Beastmaster of the Ages

In the beginning, both houses were evenly matched if they were to fight with all their strength. But at that moment, House Yumo had lost the right to speak after the attack on the senior madame.

”Run! Go back to Yumo Cave!”

”House Qitian violated the Myriadpath Sacred Code, the rules of our ancestors! Their crime is unforgivable! Return and join forces with House Suishen....” Long past the point of disbelief, the senior madame shouted, her voice shrill and bitter at her most tragic moment. She had a moment of clarity before death came.

The worst had happened. The senior madame’s death was inevitable and the valley lord wouldn’t stop there. There were only two possibilities left: fight or run! If they chose to fight, their combat power would be too low after losing the senior madame, and the valley lord had already demonstrated just how powerful he was. All eight minor-zenith foundationeers of House Yumo were likely to die there.

It was terrifying, since no one would know that they died at the hands of the valley lord. House Yumo would forever be slaves of House Qitian once the valley lord returned to Myriadpath Valley with all the resources in the astralship.

The valley lord had broken the creed of the Three Exalted Houses and violated their ancestors’ rules. According to the senior madame in her last moments, House Yumo could unite with House Suishen and all myriadpath cultivators to take House Qitian down if they chose to escape. It was their only way out, their only chance for revenge, their only chance to live with their heads held high. But the path would inevitably lead to the collapse of Myriadpath Valley’s current system, trigger an internal war, diminish the power of the Three Exalted Houses, and bring about new changes. In chaos, new forces would rise and threaten the three houses.

In fact, their ancestors had prohibited infighting among the three houses because they were fearful of precisely the situation they currently faced, which was why the nine strongest specters of House Yumo hadn’t seen the betrayal coming. The valley lord was set on slaughtering the senior madame from the start and it was he who got the senior madame to come up with a plan that would trample House Suishen so their guard would be down. None of them had ever imagined the valley lord would be so crazy!

Although the specters of House Yumo were originally vigilant, the plan had made them complacent, which led to the crisis. But even if they remained vigilant, Eminent Diyan knew it would be difficult for the senior madame to survive the valley lord’s fatal attack at such close range if she wanted to assimilate the foundation core.

The sudden attack reminded the specters of his ruthlessness toward even those closest to him.

”House Qitian!” Eminent Diyan’s eyes smoldered.

Despite witnessing the senior madame’s tragic death, he could only give up on revenge and choose the most reasonable course of action.

”Go now!”

At his order, the other specters chose the safer route. Returning would give them a chance to fight to the death! If they stayed and perished, not only would their descendants be kept in the dark, they would also suffer a miserable fate.

”How could you, Valley Lord, do such a thing?! All are equal before the law! You and House Qitian have embarked on a path against all of Myriadpath Valley. You’ll be condemned by history!”

Eminent Diyan shouted as he and the others frantically fled, shaking the entire monochrome planet with his fierce roar.

”So what? After today, a fortuna-class astralship and the legacy of a fortuna-class world will be exclusively ours. In the future, House Qitian will be four times as powerful as Houses Yumo and Suishen combined! Who cares about the Myriadpath Sacred Code?” a loud voice roared back. The valley lord’s callous laughter sounded from behind them, his playful tone aggravating the specters to no end.

”What’s really funny is that House Yumo actually chose to compromise with us and split the spoils! Are you even worthy of being called hunters of the astralscape of order?” Qitian Muyu laughed.

”Qitian Xiao! Qitian Muyu! You crazy bastards will die miserably! Myriadpath Valley will be disgraced because of you!” Eminent Diyan was outraged, yet he was forced to flee. If he was any slower, they might forcibly keep him here. He thought about the members of House Yumo who were still in the dark and how pitiful they would be.

”Hahaha.... Yumo Diyan, your voice may be loud but you’ll soon realize that a wise man submits to circumstances. All I did was kill an old woman from your house, not all of you. In the future, Houses Yumo and Suishen will still enjoy a good life. So what if you have House Qitian stepping on your heads? It isn’t that big of a difference. I believe you’ll be able to accept reality....”

Eminent Diyan was horrified by the valley lord’s words. Obviously, he didn’t want to plunge Myriadpath Valley into complete turmoil, let alone fight. As long as he had the resources and controlled the fortuna-class astralship, the rise of House Qitian was just a matter of time. How could House Yumo get revenge without a war?

”All you lost was an old woman. Why’re you so anxious? Don’t worry, none of you have to die. We still need you and House Suishen to continue suppressing other myriadpath cultivators.” Qitian Muyu snickered. They had never intended to destroy Houses Yumo and Suishen; they merely wanted to turn the two houses into two dogs and use them to restrain the cultivators of Myriadpath Valley.

”So you don’t have to get so excited. Go home and take some time to calm down. I believe House Suishen will know better than you what it means to submit to the circumstances.” The voice of the valley lord sounded farther and farther away, which meant the father and son weren’t chasing after.

They had yet to assimilate the monochrome formation core, so they couldn’t go after them. The eight remaining specters, including Eminent Diyan, were no longer in danger but their hearts were frozen. Would the entire valley join them in resisting House Qitian?

That would most likely be wishful thinking under the suppression of House Qitian.

Additionally, House Suishen’s members were humans and hadn’t suffered any losses. Would they dare oppose House Qitian after they returned with a fortuna-class astralship? Was it necessary to fight?

Was the Myriadpath Sacred Codex meaningful in the face of absolute power? It was clear that the valley lord had anticipated their every step. Otherwise, how could he have drawn his sword so decisively?

Turning around, Eminent Diyan stared into the depths of the passage.

”You killed a respected elder of House Yumo today! Years ago, you killed twenty of our ancestors in the Infinitum Mundus, destroyed the Hellfiend, and stole the Yumo Blood Crucible! And a thousand years ago, you ruined your master and killed your wife! Even to this day, you torment House Qingchuan!”

“QITIAN XIAO! Do you think House Suishen, the august and sacred houses, and everyone in Myriadpath Valley will be completely oblivious to the damage a man like you will cause after what you’ve done? The wage of sin is death! You’ve gone completely mad! You’ve destroyed the trust and balance that’s lasted for millennia. You want to create a House Qitian that’ll dominate everyone and everything, but don’t forget that your bloodline is no better than House Yumo, Suishen, or even Qingchuan! One house to rule over the astralscape of order? Will House Qitian’s bloodline be enough? Hehe....” Spitting words of hatred, Eminent Diyan turned and left.

”GO!” He roared with all his strength. Rushing out of the monochrome planet with the other specters, he escaped into the yin-yang essence storm, and in the blink of an eye, they were gone.