Beastmaster of the Ages

"Big Brother Jiang Yu, quickly take the portrait out!" Jiang Junhe said excitedly.

"Next time, I didn't bring it with me today. Don't you guys want to discuss the counterattack? You don't have to bother about me." Jiang Yu took a sip of the strong alcohol and got a little tipsy.

"Jiang Yu, buck up!" Jiang Chengfeng stood up furiously. "Don't forget that the ranking battles will be held on the Decimo Dao Battlefield two weeks before the ranking deadline. All the top hundred disciples would be coming out to compete for the final ranking even if they're in seclusion. It'll last for fifteen days, and it's open to the entire Divine Capital! At that time, our parents, and even important figures of the Ancient Theocrats will be present. This battle concerns the Theocrats' reputation. It didn't matter in the past, because no one challenged us. Regardless of whether it was the clans, Saint Martial Manor, or the Dazzling Pavilion, they were all our siblings. Everyone could play however they want. But now someone is stepping on our heads, and even crippled Wei Wushang. As brothers, we have to take revenge for him!

"It doesn't matter if we lose. Even the empyrean manna is nothing. But most importantly, where will our faces be as members of the Theocracy? Don't you know how much pressure the elders have put on us in the past few days? If we allow the dao palace to ride on our heads, all seven of us here will die!" Jiang Chengfeng said with a heated gaze.

Jiang Yu smashed the wine flash on the ground, frightening the girl dancing on the stage into shrinking back. Even the music was abruptly paused. Standing up, Jiang Yu replied, "Jiang Chengfeng, do I need you to tell me that?"

"You don't have to scare me. We're all brothers, and I'm reminding you for your own good. Don't worry about it. We'll deal with Li Tianming if he comes to us. You don't even have to lift your finger. But if it's really your turn, then that means we've messed up. At that time, I hope you'll fight for the clan's dignity. Our clan has controlled this territory for so long, and no one has ever ridden on our heads. My father said that the dao palace is clearly taking advantage of this moment to suppress us. If Li Tianming takes the lead and suppresses all of us, they'll gradually tear us apart and plant their forces in the other halls. We have no reason to lose, nor can we afford to lose," said Jiang Chengfeng.

"Don't worry. Even if I die, I'll drag him with me." Jiang Yu pursed his lips and sat back down.

"That's great." Jiang Chenfeng waved his hand.

After the room quieted down, a woman disguised as a man in white said, "Chengfeng, you said you have a way to deal with their offense. Why don't you tell us about it?"

Her long hair was tied up. Although she hadn't put on any cosmetics, she still looked cold and had an arrogance that came from deep in her bones. She was Gusu Yuyao. The Dazzling Pavilion was purely women, and she wasn't simple, since she could suppress her peers and stand out from the masses.

"Listen well. We'll mobilize the disciples of our six halls and challenge those from the four halls on the ranking. Since Tianming has taken the lead, we'll learn from him and cripple everyone we see. So in the following time, we'll keep issuing challenges to them, force them to take up the challenges, and make them lose miserably. None of them are stupid, and they'll know that we're taking revenge. We'll start with those without any background. If we beat them up, they can only resent Tianming for involving them. Eventually, everyone will apply to transfer to our halls to avoid a miserable end. So we'll have more people, and they'll have fewer as time passes. So at that time, how are they going to suppress us?" Jiang Chengfeng glanced at the crowd confidently when he was finished speaking.

"Did you think up such a cruel method?" Gusu Yuyao asked.

"No, my grandfather did," Jiang Chengfeng confessed.

"The royal grandpa?" Everyone exchanged a look.

"That's right. But we can only rely on ourselves in this plan," said Jiang Chengfeng.

"Is this your objective for calling us over today?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Since it was from royal grandpa, he must've already told our elders about it."

"Let's get them!"

"At that time, we'll empty the four halls. I can only imagine how brilliant their faces will be at that time!"

……

Tianming had become rich after selling newly-inscribed Mountshield Tomes, earning more than ten thousand saint crystals. Now that he had too much money, Tianming couldn't keep it and started distributing it. When Li Qingyu sweetly called him big brother, Tianming would give her a thousand saint crystals for it. After all, it was right and proper for a big brother to reward his sister.

Even when Ye Lingfeng was looking at crickets fighting and anxiously pinching one of them, Tianming would toss a bag of saint crystals over to him. As for Feiling, he would buy her anything she wanted. After all, it was her money, to begin with.

In the end, even Bai Zijin came and called him 'big brother' in a sweet voice. Tianming immediately gave her a thousand saint crystals and begged, "I'll give it to you, just don't call me that. If Ling'er heard that.…"

"Okay, I'll help you with your sales. But I'll take ten percent of your profits. Otherwise.…" Bai Zijin winked.

"You're a money grubber."

"Too late that you only found out about it now."

Tianming already knew how to inscribe the Mountshield Tome by himself, after helping Ling'er so many times. Although he still had a high probability of failure, he still managed to succeed at least once. That also meant that he could be considered a one star patternscribe now. He knew that failure was only the beginning, and his success rate would get better in the future, unlike Feiling's sixty percent success rate.

Honestly speaking, Ling'er was just guiding him to become a patternscribe, while Tianming's attention was entirely on his cultivation. The Spiritual Convergence was a place that he frequented, and he could now enter the first region. During this period, Ye Lingfeng had also worked hard and defeated a Theocrat, Jiang Yutong, and entered the eighth rank. He was two ranks higher than Tianming now.

