“Do we have a Ninth-Order Master on our side?” Yang Kai asked.
“How can we have a Ninth-Order Master here?” Liu Mu curled his lips.
Yang Kai was beside himself in shock. This was a bit different from what he had imagined. Originally, he had thought that each of the hundred or so Cave Heavens and Paradises would have at least one Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master assuming command after countless years of accumulation.
But that didn’t seem to be the case.
The Black Ink Master in Black Territory was extremely dangerous, so if there really was a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in any of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, he or she would have definitely not sat back and done nothing. No matter which Sect he or she belonged to, they would have definitely come here to handle this situation. This was the only way to ensure the smooth eradication of the Black Ink Master.
But even now, there was no sign of a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master appearing, and Liu Mu had confirmed this fact.
In other words, the Cave Heavens and Paradises really didn’t have any Ninth-Order Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
[But how is that possible? How could so many Cave Heavens and Paradises be unable to give rise to a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after countless years of accumulation? Sure, only a few geniuses were capable of making the initial breakthrough to the Seventh Order, but still, a few could. Could it be that none of them had successfully advanced to the Ninth Order even after all this time?]
Yang Kai was having a hard time understanding this, but this wasn’t the time to investigate.
Staring out in the direction of the Black Ink Master, Yang Kai asked, “Can you beat her?”
“It’s not a matter of can or can’t, we must!” Liu Mu stated in a heavy voice, “Black Territory has been completely sealed off. No one can leave this place until the battle ends!”
The Cave Heavens and Paradises had obviously decided to go all out; they would either succeed or die trying. As Black Territory had been completely sealed off, the Black Ink Master would be forever trapped in Black Territory even if they lost this battle, unable to leave this place.
Yang Kai’s heart sank. The Cave Heavens and Paradises had already prepared for the worst, which was indirect proof in itself of the Black Ink Clan’s strength.
“One, two, three…” On the other side, the Black Ink Master started lightly counting, her voice quite pleasant to the ear. Suddenly, a smile bloomed on her face, “Forget it, there are too many snacks to eat. I’ll just kill all of them, then there won’t be any left.”
There were indeed a lot of people here, and all of them were either Seventh-Order or Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. The cultivators below the Seventh Order were not qualified to participate in this battlefield.
The number of Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order in the Cave Heavens and Paradises numbered over 1,000. It had to be known that each of these Seven-Order and Eighth-Order Masters was a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master who had lived for countless years and seen and experienced all kinds of things. Every single one of them would be respected by most people in the 3,000 Worlds.
Over 1,000 people were split up into a hundred or so teams under the leadership of their Eighth-Order Masters and spread around, surrounding the Black Ink Master. Everyone had a solemn look on their faces as they stared at the giant spider-like Black Ink Master.
Although these people had long known about the existence of the Black Ink Clan, this was the first time any of them had actually laid eyes on one; her image caught them a little by surprise.
Many people thought that such an evil existence should be more imposing, but now it seemed that it was actually just ugly and disgusting.
“Go heal yourself! You may be of help later!” Liu Mu gently walked above Yang Kai’s head, his figure flickered as he arrived near the Golden Antelope Paradise Masters, standing at their forefront.
Yang Kai withdrew his Dragon Form and quickly retreated.
The Proprietress approached from behind to help Yang Kai. When they met, Lan You Ruo’s eyes were fixed on Yang Kai’s waist. There was a huge gaping wound there, with black energy lingering around the wound, preventing it from healing as his blood kept flowing out.
Lan You Ruo reached out to support him and led him back, asking with concern, “Are you okay?”
“I’ll live,” Yang Kai replied before asking worriedly, “Where are our people?”
“Everyone else has withdrawn from Black Territory. There are only the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters left here now.”
Yang Kai lightly nodded his acknowledgement. Those below the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm were not qualified to participate in this great battle. If they were allowed to remain, they would only be taken advantage of by the Black Ink Master. Once they were corrupted by the Black Ink Strength, they would become Black Ink Disciples, which would only divert the attention of the Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
Making them withdraw from the front lines was the best option.
The two retreated to a relatively safe location, an abandoned Spirit Province left after one of the Ore Stars was destroyed. Yang Kai quickly found a place and sat down cross-legged.
The next moment, a yellow light glowed in his left hand and a blue light in his right. Yin and Yang merged together as the purifying light enveloped his wound.
As the World Spring had sealed off his Small Universe, the Black Ink Strength would not be able to harm him in the slightest no matter how strong it was. However, this thick layer of Black Ink Strength was lingering around his wound, so it needed to first be purified before he could heal himself.
Yang Kai had been locked in a cage with the Black Ink Master for over 100 years and had been injured countless times by her, so he was already familiar with how to treat such injuries.
Under the effects of the purifying light, wisps of black smoke emerged from his wounds and were reduced to nothingness in the blink of an eye. After a while, the Black Ink Strength was completely expelled, whereupon Yang Kai used his Wood Element Power to heal his injuries.
The Black Ink Master’s attack just before Yang Kai escaped had been quite devastating, almost cutting him in half despite him having taken his Dragon Form. It was only by luck that he had been able to survive.
It would be quite a hefty task for him to recover from this kind of grievous injury; furthermore, he had been locked inside the cage with the Black Ink Master for over 100 years, where he had to constantly be on guard. His body and mind were both exhausted, so he really needed some rest.
Suddenly, powerful energy fluctuations came from afar, followed by non-stop flashes of dazzling light.
“It’s begun!” Yang Kai muttered as he looked towards the battlefield.
He was quite far away, as such he was unable to see much.
All he knew was that over 1,000 High-Rank Open Heaven Realm simultaneously made their moves. Their Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities left colourful dazzling trails as they shot towards the Black Ink Master. By the time Yang Kai looked up, the Black Ink Master was already drowned by this dazzling light.
Even from such a great distance, Yang Kai could feel the fearsome power contained in each of these Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities.
In this world, perhaps only the Black Ink Royal Lord was worthy of being taken so seriously by the Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises; after all, this was an existence comparable to a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
No one could survive such an attack, not even the Black Ink Royal Lord!
Yang Kai almost thought that the battle would be decided right that instant, but to his astonishment, the Cave Heavens and Paradises kept attacking, without showing any intention of stopping.
Yang Kai was able to witness the marvellous Divine Abilities of every Cave Heaven and Paradise, all of which was extremely profound and dazzling.
But the next moment, Yang Kai’s confidence began falling little by little, because there was a giant black cloud where the lights had flooded. And the dazzling brilliance of the Divine Abilities was unable to disperse this thick black cloud no matter how they tried.
Right then, the Black Ink Master’s voice reverberated throughout the void, her voice filled with pain and ridicule, “You filthy livestock have only become weaker over the generations! Your ancestors were far better than you!”
Just as she was finished speaking, a change suddenly occurred.
It was unknown what happened, but the tight encirclement around the Black Ink Master fell into shambles, causing countless openings to appear in their formation.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s pupils shrank.
He saw the head of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master suddenly fly high into the air as a fountain of blood gushed out from his neck, raining down on his nearby companion’s head and face. When his companion looked over, he was totally confused, seemingly unable to react to what had just happened.
Although Yang Kai couldn’t see the expression on the man’s face because he was too far away, he could feel his shock and confusion.
There were some who were suddenly torn apart as their remains flew everywhere.
Some even exploded into blood mist, leaving nothing behind.
In an instant, more than ten people had lost their lives.
Each and every one of them was a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master who had taken millennia to reach their current Realm; but today, their lives were harvested like wheat from a field.
Yang Kai’s heart was gripped with fear!
Without the influence and constraints of the Super Array, the Black Ink Master’s strength had far exceeded his imagination. If the Black Ink Master was this strong during the 100 years he had been fighting her, he would have died long ago.
After the death of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, his or her Small Universe would be left behind, transforming into Universe Paradise.
Logically speaking, these Universe Paradise’s portals were hidden in the Void, so unless someone knew where they were or for some reason the portal was opened, it was difficult to find them.
But at this moment, these Small Universe’s portals suddenly exploded under a mysterious force. The World Force contained in these Small Universes immediately transformed into massive waves of energy visible to the naked eye, rushing towards the Black Ink Master before being devoured by her.
Yang Kai’s heart sank.
He thought back on the many Black Ink Disciples who had been trying to sacrifice themselves. Those Black Ink Disciples’ cultivation wasn’t high, only at the Third or Fourth Order, but under the summoning of the Black Ink Strength, they swarmed over and crashed straight into the Spirit Array, dying without hesitation.
They had killed themselves to provide the Black Ink Master with the energy she needed to restore her strength. After their death, the World Force released by their Small Universe’s dispersed, supplementing the Black Ink Master to recover her strength!
According to Luan Bai Feng’s original plan, she would have gathered Open Heaven Realm Masters from all over the 3,000 Worlds over the course of many years. These Black Ink disciples would on one side destroy the Super Array’s Ore Stars, while at the same time sacrifice themselves to provide the energy for the Black Ink Master to recover.
Unfortunately, this plan had been foiled by Yang Kai before it could be implemented for any significant length of time.
Now though, the instant death of a dozen or so High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had undoubtedly greatly helped the Black Ink Master.
After a brief moment of chaos, the formation of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master fell into complete disorder. Almost everyone was fighting by themselves and Yang Kai couldn’t tell what was happening, but he got the feeling that these High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were fighting an invisible enemy, plunging into an abyss of misery.
A short while later, several more High-Rank Masters fell.
Immediately after, a large number of Spirit Provinces appeared out of thin air with thick Black Ink Strength lingering about them. The thick ink-like power was constantly squirming and was extremely eye-catching. The Spirit Provinces were very soon dyed completely in black.
Some High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had swiftly cut off a portion of their Small Universe’s territory.
Had they had no other choice, the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would have never acted in such a manner. Once a part of their Small Universe was severed, it would not only permanently damage their foundation, causing their strength to decline, but it would also permanently halt the progress of their Martial Dao.
Long story short, it meant that they had no other choice but to do this.
In other words, these High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had been corroded by the Black Ink Strength, and they had no choice but to cut off parts of their Small Universes to protect themselves.
For the past 100 years, all of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises who had been assigned to Black Territory had been cultivating Profound Yin Bamboo in seclusion and had gained extraordinary benefits.
The Profound Yin Bamboo was one of the Twelve Minor Universe Pillars and was extremely beneficial to High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, especially when it came to resisting Black Ink Strength.
However, even with the Profound Yin Bamboo protecting their Small Universes, these High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were still unable to resist the invasion of the Black Ink Strength. It was proof in itself of the Black Ink Royal Lord’s strength.
Fortunately, the situation still had not fully deteriorated. Many Eighth-Order Ancestors were still safe and sound. Surrounding themselves with World Force, and coupled with the protection of the Profound Yin Bamboo, there was no need to worry about being corrupted by the Black Ink Strength in short order.
Yang Kai withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes, focusing on recovering as soon as possible.
The battle that was supposed to end quickly was progressing in an unexpected direction. Who knows how many Masters would be dead after this battle ended?
Time slowly passed.
Yang Kai’s emotions slowly calmed down. He was well aware that it was useless for him to be anxious in this situation. The most important thing right now was to quickly regain his strength.
Two days later, Yang Kai finally opened his eyes.
Lan You Ruo had been waiting for him all this while, and when Yang Kai opened his eyes, she turned around and asked, “Are you done?”
Yang Kai stood up, nodding, “Don’t stray too far from me!”
Lan You Ruo curled her lips up, “I should be the one saying that!”
She was a Seventh-Order Master while Yang Kai was just a Sixth-Order Master. She should be the one protecting Yang Kai on the battlefield.
The two of them smiled at each other before rushing towards the battlefield.
After two days of fighting, the battlefield had become even more chaotic. Looking around, Yang Kai saw that the number of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had greatly decreased. A quick estimate put the losses at around 200.
Such casualties were really shocking.
On top of that, he also saw many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters attacking their fellow disciples.
Obviously, these people had been corrupted by the Black Ink Strength!
In the face of the attacks by these Black Ink Disciples, the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who still retained their rationality had their hands and feet tied. That’s why, the entire battlefield was thrown into chaos even when the number of corrupted High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters was not too high.
Yang Kai’s timing was impeccable.
Liu Mu had sensed Yang Kai’s approaching even when he was far away. He was finally able to vent all the frustration he had accumulated over these two days and angrily launched a palm strike at a nearby corrupted disciple. The Black Ink Disciple didn’t even try to dodge his Ancestor’s attack and instead launched a suicide attack intent on perishing together with him.
Liu Mu cursed loudly, “Brat, you’ve got guts, I’ll give you that! You even dare to fight this Old Master!”
