Beastmaster of the Ages

”All these varied beasts are also treasures of Orderia. Wouldn’t this world be a boring one if it only had one type of totem?” Each and every different kind of lifebound beast was a precious heirloom for countless generations of beastmasters. They had just as much right as anyone to continue procreating in this world.

Tianming received a lot of faith and praise as he flew past the ocean of beasts. They considered him their savior, a mountainous burden indeed. He had to make sure they saw him coming.

”The Imperialdragon Princeps will be fighting with us on the front lines!”

”Have faith in him! Have faith in ourselves! Have faith in all the warriors of the alliance!”

It was important to stoke morale before the final battle began.

......

According to Yin Chen, it would be another hour before the celestial orderian army arrived. Apart from a few of the top ten sects, pillar formations had appeared at the likes of Fushen Valley and Blueblood Starocean. The Divine Sun Palace was also seen advancing alongside the celestial orderians’ main force. When the palace and the sun emperor appeared, the army of three hundred million let out thundering cheers that shook the Myriaddragon Mountains.

A terrifying firestorm was brewing.

Tianming left the mountain range and stood at the tallest point he could find. He could just see the pillar stretching out of Fushen Valley. ”It does look rather majestic....” The sight was quite shocking to behold.

”That pillar is huge. If that’s a stick, then the Aeonic Infinidragon Formation looks just like an egg....” A stick and an egg may not differ in breadth, but the stick could be much longer. ”In other words, the pillar must be much larger than a grade-eight divine formation.”

The Aeonic Infinidragon Formation was already the biggest formation among those of the Myriad Solar Sects, yet it seemed to pale in comparison to the pillar formations in terms of size and area. What in the world were they for? Even from so far away, the sight of them still inspired awe.

”What other secrets does the sun emperor have?” He looked to the north at the horizon, where a sea of fire could be seen spreading toward the Myriaddragon Mountains. The fire seemed to blend with the clouds above.

All three hundred million troops seemed like flame demons and their war cries could be heard from far away. They marched without feeling any fatigue at all. The closer they came to their destination, the bolder and braver they became. Leading them was the gigantic golden head that was burning the brightest it had ever burned. Every celestial orderian was completely swallowed up by the flaming atmosphere, their minds filled with nothing but a thirst for battle. The desire for glory was like a disease that had infected them and spread to the others, turning them all into hungry flame demons. Their expressions were all contorted, and that was even before they had unleashed their totems, which would no doubt make them look even more terrifying.f𝓇ℯℯ𝚠eνel. co𝐦

”This army looks completely different from the Divine Sun Palace’s troops from before. They really seem like they’re the sun emperor’s personal troops, to the point where all of them almost look like his clones. They’re all domineering and tyrannical, and none of them appreciate the sanctity of life!”

Surely, that would make them much harder to deal with. The battle seemed even more hopeless now. It wasn’t that Tianming feared the fight; instead, he could imagine the homes of the Xuanyuan people being trampled and filled with blood and corpses in a couple of hours. The tragedy would be worse than that of Fushen Valley.

This might be the most horrifying point of Orderian history. All the troops and gods supporting the formation were wallowing in melancholy, desperate to give their all so that as many of them as possible could survive. They would only fall if they were divided, so standing together was the only choice.

Sighing, Tianming returned to the formation. He joined up with the Saintdragon Emperor and the rest to give some final deployment orders. All of the troops understood what the battle meant; they would keep their morale high and fight to the very end for as long as they could. The Saintdragon Emperor, Northdipper Swordsage, and the rest gave moralizing speeches. Some were serious and earnest, while others stoked the flames. There were also touching speeches, and those that caused the warriors to feel seething rage. All in all, they were talked into fighting to their deaths.

Finally, it was Tianming’s turn. He should have been used to situations like these, yet he found that he didn’t have much to say. He felt a heavier burden and responsibility than he had ever felt before. This was the moment when they needed him the most. He could say something he didn’t mean just to agitate the troops even more, yet he kept his quiet for a long while. ”Everyone dies one day, as far as I know. I haven’t seen anyone that’s truly immortal. Since that’s the case, I’m not afraid of death. It isn’t like I’m losing much in the grand scheme of things. In fact, I’m thankful that I have the honor to fight by the side of you all. For that, I will die without any regrets.”

The original goal was just saving Li Wudi, but now his blood, soul, and body had completely blended with those of the people of this land. He fully belonged there, just like them. His candor was the most moving part of the speech, and it caused their hearts to meld together.

Tianming was quite lucky that everyone present needed a hero. That was why, even though he didn’t have much to show for it, more and more people were placing their hopes and faith in him. His Omnisentient Threads increased in number to three billion. All of them were here by his side. All of them could see him!

The number paled in comparison to that of his threads in Flameyellow, but the amount of power he received from these had reached a new apex. He was the strongest he had ever been. There was nothing else that needed to be said. Through the threads, he could resonate with the struggles and hopes of all three billion gods in front of him. More and more power flooded into him, making him the brightest beacon on the battlefield.

He had become the god of the gods.