The volcanic wilderness surrounding Black-Grit Outpost was a jagged expanse of scorched basalt, bubbling sulfur pools, and razor-sharp obsidian crags. Deep within the Ash-Crag Canyons—a region avoided even by experienced Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators—the air shimmered with intense, blistering heat. Walking calmly through a river of hardened lava was Clone Twenty-Three, the Beast Master. Dressed in simple dark-green robes that remained strangely untouched by the floating embers, he held a dark wooden flute carved with ancient dragon-vein runes. Through the Beast Master's eyes, Lylin sat atop his obsidian throne in the subterranean Sinkhole Sanctuary, monitoring the expansion into the Shadow-Veil Realm’s wilderness. "Host," the Beast Master communicated smoothly across the inter-realm bridge. "The Ash-Crag Canyons are home to the Obsidian Salamander pack—a species of native spirit beasts with scales resistant to low-grade fire and physical attacks. The alpha male has reached the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment realm." "Subdue them," Lylin commanded coldly from thirty miles beneath a distant world. "The Blood-Iron Market in Black-Grit Outpost requires a heavy transport unit to move mined spirit-ores, and our hidden outpost needs an autonomous perimeter vanguard." "Understood, Host," the Beast Master replied. He stopped at the entrance of a massive basalt cavern that reeked of sulfur and raw spirit-energy. Deep within the darkness, two glowing amber eyes—each as large as a shield—opened slowly. A low, guttural growl echoed off the cavern walls, shaking loose shower of fine volcanic ash. The alpha Obsidian Salamander—a thirty-foot-long reptilian beast covered in jagged black armor plates—erupted from the cave. It raised its massive head and spewed a torrent of white-hot molten magma directly at the intruder. SPIRIT TAMING. The Beast Master did not dodge. He brought the dark wooden flute to his lips and blew a single, high-pitched note. The sound wave did not travel through the air; it vibrated directly along the spiritual frequency of the beast's primitive soul consciousness. The torrent of magma dissolved into harmless ash mid-air. The massive beast froze, its amber eyes clouding over as a glowing green rune materialized directly onto its armored forehead. The intense rage in its aura dissolved in seconds, replaced by absolute, docile submission. Behind the alpha, forty smaller Obsidian Salamanders crawled out from the dark fissures, dropping their heavy heads onto the hot stone in unison before the Beast Master. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: SPIRIT BEAST PACK SUBDUED: 1 LATE FOUNDATION ALPHA, 40 BODY REFINEMENT SALAMANDERS. DOMAIN EXPANSION: ASH-CRAG CANYONS SECURED. SPECIAL RESOURCE ACQUIRED: MOUNTED TRANSPORT VANGUARD & NATURAL LAVA-VEIN DEFENSE NETWORK. Simultaneously, twenty miles to the north, Clone Twenty-One—the Star Seer—stood atop the highest volcanic peak in the Shadow-Veil Realm. He raised his silver astrolabe toward the twilight sky, watching the celestial needles trace the unseen spatial ley-lines of the realm. "Host," the Star Seer reported, his voice crisp and analytical. "Astral tracking has pinpointed an ancient hidden grotto forty miles east—the Abyssal Lotus Grotto. It was sealed three thousand years ago by a fallen Sect Ancestor. The spatial barrier has weakened to twenty percent stability." "Location verified," Lylin replied in his mind, his eyes burning with golden light. "Deploy Clone Twenty-Two (Siege Breaker) and Clone Eleven (Void Weaver) to shatter the barrier. Secure any ancient heritage or spirit-herbs inside before the local sects detect the spatial leak." Across two distinct human worlds, the twenty-three extensions of Lylin’s consciousness moved with terrifying, machine-like harmony. In the cities, his Merchant and Steward drained economies and anchored minds; in the wild, his Beast Master raised armies of monsters; and in the ancient ruins, his spatial pioneers breached forgotten vaults. In the subterranean Sinkhole Sanctuary, Lylin stood up from his obsidian throne. SYSTEM STATUS: HOST REALM: EARLY FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT. ACTIVE CLONES: 23. DAILY ENERGY GENERATION: 2,500 UNITS/DAY. CONTROLLED REALMS: 2 (AZURE CLOUD DOMAIN, SHADOW-VEIL REALM). Lylin extended his hand into the dark mist above the azure pool. "Two realms secured... nine remaining. The harvest has only just begun." Far above the clouds, atop the highest petrified peak of the mountain range, the colossal three-headed serpent slowly turned all three of its massive heads toward the east. It let out a low, vibrating rumble that reverberated through the very bedrock of the world—watching as the shadow network prepared to devour its first ancient immortal grotto.

The Beast-Tide Covenant