For the longest time, the Ink Race had sought to use the Four Gates Eight Palaces Sumeru Formation to deal with Yang Kai, but the formation was rather troublesome to set up and could not be deployed quickly. On several occasions, the Ink Race was still in the process of laying the formation when Yang Kai slipped away, causing all their efforts to come to nothing.
Unless Yang Kai remained in one place long enough for the Ink Race to deploy the formation at leisure, there was no chance. The time at the Holy Spirit Ancestral Ground was a case in point — that was the first time the Ink Race had employed the Four Gates Eight Palaces Sumeru Formation, using it to seal off the entire Ancestral Ground while a Pseudo Lord-Rank personally led a host of Innate Domain Lords to ambush him.
Had Yang Kai not been able to leverage the Ancestral Ground's natural advantages to fight back, and had the Pseudo Lord-Rank not been far too blind with arrogance, he would most likely have met a grim end.
Without a formation that locked down heaven and earth, there was simply no way to restrict Yang Kai's Space abilities — and if you couldn't restrict his Space abilities, don't even dream of killing him.
Before, when Yang Kai had been chatting casually with Mo Na Ye, several Pseudo Lord-Ranks had been secretly moving behind the scenes. Yang Kai had naturally noticed, but as it turned out, those covert Pseudo Lords were merely there to distract him. The real killing blow had been hidden behind them.
Only now did the Ink Race reveal its true hand. The entire Never-Return Pass and even a portion of the surrounding void had already been enveloped by an enormous formation, cutting it off from the outside world.
Compared to the previous Four Gates Eight Palaces Sumeru Formation, this one was far more covert and covered a much wider area. So without Yang Kai noticing in the slightest, the formation had already activated.
"I was careless!" Yang Kai sighed.
Mo Na Ye snorted coldly. "Your Human Race has a saying: 'Walk by the river often enough and your shoes are bound to get wet.' You, Yang Kai, have come to Never-Return Pass time and again — did you truly believe I'd have no defenses ready?"
"So you made your arrangements outside Never-Return Pass long ago, just waiting for me to step inside so you could complete your final measures and trap me here. I didn't expect that your Ink Race actually had someone with this kind of talent!"
Such refinement of a formation required no small degree of mastery in the art of formations. The Ink Race had no shortage of Ink Devotees, but those proficient in formation arts or artifact refinement were few and far between. In that regard, they were vastly inferior to the Human Race when it came to formation-setting and artifact crafting.
Still, so many years had passed. If those formation masters had devoted themselves to studying a particular formation, they would naturally have made some headway.
"It's too late to realize that now." Mo Na Ye raised his hand and pointed at Yang Kai like a spear. "Today, this place shall be your burial ground!"
Yang Kai glanced left and right, his expression dark. "Aren't you afraid that once the battle begins, all of the Lord-Rank Ink Nests at Never-Return Pass will be destroyed?"
This was the very foundation of the Ink Race — powerhouses gathered here in force. But precisely because of the Lord-Rank Ink Nests, it was equally a liability.
"That is precisely why I've only had three Pseudo Lord-Ranks come to assist," Mo Na Ye replied flatly.
Understanding dawned on Yang Kai's face. "So that's how it is."
Never-Return Pass had no small number of Pseudo Lord-Ranks, but only three had been kept by Mo Na Ye to join the fight, while the others were stationed at various locations, each responsible for guarding the Lord-Rank Ink Nests in their respective domains. In a head-on clash, not a single one of them could withstand Yang Kai — but merely blocking some residual shockwaves from the battle shouldn't pose too great a problem. With them holding the fort across the board, the Lord-Rank Ink Nests would most likely be spared.
"Of course, if the need arises…" A flash of resolve crossed Mo Na Ye's eyes. "More Pseudo Lord-Ranks can be brought in to deal with you. To put it simply — as long as you can be killed, paying some price is worth it!"
From that single sentence alone, one could see the depth of Mo Na Ye's determination to eliminate Yang Kai.
Words had been said. There was nothing left to discuss. The Ink Race had made every preparation, and Yang Kai had walked alone into this den of tigers and dragons.
He raised his hand slightly and summoned the Azure Dragon Spear, gripping the shaft. As the power of the Great Dao surged, the River of Time and Space coiled around the spear like a dragon.
Battle intent boiled. Killing intent overflowed. Yang Kai leveled the spear forward, his voice low and steady. "Then let us see together — how many of your powerhouses I can kill before I fall!"
"Strike!"
The instant that low command rang out, Mo Na Ye and the three Pseudo Lord-Ranks attacked simultaneously, lunging from the left and right. In the blink of an eye, they were upon Yang Kai.
The Azure Dragon Spear thrust forward repeatedly in that same instant, its shaft blazing with the power of the Great Dao. A single thrust alone sent a chill of cold sweat down the spines of all three Pseudo Lord-Ranks.
As they hurtled past each other, a ribbon of Ink Blood erupted from one Pseudo Lord's body. Yang Kai's momentum did not waver — the spear drove straight for Mo Na Ye's face.
Mo Na Ye barked a low shout. Dense Ink Power surged forth, coalescing into a barrier before him, but the spear pierced straight through it. In that critical instant, he slapped his palm against the spear shaft, finally managing to deflect it slightly at the last heartbeat and barely evade the devastating blow.
The spear tip grazed past his face. He threw his entire body at Yang Kai, but Yang Kai flicked the spear shaft and slapped it across his cheek. Overwhelming force sent him hurtling backward.
Yang Kai moved to pursue, but a powerful force lashed out from behind — the three Pseudo Lord-Ranks had joined forces to attack, forcing him to pull his spear back to defend. The battle erupted in full.
On the other side, after steadying himself, a flicker of doubt passed through Mo Na Ye's eyes.