In the void, the Ink Giant Deity strode forward step by step. Its movements appeared clumsy, yet each stride spanned tens of millions of li. Wherever it passed, the stars dimmed, heaven and earth lost their light, and ink-colored mist spread in its wake.
Yang Kai and Ancestor Xiaoxiao gazed at that colossal figure, and the same thought surged through both their minds at once: Shattered Heaven is finished!
Gritting her silver teeth, Ancestor Xiaoxiao said, "Its destination is Wind Mist Domain. The passage in the Void Domain Battlefield that connects to the outside world leads to Wind Mist Domain. It's heading there to join forces with the Ink Clan of the Void Domain and tear the passage wide open!"
"Wind Mist Domain?" Yang Kai's brow furrowed. He had never heard of that domain, nor had he ever been there.
But after hearing Ancestor Xiaoxiao's explanation, he realized his earlier speculation had been wrong. He had assumed the passage connecting the Void Domain Battlefield to the outside world led to Shattered Heaven, but that wasn't the case—it led to Wind Mist Domain instead.
The only passage between Shattered Heaven and the Void Domain Battlefield was still under human control.
In that case, Lu An and Ye Ming must have traveled from Wind Mist Domain all the way to Shattered Heaven, rather than appearing in Shattered Heaven directly.
He quickly produced his Universe Map and examined it, then said, "Wind Mist Domain isn't far from here. We only need to transit through three major domains—passing through three Domain Gates to reach it!"
His eyes lit up as he spoke. "I can seal those three Domain Gates to buy us some time."
Under normal circumstances, he would have assumed that sealing the Domain Gates would leave the Ink Clan with no recourse. But the gate that the human ancestors had sealed at the Void Domain Battlefield had still been eroded through its barrier by the Ink Clan. This proved that, just as Ji Laosan had said, sealing the gates was no foolproof measure.
Ordinary Ink Clan members, and even Ink Clan Royal Lords, could not reopen a sealed gate. However, the Ink Giant Deity, as Ink's avatar, possessed the ability to draw upon its own refined ink power to corrode the barrier and pry the sealed gate open once more.
So even if the three gates leading to Wind Mist Domain were sealed, it would only delay things for a while—it could not permanently block the path of Ink's avatar.
"And then?" Ancestor Xiaoxiao asked.
Yang Kai said gravely, "The only ones who can stop a Giant Deity are another Giant Deity or an equally powerful existence! Ancestor, at the Void Domain Battlefield—aside from that Giant Deity with the tuft of hair on its head—is there a bald Giant Deity?"
"I've never seen one," Ancestor Xiaoxiao shook her head.
Currently, there were only two Giant Deities at the Void Domain Battlefield—one on the human side, just as Yang Kai had described, with a tuft of hair on its head, and one that was the Ink Giant Deity. Those two titans had been battling for years upon years without any sign of fatigue, looking as though they could fight until the end of time.
Ah Da wasn't at the Void Domain Battlefield! Yang Kai's mind stirred.
If he could find Ah Da, perhaps he could have him stop this avatar of Ink before them. But Yang Kai didn't know where to look for Ah Da either.
Ever since departing from the Star Boundary years ago, Ah Da had vanished without a trace. The Giant Deity race was enormous in size and easy to spot, but they could also alter their physical dimensions—otherwise they would never be able to traverse the Domain Gates.
When Ah Er had taken Yang Kai through a Domain Gate back then, he had used his power to shrink his body considerably.
Moreover, they were extremely prone to sleep. If one simply found a spot and lay down for a nap, thousands or even tens of thousands of years might pass in the blink of an eye.
Since finding Ah Da was out of the question, he could only turn to those two for help. They, too, were existences no less formidable than a Giant Deity.
Having made up his mind, Yang Kai said, "Ancestor, I'll leave this place to you. I'm heading to the Realm of Dead Chaos!"
Ancestor Xiaoxiao understood his intention immediately upon hearing this. "You want to ask Burning Radiance and Dark Desolation to come out?"
"There's no other way."
Ancestor Xiaoxiao's brow furrowed slightly, as if she had something to say, but she held it back and nodded. "Go. I'll try to stall it as best I can."
With her strength alone, she certainly couldn't stop the Ink Giant Deity, but she could still find ways to buy some time. Combined with Yang Kai's ability to seal the Domain Gates, they might actually manage to hold out until he persuaded Burning Radiance and Dark Desolation to leave the Realm of Dead Chaos.
But still...
If those two truly came out, it might not necessarily be a good thing.
Yang Kai was still relatively young and didn't know just how terrifying those two were, but Ancestor Xiaoxiao had heard the rumors.
Those two embodied destruction and devastation. Fortunately, they were benevolent enough in nature to remain cooped up within the Realm of Dead Chaos, never venturing out into the world. Otherwise, what would be left of the Three Thousand Worlds today?
With the plan settled, Yang Kai didn't delay. He set off at once, activating the Space Laws to teleport his figure away.
Ancestor Xiaoxiao cast one last glance at the Ink Giant Deity striding through the void, took a deep breath, and transformed into a streak of rainbow light, hurtling straight toward it. Before she had even closed the distance, waves of divine abilities and secret techniques were already streaming from her hands.
Up until now, Yang Kai's entire attention had been fixed on the Ink Giant Deity, so he hadn't noticed the changes overtaking Shattered Heaven. But as he traveled at full speed, he now saw that great numbers of people were moving in groups toward the Domain Gate of Shattered Heaven.
All of them moved with hurried, anxious steps, clearly fleeing for their lives.
Yang Kai understood at once—his earlier arrangements must have taken effect.
He had first sent that senior and junior brother from the Celestial Net Palace to spread word about the Ink Servants, putting the cultivators of Shattered Heaven on guard against suspicious individuals. At that point, the situation hadn't yet grown too dire.
Even if a few Ink Servants had infiltrated, the combined might of Shattered Heaven's three great Divine Monarchs would have been enough to purge them swiftly.