Though the Blessed Realms were brimming with talent, those who had truly mastered the Laws of Space were exceedingly few, and those who had were nowhere near Yang Kai's level of attainment.
Had that not been the case, they would never have sent him to fathom the secrets of the Heaven and Earth Temple in the first place, or to repair its Heaven and Earth Grand Formation.
To have restored the Heaven and Earth Temple's long-neglected Grand Formation to completion was, without exaggeration, an achievement that stood unrivaled—past, present, or future.
"Do you have any idea what you'll be facing if you go through with this?" someone asked.
Yang Kai gave a self-deprecating smile. "This Junior naturally understands."
He had proposed this plan himself—how could he not know what awaited him once it was carried out? At best, perhaps he would emerge unscathed. At worst, once he sealed the Void Corridor, he would be charging alone into the Ink Battlefield, a place bristling with thorns and peril on every side, where death could claim him at any moment.
"But as things stand, aside from this Junior, I'm afraid there is no one else capable of carrying this out." Yang Kai exhaled softly. "Even if the other end of the Void Corridor truly connects to the Ink Battlefield, I at least have some means of protecting myself."
That means of self-preservation did not, of course, refer to his cultivation. On the Ink Battlefield, even Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivators fell regularly—he was merely Sixth Order, hardly comparable to their strength.
But in terms of advantages, he possessed something others did not.
The Earth and Heaven Spring anchored his Small Universe, rendering it flawless and impervious to outside influence. He had no need to fear being corrupted by the Ink Force, and at a critical moment he could even disguise himself as an Ink Disciple to conceal his identity.
This was an ability no other Open Heaven Realm cultivator possessed.
The assembly fell silent.
Yang Kai continued. "To be honest with you all, I deliberated for many days before making up my mind. Because I know—when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. If this Void Corridor is not handled properly, no faction or individual in this world will be able to remain unscathed. Once the Ink Clan invades, the flames of war will inevitably spread across every Domain."
Lan Youruo had long sensed that Yang Kai was wrestling with something and had asked him about it, but he had not explained much.
What he had been deliberating was precisely this matter. It was no small thing, and no one could decide lightly.
Divine Lord Liu Mu sighed. "It is rare for someone your age to possess such a sense of righteousness. Truly, this is the fortune of our Three Thousand Worlds."
Yang Kai shook his head. "You, the seniors, have been willing to fight to the death for the peace of the Three Thousand Worlds. I am but a junior of humble strength, yet I cannot allow the seniors to bear this burden alone."
Truthfully, the battles the Blessed Realms' Eighth-Order Supreme Elders had waged against the Ink Royal Clan had profoundly moved him. Everyone knew that the Ink Royal Clan possessed a hidden royal secret art—an unstoppable force that no one knew would claim them, transforming them into Ink Disciples. Yet when they clashed with the Ink Royal Clan, not one among them had flinched or hesitated. Every one of them had fought with the resolve to sacrifice themselves, pressing the Ink Royal Clan until she was forced to deploy that eerie technique.
Those who had cultivated to the Eighth-Order—how many thousands or tens of thousands of years had each of those Supreme Elders lived? They had long since withdrawn from worldly affairs. Did they not cherish their own lives?
And the Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivators—over a thousand strong, every one a chosen prodigy, every one with family and loved ones—yet in that battle against the Ink Royal Clan, nearly twenty to thirty percent had fallen.
This earth-shattering battle was something ordinary people might never even hear of.
And then there were the Blessed Realms' elites who, year after year, generation after generation, had struggled against the Ink Clan on the Ink Battlefield. They gave of themselves in silence. Apart from the Blessed Realms themselves, ordinary cultivators and ordinary factions had no idea that the Three Thousand Worlds perpetually faced the risk of annihilation.
The vast expanse of Heaven and Earth that appeared so peaceful had always been guarded in secret.
Since ancient times, the world had only seen the Blessed Realms' arrogance and domineering ways, but no one had ever known of their sacrifices. Even Yang Kai himself had once harbored misconceptions about the Blessed Realms' authoritarianism.
Had he not possessed the ability to seal this Void Corridor, the matter would have been simple—he would have mustered his forces, returned to the Star Boundary at once, and looked after his own.
But he did possess that ability.
If he chose not to act and truly allowed the Ink Clan to invade through this Void Corridor, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
And so, after days of deliberation, he had finally made his decision.
"So the reason you had that girl Lan Youruo return to the Star Boundary to bring people here was for this?" Divine Lord Liu Mu's gaze lowered.
Yang Kai smiled faintly. "Once I leave, I may not be able to return... There were certain matters that needed to be set in order."
If the other side was not the Ink Battlefield, he could return safely. But if it truly was the Ink Battlefield, even if he somehow survived, it was unlikely he would ever make it back in this lifetime.
Since ancient times, no one who had passed through the Point of No Return had ever returned. Although he had not entered from the Point of No Return—he did not even know what it looked like—his destination was the same as those Blessed Realms pioneers of old: the Ink Battlefield.
The assembly fell silent.
Making such a decision required not only extraordinary courage but an extraordinary level of awareness as well. That Yang Kai could make this choice commanded the genuine respect of even these Eighth-Order Supreme Elders.
Divine Lord Liu Mu bowed slightly. "The Blessed Realms owe you a debt of gratitude. The Three Thousand Worlds owe you a debt of gratitude!"
Led by him, all the Eighth-Order Supreme Elders bowed in unison.
Yang Kai hurriedly returned the gesture.
Then someone smiled and spoke up. "I hear you've had some unpleasant run-ins with a few of the younger ones below. I'll have a word with them on your behalf when this is over."