Beastmaster of the Ages

The entire place shook with the commotion. There was a group that nobody had dreamed would be up there with the rest; how could representatives of mere slaves join a battle of the most talented and refined young scions?

”This is mad!”

”It’s completely out of this world!”

Many rubbed their eyes multiple times to check if they were really seeing it right.

”It really is the slave race!”

”Fuck! Have they gotten sick of living or something?”

”Who did this?! Is this a prank? Don’t they know how hard it is to get spots to enter the Cosmic God Palace? Only a hundred of our Scorchmoon Cult got picked out of an entire million! I deserve the place more than those three slaves!”

The caeli of cosmic gods were a precious resource even in the Upper Star Ruin! As such, people were really dissatisfied with the new and unexpected bracket. The divine devan race had the biggest reaction.

”What in the world?! First, we let people from Starmoon Haven participate, and now we even let the slave race join?”

”Who made the call?!”

”I never heard the cult leader mention it. It must be some machinations by those dirty Scorchmoon and Blazestar Cults!”

”The cult leader has arrived!”

At the peak of the argument, a huge, gray divine astralship that rivaled the Cosmic God Palace in size descended. It was shrouded in a thick gray mist, making it look like a terrifying ghost ship. When the doors opened, around two hundred giants stepped out of it. One could immediately tell that they were the strongest members of the Wargod Cult from the strongest of bloodlines. Among the core bloodlines was the divine devan race, one of the Three Divine Races.

Everyone turned their attention to the leader, a man clad in gray and surrounded by mist. Even though he was seventy meters tall, he seemed rather old and withered, as if he was a walking skeleton. His cheeks were sunken in a sickly manner and even his movements seemed as stiff as a corpse’s. There were a few others beside him that similarly looked like dead men walking.

The specters beside them, however, seemed vigorous and imposing like the members of House Yumo, save for those who were yellowspring variants. Even so, the more ravaged the people looked, the more the specters of the Wargod Cult and the five million in the audience respected them. Their appearance was deceiving to say the least.

The leader, especially, was clearly a seventh-level overflower and felt stronger than Jiang Linxi and Mo Fan. He was the leader of the Wargod Cult, Xing Daoyin, the strongest fighter in the Middlekin Star Ruin. Behind him were people from Wargod Haven, one of the Midsky Tristars.

”Jiang Linxi! Mo Fan!” Xing Daoyin said, then coughed blood into his palm. He wiped the blood on his body, which absorbed it back inside. When he looked up again, the two other cult leaders had also approached the Cosmic God Palace with the core members of their cults. It felt like they needed to join up to be able to stand as equals before these specters.

”It’s one thing if people from Starmoon Haven join us, but what’s the deal with those slaves?” Xing Daoyin said in a sinister tone, pointing at the fourth bracket.

”Xing Daoyin, according to the rules, we only need the assent of two out of three cults for a fourth faction to join the competition. This is all in order, yes?” Jiang Linxi calmly said.

”Not to mention, it’s just three people, not even ten. They’re no threat to the geniuses of your Wargod Cult. Leader Xing, there’s no need to be so nervous about their participation, is there?” Mo Fan said, almost as if he was worried that he and Jiang Linxi, both factions from Starmoon Haven, wouldn’t have each other’s backs.

”It isn’t a matter of being threatened or not. They’re slaves! What’s wrong with your minds? Do you dine with slaves at the same table?! We even have three guests from the Midsky Tristars! Don’t you find it embarrassing to host them with slaves around?” Xing Daoyin growled.

”There’s no need to worry. The one who came to join us is Su You, and she’s personally given us permission to do this. Even if it’s embarrassing, it’s a matter of Starmoon Haven and has nothing to do with you, so don’t you worry!” Jiang Linxi said.

The words made those from the Wargod Cult turn cold. Su You was someone from Starmoon Haven and on the same side as the Scorchmoon and Blazestar Cults.

”Dad, do you think they’re getting something out of this arrangement?” said a youth beside the cult leader. He stood as tall as Xing Daoyin’s chest and also looked like he was about to die. His skin wriggled like there were worms crawling underneath it, all the way to his face.

”I don’t know. Has anything happened lately?” Xing Daoyin asked.

”Not really. Even if something did, they must’ve hidden it,” said the gray youth.

Xing Daoyin looked at the two in front of him and turned back to his son. ”Son, since something has changed, make sure you’re careful. Perhaps they’ve joined forces against us. You have to protect your junior brothers and sisters.”

”No problem, Dad!” Xing Baizhan nodded.

”The cherished geniuses from Starmoon Haven are also on their side. Do you see them? They’re of the same level as you are!” Xing Daoyin said.

”Beastmasters? Totemancers? Hahaha...! Nobody can match someone from one of the Three Divine Races at the same level!” Xing Baizhan boasted, revealing a couple of bugs crawling around in his mouth. The Wargod Cult didn’t seem very perturbed by the shocking new changes and would deal with them as they came.

Right then, the Heavenly Dao Arena descended. It was the moment of climax for the talented geniuses of the Three Great Cults. All of them looked above with great solemnity as eight towering figures appeared in the boundless void above, so large that they seemed to block out the entire Middlekin Star Ruin. Each of them seemed like a boundless god of the cosmos. Though they weren’t actual people, the pressure they exuded made many lower their heads with respect.

”All hail the Eightpart Imperatores!” Everyone in and out of the audience knelt with sincerity as a ceremonial show of deference. As they did, spheres flew out of the hands of each of the eight figures and clashed together, forming a colorful formation that encased the entire Cosmic God Palace.

”Heavenly Dao, activate! This realm shall be under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Dao!” The colorful formation seemed to project the eight mighty figures’ voices everywhere.

It was the Heavenly Dao Arena, which was used for all kinds of formal occasions in the Upper Star Ruin. It was the most important component of the Heavenly Dao, making sure that everything that happened within its bounds was fair and followed the rules to the absolute letter!

Heavenly oaths and retribution was only a small fraction of the Heavenly Dao’s power and functions. Most people didn’t think they were nearly as important as regulating the arena itself, which was seen to be its true function. The realm within the Heavenly Dao Arena was now considered a sacred ground of the Upper Star Ruin.