Beastmaster of the Ages

”I’ve heard of that artifact as well. It can contend with an ether-class ship, which is already quite terrifying. And those two women you mentioned, their value is second only to Lin Feng. Most importantly... Weisheng Moran is more important to you than the Gladean Ruins, isn’t she?” Shenxi Xingtian knew the value of Weisheng Moran; it was something he held over Meng Ying.

”If she wasn’t important, would I have come all this way? Without the Gladean Ruins, would you have bothered with me?” Meng Ying sneered.

”You’re exaggerating, esteemed one,” Shenxi Xingtian hastily replied.

”Let’s be open about it, brother. Both parties need to be satisfied for there to be cooperation,” Meng Ying said.

Shenxi Xingtian grit his teeth, but ultimately nodded. ”Fine, the cosmic artifact and Lin Feng’s three women are all yours.”

”Is it a deal?” Meng Ying calmly asked.

”It’s a rock-solid deal,” Shenxi Xingtian affirmed.

”Very well, that’s straightforward enough,” Meng Ying said, somewhat satisfied.

With that, the negotiations over the spoils of war had concluded.

”Now, the problem is, there’s an additional target, a world currently at the sanctuary-class and it’s said to have the ability to conceal itself?” Meng Ying asked.

”Yes. My people made contact with the remnants of the Star Hunters and found the location where they fought at the time. But that star’s long since departed,” Shenxi Xingtian replied.

”Can you determine if Li Tianming is on that sanctuary-class star or on Gladeus?” Meng Ying inquired.

”It’s hard to say. From a safety perspective, he should be on Gladeus. However, during this period of time, my people occasionally saw the Gladean Ruins flying out of Gladeus, but not often,” Shenxi Xingtian said.

”So the conclusion is still uncertain?” Meng Ying furrowed his brow.

”It’s likely that he’s still in the Gladean Ruins. Lin Feng needs foundation caeli to cultivate,” Shenxi Xingtian stated.

”He has other foundation caeli,” Meng Ying said.

”Where?”

”In our Starting City.... In other words, if I prevent him from entering the wondersky realm for the next few years, unless he doesn’t want to make rapid breakthroughs, he’ll stay wherever the Gladean Ruins is,” Meng Ying explained.

”Currently, it’s impossible to find out if the caeli within Gladean Ruins can be removed...” Shenxi Xingtian said. In other words, preventing him from entering the wondersky realm would be useless. ”Moreover, if you forbid him from entering the wondersky realm, it might arouse his suspicion. After all, you’re our last trump card.”

”True.... But in that case, our efforts might go to waste,” Meng Ying clenched his teeth. He knew that Shenxi Xingtian had many goals, one of which was to kill Lin Xiaodao and take over Gladeus. But his top priority was Weisheng Moran.

If Li Tianming wasn’t on Gladeus, everything would be in vain.

Shenxi Xingtian chuckled, ”Meng Ying, I haven’t been idle these past few years. I can solve the problem you’re worried about.”

”How so?” Meng Ying asked.

”Currently, with so many new treasures appearing in that sanctuary-class world, and with Lin Feng and his wives likely to be there, our attack target isn’t just Gladeus anymore. Thus, we have targets other than Gladeus.”

“The problem is, the sanctuary-class world can hide itself. How do you plan to find it?” Meng Ying inquired.

”That’s where I have to thank our ancestors for their foresight,” Shenxi Xingtian said.

”What do you mean?” Meng Ying asked.

”For the past tens of thousands of years, our ancestors have expanded the population of the ebonian fiendbats in the underground world by a thousandfold using certain methods. Originally, there were only a dozen or so in all of Ebonia, but now there are over ten thousand, with more than a hundred of them being ether class,” Shenxi Xingtian explained.

”Ebonian fiendbats? Named after Ebonia, are they a specialty there?” Meng Ying asked.

”Yes. Haven’t you heard of them?” Shenxi Xingtian asked.

”No.”

In reality, even though the two mundi neighbored each other, communication was sparse, often taking several generations between meetings.

Shenxi Xingtian continued, ”Theirs is a special bloodline among wildbeasts. When they’re in space, they can create a sound wave to sense the presence of nova sources. The stronger the nova source is, the more obvious it is to them. It might be difficult to make them find a heliacal-class world, but with over ten thousand ebonian fiendbats, that sanctuary-class world will be revealed sooner or later. All we need is time.”

Shenxi Xingtian stood from his chair, placing both hands on the long table. He stared at Meng Ying, his hollow eyes fixed on him as he said, ”Our ancestors cultivated ebonian fiendbats with the intention of crossing mundi into the astral wilderness to find unowned nova sources. Originally, there were only a dozen or so, and they weren’t very useful, but now there’s over ten thousand! Covering the entire mundus is possible! After the Star Hunters incident, we transported the bats to the region of Gladeus.”

”Have you found it?” Meng Ying clenched his teeth and asked. He had to admit that the ebons’ ancestors were indeed farsighted.

”Not yet, but it should take about a year before your ship arrives at the battlefield. That should be enough time. Once we locate the star, the bats can accomplish their mission and withdraw. At that time, we’ll see if that world moves faster than our ship can....” Shenxi Xingtian’s eyes boiled with anticipation.

”So we’ll attack the sanctuary-class world with lightning speed, right?” Meng Ying asked.

”Exactly! Because of Lin Feng, or as you call him, ’Li Tianming,’ and the special nature of his location, we must start with the weaker target. After all, Gladeus can never escape us. If Lin Feng is on that world, our first battle will secure all your gains, and we can use Lin Feng’s life as a hostage to attack Gladeus,” Shenxi Xingtian grimly declared.

”In that case, for this part, we can refrain from taking action for now, right?” Meng Ying proposed.

Shenxi Xingtian chuckled, ”Of course.”

”Aren’t you worried that after we obtain the gains, we’ll simply run away and not help you attack Gladeus?” Meng Ying laughed.

”No, no, no!” Shenxi Xingtian circled the long table and stood next to Meng Ying, leaning over, his hollow eyes fixed on him. ”After this battle, we’ll be the best of friends. I believe in you.”

”Hahaha!” Meng Ying chortled.