The Blue Sky Theatre corresponded to Men Xie Royal Lord’s territory.
After countless years of fighting, the Masters of the two clans knew each other to some extent, so as soon as the Territory Lord heard that voice, he could ascertain that it was Cha Hu.
Cha Hu answered with no trace of politeness, “What did you call your Grandfather for?”
The Territory Lord raged, “A trivial Human dares act so arrogant!?”
Cha Hu snapped back, “A trivial Black Ink Clansman dares to shamelessly boast?”
The Territory Lord was fuming, “Sooner or later, I will slaughter all the Humans of your Blue Sky Pass, rip your heart out, and make you beg for death!”
Cha Hu sneered, “What are you speaking all this nonsense for? Save it for after our fight!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly turned into a stream of light and rushed towards a space in the void, slamming a fist down with such force that it caused space to tremble.
A black shadow emerged, hurriedly retreating; however, he was still struck by the fist and let out a grunt.
The Territory Lord was shocked, not expecting Cha Hu to actually make a move here. In fact, in such battles, Masters like them would basically only act as a deterrent. Rarely would they fight in person because everyone knew that there was nothing they could actually do to each other in battle.
In the same Order, the Humans were generally slightly stronger when compared to the Black Ink Clan, but this difference became less and less pronounced the higher one’s cultivation was. When one reached the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm or became a Territory Lord, that difference became quite limited, and when it came to Royal Lords and Ninth-Order Old Ancestors, they were basically evenly matched.
Moreover, the Territory Lords outnumbered the Eighth-Order Masters by one in this battle, and this advantage in high-level combat power was enough to deter the Eighth-Order Humans from doing anything rash.
Only when the Black Ink Clan Army attacked Blue Sky Pass would the Eighth-Order Humans and the Territory Lords have a chance to face each other directly.
So, there was no way that this Territory Lord could have ever expected Cha Hu to actually make a move.
Not only him, but violent energy fluctuations also suddenly erupted at two other spots in the void. It was apparent that Lu An and Xie Xiu Ping had also joined in, forcing out the Territory Lords in hiding.
“You dare…” The Territory Lord was furious after eating a small loss from Cha Hu’s sudden attack.
Before he could finish speaking though, his words were cut short by Cha Hu, who broke out in laughter, “You’re still waiting for Zhu Feng? I forgot to tell you, but Zhu Feng is dead! I’m afraid he won’t be coming today!”
“What?” The Territory Lord was shocked at his words, but he immediately refuted, “Lies!”
He was instinctively unwilling to believe Cha Hu’s words; after all, Zhu Feng was a Territory Lord just like himself, so how could he possibly die just like that?
After all, he had seen Zhu Feng just a month ago.
He thought that Cha Hu was just trying to shake him with an alarming bluff, but in the next instant, his expression changed as he turned his head to glance at that particular Human Warship.
He had paid attention to the performance of this Human Warship all this while, and it was because of its appearance that the Black Ink Clan’s defence line collapsed, so this Territory Lord was nursing a great hatred for Dawning Light.
It wasn’t the special Warship itself that had his attention at this moment though, but rather the small figure that was standing at the front of its deck, holding a drawn bow. As soon as each golden light flew out, a Black Ink Clansman was bound to suffer.
This Territory Lord focused his eyesight to the fullest in order to see through the heavy clutter of obstructions and was shocked when he finally had a clear look of the small figure’s face.
[That Human woman… Isn’t she Zhu Feng’s prized Black Ink Disciple?]
Even though he had only seen the young Human woman a few times in the past, this Territory Lord remembered her well. It was because this Human woman was extremely strong and was also highly valued by Zhu Feng.
But how could she appear on the Humans’ side and even kill off their Black Ink Clansmen?
For a moment, the Territory Lord’s thoughts were in disarray. He could not figure out how the Black Ink Disciple Bai Yi had returned to the embrace of the Human Race.
However, since she was here, where had Zhu Feng gone? Could he truly be dead?
In fact, he had not been able to feel Zhu Feng’s aura all this while. He thought that Zhu Feng was hiding somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to strike, but he did not see him anywhere even until this moment, so he truly could have met a disastrous fate.
This made him feel a little unsettled. While he was distracted, Cha Hu landed a punch on his shoulder, causing his huge body to stumble, drawing a guttural roar from his lips.
Before he could steady himself, however, a murderous intent locked in on him, causing the Territory Lord to freeze up.
He turned around in a hurry and was shocked to find that a Human had suddenly appeared behind him with two fingers raised, cutting down at him like a sword.
The sword wave at the tip of his fingers swept over in a flash.
The Territory Lord’s body shook wildly, then a huge wound appeared at his shoulder blade, so deep that the organs could vaguely be seen writhing beneath. As ink-black blood and Black Ink Strength spewed out of the wound, he howled, “Xu Bo Liang!”
He was truly both shocked and enraged.
He was shocked that Xu Bo Liang would actually appear here, and enraged because he had been caught unaware by him. A sneak attack from an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was not to be underestimated. The Territory Lord suffered a serious wound, and Sword Qi was still lingering around it, preventing it from healing. At the same time, the silk-like Sword Qi was burrowing into his body and causing damage everywhere.
He was forced to circulate his energy to suppress the Sword Qi wreaking havoc inside, instantly reducing the strength he could put out by 20%.
What puzzled him the most was how Xu Bo Liang could have appeared on this battlefield.
According to the information that the Black Ink Clan received, Xu Bo Liang had been standing guard in the Humans’ forward base this whole time and did not leave. That was also the reason why there was one more Territory Lord than Eighth-Order Human on this battlefront.
There were originally four Black Ink Clan Territory Lords in this resource harvesting area and four Eighth-Order Humans, an equal number to each other.
However, the Humans always kept one Eighth-Order Master at their forward base in case the Black Ink Clan’s Army were to attack. If anything were to happen to the forward base, then it would definitely be a huge loss for the Humans.
For that reason, in terms of top Masters, the Black Ink Clan held an advantage.
Even if Zhu Feng died, it would still be three against three, so the Territory Lords had nothing to fear.
So, this Territory Lord never anticipated that Xu Bo Liang would suddenly appear in this place like a ghost and even launch a sneak attack on him. It was because he had not conceived of this possibility that he was inadvertently hit.
Weren’t the Humans afraid that their forward base would be wiped out by the Black Ink Clan?
However, Xu Bo Liang left as soon as he finished his attack without any intention of pursuing him. He just nodded lightly at Cha Hu before forming a set of hand seals.
Soon, a light appeared below Xu Bo Liang’s feet, and by the time the glow faded, he was already gone.
Naturally, it was the Universe Transference Law that he just performed, allowing him to return to the forward base through the Universe Array of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship that was moored there.
The reason he did not stay behind to fight alongside Cha Hu was that he was worried something might suddenly happen at the forward base, so he had no choice but to maintain his strength and stand guard there.
The sneak attack that heavily injured the Territory Lord should be enough to set the course for the battle, there was no need to ask for more. Even though they could have killed this Territory Lord if Xu Bo Liang stayed behind and joined forces with Cha Hu, nobody could guarantee that the Territory Lord would not bring one of them down with him in a desperate attempt to fight back.
Nearby Dawning Light, Yang Kai held his Azure Dragon Spear and looked in astonishment at the sudden change, “How did Division Commander Xu come out from Dawning Light?”
The Territory Lord had no idea why Xu Bo Liang would suddenly appear on this battlefield, but Yang Kai had seen everything clearly. Just now, Xu Bo Liang had actually walked out from Dawning Light.
Auras flared along with great explosions across the chaotic battlefield, so basically nobody had noticed an extra Eighth-Order Master mixed in among the Humans until it was too late.
Feng Ying slashed her sword down in front of her and took a breathing spell in between, “Some days ago, Division Commander Xu left his Imprint on Dawning Light’s Universe Array.
Yang Kai was surprised at first before grinning, “Old ginger is indeed spicier than young ginger!”
Xu Bo Liang had already left his Imprint in Dawning Light’s Universe Array, so he could naturally use it to reach the battlefield in an instant, make a sneak attack on the Territory Lord, and then return to the forward base through the Universe Array there.
His sneak attack could truly be called a masterstroke. Perhaps even the people at the forward base had no idea that Xu Bo Liang had crossed a distance of a billion kilometres in such a short amount of time and came over here so he could inflict a serious injury on a Territory Lord.
To think the Universe Array could be used like this, Yang Kai felt his horizons broadening.
After composing himself, he looked at the many Black Ink Clansmen in front of him. Then, Yang Kai thrust his spear forward and attacked!
On the high-level battlefield, Lu An and Xie Xiu Ping were each facing a Territory Lord of their own. The difference in strength between them was not obvious though, so they were basically evenly matched in this situation. Neither side could take the other down.
However, Cha Hu was now facing an enemy whose strength had plummeted, allowing him to gain a significant advantage. Under Cha Hu’s flurry of attacks, this Territory Lord could only defend himself without being able to hit back.
The two of them were originally similar in strength, but after incurring a heavy hit from Xu Bo Liang, this Territory Lord was forced to divert some of his strength in order to suppress his injuries, so how could he be a match for Cha Hu?
All sorts of Secret Techniques poured out, but he remained in a poor situation.
Things would only get worse if the fight continued. If Xu Bo Liang were to show up again, then he might truly lose his life here. After realising he was no match for this Human, this Territory Lord immediately had a mind to escape.
Cha Hu could naturally tell what he was thinking and attacked him even more fiercely, as if he wanted to eradicate his existence here and now.
The Territory Lord hissed furiously, “Cha Hu, if you want to die, then I can fulfil your wish for you!”
Cha Hu sneered, “Do you even have that ability?”
His tone was mocking, but the look on his face was one of extreme caution. The final desperate resistance of a Territory Lord was not something that he dared to underestimate. This was also the reason why Xu Bo Liang did not stay behind to fight with him. Even if they were fighting two against one, they might still have to pay a painful price.
It was a price that the Human Race could not afford to pay!
Any Eighth-Order Master was considered an extremely valuable asset for the Humans, and the fall of even one was an unbearable wound.
So, when he received news that Zhu Feng had been killed by Yang Kai and a former Black Ink Disciple called Bai Yi, Cha Hu could hardly believe it.
However, after learning the details, Cha Hu realized that Yang Kai and Bai Yi were only able to kill Zhu Feng because they were both abnormally strong and extremely lucky.
Part of it also had to do with Zhu Feng underestimating them. Of course, Zhu Feng being in a miserable state from his severe injuries was also one of the reasons.
So, even though he held an absolute advantage, Cha Hu did not dare to push his enemy too hard. Every now and then, he would give the Territory Lord a ray of hope, an illusion to make him think he could continue to fight.
For Cha Hu, even if he could not kill this Territory Lord, he would still have to force him to retreat to his Black Ink Nest to recuperate for a hundred years at least.
Time passed as the battle raged on.
The Black Ink Clan Army had been routed.
The Black Ink Clansmen gathering in this area originally numbered some 20,000 strong, but now, their numbers had been reduced to less than half of that. Even though most of the ones who died were the Low-Rank and High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen, and the number of casualties among the Feudal Lords was not that large, the Humans’ victory was already inevitable.
What was even more unbearable to the Black Ink Clan was the fact that they had paid such a terrible price for such lacklustre results.
Not only did they fail to convert any new Black Ink Disciples, but they also failed to kill many of the Human cultivators.
The Warships were far too useful a tool on such a battlefield. All of the Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Humans were hiding under the protection of their Warships, and the only ones who showed up to fight were the Seventh-Order Masters.
Without destroying those Warships, it was simply impossible for them to kill any of the Humans.
However, the Warships were too well protected; how could it be easy to destroy them?
After less than half a day of fighting, the Black Ink Clan had destroyed more than 30 Human Warships, but with the help of nearby Squads, the ones who lost their Warships were still able to continue fighting. Less than 100 Humans had fallen in total, and they had failed to kill even a single Seventh-Order Human.
This was also the reason why the Black Ink Clan hated and coveted Human Warships so much. If not for the Warships, then the Great Passes of the Humans would have long been conquered by the Black Ink Clan. How else could they have put up a fight with the Black Ink Clan for all these millennia?
It wasn’t that the Black Ink Clan did not wish to refine their own Warships. If the Black Ink Clan had their own Warships, then the Low-Rank and High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen would be able to exert far more strength than they could currently. The Black Ink Clan had been working tirelessly towards this goal for countless years; however, the Humans had always been extremely prudent on matters concerning the refinement of Warships. All of the Artifact Refiners who were involved in the creation of Warships were never allowed on the battlefield, and they were also carefully protected at all times. So, the Black Ink Clan was strong in will but weak in strength even if they did wish to convert a few Artifact Refining Grandmasters into Black Ink Disciples.
