Beastmaster of the Ages

Their hearts beat wildly without end.

”Don’t look!” Eminent Jiguang shrank to a corner of that tiny space like a frightened little doe.

Tianming didn’t dare to peek either and closed his eyes, save for the Sky Plundering Eye. He could still see, and the sight made his head feel hot. He knew that his evil impulses were being stirred!

Calm down! We’re in a life-and-death situation! Not to mention, she’s Yaoyao’s aunt! She’s a senior! What am I thinking?

He bit his lip and kept trying to snap out of it. His evil impulses had already caused him quite a lot of trouble before, so he was trying to be as careful as he could—especially where Eminent Jiguang was concerned. The last time he’d been faced with such temptation, he had endured it. But now that he didn’t even know if they would survive, he couldn’t resist the thought.

He still felt a deep fear of death and awe for the giant.

The voice continued, ”Claim the essence of the Grand Yang and indulge in the oceanic essence of the Grand Yin! Yin and Yang shall blend together in wondrous glory!”

What did that all mean? Even though Tianming wanted to ignore it, the voice was so loud that it made his head ring, forcefully burrowing into his eardrums. He looked at Eminent Jiguang and saw her eyes turn red with alertness as she looked back, as if she had understood something.

”Don’t worry, I’m not that kind of person!” Tianming couldn’t bear to see her like that. In his mind, she would always be a caring, gentle guardian. She had given him far too much, so he couldn’t bring himself to make her sad.

”I fear that it isn’t up to you,” she cryptically said.

”What?” Tianming immediately noticed that the baleflame of the giant was flooding toward his hands. There was nowhere for Tianming and Eminent Jiguang to go!

When the baleflame entered the giant’s cupped hands, it shrank and turned into black and white sparkles. The white ones shot into Tianming’s body while the black ones entered Eminent Jiguang’s, causing them both to glow like stars.

”Descendants, indulge in the Dao of unity and gain insight into the heavenly mysteries! In the seventh astral organ lies the wonders of the universe, unveiled through the union of star and sky, the flow of astral matter, and the clash of galaxies!”

Tianming felt like his body was burning after he heard those words. The astral giant’s body kept producing baleflame, which turned into more monochrome sparkles that entered his and Eminent Jiguang’s bodies.

Yin-Yang Baleflame had the effect of interfering with the mind to begin with, causing one to become more impulsive and rash. And that very substance was now endlessly crashing into their bodies like an unceasing waterfall. The sparkles were baleflame in an even purer form than the tufts found on the outside!

Tianming’s evil impulses were contained within his astral brain. He’d slowly been gaining control over them and had been able to cut it off at its source. However, when an endless stream of baleflame entered his seventh astral organ, everything began changing.

He felt his evil impulses taking over, and they were ten thousand times more potent than before! It was no exaggeration. The rush caused him to immediately lose his sense of self. In an instant, he had been enslaved by his desire to leave a legacy; the only sense of control he had left was paper thin, yet not even that could withstand the words the giant had hammered into his head moments ago. When he stood up, covered in white flames, his gaze was completely different from before.

Auntie.... The only part of his consciousness that remained his own had been sealed in the very depths of his mind. All he could do was watch and feel what was going on.

But even if he was able to hold on, Eminent Jiguang wasn’t faring any better. Two thousand years of suppressing her desires came crashing down upon her in an instant. Surprisingly, Tianming was the passive one in the exchange, having to endure the brunt of that immense need. Black and white flames intermingled and endlessly burned.

***

The vortex of baleflame outside suddenly stopped revolving. Black and white flames separated, forming two divine dragons that coiled around each other, burning wildly in the storm. The two flames violently blazed, expending all their energy in a combative clash. Initially, the black dragon subdued the white dragon, only for the latter to rage and rise up to dominate the black one and take the lead.

***

Meanwhile at the Outer Yin near the Lumistar Formation...

”It’s been a month since the calm season ended!” Suishen Hongtian stared at the wild storm ahead. He had waited an entire month and finally seemed overjoyed. ”Jiguang, looks like you ran into trouble this time. Did you die inside like Suishen Xiyue?”

He couldn’t help but maniacally laugh, ”Tell me, why’s your life so filled with misfortune? You just managed to escape my plans for you, but then you went ahead and fell into another predicament.”

The storm had grown to the point that eminents no longer dared to go into the Outer Yin, let alone the Inner Yin. No life could survive in there! Suishen Hongtian refused to believe that his sister was still alive after spending a month inside.

”The only thing that’s a shame is her Suishen Blood. What a waste of a treasure.” Thinking about it made him recall his lost son and his eyes turned red with rage. ”My son, you truly were unlucky. You already had the meat served to you on a silver platter, yet you were unable to get even a taste of it. Well, at least she’s gone for good. And I’ll be fine.”

Suishen Hongtian didn’t expect that what he had done would remain a secret. He decided to leave after Eminent Jinying sent someone to tell him about how Jiguang’s subsoul had shattered halfway, just like Suishen Xiyue’s. It would be enough to give him some assurance.

Since it would take a month for someone to travel to the Yin-Yang World using the Myriadpath Celestial Formation, that meant that Suishen Jiguang’s subsoul had partly shattered a month ago. When he heard about the many developments back at Myriadpath Valley, he decided to immediately go back.

With his son gone, the old patriarch wouldn’t manage to learn anything from his surveillance. While he was still wondering about the truth of the matter, someone came looking for him in the Yin-Yang World.

”Old Patriarch....” The messenger hesitated to speak.

”What is it?”

”Eminent Jiguang didn’t return. Her subsoul’s half shattered....”

”What?!” The old man blankly stood there as tears began flowing down his cheeks. He turned around and looked at the storms while his insides were being torn apart. That was his precious daughter, whom he had protected for all his life! He wanted more than anything to go back down and look for her.

”I heard the senior madame of House Yumo’s subsoul also shattered. Things are changing in Myriadpath Valley. Eminent Ranxing asked me to inform you to quickly return and get things under control.”

”She’s dead?!” The old patriarch seemed just as surprised to learn that. While there was still hope for a half-shattered subsoul, the senior madame’s had completely shattered. And that meant certain death.