Beastmaster of the Ages

A cloud of blue mist approached. In the middle of the group stood a tall man with blue hair. They surrounded the man, bowing slightly as he led the way. The blue-haired man was extremely handsome, his dark blue robes embroidered with numerous totems and sleeves gently fluttering in the wind. His eyebrows were slightly arched and his deep pupils twinkled with warm luster. His sculpted cheeks reflected the first rays of the morning sun. There was a god-like majesty and inherent nobility to him. The man exuded the aura of a monarch. Everything about him dazzled, especially his eyes. Like the eyes of a lifebound beast, they contained a river of stars. Of course, he wasn’t a specter.

“Greetings, Emperor Lan.” The Tumulus Pill God approached the hegemon of the Blueblood Starocean.

“You’re too polite.” Emperor Lan appeared before the Tumulus Pill God in the blink of an eye.

Despite being a sect master, Yun Tianque of the Supracloud Sanctuary didn’t dare approach them. He knew that this was the man who had slaughtered Jiang Qingliu’s lifebound beast. Today, he stood at the top of the sun, while Jiang Qingliu could only look up to him.

“Will the wargodean emperor grace us with his presence?” Emperor Lan asked with a smile, glancing at the Skyward Stele.

“He’ll be here soon. Please wait a moment,” the Tumulus Pill God replied.

The two sides gathered. In the crowd, Lan Feilin and Zhan Yuance, the children of both emperors, stared at each other.

“Are the wargodeans also a vassal of the celestial orderians?” Lan Feilin asked incredulously.

“Didn’t you already know that?” Zhan Yuance rolled his eyes.

“Do you know what will happen next? Lan Feilin asked curiously. She didn’t even dare look at her father from a distance, much less approach the man. After all, he had many children.

“It’s best to kill them all, take the treasures, and divide them,” said Zhan Yuance.

“What if those dogs enter the Sky Palace?” Lan Feilin asked.

“What else can we do but withdraw!”

The Sky Palace was everything, but they were still reluctant.

……

Somnium City, in the Great Clouddream Sea in the east. A loud rumble caused a splash in the lake waters. A cold voice sounded from the palace in the center, sweeping through the entire city in an instant.

“Gather the Clouddream defenders!”

A white battleship appeared above Somnium City. It was half the size of the city and burned with fundamental cosmic force. Although it was less than a tenth of the size of the Divine Sun Palace, its every movement still made the city tremble. Countless experts looked up and at least two thousand men in white armor charged into the battleship in an orderly manner. On the battleship was a strange young man with an ugly expression on his face.

Then the battleship disappeared into thin air.

“To the Voidsky Realm!”

……

Light flickered.

“Wait for me!” Yu Ziqian climbed up, shamelessly grabbing Tianming’s clothes.

Facing the dazzling light ahead, Tianming proceeded to move forward. The Skyward Stele that no one could approach was already in front of his eyes. The light flooded his entire body, entering his pores. At the bottom of the stele, a vortex appeared.

“Let’s go.” Maintaining his composure, Tianming dragged Yu Ziqian into the white light.

A lake appeared before him. This place completely resembled the world in the minorsky stele; it was white as far as the eye could see.

“Where are we?” Yu Ziqian asked in a daze.

The endless white mist lingered. This time, there were ripples in the water, so Tianming didn’t have to see through any illusions. When he looked up, he realized there was a small, dilapidated wooden house on the shore. Despite its condition, it was very clean. Upon every wooden board was the vestige of time.

“A wooden house!” Yu Ziqian shouted, his eyes wide.

Within the wooden house was the Sky Palace. While Yu Ziqian was yelling, Tianming had already made his way over. This time there was an actual distance between him and the wooden house, unlike before.

The water undulated with gentle ripples. In the blink of an eye, Tianming and Yu Ziqian had reached the wooden house. Everything in front of them turned blurry, almost dreamlike. Only the small door to the wooden house remained clear.

“I’ll open the door. You follow me,” said Tianming.

“Alright.”

Yu Ziqian was extremely nervous, perhaps because the test was right in front of him. Stretching out his dark arm, Tianming touched the wooden door. The wooden door wasn’t tightly closed. With just a light push, the light swallowed Tianming and Yu Ziqian.

The world shook and the sea of stars transformed before their eyes. It was as if they were falling into the abyss.

“My kin…”

The words reverberated in Tianming’s ear. They were spoken in a voice of utter sorrow and anguish. He thought it would continue speaking, but the voice stopped abruptly after those words. He raised his left hand and felt it tremble. The surrounding clouds formed a hand, spread its five fingers, and rested on the palm of Tianming’s left hand. It was clearly a cloud, but what Tianming felt was the warmth of real flesh and blood.

