Chai Hao was a patient teacher. Since he was aware that Yang Kai was just an amateur in Artifact Refining, he decided to modify his approach accordingly and teach him everything from scratch.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was a serious learner.
One was studious while the other one was teaching attentively, so they got along pretty well.
Be it the Martial Dao or Alchemic Dao, Yang Kai had shown exceptional aptitude; however, he wasn’t particularly gifted in the Dao of Artifact Refining.
Fortunately, he was now in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm; moreover, there were many similarities between Alchemy and Artifact Refining. Therefore, even though he lacked aptitude in the Dao of Artifact Refining, his mastery of it was improving by the day.
With that said, given his situation, it was impossible for him to reach the pinnacle of the Dao of Artifact Refining. There would come a point when he would be faced with an insurmountable bottleneck, which would be the limit of his achievements in his lifetime.
In any case, Yang Kai didn’t intend to be an Artifact Refining Grandmaster. He was learning it to make it easier for him to gather information behind enemy lines, so he just needed to be slightly more skilful in Artifact Refining than average.
Chai Hao didn’t understand why Yang Kai was suddenly interested in learning Artifact Refining, but after spending some time with him, he could feel that Yang Kai was greedily learning everything he could. With the effort he had put in, he was able to rapidly improve his skills in Artifact Refining. He was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, after all, so he was able to learn anything quickly.
Time passed by slowly.
Yang Kai basically stayed in the Refining Hall and never stepped out of it. He even neglected his own cultivation just to study Artifact Refining. Fortunately, the living beings in his Small Universe would continuously help increase his heritage, so he didn’t lag behind compared to the other cultivators.
He went on to learn Artifact Refining for the next 10 years. It wasn’t until Chai Hao thought that there was nothing else he could teach that Yang Kai ended this special training.
Chai Hao was no longer able to teach Yang Kai not because the latter had surpassed him when it came to Artifact Refining of course, but because he had taught Yang Kai all the theoretical knowledge he knew about the Dao of Artifact Refining. As for how far Yang Kai could go in this Dao, that would depend on his aptitude and effort.
Although he had an excellent teacher, Yang Kai was responsible for his own achievements. Even if two people learned the same Secret Art, their achievements would be different. It was the same case for the Dao of Artifact Refining.
According to Yang Kai’s own classification of the Dao, he had only reached the beginning of the third level, Taking the Initial Steps, after tirelessly learning all about the Dao of Artifact Refining for 10 years.
An Artifact Refining Great Grandmaster like Dong Guo An Ping was at least on the seventh level, Standing Above All Others Within Sight, when it came to the Dao of Artifact Refining.
Only someone at this level was capable of refining Warships. In the entire Blue Sky Pass, there were only a small number of Artifact Refining Great Grandmasters that were comparable to him.
On the other hand, Chai Hao, who had taught Yang Kai for 10 years, should be at the fifth level, Attaining Mastery Through Comprehensive Understanding, when it came to his Dao of Artifact Refining.
The further one traversed any Dao, the more difficult it was to improve. It was even harder than ascending to the next Order in the Open Heaven Realm.
Yang Kai was 2 levels below Chai Hao and 4 levels below Dong Guo An Ping, which showed the stark differences between them.
If he was able to put enough time and effort into studying the Dao of Artifact Refining, Yang Kai figured he might be able to reach Chai Hao’s current level in this lifetime, but he could never become a Great Grandmaster like Dong Guo An Ping. That was the limit of his aptitude, and there was nothing he could do about it.
The Black Ink Disciple in the Yin-Yang Theatre was already developing prototype Warships, so it was apparent that he was just one step away from becoming a Great Grandmaster in the Dao of Artifact Refining. According to Yang Kai’s estimation, the Black Ink Disciple should be at the sixth level of comprehension, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary.
If there had been enough time, Yang Kai would have preferred to keep improving his Dao of Artifact Refining. At the very least, he wanted to reach the fourth level, Traversing a Familiar Path; however, he had spent the last 10 years in the Refining Hall, and during this period of time, Zhong Liang had visited him several times. Even though he didn’t say anything, Yang Kai could feel how anxious he was.
The more time Yang Kai spent in the Refining Hall, the more likely that the Black Ink Clan would be able to successfully create Warships. 10 years was basically the limit.
Zhong Liang was startled for a moment when he saw Yang Kai appearing before him. Nevertheless, he soon came to his senses as he put down a document and asked seriously, “Are you ready?”
“I’m sorry for making you wait, Sir.”
Zhong Liang shook his head, “This is a dangerous task. If you’re not willing to do it, no one can force you to.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I’ve been preparing for the past 10 years for this moment, why would I back down now?”
Approval and gratification were written all over Zhong Liang’s face, “If everyone was like you, we wouldn’t have to worry about achieving our ultimate goal. Have you told the members of Dawn about it?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “There’s no need for that. I suppose the secret that the Black Ink Clan is capable of refining pseudo-Warships hasn’t spread yet. I don’t even know when I will come back, and it’s hard for me to explain it to them, so it’s better not to tell them about it at all. Moreover, they’re still able to go to the battlefield without me. They’ll take good care of themselves. This matter cannot be delayed, so I’ll head to Yin-Yang Pass now.”
Zhong Liang nodded gently, “Good. Come with me. Those from Yin-Yang Pass have been urging us, so if you delayed much longer, that old fart Tang Qiu would have come over to curse at us.”
Upon finishing his words, Zhong Liang rose from the chair and led the way.
On the way to their destination, Zhong Liang passed a jade slip to Yang Kai, “There’s some basic information about Yin-Yang Pass and the surrounding theatre. You can have a look when you’re free.”
Yang Kai took it, but instead of immediately going through it, he put it inside his Small Universe.
Zhong Liang kept rambling on along the way, as though he was a Father who was sending his Son to the battlefield. He was worried about what Yang Kai would face in the near future.
While feeling warmth in his heart, Yang Kai also felt slightly helpless.
Soon, they arrived at the Hyper Space Array which was guarded by a few soldiers; however, since Zhong Liang was there, the guards directly let them pass.
Inside a Grand Hall, Yang Kai stood atop the huge Array on his own.
He was surrounded by more than 10 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in different corners of the Grand Array, placing valuable resources into the Array Nodes.
It required a lot of resources to activate the Hyper Space Array, and the more powerful the cultivator who was going to be transferred, the more resources were needed.
That was the reason the Humans from different Great Passes rarely came into contact with each other despite being able to do so. Too many resources had to be consumed to do that.
The last time the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters gathered together in Blue Sky Pass was because of the Purifying Black Ink Battleships. Yang Kai had to personally seal Purifying Light inside those vessels, so they had no choice but to come.
“This is a Faith Token given to you by the Old Ancestor. He has left his Imprint inside it, so if there’s anyone who questions you in Yin-Yang Pass, just take this thing out to prove your identity.” Zhong Liang passed a piece of jade to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai took it with a solemn expression.
“Regardless of the outcome of your mission, you must come back alive!” Zhong Ling ordered seriously, “If it comes down to it, just give up and escape. You’ll only be able to contribute more to the Human Race by staying alive.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “I’ll not disappoint you, Sir.”
Zhong Liang nodded and stepped out of the Grand Array. After looking around, he ordered, “Activate the array!”
These Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were well prepared, and upon receiving the order, they immediately activated their powers. The Grand Array started buzzing and shining brightly as the resources on the Array Nodes were sucked dry and turned into dust in just a moment.
Space started contorting as though the world was going to fall apart at any moment.
Barely a breath later though, calm was restored.
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters around the Grand Array were pale, and their auras were unsteady. It showed that they had exerted themselves greatly to do this. Meanwhile, Yang Kai was nowhere in sight.
Despite being a Master in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai was still overwhelmed by dizziness as he was being transferred to such a faraway place. As he navigated through the Void, he felt like a leaf on the wind, though he had no idea where he would eventually land. This kind of uncertainty made him feel uncomfortable.
Fortunately, this sensation only lasted a short while.
When Yang Kai came to his senses, he was already standing atop a different Grand Array. The lights around him went out and revealed several figures, who were standing around him.
Those people exchanged glances and communicated with each other using Divine Senses. Soon, one of them stepped forward and cupped his fist, “Yin-Yang Pass Jing An greets this Junior Brother. From where do you come?”
Since Yang Kai was transferred to this place through the Hyper Space Array, he was definitely a Human from one of the Great Passes; however, Open Heaven Realm Masters like them who were responsible for guarding the Grand Array couldn’t identify where Yang Kai came from, so they had to ask him about it.
Yang Kai shook his head to clear up his dizziness. Upon making sure that he was in Yin-Yang Pass, he replied, “Blue Sky Pass’ Yang Kai greets Senior Brother Jing.”
Jing An appeared excited upon hearing that, “You’re from Blue Sky Pass?”
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded.
Jing An hurriedly said to his companions, “Tell Martial Uncle Tang that the person he’s been waiting for has arrived.”
One of them came to his senses and sent the message.
Jing An gazed at Yang Kai and said with a smile, “You’re finally here, Junior Brother Yang. Martial Uncle Tang has been asking about you. Every month, he sends us a message to ask whether someone from Blue Sky Pass has arrived. Should you have come any later, we would’ve been fired.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but smile upon hearing that, “What does my arrival have anything to do with you all?”
Jing An put on a helpless smile, “Martial Uncle Tang is not the most reasonable person. He scolded us because you did not come, as though it was our fault. You have no idea how much we’ve been longing for you to arrive. It’s great that you’re finally here.”
The people around him nodded repeatedly to show that Jing An was telling the truth. At the same time, they examined Yang Kai with curiosity as they wondered why Tang Qiu had been waiting for him. They didn’t think there was anything special about Yang Kai. Just like them, he appeared to be just another Seventh-Order Master.
Judging from their reactions, Yang Kai reckoned that the fact that the Purifying Light stemmed from his hands had been kept secret in Yin-Yang Pass. Other than a small number of people who were aware of it, no one knew anything about this matter. That was the reason these people never mentioned Purifying Light when they heard his name.
Yang Kai was famous throughout Blue Sky Pass because he could use Purifying Light to help dispel Black Ink Strength since the beginning, so this matter couldn’t be hidden from them.
On the other hand, it was different in Yin-Yang Pass. Although they knew that there were four Purifying Black Ink Battleships in the Inner Sanctum that were filled with Purifying Light, the Army Commanders never told them where the Purifying Light came from.
A moment later, the cultivator, who sent a message earlier, received a reply. After going through it, he looked up and said, “Martial Uncle Tang is not in the Inner Sanctum, Senior Brother Jing. It seems that he has some matters to attend to. Those from the Army Headquarters told us to help settle him in. Martial Uncle will be back in a few days.”
Upon hearing that, Jing An nodded, “In that case, we’ll just follow orders.”
He then turned to look at Yang Kai, “Please come with me, Junior Brother Yang.”
After he finished speaking, he led the way for him with Yang Kai following behind closely.
A short while later, they arrived at a small courtyard that was quiet and serene. This was supposedly a place where guests stayed. There was a similar place in Blue Sky Pass, but it was usually unused.
Even though the courtyard had been vacant for a long time, it remained clean.
“Please get some rest here for a few days, Junior Brother Yang. I’ll inform you when Martial Uncle Tang returns,” Jing An said.
“Many thanks, Senior Brother Jing.” Yang Kai cupped his fist.
Jing An replied with a smile, “If you get bored, feel free to walk around to kill time.”
After Jing An was gone, Yang Kai stepped into the room and sat down with his legs crossed.
He had received a Faith Token from Zhong Liang that was given by the Old Ancestor. It was to be used when someone asked about his identity; however, there didn’t seem to be a need for that thing.
On the other hand, he was surprised that Tang Qiu wasn’t in the Inner Sanctum. Apparently, something major had happened in Yin-Yang Pass, which was why Tang Qiu had to deal with it personally.
With that said, Yang Kai had other friends in Yin-Yang Pass.
He thus fished out a communications artifact and sent a message.
However, he didn’t receive any reply. It suggested that the person he wanted to contact was either not in Yin-Yang Pass or was cultivating in seclusion, thus cutting off all contact with the outside world.
Regardless, Yang Kai was unable to reach him for the time being.
He had sent a message to Xu Ling Gong, but since he was unable to reach him, Yang Kai decided to contact Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue.
Surprisingly, they also didn’t respond.
Yang Kai furrowed his brows. It seemed likely that they were not in the Inner Sanctum, which was why they didn’t reply to his messages. Su Ying Xue and Qing Kui were Xu Ling Gong’s Disciples after all. It was reasonable that they had headed out together if there was a task to perform. It was also probable that they had followed Tang Qiu.
Since Yang Kai was unable to contact any one of them, he decided to put this matter aside. The reason he was here was to sneak into the Black Ink Clan’s base in the Yin-Yang Theatre to gather information. Reuniting with his friends was a secondary priority.
Suddenly, he thought of the jade slip given to him by Zhong Liang before he departed. Since he had some free time, he decided to go through it.
