Upon finding out the truth, Luan Bai Feng did not hesitate any more as she waved her hand and ordered, “Kill him!”
The Black Ink Disciples had been waiting for this moment. After receiving the order, they activated their Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques and launched them at Yang Kai.
Lights of different colours streamed towards Yang Kai. The magnificence would dazzle anyone’s eyes.
However, the magnificent view brought with it endless murderous intent.
Yang Kai was no ordinary Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; moreover, he was an expert in the Dao of Space with incredible mobility. Therefore, Luan Bai Feng wouldn’t let those Black Ink Disciples directly deal with him. In front of someone like Yang Kai, these Third-Order, Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Black Ink Disciples were no different from ants.
Having said that, enough ants could kill an elephant.
The Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities activated by thousands of people formed into a colossal torrent. Even a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would have to avoid it.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai didn’t seem to have the intention of dodging. With a solemn expression, he lowered his stance and activated his Wood Element Power, after which a gigantic tree with dense leaves appeared behind him.
The tree was so large that it seemed able to cover the entire sky. The umbrella-shaped tree crown turned into the most robust defence and protected Yang Kai within.
A rich vitality exuded from the ancient tree.
The Divine Manifestation, Towering Evergreen, had saved Yang Kai from countless dangerous situations before.
The Divine Manifestation was activated through his Wood Element Power which was derived from the Immortal Tree’s essence. Not only did it have incredible healing power, but it also had an unimaginably sturdy defence. This was the best defensive Secret Technique Yang Kai could use.
Yang Kai had always had an inkling about the Order of the Immortal Tree. Perhaps it was in the Ninth Order, or perhaps it even ranked above that; after all, this was the rarest and most precious treasure of the Wood Element, so it wouldn’t be surprising if it ranked beyond the Ninth Order. Though, this was only hypothetical as there was no established rank above the Ninth-Order
The Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques thrown by those Third-Order, Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters struck the huge tree crown and a green light undulated, sending out a layer of ripples.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai remained unharmed.
Luan Bai Feng gritted her teeth and glowered at Yang Kai. Since she never ordered them to stop, these Black Ink Disciples continued to blast their Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities at Yang Kai. They were going all out as they regarded the figure in front of them as their greatest nemesis and wanted nothing more than to destroy him.
Even though Yang Kai was able to fend off rounds of dense and continuous attacks for now, how long could he persevere?
Just a moment later, the gigantic tree started shrinking rapidly, and even the green glow grew dimmer.
One hour later, the colossal tree was reduced to the size of a normal tree and the hanging branches could only protect a small area around Yang Kai.
However, the Black Ink Disciple didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
A mocking smile spread across Luan Bai Feng’s face.
Yang Kai let out a sigh, knowing that he couldn’t persevere any longer. Even though Towering Evergreen was powerful, it couldn’t bear the incessant bombardment from thousands of Black Ink Disciples. The fact that it had lasted this long time was a testament to how astonishing it was.
The moment Luan Bai Feng curled up her lips, Yang Kai abruptly disappeared from the spot.
Her expression changed drastically and without hesitation, she took out several Array Plates.
She knew what Yang Kai wanted to do, so she was well prepared for this. As an expert in Dao of Spirit Arrays, she would dedicate time to creating a lot of Array Plates. A powerful Spirit Array was sealed within every Array Plate, and once these Spirit Arrays were activated, they could be used against her enemies at a moment’s notice.
In an instant, several Array Plates exploded. One Sealing Array and one Killing Array expanded in front of her while three Bewildering Arrays overlaid each other and engulfed her.
Booming sounds were heard coming from in front of her. The moment the Killing Array was formed, it was forcefully destroyed by Yang Kai. The Sealing Array also only managed to stop him for a breath before it was shattered.
However, Yang Kai stopped in his tracks all of a sudden.
There was a fog in front of him where countless illusions loomed, but Luan Bai Feng was nowhere to be seen.
Naturally, she was hiding within the Bewildering Arrays she had activated. Her voice sounded elusive as she sneered, “You want to catch me first? Dream on! I dare you to come in and give it a try!”
In an instant, Yang Kai’s left eye glowed with a golden light as the power of his Demon Eye of Annihilation manifested. Nonetheless, he was unable to see through the Bewildering Arrays.
The Spirit Arrays that Luan Bai Feng set up were powerful, and he knew little about Dao of Spirit Arrays, so he wouldn’t dare to rashly intrude.
There was no winner or loser after this brief exchange of moves; however, the Black Ink Disciples were unaffected as they changed directions and continued throwing their Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth and snorted, “You’d better not show up; otherwise, I’ll kill you!”
As he spoke, he was drowned in countless Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities.
Some of the Black Ink Disciples appeared elated, but Luan Bai Feng’s high-pitched voice reverberated in the next instant, “Be careful! This bastard won’t die so easily!”
As expected, Yang Kai abruptly appeared in another place on the battlefield. The illusory phantom of his Small Universe expanded and swallowed the Black Ink Disciples, who were facing away from him, like an Ominous Beast.
The illusory phantom and Yang Kai then disappeared.
In the meantime, more than 100 Black Ink Disciples had also vanished.
This turn of events attracted the attention of many Black Ink Disciples as they turned to look in that direction; however, Yang Kai had already moved to a different place.
Just like what happened earlier, his Small Universe expanded and contracted in the blink of an eye. All the Black Ink Disciples in that area were sucked into his Small Universe. These Third-Order, Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Black Ink Disciples were powerless to resist.
The entire battlefield was like a large biscuit that had been bitten by Yang Kai twice.
It was then followed by a third, then a fourth bite…
For every bite, at least 100 Black Ink Disciples that had gathered together would disappear.
Luan Bai Feng was livid. She had brought several thousand Black Ink Disciples to this place in order to kill Yang Kai and nip the crisis in the bud.
Nevertheless, it now seemed that she was too naive. The average Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wouldn’t be able to face off against so many Black Ink Disciples; however, Yang Kai was no ordinary Sixth-Order Master. Even if he was no match for them, he could always manipulate Space Principles and flee.
By observing his actions, Luan Bai Feng finally realised his intentions. It was apparent that he didn’t intend to flee, nor did he want to kill any of these Black Ink Disciples. His plan was to suppress them inside his Small Universe.
Luan Bai Feng knew what he was wary of, so she soon came up with an idea.
Her eyes went completely black and as the leader of these Black Ink Disciples, she sent an order to all of them.
The next instant, thousands of Black Ink Disciples charged towards the centre of the Black Prison. They initially intended to kill Yang Kai, but they all ignored him now. Even when he brushed past them, they didn’t even spare him a glance.
“Don’t even think about it!” Yang Kai roared and crashed into those Black Ink Disciples as his Small Universe swelled. Wherever he went, a large number of Black Ink Disciples would be sucked into his Small Universe.
Luan Bai Feng’s laughter could be heard coming from within the Arrays as she taunted, “Can you stop them all? We are all willing to sacrifice ourselves for Master!”
She no longer wanted to kill Yang Kai, for she and the Black Ink Disciples were incapable of doing that; however, the Black Ink Disciples could sacrifice themselves to nourish the sleeping Master. As long as their Master could regain his power, he would be able to awaken and free himself. By then, even the powerful cultivators from the Cave Heavens and Paradises would be doomed, let alone a mere Yang Kai.
This was her original plan anyway. She initially wanted to take it slow and spend decades completing this task so that she wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention. However, since the secret had been exposed, she had no choice but to carry it out sooner.
The Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises were already on their way to this place. If their Master couldn’t break free from the prison in time, these thousands of Black Ink Disciples wouldn’t be able to defend themselves. Rather than letting these Black Ink Disciples be killed by those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, Luan Bai Feng reckoned that they should sacrifice themselves for the Master.
No one could stop a person who was determined to die, not to mention that thousands of Open Heaven Realm Masters were adamant to sacrifice themselves.
Yang Kai shot through the crowd of Black Ink Disciples, and wherever he went, a large area would be cleared out as several hundred Black Ink Disciples would be kept inside his Small Universe.
Standing in front of the centre of the Black Prison, he was faced with Black Ink Disciples who were charging forward in his direction. All of them appeared pious as though they would soon be greeted with eternal life instead of death.
“Your actions are futile!” Luan Bai Feng sneered in an attempt to shatter Yang Kai’s confidence.
Ignoring her, Yang Kai stood there silently with a calm expression.
When the first batch of Black Ink Disciples arrived at a critical point, Yang Kai suddenly performed some hand seals and surged his power, “Activate!”
A dot of black light suddenly exploded and expanded into a black hole that seemed like it could swallow everything in existence.
The black hole was so huge that the surrounding space began sinking into it. The unsuspecting Black Ink Disciples were instantly sucked into it and disappeared.
Dozens of Black Ink Disciples were gone just like that.
Luan Bai Feng, who was hiding in her Arrays, had her expression changed when she saw that.
The Black Ink Disciples didn’t stop trying to kill themselves, so Yang Kai kept forming different hand seals as he darted about. As he kept these Black Ink Disciples inside his Small Universe and suppressed them, he activated the trick he had set up earlier.
More and more black holes exploded as they sucked these Black Ink Disciples into them.
An incense stick later, there still wasn’t a single Black Ink Disciple who had managed to cross the invisible boundary point. All of them were warded off by Yang Kai, so not even a tiny bit of nourishment had been provided to the Black Ink Clansman.
The Black Ink Disciples finally stopped in their tracks and stood there silently as they stared coldly at Yang Kai.
It was as though Luan Bai Feng was gaping at Yang Kai through these Black Ink Disciples.
She finally realised what Yang Kai had done as she spotted a larger number of Space Beacons floating about in the void.
“Where did you send them?” She asked.
Yang Kai put on a grin, “Since I can’t kill them, I can only send them far away.”
He had already pondered on this issue when he was setting up the trick. The Black Ink Disciples couldn’t be allowed to die anywhere near this place, for their deaths would turn into nutrients for the Black Ink Clansman. Hence, Yang Kai couldn’t kill and could only suppress or expel them.
Space Beacons were a useful tool that could connect two distant places, and upon Yang Kai’s activation, the Space Beacons’ power was magnified. The Black Ink Disciples sucked into the black holes were sent to a place that was billions of kilometres away.
Although the Black Ink Disciples could return, it would take them several days to do so. That was the only thing Yang Kai could do in this situation.
The silent Black Ink Disciples suddenly dispersed and blindly charged forward again.
More Space Beacons exploded and turned into black holes as they drew those Black Ink Disciples into them; however, the trick was no longer as effective.
Yang Kai kept darting around as he forcefully transferred more Black Ink Disciples inside his Small Universe and suppressed them.
However, his stamina was not infinite. Although he had made prior arrangements and fully exerted himself in the moment, he still couldn’t stop all these Black Ink Disciples from killing themselves. Eventually, one Black Ink Disciple broke through the blockade and crashed into the periphery of the Grand Array where the Black Ink Clansman was imprisoned.
The Grand Array’s power erupted and turned the Black Ink Disciple into dust. His Small Universe collapsed, and his World Force dissipated.
Although Yang Kai had previously seen batches of Black Ink Disciples killing themselves, he hadn’t originally understood their intentions. It wasn’t until he heard Luan Bai Feng’s explanation that he found out the reason.
As he observed the situation more carefully, he realised that the World Force which leaked from the dead Black Ink Disciple was drawn to the centre of the Black Prison by a mysterious force.
There was no doubt that the sleeping Black Ink Clansman was absorbing that World Force.
A second Black Ink Disciple soon crashed into the Grand Array.
More and more Black Ink Disciples broke through the blockade and sacrificed themselves to the Black Ink Clansman.
All the Space Beacons were used up by now, and Yang Kai had become noticeably sluggish and was no longer as agile before.
Luan Bai Feng, who had been hiding in her Spirit Arrays, finally appeared. Gazing at Yang Kai, she guffawed, “How much longer can you persevere?”
She could see the problem that Yang Kai was facing, so she was no longer afraid that he would harm her.
There was no way he would kill her here; otherwise, it would be akin to providing nourishment to the Black Ink Clansman. On the other hand, he was unable to put her inside his Small Universe as she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. He could only keep Open Heaven Realm Masters that were below the Sixth Order inside his Small Universe.
Furthermore, his Small Universe must have reached its limit.
So far, Yang Kai had sucked around 2,000 Black Ink Disciples into this Small Universe, which was about half of the total number of Black Ink Disciples here.
There was a limit to his Small Universe’s capacity, unfortunately, and for every Black Ink Disciple he swallowed, the capacity would be reduced by a little. It was impossible for him to keep infinitely imprisoning these Black Ink Disciples in his Small Universe.
In fact, it was already inconceivable that he had managed to gobble up 2,000 Black Ink Disciples.
With such a large number of Black Ink Disciples inside his Small Universe, it was expected that it would be hard for Yang Kai to mobilize his strength, not to mention that he had to divert a large part of his energy to suppress these Black Ink Disciples so that they wouldn’t be able to harm him from the inside.
