Beastmaster of the Ages

”To think that the former valley lord can still fight.... Back when Qitian Xiao did his coup, he didn’t even manage to get the Grand Myriadpath Ruins! He isn’t a true valley lord!”

”Let’s see how many people support this valley lord....”

”If there’s enough people on his side, I’ll join them too! I can’t stand House Qitian and House Yumo anymore.”

The scandals of the Three Exalted Houses were far too horrendous for people who claimed to be the best of them. When the truth about the former valley lord was revealed, it caused everyone to start speaking out about taboo topics. People’s minds completely changed.

They had begun seeing things differently lately, but they were still afraid to voice their thoughts. However, their passionate gazes showed the hopes they placed in the former valley lord, Tianming, and Suishen Jiguang.

”The former valley lord was overthrown because he wanted to stop House Qitian from consuming lifebound beasts and House Yumo from refining starblood!”

”House Qingchuan paid a heavy price for that. Even to this day, they’re imprisoned by House Qitian!”

”I heard that House Qingchuan used to be the fourth exalted house long ago....”

All those sentiments built up a lot of sympathy for the former valley lord. He had made his choices for the sake of others. And now, people were turning to him once more, a man who had endured countless hardship, having lost his daughter, family, and imprisoned for countless years while his descendants suffered.

He was the first valley lord in Myriadpath Valley that wasn’t from the Three Exalted Houses, the first to bear a surname unlike the rest’s! He said nothing and waved toward Tianming. As he did, a tiny golden pyramid appeared in his hand, radiating a blinding golden light.

”That’s...!”

More and more disciples gathered and looked at the object in the former valley lord’s hands. As it began spinning, the Grand Myriadpath Ruins suddenly rumbled, causing the dust that had accumulated over many years to scatter. Its dull surface shone with golden light as its divine astralship formation activated!

”The Grand Myriadpath Ruins is glowing!”

”That’s a fortuna-class astralship....”

Many people knew that fact, but it was the first time many younger disciples were actually witnessing it themselves.

”Li Tianming seems to have freed the former valley lord with some kind of mysterious ability!”

”What’s the former valley lord going to do?!”

The Grand Myriadpath Ruins rumbled again as even more midsky essence flowed into the surface of the ship like thousands of tornados. After so long being unpowered, the ship was finally charging up.

Every part of Myriadpath Valley, from mountains to rivers and even the steles high above, shook from the storms of midsky essence flowing into the miniaturized nova source in the Grand Myriadpath Ruins. All cultivators in the valley no doubt felt it happening. Countless transmission stones lit up as people discussed it.

”All hail the former valley lord!”

Subconsciously, many disciples and saints welcomed the outsider valley lord, who was all too touched to see their reactions. His tribulation was finally over and his mindset was finally turned on its head!

”Everyone....” He turned and looked at Tianming, who had told him that the Three Exalted Houses were coming for him. He didn’t have time. Everyone else quieted down and stopped cheering. ”The ancestors and the Myriadpath Sacred Code have stipulated that only the one that has the Grand Myriadpath Ruins’ legacy is the true valley lord. The Myriadpath Celestial Formation, unlike the ship, isn’t our ultimate weapon.”

The former valley lord pointed in the direction of Qitian Cave. ”Years ago, my disciple Qitian Xiao forcefully took the formation core of the Myriadpath Celestial Formation and proclaimed himself valley lord, but I never acknowledged it! By the Myriadpath Sacred Code, he’s illegitimate! Not only that, he’s a traitor that went against our ancestral teachings! He had me and House Qingchuan imprisoned and forcefully took Myriadpath Valley for himself.”

The crowd gasped at the revelation. They had seen the Myriadpath Sacred Code themselves and knew that the former valley lord spoke true. Qitian Xiao’s appointment had the blessing of the Three Exalted Houses, but went against the Myriadpath Sacred Code.

”Is the former valley lord saying that Qitian Xiao’s been a fake valley lord and never had the true legacy?”

”So the former valley lord was actually our real valley lord this whole time?”

A valley lord not from the Three Exalted Houses enjoyed great public support. However, people definitely wouldn’t dare to say that out loud a century ago. But with Qitian Xiao heavily injured and his tensource beast dead, coupled with the fact that he’d killed the senior madame to monopolize the legacy of the Yin-Yang World, his reputation had gone down the drain.

All kinds of conversations about him began springing up.

”Valley Lord! Valley Lord!” People were starting to call the old man their true valley lord. It appeared that the internal conflict between the Three Exalted Houses was morphing into one between them and an outside faction!

However, the Three Exalted Houses had been stable for a long while, while the old valley lord’s side only had a few true elites. The other two million cultivators weren’t truly on their side, as they were nothing more than a disorganized mob. There was a lot of groundwork to be done before they could be whipped into a sensible fighting force, and the Three Exalted Houses wouldn’t allow them to continue rallying around the former valley lord.

”Everyone!” the old man called out once more. This time, he pulled Tianming close. ”I’m sure you’ve seen how the Three Exalted Houses do things. They parade their power and blatantly do things that go against the Myriadpath Sacred Codex, causing Myriadpath Valley to turn into an unfair place. Anyone who isn’t one of them can only be their serf! They no longer care about gathering and cultivating the most talented people in the astralscape!

