Beastmaster of the Ages

Zi Zhen’s transformation was clearly visible. Beneath the large robe that Tianming had draped over her, streams of purplish black mist surged from her flesh and skin, condensing into millions of ferocious, dragon-like forms that roamed within her body.

Thick mist entirely wrapped her, creating a swirling dragon’s lair around her.

“This aura....” Ying Huo and the others peeked out, exchanging puzzled glances.

“What do you think?” Tianming asked.

“In terms of power, it’s nothing extraordinary. A foundationeer can’t scare us. But her bloodline... it gives off an ancient and commanding presence, making us instinctively feel a sense of reverence. What’s going on?” Ying Huo scratched its head with a wing.

“Indeed! It feels ancient... and somehow familiar?” Lan Huang widened its twin pairs of dragon eyes, clearly baffled.

“You may find it familiar, but I don’t,” Xian Xian remarked.

“Neither do I,” Ji Ji chimed in.

“Hey, you Little Sister Spirit, stop copying me,” Xian Xian sneered.

“Copy you? Ha, dream on, fatty!”

“Hmph!”

“Hmph!”

Tianming observed for a while longer and asked, “Meow Meow, what do you make of it?”

“My thoughts are that I can lie down to watch, so I refuse to stand up, meow,” Meow Meow muttered, rubbing its eyes.

“How interesting! Your luck’s extraordinary. One hidden powerhouse after another gathers around you,” Ying Huo teased.

“A hidden powerhouse?”

“She’s the one who most resembles Ling’er. I’d wager she’s lived for quite a while. If Ling’er’s indeed the Lord of Perpetia from Ji Ji and Xian Xian’s dream, who knows what kind of old lady Zi Zhen might be?” Ying Huo speculated with a whistle.

“Another old lady?” Tianming’s excitement grew. Was it possible that Zi Zhen was someone who had lived for ages? He had met her by chance in the Xenoabyss, near the tomb of Old Man Voidback. He wondered if there was a connection between her and that tomb.

“The Northapex Perpetuity of the decapath era godswords seems to be linked to Ling’er, the Lord of Perpetia. She appears to be a Primogenitor, I wonder how many beings of that level there are?” However, Tianming doubted that Zi Zhen was at that level. “Still, if she can awaken her bloodline talents and embark on a path of rebirth, she should be able to greatly assist me!”

Tianming already had an impressive group by his side: beastmasters, totemancers, wonderians, and even a unique specter like Ye Lingfeng. However, Ye Lingfeng was more of a soul combatant and wasn’t suitable for physical battles.

Zi Zhen, however, was perfectly suited to fill that gap.

All those capable of accompanying him on his rise were extraordinary beings!

Tianming, possessing the bloodline of the Primordial Chaos Beasts, felt a subtle resonance with Zi Zhen’s transformation, as well as a faint familiarity. However, the predominant impression was one of savagery, brutality, ferocity, and rage.

That was the sense Zi Zhen, amidst her transformation, now gave off.

Moran, feeling overwhelmed by the oppressive aura, stepped behind Tianming, whispering, “Why does she feel so terrifying? What is she, really?”

“Are you afraid of her?” Tianming asked.

Moran hesitated before shaking her head. “With you here, I’m not.”

Inside the lifebound space, Ji Ji rolled her eyes and remarked, “I think Little Fish is being a bit shameless.”

“Shameless? What do you even know?” Tianming retorted.

“You dense blockhead. You understand nothing!” Ji Ji huffed.

“You’re the clueless one. Some people just enjoy this dynamic. It’s a mutual vibe.”

Xian Xian chimed in, “A match made in heaven.”

“Anyway, none of these girls can shake Ling’er’s position, so let them squabble,” Ji Ji dismissively said.

“How many records have you kept?” Xian Xian asked.

“Quite a few books. What about you?”

“I’ve carved half a tree trunk with their conversations. Planning to use the other side soon,” Xian Xian replied.

“Alright, I’ll go through them and cross-check,” Ji Ji said.

The two reached an uncanny agreement on the endeavor.

Tianming chose to ignore their scheming whispers.

Moran tugged at his sleeve and he offered her a reassuring smile and said, “Don’t worry. She’s one of us!”

As he spoke, Zi Zhen’s dense, purple-and-black dragon mist violently erupted. A piercing, blood-curdling scream rang out, shaking the entire capital. Countless specters looked up toward the eye of heaven.

“Careful!” Tianming immediately shielded Moran. She was fragile without her wonders active.

The sharp, deafening scream and horrifying demonic aura were so overwhelming that even he felt his ears tearing and his head spinning.

Purple mist surged and formed a colossal purple-and-black dragon that roared and rampaged within the eye of heaven. Within the mist, Zi Zhen’s human form had vanished, replaced by a terrifying, ten-meter-tall demon.

The creature’s body was covered in thick purple scales, each adorned with sharp spikes. Its elbows and knees bore blade-like purple bone spurs and its spine extended into a serrated tail, resembling a deadly spear with barbs on each segment. Above its shoulders was a mane of millions of flowing, razor-sharp purple strands of hair, each ending in a piercing needle-like tip that ominously gleamed.

The most horrifying feature, however, was its face. It was a demonic visage from the depths of hell, with shark-like fangs and three eye sockets: two horizontal and one vertical. Even more frightening was that each eye socket contained three purple pupils.

That made for three eyes and nine pupils. Tianming recalled that she’d previously had two eyes with six pupils. As far as he knew, the historical records of the Three Exalted Houses made no mention of such a phenomenon.

But compared to the current Zi Zhen, any bloodfiend or impermanence variant was a trash bloodline.

Most notably, Tianming felt a fundamental change in her being, though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was!

“Zi Zhen?” When her three eyes locked onto him, Tianming called her name.

“You... came,” she rasped. Her three eyes and nine pupils briefly flickered and the ferocious aura around her slightly diminished, though her presence remained daunting.

Tianming breathed a sigh of relief seeing that her mind was intact and she hadn’t been overwhelmed by madness.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Feel....” Zi Zhen lowered her head and examined her new form. As she gently flexed her arm, the bone spurs on her body scraped against each other, releasing sparks.