Beastmaster of the Ages

Within close to half a year, Tianming had finished his preparations. He made sure to study up well on the Oldgod Domain, his prospective opponents, and the event rules. He was filled with anticipation the day before the event. It would last a few months, at the shortest, and as much as three to five years at the longest, and there was a chance he would never return, so he made sure to bask in his family’s warmth before that. But that very day, Lin Xiao came to them, teary-eyed, and told them of Ku’s passing.

”Why’d it happen so quickly?” Tianming hadn’t even met him before. He had thought he would do so when he returned from the minor reges mundi ranking after proving himself to give him the good news.

”Nobody’s able to escape the great limit. Even his lifebound beasts all passed a few years ago,” Lin Xiao said with a sigh. The laws of the world were cold and unfeeling. Even gods and astral gods still had limited lifespans.

No matter how powerful one was at the peak of their youth, they would have to slowly return the nova source, divine wills, and orders they had taken from the universe the moment the second half of their lives started. What they once possessed would slip away, and everything they had at any moment was merely borrowed and would have to be returned. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Such was life, such was true cultivation. If humans were to continue taking in energy and resources without giving anything back, the universe would one day be sucked dry and there would be no fundamental cosmic force left for the next generation to use.

Nobody could permanently take from the universe; such was the law. Being able to live for thousands of years as astral gods was already a gift for which one should be grateful. Mortals, on the other hand, though still humans, only lived a century at most. Tianming had to give Wei Tiancang, Li Jingyu, and the rest life-extending items until they finally grew enough to break through the mortal condition and were able to stop their aging for the short term. As such, Ku was the very first person Tianming knew of that died from reaching the absolute age limit. Hearing about it reminded him of how cruel the cultivation world was. No matter how much effort one put into cultivation, one day, all of that effort would evaporate thanks to the relentless march of entropy.

......

Ku’s funeral took place in the Myriadsword Mausoleum. As a leading figure that was well respected in the clan, he had earned the right to be entombed there. That was the greatest recognition one could achieve throughout their life in the Lin Clan, representing eternal honor and prestige. His caelum would rise to the seventh level of the Caeli Vault with the greatest of forebears to illuminate the path for generations to come.

During the entombment, the entire clan mourned. Tianming watched from the very sides of the mausoleum as Ku’s coffin was brought toward the mausoleum by his children and grandchildren. Everyone knelt, and Tianming followed suit. The fact that an atmosphere of grief filled the entire place was a sign that people fondly remembered Ku and his contributions. However, who could say for sure which of those that knelt there were truly weeping for the man? Were there some people who had eagerly been awaiting the coming of that day? Alas, those unfilial sons and daughters seldom let it show on their faces. There was no guessing their inner thoughts based on what could be observed on the surface.

”Tomorrow, the children shall head to the Oldgod Domain to climb the reges mundi ranking. This time around, we have to bring glory back to the Infinitum Swordsea, for Ku’s sake! We fight for Ku!”

After the ceremony, the members of the clan were filled with a burning passion. They seemed to understand that what would follow after the departure of a dear senior was battle.

......

The funeral lasted an entire day. Ebonia was shrouded in night all the time, but the artificial lights were usually so bright that it almost looked like day. As people began departing from the mausoleum, black hail battered down on the world, briefly sending it into chaos. The hail around the Infinitum Swordsea was so dense that its waters splashed to great heights.

However, they weren’t actually hailstones, but rather crystallizations of nova source from the thick dark clouds above. Occasionally, they would rain down like ice crystals and could be so dense as to be devastating enough to shake the world and crack the ground.

The end of the funeral marked the closing of an era. When the council members left, they split into two groups that headed east and west respectively. Not a single one of them turned back, all of them believing that they were headed in the right direction.

......

When the hail was at its most chaotic, an old man dressed in shorts zipped past the ocean waters and arrived at an island, upon which was an old, dilapidated building. He knocked on the door, and the one that opened it was a burly fat man with the physique of a bear.

”Brother Tiger, I’ve been waiting for you,” the black bear said with a smile.

”I still have a thousand years left to live. I’ll dedicate the time I have remaining to the clan, to Ku,” Lin Xiao said, his eyes slightly reddened. He grit his teeth and entered the building, seeing familiar faces all around.

”Well met, Lin Xiao of the second branch!”

......

The next day, the participants from the nine branches of the Lin Clan quickly gathered. All of them stood out from their peers, with the aura they gave off being around Lin Xiuzhu’s level. Everyone stood straight and looked squarely ahead instead of at each other.

Since Yin Chen had evolved, its communication range had expanded quite a bit to the point that it was even more useful than gold transmission stones. Tianming could stay in contact with Feiling and the rest and remain notified about what happened in the clan.

It would only be a short parting, but that didn’t make it one bit easier. As Tianming left for the battlefield, Dongshen Yue, Feiling, and the others silently watched him go. He could be well assured of their safety, with his grandmother protecting and guiding them. Xiaoxiao and Feiling were sixth-level stellaminors now, and they needed a peaceful cultivation environment more than Tianming did.

”No need to send me off. You guys can go back,” Tianming said.

”No, I want to see you off,” Feiling said.

Tianming smiled. He had left a billion Yin Chens at the Infinitum Swordsea, spreading them far and wide. They had infiltrated many locations that weren’t guarded by formations. As for the remaining nine billion, he had decided to take them with him to the Oldgod Domain. His all-seeing surveillance would be a competitive advantage that only he possessed. While his actual age might pale in comparison to that of the other participants, his faith and fighting spirit were nothing to scoff at.

”The better I perform there, the better standing Grandpa will have here.”