Beastmaster of the Ages

The moment Tianming set foot on the hundredth step, he had already succeeded in leaving the Tranquil Battlefield for the Skydome Battlefield. It was the first time in the history of the Mysterium Cluster that someone under thirty had made it to the Skydome Battlefield! Normally, that wasn’t a place that allowed youths to enter and the Skyway Stairs were designed to be nigh impossible for youths to ascend. At best, sovereigns of around a hundred years old had managed that feat, but never a youth under thirty.

”Li Tianming ascended to godhood in a single round of battles!”

”The mysterians are all mere trash before him....”

”I wonder how they’d possibly nurture a genius like him? I heard they have already sent divine astralships toward Violetglory.”

”I really want to see this monster in the real world!”

The fanfare continued without end in the Mysterium Cluster.

......

Tianming thought that he would immediately enter the Skydome Battlefield, only to find himself in a hall, surrounded by a thick fog.

”Someone’s there.” He looked up and saw two people approaching him from the fog. One of them was a white-haired mysterian who bowed respectfully toward the other, a youth of plain appearance, save for the six fingers on each hand that Tianming noticed. Given the depth of his gaze, his true age was likely to be different from what his appearance suggested. This was a top elite!

”Li Tianming, let us introduce ourselves. I’m Yanwu Tian, and this is Etherean Zhaohua of the divine wondersky race. He’s conquered more than a hundred clusters like the Mysterium Cluster,” said the white-haired faceless man.

There was only one person that dared to claim to be Yanwu Tian, and that was the leader of the Three Sovereigns Mysterium, also known as the First Sovereign Mysterium and ruler of the Mysterium Cluster! Yet, for someone of his status to respectfully stand behind the six-fingered youth showed the difference in their status and might. It seemed that there was always someone higher up in the pecking order.

Before Tianming had returned to the sun, the Three Sovereigns Mysterium had been figures which he could only look up at. Yet the First Sovereign Mysterium had chosen to appear before Tianming in this fashion. Had Li Muyang not explained to Tianming about the difference between a cluster and a mundus, or that a ruler of a fifth-level nova source world was called an etherean, he would really come to believe that this six-fingered youth was merely a ruler of over a hundred clusters.

Ethereans were probably only subordinate to reges mundi, that is, rulers of infinitum-class worlds. It wasn’t a cultivation level, but rather a title given to people of a certain status. The divine wonderian before him now was definitely no mere youth. Tianming had a rough understanding of the divine wonderians. On the surface, they had formed an alliance with the mysterians in the Mysterium Cluster, called the Wondersky Alliance, but in actuality, they were the mysterians’ overlords. The divine wonderians also ruled over other star clusters.

One detail was of note, however: while the two of them had met Tianming with distant expressions, they didn’t apply any pressure on him either.

”Well met, Etherean Zhaohua, Senior.” Tianming was quite curious to hear what they had to say, for them to directly come to meet him in this fashion. He didn’t have to fear dying in the wondersky realm, after all.

Etherean Zhaohua looked at Tianming a little longer, then smiled. ”Li Tianming, I heard your tale from the mysterians and witnessed you clearing the Tranquil Battlefield. You’re rather powerful.”

”I see. Then, Lord Etherean, you must also be aware of the matter of Skyway Quadstar, and the fact that the Wonderhaze Suzerain died at my hand,” Tianming said.

”That’s correct, hence my curiosity. How did you do it?”

”Overwhelming power, of course,” Tianming confidently proclaimed.

”Hahaha...” he laughed as he approached Tianming. ”You weren’t the least bit surprised to hear him say that I control over a hundred clusters, which shows that you aren’t ignorant at all. That’ll save me some time and effort, so I’ll give it to you straight. It is a waste for you to remain in a normal cluster, given your talent. Would you be interested in heading to a sixth-level nova source world of the divine wonderians? It’s a world a thousand times larger than deific-class worlds.”

Tianming was surprised to learn that the divine wonderians also had a sixth-level nova source world. He had thought that the etherean was the supreme ruler of divine wonderians. But he shook his head and smiled. ”Lord Etherean, shouldn’t you be persecuting me for killing a suzerain? Not to mention, the mysterians also have their sights set on my nova source world with the intent of making it their Skyway Quadstar.”

”Hahaha....” The man stretched his six-fingered hand out to pat Tianming’s shoulder. ”The suzerain was already old and declining. Compared to you, an infinitum-class genius, I’d definitely pick you over them.”

”What’s an infinitum-class genius?”

”That’s what we call geniuses that would shine even in an infinitum-class nova source world.”

”I see. What about Skyway Quadstar?”

The etherean smiled and turned back to Yanwu Tian. The old man cleared his throat and lowered his head. ”I’ve already apologized to Lord Etherean for the shameful greed my people displayed. Our divine astralships are near the celestial boundary as a welcome party for you. Li Tianming, with Lord Etherean’s word, nobody would dare touch you or your world.”

