At the Ink Clan King Lord's command, the numerous Ink Clan powerhouses surged forward, racing toward Xiang Shan's position.
Ouyang Lie recognized the gravity of the situation and immediately rushed out, charging straight at the King Lord while bellowing: "Big Head Xiang, I'll guard your breakthrough! Focus on your advancement — once you reach the Ninth Order, we'll join forces and slaughter these bastards together!"
From far away came Xiang Shan's grief-stricken roar: "Ouyang Lie, you old scoundrel! The moment I break through, you're the first one I'm going to kill!"
Did I dig up your ancestors' graves or something? Ouyang Lie was utterly bewildered.
If anyone was the scoundrel here, he'd say it was Xiang Shan! If Xiang Shan hadn't suddenly leaked the aura of his breakthrough, the human and Ink Clan powerhouses would likely have already withdrawn by now. But now, a massive battle was inevitable, and who knew how many more powerhouses would fall.
Though he grumbled inwardly, Ouyang Lie still hurried to block the Ink Clan King Lord. He was the only one present — newly advanced to the Ninth Order — who could match the King Lord in combat. No one else could stand against the King Lord unless they formed a Six Harmonies Formation.
If he held back the King Lord while the others protected Xiang Shan, then Xiang Shan would have a chance to complete his breakthrough in peace!
Streaks of light, figures, and formation arrays all hurtled toward Xiang Shan's hiding spot. Soon, fierce and desperate battle erupted around his location.
The human side adopted a primarily defensive strategy this time. Several hundred powerhouses formed formation arrays, surrounding Xiang Shan in an impenetrable shell while repelling the Ink Clan's relentless assaults.
Xiang Shan recognized that this was an opportunity that would not come again. He released all his suppressions and poured everything into his breakthrough.
However, advancing from the Eighth Order to the Ninth Order was never easy — it required time. If the Ink Clan could breach the human defensive line before Xiang Shan completed his breakthrough, the disruption would be devastating.
Even now, the shockwaves from the ongoing battle made it nearly impossible for Xiang Shan to truly quiet his mind. Were it not for his ironclad willpower, the risk of failure would already be significant.
The battle raged on. In the clash between the Ninth Orders and the King Lord, Ouyang Lie held a slight upper hand. Both had advanced recently, so their strength was roughly comparable, but Ouyang Lie possessed a fiercer fighting spirit. Having staked everything on protecting Xiang Shan, he fought with the ferocity of a man who had nothing left to lose, and the King Lord was slightly outmatched in terms of momentum.
But soon, Ouyang Lie's expression changed. He had seen the King Lord suddenly produce a small Ink Nest in the midst of their fierce battle. A pulse of divine sense swept out — the King Lord was clearly contacting someone.
He's calling for reinforcements! Ouyang Lie seethed, and his attacks grew even more savage, momentarily pressing the King Lord to the point where he could barely lift his head.
At the very moment the King Lord used the Ink Nest to transmit his message, deep within the world of the Furnace, in a remote and desolate Primordial Chaos jungle, a towering Ink Nest stood in solemn grandeur.
Judging by its aura alone, this was unmistakably a King Lord-level Ink Nest. However, it had not been fully hatched, and naturally lacked the ability to breed Ink Clan members.
Still, such an Ink Nest could allow injured Ink Clan powerhouses to enter and slumber within while healing their wounds.
At this very moment, one such supreme Ink Clan powerhouse was in slumber inside.
Monaye!
Truth be told, this fellow's luck had been extraordinary. Previously, outside the Gate of No Return, in the projection space of the Furnace of Heaven and Earth, Yang Kai had used borrowed force to beat him to a pulp, nearly ending his life.
Unfortunately, just as Yang Kai was about to finish him off, he had inadvertently triggered some profound mystery, causing both himself and Monaye to be cast into the Furnace prematurely.
After entering the Furnace world, Yang Kai — the instigator — had been trapped, witnessing the birth of nine Supreme-grade Open Heaven Pills. But Monaye had not.
Upon entering the Furnace world, he had immediately found a secluded spot, hatched the King Lord-level Ink Nest he carried with him, and prepared to use its power to slumber and heal.
As the Ink Clan's commander in this theater, he naturally carried substantial supplies. This was the foundation that allowed him to hatch the Ink Nest and mend his injuries.
Without those supplies, healing would have been entirely out of the question.
And in the midst of hatching the Ink Nest, he had suddenly noticed a multicolored, shimmering radiance streaking toward him from the distance, passing right by his location.
Though Monaye was gravely injured, his foundation remained intact. He immediately reached out and captured the streak of light in his hand. After a thorough examination, he confirmed that what he held was precisely the fortune the humans had been speaking of.
So if one were to say who in this entire Furnace world possessed the greatest fortune, it was not Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, who had stumbled upon a Supreme-grade Open Heaven Pill by chance — it was Monaye. In terms of timing, this Ink Clan powerhouse had truly been the first to obtain a spirit pill.
With the spirit pill in hand, Monaye sensed its profound mysteries and was overjoyed. Heaven truly does not leave a man without a path! He had thought that entering this place with grave injuries meant certain doom, yet instead he had gained this unexpected harvest.
He immediately brought the spirit pill into the Ink Nest, simultaneously refining its medicinal potency and using the Ink Nest's power to heal his wounds.
When the various Ink Clan powerhouses within the Furnace world had been transmitting messages earlier, they had been drawing on the power of this very King Lord-level Ink Nest.
Yang Kai had once speculated that there must be a Domain Lord-level or King Lord-level Ink Nest somewhere within the Furnace world, though he did not know its exact location. Otherwise, the Ink Clan would have no way of communicating with one another — Ink Clan communication had always required an Ink Nest as a relay.
At this moment, the Ink Nest trembled, rousing Monaye from his slumber. His expression was displeased, tinged with anger — but after comprehending the message carried by the tremor, even he felt a jolt of surprise.
The message was simple. Just one sentence:
Xiang Shan has obtained a spirit pill and is attempting to break through!
Among the humans below the Ninth Order, there were only three who could make Monaye wary!