Beastmaster of the Ages

“What problems?” Tianming seriously asked.

“Firstly, Tianxi and the alien monster are definitely still hiding in the Infinitum Swordsea. They want your treasure, so you’ll have to live like before if you stay here. Any move you make will require bodyguards. If your master just keeps protecting you round the clock, that’s a waste of his ability. He has a more important task for the clan,” Lin Xiao said.

“I get it.” Tianming nodded. It was such a pity he hadn’t killed Tianxi like he did Lin Yun. Now that he had fully absorbed the Order Relic, he could no longer access the offensive power of its complete form.

“When the ebons act, you may be in danger even if you hide in the council hall. Our Lin Clan lost many experts and there’s a lot of people we can’t trust. We can’t protect you under such circumstances. But Gladeus is your master’s territory! Its astralguard formation is much stronger than the Infinitum Swordsea’s high-sanctuary-class formation. There won’t be any experts as strong as Tianxi, or as good at stealth. With Yin Chen there, you can live as you please.”

“Of course, I’ll be Gladeus’ little tyrant when I go there,” Tianming joked.

“Another reason is that many people know you have a valuable treasure, so it isn’t just the ebons that want you. The one we most lack a handle on is Yi Daiyan,” Lin Xiao said in a low voice.

“She wants to act against me, too?” Tianming remembered Li Muyang had warned him to be careful of Yi Daiyan as well.

Dongshen Yue was agitated. “Not yet, but who knows with that bitch’s personality. How obedient was she when she visited us with your father? Then she killed him in the blink of an eye! Who knows what vile thoughts lurk in her diseased mind? Maybe it’s just that you’re useful now, but she’ll kill you with a pinch after. Feng’er, never forget that she’s the enemy who killed your father! It’s just inconvenient for her to dispose of you due to her image. If she wanted to help, she would’ve saved you in the Oldgod Domain.”

“I feel like I’m suddenly the apple of everyone’s eye,” Tianming remarked.

“Of course! A hundred-year-old youth killed two cosmic cartographers. Everyone’s curious and desires whatever you obtained. They’re all thinking that if they got it, couldn’t they dominate the mundus?”

Tianming nodded. These were all reasons enough for him to leave. And there was another reason he could add: the divine wonderians!

“Ebonia won’t activate its astralguard formation, so whoever covered up Etherean Zhaohua’s death may sneak in during the chaos. He’s even more threatening to me than the ebons and Yi Daiyan.” Tianming could no longer use the Order Relic to protect himself, and the girls by his side were very fragile, while his current enemies were all rulers of mundi.

“Feng’er, what do you think?” Lin Xiao asked. When they had heard about the civil war at Mount Taia, they’d felt like their hearts were being ripped out. The fear still hadn’t left them yet. Even they would be forced to leave Tianming’s side, and when the number of assassins increased, what would happen?

Tianming thought about it. “I think it’s the right choice, but.…”

“But what?” Dongshen Yue anxiously asked.

“There’s three small problems…” Tianming said with embarrassment.

“Let’s see if we can solve them,” Lin Xiao said.

“Yes.” Tianming’s considerations were from the perspective of his cultivation. “I’ll need some time to digest the sword arts I just got, so I’m fine on that front. However, I think I need rex mundi caeli in order to maintain a brisk pace of cultivation. But Gladeus doesn’t have those.…” Of course, he wouldn’t be able to access them in the Infinitum Swordsea with assassins lurking around, either.

Tianming had just finished his first point when Lin Xiaodao fell from the sky. It seemed he had been listening in all along. “Let me answer that, my dear disciple!” Lin Xiaodao had a smug look.

“Please.”

“Then listen well. Gladeus is the only ether-class nova source world of the Infinitum Mundus’ fifteen to have rex mundi caelum!”

“How? It’s given birth to foundationeers?” Tianming was surprised.

“No, but guess how I could come from a fifth-level nova source world and still reach the top ten reges mundi. How do I have this gourd, and how do I control Gladeus’s two grand formations?” Lin Xiaodao pointed at his gourd.

“Because Master has spectacular talent?” Tianming smiled.

“Yes, true. But I need to stay humble so I look virtuous.”

“Get to the point!” Dongshen Yue couldn’t take it anymore and took over. “The truth is that he inherited an unknown ruin on Gladeus. He found the gourd inside, and it also has rex mundi caeli of unknown origin. There’s even more there than we have. There’s also more types and attributes, so it’s more suitable for you.”

“Rest assured. In terms of caeli, nova source, and sword arts, your master can provide better conditions than here. Together with your two and a half million merit points, you can exchange for enough resources before you go,” Lin Xiao said.

“Gladeus also has no merit points. Your master will give you whatever you need. Masters can’t be stingy after all. How could the young master of Gladeus be poor?” Dongshen Yue said, clearly intending for Lin Xiaodao to hear it.

Lin Xiaodao had a bad premonition.

“You have a personal ruin?” Tianming looked at him.

“Yes!”

“And you have no offspring?” Tianming ambiguously asked.

“My gosh, are you actually already aiming for your inheritance five minutes into taking a master?” Lin Xiaodao wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

“Indeed.” Honestly, Tianming didn’t really like needing bodyguards all the time. He desired his freedom. Ebonia simply had too many old monsters around that coveted him.

“So what’s the next two?” Lin Xiao asked.

Tianming awkwardly smiled. “It’s nothing much.”

“Speak!” Lin Xiaodao magnanimously said.

“It’s like this. I need many real battles for my cultivation, real until I’m in actual mortal danger. If Gladeus is ruled by Master, no one can challenge me and I’ll end up a paper tiger, all bark and no bite.”

Tianming’s small problems were actually quite major. He would waste his talent if he didn’t have rex mundi caeli, and a safe world without challenges was boring. His accomplishments today were mostly achieved in the heat of battle. Tianming wanted to be an emperor and didn’t like to cower away in safety!

Lin Xiaodao bopped Tianming on the head, much to his confusion. “Silly disciple. You overestimate me!”

“Feng’er, you’re overthinking it. Gladeus is a tenth the size of Ebonia. Your master may be the etherean there, but he’s no undisputed hegemon! All ether-class worlds are important resource points for the Infinitum Bodhimanda. The ebons, especially, would stop your master from complete dominance,” Dongshen Yue said with a laugh.

“Hey, let me do the explaining!” Lin Xiaodao was annoyed.

Dongshen Yue rolled her eyes.

Lin Xiaodao grabbed Tianming’s sleeve. “Put simply, Gladeus is a tiny Ebonia. It also has a very deep underground world that has a tenth as many as Ebonia’s underground wildbeasts. They’re family to the ebons, so would they give up on them? Thus, any and all ether-class worlds are battlefronts for those bastards! And besides the ebons, the other Infinitum Regal Clans also have branches there, and there are also local powers. Our clan isn’t actually the number one power there, it’s the ebons. Gladeus, short for gladius deus, or sword god, isn’t inspired by the Swordgod Lin Clan. Its name comes from the ebons’ gladeus branch that used to rule there for a long time! Without me, do you think those surnamed Lin would have a good time there?” Lin Xiaodao infodumped on Tianming.