A journey that would have taken Inala months to traverse was completed in a couple of days by the Boar King, and that too when he was holding back.
The Boar King was able to break the sound barrier at his top sprint. Had he done that, then they would have reached the Brimgan Empire within a day. Since the passengers weren't able to withstand those speeds, he went slow.
"It seems the Brimgan Empire had raided this region just the day before." The Boar King muttered upon failing to detect any Pranic Beast activity in the location where he had arrived, "So, it'll be safe for the time being. Just march towards the entrance of the Empire and join them."
He didn't explain things further, as that wasn't necessary. Both Wittral and Amita Brimgan were very smart and knew what to do. So, his advice would be needless.
Originally, the Boar King wanted to bring the duo to his wife and make them her servants. But after some consideration, he refrained from the thought, 'I don't want Loot to discover my wife and family.'
Hence, he left the duo to their fates. The Boar King had the three grains resultant from the Brangara puppets, using which he could always determine Inala's location. So, he wasn't concerned about where Inala and Wittral would take refuge in the massive Brimgan Empire.
"I want to express my gratitude." Wittral bowed in response before declaring with excitement, "One day, I'll give you a good fight."
"Do you think you have a chance?" The Boar King gazed at the latter, "Even after seeing a portion of my strength, you still think you can fight me?"
"I said I'll give you a good fight, not defeat you." Wittral shrugged, "But I'll keep training to be strong enough. Watch me."
"Alright, train hard." The Boar King laughed, "I'm always open for a challenge."
He then waved his hand and disappeared, causing a vapour cone to form in his spot a second later. Once he left, Wittral stretched his limbs and groaned, "My joints hurt from the travel."
Wittral looked around and commented, "We have a day's journey on foot to reach the entrance. Thankfully, there are no Pranic Beasts along the way."
"Can you give me a few minutes of privacy, Wittral?" Inala asked, clutching his stomach, "There's something I need to do in a hurry."
"Is it related to your worsening health?" Wittral asked in concern upon seeing a trail of blood drip out of Inala's nose.
"Yes, I was holding back long enough to avoid revealing it to the Boar King." Inala nodded, "But I'm reaching my limit."
"I'll help you." Wittral spoke in seriousness, "This place isn't safe."
"No, I don't want you to see the process." Inala stated vehemently, "So, go away for a bit."
"…Fine," Wittral mumbled as he walked away and sat on a tree stump.
Inala looked around and noticed a large boulder nearby, one that reached a height of forty metres. It was large enough to hide whatever he planned to do next. Approaching it, Inala seeped his Prana into the boulder, instantly exerting his will upon the latter to turn it into his Spirit Weapon.
Secondary Nature—Subtle Terrain Domination!
A cave formed in the boulder as it expanded in size, becoming a dome as Inala closed the entrance once he was inside. Now, surrounded by the boulder on all sides, he didn't have to worry about the Prana detection abilities of any third parties from seeing what he was about to do, including Wittral.
Reverting to his male form, Inala focused on his Secondary Nature—Internal Inertial Gravity—and determined the Boar King's position, 'He's already twenty kilometres away. He's damn fast as always.'
'Gannala, get ready!' Inala said as an Empyrean Zinger encased Gannala in a Prana Bomb, filling it up with Internal Inertial Gravity. Slowly, the Prana Bomb was carried to the top of the stomach biome through his psychokinesis.
And when it reached the entrance, the effects of Internal Inertial Gravity were maximised within it. The biome ended at the entrance, following which was Inala's regular food pipe. As the Prana Bomb was about to enter the food pipe, it began to shrink, thanks to the effects of Internal Inertial Gravity bending space within.
This happened a moment after it exited the biome, hence the two spaces didn't conflict with each other. It was a bit tricky to put in and take out things when Inala wasn't as massive as an Empyrean Tusk. But having done it enough countless times, he was an expert at the process.
He coughed out the Prana Bomb and watched it revert to its original size and crack, revealing the figure of Gannala who instantly jumped into his embrace, "Dad! It took too long! I missed you!"
"I missed you too." Inala patted her and stared at her in surprise, "You grew taller."
"I'm almost seven years old now." Gannala said, smiling cutely as she transformed into a four-metre-tall Empyrean Tusk and reverted to her human form, "I have the Tertiary Nature of Cultivator now."
"We have succeeded, Dad!"
"Thank…goodness." Inala felt strength leave his body as he hugged her, glad that everything worked as he had intended, "I was nervous all along."
"I know, I have been reading your thoughts." Gannala said, her eyes moist as she trembled, "It was hard to be aware of your constant worries and the mental conflicts you endured for every decision."
"Leave it be," Inala broke into laughter, "You're not bound to a single fate any longer. Once you reach the 2-Life Stage, you can live life as you please."
The Inhibition Needle would allow her to take on the identity of a Free Human and live in human civilisation, free from the Boar King's wrath. The effects of the Inhibition Needle only extended to a single body, so only one body can live in peace.
But still, it meant that one body of Gannala could live without worries.
Upon seeing that she was healthy, Inala was relieved. Her birth may not have been his desire or a part of his plan, but he took responsibility for her and achieved what he wanted to do for her as her father.
He created a future for Gannala, giving her one of the greatest potential possible, for through the Tertiary Nature of Cultivator, she could reach the 10-Life Stage and become a Transcendent, becoming the first Empyrean Tusk to do so.
Until now, all Mammoth Clansmen that became Transcendents weren't Empyrean Tusks in the proper sense. Even the Mammoth Ancestor was merely like Resha, a Mammoth Clansman who could transform into an Empyrean Tusk.
Gannala was the first of her kind, being similar to the Boar King in that she didn't have to consume any Prana to be in both her human and Empyrean Tusk form. Both were her natural state of being.
She inhaled a deep breath before Prana began to condense in her internal organs, turning them into biomes.
"It's time to fill them up," Inala said and began to take out resources from his stomach biome and fed them to Gannala, watching her smile widely, for she could resume living as an Empyrean Tusk.
"Dad, what do we do about the Empyrean Zingers?" Gannala asked, "Even though I can store them in my biome, it'll become hard to accumulate the resources necessary for their growth. I'm afraid I'll have to depend on them just for the needs of myself. Taking care of them is impossible."
"I have a plan in regards to that." Inala smiled and patted her on the head, "Remember the tunnel system we made in Ellora City?"
"Yes," Gannala nodded as her eyes sparkled, "You mean…?"
"Indeed." Inala grinned.