For a cultivator of Ancestor Wang Ban's caliber, such inexplicable spiritual sense fluctuations were exceedingly rare. In general, their state of mind was as still and placid as an ancient well — very few events could rouse any disturbance in their consciousness.
In other words, their spiritual sense was extraordinarily stable.
And an inexplicable fluctuation of this kind invariably meant that something was amiss. It did not necessarily signal imminent danger, but it warranted vigilant caution.
The region Ancestor Wang Ban currently occupied was, in fact, not particularly far from the
He was observing — studying how to breach the
If the demon army arrived before he struck, the plump prize that was the
"That makes no sense," he muttered. "The
Ancestor Wang Ban was an extremely cautious man. Cautious men tended to cherish their own lives — or, put more bluntly, they were afraid of death.
He heightened his vigilance and issued orders: "Everyone, stay sharp. No one slacks off."
The half-step Divine Demons under his command were no weaklings. They had cultivated large swarms of Wood Demon parasitic insects and were adept at wielding poisons. Whether on offense or defense, they were formidable.
Under these circumstances, while Ancestor Wang Ban remained on alert, he was far from panicked.
At that moment, one of the half-step Divine Demons stepped forward and reported: "Ancestor, the forces are ready. We've identified three weak points in the defensive perimeter. If we concentrate our attacks on those three spots relentlessly, we can certainly break through."
Ancestor Wang Ban swept his hand in a broad gesture. "Then what are we waiting for? Attack!"
The horn of assault blared, and the Wood Demon lineage began hammering at the
Ancestor Wang Ban's brow furrowed slightly. "What is Brother Guizhi playing at? At his rate of advance, he should have arrived by now. Why can't I see the Wood Demon plants closing in yet?"
A seed of doubt took root in his mind.
He and Ancestor Guizhi had an agreement — the two would advance from different directions and converge at the outer perimeter of the
But he had arrived a long time ago, and Ancestor Guizhi still had not shown up.
By his calculations, the agreed-upon time had long since passed. Ancestor Guizhi's absence on such a critical occasion was decidedly inappropriate.
While displeasure simmered in Ancestor Wang Ban's chest, a thread of unease wound tighter around his heart. He began pinching his fingers in divination, and his frown deepened.
Clearly, he too sensed that something was wrong.
"No — I need to reach him directly." Ancestor Wang Ban would wait no longer. He began channeling the secret arts of the Wood Demon lineage, attempting to establish contact with Ancestor Guizhi.
The Wood Demon lineage naturally possessed secret methods for mutual communication. As long as both parties were not too far apart, such contact was not difficult.
However, when Ancestor Wang Ban's signal went out, it sank into the sea like a stone dropped into deep water — there was absolutely no response.
A heavy weight settled in Ancestor Wang Ban's chest. "Impossible! What's going on?"
He and Ancestor Guizhi might not have been close enough to call each other brothers, but they had maintained a degree of mutual support. If Guizhi had received the message, it was inconceivable that he would not reply.