Beastmaster of the Ages

How could a son of the valley lord remain stuck as a sixth-level foundationeer? It would be the joke of a lifetime! Some fates were worse than death, and having one’s lifebound beast killed was one of those fates, especially for someone like Qitian Muchen!

Even if he survived, he would have to endure the fact that he was nothing but a cripple. Each moment, waking or otherwise, would be torture. He would be no different from a walking corpse! The prouder one was, the more they would suffer. The longer they lived, the longer the torture would last!

Tianming was rather cold about Qitian Muchen’s fate. House Qitian’s myriadpath source beasts consume the lifebound beasts of others to strengthen themselves. They think of the outer mundi as beast farms that feed their own beasts. Even House Yumo knows to keep their starblood harvests a secret, yet House Qitian commits such atrocities without bothering to hide it! How arrogant are they to still consider themselves on the side of the righteous?!

He turned and looked at the crumbling Qitian Muchen. I should’ve killed your ninesource beast last time. Let’s see how you enjoy the taste of karmic vengeance! He thought. If he had, Yazi wouldn’t have gleefully chomped away at Uncle Hei’s myriadpath source spirit, eating his body like food. It was disgusting! Tianming felt utterly vindicated after crippling Qitian Muchen.

When the calm season ends, I’ll put away the mantle of the Mistrunner for good. I wouldn’t have any other chance to cripple Qitian Muchen in the future, so it’s good that I’ve gotten it out of the way this time. Let’s see how he consumes myriadpath source spirits now.

Jian Qinghe and Uncle Hei were his friends, so he couldn’t afford to wait any longer. He himself had experienced the loss of a lifebound beast, so he knew exactly how it felt. To let all the beastmasters and lifebound beasts in the Million Mundi live with dignity, the only way was to wipe out all myriadpath source beasts so that history would never repeat itself ever again!

Tianming had achieved his goal, and killing Qitian Muchen would serve no further purpose. In fact, it would only be granting him a quick, merciful death. He wanted to watch the suffering young scion endure the consequences of his actions.

House Yumo’s starblood was cruel, but Tianming had already neutralized their capability to make more by taking the Yumo Blood Crucible. They could no longer harm people on a scale like before. However, the brutality that House Qitian had committed had never stopped since the founding of Myriadpath Valley.

”Lifebound beasts, like humans, have tripartite souls. They have feelings just like us! They aren’t mere animals for us to exploit.” Tianming coldly smirked.

”Kill! Kill him!” Qitian Muchen howled.

Tianming laughed, ”Violence is no good, you know! Make sure to learn to respect your grandfather, or the one who’ll be dead next time is you!”

Everything had happened within mere moments. Yin Chen informed Tianming that Tian Nu had noticed the sparks of battle and was rushing back; he would arrive in no time. Not to mention, two Yumo eminents had just entered the Lumistar Formation from outside. Tianming couldn’t afford to linger.

”Go!” Meow Meow’s ability caused him to vanish in an instant, leaving the grieving and crestfallen madman alone. Yazi had grown to be a ninesource beast after consuming mountains of lifebound beasts, and Qitian Muchen had finally gotten a taste of his own medicine. Someone like him would never sympathize with anyone, only bemoan his own misfortune. He practically went mad from being forever separated from his lifetime partner.

”Muchen....” The three bodyguards who had been sent to chase Tianming no longer dared to keep chasing. If Qitian Muchen himself died along with his lifebound beast, their lives would truly be forfeit. They had already been troubled enough from being fooled around with by the Mistrunner.

”Quick! Chase him! Kill him! Kill him dead!” Qitian Muchen howled, his hair unkempt and eyes red.

The three bodyguards merely exchanged doubtful glances.

”What is that look I see? Are you looking down on me because I lost my lifebound beast?! Do you think I’ll be a cripple for life?! I’ll have my dad kill you three useless shits! No, make that four!”

The three Qitian reverends could do naught but keep out of their raving young master’s way, knowing that the fragile Qitian Muchen would remain so for the rest of his life, hateful and petty.

As Tianming had said, had Qitian Muchen ever considered how others felt when his beast devoured other lifebound beasts? Ones that had grown up with their beastmasters since birth? There were some experiences that only beastmasters could comprehend. A beastmaster learned about the world as a child alongside their lifebound beasts, spending every single moment together, like how Tianming and Midas had. Those feelings were irreplaceable and unforgettable.

***

When Tian Nu returned and saw the mad Qitian Muchen attacking his bodyguards, he was stupefied. The two Yumo eminents who had just arrived were just as stumped.

”Did the Mistrunner kill the valley lord’s youngest son’s ninesource beast?”

”Oh... that’s a big deal....”

”He’s the valley lord’s favorite. The valley lord spent a thousand years nurturing him.”

”It was all a waste!”

”Looks like we’re certain that the mistrunners and House Qitian aren’t on the same side. It’s possible that the twenty eminents of ours were also killed by the mistrunners.”

”They must be natives of the Yin-Yang World!”

As Qitian Muchen continued lashing out, the two newly arrived Yumo Eminents were secretly rejoicing that the mistrunners were no longer just House Yumo’s problem. Still, they feigned sympathy and came over to advise Tian Nu to quickly take Qitian Muchen away, lest he be exposed to more risk.

”I won’t go back! I want blood! If you don’t kill that mistrunner, all of you shall die!” Qitian Muchen howled at the four, who were helpless and fretful.

Tian Nu said to the other three, ”It’s already too late. We’re the ones who are accountable for this. No matter how the valley lord chooses to punish us, we’re helpless to resist, right?”

”That’s right. Even if we want to run from Myriadpath Valley, where would we go? Everywhere is united under their rule. We all have family members back there, too. If we run, they might face punishment in our stead.”

”Sigh!” They had no idea what they should do next. ”We have no choice but to own up to this.”

They’d had no way to predict that the honor of serving the favored young master as bodyguards would end up costing their lives.

”We failed to protect the beast, but we were doing all we could, right? Not to mention, we’ve also contributed to House Qitian in other ways. Surely the valley lord won’t just kill us?”

”Probably not. My brother’s a tenth-level foundationeer.”

”My father is, too.”