Beastmaster of the Ages

”Aaaaagh!” Tianming’s loud shriek caused Yi Taoyao to cry out in surprise. Back then, they had transformed into bee-headed people all of a sudden, so it didn’t feel like anything. But this time around, she watched as Tianming’s eyeballs swelled up. Then his mouth morphed into mandibles. It was such a shocking contrast that she slumped to the ground and kicked her legs to retreat. Unlike the time before, Tianming’s green compound eyes shone with green light. The odd sound he had let out suggested that he was unconscious and in a berserk state.

”Lin Feng!” Yi Taoyao snapped out of it, but her eyes still shook with fear and horror. She didn’t dare to approach him. She saw Tianming raise his left hand to tear off the sleeve that covered the mysterious ring on his right hand, then his left hand attempted to grasp the ring.

”Pull... pull on my hand!” he yelled with all he had even as he transformed.

Yi Taoyao sprung into action, forcing any feeling of disgust down as she locked on to the black left hand. But the next instant, she suddenly collapsed and clutched her head in pain. Her face began contorting from the effects of the six walnuts as well! Anyone with the walnuts in their heads could be controlled! It was possible that their first bee-head transformation was only an illusion, as it didn’t feel like anything, but this time around it really felt like their flesh was being molded into a new form!

Tianming was going insane. If he entered the ring, he would be in another world. And without Huang Qi’s approval, he wouldn’t be able to leave. There was no doubt that he would release her if that was the case. The fact that she’d dropped all pretenses had proved his suspicions correct. Everything had just been bait to begin with. The being wanted a perfect rebirth, and Tianming was but a tool in her, no, its grand design. It wasn’t benevolent; it wasn’t human! It could spell the doom of the outside world!

Tianming’s vita was still conscious, as only his body was being controlled. The nerves in his body no longer answered to his mind, much to his horror. No, if it had full control of me to begin with, there wouldn’t have been a need for it to waste words! It was forced into wrestling control over me! It must be worried that I’d do something or it wouldn’t have tread so carefully!

What in the world was happening? Despite the urgency of the situation, his vast experience of crises had forged a calm in him that nobody could match. His vita rumbled in a flash. While Lan Huang and the rest were still in his lifebound space, Ying Huo and Meow Meow were outside. They were both shocked at what was happening. While Tianming couldn’t speak, he could still telepathically communicate with them.

”Ying Huo, cut off my hand! Meow Meow, destroy it!” He was referring to the fingers on his right hand. That was the key that was required to free the being from inside the ring. As it wasn’t his left hand, it was only of average toughness.

While Ying Huo and Meow Meow were shocked to hear that, they reacted quickly enough. Ying Huo infused its wings with Blazebane and slashed at Tianming’s wrist, but it didn’t go through!

”Keep slashing, you trash!”

”Fuck!” Ying Huo felt like it was going mad, but fortunately, it didn’t have the walnuts in its head. It took three slashes for Tianming’s hand to fall off like the buttress of a tree. Meow Meow then immediately bit into the hand and slammed it with its Genesis Bolts and Chaos Fiendbolts as it pulled it away from the black left hand. As Tianming’s body was about to give chase, Ying Huo intercepted it.

”Meow Meow, start with the fingers!” the phoenix screeched.

Meow Meow used all its power to bite and blast the fingers. While it was small, the lightning it produced could light up the entire space around them.

”Just think! That’s Tianming’s hand! The hand that woke you countless times from your restful sleep!” Once Ying Huo said that, Meow Meow rampaged even harder. The five fingers were immediately turned into ash, and the cat pressed down on the mysterious ring.

”Let’s see you disturb my nap time again!” It had finally managed to vent its frustrations.

”Phew!” Ying Huo breathed a sigh of relief. When it turned back, Tianming and Yi Taoyao’s heads were slowly turning back to human form.

”Brat! Stop!” The gentle voice from before sounded like a spoiled screech that caused every single albus in Tianming’s head to pulse with pain. Fortunately, the voice and the shaking grew weaker and weaker. ”You lowly ant.... Once I’m reborn, I’ll eradicate you and your descendants for how you’ve treated me!” Tianming’s head felt like it was going to explode at the sound of that.

I must’ve been insane to offend a monster like that. Not that he’d had a choice. He could only thank his fortunes that he was sharp enough to figure out how to stop it at the last juncture. I wonder if destroying the hand means that it won’t be able to ever achieve rebirth.... Right as he thought that, the last echo of Huang Qi’s voice softly rang out in his head. ”The mark of my fingers have been branded into the core of your being. Destroying your palm is pointless. Unless you decide to never ever use that hand for the rest of your life, I’ll haunt you until I come back to life!”

With the Greenspark Tower, Tianming could even restore his crushed genitals with enough time, as was the case when Lin Jianxing had given him a kick to the crotch. Much of that was thanks to the physique of Primordial Chaos Beasts. And it would only be even easier once he became an astral god. He didn’t think that regrowing the hand would become a problem until he heard that.

Damn! It just won’t die! Even so, he was fortunate enough to stop that creature from reappearing. When he reawakened, he felt his entire body pulsing from the pain in his arm. But at least he had regained control over himself. Yet the six walnuts were still inside his head, but dormant this time. Does that mean I’ll have to cut off my hand once it grows back? Can’t I just leave the mysterious ring here, then? As if on cue, the ring flew by itself and looped over his neck like a collar.

”Try cutting off your head, why don’t you?” Huang Qi said one final time.