All three treasures were in Tianmingâs hand!
Yuwen Zhenxing and Gongsun Chi had paid with their life, a result that could only be described with three words: feels damn good! The best recompense was the Prime Tower, which equipped both Ying Huo and Meow Meow with tremendous combat strength and endurance. In the future, all they had to do was return to his lifebound space to recuperate after suffering injuries and they would be back at their peak condition in a matter of minutes. Such a miraculous treasure couldnât be found in the entire Grand-Orient Realm.
Even generations of the Li Saint Clan ancestors had never obtained the real tower.
âThe Grand-Orient Sword must be an unrivalled divine artifact. The prime disciples will participate in the Realm Wars, so perhaps I can, too!" Tianming smiled.
He could see a bright, limitless future ahead.
"Big Brother, although you have the Prime Tower, you killed Yuwen Zhenxing. Wonât the Yuwen clan kill you as soon as you leave the tower?" Feiling failed to comprehend.
"If I become a prime disciple before they find Yuwen Zhenxingâs body, they wonât be able to kill me," explained Tianming.
Killing a direct disciple and killing a prime disciple were two completely different things. Since a direct disciple only belonged to one elder, the killer would offend that elder alone. Though Ye Shaoqing might demand a life in return, the council of elders was unlikely to step in during this special period. However, prime disciples belonged to the entire Grand-Orient Sect, which included the council of elders; that is, they belonged to all thirty-three elders. To publicly kill a prime disciple would require the approval of all thirty-three elders.
Tianming understood the delicate balance between the Yuwen Clan and the council of elders. Before the results of the Realm Wars were known, no one would willingly break the balance. Although the Yuwen clan dared to suppress Ye Shaoqing, they would have trouble going against the entire council of elders; especially at this critical moment.
"So if you choose to defeat a prime disciple in three hours instead of a month from now, you wonât die?" asked Feiling.
"Yes, Lingâer. When the time comes, even if they know I killed Yuwen Zhenxing, thereâs no evidence. Whether or not Iâm the murderer isnât actually important. All that matters is my position and strength. This time, Iâve finally come to that realization. All along, I didnât want to offend the Yuwen clan because I was worried about Master. Now, it seems that as long as I give them a headache, theyâll always find reasons and means to kill me. Since thatâs how itâs destined to be, I might as well kill a few of them first.â
In fact, Tianming was well aware that the moment Yuwen Zhenxing had died, heâd already stepped into a battlefield of life and death. However, he had a clear line of reasoning. As a genius, he had to win over those in neutral positions by leading the masses and displaying his outstanding talents so they would hate to see him die.
Cowardice was a death warrant. If he proceeded bravely, a magnificent road awaited him! Becoming a prime disciple was his best opportunity to unsettle the council of elders; therefore, killing Yuwen Zhenxing wasnât a matter of momentary recklessness, but the result of careful planning.
"I see. As long as youâre safe and sound, Iâll be at ease."
"Lingâer, Iâm sorry for worrying you," Tianming said.
"Itâs alright. Nothing untoward will happen if weâre together!" assured Feiling.
Lips curled in a wide grin, Tianming looked up at the passage in the sky.
"Big Brother, wonât it be difficult to defeat Su Wuyou now?â Feiling wondered.
"Yes, which is why Iâm not in a hurry to leave."
Tianming wasnât planning on increasing the difficulty of battle.
"What will you do, then?"
"Cultivate and advance."
Unexpectedly, Tianming actually sat down. Todayâs struggle had caused numerous breakthroughs in his state of mind. In fact, it had been ten days since heâd advanced to fourth-level Unity. Ying Huo, Meow Meow, and Tianming were stuck on the border of fifth-level Unity, having so far failed to advance.
This time, he perceived a change. All the killing intent from the battle with the black-haired Tianming, as well as Ying Huo and Meow Meowâs distress, had loosened their bottlenecks. At that exact moment, Tianming was enlightened with a deeper comprehension of Unity.
Perhaps that was the sentiment of true brotherhood. Ying Huo and Meow Meow werenât pets; they were his flesh-and-blood brothers. Tianming was deeply moved after witnessing the bloody battle they had fought to protect him.
