Beastmaster of the Ages

“Your man...” Those two words made the minds of the eleven people buzz. The tone especially, seemed to be the kind of tone only a girl in love would use.

That sweet, proud little hint of delight was perfectly normal for any woman, but not the figure of weight, brilliance, and sacred authority they imagined their ancestor to be.

Yet no matter how unwilling they were to accept it, their ears weren’t lying to them.

“And another thing. Everything of Flameyellow, and all his lifebound beasts, are his. Stop trying to tie any of that to me.” Moran spoke calmly, but her words were the final blow to them.

“Yes!” The pope pressed himself flat to the ground, drenched in sweat, his thousand-meter-tall frame filled with sheer embarrassment.

They finally acknowledged the relationship between the Ancestor and Tianming... They weren’t an empress and her kept man, but two mighty figures joined together.

“Was the restoration of the Grand Xia Fusion Formation truly done by Ancestor Li alone?” The Tian Jiu Cult gained a newfound, profound respect for Tianming.

“Don’t just stand there like fools. Take the chance to kill as many as you can!” The pope quickly led them out of the astralship, personally leading the charge as they pursued and slaughtered the last remnants of the Eightpart Pantheons forces!

Countless astralships exploded under the bombardment of the word prison. The sky of Grand Xia became a blazing furnace, filled with meteors of cosmic-god essence raining down like falling stars!

Every explosion was a thunderclap that rocked the heavens. Many cosmic gods were injured after getting caught in the blasts.

Even so, the Eightpart Pantheons forces retreated with unwavering resolve!

At last, the final group of wonderians got out of the Grand Xia Guard Formation while covering each other, drawing this skirmish to an end!

All the survivors regrouped in panic once they escaped, ready to tally their casualties. They couldn’t report the exact numbers yet, but a visual confirmation was enough to know that the once proud billion-strong army had been scattered and broken. They were now missing all sorts of limbs, looking more like a legion of beggars!

Though the actual death toll wasn’t high, to the Eightpart Pantheons, the blow was devastating.

“Marshal, we have calculated the fleet losses!” A Grand Xia cosmic god in black armor approached.

“Speak!” Mi Shen Alpha’s expression was grim.

“Almost all astralships have been destroyed. Only the damaged imperial-class flagship remains...” the black-armored god said in tears.

These ships had belonged to Grand Xia. Their loss had far-reaching impacts on Grand Xia’s ability to do many things, and astral gods couldn’t even traverse space unaided.

The announcement made every face among the Eightpart Pantheons turn even darker.

“All gone?”

“Then if we want to attack those gods, we’ll have to physically fly across space ourselves?”

“Traversing space drains too much energy. We’d be exhausted before even arriving. How are we supposed to fight like that?!”

“Do the kunlan primalwingers still have astralships? Get them to send reinforcements.”

“No. I heard they were destroyed early on by Li Tianming...”

“Him again!” Tianming’s name alone was enough to draw ire from billions of soldiers. They had been beaten into such humiliation, but what losses had Li Tianming suffered while chasing them down with his ghouls and the word prison?

“This is by far the most disgraceful battle we’ve ever fought since we took control of Upper Star Ruin! We must wash away this shame!”

“Remember the Ten Desolate Starforges battle? That was humiliating enough, and Li Tianming was the source of that too...”

The more they recalled, the more infuriated they became.

The destruction of their astralships meant their war chariots were gone. The Eightpart Pantheons was now trapped in unbearable frustration.

At that moment, a white-haired youth actually descended from the formation, flaunting himself. He hovered in the sky with ghouls shrieking around him, yet bore a radiant smile as he met the gaze of the towering gods.

“Kill him! Kill him!” The enraged army roared at the heavens.

“Silence!” Mi Shen Alpha’s thunderous shout finally calmed the chaotic battlefield.

Tianming was the first to speak, grinning. “Eightpart Pantheons from afar, have you figured it out yet? The astralguard and fusion formation here are both mine. No one will come to save you, and you will share the fate of the Ten Desolate Starforges army.”

Many soldiers belatedly realised the truth.

“Don’t fall for his bluff. Neither he nor the flameyellow voidkin behind him has such power. We withdrew from the formation merely to reassess and prepare for battle.” Mi Shen Alpha spoke with solemn authority, steadying the army’s nerves. Pride still lay at their core.

“As for these two formations, once we conquer the Primordial Sands, everything within them will be ours anyway. We can return whenever we wish,” Mi Shen Beta added, rallying the troops.

“Where does this confidence come from? The beatings will continue until you’re begging for mercy,” Tianming said dryly.

Many among the Eightpart Pantheons actually laughed.

“We’ve never once knelt since we took control of Upper Star Ruin.”

“This kid’s out of tricks. That’s why he’s resorting to intimidation.”

“Just ignore him. Reorganise the army. This may be an imperial-class world, but we can fight our way out anytime as long as we’re ready.”

Tianming knew full well they wouldn’t be scared. He declared with a laugh, “From this moment on, Grand Xia shall be a hellish battlefield. Grand Xia and Flameyellow share the bond of blood and many Grand Xia imperials have joined me. I hereby promise: any Grand Xia imperial who wishes to leave this battlefield may do so freely. I will not stop them.”

These words sent shockwaves through many of the Grand Xia imperials below.

In truth, the revival of Grand Xia’s Voidback Star had already filled the natives with overwhelming joy. Their love for Grand Xia wasn’t something Empress Xia could control. Their numbers far exceeded those of the Eightpart Pantheons, most of them astral god citizens.