Li Wudi asked Tianming about the whole matter, but he didn't dare to say too much. He just gave him a brief explanation about how his father was still being pursued by someone even more powerful than the autarch.
Li Wudi immediately understood their troubles.
"If you're going to die if you can't escape, you might as well flee. I’ll remain here anyway, as nobody can match up to me here. As long as I’m here, you’ll always be welcome here," Li Wudi said.
"Definitely."
"If you get beat up outside, come back and complain to me."
"What will you be able to do about it?"
"I promise not to laugh at you," he said with a sly smile.
"You're not my real father, after all."
"Your real father slipped away long ago. To think you still dare to bring him up...."
They didn't have much time left. Once they left, it wasn't even certain whether they would ever return alive. With that thought in mind, Tianming wanted to bid everyone farewell.
"Tianming, I've seen all the surprises this life has to offer. I no longer have any lingering regrets. I’ll be traveling around in the future. Who knows, I might even run into you," Weisheng Yunxi said.
"I'm envious, Palace Lord. You're finally about to enjoy the retired life," Tianming said."Nonsense. I should be the one envying you young folk. I hope I'll be able to hear your name ring throughout the Flameyellow Continent one day."
"I'll do my best. But you’d better not lose your hearing before then."
Weisheng Yunxi chuckled at that remark. She pointed at Li Wudi and said, "Tianming, once you manage to build a firm foundation for yourself outside, you should come back to your godfather's Decimo Dao Nation. Perhaps he'll manage to ascend to godhood and claim the surrounding area as the Decimo Divine Realm," she said.
"I'll leave that to him then." He turned to Li Wudi and said, "Congratulations on becoming emperor." Decimo Divine Realm did have a good ring to it.
"Actually, I much prefer being able to roam around freely. I'll leave the management of the nation to Shaoqing," he said with a chuckle.
"Damn you, you piece of crap!" Ye Shaoqing's smiling face instantly grimmed. "Why are you asking me to clean up all your messes? Am I your dad or something?"
"Master, you’d better get used to it. That's how he treats his lovers," Tianming said.
"Excuse me?!" Ye Shaoqing's whole body shivered.
If Tianming were honest, he really didn't feel like leaving them behind. He deserved a good rest and celebration with them after their hard-fought victory, but he didn't have that luxury.
"Grandfather." Tianming gave him a deep hug.
"Go, child. You better think up a few ways to extend my life," Wei Tiancang said.
"Will do."
"Good grandson, Granny wants a hug too," Li Jingyu said.
"Haha, alright."
Feiling was definitely going to leave with him, too. She had gone to fuse the innate and acquired godchild bodies to form a complete divine body.
"Ling'er, is this their plan to take you away or something? It was quite a long time before we were reunited, but you're going to leave right away... you have to be careful..." Jiang Qingluan said.
"Are you badmouthing me again?" Tianming asked.
"Give me."
"What?"
"A bribe for taking my sister, you dolt."
"I had it ready long ago." He tossed her a spatial ring as promised. There were all kinds of treasures within that could easily make her one of the most powerful people in the Decimo Dao Nation.
"Qing'er, I have a few gifts for you too," Feiling said, still teary eyed about their imminent departure.
"Waaaah!"
They broke down in tears.
Bai Zijin pinched his cheeks with a smile and said, "Don't die."
"Alright." Tianming nodded obediently.
"Big Brother, when will we meet again?" Qingyu said. Her lips shook as tears fell.
"When the flowers bloom again in spring."
"You liar."
"Don't worry. Once it’s safe, I'll come back and take you traveling. I'm worried that I'll cause trouble for you if I stay."
"I know. I'll be waiting."
"Come, give me a hug."
"Fine."
Tianming stroked her head. He found it rather weird that even though they weren't related by blood, he felt no romantic desire toward her at all. It was like she was his real sister.
Finally, he turned to Ye Lingfeng. "Feng, I’ll be embarking on a really dangerous trip. So, I don't want you to come along."
Li Muyang had told him all about the potential dangers. If he was found before he could ascend to godhood, he would die a horrible death. It was already enough that he was taking Feiling along, so he really didn't want Ye Lingfeng to join him on such a perilous journey.
"Brother Tianming, I'll do whatever you say," he said as he clutched his fists and endured.
"Do you want to go to Archaion too?"
"A little, but I respect your decision."
"How about this: I'll check the place out first. If it looks fine, I'll come back and take you with me."
"Alright!" Ye Lingfeng nodded excitedly. It really did seem like he badly wanted to tag along.