There was some basic information about Yin-Yang Pass and its Theatre in the jade slip, which was given to Yang Kai to help him quickly grasp the situation in this place.
The powers of all the Great Passes were more or less the same, with even the structures and layouts being similar.
There were also about 30,000 fighters in Yin-Yang Pass. They were the brightest Open Heaven Realm Masters who came from different Cave Heavens and Paradises. This kind of scale was accumulated over many years. Over the aeons, countless people were killed on the battlefield, and more people were sent over from the 3,000 Worlds.
It could be said that 80 to 90% of all the elite Open Heaven Realm Masters of every generation from the Cave Heavens and Paradises were sent to the Black Ink Battlefield. Only a small number of them stayed in the 3,000 Worlds to maintain their operation. That was the reason Yang Kai felt that the Cave Heavens and Paradises didn’t live up to their names in the past.
Since most of the powerful cultivators had been sent to the Black Ink Battlefield, he naturally couldn’t see a lot of them in the 3,000 Worlds.
Just like Blue Sky Pass, there were four Armies in Yin-Yang Pass.
There were four Army Commanders, Tang Qiu, Wu Qing, Liu Zhi Ping, and Fei Yu Shan, who respectively led the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Armies.
Yang Kai was startled for a moment when he saw the name Liu Zhi Ping, for it was clearly a woman’s name. It wasn’t that women were no match for men; however, there were indeed fewer women in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Moreover, the fact that Liu Zhi Ping was an Army Commander suggested that she was extraordinarily powerful, definitely one of the strongest cultivators in the Eighth Order. Perhaps she had even reached the peak of the Eighth Order, but due to the limits of her aptitude, was unable to ascend to the Ninth Order.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Black Ink Clan in the Yin-Yang Theatre was named Mu Guang Royal Lord. It could be said that this entire war zone was his territory.
Similarly, those from Blue Sky Pass had to deal with Men Xie in its Theatre.
There was an Old Ancestor who was in charge of every Theatre to deal with the Black Ink Clan’s Royal Lord.
Mu Guang commanded over 100 Territory Lords, which was a significantly higher number than the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Yin-Yang Pass, and this was just one Theatre. On the entire Black Ink Battlefield, there were countless formidable beings from the Black Ink Clan, which made things extremely difficult for the Humans.
There wasn’t a lot of information in the jade slip; after all, it was just some basic knowledge, so Yang Kai went through it quickly. Since he had some free time now, he decided to refine a set of Seventh-Order materials.
He stayed in the room for half a month.
During this period of time, no one looked for him, nor did Tang Qiu send anyone to summon him. This made Yang Kai worried as he wondered what had happened to Tang Qiu that the latter had been held up for such a long time. Jing An told him that Tang Qiu would be back in a few days, but half a month had passed since then.
Of course, Tang Qiu was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he should be fine.
It wasn’t the best idea for him to keep waiting in seclusion though, so after giving it a thought, Yang Kai decided to walk around and take in the sights of Yin-Yang Pass.
It was serene in Yin-Yang Pass as there were no signs of any war. That was because they had just fended off an invasion from the Black Ink Clan not too long ago. Just like the Black Ink Clan in the Blue Sky Theatre, Mu Guang and his subordinates were still recuperating.
There were not a lot of people that walked around the Inner Sanctum. After all, during a time of peace like this, it was the best chance to cultivate. Many Open Heaven Realm Masters had seized the chance to increase their heritage so that they would be prepared for the next round of war.
The layout of Yin-Yang Pass was similar to that of Blue Sky Pass, so Yang Kai soon lost interest after walking around for a bit; after all, he was not in the 3,000 Worlds where there were a lot of bustling places. Every Great Pass was practically a gigantic Mobile Palace Artifact where the soldiers gathered together.
The several tens of thousands of soldiers staying here, ready to face the Black Ink Clan at any moment.
As Yang Kai strolled around, no one bothered to probe him for his identity. There were thousands of soldiers in Yin-Yang Pass, so it was impossible that there was anyone who could recognise everyone else in this place at a glance. No one would pay attention to a stranger like Yang Kai.
Just when he was ready to go back to his place, Yang Kai’s expression changed as he listened attentively.
A moment later, he moved forward in a particular direction with an awkward expression. After taking a turn, he saw a street that was bustling with activity.
The street wasn’t wide as it could only allow two carriages to pass side by side; however, the street was filled with people who were chatting with each other.
It was also lined with shops on both sides. There were all sorts of products that were on sale, and merchants were heard shouting to attract customers.
Yang Kai even saw someone selling skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded at the sight before his eyes. If not for the fact that he was aware that he was in Yin-Yang Pass, he would have thought that he had returned to a city in the 3,000 Worlds.
Countless people were streaming into and leaving the street like the fish in a river.
Yang Kai looked up and saw that there was a huge plaque above the street. The characters for ‘Marketplace’ were written on it.
The characters ‘Observing the World’ were written on the left stone monument while ‘Experiencing Prosperity’ was written on the right stone monument.
Yang Kai frowned as he had a feeling that this street was a little unusual. At the very least, he had never seen anything like it in Blue Sky Pass.
His curiosity had been piqued as he decided to look into it. After taking a deep breath, he stepped into the street and was instantly greeted with all sorts of noises as people were heard shouting.
“Delicious sugar-coated hawthorn fruits!”
“We have freshly made steamed stuffed buns!”
“It’s the first day of our business. You’ll enjoy a 30% discount on all the dishes. Limited seats. First come, first served.”
…..
Instantly, Yang Kai was overwhelmed by a sense of dizziness, as though he had just been punched by a Territory Lord. Even his Soul had become unstable.
The old man, who was selling sugar-coated hawthorn fruits, happened to be approaching him. The red sugar-coated hawthorn fruits over his shoulder appeared appetising. The hair and beard of the old man were all grey. He was clad in simple clothes, as though he was just an average old man. All of a sudden, he grabbed the collar of a young man who happened to pass by, “Brat, why don’t you get a skewer of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits?”
The young man sported a bitter expression, “Martial Uncle, I just bought some from you two hours ago.”
The old man, who was addressed as Martial Uncle, shook his head, “You bought those two hours ago, so it’s time for you to buy one more. Rest assured. I’m sure you’ll love the sugar-coated hawthorn fruits I’ve personally made.”
The young man appeared crestfallen, “Martial Uncle, can I not buy it?”
The old man extended his hand with a smile, “That will be 10 copper coins.”
Since it was useless to protest, the young man let out a sigh of defeat and fished out 10 copper coins from his clothes before passing the money to him.
The old man took out a skewer of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits and stuffed it into the young man’s hands.
Just when the young man was about to leave, the old man grabbed his collar again, “Why aren’t you eating it now?”
The young man was on the brink of breaking into tears, “Martial Uncle, must I eat it now?”
“Yes, right now; otherwise, it’s no different from looking down on my craft!” The old man glared at him.
The horrified young man took a bite of the sugar-coated hawthorn fruits. A myriad of expressions came over his face, but he still went against his conscience and praised the old man by saying, “You’re truly skilful in making sugar-coated hawthorn fruits, Martial Uncle.”
The old man guffawed, “Of course. Don’t you know who I am?”
Upon finishing his words, he released the young man. Yang Kai could see that as the young man shuffled forward, he kept eating the sugar-coated hawthorn fruits with a smile that was uglier than crying.
Yang Kai felt his face twitching as he couldn’t believe his eyes. If he wasn’t mistaken, the young man who bought the skewer of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits was a Seventh-Order Master, while the old man was an Eighth-Order Master.
[What’s going on?]
“Young man, do you want a skewer of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits? It’s a craft passed down from my ancestors. I’m sure you’ll not be disappointed.”
While Yang Kai was in a dazed state, the old man suddenly stood in front of him and looked smilingly at him.
Yang Kai took a glance at the old man and examined the sugar-coated hawthorn fruits over his shoulder. He reckoned that the sugar-coated hawthorn fruits were probably made from some kind of Spirit Fruit, which was why they could be sold here.
Yang Kai became interested in the sugar-coated hawthorn fruits. As he recalled what he had seen, he asked probingly, “10 copper coins?”
The old man nodded with a smile, “Yes, 10 copper coins for a skewer. It’s fair, isn’t it?”
“I’ll get one skewer, then.” As Yang Kai spoke, he fished out 10 copper coins and passed them to the old man.
As a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he naturally didn’t bring any copper coins with him. Copper, silver, and gold were used by the mortals to buy goods. Most cultivators wouldn’t need such things; however, there were a lot of Humans living in Yang Kai’s Small Universe. Copper, silver, and gold coins were commonly used in the exchange of goods. Therefore, the 10 copper coins he had fished out were taken from his Small Universe.
Surprisingly, the old man glanced at the copper coins but didn’t take them. Instead, he sported a dark expression, “Are you messing with me just because I’m old, you brat?”
A puzzled Yang Kai asked, “What do you mean, Old Sir?”
Upon seeing that the young man appeared sincere, the old man frowned. As he examined Yang Kai, he suddenly realised what was going on, “Oh, I get it. Brat, since you’re new to this place and know nothing, I’ll not settle the score with you. Instead, I’ll teach you something today.”
Yang Kai replied respectfully, “I’m all ears.”
The old man said with a smile, “The copper coins used in this Marketplace are specially made. These ordinary copper coins can’t be used here.”
After he finished speaking, he flicked a copper coin at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai took the coin and carefully examined it. He realised that even though the material used to make the copper coin wasn’t special, it was indeed custom-made. The Yin character was engraved on one side, while the Yang character was on the other side.
There was no kind of restriction on the copper coin, nor was there a unique way of making it. It wouldn’t be hard to make a fake one. At the very least, Yang Kai could easily make many of them if he wanted to.
Nevertheless, it would be inappropriate for him to do so.
Left with no choice, he could only be honest with the old man, “I’m sorry, Old Sir. I don’t have this kind of copper coin.”
The old man chuckled, “I know you don’t. It’s fine. I’m sure you have cultivation resources. You can trade them for copper coins with me.”
“Does it work that way?” Yang Kai was stunned.
“Why would I lie to you?” The old man nodded firmly.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai fished out a Sixth-Order Yellow Crystal as he couldn’t suppress his curiosity, “How about this thing, Old Sir?”
The old man arched his brow and took the Sixth-Order Yellow Crystal, then he became elated, “It’s a wonderful Sixth-Order Yang Element material. That’s great. I haven’t seen anything as pure as this in a long time.”
Yang Kai quipped to himself that this thing was certainly pure, for it was a result of the crystallisation of the Burning Light’s power. There was no Yang Element material in the world that was purer than this.
“You can trade it for 10 skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits,” the old man said firmly, then was ready to fish out 10 skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits.
“Wait a moment!” An astonished Yang Kai quickly stopped him.
Since a skewer of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits was worth 10 copper coins, 10 skewers would be 100 copper coins. How was it possible that a Sixth-Order Yellow Crystal could only be traded for 10 skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits?
A Sixth-Order Yellow Crystal was worth at least 20 million Open Heaven Pills, and a resource that rare couldn’t really be bought with money. Given the conversion rate, it would mean that 1 copper coin in this Marketplace was worth 200,000 Open Heaven Pills.
Yang Kai was overwhelmed by a sense of unease. He didn’t think the old man was conning him, but this thing was simply too expensive.
It was no wonder that when the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master bought a skewer of hawthorn fruits from this old man earlier, he appeared as if some of his flesh had been shaved off.
That was because a skewer of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits was worth 2 million Open Heaven Pills.
[Why is it so expensive?]
Yang Kai was quick to stop him, but the old man was extremely swift. The moment he started speaking, the old man had taken out 5 skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits.
“Old Sir, even though I’m new to this place, you can’t oppress me like this,” Yang Kai stared at the old man with a solemn expression.
The old man replied with a smile, “I certainly won’t oppress a young man like you. Don’t worry, I’m an honest trader. If you don’t believe me, you can ask around.”
Yang Kai scowled. After pondering on it for a moment though, he said, “I’ll just get one skewer. I can’t have so many.”
The old man shook his head repeatedly, “No no, I’ve taken out 5 skewers already. You have to buy them all.”
A speechless Yang Kai refuted, “Can’t you just put them back in?”
The old man lowered his head and said in a grim voice, “If a person jabs a dagger into your body and takes it out, can you pretend that nothing has happened?”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded, “It’s like comparing oranges with apples.”
The old man shook his head, “It’s all the same to me.”
A furious Yang Kai snapped, “You just said that you’re an honest trader, but here you are compelling me to buy your goods. It’s not fair!”
The old man ignored him and stuffed five skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits in his hands. After passing him 50 copper coins, he said solemnly, “Young man, just take it as me giving you a lesson today. You have to be careful whenever you head out from now on.”
After he finished speaking, he left in a hurry with his skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits.
Yang Kai was left dumbfounded as he clutched the 5 skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits in one hand and 50 copper coins in the other.
