While Yang Xiao and Blood Crow were communicating in secret, Yang Kai had already shattered a Four Symbols Formation assembled by four Domain Lords with a thrust of his spear.
Though his great battle with Mo Naye had left him at the end of his rope, a starved camel was still bigger than a horse. With a Holy Dragon body and a Ninth-Order cultivation base, what chance did four Domain Lords have against him?
Moreover, Yang Kai's fearsome reputation alone was enough to make the Domain Lords deeply wary. The moment they saw him charging in—whether the Domain Lords or Xiao You, who was locked in combat with Ouyang Lie—all of them lost a measure of their resolve before the fight even began.
Under those circumstances, a mere Four Symbols Formation was no obstacle to his violent charge. After just a few sweeps, the formation shattered.
Without the formation's support, the four Domain Lords were quickly cut down on the spot.
But Yang Kai frowned, storing the Azure Dragon Spear back into his Small Universe, and muttered, "Not satisfying enough!"
Even as he spoke, he dropped into a crouch. Boundless killing intent and ferocity surged outward, like a savage beast caged for ten thousand years finally breaking free. He lifted his head slightly, eyes fixed on another Four Symbols Formation, and mysterious power churned around his body before he vanished entirely—as if he had never been there at all.
Inside that second Four Symbols Formation, the four Domain Lords were already like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. They had just watched their four companions get slaughtered by Yang Kai with ease, and now that it was their turn, how could they remain calm?
Before Yang Kai even reappeared, the formation they were struggling to maintain began to waver.
A flash of lightning burst forth, and Yang Kai's figure materialized behind one of the Domain Lords. His hand thrust out like a beast's claw, lightning raging across its surface.
When Yang Kai withdrew his hand, a gaping hole had been torn through the Domain Lord's torso. Lightning crackled along the wound's edges, and the violent thunderous force left the Domain Lord trembling like a sieve.
Yang Kai threw back his head and laughed: "Now that's more like it!"
Ouyang Lie's eyes narrowed sharply.
He suddenly realized what was happening.
On the other side, Yang Xiao's eyes went wide as well, and the words tumbled out before he could stop them: "The Thunder Shadow Emperor!"
That peculiar fighting stance, the savage killing style, the ability to conceal his form, and the ferocity of the Thunder Dao—all of it was identical to the Thunder Shadow Emperor that Yang Kai had taken into his Small Universe!
Blood Crow was no less stunned.
The other human powerhouses who witnessed the scene were equally bewildered.
What was going on? How had Yang Kai suddenly become the Thunder Shadow Emperor? Had he been possessed by Thunder Shadow?
But they finally understood why Yang Kai's earlier pursuit of Mo Naye had ended in failure. Against Space Dao abilities, fleeing was indeed meaningless—but what if Thunder Shadow had taken over Yang Kai's body? Thunder Shadow knew nothing of the Space Dao, so if Mo Naye chose to run, it could do nothing to stop him.
While everyone was still reeling with shock, Thunder Shadow—now inhabiting Yang Kai's body—had already dispatched the four Domain Lords like chopping melons and slicing vegetables. His figure vanished into the void once more, and with the foundation of a Ninth-Order Open Heaven cultivator backing him, his concealment had become even more unfathomable. Even Ouyang Lie could barely detect a trace.
Xiao You looked as though he had lost a parent.
Already wounded by Yang Xiao's ambush, he was no match for Ouyang Lie in the first place. That he had held on this long was entirely thanks to the eight Domain Lords maintaining their formation. Now that all eight had been killed by Yang Kai—and if Ouyang Lie hadn't been harboring reservations—he would have already started to crumble.
To make matters worse, a powerful enemy like Yang Kai was lurking nearby, capable of striking at any moment. Xiao You's heart was lodged firmly in his throat, and even with his guard at full alert, he felt no sense of security whatsoever.
"Thunder Shadow, where did Yang Kai go?" Ouyang Lie snarled through gritted teeth, not relaxing his vigilance one bit despite Thunder Shadow having eliminated the eight Domain Lords. He knew about the Three-Body Unification Art. He knew that the key to Yang Kai's breakthrough to the Ninth Order was the unification of three bodies into one. But from the look of things, the Three-Body Unification Art seemed to have run into a problem, allowing Thunder Shadow to seize control of Yang Kai's body.
True, Thunder Shadow was one of Yang Kai's clones, but Thunder Shadow was not Yang Kai himself, and Ouyang Lie had to ask.
Amid flickering lightning, Yang Kai's figure reappeared, slamming a palm toward Xiao You's head. Xiao You had been on guard the entire time. The instant he sensed the crisis, he spun around and threw a punch at Yang Kai, barely neutralizing the attack—but Ouyang Lie seized the opening and landed a devastating blow that sent his body shuddering violently.
Thunder Shadow clicked his tongue, vanished once more, and transmitted a message: "Earlier, the power of the Grand Dao went haywire. The Boss used up too much energy and his injuries were too severe—he fell into a deep sleep. But don't worry, he should recover after some rest!"
After a brief pause, he added: "Enough chatter. Let's kill this one first."
Ouyang Lie nodded slightly. So Yang Kai's situation wasn't too serious—it was just that the so-called Three-Body Unification Art really did seem to have a problem.
Now was not the time to dwell on it. Whether Yang Kai would be alright would only become clear in the days to come. The priority right now was to eliminate these Ink Race powerhouses.
He steadied his mind and launched a furious assault.
With Ouyang Lie creating openings and suppressing Xiao You, Thunder Shadow's ambushes became ever easier and more effortless. He would always appear when Xiao You was least able to defend himself, deliver a vicious strike, and vanish again, leaving Xiao You in agony as his wounds grew steadily worse.
Already crippled, he was no match for Ouyang Lie—and with a powerful hidden enemy like Thunder Shadow lying in wait, striking at will and tying up a huge portion of his mental focus, this time there was likely no escape.
Compared to Ouyang Lie, the hidden Thunder Shadow posed an even greater threat.
He had lost! The Ink Race had suffered a complete defeat!