It was because of these hidden dangers that High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters wouldn’t keep other Open Heaven Realm Masters inside their Small Universes despite being able to do so. They wouldn’t do this unless it was absolutely necessary.
First of all, it would affect their abilities to use their powers by keeping other Open Heaven Realm Masters inside their Small Universes.
Secondly, if some ill-intentioned people made a move inside their Small Universes, they would be faced with great danger.
Now, Yang Kai had reached his limit.
The fact that the Black Ink Disciples were able to brush past him and his sluggishness were the best proof.
A sense of hesitation flashed through Luan Bai Feng’s eyes as she pondered on whether she should seize this chance and kill Yang Kai. Now, he was unable to fully activate his power. Perhaps he could only use half of his strength, so this was a great opportunity.
Nevertheless, she soon gave up on that tempting idea.
Although killing Yang Kai was important, she had to help her Master restore his power as soon as possible. As long as the Master could awaken, Yang Kai would no longer pose any threat to them.
As the leader of these Black Ink Disciples, Luan Bai Feng activated her Divine Sense and prompted all the others to madly charge forward. They were no longer bothered by Yang Kai’s presence.
Yang Kai let out a sigh and performed a hand seal with one hand. The next moment, the power of a Divine Spirit swirled around him.
Luan Bai Feng’s chest tightened as she suddenly had a bad feeling.
“Dragon Transformation!”
As soon as Yang Kai growled, a Dragon Roar was heard reverberating across the void. A huge Golden Dragon Head appeared behind him and a rich Dragon Pressure materialised and engulfed the surrounding space. Without stopping, the Dragon Head plunged into his body and disappeared.
The next instant, a series of cracking sounds were heard coming from Yang Kai’s body and soon a colossal creature came into the Black Ink Disciples’ sight.
It was a Golden Grand Dragon!
The Dragon was covered in thick scales and there were two intimidating Dragon Horns on his forehead. His Dragon Claws could be seen flickering with cold light, and the beard under his chin could be seen flapping in the non-existent wind. His huge eyes were like two Suns that dazzled everyone’s eyes.
Yang Kai’s 20,000-metre figure hovered in the void, as though marking a boundary between life and death.
Luan Bai Feng narrowed her eyes.
She knew that Yang Kai had a Dragon Clan bloodline, and a very pure one at that. Additionally, she had seen him using his Dragon Transformation before.
However, that happened several hundred years ago and after using his Secret Technique, he only transformed into a 3,000-metre Half-Dragon.
Several hundred years had passed, and now a 20,000 metres Grand Dragon stood before her.
A horrifying Dragon Pressure seemed to have materialised as all the Black Ink Disciples were stunned in place. As the leader of all Divine Spirits, the Dragon Clan’s presence was naturally intimidating to all other living creatures. This wouldn’t change even though they had turned into Black Ink Disciples.
Nonetheless, Luan Bai Feng soon came to her senses.
Yang Kai’s power had been affected because he had swallowed too many Black Ink Disciples, so he had no choice but to transform into a Grand Dragon in an attempt to deal with so many Black Ink Disciples head-on.
It was actually good news for them.
“Ignore him! Our lives are all for the glory of our Master!” Luan Bai Feng bellowed.
The Black Ink Disciples shot forward again. Even though a 20,000 metres creature was colossal, it was still tiny when compared to the expansive void.
Like the rising tide coming into contact with a rock, these Black Ink Disciples dispersed right in front of the Grand Dragon.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t let them succeed. As the distance between them shortened, he lifted his Dragon Head and the next moment, a deafening Dragon Roar reverberated out.
This Dragon Roar was actually a chant in the abstruse Dragon Language, one of the Secret Techniques unique to the Dragon Clan.
All these Black Ink Disciples seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall as they were forced to stop in their tracks. The weaker ones directly passed out upon impact while the stronger ones saw blood streaming out of their ears and noses as they staggered in the void.
In the blink of an eye, several hundred of the remaining Black Ink Disciples had passed out.
Luan Bai Feng’s expression instantly turned livid.
The Dragon Roar still hadn’t stopped yet, so the still-conscious Black Ink Disciples hurriedly activated their powers to resist its influence.
A moment later, the Dragon Roar gradually died down and the conscious Black Ink Disciples once again charged forward without hesitation.
This time, they scattered even further away from each other.
A sense of helplessness flashed through the Grand Dragon’s eyes. Yang Kai had already done his best, but he still couldn’t stop these Black Ink Disciples from sacrificing themselves.
He could only continue trying to stop them and let the Heavens decide their fate.
As Space Principles undulated, he used Near Distant Horizon and caused the void to contort.
After these Black Ink Disciples were engulfed in Near Distant Horizon, they were unable to move forward at all even though they were seemingly charging ahead.
The Grand Dragon dashed forward as he swung his Dragon Tail and wielded his Dragon Claws. Even the Dragon Horns on his forehead had turned into weapons as he knocked these Black Ink Disciples unconscious.
Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to kill them, as any dead Black Ink Disciple would help to restore the Black Ink Clansman’s power.
Even though a lot of Black Ink Disciples had passed out, more of them had broken through his blockade and crashed into the Grand Array.
After one or two days of intense battle, more than 1,000 Black Ink Disciples had been knocked out by Yang Kai while several hundred people had brushed past him and gotten themselves killed.
This made Yang Kai feel helpless.
Now, he was faced with an even more difficult situation.
The Black Ink Disciples that were transferred away by his Space Beacons should be returning soon, which would mean at least 1,000 more enemies to deal with.
The Black Ink Disciples had become familiar with the way Yang Kai fought, so he was no longer able to stop so many of them on his own.
Realizing this as well, Luan Bai Feng flashed a victorious smile at him.
Yang Kai had no idea what would happen if so many people managed to move past him. Perhaps the sleeping Black Ink Clansman would get enough nourishment and awaken from his slumber.
In front of the centre of the Black Prison, a Grand Dragon was silently hovering in the void. His own body was the last barrier. In a place that wasn’t far away from him, Luan Bai Feng was humming a song as she was apparently in a good mood.
Besides the two of them, the unconscious Black Ink Disciples scattered around the void.
Luan Bai Feng attempted to persuade him by saying, “You’re incredible enough to have achieved all this on your own, Yang Kai. Give up now. It’s still not too late to submit to Master.”
The Grand Dragon shook his head, “I’ll never side with you.”
“What side do you think you are on? What are you looking for in life? Whatever it is you desire, Master can give it to you.”
“He can’t.”
“He definitely can,” Luan Bai Feng spoke in a gentle voice as though she was coaxing a child.
“I think you’re sick of living!”
“Oh, you’re right.” Luan Bai Feng covered her lips and giggled, “Even I’d like to perish now; but, do you have the guts to kill me?”
As she spoke, she suddenly turned her head to look in a particular direction from which a ray of light was seen rapidly approaching them.
She put on a smile, “Look, my companions are back while you’re on your last legs. How are you going to fend them off this time?”
Yang Kai fell silent as he looked solemnly at the first ray of light that was coming from the distance.
There seemed to be even more rays of light behind it.
Luan Bai Feng’s smile became brighter, “The Black Ink Clan will eventually rule over the entire universe. Stop being so obstinate, Yang Kai!”
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly turned awkward as he questioned, “Are you sure about that?”
Luan Bai Feng’s face changed abruptly as she turned to look behind her. A distant stream of light was rapidly approaching, far surpassing the capabilities of a Third, Fourth, or Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivator. She actually felt the pressure of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master coming from that direction.
It wasn’t one of her fellow comrades, it was naturally a Master from one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises!
It had been two or three months since Luo Ting He and the others had left. Two or three months may not be enough time to reach the Star Boundary and inform the foreign envoys of the major Cave Heavens and Paradises about the Black Ink Clan; however, it was definitely enough time for Luo Ting He to get support from the nearest Paradise!
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was approaching them extremely fast. He, who was just a point of light a moment before, was close enough that his figure was now visible. A loud and clear voice resounded throughout the void as he closed in on Luan Bai Feng, “Golden Antelope Paradise’s Liu Mu has come! Which brats are causing trouble here!?”
As soon as those words sounded, Luan Bai Feng dove back into the Bewildering Array, which was just behind her, and disappeared.
This Bewildering Array was set up by Luan Bai Feng before in order to avoid Yang Kai’s attack. Although she ended up coming out of it, the Bewildering Array was still present, undamaged.
The Eighth-Order Master from Golden Antelope Paradise, who called himself Liu Mu, rushed in headlong, making both Luan Bai Feng, who knew she was facing a very strong enemy, and Yang Kai, who was filled with anticipation, stunned.
But before the two could react, the Bewildering Array suddenly swelled up as a violent energy fluctuation erupted from within. In less than a breath, the Spirit Array shattered and Six Wood Divine Monarch reappeared.
He turned his head to look at the place where the Spirit Array tried to trap him, and snickered while reaching out to flick the non-existent dust off of his clothes, “Heh heh, you dare try to show off your meagre skills before an expert?”
Luan Bai Feng finally regained her senses. Her body swayed while she tried to escape; however, Liu Mu, who had noticed her already, was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. How could he let her escape right under his nose?
With a single grasp of his hand, a powerful force surged out, directly confining Luan Bai Feng’s body in place.
Pitch-black Black Ink Strength gushed out from Luan Bai Feng’s tender body, and at the same time, extremely unstable power fluctuations tumbled out from her body.
Yang Kai hurriedly shouted, “Senior, watch out, she’s trying to self-destruct!”
An Open Heaven Realm Master could self-destruct quite easily, without practicing or using any sort of Secret Techniques. All they needed to do was shatter their own Small Universe and their World Force would explode out.
Liu Mu obviously noticed this as well. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Luan Bai Feng and flicked her forehead with his finger.
His flick, which seemed to contain no force whatsoever, caused Luan Bai Feng’s head to fiercely jerk backwards. The World Force in her Small Universe was instantly disrupted, leaving no chance for her to kill herself.
A golden rope artifact suddenly flew out from Liu Mu’s hand, wrapping itself around Luan Bai Feng, as though it was a snake and she was a dumpling.
Only then did Liu Mu smile proudly, “There is no chance for you to kill yourself in front of this Monarch!”
Liu Mu observed Luan Bai Feng, especially paying close attention to the Black Ink Strength that was emanating from her body, before nodding lightly, “She really is a Black Ink Disciple!”
He turned his head to look at Yang Kai. The 20,000 metres long Grand Dragon made him slightly lost in thought. Although Liu Mu was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Cultivator, this was the first time that he had seen a Grand Dragon close-up. He then asked warmly, “You are that Yang Kai, right?”
Yang Kai reverted back to his Human Form before cupping his fist, “Yang Kai greets Senior Liu Mu.”
Liu Mu had already announced his identity when he arrived, probably because he wanted Yang Kai to realize that reinforcements had arrived. Yang Kai naturally knew about Golden Antelope Paradise. In fact, although he had not been to this Paradise and did not have any friends from it, Golden Antelope Paradise was actually the first Paradise he had heard of.
After the war between the Star Boundary and Demon Realm was settled, Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi broke free from the shackles of the Universe World and ventured out into the Outer Universe.
Zhang Ruo Xi gave him a lot of information about the Outer Universe back then, including information about Golden Antelope Paradise which was quite famous and popular amongst cultivators.
There was a Sealed World in Golden Antelope Paradise which was filled with Metal Element materials, and this Sealed World was open to the general public. If one paid a certain amount of Open Heaven Pills as a fee, they could enter to search for materials.
If one was lucky, they could find the Metal Element materials they needed, or even make a tidy profit.
Zhang Ruo Xi had said at the time that, if Yang Kai wanted to find a Metal Element material in the future, he could try the Sealed World in Golden Antelope Paradise. Yang Kai, in fact, did want to do so before he advanced to the Open Heaven Realm. He lacked a high Order Metal Element material at that time, but the Blood Monster Cave Heaven fulfilled his needs, so he longer had any reason to visit Golden Antelope Paradise.
Golden Antelope Paradise was the closest to the Black Territory, so Luo Ting He’s first stop was Golden Antelope Paradise, which was why support from this Paradise arrived the fastest.
“Young and talented indeed. Your reputation is well deserved!” Liu Mu praised before quickly coming to the point, “Enough of the small talk, what’s the situation?”
Luo Ting He had gone to Golden Antelope Paradise to pass on information and ask for support, but she didn’t know any details. Moreover, before she left, Black Territory remained calm, and the Black Ink Disciples were all acting in the shadows, but it was apparent that today, Black Territory had suddenly changed.
Yang Kai hurriedly explained, “As Senior can see, behind me is the heart of the Black Prison, which is where the Black Ink Clansman is imprisoned. The Black Ink Disciples know that their identities have been exposed, so they wanted to break through Junior’s blockade and provide the Black Ink Clansman with the power to restore himself by sacrificing themselves.”
Liu Mu raised his brow at Yang Kai’s words, “And so? You just knocked them out and didn’t dare to kill them?”
