Beastmaster of the Ages

The sovereign immediately had a thought right after Prince Fengyue left.

“What do you need?” the imperial guide asked.

“Find a few saint brats and have them enter the chaos skyjail. I want them to seek out information on Li Tianming, Ye Lingfeng, and Li Qingyu. If any of them have family and friends, capture them and bring them here.”

“That’s a little overboard.”

“Hehe…. Nobody completely lacks weaknesses. He’s still a little too young to compete with me when it comes to being ruthless.”

“You’re getting arrogant again.”

“Oh, am I?” the sovereign said as she imposingly walked toward the exit. “Two stinking men. I’ll deal with the pervert first, before feasting on that young delicious one.”

……

Tianming noticed that nobody was on his tail when he left the city. That meant that Sovereign Xi was busy restoring the formation and couldn’t leave her station.

“Let’s pray that Bodhi managed to get in. At least that’ll keep her there. Maybe the imperial guide will stay as well,” Meow Meow said as it continued to run.

“He’ll definitely enter.”

“Why?”

“His hatred for the divine moonrace is as deep as the sea. He’ll definitely be waiting for a chance here.”

“So you’re free even though you’re still marked by Bluemoon Heart?”

“Not necessarily. That doesn’t stop them from sending others to pursue me. The imperial guide might even come herself. Let’s just focus on running, I’d like to avoid using the Prime Tower and being brought back if at all possible.”

“Where to? It’s not like we can return to the Flameyellow Continent.”

“Of course not. Let’s see if Ling’er and the others are nearby.” Though he had already asked them to go back, he guessed that Feiling would stay nearby because she was worried. Either that was the case, or he had developed some kind of sixth sense connection with her after being spiritually attached to her for such a long time in the past. It was as if they were fated to be close and intimate.

Even back in the city, he had a feeling that Feiling was waiting somewhere not far away and knew she hadn’t returned. In fact, Xian Xian also had such a connection with Feiling. That’s why the moment he brought it out, it said, “Little Li, quick! Ling’er’s over there!”

They shared the same feeling, so it couldn’t be mistaken.

“Even if Sovereign Xi sends someone after me, it’ll still take a bit of time. I can at least meet them once!” He definitely couldn’t go on the run with her. It was far too urgent and he still needed her to deal with some things while he was being chased. Xian Xian guided them to Feiling’s position in a few short moments. They descended from the clouds and saw her.

“Get on!” Tianming said, grabbing Feiling and Lin Xiaoxiao and pulling them onto Meow Meow’s back. He also noticed Feiling holding a specter girl in her hand. However, Huiye Shi wasn’t there.

“Ling’er?” Tianming said as he turned back to look at her. She felt distinctly different. He held her hand in concern and asked, “Did you enter that state again?”

“Yes. It’s a long story…. Big Brother, let me tell you some good news, first.”

“Alright.”

“This is Bodhi’s daughter. He’s been keeping her near him. He just entered Divine Moon Skycity but left her outside.”

“The Latticeheart Curse, eh?”

“Yes!”

“Beautifully done.” His fortunes were looking good indeed. Now he had a huge bargaining chip to use against Bodhi. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he controlled his life now.

“Bodhi’s in the city, so the sovereign won’t be coming out any time soon. What should we do?” Feiling asked, seemingly forgetting everything that had happened to her recently.

“Things aren’t going to be smooth sailing just yet. Listen up….” He briefly told her everything that had happened, including the sovereign’s true goals, the reason he destroyed the formation, Ye Lingfeng’s status, as well as about the Bluemoon Heart.

“So, you still have to be on the run for now. Since she also knows you want to rescue Feng, she might guess that you’ve come from the Flameyellow Continent,” Feiling said.

“Isn’t this a little bit of a stretch to guess it all just from that?” Lin Xiaoxiao said.

With the sovereign’s precise observation and control over the fine details, not to mention the Bluemoon Heart, Tianming was really in a passive position. However, it was still much better than before. At the very least, what the sovereign could do now was limited.

