Beastmaster of the Ages

In previous Ancestral Worship Ceremonies, every foundationeer in Myriadpath Valley had to participate. There were more than a million participants each time. However, the current one was special—most myriadpath saints didn’t dare to leave their homes. Only reverends and eminents who had been to the Yin-Yang World dared to.

All in all, there were four groups of people, one each from the Three Exalted Houses and another group of cultivators from different august houses. The last group numbered the most but had the fewest elites, with the majority of them being fifth- or sixth-level foundationeers. The strongest were the minor-zenith eminent leaders of the august houses.

From the nervous looks on their faces, they seemed keenly aware of the fractured internal state of Myriadpath Valley. They had completely lost trust among each other.

At the venue, the members of the Three Exalted Houses took their positions at the left, middle, and right sides before the Progenitor’s Altar. Naturally, the house of the valley lord, House Qitian, took the middle spot, flanked by the other two houses.

None of the other reverends and eminents of House Qitian knew the truth. They were calm and lightheartedly talking to one another, completely oblivious to the other two houses. They didn’t bother stopping their pride from showing on their faces, fully confident in the future that their valley lord had built for them.

When word had first come about the Yin-Yang World’s legacies, some from House Qitian immediately suggested completely changing the ruling structure of Myriadpath Valley. They wanted to make an empire at the center of the astralscape of order, while the Million Mundi would become their vassal states. The valley lord would reign as the central emperor, making House Qitian the sole imperial house!

It was an idealistic notion. Those who didn’t bear any grudges against House Qitian were starting to feel envious of them. House Qitian had never been so prosperous; the ones standing beside and behind them were just outsiders that would serve them while being stomped underneath their feet.

That pride and glee had developed in the past decade among everyone in House Qitian. Even though there was a time when they didn’t dare to leave Qitian Cave, which was rather embarrassing for the so-called imperial house, they knew that it would only be temporary while they waited for the astralship to arrive! House Yumo would be the ones to hang their heads low at the end of the day!

When the moment finally arrived, Myriadpath Valley would be under new rule. House Qitian would finally gain true prestige as the house that ruled over all others in the astralscape of order!

The more elevated House Qitian was, the lower House Yumo seemed to fall. The Yumo reverends and eminents held their heads low, their eyes bloodshot as they recalled the grudge they were being forced to endure. House Qitian had treated them far too cruelly, to the point that they were being made laughingstocks. There was no way they would keep quiet if they had a choice.

The fact that their matriarch had been murdered, twenty of their eminents had died under unknown circumstances, the Hellfiend had been destroyed, and its original purpose for refining starblood had been made public! Rage and humiliation filled every single one of the specters’ astral organs to the brim. They coldly glared at the elites of House Qitian, suppressing their urge to trigger a bloodbath.

Their only chance was to side with House Suishen. If they worked together, they at least stood a chance of wiping out House Qitian before their astralship arrived. However, there was no good reason for the humans of House Suishen to take such a huge risk for the specters.

Unlike the other two houses, House Suishen seemed much more tranquil. The totemancers quietly stood there without saying a word, creating a sort of stalemate.

All the elites from various houses had arrived. Yumo Diyan and another major-zenith foundationeer of House Yumo, Yumo Dinai, stood at the very front of the specters. Yumo Diyan was a specter of huge build with a pair of large bullhorns. His face was green and his mouth was filled with fiendish fangs. He looked far more terrifying than Chen Tianyong.

The two major-zenith foundationeers coldly seethed. They had witnessed the valley lord kill their senior madame. It was something they would never forget! Looking ahead, they saw the valley lord and his three major-zenith foundationeer attendants.

As for House Suishen’s group, the old patriarch, Suishen Xiao, and Suishen Ranxing stood at the front. They were flanked by Suishen Hongtian on one side, and Suishen Jiguang and Suishen Xiyue on the other. The old patriarch had made sure that all four of them attended despite having a smaller total number compared to the other two houses. It was a precaution to make sure things didn’t go out of control.

House Suishen had a historic high of five major-zenith foundationeers, yet no more than four people there knew it. At the very least, those four were absolutely certain that House Qitian was the strongest faction there.

Suishen Jiguang and her sister were rather far to the side, so nobody paid too much attention to the former minor-zenith foundationeers.

”It’s going to begin soon.” Suishen Jiguang took a deep breath and turned to meet her sister’s gaze. ”Sister Xiyue, are you sure you won’t discuss this with my father before we start?”

”I’m certain. He and Suishen Ranxing will have their own thoughts once they hear the information we have and they’ll be the ones that set the pace. We can’t give them time to consider,” Suishen Xiyue said.

”So you’re going to force them and House Yumo to make the decision while the situation changes.”

”Yes! We’ll strike first and ask questions later. That’ll ensure that we control the pace of the proceedings. Just stick to the plan. We’ve thought it through every step of the way.” Suishen Xiyue looked at the valley lord and coldly smiled. There was a reason they hadn’t revealed the truth about the Yin-Yang World’s legacy to Suishen Ranxing.

”You’re such a schemer.” Suishen Jiguang knew that she definitely wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything alone. Scheming wasn’t her forte, and even if it was, she wouldn’t dare to upend the whole situation during a ceremony of this magnitude.

”You can flatter me after everything works out. It’s still too soon to count our eggs. We still don’t know how things will develop,” Suishen Xiyue said.

”Alright!” Suishen Jiguang took a deep breath. The cold aura in her eyes grew denser. She looked ahead and saw the old man and another burly man clad in black-and-crimson robes at the front of House Suishen’s procession, Suishen Xiao and Suishen Ranxing. With them there, the eminents and reverends of House Suishen were somewhat relieved.

Before, the old patriarch had been the sole person standing at the front. But as he began to age, he had slowly backed away and included Suishen Ranxing, preparing him for the eventual takeover. In his mind, his second son was a decent sort and treated his daughter well enough. However, his true nature was hard for even the old patriarch to grasp.

***

Suishen Ranxing turned his blazing eyes to the Progenitor’s Altar, seemingly looking down at the Myriadpath Sourcespring in its depths. ”Dad, how many times have you gone down there?”

”Only a few times. Nobody but the valley lord is allowed to linger there for long,” the old patriarch said.

”Despite being the valley lord, he’s broken the Myriadpath Sacred Codex’s rules more than once. If it wasn’t for his tyranny, even I would have the right to witness the miracle of the Source Progenitor for myself....” Suishen Ranxing grit his teeth, greatly vexed.