Feng Ying’s heart nearly stopped at that precise moment.
If Yang Kai died here, it would be an immeasurable loss to the entire Human Race. Even though she wanted to aid him, Yang Kai and the female Feudal Master were literally entangled with each other, so she did not dare to simply intervene; all she could do was move close and prepare to assist at a moment’s notice.
Suddenly, a resounding Dragon Roar sounded through the void, and before Feng Ying’s eyes, Yang Kai, who had been bitten by the female Feudal Lord, unleashed the power of his Dragon Vein. His head shook and transformed into a Grand Dragon’s head, with sharp horns and a flowing beard.
Although his head turned into that of a Dragon, his body remained Human, giving him a very strange appearance.
The Dragon Head turned in a swift movement, opened its giant maw, and bit brutally into the female Feudal Lord’s slender neck, letting her get a taste of her own medicine!
Feng Ying’s face twitched when she saw this strange scene. Yang Kai and the female Feudal Lord seemed to be hugging, with their heads pressed against each other’s necks, like a pair of passionate lovers. Of course, the murderous intent that radiated from them made it clear that they wanted nothing more than to kill one another.
Dragon Roars and piercing screams sounded continuously, as fresh blood spewed everywhere.
Shortly after, the Dragon Head suddenly pulled back, and the female Feudal Lord’s head was ripped clean off. A bewildered and incredulous expression hung on her face as her vitality swiftly dissipated.
Fresh black blood poured out like a fountain from the place where her head had been torn off.
Meanwhile, the Dragon’s jaw crunched hard, while the body previously imprisoned in Yang Kai’s arms was burst by a violent force.
Yang Kai raised his head to the sky after spitting out the filth in his mouth and roared.
On the chaotic battlefield, his figure terrified numerous Black Ink Clansmen; none daring to approach him.
The battle with the female Feudal Lord was truly dangerous, but his enemy had looked down on him too much, allowing Yang Kai to gain a decisive advantage. The female Feudal Lord tried her hardest to reverse the situation, but in such close quarters, her options were severely limited. In the end, she eventually lost and died in battle.
The next moment, Yang Kai felt someone rushing at him and instinctually threw out his fist.
Feng Ying became pale in shock and immediately flourished her sword to deflect the punch while at the same time shouting, “Yang Kai!”
Upon hearing his name, Yang Kai brought his fist back and locked eyes with the person approaching from behind. His blood-red eyes flashed, and his violent impulses finally began to subside. He then nodded to Feng Ying, and the massive Dragon Head returned to its original form.
Feng Ying took a deep breath as she looked down at his neck. A bite wound on Yang Kai’s neck was vivid and clear. A deep gash that made it a fair way through his neck demonstrated just how much strength the female Feudal Lord used at the very end. If Yang Kai hadn’t reacted quickly enough, Feng Ying might actually have had to collect his corpse.
Nevertheless, fortune had favoured him. Yang Kai appeared to be seriously injured, but such a wound was actually not a major issue to a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
“Have you come to your senses?” Feng Ying inquired.
Killing a Black Ink Feudal Lord all on his own was a major accomplishment for a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but Feng Ying felt that in that life-or-death battle, Yang Kai had completely lost track of his surroundings and given in to his battle instincts; otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to punch her when she approached him.
Yang Kai nodded in response, feeling a little guilty.
“Army Commander Zhong has ordered you to immediately return to the Inner Sanctum!” Feng Ying remarked.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed, “I’m part of the Human Race too!” The connotation was he wanted to contribute on the battlefield between the two races.
Feng Ying gritted her teeth as she solemnly warned, “On the battlefield, orders are absolute. Yang Kai, don’t make things difficult for me!”
She came here to get Yang Kai to return. Even though she knew exactly why he had come to this battlefield, a breakthrough to the Seventh Order was something that should not be rushed. His safety was of utmost importance. Feng Ying really didn’t know what she should do if Yang Kai insisted on not returning. She couldn’t force him to obey, could she?
“Martial Aunt, I’m not officially a member of Blue Sky Pass, so the Army Commander’s orders can’t restrain me,” Yang Kai grinned.
When she heard those words, Feng Ying was taken aback. Yang Kai was indeed not registered in Blue Sky Pass. Although he had been there for some time, with the ongoing war and the vital role he had to play, there was simply no time for Yang Kai to officially register himself, let alone be assigned a position in one of the Armies.
Feng Ying couldn’t argue either if he insisted on using this reasoning.
In a daze, Yang Kai dashed away, heading straight towards the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and Black Ink Clan Feudal Lords who were still battling it out nearby.
Feng Yin hurriedly chased after him, advising him bitterly as she travelled side by side with him, “Yang Kai, consider the big picture.”
“I’m just a Sixth-Order Junior. I don’t know what ‘big picture’ you’re talking about. All I know is that the Black Ink Clan is here, and that agitates me,” Yang Kai replied nonchalantly.
As the words fell, the pair had already closed in on a Black Ink Feudal Lord.
This Feudal Lord, along with another comrade, was originally fighting the old man, but he was now diverted away by Yang Kai, which immediately eased the pressure on the elderly man.
Seeing how stubborn Yang Kai was acting, and realizing that this chaotic battlefield was not a suitable place to convince him, Feng Ying clenched her teeth, drew her fingers across her blade, and shouted, “Myriad Swords Dragon!”
With a loud clatter, thousands of sword waves emerged behind her. These sword waves were so dense that they were practically solid, with sharp Sword Qi emanating from them. The sword waves quickly gathered towards her, forming the body of a 1,000-metre-long Sword Dragon. As for Feng Ying herself, she was perfectly hidden inside the head of the Sword Dragon.
The Dragon roared, and it shot directly towards the direction of Yang Kai and the Feudal Lord.
When he saw this, the Feudal Lord, who was fighting against Yang Kai, became pale with fright. The Black Ink Clan was well-versed in their enemy’s tactics and abilities, so, at a glance, he recognised the Myriad Swords Dragon as a Human Master’s Divine Manifestation. How would he have the audacity to take it head-on?
Immediately, he tried to flee, but how could Yang Kai allow that? Immediately, Space Principles flared and shackled the Feudal Lord in place.
Frozen for an instant, the Feudal Lord watched helplessly as the Sword Dragon opened its terrifying maw and devoured him in one gulp.
Yang Kai was also devoured by the Sword Dragon along with the Feudal Lord as he was just too close for Feng Ying’s attack to succeed without avoiding him, not that she planned to either.
Once Yang Kai entered the Sword Dragon’s belly, he vividly felt the deadly murderous intent and the rich Sword Qi around him, but he remained unharmed.
On the contrary, the Feudal Lord, who had been devoured by Feng Ying’s Sword Dragon too, cried out ceaselessly as his body was viscously cut to pieces.
A short while later, the aura of the Feudal Lord disappeared, indicating that Feng Ying had killed him; even so, she had no intention of letting Yang Kai out. The massive Sword Dragon turned around and began rushing back towards Blue Sky Pass.
If Yang Kai refused to return to Blue Sky Pass, she would just capture him and bring him back herself.
However, just as she turned to leave, Feng Ying’s expression changed. This was because Yang Kai was thrashing around inside the Sword Dragon’s belly, attempting to break free.
Yang Kai was rapidly covered in wounds despite Feng Ying’s best efforts to restrict her Sword Qi. He clearly has no intention of compromising. His relentless efforts proved how he would not stop until he escaped or she allowed him to leave.
Feng Ying felt like stomping her foot in frustration. Of course, she could lock Yang Kai in the Sword Dragon, but doing so would only result in a lose-lose situation.
After some thought, the Myriad Swords Dragon opened an exit, and Yang Kai emerged outside in an instant.
“Smelly brat, what do you think you’re doing?” Feng Ying raged.
“We collaborated quite well just now, how about we join forces to kill some enemies?” Grinned Yang Kai as blood dripped from his wounds.
“You want to join forces with me?”
“I have the power to restrict the enemy’s movements, and you have the power to eliminate them. We complement each other perfectly!”
Feng Ying’s thoughts shifted as she looked at him from top to bottom, “Is that your only intention?”
Yang Kai replied nonchalantly, “You’re here already. What other intentions can I have?”
Seeing his sincerity, Feng Ying nodded slightly, “I hope that’s the case.”
Forcing Yang Kai to return was basically impossible, so she would have no other option but to guard him since he insisted on staying on the battlefield. Rather than just being by his side guarding him though, it was preferable to work with him to eliminate some enemies. As Yang Kai stated, the restrictive abilities of Space Principles was extremely useful, and the power of the Myriad Swords Dragon was overwhelming. With the two of them joining forces, only a Territory Lord would be able to stop them.
Of course, Feng Ying also had made other considerations before agreeing to Yang Kai.
Seeing how Yang Kai was acting, he seemed to have given up on his original purpose of coming to the Black Ink Battlefield.
The purpose of sneaking out was undoubtedly to grasp the opportunity to break through while treading the fine line between life and death. However, the atmosphere of the battlefield had influenced him, causing him to fully immerse himself in it, seeking the blood of the enemy wholeheartedly. This caused him to change his priorities.
Thinking about it logically, Feng Ying felt that agreeing with Yang Kai to join forces was her best option, as it would allow her to guard him as closely as possible.
However, if this was done, Yang Kai’s chance to advance to the Seventh Order by risking his life in battle would be lost.
It was impossible to put Yang Kai in danger with her protection unless a Territory Lord came after them, but all the Territory Lords were tied up dealing with the Eighth-Order Masters.
That was why Yang Kai said that he had no other intentions now that the situation had reached this point. There was no way to carry out his initial goal even if he wanted to. With a Seventh-Order Master like Feng Ying constantly protecting him, there would be no chance for him to experience any near-death situations.
The instant Feng Ying nodded, Yang Kai bolted and stood atop the Sword Dragon’s Head.
The Sword Dragon shook its head and flicked its tail, crashing into the nearby Black Ink Clan Army. Wherever it passed, a reign of chaos descended. The pair had a clear target, the Black Ink Feudal Lords. The other Black Ink Clansmen they killed along the way were nothing more than a bonus.
A moment later, the Sword Dragon dashed to the vicinity of the nearby warship, which was currently under siege by two Feudal Lords. Thankfully, the warship was a carefully refined artifact, so its protective shields were very powerful. Not to mention, there were many Human Masters on board, so even if they were besieged by two Feudal Lords, they could deal with them for some time and even spare some attention to thin out the surrounding Black Ink Clansmen.
Before the Sword Dragon could reach them, the two Feudal Lords had already noticed it, so one of the massive Feudal Lords came forward, attempting to intercept it.
He moved swiftly, but all of a sudden, a figure mysteriously appeared in front of his eyes and obstructed his path.
While the Feudal Lord was slightly taken aback, Yang Kai had already taken action, using Space Principles to lock the surrounding space.
As soon as the Feudal Lord’s huge figure froze, the Sword Dragon opened its terrifying maw and devoured him, killing him soon after.
Elsewhere, the defence lines of the three Eastern, Southern, and Northern Armies shrank as they retreated towards Blue Sky Pass under the onslaught of the Black Ink Clan Army.
This couldn’t be helped. Originally, the three Armies were still holding their ground and even had some small advantages over the Black Ink Clan.
However, Zhong Liang had to put down his dignity and ask for assistance from the other three Armies to bring Yang Kai, who snuck out of Blue Sky Pass, back. The three Army Commanders, Ding Yao, Liang Yu Long, and Shen Tu Mao, knew the importance of Yang Kai, so without hesitation, they sent a portion of their Armies to assist.
Thus, the three Armies could now only switch to a defensive stance, or their lines would collapse.
After the division of the Armies, the defending Open Heaven Masters became immensely agitated. The majority were unaware of what had occurred, they simply knew there were fewer allies on their side and they had to pull back in order to withstand the Black Ink Clan’s vicious assault.
But this kind of deployment couldn’t last for long as the defence lines were at risk of being breached. Once that happened, the Black Ink Clan Army would be able to directly assault Blue Sky Pass. Though it would still be hard to conquer the great pass, casualties would be unavoidable, and if that happened, the foundation of the entire Human Race’s position would be in danger.
The three Army Commander’s expressions darkened. Inside, they were cursing Yang Kai for being so reckless and willful. This battlefield was not a place where one could simply act as they wished. If they managed to bring him back to the Inner Sanctum afterwards, they would strictly monitor him to ensure he never snuck out to the battlefield again.
Approximately 30% of the three Armies immediately retreated back to Blue Sky Pass and gathered in the central square. Then, they quickly raced to the Western Army’s defence line.
Some 7,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters drew their artifacts and began their attack on the Black Ink Clan.
In an instant, the Black Ink Clan was overwhelmed.
On the Western front, the Black Ink Clan was initially on par with the Western Army; however, the sudden influx of reinforcements was like an entire additional Human Army had appeared. How could the Blank Ink Clan deal with this? One after another, Feudal Lords were killed and even some Territory Lords began to falter. The Western Black Ink Army descended into chaos, and the Humans took advantage of the situation to slaughter as many as they could. They would definitely not pass up this chance to deal damage to the enemy.
On the Western defence line, having at some point disengaged from the Territory Lord he was previously battling, Zhong Liang stood, peering out at the situation.
