Beastmaster of the Ages

Tianming had struck fast and fiercely, dominating Yanwu Dao, the number-one young mysterian genius. His reputation soared once more in the Violetglory Star. He didn't even resort to using his totems, defeating the top young beastmaster on the merits of being a beastmaster alone, just as he had defeated the top totemancer with nothing but totemancy. It was a fully convincing and indisputable victory. The countless mysterians couldn't even let themselves get mad at the loss. The ones they were most confident in had been utterly crushed by Tianming, who was putting his terrifying talent on full display.

"To be honest, Yanwu Dao's loss represents the mysterians' loss. The other two honored guests are just helpers. Even if Li Tianming isn't able to defeat them, he's already won today. He defeated the entire Mysterium Cluster!"

"That's right."

That was a fact that nobody disputed. Billions of people had watched Yanwu Dao's body fizzle out after he was defeated, petrified like stones. They seemed to have forgotten to breathe, and some even felt tears welling up in their eyes.

"We mysterians from all three stars lost?" It was one thing to lose to Weisheng Xi, but to lose to Li Tianming from the bumfuck nowhere that was the Violetglory Star was a concept that was difficult to comprehend. Even the mysterians led by Crimsonjade Cang who were watching from better seats cursed the loss. It felt like a slap on their... faceless... faces. They were flushed red with embarrassment and they lowered their heads to avoid the gazes of others.

Crimsonjade Cang tightly clenched his fists and awkwardly said, "Don't let him act so arrogantly. Weisheng Xi and the comma girl will make him lose horribly." He had thought that somebody would match his energy, but they all had their heads lowered in shame.

"We've already lost. The two honored guests winning have nothing to do with us. The mysterians have never needed outside help.... It's about time we straightened ourselves out and acknowledge someone as capable as him," Shenwu Yin said.

"Shut up!" Cang snapped.

"That's what my dad taught me! If we lose, we have to accept it! Only low-class people throw a tantrum over being defeated," she said, causing the mysterians' faces to wrinkle up even more. They couldn't even find the words to argue against it. Their shameless insults toward Tianming were grim reminders of their shame. No doubt, the countless young mysterians across the entire cluster felt as torn about this as those present did. All three mysterian deific-class worlds were shocked into silence.

The pinnacle talents of their kind, the Ninelives Crimsonjade, zhurong firegods, and faceless hellkings, had been defeated without question. The notion that mysterians were number one in the entire universe was now shaken. Yanwu Dao's defeat was the biggest blow to the mysterians out of the three. It had been witnessed by a hundred times the number of worlds as Tianming's previous wins. It was Tianming's revenge after being unfairly eliminated during the Astralium Seeking!

After Yanwu Dao had been eliminated, and the faceless hellkings vanished, Lan Huang, Xian Xian, and Yin Chen gathered around Tianming. He didn't stop for a moment and roared with his hands up. His bane-rings shone as he summoned nine of his totems, reaching his strongest form. Such a display seemed to be a statement on how Yanwu Dao, Shenwu Fen, and Long were all not a match for him. His white hair fluttered as he wielded the Godsin, surrounded by his domineering totems and lifebound beasts. He seemed to be a divinity incarnate. That was an intentional image he was playing up, especially for his followers on the Violetglory Star. There were more women believers than men, so he didn't mind doing some fanservice to gain even more.

"Come!" Tianming called. Feiling, Lingfeng, Xiaoxiao, and Ye Chen assembled around him, basking in his limelight. Now they no longer looked like a ragtag group of five, but a proper party. Their opponents, including comma girl and Weisheng Xi, were completely speechless. The two honored guests didn't feel their prides hurt at all, but Shenwu Fen and Long felt quite torn about Yanwu Dao's defeat. The pride of their kind had been heavily wounded, much to their anger, and they had nothing but heavy killing intent in their eyes. Theirs would be a fight to reclaim their honor that they would have to give their all in.

"You four, I'll stress this once more. Yanwu Dao challenged me to a duel after he underestimated me, causing you to lose a member of your fighting force. I hope that when you lose, you'll accept it with grace. It was Yanwu Dao's own decision that led to the current circumstances, not mine," Tianming prefaced. Yanwu Dao had wanted to deal with everything himself without troubling the two honored guests, only to have done Tianming a huge favor. Had that not happened, it would be hard to say whether they could fight three people on Yanwu Dao's level at once and win. But now it would be four against five.

"Don't count your eggs before they hatch. We still don't know who'll win this," Shenwu Fen said, his hair burning bright like the rage he felt.

"Then show me what tricks you have left, Shenwu Fen," Tianming said.

Shenwu Fen and Long wanted to retort, but the beautiful Weisheng Xi stepped forward with a hand raised to silence them. Then he turned to Tianming, his lips fluttering as he said in a dreamlike voice, "Li Tianming, as you wish, we'll fight you four against five. Appreciate this opportunity."

"Many thanks to you, then," Tianming said.

"Hmph." Weisheng Xi merely smirked without the slightest change in expression. He didn't seem the slightest bit moved, showing the strong pride and confidence he felt as a divine wonderian. This was the wondersky realm, a creation of his people where he had both authority and confidence. The two sides stared each other down, ready to burst into a fight at any time.

As the tension grew, Tianming turned to Lingfeng and the rest and said, "Let's follow our plan. Feng, take care of Shenwu Fen. Ye Chen, hold Long back. It's okay if you don't win, but don't lose either. If you don't keep him held back, it'll cause a lot of trouble for the rest."

The two of them nodded, their breathing intensifying. Lingfeng's eyes were blood red.

"Xiaoxiao, support the battle from a distance with your Archaionfiend. Help out anyone that needs it the most."

"Alright!" She had been prepared long ago. With Yanwu Dao out of the picture, that freed up Xiaoxiao to support the rest for more strategic advantage.

"Ling'er." The two of them exchanged glances. From her clear eyes, he read what was in her mind. They understood each other so well that words weren't necessary. The two of them would fight with Tianming's nine totems and five beasts against Weisheng Xi and comma girl. Those two couldn't be allowed to affect the fights of the others. While Shenwu Fen and Long were easily Tianming's inferiors, they weren't weak compared to Lingfeng and Ye Chen. Once their fight was interrupted, the two could well lose, freeing up the mysterians to join the other two and deal with Tianming.

Feiling and the rest hadn't shown their full powers yet, so the crowd believed that only Tianming alone was capable of anything. They waited with anticipation and tension for the battle to start, eyes peeled in fear of missing even a single moment. As they watched, the black-haired, black-eyed beauty beside Tianming transformed. Three pairs of bluish crystal wings covered in lightning and glowing white appeared, each pair formed from two diamond-shaped structures that were neatly arranged. The glow of sapphires suffused her skin as her blue skirt fluttered. She had instantly transformed into a goddess in the eyes of the audience.

"Isn't she far too beautiful?" Shenwu Yin mused. Girls like her liked sparkly and pretty things, and Feiling wasn't that just thanks to her wings. Her looks alone stunned the entirety of the Mysterium Cluster. It was an innate aura of raw grace that was incredibly rare. Tianming and she looked like a match made in heaven. With how 'qualified' she was to be with him, it made Tianming look even more amazing. Even the divine wonderians that were known for their beauty paled in comparison.

Feiling held a three-meter-long crystal spear, radiating a cold, killing aura that deterred others from approaching her. Tianming even pulled her closer by the waist until she was plastered against him, signaling their relationship to everyone. It also drew the attention of the strongest two among their opponents away from Lingfeng and the others.