Beastmaster of the Ages

Many people were gathered outside the Voidsky Flame Pillar, most of whom were in their prime age of a few centuries old. On Orderia, the first fifty years after one’s birth was the rapid phase of growth and improvement. From fifty to three hundred, they would still be able to look young. While cultivating in that phase wasn’t bad, by any means, it was still slower than the first fifty years. Past three hundred was where most people hit their plateaus, significantly slowing their growth. It was at that point where the divine will stabilized, making it hard for any concrete progress to be made.

Given that Sovereign Xi was able to maintain her youthful looks at five hundred years old, it went without saying that most people on Orderia could as well. Jiang Qingliu, for instance, was more than eight centuries old, but looked closer to middle age. He was currently at the peak of his power. The Whitedragon Empress beside him, Long Wanying, was about his age as well. But women tended to care about maintaining one’s appearance more than men, so she looked much younger than him. She was also in her prime age of beauty.

These days, Jiang Qingliu had been flabbergasted time and again at the sudden changes in the ranking. To prevent himself from being assassinated, he also made sure to not leave the Whitedragon Empress’ side.

No doubt, Long Wanying had an impressive status in her sect to match her power. There were thousands of troops sent by the sect, standing by. Nobody dared challenge the sect that ranked second out of all of them. While the Dreamless Celestial Nation and Voidword Shrine ranked first and third, respectively, they seldom engaged in large displays of power. Only the wargodeans and the fifth-ranked Empyrean Sword Sect dared throw their weight around the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect.

Long Wanying was just as shocked as Jiang Qingliu. “How powerful is that Yu Ziqian anyway?” she asked.

“Well… I’d say not bad, definitely not bad. Are you planning to take him into your sect as well?” Jiang Qingliu asked.

“Forget it, I can’t. The Divine Worldeater Cauldron’s benefits are far outweighed by the negatives it comes with. The only way I can possibly take in Yu Ziqian is if I return Tianming and the other two to your sect.”

“Even so, that’d still be good for you, right? Your sect would have the two most powerful treasures, the cauldron and the Ninedragon Imperius.” At the very least, he wanted Yu Ziqian to be safe.

“It would be, but it’s still uncertain whether we would get to keep those two ‘best treasures’. Not to mention, I can afford to not take Yu Ziqian in, but I must have Li Tianming.”

“So this isn’t your decision to make at the end of the day.”

“Who said that? I’m fully accountable for this!” she snapped, glaring at him.

“How could something that’ll potentially result in the end of your sect be your decision alone to make? It’s almost time for the final battle. I suppose the other dragon imperials will arrive soon, right?”

“Just shut up.” Things had changed considerably since the appearance of those two top treasures. Long Wanying grit her teeth, pursing her glossy lips.

“You know that Li Tianming’s going to fight the precious grandson of the Saintdragon Emperor soon. Only one of them will get the candidacy. Who will you support?” Jiang Qingliu asked.

“I’ll support whoever wins.”

“Haha, you aren’t really fit to be the leader of the entire sect after all. How could you support a disciple of the Azuresoul Palace instead of your own sect? Long Longlong is the prodigal son of your sect, and he’s been blessed with ultimate talent and a weapon to match it. Shouldn’t he be the future of the sect?”

“Shut up. Your voice is grating.” She didn’t bother with him, but she knew the status quo deep down. It was practically public knowledge that she would be taking Tianming and the other two back. Long Longlong had chosen Tianming as his opponent in order to avoid Weisheng Moran, and everyone was impatient to find out the result. Tensions were at an all-time high.

At that moment, someone came and made a few reports to her, immediately causing her expression to change. “Come. I’ll take you to see someone.” After she said that, she immediately turned and left.

“Who?” Jiang Qingliu hurried to keep close, surrounded by the thousand-plus Xuanyuan Dragon Sect disciples.

“Two people that’ll make you vomit at the sight of them,” she said with a smile.

Jiang Qingliu had immediately guessed who that could be, judging from his nervous expression. Their group proceeded onward, undeterred by the flaming rain. Some time later, they entered a flaming mist that obscured their vision ahead. Jiang Qingliu followed her lead, sweating somewhat nervously. Some hundred meters ahead of him was a great existence to be revered.

This person had the aura of a ten-thousand-meter-long dragon, a gigantic beast that covered the entire sky. Just being near him made it harder to breathe, even for Jiang Qingliu, who was no young junior. There were fewer than twenty people on the entire sun that could make him feel this way.

Slowly, he raised his head despite the mounting pressure. There was an old man clad in a black robe, standing with his hands behind his back. The robe was adorned with patterns of black dragons. His hair was bound in a simple, long ponytail. The signature feature of his face was a third, central eye, outshone only by the huge single horn on his head that resembled Long Longlong’s. It marked him as a possessor of the Saintdragon Talent.

