Chapter 1751 - I'm All Too Willing
When Tianming left the wondersky realm, he saw Sovereign Starfeather and the others waiting for an explanation. Many other astralkings and leaders of other clans were also there. The Kilostar Capital was fully ready, and with a single word from Tianming, they would wipe out the unstable astral hole. The patriarchs of the five archclans were also enraged on Tianming's behalf.
"Astralking Tianming, we only need your word and we’ll make sure the primalwingers can’t escape," the Crimsonmeld Patriarch said.
"Since we started interacting with Primary, they’ve never been so brash. It's said that the last opening of the Kunlan Realm let out an explosive number of primalwings, considerably strengthening them. But what’s the point of being stronger in a collapsing world?" the Violetcloud Patriarch said.
In truth, both large factions of Violetglory had never cared about the primalwingers. With the matter settled, Tianming looked at the various leaders awaiting his word. They weren't just doing this for him. Instead, they couldn't stand being provoked like that. "Sovereign, the matter is quite complicated. I wish to speak to you in private about it. Apologies, everyone. This concerns some rather secretive matters," he earnestly said. Even then, many of them were a little unhappy about it, though they didn't complain given Tianming's current predicament.
The Violetcloud Patriarch said, "Very well. However, we need to hear whether we’re to attack Primary."
"We won't," Tianming said."Oh, fine. Looks like it was just a waste of time."
The other patriarchs looked a little crushed, but that wasn't Tianming's concern. He went into a secret room with the sovereign and said, "My deepest apologies. This is a personal matter, and it’s caused such a huge misunderstanding. To simplify things, Ling'er has some deep ties with the Kunlan Realm. The primalwigners weren't at fault for this. Instead, they were controlled by Ling'er and had no intention of antagonizing the imperium."
"What?" The sovereign looked at him with disbelief. How could a single girl control the entire primalwinger race? "Are all the people around you monsters like that?"
Tianming smiled and shook his head, not knowing how to respond.
Sovereign Starfeather fell into deep thought for a while. "Tianming, tell me honestly. Will she be a threat to Violetglory in her current state? Don't underestimate the desire of primalwingers for a stable nova source world. That isn't something you can even fathom."
"For now, there isn't. They don't have that power, either. If there's something I overlooked, I’ll take responsibility and ensure that Violetglory doesn't suffer because of it."𝙛𝘳ee𝓌e𝗯n𝗼ѵ𝙚𝗹.𝒄𝚘m
"Very well. I trust you." The sovereign patted him on the shoulder.
"Many thanks." For Tianming to be given so much trust made him want to live up to it. Sovereign Starfeather was quite gutsy to be willing to support him.
"So, at the end of the day, this was a lover's spat of sorts?" the sovereign said, laughing.
"In a sense, but it's fine now. We already made up."
"With how weird that girl is, it's like she's made for you. You’d better keep your hands away from all those other lasses or there will be trouble."
"What? I didn't lay my hands on anyone else."
"Don't bother explaining. It'll only be seen as covering up. At your age, you already have countless fans. The girls are all going mad for you. It'd be hard to imagine you completely keeping your hands off them." The sovereign laughed at Tianming struggling to argue back. "It's really impossible to tell. You were clearly fighting at the level of an eighth-level sovereign, yet how did you get the power to face off against the primalwinger overlord?"
"It was a life-saving measure that my seniors have given me. It can only temporarily be used. I would’ve been killed otherwise," Tianming said. He had no choice but to bluff the sovereign about his Omnisentient Threads, as he still had to count on the sovereign since Feiling was still near Violetglory. He also created an illusion of his illustrious background. At the very least, the bluff would be able to somewhat secure a working relationship between them.
"Impressive." The sovereign shot him a thumbs-up, but he was actually praising the seniors behind the scenes. He seemed to think that Tianming did indeed have an impressive background, but was clearly facing some trouble since he had to roam about in the astralscape. Thus, he decided to invest in the sure-win relationship. His doubts were mostly cleared.
Tianming said, "If Ling'er runs into any trouble, I hope she’ll receive help, Sovereign." With her still being in an unstable state, Tianming would only feel relieved enough to leave if the sovereign agreed to help. Even though he could still meet her in Soulburn Hall, there would be nothing he could do being so far away from her.
