The Yinyang Pass side had chosen Heiyuan the Domain Lord as his target, saying that Heiyuan was valued by the Twilight King Lord, that his personal strength ranked among the top of all Domain Lords, and that he frequently entered and left the King City, making it convenient to gather intelligence.
But he had no idea what Heiyuan actually looked like, let alone how Yinyang Pass would arrange things to ensure Heiyuan would come to ink-corrupt him.
To learn the answer, he would have to investigate.
With this thought, Yang Kai turned his head to look at the leader beside him and cupped his fists. "How should I address you?"
That leader also bore injuries, presumably left from the earlier battle at the resource zone. Hearing this, he smiled. "Zaku. Just call me Zaku."
Yang Kai nodded slightly. "So it's Lord Zaku."
This respectful address clearly pleased Zaku greatly. The smile on his face grew more genuine, and his fan-sized hand patted Yang Kai's shoulder affectionately. "No need to be so formal. We'll both serve under the Lord's banner from now on. If you ever need any help, just let me know."
"Then thank you." Yang Kai thanked him, then raised the main topic. "Our Lord… what is he called?"
Zaku's expression turned serious, and he said gravely, "The Lord's honorific within the clan is Heiyuan. Among all Domain Lords under the King's Banner, he ranks in the top five. Being taken in by the Lord is your good fortune."
So it really is Heiyuan! Yang Kai's heart settled. It seemed the plan was indeed proceeding smoothly.
Zaku sighed again and glanced toward the ship's cabin. "The several Lords who oversaw this battle zone — apart from Lord Heiyuan, all the others were struck into slumber by the humans. After returning, Lord Heiyuan will surely face punishment from the King Lord." As he spoke, he consoled Yang Kai. "But our Lord has always been highly valued by the King Lord. Even if there's punishment, it won't be anything major. At most, some territory will be reduced. Anyway, enough of that. You look like you can barely hold on much longer. Find yourself a place to rest."
Yang Kai thanked him once more, then found a spot on the deck to sit cross-legged, took out some spirit pills and popped them into his mouth, and quietly regulated his breath.
Zaku's brief words had confirmed many things for Yang Kai and finally made him understand how the Yinyang Pass side had ensured Heiyuan would come to ink-corrupt him. All the other Domain Lords besides Heiyuan had been struck into deep slumber by human powerhouses. With this, only Heiyuan was able to act.
But to achieve this, the humans must have paid a considerable price. To severely wound so many Domain Lord-level experts, the Human Race's Eighth-Grade Open Heaven cultivators would have had to pay nearly equivalent costs. And for the Ink Clan, slumber is the best way to recover from injuries. If they can return to the Ink Nest to sleep, the healing effect would be even better.
On this warship, several Domain Lords were present — Heiyuan himself was heavily wounded, and the other Domain Lords were even more deeply asleep. Yang Kai even couldn't help but entertain the thought of finding a way to secretly kill those Domain Lords. If he could really eliminate a few Domain Lords here, it would absolutely relieve a great deal of pressure on the Yinyang battle zone. But after all, he had other important duties on this mission, and it wouldn't be wise to stir up complications.
Led by the warship where Heiyuan was stationed, the Ink Clan's defeated forces slowly retreated toward their heartland and soon disappeared into the distance.
About a day later, a figure suddenly appeared at the earlier void battlefield, inspecting all around. The site still bore traces of the earlier fierce battle — especially Ink Clan corpses, too numerous to count. Just from the outcome of this battle, one could imagine how intense the fighting had been.
The figure wandered the battlefield for a moment, then stopped to gaze deep into the void.
Shortly after, another streak of light shot in from the distance, landing beside him.
"How is it? Any news from inside the Pass?" Wu Qing, who had arrived first to investigate, asked.
Tang Qiu, who arrived later, said, "Just received word — Yang Kai didn't return to the Pass. How's it going here?"
"It's roughly consistent with what Elder Xu Linggong's squad reported, though there are some discrepancies."
"What discrepancies?" Tang Qiu asked with furrowed brows.
"Look over there!" Wu Qing suddenly pointed in one direction.
Tang Qiu focused his gaze and his expression turned slightly grim. "These are… shattered fragments of a universe. That kid gave up his Small Universe?"
Wu Qing nodded. "Elder Xu Linggong's squad reported that Yang Kai was caught in a fierce battle, and knew nothing of what followed. It seems Yang Kai only gave up his Small Universe after they left, so they didn't witness it."
Tang Qiu's expression grew solemn. "Sacrificing a Small Universe's territory will certainly damage one's foundation. However, news from Biluo Pass is that he obtained a World Tree subtree and voluntarily offered up his Heaven and Earth Spring. With the World Tree subtree, not only will he not be corrupted by the Ink Force, the sacrificed Small Universe will also self-repair. And this action of his was clearly an attempt to deceive the Ink Clan — a rather clever move indeed. Looking at it this way, the situation at the time must have still been under his control. Otherwise, if there had been real danger, he certainly wouldn't have given up his Small Universe and weakened his own fighting power."
Wu Qing nodded. "Assuming the best — he has now been ink-corrupted by Heiyuan and become Heiyuan's Ink Follower. The biggest flaw in this plan had been worrying me, but his ability to go with the flow might just cover that flaw."
Although Wu Qing didn't specify what that flaw was, Tang Qiu was all too aware. In truth, when they had been planning this, this flaw had been plain for all to see. Yet regarding this flaw, they had been powerless and could only pray that Yang Kai would be protected by heaven's fortune.
"Yes, I was worried too before. Even if he pretended to be ink-corrupted, if Heiyuan decided to inspect his Small Universe, everything would be exposed."