"Reporting, Ancestor — our scouts in the southern region spotted something unusual. A spirit bird appears to be circling high above, spying on our Gold Demon encampment."
"Reporting, Ancestor — our northern division came under attack. A demi-god commander has gone missing!"
"Reporting, Ancestor..."
Not long after Ancestor Gold Howl had issued his orders, and while Ancestor Cloud Roar was still mustering his forces, reports continued to pour in from all directions.
And these reports, for the Gold Demon lineage, were all somewhat unfavorable.
The news of a missing demi-god commander in particular made Ancestor Gold Howl's blade-sharp brows knit together, his expression turning grave.
He was supremely confident in the Gold Demon lineage's fighting strength. A demi-god-level commander was at least equivalent to a second-level Divine Dao human cultivator.
If one had been killed in battle, there would at least have been considerable commotion. To vanish without a trace meant that whoever had taken him was certainly no mere second-level Divine Dao cultivator.
Ancestor Gold Howl turned to Ancestor Silver Hammer. "Silver Hammer, how are our encampments distributed?"
"The four cardinal directions — east, south, west, and north — guarding each other. No position is more than a thousand li from another. Very dense," Ancestor Silver Hammer replied.
"Pass the order — all forces are to converge. Do not remain scattered in four directions." How could Ancestor Gold Howl fail to see this for what it was — the enemy's harassment tactics.
Harassing them from every direction to disrupt their assault on the
The ploy was not particularly sophisticated, yet it was impossible to guard against completely. Unless he, Ancestor Gold Howl, personally took the field, stamping out such harassment was practically unrealistic.
Ancestor Silver Hammer received his orders and went to make arrangements.
Moments later, Ancestor Cloud Roar had already mustered his own forces. "Brother Dao, I am ready and await your signal."
Ancestor Gold Howl spoke in a deep voice. "Begin the assault!"
A few petty harassments on the perimeter were nothing more than an itch, and Ancestor Gold Howl gave them no thought. Once they seized the Eternal Sacred Land and entered its territory, leveraging its defensive power, any outer harassment would be nothing but drifting clouds.
After settling everything, Ancestor Gold Howl entered his own tent and began to meditate. In his mind at this moment, the assault on Winter End Island was the priority.
Everything else — whether it concerned Ancestor Cloud Roar or Ancestor Silver Hammer — could be handled.
"Silver Edge, Silver Edge. Your soul lamp hasn't shattered, so you're not dead. Could it really be that you've fallen on Winter End Island?"
Ancestor Gold Howl speculated. He held Ancestor Silver Edge in very high regard — indeed, he relied on him even more than on Ancestor Silver Hammer.
Ancestor Silver Hammer, in terms of raw combat power, was not inferior to Ancestor Silver Edge. But in terms of ferocity and a reckless disregard for death, he still could not compare.
In other words, Ancestor Silver Edge's willingness to risk everything surpassed Ancestor Silver Hammer's, and that was precisely what Ancestor Gold Howl valued most.
So Ancestor Gold Howl still hoped to rescue Ancestor Silver Edge. Yet how exactly Silver Edge had fallen into human hands remained a deep source of curiosity within him.
Based on current intelligence, if the humans had thrown their full might into killing those three ancestors, there would have been a decent chance. But capturing Ancestor Silver Edge alive — no matter how he analyzed it, the notion seemed almost absurd.
"There must be information here that I haven't grasped. Perhaps over these twenty years, something new has emerged in the human territories?"
Ancestor Gold Howl harbored deep questions in his heart.
However, as a being who approached the higher echelons of the Divine Dao, his insight and bearing far exceeded those of any other cultivator in his lineage.