Both of them had been cultivating in the first region recently. Tianming had initially thought that he could meet people in the top ten rankings here, but he discovered that they rarely came here when he was there. Maybe they were making preparations for the final ranking.

In the evening, Tianming came with Ye Lingfeng to the Spiritual Convergence again. Although the final ranking was still two months away, the Decimo Dao Palace was already shrouded in a cloudy atmosphere. When many people looked at him, he could see hatred and resentment in their eyes. There didn't seem to be many neutral people around, which was strange. It felt as though he had become the target for hatred in the dao palace.

"Didn't they say that we have about twenty or thirty percent of the people in the dao palace standing on our side? Why am I getting the feeling that nine out of ten look at me as though I dug up their ancestral grave?" Li Tianming was puzzled. There were too many Ancient Theocrats in the dao palace; the Jiang Clan practically occupied the cultivating resources. Therefore, no one was pleasing to Ye Lingfeng's eyes, and the unpleasantness came from the depth of his soul.

Under those resentful eyes, Tianming returned to the First Pavilion. He could see someone standing by the door. Isn't that Jiang Yu? Tianming narrowed his eyes into slits. Jiang Yu was previously named Dongyang Yu, and ranked first in the ranking. But Tianming was confused about what he was doing here, since they were opponents.

Walking up to Jiang Yu, Tianming asked, "Can we help you?"

Jiang Yu was well-dressed today with his hair neatly combed. He only glanced at Tianming, but didn't respond.

"You're crazy." Tianming pushed open the door. When Feiling heard the commotion, she immediately ran out.

"Big brother, I learned the—" Her eyes were bright, obviously asking for credit. But before she could finish, she saw a person standing by the door.

"Can I have a word with you?" Jiang Yu looked at Feiling with his gentle gaze.

"Big brother, close the door." Feiling's face turned cold. She obviously knew that this guy had stayed outside for a long time.

"Okay." Tianming turned his head and reached out for the door, but Jiang Yu blocked it. He didn't even look at Tianming and showed a warm smile. Mustering his courage, he declared loudly, causing a commotion among the onlookers with an emotional voice, "You're the prettiest goddess in the world, and a person of filth isn't worthy of you. I like you, and I love you. I hope that I can touch your heart one day and make you my bride."

"Get lost," Feiling replied.

"How touching. What an idiot." Tianming slammed the door. He was very, very upset. If the final ranking battle wasn't coming soon, making it futile to fight now, he would have immediately made a move against Jiang Yu.

"Big brother, he's doing it on purpose. I have a feeling that he's trying to irritate you." Feiling frowned.

"I know, it's alright," Tianming whispered in her ears. "Before absolute strength, all schemes and conspiracies are just like paper, breaking with a single strike."

"I got it."

Four Hall Kings came to visit when it was close to midnight. They were the Future Palace King, Bai Mo, Life Hall King, Situ Qinghe, South Hall King, Qin Jiufu, and the Sky Hall King, Weisheng Yumo. Tianming had only recently learned that there was also a Weisheng Clan in the Decimo Dao Palace, and their history could be traced to ancient times.

The Sky Hall King, Weisheng Yumo, was an important person in the clan. In the Weisheng Clan, there was only one person whose status surpassed the Sky Hall King, and that was the Decimo Palace Lord, whose surname was also Weisheng. Li Shenxiao's wife, Weisheng Yuyin, was an ancestor of the Weisheng Clan. Back then, the first ancestor had wandered around in Theocracy of the Ancients and met Weisheng Yuyin in the Decimo Dao Palace.

"What's the matter?" Tianming immediately came out to receive them.

"Tianming, have you heard of the changes in the Decimo Sky and Earth Ranking recently?" Bai Mo asked.

"No, I've been concentrating on my cultivation recently. What's the matter?"

"They're targeting those disciples without any background, forcing them to switch factions. Anyone who disobeys is ruthlessly dealt with. They're well organized and planned. They're doing this for us to see," Bai Mo said in a solemn voice. He hadn't expected that the other party would use such a dirty tactic against them.

"Is it serious?" Tianming asked.

"It's still under control, for the time being. But the final ranking is two months away, and in these two months, it's enough for them to destroy our disciples. Furthermore, they're also targeting the descendants of the Dark Hall's brothers. It's a pity that we have a disadvantage in numbers. If we can't swiftly resolve this matter, the consequences will be dire." Bai Mo frowned.

"I believe you guys have a solution, seeing that you're here?" Tianming asked.

"We do. The palace lord can push forth the final ranking battle," said Bai Mo.

"That's possible?"

"The palace lord might not be able to change the rules, but changing the date is nothing. Furthermore, the palace lord can rightfully change it," Bai Mo replied.

"So when's the final ranking? Are you guys seeking my opinion and asking when I'll be confident in taking down the outsiders?" Tianming asked.

"That's right. So which day do you think is best for you? A month from now? If that's the case, we can at least lower our losses by half," said Bai Mo.

"Hall Kings."

"Mhm?"

"I only need five days," said Tianming.

"What do you mean?" The four of them were stunned by Tianming's words.

"I'm saying that the final ranking battle can be held five days from now."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Absolutely."

The four Hall Kings briefly exchanged a glance, then replied, "Then we'll announce it tomorrow!"