The group acknowledged the order and quickly sorted themselves out. The first batch of over twenty, led by
Truth be told, leaving soul imprints on the
However, the troops drawn from every pass had only just converged when the Great Dao's eastern and western armies were being assembled. Once the armies were formed, they had immediately charged out of Wind Cloud Pass to battle the
After routing the
So this task could only be carried out during the march.
It was a bit troublesome, but the upside was that not a moment of time would be wasted. As long as personnel allocation was handled properly, it wouldn't slow the army's advance either.
Less than half a day later,
After another half-day or so, the second batch also returned. And so, every member of Dawn had left their soul imprints on the two
Marching was rather monotonous. Everyone quietly cultivated in silence.
Four days after the army had set out from Wind Cloud Pass,
A streak of light was hurtling toward them from behind the army's flank at extraordinary speed. That light moved so fast it had already surpassed the comprehension of ordinary cultivators, and it was no slower than his own Space Spatial Shift.
The streak of light appeared to be heading toward the central army's position, but upon sensing
The light faded, revealing a slender figure.
Other Dawn Squad members on the deck — those operating various formations — had been wondering who this girl was and what she was doing here. The moment they heard
This uninvited guest was actually an Old Ancestor!
They had long heard that Yin Yang Pass's Old Ancestor was a woman, but they had never seen her with their own eyes. It was only now that they realized this Old Ancestor looked nothing like what they had imagined — she appeared as a beautiful young girl.
Come to think of it, it was hard to say whether it was because women cultivated more slowly than men, or for some other reason, but the higher one's cultivation, the smaller the proportion of women became. Especially at the Old Ancestor level — among the hundred-odd human Old Ancestors, only a dozen or twenty were female, while the rest were all male.
With an Old Ancestor standing before them, even this group of Dawn Squad members — wild and unruly veterans who had earned formidable reputations on battlefields across the land — were entirely respectful, not daring to even breathe too loudly.
The Old Ancestor's beautiful eyes studied
With her keen perception, she could naturally see that
In fact, she was rather curious — how many years would it take
"I have the Old Ancestor to thank. Nothing major has come up these past few years, so I've been in closed-door cultivation the entire time and have made some small gains,"
The Old Ancestor gave a slight nod. "Rapid cultivation isn't a bad thing, so long as your foundation remains solid."
"This Disciple understands."
The Old Ancestor continued, "The reason I asked you to accompany this army is also because I considered that your Small Universe might be useful for my healing. This campaign to reclaim Great Dao will inevitably require me to clash with that Domain Lord several times. When that happens, I'll need to borrow your strength."
The Old Ancestor reached out and patted
The pat sent
He quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Old Ancestor — roughly how long will it take us to reach Great Dao Pass?"
The Old Ancestor withdrew her hand and gazed toward the direction the army was advancing. "The distance between passes is vast. At the army's current marching speed, I'd estimate it will take a year or two at the very least before we reach the Great Dao theater."
The Old Ancestor smiled. "Otherwise, why do you think reinforcements can't be sent between passes on a large scale? It's because the distances are simply too great. Moreover, every pass has to face its own enemies. If you send reinforcements out from one side and the enemy attacks in force, there's no way to recall those troops in time — and that would be disastrous. If the passes were close enough together, the situation on the
The Old Ancestor before him had fought alongside Wind Cloud Pass's Old Ancestor against the