To this day, the Black Ink Clan still did not possess Warships of their own. They were able to refine some ordinary flight-type artifacts, but those were only useful for transportation and not for battle.
The Black Ink Clan’s Army was defeated, and the three Territory Lords were not in very good positions either.
Naturally, there was no need to mention Cha Hu’s opponent, who could barely hold out against the former’s assault. Xie Xiu Ping and Lu An’s opponents were able to go back and forth with them, but they were still powerless to turn the situation in their favour and had no choice but to watch as their Army was destroyed.
With Cha Hu leading him on, whether intentionally or not, several large wounds were added to the Black Ink Clan Territory Lord’s body, each one of them deep enough that it exposed bone. Black Ink blood was flowing out of those wounds, and his aura was no longer at its peak.
Seeing that it was only a matter of time until his Army was wiped out, this Territory Lord had no desire to remain any longer. He struck out a fierce blow while forcibly enduring an attack from Cha Hu, forcing him back and giving himself an opening to escape.
However, at that moment, a hostile aura suddenly locked onto him and a blazing light shot towards him like lightning from a certain spot in the void.
The Territory Lord could not help but feel his skin tightening, and as he turned his head in horror, his eyes caught sight of an attack resembling a pair of wings rapidly expanding in front of him.
On Dawning Light’s deck, Bai Yi’s eyes shone with a strange light as the Territory Lord’s figure was reflected in them. She slowly lowered her bow and panted heavily, her face looking as pale as a sheet of paper.
Clearly, she was the one responsible for the sudden attack.
Although she had not left the Warship like Yang Kai and the other Seventh-Order Masters and simply stood at Dawning Light’s bow, supporting them with her skilful archery, there were still at least a dozen Feudal Lords who had died by her hands after half a day of battle. And, with the support of her arrows, Yang Kai and the others were able to slaughter their own opponents without fear.
Bai Yi might have been one person, but her inclusion still increased Dawn’s overall strength by more than 10%.
Prolonged use of archery techniques was a huge drain on Bai Yi’s strength, especially her last attack which was clearly an extremely powerful Secret Technique that was far more exhausting than her previous strikes.
Even Xu Bo Liang was caught unprepared by this attack and was wounded by it, so there was simply no way that the heavily wounded Territory Lord would be able to resist when he was taken off-guard.
The unfurled wings sank into the Territory Lord’s chest in an instant. He howled, his voice containing unconcealable fury as his already weak aura dropped by another 20%.
It was at this moment that he finally understood why Zhu Feng valued this Human Black Ink Disciple so much. Indeed, this woman had abilities that were unlike others and were thus worth looking at in a different light.
Even though he could want nothing more than to slaughter this woman who ambushed him right here and now to vent his anger, the Territory Lord knew that escaping from was more important. So, after he had been hit, he did not slow down and rather sped up as he rapidly fled towards the rear.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
From his perception, the Territory Lord discovered that the Human blocking his path was only in the Seventh Order!
He was furious. After being heavily injured by Xu Bo Liang’s sneak attack, he was unable to defeat Cha Hu, then he was ambushed by that Human girl from afar using her archery skills. He could do nothing about all of the previous setbacks, but now, another Seventh-Order Human came to block his way. Truly, did anyone and everyone have the guts to come and provoke him now?
The Territory Lord spread out his palm and rich Black Ink Strength gathered into a huge ink-black hand seal in an instant, which he brought down fiercely at the arrogant man.
Cha Hu, who was giving chase closely behind the Territory Lord, paled and called out in alarm, “Yang Kai, dodge!”
He didn’t expect Yang Kai to run here from the battlefield below during this critical moment either and even blocked the Territory Lord from escaping.
Right now, the Territory Lord was like a feral animal, so even he had to be careful when facing him, much less a Seventh-Order Master like Yang Kai.
If Yang Kai were to be met with some sudden misfortune, then how was Cha Hu going to explain to the Army Commanders and Old Ancestor when he returned?
In a panic, a layer of blood mist burst out from Cha Hu’s body. It was clear that he was burning his Blood Essence to speed himself up, trying to stop the strike of the Territory Lord before it hit Yang Kai.
However, how could he move faster than the Territory Lord’s attack?
Faced with this blow, Yang Kai did not even try to dodge it and just formed a set of hand seals. With a serious expression, he shouted, “Division Commander Cha, allow me to assist!”
Following the formation of the hand seals, a Golden Crow cried and a Great Sun rose into the sky. Following closely behind the Great Sun, a Full Moon rose, bathing the world in its icy moonlight.
As he manipulated Space Principles the Sun and Moon began circling and Time Principles spread out.
A mysterious energy wove together as the Sun and Moon rapidly spun.
When Sun and Moon came together, they transformed into a kind of kaleidoscope that spiralled straight towards the oncoming Territory Lord.
At that moment, whether it was the Territory Lord or Cha Hu behind him, they could feel Time and Space being disrupted, and their minds could not help but freeze for an instant.
Even though it was only a brief moment, both the Territory Lord and Cha Hu still looked shocked.
The next moment, the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel smashed into the Territory Lord’s body. There was no violent burst of energy, but instead, the Territory Lord felt as if he had just experienced the passing of millions of years in an instant. His aura rapidly weakened and fine cracks had even begun forming on his skin. A strange glow could be seen vaguely beneath those cracks, obstructing the healing of his wounds and also causing his blood to flow out ceaselessly.
At the same time, the Territory Lord’s fierce attack made contact with Yang Kai’s body.
The sound of bones breaking could be heard in short succession as Yang Kai was sent tumbling out like an arrow released from a taut bow, unable to stop himself as blood constantly spilled from his mouth.
*Wa…*
The Territory Lord had also spat out a mouthful of ink-black blood as his aura weakened further.
Cha Hu had already appeared like a ghost above his head and pressed his palm down, shouting in a cold voice, “Die!”
The Territory Lord looked terrified. Not even bothering to suppress his wounds, he used everything he had to raise his hand and launched a counterattack.
The fierce power had already been released from Cha Hu’s hand though, and the Territory Lord’s head was blasted open with a loud bang. Rich Black Ink Strength spurted out of his neck mixed together with his ink-black blood. Cha Hu also grunted, his face paling slightly.
He had killed the Territory Lord, but that last desperate strike made before his opponent’s death still caused his vitality to tumble and his Small Universe to be disturbed.
A trace of Black Ink Strength invaded his Small Universe and expanded constantly, nourished by the rich World Force.
If it were in the past, then such a situation would be extremely troublesome for an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. They would have no choice but to sacrifice part of their Small Universe in order to protect themselves; otherwise, they would be at risk of turning into a Black Ink Disciple. However, such a thing was not something for them to be afraid of anymore now that they had Purifying Light. They could simply wait until the battle was over before scattering the Black Ink Strength.
To be honest, neither Cha Hu nor Xu Bo Liang, who had ambushed the Territory Lord earlier, had any intentions of taking the latter’s life when they fought him earlier. Otherwise, Xu Bo Liang would not have returned immediately to the forward base as soon as his sneak attack landed. It would have been completely possible for him to stay behind and join hands with Cha Hu to kill the enemy.
That was because the two of them knew that even if they joined forces, they may not have the chance to kill off this Territory Lord, and even if they did manage to succeed, the price they would have to pay would not be small.
Their best option was to simply deal a heavy blow to him.
However, at the critical moment, Bai Yi and Yang Kai’s actions made it possible to kill this Territory Lord. Whether it be Bai Yi’s arrow or Yang Kai’s Secret Technique, both of them were far more powerful than what Seventh-Order Humans could normally produce, knocking down the Territory Lord’s momentum again and again, further worsening his injuries.
The two Seventh Orders had created such a good opportunity for him that if Cha Hu did not succeed, it would have been a disservice to their efforts.
Even so, he was wounded by the desperate counterattack made before his opponent’s death, which showed just how dangerous fights between Masters at their level could be.
Turning his head, he glanced in Yang Kai’s direction, slightly worried at his condition.
This brat had taken a direct hit from a Territory Lord, but hopefully, nothing too serious had happened to him.
Feng Ying had already rushed over to Yang Kai’s side to support him at this moment and was stuffing healing Spirit Pills into his mouth. Cha Hu appeared in a flash next to the two of them and quickly said, “How is he?”
Feng Ying shook her head with a terrified expression, “Not good. He’s fallen unconscious.”
Cha Hu placed his hand on Yang Kai’s wrist and released his Divine Sense, checking his condition. He also could not help but frown as Yang Kai’s situation was not merely not good, it was simply terrible.
It was not known how many of his bones had been broken, and his five viscera and six organs were also damaged. Even his vitality was extremely weak like a candle in the wind, flickering with uncertainty.
Anyone with such injuries would not be far from death.
Fortunately, Yang Kai bore a World Spring in his body, so his Small Universe was impervious to external shocks. Otherwise, that attack earlier could really have caused some sort of damage to his foundation.
“Take him back and let him recuperate!” Cha Hu commanded.
Obeying his order, Feng Ying carried Yang Kai and returned to Dawning Light, placing him down in a quiet room in the ship’s cabin.
On the other side, the two Territory Lords who were fighting with Xie Xiu Ping and Lu An had similarly seen how their comrade had died at Cha Hu’s hands and were both shocked. How could they dare to linger here any longer? Both of them made a feint and then retreated.
Xie Xiu Ping and Lu An followed closely behind them. Despite knowing that there was no way there was anything they could do if the Territory Lords were fully intent on escaping, they still gave chase.
By the time Cha Hu finished checking Yang Kai’s condition and wanted to head over to provide support for Xiu Xiu Ping and Lu An, the two Eighth-Order Masters and the two Territory Lords were already nowhere to be seen.
Cha Hu coldly snorted before turning his gaze to the chaotic battlefield. Like a bolt of lightning, he charged straight in.
The Black Ink Clan Army was already on the verge of defeat and would not have held on much longer even without Cha Hu’s intervention, but now that an Eighth-Order Division Commander had joined the battle, how could they ever hope to hold on?
A large number of Black Ink Clansmen were killed, but a small number of them scattered when they saw that the odds were against them and escaped. After all, even the Territory Lords ran. Staying behind would only mean death for them.
Cha Hu led a chase after the enemy for half a day, killing some of them before returning.
And so the battle came to an end. On each Warship, the Human soldiers looked around at the severed limbs and remains of the Black Ink Clansmen scattered all over the void. Even though the Humans had sustained a lot of damage to their Warships and even lost over 100 Open Heaven Realm warriors, their casualties were almost negligible when compared to the Black Ink Clan’s losses.
This battle was a great victory for the Humans.
Cheers rang out as the Humans celebrated.
For Blue Sky Pass, this victory meant that Blue Sky Pass had finally secured this resource harvesting area, and for the next several dozen years they would be able to mine it in peace.
This victory had not come easy and many of them had spilled blood in order to achieve this result.
The battlefield was cleared up and the casualties were counted. Then, under the leadership of the Eighth-Order Masters, the Warships all headed back to the forward base.
By the time Yang Kai regained consciousness, several days had passed. When he opened his eyes, he could feel pain intense enough to cause him to sweat all over with just the slightest movement. His five viscera and six organs felt as if they were on fire.
“The Squad Leader is awake, go and inform the Division Commanders,” a voice could be heard saying. When he looked over, a familiar figure was reflected in Yang Kai’s hazy eyes.
When his vision cleared up, Yang Kai realized that it was Feng Ying.
With eyes full of concern and joy, Feng Ying asked anxiously, “Squad Leader, how do you feel?”
Yang Kai made a quick scan of his own condition before his brow furrowed and he asked, “Who are you?”
Feng Ying’s face paled instantly, “Squad Leader, it’s me, Feng Ying. Do you not recognize me?”
Yang Kai stared at her for a moment as if he were looking at a stranger.
Feng Ying was really panicking now. While she was at a loss as to what to do though, Yang Kai suddenly grinned, “I’m kidding, don’t take it too seriously.”
Feng Ying was stunned at first, but then she glared at him menacingly.
It was then that someone opened the door and entered. Cha Hu’s voice rang out, “Has Yang Boy awoken?” He had obviously rushed over as soon as he heard the news.
Yang Kai struggled to get up, but Cha Hu pressed him back down with his hand, “Your injuries are not light so you better lie still. How do you feel?”
Feng Ying snorted before answering in a disgruntled tone, “He should be fine. He even has the strength to joke around with me.”
Puzzled, Cha Hu pressed his hand on Yang Kai’s wrist and scanned his body. After a while, he retracted his hand and said with some surprise, “As expected of someone with a Dragon Vein. Your vitality is as strong as expected.”
