It was an extraordinarily tragic yet unavoidable reality, and in this Ink Battlefield, it was nothing new.
That was precisely why the Six Wood Divine Lord had once declared: those who step beyond No-Return Pass have only two paths to walk—death at the hands of the Ink Clan, or death at the hands of their own people. There was no third choice.
The Ink Clan member regarded Yang Kai, designated as Wu Five. "What cultivation level?"
Yang Kai channeled the power of his Minor Cosmos and replied respectfully, "Sixth Stage!"
The Ink Clan member's thick brows lifted slightly, and a savage grin spread across his face. "Good!"
He was clearly satisfied with Yang Kai's strength.
"Move out." The Ink Clan member swept his hand forward and was the first to step beyond the Ink Clouds.
Jia Yi and the others followed close behind. Yang Kai dared not hesitate and hurried to catch up, his heart filled with helplessness. Under the current circumstances, there was no way to head toward the passageway guarded by the Blessed Cave-heavens for now. He could only take things one step at a time.
The Ink Disciples had varied personalities. Jia Yi, Yi Er, and Bing San were rather taciturn, but the short, elderly man called Ding Si was quite the talker. He fell a little behind the others and walked alongside Yang Kai, striking up a conversation. "Which Blessed Cave-heaven are you from, little brother?"
Yang Kai glanced at him, then at the Ink Clan member ahead.
Ding Si chuckled. "Don't be afraid. Our master is quite easy to get along with. The Ink Clan are like us—each has their own temperament. When the master has a request, just carry it out honestly. Other than that, he won't bother you."
He seemed to sense that Yang Kai was somewhat afraid of the Ink Clan member, which was why he offered this explanation. After all, having just been claimed by a new master, there was always an adjustment period.
He recalled how he had been the same way back when he was first converted into an Ink Disciple—cautious and guarded, tiptoeing on thin ice, terrified of making some mistake that would earn punishment. But as time went on and they grew accustomed to each other, he had gradually relaxed.
"Where did you come from before, Senior?" Yang Kai asked instead of answering, silently reminding himself again and again that although Ink Disciples had been converted by the Ink Force, they were no different from normal people in daily life—as Ding Si's behavior clearly demonstrated.
Before his conversion, this man had likely been just as talkative.
The reason Yang Kai didn't answer was his fear that the Blessed Cave-heaven he named might be the same as Ding Si's, potentially exposing some flaw.
Ding Si smiled. "There's no 'senior' or 'junior' here. Just call me by my name. I came from the Nine Star Blessed Land."
Yang Kai was familiar with the Nine Star Blessed Land—he had dealt with their external affairs envoys back in the Star Realm.
Yang Kai very much wanted to ask which Blessed Cave-heavens the others hailed from, but since Ding Si hadn't brought them up on his own, he didn't dare press the question. He could only brace himself and say, "I'm from Yin Yang Heaven."
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the others showing no particular reaction, and Yang Kai felt a measure of relief. It seemed none of this group were from Yin Yang Heaven.
Ding Si looked enlightened. "Yin Yang Heaven—now that's a fine place."
Yang Kai didn't want to dwell on the topic. The more he said, the more he might slip up. Instead, he asked, "Where are we headed?"
"Gale Domain!" Ding Si replied. "Our master is based in Gale Domain, so naturally that's where we're going."
Yang Kai's gaze flickered slightly as he asked in a low voice, "Is our master a High-ranking Ink Clan member?"
The Gale Domain that Ding Si mentioned was likely the territory of an Ink Clan Domain Lord. Since the Ink Clan member beneath a Domain Lord possessed considerable strength, he must be High-ranking.
Yang Kai had already estimated this Ink Clan member to be roughly equivalent to a Sixth Stage Open Heaven cultivator, and that assessment appeared to have been correct.
Ding Si nodded. "Master is indeed a High-ranking Ink Clan member!"
Yang Kai chatted idly with Ding Si along the way and found that, just as the man had said, their master was relatively easy to deal with—even when he noticed the servants chattering away behind him, he made no move to stop them.
The group pressed onward.
Though Yang Kai entertained thoughts of killing many times over, he didn't dare act rashly. They were deep in Ink Clan territory, and if he didn't handle things cleanly, it would be all too easy to expose his tracks.
Moreover, they passed other Ink Clan members coming and going from time to time, leaving him few opportunities to strike.
He could only endure through sheer willpower.
After several days, a region blanketed by Ink Clouds came into view—a vast Spirit Land of enormous proportions. The Ink Clouds hung thick and dense, blanketing hundreds of thousands of miles of void.
Yang Kai had seen one before from far away in the void—that thing shaped like an enormous flower bud. And here, atop this very Spirit Land, another one stood, rising high at its center. As it unfurled, rich surges of Ink Force poured out from within the bud.
Ding Si, who had been walking alongside Yang Kai all this time, quietly nudged his arm. "This is Gale Domain. The Domain Lord here is called Kuangfeng."
Understanding dawned on Yang Kai's face.
A Domain Lord—that meant an Ink Clan member equivalent to a Seventh Stage Open Heaven cultivator.
"What is that?" Yang Kai couldn't contain his curiosity and stared at the black flower bud.
Ding Si looked at him curiously. "You don't know what an Ink Nest is?"