Beastmaster of the Ages

”I also pray that things will change one day and allow us to join you again,” Liu Cheng said.

”By then, we’d have long since perished!” Jiang Xiaobai didn’t take it well at all.

”Don’t say something like that, you’ll jinx us,” Jiang Datou said, then turned to Tianming. ”Brother Lin Feng, you wanted to visit the Primordial Sands, right? They’re about to go back right now, do you want to follow them?”

Tianming shook his head. ”I’ll stay here for a while longer and see what opportunities lay in wait.”

”That works, too,” Jiang Datou said.

”We’ll take our leave!” Liu Cheng and the other youths awkwardly turned and left, but they turned back not long after.

”What? Do you finally want to stay?” Jiang Xiaobai said, snickering.

”No, we’re still leaving,” Liu Cheng said.

”Then why’d you come back?” she snapped.

”Well, we discussed it among ourselves and have decided that....” He took out the three ninelives fruits from his spatial ring. ”Here, you heroes deserve these. You’re the ones fighting for the Primordial Sands, while cowards like us don’t deserve treasures like these. Since we can’t contribute to the Primordial Sands, we’ll give them to those who can.”

He put one fruit in each of the Jiang siblings’ hands before handing the last one to Tianming. ”Thank you for saving us, friend. Take it. I pray that your path ahead is a bright one, Wang Feng!”

”Umm... thank you!” Tianming took the fruit.

”Is it really okay for us to have them?” Jiang Xiaobai asked.

”Just accept the blessings!” Jiang Datou said.

”Come on!” Liu Cheng glared at him. ”You’re already so big, Jiang Datou. You should give your fruit to your sister and give her chest a little boost. If you only use one, they’ll be mismatched!”

”Shut up!” Jiang Xiaobai almost smashed the precious fruit on his head. That was precisely what she had wanted it for, but it was embarrassing to be called out like that—especially in public!

”Goodbye, brave warriors!” The green-haired youth turned and left as quickly as he gave away the fruits.

”Big Bro, will they come back?” Jiang Xiaobai asked.

”What do you think?” Jiang Datou cleared his throat and looked at her body. ”I think you should give them a little boost. Maybe Lin Feng’s into that....”

”Not you too...!” Jiang Xiaobai almost fainted from the shock. Eventually, they saw Tianming just swallow his fruit in one gulp without hesitation.

”Big Bro, I heard that the crucial phase that quasi cosmic gods have to go through starts with the astral organs, right? That’s where the astrons start triggering a chain reaction in the body to transform into middlekin astrons, and the ninelives fruit can increase the number of middlekin astrons. Do you think the fruits will help him become a cosmic god faster?” Jiang Xiaobai asked.

”That’s possible. That’s why—”

”I want to give them to him.”

”Aha....” He had guessed it.

”Let’s see if the one he consumed has any effect. If it actually works, I’ll give mine to him.”

”Now that’s more like it!”

***

Tianming felt a weird sensation after consuming the fruit, which was similar to how he had felt after consuming overflow fragments, but not quite. The power of overflow fragments went toward his orders, while the ninelives fruit’s power flooded into his astral organs. His infernal heart and genesis spleen’s astrons had already transformed into middlekin astrons, brightly glowing like two dense universes. Let’s try directing the flow into my primordial lungs!

He directed the flow of the ninelives fruit’s energy into his lungs. Normally speaking, astral gods were forbidden from consuming the fruits. Not only were they useless, they would also damage their bodies as they unnaturally changed astrons into middlekin astrons.

As such, he felt some discomfort at the start. It felt like his lungs were on fire, bursting and popping with holes all over. His astrons seemed like they couldn’t contain the energy. But his lungs, unlike organs of other astral gods, already had some parts that had been converted to middlekin astrons, thanks to the growth of his orders. Those parts were mainly where he was trying to direct the fruit’s energy.

”Oh?” Gradually, the energy of the fruit surrounded his lungs. Then, what he had hoped would happen actually happened. So the ninelives fruit can actually speed up the growth of a quasi cosmic god into a cosmic god! The astrons at the center of his lungs were slowly being converted. I’ve never heard of other astral gods consuming these fruits, so there really wasn’t any information about the process. Normally, quasi cosmic gods didn’t have anything remotely as precious as the fruits.

Unlike others, my quasi cosmic god phase will be extra long. Even if all the ninelives fruit does is convert my astrons, it’ll work wonders when paired with legacy caeli and overflow fragments!

Tianming was about to take out another overflow fragment and see if it would help his orders grow to planet class. However, Jiang Xiaobai came over, fiddling with her hands behind her back. ”How is it? Did it help you make progress toward cosmic godhood?”

”As a matter of fact, it did.” Tianming looked up at the curious girl and asked, ”What is it? Do you have an engagement gift for me?”

”Shut up.” She rolled her eyes at him. ”If you want something like that, maybe our old ancestor would be open to it. I’m only pitying you because you’re stuck as a quasi cosmic god.”

”Well, I sure hope that’s the case....” Tianming stopped himself from saying anything else.

”What do you mean?” she asked.

”I think I really might have some ties with that old ancestor of yours....”

Jiang Xiaobai froze and squinted at him. ”Wait, do you also know about the reincarnation of our ancient ancestor? Have you heard about the legend that she was the top beauty in the Realm of Order?” She knocked Tianming on the head and continued, ”Wake up from your delusion. You’re still so tiny and not nearly large enough to pair up with our ancient ancestor.”

Tianming felt like lightning had struck him.

”Most importantly...” Jiang Xiaobai shook her head in shock, ”my great grandfather said that there seems to be a child in the ancient ancestor’s body! We don’t know which asshole did it, but he got our ancestor pregnant after her reincarnation. That’s truly the thing that ruined the fantasies of men everywhere, tsk tsk tsk....”

”Umm....” Tianming looked down as crazy expressions flicked across his face.

”Here, take it.” Jiang Xiaobai handed the two remaining ninelives fruits to him. ”Young man, focus on your own path and steadily walk it instead of indulging in inappropriate fantasies.”

”Oh? You sound like you’re rather experienced with that,” he said.

”Didn’t I tell you? She’s the master of all things love,” Jiang Datou said, popping out of nowhere.

”Stupid Datou!” Jiang Xiaobai chased him down for a beating.

Tianming felt rather happy at seeing them messing around. Those two little juniors.... He took a deep breath and yelled in his lifebound space, ”Everyone, rise! I’m going to be a dad!”

”What?!” Ying Huo, Meow Meow, Lan Huang, Yin Chen, Bai Ling, and Bai Ye cried, ”We’re going to become grandparents?!” [1]

1. The joke is that they’re Tianming’s dad. Apparently it’s a way to diss people by claiming to be their dad. ☜