In fact, Yang Kai’s vitality had been faint, almost nonexistent, when he received the fierce blow from the Territory Lord that injured him so badly that he fell unconscious. He was in a state that was not far away from death.
If any other Seventh-Order Master were to sustain such injuries, there would have been at least a 70% chance that they would not have survived.
Yet, after just a few days, Yang Kai’s vitality was stronger and he had regained consciousness. Even though his aura was still weak, there was no longer any threat to his life.
Cha Hu had to sigh in admiration that sure enough, the restorative abilities of someone with a potent Dragon Vein were uniquely powerful, thinking to himself that as long as this boy did not suffer any immediately fatal injuries, then he would be able to recover back to health quickly.
“Division Commander Cha, how is the battle going?” Yang Kai asked with concern, his memory having cut off when he was attacking the fleeing Territory Lord. He had no idea what happened after that.
Cha Hu explained, “The Black Ink Clan only had four Territory Lords in this region. Zhu Feng was killed by you and Bai Yi, and on the battlefield several days ago, I killed another with your and Bai Yi’s help, so there were only two Territory Lords left. What other outcome could there be? They all fled after that, and we had almost annihilated all of the Black Ink Clansmen that were left. We won.”
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good to hear.”
Even though he had expected this result, it was still heartening to hear it with his own ears.
Cha Hu was silent for a moment before he said, “Yang Kai, I know you’re confident in your strength, but confident people often become conceited and make mistakes. You were lucky this time, but what about the next? Right now, you are a Squad Leader, and your choices affect more than your own personal safety. Oftentimes, you’ll find that your entire Squad’s lives are on the line, too, so do remember to be more careful in the future.”
“I will take that to heart,” Yang Kai accepted his criticism with an open mind.
Cha Hu did not care whether or not Yang Kai really accepted what he said either, he just patted his shoulder, “Rest well. We have already taken the resource harvesting area under our control so there won’t be any more major battles for the next few decades. Build up your strength as soon as possible so that you can kill even more of the Black Ink Clan in the future.”
“Yes!”
As soon as Cha Hu left, a large group of people crowded in from the outside, all of them with smiles on their faces, naturally it was Dawn Squad’s members.
Yang Kai swept a glance over them and discovered that besides him, there were 35 people, no more and no less, packing the relatively small room to the brim, and only then did he feel relieved.
During the previous battle with the Black Ink Clan, he had witnessed the ships of a number of Squads being blown apart. And, once one was without the shelter of their Warship, those under the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm would find it difficult to survive in such a chaotic melee. The Sixth-Order Masters fared slightly better, but if the Fifth-Order Masters did not promptly receive the help of nearby Squads, they would barely be able to hold out for a dozen breaths before dying.
Dawn’s Battleship was different of course. Dawning Light was much more powerful and sturdy than average, so there was no risk of it being destroyed in a battle like that. So, all of the Squad members were still fit and well.
However, it was inevitable that they would still suffer some minor injuries, especially Shen Ao and the other Seventh-Order Masters who went out to fight against the Black Ink Clan, all of whom were in different states of injury.
Dawn had been instrumental in the previous fight, especially during the killing of the Territory Lord at the end. It was Bai Yi and Yang Kai’s two strikes that enabled Cha Hu to deliver the killing blow.
The other Squads were all envious of such an achievement, yet they were unable to emulate it; after all, not every Seventh-Order Master had the same capabilities as those two.
Seeing the concerned eyes of everyone, Yang Kai reassured them, “I’m fine, I just need to rest for some time. Everyone should go and recuperate, too.”
The crowd then dispersed, leaving only Feng Ying behind.
Yang Kai looked at her and asked, “There’s a smile on Senior Sister’s lips. Has something good happened?”
Feng Ying could not help but laugh, “You could tell?”
“So, there is something good?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Feng Ying nodded, “Dawn contributed greatly in the last battle, so the Division Commanders have decided to award us with one of the most resource-rich harvesting points for us to freely mine. We can head there as soon as we finish recuperating.”
Yang Kai understood, “So, that’s how it is.”
The last battle was fought for control over a resource harvesting area, and since the Humans won, this stretch of territory naturally belonged to the Humans.
Now that the battle was over, the only thing left to do was to mine the resources, so it was natural that they had to determine which Squad was going to be mining which area. They could not just wander around randomly and snatch resources from each other.
In this way, the resources harvested by Dawn could also be handed over to Blue Sky Pass to be exchanged for Military Merits.
“The Division Commanders are thoughtful,” Yang Kai said.
“Rest well, Squad Leader. We will depart once you have recovered.”
“En!” Yang Kai had no objection.
After ten days, Yang Kai had mostly recovered, and the other Squad members were also basically done with healing themselves.
Yang Kai first went to Xu Bo Liang who was standing guard over the forward base to report in before leading Dawn towards the area that was allocated to them.
The area allocated to Dawn was about three days away from the forward base. Even though it was slightly far, it was rich in resources. As long as they concentrate on mining, then they would surely be able to accumulate a large batch of materials over the next several dozen years.
Patrols were of course still being made, as even though the Black Ink Clan was defeated in the last battle, there was no guarantee that there weren’t any fish that had slipped past the nets who would come to cause trouble.
Fortunately, their journey was uneventful. After suffering such a devastating defeat, it seemed that the Black Ink Clan really had completely pulled out of this resource-harvesting area.
Two days later, Yang Kai checked their location on the Universe Chart in his hand while standing on the deck, making sure that this was indeed the area allocated to Dawn before ordering Dawning Light to stop.
Standing on the deck, he looked up and saw a few dozen land masses of varying sizes in the void, each one of them a Universe World of their own.
If these Universe Worlds were in the 3,000 Worlds, this would definitely be a bustling place; however, this was the Black Ink Battlefield, and the Black Ink Clan consumed World Force as their food. The World Force of all Universe Worlds had already been sapped dry by the Black Ink Clan, and that was why all of these Universe Worlds were in shambles without a hint of vitality to be seen.
Even though there were no living beings here, and any World Force was also non-existent, the various resources born in these Universe Worlds were preserved after their death.
What the Human cultivators needed to do was to retrieve these resources from these dead Universe Worlds.
It was not only the Humans that were doing this though, but also the Black Ink Clan when they occupied the resource harvesting areas. They needed the resources to provide energy for the Black Ink Nests to breed more clansmen and produce more Black Ink Strength.
“This is an abundant place, as expected!” Yang Kai exclaimed in awe as he looked at the scene ahead.
Several dozen Universe Worlds sat before his eyes, and the resources contained in them would naturally not be few.
Now, what those from Dawn had to do was extract the resources left behind in these Universe Worlds. This was a difficult process as there were only some 30 of them while there were several dozen Universe Worlds in this area. They wouldn’t be able to fully extract the resources in a mere few decades.
Mining everything of use here would take several hundred years.
They wouldn’t be able to shorten the time needed unless Blue Sky Pass could send more people over to help out; however, Blue Sky Pass was of critical importance, so the vast majority of people had to be stationed there to prevent the Black Ink Clan from attacking. It would not be possible for them to send a lot of people over to help extract resources.
They had already reached the limit by mobilising an Army to the four resource harvesting areas.
“Squad Leader, even though we’ve chased the Black Ink Clan out of this area, we can’t guarantee that some of them won’t come back to harass us. I think we’d better stick together rather than scatter everywhere. If anything really happens, we’d be able to support each other as soon as possible.” Feng Ying offered a suggestion, considering that Yang Kai was unfamiliar with these affairs. Such incidents had happened before, though the probability was low; however, once it happened, a lot of their members could die.
“I’ll leave it up to your judgment,” Yang Kai nodded, “Where do you think we should start first?”
After looking around, Feng Ying pointed at the largest Universe World, “We’ll start from there, then. I’ve taken a look and found traces that suggest the Black Ink Clan had been mining there before. In that case, there should be a lot of resources in that Universe World.”
“Let’s take a look at it, then,” Yang Kai waved his hand, after which Dawning Light headed towards that Universe World.
A moment later, Dawning Light landed on a barren mountain. After looking around, Yang Kai realised that this Universe World was desolate and void of any vitality. Not only were there no living creatures, but there was also not even a tiny bit of greenery.
The World Force of the Universe Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield had been sucked dry by the Black Ink Clan. A Universe World without World Force was like a tree without roots or a river without a source. It was expected that they wouldn’t survive.
There were indeed some traces in this place which suggested that the Black Ink Clan had extracted resources here before. A lot of the places appeared shattered in this Universe World.
The sight reminded Yang Kai of the Black Prison.
The Black Prison was also full of materials, but they were all hidden in Ore Stars. Many people were required to mine Black Stones from the Ore Stars and use the World Force to melt the Black Stones in order to extract various materials.
Most of the time, even though a person exerted themselves, there still wouldn’t be a single thing inside a piece of Black Stone. Even if there was a reward, the Order of the material they would get depended on their luck.
Extracting materials in the Black Prison was just like gambling.
If one was lucky, they could easily obtain a Sixth-Order, Seventh-Order, or even Eighth-Order material. If one was unlucky, there wouldn’t be anything for them at all.
Previously, in order to deal with the Royal Lord trapped in the Black Prison, all the Cave Heavens and Paradises joined forces and mobilised a lot of manpower. They spent 100 years mining out all the Ore Stars in Black Territory in order to crack the Super Array’s suppression so that they could have a final battle against the Royal Lord. The materials obtained during that period of time were simply incalculable.
Those materials had all fallen into the hands of those from Void Land and High Heaven Palace. It could be said that the Cave Heavens and Paradises had worked for free for them; otherwise, given Void Land, High Heaven Palace, and Luan Bai Feng’s available manpower, they wouldn’t have been able to fully extract the materials in Black Territory even if they spent thousands of years doing it.
It was a huge boon to Yang Kai’s forces. With that said, Yang Kai was trapped in the core of the Black Prison together with a Royal Lord for 100 years. The materials from Black Territory could be seen as compensation for his efforts from the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
Now, the Universe Worlds in this resource harvesting area were essentially no different from the Ore Stars in Black Territory, aside from the fact that there were no Black Stones. The resources they extracted were what they got, and no luck was needed.
As Yang Kai recalled Black Territory, an idea suddenly sprang to mind. In the past, in order to help Luan Bai Feng’s subordinates mine the Ore Stars with peace of mind, he created an artifact that could move the Ore Stars across vast distances, the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
The situation in Black Territory was similar to that which he was facing now.
While Yang Kai was lost in his own thoughts, he heard Feng Yin saying, “Squad Leader, there’s a rule in the Inner Sanctum. Whoever extracts the resources can use them as they please as long as it’s for their own cultivation. Only when there are extra resources should they be handed in to the War Materials Hall. Most importantly, we can’t keep the extra resources to ourselves. There are more members in Dawn than in other Squads, so I reckon that we can extract the resources in small groups. While some people are mining resources, the others can stand guard.”
Yang Kai was absent-minded as he replied, “En, you make the arrangements. I have something I need to look into.”
Upon finishing his words, he shot into the sky.
If his idea was feasible, they wouldn’t have to stay here and extract resources. He just had to move these Universe Worlds to somewhere near Blue Sky Pass, and the resources could be fully extracted in no time; after all, there were more than 20,000 people in Blue Sky Pass, so it would naturally be more efficient to get them to mine these Universe Worlds than just the members of Dawn alone.
All the members were shocked as they had no idea where Yang Kai was going.
Shen Ao even muttered, “Squad Leader is acting so mysterious. What is he going to do this time?”
Feng Ying shook her head, “I have no idea, Squad Leader can be a bit careless at times. Ignore him for now,” After she finished speaking, she divided more than 35 people left into six groups, each of them led by a Seventh-Order Master. They would take turns to stand guard to prevent the Black Ink Clan from launching a sneak attack on them. With one of the groups on patrol, the rest could extract resources with peace of mind.
They would spend decades in this place, so those who kept guard could also cultivate and strengthen themselves so that no time would be wasted.
After Feng Ying was done with the arrangements, they all got to work. She, on the other hand, went to look for Yang Kai in order to find out what he was doing.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already arrived at a nearby Universe World.
He had some experience in moving Ore Stars in the Black Prison, so he was pretty skillful at it; however, he wasn’t certain if Void Yin-Yang Mirrors could send one of these Universe Worlds to Blue Sky Pass, which was very far away from this place.
Regardless, he had to give it a try.
The Void Yin-Yang Mirrors consisted of a total of 16 artifacts. They could be divided into Yin and Yang sets with 8 artifacts in each. Yang Kai had personally refined the prototype for these artifacts, and after that, Grandmaster Ma Fan of Great Evolution Paradise helped him enhance them so they were stabler and more powerful.