“Yes, but there are still quite a lot of Black Ink Disciples who are rushing over.” Yang Kai replied honestly, “There should be more than 1,000 Black Ink Disciples heading this way!”
Liu Mu nodded, “I ran into them on the way and killed many of them.” As he spoke, he looked around and frowned, “This place is truly odd, the power of the Small Universe in this Monarch’s body is constantly being drained, I’m afraid I cannot remain here for long. So, what do you need me to do?”
The strange force spawned by the Super Array that enveloped Black Territory was meant to prevent people from being able to reach the imprisoned Black Ink Clansman. Yang Kai relied on the World Spring to remain safe, while the Black Ink Disciples relied on the Black Ink Strength for protection.
Even though Liu Mu was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he couldn’t resist the influence of the Super Array; however, he could last a little longer than most.
“I would like to request Senior take these Black Ink Disciples away from here.” Yang Kai gestured behind him.
Liu Mu nodded, “That is fine.”
“Senior, could you also ask your subordinates to show mercy and not take their lives?” Yang Kai cupped his fist and pleaded.
Liu Mu frowned, “Why?”
He originally planned to take these Black Ink Disciples far enough before killing them; after all, Black Ink Disciples were not easy to deal with. If they self-destructed, the Black Ink Strength in their bodies would escape, and all it would lead to was a pile of trouble. It was better to just kill them.
What’s more was that, there was no chance to restore a cultivator that was eroded by the Black Ink Strength. Lang Ya Paradise lost several Open Heaven Realm Masters, and even one of their Vice-Sect Masters last time.
“They weren’t converted to Black Ink Disciples by choice, and are victims too. If possible, this Junior would like to save their lives!”
Liu Mu’s eyes lit up at his words, “Do you have a way to dispel the Black Ink Strength and restore their sanity?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Currently, I can’t do anything about it, but I believe there are those who can.”
Liu Mu didn’t ask any more questions and just nodded lightly, “In that case, let’s leave them alive for the time being. It would really not have been easy to take care of this many Black Ink Disciples, fortunately, this Monarch has brought a lot of people over.”
The large streams of light that trailed behind Liu Mu were all Masters from Golden Antelope Paradise. This time, the cultivators dispatched were all in the Sixth or Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Those under the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm were not even allowed to come here, and yet the total number of people exceeded 300.
This was an extremely large and terrifying lineup.
Liu Mu was faster than the rest, so he was the first to arrive, and while the two were speaking, many Masters from Golden Antelope Paradise were finally arriving.
Every one of them was frowning though, pushing their power to resist the effects of the Super Array, but there was nothing they were able to do to stop the steady drain of their Small Universe.
“Ancestor!” The crowd cupped their hands.
Liu Mu ordered, “Brats, do you see those unconscious Black Ink Disciples? Take all of them away after sealing their bodies and Small Universes.”
A Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Cultivator hesitated and asked, “Not kill them?”
They also encountered quite a few Black Ink Disciples on their way here, but they just killed them all, so they could not help but feel that their Ancestor’s order sounded a little strange.
“Fighting and killing all day long, how highly improper for you to think like that!” Liu Mu reprimanded relentlessly, “If I tell you to take them away, take them away, why spout so much nonsense? Hurry up and move without making a fuss, you can complain later! It is not suitable for us to stay in this place for long!”
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who was reprimanded, was also very old, but he didn’t dare to have the slightest trace of grievance in front of Liu Mu. This Ancestor of theirs was known for his temper, so it was best to not refute his orders.
The Masters of Golden Antelope Paradise quickly gathered the unconscious Black Ink Disciples in one place before exerting their powers to seal their strength.
Liu Mu said in a somewhat worried manner, “Yang Boy, what about you?”
Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and replied, “I still need to stand guard here, in case any Black Ink Disciple comes seeking death again.”
Liu Mu frowned, “It’s going to be hard on you, so be careful. If anything goes wrong, leave this place immediately.”
Behind Yang Kai was the place where the Black Ink Clansman was imprisoned. No one knew what condition this being was in right now, or whether they would manage to break out or not, so staying here was undoubtedly very dangerous.
“This Junior understands.” Yang Kai nodded seriously, “Also, can Senior seal the exit of Black Territory, so that no Black Ink Disciples can escape?”
Liu Mu replied, “In regards to that, you can rest assured. When this Monarch came in, he ordered some people to stay at the Territory Gate and seal it off. Right now, no outsiders are allowed to enter this place, and no one will be able to leave.”
“There are also still many Black Ink Disciples that were moved elsewhere by me, and they should be rushing this way at this very moment…”
Not waiting for him to finish his words, Liu Mu added, “You can rest assured about that too. My Golden Antelope Paradise will make sure none of them can pass through.”
“There are still people mining materials on many of the Ore Stars in Black Territory right now. This Junior requests Senior to bring all those who are unaware about the current situation to one place and not let the Black Ink Disciples have the opportunity to convert more people to their side.”
“Good, leave everything to this Monarch!” Liu Mu nodded his head in agreement.
Golden Antelope Paradise’s many Masters came just in time. If they had come a few days later, Yang Kai would not have been able to stop the Black Ink Disciples who were rushing back.
This lineup consisting of hundreds of Sixth and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters was nothing short of luxurious, and it allowed Yang Kai to let out a sigh of relief.
It was only now, after the situation was somewhat in control, that Yang Kai felt exhaustion catching up with him.
In fact, the fight this time with the Black Ink Disciples wasn’t too intense, and was by no means the most dangerous fight he had ever gotten into, but it was definitely the one in which he had the most difficulty exerting his full strength.
Due to the nearly 2,000 Black Ink Disciples he had suppressed and sealed, Yang Kai’s Small Universe was almost at its limit, which greatly affected the circulation of his World Force, not to mention the need to divert focus and strength to keep the Black Ink Disciples in his Small Universe under control. Due to all these restrictions, Yang Kai could not exert much of his strength.
What’s more was that Yang Kai didn’t want to, nor dared to kill the Black Ink Disciples willfully near the heart of the Black Prison, no matter how uncomfortable his helplessness made him feel.
The arrival of Golden Antelope Paradise’s Masters was a timely rain of fortune, pulling him out of his vortex of hardships.
Yang Kai used the time he gained to recuperate. Although Six Wood Divine Monarch, Liu Mu, guaranteed that he would not let any of the Black Ink Disciples pass through, it was never a mistake to be cautious.
As time trickled by slowly, Yang Kai probed his Small Universe while recuperating.
A vast area inside his Small Universe was filled with Black Ink Disciples that had been suppressed and then sealed. All of them were like statues, motionless. Xu Yi stood in the air with a rather pale face, with an expression of bewilderment.
His Honoured Master had ordered him to stand guard here, but he did not expect the situation to develop in this way.
At first, Xu Yi thought all he needed to guard was an unusually small old man and a powerful Monster Beast, but then, one by one, people who were obviously placed under a restriction suddenly appeared in front of him.
1 became 100, 100 became 1,000, and eventually, the numbers reached nearly 2,000.
Xu Yi could not tell how high these people’s cultivation was, but he knew that each and every one of them was an existence that the Masters on the Void Continent could not even dream to compete with. Emperor Realm Masters would be as weak as ants in front of them.
Fortunately, although these people seemed to be powerful, they were obviously unable to move. While Xu Yi was extremely shocked, he also felt immensely proud of his Honoured Master’s strength.
What kind of battlefield was the Honoured Master currently on, for him to have to capture so many Masters at once?
Right when he was at a loss of what to do, a figure suddenly appeared beside him. Xu Yi shifted his gaze towards the figure, and shook violently before hurriedly saluting, “Honoured Master!”
Yang Kai glanced at the Black Ink Disciples below him to make sure there was nothing unusual about them before nodding lightly.
Yang Kai manifested himself within his Small Universe World using his Divine Sense. The residents of the Void Continent couldn’t detect the difference between it and a real body.
“Honoured Master, are they all… enemies?” Xu Yi could not hold back his doubts and asked.
“Sort of,” Yang Kai replied.
“Then why capture them, instead of just killing them?” Xu Yi asked again.
“Because they are not willingly opposing me, and instead are just under the compulsion of a mysterious force, I didn’t kill them.” Yang Kai frowned and added, “Sometimes, killing is not the only way to solve a problem.”
Xu Yi nodded, “Disciple understands.”
Yang Kai was quite satisfied with all three of his disciples, but each of them had their own strengths and weaknesses.
Zhao Ye Bai was simple and honest, but lacked aptitude, Zhao Ya had extraordinary aptitude, but her killing intent was too wild. In comparison to the Eldest Disciple and the Second Disciple, Xu Yi, the Third Disciple, had the most malleable character.
“How is your cultivation going nowadays?” Yang Kai asked in reply.
Xu Yi answered, “Not bad. Disciple has been suppressing his realm recently.”
This was all in accordance with Yang Kai’s instructions. One must not have too high of a cultivation in order to reap the benefits of the Star Boundary World Tree, and Zhao Ya had also worked hard to suppress her cultivation for a long time back then. Now, it was Xu Yi’s turn to do so.
Yang Kai had originally planned to return to the Star Boundary after the Yin-Yang Cave Heaven incident, and place Xu Yi in High Heaven Pavilion to cultivate with his other two Disciples, but he had not been able to do so, so far, due to the delay.
“Continue to suppress your cultivation. After I’m finished with my current task, I will take you to meet your Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister.”
Xu Yi was a little apprehensive, but also felt a little excited, “Yes!”
Xu Yi was very curious about his Eldest Senior Brother and his Second Senior Sister, both of whom he had never met before. He was an orphan and had no family, so his Honoured Master was basically his only relative right now. However, he had also suddenly gained an Eldest Senior Brother and a Second Senior Sister, a possibility which he greatly cherished in his heart.
“Continue to monitor the situation here, and notify me if there are any problems,” After Yang Kai commanded so, his figure dissipated.
Outside, in the centre of the Black Prison, there were no signs of any Black Ink Disciples approaching, which made Yang Kai guess that they had all been taken down by Golden Antelope Paradise.
However, Yang Kai did not dare to leave easily, for right now, he was the last line of defence here. Once he left, if a Black Ink Disciple managed to reach here, they would be able to provide the imprisoned Black Ink Clansman with nourishment to help him awaken and escape.
Liu Mu occasionally stopped by to tell Yang Kai about the current situation in Black Territory.
The Black Ink Disciple were indeed taken down one by one, but during this process, many Black Ink Disciple noticed that the situation was not right and simply killed themselves directly. Right now, there were a lot of Black Ink Strength floating about in Black Territory’s void, which were the only things that remained after the death of the Black Ink Disciples.
This Black Ink Strength was extremely dangerous to any Open Heaven Realm Master. After all, once they got contaminated, the consequences would be unpredictable.
So, Liu Mu had the residues marked down, before using Spirit Arrays to suppress and seal the Black Ink Strength.
The numerous Open Heaven Realm Masters mining the Ore Stars were all recalled and placed in batches on a Spirit Province.
None of them would be set free until it was determined whether they had been corrupted by the Black Ink Strength and transformed into Black Ink Disciples, or not.
Although this move caused many complaints, they could only endure it even if they were dissatisfied since it was Golden Antelope Paradise that was acting.
Even right now, the miners did not know what had happened in Black Territory, nor did Golden Antelope Paradise dare to leak any information about the Black Ink Clan or the Black Ink Strength to the general public.
To not leak information such as this to the public was a principle the Cave Heavens and Paradises had adhered to since long ago.
Gradually, more Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises rushed to Black Territory, each group consisting of at least 100 Masters led by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor.
The Cave Heavens and Paradises had been tracking down the Black Ink Clansman for hundreds of years now, but had found no traces of him. Thus, when they got this news, that the Black Ink Clan was actually hiding in Black Territory, the major Cave Heavens and Paradises were extremely shocked.
Until now, they had been searching for the enemy in the Shattered Heaven, without any results whatsoever.
Now that the Black Ink Clansman’s hiding place had been identified, the Cave Heavens and Paradises naturally wanted to get rid of him immediately, to prevent something like the tragedy of Lang Ya Paradise from happening again.
In less than three months, about 10 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, 100 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and as many as 1,000 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had gathered in Black Territory!
This was only the combined power of around seven or eight Cave Heavens and Paradises, not even mentioning that these few Cave Heavens and Paradises were also only the ones who rushed over immediately after being alerted by Luo Ting He.
There were still many more Cave Heavens and Paradises yet to arrive.
Luo Ting He also returned. Worried about Yang Kai’s safety, she rushed back to Black Territory after hurriedly alerting several nearby Cave Heavens and Paradises.
Yang Kai was thus finally liberated from his duties.
After Yang Kai met with the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and fully explained the situation in Black Territory to them, many of these Ancestors also realized the seriousness of the problem.
This Black Prison was obviously a cage fashioned by an ancient Great Expert, but it had remained unknown until today. The major Cave Heavens and Paradises’ ancient books would definitely have some records related to this matter if this was their handiwork; therefore, the Black Ink Clansman was definitely imprisoned here before the birth of the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
The Super Array had slightly decreased in power over the aeons, but this did not hinder its ability to imprison the Black Ink Clansman.
