Beastmaster of the Ages

Chapter 1966

Tianming had basically remained almost entirely silent throughout that conversation, but he got the answer he wanted. Arguing about what had taken place on Skywolf Frost was pointless—especially against someone like the sun emperor, who’d lived for thousands of years and had no doubt developed a deep and ingrained stubbornness.

The destruction of Skywolf Frost was probably the grandest thing the sun emperor had done in his entire life. His might had reached an absolute new height. The brand-new sun seemed to have fused together with him, giving him the aura of a truly unrivaled sovereign. It was more than enough for his legend to be passed down in the annals of history. The universe itself even seemed to be prostrating toward him.

The sun emperor's will was no different from the sun's will. Within the sun, his word was the truth. Even many among those in the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb were reevaluating him, wondering whether he was a saint or a demon.

That no longer seemed to matter, however. Through the Eye of Judgment, Tianming saw that the burden of sin on the sun emperor far exceeded Lingfeng's. An endless sea of fiendish revenants seemed to surround him. Yet when he fused together with the sun, the huge wave of nova source that became his aura suppressed the sin around him and made him look outright divine and bright. The appearance gave Tianming quite a stark shock.

Does that mean the only thing that matters in the end is the law of the jungle? Can one so easily cover up the burden of sin with nova source? Then what does doling out the heavens' judgment even mean? Does the karma theory of the Primordial God-Emperor account for something like this?

Tianming didn't deny it outright, nor did he particularly fashion himself an ally of justice. However, the matter seemed much deeper than he thought. He would have to properly contemplate the nature of such things, lest he be misled. He had witnessed the destruction of Skywolf Frost with his own eyes, hence why his worldview was coming under so much strain now. The sun emperor had adopted a completely different path of rulership that was unlike his own.

Finishing his wine, the sun emperor said, "It's about time. Skywolf Blaze's attack will come next, and that’ll be the real trouble we'll have to deal with. Those animals no doubt have a huge grudge against me and will go mad and vent, so I have to prepare for the next battle! Since you’ve already earned great merit, there's no need for you to toil so hard. You can go back to rest, though you might have something to gain once either one of our sides tires the other out. Hahahaha...." When he stopped laughing, he waved and looked at Tianming one last time before returning to the Divine Sun Palace, his body entirely covered in blazing flames. Tianming's gaze followed him to the depths of the ship, spotting a red-haired man looking back at him with a distant gaze. Then the entrance of the Divine Sun Palace shut and the gigantic head turned back to the skies.

Watching it leave, Tianming merely bit his lip without saying a word. He returned to the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb and departed for the base of the Myriad Solar Sects. He furrowed his brow as the ship coursed through flaming clouds. The many seniors behind him didn't know what to say; all of them were feeling rather confused at the state of affairs. In the end, they asked Weisheng Moran to talk to him.

"Me?" She seemed a little blank as she looked at his silhouette. Lightly biting her lip, she mustered the courage to come to his side and saw the flaming beasts swim with them outside the ship. "What’re you thinking of right now?" A hint of light shone in her deep, dark eyes. "Are you alright?" she added.

"Huh?" Tianming seemed to have zoned out somewhat. He suddenly noticed her by his side and smiled. "I'm fine, of course. It was a great victory, so what problem could I have with it? I even played a part in it, too, like the sun emperor said."

"You don't mean what you’re saying," she said, lowering her head.

"Well, the sun emperor's position is far too powerful right now. He's the hero of this story, so it's no surprise for me to be awed. While I have many tricks of my own, at the end of the day, it's still not enough to compete with the likes of him." Tianming's gaze was firm. His own will hadn't been crushed just yet.

"So you agree with everything he said? Are his words indisputable?" Weisheng Moran furrowed her brows, sensing a terrifying intent. The sun emperor's words could in fact awe many. Even the elites of the Myriad Solar Sects were so stunned that they could even forget how the sun emperor had wrought destruction on their homes before the arrival of Skywolf. The people from the Windheed Pavilion had all perished by his hand not long ago, yet they seemed to have been completely forgotten.

Did Tianming really agree with the sun emperor? He reevaluated what was happening for a long time and said, "The sun emperor's the one who's stealing the show. I feel like a mere member of the audience who doesn't have the full picture, so only time can answer my questions. If I have the chance, I wish to travel the wider world of the astralscape once more to see whether the people of other worlds can tell me the true nature of our society. Is it really the law of the jungle, like the sun emperor and Skywolf make it out to be, where the weak are scattered like ash in a storm? Do the mighty have a right to rule over the weak as they please? Or does all life deserve a chance to find their own peace and prosperity no matter their strength?" He didn't come at it from the point of view of a denizen from Skywolf. The fact that Skywolf Frost had been completely destroyed wouldn't change, either. action

"For now, I can't say I agree with the sun emperor. Most people, from the strongest cultivator to newborn babes, will be wrapped up in this war. Yet I have no way to refute him. There’s always people who’ll be uninvolved and innocent, and theirs is hardly a small number. Will their voices ever be heard? Who’ll speak for them?" Weisheng Moran said, then pursed her lips. "I’m neither well studied nor traveled, so don't laugh at me."

"I won't. There’s sense in what you said. The number of the weak is always higher than that of the strong, yet their stories, thoughts, and feelings often go unheard. There’s people like them on the sun and in Skywolf who can't do anything to change the actions of their rulers. War's nature is always a cruel one, and it can't be avoided forever. If Skywolf and the sun really fight to the death, I’d still hope that Skywolf would be the one to die. I was just wondering whether there was any order that supersedes our concerns and controls everything that’s able to give a reasonable explanation for all that happens in the mortal coil. Is there a solution that would prevent tragedies like today's? As living beings ourselves, can't we just adopt an ideal to not trample on other living beings?"