The nearly depleted power within his Small Universe was slowly recovering, trickling back like a gentle stream feeding into a deep pool. Yang Kai forced his arm up and stuffed a handful of Spirit Pills into his mouth to accelerate his recovery.
A moment later, he abruptly rose to his feet, warily scanning his surroundings.
From somewhere deep in his senses, he detected the aura of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivator approaching rapidly from the distance.
But once he identified the direction from which it came, Yang Kai relaxed slightly. The aura was heading toward Dayan Pass, and if his guess was correct, the approaching figure was likely an Eighth-Order Garrison Commander from the Southern or Northern Armies.
It seemed that the thirty-odd people who had earlier used the Universe Grand Array to return to the Ink Expulsion Warship had reported what happened here, prompting the Southern and Northern Armies to immediately send an Eighth-Order to investigate.
Sure enough, moments later, a short, stern-faced Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivator appeared before Yang Kai. The Eighth-Order eyed him up and down, inwardly alarmed by the severity of his injuries. Though he had no idea what had transpired, Yang Kai's wretched appearance alone spoke volumes about the life-and-death battle he had endured.
Glancing around, he found that Yang Kai was the only person here, so he spoke up: "I am Cha Pu, Garrison Commander of the Gen Ding Garrison, dispatched by the army commander to provide rescue. Are you Yang Kai?"
Yang Kai nodded. "That's correct."
"What about that Eighth-Order Ink Disciple?"
"Dead."
"You killed him?" Cha Pu was slightly taken aback.
Yang Kai said, "The Ink Disciple had already sustained severe injuries and his strength was greatly diminished. I was fortunate enough to prevail."
Cha Pu said nothing further, only giving a slight nod. "In that case, come with me to rejoin the army." He didn't bother asking how Yang Kai had managed to kill an Eighth-Order Ink Disciple. Even if the man had been heavily wounded, he was still an Eighth-Order.
But since Yang Kai was standing here and the Eighth-Order Ink Disciple was nowhere to be found, the victor was clearly Yang Kai. There was no need to press further.
"Please wait a moment, sir. There's one more person." As he spoke, Yang Kai's figure flickered and he vanished on the spot.
Cha Pu's brow rose. "The Dao of Space!"
Yang Kai had left to retrieve the Seventh-Order woman he had previously pushed deep into the void. In a battle against an Eighth-Order Ink Disciple, he had no spare energy to look after someone else. Left with no alternative, he had been forced to send her far away before the fight began.
When he had sent her off, Yang Kai had placed a Void Spirit Pearl on her, so finding her was no difficult task.
With the Dao of Space propelling him, he appeared beside the unconscious woman in an instant.
What relieved Yang Kai somewhat was that the woman hadn't been caught up in his battle with the Eighth-Order Ink Disciple. She was still unconscious, drifting ever deeper into the void under the force he had applied earlier.
Yang Kai grabbed her and quickly made his return.
Shortly after, he reunited with Cha Pu.
"Well done," Cha Pu offered with a nod. "Do you have enough strength left to activate the Universe Art?"
Yang Kai forced a thin smile. "I do."
"Good. Then activate the Universe Art and let's return to the Ink Expulsion Warship at the central army." As he spoke, Cha Pu took the woman from Yang Kai and deposited her directly into his own Small Universe.
Only after watching Yang Kai activate the Universe Art and depart did Cha Pu follow close behind.
The moment the two of them stepped out of the Universe Grand Array on the Ink Expulsion Warship and onto the deck, Yang Kai sensed violent waves of power fluctuating in the distance, with the aura of life withering almost by the second.
The Southern and Northern Armies were still in pursuit of the Ink Clan army retreating toward Dayan Pass. Judging by the commotion, the two sides had been clashing for quite some time.
Mi Jinglun stood at the ship's railing, gazing into the distance, his eyes gleaming with spiritual light.
Sensing Yang Kai's approach, Mi Jinglun turned to look at him. Seeing that despite his haggard and bedraggled appearance he was in no mortal danger, Mi Jinglun visibly relaxed.
The lower-ranked warriors might not understand Yang Kai's importance, but army commanders like Mi Jinglun certainly did.
Though Yang Kai was only a Seventh-Order now, his well-being was directly tied to the Ancestor's recovery speed. This expedition to reclaim Dayan Pass had been specifically orchestrated by the Ancestor, who had personally named Yang Kai as a participant — all to harness his power for healing.
If anything were to happen to Yang Kai, the Ancestor would lose her crucial support, and the difficulty of retaking Dayan would more than double.
He had earlier instructed Yang Kai to stay behind and recover, intending to keep him out of any further fighting. Who could have guessed that an Eighth-Order Ink Disciple had been feigning death and hiding nearby?
When the news arrived, Mi Jinglun had been startled and immediately sent Cha Pu to the rescue.
Fortunately, Yang Kai was safe and sound.
Upon reaching Mi Jinglun's side, Cha Pu extended his divine sense for a moment, briefly reporting the sequence of events.
A look of surprise flickered across Mi Jinglun's face, and he gave a slight nod.
Cha Pu then withdrew the Seventh-Order woman from his Small Universe and handed her over to nearby soldiers for care, after which he vanished, heading straight back into the fray.
"For the time being, you won't need to participate in any further fighting. Focus on your recovery," Mi Jinglun said, looking at Yang Kai. "The sword wounds on your body are somewhat troublesome. When you heal, be sure to carefully purge the residual Sword Qi and Sword Intent."