He had already received a message from Feng Ying, who was on the battlefield. Despite the fact that the battlefield was chaotic and deadly, taking some time to deliver a message was not at all a problem.
Yang Kai had been located, but as he refused to return, Feng Ying could not force him back; moreover, the location they were at was already at the forefront of the battlefield where they could come face-to-face with Black Ink Clan Masters at any time. Any negligence could result in disastrous consequences.
Feng Ying also said that Yang Kai had given up his intention of achieving a breakthrough, and was now cooperating with her to kill the enemy. Their efforts had proved fruitful already.
She proceeded to send out a message asking whether they should continue to kill or convince Yang Kai to return.
Zhong Liang frowned. Yang Kai had obviously given up his intention to break through, and Feng Ying was protecting him. What’s more, the brat had a World Spring, so there was no risk of him being corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Under such circumstances, being out on the battlefield was not too dangerous.
After all, all the Territory Lords in the Western region were being dealt with by the Eighth-Order Masters. As long as no Territory Lord took action against them, Feng Ying and Yang Kai would be able to defend themselves.
But there were also all the what-if situations. What if both of them accidentally fell into the trap and got surrounded by the enemy? Two fists couldn’t block four strikes.
Yang Kai’s existence was just too vital to be jeopardised. So, after some thought, Zhong Liang responded, urging Feng Ying to convince Yang Kai to return to Blue Sky Pass no matter what. Even if it required her to break his arms and legs to bring him back, it had to be done.
Feng Ying replied less than an incense stick later, stating that persuasion failed. Yang Kai insisted on remaining on the battlefield to contribute and indicated that if Feng Ying forced him, he would immediately escape from her sight, which Yang Kai had proven he was capable of by using Space Principles right in front of her.
Feng Ying continued to report that although she was definitely stronger than him, if he really had the intention of escaping, she couldn’t stop him.
“That little bastard!” Zhong Liang cursed, [This brat is too stubborn! Does he not know how important he is!?]
He couldn’t be persuaded to return, so all they could do was force the battle to end as quickly as possible so Yang Kai would have no choice but to withdraw. Zhong Liang immediately sent orders to the Division Commanders to fight harder and either kill the Territory Lords or force them to retreat.
It was only by doing this that the battle would end and Yang Kai would be forced to return, even if he didn’t want to.
The current force on the Western side was nearly equal to two full Armies, which proved too much for the Black Ink Clan. With every breath, large numbers of Black Ink Clansmen were slaughtered, and the sounds of Masters dying emerged one after the other on the battlefield.
After half a day, the Western Black Ink Army had been forced back almost 100,000 kilometres. The Human Masters were constantly pressuring them and continuing to slaughter them mercilessly.
Suddenly, Zhong Liang’s female adjutant approached, cupped her fist, and said, “Sir.”
“Speak!” Zhong Liang had been studying the flow of the battle and estimated it would only take another half a day to clear the Western Army’s front. By that time, he could call it a day and withdraw the army.
“The other three Armies have urged us to act quickly and return their manpower as they are on the verge of being defeated.”
Zhong Liang turned his head in shock and asked, “So quickly?”
He had borrowed troops from the three armies, and knew that such an action would have consequences; after all, the four sides of Blue Sky Pass were only holding fast rather than advancing before now. Withdrawing 30% of the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Armies would undoubtedly put a heavy strain on them. While the Western Army had an overwhelming advantage, the other three armies would have to pay a steep price. However, Zhong Liang didn’t expect the situation to become so bad so quickly. He believed it would be a simple matter for the three other armies to maintain their lines for a couple of days at least.
Contrary to his expectations, only half a day had gone by before this scenario played out.
The adjutant then replied, “The Black Ink Clan have seemingly gone mad. They are ignoring the costs and assaulting the three armies without regard for their casualties.”
Zhong Liang’s brow furrowed. The Black Ink Clan was acting unusual, but he couldn’t figure out why, so he didn’t think too hard before he ordered, “Send them this message, tell them to hold for half a day more no matter what; after that, I will go there in person to assist them!”
The adjutant nodded and quickly carried out her orders.
On the Northern, Southern, and Eastern defence lines, Ding Yao, Liang Yu Long and Shen Tu Mo received Zhong Liang’s reply. The first thing they did was curse Zhong Liang for not supervising Yang Kai properly and allowing this mess to happen in the first place, but immediately after, they reorganized their lines to assume a complete defensive posture, ceasing all attempts to counterattack the enemy. The Army Commanders even set out personally to battle against the Territory Lords in order to buy more time for the Western Army.
The fact that the three Army Commanders battled in person was inspiring to the Human Masters, and the Black Ink Clan Army’s reckless assault also resulted in many casualties on their side. It was not long before the Black Ink Army began losing momentum after suffering so many losses, but they still refused to withdraw for some reason.
On the Western Army’s defence line, the Black Ink Clan army had retreated repeatedly, now having been pushed back almost 200,000 kilometres. The void along the way was littered with Black Ink Clan corpses, showing the heavy losses they had taken in this battle.
Two hours later, as the Western Army was cutting into the rear lines of the Black Ink Clan Army, a peculiar situation arose on the Eastern Front.
The Black Ink Clan Army, which had been almost suicidally attacking the Eastern Army’s defences, suddenly came to a halt for some reason, and after a brief rally, turned around and flew off.
The Eastern Army Commander, Ding Yao standing in the void, gawked in shock at the scene. He had no idea why the Black Ink Clan Army withdrew all of a sudden.
An adjutant standing nearby cheered, “Army Commander, the Black Ink Clan is retreating!”
Ding Yao snorted, “I can see that, I’m not blind!”
The adjutant awkwardly cleared his throat and said nothing further.
An injured Division Commander nearby frowned and muttered, “But, why? Army Commander, do we pursue them?”
The adjutant hurriedly warned, “Sirs, this might be a trap. The Black Ink Clan may be trying to lure us out.”
The Division Commander did not argue his point, as he had similar concerns. The Black Ink Clan had never done anything like this before. They appeared to have evacuated their soldiers, but in reality, they might be digging a pit and waiting for the Humans to jump into it. If it was really a trap, they couldn’t go after them, or they would be caught.
Just as the adjutant’s words fell, he received a communication and hurried to inspect it. A moment later, he raised his head with a perplexed expression, “Army Commander, the Black Ink Clan on the Southern and Northern Fronts have also withdrawn.”
Ding Yao turned his head hurriedly and asked for confirmation, “The Black Ink Clan to the North and South also retreated?”
The adjutant nodded firmly, “Word was passed from both sides. They are also asking us what the situation is here.”
Ding Yao was now dumbfounded. The Black Ink Clan withdrew its troops from the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Fronts. What exactly were they up to?
Whatever the Black Ink Clan’s intentions were, such a large-scale three-sided retreat did not appear to be part of some elaborate trap. There were simply too many risks with this type of grand plan. Defeating an entire army, as the expression goes, is as difficult as collapsing a mountain. Such a large re-organization of the Black Ink Clan’s deployment would leave them scattered and out of position, rendering any kind of trap they wanted to set useless, at least for a while.
So, after a brief hesitation, Ding Yao shouted, “All units, pursue the enemy!”
The adjutant was startled and hurriedly discouraged, “Army Commander, we should be wary of tra- Ah!”
Ding Yao kicked him in the butt and snapped, “Trap my ass! What kind of trap could there be in this situation? Inform the Northern and Southern Armies about my decision, and ask Liang Yu Long and Shen Tu Mo to make their decision quickly!”
He was the Army Commander of the Eastern Army, so he could not command them to do anything, but Ding Yao believed that Liang Yu Long and Shen Tu Mo would make the correct decision; after all, they had been fighting alongside each other for thousands of years. They understood one another perfectly.
Right after he gave the order, Ding Yao rushed out first, followed by numerous Human Masters from the Eastern Army. In an instant, the Human Army began pursuing the retreating enemy.
The adjutant got up and stomped angrily as he watched the Army leave before hastily sending a message to the Northern and Southern Armies. He then hurriedly followed the Army forward.
Ding Yao’s judgement was swiftly proven correct. Liang Yu Long’s Southern Army and Shen Tu Mo’s Northern Army immediately made the same decision when they received the message stating that Ding Yao ordered his Army to pursue the retreating enemy. Within moments, other than those who had to stay behind to tend to the wounded, tens of thousands of Human Masters set out to attack the enemy from three different directions.
On the Eastern Army side, Ding Yao led the charge to hunt down the Black Ink Clan. He was initially a bit worried that the Black Ink Clan was really scheming something, but after chasing them for a while, he discovered that the enemy appeared to have no plots in mind. It was a true retreat, with no traps along the way.
This made him completely relieved, and to the Black Ink Clan Army who made a beleaguered retreat, they would show no mercy.
It was not when the two massive armies were facing one another in a large-scale battle that massive casualties were incurred. Although there would be losses in conflicts when they were battling each other, the casualties suffered would be minimal as long as the difference in strength between the two sides was not too big.
What truly led to mass casualties was when one party lost the will to fight and was forced to escape. Great results could naturally be achieved when chasing down a disorganized, fleeing enemy as the pursuing side could focus all their attention on attacking.
This was the scenario that the Eastern Army found itself in right now.
When the Black Ink Clan Army saw that the Human Army was pursuing and attacking them from behind, they sacrificed some of their troops to block the Eastern Army. Needless to say, these Black Ink Clansmen were rapidly wiped out.
The whole of the Eastern Army was deployed, so Masters were as numerous as clouds and naturally they dealt significant damage to the enemy.
The same situation occurred with both the Northern and Southern Armies as well. The number of Black Ink Clansmen killed was so high they couldn’t be counted anymore.
Ding Yao and the others weren’t sure why the Black Ink Clan retreated at first, but after pursuing them for some time, they realized that the Black Ink Clansmen were all heading in the same direction.
The Western Front!
The Black Ink Clan Armies in the North, South, and East, were all racing towards the West to provide assistance.
When Ding Yao and the rest discovered this, they hurriedly sent a message to Zhong Liang to alert him of the situation. Zhong Liang was shocked as well when he heard the message, because he never anticipated the Black Ink Clan to respond in such a manner.
It made no sense! Although the Black Ink Clan on the Western Front were defeated and were fleeing due to Zhong Liang borrowing so many reinforcements, the Black Ink Clan Armies in the North, South, and East did not need to risk coming here to rescue them. All the enemy needed to do was continue to attack Blue Sky Pass to overturn their defeat on the Western Front. Given what Zhong Laing knew of the Black Ink Clan, he wouldn’t be surprised if they were willing to sacrifice their entire Western force if they could breach Blue Sky Pass’ defences on the other three sides.
Unlike the Human Race, the Black Ink Clan cared little for their fellow clansmen, so they wouldn’t provide support to each other at the risk of their own lives and benefits.
There was definitely something wrong here, but for a while, Zhong Liang couldn’t figure out what the problem was.
However, this had provided him with a tremendous chance. Initially, he had to take a lot of risks by borrowing troops from the three other Armies. This approach aided the Western front, but thinned the lines on the South, North, and East.
The original plan was for him to wait until the fighting on the Western Front ended before he sent reinforcements to the other three fronts.
But the Black Ink Clan had apparently become impatient for some reason and was now all but handing victory to them. Zhong Liang, who had served as Army Commander for thousands of years, was extremely sensitive to the ebb and flow of the battlefield, so he did not miss this chance to capitalize on the situation.
Immediately, he sent orders to redeploy the army.
On the Western battlefield, the Human Masters quickly seized the initiative and began dividing up their forces. Some pursued the remnants of the Black Ink Clan’s Western army while another portion turned around to meet the enemy reinforcements.
At the same time, Zhong Liang himself also disappeared from where he stood and hurried towards the battlefield. Ding Yao and others were already fighting on the front lines, and every asset that both Blue Sky Pass and the Black Ink Clan possessed had been deployed. It was almost predetermined that the Black Ink Clan would lose this war now, so there was no need for Zhong Liang to restrain himself.
Soon after, Zhong Liang reached the front lines. The divided Army had already prepared itself and was just waiting for the command to attack. When they saw the Army Commander arrive, their gazes sharpened and they readied themselves to charge.
When the Division Commanders came to enquire about the situation, Zhong Liang did not hold anything back and informed them of the changes on the other three fronts, drawing happy cheers from all around.
They understood the situation just as well as Zhong Liang did.
They all recognised that the Black Ink Clan had made a huge blunder this time.
“Here they come!” One of the Division Commanders said soon after.
Everyone turned towards Blue Sky Pass and saw three massive Black Ink Armies moving in their direction like tidal waves. These groups were undoubtedly the Blank Ink Clan Armies from the North, East, and Southern Fronts.
Behind those three Armies, were the Humans who were closely chasing after them. They were the Armies led by Ding Yao and the other Army Commanders.
During the pursuit, the Black Ink Clan was taking heavy casualties, with life auras disappearing en masse.
Soon, the Black Ink Clan Armies that retreated gathered together. Likewise, the Human Race Armies rendezvoused like many streams flowing into the ocean.
