Beastmaster of the Ages

Somewhere in the Ancient Flameyellow Ruins was a secret location, surrounded by dense concentrations of flameyellow void essence. As it looked like a deep swamp, most people didn’t think much of it. It was nothing more than a tight crevice.

Within it, a beautiful girl dressed in a black dress found a feral man with shaggy hair lying on the ground, wearing a hat so wide and thick that it blocked his eyes as he napped.

”Big Brother, they’re coming in!” Mushan Xue excitedly said.

”How many?” The feral man removed his hat, revealing a shine that sparked within his eyes.

”A hundred million! It must be their upper limit. The Ten Desolate Starforges received orders from on high to send in their main forces. They’ll soon invade the Primordial Sands by crossing the upper ruins,” she said, face filled with killing intent.

”Are things in place in the lower ruins?” the feral man asked as he rose, frost emanating from his body.

”He’s done his best. There’s close to a million geniuses there, a thousand of whom are from imperial lineages. It’s enough to be a huge blow to the Eightpart Pantheons.” Mushan Xue seemed rather satisfied with Tianming’s performance.

”Alright.” The feral man nodded and took out a black mirror, which seemed to make both of them nervous. Smoke formed into an aged face in the mirror.

”We can shut it now,” the feral man said.

”Are you sure this is the right time?” the old figure within the mirror asked.

”Absolutely.”

”Very well!” The simple words made the atmosphere grow even more oppressive.

”Big Brother!” Mushan Xue gripped the shoulder of the feral man tight. Even though he was only around three hundred meters tall—far smaller than his little sister—Mushan Xue’s mental constitution seemed to depend entirely on him.

”It’s time to put on a good show.” The feral man patted her hand and smiled.

***

On the Upper Star Ruin’s side of the entrance to the lower ruins, the million cosmic gods outside that had been responsible for organizing the transport of the army cheered after a job well done.

”On the eve of the grand battle, early congratulations for our victory!”

Cheers echoed nonstop across the group. Many people there didn’t want to leave; instead, they wanted to be the first ones to receive the war heroes after their victory. Naturally, some had no choice but to go, such as Ming Xingwang, the second-in-command of the Ninefold Hellstar and younger brother of the Ninefold Wargod. He was incredibly influential among the specters of the Ten Desolate Starforges, and many people respectfully bade him goodbye. The rest were rather relaxed, confident in the absolute edge they had over their foes.

”I await your good news,” Ming Xingwang said as he bade them farewell with a smile. As the Heavenly Dao Arena wasn’t deployed in the upper ruins, someone nearby was needed to send updates about the battle to the rest. The advantage of that was that they would be able to filter out any undesirable news so as to not lose face. They’d already lost enough after what had happened in the lower ruins.

At the end of the day, theirs was a war with the Primordial Sands. The elites of the Primordial Sands had retreated from the Ancient Flameyellow Ruins and were ready to fight sieges from behind their astralguard formations. The Eightpart Pantheons, on the other hand, had conquered the upper ruins in full and could launch attacks or defend from their fortified positions there, an advantage afforded to them by conquering the Ancient Flameyellow Ruins.

All the preparatory work done by the Ten Desolate Starforges had been for that purpose. The time for the real battle to break out had come. Even the cosmic gods outside the Ancient Flameyellow Ruins were looking forward to it.

”The might of the Eightpart Pantheons shall awe all!” With cruel smiles, they looked at the entrance of the black mirror.

But at the height of their bliss, somebody suddenly shouted, ”Why’s the entrance shrinking?!”

The cry immediately drew the attention of the million cosmic gods. They looked down and immediately paled. It was no good sign; the mirror was actually shrinking in size at a rather rapid rate! Many didn’t even manage to react before the mirror had shrunk to the size of a lake.

”No!” Not even Ming Xingwang had foreseen that.

The mirror disappeared right after he let out his desperate cry. It was as if nothing had been there the entire time. All he could see was the empty sight of outer space.

”Impossible!” The cosmic gods flew downward, but no matter how low they went, they were still within the Upper Star Ruin. There was no trace of the entrance to the Ancient Flameyellow Ruins at all.

”What’s happening?”

”No idea....”

They were all stunned and flabbergasted.

”What does this mean? Will the army not be able to return? It can’t be that ridiculous, right? The pathway opened up once already, and it did so naturally....” Many of them were struggling to find an explanation. The entrance vanishing had caught them completely off guard.

When word spread across the Upper Star Ruin from the Ten Desolate Starforges, the Eightpart Pantheons were completely stunned. Every hero and young talent among them had gone to the Ancient Flameyellow Ruins—fathers, brothers, and even mothers, all of whom they were out of contact with! Anxiety and dread began building.

When the news reached the other worlds, including imperial-class ones, there was a great shock, followed by paralyzed silence. They hadn’t just lost the entrance to the Ancient Flameyellow Ruins, but the forces and young talent with it. The people within the ruins were completely trapped without a way to get back. Even the Heavenly Dao Arena in the lower ruins had been completely deactivated! The Eightpart Pantheons had lost their eyes on the frontlines.

”It’s fine! Maybe the entrance is still open from the end on the Primordial Sands’ side. Our forces will conquer it as planned. Maybe they’ll reopen the entrance once they’ve done so.” That was the only thing they could say to console themselves.

On the other end of outer space, countless divine astralships were arranged in neat ranks and charging up their power, waiting for the army of the Eightpart Pantheons to emerge to give them a devastating blow. All of a sudden, the large black mirror before them shrank.

”Grandpa, what’s happening?” Jiang Feifei asked from one of the ships. She had been tense and nervous mere moments ago. The Primordial Sands had wanted to launch a single volley on the emerging army before retreating, only for the entrance to close without warning!

But when the mirror vanished, not a single sign of the approaching army could be seen.

The armored old man beside Jiang Feifei seemed stunned as well. ”Don’t panic and hold your positions!”

Everyone received the order and obeyed despite the doubts that filled their hearts.

***

”The two... entrances of... the ruins... are closed,” Yin Chen said, much to Tianming’s shock. ”However, the... Darkfiend Den’s... entrance is... still there.”

Tianming immediately relaxed. At least he could still return home. ”Well, the same can’t be said for the Ten Desolate Army and their young geniuses. Mushan Xue, your lot really is cruel. To think that you all were behind the opening of the Ancient Flameyellow Ruins!”