With the Super Array in place, even Eight-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had no way to reach the centre of the Black Prison, and Luan Bai Feng could only let the subordinate ore slaves mine the Ore Stars on the outer periphery.
This action was essentially harmless.
Even if they continued to do this for another 10,000 years, the Super Array would not have weakened in any noticeable manner.
However, everything changed when Yang Kai set his sight on the materials produced in Black Territory and refined the Void Yin Yang Mirrors, moving some 30-plus Ore Stars from the Black Territory’s Inner Region out at once.
The destruction of these Ore Stars caused the flawless Super Array to loosen a bit, allowing the Black Ink Clansman to take advantage of the situation.
Luan Bai Feng, who oversaw this whole process, was converted into a Black Ink Disciple and soon spread the word, attracting more people to come to mine materials while stealthily converting them into Black Ink Disciples.
Steadily, more Ore Stars were mined and destroyed, further weakening the power of the Super Array.
If it wasn’t for Yang Kai’s sudden arrival, it would really have just been a matter of time before the Black Ink Clansman was able to escape.
The good news was that the situation was not yet beyond saving.
The Super Array was still powerful enough, and the Black Ink Clansman was still imprisoned and would not be able to escape for some time, but the question of how to deal with this matter caused a headache for many of the Eighth-Order Ancestors.
No one really knew how strong the Black Ink Clansman here was, but just by looking at the methods the ancient Great Experts had to resort to, one could infer the terror of this Black Ink Clansman at his peak.
The Black Ink Clansman was probably not something they could compete against. Both the old man surnamed Yu and Luan Bai Feng had said that before Black Ink, all were ants.
They had demonstrated unwavering confidence in their Master.
The opinions of the close to 10 Ancestors were thus divided. Some wanted to improve the Super Array, repair the damaged areas, and let it continue to suppress and seal the Black Ink Clansman.
Others felt that it would be better to cut weeds and pull-out roots, arguing that leaving the Black Ink Clansman here would be the same as raising a tiger that would cause a calamity one day.
Each side had its own reasoning, and they argued noisily for a while. These Ancestors, who were all so high and mighty in the eyes of their disciples, were now acting like hawkers in a food market, with no manners to speak of whatsoever as they shouted their own opinions left and right.
Among them, Six Wood Divine Monarch was the loudest, roaring, ‘This Old Master will go over and kill that Black Ink Clansman right now, no one will be able to stop me!’ and so on….
After a long time of bickering with no conclusion, Liu Mu suddenly turned his head towards Yang Kai and asked, “Yang Boy, what do you think?”
Many of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters immediately looked over at him.
Because Yang Kai was deeply involved in the Black Territory matter, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters also called him over to the meeting this time. Yang Kai thought that he only needed to answer some questions from the Ancestors and resolve some of their doubts, so he never expected Liu Mu would throw such a tough issue to him.
Yang Kai did not want to comment on this matter, but since things had come to this point, he had no choice but to express his views, “Junior has been thinking about an issue. The ancient Great Experts had the means to arrange a Super Array spanning an entire Great Territory to suppress and seal this Black Ink Clansman, so their methods should be unparalleled. So, why did they only imprison the Black Ink Clansman and not simply kill him?”
This question struck a chord within many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestors, who hadn’t thought about it before.
Six Wood Divine Monarch pondered about it for a while before suggesting, “Perhaps the ancient Great Experts thought it would be better to leave it imprisoned?”
Yang Kai shook his head and mentioned an additional matter, “Seniors must have heard about what happened to this Junior in the Divine Spirits’ Ancestral Land.”
Yang Kai had once recounted the events that had happened to him in the Ancestral Land in front of all the foreign envoys of the major Cave Heavens and Paradises, including Yu Xiang Die.
Yang Kai believed that these foreign envoys would definitely have reported this to their respective Sects; after all, this was a matter that involved the Black Ink Clan, the Divine Spirits, and even the Giant Spirit Gods!
Just as he expected, all the Eight-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestors nodded lightly.
Yang Kai continued, “This Junior has a Dragon Vein, so I had the privilege of inheriting the Dragon Clan’s Crystal Palace in the Ancestral Land. With the power of the Crystal Palace, Junior was able to witness a Great War in ancient times. In that war, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was like an invincible warrior that had descended from the Heavens, and even the Divine Spirits were not his opponents. In the end, even the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress of the time had to use the Sacred Treasures of each of the various Divine Spirit clans, sacrifice half of the Ancestral Land, and even give their very lives just to shackle the Giant Spirit God, effectively suppressing and sealing it in place.”
“I think the Divine Spirits would have preferred to kill the Black Ink Giant Spirit God if the circumstances had allowed them to do so, rather than incur such an immense price to simply seal him, but they couldn’t.”
“And in fact, the actions of the Dragon Emperor and the Phoenix Empress as well as that of the Divine Spirits was correct. Even after countless aeons, the seal had remained and the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was killed. Even the Black Ink Strength in his body has been thoroughly eroded by the Ancestral Strength, eliminating any potential problems.”
“What’s your point?” An Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor asked.
Yang Kai replied, “Junior’s point is that the situation in Black Territory should be similar to what happened in Ancestral Land. Perhaps the ancient Great Experts who imprisoned the Black Ink Clansman here were not able to kill him, but that is inconceivable as well, considering that the ancient Great Experts were powerful enough to set up this Super Array as a cage. If they were capable of that, they should have been able to easily kill a lone Black Ink Clansman.”
“The reason they did this, I think, should coincide with that of the Divine Spirits’. They were trying their best to prevent future troubles!”
A ruddy-looking Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor exclaimed, “You mean, if they had killed the Black Ink Clansman trapped here, it would lead to some unpredictable consequences, something like the Black Ink Strength left behind after their death?”
Yang Kai nodded, “This Junior is merely speculating, but the Black Ink Strength is sinister and dangerous. Even the Black Ink Strength left behind after the death of a lowly Black Ink Disciple is highly corrosive, not to mention the Black Ink Strength that would be left behind after the death of someone from the real Black Ink Clan, which may be what the ancient Great Experts were afraid of.”
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestors glanced at each other and nodded lightly.
“So, you’d prefer to suppress and seal it again?” Liu Mu looked at Yang Kai somewhat angrily. He was one of the main advocates of the killing faction, and the fact that Yang Kai disagreed with him made him a little bit unhappy.
Yang Kai shook his head and said, “Junior’s words were merely frivolous remarks, and it is up to the Seniors to decide about the Black Ink Clan’s matter.”
Luo Ting He spoke out, “Let’s wait until everyone has arrived and then discuss this matter together so we can reach a resolution. No matter how much we quarrel here right now, it won’t help.”
Although she was just a newly promoted Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, all the Ancestors present knew that she had the potential to break through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future, so they did not dare to take her lightly.
The matter of how to deal with the Black Ink Clan was thus put on hold until all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestors of the Cave Heavens and Paradises had arrived; however, the matter of what to do with the over 2,000 Black Ink Disciples in Black Territory that were still alive was an urgent matter that needed to be dealt with immediately.
Luan Bai Feng had rapidly corrupted some 5,000 or so Black Ink Disciples, out of which Yang Kai had suppressed and sealed nearly 2,000 inside his Small Universe, nearly 1,000 had died, and about 2,000 were captured by Golden Antelope Paradise’s Masters and imprisoned in an abandoned Spirit Province.
This was also another matter that caused a headache for the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestors, so right now, they were all looking towards Yang Kai, since Liu Mu asked “Yang Boy, you had said before that you believed there was someone who could save them, yes? Who could possess such ability?”
Black Ink Strength was extremely persistent, and it was simply not possible to dispel. Liu Mu had personally tried his hand before, and even with his strength, he couldn’t do anything about the remnant Black Ink Strength floating in the void in the slightest.
He obviously pondered about it, but he didn’t know who Yang Kai was talking about.
Although the people from the Cave Heavens and Paradises acted a little domineeringly, they were not willing to kill innocent people easily, not to mention that there were nearly 2,000 Black Ink Disciples imprisoned in the abandoned Spirit Province.
Yang Kai hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth, “The Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer!”
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestors collectively drew a sharp breath. No matter how hard they were to think, they would never have guessed that the ones Yang Kai was talking about were actually those two.
Six Wood Divine Monarch blinked and said tentatively, “I heard that you followed a Giant Spirit God into the Chaotic Dead Territory before?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded. This matter was not a secret, so these top brass of the Cave Heavens and Paradises should have gotten the news about it.
“Those two are avatars of destruction. They’re basically ill-omens.” An Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor’s face was grave, “But if there’s anyone in the world who can dispel the Black Ink Strength, it’s probably them.”
No one knew how strong the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer really were, but none of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestors sitting here dared to enter the depths of the Chaotic Dead Territory for they knew their lives would be at serious risk even if they just walked around its periphery.
“Not probably, but definitely.” Yang Kai said solemnly, “Seniors must have obviously heard about the incident where this Junior had taken the Black Ink Strength left behind after the death of Lang Ya Paradise’s Shi Zheng into his own Small Universe to suppress it. This Junior even used it to trick Lang Ya Paradise’s Black Ink Disciples into thinking I was one of them.”
Liu Mu nodded and said, “I have heard of it. Kid, your luck is indeed astounding. You even managed to obtain such a precious treasure like the World Spring.”
Liu Mu had a look of envy. If only he had one of the Four Universe Pillars, he would not have to be afraid of the Black Ink Strength anymore.
Yang Kai smiled at him and continued, “In the Chaotic Dead Territory, Seniors Burning Light and Serene Glimmer discovered the Black Ink Strength in this Junior’s Small Universe and took action to dispel it.”
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestors all raised their brows at those words.
The Ancestor who spoke earlier asked, “Are you sure you can convince those two to help again?”
“I’ll try my best!” Yang Kai couldn’t guarantee anything, but the lives of thousands of Open Heaven Realm Masters were at stake, so he had to at least make an attempt.
“Good!” The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor nodded, “Then this matter will be left in your hands. If you need any assistance, feel free to ask.”
Yang Kai did not stand on ceremony, “This Junior needs a ship that can carry around four to 5,000 people.”
“Anything else?”
Yang Kai shook his head and said, “Nothing else.”
Liu Mu took over, “A simple matter. I will immediately have someone transport a great ship over.” Golden Antelope Paradise was the closest to their current location, and any ship that could carry 5,000 people would be an extremely large-scale artifact that had to be mobilized from within the Sect.
As such, the issue regarding the Black Ink Disciples was settled for now.
Yang Kai, Luo Ting He and Liu Mu went to the abandoned Spirit Province where the Black Ink Disciples were imprisoned. All of the Black Ink Disciples had traces of being confined with various Secret Techniques locking their bodies. The Secret Techniques used had transformed into shackles that suppressed and sealed all the strength in the Black Ink Disciples’ bodies, making them unable to even kill themselves.
Yang Kai noticed Luan Bai Feng’s angry glare which was directed at him, but ignored it.
The High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, who was guarding this place, hurriedly stepped forward to salute when he saw the two Ancestors arrive. There was not only one High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master guarding this place of course, but several dozen of them, surrounding the entire abandoned Spirit Province.
Liu Mu waved his hand, indicating that this man should return to his duties, before looking towards Yang Kai.
“Are you both ready?” Yang Kai asked.
Both Liu Mu and Luo Ting He nodded their heads together.
“Then, let’s begin.” As his words ended, the illusory phantom of Yang Kai’s Small Universe expanded abruptly behind him, and the entire universe manifested with a loud bang.
The Small Universe expanded to include both Liu Mu and Luo Ting He, and the trio appeared in the very place where the many Black Ink Disciples were imprisoned.
Liu Mu was immediately stunned, “So many?”
Yang Kai had previously said that he had also suppressed and sealed some Black Ink Disciples in his Small Universe, and wanted both him and Luo Ting He to help transfer them out, but Liu Mu had originally thought that there would be a few dozen or hundreds of them at most. But at a glance, he could make out that there were thousands of Black Ink Disciples here.
Only then did he understand why Yang Kai wanted a great ship that could carry around some 5,000 people.
Luo Ting He was also amazed, “You still had the energy to fight with others after sealing so many Black Ink Disciples inside your Small Universe?”
Ignoring the fact that Yang Kai was just a trivial Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, even for her or Liu Mu, who were in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, it would be difficult to move about freely after sealing 2,000 Open Heaven Realm Cultivators inside their Small Universes, let alone fight.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, was lively and vigorous, seemingly like he was unaffected.
Yang Kai explained casually, “Junior is carrying a World Spring, due to which his Small Universe is extremely stable. Perhaps it has something to do with that.”
Liu Mu nodded his head in realization, “That’s true. The World Spring is really amazing.”
Yang Kai beckoned to Xu Yi, who had been guarding the Black Ink Disciples here, and pointed at him before saying, “This is my Third Disciple, Xu Yi. Xu Yi, greet these two Seniors.”
Xu Yi hurriedly saluted.