Having finished speaking, he slammed his palm onto the other party’s chest, releasing a burst of World Force, causing the Black Ink Disciple to freeze for a moment as if he had been struck by lightning.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Liu Mu formed a series of hand seals and slapped him several times, thoroughly imprisoning him. Afterwards, he grabbed the corrupted disciple and flew towards Yang Kai.
The two came face to face shortly after. Liu Mu didn’t say a word, he just threw the Black Ink Disciple to Yang Kai. Yang Kai was also prepared for this as a beam of purifying light shot towards the Black Ink Disciple the next moment.
A look of pain appeared on the Black Ink Disciple’s face, but it gradually eased up as the Black Ink Strength was expelled.
Just a moment later, the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master who had been corrupted by the Black Ink Strength had regained his clarity of mind.
He had not forgotten what he had just done, so shame filled his face.
Right then, Liu Mu returned with another Black Ink Disciple in hand.
Seeing this, Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He wanted to participate in this great battle, so he rushed over in a hurry; after all, the purifying light he had mastered was the nemesis of the Black Ink Strength. Perhaps his participation would provide an edge to the Cave Heavens and Paradises, but by the looks of it, Liu Mu was treating him like a logistics doctor.
Yang Kai couldn’t even complain about it though as right now, he was the only one who was capable of dispelling the Black Ink Strength.
Liu Mu tossed the Black Ink Disciple to Yang Kai, removing the Black Ink Disciple’s restriction before shouting at the man, “Scram back and be careful! If you get corroded by the Black Ink Strength, hurry up and seek out Yang Boy!”
“Yes!” The Black Ink Disciple, who was the first to be rescued, accepted the order and rushed back to the battlefield.
“I’ll leave him to you!” Liu Mu nodded to Yang Kai before returning to the battlefield.
One Black Ink Disciple after another was sent to Yang Kai to be purified. Many of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters corrupted by the Black Ink Strength, who still retained a certain amount of sanity, also rushed over and sought Yang Kai’s assistance on their own.
The light of purification kept shining as the Black Ink Strength was constantly being dispelled. For a moment, Yang Kai had his hands full.
During the purification process, Yang Kai didn’t relax his vigilance. Whether or not these High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had been corroded by the Black Ink Strength and had been turned into Black Ink Disciples through and through, it was impossible to tell from their appearances alone. The more Black Ink Disciples there were, the more there were chances of a few of them hiding themselves to launch sneak attacks.
Therefore, when Yang Kai was purifying a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master of the Black Ink Strength, and a Black Ink Disciple suddenly struck out and attacked him, he wasn’t surprised at all.
He had no idea which Cave Heaven or Paradise this Seventh-Order Master belonged to, but his strength was quite extraordinary. He unleashed a powerful Divine Ability as soon as he made a move.
Yang Kai instantly summoned his Azure Dragon Spear and thrust it forward.
A blast of World Force swept out as Yang Kai’s spear stabbed into his opponent’s shoulder, but this Black Ink Disciple didn’t care at all, as if all that mattered to him was killing Yang Kai.
Lan You Ruo had been standing guard by Yang Kai’s side, protecting him against every High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master who had come on their own for help.
At the same time Yang Kai was attacked, she also attacked, her slender jade palm containing a massive amount of energy ruthlessly striking the Black Ink Disciple’s body.
The Black Ink Disciple was sent flying by their combined attack and Yang Kai promptly retreated.
At the same time, a streak of light came zooming towards them from nearby. It was none other than Six Wood Divine Monarch. Liu Mu’s brow twitched hard at the sight of this and he furiously roared, “Brat, you dare!”
The Black Ink Disciple, who had just sneak attacked Yang Kai, probably knew that he lost his chance and could not do anything further. As such, he self-destructed without a moment of hesitation. Furthermore, his Small Universe burst open after his death under his plan, filling the entire void with pitch-black energy.
Liu Mu quickly stopped and stared at the Small Universe that was filled with Black Ink Strength.
Although he was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and had the Profound Yin Bamboo protecting his Small Universe, he did not want to be corrupted by this strange energy either.
The thing that put him at ease a little was that Yang Kai and Lan You Ruo made their way out of the Small Universe shortly after.
They were surrounded by the purifying light, which prevented them from being corroded by the Black Ink Strength.
*Hong hong hong…*
Suddenly, a series of deafening explosions sounded. Liu Mu promptly turned his head as a solemn look filled his face.
Originally, a dozen or so Black Ink Disciples were still left on the battlefield, but at this moment, these Black Ink Disciples simultaneously self-destructed, shattering their Small Universes and turning the entire battlefield chaotic and filling it with countless Shattered Spirit Provinces. More importantly, each of these Spirit Provinces had a thick layer of Black Ink Strength surrounding them.
At the same time, their Small Universe’s World Force was swallowed by the Black Ink Master after their deaths.
Liu Mu handed over the last Black Ink Disciple he had captured to Yang Kai. He seemed to have aged several hundred years in an instant after seeing the death of so many Masters.
Since this battle started, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had lost somewhere between two to three hundred cultivators, all of whom were Seventh-Order Masters. All of the Cave Heavens and Paradises had suffered heavy casualties.
Although they had also caused quite a bit of damage to the Black Ink Master, they would have to pay a great price if they wanted to kill her.
However, this was the Cave Heavens and Paradises’ responsibility since ancient times. When the vast universe faced a crisis, everyone could choose to escape from it, but they had to face it head-on.
Their great and indomitable status means that they shouldered an equally heavy responsibility to the ordinary people.
When the entire Black Territory was completely sealed off, the Eighth-Order Ancestors of the Cave Heavens and Paradises had already decided that they would eliminate the Black Ink Master even if it cost all of their lives.
“It’s your turn!” Liu Mu turned to look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, purifying the Black Ink Strength from the last Black Ink Disciple’s body, “I shall fulfil my duty!”
The cruel battlefield caused Yang Kai’s heart to tremble. Only now did he truly understand how strong the Black Ink Royal Lord was. The reason he managed to come out alive after being trapped in that cage for 100 years with her was completely due to the Super Array restricting her strength.
She might not be at her peak due to having been imprisoned for countless years, yet she was able to slaughter so many people even after having been surrounded by over 1,000 High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Yang Kai couldn’t even imagine what would have happened if she was able to regain her full power.
While remaining vigilant, Yang Kai also yearned greatly for the legendary Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
The Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm was comparable to the Black Ink Royal Lord!
“Follow me closely!” Liu Mu shouted and took the lead to rush towards the battlefield.
Yang Kai and Lan You Ruo followed close behind.
Yang Kai was unable to see the entire battlefield clearly from this distance, so only when he stepped onto it did he understand the murderous intent lingering in the air.
An enormous spider web had appeared in the vast void at some point, covering a radius of 10,000 kilometres. At the centre of this spiderweb was the territory of the Black Ink Master. Every thread of this spiderweb was created from a thick Black Ink Strength. When the Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises entered this net, all of them were like insects trapped in the web, at the risk of being eaten by the spider at any moment.
This was the home field for the Black Ink Master, and she had everyone’s life and death in her hand within this web.
The strands of webbing formed from the Black Ink Strength were like living creatures, occasionally bouncing, and cutting, injuring those who got too close.
Yang Kai finally understood what had happened in the last two days. Many of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had no experience fighting against the Black Ink Clan, so they were completely caught off guard by the sudden appearance of this spiderweb. When the spiderweb cut towards them, more than a dozen High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had lost their lives on the spot.
As for those who were injured by the spider web, their wounds were corroded with the Black Ink Strength. So, even if all of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had the Profound Yin Bamboo protecting their Small Universes, they still couldn’t avoid the fate of being turned into Black Ink Disciples.
The Profound Yin Bamboo could help them resist the power of the Black Ink Strength better, but it was unable to completely repel it like the World Spring. At most, it could delay the inevitable of being corrupted by the Black Ink Strength.
Far fewer dazzling Divine Abilities or Secret Techniques were being used as all the Masters were trying to get in close to the Black Ink Master to bypass her outer defences, but every time they did, they were blocked by the threads.
Only a small number of people were able to reach the Black Ink Master and confront her directly.
The Black Ink Master’s giant body was riddled with wounds.
Over 1,000 High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises had been fighting her for days now, and although they had suffered heavy casualties, it wasn’t for nought. A thick ink-like liquid was flowing out from the Royal Lord’s wounds, which seemed to be her blood.
A vicious look had taken over the beautiful face of the Black Ink Master, and the pain and anger made her look even uglier.
The moment Yang Kai stepped into the battlefield, the Black Ink Master immediately focused her attention on him. His Purifying Light had caused her to suffer quite a bit over the past 100 years. Hatred filled her eyes at the sight of Yang Kai, like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
Liu Mu promptly took the lead and charged ahead.
With a crisp clang, the spider thread bounced up and down as it became pointed, dancing in the void and turning the road ahead into a thorny dead zone.
Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques flew out from Liu Mu’s hands as World Force surged and swept away all obstacles blocking their path.
The Black Ink Master quickly realized Liu Mu’s aim; obviously, he was trying to create an opportunity for Yang Kai to act. In response, she sneered and snarled, “In your dreams!”
She raised her head slightly as she swung her legs, aiming at Liu Mu from afar. The next moment, black light shot out from the claw-like barbs on her long legs like lightning.
Liu Mu had not expected the Black Ink Master to have such a Secret Technique up her sleeve as she had not used this move once during the previous battle.
In a moment of carelessness, he did not have the time to defend himself. Left with no other option, he quickly leaned to the side.
The black light brushed past his shoulder, but Liu Mu jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on as he promptly used his fingers to cut off the flesh on his shoulder.
The severed part of his shoulder was instantly burned to ashes by a flame-like power.
He was bleeding profusely from his shoulder and was in a lot of pain. Be that as it may, Liu Mu ignored it like it was nothing and turned his head, looking at Yang Kai. When he saw that Yang Kai was still following closely behind him without the slightest injury, Liu Mu finally relaxed.
“Watch out!” Yang Kai warned.
Liu Mu’s expression changed as more black beams of light came shooting at him, reaching him in the blink of an eye.
Liu Mu’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He let out a furious roar as a towering figure suddenly appeared behind him. It was a golden armoured man, majestic and awe-inspiring.
The armoured man was over a dozen metres tall and its body was completely covered in thick, shining armour, making it impossible to see its face. It held a long sabre in its hand that gave off a sheen which made it seem capable of slaying all evil.
This was Liu Mu’s Divine Manifestation.
As an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Six Wood Divine Monarch naturally had his own Divine Manifestation, but he wouldn’t use it easily because it was the most powerful move in his arsenal and also a method of last resort.
Be that as it may, he was left with no choice but to use this move under the fearsome attacks of the Black Ink Master.
Liu Mu’s figure became one with the golden-armoured giant as he swung his sabre down, blocking the oncoming black beams of light. Every time the sabre cut a black beam, the golden-armoured giant would tremble and retreat.
The golden-armoured giant had retreated several hundred meters in just a few breaths of time, but there was no end to the black beams of light in sight.
The golden-armoured giant couldn’t defend itself any longer, but just as a black beam of light was about to shatter it, two figures suddenly appeared from either side.
Both of them were Eighth-Order Ancestors from different Cave Heavens and Paradises.
The next moment, profound Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques were unleashed, finally halting the barrage of black beams with the combined strength of many people.
Liu Mu looked over and nodded to the reinforcements before taking the lead and pushing ahead like a great general.
Over a dozen Eighth-Order Masters formed two wings on either side of Yang Kai as they pressed forward.
The Black Ink Master’s fearsome might was deeply rooted in everyone’s heart. Every Master from the Cave Heavens and Paradises had experienced the dreadful strength of the Royal Lord first-hand. She had fought against over 1,000 High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters all by herself, yet she was still as fearsome as ever.
The black beams of light kept shooting at them, but they were all neutralized by the Eighth-Order Ancestors.
Even as they drew closer to one another, the ghastly spider threads couldn’t stop their advance.
Lan You Ruo had already fallen back.
She had guessed the Eighth-Order Ancestors’ plan and didn’t want to drag them down. Instead, she took a relatively safe position and fired a series of Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques at the enormous body of the Black Ink Master.
She was not alone. There were many Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises around her. Furthermore, the dozen or so Eighth-Order Ancestors, who were protecting Yang Kai, were drawing most of the Black Ink Masters’ attention, which actually ensured the others’ safety for the most part.
A trace of panic appeared on the Black Ink Master’s face, obviously recalling the power of the Purifying Light.
