Frenzied energy surged in all directions as the might of heaven and earth clashed ceaselessly with the power of Ink. At the Royal City, the world turned upside down and the four cardinal axes spiraled into chaos.
Though the supreme rulers of both races had clashed near the Royal City many times over the past century or more, never had any battle been as fierce as this one.
Both the humans and the Ink Clan could clearly feel that this battle had become a fight to the death.
What terrified the Ink Clan was that even with the Ink Nest's power bolstering him, the King was at a disadvantage.
This was something no Ink Clan member could accept.
After all, with the Ink Nest's power, the King's strength could ascend to an entirely new level. One could say that as long as the King stood within the Ink Nest's sphere of influence, no Ancestor could hope to match him.
But now, the situation had been reversed.
There was nothing wrong with the Ink Nest itself. All these years, whenever a major battle was about to erupt, at least two or three Domain Lords or Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivators had been stationed near the Ink Nest to guard against sneak attacks by human powerhouses, to block the shockwaves from the clashes between the two races' supreme rulers so as not to damage the Ink Nest, while countless resources poured into the Ink Pool and were converted into its power.
The problem was with the King.
His injuries were far too severe. Even now, with the Ink Nest's power surging through him, he still could not defeat the human Ancestor.
If the King fell, how could the Ink Clan survive?
After a brief period of panic and unease, the Ink Clan's armies actually erupted with a ferocity even greater than before. The King's decline had not stripped them of their will to resist—it had instead awakened their instinct for self-preservation.
The upper echelons of the Eastern-Western Army noticed this keenly. Under orders from Xiang Shan and Liu Zhiping, the fleet immediately shifted the bulk of its strength to defense, engaging the Ink Clan in relentless combat.
Mystical forces rose and fell as the two armies clashed fiercely, while the two supreme rulers shattered the void with their own titanic battle.
The King's condition grew ever more wretched. Though he remained on the back foot, the power of the Ink Nest still made him a profoundly troublesome opponent. The Ancestor had attempted several killing strikes, but none had succeeded. Instead, the King had seized an opportunity to counterattack once, nearly landing a devastating blow.
This forced her to deal with her opponent with even greater care.
The Ancestor knew that the King, as a supreme ruler of his race and an existence equal in standing to a human Ancestor, would not be easy to kill. But this opportunity was truly rare—one she had endured and planned for over a hundred years to create. If she couldn't seize it now, the regret would be too great.
So no matter what, she had to make the attempt.
After the time it took an incense stick to burn, Ancestor Xiaoxiao finally found an opening amid the fierce battle. Seizing the brief moment when the Ink Nest's power was cycling sluggishly, she launched a divine ability straight at the King.
The King, caught off guard, was struck squarely. His figure was instantly swallowed by blinding radiance.
However, in that same instant, Ancestor Xiaoxiao let out a muffled grunt, blood trickling from the corner of her lips.
This time, it was no pretense. In her previous clashes with the Ink Clan's King, she had often feigned injury—most of those times had been an act.
This time, she was truly wounded. The moment she struck, the King had unleashed a killing move of his own. Ancestor Xiaoxiao had neither dodged nor evaded. She had taken the blow head-on, all to seize that single sliver of opportunity.
The light faded, and the Ink Clan King's silhouette was revealed once more.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Ancestor Xiaoxiao's eyes.
That strike had not achieved the desired effect. Though the King's condition had worsened, he still had the strength to fight.
Pressing further would only force the King to find a way to drag her down with him. When that happened, even she might not be able to protect herself.
Enough. She sighed inwardly. A hundred-plus years of patience and planning, and she had not been able to see it through to the very end. What a pity.
But the outcome was not bad, all things considered. At the very least, the strategic objective that Xiang Shan had set when departing from Fenyun Pass had been achieved.
The two supreme rulers suddenly ceased fighting in perfect unison, directly affecting the armies still locked in battle below.
The Ink Clan's forces might still have been bewildered, but the human armies had long since prepared for this scenario.
As such, when Ancestor Xiaoxiao halted her assault, the human fleet began its withdrawal. With the human Ancestor standing guard nearby, watching them like a tiger eyeing its prey, the Ink Clan's armies didn't dare give chase. They could only watch helplessly as the humans withdrew after their display of dominance.
Before long, the human armies had retreated to a distance of several hundred thousand li. Though many of the warships bore visible damage, their fighting spirit remained undiminished, ready to weather another major battle at a moment's notice.
At the vanguard of the army stood the Ancestor's figure, standing there in silence—neither attacking nor retreating, as if waiting for something.
Under the oppressive quiet, the Ink Clan felt utterly suffocated, crushed beneath an invisible mountain of dread, wretched beyond measure.
Time slipped away quietly.
After a short while, the Ink Clan's armies began to stir.
It was no mystery why—over a dozen Worlds, their surfaces covered in glowing formation arrays, were hurtling toward the Royal City. At this distance, the light of those formations was already visible. In but a moment, they would reach the Royal City.
The right flank of the Royal City had always been held by thirty percent of the Ink Clan's forces, who had sat out the earlier battle. Their task had been to intercept these Worlds—a mission that had never changed in over a hundred years.
And they had performed admirably. Aside from the very first time, when the fragments of a shattered World had struck the Royal City, they had managed to intercept every single one since.