Beastmaster of the Ages

”Li Wudi!”

Dongfang Taisheng, Mushan Hong, and the remaining imperial-star elders stood profoundly shaken as they watched Wudi depart, leaving the Flameyellow Cavalry in their hands. They had all witnessed Tianming’s sense of responsibility, ambition, and unyielding willpower.

On this day, Wudi showed them the true spirit of the ”home defender.” Standing before him was Imperator Ming of the Virtue Pantheon. Did Wudi stand a chance? Of course not!

His bold charge was a calculated distraction, meant to draw Imperator Ming’s full attention away from the Flameyellow Cavalry and spare them a devastating blow. The elites of the Eightpart Pantheons posed the ultimate threat to the imperial star. With Imperator Ming now on the field, there was no telling when the remaining four imperatores of the five pantheons might also join the fray.

”Whatever the case, the arrival of Imperator Ming proves the Eightpart Pantheons’ strong resolve to wipe us out!”

This time, the wonderians and devas chose to stay out of the conflict. Logically, with only the five pantheons mobilized, the Eightpart Pantheons should have been plagued by internal rifts and disagreements. Even so, Imperator Ming had personally joined the battle. Not only did his presence cast the shadow of death over the imperial star, but it also instantly revived the morale of the five pantheons’ vanguard, turning their frantic panic and despair into renewed fervor.

”Now’s the time for our ultimate counterattack!”

”Breach the formation, crush the imperial star, and let their wretched blood dye this fallen world red!”

”The Eightpart Pantheons stand supreme, absolute rulers of the cosmos, reigning over all creation!”

A frenzied roar tore through the various units of the five pantheons. Their initial panic vanished, replaced by a surge of renewed pride as they fiercely pushed back against the next onslaught of the flameyellow cosmic gods.

The clash between Wudi and Imperator Ming was undeniably the focal point of this raging battlefield. Towering a hundred thousand meters tall, the astral giant lowered his head, his ninety-seven dark gray eyeballs bulging through gaps of his bandages to stare coldly at the red-haired man.

A suffocating pressure already weighed heavily upon Wudi. He knew that aside from the single eye on his head, the imperator’s remaining ninety-six eyes were actually beastface tattoos. In terms of strength, Imperator Ming was essentially a beastmaster with a 97-crest beast. Meanwhile, Wudi’s own kunpeng, Taixu, and totem’s simulacra had both reached 100.

A 100-crest beast was impossible to miss, and Imperator Ming spotted it instantly. ”I’ve heard for a long time that your talent is second only to Li Tianming’s. Seeing you today, I see you really do have something.” Like the grinding of dead wood, Imperator Ming’s voice was dry and cold, and sent a shiver down the spine.

”Cut the crap! What’s this garbage about being second to Tianming? I’m his old man! I’m the undisputed, absolute number young man in the cosmos!” Wudi snapped back, clearly annoyed. He was certainly young, yet greasy nonetheless, prematurely settling into the lifestyle of a middle-aged man.

Upon hearing Wudi’s retort, Imperator Ming instantly lost all interest in him. Instead, his numerous eyeballs locked onto the Flameyellow Coffin beneath Wudi with a hint of greed. Perhaps the Flameyellow Coffin had been his true target all along. To seize it was to control the imperial star, effectively eliminating the biggest problem the Eightpart Pantheons had faced since dominating the cosmos.

”Flameyellow ended long ago; only you filthy-blooded criminals remain. Your hopes of rising from the ashes to reclaim your former glory is naive and frankly exhausting.”

As he spoke, Imperator Ming suddenly reached out. His massive white arm that stretched for tens of thousands of meters turned into a spear that thrust straight at Wudi. Despite his casual demeanor, his death spear pierced the air and tore through countless fiery clouds, perfectly manifesting the devastating might of an imperator.

”My good brother!” Wudi was ready. Right before the terrifying moment, he flung open the Flameyellow Coffin, fusing himself with the coffin lid while Taixu merged seamlessly with the body of the coffin. They both instantly transformed into coffin man and coffin beast, their bodies taking on a metallic sheen like bronze figures in a total metamorphosis.

Clang!!

There was no dodging the pear. It slammed into Wudi’s chest, exploding in a deafening blast that silenced all other sounds of war. It was an attack few in the cosmos could ever survive. Even Tianming’s skypole stars would have struggled to withstand its deadly force.

However, Wudi actually withstood the attack after transforming into the coffin lid. Though both he and his beast were pierced and sent hurtling through the air with his chest caved-in... they survived! The two flew backward through the air, their faces contorted in pain.

”See that? My tortoise shell is way tougher than my son’s! What could he possibly have that compares to me?” Wudi roared excitedly.

”Are you crazy? You’re so desperate to outdo Tianming that you’re bragging about having a tortoise shell?” Taixu stared wide-eyed, completely speechless.

Their ongoing bickering was undoubtedly the ultimate insult to Imperator Ming. How could an imperator hundreds of thousands years old fail to crush this greasy ”middle-aged man” who wasn’t even a millennium old, and worse, be treated as if he were completely invisible?

At that moment, Imperator Ming’s eyes turned entirely lifeless, and a bone-chilling shadow completely enveloped the imperial star. He suddenly reached out and flipped his hand, unleashing a gray-white vortex from his palm. It expanded rapidly as it moved forward, turning into a deadly vortex that swallowed Wudi and Taixu.

The vortex spun violently, constricting around Wudi and Taixu. The vortex was like a deadly quicksand, dragging Wudi down regardless of how hard he fought back. While it failed to break the Flameyellow Coffin, this binding type of ability was the perfect counter to the coffin man and coffin beast.

”This is bad!” Taixu channeled its full power, cycling through the forms of a dragon, a phoenix, and other beasts, but none could rip through the vortex. It felt like the very gates of hell, so viscous it was impossible for them to move.

”Even if he doesn’t kill us, he can still drag us away! Once he removes us and the Flameyellow Coffin, the Flameyellow Guard Formation will be weakened!” Wudi said, gritting his teeth.

”What do we do then?” Taixu scowled.

The enemy was ruthless, and his sheer power was utterly suffocating!

Wudi roared, his eyes locked onto Imperator Ming. With a casual tug from Imperator Ming, the vortex swept them toward him. It was as though he had cast out a net and caught two giant fish!

”What are we going to do? Think of something!” Taixu roared.

”I know!” His face flushed, Wudi gritted his teeth and let out a shattering roar toward the heavens. ”Tianming, my son, get over here and save your father right now!!”