In the Domain of the Void, a great battle raged in full fury.
This had originally been the battlefield where four Giant Spirit Gods clashed against one another in pairs, and ordinary people could hardly have intervened in their brutal struggle.
Yet at this very moment, several figures were joining forces with A Da to besiege one ink-colored Giant Spirit God — and those figures were none other than the human Ninth-Ranks, led by Yang Kai.
Xiang Shan, Ouyang Lie, Wei Junyang, Luo Tinghe, Xiao Xiao, and even Wu Qing—who had previously been stationed guarding the shattered Heavenly Domain Gate—had all arrived.
The war across the Three Thousand Worlds was essentially drawing to a close. The human armies had broken into smaller units, using towns as bases to mop up the remnants of the Ink Clan forces. The reconquest of lost territory was just around the corner.
The foremost problem humanity would face next was none other than how to capture Returnless Pass.
And in order to capture Returnless Pass, the two ink-colored Giant Spirit Gods in the Domain of the Void had to be dealt with first. Accordingly, after Yang Kai handed over Pure Yang Pass and a great deal of supplies to Mi Jinglun at the General Headquarters, he immediately contacted several other Ninth-Ranks and hurried to the Domain of the Void to join the battle.
Every Giant Spirit God possessed heaven-shaking, earth-shattering power. In terms of combat strength alone, they were beings that surpassed both the Ninth-Rank and King Lord levels. To date, humanity had only accomplished one feat of slaying an ink-colored Giant Spirit God — and that was during the Ink Clan's massive assault on Returnless Pass.
Back then, the human side had been brimming with talent, powerhouses as numerous as clouds, with dozens of Ninth-Rank Ancestors, the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress, and numerous Sacred Spirits to aid them.
Even so, slaying that ink-colored Giant Spirit God had come at an enormous price — several Ninth-Rank Ancestors had fallen on the spot.
Though humanity's reserves were stronger now than they had been back then, the number of top-tier powerhouses was far fewer. As such, this operation was not aimed at slaying the ink-colored Giant Spirit God.
Yang Kai simply wanted to see for himself how strong an ink-colored Giant Spirit God truly was!
In the past, he had not been qualified to fight such a powerhouse. Now, at the Ninth-Rank realm, he finally had the capital to do so. As one of humanity's peak combat forces at present, it was necessary to face the gap between his own strength and that of his enemies head-on.
The power of the Grand Dao surged and rippled, the River of Space-Time coiled around them, and figures darted back and forth. Even with A Da restraining the ink-colored Giant Spirit God, the human Ninth-Ranks could not gain any real advantage.
The enemy's attacks were exceedingly simple — it had truly pushed the principle of overwhelming all tricks with sheer force to the extreme. It could endure the Ninth-Ranks' relentless barrage of attacks, yet every counterstrike it launched was something none of the Ninth-Ranks could afford to ignore.
Fortunately, all of them were seasoned veterans of countless battles, with extremely rich combat experience, which was why no serious injuries had occurred.
It was only now that the newly ascended Ninth-Ranks truly came to understand the pressure those Ancestors had faced back in the day. Right now, they still had A Da to help share the burden — but the Ancestors of old had enjoyed no such privilege. They had charged headlong at that colossal monstrosity with nothing but the resolve to give their lives for the cause, utterly fearless.
The power of ink exploded outward. Ouyang Lie, who had lunged forward, was sent flying backward. The arms he had raised to brace himself trembled uncontrollably, and threads of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Though he had been knocked back, he and the other Ninth-Ranks had managed to restrain the enemy for a brief moment.
Seizing this opportunity, Yang Kai activated the Sun and Moon Record. A blinding white light burst forth, coalescing into a blazing sun that descended upon the ink-colored Giant Spirit God.
The white light lasted for only an instant before being scattered by the dense power of ink, vanishing without a trace.
It dealt some damage to the ink-colored Giant Spirit God, but nothing that threatened its foundations.
Before the enemy could recover, Yang Kai took a single step forward and arrived directly above the ink-colored Giant Spirit God. The next moment, the Azure Dragon Spear came into his hands, the River of Space-Time coiling around the weapon, and with his head pointed downward and feet upward, Yang Kai spun like a top.
A dragon's roar shook the heavens. Man and spear became one, transforming into a brilliant pillar of light that slammed into the ink-colored Giant Spirit God's forehead. Where the spear struck, ink-colored blood sprayed into the air.
The River of Space-Time, where ten thousand Daos converged, had amplified the power of this thrust to its absolute limit. Had the ink-colored Giant Spirit God failed to react in time, this terrifying, unparalleled strike would have blown a hole clean through its skull. Stung by the pain, the colossal creature let out a furious roar and swung a palm toward its own head — as though swatting an annoying fly.
How could the Ninth-Ranks allow it to do as it pleased? Under the surging power of the Grand Dao, one dazzlingly precise secret technique after another shot forth, transforming into binding forces that lashed around its raised arm — yet to little effect. The massive hand still descended with unstoppable momentum.
At the critical moment, it was A Da who struck decisively. He surged forward, grabbed the ink-colored Giant Spirit God's raised arm, and locked it in place with all his might, allowing the enemy's other fist to rain down upon his body like a torrent of punches.
Boom, boom, boom...
Heaven and earth trembled, the void fractured. A Da's body shook violently under the assault, yet he refused to let go.
"ROAR!" The ink-colored Giant Spirit God bellowed in fury.
The other Giant Spirit God, seeing what was happening, could no longer care about its own opponent. It swiftly abandoned A Er and came hurtling over.
Though A Er tried to intercept it, he was far too late.