Beastmaster of the Ages

Chapter 933

Tianming ran with all he had toward the Heaven Cauldron with Ying Huo. He felt like his heart had been torn in half, one part worrying about Feiling and the other concerned about Jiang Wuxin.

"Don't be anxious. Trust them," Ying Huo said, seeing him so frantic.

"Alright." Tianming forced himself to nod. It was one thing for him to be worried, but he trusted Feiling and the rest no matter what. They had already tipped the scales in their favor a few times in battle, and now they were going through the most dangerous climax. This whole time, Tianming had been giving it his all. Everyone else also contributed, including Lin Xiaoxiao, Xuanyuan Dao, Li Caiwei, Ouyang Jianwang, Yi Xingyin, and so on. At this point, none of them could afford to lose.

Finally, the Heaven Cauldron was within view. The five-colored pillar that blasted toward the heavens was an impressive sight to behold. "We're finally here!"

The fact that the pillar of light remained meant the body of Great Emperor Xuanyuan was still intact. When Tianming climbed up to the Heaven Cauldron, he saw a figure enter the pillar of light. It had to be Jiang Wuxin! He immediately gave chase and sank to the bottom of the cauldron.

When the pillar of light had appeared, all the spirit hazards within the cauldron were pushed out. Now, only the pillar filled the cauldron. The pillar of light was hot and contained chaotic energies. Tianming felt like he was being burned even with the Greenspark Tower and Ancient Deepstar Godbody. Most normal people wouldn't even be able to go inside. However, Jiang Wuxin's royal specter bloodline allowed him to move about as he pleased.

"He's down there!" Tianming pushed himself through the pillar of light. Soon, the black figure grew clearer in his view. It was indeed Jiang Wuxin.

He looked up from the bottom of the cauldron coldly. "You really are slow. I've been waiting for quite a while." Then, he took out the two keys.

Tianming was still some ways away, so he wouldn't be able to stop him in time. However, what did Jiang Wuxin mean when he said he had been waiting for quite a while? He must have arrived much sooner and would have entered if he hadn’t been waiting for Tianming. "No matter what that means, at least I still have a chance to stop him!"

Tianming continued charging down as Jiang Wuxin coldly opened the Heaven Cauldron. A deep pathway appeared before him, into which he jumped.

"Li Tianming, come down if you dare," he said, his voice ringing out from the pathway. Now that he had gone down, he could destroy the divine body at any moment. Tianming had no choice but to follow.

Tianming and Ying Huo followed closely behind Jiang Wuxin. The moment he entered the pathway, the light from outside completely vanished. The Heaven Cauldron had sealed itself once more; Jiang Wuxin and Tianming were both trapped within.

When Tianming landed, he disturbed quite a lot of dust on the ground. The surroundings were pitch black and dead silent. There was nothing to be detected apart from the aura of a great beast before him. The eyes of the beast were clear to see in the darkness; they were white with bloodshot streaks. Each of the bloody streaks contained endless hate toward Tianming.

Using his Plundering Eye, Tianming clearly saw Jiang Wuxin, as well as the divine body of the emperor and his five dragons. The ancient body was deep within the cauldron. Even after the passing of two hundred millennia, it still exuded a stunning aura.

The two youths stood face to face before the emperor. Neither of them would ever have been able to imagine that it would come to this when they had first met during the Number One Summit.

"Not bad. The two of us now hold the fate of all the humans on the Flameyellow Continent in our hands." Jiang Wuxin clutched his head and laughed like a madman.

Tianming narrowed his eyes, having prepared himself for the slaughter that was to come. However, one question still lingered: why had Jiang Wuxin not destroyed the divine body immediately even though he’d arrived first? The fact that he was talking to Tianming meant that things could still take another turn. "What do you want?"

Jiang Wuxin chuckled and swallowed the two keys. Then, he smiled and said, "Great, now it's just the two of us. We're trapped down here. If you want to leave this place alive, you have no choice but to kill me and dig the keys out of my corpse."

