Beastmaster of the Ages

Soon after, Tianming, Jiang Tianzhou, and Pu Fengyun entered the Jiang Royal Palace. Despite being the host, Jiang Tianzhou was the last to enter, suggesting the unusual nature of this secret meeting. He took the lead while Tianming stayed in the back.

In the brightly lit palace, several hundred cosmic god elites from the five factions gathered, each towering over a thousand meters tall. As the host, Grand Jiang sat at the top.

”Starlord Jiang is here.”

The cosmic gods immediately turned their gazes towards Jiang Tianzhou.

”Hold on, who’s this?”

Numerous people noticed Tianming at once, including the grim-faced Granny Pu who sat up high.

”Li Tianming!”

”Yes, it’s him.”

In an instant, all eyes were fixed on Tianming.

Tianming was also looking at them. His true identity was now known throughout the Primordial Sands. They learned that ”Lin Feng” wasn’t really his name and that he was responsible for the incredible feats in the Ten Desolate Starforges. He had crushed the Eightpart Pantheons and had the backing of the flameyellow voidkin.

”Lin Chaoge, Chen Lin?” Tianming spotted two familiar faces in the crowd. They were friends with whom he had fought alongside in the lower ruins.

Jiang Feifei was here as well. A silent, joyful exchange passed between the younger ones, but the rest of the Jiang Royal Palace remained steeped in a solemn atmosphere.

”Tianming, let me introduce you to the others,” Jiang Tianzhou said, revealing his trust in Tianming.

He first pointed to a middle-aged cosmic god next to Lin Chaoge and said, ”This is Lin Shenjian, deputy starlord of Grand Lin.”

”He’s my father.” Lin Chaoge quietly explained their relationship to Tianming.

”Greetings, Senior Lin.” Tianming nodded.

Lin Shenjian nodded in return, smiling at Tianming.

Jiang Tianzhou then turned to the woman next to Chen Lin, who was about Lin Shenjian’s age.

”This is Chen Qing, the wife of Grand Chen’s starlord,” said Jiang Tianzhou.

”Greetings, Senior Chen,” said Tianming.

”It’s a pleasure to meet you at last. I’ve heard great things, but your presence truly exceeds the reputation,” Chen Qing said softly.

”You flatter me,” Tianming replied modestly.

Jiang Tianzhou turned his attention to two new faces. He first introduced Meng Xinlan, the grand princess of Grand Meng, whose undeniable charm and lively expression were accentuated by her long, ethereal dress. Then, he moved on to Feng Buhao, the deputy starlord of Grand Feng.

The two nodded indifferently as none of their descendants were acquainted with Tianming. However, Tianming recalled one detail—Grand Chen and Grand Lin contributed five million troops, a substantially larger number than the three million sent by the other two. However, not one person from Grand Yue attended the meeting.

The names of the six maniverse-class worlds indicated that they shared a common origin. They were essentially primalwingers, though it was rumored that they were also closely related to the Grand Xia imperial bloodline.

Following the introductions, the meeting shifted to business. Jiang Tianzhou was at the center of a large group, while Granny Pu and her group sat in the corner, looking grim and ready for a confrontation.

As expected, their representative, Granny Pu, was first to speak. ”Now that everyone’s here, it’s time we have a proper discussion.”

Although it wasn’t really her turn to speak, anyone who tried to restrain a woman of her seniority would be criticized.

”As you already know...” Granny Pu sighed deeply. ”Ninety million! The Tian Jiu Cult has gone completely mad. They’re not here for our ancient ancestor. Now that they can no longer stay in the Grand Xia Voidback Hole, they’ve come here to fight us to the death!

”Starlord, we’re vastly outmatched in military strength. Since we’re all gathered here now, what ideas do you have?” Granny Pu pressed hard on Jiang Tianzhou.

Jiang Tianzhou had expected her to say this. He remained expressionless, glancing at the others instead. ”I’d like to hear your thoughts.”

The others turned their attention to the four representatives who led the reinforcement, Lin Shenjian, Chen Qing, Meng Xinlan, and Feng Buhuo. A silent glance passed between the four of them.

”The determination and madness shown by the Tian Jiu Cult exceeds all our expectations.” Feng Buhuo stared at Jiang Tianzhou. ”Starlord Jiang, you should understand their true goal better than we do. Choosing to protect the ancient ancestor may very well lead to the deaths of our descendants. Of course, the six factions originated from the same bloodline so we’ll risk our lives for you no matter what you decide.”

”Alas...” Before Jiang Tianzhou could say anything, Granny Pu let out a long sigh. ”On one hand we have the ancient ancestor and on the other, the lives of our Grand Jiang brothers. We can’t protect both!”

”Our forces, if fully committed, will surpass the strength of the Tian Jiu Cult,” Jiang Feifei said softly.

“Don’t interrupt, child!” Granny Pu glared at her.

If they were to direct all forces to fighting the Tian Jiu Cult, the consequences of a surprise attack from Grand Xia would be disastrous. Deathly silence filled the palace. Their expressions alternated between gloom and uncertainty.

”Starlord, if you had to choose between our ancestor and the future, which would you choose?” Pu Fengyun asked, his voice solemn.

The others looked up at Jiang Tianzhou. Clearly, the factions who had arrived first had been given a heads up.

After a brief silence, Jiang Tianzhou glanced at Tianming. He shook his head and said, ”In fact, there’s no need to ask me this. You already have your answer. You want me to abandon our ancient ancestor. Just get straight to the point.”

Meng Xinlan nodded. ”You’re a clear-headed man so you should know what’s most important.”

”Yes.” Jiang Tianzhou nodded, choosing to change the subject instead. ”But you assume we’ll fail if we try to protect our ancient ancestor. What if victory is possible? What if we can protect both our ancient ancestor and Grand Jiang?”

Upon hearing this, the others were speechless.

”Victory? So you’re going to sacrifice forty million cosmic gods to defeat those lunatics?” Exploding in anger, Granny Pu stood up and pointed at Jiang Tianzhou. ”I don’t understand what you’re thinking. Do you think anyone would believe you? The Tian Jiu Cult has come out in full force. Putting aside their pope, who’s probably the most powerful person in the Primordial Sands, are you honestly saying you can handle any of the Ten Paladins?”

”I believe you.” A young voice interjected.