Chapter 2153 - Man Succumbs to the Passage of Time, But the Dao Remains

Tianming moved forward, approaching the caeli. As he got closer, he realized that the largest caeli in the Tranquil Hall wasn’t even one percent the size of any random caeli in the Caeli Vault. That meant there was at least a hundred times more depth and span of memories of their life and cultivation.

"The highest caeli in the Tranquil Hall were merely high-level sovereigns... but the ones here are definitely advanced cosmic deities!" On the way to the vault, Tianming had learned more about it from Dongshen Yue. The highest caeli in the first and second levels were at the end of the Stellaminoris stage, suitable for young cultivators that were still in the Ascension, Constellation, and Solar stages. From the third level onward, the highest were the caeli of advanced cosmic deities. The caeli in the fourth level, where he was currently located, were definitely better than those in the third level.

"The sixth level, where Ling'er is, as well as the seventh is a step above the third, fourth, and fifth levels. My goal is to enter at least the sixth level, so I have to become a grade-three disciple!" According to Dongshen Yue, he had to gain entry into the sixth level to break through and become a stellaminor within half a year. "Even so, the caeli in the fourth level are much better than the ones I’ve seen before...."

The Lin Clan disciples in the fourth level embraced the caeli of their ancestors. Eyes closed, they entered a state similar to entering the wondersky realm, bound to their ancestors’ memory of cultivation.

"The eight thousand and ninety-third generation Second Branch Master of the Lin Clan, Lin Xiuzhi." When Tianming touched a blazing caelum with his fingers, the ancient name rang in his ears.

"My descendants, as sword cultivators, the true meaning of the cosmos is to comprehend the truth, walk on the side of order, dominate the world with the sword, seek for a lifetime, and live by a conscience." A deafening voice rang in Tianming's ears as his caelum was pulled into the star, while his body and vita entered a dormant state. It was indeed similar to entering a wondersky realm.

"Senior, I’ll follow in your footsteps. To cultivate, one must first follow the right path and comprehend the intention of one’s ancestors." The star before him seemed endless. Enveloped by his ancestor's caelum, Tianming’s caelum moved forward within it. Lin Xiuzhi's caelum was vast and boundless, a star that resembled a galaxy that was so bright he couldn’t see the end of it.

During the journey, pictures and voices appeared against the backdrop of the starlight, all of which were Lin Xiuzhi’s memories. All the things he’d said about cultivation, every breakthrough, and all of his growth were engraved in his caelum and had become symbols unique to him.

"Man succumbs to the passage of time, but the dao remains." How was it not a kind of romance? "Man will die, but the dao will last forever. That's because the dao, whether it’s the way of heaven, the way of humanity, or the way of the world, is the essence of the cosmos! So what’s the origin of the word ‘dao’"? The law of the cosmos and the world? The rules of heaven?"

Tianming had been confused before, but now, Ebonia’s cultivation system and the previous advanced cosmic deities had given him the answer. "Am I almost there? That thing...." Tianming's caelum stared wide-eyed, looking ahead. Passing countless images and sounds, he reached the depths of Lin Xiuzhi’s caelum. He had been looking forward to it for a long time. The starlight grew brighter and, in the end, his eyes went blank as the star before him exploded. After regaining his vision, that 'thing' finally appeared.

It was a strange sphere, almost like a miniaturized nova source, its surface flowing with power. The forces formed various patterns, dyeing it in numerous colors. The surface was covered with hexagonal holes that went deep inside it so that it appeared like a honeycomb briquette. Intangible power poured in from some hexagonal holes and flowed out of others. It was never-ending. Tianming didn't know the meaning of the strange structure, but looking at it made his scalp tingle. However, he sensed that it was the core essence of the cosmos.

"Not only is it the core of the cosmos, but also the core of all cultivators." Without it, there would be no fundamental cosmic force. The hexagonal holes were similar to the scales on Tianming's black arm; it was the perfect shape. Hundreds of hexagons could form a dense honeycomb briquette, so what could more form? Tianming was so amazed by the thing that existed in the core of Lin Xiuzhi's caelum that his spirit soared. It was the first time he had seen something like it. He had easily seen through the previous caeli imperius, and there was no such thing at all. This thing existed within Lin Xiuzhi's caelum and could enable future generations to comprehend a more profound meaning of cultivation, as well as draw closer to the dao, because he was an advanced cosmic deity.

"In other words, this object with all its hexagonal holes that’s similar to a honeycomb briquette is the essence of all advanced cosmic deities." Lin Jianxing and Gongshu Ding both possessed one of these, which was what gave them their amazing strength. That was the reason they could suppress Tianming’s every albus, making it difficult for him to even move. Because he was eager to know the next step in his cultivation, he had asked Dongshen Yue about it on the way to the vault. Dongshen Yue didn’t think that he had to understand everything about it before reaching the Stellaminoris stage; however, she did vaguely describe the next step in the cultivation of gods of the cosmos to Tianming.

Her first sentence had shocked him. "Throughout their lifelong pursuit, our ancestors have told us that the cultivation path of gods of the cosmos is really the path to embodying the cosmos. No one’s reached the end of cultivation, but all of our predecessors know that at the end of cultivation, one man becomes a universe! All nova sources in the cosmos, big or small, are the albi of one person.… Don’t you find that the galaxies resemble human blood vessels when you look at the night sky?" she solemnly said.

"Bullshit." That was Tianming's first reaction after hearing that.

Dongshen Yue smiled, shaking her head and pursing her lips as she meaningfully looked at the young man. "When you enter the Caeli Vault and encounter the core of the legacy caeli, you’ll know the truth."

Now, Tianming had finally laid his eyes upon it. Its hexagonal holes and infinite flow of power made his scalp tingle. What on earth was this strange thing?