On the Temple of Time, Yang Xiao wore a harmless, innocent smile. The two Domain Lords whose cultivation had been sealed were like quails caught in the dead of winter without a nest, trembling uncontrollably.
They both thought the Humans were pulling the rug out from under them. They'd been promised beforehand that their lives would be spared in exchange for some intelligence, but now it seemed the Humans intended to leave no survivors. How utterly untrustworthy.
But with the shoe on the other foot, the two Domain Lords had no power to resist.
Yang Xiao couldn't care less what they thought. He activated the Purifying Light and cast it down upon them. Within the blinding, pristine white radiance, the two Ink Race Domain Lords thrashed and screamed as the Ink Force within them was cleansed and dispersed, their auras plummeting rapidly.
After a moment, Yang Xiao withdrew his hand.
Though the two Ink Race Domain Lords looked utterly wretched, at least they were alive. Both were shaken and bewildered.
They weren't dead? Did that mean the Humans truly hadn't intended to kill them?
Yang Xiao snorted coldly. "My Little Aunt said she'd spare at least one of your lives, and she's not one to break her word. What, did you think I was going to kill you?"
The two Ink Race Domain Lords, having narrowly escaped death, hurriedly said they wouldn't dare think such a thing. Though they were still shaken, their composure had returned somewhat compared to the panic moments ago.
They also understood now why the Humans had been willing to honor their promise.
The Purifying Light had indeed not taken their lives, but under its radiance, their auras had dropped drastically and their strength had been severely diminished. Their cultivation, once at the Domain Lord level, was now barely comparable to that of a high-rank Ink Race member. Thousands of years of painstaking cultivation had been rendered completely worthless.
Two beings who could barely compare to high-rank Ink Race members—in a World Furnace teeming with powerful cultivators, what kind of trouble could they possibly cause? If they ran into any other Human expert, they'd be cut down in an instant.
"Since you were both reasonably cooperative just now, I'll spare both of you." Yang Xiao added, extending his hand. "Hand over your Ink Nests!"
The two Ink Race members didn't dare hesitate. They hurriedly presented the small Ink Nests they carried.
Yang Xiao then waved his hand, swatting the two Ink Race members out of the Temple of Time. "Scram!" he barked.
The two Ink Race members who had narrowly survived fled in a panic like stray dogs. Whether they'd run into other Human experts who'd cut them down without a second thought was entirely a matter of luck.
On the Temple of Time, Yang Xue asked, "You let them go. Who's going to guide us to the battlefield?"
"Don't need them. I've already sensed the location," Yang Xiao replied. The Sun and Moon Mark on the back of his hand faintly materialized.
Yang Xue understood immediately.
It was precisely through the Sun and Moon Mark's resonance that Yang Xiao had first been able to lead her to a Supreme-grade Open Heaven Pill, allowing her to ascend to the Ninth Order.
Though Yang Xiao had been using this method to search ever since, he had found nothing. The two of them had begun to think that last time had been nothing more than a coincidence.
Now it seemed that wasn't the case at all. When the Sun and Moon Mark was activated, it could genuinely sense the location of Supreme-grade Open Heaven Pills.
Now that Yang Xiao had picked up a reading again, the battlefield couldn't be far. That Supreme-grade Open Heaven Pill must be the one in Xiang Shan's possession.
Yang Xiao turned to face her. "Little Aunt, the reason I took their Ink Nests was to prevent them from sending word ahead. The Ink Race doesn't know you've also advanced to the Ninth Order. Once we reach the battlefield, I'll lead the charge to draw their attention. You wait for the right moment and try to coordinate with Uncle Ouyang to kill that Ink Race King Lord."
Yang Xue nodded. "Understood!"
"Fang, you coordinate with Little Aunt," Yang Xiao said, turning toward Fang Tianci. Though Yang Xiao had been somewhat off his game lately, he had once commanded an elite squad, fighting across countless battlefields. His tactical arrangements now were as methodical as ever.
Fang Tianci nodded. "Consider it done."
"Everyone else, split into two formations with me. Let's go meet these Ink Race powerhouses!" Yang Xiao commanded. A general marching to war, stirring up storms—he was brimming with fighting spirit.
Everyone acknowledged with enthusiasm.
After a while, faint ripples of battle reached them from ahead. They were clearly approaching the battlefield.
Fang Tianci and Yang Xue exchanged a glance, then instantly vanished. With a ripple of the Space Dao, both figures disappeared without a trace.
Yang Xiao, meanwhile, drove the Temple of Time forward with aggressive momentum. Before they had even reached the battlefield, his booming voice shook the surroundings: "Yang Xiao of the Dragon Clan, leading the Human Race's finest to join the fight! You Ink Race abominations—step forward and face your deaths!"
On the battlefield, the Human Race was in a dire situation. Gathered in a tight circle around Xiang Shan, the Human Race's experts had established a defensive perimeter, focusing purely on holding the line.
After all, they were outnumbered. Even without any liabilities, they would have struggled to gain the upper hand in open combat—let alone with Xiang Shan's vulnerable state weighing them down.
The Ink Race's many powerhouses launched relentless assaults from the outside, unleashing devastating techniques that hammered against the defensive line, attempting to break through and disrupt Xiang Shan's advancement.
Ouyang Lie, for his part, was unable to provide any assistance. That Ink Race King Lord named Xiao You was clinging to him with everything he had, granting him not a single moment's reprieve. Until he drove Xiao You back, there was no way he could go help Xiang Shan.
In his heart, Ouyang Lie was cursing that big-headed Xiang to high heaven. This time, the man had truly dragged him into a mess. Of all the times to advance, he had to choose now. And advancing was one thing, but picking a spot that made everything so agonizingly difficult…