He didn't take any immediate action after entering the Ink Nest space. Instead, Yang Kai quietly settled in a corner, observing the situation.
As if sensing someone's arrival, several divine consciousnesses swept over him from various directions, but they didn't pay him much mind and quickly ignored him.
Although most of the divine souls that came here were familiar faces, the occasional newcomer wasn't anything unusual.
Yang Kai quietly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he had successfully infiltrated the place.
Within the Ink Nest space, streams of divine consciousness surged to and fro—the gathered souls communicating with one another. Some of these exchanges were conducted openly, readable by anyone, while others gathered in small groups, whispering privately through voice transmission. As for what they were discussing, only they themselves knew.
Like Yang Kai, quite a few others simply huddled in a corner in a daze, participating in no exchanges whatsoever, so he didn't stand out in any particular way.
After waiting a while longer, Yang Kai began wandering through the Ink Nest space, gathering intelligence from all directions.
He spent the better part of half a day but found nothing particularly useful. The topics these Mo Clan members discussed were quite chaotic—some fantasized about one day sweeping into the Human Race's Three Thousand Worlds, gathering large numbers of Ink Slaves to lord over, while others fretted over the situation in the King City. After all, with the Ink King still gravely wounded and the Mo Clan forces of the Great Principle warzone trapped around the King City, the situation was grim indeed.
Some Mo Clan members were even discussing cultivation matters, apparently the studious and diligent type.
Another half day passed, and Yang Kai successfully insinuated himself among a group of Mo Clan members, chatting about everything under the sun.
Having lived among the Mo Clan for many years, Yang Kai possessed a decent understanding of their affairs. With careful speech and prudent behavior, he didn't give away any tells.
Anyone else would have struggled to join the conversation, knowing nothing about the Mo Clan. Anything they said could have been a dead giveaway.
The group's topics shifted back and forth until Yang Kai successfully steered the discussion toward a comparison of their respective strengths.
Yang Kai launched into an eloquent monologue: "Over on the Human Race's side, Seventh-Order is equivalent to our Lords, and Eighth-Order to our Domain Lords. But if it actually comes to a head-on fight between peers, we're still somewhat outmatched, aren't we?"
He heaved a deep sigh, the very picture of someone anxiously worrying about the Mo Clan's future.
One Lord's divine soul replied: "It can't be helped. The Human Race relies primarily on the accumulation of time for their cultivation—their foundations are solid and stable. We, on the other hand, can leverage the Ink Nests to advance quickly, so naturally we fall short in comparison. Still, if the Human Race has their advantages, we have ours. Their growth is slow and it's hard for their powerhouses to advance, whereas even though it isn't easy for us either, we're far better off than them in that regard."
Another Lord added: "Exactly. In one-on-one combat, our Lords aren't a match for their Seventh-Order cultivators, and our Domain Lords can't beat their Eighth-Order counterparts. But in terms of sheer numbers of powerhouses, we still hold the advantage."
Yang Kai doused them with a bucket of cold water: "Word is that many Domain Lords have already fallen in the Great Principle warzone, and the King City has suffered massive losses as well. Sure, some of the Human Race's Eighth-Order cultivators have been killed too, but on the whole, it's our Domain Lords who have come out worse. Many familiar faces from the past have long since vanished without a trace. If even the Domain Lords have fared this poorly, imagine what it means for us Lords."
The Mo Clan members, whose spirits had been high from the discussion, felt their hearts go cold at his words. For a moment, none of them responded.
Yang Kai thought to himself that these fellows were far too fragile—just a few casual remarks and they were already losing their nerve. He pressed on without hesitation, rubbing salt into their wounds: "And the Ink King, too, has… With things as they are, where do we go from here?"
His long, mournful sigh was enough to make the Mo Clan members' hearts clench with worry.
One Mo Clan Lord who had remained silent until now snorted coldly: "The Human Race may have the upper hand at the moment, but so what? Sooner or later, they'll all become our servants."
Yang Kai shook his head: "We can't be that blindly arrogant. Before the Human Race's army arrived, we all thought they were nothing to worry about. And now look at us—trapped inside the King City, forced to pour our efforts into building defensive lines to ward off their attack."
The surrounding Lords all nodded in agreement.
Before the Great Principle army had arrived, the Mo Clan forces in the Great Principle warzone had been extremely proud. They were the only warzone that had ever seized a Human Race stronghold—an unprecedented achievement. None of the Mo Clan in other warzones could boast anything of the sort.
But then the Great Principle army had come and utterly routed them. The Mo Clan of the Great Principle Pass had ultimately been forced to leave behind a Domain Lord-level Ink Nest and all their Seventh-Order Ink Slaves in exchange for their escape. The King City had suffered even heavier casualties.
If they could turn back the hands of time, they would never dare underestimate the Human Race again.
The Lord who had been arguing against Yang Kai snorted: "Setting up defensive lines is a necessity. If the Human Race doesn't dare attack, fine. But if they do, we'll make sure they regret it."
Yang Kai feigned surprise: "What gives this lord such great confidence? Could it be that there are special arrangements from above?"
He wore an expression of eager curiosity, and the other Lords' interest was piqued as well.
That Mo Clan Lord hesitated slightly, but ultimately lowered his voice: "I don't know what arrangements have been made from above, but the Ink King… seems to have recovered."
Yang Kai's heart skipped a beat. The Ink King has recovered?
How is that possible?
It didn't make sense. The Ink King had been unable to enter an Ink Nest for proper healing in recent years—Ancestor Xiaoxiao had never given him the chance. Without the Ink Nest to aid his recovery, relying solely on his own regenerative abilities, the Ink King shouldn't have been able to heal.
It wasn't just Yang Kai who thought so—the other Lords did as well. One asked: "The Ink King has recovered? Is this information reliable? Where did you hear this?"
The Lord hemmed and hawed, unable to give a clear answer.
Yang Kai's voice dropped: "This lord, matters concerning the Ink King are not something to be spoken of lightly. It's fine for us to chat about this among ourselves, but if this were to spread, the Domain Lords might very well charge you with spreading false rumors!"
Yang Kai didn't know whether the Mo Clan would actually do such a thing, but he threw the accusation out there regardless.
The Lord quickly protested: "I'm not speaking carelessly, it's just—"
"Just what?"
"Just… a few days ago, we vaguely sensed the momentum of the Ink King making a move. It was only a fleeting impression, but it was definitely the Ink King's power."
The Lords were greatly invigorated by this news and pressed him eagerly for confirmation. The Lord in question naturally insisted it was true, saying that it wasn't just him—another Lord sharing the same Ink Nest had sensed it as well.