Ye Bodhi and Long Yichen soon saw a deep blue star that seemed covered in a huge ocean, or rather, an ocean of water-type spirit hazards. There didn't seem to be a single speck of solid land there. The white-robed Ye Bodhi slowly descended through the star's atmosphere with his hands crossed, followed by the huge and burly Long Yichen, who was staring at the waves with an intense expression.
"This is the one, right?" Long Yichen asked.
"It is."
As they were flying above the ocean’s surface, Ye Bodhi suddenly punched the water, causing a huge wave of spirit hazards covered in saintly heavenly patterns to turn into a gigantic tidal wave. He was trying to summon the other Nonahall cultivators with the commotion. Soon, a black-robed old man came.
"Gather everyone on this star here right now," Ye Bodhi ordered.
"Understood."
About an hour later, some hundred-odd people had come.
"Are there people from other sects here on this star?" Ye Bodhi asked. Not only was his status high, he was also powerful in his own right. The tribulation elders didn't dare to antagonize someone of his caliber one bit.
"Some people from Biritual were here, but they left just a few days ago. We've basically searched the entirety of this star, but didn’t discover anything," the seventh-level death phase hall lord who had been in charge of the search said. He was a short, stout middle-aged man and he spoke with a deep bow and a flattering look.
"What about the rest of you? Did you notice anything?"
"Nothing so far. We’ve been searching since the day we entered the Kilostar Domain."
"Are there any noteworthy places?"
"One or two, but we've given them thorough investigations with no results to show for it."
"Take me to them."
"Understood!"
Ye Bodhi spoke curtly and efficiently conveyed his exact intent; he wasn't one to waste words. Of the hundred plus elders from Nonahall Ghost Sect, all of them abided by his whims and none dared risk antagonizing him. As pure and untainted as Ye Bodhi looked, the murderous aura surrounding him simply couldn't be hidden. It wasn't just Tianming's special eyes; normal people could intuitively feel the pressure he exuded, making even the most experienced of veterans fear new blood like him. What in the world would the child of the two most powerful ghoul kings in the Nonahall Divine Realm be like?
It was said that he had been forged to stand at the very top of the continent since his birth. One day, he would be the pillar that supported the entire divine realm. When his parents retired from their position, he would rise to take their place and rule the world. Nobody could afford to offend someone who was destined for such greatness.
Ye Bodhi was certain that there was a logic to the starmap's markings. He no longer cared about the fact that he had failed to kill Tianming, since it was something Xue Yi had been put in charge of anyway. He was in deep thought as he tried figuring out if there was any other logic to the way the stars were laid out and marked.
"Long Yichen, where was the formation that surrounded the tribulation manna?" Ye Bodhi asked.
"Over here," Long Yichen said as he pointed at a spot.
Something clicked in Long Yichen's head. No wonder Ye Bodhi had allowed him to remain by his side despite the number of boot lickers he had around him already; it was because he had been to the Galactic Crashdragon Formation before, and Ye Bodhi was trying to use it to figure out the starmap's secret.
"Go in this direction," Ye Bodhi said as he decided on heading to the same relative location on this star. "Both of the stars were water stars. The only difference is that one was stormy, while this one is cold."
They traveled for quite some time with the rest following neatly behind.
"This is it," Ye Bodhi said.
"There's nothing here, is there?" All Long Yichen saw was a calm ocean.
"It's to be expected. Otherwise it would've been found long ago," Ye Bodhi said as he dove down.
"How are you going to test it out?"
"The starmap."
"Isn't this a copy of the original?" The copy was no doubt just simple parchment. The best it could be used for was to navigate around with. Did it have any other use?
"Would you believe me if I told you this is the original?" Ye Bodhi smiled.
"I would."
"Haha, I'm just messing with you. There's no way I'd have the original on me."
Long Yichen was simply too straightforward and direct. Someone like him wasn't the type who could play the role of a flattering subordinate, but he would make for a good friend or sworn brother. He was someone who would keep his word no matter what.
While Ye Bodhi went down into the depths, the other tribulation elders waited above, wondering why he allowed someone from Quadform to remain by his side this whole time.
"Long Yichen, my friend, I heard that Li Tianming killed the children of Ghoul Kings Xue Yi and Zi Xiao. Is that true?"
"It is."
"Ridiculous! That's also the reason we don't dare to split up now."
"What is with that fellow? How'd he grow so fast in the Kilostar Domain? He's already at the Samsara stage! Nobody should be able to progress that quickly!"
"I really can't figure out how. Word is that he's the real reincarnation of the goddess, but reincarnated into a guy's body instead. Now, he can have fun with women too."
"Haha, I wonder if the goddess found it interesting looking at her new third leg. I wonder if she gave it a go."
The old fellows held all kinds of vile thoughts in their minds.
Some time later, a sudden explosion could be heard from beneath the waves. With Long Yichen at the center, the seawater was pushed apart all around them, revealing an empty area at the center. Then all of a sudden, Long Yichen was slammed higher up in the air! He looked down in a panic and saw a new formation manifesting. It contained billions of stars and looked like a rotating projection of the cosmic aether. From the center of the vortex came a sudden flash that forced him to close his eyes. He couldn't see what was inside.
"Galactic Vortex Formation!" someone cried. The last formation they spotted was called the Galactic Clashdragon Formation, but this one was even larger. There must be many treasures hidden within! Shocked, Long Yichen looked at the center of the formation.
"There are so many of them.... All tribulation artifacts.... The sheer number...."
He felt his heart skip a few beats from excitement.