Moreover, the one presiding over this operation was an Ink Clan Territory Lord!
That was the equivalent of an Eighth-Order Open Heavens cultivator. If they actually ran into such a powerhouse, nobody would stand a chance.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, no one dared delay any further. They hurriedly made arrangements, funneling all cultivators below the Upper-Order Open Heavens realm into the Small Universes of a few of the strongest members, and fled the area at top speed.
They moved quickly, and the Ink Clan side presumably never expected that their own Ink Servants would leak information. The escape proceeded without encountering any danger.
An hour later, the group of five had hidden themselves within another ink cloud, holding their breath and suppressing their aura.
For the next half month, the five of them didn't dare make the slightest move, remaining dormant inside the ink cloud the entire time.
From time to time, they detected formations of several hundred Ink Clan members sweeping past nearby, clearly searching for their trail. But as far as the Ink Clan was concerned, they only knew that a small group of human cultivators had been causing trouble behind the lines—who these people were, how many there were, they had no idea.
Every time Yang Kai and the others struck, they wiped out every last Ink Clan member present, so naturally no word ever leaked out.
The Ink Clan certainly never imagined that these people would be hiding inside an ink cloud, so despite conducting a thorough search and repeatedly passing right by the spot where Yang Kai and the others were concealed, they never once discovered them.
However, this also meant the five of them couldn't take any further action. Fortunately, Yang Kai had carved out a safe zone within the ink cloud, so as long as they stayed inside, they didn't have to worry about being corroded by the Ink Force—for the time being, they were safe.
But continuing to hide like this was hardly a solution. If the Ink Clan kept searching without success, there was no guarantee they wouldn't eventually decide to investigate the interior of the ink clouds. If that happened, the group would be exposed before long, and things would become very difficult indeed.
Inside the ink cloud, Feng Ying looked at the others with a grave expression and said, "It's time to take a risk."
Ning Qizhi frowned. "Senior Sister Feng means..."
Feng Ying turned her gaze toward the front line. "Playing it safe will only put us in an increasingly dire position. I want to try and make it back. What do the rest of you think?"
A silence fell over the group.
All of them had once been corrupted by ink and turned into Ink Servants, serving the Ink Clan as slaves for many years without ever returning to the human-held pass. If they could go back, they naturally yearned for nothing more. But the current situation meant they couldn't simply return at will—there would be risks to bear.
Shen Ao said, "The Ink Clan is already on alert. Staying here any longer doesn't do us much good. We don't have many people, but it's not exactly a small force either. If we find the right opportunity, we might well be able to tear a hole through the Ink Clan army. There is still a chance to get back."
Qi Taichu nodded. "I have no objections. I was corrupted by ink—I'd already consider myself dead once. Now that I've been given a second life, killing one Ink Clan member means I've broken even, and killing two means I've made a profit. Whatever you decide, I'll follow along. I'm no good at coming up with plans, but I can certainly swing a blade."
Shen Ao also said, "Then let's head back."
Seeing that no one disagreed, Feng Ying nodded. "Then we go back!" She turned to Yang Kai. "Be extremely careful. Stay close to me at all times."
Her insistence on returning now stemmed from two reasons. First, their current position was no longer safe. Second, she wanted to get Yang Kai back.
Though Yang Kai's cultivation was not particularly high, his very existence was of immense significance to the human side. He couldn't be allowed to take this kind of risk alongside them.
If not for this consideration, Feng Ying might not have been so urgent about it. If it were possible, she would have preferred to keep Yang Kai inside her Small Universe the entire time, hidden from view—so long as she didn't die, he would be in no mortal danger.
But she couldn't do that. Yang Kai possessed methods to disperse and purify the Ink Force, and in battle against the Ink Clan, those methods might be needed at any moment.
Once the decision was made, the five of them wasted no more time. They burst out of the ink cloud and charged straight toward the front line. Since they had decided to go back, there was no point in hesitating or taking detours.
The Ink Clan's search was still ongoing, and because they had been unable to find anything, they had clearly dispatched additional forces.
So after just half a day, the group's whereabouts were exposed!
Though they had anticipated this, being discovered so quickly still caught them somewhat off guard.
The ones who found them were a small squad of just over a dozen members. Taking them by surprise, the five of them struck and eliminated every last one—but what followed was ever more Ink Clan forces closing in from every direction.
The Ink Clan appeared to have broken their search parties into smaller units, casting a wide net and communicating with one another. If any link in the chain encountered trouble, it could trigger a response from the entire network.
They charged forward while fighting, cutting down Ink Clan members along the way. Though they killed quite a few, every engagement meant revealing their position anew.
Several days later, an oppressive aura pressed upon their senses from the distance. Looking up, they could see dense blackness rapidly eroding toward them from the direction of that aura.
"An Ink Clan Territory Lord!" Feng Ying, who was leading the way, called out in a low voice, her expression turning grim in an instant.
What made her feel particularly exasperated was that this Territory Lord felt disturbingly familiar. If she wasn't mistaken, this was the very same one who had tried to corrupt her with ink before.