A Pseudo-Sovereign with only forty to fifty percent of his strength remaining—even if he happened to run into other human Eighth-Order cultivators, he might not have the nerve to make a move. It could be said that although Meng Que was not dead, the threat he posed to humanity within the Myriad Artifacts Crucible had been greatly diminished.
Ouyang Lie raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "So you're saying we came out ahead?"
"Of course we did." Yang Kai nodded.
The worst-case scenario he had originally envisioned was nothing more than being forced to join hands with Lei Ying and have it out with Meng Que. His main body combined with his demon form was no match for a Pseudo-Sovereign, but as long as he was willing to go all out, he would never let Meng Que have an easy time of it. As long as Meng Que realized that continuing to fight him would exact a tremendous price, he would naturally withdraw.
Fortunately, that situation had not come to pass, and he had managed to borrow the strength of Ouyang Lie and the others to form the Six Harmonies Formation.
The other three Eighth-Order cultivators, upon hearing Yang Kai's words, felt the slight melancholy that had been weighing on them lift considerably. They had clashed with two Pseudo-Sovereigns in succession, and the battle against Meng Que in particular had been far more intense than any experience they had ever had before. This was immensely beneficial for their comprehension of the Grand Dao.
The human warriors born over the past several thousand years had all grown rapidly through bloody battles and desperate life-or-death struggles. It could be said that the experience of fighting two Pseudo-Sovereigns like these would become an extremely valuable asset for them.
The situation had been too urgent earlier for anyone to exchange pleasantries. Now that they had a moment to spare, the other three Eighth-Order cultivators introduced themselves, respectfully addressing Yang Kai as "Senior Brother Yang."
The three Eighth-Order cultivators consisted of two men and one woman. Of the two men, one was named Zhan Tianhe. His background was fairly orthodox — he was a disciple of one of the Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands, though he had been sent to the Star Boundary to cultivate long ago. He had received the nourishment of the Star Boundary's World Tree and had directly advanced to the Sixth Rank Open Heaven.
Zhan Tianhe had delicate features with refined brows and red lips and white teeth, appearing to be a young man in his early twenties. This youthful appearance was clearly because his aptitude was high enough and his cultivation speed fast enough that he had attained considerable strength at a young age, allowing his youthful looks to remain permanently.
The other man was considerably more rugged — broad-waisted and tiger-backed, with an exceptionally tall stature. When he stood up, he resembled an iron tower.
This muscular man named Xiong Ji also hailed from one of the Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands, specifically from the Ming Wang Grotto-heaven. The warriors of Ming Wang Heaven possessed extraordinarily powerful physical bodies. Yang Kai had encountered many experts from Ming Wang Heaven, but one with Xiong Ji's physique was still a rare sight.
The woman, Liu Feifei, did not come from any of the Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands. She hailed from a smaller power — though calling it "small" was only in comparison to the Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands. In its heyday, this force had once dominated an entire region, roughly on par with Void Spirit Land's former standing, making it a second-tier power. However, it had never produced a High-Rank Open Heaven cultivator.
After the great migration of human warriors, this force had also relocated to the Lingxiao Domain. As an elite disciple of the sect, Liu Feifei had been arranged by the higher-ups to cultivate in the Star Boundary, which was how she had achieved her current level.
The sect Liu Feifei had come from had since relocated entirely to the Myriad Demon World. There, a continual stream of promising newcomers had emerged among its ranks, and looking to the future, it was certain to produce a great many talents capable of bringing honor to the sect.
The group exchanged greetings. Originally, having to face someone of Yang Kai's legendary stature, the three newly advanced Eighth-Order cultivators had been somewhat apprehensive. They had all grown and cultivated in the Star Boundary, so they had long known of Yang Kai's name and great deeds. The opportunity to fight alongside such a legend in a combined formation against the enemy was an immense honor for all of them.
However, after exchanging a few words, they discovered that this legend was not as imposing as they had imagined. Instead, he was quite approachable and warm. Combined with the bond forged through their earlier cooperation, they inevitably developed a sense of familiarity.
Yang Kai briefly inquired about Ouyang Lie and the others' circumstances and only then learned that the four of them coming together had been entirely fortuitous.
Originally, Ouyang Lie had charged in alone from the direction of the Qing Yang Domain, roaming and exploring within the crucible's world. He had coincidentally sensed the commotion of a battle, rushed over to investigate, and found Zhan Tianhe and the others forming a Three Powers Formation to hold off a Pseudo-Sovereign. Ouyang Lie had immediately joined the fray, which led to the scene that Lei Ying later witnessed.
If Ouyang Lie had not arrived in time, Zhan Tianhe and the others would likely have been in mortal danger. The Three Powers Formation would most likely have been unable to withstand a Pseudo-Sovereign. If that Pseudo-Sovereign had been ruthless enough to pay a price to forcibly cut down one person, the formation would have been easily shattered.
As for Zhan Tianhe and the other two, though they came from different backgrounds, they had all grown up in the Star Boundary and had teamed up multiple times on various great domain battlefields. As a result, they were already well-acquainted and shared a deep bond. This time, they had entered this place together through one of the Myriad Artifacts Crucible's entrances without splitting up.
Ouyang Lie, fearing that Yang Kai might be unaware of the various peculiarities within the Myriad Artifacts Crucible, hastily offered to hand over the intelligence that humans had previously gathered. Upon learning that Yang Kai had already encountered other human Eighth-Order cultivators and was already familiar with the situation here, he let the matter drop.
He then said with renewed vigor, "Now that's something! With Junior Brother Yang and Lei Ying joining us, if we form the Six Harmonies Formation, we can roam freely through this crucible's world."
This was not an unreasonable statement. They had all been injured earlier and had even repelled Meng Que. Now that their injuries had largely healed, forming the Six Harmonies Formation would mean they need not fear the Ink Clan's Pseudo-Sovereigns. Within the crucible's world, the only thing that might still pose a threat to them would be the rumored Chaos Spirit Kings.
Zhan Tianhe and the others also looked invigorated. Originally, the three of them together had still been proceeding with extreme caution, terrified of accidentally running into a Pseudo-Sovereign — and run into one they did. Fortunately, they had emerged safe in the end. Now with their numbers greatly bolstered, what was there to worry about?
Ouyang Lie could not wait to rise to his feet. "Junior Brother Yang, shall we get moving?"
Though his injuries had not fully healed, they were no longer a serious concern. He could search for opportunities and recuperate at the same time.
He was impatient to find that supreme-grade Open Heaven Pill.
"No rush." Yang Kai smiled faintly and looked at him. "Senior Brother Ouyang, I have something for you."
Ouyang Lie was quite surprised. "What do you have for me?"