Beastmaster of the Ages

If there was a secret to be found inside the ring, the center of this nest would be where it was hidden. Tianming accelerated toward the light as fast as he could.

”There’s far too much space inside this ring! Even spatial rings wouldn’t be able to compare.” The farther he flew, the more his awe grew. Fortunately, he seemed to be making progress... albeit gradually, based on how slowly the spot of light was growing bigger in his vision.

”Almost there!” It got brighter and brighter. Tianming soon arrived at a green glowing area. His entire body was illuminated with a green sheen. Thanks to the light around him, he saw thousands of rooms around him, all of them populated with bee-headed people.

”Looks like this is the central area of the nest. The bee-headed people here are larger.... They’re around tens of meters tall....” He kept staring at the green light, the only glowing object within the ring. ”Is that a palm?”

He used his Sky Plundering Eye to doublecheck, and he was right. The glowing object was shaped like a palm about the size of his own. The closer he looked at it, the more immersed in it he became. Eventually, he finally reached it.

”It’s made entirely out of green light... it isn’t flesh and blood at all.” Had it been physical, it would be rather scary. ”There isn’t a middle finger, is there?” Tianming soon noticed an odd part about the palm. It only had four fingers; the middle one was missing. It immediately reminded him of Yi Taoyao, who had taken the giant middle finger from him.

”Looks like I’m missing the last one. Does that mean I have to get them all and put my palm together with this glowing palm to activate the ring? Will I get something from it?” There were no hints at all. Other than that, the world inside the ring made him feel nothing but fear of the unknown. The boundless nest and all the people within it surely didn’t give off any good vibes. He gave it much thought and decided not to mess around.

He stayed in front of the palm of light for a few moments. Then, he looked down and noticed a large black area underneath in the middle of the nest. The side of each edge looked to be at least a thousand meters long. He had been so drawn to the palm that he had totally missed spotting the giant bees’ room down below, though it didn’t help that it was dull black.

”That’s weird....” He seemed a little troubled as he descended to the black membrane below. There seemed to be a thick fog underneath the membrane that prevented him from seeing anything clearly.

”The other rooms have bee-headed people over ten meters tall.... If there’s one in here as well, how big would it be? Who would it be?” He recalled the astral giantess whose fingers he had obtained. She had tapped him with her fingers four times, giving him one breakthrough per tap! The sight of the astral giantess only paled in comparison to the dreamscapes of the Primordial Chaos Beasts and that of the star beyond the colorless door in the Grand-Orient Sword.

”If that person really is alive, does that mean the bee-headed people are part of the army she commands? Is every single soldier in her army a cosmic cartographer? Wouldn’t I end the world if I let them out?” He felt overwhelmed by the sheer weight of the terror. Before entering the Oldgod Domain, he’d had no idea what sort of horrors lay resting within. And now he was inside the ancestral world, still with no way of talking to his seniors. The only thing he knew was that the Infinitum Stele had come from a place far, far away and the Oldgod Domain probably had similar origins.

”The Infinitum Stele has a long history in Ebonia. But if even Grandfather won’t be able to live for ten thousand years, how long could the astral giantess remain slumbering? If the nest is really some kind of tomb and everything inside is just corpses, then why am I benefiting from it?” He looked up and focused on the incomplete palm. ”Looks like all the secrets lie within that.

He stood there, pondering for a long moment. ”Oh, how do I even leave this place?” He finally realized that if he wasn’t able to solve that problem, the ring would be like a prison for him. Yin Chen told him that everyone was charging ahead right now. Meow Meow was making good speed, but without him, they would be in quite a bit of danger if a fight broke out.

”One more finger....” He furrowed his brows. After hanging around the area a bit longer, he still had nothing to show for it. There didn’t seem to be an exit anywhere. He kept looking at the palm before, then he suddenly heard a gentle, womanly voice.

”Come....” It sounded incredibly dreamlike, as if his own mother was calling out for him from the depths of space. Hearing the voice without warning gave him chills, but the gentle tone soothed his nerves and made him feel warm. He felt like a child again, basking in his mother’s embrace.

”Who’s there?” He looked down and realized that the voice had come from the giant bees’ room below. The membrane seemed to be undulating, which made his hair stand from fear despite the soothing voice.

”My dear, don’t be afraid. I won’t harm you.” The voice immediately wiped away his fear. Not even the Soul Tower had a reaction, which meant that nothing was trying to manipulate his soul.

”To think that such an eccentric power exists in the universe.... The sound alone is able to make me relax.” He could feel himself being made to feel pleasant about the mysterious speaker, but even knowing that, there was nothing he could do to resist it. He felt like a starving person who had just been served freshly roasted chicken. He simply couldn’t help approaching it, eventually landing on the undulating membrane.

”My dear, let me touch you.” The membrane wrapped around Tianming. He saw the depressions of a hand pushing out from the membrane, touching his head through it.

”Uggh....” He struggled and sensed danger, but his body lost all power after hearing the dreamy voice.

”Don’t fear me. That’ll just make me sad. You’re my only hope, I won’t hurt you,” said the gentle voice with a melancholic tone. All feelings of resistance Tianming had felt melted away.

”Huh?” He could feel the warmth of her palm through the membrane. The person was alive! But her palm was so big that he felt like an insect within it.

”Are you a specter?!” He recalled that powerful specters could have really huge bodies.

”I’m not...” she chuckled, like a mother would at her child’s wild imagination.

”Then what are you—” Before he could finish, he was engulfed in a bright green light that felt all too familiar to him.

”Relax and focus on comprehending these deep insights.”

Hearing that voice felt like drinking warm soup on a cold night, spreading warmth all through his body. His divine wills were growing once more! He could feel it in his albi!

”This again?”