Since the Ink Clan's side hadn't released any information regarding Yang Kai, it meant that Yang Kai most certainly hadn't died at the Ink Clan's hands.
But whether Yang Kai was currently dead or alive — and if alive, where exactly he was — was something the human race's leadership urgently needed to figure out.
Mi Jinglun had also summoned many of the human powerhouses who'd returned from the Inside of the Heavenly Furnace, inquiring about any news of Yang Kai.
The compiled intelligence indicated that the last person to have seen Yang Kai was Ouyang Lie. After that massive battle within the Furnace's world that had swept up numerous powerhouses from both the human and Ink sides, Yang Kai had recuperated for a time before departing.
Before leaving, he'd had a brief exchange with Ouyang Lie, saying he intended to search for the remaining supreme-grade Open Heaven Pills and, incidentally, to find answers to certain questions troubling him.
What those questions were, Ouyang Lie hadn't asked, and Yang Kai hadn't elaborated.
After that, Ouyang Lie never saw Yang Kai again. The world within the Furnace was vast, after all, and it was only natural for them not to cross paths.
A handful of human Eighth-Order masters had, at various points afterward, faintly sensed Yang Kai's aura flash by and vanish, but at the time Yang Kai appeared to be pursued by the Chaos Spirit King. None of them dared approach. Yang Kai merely swept past their vicinity, drawing the Chaos Spirit King along with him.
There was nothing of real value in these reports, leaving Mi Jinglun hard-pressed to deduce Yang Kai's whereabouts.
After parting ways with Ouyang Lie, he'd been chased by the Chaos Spirit King. In other words, Yang Kai had clearly gone looking for trouble with the Chaos Spirit King once more — and had likely reclaimed the lost supreme-grade Open Heaven Pill as well, or the Chaos Spirit King wouldn't have reacted so violently.
Given Yang Kai's abilities and his current strength, shaking the Chaos Spirit King off should have been simple. A few activations of his spatial divine ability would have left the creature far behind without a trace.
The fact that he allowed himself to be pursued was obviously deliberate. He was probably worried that the enraged Chaos Spirit King would turn its fury on other human powerhouses, and was using himself as bait to keep it occupied.
But even so, Yang Kai shouldn't have run into any real danger. The Chaos Spirit King couldn't kill him.
With so little intelligence in hand, even Mi Jinglun's sharp mind struggled to piece together what had later happened to Yang Kai. All he knew was that something unexpected must have occurred, otherwise Yang Kai would have shown himself long ago.
One day, Mi Jinglun carved out time to visit the Star Boundary. Without alerting anyone outside, he appeared within the Lingxiao Palace.
The chief steward, Hua Qingsi, learned of his arrival and hurried over to greet him. Mi Jinglun explained his purpose, and Hua Qingsi naturally agreed without hesitation. After making a few arrangements, Mi Jinglun was able to meet with Xia Ningshang, who was remaining behind at the Lingxiao Palace.
Yang Kai's wives had by now mostly been placed within the Retreating Ink Army, stationed outside the Primordial Heaven Grand Restriction under Fu Guang's command, fighting the Ink Clan contained within it.
With one exception — Xia Ningshang, who was proficient in the Dao of Alchemy.
As the great war intensified, the demands on logistics were enormous, especially for pills. Warriors needed pills for their cultivation, for healing injuries, and for fighting the enemy on the battlefield.
Thus, the status of alchemists had been rising day by day. A grandmaster of alchemy like Xia Ningshang was practically indispensable talent for ensuring the war's smooth progress.
For someone of such importance, Mi Jinglun could hardly bear to place her on the front lines. Nearly all alchemists and artifact refiners had been concentrated in the safe Star Boundary. Each year, vast quantities of raw materials were shipped there for these alchemists and artifact refiners to process into pills and artifacts, which were then sent back to the front.
Mi Jinglun and Xia Ningshang weren't particularly well acquainted, having never actually met. But given both Yang Kai's standing and Xia Ningshang's own renowned alchemical mastery, he was quite familiar with her reputation.
The reason he had come to see Xia Ningshang was that, at present, she was the person who knew Yang Kai best.
In the guest hall of the Lingxiao Palace, Mi Jinglun didn't wait long before Xia Ningshang arrived.
The woman wore a veiling scarf that obscured her true appearance, but the eyes that should have been bright and clear held a trace of weariness. Mi Jinglun caught the rich scent of medicinal herbs, and observing Xia Ningshang's hair — which she'd clearly made an effort to tidy yet still appeared somewhat disheveled — he understood immediately. This woman had been toiling in her alchemy chamber for years on end, perhaps without rest for a very long time.
A woman who valued her appearance would never let herself look like this unless she simply had neither the time nor the inclination.
"Greetings, Commander Mi!" Xia Ningshang offered a graceful bow. She had long known of this man's reputation — the one who sat at the helm of the Human Race's General Command, coordinating the overall strategy and directing human armies everywhere to stand against the Ink Clan — and she held him in high regard.
Mi Jinglun rose and gestured politely for her to straighten. "Lady Xia is too kind."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, both sat down.
Mi Jinglun was still deliberating how to broach the subject of Yang Kai, but before he could, Xia Ningshang spoke directly: "Commander Mi, you've come about my husband?"
Mi Jinglun blinked in surprise, then nodded. "That's exactly right!" He added, somewhat puzzled, "Lady, you don't seem worried?"
He couldn't detect any trace of worry in Xia Ningshang's eyes. Normally, when one's husband had been out of contact for so many years, a woman like her could hardly be this composed.
Behind the veil, Xia Ningshang seemed to smile faintly. "How could I not worry? I simply believe my husband is unharmed."