Beastmaster of the Ages

”All I can say is that I have come all the way from a heliacal-class world together with her. I’m unable to explain to you in a way you would understand how deeply I understand her, so it’s fine if you want to remain cautious. She only needs one person to trust her: me. What the rest of you think doesn’t matter,” Tianming said.

”Understood.” Mushan Hong saluted Tianming. ”Emperor, you may be young, but your lifelong encounters sound like they come from myth. Truly impressive.”

”Senior Mushan, I’m even more impressed by your spirit, grit and view on the bigger picture,” Tianming said.

”If anything, I’ve been a bit of a joke. They all say I’m too petty. Anyone else would immediately cave if their son was saved from certain death unlike me.”

Tianming shook his head. ”That’s why I will prove to you that the world I aspire to create will be a far better one that anyone can imagine.”

”Alright. I’ll be waiting. The youth should be idealistic and desire change. You’ve done well.”

”Change also carries risk. I hope that you and the other four elders will hold the ship’s wheel steady while I’m bringing all this about!”

”You’re too kind.” The short conversation seemed to erase the former divides between them.

***

The whole move took around half a year. The flameyellow voidkin managed to bring everything they had onto a whole fleet of Ancestral Void Arks that generations of their people had built up. Once they reached the entrance of the Ancestral Void Realm, all the people and goods would be transported into the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb, leaving the arks behind for a future invasion of the Upper Star Ruin through the Fiend Ruins.

”Let’s go!” Once everyone was gathered, the ship set out with few of them looking back. They’d had enough of the Ancestral Void Realm where they had suffered nonstop. Perhaps only some of the older folks looked back at the cage that had trapped them for life as their tears of hope welled up in their eyes. Just like that, the ten thousand plus arks made their way through the thick sludge of the flameyellow void essence and headed towards the entrance of the Ancestral World.

Tianming was at the very front ark with the five imperial-star elders. Soon, the Fiend Ruins appeared before them once more.

Dongfang Taisheng’s eyes suddenly shook as he turned to Tianming. ”Oh, I’ve heard from Feng’er that you want to explore the Fiend Ruins.”

”That’s right,” Tianming said.

”Why? Our people have lost a lot to that place. The ancestors warned us not to approach it,” Mushan Hong said.

”Because--”

Before he could finish, Dongfang Taisheng interrupted, ”Emperor, there’s an old legend passed down through generations of our people, specifically, two sayings. They’re really unique and have puzzled us for quite a while.”

”What is it?”

Dongfang Taisheng looked down at Tianming’s hexagon-scaled arm and said, ”The black palm-eyed arm marketh the heaven-plundering hero, to whom boundless Flameyellow reverence is obligated.”

Tianming was stunned for a moment. He looked around and hushed himself before slowly revealing the Plundering Eye. ”Is this the eye on the palm from the saying?” The five elders felt a ripple course through their bodies.

”So that’s why...” Dongfang Taisheng muttered in deep thought.

”I was wondering why the imperial star would pick an outsider to be the successor. It has been foretold...” Mushan Hong looked deeply at Tianming. ”If you had shown that to us earlier, our discussions wouldn’t have needed to be that complicated.”

”Not necessarily. Don’t forget the next saying,” Beitang Yan said.

”What’s the next one?”

”Plunderer’s oath broken, Flameyellow’s fall, Heavenly Dao taken, all suffer in thrall.”

”A broken oath...” Tianming looked down helplessly. ”This sounds like what the voice in the cosmic-god blood said.”

”What is it?” they asked. Tianming told them what he had heard as well as his own confusion about his identity as a sky plunderer and how it had to be kept secret.

”We understand.” The five of them nodded and started to think.

After a while, Dongfang Taisheng said, ”No matter what, the Fiend Ruins must play some kind of role in your growth. Your cultivation level isn’t too high yet, so it’s a priority. Once we send our people to the imperial star, the five of us will take you there on an adventure.”

”Really?” Tianming’s eyes brightened. He had heard many foreboding things about the Fiend Ruins and worried that Moran wouldn’t be enough.

”Of course!” Dongfang Taisheng said, with the others nodding.

”Thank you all!” Just like that, their journey was decided. When they reached the entrance of the Ancestral World, Tianming showed the true might of the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb. From there, they could already see the brilliance of the Flameyellow Imperial Star.

”Brothers and sisters, your home lies ahead!” Mushan Feng roared from the top of a dragon head. It was truly a sight to behold. They had been away from home for far too long.