Beastmaster of the Ages

"The disciple of Mystgod Pavilion, Liu Wanwan, probably never would have expected that her name would also spread throughout the whole star in this fashion, either." People simply didn't know what to make of this freak accident. A nonabane alone had been enough to cause the old master to get so flustered. "You all shouldn't sit idly either. Contact Lin Feng as soon as possible and tell him the Violetcloud Imperium is looking for Liu Wanwan with everything we have. No matter his requests, agree to them!"

The old master quickly left to organize the rescue mission. No doubt, he would return soon.

"I wonder what's happening in the outside world right now," Gong Yin said, looking at the hundreds of millions of people at the battlefield cheering for Tianming. It was almost like they were worshiping him. Even a privileged elite like Gong Yin didn't get that kind of treatment. "I'm completely impressed."

……

Within another viewing booth that was closer to the center of the battlefield were two people, a middle-aged man and a youth. The former was the imperial marshal of the Divineglory Dynasty, Princess Shen Yu's uncle. The youth, on the other hand, had stepped out of the darkness dressed in pure white robes. He didn't look the least bit fake. His black hair and eyes gave him a refreshingly straightforward appearance. Even though he wasn't the most handsome head turner, his genuine looks were the kind that would give most people a great first impression of him. Compared to Tianming, he seemed completely harmless, and those that didn't recognize him would think that he was a naive and innocent youth, something like a completely unstained piece of white jade. His smile radiated a pure radiance, like that of dawn sunlight. He was none other than Ye Chen, the harmless animal that people didn't pay attention to at all. However, he could rival Tianming in terms of intimidation whenever he found himself on the battlefield.

"Nonabane, eh… what do you think?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Impressive. My horizons have completely expanded," the youth said.

"Do you see yourself in him?"

"Not really. He's different from me."

"How so?"

"His core personality is fierce and furious, and his cultivation stems from a similar path to my dear Wan's. He has a strong desire to dominate, while all I want is to live a free and unencumbered existence. I'll be happy if I live a comfy life and get to stomp on people here and there for a badass fantasy."

"It's not every day you get to meet someone that can rival you, yet you don't harbor the slightest bit of killing intent for him."

"Killing intent? I only wanted her to take care of him because I didn't want her to unnecessarily worry about minor figures. However, that guy stole my show. Badassery is my signature. Now he's proven himself to be an anomaly, so the threat he poses is larger than before. However, I'll still see him as a legitimate rival. If I envy him and want to kill him because he showed some talent, then I'd be doing a disservice to my own abilities. I shouldn't stoop so low over something like this."

"I see. Since that's the case, we should have Liu Wanwan released as soon as possible and settle this matter. That way we can at least still fairly compete with the Violetcloud Imperium for this genius."

"Oh? You still want him?"

"What's the alternative? Give the Violetcloud Imperium a heaven-sent gift by ignoring him? For a genius talent like this, there's only two options: we either eradicate them or recruit them, the preference being the latter before all options are exhausted."

"Uncle, that wasn't what you said from the start."

"Back then, we didn't know he was a nonabane. But now it's different."

"Wan might disagree if you want to take him into the dynasty,".

"I know. It's not just her, is it? You wouldn't approve of it, either. Since that's the case, are you suggesting we gift him to the Violetcloud Imperium?"

"What's the issue with that? I'm not concerned with him joining them."

"You're too confident in yourself, Ye Chen." The middle-aged man pensively smiled at him.

"You flatter me too much. It's the least I can do as a genius." Seeing the imperial marshal a little displeased by his reaction, he continued, "Uncle, what I meant was I won't concern myself with where he goes, whether it be to us or the Violetcloud Imperium. That's a choice he's free to make for himself. If he comes to us, I won't personally be against it, but if he goes to them, I won't stop him either. Either way, he'll come challenge me for my top spot. All I need to do is to talk with my fists."

"You're far too optimistic."

"Of course! Such is my nature—easygoing, lazy, trouble averse, and pleasure loving. I have all kinds of shortcomings, but I've never feared fighting anyone." The fact that he was still able to laugh like that was impressive in its own right.

"Alright. I'll inform the emperor about this before we take any other action. As for Ni Hongyi of the Redcloak Ghosts, I'll take over this matter and make it as if it never happened. You and Wan may not involve yourselves in the matter of Lin Feng moving forward."

