The Jinling Blessed Ground's experts arrived just in time — if they had been a few days later, Yang Kai wouldn't have been able to hold back those Ink Disciples who had circled back.
A force of several hundred Sixth and Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivators was nothing short of impressive, and it gave Yang Kai a much-needed breather.
Only now did he finally feel the exhaustion settling into his bones.
In truth, this battle against the Ink Disciples hadn't been particularly fierce, nor was it the most perilous fight he had ever faced — but it was the one where he had the hardest time bringing his full strength to bear.
He had taken in nearly two thousand Ink Disciples, and the volume of his Small Universe was nearly at its absolute limit. This severely hindered the circulation of his own power. On top of that, he had to continuously channel energy to suppress those Ink Disciples within his Small Universe. With all these restrictions layered on top of each other, he could barely exert a fraction of his true strength.
Worse still, near the heart of the Black Prison, he was unwilling — and dared not — casually kill Ink Disciples. Every fight was hamstrung, and the frustration was indescribable.
The arrival of the Jinling Blessed Ground's experts was like timely rain, pulling him out of that grinding whirlpool.
He seized the opportunity to recover. Though Lord Liu Mu had guaranteed that not a single Ink Disciple would slip past, it was always wise to prepare for the worst.
Time trickled by. Yang Kai recovered while simultaneously inspecting his Small Universe.
Within it, a vast stretch of territory was packed with the subdued Ink Disciples, each one frozen like a statue, utterly motionless. Xu Yi stood in midair, face pale, looking utterly at a loss.
His master had ordered him to stand watch here. He never imagined things would develop like this.
At first, he had thought his charge was just a short, elderly man and a powerful demon beast. But soon, one person after another — each clearly sealed with restrictions — had appeared before him out of nowhere.
One became a hundred, a hundred became a thousand, and in the end, nearly two thousand people filled the space.
Xu Yi couldn't gauge how powerful these people were. All he knew was that every single one of them was far beyond anything the experts of the Void Continent could hope to contend with. Emperors would be ants before them.
Fortunately, though these people looked incomparably powerful, they were clearly unable to move. His shock was matched only by his pride in his master's strength.
What kind of battlefield could have led his master to capture so many powerful beings in one go?
Just as he stood there wondering what to do, a figure materialized beside him. Xu Yi looked and his spirits soared — he hurried forward and bowed. "Master!"
Yang Kai glanced down at the Ink Disciples below, confirmed nothing was amiss, then gave a slight nod.
He had projected a divine sense avatar within his own Small Universe. It was no different from the real thing — the people of the Void Continent would detect no flaw.
"Master, are these all… enemies?" Xu Yi couldn't contain his curiosity and asked.
"Something like that," Yang Kai replied.
"Then why capture them instead of killing them?" Xu Yi pressed.
"Because they didn't choose to be my enemy of their own free will. They were merely bewitched by a mysterious force, so I won't kill them." Yang Kai frowned slightly and added, "Sometimes killing isn't the only solution."
Xu Yi nodded. "Disciple understands."
Yang Kai was satisfied with all three of his disciples, though each had their strengths and shortcomings.
Zhao Yebai was honest and good-natured but lacking in talent. Zhao Ya was brilliantly talented but too bloodthirsty. Compared to his eldest and second disciples, Xu Yi — his third — had the greatest potential for growth in terms of character.
"How is your cultivation progressing?" Yang Kai asked in turn.
Xu Yi replied, "It's going well. I've been suppressing my realm recently."
This was also at Yang Kai's instruction. To benefit from the feedback of the Star Boundary's World Tree, one couldn't cultivate too quickly. Zhao Ya had once endured a long period of suppression for that very purpose, and now it was Xu Yi's turn.
Yang Kai had originally planned to return to the Star Boundary after the matter with Yin Yang Heaven and place Xu Yi in Lingxiao Pavilion to cultivate alongside his other two disciples, but delays had kept him from making the trip.
His three disciples had each inherited one aspect of his legacy. He wondered how far they would go in the future, and what heights they might reach.
"Keep suppressing for now. Once things are settled here, I'll take you to meet your Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister."
Xu Yi felt a flutter of nervousness, but also anticipation. "Yes!"
He was deeply curious about the eldest senior brother and second senior sister he had never met. An orphan with no family of his own, his master was the only kin he had. Now he would gain an eldest brother and second sister as well — he cherished the thought.
"Keep watching. If anything happens, notify me immediately." With that instruction given, Yang Kai's avatar dissipated.
Outside the heart of the Black Prison, no more Ink Disciples were coming. Yang Kai figured they had all been rounded up by the Jinling Blessed Ground's people.
But he didn't dare leave lightly. He was now the last line of defense here. If he departed and an Ink Disciple showed up, it would provide nourishment that could awaken and free the imprisoned Ink Clan members.
Lord Liu Mu stopped by occasionally to update Yang Kai on the Black Domain's current situation.
The Ink Disciples were indeed being captured one by one, but in the process, many had seen the writing on the wall and simply self-destructed. The void of the Black Domain was now littered with residual strands of Ink Force left behind by those who had perished — and every trace of Ink Force was extraordinarily dangerous to any Open Heaven cultivator. The consequences of contact were impossible to predict.