He didn’t understand what kind of damned place this Marketplace was. Why was there such a place in Yin-Yang Pass? What was the purpose of building it?
It was apparent that Yang Kai had been conned by the old man, but he still felt somewhat comforted. At the very least, he still had 5 skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits and 50 copper coins.
Since the fruits were so expensive, they might have some amazing effects. Perhaps they could soothe one’s mind or increase the heritage of the Small Universe.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai put away the copper coins and grabbed one skewer of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits before taking a bite.
As he chewed the fruit, he realised that it was refreshingly sweet with a tinge of sourness. The flesh was tender and fresh. More importantly, the fruit pit had been removed, so he didn’t have to spit it out.
After having one of the fruits, he stood still on the same spot for a moment; then, he sported a dark expression.
It was just the most common sugar-coated hawthorn fruit that did nothing to help increase a cultivator’s heritage.
Yang Kai cursed at the dishonest trader and had the urge to chase after the old man and fight him to the death.
With that said, he never put his idea into action, for the other party was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. If he really ran after the old man, he would be the one to suffer.
After gritting his teeth for a moment, he let out a sigh. As he was having the costly sugar-coated hawthorn fruits, Yang Kai shuffled further into the Marketplace.
The busy street was lined with all sorts of shops.
Yang Kai soon stopped in his tracks in front of an accessories shop. The accessories in the shop were all quite beautiful. They were apparently made by a skilful artisan.
After getting conned by the old man who sold sugar-coated hawthorn fruits though, Yang Kai was far more cautious this time. However, he was shocked to see that there were a lot of cultivators going in and out of the shop, and the accessories were selling fast.
Since business was booming in this shop, it suggested that the accessories here were extraordinary.
Perhaps they were no ordinary accessories and instead, they were artifacts made by some Grandmaster.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai nodded as he believed that his speculation was right.
“Hey, this generous Senior Brother. Are you looking for some accessories?” After seeing off his customer, a shop assistant hurriedly came over to serve Yang Kai.
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai couldn’t help but laugh, “Why do you think I’m generous?”
The shop assistant pointed at the sugar-coated hawthorn fruits in his hands, “If you’re not wealthy, you wouldn’t have bought so many sugar-coated hawthorn fruits. The one who sells sugar-coated hawthorn fruits is famous across this Marketplace.”
It was then Yang Kai realised what was going on, “I see.”
It was no wonder that a lot of people looked at him with awkward expressions when he walked along the street. That was because he had many skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits in his hands.
He didn’t even know that holding a few skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits in one’s hands was a symbol of wealth these days.
Nevertheless, that was indeed the case in this Marketplace.
“What accessories would you like to buy?” The shop assistant asked hospitably.
Yang Kai didn’t have anything specific that he wanted, for he was just wondering whether these accessories were some kind of artifacts. After looking around, he pointed at a red hairpin, “Can I have a look at this?”
The shop assistant promptly took out the hairpin and said with a smile, “This thing is made by the owner. The accessories he makes are the best in this Marketplace. The other accessory shops are not comparable to us. If you give this hairpin to a woman you love, she’ll definitely be pleased.”
The hairpin was placed inside a transparent container. Even though Yang Kai could clearly see the hairpin, he was unable to examine it.
He frowned, “Can you open it?”
The shop assistant put on an apologetic smile, “You can only open the box after buying the hairpin.”
[What kind of rule is this?] Since the hairpin was inside some kind of special container, Yang Kai was unable to determine the Order of the accessory. How was he going to find out whether it was truly valuable or not?
However, he had seen many people buying these accessories in the same way, so he knew that it was impossible for him to have a closer look at it.
Left with no choice, he asked, “How much is it?”
“That will be 50 copper coins,” the shop assistant replied with a smile.
Yang Kai’s face twitched visibly. He couldn’t help but suspect that this shop assistant and the old man who sold sugar-coated hawthorn fruits might be from the same gang; otherwise, how could this shop boy know exactly how much money he was left with?
Still, Yang Kai decided to pass the 50 coins to the shop assistant without hesitation and left with the hairpin.
After stepping out of the shop, he immediately took the hairpin out of the container and examined it.
A moment later, he snarled through clenched teeth, “Another black-hearted conman!”
This was just an ordinary hairpin, not an amazing artifact. First, he was forced to buy five skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits from the old man. Then, he was conned into buying this useless hairpin. He was completely disappointed in this Marketplace.
Everything in this place was a farce; however, he didn’t understand why there was such a place in Yin-Yang Pass. Moreover, a lot of Open Heaven Realm Masters were seen wandering around here.
After such terrible experiences, Yang Kai had lost all interest in shopping here, so he decided to go back to his place.
He initially wanted to toss the hairpin away, but he thought that it was wasteful to throw away something that he had bought with half of a Sixth-Order Yellow Crystal; therefore, he just put it in his Space Ring.
As he was heading towards the exit, he suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around to ask, “Why are you following me?”
The moment he stepped out of the accessories shop, he already realised that someone was following him. He initially thought that it was just a coincidence, but the person behind him never went away. It was then he confirmed that he had been tailed.
When Yang Kai turned around, he realised that no one was in sight.
He frowned and looked down, only to see a little girl standing in front of him. With her big eyes, she stared fixedly at the sugar-coated hawthorn fruits in his hand.
[A little girl?] Yang Kai was stunned.
Upon closer look, he realised that she was indeed a little girl who was seven or eight years old. Although she was clad in simple clothes, she looked quite adorable. Her eyes were bright, and her jet-black hair hung low at her waist.
[Why is there a little girl in Yin-Yang Pass?] Yang Kai instinctively thought that she was an Open Heaven Realm Master who had cultivated some kind of unique Secret Art. Such Secret Arts did exist in this world. Or maybe an accident happened when she was cultivating, which was why she never grew taller and appeared to be a child.
However, after examining the little girl, he realised that even though she had cultivated before, she wasn’t very strong. She was in the Origin King Realm at most.
With that said, it was inconceivable that she was already an Origin King at her age. Yang Kai still hadn’t started cultivating when he was eight years old, which showed that this little girl had extraordinary aptitude. Her achievements would surely be staggering in the future.
Nevertheless, on the Black Ink Battlefield where everyone was an Open Heaven Realm Master, an Origin King was indeed too weak.
Those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises would only send cultivators who were at least in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm to the Black Ink Battlefield. Those who were below the Sixth Order wouldn’t be asked to come here. What could an Origin King do in such a place? This little girl would probably be turned into a Black Ink Disciple the instant she came into contact with Black Ink Strength.
Yang Kai was greatly puzzled about where this little girl came from.
She was only seven or eight years old, so there was no way she was sent to this place from the 3,000 Worlds by the Cave Heavens and Paradises. The only possibility was that she was born in Yin-Yang Pass.
It wasn’t that there were no couples in the Great Passes. As they had to fight against the Black Ink Clan all year long, they might lose their lives at any moment, so special feelings would naturally develop among people when they were under such immense pressure. In fact, there were a lot of couples in different Great Passes.
However, none of them would rashly make a decision to give birth to children in such a place. That was because no one could guarantee whether they would survive the next battle. It would be the height of irresponsibility to bring a child into the world in this kind of place.
Therefore, it never crossed Yang Kai’s mind that he would come across a little girl who was in the Origin King Realm in the Marketplace in Yin-Yang Pass.
On the other hand, the cultivators in the Marketplace didn’t seem curious about the little girl, which showed that she had been around here for quite some time.
Seeing that she was just a little girl, Yang Kai didn’t intend to probe her, he just asked in a gentle voice, “Where are your parents, little girl?”
Just then, a passing cultivator crashed into a rack with a thud, which caused all the goods on it to fall to the ground. The merchant cursed at him while the cultivator apologised and picked up the goods.
The little girl, who was standing in front of Yang Kai, never moved her eyes away from the sugar-coated hawthorn fruits in his hand. Without replying to his question, she gulped and asked, “Are you going to eat them?”
Yang Kai looked down at his hand and realised why she had been following him. As he broke into laughter, he passed the remaining 4 skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits to her, “You can have them all.”
The little girl beamed at him and took the skewers. After thanking him, she started munching on the fruits and said in a muffled voice, “You’re a good guy. For some reason, the old man who sells sugar-coated fruits is missing today. I still couldn’t find him after looking for him for a long time.”
Yang Kai secretly snorted. The old man must be worried that Yang Kai would settle the score with him after conning the latter into buying 5 skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits, which was why he had left in a hurry.
Seeing that she was enjoying her food though, Yang Kai felt the displeasure in his heart melting away. He felt that the Sixth-Order Yellow Crystal he had spent was finally worth it. He thus patted and stroked the little girl’s head before saying, “Go home after you’re done having your food. Don’t make your parents worry.”
*Dong!*
Right then, the same rack was hit again and the merchant quickly squatted and picked up the goods.
At the same time, Yang Kai furrowed his brows. For some reason, he had a feeling that time was frozen for a moment, as though the entire Marketplace had fallen silent. However, when he looked around, he realised that everything had become normal again.
The little girl, whose head was being stroked, grinned from ear to ear.
Yang Kai nodded at her and turned around to leave.
However, he soon turned his head and gazed at the little girl, who was still tailing him, “Why are you following me? I’ve given you all my sugar-coated hawthorn fruits. There’s none left.”
It only took the little girl a short time to finish having all 4 skewers. It was surprising that she had such a huge appetite. After tossing the skewers away, the little girl put on a faint smile, “Since you’ve given me some sugar-coated hawthorn fruits, I’ll treat you to a meal. How about some steamed stuffed buns?”
Yang Kai smiled helplessly, “There’s no need for that…”
After getting conned into buying the sugar-coated hawthorn fruits and the hairpin, he was certain that all the things being sold in this Marketplace were just ordinary items. There wasn’t a need for him to pay any attention to this place anymore.
Since he had some free time, he’d rather go back and refine materials to strengthen the heritage of his Small Universe.
Nevertheless, before he finished speaking, he sported a helpless expression, “What’s wrong?”
The little girl appeared to be on the brink of breaking into tears, as though she had just suffered from the greatest grievance in the world.
She sobbed and said, “I want to get some steamed stuffed buns! The steamed stuffed buns from Lin’s Steamed Bun Restaurant are the best!” As she spoke, she sucked the drool back into her mouth.
A speechless Yang Kai massaged his temples, “If you want the steamed stuffed buns so badly, you can go ahead and buy them.”
The little girl hung her head low and said in a small voice, “I don’t have any money.”
Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter, “But you said you’d treat me to a meal.”
“I’ll treat you to a meal, but you’ll have to pay…” There was an embarrassed expression on the little girl’s face.
“That’s ridiculous…” Yang Kai was lost for words. He wanted to tell her that he also didn’t have any money as the copper coins he had traded for the Sixth-Order Yellow Crystal were used up.
However, the little girl walked up to him and took his hand before swaying it, “Please. Steamed stuffed buns are delicious…” She gulped.
Yang Kai was unable to bear the little girl pleading with him in such a way. He thought that her parents were irresponsible by giving birth to her as they never even bothered to give her some allowance. It was simply outrageous.
“Please… I really love their buns…” The little girl was relentless.
Left with no other choice, Yang Kai could only agree to it, “Alright, alright. Stop swinging me. I’m feeling dizzy!”
“So you agree?” The pleasantly surprised little girl asked.
“Yes, I’ll treat you to a proper meal,” Yang Kai nodded. In any case, he could trade materials for some copper coins, so he didn’t have to worry about not being able to foot the bill.
“You really are a good guy!” The little girl was ecstatic.
Yang Kai let out a sigh. He wasn’t aware that being nice meant he had to treat someone to a meal. With that said, the world of a little girl was simple. It wasn’t a bad thing to experience some innocence on this dangerous Black Ink Battlefield.
Lin’s Steamed Bun Restaurant was filled with the aroma of steamed stuffed buns. There were only a few tables, and they were all occupied. A bowl of soup and a small bamboo basket of steamed stuffed buns were all it took for one to wind down and observe the Marketplace.
The owners of the restaurant seemed to be a couple. One of them prepared dough while the other formed the buns. They appeared skilful in their craft. There was also a shop hand to serve the customers.
The instant Yang Kai stepped into the restaurant, hand in hand with the little girl, the shop hand became rooted to the spot as if struck by lightning, staring fixedly at their hands.
The owners, who were preparing dough and steamed stuffed buns, shook a little.
Meanwhile, the customers in the shop, who were eating the steamed stuffed buns and soup, felt their brows twitching.
“Here it is! Lin’s Steamed Bun Restaurant!” The little girl said joyfully.
Yang Kai swept a glance over this place. Despite knowing that there were no ordinary people here, he still felt ill at ease.
The owners of the steamed stuffed bun shop were apparently Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. On the other hand, the shop hand, who was responsible for serving the customers, was a Seventh-Order Master.
Yang Kai had never seen any Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters whose faces were covered in flour as they were preparing dough and steamed stuffed buns. He had the luck to see it in this Marketplace.
