On the skeletal throne, the Royal Lord's finger tapped lightly against the armrest, as though deliberating. After a long pause, his eyes suddenly opened and he looked down below. "Diwu, you go."
He was addressing the first Domain Lord who had volunteered.
Diwu's face lit up with elation. Grateful for the Royal Lord's favor, he cupped his fists and declared in a deep voice, "I will not fail Your Majesty's trust!"
He turned resolutely and strode out of the great hall.
The remaining Domain Lords exchanged glances and bitter smiles. There was no stopping this, nor would they fault the Royal Lord for unfairness. When His Majesty had first asked who was willing to merge, Diwu had been the very first to step forward — far more responsible and courageous than the rest. A Domain Lord like that had naturally earned the Royal Lord's deep appreciation. It was clear that from that moment on, His Majesty had already decided to let Diwu reap the final rewards.
All the Domain Lords who had gone before to perform the merge had merely been paving the way for him.
Now that the Royal Lord was sending Diwu, it undoubtedly meant that even His Majesty felt the timing had come — if Diwu didn't act now, there might never be another chance.
Streams of divine sense probed the Royal Lord–grade Ink Nest. Once inside, Diwu wasted no time. He quickly performed the merge, allowing the Ink Nest to devour his physical body, leaving only his aura behind.
But this time, his aura persisted far longer than any before, constantly resisting the Ink Nest's pull — enduring far longer than any previous Domain Lord.
The Domain Lords watched with mixed feelings — hoping Diwu would succeed, yet also hoping he would fail. If he succeeded, this would be the first pseudo–Royal Lord born of the merge among the Ink Clan, a milestone of enormous significance for their entire race. If he failed, that was fine too — at least the other Domain Lords would still have their chance.
Several days later, the back-and-forth contest between aura and nest suddenly stabilized. The Royal Lord seated above raised an eyebrow and smiled. "It's done!"
The Domain Lords below hastily offered their congratulations.
It was indeed done. Diwu had undoubtedly devoured the Royal Lord–grade Ink Nest. Combined with the power of the thirteen Domain Lords who had sacrificed themselves before him, all he needed was a little more time to break through the shackles of an Innate Domain Lord and become a Royal Lord–grade powerhouse.
That time shouldn't be too long.
The cost — one Royal Lord–grade Ink Nest, a full thirteen Innate Domain Lords — to produce a single pseudo–Royal Lord: whether this was profit or loss, no one could say for certain.
But if this fresh new power could be used to kill Yang Kai, then the Ink Clan would come out overwhelmingly ahead.
The matter was settled. It was time to make arrangements.
The Royal Lord's divine sense surged outward, and soon several human Ink Servants walked into the great hall, each at the Seventh Order of Open Heaven. They bowed upon entering.
The Royal Lord leaned forward slightly and fixed his gaze on a wizened old man among them. "How goes the deduction of the Four Gates Eight Palaces Sumeru Formation?"
The old man replied promptly, "It has long been perfected, and all the formation bases and formation flags have been fully refined." His expression shifted. "Does Your Majesty intend to deploy the formation?"
Over the years, the Ink Clan had converted a considerable number of humans into Ink Servants, but those who excelled in the Dao of formations were few. The ones before him now were among the very highest-ranking Ink Servant formation masters in existence.
More than two thousand years ago, the Royal Lord had installed them within No-Return Pass, sheltering them under his wing and providing everything they needed — all for one task: to deduce a grand formation capable of sealing heaven and earth, to be held in reserve for when the need arose.
The Royal Lord had never told them who the formation was meant to counter, but these Seventh Order Ink Servants were no fools. They had been able to piece together certain pieces of intelligence that were not closely guarded secrets.
A formation of this magnitude — capable of sealing heaven and earth — was not enough to merely deduce. The sheer number of formation bases and flags alone required enormous resources to forge, and the formation needed powerful experts to command it before it could unleash its full might.
An expenditure of this magnitude could only be aimed at someone truly extraordinary — and someone notoriously difficult to pin down, gifted at escape and evasion.
Among all the human Eighth-Order powerhouses, there was only one person who could warrant such solemn treatment from the Ink Clan.
But deploying this formation was no easy task. If they alerted their quarry prematurely — if the enemy sensed something before the formation was fully established — he would slip away easily.
That was why, despite having controlled this formation for so long and having long been prepared, they had never found an occasion to use it.
And yet, today the Royal Lord had summoned them here.
At the old man's question, the Royal Lord replied evenly, "Indeed. That Yang Kai has trapped himself in the Sacred Spirits Ancestral Ground and appears to be immersed in cultivation. It is an excellent opportunity to deal with him."
"The Sacred Spirits Ancestral Ground!" The old man's face went pale. "Your Majesty intends to use the formation to seal off that stretch of heaven and earth."
"Can it be done?" The Royal Lord fixed the old man with a piercing stare, his expression stern.
The old man dared not utter a word of refusal. Given the Royal Lord's bearing, if even a single syllable of dissent escaped his lips, blood would likely stain the floor.
He hastily replied, "It can be done. If he truly is absorbed in cultivation, the chances of success are considerable. However, the Sacred Spirits Ancestral Ground is vast — to seal heaven and earth completely, the few of us alone would not have sufficient strength. Your Majesty would need to dispatch several Domain Lords to accompany us and assist in commanding the formation."