As that aura surged back to life, Bai Yi's startled cry rang out beside his ear: "Senior Brother, be careful!"
Yang Kai had already thrust his spear violently downward.
With a crashing sound, a massive hand suddenly thrust out from the shattered Ink Nest, grabbing straight for Yang Kai.
The Azure Dragon Spear's edge was peerlessly sharp, and now that Yang Kai was pouring all his strength into it, its momentum was absolutely irresistible. The spear pierced clean through that enormous hand in a single thrust, trailing a spray of ink-black blood.
Yet the hand showed not the slightest intent of retreating. It clenched tight.
The heavens and earth seemed to freeze in place. Yang Kai was horrified to discover that he had nowhere to dodge. Caught off guard for just an instant, the hand seized him—spear and all—within its grip.
Terror-inducing force bore down from every direction, and his entire skeleton creaked with the sound of bones cracking, so many fractures he couldn't even count them.
He struggled furiously, shaking the spear and channeling the power of his own Small Universe to blast a hole through the palm of that massive hand. At the same moment, a streak of golden light arrived in the blink of an eye, driving itself into the hand's wrist.
Only by combining the efforts of both Yang Kai and Bai Yi did the hand gripping Yang Kai's body loosen ever so slightly. Seizing the opening, Yang Kai hastily broke free and retreated, widening the distance between himself and the Ink Nest.
Stabilizing himself with difficulty, a flush of red crossed Yang Kai's face before he spat out a mouthful of blood. His aura weakened somewhat as a result, but his overall condition was notably better than before.
The aura that had reawakened within the Ink Nest rose in waves, climbing higher and higher. In the span of a breath, it surpassed the level Yang Kai had first sensed from Zhufeng, and showed every sign of pressing toward the peak of a Domain Lord.
Both Yang Kai and Bai Yi were shaken.
Fortunately, the surging momentum soon reached its ceiling. Though powerful, it did not drive them to despair.
Yang Kai looked and saw a pair of enormous hands reaching out from the ruined Ink Nest, one on each side, tearing it apart. Zhufeng's colossal body was revealed before their eyes.
At this moment, Zhufeng's entire body was slick and sticky, as though newborn from a womb. Viscous liquid streamed down his frame and pooled on the ground beneath his feet.
The ruined Ink Nest had by now crumbled to powder—all of its energy had clearly been devoured by Zhufeng.
One of his palms had been pierced through by the Azure Dragon Spear, leaving a massive wound. Yet now the flesh at the wound writhed and began knitting itself back together with startling speed.
He gently clenched his fist, and his twin eyes—black as the void of a black hole—fixed upon the direction where Yang Kai and Bai Yi stood. His voice came cold and grim: "Two ants. You have succeeded in enraging me. I will make you wish you had never been born!"
As he spoke, he threw a punch from afar, hurtling toward the two of them.
Both Yang Kai and Bai Yi's expressions changed drastically. One raised his spear, the other lifted her bow, and they combined their forces to block.
An overwhelming, unstoppable force slammed into them from the front. The two of them were instantly blasted backward in streaks of light. Bai Yi's petite body tumbled through the air, the sharp sound of bones snapping echoing with each rotation. Though Yang Kai's physical body was tremendously tough, he fared no better—his internal organs felt as though they had all shifted out of place. His entire body slammed into a mountain peak more than a dozen li away, embedding itself deep within the rock. He vomited a mouthful of blood and turned as pale as paper.
A single blow, and Yang Kai had already grasped the vast chasm of power between himself and Zhufeng. The enemy had employed some secret technique, squeezing the Ink Nest's energy to heal himself. Now his might was in no way inferior to what it had been at his peak.
Against such an opponent, even if both he and Bai Yi were at their peak, they might not be able to hold their ground—let alone in their current condition.
Their previous battles against the enemy had left both Yang Kai and Bai Yi covered in wounds, their strength drastically diminished. As one side grew weaker and the other stronger, a single exchange had dealt them a crushing disadvantage.
In the face of such dire circumstances, Yang Kai's fighting spirit only burned brighter. His face was pale, yes, but his eyes gleamed with an intensity that was almost frightening.
He did not know what secret technique Zhufeng had used to restore his gravely injured body to its peak condition. But the more powerful the secret technique, the more severe the backlash—that was common knowledge!
In other words, Zhufeng could not possibly maintain this state indefinitely without it beginning to deteriorate. As long as he and Bai Yi could hold on, once the backlash set in, Zhufeng's dominance would crumble on its own.
He understood this clearly. But could he and Bai Yi actually hold on until that moment? Before then, they might very well be killed by Zhufeng.
And yet this was a rare opportunity. Moreover, Yang Kai had already used the Purifying Light in front of Zhufeng once before. Zhong Liang had told him that the Purifying Light was a technique that should never be deployed lightly before the Ink Clan—and once it was used, it had to be used to wipe the enemy out completely. If word got out, the Ink Clan would inevitably take action specifically against him. When that happened, the human race would, in order to protect him, never again allow him to leave Biluo Pass.
So no matter what, no matter the cost, Yang Kai felt he had to try. If he could kill Zhufeng, all the better. If he truly could not manage it, he would have no choice but to flee with Bai Yi. Whether they could escape successfully or not, all he could do was try his best and leave the rest to fate.
These thoughts flashed through his mind in rapid succession as Yang Kai wrenched himself free from the mountainside. He channeled the Laws of Space and took a single step, arriving before Bai Yi in an instant.
At the same moment, Zhufeng's fist was hurtling down toward Bai Yi—right when she was still reeling from the shock, her body and mind shaken, unable to mount a defense. Her strength was by no means lacking; she had put up a fierce fight against Yang Kai earlier as well, forcing him to expend considerable effort before finally subduing her.
But she simply did not possess Yang Kai's formidable foundation, nor did she have the Heavenly Earth Spring stabilizing her Small Universe.
Zhufeng's punch had not only sent her flying—it had sent violent tremors through her Small Universe as well, disrupting the flow of her energy. Dizzy and disoriented, she was in no state to defend against Zhufeng's follow-up attack.