The drawback to the Humans was good news to the Black Ink Clan.
Now, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to make a move as they had to sustain the strange Grand Array; however, the Black Ink Clan were not restrained at all.
In other words, the Eighth-Order Masters were in a situation where they couldn’t counterattack, and regardless of how powerful the Grand Array was, there had to be a limit. As long as the Black Ink Clan continuously attacked, there would come a moment when this shield was shattered.
Upon that realisation, the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples stopped hesitating as they chased after the Dragon and cast their Secret Techniques.
On the other hand, after the Humans activated the Intertwining Branches Formation, their defence had indeed been boosted greatly, but their destructive power had also been considerably weakened. For that reason, the Dragon could no longer rampage smoothly as it appeared somewhat sluggish now.
They were efficient earlier as the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could act freely to kill the enemy. Now that they were unable to use their Secret Techniques as they pleased, the Humans appeared less intimidating.
Besides that, as the powerful Black Ink Clansmen relentlessly attacked the Intertwining Branches Formation, the Spirit Array started showing signs of collapsing.
Xiang Shan promptly led the Human soldiers to retreat. The Black Ink Clansmen chased after them and continued to attack. It wasn’t until the Humans were 10 million kilometres away from the Royal City that the Black Ink Clan stopped.
Right then, the 16 Universe Worlds finally arrived. The 30% of the Black Ink Army on the right side easily intercepted them, ensuring that the Royal City was not damaged one bit.
The Black Ink Clan had suffered fewer losses this time than the previous battle, mainly because they were caught off guard by the Humans 20 years ago. Now that they had put their guard up, they ended up in a better situation.
Regardless, they had still lost several tens of thousands of troops, including many Feudal Lords.
The Humans had suffered some losses as well, but with the Intertwining Branches Formation’s protection, the damage was minimal.
A few days later, the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord returned to their own places and recuperated.
After this battle, the Human soldiers would launch an attack on the Royal City every 20 years or so. Basically, the Old Ancestor would make a move first and lure the Royal Lord away. Following that, the two Armies would engage in an intense battle.
Unlike the Black Ink Clan’s rigid defence, the Humans had many tricks up their sleeves.
The Intertwining Branches Formation underwent several improvements. In the past, it couldn’t be easily stopped once it was activated, but now they could stop or start this Grand Array as they pleased. When the Spirit Array was running, the Division Commanders could connect their Battalion-Class Warships and provide the best defence to the long Dragon. The moment the Spirit Array stopped running, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could slaughter their enemies.
As they effortlessly switched between defence and offence, the Black Ink Clan found themselves powerless to deal with them.
Also, the East-West Army wouldn’t just launch an attack on the Royal City from the left side.
In one of the battles, 20,000 soldiers from the East-West Army followed behind the more than 10 Universe Worlds and struck the Royal City from the right side.
The Black Ink Clan suffered immense losses during that clash.
That was because they had been focused on monitoring the Humans’ forward base and failed to detect any mobilisation of Warships at the time.
During that battle, while nothing major happened at the station, more than 10 Universe Worlds appeared out of nowhere and flew at the right side of the Royal City.
The Black Ink clan forces on the right side of the Royal City certainly had no regard for these Universe Worlds. They had to deal with such a situation every 20 years, so they already knew how to quickly destroy these Universe Worlds.
However, after they fully activated their powers and shattered these Universe Worlds, they were astounded to see the fleet of Human Warships appearing before them.
They were caught completely off guard, and in just a few exchanges, many had lost their lives.
On the other hand, 70% of the Black Ink Clansmen had been paying close attention to the Human encampment, but their wait was futile. It had been unusually silent at the enemy forward base, and it wasn’t until the fleet of Warships appeared behind the Universe Worlds that they realised the Humans were already within striking distance.
The Humans had hidden behind the Universe Worlds this time, which was why the Black Ink Clansmen were unaware of their presence.
It was easily the most devastating battle for the Black Ink Clan since they started confronting the Humans outside the Royal City.
Most of the Black Ink Clansmen on the right side of the Royal City were slaughtered, with as many as 8 Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples being killed as well.
The Territory Lord and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples did not hold their powers back when destroying the Universe Worlds; therefore, the moment the Humans surprised them, they were out of breath and couldn’t respond promptly.
As for the 70% of the Black Ink Clan Army on the left side, they quickly raced to the rescue, but they were unable to save their clansmen’s lives.
The Humans never stayed for long and would always run away as soon as they gained some advantage. Before the Black Ink Clansmen from the left side arrived, the Humans had retreated.
After the battle, Che Kong’s unresigned roar reverberated across the Royal City.
The two Armies had clashed five times over the past 100 years, with both sides suffering some losses.
Other than the Feudal Lords and Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples, there would be Territory Lords, Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, and even Eighth-Order Division Commanders who lost their lives in every battle.
Although the Humans had the incredible protection of the Intertwining Branches Formation, the brutality of this war was beyond what any of them could have possibly imagined.
As the war that the East-West Army was embroiled in intensified, things were similarly heating up on the North-South Army’s side.
When the East-West Army originally set up their forward base outside the Royal City, there were already a million Black Ink Clan soldiers lying in wait.
After years of war, there were still a million Black Ink Clan soldiers. In fact, instead of a decrease, there had actually been an increase in their numbers.
The reason they were able to achieve this was that they had a way to replace the dead Black Ink Clansmen.
However, the new soldiers were not comparable to the original Black Ink Clan Army.
The Black Ink Clansmen originally outside the Royal City were the Territory Lords’ elite subordinates, so they were all fairly powerful.
On the other hand, the new Black Ink Clansmen were the weaker ones who didn’t get to be selected back then.
Many elite Black Ink Clansmen would be killed in every battle. As time passed, there were still a million Black Ink Clan soldiers, but their collective power was no longer comparable to that in the beginning.
