Victor appeared confused by the Emperor’s conclusion.
"Why would it be a battle to lure the Path Ancestor out, my lord? Haven’t they already taken resources from so many planets?"
Silas chuckled.
"And what use would these Path Ancestors be if they couldn’t even become Soul Saints? They have already reached their limit. The only thing that could change their view is likely that Ancestor. But they have already failed to lure him out. What is the name of the Ancestor they are fighting?"
"He is called Invictus Adaptris," Victor said.
So, it’s Adaptris. I have read about them. It was the best Path at the beginning, but its weakness appeared when its cultivators reached Core Master, preventing them from setting foot in the Great Zone. Even then, they are likely the strongest in the Lower Zone. Information about the Lower Zone was scarce, but Adaptris was mentioned in bold letters.
"Can you infiltrate the nearest empire to us?" Silas asked.
"No. Our planet is surrounded by many Sea Masters. I used my ability to move outside, but someone saw through me. There is likely a Core Master hidden out there in space."
"Why would a Core Master hide near our planet? Did he know that we would appear beforehand?"
"I think it is highly unlikely, my lord. He is probably from the Adaptris side. When I investigated, I found that the Adaptris were using this army to train their new recruits."
The Shadow saw an invisible man trying to leave the planet that had appeared in the middle of the battlefield. However, the invisible man suddenly retreated when the Shadow noticed him.
Did the Planet Ancestor already become a Sea Master? I have to kill him before he can kill our young recruits.
The Shadow moved and entered the planet to capture the person he believed was the Ancestor. But just as he entered the planet, Silas, who was talking with Victor, suddenly looked in the Shadow’s direction.
What is an Umbra doing here?
Silas used Earth’s power to capture the Umbra and bring him to his palace. If it had been any other Core Master, this battle would have been difficult, but Umbra’s were only good at hiding and collecting information. They used their higher rank to bully the weak when they had to fight. Within the same realm, they were the weakest of the bunch. Even so, they were a top force in the Great Zone.
The Shadow trembled and tried to flee, but all his struggles were in vain. He was pulled into the huge golden palace hovering in the air.
Silas watched as the Umbra morphed into a normal human after appearing in the hall. He was pale-skinned and thin, with long black hair and black eyes. He looked at Victor and then at Silas. He could not see through Silas’s rank, but he could clearly see that Victor was a Sea Master. That meant only one thing: this planet already had a Core Master Ancestor.
"What are you doing in the Lower Zone? And why would you spy on my planet?" Silas asked the Umbra in confusion.
The Umbra bowed to Silas. This action surprised Silas even more than the spying.
"My lord, spare me. I am a slave of Invictus Adaptris, and I am here to keep watch on the battlefield."
The Shadow had already given up hope of surviving after seeing Silas. He just wanted to try using his master’s name to save his life.
Silas sat on his throne, looking at the trembling Umbra bowing before him. Victor stood quietly to one side, listening to everything without interrupting.
Silas frowned lost in deep thought over the behavior of this Umbra.
He had many questions. The Umbra belonged to a force from the Great Zone, yet he had called himself a slave of Invictus Adaptris. Silas wanted to understand how someone from the Great Zone had ended up serving a ruler from the Lower Zone.
"Tell me about yourself. Start with your life in the Great Zone and explain how you became a slave of Invictus Adaptris."
The Umbra lowered his head.
"My lord, I was born in the Great Zone. My race is known as the Umbras, my name is Kraz, and our greatest strength is concealment. We can hide our presence, infiltrate places that others cannot enter, and collect information without attracting attention. Because of these abilities, many powerful forces have employed us as spies."
He paused, glancing at Silas before continuing.
"However, our abilities have a weakness. We are not particularly strong in direct combat. Against someone of the same realm, an Umbra usually has a disadvantage. We can escape from enemies, avoid detection, and gather information, but when we are forced into a direct confrontation, our chances of survival are not very good."
Silas rested his chin on one hand.
"Skip these parts about your clan. Tell me how you became a slave in the Lower Zone."
"Yes, my lord."
The Umbra swallowed before continuing.
"I was born into a small Umbra clan. We were not particularly powerful, but we had survived for generations by selling information to different forces. Our clan taught us never to reveal everything we knew to a single customer. Information was our greatest weapon, and keeping secrets was the only way to remain useful."
His expression darkened.
"Unfortunately, our clan eventually met a disaster that none of us could have anticipated."
The Umbra clenched his hands.
"Our Ancestor once made a terrible mistake. One day, his child was in danger, and he acted immediately to save them. However, the enemy he killed was not an ordinary cultivator."
Umbra trembled once again but this time it was clear that this trembling was caused by fear.
"Who was the enemy to even make Umbra situation so terrible?"
"It was a clone of that monster, my lord."
Umbra kept trembling in fear. He didn’t say the name of enemy, but clone word was enough for Silas to know more than enough.