Beastmaster of the Ages

The divine astralships shut their doors, tightly sealing each chamber from inside. Then, nova source began to surge and power their engines. Within the Phantavoid of the first branch, there was a bit of trouble.

”Second Patriarch, wait for me a little while. Lin Chongjing’s causing trouble,” Lin Chongyao said. Lin Chongjing had been locked up because he’d conspired with Lin Jie back then. However, Lin Chongyao had decided to bring him along to the Sun on account that they were brothers. Leaving him behind was the same as letting him become a dog of the ebons. As the elder brother, he didn’t want Ku’s son to end up like that. But little did he know that Lin Chongjing would be able to escape under such circumstances and harm the elders that were keeping him contained.

”Lin Chongjing!” Lin Chongyao had no choice but to halt the liftoff of the Phantavoid. The crowd within the ship swarmed Lin Chongjing at the opposite side of the room. ”You’ve already done wrong, but we gave you another chance! Why’d you decide to commit another mistake?!”

The two brothers’ clash within the ship was quite intense to behold. The others around them backed off in fear of becoming involved in it, but there were a few that firmly stood by Lin Chongjing’s side.

”What mistake!? Lin Chongyao, dad’s body hasn’t even cooled yet after the burial, yet you exhumed him and disturbed his eternal slumber! Is that what a filial son does? Do you even hear yourself?!”

”You’re all a bunch of retards! It’s enough that you want to take that risk, but you attempted to drag all billion members of the clan to side with the ebons. If that wasn’t a mistake, what is?!” Lin Chongyao said.

Lin Chongjing smirked. ”What do you know?! We had a plan! We had a chance to emerge victorious!”

”What else could you do aside from groveling before the ebons like a dog? You’ve done nothing but rot in prison! What plan could you possibly have? I’m giving you one final chance. Go back to where you belong,” Lin Chongyao snapped.

”Lin Chongyao, I’m not joking around! I’m not trying to cause trouble for its own sake. I just don’t want innocent people to die because of your foolish decisions! It isn’t too late to stop the exodus and defend the Infinitum Swordsea! Once we leave the protection of our ancestors for the stars, we’ll become targets for others to shoot down! Do you think those kids from Gladeus will be able to save us all? Stop joking around!” Lin Chongjing said with fists held tight and eyes bloodshot.

After a pause, he looked around and continued, ”All those who don’t wish to leave, come to my side! I’ll be your leader! Those who want to leave, let them do so, but let those who want to remain stay! The Infinitum Swordsea is our roots! If we can’t live and die by them, what is the point of surviving?!”

Lin Chongyao knew that his little brother had never believed in those ideals he’d just spouted. All he was trying to do was to increase the size of his support base. He was betting that those in the clan that wished to remain were in the majority, and if he could get their support, he could control the clan.

”Stand with me! I’ll represent your interests!” Lin Chongjing said with a forceful look around.

”I want to stay! I don’t want to die!”

”Me too!”

Soon, a group of people assembled near Lin Chongjing, expanding in size. It was a symptom of deeper divisions. Lin Chongjing heartily laughed and said, ”Do you see, Lin Chongyao? This is what true civic spirit looks like! It’s clear to everyone whose sight is blind and who sees with clarity! Your recklessness will cost us everything our ancestors built for us! You picked up a sesame seed but threw away the whole watermelon! Do you think your pathetic smarts can go against the natural order? Don’t you see the changing tides? Do you think our people are capable of resisting the ebons? Even Yi Daiyan knows to hold back without acting rashly, yet all of you seem to be jumping at the chance to get yourselves killed!” The more people that joined him, the more audacious he became.

”Is that so? You should open your eyes wide and take a good look,” Lin Chongyao said, not the least bit agitated. Ling Chongjing had been speaking for so long. When he was done and looked around him, he finally realized that the crowd around him had reached its limit. Only a tenth of people within the Phantavoid stood by him, while the rest hadn’t moved from Lin Chongyao’s side at all. Lin Chongjing had assumed that the clan would grow more uncertain with time, yet the people around Lin Chongjing didn’t make a single sound, as if Lin Chongjing didn’t exist. They would only step up when they were required to contribute.

”Lin Chongjing!” Lin Chongyao sighed. ”The reason you believe so firmly in your intelligence is because your swordheart strayed. You’ve strayed toward the enemy and spoken on their behalf. That’s why you believe that the rest of us here are stubborn and foolish, yet you’re the one who’s stubborn and unable to fathom the consequences! Let me tell you that no matter what tragic rhetoric or flawed logic you bring up, exploiting the feelings we have toward our home to further your own cause, you won’t be able to change this one fact: the Swordgod Lin Clan is united and powerful. We do not fear to fight for our cause and clan! Before this great tribulation, we’ll support one another and remain united as one. We’ll hold to our faith to the very end. Even if we die, we won’t submit or bow down! That is the truth you will never comprehend. And it’s why you’ll always think that we’re mistaken!”

Lin Chongyao really couldn’t stand his younger brother any longer. The past three months of preparation had heavily weighed on him. Lin Xiao and the others had run into many problems as well, with Lin Chongjings of their own. Fortunately, the majority had supported their decision; Lin Chongyao wouldn’t have such a firm resolution otherwise. He would be willing to sacrifice himself, if that was what it took.

The people around Lin Chongjing were silent and awkward, despite being the loudest ones moments before. Not even they had known that their numbers would be that low. The others were merely tolerating them because they were from the same clan.

When the awkwardness reached its zenith, Lin Chongyao took out a transmission stone. Lin Xiao was on the line.

”Chongyao, make your move quickly! We got good news from the Sun!” Lin Xiao’s voice was so agitated that he sounded like he was fainting from bliss.

”What good news?” Lin Chongyao nervously asked.

”Feng’er and the others used an infinitum-class celestial tome and wiped out two million of those astral gods and up to seven thousand divine astralships! Two-thirds of the ebons’ force was destroyed in an instant! They’re cleaning up the rest of the battle now!”

”What?!”