Particularly when Yang Kai began to absorb the energy of the Yellow and Blue Crystals in his Small Universe. As each of his hands began to glow in different colours, her panic became even more apparent.
Liu Mu treated this trace of panic as a sign that she was at the end of her rope, and pressed the attack.
Suddenly, the corners of the Black Ink Master’s lips rose into a cruel sneer as a vertical crack appeared on her forehead. This crack in her forehead was like a third eye and was giving off a malevolent aura.
A black beam of light that was even denser than the previous Black Ink beams shot out from this third eye and arrived before the charging group of Ancestors in a flash.
Liu Mu and the others’ expressions drastically changed. The Black Ink Master possessing such a Divine Ability was totally out of their expectations.
They didn’t feel any threat from the previous black beams of light when they were grouped up, but they instinctively had a bad feeling now.
The black beam of light was not targeting anyone though, and when it reached the lead group, it suddenly exploded, transforming into a giant black net.
The net instantly blocked the entire region, enveloping all of them inside.
No one could avoid it. The next moment, blasts of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm World Force surged as Divine Manifestations emerged one after another. The Eighth-Order Masters could no longer act conservatively and immediately used their most powerful Secret Techniques to repel the black net.
The black net was incomparably tough and impervious to all techniques though.
Everyone was caught in the net in a flash.
All the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters fell into despair and one even cursed in alarm, “We’re screwed!”
The giant black net also had the characteristics of the Black Ink Strength. Not only was it sharp, but it was also extremely corrosive. When the Eighth-Order Masters were caught in it, they felt as if their bodies were being sliced into by the net and Black Ink Strength was beginning to seep into their bodies.
The next moment, the Black Ink Master pulled the net, reeling in her catch.
When the nearby High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters outside the net saw this, they immediately tried to rescue them, but it was to no avail.
The trapped Eight-Order Masters found it even more difficult to save themselves. Each of them was too close to the other, so even if they wanted to go all out, there was a risk of accidentally injuring their nearby companions. Everyone was at a loss as to what to do.
The Black Ink Master’s shrill cackling reverberated through the void. As the giant net pulled closer and closer to the Black Ink Master, a giant crack appeared on her bulging abdomen. Jagged fangs were on either side of the crack, making it look like a second mouth that could swallow everything.
It was at that moment that a powerful Purifying Light bloomed, rising like a Sun and instantly enveloping all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The giant net, which could not be destroyed even by the Eight-Order Masters’ Divine Manifestations, rapidly melted like snow under a blazing sun. Even the surrounding Black Ink Strength was swiftly vaporized.
The Black Ink Master’s smile instantly turned stiff! It wasn’t that she forgot about the restraining effects of the Purifying Light; rather, she felt that she had more or less figured out the power of the Purifying Light after spending 100 years together with Yang Kai. The Purifying Light Yang Kai had displayed before was indeed powerful, but not to this extent.
What she didn’t know was that during those 100 years, Yang Kai was confronting her in the cage, he had only used the Yellow and Blue Crystals at or below the Sixth Order to display the Purifying Light. After all, Yang Kai had to conserve his resources in order to fight a protracted battle. Although he had countless Yellow and Blue Crystals, he didn’t dare to squander them freely.
But as he was facing the freed Black Ink Master just now, Yang Kai had gone all out and absorbed a massive amount of Eighth-Order Yellow and Blue Crystals.
As a result, the Purifying Light he was able to display was naturally much stronger. The Eighth-Order Yellow and Blue Crystals were the highest Order materials he possessed.
Having been freed, the dozen or so Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters promptly use their Divine Manifestation to attack the Black Ink Master.
This was a Heaven-sent opportunity. Once before, they had tried to break through the Black Ink Master’s blockade and engage in a melee with her, but none had been able to reach her. Everyone who tried to approach her was blocked by the defensive web she had spun.
But this time, she was the one who took the initiative to drag them into close quarters.
Blasts of World Force surged as Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities bombarded the Black Ink Master’s enormous body. Her beautiful face turned pale as she cried out in pain again and again. Seemingly falling into a rage, she began wildly swinging her long legs in an attempt to counterattack.
Panic quickly replaced her rage though as the dazzling white sun that had broken her Secret Technique was forcefully shoved into the crack in her abdomen.
Although Yang Kai was sent flying by one of her long legs the next instant, the Black Ink Master’s abdomen had gone through an earth-shattering change.
Everyone could clearly feel that the Black Ink Master’s aura weakened at a speed visible to the naked eye and was overjoyed, immediately increasing the intensity of their attacks.
A series of violent explosions rang out as the dozen or so Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters attacked to their heart’s content. It had been many years since they had a chance to unleash their strength like this. Having reached their current strength and position meant that there weren’t many targets worthy of them to personally take action against, so this was a rare chance to let loose.
When they first fought with the Black Ink Master, they had clearly been a little out of practice, but as time wore on, their attacks became more and more intense. They were acting as if they had suddenly become thousands of years younger, returning to their hot-blooded youth.
The Purifying Light kept bursting from Yang Kai’s hands, and each time his attack would cause varying degrees of injuries to the Black Ink Master.
The Black Ink Master’s enraged counterattack did not cease. From time to time, the aura of a Small Universe’s collapse could be felt from behind, indicating that a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master had fallen.
But even more Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters broke through the Black Ink Master’s web blockade and joined the battle.
It was quite a chaotic battle. Nonetheless, everyone knew what they had to do, especially Yang Kai, who was constantly guarded by four or five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Everyone knew that Yang Kai’s Purifying Light was the sharpest weapon they had against the Black Ink Master. Although he was only a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the damage he could cause to her with each blow was something that none of these Eighth-Order Masters were capable of.
The Black Ink Master’s aura continued to weaken, and after an initial struggle, it looked like she no longer had the strength to fight back. This situation greatly motivated the many High-Rank Masters.
The Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises kept unleashing their Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities. This was the first time in countless years that the Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises had come together in the 3,000 Worlds to battle an enemy, and besides Yang Kai, everyone participating in the battle was a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
After 100 years, everyone had managed to cultivate enough Profound Yin Bamboo in their respective Small Universe to provide a sturdy defence against the corrosion of the Black Ink Strength.
Some people got corroded by the Black Ink Strength from time to time and promptly cut off parts of their Small Universes. They would rather have their strength permanently decline than bother Yang Kai at this moment; after all, the Purifying Light in his hands was the best weapon against the Black Ink Master.
Things were looking increasingly grim for the Royal Lord! Everyone could see that she was at the end of her rope.
Yang Kai, however, was puzzled, because the Black Ink Master showed no intention of escaping from beginning to end. It was true that she was a Royal Lord, and at her peak, she possessed strength comparable to a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but after having been imprisoned for countless millennia, she was just a shadow of her former self. She might have killed many Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises here, but she was still just a cornered beast.
So why didn’t she flee?
Not only was she not fleeing in fact, she’s not even moving around.
The Super Array had already been destroyed, so nothing was restraining her freedom anymore. If she wanted to escape, no one here could have stopped her, no matter how many Masters there were from the Cave Heavens and Paradises. What’s more, even though Black Territory had been sealed, she knew about that. More importantly, it probably wouldn’t be difficult for her to break through any kind of seal with her strength.
But for some reason, she wasn’t fleeing or even changing her position. This was definitely not due to arrogance.
Just as he was feeling puzzled, the weakened Black Ink Master suddenly took a deep breath.
The next moment, a long whistle came from the forefront, echoing throughout the void. It was a signal sent by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who had caught sight of her actions.
But the next moment, a cruel and savage look blanketed the Black Ink Master’s face as she opened her mouth and let out a deafening scream, drowning out that whistle. At the same time, a sound wave visible to the eye spread out from her position.
Everyone was like a ship sailing on a stormy sea. They instantly lost their footing and were pushed back by the sound wave. Not only that, but everyone also jolted as their Small Universe’s strength suddenly became unstable.
This roar seemed to be a type of Secret Technique which targeted Small Universes directly. The Masters were still affected even with the protection of the Profound Yin Bamboo.
Only Yang Kai’s Small Universe remained completely stable. Be that as it may, the fact that he was just in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master put him at a disadvantage. Though his World Force could still flow steadily, the sheer magnitude of the scream sent him tumbling like a leaf in the autumn wind.
Fortunately, an Eighth-Order guard near him grabbed him at the critical moment and pulled him over.
“Many thanks, Senior!” Yang Kai quickly thanked him.
But the next moment, he realized that he was in grave danger. It might have looked as if the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had grabbed him out of goodwill, but after holding him, a burst of fearsome force came from that Master’s giant hand as he gripped him tighter.
Yang Kai looked up at the Master and noticed an expression of struggle on his face as an eerie black soon replaced his healthy complexion.
“Black Ink corruption!” Yang Kai was beside himself with shock, unable to understand how this Eighth-Order Master had been turned into a Black Ink Disciple.
Yang Kai might not know the name of this Eighth-Order Ancestor, but he still recognized him. He was an Ancestor of Luo Sheng Cave Heaven and had an unfathomable cultivation.
Just a little while ago, this man along with a dozen other Eighth-Order Masters had jumped in and protected him with Liu Mu as they pressed towards the Black Ink Master.
When they were caught inside the black net released by the Black Ink Master, this man was trapped inside as well. Furthermore, he had always been protecting Yang Kai, even when that put him in a dangerous predicament.
Yang Kai hadn’t sensed any Black Ink Strength from this Ancestor, nor did the man show any signs of being seriously injured, which was why Yang Kai had not expected this Eighth-Order Master beside him to turn into a Black Ink Disciple all of a sudden.
A dark gleam flashed across his eyes. The Eighth-Order Ancestor seemed to have transformed into a completely different person, exuding an extremely dangerous aura.
Yang Kai instinctually raised his hand and summoned his Azure Dragon Spear, pouring in all of his strength as he thrust it out.
But the gap between the two was simply too big. The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple swept aside the Azure Dragon Spear with a casual wave of his hand. Yang Kai almost had his arm torn off as a result, his all-out attack seemingly posing no threat to the enemy. A giant hand was lightly swinging towards Yang Kai’s head in the next instant, but this seemingly gentle palm strike contained a terrifying power and momentum.
In this life-or-death crisis, Yang Kai’s hand suddenly ballooned and transformed into a Dragon Claw which he pushed out with all his might.
Cracking sounds echoed as Yang Kai’s wrist bones shattered from the violent clash. Nonetheless, he managed to escape from the other party’s grasp.
Still, the palm strike was not entirely deflected and lightly landed on Yang Kai’s now much-enlarged shoulder.
Light as that attack may have looked, Yang Kai felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His face turned pale as his shoulder caved in.
Seeing that his attack had failed, no obvious change in expression on the Luo Sheng Cave Heaven Eighth-Order Ancestor’s face was noticed. He just pointed his finger towards Yang Kai’s head at lightning speed.
[I can’t dodge it!] With his Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, it was already Yang Kai’s limit to parry the first strike, leaving him no strength to avoid this follow-up attack.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai’s momentary struggle had given the other Ancestors the time needed to react. One of them pulled Yang Kai behind him and raised his hand to meet the oncoming blow, while the others unleashed their Divine Abilities.
Luo Sheng Heaven’s Eighth-Order Master hurriedly exchanged a few blows before his figure jolted as blood trickled down the corner of his mouth.
Yang Kai turned around, hearing the sounds of fighting around him. A solemn look took over his face.
It wasn’t just Luo Sheng Heaven’s Eighth-Order Ancestor who had been corrupted. Four other Ancestors were currently fighting with the others.
No one knew how they had been turned as not a single Eighth-Order Ancestor had been corrupted from the beginning of the siege of the Black Ink Master until now. Only Seventh-Order Masters had degenerated into Black Ink Disciples.
Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were extremely powerful and possessed a certain level of resistance against the Black Ink Strength. Coupled with the Profound Yin Bamboo, there was basically no risk of them being corrupted by the Black Ink Strength.
It was precisely because they were so confident that so many Eighth-Order Ancestors could confront the Black Ink Master head-on. But by the looks of it, they had been too careless.
It wasn’t that the Black Ink Master was unable to corrupt the Eighth-Order Masters, but that she had been hiding this ability all along. She had only used it at the last moment, corrupting five Eighth-Order Masters at once.
“Royal Lord Secret Technique!” The Eighth-Order Ancestor, who had pulled Yang Kai behind him just now, didn’t participate in the battle and coldly muttered instead, a profound look of sadness filling his face.
Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Obviously, the Eighth-Order Ancestors had a certain understanding of the Black Ink Master’s abilities. When he had asked Six Wood Divine Monarch about the Black Ink Clan Royal Lords, he had said that they were comparable to Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Now, when Yang Kai heard this Ancestors mutter the words ‘Royal Lord Secret Technique’, it was apparent that the Black Ink Royal Lord could not use this Secret Technique easily; otherwise, she wouldn’t have waited until now to cast it.
“Everything is within our expectations, don’t panic,” assured the Eighth-Order Ancestor without even turning his head, though Yang Kai knew he was talking to him.
Yang Kai nodded silently but he did not let his guard down.
Yang Kai had no idea whether the Eighth-Order Ancestor protecting him was also corroded by the Black Ink Strength or not; as such, he secretly circulated the power of his Small Universe to guard against any unexpected situations.
This sudden change threw the entire battlefield into chaos and it became difficult to distinguish friend from foe. Everyone, whether it was those who were fighting with Black Ink Disciples, or those who were watching, all became vigilant.
Seemingly sensing Yang Kai’s vigilance towards him, the Eighth-Order Ancestor explained, “Although we old fogies have never fought with the Black Ink Clan before, we’re not completely lacking information about them. The Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises have been resisting the Black Ink Clan’s invasion for many millennia in another place. It is thanks to their protection that the 3,000 Worlds has been able to flourish until now.”
This revelation shook Yang Kai to the core, but he didn’t ask any questions. He felt that he was slowly coming into contact with the core secrets of this world.
“Aren’t you curious why the Cave Heavens and Paradises have no Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters even after so many years of accumulation? Why we aren’t as powerful as you think we should be?”
Yang Kai didn’t refute this Senior’s questions as he did have such doubts.
Not to mention the existence of a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, even the Cave Heavens and Paradises’ heritage was not as strong as he had imagined it to be.
Logically speaking, each Cave Heaven and Paradise was a top force that no one in the 3,000 Worlds dared to challenge. Year after year, millennia and millennia they had cultivated countless elite disciples. Open Heaven Realm Masters had extremely long lifespans, so after countless aeons of accumulation, each Cave Heaven and Paradise should have at least 10,000 or perhaps even more High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
However, Yang Kai had been to Lang Ya Paradise and Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and seen their heritage up close. He might not know everything about these two forces, but he knew that they certainly did not possess so many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Now, he finally understood why!
Pondering for a moment, he asked, “The Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises are all on that battlefield, and most of the elite disciples you have gained have been dispatched there over the years?”
The Eighth-Order Ancestor smiled, “You’re a smart one. I didn’t need to explain too much for you to understand. That’s right, the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors of the Cave Heavens and Paradises are all stationed on that battlefield. Furthermore, the Cave Heavens and Paradises must send reinforcements there every few years to replenish the ranks.”
Yang Kai was filled with respect, “So, this is the reason why the Cave Heavens and Paradises have all remained allies since ancient times!”
A long time ago, he had found the close relationship between the Cave Heavens and Paradises strange. As the saying went, a mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. Even ordinary tigers fought with each other, let alone behemoths like the Cave Heavens and Paradises. But even after so many years, these top forces had always lived in harmony and never had any intense conflicts. At most, there were some harmless disagreements.
Now, Yang Kai understood that it was the existence of an even greater danger that kept the Cave Heavens and Paradises so united.
If it weren’t for this external threat, the greed of humanity would have run amok. At that time, the 3,000 Worlds would likely have descended into a state of constant war.
It was already difficult to fight a single Black Ink Royal Lord even with so many High-Rank Masters on their side, so Yang Kai was having a very hard time imagining what kind of battlefield it would be for the various Cave Heavens and Paradises to have to constantly send the vast majority of their elites just to maintain the line.
“Once you step through the No-Return Pass, you can never return! That is the boundary between chaos and peace, the final line of defence of the 3,000 Worlds. Once you cross over, only one of two fates awaits you.”
He seemed to be answering his own question, “Die at the hands of the Black Ink Clan, or die at the hands of your fellow comrades!”
There was no other fate apart from these two, the only thing waiting after crossing the No-Return Pass was death.
Yang Kai slightly furrowed his brow, [I get it that we can die at the hands of the Black Ink Clan in that unknown battlefield, but dying at the hands of my fellow comrades…]
However, when he saw the situation on the battlefield, he instantly came to an understanding.
In that place, it would be a common occurrence to be turned into a Black Ink Disciple. Their fellow disciples would surely not show any mercy against Black Ink Disciples.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai still failed to understand, “No one can survive? Really?”
“On that battlefield, death is only a matter of time. The statement ‘once you cross the No-Return Pass’ is not mere rhetoric. It has been hundreds of thousands of years since the establishment of the No-Return Pass, but in all these years, there has never been a precedent for anyone coming back after stepping through. This is why the Cave Heavens and Paradises need to cultivate a large number of talents in order to constantly invest manpower into that battlefield.”
Yang Kai fell silent for a moment before asking in a low voice, “Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Xu Ling Gong went to that battlefield?”
The Eighth-Order Ancestor replied, shaking his head, “This Old Master has been in seclusion for many years and doesn’t know any Xu Ling Gong. However, a group of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciples did cross the No-Return Pass several hundred years ago.”
He finally had an answer to his doubts.
Yang Kai always found it very strange when he failed to spot Xu Ling Gong in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven; after all, when Qu Hua Shang’s 100-year confinement ended, there was no reason for Xu Ling Gong to not appear.
The answer Yin-Yang Cave Heaven had given was that Xu Ling Gong was carrying out a mission for the Sect, but by the looks of it, he had left the 3,000 Worlds with other Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciples when they parted ways at the Star Boundary.
Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue must have gone with their Honoured Master.
“Although no one has ever returned from the No-Return Pass, sometimes information can still be relayed when the passage is opened. The Cave Heavens and Paradises’ information on the Black Ink Clan comes from that side.”
“The Black Ink Royal Lords might be as strong as Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but if that was all it was, we wouldn’t have to worry so much about this situation. Her strength has greatly diminished after being imprisoned for so many years, so it wouldn’t have been difficult for the Cave Heavens and Paradises to deal with her with our remaining heritage, it is just that we would need to pay a price to do so. There is only one thing that we were concerned about. The Black Ink Royal Lords have a Secret Technique that even Eighth-Order Masters like us can’t resist. Once we are hit by it, we will instantly transform into Black Ink Disciples and become loyal slaves to her.”
These pieces of information were sent back through the No-Return Pass and came at a price of countless years of sacrifice.
This was the situation Yang Kai saw.
The Royal Lord used her Royal Lord Secret Technique, instantly converting five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters into Black Ink Disciples, throwing the rest into a panic. Furthermore, no one knew if there were any other Black Ink Disciples hiding apart from these five.
Be that as it may, everyone had already anticipated this situation, which was why others had immediately come to Yang Kai’s rescue when the Luo Sheng Heaven Eighth-Order Ancestor attacked him.
The current situation was something they had to bear during the course of this battle until now.
“She has reached the end of her rope!” The Eighth-Order Ancestor standing next to Yang Kai let out a sigh of relief, as if a heavy stone had been lifted off his heart and he could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
According to the information they had obtained, a Royal Lord would never use this Secret Technique unless they were absolutely forced to. Because although this Secret Technique was incomparably profound, it consumed a great deal of the Royal Lord’s strength. It was the kind of Secret Technique that was used in a do-or-die kind of situation.
Now that she had to resort to it, it meant she was on her last leg.
Yang Kai looked up at the Black Ink Royal Lord and could tell that her aura was extremely weak. Her vast Will that had been filling the void previously was almost gone.
Yang Kai was filled with profound respect.
The Cave Heavens and Paradises Eighth-Order Ancestors had already anticipated this situation before participating in the battle. All of them were mentally prepared to be transformed into Black Ink Disciples. They knew that in order to have any hope of winning, they would have to force the Royal Lord to use her Secret Technique.
No one knew if they would be the ones to be turned into Black Ink Disciples, but everyone was prepared to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the 3,000 Worlds’ survival.
Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities flashed one after another as the wanton blasts of World Force crushed and warped space. While Yang Kai and the Eighth-Order Ancestor were talking, the five corrupted Eighth-Order Masters had been completely surrounded. Their close allies had turned into their enemies, pointing their weapons at them and ruthlessly attacking without mercy.
They couldn’t show any hesitation. Unlike the corrupted Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, who the Eighth-Order Ancestors could subdue and deliver to Yang Kai, allowing him to use the Purifying Light to free them, the Eighth-Order Ancestors had profound cultivations, so trying to capture them alive was too dangerous. The only way to deal with them was to kill them!
All of them had been mentally prepared for this very scenario.
The five corrupted Masters gathered around and attacked left and right, displaying their respective Divine Manifestations and confronting the rest of the Masters.
Suddenly, a fountain of blood flew into the void. Someone was finally injured. One of the five old men staggered as one of his arms flew into the air. But before he could regain his footing, another two powerful Secret Techniques struck him.
It was unknown which Cave Heaven or Paradise this old man belonged to, but his cultivation was quite profound. He did not fall even after suffering such a serious injury, though he did cut a sorry figure, covered in blood.
It appeared as if he couldn’t feel any pain. Suddenly, Yang Kai’s expression became stiff. His figure flickered as he promptly retreated. An extremely dangerous aura was radiating from the injured old man.
This was a sign of self-destruction.
Everyone quickly dispersed at the sight of this.
The self-destruction of a Small Universe might not be able to deter the Eighth-Order Ancestors, but Black Ink Disciple’s self-destruction could not be ignored. Once he self-destructed, the Black Ink Strength in his Small Universe would disseminate, and that posed quite a threat to them.
The next moment, a shockwave shook the void as the old man’s Small Universe collapsed. Spirit Provinces enveloped with a thick ink-like energy manifested, chasing after the fleeing crowd like a tsunami, trying to envelop them.
Fortunately, no one was affected by the Black Ink Strength.
But by the time they turned to look back, the other four Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples had all rushed to the side of the Black Ink Royal Lord.
The fierce battle had left them covered in wounds, but their expressions were firm and their eyes filled with determination. It was as if they were the most devoted of believers, protecting their God. Even if the world were to collapse, they would never allow outsiders to harm the Royal Lord.
The Eighth-Order Masters who still had their clarity were filled with grief. Although they were mentally prepared when they were forced to kill their own comrades, even their calm and tranquil state of mind was affected.
The Black Ink Royal Lord’s weakness was quite obvious. It was as if she didn’t even have the strength to stand up straight. Her giant spider-like body lay motionless, staring at everyone with incomparable hatred.
*Shua shua shua…*
One after another, figures rushed over from the periphery. Hundreds of Eighth-Order and Seventh-Order Masters rushed in, forming a giant encirclement around the Black Ink Master.
This time, it was impossible for her to survive.
Yang Kai turned around and noticed Lan You Ruo in the crowd.
Her face was slightly pale and her clothes were stained in blood, but she looked like she was otherwise alright. This put his mind at ease.
Even when she was in such a dangerous situation, the Black Ink Royal Lord gently smiled, her voice still as pleasant as ever, “Do you think you’ve won?”
No one answered her. Hundreds of pairs of eyes stared at her coldly, each one was filled with burning hatred.
Although the battle with her had not lasted too long, every Cave Heaven and Paradise had suffered heavy casualties. Even Eighth-Order Ancestors had fallen in this battle, something that had not happened in countless years.
Be that as it may, it was a small price to pay to kill a Black Ink Royal Lord.
After all, she was someone as strong as a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. If it weren’t for the fact that she had been imprisoned for countless years, causing her strength to drastically fall, they wouldn’t have been able to do anything to her no matter how many people they had gathered.
“If you want to kill me, then get on with it!” The Black Ink Master suddenly screamed, “Let’s see if you can still laugh after I die!”
Although she said so, she obviously didn’t intend to sit back and let herself be killed.
An Eight-Order Black Ink Disciple, who was guarding her, suddenly moved towards her and raised his arm, standing in front of her.
The Black Ink Master opened her mouth and bit off the Eighth-Order Ancestor’s arm as her cherry lips transformed into a giant, hideous mouth. Blood dripped from her mouth as she chewed a few times before swallowing.
The next moment, her weakened aura quickly started to recover.
She opened her mouth again and bit off half of the Eighth-Order Ancestor chest.
“Martial Uncle!” The eyes of some Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the crowd cracked wide open and turned bloodshot. The Eighth Order who was being eaten alive by the Black Ink Master was an Ancestor of his Sect.
“Kill!” An angry shout rang out from the crowd. No one knew which Ancestor had given the order.
The consumption of the Royal Lord’s Secret Technique was enormous, and they had paid such a heavy price to force her to use it. They could not give her any chance to recover.
