"Spirit, is there any other way to stop him?" Yang Kai gritted his teeth as he fought with all his might to hold the line.
The Artifact Spirit remained silent.
One look at its demeanor told Yang Kai that it was powerless. A surge of anxiety gripped his heart. Under normal circumstances, the Artifact Spirit was the spirit of the Blood Demon Divine Palace and should have held absolute control over it. But as it had already admitted, the Blood Demon Divine Lord had restricted its abilities during his lifetime, so it could be of no real help at this moment. Otherwise, it would never have gone seeking Yang Kai out in the first place.
BOOM...
Black Crow Divine Lord once again drove the power of the Grand Array in a violent collision. Despite Yang Kai's desperate defense, a portion of his own strength was forcibly driven out, allowing the territory under Black Crow's control to expand by yet another sliver.
The situation was dire—it seemed they had already fallen into a dead end.
Black Crow's cackling laughter echoed through the void: "Let's see how long you can hold on, boy. Once I've fully refined this Grand Array, that will be the hour of your death!"
He then turned his gaze toward the Artifact Spirit: "And you—your birth was no easy thing. If you're willing to mend your ways and recognize your error, I may yet show mercy and spare your life!"
The Blood Demon Divine Palace was, after all, an inanimate object. For an Artifact Spirit to have been born from such a thing was genuinely rare and no small feat. Black Crow Divine Lord's strength was still not particularly high at this point—if he could win the Artifact Spirit's support, it would be far easier for him to command the entire Blood Demon Cave Heaven. Had it not been for that, why would he waste his breath talking to a mere spirit?
The Artifact Spirit remained silent, simply looking in Yang Kai's direction.
Sensing its gaze, Yang Kai started and quickly said: "Spirit, don't listen to his nonsense! Even if you submit to him now, you won't meet a good end down the road."
Yet the Artifact Spirit drifted straight toward Black Crow Divine Lord, settling behind him and bowing in respect: "The Artifact Spirit greets its new Master!"
Black Crow burst into hearty laughter: "Good, good, good! Stand right there obediently. Once I've dealt with this little ant, I'll speak with you properly."
"Yes!" The Artifact Spirit stood with its hands at its sides, head bowed.
Yang Kai snorted coldly at the sight. This Artifact Spirit really wasn't all that reliable—it was clearly the type to play both sides. It had summoned Yang Kai here in the first place because it needed someone to stand against Black Crow Divine Lord. Now that it saw Yang Kai was struggling, it had scurried over to pledge allegiance to the enemy without a moment's hesitation.
However, the Artifact Spirit's change of allegiance didn't materially affect the current situation. It had no ability to interfere with the Central Grand Array in the first place. So while Yang Kai held the spirit's behavior in contempt, he couldn't be bothered to concern himself with it.
The real problem was that Black Crow Divine Lord's attacks were growing ever more powerful. The portion of the Grand Array that Yang Kai had refined was inherently smaller than Black Crow's, and with each successive collision, he lost territory in vast swathes. Meanwhile, Black Crow's domain only expanded further—a vicious cycle that left Yang Kai utterly spent.
In less than half a shichen, Yang Kai's control over the Grand Array had dwindled to a mere twenty percent. At this point, it was fair to say that his defeat was like an avalanche—once it started, nothing could stop it.
Both commanded portions of the Grand Array, but Black Crow wielded eighty percent against his twenty. There was simply no way Yang Kai could hold.
Had he reached his limit? Yang Kai asked himself. If he couldn't stop Black Crow Divine Lord here, then the latter would inevitably seize control of the entire Blood Demon Cave Heaven. Forget his own chances of escape—Qu Huashang, Zhang Ruoxi, the Chef, the Accountant, and Lang Qingshan would all be reduced to prisoners. Given Black Crow's character and temperament, every last one of them would wish for death!
The Chef!
A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Yang Kai's mind.
He immediately focused his divine sense and released the Chef from the Small Universe where he had stowed him earlier. The Chef had previously used a secret divine ability to deal with the Star Turtle, but that technique had apparently consumed enormous amounts of energy, leaving him drained and unable to continue. Yang Kai had then taken him into the Small Universe to recover.
Yang Kai had nearly forgotten about him!
Right now, both he and Black Crow Divine Lord were locked in a contest across the void, each wholly focused on the other. If either side gained an additional ally, it would tip the balance enormously!
The Chef appeared and immediately surveyed his surroundings with wary eyes. What he saw left him stunned. "What the heck is going on?" he blurted in astonishment.
Black Crow Divine Lord was equally taken aback, and he too very much wanted to know what was going on. Regardless of why this fat man had suddenly appeared here, the situation was extremely unfavorable for him.
What offered him some small comfort was that the Chef's condition was far from ideal. Although he had recovered some of his strength, his face was still pale, and his aura wavered unsteadily.
Yang Kai explained the situation in the briefest terms possible.
Upon hearing the explanation, the Chef immediately grasped the gravity of the matter. He glared at Black Crow Divine Lord through gritted teeth: "So basically, if we just chop this bastard down right now, everything's fine?"
"More or less, but—"
Before Yang Kai could finish, the Chef had already drawn his kitchen cleaver. His portly frame moved with startling agility as he lunged toward Black Crow Divine Lord, bellowing: "Take this, you old crook!"
Black Crow Divine Lord's expression turned dark. This was the critical moment in his refinement of the Central Grand Array—he had expected the matter to be settled quickly, never imagining that an interruption would surface at precisely this time. Though he did not fear the Chef, the man's attack still forced him to split his attention to defend.
Opening his mouth, he spat out a torrent of blood clouds that enveloped the Chef completely.
Yang Kai peered through the chaos but could no longer see any sign of the Chef. All he could make out was the mass of blood clouds writhing and twisting, with violent bursts of energy erupting from within at intervals—the Chef was fighting for his life in there!