After leaving the grand hall, Manaye headed straight for a King Lord-grade Ink Nest — it was the King Lord's own Ink Nest. Ever since Manaye had advanced to Pseudo King Lord, the matters of No-Return Pass and the broader Ink Clan situation had been delegated to him, while the King Lord himself remained inside the Ink Nest year-round, never venturing out.
It was only a few days ago that he had suddenly received a message from their clansmen within the Primordial Heaven Grand Restriction. In his excitement, he had emerged from the Ink Nest to announce the good news to the assembled Domain Lords.
Standing before the Ink Nest, Manaye sighed inwardly. Though he had dispatched scouts to track Yang Kai's movements and assigned escorts to protect the supply convoys, the enemy was Yang Kai. No matter how meticulous the arrangements, nothing could be considered truly safe.
Before the Domain Lords, he had put on an act of refusing to surrender the supplies under any circumstances. But in truth, he knew that if Yang Kai were truly determined to plunder the Ink Clan's resources, there was very little they could do to stop him.
The Ink Clan now appeared to be flourishing, but in reality, the situation was akin to cooking over a raging fire — the humans had been growing stronger bit by bit, and the disparity between the two races was gradually being erased. A deep sense of crisis had long taken root in Manaye's heart.
All he could hope for was that the Primordial Heaven Grand Restriction might bring some pleasant surprises.
A female Lord emerged from the Ink Nest. Though her cultivation was not particularly profound, she was the King Lord's personal attendant. She bowed to Manaye and said, "Lord Manaye, please!"
Manaye gave a slight nod and followed the Lord into the Ink Nest.
Before long, he found the King Lord deep within the Ink Nest, using it to communicate with the outside world. Manaye did not disturb him and waited quietly.
He knew the King Lord was most likely communicating with their clansmen inside the Primordial Heaven Grand Restriction.
After a good while, the King Lord finally withdrew his attention. Manaye observed his expression and noticed a hint of joy between the King Lord's brows. He immediately understood that there might indeed be some good news from the Primordial Heaven Grand Restriction...
He chose not to ask. If the King Lord wished to share, he naturally would.
Manaye bowed respectfully. The King Lord walked to the side, sat down, and asked, "What is it?"
Manaye would not come to see him without good reason. Since he had come, there must be important matters.
Manaye immediately recounted how Yang Kai had been raiding Ink Clan supplies outside No-Return Pass, and mentioned Yang Kai's demand for a fifty-percent cut. The Ink Clan King Lord's fury ignited at the news, his previously good mood instantly destroyed.
"He is insolent! How dare he make such outrageous demands? After what happened with the ancestral grounds, we already paid him a massive amount of supplies. How can he still not be satisfied?"
Manaye thought to himself that the humans were short on resources, while the Ink Clan currently had an abundance. Naturally, Yang Kai would come to take advantage of them.
After the King Lord had vented his anger, Manaye said, "Your Lordship, I have ordered the Domain Lords to form groups and track Yang Kai's movements, as well as dispatched escorts for the supply convoys. However, Yang Kai is a master of the Dao of Space and possesses formidable strength. Even if the Domain Lords form battle arrays, I fear they may not be his match if they encounter him."
The King Lord pondered briefly and said, "You should handle it personally. Find an opportunity to capture him!"
Manaye replied, "I had considered that as well. But if I leave No-Return Pass, he might seize the opportunity. If he comes to No-Return Pass to target the Ink Nests, what then?"
This single remark darkened the King Lord's expression. Three thousand years ago, with him guarding No-Return Pass, the Ink Nests there could remain safe. But ever since Yang Kai had demonstrated his strength the last time, the King Lord knew that relying on him alone was no longer sufficient to protect all the Ink Nests at No-Return Pass.
Over these three thousand years, Yang Kai's strength had grown tremendously.
"Furthermore..." Manaye said, choosing his words carefully, "the last time, because of the ancestral grounds incident, our Ink Clan suffered considerable losses. If we provoke him again this time, things may become difficult to contain." Who knew how many more supplies they would have to pay as compensation...
The King Lord suddenly turned his head, glaring at him furiously. "Our Ink Clan has no shortage of talent. Can we really not deal with a single Yang Kai?"
Manaye immediately grew fearful. "It is this subordinate's incompetence!"
The atmosphere inside the Ink Nest grew heavy. Manaye held his breath, and the attendants who normally lived within the Ink Nest all fell silent.
After a long moment, the King Lord spoke. "Create another Pseudo King Lord. Have him secretly guard No-Return Pass alongside me, while you go out to deal with Yang Kai!"
Manaye was startled. "Create another Pseudo King Lord? But Your Lordship, the number of our Innate Domain Lords is already far less than it once was. If we create another Pseudo King Lord..."
In truth, this was not the first time he had discussed this with the King Lord. The birth of a Pseudo King Lord meant the merging of over a dozen Innate Domain Lords and the loss of a King Lord-grade Ink Nest. However, as long as it could serve its purpose, it was still somewhat useful for the Ink Clan.
Yet as he had said, after thousands of years of bloody struggle, the Ink Clan's number of Innate Domain Lords had dwindled to a dangerously low figure. Sacrificing yet another King Lord-grade Ink Nest — from a strategic standpoint, creating too many Pseudo King Lords was unwise.
Both Diwu and Manaye himself had been created as Pseudo King Lords because of Yang Kai's existence.
He had not expected that this time, because of that harbinger of death, the King Lord would once more entertain the thought of creating a Pseudo King Lord. If this continued, the Ink Clan's Innate Domain Lords would only keep decreasing.
"Rest easy. Creating just one more will not cause any serious problems," the Ink Clan King Lord said calmly.