Beastmaster of the Ages

Even with Suishen Xiyue and Suishen Jiguang’s vast experience, they couldn’t fathom how a third-level foundationeer had undergone such an unbelievable transformation. They even thought it was merely a bluff. After all, how could such a thing even be possible?

The two major-zenith cultivators couldn’t rationalize the sudden sense of awe, and even, to a certain extent, fear.

Suishen Xiyue found it even harder than her sister-in-law to believe her eyes and senses. However, she quickly suppressed her shock and quickly dragged the still-dazed Suishen Jiguang out of the xenogate.

“Hold them back!” Her crimson eyes coldly flashed as she fixed her gaze on the group before them.

“Understood.” Suishen Jiguang’s mind was entirely preoccupied with the image of Tianming behind her. His radiant divine presence burned like a blazing sun, suffocating her even though it wasn’t directed at her.

However, her sense of responsibility left her no time to think. Fearing that the twenty eminents might wreak havoc on his homeland, she immediately flew out of the vortex to intercept Qitian Muyue and her group.

The three officially appeared!

Fengqing Youmeng stayed hidden within the dimensional realm, watching the brilliant young man with reverence and devotion. “These so-called ‘supreme masters of the Dao’ still don’t believe in the emperor’s might?”

She wryly chuckled. What she didn’t know was that the higher one’s cultivation grew, the more convinced they were in their understanding of the universe. A power-up that defied common sense was impossible.

Their perspectives were all constrained by the Million Mundi. That mindset was most evident in Qitian Muyue. House Qitian had always been the proudest house of Myriadpath Valley. And as the valley lord’s only daughter, she was essentially the princess of the astralscape and her arrogance knew no bounds. In fact, she used to be the only female major-zenith cultivator apart from the senior madame of House Yumo, who was nearly at the end of her lifespan. She also used to be the youngest.

Thus, her pride was deeply etched into her bones. Only House Qitian’s decorum ensured she didn’t crudely express her arrogance, but deep down, she looked down on nearly everyone—including the past Eminents Jiguang and Xiyue.

Tianming’s overwhelming presence had initially startled her, but it quickly turned into disdain.

“You’ve come back at the perfect time, Li Tianming. I was waiting for you!” she coldly sneered. The twenty eminents had traveled such a great distance to take hostages and use them to threaten and kill Tianming, so his arrival in the remote wilderness let them skip a few steps.

Capturing him would solve everything in one stroke. The Suishen sisters couldn’t possibly protect him. Once the Three Exalted Houses united, and House Suishen lost Tianming, the two women would lose all their influence!

“We’ll handle them. You focus on capturing Li Tianming!” Qitian Muyue sharply commanded.

“I heard he’s good at running away, but his loved ones are right behind him. If he runs, you know what to do, right?” Yumo Dinai maliciously sneered.

“Understood!” The eighteen eminents locked their sights on Tianming.

“Qing Huang!” Qitian Muyue didn’t dare to be careless. She faced Suishen Jiguang head-on, desiring to prove in this battle that she, Qitian Muyue, was the strongest and most noble woman of Myriadpath Valley.

As for Suishen Xiyue, she was older than Qitian Muyue, so she still held her in disdain although she had also reached the major zenith.

The ninesource beast, Qing Huang, shrank its massive body down until its wingspan was less than two meters across. The compact form amplified its monstrous physical strength until it could rival the terrifying Yumo Dinai beside it.

Both lifebound beasts and specters were physical monsters. And in that regard, at least, neither Qitian Muyue nor Suishen Jiguang could compare with their limited astrons.

Qitian Muyue wielded a slender green sword, the Greenlit Starriver, that was as thin as a willow leaf. It was a mid-maniverse-class artifact comparable to the Grandsource Imperial Seal and one of the best swords Myriadpath Valley had to offer, second only to the valley lord’s high-maniverse-class Myriadpath Divinity.

Legend had it that it used to belong to House Qingchuan, who’d passed it down since the days of prehistory.

