter. Because Tianming was so close to Ascension, his Imperial Will was in abundance. It was nothing short of a great gain for such monumental growth to occur at this point.

"The Aeonic Grandbane has given me the ability to plunder vitality and transform it into samsara rings. In the Ninefold Hell, I slaughtered many of the specter race and seized their vitality with the power of death. My eighth samsara ring is almost fully formed."

In the past, what he lacked was expansion of his heavenly will. But now that his Imperial Will had grown, the only thing remaining was his eighth samsara ring, which would form at an amazing speed on this battlefield. Thus, Tianming successfully entered the eighth-level life phase and would soon be able to break through to the eighth-level death phase.

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"My cultivation stage would make me a second-origin tribulation elder, but based on my strength...."

His strength would have to be determined in actual combat.

"The Aeonic Grandbane allows me to plunder vitality even in the death phase, so I'm able to form the next samsara ahead of time. My strength grows with the expansion of the samsara rings."

Although he could no longer steal vitality at the eighth-level life phase, Tianming experienced a big surge in strength due to the expansion of his samsara rings.

"So the increase in strength from my transition from death to life phase is actually greater than the other way around. I wonder what'll happen to my Aeonic Grandbane when I reach Ascension."

Tianming was filled with anticipation. After advancing to the life phase, he recovered his youth once more and resembled a young boy of seventeen, tender and lovely.

"How annoying. You look more and more like a younger brother," said Feiling.

"Nonsense! I'm a hunk!"

With his increase in strength, Tianming's confidence had received a boost as well.

"The Progenitor asked me to return his caelum to the Old Deepstar Path. There's more progress to be made. I need time! I must drive these people away!"

At the thought of that, Tianming picked up the Amnestic River Voidbanner from the ground.

"The banner has withered away, but the spear remains. It can still be used. Although half of its power has diminished, it's still a divine artifact. Vitae are no longer required."

After all, it was a divine artifact. Tianming put it away.

"Right now, I may be the most powerful of all four sects."

Fang Taiqing had fled.

Narrowing his eyes, Tianming glanced at Di Zang.

"But within the two formations, Sect Master Xuanyuan and Li Caiwei are the strongest."

With them stationed in the formation, Tianming wasn't planning on heading over at the moment. Once the threat of the specter race was eliminated, would the five allied sects outside still have their hearts set on killing Feiling?

Immediately after his breakthrough, he headed outside. Arriving on the edge of Xuanyuan Lake, he witnessed the establishment of the Imperial Sect, their merging with Heptastar, and their preparations to attack Xuanyuan Lake.

At this juncture, Fang Taiqing returned with eighty thousand members of the Sterling House of Fang, then joined the Flameyellow Imperial Sect and became the second sect master. Such drastic changes confirmed Tianming's worries.