The Supreme-grade Open Heaven Pill lived up to its reputation as the greatest opportunity between heaven and earth. Xiang Shan could clearly feel that under its effects, the sturdy barrier of his Small Universe was slowly dissolving. Once this cursed barrier was completely shattered, he would be able to advance to Ninth-Order Open Heaven.
But even now, less than seventy percent of the barrier had dissolved. The remaining thirty percent still obstructed the expansion of his Small Universe, making it impossible for him to cross that threshold.
Xiang Shan was burning with anxiety, yet utterly powerless. He even entertained the thought of abandoning his advancement altogether.
If he gave up, the human side wouldn't be so passive. At the very least, all those human powerhouses wouldn't need to surround and guard him.
But truly abandoning the advancement—setting aside the waste of a rare Supreme-grade Open Heaven Pill—what use would a peak Eighth-Order be in a situation like this?
Only through breakthrough, only through advancement, could he turn the tide with the power of the Ninth-Order!
Ouyang Lie was anxious, and so was he. But what could either of them do?
Gritting his teeth, he frantically urged his own power, refining the pill's medicinal efficacy, hoping to accelerate the dissolution of the Small Universe barrier.
Within the defensive perimeter formed by the human powerhouses, at one particular position, five human Eighth-Order cultivators who had previously separated from Yang Kai were arrayed in a Five Elements formation to hold off the enemy.
These five—led by veteran Eighth-Order Tian Xiuzhu as the formation's core—included Zhan Tianhe, Xiong Ji, Liu Feifei, and Lin Wu. Of the five, Lin Wu had advanced to the Eighth-Order within this furnace world, while the others had long since reached that rank. Formed into their formation, their combined strength was nothing to scoff at.
In the heat of battle against the Ink Clan powerhouses, Lin Wu suddenly transmitted a message to the others: "Everyone, I'm afraid Senior Brother Yang won't be able to hold on much longer."
Had he not brought it up, none of them would have wanted to think about it. But once the topic was raised, Liu Feifei grew worried as well: "The Eight Trigrams formation places far too great a burden on the participants."
Truthfully, when Yang Kai had formed the Eight Trigrams formation on his side, not only had the Ink Clan been shocked—even the humans themselves were stunned beyond belief.
But considering that the formation's core was none other than the legendary Yang Kai, a man who could always accomplish what ordinary people could not, they had quickly come to terms with it.
Still, the formation had been formed, but how long it could be maintained was anyone's guess.
This was something everyone could see, which was why Monaya was stalling and Ouyang Lie was roaring in frustration.
Tian Xiuzhu snapped: "Don't lose focus! Concentrate on the enemy!"
At a time like this, they just needed to do their own job. Why worry about other battlefields? If the Ink Clan powerhouses broke through their position, Xiang Shan would be in real danger.
They were all new-generation Eighth-Ordern after all—not as steady as the veterans. Tian Xiuzhu thought to himself with a frown.
Under normal circumstances, his words would have been enough to bring them back in line. But Lin Wu seemed to be a man of considerable conviction, and he spoke up again: "Senior Brother Tian, we have to find a way to support Senior Brother Yang's side. Otherwise, once the formation over there collapses, the situation will spiral completely out of control."
Tian Xiuzhu's frown deepened: "Support? How?" What was he thinking? The outer perimeter was teeming with Ink Clan powerhouses—breaking through their lines was practically impossible. The only reason Blood Crow had been able to slip away earlier was because his cultivation technique was unique, catching the Ink Clan off guard.
None of them had Blood Crow's abilities. How were they supposed to get through? And if they left, the pressure on their own position would only increase.
Lin Wu spoke rapidly: "I'm not doubting Senior Brother Yang's ability. With his power, even as the formation's core, maintaining the Eight Trigrams formation shouldn't pose much of a problem. But what about the others? How long can they hold? If any one of the seven besides Senior Brother Yang can't hold on, the entire formation will collapse."
That was the truth, and it was what everyone was worried about.
Lin Wu continued: "Looking at the overall situation on the battlefield, we're the only ones who have a chance to help Senior Brother Yang's side. If even we don't try to find a solution, are we really going to sit here and wait for the Eight Trigrams formation over there to collapse on its own? Senior Brother Tian, please think carefully!"
The group fell silent in contemplation.
The reason Lin Wu said they were the only ones who could possibly help Yang Kai was that the pressure they faced was lighter than the other positions—because their opponent was a wounded pseudo-King Lord.
Meng Que.
The Ink Clan had nearly ten pseudo-King Lords gathered here. Yang Kai had managed to assassinate one in a sneak attack earlier, but their numbers remained formidable, now spread across various positions to pressure the human forces.
The one facing Tian Xiuzhu's group happened to be Meng Que along with several Domain Lords.
As for the wounded Meng Que, Zhan Tianhe and the others were all too familiar with him. The three of them—Zhan Tianhe, Xiong Ji, and Liu Feifei—had originally encountered Meng Que upon their first engagement, and nearly been slain by the pseudo-King Lord. Had Ouyang Lie not arrived in time to save them, they would have been dead men walking. When Ouyang Lie formed the Four Symbols formation with them to fight back, Yang Kai had charged in as well, ultimately wounding Meng Que and driving him off.
When Yang Xiao arrived with reinforcements, Meng Que had clashed with Yang Xiao and the others, taking further injuries on top of his existing wounds…
Which was why Meng Que was now gravely wounded, his strength barely able to manifest.
The other pseudo-King Lords were a different matter entirely—all of them were at full power, making any breakthrough on the human side exceedingly difficult.
So if someone was going to be sent to help Yang Kai, breaking through via Meng Que's position was the best option. Lin Wu's eye for strategy was razor-sharp, it had to be said.
After his persuasion, even Tian Xiuzhu couldn't help but calm down and mull it over. He nodded: "You're right. We really are the only ones who can go support Junior Brother Yang and the others."