Beastmaster of the Ages

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As the other Dragon Imperials were discussing how they could deal with the news, Long Wanying explained it to Tianming. "Well, the Primodragon Cave is actually a special place in the Myriad Solar Sects' territory. It's ancient and of the utmost importance, being the birthplace of our sect. In time immemorial, our ancestors were normal humans that encountered the dragon of origin in that cave. After signing a blood pact, one of them started symbiotic cultivation with the dragon, and that passed down through the generations. That's how normal humans like our ancestors eventually gave birth to beastmasters with lifebound beasts. Now, there's all kinds of dragons and they all descend from the dragon of origin."

"Dragon of origin and blood pacts? So were all the rootbeast races originally normal humans that formed blood pacts?" Tianming asked, shocked. On the Flameyellow Continent and in many other places, blood pacts were considered a low-level form of obtaining lifebound beasts and very looked down upon, yet now it seemed to be how the lineage of normal humans had turned into that of beastmasters. Wouldn't that mean that his Primordial Chaos Beasts, Xiaoxiao's Archaionfiend, and Ye Chen's Chaos Dijiang had bonds forged in the manner of these primordial pacts? Could the dragon of origin be a powerful wildbeast from the stars like the spectral progenitors? Were there other kinds?

"I don't really know for sure, but that's how the legend goes. Our sect acknowledges this legend to be our origin, but most other beastmasters maintain that blood pacts are merely inferior forms of symbiotic cultivation."

"I see…. So that means that holding the wedding at a sacred place like Primodragon Cave is akin to some kind of desecration, then."

"That's not all—since the earliest days of the sect, the Dragon Imperials and their lifebound beasts have been buried there thanks to a unique property of the cave: it can prevent bodies from rotting. In other words, the countless bodies of our forebears are fully preserved there, looking just as they did when they were still alive. That's why we call it the place of eternal rest," she said with a serious, yet melancholic expression. "My husband is buried there, too."

"I see…." Tianming now understood why they were so strongly against such an act. Marriages and funerals were polar opposites, and grouping them together was taboo. It would be highly inappropriate for the loud festivities of a wedding ceremony to take place where one's ancestors were resting in peace and shouldn't be disturbed.

"There's no low to which the sun emperor won't sink! He doesn't have any class!" Long Wanying spat. This was something that would be more dangerous than outright war. For one, they hadn't officially declared war yet, but they'd sent the Veildragon Palace to infiltrate the sect and take the dragonsprings regardless. After that, the sun emperor had used the excuses of his daughter's wedding and the repatriation of the Veildragon Palace to make such a dastardly announcement.

The Xuanyuan Dragon Sect had probably been watching out for instances like this from the moment the Veildragon Palace had returned. The Ninedragon Emperor was so powerful that the celestial orderians had been pushed to the brink; it was only after his passing that the Veildragon Palace had parted with the sect. Perhaps the celestial orderians had never forgotten the fearful days of being suppressed by the Ninedragon Emperor.

"Is the Primodragon Cave a place that can be entered casually?"

"No. A single dragonspring can only allow a few people in at a time. To open it to the public, all ten dragonsprings will be needed."

"I see. So they need to get all ten dragonsprings to hold the wedding, which means they'll start applying pressure soon."

"That's right."

"What can we do in forty-four days?"

Long Wanying speechlessly looked at Tianming. How could they possibly stand up to the celestial orderians' plans? If it weren't for the fact that they weren't allowed to utilize the full might of their army here, there was no way the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect could resist at all.

"As long as the Myriad Solar Sects refuse to support us, there's nothing else we can do but fight to our deaths. We'll stuff the entrance of the cave with our corpses if we have to!" Long Wanying's eyes were filled with murderous hate borne of desperation.

"Sky Palace and the Myriad Solar Sects!" Tianming shared her outrage. They should have been on their side, yet for some obscure reason, they didn't help out the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect at all. Their shortsighted selfishness was just like the Northdipper Swordsage's disgusting ambitions.

"Tianming, it's the nature of people. As long as the blade isn't held against their necks, they'll think it has nothing to do with them. Some may even see it as an opportunity to make a profit. The Myriad Solar Sects have always been a collection of many discrete factions, some of whom aren't even natives of this star. Unity isn't something that can be easily formed. The whole point of the Sky Palace's existence is to be the rope that binds the myriad sects, but something happened to it to the point that they can't, or won't, act. Even if some other faction wants to help us, there's nobody that can effectively organize them," Long Wanying said, sighing.

"Something happened to it?" Tianming thought about what he had witnessed there. There were far too many questions left unanswered. It was too bad that the members of the Sky Palace all seemed like lunatics. Since Tianming had left the place, they'd never again appeared at the platform where he'd seen them.

"This is just a guess. At the very least, I know that Granny Yuanlong from our sect isn't even willing to see us! Her parents and siblings are still resting in the Primodragon Cave even now!"

The Azuredragon Emperor and the rest had decided to head to the Sky Palace once more. "Yuanlong's my aunt. I'll go and see if I can establish any contact with her. Let's hope she won't let anyone disturb my grandparents and father," the Azuredragon Emperor said. The Crimsondragon and Bluedragon Emperors, on the other hand, would request aid from the dreamless celestial nation, Voidword Shrine, Empyrean Sword Sect, and others. They were chosen because they didn't have dragonsprings on hand. Currently, only the Saintdragon Emperor, Greendragon Emperor, Violetdragon Empress, and Long Wanying had dragonsprings, so they had to be closely guarded.

"Wanying is correct. We have nowhere to retreat to. Even if we come to an end, we can't avoid this fight. The ancestors' rest is not to be interrupted," the Saintdragon Emperor said in a booming voice. Their fighting spirit was firm and resolute—the Myriaddragon Mountains were their home, and the Primodragon Cave their inviolable holy land. No words could describe the dedication all seven of them felt.

"Wanying," the Saintdragon Emperor said.

"I'm listening."

"I picked a hidden location on the Xuanyu Continent that nobody knows about. Have our young disciples transferred there over the next twenty days. At the very least, we won't be completely exterminated in the worst case. One day, our descendants might rise again to avenge us, bringing new life to our kind."

"Understood!" Long Wanying nodded with tear-filled eyes.