From the moment Yang Kai had hidden himself within that messenger warship, used it to approach the battlefield, and launched his ambush — to Chen Yuan beheading a Domain Lord with a single sword strike and Yang Kai unleashing three Soul-Sacrificing Thorns in succession — the entire sequence had taken no more than three breaths.
The upheaval came without warning. Neither the Domain Lords nor the Eighth-Order cultivators had been prepared.
But in the next instant, the Human Race's Eighth-Order cultivators recovered. Each hurriedly summoned an Evil-Breaking Divine Spear and blasted it at their respective opponent.
The two Domain Lords struck by the Soul-Sacrificing Thorns had no defense at all.
It wasn't that they were slow to react — it was that their heads were splitting with agony. The Soul-Sacrificing Thorn was too insidious a thing: silent and imperceptible, it targeted the soul directly. Being wounded by one was pain beyond endurance.
Only Yang Kai, having endured it so many times, had grown somewhat accustomed to it. Any enemy struck by a Soul-Sacrificing Thorn for the first time would have their mind thrown into chaos.
Explosions rang out as several miniature suns of pure light rose into the sky. Beneath that radiant glow, the Domain Lords' agonized howls echoed, each of their auras plummeting.
Seizing the opportunity, the Eighth-Order cultivators unleashed their killing techniques and lunged at their opponents.
Their fates were already foreseeable.
However, one Domain Lord remained unscathed. Quick to react, he dodged an incoming Evil-Breaking Divine Spear.
There had been five Domain Lords in total. One had already been gravely wounded. Yang Kai had used three Soul-Sacrificing Thorns to injure three more. The last one, he couldn't do anything about.
That Domain Lord proved decisive. Seeing one companion already dead and the rest ambushed, he didn't hesitate for a moment — his figure blurred, transforming into a mass of ink-black clouds that fled into the distance.
At that very moment, Chen Yuan had just beheaded his opponent with a single sword strike, savoring the exhilarating rush. Seeing the Domain Lord attempting to flee, how could he let him go? His longsword trembled as he moved to give chase.
"Help finish the rest — I'll cut him off!" Yang Kai barked, enduring the searing pain of his torn soul. His long spear materialized, and a single step put him directly in front of the ink cloud. Immediately, a sky full of spear shadows descended.
Though Chen Yuan was quite capable, stopping a Domain Lord determined to flee was likely beyond him — there was a strong chance he'd return empty-handed.
Since Yang Kai had chosen to strike here, how could he allow any Domain Lord to escape right under his nose? He intended to sweep up every Ink Clan powerhouse in one net!
Spear shadows filled the air, distorting space. The Domain Lord, unable to tell north from south, had no choice but to reveal his true form and engage Yang Kai in battle.
On the other side, Chen Yuan and three other Eighth-Order cultivators faced three heavily wounded Domain Lords — two of whom had sustained injuries to both body and soul. There was no suspense left.
When the four Human Race Eighth-Order cultivators surrounded them completely, locking them down with their killing intent, the Domain Lords knew that escape today was out of the question.
Trapped in such desperation, their savage nature was instead ignited. They roared wildly, pooling the strength of all three to charge in a single direction. If they could break a gap in the encirclement, escape wasn't entirely impossible.
But soon, a sight of utter despair appeared. The four Human Race Eighth-Order cultivators each produced an Evil-Breaking Divine Spear and, without a moment's hesitation, blasted them straight at the trio.
Previously, Chen Yuan and the others hadn't done this for two reasons. First, they didn't have many Evil-Breaking Divine Spears and couldn't bear to use them casually before a critical moment. Second, the Domain Lords had been on guard — even if they'd used them, the effect would have been questionable.
But now the situation was different. Against three cornered beasts still fighting for their lives, there was no need for such restraint. As for whether it was a waste…
If they won this battle and Yang Kai was with them, would they ever lack for Evil-Breaking Divine Spears in the future?
If they were stingy with such external aid and allowed a Domain Lord to break through the encirclement and escape — or worse, lost one of their own Eighth-Order cultivators in the process — that would be the true loss.
The Eighth-Order cultivators had their own judgment when it came to reading the battlefield.
Miniature suns detonated one after another, blazing across the vast expanse of the Void. Regardless of whether the Evil-Breaking Divine Spears hit their marks, the purification light flooding the Void alone was enough to make the Domain Lords suffer terribly. That pure radiance continuously dissolved their strength, leaving them growing weaker with every exchange.
At this point, the Eighth-Order cultivators actually began conserving their own strength. Even though they held an absolute advantage, they refrained from engaging the Domain Lords in reckless combat. Instead, using the purification light to wear them down, they sealed off every avenue of escape and sapped their power bit by bit.
In less than half a cup of tea's time, the sound of another Domain Lord falling rang out.
A moment later, yet another Domain Lord perished.
And then the third!
With the three Domain Lords on their side dealt with, Chen Yuan immediately called out, "Jing An, Zhou Heng — finish off the remaining enemies! Dai Hong, come with me to reinforce the Army Commander!"
The developments on the high-level battlefield had a direct and immediate impact on the armies of both races. On this auxiliary front, the Human Race had long been forced into a purely defensive posture against the Ink Clan's relentless assault — a defense that had lasted for decades. The soldiers had long grown accustomed to it.