Beastmaster of the Ages

During the time Tianming had spent to reach the tenth level, Yin Chen had spread itself far ahead. While it had great numbers, it wasn’t comparable to orderan disciples in terms of speed. Tianming was already falling behind, having been stopped by Guchi Xiaoyin at the beginning, then swallowed by the ring. Thus, he was the very last among all of them.

”Go!” He gave Meow Meow a hard slap while mounting it.

”Boss, ah! That hurts!” Meow Meow complained.

”Huh?” Tianming only just then discovered that it hadn’t turned into its Regal Chaosfiend form yet. Sitting on it had almost made it disappear. ”Quickly! Don’t drag your feet!”

”Li Tianming, you’re so shameless even though your balls are so hard!” Meow Meow commented as it changed forms. Black and white lightning coursed through its body and it zipped through the pathway. If the way was long enough, Tianming would still be able to catch up.

”Charge! Ready yourselves to engage the enemy!” Ying Huo said, touching up its ’hairstyle’ with its wings while clutching tightly to Meow Meow’s ears.

”Weren’t you acting like a coward back inside the ring?” Tianming said with a disdainful look.

”No, did I?” Ying Huo said without skipping a beat.

”How shameless....”

”Shut up! You’re just jealous of my handsomeness. That’s why you’re paying so much attention to me.”

”Go fuck yourself.”

Xian Xian decided to join in. ”Chicken Bro, you’re wrong. Little Li is more handsome than you are. He drew that midget’s attention, after all. If he hadn’t been able to defeat him, he would’ve been making up with that midget by now.”

”Do you mean ’making out’?” Tianming said with a deadpan look.

”Oh, so you’re admitting that you’d be making out with him, then? Hehehehe!” Xian Xian’s spiritform flew around in a joyful manner while its tree form in the lifebound space danced.

”Alas, even I must admit that I lack the appeal to those of the same sex compared to Sissy Li,” Ying Huo said.

”Hey, when Boss was younger, his face was even more appealing than mine!” Lan Huang yelled, eager to join in.

”What about now?” Ying Huo asked.

”He’s already past his expiration date. He’s middle aged now. In a few more years, he’ll start going bald and will have no choice but to envy your hair, Chicken Bro.”

”That’s right!” Ying Huo continued messing around with its feathers.

Their antics always managed to put Tianming in a better mood. With them coming along everywhere I go to fight, they always manage to keep me from going down an obsessive, vengeful path. He was lucky in that regard. The only one he lacked now was Sixth, and he had no clue when he would find it again.

Meow Meow kept accelerating, eventually passing a few ebons who came from branching pathways. ”Let’s hope the pathway’s longer so I can catch up to more people.”

He wasn’t idling along the way, either. As his cultivation was a little unstable from the rapid breakthroughs, the primeval source he had absorbed still rumbled within his albi. That was the weakness caused by having his divine wills’ growth forcefully uplifted. ”It’s no wonder Xiaoxiao can only fight those below her level.”

To avoid the same thing, he required a lot of actual combat experience to master finer control with his divine wills and properly stabilize his cultivation. Before that, he practiced his swordsmanship atop Meow Meow’s back, relentlessly pushing himself toward his goal.

While he was deep in practicing Xiaozhi Sword Art, he heard a booming voice ahead. ”Lin Feng, Stop!”

Someone had recognized him. He didn’t even need to look to know that it was Lin Hongchen, thanks to Yin Chen. Tianming wanted to pass by him no matter what. He looked around and saw the black-haired, white-robed youth ahead. His long hair was tied up, matching his gallant figure well. Given how Guchi Xiaoyin had also seemed charmed by his facial features, he was undoubtedly a fine-looking man. Tianming noticed a hint of rage in his eyes.

”Don’t go!” Lin Hongchen stood squarely in the center of the path and waved his white sword around, using its cosmic impulse to make a net that stopped the white-haired man.

”What’re you doing, man?” Tianming pulled on Meow Meow’s hair like a horse’s to make it stop.

”Hey, I’m not a horse, you know!” Meow Meow spat.

”It isn’t like you don’t know that he likes to put on airs whenever he’s around people he likes,” Ying Huo said.

”Oh, is that so?” Meow Meow chuckled. The two beasts expectantly looked at Tianming and Lin Hongchen.

After they stopped, Lin Hongchen took a few steps forward and pointed his sword at Tianming. ”Lin Feng, back at the tomb....”

”Shhh.” Lin Hongchen was still wearing his Oldgod Ring. That was supposed to be a secret between the two of them.

He also seemed to have realized it as well and didn’t mention the tomb anymore. ”You must’ve done something after I left for this to happen! Did you get something else? Something like the secrets and opportunities in that place?” At least he seemed smart enough to not bring up the fact that Tianming had unlocked the tomb, which had in turn caused the hive to appear and pull them in. Perhaps he was worried that announcing the fact would cause trouble for the clan.

”You’re overthinking things. This has nothing to do with me. I was gone by the time you left, remember? I have even less of an idea than you about all this. What I do know is that we should hurry ahead. Who knows what’ll happen if we’re late?” Tianming said.

Back then, his combat prowess couldn’t possibly have compared to Lin Hongchen’s, but now his disciple card clearly stated his rank of a hundred and forty-ninth. Lin Hongchen had also been working hard, managing to raise his rank to twenty-fifth. He was the highest-ranking member of the Lin Clan, so he believed he could still control Tianming.

”You’re always full of shit, so I don’t believe you. Let me inspect your spatial ring. If nothing stands out, I’ll let you go,” Lin Hongchen said.

Tianming wore his spatial ring on his left hand and the mysterious ring on his right. His long sleeves and fingers kept the mysterious ring hidden. As he was wearing a divine artifact made of special materials, he could shape it as he pleased. If he hadn’t kept the mysterious ring hidden, people would wonder why they couldn’t see his Oldgod Ring broadcast when it was visible from Lin Hongchen’s that he was wearing a similar-looking ring.

Lin Hongchen was a stubborn man, and Tianming knew he wouldn’t give up on wanting to inspect his spatial ring. ”Meow Meow, go.”