“There are a lot of people today,” the little girl took a glance around the shop. Seeing that all the tables were occupied, she turned to Yang Kai, “It seems that we’ll have to wait.”
As soon as she finished speaking though, the customers started stuffing steamed buns into their mouths and gulping down the soup.
“Get me the bill!”
They all started shouting. The shop hand quickly went around to collect money from them. In just a moment, all the customers in the restaurant were gone.
“Oh, there are seats now!” The little girl appeared elated as she pulled Yang Kai into the shop and took a seat at one of the tables. Since the chair was too tall, her feet couldn’t come into contact with the ground as they swayed in the air.
While cleaning up the things on the table, the shop hand asked with a smile, “What would you like to get?”
Yang Kai replied nonchalantly, “Get me 2 baskets of steamed stuffed buns…”
Before he could finish speaking though, the little girl cut him off by shouting, “I’ll have 10 baskets!”
Yang Kai batted his eyes, then said to the shop hand, “We’ll have ten baskets of steamed stuffed buns and two bowls of soup, then.”
“Alright, I’ll be right back,” the shop hand replied and headed to the kitchen.
A moment later, 10 baskets of steamed stuffed buns were served, piled up on the table. The little girl then began wolfing them down as her cheeks bulged.
Yang Kai took a steamed stuffed bun and had a taste. He realised that even though it was delicious, it was just some ordinary food. It was unable to help increase a cultivator’s power. Still, he remained silent and waited for the little girl to finish having her food.
“Why aren’t you having any?” The little girl asked curiously.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “You can have them all.”
The little glutton smiled happily and continued devouring the buns.
Yang Kai helped her wipe the crumbs off her mouth and said, “Take it slow. No one is going to take them away from you.”
He was curious about what was going on with her parents. Had they never given her enough food? Why did she look like she was starving?
The little girl devoured all ten baskets of steamed stuffed buns and two bowls of soup on her own. Yang Kai couldn’t help but wonder how the petite little girl was able to wolf down so much food. It was no simple feat.
More importantly, her belly didn’t bulge at all. He wondered where all the food went.
“Are you full?” Yang Kai asked.
The little girl nodded, “Yes.”
Yang Kai then shouted, “Get me the bill!”
The shop hand promptly came over and said with a smile, “That will be 100 copper coins for 10 baskets of steamed stuffed buns. The bowls of soup are on the house.”
“Many thanks.” Yang Kai nodded, “But I don’t have any money with me. Can I cover the bill with this?”
Upon finishing his words, Yang Kai fished out a Sixth-Order Blue Crystal.
The shop hand, who was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, took the crystal and examined it, then appeared elated, “It’s enough.”
Yang Kai nodded and beckoned to the little girl before bringing her out of the restaurant. The shop hand said hospitably, “Please come again.”
[I’ll be a fool if I come again!] Yang Kai thought. The things in this Marketplace were ordinary but extremely costly. Sixth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials were worth approximately 40 million Open Heaven Pills, but he squandered them away in barely half a day.
He reckoned that this place should be renamed as ‘Black Market’.
The little girl still followed him closely. Yang Kai turned around to gaze at her and look around. Suddenly thinking of something, he took out the hairpin from his Space Ring and fixed it on her hair.
She was already truly adorable, and even though the hairpin wasn’t an artifact, it was finely made. They perfectly matched each other.
The little girl was evidently startled.
Yang Kai said with a smile, “It’s a gift.”
He then turned around and waved his hand, “I’ll go back now. You should head home early so that your parents won’t have to worry about you.”
This time, the little girl didn’t tail him. While standing in the same spot, she just touched the hairpin and watched him leave.
Yang Kai headed straight to his resting place. When he recalled his experiences in the Marketplace, he couldn’t help but grin wryly. After emptying his mind, he sat down with his legs crossed and started cultivating.
One day later, he suddenly heard a clear voice calling out to him from outside the courtyard, “Yang Kai! Yang Kai!”
Yang Kai frowned and stored the materials he hadn’t fully refined. After opening the courtyard’s door, he saw the little girl that he came across the day before in the Marketplace. She was standing outside his courtyard with a smile. The hairpin that he gave her the day before was still in her hair.
A puzzled Yang Kai asked, “How did you find me?”
There was a smug smile on the little girl’s face, “I asked around. It wasn’t hard to find out where you live.”
It was apparent that she had also found out his name by asking around. Yang Kai couldn’t help but think that this little girl was truly clever.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai asked curiously as he had no idea why she had come all the way here to see him.
“Let’s go to the steamed stuffed bun shop!” The little girl said firmly.
Yang Kai rubbed his forehead, “You want me to foot the bill, right?”
“Hehe…” The little girl appeared bashful as her intentions were seen through. However, she soon cast the bashfulness away as the foodie in her got the better of her. She grabbed his hand and pulled him away, “Let’s go. You have nothing to do anyway.”
A speechless Yang Kai refuted, “What do you mean I have nothing to do? I was cultivating when you disturbed me.”
“There’s no hurry to cultivate. I’m hungry.”
Despite her petite figure, she was full of strength; Yang Kai also wouldn’t really dare to resist her so he was gradually pulled towards the Marketplace.
When they arrived at Lin’s Steamed Bun Restaurant, she ordered 10 baskets of steamed stuffed buns, just like she had done the day before. While the little girl wolfed down the food, Yang Kai waited patiently by the side.
The same thing happened every day for the next few days.
Yang Kai felt helpless as he wondered who were the ones who had given birth to such a reckless little girl. He wanted to tell her parents what was going on, but to his dismay, when he asked the little girl to bring him to see her parents, she started sobbing and said that they passed away a long time ago.
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai didn’t dare to keep asking lest her sorrowful memories were stirred up. If the little girl really started bawling her eyes out, he wouldn’t know how to appease her.
This little girl was seven or eight years old, and she was only in the Origin King Realm. She must have been born in Yin-Yang Pass, but her parents passed away a long time ago. How was she going to survive in this place?
Yang Kai consoled himself by thinking that he would just keep her company for the time being as she was truly pitiful.
For the next few days, the little girl would bring Yang Kai to the steamed stuffed bun shop in the Marketplace so that he would pay for her meal. They got along pretty well.
One day, Yang Kai was seated in Lin’s Steamed Bun Restaurant while the little girl scarfed down the food, the same as the past few days. It wouldn’t take the little girl a long time to finish having 10 baskets of steamed stuffed buns. After that, Yang Kai would fish out a Sixth-Order Yellow or Blue Crystal to pay for the meal.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s expression changed as he turned to look out of the restaurant, where he saw four people shuffling inside.
His eyes brightened as he rose from the chair and greeted them, “Senior Tang!”
The person at the front was none other than Tang Qiu whom Yang Kai had been waiting for. It was apparent that he had just returned from outside and hadn’t even had time to clean himself up. It seemed that he had fought against some formidable enemies, so his aura was a little unstable.
Behind him was Xu Ling Gong, who was followed by Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue. Just like Yang Kai had speculated, the four of them had headed out together, which was why he couldn’t contact any one of them.
Yang Kai then greeted Xu Ling Gong and his two Disciples, who all nodded in response.
Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue were still in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but their auras had become far deeper. It was obvious that they had grown in strength after fighting against the Black Ink Clan since their arrival in Yin-Yang Pass.
“I came to this place because I was told that you’re here,” Tang Qiu explained.
Yang Kai replied, “I decided to take a stroll since I had nothing to do. Senior, since you’re back, you could have just told someone to summon me. Why did you come all the way here?”
Tang Qiu waved his hand, “I’m sorry for making you wait. I was held up because I came across an accident when I was on my way back.”
“It’s fine. Have a seat, please.” Yang Kai extended his hand.
Tang Qiu nodded, then sat together with Xu Ling Gong.
As soon as they sat down though, they shot out of their chairs as if there were some sharp stick that poked their butts. They stared dazedly at the petite figure behind the baskets of steamed stuffed buns.
Since the little girl was seated behind the baskets that had been piled up, Tang Qiu and Xu Ling Gong hadn’t noticed her presence before.
“S-She…” Tang Qiu stammered.
Yang Kai explained, “I came across this little girl a few days ago. She’s quite pitiful as her parents passed away a long time ago, and there’s no one to take care of her. Since she loves the steamed stuffed buns here, I bring her to this place every day.”
“Ah… er… en! I see!” Tang Qiu came to his senses and sent a signal to Xu Ling Gong with his eyes. Then, he slowly took a seat.
Qing Kui, who was standing behind Xu Ling Gong, coughed, “Honoured Master, I’m going to take a little stroll.”
An absent-minded Xu Ling Gong replied, “En, go ahead.”
“I’ll tag along!” Su Ying Xue quickly said.
After offering an apology, they left the restaurant together.
In the steamed stuffed bun shop, four figures, three adults and one little girl, were seated at the table. Yang Kai looked at Tang Qiu and Xu Ling Gong with a frown, “It seems that both of you are badly injured.”
Yang Kai could feel that there was something wrong with both Tang Qiu and Xu Ling Gong. Their solemn expressions suggested that they were trying to suppress something, as though they were anxious or in pain somehow.
“We’re fine,” Tang Qiu replied casually.
“Yes, we’re fine.” Xu Ling Gong nodded repeatedly.
“That’s good.” Yang Kai nodded, then brought up a serious topic, “What’s going on with the Black Ink Clan?”
“Black Ink Clan?” Tang Qiu appeared perplexed, as though he didn’t hear Yang Kai clearly. Nevertheless, he soon regained his senses, “Oh, the Black Ink Clan… I was about to discuss it with you.”
Yang Kai frowned as he had a feeling that something really was wrong with Tang Qiu. The latter appeared to be completely distracted. He was the one who told Yang Kai to come over to find out who made the Warships for the Black Ink Clan, but he appeared puzzled at this moment when the topic was brought up.
The little girl, who had been eating her steamed stuffed buns in silence, suddenly gazed at Tang Qiu and asked with a smile, “Would you like some buns?”
Tang Qiu was unable to respond immediately as he appeared to have been caught off guard.
Yang Kai directly knocked on the little girl’s head and chastised her by saying, “Don’t interrupt us. We’re having a discussion here!”
“Impudence!” Tang Qiu landed a slap on the table that caused it to collapse. The baskets and the freshly made steamed stuffed buns all fell to the ground.
Yang Kai was stunned.
Tang Qiu was dumbfounded as well.
On the other hand, Xu Ling Gong hung his head low and remained unmoving.
The little girl grabbed a steamed stuffed bun in each hand. Her cheeks were bulging as she soon gulped down the food.
“Senior, you…” Yang Kai scowled at Tang Qiu.
Tang Qiu hesitated for a bit before saying in a muffled voice, “The impudence of the Black Ink Clan!”
Yang Kai broke into laughter, “What happened to you on the way back?”
The shop hand hurriedly came over. While cleaning the things up, he said, “Please calm down, everyone. Do not fight here.”
The little girl glared at Tang Qiu, “Give my steamed stuffed buns back!”
“Right away!” Tang Qiu nodded repeatedly, then said to the shop hand, “Give us more steamed stuffed buns!”
“Alright, please give me a moment,” the shop hand replied.
Since the table was broken, they had to move to another one. Fortunately, there were not a lot of customers in the restaurant right now. Apart from them, there were only a few other diners; hence, there were still some vacant seats.
New steamed stuffed buns were soon served. Yang Kai was waiting for Tang Qiu to talk about what was going on with the Black Ink Clan, but the latter actually started stuffing the buns into his face, even ordering Xu Ling Gong to do the same.
Therefore, apart from Yang Kai, who sported a half-dumbstruck expression, the little girl, Tang Qiu, and Xu Ling Gong were gulping down the food together. While they were enjoying the food, Tang Qiu and Xu Ling Gong kept saying that the steamed stuffed buns were delicious.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded at the scene before him. Those who had no idea what was going on might think that they had been starving for a long time.
The little girl’s appetite seemed to be enhanced as the two men fought over the food. Soon, more and more baskets were piled up. The speed at which the owners made the steamed stuffed buns could no longer keep pace with them as they would finish having the food too quickly.
Unable to take it anymore, Yang Kai said tactfully, “Senior, about the Black Ink Clan…”
“I’ll tell you about the Black Ink Clan at a later time,” Tang Qiu replied in a muffled voice.
Yang Kai looked away as he could no longer bear to keep watching them.
In just half a day, they finished having 100 baskets of steamed stuffed buns and the owners of Lin’s Steamed Bun Restaurant had to close the shop early.
The little girl leaned against the chair and stroked her belly. With a pleased expression, she belched and said, “I’m full!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but smile, “You’re finally full for once.”
“En, I’m stuffed. I need to head home and get some sleep,” The little girl rose from the chair and skipped out of the shop. It was apparent that she was in a joyful mood.
After she was gone, Tang Qiu got up as well, “I’ll head back now. Yang Kai, look for me tomorrow.”
“Yes,” Yang Kai replied.
