Beastmaster of the Ages

The second stargate corresponded to the Saturatia-49 Sword Formation.

”Saturatia-49!” This meant that the astral emperor must have visited this maniverse-class stellar source world. Though it lay within the hidden region of the Flameyellow Atlas, it might not be too far from the Ninefold Hellstar.

Its sword intent was more complex than the Ninefold Hellstar. It was the type that encompassed anything and everything. It involved many types of order, including lightning, fire, mountains, rivers, metal, wood, and various others. Tianming’s existing orders could already sustain this sword art.

However, he had no time to learn it for now.

The astral emperor personally opened a back door for this outstanding descendant. The second stargate immediately swung open for him, and the profound mysteries of the Saturatia-49 Sword Formation poured into Tianming’s body, allowing him to take them with him and study them later.

Next came the third, fourth, fifth... all the way to the tenth stargate! Step by step, he swallowed the entirety of this imperial-class sword technique.

Throughout this process, the hundred shattered eyeballs watching cracked further under their stress and frustration. By the end, fewer than eighty of them remained intact. Those that were left were on the verge of breaking apart as well.

Everything they had prayed for had become nothing more than a fleeting dream. They were utterly speechless.

Finally, Tianming had absorbed the entire inheritance. ”Not bad at all!”

Clearly, this was the most powerful battle technique he had ever practiced. It allowed him to fully unleash the power of the decapath era godswords, the 30-fold simulacrum, and all of his orders. The Sundown and Starfall Pantheons each specialized in a particular path, making them a good match for the flameyellow divinities.

”All done.” Now that he had obtained this sword art, he had no further interest in the divine tomb. After all, he couldn’t take away the corpses with him.

”In reality, given the current situation, the most important thing for me is not cosmic tribulation seas, caeli, or even the battle techniques, but these one hundred little captives! They hold the fate of all flameyellow descendants in the Midsky Tristars....”

The Starfall Pantheon was powerful, but if Tianming could keep these hostages, then he would essentially be gripping the lifeblood of the Starfall Pantheon. If he were only concerned with his personal gains, he could have already opened the formation and made his escape.

But he didn’t leave. In fact, in order to take these captives with him, he was now at the point where he had to risk his life to complete a grand feat.

”Tell me, how are we doing this?” Ying Huo asked.

Standing atop the Skydome Prison, Tianming looked down at the broken enemies below. ”Those eight hundred million people are already approaching Starmoon Haven. Several cosmic gods are escorting them. Once they enter the Starmoon Haven, they’ll be able to free up their forces, and my situation will become even more dangerous. Fortunately, there’s a perfect window for a risky breakout right now.”

After saying this, he called out to Ji Ji.

”What are we playing this time?” Ji Ji immediately knew, from the glint in his eyes, that he already had a plan.

”A feint!” Tianming declared. The idea had been brewing for a while, but now it was crystal clear.

”How do we pull it off?” Ji Ji raised an eyebrow. It knew that since Tianming had called it over, the plan must involve it.

”Right now, Yin Chen has already located where Fentian He’s group is positioned,” Tianming’s eyes narrowed.

”So you moved the imperial tomb to intercept their path?” Ji Ji still had one-third of itself stationed on the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb, and it had noticed that although the ship maintained its distance from Starmoon Haven, it had adjusted its position.

”Exactly! You’ll take a middlekin star out there. As soon as their fleet escorting the flameyellow descendants arrives, you’ll smash the middlekin star into them,” Tianming instructed.

His goal, of course, wasn’t to destroy their ships or annihilate those eight hundred million people. Fentian He had suffered from Ji Ji’s Vaporize before. If he encountered it again, he would surely be cautious. Meanwhile, the cosmic gods of Starmoon Haven valued those eight hundred million people, so there was a strong chance they would move to protect them.

”And then?” Ji Ji asked.

”I’ll move the imperial tomb to the opposite side of Starmoon Haven while gradually closing the distance, till it’s just enough for me to harness omnisentient power! If the cosmic gods nearby are drawn to your attack, I can use that omnisentient power to charge to the entrance of the divine tomb, engage Jiu Jue in battle, and break out with the captives!” Tianming explained.

”If most of the cosmic gods are drawn away by Ji Ji’s attack, then the imperial tomb will also be safer on the opposite end....” Xian Xian nodded.

”But what if they don’t take the bait? What if some cosmic gods stay behind? And you already said they’ve noticed Yin Chen’s presence and started scanning for it. Whether they go for you or the imperial tomb, one mistake and everything falls apart!” Even Ying Huo was serious now, frowning as it considered the risks.

”True! But there’s no other choice. Those cosmic gods aren’t joking around. If they decide to burn those eight hundred million people alive, they’ll do it without hesitation!” Tianming said grimly.

If there was no risk, it wouldn’t be a high-stakes gamble.

”I’m betting that they care about me immensely! I’ve already demonstrated too many unimaginable feats, so I wager that the moment they see a middlekin star explosion, they’ll panic and rush to protect that fleet. Their focus will be entirely on the eight hundred million people and Long Xing. It’s just bad luck if they notice my escape or the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb,” Tianming said, shaking his head helplessly.

”Don’t worry!” Yin Chen suddenly chimed in. It had been working tirelessly these past few days. By now, it had already mapped out the cosmic gods on Starmoon Haven. These cosmic gods made no effort to conceal their presence. Anytime they moved, they would visibly light up the sky, like when Mo Shen and Xing Zhan had appeared.

Thus, it had a solid understanding of their positions, especially the ones from the Yanri Cosmic Line, thanks to Yanri Shuang’s assistance. Yin Chen would notice immediately if they left their posts.

”Then let’s take this gamble!”

Ji Ji would explode on the eastern side of Starmoon Haven, while the imperial tomb moved in from the west. Meanwhile, Tianming would take the opportunity to break out with his captives!

”The Skydome Prison is too big now, so it can no longer contain Jiu Jue. He’s an elite right below the cosmic gods... I just hope that my new strength is enough to match him!”

Tianming took a deep breath.

***

In the pitch-black cosmos, four radiant, humanoid stars moved through the void. They had taken up positions around a maniverse-class ship to protect it from all sides.

”The closer we get to Starmoon Haven, the more of these damned bugs there are. This means that Li Tianming really does want to take them back....”