The battle between the Giants was enough to get anyone's blood pumping, and Yang Kai had to suppress the urge to join in with considerable effort.
He still knew his own limits. Though he had advanced to the Ninth Rank and his individual might had already reached the zenith of martial cultivation, he was still likely no match when standing before behemoths like the Giants.
Rushing in would only end in humiliation.
Besides, if his guess was correct, the Returnless Pass should already have a stage set up for him to perform on!
So he decided not to interfere with the battle between these four Giants for the time being. He cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted, "A-Da, A-Er, you can do it!"
His voice, amplified by his power, rang out like a dragon's cry and spread in all directions.
A-Da, who was locked in combat with a powerful foe, couldn't help but glance toward the source of the voice—only to be caught off guard when his opponent's fist slammed square into his massive face, sending him stumbling.
A-Da flew into a rage. He steadied himself, bent down, and lunged like a tiger, wrapping his arms around his opponent's waist. Enduring a barrage of elbow strikes and knee blows, he slammed his foe to the ground, then straddled the ink-colored Giant and rained down fists like a downpour, each one crashing like thunder. The sight made Yang Kai's eyelid twitch.
Perhaps he shouldn't disturb them after all...
He retracted his aura and headed toward the Domain Gate leading to the Returnless Pass.
That Domain Gate was permanently garrisoned by Ink Race powerhouses—both to control the gate itself and to monitor the fights between Giants. The moment they heard Yang Kai's voice, their expressions turned grim, and they wheeled around and rushed through the Domain Gate back to the Returnless Pass.
Soon, the news of Yang Kai's appearance in the Empty Domain reached Monaye and Mo Yu. The two Ink Race King Lords exchanged a glance, both wearing grave expressions.
He actually came! Though he had grown from the Eighth Rank to the Ninth Rank, if he truly dared to appear through the Domain Gate this time, perhaps there would be an opportunity to bring him down.
The deployments against Yang Kai had long been arranged. Now, with a single order from Monaye, numerous Ink Race powerhouses sprang into action.
Crossing the Empty Domain, Yang Kai arrived at the Domain Gate leading to the Returnless Pass. He glanced up, didn't break stride, and stepped right through it.
The next instant, spatial laws swirled around him, a disorienting sensation of the world inverting washed over him, his vision blurred—and he found himself hovering above the Returnless Pass.
In that instant, dozens of powerful auras from every direction locked onto him, two of them standing out above the rest.
Yang Kai wore a faint smile as he looked around, carefully studying the two Ink Race King Lords—Mo Yu and Monaye. His feelings were complicated.
He had caused trouble at the Returnless Pass several times before, but each time he had been cautious and stealthy, doing his utmost to avoid detection. Yet now, he had the capital to operate freely and could openly walk through the Domain Gate to the Returnless Pass.
The Ink Race didn't strike at him immediately, because there was simply no point. The Domain Gate lay right behind Yang Kai, and he could flee to the Empty Domain at any moment. Even though the Ink Race had assembled numerous powerhouses, they lacked the confidence to take him down in an instant.
So according to the plan, Yang Kai's appearance was not the ideal moment to strike. Every Ink Race powerhouse was holding back, waiting...
The situation was a powder keg, the atmosphere razor-sharp and murderous.
Monaye's expression was extremely grave. Though the intelligence that had come in earlier had confirmed that the one appearing in the Wu Wu Domain and other major domains was indeed Yang Kai, he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, and a sliver of hope still lingered in his heart—perhaps the frontline reports were wrong. It wasn't until this moment, seeing Yang Kai's actual person, that those hopes burst like bubbles.
He really came back...
Having once narrowly escaped death at Yang Kai's hands, Monaye harbored a deeper wariness of him than anyone else.
"That all?" During the standoff, Yang Kai suddenly chuckled. He had expected to be swarmed by Ink Race powerhouses the instant he appeared, but he hadn't anticipated such restraint. Then again, he more or less understood why they held back—the Domain Gate was right behind him, and if they made a move, he could simply retreat at any time.
The contempt in that smile infuriated many of the Ink Race powerhouses, and a significant portion of the auras locked onto Yang Kai wavered with agitation.
Ever since the Ink Race invaded the Three Thousand Worlds, humanity had always been at a disadvantage. Never before had a human been so brazen in the very heart of the Ink Race's stronghold. It made them feel deeply insulted.
Monaye snorted coldly, "Yang Kai, you've got some nerve!"
Yang Kai looked him up and down as though seeing him for the first time and replied with a non sequitur, "You're lucky!"
Monaye's brow furrowed, then he quickly grasped what Yang Kai meant. Back when the Cosmos Furnace had closed, Monaye had been nearly certain he was going to die. His injuries hadn't healed yet, and if Yang Kai had returned to the origin point alongside him, he would have been no match—certainly beaten to death.
Being able to stand here alive and well was indeed thanks to luck. Though he had no idea what Yang Kai had gone through to take so many years to reappear, one way or another, he had survived with his life.
"Your luck isn't bad either!" Monaye replied flatly. He had studied Yang Kai's growth and discovered that this fellow was likely one of those humans blessed with extraordinary fortune—encountering countless opportunities along his path of cultivation. Otherwise, he could never have grown to where he stood today.