Xu Ling Gong patted Yang Kai’s shoulder and gazed at him. After hesitating for a bit, he warned, “Be careful!”
Yang Kai was perplexed upon hearing that, but before he could ask any questions, Xu Ling Gong had left with his hands folded behind his back.
Yang Kai frowned as he watched Xu Ling Gong leave. He had a feeling that there was an insinuation in the latter’s words.
Just then, the shop hand came over and looked smilingly at Yang Kai, “Your bill comes up to 1,000 copper coins. The boss said that since you’re a frequent customer, you don’t have to pay for the broken table.”
Yang Kai’s face fell as he had the urge to curse.
Despite being frustrated, he still fished out a Seventh-Order Yellow Crystal to pay for the meal.
After leaving the Marketplace, he returned to his resting place. Surprisingly, Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue were waiting for him.
Yang Kai’s eyes brightened when he saw them and he quickly called out, “Brother Qing Kui, Senior Sister Su.”
Qing Kui nodded and looked around. Appearing to be stealthy, he said in a small voice, “Let’s go inside first.”
Upon finishing his words, he took Yang Kai’s arm and strode forward. They were followed by Su Ying Xue. After entering the courtyard, Qing Kui quickly told Yang Kai to activate the restriction to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.
Yang Kai was puzzled by their actions. After inviting them to have a seat, he poured some tea for them; then, he sat across from Qing Kui and asked curiously, “What’s going on, Brother Qing Kui?”
Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue acted as though they were wary of someone; however, who could make them act this way inside Yin-Yang Pass?
Without replying to his question, Qing Kui stared fixedly at Yang Kai and said in a grim voice, “You are truly ignorant and reckless!”
A perplexed Yang Kai asked, “What do you mean by that?”
With a solemn expression, Qing Kui went on to say, “Do you know who the little girl was that was with you in the steamed bun shop?”
Yang Kai was surprised, “Isn’t she a little girl whose parents passed away a long time ago?” Seeing that both Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue appeared solemn, Yang Kai was astonished, “Is there anything special about the little girl’s identity?”
Qing Kui grabbed his head and muttered, “Where do I even begin? Why didn’t you just stay here after arriving at Yin-Yang Pass? Why did you come into contact with her?”
There was a serious expression on Yang Kai’s face as he cupped his fist, “Who is the little girl that makes you feel so concerned? Please enlighten me.”
Qing Kui looked around before he leaned close to him and said in a hushed voice, “She’s the Old Ances…”
“The Old Ancestor?” Yang Kai was flabbergasted, then came to his senses, “No, no, no. I initially thought that she was an Open Heaven Realm Master, but I inspected her cultivation and realised that she’s only in the Origin King Realm. How could she be the Old Ancestor?”
On the other hand, Qing Kui was rooted to the spot. His forehead was beaded with sweat, as though he was going through some difficulties. As his brow twitched, he said, “…. the Old Ancestor’s adopted daughter!”
A speechless Yang Kai quickly picked up a teacup and took a sip, “Brother Qing Kui, I was almost frightened to death. You should have finished your sentence quickly.”
Qing Kui nodded, “Yes yes, she’s the Old Ancestor’s adopted daughter. Right, Junior Sister?”
On the side, Su Ying Xue replied obediently, “Yes.”
Upon that revelation, Yang Kai said, “It’s no wonder that she’s already in the Origin King Realm despite her age. So, she’s the Old Ancestor’s adopted daughter.”
There was an impassive expression on Qing Kui’s face as he said, “Yes, fate has been unfair to the little girl. Her parents passed away not long after she was born. She has an outstanding aptitude, and she’s adorable. The Old Ancestor was fond of her the moment she saw her, so she decided to keep her by her side.”
Yang Kai let out a breath, “She’s truly blessed to be personally guided by the Old Ancestor. Given her aptitude, she’ll be an important figure in the future.”
Then, he turned to look at Qing Kui, “By the way, why have you come all the way here?”
Qing Kui gazed at Su Ying Xue, “Junior Sister, what are we here for?”
Su Ying Xue remained unperturbed, “Nothing.”
Qing Kui nodded repeatedly, “Yes, nothing. We’re just here to see you.” He then examined Yang Kai and said, “I’d never expected that you’d ascend to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm before we did.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I was just lucky, and the Black Ink Battlefield is filled with adversity that stimulates one’s potential. That’s how I achieved an ascension. I can tell that both of your auras are much more condensed than before. I suppose you’ll achieve a breakthrough soon.”
There was a proud smile on Qing Kui’s face, “It will happen in the next 20 years.”
20 years was a very short period of time to Open Heaven Realm Masters as it would usually take them several thousand to over 10,000 years to achieve a breakthrough. Since Qing Kui had said so though, he must have the confidence to succeed.
Yang Kai promptly congratulated him.
They then asked about Qu Hua Shang. Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t hide anything from them.
Two hours later, they left together.
Not long after they stepped out of Yang Kai’s place, they took a turn and became rooted to the spot.
That was because there was a little girl skipping towards them. She seemed to be in a jolly mood. There was an ordinary-looking hairpin on her hair and she was holding a skewer of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits in each hand. One of the skewers was half-finished.
As the little girl approached them, both Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue felt that the entire world was rapidly fading away around them. It was as though they had been tossed into the endless Void.
A moment later, the little girl stood right in front of them. It wasn’t until this moment that the world returned, which made them feel relieved.
At this point, they were already soaked in cold sweat.
The little girl was just standing in front of Qing Kui, looking up at him.
Qing Kui somehow forced out a smile.
The little girl also put on a smile before suddenly jumping up and delivering a light pat to his face.
When Qing Kui came to his senses, the little girl already brushed past him, her clear voice was heard saying, “That’s what you get for having a big mouth!”
Qing Kui was shuddering like a quail without shelter in winter. The two of them turned around and saluted the little girl.
A while later, Qing Kui asked in a small voice, “Is she gone?”
Su Ying Xue nodded, “Yes, she’s gone.”
Qing Kui let out a long breath as he almost collapsed to the ground. He felt that the momentary torture he had just gone through was more taxing than an epic battle against the Black Ink Clan.
All of a sudden, Su Ying Xue exclaimed, “Senior Brother, your mouth…”
Qing Kui turned pale, “What happened to my mouth?”
The little girl flicked him just now, and even though he didn’t detect any anomaly, he reckoned that she must have done something horrible to him.
Su Ying Xue covered her lips and giggled, “It’s nothing.”
“What happened?” Qing Kui asked as he had a bad feeling.
Su Ying Xue whirled around, “It’s really nothing.” Her shaking shoulders suggested that she was trying to stifle her laughter.
The sense of unease in Qing Kui’s heart intensified and he quickly fished out an artifact that looked like a mirror and took a glance at his reflection.
In an instant, he sported a dark expression.
That was because he could see from the reflection that his lips were swollen, both of them incredibly plump, literally giving him a ‘big mouth’.
However, he was unaware of such a drastic transformation just now. If he hadn’t seen his own face through the reflection, he wouldn’t have believed it.
He was on the brink of breaking into tears.
How was he supposed to face anyone with such a ridiculous look?
The little girl obviously wanted to let him know the consequences of being big-mouthed.
When he lifted his head, his eyes were already soaked in tears, “Junior Sister, I’d rather die.”
Su Ying Xue scoffed, “You had it coming.”
…..
The next day, Yang Kai headed to the Eastern Army Headquarters to look for Tang Qiu.
Tang Qiu must have informed everyone in the Army Headquarters about Yang Kai’s visit, so he wasn’t probed by anyone. Soon, someone led him to the conference hall.
Including Tang Qiu, there were four people in the conference hall, all in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Seeing Yang Kai, Tang Qiu quickly rose from his chair and introduced him to the other three people.
They were the other Army Commanders of Yin-Yang Pass.
However, Yang Kai was dumbfounded as he gazed at the Northern Army Commander, Fei Yu Shan, “You…”
Fei Yu Shan put on a grin, “What? Did you like my sugar-coated hawthorn fruits? I made them myself, so they must be delicious.”
This Army Commander of the Northern Army was none other than the old swindler who sold sugar-coated hawthorn fruits in the Marketplace. That revelation astounded Yang Kai.
Besides that, he had also seen the Western Army Commander, Liu Zhi Ping before; in fact, he saw her practically every day these the past few days.
That was because she was the owner of Lin’s Steamed Bun Restaurant!
No one would have believed that the Army Commander of the Western Army in Yin-Yang Pass would prepare dough and steamed stuffed buns in the Marketplace while the Army Commander of the Northern Army would sell sugar-coated hawthorn fruits. Over the past few days, Yang Kai had spent quite a lot of money to buy their wares.
However, he had never seen the Army Commander of the Southern Army Wu Qing before. Wu Qing was burly, and he looked like a reticent man.
Nevertheless, the Marketplace and the Army Headquarters were two different places. Upon Tang Qiu’s introduction, Yang Kai saluted all of them.
As they examined Yang Kai, Wu Qing nodded gently, “You’re indeed a talented young man.”
Yang Kai replied humbly, “Many thanks for your compliment, Senior.”
Wu Qing waved his hand, “I’ve heard a lot about what you’ve done in Blue Sky Pass. You were already able to achieve amazing things when you were in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and now you are in the Seventh-Order. This Wu is no match for you, and you don’t have to be overly humble. If you weren’t strong enough, we wouldn’t have asked you to come over.”
Tang Qiu nodded, “Yang Kai, I’m sure you’re already aware of the reason we’ve asked you to come here.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I have to sneak into the Black Ink Clan’s territory, then locate and identify the Black Ink Disciple who can refine Warships.”
“That’s right.” Fei Yu Shan ran his fingers through his beard, “This matter has far-reaching implications, so we have to come up with a proper plan; otherwise, we wouldn’t even consider having a Junior like you take on such a risk. Moreover, you have the experience of pretending to be a Black Ink Disciple before, and you’re unmatched when it comes to escaping. After a discussion, we believe that you’re the best suited to carry out this task. That was the reason we transferred you from Blue Sky Pass to this place.”
With a solemn expression, Liu Zhi Ping said, “Since time immemorial, Warships have always been the greatest advantage of our Human Race. If the Black Ink Clan manages to refine their own Warships and deploy them in large-scale wars, our advantage will be gone for good. By then, the foundation passed down to us from our ancestors will be ruined. In that case, how are we going to face our ancestors when we pass away in the future?”
“I understand,” Yang Kai replied solemnly, “That is the reason I requested to come to Yin-Yang Pass.”
“I’m glad that you understand.” Tang Qiu nodded with gratification, “Let’s cut to the chase. Tell us what you’re thinking and what you might need to help with the plan. We’ll satisfy your needs as long as we can.”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai asked, “How much information have you gathered so far?”
The Army Commanders shook their heads.
Tang Qiu said, “In truth, we’ve only gathered a tiny bit of information. It’s almost negligible. We just found a pseudo-warship that was used by the Black Ink Clan more than 10 years ago. As for who made it or where it was made, we have no idea.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai frowned, “Is there really no useful information at all?”
An embarrassed Tang Qiu shook his head, “The only thing we can give you is a list of a dozen names. As for whether one of them is really the Black Ink Disciple who is able to refine Warships, you’ll have to find out on your own.”
Yang Kai nodded and gently tapped the table.
The information provided by those in Yin-Yang Pass was limited, which was what he had expected. If it was so easy to ascertain the Black Ink Disciple’s identity, they wouldn’t have sought his help.
This was only natural though as the Black Ink Clan would definitely do their best to protect such a valuable talent. Even the ordinary Black Ink Clansman wouldn’t be aware of such inside information, so how could the Humans gather any useful clues?
“Although we can’t give you any concrete information, we speculate that the Black Ink Disciple probably resides in their Royal City.”
“Royal City?” Yang Kai arched his brow.
Tang Qiu nodded, “Yes, the Royal City, where their Royal Lord is located.”
“In that case, this will be a difficult task.” Yang Kai felt his heart sinking. If the Black Ink Disciple really lived in the Royal City, even the Old Ancestor might not be able to capture him alive.
Yang Kai initially thought that as long as he could find out the Black Ink Disciple’s whereabouts, he could try to send a message back to Yin-Yang Pass, and they would handle the rest of the matter, with the Old Ancestor likely making a move at that point; however, if the Black Ink Disciple really resided in the Royal City, it would be useless for the Old Ancestor to make a move, for it wasn’t easy to deal with any Black Ink Clan Royal Lord.
After pondering on it for a moment, Yang Kai said, “Regardless of the risk, I have to find my way into the Black Ink Clan’s territory first. Has there been any skirmishes between Yin-Yang Pass and the Black Ink Clan recently?”
Tang Qiu replied, “Yes. 10 years ago, Wu Qing and Ding Yao joined forces to dive into the Black Ink Clan’s territory and make a scene. The Black Ink Clan retaliated in response. Even though they haven’t marshalled their Army to invade Yin-Yang Pass, there have been small-scale conflicts. They have also never stopped harassing the resource harvesting areas we occupied.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai appeared puzzled, “Are there no Void Yin-Yang Mirrors in Yin-Yang Pass? Why are there still conflicts with the Black Ink Clan in resource harvesting areas?”
