Though the Bright King Heaven cultivator was utterly spent, his body worn to the point where he could no longer even resist, his physical refinement — honed through years of dedicated body cultivation — still held firm. For an opponent equally drained of strength, he was far from easy prey.
Such a scene had never been seen before.
Yang Kai, dragging the Bright King Heaven cultivator toward Fury Flame, felt his heart pounding with unease. He didn't know if his plan would succeed.
But he had to try no matter what — a human life hung in the balance.
Back in that secret realm, Monki had told him that if he ever encountered Ink Disciples, there was no need to show mercy. Killing them was perfectly acceptable — sometimes death was its own form of release.
He hadn't expected that choice to present itself so soon, yet faced with an Ink Disciple hailing from Bright King Heaven, he couldn't bring himself to strike the killing blow.
After all, he possessed the means to Restore the Original and Clear the Source. Perhaps he could find an opportunity to save this man and return him to his true self.
That was why he had done everything in his power to defeat his opponent without killing him.
Staggering to a halt before Fury Flame, Yang Kai cupped his fists and bowed slightly. "Master, I have returned without failing my mission!"
Fury Flame's face broke into a broad grin, and he nodded repeatedly. "Excellent. I truly did not misjudge you."
In truth, he had already harbored the thought of abandoning Yang Kai when he sent him into the arena. But looking at things now, it seemed his foresight had paid off.
Fury Flame lowered his gaze to the Bright King Heaven cultivator that Yang Kai had dragged before him, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes. He extended his hand. "Hand him over to me."
Yang Kai complied without hesitation.
Fury Flame reached out and seized the Bright King Heaven cultivator, his massive palm closing around the man's body. Ink Force surged forth, wrapping around him entirely.
Seeing this, Yang Kai let out a quiet breath of relief. Fury Flame's actions hadn't disappointed him — this was exactly what Yang Kai had been hoping for.
Meanwhile, Fang Fang, who had been standing to the side clenching his teeth as he watched, instantly darkened and barked, "Fury Flame, what are you doing?"
He had assumed Fury Flame intended to devour his prize. After all, that was the Heavenly Power of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivator — a tremendous tonic for a high-ranking Ink Disciple. Consuming the Heavenly Power of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven would surely bolster Fury Flame's strength considerably.
Who would have thought Fury Flame had no such intention at all? Instead, he had used his own Ink Force to corrupt the Bright King Heaven cultivator.
That meant the Bright King Heaven cultivator would become Fury Flame's Ink Disciple!
How could Fang Fang accept that? A living Ink Disciple and a dead Ink Disciple carried entirely different implications. He had already agreed with Fury Flame to a Death Duel, and with the outcome decided, he had steeled himself for the possibility of his Ink Disciple being killed.
If Fury Flame had actually slain the Bright King Heaven cultivator, Fang Fang would have had nothing to say. But this maneuver — this was something he found utterly intolerable.
With this move, Fury Flame's forces would swell dramatically, while his own would lose a key fighter. That shift in the balance of power between them would be enormous.
"You have an objection?" Fury Flame cast a sidelong glance.
Fang Fang snarled, "We agreed to a Death Duel — it must end in a life or death! What do you mean by stealing my Ink Disciple?"
If it had been a Living Duel, with the Ink Disciple's ownership as the wager, Fury Flame's actions would have been beyond reproach. But a Death Duel was something else entirely.
Fury Flame scoffed, "How is this stealing? The match is decided. He is my spoils of war — I decide whether he lives or dies. His life belongs to me now. What business is it of yours?"
Fang Fang refused to budge on the rules. "A Death Duel is a Death Duel! Of these two Ink Disciples, only one is allowed to survive — you can choose for yourself which one to keep alive!"
Fury Flame shook his head. "No one ever said a Death Duel could only leave one survivor."
Indeed, no one had ever stated that explicitly. It was simply that every Death Duel in the past had ended that way — mainly because the Ink Disciples who fought were of roughly equal strength, so no high-ranking Ink Disciple could easily overwhelm a lower-ranked one. In the heat of battle, neither side could hold back, and one would inevitably fall.
Everyone had simply taken it as an unwritten rule.
A situation like this one — where Yang Kai had captured his opponent alive and brought him back — had occurred only this single time in all those years. And that left room for debate.
Fang Fang wasted no more breath arguing. He raised his arm and rallied the crowd. "Go ahead — ask all our clansmen what the rules of a Death Duel really are!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
Cheers erupted from all around, deafening in their intensity. The Ink Race cared nothing for who profited — they only wanted to see blood and slaughter.
Fang Fang stared at Fury Flame with a provocative expression, his face brimming with smug satisfaction.
Fury Flame's expression grew serious. He did want that Bright King Heaven cultivator — having him serve under his command would be ideal. But if he angered the clansmen here and now, the price might not be worth it.
While he was hesitating, Yang Kai suddenly cupped his fists and spoke up. "Master, why not let me fight him again? I can slowly — very slowly — torture him to death!"
Fury Flame frowned. "Slowly torture him to death?" What would be the point of that?
Yang Kai said, "How about one hundred years?"
Fury Flame immediately caught on, thinking: who would want to stand here watching for a hundred years? Even Fang Fang wouldn't have the patience for that. Once he was gone, the Bright King Heaven cultivator would naturally become his Ink Disciple.
It wasn't perfect, but it was a workable solution.
"You're courting death!" Fang Fang whipped his head around and fixed Yang Kai with a furious glare.