Beastmaster of the Ages

”The hell?” Even though the being couldn’t kill him, there was nothing Tianming could do about it. Fortunately, the ring seemed to completely shut off after that. It seemed like the being wouldn’t be able to do anything as long as those five fingers didn’t exist. ”Hmph, that’s what it deserves. I was almost convinced, but you dropped the whole act and tried forcing me.”

Tianming couldn’t care less about it at this point. He’d calmed down now that disaster had been averted. ”At least, now I know what getting the six mini stars means. The Order Relic!”

That was something even Huang Qi wanted for a perfect rebirth. Had it not been for that, it could have just asked Tianming to chase down Yi Taoyao for the last finger instead of coming all the way to this place. When he recalled her, he looked down and saw that her head had recovered as well. However, she was looking at him with a horrified expression. ”You don’t need to panic anymore, the sudden changes have all ceased. Also, I have good news.”

”What is it?”

”If you leave now, you won’t die.”

”Alright.” She could tell that Tianming had just survived a trial. She’d had her suspicions from the start that it had something odd to do with the fingers to begin with. She looked and saw that Tianming’s hand had been cut off. ”You aren’t an astral god, so you can’t recover your hand, right?”

It wasn’t a matter of him being able to or not; he simply didn’t dare to restore it, especially not before he had obtained the Order Relic. But to do that, he would have to defeat Shenxi Shang. Looking at the stump of his right hand, he felt a headache coming on. ”Dammit, losing a hand before the big fight can’t be good!”

Yi Taoyao would have to leave sooner or later, so he would have to face off against Shenxi Shang, who had also been observing the whole thing.

”Looks like there’s something interesting inside the ring.... The secret of your rapid breakthroughs must be inside, right?” Shenxi Shang said from above. He had heard about Guchi Xiaoyin obtaining some kind of ring, and it looked just like the one on Tianming’s neck. ”Does that mean you killed him?!”

Tianming gasped from hearing that tone. He was still rather stunned by what had just happened, so he didn’t really want to bother with Shenxi Shang yet. But he knew that Huang Qi was out for the count, at least for now, so he would still have to defeat Shenxi Shang to obtain the Order Relic, no matter what kind of item it was.

Shenxi Shang was the strongest ebon fighter among those around a hundred years old, if not the strongest among all disciples of that age in the entire mundus. The grudge he held against Tianming for Shenxii Yao’s actions and Guchi Xiaoyin’s death fermented within him. He already couldn’t stand being kept locked up like that for so long, even if the spectators outside couldn’t see it.

”Uncle Chi Hun is the one in charge of reaching out to the Swordgod Lin Clan, yet you killed his son despite being a member of that clan. That means you’ve stopped our two factions from working together. You’ve cut off the sole hope of survival for your clan. You’re just as much a sinner as your dad was!”

Tianming looked at his stump, then at Shenxi Shang. Missing a hand, he wouldn’t be able to use both his swords, so he would be at a disadvantage.

”Lin Feng, do you have any way of recovering your hand? I can wait even if it’ll take a while,” Yi Taoyao said.

Tianming could afford to wait as well. Given my level now, I should be able to defeat Shenxi Shang as long as I have my hands.... But that’s the problem! Losing so many albi in his hand would cause his combat capabilities to tank. Not to mention, his wound still hurt from not having been recovered. The Greenspark Tower would be able to grow it back, but he had a feeling that the albi around his wrist had a trace of green. Huang Qi’s fingers were still there somehow. Once his fingers reformed, he would have to cut off his hand again.

”Lin Feng?” she asked again.

”I’m not too sure. Let me cultivate a little longer, so don’t leave just yet.”

”Alright.”

”Thanks, Big Sis. You’re such a dear. I owe you one.” He stretched his right arm out in an attempt to pat her head, only to recall that he was handless.

”It’s no big deal.” She went to the side to cultivate.

”The daughter of Yi Daiyan’s elder brother and the son of Lin Mu should be enemies, yet you two are working together. How interesting,” Shenxi Shang said, but everyone ignored him. ”Lin Feng, Yi Daiyan stole the ancestral swordheart of your clan and killed your father, not to mention utterly ruining his reputation! The ebons are the only chance for your clan to wipe the slate clean. Don’t tell me that the Lin Clan is going to submit to Yi Daiyan instead of allying with us.”

Tianming ignored him all the same. While he couldn’t let his hand recover, there was still something he could do. His cultivation was still unstable from the rapid breakthroughs, so he could still take this time to cultivate. He wouldn’t be able to easily break through again in another three to five years, but he could at least make some of the initial headway to stabilize and strengthen himself. That aside, he didn’t think that his relationship with Yi Taoyao could recover so well. It must be because of my handsome face! Handsome people are truly blessed! His lifebound beasts collectively vomited.

”Lin Feng... Yi Taoyao....” Shenxi Shang felt his rage rising again when he saw the two start cultivating. His pride had been greatly hurt by Shenxii Yao’s actions, even before he’d learned of Guchi Xiaoyin’s death. Now, those two were ignoring him and doing their own thing while he was stuck! He was number one! He was superior! He deserved respect, but none came his way! His boredom and frustration continued festering into seething anger. ”Quickly, end your match and fight me! If you keep wasting time, I won’t let you off once we get out.”

Tianming knew how bad it must have felt to be trapped up there with only a tiny hole to look through. ”Just shut up. If you annoy me more, I’ll make sure you stay up there for two more years.”

He could cultivate all he wanted, but Shenxi Shang couldn’t. That was the loophole of the competition’s format, and Tianming wouldn’t give up on his chance to make use of it. While Shenxi Shang had ended up avoiding being ganged up on, the loophole had come back and bit him in the ass.

”I dare you to try it, Lin Feng,” Shenxi Shang raged.

”Oh? Alright, let’s go. I’m not afraid of you. I’ll take a long nap here with a beauty by my side. The days ahead will be pleasant,” Tianming said.

”Hehe....” The two of them never had much of a personal grudge to begin with, and now they felt close enough after working together. Yi Taoyao got up, approached Tianming’s ear and whispered, ”Why’re you intentionally riling him up?”

”Hey, don’t ask.”

”Are you trying to think of a way you can kill him without being held accountable for it?”

”Sheesh, how are you so smart?” He shot her a glare.

”Do as you like, but let me remind you. Be careful. You might not be his match.” She looked at his stump, while Tianming pouted. So what if he was missing a hand? He was still confident!