Beastmaster of the Ages

”Leave it to the ebons to disrespect the result of an Infinitum Duel.”

”Haha, it truly is embarrassing.”

”I say, the most embarrassing ones are the two old fools of the Lin Clan. They’re complete pushovers compared to Second Patriarch Lin.”

”That’s right! Look at their expressions now! What a show!”

”Those shameless fools’ reputations will stink for the next ten thousand years!”

The crowd cursed at them before leaving. With so many people cursing them at the same time, there was no worry that they would face any retaliation for their comments. The eyes of the crowd were completely clear; people knew well which side was in the wrong, and no amount of power could change that fact.

......

The whole place was dead silent. Hundreds of ebons were gathered together, gloomily looking at Chi Hun.

”Rex Mundi, this can’t be blamed on you. Nobody could’ve expected him to turn into such a large star.”

”That’s right. It’s beyond anything I’ve seen in my three millennia of cultivation.”

They all wanted to console Chi Hun. The failure to get their way was completely beyond their control. The fact that Tianming had been transported straight to them at the entrance of the Oldgod Domain was already a fortunate coincidence.

”That’s right.” Chi Hun’s pitch-black eyes turned toward the skies in the direction of the Infinitum Swordsea, where his gaze lingered for a long time. The rage he felt was buried deep in the depths of the black oceans in his eyes. He had indeed lost this round.

”That black star must be the same thing as the final battlefield within that ancestral world. In other words, Lin Feng defeated Shenxi Shang and became the one chosen to receive the star. That must be the final reward. It must be some kind of insane treasure. The ring’s definitely not comparable to it,” said one ebon elder.

”I agree.” Chi Hun thought the same as well. He took a golden transmission stone from the shipwreck and activated it. A golden cloud manifested and formed into a humanoid shape. Chi Hun expressionlessly recounted everything that had happened while the figure in gold listened in silence.

”The old ones have a legend that speaks of an eternal treasure in the Oldgod Domain that’s capable of changing Ebonia forever. I didn’t think it would actually be true, or that it’d show up here. Even more interesting is how my son actually perished before obtaining this treasure,” the figure self-mockingly said.

”An eternal treasure.... It also slipped out of my hands,” Chi Hun said, lowering his head. It felt like blood would be coming out of his eyes. A few moments later, he took a deep breath. ”What should I do next?”

”I just got news about the Swordgod Lin Clan. Lin Changkong’s attitude has changed. The Lin Clan is a bit tough to get into right now and trying to forcefully swallow them will only hurt our throats.”

”Lin Changkong? That man really won’t cry until he sees the coffin. I already talked to him a few times, but it turns out that it was all a waste of time.” Chi Hun shook his head. He also knew about the matter between his daughter, Guchi Xiaoyao, and Lin Xiaoyao, Lin Changkong’s son.

”Perhaps they decided to defend Lin Mu’s son thanks to his amazing performance in order to protect the Lin Clan’s dignity.”

”Their dignity? Was there ever such a thing? Haha....”

”Lin Changkong is a decent man. There aren’t many people from the ninth branch that’re able to take one of the top three spots of their clan on the reges mundi ranking. Not to mention, he’s still rather young, at around Lin Jie’s age, and has room to rise even more. Not being able to take him down right away is a bit of a shame.”

”Lin Jie and Lin Changkong.... If things went well, we would’ve been able to keep two of their top three rankers down.” Chi Hun’s rage grew more and more. It was incredibly rare for someone so young to be able to change the minds of any of the top three rankers of the Lin Clan. Lin Xiao and Lin Yun’s generation was already rather old, and their might would only continue fading past their prime. Should Lin Jie, Lin Changkong, Lin Chongjing, and the others be allowed to reach their primes, they would be the ones to control the clan for the next thousand years at least. They were the key figures that the ebons had to get on their side. Chi Hun wouldn’t have wasted so much effort on Lin Changkong if he wasn’t capable.

As Chi Hun pondered in silence, the figure said, ”Speaking of the top three, I recently sent someone to Gladeus to get in touch with the most powerful member of the Lin Clan. He’s the etherean of Gladeus from the clan’s tenth branch. Do you know him?”

