When Ancestor Xiaoxiao was injured, she could use Yang Kai's Small Universe to heal, and the Mo Race King could use the Mo Nest—both had their sources of assistance.
However, relatively speaking, the King using the Mo Nest to heal was intelligence the humans had long known, while the Mo Race had no idea that Ancestor Xiaoxiao could similarly draw upon external aid.
Though this was merely a simple intelligence gap, it could still be exploited to great effect.
From the Mo Race King's perspective, he had only used the Mo Nest's power to heal for a mere twenty or thirty years, and his injuries were far from cured. The human Ancestor, needless to say, must also still be recovering.
But today, Ancestor Xiaoxiao had suddenly appeared and struck at the Mo King City, presenting herself in perfect health. This left the Mo Race King utterly baffled, unable to understand why the human Ancestor's injuries had healed so quickly. The moment they clashed, the Mo Race King was thoroughly shocked.
Ancestor Xiaoxiao's original plan had been simple: exploit her advantage in healing to relentlessly pressure the Mo Race King.
This time, her injuries were fully healed while the Mo Race King was still wounded. Barring any surprises, a single battle would surely worsen his condition.
After the fight, she would return to Yang Kai for healing, and once her injuries had recovered, she would challenge the Mo Race King again.
After a few rounds of this, the Mo Race King wouldn't last a hundred years. His injuries would never recover—just as they began to heal, Ancestor Xiaoxiao would strike him down again, each time dealing worse damage. Eventually, he would be no match for her whatsoever.
When that time came, Ancestor Xiaoxiao could subdue him with ease, without fear of him resorting to any mutually destructive secret arts.
But when she discovered that the Mo Race King could actually draw upon the Mo Nest's power to strengthen himself, she knew her original plan was no longer viable.
The King's injuries had indeed not healed, but with the Mo Nest's power, he could still unleash formidable combat strength.
Ancestor Xiaoxiao could even sense that even at her full power, within the bounds of the Mo King City, she would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
Thus, upon realizing this, she decisively suppressed her own strength and feigned the appearance of still being injured.
This pretense had obvious flaws, but from the King's perspective, it was only natural.
Last time, they had both been severely wounded. In a mere twenty or thirty years, he himself had not recovered—on what grounds could the human Ancestor have done so?
After that, her decision to target the Mo Race armies on both flanks had also been a spur-of-the-moment idea.
Since there was nothing she could do about the King, she would strike at the Mo Race armies instead, creating better conditions for the Eastern and Western armies' assault.
In truth, to wreak havoc on the Mo Race's two armies, the Ancestor had paid a considerable price. Putting everything else aside, when she killed the third Mo Disciple, she had been struck by a treacherous blow from the Mo Race King. The reason no signs of it showed was merely that she had endured it through sheer willpower.
After that, the Ancestor had decisively lured the King away in order to prevent him from continuing to draw upon the Mo Nest's power.
In the depths of the void, as the two clashed, the Ancestor continued to suppress some of her strength, maintaining the pretense of still being injured, and fought the King in a battle that shook heaven and earth.
This was also why the Ancestor, upon her return this time, could still maintain her original appearance.
It should be known that after her return last time, she had immediately transformed into the form of a three-year-old child and remained unconscious for several years before finally waking.
It could be said that her current condition was far better than last time.
"I thought I was hiding it well. I didn't expect you to see through it," the Ancestor said with some regret.
Yang Kai laughed helplessly. "You're healing in my Small Universe—how could I not know the full picture? But the King certainly wouldn't be able to tell. You can rest assured about that."
"That's true enough," the Ancestor nodded slightly. "But it seems the Mo Nest is not only useful for the Mo Race's cultivation. Within the range of the Mo Nest's power, the Mo Race can also draw upon it to enhance their own strength."
Yang Kai caught her meaning immediately. "The Great Evolution Pass?"
The Ancestor nodded. "There's also a Mo Nest at Great Evolution Pass. It likely can strengthen those Domain Lords as well. Find an opportunity to send word—have the Northern and Southern armies exercise caution and not attack Great Evolution lightly."
Yang Kai accepted the order. "Understood. I'll relay the intelligence up the chain."
"I'm tired. I'll heal first." With that, Ancestor Xiaoxiao sat cross-legged on the bed.
The next instant, her body rapidly shrank. In the span of just a few breaths, she transformed from an adult woman into the appearance of a seven- or eight-year-old child.
Just as Yang Kai had first seen her in the Yin-Yang Pass market all those years ago.
This scene further confirmed that her condition was far better than last time.
As the Ancestor began her healing, Yang Kai respectfully withdrew.
At the valley entrance where the Small Universe had been unfurled, the two Seventh-Order Open Heaven who stood guard suddenly exchanged glances as they both received Yang Kai's divine sense transmission.
One of them nodded. "I'll report to the army commander immediately."
Shortly after, aboard the Mo-Expelling Warship, Xiang Shan, Liu Zhiping, and the others listened to this Seventh-Order Open Heaven's report, learning that the Mo Race could use the Mo Nest to bolster their own strength.
They immediately dispatched personnel toward Great Evolution Pass to notify the Northern and Southern armies.
Though the Northern and Southern armies were unlikely to proactively attack Great Evolution, the intelligence still needed to be relayed promptly. However, the distance was vast, and it would take at least a month for the Northern and Southern armies to receive this information.
After the bloody battle between the Great Evolution Eastern and Western armies and the Mo Race's grand forces, both sides enjoyed a full twenty years of relative peace.