Beastmaster of the Ages

In Myriadpath Valley’s Qitian Cave, Qitian Muchen’s face was pale as he was escorted back by a group of eminents.

Beside him, Tian Nu looked panicked, and several eighth-level foundationeers of House Qitian were equally tense. Although Qitian Muchen had actively told them not to approach, they were all nervous after such a mishap.

”Enough, get lost!” Qitian Muchen grit his teeth and waved them away. For the first time in his life, he had suffered such a huge setback. Just thinking about how he had knelt down and called someone ‘Grandfather’ made his heart convulse.

Fortunately, everyone who’d seen it had died—except for that Mistrunner!

Qitian Muchen entered the depths of Qitian Cave alone. Shortly after, he arrived at an elegant courtyard where two people were present, one of them Qitian Muchen’s elder brother and current head of House Qitian, Qitian Muyu.

Beside Qitian Muyu was a beautiful woman with jet-black hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. She was cold and tall. Dressed in a white robe, she resembled a female scholar. She was none other than Qitian Muchen’s elder sister, Qitian Muyue.

”Brother, Sister!” When Qitian Muchen entered, the two were playing chess and didn’t even turn and look at him.

The handsome and dashing Qitian Muyu, while placing a black piece on the board, asked, ”A few days ago, I heard that several core female disciples of august houses died in the Yin-Yang World. They were all people you had associations with. Did you play too hard in the Outer Yin, Little Chen?”

It took a month to travel from the Yin-Yang World to Myriadpath Valley, so the shattered subsouls had long since been noticed.

”So young and already so indulgent. Doesn’t Father discipline you?” Qitian Muyue, the woman, placed a white piece on the board and playfully glanced at Qitian Muchen. Only then did she notice that her younger brother’s face was unusually pale.

”Stop teasing me. Something happened,” Qitian Muchen grunted through clenched teeth.

”Something happened?”

Qitian Muyu and Qitian Muyue were briefly stunned, stopping their banter. Qitian Muyu said, ”Tell us.”

Qitian Muchen recounted what had happened, though he conveniently left out the part about kneeling and calling someone ‘Grandfather’. He only mentioned that he had escaped while the other women with him had unfortunately died at the hands of the Mistrunner.

”A crystal coffin, black-and-white flower, and a Mistrunner....” Qitian Muyu’s eyes flickered as he continued, ”For so many years, the Yin-Yang World didn’t show anything unusual, other than Suishen Hongtian violating the rules and messing around in there. Then there was Suishen Ranxing’s wife disappearing, leaving only half a subsoul. But now there’s this discovery?”

Qitian Muyue, concerned, walked up to her brother and shook her head, saying, ”You’ve encountered that Mistrunner twice now. You’re really unlucky. Since you don’t lack springwater, you should stay away from that place.... Let Yazi come out so we can check on its injuries.”

The wound in Qitian Muchen’s chest had healed relatively fast, but Yazi, his lifebound beast, had been torn into thousands of pieces, which was a severe injury.

He nodded and Yazi emerged from his lifebound space. The once-black small beast had turned grayish-white and its eyes were dull and weak as it barely clung onto life.

”Such severe injuries?” Qitian Muyu’s eyebrows furrowed and his gaze turned cold. Up to that point, he had thought his brother might have been exaggerating.

”Of course! I almost died too, okay? The opponent was at least two levels higher than me. If I hadn’t reacted fast, I’d be dead,” Qitian Muchen snapped. Since no one had seen it, he would make his account the truth.

Qitian Muyu and Qitian Muyue exchanged glances.

Qitian Muyue examined Yazi again, then said to her brother in a grave tone, ”Brother, it seems that the Yin-Yang World has indeed changed. Considering that this poor little thing is so gravely injured, the sooner it’s healed, the better. Should we take him there?”

”Alright,” Qitian Muyu nodded, glancing at Qitian Muchen, signaling him to follow.

”Where are we going?” Qitian Muchen asked, confused, but followed along.

They left Qitian Cave and passed by the Myriadpath Sourcespring at the center of the Three Exalted Houses. However, the three didn’t enter that formation but instead arrived at another open space nearby.

It was just an ordinary place within Myriadpath Valley, with nothing notable except its close proximity to the spring.

”Brother, Sister, where are we?” Qitian Muchen looked around in confusion.

Qitian Muyu and Qitian Muyue didn’t answer him. They smiled and took out a transmission stone, saying to the figure inside, ”Father, we’ve arrived. There’s an issue with Little Chen, so we’ve brought him here.”

There was no response from the figure, and the transmission stone soon turned off. However, the ground around them began shaking. Suddenly, the earth beneath Qitian Muchen’s feet caved in, revealing a bottomless set of stairs.

”Go down. Don’t make a fuss later,” Qitian Muyu said, descending the stairs with his sister Qitian Muyue by his side, leaving Qitian Muchen blankly staring at the white steps.

”Hurry up!” Qitian Muyue urged, looking back.

”Oh, oh!” Qitian Muchen hurriedly followed.

It was clear that the siblings had a very good relationship. It was far more harmonious than the three Suishen siblings, Hongtian, Ranxing, and Jiguang. The difference was likely due to their parents’ teachings, personal principles, and the will of their house.

The Qi (齐) in House Qitian, meant peer. It didn’t just mean they were the equal of Tian (天), the heavens, but also that members of the house were peers that should work together as one. It was why House Qitian had been able to surpass the other two families within the Three Exalted Houses.

As Qitian Muchen stepped on the underground stairs, the entrance behind him closed, plunging the passage into darkness.

The soil of Myriadpath Valley’s lowest level was composed of fortuna-class ores. Although they were unmined and unrefined, their hardness rivaled that of astralships. That was why Qitian Muchen was so shocked, as no ordinary person could ever dig out such a tunnel. The only explanation was that it’d been left from ancient times, and Myriadpath Valley’s most closely guarded secrets had to lay at the end of this passage!

He began looking forward to what lay ahead.

His brother and sister swiftly moved down the steps, and Qitian Muchen did his best to keep up. Even so, it took nearly half an hour before he saw a light ahead, indicating they were nearing their destination.

”This is so deep! How far underground am I? Does Myriadpath Valley even have places this deep?” Qitian Muchen was sure he was in a place that ordinary people couldn’t access. Even the youngest son of the valley lord was only being brought there because his lifebound beast had been injured. He could only imagine what lay ahead.

The light ahead was waiting. Qitian Muchen held his breath, sensing that he was about to witness something truly astonishing.