The worst-case scenario was simple enough — the Void Passage connected to the Ink Battlefield on the other side!
This was no baseless guess. The fact that ancient powerhouses had sealed the Ink Royal here as part of the seal itself was proof enough that the Void Passage's other end was somehow connected to the Ink Royal.
If there was a connection to the Ink Royal, then more likely than not, it led to the Ink Battlefield.
"The Ink Royal is already dead, the seal is loosening, and the Void Passage is gradually emerging, connecting two locations. If the worst comes to pass, we must be prepared."
"Over these past days, Junior has conducted some preliminary experiments. Given my current mastery of the Dao of Space, resealing this Void Passage would be somewhat difficult, but it is by no means impossible."
The various Eighth-Order Supreme Masters nodded slightly upon hearing this. Yang Kai had mentioned this to Liu Mu before, and many among them had overheard. They were all grateful that among the current generation of rising talents, there was someone like Yang Kai who was so well-versed in the Dao of Space. Otherwise, facing the current situation, the Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands truly would have no good solution.
They could, of course, attempt to reseal the Void Passage themselves, but they would never do a better job than the ancient powerhouses had — let alone match Yang Kai.
Professional problems required a professional to handle them perfectly.
"What are you worried about?" asked one of the Eighth-Order Supreme Masters, his hair and beard entirely white. Though Yang Kai's words had conveyed tremendous confidence in resealing the Void Passage, the worry written between his brows was plain for all to see.
Yang Kai gave a bitter laugh. "Junior is worried about only one thing. When the seal the ancient predecessors placed is fully dissolved, the Void Passage will have been thrown wide open. Even if I can reseal it then, there remains a risk that the other side will have already detected it."
If that were the case, resealing it would be entirely meaningless.
If the other side wasn't the Ink Battlefield, that would be one thing. But if it truly was, and the Ink Clan discovered this Void Passage's existence, they would spare no effort to tear it open again and peer through. When that happened, what would this vast world have to resist them with?
That was the problem, and everyone fell into deep thought upon hearing it.
The white-haired Supreme Master spoke again: "Could you not begin the resealing process now — while the ancient seal hasn't fully dissolved yet? You could act while it's still partially intact, layering your own measures on top of the original seal!"
"You could — and you couldn't!"
This ambiguous answer left everyone looking baffled. Either it was possible or it wasn't — how could it be both?
Liu Mu Shenjun gave a bitter smile: "Young Yang, just speak plainly. You're turning us old fools into a tangled mess."
Yang Kai cupped his fists in apology, pondered briefly, then suddenly turned his hand over and produced a stalk of bamboo.
The bamboo was roughly as thick as a man's arm, with fresh green leaves still growing from its nodes. Everyone recognized it — it was Mysterious Yin Bamboo.
Over the past century, they had all invested enormous effort and resources into cultivating Mysterious Yin Bamboo within their personal small worlds for the war against the Ink Clan. Each of them now had a bamboo grove growing inside their own bodies.
Yang Kai's small world contained Mysterious Yin Bamboo as well — he had transplanted quite a bit when he went to the New Great Domain to investigate conditions.
He sent a slight pulse of power through the bamboo. Instantly, the nodes smoothed out, the leaves withered and fell away, and the stalk transformed into a hollow cylindrical rod.
The assembled masters watched in confusion, uncertain what Yang Kai intended by suddenly pulling this out. They had been discussing the Void Passage — what was he doing with a piece of Mysterious Yin Bamboo?
Still, they knew Yang Kai must have his reasons, and no one interrupted.
"If we imagine this bamboo tube in my hand as the Void Passage," Yang Kai held the bamboo in one hand and gestured with the other, tapping each end in turn, "then it connects two points in space. This end is the Black Domain, and this end — we still don't know exactly where it leads. Let us assume it is the Ink Battlefield!"
Everyone nodded, signaling him to continue.
He channeled his power into the Mysterious Yin Bamboo. In an instant, the hollow interior filled with visible yellow energy — unmistakably Yang-attribute power.
Yang Kai went on: "The ancient predecessors used their divine techniques to block this Void Passage, severing the connection between the two locations. As long as the seal held, there was no possibility of either side discovering the Void Passage."
"Now, the seal has loosened, and the sealing force within the Void Passage is slowly dissipating." As he spoke, the yellow energy filling the bamboo tube gradually receded from one end. In a matter of moments, most of it had vanished, and it was clear the entire tube would soon be hollow and connected end to end once more.
This method of explanation was fresh and illuminating — and made the situation perfectly clear to everyone present.
Soon, one of them spotted the issue. A broad-shouldered, powerfully built Supreme Master frowned: "You're saying that the seal's power within the Void Passage began dissipating from the Black Domain's end, receding gradually inward!"
There was nothing strange about recognizing this. Yang Kai had demonstrated it plainly enough, and they had sensed as much themselves while investigating the Void Passage these past days. When they sent their divine sense probing inside, they could clearly detect a force like an invisible wall obstructing their exploration — the very seal blocking the Void Passage. Over the passage of time, that sealing force had indeed been steadily retreating.
"Exactly!" Yang Kai nodded. Now that someone had grasped this point, it saved him considerable explanation. "The reason I said it could be sealed is because I genuinely have the ability to do so!"