Beastmaster of the Ages

Tianming rarely took part in challenges in the past decade. Yet, every member of the Nullity Guild noticed that, somehow, their win rate had risen. Their lives grew better, and hope began to take root once more.

Many times, good fortune had struck thanks to that little insect’s reminders.

They didn’t even dare to mention the existence of those insects to any outsider. After all, they themselves were constantly under surveillance. Anyone who tried to speak out would be picked out by Tianming before they could even finish a word and dealt with as a traitor.

To everyone else, the changes seemed uncanny. It was as though these people had suddenly become oracles, always able to neatly avoid calamity, and be impossibly lucky. There was no flaw to be found, and that made it all the more frustrating for their enemies. No one could explain why.

Even Yueling Starcage was baffled. They had devised countless traps for Tianming and his people to fall in, but not once did their prey take the bait. In the Godly Sands Arena especially, they had been outwitted to the point of despair.

They had wanted to act secretly many times, but even before their plans could be set in motion, their targets would vanish.

According to the rules of the Dongshen Arena, all conflicts were settled on the betting stage. Assassinations or covert plots, once exposed, would violate local law. Even Yueling Starcage would be punished.

“The imperial son played a single godly move!” Those of Nullity had come to revere Tianming with a faith bordering on worship.

During this time, Tianming had reached his own conclusions.

“Without a connection through the order, even though their devotion is no different from the flameyellow descendants, there’s a link missing...”

Without that link, there could be no omnisentient threads. It was like two people about to connect but something essential was missing. The frustration was maddening.

“It’s right before me. Why won’t it work?” Still, he refused to give up, continuing to search for a solution.

From what he could feel, the bond between ruler and people was already ripe. It only lacked a single breakthrough.

He could only keep trying!

Fortunately, after more than ten years, his own order had stabilized and deepened. Using two and a half more bursts of dazzling radiances, he finally reached the final level of the Microcosmic stage.

“The twelfth level.” It was the zenith of this stage. The next step would be the Heavencosmic stage!

“Though my progress has slowed, at least it’s steady and still far faster than anyone else’s.” Standing atop the high tower of the Nullity Guild, Tianming gazed into the distance toward the Godly Sands.

“That Yueling Momo has dug countless traps over the past decade, hoping I’d fall in, only to get slapped in return every time... What’s he’s scheming now?” Yin Chen had reported that the man had just received a major reinforcement. Clearly, Yueling Momo was planning to strike at Tianming with something far more vicious than before.

***

In the Godly Sands, Yueling Momo stood shrouded in darkness, bending slightly as he watched over the arena below.

The Godly Sands was no longer the glorious spectacle it had been ten years ago. Its business had dwindled by two-thirds; its patrons had scattered, and its reputation was in ruins. It could be described as a sunset sinking behind the mountains.

Everyone knew exactly who was to blame for its decline.

Ever since Yueling Xi’s death, every revenge scheme plotted by Yueling Starcage had ended up backfiring spectacularly.

Now, they had become the laughingstock of the entire Dongshen Arena.

The most infuriating part was that they still had no idea what had gone wrong. Their enemies somehow had turned into master tacticians overnight.

“Our reserves are drained. We owe a massive debt of quintessence herbs. If this keeps up, we’ll have no choice but to tear down the Dongshen Arena itself and openly wage war on Nullity,” Yueling Momo said darkly.

Behind him, the others of Yueling could feel the suffocating fury in their leader’s tone. None dared to speak.

Just then, an elderly man hurried in, eyes gleaming with excitement. He whispered into Yueling Momo’s ear, “Master, she’s finally arrived!”

Yueling Momo’s eyes lit up. “The imperial daughter?”

“Yes!”

“Bring me to her.”

“Please, this way.”

The two passed through a long, shadowy corridor, turning several times before arriving at a dark palace. Even before reaching the main hall, Yueling Momo had already bowed low, keeping his head down.

“Your servant greets the imperial daughter!” he said as he entered alone, not daring to lift his gaze.

At the far end of the dark palace, a young girl sat upon an exalted throne. She was dressed in a flowing red-and-white gown that shimmered with starlight. Her dark-red eyes glowed mesmerisingly in the gloom like twin nova sources. Her face, though half-veiled by shadows, was exquisite beyond measure, and her figure graceful and well-endowed. Her middlekin astrons shimmered with flickering embers, making her appear both fiery and explosive.

“Old Mo, I hear you’ve been rather humiliated lately,” the young girl said softly. Her voice was ethereal, but her gaze carried an innate superiority.

“I couldn’t help it. I ran into an old fox over a hundred thousand years old,” Yueling Momo said with a bitter smile. Then he took a deep breath, lifted his head, and forced a grin. “But now, I’m not humiliated anymore. Because you are here. There’s nothing in this world you can’t handle.”

The girl chuckled lightly and rose from her throne.

“The imperatores have all taken notice of your troubles,” she said softly.

“Then...”

The girl’s eyes grew cold and sharp as she looked into the distance. “To bring down Nullity, we’ll start with that imperial son. With just one simple trick, we can capture him and thus control the fate of the entire Realm of Chaos.”