The Black Ink Master was extremely fast. She had eaten the entire Eighth-Order Master in just a few bites, allowing her to recover a bit.
Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities flew at the Black Ink Master in the next instant, leaving long dazzling trails in the void, drowning her instantly.
The remaining three Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples used their Divine Manifestations, protecting the Royal Lord, but they were swiftly overwhelmed by the endless barrage.
Before the first wave of attacks even subsided, a second wave was launched.
A moment later, three consecutive fluctuations of Small Universes collapsing spread out.
The three Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples had fallen. They had no intention of escaping, and only death awaited them in the face of such overwhelming attacks.
Everyone’s attacks became more ruthless, as if they wanted to vent all their anger and frustrations.
A miserable scream came from the Black Ink Master. Although she had eaten the flesh and blood of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to regain some of her strength, it was far from enough for her to use her Royal Lord Secret Technique again.
The only fate that awaited her was death.
The dazzling flashes gradually ceased as the shockwaves from the previous attacks spread out. Everyone looked at the Black Ink Master and saw that her entire body was covered in wounds. Her pretty face was mangled and a few of her long spider legs were blasted away.
However, she was still alive. Her massive body was lying in place as she glared at everyone around her with eyes filled with hatred.
It took almost everything for the Black Ink Royal Lord to support her massive body with her last three legs. She raised her head and puffed out her chest, stubbornly maintaining her dignity and pride.
Disdain filled her arrogant eyes as she stared at everyone, “Go ahead, what are you waiting for?”
All eyes turned to Yang Kai.
The Black Ink Royal Lord was like a centipede that refused to fall even after death. The fact that so many of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters failed to take her life was a testament to her tenacity to live. In order to completely destroy her, the Purifying Light was the best option.
Yang Kai stepped forward without a moment of hesitation. His left and right hands glowed with different colours, and when he brought his palms together, the two-coloured lights merged and gave birth to pure white light.
Yang Kai stepped closer to the Black Ink Master, asking the question that had been bugging him this whole time, “Why didn’t you escape?”
Even though she was in such a dangerous predicament, she had not moved from her spot, as if she had been locked in a place by a great force.
The corners of the Black Ink Royal Lord’s mouth rose into a smile but she remained silent. The contempt in her eyes only grew stronger.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. He felt that something was not right. Nonetheless, he did not have the luxury to think too deeply about it. The Black Ink Royal Lord was already like an arrow at the end of its flight; furthermore, if he didn’t kill her now, there would be no end to the future trouble.
The next moment, the dazzling white light grew stronger before it transformed into a halo that enveloped the Black Ink Master completely.
The Black Ink Master grimaced in pain, but she clenched her teeth and didn’t scream.
Cracking sounds rang out as thick black wisps emerged from her wounds before disappearing into nothingness, causing her already weak aura to become even weaker.
Nevertheless, the Royal Lord seemed as if she had been extricated from a huge burden. She raised her head slightly as her eyes turned blurry.
The halo of light continued to wash over the giant spider’s body, constantly purifying the Black Ink Strength. The Black Ink Master’s body quickly became translucent as the Black Ink Strength was purified.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, only a hazy illusory phantom remained of the Black Ink Royal Lord’s body.
Suddenly, she smiled at Yang Kai and proclaimed, “Black Ink Eternal!”
The moment she finished speaking, her body burst like a bubble and completely disappeared.
As the light faded away, Yang Kai stared at the spot where her corpse vanished, furrowing his brow. Even if she was on her last leg, the Black Ink Royal Lord should still have had plenty of strength to fight back, but when he was purifying her just now, she didn’t resist at all. Yang Kai found this very strange.
This question had been plaguing Yang Kai’s mind all the while, but it remained unanswered.
Silence filled the void. Everyone stared at the place where the Black Ink Master had disappeared, neither cheering nor celebrating.
The Cave Heavens and Paradises might have won, but the price they had paid was simply too great. They had lost some 300 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, as well as five Eighth-Order Masters. Each of their corpses was beyond recognition.
Not only that, many surviving High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had discarded a part of their Small Universe in order to avoid being corrupted by the Black Ink Strength. This had damaged their foundation and they would never be able to advance their cultivation again.
Such heavy casualties were unprecedented.
Everyone quietly cleaned up the battlefield, collecting the remains of their fellow disciples.
There were many shattered Spirit Provinces surrounded by the Black Ink Strength scattered in the void; some were voluntarily cut off, some were left after the explosion of the Small Universe before the death of the Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Lan You Ruo flew to Yang Kai’s side and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
She could tell that Yang Kai was somewhat distracted.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t understand.”
Lan You Ruo could guess what was going on in Yang Kai’s mind; after all, Yang Kai had asked the Black Ink Master his doubts out loud. She knew that he was mulling over why the Black Ink Master had not tried to escape, not even once. Nodding, she added, “I’m also a bit curious, but she’s already dead. Even if she was scheming something, she can do nothing now.”
“I hope not,” Yang Kai lightly mumbled.
Liu Mu walked over and stated, nodding slightly to Yang Kai, “You’ll have to continue working hard for a while. There is still a lot of Black Ink Strength lingering here. We need to dispel it as soon as possible.”
Yang Kai replied, “Senior, don’t worry, this Junior will take ca…”
Before he could finish his sentence though, a furrow suddenly appeared on his brow as he turned his head, looking in a certain direction. It was the direction where the Black Ink Master had fallen.
Liu Mu and Lan You Ruo, who were standing next to him, also turned their heads, but they failed to spot anything.
However, Yang Kai noticed something. His figure flickered, and he arrived at the spot where the Black Ink Master had died. He then closed his eyes and quietly sensed the surroundings.
The Eighth-Order Ancestors noticed his movements and their expressions became solemn as they slowly approached.
Someone asked Liu Mu, “What’s wrong?”
Liu Mu turned to Lan You Ruo and asked, “Do you know?”
Lan You Ruo shook her head, indicating that she had no idea.
No one had any clue what was going on, but Yang Kai’s actions had struck everyone’s taut nerves; after all, they had just fought a huge battle with the Black Ink Royal Lord and although they had won at a huge price, no one knew if she left some kind of machination behind or not.
A series of orders were sent out. The High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who were cleaning up the battlefield quickly gathered around. Hundreds of people formed a huge circle around Yang Kai, staring at him as if there was another Royal Lord standing there.
After a while, Yang Kai finally opened his eyes and a solemn look filled his face.
Liu Mu lowered his voice, speaking like a thief, “Yang Boy, what did you find?”
Yang Kai turned around and replied in a heavy voice, “There seems to be a Void Corridor here!”
Everyone’s expression changed when they heard this. Liu Mu even rushed forward to Yang Kai’s side and focused his senses.
A moment later, he nodded, “There is indeed something here.”
Although his cultivation was much higher than Yang Kai’s, he wasn’t proficient in the Dao of Space. Even if Yang Kai was able to sense something, he might not be able to; however, being directed by Yang Kai, he meticulously probed the surrounding space and finally found something was wrong.
Other Eighth-Order Ancestors also investigated. Some noticed something, while others failed to.
However, they all knew that Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, and since he had said so, he must have noticed something.
“Where does it lead to?” An Eighth-Order Ancestor asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t know! Moreover, this Void Corridor shows signs of being sealed. Judging by the method used to seal it, it should be quite old, but the seal has become loose for some reason. As for where it leads… I have a guess.”
Liu Mu’s face went pale and snapped, “Don’t make wild conclusions!”
He vaguely understood what Yang Kai was thinking. If his guess was true, then the 3,000 Worlds would definitely face a great catastrophe.
Yang Kai remained silent, but someone answered in his place, “The Black Ink Battlefield!”
Everyone’s hearts sank. The Black Ink Battlefield was the place where countless Cave Heaven and Paradise Masters fought against the Black Ink Clan, a place only accessible through the No-Return Pass.
It was precisely because there was only one entrance to the Black Ink Battlefield that the 3,000 Worlds could remain safe until now.
However, if there was a Void Corridor that led directly to the Black Ink Battlefield, the No-Return Pass would become meaningless, and the sacrifices that the Cave Heavens and Paradises had made over the years would be for nothing.
A heavy sigh escaped someone’s lips as he stated, “It seems we’ve all made a mistake. The Super Array in the Black Prison was not meant to imprison that Black Ink Royal Lord, but rather to seal this Void Corridor.”
Perhaps the Royal Lord was even a part of the Black Prison’s Super Array!
The Black Ink Master’s snide remark before her death rang in everyone’s ears.
‘Do you think you’ve won? If you want to kill me, then get on with it! Let’s see if you can still laugh after I die!’
Everyone thought she was just venting before her death, so none of them understood the hidden meaning behind her words. She would not reveal this secret to everyone either, because her death meant that the Super Array in Black Territory had been completely broken and the sealed Void Corridor would soon be revealed, connecting the 3,000 Worlds and the Black Ink Battlefield.
In other words, the Black Ink Clan could come through this Void Corridor at any moment.
A silent and heavy aura enveloped the crowd, causing everyone’s expressions to turn extremely solemn.
They had thought that after experiencing so much hardship, they had finally obtained victory, but who would have thought that this was just the beginning of a disaster?
“Enough nonsense, how do we know if this Void Corridor is connected to the Black Ink Battlefield?” Liu Mu scolded.
“What if it does?” Someone asked.
Liu Mu was speechless.
They could not take the chance, nor could ignore the situation. Even if there was a one-in-a-million chance, it concerned the lives of everyone in the 3,000 Worlds.
Liu Mu turned to Yang Kai and asked, “Can you determine where it leads to?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “This Void Corridor has been sealed once. That Black Ink Royal Lord might have been a part of the seal, but this seal will not be breaking anytime soon just because she is dead. I need a few more days until the seal loosens before I can confirm the situation on the other side.”
“Then, we’ll wait!” An Eighth-Order Ancestor quickly added, “Yang Kai, we need you to guard this place and observe this Void Corridor at all times. As soon as you get a chance, investigate the situation on the other side.”
“Of course!” Yang Kai cupped his fist.
Finished speaking, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged on the spot to recover and monitor the changes in the Void Corridor.
The High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters held a discussion before stationing some guards here while the rest dealt with the other problems of the battlefield.
Lan You Ruo stood beside Yang Kai, quietly staring into the void. Even now, she could not sense any traces of the Void Corridor.
She had just advanced to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, so her cultivation was not as profound as those Eighth-Order Ancestors. She was not proficient in the Dao of Space either, so naturally, she could not detect anything.
After a long silence, she suddenly asked, “Is this Void Corridor really connected to the Black Ink Battlefield?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I can’t say for sure, but that’s the most likely scenario.”
This was the first time he had heard of the Black Ink Battlefield, but he understood what kind of place it was.
After a heavy pause, he continued, “I have no idea what exactly happened in the ancient era, but by the looks of it, it’s very likely that what happened back then was like this.”
“The Black Ink Royal Lord might have been fighting in the Black Ink Battlefield, but through some kind of coincidence, she either found or created this Void Corridor and found her way to the 3,000 Worlds.”
“However, she was discovered by the ancient Great Experts the moment she stepped in Black Territory.
“It must have resulted in a Heaven-shaking battle.
“The Ancient Great Experts won in the end, but the appearance of the Void Corridor threw a wrench in their victory.
“Ultimately, the ancient Great Experts set up the Super Array in Black Territory, creating a cage and imprisoning the Black Ink Royal Lord while using her as a core component to seal the Void Corridor.
“Until today!”
This was only Yang Kai’s guess. It was impossible to trace what had happened back then, so no one could say for sure.
There were many unreasonable points in his analysis, but there were some that made sense too.
Yang Kai had always suspected that if the ancient Great Experts had the ability to imprison the Black Ink Master for countless years, why didn’t they just kill her and get it over with? He thought that they didn’t kill her because it was difficult to deal with the Black Ink Strength left behind by the Black Ink Masters after their death, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.
Perhaps the Void Corridor had been created by the Black Ink Royal Lord, so using her to seal it was a better choice.
In the last battle, she had not moved away from the spot, no matter what kind of danger she fell into.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to move, nor was it that she didn’t want to escape, but rather that her entire existence had already become one with the seal of the Void Corridor. She couldn’t escape, nor could she move. She could only remain in one spot and endure the attacks of the Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises until her death.
Had she been able to freely move or escape at any moment, perhaps this battle would have ended differently.
But she was dead now, and the seal had become loose. The Void Corridor was slowly emerging, which made it possible for Yang Kai to notice it.
