Beastmaster of the Ages

The rate of growth Tianming had shown during the ranking event was nothing short of a miracle, even to his seniors. As such, they believed that Tianming was still in his peak cultivation phase, where each day wasted was one that would never come back. Since the etherean in Gladeus wasn’t willing to come to Ebonia, they wouldn’t keep waiting.

”We’re relatively free right now, so we can escort you in person,” Lin Changkong said.

”Thank you!” That was a godsend to Tianming. No doubt, these council members were swamped with many administrative tasks, like managing the affairs of the corporation across all of Ebonia. The fact that they would make time to escort Tianming around was proof of how highly they regarded him.

”Just in case, I’ll take the Phantavoid along with me. It’s a smaller ship that’s more convenient to pilot around in the Infinitum Swordsea,” Lin Chongyao said. As Ku’s eldest son, he looked really similar to Lin Hongchen and could be considered quite a handsome man.

”The Phantavoid? That’s even better,” Lin Xiao said.

Tianming had a rough idea of it. It was an ether-class divine astralship, and while it was smaller than the clan’s other ships, it boasted incredible combat capabilities, having played a crucial role in many military operations of the Lin Clan. It used to belong to the Unisword Goddess, Lin Xiaozhi.

Lin Xiaozhi was an ancestor of the clan’s first branch. She wasn’t the one that constructed the ether-class ship herself, though; it was more of a joint project between the early ancestors of the first branch. Lin Xiaozhi did indeed infuse some of her understanding of space into the Phantavoid, giving it many impressive spatial transference and shifting abilities. It was a ’ghost fighter’ among divine astralships, boasting impressive tailing, evasive, and offensive capabilities. It was also known as the Xiaozhi, named after its owner.

Different from normal mass-produced mini ships, the higher-class vessels were huge construction projects that required many, many generations to complete. Much effort and planning went into the construction of those war machines. Compared to the Firmament, a powerhouse of the ninth branch, the first branch’s Phantavoid was a nimble assassin.

”There’s no historical precedent of using the Phantavoid to protect a disciple while he’s cultivating. You’re the first,” Lin Chongyao said.

”I’m honored.” Seeing them work so hard for his sake, Tianming was determined to not let them down.

They proceeded to Swordsoul Purgatory.

”Are you trying to get the next strikes of the Grandvoid Compendium or the Xiaozhi Sword Art, my dear grandson?” Lin Xiao asked.

”Yeah.”

”Did you interface with their caeli in the reges mundi level?”

”Both of them, yes. I’m just not familiar enough with them yet. Then Tianxi and Lin Jianxing’s matter got in my way.”

”Alright. We’ll try our luck in the Swordsoul Purgatory. If you obtain the sword arts, you’ll at least have something to do in the council hall,” Lin Xiao said.

”If you really have nothing to do, work on making a child,” Dongshen Yue added.

”Dang....” Lin Xiong, Lin Changkong, and Lin Chongyao looked at her, mouths agape.

”They’re still babies! Isn’t that too soon?” Lin Xiong didn’t know what to make of that.

”Right. They should become astral gods first,” Dongshen Yue said. That was something that would take years! Feiling and the others were only about thirty years old, after all.

”Impressive.” Lin Changkong gave her a thumbs-up.

Dongshen Yue didn’t have any heirs. She wanted to ensure the future prosperity of the second branch, which was why she was so eager for Tianming to work harder. The insensitive conversation of the elders drove the blushing young maidens away. Dongshen Yue followed them as their escort, while the other four elders protected Tianming. He hadn’t left the council hall for more than a month, as if he had been imprisoned there.

”The Phantavoid will arrive soon.”

Tianming quietly waited at the entrance. Looking around, it felt like the hustle and bustle in the Infinitum Swordsea had nothing to do with him. He had to live in the shadows, with his life constantly under threat. Tianxi, the mysterious divine wonderian, and the ancestral-world monster were all immense threats, constantly lurking in the darkness.

As Tianming’s mood turned cold, the Phantavoid arrived. It was much smaller than the Firmament, which meant it had a much lower passenger capacity, making it almost exclusively designed for combat. While it was far away, Tianming had thought it was a normal white sword. But up close, he found that it actually looked like a gladiolus, also known as a sword lily, which gave it a more elegant, less savage air. Dense patterns covered its surface, radiating the power of space. It must have some kind of cloaking ability, too!

Lin Chongyao landed the ship in front of Tianming. ”Now, leave the formation and board!”

The five of them boarded the ship. The inside of the ship wasn’t luxuriously decorated; instead, it was mostly plain white and minimalist. The four elders looked all around the place as Tianming boarded, not letting their guards down in the slightest. Their foes were too powerful for them to risk that.

I probably won’t be able to live this down unless I pay them back somehow. As Tianming thought that, the ship silently rose and disappeared from the council hall.

......

While he had four council members guarding him, Tianming was still given a swordsoul bracelet before entering the Swordsoul Purgatory. That would allow anyone in the Swordsoul Chamber to watch over him.

”Wouldn’t this let Tianxi or that monster find me more easily?” Tianming asked.

”It’s fine. They’ll know where you are anyway whether you wear it or not,” Lin Xiao said.

”Are they that impressive?”

”You simply can’t imagine what those in the top ten in the entire mundus are capable of.” When Lin Xiao was at his peak, he had ranked within the top thirty, even higher than Lin Jie and Lin Changkong, though his decline saw him drop outside the top two hundred. However, the fight where he had used the Sword in the Forest showed that he was still powerful enough to rank in the top fifty, though his ranking wasn’t updated as it wasn’t a formal battle.

”If Tianxi shows up, it’s good for us. We’re ready for him this time,” Lin Xiong said.

”That’s right. The clan has many people. I refuse to believe that he would spend that long in the Infinitum Swordsea trying to wipe us out one by one,” Lin Chongyao said, pissed.

Tianming had told them about how he’d turned into the black star back then. Lin Xiao fully believed him, given that he was able to escape Chi Hun’s clutches. As such, if they were able to force a confrontation with their foes, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. It would be far better than having them strike while their guard was down. They also had the Phantavoid with them for even more firepower. Plus, the swordsoul bracelet’s broadcasting capabilities would also make it easy for them to detect Tianxi and make it hard for him to escape.

”Let’s go!” They drove the ship straight into the Swordsoul Purgatory once Tianming’s bracelet was properly fitted.