The Ink Clan had deployed millions of troops in Xiangsi Domain, backed by a considerable number of Domain Lords. This kind of deployment was far more than what would be needed to deal with a few Rangers. Wei Junyang and the others unanimously suspected that the Ink Clan had anticipated Yang Kai's move toward Xiangsi Domain in advance, which was why they had arranged such a force.
The entirety of Xiangsi Domain had become a dragon's pool and a tiger's den.
But the Human Race had received the news too late. By their reckoning, Yang Kai had already entered Xiangsi Domain, and any further communication would be pointless.
Wei Junyang and the others were deeply worried, fearing that Yang Kai might meet some mishap inside Xiangsi Domain.
General Headquarters had no way to obtain accurate intelligence on Xiangsi Domain either. Several Rangers had attempted to enter through the domain gate to investigate the situation, but none had returned. It was clear that the Ink Clan had used their massive army to seal off the domain gate, and the Rangers who went in to scout had met with disaster.
Not only that, but the previously stable situation in Xuanming Domain had also been disrupted.
The reason Xuanming Domain had enjoyed relative peace was that the Ink Clan's Domain Lords had been wary of Yang Kai's elusive, one-hit-kill methods and hadn't dared to act rashly. Now that they had received confirmed news that Yang Kai, the Xuanming Army's Corps Commander, was trapped inside Xiangsi Domain, what was there left to fear?
Wei Junyang, Ouyang Lie, and the rest were strong, to be sure, but the Domain Lords could handle them. It was someone like Yang Kai who truly gave them headaches.
They immediately mobilized their forces, launching attacks against the Human Race along every front. Overnight, it seemed as though both sides had returned to those days of ceaseless warfare, clashing continuously without respite.
So when word arrived that Yang Kai had already returned to the Star Boundary, Wei Junyang and the others refused to believe it, assuming it was some rumor that had sprung up from who knew where.
Even if Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space and had escaped the crisis in Xiangsi Domain, it was impossible for him to return to the Star Boundary in the blink of an eye. If he were heading back, he would necessarily pass through Xuanming Domain first.
While they were still trying to track down the source of the rumor, a subordinate came forward to report: the Corps Commander had returned.
Wei Junyang, who was fighting on the front lines, hurried back to the main camp to investigate, and sure enough, he saw Yang Kai's tall and commanding figure standing there.
Wei Junyang was stunned.
It wasn't just Wei Junyang who was stunned — even Kong Chengde, who was stationed here overseeing the overall situation, still had a look of disbelief on his face. When Yang Kai had first appeared, Kong Chengde had almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Among the Eighth-Order cultivators in Xuanming Domain, in terms of raw strength, Wei Junyang and Ouyang Lie were undoubtedly the strongest. But both of them were fighters through and through — when it came to grand strategy and decisive planning across vast distances, they fell somewhat short.
Kong Chengde, originally from the Nine Star Blessed Ground, surpassed the others in terms of strategic acumen. Over the years, the war in Xuanming Domain had actually been guided primarily by his will, with the other Eighth-Order cultivators playing supporting roles, aided by more than a dozen Seventh-Order cultivators who helped deliberate and formulate battle plans against the Ink Clan.
"My Lord!" Wei Junyang stepped forward, staring blankly at Yang Kai. "Weren't you trapped in Xiangsi Domain? We received word that there were millions of Ink Clan troops in Xiangsi Domain, along with a considerable number of Domain Lords. How did you manage to return?"
Yang Kai nodded. "That is indeed the case, but I had my own ways of getting out."
He didn't mention that he could use the World Tree to traverse the void between worlds. There was no need to share such things. Because of the Ink Disciples, the fewer sensitive matters revealed, the better — one could never be sure when someone might be corrupted by the Ink, and everything would be exposed then.
Wei Junyang let out a breath of relief.
He had genuinely feared that Yang Kai might be lost in Xiangsi Domain. Now that Yang Kai had managed to escape unscathed, that was naturally the best possible outcome. The Ink Clan in Xiangsi Domain were probably still completely unaware of this and were likely still searching for traces of Yang Kai.
Otherwise, the Ink Clan in Xuanming Domain would never have dared to start another battle.
At this thought, Wei Junyang suddenly felt a twinge of sympathy for those Ink Clan — going to such great lengths for an enemy who no longer even existed. That must be quite exhausting.
Before long, his eyes lit up. "Your return couldn't be better, my Lord. The Ink Clan knows nothing of this. You can take this opportunity to slay a few more Domain Lords and boost our army's morale."
The Ink Clan believed Yang Kai was still trapped in Xiangsi Domain, which was why they had launched their attacks. But Yang Kai was already back. He could easily conceal his movements, find a few Domain Lords, and kill them to raise the banners.
Yang Kai nodded. "That was precisely my intention. I've been discussing the matter with Brother Kong."
The moment he had returned and discovered that fighting had broken out again in Xuanming Domain, he had roughly understood the Ink Clan's thinking. Rather than showing himself and joining the battle, he had come to the front-line camp to find Kong Chengde and seek his opinion.
The question was which front to strike first.
The last time he had acted, he had killed three Domain Lords and intimidated the Ink Clan into pulling back their forces. This was a rare opportunity, and it would be difficult for a similar chance to come again.
As long as he remained in Xuanming Domain, the Ink Clan would stay on guard against him for as long as he was there.
The Soul-Extinguishing Thorn was not an invincible technique. His experience in Xiangsi Domain had shown Yang Kai that if a Domain Lord deliberately protected their spiritual soul, the Thorn's power would be significantly diminished. If two Domain Lords acted together and were wary of him, pulling off a one-hit kill would be extremely difficult.
Without the ability to kill in a single strike, engaging a Domain Lord in prolonged combat with his current strength would accomplish very little.
Inside the tent, laid out before Yang Kai and the others, was a complete void map of the entire Xuanming Domain. This map had been jointly crafted by the numerous artifact refiners and formation masters accompanying the army, encompassing the entirety of Xuanming Domain's spatial layout. It was strikingly intuitive and clear.