Beast Taming Patrol Chapter 1562 - 435: Prisoner of Western Expanse
Previously on Beast Taming Patrol...
Henceforth, nothing shall halt the unyielding advance of the Martial God!
"Yes, you won."
Within the emptiness, the Martial Emperor descended slowly to a seated position, as the crimson glow in his eyes started to dim gradually.
Deep inside, he sensed the overwhelming presence of death and the unavoidable collapse of his strength.
Once that deadly aura had struck, retreat became impossible for him.
What an awe-inspiring attack.
As his final breaths drew near, memories from his entire life raced through the Martial Emperor's thoughts in rapid succession.
In the 121st year of the Martial God Calendar, the Ghost Energy Stone emerged, marking the 121st year since the Martial God's era began and the 78th year following the rise of martial arts.
During that pivotal year, the inaugural expert of the Martial Arts Extreme Realm arose, matching the might of the era's top epic-level Beast Tamer from the Beast Tamer lineage.
In that same year, martial arts—once dismissed as forbidden by the Beast Tamer lineage—gained official acknowledgment, rising to parity with the Beast Tamer lineage.
And in that year, he entered the world.
The Martial Emperor held scant memories of his parents; they lost their lives in a savage beast tide when he was merely an infant.
All they bequeathed was the Martial Emperor himself, who was hidden away in a cellar by sheer fortune and eventually pulled to safety by his master.
The sole keepsake etched in the Martial Emperor's mind was a jade pendant tucked into his swaddling clothes, an heirloom from his parents.
From his earliest recollections, he dwelled alongside his master, a man of integrity who, upon spotting the Martial Emperor's remarkable aptitude for martial arts, generously shared his profound knowledge of martial arts.
By fortunate chance, the Martial Emperor uncovered that the jade pendant—his parents' legacy—harbored an enigmatic force, one that bolstered his cultivation and illuminated his destined journey.
Sealing this mystery within his soul, he set forth on an unstoppable quest toward supremacy.
By the tender age of twenty-seven alone, he had ascended to become one of the rare Martial Arts Extreme Realm masters of his generation.
Back then, the Martial Arts Extreme Realm peaked no higher than the Origin Extreme Level.
Guided by the jade pendant, he shattered the Origin Extreme barrier first, advancing into the ultimate tier of the Martial Arts Extreme Realm—the God Extreme.
In the 151st year of the Martial God Calendar, the debut emperor-level entity attained immortality, shattering the fragile balance between humans and beasts once more.
These immortal beasts crushed every obstacle with ease, overpowering humans even when facing tenfold numbers.
Such a profound gap in their very essence plunged humanity into total hopelessness.
In this dire hour, at just thirty years old, he daringly surged into the Martial Domain Realm, wielding supreme martial arts against immortality and ultimately vanquishing the foe, though it demanded his own life in exchange.
Rather than guarding his insights on entering the Martial Domain Realm, he released them freely to the world.
In the ensuing years, fresh Martial Domain Realm powerhouses started to emerge one after another.
This generous deed also granted him legendary renown.
Time and again, emerging immortals met their end at the hands of Martial Domain Realm warriors, striking fear into the hearts of myriad beasts.
At the same time, among humans, the Beast Tamer lineage—which had yet to yield a legendary Beast Tamer—slowly yielded dominance to the martial arts lineage.
Even afterward, when the Heavenly Rank Secret Realm surfaced and the Spirit Emperor stumbled upon the breakthrough technique for legendary Beast Tamers, finally claiming that exalted rank, it failed to reverse the momentum.
Ultimately, spanning centuries and fueled by the valor of countless human titans, the beasts were driven into the Southern Wilderness Domain, sealed there for eternity.
With tranquility restored, the Martial Emperor founded the Emperor Martial Palace, welcoming students far and wide, swiftly elevating it to the premier power in the West Profound Domain.
Through the passage of many years, he at last pierced the Ninth Heaven of the Martial Domain.
On that breakthrough day, the Martial Emperor perceived a fresh realm awaiting him.
