In the Feng Lan Domain, the many Pseudo-King Lords under Monaye's command had arrived fully prepared. The Ink Giant Spirit exerted its strength simultaneously, and Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing, outnumbered and outmatched, had not yet been pushed into a desperate situation—but under these circumstances, they could no longer hope to keep the Ink Giant Spirit restrained.
Once the Ink Giant Spirit broke free, the two Ninth-Order humans would see their millennia of vigil in this domain come to nothing. Facing such a powerhouse, the human race would have no one capable of standing against it.
In those early days, the Ink Clan's successful invasion of the Three Thousand Great Worlds had owed an enormous debt to this Ink Giant Spirit. Had it not been awakened from the Sacred Spirit Ancestral Ground and charged into the Empty Domain, forcing open the passageway connecting to the Feng Lan Domain, the various human armies would still have had the means to block the Ink Clan within the Empty Domain.
It was precisely because that connection to the Feng Lan Domain had been torn open that all of humanity's prior efforts were rendered meaningless. That, in turn, had led to the grand battle in which so many Ninth-Order humans sacrificed their lives, and the subsequent great migration of warriors across the Three Thousand Great Worlds.
It could be said that the existence of this single Ink Giant Spirit had laid the foundation for the Ink Clan's conquest of the Three Thousand Great Worlds and the stalemate that forced humanity to cling to its dozen-odd Domain battlefields.
Should this powerhouse break free, the catastrophe it brought upon the human race would be devastating beyond measure.
Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing had remained stationed in the Feng Lan Domain precisely to guard against this eventuality. In the past, the Ink Clan had not come to harry them for two reasons: first, they simply hadn't had the capability—the Ink Clan's own ranks of powerhouses were few, and with the sole True King Lord unable to intervene, those innate Domain Lords could not hope to cause any real trouble in front of two Ninth-Order cultivators.
Second, the Ink Giant Spirit itself had been gravely wounded in the great battle thousands of years ago and needed time to recover.
But now, the Ink Clan's powerhouses emerged one after another in endless succession, and the Ink Giant Spirit's injuries had healed sufficiently. The moment had arrived!
Heaven and earth shuddered with cataclysmic force. The power of Ink surged and churned. Powerhouses clashed, and the void shattered.
Shattering along with it were the arcane chains that had bound the Heaven-Supporting Arm.
The enormous Yin-Yang fish diagram continued to rotate, its power of the Great Dao permeating the battlefield. On one side, they strained to withstand the combined assault of the many Pseudo-King Lords; on the other, the two Ninth-Order cultivators fought to maintain their hold on the Ink Giant Spirit.
But mortal strength had its limits. In such a situation, how could they possibly manage both?
Wu Qing roared in fury. Xiao Xiao cried out in sharp defiance. Their combined aura soared to the heavens—even cornered, they refused to yield, just like those old human ancestors who had given their lives in the Empty Domain all those years ago.
Monaye laughed aloud: "The tide of fate turns against you. Why cling so stubbornly? I have always admired the strength of your human race. I came today only to grant you two a dignified death!"
From within the Empty Domain, the Ink Giant Spirit's furious bellow echoed simultaneously: "You think you lot can restrain this sovereign? Break!"
With that roar, the Heaven-Supporting Arm swelled outward by another size. Violent force erupted from within, and the arcane chains—already strained to their limits—could endure the tremendous burden no longer. With a thunderous crack, they shattered completely, dissolving into motes of luminous light that scattered across the sky.
As the seal broke, Wu Qing and Xiao Xiao both grunted simultaneously, clearly suffering some degree of backlash.
Monaye stood outside the battle circle, savoring the despair that flashed through the eyes of those two Ninth-Order humans. A deep satisfaction filled his heart.
How many years had it been? In their clashes with humanity, the Ink Clan had never managed to claim an overwhelming advantage. But after this victory, those humans still fighting back in futile resistance would finally understand who the true sovereigns of all heavens and realms were!
Rumble...
The Heaven-Supporting Arm was withdrawing—a sign that the Ink Giant Spirit, restrained for thousands of years, was formally breaking free.
For the human race, this would without question be a catastrophe. A calamity of the highest order.
The despair in Xiao Xiao's and Wu Qing's eyes deepened further.
Monaye said coldly, "Don't even think about fleeing. The heaven and earth here have already been sealed. With your strength, escape is impossible!"
He had even brought the grand formation he had prepared against Yang Kai, fearing these two Ninth-Order cultivators might flee.
Opportunities to trap and kill Ninth-Order cultivators like this were exceedingly rare—and to get two at once, if they somehow slipped away, it would pose an enormous problem for the Ink Clan.
The moment Monaye finished speaking, Wu Qing charged toward him with halberd raised, clearly intending to capture the leader to subdue the flock. But he had barely moved when he was intercepted by two Triadic Formations, plunging him into a bitter struggle from which he could not extricate himself.
Seeing this, the corner of Monaye's mouth curled upward, his face alight with mockery.
The cage is set. Now let's see what choice you make! he thought to himself. I do hope you won't disappoint me!
At that moment, Xiao Xiao suddenly issued a sharp command: "Go!"
The Yin-Yang diagram surged and retracted in a violent motion. Under the turbulence of the Yin-Yang Great Dao, the numerous Pseudo-King Lords were shunted aside by an irresistible force. She shot straight upward, with Wu Qing gripping his halberd close behind her.
The direction they charged toward was precisely where the Heaven-Supporting Arm was retreating—where the passageway to the Empty Domain lay!
"Ha!" Monaye couldn't help but laugh, showing not a trace of surprise on his face, as though he had long anticipated this.