The split force from the Western Army held their ground, waiting for the enemy to arrive. As the Black Ink Clan Army took in the situation, many of them wanted to turn around and flee; however, Zhong Liang had been waiting for this moment in person, so he certainly wouldn’t allow the Black Ink Clan to do as they wished. Drawing his sword, he lifted it high and roared, “With me men, kill!”
As soon as his words dropped, his body transformed into a stream of light as he crashed towards the approaching Black Ink Clan army. Following him were the Eighth-Order Division Commanders, and behind them was the rest of the Army.
Divine Abilities pummelled the Black Ink Clan Army even before they arrived, and in the blink of an eye, the Black Ink Clan suffered massive casualties.
Ding Yao and other Army Commanders lead their forces into the fray, showing no mercy.
In the void, the Black Ink Clan Army from the East, North, and South sides, who had just gathered together, were now surrounded and besieged.
World Forces continuously erupted as the light of Diving Abilities and Secret Techniques set the void alight. The situation soon descended into chaos.
Even taking its entire history into consideration, Blue Sky Pass had not engaged in many battles of this scale. Previously, Blue Sky Pass’s defenders were separated into four Armies that each fought independently of one another. It was the same for the Black Ink Clan. The current condition, though, was essentially all of Blue Sky Pass’ forces against all of the Black Ink Clan Army in one, massive melee.
On their way to the West to provide support, the Black Ink Clan had already taken significant losses from Ding Yao and the other three Armies pursuit, and now they were halted by Zhong Liang’s Army from the front. They were assailed from both sides, forcing them into a passive position where they couldn’t counterattack at all.
The number of Feudal Lords that had fallen was simply uncountable, and even three Territory Lords had perished in less than half an hour.
The Black Ink Clan Army, like any cornered beast, naturally fought back fiercely. They tried their hardest to break through, but the more desperately they struggled, the greater the casualties they suffered.
At the front lines of the Western battlefield, Feng Ying’s Divine Manifestation was in shambles and no longer possessed its original power.
Yang Kai had been standing on top of the Dragon’s head, working with Feng Ying to kill the enemy all this time.
More than a dozen Feudal Lords had perished at the hands of these two, but their resistance before death could not be disregarded. Yang Kai and Feng Ying both suffered a lot, especially Yang Kai, whose bare chest was covered with scars and blood, making him look equal parts terrifying and miserable.
But to him, it didn’t matter as long as the injury wasn’t fatal.
The massive commotion behind him of course drew Yang Kai’s attention, and as he turned his head to look back, and saw that the two Races’ armies were locked in battle some distance away and he exclaimed in shock, “Why are there so many Black Ink Clansmen coming from behind us!”
Feng Ying also noticed the situation behind him and commented, “They should be reinforcements from the other three fronts.”
“It seems that the battle on the Western Front is so intense that the Black Ink Clan can’t hold on any longer,” Yang Kai smirked.
He assumed that the Black Ink Clan Armies from the other three fronts came to assist because of the disadvantage they suffered on the Western Front, but Feng Ying had the feeling that something was amiss.
Compared to Yang Kai, who was new to the Black Ink Battlefield, Feng Ying had been here for thousands of years and had some grasp of the Black Ink Clan’s way of thinking. Typically, even if the war on the Western Front was very intense, the Black Ink Clan on the other three lines would never come to support them. Instead, they would attack Blue Sky Pass more and more aggressively with no regard for the lives of their allies.
However, despite the fact that she had no idea why this was happening, the reality in front of her was clear. The Human Race had achieved a significant advantage, and after this battle, the Black Ink Clan would definitely suffer severe losses.
On the Western Front, the reinforcements Zhong Liang borrowed from the three other Armies were in charge of intercepting the reinforcements from the Black Ink Clan, while the original Western Army was still in charge of advancing.
It was impossible for everyone to turn around and intercept the Black Ink Clan reinforcements, otherwise, the original Western Black Ink Army would assault them from behind, and in the end, the Human Race would also find itself besieged from both sides.
The Black Ink Clan on the Western Front was still trying to retreat. Having taken huge losses over the past day or so though, they were unable to withstand the assault of the Western Army.
The Sword Dragon shook its head and flicked its tail, charging towards a Black Ink Feudal Lord. The High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen along the way all burst and died as the sharp sword waves brushed across them.
The Feudal Lord, who apparently had sharp perception, sensed the approaching crisis and instantly turned his head to stare at Sword Dragon and roared. His initially large body expanded as rich Black Ink Strength lingered around his figure. Next, a fierce punch was thrown towards the Sword Dragon.
With one punch, space shook.
Yang Kai, who was standing atop the Sword Dragon’s head, abruptly stepped forward and his Azure Dragon Spear thrust out at the Feudal Lord without hesitation.
When the violent energies collided, Yang Kai flew out while coughing up blood. On the other side, the Feudal Lord cried out in pain as his gigantic hand was pierced through by the Azure Dragon Spear, causing fresh black blood to gush out.
Without giving him a chance to recover, Feng Ying’s Sword Dragon instantly transformed into thousands of sword waves and began pelting the Feudal Lord. Despite his best efforts to repel them, the Feudal Lord was swiftly pierced by hundreds of blades.
Yang Kai, who had previously been blasted away, flickered and appeared right before his target. Channeling his strength, Yang Kai cast his Divine Manifestation and the Great Sun directly struck the Feudal Lord’s chest.
A massive hole was silently formed in the Feudal Lord’s chest, and with a conspicuous flash of sword light, Feng Ying, whose Divine Manifestation had collapsed, found its mark.
A massive head flew up, and black blood gushed into the void. The massive body of the Feudal Lord staggered before collapsing in a dead heap.
Feng Ying spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, her expression somewhat languid.
She could not maintain her Divine Manifestation anymore; furthermore, killing that last Feudal Lord had cost her and Yang Kai a lot.
The Great Sun’s afterglow was particularly noticeable, shooting forward like a small Sun and scattering a massive Black Ink Cloud in front of it.
Yang Kai and Feng Ying helped steady each other, but just as they were about to head for a nearby warship to recover, they felt a shiver run up their spines.
It was as if a pair of cold eyes suddenly opened and fixed on them from the depths of the Black Ink Cloud dissipated by Yang Kai’s Golden Crow Cast the Sun. At the same moment, a crushing Will seemed to awaken from a deep slumber.
That Will felt as deep as the abyss and carried with it a terrifying aura. Yang Kai’s hairs all rose up at once, and his heart clenched tight.
When he turned his head sharply to look at the source of the Will, Yang Kai saw a massive figure towering inside the rich Black Ink Cloud.
It was unknown how long this figure had been in this Black Ink Cloud as previously, its aura had not been revealed at all and no one had noticed it. Moreover, this location was basically at the rear of the Black Ink Clan Army’s, so Humans weren’t supposed to be anywhere near here. The repeated losses of the Black Ink Clan’s Western forces had led the battlefield to expand to this place though, exposing it to the ongoing conflict.
Coincidentally, Yang Kai’s Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation had blown away this particular Black Ink Cloud, revealing the figure hiding inside it.
The Will was like a sleeping Dragon, and once it awakened, the entire Universe trembled, causing the raucous battlefield to fall silent.
Yang Kai once felt a similar Will back in the Black Prison from a Black Ink Clan Royal Lord; however, that Royal Lord had been sealed and suppressed for countless years so her strength had been greatly diminished. At the very least, it was far less intense than the one he was currently facing.
What he felt right now was orders of magnitude more imposing than back in Black Territory.
“The Royal Lord!” Feng Ying cried out, her already pale face draining of all remaining colour.
A Black Ink Royal Lord was a Master on par with a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. On the Black Ink Battlefield, only an Old Ancestor was worthy to be the opponent of a Royal Lord. Previously, Blue Sky Pass’ Old Ancestor had led the Human Army to attack Black Ink Clan’s domain, destroying several of their Spirit Provinces and a number of Black Ink Nests.
This action enraged the Royal Lord responsible for this region, so he swiftly marshalled his forces to counter-attack, resulting in this current war.
As far as Yang Kai knew, Blue Sky Pass’ Old Ancestors had already fought with the local Royal Lord, but neither was able to gain an advantage over the other. Both suffered serious injuries, and ever since that battle, the Old Ancestor had remained in the Inner Sanctum to recover. Meanwhile, the Royal Lord was nowhere to be seen.
Zhong Liang also stated that the side whose leader recovered first would gain control over the current battle, heavily tipping the scales in their side’s favour.
The Human Race assumed that the Royal Lord had chosen a safe location far from the battlefield to rest and recover.
Nobody would have thought that the Royal Lord had deceived them and actually hidden in a Black Ink Cloud only a few hundred thousand kilometres away from Blue Sky Pass.
Of course, logically speaking, though the Royal Lord did not retreat very far, ordinarily he wouldn’t have been disturbed where he was. Even if he had hidden at the rear of the Blank Ink Clan Army, he could rest easy and recover as long as the Humans did not slaughter their way through the entire Western Black Ink Army.
All previous wars of this sort had lasted at least a few years, normally taking several dozen years to resolve. With that much time, the Royal Lord was confident he could completely recover from his current injuries.
However, the battle developed in a manner far outside his predictions. Zhong Liang had an overwhelming advantage on the Western Front, having borrowed troops from the other three Armies. The Western Black Ink Army was repeatedly defeated and forced to withdraw over and over again. Yang Kai and Feng Ying, who were battling on the front lines, had already fought their way right up to the Royal Lord’s hiding place.
Then, in one move, Yang Kai’s Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation just happened to explode near the Royal Lord and revealed his figure, interfering with his recovery.
This situation resulted from a series of accidents and coincidences, startling both the Humans and the Black Ink Clan.
When the Royal Lord awakened, his pressure instantly filled the battlefield, and the continual slaughtering came to an abrupt halt. Whether it was the Humans or the Black Ink Clansmen, they all fell into a stupor for a brief moment.
Ding Yao, Liang Yu Long, Zhong Liang, Shen Tu Mo, and all the other Eighth-Order Masters acutely felt the aura of the Royal Lord. Turning to look at the source of the aura, their expressions became grim.
The Royal Lord, whose location was a complete mystery to them, was actually on the Western battlefield? They had previously tried hard to locate him to gain a tactical advantage, but now he had just been revealed by accident.
They had also considered where the Royal Lord would hide to heal his wounds after being injured by the Old Ancestor, but the void was vast, so the Royal Lord simply needed to choose a secure place some distance away, and the Human Race would never be able to find him.
Who knew that all this time, he was so close.
The rich Black Ink Cloud had obscured his figure and aura, and the Black Ink Clan Army stationed nearby gave him the best protection. Not to mention the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, even the Old Ancestors wouldn’t have thought that the Royal Lord would do such a thing.
Zhong Liang instantly felt enlightened, as the questions he had been harbouring since learning about the withdrawal of the Black Ink Clan from the other three fronts were resolved.
He now knew why the Black Ink Clan Armies, which clearly had the upper hand on the other three fronts, abruptly withdrew and began rushing to the West.
This was clearly for protection!
The Humans and most of the Black Ink Clan had no idea where the Royal Lord was hiding, but the top Territory Lords would definitely be aware of this information.
The Black Ink Army on the Western Front was being pushed back as the Humans were pressing their advantage, forcing them to retreat again and again. Once the Human Army invaded the area where the Royal Lord was healing, the Royal Lord would undoubtedly be exposed.
This could not be allowed, so as a last resort, even though they had the upper hand on the other three fronts, they had to retreat to provide assistance.
As a result, they surrendered their advantage and switched from offence to defence. Ding Yao and others also reacted quickly, leading their Armies to pursue and kill, inflicting huge casualties to the Black Ink Clan Armies.
Zhong Liang couldn’t help but laugh wildly as he comprehended everything. There were numerous twists in this battle that threw them off guard, but overall, the current scenario was extremely favourable to the Human Race.
This was all thanks to him borrowing troops from the other three Armies to force back the Black Ink Clan on the Western front. Originally, the plan was to quickly defeat them and rescue Yang Kai from the battlefield; however, at this moment, this one action had actually altered the entire course of the current war.
In the next moment, Zhong Liang’s heart sank and his face turned black when he remembered Yang Kai.
Zhong Liang was so distracted by the sudden and unexpected changes that were happening on the battlefield that he temporarily forgot that Yang Kai was still fighting on the front lines. The little bastard was undoubtedly at the very tip of the Western Army’s spear, which meant he was quite far forward. If he was killed by the Royal Lord, this battle would still be counted as a massive loss even if they managed to slaughter ever last Black Ink Clansman present.
Zhong Liang had no idea that the Royal Lord had been revealed by Yang Kai’s accidental action. There was no telling whether he would laugh or cry in exasperation if he found out.
“I’ll leave this place to you,” Zhong Liang said to the Human Masters around him before turning around and dashing towards the Western front, hoping in his heart that Yang Kai did not encounter an accident.
The Old Ancestor would deal with the Royal Lord now that he had appeared, so Yang Kai would not be in any danger as long as he could protect himself until the Old Ancestor arrived.
At the same moment as Zhong Liang set off, the door to a certain palace in the depths of Blue Sky Pass opened and a figure shot out, transforming into a stream of light as he soared towards the battlefield.
The Old Ancestor had taken action!