The method of refining the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors had been spread across the Great Passes. The Universe Worlds in Blue Sky Pass’ occupied resource harvesting areas had been moved back to Blue Sky Pass, so they could just extract resources at their doorstep. They no longer had to go to faraway places. That way, their safety and efficiency had been improved significantly.
Even if the Black Ink Clan discovered this, there was nothing they could do as they wouldn’t dare to launch an invasion; after all, the Black Ink Clan in the Blue Sky Theatre suffered a big defeat more than 10 years ago, and they were still recuperating.
Tang Qiu explained, “We’ve made some Void Yin-Yang Mirrors, and they’re indeed useful. We’re still in the midst of moving those Universe Worlds back; however, the Black Ink Clan has never stopped harassing us, so some of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors have been damaged. That’s why our progress lags behind that of Blue Sky Pass.”
Upon hearing his explanation, Yang Kai finally understood.
The Void Yin-Yang Mirrors were artifacts he made for him, so he could easily control them. Nevertheless, it was harder for others to use these artifacts, so they were unable to move the Universe Worlds as quickly and easily as he did.
Moreover, the Black Ink Clan in the Yin-Yang Theatre were almost at full strength, which was why their harassment was more intense than in the Blue Sky Theatre.
As such, the conflicts were still ongoing in the resource harvesting areas in the Yin-Yang Theatre.
“That was the reason I was held up when I was on my way back,” Tang Qiu said.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, “Did you come across a Territory Lord?”
Only a Territory Lord would be able to injure Tang Qiu.
Tang Qiu replied, “Yes, there was a Territory Lord.”
Yang Kai let out a breath, “This will be easy, then.”
Upon hearing that, the Army Commanders turned to look at him and a perplexed Fei Yu Shan asked, “What do you mean by that?”
Yang Kai explained, “As you are aware, in the past, I was forced to pretend to be a Black Ink Disciple in the Black Ink Clan’s territory so that I could survive. At that time, I was only in the Sixth Order, and the one who tried to corrupt me with Black Ink Strength was only a High-Rank Black Ink Clansman. Now, I’m in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, so if I want to pretend to be a Black Ink Disciple, a Feudal Lord or Territory Lord will have to make a move. In order to gather more information, I think that I’ll have a greater chance to achieve my goal by following a Territory Lord; hence, I need a Territory Lord to corrupt me with their Black Ink Strength so that I will become his Black Ink Disciple.”
Fei Yu Shan finally realised the younger man’s intention, “You want to join the battle in one of the resource harvesting areas and get captured?”
“Yes.”
“That will be risky.” Tang Qiu frowned, “Since the deployment of Purifying Black Ink Battleships, there hasn’t been a single Human who has been corrupted in the past 20 years. If you’re suddenly corrupted by Black Ink Strength, the Black Ink Clan might grow suspicious. Moreover, if the Territory Lord is determined to kill you, how are you going to resist?”
Yang Kai said, “I have a way to make sure that they won’t grow suspicious. Even though it’s risky, I’ll most likely succeed. On the other hand, as long as I can show them that I’m valuable, the Territory Lord wouldn’t want to kill me.”
A Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple was precious to a Territory Lord, especially if the Seventh-Order Human was more powerful than the others in the same Order.
That was the reason Zhu Feng Territory Lord treasured Bai Yi back then.
The Army Commanders exchanged glances and nodded.
Seeing that, Yang Kai went on to say, “Since we’re all on the same page, we now have to select a Territory Lord that I’ll submit to so that it will be easier for me to carry out this task. I’ll leave that decision to all of you. Additionally, we have to look for a suitable chance.”
Wu Qing replied, “Don’t worry, we’ll come up with a comprehensive plan so that the risk will be minimised.”
“I shall trouble you all, then.”
Tang Qiu said, “You can go back now. I’ll inform you when the right time comes.”
“Yes, I’ll take my leave now.” Yang Kai cupped his fist.
“By the way, take a stroll around the Marketplace if you have some free time,” Tang Qiu suddenly said.
Yang Kai didn’t directly agree to this request. To be honest, if not for the fact that he was forced by the little girl to head to the Marketplace, he would never want to go to that damned place. He had no idea why Tang Qiu suddenly wanted him to visit the Marketplace.
He soon left the Army Headquarters, but the moment he arrived at his courtyard, he saw a petite figure sitting on the steps in front of the door. Perhaps she had been waiting for too long, so she was now sound asleep with her head resting against the door frame.
Yang Kai walked up to her, but it didn’t seem that she would be waking up anytime soon.
Gazing at the little girl, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh and pat her head.
The little girl awakened slowly and rubbed her eyes. It was obvious that she was still sleepy, “Where were you? I’ve been waiting for you.”
“I went to the Army Headquarters to attend to some matters.”
The little girl didn’t seem to hear what he had just said; instead, she just looked up at him and said, “Yang Kai, I’m hungry.”
“Let’s go. We’ll get some steamed stuffed buns,” Yang Kai replied.
The little girl leaped to her feet and chanted joyfully, “Steamed stuffed buns! Steamed stuffed buns!”
They then headed straight to the Marketplace.
The moment Yang Kai stepped into the restaurant, he saw Liu Zhi Ping, who was clad in simple homespun clothes, working hard to prepare dough. Her face and hair were covered with flour.
Yang Kai’s face twitched at the sight. This highly respected Western Army Commander was in the Army Headquarters of the Eastern Army just moments ago, but here she was acting as the owner of a steamed bun shop now.
Yang Kai felt awkward as he was already aware of her identity.
As usual, the shop hand hospitably welcomed them into the restaurant and 10 baskets of steamed stuffed buns were soon wolfed down.
Usually, Yang Kai could return to his room at this point as even though the little girl was a big eater, she could easily be appeased with this amount of steamed stuffed buns.
However, she wouldn’t let Yang Kai go on this day.
“What else do you want to do?” Yang Kai asked in puzzlement.
The little girl pointed in a particular direction, “There’s a teahouse at the other end of the street. The stories told by Mister Storyteller are interesting.”
Yang Kai asked curiously, “Mister Storyteller? Why haven’t I seen him before?”
He visited this Marketplace almost every day for the past few days, so he was familiar with all the shops here already. He was also aware of the teahouse’s existence, but he had never seen this ‘Mister Storyteller’ there when he passed by the shop.
The little girl giggled, “That’s because Mister Storyteller left town to travel around some time ago. He just returned yesterday.”
[He just returned yesterday?] Yang Kai suddenly had an ominous feeling.
With the little girl leading the way, they soon arrived at the teahouse. The place was filled with people, and there were a lot of tables on the floor. In front of them was a curvy woman, who was clad in a fancy costume, standing on the platform. She was singing a song in a melodious voice. The performance was so excellent that she earned a round of applause from the audience.
Yang Kai took a deep breath at the sight of such hustle and bustle. Despite having visited this Marketplace many times, he still couldn’t get used to it.
It had to be noted that the spectators and the singer were all Open Heaven Realm Masters, with many of them in the Seventh Order and even Eighth Order.
Did those in Yin-Yang Pass have nothing better to do?
“This way,” the little girl seemed to be familiar with the place as she pulled Yang Kai towards an empty table.
A shop hand promptly approached them, “What would you like to order?”
The voice sounded familiar to Yang Kai, and the instant he turned his head, he was dumbfounded, for the shop hand was none other than Qing Kui, though his subservient manner didn’t look anything like his usual self.
“Qing…” Yang Kai called out.
“Qing Luo tea, is it?” Qing Kui cut him off, “Excellent, it’s the best tea we have in this teahouse.”
Yang Kai gazed at him as if the latter was a fool.
Seemingly oblivious to his expression, Qing Kui asked, “What else do you need?”
The little girl said, “Snacks!”
“Good, please give me a moment,” Qing Kui replied hospitably and turned around to leave.
A moment later, a plate of fruits and some nuts were served. There was no doubt that the service here was top-notch.
After the singer was done, she elegantly stepped down from the platform.
The next instant, the elderly Mister Storyteller walked up on stage.
The moment Yang Kai saw this person, he couldn’t help but press his face into his palm.
As expected, Mister Storyteller, who was said to have just returned from travelling around, was none other than Tang Qiu who Yang Kai had seen in the Army Headquarters just a while ago.
Instead of staying in his room to recuperate from his injuries, Tang Qiu had come to the Marketplace to tell some stories. It was all highly improper.
However, Tang Qiu ignored Yang Kai as he swept a glance over them and placed a wooden block on the table before he began telling a story.
More than ten days had passed since Tang Qiu’s return.
As usual, the little girl would bring Yang Kai to the Marketplace every day and spend a long time there.
One day, after she was done having steamed stuffed buns, Yang Kai bought her several skewers of sugar-coated hawthorn fruits. The little girl, who was skipping at the front, suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at Yang Kai.
“What’s wrong?” Yang Kai was perplexed.
“Close your eyes.”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “What do you want to do? Why are you trying to be mysterious?”
The little girl pouted, “Just close your eyes.”
“Alright, alright,” Yang Kai closed his eyes as he was told.
“Stick out your hand,” the little girl was heard saying.
Yang Kai extended his hand, and following that, he realised that something was placed on his palm. When he opened his eyes, he saw a copper coin.
He broke into laughter, “Why did you give me a copper coin?”
With her head tilted, the little girl said, “You’ve been treating me to meals every day, and you also bought me a hairpin. There’s nothing else I can give you other than this thing.”
[Well, at least she’s grateful!] Yang Kai felt warmth in his heart. Even though it was just a single copper coin, it showed the little girl’s sincerity.
“Thank you for this, then.” Yang Kai put on a smile. Just when he was ready to keep the copper coin, he realised that it was different from the ones circulating in the Marketplace; it was obviously far more ancient.
He asked curiously, “Where did you get this from?” There had never been any money with the little girl, so where did she find this ancient copper coin?
While munching on her sugar-coated hawthorn fruits, the little girl replied in a muffled voice, “I took it from the Old Ancestor.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was astounded, “You took it from the Old Ancestor?”
“En,” the little girl replied nonchalantly, “You have to keep it in a safe place. If you come across any danger, you might be able to save your life by taking this coin out.”
The ancient coin in Yang Kai’s hand felt much heavier all of a sudden and he quickly said, “No, no, this thing is far too valuable…”
“Just keep it. You’re an adult, don’t be so uptight. En, let’s call it a day. I’m sleepy now, so I’ll go back and get some rest,” Upon finishing her words, the little girl directly skipped off.
Just when Yang Kai was ready to race after her, a figure descended from the sky and stood in the way. It was none other than Xu Ling Gong, and upon seeing Yang Kai, he hurriedly said, “The time is here. Come with me!”
Yang Kai took a look in the direction the little girl was heading and briefly hesitated before leaving with Xu Ling Gong in a hurry. Meanwhile, he carefully put the ancient coin away.
In the Marketplace, the little girl, who was skipping along, suddenly stopped in her tracks and became unmoving.
As she stood still, the entire Marketplace seemed to have frozen in time.
A moment later, a breeze whisked across the street and the flags on both sides started flapping in the air.
In an instant, everyone in the Marketplace turned to look at the little girl.
The little girl, whom Yang Kai thought was an Origin King, saw her aura increasing madly like a tsunami. Soon, it reached the Open Heaven Realm, and it didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
As her cultivation increased rapidly, her body seemed to be going through a transformation as well. While engulfed in a faint light, her petite figure grew quickly.
In just a cup of tea, the little girl, whose aura was originally in the Origin King Realm, turned into an alluring woman in her late twenties or early thirties.
The dense aura swirling around her suggested that she was above the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
“Welcome back, Old Ancestor!”
“Welcome back, Old Ancestor!”
“Welcome back, Old Ancestor!”
In the Marketplace, congratulations were heard coming from all directions in a continuous manner.
The young woman opened her eyes and said in a clear voice, “It has been difficult for all of you. Let’s call it a day.”
“Yes, Old Ancestor.”
After they responded to her, the shops started closing rapidly. In just an incense stick, the originally bustling Marketplace fell into silence, and no one was in sight.
The young woman turned her head to look out of the Inner Sanctum with a dispassionate expression. As her clothes flapped in the wind, she disappeared abruptly from the spot the next instant.
In the meantime, Yang Kai and Xu Ling Gong were standing on the deck of a Warship that was hovering in the void outside of the Inner Sanctum.
Xu Ling Gong was a Squad Leader, and including himself, there were 2 Seventh-Order, 8 Sixth-Order, and 3 Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in his Squad for a total of 13.
This was a fairly typical configuration for a Squad in the Great Passes.
Dawn was an outlier that was unlike the others. On the entire Black Ink Battlefield, there were only a small number of Special Operations Squads like Dawn.