Lan You Ruo fell into deep thought when she heard this. If Yang Kai’s guess was right, once the seal was completely lifted, the 3,000 Worlds that had enjoyed peace for countless years would be connected to the Black Ink Battlefield. Countless Black Ink Masters would descend into Black Territory through this Void Corridor, plunging the vast universe into chaos.
She could already see corpses littered everywhere, while mournful wails echoed throughout the universe. The thought of this instantly caused her to shudder.
The Black Ink Royal Lord had been drastically weakened after being imprisoned for countless years, but she still made the Cave Heavens and Paradises suffer unimaginable losses. They would definitely not be able to defend themselves if a peak Royal Lord were to appear.
All the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises were stationed on the Black Ink Battlefield, so the remaining forces here would not be able to resist a Royal Lord.
She secretly prayed that the Void Corridor was not connected to the Black Ink Battlefield.
The seal slowly loosened day by day, not deteriorating any faster or slower as time passed, allowing the Void Corridor’s existence to become more and more apparent.
At first, only Yang Kai could sense its existence, and even an Eighth-Order Ancestor like Liu Mu could only barely notice that something was wrong.
But after half a month, any Eighth or Seventh-Order Master could sense the faint Space Principle fluctuations coming from the Void.
This was a clear sign of the continuous loosening of the seal, and once it was completely undone, the Void Corridor would connect the two sides together.
Be that as it may, where the Void Corridor led to was still shrouded in a veil of mystery.
Yang Kai stayed close to the place where the Black Ink Royal Lord had fallen, constantly monitoring its changes.
After working hard for a few days, Liu Mu and the others had finally managed to clean up the battlefield, though the residual Black Ink Strength remained a problem. Without Yang Kai’s help, they could only use their Arrays to seal up the remaining Black Ink Strength and wait to deal with it later.
Flying over to Yang Kai’s side, Liu Mu focused his senses for a moment before a furrow appeared on his brow, “It seems to have become more obvious?”
Yang Kai nodded his agreement, “En.”
“Are you still unable to investigate the situation on the other side?”
Yang Kai shook his head and stated, “The seal still exists, so without the ability to bypass it entirely, there’s nothing I can do.”
This seal was a relic of the ancient era. Yang Kai tried to study it, but to no avail. It belonged to a long-forgotten past, and most of the methods of that time were very different from the current ones. What’s more, the ancient Great Experts who had set up this seal must have had an unfathomable cultivation, so a mere Sixth-Order Master like Yang Kai was unable to grasp the profundities of this seal.
Liu Mu furrowed her brow. Since they couldn’t probe the situation of the other side, they couldn’t determine where the Void Corridor led to, all they could do now was guard against any possible dangers.
“If one day,” Liu Mu asked in a solemn voice, “I mean if this seal is completely broken, will you be able to seal it again?”
Yang Kai nodded his affirmation, “I will!”
His straightforward answer caught Liu Mu by surprise, “Are you sure?”
Yang Kai proudly smiled, “This Junior might be inferior to the ancient Great Experts in terms of cultivation, but when it comes to the Dao of Space, this Junior is confident he is not inferior to anyone. It won’t be difficult to seal this Void Corridor.”
Liu Mu immediately heaved a sigh of relief, “Very good, then we’ll see what you can do.”
Yang Kai assured with a nod, “Senior need not worry about this. However, we have another problem.”
Liu Mu immediately understood, “The Void Corridor will become exposed after the seal is broken. If anyone on the other side notices it, they will surely investigate!”
Yang Kai lightly nodded his acknowledgement.
The conversation between the two was naturally heard by other Eighth-Order Ancestors who were guarding the Void Corridor, so all of them furrowed their brow after hearing this. If they could not take care of this problem, sealing the Void Corridor again would be completely meaningless.
Nonetheless, no one had a solution. Everyone could only wait and see.
After half a month, a needle-sized black hole could be seen in the void. Yang Kai noticed it right away and he immediately focused his attention on it, finally confirming it to be the Void Corridor.
Naturally, the Void Corridor couldn’t be so narrow; it had not been visible before because of the existence of the ancient seal. In the past, only he could sense its existence, but the Void Corridor had appeared with the weakening of the seal’s power. Although it was only the size of a needle, it would definitely become larger with time.
This was indeed the case. The needle-sized Void Corridor had grown to the size of a fist after less than a month, pulsing with the aura of nihility and chaos.
As everyone attempted to probe it, they could clearly sense the existence of an invisible wall-like force inside the Void Corridor that was blocking their Divine Sense.
Obviously, this invisible wall was the seal’s power. It filled the Void Corridor and sealed the connection between its two ends.
This wall had become weaker with the loosening of the seal though, and one day, it would completely collapse, connecting Black Territory to whatever was on the other side.
Another month later, the fist-sized black hole had grown to more than twice that size. The joy of defeating the Royal Lord had long since faded from the faces of everyone, replaced by a solemn look as they kept staring at the changes in the Void Corridor.
These days, Lan You Ruo felt that there was something wrong with Yang Kai’s condition. Hesitation filled his face ever since the Void Corridor entrance had grown to the size of a fist, as if he was struggling to make a decision.
Although she had asked him about it, Yang Kai assured her that he was fine, so she questioned him further.
But today, she suddenly noticed that Yang Kai’s expression had become firm, as if the problem that had been plaguing him these days had finally been solved.
Just as she was about to ask, Yang Kai suddenly turned around and asked, “Proprietress, can I trouble you with something?”
Lan You Ruo asked, frowning “What is it?”
“I would like to ask you to return to the Star Boundary and invite Head Manager over, as well as Chen Tian Fei and Yun Xing Hua.”
Lan You Ruo’s expression slightly changed, “Why do you want me to bring them here?”
She faintly felt that something was off. Yang Kai obviously had something on his mind for him to suddenly want to see these three people for no apparent reason.
Yang Kai shook his head and didn’t answer. He just stared at her stubbornly.
“I’m not going. If you want to see them, you can go back and see them yourself,” Lan You Ruo looked away.
“Proprietress…” Yang Kai gently called her out.
“Shut up!” Lan You Ruo was completely infuriated and disappeared without a trace the next moment, apparently unwilling to speak with him further.
When the surrounding Eighth-Order Ancestors saw this, they all gave him a kind smile.
But soon, Lan You Ruo returned and stated, glaring at Yang Kai, “Smelly brat, no matter what you’re planning to do, do it after I get back!”
She also knew that even if she didn’t agree to Yang Kai’s request, the rest of High Heaven Palace’s members would still comply; after all, she wasn’t the only one in Black Territory right now.
“I understand,” Yang Kai nodded.
Lan You Ruo glared at him again before zooming away, leaving a long streak of light behind her. Although she was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it would take her at least a few months to travel to the Star Boundary, and then back to Black Territory.
She didn’t know what Yang Kai wanted to do, but it was obviously something dangerous, so she wanted to return as soon as possible.
“Did you discover anything?” An Eighth-Order Ancestor asked.
The fact Yang Kai suddenly asked Lan You Ruo to return to the Star Boundary and bring some people here was obviously because he wanted to entrust them with something. In light of everything that had happened here, everyone could easily guess some things.
“Seniors, please gather everyone, this Junior has something to say.” Yang Kai cupped his fist.
“Good!” The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master raised his hand and pointed toward the void. The next moment, a streak of light flew out from his fingertip, transforming into a dazzling light that shone for quite some time.
A short while later, the Eighth-Order Ancestors scattered throughout Black Territory, investigating various things, left everything they were doing and flew over.
The people who arrived later were oblivious to everything, but after asking around, they understood what was going on. All of them turned to Yang Kai one by one, looking at him curiously.
Once everyone was present, Liu Mu addressed the crowd, “Everyone is here. Yang Boy, now can you tell us what you want to say?”
Yang Kai stood up before he started speaking, “This Junior has been observing this place for a long time and I have made some discoveries I want to share with Seniors.”
Everyone perked up their ears. They might be his Seniors in terms of age and cultivation, but their attainment in Dao of Space was still inferior to Yang Kai’s. They too had been constantly investigating the Void Corridor these past few days, but they hadn’t made much progress.
“Although this Junior has yet to figure out where this Void Corridor is connected to, the only thing we can confirm now is that the Black Ink Royal Lord is indeed a part of the original seal. In any case, the Ancient Masters spent a great deal of effort to suppress the Black Ink Royal Lord here in order to seal this Void Corridor. Since they were so meticulous and serious about it, we can only assume the worst.”
The worst-case scenario was that the other end of the Void Corridor was connected to the Black Ink Battlefield!
This guess wasn’t completely baseless. The fact that an Ancient Great Expert had sealed the Black Ink Royal Lord here and turned it into a part of the seal meant that the other end of the Void Corridor had some connection to the Black Ink Clan.
The most likely place with a connection to a Royal Lord was the Black Ink Battlefield.
“Now that the Royal Lord is dead, the seal is becoming loose and the Void Corridor is gradually revealing itself. If our expectations are correct, we must begin preparing for the worst.”
“This Junior has also made some attempts recently, and with my current achievements in the Dao of Space, while it may be difficult to seal this Void Corridor again, it is not impossible.”
The Eighth-Order Ancestors lightly nodded their acknowledgement when they heard this. Yang Kai had mentioned this to Liu Mu before and many of them had heard it. They were all very glad that there was someone like Yang Kai who was proficient in the Dao of Space in the current generation; otherwise, there really wouldn’t have been any alternative for the Cave Heavens and Paradises in the face of the current situation.
Although they could have also found a way to seal the Void Corridor, it would definitely not have been better than the Ancient Great Expert’s methods, much less Yang Kai’s.
Special tasks should be handled by appropriate professionals only.
“What are you worried about, then?” An Eighth-Order Ancestor asked. Although Yang Kai’s tone was filled with great confidence when he spoke of sealing the Void Corridor again, the worry on his face was obvious.
Yang Kai smiled wryly, “Junior is only worried about one thing right now. When the seal set up by the ancient ancestors is completely lifted, the Void Corridor will be fully open. At that time, even if Junior is able to seal it again, the Void Corridor will still be at a risk of being discovered.”
In that case, re-sealing it would become meaningless.
It wouldn’t matter if the other side wasn’t the Black Ink Battlefield, but if it was, and the Black Ink Clan discovered the existence of this Void Corridor, they would definitely try to investigate what was on the other side. At that time, the 3,000 Worlds would not be able to block them.
It was quite a big ordeal, and everyone sunk into silence upon hearing this.
An Eighth-Order Ancestor with white hair asked, “Can you seal it again while the seal has not been completely lifted, apply another seal while using the original seal as the foundation?”
“Yes and no!”
Yang Kai’s ambiguous answer left everyone confused, [If you can do it, just say yes, if you can’t, say no. What’s the meaning of this ‘yes and no’!?]
Liu Mu wryly smiled, “Yang Boy, if you have something to say, just say it, you’re confusing us old fogies.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist in apology. He pondered for a moment before suddenly taking out a bamboo pole with a flip of his hand.
This bamboo was about as thick as a human arm with some green bamboo leaves also growing on it. Everyone was familiar with this bamboo and recognized it as a stalk of Profound Yin Bamboo.
Over the past 100 years, they had all spent quite a deal of effort and resources to cultivate Profound Yin Bamboo in their Small Universe in order to guard themselves against the Black Ink Master. Now, each and every one of them had a small bamboo forest inside their Small Universe.
Yang Kai’s Small Universe also had Profound Yin Bamboo, a lot of which he had transplanted there when he last visited the New Great Territory to investigate the situation.
The next moment, the Profound Yin Bamboo turned hollow and its branches and leaves withered with a slight shake of his hand, transforming into a long, cylindrical pole.
Everyone looked at Yang Kai in confusion, unable to understand why he did something like this. They were just talking about the Void Corridor’s matter, so why did he suddenly take out a Profound Yin Bamboo all of a sudden?
Nonetheless, everyone knew that Yang Kai must have something in mind and didn’t interrupt him.
“Let me put it this way, let’s assume that this bamboo tube is the Void Corridor.” Yang Kai, holding the Profound Yin Bamboo in one hand, pointed at its ends, “It connects two distant places through the Void. This end is connected to Black Territory, and the other is connected to somewhere unknown. For the moment, we’ll assume it is connected to the Black Ink Battlefield!”
Everyone nodded, indicating for him to continue.
Yang Kai pushed his strength into the Profound Yin Bamboo, filling the Profound Yin Bamboo with yellow light in the blink of an eye. Impressively, it was Yang Element Power.
