Beastmaster of the AgesBeastmaster of the Ages
Tianming wouldn’t be afraid of a mere Lan Yun, even if she were two thousand years older than him, but her visits to Fallengrace Peak made him suspicious. So although he seemed to comply on the surface, he wouldn’t return to the Grandblue Palace and walk straight into a trap at such a sensitive time. Right now, Grandblue Palace is just as dangerous as Huang Palace.
"Didn’t you just meet a few bigwigs? Since most people in Myriadpath Valley know a little about Fallengrace Peak, can’t you ask them instead?" Ying Huo said.
"Do you mean Suishen Yao?" Tianming nodded, "She might know about Fallengrace Peak, but I’m afraid she’ll yell at me if I disturb her and ask questions when she’s annoyed. I’m just a plaything, even if I have her transmission stone.”
"You’re so humble in front of these women," Ying Huo mocked.
"Isn’t it all for you? I’m shouldering six lives. If I was on my own, I’d do whatever I want," Tianming chuckled.
"Scram!"
Humble? Tianming didn’t think so. Suishen Yao was a double-edged sword, representing both opportunity and danger. While she was playing with him, he was thinking of ways to take advantage of her. Her status and strength were undeniable, but in his eyes, his own potential was a fact as well. So it was still too soon to say with certainty that he would be humble.
"Suishen Yao is probably going to ignore me for some time. Lan Yun is my main concern. She’s been anxious ever since I defeated Suishen Zhao... why is that?" Tianming couldn't figure it out for the time being, but it was impossible to take his mind off it. After his conversation with Lan Yun, he immediately headed to the Grand Myriadpath Ruins instead of returning to Grandblue Palace. it was definitely a safe place.
"I’ll spend several years cultivating. Let’s see who has more patience!" Soon after, he arrived at the entrance of the Grand Myriadpath Ruins. Lan Yun was still waiting for him in the Grandblue Palace.
"Grand Senior?"
At the entrance to the lower ruins, Cleaner Grandpa seemed to have completed his task and was leaning against the outer wall with his legs crossed, furiously writing with a brush and paper.
"He's writing a book, and he’s writing so fast!"
Approaching the old man, Tianming stretched his neck and looked over. On the cover of the 'book' in the old man's hand was a bold title: "My Three Thousand Concubines".
"That...." Tianming blushed at the sight of it.
"Grand Senior." Tianming cleared his throat.
"It’s you, Grandson? Come, sit." The old man patted the ground beside him.
"No, I'm busy cultivating." Tianming smiled.
"What's the point of cultivating? You toil throughout your life and in the end it's all in vain. It's better to live like me and freely travel in the world of books. I live forever under the brush," said Cleaner Grandpa.
Tianming laughed, "That’s fake. Cultivation is real."
"No, no, no, it's all fake," Cleaner Grandpa murmured.
"Your speech is profound, Grand Senior." Tianming gave him a thumbs up.
"I’m a writer after all. I’ll pretend if I can. You wouldn’t understand anyway," the old man bashfully said.
Tianming wanted to continue chatting, but many people had already caught sight of him. He didn't want to implicate Cleaner Grandpa, so he smiled, waved goodbye, and turned to enter the lower ruins.
"People struggle for a few pieces of broken silver, for a brief moment of gratification, but it’s all a dream and means nothing in the grand scheme of the universe..." the old man softly sighed.
But soon after, his eyes lit up and he muttered to himself, "Those words are so profound. I must write them down so my protagonist will look cool as he picks up more girls!"
***
"It's really him!"
"Li Tianming, the one who defeated Suishen Zhao."
"What a glorious time it is for the tainted beastmaster."
"I heard that many people in Myriadpath Valley are betting on the day he finally reaches a plateau and is overtaken by a supreme genius like Suishen Zhao after exhausting his own talent."
"He isn’t even a hundred years old, so he should be able to hold on for a few more years!"
"Most people think he’ll have a hard time reaching the Foundation stage."
"Black ring disciples from outside Myriadpath Valley have certain limits, after all. They aren’t like gold ring disciples belonging to families who’ve been in Myriadpath Valley for at least tens of generations with legacies that have been continuously optimized.... Not to mention the Three Exalted Houses who have legacies of several millennia! No mundus could produce a genius who can compete with the Three Exalted Houses."
"But what if it happens?"
"Then the world’s gone mad and the existing rules are broken."
Tianming knew that he had achieved some renown in Myriadpath Valley due to his recent feat, while his previous reputation—which rested on humiliating Huang Daosheng—was mostly negative. Even if people doubted his potential, they couldn’t deny his achievements.
"It's a good start!"
Tianming returned to the embrace of the reverend caeli once more, entering the great world of cultivation. But before he could even get started, his transmission stone lit up again. It was Lan Yun.
