The human army that had withdrawn was regrouping at a temporary encampment three days' journey from No Return Pass. After this great battle, the humans would not have the ability to assault No Return Pass again anytime soon.
Setting aside the fact that the wounded soldiers needed time to recover, the logistical situation was equally untenable.
A massive number of damaged warships required repairs, Evil-Breaking Divine Spears—those invaluable weapons against the
All of these demands required vast quantities of materials to sustain. Although there were now three million lower-three-tier martial artists extracting resources across the sprawling
By conservative estimates, the humans would lack the capital to launch another assault on No Return Pass for at least two to three years.
As for the Ink Clan, even though they had confirmed that the humans were camped only three days away, they didn't dare entertain any bold ideas. When the human army had been in full retreat, the Ink Clan could have pursued and harried them to expand the spoils of war. But now that the humans had settled into a stable encampment, provoking them further would not be a wise move.
Thus, even though the humans were glaring at them from a position not too far from No Return Pass, the two races managed to coexist peacefully for quite some time without any major clashes.
One month after the great battle, somewhere in the Domain of Emptiness, A-Da and A-Er sat facing each other with nothing to do, heads bowed as they gazed down at the void before them.
In their field of vision, a figure covered in dried blood lay in quiet slumber. The blood mist had long since dried and crusted over, rendering the clothes originally worn against the skin filthy beyond recognition.
Despite having nothing to support it, the figure maintained a posture of lying on its side, as though resting upon an invisible bed.
Compared to the towering forms of the Giant God Spirits, this figure was as tiny as an ant.
This figure was none other than
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have remained unconscious for this long. But with A-Da and A-Er guarding him here in the Domain of Emptiness, he felt a profound sense of security. Without any psychological burden, he had simply never woken up.
His state, however, had thoroughly worried the two Giant God Spirits.
After staring at the tiny figure for a long while, A-Da suddenly boomed in his deep voice: "Dead!"
Over the course of the month, he had uttered this declaration who knew how many times. Across from him, A-Er's head was about to split open from hearing it, and he patiently explained: "Not dead! He's asleep…"
A-Da's face lit up with sudden understanding: "Oh… He ate his fill."
He had always lived by the principle of eating until full, then sleeping, and waking up to eat again, and he assumed all living creatures under heaven should be the same. Since Yang Kai was asleep, he must have eaten his fill—otherwise, how could he possibly fall asleep?
This train of thought reminded A-Da of his own predicament, and he reached down to rub his belly: "Hungry…"
A-Er instinctively echoed: "Mm!"
The two Giant God Spirits exchanged a look of mutual despair, speechless with silent tears…
Just then, the slumbering Yang Kai's eyes slowly drifted open. He sat up gradually, his expression blank and drowsy. He froze for a good moment before yawning and stretching luxuriously, letting out a contented groan: "That felt wonderful!"
He hadn't slept this well in an incredibly long time. Ever since his strength had gradually increased, he had hardly needed normal sleep to maintain his energy. This time, taking advantage of his injuries, he had shed every external pressure and enjoyed a deep, carefree sleep. Now that he was awake, he felt his vitality surging like a dragon's, his entire body brimming with power—he almost wanted to charge back into No Return Pass right now and beat those two Ink-Colored Giant God Spirits into the ground…
A massive face suddenly filled his entire field of vision, accompanied by a voice like muffled thunder: "Are you… hungry?"
The void itself seemed to crack with thunder as a gale-force wind howled forth. Yang Kai nearly got blown away by the breath, which was practically a hurricane. He steadied himself and looked up at the enormous head, confirming it was bare and smooth—there was no mistaking A-Da.
He raised a hand and pushed it forward in a warding gesture, laughing helplessly: "Alright, alright, I know. Could you back up a little? The promise I made to you last time—I haven't forgotten!"
Twenty years ago, when he had withdrawn from the Domain of Emptiness, he had instructed A-Da and A-Er to guard the domain gate and hammer anyone from the other side who dared show their face. He had also left them with a promise—that the next time he came, he would bring them something delicious.
If you want a horse to run, you naturally have to feed it well. The two Giant God Spirits had done an excellent job all these years, and it was precisely because of their deterrence that the Ink Clan's own Ink-Colored Giant God Spirits hadn't dared to act rashly during the great battle a month ago. Yang Kai fully intended to honor the promise he had made to them.
As he spoke, Yang Kai flipped his hand over, and from seemingly nowhere, a round sphere appeared in his palm. He called out in a tone one might use to coax a small child: "Look—what's this?"