Now Tianming was certain that things were not yet set in stone. However, one thing was for sure: one of them had to die here today.

Jiang Wuxin glared at him and said, "Li Tianming, you’re humanity's hero, the hero of the Flameyellow Continent. On you rests the fate of billions. It's as if you were made for this role. You're supposed to be a perfect paragon of justice, right?"

"Enough nonsense. Get to the point."

"Do you want to know why I waited for you to come down here?"

"What?"

"Would you believe it if I told you I've been regretting things ever since I fought my master? I’ve let him down too much in this life. If it weren't for the fact that I had no choice, I wouldn't keep doing things that disappoint him. He doesn't want the specters to return to this world, and neither do I." As he spoke, blood oozed out of his eyes.

"That'd be ideal. At least the Hexapath Swordfiend wouldn't have died in vain. If he helped change you, at least his reputation won't be stained for generations to come."

"No, no, no! You misunderstand me. If that was the case, I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble to get these two keys, right?"

"Then, what's the point of all this?" Tianming knew that this wasn't a good sign.

"This whole time, I’ve been making choices. Each time, I seem to be making one worse choice after another. Eventually, I came to understand that I’ve never been given a choice at all. Fate was driving me into a corner and laughing at me as I stumbled along. I'm disappointed in the human realm. Compared to a perfect paragon like you, I'm nothing more than a lowly frog, right?"

"You're not the only one that’s been driven into a corner. It merely depends on your perspective."

"You're wrong, too wrong. I refuse to believe that you'd still act normally after you lose those most precious to you. There's no way you could continue loving the world if that happened," Jiang Wuxin said.

Tianming didn't want to respond to that. He had indeed experienced loss of that degree, yet he was still himself. "So?"

"Well, I've decided to play the role of fate today. I’ll give you a choice." Jiang Wuxin couldn't help himself from laughing all the while Tianming watched. "Li Tianming, you have two paths before you! The first is that I’ll destroy the divine body and release the specters into the human realm, bringing about a million years or more of suffering for all of humanity. As for the second... I want you to die right here and now! As long as you die, I won’t release the specters on account of your generosity. I’ll ensure that peace holds and do all I can to fulfill any regrets that you may have! Making this choice will make you the hero. You only have to give everything you have as a sacrifice. It’ll also release you from the great burdens you bear."

He widened his eyes and approached Tianming. "Do you understand now?! As long as you die, I’ll finally be released from all this! I can finally start living up to my master's hopes! No longer will I have to do any evil! I can turn over a new leaf and be a good person! I’ll love those that you love, protect those that you want to protect! I will defend this world! We'll no longer be threatened by the specters! All I need is your sacrifice. Isn't that perfect? You're a saint, right? Then throw yourself into the fire for all humanity!

"Li Tianming, don't tell me you'll refuse. If you do, you're nothing but a hypocrite that lives for his own sake! You'll force me to release the specters! Then you will be the one who doomed humanity! By then, you'll no doubt be the one that takes all the blame! The descendants of humanity will curse you for making them livestock for life! They'll curse you for not sacrificing yourself for the greater good! Do you understand now? I hate the specters! I hate those monsters! Don't force me to do something that's against my nature! Don't force me down the abyss for your own selfishness!"

Though he was rambling like a madman, there was a logic to his arguments. He seemed calmer than before. "Yes, as long as you do what I say, nobody has to suffer. Sacrifice yourself and bless all humanity. That's what you’ve wanted to do all along, right?"

Tianming said, "I'm much weaker now than when I killed Dugu Jin and I only have one of my lifebound beasts by my side. You can just fight me and kill me the normal way. If you really don't want to disappoint your master, you don't have to drag the specters into our personal grudge. I'm sure if you fight me to the death here, everyone will look up to you."

"No, you don't get it at all! I want you to die for sure! A hundred percent! I don't want you to fight me to a bloody pulp! Think well! You only have two choices! Only two!"