”I do. The tenth branch was actually formed in the past thousand years. However, I heard that the etherean was raised in Gladeus and has never come to Ebonia before. It’s truly shocking how he managed to achieve a ranking like that. How’d the conversation go?”

”He wouldn’t see the person I sent.”

”Huh? Does he think he’s a big deal?”

”I heard that he’s obtained the protection of Gladeus. The synchronization of their fusion formation core worked out incredibly well for him.”

”Wow, so he’s claimed that place as its ruler. I wouldn’t have known if you didn’t tell me. Looks like he’s what the old stubborn fools of the Lin Clan are counting on. He’s younger than Lin Jie and Lin Changkong, right?”

”Yes, and by quite a bit as well. Forget it. The Lin Clan has fallen by the times. There’s nothing that can stop their downward spiral. I’ll make a personal trip to Gladeus if it’s necessary.”

”Then that’s settled.” Chi Hun nodded and asked, ”What about the Infinitum Swordsea?”

”Don’t bother going. I have another task for you.”

”Understood!”

”Things are heating up at Mount Taia. Go there and stand guard. There’s no need to chase that thing down. Once the Grandnorth Dongshen Clan dares to step out of their hole, wipe them out. Don’t show mercy to any of their key figures. Ideally, wipe out their entire clan without leaving anyone alive.”

”What about Yi Daiyan?”

”We’re only fighting for resources, so it isn’t against any rules. She has no right to interfere.”

”Understood.”

”Lin Lao’er’s woman, Dongshen Yue, is from the Dongshen Clan. Given her temper, there’s no way she’ll just ignore her clan. When the Dongshen Clan begins suffering more, she’ll no doubt go to help. That’s your chance to kill her. Nobody can say anything about a casualty of a resource conflict.”

Chi Hun’s eyes brightened. He had been forced to rely on the divine wonderians to kill Lin Xiao, thanks to the rules of the Infinitum Bodhimanda. But if the fight occurred near Mount Taia, there would be no need for that.

”That’s right. Those two are Lin Feng’s guardians, and he possesses the eternal treasure. Once they die, nobody in the Lin Clan would be able to ensure such an airtight defense around him.” The eternal treasure was something only the ebon elders knew about, and even then they didn’t know much.

”I’ll have Tianxi infiltrate the Infinitum Swordsea at the same time. He’ll be ready to strike whenever,” the figure said.

”Tianxi? He’s a good pick. His disguise is good, and his stealth and manipulation tactics are better than mine,” Chi Hun said.

”If the reges mundi fight again, Tianxi might be able to reach rank seven.”

”Amazing! No weaklings can come from a line like yours!”

”There was one, but he was just killed. He even became a stepping stone for someone else.”

Chi Hun lowered his head and didn’t dare to say anything else.

......

When the black sword ship rose into the clouds, Tianming felt a sudden chill. He turned and looked at the Infinitum Stele that pierced the clouds above. Eventually, the ship rose high enough to see the top of the stele. On top of it amidst the black clouds was a white-haired figure. The hair fluttered like a white waterfall, greatly standing out against the black around it.

”It’s her....” Tianming felt a chill through his entire body and his gaze met one that had seven colors. In an instant, he turned away and didn’t dare to look further.

All of that was entirely subconscious.

”Grandpa, Grandma, there’s someone on the Infinitum Stele!” Tianming said with all his energy.

The two quickly turned and looked.

”There isn’t, though?” Dongshen Yue said.

”Nope,” the old man agreed.

Tianming looked again and saw nobody there.

”Was it my imagination?” He took a deep breath and calmed down after a while. ”Could it be her? Why’d she show up? Was she trying to save me or kill me?”

He had no answers at all. Either way, he had escaped, and that was good enough for now. Ying Huo and the rest were already scrambling around the ship. Tianming also had someone he missed, and she was right by his side. She held the stump of his right hand with a tearful and pained look.

”Big Brother!” No matter how hard she tried to hold back, her tears flowed the moment she hugged him.

”Ling’er, I’m fine.” He pinched her nose and held up his right arm in front of her. ”Do you see the green spot where the hand got cut off? That means things aren’t over yet.”