Beastmaster of the Ages

”I heard a senior say that the gap between quasi and true cosmic gods is as wide as the gap between a sixth-level overflower and a quasi cosmic god! Becoming a cosmic god is like becoming a mini universe. Are they still considered human after transforming into an entire world unto themselves?” Long Qian said.

”So they’re no longer human, but a world?” Even though Tianming had heard of some details, Long Qian’s description painted a much better picture of the terror of superior lifeforms for him. Sixth-level overflowers were seven levels inferior to quasi cosmic gods, yet the step from that to becoming a true cosmic god was just as wide!

”So there’s basically no precedent of an overflower defeating a cosmic god,” he said.

”I haven’t heard of it, but it doesn’t seem likely. How can a mere human destroy an entire world?” Long Qian said, shaking her head.

Tianming furrowed his brows. According to Bai Ye, Fentian He was already approaching the Middlekin Star Ruin. ”Everyone, hurry up!”

The ten thousand dragonoids hurriedly rounded up all the middlekin stars.

”If we’re intercepted, all fifteen million of us will die. The Ninedragon Imperial Tomb might even be completely destroyed!” That would be the end of it all.

***

Meanwhile, Yanri Shuang held a gold transmission stone and talked to a crimson figure covered in flames. He was a person, yet he also seemed like a flaming world.

”Big Brother Fen, I managed to escape... alone....” Yanri Shuang pitifully teared up.

”Alright, stay there and don’t move. I’m almost there,” said the projection from the transmission stone. His voice sounded like an active volcano, making her eardrums feel a sizzling sensation.

”No! Big Brother, I’m afraid of staying here! I’m piloting the Ninesun as I flee. I’ll give you my location, so come protect me!” Yanri Shuang said, crying in a panic.

”If those slaves dare to kill so many people, they should be going for the middlekin stars in the stores next. I’ll apprehend them at the astral hole first.”

”They’re just slaves! What use would they have for middlekin stars? I suspect that Li Tianming’s still on my tail. His divine astralship is really fast! Please come look for me first....” Yanri Shuang’s waterworks were going full throttle. ”Big Brother, Xing Can and Luori Xuanlie died so horribly... I’m scared that I’ll never see you again! I’m only five hundred years old and haven’t even become a cosmic god yet...! Come protect me, please!”

The flaming astral giant paused in thought before nodding. ”Alright. Give me the location.”

Yanri Shuang breathed a sigh of relief.

”You did well,” said Bai Ye’s infant soul as it released the spiritform astrons in her head. If she had gone just slightly off script, she would have died in an instant.

After terminating the call, Yanri Shuang said, ”Cosmic gods can travel in space with their physical bodies alone. They’re able to fly at ten times the speed of fortuna-class ships in short bursts, so you’d better hurry up!”

”Got it.” Bai Ye didn’t say anything else.

Meanwhile, Tianming kept pondering. Astral gods like us still have to rely on ships to travel the vast distances of outer space, but cosmic gods are more like beasts in the ocean. They can live and travel in the ocean, but we’ll die if we’re stranded in it without a ship!

It was indeed the biggest change on the path of cultivation, much bigger than going from mortal to normal god, and then to astral god! But he still had to think about it. He wasn’t sure if the middlekin stars that he had loaded up in the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb and on the chain would be enough to turn the Sun into a fortuna-class world.

If he fell short, everything he had done would almost be a wasted effort! Who knew where the other Middlekin Star Ruins were? Not to mention, they would be better defended after everything that had happened here. This time was an exception because it was unprecedented for any faction to rob middlekin stars. But with cosmic gods in the picture, his ambitions would be completely extinguished!

”We have to hurry!” Anyone who could work in the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb was doing something.

After a while, Yin Chen suddenly said, ”He’s here!”

”That fast?!” Tianming felt his scalp tingling. Fortunately, Yanri Shuang had led the cosmic god away from the Middlekin Star Ruin.

”Over there!” Yin Chen pointed in a certain direction.

”Damn!” That part of black space appeared to be on fire. Half his vision was filled with the flames of stars! ”Is that thing still human?!” Apparently not!

”Hurry up!” Tianming felt both awe and respect as well as a strong aspiration toward becoming a cosmic god. ”I’m not even an overflower yet, and the power of the Galactic Emperor has an upper limit. Cosmic gods reign supreme in the Upper Star Ruin....”

His own breakthroughs were far too important!

***

The Ninesun continued cruising through the dark of space. All of a sudden, a world of crimson flames stretching tens of millions of meters across filled Yanri Shuang’s vision. A gigantic astral body in humanoid form manifested in the flames before the Ninesun.

”Aaagh!” She used the ship’s emergency brake, still in shock, but the ship still slammed into the body of the astral giant! The humanoid astral being, however, merely pressed down on the surface of the ship. Compared to the gigantic ship, his hundred-plus-meter height seemed tiny, yet Yin Chen saw something unbelievable.

The humanoid figure wasn’t pushed back in the slightest! Instead, the Ninesun’s divine astralship formation crumbled. The ship wildly shook like a wild beast, then a wave of energy entered the ship and suspended Yanri Shuang mid air, stopping her from being flattened by the sudden jolt.

”Holy crap! Insane shit! Completely bonkers!” The countless starcloud bugs in the surroundings were flabbergasted at the sight.

A cosmic god could travel through space in their own body and even catch fortuna-class ships mid cruise! Despite being only around a hundred meters tall, the flames around his body burned brighter than an ether-class world.

”Little Shuang, are you alright?” the volcanic voice said in a gentle tone while Yanri Shuang was stunned out of her mind.

”I... I’m fine.. Big Brother....” Her tears, however, continued flowing. The flaming man outside the ship glowed with blinding starlight. His hair looked like it was on fire, like a shining torch in space. Each particle of his skin looked like a hyper-compressed middlekin star, containing boundless power that resembled entire nova source worlds!