It could be proven by looking at the number of casualties on the Black Ink Clan’s side after every battle. As the Black Ink Clan clashed with the Humans, the number of casualties they suffered increased with every fight. It wasn’t that the Humans had become stronger; it was because the Black Ink Clan’s collective strength had become weaker.
The Humans’ collective power had weakened as well. That was because there would be people who lost their lives in every war.
However, they still managed to gain an increasingly bigger advantage.
How was Che Kong supposed to stay calm and collected in such a situation? The Royal Lord had told him to defend the Royal City. With a million Black Ink Clan soldiers under his command, he didn’t even need to launch an attack; all he had to do was protect the Royal City at all costs. If he couldn’t even achieve that simple task, how was he supposed to face the Royal Lord again?
Nonetheless, it was an undeniable fact that the collective power of the Black Ink Clan was on the decline. In order to change that, he had to get more elite Black Ink Clansmen to come to the Royal City.
Where was he supposed to get those elites from?
In the entire Great Evolution Theatre, other than the one million Black Ink Clansmen outside the Royal City, there were only those who were stationed in Great Evolution Pass.
Other than hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers, there were also over 20 Territory Lords and about 50 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples at Great Evolution Pass. If those soldiers could come to the Royal City, the Humans would certainly be defeated.
It wasn’t until this moment that they realised how much of a mistake it had been to leave many Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass.
If not for the fact that there were too many Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass, the Royal City wouldn’t have fallen into such a state. However, it was the Royal Lord who told so many Black Ink Clansmen to stay in Great Evolution Pass, so the Territory Lords wouldn’t dare to complain about it now.
Through the Black Ink Nest network, Che Kong told the Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass to immediately head to the Royal City.
Upon receiving the order, Hong Di hurriedly started taking action.
Although both of them were Territory Lords, Che Kong was the Army Commander of a million soldiers that the Royal Lord had personally appointed. When the Royal Lord was recuperating, Che Kong would lead the Black Ink Clan in his stead, so Hong Di wouldn’t dare to disobey his order.
After the order was passed down, the Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass started getting prepared to leave. 500,000 soldiers would depart from Great Evolution Pass this time along with some 20 Territory Lords. Zhe Chong would be the leader of this expedition.
Only 100,000 Black Ink Clansmen would be left behind to protect Great Evolution Pass.
This time, the Black Ink Clan didn’t make a detour; instead, they headed straight towards the North-South Army’s base.
They knew that to assist their clansmen in the Royal City, they had to destroy these Humans before them. If they were ambushed by the Humans on their way to their destination, a battle would be inevitable, and they might even fall into the Humans’ trap.
This was exactly what Ou Yang Lie and Mi Jing Lun hoped would happen.
In fact, the moment Cha Pu brought the news from the East-West Army with him, Mi Jing Lun started making arrangements for this very scenario.
He knew that as the East-West Army kept on using the same tactic, the Black Ink Clansmen in the Royal City wouldn’t be able to persevere forever.
Once the Royal City fell into a perilous situation, they would seek help from their allies in Great Evolution Pass. By then, regardless of whether they were willing to or not, the Black Ink Clan here would have to head to the Royal City.
The North-South Army had been getting prepared for almost a century for this moment.
Over the past 100 years, other than clashing with the Black Ink Clan from Great Evolution Pass, the North-South Army spent their time extracting resources from everywhere instead of resting and cultivating. They had set up clusters of Spirit Arrays in various locations, and it could be said that regardless of which way the Black Ink Clan chose to head to the Royal City, it wouldn’t be smooth sailing for them.
The universe fragment where the North-South Army was located had become especially sturdy. Although it didn’t look special from the outside, Mi Jing Lun had ordered a massive amount of Spirit Arrays to be installed, creating another fortified forward base.
It wouldn’t have mattered if the Black Ink Clan chose to stay in Great Evolution Pass, but if they dared to attack the Human fortress, they would be greeted with innumerable traps.
Compared to the war between the East-West Army and the Black Ink Clansmen in the Royal City, it had been relatively peaceful between the North-South Army and the Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass. Apart from the first battle where both parties had suffered immense losses, they had been acting restrained in all following confrontations.
However, this time was different.
In order to save the Royal City, they had to wage a life-and-death battle with the North-South Army regardless of whether they were willing to do so.
When the battle broke out, the Humans were fully prepared.
With the Territory Lords leading the way, 500,000 Black Ink Clansmen charged towards the universe fragment where the North-South Army was located. In that universe fragment, the soldiers of the North-South Army were ready for war.
Before the Black Ink Clansmen could even get close to the forward base, the Humans activated a myriad of Spirit Arrays and artifacts to attack the Black Ink Clansmen, immediately battering them from all sides.
The forward base where the North-South Army was located could be considered a mini Great Pass. Although it was not as sturdy as a real Great Pass, the entire place was filled with arrays and artifacts that could be used to attack the enemy from a great distance.
500,000 Black Ink Clansmen were just 5 million kilometres away from the universe fragment when they were struck by the storm of attacks from the arrays and artifacts.
Under normal circumstances, such a barrage would be enough to drive these Black Ink Clansmen off, but this time was different.
All the Territory Lords were aware of the severity of the situation with the Royal City at risk of being destroyed; therefore, regardless of the price they had to pay, they had to head to the Royal City.
Zhe Chong took the initiative by leading the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples to open up the way for the rest of the Army. Faced with the intense bombardment, they steadfastly drew closer to the Human’s base.
The Black Ink Clansmen were still 5 million kilometres away from the forward base, but several tens of thousands of them had lost their lives in a short time. They were practically stepping on the corpses of their clansmen to advance, while the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples at the vanguard were all injured.