Liu Mu glanced at Xu Yi with some interest, but didn’t spare him much time. What kind of geniuses hasn’t an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him seen? Xu Yi didn’t deserve his attention.
On the contrary, it was Luo Ting He who showed some interest, “Since this is your Third Disciple, does that mean you also have a First Disciple and a Second Disciple?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Those two are in the Star Boundary. Senior will naturally see them when she arrives there.”
Xu Yi’s heart was shaken. What kind of existences were these two, that even his Honoured Master had to address them as ‘Senior’? His expression became more and more respectful.
Luo Ting He nodded. She was definitely going to go to the Star Boundary. She had not had time to consolidate her cultivation since she advanced to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm with all the events going on around her. Now that there were people from the major Cave Heavens and Paradises present in Black Territory though, it would make little difference even if she were to be absent, so she planned to leave for the Star Boundary in a few days.
“Both of you, please!” Yang Kai cupped his fist.
It was not a problem for Yang Kai to suppress these 2,000 Black Ink Disciples in his Small Universe, but if he wanted to transfer them out, he’d have to seal their powers first.
It would be too slow for Yang Kai to handle this kind of task on his own, which was why he asked Liu Mu and Luo Ting He to help.
Liu Mu and Luo Ting He nodded their heads and got to work.
Hand Seals quickly changed as a series of Secret Techniques flew out one after another. As the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters personally took action, the Black Ink Disciples, most of whom were just in Third or Fourth Order, were completely powerless to resist.
The Secret Techniques struck every one of the Black Ink Disciples, sealing the strength in their bodies. Even their Small Universes had been thoroughly sealed.
In this condition, not to mention using the Small Universe’s strength, even lifting a finger was a mere dream.
This was the only way to ensure that the Black Ink Disciples would not try to self-destruct.
While Liu Mu and Luo Ting He were busying themselves, Yang Kai also had his hands full.
He quickly shifted every one of the imprisoned Black Ink Disciples, whose Small Universes were sealed, throwing them onto the abandoned Spirit Province outside.
The trio tirelessly worked for half a day before they were done dealing with the 2,000 Black Ink Disciples.
Yang Kai let out a heavy sigh. He finally felt a sense of relief, as if a heavy burden was lifted off his shoulders.
He then looked toward Luan Bai Feng, hesitated for a moment, before deciding not to go over.
Now that Luan Bai Feng was corrupted by the Black Ink Strength, she had lost her sanity and her heart was not the same as before. The Black Ink Disciples regarded the Black Ink Clan above all else. It was useless to try to talk to her.
After a dozen days or so, more Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises arrived at Black Territory, arriving in a nearly endless stream.
Two months later, Masters from almost all the various Cave Heavens and Paradises had gathered. Each Cave Heaven and Paradise team was led by at least one Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor, followed by an endless stream of Seventh and Sixth-Order Masters.
Currently, an unimaginable force had gathered in Black Territory, with the number of Eight-Order Masters alone having crossed the 100 mark.
This was the accumulation of millennia of the Cave Heavens and Paradises’ heritage. Generally, these top forces remained reserved, concealing their strength from the public eyes, but if something big were to happen, they would instantly display their fangs.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. He could not help but wonder when Void Land and High Heaven Palace would be like this, when they would stand toe to toe with these top forces.
The Eighth-Order Ancestors guarded the central region of the Black Prison in shifts, constantly monitoring the movements of the imprisoned Black Ink Clansman. However, even an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was unable to remain there for too long due to the influence of the Super Array enveloping the Black Prison. A day or two was the longest they could linger before having to retreat.
The thousands of Black Ink Disciples imprisoned on the abandoned Spirit Province were also an object of their interest. The Black Ink Strength scattered throughout Black Territory because of the last battle had also attracted many people’s investigation.
Matters related to the Black Ink Clan were not a secret to the top Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, but knowing and seeing were two different matters, so they were naturally curious.
The Black Ink Strength’s peculiarity and the Black Ink Disciples’ stubbornness deeply shocked them.
Yang Kai’s brilliant performance in this incident had also piqued the interest of many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
As the Lord of Void Land and a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, Yang Kai wasn’t an unknown figure, so most of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had at least heard of him.
However, that didn’t mean many of them had seen him before.
This time, they finally got to meet him in person. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yang Kai got acquainted with many Seventh and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Yang Kai also took this opportunity to pedal his Profound Yin Bamboo.
As one of the Twelve Minor Universe Pillars, the value of the Profound Yin Bamboo was naturally well known. Furthermore, with the appearance of the Black Ink Clan, the Profound Yin Bamboo became even more important.
Although it couldn’t make its owner immune to the Black Ink Strength like the World Spring, it still offered quite a bit of resistance to Black Ink Strength’s corrosion, allowing the Small Universe to remain more stable.
When Yang Kai had negotiated with many foreign envoys about the right to use the Good Fortune Divine Furnace in the past, he had added the Profound Yin Bamboo onto the negotiation table, owing to which the High Heaven Palace would provide each Cave Heaven and Paradise with some Profound Yin Bamboo…
However, there were simply too few of them to go around.
Compared to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters of the various Cave Heavens and Paradises, the Profound Yin Bamboo provided by High Heaven Palace was simply insufficient.
Now that they had met Yang Kai though, the Lord of Void Land, in Black Territory, the High-Rank Open Heaven Masters naturally wanted to target him.
Be that as it may, how could Yang Kai give away the Profound Yin Bamboo for free with his money-grubbing personality?
In Lang Ya Paradise, he even forcefully sold his healing pills to those he beat up, let alone a real treasure like one of the Twelve Minor Universe Pillars.
From the standpoint of a Sect Master, Yang Kai was just doing his best to accumulate resources.
The amount of Profound Yin Bamboo he had cultivated in his Small Universe was not small, but as he was about to advance to the Seventh Order, he did not focus his time and attention on cultivating them as the growth of the Profound Yin Bamboo would be at the expense of his own foundation.
After much probing and bargaining, Yang Kai and the many High-Rank Open Heaven Masters finally reached a price satisfactory to all parties.
Profound Yin Bamboo were then sold one after another.
Regardless, a single shoot of the Profound Yin Bamboo would not be of much use. The owner would first need to consume their own foundation to cultivate the Profound Yin Bamboo and then transform it into a large bamboo forest. The bigger the bamboo forest, the stronger the effects of the Profound Yin Bamboo.
This definitely required time and effort, but as the High-Rank Open Heaven Masters had extremely long lifespans, they really didn’t care about this.
Over the past few months, the miners in Black Territory had dug up quite a lot of materials from the various Ore Stars, so much so that Luan Bai Feng even brought Yang Kai to check them out some time ago.
After returning, Yang Kai also put all of them into his Small Universe.
By the time Yang Kai had sold most of the Profound Yin Bamboos, the Golden Antelope Paradise ship had arrived.
All the Black Ink Disciples were loaded onto the ship and 30 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from different Cave Heavens and Paradises were stationed aboard it for security. After settling everything, Yang Kai led the ship out of Black Territory.
These Black Ink Disciples were of paramount importance; furthermore, the Cave Heaven and Paradises didn’t want any mishaps along the way. If an accident occurred and these Black Ink Disciples were able to escape somehow, the vast universe would instantly fall into chaos, so the Ancestors had taken precautions.
The lineup of 30 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters was quite grand; enough to deal with any unexpected situation.
The ship was extremely large, but its speed was also quite surprising for its size. Soon, it left Black Territory and sailed towards the Chaotic Dead Territory.
At some point, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master suddenly shouted, prompting the scattered High-Rank Open Heaven Masters to immediately gather around.
Yang Kai too instantly appeared at the source of the voice, asking, “What is it?”
“Someone’s chasing after us.” The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who had issued the warning, raised his hand, pointing toward the rear.
Yang Kai looked over and found that a streak of light was indeed rapidly approaching the ship from the rear. Judging by its speed, it was obviously not something an ordinary Open Heaven Realm Master would possess.
Everyone’s expressions couldn’t help but turn solemn. No one knew who was chasing after them or what their purpose was.
“Be on guard!” Yang Kai exhorted in a low voice. On this trip to the Chaotic Dead Territory, his cultivation might have been the lowest, but he was the one in charge. Thus, the 30 High-Rank Masters circulated their strength and prepared for battle.
A moment later, Yang Kai gawked at the figure approaching them, speechless.
The one chasing them was none other than Six Wood Divine Monarch, Li Mu, of Golden Antelope Paradise! Everyone wondered what he was doing here.
Liu Mu directly landed on the stern of the ship. When he looked around and saw the Seventh-Order Masters staring at him vigilantly, he instantly became dissatisfied, “What the Hell are you looking at, you brats?”
The Seventh-Order Masters looked at each other, not knowing what to say, but all of them knew that this Golden Antelope Paradise Ancestor had a fiery temper. His words might be harsh, he didn’t have any malicious intent.
Yang Kai quickly asked, “Senior, what brings you here? Do you have any instructions for us?”
Liu Mu stiffly replied, “Nothing of the sort, I just wanted to come with you to blow off some steam.”
Yang Kai’s face twitched as he asked, “Blow off some steam?”
Liu Mu heaved a sigh, “It’s because I can’t win an argument with those old farts. It’s too frustrating, so I’d rather not bother. I said I wanted to slaughter the Black Ink Clansman as soon as possible to avoid future troubles, but they just want to take their sweet time to deliberate on it. What’s there to deliberate? By the time they come to a decision, it will already be too late.”
“Uh…” Yang Kai was speechless for a moment. He already had no say in the matters of the Black Ink Clansman. The matter rested at the hands of Cave Heavens and Paradises; it was up for them to decide. Liu Mu could freely vent his anger, but he could not.
Liu Mu, on the other hand, suddenly threw this matter to the back of his mind and excitedly asked, “Yang Boy, have you personally seen the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer?”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded his affirmation.
“What do they look like? Are they really tall and fierce?” Liu Mu asked curiously.
This time, even the thirty Seventh-Order Masters became interested and perked up their ears.
Everyone knew about the existence of the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer, and all had heard countless rumors about them, but none of them had been fortunate enough to witness their true appearances.
Those who had seen them were all dead.
Yang Kai thought about the image of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan and felt that it had nothing to do with their height or strength. Both of them were much more like children who needed to be coaxed.
Playing house with them in the Chaotic Dead Territory was definitely the greatest shame in his life…
“I guess you can say that,” Looking at the look of reverence on Liu Mu’s face though, Yang Kai felt that it was best not to break his fantasy.
Liu Mu rushed over and sheepishly requested, “Yang Boy, can you… introduce this Monarch to them when we arrive at the Chaotic Dead Territory? This Monarch wants to admire their noble bearing.”
Yang Kai promptly stated without giving it another thought, “I’ll try my best. Senior, you also know that people like them really don’t have a good temper. Whether we can meet them, and whether they will help us, I’m also not sure.”
Liu Mu solemnly nodded his understanding, “I understand, just do your best. Even if you can’t, it’s just because my luck isn’t that good, I won’t hold it against you.”
Yang Kai curiously asked, “Why does Senior want to meet those two?”
Liu Mu leisurely replied, “It’s the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer. Who doesn’t want to meet them? Don’t you want to see them?”
His last sentence was meant for the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Everyone earnestly nodded again and again. Some of them even wore a flattering look as they looked at Yang Kai, probably requesting him to introduce them too.
Liu Mu added, grinning, “When this Monarch returns alive after meeting those, I can rub it in the faces of those old farts.”
He kept calling them old farts, but he forgot that in the eyes of others, he was probably one of them too.
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The huge ship sailed for three months before finally arriving at the outskirts of the Chaotic Dead Territory.
An Eighth-Order Ancestor, the one Yang Kai had met before, was still stationed outside the Territory Gate. Although the current Chaotic Dead Territory was much less dangerous because of Yang Kai’s previous visit and it could even be said that there was no longer any danger at all, when it came to the almighty Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer, none dared to lower their vigilance.
The Territory Gate was guarded by many High-Rank Open Heaven Masters at all times, just in case.
“Senior Da Yi!” Yang Kai jumped down from the ship and respectfully greeted the Eighth-Order Ancestor.
The last time he met this Eighth-Order Master, Yang Kai had no idea how to address him, so he didn’t ask any questions; however, when he was in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, Yu Xiang Die told him that this person was an Eighth-Order Ancestor of Great Battle Cave Heaven, Clear Horizon Divine Monarch, Da Yi.
Clear Horizon Divine Monarch slightly nodded before looking behind him with a puzzled expression and calling out, “Liu Mu?”
They might have different backgrounds, but as Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, they naturally knew each other; after all, each of the Cave Heavens and Paradises had only so many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. After having lived for so many years, everyone was basically familiar with each other.
Six Wood Divine Monarch stepped forward and respectfully cupped his fist, “Senior Brother Da Yi!”
Da Yi furrowed his brow, “What happened?”
He had already sensed the auras of many living people on the ship with his powerful Divine Sense, but he could not understand why Yang Kai and Liu Mu had brought these people here.
