Along the way, Ink Clan members leading Ink Disciples kept converging on their position — all survivors of the human race's recent ambush. Like streams merging into a river, the force quickly swelled to several hundred strong, led by a Lord-level Ink Clan elder. They charged in pursuit as a mighty host, and their numbers continued to grow as they advanced.
Yang Kai cursed inwardly. This was supposed to have been his chance to reunite with the human powerhouses, but now he couldn't make any rash moves and could only take things one step at a time.
Far off in the void, a blinding burst of light suddenly erupted, and terrifying waves of energy rippled outward from that direction, sending shudders through both body and soul.
Yang Kai raised his head to look, and what clashed against that brilliance was a mass of thick, impenetrable ink-darkness. His expression grew grim. He guessed that a member of the Ink Royal Clan had likely already engaged the human race's Ninth-Order Old Ancestor — otherwise, the commotion couldn't possibly be this enormous.
The leading Lord had clearly sensed it too, shouting orders to pick up the pace and rush to provide support.
Yang Kai, Yi Er, and Wu Wu followed closely at Nu Yan's side, escorting him without leaving a single step of space.
The pursuit lasted for several days. Along the way, the corpses of fallen Ink Clan members and Ink Disciples appeared with increasing frequency, along with the wreckage of nearby territories that had been blasted apart.
The human powerhouses had raided all the way into the Ink Clan's heartlands. Nothing could have remained peaceful in their wake — every territory where the Ink Clan had gathered had been utterly destroyed.
And fragments of Palace Artifacts...
Yang Kai's heart sank.
He knew firsthand how formidable Palace Artifacts could be. Back when Zuo Quanhui had led the Heavenly Sword Alliance to cause trouble outside the Star Boundary, he had wielded one such Palace Artifact that had given Yang Kai and the others tremendous trouble.
They were extremely difficult to forge and prohibitively expensive. Across the Three Thousand Worlds, ordinary Artifact Refiners didn't qualify to craft one, and ordinary forces couldn't afford to own one.
Yang Kai had once commissioned Master Fan Nao to build a Palace Artifact, which now resided in the Lingxiao Palace.
It was a treasure for conquering cities and storming fortresses — a powerful weapon that combined both offense and defense. After the Ninth-Order Old Ancestor had made his move several days ago, numerous Palace Artifacts had charged across the battlefield, slaughtering Ink Clan members and Ink Disciples.
But now even a Palace Artifact had been shattered — a testament to the ferocity of the battle the humans had faced.
Judging from the scene before him, even though the humans had evacuated in time, the Ink Clan army had still caught up with them. A major battle must have erupted between the two sides, and a brutal one at that — though he had no way of knowing what the casualties were.
After two or three more days of pursuit, the leading Ink Clan Lord suddenly changed direction, leading several hundred troops in a lateral charge, with the mass of Ink Clan members and Ink Disciples following close behind.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow at the sight. He had been hoping to follow this Ink Clan force all the way to the front lines and find an opportunity to slip away. He hadn't expected them to suddenly change course.
"Master, are we not pursuing anymore?" Yang Kai asked, looking at Nu Yan.
Nu Yan didn't understand what the leading Lord was thinking either, but still replied, "The Lord has his own reasons. We follow."
Had it been any other Ink Disciple, he wouldn't have been nearly so cordial. But Yang Kai was of extraordinary significance to him, so he was comparatively lenient.
It didn't take long for Yang Kai to learn why the leading Lord had changed direction.
About an hour later, a battlefield where a life-and-death struggle was underway came into view. There, a Palace Artifact shaped like a towering vessel was charging back and forth within the encirclement of the Ink Clan army.
From within the Artifact, dazzling streaks of mystic light burst forth one after another, each carrying devastating energy. Any Ink Clan member or Ink Disciple struck by them either died on the spot or was sent coughing up blood.
This was the true power of a Palace Artifact. Every strike it unleashed was equivalent to the full-force attack of a high-grade Open Heaven cultivator, and as long as it was operated properly, the barrage could continue without interruption.
Though the surrounding Ink Clan members and Ink Disciples were suffering enormous losses, they fought to the death without retreating. Secret arts rained down upon the Palace Artifact one after another, but every single one was blocked by the defensive barrier enveloping the Artifact, producing nothing more than layer upon layer of ripples.
For the Ink Clan, having the humans raid their heartlands and destroy over a dozen territories was nothing short of humiliation. For years, the humans had been pinned down at various chokepoints by the Ink Clan, barely able to launch any offensive of their own.
Humiliation could only be washed away with blood. The Ink Clan no longer cared about casualties — no matter the cost, they were determined to take down this isolated Palace Artifact.
This battle had clearly been going on for some time. The void was littered with the corpses of Ink Clan members and Ink Disciples, and fewer than a few dozen remained alive!
If no reinforcements had arrived, the human powerhouses could have used the Palace Artifact to annihilate every Ink Clan member in the area and then withdraw at their leisure.
But when the several-hundred-strong force containing Yang Kai came charging in, the human powerhouses aboard the Palace Artifact couldn't help but pale.
Their worst fear had finally come true. This was still deep in Ink Clan territory, and Ink Clan reinforcements could arrive at any moment. They had been cutting down Ink Clan members as fast as they could, desperate to break free before it was too late — but they hadn't made it in time.
Seeing this scene, Yang Kai — who had arrived here following Nu Yan — felt his own anxiety mounting.
He didn't know how this vessel had become separated from the main force, but the situation on any battlefield could change in an instant. When the humans had retreated in a tight formation, the Ink Royal Clan had led a large number of powerhouses in pursuit, and had subsequently clashed with the Ninth-Order Old Ancestor.
Perhaps the powerful aftershocks from their battle had disrupted the humans' formation and left this vessel stranded.
Figures stood tall upon the vessel's deck, channeling the might of heaven and earth to unleash secret arts that supplemented the Palace Artifact's attacks, pressing the fight without pause.
A furious roar rang out: "Kill!"
Under the leading Lord's command, several hundred Ink Clan members and Ink Disciples surged toward the vessel Artifact like a tidal wave, enveloping it so tightly in an instant that not a gap remained.
Not only that, the leading Lord himself charged forward with fearless bravery. His massive frame shifted as he closed the distance to the vessel in a flash, his enormous body erupting with terrifying power. He swung his fist and smashed it downward toward the deck.
A single stroke of a sword slashed out like a flash of brilliant light, so resplendent that it seemed as though nothing remained in all of heaven and earth but the glow of that blade.