Etherean Zhaohua seemed rather satisfied with his words. He turned to Tianming and added, ”It’s nothing but a fallen deific-class world. The mysterians might value it enough to consider it their Skyway Quadstar, but to me it isn’t even worth a second look. If you’re willing, I will even fill your world back up to its former potential. The ether-class world I reside in is a hundred times larger than deific-class worlds, after all.” In other words, as long as Tianming was willing to go with him, the death of the Wonderhaze Suzerain would be water under the bridge and the mysterians would no longer lust for the sun.

”Li Tianming, I’m offering you a chance to start over as an even higher lifeform than before. You haven’t even seen a deific-class world, yet you’ll be able to experience hundreds of times the benefits you enjoy now from an infinitum-class nova source,” Yanwu Tian said. Etherean Zhaohua was a ruler of an ether-class world, and the divine wonderians even had infinitum-class worlds. In other words, there were divine wonderians that were more powerful than Etherean Zhaohua; they probably controlled a mundus of their own too.

Etherean Zhaohua easily figured out what Tianming was guessing and said, ”The Mysterium Cluster exists within the Skydome Mundus, which is the territory of the divine wondersky race. I’m but a nameless figure among the divine wonderians. My people have influence across the entire known universe, so we’re in the best position to provide a platform for you to flourish on.”

It was yet another recruitment pitch. Had Li Muyang not shown up, Tianming would have been swayed. However, he now had a task in the Infinitum Bodhimanda, so that was no longer an option. ”The divine wondersky race is that impressive, huh,” he said, sounding impressed. If even Etherean Zhaohua called himself a nameless figure, then the divine wonderians’ true might was indeed terrifying.

”The divine wonderians’ might is as large as the universe itself,” Yanwu Tian added.

Tianming chuckled in his mind, but kept his starstruck expression. ”Then is the Infinitum Mundus within your territory as well?”

That definitely struck an awkward nerve with Etherean Zhaohua. He shook his head and said, ”It looks like you truly know quite a bit. The Infinitum Mundus is not our territory, but we do have influence in the light there, as well as the shadows.”

There was a veiled threat in his words: Tianming wouldn’t be able to escape them no matter where he went, but that didn’t scare him; it would only make him even more cautious. While he had wanted to try to learn how the Wonderhaze Suzerain had found the sun, it seemed that would no longer be possible. Looks like I still have to watch out for the divine wonderians in the Infinitum Mundus. Thankfully, the sun has a cloaking formation.

On the other hand, Tianming didn’t believe in the recruitment pitch of the divine wonderians at all. The Skydome Mundus was the territory of the divine wonderians, and with Tianming not being one of them, there was little chance he would get any real say in what treasures he would receive. On the other hand, he at least had the family members of Li Muyang’s eighth incarnation in the Infinitum Mundus, even if he didn’t know anybody else there..com

While he had already made his decision, he still kept it polite. ”Thank you for your kind recognition, Etherean Zhaohua. However, I’m rather confused and overwhelmed now, so I need time to consider things more. Please give me a few days.”

”Very well. You may seek me out at any time. I’ll be waiting for an infinitum-class genius like yourself to go to Skydome Wondrium, my home world, and achieve amazing feats on my behalf,” said the etherean. Skydome Wondrium was a divine wonderian sixth-level nova source world, the main star of Skydome Mundus! The real question that remained was how many other such worlds they also had.

”Very well. I shall take my leave, Seniors!” Tianming respectfully saluted them and headed for the Skydome Battlefield while the other two smiled and watched him leave.

”Looks like he refused us,” Yanwu Tian said with a furious look.

”That’s right.” The smile immediately vanished from the etherean’s face. ”Since he knows about the Infinitum Mundus, there’s no way he’ll come back.”

”Then what should we do? That fellow’s terrifying might must have something to do with that fallen star of his. Some time back, even the xenofiend king’s aura was shrouded. There’s no longer any way for us to track him down,” Yanwu Tian said, his voice hoarse.

”It’s not just deific... it’s at least infinitum...” muttered the other.

”What?”

”That ancient star is at least infinitum class. Only worlds like that can create infinitum-class geniuses.”

”Infinitum class! That would make it fit to be the main star of a mundus!” Even Yanwu Tian’s voice was shuddering.... Such a world had slipped him by just like that! He felt horrible about it and knew that Etherean Zhaohua no doubt felt the same. Any sign of the xenofiend king had been completely cut off.

”For now, try to keep him in the Astraldome. We’ll gather every bit of information we can from him, any clue at all, to pinpoint the sun’s location. Also, we’ll immediately mobilize our people in the Infinitum Mundus to locate him! There’s no way someone like him will linger in a rural backwater forever,” Etherean Zhaohua said.

”He’ll definitely go to an ether-class world, at least,” Yanwu Tian agreed.

”That’s right.”

”By the way, Lord Etherean, why’s the presence of divine wonderians in the Infinitum Mundus so low? Is it because of that race?”

”Yes.” The mere mention of that race caused the etherean’s face to grow even colder.