Beastmaster of the Ages

"Don\'t you hate him? Weren\'t you trying to personally settle it with him? Why are you saying this now?" Yi Taoyao asked. If she really attacked, it would only be to Shenxi Shang\'s benefit.

"I just didn\'t want to let someone like that use me to get attention," he plainly said.

"You\'re really weird, you know? What happened before was all your little sister\'s own decision, yet you seem to be diverting your rage entirely onto Lin Feng."

"If you bring that up again, I\'ll kill you even if you manage to return to Ebonia."

"Your pride is truly pitiful." She didn\'t show any weakness and simply ignored him, choosing to focus on Tianming instead.

Soon, Tianming finished. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, I reached the eleventh level." There was only one more level until he reached the peak of being a normal god.

"What’d you say?" Yi Taoyao asked.

"Oh, nothing." He had been so immersed that he’d almost forgotten about her.

"Your power doesn\'t seem quite stable. It must be thanks to that thing, right?" she enviously said. Even if she had only gained the benefits of a single finger, she could probably have broken through to the fifth phase of the Order stage. Shenxi Shang might not have been her match had that been the case. She also wanted first place.

"That\'s right." Tianming nodded and kept regulating the energy in his body. "Give me a little more time."

He started meditating again, furrowing his brow. While his breakthrough had been successful, it was incredibly unstable. The energy within his body was running a little wild. He knew that he couldn\'t use that method to break through anymore in the future—it was too detrimental to his body. It took him a little more than an hour to gain some semblance of stability. I need to start fighting as soon as possible, it might help me improve my control over this new power!

There was a five level gap between his cultivation and Shenxi Shang\'s. When he had first come to Ebonia, he’d been able to cross seven levels and defeat Lin Jianchen. But Shenxi Shang was no doubt far more terrifying in comparison.

Let\'s just end this match and let fate decide! His fighting spirit rose; he was well aware of Shenxi Shang\'s thoughts on the matter. He looked up at Yi Taoyao and said, "Thanks for waiting so long."

"It\'s fine," she said. Then she pointed at Shenxi Shang and whispered, "He hates you to the bone, so be extra careful. Don\'t underestimate his cruelty. Ebons are all like that."

"Are you worried about me?"

"Comparatively, you\'re a bit better than the ebons."

"Alright. I\'ll make sure not to disappoint you." He took a deep breath. They couldn\'t just stay here forever and delay it. Yi Taoyao also wanted to gamble on returning using the Oldgod Ring, so she was just about to take it out.

"Wait!" Tianming interrupted, his expression changing. The mysterious ring he wore felt like it was burning and a stream of green flowed into his arm.

"My dear, come in first! Take my gift! Only then can you and this girl survive! Trust me! Come in, come in! Don\'t let her leave. Once she leaves, the one above will be unlocked. Come in!" The voice sounded rather urgent. Did the person not want Tianming to fight Shenxi Shang, or was she worried about the risk of him failing?

"I\'ll take him down first before helping you, Senior," Tianming said after some thought.

"That won\'t do. If you defeat him, you\'ll also return to the base world. It’ll be much harder to save me that way. My dear, this is a good chance. As long as this girl doesn\'t leave, the battle won\'t start. You’re safe."

"Is that so?" Tianming mulled in thought.

"What\'s that all about?" Yi Taoyao asked.

"Give me a second." He took a deep breath to calm down. "Senior, do you know much about this place?"

"Yes. I’ll answer all of your questions after you release me. I\'ll help you achieve all your dreams and let you rise to new heights. Everyone will be beneath your feet." Her voice sounded far too gentle, almost enchanting and with a motherly touch added to it. Hearing it felt like being caressed warmly in the heart.

"Really?" Tianming asked, feigning delightful surprise.

"Really. You’re my benefactor."

"May I ask what kind of existence you are?"

The voice in the ring remained silent for a moment. She had clearly felt Tianming\'s reservations about her.

"Senior, forgive my rudeness. You’re simply too powerful, causing me to be wary of you. Please understand why I need to learn more before I can muster my courage to come in and save you," he sincerely said. His intention was clear: he needed to know more to make his decision. Fortunately, Yi Taoyao had listened to him and stopped leaving, buying Tianming more time. Otherwise, he would have to fight Shenxi Shang right away. While the being in the ring wanted to lure Tianming in with promises of a reward and a gentle voice, his will wouldn\'t be so easily bent. And she had definitely realized the issue.

"Very well. I\'ll tell you what you want to know," she said helplessly. She had sounded rather urgent moments before, no doubt desperately expecting release after being sealed away for so long. However, the voice\'s distant and calm qualities returned. She sounded just as mysterious as before.

Tianming felt the pressure mounting. He had a rough idea of what would be involved in saving her. He would have to enter the ring and touch the green palm mark. As long as he didn\'t enter the ring, he would still have the right to make the choice. No doubt, the being didn\'t think that aggressively trying to convince Tianming to release her like that had instead caused him to raise his guard. Maybe the benefits I gained from each finger were hidden incentives to make me collect them all in the first place.

He took a deep breath and motioned for Yi Taoyao to wait a little longer. Then he addressed the being in the ring. "Senior, I’d like to know your identity and origins."

"Actually, knowing won\'t be any benefit to you," she said with a slightly resigned tone.

"I understand." He wanted to know nonetheless.

"I... am from the sea of order. You can consider me... a member of the order apians."

The sea of order? Wasn\'t that where order came from? Not to mention, did apian mean the race of bee people? "How should I address you, Senior?"

"I am... Huang Qi." It was an odd-sounding name indeed! [1]

1. Huang Qi is written as 皇七, and it could mean something along the lines of the seventh imperial. ☜