Yang Kai and Feng Ying had been immobilized at the leading edge of the Western front. Before the glare of the Royal Lord, they didn’t even have the ability to move a finger.
The difference in strength was too enormous, and both Yang Kai and Feng Ying were already arrows at the end of their flight. The two had intended to retreat to a nearby warship to rest and recover after having expended all their strength just now, but who could have predicted that this disaster would suddenly befall them?
The ice-cold eyes of the Royal Lord fixed on Yang Kai, the culprit who had revealed his whereabouts, and murderous intent gradually began to rise from their depths.
Of course, Yang Kai had no idea about the Royal Lord hiding here. All he did was cooperate with Feng Ying to kill a random Feudal Lord.
Blasting off the Black Ink Cloud and exposing the Royal Lord with the remnants of his Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation was a complete accident.
But this matter could not be explained away, nor would it be useful to even try to explain. The Royal Lord was now staring in their direction as if he was looking at a corpse, obviously aware that Yang Kai was the culprit behind his current awkward situation.
As long as the Royal Lord’s gaze was on them, Yang Kai and Feng Ying were incapable of moving as the pressure and nearly tangible murderous intent locked them in place.
*Pu…*
Suddenly, a muffled sound came from the Royal Lord who had been glaring coldly at Yang Kai. Opening his lips, a black mist of blood was spat out by the Royal Lord; his figure staggered and his aura fluctuated chaotically.
Seeing this, Yang Kai and Feng Ying were both shocked and surprised.
The Royal Lord had clearly suffered some kind of backlash from his injuries. It was apparent that his last battle with the Old Ancestor had left him in a bad state, one that would require several years of cultivation to recover from.
What caused his current weakened condition was undoubtedly Yang Kai’s Golden Crow Casts the Sun which wiped away the Black Ink Cloud he was hiding in. This Divine Manifestation naturally did not cause any direct harm to the Royal Lord, but it seemed to have disturbed him at a critical moment in his recovery.
Usually, a Royal Lord wouldn’t have been affected at all by an attack from a Sixth-Order Human, even one as strong as Yang Kai; however, being interrupted at the critical juncture in his healing had caused a backlash that further aggravated his wounds. It was equivalent to the Royal Lord striking his old injuries himself.
Yang Kai and Feng Ying figured all this out in an instant, and without any hesitation, they turned around and escaped while the Royal Lord was busy trying to stabilize himself.
They couldn’t deal with an enemy like this, especially when the two of them didn’t have much strength left. If they didn’t run, they would undoubtedly die.
To escape faster, Yang Kai even employed Space Principles, trying to carry Feng Ying away with him using Instantaneous Movement.
In the blink of an eye, the pair was able to flee several thousand kilometres.
However, how could the Royal Lord allow the ant who disturbed him to flee after the shame he had experienced?
The Royal Lord’s Will flared with murderous intent, and the surrounding space instantly solidified, disturbing Yang Kai’s Space Principles and freezing him in place once more.
Chills shot up their spines as the aura of death descended upon them.
Yang Kai had encountered several life-or-death crises since he first began treading the Martial Dao, and during the Human-Demon War in the Star Boundary, his body was totally destroyed by Mo Sheng. It was only thanks to the Soul Warming Lotus protecting his Soul that Yang Kai had managed to survive that disaster and resurrect himself with the help of the Immortal Tree.
That was unquestionably the most dangerous battle he had ever fought.
Still, although that battle was extremely dangerous, he never lost hope. The Great Emperors all gathered together and united with all the Masters of the Star Boundary to face Mo Sheng. Eventually, after a hard-fought battle, they won and saved the Star Boundary, along with all those that lived there.
But, at this very moment, targeted by this aura of death, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel despair.
The Royal Lord he encountered in Black Territory was completely different from the one behind him now. The Black Prison Royal Lord had been shackled for countless eons and could not bring out anywhere near her full strength. Although the one behind him now was injured, he was still much stronger than the one Yang Kai met in Black Territory.
With great effort, Yang Kai stiffly turned his head and saw the massive figure in the Black Ink Cloud wave his giant hand, after which a torrent of darkness surged towards him. The action seemed light and casual, like flicking off an annoying bug, but the bug that was soon to be flicked off was Yang Kai.
The darkness cut through the void, shattering the space around it as it rapidly approached its target.
At that moment, time seemed to be frozen.
Many scenes inexplicably flashed before Yang Kai’s eyes. Familiar faces appeared and disappeared like a rotating lantern as his entire life’s journey vividly replayed in his mind.
All this while, the aura of death grew increasingly intense.
At the critical moment, Yang Kai’s Dragon Vein suddenly rampaged. The strength of his Dragon Vein almost exploded in the face of this certain death crisis. However, even if he transformed into his Grand Dragon Form right now, it would be impossible to resist this seemingly off-handed attack from the Black Ink Royal Lord.
The Royal Lord had really used only a small bit of force, a result of the vast disparity in their strength preventing him from even considering Yang Kai a threat worthy enough of a fight. He only intended to kill Yang Kai because he was irritated that this ant had revealed his location and interfered with his recovery process.
After this simple strike, the Royal Lord quickly turned his head and gazed in the direction of Blue Sky Pass, where a shooting-star-like stream of light was speeding in his direction.
The familiar aura of his old enemy, the Human Race Old Ancestor, was coming!
His whereabouts had been revealed, so the Old Ancestor would definitely not stand idly by. Facing this Human Race Old Ancestor, the Royal Lord naturally felt some anxiety and he could not spare any energy or attention to anything else, so naturally, the irritating Human bug he had just swatted had long since left his thoughts.
*Kacha…*
The sound of something cracking rang out from the depths of Yang Kai’s heart, and he abruptly came to his senses.
The simple strike from the Royal Lord was still bearing down on him, leaving him feeling defeated. It was an absolute suppression of strength, a gulf that could not be crossed. Yang Kai had, however, encountered certain death before, so of course he would not sit still and wait for the end to take him.
[I will never give up so easily!]
Yang Kai roared fiercely, resisting the agitation of the Dragon Vein in his body, refusing to transform into his Grand Dragon Form at this critical juncture. The cry of a Golden Crow resounded across the void in the next instant, and a Great Sun slowly rose behind him, followed by a Full Moon leaping out.
As both the Sun and the Moon appeared together, they formed an astonishing scene.
Even the Royal Lord, who was intently observing the Old Ancestor’s movements, took notice of this anomaly and couldn’t help glancing over to inspect it.
Space Principles surged as the Sun and Moon began orbiting around Yang Kai. When the Sun set, the Moon rose, and Time Principles propagated out. The two Principle Strengths swirled and intermingled just as the Sun and Moon did, forming a profound and mysterious new strength.
Sun and Moon Divine Wheel!
Under Yang Kai’s control, the Great Sun and Full Moon rapidly spun together and crashed towards the approaching wave of darkness, Space-Time Strength warping everything around it in a surreal manner.
Yang Kai’s face was as pale as paper after he unleashed this blow. He was already an arrow at the end of its flight, but now, he had forced out his greatest trump card, draining almost all the World Force left in his Small Universe. He was now truly out of strength.
Yang Kai had no clue whether he could withstand the Royal Lord’s attack, but he had already given everything he had. Even under the Royal Lord’s pressure, he refused to back down and resolved to fight back. There was no other Sixth-Order Master who could claim to have ever accomplished such a feat.
Now, life or death was entirely up to fate!
Seemingly inspired by Yang Kai, Feng Ying, who was shivering under the Royal Lord’s might, let out a fierce cry as well and aggressively mobilised all the strength she had left. Ten Thousand Swords appeared before rapidly condensing into a small Sword Dragon only a couple dozen meters long that wrapped around Yang Kai and herself.
While on the verge of blacking out, Yang Kai was wrapped in the Sword Dragon. He could not see the scene in front of him, nor hear any noise, only the screeching of swords rang in his ears.
In the next instant, a violent surge of energy erupted, forming an unstoppable shockwave that burst out in all directions.
Tumbling uncontrollably, Yang Kai clearly felt the Sword Dragon wrapped around him breaking apart as a result of the impact of the shockwave.
Just the fallout had such a violent impact, so it was easy to imagine just how they would have fared if they had been struck directly by the Royal Lord’s attack.
Feng Ying coughed up blood repeatedly. When her Myriad Swords Dragon, her Divine Manifestation, was damaged, she naturally suffered along with it.
Moments later, the Myriad Swords Dragon completely shattered, revealing the two figures hidden inside.
The aftermath was still rampaging, and fresh blood from both Yang Kai and Feng Ying violently gushed from their wounds. They both felt as though they were fallen leaves caught in the raging storm, at risk of being ripped to pieces at any moment.
Even at this point though, Feng Ying was still tightly gripping Yang Kai’s arm, keeping him from separating from her.
As Zhong Liang approached from behind, he happened to see the collision of the wave of darkness with the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel from afar. To one party, it was simply a casual strike, while to the other, it was everything they could muster; however, the darkness still came out on top in the clash, collapsing the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel after only a brief standstill.
The attack then directly smashed into the Sword Dragon.
Zhong Liang’s face paled at this sight and in the next instant he spat out a mouthful of blood mist, burning his own Blood Essence just to increase his speed.
He originally didn’t know where Yang Kai was, but the second he saw the Sword Dragon, he understood. Feng Ying’s Divine Manifestation couldn’t be more obvious, and Zhong Liang knew she was together with Yang Kai.
Zhong Liang’s heart pounded with anxiety. How could the Royal Lord attack the two of them out of everyone around? Zhong Liang didn’t think that the Royal Lord would be so petty as to assault weaklings like Yang Kai and Feng Ying. The only enemies the Royal Lord should have paid any attention to were the Old Ancestor and the Eighth-Order Humans.
The Old Ancestor was also already rushing to the battlefield, so the most logical course of action for the Royal Lord was to conserve his energy for the coming fight. So, why would the Royal Lord actually target Yang Kai and Feng Ying?
Zhong Liang silently prayed that the two of them weren’t dead; however, the wave of darkness had clearly shattered Feng Ying’s Myriad Swords Dragon. Zhong Liang vividly observed two individuals tumbling in the tumultuous aftermath of the explosion as the horrific shockwave pummeled their bodies, causing them both to cough up blood incessantly.
Zhong Liang’s speed increased dramatically when he burnt his Blood Essence, and he arrived at where Yang Kai and Feng Ying were after just three breaths of time. With his blade drawn, he slashed forward and cut through the remnant shockwave.
He wasn’t weak; after all, he was an Eight-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and the Western Army Commander. Under normal circumstances, such a casual strike from a Royal Lord wouldn’t have been too difficult for Zhong Liang to block because the other party hadn’t put any real strength into the attack.
However, Zhong Liang had just burnt his Blood Essence, and though it gave him a momentary boost in speed, he suffered from a backlash soon after, resulting in a loss of strength. As such, he was pushed back and slightly injured when dispersing the shockwave.
Before he even checked his own condition though, Zhong Liang immediately whirled around and grabbed both Yang Kai and Feng Ying.
Looking down at them, he saw that they were both drenched in blood and their auras were so weak they could barely be detected. Feng Ying was in a particularly bad shape and had seemingly slipped into a coma.
However, Zhong Liang was relieved to discover that Yang Kai was still alive. As long as he didn’t die, he could slowly restore himself.
From behind, a terrible force erupted. Zhong Liang turned his head to look and his eyes caught sight of two figures, one large and one small, battling in the distance. Every time they collided, space shattered like glass, rending apart chaotically.
It was the battle between the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord.
The surrounding Humans and Black Ink Clansmen hurriedly withdrew. In such a battle, no one could interfere or they would only end up dead.
The Royal Lord was unconcerned with the lives of his subordinates, but the Old Ancestor wasn’t; therefore, whenever he clashed with the Royal Lord, he would purposefully shift their battlefield to an area further away from the Army.
The location they were at was not suitable to linger at for much longer, so Zhong Liang tightened his grip on Feng Ying and Yang Kai and dashed towards Blue Sky Pass.
Shortly after, Zhong Liang set down both of them on the outer ramparts of Blue Sky Pass and scolded Yang Kai while glaring at him, “Stay here! If you have the audacity to run off again, I’ll break your damn legs!”
Yang Kai’s neck shrank as he spoke weakly, “In my condition… I couldn’t move even if I wanted to.”
“I’ll deal with you later!” Zhong Liang furiously snapped.
After instructing some nearby cultivators to tend to Yang Kai and Feng Ying’s injuries, Zhong Liang returned to the battlefield. His Eighth-Order strength could not be absent on the battlefield at this crucial time. The outcome of the current war was about to be determined, so he had to return.
Those left behind immediately took out healing pills and gave them to Yang Kai and Feng Ying after receiving orders from Zhong Liang. Compared to Feng Ying, Yang Kai was luckier as he was awake at the very least. Whereas Feng Ying was already in a coma, so they could only open her lips and place the healing pill in her mouth before using their own World Force to help her refine its medicinal efficacies.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, sat cross-legged on the wall, staring out into the vast battlefield, feeling delighted.
Fortunately, the Royal Lord did not take him or Feng Ying seriously as he needed to conserve his strength to battle against the Old Ancestor, or else both of them would have died then and there.
