Beastmaster of the Ages

With a loud boom, the mistress of the Seventh Branch was sent flying. Even the ground cracked from the sheer force, yet all that could be seen was a long, thin leaf! Like a small ribbon, the leaf neatly wrapped around Tianming and the girls and pulled them away.

”Dongshen Yue, are you insane?! This is our ancestral ground!” Lin Wuyi shrieked. Thousands of people immediately gathered behind her and glared at the bloody skull.

”You think a lass like you is fit to address me by name just because you’re the Seventh Branch Mistress? Even your parents have to bow before me!” the skull said.

”You old thing, why wouldn’t I dare call your name? Who do you think you are?!”

”Who am I? Hahaha, listen up. Even though I’m old and less than half as strong as I was in my peak, my place in the reges mundi ranking is still higher than yours. If you’re unsatisfied, go to the Infinitum Battlefield and fight me to the death! I may be a sack of old bones, but that won’t stop me from devouring your young flesh!”

Fighting to the death was no joke, especially not when it would take place on the Infinitum Battlefield. Once Lin Wuyi accepted, it would only end with the death of one side. She was still young, and should she just die like that and waste away her future potential, it would be a grand shame; she had just become a branch mistress, after all. Lin Wuyi kept her mouth shut after the skull issued the challenge, her face grim.

”Ptooey! So you were just throwing your weight around without anything to back it up? To go so far as to disrespect your seniors like this.... Two thousand years ago, someone like you wouldn’t even be fit to raise my shoes!” the skull said, cackling. Even with all that mockery, there was no way Lin Wuyi could talk back against that. She was so mad that her teeth were shuddering.

”Um, Second Patriarch, I believe it’s best that we don’t act too rashly about this. Let’s all calm down. We’re at the Myriadsword Mausoleum, after all,” said the master of the Third Branch. It was clear from the tone that, while Lin Lao’er was also a branch master like the rest, he was on a different level. It looked like Tianming’s grandparents had a much higher status.

”Lin Xiaoyun, I don’t need you here either.” The bloody storm finally dissipated.

Tianming felt himself dragged to one side. When the leaf around him slipped away, he finally saw the old couple. One was dressed in loose undergarments, standing at the side like a minion with a braided beard. The other was dressed in black-and-red robes and held a skull-capped staff, standing ramrod straight with a fierce expression.

”Your grandson Lin Mu— I mean, Li Tian— ah, no, Lin Feng, greets you, Grandparents! May your fortunes eclipse the seas and mountains!” He was so nervous that he had almost forgotten his identity.

The old couple blankly looked at him as he spoke. Then the old man smiled and winked at him. The old crone gave him a strict look, but her eyes were reddened. If the others could immediately determine that he was Lin Mu’s son with a single look, there was no way these two would be unable to.

The entire mausoleum had fallen silent upon the arrival of the old couple. Lin Xiaoyun, master of the Third Branch, cleared his throat and said, ”Seniors, he’s the son of Lin Mu. The sins of the father are borne by the son, so he should pay for the mistakes of Lin Mu. It is only fitting. That’s why we’ve all decided to let him kneel before the ancestors and apologize for his father’s sins. If there’s any disagreement, shall we summon an assembly to discuss it there?”

”The sins of the father shall be borne by the son?” Dongshen Yue said with a smirk. ”To hell with that! Hasn’t Lin Lao’er done enough over all these years to make up for it? That matter has nothing to do with this child. He is innocent. Don’t even think of using that argument on me.”

”Granny, Second Patriarch has indeed remedied much of it, but as long as the Ancestral Swordheart hasn’t been returned, no amount of atonement will suffice,” Lin Xiaoyun said.

”That’s right!”

Many others echoed their agreement.

”Even then, that matter is ours to handle and has nothing to do with the child! We’ve been bearing the responsibility this entire time, and we haven’t croaked yet!” Dongshen Yue slammed her staff into the ground, causing the surroundings to shake. She gave everyone a sweeping gaze and, in the coldest tone she could muster, said, ”Everyone here, listen up! As long as the two of us are still alive, we will be accountable to the clan for Lin Mu’s matter. None of it has anything to do with the children! From now on, he’s one of the Swordgod Lin Clan, a member of our Second Branch. He’s the heir of our branch!

