Beastmaster of the Ages

Tianming continued toward the depths of the cave until he met up with the rest.

”A quasi cosmic god?” They were all shocked to see him. The green-haired Liu Cheng asked, ”This fellow has a heavenly punishment protection seed. Is he one of the slaves of the Eightpart Pantheons?”

”What are you saying, you fool!” Jiang Xiaobai glared at him and pinched his face.

”Friend, this is the person who beat that ashura into a ball! Lin Feng!” Jiang Datou said as he turned warmly toward Tianming. ”That was amazing!”

Even now, he still hadn’t understood how Tianming found Liu Cheng’s group, but that paled in comparison to how powerful he was in a fight. Jiang Datou couldn’t help but look at Tianming with boundless admiration.

”Surely that can’t be. Brother Datou, don’t mess with me like that.” Liu Cheng approached Tianming and looked him up and down, filled with doubt. Then, he suddenly punched Tianming, who had been expecting that, and used his black arm, Meow Meow infused within, to catch the fist. Then, electricity sparked and coursed into Liu Cheng’s body.

”Wait wait stop!” Liu Cheng shook from the electrocution and hurriedly pulled his fist back. Once more looking at Tianming with disbelief, he turned back to Jiang Datou. ”This friend here is truly amazing! He even dared to fight those from the Eightpart Pantheons. Will he become one of us?”

”He is already one of us!” Jiang Datou said.

”Perfect. The Primordial Sands could always use more talented folks,” Liu Cheng said, before turning to Tianming. ”Welcome, Brother Wang Feng. Thank you for saving us!”

”He’s called Lin Feng!” Jiang Xiaobai exasperatedly said.

”My bad.” Liu Cheng scratched his head awkwardly. Then, as if he suddenly recalled something, he took something out of his spatial ring, which immediately let out an eccentric fragrance. Tianming saw a weird-looking fruit that looked more like a large biscuit with nine concentric circles that looked like tree rings.

”This is a ninelives fruit. It’s just as odd as it looks. The flesh inside is blood red and looks like some kind of flaming galaxy,” Liu Cheng said.

”Let us see.” Jiang Datou and Jiang Xiaobai also came closer, staring at the fruit curiously. The latter seemed especially interested. Tianming also studied it from afar.

”Where did you get it?” Jiang Datou asked.

”I lost the location where we got it. We were following Jiang Lincheng, a capable bloke. That was when we found a branch of the Ninelives Ancestral Tree with quite a number of fruits! But the Eightpart Pantheons found us, and many of us got reduced to essence form. I was lucky enough to get three before running off. I have no idea what it’s like over there right now,” Liu Cheng said, worry weighing heavily on his mind.

”Who could possibly be powerful enough to overpower Jiang Lincheng? He’s not just any pushover,” Jiang Xiaobai said, eyes shining with respect for the fellow.

”It must be the Skyfiendling of the ashuras. He’s the son of the lord of the maniverse-class world, Cobalt Fiendlord. The cosmic gods from the world are among the most elite ones among the ten great maniverse-class worlds. They usually train in imperial-class worlds as well,” Liu Cheng said.

”The Skyfiendling? I heard that he’s quite a whacko. The two ashura girls must be his servants, then. Can Jiang Lincheng defeat him?” Jiang Xiaobai worriedly asked.

Jiang Datou said, ”Probably not, but just barely. That doesn’t mean he’s completely helpless, though. The ashuras are good at beast-wave tactics, but they’re not that good when it comes to sudden, explosive strikes. That should give them some leeway to escape.”

”Brother Datou, at the end of the day, those of us from the Primordial Sands are weaker on the whole compared to the Eightpart Pantheons, hence our losses lately. After taking the risk this time around, I’ve made up my mind. The treasures from the Ancient Flameyellow Ruins might be good, but we need to survive to be able to enjoy our spoils. I think we should make our way back to the Primordial Sands, especially after surviving our previous ordeal,” Liu Cheng said somewhat unwillingly.

”Return? How could we?” Jiang Xiaobai shook her head. ”Our parents sent us here so that we can conquer this territory and slowly excavate it for treasures! It’s an effort that was meant to last generations! If we retreat now, it’d be much harder for us to return once the Eightpart Pantheons build a strong foothold here!”

”I understand all that, but it’s still a fact that we lack firepower. The Upper Star Ruin will still be sending wave after wave of genius cosmic gods here, some of whom even hail from imperial-class worlds! Those are people from the Eightpart Pantheons’ ruling class that we’re talking about! How can we even compete? It’s a fool’s errand!” Liu Cheng said.

”Even so, that doesn’t mean we don’t have to try! The Eightpart Pantheons are rarely able to invade the Primordial Sands because there was simply no way to reach us, but the Ancient Flameyellow Ruins managed to connect our territories. Our seniors are guarding the pathway from the upper ruins. While the lower ruins aren’t that important, if they really take it over completely, it’ll be much easier for them to send spies and scouts to the Primordial Sands!” Jiang Xiaobai said.

Cosmic gods of unlimited strength could freely pass through the upper ruins, so that was where the real battle was taking place. But that didn’t mean they could just abandon the lower ruins.

”This is a strategic location. Currently, we’re still only dealing with the vanguard forces from the Eightpart Pantheons. We have to at least show them that we aren’t pushovers that’ll retreat over nothing. At the very least, we have to show them that it will cost them to come for us,” Jiang Datou said.

”Fine.” Liu Cheng assented and gripped his fists tight. ”I agree with you, Brother Datou, but I still think we should leave.”

”Why?” Jiang Xiaobai simply didn’t understand.

”Our status can’t compare to yours, and we are the hopes of our families. If we perish, it’d be a huge loss to them. However, there’s so many of you from the Perpetual Jiang Clan....” Liu Cheng felt rather awkward even having to say that.

”Are you saying that it wouldn’t be a big deal even if we die here?” Jiang Xiaobai snapped.

”No! Don’t misunderstand me... I’m not saying it’s not a big deal, but....” Either way, he meant that even without the siblings, the Jiang Clan would still be able to triumph. The siblings simply weren’t the ones who had to bear the burden of being the hopes of their clan.

”Forget it. We all have our own roles to play.” Jiang Datou patted Liu Cheng on the shoulder. ”Friend, I suppose it’s time to say goodbye.”