Such injuries could be described as utterly grievous—even a veteran Eighth-Order like Chapu couldn't withstand them, losing his combat ability in an instant.
An Eighth-Order of the Human Race stripped of all fighting power, on such a chaotic battlefield where enemies lurked everywhere, would naturally draw the covetous eyes of countless Mo Clansmen.
In Chapu's current state, even an ordinary Mo Clan Lord might be able to take his life.
Had Yang Kai arrived even a step later, Chapu would surely have perished at the enemy's hands.
When the Ninth-Order Mo Disciple had unleashed his aura, Yang Kai had already observed Chapu's situation, which was why he had rushed over at the very first moment to provide support. And only he could have done so—even if the others had wanted to rescue Chapu, they wouldn't have been able to arrive in time.
The silver lining amidst the misfortune was that when the Ninth-Order Mo Disciple had revealed himself, his sword strike had been aimed squarely at the Human Ancestor, hoping to catch Ancestor Xiaoxiao off guard. Chapu, who happened to be dueling him at the time, was merely collateral damage—there had been no deliberate targeting.
If that Ninth-Order had truly unleashed a full-power sword strike at Chapu, this Eighth-Order Town Commander of the Human Race would already be dead.
A Ninth-Order Mo Disciple was still a Ninth-Order—not something a single Eighth-Order could contend with.
"Scram!" Yang Kai roared, and the Azure Dragon Spear shattered through the obstacles ahead, carving a bloody path as he fled toward Dayan Pass. The Mo Clan army naturally had no intention of sitting by and watching a heavily wounded Eighth-Order escape, and they gave chase in a swarm.
In an instant, a massive horde of Mo Clansmen surged after Yang Kai from behind, all manner of secret arts raining down upon him, their bombardment shaking heaven and earth until even Yang Kai and Chapu staggered and swayed.
Whether they had received orders from a Domain Lord or not, wherever Yang Kai passed, more and more Mo Clansmen moved to block his path, and the pursuers behind were no different—all determined to keep Chapu there.
Even though Human Race warships arrived one after another to provide cover, the situation was growing ever more dire.
Yang Kai didn't dare casually invoke the Laws of Space for teleportation. Under the current circumstances, it wouldn't matter much if he teleported alone, but Chapu was far too severely injured. Even with Yang Kai's protection, he wasn't sure whether Chapu could withstand the pressure of spatial teleportation. If something went wrong, rather than dying at the enemy's hands, Chapu might end up dying from his own rescue.
"Brother Yang!" A furious shout suddenly rang out beside Yang Kai's ear. "Over here!"
Yang Kai turned toward the voice and spotted a sturdy warship bearing a massive turtle shell, heading his way to provide support.
Outside the warship, several Seventh-Order Open Heaven cultivators fought side by side against the enemy, and the one shouting to him was none other than the squad leader, Chai Fang.
Yang Kai immediately fought his way toward them while other Human Race warships on all sides drew off the surrounding Mo Clansmen.
After considerable effort, the two sides finally linked up. As they passed each other, Yang Kai boarded the Old Tortoise Squad's warship without hesitation.
Outside, energy raged and slaughter filled the air. Inside the warship, it was no less hectic—each member of the Old Tortoise Squad frantically channeled the power of their Small Universe, some maintaining the formations, others commanding Artifacts to slay the enemy.
Yang Kai set Chapu down and only then found the time to stuff several healing spirit pills into his mouth. Bending down to examine him, his expression turned grave.
In this brief moment, Chapu's injuries seemed to be worsening—a testament to the terrifying power of that Ninth-Order Mo Disciple. The residual sword qi from a single strike was enough to overwhelm even an Eighth-Order like Chapu.
Yang Kai quickly activated the Purification Light, enveloping Chapu and dispelling the Mo Force that had invaded his body.
The Mo Force was a minor issue—the Purification Light could handle it. But the chilling sword qi lingering around the wound was beyond Yang Kai's ability to deal with. That would require the Ancestor to find time to intervene, or for Chapu to resolve it himself.
"Be careful," Chapu whispered, and had no strength left to say more.
Yang Kai nodded, then flashed out of the warship and charged toward Chai Fang's position. As they passed each other, he shouted: "Get them back to Dayan!"
Chai Fang didn't waste a word, immediately ordering his squad to pull back: "Move!"
Everyone quickly entered the warship, and under the Old Tortoise Squad's control, it immediately changed course, braving the furious bombardment of countless Mo Clansmen as it retreated toward Dayan.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already danced the Azure Dragon Spear into a blur of afterimages, blocking the Mo Clansmen pursuing from behind. He pushed the Great Freedom Spear Art to its absolute limit, killing enemies without needing a second thrust. In the blink of an eye, the Mo Clansmen before him were like snowflakes under a blazing sun, continuously melting away.
One man holding the pass against ten thousand—this was precisely that.
But after maintaining this for only a dozen or so breaths, Yang Kai's body shuddered, golden blood spraying from his mouth as he staggered backward.
Fighting on the move was something he excelled at, but to create the conditions for the Old Tortoise Squad's withdrawal, he had to hold his ground—and he couldn't sustain it for long.
The attacks raining down from every direction were no tickle. Each one he blocked cost him a portion of his strength.
When this great battle would finally end was anyone's guess. Even though his Small Universe was deeply profound, far surpassing others of the same rank, he still couldn't squander his strength without restraint.
Stealing a moment to glance back, he saw the Old Tortoise Squad surrounded on all sides by Mo Clansmen, their attacks hammering the massive turtle shell like a violent storm until its glow flickered wildly. Yet the Old Tortoise Squad pressed on undaunted, having already drawn within three million li of Dayan.
Yang Kai's heart settled with relief.