In the Ink Clan's grand encampment, within a magnificent council hall, numerous Domain Lords had gathered, their expressions grave.
Over the past thirty years, the Ink Clan's forces in Xuanming Domain had not been faring well. Compared to the other Great Domain battlefields, the casualties in Xuanming Domain were staggering. Of the troops funneled in from various Great Domains, nearly thirty percent had been consumed by Xuanming Domain alone.
It was worth noting that the Ink Clan now occupied numerous Great Domains with abundant resources, having hatched uncountable Ink Nests to breed more of their kind. The sheer numbers were terrifying, and every Ink Clan warrior produced was funneled to Xuanming Domain and other battlefields.
There were currently over a dozen Great Domain battlefields between the human and Ink races. Under normal circumstances, the incoming Ink Clan forces would be distributed evenly among these battlefields, but the fighting in Xuanming Domain was relentless and the Ink Clan was suffering devastating losses, so naturally more were routed there.
That alone might have been bearable, but the real issue was the Domain Lords—twenty to thirty of them had already fallen. That was the kind of loss that truly cut deep.
All of this was because of a single person!
From Returnless Pass, the King had sent repeated messages of reprimand, leaving Six-Arms with no face to speak of. But what could he do? He wanted to kill that Yang Kai too, but the man was cunning and treacherous, and his strength was terrifyingly high. How was one supposed to kill him?
On one occasion, Six-Arms had nearly been killed himself. That time, he had steeled his resolve and used himself as bait to lure Yang Kai into striking.
Yang Kai had struck without hesitation—a thunderous blow that left Six-Arms unable to even mount a defense. Had he not made prior arrangements, and had Monaye and the others not arrived in time to rescue him, Six-Arms would likely have become another soul claimed by Yang Kai's spear.
Having personally experienced the terror of facing death, Six-Arms was wary of Yang Kai to an extreme degree.
Now, the two-year deadline was drawing ever closer.
Within a month, the human race would certainly launch another assault, and when that time came, more Domain Lords would likely meet their doom.
At this moment, the Domain Lords had assembled in the council hall to discuss a strategy for dealing with Yang Kai's raids.
Yet after Six-Arms posed the question, the hall fell completely silent.
This scene had played out numerous times over the past thirty years. Before each human assault, Six-Arms would summon the Domain Lords to discuss countermeasures, but every time, they came up with nothing.
Looking down at the silent Domain Lords below, Six-Arms burned with fury. "Are we really just going to let him run rampant like this? He's only an Eighth-Order cultivator—do none of you have any way to deal with him?"
The cluster of Domain Lords said nothing. If there were a viable strategy, the situation in Xuanming Domain wouldn't have deteriorated so badly over the years.
In the past decades, the Domain Lords had exhausted every conceivable approach to dealing with Yang Kai. They had tried everything, but as long as they couldn't restrict his movements, no amount of strategies would make a difference.
One Domain Lord mused, "To deal with Yang Kai, I'm afraid it would require the King himself to take action. Though we Domain Lords are not weak, if he is determined to flee, there is nothing we can do."
Many Domain Lords nodded in agreement, Monaye among them most emphatically.
These years, he and the other four Domain Lords had done nothing but keep tabs on Yang Kai. They had cornered him several times, but what of it? The man had slipped right out from under their noses every single time.
One had to admit—the Space abilities were simply infuriating. They were the ultimate escape art.
"The King is stationed at Returnless Pass, and the matter is of critical importance. How could he act lightly?" a Domain Lord shook his head.
At Returnless Pass, nearly all the King-level Ink Nests had been established. That was the Ink Clan's foundation at present. If the King were to leave and a human powerhouse attacked to destroy the Ink Nests, the Ink Clan would become a tree without roots, a river without a source.
The Ink Clan now had only this one King remaining, which was indeed an awkward situation. But some of the Domain Lords felt a measure of relief—at least that King had stayed behind at Returnless Pass, otherwise he too would have fallen in the Battle of the Void Domain long ago.
That battle in the Void Domain had been far too devastating. The human race's Ninth-Order cultivators had been virtually wiped out, and along with them, the Ink Clan's Kings had been annihilated to a last one.
Thinking of that battle sent shivers through the Domain Lords. The ruthlessness of the human race was enough to move even them.
Six-Arms snorted coldly. "The King will not be taking action. You would all do well to think of other solutions."
In his heart, he felt a twinge of regret. If the King truly acted, dealing with Yang Kai should pose no problem. No matter how skilled the man was at escape, the King need only target the Xuanming Army, and Yang Kai would have no choice but to come to their aid.
The Domain Lords below remained silent.
Six-Arms roared. "Is there truly nothing that can be done? Yang Kai is still only an Eighth-Order cultivator, yet he already commands such fearsome prestige! If he advances to Ninth-Order in the future, what then?"
Six-Arms' roar echoed through the hall. The Domain Lords exchanged glances, but still said nothing.
Then Monaye suddenly spoke. "If Lord Six-Arms is worried about this man advancing to Ninth-Order, there is no need."
Six-Arms turned a dark look toward him. "What do you mean?"
Monaye said, "According to intelligence I've gathered from some Ink Disciples, it is impossible for this Yang Kai to advance to Ninth-Order. The advancement of the human race differs from ours—each of them seems to have their own limit. Their future potential is already determined the moment they advance into the Open Heaven realm."
Six-Arms pondered briefly, then nodded. "I have heard something about that. You're saying the Eighth-Order Open Heaven is Yang Kai's limit?"
Monaye nodded. "That's right. According to those Ink Disciples, Yang Kai originally advanced as a Fifth-Order Open Heaven cultivator, with an original limit of only Seventh-Order. However, he apparently consumed some kind of World Fruit, which allowed him to advance to Eighth-Order. But that is already his absolute limit—it is completely impossible for him to reach Ninth-Order."
The Ink Clan had invaded the Three Thousand Worlds for so many years, and the number of Ink Disciples they had corrupted was naturally considerable. Among them, the Roaming Hunters were particularly vulnerable—if they were not careful, they would encounter powerful Ink Clan members. Under normal circumstances, there was no mortal danger, as the Ink Clan preferred to corrupt them into Ink Disciples to serve their purposes.