"Understood."

"I'll take my leave."

"Goodbye, Uncle."

When the imperial marshal was gone, Ye Chen held the windowsill with both hands and looked downward, noticing that Tianming had gone. However, his gaze lingered. "Do you find this interesting?"

The chaotic beasts within his lifebound space floated about. One replied, "It's still okay. They'd probably taste pretty good if we met in real life, that bird in particular."

"We'll encounter him sooner or later. I hope he doesn't come to mess with me of his own accord. Otherwise, I won't be able to hold back." He smiled as innocently as before without a shred of bad intention. As he pondered over recent events, a frost-faced princess entered the booth.

"Come here, dearie." Ye Chen sat down and pulled the beauty into his embrace. When the aloof princess snuggled close, she broke into tears like a little girl. "I'm not happy with this…."

"I understand. I'm sure it doesn't feel good to run into someone like that, given your status." He let his fingers roam around her body. Even though they were caeli in a dreamlike world, their sensations perfectly mirrored the real world's.

"Uncle told me to not interfere with Lin Feng's matters and leave it to him," she said with some discontent. However, she wasn't able to focus due to his playful touching. She could barely force herself to stay angry.

"Then let him handle it. There's no harm."

"What do you mean no harm? That person is too much of a threat to you," the princess said.

"You have to be more open-minded. If Lin Feng joins us, he'll compete with us. If he joins the Violetcloud Imperium, we'll have to fight him all the same. It's going to be a competition no matter what happens, so where he goes isn't important. Since he's shown himself to be a nonabane, that means that he's confident enough about his own safety, so your little tricks and plans aren't going to add up to much. He isn't going to show up because of it. Since that's the case, it's better to just let it go. Trust me. No matter where he ends up, I'll use my power to keep him in his place."

"Are you serious? He's a nonabane."

"Wan, your words hurt my feelings, you know. You haven't come to understand how terrifying your man is. A nonabane is no doubt powerful, but I'm an anomaly that this universe has given birth to."

"Hmph! You're the one who hurt my feelings!"

The two of them messed around for quite a bit. Then the youth lightly patted her smooth back. "Just rest assured and take your mind off this matter. Your man is someone who's defeated more than three hundred top geniuses across various nova source worlds in the Astraldome. Do you think I'd let someone upend me on my home turf?" He smiled, revealing his harmless, flawless teeth as his hands brushed across every part of her body with the agility of dragons.

"Big Brother Chen… let's go home first… before we dual cultivate!"

……

The person standing in the dark corner was knocking on her crimson blade. Liu Wanwan was about to cry, but no amount of calling for help worked. Then, the red-robed woman outside received a transmission stone.

"What the fuck? A nonabane? It can't be!" She hurriedly pulled Liu Wanwan up by her collar and dragged her up to the purple clouds.

"Ma'am, please don't kill me!"

"Ma'am?" The woman glared harshly at Liu Wanwan.

"Big sister?" Liu Wanwan changed how she addressed her in a panic. "Beautiful Big Sister, surely someone as beautiful as you wouldn't do something as cruel as killing me! Please, have mercy!" As much as she tried to flatter her captor, her vocabulary failed her.

"Just get out of my face. You really are crazy lucky." The woman tossed her toward the ground.

"Whooaaaa!" Liu Wanwan began accelerating toward the ground from the star's gravity, but managed to stabilize her body and levitate, avoiding the fate of being crushed into paste.

"Holy crap!" She immediately hid herself and took a breather, only to realize something. "Was I released? What was the point of all that flattery?"

Then she began running as fast as she could until she noticed some familiar landmarks. "Wait, I'm still near the Mystgod Pavilion. I should get back fast!" Her hair was completely disheveled from being on the run.

"Liu Wanwan!" someone cried out. She froze and turned back, only to see a tall, white-haired old man appear and descend to her side.

"Pavilion Lord! I was kidnapped!" she cried, tightly grabbing the leg of her would-be savior.

"Alright, it's fine now. I'll take you back home."

"Okay… I'm not dreaming, right? Was I killed? Did I return as a ghost?"

"Just shut up."

"Okay…."