Chapter 2485 - Long Time No See
When astral gods died, their caeli would lose the mark of life. However, they could be preserved in certain unique spaces as a means of preserving the memories relating to cultivation. However, there wouldn't be any deeper interactions involved; they would be like echoes of the past with no will of their own. The foundation caeli before Tianming burned bright like stars, illuminating the paths of their successors.
"Flameyellow divinities!" Tianming took a deep breath and approached the closest one he saw. Based on the mass, the caeli in front of him were equivalent to those of the Grandvoid Swordfiend and the Unisword Goddess.
"I wonder how many people know about the secret of the Flameyellow Imperial Star.... Does my master know about it?" He had his theories, but he didn't dare to ask to confirm them. The blinding light of a caelum soon swallowed him up!
"To think that a human caelum could feel as massive as a nova source world...." His own was still at a rather low level and couldn't compare in the slightest. He had to contemplate how he could train his soul, as that could possibly enhance the power of his totems as well. Vitae, caeli, and terrae were parts of the tripartite soul. Tianming was starting to notice that the power of his totems were far weaker than that of his lifebound beasts, and even surpassed by his prime wonder's.
"The ways to strengthen totems is to strengthen the soul and go through simulacrum...." As he pondered, he continued advancing through the light.
"A lot of cultivation memories are no longer here. Perhaps the caeli have been left for far too long. I’ll probably only gain something if I peek into the order." The caeli of the bee-headed people he had seen also didn't have cultivation memories, whereas the caeli in the Infinitum Swordsea still contained theirs. Fortunately, high-level caeli were useful enough for their order alone, especially foundation caeli. The key cultivation insights of someone that was equivalent to a rex mundi were inscribed into the fortress called a foundation, expressed through the behaviors of the little bees within.
Soon, Tianming reached the foundation within this caelum. "Wow, it's huge! The style is different too." His eyes immediately widened with curiosity. Unlike the foundations of the Lin Clan ancestors’ caeli, the flameyellow divinity's didn't seem that towering, but more stable and heavy. The hexagonal bricks and tiles were gold and black in color. The countless little black-and-gold bees within the foundation also seemed to be working harder than he remembered, tirelessly repeating their tasks, repairing and protecting their fortress. The passing of time itself had caused the foundation to be corroded, but it still survived thanks to the efforts of the worker bees.
Tianming took note of what they were doing. Unlike the foundation ordo of the Grandvoid Swordfiend, whose worker bees worked sharply and precisely, the bees here worked even more efficiently with much better coordination. Deep cultivation mysteries and universal laws were recorded within their feet, wings, and mandibles, making them appear fierce, but orderly. Despite how fast they were moving, no accidents occurred. Even bees that seemingly brushed past each other didn't touch at all, their wings neatly avoiding collision by the way that they asynchronously flapped them.
"A fortress with bees is the only record left of a cultivator of this level, yet it's also a representation of a slice of universal laws. How mystical!" He kept observing it for a long time. "It's a shame that the flameyellow divinity seniors can’t speak or communicate. Too much time has passed. Otherwise, I could probably even ask what happened to them and the Flameyellow Imperial Star...." At this point, all the caeli was good for was helping with his cultivation.
......
After some time, Tianming emerged from the caelum. "Looks like I have to take it step by step. It was nice getting boosted by Huang Qi, but it also came with its own share of trouble." Who wouldn't want their cultivation level to jump a few times? Alas, it seemed that only Feiling and Xiaoxiao were capable of such rapid advancement. It would be even harder for him with his six streams of order. It would take hundreds, or even a thousand years for his orders to grow.
"I wonder how Yi Daiyan went from the Order stage all the way to the Foundation stage in a short fifty years and became rex mundi...." That was a secret everyone wanted to know! "Either way, with these caeli and my talent, I should still be ten times faster than the fastest genius in the Infinitum Mundus, aside from Feiling and Xiaoxiao. Even bearers of taixi eyes will eat my dust, but I really shouldn't compare myself to Xiaoxiao and Ling'er." That thought made him feel much more assured.
"Then again, it seems that Ling'er is starting to leave Xiaoxiao in the dust lately. Looks like the recovery of her Nirvana Rebirth is rather quick. If it weren’t for some unique conditions preventing her from recovering her peak power, I’d have to count on her for everything!" He felt rather blessed at the thought of that. He also seemed to notice that the caeli here were more suitable for him than those in the Caeli Vault, which would make his future cultivation even smoother.
"Alright, we've gotten a rough idea of the place. Let's leave now," he said.
"Alright." Feiling hadn't managed to interface with any of the caeli so far, but she was in no rush. From now on, the ruins here would be their secret base. As they left the legacy room, Tianming explored some other parts of the ruins that were shrouded in darkness. There were many eerie divine celestial patterns, all of them ancient, but still working, flowing on the ground like little dark dragons. Eventually, he came to many barrier formations. They seemed rather high level and complicated.
"I wonder if I can use my Sky Plundering Hand to enter...." He stretched out his black arm, but decided against it. "This ship should be in my master's control. Everything beyond this point is his private space, so I shouldn't explore it without permission." He had a feeling that this ship was somehow related to the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb. "Alright, I should leave now and maybe try assimilating the Flameyellow Cores."
The two of them went back outside to where Xiaoxiao and Moran were waiting.
"How did it go?" Xiaoxiao asked.
"Not bad." Tianming left Opensky Hall with the girls and returned to Skyhold Palace. Ying Huo and the rest had grown used to the place and made it a nest, of sorts. Ever since the minor reges mundi ranking event, all of them had been rather high strung, especially with the threats of Shen Tianxi and the monster from the ancestral world lurking in the background. Even as they were on a voyage to Gladeus, they couldn't exactly feel safe. But with the Hellstar Formation and Skyhold Palace's defensive formations protecting them, they could finally relax.
The quiet Skyhold Palace was a good place for cultivation. It was ideal for Tianming, yet he was someone who just couldn't sit still. After he settled down, he left Feiling and the others to their own devices and went to the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb. "Long time no see!"