Beastmaster of the Ages

"What?! Impossible! We just escaped imprisonment and are still really weak! No matter how brave we are, we would never dare to offend the Divine Moon Realm!" Yi Jun said.

"Huh?" Liu Yizhao was taken aback.

"Moon Guide, someone framed us! You've been fooled!" He finally understood why this disaster had befallen them. But by now, the specters had basically lost all their ascendants and elites before the misunderstanding had even been addressed. Yusheng Luo alone had killed tens of thousands of samsarans.

"Who could that possibly be?! Someone else must have killed Huiyue Yin! Moon Guide, please show mercy and spare us! We'll work with you to find the truth! We can't let the real culprit go free!" Yi Jun's eyes were bloodshot. Despite the rage he felt toward the Divine Moon Realm, he had to force it down. It was a matter of survival for his race.

"Truth? Culprit?" Liu Yizhao awkwardly looked at the string of specter heads in his hand and pointed his sword at Yi Jun. "Are you trying to instill confusion? Huiyue Yin is dead and I've killed a dozen Ascendant specters, enough to answer to his parents for his death. And now, you're telling me there's another culprit?"

"What do you mean, Moon Guide?"

"It's better if you just die. Don't complicate this simple matter of revenge." Liu Yizhao immediately struck, beheading Yi Jun before he could react.

His lifeless body fell to the ground. The last specter Ascendant had died. Liu Yizhao looked at the widened eyes of the head in his hand and muttered, "That lass must've worked with some other party to plot against her brother. This matter is far too complicated, and will only cause an outsider like me too much trouble. It's simpler to just pin the blame on you! That's far easier for me to handle. I want to bury this matter here and now, got it?"

Yi Jun couldn't understand it at all. Liu Yizhao was merely an outsider who wanted to get things settled right away. It had never had anything to do with him in the first place. The grudge would be settled once the specters were dead. Even though he knew the truth, he would pretend he had never heard it. It wasn't like anyone had heard their conversation anyway. "Not to mention, that slap on the face wasn't pleasant!"

He stroked his face and left the matter as is. "That lass truly is cruel. To think that she would have her brother killed so easily just over a little family squabble..."

He never could have guessed that Huiye Shi had done that out of duress. Her act was too convincing; she didn't look like she had been threatened into doing so at all. "Whatever. What does it have to do with me? It was their idea to stay here in the first place. I might even be able to use the truth to make Shishi obedient...."

The thought of the beautiful young girl gave him some interesting ideas. Now that he had dealt with Yi Jun, he brought the string of specter heads to Huiyue Du as penance for his negligence. "Brother, I'm really sorry for your son's death. I killed these specters so that they may be sacrificial offerings to his soul."

Seeing those heads, Huiyue Du felt his rage seep away. He saw the red mark on Liu Yizhao's face and said, "Come to think of it, it was their idea to stay back. I can't blame it on you. I was too reckless just now, and for that, I apologize."

"It's all good. I understand. You were suffering from the pain of losing a son."

Huiyue Du nodded and went back to killing specters.

"Done deal!" Liu Yizhao smiled. He had never wanted to come back to this continent in the first place and couldn't wait to go back to the tens of beauties that were waiting for him back home. Turning back to Huiye Shi, he clicked his tongue and shook his head. The siblings were, strictly speaking, disciples of his sect. Compared to the proud young man, he naturally favored the cute and feisty girl much more.

Just like that, Tianming had survived a close brush with death. Even if the truth was revealed now, it was all within his expectations. This was a risky move filled with too many unknowns, but if it worked, the benefits would be tremendous. With the specters almost completely wiped out, they would hardly pose a threat to the Flameyellow Continent any longer. Even Tianming found it difficult to believe. Not only had he killed Huiyue Yin in retaliation, he also had Huiye Shi in the palm of his hand and used the Divine Moon Realm to wipe out the specters, fulfilling multiple goals at once.

"You've won, Li Tianming. If the truth really gets out, the entire Divine Moon Realm would be awed by the sheer scope of your success," Huiye Shi muttered.

"We're the only ones who know the truth. Let's keep it that way, for both our sakes," Tianming said. Little did he know that someone else also knew the truth, but just couldn't be bothered to act on it.