While he was scanning the surroundings, Yang Kai noticed a ray of light approaching him from a distance. When he turned his head, he saw that Feng Ying was coming over.
After Feng Ying arrived, she asked curiously, “What are you doing here?”
Yang Kai replied, “I have an idea. You’ve come at just the right time. Stay here for a moment.”
Feng Ying nodded.
It was then that Yang Kai fished out 8 artifacts of Void Yang Mirrors and started setting them up.
Two hours later, he was done with arranging the artifacts. Feng Ying’s expression became increasingly solemn as she observed his actions.
Although she had no idea what Yang Kai was doing, the 8 artifacts he scattered around the Universe World seemed to have created some kind of spatial lock around it. It was apparent that something big was about to happen.
The next instant, Yang Kai abruptly appeared in front of her, “Just stand here and monitor the situation. I need to head back to the Inner Sanctum.”
“Huh?” Feng Ying was shocked, “Why are you going back to the Inner Sanctum?”
“For something good!” Yang Kai kept her in suspense, “If this works, we won’t have to stay here to extract resources.”
After he finished speaking, he performed a hand seal and activated the Universe Transference Law.
Just when Feng Yin was ready to ask more questions, the Array had already appeared beneath Yang Kai. He was engulfed in a dazzling light, and when the light dissipated, he was nowhere to be found.
Feng Ying couldn’t help but shake her head as she had no idea what Yang Kai was up to. This was the best chance to mine resources, and any wasted time would result in fewer resources for them. Nevertheless, she knew that Yang Kai wouldn’t act for no reason, so she decided to wait patiently.
However, she didn’t understand why he said they wouldn’t have to mine resources if he succeeded. If they didn’t do anything, would the resources just float into their pockets?
In the meantime, Yang Kai’s figure appeared in the prototype Purifying Black Ink Battleship in Blue Sky Pass.
The other Great Passes only had four Purifying Black Ink Battleships respectively, stationed with their Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Armies.
Only Blue Sky Pass had five Battleships. That was because the prototype of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship was created in this place. The Purifying Black Ink Battleships produced later were all modelled on the first.
There were four resource harvesting areas now, and each had a Purifying Black Ink Battleship. The first Purifying Black Ink Battleship stayed in the Inner Sanctum so Yang Kai could use it to move around easily.
After stepping out of the Battleship, Yang Kai headed straight to the Western Army Headquarters.
Zhong Liang was handling work-related affairs when he saw Yang Kai land nearby and asked in shock, “Brat, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in the fourth forward base?”
As he spoke, his expression changed slightly, “Has something happened over there?”
Yang Kai was surprised and asked, “Haven’t you received any information from there, Army Commander?”
Zhong Liang replied, “Of course I have. Last I heard you all successfully occupied that place.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Indeed. They’re extracting resources over there right now.”
Zhong Liang let out a sigh of relief, “You scared me. I thought something had happened. Since you’ve occupied the area, aren’t you supposed to be mining it? Why did you come back?”
Yang Kai replied, “I can’t explain it clearly now. Please accompany me out of the Inner Sanctum, Army Commander. If this matter is successful, it will be of great benefit to us all.”
Zhong Liang arched his brow, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It won’t be useful to talk about it if it fails; however, if it succeeds, you’ll be able to observe it in person.”
“How do you even have the nerve to act mysterious in front of me?” Zhong Liang snorted and rose from the chair, “Fine, fine. I’ll go with you.”
If it had been someone else speaking, Zhong Liang would have made him explain everything first. As an Army Commander, he was swamped with work, so he didn’t have any time to waste; however, considering the shocking achievements Yang Kai had made over the years, and the fact that the death of two Territory Lords at the fourth forward base had something to do with him, he decided to be a bit more patient.
Soon, they left Blue Sky Pass and arrived at the void on the outside.
Zhong Liang looked around and frowned, “What do you want me to see? You can show me now.”
“Please give me a moment, Army Commander,” Yang Kai replied, then started setting up the Void Yin Mirrors.
The creation of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors stemmed from an idea that suddenly sprang into Yang Kai’s head many years ago. It was also a result of his years of cultivation in the Dao of Space.
The Void Yin-Yang Mirrors consisted of two sets. One of them was Yin while the other was Yang. Just like the two sides of a mirror, each one of them was indispensable. Once set up at an appropriate distance, activating them would be akin to flipping a mirror around, swapping the Yin and Yang Mirrors. By doing so, Yang Kai could transfer whatever was bound within the confines of the mirrors to a distant place.
The environment in Black Territory was too hostile, so the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors were tailored to its unique conditions. After all the Ore Stars in Black Territory were fully extracted, Yang Kai thought that there wouldn’t be a need for the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors anymore, and certainly never expected that he would need them again on the Black Ink Battlefield.
This came as a surprise to him.
Since he had set up Void Yang Mirrors on the other side, he naturally had to arrange the Void Yin Mirrors near Blue Sky Pass.
One hour later, he was done with arranging all eight Void Yin Mirrors.
Zhong Liang observed silently and could recognize the abstrusity of the eight artifacts that had been placed at eight different coordinates. While he was pondering on who made these artifacts and what their uses were, he saw Yang Kai withdraw and then form a hand seal. The next moment, Yang Kai shouted, “Invert!”
As soon as he spoke, the eight artifacts lit up and started buzzing. Following that, the Void around these eight artifacts started contorting.
A violent fluctuation of Space Principles burst forth.
Zhong Liang arched his brow as he had a feeling that it was the critical moment, so he focused and observed intently. Soon, he became surprised because he could feel a weak fluctuation coming from a distant place, resonating with the eight artifacts in front of him.
This wasn’t an illusion, for the resonance became increasingly stronger until it could not be more obvious.
Then came the moment when Zhong Liang widened his eyes and stared at the scene in front of him in shock.
The space that had been surrounded by the eight artifacts was initially empty, but at this moment, a faint but gigantic image appeared inside it in an abrupt manner.
He almost thought that he was seeing an illusion, but upon closer inspection, he confirmed that there was indeed a colossal figure in front of him, and it was becoming increasingly solidified.
After ten more breaths, the figure fully materialised. The lights around the eight artifacts went out, and the resonance with the faraway place was cut off.
Zhong Liang widened his eyes as he almost bit his tongue as his jaw flapped open and closed. He had never been more flabbergasted in his life.
As an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he had lived for a long time and dealt with the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield for countless years. He could be considered an experienced and worldly person, but he had never seen anything like what Yang Kai had just achieved before.
The thing that abruptly appeared in front of him was an entire Universe World, one so huge that the massive Blue Sky Pass was less than 10% of its size.
Even though it was dead and devoid of any vitality, it was indeed a Universe World.
*Shua shua shua…*
Several figures approached them rapidly from Blue Sky Pass, all of them Eighth-Order Masters. They must have come over to look into the matter upon realising the anomaly in this place. In an instant, everyone in Blue Sky Pass became alert and were ready to fight.
Eastern Army Commander Ding Yao appeared beside Zhong Liang and asked in a grim voice, “What’s going on?”
Northern Army Commander Shen Tu Mo also asked, “Why is there a Universe World here?”
It was inconceivable that a Universe World had abruptly appeared in front of their place, so they had to find out the reason behind it.
Faced with the inquisitive gazes, Zhong Liang put on a helpless smile, not knowing how to explain it. Moreover, he was also clueless about it. Even though he had some speculations, he couldn’t be certain, so he simply shouted, “Yang Boy, come over and explain it to them!”
“Coming!” Yang Kai replied and flew over. Upon arriving, he saluted these people, “Greetings, Sirs.”
Zhong Liang waved his hand, “Cut to the chase. What has just happened?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “It’s just like what you all see. Four hours ago, this Universe World was still in the resource harvesting area around the fourth forward base. Now, I’ve used a certain trick and moved it here.” He then sported a solemn expression, “This is what I was thinking. Rather than letting the people at the forward bases take the risk of extracting resources, why don’t we move all the Universe Worlds to somewhere near Blue Sky Pass? This way, everyone here can help with the mining. The efficiency and the safety would be improved significantly.”
Southern Army Commander Liang Yu Long widened his eyes upon hearing that and asked, “You said you moved this Universe World here using some kind of trick, and it only took you four hours to do it?”
Yang Kai replied, “Strictly speaking, it only took me half an hour. The other three and a half hours were for making the arrangements.”
With his eyes brightening, Ding Yao took a step forward, “Are you serious?”
Yang Kai pointed at Zhong Liang, “Sir Zhong witnessed everything.”
All of them turned to look at Zhong Liang, who nodded sincerely, “En, I saw the entire process. Don’t ask me how he did it though, I have no idea what trick this little brat used. I only know that it involved a set of artifacts.”
The next moment, Yang Kai waved his hand as all eight artifacts turned into rays of light and came to him from different directions. They were then displayed in front of everyone.
All of these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters curiously examined the artifacts.
Yang Kai explained, “These are just half of the artifacts involved. The other half are in the original location of this Universe World. I call it the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.”
He then explained to them the uses of Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
The eyes of these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters lit up as Shen Tu Mo praised him by saying, “Such a wonderful treasure!”
An interested Ding Yao asked, “So, by just using these Void Yin-Yang Mirrors, we can move the Universe Worlds from the resource harvesting area to here. Am I right?”
With a serious expression, Yang Kai nodded, “Yes.”
All of them were astonished. If that was the case, their people no longer had to go out to extract resources. They could just send all the Universe Worlds back to Blue Sky Pass and let the people from the Inner Sanctum mine them freely. Just like Yang Kai had said, the efficiency and safety would be significantly improved by doing so.
Even though this treasure couldn’t be used to deal with enemies directly, it would contribute greatly to the Humans on the Black Ink Battlefield.
Zhong Liang directly landed a slap on the back of Yang Kai’s head as he snapped, “Why didn’t you take these things out sooner?”
A helpless Yang Kai replied, “The idea didn’t come to me until just now.” Up until now, he had been locked in a number of intense battles with the Black Ink Clan, so he hadn’t had time to think about it. It wasn’t until he arrived at the resource harvesting area that he recalled this treasure.
Ding Yao remarked, “Even though this treasure is wonderful, there’s a big potential issue with them.”
Zhong Liang turned to look at him, “What do you mean?”
Ding Yao stared hard at Yang Kai, “Are you the only one who can activate these Void Yin-Yang Mirrors? Or can anyone who is strong enough use them?”
If it was the former, the treasure would still be useful, but only in a limited sense. If it was the latter, it would be wonderful news for all the Humans on the Black Ink Battlefield.
Yang Kai replied hesitantly, “I’m the only one who has used these since they were first created. Although I believe that others can use them as well, we would need to experiment with them.”
Ding Yao immediately turned to gaze to Shen Tu Mo, “The Purifying Black Ink Battleship at the fourth forward base belongs to the Northern Army, right?”
Shen Tu Mo nodded, “Yes. I’ll head over there with Yang Boy and give it a try now.”
Ding Yao nodded, “En, many thanks, Brother Shen Tu.”
Shen Tu Mo waved his hand, “It is the least I can do. It’s not like it’s difficult to go there.” He then turned to Yang Kai, “Brat, get back there and set things up. I’ll come over as soon as everything’s ready.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai cupped his fist, “I’ll be waiting for you, Senior Shen Tu.”
Having said so, Yang Kai stored the eight Void Yang Mirrors and activated the Universe Transference Law, soon disappearing from the spot.
After he was gone, Shen Tu Mo also activated the Universe Transference Law and headed to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship at the fourth forward base.
Zhong Liang took a glance at the Universe World and tutted, “That Brat sure has a lot of weird tricks up his sleeve!”
Certainly, Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like them could also move such a Universe World back from a faraway place, but they would have to spend a lot of time and effort to do so.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had managed to easily achieve it with that strange treasure of his.
Ding Yao nodded, “Isn’t it wonderful that he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve? It’s good news for the Humans that he has many different skills. Since his arrival at Blue Sky Pass, the status quo has changed for the better for us Humans.”
In the past, Purifying Light, Purifying Black Ink Battleships, and Universe Arrays were unimaginable to the Humans in the Great Passes as they didn’t have access to them; however, Yang Kai managed to bring all those things on his own. If the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors could be popularised as well, the contribution would be far greater than killing one or two Territory Lords.
In the meantime, Yang Kai stepped out of the cabin of Dawning Light and headed straight to the location where the Void Yin Mirrors were placed.
He soon found Feng Ying.
Presently, Feng Ying was dazedly staring ahead and scanning the surroundings with her Divine Sense, as though she was trying to find something that should have been there.