This time, the Black Ink Clan exhibited unwavering resolve. Faced with the continuous attacks from the arrays and artifacts, none of the Territory Lords and Feudal Lords backed down. Although the clansmen around them continued to pass away, they were determined to continue forward.
That was because the Territory Lords knew that it was a price they had to pay. As long as they could get close to the Humans and force them into a melee, they would gain the upper hand as they had numbers on their side.
Although the skirmishes between both parties over the years had been intermittent and relatively tame, the Black Ink Clansmen were fully aware of the Humans’ true power.
The Humans numbered 30,000 when they first arrived outside Great Evolution Pass, but that number included several thousand specialists such as Artifact Refiners, Array Masters, and Alchemists. Furthermore, after years of war, the Humans had naturally suffered a number of losses. Now, the combat force they could mobilise totalled about 20,000.
On the other hand, there were 500,000 soldiers on the Black Ink Clan’s side, with the number of top Masters being equal to that of the Humans.
Therefore, even though the Humans had their Warships to rely on, they didn’t have any kind of significant advantage.
These 500,000 Black Ink soldiers sacrificed many of their comrades before finally getting close to the forward base; however, the moment they landed on the universe fragment, they were dumbstruck.
That was because this forward base, which was full of Humans before, was completely empty now. Regardless of where they looked, they couldn’t find a single Human on this large universe fragment.
Besides that, the artifacts that served as the Array Cores were gone as well. What was left behind were the large number of arrays that couldn’t be taken away.
The Territory Lords promptly scanned the surroundings with their Divine Senses, but as far as they could tell, the Humans were nowhere to be seen.
[Where are they?]
The Territory Lords were puzzled. How did all the Humans retreat in such a short time without leaving any traces behind?
Even the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, who had a deep understanding of what the Humans were capable of, couldn’t explain it; after all, it had been 30,000 years since they were corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Purifying Black Ink Battleships and Universe Arrays only appeared after Yang Kai arrived, so how were they supposed to know the secrets behind them?
“Damn it!” One of the Territory Lords roared and stomped his foot on the ground. As his violent force burst forth, the entire universe fragment shook a little.
“Don’t!” Zhe Chong quickly tried to stop him, but it was too late.
A dangerous aura suddenly engulfed the entire universe fragment. Following that, the arrays that remained lit up and connected with each other.
After just a moment, the universe fragment was covered in a massive Grand Array.
Just as the Black Ink Clansmen shot into the sky to escape, the universe fragment detonated. An intense destructive force swept out, battering all the Territory Lords.
After the shockwave subsided, Zhe Chong gazed around with a dark expression, only to see that the universe fragment was completely gone. Following this turn of events, more than 10,000 Black Ink Clansmen, who had landed on the universe fragment to investigate, lost their lives.
Those were mostly High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen.
Although the Black Ink Clan hadn’t suffered immense losses, they were frustrated.
Regardless, Zhe Chong was glad that the universe fragment wasn’t that big. Out of an abundance of caution, he didn’t let a lot of Black Ink Clansmen land on the universe fragment; otherwise, there would have been many more casualties.
Zhe Chong turned to glower at the Territory Lord who stomped his foot back there. That Territory Lord was furious out of shame as he roared, “I must kill them! All of them!”
Barely two days had passed since these 500,000 Black Ink Clansmen departed from Great Evolution Pass, but 10% of them had already perished.
Despite knowing that there were certainly more traps ahead of them, the remaining 450,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers had no choice but to keep moving forward.
Zhe Chong wasn’t a fool; if he was, he wouldn’t have promptly decided to run away from Wind and Cloud Pass back then. A foolish Territory Lord would never live long.
As he clashed with the North-South Army over the years, Zhe Chong came to realise that the enemy had a leader who was particularly good at devising tactics and laying out plans on the Humans’ side.
Faced with such an opponent, he had to be extremely careful; therefore, after the Black Ink Clansmen set off again, they no longer moved in a straight line. Instead, they kept making detours. Even Zhe Chong himself didn’t have a particular direction in mind. That way, he could ensure that the Army wouldn’t fall into the traps that the Humans had set up.
They were especially wary of areas that were full of asteroids or universe fragments. When they came across such places, they would steer clear.
That was because they had suffered from a similar setback already.
Three days later, the Humans were still nowhere in sight and the scouts that the Black Ink Clan had sent out couldn’t find anything. It was as though the Human soldiers had vanished into thin air.
However, Zhe Chong knew that the Humans wouldn’t give up so easily. They had to be hiding somewhere, waiting to launch a sneak attack on them.
Again, they circled around an area that was full of universe fragments; however, without a warning, light burst forth from the void itself. In an instant, numerous glowing objects appeared and connected with one another to form a Grand Array, cutting the Black Ink Clan Army in half.
The sudden change caused the Black Ink Clansmen who were moving forward in an orderly manner to descend into chaos.
Right then, the Humans appeared out of nowhere. No one knew where they had been hiding. It was as though they had simply manifested from nowhere.
The Warships charged forward and rained a series of attacks on the split-up Black Ink Clan soldiers.
One hour after the battle began, the Humans retreated. By the time the Black Ink Clan Army was done reorganising itself, the Humans were gone.
If the Humans had left any later, the Black Ink Clan could have rallied together and dealt a heavy blow to them.
Although Zhe Chong was vexed, he wouldn’t dare to tell the others to pursue the Humans. No one could be certain whether there were any traps set up on the route the enemy had retreated.
Zhe Chong would appear useless if they fell into the Humans’ traps again.
Ordering the Black Ink Clan soldiers to pull themselves together, Zhe Chong continued their forward march.
Similar ambushes repeatedly over the next 10 days. Regardless of how hard Zhe Chong tried to suppress his fury, he was on the brink of flaring up.
