Beastmaster of the Ages

The northern hemisphere of the sun was where the nova source burned most abundantly. Within this wide territory, few areas were as calm and gentle as the Moonfang Sea, which was as beautiful as a stellunar source world, but with far denser fundamental cosmic force. It was said that the sun emperor had modified the fusion formation to allow a gentle nova source comparable to moonlight to emerge in that area, giving his daughter the best circumstances to cultivate in. That daughter, the Ninemoon Goddess Li Qingyu, would benefit twice as much compared to cultivating in other places.

That day, a large, white fish swam within the Moonfang Sea. Its pearlescent scales glowed a faint white, reflecting the gentle light coming from the water and making for a breathtaking sight that caused the maids waiting on the shore to gasp in awe. There couldn’t be a more beautiful sight to behold, one of the goddess, the great fish, and the wide seas. It was like looking at a precious scroll painting that had assembled and integrated the elements in perfect harmony.

“If the goddess displays her totems, each one a different celestial maiden, this sight would be even more beautiful.”

“However, the goddess doesn’t seem to like showing them. I’ve only seen them once.”

“That’s right….”

“The Voidsky Skirmish is over and she’s started focusing on cultivating again. We have to follow in her footsteps.”

“That’s right!”

The innocent young girls watched the white-haired girl coursing through the sea with a sense of worship. At that moment, they noticed a black-clad youth standing under a white maple tree. “Young Master She, why are you here?”

The young man’s arms were crossed as he shot a gentle gaze toward the open sea. He seemed to have been there for quite some time, but they hadn’t noticed him due to how quiet he was. “Shhh…” he hushed with his finger to his lips. Then he smiled and said, “Don’t interrupt her.”

“Okay!” The girls nodded and went back to gossiping with one another again.

“Young Master She is really kind.”

“My mother said that finding a man older than us is the best. That way we’ll feel protected.”

“That’s right. It sounds so much more intimate. Little boys only mess around all the time. I like mature big brothers much better.”

“He and the goddess are truly a match made in heaven.”

At that moment, they realized that the great white fish in the ocean had disappeared.

“Goddess….” The white-haired woman had appeared before them without them even noticing. Though she was filled with joy, her smile gradually stiffened, then turned cold. She had been bullied quite a lot in her childhood as a result of her father’s circumstances, so she’d developed a defensive personality.

“Goddess, Young Master She has been waiting for you for quite a while.”

“I see.”

The black-clad youth approached them. The maids in waiting quickly moved aside to make way, sensing the goddess’s displeasure building though not understanding why. Did the goddess not like beastmasters and only prefer totem users?

“Goddess, I’m here to bid you farewell,” the youth said.

“I see. Great. So long!” She wanted nothing more than to be as far away from him as possible.

“Aren’t you going to ask me where I’m going?”

“I don’t really care. I’m heading back to the Ninemoon Palace to cultivate.

“The emperor has taken back the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect for Veildragon Palace. Now, the splintered sect has finally rejoined into one. The Veildragon Palace has control of the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect now, and the new sect ranking will soon be announced. We’ll be ranked first and lead the Myriad Solar Sects! My parents and the other seniors will have to dominate our fellow kin to make them obedient, and that’ll take some effort. So I need to go there and help out.” He paused for a moment, before he said, “The emperor said that once the sect is properly united, we’ll pick a date for our marriage.”

“Marriage?” Qingyu took a step back, biting her lip and glaring at him coldly. “Interesting that he chose to tell you about this before notifying me.”

“I’m sure the emperor’s just been far too busy striving for peace in his realm. I hope the goddess understands.”

“Hehe….” She grit her teeth, a little perplexed. She had learned from the maids that Tianming was now a disciple of the Sky Palace and that the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect had intended to take him in. This was a great outcome for the Voidsky Skirmish, yet the celestial orderians and Veildragon Palace had chosen this time to cause trouble for the sect. I wonder if my brother and the rest have already gone there. I’m sure they should be able to defend themselves as Sky Palace disciples….

Infuriatingly, these people had once again ruined a good situation, causing her even more distress. The worst part was the impending marriage that would come after the Veildragon Palace took complete control of the newly-merged sect. That wouldn’t be too far off, so there wasn’t much time left.

