Monaye was requesting an audience with the Ink Clan's true King, and Yang Kai naturally wouldn't rush him.
However, he maintained his vigilance from start to finish, guarding against any possible treachery.
This latest incident had made it abundantly clear that if the Ink Clan ever had the opportunity to kill him, they would seize it without hesitation. He had merely cultivated within the Sacred Spirits' Ancestral Ground, and in response the Ink Clan had assembled their strongest experts and laid down a grand array to seal heaven and earth.
From the current situation, while the humans had no shortage of powerful cultivators, the Ink Clan feared Yang Kai above all others. If they could kill him, the Ink Clan would have nothing left to worry about.
Yet after the battle in the Ancestral Ground, Yang Kai had turned danger into safety, and the Ink Clan had no choice but to submit to the humiliation of peace negotiations — just as when the two races had signed their agreement all those years ago.
Back then, had the Ink Clan ever truly wanted to make peace with the humans on certain matters? They had simply been left with no other choice. Yang Kai had repeatedly struck down Innate Domain Lords one after another, and the losses had become more than the Ink Clan could bear.
These Ink Clan higher-ups had elevated the essence of "bullying the weak and fearing the strong" to perfection — though, to be fair, that was a common failing among most living beings.
Before long, Monaye had received his instructions. He gave Yang Kai a slight nod. "The demand for a thousand Ink Devotees can be agreed to."
Yang Kai reiterated, "Among them, there must be no fewer than a hundred Seventh Order Open Heaven cultivators."
Monaye said solemnly, "Naturally." Having already conceded this demand, the Ink Clan would hardly haggle over such details. Over the years, the number of humans they had Ink-transformed into Devotees was substantial, and these Devotees continued to grow in strength. Forget Seventh Order — the Ink Clan currently had several Eighth Order Ink Devotees in their possession.
Originally, the Ink Clan had intended to use these Eighth Order Devotees to infiltrate the human race and gather critical intelligence. Unfortunately, the humans now had Purifying Light in abundance. No matter which stronghold one wished to enter, one first had to pass through an Ink-Repelling Ship — and under the enveloping glow of Purifying Light, no Ink Devotee could remain hidden. Those Eighth Order Devotees had thus become useless, except as fodder for battlefield confrontations against human experts.
Just as Yang Kai had said, trading a hundred Ink Devotees for the life of a Domain Lord was actually a great bargain. As for Ink Devotees themselves, so long as the humans had roaming hunters, the Ink Clan would never run short of them.
"Lord Yang Kai may state his second demand," Monaye said, looking at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gazed back at him with an amused smile, his expression full of curiosity. "I want to know how you advanced to King. As far as I know, Innate Domain Lords cannot ascend to Kingship. How did you manage it? And how did Diwu manage it?"
Monaye answered with practiced composure, "Who told Your Excellency that Innate Domain Lords cannot advance to Kingship? Diwu and I have cultivated for many years — it's hardly surprising that we achieved a breakthrough."
"Save it!" Yang Kai scoffed. "Before Diwu ascended to King, thirteen Innate Domain Lords on this side entered a King's Ink Nest and vanished one after another. And before you became King, twelve Domain Lords were inexplicably executed. Is there no connection?"
"Absolutely none!" Monaye denied flatly. After a brief pause, he realized that Yang Kai must have obtained this intelligence from those Seventh Order array masters.
After the battle in the Ancestral Ground, twelve Domain Lords had escaped back, but those several Seventh Order Ink Devotees had vanished without a trace — clearly falling into Yang Kai's hands, from whom they had been rescued. Monaye's side had been present at No-Return Pass the entire time. Although they didn't fully understand the Fusion Return Art, they could still perceive certain things.
"Was it a sacrifice?" Yang Kai stared directly into Monaye's eyes. "The Ink Clan must have some method that allows those Innate Domain Lords to offer themselves up, merging their power into the Ink Nest. Once enough power has accumulated, a single Innate Domain Lord then absorbs all of that power into himself, breaking through the Innate Domain Lord's bottleneck and ascending to Kingship!"
Monaye's expression remained placid, giving nothing away. "Whatever Your Excellency says, I suppose that is so."
Yang Kai stared at him deeply for a long while before finally waving his hand with a show of disinterest. "Forget it. Let it be."
He already knew he wouldn't learn anything from the Ink Clan. Even if they told him the truth, was he supposed to believe it? It could very well be nothing but lies. Still, this was something that would need to be verified.
Choosing not to dwell on the matter any further, Yang Kai brightened. "Now then, let's discuss the matter of supplies..."
Half a day later, a mentally exhausted Monaye cupped his fists toward Yang Kai. "The supplies will take time to prepare, and gathering the Ink Devotees will also require some time. Please be patient, Lord Yang Kai. Once our clan has everything ready, we will deliver it to you."
The humans... were truly both disgusting and difficult to deal with.
Merely discussing the quantity and quality of the supplies had given Monaye a profound understanding of this fact. If he hadn't fought back with every argument at his disposal, Yang Kai would likely have imposed strict requirements on what quality and how many units of each material were needed.
At least the negotiations were finally over.
Yang Kai gave a slight nod and casually produced a communication bead. "Take your time gathering everything. When you're ready, send me a message, and I'll come."
Monaye accepted the communication bead. When he looked up, Yang Kai had already turned and departed — without the slightest delay or fuss, without any concern that the Ink Clan might renege on their word, and without even setting a deadline.
For Yang Kai, none of those restrictions were necessary. If the Ink Clan truly dared to go back on their word, the Domain Lords across those grand domain battlefields would have nowhere to run. When he said he would kill a hundred of them, he absolutely was not joking.
As for time, the Ink Clan themselves would want to see the back of him as soon as possible. Keeping a human powerhouse like this perpetually hovering near No-Return Pass — the two Kings didn't mind much, but everyone below Kingship lived in constant anxiety.
Turning around, he streaked back toward No-Return Pass. Upon arriving before the King, Monaye bowed his head respectfully. "My Lord, this subordinate has handled his duties poorly and brought enormous losses upon our clan. I humbly ask that you punish me."