Beastmaster of the Ages

Chapter 2644 - Second Exterminatus Army

Lin Chongjing's eyes widened and his hands shook. The Phantavoid broke into a huge commotion, with everyone within disbelieving what they had just heard.

"We destroyed two million astral gods and two-thirds of their forces in total. We're going to win! And by such a ridiculous margin, too! We must leave immediately! If we don't, others will see us as a weakness of the Sun and come for us! The Sun is truly mighty. It’ll become a bastion feared by others in the future!" Lin Xiao roared.

"So that’s the reason we were told to leave right away...." Lin Chongyao was completely stumped. He turned and looked around, seeing everyone just as stunned as he was; they still hadn't snapped out of their stupor. Some even pinched themselves to see if it was a dream. It took a few more moments before they broke into a roaring fervor. Tears flowed as they speechlessly howled, hugging each other in excitement as they vented their struggles and vindication. It didn't take long before the rift between the two sides had mended. They were all united toward one goal: heading to the Sun!

Lin Chongjing was completely isolated, his allies having flipped sides yet again. The space around him was completely empty, with people trying their best to squeeze into each other just to distance themselves from him further. It was the first time he had ever felt so pathetic and lonely in his life. He knelt on the ground and helplessly raised his arms, crying while the others cheered. Due to the commotion, nobody realized that his shoulders were shuddering as he sobbed and even had a coughing fit.

"Dad! Dad! I was wrong! I was wrong!" He pressed his hands to the ground and thought of the white-haired old man whose gaze was ever so firm. He felt like his internal organs had been ripped apart at that moment. He had always thought himself to be a prodigy and wanted to be in the vanguard of the new age, but the old folks were stubborn and simply couldn't change their ways. Weren't people who couldn't adapt eventually doomed to fail? That was especially true, considering that they were also merchants that ran the Prime Infinitum Trade Union. Today, there was finally an answer to that question. Denying himself was one of the most painful things one could experience in the world.

Nobody noticed Lin Chongjing's pain as the Phantavoid took off and left the Infinitum Swordsea, but eventually, a pair of hands pressed against his shoulders. "Little Brother, rejoice. You were lucky and had good karma. Even after the mistakes you've committed, you still have a chance."

......

Blast after blast boomed out as tens of thousands of giant sword-shaped ships took off. Among them were more than twenty ether-class ships and some three hundred sanctuary-class ones. The river of swords took to the skies and assembled into a sword formation. The remnants of nova source from the blasts caused huge waves across the Infinitum Swordsea which washed upon Grandsect Mountain, the Myriadsword Mausoleum, Brokensword Peak, and the Caeli Sea, all places that held ancient legacies.

Each and every sword left behind in the sea was from an ancestor of the Lin Clan. They resonated and howled, as if they were embodying the heroes of the past as they bid farewell to their descendants. Such a sight, albeit at a much smaller scale, also took place at Mount Taia.

Up in the clouds, the gigantic black swords of the second branch were near the very end of the fleet. After all the sword-ships had left the Infinitum Swordsea, Lin Xiao turned back and looked at the sea one last time from the 'hilt' of his sword-ship. A teardrop fell from his eye, through the clouds, and into the sea. All of them would miss their home, but they simply didn't voice it.

......

Outside the Infinitum Swordsea, the second Exterminatus Army lay in ambush, their forces able to rival that of the Lin Clan. However, they had many more top elites among them, namely, Shenxi Tianxi of the ebons, Sheng Kailin of the sanctlighters, and Lin Jie, formerly of the Lin Clan. Top elites from other Infinitum Regal Clans were also among their ranks, all of whom were in their prime, in stark contrast to the aging legends of the Swordgod Lin Clan.

Just as the order to depart had been given, the Second Exterminatus Army reacted. "Attention, all! The Swordgod Lin Clan is preparing to flee, a sign that they've betrayed the Infinitum Bodhimanda to join up with their traitorous tenth branch! Kill them all without exception!"

Shenxi Tianxi's voice immediately spread throughout all the divine astralships. Unlike the ships of the Lin Clan, the Second Exterminatus Army's ships weren't as fast. However, they weren't burdened with carrying large amounts of resources or high numbers of people, allowing them to maneuver in a much more agile fashion. Not to mention, every person in them was a full-fledged astral god, while the Swordgod Lin Clan's ships also carried many, many civilians. The result of a clash between these two demographics was obvious, leading to the Second Exterminatus Army's high confidence.

"They must be insane to have chosen this moment to run." Shenxi Tianxi had the upper hand during the start. They had mobilized all their ships.

"Once they emerge, we'll go straight in! We don't need to focus on killing them all, only sowing confusion in their ranks. At the same time, we'll occupy the Infinitum Swordsea so that they have no home to return to."

The ebons didn't desire the complete extermination of the Lin Clan, only their submission with Lin Jie as a proxy. Naturally, some of them would definitely be killed in the process; a necessary sacrifice.

At the peak of their confidence, though, news of the battle on the Sun was suddenly sent back. "What?!?!" Shenxi Tianxi took three steps back, completely stupefied as he slammed straight into a wall.

"What kind of joke is this? The message must be corrupted!" Lin Jie said, his expression shifting. Despite his attempt to remain calm, his shaking fingers betrayed his true feelings.

"Two... two-thirds?" The blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty in the corner, Sheng Kailin, let out an unrestrained gasp. Even someone that looked as noble and refined as her was completely aghast, let alone the rank and file of their forces. They simply refused to accept the truth, so they kept asking for clarification in hopes that the previous missive would be proven wrong. But alas, wave after wave of confirmations came.

Losing two-thirds of their forces would shake the entirety of the Infinitum Mundus! Shenxi Tianxi's body uncontrollably shuddered as he felt thousands of needles prick into his head at the sight of the tens of thousands of gigantic swords before him. There was no longer any point in asking for confirmation from the First Exterminatus Army.