Beastmaster of the Ages

The prince of the sky plunderers was displaying his skills. The locks on the Astral Emperor’s tomb were indeed extremely intricate. However, they failed to pose a true challenge for Tianming. With his dexterous hand moving swiftly and his Plundering Eye perceiving all, he dismantled the barriers with ease. Though he encountered some difficulties, success inevitably came.

”Nice. I only unlocked the seal on one stargate, yet it automatically recognizes me as the inheritor? And now, all nine remaining stargates are open to me?” Tianming was pleasantly surprised.

This astral emperor’s tomb functioned somewhat differently from the Greatsun Suishen Stele. The latter required constant absorption of birds, whereas the astral emperor’s tomb was more ”considerate.” While its entry requirements were several times stricter, once one gained entry, the tomb no longer presented further challenges.

Moreover, this senior, Yunxing Mo, personally guided Tianming into the sword formation cultivation technique within the Ninefold Hellstar. Inside this black celestial body, countless black sword patterns swirled. Immersed in this sea of sword-based death energy, Tianming listened to the astral emperor’s explanations of the sword arts while his Trisoul Prime helped him comprehend the profound mysteries of this high-imperial-class sword formation.

”The so-called sword formation must contain elements of totemic sword arts. The union of weapon and totem is what defines a sword formation!” Tianming’s caelum roamed within the sea of sword patterns, which resembled countless black celestial dragons. Each streak of sword force carried its own mysteries.

”Unlocking one stargate brings forth the Ninefold Hell Sword Formation.” As he delved deeper into its understanding, Tianming couldn’t help but smile. ”Totemancers are good at battle techniques. This high-imperial-class technique not only includes a totemic sword art but also has fusion strikes?”

This sort of sword art must have been inspired by the flameyellow divinities.

”In simple terms, the more stargates are unlocked, the stronger the fusion of these maniverse-class stars’ sword intents. When all ten gates are opened, ten stars shine, and the sword sweeps across the universe!” For example, unlocking the first stargate revealed a Ninefold Hellstar, which was actually a condensed form of death-type sword intent. This aligned perfectly with the properties of the actual maniverse-class Ninefold Hellstar in real life.

”I suspect that when the astral emperor created this first sword stance, he must have observed the actual Ninefold Hellstar. He used actual stars as an inspiration to forge a sword art that shatters the stars!” By extension, the sword intents behind the other nine stargates must be closely linked to the properties of their corresponding maniverse-class stars.

”However, the Ninefold Hellstar is a death-type star, similar to Death Imperatoris from the Imperator’s Mural. I currently lack the order for it....” Just as Tianming was contemplating whether he could choose a different star, his lifebound space suddenly showed signs of activity.

On his chest, a grayish-white, dead-fish eye opened, squeezing its way out to observe the astral emperor’s tombstone alongside him.

”Are you helping me?” Tianming was surprised. After dealing with the traitorous Sixth, his trust in future lifebound beasts had slightly diminished. He had never expected Eighth to turn out to be so considerate. And it hadn’t even hatched yet.

Since that was the case, Tianming wasn’t going to hold back.

A beam of grayish-white light shot from the dead-fish eye onto the stargate of the Ninefold Hellstar. Bathed in this radiance, Tianming’s caelum within the stargate immediately felt a resonance. He suddenly realized that the surrounding black sword patterns had slowed down considerably, transforming into a form he could comprehend.

”This just got interesting....” He felt as if there was a companion by his side that would clear the mist and reveal the path ahead whenever he encountered confusion.

”Though it hasn’t been born yet, its order has already planted its seed within me. It seems to be a form of energy that circulates throughout my body like Ji Ji’s?”

It wasn’t even an order yet, but still just heavenly or divine will, but Tianming was able to leverage it to build a bridge with the Ninefold Hell Sword Formation. Guided by the astral emperor, he gradually grasped the essence of this high-imperial-class sword technique!

”Descendant, you resonate with this sword art and possess extraordinary comprehension. Well done!” The voice of the astral emperor echoed in his ears.

”I wouldn’t dare to claim such praise,” Tianming replied with a smile.

”As expected of a genius from the Starfall Pantheon!”

”Of course! The Starfall Pantheon is the bestest ever!”

***

Beneath the astral emperor’s tombstone, hundreds of ruined eyeballs lay in agony within the Skydome Prison, tormented by the raging Quadform Radixbreath. Yet, they still clung to a shred of hope.

”Greedy fools always meet their end trying to eat more than they can handle. He dares to waste time here, foolishly obsessed with the imperial-class sword technique? He’s bound to fail sooner or later!” Clinging to such a belief, they endured their humiliation in silence, waiting patiently.

The more time passed, the stronger their conviction grew. With all the changes in the divine tomb, they firmly believed their elders would sense their plight.

”If our elders see us reduced to such a miserable state, they’ll surely be speechless.”

”We’ve truly disgraced ourselves!”

Repeated humiliation and seething fury fueled their hatred toward Tianming. Through their scattered eyes, they glared at him with deep, bloodthirsty resentment.

”A greedy rat will always die for its appetite!”

They refused to blink for even a second. Of course, they no longer had eyelids to blink with.

Time trickled by....

”He’s taking so long. Does he truly believe he can inherit the astral emperor’s unparalleled sword technique?” Xing Hui maliciously sneered.

The moment he finished speaking, the black stargate on the astral emperor’s tombstone suddenly burst open! A dazzling black star transformed into countless sword patterns and surged into Tianming’s body!

”Ugh...” For a moment, the hundred-plus ruined eyeballs froze in place. Their worldview had just shattered once more.

”Impossible....” A chorus of wailing broke out. Confronted with this utterly incomprehensible monster, their hearts had been crushed over and over again.

”How could he be this outrageous?!” Fu Lin lamented in despair.

And the worst part? It wasn’t even over yet.

Although unlocking the first stargate had taken Tianming quite some time, the benefit was that he had nearly mastered the first sword art.

”Ancestor Astral Emperor, may I take all ten sword arts with me, studying them step by step?” Tianming asked.

”You possess extraordinary talent and are the pride of the Starfall Pantheon. I will make an exception for you!” The astral emperor’s voice boomed.

Hearing this, Tianming grinned again. As expected, his considerate Starfall Pantheon ancestor had already anticipated the possibility of a descendant with such overwhelming talent. A contingency plan had been prepared, granting Tianming the high-imperial-class sword technique so he could study it at his own pace.

Thus, he stepped toward the second stargate.