In the brief span of a few breaths, the Pseudo Sovereign trapped within the Yin-Yang Fish lost all signs of life and perished on the spot.
While the numerous Ink Clan powerhouses had their attention drawn to that side, Wu Qing's figure flickered into view like a ghost at another edge of the battlefield. The might of heaven and earth surged violently as his halberd slashed down toward a pre-selected target.
The Pseudo Sovereign he had chosen was unstable in aura and diminished in presence, clearly bearing grievous wounds. He had only just barely escaped the Giant Spirit God's attack and, facing this soundless ambush, failed to detect it in time.
By the time the crisis reached him, he had already been struck with terror—but it was far too late.
In his haste he managed a single exchange with Wu Qing, only for Wu Qing to seize the opening and cleave him in two with one devastating sweep of the halberd.
Ink blood rained down, and the Power of Ink dispersed in vast, surging waves.
The two Human Race Ninth-Order cultivators who had freed themselves surged through the battlefield like tigers into a flock of sheep, each selecting their own targets. The power of the Grand Dao of Yin and Yang surged and ebbed as their halberds carved out endless arcs of blinding radiance.
Mo Naye's eyes nearly split with fury. He had brought a considerable number of Pseudo Sovereigns this time, but four had already been killed by the Giant Spirit God earlier, and now Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing had taken out two more. In such a short span, he had lost six of them.
These Pseudo Sovereigns were the very backbone of the Ink Clan's current resistance against the Human Race. On the actual battlefield they had suffered no significant losses—yet here, so many had fallen. How could his heart not bleed?
And this operation should have been foolproof. If everything had gone according to plan, they could have not only cornered and killed two Human Race Ninth-Order cultivators, but also helped free the Ink-Colored Giant Spirit God—a plan that would have killed two birds with one stone.
Yet this supposedly flawless plan had been riddled with holes the moment Yang Kai's hidden trump card was set into motion.
Mo Naye roared and charged at Wu Qing with savage ferocity.
The Pseudo Sovereigns, having recovered from their initial panic, hastily formed battle formations to fight the two Human Race Ninth-Order cultivators, barely managing to hold their ground.
Upon noticing Mo Naye's movement, Wu Qing immediately dashed toward Xiao Xiao's position, completely ignoring the attack bearing down on him from behind. His halberd thrust forward with savage force toward the Pseudo Sovereign whom Xiao Xiao had suppressed with her techniques.
Xiao Xiao understood Wu Qing's intent and cooperated with everything she had. The power of the Grand Dao surged, pinning the targeted Pseudo Sovereign so firmly he couldn't move a muscle.
With two Human Race Ninth-Order cultivators joining forces, how could a single Pseudo Sovereign hope to match them? Utterly horrified, the Pseudo Sovereign could do nothing but watch helplessly as Wu Qing's halberd pierced clean through his body!
At the same moment, Wu Qing's body jolted violently and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood—Mo Naye's attack had landed.
All around them, the Pseudo Sovereigns who had regrouped spread into formation and closed in, while Mo Naye himself was rapidly closing the distance.
Xiao Xiao seized Wu Qing's shoulder, flipped the Yin-Yang Fish to envelop them both, and forced their way through the relentless onslaught, carving a bloody path through the swarm.
Powerful secret arts hammered into them from every direction, but each was deflected by the Yin-Yang Fish. The power of the Grand Dao vibrated around Xiao Xiao, draining her immensely.
After a short while, the chaotic slaughter suddenly fell silent. Both sides stood in the void, facing each other from a distance. In the eerie stillness, the only sounds were the savage shockwaves from the two Giant Spirit Gods clashing far away.
Xiao Xiao's chest heaved with heavy breaths. Wu Qing's face was deathly pale, a trace of blood still clinging to the corner of his mouth. Across from them, Mo Naye stood with over twenty Pseudo Sovereigns, watching them with cold eyes, his gaze brimming with unwillingness and rage.
But no matter how much unwillingness and rage burned within him, it was useless against the current situation.
This operation had failed completely!
Although the Ink-Colored Giant Spirit God had been freed, the Human Race now had an additional Giant Spirit God to aid them. The two sides would check each other, and the Ink Clan's plan to use the Ink-Colored Giant Spirit God to sweep away the Human Race had utterly collapsed.
The two Human Race Ninth-Order cultivators had not been cornered either—they could retreat at any time. In fact, their current position was precisely at the mouth of the passage leading to the Windstorm Domain.
Worse still, this operation had actually freed up two Ninth-Order cultivators for the Human Race!
Mo Naye clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, his heart dripping blood.
Originally, the Ink Clan was already inferior to the Human Race at the Sovereign and Ninth-Order levels. The Ink Clan currently possessed only two Sovereigns, while the Human Race had four!
The advantage the Ink Clan could claim was primarily at the Pseudo Sovereign level.
Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing had been trapped in the Windstorm Domain for so many years. Though they had been keeping the Ink-Colored Giant Spirit God in check, they had contributed nothing to the broader war.
But now they were free...
On the main battlefield, two additional Human Race armies would soon have a Ninth-Order powerhouse to lead them. For the Ink Clan, this outcome was nothing short of a nightmare.
And the cause of this nightmare was nothing more than a hidden contingency that Yang Kai had left behind years ago!
Mo Naye could not understand it no matter how hard he tried. If Yang Kai had possessed such a trump card, why hadn't he used it years ago? Why had he kept it hidden until now?
Regardless, this clash had ended in the Ink Clan's defeat. He had thought that with Yang Kai trapped inside the Cosmos Furnace, the man could no longer make any moves, and he himself could finally shed this heart demon. Yet here he was, still cast in the shadow of that man.
"Mo Naye," Xiao Xiao spoke from before the passage entrance, her expression indifferent. "We'll meet on the battlefield. Sooner or later, I'll take that dog's head off your shoulders!"
Wu Qing, standing beside her, vividly mimed drawing a finger across his throat, his face twisted in a fierce, threatening snarl.