Yang Kai wasn't too concerned about it. If there was an opportunity to strike, that would be ideal, but if not, he would simply return to the Three Thousand Worlds.
That secret void passage had proven quite useful in recent years.
What he needed to do now was focus on healing his injuries.
He went into complete hiding. On the Ink Battlefield's side, the Ink Clan had been bustling with activity for quite some time, but from start to finish, they hadn't gained even the slightest reward.
This left the Ink Clan King Master feeling like a fishbone lodged in his throat. He knew perfectly well that this enemy was eyeing Returnless Pass with hostile intent and was absolutely no match for him, yet he simply couldn't find where the other party was hiding. It left him utterly frustrated.
The existence of that Eighth-Order Human Race cultivator hung over them like a sharp blade suspended above their heads, ready to fall at any moment. The consequence of this was that all the Domain Lords, and even the King Master himself, no longer dared to casually enter slumber to heal their wounds. They could only drag their injured bodies along, standing guard in constant readiness.
Half a year after Yang Kai destroyed the five King Master-class Ink Nests, in a great domain adjacent to the Star Boundary, the Human Race's Grand Army Headquarters began receiving intelligence reports streaming in from various great domains.
This particular great domain hadn't even possessed a name of its own on the Universe Chart before — it was merely designated as Wu Thirty-Nine.
Domains like this were numerous across the Three Thousand Worlds, because these great domains didn't boast particularly outstanding martial traditions. Even if some Universe Worlds existed within them, the warriors of those universes hadn't broken free of their constraints and were unable to traverse the void.
Some great domains didn't even have any human populations at all.
The domain where the Star Boundary was located had once been the same way, but now, thanks to the Star Boundary's growing renown and the fact that its most powerful Sect was the Lingxiao Palace, it had been named the Lingxiao Domain.
Since the Ink Clan had opened the passage between the Empty Domain and the Wind Corrosion Domain and launched their massive invasion of the Three Thousand Worlds, several decades had now passed.
Under the command of Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing, the two Ninth-Order Human Race cultivators, the various Human Race armies had withdrawn from the Empty Domain, broken into smaller units, and scattered across the great domains to oversee the evacuation and migration of the major forces within those territories.
Now, all who needed to be evacuated had been evacuated, and all who needed to migrate had migrated.
With the assistance of the various Human Race armies, most factions had safely arrived in the Lingxiao Domain. However, there had still been considerable losses. In cases like the Swallow Sea Domain, had Yang Kai not stepped in to help, it was doubtful that many warriors from the entire domain would have survived.
There were even those who had been surrounded and intercepted by Ink Clan armies during their evacuation.
Although some people were still delayed on the road due to various reasons, the overall situation had stabilized.
The various Human Race armies had also spread out from the Lingxiao Domain as their center, deploying across more than a dozen great domains to fight against the Ink Clan armies. Battles of all sizes were countless, and practically every moment, Ink Clan and Human Race soldiers alike were falling in battle.
Many more Human Race elites banded together to wreak havoc in the Ink Clan-occupied domains, assassinating powerful enemies.
Because Wu Thirty-Nine Domain bordered the Star Boundary and was the only entrance leading to it, the Human Race armies had designated it as their final stronghold against the Ink.
The Grand Army Headquarters had been established on a Universe World within this domain.
The human race had never before had an institution like the Grand Army Headquarters. On the Ink Battlefield, the various passes had been independent of one another, with no one able to command anyone else — only the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern armies had their own military headquarters.
However, the various Human Race armies could no longer fight independently, so naturally there was a need for a place that could issue unified commands.
Thus, the Grand Army Headquarters was established.
The Grand Army Headquarters had several Commanders and more than ten Deputy Commanders, all of whom were top-tier Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivators among the human race, and all of whom had previously served as army corps commanders.
With Ancestor Xiao Xiao and Ancestor Wu Qing occupied in containing the Black Ink Giant Gods and unable to spare themselves, these more than ten Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivators served as the leaders of the Human Race armies.
Strategies for war against the Ink Clan, adjustments to the various defensive lines, and deployment orders — all of these originated from the Grand Army Headquarters.
Xiang Shan, former commander of the Grand Yan Army's Eastern Corps, and Mi Jinglun, former commander of the Northern Corps, were now the Commander and one of the Deputy Commanders of the Grand Army Headquarters respectively.
On this day, more than ten Eighth-Order cultivators gathered together to discuss the war. After some deliberation, they quickly formulated a plan, and the orders were issued.
Xiang Shan looked around: "If there's nothing else urgent, let's adjourn."
These more than ten Eighth-Order Open Heaven cultivators didn't remain stationed here at all times. As the human race's most elite Eighth-Order cultivators, they naturally went out regularly to hunt down Ink Clan powerhouses. However, for the most part, most of the Eighth-Orders were needed to stay behind, which also made it convenient to discuss strategies when urgent situations arose.
Xiang Shan had received intelligence a few days ago that an Ink Clan Domain Lord had become isolated from the others. He had been planning to slay the target these past few days, and the coming days would present the best opportunity. So if nothing required his attention here, he intended to set out.
The various Commanders and Deputy Commanders remained silent, indicating there was nothing else. But Mi Jinglun raised his hand and said: "Everyone, please wait a moment. I recently received some rather interesting intelligence. I'd like you all to take a look."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and sent out several streaks of light.