Beastmaster of the Ages

”There’s no need,” Tianming said, gaze cold.

”Alright.” Mu Qingqing stopped but made sure to remind him before he entered. ”Among the three men are Long Xuanzhao from Torch Dragon and the imperial son Cang Shentu from Aquamarine. They’re much older than you and are people from the same generation as those four. They’re quite powerful.”

”What about the last one?” Tianming asked.

”It’s someone you know. You have a thousand-year oath with him.”

”Lin Xiaoting, right?” Tianming almost broke into laughter. The Lin Xiaoting that he knew from the Vermillion Bird Kingdom had become his nemesis over Mu Qingqing. In the end, he married Yueling Ji and even became impotent. To think that he had joined the cast in the Realm of Chaos as well...

Mu Qingqing wanted Tianming to know their status in fear that he would suffer as a result. Then again, since when was Tianming someone who let people get away with things like these?

***

The doors of Kunruler Palace opened wide. The white-haired youth stepped into the halls as he had done a hundred thousand years ago. A massive mural of him could be seen at the end of the massive hall, a mirror image of the person who had just entered.

A woman in black-gold dragon robes stood before the mural, arms behind her back as she stared intensely. She carried herself with a sovereign air. Wherever she passed through, dead silence seemed to follow. Even the candleflame within the hall didn’t move one bit.

When she heard the door open, her lips parted to let out a deep voice of admiration. ”The mural’s well done. How incredibly vivid.”

”Are you alone? Where are the rest/” Tianming asked.

”They’re savoring some fine wine and playing music in the courtyard,” Imperator Long said, turning around with a joyful look. ”Aren’t you afraid to come so close to me with your skypole stars gone?”

”You’re a mere concubine. What do I have to be afraid of?” Tianming didn’t even give her a look as he walked past her towards the courtyard. For cosmic gods of their size, the distance of a few hundred meters was far smaller than their personal space. Tianming’s absolute aura of unyielding strength made him seem rather difficult to deal with.

Imperator Long’s brow furrowed when he passed by him. That ’kid’ had made progress far faster than she had expected, growing from ten thousand to near forty thousand meters. The sense of pressure that came from him was completely different. Tianming was someone who had reached the same league they were in and was a threat to their seventh astral organs. He had become completely different. The predatorial masculine aura that he gave off was beginning to seem dangerous.

As he stepped into the courtyard, he heard pleasant music and joyful conversations and also smelled wine in the air. The three men and women were playing musical instruments, reciting poems, dancing with swords and having pleasant conversations. Needless to say, they behaved the same whether they were in public or not. It was no wonder the label of Imperator Green was beginning to stick.

Naturally, Tianming knew that this was all a ruse that they had orchestrated for him. The four imperatores were far too talented. Lin Xiaoting, the one who was closest to them in terms of age, was even slightly inferior, let alone the other two men. There was no way that the proud Imperator Ji, Imperator Tu and Imperator Tong would actually give up the chastity that they were so proud of for Tianming’s sake. Even so, the fact that they dared to put up this charade in his own territory was nothing he was happy about.

Even as Tianming stood there, they continued to make merry. Lin Xiaoting, clad in purple robes, noticed Tianming and stopped blowing his flute. ”Imperial Son, what do you think of my rendition of ’Green Waters and Viridian Springs?’”

Tianming smiled. ”I see that you really like blowing things like a sissy. Why don’t you get down on your knees and blow my flute?”

Lin Xiaoting froze. Hearing Tianming’s direct words, the three imperatores stopped what they were doing and turned to him, speechless as if they had just seen an uncultured brute.

”Imperial Son, those words are inappropriate in the presence of such fine company,” said a blue-robed youth who had been doing a sword dance. He was the imperial son of Aquamarine, Cang Shentu, a good friend and peer of Lin Xiaoting.

”The only inappropriate things in here are you three. Get the fuck out of here and stop harassing my wives,” Tianming said. Since the other side wasn’t playing by the rules, Tianming didn’t play along either. He made his intentions clear and had no desire to suffer through the silly script they had prepared.

Yet, his brash words left the three female imperatores pondering. They noticed that Tianming had put away his skypole stars.

The third most powerful among them, the soft and cute Imperator Tong, suddenly rose and held Cang Shentu’s arm apologetically. ”Imperial Son Cang, I’m so sorry that we let someone so crude in your elegant presence. I will make up for it and visit you at a better time so you can show me what else you can do with that sword of yours.”

The instant she finished, a sword flash forced her apart from Cang Shentu. Their gazes turned cold from shock. How dare that kid lash out?!

Tianming had drawn the Grand-Orient Sword and pointed it at Cang Shentu. ”No better time than now. Unsheathed that fancy sword of yours. I’ll cut off that root of evil and soak it in the finest wine to make a fine brew for my lifebound beasts.”

”I won’t drink it, Little Li. You have to finish it on your own,” Ying Huo said.

”I won’t drink it either.”

”Me neither.”

After the other beasts chimed in, Ying Huo slapped Meow Meow awake. ”Cat Bro, Little Li wants to make a nice brew of wine that’ll make you sleep even more pleasantly. Do you want it?”

Meow Meow’s eyes opened drowsily. ”Well, I’ve been having a hard time sleeping lately. I’m struggling to get more than twenty-three hours of sleep, so I’ll take it.”