“Ling’er, I need all of you to return to the Flameyellow Continent immediately. Hide all of our friends and family. Additionally, make sure nobody mentions my name to anyone.”

“That won’t do, right? We can’t control every single person’s speech,” Feiling said.

“I know. Just do your best. If I were the sovereign, I’d definitely assume that we came from the chaos skyjail. Since it’s the world below, she doesn’t have a full grasp of the situation. Once you get back, move as many people as you can into the chaos skyjail and have my masters and the rest hide. The chaos skyjail is a special place, so if the Divine Moon Realm really sends someone there, we’ll have the advantage. Buy as much time as you can. Also, make sure to keep their attention on the chaos skyjail instead of the continent as a whole.”

The people of the Divine Moon Realm would definitely pay more attention to the chaos skyjail than the Flameyellow Continent. Tianming had heard many people bring up Qingyu and Ye Lingfeng’s origins and they all mentioned the chaos skyjail, but they were mostly clueless about the Flameyellow Continent in general. Not to mention, with the Canal of the Dead, that would inconvenience them if they attempted to take any action there. However, the continent itself was completely undefended.

Naturally, whether Sovereign Xi would cause trouble for Tianming’s home wasn’t something he could be sure of, but it was best that he prepare himself against someone who didn’t miss anything like her. Whether or not he destroyed the formation, she would definitely be as ruthless as she had to be to get him to do what she wanted.

“Alright, I get it. You just keep running while I go back and prepare. I’ll do my best at the Decimo Dao Nation. As for the rest, we can only count on the fact that they haven’t paid attention to us yet,” Feiling said. She seemed much more reliable in crisis situations, with every word she said giving Tianming more confidence.

“I’ll give you a transmission stone. Just notify me if things are getting out of hand,” he said. A transmission stone was a kind of naturally occurring spirit ore with simple heavenly patterns. It was like a magnet, in a way. One it was split into two, the half that was ignited would definitely return to its other half. As such, it was a good idea to stick notes on one half to send it to the other half.

“Okay.” Feiling took the stone and pointed at Little You. “What about her?”

“Bring her back. Bodhi will remain at Divine Moon Skycity to hold Sovereign Xi back for now, so she won’t be of use yet.”

“Alright!”

The entire time, Little You merely listened quietly, glaring dangerously at Tianming. By now, he had finished relaying everything he wanted. He was still being pursued, so he quickly took his leave. He didn’t even have enough time to give Feiling a good groping. “I’ll be going now.”

“Alright, take care.” She held his hand like she wanted to say something, but merely smiled.

“Ling’er, your Per—”

Before Lin Xiaoxiao could finish, Feiling interjected, “I’m fine. Big Brother, leave quick. Someone might be coming.”

“Use the transmission stone if anything happens,” he said, not noticing anything amiss.

“Will do!” Feiling held his hand and nodded.

“See you, Ling’er.”

It was a rushed meeting and parting. Right as Tianming was about to let go, she held his hand even tighter, her nails reflecting the moonlight.

“What’s wrong?”

“I want a hug,” she said, trying hard to smile.

Tianming indulged her and felt her warmth and heartbeat. Before he could relish it, however, she slipped out of his embrace.

“There’s no time. You should leave now, Big Brother.” Feiling was afraid the pursuers would be really powerful and that she had taken up too much of Tianming’s lead time. If she mentioned Perpetual Nirvana, Tianming wouldn’t be able to bring himself to leave her. Given her current unstable state, there was no way she could be on the run with him. Not to mention, she had to get the people on the Flameyellow Continent and in the chaos skyjail to safety.

“Be good, okay?” Tianming said, smiling.

“Of course,” she said, standing with both hands behind her back.

Tianming gave her sweet smile one last look. She was so pure and untainted. “Goodbye, Ling’er.”

“Goodbye.”

They looked at each other intensely.

“Let’s go!” Tianming said, and Meow Meow started off. He turned back as they left, looking at Feiling as he trailed off and burning the image of her and her ten shining fingernails in his mind.