Beastmaster of the Ages

Tianming’s words sent a ripple through the army.

First, they hadn’t expected there to be so many other pioneers. Second, they wondered how Tianming could know all of that with such precision.

For a hundred thousand years, people had whispered that the imperial son was terrifying, but no one truly knew why.

“Violetblitz? Aquamarine? Torch Dragon?” murmured the female cosmic god, Li Nianjiao. She sent out scouts to verify the intelligence, then turned to Tianming. “Can the imperial son guarantee that what you said is true?”

“What do you think?” Tianming replied casually, utterly unhurried.

“How strong are they?” Li Nianjiao pressed.

“They’re all heavencosmic armies like yours,” Tianming answered bluntly.

A heavencosmic army meant every soldier was at least a thousand metres tall. These were elite troops. Though they were only a few thousand in number, they had quite a few cosmic gods exceeding five thousand meters in height, making them a strategic asset.

They were also far more mobile than regular cosmic god armies.

In the Inverse Battlefield, it was mostly heavencosmic army who ventured out to seek Chaos Star Ruins. A thousand soldiers, a balance between power and coordination, was the standard unit size.

“Four thousand soldiers, and from three factions...” Hearing such an exact number, Li Nianjiao no longer doubted him.

“Well? I’m going to fight them for it regardless. Are you withdrawing, or joining? If you’re joining, which side do you stand on? Be quick about it,” Tianming said with a grin. “Cherish this moment, not everyone gets a choice.”

His tone carried a lofty confidence, which rubbed some soldiers the wrong way. For a god who wasn’t particularly strong, his arrogance was hard to swallow. Still, in military campaigns, orders were iron law. All eyes turned to Li Nianjiao.

“Please allow us a moment to discuss,” she said seriously, gathering her vice commanders.

All of them shook their heads.

“If we ally with him, we’ll never withstand the combined forces of three armies.”

“According to the rules, those three also count as discoverers. When too many discoverers appear, a multi-party treaty is usually signed to divide the ruin peacefully. But clearly, this imperial son intends not to share.”

“True. Nullity’s reinforcements will probably arrive first. But if we secure this place before anyone else, even the Mu Clan won’t dare act rashly. The first to occupy holds the advantage.”

After hearing them out, Li Nianjiao swept her gaze across the group and asked, “So your proposals are to play it safe and sign a five-party division?”

“Otherwise, we might walk away with nothing,” said an older cosmic god. “Greed will only swallow us whole. And didn’t you hear him? Even if we help him win, he’ll only give us one-tenth. But if we share among five parties, we’d get one-fifth!”

“This imperial son is underestimating us.”

After their objections, Li Nianjiao said softly, “I have... a different thought.”

“General, whatever you decide, we’ll follow,” they said respectfully.

Li Nianjiao glanced toward Tianming. “First of all,” she said, “a hundred thousand years ago, our Imperator Feng witnessed the imperial son’s power firsthand. His judgment today, telling us not to oppose him, must have a reason. He was the imperator who knew the imperial son best outside the sky plunderers. His decision was not made lightly.”

She paused, then continued, “Now, the imperial son has returned, yet shown little of his old strength. Most people are watching and doubting him, believing his reputation exceeds his ability. In that case... I’d like to gamble.”

“You’d really gamble?” one of her vice commanders asked, uneasy.

“This Chaos Star Ruin isn’t large enough to affect the true balance of power,” she replied calmly. “But it is a suitable test of Imperator Feng’s judgment. Worth the risk.”

By then, her mind was made up.

“Very well.” The others nodded one after another. They still weren’t certain, but they were ready to bet on it.

Li Nianjiao turned back to Tianming, stepped forward, and said respectfully, “Imperial son, regarding this Chaos Star Ruin, our flamemaples are willing to stand on the same side as you.”

Tianming raised a brow, mildly surprised. “The odds are stacked against us. Aren’t you afraid of losing your people?”

Li Nianjiao looked over her shoulder. Indeed, her decision had unsettled nearly eighty percent of her troops. Yet she only smiled and said, “It’s fine. If the imperial son proves lacking, we can always retreat. The enemy just wants the ruin. They won’t chase us down to massacre us.”

“Good. That’s straightforward,” Tianming said.

And with that, their alliance was formed.

Though most of the flamemaples were uneasy, there was no time for second thoughts as the three enemies had arrived!

To the left, coils of lightning snakes!

To the right, roaring infernos like dragons!

And straight ahead, boundless clouds roiled forward like a raging sea.

Within the lightning, fire, and sea, towering cosmic gods loomed one after another until all three armies converged over the divine channel.

“The couple Lin Ran and Liu Shuang from Violetblitz.

“Nangong Zhao of Torch Dragon.

“And Hai Mu from Aquamrine.”

Li Nianjiao’s sharp gaze swept across them, recognizing each leader instantly. Of them, she was most familiar with the pair from Violetblitz.

“What a coincidence,” she said, gesturing toward the two towering lightning-wreathed cosmic gods. “They’re Lin Wanjun’s parents, and they’ve been wanting to avenge him.”

“Parents? How old are they?” Tianming asked warily.

“Far less venerable than you, imperial son,” Li Nianjiao replied with a teasing smile. “They’ve cultivated for merely ten thousand years.”

“And you?” Tianming asked, exasperated.

“Reporting to the imperial son: I’m only eight thousand years old, in the prime of my life,” she said proudly.

“Only eight thousand years old...” Tianming could only laugh helplessly.

Still, he knew his own growth was swift. Not long ago he’d fought Lin Wanjun, who was five hundred years old, and now he was facing opponents nearing ten thousand. Given time, reaching the peak of the Realm of Chaos was inevitable.

By then, the three opposing armies had already taken stock of the full situation.

Nangong Zhao of Torch Dragon gave Tianming a single glance before addressing the others, “As you can see, this Chaos Star Ruin isn’t large. We all discovered it, so by the old rules, there are only two paths: either a treaty to divide it equally, or battle. The Torch Dragon Starcage believes fighting over such a small ruin is meaningless. We propose a peaceful division.”