Beastmaster of the Ages

Yin Chen delivered a new message on the way back to the Grand Jiang.

The Tian Jiu Cult had suspended their assault on the maniverse-class worlds. Instead, they turned toward a fortuna-class world, Jadeglow Haven, which they effortlessly conquered. Jadeglow Haven was under the jurisdiction of the Grand Feng, their residents all primalwingers of the Feng lineage.

“Did they massacre the people?” Tianming asked Yin Chen.

“No,” Yin Chen nodded.

“That’s still acceptable.” Tianming knew that, to the colossal Tian Jiu Cult, a place like Jadeglow Haven was at best a small island. It could only serve as a temporary stopover, never a true ancestral home.

They were merely finding a place for their astralships to dock temporarily.

A fortuna-class astralguard formation was no more than thin city walls. It was easy to break through, and practically useless for protecting the Tian Jiu Cult.

The Tian Jiu Cult focused on a system of elites and didn’t have common folk with them. This meant they had nothing tying them to the Grand Xia Voidback Hole.

“They retreated so decisively. It should be the Xiavoid Stareye. Staying there would have been certain death,” Tianming said. It was ironic. A cult sect that worshiped Tian Jiu was also somehow the mortal enemy of the wonderians.

The wonderians really did have a complex relationship with their progenitor.

“Yin Chen, does the Tian Jiu Cult really worship Tian Jiu? Or did their successive popes merely use that as a pretext to build power?” Tianming asked.

“Based on... my observations... Both exist... But the... former group... has more,” Yin Chen said.

“So they do take Tian Jiu as their object of worship, but they also have ambitions of establishing a faction and ruling over others.” That was no surprise to Tianming. Without sufficient spiritual fervor, a cult could never have grown to such heights. Only fanaticism could truly tie hearts together.

“Empress Xia, Lord Yue, the Eightpart Pantheons, the Tian Jiu Cult...” Things had gotten complicated.

Among them, Emperor Xia and Lord Yue could be considered as the Eightpart Pantheons’ dogs.

This “eight plus two” was Tianming’s true mortal enemy in the Primordial Sands.

As for the Tian Jiu Cult, they were simpler. They merely wanted a foothold and were utterly irreconcilable with the Eightpart Pantheons. Even a fool knew: the enemy of your enemy may not be a friend, but they still shared a common interest.

“Little Fish.” Tianming ventured deep into the Imperial Tomb, where a woman bathed in radiance was seated cross-legged.

“How’s your progress?” Tianming asked, floating into the air.

“Almost done.” Moran spoke softly.

“Good. Once you’ve absorbed everything, I’ll take you on a date to Jadeglow Haven,” Tianming said.

“You want to use me to control the Tian Jiu Cult, don’t you?”

“Of course. Those pretentious zealots will be bowing and scraping by the end of the day,” Tianming said with cheer.

Moran gazed at him deeply. “Tian Jiu is so terrifying. Why trust me unconditionally?”

Her voice carried a faint melancholy.

“I’ve said it many times. There is no Tian Jiu, there is only the Little Fish I raised,” Tianming said with a tender smile.

“All right then!” Moran could only laugh in response, “Then I’ll have to take the field myself, and let them witness the descent of their goddess.”

“Perfect!” Looking at her flawless ten-thousand-meter figure, Tianming sighed with emotion. “I don’t know when I’ll ever catch up to you. It’s frustrating.”

“No need to be frustrated.”

She gently placed Tianming upon her palm, and then moved him toward her chest. Tianming’s eyes lit up, sinking into the softness.

Moran’s face turned faintly red as well.

However, countless voices whispered into her ears.

“Little Sister, the share of affection he gave us is too little.”

“He only treats us like pets.”

“We’re no worse than Jiang Feiling!”

Moran closed her eyes, refusing to heed those insistent whispers.

The man she loved was now so near her heart that she could feel his heartbeat.

“There is no Tian Jiu, only Little Fish,” Moran repeated, trying to convince herself.

She knew that Tianming was respecting her in his own way. Even if everyone thought Tian Jiu was dangerous, he was willing to flirt with disaster for her.

That was enough.

“Big Sisters, you just don’t love him enough. I can forgive that. In the end, you will understand.”

***

The Ninedragon Imperial Tomb appeared above the Grand Jiang. Tianming cast his gaze at the golden crystal star still locked in that grayish-pink mist, enduring its trial of life and death.

“If Ling’er could complete her tribulation before the Eightpart Pantheons descended, that would be perfect. Otherwise, she’d be nothing but a living target.”

Tianming thought that if he were the Eightpart Pantheons, he wouldn’t attack anything else. He would simply gather the entire army and head straight for Jiang Feiling.

So long as they focused on defending her, the Kunlan primalwingers’ astralguard formation would become meaningless. At that point, they would once again face the choice of whether to send themselves to their deaths.

“Little Fish is almost done. I’ll head home first and check on my precious daughter!”

The Ninedragon Imperial Tomb altered its course and sped toward the Imperial Star.