The Empty Cicada Domain Lord's personal domain sat atop a long-dead Universe World. A colossal Domain Lord-level Ink Nest towered there, its Ink Force seeping out over countless years to blanket the entire world. Over a million Ink Race made their home here, a density that even surpassed the bustling territory of the Black Abyss Domain.
The domain's elites had already departed under the Empty Cicada Domain Lord to face the Human Race army. Though a considerable number of Lords remained behind, most of the inhabitants were Upper Ink Race and Lower Ink Race.
In recent days, the Ink Race of the Empty Cicada Domain had grown increasingly anxious. Rumors of unknown origin claimed that a Human Race cultivator named Yang Kai was rampaging through the Twilight King's Domain, having already destroyed two Domain Lord-level Ink Nests. And his current location? The Empty Cicada Domain. His next target was the Empty Cicada Domain Lord's own Ink Nest.
Most of the Ink Race didn't believe this rumor. In their understanding, though the Human Race was resilient and strong, they could never withstand the corrosion of Ink Force. For countless ages, they had been confined to the fortified passes they built, able only to defend themselves against the Ink Race's armies. How could they possibly have made it deep into Ink Race territory, let alone set out to destroy a Domain Lord's Ink Nest?
Until this day.
A colossal creature thirty thousand zhang long, its entire body blazing with golden light and sheathed in scales, suddenly descended from the heavens. The terrifying pressure it radiated struck fear into the hearts of countless Upper and Lower Ink Race. That alone would have been enough, but gripping one of its massive claws was a titanic spear several thousand zhang long.
The colossus plummeted from the sky and swung its spear in a devastating sweep at the Domain Lord's Ink Nest.
A single blow — just one strike — and the Ink Nest, which had stood on this territory for tens of thousands of years, spawning countless Ink Race and providing shelter for every being born in this land, was severed cleanly in half.
The Ink Nest collapsed. Dense Ink Force surged outward like a tide, and every Ink Race member on the Empty Cicada Domain fell into a panic.
The Lords left behind quickly took to the air to engage the enemy. But despite the Ink Race's massive frames compared to the Humans, before this colossus they were nothing more than ants.
The terrifying creature didn't so much as glance at the Lords. It simply opened its grotesque maw and unleashed a devastating torrent of flame.
In an instant, life after life among the Ink Race was snuffed out. The Empty Cicada Domain was engulfed in a sea of fire, and no one could say how many Ink Race perished in those moments.
The colossal beast swept gracefully across the territory, and everywhere it passed, countless Ink Race lost their lives. Moreover, its enormous claws snatched up entire shops overflowing with supplies — each one vanishing with a grab.
In less than half a cup of tea, the entire Empty Cicada Domain had become a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
The Ink Race rallied and launched a storm of attacks at the colossus. At first, they seemed to have no effect, but soon enough the creature was wailing in pain, blood spraying from its wounds.
The battle didn't last long. From the moment the terrifying colossus appeared until it was driven off, only half a double-hour had passed.
But in that brief half-hour, tens of thousands of Ink Race had fallen, and the entire Empty Cicada Domain had been battered to pieces. The losses in personnel and supplies were beyond calculation.
Most devastating of all to the Ink Race: the Empty Cicada Domain Lord's Ink Nest had been destroyed!
This was the very foundation of the Ink Race. Nearly every one of the million Ink Race living here had been spawned from this Nest. For these beings, the Empty Cicada Domain Lord's Ink Nest held extraordinary significance — it was the symbol of their very existence.
And now, this Nest had been destroyed. Though it still retained some vitality, being severed in half as it had been, its decline was inevitable. Before long, the Ink Nest would wither and die completely.
The Ink Race seethed with outrage, clamoring to track down the colossus and exact their revenge. But where could they find any trace of the creature?
After breaking through their encirclement, it had vanished into thin air.
Moreover, with the Empty Cicada Domain Lord's Ink Nest destroyed, every Lord-level Ink Nest across the entire domain had also perished. Their intelligence network had collapsed entirely — they couldn't even send word out.
At this very moment, Yang Kai was hiding within a mass of Ink Clouds, quietly recuperating.
In the past, he would have been on edge during such recovery, afraid that Black Abyss might come hunting for him. But he no longer had that worry. In the bizarre spatial battlefield, Black Abyss's will had been gravely wounded by him, its divine soul sustaining massive damage. That fellow was probably just like Yang Kai now — hiding somewhere and licking his wounds. He wouldn't dare come looking for trouble. It would be fortunate for him if Yang Kai didn't come after him instead.
Without a Domain Lord-level powerhouse to contend with, the current Yang Kai had nothing to fear regardless of how many Ink Race he encountered.
Given the current state of the Ink Race, his presence was like a flood dragon entering the sea or a tiger descending the mountain — utterly unstoppable.
Several days later, Yang Kai burst from the Ink Clouds and shot off in a specific direction. Along the way, he occasionally encountered Ink Race, but none could stand against him, and they were all cut down without exception.
After several more days, he arrived at another Domain Lord's territory.