Beastmaster of the Ages

”Who said that?!” Qitian Xiao snapped. His growl shook the entire valley.

House Qingchuan had sided against the Three Exalted Houses, thanks to their burning grudge against House Qitian, so it was no surprise they would curse at them. However, the ones who criticized House Qitian weren’t from House Qingchuan, but the two million cultivators instead! All of them were subjects under the rule of the Three Exalted Houses. Anybody that sided with House Qingchuan could be branded traitorous!

”Who?!” House Qitian angrily turned and looked at the crowd behind them.

”It’s him—Reverend Fengxuan!” someone reported in a panic. There were many people with different agendas in the mob, so they didn’t have a united front.

”Reverend Fengxuan of House Fenglin?” Some people seemed to know the sacred house. It had a ninth-level eminent who was Reverend Fengxuan’s elder brother, Eminent Fengying. They were a house of totemancers who admired House Suishen.

People parted to reveal a middle-aged man in green robes. In an instant, countless hostile glares from House Qitian fell on Reverend Fengxuan, who paled and sweated in fear. Even though what he’d said was something everyone had thought, he was being singled out. There was only one fate for someone who earned the ire of House Qitian.

”House Fenglin, is it?” Qitian Xiao turned to the crowd and waved his arms as he said, ”To speak out on behalf of traitors is to be a traitor! As the valley lord, I sentence everyone in house Fenglin to death, effective immediately!”

The crowd immediately gasped.

”Wipe them out!” Qitian Xiao had been annoyed that he didn’t have anyone to make an example out of, but someone had volunteered for the role just in time.

A group of Qitian reverends and eminents immediately marched toward the Fenglins.

”Valley Lord!” House Fenglin’s leader, Eminent Fengying, teared up as he kowtowed on the ground, sobbing, ”Have mercy! My little brother merely misspoke, and I bear responsibility for not keeping him in line! I’m willing to give my life for my brother and family to be spared! Please spare our weak house on account of the services we’ve rendered for the Three Exalted Houses!”

”Do you think you merit such mercy?” Qitian Xiao chuckled, face filled with the smugness of the Three Exalted Houses.

”Old Patriarch! Eminent Ranxing!” Eminent Fengying cried out when he saw Qitian Xiao’s bloodthirsty look. He knew that the valley lord wouldn’t show him any mercy, so he had to beg House Suishen instead. ”Please, spare us on account of us being your loyal followers for tens of millions of years!”

Many people turned to Suishen Ranxing and the old patriarch. Before the old patriarch could speak, Suishen Ranxing turned his blazing eyes to Eminent Fengying. ”You reap what you sow! Traitors shall be exterminated along with their entire house!”

The words sounded like thunder to Eminent Fengying. They were a house of totemancers who worshiped House Suishen, yet Suishen Ranxing was willing to cast them away over a single outburst by an individual.

When it came to collective punishment, everyone knew that the Three Exalted Houses used it to secure absolute obedience. It was a show of dominance to make the two million cultivators of Myriadpath Valley accept them as their rulers.

House Qitian continued marching on after Suishen Ranxing said his piece.

”Go!” Despairing, Eminent Fengying had no choice but to get his people to blend in with the crowd and run. He turned to his brother with a resolute look.

Reverend Fengxuan glared at Qitian Xiao and roared, ”What do you mean betraying Myriadpath Valley? I’m only looking down on House Qitian! I also decry those damned shameless Yumo specters and you cowardly Suishens! The Three Exalted Houses don’t represent all of Myriadpath Valley! True legitimacy belongs to the former valley lord and Li Tianming, who’s inherited the Grand Myriadpath Ruins! The real traitors are the Three Exalted Houses!”

Right as he finished speaking, a beam of light shot out from Qitian Xiao’s hand. It was the Myriadpath Divinity, and the sword turned Reverend Fengxuan to dust in an instant.

”Brother!” Eminent Fengying’s eyes were bloodshot. ”Even if I’m going to die, I’ll speak out! House Qitian and Qitian Xiao are afraid! You violent crooks aren’t suited to be rulers of the shining city upon the hill of the Million Mundi! All you’re trying to do is to wipe us out to scare the others into silence!

”History will not forget my house’s brave sacrifice! The truth shall remain in the hearts of the masses. Even if your vile cruelty can scare those of us here, one day, all of us will gather together and overthrow you when Li Tianming returns to lead us! There’s no way lawless brutes like you can expect to rule over the masses! What a joke!”

It was going too far to wipe out a whole house just because of a single comment. ”House Qitian’s gone mad. The heavens desire your destruction! Your madness is only the starting sign of your doom! Without the Grand Myriadpath Ruins, it’s over for you! Exterminating my house will only make the rest of us hate you! One day—”

Before Eminent Fengying could finish speaking, a few Qitian eminents charged in and wiped him out.

”Qitian Xiao, early congratulations on becoming the number-one criminal who sparked the end of the Three Exalted Houses! Hahahaha!” Eminent Fengying laughed as his soul was scattered. Though he was dead, his laughter echoed near the entrance of Myriadpath Valley, entering everyone’s hearts.

Witnessing the abrupt deaths of the Fenglin brothers and Uncle Hei, as well as House Qingchuan’s defiance, shocked the unaffiliated cultivators. They were normal members of Myriadpath Valley, yet the Three Exalted Houses saw them as cattle that could be killed for any reason whatsoever. The Fenglin brothers’ words rang out nonstop in their ears.

”Hunt down every single Fenglin and kill them!” Qitian Xiao was obviously enraged. How dare a minor sacred house—a puny reverend, at that—bark before him after all his years of rule in Myriadpath Valley? The flies were buzzing just because the tiger was aging!

”Dad, if we keep this up, we might incite them to join up and riot against the Three Exalted Houses as one,” Qitian Muyu said in a worried tone.