Beastmaster of the Ages

Upon hearing that, Wudi and Tianming couldn’t help but applaud.

”Old Lin, wouldn’t losing two-thirds of its nova source be too heavy a price for Gladeus to pay?” Tianming asked.

”It’s neither too steep nor too light. Normally, Gladeus would be something I leave for my successors. Being the one to give two-thirds of it away makes me a sinner of an unprecedented degree. However, it would take tens of thousands of years for it to have any effect on cultivation. It’s only been some dozen years since I brought you back with me, yet so many things have transpired in that short timeframe. Given that you’re so capable, who knows what you would become in a few thousand years? I’ll treat this nova source as a loan. Just make sure to give it back in the future.” Lin Xiaodao breathed a sigh of relief when he finished his diatribe. He took out two flasks of wine and handed one to Wudi, then began chugging away.

”In my experience, this son of mine has always repaid his debts a few times over,” Wudi said as he toasted Lin Xiaodao before drinking the dragon piss.

Tianming hurried away and left them to their devices. The two of them couldn’t be more relaxed, now that the dark clouds above their heads had scattered. They had come to a conclusion on the whole thing on their own without asking him for his opinion. Even now, he still felt a little taken aback by the whole thing.

”First, I’ll borrow two-thirds of the nova source. Then I’ll take the core of the Swordgod Lin clan with me. That’ll upgrade the Sun to an ether-class world, ten thousand times the size of what Orderia used to be, and also leave Gladeus in the hands of the ebons for now, huh....”

Tianming wouldn’t have been able to come up with a plan like that, as he didn’t understand how Gladeus was structured. Lin Xiaodao was the only one that could make such a grand decision, which would likely earn him the ire of the Ebonians and Gladeans. Even at the risk of being known as an eternal sinner, he had still chosen to bear that burden.

As Wudi had said, the only law of the astralscape of order was survival by fighting for resources. The more resources one obtained, the more successful their descendants would be. Those without strength would only be trampled upon, as there was no justice or fairness to speak of.

The fact that Lin Xiaodao was willing to loan the nova source to Tianming was a sign of how flexible he was in reaction to changing circumstances. It was just like the time Tianming had borrowed a thousand yellow heavenly pattern gems from Cheng Sheng back in Ignispolis. The loan would no doubt greatly boost the power of the Sun and help the three of them consolidate their forces. Even the Gladean Ruins would come to belong to the Sun.

”Strategically giving up on Gladeus will consolidate our might on the Sun. The enemy would never expect us to have this trick up our sleeves!” The more he thought about it, the more incredible the entire thing began to sound. The sanctuary-class Sun, as it was right now, was three times the size of a standard sanctuary-class world. It was already a third of the way to becoming an ether-class world, being three thousand times the size of Orderia. If it were to rise to ether class, it would be ten thousand its original size!

Should it ever return to its former spot above the Welkin Plane, the denizens of the Flameyellow Continent would see a sea of flames up in the sky. Nay, the entire continent might even be set alight. Even skypiercer-class worlds would easily incinerate the surface of the continent if they were close enough.

Tianming had assumed Gladeus was a bastion like the Sun, thinking that it would be just as bad as losing the Sun if it got breached. But now it was different. Losing Gladeus wasn’t a big deal, as most of its population was comprised of members of the Infinitum Bodhimanda. The only ones who would be persecuted were the rebellious members of the Skycross Lin Clan. However, losing the Sun would expose billions of people, aliens to this mundus, to the wrath of the Infinitum Bodhimanda. Nobody would bat an eye if they were exterminated.

”Gladeus isn’t really in danger, after all. The Sun is. Not to mention, if we pay back the nova source we borrowed in the future, it would be as if nothing bad ever happened.” He would definitely give it all back!

”Borrowing nova source will open up opportunities. I must make sure to survive and triumph if I’m to give all of it back!” That was how they would stand up for themselves. Lin Xiaodao had made the call, putting everything on the line. He would risk his reputation for Tianming even after pledging to keep him safe for a whole millennium. How could Tianming not respect someone like that?

”Brother, you’re a real man!” Wudi said, knowing full well how difficult this all must be for him. Making such a decision took real courage. ”Oh men of courage, let others in the future judge whether we succeeded or failed!”

Wudi toasted him three times.

”Our responsibility is to let our descendants enjoy peace and prosperity. We’ll make sure they judge us in the comfort of their peaceful homes,” Lin Xiaodao said.

”That’s right. We’ll make sure they’re smart enough to understand why we did what we did! Hell, we’ll even give them the chance to judge us. They wouldn’t even have that if we don’t survive now. They won’t need to know the pain of facing death and peril in their lives of peace!” Wudi echoed.

While they wouldn’t be fighting to their deaths anytime soon, they were already carrying the burden of ensuring the survival of their billions of descendants. Any decision made during this time would have endlessly cascading effects. Fortunately, they seemed to be holding up well.

”Stop boasting. It won’t be too late to brag when we resolve everything.” The dark clouds had parted to reveal a world full of light and hope.

”This land will be the envy of all in this universe! Its people will lead lives others can only dream of as supreme beings!” Tianming’s sentiment had never changed. So what if a single person was powerful? It only mattered if he could raise his people to the top of the universe as the eternal beastmaster of the ages!

”It all starts here and now.” Tianming decided to chug the dragon piss he loathed so much to go with the mood.

”Heavens above, earth below, while the three of us are brothers with different surnames... uh... how’d the rest of the lines go again?” Wudi poured dragon piss on the ground, causing it to sizzle and steam. The newborn land ravenously slurped away at the fine wine. ”Whatever! Protect us! Ensure our survival! We’ll definitely return the nova source to Gladeus and restore Brother Lin’s reputation! Drink up! The ebons and Yi Daiyan have nothing on us! The Infinitum Mundus belongs to my son!”