Beastmaster of the Ages

If I’m to become emperor, then I should naturally set the goal to be the Emperor of the Million Mundi! I will spread my omnisentient threads across the astralscape! At that moment, Tianming sensed an opportunity that had been nothing more than a far-fetched dream when he’d first arrived in Myriadpath Valley. But staring at the current Myriadpath Valley, a powerful desire for conquest seethed like a volcano within his chest.

“Myriadpath Valley rules over all, making life unbearable across the Million Mundi. When there’s rot at the top, the prosperity of the masses is impossible. Rather than a supreme Myriadpath Valley, why not create strength across all mundi, where everyone can be a god!” Tianming’s gold and black eyes slightly narrowed. He was confident that he could bring a new order to Myriadpath Valley and the Million Mundi, replicating the glory of the Infinitum Mundus for all.

“A Galactic Emperor of a single mundus merely rules a small corner. But a Galactic Emperor of the Million Mundi would be a true World God!” From a nova source world, to a mundus, and onto the Million Mundi of the astralscape.... That possible next step filled Tianming’s body with burning ambition, and even his imperial order glittered.

“Once upon a time, I did entertain the idea of living a free and unfettered life, simply wandering the world and all its sights. But... that feels more like my father’s style. I have too many attachments in the world. If my desire is to cleanse it and rule everything, why suppress my ambition any longer? What I must rule, what I must conquer, who I must love and hate... none of it can be let go of.”

Tianming looked up at the golden, crystalline star illuminating his path forward.

“Ling’er....” He thought back to his early years, the first fifty years after Ying Huo’s rebirth. Back then, he had been so young. His dreams then were limited to protecting her and his family, finding his parents, and to avoid or defeat those who pursued him. Then, to grow old together with Feiling and wander the world hand in hand.

But when he’d reached the Sun, Tianming had discovered that the astralscape was too vast. The unending expanse made him feel his own insignificance. A person could only claim a tiny place in the world. Even an astral god could only last ten thousand years. The tiny feeling of insignificance in the face of the boundless universe and river of time filled him with deep dread.

Astral giants, the Primordial Chaos Beasts, the Upper Star Ruins, the endless Xenoabyss, and that gold-and-black imperial star behind the colorless door within the Grand-Orient Sword all burdened his heart. As proud as he was of his Primordial Chaos Beasts and decapath era godswords, the weight of his current insignificance felt like countless mountains pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.

As Tianming rose step by step with the legacy of the Primordial God-Emperor, he had established the Tianming dynasty, united with the masses, and shared their fate. Slowly, he had realized that his life might no longer belong only to him. Too many people’s lives were now bound to him, from the Sun to Ebonia, to Viridian and Greensource, and to the mundi dominated by Houses Qitian and Yumo.

And by a twist of fate, he had met numerous women who entrusted him with their hearts.

He carried more and more responsibilities on his shoulders and in his heart. Was it better to wander the world or to be the emperor ruling all? Should he suppress himself, or should he follow his heart and let out his ambition? The choice had been made when he’d chosen the imperial order, and there was no going back.

Even now, the star in the Upper Star Ruins still belonged to the person he missed day and night. It was his promise and faith, and he would do everything to find the way to the Upper Star Ruins and meet her. That would be his most important task in the future, but it didn’t mean it was his only purpose.

At that moment, Tianming’s heart became clear and free of all doubts, fully aligning with his order and cultivation path.

“I don’t know if you’re in love with the past me who pursued revenge, or the current me who is attempting to conquer the universe and has so many obsessions and desires. Life has so many scary things and the future’s full of uncertainties. The only way I can feel safe is to have my will spread everywhere. I wonder how much more I’ll have to go through before I can finally meet you, and what expression we will have at that moment. I only hope that we can smile then like when we were young, and when we were the most important people to each other.”

Tianming also understood something as well. “Are my evil impulses really evil? Could it simply be a person’s true intent, their path to cultivation, the truest yearning of their heart? The truest and most intense desires are often the straightest and most fitting path for oneself. A person’s true nature, whether to kill or to love, is all inscribed upon their order. Where this path will ultimately lead can only be revealed by time. Right or wrong, good or evil, only time will give the answer.”

An emperor should never be a saint or a motherly figure.

Tianming held eight great orders. His imperial order embodied ambition. Lifesbane order represented the will to defy fate and the spirit of rising above. And the remaining six innate orders came from the Primordial Chaos Beasts.

Together, they made up the truest version of himself.

Once, he had leaned toward a pure will, and it somewhat conflicted with the grandeur of his eight orders and always felt a bit off. But now, with his heart cleared and his desire towering, everything was in balance. His eight orders would give the answer on if he was right or wrong, and good or evil.

He gazed up at the golden star illuminating his path, thinking of how his future reunion with her would bring answers. Finding her was Tianming’s strongest desire, and as his path became clearer, that desire only grew, the fire burning hotter.

“We will meet again.” After sorting through his thoughts, Tianming finally smiled. He patted his chest and said, “Wow, I’m truly a genius to think so deeply!”

From now on, he would dare to love, dare to hate, and dare to kill those who needed to be killed. In his eyes, Myriadpath Valley had become a stronghold in urgent need of conquering!

After his introspection, he didn’t wait any longer before taking out a transmission stone and gently calling out, “Auntie, I’m back....”