“Sky plunderers….”

Tianming’s mind was turbulent, his blood boiled, and his eyes turned red. Where was his home and his people? Was this once his home? He raised his trembling hand. As he moved amidst the clouds, numerous hands brushed across his black arm. From just a simple hand gesture, Tianming saw the hexagon scales on every hand. Tianming was immersed in the blood connection he felt.

“What’s this?” Yu Ziqian stretched out his hand as he floated through the clouds, but there was no change. He was a little confused. Tianming seemed to have melted into the clouds and become part of this world.

“One day, the truth will be revealed. We may have perished, but our merits cannot be measured….”

Who was speaking? His ears were still ringing. This hand didn’t feel like it belonged to him. First, he brushed the palms, then the faces one by one. What he saw were determined smiles.

“I….” Tianming found it a little difficult to breathe.

He felt the heavy weight of the intangible burden he carried within his blood. His parents had fled for their lives, so he couldn’t meet them. Not even the strongest, most talented genius could fight the wind and rain. What was the reason behind all of this? Who were the pursuers and where were they?

His heart hammered in his chest.

“Move forward, keep going. All your relatives that perished in the vortex will pave the way for you! Remember, plunderers have our dao. Our consciousness will never die….”

Amidst his rapid breaths, the white mist suddenly disappeared. Tianming stumbled into a hall, almost crashing into the ground. Needless to say, Yu Ziqian landed face down. The floor was as smooth and clear as a mirror. Yu Ziqian slipped while Tianming stood firmly and looked up.

This was a vast, brightly-lit hall with no end in sight. The pillars nearby were at least a kilometer in diameter, towering into the clouds. In front of them were steps that led to seven statues—or was it seven people?

Upon closer inspection, he realized they were human beings. Though they looked different, they were all at least five hundred years old. Both men and women had neatly combed hair, their faces white as if coated with flour and eyes completely vacant, hence their lifelessness. If it weren’t for their subtle movements, Tianming wouldn’t believe they were alive.

Who were they? They were members of the Sky Palace.

Dropping to one knee, Yu Ziqian said, “Sky Palace Seniors, Disciple Yu Ziqian pays my respects!” He quickly pulled Tianming with him.

The seven white-robed people studied Tianming with scrutiny.

The wooden house allowed me to see the sky plunderers. Does that mean the Sky Palace is the Sky Plundering Palace, and these people are part of my race?

Sweeping his gaze across the palm of their hands, Tianming didn’t find any black arms. He seemed to see a trace of impatience within their eyes. How could this be?

“Aren’t they the ones who granted me the Imperial Ninedragon Tomb?” Tianming had all kinds of doubts in his heart.

“Kneel.” A beautiful woman said coldly. There was so much powder on her face and rouge on her cheeks that she resembled an opera singer. It was indescribably weird. Tianming was stunned.

“Kneel!” she repeated. Powder seemed to have fallen off her face. Her willow-like eyebrows furrowed.

“Who are you?” Tianming asked. This scene was completely different from what he had imagined.

“Insolent fool! This is the Sky Palace. Naturally, we are members of the Sky Palace. You are lucky to enter. Kneel and accept your trial,” the white-robed woman solemnly said. Her voice grew louder and harder, forming shock waves that crushed down on Tianming like a mountain. His internal organs felt like they were hit by a large hammer.

“B-brother! What are you doing? This is the Sky Palace,” Yu Ziqian whispered.

However, Tianming was truly dumbfounded. As soon as he entered the wooden house, he believed this was the Sky Plundering Palace and these elders were here to shower him with gifts. Why did they stare at him with such gloomy eyes?

“Why can’t I stand and accept the trial?” Tianming asked.

“Scram!” the white-robed woman sneered.

A black vortex suddenly surfaced under Tianming’s feet. A suction force immediately swallowed him in and Tianming disappeared from the hall.

“Brother? Tianming?” Yu Ziqian watched in shock.

Why was it all so strange? Just as he was about to follow Tianming, the black vortex vanished. Deathly silence enveloped the hall. Trembling, he raised his head. All seven of them looked at him, lips curling with the same stiff smile.

“Where is he?” Yu Ziqian asked, shivering like a leaf.

“He’s dead.” With the woman’s movements, more powder fell from her face. Her body shook for some time, as if she was racked with convulsions. Then, lifting her chin, she stared at Yu Ziqian with her hollow eyes and asked, “Do you want to die?”