Beastmaster of the Ages

As an artifact soul, its lethality after leaving the artifact itself would be greatly reduced. Even so, Sovereign Starfeather and Mu Ziyan had underestimated its testiness. Driven by rage, the yellowspring fish violently attacked Tianming, unwilling to give up until it destroyed the arrogant second general soul that had insulted it.

An ear-piercing sound slammed into Tianming's vita through his ears. Searing pain spread all over his flesh. Though it was enormous in the world within the sword, the beast was tiny outside. As soon as it appeared, it looked like a dull yellow thorn stuck in the protective layers formed by the power of Mu Ziyan and Sovereign Starfeather's souls. It intended to tear apart the feathers and armor and enter Tianming's soul. A second general soul would definitely shatter upon contact with the beast.

"Let go!" Sovereign Starfeather roared. As long as Tianming released the Godsin and tossed it aside, the yellowspring fish's power would be exhausted if it strayed too far from the sword. The beast would be forced to return to the sword and Tianming would be safe. However, Sovereign Starfeather didn't expect that Tianming would hold the sword in his arms instead.

Enduring the pain, Tianming shouted, "It's fine! I can hold on. It's time I deal with this bastard!"

Sovereign Starfeather and Mu Ziyan were stunned, unable to figure out where his confidence came from. At the moment, Tianming was a lamb about to be devoured by a lion. If it weren't for the two big "buffalos" protecting him, he would already be dead. In a critical moment, one wrong decision would lead to irremediable consequences. The beast's violent attack gradually weakened their defenses. Although their fourth imperial souls were powerful, they weren't the ones under attack. It was almost impossible to subdue the beast with external power.

"Let go!" Separating part of her consciousness, Mu Ziyan tried pulling the sword out of Tianming's hands. However, Tianming shrank back, stubbornly resisting her efforts to remove the sword in this dangerous situation, causing yet another delay. After all, the yellowspring fish was no weakling. Twisting its body, it ripped through the restraint like a wild horse and broke free, slamming into Tianming's body in a fit of white-hot rage. At that moment, the beast had been weakened by Sovereign Starfeather and Mu Ziyan, which diminished its lethality to less than one-third of its original state. But even so, it would still be easy for it to destroy a second general soul.

"Oh no.…" Tianming's disobedience disrupted Sovereign Starfeather and Mu Ziyan's momentum, causing them to lose control. The power of their fourth imperial souls chased the beast, but it managed to slip away, swimming like a fish in the ocean. In just a while, it reached Tianming's sea of consciousness.

"Be careful!" Sovereign Starfeather and Mu Ziyan's expressions drastically changed. Tianming's disobedience had led to disaster. At that moment, Mu Ziyan grabbed the Godsin, pulling it out with all her might. To her astonishment, Tianming released the hilt and held the sharp blade instead. If it weren't for his black arm, his hand would have been severed by the sword.

"Trust me!" Tianming roared. Seeing the blood on his palm, the panicked Mu Ziyan chose to trust him. In fact, if she had been given the time to think, she would definitely toss aside the Godsin no matter the cost. After all, a severed hand could be reattached, but the destruction of his vita meant death. Only at such a thrilling moment would she subconsciously be suppressed by Tianming's insistence. Since she gave up the last chance, the beast wouldn't show mercy either. After reaching Tianming's sea of consciousness, it grew in size, resembling an endless yellow river. Eyeing Tianming's white, human-shaped vita, it opened its giant mouth, roared, and tried to swallow it. For such a big fish, devouring Tianming's vita was like swallowing a mung bean.

"Come on, silly fish." Tianming's vita grinned. In that instant, the beast became completely irrational. Like a yellow waterfall, it came crashing down at an unstoppable speed.

At that moment, the light around Tianming's vita changed. The Soul Tower suddenly appeared and protected his vita. With its many edges and corners, the Soul Tower somewhat resembled a meat grinder when it rotated. When the fish collided with the Soul Tower, it almost looked like a torrent crashing against a mountain as the dim yellow water split apart. The mountain stood and tore at the flowing water by rotating. In fact, this wasn't flowing water at all, but fragments of the beast's soul. Water splashed everywhere due to the violent impact, which was actually the yellowspring fish's soul being torn apart and weakened. Every moment away from the sword made it weaker. Only by returning to the sword could it be restored to its original state; it was the shackles placed on an artifact soul.

After its physical death, the fish's soul was transformed into an artifact soul. Although it seemed to have survived in another mode, it was no different from being ruined. Once it had become an artifact soul, the sword itself was its prison, and like any artifact, the sword would eventually fall apart. Eternal imprisonment was perhaps more cruel than death! That was another reason why the beast was so irascible.

"Is that all you can do? Go on. You're an idiot if you can't swallow me." Tianming continued taunting it.

After swallowing the Soul Tower, the yellowspring fish realized it was useless and even bad for its tummy. The Soul Tower slammed around in its belly, forcibly tearing out a hole so the fish became even weaker. Upon leaving the Godsin, its strength would only continue being depleted. What a double whammy. This was a truly strange situation for the fish. In the past, those that wanted to conquer it had been fourth imperial souls. They had no way of subduing it in the world within the sword, but the fish wouldn't leave its territory and enter their seas of consciousness to seek death. Thus, they had all failed to take control of the Godsin. A cultivator at third regal soul had once entered the sword and almost perished after the fish chased him out and slammed into his vita.

Tianming was the only exception, because he was so weak. But as soon as the Soul Tower appeared, he continued to humiliate and stimulate the beast, entangling it in his sea of consciousness. The fish's soul continued to dim. No matter how stupid it was, the beast knew something bad would happen if it didn't give up on swallowing Tianming. After being beaten and battered by Sovereign Starfeather, Mu Ziyan, and the Soul Tower, its current strength was less than a tenth of what it had originally been, because it'd been away from the sword for too long.

The yellowspring fish whimpered and finally gave up. Spitting out the Soul Tower, it turned and fled, no longer caring about its image. At that moment, its might was nowhere to be seen. In front of Tianming, it was merely a big yellow eel as it began drilling its way out.