Beastmaster of the Ages

A few days had passed and Prince Fengyue was growing impatient waiting above the chaos skyjail. “Even transmission stones don’t work in this darned place. The hundred of them are like rocks that sank into the deepest depths of the ocean. I can’t even see a wave from them—did something bad befall them?”

The chaos skyjail had been mysterious for centuries. “Since geniuses of that caliber can come from the chaos skyjail, that must mean they have some elites themselves, despite the low quality of spiritual energy. However, I refuse to believe that not even a single one of them can leave and come to me to make a report if something really went wrong. I told them not to make any waves. I sure hope they took my advice to heart….”

After some time, he made a decision. “I’ll wait a few more days. If that doesn’t work, I’ll get a few thousand others who aren’t divine moonrace to go in. Even though their talent is bad, they have far more experience, given their age.”

Children under the age of ten were rascals, after all. The Divine Moon Realm was a place with many rules, so people couldn’t just do what they wanted as they could in the world below. However, they wouldn’t necessarily follow those rules when nobody was watching.

He stuck a note on a transmission stone and used it to make a report to the sovereign. Soon, he received a reply: they would be sending ten thousand people over.

“She’s in a real rush, huh…. But what in the world is inside the chaos skyjail?”

It was one thing if a hundred people went missing within, but if ten thousand people vanished without a trace, that must mean that Li Tianming was someone of great importance. However, that wasn’t the biggest deal for Tianming. He was afraid the divine moonrace would turn their attention to the continent as a whole, rather than focusing on the chaos skyjail where their movements would be limited. When they finally decided they would leave the chaos skyjail alone, Tianming could no longer just keep running.

Prince Fengyue had no choice but to return to the Divine Moon Realm to bring the ten thousand empyrean saints down to the continent. All of the divine moonrace above the age of ten were past that level, after all. While they couldn’t fully trust the non-divine moonrace, they didn’t really have a choice.

“What kind of secrets lay within this damn place? I have to find out!”

……

To Tianming, as long as Feiling didn’t use her transmission stone, that meant the Tianming Dynasty was still safe, so he could continue circling around and striving to improve. The sovereign thought he wouldn’t be able to cultivate as long as he kept running. Little did she know that he actually had the Prime Tower and access to the wondersky realm. Though he seemed to be escaping, he was actually learning from the best legacies of Violetglory Star. There were millions of caeli there—far more than the divine moon halls—not to mention they were on a level comparable to those in Orderia.

“Right now, the sovereign is being kept occupied at Divine Moon Skycity, and Feng is doing much better. It’s been ten days, so Feiling must be doing okay as well and keeping things in order.”

He was prepared to return to the continent at a moment’s notice. However, he had underestimated how fascinated the divine moonrace were with the mysteries in the chaos skyjail, especially how it had produced three peak geniuses in the same generation. The more unknowns there were, the more they would attribute the reason for that to the chaos skyjail itself. There was no way they would ever think that the chaos skyjail was only able to hold up thanks to reinforcements from the rest of the continent.

However, that was bound to be exposed sooner or later when the ten thousand newcomers arrived. Tianming was waiting for Feiling’s transmission stone while he continued cultivating in the Violetglory Pagoda.

Ten days had passed, so it was time to meet up with Ye Lingfeng. He had just spent ten full days on the second level of the pagoda, defeating ten people in a row. When he left, he just so happened to see Ye Lingfeng. He seemed to be in good spirits.

“How are you doing?” Tianming asked.

“Good so far. There is a lot of movement about the place, but I’ve still not been found. Once I’m discovered, I can use the xenofiends to cultivate my own divine will. Too bad a stellunar source isn’t available in the xenomemory space, or I’d be able to raise my cultivation as well,” Ye Lingfeng said.

“Guess you’re in quite a similar situation as Bodhi was some time ago.” When Bodhi had reached the moon and finally got to absorb its stellunar source, he was able to make many breakthroughs at once. That meant his divine will had already been strong when he was stuck in the Ninefold Hell, so he could already control a huge amount of power. “I already got your blood. Now all I need is a dimensional rope.”

“Alright, I’ll continue enduring.”

“Are you really fine?”

“I am. It’s a little messy where I’m at. I think a lot of monsters are looking for me. However, I’m no longer a pushover,” he confidently said.

“You sure you aren’t just boasting?

