Beastmaster of the Ages

The bystanders watched Guchi Xiaoyao leave and began gossiping.

”Given how angry she looked, her brother probably really is dead.”

”He did show up on the same path as Lin Feng before his broadcast stopped.”

”Did Lin Feng really kill him?”

”That’s impossible, seriously. Don’t even think about it.”

”Unless Lin Feng appears with the mysterious ring in his possession, it can’t be possible.”

”Do you think the tenth rex mundi will avenge his son against the second patriarch if Lin Feng really killed Guchi Xiaoyin?”

”Looks like things are getting more interesting in the Swordgod Lin Clan.”

”Guess we’re in for a show!”

”Any time the second patriarch gets involved, things are always exciting.”

The entire place was a simmering pot of chaos.

”What’re you thinking about?” Dongshen Yue asked her husband. She had wanted to pick him up and manhandle him, but thought against it.

”I hope that our Feng’er killed Xiaoyin,” Lin Xiao said.

”Why?”

”The tenth rex mundi is the one responsible for taking down our clan. More than likely, he’s also the one that put a hit on me. In other words, he’s the one who killed our nephew! If Feng’er killed his spawn, it would mean that he’s avenged his Uncle.”

”Then I can almost be certain that is the case.”

”Why?”

”Ling’er said that Feng’er has two trump cards he can use.”

”I see.... That’s wonderful.”

”Old man, are you insane or senile? Aren’t you afraid of fighting the ebons at your age?”

”Afraid? Will fear keep me alive? Even if I really could retire and relax, what would the children and their descendants do? If our clan relies on the ebons, it won’t be something short term. The ones who come after us will all be their slaves. Who’ll uphold their dignity? I’m fortunate to have lived long enough, the rest is just a bonus. Now that I’ve taken out the Lin Sword of the Middle, I’ll go all out. I don’t care about anything else. As long as I’m alive, I will not kneel.” Lin Xiao sat on the ground and shook his head.

”I’ll stand with you.”

”What?”

”I said, I’ll stand with you!”

”Hey, what’s with that tone? Are you trying to be romantic at our age?” He feigned vomiting.

”Lin Lao’er, you old thing!” She jumped him and pulled his beard, tumbling into a puddle with him. It was quite a while before they got back up, all covered in mud.

Dongshen Yue smiled. ”Then again, we do have hope.”

”Are you talking about those four?” Lin Xiao asked.

”Of course! Think about what Little Fish just did. Insane isn’t even the right word to describe it. Ling’er and Xiaoxiao are also uniquely talented! Not to mention, our grandson even managed to kill a third-level orderan. Can you believe it? What we should do now is to lay down our lives to protect theirs. We have to ensure that their future paths are smooth sailing. One day, they’ll be able to stand on their own against all sorts of crooks. Not even the ebons will be able to make them submit! That’s what the backbone of the Swordgod Lin Clan looks like!” She was incredibly hopeful. Even though she didn’t know when that day would come, she looked forward to it.

”Hey, I’m part of the Swordgod Lin Clan too, okay? You’re just a barbarian woman from the north that married me!” Lin Xiao said.

The expression on his wife’s face was foreboding.

......

”Wow, this chain actually has two cosmic impulses in it....” Tianming was going through the loot he got from Guchi Xiaoyin. There were eight cosmic artifacts among them. ”Since these were Guchi Xiaoyin’s, using them would make it too obvious that I was the one that killed him. I should decide whether or not to come clean later depending on the situation. Even if I do, I can say that the nest forced me to. Guchi Xiaoyin might have a bigger backing than Shuntian Bohan, but it’s basically the same thing. There’s only one real faction in the Infinitum Mundus, and that’s the Infinitum Bodhimanda. According to the rules, there’s no way the ebons should be able to publicly act against my grandparents. For now, my actions wouldn’t drag them down.”

He had considered things from multiple angles. While the Infinitum Bodhimanda was huge, it wasn’t too different from the Archaion Sect at its core. Analogues could be drawn between the relationship of the ebons and the Swordgod Lin Clan and the relationship between the Sterling House of Fang and another house within the Archaion Sect. All of them were fundamentally in the same sect, just different factions. As such, the ebons would have to play by the rules of the Infinitum Bodhimanda.

Once he cleared his mind, he looked at the dark path ahead. ”With Ji Ji in hibernation, my lifebound beasts’ combat prowess will no doubt decrease. Looks like it’ll be hard for me to defeat someone on Lin Jianxing’s level as I am now.” The odds were even more against his favor.

”Let’s hope this ring will give me something to turn the tides.” He placed his hopes in the mysterious ring. Yin Chen had scouted the surroundings and told him he was safe. It continued ahead and encountered many other disciples who were heading forward. Tianming sat on top of Meow Meow and gradually progressed along the path, but focused his attention on the ring.

”It’s another formation again....” It didn’t take him long to learn that the ring was similar to the four fingers he had obtained. ”Let’s start breaking the seal.” He figured he should try it on his finger before he started unlocking it. When he put his finger through the collar-sized ring, it shrank to fit. ”Looks like my compatibility with the ring is much better than Guchi Xiaoyin’s.” There was no way a ring should be worn like a collar, after all.

Tianming observed it with all three of his eyes. It resembled an Oldgod Ring from afar.

”Let’s start!” He held the ring with his left hand.

”Hmm, it’s not that difficult.” It seemed more or less on the level of the four fingers, being much simpler than unlocking the tomb at the very start. ”It might be simple for me, but for others, it’s a different story. Then again, there might be someone out there that can unlock it.”

Since Guchi Xiaoyin didn’t have the ability, it was Tianming’s turn. ”Well, let’s get it over with.” He worked at it in a practiced manner. In a short fifteen minutes, he managed to unlock the formation. ”And now I’ll send in my caelum....”

Just as he was about to do that, the ring suddenly expanded into a black circle a meter in diameter and the boundless light within instantly sucked his entire person inside. Then the ring shrank back to its normal size and fell on Meow Meow’s back.

”What?” Meow Meow was stunned.

Even Yin Chen froze. ”Where did... he go?”

”Gone....” Meow Meow started to cry.

”Why are... you crying?”

”Nothing.... Looks like this is the end of our journey. He’s gone, so let’s go our own way! Brother, take care! May we meet again in the future!” Meow Meow lazily stretched itself, feeling worn out already.