Beastmaster of the Ages

”I don’t know. The astralscape of order is boundless and I’ve never heard of fortuna-class nova source worlds or astralships, let alone seen one. It’s barren outside the Infinitum Mundus. Few dare to risk their lives out there. An interstellar voyage can take a thousand years, and it’s lonely. Once you leave, you’ll never return—so how can anyone have seen a world over ten times larger than Ebonia?” Lin Xiaodao helplessly shook his head.

“Myriadpath Valley has the Myriadstar Celestial Formation. Maybe they’ll know if there’s a fortuna-class world! How strong would astral gods from a world like that be? Top foundationeers?” Tianming wondered out loud.

”It’s possible!”

”Could Myriadpath Valley be a fortuna-class world?”

”I don’t think Myriadpath Valley even is a nova source world. There’s more than just nova source worlds in the astralscape of order. Many uncharted regions contain other forms of nova source,” Xiaodao explained.

”Yes, the Xenoabyss and ancestral worlds are cultivation realms completely unlike nova source worlds.” It was rather interesting. The Xenoabyss relied on the eye of heaven for xeno source, for instance.

In fact, what Tianming really wanted to know was if the Flameyellow Imperial Star had once been a ninth-level nova source world.

How big would that be? Tianming did the math. If a fortuna-class world is ten times the size of Ebonia and a maniverse-class is a hundred times the size of Ebonia, then an imperial-class world would be a thousand times the size of Ebonia!

Ebonia itself was enormous. Tianming couldn’t imagine what a world a thousand times the size of it would be like. The horizon in even an ether-class world seemed endless; would an imperial-class world appear as flat as the Welkin plane?

A thousand Ebonias.... That’s a hundred million heliacal-class worlds! So the Sun used to be a hundred millionth of its original size? That was crazy! Even with all his effort, Tianming had only managed to expand it by ten thousand times to reach ether class.

But the black and gold star beyond the Grand-Orient Sword’s colorless gate and Ji Ji’s First Aeonic Ancestral Star appear far more majestic.... The vast, mysterious astralscape of order made him realize his own insignificance. The pressure was on.

”Meng Ying just watched us kill five hundred thousand wonderians without retaliating, which can only mean one thing,” Xiaodao said, his voice deep.

”What?”

”He’s gone to receive their reinforcements in person,” Xiaodao coldly said.

”It looks like it.”

”We’re about to face another life-and-death battle.” Xiaodao looked at him through the transmission stone, his voice solemn. ”Feng’er, I know there’s some things you don’t want to hear, but I have to speak.” He truly thought of Tianming as family.

Lin Feng of the Swordgod Lin Clan. That was the name recognized by the entire Lin Clan, not Li Tianming.

”Go on,” Tianming said.

”If all else fails, I’ll stay behind to stop them. When the time comes, you have to give up everything and escape with the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb! Take the Sun’s legacies with you and run as far as you can! We won’t truly be defeated as long as you’re still alive. And I know you’ll make them pay a million times over!” Xiaodao said, his gaze fiery.

The old Tianming would have refused because this world and all the people on it, his relatives, Jiang Qingluan, Mu Wan and those from Vermillion Bird, his grandmother from the Grand-Orient Sect, big sister Bai Zijin from the Theorocracy of the Ancients, Xuanyuan Muxue from Archaion, Long Wanying from the Sun, and so on, were all so important to him. Every person on the Sun was connected to him! They shared memories and affection for one another. How could he abandon them and leave on his own? Tianming didn’t want to bear that kind of sadness.

However, he nodded and said, ”I understand.”

Xiaodao helplessly smiled upon hearing the words. ”Had you refused, I’d still believe that I had a chance at convincing you. But you agreed with me, which only means there’s no room for discussion.”

”You know me well.” Tianming looked out at ‘his’ blazing star. ”Everything here is precious to me. Without all of this, my life would be completely meaningless. If we lose, I’d rather die with the Sun.” Taking a deep breath, he continued, ”But I’ll still do everything in my power to give these bastards who think they can control our destiny a miserable death!”

”We’ve weathered many storms since you followed me to Gladeus. Didn’t we defeat those stronger than us? Fuck Myriadpath Valley, fuck Intrepidus! We’ll have peace when they’re all dead!!”

Their wills were steady, resolute, and strong! Their spirit would affect the entire Sun, and everyone was watching them. Wudi and the two of them had left no way out for themselves. They were prepared to fight to the death!

......

Tianming was on his way back to the Sky Palace Formation.

He looked ahead, his robes fluttering in the wind. ”Little Fish, do you know why I don’t give myself room to retreat?”

Behind him, Moran seemed startled. After a moment of contemplation, she shook her head and said, ”No. You can still get revenge in the future if you give yourself a way out.”

Tianming laughed. ”There’s no point in revenge once you’ve lost the most precious things and the people you love. Death is the end. It doesn’t matter how brilliant I am now. Midas is forever gone from this world and it can never be happy again. Its death has always been a painful wound in my heart.”

Biting her lips, Moran refrained from speaking.

”If I prepare a retreat, they’ll place all the important people and items on the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb, including caeli and legacies. And they’ll make me leave as soon as there are signs of defeat. They won’t fight to their deaths with the belief that it’s their only way out. Instead, they’ll place all their hopes on me and sacrifice themselves....” Turning to face Moran, he said, his voice solemn, ”Little Fish, when someone’s ready to sacrifice themself, they’ll die!”

If Lin Xiao, Wudi, and Xiaodao knew that there was a way out, that their deaths would be meaningful, they would lose their rationality in certain situations and focus solely on preserving Tianming.

”I understand. Once there’s a way out, it becomes the only way.” Moran’s dark eyes stared at the young man who ruled the world.