Even though there were only 2 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in this Squad, such a roster, along with their Warship, allowed them to exert the strength of 5 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters when dealing with enemies on the battlefield, which greatly enhanced their collective power.
At this moment, Xu Ling Gong was explaining to Yang Kai about the situation they were facing.
“As per your request, the Army Commanders in the Inner Sanctum have had a serious discussion and confirmed that your target will be Hei Yuan Territory Lord. He’s one of the most powerful Territory Lords working for Mu Guang Royal Lord, and he has gained the latter’s favour as well. If you can become his Black Ink Disciple, you’ll have a chance to follow him to the Royal City, which will make it easier for you to gather information; however, some manoeuvres are needed in order to help you become his Black Ink Disciple. With that said, you don’t have to worry about it as the Army Commanders have come up with a comprehensive plan. If everything goes well, we’ll be able to achieve our goal. You just have to play it by ear and act at the right time.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Got it.”
Xu Ling Gong said, “This opportunity was hard to come by, which is why we’re in a hurry. The Army Commanders wanted me to ask you if you’re prepared.”
Yang Kai replied seriously, “I’m ready to carry out our plan.”
“Good,” Xu Ling Gong nodded gently.
“Are we going to look for Hei Yuan now?” Yang Kai asked.
Xu Ling Gong shook his head, “No, we’re not. Hei Yuan is in one of the resource harvesting areas now. Presently, Army Commander Wu Qing is dealing with him. If everything goes well, Hei Yuan will be badly injured and forced to flee.”
A glint flashed through Yang Kai’s eyes as he had somewhat figured out the plan those from Yin-Yang Pass had come up with.
Just like Xu Ling Gong had said, Hei Yuan Territory Lord and Wu Qing were in a fight in the resource harvesting area. Hei Yuan was one of the 5 most powerful Territory Lords working for Mu Guang. On the other hand, Wu Qing was the Southern Army Commander here, and the strongest Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in Yin-Yang Pass.
It was expected that their fight would be intense, with space collapsing all around them as they battled.
Both of them knew each other well as it wasn’t the first time they fought. Despite that, Hei Yuan still felt his heart sinking as Wu Qing was acting far more ferocious than in the past. He seemed determined to kill even if he was wounded in the process. It was apparent that Wu Qing didn’t care if both of them ended up in a horrible state.
Furthermore, Wu Qing possessed one of the Four Universe Pillars, so he wasn’t afraid of Black Ink Strength at all. The biggest advantage of the Black Ink Clan was useless against him.
Meanwhile, Hei Yuan Territory Lord became increasingly discomfited. Even though he did manage to injure Wu Qing, he was unable to kill him. On the other hand, he was also badly wounded.
Other than the two of them, Human soldiers and the Black Ink Clan’s Army were clashing with one another on the battlefield. There were also other locations where the Eighth-Order Humans and Black Ink Territory Lords were locked in intense battles.
Humans were the ones who launched the attack this time, which caught the Black Ink Clan off guard. Hei Yuan didn’t understand why the Humans were acting so aggressively all of a sudden.
However, things had come to a point where he could only clench his teeth and keep fighting.
The Black Ink Clan had suffered immense losses in just half a day, but it wasn’t until this moment that Hei Yuan realised that the Humans had secretly sent reinforcements to this battlefield. Initially, even though the Humans were at an advantage in this particular resource harvesting area, they were not overwhelmingly more powerful than the other party. Now that they had helpers though, how was the Black Ink Clan supposed to resist?
Seeing that they were on the losing side, Hei Yuan wanted to flee; however, Wu Qing seemed to have gone mad as he aimed fixedly at Hei Yuan, which ensured that the latter would not be able to escape.
Two or three days later, the Black Ink Clan had suffered near catastrophic losses while, even though some of the soldiers from Yin-Yang Pass were killed, the number was tolerable.
Amidst the chaotic battle, a column of light suddenly shot into the sky.
It was obviously a signal.
The Black Ink Clan, who had no idea what was going on, were astounded as they wondered what the Humans were up to. Hei Yuan, who was battling against Wu Qing also sported a solemn expression.
All of a sudden, Wu Qing dropped all his defences and went all out to strike at Hei Yuan.
A flabbergasted Hei Yuan instinctively counterattacked.
As their powers clashed, the void around them trembled fiercely. Both of them were sent flying away as they sprayed out a mouthful of blood. Both parties ended up being horribly injured.
Wu Qing had gained the upper hand as he was the one who made a move first, so his injury was less severe than that of Hei Yuan. Therefore, he recovered quickly and tried to follow up with his assault.
Seeing the other party act so madly, Hei Yuan didn’t dare to keep fighting. Moreover, the Humans had just sent a signal, so more reinforcements might be on their way.
At the thought of this, Hei Yuan quickly released a large Black Ink Cloud and concealed himself in it.
Wu Qing charged into the cloud, but Hei Yuan was already nowhere in sight.
Half a day later, the battlefield fell dead silent. The Humans had gained a victory while the Black Ink Clan fled in embarrassment.
All of a sudden, a weakened Tang Qiu appeared beside Wu Qing. He was already injured, to begin with, and before he could recuperate, he came all the way here to fight against a Black Ink Clan Territory Lord, which exacerbated his wounds. As such, it would probably take him several years to recuperate.
“Are you alright?” Tang Qiu asked.
“His injury is more severe than mine,” Wu Qing snorted.
Tang Qiu was rendered speechless as he once again witnessed how much this guy hated suffering a loss. After taking a glance at the battlefield that was in a mess, he let out a sigh, “The stage has been set. I wonder if things will go to plan.”
Wu Qing replied impassively, “There’s only so much we can do, the rest is up to the Heavens.”
“You always tend to look on the bright side.” Tang Qiu put on a smile, and then the light in his eyes went out, “We’ve paid a huge price here; a lot of our people have died. I hope it is worth it.”
“Everyone who lost their life on the Black Ink Battlefield did not die for nothing,” Upon finishing his words, Wu Qing turned around and returned to his ship, leaving Tang Qiu with a dampened expression on his face.
A Warship navigated through the void like an agile fish in water. As the Open Heaven Realm Masters channelled their World Force, the Arrays they were powering activated. The next moment, they launched violent attacks towards their enemies.
Every strike was equivalent to the attack of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The Black Ink Clansmen, who were running away, were unable to fend off the attacks and a large number of them were killed instantly, with the survivors scattering randomly.
This Warship was commanded by none other than Xu Ling Gong, who had his Squad members assisting him. They departed from Yin-Yang Pass and arrived at their destination just in time.
Before they could settle in though, they saw some Black Ink Clansmen fleeing in their direction.
Both Yang Kai and Xu Ling Gong knew that these Black Ink Clansmen must have fled from the resource harvesting area. The sight before their eyes suggested that the Humans had gained the upper hand on the battlefield, and they might have even broken the main force of the Black Ink Clan. That was the reason these Black Ink Clansmen were fleeing.
There wasn’t even a single Feudal Lord among this group, so they could be considered insignificant. Yang Kai and the others were not even interested in fighting against them as, by relying on the Warship’s power, they could destroy these Black Ink Clansmen with ease.
Presently, they were stationed on the route the Black Ink Clansmen had to pass through if they wanted to retreat to their territory. It was a plan devised by those from Yin-Yang Pass.
Now, they were waiting for the wounded Hei Yuan to arrive at this place. That would be the key moment when they would execute the plan that those from Yin-Yang Pass had come up with.
In order to make this plan a success, Yin-Yang Pass prematurely launched a comprehensive assault in the resource harvesting area so that Yang Kai could pretend to become a Black Ink Disciple and safely reach the Black Ink Clan’s hinterland. The different parts of this plan were connected in a meticulous way. Those from the Black Ink Clan could never have expected that the Humans would go to such great lengths just to sneak Yang Kai into their territory.
After the Warship navigated through the void for another half a day, they managed to kill a lot of Black Ink Clansmen. Eventually, they came across a group that was worthy of their attention.
There were over 100 Black Ink Clansmen in this group with 2 Feudal Lords leading them; however, both of them were wounded as they had been in a prolonged battle just now. The entire group was obviously dispirited.
The instant the Feudal Lords saw the Warship approaching, they were flabbergasted.
They could not understand why a Warship belonging to the Humans would appear in this kind of place.
It wasn’t the first time the Feudal Lords battled against Humans, so they were aware that this kind of Warship was powerful. Even though there were only a dozen or so people in a Human Squad, there would normally be 2 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters with them. The Squad members, coupled with this Warship, were more than enough to deal with these wounded Black Ink Clansmen.
However, as the Feudal Lords thought of the fact that more of their comrades were on the way to this place, they set their minds at ease.
Regardless of the reason this Warship had appeared in this place, it was their best chance to earn some merits. As long as they could trap this Human Squad here, they could eventually subdue them when more of their clansmen arrived.
They had just suffered a humiliating defeat, so if they could make a contribution here, they might be spared some punishment when they returned.
At the thought of this, the Feudal Lords exchanged glances and nodded. They had come to a consensus without the need for a discussion.
One of the Feudal Lords quickly waved his hand and ordered, “Encircle them here, don’t let them flee!”
Upon finishing his words, he charged forward like a cat that had caught a whiff of fish. It was as though he was worried that he wouldn’t get a reward for not being the first one to make a move; however, what he saw the next instant astonished him.
He initially thought that this Squad, which was alone in this place, would immediately flee upon seeing so many Black Ink Clansmen, but things turned out very different from what he had anticipated. Instead of fleeing, the Squad actually sailed their Warship towards them.
Before the Warship even arrived, its Arrays started flickering.
The Feudal Lord, who was at the front, was dumbstruck as a sense of danger overwhelmed him. He quickly dodged away, and in the next instant, a powerful beam of light shot out and tore through the void.
Even though the Feudal Lord had successfully evaded the attack, he still felt an impact from it. He was already injured to begin with, so if he had been struck just now, he would most likely have lost his life.
When he turned his head, he felt his heart being cut to pieces. A gap had appeared in the middle of the group of over 100 Black Ink Clansmen. More than 20 of his subordinates had lost their lives following the attack.
Energy fluctuations flared again as two more beams of light were shot out from the Warship.
Even though the Black Ink Clansmen tried to dodge, many of them were still killed. After 3 attacks from the Warship, more than half of the Black Ink Clansmen were sent on the road to the Yellow Springs.
It didn’t end there though as all of a sudden, a figure dashed out of the Warship with a spear in his hands. With a simple thrust, the weapon seemed to ignore the distance between them and soon reached the Feudal Lord.
The Feudal Lord was horrified as he had never expected this Human to be so quick and hurriedly surged his Black Ink Strength to form a shield in front of him.
The usually impenetrable shield was unable to withstand this attack. As soon as the spear came into contact with the shield, the solid Black Ink Strength burst apart.
However, this momentary delay allowed the Feudal Lord to shift his figure so that his vitals wouldn’t be hit.
As dark blood spurted out, the spear pierced the Feudal Lord’s shoulder and stuck out the other side. The wounded Feudal Lord was both shocked and furious as he looked up and roared, clenching his fist tight as he punched out.
The attack contained a power that could destroy Heaven and shatter Earth.
However, the Feudal Lord missed his target.
He had no idea how the enemy disappeared, but when he detected the other party’s aura again, he felt a sense of danger coming at him from the side.
When he turned his head, he saw a dispassionate-looking young man and a sharp spear rapidly enlarging before his eyes.
At this life-and-death moment, the Feudal Lord raised his arms in an attempt to blunt the attack. At the same time, he puffed out a Black Ink Cloud from his mouth to engulf the Human in the hopes that the latter would back down.
The spear thrust through the Black Ink Cloud and slid past his arms before striking the Feudal Lord’s head and causing it to burst.
The young man dashed out of the Black Ink Cloud and brushed past the headless Feudal Lord without pause, his entire figure engulfed in murderous intent.
The battlefield fell silent.
The surviving Black Ink Clansmen were astonished, while at the same time, Xu Ling Gong and his Squad aboard the Warship felt their brows twitching.
“So strong…” Qing Kui, who was in charge of one of the arrays, gulped.
Even though he had been operating the array, he could clearly see what happened just now. It only took Yang Kai a couple of breaths to fly out of the Warship and kill a Feudal Lord in less than five moves.
A Feudal Lord was killed just like that.
Even though he was already injured to begin with, he was still a Feudal Lord equivalent to a Seventh-Order Human Master. Despite that, he was still as powerless as a child in front of Yang Kai.
This kind of overwhelming power was simply unheard of. Even though Qing Kui had seen a lot of Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters since coming to the Black Ink Battlefield, none of them was comparable to Yang Kai, not even his Honoured Master Xu Ling Gong.
He recalled that when he first met Yang Kai, both of them were only in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Due to various reasons, Yang Kai took part in the Dao Theory Assembly which was meant to select a Husband for Qu Hua Shang, and he eventually won first place. Since then, Yang Kai had become a famous figure among the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
Many years had passed, and now Yang Kai surpassed Qing Kui by a large margin when it came to strength.
