No one knew how many years the Sea of Divine Abilities had been left behind, its power long since faded from what it had been at the time of its creation. That was why Yang Kai had once been able to carry Xia Linlan through it with only a Sixth-Order cultivation.
Back then, he had picked his way forward with extreme caution. Now, there was no need for that.
Moreover, pressed for time as he was, he couldn't be bothered with restraint. He barreled straight through, triggering formation after formation, setting off the innumerable divine abilities that had been laid down in this place. They streaked through the void in pursuit of him, leaving behind a long, dazzling tail of multicolored light.
There were a few hiccups along the way, but in the end, he made it through without serious incident.
In a mere ten days or so, Yang Kai punched clean through the Sea of Divine Abilities and, dragging a battered and scarred body behind him, set foot on the Sacred Spirit Ancestral Ground!
This was an exceedingly ancient continent—the land of origin for all Sacred Spirits. Legend held that in the most primordial of times, countless Sacred Spirits had lived and multiplied here. But as the ages passed, conflicts among the various Sacred Spirit races intensified, ultimately erupting into a great war.
The Land of Origin had been torn apart by that conflict, and the Sacred Spirit Ancestral Ground that remained was merely the largest surviving fragment.
Even so, it was still the most sacred site for all Sacred Spirits. The Ancestral Spirit Power here was extremely harmful to any race that was not a Sacred Spirit, but for Sacred Spirits themselves, it was a tremendous tonic. By drawing on Ancestral Spirit Power, Sacred Spirits could drastically shorten their growth period.
The last time Yang Kai had visited, the Ancestral Spirit Power here had been exceedingly thin—which was why the Sacred Spirits, led by the Kun race, had been so eager to open the Sealed Ink Ground, where rich Ancestral Spirit Power lay in abundance.
Now, upon returning, Yang Kai immediately sensed that the Ancestral Spirit Power of the Ancestral Ground was far denser than before. Opening the Sealed Ink Ground had indeed carried some risk, but over the past thousand-odd years, the Ancestral Spirit Power that had seeped out of the Sealed Ink Ground had genuinely benefited the Sacred Spirits.
However, Yang Kai had no mind to appreciate the changes in the Ancestral Spirit Power. The moment he arrived, his gaze was drawn to a violent battle raging in the distance.
He looked up and saw black and white radiance intertwining across the void, colliding again and again. Each impact sent tremors through the entire Ancestral Ground—powerful beings were clashing.
Intermittently, piercing bird cries echoed through the sky.
Yang Kai's expression changed drastically, and he cursed inwardly at the speed of his enemies. He had pushed himself as hard as he could, and still he had arrived too late.
In that instant, he understood perfectly well that his earlier suspicions had been correct. The target of those two Eighth-Order Ink Servants was the Ink Giant God within the Sacred Spirit Ancestral Ground. They meant to reawaken that long-dead Ink Giant God!
One of the combatants in that distant clash was the Honghu of the Four Phoenix Pavilion. The other had to be one of the two Eighth-Order Ink Servants, though Yang Kai couldn't tell which one.
He immediately concealed his aura and flashed toward the scene.
Halfway there, he spotted a large group of Sacred Spirits of various forms fleeing in his direction. At their head strode a Golden Rooster as tall as an entire building, its head held high and its bearing imperious even in the midst of a rout.
Yang Kai found it somewhat familiar. As he drew near, he revealed himself. "Grand General Sichen?"
The Golden Rooster was leading the flock of Sacred Spirits to safety. Upon seeing Yang Kai, it froze for a moment, then a mixture of shock and delight crossed its face. It flapped its wings and rushed over, sending a divine sense transmission: "Yang Kai, what are you doing here?"
No one had expected that their reunion after so long would come under circumstances like these.
There was no time for catching up. Yang Kai explained, "I tracked two Eighth-Order Ink Servants here. Is Elder Honghu holding one of them off? Where's the other Eighth-Order?"
Grand General Sichen's tone was strained. "You're too late. Those two Ink Servants infiltrated this place and ambushed Kun Ao, who was stationed here, gravely injuring him. One of them stayed behind to keep Honghu occupied, while the other has already entered the Sealed Demon Ground. No one knows what it's after."
Yang Kai's heart sank. When he had seen Honghu locked in battle with an Eighth-Order Ink Servant, he had assumed the situation wasn't too dire. He hadn't realized it had already come to this.
Grand General Sichen continued urgently, "A great battle broke out in the Void Domain. Most of the Sacred Spirits went to reinforce it. Only Honghu and Kun Ao were left here to watch over us young ones. Kun Ao was critically wounded—his life or death is unknown. I'm leading them to somewhere safer. You should come with us."
Though massive in size, relative to the long growth period of Sacred Spirits, it was still just a child. The other Sacred Spirits following it were the same—every one of them young. In Yang Kai's perception, the strongest among them was only Fifth-Order Open Heaven, and even if they had gone to the battlefield, they wouldn't have made much difference. That was precisely why they had been left behind, under the joint care of Honghu and Kun Ao.
This way, even if the Sacred Spirits who had gone to the Void Domain suffered casualties, their bloodlines would survive.
But no one had anticipated that two Eighth-Order Ink Servants would secretly infiltrate the Ancestral Ground, catch Kun Ao off guard, and gravely wound him in a single strike. Honghu had sensed the disturbance and rushed to intervene, but even so, she had been a step too late.
The two Eighth-Order Ink Servants had split up—one to tangle with Honghu, and the other to slip into the Sealed Demon Ground.
Yang Kai shook his head. "I came here specifically for those two Ink Servants. All of you, leave immediately. The other Ink Servant is most likely trying to awaken the Ink Giant God inside the Sealed Demon Ground. The Ancestral Ground is no longer safe. Get out of here right now!"
The group of young Sacred Spirits were all trembling with fear. One among them, bolder than the rest, shouted, "Sichen, let's go back and fight them! Our parents aren't here, and Honghu can't hold them off alone. We have to defend our home!"