Furthermore, the presence of 30 High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters on the ship also made him very concerned.
For the mobilization of such a huge force, several Cave Heavens and Paradises would have had to come together. He faintly felt that something big must have happened.
“Senior Brother Da Yi, it’s better if you see for yourself,” Liu Mu stretched out, gesturing him an invitation.
Clear Horizon Divine Monarch pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Upon boarding the ship, he was beside himself in shock when he saw thousands of imprisoned Black Ink Disciples. Not to mention the fact that there were still some obvious traces left behind even if the Black Ink Disciples had been sealed by a Secret Technique.
For example, Fan Xiu Qi, who had advanced from the Fifth Order to the Sixth Order. He might have broken his Open Heaven Realm Order limit, but it also left a great deal of hidden danger in his body. Not only had his body dramatically expanded, but many lumps and black cysts had also appeared on his body, making him look extremely gruesome.
Liu Mu and Yang Kai accompanied Da Yi as the latter studied the Black Ink Disciples’ situation, briefly explaining what had happened in Black Territory.
Da Yi was surprised when he heard everything, “The Black Ink Clansman is actually hiding in Black Territory?”
Liu Mu corrected him, “Not hiding, but imprisoned. Right now, those old ghosts are discussing how to deal with him.”
“Then these Black Ink Disciples…”
Liu Mu glanced at Yang Kai before explaining, “Yang Boy said that the two inside had the ability to purge the Black Ink Strength, striking at the root of the problem, so we brought these Black Ink Disciples here.”
Da Yi naturally knew who ‘the two’ he was referring to. He had followed Yang Kai inside and had personally seen them after all.
“Are you confident?” Da Yi looked at Yang Kai.
“I’ll try my best!” Yang Kai didn’t dare give a definite answer. Although he had gotten along quite well with Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, he had no idea what was going on in their minds.
Da Yi slightly nodded his acknowledgement, “I’ll accompany you.”
As an Eighth-Order Ancestor guarding the Territory Gate, it was his duty to monitor every single movement related to the Chaotic Dead Territory.
After a simple arrangement, the others remained to guard the Territory Gate while Da Yi followed the ship into the Chaotic Dead Territory.
Liu Mu and the 30 High-Rank Masters immediately became a little nervous as the ship entered the Chaotic Dead Territory.
They had all heard of the Chaotic Dead Territory and knew how dangerous it was, but when they personally laid their eyes on it, they were totally confused. Much to their surprise, the Chaotic Dead Territory was completely calm and serene, without the slightest hint of danger.
This was very different from the rumours.
Each of their Sects had an Ancestor who was once stationed at this place. Even as the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestors, they could only enter the periphery of the Chaotic Dead Territory for a short time to investigate the situation and could not venture in too deep, otherwise their lives would be forfeit.
Rumour had it that the Chaotic Dead Territory was filled with the fallout of the Sun’s Burning Light and the Moon’s Serene Glimmer clashes. Every time they fought, it would bring about unimaginable destruction.
Seemingly noticing everyone’s curiosity, Da Yi explained, “The Chaotic Dead Territory used to be extremely dangerous, but ever since Yang Kai came here, this place has calmed down significantly.”
Hearing this, Liu Mu asked in surprise, “What did you do to turn their hostility into friendship?”
Yang Kai didn’t know how he should explain. The only reply he could give was, “You will know when you meet them.”
Liu Mu nodded before he took a deep breath and straightened his back, trying his best to put on a dignified air.
Apart from a large Spirit Province that seemed to be pieced together, there was nothing else inside the Chaotic Dead Territory.
This Spirit Province was created by Yang Kai and Da Yi together, using an abandoned Universe World from the adjacent Great Territory.
A glimmering ball of light that looked like a sun was hanging high above the Spirit Province, illuminating its surface.
The light seemed extremely gentle, but when Liu Mu used his Divine Sense to examine it, he suddenly let out a muffled groan as he stumbled and started bleeding from his mouth and nose.
“Ancestor!” Everyone was shocked.
Liu Mu immediately waved off, “I’m fine! Don’t try to probe that thing.”
Just now, when his Divine Sense came into contact with the light, he instantly felt a destructive force envelop him. It was so overwhelming that even an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Master like him was unable to resist it and was instantly injured.
If even someone as strong as him could get this injured, how could the other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, who were also curious about this light, dare to rashly investigate? The few people who were about to probe it secretly rejoiced.
Fortunately, the injuries to Liu Mu’s Divine Sense weren’t too serious. Also, he knew that nothing in this Chaotic Dead Territory could be underestimated, so when he was investigating the ball of light, he had done so cautiously. These little injuries weren’t that big of a deal.
Be that as it may, the fact that he had suffered a loss even before meeting the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer made him realize just how powerful these two beings were.
The ship flew towards the Spirit Province and soon came to a stop in the void. Everyone looked down from the deck and was immediately stunned.
The cause of their shock was the sight of countless small stone-like men charging at each other like a tide on the plains of the Spirit Province.
These Small Stone Man didn’t seem to have high intelligence and were simply letting out strange cries as they rushed forward.
However, their numbers were overwhelming; there were at least hundreds of thousands of soldiers on each side.
Everyone looked on in amazement because even with their vast experience, they had never seen a race like this. They could not determine which race they belonged to.
What was even more surprising was the fact that such a large group of living creatures were actually surviving in the Chaotic Dead Territory where the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer existed.
However, what happened next left everyone confused.
The two armies formed by the Small Stone Man, after colliding with each other, actually began to fight. Each of these Small Stone Ants was holding weapons of varying shapes and sizes in their hands. They were trying their best to hack their enemies into pieces, for which they were willing to use even their hands and teeth if they had to.
The two armies moved as swiftly as the wind. By the looks of it, they were well-trained and were clearly directed by some brilliant commanders.
While the two armies were engaged in a fierce battle, more squads emerged from the sides, flanking and intercepting their respective enemies.
“What’s going on?” Liu Mu was completely confused. These Small Stone Men might be living creatures, but obviously, they were not that strong. He could destroy them all by himself, but what he saw in front of him really confused him.
“They are the Small Stone Race. They are very similar to ants in their behaviour. They are a race I discovered in the New Great Territory,” Yang Kai explained.
“New Great Territory!” Liu Mu’s brow rose as he recalled the New Great Territory that had appeared beside the Star Boundary. The New Great Territory was occupied by Yang Kai as soon as it appeared, so there was nothing the Cave Heavens and Paradises could do about it. They knew nothing about the New Great Territory, but now he knew that Yang Kai had actually discovered a new race inside.
“Seniors shouldn’t look down on the Small Stone Race.” Yang Kai smiled lightly, “Their intelligence might not be high and they might not be able to cultivate, but if we keep them inside our Small Universes, they are highly beneficial.”
Liu Mu immediately became interested, “What are the advantages?”
“They reproduce extremely quickly as long as enough resources are provided, and each one of them provides ten times the benefit of other living creatures to the Small Universe’s foundation.”
Everyone was stunned for a moment before they all gasped in shock. Even Da Yi looked at Yang Kai in surprise, clearly seeking confirmation.
Yang Kai affirmed, nodding, “This Junior’s Small Universe has many Small Stone Race members as well as many Humans, so the comparison is quite obvious.”
The look in Six Wood Divine Monarch’s eyes suddenly became hot, “Yang Boy, you see, when you were in danger in Black Territory, this Monarch was the first to rush to help you. So about this Small Stone Race…”
Yang Kai replied, “If Senior wishes, this Junior can naturally send some to Golden Antelope Paradise.”
“You don’t want money?” Liu Mu cautiously asked.
Back in Black Territory, Yang Kai had sold his Profound Yin Bamboo to the many High-Rank Open Heaven Masters, and his profiteering look had left a deep impression on him.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but break into laughter, “As long as Senior can afford it.”
Da Yi coughed lightly and stated, “My Great Battle Cave Heaven also wants a batch.”
“No problem, whichever Cave Heaven Paradise wants them, I’ll have someone take care of it when we return to the Star Boundary,” Yang Kai readily agreed, “But let me make one thing clear to all of you. Although the Small Stone Race’s reproduction rate is extremely fast, it is very dependent on cultivating materials. The more material one invests, the faster their reproduction rate will be.”
Liu Mu nodded his acknowledgement, “Naturally, there is nothing in life which is truly free.”
The battle on the plains was extremely intense. The two armies fought back and forth, but they were actually evenly matched. The High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters felt their hearts ache, looking at so many Small Stone Race members dying every breath.
They didn’t take it seriously when they didn’t know that the Small Stone Race could bring them benefits, but now that they knew how amazing the Small Stone Race was, every death seemed like a terrible loss to them.
Liu Mu couldn’t help but want to forcefully collect a batch of them and raise them in their Small Universe.
Fortunately, he did not act impulsively.
When the battle between the two armies reached its climax, two more teams joined the battle from the rear of both sides.
These two teams were clearly different from ordinary Small Stone Race members. Their bodies were several times larger and their appearances were even more ferocious.
A small figure was also riding the leading Small Stone Race member of both teams.
“Ah, why are there two little children here?” Liu Mu exclaimed in surprise.
One of the two children suddenly shot a look at him. This casual glance caused Liu Mu to feel as if he had been struck by lightning. His entire body went stiff as cold sweat dripped down his back.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were personally commanding their most elite teams on the battlefield to fight right now.
Fortunately, these two were only supervising and had no intention of taking action; otherwise, the fallout of their clash would be unimaginable. If these two were to battle, the Spirit Province would be reduced to nothing in an instant.
One after another, the Small Stone Race fell to the ground as pieces of rocks blanketed the battlefield. The battle quickly reached a conclusion. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the remaining troops of their respective armies slowly retreated.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, on the other hand, remained on the battlefield.
Big Brother Huang calmly looked at Big Sister Lan and arrogantly asserted, “You lost!”
Big Sister Lan disdainfully stated, “You lost!”
Big Brother Huang sneered, “What’s the point of haggling with me every time? Your Small Stone Race has more casualties.”
Big Sister Lan countered, pursing her lips, “But your personal guard has already been defeated by me. If we kept fighting, you would have definitely lost!”
Big Brother Huang shook his head, “It’s useless, no matter how you fight, you still won’t be able to defeat me. Even if I don’t have my elite guard, I can still defeat you.”
“Stop bragging!” Big Sister Lan made a face at Big Brother Huang, “You lost all your guards, who will you use to fight me!?”
Both of them glared at each other as if there was an irreconcilable blood feud between the two. Suddenly, both of them looked up toward the sky and asked in unison, ““Who do you think won?””
Yang Kai didn’t even have time to hide.
For a moment, Yang Kai had a huge headache. The last time he left, he had given these two the Small Stone Race for the two to rear and use to compete with each other. The loser would have to satisfy the other party’s desire to become the Big Brother or Big Sister.
By the looks of it now, these two were having a great time playing this game and were still in high spirits even after so long, but there was no accurate standard to determine the winner.
Yang Kai had a bad feeling when the two started arguing, and his premonition really came true.
Summoning up his courage, Yang Kai flew down from the ship and greeted with a smile, “Big Brother Huang, Big Sister Lan, we meet again.”
Six Wood Divine Monarch and Clear Horizon Divine Monarch followed closely behind Yang Kai. With his past experience, how could Liu Mu not be able to guess the identities of these two children? After all, how could two children survive in the Chaotic Dead Territory?
He was filled with anxiety at first, but after hearing how Yang Kai addressed them, his eyes could not help but widen in shock.
Da Yi had already experienced this shock once before, so his expression remained the same this time.
Liu Mu stepped forward and respectfully bowed, “Golden Antelope Paradise’s Liu Mu greets two Seniors.”
These two might look like little children, but they were actually Seniors amongst Seniors. Even an Old Ancestor from the Cave Heavens and Paradises would lose out in terms of seniority to them.
The two ignored him and simply stared at Yang Kai, as if they didn’t hear Liu Mu at all and all that mattered was Yang Kai’s answer.
Liu Mu suddenly felt somewhat awkward.
No matter what, he was still an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, an Ancestor-level figure in the Cave-Heavens and Paradises. He would be admired and respected by everyone no matter where he went. It had been millennia since he had last encountered this kind of situation and for a moment, he didn’t know what to do.
It was Yang Kai who helped him out, quietly nudging him and stating, “What Senior? Don’t call them Senior, call them Big Brother and Big Sister!”
Liu Mu’s eyes widened even more, staring at Yang Kai in surprise. Obviously, he was asking with his eyes, ‘Is that okay?’
Yang Kai might have called them Big Brother Huang, Big Sister Lan, but he didn’t dare act rashly in front of these two. Addressing like this violated the order of seniority, and if this offended them, the entire Golden Antelope Paradise wouldn’t even be able to fill the gaps between their gnashing teeth.
Just as he was hesitating, Da Yi had already accepted Yang Kai’s suggestion and cupped his fist toward Big Brother Huang, “Big Brother!”
He then turned to Big Sister Lan, “Big Sister!”
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan both turned to look at him, nodding slightly. There was a kind look in their eyes, as if they were exchanging greetings.