After making some calculations, Qing Kui realised that he was already a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master when the brat was just Emperor Realm Junior. He was still in the Sixth-Order when this boy ascended to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. When the brat made it to the Sixth Order, he was still a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Now that same Brat was in the Seventh-Order, while he was still in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
At the thought of this, Qing Kui felt dejected, thinking that he had wasted all the years he had lived.
Su Ying Xue, who was in charge of another array, seemed to have detected the change in his emotions, so she said gently, “There are always some people in the World who are extremely blessed with luck and talent, so there’s no point feeling bothered by it, Senior Brother. Since you’re not comparable to them, you should strive to be better by improving yourself each day. The only person you have to surpass is yourself.”
Qing Kui put on a helpless smile, “I understand, but… it’s the first time I realise there’s such a huge gap between someone else and me.”
Xu Ling Gong said in a serious tone, “Since you’re aware of your shortcomings, you can improve yourself. Considering that you’re not as lucky and talented as him, you have to work extra hard. On the road to the peak, nothing is more important than your own efforts.”
“Yes,” Qing Kui replied respectfully.
The Deputy Squad Leader, who was also a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, approached Xu Ling Gong and asked in a hushed voice, “Do we need to give him a hand, Squad Leader?”
Xu Ling Gong shook his head, “There’s no need for that. Just watch.”
Judging from the speed Yang Kai was able to kill a Feudal Lord, he would destroy these Black Ink Clansmen in no time even without any help from them.
As they spoke, the surviving Black Ink Clansmen had descended into chaos. The remaining Feudal Lord was horrified by the fact that his companion was killed in just a couple breaths of time. His strength was on par with that of his companion who was killed, but the latter was easily dispatched by Yang Kai with just two or three moves. He reckoned that he wouldn’t be a match for the young man either.
[Is this Human really a Seventh-Order Master?] The Feudal Lord almost went mad. He reckoned that even an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master couldn’t give him so much pressure. Why would there be such a horrifying Seventh-Order Human in this world?
Therefore, the instant Yang Kai turned to look at the Feudal Lord and locked his senses onto him, the latter directly turned around to flee without the intention to fight.
However, before he could escape any notable distance, he shuddered and became rooted to the spot.
When he lowered his head, he saw that the tip of a spear had stuck out from his chest. Black blood was streaming out of the wound, and it wasn’t until this moment that he was overwhelmed by a sense of excruciating pain.
While feeling despondent, the Feudal Lord wanted to make a final retaliatory strike, but Yang Kai quickly wielded his spear and surged his World Force. Following that, the Feudal Lord exploded into blood mist as his broken limbs scattered around the void.
“What a shame,” Yang Kai muttered under his breath. The first Feudal Lord had the guts to exchange moves with him in order to resist; however, this Feudal Lord just wanted to flee, which only accelerated his demise.
There were initially more than 100 Black Ink Clansmen in this group, but half of them were destroyed by the Warship in the opening salvo. Then, the two Feudal Lords were killed by Yang Kai’s spear. How were the remaining Black Ink Clansmen supposed to be a match for them now?
As the Warship and Yang Kai acted together, all the Black Ink Clansmen were soon killed.
Even though a group of more than 100 Black Ink Clansmen had been destroyed, the battle still hadn’t ended.
More and more groups of Black Ink Clansmen of different numbers were fleeing from the resource harvesting area. These Black Ink Clansmen, who were basically half-dead from taking part in the great battle, could no longer form an effective formation. Not only were they apprehensive while running away, but they were scattered and in disarray. They just wanted to flee from this area and return to a safe place as soon as possible.
Although Yang Kai was the only one who had left the Warship to directly deal with the enemy, the Warship led by Xu Ling Gong would assist him. These dispirited Black Ink Clansmen no longer had the courage to keep fighting, so they were easily killed the moment they clashed with Yang Kai. Coupled with the Arrays on the Warship, they could effortlessly wipe out most of the enemies.
Of course, a small number of the Black Ink Clansmen were lucky enough to successfully flee.
It was a good start for the Humans. The Black Ink Clansmen were easily killed regardless of their numbers. First of all, these Black Ink Clansmen were scattered around. Secondly, there weren’t any truly powerful Masters, so they were unable to resist Yang Kai’s spear. The few Feudal Lords who appeared were all executed as soon as they arrived.
However, as time passed, it became increasingly difficult to deal with the enemies.
An increasing number of Black Ink Clansmen arrived at this place and were astonished upon seeing the intense battle taking place, thinking that the Humans had arranged an ambush here.
Nevertheless, when they had a clearer picture of the battle, they set their minds at ease.
There was indeed an ambush, but it was just a Squad-level Warship. In other words, only one Squad of Human soldiers was trying to ambush them here.
They had no idea why there was a Human Squad in this place, but they reckoned that these Squad members wanted to earn merits by trying to take advantage of them as they were injured, which was why the other party had left the main force of the Humans.
There was nothing to be afraid of since there was only a Squad. Following the Feudal Lords’ orders, countless High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen charged towards the Warship.
Instantly, Yang Kai felt immensely pressured.
Given his current strength, he wasn’t afraid of these High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen. Even if he was unable to kill them all, his only option was to flee. However, his purpose was not to flee, and he couldn’t showcase any of his Space Secret Techniques; therefore, when faced with the tide of Black Ink Clansmen, he could only grit his teeth and fight on.
Right then, two figures shot out of the Warship. They were none other than Xu Ling Gong and the other Seventh-Order Vice Squad Leader, who decided to help.
At that instant, 3 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, who were assisted by a Warship, began a massacre.
There were Black Ink Clansmen who were killed with every breath. Minced meat, dark blood, and Black Ink Strength soon covered the void.
Some of the Feudal Lords would hide among the cannon fodder and secretly approach the 3 of them, waiting for a chance to launch sneak attacks. In such a chaotic battle, even a veteran Seventh-Order Master like Xu Ling Gong was unable to detect such hidden danger.
Fortunately, Yang Kai still had some energy to spare as he continuously monitored their surroundings. Every time a Feudal Lord approached, he could instantly identify them.
After some of these reckless Feudal Lords were killed, the remaining Feudal Lords didn’t dare to move forward. They watched the battle from a distance as they wanted to deplete the energy of these Seventh-Order Humans using the cannon fodder before capturing them.
On the battlefield, Yang Kai sported a calm expression. His hands were steady as he wielded his spear, and every attack could deal critical damage to his enemies. He had rarely experienced a battle with such intensity, but everything was still within his control.
However, Xu Ling Gong and the Vice Squad Leader grew increasingly apprehensive. As they were surrounded by more and more Black Ink Clansmen, they couldn’t help but think that they might not survive this day.
A Squad of a dozen members in theory shouldn’t be able to resist such a large group of Black Ink Clansmen, so both of them were surprised that they had persevered for such a long time. However, they knew that the reason behind it was that Yang Kai had fended off most of the enemies. If not for him, their Squad would have been destroyed.
Rays of light were shot from the Arrays on the Warship into the Black Ink Clansmen, with each strike dealing a heavy blow to the enemies.
Nonetheless, even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Qing Kui was unable to sustain activating the arrays for such a long time. The defensive light around the Warship was also on the brink of collapsing following the relentless attacks from the Black Ink Clansmen.
Once the Warship’s shields failed, the Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Squad would lose the Warship’s protection. When that happened, they would be unable to ward off the Black Ink Strength, thus falling into a perilous situation.
Even though they had been taking turns to operate the Arrays, they couldn’t get enough time to really rest given the battle’s intensity. It was simply impossible for them to persevere for long.
All the Squad members were exhausted after half a day of battle. Even Xu Ling Gong and his Seventh-Order Vice Squad Leader were no longer as ferocious as when they started. Only Yang Kai remained as ruthless and energetic as always.
The strength of an Open Heaven Realm Master’s heritage was manifested in such a battle.
In fact, Xu Ling Gong was supposedly more powerful than Yang Kai when it came to his heritage; after all, he was a veteran Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master while Yang Kai was a newly promoted one. Simply put, his cultivation was ahead of Yang Kai’s by thousands of years.
However, Yang Kai had the World Tree clone in his Small Universe, so he wasn’t afraid of Black Ink Strength at all; hence, there wasn’t a need for him to divert any of his power to resist Black Ink Strength in this battle.
On the other hand, Xu Ling Gong had to continuously spend a part of his World Force to fend off the Black Ink Strength, thus exhausting himself more quickly.
Moreover, the living beings inside Yang Kai’s Small Universe would constantly replenish and increase his heritage and World Force; therefore, his stamina was much greater than that of the average Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Additionally, every time the World Tree clone breathed, his World Force would be purified. That was the reason he could deal a heavier blow to the enemies than most Seventh-Order Humans.
Countless Black Ink Clansmen had lost their lives, including a number of Feudal Lords. As time passed, an increasing number of Black Ink Clansmen were killed, but this epic battle didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
1,000 kilometres away from the battlefield, there was a large ship that was navigating through the void. On the large ship were defeated Black Ink Clansmen. Many of these injured people were lying on the deck and groaning in pain.
It could be said that they had suffered immense losses in the battle that had just ended. For some reason, the Humans had gone mad and mobilised a lot more soldiers than expected, which caught the Black Ink Clan off guard. Even the Territory Lords in charge of the battlefield were all badly wounded. One of the Territory Lords was even killed by two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who had joined forces.
It wasn’t easy fleeing from the battlefield as the Humans were still relentlessly pursuing them, seizing every chance they could to kill even more.
It wasn’t until an hour ago that the Humans finally stopped chasing after them, which allowed these Black Ink Clansmen to take a breather. The pursuit also exacerbated the injuries of these Territory Lords.
Other than Hei Yuan, the other Territory Lords had fallen into a state of deep sleep. They had to be immediately sent to Black Ink Nests; otherwise, their rank might drop from their injuries.
They had already lost the battle, so if several Territory Lords saw their rank regress at the same time, Hei Yuan wouldn’t be able to explain himself to Mu Guang; after all, the number of Territory Lords that a Royal Lord commanded was a direct measure of their strength.
Therefore, Hei Yuan had to get back to his territory as soon as possible in order to send these unconscious Territory Lords into Black Ink Nests.
As for Hei Yuan himself, he was worn out as well. He yearned to get some rest inside his Black Ink Nest, but he was the only Territory Lord who was still conscious at this point. As such, he had to persevere to prevent any accidents from happening.
Unfortunately, what he dreaded most still happened. While he was lost in his thoughts, a Feudal Lord came to him quickly and reported, “Sir, there’s a battle going on 1,000 kilometres up ahead. There seems to be an ambush by the Humans!”
A shocked Hei Yuan rose from the large chair and shouted, “An ambush? Where did those Humans come from?”
The Feudal Lord was horrified, and faced with the pressure from his superior, he replied in a trembling voice, “I have no idea.”
“Go find out then!” Hei Yuan snapped.
“Yes!” The Feudal Lord left the place upon receiving the order.
An absent-minded Hei Yuan started pacing back and forth. He wasn’t even sure if he could survive since there was an ambush ahead of them.
Presently, he was in a terrible state. Even though there were other Territory Lords on the ship, they were injured and had all basically fallen into comas. Their foundations would be damaged if they were forcefully awakened, and it was questionable how much help they would be even if they were.
However, he couldn’t figure out why there was an ambush ahead of him.
It had to be noted that even though the Black Ink Clan had suffered tremendous losses in the previous battle, the Humans did not fare much better. Some of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were horribly wounded, and if not for the Human deploying more reinforcements to join the battle, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t have been humiliated so badly.
Nevertheless, the place in front of him was very close to the Black Ink Clan’s base, but the Humans had arranged an ambush there. Weren’t they worried that the Royal Lord would notice and decide to kill them?
When that happened, it would mean massive losses for the Humans, who were known for their cunning. It was inconceivable that they would do such a reckless thing.
In fact, if there was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the battle ahead of him, Hei Yuan would have no choice but to make a detour. Given the state he was in, he wouldn’t dare to directly deal with an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. He certainly had to flee.
Soon, the Feudal Lord returned and reported, “Sir, I’ve gathered some useful information. There’s only one Human Squad ahead of us.”
Upon hearing that, Hei Yuan sported a dumbfounded expression, “One Squad? Are you sure?”
The Feudal Lord nodded, “Yes, there’s only a Squad. I saw it with my eyes. There are only 3 Seventh-Order Humans while the rest aren’t worth our attention.”
“So there’s only one Squad…” Hei Yuan was startled for a moment before moving to the deck to intently observe the battlefield.
As a Territory Lord, he was able to see what was happening 1,000 kilometres away with ease, so soon he took in what was happening on the battlefield.
Just like his subordinate had reported, there was only a standard Human Squad with a Squad-level Warship in front of them. There were 3 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, while the rest were in the Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order.
Hei Yuan’s expression still darkened though as he asked, “How did one Human Squad kill so many of our clansmen?”
He could see that a lot of minced meat and dark blood were scattered around the battlefield, which suggested that they had suffered immense losses.