Beastmaster of the Ages

Tianming informed Imperator Yin about the nine Aeternal Beings. Now that they stood in the same camp, information had to be shared. He also came clean about the war in the Realm of Chaos that had just ended.

After Yin Chen laid everything out, Imperator Yin fell silent for a long time.

It took quite a while for his reply. “If so, Li Tianming, your chances of victory are extremely low.”

Tianming could imagine this imperator wasn’t looking too pleased.

“Do you regret it? Siding with me, opposing the Eightpart Pantheons and now the Aeternal Beings?”

Another long silence followed.

“Our devas have the courage to bear all consequences of our choices. The last thing we want is to be fence-sitters. As for whether our choice is right or wrong, that comes down to you, Li Tianming.”

After that, Yin Chen delivered a final message. “The other imperatores have ended the conversation! They have fully activated their astralguard formations!”

Tianming fell silent. Imperator Yin had ultimately pushed the responsibility back onto him.

Originally, he had hoped to perhaps learn something about the enemy’s targets, but Imperator Yin had no information at all.

They could only defend with everything they had.

“He said it’s up to us next.” Tianming looked around, his expression grave.

“In fact, this is good news,” Wudi said with a sigh. “At least they’ve chosen to defend instead of surrendering outright. Otherwise, if the enemy focused everything on our Imperial Star, the pressure on us would be even greater.”

Granny Yin said nothing. She simply stared at Li Tianming, waiting for his decision.

But Tianming found it difficult to decide. He couldn’t abandon either world. It all boiled down to insufficient strength.

Dongfang Taisheng stepped forward. “Actually, the situation may not be that bad. The armies of the ashuras, Sin, and Virtue Pantheons suffered heavy losses in the previous battle, so the devas and us don’t need to be overly pessimistic when it comes to military might. The key lies in top-tier combat power. If the enemy launches a decapitation strike, we’ll have a hard time dealing with it.”

Tianming and Wudi nodded in agreement. Flameyellow’s armies had the astralguard formation and Flameyellow Coffin to support them.

The real issue lay in top-tier power. Led by Shen Wu, with Tian Jiu and six imperatores, the enemy held an overwhelming advantage.

“The enemy will launch their attack soon.” Zi Zhen spoke up. “We don’t have much time to decide whether to support Deva Imperius.”

As long as Tianming was not in immediate danger, she stayed rational.

She glanced at Granny Yin and said, “Our situation here is no longer like the Realm of Chaos. There, we had a safety net. Here, you’re the pillar, Tianming. If something happens to you, everything collapses.”

Dongfang Taisheng nodded solemnly. “That’s right. Nothing must happen to you.”

Zi Zhen continued, “So I lean toward defending Flameyellow. The Imperial Star is the root of the flameyellow divinities, and your root as well, Tianming. It cannot be abandoned.”

“But we can’t just ignore the devas.” Li Wudi, ever loyal, frowned. “They joined us, and last time they even saved Tianming from three imperatores! Standing by is not the way of the flameyellow divinities.”

Granny Yin grew agitated. “Exactly! And if us devas fall and our imperator is killed... it’ll only be worse for you!”

Zi Zhen glanced at her but didn’t argue.

Instead, she pointed out another fact. “The Imperial Star cannot be moved. We must protect the Primordial Sands and that person here.”

“You’re right.” Even Wudi looked deeply troubled. “But won’t abandoning Deva Imperius make us dishonorable traitors? No matter the outcome of this war, it would be a lifelong stain!”

Tianming nodded after hearing both of them.

Truthfully, both were right.

And by nature, Tianming was not the type to abandon his allies. The matter of the Wonderian Fairy already weighed heavily on him. Though he had treated her like a slave, he had begun to accept her... only for her to be devoured by Tian Jiu.

He didn’t want to leave himself with regrets now.

But trying to hold onto both fronts was extremely difficult.

“In the end, it still comes down to Shen Wu,” Zi Zhen frowned. “If she makes a move, our situation will become extremely passive. If we concentrate our forces to defend Flameyellow, we might hold out, but if we split our forces to support Deva Imperius, our chances against Shen Wu become even slimmer.”

Wudi suddenly said, “If it comes to that, I’ll lead our forces and defend the Imperial Star to the death! Tianming, you can use the speed advantage of the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb to support the devas. If necessary, you can rush back in an emergency.”

He looked around at the others. “It’s risky, but it’s the only way to try to cover both sides.”

Given the situation, Tianming had no better solution.

“Let me analyze the current situation. Whether in terms of armies or top-tier powerhouses, the enemy still hold a massive advantage even if they split their forces! So it’s very likely they won’t choose a single main target but to open both fronts...”