”Today’s the day we stand together to restore the sanctity of the Myriadpath Sacred Code. We need a new visionary! I’m already too old to take up that task, but I’ll still use what remains of my life force to protect the person who’ll lead us all to the top and make the Million Mundi and Myriadpath Valley fair for everyone! I trust that all of you know who that person is!”

Everyone turned and looked at Tianming. Someone yelled his latest epithet,

”The Hundred-year-old Eminent Slayer!”

”That’s right!” The old man raised the Grand Myriadpath Ruins’ formation core toward Tianming. Everyone witnessed the legacy being passed over. ”I hereby proclaim that Li Tianming shall rise to the position of valley lord when he achieves the super zenith! Today, I pass the Grand Myriadpath Ruins to him and support his leadership of Myriadpath Valley.

”We shall restore order and excise the filth among us! After all, the Myriadpath Sacred Code never said that the valley lord must be someone from the Three Exalted Houses. Thus, it shall be so!”

People were completely shaken at the sight of the formation core being passed into Tianming’s hand. Even though it was merely a simple ritual, and assimilating the formation would take time, it was still much more legitimate than Qitian Xiao’s murderous attempts at robbery.

”The Three Exalted Houses are a disgrace. Li Tianming’s the only one who does everything by the books!”

”Once he reaches the super zenith, he’ll become the valley lord!”

Who was the true valley lord with actual legitimacy? Were the bloodlines of the Three Exalted Houses legitimate, or was legitimacy inherited through the Myriadpath Sacred Code? Such questions would be answered in the chaos that was soon to follow.

No doubt, those whom House Yumo and House Suishen chose to support would also play a role. Since Suishen Ranxing’s scandal hadn’t spread that far yet, many people believed that Tianming was on House Suishen’s side and were all too happy to call out House Qitian.

”Li Tianming!” His name reverberated nonstop across Myriadpath Valley and caused his omnisentient threads to increase. There were still less than ten thousand, and they weren’t that significant, but it was still a huge step forward.

Tianming stepped ahead and looked at the crowd. He had been forced to do what he’d done today as a reaction to the leaders of the three houses. Inheriting the Grand Myriadpath Ruins wasn’t difficult; the upcoming conflict with the Three Exalted Houses would be the true trial.

He knew that he was definitely at a disadvantage. Not even Suishen Jiguang and Suishen Xiyue could possibly rally everyone from House Suishen to join him, so he might end up having to fight them, too. It was going to be really troubling.

Yin Chen told Tianming that the Midsky Myriadpath Stele had descended, sealing off the entrance to Myriadpath Valley. For the very first time in a long while, the Myriadpath Celestial Formation had powered down; Qitian Xiao was behind it.

”It isn’t time for us to fight yet. Let’s get in the Grand Myriadpath Ruins and see whether we can smash our way through the Midsky Myriadpath Stele,” Suishen Jiguang said in a worried tone.

Suishen Xiyue had arrived with the three youths. They knew something was going to go down when they heard the former valley lord speak.

”Okay!” Tianming understood that he wouldn’t be able to fight with a barebones force. The Three Exalted Houses had many eminents and reverends, while all he had was the Grand Myriadpath Ruins. ”Everyone, a fight’s inevitable at this point, but today isn’t the right time for it! Give me some time! I hope all of you treasure your lives and survive! Wait for the final battle!”

It was rather powerful for the cultivators to hear Tianming asking them to survive instead of fight and die for him. They could already sense that Qitian Xiao wouldn’t be the only one they had to fight.

”Li Tianming, we will wait for you!”

”You’ve killed an eminent and you’re around a hundred years old! I’ll give you another hundred years! That’s only a blink of an eye!”

Tianming smiled at the warm words. ”We won’t even need that long to rebuild Myriadpath Valley!” People could feel his confidence. Then Yin Chen reported that the elites of the Three Exalted Houses were on their way here.

”Shall we leave?” Suishen Jiguang anxiously asked. If the elites could break through the Blissful Union and forcefully enter it, the same could be said for the Grand Myriadpath Ruins. Suishen Jiguang and Suishen Xiyue would struggle to protect themselves, let alone Tianming, Suishen Yao, and the rest.

”Alright. Shall we pilot the ship straight through the entrance?” Tianming asked the old man.

”Let’s give it a try!” the former valley lord said.

They immediately entered the ship. Tianming understood that his first priority was to cultivate and get stronger. There was no need to get himself killed fighting the Three Exalted Houses; if they came to his territory in Infinitum, he would more than welcome a fight. But in Myriadpath Valley, he wasn’t powerful enough, and the two million cultivators wouldn’t be able to do much for him.

The former valley lord and the two Suishen eminents didn’t want him to get himself killed, either. Thus, they were forced to flee, and they weren’t even sure that the Grand Myriadpath Ruins could smash through the Midsky Myriadpath Stele. If it failed, they would be forced to fight to their deaths.