There was one thing he just couldn’t understand, He had been ordering random changes in the Army’s marching direction all this time, leading to them taking 10 days to cross a distance which could normally be traversed in just 5; however, they had still repeatedly fallen into traps that the Humans had arranged.
There was no way this was a mere coincidence, nor was it possible that the Humans had accurately speculated about the route they would take; after all, even Zhe Chong had no idea about the next direction he would lead the Army towards, so how were the Humans supposed to figure it out?
There was only one possibility that could explain such a situation.
The Humans had simply set up a tremendous amount of traps in various places between Great Evolution Pass and the Royal City. Although the Black Ink Clan Army kept changing directions and successfully avoided some traps, they would inevitably fall into others.
Upon that realisation, Zhe Chong couldn’t help but groan.
If that was true, the number of traps that the Humans had arranged must be astronomical, as was the amount of resources they had consumed to make such a thing possible.
However, considering the fact that the Humans had occupied a forward base outside Great Evolution Pass for 100 years, keeping the Black Ink Clan contained there all this time, it wasn’t necessarily impossible for them to pull this off.
There was also another thing that bothered Zhe Chong though. When he told the soldiers to circumvent areas that were full of universe fragments or universe fragments on several occasions, they would always come across the traps that the Humans had arranged.
In that case, the Humans must have anticipated his thought process and done the opposite. Instead of setting up traps inside the areas that were full of asteroids or universe fragments, they had done so in their periphery.
In other words, the areas that were full of asteroids or universe fragments were actually safe zones.
Upon that revelation, Zhe Chong thought of a solution.
Zhe Chong had started with 500,000 soldiers and still had many of them with him. It had been one month since they departed from Great Evolution Pass, but they had only crossed about 30% of the distance to the Royal City.
This couldn’t be helped. Even though they had avoided many of the traps the Humans had set up, they had also wasted a lot of time. If they had headed towards the Royal City in a straight line, they would have arrived at their destination in a little over a month.
Over the past month, the Black Ink Clan soldiers had clashed with the Humans on multiple occasions. Presently, only 400,000 of them were left. All the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were alive and kicking, but many of the Feudal Lords had lost their lives.
In the void, the Black Ink Clan Army continued heading towards the Royal City.
Meanwhile, the Warships of the North-South Army were hiding in an area that was full of universe fragments. With the help of the Warships, the Humans’ mobility and speed were superior to those of the Black Ink Clan. Therefore, the North-South Army could always stay one step ahead of the Black Ink Clan Army and set up obstructions.
The Universe Arrays on the two Purifying Black Ink Battleships could ensure that if their speculation about the direction that the Black Ink Clan was heading was wrong, they could quickly re-deploy their forces.
Presently, aboard one of the Purifying Black Ink Battleships, Mi Jing Lun, Ou Yang Lie, and the other Eighth-Order Division Commanders had gathered together.
With a solemn expression, Mi Jing Lun said, “If we’re lucky, the Black Ink Clan’s reinforcements will pass by this place. This is where we will engage them in a decisive battle.”
“Have we used up all our prior arrangements?” Ou Yang Lie asked. He wasn’t interested in managing the affairs of the Army, so he let Mi Jing Lun make all the decisions. What he excelled at was fighting powerful Black Ink Clansmen and killing them. Even though he knew a thing or two about the setups that the North-South Army’s soldiers had built, he didn’t know as much as Mi Jing Lun did.
Mi Jing Lun shook his head, “We set up countless traps, so how is it possible that they were all used up? Only 20% to 30% of them have been used, but we expected this outcome when we started making those arrangements. However, there’s nothing else beyond this point.”
This couldn’t be helped. Although the North-South Army had spent 100 years and consumed a massive amount of resources to set up innumerable traps in the void, they couldn’t possibly build traps all the way from Great Evolution Pass to the Royal City in such a short amount of time.
This was already the best they could do. If the Black Ink Clan Army successfully crossed this point, there would no longer be any dangers ahead of them.
Regardless of whether the North-South Army was willing to do it or not, they had to fight a life-or-death battle with the Black Ink Clan Army here where all the traps ended. Whatever the price they had to pay, they had to stop the Black Ink Clan reinforcements from reaching the Royal City in order to ensure that the East-West Army’s plans wouldn’t be thwarted.
If they let the Black Ink Clan break through their blockade and go to the Royal City, the East-West Army’s plans would be foiled. In the worst-case scenario, the East-West Army would be pincered by the enemy, and when that happened, they would be doomed.
There were two Human Race Armies in the Great Evolution Theatre. The East-West Army had their mission, which was to invade the Royal City.
The North-South Army had their own task as well, which was to intercept the Black Ink Clansmen garrisoned at Great Evolution Pass. It was a task they had to accomplish no matter the cost.
The North-South Army wasn’t trying to stall for time in the past month; rather, they were trying to weaken the Black Ink Clan’s power.
After all, 500,000 Black Ink Clansmen was a force to be reckoned with. The North-South Army wasn’t powerful enough to destroy such an Army.
Over the past month, they had made use of the traps they had set up and clashed with the Black Ink Clan on several occasions, but they still hadn’t achieved their goal.
Although there was a decrease of somewhere between 20% and 30% in the number of Black Ink Clansmen, there were still about 400,000 of them. For the North-South Army, it was hard to stop such a force, which was determined to rescue the Royal City.
“This battle is different from those in the past. Many people will lose their lives,” Mi Jing Lun lifted his gaze and looked at Ou Yang Lie.
A nonchalant Ou Yang Lie replied, “Are we Humans even afraid of death? We already expected this outcome when we formed the Great Evolution Army. I’m sure the soldiers are aware of it as well.”
Mi Jing Lun nodded, “In the end, strength is what it takes to win a war. Strategies are just the icing on the cake.”
