Beastmaster of the Ages

Hers was one of the two top divine wonders in the Skydome Mundus! The eightpart apparitions were the main force behind her attacks, but the actual foundation behind them was the ephemeral world wonder. It was a flexible divine wonder that, when paired with hers, could amplify their combined might beyond the sum of their parts! They were perfect for one another, so losing even one would be a huge blow!

After losing the eightpart apparitions, the ephemeral world wonder would become nothing but an empty box with illusions and no substantial attacks. The eightpart apparition wonder, without the ephemeral world wonder’s backing, wouldn’t be able to use any tricks or tactics and only be able to wildly charge.

All the apparitions left the ephemeral world and turned into a sea of baleful wraiths, charging at Xiaodao from all directions.

The female child’s infinitum-class sword slashed toward him with the power of the Foundation stage. Her stance perfectly blended in with the countless apparitions nearby, attacking him in waves. Under her age-old expression and bloodshot, tearful eyes was bold courage and determination in the face of death. She was making a true self-sacrifice, the greatest contribution one could ever undertake, staying true and loyal to her soul!

After she managed to let everything go, she felt a hint of hope. Casting reason aside, she had hoped that the person to whom she’d been bound for all her life would show up beside her, but that didn’t come to pass. By the time she charged into Xiaodao’s sword formation, all she heard was a despairing wail.

”Once I rise to the top of the astralscape and become the new Tian Jiu, I’ll avenge you and spread our name throughout the ages!” His voice sounded softer than before, a sign that he was far away. He had made his choice! It had only taken a single moment in the face of real death to disprove the creed to which they’d adhered their entire life; in times of crisis, even pair-bonded birds flew their own way!

Xiaodao witnessed her final resolve. The fact that they had driven Skydome’s rex mundi to make that choice just showed how successful they’d been. ”I understand. You aren’t mighty, merely pitiful, having been lied to by your own propaganda your whole life. You only realized at the very end that your lifetime partner was just acting, while you fell too deep into your role.”

”Shut up!” she howled, her expression turning even more frightening. All the eightpart apparitions seemed to resonate with her feelings and echoed the shriek. Wave after wave, they swept against Xiaodao while she delivered one potentially fatal strike after another. She, a foundationeer herself, was able to keep him from pursuing her partner. The divine wonderians had separated into two distinct persons, including their divine wonders!

Xiaodao had wanted to cast doubt in her by agitating her in an attempt to get her to doom the male child as well. But what he didn’t expect was for the fiendish crone to hold firm to her resolution like a madwoman, even after knowing that she had been living a lie. The truth was no longer important; she had chosen death and didn’t care about defending herself at all, putting everything she had into nothing but killing strikes! Desperate, insane killing attacks! No evasion, no blocks, only clashes!

The apparitions inherited her will and became her avatars, bearing her face and fighting as fiercely as she was.

”I can’t help it....” Xiaodao was unable to overcome her to hamper the male child. Tianming didn’t have the gourd, and even if he used the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb, he wouldn’t be able to stop the male child from leaving the range of its spatial lock. And once the male Meng Ying fled far enough, he would easily be able to open a Xenoworld gate.

The gate was opened and the apparitions were still fighting far behind the male child. White clouds roiled about behind him. His expression froze as he turned back for one last look before he quickly stepped into the gate and escaped! Not only that, he shut it for good! When he saw nothing but the eerie light of the Xenoworld around him, he was finally assured of his safety.

Only then did he let himself cry. But even though she was his precious other half, he would never know how she had stopped sharing that sentiment in her final moments. Everything was hollow—life and death, the future, their legacy, their children.... Everything had lost its meaning. The thing that filled her cosmic charts was no longer cosmoforce, but rather a life of grief, pain, and desolation.

When she resolved herself in her final moments, everything suddenly felt lighter. It was as if her soul had been sucked out, leaving her with nothing but a body of flesh without a will of its own. The countless eightpart apparitions suddenly fell apart and turned into ash at the apex of her emotional ruminations. The female youth completely became an old crone as she perished, hair completely whitening, skin drying up, and spots forming everywhere. Her sharp gaze dulled and her nose began drooping. She looked as if she could die at any moment—it was her true form after the Starembryo Fiendart had been removed.

Before she became the rex mundi, people called her Fengqing Mengdie. Her name was the only thing that she possessed for herself, the one thing she didn’t have to share. Everything else jointly belonged to the pair. In a few thousand years, she had gone from being plain old Fengqing Mengdie to just half of Rex Mundi Meng Ying. But now that life was finally over she teared up as she recalled her life story.

”This life passed in a flash. I lived, but have I truly lived? Most of my life was spent being half of Meng Ying. There was no room for Fengqing Mengdie.” How could anyone but divine wonderians empathize with her struggle?

”Lin Xiaodao, can my daughter hear me speak?” Fengqing Mengdie said, looking up and revealing one last hint of gentleness in her eyes.

”She cannot, but I can pass on a message for you,” Xiaodao said. The male half of Meng Ying was long gone. As long as Fengqing Mengdie didn’t make erratic moves, Xiaodao wouldn’t have to rush.

She closed her eyes and said, ”Just tell her these two things. First, I’m sorry. Second...” she took a deep breath to steady herself, ”tell her that she’s right. There’s no point to living a long life. What’s more important is to ensure that you spend what little time you have on your own terms.”𝚏ree.com