Beastmaster of the Ages

This time, Tianming did not allow the Nullity cosmic gods to chase their enemies to the end and slaughter them all. After all, the Dongshen Arena was indeed a special place. It was often more effective to stop fights at the right moment. Otherwise, there would be no reason for this arena to exist.

“Ceasefire!” At that moment, Yueling Momo stepped forward and voluntarily requested a truce. His face twisted in frustration. He had also admitted defeat.

“Do you want to die?” Yueling Zhao hissed coldly.

“Imperial Daughter, we’ve lost this time. If we keep fighting, more people will only die. If we stop now, there’s still a chance to preserve the Dongshen Arena,” Yueling Momo said.

“What’s the point of preserving this broken place?” Yueling Zhao shouted in fury.

Yueling Momo fell silent. Indeed, to such a lofty imperial daughter, the trade, communication, and life-and-death duels among lowly cosmic gods were meaningless. In this Inverse Battlefield, only war fortresses and Chaos Star Ruins held any value.

However, if places like the Dongshen Arena were to vanish, it would mean the complete end of peace and dialogue in the Realm of Chaos. Only endless wars and hatred would remain between the various starcages. There would be no more unspoken understanding and no more rules.

“A bunch of useless trash!” Yueling Zhao also knew that the tide had turned. Today’s defeat would inevitably deal a heavy blow to her reputation.

Turning back, she glared at Tianming with venomous eyes and said darkly, “You dared to humiliate the four imperators of my Yueling Starcage before everyone, and you slaughtered my people here. You’d better have the guts to stay here and wait for me. I’ll come back and crush this place flat!”

With that, she turned into a blazing streak of fire and vanished into the heavens.

With her departure, the chaos of the Dongshen Arena finally came to an end.

Everyone there, whether both sides of the conflict or the spectators, fell into silence.

Landing on the ground, Tianming looked toward Yueling Momo and said, “You’ve been here for many years. You know better than anyone that once the Dongshen Arena turns into a place of mass slaughter that ignores all accords, it loses its very meaning and becomes nothing but a ruin. Yet you still followed that little imperial daughter and initiated the fight. Even if I had wiped you all out today, you would have had no right to complain.”

Yueling Momo remained silent, unable to speak. His roots were here in the Dongshen Arena. Without it, he was nothing.

Had he defeated the Nullity Guild, things might have turned out differently. But now, after suffering a sound defeat, he was out of options.

“Still, I’ve decided to preserve this place as much as possible,” Tianming said, turning to the cosmic gods of the Nullity Guild. His voice deepened. “Because this place is a sanctuary of hope for many ordinary people. In this Realm of Chaos, it’s one of the few remaining spaces for dialogue. Even without your Yueling Starcage, others from different starcages have the right to decide whether the Dongshen Arena should continue to exist.”

“Well said. The dignity and hope of ordinary people shouldn’t be decided by the Yueling Starcage alone.” A middle-aged cosmic god named Jiang Yunhai stepped forward. He wore a long crimson robe embroidered with the fierce image of a flaming Vermilion Bird.

He addressed everyone publicly, saying, “Today, Yueling Zhao couldn’t make a wager, grew furious out of shame, and forced the Yueling Starcage’s cosmic gods to attack. We all saw what happened. On this matter, our Vermilion Bird Starcage stands with the imperial son. Today’s Realm of Chaos needs places like the Dongshen Arena that act as places for dialogue.”

Beside Jiang Yunhai stood a woman named Chen Shuang, his wife.

In the Vermilion Bird Starcage, the surnames Jiang, Chen, and Xing stood at the top, much like the Ignispolis that Tianming remembered.

After Jiang Yunhai spoke, another cosmic god named Li Xuanguo stepped forward. He represented the flamemaple race in the Dongshen Arena. His input was blunt. “This place must be kept for the sake of those who struggle because of divine defects. Stop this nonsense.”

The quintessence herbs had differing attributes; only suitable ones could save lives. Hence, trade was vital, and trade required a venue. Only that way could more lives be saved.

The remaining cosmic gods from other starcages such as Torch Dragon and Aquamarine voiced no objections. The matter was settled.

After all, everyone made their living here. Who would want it destroyed?

Everyone’s gaze turned toward Yueling Momo.

He stood silent for a long time before finally lowering his head and saying, “Fine. I’ll try to persuade the little imperial daughter. But—”

He looked up at Tianming and added coldly, “You humiliated the names of our four imperatores. We will settle that score with you.”

“Settle it however you like. Just don’t drag innocent people into it,” Tianming replied.

“Hmph!”

Yueling Momo snorted coldly, then led his few remaining followers away in gloomy silence.

“After this battle, the Yueling Starcage’s prestige in the Dongshen Arena has completely collapsed,” Jiang Yunhai said quietly. “If they don’t send reinforcements, their current morale will leave them at the bottom.”

“In contrast, with the imperial son overseeing the Nullity Starcage, it will only attract more followers,” Chen Shuang said. She paused before asking, “Do you think that’s a good thing or a bad thing?”

Jiang Yunhai smiled deeply. “The Dongshen Arena is just a reflection of the entire Realm of Chaos. Everyone is struggling between dialogue and conflict. Greed and authority drive people mad. What is the true path forward for this Realm of Chaos? I wonder... For now, at least the imperial son respects ordinary people. If the Yueling Starcage ruled supreme, those four tyrannical imperatores would never leave anyone else a path to live.”

“So you mean that we need more sky plunderers to suppress people’s ambitions. Only then can the Realm of Chaos truly have a future and every ordinary person can have their own dignity...” Chen Shuang said, understanding him.

Jiang Yunhai replied softly, “Report this incident to Matriarch Qingluan. Tell her that this imperial son truly is an interesting one.”

“A hundred thousand years ago, those two were making eyes at each other and almost became a pair. Though Princess Qing has waited a hundred thousand years, hasn’t our matriarch done the same? These feelings run as deep as the sea.” As Chen Shuang spoke, she couldn’t help but laugh.