The reason Cang and the other ten ancient sages chose to erect the Grand Primordial Barrier here was primarily because this was the place where the first light and the primordial darkness of heaven and earth were born — the very origin of Ink.
Within the Grand Primordial Barrier, the true body of Ink had been sealed away. This was intelligence that the Human Race now universally knew.
But what conditions truly existed inside the Grand Primordial Barrier — no one knew. Even the intelligence held by Cang and the others was exceedingly sparse.
Of the ten ancient sages, only Mu had ever personally ventured deep into the interior of the Grand Primordial Barrier to investigate.
But upon her return, she chose to sacrifice herself, merging into the Barrier to strengthen its power. As for what she had encountered inside, what she had seen — she said nothing.
As for the mysteries within the Grand Primordial Barrier, the Human Race's powerhouses each had their own conjectures, and Yang Kai was no exception.
For the longest time, he had believed that this Barrier was Ink's cage — sealing away Ink's true body and its myriad creations, a place where endless evil and chaos gathered, the source of all calamity upon the myriad heavens.
But now it seemed the situation was far more complex than he had imagined.
Even with Yang Kai's vast knowledge and experience, learning this intelligence left him momentarily stunned.
"But knowing these things now is meaningless." Wu Kuang's weak voice once again echoed within Yang Kai's mind. "The Grand Primordial Barrier has been maintained for far too long. Over these past months, the Ink Race has been continuously attacking and damaging it. I'm afraid it won't be long before the Barrier can no longer hold."
He paused briefly, then spoke: "Yang Kai, if you wish to rescue the Purging Army, I can send you in and find an opportunity to bring them out. But to be honest, the chances aren't great. If you don't wish to... then run now. The moment the Barrier falls, that will be the day Ink fully awakens. When that time comes, there will be no more safe ground in the entire myriad heavens."
"That time hasn't come yet," Yang Kai replied softly. "And you said it yourself — if Ink truly awakens fully and there's no safe ground anywhere in the myriad heavens, where could we possibly flee?"
At this thought, he recalled his earlier plan.
If the Human Race truly could not prevail against the Ink Race, then the only option would be to gather all their strength and flee into the depths of the void, seeking another heaven and earth in which to survive.
The Universe Furnace was constantly creating new worlds — in this vast expanse, there was far more than just this single world they inhabited.
No matter how powerful Ink's strength, could it chase them to the very ends of heaven and earth?
But if they truly did that — to say nothing of how many could escape — those who abandoned their homeland would be wanderers for the rest of their lives. That was not what Yang Kai wished to see.
"Don't despair too much. The Human Race's army is on its way. Once it arrives, the Ink Race forces outside the Barrier can be dealt with," Yang Kai reassured him.
Wu Kuang's spirit immediately lifted: "The Human Race's second expedition?"
Yang Kai nodded. "Twenty years ago, we reclaimed the Three Thousand Worlds. Over half a year ago, we took the Gate of No Return. A month ago, we dealt with the Ink Race army that had escaped from the Grand Primordial Barrier. Right now, the Human Race's forces are recuperating and will arrive soon."
Wu Kuang couldn't help but feel dazed. "The Human Race's strength has already reached this level?"
When he saw Yang Kai arrive alone, he had assumed he was the only one, so he hadn't harbored any hope that Yang Kai could solve the trouble he now faced.
That was, after all, an army of tens of millions of the Ink Race. Though they had no King Lord commanding them, how could a single Yang Kai possibly kill them all?
"The Human Race's strength is greater than in any era before!" Yang Kai replied solemnly. Although there were only thirty-something Ninth-Grade Open Heaven cultivators, given time, the number of Ninth-Grade cultivators would surely surpass the Human Race's previous peak tenfold, even a hundredfold.
"Now that's truly exhilarating news." Wu Kuang's tone brightened with delight. He was about to say more when he suddenly exclaimed: "No good — there's trouble at the Purging Army's position. Let me handle it first."
As the voice faded, Yang Kai could no longer sense Wu Kuang's aura, clearly having gone to deal with the trouble at the Purging Army.
Yang Kai stood in place, concealing his form, watching the scene of the Ink Race army continuously assaulting the Grand Primordial Barrier at the breach, suppressing his urge to act.
He was alone right now. Even if he intervened, there was no way to deal with so many Ink Race soldiers — it would only expose his presence and put the Ink Race on alert.
For now, Wu Kuang needed to hold on a while longer. The Human Race's army would arrive soon, and then these Ink Race forces could be dealt with.
After a moment's thought, he took out a jade slip and imprinted all the intelligence he had gathered into it. He then produced an Empty Spirit Pearl, channeling its power to send it over to Li Wuyi.
This way, through Li Wuyi as an intermediary, the Human Race would quickly learn of the intelligence from this location. And with this information, Mi Jinglun would naturally make the appropriate arrangements.
A full incense stick's time passed before Yang Kai finally sensed Wu Kuang's aura again. He immediately asked: "How did it go?"
"For now it's safe, but it can't last long," Wu Kuang replied. "This is largely thanks to the massive number of Ink Race forces that have exited the Grand Primordial Barrier. Otherwise, the Purging Army would have faced far worse trouble."
Yang Kai nodded. "The Purging Army is in your hands then."
"When will the Human Race's army arrive?" Wu Kuang asked.
"They should have already set out. Within a month, they'll reach this place."
"Good!" Wu Kuang let out a complete sigh of relief.
Before Yang Kai had arrived, this place had been entirely a one-man battle for him. Not only did he have to protect the entire Purging Army, but he also had to split his attention to maintain the Grand Primordial Barrier. Several times he had nearly fallen into despair.
Finally, Yang Kai had arrived today. With just one more month, the Human Race's army would come, and the Ink Race forces outside the Barrier could be dealt with. Then he would have a much easier time of it.