Beastmaster of the Ages

Chapter 1085: 1085

According to Tianming’s predictions, the worst-case scenario wasn’t his own surrender, but a massacre of his people to vent their anger. They didn’t care that Tianming had destroyed the formation nucleus and drawn Bodhi into the Divine Moon Skycity because Sovereign Xi wanted to use his life as a stepping stone. Certain people would never remember how they hurt others, only how they were hurt. Besides, it was Bodhi who killed the Divine Moon Royals, not Tianming. When they faced Bodhi, they shivered, but in front of the mortals of the world below, they flaunted their might. 

As an important figure in Sovereign Xi’s faction, Prince Fengyue knew everything. But he was still going to slaughter and offer the mortals’ lives as a blood sacrifice for his dead relatives. 

“A hundred million lives will be wiped out like dust. No one will know, because no one is allowed into Orderia.” 

This was the suffering of the world below. There were too many mortal worlds on the Welkin plane. They had the most living creatures in all of the universe, but were also the most vulnerable. Prince Fengyue wasn’t afraid of their resentment. 

“Remember, your deaths are atonement for your reckless emperor’s crimes! How dare a mere commoner provoke the divine moonrace?! I’ll teach you a lesson today. Have you learned anything yet?” Prince Fengyue turned to Tianming. 

Those words could be heard by those below. In the end, it was contempt for human life; it was the contrast in the value of their lives—a hundred million lives to atone for six thousand deaths. Even ten thousand lives couldn’t compare to one divine moonrace, in their opinion. Being separated into classes was normal, but this went beyond that. The humans of the Flameyellow Continent were being treated like cockroaches that could be trampled to death with one foot. 

“Not only do they want our lives, they want to trample on our dignity!” 

“Are they so proud?”

“Before this, I didn’t even know there were other worlds outside of the Flameyellow Continent. It turns out that the cosmic aether is both strong and ferocious. We’re really just frogs at the bottom of a well.” 

Dead silence enveloped the world. Humble and small, they were angry but powerless. 

Prince Fengyue had sentenced a hundred million people to death as he laughed arrogantly. He was no longer the gentle, elegant man. 

“Hear my order. Do a good job and show this sinner the visual feast we prepared for him for offending the divine moonrace!” Prince Fengyue gave his order, clenching his hand so the chains tightened around Tianming. Two birds with one stone! 

“Resist, it’s more interesting that way. I don’t like prey that’s merely delivered to my mouth.” Prince Fengyue sneered. 

“You asked for it.” 

Though bound by chains, a scorching divine light radiated from Tianming’s eyes. His flesh grew tense as a majestic power surged from within. 

“Come on then. Show me how you dealt with the Pentamoon Slayers,” Prince Fengyue spat. He was no longer a gentle poet or painter, but a cold executioner. 

“Sure!” Tianming grinned. 

The chains on his body began rattling.

“Open your dog eyes and see clearly!” 

The chains that bound him violently shook. His body was covered in blood, his clothes stained red, but a majestic power burst out from within. 

A small black cauldron appeared on Tianming’s palm. It was the orderian cauldron. 

The cauldron expanded at once, from the size of a palm to more than forty thousand meters in diameter. The gigantic artifact appeared over the Flameyellow Continent. 

Next to Tianming, Prince Fengyue, as well as a large number of the gods and their totems, were all shaken by the cauldron. Even the grade-three chains that had been wrapped around Tianming broke into pieces. 

The power of the cauldron separated the gods from the Flameyellow Continent below. 

“What’s that?” 

“It sort of looks like the Heaven Cauldron!” 

“Is that Li Tianming’s power?” 

The man who had originally planned to surrender was going to make a last stand!

The orderian cauldron’s special characteristic was its size. It was enormous! In Tianming’s hands, the cauldron was larger than it had ever been when the Pentamoon Slayers were in control of it. The opening of the huge cauldron faced the sky as, at the moment of its expansion, it stretched out toward the gods. 

What a magnificent sight it was as the power of the giant cauldron swept across the continent. Aiming it at the center of the divine moonrace army, Tianming made a decisive shot. Prince Fengyue, the skycity lords, and at least a thousand others were swallowed by the cauldron. 

Tianming was inside the cauldron with them; trapping more than a thousand people was already close to the limit. After all, having summoned their totems, they were rather spread out. Tianming sealed the cauldron so it was dark and gloomy inside as its immense power accumulated within him. 

After the initial shock, the gods finally reacted. They stood together, led by Prince Fengyue. They had no fear, only laughter that threatened to spill from their lips. 