Upon seeing Yang Kai, she quickly said, “Junior Brother, the Universe World disappeared.”
Just a short time ago, the eight artifacts left behind by Yang Kai lit up and began humming, after which the entire Universe World faded. There came a moment when the Universe World abruptly disappeared from her sight.
That astounded Feng Ying, for such a big Universe World was gone just like that. She thought that she was seeing an illusion, or that Yang Kai had set up some kind of strange Array to hide it from her; however, regardless of how hard she scanned the surroundings, she was unable to find a trace of the Universe World.
It was only then that she confirmed that the Universe World had really disappeared.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t figure out how the Universe World had vanished all of a sudden or where it was now.
Yang Kai nodded, “Don’t worry about it, Senior Sister. I sent that Universe World back to Blue Sky Pass.”
Feng Yin’s jaw dropped and her eyes bulged. Disbelief was written all over her face.
Yang Kai went on to say with a smile, “This is what I told you about earlier. Since it was a success, we no longer have to stay here to mine resources.”
Feng Ying soon understood what was going on, “You just sent the Universe World back to Blue Sky Pass. In that case, the soldiers from the Inner Sanctum only have to extract resources at our doorstep instead of travelling to faraway places. We also no longer have to worry about the Black Ink Clan launching sneak attacks on us.”
“That’s right.” Yang Kai nodded.
“Did you achieve it by using those eight artifacts?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, “The Army Commanders from the Inner Sanctum have become aware of it as well. Senior Shen Tu will come over and give it a try soon, so I have to get prepared. Please stand guard for me, Senior Sister.”
Feng Ying nodded, “I’ll go with you.”
Soon, they targeted another Universe World. It took Yang Kai some time to place the eight Void Yang Mirrors in eight spots around the Universe World.
Shen Tu Mo, despite being an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, still hadn’t arrived yet. Certainly, he could make use of the Universe Array to instantly move from Blue Sky Pass to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship in the fourth forward base; however, it would take him some time to come to this location. He should be on his way now.
Meanwhile, Feng Ying was extremely curious about the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors. Faced with her questions, Yang Kai replied to her.
One day later, Yang Kai, who was taking a rest, suddenly opened his eyes. He could see a ray of light rapidly approaching from the direction of the forward base. Upon its arrival, Shen Tu Mo’s burly figure was revealed.
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Senior Shen Tu.”
After a nod, Shen Tu Mo glanced at the Universe World beside them and asked, “Have you gotten everything ready?”
“Yes.”
“What do you need this Old Master to do?”
Yang Kai replied, “Senior Shen Tu, I need you to memorise the exact distribution of the Void Yang Mirrors and the distances between them. When you return to Blue Sky Pass, you have to accurately set up the Void Yin Mirrors in the same way. Only then would the preparations be considered complete. When you activate them, the Yin Mirrors and Yang Mirrors will resonate with each other and exchange places, transferring the Universe World back to Blue Sky Pass.”
Shen Tu Mo nodded, “Good.”
Harsh conditions had to be met as the distribution of all eight artifacts and the distances between them had to be perfectly accurate. Nevertheless, this wasn’t difficult for an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Shen Tu Mo.
It only took him an hour to take a stroll around the eight artifacts and memorise everything perfectly.
When he returned to Yang Kai’s side, he nodded at him to show that he was ready.
Yang Kai gazed at Feng Ying, “You can head back first, Senior Sister. I’ll be returning to the Inner Sanctum again with Senior Shen Tu. If everything goes well, I probably won’t be back anytime soon. You’ll have to take charge of affairs here.”
Feng Ying replied, “Don’t worry about it, Junior Brother. I’ll take care of Dawn.”
It was then Yang Kai turned to Shen Tu Mo, “Senior Shen Tu, whenever you’re ready.”
Without saying anything, Shen Tu Mo directly activated the Universe Transference Law. Soon, a Grand Array lit up beneath his feet and engulfed him.
When his figure vanished, Yang Kai also activated the Universe Transference Law and returned to Blue Sky Pass.
Zhong Liang and the others were still waiting outside the Inner Sanctum. Even though it had taken Shen Tu Mo more than a day to go back and forth between the places, they wouldn’t have minded waiting for an entire month as this matter was that important.
If this worked, it would be extremely beneficial to all the Humans on the Black Ink Battlefield. The waiting time was inconsequential.
“They’re back,” Ding Yao suddenly turned to look in Blue Sky Pass’s direction. Everyone turned their heads and indeed saw two figures flying out of the Inner Sanctum. They were none other than Shen Tu Mo and Yang Kai.
As the Eighth-Order Masters watched the two of them rapidly approaching, they couldn’t help but still be awestruck by the convenience of the Universe Arrays.
It only took them slightly more than a day to go back and forth between Blue Sky Pass and the fourth forward base. Such a feat was inconceivable in the past; however, with the help of Universe Arrays now, they could move between distant places quickly. Such convenience was extremely useful when dealing with the enemies.
The moment Shen Tu Mo stood by their side, Ding Yao hurriedly asked, “How is it?”
Shen Tu Mo replied, “I still have to set things up. We’ll soon find out whether it’s usable or not.”
Yang Kai was just standing behind Shen Tu Mo as he took a glance at the Universe World he had moved to this place. At this moment, it was bustling with noise over there as many figures were flying around the Universe World. It was obvious that they were extracting resources. After barely one day, the Universe World seemed to have shrunk significantly. At this rate, it would only take two or three months before the Universe World was completely mined out. This was the result despite the fact that not a lot of people had been told to come over and extract resources. If Blue Sky Pass had sent more people over, the time needed would have been shortened further.
A shocked Yang Kai asked, “They’ve already started?”
Zhong Liang grinned, “On the Black Ink Battlefield, the resources will only be ours after they’re extracted. Alright, enough nonsense, bring Shen Tu Mo to make the arrangement. We’re still waiting for the result.”
“Yes,” Yang Kai promptly replied.
They then moved to another place and found an open space. Following Yang Kai’s instructions, Shen Tu Mo soon set up all eight Void Yin Mirrors.
It was time to verify the feasibility of their plan. Yang Kai told Shen Tu Mo the method to activate the mirrors and then stepped back.
Before everyone’s eyes, Shen Tu Mo rapidly performed different hand seals and then infused his own power into the eight artifacts.
A faint light was seen flickering on these artifacts, and a buzzing sound rang out. The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters didn’t even blink.
As time passed, the light around the artifacts became brighter and the humming became louder. The Void around these eight artifacts started contorting and a gigantic figure was faintly seen appearing where originally there was nothing.
Zhong Liang arched his brow and nodded, “It’s working.”
He had seen the same sight when Yang Kai activated the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors some time ago. Whatever Shen Tu Mo was doing seemed to be working.
If nothing unexpected happened, the Universe World near the fourth forward base would be moved to this place soon.
However, things didn’t go so smoothly.
The gigantic figure remained faintly discernible but couldn’t seem to materialise. It wasn’t until an entire hour later that the process was completed.
Shen Tu Mo stopped performing hand seals and the light around the eight mirrors faded. At the same time, the resonance with the distant horizon was cut off.
The Eighth-Order Masters appeared elated. What they had witnessed suggested that anyone could use the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors. In that case, they could easily move the Universe Worlds back from the resource-harvesting areas without any restrictions.
On the other hand, Zhong Liang furrowed his brow. That was because he realised that even though Shen Tu Mo was much stronger than Yang Kai, it was far more difficult for him to use this treasure. He wasn’t comparable to Yang Kai at all when it came to the time it took. If everything was properly set up, it would only take Yang Kai a few dozen breaths to move a Universe World back. Nevertheless, it took Shen Tu Mo a whole hour to do so. Moreover, it seemed that he had consumed a lot of energy in the process, much unlike how easy it felt for Yang Kai to achieve.
Upon noticing his doubt, Yang Kai explained, “This treasure was specifically refined for my use, so mastery over the Dao of Space was taken as a given. Therefore, it’s easier for me to use. Although Senior Shen Tu is stronger than me, he has never cultivated the Dao of Space before, so it’s only natural that he has to consume more energy to forcefully activate it.”
Zhong Liang nodded gently, “I see.”
With that said, the outcome was more than satisfactory. They were most worried that only Yang Kai would be able to use the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
Upon Shen Tu Mo’s return, they all looked inquisitively at him.
After giving it a thought, he spoke, “An average Seventh-Order Master wouldn’t be able to activate this thing. Only the most powerful Seventh Orders would be barely capable of doing it. Moreover, the consumption of energy when activating this treasure is related to the size of the target and the distance. The larger the size and the longer the distance, the more energy will be consumed. Still, it’s usable.”
“Good!” Ding Yao breathed a sigh of relief.
Liang Yu Long nodded, “Since it’s usable, this matter cannot be delayed. We need to have the Inner Sanctum refine more of them. However, there are sixteen artifacts in total, and each one of them is quite large. A lot of resources will be needed.”
It certainly required a lot of resources to refine a set of Void Yin-Yang Mirrors. Back then, it cost Yang Kai an arm and a leg to make just one set, but the price was worth it considering the rewards he got out of them.
Zhong Liang grinned, “No pain, no gain. It might be a big investment up front, but the payout we’ll get later more than makes up for it. I’d like to see the looks on those Black Ink bastards’ faces when they reoccupy the resource harvesting areas a few dozen years from now and see that there’s nothing left.”
All of them couldn’t help but let their thoughts run wild as they put on wicked grins.
Ding Yao suggested by saying, “I don’t think there’s a need to create a lot of them. Ten sets should do; otherwise, it’ll be a waste of resources.”
The other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters nodded, “You have a point.”
“Also, the refinement method has to be passed on to other Great Passes. We can’t keep such a good thing all to ourselves.”
“Of course.”
As soon as Purifying Black Ink Battleship and Purifying Light became widely usable, those from Blue Sky Pass immediately informed the other Great Passes about it. The other Great Passes then refined their own Purifying Black Ink Battleships before sending powerful Masters to bring them to Blue Sky Pass as Yang Kai was the only one who could equip them with Universe Arrays and Purifying Light.
Otherwise, the Humans from these Great Passes wouldn’t be willing to use the Hyper Space Arrays to move people around on the Black Ink Battlefield where every resource was incredibly valuable.
Certainly, they had to share the method of making the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors with the others. Since the transfer of cultivators was not involved, only a small amount of resources would be needed.
“Yang Kai, you’ve made a big contribution again. You put Old Masters like us to shame.” Zhong Liang turned to look at Yang Kai with a satisfied and joyful expression. Since Yang Kai’s arrival at Blue Sky Pass, he had brought a lot of pleasant surprises to them. If not for the fact that Zhong Liang didn’t have a daughter, he would have asked Yang Kai to be his Son-in-Law.
Yang Kai replied humbly, “It was just something I created accidentally many years ago. It’s fortunate enough that this treasure is useful here. I don’t deserve your compliment, Army Commander.”
With a serious expression, Zhong Liang said, “The Void Yin-Yang Mirrors is of great help to us. All Humans from the Great Passes, including Blue Sky Pass, have to take the risk to mine resources. In the past, the Black Ink Clan would always come to harass us and some of our members would inevitably die. With the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors, we no longer have to worry about this.”
All of them nodded in agreement; after all, the Black Ink Battlefield was the home turf of the Black Ink Clan. The living conditions here were too harsh for Humans. In the past, they could only rely on the incredible might of the Great Passes to fend off the attacks from the Black Ink Clan. Even so, every generation, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had to send many people over to help hold the line.
Although the situation on the Black Ink Battlefield could be considered stable for the time being, even the most impenetrable defence could fall apart one day. Once the Great Passes on the Black Ink Battlefield that were guarded by the Humans were destroyed, the 3,000 Worlds would fall into a perilous situation.
By then, the Black Ink Clan would swarm into the 3,000 Worlds, kill everyone, and destroy all in their path. Therefore, to the Humans on the Black Ink Battlefield, anything that could change the status quo in their favour would be good news for them, not to mention that with the invention of Purifying Black Ink Battleships, they could now have the hope of launching a true crusade.
If they could do that, they would be able to wipe the Black Ink Clan out and solve the crisis that the Cave Heavens and Paradises had been facing since time immemorial; however, the crusade was a grand plan that had to be carefully planned out.
After the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Blue Sky Pass were done with their discussion, they decided to tell those from the Inner Sanctum to refine ten sets of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors to be used to move Universe Worlds back from different resource harvesting areas.
Nevertheless, they would need full cooperation from Yang Kai. After all, he was the one who invented the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors, so no one was more familiar with their refinement method than him.
