Beastmaster of the Ages

”Now hand me the ship’s core!” Yanri Shuang said.

”She has quite an eye for detail, this one,” Xing Can said.

”We do have to be extra careful when faced with a crook of the stinkbug’s caliber. Once the Feng Capital Ghoul arrives, we’ll have an advantage in numbers when it comes to ships. We should be more or less fine from then on,” Luori Xuanlie said.

”That’s right. As for the Scorchmoon, we have to make sure it’s within our defenses,” Yanri Shuang said.

Jiang Lincheng was already handing over the ship’s core, so the Scorchmoon would temporarily not have a controller.

***

More than eight million people huddled together tightly in the Scorchmoon. To people who were usually spoiled with a good life, it was rather discomforting. The moment Yanri Shuang had given her order, most of the citizens of the Middlekin Star Ruin, even those who hadn’t watched the trial of the Cosmic God Palace, had been forcefully rounded up.

”What in the world is Yanri Shuang doing?! Is there a need to fear the stinkbugs this much?”

”This degree of absurd caution has to be going overboard!”

”Do we have to stay here as long as they’re unable to catch them? It’s way too tight in here! We can’t even let our lifebound beasts out!”

The eight million-plus people were rather annoyed. They had quite a low tolerance for tight spaces. And while they weren’t exactly crammed against each other, the fact that they had to hide and avoid the attacks of the slaves was humiliating to them. Those who were among the hundred thousand overflowers that survived were also inside the ship, as was apparent by the varying heights in the crowd.

”Fortunately, Wargod Haven sent another nine million slaves here. Otherwise there’d be nobody to send into the astral hole!” They needed manpower to transport the middlekin stars out of the astral hole so that they could survive and cultivate.

”Those slaves really know how to put up a fight!”

”I noticed that I’d been too nice to these slaves back then. When things stabilize and we get our new slaves, I’ll make sure they regret being born into this world!”

”That’s too vile!”

”They’re a race condemned to slavery by the Heavenly Dao itself. Why do they pretend to be innocent and without fault? Don’t they know their lives’ purpose?”

They were seething at the humiliation of having to hide. The grumbling grew louder and louder until some of them were outright angrily shouting. Naturally, they didn’t dare to directly curse Yanri Shuang, so they directed their frustrations at the slaves that had forced them into their predicament instead.

When Jiang Lincheng took out the ship’s core and put the Scorchmoon into a state without a controller, the energy supplied by the miniaturized nova source of the ship temporarily shut off. Many saw the windows completely shut, leaving them in pitch-black silence.

”Don’t panic. Lady Yanri Shuang, in consideration of our safety, has ordered a transfer of the ship’s core to an elite sixth-level overflower from Starmoon Haven. He’ll protect everyone. It’ll take around fifteen minutes to an hour for the core to be properly transferred and assimilated.” A few other overflowers began reassuring those in the ship.

”What in the world?!”

”They’re just slaves! Is there a need to go this far?”

They were aware that Yanri Shuang had ordered the transfer herself, so they didn’t dare to comment too much about it.

”Just endure it! Those slaves have a really powerful divine astralship that managed to breach even the well-defended Aoyue Palace. Most of us in this Middlekin Star Ruin live in a few concentrated cities, so if the slaves go insane and attack us, we’ll suffer quite a lot of casualties.”

”The Scorchmoon is also protected by its own divine astralship formation and is able to maneuver. The Ninesun and other ships from Starmoon Haven will also be watching us. Coupled with the four elites, we’ll be more than safe!”

”I heard that Li Tianming was so scared that he ran off thanks to the two super geniuses from the Midsky Tristars!”

The situation in the Scorchmoon began calming down after all those apologies for Yanri Shuang’s decision. That didn’t stop the passengers from hurling even more foul words toward the slaves, however.

***

Outside, Luori Zhong took over the Scorchmoon’s core and began assimilating it.

”Hurry up!” Yanri Shuang said, then turned to look at the Scorchmoon, which was on standby. The hundred overflowers from Starmoon Haven around them chatted without noticing anything amiss.

”Isn’t Zhantian Feng here yet?” Xing Can asked her.

”He’s here!” Yanri Shuang silently muttered without anybody else hearing. However, the one who came wasn’t Zhantian Feng.

A few sudden booms erupted behind them, causing all of them to snap their gazes behind them. A nine-headed mechanical dragon had emerged from the darkness and charged toward them at blinding speed!

”It’s the slaves’ ship!” The hundred-plus overflowers refused to believe their eyes! Hadn’t Tianming been sent running by Yanri Shuang and Zhantian Feng?! How did he arrive faster than Zhantian Feng?

Though they were shocked, they didn’t panic. Xing Can and Luori Xuanlie immediately gave the order to scatter. Xing Can went to his fortuna-class ship while Luori Xuanlie looked at the Ninesun.

However, Yanri Shuang said, ”I can do it! Let me!”

”Alright, I’ll leave it to you! Hold his ship down and destroy it!” Luori Xuanlie said, killing intent rising.

They’d reacted incredibly fast, but the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb had already fired off a black-and-gold nova-source blast into the overflowers’ midst. There was an explosion, smoke, and a lot of shockwaves!

”Are you fine!?” Luori Xuanlie asked.

”Yeah!” answered a fifth-level overflower. Even though the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb’s assault had been sudden, it was difficult to truly harm elites unless they stood there without evading. Xing Can and Yanri Shuang had boarded their ships and begun counterattacking along with Luori Xuanlie and the rest.

”He’s just going to get himself killed by coming at a time like this,” Xing Can said with a smirk as the nine-colored gear on his ship began rotating. The spinning gear rapidly advanced toward the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb.

However, Yanri Shuang piloted the Ninesun and rammed into the gear.

”Yanri Shuang?!” Xing Can was stunned.

”Ah, sorry! I didn’t mean to do it!” Yanri Shuang awkwardly said, hurriedly separating the Ninesun. Fortunately, fortuna-class ships were durable enough to endure collisions.

”What’re you two doing?!” Luori Xuanlie howled. They were supposed to surround the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb, yet their clash and separation had left an opening for it to fly through! The overflowers widened their eyes.

”Its goal isn’t us!”

”It’s—”

In almost an instant, the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb was already above the Scorchmoon.