Beastmaster of the Ages

No matter how terrifying Feng Qingyu's current aura was, everyone was relieved to see him charging into the Nine Dragon Formation after his disciple. Even though the specters here were mere remnants of their race, they were basically invincible to anyone who hasn't achieved godhood. Not even a sect master like Lin Yuntian could take a single heavy blow from Di Zang or Po Suo. Xuanyuan Lake was in desperate need of peak elites that would be able to hold those two down. Once that happened, they would be able to take advantage of their vast numbers.

"Feng Qingyu, I'll tell you one more thing. Before we marched, the ghoul king had Jiang Wuxin devour fifty million lifebound beasts in ten cities of the Nonahall Divine Realm! There's a good chance that he’s a specter himself, too! Fifty million humans were essentially crippled through the loss of their lifelong partners. If you don't kill Jiang Wuxin, we’ll come to you for this debt of blood!"

That was utterly shocking news, and nobody doubted its veracity, for the one who said it was a third-origin tribulation elder of Nonahall.

"The specters really are the bane of humanity!"

"Given how cruel the two ghoul kings were to their own, they've long abandoned the side of humanity."

"Did fifty million lifebound beasts really die?"

"Which cities? My family lives in Anling City!"

"Anling City is one of them."

That news had been suppressed before the battle began. But now, the fighters from Nonahall were even more disappointed in Di Zang and Po Suo.

"Everyone, let’s help them too! The specters are the real demons! Let's wipe them out!"

Nonahall still had around a hundred third-origin tribulation elders above the tenth level, thirty of whom were at the death phase. They finally coordinated themselves to act against the two ghoul kings. Only third-origin tribulation elders were powerful enough to barely hold back the three specters, and they were all grieving and angry at the death of all those lifebound beasts.

With Hexapath, Heptastar, and Quadform's tribulation elders joining in with the other tribulation elders on Archaion's side within the Nine Dragon Formation, the number of third-origin tribulation elders was around a hundred and fifty. All of them summoned their lifebound beasts and entered the formation to fight as one. This was a turn of events that nobody could have predicted when the battle began.

Even though they used to be nemeses, they banded together against the nightmarish specters. At the very least, humanity was able to put aside their differences when faced with an existential threat.

Now, all those elders teamed up against Po Suo, who was trying to chase down Tianming and Ouyang Jianwang. Though she was nigh unstoppable by any individual alone, the group finally managed to stop her in her tracks. Tianming had already taken quite a number of fatal claw strikes from Po Suo for Ouyang Jianwang and almost lost his organs, though the Greenspark Tower had helped regenerate them.

"Enter Soulburn Hall! There's an inner formation there!" Tianming said agitatedly.

"But that isn't that appropriate, right?" Ouyang Jianwang said.

"Who cares?!" If Ouyang Jianwang stayed there despite his injuries, he would only just be holding the rest back. Tianming gave the old man a kick and sent him flying into the building. Then he turned back and saw Po Suo being bombarded with attacks from all those elders.

"Damn, seeing a sight that I never would've imagined would come to pass is bringing a tear to my eye," Tianming marveled.

"Well, nobody wants to be an absolute dipshit that dooms their own race, after all," Ying Huo said.

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"Did you see Po Suo's Amnestic River Voidbanner?"

"Yeah. What's so special about it?"

"Would you believe it if I told you that the sin that divine artifact gives off is ten times more than Ghoul King Si Ling's?" Tianming had almost fainted when he saw it with his Eyes of Judgment. It was far too terrifying.

"What does that mean?" Ying Huo asked.

"It's the divine artifact the Nonahall Specter forged more than a hundred millennia ago! There are at least three hundred million vitae trapped within that banner. It's said that once people die, their vitae will re-enter the cycle of reincarnation, during which their memories are wiped before they reincarnate. The Amnestic River Voidbanner, on the other hand, traps the vitae and prevents them from reincarnating forever. I believe my dad trapped Autarch Qian in the Cyclic Reflector using the same method, though the purpose of that was to punish him. The banner, on the other hand, uses all those vitae to increase its power. In other words, there’s three hundred million souls inside who’re prevented from reincarnating. However, the users of the banner have definitely consumed quite a few of them over the years, so over five hundred million have fallen prey to that horrid weapon." Tianming's voice grew colder and colder as he spoke on.

Was this pure evil, or simply an irreconcilable difference between different species? There were many things in the world that didn't have straightforward answers. Who were the arbiters of what was good and evil? Were humans evil for eating animals by the billions? How was it different for specters to do the same by treating humans like livestock, apart from the fact that humans were sentient? Who decided that it was bad to eat sentient beings, and if so, why? If humans could kill each other in endless wars throughout the aeons, who were they to judge specters that were trying to kill them for food and survival?

What was common sense for most people was nothing other than a human-centric view of the universe. As far as the rest of the universe was concerned, the joys and sufferings of humans didn't matter in the least.

This was part of the truth Tianming was searching for on his path of cultivation. However, the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Every time that happened, however, he would calm his mind by recalling Li Muyang's words: what should matter to him at the end of the day was whether or not he followed his heart.

"As long as I don't turn against my own heart and conscience, I’ll continue living as myself to the fullest extent possible! Every justification should come from my own being! The Primordial God-Emperor was probably a human, and I, Li Tianming, am also a human! Which side I take and which views I adopt should be based on what blood flows within my veins! I see good and evil from the point of view of a human! I am human, and that’s a core part of my being. Anyone that tries to massacre my species will have to endure my wrath! And traitors to humanity are the absolute worst! The path of the sovereign is the ultimate destiny of humanity. Since the Eyes of Judgment deem the Amnestic River Voidbanner as an evil object, then it’s evil to me! The three hundred million vitae that aren't able to reincarnate will definitely be thankful to me if I free them from their torment. I can already see the endless amount of good karma I'll receive...."

Having calmed his thoughts, he was able to continue fighting even after witnessing all the cruelty the universe had to offer. "Ghoul King Po Suo!"

Now that other third-origin tribulation elders were holding her back, there was nothing Tianming had to fear. He charged into battle with his lifebound beasts and dual swords in hand! Nobody knew all the things that had flashed through his mind at that moment. The epiphany was his and his alone. After all, nobody knew the tragedy that lay behind the Amnestic River Voidbanner.

Specters didn't care about human lives and would use them like cattle to enhance their weapons. That just pointed to the fact that there was an irreconcilable grudge between humans and specters. Tianming finally understood why Great Emperor Xuanyuan would plead with him. After seeing the truth for himself, even he would do the same. Not to mention, the specters had been sealed away for more than two hundred millennia. Once they returned, the Flameyellow Continent would be bathed in blood and fire once more.

"Begone!" He executed the Ninesky Beastsoul Formation; Po Suo was surrounded and being bombarded with countless abilities, making for the perfect opportunity!