Yang Kai continued, “The Ancient Masters used some powerful Divine Ability to seal this Void Corridor, cutting off the connection between the two places. The seal makes it absolutely impossible to discover this Void Corridor; but now, the seal has become loose, and the energy used for sealing the Void Corridor is slowly dispersing.” As he spoke, the yellow energy filling the bamboo tube started to slowly recede towards the other end. More than half of it had disappeared after a breath, almost reconnecting the two ends once more.
Yang Kai’s explanation was quite novel and also easy to understand.
Soon, someone noticed a problem. A stalwart Eighth-Order Ancestor furrowed his brow as he asked, “You mean to say that the energy sealing the Void Corridor began to dissipate from Black Territory’s end, and is gradually receding towards the other side!”
The fact that he spotted this wasn’t surprising as Yang Kai’s explanation made it quite obvious. Furthermore, when they had been investigating the Void Corridor recently, their probes also reached a similar conclusion.
When his Divine Sense probed the Void Corridor, Yang Kai could clearly feel an invisible wall blocking him, which was obviously the energy sealing the Void Corridor.
But after some time had passed, he noticed that the energy was indeed retreating.
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement. It saved him a lot of explaining time, “When this Junior said that it could be sealed, this Junior meant it!”
It wasn’t that he was boasting, he was just speaking the truth.
Saying so, he mobilized the blue crystal’s energy, sealing the mouth of the bamboo tube representing Black Territory.
The yellow and blue energy were extremely obvious.
But then, Yang Kai shook his head, adding, “But doing so would be meaningless. We are fooling ourselves if we think that it will be over by just sealing up the passage to Black Territory. So, this kind of sealing does not cut it.”
While he was speaking, the yellow energy representing the Ancient Seal continued to dissipate, meaning that once the seal’s energy had completely disappeared, the Void Corridor on the other side would be revealed.
At that time, the Black Ink Clan on the other side would be able to follow along the Void Corridor, break the seal Yang Kai had left behind, and enter Black Territory.
Everyone fell silent. Yang Kai’s explanation couldn’t be any clearer. All of them were Eighth-Order Ancestors of their respective Sects, so whether it was their aptitude or talent, they were all the best of the best. They would be fools if they couldn’t understand things at this point.
An old white-haired Ancestor thus asked, “Sealing Black Territory is indeed just a treatment for the symptoms, but since you’ve brought this up, I assume you have a solution?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes!”
Everyone was shocked.
“Everyone, please take a look!” As Yang Kai spoke, he withdrew the yellow and blue energy and began another demonstration.
This time, he didn’t give any explanation. He just showed them.
The yellow energy once again filled the bamboo tube. After the explanation just now, everyone knew that it represented the energy left behind by the Ancient Masters.
In Yang Kai’s demonstration, the yellow energy continued to dissipate and recede from the side representing Black Territory and soon disappeared.
In other words, it meant that the Void Corridor was completely open.
But the moment yellow energy disappeared, blue energy emerged from the other end and began filling the bamboo tube back up again.
However, the supplement of blue energy and the erosion of yellow energy were in opposite directions.
Everyone understood that this sealing procedure of the Void Corridor had to wait until the energy in the Ancient Seal had completely disappeared. Yang Kai would enter the Void Corridor when the two places were completely connected, and seal it from the other end to Black Territory, completely sealing it!
There was no other alternative either. The Void Corridor was filled with energy right now, and Yang Kai could not reach the other side unless it had completely dissipated.
“It shouldn’t take long. This Junior will be able to completely conceal the traces of the Void Corridor from the other side within half a day at most. As long as no one discovers it during this half a day, the existence of the Void Corridor will remain a secret and there will be no risk of anyone breaking the seal and reaching here.”
“It’s too risky!” Among the crowd, an Eight-Order Ancestor immediately shook his head.
Forget about half a day, even an incense stick’s worth of time would not cut it as no one knew where the other end of the Void Corridor was. Everything would be fine if it wasn’t the Black Ink Battlefield, but if it really was, and the Black Ink Clan discovered it, the consequences would be unimaginable. Just as Yang Kai had said before, all they could do now was prepare for the worst.
This sealing method was too risky and depended too much on luck.
Although the others didn’t say anything, it was obvious they felt the same.
“Then there’s only one way left,” Yang Kai once again filled the bamboo tube with the yellow energy representing the ancient sealing energy, and this time, as the yellow energy receded, the blue energy representing his own sealing technique followed right behind it.
When the yellow energy completely disappeared, the bamboo tube was instantly filled up with blue energy! The Void Corridor’s seal remained intact, but the ancient sealing power had been replaced by Yang Kai’s.
Liu Mu’s expression changed slightly as he saw through Yang Kai’s intentions, “You want to enter the Void Corridor?”
Either way, Yang Kai had to enter the Void Corridor, but the first method entailed starting from the other side and retreating back here. Once the seal was complete, Yang Kai would find himself in Black Territory.
However, the latter method was completely different. This meant that he had to chase after the place where the ancient seal had disappeared and infuse his own energy behind him. Once the seal was complete, he would exit at the other end of the tunnel.
“This is the only way to ensure the Void Corridor is not discovered,” Yang Kai solemnly stated.
“If you do this, you won’t be able to return.” Liu Mu furrowed his brow. He felt the need to warn Yang Kai, “We still can’t determine what kind of place is on the other side, if it really is the Black Ink Battlefield…”
If it really was the Black Ink Battlefield, Yang Kai, being only a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, would definitely be doomed to die.
“Even if it really is the Black Ink Battlefield, this Junior will not refuse,” Yang Kai put away the bamboo tube, dispersed the yellow and blue energy, and looked at the crowd, “Of course, if Seniors have a better candidate or method to achieve this, this Junior will be more than happy to cooperate.”
Although the Cave Heavens and Paradises were full of talents, there were not many people who were proficient in the Dao of Space. Even if they were, they were not as proficient as Yang Kai.
Otherwise, they would not have asked Yang Kai to study the secrets of the Universe Temples to repair the Universe Arrays.
Yang Kai could claim he was the only one capable of repairing the Universe Array of a Universe Temple that had fallen into disrepair. At the very least, no one else could do it at this point in time.
“Do you know what the consequences are if you do this?” Someone asked.
Yang Kai laughed with humility, “Of course this Junior knows.”
He was the one who came up with the plan, so how could he not know the consequences he would face if he really carried it out? On the one hand, he might be safe, but on the other hand, after he sealed the Void Corridor, he might be drawn into the Black Ink Battlefield all on his own. That place was full of death and danger, where he could be killed at any moment.
“Unfortunately, I’m afraid no one but this Junior is capable of doing this,” Yang Kai sighed softly and said, “Even if the other end of the Void Corridor really is connected to the Black Ink Battlefield, this Junior still has some ability to protect himself.”
This self-preservation power naturally did not refer to cultivation. In the Black Ink Battlefield, Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters being killed was a common occurrence. He was only in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, far from being able to compare with those in the Eighth-Order; however, he did have advantages that others did not.
The World Spring fortified one’s Small Universe, allowing it to be impervious to external influences. If there was an attempted invasion, the World Spring in Yang Kai’s Small Universe would help protect him from foreign elements. Thus, he did not have to worry about being corrupted by the Black Ink Strength. During critical moments, he could even disguise himself as a Black Ink Disciple to mask his identity.
This was the ability that the other Open Heaven Realm Masters did not have.
The crowd fell silent.
Yang Kai continued, “I’m not going to lie, this Junior also hesitated for some time before making up my mind. Ultimately though, I decided I had to try. If the Void Corridor is not handled properly, no one in the 3,000 Worlds will be able to avoid the consequences. Once the Black Ink Clan invades, the war will definitely spread everywhere.”
Lan You Ruo had sensed that Yang Kai was worried about something, but when she asked him about it, he did not explain in detail; after all, this was not a trivial matter, and it was difficult for anyone to make such a decision.
Liu Mu sighed softly and said, “It is a blessing for the 3,000 Worlds that you are so understanding.”
Yang Kai shook his head and said, “All of you Seniors have defended the stability of the 3,000 Worlds with your very lives. This Junior may not be the smartest, nor the strongest, so he won’t try to take advantage of Seniors’ generosity.”
The fight between the Eighth-Order Ancestors of the Cave Heavens and Paradises and the Black Ink Royal Lord had greatly affected him. No one knew if they would be hit by the Royal Lord Secret Technique and transformed into Black Ink Disciples; however, in the battle, not one of them retreated nor hesitated. All fought with the conviction to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.
To be able to cultivate to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, many of these Ancestors were many thousands of years old; however, they maintained steadfast principles and acted in a manner that would make one question if they did not cherish their lives.
As for those in the Seventh Order, almost 1,000 had joined the battle. Which one of these Masters was not a favoured son of the Heavens? Who did not have family and friends, a wife, husband, or children? In the battle against the Royal Lord, their losses had reached almost 30%.
What’s more, the ordinary people of the 3,000 Worlds would never hear of this great battle.
There were also the elites from the Cave Heavens and Paradises who had been fighting the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield for countless millennia, all of them contributing their blood and lives in silence. Except for the Cave Heavens and Paradises, none knew that the 3,000 Worlds was facing total annihilation at all times.
The seemingly stable Universe was guarded by these few who remained in the shadows.
Since ancient times, the world had been dominated by the Cave Heavens and Paradises; however, no one ever learned of their dedication and sacrifice. Even Yang Kai had many misunderstandings in his early years about the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
If he did not have the ability to seal the Void Corridor, it would be natural for him to gather everything he had and quickly return to the Star Boundary, to protect his own life; however, he did have this ability.
If he did not do it and the Black Ink Clan ended up invading through this Void Corridor, then he would certainly regret it for the rest of his life.
Thus, after many days of hesitation, he finally made up his mind.
“Did you ask Lan You Ruo to go back to the Star Boundary in order to bring your people over for this reason?” Liu Mu asked gloomily.
Yang Kai smiled and said, “Since I’m leaving, I don’t know if I’ll be able to return, so… there are some things that I needed to arrange.”
He could return safely if the other side was not the Black Ink Battlefield; however, if it was, he might never be able to return even if he survived.
Since ancient times, no one had returned after crossing the No-Return Pass. Yang Kai would not be traversing the No-Return Pass and did not even know what the No-Return Pass looked like; however, his destination was likely the same as those forefathers of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, which was the Black Ink Battlefield.
The crowd fell silent.
To make such a decision required not only great courage, but also an unwavering sense of righteousness. Yang Kai’s ability to make this decision had earned him the Eighth-Order Masters’ respect.
Liu Mu bowed, “All of the Cave Heavens and Paradises owe you a favour, and the 3,000 Worlds are indebted to you!”
The Eighth-Order Masters bowed respectfully in unison.
Yang Kai quickly bowed in return.
Suddenly, someone said, “I heard that you had some trouble with the little ones from my Sect. I will teach them a lesson on your behalf.”
Yang Kai looked at him in surprise at that comment. Although he recognized the Ancestor who was speaking to him, they only exchanged greetings in the past, so Yang Kai did not know his name, let alone where he came from.
Liu Mu explained to him, “This is Brother Fei Yun of Thousand Cranes Paradise!”
Yang Kai suddenly understood, bowed, and said, “Junior was young and ignorant at the time and repeatedly offended your Noble Sect in the past, please pardon me!”
Thousand Cranes Paradise’s Zuo Quan Hui and his lineage were basically wiped out by Yang Kai. Although Thousand Cranes Paradise did not openly confront him about the matter, Yang Kai knew that their grudge was not so easily resolved. The only reason why Thousand Cranes Paradise was holding back was because of the Star Boundary’s World Tree.
Yang Kai had always been concerned that Thousand Cranes Paradise would seek to settle accounts with him one day, but now all the problems were solved with what Fei Yun had said.
Compared to the stability of the entire 3,000 Worlds, personal grudges were but trivial matters. That was why Fei Yun was willing to compromise and exchange weapons of war for gifts of jade and silk.
Fei Yun smiled, nodded, and said no more. Considering his status, it was already gracious enough to say so much to Yang Kai. There was no need for him to elaborate further.
Liu Mu spoke, “Rest assured that after you leave, we old fogies will look after your Void Land and High Heaven Palace, they will not suffer any grievances. This Old Master will stake all the Cave Heavens and Paradises’ reputation on this!”
Although he was only one Ancestor from Golden Antelope Paradise, no one present objected to his commitment.
Yang Kai said in response, “Then I shall have to trouble Seniors with this matter.”
Those were the private concerns that he wanted to express. Void Land and High Heaven Palace were now sizable in their own right; however, they still could not be compared to the Cave Heavens and Paradises. It was easy to sort things out with him present as he was more familiar with the major Cave Heavens’ and Paradises’ Seventh-Orders and Eighth-Orders, but once he left, no one could guarantee what would happen.