[It’s really okay!?] Liu Mu was stunned! He had never seen such a strange thing in his long life. Nonetheless, he called them Big Brother and Big Sister without any hesitation, his attitude genial and tone sincere. This finally made the two acknowledge his existence.
Just as he was feeling comforted in his heart, Yang Kai suddenly betrayed him and Da Yi, “Big Brother and Big Sister are quite worried about their battle, but Little Brother’s vision is too poor to judge the winner here. It would be better to ask these two as they are much stronger than Little Brother and their vision is much more profound.”
Saying so, he swiftly took a step back.
Clear Horizon Divine Monarch and Six Wood Divine Monarch stood out at once, which made their facial muscles twitch.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, on the other hand, shifted their gazes and intensely stared at them, causing the two of them to feel uncomfortable as if swords were being poked into their backs.
“Speak, did I win?” Big Brother Huang asked, looking at the two. Although his tone was calm, whether it was Liu Mu or Da Yi, both of them could faintly sense the threat in his tone. They could tell that if they were to say no, they would not be alive to see the sun tomorrow.
“It’s me who won, isn’t it? You’ve been watching from above for so long, you must have noticed.” Big Sister Lan’s tone wasn’t threatening, but the look in her eyes was obviously not.
Cold sweat dripped down the backs of the two Eighth-Order Ancestors. This was the first time they ever felt that life was so difficult.
Liu Mu secretly cursed to himself, [I should have stayed in Black Territory. Why did I follow Yang Boy here?]
He couldn’t afford to offend either of these two. It was impossible for him to achieve a perfect answer no matter what, but he had no choice but to give one. Being stared at by those two, Liu Mu was under a great deal of pressure.
He secretly glanced at Da Yi through the corner of his eyes, but he noticed cold sweat dripping down his temple too, causing him to secretly laugh in his heart, [It turns out I am not the only one suffering here.]
Liu Mu suddenly became much more relaxed, and after a moment of deliberation, he finally spoke, “When I was watching the battle, I thought that it was as if the Heavens themselves were commanding those soldiers. The soldiers were moving and fighting in an orderly manner. This… Little Brother, truly admires you!”
He then turned to Da Yi, and shot him a look.
Da Yi immediately understood and continued, “However, the outcome of this battle has yet to be decided, so it is difficult to say who won and lost. There are many factors that determine the outcome of a battle, such as the timing, location, and soldiers, all of which are indispensable. Any slight change in circumstances can change the entire course of the battle, so it is difficult to determine the winner…”
Seeing the unhappy faces of the two, Liu Mu quickly interrupted Da Yi, “However, based on the number of casualties your subordinates have suffered, it should be a tie, so in my opinion, this battle… is a draw, right?”
He didn’t dare to answer too confidently. He kept observing their expressions, preparing to say something else if this did not satisfy them…
Da Yi immediately nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, “Yes, yes, yes, a draw!”
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan fell into deep thought. Both of them were clearly unsatisfied with this answer, but it was still acceptable. As far as the two were concerned, it was a win as long as they did not lose.
Big Brother Huang raised his head and suggested, “Then let’s call it a draw.” He suddenly turned to Big Sister Lan and assertively declared, “Next time, I’ll definitely beat you until you call me Big Brother!”
Big Sister Lan was not to be outdone, “If you think you have what it takes to defeat me, then you come at me anytime! But first, ask if my army of 30 million agrees!”
Brother Huang sneered, “It’s obviously just 18 million, yet you insist on saying it’s 30 million, you really like boasting!”
The two broke into another argument, but Da Yi and Liu Mu both let out long sighs of relief. They felt as if they had just escaped a disaster.
Suddenly, the two stopped bickering and looked at Yang Kai together. Big Brother Huang then stated, “You seem to have brought a lot of disgusting people with you this time!”
The last time Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan noticed the Black Ink Strength inside Yang Kai, both of them showed faces of revulsion.
The thousands of Black Ink Disciples on the ship might have their energy suppressed and sealed, but how could the Black Ink Strength escape Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s senses?
In fact, they had already noticed everything as soon as the ship entered the Chaotic Dead Territory. It was just that the two were more focused on the outcome of their battle so they didn’t bother to ask anything.
Yang Kai stepped forward and cupped his fist, “Little Brother is actually here for this reason. The people on the ship have been corrupted by the Black Ink Strength and have been turned into Black Ink Disciples. They have lost their sense of self. I would like to ask for Big Brother and Big Sister’s help to save them.
Big Brother Huang furrowed his brow, “There are so many of them.”
Yang Kai added, “In the vast Universe, only Big Brother and Big Sister can expel the Black Ink Strength. If you two don’t do anything, they will definitely die!”
Big Brother Huang hesitated for a moment before suddenly glancing at Big Sister Lan, who happened to look at him too.
Their eyes met, and both of them seemed to be thinking the same thing.
The next moment, Yang Kai and the two Divine Monarchs saw the two little children squat down and leaned closer, whispering to each other.
Big Brother Huang asked, “Have you noticed a problem recently?”
Big Sister Lan asked, “You also noticed?”
Big Brother Huang nodded in acknowledgement, “The number of Small Stone Race under our command is increasing, so it’s getting harder to command them.”
“En, they’re too stupid, sometimes they don’t even understand what we want them to do.”
“En, Little Brother Yang also said that their intelligence is not high, so they cannot understand complex orders.”
“That’s why we need some generals who will follow our orders and lead our armies into battle!”
“En en, I’ve thought about it before, but I couldn’t find anyone.”
“We couldn’t find them before, but don’t we have them now? And they’ve even delivered themselves to us.”
While speaking, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan both turned to look up at the ship, then at Six Wood Divine Monarch and Clear Horizon Divine Monarch with deep and profound gazes.
The two Divine Monarchs’ felt their faces immediately twitched.
A strange look also appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he kindly reminded the two, “Big Brother Huang, Big Sister Lan, we can hear everything you’re saying.”
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, on the other hand, turned a deaf ear to this and focused on their discussion.
Big Brother Huang added, “Excluding those yucky ones, there are a total of 33 people.”
30 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm escorts, along with Liu Mu, Da Yi, and Yang Kai, were exactly 33.
Big Sister Lan stated with a grin, “Half each.”
Big Brother Huang corrected her, worried, “There’s one more.”
Big Sister Lan explained, waving off, “Forget about Little Brother Yang, he doesn’t look very smart, he’s probably not much better than those from the Small Stone Race. Let’s leave those annoying flies to him, it will save us some trouble.”
“You’re right.” Big Brother Huang nodded seriously.
The veins on Yang Kai’s forehead bulged. If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t defeat these two, he really wanted to ask what do stupid people look like? Do they have some kind of horns on their heads?
Originally, Liu Mu and Da Yi were depressed, but now that they heard these two speak, they couldn’t help but snicker.
On the other side, after Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan finished discussing, the two looked over. Liu Mu and Da Yi quickly restrained their smiles and wore solemn expressions on their faces.
Big Brother Huang stated, “Little Brother Yang, we just discussed, it’s not like we can’t help you; after all, you’re also our Little Brother. Since you’ve come to beg us, we can’t just sit back and watch.”
Big Sister Lan quickly followed up, “But we also have conditions.”
Yang Kai knew their conditions but still pretended to be ignorant and asked curiously, “How can I help?”
Big Brother Huang replied, “It’s like this, since you left us last time, our forces have been expanding rapidly, and now each of us has an army of tens of millions. It has become harder to control them. We urgently need some generals and officers who can obey our orders! I think the people you brought this time are quite suitable, so why not let them serve under us? In that case, we’ll have time to help you!”
Before Yang Kai could respond, Liu Mu asked anxiously, “Big Brother, Big Sister, can you change your conditions?”
He finally understood that what these two invincible existences did on the Spirit Province was simply to kill time. In any case, he was still an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, yet instead of eliminating great evils and protecting the innocent, he would have to play around with these two children. If word got out, he would completely lose face.
This was something he absolutely could not agree to.
Although Da Yi didn’t say anything, his meaning was clear.
Big Brother Huang decisively refused, “This is the only condition. If you don’t like it, you can leave.”
Yang Kai quickly looked towards them. The next moment, his eyes became filled with sorrow and his tone turned heavy and solemn, “Seniors, please consider the bigger picture!”
The two of them immediately glared at him, wanting nothing more than to sew his mouth shut.
Big Brother Huang’s face slightly sank, “It seems you don’t like the idea of working under us!”
Big Sister Lan also looked a bit angry, “If you don’t want to, then leave. No one is forcing you to stay.”
Yang Kai tried his best to persuade them, “Seniors, there are thousands of lives on that ship. This time there are thousands, but the next time there may be even more. The vast universe will never forget your sacrifice!”
Liu Mu and Da Yi now couldn’t wait to chop Yang Kai into a million pieces. This brat was obviously just enjoying the show like it had nothing to do with him; after all, it did not cost him anything to throw them into the pit.
Be that as it may, their current situation left them with no other choice but to agree to their terms. Just as Yang Kai had stated, this time there were thousands of lives, but what about next time? No one could guarantee that their Sect’s disciples would not be corrupted by the Black Ink Strength at some point. They did not want to experience the tragedy of Lang Ya Paradise.
If they could get the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s help and capture Black Ink Disciples in the future, they would not have to kill them all.
Liu Mu clenched his teeth and agreed, “Good, since Big Brother and Big Sister think so highly of me, if this Little Brother still refuses, I would be someone who does not know how to appreciate kindness. This Little Brother is willing to obey your orders in the future!”
Da Yi sighed in his heart, knowing he couldn’t refuse either. So, he smiled and nodded, “Little Brother is of the same mind.”
The sullen Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan immediately smiled and stated, “Great, awesome, quickly call your people over.”
Six Wood Divine Monarch’s Divine Sense surged before 30 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm flew down from the ship the next moment.
Although they had seen most of the proceedings from up there, they didn’t know what was going on in detail. They could only vaguely guess that the two little kids were the legendary Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer.
Liu Mu pointed at Big Brother Huang and ordered everyone, “Come and greet Big Brother!”
The 30 Seventh-Order Masters were all dumbfounded and couldn’t understand why their Ancestor was saying something like that.
However, they didn’t dare to ask too much. Since their Ancestor had given such instructions, he must have his reasons. All of them cupped their fists and shouted ‘Big Brother’.
Liu Mu then pointed at Big Sister Lan, “This is Big Sister!”
Everyone bowed once more.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan smiled even more happily. They even became humbler because of this. Big Brother Huang offered, “You’re younger, you choose first.”
Big Sister Lan smiled and offered in return, “You’re younger, you go first.”
Yang Kai knew that he could not allow this to go on; otherwise, the peaceful atmosphere would immediately be destroyed. Thus, he quickly intervened, asking, “If Big Brother and Big Sister don’t mind, how about I help you?”
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan looked at each other before nodding, “Good!”
Yang Kai immediately began distributing the manpower. In fact, it didn’t take any effort to assign teams. Two Eighth-Order and 30 Seventh-Order Masters were evenly distributed with a casual wave of his hand.
Big Brother Huang’s face was filled with eagerness, “Great, now we have Generals who can understand our commands. The next time we fight, it will definitely be more exciting!”
Big Sister Lan smiled and spoke in a provocative manner, “Then you must work hard, don’t cry when you lose.”
“You just wait and watch!” Big Brother Huang coldly snorted before he called out to his 16 High-Rank Masters, “You all come with me!”
Big Sister Lan pointed at the other 16, “You come with me!”
Yang Kai quickly interrupted them, “Please wait a moment, what about the people on the ship? I hope the two of you can first expel the Black Ink Strength from their bodies.”
“I’ll leave that to you.” Big Brother Huang impatiently passed the matter to Yang Kai before stretching out his hand and pointing towards him.
Yang Kai suddenly felt a scalding pain on the back of his left hand, as if it was being burned by flames, giving him a fright.
Before he could react, Big Sister Lan extended her hand toward him again and in the next moment, he felt a frigid sensation on the back of his right hand.
One cold, one hot, it was extremely strange.
Yang Kai looked down and saw nothing on the back of his hands, but he could feel that there was something there.
Yang Kai found this scene quite familiar and recalled the last time he had left, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had pointed at him and left behind an extremely mysterious power in his body, greatly enhancing his Dragon Vein and increasing his Dragon Form to 20,000 metres.
Moreover, he still had not completely refined that power and it had thus been lying dormant inside his body. Yang Kai couldn’t imagine how magnificent his Dragon Form would become after he completely refined that power.
Seeing that Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had already mounted their respective Small Stone Race guards, Yang Kai quickly asked, “What should I do?”
“Everything in this world has its own counter. Although the Black Ink Strength is strange, it is not invincible. Use the benefits you obtained here and your brain to purify it!” Having said as much, Big Brother Huang turned around and started heading towards one end of the Spirit Province.
Liu Mu walked over to Yang Kai and warned him with a gloomy expression on his face, “If any of this leaks out, you’re dead!”