She finally knew why that person had wanted her to pick the successor of Veildragon Palace that stood before her now as a suitor. His parents were important pieces for the sun emperor. The emperor had used the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb as an excuse to take over the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect and made it a tool of the celestial orderians. This was far more influential than simply destroying them. If it worked out, the Myriad Solar Sects would be even less able to resist the celestial orderians. Controlling the first-ranked sect was akin to controlling the enemy’s head. The four limbs and organs would soon be swallowed up.

“The sun emperor is a wise ruler!” The youth spoke of the emperor with utmost worship and respect.

“Is it that easy? Don’t they have the Sky Palace? What about the Dreamless Celestial Nation? They’re powerful, too, right? Won’t the other sects clearly see what you are doing?” Qingyu asked. There was no way the sects wouldn’t be aware that this was going to end up badly.

“That’s where your father, the emperor, truly showed his wisdom. By signing the ceasefire treaty, the enemy has forgotten about us and started fighting amongst themselves. With the outsiders of the Dreamless Celestial Nation currently in first place, the Myriad Solar Sects aren’t united at all. Even if the Dreamless Celestial Nation doesn’t want to admit it, they can’t deny that they only managed to rise to such heights because we allowed this to happen.

“On the other hand, the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect has constantly been suppressed by the emperor. For instance, the emperor personally killed the previous Whitedragon Emperor centuries ago and has exterminated anyone that can help them rise to greater heights, thinning the herd and allowing outsider factions like the Dreamless Celestial Nation and Voidword Shrine to continue gaining power over the past two centuries. Not to mention, the emperor also engineered the rise of the wargodeans. By now, there’s nobody among their ranks that can resist us.” The youth looked like a religious zealot.

“What about the Sky Palace?”

“I’m not too sure about that. The emperor himself handles affairs with them, no doubt. What I do know is that the Myriad Solar Sects are chickening out while the Xuanyuans take power. The Sky Palace has kept quiet about it.”

How had the sun emperor achieved this? Nobody in the many factions understood it.

“At the end of the day, the return of the Veildragon Palace and the extermination of the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect are two sides of the same coin. But most other factions only pay attention to the latter side and believe that the former wouldn’t affect them, since the Veildragon Palace is only one faction among many.” The youth was growing more and more agitated in his fervent tirade. “Goddess, the emperor’s plans are absolute. This victory of ours will set the stage for the unification of the sun. To truly devour the Myriad Solar Sects will require the efforts of subsequent generations. In the future, we’ll control the most powerful sect in the ranking and you’ll rule the celestial orderians. Together, we’ll dominate everyone on the sun and control all of the nova source!”

His eyes were practically glowing while Qingyu merely coldly glanced at him. “Dominate everyone? What’s the point?”

“We can kill as we please. Even the tiniest slight toward us can be used as a reason to justify the slaughter of millions. We don’t have to care about what people think of us and can take whatever we want. Everyone will fear and respect you. Isn’t that the best feeling ever?”

“No. I like simple folk better.” Qingyu suddenly smiled.

The youth grit his teeth and awkwardly smiled. “Alright, Goddess, I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait,” Qingyu said. When he turned around, she continued, “May I go to the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect with you?”

“What’re you going to do there? Given your status, if this isn’t done in the utmost secrecy, it can be taken advantage of by our enemies.”

“Are you afraid?”

“Of course not. That’s already our territory. But we must consult the emperor about something like this. Goddess, if the emperor permits this and sends me a transmission stone, I’ll come get you immediately.”

“Deal.” She didn’t want to continue idly sitting by. She would give anything just to see them one more time.

……

Tianming and the other five were on the back of the azuresky qilin as they crossed many rivers and mountains on their journey toward the Azurecloud Continent, which was located around the center of the sun. It was a considerably cool place, given its distance from the Voidsky Flame Pillar in the south, allowing life to thrive, though that also meant it had the lowest concentration of nova source, being so distant from the north and south poles of the sun. Most first-rate factions made their home near the Voidsky Flame Pillar, after all, allowing their sect members and subjects to enjoy access to the highest quality resources.