However, with Liu Mu’s assurance, Yang Kai no longer had to worry.
He previously proposed two options to seal the Void Corridor, but the former was too risky; thus, he took the initiative to choose the latter. He also wanted to send a message to the Ancestors, that he could personally make sacrifices for the 3,000 Worlds and that they could depend on him to see this through.
Liu Mu understood this.
“Is there anything else you need? Go ahead and ask if you can think of anything. The old farts here might be a little less flexible, but we still have some tricks up our sleeves,” said Liu Mu.
Yang Kai shook his head, there was nothing else he needed from them. Since he had made this choice, then he should begin to make his own arrangements.
This was potentially a one-way trip!
“The ancient sealing power can still persist for some time, so this Void Corridor won’t be exposed any time soon. I would like to request Seniors take turns monitoring it and notify me if there are any significant changes. I will return as soon as I can. For now, I would like to use what time I have to deal with some personal matters.”
Liu Mu immediately nodded, “Go ahead.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist respectfully. He then left a Space Beacon in place for emergencies before flying off.
At High Heaven Palace’s station, Yue He and the others had all returned.
During the war against the Black Ink Royal Lord, the entire Black Territory had been cleared out. All those below the Seventh Order had evacuated ahead of time.
The people waited anxiously outside Black Territory, and fortunately, the good news that the Cave Heavens and Paradises had won and the Royal Lord was dead had come.
Those who had left, returned again. Yue He and the others naturally also came back.
Yue He wanted to check on Yang Kai immediately, but was stopped by the Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, so she had to wait patiently.
When Yang Kai appeared in High Heaven Palace, many Sixth-Order Masters had gathered around to greet him.
Yang Kai nodded and said, “Let’s go in first.”
The crowd entered the temporary palace and sat down in groups.
Yang Kai saw that everyone was jovial and in a celebratory mood, so he asked curiously, “Is there something I’m missing?”
Yue He pursed his lips and said, “Young Master, we’re rich.”
“We’re rich?” Yang Kai was confused and asked, “What do you mean?”
Of course, they were rich. High Heaven Palace and Void Land had a lot of profitable industries right now, including two Star Cities and the New Great Territory. They could not be described as poor by any stretch of the imagination.
Void Land and High Heaven Palace’s disciples had ample resources to cultivate with, to the point that even the Cave Heavens and Paradises might not be able to spend as freely as them.
With this in mind, Yang Kai could not imagine the huge number of resources that would have to come by in order to celebrate being ‘rich’.
Yue He asked, “Didn’t you see anything different when you came back?”
Yang Kai was trapped in a cage for 100 years, during which time he knew nothing about the outside world. After the Super Array was broken, he was thrown into the battle against the Black Ink Royal Lord, after which he was busy monitoring the status of the Void Corridor.
How could he have known what was different in the outside world?
Seeing Yang Kai’s bewildered look, Yue He went straight to the point with a smile, “All the Ore Stars in Black Territory have been mined out, and all the materials belong to us.”
Yang Kai was stunned by what he said and then responded, “In order to crack the Super Array?”
Yue He nodded, “Exactly.”
Yang Kai asked curiously, “And, all the Cave Heavens and Paradises were fine with that?”
The number of Ore Stars in Black Territory was quite large, and each one was rich in materials. Even the Cave Heavens and Paradises would be envious of such wealth. Unexpectedly, when these Ore Stars were being destroyed, all the materials ended up in Void Land and High Heaven Palace’s pockets.
Although only a few words were exchanged, Yang Kai could already imagine what had happened during the past 100 years he was trapped in the cage.
The Cave Heavens and Paradises must have deployed a large number of people to mine out all the Ore Stars in Black Territory, which broke the Super Array. Thus, those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises were able to avoid being restricted by the power of the Super Array when they fought the Black Ink Royal Lord.
“It was Big Sister who argued with them, saying that Young Master had risked his life for the sake of the 3,000 Worlds. Black Territory originally belonged to Void Land and High Heaven Palace, so everything mined here naturally belongs to us. With such reasons on our side, even they couldn’t do anything too outrageous.”
“En.” Yang Kai nodded lightly, “That’s good.”
With the huge supply of materials from Black Territory, High Heaven Palace and Void Land’s disciples would have more abundant resources to cultivate with. He had a huge amount of Yin and Yang Element materials in his hands, and he was worried that he might not have enough Five Elements materials in the future. Now, Yang Kai did not have to worry about anything.
This was a fortunate turn of events, which was why everyone in the Grand Hall looked happy.
“Young Master, you can’t be so reckless anymore,” Yue He said, “High Heaven Palace and Void Land have many people counting on you. What will we do if anything untoward happens?”
Everyone in the hall nodded their heads.
High Heaven Palace and Void Land’s rise had just begun and Yang Kai was the one who held them all together. If something happened to him, the Sect would definitely fall apart.
Yang Xue also said sternly, “That’s right, Big Brother, you are not on your own now, think more about your wives who have been living in fear and worry all these years.”
Yang Kai’s smile suddenly appeared forced.
Yang Xue looked at him and suddenly had a bad feeling. She frowned and asked, “Big Brother, are you going to do something dangerous again?”
Although they had not spent much time with each other, and Yang Kai was not with Yang Xue during her formative years, blood was thicker than water and there was a special bond between siblings that enabled her to sense something was off right away.
Yang Kai heaved a long sigh which immediately caused everyone in the Grand Hall to turn solemn. Yu Ru Meng and her Sisters also looked doubtfully at him.
“There is gateway in this world called the No-Return Pass!” Yang Kai suddenly said something that seemed completely unrelated.
“Even the Common Disciples of the Cave Heavens and Paradises do not know of its existence. Those who are qualified to know of it are all elite disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, as well as the Elders. I only recently learned about it as well.”
“Once a person crosses the No-Return Pass, they will never be able to return. Beyond this great pass is a battlefield of never-ending war!”
The crowd was amazed, and Mao Zhe asked, “Battlefield? What kind of battlefield?”
“The Black Ink Battlefield!” Yang Kai replied in a deep voice.
Everyone gasped with their mouths and eyes wide open. Although this was the first time they heard of the ‘Black Ink Battlefield’, just by hearing the name alone, they knew that it was definitely not a pleasant place.
“Yes, as you can imagine, the armies of the Black Ink Clan fill this Black Ink Battlefield, and they have been trying to invade the 3,000 Worlds since ancient times. They want to turn all living beings in this world into their slaves and livestock. The Cave Heavens and Paradises shoulder the responsibility of guarding the 3,000 Worlds and all of their strongest Masters are stationed there to resist the Black Ink Clans.”
The Great Emperors’ faces turned grim, while Mao Zhe, Hui Gu and the others were dumbfounded.
It was understandable that the Great Emperors had not heard of the Black Ink Battlefield, for they had not been out of the Star Boundary for many years. Additionally, they had only advanced to the Open Heaven Realm a few hundred years ago.
However, Mao Zhe, Hui Gu and the others were already veteran Open Heaven Realm Masters. Even so, they had never heard of the existence of the Black Ink Battlefield and No-Return Pass, which was rather unbelievable.
Everyone turned their heads toward Qu Hua Shang and Tao Ling Wan who were held the highest statuses of all those present. They were the Core and Elite Disciples of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so surely they would understand more of such secrets than the others.
Qu Hua Shang nodded lightly, “Honoured Master took Senior Brother and Senior Sister to cross the No-Return Pass and join the Black Ink Battlefield more than 300 years ago. As far as I know, every few years, every Cave Heaven and Paradise has to send a group of people into the Black Ink Battlefield to replenish the attrition losses of the great war.”
The crowd could not imagine how cruel and fierce the battles were in the Black Ink Battlefield that the Cave Heavens and Paradises had to constantly send reinforcements to hold the line.
“The Cave Heavens and Paradises have intentionally suppressed all information about the Black Ink Clan, so it’s naturally that you haven’t heard about it.” Yang Kai explained lightly.
Mao Zhe and the others were relieved to hear this. If it was not for the Black Territory incident, they really would not have heard of the existence of the Black Ink Clan. If they did not know about the Black Ink Clan, then it would be strange to know about the Black Ink Battlefield and the No-Return Pass.
“But… what does this have to do with us?” Xue Yue asked as her face turned pale.
It did not make sense for Yang Kai to bring this up for no reason, especially after the great battle with the powerful Black Ink Master had just ended. Thus, it was obvious something else was brewing behind the scenes.
“Originally, it didn’t matter much. Throughout the ages, the Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises fought against the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield in order to safeguard the peace of the 3,000 Worlds. Although the losses have been enormous, nothing has gone wrong in countless ages. If nothing changed, this pattern would continue on for a long time. However… the battle in Black Territory has changed everything.”
The crowd listened intently.
Yang Kai suddenly asked, “Do you know how many Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises lost their lives in this battle?”
All of them shook their heads, only Qu Hua Shang’s expression turned grave as she reported, “In this battle, the Cave Heavens and Paradises deployed more than 1,000 High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Even so, 268 in the Seventh-Order and 5 in the Eighth-Order were killed!”
Although officially she had married out of the Sect, she was still a Core Disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven and had some means to find out such information.
When they fought against the Black Ink Royal Lord, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven also deployed a team of Masters led by an Eighth-Order Ancestor. It was from this Ancestor that Qu Hua Shang found out the details.
Hearing this number, the crowd was shocked. They knew that in this battle, many High-Rank Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises fell, but they did not expect that so many had died. 268 Seventh-Orders and 5 Eighth-Orders were killed!
Those Eighth-Orders Open Heaven Realm Masters were considered to be among the strongest in the entire 3,000 Worlds!
“The Black Ink Clan is so fierce?” Martial Beast Great Emperor exclaimed in disbelief.
“The Black Ink Master who was trapped in Black Territory was especially extraordinary. A Black Ink Royal Lord at their peak is comparable to a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!” Yang Kai explained, “If it weren’t for the years of confinement that caused her strength to plummet, we might not have been able to kill her at all.”
The crowd felt slightly relieved, but were still astonished about the Black Ink Royal Lord being on par with a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
“After her death though, a Void Corridor appeared where she fell!”
The crowd stared in disbelief.
Zhan Wu Hen frowned and then asked, “Where does that Void Corridor connect to?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t know for certain, but we can only assume the worst.”
“The Black Ink Battlefield…” Someone murmured softly.
If that was the case, then things might turn serious.
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded, “We can only assume that the Void Corridor is connected to Black Ink Battlefield. Right now, the Void Corridor is still sealed by an ancient power but that seal is gradually dissipating and will disappear completely in short order. Once that happens, the Black Ink Clan will discover the Void Corridor and invade the 3,000 Worlds. The consequences will be catastrophic.”
Yang Kai paused to let the crowd digest the news, and then quickly said, “I must enter the Void Corridor to re-seal it. This is the only way to avert the disaster.”
Yu Ru Meng gritted her teeth and asked, “Why must you go? Aren’t there many Masters in the Cave Heavens and Paradises? Why aren’t they doing anything about it? Why does it have to be you? What is the meaning of this!?”
Yang Kai laughed bitterly and said, “They didn’t ask me to go. I was the one who volunteered.”
Yu Ru Meng smashed the armrest of her chair and screamed, “I think you want us Sisters to become widows!”
“Ru Meng…” Yang Xue saw Yu Ru Meng’s furious anger and quickly interjected, “Big Brother is now considered the head of the family. Your outburst is disrespectful, especially when there are so many people here in the Grand Hall. Even if you wish to discuss personal matters with Big Brother, you should do so in private.”
“I’m in the wrong to question this!?” Yu Ru Meng was furious and pointed her finger at Yang Kai, “How many life-and-death risks has your Big Brother taken over the years? Without even mentioning things from the far past, didn’t he recently follow a Giant Spirit God into the Chaotic Dead Territory? Is that a place for ordinary people to go!? If Mao Zhe hadn’t been alive and well all this time, how would we have known he was even alive!? When he ran into that cage to live together with that Black Ink Master for 100, we also had to turn to Mao Zhe just to figure out if he was still breathing!”
Mao Zhe looked helplessly with his eyes lowered as he rubbed his nose.
“It took so much effort and difficulty for him to come back alive from the Chaotic Dead Territory, and then survive the confinement with that Black Ink Royal Lord. Now you want to enter that damned Void Corridor to seal it? Do you have a death wish!?”
Yang Kai replied feebly, “Ru Meng, please don’t be angry, sealing the Void Corridor is not necessarily risky.”