Beastmaster of the Ages

The Blissful Union had transformed into a speck of light that raced through the dazzlingly surreal wormhole expressway, which condensed and shortened the vast distances of the infinite cosmos.

“Approaching Skydome Mundus: Wondrium.”

Tianming looked ahead at a black dot that marked the exit of the wormhole. “Finally, we’re here.”

Just as he was about to call Suishen Xiyue and Jiguang to stop their cultivation, the voice of the Blissful Union sounded again. “Note: This is a leased land in a Lower Star Ruin managed by the divine wonderians. Be cautious when entering. Any resulting consequences will be borne by the intruder.”

Tianming froze for a moment. “Leased land? What does that mean? Lower Star Ruin?”

The Blissful Union didn’t respond. Its voice function had been pre-programmed as a simple introduction system.

“The wonderians’ leased land?” Tianming frowned.

He knew the wonderian race wasn’t simple. The chaotic memories of the Archaionfiend mentioned that they were successors of the sky plunderer race and wielded great influence across the starry sky.

While the mysteries of the wonderians remained unsolved, Tianming had gained some understanding of the Upper and Lower Star Ruins.

“I can see Ling’er in the Upper Star Ruin when I look up. The astralscape’s Million Mundi should belong to a Lower Star Ruin. Could it be that the Yin-Yang World and Myriadpath Valley are fortuna-class worlds that fell from the Upper Star Ruin?”

The concept of Upper and Lower Star Ruins was unknown to Jiguang and the others. Historically, no one stronger than a foundationeer had ever descended upon the Million Mundi, nor had any other fortuna-class astralship appeared.

However, Jiguang and the others should have some knowledge about the wonderians.

Tianming went to find them.

“The divine wonderian race?” Suishen Xiyue asked. She hadn’t been to the Skydome Mundus yet, and didn’t know it was ruled by the wonderians.

Jiguang walked up to Tianming. “I heard that the wonderians rented over a thousand mundi in the astralscape from our Myriadpath Valley. But that was a long time ago.”

“They rented mundi? What for?” Tianming asked, puzzled.

“Some kind of experiment. I’m not entirely sure, I’d have to look it up in the archives back in Myriadpath Valley,” Jiguang earnestly replied. Unfortunately, returning to Myriadpath Valley was no longer an option.

Yin Chen had spent considerable time in Myriadpath Valley, but rarely heard people mention the wonderians. Although some were familiar with them, it was mostly through their leased lands. The wonderians occupying those areas seemed to be on par with those in the Skydome Mundus.

“Still, if the wonderians could lease land from Myriadpath Valley, they must be powerful, right? Why doesn’t Myriadpath Valley seem concerned about them?” Tianming asked. He remembered how Myriadpath Valley had been anxious when the Yin-Yang World survivors had appeared, fearing a faction capable of rivaling them.

But they seemed unconcerned about the wonderians.

“Perhaps because their core members rarely appear,” Suishen Xiyue speculated.

“Does that mean Myriadpath Valley doesn’t know where their main clan is?” Tianming asked.

“They probably don’t. From what I’ve heard, their only connection with us was in the Yin-Yang World, where the wonderians acquired the Yang half. There’s been years of mutual non-interference. Whatever agreements or communications were made by our ancestors, we descendants are unaware. Ultimately, the conclusion seems to be that the wonderians pose no threat to Myriadpath Valley. The two sides peacefully coexist, or perhaps even cooperatively. We lease mundi to them, and they likely pay us rent,” Jiguang explained.

“Is there any information about the core wonderians’ strength? Are they stronger than Myriadpath Valley?” Tianming cautiously asked. He was wary of them emerging amidst the chaos. Although the wonderians in the Skydome Mundus had submitted to him, the core wonderians were another matter entirely.

To him, the Skydome wonderians weren’t particularly strong. However, their ability to construct wondersky realms, traverse the Xenoworld, and even have couples share one body was a type of knowledge completely foreign to Myriadpath Valley.

For instance, Tianming’s fortuna-class astralship couldn’t travel as fast within a mundus as a typical wonderian, who could traverse the Xenoworld. Those were non-combat capabilities. But if the abilities were given to a wonderian who also had high combat prowess....

Faced with Tianming’s question, Suishen Xiyue and Jiguang exchanged uncertain glances.

“I’ve never heard much about them,” Suishen Xiyue said. “They’ve never caused trouble in the astralscape and maintain an extremely low profile. Most people don’t even know they exist. But logically, if they can lease land and share control of the Yin-Yang World with us, they can’t just be any random faction. Our ancestors wouldn’t have allowed it.”

“Good point.” Myriadpath Valley’s Three Exalted Houses were infamous for being territorial and resource-hungry, stripping even the soil of heliacal-class worlds bare. Allowing another race to share control of the Yin-Yang World and rent over a thousand mundi meant they weren’t ordinary.

“Could the wonderians be from the Upper Star Ruin?” Tianming asked.

“The Upper Star Ruin?” Jiguang pursed her lips, looking confused. “I don’t know. Information about the Upper Star Ruin is scarce. All that surrounds Myriadpath Valley are mundi. The Upper Star Ruin... are you referring to the legendary location of Myriadpath Valley before its fall? That’s something the Three Exalted Houses have always sought, but we never found any clues about. The current Myriadpath Valley is completely disconnected from its prehistoric past. The only link might be the corpse of that astral giant or our Source Progenitor.”

“Right. So there’s no way to confirm if the wonderians come from the Upper Star Ruin. If such a place exists, it should be a world of giants like the Source Progenitor. Vast worlds and universes, but sparsely populated, where even a fortuna-class world might have fewer people than a heliacal-class world. Could it be a land of giants, each an olden god in their own right? Perhaps our totems are derived from their legacies?” Suishen Xiyue speculated.

Every totemancer clan wondered about the origins of their totems—especially the celestial-being totems, which seemed like ethereal versions of Source Progenitor-like beings.

“The Source Progenitor....” Tianming’s Blissful Union contained one such astral giant corpse. Additionally, his ring from the Oldgod Domain held an even larger, more terrifying figure sealed within, Huang Qi. She was an order apian from the Sea of Order.

As for the Upper Star Ruin, Tianming had little knowledge except that Feiling had transformed into a golden crystal star there, undergoing tribulations.... And at any moment, she might descend to confront him.