No-Return Pass was under the control of the Ink Race—how could he casually charge through its Domain Gate?
Times had changed. Back in the day, when the human and Ink Races waged their great war in the Domain of Void, the ancestor of Qingxu Pass had drawn the Ink Race's attention with his corpse left at No-Return Pass. The Ink Race had never anticipated that he would launch a counterattack, returning from the Domain of Void to rescue the captured Ji Laosan.
Now, the situation between the two races was relatively stable, and the Ink Race's grip on No-Return Pass was far stronger than before. If there were any ambushes targeting human powerhouses at the Domain Gate, charging in would be walking straight into a trap.
Therefore, after departing the Domain of Void, he had concealed his trail the entire way, passing through one Great Domain after another until he reached the Black Domain. From there, through that particular passage, he slipped silently into the Ink Battlefield.
This was the only known secret passage connecting the Three Thousand Worlds to the Ink Battlefield. In all the world, only Yang Kai could traverse it, because every time he passed through, he sealed the path behind him, locking the entrance. Even if the Ink Race wanted to investigate, they would never discover the existence of this passage.
This passage had already helped Yang Kai on several critical occasions.
His point of emergence was still within the territory encompassed by the Biluo Theater, but as he flew onward, Yang Kai could no longer see the scattered Ink Race territories that had dotted the landscape, nor the towering Biluo Pass that had stood for countless millennia.
Along the way, he encountered a few Ink Race resource-mining parties, but paid them no heed. In just two to three months, he arrived at the outer perimeter of No-Return Pass.
Such speed was only achievable by someone who had mastered the Laws of Space.
However, ever since he had entered the Ink Battlefield and begun making his way toward No-Return Pass, a sudden unease had stirred in Yang Kai's heart, as though something terrible was about to happen.
The closer he drew to No-Return Pass, the stronger this feeling became. By the time he reached its outer perimeter, the unease had reached its peak. Gazing at the massive fortress from afar, it resembled a beast ready to devour its prey, its cruel maw already gaping wide, waiting for him to fall into its net.
A premonition!
Perhaps because his understanding of the Time Dao had advanced once more, his perception of potential future dangers had become far more acute.
There lay great peril ahead. The wisest course of action at this moment would naturally be to heed the heart's warning and retreat immediately. Even if he sought revenge against the Ink Race, No-Return Pass was not the best target.
Across the battlefields in the various Great Domains, the Ink Race possessed numerous Domain Lords. This time, it was the Ink Race who had torn apart the truce first during the battle at the Ancestral Land. If Yang Kai wanted to vent his fury by killing a few Domain Lords, the Ink Race would have no choice but to swallow the bitter pill without complaint.
Yet he had no choice but to come.
The Ink Race possessed the ability to elevate Innate Domain Lords into Sovereigns—he had to uncover the truth of this method no matter what. If it was merely an isolated case, that would be one thing, but if it could truly be replicated on a wider scale, the human race would need to be on guard in the future.
Without much hesitation, Yang Kai observed his surroundings for a moment, then charged straight toward No-Return Pass.
It wasn't that he didn't want to conceal his aura, but with a Sovereign stationed within No-Return Pass, concealment was impossible regardless. Rather than skulking around and hiding his strength, he might as well strike openly and strike hard.
Yang Kai's speed was extraordinary. The instant his aura was exposed, he had already teleported above a Sovereign-level Ink Nest and slammed his palm down with devastating force.
The towering Ink Nest rumbled and collapsed, crumbling from top to bottom like a mountain of jade and a pillar of stone toppling to ruin.
Although the Ink Nest was the very foundation of the Ink Race—capable of birthing countless Ink Race powerhouses—its structure was far from sturdy. Let alone someone like Yang Kai, an elite Eighth-Rank, even a random Third or Fourth-Rank Open Heaven Realm cultivator could destroy an Ink Nest with a full-powered strike.
Yang Kai had done this once before, back in the day. That time, he had destroyed six Sovereign-level Ink Nests in total.
It seemed the Ink Race had learned from that lesson. Now, the Sovereign-level Ink Nests were no longer clustered closely together. Each one was separated by considerable distance, so that even if Yang Kai could destroy the first, he would need time to reach the second—preventing the possibility of one palm shattering several at once.
The moment that Sovereign-level Ink Nest was destroyed, a figure shot out from the rubble—a Domain Lord.
This Domain Lord was dazed and bewildered, having no idea what had just happened. When he sensed Yang Kai's heaven-shaking killing intent, he turned his head and looked, his expression twisting with terror as he cried out: "Yang Kai!"
The fact that a stranger among the Ink Race could identify him at a single glance showed just how fearsome Yang Kai's reputation was.
In his panic, this Domain Lord had no intention of fighting Yang Kai. He turned to flee, but the void suddenly froze, and his vision went dark.
Looking up, he saw an enormous palm descending from the heavens, crashing down upon him.
The Domain Lord frantically mobilized all his Ink Power, but could not withstand the terrifying might of that palm. He was directly smashed into a bloody pulp.
Yang Kai withdrew his hand, momentarily stunned.
This Domain Lord seemed far too weak.
He quickly realized—this was no Innate Domain Lord, but an Acquired one. It appeared he had been meditating inside the Ink Nest, only to meet an undeserved end.
Whether he killed an Innate Domain Lord or an Acquired one made little difference to Yang Kai. If anything, he would have preferred to kill the Acquired ones.