The force of that finger strike erupted, transforming into a heaven-splitting sword beam that cleaved into the Ink Clan Territory Lord's back, rending the massive figure into a bloody mess — deep enough to reach bone, Ink Blood spraying wildly.
But taking advantage of this opportunity, the Ink Clan Territory Lord swiftly retreated into the distance.
The Eighth-Order human cultivator's figure flickered as he moved to give chase, only for his brow to suddenly tighten, a sharp pain prickling his skin. He had been locked down by a powerful aura.
The aura was restrained, clearly carrying a warning. If he truly moved to pursue, the qi that had him pinned would transform into a devastating thunderous strike.
The Eighth-Order human's expression grew solemn.
At full strength, he naturally wouldn't have cared about such a warning and would have chased the Territory Lord down to finish him off. But after battling the Ink Clan Territory Lord for so long, his reserves were already severely depleted. On top of that, he'd been ambushed by a devastating blow, suffering grievous injuries — and worse, his Small Universe had been corroded by the Ink Force. If he delayed any further, his entire Small Universe might become saturated with the Ink Force, and even as an Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivator, he would be transformed into an Ink Disciple, his mind completely erased.
That was an outcome he absolutely could not accept. He could die on the battlefield, but he would never allow himself to be converted into an Ink Disciple — a weapon in the Ink Clan's hands.
So even though he understood the ambusher's intentions, and even though a powerful attack like the previous one likely wouldn't come a second time, he didn't dare take the gamble.
He cast one cold glance toward the source of the ambush, then his figure blurred and he retreated until he reached a safe location. There, he activated the Universe Technique, connecting to the Universe Grand Formation of the Ink Expelling Warship at the base. Shortly after, a rotating formation pattern materialized beneath his feet, and as the light soared upward, he vanished from sight.
The once-fierce battlefield returned to calm. Hidden in the shadows, Yang Kai felt both regret and excitement.
His regret was that the Ink Clan Territory Lord had actually escaped. Opportunities to gravely wound and kill a Territory Lord were rare. If not for someone interfering from the shadows, he only needed to leap out and combine forces with the Eighth-Order human — there would have been a high chance of slaying that Territory Lord on the spot.
What thrilled him was that the target he'd lost track of had appeared once again, and not far from his position at that.
He didn't know when the other had arrived, nor whether the Ink Disciple had detected his presence. If not for the sudden attack, Yang Kai would have had no way to identify him.
This person was definitely that Ink Disciple from Divine Feather Paradise!
Previously, when the Ink Disciple had ambushed Yang Kai, the attacks he displayed had been predominantly golden light or golden threads. But when ambushing the Eighth-Order human cultivator, the attack had taken the shape of spread wings.
Yang Kai had witnessed the power of that strike and privately estimated that the Ink Disciple couldn't use such a devastating technique many times. Each use likely placed an enormous strain on his body.
Moreover, Yang Kai had been hunting him relentlessly, which had left him injured. In such a short time, the Ink Disciple's wounds surely hadn't healed.
Already wounded, and having just unleashed that taxing secret technique, the Ink Disciple's remaining combat strength at this point was probably negligible.
Yang Kai couldn't help wanting to throw his head back and laugh. Truly — the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
He didn't rush out immediately. Instead, he concealed his aura even more carefully, because he wasn't sure whether the other had truly detected his presence.
He knew from experience how difficult this opponent was. If his strike failed to connect this time, he feared repeating the same outcome. So there would be only one chance — if he didn't strike, that was one thing, but once he did, it had to end in a single decisive blow!
In truth, Yang Kai and the Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivator had both read the situation correctly. The Ink Disciple lurking in the shadows currently had no strength left for another attack of that magnitude. As a Seventh-Order cultivator, even ambushing an Eighth-Order from the shadows required him to employ a self-destructive secret technique — one that harmed the enemy a thousand and oneself eight hundred. After unleashing that attack, he had nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
He rarely resorted to such a technique. He hadn't used it during his previous ambushes on Yang Kai. But to inflict serious damage on an Eighth-Order Open Heaven, he had no choice but to employ it.
He was clever, though. Even with barely any strength remaining, he still used a thread of his aura to scare off the Eighth-Order cultivator.
Once he confirmed the Eighth-Order had truly departed, he slowly lowered the longbow in his hands and slumped to the ground, forcing himself to stay alert while stuffing spirit pills into his mouth to refine and recover.
He didn't linger long at his position. Having revealed himself with that attack, there was no guarantee the Eighth-Order wouldn't double back. If that happened, he would be utterly unable to resist.
So after only a brief rest, once his body had recovered slightly, he immediately rose, intending to leave the area.
But the very moment he made his move, his heart lurched with an intense feeling of foreboding.
His reflexes were exceptionally sharp. In the span of a heartbeat, he twisted his body, reached back, and drew the bowstring. With a sharp ring, a beam of golden light shot forth.
Simultaneously, he hunched his frame and leaped backward.
From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a figure that had materialized out of thin air beside him. The golden beam struck the figure squarely in the chest, sending blood spraying from the wound. Yet the figure didn't stop — it hurtled straight toward him. At the same time, a mysterious force rippled outward, sealing the surrounding space.
The Ink Disciple's face went pale with shock.
After tangling with Yang Kai for days, he would never mistake that face. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't understand — what was this fellow doing here? And judging by the situation, it was obvious Yang Kai had been lying in wait for some time, poised to strike the very instant his vigilance dropped.
Having witnessed Yang Kai's teleportation abilities before, how could he not know that Yang Kai was a master of the Laws of Space? Now that the surrounding space had been locked down, it was undoubtedly this man's doing.