The formation of the grand super-formation was composed of countless mineral stars and the ever-proliferating arrays scattered throughout the Black Domain.
The most effective way to break this super-formation was to destroy the mineral stars within the Black Domain — that was exactly what Luan Baifeng had been doing before.
Those mineral stars held abundant cultivation resources. These resources belonged to High Heaven Palace and could not simply be handed over. They had to be kept.
Lan Youruo's fierce argumentation on their behalf had won High Heaven Palace the rights to these resources and prevented the Black Domain's resources from being carved up by the various Cave Heavens and Paradises.
This was a good thing for the entirety of High Heaven Palace and even the Void Land, but the formulation of a century-long plan was not necessarily good news for Yang Kai.
Yet this time could not be saved either.
Breaking the super-formation required time. The powerhouses from the Cave Heavens and Paradises also needed time to prepare — at the very least, they needed to cultivate the Xuan Yin Bamboo within their respective Small Universes to a certain scale before they would have any ability to resist the Ink Force's erosion in battle against the Ink Clan.
Lan Youruo understood this, which was why she offered no rebuttal. She knew that in the face of the grand scheme, her objections would be useless. All she could do now was pray that Yang Kai could hold out until that time came.
Before long, large numbers of Open Heaven Realm cultivators poured into the Black Domain. Every one of them had been dispatched by the various Cave Heavens and Paradises from their own Sects — each faction contributing several hundred to a thousand people, all of whom were Fourth-Order Open Heaven or above.
The entire Black Domain was divided into countless zones. Each Cave Heaven or Paradise was responsible for one zone, mining the mineral stars within it and breaking the numerous arrays hidden there.
Mineral star after mineral star was destroyed, and endless quantities of Black Stone were extracted. High Heaven Palace's people also busied themselves, collecting and sorting the mined Black Stone before sending it off to the Star Boundary, where Grand Steward Hua Qingsi would handle it.
Inside the cage, Yang Kai faced off against the Ink Clan.
The loosening of the grand super-formation had granted the Ink Clan, imprisoned for countless ages, a sliver of freedom. That tiny bit of freedom may not have seemed like much, but for Yang Kai it was exceedingly dangerous.
That small measure of freedom meant the Ink Clan now had some capacity to resist.
Yang Kai could scarcely imagine how powerful the Ink Clan had been at its peak. Even after being imprisoned since the ancient era and gradually weakening, the force it could still bring to bear was far beyond what he could contend with.
If not for the weapon in his possession that could suppress the Ink Force — that lethal trump card — he would be utterly helpless against this Ink Clan member.
It was precisely by relying on that purifying white light capable of cleansing all things that Yang Kai managed to cling to his life.
Practically every moment, piercing scraping sounds echoed from within the cage — the Ink Clan using its blade-sharp limbs to saw at the mystical chains that bound it. It was presumably trying to cut through the chains restricting its body, but those chains were a manifestation of the grand formation's power. So long as the formation remained intact, how could the chains possibly loosen?
Everything it did was destined to be futile.
Dense, concentrated Ink Force permeated every corner of the cage. Only the three-zhang radius around Yang Kai remained the last bastion of purity.
He constantly maintained the white light in his hand. Under its radiance, the light formed an invisible yet solid barrier, keeping the Ink Force at bay.
Although with this purifying white light protecting him Yang Kai didn't need to fear what the Ink Force might do to him, the dangers inside the cage extended far beyond the Ink Force alone.
He kept his vigilance high at all times.
The grating, scraping sounds continued without cease, disrupting Yang Kai's train of thought. Everything seemed as normal, but from within that endless darkness, a silent yet world-destroying strike lashed out without warning.
Darkness served as the perfect cover. It wasn't until the attack was almost upon him that Yang Kai barely managed to react.
Hard dragon scales instantly surfaced across his body, forming a sturdy defense. At the same time, the white light in his hand blazed brilliantly, and in that split second of explosive brightness, he saw a blade-sharp limb slicing toward his face.
Yang Kai retreated in haste.
Despite his swift reaction, he still took a hit. Even the dragon scales covering his body couldn't withstand that thunderous blow. Yang Kai's figure was sent hurtling backward, blood spurting from his mouth. A wound a foot long across his chest and abdomen left his writhing internal organs nearly visible.
If that had come even a fraction of a second later, he would likely have been sliced clean in half.
While still airborne, the white light was launched from Yang Kai's hand, plummeting like a falling sun straight into the Ink Clan member's colossal body.
A wretched, piercing shriek rang out. Howling in pain, the Ink Clan member hurled curses without cease, screaming that sooner or later it would tear Yang Kai to pieces and ensure his soul could never find peace for all eternity.
Yang Kai let the words wash over him.
In the beginning, when such incidents first occurred, he would trade a few insults with the Ink Clan. But as it happened more and more often, he simply grew accustomed to it.
Trapped inside this cage, the human and the Ink Clan seemed to have been forgotten by the entire world. They kept each other company, yet they were mortal enemies — ambush and counterambush played out virtually every moment, and each exchange ended with both sides battered.
In the beginning, when the Ink Clan ambushed him, Yang Kai had found it difficult to fend off. But as time passed, he gradually grew familiar with the Ink Clan's methods of attack and developed countermeasures.
Even when the Ink Clan didn't come after him, he would look for opportunities to strike first.
Purification power was an excellent weapon against the Ink Clan. Each blast of purification power whittled away at the Ink Clan's strength. If Yang Kai wanted to stay alive, he couldn't afford to give his opponent any chance to recover.
The Yellow and Blue Crystals he had spent on this were already substantial in quantity, but he couldn't be bothered to keep track.
In the darkness, after their clash, the two silently tended to their wounds with a mutual, unspoken understanding. Even the Ink Clan, which had just been screaming about tearing Yang Kai to shreds, gradually fell quiet.