Tianming frowned. "What’re your instructions, Master?" he asked with an innocent smile.
Lan Yun appeared enchanting in a dress with a plunging neckline that revealed her deep cleavage, her gaze provocative. Gently parting her red lips, she asked, "Didn’t you say you were going to come back?"
"Oh!" Tianming smiled, scratching his head. "I was kicked out by Suishen Yuan and Suishen Yao is probably too distracted to care about me right now.... Grandblue Palace will always be home to me, even if I can cultivate in the Suishen Cave." Tianming played with his words. Lan Yun had asked him to return to Grandblue Palace, while he said that he would always belong there.
Upon hearing that, Lan Yun chuckled, "I want you to come back now." She was persistent; it seemed she was anxious.
Tianming froze. "Do you need me for something, Master? I don’t want to lose to Suishen Zhao in the future, so I’m planning on cultivating in seclusion in the Grand Myriapdath Ruins for a few years."
"Need you?" Lan Yun pursed her red lips, provoking him with just the right amount of indifference and charm in her eyes. She was clearly a master at it. Chuckling softly, she said, "Didn't I promise to satisfy you once if you defeat Huang Daosheng within ten years? You have yet to accomplish that, but you defeated Suishen Zhao, who has an even higher status..." Her nimble tongue flickered between her lips and teeth, sucking Tianming's soul through the transmission stone.
"Come back." She took one last look at Tianming and ended their conversation.
Tianming's eyes darkened. “It’s an ultimatum," he snickered. "She can’t wait any longer, but she still has hundreds of years left. So why’s she so anxious?"
Something was wrong. Lan Yun knew nothing about Yin Chen; although it wouldn’t get too close to her, it knew her movements. "There must be a problem with Fallengrace Peak!"
In fact, Lan Yun didn't know that Tianming had escaped from Demoness Yin. Otherwise she wouldn’t have issued an ultimatum so carelessly.
"She’ll know that I know about the Sky Starvore Fiendart if I don’t go back when faced with such temptation."
But if he did go back, she would definitely receive a fatal blow from him. After all, she had already thrown caution to the wind. Use Fiveway Blitzrun to challenge a reverend? Tianming felt that there was no need for that.
"Forget it. She’s always been a dangerous backer. Who cares if it all goes down! She’s given me an ultimatum. I still have Suishen Yao, as well as a ten-year agreement with Suishen Zhao. That should be enough to intimidate House Huang."
Thus, Tianming made a decision to give up Lan Yun as a backer. He calmed his heart and dove into cultivation instead of returning to her.
***
Grandblue Palace.
A day passed in the blink of an eye. Dressed in blue, Lan Yun’s graceful figure paced back and forth. She firmly held a transmission stone in her hand, blue veins bulging on her arm. "Haha..." She stopped and looked out the window in the direction of the Grand Myriadpath Ruins. "So this little guy knows about the Sky Starvore Fiendart? Or did Suishen Yao tell him?"
The fiendart was Fallengrace Peak’s secret. Ordinary folk wouldn’t dare to spread word about it and offend Fallengrace Peak, even if they learned of the secret. Otherwise, Lan Yun and her sisters wouldn’t be able to accept disciples. The forces of Fallengrace Peak were deeply entrenched in Myriadpath Valley, so it wasn’t just Lan Yun and her senior sister.
"Suishen Yao’s broken the rules...." Lan Yun naturally blamed her for the current situation and her icy blue eyes turned gloomy.
"Senior Sister only gave me a month, but the kid will be in the ruins for several years. What should I do?" Shrouded in white mist, her slender figure trembled with anger. Blue starlight circulated through her astrons and a cold mist enveloped the palace in an instant.
"Li Tianming!” she coldly laughed. "Do you think you can escape from my hands?"
Although Tianming had said he would return, he’d left her waiting after she’d given him an ultimatum. As a woman who was in control of everything, Lan Yun couldn't stand to be played with. Tianming had been an obedient plaything and pet ever since he had entered Myriadpath Valley, yet she’d been played by that very pet! When she imagined that her 'pet' might actually be laughing at her in the Grand Myriadpath Ruins, Lan Yun was so filled with rage that it sent ripples across the formation.
"Are you trying to push me into a dead end? Fine!" Despite the anger, Lan Yun didn't lose all reason. She leaned against the windowsill, her eyes growing colder, but calmer.
"Something's wrong.... “ Faced with the dilemma, she began pondering, and about an hour later, she suddenly thought of someone.
"Li Fan!"
Like a majestic empress, Lan Yun sat on the high chair with her legs crossed, resting her chin on her hand. A cold smile appeared on her face as her eyes turned frosty.