"Don't worry and leave it to me." The sovereign pointed outside and said, "Look, the primalwinger overlord is here."
Tianming recalled that he was there to deliver the Prime Tower, which Feiling had helped retrieve. It had even been restored with an additional component, making it a grade-nine divine artifact. He looked forward to what new changes that would bring as he left the Kilostar Capital with the sovereign. The primalwinger overlord seemed incredibly polite. He started off by apologizing to the sovereign and took out the long-lost Prime Tower from his spatial ring. From the outside, it didn't look like it had changed. As Tianming would have more than enough time to study it on the way back to Orderia, he put it away for now.
"Since it was all just a misunderstanding, we'll leave it at that," the sovereign said.
"We’re truly sorry," the primalwinger overlord said.
"Jiang Feiling will remain in your care. If something happens to her, we'll seek you out for an explanation."
"Understood." The primalwinger overlord didn't argue at all. There was a hint of blue light coming from his eyes, making him look like a loyal servant. His trip was also not for naught; the astralkings and patriarchs had also seen his heartfelt apology and were willing to let things go.
"Return!" The Kilostar Capital returned to its original spot as the sovereign piloted it. Tianming unwillingly watched as Primary slowly shrunk from view.
"Even though that world is destined for doom, it's still a radiant flower in its final days." Like fireworks, it would beautifully bloom before eventually fading away. It reminded him of what Feiling had said. "Perhaps there was truth in her words."
Would yearning really be the cure for what ailed them? He already missed her right after leaving her. Before returning to Orderia, he would still have to go back to Violetglory. Lingfeng and the others were still there, and he had to reclaim the Yin Chens he had left behind. Orderia wasn't Violetglory, after all. In Violetglory, he could fight without worrying about dying, but he would be risking his life in Orderia. There was only one chance for him.
The Kilostar Capital finally landed. Tianming returned to Violetpeak and explained what had happened to Qingyu and the rest. Yin Chen had already told them about it as it unfolded, but the explanation lacked detail. After hearing the full story, they were quite perturbed.
"Did Ling'er really say that?" Qingyu asked.
"Yes."
"Big Brother, did you do something bad to anger her?"
"Nonsense. I'm not that kind of person."
"It's hard to say...."
Tianming decided to let her comb over the fine details. After some thought, she said, "Based on what I know about her, she's worried that she almost got you killed and feels really bad about it."
Tianming didn't know whether this parting would be good for them.
Xiaoxiao also gave it some thought. "Why don't I go there and accompany her? I don't think I'll be able to help at Orderia anyway. If I'm at Primary, however, I can give you frequent reports about her even if she doesn't enter the wondersky realm."
"Oh?" That hadn't occurred to Tianming. Qingyu, Lingfeng, and he all wanted to go back for Li Wudi, but Xiaoxiao didn't have anything to do with him. Not to mention, there wasn't much she could do to help with the sun emperor's matter either.
"Xiaoxiao, are you sure?" Tianming asked.
"Yeah. It's pretty good here, and I'll be able to help lighten your worries a little."
Tianming felt much better with Xiaoxiao looking after things. She had also known Feiling since their days in Ignispolis, after all. What Tianming didn't know was that the Archaionfiend was already cursing at her from within.
"Are you an idiot? They're finally drifting apart, so here's your chance! Why’re you staying back? To serve the madam? Sheesh, you really piss me off! Of all the people you choose to remain with, you chose her!" The one the Archaionfiend feared the most was Feiling. It was only obedient because of the Bloodrose Curse, its eternal nightmare.
"I want to do this," she said."Why?" asked the Archaionfiend.
"No reason. I just want to help to lighten his worries."
"You're already poisoned. Sick and poisoned.... I hope the sickness kills you quickly."
"I'm all too willing." Those words almost killed the Archaionfiend outright.
It heaved a long, exasperated sigh. "Fine, stay here if you want. Perhaps we can find a chance to consume the caeli in Imperius Ruins. Once our power grows, not even sovereigns will be our match. Without Li Tianming here to stop us, we'll rise like never before!"
Xiaoxiao ignored the beast, knowing full well what it wanted. She was increasingly firm in her convictions and wouldn't be affected by the temptation of the Archaionfiend. All it could do was throw a tantrum.