Having no other choice but to accompany two kids and play their games was already the limit of what Liu Mu could endure. If the word got out, he would be too ashamed to show his face in public.
Yang Kai quickly nodded his acknowledgement, “Seniors, rest assured, no one else will find out about this.”
“That’s for the best!” Having said so, Liu Mu led the 15 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and chased after Big Brother Huang.
On the other hand, Da Yi led the other 15 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters away with Big Sister Lan.
In the blink of an eye, only Yang Kai was left, along with the remains of the Small Stone Race.
Yang Kai looked at his hands as he sunk into his thoughts.
Big Brother Huang spoke some cryptic words, leaving him all confused, but the meaning had been quite clear. He was now able to expel the Black Ink Strength.
[What should I do?]
[Big Brother Huang wouldn’t lie about something like this. There must be some kind of profound mystery behind the finger pointed by Big Sister Lan and him.]
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before arriving on the flying ship and casually grabbing a Black Ink Disciple.
This Black Ink Disciple’s cultivation wasn’t high, only in the Third Order. Yang Kai didn’t know him, but his strength was sealed and he was unable to move at all, even his Small Universe was completely suppressed. Be that as it may, his eyes were filled with hatred as he stared at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai mobilized his Small Universe’s strength to his two hands, but after trying for a long time, he found that it had no effect, let alone expel the Black Ink Strength.
He could not even feel the heat and chill he had felt before.
Recalling what Big Brother Huang had said before he left, Yang Kai’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
[Big Brother Huang mentioned the benefits I had obtained from this place…]
The greatest benefit he had reaped from the last time he was here was the endless amounts of Yellow and Blue Crystals, derived from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s own strength. These were the purest Yin and Yang Element materials.
Yang Kai casually took out a palm-sized piece of Yellow Crystal from his Small Universe. The quality of this piece of Yellow Crystal wasn’t high, only Fourth-Order, so it was perfect for testing
With a flash of thought, Yang Kai immediately felt a burning sensation on the back of his left hand. When he looked down, he spotted a faint circular pattern where the burning came from.
Holding the Yellow Crystal in his hand, the Yang Element Power contained within it was clearly pulled by an inexplicable force, quickly flowing into the circular pattern on the back of his hand.
The pattern soon became visible and dazzling.
A moment later, the palm-sized yellow crystal disappeared into thin air; all its energy was pulled into Yang Kai’s left hand.
The circular pattern on the back of his hand lit up like a small sun.
Yang Kai suddenly understood.
He quickly took out a Blue Crystal from his Small universe and tried again.
As expected, with just a thought, a pattern appeared on the back of his right hand, but this one was a deep blue in colour. As the Blue Crystal’s energy poured into it, the glow became more profound.
Whether it was the Yellow Crystals or the Blue Crystals, both of them were the condensation of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s strength. Although they had transformed into Yin and Yang Element materials that could be refined and absorbed after being broken down in battle with each other, their essence hadn’t changed much.
Before leaving, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had shot some kind of energy from their fingers, leaving a kind of key on the back of Yang Kai’s left and right hand to draw out that energy.
With Yellow in his left hand, and Blue in his right, Yin and Yang, Yang Kai pressed his palms together before the two energies started merging, blooming into a dazzling white light!
Yang Kai had never seen such a pure white light before. It was totally without any impurity, giving the impression that it could cleanse everything in this world.
The Third-Order Black Ink Disciple had been glaring at Yang Kai with a look of anger and hatred after he had been picked up. He kept roaring at the top of his lungs meaninglessly like a vicious beast that wanted to swallow Yang Kai alive. However, when the flash of white light burst forth, the ferocity and anger in his eyes were instantly replaced by confusion.
The next moment, his confusion turned into panic as he began to violently struggle.
Be that as it may, he was unable to move no matter how he tried as his strength was restricted by a Secret Technique.
Yang Kai became more confident at the sight of this and believed he had found the right method.
He had never thought that the Yellow and Blue Crystals he had obtained in the Chaotic Dead Territory would become the key to expelling the Black Ink Strength.
Yang Kai raised his hand, grabbing the small sun radiating with white light and thrust it onto the Black Ink Disciple’s head.
The white light poured down on the Black Ink Disciple like moonlight, bathing him in it. To Yang Kai’s surprise, a change occurred instantaneously.
The Black Ink Disciple seemed to be in unimaginable agony as his eyes bulged and his face contorted in pain. Immediately after, wisps of black aura began to emerge from his body, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Not only that, a sound similar to the melting of snow came from the Black Ink Disciple’s body.
Yang Kai carefully felt the black aura escaping from the Black Ink Disciple’s body. It resembled Black Ink Strength, but seemed to be lacking in stability, probably because it was being purified by the white light. Thus, it couldn’t continue to exist like pure Black Ink Strength, disappearing as soon as it was expelled.
Black wisps gushed out from the Black Ink Disciple’s body at first, but as time passed, fewer and fewer appeared while the Black Ink Disciple’s originally pained expression grew calmer.
In just a few breaths of time, no more black wisps escaped from the Black Ink Disciple as his eyes finally regained clarity.
Yet, the small sun-like white light in Yang Kai’s hand had not been completely consumed, only about half of it had been used up.
In other words, the remaining white light should be enough to disperse the Black Ink Strength from another Black Ink Disciple’s body. Yang Kai didn’t intend to waste this; after all, this was the energy derived from the Yellow and Blue Crystals. He thus held it in his hand and examined the Black Ink Disciple.
“Many thanks for Sect Master Yang’s life-saving grace!” The Black Ink Disciple suddenly thanked, his expression perfectly normal and extremely sincere.
Yang Kai raised his brow slightly, “I’ll remove your restriction, don’t make any sudden movements.”
“Understood!” The Black Ink Disciple replied.
Only then did Yang Kai remove the restriction sealing his power.
As expected, the Black Ink Disciple did not act rashly. So Yang Kai simply demanded, “Open up your Small Universe, I must examine it.”
Only by examining the other party’s Small Universe would Yang Kai be able to determine if there was any trace of Black Ink Strength left in this Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Normally, such a request would be considered extremely rude and no one would easily agree to it, but this Third-Order cultivator clearly understood how that eerie black mist that was controlling him would manifest. So, after a moment of hesitation, he quickly opened his Small Universe to prove his innocence.
The foundation of a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was not strong, so their Small Universe was still immaterial and illusory, not having a physical form. Yang Kai carefully examined it, and only after confirming that there was no more Black Ink Strength left in his Small Universe did he finally relax.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan might not seem very reliable, but they were still trustworthy. Although they didn’t personally expel the Black Ink Strength, they had shown Yang Kai the way forward.
Furthermore, Yang Kai looked at the white ball of light in his hand and faintly felt that Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s actions were not simply because they found it troublesome, but because they intended to give him a method to expel the Black Ink Strength himself.
If he were to encounter Black Ink Disciples again in the future, he wouldn’t need to travel trillions upon trillions of kilometres to the Chaotic Dead Territory to ask for their help. He could take care of them himself.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai looked up at the person in front of him and asked, “Does anything feel off to you?”
The Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master silently checked his body for a moment before shaking his head in response, “There’s nothing wrong, it feels like I’ve been reborn.”
“Do you remember what happened?”
The Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master bitterly smiled, “I do. I remember everything clearly. When I was possessed by that evil power, my thoughts weren’t affected much. They remained the same, but my true self seemed to have been sealed, replaced by another me that I didn’t even recognize.”
“This is the true malevolence of the Black Ink Strength. Those who are corroded by it will only revere the Black Ink Clan!”
The Third-Order Open Heaven Realm nodded with lingering fear. Recalling the thoughts he used to have, he truly understood Yang Kai’s meaning.
“This humble one will forever remember this debt,” The Third-Order Open Heaven Realm sincerely expressed his gratitude.
Yang Kai stated, waving off, “It was a minor matter, you don’t need to concern yourself with it. However, you can’t leave for the time being. This is not an ordinary place, so you need to remain here and wait until everything is settled.”
“Yes.” The man nodded before asking, “Does Sect Master Yang need any assistance?”
Yang Kai turned his head, looking at the thousands of people on the ship as a sense of responsibility suddenly weighed on his heart, “If you want to help, bring them here one by one.”
The man readily agreed and rushed off, quickly bringing back a Black Ink Disciple.
Just like he did earlier, this Black Ink Disciple glared at the two with hatred, even though his strength had been tightly sealed.
Yang Kai sent the remaining white light into the Black Ink Disciple’s body as the earlier scene repeated. The Black Ink Strength was dispersed as the angry Black Ink Disciple’s expression gradually became calm.
One by one, the Black Ink Disciples regained their rationality. Yang Kai had to carefully examine the condition of every Black Ink Disciple Small Universe that he dispelled the Black Ink Strength from, to make sure he didn’t miss anything.
As the days passed by, more and more Black Ink Disciples were purified. Furthermore, Yang Kai discovered the specifics of the usage of the Yellow Crystals and Blue Crystals over this period.
They were definitely not just cultivation materials, but also the greatest treasures to resist the Black Ink Strength.
In addition, Yang Kai discovered he needed to consume more Yellow and Blue crystals the higher the Order of the Black Ink Disciple. Basically, the Order of the Yellow and Blue Crystal corresponded to the disciple’s Order.
When he cleansed Luan Bai Feng, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai had to use Sixth-Order Yellow and Blue Crystals.
Yang Kai couldn’t understand how this worked, so he could only guess that the higher the Order of the Black Ink Disciple, the more Black Ink Strength he would need to expel, so the amount of energy he would need to consume would increase proportionally.
Luan Bai Feng and Xin Peng had both been purified at this point, and although the two of them understood that their previous betrayal was not of their own will and instead a result of the influence of the Black Ink Strength, they still felt ashamed.
The two of them expressed their intention to leave their names on the Loyalty List once more.
The last two pages of the Loyalty List were still blank, so although the two of them had been saved, their names had not returned.
No one was willing to tie their lives to another person’s will, especially someone like Yang Kai who often took risks.
No one knew when they would be dragged down with him.
Luan Bai Feng and Xin Peng only did this because they were worried that Yang Kai would hold some kind of grudge against them.
Of course, Yang Kai did not agree to this request.
Back then, he had no choice but to subdue Luan Bai Feng by force. At that time, whether it was Void Land or High Heaven Palace, both were quite weak and unstable. If he wanted the materials from Black Territory, he could only make Luan Bai Feng submit.
Now, whether it was Void Land or High Heaven Palace though, both were famous and had established a strong foundation. It could be said that in all of the 3,000 Worlds, only a few forces could compare to the foundation of High Heaven Palace and Void Land besides the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
Under Yang Kai’s leadership, there was no shortage of cultivation resources, no real restrictions on their actions, and bright futures to look ahead to. Many people wanted to join this kind of force even if they had to sell themselves into slavery to do so. Even without the restrictions of the Loyalty List, Luan Bai Feng wouldn’t have any thoughts about leaving.
Yang Kai had already passed the point where he needed to control his subordinates with the Loyalty List as the current him already had a good reputation and status in the vast universe.
The expulsion of the Black Ink Strength continued as each Black Ink Disciple was restored by Yang Kai.
No one else could help in this situation. The ability granted by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan was exclusive to Yang Kai. At most, others could cart Black Ink Disciples over to Yang Kai.
Several dozen days later, a dazzling light enveloped a burly Black Ink Disciple. This Black Ink Disciple was a little different from ordinary Black Ink Disciples, and Yang Kai naturally recognized him.
It was none other than Fan Xiu Qi, who had broken through his Open Heaven Realm Order limit to reach the Sixth Order.
When this man broke through to the Open Heaven Realm, he did so to the Third Order, making the Fifth Order his limit. After being corroded by the Black Ink Strength though, he was able to break through those shackles. Yang Kai and Luan Bai Feng personally witnessed him break through to the Sixth Order.
But at that time, Yang Kai noticed the hidden dangers of this breakthrough.
Originally, Fan Xiu Qi was short and lean, but after his breakthrough, his body swelled up immensely, giving him a tall, bulky physique with some large welts and cysts that gave him a somewhat mishappen appearance.
As for the other man named Shu Yuan Si, he wasn’t so lucky. When he broke through, his strength became unstable and he was unable to reign it in. So, Luan Bai Feng personally killed him.
Yang Kai faintly felt that dispelling the Black Ink Strength from Fan Xiu Qi would not end well for him.
Very soon, his hunch was confirmed.
Under the white light, the Black Ink Strength was turned into nothingness and disappeared as it was constantly expelled from Fan Xiu Qi’s body. During this process, the expressions of the other Black Ink Disciple gradually became gentler, but it was different when it came to Fan Xiu Qi. The expression on his face became more pained, his face turning so red it gave the impression he would almost start bleeding from his pores at any moment.
Behind him, his Small Universe was also constantly flickering and his aura fluctuated wildly.
A solemn expression appeared on the onlooking Luan Bai Feng.
At some moment, a frown suddenly appeared on Yang Kai’s face. Space Principles surged as he promptly grabbed Fan Xiu Qi and instantly disappeared.