While the Domain Lords were discussing their strategy in that strange space, Ouyang Lie and his disciple were staring at Yang Kai, whose face had gone blank.
Just like the last time, after withdrawing from that strange space, Yang Kai had become somewhat dazed — not only was his face blank and his expression stiff, but his eyes were completely devoid of spirit.
The last time Ouyang Lie had seen Yang Kai like this, he had been alarmed. Now, with experience to draw upon, he remained composed.
Moreover, upon careful sensing, he discovered that it was indeed as he had suspected — Yang Kai was currently in a state of a fractured soul.
A fractured soul naturally manifested as vacant, idiotic behavior.
This made Ouyang Lie sigh inwardly with emotion. This Yang kid had paid a tremendous price for the matter of the Ink Nest. Even though he possessed extraordinary treasures capable of repairing the soul, enduring this kind of pain repeatedly was not something just anyone could bear.
If they could truly seize this Domain Lord-level Ink Nest and establish an intelligence network belonging to the human race, then Yang Kai would deserve the lion's share of the credit.
Just as before, after a while, Yang Kai suddenly grabbed his head, crouched down, and began rolling across the ground, letting out wretched screams of agonizing intensity.
Neither Ouyang Lie nor his disciple could bear to look, yet they had no choice but to stay nearby in case anything went wrong.
The screaming lasted for several days. Yang Kai's voice went hoarse, and his body was weakened to the extreme, his clothes drenched with sweat over and over again.
Until finally, at some point, his shrieks and wails gradually subsided — not because the pain had ceased, but because his soul had recovered slightly under the nourishment of the Warm Spirit Lotus, allowing him to regain some measure of self-control.
As he sat cross-legged, Ouyang Lie hastily handed over the healing pills he had long prepared. Yang Kai accepted them with a pale face and swallowed them in one gulp.
Though the Warm Spirit Lotus could mend and nourish the soul, the assistance of spirit pills would accelerate the recovery further.
Time passed. The soul wound slowly healed, and Yang Kai's aura gradually stabilized.
The last time this had happened, it had taken Yang Kai nearly three years to fully recover.
This time, the duration was about the same — just one month shorter.
The reason for this slight difference was that Yang Kai's soul had become somewhat more powerful than before.
He had noticed it after the previous recovery — this self-destructive method of injury, once healed, actually left the soul stronger and more robust than it had been beforehand.
It was a pleasant surprise, in its own way.
Now the situation was identical to last time. After the soul wound healed, his soul force had grown a fraction stronger.
Yang Kai felt as though he had inadvertently stumbled upon a path of soul cultivation uniquely his own…
But if he actually had to use this method to temper his soul, he would never agree to it. Unless absolutely forced, who would willingly endure that kind of pain?
It was no surprise that this method could strengthen the soul. It was similar to how some warriors tempered their bodies — during cultivation, they would constantly push their flesh to its limits, leaving themselves covered in wounds, and once those wounds healed, their constitutions would improve.
It was a form of cultivation akin to breaking and rebuilding. Without extraordinary willpower and determination, no one could pull it off.
When Yang Kai opened his eyes and saw Ouyang Lie and his disciple gazing at him with concern, he said to them, "I'm fine now."
Ouyang Lie couldn't help but click his tongue. "You're going in again?"
"Naturally." Yang Kai nodded. Since he had already made his move, he intended to resolve the matter of the Ink Nest once and for all. There was no such thing as giving up halfway. But before that, he asked a question: "Do you know what the situation inside the Ink Nest is currently?"
Ouyang Lie replied, "I ventured deep inside personally to take a look earlier. Nothing has changed. I didn't dare linger, so I withdrew immediately."
Hearing this, Yang Kai chuckled. "It seems the Ink Clan still hasn't learned its lesson."
He had struck twice, using a total of four Soul-Severing Thorns to injure four Ink Clan Domain Lords in succession. Yet even under these circumstances, the Ink Clan remained unwilling to change course — they were clearly waiting for him, bent on revenge.
Three strikes and out. Yang Kai figured that when he went in this time, things would likely not go as smoothly as before. The Ink Clan were not fools; now that they knew his methods, they would not simply throw their lives away for nothing.
He could be almost certain that the Ink Clan was hatching some dirty trick, waiting for him to walk into the trap.
But with the Warm Spirit Lotus to protect him, what did he have to fear?
He needed no special preparations. Yang Kai said, "Senior Ouyang, there may be some unforeseen complications this time, but exactly what form they will take, even this Disciple does not know. I will go in and find out. If all goes well, I will return quickly, and I will need you to stand guard once more."
Ouyang Lie nodded. "Of course. Be careful in all things."
Yang Kai said nothing further. He opened his Small Universe, allowing the Ink Nest to devour the power of his personal world. His mind surged, using this connection to link with the Ink Nest's will.
In the familiar space, Yang Kai's figure materialized abruptly. As before, he had assumed an unfamiliar appearance — though the moment he took action, his identity would be exposed, there was no harm in a bit of disguise.
No sooner had he appeared than he sensed several streams of spiritual awareness lock onto him. The Ink Clan had clearly been waiting for him all along.
One soul imprint even approached him proactively. But what surprised Yang Kai slightly was that this soul carried almost no malice.
From afar, a spiritual message reached him: "Senior, please wait. I am Side Kuai, under orders to—"
Before the message was finished, Yang Kai opened his mouth with a scream of agony and spat out a streak of golden light.