It seemed the Domain Lord in charge here was a cautious one.
At this point, Yang Kai couldn't push too hard. After all, not everything in the world went exactly as one wished—there were always some things that didn't work out.
Two of the four Domain Lords had charged in. If he could kill both of them, the siege would be broken all the same.
"Kill!" The battered Yang Kai roared furiously. At the sound of his shout, the human powerhouses who had been holding back under his earlier instructions no longer concealed their true strength. Powerful secret techniques and divine abilities exploded forth, sending the Ink Race lords who had charged in tumbling in disarray.
At the same time, the Soul-Sacrificing Thorn flew out.
A month of recovery had not fully healed his soul, but using a single Soul-Sacrificing Thorn was still no problem.
The Domain Lord locked in combat with Yang Kai suddenly felt a sense of imminent danger, followed by a sharp pain in his soul, as though a needle had pierced through it. His vision blurred.
Yang Kai seized the moment and thrust his spear forward, but it only pierced through the Domain Lord's shoulder blade. The violent force blew his entire arm away.
At the threshold of death, the Domain Lord had narrowly dodged the vital point.
The Domain Lord was pale with shock. Only now did he understand why Yang Kai had killed Domain Lords so effortlessly.
He didn't know what technique Yang Kai had used, but just as Monaye had previously speculated, it was a lethal move targeting the soul.
Had he not been constantly on guard, protecting his own soul, that momentary lapse would have cost him his life. Even though he had narrowly escaped death, he was now severely wounded—ink blood gushing from the severed stump where his arm had been, the Ink Force within him scattering wildly.
Before he could catch his breath, a sky full of spear shadows descended upon him. Cornered between life and death, the Domain Lord's blood was stirred to fury. Instead of retreating, he charged forward, roaring as he fought Yang Kai in a battle that shook heaven and earth.
On the other side, You Xiong and Feng Ying were locked in fierce combat, but You Xiong was clearly the stronger of the two, forcing Feng Ying to retreat step by step. He still had the spare focus to keep tabs on what was happening with Yang Kai.
When he suddenly saw Yang Kai erupt in power, dealing a grievous wound to his companion—with a fluctuation of soul energy emanating in that instant—You Xiong immediately understood: the earlier distress had been nothing but a feint.
In this moment, You Xiong was incredibly grateful he hadn't gone after Yang Kai. Though he had previously believed Yang Kai to be at the end of his rope, caution had led him to choose Feng Ying as his opponent instead.
Looking back now, his decision had been supremely wise. If he had foolishly sought trouble with Yang Kai, the one struggling desperately beneath that spear right now would be himself.
Another trap!
This human called Yang Kai was simply the most cunning creature he had ever encountered.
He had never met a human more devious than Yang Kai.
Watching his companion's ink blood spray beneath Yang Kai's spear, watching his aura visibly weaken by the second, You Xiong had no desire to stay and fight. If Yang Kai finished off his companion and freed his hands, You Xiong would be the next target.
The Ink Force surged. He threw a punch that sent Feng Ying flying, then without looking back, You Xiong charged toward the shattered gateway. Before Feng Ying could react, he had already burst out of the grotto-heaven.
Outside the gateway, Monaye's expression was grim. Although he too had been wary of Yang Kai, suspecting the man might be deliberately feigning weakness, seeing Yang Kai truly erupt in power was still hard to swallow.
How was this possible?
This man had been gravely injured before! Over the past month, he had been stabilizing the grotto-heaven and contending with numerous Ink Race Domain Lords—when had he ever had time to heal?
With the gateway shattered, he must have suffered another considerable backlash.
Yet from what he could see, the human was indeed wounded, but it had little effect on his combat power.
Should he charge in? Monaye's mind was locked in an instant debate.
Outside, besides himself, there was one more Domain Lord. Together, they might have a chance of bringing Yang Kai down—but only a chance.
If they failed, both he and the other Domain Lord could very well lose their lives here.
But soon, he didn't need to struggle with the decision, because he saw You Xiong burst out.
Monaye didn't even know what to say. Ever since escaping Yang Kai's clutches with his life, the fellow had been scared out of his wits. Now, seeing Yang Kai erupt, he had fled the battlefield outright.
The tide had turned!
Monaye sighed inwardly. Including You Xiong who had escaped, they had three Domain Lords and an army of a million Ink Race soldiers, but a cowardly You Xiong was now useless. With just himself and the other Domain Lord, even backed by a million Ink Race soldiers, they might not be able to seal the humans inside the grotto-heaven.
After all... there were quite a few powerful humans in there, along with several impressively well-equipped warships.
If the humans broke through the blockade, a few Domain Lords could very well lose their lives here.
He had been careless!
If only he had called for more Domain Lords to reinforce them. But who could have imagined that with ten Domain Lords stationed in the Lovesick Domain, things would turn out like this?
The main reason was still those trash like You Xiong. They had just arrived in the Lovesick Domain, hadn't even linked up with the others, and launched the battle on their own—only to be slaughtered by Yang Kai until just one remained, instantly halving the formidable lineup of ten Domain Lords.