“I’m not, I promise.”

“Good.”

“Then I’ll take my leave now. See you in ten days.”

This was their first meeting since they had made the promise. Seeing Ye Lingfeng doing so well, Tianming felt relieved. Now the only thing he had to worry about was the Flameyellow Continent. He would have to rush back if the divine moonrace shifted their attention. Even without the sovereign herself, they were still a force to be reckoned with.

“Every day I get to cultivate feels like a blessing.” He truly cherished the little time he got. Every day, he had to fight someone for the right to remain in the pagoda. He always went all out, much to the shock of his opponents. Even as he looked over the memories in the caeli, he prayed he wouldn’t get a transmission stone. The longer he could train, the better chance humanity would have at survival.

……

When Prince Fengyue returned to the Divine Moon Realm, it still took a while for ten thousand people of a suitable level to be gathered, given the chaotic times. Then he brought all of them to the chaos skyjail; even with his previous experience, it took him an entire hour to explain to them what to do.

“Do you understand? Spread out immediately. Every day, I want someone to come out to report what’s going on to me. No matter whether they seem to be key figures or not, capture anyone who seems to be high level and bring them out for me to question.” The fact that the kids had gone missing was far too ominous to ignore.

“Lord Prince, are the people who went in before us done for?” Some were nervous as to why so many of them had had to be gathered.

“Last time, I was negligent. The children are talented, but they aren’t good for anything else. All you have to do is be vigilant. Don’t worry. You can feel the bad quality of the spiritual energy here, can’t you? A single ascendant would be able to suck the whole place dry,” the prince said.

“Alright….”

“Remember—spread out and send regular reports.”

“Understood.”

One after another, they carefully descended downward and maintained a low profile. Unlike the powerful children, they were careful to the extreme. These were the ones who would really give Tianming trouble.

……

In a forest near the Canal of the Dead, Feiling and Lin Xiaoxiao stood next to each other.

“It’s the thirty-eighth time,” Lin Xiaoxiao said.

“Yes.”

Feiling had changed a lot. Despite her pale expression, the glow in her eyes was growing stronger and stronger. However, she didn’t have her mind on her Perpetual Nirvana. “So the divine moonrace sent ten thousand adults this time, instead of a hundred children.”

“That’s why you sent a hundred thousand people in to deal with them, right?”

“It won’t be enough. As long as Sovereign Xi wants to come, the Flameyellow Continent is an open book to her. It’s only a matter of time. Any one of the thousands she sends in that gets out to make a report will be enough for them to find out that the chaos skyjail wasn’t behind the disappearance of their people. They’ll know the continent as a whole is sending people inside as well. That’s something they could’ve already easily found out if it weren’t for the antiquated trains of thought they have.”

“Then, should we notify him? It’s about time.”

“We should wait a little longer.” Feiling couldn’t really see how many people were in the second batch that arrived. She had sent a hundred thousand people to prevent chaos from breaking out in the Decimo Dao Nation, but that wouldn’t stop the divine moonrace from learning about the Tianming Dynasty. So far, the sovereign didn’t know that Tianming and Qingyu had gone their separate ways, or that he had even spent time outside the chaos skyjail, but she would soon learn of it.

……

It was getting dark at Xi Palace. Sovereign Xi caught an incoming transmission stone and read the paper note. “Oh, so that’s what’s going on.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Let me see,” the imperial guide said. Her eyes opened wide when she read it. “He won’t be able to keep running this time.”

“Who knew that he had his own dynasty on the continent? Billions of people are counting on him,” the sovereign said gleefully.

“It’s just a game of playing house.”

“However, he’s the real deal. The Human Emperor, what prestige. It’s a shame that his duty to the world below is only a burden to him.”

“What do you want to do next?”

“Have Fengyue take a hundred thousand gods to the Flameyellow Continent. Have each of them destroy a city. Let the continent fall into chaos until Li Tianming kneels before me!”

All she had wanted was to capture a few of his loved ones. She didn’t even know that he was an emperor of his people.

“Human Emperor… Human Emperor… Hahaha… you dare to disobey me? Then I’ll make you the doom of all those innocents. Do you know how fine the line is between a wise ruler and one that dooms their people? Being a ruler is no easy task. Your subjects may support you, but they’re also your weakness!” The sovereign knew that better than anyone else.