Yang Kai stored the eight Yang Mirrors and returned to Dawning Light to retrieve the remaining eight Yin Mirrors. After that, he activated the Universe Transference Law and returned to the Inner Sanctum.
Since everything was ready in Blue Sky Pass, they could requisition unlimited resources from the War Materials Hall. With Dong Guo An Ping from Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven as the leader, many Artifact Refining Grandmasters gathered together to wait for Yang Kai’s return so that they could start discussing the next step.
Soon, Yang Kai and the Artifact Refining Grandmasters started working on making more Void Yin-Yang Mirrors. Back then, Yang Kai personally refined the first Void Yin-Yang Mirrors with the help of the Black Prison’s inmates, creating a kind of rough prototype that only somewhat functioned. After that, with the help of Grandmaster Ma Fan to remould them, the Mirrors could then be considered a finished artifact.
Basically, all of the Artifact Refining Grandmasters in Blue Sky Pass had gathered together, and with Yang Kai’s Void Yin-Yang Mirrors as a blueprint, they worked on improving it as they exchanged sophisticated ideas.
With unlimited amounts of resources and manpower being dedicated to the project, a new set of Void Yin-Yang Mirrors was completed barely one month later.
Ding Yao personally brought these new Void Yin-Yang Mirrors and headed to the first forward base to give it a try. The first forward base had already been occupied by the Humans for some time and mining operations were well underway.
Three days later, a Universe World abruptly appeared outside Blue Sky Pass. Apparently, Ding Yao had moved it back from the forward base.
The experiment showed that the new Void Yin-Yang Mirrors created in Blue Sky Pass were indeed usable. A new way of gathering resources had been invented for the Humans in all these Great Passes.
Since the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors were proven to be usable, those from the Inner Sanctum started creating more of them. According to the Army Commanders’ plan, they had to make 10 sets of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
In the meantime, the Hyper Space Array in the Inner Sanctum started running as well. Jade slips that contained the method of creating and activating the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors were sent to the other Great Passes.
Soon, the Humans from the other Great Passes received the news from Blue Sky Pass, and upon learning the abstrusity and uses of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors, they were elated as they started creating more of them.
While those from Blue Sky Pass were busy making more Void Yin-Yang Mirrors, the members of Dawn had gathered together on the deck of Dawning Light, which was parked beside a Universe World. Feng Ying was standing on the deck as she could see that Yang Kai was swamped with work in the periphery of the Universe World.
Since more Void Yin-Yang Mirrors were being produced, the members of Dawn no longer had to exert themselves to extract resources. After Yang Kai sent all these Universe Worlds back to Blue Sky Pass, those from the Inner Sanctum would mine them.
Therefore, the members of Dawn could relax a little.
With that said, it didn’t mean they didn’t have work to do. Now that Yang Kai had to move the Universe Worlds in this resource harvesting area, the members of Dawn had to follow him closely and protect him in order to prevent any Black Ink Clansmen from disturbing him. Yang Kai was a powerful Master who possessed a World Spring, which was why he wasn’t afraid of Black Ink Strength. If any reckless Black Ink Clansmen really came over to make things difficult for him, they would never be able to return.
However, the artifacts he left behind around the Universe World had to be guarded by some people.
If the Black Ink Clan managed to steal these artifacts, they might be able to uncover the secrets behind the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors. If they could also use these artifacts, it would be terrible news for the Humans. Hence, this scenario had to be prevented from happening.
With the help of the Universe Arrays on the Purifying Black Ink Battleship in Blue Sky Pass and Dawning Light, Yang Kai was able to easily move between the two places, allowing him to rapidly move many Universe Worlds.
Just one month later, the several dozen Universe Worlds that the members of Dawn Squad were given to mine were all gone, sent back to Blue Sky Pass.
Now, almost all 20,000 soldiers had left Blue Sky Pass to extract resources from those Universe Worlds.
More and more Universe Worlds were shattered as the hidden resources were mined out. At the same time, the reserves in the War Materials Hall increased significantly each day.
The entire Blue Sky Pass was brimming with a sense of joy.
The Humans had been living in a hostile environment for too long, and before this, the cultivators from different Great Passes had to rely on the resources sent to them from the 3,000 Worlds to cultivate as well as the meagre amount they could extract after they occupied resource harvesting areas.
However, every time they occupied a resource harvesting area, there wouldn’t be enough time for them to mine materials. They had several dozen to 100 years at most, and they were unable to send a lot of people to do this work either; hence, they couldn’t get their hands on a lot of resources.
On the Black Ink Battlefield, every Human knew how valuable every single resource was. When they used their Military Merits to trade for resources, they would only get what they really needed. It could be said that they had learned to be incredibly thrifty.
Nonetheless, the birth of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors changed everything.
According to the estimates from the War Materials Hall, the resources extracted by those from the Inner Sanctum in the past month were equivalent to the total resources mined over the past ten years.
Only one month had passed, and they still had a long way ahead of them. As more Void Yin-Yang Mirrors were completed, there would be even more Universe Worlds that would be moved back to the Great Pass, each one containing a staggering amount of resources.
Everyone was naturally pleased with the good news.
With 20,000 soldiers working together, it would mean that they would be able to mine the resources very efficiently.
Most of the time, a Universe World would become shattered remnants barely a few days after it was sent back to Blue Sky Pass.
The several dozen Universe Worlds that Yang Kai had delivered over the past month were all gone for good. A lot of cultivators were now looking longingly at the void, and the moment a Universe World appeared, they would stream towards it.
With more Void Yin-Yang Mirrors being created, there were even more Universe Worlds that were sent back. The number of Universe Worlds could finally satisfy the need for the soldiers in the Inner Sanctum to extract resources.
When all 10 sets of Void Yin-Yang Mirrors were completed, the soldiers in the Inner Sanctum could no longer keep pace with the number of Universe Worlds getting sent to this place.
More and more Universe Worlds of different sizes were sent back to Blue Sky Pass, making for a truly magnificent sight.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was swamped with work at forward base four.
The several dozen Universe Worlds assigned to the members of Dawn were all sent back; however, there were far more Universe Worlds in other neighbouring areas.
The entire resource harvesting area around forward base four had several hundred Universe Worlds, and that was forward base four alone. The situation was similar in other resource harvesting areas occupied by the other three forward bases.
In other words, if they moved all the Universe Worlds from these four resource harvesting areas back to Blue Sky Pass, they would have a reserve of more than 2,000 Universe Worlds.
That was a staggering figure.
It was something that the soldiers of the Inner Sanctum wouldn’t even dare to imagine in the past. In order to finish extracting a reserve of 2,000 Universe Worlds before now, it would have taken them several thousand years.
But now, they would only need several dozen years or even shorter to achieve that.
The anomaly of Universe Worlds disappearing from these forward bases eventually caught the Black Ink Clan’s attention and many scouts were sent to look into the matter.
Nevertheless, these scouts would all be killed the moment they were discovered.
Although they managed to kill the majority of Black Ink Clan scouts, some inevitably survived and the existence of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors must have become known to the Black Ink Clan.
This couldn’t be helped though, as using the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors to move Universe Worlds was not exactly a subtle process. They could never hide it.
In fact, those from Blue Sky Pass didn’t intend to hide it anyway. The Black Ink Clan soldiers under Men Xie had suffered a serious setback previously, and the Royal Lord himself was badly injured. Even though the Black Ink Clan had noticed what was going on, they were unable to do anything about it. They wouldn’t be able to launch a major attack before resting and building up their forces for several dozen years first.
While it was a chance for the Black Ink Clan to recuperate, the same was true for those from Blue Sky Pass. They certainly had to seize this chance and get more benefits from the Black Ink Clan.
Two years passed by in the blink of an eye.
The resource harvesting area around forward base four was practically empty now, with all the Universe Worlds that could be moved having been moved.
Besides Yang Kai, who had been working hard, Lu An and Cha Hu had also been helping out with sets of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors of their own.
Although Shen Tu Mo had given it a try and confirmed that the most powerful Seventh-Order Masters could also use the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors, it was extremely taxing even for them. It was far more efficient for the Eighth-Order Division Commanders to use them.
Hence, Lu An and Cha Hu took over the task. Even though they were in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, which was one Order above Yang Kai, they were far less efficient in moving the Universe Worlds than the latter; after all, Yang Kai was a master of the Dao of Space, so it would be easier for him to operate the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
This was a treasure he originally created for himself after all.
One day, Dawning Light landed on the asteroid where forward base four was located.
After disembarking, Yang Kai headed straight to the building where the two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were stationed. Upon seeing them, he saluted them and said, “Sirs, all the Universe Worlds in this resource harvesting area have been moved back. Is there anything else we should do?”
Lu An smiled and nodded, “There’s nothing else to do here. We’ll be returning to the Inner Sanctum soon.”
Yang Kai was slightly surprised, “Are we going back so soon?”
Cha Hu asked, “What do you want to do?”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “All the Universe Worlds in the resource harvesting area in forward base four are indeed gone; however, I can see there are more Universe Worlds that are further away. Should we go there and move more of them back?”
Upon hearing that, Lu An burst into laughter, “How many more do you want to move?”
Yang Kai replied, “The more the better?”
Cha Hu waved his hand, “There’s no need for that. The Universe Worlds collected outside the Inner Sanctum are enough to keep everyone busy for some time. As long as they can fully extract those Universe Worlds, the resources would be enough for consumption in the Inner Sanctum for 1,000 years. Moreover, the further we go, the more likely we’ll come across the Black Ink Clan. Since we’ve taken some advantage, we should be satisfied with the win instead of potentially suffering losses.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai nodded, “I’ll listen to you then, Division Commander Cha.”
Lu An said, “You’ve been working hard these past two years, so it’s time you got some rest. I suppose you haven’t had time to cultivate since you ascended to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Although I haven’t had time to cultivate, the living beings in my Small Universe help increase my heritage at all times, so there’s no risk of my foundation weakening or destabilising.”
Upon hearing that, Lu An nodded, “I’d forgotten about that.”
“Sirs, there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“When I was moving the Universe Worlds, I inadvertently passed by an area in the void and felt some Space Principle fluctuations.”
Lu An was startled for a moment, “Space Principle fluctuations?”
Cha Hu soon realised something, “You mean, that might be a portal to a Sealed World?”
Yang Kai nodded, “In fact, I’m certain that it’s a portal to a Sealed World. However, since I was busy moving Universe Worlds, I didn’t have time to look into it. Now that we’re done with moving the Universe Worlds, I would like to investigate. Perhaps we’ll find some Profound Yin Spirit Fruits there.”
Profound Yin Spirit Fruits were extremely precious to all the Humans in the Great Passes. Yang Kai recalled the list of resources that could be traded for in the War Materials Hall, and the number one resource on the list was Profound Yin Spirit Fruits.
This made sense as in every Great Pass, there were a lot of Human soldiers that had been invaded by Black Ink Strength before and had no choice but to give up a part of their Small Universe, making it incomplete.
This kind of incompleteness could only be repaired by consuming a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit; therefore, the Spirits Fruits were extremely precious to every Great Pass, and they were out of stock most of the time.
On the other hand, only in the Sealed Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield could Profound Yin Spirit Fruits be found.
Cha Hu’s eyes instantly brightened, “Do you remember where it was?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’ve left a mark on the Universe Chart.”
“Good. This King will call the roll and go with you,” Upon finishing his words, Cha Hu immediately got prepared.
A moment later, more than 100 people gathered together on Dawning Light as Cha Hu took charge of everything. On the other hand, Lu An stayed in the forward base; after all, there was a Purifying Black Ink Battleship here, so an Eighth-Order Master had to personally guard it.
Including the members of Dawn, there were currently more than 100 people on the Warship. In other words, there were about seven or eight Squads worth of people.
The Squad Leaders of these Squads came over and passionately greeted Yang Kai as they engaged in small talk. All of these people had fought alongside Dawn in the previous battle for the resource harvesting area. Even though he wasn’t familiar with all of them, Yang Kai could recognise them, and after some introductions, they could be considered friends.
After they were done with the small talk, Yang Kai took the initiative to approach Cha Hu and asked in puzzlement, “Sir, why have you brought so many people along?”
Although he could confirm that the location where there were fluctuations of Space Principles was a portal to a Sealed World, it was just one Sealed World. He initially intended to lead the members of Dawn to explore it and just bring out the good stuff.
However, he had never expected that Cha Hu would bring seven or eight more Squads with him, and Cha Hu himself would take charge of this mission.
Even if they were wary of the Black Ink Clan, it wasn’t necessary to bring so many people with them. Moreover, no Black Ink Clansmen would move around this area now as all the Universe Worlds had been sent to the periphery of Blue Sky Pass. Since there were no benefits to be gained around here, why would any Black Ink Clansmen come over just to get killed?