That aside, he was really agitated over finally resolving the specter crisis. He wanted to share his elation with Feiling as soon as possible. He couldn't wait to tell the world that even though he wasn't able to stop Jiang Wuxin from releasing the specters, he had managed to basically turn it around by getting the Divine Moon Realm to do the deed, and take the blame for their extermination. This secret must stay buried in my heart for life!

......

While Huiyue Du had had his fill of slaughter, Yusheng Luo was still madly fighting. Liu Yizhao had wanted to bring up the fact that Bodhi still hadn't shown up yet, but he kept himself from doing so when he figured that the couple would no longer return to this backwater after they vented their rage. It would be better to keep it that way. As complicated as people's psyche could be, one thing was for sure: the deaths of Huiyue Yin and the specters would be for naught.

In the end, tens of thousands died tragically in the Ninefold Hell, and the grey star was now stained red with rivers of blood. Even Huiyue Du and Yusheng Luo ended up somewhat injured and exhausted, having massacred countless specters to avenge their son. Ostensibly, even the lives of all humans on the Flameyellow Continent couldn't compare to their son's.

Smelling the overwhelming stench of blood, Tianming winced. "Next, your mission is to make sure your parents forget this as soon as possible and return to the Divine Moon Realm. Then, this will be settled!"

The longer they stayed, the riskier it would be. The specters were already dead, so there would be no hearing their side of the story any longer, especially with the death of the overlady. But Tianming wanted to be certain.

"Got it!" Huiye Shi checked to see that nobody was looking and pulled on his arm coquettishly. "Hey, why don't you come to the Divine Moon Realm with me? I dealt with the specter threat, so you shouldn't have any worries left, right?"

"What are you talking about? Stop messing around." Tianming shot her down with a glare. How was she still daring enough to tempt him while still under Feiling's curse?

"Hmph!" She loosened her grip. "Even if that lass is somewhat capable, you'll end up in my embrace at the very end!"

"Where'd you get that confidence?"

"I have status in the Divine Moon Realm and can help you rise to prominence. The Flameyellow Continent will always be a mere backwater that'll only hold you back. There aren't any new resources here for you, so you're just wasting time. No matter how incredible that vixen is, she'll hold you back. While you might not understand it now, you'll start panicking when you don't make any progress in a few years. You're talented, so don't waste it here!" she said with full sincerity.

"Alright, got it."

"So you've agreed? That's the sensible choice. As long as you want to progress, you'll have to start in the Divine Moon Realm. Only by reaching the top there can you have options," she said elatedly.

"I won't be going with you for now. But if there's a chance, I'll look for you."

"Alright! Come to Huiyue City and just tell them your name. I'll be waiting!"

"Fine."

What she had said did make sense. He would have to go to the Divine Moon Realm to find his way sooner or later. Having her help would be great, since he didn't have any connections there. He already had her life in the palm of his hand anyway. She did help out a lot with the extermination of the specters, after all, and Tianming wasn't aware that she had anything to do with why Huiyue Yin had hunted him down in the first place.

"Don't tell me you're bringing that old vixen up with you," she said, dissatisfied.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm guessing she's already quite advanced, age wise. I say, you really have a bad eye for women. I'm much younger, you know, and I'll keep my first time for you to take." She winked, but quickly blushed at the sheer embarrassment her words had brought.

"Eww, you pervert!" Tianming gave up. She was far too aggressive.

"That's going too far! That confession took a lot of courage, you know!"

Tianming quickly made some distance.

Within the lifebound space, Xian Xian grit her teeth in anger. "Man, why doesn't this girl learn?! This bitch can't keep her hands off that shitstain! I heard it all! I'm going to complain to half-mommy!"

"Sis is right," Ying Huo said with a laugh.

"Wait—who's the shitstain?" Tianming almost blacked out.

......

It was all over, and now Tianming was watching the divine moonrace from a distance. He was only a minor figure, as far as the three elites were concerned, so he tried to keep his distance.

After taking revenge, Huiye Shi and her mom hugged and cried. The hundred thousand plus remaining specters were gathered before them, all fearfully huddled together. The Ninefold Hell had just undergone a baptism of blood.