Beastmaster of the Ages

The nine sharpest kui mountains lined Tianming’s thigh and calf like the teeth of a saw blade. He felt that that leg in particular was the strongest of his limbs. After all, Lan Huang’s gigantic body had been compressed into a form factor like that, giving him a density that far outstripped that of any specter. It was also so tough that a single full-powered kick could instantly send someone flying off... if their bodies weren’t blown apart by the impact, first.

His left leg, on the other hand, was covered in plants and vines. It was weaker in comparison, but there wasn’t any sense of imbalance when he compared it to his right leg. Xian Xian had many abilities in its arsenal. The black roots on his leg dug into the ground and his leg could shift into many forms and sizes. He could even change his size at will, like the Radix World Tree! Xian Xian’s spiritform rested within a rose-shaped pattern. Like a sleeping beauty, it curled up and sobbed with pain; it was still conscious.

”Xian Xian!” Tianming called out to it as pain wrecked his senses.

”Little Li....” Xian Xian opened its tear-filled eyes, hands shaking as they touched Tianming’s astrons. Fear and compassion filled its expression. ”Don’t be afraid! We’re all here! We’ll never be apart ever again! We’ll bear all kinds of pain together with you,” Tianming gently said.

”Don’t be scared, Xian Xian! Cat Bro is up here above you! Let me give you a pat!” Tianming was shocked to find that Meow Meow was able to control his left arm. Thanks to the loosened Bloodweaver, he wasn’t bound that tightly anymore. His left hand gently stroked the Radiant Rose on his right thigh. They had truly fused with him and his astrons. Even their own astral organs, astral brains, and vitae were within Tianming. They had changed, but their essence was still present.

”Our lives are even more interlinked than before....” How could he not tear up from overcoming this kind of hardship?!

”Thank you, Cat Bro. I’m not scared anymore,” Xian Xian said, holding Tianming’s finger, which also happened to be Meow Meow’s claw.

”Don’t be afraid! Chicken Bro’s here too!” Ying Huo said, gritting its beak in pain.

”I’m here too! The unkillable, undying Tortoise Lord! With me as your shield, nobody can harm any of you!” said the dragon heads on Tianming’s knee and foot. It was quite an eerie sight to behold, but not even that stopped Tianming from feeling his heartstrings being pulled at.

Even after all these years, they were still as earnest, passionate, united, and cute beasts as the day they had hatched. Tianming couldn’t give up on them at all. He wouldn’t cave to anybody for their sakes.

He was the one who faced the greatest tribulation, having taken four different chaotic energies into his body. Ying Huo and the others, on the other hand, had had their burden decreased by half. Even so, Tianming was numb to the pain. He opened his eyes wide and grit his teeth tight. ”Everyone, trust in ourselves! We’re facing it five against one! It’s bound to be much more effective than you guys facing it alone! We’re facing our own tribulations, but we’re also pushing back against each other’s! Trust yourselves, trust me! We will overcome this!”

”That’s right! We’re family! We love each other! Our love will hold us together! As long as we’re together, nothing can defeat us!” Ying Huo cheered.

”Chicken Bro, I didn’t think a chicken like you would be in favor of cooking chicken soup for the soul,” Meow Meow said.

Tianming burst out laughing at the unexpected joke. He hadn’t been able to crack so much as a smile since the pressure mounted with Mister Taihe’s assault and Demoness Yin’s Bloodweavers. But these little balls of joy were able to make him laugh.

”Hahaha Chicken Bro, throw us a few more bowls of chicken soup! We’re hungry!” Xian Xian said, wiping its tears.

”We’ll boil Chicken Bro and drink the soup up! Doesn’t that mean we have to boil Boss’s arm? Eww, it’s going to stink twice as much!” Lan Huang said.

”Hey! Don’t make me cut off both of Boss’s legs!” Ying Huo screeched.

”You rascal!” Xian Xian snapped.

”Chicken Bro, you’re just an arm. I’m the leg! I can kick you off!” Lan Huang retorted.

”Do you think you can reach all the way up here just because you got the leg? What do you know? All you can do is stick close to the ground, while I get to have fun with Ling’er’s heavenly pattern barriers! Oh, wait, I didn’t mean it!” Ying Huo went a bit too far and made things awkward.

Tianming almost crumbled at being reminded of that. If he couldn’t return to his non-fused human form, wouldn’t Feiling flip out at him? How would he get intimate with her then?! Fortunately, he noticed that he could still control his limbs as Ying Huo and the others did. The limbs were primarily made up of his astrons, so he had priority over them.

”Hahaha!”

”Wow, you went that far, eh?”

”Cat Bro, stop scratching me! There’s fur coming out of the scales! It tickles!”

Tianming didn’t think that something as unimaginable as fusing with his lifebound beasts would be possible after they had failed at absorbing the super manna. Even though the situation seemed dire, his beasts had not only retained their consciousnesses, but were already messing around despite the pain. It was almost as if they had completely forgotten the danger they were in.

”Every time Boss tries walking, I’ll pull back and make him trip! Haha!” Lan Huang’s two heads laughed nonstop. It would get pretty annoying if his knee and foot kept laughing at its own lame jokes from now on; it would surely drive Tianming insane.

”You think that’s cool? Wait until I attack Xiaoxiao and Little Fish without warning! I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces! It’ll be so fun that I won’t even bother taking naps anymore!” Meow Meow excitedly said. They were all daydreaming about taking control of Tianming’s body to mess with him.

”Amateurs... you’re all amateurs! I’ll go straight for the family jewels of Li Wudi and Lin Xiaodao, then on to Lin Xiao’s! Little Li will be so ashamed that not even death will absolve him of it!” Ying Huo said.

Meow Meow, Lan Huang, and Xian Xian were all shocked. After a moment of hesitation, they broke out laughing like idiots, causing Tianming’s limbs to shake as if he was having a seizure.