By the time Yang Kai fought his way out of that chaotic energy vortex, the ambusher had already fled into the distance. This time, however, the traces he left behind were far more obvious than before—no longer that ghostly, undetectable aura.
Yang Kai let out a cold huff. That strike from his Azure Dragon Spear had certainly not been pleasant for the ambushers. The man had taken a full hit from his spear, and even if he hadn't been gravely wounded, his combat performance would have suffered.
One arrow exchanged for one spear—that more or less evened things out.
But their physical constitutions were vastly different, so no matter how you looked at it, Yang Kai had come out ahead in this trade of injuries.
Without lingering in place, Yang Kai set off in pursuit along the direction the man had fled.
He had laid such an elaborate trap before and still failed to capture this fellow. It just went to show how troublesome the man truly was.
Among Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivators, Yang Kai had never encountered anyone like this. Even Feng Ying would likely be no match for this person if he managed to拉开 some distance.
Yet this realization actually calmed the roiling fury in Yang Kai's heart. A formidable opponent made him all the more composed. This was not an enemy who could be taken down easily—it would require patience and careful maneuvering. He was certain that if he kept up the chase, an opportunity would inevitably present itself.
Space Laws surged continuously as he gave chase, and the distance between them slowly narrowed.
Perhaps it was because the Azure Dragon Spear's blow had dealt real damage, or perhaps the prolonged flight had drained his energy—the ambusher's speed had noticeably decreased compared to before.
Both were Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivators. Yang Kai had only recently broken through, but his foundations had always been extraordinary. So even though he had only ascended a few years ago, the depth of his Small Universe was far beyond what an ordinary Seventh-Order could match. What's more, he had nurtured countless living beings within his body, and the time flow there differed from the outside world. Even without actively restoring himself, his reserves were continuously growing.
This gave him the capital for a drawn-out battle.
The other party, by contrast—even as a veteran Seventh-Order—likely couldn't withstand prolonged attrition. That was precisely why his speed was steadily dropping.
Just as Yang Kai was about to catch up, an enormous tower ship suddenly appeared in his field of vision.
It was an Ink Clan warship. Because of their varying body shapes and the fact that many Ink Clan members were towering in stature, their warships were significantly larger than those of the human race—a distinction that made them easy to identify on the battlefield.
Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai would have had no fear of encountering an Ink Clan warship like this. As long as no Domain Lord-level powerhouse was aboard, there was no one in the Ink Clan who could be his match. And even if he ran into a Domain Lord, with his current Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivation, he could always flee if he couldn't win.
But having an Ink Clan warship appear right now was troublesome.
The fleeing ambusher charged straight toward the warship, and within moments had rendezvoused with it, boarding the vessel before vanishing from sight.
The warship, in turn, bore straight toward Yang Kai. On its deck, one could clearly make out the tall, imposing figures of numerous Ink Clan members.
The ambushers clearly intended to use these Ink Clan forces to obstruct his pursuit.
Though Yang Kai understood the plan, he didn't slow in the slightest. He hurtled straight toward the warship.
The distance between them closed rapidly. Suddenly, a dozen Ink Clan figures burst onto the deck. The two at the helm were Territory Lords, and the rest were all upper-rank Ink Clan members.
Facing a human Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator, the greedy light in the two Territory Lords' eyes blazed brighter. After all, Seventh-Order Ink Disciples were rare even among the Ink Clan—typically only Domain Lords could personally capture one. They had been leading a patrol through this theater of war for many days, skirmishing several times with human forces with victories and defeats on both sides, but they had never once encountered a lone human.
Today, not only had one appeared—it was a Seventh-Order.
The two Ink Clan Territory Lords exchanged a tacit understanding. Regardless of the cost, they intended to capture this human alive and convert him into an Ink Disciple. As for who would ultimately claim him, that would depend on their respective abilities.
In a one-on-one fight, they might not be a match for a human Seventh-Order. At the same rank, humans were always slightly superior to the Ink Clan—a fact they were well aware of.
But with two against one, and with plenty of subordinates to deploy, and the intruder clearly wounded—what was there to fear?
Seeing the human Seventh-Order bearing down on them without any sign of slowing, the Territory Lord on the left waved his hand, and the dozen-odd upper-rank Ink Clan members behind him surged forward, charging toward the approaching figure.
Yang Kai's expression was cold. The long spear in his grip was steady as a mountain. The instant he clashed with those upper-rank Ink Clan warriors, his spear transformed into a tempest of blows. His seemingly slight figure cut straight through the formation of upper-rank Ink Clan like a blade through cloth.
A dozen upper-rank Ink Clan members froze in place, as if struck by some immobilizing spell. Every one of their faces was contorted with horror.
The two Territory Lords behind them nearly had their souls torn from their bodies. Their strength was considerable, and they had no trouble seeing what had just happened in that fleeting instant.
They hadn't expected the dozen upper-rank Ink Clan members to defeat the intruder, but to fall so quickly and so completely was deeply terrifying.
This guy was a Seventh-Order?
Both Ink Clan Territory Lords were stunned. If human Seventh-Orders were all this formidable, what hope did the Ink Clan have?
Seeing the human bearing down on them without pause, one of the Territory Lords finally snapped back to his senses. He let out a furious roar, opened his mouth, and a mass of Ink Cloud blasted forth.
"Scram!" Yang Kai roared, charging head-on into the Ink Cloud without flinching. His spear thrust forward.
As the spear lanced out, the void itself trembled.
The Ink Clan Territory Lord clearly hadn't expected Yang Kai to show no fear whatsoever toward his Ink Cloud. He had intended to use this move to force Yang Kai back—yet what greeted him head-on was an endless wave of killing intent.