Currently, Tianming had no idea about Archaion at all, and Ye Lingfeng was the current wielder of the Evil Suppression Pillar. So he couldn't afford to let Ye Lingfeng go there without checking if it was safe enough.
Based on how even Xuanyuan Xu knew about the Grand-Orient Sword and Prime Tower, Tianming figured he shouldn't use them too readily when he was there, lest he attract any unwanted attention.
"For now, you should let all eighty thousand souls of your race rest well. It's only a short parting. We are brothers and we’ll definitely meet again one day."
"Understood."
Tianming hoped Ye Lingfeng would understand his troubles. Thanks to the danger brought by the Primordial Chaos Beasts, he was in a really perilous position. There was no telling whether he would drag the others down with him. While he couldn't get Feiling to leave him, he could at least try to convince Ye Lingfeng. Now that he had dealt with all the loose ends, staying any longer would only be tempting death. He took a few steps back and bowed to everyone.
"Till we meet again, everyone! Farewell!"
He then took Feiling's hand and left without turning back. All of his family and friends remained there for quite some time even after he was gone.
......
Li Muyang had shown him a route he could take. First, he would depart from the Divine Capital and travel north along the Northvoid River to the Northern Voidsea. Then he was to travel west along the coastline to reach the Canal of the Dead.
The canal stretched from the sea across the continent, cutting off the whole of the eastern part of the continent, within which the Theocracy was located. He would then cross the Canal of the Dead from the coastline of the Northern Voidsea to reach Archaion, one of the Nine Divine Realms.
The Archaionfiend Eye Li Muyang had tasked him to retrieve was located at the Archaion Sect, which was among the top sects in the entirety of the Flameyellow Continent. It was far greater in scale compared to the Grand-Orient Sect, being in a whole different league. That was the true center of the Flameyellow Continent where gods ascended.
"Traveling by water is much more convenient for us."
The route Li Muyang suggested was the fastest one he could take, thanks to Lan Huang, who was all too happy to splash about in the Northvoid River.
"Swimming is so much fun!" it cried with both of its heads. Its voice was so deafening that it shook Tianming and Feiling's eardrums.
Ying Huo stood atop the tallest peak on Lan Huang's back with its two wings proudly thrust against its waist. This was its attempt at a cool pose. Meow Meow, on the other hand, stretched in its sleep within Feiling's embrace.
"What's up with these three?" Feiling chuckled. The beasts weren't fazed in the slightest by the Aeonic Grandbane, and they seemed just as carefree about the pursuers that had been hunting Li Muyang throughout his ten lifetimes.
"Either they're really brave, or there's something wrong with their heads."
"But they seem so cheerful about it," Feiling said with envy.
Tianming was seated on Lan Huang's brown head. He looked at the black-colored sea in the distance with a sense of agitation. "Walking hand in hand with someone precious through the perils of the mortal coil... such is life."
"I think I'm gonna puke." Feiling feigned vomiting.
"Would you dare? Young one, don't be so arrogant. Now, it's just the two of us. Once I can no longer hold myself back, you’d better be careful.... Hehehe..."
In a flash, Ying Huo swooped over and Meow Meow snapped awake. They almost had their popcorn ready to enjoy the show.
"Do it," Ying Huo encouraged.
These shameless animals! Tianming took out the fourth egg from his lifebound space, and the air around them was filled with a fragrance.
Feiling liked the egg so much that she stopped spoiling Meow Meow. Stroking it, she asked, "Big Brother, what kind is it?"
"I have no idea. There wasn't a place in the Theocracy that matched its hatching conditions, so I plan to give it another try in Archaion. It's the center of the continent, after all, so it could work out there."
"I feel like it's different from the other three. It's probably a girl. I really hope it hatches soon, I'm already overwhelmed by these three troublemakers." As she spoke, the egg rolled around excitedly in her hands.
"Yeah. I'll look into how to make it hatch if I have the chance."
"It if works, you'll be a quadruple beastmaster. I wonder if someone like that exists anywhere else."
"Just because nobody in the Theocracy has four beasts doesn't mean there isn't anyone in all nine of the Divine Realms. We'll see." He looked ahead in anticipation. "But that doesn't matter. Our goal is to explore and conquer the Flameyellow Continent. One day, I’ll become a sovereign of the entire continent, far greater than my godfather."
"Is it really fine to boast before you even arrive?" Feiling said with a snicker.
"Don't you know that fortune favors the boastful?"
"Was that how the saying went again?"