The old man was at least a thousand years old, yet merely standing there was all he needed to do to project his magnificent presence. Jiang Qingliu understood with a single look that this person was as impressive and domineering as the first dragon emperor. Though he was of advanced age, that didn’t mean he was weak. Each year of his life was filled to the brim with rich experience, thus most, if not all, people standing near the Voidsky Flame Pillar would regard him as a senior.

“Junior Jiang Qingliu greets you, Senior Saintdragon Emperor!” Jiang Qingliu hurried and knelt halfway to the old man.

“Rise, oh famous master,” said an insulting female voice in a teasing manner. Jiang Qingliu looked up and saw a woman who looked to be Long Wanying’s age. She wore a black dress, embroidered with intricate dragons. The way the dress clung to her figure made even a seasoned middle-aged man like Jiang Qingliu feel parched at the throat. She exuded pure seduction.

However, she wasn’t intentionally trying to use her wiles on him. What he had seen was enough for him to offer her endless praise, but only for her outer appearance. What normal people might not be able to see was her inner pride, which Jiang Qingliu had instantly noticed. It was no wonder Long Wanying had called her someone that would give others the urge to vomit.

The old man was the Saintdragon Emperor of the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect, and the one with most authority among the Seven Dragon Imperials. As for the woman in the black dress, she was his daughter, Long Xiqian. She was from the same generation as Long Wanying. Jiang Qingliu also knew one other thing about her: Long Wanying and Long Xiqian had once fought for the position of Whitedragon Empress. During their competition, Long Xiqian had the edge on almost every front as her father was the Saintdragon Emperor himself, with the sect being an extension of the power his family wielded. Long Wanying, on the other hand, only had a normal background.

But during the final duel, Long Wanying had completely defeated Long Xiqian to claim the position of Whitedragon Empress. Based on that alone, it was clear why they were on such bad terms. Jiang Qingliu noted how Long Xiqian had rolled her eyes at Long Wanying the moment they met—it was a textbook gaze of contempt. Even so, the Saintdragon Emperor wouldn’t let that minor feud between them surface in the open. He was far from a minor figure and couldn’t afford to fuss over petty matters like those.

“Saintdragon Emperor,” Long Wanying greeted, though not as respectfully as Jiang Qingliu had. She only greeted him as a junior would. After all, they were supposedly of equal status in terms of their positions in the sect.

“Jiang Qingliu, those disciples of yours have definitely shaken up the Myriad Solar Sects as a whole,” the old man said after shooting Long Wanying an acknowledging glance.

“They’re only average. I have their luck to thank,” Jiang Qingliu awkwardly said.

“This isn’t fortune, but rather, fortitude,” said the old man.

“The Saintdragon Emperor’s praise is to be cherished….”

The old man walked toward Jiang Qingliu, causing him to subconsciously pull back his neck. “Jiang Qingliu, the Whitedragon Empress has told me about taking in three of your disciples. But now the Divine Worldeater Cauldron has surfaced. After a discussion among the Seven Dragon Imperials, we’ve come to the conclusion to take only Yu Ziqian in. Li Tianming, Feng, and Lin Xiaoxiao shall remain at the Azuresoul Palace. Given their talent, they’ll no doubt find their own way. Congratulations in advance, Jiang Qingliu.” The Saintdragon Emperor had calmly stated his terms in one go.

“Huh?” Jiang Qingliu didn’t understand, though he didn’t mind their decision. Yu Ziqian was his only real disciple, after all, while the other three were pick-ups who no doubt had masters of their own. It seemed like the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect was going to attempt to keep the cauldron for themselves while ignoring the scraps. After all, those two weapons and the mysterious treasure Tianming had obtained combined couldn’t compare to the Divine Worldeater Cauldron in value. Instead, tossing those three to the wolves would help keep attention off their sect.

However, Long Wanying wouldn’t agree to it. Jiang Qingliu turned to look and, as expected, said, “What discussion? I wasn’t part of it, and I have an objection.”

“Then state your objection, hehe,” Long Xiqian said.

“I want Li Tianming and the other two, but not Yu Ziqian. We won’t be able to keep the cauldron for ourselves, anyway. Instead, we should take the other three treasures and stay away from the mess created by the cauldron.” Her eyes were sharp and cold as she looked straight at Long Xiqian, then the Saintdragon Emperor.

“Li Tianming?” Long Xiqian looked at the ranking and shrugged. “What’s the point of that? The Xuanyuan Dragon Sect has me around. Raising those strays is just a waste of effort. We might as well turn our attention to guarding the cauldron. Long Wanying, I didn’t think you were that shortsighted.” What she was implying was that they really only wanted the cauldron and not Yu Ziqian, which made things awkward for Jiang Qingliu. As Yu Ziqian’s master, he wanted him to have a good future, but now it seemed like Yu Ziqian would be considered an outsider even if he joined the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect.

It was rather disrespectful to talk about his disciple as they would a tool. He turned back and looked at Long Wanying, hoping that she could afford him and his four disciples their due respect.

Long Wanying smiled without saying much. “I worry that your precious son will be defeated by those ‘strays’.”