Chapter 1542 - Lost in the Stars
The cosmic aether was a void that seemed to stretch on forever. They didn't know when it started, but sound had eventually faded from the inside and outside of the ship. Tianming could control the formation of the ship to allow its passengers a view of the outside. Since they had left Orderia, the scenery hadn't changed one bit. All they saw were stars in all directions. Like a leaf floating in the sea, they could easily lose their bearings and would have to sail blind.
Navigating the astralscape was even more complicated than navigating the sea! At least the sea was two dimensional, whereas they had to consider the third dimension in the astralscape. Sometimes they couldn't even tell up from down; it took less than an hour for Tianming to lose his way. During that time, he had focused his attention on familiarizing himself with the astralship’s controls. When he finally tamed the wild beast of a ship, he came to a stunned realization.
"Where's Orderia?" he asked. There were nothing but nondescript stars wherever he looked, and there was no way for him to tell which one was Orderia. The scorching ball of fire had blended in with the rest of the stars.
Feiling was even more shocked. "I don't know. You're the driver, right?"
Tianming felt troubled. Now he understood why the many astral worlds seldom communicated with one another. Despite their worlds glowing so brightly, it was impossible to tell them apart from other worlds when they were far enough away. Finding a frame of reference was the main concern.
The cosmic aether was completely different from land—it was wide and borderless. Not to mention, just heading in the direction of any random star wasn't a good idea. There might be stronger powers that set up traps in the far distance. A divine astralship like the Ninedragon Imperial Tomb, especially in its incomplete state, was easy prey.
"Guess I've been taking things for granted. The real world is never as easy as it seems, huh." Tianming had finally come to this realization. Just because they had left Orderia didn't mean they would be safe. They might have only found their way into a dark forest from which they would never emerge. Hunters could be hiding at every corner without them noticing. The Ninedragon Imperial Tomb was an absolute treasure, yet it was now in the hands of a few brats that weren't even thirty years of age. Taking it would be like taking candy from a baby. His head began hurting when he realized that they could be in more danger than before.
"Life is full of challenges.... If I let fear stop me from moving forward, I wouldn't have even started cultivating." At least, he still had his wits about him. "Our main priority is still to bring the Solar Wheel away to a place where the sun emperor can't possibly reach without his Divine Sun Palace."
Even though he could no longer see Orderia, he still felt like they weren’t far enough away. If the sun emperor had a special telepathic link with the Solar Wheel, he might be able to find it in a matter of months, or maybe years.
"Let's keep pressing on!" The further they went, the more awed Tianming felt. The astralscape was far too large. No matter how far they flew, it felt like they hadn't moved the slightest bit. The vastness of the universe was a despairing sight to those that truly experienced its scope. Tianming and the rest were now one of those unlucky few. They wandered in the endless ocean of space like newborns in uncharted territory, ignorant to all of the potential dangers ahead. Would they survive if they capsized?
Eventually, ten days passed, but it felt like months for them. The sense of complete isolation seemed to drag out the passing of time. During that time, Lingfeng had recovered rather well and eventually regained consciousness.
Ying Huo and the rest, on the other hand, had made themselves at home. They were so carefree that nothing seemed to worry them. Their presence made the atmosphere in the ship far more rowdy. Xian Xian's tree, on the other hand, rapidly grew along with the saplings of the Azurecloud Divine Tree. Lan Huang ran through the complicated labyrinths in the ship nonstop and even played hide and seek with the Archaionfiend, while Yin Chen chased after it to bathe. Needless to say, this long and boring journey was perfect for Meow Meow to catch a long snooze; it hadn’t woken up since their departure. As for Ying Huo....
"Yue Yue, look at my biceps. Did your heart skip a beat? Wait, don't ignore me! Have you been shocked into silence by my magnificence?"
It was showing off its new phoenix form to Shuo Yue, Qingyu's kunpeng, though its flirting game was pathetic, to say the least. Shuo Yue had grown much prettier since becoming a seven-star divine beast. Its pure white feathers, elegant and slender build, and noble aura completely charmed Ying Huo. Not to mention, they were old acquaintances.
"Yue Yue, want to fly into the skies of love together?"
"Dream on. You're still a childish little chicken after all these years," Shuo Yue said, not knowing how to respond.
"Yeah, I'm childish! Childish enough to fall in love—ahem, scratch that." If this went on, Ying Huo thought its dreams of a harem would be dashed. "My love is too vast to give to one individual alone. Everyone deserves the right to have a piece of it."
After quite some time, Tianming had learned to control the ship much better. Given that they didn't have a frame of reference at all, it wouldn't be an issue for him to tilt the ship by any degree. For now, he let the ship cruise on autopilot since they were already at cruising speed. It zoomed on across the void like an unstoppable beam. As long as Tianming and the rest didn't leave, even solarians would be reduced to ashes if they were in the ship's course.
He decided to let loose and check on Lingfeng. With Qingyu's loving care, he had recovered to the point of being able to stand. Having absorbed too many waste pills too quickly, his Primordial Gate was still working to disintegrate them. But now, a flush of blood was already beginning to return to his blackened skin and he looked much more alive.
"I'm glad you're fine," Tianming said, patting his shoulder. He had stopped worrying, though Qingyu still looked at the rear of the ship with a grave expression.
"Big Brother...." She stopped herself from saying what she wanted to.
"The astralscape is too confusing. I don't even know if Orderia’s still behind us," he said.
Qingyu still kept looking behind them out of habit. "Does that mean we won't be able to find our way back?"
"There's a good chance that that's the case. However, I think the ship has a way for us to find our way back, I probably just haven't found it yet. I still have to master three sword moves to gain full control of the ship. Right now, I only have access to a quarter of its functions," he said.