In contrast, Jiguang’s low-maniverse-class Arctic Crescent put her at a disadvantage.

Qitian Muyue and Qing Huang simultaneously attacked her, not giving her a chance to protect Tianming. Their combined assault reduced the surrounding desert to ashes as green flames raged.

“You!” Faced with an opponent capable of matching her father, Suishen Jiguang couldn’t afford to split her focus. Carelessness would spell her doom.

“Tianming, be careful!” She grit her teeth, her fury burning as she activated her tenfold simulacrum, Peak Immortal.

The tenfold simulacrum marked a watershed for totems, granting her and her aurora nymphs a metamorphosis. Her aura and divine presence seemed to match the Galactic Emperor behind her.

Totems were also known as olden gods. The question lingered: the aurora nymphs, the redlotus flaregods, the grandsky world gods... did such supreme olden gods ever truly exist?

Suishen Jiguang’s only goal was to quickly suppress Qitian Muyue, then return to aid Tianming. Her only solace was that his exceptional speed would give him a better chance of survival.

On the other side, Suishen Xiyue also wanted to protect Tianming, but Yumo Dinai was a relentless and vicious opponent that gave her no room to intervene.

His skyghoul transformation turned him into a towering minotaur with massive horns that were as sharp as the deadliest weapons. His terrifying visage, with six pitch-black eyes like the gaze of death itself, exuded an air of pure malevolence. “Suishen Ranxing’s woman, eh? Let me see just how fiery you really are!”

He was a contemporary of Suishen Xiyue, and nearly the same age. They had been rivals since their youth. She had even outshone him once on the Fortuna Ranking, but he’d surpassed her after they entered the Maniverse Ranking.

For as long as he could remember, Suishen Xiyue was regarded as one of Myriadpath Valley’s most fiery women. In her youth, she had been as unreasonable and domineering as Suishen Yao was today.

Now, old rivals clashed again. Yumo Dinai unleashed his monstrous strength and relentless attacks. His divine abilities and battle arts, coupled with the sheer dominance of his physical body, forced her into a defensive position. She had no choice but to focus her full attention on the battle, leaving no room for her to protect Tianming.

Both women were deeply concerned for the white-haired youth, but their divided attention only made it harder to resist the onslaught of Qitian Muyue and Yumo Dinai. Their opponents held the advantage in their fierce, unrelenting assaults, one using unparalleled physical strength and the other using two-on-one tactics.

Their laughter echoed through the battlefield.

What luck! We’ll eliminate all of Myriadpath Valley’s greatest threats in one fell swoop! Qitian Muyue thought with cold satisfaction.

“I’ll be claiming this glorious achievement!” Yumo Dinai gleefully laughed.

They weren’t the only ones eager for victory. The other eminents were also driven by ambition and determined to prove themselves.

“You’re still glowing like a big, obvious target when death’s coming for you?”

“Brothers, don’t kill him outright. Let’s figure out his secret first!”

The eminents, along with nine myriadpath source beasts, formed a force of twenty-nine combatants. They completely surrounded Tianming, leaving no gaps in their encirclement.

Dozens of foundation fortresses fell upon Tianming. A minor-zenith foundationeer wouldn’t even be able to stand up under the order assault. The eminents’ expressions turned mocking, treating him as prey caught in their trap.

“Attack!” Though their words were full of ridicule, their actions were deadly serious. The specters all used their skyghoul transformation and their starblood manifested countless vengeful spirits, spreading a torrent of resentment and the anguished wails of countless tortured souls across the Sun.

The beastmasters of House Qitian seamlessly coordinated with their beasts. Divine abilities and battle arts merged into a single overwhelming assault aimed at Tianming.

Though they claimed to want to uncover his secrets, their eagerness for glory drove them to attack with lethal force. Each of them vied to be the one to kill him first, resulting in an onslaught of unparalleled ferocity.

That alone revealed their inner fear and unease about Tianming, despite their outward dismissal of his strength.

The sky and earth trembled as the destructive storm engulfed him, surrounding him in an unrelenting hellscape of elements.