After soothing and inspiring the youngsters, the elder let them all go to rest.
Alone and sitting under the tree, the elder turned to look at the ancient tree behind him, staring blankly as if waiting for and expecting something.
"Clan Elder." A middle-aged man quietly appeared behind him, his eyes revealing a hidden worry, "This generation's young ones are far from enough, they are still too far from helping our Clan return to the Top of the Mountains."
The elder remained silent for a long time before saying, "Don't be anxious, according to the covenant between our clan and that individual, someone will appear in this era to lead our clan back to its pinnacle."
The middle-aged man showed a bitter smile. It had been ten thousand years. Was this promise really still valid?
But when he thought of the glorious achievements of that existence, the middle-aged man's eyes once again showed reverence.
"Our clan, in accordance with the covenant, has waited here for ten thousand years. Without any accidents, the chosen successor will soon appear before us."
The elder spoke softly, his gaze hazy as if penetrating the vast darkness outside.
"Clan Elder..." the middle-aged man murmured.
The elder's gaze was absent as he continued to mutter, "He will lead our clan to glory and explore new worlds."
"Clan Elder, someone is coming..."
The elder kept talking to himself, "In the new world, there will be a place for our clan. Even if we cannot return to the Top of the Mountains, it doesn't matter anymore. Our clan will..."
Suddenly, the middle-aged man grabbed the elder's shoulder with a sense of urgency in his voice:
"Clan Elder, someone is here!"
The elder looked up, disgruntled. Didn't this fellow see that he was envisioning the future of the clan?
He was forcibly turned by the middle-aged man and saw a young man standing abruptly under the tree.
On the young man's shoulder lay a golden dragon.
Two days into the investigation, Long Qingyang brought back good news and bad news.
The good news was that this gateway did not have a cooldown period for activation, unlike other gateways controlled by the Federation, which required at least a month to return after use.
The bad news was that this gateway had been sealed for too long and temporarily could not withstand the passage of powerful beings. It could only allow those below the Divine Travel Realm to pass through, needing time to self-repair.
Long Qingyang originally wanted to go through and scout first, but now that idea was dashed.
After contemplating for a moment, Ji Jingqiu decided to go himself. After all, at the True Seed Realm level, he already stood at the pinnacle of the Federation.
Long Qingyang didn't stop him, but materialized a Spiritual Image of himself to accompany Ji Jingqiu, ready to self-destruct and cover for him if necessary.
The gateway was not long, just a few meters, and stepping out of it, Ji Jingqiu inexplicably felt like returning home, every cell in his body as if cheering and leaping for joy. The Dharma was so clear in the darkness that it seemed to weave between his fingers.
It was such a delightful sensation that one could not help but immerse themselves in it.
Ji Jingqiu looked up, and the dome of this world was divided in two by a clear boundary.
One half was endless and deep, darkness Swallowing everything; the other lit by stars, vast and azure. The asteroid belt, like a belt adorned with sparkling jewels, stretched across the dome.
"Stop looking, there's someone ahead, be ready to run back."
The reminder from the Ancestor Master came from the Spiritual Image on his shoulder.
Ji Jingqiu regained his senses and looked at the solemn old man and middle-aged man ahead. He took a slow step back, ready to make a run for it.
Ji Jingqiu was suddenly startled. Was the other party speaking the Federation language?
No, it was Spirit Communication!
The reverberation from the spirit echoed in Ji Jingqiu's heart but did not come from either of the two men in front of him.
A tree branch slowly dropped down, gently brushing over the top of Ji Jingqiu's head, like an elder patting a younger one.
That was the ancient tree standing behind the old man.
[Are you the successor of He? I sense the qi of the Ten Thousand Ancient Blade in you.]
[The little one on your shoulder, is he a descendant of Zhang Daoxuan?]
[Don't be afraid, I am He's companion, you can call me 'Aunt Mu'.]