Beastmaster of the Ages

However, how do I find the bloodline of the remnants of the Yin-Yang World’s natives? Do I need to go to the Inner Yin? Tianming wondered. Only eminents dared to enter the Inner Yin. While his physical body was tough enough, he didn’t have as much cosmoforce at his disposal. Not to mention, Yin Chen couldn’t operate inside it, so it was rather risky. Let’s try looking in the Outer Yin for now.

He spent around ten days searching before Yin Chen had news for him. ”Qitian Muchen... came to... Outer Yin....”

”Him? He’s rested some ten years since I humiliated him, right? I thought he wouldn’t dare to come anymore,” Tianming said with a chuckle.

”The valley lord must be nearby. Perhaps he feels that it’s no longer that risky after searching the area and had his son come in again,” Xian Xian sneered.

”No longer risky? Little Li, looks like someone’s looking down on you,” Ying Huo said, fanning the flames.

”Looking down on my boss? Now that’s going too far! Cat Bro, time to work! Stop sleeping!” Lan Huang said, suddenly energized as it loudly howled in the lifebound space as if it was a wolf.

”How many people are guarding him?” Tianming asked, not believing that Qitian Muchen would dare come alone. He’d had his protectors leave him alone the last time because he wanted to fool around with girls, and that had almost cost him his life.

”It’s the... same group... from before,” Yin Chen said.

”So a ninth-level foundationeer, Eminent Tian Nu, and three of the strongest eighth-level foundationeers, all from House Qitian and around two thousand years old. Like the valley lord, they’re all geniuses in their youth and can barely count as members of House Qitian’s core bloodline....” It was a rather formidable force; only eminents would possibly stand a chance against them.

”Directly fighting them won’t do. You should just sneak around like a chicken like you always do,” Ji Ji said out of nowhere.

”What? Chicken Bro’s sneaking around?” Meow Meow groggily said, having just woken up. Its Fiveway Blitzrun would be most crucial if Tianming needed to zip around unnoticed.

After giving it some thought, Tianming said, ”After going easy on him the last time, he ended up going back to torture Jian Qinghe and Uncle Hei. This time around, I can afford to take a bit of a risk now that I’ve broken through. I’ll teach him a lesson he’ll never forget!”

”What do you plan to do?” Ying Huo excitedly asked. It felt a little itchy after not killing any Yumos over the past ten years. It was the bravest and most savage out of all the Primordial Chaos Beasts and truly enjoyed the blood-boiling fights.

”Let’s see if we can lure Eminent Tian Nu away. He was the one who kept trying to chase me down last time. I’m faster than I was last time, but I’ll pretend to be slower to let him think he has a chance of chasing me down. Once he’s far enough away from the group, I’ll turn around at full speed and attack Qitian Muchen!”

”Would such a simple tactic work?” Ji Ji asked, doubtful.

Tianming smiled. ”That depends on how much Qitian Muchen hates me. I humiliated him so bad the last time I saw him that he killed his seven girls. As long as I let him know that I’m the same Mistrunner that humiliated him back then, he might underestimate my capabilities and take the bait!”

The more Qitian Muchen hated the Mistrunner, the more easily he would fall for the trap. Long ago, Huang Daoxiong of House Huang had been killed using the very same tactic, despite having two specter bodyguards. Tianming didn’t have to engage the three eighth-level foundationeers at all; all he had to do was take out Qitian Muchen, and he was much stronger than before.

”Let’s see if those three are enough to keep Qitian Muchen safe!” Tianming made up his mind.

”They just... discovered one... large tuft... of baleflame,” Yin Chen said.

It was perfect timing! Tianming hadn’t expected the chance would come so soon. If he took the baleflame from right under Qitian Muchen’s nose, there was no way he would be able to stay calm.

”Qitian Muchen, it seems that the heavens have doomed your ninesource beast!” Tianming put on the purple mask with a chuckle and disappeared into the essence storm.

***

The Outer Yin was dark and fraught with an essence storm. As the calm season came to an end, the essence storm always intensified. Quite a few reverends that remained within the Outer Yin were starting to find the conditions rather difficult.

Qitian Muchen’s mood was agitated by the storms. It had been more than a decade, but he could barely control himself every time he recalled the day when he’d been forced to kneel and call someone ’grandfather’.

His father had said that the one responsible for it was from Myriadpath Valley. Initially, Qitian Muchen had believed it to be true, but the valley lord hadn’t found that person after eight years of searching the Yin-Yang World, causing him to begin doubting that once more. Qitian Muchen was all too worried that he would lose his chance for vengeance once the calm season ended.

”That monochrome flower within the crystal coffin must hold some kind of secret!” He still yearned after the flower even after all this time.

His bodyguards nervously kept an eye out for the surroundings, protectively circling him. Even though they had advised him not to come, they hadn’t been able to convince him. They had already failed their duty the last time they had allowed him to get hurt, so they were extra careful.

”There’s no need to be so tense. We’re House Qitian—the Yin-Yang World is nothing but our hunting ground. I only got hurt last time because I’m still young. If we were the same age, nobody would be my match!”

Despite what Qitian Muchen said, the four bodyguards, Tian Nu included, couldn’t relax.

”That smell....”

”It’s baleflame!”

”Advance, but keep your guard up.”

They quickly passed through the storm as they followed the charred smell of baleflame. Eventually, they saw an incredibly bright tuft of it.

”There’s a keg!” It was a huge amount; ninety-nine percent of baleflame tufts were far smaller than a keg.

”That Mistrunner stole all my baleflame and springwater last time!” Qitian Muchen seethed. Back then, while his father had allowed his ninesource beast to bathe in the pond water, he hadn’t allowed Qitian Muchen to claim springwater to make up for what he had lost. It was something to be shared by everyone in Myriadpath Valley and their future descendants.

Even the son of the valley lord had to play by the rules. While exceptions could occasionally be made, doing so too often would negatively affect the whole valley’s future. Qitian Muchen was rather frustrated that he had only managed to get a little springwater from his stipend over the past ten years, so this keg of baleflame would go pretty far to make up for what he lost.

”I’ll take it,” Qitian Muchen said.

But just as the group was about to reach the baleflame, a figure in purple came out of nowhere and claimed the baleflame right before Qitian Muchen’s eyes!

It was gone! Qitian Muchen froze as fear and humiliation filled his mind at the sight of the figure in purple. Then came the rage; his eyes turned red with madness!

The Mistrunner turned back at that very moment and laughed. ”Oh? Isn’t this my grandson? Did you come to the Yin-Yang World to kowtow to Grandpa again?”