The wave of darkness that struck them managed to destroy his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel and Feng Ying’s Divine Manifestation while still having enough power remaining to inflict critical injuries on both of them.
Yang Kai was not in a rush to recover though as he was more concerned about the outcome of the war.
In any case, he had an intrepid physique due to his Dragon Vein, with strong restoration powers. Though his injuries appeared quite serious, possibly even fatal, it would only take him cultivating for a few days to recover. The results of the current battle were of more interest to Yang Kai right now.
Yang Kai first concentrated on the battle between the Human Old Ancestor and the Black Ink Royal Lord.
The two figures clashed with one another several hundred thousand kilometres away, and the intense fallout from their attacks generated shockwaves that were visible even from Blue Sky Pass’ outer walls. No one dared to go near them and both armies had intentionally shifted away.
Even though they were hundreds of thousands of kilometres away, Yang Kai could still feel the frightening fallout of their battle.
This was the power of a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and a Royal Lord, it was simply astonishing.
With his current ability, Yang Kai couldn’t tell which side had the advantage. He only felt that they were evenly matched.
Within a short period of time, the two figures gradually drifted away, eventually fading out of sight entirely.
It was a pity that he wouldn’t get to watch these two Masters battle it out till the end; nonetheless, Yang Kai could tell from what just happened that the Old Ancestor had the upper hand.
After all, only when the Old Ancestor had the upper hand would their battlefield be brought far away to avoid involving others.
On the contrary, if the Royal Lord had the upper hand, he would have brought the battle closer to the Human Armies, so that the Old Ancestor’s movements would be restricted.
This outcome was no surprise once he thought about it though.
Although Yang Kai personally verified on the battlefield that the Black Ink Clansmen were noticeably weaker than Humans in the equivalent realm, the discrepancy seemed to get smaller the higher one’s strength was, to the point where it was basically indistinguishable for Old Ancestors and Royal Lords. After all, all Royal Lords endured countless years of accumulation and combat to achieve their strength, effectively eliminating the drawbacks from their prior rapid cultivation.
In the previous battle, both the Royal Lord and Old Ancestor had been injured, so it was already clear that they were roughly equal in strength.
In fact, the battle between the Royal Lord and Old Ancestor had repeated itself over and over again as the Black Ink Clan repeatedly launched attacks against the great pass. Under normal circumstances, such battles would persist for years, if not longer.
However, an accident had happened that disrupted the normal rhythm of these battles.
Yang Kai snuck out of Blue Sky Pass, intending to break through to the Seventh Order in battle. When Zhong Liang became aware of this, he hastily borrowed men from the other three Armies in order to gain complete control of the Western front and force Yang Kai to return. As a result, the Black Ink Clan’s Western forces collapsed and were swiftly forced to retreat.
This put the Black Ink Cloud, where the Royal Lord was hiding to heal, in danger.
Coincidentally, Yang Kai’s Divine Manifestation revealed the Royal Lord’s whereabouts and interfered with the latter’s recovery at a critical moment. As a result, not only did the Royal Lord’s injuries not heal, they worsened.
The Old Ancestor’s injuries had definitely not fully healed either. Once a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was injured, it would be difficult for them to recover. Nonetheless, it was far better to interrupt one’s own healing than to be interrupted by someone else while healing.
In this way, the two peak Masters, who were initially on par with each other, now had a small gap between them. This showed when the Old Ancestor managed to shift their battlefield away from Blue Sky Pass.
If nothing went wrong, the Old Ancestor would certainly win this battle. As to whether the Royal Lord could be killed, it was impossible for Yang Kai to judge.
When the battle between the strongest Masters left his range of perception, Yang Kai shifted his gaze to the wider battlefield.
The situation here was even more lopsided.
The Black Ink Clan had essentially given up trying to hold their group and were in full retreat. As a result, casualties continued to pile up on the Black Ink Clan’s side as the Human Armies pursued them relentlessly, creating a one-sided slaughter.
Although the battle was not finished, victory had essentially been decided.
Yang Kai had been on the front lines of the Western Front for a day or so now; thus, he had no idea what was going on in the Northern, Southern, and Eastern Fronts. He had no idea that his revelation of the Royal Lord’s location had forced the Black Ink Clan to abandon their advantage on the other three battlefields to provide assistance, resulting in them being pursued by Ding Yao’s, Liang Yu Long’s, and Shen Tu Mo’s Armies. In this process the Black Ink Army suffered huge losses, laying the groundwork for Blue Sky Pass’ victory.
The injured Human cultivators constantly returned to the Inner Sanctum, carrying news from the front lines. Within one day, the Black Ink Clan Army had been forced to retreat 300,000 kilometres, and this increased to 1 million kilometres by the end of the next day. Yet, the Human Armies continued to pursue and destroy them.
It wasn’t until the third day of pursuit that the Human Armies disengaged and returned from battle. The Black Ink Army had suffered nearly 50% casualties in this battle, so it was not an exaggeration to say their foundation had been severely damaged. Since ancient times, the number of such overwhelming victories could be counted with one’s fingers.
This was a true victory that filled Blue Sky Pass with a joyous atmosphere.
Everyone understood that this battle would lead to at least 100 years of peace and stability.
In the next 100 years, the Black Ink Clan would not have the power to launch another large-scale attack.
The Old Ancestor had yet to return, and it was unknown how the battle with the Royal Lord had gone. The Eighth-Order Masters gathered briefly to discuss and came to the conclusion that half of them would stay back to take charge of the great pass while the rest would seek out two peak Masters.
It wasn’t that they were worried that the Old Ancestor would lose, but rather that they wanted to seek an opportunity to help the Old Ancestor slaughter the Royal Lord. If this could be achieved, the Blue Sky Theatre on the Black Ink Battlefield would be stilled for at least 1,000 years.
After all, only when another Royal Lord was born from the Black Ink Clan could they afford to launch an offensive against Blue Sky Pass again.
It wasn’t easy for a Royal Lord to appear. Similar to Ninth-Order Old Ancestors, it would be a thousand to several thousand years between the appearance of such a Master. Both Royal Lords and Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were the strongest of both races.
A few days later, the Old Ancestor returned, accompanied by the Eighth-Order Masters who had gone to assist him. Most were unaware of the outcome of the battle between the two strongest Masters; however, with a deliberate announcement, everyone quickly learned the truth. The Black Ink Royal Lord was seriously wounded by the Old Ancestor and had fled to the depths of the Black Ink Clan’s territory, where he would not be able to completely recover for at least 100 years.
When the news broke, Blue Sky Pass celebrated.
This was not the best result, but it was still quite welcome. Everyone knew that a Royal Lord could not be killed so easily.
There had never been such a fierce battle in the Blue Sky Pass. During all previous battles, it took a long period of time to gradually wear down the Black Ink Clan until they were forced to retreat.
This process might take a few years, a few dozen years, or perhaps even 100 years, but this time it only took them half a year, and the Black Ink Clan Army did not voluntarily retreat but were forced to.
The Masters of Blue Sky Pass were all complimenting the wisdom and heroism of the four Army Commanders, especially Western Army Commander Zhong Liang who received compliments like snow falling from the sky.
If he hadn’t borrowed men from the three other fronts to sweep clean the Western Front, it wouldn’t have been possible to expose the Royal Lord’s whereabouts and ensure their great victory.
In the eyes of those who were unaware of what actually happened, they thought that Zhong Liang’s decision was a brilliant tactical move, gathering troops on the Western Front and forcing the Black Ink Clan to abandon the other three fronts to provide reinforcements, giving Ding Yao and the rest a chance to pursue them from behind.
There were also rumours in the Inner Sanctum that Zhong Liang had long predicted that the Royal Lord was hiding somewhere on the Western Front to recover, which was why such a decision was made.
Receiving this flurry of compliments and praise, Zhong Liang’s face flushed brighter each day. Others assumed that he was in high spirits, but those who knew what actually happened understood that he was just embarrassed.
Talk of brilliant strategy and decisive commands were all just crap. If Zhong Liang really had such ability, he would have already led the whole Army to destroy the Black Ink Clan once and for all.
But, Zhong Liang could not explain to them, so he had to endure these compliments which caused his cheeks to burn every single day.
After the battle, Blue Sky Pass could not rest though. There was a lot to do, including cleaning the battlefield. Due to the deaths of so many Black Ink Clansmen, innumerable Black Ink Clouds of all shapes and sizes had appeared all over the battlefield. Those had to be cleaned up, or they would have difficulty moving about. In addition, the clouds would serve as a cover for the Black Ink Clan Army in their next attack, so they had to be dealt with.
Some specialised individuals would count the casualties and record Military Merits. Each Army Commander was naturally also quite busy.
Many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters assembled in the Main Conference Hall to address a variety of issues after the war.
Other than the few that were injured and needed immediate treatment, all other Eight-Order Masters were present.
None of them liked to procrastinate, so they only spent half a day finishing their discussion.
“There is one last thing to discuss. Please share your views freely,” Zhong Liang cleared his throat and said.
The others turned to look at him.
“All of you know the reason why this battle experienced such rapid changes,” Zhong Liang continued as he rubbed his nose.
“Of course, it was because of Brother Zhong’s incredible insight and brilliant strategy, redeploying our forces so wisely to corner the enemy!” Ding Yao opined enthusiastically, “This Ding is truly impressed. The main credit for the victory of this battle belongs to the Western Army. The Northern, Southern, and Eastern Armies were just supporting characters.”
The crowd burst into laughter.
As the saying goes, never air your dirty laundry in public. Zhong Liang glared at Ding Yao and knocked on the table, “You’re not young anymore. Stop joking around.”
Ding Yao chuckled lightly before falling silent.
Zhong Liang then continued, “Whether Yang Kai caused trouble or helped gain victory in the battle, please share your views.”
Everyone became quiet as soon as the words were said. Blue Sky Pass was the centre of a massive battlefield. It was not like the Sects of the 3,000 Worlds, where merits and demerits were subject to opinion. Rewards and penalties here were a military matter, so there was no room for favouritism and strict adherence to rules and regulations was necessary to maintain discipline.
Seeing that no one was talking, Zhong Liang turned to one of them and spoke, “Brother Lu, Yang Kai can be considered part of Yin-Yang Heaven. Please offer your opinion.”
Lu An, who got called out, laughed wryly before replying, “Brother Zhong, as you’ve just said, Yang Kai can be considered part of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. If I were to speak my opinion, I would definitely stand on his side. So, I don’t think I should say anything.”
“It’s fine for you to speak. If you have a point, it’s alright even if you take his side,” Zhong Liang insisted.
Seeing his persistence, Lu An pondered for a while before stating, “Before Yang Kai came, the corruption of Black Ink Strength had always been a problem that troubled the Human Race. But after he came here, he easily solved it, and according to what I know, the number of people who were personally rescued by him was no less than 3,000. This action alone has preserved the life and strength of 3,000 of our Blue Sky Pass’s soldiers. Is that not a tremendous merit?”
Everyone nodded in agreement, as this was an undeniable truth. Yang Kai had treated nearly people from all four Armies, from every Division, and almost every Battalion.
“Subsequently, he helped create the Purifying Black Ink Battleships together with Brother Dong Guo from Divine Cauldron Heaven, Fan Xun of Mo Sha Heaven, and several others. Besides that, he arranged Universe Arrays on each of the Purifying Black Ink Battleships and filled them with a large amount of Purifying Light. Which of the four Armies did not receive great boons from this Purifying Light during the latest battle? This can also be considered a huge merit!”
It was not difficult to achieve merits on this Black Ink Battlefield; however, it was difficult to gain large ones. Many might not even be able to obtain one outstanding merit throughout their life.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, had gained two large merits in less than a year after arriving at Blue Sky Pass, which was simply unprecedented.
With this, even if he made any mistakes, his merits were enough to outweigh them.
Lu An stated that he intended to favour Yang Kai, which he did, but the favouritism was reasonable and others could not argue with it because what he said was agreed upon by everyone present.
“He is just a Sixth-Order brat, yet he raced to the frontline of the battle. Though unintended, he accidentally discovered the hiding place of the Royal Lord, which interfered with his recovery and prompted the Black Ink Clan armies from the other three fronts to rush over as reinforcements. This provided an excellent chance for our armies to pursue and slaughter them. In addition, it also established the groundwork for the Old Ancestor to cause great harm to the Royal Lord. It could be said that this huge victory was all due to Yang Kai. The battle Blue Sky Pass faced might not have been as easy if he hadn’t snuck out. This was another huge merit!” Lu An added.
Now, Yang Kai had accomplished three great merits.
In one war, he had gained three great merits. This was never heard nor seen of.
When Zhong Liang heard that, he chuckled, “According to what Brother Lu stated, we have to reward Yang Kai properly. Brother Lu, even if Yang Kai is part of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, your favouritism is too obvious.”
“Of course, after talking about his merits, naturally, he has demerits too. Not to mention that he disobeyed orders on the battlefield and insisted on doing things of his will, because of him, the three fronts had to send out a portion of their men to aid him, putting countless lives at risk,” Lu An said with a slight smile.
Zhong Liang had to endure large risks as well when he borrowed men from the other three fronts. If the war on the Western Front did not conclude in time, then the battle on the Southern, Northern, and Eastern Fronts would have become unsustainable. In the worst-case scenario, their defence lines would be broken through, resulting in massive casualties.
