Fortunately, before their warship was destroyed, they had all transferred over to the Daybreak in time. With Feng Ying and the others providing support, there were ultimately no casualties.
The two small squads converged on the Daybreak, but their combined strength didn't increase by much. This was because the various formations and artifacts on the Daybreak required fixed personnel to operate. Dawn's current configuration was already sufficient to bring out the Daybreak's full power. Additional helpers would at most serve as rotation replacements—they couldn't further enhance the Daybreak's offensive capabilities.
Moreover, the situation throughout the entire Qiankun Blessed Land was far from optimistic.
The Qiankun Blessed Land was merely the remnant left behind by a Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivator after death. Though it formed a self-contained pocket dimension, it still had its limits. Before Dawn had even entered, spatial rifts had already appeared near the gateway. These rifts couldn't have appeared without cause—they were the residual aftereffects of Domain Lord Zhou Xing's attacks.
It was precisely through those rifts that Yang Kai had been able to peer inside, discovered that a Domain Lord had infiltrated, and brought Dawn to reinforce.
Now, with Yang Kai and Zhou Xing locked in a fierce battle, the violent energies sweeping through were making the entire Qiankun Blessed Land increasingly unstable. Rifts of all sizes dotted the void. It wouldn't be long before this Blessed Land collapsed entirely.
If they didn't leave before that happened, they would very likely be swept into the spatial rifts when it collapsed, and there was no telling where they'd end up drifting.
This was precisely why the Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivators had been assigned to the Qiankun Cave Heavens instead. A Cave Heaven was the remnant of an Eighth-Order cultivator's death—far more stable. The Eighth-Order commanders could fight Domain Lords inside them for much longer. Had they been sent into a Blessed Land instead, it might well have shattered before the battle even got going.
Right now, this particular Qiankun Blessed Land faced the risk of collapsing at any moment.
At this point, even if Yang Kai wanted to stall for time, it was no longer possible. He was well-versed in the laws of space, so he personally had nothing to fear from the Blessed Land's collapse. Even if he were swept into a spatial rift, he could find his way back—and might even get the chance to banish Domain Lord Zhou Xing into the rift, condemning him to grow old and wither alone for the rest of his days.
But with two squads of human cultivators still here, he couldn't risk it.
So after exchanging a few more blows with Zhou Xing, Yang Kai immediately flickered into motion, streaking straight toward the Daybreak. At the same time, he transmitted through his Divine Sense: "Go!"
After stalling for so long, things outside should have been largely settled. If nothing else, some Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivators should have freed themselves by now.
The Daybreak had been circling near the gateway all along. Upon hearing Yang Kai's command, the martial artist surnamed Zhou immediately produced a jade slip and fired a streak of mystic light toward a spot in the sky. The light passed through, the gateway opened, and the Daybreak shot out. Yang Kai followed close behind.
The several hundred Mo creatures trailing behind the Daybreak saw this and likewise scrambled out in a rush. Zhou Xing was the last to exit, but he too escaped before the gateway sealed shut.
Yet before Zhou Xing could even stabilize his footing, a brilliant slash of light descended upon him. It shattered all his defenses in an instant and carved a massive wound across his body.
Zhou Xing howled in pain and fury, twisting his head to look to the side. His pupils contracted sharply: "Zhong Liang!"
Not only was Zhong Liang there, but so were Ding Yao and Liang Yulong. The three had taken positions in a triangular formation, surrounding him completely. Zhou Xing's heart sank to the pit of his stomach—this was a situation with no way up to heaven and no way down to earth.
All three army commanders were peak Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivators. As the various human squads had sprung into action, they too had used jade slips to lure a Mo Domain Lord each into the Qiankun Cave Heavens they were responsible for. Even though their strength surpassed that of the Mo Domain Lords, a one-on-one fight couldn't possibly be resolved that quickly. At their level, battles couldn't be decided in anything less than ten days to half a month, let alone end in death.
But the formations the humans had pre-arranged inside those Cave Heavens had given them the opportunity they needed.
Those formations had consumed vast quantities of materials and been set up by the most elite formation masters. Even a Domain Lord caught inside would be skinned alive.
With a pre-existing advantage in strength, favorable terrain, and the assistance of multiple formations, it was hardly surprising that Zhong Liang and the others had killed their respective opponents.
The three hadn't been out of their respective areas for long when they received word from Shen Ao, who had been left to hold this position. Knowing exactly what Yang Kai was up to, they hadn't rashly entered the Blessed Land—it was only a Blessed Land, after all, and three Eighth-Order cultivators inside wouldn't have room to fight freely. Just as Yang Kai had anticipated, they had remained outside in ambush.
The Daybreak and Yang Kai appeared in succession, and the several hundred Mo creatures that had scrambled out right behind them were cut down in the blink of an eye by the three commanders. When it was Zhou Xing's turn, he had barely manifested before taking a devastating blow.
His strength was only average among Domain Lords. Facing the combined assault of three army commanders, how could Zhou Xing possibly be a match? Zhong Liang and the others wasted no words on him, immediately unleashing wave after wave of divine abilities and secret techniques that left Zhou Xing reeling and struggling to keep up.
Not far away, aboard the Daybreak, Yang Kai and the others watched from a distance. It wasn't just them—many squads that had already dispatched their own opponents had also appeared one after another, surrounding the entire battlefield layer upon layer.
"Zhou Xing is finished," Feng Ying said flatly. Under the combined assault of three army commanders, even the most elite Domain Lords couldn't hold out. It was only a matter of time before Zhou Xing fell.
But Yang Kai's attention wasn't on Zhou Xing and the three commanders. Instead, he focused his senses on the distance.
Tens of millions of miles away, faint ripples of powerful energy were drifting over. To still be felt from such a distance spoke to the terrifying strength of those fighting.
And beyond Biluo Pass, the opposing wills of the Ancestor and the King Lord—those two who had been locked in their relentless confrontation—were gone. It seemed the two of them were the ones clashing far away in the distance.