Xuande fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
His tone was calm, yet carried an unshakable conviction:
"I appreciate your kindness, fellow Daoists.
But I truly feel no breakthrough coming this time.
The merit has entered my body and mostly merged with my Origin Essence, strengthening my foundation. There's no need for an urgent retreat to sort it out as there would be after a breakthrough. Besides..."
He paused and lifted his eyes toward the distance, his gaze far-reaching:
"Since my Form Transformation, I first discussed the Dao with you two, then devoted myself to the great undertaking of repairing the Earth Veins. More than ten thousand years have passed.
Though I was born in the West, I have never truly traveled through the Primordial Wilderness.
Now that the Earth Veins have been stabilized, and you two need to enter seclusion, this is the perfect opportunity.
I'd like to take this chance to travel alone, to see the world and experience the vastness of the Primordial Wilderness."
Understanding flickered in Jieyin's eyes.
When he had first embarked on the path of the Dao, he too had traveled alone, visiting fellow Daoists and broadening his horizons.
Secluded cultivation was certainly important on the path of cultivation, but traveling ten thousand miles, witnessing the vastness of Heaven and Earth, and observing the rise and fall of all things were equally indispensable forms of experience.
He nodded. "You speak wisely, fellow Daoist.
The path of cultivation calls for both movement and stillness. Secluded meditation and insights gained through travel are two sides of the same coin.
In that case, travel without worry. My junior brother and I will look after Mount Sumeru. When you return, we'll meet again."
Zhunti was somewhat reluctant.
After all these years of discussing the Dao and working alongside Xuande, he had come to regard this profound and steady fellow Daoist as a true companion and a source of support.
But he also knew Xuande was right.
He smiled. "Then make sure you come back soon, fellow Daoist.
My recent breakthrough has given me many new insights into the Way of Mystical Applications. I'm looking forward to discussing them with you and testing my understanding when you return!
And without you beneath the Bodhi Tree, it just doesn't feel the same."
Xuande felt a warm glow in his heart.
His relationship with Jieyin and Zhunti had begun with wariness and calculations of mutual benefit.
But after tens of thousands of years working together and fighting side by side, a true bond between fellow Daoists had quietly taken root.
He smiled.
"Don't worry. I'll travel for a while, and once I've gained something from the journey, I'll return to Mount Sumeru.
Then I'll trouble you both to continue discussing the Dao with me."
Jieyin nodded and said solemnly:
"Take care on your journey, fellow Daoist. The Primordial Wilderness is vast, but it is not without danger. Though your cultivation is profound, you must still be cautious."
"Thank you for the reminder, fellow Daoist." Xuande returned the salute.
Jieyin and Zhunti did not linger. After bidding Xuande farewell, they rode their Escape Lights toward Mount Sumeru.
Xuande floated alone in midair, watching their figures disappear into the distance.
The surroundings fell utterly quiet. Only the rustle of the wind across the wasteland and the faint resonance of Spiritual Energy flowing through the repaired Earth Veins could be heard.
He turned and gazed into the distance.
The vast land stretched in every direction, reaching all the way to the horizon.
The newly repaired Earth Veins flowed quietly underground, releasing Spiritual Energy that was thin but fresh and pure, nourishing this long-scarred land.
Some of the most drought-resistant grasses had already begun to push tender green shoots out of the earth in a few damp corners, swaying gently in the breeze.
This was the land he had spent tens of thousands of years helping to repair with his own hands.
Now he stood alone upon it.
Watching those tiny changes, so full of life.
A complex feeling rose in Xuande's heart, difficult to put into words.
Contentment, fulfillment, and a faint, indefinable melancholy.
Tens of thousands of years had passed. Since his Form Transformation, it seemed he had always been rushing toward some goal.
He had sought freedom through Form Transformation.
He had joined Mount Sumeru to resolve his karma.
He had repaired the Earth Veins for merit and to strengthen the West's foundations...
Every decision had been made after careful consideration. Every step had been cautious and sound.
But now, with all the urgent tasks temporarily at an end.
Now that he no longer had to hurry toward any particular goal.
He suddenly wanted to walk without a destination.
Not for any reason.
Just to walk, and to see.
Xuande drew a deep breath.
He put the thought aside, summoned his Escape Light, and flew slowly eastward, in the direction opposite Mount Sumeru.
He did not fly fast.
There was no appointment he needed to keep, no task awaiting completion.
He simply followed his heart, traveling east along the contours of the land.
At first, the familiar sights of the West still filled his view:
The mountains and rivers were somewhat barren, the vegetation sparse, and though the Spiritual Energy was slowly recovering, it still fell far short of the East's exuberance.
As he passed several mountain ranges whose Earth Veins he had once helped Jieyin and Zhunti restore, he deliberately descended and landed on a mountaintop.
He had personally helped clear the Earth Veins here.
He pressed his palm to the ground and let his divine sense sink beneath the surface.
He could clearly sense several slender Spiritual Veins flowing smoothly and quietly below, carrying a faint, familiar trace of energy.
It was the mark left behind when his Merit Golden Light had merged with them: gentle and pure, like a silent guardian.
He smiled faintly, rose, and continued on his way.
As he left the edge of the West, Xuande glanced back.
That vast land on the horizon would, in a sense, always be his "homeland."
He silently promised himself, I'll come back. Then he turned away and did not look back again.
As soon as he crossed the invisible boundary between East and West, it was as though the colors of Heaven and Earth had changed.
The Eastern sky was loftier and clearer.
The Spiritual Energy was several times denser than in the West. Even a deep breath seemed to draw pure spiritual power into every limb and bone.
The land shifted from grayish yellow to deep brown and even black, fertile and heavy.
The vegetation was astonishingly dense, too. From high above,
he saw nothing but endless stretches of primeval forest, ancient trees towering into the sky and vines hanging down, dotted with mirrorlike lakes and rivers that wound like silver ribbons.
Countless unknown flowers and plants grew freely in the Spiritual Energy-rich valleys, giving off fragrances that were sometimes delicate, sometimes heady.
There were more living creatures, too.
Immortal birds often swept across the sky, their wings resplendent and their cries clear and sweet;
Spirit beasts could be glimpsed among the mountains and forests, some lithe and nimble, others adorably clumsy;
On several peaks and blessed lands where Spiritual Energy gathered, the faint flow of Daoist charm suggested that they were secluded retreats of great powers, places outsiders would not dare approach lightly.
This was the East.
Xuande slowed his flight, traveling through this utterly unfamiliar world in a relaxed, almost leisurely manner.
He had no specific destination and no set route.
He simply followed his whims, heading in a general direction—toward the heart of the Primordial Wilderness.
He was slowly making his way toward the legendary Mount Buzhou, said to prop up Heaven and Earth.
He flew over a mountain range stretching for ten thousand miles.
Its peaks were rugged and steep, with the main summit like a sword thrusting straight into the clouds.
He could sense several extremely powerful auras lying dormant within the mountains. They were ancient and deep, still bearing the lingering force of the great war that followed the Dragon-Han Tribulation.
He did not approach, merely detouring at a distance, though a measure of understanding rose within him.
This must once have been the foundation of one of the great clans involved in the Dragon-Han Tribulation.
The war had ended, but its scars remained. Many great powers had chosen to enter prolonged seclusion, whether to heal their wounds, pursue enlightenment, or recuperate in peace, taking no part in worldly affairs.