Beastmaster of the Ages

“You’re on your way?”

The entire Yueling Starcage had forcefully choked down this monumental humiliation. Despite being the losing party, they made it a grand event to uphold the imperatores’ dignity, dutifully honoring the bet. In stark contrast, only a clone of the principal wife arrived from Nullity to receive them empty-handed. Tianming didn’t need Yin Chen’s description to see that even if the imperatores might hold back, the emotionally volatile Yueling cosmic gods were guaranteed to have another outburst.

Upon hearing the news, Li Tianzi said, “This isn’t great news. That just means they’re spoiling for a fight and trying to one-up us. The real showdown will happen when they reach Skyplunder Capital.”

“Are you scared?” Tianming scoffed.

“Why should I be? I’m not the one getting married,” Li Tianzi said.

“Tianming, can you ask Master Chen how big the wedding procession is?” Wei Jing asked with concern. The fact that even she called it ”Master Chen” showed how dramatically Yin Chen’s status has improved.

It made Yin Chen exceedingly arrogant. It spoke with an inflated sense of superiority. ”Four brides... and their... father.”

”Five in total? So Yueling Xiao’s the only one who went with them?” Tianming was surprised.

According to Yin Chen, Yueling Starcage had prepared a wedding procession of around 100 million formally dressed elite heavencosmic gods to bolster their reputation. Ultimately, they didn’t show up because Tianming had sent Mu Qingqing alone to fetch the brides.

”We sent one person for the brides, so they’re only sending one person to escort them back. They know it’s an insult, but they’re walking right into our territory anyway. That just shows how determined they are to challenge our momentum,” Wei Jing analyzed.

”So is this good or bad news?” Li Tianzi asked.

”The good news is that war seems unlikely for now. It appears their backers have other plans. The bad news is, the four female imperatores will deal with Tianming themselves. If it stays a marital dispute, we’re stuck on the sidelines and they’ll gain the upper hand on us. Then they can get back at Tianming and wipe away the shame,” Wei Jing said, frowning.

“But don’t worry, you’ll have the skypole stars, our father, and me backing you up in Skyplunder Capital. They won’t be able to just spring an attack on you easily.” Li Tianzi patted Tianming on the shoulder.

“What do you mean ‘easily’? Does that mean there’s still a chance they’ll try to kill me?” Tianming asked.

”The chances are incredibly slim, but it’s not impossible. Just be careful,” Li Tianzi said.

“How am I supposed to do that? Will you keep watch outside while I consummate the marriage?” Tianming asked.

”Consummate my ass! Given your skinny arms and legs, it’d be like a rabbit trying to mate with an elephant!” Li Tianzi rolled his eyes.

”Enough with the nonsense. The worst they’ll do is try to challenge our position,” Wei Jing said, looking at the two brothers. ”No matter what happens, we’re a family. We’ll handle any challenges that come our way. As long as we have each other, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

”Yes, Grandfather and Grandmother are still by our side.” Li Tianzi nodded.

Deep in contemplation, Tianming suddenly asked, ”Yueling Long, Imperator Long, is the strongest of these four female imperatores? She’s not even 200,000 years old and was the previous wonder of the Realm of Chaos.”

”Rumor has it that her combat power surpasses even our father’s, making her effectively the first imperator of the Realm of Chaos.” Li Tianzi sneered. He was only a little over 100,000 years old, half of Yueling Long’s age, yet nearly at the same level.

Needless to say, Yueling Long had considerable influence within the chaos skyjail.

”Besides Imperator Ji and Imperator Long, who are the other two?” Tianming asked. He was unsure if Yueling Ji and Yueling Long of the chaos skyjail had any other sisters.

”They’re Imperator Tu and Imperator Tong.” Wei Jing introduced them.

Yueling Tu and Yueling Tong—the names were entirely unfamiliar to him.

”Ji, Tu, Tong, Long?”

Repeating the names, Tianming felt that something was amiss. Wasn’t this a homonym for the classic “chickens and rabbits in a cage” problem?[1]

”Yueling Xiao really stinks at naming.” Tianming chuckled.

”But his four daughters are indeed extraordinary. You’ll see when you meet them,” Wei Jing said.

”Yes, I’ve met Imperator Ji. She’s a beautiful, mature woman with a fantastic figure, and her patience is as deep and vast as the ocean,” Tianming said, clearing his throat.

Imperator Ji and Yueling Ji from the chaos skyjail had completely different personalities. They shared nothing in common but their name.

“Imperator Long’s temper is far more explosive,” Wei Jing whispered as a reminder.

“Well I specialize in handling temperamental women.” Tianming chuckled.

“Wait until you’ve subdued her before you brag,” Wei Jing said through a mix of laughter and near-tears of amusement.

It was obvious that the upcoming “wedding” would be a chaotic affair, with or without a war. Even though both sides had sent only a few people, the entire Realm of Chaos had their eyes on the wedding which should have been a grand spectacle.

Shortly afterward, Yin Chen provided a real-time update. The wedding procession was about to arrive. They hadn’t missed the inauspicious day!

At this moment, all of Nullity was buzzing with excitement. Even though they understood that the Skyplunder Li family intended to hold a simple ceremony, this was still a formal union between the imperial son and the four most stunning imperatores of Yueling Starcage. Who wouldn’t be thrilled?

But beneath the excitement, the tension was clear—this was a life-or-death struggle. The success of the wedding would potentially determine the future of the Realm of Chaos.

The streets of Skyplunder Capital were overflowing with cosmic gods. It seemed no one wanted to miss the grand event. Yet, most were unlikely to see the ceremony in person, as the Li family hadn’t extended a single invitation. Many firemaple cosmic gods and citizens of Vermillion Bird, Torch Dragon, and Aquamarine came on their own to observe and report back on this “grand show.”

”Considering how simple the wedding is, shouldn’t the imperial son have at least gone to Yueling Starcage to fetch them?”

”Fetch them my foot! They’re just concubines. He can wait for them to come to him!”

”Exactly! Who do they think they are? They’re just concubines!”

Numerous Nullity cosmic gods strained their necks, breathlessly awaiting the arrival of the brides.

At last, the sky stirred with activity. Nova source clouds parted as Yueling Xiao appeared, leading the way. He was clad in a white, gem-encrusted battle suit, and his expression remained perfectly stoic. At this moment, killing him would be easier than getting him to smile.

The second he met the sea of mocking eyes, his mind had already reduced Skyplunder Capital to rubble more than once. While his expression remained a picture of calm, his insides were twisted from rage. How could any father possibly bear to send his four noble daughters to this place, just for them to endure these scornful stares? This was no less than torture for Yueling Xiao.

Suddenly, his gaze fixed on the heart of Skyplunder Capital. There, outside the Plunderlord Palace gates, stood the very family he had long fantasized about destroying.

1. 鸡兔同笼 or the ”Chickens and Rabbits in a Cage” problem, is a classic Chinese mathematical puzzle from the ancient text Sunzi Suanjing ☜