An impatient Ou Yang Lie said, “Let’s not belittle ourselves and overestimate the enemies’ power. Just tell us what we should do, and keep it simple. I do not understand complicated strategies anyway.”
Mi Jing Lun put on a helpless smile. After giving it a thought, he said grimly, “There’s only one way to win this battle.”
“What is it?” All of them gazed at him.
With a solemn expression, Mi Jing Lun went on to say, “We must prioritise killing the most powerful Black Ink Masters. It would be best if we could kill several Territory Lords or Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples at the outset of the battle so that we can intimidate the Black Ink Clan and make the Territory Lords flustered. That way… we might be able to stop them.”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
It wasn’t easy to kill the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. As Eighth-Order Division Commanders, they were certainly more powerful than the Territory Lords or Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples; however, in a real fight, while it was easy for them to get the upper hand, it was hard for them to take their opponents’ lives.
In order to accomplish this, they would also have to pay a huge price.
Mi Jing Lun didn’t say it clearly, but everyone present knew what he meant.
This battle would be significantly more dangerous than the ones they’d had fought in the past.
The North-South Army had stopped the Black Ink Clan from heading to the Royal City before; however, at that time, the Royal City wasn’t in a perilous situation, so the Territory Lords were not determined to engage in a life-and-death struggle. Generally, after they suffered a setback, they returned to Great Evolution Pass.
This time was different. The Royal City was at risk of being destroyed, so the Territory Lords wouldn’t give up as long as there was still a chance. In order to crush their hopes, the Humans had to deal a devastating blow to them.
Dealing a crippling blow to the enemy would require significant sacrifices.
Ou Yang Lie guffawed, “Since you already have a plan, why did you look miserable earlier? That’s easy. I’ll take the lead and kill a Territory Lord first.”
Gazing at him, Mi Jing Lun shook his head, “Brother Ou Yang, you’re the Army Commander of Great Evolution Southern Army, so you can’t put yourself at risk.”
Ou Yang Lie refuted him with a smile, “That’s nonsense. Although I’m an Army Commander, I know nothing about strategies and military affairs. All I have is brute strength, so whether I’m around or not makes no difference in the long run. With you in charge of the North-South Army, that will be enough.”
“Brother Ou Yang…”
Before he could finish speaking, Ou Yang Lie interrupted him by lifting his hand, “Brother Mi, stop trying to dissuade me, or you’ll look petty. I’ve just said that we’re not afraid of death. When the time comes, I’ll lead the charge as an Army Commander. Those at the top must set an example for the rest to follow.”
The moment he finished speaking, an old man stepped forward as he ran his fingers through his beard, “I’m an old man who no longer has a future, and I’ve always wanted to end my life in the most splendid way. This is a good opportunity. Count me in for killing a Territory Lord.”
A moved Mi Jing Lun glanced at the old man, “Senior Brother Cheng…”
Senior Brother Cheng had helped him a lot in the past. When Mi Jing Lun arrived at the Black Ink Battlefield as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master back then, Senior Brother Cheng was the Squad Leader of his Squad. It was Senior Brother Cheng who had repeatedly saved him from life-and-death moments. Without him, Mi Jing Lun wouldn’t even be alive today.
Many years had passed, and Senior Brother Cheng was no longer as energetic as when he was young; however, he never forgot about why he came to the Black Ink Battlefield in the first place, which was to destroy the Black Ink Clan.
Senior Brother Cheng cupped his fist and said, “This Cheng would like to accept the challenge of killing a Territory Lord at the outset of the battle. I’ll not disappoint you, Army Commander!”
Mi Jing Lun clenched his teeth and exerted so much force with his hand that he almost broke the feather fan that had been with him for so many years, but in the end, he said with difficulty, “Good.”
Senior Brother Cheng put on a smile, “Many thanks, Army Commander.”
After he sat back down, another person rose from the chair, “I’ve been practising a certain sword technique for 5,000 years. The moment I unsheath my sword, even a Territory Lord can’t fend it off. I’d like to accept the challenge of killing a Territory Lord!”
“Good!”
Another Division Commander then stood. She was a middle-aged woman who said smilingly, “This Mistress isn’t as powerful as the two Senior Brothers, but I have a Secret Technique that I’ve never used before. This time, I can seize the chance and try it out on a Territory Lord. Please count me in, Army Commander.”
“Good!”
“No one is comparable to Bright King Cave Heaven when it comes to killing enemies at all costs. I’ll make the first move.”
“Good!”
…
For every ‘good’ that Mi Jing Lun spoke, a bit of energy seemed to have left him. It had been 100 years since he took charge of the North-South Army, but he had never felt more heartbroken than this day.
However, he knew that in order to stop the 400,000 Black Ink Clansmen who were determined to reach the Royal City, there was a price to pay.
Hasty footsteps were heard approaching at that moment, and a person soon entered the room and cupped his fist, “Sirs, a scout has returned and reported that the Black Ink Clan Army will arrive in two hours.”
A glint flashed through Mi Jing Lun’s eyes, “They’re really coming this way.”
A while back, they had speculated on which route the Black Ink Clan Army would follow to reach the Royal City. Although Zhe Chong believed that he was constantly changing directions in a random manner, and the Humans would not be able to anticipate his movements, there were still some regular patterns in reality. These regular patterns had something to do with his unconscious habits, and even he was unaware of it. Nevertheless, Humans could make a deduction based on this information.
Mi Jing Lun and the others had drawn out several possible routes, but they eventually concluded that the Black Ink Clansmen would most likely pass by this place. To be safe, the other Purifying Black Ink Battleship was waiting at the next most likely route.
That way, even if the Black Ink Clan went another way, the North-South Army could promptly rush over.
If the Black Ink Clan didn’t head in either direction, the Humans would have no choice but to fight with them head-on.
