Life and death hung by a single thread!
Yang Kai couldn't hold back any longer. Even if his identity was exposed, even if it brought endless trouble afterward, he felt he absolutely had to act—otherwise his conscience would never rest at peace!
For the past two years, he had disguised himself as an Ink Slave, carefully mingling within the Ink Clan, never daring to reveal his identity. He had obeyed Nu Yan's every command, treated as a cash cow and forced to fight endlessly in gambling arenas across various territories, all just to find himself a way to survive. When the woman had been fighting alone earlier, he hadn't stepped in to help because the situation was still under her control.
But now the woman was only one step away from death, and Yang Kai couldn't just stand by and watch her fall here.
With his current strength, if his identity truly was exposed, he would very likely die here as well. Domain Lord-level Ink Clan members were not to be trifled with. Yet Yang Kai believed that along the path he had walked, while he couldn't claim to be the most righteous person in the world, he still knew when he had to act and when he should refrain.
Now was the time to act!
Back in that secret realm, Meng Qi of the Linglong Blessed Land, to protect the secret of the Void Passage, hadn't hesitated in the slightest to sacrifice his seventh-grade body.
These were people who truly placed their lives on the line, battling the Ink Clan year after year on this Ink Battlefield, guarding the Three Thousand Worlds.
But the next moment, Yang Kai's figure paused slightly. In his observation, the Ink Clan Domain Lord who had seized the woman was merely gazing at her quietly, and in his eyes there was not the slightest hint of killing intent—rather, there was a trace of appreciation.
He suddenly realized that when powerhouses from the Blessed Lands and Secret Realms were captured by the Ink Clan, death was not necessarily their fate. What awaited them might be an entirely different destiny.
Sure enough, the Ink Clan Domain Lord did not strike the killing blow immediately, only giving a faint cold laugh: "Quite bold, aren't you? Very well—then from this life onward, you shall be my slave!"
As his words fell, thick, almost tangible Ink Force surged from the Domain Lord's hand, instantly enveloping the woman and eroding into her body.
The woman struggled with all her might, but it was utterly futile. Coupled with the fact that she had exhausted nearly all of her Small World's power in the previous battle, she had no resistance whatsoever against this erosion of Ink Force.
Before long, she fell silent, her eyes filled with dark ink.
Yang Kai watched quietly, a wave of sorrow rising in his heart. Such a powerful figure, yet she too had been Ink-corrupted. However, compared to dying in battle here, this outcome was at least acceptable. Perhaps there would be an opportunity to rescue her later.
The Ink Clan Domain Lord was clearly quite satisfied with his newly acquired slave—after all, a seventh-grade Ink Slave was no common commodity, and was highly valued even among the Ink Clan. He looked her over and said, "Recover your strength, then follow after me."
"Yes!" The disheveled-haired woman nodded respectfully.
The Ink Clan Domain Lord said no more. His massive form shrouded itself in a layer of ink-dark energy and rapidly corroded forward into the distance, obviously going to pursue the fleeing human powerhouses.
Left behind on the scene were over a hundred Ink Clan members and Ink Slaves, staring at the woman with wide eyes.
It was rather awkward.
After all, moments ago they had been fighting tooth and nail against each other, as though they bore some irreconcilable grudge, and now in the blink of an eye they were on the same side. The shift in allegiance was somewhat abrupt.
But having been Ink-corrupted by a Domain Lord, this seventh-grade woman was now an Ink Slave through and through.
Under normal circumstances, such a powerful Ink Slave, separated from her master and alone, would easily attract the covetous eyes of other Ink Clan members. But everyone had witnessed the Domain Lord personally Ink-corrupt this woman—who would dare try to claim her? Stealing this woman now might seem harmless, but if the Domain Lord came to hold them accountable later, not a single one of their own Ink Slaves would likely survive.
"What were you rushing off for? Do you want to die?" Nu Yan scolded Yang Kai.
Earlier, in his haste to save the woman, Yang Kai had sped up for a moment, leaving even his master Nu Yan behind him. Fortunately, he had come to his senses in time and hadn't struck at the Ink Clan Domain Lord—otherwise, it would have been him being chased to his death.
Yang Kai lowered his head in silence.
Nu Yan had merely said a word; there was nothing more to it.
And so the dramatic pursuit came to an end. The three Territory Lords leading the charge gathered for a brief discussion. One of them said: "Leave a few behind to stand guard here, lest any misunderstandings arise. The rest, follow me to pursue the enemy!"
That seventh-grade woman had already been Ink-corrupted by the Domain Lord, but she was completely drained and needed time to recover. The Domain Lord had also told her to follow after recovering on her own.
But leaving her alone here was clearly inappropriate. If some other powerful Ink Clan member happened to pass through and mistake her for an enemy, killing her in error, there would be no way to answer to the Domain Lord afterward.
So they definitely had to leave a few people behind—first, to guard her while she recovered, and second, to explain the situation if they encountered any of their own.
Normally, no Ink Slave would ever receive such treatment. But they had all witnessed this woman's formidable strength, and moreover, she had been Ink-corrupted by the Domain Lord himself—she was the Domain Lord's Ink Slave and deserved special consideration.
Having spoken, the Territory Lord swept his gaze across the crowd.
Nu Yan stepped forward without hesitation: "My lord, I volunteer to stay!"
Yang Kai shot him a sidelong glance. Having followed the man for two years, he hadn't realized this fellow was such a coward. Now, faced with a fight against human powerhouses, Nu Yan's fear of death was laid bare for all to see.
Yang Kai had noticed it before—the man had no notable skills to speak of, but his ability to sense danger and preserve his own life was absolutely first-rate. It was no accident that he had survived on this Ink Battlefield all this time.
Hearing that someone was to be left behind, Nu Yan seized the opportunity without a second's hesitation. Before anyone else could react, he had already volunteered.