Although this did not occur, it was highly probable that it would have if the Royal Lord’s location had not been revealed, and his recovery had not been interfered with.
“It’s a big demerit to disobey orders, and it’s another to put others in danger as a result. For the time being, although his merits outweigh his demerits, I’d say we should neither punish nor reward him,” Lu An concluded.
Everyone in the Main Hall was silent. Lu An previously stated that he would side with Yang Kai, but how was this considered favouritism? Three great merits and two big demerits. There was still one great merit to be rewarded, but Lu An suggested not doing so. This obviously was not favouritism, on the contrary, it had the notion of repression.
However, everyone understood that Lu An was from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, and so was Yang Kai. Him only stating this was to avoid suspicion of being too biased. Although they were from the same Sect, that was of little importance on the Black Ink Battlefield; his relationship with those in the Inner Sanctum was far more critical. Only when Blue Sky Pass was one, cohesive force could they continue to repel powerful foes.
“No,” Ding Yao remarked, waving his hand, “If you’ve gained a merit, you will be rewarded, and if you gained a demerit, you will be punished. This is the rule. If merits and demerits can be cancelled out, it would become a mess in the future.”
Zhong Liang glanced at him and said, “Brother Ding, what’s your opinion?”
Ding Yao said softly, “That Brat has indeed accomplished a lot in this battle, so the punishment can’t be too severe. How about this? Since the battlefield needs to be cleaned, we’ll delegate him an area to be responsible for.”
“Can that even be counted as punishment?” Zhong Liang laughed.
Ding Yao replied nonchalantly, “We just need to do it for show. That boy is now extremely popular in the Inner Sanctum, if the punishment is too harsh, even our own subordinates won’t agree to it!”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Yang Kai held the key to purifying and eliminating Black Ink Strength. Who hadn’t heard of his name in the Inner Sanctum? Any one of them might need his help in the future, so it was only natural that they would try to get on his good side.
It was said that people were constantly going to Yang Kai’s residence with fine wine, wanting to pay him a visit.
There were also those who received his help while on the battlefield; in fact, many said at the time that if they were able to return alive, they would invite him to have a drink. They had all come to fulfil their promises now that the battle was over.
It was a pity that Yang Kai seemed to be in retreat and not meeting anyone.
Shen Tu Mo gave a light nod and said, “That’s a good idea. When that kid arrived at Blue Sky Pass for the first time, he was informed of the Inner Sanctum’s rules. Now that his punishment is settled, what about this reward? He still has some massive accomplishments, so his rewards can’t be ignored, can they?”
Ding Yao responded with a smile, “Since it is a small punishment, the reward should be minimal as well. His Military Merits cannot be erased, so note them down for him for now, and he can exchange them for anything in the War Materials Hall at a later date. As for his position going forward… that’s a bit more complicated.”
When Ding Yao mentioned ‘complicated’, everyone knew what he meant. According to what Yang Kai accomplished, even promoting him to Battalion Commander was less than what he deserved.
However, this boy was only a Sixth-Order Master, so how could he take on the role of Battalion Commander? Which Battalion Commander in Blue Sky Pass was not a peak Seventh-Order Master?
If his ability was insufficient, he would be unable to convince his subordinates.
“I propose that he be promoted to Squad Leader for now!” Ding Yao stated while glancing at the crowd.
Someone instantly objected, saying, “I heard he’s only a Sixth-Order Master. His cultivation isn’t sufficient to be a Squad Leader, right?”
Although there were only a dozen or so people in in a Squad, as the Squad Leader, Yang Kai would be responsible for all of their lives. Being in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm was indeed too low.
Ding Yao smiled and replied, “He is indeed in the Sixth Order, but which of you has seen a Sixth-Order Junior fight on par with a Seventh-Order Master before? His performance on the battlefield this time was more dazzling than many established Seventh-Order Masters. With the cooperation of Feng Ying, they killed no less than a dozen Feudal Lords, and don’t forget that this Brat can also transform into a Grand Dragon. In that form, his strength is comparable to a peak Seventh-Order Master. Strength is also something that can be improved with time. That brat advanced to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm initially and, after taking a Mid-Rank World Fruit, advanced to the Sixth-Order. So, he is also expected to reach the Eighth Order in the future.”
Hearing what he said, everyone agreed.
“Then, according to what Brother Ding said, we’ll let him be promoted to Squad Leader, but one thing must be made clear. Whose Army will he be joining?” Liang Yu Long remarked.
Zhong Liang replied, “Of course, he will belong to my Western Army! Feng Ying brought him here in the first place.”
Shen Tu Mo grinned meaningfully, “He is from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, and Brother Lu An is part of my Northern Army, shouldn’t he join us instead?”
Ding Yao chimed in immediately, “It’s not right for you to put it like that. No matter your background, we’re all one family on the Black Ink Battlefield. There’s no such thing as Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. I’d say that it’s preferable for him to come to the Eastern Army.”
The four Army Commanders glanced at each other; no one wanted to back down, obviously wanting to get Yang Kai to work under them.
Although each Army had a Purifying Black Ink Battleship and could utilize the Purifying Light stored inside of it, every Army still wanted a gifted talent like Yang Kai to join them.
As for the fact that his cultivation was not enough to be a Squad Leader, it was not mentioned anymore.
For a long time in the Main Conference Hall, the four Army Commanders argued back and forth while the many Division Commanders glanced around at each other helplessly.
The four Army Commanders going all out to recruit a single Sixth-Order Junior was unprecedented.
However, everyone knew of Yang Kai’s significance, so they could understand their motivations.
Nevertheless, there was no conclusion following the argument, and in the end, the problem could only be put on hold for the time being, with the decision being made to go back and let Yang Kai decide.
When the meeting finished, everyone left.
The four Army Commanders walked at the back, seemingly as friendly as if they had not just argued.
“Brother Ding, don’t you need to check in on the Eastern Army? Why are you walking in this direction?” Zhong Liang suddenly looked at Ding Yao.
“Just taking a stroll. Why do you care?” Replied Ding Yao, his hands folded behind his back.
Having said so, he indeed strolled off.
“Brother Liang, why are you walking this way too?” Zhong Liang looked at Liang Yu Long with a darkening expression.
Liang Yu Long laughed and said, “I have something to discuss with Brother Ding,” After that, he followed Ding Yao and left.
Then, Zhong Liang turned to Shen Tu Mo, who said with no courtesy, “These legs are attached to my body. Why does it concern you where they’re leading me?”
He then left with the other two.
“Bastards! A bunch of shameless old dogs who want to snatch what’s mine!” Muttered Zhong Liang.
A short while later, four figures arrived one after another at a certain courtyard.
There were a lot of residences in Blue Sky Pass for those in the Inner Sanctum. Blue Sky Pass could accommodate tens of thousands of people easily, and everyone had their own residence.
The higher the position, the better the benefits. This was Feng Ying’s home. As a Battalion Commander, she lived in her own courtyard. Though it wasn’t particularly big, it was clean and well-kept.
Yang Kai hadn’t had time to register, so he didn’t have a distinct identity in Blue Sky Pass, nor a permanent residence; therefore, he followed Feng Ying here after the battle.
Feng Ying swiftly emerged after sensing someone approaching. When she saw the four Army Commanders though, she couldn’t help but be shocked and greeted hurriedly, “Greetings, Sirs.”
Zhong Liang nodded lightly, cast a wary glance at the other three, and inquired, “Where is Yang Boy?”
“In retreat,” Feng Ying said, glancing in the direction of a private chamber.
Zhong Liang frowned, “How are his injuries?”
He remembered Yang Kai and Feng Ying’s miserable state when he carried them back from the battlefield. Feng Ying was even unconscious at the time.
“His injuries are fine, but…”
“But what?” Zhong Liang anxiously asked.
Feng Ying quickly answered, “But he said that he felt like he had the chance to break through. If his retreat this time is successful, he could advance to the Seventh Order after leaving seclusion.”
Zhong Liang and the rest were both shocked and pleasantly surprised.
One of the Division Commanders in the conference hall mentioned that Yang Kai’s cultivation was too low for him to be promoted to Squad Leader, but it seemed this was no longer an issue. Since the chance for advancement had been recognised, reaching the Seventh Order should be a given.
For a Squad Leader, being in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was the most suitable.
The fact that Yang Kai suddenly entered retreat to advance to the Seventh Order made Zhong Liang extremely excited.
[This brat could already exert such power while just in the Sixth Order. If he advances to the Seventh Order, how strong would he be?]
Thinking about it again, it was no surprise that Yang Kai felt an opportunity to break through.
Yang Kai snuck out of Blue Sky Pass and onto the battlefield this time, hoping to break through while facing death in battle, but events unfolded far differently than he had anticipated.
The battlefield was dangerous, and even the best of plans could never keep up with ever-changing circumstances. Feng Ying arrived just in time to find Yang Kai, and with her watching over him, he had been safe.
Yang Kai himself understood this too, so when he met Feng Ying, he abandoned his initial plan and joined forces with her to defeat as many enemies as possible.
However, the Royal Lord’s location was unintentionally exposed by Yang Kai, disrupting the former’s recovery. As a result, the Royal Lord became annoyed and attacked the two of them.
It was a casual blow for the Royal Lord, but to Yang Kai and Feng Ying, it was a death sentence.
Facing certain death, Yang Kai had no time to think and could only go all out. It was only with the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel and Feng Ying’s Myriad Swords Dragon that the pair managed to barely survive and hold out until Zhong Liang arrived.
At the moment of critical danger, it was when under overwhelming pressure that something seemed to have shattered inside Yang Kai.
He didn’t notice it at that time, but when Yang Kai was back in Blue Sky Pass, safe from the ongoing war, he realised that the shackles that he had been trying to break through during his previous retreat snapped under the immense pressure.
It truly was a great fortune that was stumbled upon by accident.
Yang Kai would naturally not let go of this fantastic opportunity now that he had grasped it. When the battle was over, he returned with Feng Ying, informed her about his situation, and then entered retreat to break through.
Naturally, when Zhong Liang and others came to look for him, he was not available.
However, the four Army Commanders were overjoyed when they heard that Yang Kai was advancing to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Yang Kai’s existence was too important to the Human Race; so obviously, the greater the strength he had, the better. The Black Ink Battlefield had a lot of dangers, so if Yang Kai was stronger, he would have a better ability to protect himself. The fifth order was too low and the Sixth Order was the bare minimum. If Yang Kai advanced to the Seventh Order though, he could play a much larger role.
“Very good! If this little brat can break through, it will be good for all of us,” Zhong Liang nodded repeatedly.
Ding Yao and the others agreed.
But breaking through to the Seventh Order from the Sixth Order was a long and arduous task. The Proprietress took over 100 years in retreat in order to break through this same barrier.
Zhong Liang and others had also gone through this experience, so they were very clear about the process.
The four of them set aside their desires to win over Yang Kai after knowing that they could not see him for the time being. Then, Zhong Liang instructed, “You stay here to look after him. Notify me as soon as possible once he’s done.”
Feng Ying nodded.
“Let’s go,” Zhong Liang said. There were still a lot of post-battle tasks to attend to and each of them had their own responsibilities, so it was impossible to keep waiting here.
However, just as the four of them were preparing to leave, they heard a faint creaking sound.
Zhong Liang followed the sound and turned his head to look, “What’s that?”
“My seclusion chamber opened…” Feng Ying replied as her expression changed.
Zhong Liang and the others were startled at first, but that was soon followed by a change in their expressions.
The seclusion chamber was a place for cultivators to enter retreat and it wouldn’t be easily opened once sealed. If Yang Kai chose to enter retreat here at Feng Ying’s place, he would undoubtedly be using this room.
Unless the one using it chose to, opening a seclusion chamber could only be done through force, and obviously that was not the case here.
It’s just… why would the seclusion chamber open for no reason?
Yang Kai only entered retreat a few days ago, so could he have encountered an accident?
As they thought of this possibility, Zhong Liang and the others were no longer able to remain calm. They all strode over to the seclusion chamber in a hurry.
Soon after, Yang Kai emerged from the chamber, still topless, with many of his wounds from the previous battle not even healed yet. Of course, he seemed to have recovered significantly all the same.
Zhong Liang and the others suspected something went wrong with his retreat; otherwise, why would he come out on his own? But, when they laid eyes on him, there didn’t seem to be anything amiss. In fact, he seemed invigorated and revitalised.
There was something odd about his aura too. It was not a Sixth-Order aura, but rather a Seventh-Order one!
Having just broken through, Yang Kai seemed to be somewhat unfamiliar with the power of Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, and could not control his World Force adeptly, causing some of his aura and power to leak out.
Zhong Liang and the others immediately widened their eyes in surprise as they stared at him in shock.
Yang Kai noticed them as well and pondered why these four were here. Still, he quickly composed himself and saluted, “Greetings, Seniors.”
Zhong Liang and others remained silent, their four pairs of eyes examining Yang Kai from top to bottom.
Yang Kai was feeling uneasy when these four were scrutinizing him in such a manner. It felt like there was something odd with their gaze but he could not understand what it was. As such, he cautiously asked, “Seniors, what brings you here today?”