Now, it seemed that the Humans were in luck.
“Tell those from the other side to return,” Mi Jing Lun ordered.
“Yes.” The person respectfully left to carry out his orders.
Mi Jing Lun glanced at the other Eight-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, “The battle is about to take place, and you know all the arrangements there are. There’s only one thing I’d like to remind you of.”
After sweeping a glance over them, he cupped his fist and said solemnly, “Please take good care of yourself.”
Ou Yang Lie grinned, “Don’t worry about it. Killing some Black Ink Clansmen is no big deal.”
Mi Jing Lun parted his lips, but he didn’t know what else he should say.
Ou Yang Lie patted his shoulder and left the room. Since the battle was only two hours away, he had something to say to his good-for-nothing Disciple.
The other Eighth-Order Division Commanders left one by one, until eventually, Mi Jing Lun was left alone on the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
The following two hours were quiet as the scouts at the frontline kept sending information back.
What surprised Mi Jing Lun was that the Black Ink Clan didn’t circumvent the region where the Humans were located, despite it being an area filled with universe fragments; instead, they were coming straight in this direction.
It seemed that the Commander of the Black Ink Clan Army had realised something, which was why such a bold decision was made.
That was actually a wise decision, as in truth, the North-South Army had set up traps all around the periphery of many regions filled with asteroids and universe fragments. Regardless of which way the Black Ink Clan Army passed by, they would inevitably fall into some traps.
Only by directly passing through the asteroids and universe fragments would they avoid them.
However, the North-South Army happened to be hiding in this area of universe fragments. With the help of these universe fragments, the Human soldiers could perfectly conceal themselves, then emerge from their hiding spots and attack the Black Ink Clan soldiers when the time was right. Other than that, they could also make use of the complicated terrain to deal with the enemies.
It could be said that as the Humans had to face the Black Ink Clan, who had significantly more people on their side, this area of universe fragments was the best possible battlefield. Now, the Black Ink Clan soldiers were coming to this place. Although they could avoid the traps that the Humans had set up in advance, they had inadvertently selected a terrible battlefield.
The concealment arrays on the Warships were activated, and with the help of the universe fragments, the Humans hid themselves in preparation.
On the ship’s deck, Mi Jing Lun watched as the Black Ink Clan’s scouts entered the region of universe fragments. Although they were supposedly just scouts, there were close to 100,000 of them. The rest of the Black Ink Clan Army followed closely behind them.
Apparently, the leader of these Black Ink Clansmen knew that if the Humans were really hiding in this place, the scouts would be doomed if there were too few of them. In that case, a large number of them should directly barge into the place to intimidate the enemy.
The formation of several hundred thousand soldiers was very long, so it took them an hour before all of them entered the universe fragment field.
Although the scouts had been looking around, they found nothing.
Mi Jing Lun closed his eyes and waited patiently.
Finally, there came a moment when he suddenly opened his eyes and waved his feather fan.
He didn’t seem to have exerted any force with his hand; however, the moment the feather fan pointed forward, the silent region filled with universe fragments suddenly erupted with noise.
The arrays on the Warships started running, and all kinds of lights started shining as various Secret Techniques and artifact attacks shot towards the Black Ink Clan soldiers.
Zhe Chong, who was leading the Army forward, was stunned. Based on his speculation, an area that was full of asteroids and universe fragments should be safe, so he hadn’t anticipated stepping right into a place where the Humans were hiding.
The shock only lasted for a brief moment though as Zhe Chong soon grit his teeth and focused. Since they departed from Great Evolution Pass one month ago, they had gone through a lot of hardships because of the Humans. They would always fall into a trap, after which the Humans would appear out of nowhere and attack them. By the time they managed to reorganise themselves, the Humans would have retreated.
The Black Ink Clan had suffered a lot of setbacks, but they had nowhere to vent their anger.
There were no traps this time, but the Humans had taken the initiative to come at them. Rather than falling into the Humans’ ambush, the Black Ink Clan Army had actually barged into their hiding place.
After all, it wasn’t like 20,000 Humans could encircle and besiege them.
Zhe Chong was determined to make the Humans pay the price for what they had done on this day.
He thus roared, “Kill!”
The moment he gave the order, he felt a ferocious aura locking onto him. He was astounded by the aura that was filled with murderous intent.
Both Armies had been fighting against each other for the past 100 years, and the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Division Commanders had gotten into several fights, so they knew a thing or two about each other.
Zhe Chong instantly felt a sense of familiarity when the aura locked onto him. If he wasn’t mistaken, it belonged to an extremely powerful Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
It seemed that the other party had realised Zhe Chong was the leader of this Army, so he directly targeted him.
Zhe Chong had exchanged moves with this man before and had no choice but to admit that he was no match for him if they were in a one-on-one fight, so the moment he detected this aura, Zhe Chong promptly retreated.
At the same time, the Black Ink Clan soldiers charged forward to protect him.
Zhe Chong wasn’t a fool, so he wouldn’t directly clash with the other party at this point. The biggest advantage the Black Ink Clan had was the large number of people they had on their side, so he certainly would make use of it to deal with this opponent.
With the help of the soldiers around him, Zhe Chong would be safe for a while. Even if they couldn’t stop this enemy, they would be able to weaken him. By then, Zhe Chong would have a way to deal with this powerful opponent.
When he looked up, he saw that there was a man with red hair charging towards him. The person’s World Force had been pushed to the limit, and his entire figure was aflame. Even the space around him warped as he flew forward.
Besides this man, there were also other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters that dashed out from the Humans’ side in a menacing manner, all of them exuding a thick murderous intent with determination written all over their faces.
Zhe Chong felt his heart clenching as he wondered what was going on with the Humans today.
One of them was covered in a layer of golden blood mist, which was a sign that he was drawing on his vitality to boost his strength beyond its normal limits.
