Beastmaster of the Ages

“I really know nothing about it! It’s something that’s beyond me. Not to mention, since I reincarnated and became a lifebound beast, I forgot part of my memories. If I knew what it was, I probably would’ve been able to undo it too!” the Archaionfiend said.

“Let’s try another question then. Did you find out how many ascendants there are among the specters in the Ninefold Hell while you were cooperating with them?” Tianming asked. That was the true reason he had come.

“I don’t know, but I bet there’s at least ten! They have the full legacy of their forebears. Even though they’re starved for spiritual energy, they cultivate really quickly and can reach the Ascension stage far quicker than humans!”

“At least ten?” How would they even be able to stand a chance? It seemed that they had little choice other than to wait for the Divine Moon Realm to respond to their call.

“Stop worrying. Don’t you have that transmission stone with you? I bet news has already reached the outpost. The specters would never expect you to possess one of those. The fact that they’re busy eating without any worry shows that much. These specters are terrified of the people at the outposts. That’s why they sent their lair to the realm of chaos! Otherwise, they would’ve come for you long ago.

“Well, Li Tianming, I’ll tell you something good. If those at the outpost care about humanity’s survival, you’ll stand a chance. If they don’t, you’re doomed for sure. There’s no way you’ll be able to resist a superior lifeform with your capabilities alone!”

All in all, Tianming now had a few more vague pieces of information. The transmission stone must be the moonjade. There was also mention of some realm of chaos and an outpost.

“Why’s the Divine Moon Realm called an outpost? By realm of chaos, you must be referring to the Abyssal Battlefield, right?”

The Archaionfiend burst out in mocking laughter with a look of superiority. “It’s really pitiful of you to be so clueless about your world even though you live on the plane of symmetry.”

“Answer my question!” Tianming slapped it on the face.

“You…!”

“Speak!” Tianming gave its head a smash.

Right as the beast was about to retaliate, it glanced at Lin Xiaoxiao and held itself back. Mumbling some curses under its breath, it stopped putting on airs. “The Divine Moon Realm is located at the topmost region of the lower levels of the cosmic aether. The plane of symmetry is supervised from their outpost. That’s how order is maintained. The reason it’s called an outpost is because it’s where the order of the plane of symmetry is maintained from. The outposts are the eyes of the realm of order. The realm of order has countless outposts, and the Divine Moon Realm is merely one of them.”

Though Tianming wanted to ask more, the information dump he had just received already confused the hell out of him. “Realm of order?”

The Archaionfiend rolled its eyes and sighed. “Fine, sit down. I’ll tell you about the true nature of the world!”

It was far more easygoing now that it was afflicted with the Bloodrose Curse. However, that didn’t mean it was answering willingly. If there was a good opportunity, it might just turn on them without warning. But for now, while they were horribly lacking in manpower, Lin Xiaoxiao and the Archaionfiend were decent allies to have. They might even be able to face off against some specters. Tianming trusted that she could keep the beast on its leash well enough.

What he needed now was information about the Divine Moon Realm. He was also quite curious about the so-called cosmic aether, so he listened properly. He knew that Li Muyang, the sky plunderers, the Primordial Chaos Beasts, and the Archaionfiend were all alien to the Flameyellow Continent. It was only a matter of time before he went after his parents, as well as in search of the origins of the Primordial Chaos Beasts, so he was bound to roam the aether one day.

To defeat the specters, he needed to understand enough about the cosmic aether that Great Emperor Xuanyuan had once roamed, and much of that hinged on whether they would be able to capture a live specter. He had sent many people on that very mission. Meanwhile, the cities spread all across the continent under different sects were busy trying to recover and plan their next move while he sought answers from the Archaionfiend.

The beast proudly stretched out its tail and drew a line on the ground. “Think about this line as a plane. It’s a surface without an ending or boundary. Call it the plane of symmetry, or the Welkin plane.”

“Welkin plane, got it.”

“On Welkin are many continents just like the Flameyellow Continent. Collectively, they’re known as Welkin continents. These continents have one thing in common: they’re all bilateral, meaning they have one side above and another below. For instance, the side you call the Abyssal Battlefield is the flip side of the Flameyellow Continent.”

“So there’s many other continents just like this one?” He had seen the dreams of the Primordial Chaos Beasts. The Genesis Chaos Thunderfiend, for instance, created countless worlds with its lightning, while the Primordial Terraqua Dragon’s body itself housed many different worlds that were all many times the size of the Flameyellow Continent. That’s how Tianming knew that the universe was far wider than he could ever imagine. Even so, hearing it straight from the Archaionfiend’s mouth, thus confirming it as fact, was a whole other matter entirely. Space and time seemed to stretch far beyond the bounds of his conception. All of a sudden, he felt like an insignificant speck amidst the grand cosmos.

“Haha, are you sure you’re a sky plunderer? You were definitely abandoned here. You’re just as clueless as the natives of this world,” the Archaionfiend mocked. It seemed unable to stop putting others beneath it.

Tianming didn’t bother with the comment. He knew better than anyone else what he really was. “Go on.”

“Well, listen up! The plane of symmetry—in other words, this Welkin plane—is the foundation of the cosmos. The Flameyellow Continent itself is, in some ways, bisected by the plane of symmetry. Looking up from this side, you’ll see an endlessly stretching world. The same thing applies when you look up from the Abyssal Battlefield.

“The two sides of the continent are completely symmetrical. The worlds beneath the plane of symmetry are called realms of chaos. I won’t go into anything too esoteric for now. First, let’s focus on what’s above the plane of symmetry. In other words, what you see around you now. All of this is called the realm of order. Here, the laws of the world apply. There’s a pattern and rhythm to all phenomena, all following the grand dao of the heavens in strict order. The realms of chaos are the antithesis to that. They’re lawless worlds without any semblance of order, just like how the Abyssal Battlefield is to the Flameyellow Continent. Legend says that everyone in the realm of order has a doppelganger down in the realm of chaos, one that’s the opposite of you. Don’t you think that’s terrifying?” it teased.

“I have a feeling you’re just messing with me,” Tianming said with a glare. It sounded entirely too far-fetched.