Beastmaster of the Ages

"Skyway Quadstar!" Every time they cried out the name of their prospective new world, the faceless specters were filled with joyous vigor.

"Emperor Qiang, should the Mysterium Cluster be illuminated by four deific-class worlds in the future, your name shall be passed down in the history of our civilization! You’ll have been the one who discovered Skyway Quadstar! That’s a merit beyond measure!"

Even though they didn't have eyes, their gazes still seemed to burn with fervor. They didn't see flames on the burning star, but rather riches. The best part of all was that their mission was exceedingly simple. So far, they hadn't been discovered by anyone yet, so as long as they kept reporting on the location of the star, it would be an easy assignment.

Crimsonjade Qiang whistled and said, "Alright, just make sure to not reveal yourselves so we stay hidden. Stay low and keep it that way."

"Understood!"

Some of them turned toward Skywolf Blaze and saw a wave of troops pouring toward the sun. The astral war had already begun!

"What about Skywolf Blaze? They're still continuing the assault. Should we aid or stop them?"

Qiang said, "The elders have said that we’re not to interfere. The Skywolf system has yet to report information about this world to us, so we’ll behave as if we don't know about its true nature. If they manage to take the sun, we’ll take it from them so that when our main forces arrive, we can bring the star back home."

"What if they fail?"

"Then there's nothing we can do about it. Skywolf is a rather huge power, and if they lose, there's nothing the few of us can do to help. A single sovereign won't be able to do much. That's why we shouldn't join the fray. If we’re in danger and lose the location of the star, we’ll be in deep trouble." Skyway Quadstar was far too important a prospect for the mysterians. Qiang and the rest didn't dare to risk it.

"Understood. We’ll hide ourselves and remain neutral, nor will we let Skywolf Blaze know of our existence, lest they leak it."

Discretion was paramount! As long as Qiang didn't show himself and monitored from the shadows, the fleet of mysterians with at least two thousand divine astralships would have no issue taking the sun. All he had to do was keep the fleet informed of the star's coordinates. It wasn't like it could run, and even if it did, a moving star would be far slower than divine astralships.

"The main force will take a year or two to arrive, so we have to start making preparations! Make sure there's always at least a pair of eyes on our Skyway Quadstar at all times."

"Understood!"

Qiang knew better than to startle the flock. The best option was inaction so that the plan would go on as it is. It wasn't like they had to worry about losing Skywolf. The Voidsky Organization had many more 'hunters' in their service, and Skywolf was only one of them, so losing their stars wouldn't be a big deal. In fact, the mysterians were more overjoyed about Skyway Quadstar than they were disappointed in hearing about the death of Skywolf Frost.

"Let's just hope that Skywolf Blaze puts more effort into the war. If we can just take it over from them once they're done clearing out the native population, the elders would be even happier and we'll all be even more heavily rewarded," Qiang said with hope as he looked at the devastated battlefield. If it weren’t for his reason still holding him back, he wouldn't have waited and would jump in himself to bring them Skyway Quadstar. "We'll let them kill each other and wipe themselves out! That'll make the cleanup easier."

It was also the first time he had witnessed the 'truth' of the universe himself. But as a member of a peak bloodline, he was used to matters like these. "Come, let's go back to the Donut." That was the nickname he used for his divine astralship. It was a crimson ring that boasted an incredible speed, even among divine astralships.

They didn't even want to look into who the soul-eating fiend was, nor check out who was resisting the invasion from the sun in their effort to be careful. All they had to know was where the sun was, and doing anything else was going to raise the risks.

"I've long wanted to leave this ghost-ridden place."

"How depressing."

The specters were still drowning in joy as they left the dead star with Qiang.

"Huh?" Qiang suddenly felt a chill and turned back. "Why’re these vitae going in a single direction?" As there were far too many of them, it was all too easy for someone like him with a fourth imperial soul to sense the pattern of the baleful souls. There was an entire sea of them, and within it, a current that swept them in a certain direction!

"What is going on?"

"It seems rather terrifying. For so many people to die in a flash.... This must be the first time something like this has happened. They're clumping together and not scattering?"

"Let's just go. They're probably hovering all around us right now." Qiang still had questions about it despite his subordinates' casual disregard. There seemed to be a vortex of sorts where the souls were heading. All of a sudden, he had a startling realization.

"What is it?" some subordinates asked.

Find the original at novelbuddy.com.

"It must be that soul-eating monster!" Qiang gasped.

"What?" They blankly looked around before they realized it as well.

"If he became that powerful after consuming around a hundred million souls, what would happen once he consumes all the souls of this world? There's an endless amount of them! If he doesn't have a limit...." Nobody could imagine the kind of monster that would be born. Qiang was the first one to snap into action. "Run! Run now!"

This was the second time they had felt so terrified, with the first being when they’d witnessed the sun destroying all life on Skywolf Frost. Qiang thought he had seen it all, yet little did he know something like this would lay hidden in the far corner of the universe.

"What a terrifying place! Let's not come out anymore after we return to the Donut!" None of them dared to turn back in fear of being turned into a baleful soul. Behind them, more and more agonized screams could be heard. The howls grew louder and louder and sent chills down the specters' spines. Yet Qiang couldn't resist turning back, and what he saw was....