“What’s he doing? Is he really going to fight?” 

“There’s at least a thousand of us here. Isn’t dragging us in with him only going to make it harder for him to escape?” 

“He probably thinks this cauldron can trap a thousand of us.” 

“There’s more than ninety thousand people still outside. What can he do?!” 

“His struggle is futile.” 

“Of course he’s not going to just watch a hundred million people get slaughtered. He must resist a little so he looks brave.” 

“But what’s fated will eventually be!” 

They turned to Prince Fengyue, who was in no hurry at all. As long as Tianming showed, he would be a sitting duck. Tianming’s weakness was the Flameyellow Continent so Prince Fengyue wasn’t worried he would run. 

“That’s all you’ve got?” 

The prince was rather pleased. Since Tianming had the ability to kill the Pentamoon Slayers, Prince Fengyue wasn’t surprised he could break the chains. He wanted a massacre; he wanted Flamellow to pay the price as he truly subdued Tianming. 

“Aren’t you the rootbeast race? Bring out your lifebound beasts. You’re still of value, but they aren’t. They must die first!” said Prince Fengyue. 

This was the real reason he had hoped Tianming would resist. In fact, it was his desire to vent his anger—the anger of the divine moonrace and the resentment for his clan’s death—through torture and humiliation. When he had returned that day, his entire family had died tragically. Tianming accounted for half of the hatred he felt. While he couldn’t kill Tianming, Prince Fengyue could certainly take it out on his lifebound beasts. 

“Come, I will give you a chance to fight. Make your move, Li Tianming. Let’s see if you’re brave enough. If you dare let your lifebound beasts out, I’ll order those outside to stand down for the time being. Your other option is to stay in this sealed cauldron with us and listen to the screams of the people below.” 

There was a playful smile on his face. At least a thousand gods surrounded Tianming, their expressions provocative and mocking. 

“I’ve never seen a fool trapped in a cage of his own devising.” 

That was how they viewed the cauldron. Tianming couldn’t seal all one hundred thousand gods in the cauldron; this was obviously no solution to his problem. Judging from Prince Fengyue’s words, it appeared he had Tianming’s lifebound beasts targeted because he wasn’t allowed to kill him. That was the reason the gods outside had yet to act. 

“Fight! Aren’t you very strong?” they laughed. 

“Your lifebound beasts look very powerful. Why are they shrinking in fear now?” 

“Li Tianming, if you’re too afraid to fight, then say so. We’ll just go out and start slaughtering everyone. Stop wasting our time by acting like you’re so tough.” 

The seven city lords mocked him, one after the other. Among the seven of them, four were at the Nonahonor Sky level and three were at the Decapath Sky level. Ranked third in the divine moonrace, Prince Fengyue was a top expert and eleventh-level ascendant. 

“I will give you one last chance. If you don’t act now, all ninety thousand people outside will descend upon the mortal insects below.” 

He had to leave with Tianming; however, his lifebound beasts must die! A hundred million people must die! Tianming would certainly resist if he were to slaughter all those people. However, Prince Fengyue wasn’t deterred by that anticipated resistance. Only in this way could the noble divine moonrace close their eyes in peace. 

“I know you’re the favored son of heaven and your talent defies all. But today, I’ll watch you lose everything. I will watch as you collapse and kneel before me, begging for mercy like a dog!” Prince Fengyue sneered. 

In fact, he could pretend to retreat and hand Tianming over to Sovereign Xi first, then quietly bring down a hundred thousand Gods and continue the slaughter. But how could he savor the pleasure of vengeance if Tianming was kept in the dark? 

Prince Fengyue was no fool. He wasn’t young, and had no need to prove himself. Tianming’s victory over the Pentamoon Slayers had given him a clear idea of his strength. Hence, all thousand gods had summoned their totems and surrounded Tianming. The totems alone were enough to fill the cauldron. 

Amidst the provocation, insults and laughter, Tianming stood at the bottom of the orderian cauldron. When he looked up, he saw a sky full of gods. 

“There’s no way out. You don’t have to worry about us, we won’t die so easily,” said Ying Huo. 

“How many battles have we fought together? How many wanted us dead? But here we are, still alive,” Meow Meow added. 

“It’s a good thing if our presence can delay them. If we don’t show up, they’ll start killing.” 

Although they knew the gods would still slaughter everyone, even if Prince Fengyue were to kill Tianming’s lifebound beasts, they would at least have a fair chance to fight these gods. Except for a hundred of these gods that were elites, the rest were first- or second-level ascendants. Perhaps Tianming would have a chance if it was to be a fight to the death.