Beastmaster of the Ages

”Insect-head people?” The little empress’s expression immediately changed when she heard those words. ”Nononono!”

She squealed nonstop as Tianming dragged her along with the totems still impaled in her out of Sundown Imperial capital. The 200-fold simulacrum, coupled with omnisentient power, was more than capable of keeping the girl subdued. The decapath era godswords had pierced through her body and locked down all her power, keeping her from moving in the slightest with their unending flow of totem ki.

”Don’t do it! I can’t!” No matter how she struggled, she ended up getting dragged out. She looked ahead in a panic and saw forty-nine massive figures with nicely muscled bodies that exuded a certain masculine charm. Yet, when her gaze reached their heads, she felt like her innards were rioting. Their red compound eyes, savage mandibles, fine hairs and sticky green slime made her pale up and puke nonstop.

”How’s that? Look at their perfectly chiseled bodies. There’s so many of them that they’ll definitely provide a satisfactory experience to you. Aren’t I treating you just so well?” Tianming said, hovering in the air beside her.

She puked out another mouthful and shuddered in a panic. Breaking down in tears, she said, ”Don’t! I give up! It’s my loss! I’ll beg the imperator for help! I promise they’ll call the troops back?”

”Oh? Wonderful. Guess we don’t have to waste any time then.” Tianming pulled his totems back into his bane-rings. The little empress looked at the wounds on her body with some fear, knowing that Tianming could just as easily kill her if he wanted to. There was no escape. ”Alright, describe my forty-nine friends here in great detail to that husband of yours.”

”Shameless!” The little empress immediately notified the imperator about it. Though there had been no need for her to make direct contact since the imperator had people in Calabash Windfiend who were paying attention to the situation, hearing a personal plea from his concubine might be more effective.

It didn’t take long before the little empress came back. ”I already said what I needed to say. Whether he’ll call the troops back isn’t something I can unilaterally decide.”

”Good.” Tianming was busy listening in to Yin Chen’s reports on the other side and couldn’t be bothered with her.

He had done far fewer things in Sundown Imperius than he had in Ninefirm Imperius. They were prepared for him, after all, so it wasn’t likely that he’d be able to capture the controller of the astralguard formation like the NInefirm imperial son this time around. However, he believed that the imperator merely needed a pretext to call his troops back. If the little empress wasn’t enough, he would keep adding chips to the pile.

”Sundown Pantheon... has retreated,” Yin Chen reported.

”Did they enter the wormhole expressway yet?” Tianming asked.

”Not yet... The four... armies had... been mobilized... and were... heading to... the Sun... Sundown Pantheon... turned back... before the... battle started.” The fact that they knew that Tianming was causing a mess in their backyard had made the ashuras, Sin and Virtue Pantheons to rush the attack. They had mobilized their main force long ago.

”Once the Sundown Pantheon’s troops go back into the wormhole expressway, we should go back to join the battle,” Tianming said. It didn’t take long before Yin Chen confirmed that fact.

In fact, it didn’t really matter whether the troops entered the wormhole or not. The fact that another pantheon had decided to drop out of the battle had already created enough rifts and cracks in their alliance. This would greatly diminish their morale. Rebuilding trust would be incredibly difficult in the short term, and that was the most basic of objectives that Tianming had tried to achieve.

”Let’s go.” Tianming called the undying aeternals to return with him.

”Wait a second,” the little empress said.

”What’s up?” He looked at her, puzzled.

”Are you leaving just like that? You don’t even want a hostage? What if my husband hears that you left without me and returns to the battlefield?”

”I’m a man of my word. Since he retreated, I released you. A gentleman’s agreement from my end,” Tianming lied. Yin Chen had already verified that it would be really difficult for the Sundown Pantheon to rejoin the battle after what had transpired.

”Fine.” She bit her lip and lowered her head. Though Tianming couldn’t be bothered with her, the silver-eyed blonde beauty surprisingly said, ”Hey, take me with you!”

Surprised, Tianming asked, ”Why?”

”I... I don’t want to wait on that old man! This is my chance to leave the darkness and jump into the light! I want to join the Tianming Dynasty’s glorious project!” she said excitedly.

”Are you insane or plain stupid? Nobody in the Eightpart Pantheons believes that I’ll truly win. Even if you don’t bet on me, there’s no guarantee that you’ll end up dead either when I exterminate the Eightpart Pantheons. But if you choose to bet on me and I lose, the Sundown Pantheon will stop at nothing to skin you. Your friends and family will be wrapped up in all this.”

”I have no friends and family. The imperator killed them long ago. That’s why I have a grudge against him. Do you understand how I feel?” Her eyes were bloodshot and her teeth were grit hard. ”He thinks that he can control everything, even the vengeful daughter! All I’ve been waiting for is the day when he dies! Now that you’re here, I don’t want to stay here anymore. I want to run while he’s still away!”

”Is she telling the truth?” Tianming asked Yin Chen.

Yin Chen did some investigative work and said, ”It is... indeed true... but I... can’t verify... if her.. hate is... actually real.”

”Got it.” Tianming gave it some thought. This dramatic tale of old tyrants dominating a poor little girl was horrid but interesting all the same. He had seen a different side of the Eightpart Pantheons that he hadn’t been aware of, something their pride would never allow them to admit.

He shrugged and said, ”Alright. I do welcome those who wish to join me and create the new universal order. If you come with me, I’ll make sure you have the chance to contribute.”

”Wonderful!” She jumped a hundred thousand meters high in utter bliss, a stark contrast from how terrified she looked before the undying aeternals. ”But then, if I leave, would there still be a point for the imperator to return?”

”Like I said, all he wanted was a pretext to leave the fight. He already got it,” Tianming said before he soared into the sky.

The little empress bid Sundown Imperius farewell one last time and followed Tianming into the clouds.