Beastmaster of the Ages

Feng Linxue and the others seemed shaken after hearing that. They remained silent for a long while.

”Isn’t this a bit too naive? Why would we kunlan primalwingers die for you? Just because you helped us stop the ten million Grand Yue troops?” Feng Buhuo was the first to speak out.

”Buhuo, it was him who warned us of Lord Yue’s hidden intentions. Without his help, the frost prison would be working for Empress Xia instead and we’d have lost Grand Feng. Our countless descendants would end up exterminated as well,” Feng Linxue reminded.

”He was the one who warned us?” Feng Buhuo and the other two finally understood why Feng Linxue supported Tianming against Grand Yue. He had saved the lives of all from their world.

”Li Tianming, you have my endless gratitude,” Feng Buhuo said sternly as he bowed.

Tianming ignored the three of them and turned to Feng Linxue. ”You can spread my true identity and information about the imperial star in the Primordial Sands if you want. As for working with me, Starlord, you may take your time to consider your options. Empress Xia and the Tian Jiu Cult are still targeting your world, so they’re a force to be reckoned with. Not to mention, Lord Yue will be resisting you. I will keep helping you if you want.”

What Tianming needed was a Primordial Sands that had their eyes solely on him. Feng Linxue looked deeply into his eyes and pursed her lips. ”I understand what you’re saying, but it’s clear that you’re underestimating our foes.”

”Underestimating them?” Tianming wondered what she meant.

”You believe that you’ll be able to achieve your ambitions in the Primordial Sands by getting Jiang Tianzhou and our help. You think that as long as you deal with Lord Yue, Empress Xia and the cult that it’ll work out, right?”

”Who else is there?”

”The Eightpart Pantheons.”

”What?” Since when did they have a presence in the Primordial Sands?

”I heard that you’ve shown yourself in the lower ruins before and even helped our geniuses out. Let me ask you then: how many of those geniuses bear the surname of Yue, Feng and Meng?”

Tianming gave it some thought. There really weren’t any! Most of them were Jiangs, and there were Lin Chaoge, Chen Lin and even Pu Lingyi.

”Those that went to the lower ruins to fight the Eightpart Pantheons only come from three of our maniverse-class worlds here in the Primordial Sands. The Fengs, Yues and Mengs didn’t participate. In fact, there’s something else you’re not aware of,” Feng Linxue said with an odd expression.

”Pray tell,” Tianming said.

”The Ten Desolate Starforges sent out a force of a hundred million in preparation to take down the Primordial Sands. Do you know why they were so certain it would work?” Feng Linxue said with a smile.

”Are you saying that some of you were already going to surrender to them?” Tianming asked probingly.

”That’s right. The three clans, Feng, Yue and Meng, were ready to surrender. Empress Xia was already getting Lord Yue to test the waters. We even had a secret meeting,” Feng Linxue said, her expression cold as frost and filled with resentment. To think that she hadn’t noticed the ties between Lord Yue and Empress Xia back then!

”Grand Jiang is still going to resist to their dying breath. Why would the rest of you choose surrender?” Tianming asked.

”Is there anything weird about it? The Primordial Sands is simply not a match for the Eightpart Pantheons. They’re at least ten times stronger than we are and far more civilized and advanced. If not for the natural barrier of the galactic rift, every inch of the universe would be their territory. In a direct conflict, we’d lose for certain. Apart from a few suicidal ones that refuse to see this truth, who would want to fight the Eightpart Pantheons? We should submit ourselves and join their camp instead,” Feng Linxue said.

”Then it appears that the most spunky ones among you are Jiang Tianzhou and the Tian Jiu Cult’s pope, huh?” Tianming found their attitude rather disgusting, but he still kept his tone jovial.

”Jiang Tianzhou is like this because he’s from the main bloodline of the primalwingers. He’s too far gone with following the ancestral decrees and he wouldn’t mind taking the countless lives of Grand Chen and Grand Lin with him to certain death. As for the Tian Jiu Cult, all of them are madmen who worship Tian Jiu. They even hate the strongest race in the universe, the wonderians. Even though they’re foolishly stubborn, all of us are actually grateful to them because their actions make our surrender more valuable. That way, the Eightpart Pantheons will be kind to us once they take over. While the power structures here will be reshuffled, the ones who will rule in their stead after the dust settles will be those who choose to surrender.”

”Damn.” Tianming had to admit that her strategic acumen was on point. It was clear that in her eyes, the Eightpart Pantheons was an unstoppable force. It wasn’t surprising that she saw Tianming’s goals of defeating them as nothing but foolhardy. While his actions had saved Grand Feng, it wasn’t enough to shake her willingness to submit to the Eightpart Pantheons.

”The problem now is that Empress Xia and the Tian Jiu cult need territory, while the Eightpart Pantheons are trapped in the Ancient Flameyellow Ruins. They’re unable to come here at all. So, all you have to worry about is the Primordial Sands’ internal affairs. This wouldn’t affect us if we work together to take down Empress Xia, Lord Yue and the Tian Jiu Cult, right?”

Feng Linxue shook her head. ”That should be the case, but things are different now.”

”How so?”

”Empress Xia’s line is the continuation of the Grand Xia imperials. They have betrayed the Flameyellow countless years ago, which led to their fall. However, they didn’t even get to benefit from that. Their ancestors had been researching how to harness the remnant Heavenly Dao power of their collapsing world, Grand Xia Voidback, and it’s said that they’ve had a breakthrough recently. That would explain the acceleration of their world’s collapse and the recent changes in the Heavenly Dao. Given that Empress Xia had just lost the chance to take a maniverse-class world for herself, she’d no doubt place her hopes on the Eightpart Pantheons. She’ll use the Xiavoid Stareye to lead the true forces of the Eightpart Pantheons here.”