"Dao Ancestor?"
Ba Zunan was slightly taken aback.
The first thing that came to mind was how, decades ago, Dao Qiongchang had often said, "May the Dao Ancestor bless us," or "Dao Ancestor above."
But he knew those had merely been joking appellations.
Dao Qiongchang truly regarded gods and Buddhas as beneath his notice. His ambitions ran deep, so he held no reverence for Ancestor Gods.
Most of the time, when he said "May the Dao Ancestor bless us," he meant that he hoped no unforeseen variables would arise, or that he hoped to grow stronger so he could bless himself.
His second reaction was to recall the Ancestor God phantoms he and Xu Xiaoshou had witnessed atop Lingyu Mountain.
Besides the Devil Ancestor, Sui Yin, and the Medicine Ancestor, there had also been Ancient Past Forget-Worry Pavilion, as well as Turtle and Boy.
By instinct, the last one seemed more likely to be connected.
And that one, too, pointed toward someone related to Dao Qiongchang...
Beyond that, after running through the Ten Ancestors again and again, there truly was no Dao Ancestor among them...
Ba Zunan finished racking his brains.
Either his memory had gone wrong and he had forgotten some crucial detail.
Or the "Dao Ancestor" Xu Xiaoshou mentioned differed from what he understood, merely being a substitute title.
There was, of course, one final possibility. Xu Xiaoshou had just returned from the River of Time. If he had encountered the "Dao Ancestor" in the past or future and come here seeking a vague answer, that would make sense as well.
"I don't know him."
After giving it serious thought, Kong Yuhen shook his head in reply, then shifted his gaze to Ba Zunan.
"Which Dao?"
Ba Zunan did not immediately deny it.
He stared at Xu Xiaoshou,