Night Without End

"Across from me, could it be the little Tathagata, handpicked by the Ancestor Master in jest back then?" Among the outer domain guests, a bald old man's eyes gleamed with golden radiance as he gazed towards the Ancestor Master of Newborn Road.

In fact, the present Buddha had been watching him too, feeling unsettled, and had already discerned with his "Wisdom Eye" that this seemed to be the First Disciple of his old senior brother.

But they had been separated for over five hundred years, and with the passage of time, they both had become very different from the past.

"Are you... Brother Zhan Long?"

"It's me, little Tathagata, you've grown so tall!"

No one expected that the ringing of the divine treasure—Golden Bell, which fell from Yujing originally thought to herald a "Heavenly Change," would instead turn into a large reunion scene here.

Some relatively "young" Ancestor Masters seemed dazed, mistakenly thinking a formidable enemy had arrived, when in fact, they were some old seniors who had left Ye State.

These people had not left Ye State together back then, but it seemed they all eventually reached the same region.

"Brother, since you've returned, why didn't you return to the ancestral court and instead linger outside?"

"Alas, the nearer to home, the more apprehensive I become. After more than five hundred years, I fear things have changed. Re-stepping onto my homeland, I wander around, reminiscing about the past while also learning about the changes over these centuries."

...

That day, the world was shaken, the cities beneath the night sky were in an uproar, and people were astounded.

This was not a shocking title penned with exaggeration by the "shock department" of the Nightly News, but people across the world were genuinely stunned.

Hundreds of years ago, some Ancestor Masters left Ye State with their disciples to explore new worlds. Those disciples have now broken through and become Ancestor Masters themselves, returning today.

Among these, those who left earliest have been gone for nearly six hundred years, while the slightly closer group left about four hundred and eighty years ago.

"Investigate more, report more!" Even leaders of major organizations were on tenterhooks, eager to uncover the true story of where these people went, why they lost contact for centuries, and why they suddenly returned.

Subsequently, various messages spread out.

Among those returning were even relatives of contemporary Old Ancestor Masters.

For example, the Ancestor Master of Newborn Road, Qingtian, his second son, missing for over five hundred years, has unexpectedly returned.

Originally, Qingtian had suffered severe injuries and was in a life-and-death retreat, but was so shocked that he came out of seclusion immediately.

"Father, your son is unfilial, lingering outside the Mountain Sect for many days, too fearful to enter the ancestral court, unable to ease your burdens, instead disrupting your recovery."

Qingtian looked at him repeatedly, asking, "Are you really my offspring?"

"Father, do you not recognize me?" Qingtian's second son, with white hair and tears in his eyes, knelt down with a thud, moving forward on his knees.

In the following days, Ye State was abuzz with discussion, from the brightly lit cities to the remote villages and towns, everyone got the news eventually.

Qin Ming was also dumbfounded; he heard about it only four days later, when a traveling merchant arrived in nearby Yinteng Town with the news.

It can only be said that the Black and White Mountain region is indeed too remote, and communication of messages is sluggish.

He pondered for a long time, realizing this event had significant implications. What area did those people explore back then, could they have settled at the same location deep in the Yewu World?

At the same time, he was keen to know if any disciples of the Silk Calligraphy Ancestor Master had returned.

Some truths gradually unraveled.

This time, over eighty people entered Ye State, evidently only a portion belongs to those returning to their homeland.

"In the distance, there is a vast and brilliant realm, its vast territory boundless, with splendid mountains and rivers, its majestic ranges stretching like dragons. A land blessed with spirit and beauty, where heroes emerge in great numbers and talents gather. Giant cities are scattered like stars, countless and immensely grand. The cultivation civilization is flourishing, with secret techniques as vast as a sea of clouds..."

The news spread and instantly shook the world.

The most important thing was that this extremely glorious civilization was a powerful country owned by humans.

For several days afterward, everyone was talking about that dazzling human civilization, causing widespread discussion.

The Nightly News, World Report, and Daylight News spared no ink in lavishly reporting, presenting a magnificent world with tidal waves of information.

Many felt a longing, wishing they could embark on a journey to witness it themselves.

"There are Earth Immortals presiding there!"

With each new piece of information revealed, it stirred people's emotions.

It should be known that Ye State harbors great dread for civilizations with Earth Immortals. Now hearing that in a human-majority country, the cultivation civilization flourished to such an extent, excitement was inevitable.

"There are even Sevenfold Sun Overlay achievers who, without changing life forms, successfully reach the Seventh Realm."

On the release of this news, the world was astounded.

On Ye State's side, with the constant road expansion, generally speaking, each generation was stronger than the last. In this era, if Ancestor Masters in certain extreme fields wanted to change their life form, they might be able to succeed as Earth Immortals.

For example, Leng Mingkong, Helian Chengyun, and others.

However, Ancestor Masters on Ye State's side are not focused on this.

They want to maintain their original form, destroying dead wood, battling through Heavenly Gates, and establishing themselves in the Seventh Realm.

Currently, the human country far away has already expanded into that domain; the information brought back by those who had left indeed caused a more significant shock.

It's said that in these days, seeds of the Esoteric Buddhism, Fangwai, and Newborn Road, are closely interacting, enthusiastically exchanging with those young people who have traveled from afar.

Some Immortal Seeds and Divine Seeds even wish to travel, going to that mysterious country to further their studies and improve themselves.

That splendid human civilization is rooted in a vast and beautiful land southwest of Ye State, thriving with high prosperity, at least one and a half million miles away from Ye State's visible path.

"The most critical thing is, traveling between the two places requires passing through a misty zone, where there's a 'gate,' suspected to be a shortcut."

Otherwise, it's hard to say clearly just how far apart the two places really are.

Outside, the world is in uproar, with waves of information crashing down, shattering the tranquility utterly.

In the Black and White Mountain, Qin Ming seemed isolated from the world, unperturbed by the distant commotions, quietly cultivating.

The returning "travelers" were almost world-renowned, occupying every focal topic.

Of course, amidst all the heated discussion, there were also some "discordant" voices; for instance, the "Truth Report" once voiced its opinion, questioning why those people remained silent for so long.

"The traveling seniors were lucky, successfully avoiding the two bloody wars from four hundred and fifty years ago. In that era, nearly all the Old Ancestor Masters fought to the last. If they had returned two months earlier in this era, with their cultivation and experience, they could have shone in this era's external battles, perhaps somewhat mending the 'regrets' of those years."

These words carried a hint of criticism but did resonate with some people.

However, there weren't many overly aggressive words from all sides, and everyone stopped appropriately.

Throughout history, many masters from Ye State ventured deep into the Yewu World, most never returning, their fates mysterious. Such a large group returning in this manner is indeed rare.

That exceedingly splendid human civilization country is very important to Ye State; if there are no issues, many masters along various paths wish to go and travel.

"Let the east, south, west, and north winds blow, I will first focus on cultivation!" Qin Ming sat under the Black and White Tree, gradually merging himself with the twin trees, transforming into a Yin Yang Diagram, black and white energies swirling rapidly around him.