Outside the Ancestral Grounds, the Four Gate Eight Palace Sumeru Array sealed heaven and earth, continuing to operate without pause.
Inside the Ancestral Grounds, Diwu recklessly unleashed his power, venting the rage in his heart.
Three hundred years. He had waited here for a full three hundred years, yet still there was no sign of Yang Kai. Though No-Return Pass hadn't pressured him, failing to capture Yang Kai for so long made him look utterly incompetent.
If he were still just a Domain Lord, it would be one thing. But he was now a Royal Lord — even if his status as one was somewhat questionable, he still represented the Ink Clan's honor.
He hadn't dared venture deep into the Ancestral Grounds before, firstly because he hadn't yet fully familiarized himself with the tremendous power he'd suddenly acquired, and secondly because the incredibly dense Ancestral Spirit Power within the grounds greatly suppressed him.
Had he provoked Yang Kai out at that time, he wouldn't have been fully confident in taking him down.
His years of waiting hadn't been in vain. Starting two hundred years ago, the Ancestral Spirit Power in the grounds had been steadily declining, growing thinner by the day.
Until today, when a new equilibrium had finally been reached.
Though the Ancestral Grounds still brimmed with Ancestral Spirit Power, it was far less dense than three hundred years ago — manageable enough for Diwu.
Of course, more importantly, after all this time, he'd gained far greater control over his own power.
Complete control over the power obtained from the Ink Nest was impossible. If he could manage that, he wouldn't be a pseudo-Royal Lord — he'd be a true Royal Lord.
One could say that with the merger technique, Diwu's current power was no inferior to a true Royal Lord's — only his control was considerably lacking.
The changed circumstances and his own strength gave Diwu the courage to take the initiative.
He drove his vast Ink Power into each strike, shaking the Ancestral Grounds without cease. Any ordinary world or continent would have been unable to withstand the frenzied assault of a pseudo-Royal Lord — it would likely have been torn to shreds in an instant.
But the Sacred Spirits' Ancestral Grounds were, after all, different from ordinary worlds. This continent, handed down since antiquity, was the very origin that had birthed countless Sacred Spirits. Whether in its sheer hardness or in the many Grand Dao laws it contained, it was extraordinary beyond compare.
Yang Kai had witnessed a civil war among the Sacred Spirits during his time reversal — a battle in which untold numbers of powerful Sacred Spirits had participated, including ones as mighty as the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Queen. The Sacred Spirits who perished were innumerable. It was undoubtedly one of the greatest battles fought by the most powerful beings under heaven since the dawn of time, and wars of such intensity could be counted on one hand throughout all of history.
Even such a war that swept across the entire Ancestral Grounds hadn't shattered them — it had merely reduced their territory significantly. How could a single pseudo-Royal Lord accomplish what even that couldn't?
Thus, after his frenzied assault, Diwu couldn't help but be stunned. The Ancestral Grounds' peculiarity exceeded his imagination. More importantly, his actions only intensified this realm's malice and rejection toward him.
Heaven and Earth possessed consciousness — even the Star Boundary had possessed its own Heavenly Will, let alone the Ancestral Grounds. After a ray of light from the outside world had fallen upon the Ancestral Grounds and transformed into ten thousand streams of color, the grounds had developed their own will. And the Heavenly Will of the Ancestral Grounds was far more concentrated and pure than that of any ordinary world.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have shown such fondness toward Yang Kai, for the Ancestral Grounds could sense that the Golden Sacred Dragon origin within Yang Kai's body was one of those ten thousand streams of color.
However, Diwu's efforts were not entirely wasted — he had nearly jarred Yang Kai out of that peculiar state.
Had he truly been interrupted, Yang Kai would have coughed up blood.
He had spent so long witnessing the Ancestral Grounds' various transformations, and he had finally reached the most critical moment. How could he afford to fail?
Fortunately, upon sensing the anomaly, he steadied his mind.
"Get out here!" Diwu's furious roar echoed throughout the Ancestral Grounds. Following the direction of the Ancestral Spirit Power's flow, he could roughly pinpoint Yang Kai's hiding place. But without breaking through the Ancestral Grounds, there was no way to drag him out.
He had waited here long enough. He was no longer willing to delay. He had made up his mind — no matter what, he would force Yang Kai out and kill him.
A piercing dragon cry suddenly erupted from deep underground, its sound filled with fury. Immediately after, Diwu clearly felt a powerful aura rapidly approaching from below.
Rather than alarmed, Diwu was delighted. For him, forcing Yang Kai out was the hardest part. Killing him should be effortless. He immediately focused his attention and waited.
The moment he braced himself, the powerful aura had already drawn near. Then, an enormous, golden dragon head burst forth from the ground.
The dragon head bore a pair of horns, was draped in scales, and its beard flew wildly beneath its jaw. It opened a monstrous, snarling maw large enough to bite clean through a mountain peak and lunged at Diwu, threatening to swallow him whole in a single bite.
The law of Time flowed forth, and even the current Diwu couldn't help but falter for a moment. Fortunately, he recovered instantly and retreated rapidly.
The dragon head gave chase without relent, fury spewing from its massive eyes as if it intended to burn this entire world to ashes.
In the span of a heartbeat, the Ink and the Dragon had soared thousands of miles into the sky. Only then did Diwu finally see the dragon's true form.
It was a colossal dragon body stretching nearly ten thousand zhang in length. The dragon's head loomed right before him, while its tail nearly brushed the earth below. Its draconic might swept like a fierce gale, making the void itself tremble.
Diwu's heart skipped a beat. This guy... was Yang Kai?
He couldn't help but wonder if the intelligence had been wrong. The one here wasn't some mere dragon — it was a Sacred Dragon!