One figure was engulfed in brilliant sword light as he shot forward.
Another figure appeared to be sauntering casually across the void, but he had already appeared among the Black Ink Clansmen after taking only one step.
There was another figure that dashed out with a thin smile on her face as she formed a complex set of hand seals, flower petals swirling around her.
…..
There wasn’t any delay at all. The moment the Humans launched an attack, the figures that exuded Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm auras instantly appeared among the Black Ink Clan soldiers.
Wherever these figures went, the Black Ink Clan soldiers collapsed. Although there was a massive number of people on their side, they were unable to stop these figures’ rampage.
The thousands of Black Ink Clansmen in front of Zhe Chong formed a fairly powerful screen as they included about 20 Feudal Lords. Such a group should supposedly be able to ward off an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master for at least a short time.
However, the moment the man with red hair whose figure was burning arrived, these thousands of Black Ink Clansmen were simply unable to stop.
The red-haired man didn’t even make a move as just the flames around his figure were enough to destroy any Black Ink Clansmen that got too close. It wasn’t certain what the secret behind these flames were, but the moment any Black Ink Clansmen came into contact with them, they started burning and howling in pain.
The next instant, the red-haired man reached Zhe Chong and realization struck him.
“Are you insane!?” Zhe Chong exclaimed.
This couldn’t be helped, as he finally figured out what was wrong. The red-haired man was burning his own Blood Essence.
This was a technique that was unique to Human cultivators and Zhe Chong had heard about it from the Black Ink Disciples before. The Blood Essence of a Human cultivator was precious as it was the foundation of their vitality that had been accumulated over a very long time. No Human would burn their Blood Essence if they had a choice. They would only do so during a life-or-death moment.
Even though the cultivator could significantly increase his or her strength for a short time by burning their Blood Essence, the drawbacks of doing so were immense. It was certain that this man would be seriously weakened, and in the worst-case scenario, his foundation would be damaged, causing his cultivation to drop.
The battle had just begun, but the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master before his eyes had already started burning his Blood Essence. What else could it be if he wasn’t out of his mind?
It was just the beginning of the fight, and this Human wasn’t in any kind of perilous situation, nor was there a benefit he had to obtain at all costs.
Zhe Chong couldn’t figure out the reason that compelled this Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to act this way.
Despite that, he knew that he had run out of luck.
Zhe Chong was already no match for the other party in a one-on-one fight, to begin with, and now the latter had increased his strength by burning his Blood Essence, so how was he supposed to ward him off? If this wasn’t the case, the thousands of Black Ink Clansmen Zhe Chong was using as a shield wouldn’t have proven completely useless.
The instant Zhe Chong finished speaking, Ou Yang Lie lifted his hand and summoned a delicate-looking sword into his grip.
It was hard to imagine that a masculine man like him would be using such a delicate-looking sword, but that was indeed the case. This sword was his Natal Artifact, so he wouldn’t show it to others unless it was necessary to do so. That was because he too felt that this artifact didn’t match his image. It was somewhat of a mismatch for a burly man with flaming red hair like him to hold such a delicate-looking sword.
In fact, he hadn’t used this sword for a very long time.
The reason he even summoned this sword now was that he had to kill his enemy no matter the cost.
Ou Yang Lie was a completely different person when he had a sword in his hand.
As he was holding his sword, the aura around him became extremely sharp. His entire figure seemed to have transformed into a sword that was about to be unsheathed. The intimidating Sword Intent caused Zhe Chong to feel a chill running down his spine.
The flame around Ou Yang Lie soon engulfed his sword.
The next instant, Sword Qi burst forth and engulfed Zhe Chong. The red-haired man didn’t hold back anything as he unleashed a series of fatal attacks in quick succession.
Zhe Chong felt his soul leaving his body. He could feel that this Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was set on killing him. This red-haired man had already started burning his Blood Essence the moment he appeared, and he didn’t seem to have the intention of defending himself. It was apparent that he was determined to kill his opponent regardless of the costs.
What was the point of him doing this?
Zhe Chong had no idea how horrifying an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who was determined to kill could be in the past, but he knew now.
Although Zhe Chong fully pushed his own power, he was still no match for the other party. In just several breaths of time, he fell into a complete disadvantage. Faced with the opponent’s attacks, he could only defend himself in a fluster. Battered, he continuously lured the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to the surrounding weaker Black Ink Clansmen in the hopes that these soldiers would help him turn things around.
Ou Yang Lie followed closely behind him. The flickering sword lights caused Zhe Chong’s black blood to scatter across the void; however, Ou Yang Lie was also impacted by the attacks that were coming at him from all directions. His clothes were dyed red with blood.
Just then, a menacing Sword Intent pervaded a particular area of the battlefield. The Sword Intent was unimaginably powerful.
As the Sword Intent spread out, a dazzling sword light emerged.
The next instant, a person’s voice reverberated across the place, “Butterfly Transformation!”
Instantly, the aura of a Territory Lord rose up wildly before fading away forever.
Aboard the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, Mi Jing Lun stood on the deck as he watched the sword light that had exploded. It was the strongest sword technique he had ever seen in his life. The sword technique had surpassed the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm and almost reached the threshold of the Ninth-Order.
It was a sword technique that an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had practised for 5,000 years, and the moment it was cast, only a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could ward it off.
It was the most splendid light in the world.
Mi Jing Lun bent his back to salute the person.
The moment the terrifying sword light exploded, the aura of a Territory Lord disappeared. The next moment, a large number of Black Ink Clansmen lost their lives. Following that, the death of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was felt.
Zhe Chong, who was bombarded with Ou Yang Lie’s attacks, felt his face turning pale in an instant. The Territory Lord who had just lost his life was as powerful as he was. In fact, due to his rather unique constitution, he was even slightly stronger.
