They continued advancing for a while longer, until those Fifth-Order Open Heavens could no longer withstand the Domain Lords' oppressive aura. Only then did Yang Kai wave his hand, letting his own formidable presence spread outward.
In an instant, that terrifying pressure vanished without a trace, like snowflakes under the blazing sun.
This trip served a dual purpose—to request passage and to demonstrate their strength. For this reason, Dawn hadn't even activated its defensive formations, remaining in a completely undefended state.
Seeing how effortlessly Yang Kai had neutralized the Domain Lords' oppressive aura, the human soldiers' morale soared, and their war cries grew ever louder.
The Domain Lords' expressions turned grave. This human Eighth-Order was indeed far too powerful—no wonder he had managed to escape with his life from the King Lord.
Dawn continued to advance until it was three million li from the Ink Clan army, then slowly came to a halt.
At such close range, for the powerful innate Domain Lords and Eighth-Order Open Heavens, it was practically face-to-face. Any secret technique could easily encompass the opponent within its range. Any sudden movement could trigger an all-out war between the two races.
In the past, with two armies facing off like this, who would have dared act so recklessly? They might as well have been courting death. If the Ink Clan had been pushed to this point before, they would never have tolerated it—they would have struck first and talked later.
But now, even with Dawn's lone ship parked right in front of their army, the Ink Clan didn't dare make a single move.
Every member of Dawn's crew—every last one of them—was simultaneously tense and exhilarated.
To single-handedly intimidate an army of millions from the Ink Clan—if they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, they would never have believed it.
The warrior surnamed Hou was particularly shaken. He had only joined Daybreak in the past few decades. Having heard many of Yang Kai's extraordinary tales from Shen Ao, he had always felt that Shen Ao was somewhat exaggerating. But after personally accompanying Yang Kai on this trip, he finally understood that a great reputation was never built on empty words!
If the warrior surnamed Hou felt this way, Shen Ao and the other dozen or so veteran members felt it even more so. Every one of them wore a smile, their faces flushed with vitality.
After the battle at the Primordial Great Seal, Yang Kai had gone missing, and Daybreak had suffered casualties. In the battles that followed, Daybreak had been virtually crippled. Although new members had gradually been recruited, Daybreak could never recapture its former glory.
Because Daybreak had lost its core pillar.
Now, that core pillar had returned. And on this very first mission, he had led Daybreak to stand at the focal point of both the human and Ink Clan armies' gaze. Shen Ao and the others felt no fear—only surging passion, wishing to follow their old captain and carve a bloody swathe through the battlefield once more!
The war cries continued to ring out, shaking heaven and earth.
In the void, the armies of humanity and the Ink Clan faced each other in standoff, with Dawn's solitary ship positioned between them, commanding the space in all directions.
This scene was destined to be recorded in the annals of history. This scene would be forever etched in the hearts of every human soldier who witnessed it today.
Yang Kai raised his hand slightly, pressing down through the air.
The unending chorus of war cries that had reverberated for so long finally subsided.
Stepping to the bow of the ship, Yang Kai looked toward the Domain Lords arrayed in battle formation ahead and offered a faint smile. "Is there anyone here who can make decisions? Step forward!"
The Domain Lords' expressions varied—some grave, some livid—but not one spoke.
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "What's this? You're all innate Domain Lords, every one of you powerful, and you're afraid of a single human? If that's really the case, you might as well scram back to your Source Land. Why stay here and make fools of yourselves?"
Such provocative words were naturally intolerable to the Domain Lords, and immediately shouts of cursing rang out from all directions.
Yang Kai ignored them completely, surveying the crowd with disdain and sneering, "I've remembered every one of you who cursed me. I'll deal with you all one by one!"
The cursing ceased instantly. If any other Eighth-Order human had said something like that, the Domain Lords might not have taken it seriously—they, as innate Domain Lords, had no reason to fear a human Eighth-Order.
But Yang Kai had a record of slaying three Domain Lords in combat. They really couldn't afford to disregard his words.
The great war between humanity and the Ink Clan would certainly continue. If any of these Domain Lords were to be targeted by Yang Kai while separated from the group, their days would be numbered—they might very well end up dead.
They couldn't stay grouped together forever.
In just a few exchanges, the Ink Clan's already lackluster morale sank even lower.
An Ink Clan Domain Lord with several arms—more than the usual two—stepped forward from the crowd. On his forehead was a vertical slit-like marking, giving him an extremely peculiar appearance.
He had no desire to exchange words with Yang Kai. Humans were cunning—a lesson they had learned all too well. The best way to deal with humans was to fight!
No matter what humans said or did, the answer was simple: strike.
But if he didn't step forward now, the situation might deteriorate further.
Yang Kai's gaze fell upon him, sizing him up and down, paying particular attention to the vertical marking on his forehead. He mused silently—this marking was no mere ornament. It was likely an extremely formidable ability.
"It's Six Arms!" At the front of the human army, Ouyang Lie let out a cold snort.
They had fought these Ink Clan Domain Lords in the Xuanming Domain for decades and naturally had some understanding of the Ink Clan's hierarchy. While all innate Domain Lords were extraordinarily powerful—far more formidable than ordinary Domain Lords—there were still differences in strength among them. The humans theorized that this was related to what the Ink Clan called "Source Power."
Innate Domain Lords were bred by the Ink Nests using Source Power. The more Source Power consumed in their creation, the greater their strength was likely to be.