“Don’t move!” Zhong Liang commanded in a deep voice, took a step forward and reached out to Yang Kai’s dantian, touching it with his palm before investigating it thoroughly.
Ding Yao and the rest stood back and waited quietly.
A few moments later, Zhong Liang withdrew his hands; his expression odd.
“So?” Ding Yao asked.
“Strange. He’s reached the Seventh Order without a doubt!” Zhong Liang shook his head and glanced at Ding Yao and the others.
Under his inspection, he confirmed that Yang Kai had indeed advanced to the Seventh Order, which was completely unbelievable.
“You’re sure you’re not mistaken?’ Liang Yu Long inquired, agitated.
Zhong Liang rolled his eyes, “You can check for yourself if you don’t believe me. His foundation doesn’t even seem to be unstable.”
“Interesting,” Shen Tu Mo grinned.
Yang Kai became even more confused, turning to Zhong Liang and asking, “Senior, what happened?”
“If you ask me, who am I supposed to ask?” Zhong Liang turned to face him, “How did you advance to the Seventh Order?”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow for a moment before replying nonchalantly, “I sensed an opportunity to break through, so I entered retreat for a while and broke through.”
The way he spoke about it was like he had been hungry, decided to eat, and was now full.
Feng Ying finally pulled herself together and commented, “That’s the problem.”
“What’s the problem?” Yang Kai frowned. This advancement had gone unexpectedly well, so he didn’t suspect anything was wrong.
Feng Ying sighed and said, “Let’s put it this way. It took 40 years from the time I sensed the opportunity to break through to the Seventh Order until I finally succeeded. Not only me, but every Seventh-Order Master experiences something similar. It takes a long time to break through because the Seventh Order is a massive watershed where one’s Small Universe must undergo the process of materializing. This is an extraordinarily long and difficult process that cannot be completed overnight.”
As she spoke though, Feng Ying abruptly came to a realization, “Ah! Your Small Universe had already materialized, so you could skip over that step in your breakthrough… Still, it all happened so fast, and there were no major signs of a breakthrough as well.”
It had only been a few days, yet Yang Kai actually broke through to the Seventh Order. If they had not witnessed it themselves, they would never have been able to believe it.
Zhong Liang recalled this fact once Feng Ying reminded them.
They had all checked Yang Kai’s Small Universe before, and unlike other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realms Masters, his Small Universe had already transformed from immaterial to material; therefore, Yang Kai did not have to go through arduous process of materializing his Small Universe to advance to the Seventh-Order.
What concerned Zhong Liang the most before, was Yang Kai feeling his opportunity for a breakthrough on the battlefield. If he did, he would be forced to break through while in battle, which would sap him of all his strength during the transforming process, which would place him in a precarious state.
Fortunately, that did not happen.
After hearing Feng Ying’s explanation, Yang Kai finally understood everyone’s earlier odd reaction.
He also had some idea of what happened when others advanced to the Seventh Order; still, this realization took him aback. But since his special Small Universe had saved him a huge amount of time, as far as he was concerned, it was something to celebrate.
This time, his retreat went rather smoothly. After a few days of effort, his bottleneck was shattered, and he naturally advanced from the Sixth Order to the Seventh Order, moving up to join the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. Additionally, he was now just one step away from his upper limit, the Eighth Order.
“Your circumstances are unique,” Zhong Liang stated after some thought, “Please pay more attention over the course of the next few years. Make sure you report to us if you sense any abnormalities.
“Yes,” Yang Kai replied, then asked again, “So, what brought you here today, Seniors?”
“The Old Ancestor wants to see you!” Zhong Liang turned serious.
When the Old Ancestor returned, Yang Kai was already in retreat, but the former had been greatly intrigued by the existence of a person like Yang Kai in the Inner Sanctum. So, he instructed Yang Kai to pay him a visit as soon as possible.
“When?” Yang Kai asked. He also desired to meet with the Old Ancestor, but previously, the Old Ancestor was in the midst of recovering from his injuries, so he could not meet him.
The issue of the Void Corridor had to be reported, but in accordance with Meng Qi’s instructions before his death, Yang Kai never disclosed the issue to anyone else, only planning to explain everything when he met the Old Ancestor.
Zhong Liang suddenly turned awkward, “Maybe in a few years. The Old Ancestor should be recovering right now. Although he instructed you to meet him, nobody expected you to be out of retreat so quickly.”
According to the Old Ancestor’s previous estimation, Yang Kai would need at least a few dozen years to advance to the Seventh Order. By that time, he would have completed his recovery and could meet this interesting Junior.
Who knew in just a few days, Yang Kai had already successfully advanced to the Seventh Order.
Besides, the Old Ancestor hadn’t fully recovered from his previous injuries when he went out to battle the Royal Lord again. They really should not interfere with him this time when he returned to recover.
Yang Kai nodded without objections.
“Good. Get some rest. We’ll take our leave,” Zhong Liang said as he signalled to Ding Yao and the others.
Yang Kai and Feng Ying bowed and watched them leave.
After exiting the courtyard, Liang Yu Long suddenly asked, “Brother Zhong, what are you up to?”
The four of them hurried over here, hoping to recruit Yang Kai into their respective Army, but no one spoke about this matter, and Zhong Liang even motioned them to leave quickly. Of course, Liang Yu Long wanted to ask why.
Zhong Liang then replied, “I considered it thoroughly. We old fogies should not trouble the little ones. How do you want him to choose if all four armies try to recruit him? It’s not appropriate for him to promise any one of us. We are all part of Blue Sky Pass anyways, so let’s let things drift for now and we can talk about it after he has become more familiar with things here.”
Ding Yao answered with a nod, “Good. It will indeed make things difficult for him if we force him to choose now. The future is still far, so let’s not be in such a hurry.”
Since they had said so, Liang Yu Long and Shen Tu Mo could not object either, thus the subject was put on hold for the time being.
Just after Zhong Liang and the others left Feng Ying’s courtyard, someone else came for a visit.
Yang Kai didn’t know them, but after Feng Ying’s introduction, he learned that the visitor was from Blue Sky Pass’ Merit Hall. The Merit Hall was a very important organisation in Blue Sky Pass, as its main responsibility was to document everyone’s Military Merits in each battle.
The Military Merits could be exchanged for cultivation resources at the War Materials Hall.
Now that Yang Kai knew who this person was, he naturally wouldn’t show him any disrespect. It was fine when he didn’t know who he was before, but now that he knew the identity of the person before him, he was curious to know what Military Merits he had obtained in this battle.
However, to his shock, the visitor hadn’t come to announce his Military Merits. Instead, that person came here under the order of the Army Commanders of the Four Armies to announce his punishment.
He had defied orders from the Western Army Commander, disregarded the overall situation, and put himself and others in danger. After a discussion, the four Army Commanders decided to punish Yang Kai by making him clean up the battlefield.
The punishment left Yang Kai dumbfounded.
The man from the Merit Hall laughed sheepishly, handed Yang Kai the jade slip, and cupped his fist while saying, “Brother Yang, I’m only following orders, so please don’t be upset with me. Cleaning the battlefield is not difficult, but it’s time-consuming. This isn’t really much of a punishment. Oh, right, the area you will be responsible for cleaning is demarcated inside this jade slip. Just take a look and you’ll know what I mean.”
There was nothing Yang Kai could say, so he accepted the jade slip.
The man from the Merit Hall left without saying anything else.
Then, as Yang Kai stood in the same spot, he looked at the jade slip and noticed that a basic map of Blue Sky Pass and its surroundings was engraved into it. Also, the area he was assigned to clean up was also highlighted on the map.
He turned to look at Feng Ying and asked, “What should I do?”
Feng Ying answered, “There’s not much to do, actually. The main thing is to clean up any leftover Black Ink Clouds and Black Ink Strength. If those are left near Blue Sky Pass, they will become something the Black Ink Army can use when they attack us again. Come with me.”
Saying so, she walked forward to lead the way.
A few moments later, the two arrived at the War Materials Hall. Inside the hall, everyone was bustling like busy bees, and there was a continuous stream of people heading in and out. There were many who recognised Yang Kai and nodded or smiled at him. Some even came forward and greeted him so that they could have a chance to get to know him.
Yang Kai politely responded to all of them.
When Feng Ying finally found someone from the War Materials Hall, she asked for a set of tools used for cleaning the battlefield before leading Yang Kai away.
Leaving Blue Sky Pass, moved towards the region indicated in the jade slip and soon arrived at a certain area of the battlefield. As they looked ahead, they saw the whole area was filled with Black Ink Clouds of various shapes and sizes, as well as some dead Black Ink Clansmen.
Though Blue Sky Pass also suffered casualties during this battle, the dead and injured had all been carried away by their companions; therefore, only the corpses of the Black Ink Clan were left.
The area Yang Kai was responsible for was about 100,000 kilometres in length, breadth, and width. It wasn’t particularly big, but it wasn’t small either.
At this moment, there were already many others cleaning up in other areas of the battlefield. Looking from where they stood, they saw most of the cleaning crews working in groups of two, each person holding one end of a net that they dragged across the void. As these nets passed through the void, the Black Ink Clouds would be gathered into them and then brought somewhere else.
Once the clouds in the net were dealt with, those with nets would return to another part of their area and repeat the process.
Yang Kai came to the realization that these nets were special artifacts the Human Masters had come up with because Black Ink Strength was very difficult to deal with. Up till this point, besides his Purifying Light, there was nothing that could disperse and purify it.
Therefore, if they wanted to clean up the battlefield, they had to find another method. These nets were something they came up with through countless years of research and testing.
“This is the Black Ink Trawling Net,” While Feng Ying spoke, she took out something that looked like a net that was about as long as a forearm. However, when she channelled World Force into the net, it rapidly enlarged, “This is the only thing we can use to clean up the battlefield, so we generally refer to cleaning up the battlefield as fishing.”
Hearing that made Yang Kai laugh. The scene before him did resemble fishermen working with their nets. The only difference was that instead of fish, there were only Black Ink Clouds here.
The Black Ink Trawling Net had no other use besides collecting Black Ink Clouds that were from battle.
“Where are the Black Ink Clouds being sent to?” Yang Kai asked.
Feng Ying replied, “We move them about 1 million kilometres away from here.”
It was no wonder that the man from the Merit Hall said being on the cleanup duty was not difficult but time-consuming. The Black Ink Clouds had to be sent 1 million kilometres away at minimum, so moving back and forth alone would be quite time-consuming.
After a rough estimation, Yang Kai concluded that cleaning up this 100,000-kilometre area might take at least one or two months.
He had just advanced to the Seventh Order, and what he needed now was to consolidate his cultivation. He didn’t have time to waste on fishing for clouds.
Once he had a decision in mind, he immediately waved his hand, “That’s too much trouble.”
After he finished his words, Yang Kai approached the Black Ink Clouds, opened the portal to his Small Universe, and generated a suction force that began drawing everything towards it.
In just a matter of breaths, the massive Black Ink Cloud was sucked inside his Small Universe.
Feng Ying watched speechlessly and worriedly from the side while Yang Kai’s figure dashed to and fro, gathering Black Ink Clouds of various sizes.
Though Yang Kai had a World Spring with him, it was uncertain if he would experience any complications from taking in so much Black Ink Strength.
Nevertheless, she relaxed after seeing that Yang Kai was doing fine.
It only took Yang Kai two days to clean up the 100,000 kilometres area; yet, he didn’t return to the Inner Sanctum after he finished. Instead, he stopped somewhere in the void and stared fixedly ahead.
Feng Ying approached him and asked, “What’s the matter?”
After faintly sighing, Yang Kai suddenly reached out his hand. Space Principles surged and his hand disappeared, as though it had passed through an invisible curtain of some kind.
Feng Ying’s brow rose, feeling confused as to what had just happened.
Space Principles continued to undulate for a while before Yang Kai suddenly shouted, “Open!”
Once he said that, his hand rotated sharply and the place where it had disappeared was now replaced by a vortex-like phenomenon. The vortex was like a whirlpool, and as it swirled, the aura of a Small Universe emerged from it.
Feng Ying was shocked, “Is that…”
“A Universe Paradise.” Yang Kai’s eyes looked a little dim as he replied, “I’m not sure who left this behind though.”
When a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master passed away, there was a chance for their Small Universe to remain intact and merge with the Void. If one didn’t know the exact location, it would be very difficult to find these Sealed Worlds, and even if one knew the exact location, they would have to know how to open the portal leading to it.
These Sealed Worlds that were left behind after the death of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master were known as Universe Cave Heavens or Universe Paradises.
A Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would leave behind a Universe Paradise, while an Eighth or Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would leave behind a Universe Cave Heaven.
The Blood Monster Cave Heaven which Yang Kai had explored once before was the Universe Cave Heaven left behind by Blood Monster Divine Monarch.
Later, when he and Bright Sun Divine Monarch Cheng Yang worked together in the Shattered Heaven, they found and opened a total of five Universe Cave Heavens and Paradises. With his mastery over the Dao of Space, Yang Kai was adept at finding and then forcing open Universe Cave Heavens or Paradises.
