On the Pacific Ocean.
All the warriors of the Dragon Kingdom stared blankly at the seven figures standing in the sky.
Xia Lingwu took a deep breath, a light gradually appearing in his eyes.
Whether these figures were gods or men.
At the very least—
The Dragon Kingdom was saved.
Humanity was saved.
"Go. Follow me to greet them."
Xia Lingwu straightened his back, tidied the collar of his military uniform, and led the group forward, striding toward the direction where Shen Lian had stood.
The Dragon Kingdom had always been a land of propriety and courtesy.
Shen Lian and his companions had saved the world from fire and blood. They deserved gratitude.
This was the demeanor of a great nation.
Yet before they could approach—
A gentle breeze swept past.
Shen Lian and the other six figures vanished instantly.
A burst of astonished cries echoed out, as countless people were even more convinced—this was the descent of gods.
They knelt lower, heads pressed against the earth, and didn't dare to look up for a long time.
---
At the same time.
Aoyama City.
In front of a large public screen on a bustling street.
Two figures, one old and one young, stood quietly in the crowd, watching the live broadcast with reverent expressions.
The elderly woman wore a traditional Chinese robe. Though she appeared to be in her eighties, her figure remained upright. Her white hair was meticulously combed, and she wore a long black coat of refined simplicity.
Though time had left lines on her face, there was no trace of senility. Instead, she exuded an aura of nobility and grace.
It could be seen faintly that in her youth, she had come from a prominent family and must have been a peerless beauty.
Standing beside her was a teenage girl in her early eighteenth year. Her youthful face was clear and delicate, filled with vigor and elegance.
Seeing that the Dragon Kingdom's crisis had passed, both the elderly woman and the girl smiled in heartfelt relief.
"Grandma, look. That person in the black bird-feather robe, doesn't he look like your uncle and grandpa?"
The girl suddenly exclaimed as if she recognized something. She covered her mouth in surprise.
"Your uncle and grandpa?"
The elderly woman, known as Shen Man, raised her brows and then chided gently.
"Qingqing, don't speak nonsense. Your uncle and grandpa disappeared decades ago."
"But Grandma," Shen Qingqing said anxiously, "The one in black just now really looked like the man in that old photo you showed me!"
"Still at it?"
Shen Man frowned, shooting her a disapproving glance.
Shen Qingqing had no choice but to shut her mouth.
Not long after—
Swish.
A sleek, custom-made Flying Goddess limousine glided to a stop in front of them.
A driver in pristine white gloves stepped out, opening the door courteously and gesturing for Shen Man and Shen Qingqing to board.
The vehicle slowly pulled forward, heading down a wide street lined with Parasol Trees.
"Grandma, where are we going?" Shen Qingqing asked curiously from the passenger seat.
"To the ancestral home of the Shen family," the elderly woman said softly. "It's time we went back for a look."
She opened her bag and pulled out a photograph, gently rubbing the worn surface with her thumb.
The photo was yellowed with age—a simple family portrait.
A smiling middle-aged couple stood in the back.
In front stood a boy and a girl.
The boy wore the uniform of Qingshan City No. 1 Middle School. He had a sunny smile, gleaming white teeth, and eyes full of youthful vitality.
The girl looked several years younger, clinging to the boy's arm with a cheerful grin.
Beneath the photo, four names were written clearly.
Father: Shen Guoan
Mother: Tang Huihui
Son: Shen Lian
Daughter: Shen Man
The old woman's thumb paused over her brother's name. Her gaze drifted outside the window.
The Parasol Trees flew by in reverse, a blur of green and memory.
Nostalgia rose in her heart.
"Brother, little sister… I don't know whether you're alive or not. If you are, I've searched for sixty years. Why hasn't there been a single word from you?"
She murmured, eyes misty as she stared out.
Scenes of their childhood—running, laughing, playing—rushed through her mind like a flood.
She shook her head and chuckled softly.
"Ay… this is what happens when you grow old. You start clinging to the past. Some things and people come back unbidden."
Shen Qingqing, turning her head, smiled impishly.
"Hehe. No wonder I see old folks sitting in the courtyard all day, doing nothing but sunbathing. Grandma, do you think they're remembering the past too?"
"Yes," Shen Man replied, a trace of warmth in her voice.
Then Shen Qingqing spoke up again.
"Grandma, I'm serious! That immortal brother in the black feather robe really looked like uncle and grandpa! I wasn't imagining it!"
The old woman didn't answer but carefully placed the photo back in her bag.
She looked away from the window and smiled gently.
"If your uncle and grandpa were still alive, they'd be in their nineties. How could they still look so young?"
One old and one young. They continued their conversation, casual yet filled with emotion.
Screech.
With the sound of brakes, the Flying Goddess limousine stopped before a quiet, time-worn bungalow.
The car door opened.
The old woman stepped out, trembling slightly as she leaned on her cane, supported by Shen Qingqing.
"Father. Mother. Brother Lian. Xiaoman has come to see you."
She muttered gently as she walked into the Shen family's ancestral residence.
---
At the same moment.
On Elm Street, not far from the ancestral home—
Shen Lian walked slowly down the road.
He wore no immortal robes. Instead, he was clad in ordinary modern clothes, and his cultivation was completely suppressed.
He moved like an ordinary man, hands clasped behind his back, quietly taking in the sights.
No one recognized him.
No one noticed that Shen Lian and Xuan Ba beside him were the very ones who had stood like gods at the Pacific front just moments ago.
"Heaven and Earth. The inverse journey of all things. Time is the traveler of a hundred generations."
Shen Lian murmured as he gazed at the once-familiar streets now replaced by towering buildings.
"I never imagined that when I left Earth back then… it would be ten thousand years before I looked back."
He sighed.
"The years have truly passed in vain."