Beastmaster of the Ages

”Nova source is everything in this war. With this mobile fortress that opens the Flameyellow Divine Path, you’re invincible as long as you live! You’re a thorn in their side. The Eightpart Pantheons will never be rid of you!” In the front of the tomb, the pope said to Tianming, deeply shaken.

”You’re quite perceptive,” Tianming remarked with a smile.

At the very least, it was evident that these ninety million were willing to die for Tian Jiu.

”I have another question.” The pope took a deep breath, seeming nervous.

”You want to know if you can live on the imperial star,” said Tianming.

”Yes!” The pope nodded.

They were wanderers, desperately longing for a stable home. Although they were willing to fight for Tian Jiu, they needed a permanent base, a place to call home. Without a fixed base, even the mightiest legion was adrift, lacking an anchor of true faith.

Tianming didn’t keep him waiting for long. Laughing heartily, he said, ”I once promised the flameyellow voidkin that they would become a part of the imperial star. Since you’ve pledged to fight for me, you’ll be treated fairly. The vast imperial star welcomes foreign races like yours to join us in building a harmonious and diverse home.”

Upon hearing this, the pope and paladins were overwhelmed with emotion, tears welling in their eyes.

”Thank you!”

The pope looked at Tianming solemnly. ”You’re direct and honest, and for this very reason, our ancestor was right to favor you.”

Tianming smiled. Who was the one being favored?

Without wasting time, he led the Tian Jiu Cult into the Sun and settled them outside the Sky Palace Formation. As the planet became more populated, his family and close friends would be safer in the formation. The construction outside the formation would be left to them.

Overwhelmed by the star’s majesty, the 150 million cosmic-god essences that were newly detained on the Sun by Wudi cried out in awe. They had deep reverence for Tianming.

”You’re afraid now, but your starlords aren’t.”

So it wasn’t over yet! Tianming stood on the surface of the Sun, feeling the surging omnisentient power.

”I’m about to face the Eightpart Pantheons once again. I’ve gathered omnisentient threads from about ninety percent of the flameyellow descendants in the Upper Star Ruin and it’s still increasing.”

Tianming was nearly twice as powerful as he was in the Ten Desolate Starforges and now surpassed his previous limit of summoning a billion ghouls.

”My power will only increase once I’ve reached a hundred percent, and their faith has yet to reach full potential.”

In this war, his own combat power was useless, so Tianming had to rely exclusively on the growth of his omnisentient threads. Although he appeared to have captured Grand Feng and Grand Meng on his own, the Upper Star Ruin’s flameyellow descendants were the ones wielding him as a superweapon.

”Eightpart Pantheons, step into my territory and we’ll play!”

***

At the edge of the sky above the Primordial Sands lay a boundless, distorted world. It resembled Myriadpath Valley, but was a hundred times larger and monstrously warped. Floating in the sky like a crimson, shattered vortex, its final radiance drained away.

BOOM!

With every passing moment, a deafening roar emanated from within, unleashing a burst of nova source that formed a sea of lava. It resembled an evil, twisted face, howling in anguish, a condemned sinner lost in the dark universe.

It still contained nearly half of its imperial-class nova source. But with the collapse of its fusion formation, nova source poured out into the universe. Upon total dissipation, it would leave no ripples behind.

In a catastrophic world teetering on the edge, people’s minds were inevitably distorted. Silence was alien to them, and the endless noise had recently intensified a hundredfold, a clear warning of imminent destruction.

The impending arrival of the Eightpart Pantheons and their promise to save the Grand Xia imperials through the transformation of Grand Xia Voidback Hole was the only thing keeping them here. Otherwise, many would have simply fled. Though they had nowhere to go, at least they wouldn’t be swallowed up.

Deep inside Grand Xia Voidback Hole was a fiery vortex of starlight spanning a hundred million kilometers. Resembling a massive bagua, it rotated slowly. With each flash of light, cosmic gods from the Eightpart Pantheons materialized, one after another. The newly arrived forces rapidly swelled into a vast army, surpassing the Grand Xia imperials.

This was the Xiavoid Stareye. An army of elite cosmic gods, tens of thousands of meters tall, had assembled beneath the stareye. Empress Xia, Lord Yue, Feng Linxue, and Meng Yao, the starlord of Grand Meng, were all present.

”Starlord, they’ve captured at least fifty million cosmic gods! They’re all gone!”

Three transmission stones relayed nearly identical messages.

Upon hearing this, Lord Yue, Feng Linxue, and Meng Yao became so furious that they almost vomited blood, their eyes burning with rage. Was there any point in surrendering now that the people were gone?

”Li Tianming and the Tian Jiu Cult are so ruthless!” Meng Yao roared, his expression even more twisted than the Grand Xia Voidback Hole.

Silence fell when the news reached them, broken only by the explosions of nova source. With grim expressions, thousands of cosmic gods stared at the three starlords, their gaze heavy with sympathy.

”Will the Eightpart Pantheons abandon these broken primalwingers? They’re no longer useful and might even be exploited?” whispered numerous Grand Xia imperials.

”Not necessarily. Their territory still remains, and given the Eightpart Pantheons’ dominion, they’ll accept a sincere surrender.”

”Yes, An Shen is comforting the three starlords.”

All eyes turned toward a towering ten-thousand-meter-tall figure. Cloaked in a long, heavy robe and hood, he was completely shrouded in a dark fog. Glints of light flickered in his palms. He was an ashura.

”Don’t worry. What we value is your wisdom, so all that matters is your support. As long as the three stars are still there, we can make up for the loss in combat power,” An Shen said to the three starlords, his voice kind.

”Thank you, An Shen! And a heartfelt thank you to the imperatores!” Lord Yue and the other two starlords bowed deeply.

Although Feng Linxue kept her distance from Lord Yue, she also expressed her gratitude as her interest aligned with his. However, she felt a sense of unease.

”An Shen, what if they threaten the lives of the captives...” She asked softly.