Beastmaster of the Ages

Chapter 3159 - House Yumo's Glory

"Huang Daosheng, you come with me later. We need to train together to get to know each other better. You'll stay with me until the opening of the path," the black-haired youth said. He was of the same height as Huang Daosheng and their gold and black hair colors made them look like a team.

"Yes, Minor Pathkeeper!" Huang Daosheng said, elated. He would be by the minor pathkeeper's side day in and out! He looked at Eminent Tiankui and offered him a grateful look. He didn't think that he would get this kind of connection after what the eminent had said to him. It touched him to the point of tears.

"You’d better do well!" Eminent Tiankui said.

"I will!" Huang Daosheng nodded.

The youth suddenly went to the exit of the hall. "We don't have much time. I need you to go to the Xenoabyss with me."

Eminent Tiankui's eyes widened. "Minor Pathkeeper, is the matter there concluded?"

"Easy. With my dad making a move, those savages in the Xenoabyss have no choice but to obediently hand over their order fragments."

"Of course! It looks like those savages are smart enough to comply," Eminent Tiankui disdainfully said.

"Order fragments?" Huang Daosheng recalled that Eminent Tiankui had chastised him for attempting to use them. So why would he personally be going to the Xenoabyss to get them? That said, he didn't dare to ask. In House Huang, he was revered because he was their best hope for a future. But here, he was but a minion who should do nothing but follow.

"Has anyone tried using order fragments in tandem with springwater?" Eminent Tiankui asked.

"Yes, but it didn't have much of an effect. My dad said that's because the grade of the fragments was too low and the amount of springwater wasn’t enough," said the youth. "This time, there's a grade-seven order fragment, right?" Eminent Tiankui asked.

"Grade seven?" Huang Daosheng seemed quite shocked to hear that, knowing that order fragments of that grade were among the most treasured items of the antiquitean imperials. Only the most elite people of Myriadpath Valley could stand a chance to acquire one. Even someone like Eminent Tiankui would be refused.

"That's right, grade seven. Coupled with a keg of springwater from the Myriadpath Sourcespring, my dad said that it should help me break through twice. Using springwater will greatly decrease the effects of using order fragments and won't affect my future cultivation!" Despite the youth's status, even he was quite excited at the sound of that.

"Breaking through twice at once.... Looks like your dad and the others are hoping that you’ll be able to stun others on the Prehistoric Path," Eminent Tiankui said.

"That's right." The youth nodded as the six irises on his mask glinted in an odd manner. "House Yumo is the founding house of Myriadpath Valley. We can't remain under the beastmaster House Qitian forever. One day, the Yumo specters will rise again!"

"Order fragments? Springwater? Using them together?" Huang Daosheng gingerly turned to look at Eminent Tiankui. Eminent Tiankui began boasting about the effects of order fragments, saying that they would definitely make the youth's wish of triumphing come true.

So far, it appeared that nobody had tried to use order fragments with springwater. Few, if any, in Myriadpath Valley actually cared about using order fragments. Most people simply couldn't be bothered. It was the same with Eminent Tiankui five years ago, who had chastised Huang Daosheng for wanting to use a detrimental shortcut, but he seemed to be singing a completely different tune about the youth and his father's expertise and wit.

So Myriadpath Valley has a double standard after all, it just depends on your surname! Huang Daosheng experienced it clearly that day, yet he didn't dare to say a word of complaint and pretended as if he hadn't heard the eminent boast and exaggerate all that. All he did was smile and wish the youth the best of luck.

"Minor Pathkeeper, you have eight cosmic charts right now, but even those with ten cosmic charts in the Fortuna Ranking can't compare with you. If you break through two levels and reach the tenth level, won't you be able to make it to the top one hundred?" Huang Daosheng said.

"By then, even you might not be the minor pathkeeper's match," Eminent Tiankui said.

Huang Daosheng seemed stunned. "To think that someone can approach the Foundation stage at the age of two hundred.... Won't the minor pathkeeper be above the third level of the Foundation stage when he’s five hundred years old? That would put him at the tenth level at the age of two thousand! Wouldn't that mean that he can possibly reach the pinnacle of cultivation during the prime of his life and become the valley lord?"

Eminent Tiankui glared at Huang Daosheng when the phrase 'valley lord' was uttered. Huang Daosheng apologized in a panic. "I'm really sorry for saying unnecessary things. Minor Pathkeeper, do forgive me."

"Yes, you shouldn't be saying such things yet. It's still much too soon," the youth said, squinting, but not blaming Huang Daosheng. After all, it was his ambition as well.

"Qitian, Yumo, Suishen, Qitian, Qitian, some outsider, and Qitian again.... My House Yumo has been in Myriadpath Valley for much longer than House Suishen...." The youth looked toward Myriadpath Valley with a bloody look in his eyes. Huang Daosheng knew that the list of surnames referred to those of the seven most recent valley lords.

***

Tianming had wanted to leave, but he heard Yin Chen suddenly say that a few eminents from House Yumo had arrived at the Xenoabyss. "How many are there?"