Yet simultaneously, he detected unbreakable chains looming beyond this new horizon.
Unwilling to fade away like this, bolstered by his extraordinary gifts,
Thus, by harnessing the faint human fortune amassed from guiding mankind to triumph, alongside numerous arcane methods gleaned from fusing legacies across diverse Heavenly Rank Secret Realms, the Martial Emperor induced a singular suspended state within himself, biding time for the potential shattering of those bonds and his return.
That vigil endured for more than a millennium.
He yearned for a novel realm, yet he also courted his own demise.
Even his three steadfast companions, who stood by him through it all, sacrificed themselves to shield him.
"Buzz~"
As if attuned to the Martial Emperor's inner turmoil, the jade pendant at his waist emitted a faint hum and quivered subtly.
"Yes, I still have you."
The Martial Emperor grasped the jade pendant, a faint smile of solace crossing his features.
In these closing instants of existence, his spirit settled into serene peace.
"Time Master, care to wager with a man on the brink of death?"
"What wager?" the Time Master replied with cool detachment.
"A wager..." The Martial Emperor's voice trailed off, a final fierce spark igniting in his gaze, "I may fail to end you, but rising human champions will rise to strike you down!"
As soon as the declaration rang out, the Martial Emperor smashed the jade pendant in his grip with ruthless force.
This jade pendant represented the key to his destiny, immensely supporting his climb to the Martial God Realm.
Yet during the clash with the Time Master moments ago, the Martial Emperor refrained from tapping its might whatsoever.
The very second the jade pendant fragmented, an arcane and colossal energy morphed into unseen waves, exploding outward from the Martial Emperor at breakneck speed, encircling everything and leaving the Time Master utterly unprepared!
"You..." A piercing light flared in the Time Master's eyes, and in the instant that followed, realization dawned, laced with clear mockery, "Do you believe this can touch me?"
"One must always attempt it, right?" The Martial Emperor let out a light laugh, ceasing his efforts to stem the ebbing of his strength, allowing it to flow freely instead, hastening the diffusion of his martial essence into the vast cosmos.
His silhouette grew ethereal, and that near-infinite force scattered throughout the Northern God Domain, blending seamlessly with faint echoes lingering in the world.
One silhouette after the next materialized from the void, rising upon the devastated soil of the Northern God Domain, gazing about in confusion.
These were the humans who had perished over the previous two days.
In this astonishing feat, the Martial Emperor channeled his remaining martial essence to resurrect them, drawing upon the vestiges of their prior existence.
The Time Master observed the Martial Emperor's final efforts with composed indifference, his expression unchanging, "A pointless endeavor."
The fates of these insignificant beings held no concern for him, and he saw no need to strike again at the Martial Emperor, whose end was already sealed.
Though this parting gesture from the Martial Emperor kindled a spark of ire in him.
"Giving it my all suffices."
The Martial Emperor's fading form kept one hand clasped behind his back while extending the other forward.
Step by deliberate step, he approached the Emperor Martial Palace, his eyes fixed on the tear-streaked, heartbroken faces.
His vision passed over every individual, and at last, the Martial Emperor uttered with steady resolve.
"Live on."
"So that I may witness humanity's ultimate triumph."
In the breath that followed, the Martial Emperor's spectral shape fully vanished, erupting into boundless martial energy that rocketed toward the skies.
The fabric of space warped beneath the surge of martial power, sweeping up all within the West Profound Domain and hurling them into the Northern God Domain amid a raging tempest.
The unseen force born from the Martial Emperor's jade pendant sealed shut in the very next heartbeat.
This force brimmed with immense scale, infused with the indomitable martial intent of Unbreakable and the Martial Emperor's parting martial essence, forging an inescapable barrier.
At the frontier dividing the West Profound Domain from the Endless Sea, it delineates the limit, trapping every beast—including the Time Master—eternally within the Southern Wilderness Domain!
A gentle exhale resonated across the Martial God's heavens and earth.
"In one month's time, the rest is yours."
[Bookend activity for those yet to participate, hurry and join]
[Tata illustrations in bonus Chapter]