Beastmaster of the Ages

A streak of black and red fire blazed across the sky and landed at the entrance of Suishen Cave, the impact shaking the earth. It was none other than Suishen Ranxing. His black hair burned with flames and his fiery eyes blazed with intensity. His cosmoforce formed raging flames that illuminated the entire cave.

His gaze swept into the cavern. From within, a tall, slender woman in a red dress with an exquisite figure emerged.

She was Suishen Xiyue. As a mother, she was unyielding and protective. Behind her were Suishen Yao and Suishen Zhao. She had been softly speaking to her children, but the moment she stepped out of the cavern, her eyes met her so-called husband’s overwhelming aura and flames ignited on her body, directly opposing him.

Through Qitian Muyue, Tianming had anticipated their plans and devised corresponding countermeasures. Suishen Xiyue had urgently returned from the Myriadpath Celestial Formation to take Suishen Yao and Suishen Zhao away.

Alas, she was just slightly late and had still encountered the volcano-like Suishen Ranxing at the entrance.

The man and woman faced each other like two blazing nova sources. It wasn’t a conflict between fire and water; they were both fire, creating a volcanic collision of tension.

“Dad? You’re back?” Suishen Zhao casually said, utterly oblivious. Or perhaps he simply didn’t want his parents to turn against each other. Deep down, he even hoped they could reconcile and lead House Suishen to the pinnacle once more. After all, neither he nor his sister knew the truth about their father’s attempt to murder his wife.

Suishen Ranxing’s piercing gaze locked on to Suishen Xiyue. His deep cunning quickly suppressed his fiery aura and he addressed the three in front of him, saying, “During this turmoil, the children should stay within Suishen Cave.”

Hearing that, Suishen Yao grew anxious and snapped, “What do you mean by that? We’ve been cooped up for ten years, bored to death! Mom finally agreed to take us to explore the mundi. We don’t expect you to accompany us, but at least don’t put on airs! You aren’t in charge of House Suishen anymore!”

Her sharp tongue was like a knife stabbing Suishen Ranxing’s heart, unleashing the flames of his suppressed anger.

His wife. His sister. His daughter! As the man of the house, the three women should have been reverential toward him. But now they defied him, uniting to treat him like an outsider. Even his daughter dared to disrespect him in public.

Though he was familiar with Suishen Yao’s attitude, he couldn’t ignore her this time. In the past, as the supreme leader of House Suishen, her words held no weight. But now, as his supremacy waned, her remarks only stoked his fury.

“Son?” Before he could explode, the old patriarch, accompanied by Suishen Cang, Suishen Ling, and several core members of House Suishen emerged from the cave. There were seven or eight of them, all at least of the minor-zenith level.

The old patriarch smiled and said, “It’s fine. I approved Yaoyao’s trip. She’s been confined for too long, even before her marriage. Such prolonged restriction could harm her cultivation mindset. Now that her mother is back, there shouldn’t be any major issues with her and your sister providing protection.” In his ideal vision, House Suishen, currently at its strongest, would harmoniously work together. He understood his son’s previous words, but couldn’t help feeling a trace of regret.

“Young people need to unwind. It’s beneficial,” Suishen Cang remarked, waving his hand and calling out to his daughter, Suishen Shuang. “Shuangshuang, you should join them!”

“Yes, Father!” Suishen Shuang’s face lit up with joy. Not only had Suishen Yao been her best friend since childhood, but she was also Suishen Zhao’s betrothed. This would be an excellent opportunity to deepen their bond.

Meanwhile, Suishen Yuan and the youngest, Suishen Xue, could only look on with envy.

The group made their vacation plans without any input from Suishen Ranxing.

It was understandable. To them, it was merely a trivial matter. Today, House Suishen boasted four major-zenith experts. Aside from Suishen Ranxing, most were satisfied with the current state of affairs and Tianming’s presence. They believed Myriadpath Valley was entering a peaceful period. The valley lord would recover, but Tianming would grow stronger as well.

“Stop!” As Suishen Xiyue prepared to leave with her children and daughter-in-law without even glancing at him, Suishen Ranxing snapped, “Stop right there!”

His sudden outburst startled everyone, including the old patriarch.

It was just a simple outing, so why the fuss? Recently, several members of House Suishen had ventured out and nothing had happened. Why the tension now?

Suishen Ranxing ignored the others, his focus solely on Suishen Xiyue. That woman, who had returned only to force him to kneel and endure humiliation, was now sabotaging his grand plan. He didn’t know that her return was deliberate and aimed at taking the children away. To him, it was all sabotage.

“Return immediately! The situation’s grown tense again. The valley lord’s recovery has accelerated. For safety, effective immediately, no one below the eminent level is to leave without permission. Those at the eminent level and above must report to me first!”

Everyone froze. The valley lord’s recovery was accelerating? Why didn’t they know? But even if the valley lord fully recovered, having lost his tensource beast, he couldn’t threaten the current House Suishen.

News of the deaths of House Qitian and Yumo’s eminents had been sealed, so House Suishen was unaware for now.

“Son?” The old patriarch looked at his son in confusion.

“Houses Qitian and Yumo might join forces,” Suishen Ranxing grimly said.

“That....” The group exchanged uncertain glances, considering calling Suishen Shuang back. Suishen Ranxing had painted a dire picture, leaving them wary of challenging him.

In the tense silence, Suishen Xiyue coldly chuckled, “Who are you trying to scare? Even if they join forces, so what? Sister and I will go wherever we please. Who can stop us? You?”

The others were unaware of the couple’s estranged relationship and had assumed her return signaled their unity as a couple. Seeing the palpable tension between them now, they felt an uneasy shift.

“You may be safe, but don’t drag the children into this!” Suishen Ranxing growled through clenched teeth. He longed to push down the fierce woman before him, as he once had. But now, her gaze, demeanor, and every action radiated disdain.

She sneered at his words. “You speak so righteously. Over the years, have you done any fatherly things but force decisions onto them? Ask the children whose guidance they trust and choose to follow!”

“I’ll follow Mom!” Suishen Yao declared, blatantly favoring Suishen Xiyue and leaving her father humiliated in front of everyone.