Without directly answering his question, Cha Hu asked, “How much do you know about the Sealed Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I know little about them. I’m only aware that there might be Profound Yin Spirit Fruits and other rare Spirit Herbs in some of the Sealed Worlds.”
Cultivation resources could be extracted from the dead Universe Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield; however, Spirit Herbs needed for Alchemy had to be sent from the 3,000 Worlds or found in those Sealed Worlds.
Therefore, in comparison, Spirit Pills were even rarer than normal cultivation resources on the Black Ink Battlefield. That was because there were only a limited number of methods that they could get the ingredients needed for refining them.
Yang Kai knew little about the Sealed Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield. When he passed through the Void Corridor in Black Territory and arrived at the Black Ink Battlefield, he directly appeared in a Sealed World, but that was his only experience in this matter.
However, he had to keep himself safe at that time, so he didn’t have time to explore it.
Cha Hu nodded, “There’s one thing that’s special about the Sealed Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield. It’s that they are clustered.”
Yang Kai arched his brow, “They’re clustered?”
“Have you ever picked mushrooms before?”
A puzzled Yang Kai shook his head, not knowing why this would be mentioned all of a sudden.
Cha Hu grinned, “When I was young, I would always go to the back hills of Crape-Myrtle Heaven during the rainy season. That was when the mushrooms would sprout. My Senior Sister and I would bring our baskets and pick them up. Since I was younger, I’d be responsible for looking for mushrooms while my Senior Sister would pick them. Whenever I found a mushroom, my Senior Sister would always find even more mushrooms in a nearby place. At that time, I thought that she was amazing because she could always find more mushrooms than I did.”
There was a longing and gentle expression on this Division Commander’s face, so Yang Kai reckoned that the Senior Sister must be a demure woman.
He spurted out, “Where’s your Senior Sister now?”
The light in Cha Hu’s eyes went out, “She was killed on the battlefield.”
Despite his calmness, it must have been the biggest regret in his life.
Yang Kai apologised for that.
Cha Hu waved his hand, “What I mean is that the Sealed Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield are like mushrooms. Since you’ve found a portal to a Sealed World, there are probably more nearby. This is what I meant when I said they’re clustered.”
Yang Kai was astounded, “Why is that?”
Instead of directly answering his question, Cha Hu asked, “Have you ever thought about how the Sealed Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield were formed?”
Yang Kai nodded, “I’ve thought about it before, but I’ve never mulled over it. Even though I have a speculation, I’m unable to verify it.”
“Oh?” Cha Hu was surprised, “What’s your speculation?”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “When I found out about the Sealed Worlds, I initially thought that they were a unique feature of the Black Ink Battlefield; however, I soon realised that these Sealed Worlds wouldn’t exist for no reason. The Black Ink Clan lives on World Force. Since all the Universe Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield are dead, why are these unique Sealed Worlds still existent? Then, when I was searching for the Universe Cave Heavens and Universe Paradises left behind by our Seniors, it suddenly dawned on me that perhaps those Sealed Worlds are also a kind of Universe Paradise and Universe Cave Heaven.”
Cha Hu gazed at him with surprise, “I didn’t expect that you’d thought about this aspect.”
Yang Kai was shocked, “Is my speculation correct?”
“I cannot say for certain; however, our Seniors have studied the Sealed Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield for many years, and their conclusion is more or less similar to yours. Fundamentally, the Sealed Worlds are also Universe Paradises and Universe Cave Heavens; nevertheless, they’ve been in existence for far too long as they were left behind in ancient times. Perhaps the way Humans cultivated was different back then, so the Sealed Worlds that were left behind are different from the current Universe Paradises and Universe Cave Heavens.”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai said, “In that case, there were Humans who fought against the Black Ink Clan in this place in ancient times.”
Cha Hu nodded, “Yes, we’ve only inherited the will of the ancients. After the ancients battled against the Black Ink Clansmen and were killed, the Sealed Worlds were born.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai nodded, “I understand. Most of the time, the ancients would pass away in groups, so the Sealed Worlds they left behind would be clustered, just like what we see outside of Blue Sky Pass.”
“Exactly,” Cha Hu nodded, “However, we can’t be certain about it. Perhaps the Sealed World you’ve found is the only one there. We’ll only find out after taking a look, but there’s no harm in bringing more people with us just in case.”
Yang Kai nodded with a heavy heart.
It wasn’t because of the number of Sealed Worlds; it was because of his speculations about the Sealed Worlds. If his speculations were right, it would mean that there were already Humans fighting the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield in ancient times. The situation was still the same these days, so when would the war ever end? When would those living in the 3,000 Worlds be free from this constant threat?
If his speculations were right, the ancients back then certainly had to give up parts of their Small Universes so that they would be spared from getting invaded by Black Ink Strength. Therefore, they found Profound Yin Spirit Fruits and even planted these fruit trees inside their Small Universes so that they could consume the fruits at any time.
Their efforts yielded wonderful results for the descendants. That was the reason Humans could now find Profound Yin Spirit Fruits in those Sealed Worlds.
It would take them one day to go from the forward base to the location where Yang Kai had felt the Space Principle fluctuations. Previously, he was busy moving Universe Worlds, so even though he had found a portal, he didn’t have time to deal with it. He only memorised the location so that he could explore it later.
At that time, he also didn’t inspect the surroundings.
One day later, Dawning Light stopped in a particular place in the void. After sensing his surroundings, Yang Kai pointed in a particular direction, “Over there, Sir.”
Cha Hu looked in the same direction and tried to investigate; however, he was unable to detect anything. He reckoned that the Space Principle Fluctuations must be extremely weak. That was the reason he was unable to sense it despite being an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was a master of the Dao of Space, so he could find these faint traces.
With that said, if these portals could be found so easily, they would have fallen into the hands of the Black Ink Clan long ago, leaving nothing behind for the Humans.
It had to be noted that the Black Ink Clan had occupied this area for far longer than the Humans had.
Cha Hu said, “This King will stand guard for you all, so you can make a move with peace of mind.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai took a step forward.
Yang Kai moved towards the fluctuations and manipulated Space Principles. To him, the almost indiscernible traces were as conspicuous as a beacon of light in the darkness.
In front of everyone’s eyes, he extended his hands into the Void, which started melting away.
Space Principles surged as he forcefully separated his hands.
World Force came right at his face as the portal to a Sealed World was opened.
Cha Hu arched his brow at the sight, thinking that the younger man was truly a master in the Dao of Space. He couldn’t even detect the portal to the Sealed World, but Yang Kai was able to easily open it.
The Squad Leaders, who were standing on the deck of Dawning Light, were staring at the portal with fervent gazes. Human soldiers were always keen on exploring Sealed Worlds. First of all, compared to the hostile environment on the Black Ink Battlefield, there usually wouldn’t be any dangers in a Sealed World. Secondly, every Sealed World would have some good stuff inside. Even though they wouldn’t always get Profound Yin Spirit Fruits, there would certainly be a lot of herbs that could be used to make Spirit Pills.
They would also acquire some Military Merits by exploring these Sealed Worlds and harvesting some treasures.
Cha Hu swept a glance over them and asked, “Do any of you want to look into it?”
“Me!”
“I’m willing to explore it!”
At that moment, the place was bustling with noises as the Squad Leaders fought for the chance.
Cha Hu raised his hand, after which everyone fell silent. He then pointed at the Squad Leader nearest to him and said, “You’ll go in with your Squad. However, regardless of what you get, you have to share half of the Military Merits with Dawn.”
Upon hearing that, the Squad Leader nodded, “Alright.”
Yang Kai was the one who opened the portal to the Sealed World. Supposedly, the members of Dawn had discovered this Sealed World, and they had the right to explore it; however, since Cha Hu had given the order, this Squad had the chance to get some benefits. It was totally reasonable to share half of the Military Merits with Dawn.
“If there’s any danger, inform me immediately!” Cha Hu ordered.
The Squad Leader cupped his fists, “Yes.”
Things wouldn’t always go well every time they explored a Sealed World. There might be some unexpected danger.
The Squad Leader gathered his members and then flew into the Sealed World.
The other Squad Leaders stared at them with envious expressions.
Cha Hu turned to Yang Kai, “Try looking for more Sealed Worlds nearby.”
Upon receiving the order, Yang Kai wandered around the area.
After hearing Cha Hu’s explanation about the origin of the Sealed Worlds, Yang Kai was curious whether they really were clustered just like mushrooms.
He happened to discover something when he passed by this place previously, but he had not looked into it carefully. Now that he started exploring the area, he soon found another portal to a Sealed World.
Just like the previous Sealed World, there were only faint Space Principle fluctuations. If he hadn’t intently searched for it, he would have missed it.
Yang Kai made a move again and opened the portal, after which another Squad went inside.
About a cup of tea stick later, he found two more portals to the Sealed Worlds, which were not far away from the second one.
If the speculation that Cha Hu had mentioned was right, it meant that in this region of the void, the ancient Great Experts had clashed with the Black Ink Clan. A lot of powerful cultivators were killed, and the Small Universes that they left behind formed into a cluster of Sealed Worlds as time passed.
It had been less than an hour since Yang Kai arrived at this place, and he had already found four portals. Obviously, there were even more Sealed Worlds that were yet to be discovered.
As he focused on looking for them, he soon found even more Sealed Worlds.
One day later, all eight Squads on Dawning Light had left to explore the Sealed Worlds. Other than the people who had to stand guard, the members of Dawn had also been divided into two teams, which were respectively led by a Seventh-Order Master, and gone to explore two Sealed Worlds.
Four to five days later, Yang Kai returned to Dawning Light and reported to Cha Hu, “Sir, I’ve explored every corner of this area. There are 11 Sealed Worlds in total, and all the portals have been opened.”
Cha Hu praised him by saying, “You’ve done a great job.”
11 Sealed Worlds would mean tremendous benefits to Humans. A lot of useful herbs and Profound Yin Spirit Fruits would be found in this place.
This cluster of Sealed Worlds could be considered quite large. The best record found in Blue Sky Pass was that they had discovered 7 Sealed Worlds in a particular area in the past.
In order to open those portals, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had to take action personally, unlike how easy it was for Yang Kai.
With an expert in the Dao of Space around, they wouldn’t miss any hidden Sealed Worlds in this place.
An idea flashed through Cha Hu’s mind as he thought about it. Previously, they had found a lot of Sealed Worlds in many areas around Blue Sky Pass, but due to limited means, they hadn’t necessarily uncovered all the hidden Sealed Worlds. Perhaps there were Sealed Worlds that were yet to be discovered in those places. If they brought Yang Kai to where Sealed Worlds had been found in the past, they might get some pleasant surprises.
He decided to deal with this matter after they were done with the work here.
They would take up some of Yang Kai’s time, but this kind of sacrifice was nothing compared to the rewards they would get.
A considerate Cha Hu said, “We’ll stay here for quite some time. Since you’re free, you can cultivate on your own or explore the Sealed Worlds freely. This King will stand guard on Dawning Light, so you don’t have to worry about anything.”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai replied, “I’ll go explore a Sealed World, then.”
“En.” Cha Hu nodded, then shouted, “Bai Yi!”
“Yes.” Bai Yi took a step forward.
“Follow your Senior Brother Yang so that you two can take care of each other.”
“Yes.”
Yang Kai didn’t object to it as he shot out of Dawning Light with her and led the way. Soon, they arrived at a Sealed World’s portal.
He activated Space Principles to engulf Bai Yi and crashed into the Sealed World.
A sense of dizziness came over them, but they soon recovered from it. What came into their sight was endless greenery.
This kind of greenery was exceptionally rare on the Black Ink Battlefield where the environment was incredibly hostile. All Universe Worlds were shrouded in Death Qi without a hint of greenery, and eerie Black Ink Clouds loomed everywhere in the void.
Therefore, both Bai Yi and Yang Kai felt refreshed the instant they saw such a beautiful sight.
In this kind of environment, there were surely a lot of Spirit Herbs.
That was indeed the case. Yang Kai soon found a red flower the size of a washbasin in a nearby place. There were seven golden dots on the flower petals that formed into an abstruse pattern.
Yang Kai couldn’t recognise the flower. Although he had studied Alchemic Dao for a time, he stopped improving on it after he left the Star Boundary. He couldn’t recognise all of the Spirit Flowers in the 3,000 Worlds, let alone the ones on the Black Ink Battlefield; however, he still instinctively felt that this red flower was a kind of Spirit Herb.
On the other hand, Bai Yi directly told him the flower’s name, “It’s a Seven Stars Red Rain Flower.”
