Neither the Eastern nor Western Army had noticed the Ancestor's absence from the army at all.
After all, the Ancestor was a Ninth-Order Supreme cultivator. Even though she was currently injured, if she wanted to do something discreetly, even
To determine the Ancestor's whereabouts, there was now only one person they could ask.
Before long, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator answered the summons.
When Mi Jinglun looked at him, he saw a familiar face—it was
Both elite squads had fought until they had nothing left, yet he had continued to roam the battlefield alone, carving through the Ink Clan's army with his Phantasm leading the way.
It could be said that in that battle, this Seventh-Order had made significant contributions, creating a major opportunity for the army to break through.
Yang Kai was utterly bewildered at the moment. He had been cultivating aboard the Dawn when the Corps Commander had summoned him, and he had rushed over immediately. As for what it was about, he hadn't the slightest idea.
Upon seeing all the army's senior leadership present, he quickly bowed to each of them and asked: "What do you all need me for?"
Xiang Shan looked at him and said: "Do you know the Ancestor's whereabouts?"
"Ancestor Xiaoxiao?" Yang Kai was taken aback. They had called him over to ask about the Ancestor's whereabouts? Why would they ask him? He had been cultivating aboard the Dawn all this time.
"Xiaoxiao?" The group of Eighth-Order cultivators were all stunned. This was the first time they had heard this name.
What the various Ancestors' names were was something practically no one knew. Even the Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivators were largely uninformed—the Ancestors had lived far too long, and perhaps they had already been roaming the
Only the extremely aged Eighth-Orders might know some of the Ancestors' names, but they would not mention them lightly, much less tell others.
The name of the Ancestor of Yin Yang Pass was known to very few.
So when Yang Kai said this, everyone was quite surprised. The Ancestor's name was... rather casual, wasn't it?
Yang Kai said "oh" and explained: "Over a hundred years ago, one day the Ancestor suddenly said that from then on her name would be Xiaoxiao. There's a rather sad story behind it—it's not worth going into. But... the Ancestor isn't in the army?"
Xiang Shan said: "If she were in the army, would we be asking you?"
"I don't know either." Yang Kai looked utterly innocent.
Xiang Shan frowned: "The Ancestor has healed within your Small Universe multiple times over the years. You've had the most contact with her of anyone. Couldn't you find any clues?"
The Northern and Southern Army had endured untold hardships to reclaim Dayan. The Eastern and Western Army had endured untold hardships to shatter the Ink Clan's Royal City. Now the two great armies had finally converged—and at this critical juncture, the Ancestor was missing...
If word got out, it would be the laughingstock of the world.
Yang Kai was about to shake his head when he suddenly remembered something and said with realization: "I think I know where the Ancestor went."
Liu Zhiping asked urgently: "Where?"
Yang Kai said: "If I'm not mistaken, the Ancestor probably went back toward the Ink Clan's Royal City."
"Back to the Royal City?" Liu Zhiping was startled.
"That's right." Yang Kai explained: "Earlier, when the army was withdrawing from the garrison and advancing toward Dayan, the Ancestor came to me and asked for several sets of Space Spirit Pearls—this thing here."
As he spoke, he took out a set of Space Spirit Pearls.
"Each set consists of two pearls. They're a little trinket I refined myself—essentially a type of spatial Artifact. The two Space Spirit Pearls are linked by spatial energy, so you only need to place one at a desired location, and whoever holds the other can channel power into it to teleport there. It's somewhat similar to a Spatial Formation in effect, but far more convenient to carry."
As he spoke, Xiang Shan and the others handled the Space Spirit Pearls, examining them.
Liu Zhiping frowned: "What did the Ancestor want with the Space Spirit Pearls? And how can you be certain she went to the Royal City?"
Yang Kai said: "All these years, the Ancestor's battles with the Ink Clan's King Master have prevented him from healing properly. In the final battle, the Ancestor's original intention was to slay him and eliminate the threat for good, but for various reasons she couldn't succeed. Though she failed to kill him, she grievously wounded him. Given the current situation, the Ancestor likely wouldn't want him to recover either. But Dayan Pass is quite far from the Ink Clan's Royal City—even with the Ancestor's cultivation, it would take several days to travel there. By using the Space Spirit Pearls as relay points, she can skip the travel time."
The Eighth-Order cultivators immediately understood.
For the human race, the King Master being grievously wounded and unable to heal properly was an advantage. To maintain this advantage, the Ancestor needed to make periodic harassment runs—not expecting to accomplish anything decisive, just releasing a trace of her aura near the Royal City, which would be enough to give the King Master a severe fright.
To accomplish this, the Space Spirit Pearls were an ideal tool.
Liu Zhiping said thoughtfully: "You're saying that the Ancestor had planned from the very beginning to prevent the Ink Clan's King Master from recovering?"
"Most likely, yes."
Now that the Ancestor's destination was clear—she had certainly used the Space Spirit Pearls to rush to the Royal City and apply pressure—the moment this thought occurred to Liu Zhiping, she suddenly felt rather sorry for the Ink Clan's King Master. Ink Clan recovery largely required slumber within an Ink Nest; if interrupted, the healing effects would be drastically diminished.
Just imagine it—the King Master would be deep in slumber, and the Ancestor would show up looking for trouble. How could he possibly focus on healing?
The Ancestor's actions were clearly deliberate. She was preparing for the human race's future expedition!
Xiang Shan's focus, however, lay elsewhere. After examining the Space Spirit Pearls for a moment, he asked: "Could these be used for army teleportation and rapid advance?"
If the Space Spirit Pearls could enable rapid movement, then at certain times, these little things might prove unexpectedly useful.