These Universe Cave Heavens and Paradises were left behind by powerful Masters, and if one were lucky, one might be able to inherit the previous owner’s legacy.
Therefore, among the 3,000 Worlds, Universe Cave Heavens and Paradises represented fortune and opportunity. Once one was found, people would swarm over to seize a piece of the pie.
Every time Blood Monster Cave Heaven was opened, it would attract many elite disciples to enter and explore it, which showed how precious these Sealed Worlds were.
However, they were on the Black Ink Battlefield now, and just outside Blue Sky Pass.
Throughout the ages, countless Human Masters fought the Black Ink Clan right here, painting the void in blood.
The number of Human Masters that died here must have been too many to count.
When the armies were locked in battle, there were bursts of energy everywhere, so Yang Kai wasn’t able to sense anything. While he was cleaning up the battlefield though, he could feel slight, almost imperceptible, spatial fluctuations coming from certain points around him.
No matter how strong he was, if he were not proficient in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been able to discover anything. But due to his experience of discovering and opening so many Universe Cave Heavens and Paradises before, coupled with the special conditions here, he naturally knew what these space fluctuations meant.
After giving it a try, just as he predicted, he easily opened up a portal to a Universe Paradise.
Though it seemed easy for Yang Kai, it was mind-blowing for Feng Ying.
Many knew that countless Universe Cave Heavens and Paradises were located outside of Blue Sky Pass; after all, an uncountable number of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had died here over the millennia.
To this point though, there had been no one besides Yang Kai who could easily find and open those lost Small Universes.
If he could open one, he could open a second, third…
What did that mean? It meant the legacies of the owners of those Universe Cave Heavens and Paradises could be found and retrieved. Though there might not be much, even retrieving some memorial items of these Masters who had fought and died to stop the Black Ink Clan would have meaning.
“Do you want to head inside?” Yang Kai nudged his head towards the portal.
Nodding, Feng Ying added, “I just need to report about this first.”
As she spoke, she took out her communication artifact and notified the higher-ups. Once she did that, she followed Yang Kai through the portal.
Their vision blurred for a moment; then, they were inside. As Yang Kai predicted, this was a Universe Paradise that was left behind by a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
However, this Universe Paradise was dilapidated and barren, and some places looked like parts had been cut away. Yang Kai could guess that the owner of this Small Universe had been invaded by Black Ink Strength and was forced to cut out a part of his Small Universe to continue fighting.
Unfortunately, the owner still died in battle.
After the owner died, his Small Universe didn’t rupture and was preserved to create an incomplete Universe Paradise.
This Universe Paradise wasn’t very big, nor did there seem to be anything of value.
Yang Kai and Feng Ying explored the place but couldn’t find anything. Yang Kai was puzzled by this because the owner of this Small Universe was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and such people would normally keep all their important belongings inside their Small Universe, so whatever they had would end up here after they died.
However, they couldn’t find anything of value even after performing a careful exploration.
Seeming to have noticed Yang Kai’s doubts, Feng Ying explained, “Every time a war breaks out, everyone in Blue Sky Pass leaves everything of value they possess in the Inner Sanctum. Everything beside their important artifacts and pills which can restore energy and heal their wounds is left behind. That way, if they die, the resources left in the Inner Sanctum can be used by others.”
On the chaotic battlefield, no one could be certain if they could come back alive, which was why they would carry the mentality that they were heading to the last battle of their lives and had to fight to the death.
That was also the reason why they couldn’t find anything of value in this Small Universe. The belongings of the owner had been collected by others in Blue Sky Pass after his death and became materials for others to become stronger.
Yang Kai stood in awe.
If that was true, there was no reason to continue exploring.
A while later, Yang Kai and Feng Ying left the Universe Paradise. When they came out, the four Army Commanders were waiting for them.
Feng Ying had contacted Zhong Liang, who then contacted Ding Yao and the others. The four arrived at almost the same time.
Four pairs of eyes were instantly attracted to the portal that led to the Universe Paradise, and Zhong Liang even swept his eyes over Yang Kai while asking, “Did you do this?”
Yang Kai nodded. There was no need to hide that fact.
“Do you know who left this behind?” Zhong Liang asked another question. This time, it wasn’t directed at Yang Kai, but at Feng Ying.
Shaking her head, Feng Ying answered, “I’m not sure. Unless it’s someone who knows the owner going in to have a look, I’m afraid it will be hard to determine who it belonged to.”
Zhong Liang stayed silent. Unless the Small Universe left by the cultivator had special characteristics, it was difficult to determine who its former owner was. Moreover, countless Masters had been killed outside Blue Sky Pass over the ages, and so much time had passed it was almost impossible to determine who these Small Universes belonged to.
Suddenly, Ding Yao looked at Yang Kai and questioned, “Did you find this by chance, or do you have the ability to open portals to all these Universe Cave Heavens and Universe Paradises?”
Yang Kai replied, “As long as they aren’t hidden too deeply, I can find and open them.”
Hearing this, the four Army Commanders frowned. Ding Yao nodded and said, “Very good. If it’s true, then you might be making a huge contribution.”
Yang Kai was confused. What huge contribution? If what Feng Ying said was true, there wouldn’t be many valuable things in the Universe Cave Heavens and Universe Paradises hidden outside Blue Sky Pass. Even if he found and opened them, what good would they bring to Blue Sky Pass?
Nevertheless, since Ding Yao had spoken, it must be something important.
On the other hand, Yang Kai also found the arrival of all four Army Commanders a little fishy. He didn’t expect all four to come when Feng Ying said she had to make a report.
Also, judging by the expressions on Zhong Liang’s and the others’ faces, Yang Kai was clear that it might be something important.
As he was still confused, he simply decided to ask, “Are these Universe Cave Heavens and Universe Paradises very important? There aren’t many valuables inside.”
Ding Yao explained, “Those who went into battle naturally wouldn’t bring much with them. They fought to the death against the Black Ink Clan when they were alive, and the Small Universes they left behind after they died can also become a weapon to kill the Black Ink Clan. We’ve had such plans for a long time, but we didn’t have the ability to open these hidden Universe Cave Heavens and Universe Paradises. Who would have thought you were capable of this.”
Then, Zhong Liang continued, “Think of it this way. The Universe Paradise before you has little value on its own. Though it has World Force and the owner’s Dao Essence, it is essentially useless to us Humans. However, what if we make it into a trap?”
“A trap?” Yang Kai frowned.
Zhong Liang’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he elaborated, “The Black Ink Clan Army repeatedly besieges Blue Sky Pass. If we convert this Universe Paradise into a trap, when the Black Ink Clan Army approaches, we can trigger it and all nearby Black Ink Clansmen will be drawn inside.”
Liang Yu Long continued, “We can arrange Killing Arrays in this Universe Paradise in advance. After the Black Ink Clan is trapped inside, the Killing Array will activate and weaken the Black Ink Clan without us having to fight them directly.”
Shen Tu Mo agreed, “One Universe Paradise may not make much of a difference, but there are so many Universe Cave Heavens and Universe Paradises outside of Blue Sky Pass. If we activate 1,000 of them at once, we may be able to win the next war in one fell swoop!”
After listening to their explanation, Yang Kai felt his pulse accelerate. A magnificent sight came into his mind where the Black Ink Clan Army besieged Blue Sky Pass from all sides in full momentum and then fell into the traps set up using the Universe Cave Heavens and Universe Paradises. Then, in a flash, they triggered the Killing Arrays and slaughtered the enemy.
If this could be achieved, Blue Sky Pass could win a large battle effortlessly. Had the Humans set up such traps in previous battles, they would have had another sharp weapon with which to repel the enemy.
People from Blue Sky Pass clearly had such an idea long ago; unfortunately, although the idea was good, it was difficult to put it into action. They had no way to find and open up these hidden Universe Cave Heavens and Universe Paradises, so how could they use them as traps?
Therefore, after hearing that Yang Kai could find and force open these Small Universes, Zhong Liang immediately realised the importance of the matter and summoned Ding Yao and the others to come and assess the situation.
This time, the Black Ink Clan Army suffered heavy losses and severely damaged their foundation, so Blue Sky Pass was safe for the time being. But the Black Ink Clan Army would return someday, and there would be another fierce battle when they did.
While the Black Ink Clan were recuperating, there was enough time for them to set up a Grand Killing Array here at Blue Sky Pass. If their plan was executed well, the next time the Black Ink Clan Army arrived, there would be a huge unpleasant surprise waiting for them.
The key to this plan relied on Yang Kai’s ability to find and open these long-lost Universe Cave Heavens and Universe Paradises.
If he could do this, then everything else would fall into place, but if he couldn’t, then they couldn’t even begin.
The four Army Commanders looked at Yang Kai with complicated expressions. Originally, because Yang Kai disobeyed orders, they decided to punish him by having him clean up the battlefield, but who would have thought that cleaning up the battlefield could earn him another great merit?
They also heard from Feng Ying that Yang Kai was going to contribute a large batch of Profound Yin Bamboo to Blue Sky Pass…
Each Profound Yin Bamboo was a precious treasure, especially for the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters on the Black Ink Battlefield. If they did get their hands on those Profound Yin Bamboo, they would have a huge advantage in both resisting the corruption of Black Ink Strength and improving their own cultivation.
This was another great merit that could be awarded to Yang Kai.
That realization gave Zhong Liang and others a headache. A Junior with too many merits wasn’t something to celebrate, because it made it difficult to force him into line when the time came.
Once all his merits were converted into Military Merits, Yang Kai would have accumulated a considerable amount of wealth. With these potential merits, and the ones he earned in the last battle, he now had more than most Eighth-Order Division Commanders.
“Yang Kai, this matter is of great importance. Are you sure you can find and open those Universe Cave Heavens and Universe Paradises?” Zhong Liang put aside the many thoughts in his head and asked solemnly. This was a matter related to the situation of future wars, so he had to confirm everything carefully.
Yang Kai answered respectfully, “I wouldn’t dare to make any wild claims.”
Ding Yao retorted indifferently, “Seeing is believing!”
Naturally, he meant he wanted Yang Kai to do a demonstration for them. Yang Kai didn’t refuse and immediately nodded, “Follow me, please.”
When he was cleaning the battlefield, he found several suspicious places, so it was not difficult to open another portal.
A short while later, the crowd stopped at a certain place, and under everyone’s watchful gaze, Yang Kai, like before, stretched his hand out into the Void.
There seemed to be a faint burst of Space Principles before Yang Kai’s hand immediately disappeared without a trace before everyone’s eyes.
Zhong Liang and others immediately raised their brows.
The next moment, Yang Kai twisted his hand and manipulated the Space Principles. Then, a slowly rotating vortex appeared in everyone’s field of vision. Also, there was an aura of a Small Universe gradually diffusing outward from that vortex.
Ding Yao and others watched with widened eyes. They knew Yang Kai wouldn’t deceive them about such matters, and they believed that he had such abilities, but wasn’t this too easy for him?
It felt like opening a hidden Universe Cave Heavens or Universe Paradises for him was as easy as eating a snack or drinking a glass of water.
They had the idea of converting the Universe Cave Heavens and Universe Paradises outside Blue Sky Pass into traps, but even after many attempts, they couldn’t open any because they had too few people who were proficient in the Dao of Space! Even if they had Masters who had cultivated the Dao of Space, their attainments were quite low and they could not find and open these hidden Small Universes.
On the other hand, Yang Kai could open a portal just by stretching out his hand. How great were his attainments in the Dao of Space for this brat to accomplish this? But, when they recalled that this kid could even arrange Universe Arrays, they didn’t feel surprised anymore.
In the meantime, Yang Kai was frowning at the portal. The aura coming from it gave him a feeling that something was not right.
“What happened?” Zhong Liang asked.
Yang Kai said, “This Universe Paradise seems to be stained by Black Ink Strength.”
“Stained by Black Ink Strength?” Zhong Liang frowned.
Yang Kai nodded before he fiercely extended his hands, and the vortex greatly expanded. The hazy centre of the vortex revealed a scene that was as black as ink. It was obvious that the scene before them was the scene inside the portal.
With the opening of the portal, the Black Ink Strength inside wanted to gush out, but under Yang Kai’s suppression, it remained sealed inside the Universe Paradise.
Zhong Liang sighed slightly, “Seal it up. This Universe Paradise can’t be used anymore.”
To set up an Array inside a Universe Paradise, the Spirit Array Grandmasters had to enter it; however, they couldn’t enter a Universe Paradise if it was suffused with Black Ink Strength. The Spirit Array Grandmasters didn’t have Yang Kai’s ability to resist the corruption of Black Ink Strength.
This Universe Paradise was completely stained with Black Ink Strength, so it was conceivable that its owner was already corrupted by Black Ink Strength while he was alive. Before the owner died, he still fought hard, but eventually died, leaving this Small Universe behind.
There had to be more than one Small Universe like this. There were likely many in fact.
Furthermore, not every High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master would leave behind a Small Universe after their death.
There were also many who had given their lives for the sake of the Human Race but couldn’t even leave a trace of their existence behind. It was pitiful.
Even so, the Cave Heavens and Paradises were still fighting against the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield, not allowing the Black Ink Clan to set foot into the 3,000 Worlds, which was a sacrifice worthy of respect.