With these considerations in mind, and given how rare the opportunity was, how could Yang Kai possibly let Gui Liao go?
Under the vast, surging power of heaven and earth, Gui Liao was driven back step by step. Faced with Yang Kai's relentless spear thrusts—each faster than the last—he could barely hold his ground, with no capacity whatsoever to fight back!
Gui Liao was shocked and furious.
How could a Seventh-Order be this powerful? Over the years, he had accompanied Heiyuan on multiple campaigns against the human race, clashing with numerous human Seventh-Orders on the battlefield, yet not a single one had ever made him feel so utterly outmatched.
Facing Yang Kai, a Seventh-Order, he felt a deep sense of despair take root in his heart.
He had already exhausted every trick in his arsenal, yet every strike from Yang Kai's spear carried tremendous force. The moment their weapons met, the ink force coursing through his body would scatter and refuse to coalesce. Worse, Yang Kai's movements were ghostlike and unpredictable. Though the surrounding Ink Clan occasionally managed to land a hit, none of their attacks dealt any real damage—only leaving minor wounds that had no bearing on the outcome of the fight.
He was going to die! The thought exploded in Gui Liao's mind, and panic spread through him unchecked. He had never imagined that before a single human, he would feel such terror. The realization filled him with shame and unwillingness.
He still had a vast future ahead of him. He was on the verge of attempting to advance to Domain Lord—how could he be willing to die here?
When Heiyuan had sent Yang Kai to the Royal City, he had told Gui Liao that upon his return, he would allow Gui Liao to enter the Ink Nest and advance to Domain Lord. Gui Liao had been eagerly anticipating this.
However, because several Domain Lords had previously used the Ink Nest to recover from their injuries, its energy had been heavily depleted. So after Heiyuan returned from the Royal City, rather than immediately letting Gui Liao enter to advance, he had spent enormous resources replenishing the Ink Nest's reserves.
After all this time, the Ink Nest had basically recovered. In at most half a year, Gui Liao would be able to enter and attempt his advancement. If he succeeded, he would become a new Domain Lord—a being on the same level as Heiyuan.
Yet this magnificent future, which he had not yet even begun to enjoy, was being shattered to pieces by Yang Kai's spear.
Under the onslaught of the Azure Dragon Spear, blood sprayed from Gui Liao's body, and his aura weakened with every passing moment.
Though he struggled desperately to defend himself, how could he withstand Yang Kai's relentless bombardment? Each thrust came from seemingly impossible angles, leaving Gui Liao unable to parry them all. And every strike carried the force of the void, sealing off all space for evasion. In short order, over a dozen wounds had appeared across Gui Liao's body, the worst being a fist-sized hole torn through his abdomen.
Just as Gui Liao was about to fall, a powerful aura suddenly surged toward them from the distance.
Both Yang Kai and Gui Liao, locked in combat, sensed this familiar presence at the same time. The former's expression grew grave, while the latter was overwhelmed with joy.
It could only be Heiyuan.
This was Heiyuan's territory. His subordinates had been scattered across the area to intercept Yang Kai, and the moment the battle between Gui Liao and the other Ink Clan had erupted, Heiyuan had sensed it and rushed over immediately.
Heiyuan moved at extraordinary speed. Yang Kai had barely detected his aura when, in the next instant, he caught sight of Heiyuan hurtling toward them from the corner of his eye.
Gui Liao cried out at once: "My Lord Domain Lord, save me!"
A flicker of hesitation crossed Yang Kai's face as he wavered for an instant between fleeing immediately and killing Gui Liao. Then the Azure Dragon Spear erupted with even more devastating power, thrusting forward.
At the same time, the image of Gui Liao was reflected in his right eye, the reflection subtly distorting. Gui Liao, who had been doing everything in his power to fend off Yang Kai's attacks, was struck as if by a catastrophic blow in that split second. An inexplicable force seemed to twist his body, and as searing pain shot through him, he faltered.
That brief opening was enough to decide life and death. The Azure Dragon Spear pierced unstoppable into Gui Liao's chest, and the violent force that erupted within shattered his body into two halves, sending ink-black blood and ink force spraying into the void.
Disbelief flashed through Gui Liao's eyes. Though he had not yet died, wounds this grave meant death was not far off.
Yang Kai's right eye narrowed involuntarily, and a thin line of blood trickled from beneath his eyelid.
The secret art of Myriad Demons Heaven was indeed formidable, but his cultivation of it was still incomplete. Especially given that he was already heavily drained, forcibly activating the eye technique had placed a considerable burden on him.
Still, using the eye technique to slay Gui Liao had eliminated a major future threat to the human race—so it was not without gain.
Heiyuan would arrive any moment, and Yang Kai had no intention of lingering. He immediately activated his Space Laws to flee.
However, the frenzied attacks from the surrounding Ink Clan had destabilized the void, preventing him from departing immediately. And Gui Liao, whose body had already been split in half, seemed to know death was imminent. In his final frenzy, he charged recklessly toward Yang Kai with his severed torso, spreading his arms in an attempt to lock Yang Kai in place, roaring: "You're not getting away!"
Yang Kai had not expected this creature to be so fiercely tenacious. Caught off guard, he nearly ended up in Gui Liao's embrace. He hastily thrust his spear, blasting Gui Liao's remaining torso to bits.
In that brief delay, Heiyuan had arrived.
Dense ink force roiled as Heiyuan descended, his face twisted with fury. A devastating palm strike slammed down toward Yang Kai.
In this critical moment, Yang Kai dared not hold back. A towering tree materialized behind him, its canopy blotting out the sky and earth, its hanging branches weaving a sturdy barrier that enveloped him completely.
Heiyuan's strike crashed down with savage force upon the canopy.