"Five total!" Yin Chen said.

It wasn’t something that often occurred. All of the eminents were from the same house, too. What were they planning to do? After Yin Chen snooped around, it finally got some key information.

"So House Yumo is trying to trade an 800-aperture manna for a grade-seven order fragment...." That kind of manna could help increase the star count of a beast to eight million. It was incredibly precious. Not to mention, Tianming wanted grade-seven order fragments.

"I heard that a top figure from Myriadpath Valley has personally come to negotiate with the antiquitean imperials." That was on a wholly different level compared to Reverend Daolie's attempt at a transaction. Not to mention, that incident had also become a warning for House Yumo, who made sure to send five eminents to secure the transaction.

Each of them was stronger than a ninth-level foundationeer, much stronger than the sixth-level Chen Tianyong. As such, Tianming had no way of getting the order fragment at all.

He had planned on going back to Myriadpath Valley anyway, so he said goodbye to Zi Zhen and Chen Tianyong before heading toward the stareye. He wanted to see who was on the receiving end of the order fragment and was able to command an entourage of that caliber.

That person would surely be at the Xenoabyss as well, since they would want to take advantage of the stronger efficacy of order fragments in the Xenoabyss. Tianming also figured that it should be a fortuna disciple that wasn't a foundationeer yet, since foundationeers had no use for order fragments.

"Weird... aren't the elites in Myriadpath Valley against the use of order fragments? Why would they ignore the mockery of others and come get one themselves?" Tianming had spent almost ten years in Myriadpath Valley and noticed how disdainfully people there viewed order fragments. First, it was mostly only useful to cosmic cartographers. And second, Myriadpath Valley had the Myriadpath Sourcespring, which was an even better way to raise one's talent.

Tianming was quite curious how others would easily be able to absorb the essence of order fragments without having a body like his or Trisoul Prime. Normally, geniuses wouldn't dare to use order fragments, since they didn't want to contaminate themselves one bit. They were all worried that their use of order fragments would lower their potential compared to others.

To satisfy his curiosity, he found a spot near the stareye to hide. Those five eminents were right next to it as well. "Looks like the actual ringleader is here. He might even start cultivating next to this stareye."

Having a high status made everything different. Huang Daosheng had had to find his own hiding spot before he attempted to use his order fragment. This person, on the other hand, had five eminents as bodyguards. Fortunately for Tianming, he didn't have to wait longer than half a month.

"He's here!" Tianming saw a familiar person." Yet another eminent? That makes six! He really has quite the reputation, huh?"

The one who had just arrived was Eminent Tiankui. Tianming noticed another familiar figure: Huang Daosheng.

"Why is he here?! Surely he can't be the person using the order fragment!" It didn't take Tianming more than an instant to conclude that to be impossible.

"It's him!" Finally, Tianming spotted a black-clad youth with a ghastly red mask. "He feels a little similar to Zi Zhen. He should be the minor pathkeeper of House Yumo."

Tianming tried to recall information about him. "He's probably the second youngest minor pathkeeper who just turned two hundred. His name on the Fortuna Ranking should be yellow. He has eight cosmic charts and ranks in the thousands, eclipsing many tenth-level cosmic cartographers. He should be a whole league stronger than Suishen Zhao."

Usually, totemancers had the benefit of breaking through faster. As such, while the youth couldn't compare to his peers in terms of level, it wasn't representative of his actual level of talent. Specters were even more powerful, after all.

"Yumo Yuanni." Tianming finally recalled his name. Like the person who ranked second on the Fortuna Ranking, he also had a tongue twister of a name. That was probably a custom of House Yumo, and of specters as a whole.

Even Eminent Tiankui was being treated like a slave. Huang Daosheng merely quietly followed behind. The youth definitely had high status, comparable to Suishen Zhao. That was someone that other minor and major pathkeepers alike respected, and people that normal eminences seemed to hate to mess with.

The five Yumo eminents seemed to be the youth's seniors, so they spoke in a calm manner. The moment Yumo Yuanni arrived, they waved to him. One of them asked, "Yuanni, did you bring the springwater?"

"I did! One keg!" Yumo Yuanni said.

"One keg? The amount should be enough."

"Has this ever been thoroughly tested?"

"It's been tested before and the results didn't really differ much. There's not much to say. Either way, it's the first time a grade-seven order fragment is being used together with springwater."

"Yumo Yuanni, you have to be mentally prepared. Anything can happen, understood?"

The youth clenched his fist tight and said, "I’m willing to die as long as it's for House Yumo's sake."

"Enough. This is other people's territory. I heard that some fool got robbed of an order fragment after paying the price for the transaction last time. It’s a sign that these people aren't sincere, so we should start soon," said an eminent.

Huang Daosheng scratched his head and wanted to bury his head into a hole in the ground.

Even Eminent Tiankui found those statements rather awkward. "This time around, we have five of you here. Nobody will dare to disturb him."

"In formation!" The six eminents each assumed their rightful position in six of the main directions. All the eminents were peak specters. They had their backs against the stareye, no doubt something that the antiquiteans had learned to fear.