Chapter 2154 - Next Step: Astralsea Divinity
According to Dongshen Yue, the honeycomb thing had many names. Some people called it the heavenly dao, others called it the law of the cosmos. But it had a more accurate and profound name: “order”. The entire astralscape of order was named after it. The divine ordered patterns that existed in nova source, divine hazards, cosmic impulses, divine ores, and herbs were all an extension of it.
"That is to say, this visible and tangible thing in front of me is the embodiment of the fundamental rules of the cosmos." Tianming had always a.s.sumed that things like the laws of the cosmos were intangible, but in fact, they could become tangible. When they were tangible, visible, and could be touched, they were order. The cultivation of advanced cosmic deities revolved around the embodiment of order; specifically, the order of the cosmos.
Cosmic order controlled the way the cosmos worked and determined the rules of life and death, as well as reincarnation. It was the reason human beings loved, as well as fuel for their imaginations. The celestial patterns that made up a formation originated from divine ordered patterns, and divine ordered patterns, which were everywhere, were derived from order. That was the reason the world was called the astralscape of order. The opposite side was known as the realm of chaos, which meant it had no order... or rather, none of this sort.
"Albi are formed at the initiate cosmic deity phase. The minor stellar chart emerges in each albus, strengthening them until the end of the Stellaminoris stage when the body matures.... When that happens, one can attach their divine will to their caelum. With that, their caelum can break through to the alternate world and even reach a world beyond that. That world is the birthplace of cosmic order and the laws of the cosmos. It’s called the ordered sea, which is the brain of the cosmos. The caelum, carrying the divine will, enters the ordered sea and searches for cosmic order to merge with the divine will. That process forges the divine will into order itself. After returning to the body, a new astralsea divinity is formed with order as its foundation, opening up the path to embodying the cosmos!" Tianming knew that Lin Jianxing and Gongshu Ding were able to suppress his albi and had such terrifying control over the world precisely because they’d obtained cosmic order. With cosmic order as the foundation, being in control of power and forging oneself... that was an advanced cosmic deity.
Once reaching the initiate cosmic deity phase, they were called G.o.ds, which actually meant G.o.ds above the sky. In the Ascension stage, they flew into the cosmos. After reaching a more advanced phase, they were known as astral G.o.ds, or astralsea divinities. One man would become a sea of stars. With order, man could control galaxies. In the first stage of the astralsea divinity phase, the key was for the divine will to enter the ordered sea. Thus, it was called the Order stage.
"I’ve been to Orderia, but I never thought there’d be a stage in cultivation known as the Order stage." That meant the names “Orderia” and “celestial orderian” were derived from the stage, and not made out of thin air. The astralscape of order and the Order stage!
"The moment a cultivator can use the human body to grasp cosmic order, their body has started changing into a small cosmos.” Both divine wills and order could control power, but there was a fundamental difference between the two. Although divine will was divine in nature, the body was still human and what it controlled was its own astralforce. Order was formed when man and cosmos combined. With order from the ordered sea, one could control fundamental cosmic force with precision, so precise that they were able to suppress Tianming’s albi and affect his astralforce.
"Those of the first stage of the advanced cosmic deity phase are orderans, followed by cosmic cartographers. Lin Jianxing and Gongshu Ding are most likely orderans, while Grandpa and Grandma have probably long been cosmic cartographers."
According to Dongshen Yue, the legacy caeli above the fifth level of the Caeli Vault were all cosmic cartographers that had possessed a more profound order. That was the reason he was set on entering the sixth level.
"At the end of the Stellaminoris stage, the caelum, carrying divine will, pa.s.ses through the alternate world and enters the ordered sea. After obtaining order, it’s sent to the body. The caelum plays the most important role in the entire process, as only it can enter the ordered sea. That’s why order leaves the body and reenters the core of the caelum when a person dies." It was also the reason Tianming was able to see cosmic order in Lin Xiuzhi"s caelum. When a person was still alive, the core of their power—order—naturally resided in the body.
"The path of cultivation is really interesting.... If the cosmos is the ultimate cultivator, is the ordered sea his brain? After all, the brain controls the body. So what’s the alternate world? Is it somewhere near the brain or the spirit world? Does that make it the sea of consciousness? Then what’s the realm of chaos? A place beyond the control of the brain? If albi are nova sources, what are all living creatures? What about the Primordial Chaos Beasts that destroyed everything in the dream?" Tianming couldn"t help breaking out in a cold sweat. It was better to not ponder over those questions; just the thoughts alone made his hair stand on end. "No one will ever know the truth unless someone actually becomes the universe." He composed himself.
The honeycomb-briquette-like sphere in front of him was Lin Xiuzhi"s order. There was also a burning fire within, telling him that the order in front of him was related to flame.
"Touch it!" Tianming"s caelum slowly approached until it was right in front of the sphere. The extraordinary object was gently rotating in front of him. Exhaling deeply, he reached out and touched it with his left hand. Then he inserted a finger that had hexagonal scales into the holes of the sphere—it was a perfect fit!
At that moment, the entire universe that he could perceive turned into a sea of flames that swept over everything, as if he had entered a furnace. Even in the form of his caelum, Tianming could feel his body burning. The fire even spread to his Imperial Will, where he felt the Grand-Orient Sword within his albi expanding.
"At this rate, I’ll be a ninth-level solarian when I leave this place. I should be able to continue growing today!" It was his first encounter with order, so the effect was terrifying. It might even have something to do with his Trisoul Prime.
"Order, cosmos, boundless...." Outside of Lin Xiuzhi"s caelum, Tianming"s eyes were burning with starlight.
"Mortals, saints, G.o.ds, and astral G.o.ds.… The last step: the cosmos!" Although the road ahead was still uncertain, Tianming’s heart was already on fire.