“You can recognise it?” Yang Kai was surprised.
Bai Yi nodded, “It’s the main ingredient for making the Seven Stars Pill. You should have seen it on the list of resources in the War Materials Hall.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai replied, “I’ve exchanged for some Seven Stars Pills before.”
Seven Stars Pills were wonderful healing medicines. When he saw the pills in the War Materials Hall, he decided to obtain some of them. After the battle against Zhu Feng previously, he consumed some of those pills, and they were truly effective. He still had two Seven Stars Pills with him.
“So, you’re an expert in Alchemic Dao,” Admiration was written all over Yang Kai’s face.
Bai Yi burst into laughter, “I’m not an Alchemist of any sort; however, I did have some experience in exploring Sealed Worlds. The Alchemists from the Inner Sanctum have written up a manual that describes the appearances, harvesting techniques, and uses of some herbs. I have read the manual, so I can remember them.”
It required some special techniques when picking certain herbs. If they did it without much thought, they might damage the medicinal efficacies. Taking that into consideration, the Alchemists from the Inner Sanctum decided to create instruction manuals that recorded the herbs found in Sealed Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield and distributed them to the soldiers so that they wouldn’t be rough to the good stuff they found.
Yang Kai suggested by saying, “Since you can recognise it, I’ll let you pick it, then.”
Bai Yi nodded and picked the flower. Fortunately, it didn’t require any special skills for picking Seven Stars Red Rain Flowers, so she soon acquired it.
After they obtained the flower, they were looking forward to getting more rewards in this Sealed World.
Following a brief discussion, they decided to split up while ensuring there was only a distance of 50 kilometres between them. At such a distance, if one of them fell into danger, the other could come to the rescue immediately.
Bai Yi also passed Yang Kai the manual that was made by the Alchemist from the Inner Sanctum.
Yang Kai flipped through it and soon remembered its content.
As he passed through the dense forest, he released his Divine Sense so that he could immediately detect any Spirit Herbs nearby.
It seemed the environment in this Sealed World was quite suitable for the growth of herbs, and after just half a day, Yang Kai had acquired more than 100 herbs and kept them inside his Small Universe. When he returned to Blue Sky Pass, he could hand them in for Military Merits.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t found any Profound Yin Spirit Fruits.
With that said, he wasn’t disappointed, for not every Sealed World had Profound Yin Spirit Fruits. He had opened 11 portals, so there must be Profound Yin Spirit Fruits in some of the Sealed Worlds.
While looking for herbs, Yang Kai was also inspecting this Sealed World.
Gradually, he realised that Cha Hu’s speculation about the origin of the Sealed Worlds could very well be right. Fundamentally, these Sealed Worlds were the same as the Universe Paradises and Cave Heavens left behind by Human Masters after their deaths in ancient times.
However, the way the Great Experts cultivated back then might be a little different from the current cultivators, so the Small Universes they had left behind were distinct.
Another half a day later, Yang Kai had acquired a lot of good things.
Presently, he was moving towards a place where there was a lot of World Energy. He could sense that there was some kind of potent Spirit Medicine over there.
He soon found a plant that was half the height of a Human. Some fruits the size of baby fists were seen hanging on the branches.
This plant was similar to a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit Tree at first glance, but upon closer look, one would realise they were not the same. Instead, it was a different kind of Spirit Fruit Tree.
The manual given to Yang Kai by Bai Yi had a detailed comparison between the two fruit trees, so he could instantly tell the difference.
Although the fruits were not Profound Yin Spirit Fruits, they were very rare as well, so he carefully picked the fruits and transferred the tree to the medicine garden in his Small Universe.
Since long ago, Yang Kai had planted a lot of precious Spirit Herbs inside his personal medicine garden. With the help of Mu Zhu and Mu Lu, who were from the Wood Spirit Clan, the Spirit Herbs in the medicine garden flourished.
Additionally, the flow of time in his Small Universe was four times faster than in the outside world, so the Spirit Herbs in the medicine garden matured much more rapidly.
After the fruit tree was moved to his medicine garden, it would not have any trouble surviving with the two Wood Spirits tending to it; however, Yang Kai was not able to determine when the tree would bear fruits again.
As he continued exploring the Sealed World, Yang Kai found even more Spirit Herbs. He would move the plants into his Small Universe if he was able to do so, and for the ones that couldn’t be transplanted, he would carefully pick their fruits or flowers.
A few days later, he had gained quite a harvest.
He believed that Bai Yi had also acquired a large number of valuable items. The environment in this Sealed World seemed quite suitable for the growth of Spirit Herbs. It was difficult to find Sealed Worlds that were so full of precious Spirit Medicines like this one.
When Yang Kai was looking around one day, he suddenly felt World Force undulating in a place that was several dozen kilometres away from him. The next moment, a deafening noise was heard.
His expression changed as he manipulated Space Principles and disappeared from the spot.
When he reappeared, he was already beside Bai Yi.
He immediately released his Divine Sense to inspect the surroundings, but he couldn’t detect any danger. Staring at the young woman, he asked, “What’s going on?”
Bai Yi frowned and pointed at the dense forest in front of her, “As I was exploring this area, I think I triggered some kind of restriction.”
The noise he had heard just now was the result of Bai Yi activating her World Force in order to protect herself.
“A restriction?” Yang Kai was shocked.
It had been a few days since they entered this Sealed World. Not only were they safe, but they had also acquired a lot of valuable Spirit Herbs. While Yang Kai didn’t come across any danger, Bai Yi accidentally triggered a restriction.
A restriction could either be man-made or naturally formed. It wouldn’t have mattered if it was the latter; however, if it was the former, the speculation Cha Hu had about the origin of the Sealed Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield would basically be confirmed.
Yang Kai quickly looked in the same direction and saw a dense forest. Nevertheless, the sight before his eyes was somewhat surreal as an almost indiscernible ripple spread across the forest.
There was indeed a restriction here! However, the restriction was so ancient that it no longer functioned smoothly. Following Bai Yi’s attack, a weakness in the restriction was revealed.
Yang Kai slowly closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, his left pupil had turned golden. The golden light radiating from his eye was majestic, and it was able to see through all the falsities in the world.
The Demon Eye of Annihilation from Myriad Demons Cave Heaven was most useful in this kind of situation.
With the help of the Demon Eye of Annihilation, the sight before his eyes changed into something else entirely and Yang Kai couldn’t help exclaiming in excitement.
Bai Yi quickly asked, “Have you found anything, Senior Brother?”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “There are dilapidated Illusion and Killing Arrays here. They’re both clearly man-made.”
As he spoke, he extended his hand and World Force billowed from his palm into the forest in a regular pattern.
The person who set up these Arrays was quite skilful at his craft. If the Illusion Array and Killing Array had still been intact, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been able to notice a weakness in them even after using his Demon Eye of Annihilation, let alone have a chance to crack them.
However, the restriction left behind here was too dated. Even though it was still operating, its power had been greatly reduced.
Weaknesses were everywhere as Yang Kai scanned this restriction with the Demon Eye of Annihilation. Once he found these weaknesses, he could easily expand them despite not being an expert in Dao of Spirit Arrays.
Barely a cup of tea later, the dense forest in front of them shattered and disappeared into nothingness.
The sight was replaced by a medicine garden where there were countless rare plants.
They could see more than ten Profound Yin Spirit Fruit Trees at first glance, red Profound Yin Spirit Fruits hanging from their branches.
Yang Kai and Bai Yi were pleasantly surprised.
They exchanged glances as they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
The herbs in this medicine garden easily numbered ten times what Yang Kai had obtained over the past few days, and that was not even counting the extremely rare Profound Yin Spirit Fruit Trees.
One gigantic tree stood tall in the middle of the medicine garden, making it especially conspicuous. This gigantic tree also gave off a sense of familiarity to Yang Kai for some reason.
“Senior Brother, could this be an Illusion Array as well?” Bai Yi asked in a dazed state.
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “We’ll find out if this is an Illusion Array soon enough.”
They then stepped into the medicine garden. The longer they explored it, the more joyful they became. Certainly, everything in this medicine garden was real, not illusory. All these Spirit Herbs had extremely high medicinal ages which gave them potent medicinal efficacies. Even though most of the herbs had already been recorded in the manual made by the Alchemists from the Inner Sanctum, there were still some that were unknown.
In other words, these herbs had never been found on the Black Ink Battlefield before. Even the Alchemists of Blue Sky Pass were not aware of their existence.
These were the ancient herbs that only existed in this medicine garden and could never be found in the outside world.
After some quick calculations, the pair realised that there were several thousand Spirit Herbs that they could or could not recognise. They had found more than 20 Profound Yin Spirit Fruit Trees alone, each of them having between 3 to 8 ripe fruits.
There were also a number of empty spots in the garden which Yang Kai figured had originally been herbs; however, they had died out after a long period of negligence.
A sense of regret overwhelmed Yang Kai. He had no idea what those dead Spirit Herbs were, but everything in this medicine garden was rare and precious, so it was a shame that they were gone.
Finally, he stood in front of the huge tree in the middle of the medicine garden and looked up in a dazed state.
Bai Yi appeared beside him and said, “Senior Brother, it seems that the Sealed Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield were really formed from the ancient Great Experts’ Small Universes after their death.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes, and this particular Sealed World we’re in was left behind by an Alchemist.”
“How do you know?” Bai Yi was puzzled.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Only an Alchemist would spend so much time and energy to grow such a large medicine garden in their Small Universe.”
He came to this conclusion after considering his own experiences. The average cultivator who knew nothing about the Alchemic Dao wouldn’t know how to nurture Spirit Herbs properly. Yang Kai had Mu Zhu and Mu Lu to help him out, and he had studied the Alchemic Dao in the past, which was why he still had a medicine garden in his Small Universe.
The average cultivator would have killed these rare herbs if he really transplanted them to their Small Universe without knowing how to care for them.
Since this Sealed World was left behind by an Alchemist, the environment was naturally suitable for the growth of Spirit Herbs. That was the reason they had gained quite a lot of rewards as they explored this place.
However, their previous gains were nothing compared to the precious herbs in this medicine garden.
This medicine garden was the biggest prize.
“This Alchemist truly treasured his medicine garden. He might have set them up himself or employed someone to arrange powerful Arrays around this medicine garden to protect it; however, since he was an Alchemist, he probably knew little about fighting. After he was killed in a battle, his Small Universe must have collapsed. This medicine garden was saved with the restriction’s protection. We just happened to come across it and gain all the benefits.”
Upon hearing that, Bai Yi nodded, “You have a point, Senior Brother.” She then gazed at the gigantic tree, “Can you recognise this tree?”
She was curious about why Yang Kai had been standing in front of this giant tree for a long time now.
Yang Kai’s face twitched as he nodded, “Yes.”
“What tree is it?”
Yang Kai let out a breath, “You’ve probably heard of it, but you don’t recognise it because you have never seen it before. It’s a World Tree!”
Upon hearing that, Bai Yi was astonished, “The World Tree? Did you just say it’s the World Tree?” She suddenly recalled something, “Wait a moment, Senior Brother. It’s said that the World Tree is hidden in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. There was a Senior from Divine Feather Paradise who entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary before and heard stories about the World Tree, but he never saw it in person. Could the rumours be false?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “The World Tree is indeed hidden in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. The rumours that Senior of yours heard weren’t false. I’ve been to the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and had the chance to see the World Tree.”
“Then, the one in front of us…” Bai Yi was puzzled. The World Tree was a one-of-a-kind existence. Since it was still in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, why would it appear in this place?
Yang Kai patted the thick trunk of the World Tree, “It’s certainly not the Mother tree. It’s just a clone of the World Tree. Obviously, the owner of this Sealed World was lucky enough to have obtained a root from the World Tree and then planted it in his Small Universe. It has grown to such a scale over the years.”
“A clone?”
“Yes, a clone!” Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “In the past, I had the luck to acquire a root from the World Tree. At that time, my homeland was on the brink of collapse, so I planted the World Tree’s root there to ensure its survival. Moreover, with the existence of the World Tree’s clone, my homeland became the most important Universe World in the 3,000 Worlds. The Cave Heavens and Paradises all send many of their young and talented disciples there to be nurtured by it.”
“Why is that?” Bai Yi was perplexed.
Yang Kai explained, “It’s natural that you don’t know about it, Junior Sister. Although the World Tree in my homeland is just a clone, the people living there can reap immense benefits from the tree’s nourishment. By cultivating in that special environment from a young age, one’s innate talent can be increased and they can more easily condense a firmer Dao Seal. Now, there are a lot of people in my homeland who are capable of directly ascending to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. There are even quite a number who can directly make it to the Seventh Order.”