Beastmaster of the Ages

”Why?” Moran asked.

”The red light sources are too dense together,” Tianming said. There was no way a living eye would look like that. Tianming stood in the center of the pocket cleared of smoke and looked ahead, noticing a bird’s nest structure much like the lair they were in ahead. It seemed like a miniaturized version of the lair, though it seemed to be made of a similar material to cosmic artifacts like the Grand-Orient Sword and the Flameyellow Coffin. It was more like a bowl covered in black spikes.

Tianming was stunned to realize that the things in this nest were many Archaionfiend Eyes! They looked bloody, glossy and raw as if they were still alive, with some still dripping blood! When he looked at them, they seemed to turn coldly and angrily towards him. A terrifying mental presence seemed to flood his way as if a hellish world of blood unfolded before his eyes.

”How many are there?” Mushan Hong asked.

”A few ahead... I think they’re centuropic beasts. There might be more below!” Tianming exclaimed. This was far too eerie. Even though they were all treasures to him, he didn’t dare to rush straight to claim them. It was as if there was a bowl filled with strawberries for the picking. Would he take them?

Before he could make up his mind, the gate behind them suddenly changed. The streaks of blood lightning around it formed into the silhouette of a girl. Though abstract, Tianming recognized its form. ”Xiaoxiao?”

The silhouette’s proportions did resemble Lin Xiaoxiao’s. But before he could ascertain that, the figure smirked and said, ”How are the evil impulses treating you? I bet they’re a daily staple now, right?”

Tianming felt a chill down to his bones. This was not Xiaoxiao, but Yi Daiyan! ”What are you trying to say with all your mysterious meddling?”

”Nothing much. I just happened to be leaving this place after killing that beast as a gift for you, mighty and wise sky plunderer. Hehe.” The figure gave him a look of contempt.

”What’s the deal? Did my dad steal your heart or something?” Tianming chuckled.

”Shut up!”

Tianming turned back to look at the tempting gift. He didn’t think that Yi Daiyan was so generous as to give him the Archaionfiend Eyes as well as the evil impulses. The dark mirror spirit had framed itself as a victim of a failed romance, so what lay behind her kind intentions? The evil impulses had caused Tianming to commit many a mistake, so there was definitely a catch somewhere.

”Fine, I thank you for the gift,” Tianming said, glad to not have to fight.

”I’m only feeding my puppy. Don’t hold back,” she said.

”I won’t. What about Xiaoxiao? Don’t mess with her if you don’t have a reason to. She doesn’t owe you anything.”

”Would you believe if I told you she’s dead?”

”Tell me! What’s going on?!” Tianming furrowed his brows.

”Whoah there, you sentimental boy...” The black figure chuckled as the blood lightning around her dimmed, her voice sounding more and more distant. ”Beyond this gate lies the universe’s true secrets. The true nature of this world is far beyond your imagination. If you want to learn about the sky plunderers’ fall, cross the gate and find me in the Primordial Cosmos!”

Just like that, the figure vanished. The elders also heard everything.

”Is Xiaoxiao really...” Moran said, sounding worried. She was the closest to Xiaoxiao among the other girls around Tianming.

”She’ll be fine. Yi Daiyan isn’t a bad person,” Tianming said, gritting his teeth at the sight of the gate. The whole thing was far too weird.

”Does that mean that the sky plunderers entered our universe through this gate in ancient antiquity?” Dongfang Taisheng asked.

”Possibly...”

”Are we crossing it?” Moran asked.

Tianming shook his head. ”I can’t be bothered with her. I still have many things to deal with. Ling’er is undergoing her tribulation while Feng is struggling to the death against Di Yi. Also, there are many secrets of the Primordial Chaos Beasts left to be uncovered... Little Fish, help me take the black bird’s nest back to the ship. It’s too heavy for me.” It did seem like quite the sizable object.

”Alright!” Moran did just that and they returned to the ark, and then the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb. Tianming never would’ve dreamed that this expedition would go so smoothly. Yi Daiyan’s appearance made him even more curious about his parents’ experiences as well as the relationship between the flameyellow divinities and the sky plunderers. There were too many things he wanted to know, but he forced them down and focused on the Archaionfiend Eyes in the bird’s nest.

”How many are there...” The surface layer was filled with nine eyes of centuroptic beasts. The many subeyes covered the surface completely, and it seemed like there were even more terrifying ones within.

Right as he was about to absorb them, however, Yin Chen sent urgent news. ”Something happened... back at... the Sun!”