Beastmaster of the Ages

Yumo Yuanni’s words were very harsh! To put it plainly, he was bullying others with his power. He had the backing of House Yumo and countless eminent seniors. Tianming had offended him, and if he didn’t choose to duel him, then he would have no qualms about using his influence.

Most importantly, Yumo Yuanni didn’t think there was anything wrong with what he said.

Tianming had defeated him in a duel before. Now that he had broken through, in the eyes of the Myriadpath Valley cultivators, Tianming should have the courage to fight again and shouldn’t be hiding behind Suishen Yao.

For a moment, all the pressure was on Tianming. People noticed that his expression was very calm.

He didn’t keep them guessing. Instead, he looked at Yumo Yuanni casually and said, “Who said I won’t dare to accept your challenge?”

With one sentence, he once again changed the opinion of millions of people about him.

Tianming then said, “The imprisoned idol will descend soon and there isn’t much time. Let’s schedule the duel three days after the imprisoned idol trial, shall we?”

“Fine!” Yumo Yuanni immediately agreed. He wasn’t in a hurry and could afford to wait a few days.

After the agreement, the crowd started heatedly discussing again. Although they had clashed before, now that Yumo Yuanni had broken through, everything had changed.

“This Li Tianming really has guts. Even with Suishen Yao backing him, he still agreed to the duel himself.”

“The question is, isn’t he afraid of dying? Does he have order fragments or Myriadpath Sourcespring springwater?”

“He’s probably afraid of House Yumo finding his home. Offending House Yumo leaves him no choice.”

“Yumo Yuanni’s soaring to new heights now. Confronting him at this time is quite unwise.”

A tenth-level cosmic cartographer! Yumo Yuanni was already much stronger than the seventh-level cosmic cartographer Suishen Zhao.

“His power’s likely comparable to some of the twelfth-level cosmic cartographers.”

“I remember Li Tianming’s combat power on the Skyward Path was that of a seventh-level cosmic cartographer. I still don’t understand how he defeated Yumo Yuanni a few days ago. He couldn’t have broken through four levels in the ten years he’s been in the Myriadpath Valley, right?”

“Impossible! It’s rumored that he initially hid his strength and then had one or two breakthroughs, but it’s certain he didn’t hide his strength during his fight with Suishen Zhao. Counting from then, he’s broken through... two levels in five years?”

Even that possibility was already terrifying.

“He doesn’t have order fragments or Myriadpath Sourcespring springwater. It’s said that the vitality idol allowed him to break through. If he wants to break through again, it’d take at least a dozen years even at the fastest speed in Myriadpath Valley. Yumo Yuanni will definitely set up a small Fortuna Arena where Tianming will undoubtedly die!”

“Perhaps this is the tragedy of a small character.”

“This time, not even Suishen Yao can save him!”

That was the conclusion of most people.

Yumo Yuanni gave Tianming a cold look and returned to his place to discuss the details of the fourth imprisoned idol with his elder brother.

Tianming also put aside the matter of the second challenge. After the omniscient came the imprisoned.

Shortly thereafter, the suspense of the third omniscient idol was fully resolved. Two hundred teams of two—four hundred people—had started on the Fortuna Path, but only fifty teams successfully passed the third idol. Three-quarters of the participating fortuna disciples had been eliminated.

Next was the imprisoned idol. Suishen Zhao said the imprisoned idol was more difficult. It would be quite good if twenty-five teams remained after the fourth round; after all, the historical record for the Fortuna Path was the sixth idol.

That meant that, in some years, the disciples only reached the fifth idol before everyone was wiped out.

The Maniverse Path had better results, but not by much. They still had a hundred teams left, twice as many as those that remained on the Fortuna Path.

On the Fortuna Path, fifty teams stood ready.

Tianming also stopped worrying about Yumo Yuanni’s challenge and focused entirely on the imprisoned idol.

“It’s coming!” His eyes narrowed.

A burst of black mist enveloped them. From within the mist, an astral giant of darkness appeared, towering and shrouded in countless black chains. It was the imprisoned idol.

The next instant, Tianming and Suishen Zhao entered a dark, dead starry sky where the imprisoned idol loomed larger and larger, its body formed by black stars and chains.

“Hurry up!” Suishen Zhao shouted.

The fourth idol was inclined toward a combat test rather than a test of talent. However, Suishen Zhao said that, compared to the eternal idol, the combat test for the imprisoned idol would drop to about seventy percent, with the remaining thirty percent still highly related to talent, comprehension, attributes, and epiphanies.

Unlike the eternal idol trial, there was only one imprisoned idol. Once broken, it would remain shattered and didn’t require continuous battle. Of course, breaking it was extremely difficult.

The combined combat power of Tianming and Suishen Zhao was among the weakest of the fifty teams left. Suishen Zhao was the weakest, and Tianming was much stronger.

Tianming and his lifebound beasts attacked together. The decapath era godswords and the grand lexicon wonder were unleashed, leading the charge against the imprisoned idol.

Explosions of fire and lightning burst out, but Tianming noticed that such attacks only left slight scars on the tough imprisoned idol and were nowhere near breaking it. Suishen Zhao’s attacks were similarly ineffective, merely scratching it.

“Time’s critical! We must seize every moment!” While Tianming used all his skills to attack, his mind raced and his three eyes were fixed on the opponent. “The imprisoned idol has an aspect of testing talent. Does that mean those with higher talent can more easily see and exploit its weaknesses to defeat it faster?” he asked.

“It’s very likely!” Suishen Zhao replied.

They both realized that if they just wildly attacked, even if they eventually overcame the imprisoned idol, their rank might drop from first to last among the fifty teams. If that happened, it would be very hard to catch up later.

“Weakness! Opportunity! Use unusual tactics to defeat it!” Tianming focused on the imprisoned idol, observing and thinking hard. These ancient idols are meant to pass on something rather than just set challenges. So resonating with them should be crucial. In fact, he had already relied on his order resonance to conquer the vitality idol and omniscient idol in the first and third rounds.

“Imprisoned? That name....” It referred to a person trapped in a predicament, difficulty, and suffering. In short, adversity!

A spark of insight flashed in Tianming’s mind. His lifesbane order was also located in his brain. It had been granted by the Aeonic Grandbane and was the basis of his totem cultivation.

“Breaking out of the predicament and changing your destiny! Perhaps that’s the guidance this predecessor wants to give to future generations! The attacks and tests are merely superficial!”