Beast Taming Patrol Chapter 1562 - 435: Prisoner of Western Expanse

Henceforth, nothing shall halt the unyielding advance of the Martial God!

"Indeed, you've triumphed."

The Martial Emperor gradually settled into the emptiness, as the crimson glow in his gaze began to dim.

He could sense the overwhelming presence of death surging through him, along with the unavoidable collapse of his strength.

Once that deadly aura had struck, retreat became impossible for him.

Such a fearsome blow.

In his final instants, memories from his entire life raced through the Martial Emperor's thoughts, one after another.

During the 121st year of the Martial God Calendar, the Ghost Energy Stone emerged, marking the 121st year since the Martial God's era, and also the 78th year following the rise of martial arts.

That same year saw the emergence of the inaugural Martial Arts Extreme Realm powerhouse, whose might rivaled the mightiest epic-level Beast Tamer from the Beast Tamer lineage back then.

In that pivotal 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 retained scant memories of his parents; they met their end in a ferocious beast tide when he was merely an infant.

All they bequeathed was the Martial Emperor himself, who was hidden away in a cellar for survival by sheer fortune and later pulled to safety by his master.

The sole keepsake he recalled was a jade pendant tucked into his swaddling, a memento from his parents.

Ever since he gained awareness, he dwelled alongside his master, a man of integrity, who, upon spotting the Martial Emperor's remarkable aptitude in martial arts, generously shared his profound understandings of the art.

Through sheer chance, the Martial Emperor uncovered that the jade pendant—his parents' heirloom—harbored an enigmatic force, one that bolstered his cultivation and illuminated his journey forward.

Keeping this mystery buried deep within, he set forth on his unstoppable road to 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 at no more than the Origin Extreme Level.

He became the pioneer in surpassing the Origin Extreme, venturing into the ultimate tier of the Martial Arts Extreme Realm—the God Extreme—thanks to the jade pendant's direction.

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.

Immortal beasts overwhelmed every obstacle, dominating effortlessly even against tenfold numbers.

This gap in their very essence plunged humanity into profound hopelessness.

At this dire juncture, when he was just thirty, he daringly shattered into the Martial Domain Realm, challenging immortality through pinnacle martial arts and ultimately felling the foe, though it demanded his own life in exchange.

Rather than keeping his breakthrough insights into the Martial Domain Realm to himself, he released them freely to all.

In the ensuing years, fresh Martial Domain Realm powerhouses started to surface one by one.

This deed granted him fame beyond compare.

Time and again, emerging immortals met their doom under the blades of Martial Domain Realm warriors, striking fear into hordes of beasts.

At the same time, among humans, the Beast Tamer lineage—which had yet to yield a legendary Beast Tamer—slowly yielded precedence to the martial arts lineage.

Much later, even as the Heavenly Rank Secret Realm unveiled itself and the Spirit Emperor stumbled upon the breakthrough technique for legendary Beast Tamers, ascending to legendary status, it failed to reverse the momentum.

At last, 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, opening its doors to pupils far and wide, swiftly elevating it to the foremost power in the West Profound Domain.

Over the passage of ages, he at last pierced the Ninth Heaven of the Martial Domain.

Upon that breakthrough day, the Martial Emperor perceived a fresh realm awaiting him.

Simultaneously, he detected bindings looming beyond this newfound stage.

Refusing 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 peculiar suspended state for himself, biding time for the potential shattering of those bonds and his reawakening.

That vigil stretched beyond a millennium.

He yearned for a novel realm, yet he also courted his own demise.

Even his three steadfast companions from the start perished in unison 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.

"True, I still have you."

Clutching the jade pendant, the Martial Emperor's features softened with a touch of serene amusement.

As life's closing chapter unfolded, his spirit steadied into peace.

"Time Master, care to wager with a man on his last breath?"

"What kind of wager?" the Time Master replied with cool detachment.

"A wager..." The Martial Emperor trailed off, a final fierce spark igniting in his stare, "I may fall short of ending you, but rising human champions will rise to cut you down!"

As his declaration rang out, the Martial Emperor smashed the jade pendant in his grasp with ruthless force.

This jade pendant embodied 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 had refrained from tapping its might entirely.

The very second the jade pendant fractured, an arcane and colossal energy morphed into unseen waves, exploding outward from the Martial Emperor in every direction, ensnaring everything before the Time Master could even flinch!

"You..." A piercing gleam lit the Time Master's eyes, and soon after, realization dawned, laced with mocking disdain, "Do you believe this can touch me?"

"One must always attempt it, right?" The Martial Emperor let out a light laugh, ceasing his fight against the ebbing of his strength, allowing it to flow freely and hasten the diffusion of his martial essence into the vast cosmos.

His silhouette grew ethereal, while that near-infinite force scattered throughout the Northern God Domain, blending seamlessly with lingering echoes embedded in the world.

Figure upon figure 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 prior two days.

In this stunning twist, the Martial Emperor was channeling his final martial essence to resurrect them, drawing on the faint imprints they had once left behind.

The Time Master observed the Martial Emperor's final efforts with composed indifference, his expression unchanging, "A pointless endeavor."

He held no concern for the fates of these insignificant beings and saw no need to strike again at the Martial Emperor, whose end was already sealed.

Though this ultimate 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 and lifted the other ahead.

Step by step, he progressed toward the Emperor Martial Palace, his eyes fixed on the tear-streaked, heartbroken souls.

His vision passed over every individual, and at last, the Martial Emperor uttered with steady resolve.

"Thrive on."

"So that I may witness humanity's ultimate triumph."

In the instant that followed, the Martial Emperor's spectral shape fully vanished, erupting into a torrent of martial power that surged toward the skies.

The emptiness warped beneath this martial surge, 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 right after.

This force brimmed with immensity, infused with the unyielding martial intent and the Martial Emperor's parting martial essence, forging an inescapable barrier.

At the divide linking the West Profound Domain to the Endless Sea, it delineated the frontier, encircling and locking away every beast—including the Time Master—within the Southern Wilderness Domain for good!

A gentle exhale resonated across the Martial God's domain between heaven and earth.

"In one month's time, the rest lies with you."

[Bookend activity for those yet to participate, hurry and join]

[Tata illustrations in bonus Chapter]