The Human Race's powerful experts were not pursuing aimlessly. The Ink Race's forces outnumbered them by a wide margin, and a reckless, uncoordinated pursuit would almost certainly lead to unnecessary casualties.
Fortunately, Xiang Shan had made arrangements the moment the Ink Race began to flee. All of the Human Race's experts had formed battle arrays, with every two or three arrays positioned to support one another like interlocking horns as they chased in a single direction. While this might waste manpower in certain sectors, it maximized the safety of their own people.
Before the pursuit began, Xiang Shan had also issued clear instructions: do not chase too deep. The number of Ink Race powerhouses that had entered the Furnace World this time far exceeded those that had shown themselves previously—more lurked in the shadows, and they had to be careful not to walk into a trap.
In short, this pursuit operated on a simple principle: kill where they could, and do not force the issue when they could not.
There was simply no other choice. After the prolonged battle that had just concluded, every Human Race expert—regardless of strength, whether veteran or newly ascended Eighth-Order—bore wounds of varying severity. None of them could sustain prolonged combat any longer.
Only the three Ninth-Order powerhouses were unstoppable. Whether it was Yang Xue, Ouyang Lie, or Lei Ying, who currently occupied Yang Kai's body, there was simply no one in the Furnace World who could stand against them—provided Monaye did not appear.
Lei Ying charged forward relentlessly, and every Ink Race member unfortunate enough to cross his path was cut down without exception. Even Pseudo King Lords could not escape death.
The sweeping pursuit lasted for several days before the forces gradually began to return.
When Lei Ying emerged from the void in Yang Kai's body, he could already see a large gathering of Human Race experts at the original battlefield from a great distance. The moment they sensed his presence, numerous streams of divine sense swept toward him from the crowd.
Lei Ying's mouth twitched. He muttered, "Second Brother, you go talk to them. I'm no good with words—you know that."
As he spoke, his eyes suddenly grew murky and dim. An instant later, they brightened once more, and a bitter smile surfaced on his face as he slowly shook his head.
He couldn't help but grumble inwardly: you never let me have the fun of killing enemies, but the moment it's time to deal with people, you hide away. Unforgivable.
Still, some things had to be faced. He straightened his disheveled clothes, activated the Laws of Space, and took a single step forward. When he reappeared, he was standing before the assembled Human Race experts.
"Big Brother?" Yang Xue, who had been wracked with anxiety and worry all this time, suddenly lit up and called out in joyful surprise.
She had witnessed the upheaval with Yang Kai's body earlier, but at the time she had not fully understood what was happening and had no opportunity to investigate. It was only after hearing Ouyang Lie's explanation just now that she learned her eldest brother had cultivated a unique technique over the years, one that split his own origin into two avatars.
Through the Three-Body Unification Art—merging all three bodies and reintegrating their origins—he had broken through the bottleneck, ascended to the Ninth Order, turned the tide of battle, and led the Human Race to victory.
However, the technique had apparently encountered a problem, causing Yang Kai's own consciousness to fall into deep slumber. Before that, Lei Ying the Great Emperor's consciousness had even taken control of his body.
After hearing Ouyang Lie's explanation, the many doubts the crowd had harbored finally became clear.
The reason Yang Kai's Small Universe had been able to contain not only Fang Tianci—also an Eighth-Order expert—but even Lei Ying the Great Emperor was simple: both of them were his avatars.
Monaye's escape and Yang Kai's failure to catch him were because Lei Ying the Great Emperor, who had been controlling his body, did not understand the Dao of Space and could not give chase.
The crowd murmured in silent astonishment and shock.
In this world, besides Perfect-Grade Open Heaven Pills, there actually existed such a wondrous technique that could allow one to break through the shackles of the Open Heaven Method. This was absolutely exhilarating news.
After all, the number of Human Race warriors currently stuck at the peak of the Eighth Order was beyond counting. They would never have the chance to reach the Ninth Order in their lifetimes—they had already hit the ceiling of their martial cultivation, and Perfect-Grade Open Heaven Pills were nearly impossible to find. If this technique could be disseminated, the Human Race might gain a great number of Ninth-Order experts in the future!
Although there appeared to be some issues with the technique based on Yang Kai's earlier performance, compared to ascending to the Ninth Order, what were a few problems?
This was absolutely a technique worth spreading widely—one that could transform the Human Race's entire cultivation system!
Lei Ying did not understand the Dao of Space, so when Yang Kai used spatial powers to return, Yang Xue naturally mistook him for Lei Ying.
Yang Kai gave her a gentle nod and said, "Eldest Brother is still in slumber. It's me—Fang."
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. First Lei Ying had taken over Yang Kai's body, and now it was Fang Tianci. It seemed the Three-Body Unification Art had more than a few problems.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Yang Xue's eyes, but Fang Tianci was at least someone she knew. She pressed her red lips together and asked worriedly, "Will he wake up?"
Fang Tianci replied, "There should be no real problem."
"'Should be'?" Ouyang Lie frowned deeply, the uncertain answer filling him with concern.
Fang Tianci explained, "Earlier, in order to kill Monaye as quickly as possible, Eldest Brother unleashed the Dragon Pearl in a single strike that shattered the River of Time and Space. The resulting turbulence to his Grand Dao was far too severe. On top of that, the prolonged high-intensity combat left his body heavily injured, and his consciousness sank into dormancy. However, it hasn't reached the point of annihilation, so the probability of him waking is very high. As for exactly when—heaven knows."
After finishing, he chuckled softly. "There's no need for everyone to worry too much. Whether it's me or Lei Ying, we both originate from the original. Fundamentally, we are still just avatars of the original. Though we possess our own thoughts and minds, we will never act against the original's interests."