Even the lazy Meow Meow, who only ever cared about sleeping, had fought against the gigantic Bloodfiend Taotie and suffered harassment from the Imperial Flame Locust. That was something Tianming would never forget.
His lifebound beasts were indomitable! Perhaps not at first, but Tianmingâs temperament had wrought a great influence on them. At Unity, the beastmaster and his lifebound beasts were one.
Fighting on the edge of life and death was the key to advancing. Of course, their efforts were built on outstanding talent and solid foundations as well. Those ten days of cultivation had laid a strong foundation for breaking through to the next level.
The three began the final sprint toward fifth-level Unity. Brothers who fought side by side, they had integrated their Unity field, racing toward the next level like an irresistible force. Breaking through to fifth-level Unity had only been a matter of time, and now the time had come.
"A few life and death battles were enough. I canât let the three of them keep taking risks with me. So I must become stronger and crush my opponents. Whatâs the point in torturing myself?â
Tianming wasnât that kind of person. He wanted to crush his enemies until they begged for mercy. Hence, he wasnât in a hurry to leave, and instead stayed to communicate and share with Ying Huo and Meow Meow what he had learned from his battle with the black-haired Tianming and Yuwen Zhenxing.
Most importantly, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth supplied by the Prime Tower had an effect on their cultivation equivalent to that of Li Shenxiaoâs tomb.
"Moving forward, us brothers will only grow more united."
"Yes."
"Kill them as they come, bring chaos, and leave nothing behind."
"Protect Lingâer together!" declared Ying Huo.
"Fuck off, thatâs my job," Tianming retorted.
"Then Iâll protect my Xiao Yueyue," said Ying Huo.
"Arenât you starting a harem?"
"Thatâs right. Iâll protect Xiao Yueyue, riding the donkey while I search for horses in expansion of my harem."
"How dare you call Shuo Yue a donkey! Iâm going to tell Qingyu when she comes back.â
"Tianming, how dare you betray your brother!" roared Ying Huo.
"Um, can we speed things up? This cat is sleepy," interjected Meow Meow.
"Get up!" yelled Tianming.
"Why sleep so much now? You can sleep all you want when youâre dead!" chided Ying Huo.
"But Chicken Bro, Iâm afraid I wonât die."
That was indeed a valid problem.
Tianming continued leading their cultivation, inspiration pouring out from him. Meanwhile, Feiling helped regulate his breathing. When the conditions were right, success would naturally follow.
"Fifth-level Unity, success!"
Breaking through, a smirk rose to Tianmingâs lips. He and his two lifebound beasts continued to grow at an unprecedented rate. This was the body of a decabane, the talent of an Aeonic Grandbane.
Perhaps life and death were intertwined and the path ahead was filled with thorns, but one thing remained constant: Tianmingâs talent was undoubtedly unparalleled in the entire Flameyellow Continent. Both his talents and his lifebound beasts were perfect.
The recent breakthrough had brought about yet another surge in strength.
"Among those under Heavenly Will, Iâm invincible. Even Li Yanfeng, before arriving in Ignispolis, wasnât my opponent. My progress is astounding.â
It had only been a few months since he moved to Grand-Orient Sect. Despite the pace at which he progressed, he remained stable. And to this, Tianming had only three words to say: feels damn good!
"There are a hundred thousand people outside, thirty-three elders, and the Yuwen clan waiting for the results of the third test. Theyâre all looking at the top of the tower to see who makes it out."
There was still an hour before the struggle on the third floor would draw to a close and they discovered Yuwen Zhenxingâs death, which was enough for him to become a prime disciple.
Tianming stood up, ending their cultivation.
"Iâve kept you all waiting."
His eyes burning, he leaped off the ground and his Celestial Wings gained momentum. Like a ray of light, he burst out of the tower!
As soon as Tianming stepped out on top of the Prime Tower and faced the sunshine and blue sky, appearing before everyone, he found that all eyes in the First Grand-Orient Sect Battlefield were focused on him. Under the sun, the young manâs white hair flew in the wind; he was a magnificent sight to behold.
At that moment, it was as if a god had descended.
Deathly silence pervaded through the First Grand-Orient Battlefield for a whole ten breaths. Then, a sudden roar of cheering swept through like a storm at sea. What a monumental scene indeed!
1. This is a Chinese idiom that means settling for the current option till a better one comes along.