”Anyone that dares to kill, or even touch him will have their entire families eradicated by me, Dongshen Yue! We two old folks here no longer have anything else that ties us to this world, so don’t ever push us into a corner. I never hold back, and I’ve killed more people in my life than any of you have met! Mess with me and your entire family will meet its end!

”Lastly, even if I die, my elder brother’s still the ruler of the Grandnorth Dongshen Clan. Even though my clan isn’t one of the Infinitum Regal Clans, we can still easily destroy half of the Lin Clan!” Every single word sounded like a thunderous boom. Tianming was more than taken aback. Usually, it was men that threatened others with such bravado, but no man that he had seen could compare to this grandmother of his! With a single show of force and will, she had managed to stop a hundred thousand elite cultivators in their tracks.

Lin Wuyi could do nothing but grimace. ”How laughable and shameless! The son of a sinner is what he is, and even if you take him away today, that won’t change! You will hear about this during the assembly! He’s the son of Lin Mu, and his fate is not for an outsider like you to decide!”

”She is my wife! Call her an outsider again and I’ll see you at the Infinitum Battlefield! Fight me to the death, lass!” the old man said, glaring at Lin Wuyi. ”You think I’m afraid of the assembly? While I was attending the assembly with your grandfather, you were still playing in the mud!”

”You think that’s an insult? It’s only because you folks from the Second Branch broke your line of inheritance that you’re still allowed to represent your branch with us juniors!” Lin Wuyi said. That had always been seen as a key insult for the Second Branch, and normally, Lin Wuyi wouldn’t dare to utter it. But rage had gotten the better of her.

However, the old couple didn’t look angry at hearing that at all. Instead, the others from the Second Branch were and began cursing Lin Wuyi out for disrespecting her elders. In fact, the old man turned to look at Tianming like he would a treasure and said, ”Broke our line? Well, here’s our heir!” They seemed rather satisfied about it.

”So what if you do? But given the time since Lin Mu’s death, this ’child’ is at least a hundred years old! He wouldn’t even be the swordbeastless Lin Mu’s match! And who knows what vile xenoraces your son slept with to beget this mixed-blood bastard? Do you think that’s someone that can represent the Second Branch’s bloodline?” Lin Wuyi mocked.

”Well said, Lin Wuyi! I’ll challenge you nonstop to fight at the Infinitum Battlefield from today onward until you agree. I won’t ask for a fight to the death, all I want is to skin you alive,” Dongshen Yue said.

Lin Wuyi backed off and held her arms behind her back. The ones behind her could see her fingers shaking, yet she still grit her teeth and snapped, ”Do it all you want! I reserve the right to refuse.”

”You’ll use up that right one day.”

”Let’s see if you live to see that day.” This conflict was quite big news in the clan and was riveting for everyone else to see. Lin Wuyi smiled and continued, ”Additionally, even if you protect that piece of trash and nobody dares to touch or kill him, he’ll have to hide in your Brokensword Peak forever by mere virtue of being Lin Mu’s son! No matter where he goes in the Infinitum Swordsea, he’ll be laughed at and mocked! All he’s good for is being a decorative piece for your funerals. What difference will his presence make?”

Lin Wuyi’s tantrum had already crossed all taboos and she no longer cared about holding back. Nobody dared to utter a word; even Third Branch Master Lin Xiaoyun was speechless.

”Trash?” Tianming was quite annoyed. He was a top genius in the Mysterium Cluster, and even in Ebonia, he felt that he was already quite impressive among those of his age, though he still couldn’t quite measure up against those a century old. Being called trash was so divorced from reality that he almost wanted to laugh. However, the realization of his age made him want to cry once more. According to the time of Lin Mu’s death, ’Lin Feng’ had to be at least a hundred years old, so there was no way he could come clean about his real age. Even if he was now protected, his real age would come up one day, making him even more reluctant to leave the Infinitum Swordsea. I guess I’ll have to work around having my age inspected if I ever come across it!

Even so, he couldn’t stand seeing his grandparents be mocked like that. Please protect me well. One day, I’ll fight to pay them back for the slights!

”Let’s go.” Dongshen Yue ignored the rest and dragged the old man along by the beard as she disappeared into a mist of blood.

”Huh? What about us?” Tianming was left stunned. The next instant, a green leaf wrapped them all up once more and pulled them away.

”The storm has parted and clear skies are ahead. Lin Feng of the Second Branch, your time to rise to the heavens has come!” Tianming had never felt more motivated.