However, just 10 breaths after the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had launched their attacks, that Territory Lord had already lost his life.
He was probably the first Territory Lord who had lost his life so quickly after the beginning of a battle between the two Races.
Zhe Chong wouldn’t even dare to imagine what would have happened to him if he were the one who had to deal with that sword attack. All of a sudden, he realised that the red-haired man before his eyes wasn’t so savage after all.
The sword light seemed to be even more oppressive.
Following that, it was as if a chain reaction was set off on the battlefield. All sorts of profound and powerful Secret Techniques burst forth.
Forget the Black Ink Clan, even the Humans had never seen such a wide display of powerful and abstruse Secret Techniques before.
These were the Secret Techniques that one would only use in life-or-death moments, so they wouldn’t easily show them to others.
One could take in everything from the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, so Mi Jing Lun could clearly see all the Secret Techniques that exploded on the battlefield.
Somewhere on the battlefield, a gigantic blood-coloured flower suddenly blossomed and covered the void. A familiar aura exuded from the blood-coloured flower. It was transformed from the Blood Essence of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The moment the blood-coloured flower petals closed up, not only did it entrap thousands of Black Ink Clansmen, but also a Territory Lord.
When the blood-coloured flower reopened half a cup of tea’s time later, there was no one that was alive inside, only warm corpses lying on the flower’s stamen.
In another place on the battlefield, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Bright King Cave Heaven summoned his Divine Manifestation and transformed into a giant. His vitality surged as he rampaged around the battlefield, slaughtering the enemy.
On the other hand, Senior Brother Cheng actually spread out his Small Universe and trapped 10,000 Black Ink Clansmen inside of it. As his World Force undulated, he battled a Territory Lord and an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple all on his own.
In a different place, Ou Yang Lie was besieged by the Black Ink Clan soldiers, but he was still able to gain the upper hand over the Territory Lord with his flaming sword in hand.
With the help of their Warships, the 20,000 soldiers of the North-South Army threw all caution to the wind as they attacked the Black Ink Clan soldiers.
The auras of powerful Masters swiftly withered in different parts of the battlefield, shining like the most splendid lights in the last moments of their lives.
The lights were so dazzling that one present today would never forget this sight for the rest of their life.
Overwhelmed by a heart-wrenching feeling, Mi Jing Lun gently closed his eyes.
When his eyes reopened, the World Force around him surged. As he stomped his foot on the deck, he drove the gigantic Purifying Black Ink Battleship towards the battlefield.
There wasn’t a need for him to stay outside of the battlefield and give orders. The North-South Army, from the weakest of soldiers to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, were not afraid of death, so how was it possible that they would lose this battle?
He also had to leave his own mark in this war. As an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he wasn’t just an Army Commander who was good at strategizing, but also a fighter who could kill the enemy.
From the outset of the battle, the Black Ink Clan Army had descended into chaos. None of them could have expected that the Humans would be so resolute this time. A Territory Lord was killed by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master barely 10 breaths after hostilities broke out.
That was a Territory Lord, not an insignificant Low-Rank Black Ink Clansman.
How was it possible that he was killed so soon?
Although the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master also lost his life moments later, he still managed to kill thousands of Black Ink Clansmen before his death.
Powerful Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples subsequently lost their lives. The brutality and intensity of the battle this time was far beyond the Black Ink Clan’s imagination.
It was the same case for the Humans.
There had never been a battle where they had suffered such immense losses so quickly.
Even when the North-South Army arrived at the Great Evolution Theatre for the first time more than 100 years ago and stopped the Black Ink Clan reinforcements from leaving Great Evolution Pass, there were not so many casualties.
During that battle, only a small number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives, and even then it happened gradually over several days.
This time was different. It had only been two hours since the start of the battle, but 7 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had fallen. If the war dragged on, there would surely be even more casualties.
Those 7 fallen Eighth-Order Masters brought 7 Territory Lords, 3 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, and several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clan soldiers down with them.
Those who lost their lives on the battlefield were the Seniors and Elders of the soldiers still fighting. They had taken good care of them and taught them invaluable lessons in the past.
Now that they were gone, the young had to take up the responsibility.
The Human soldiers were so furious that their eyes had reddened. The death of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters changed the situation on the battlefield. All Humans, regardless of their cultivation and status, went all out to destroy the enemy, not caring about their own safety at all.
20,000 Humans had to face some 400,000 Black Ink Clansmen. Despite the huge difference in numbers on both sides, the Humans were still able to get the upper hand over the Black Ink Clan Army. That was because the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had sacrificed themselves to intimidate the enemy, and all the Human soldiers were united as one.
More and more Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives on the battlefield while many Warships were shattered and engulfed in flames.
Universe fragments exploded into dust as the battlefield descended into mayhem.
These several hundred thousand Black Ink Clan soldiers had entered this field of universe fragments in an orderly manner, but as the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters emerged and dealt a heavy blow to them, their formation immediately collapsed.
Suddenly, there came a moment when a huge commotion broke out.
That was because Zhe Chong was killed.
He was the de facto leader of the Black Ink Clan Army, so when he was around, the Territory Lords would obey his orders. Now that he was gone, none of the Territory Lords had the necessary authority to command the rest of the Black Ink Clan Army.
Every Territory Lord had their own thoughts. In such a situation, those Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were like starving wolves. Their powerful auras had locked onto the Territory Lords, and they were determined to kill them at all costs.
This was no laughing matter. The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had proven their determination already.
Faced with these flares, the Territory Lords felt chills running down their spines. They could only tell their subordinates to surround them and protect them from the crazed Eighth-Order Masters.
With more Black Ink Clansmen becoming defensive, there were fewer people fighting back.
On the battlefield, the Human Warships charged around as Secret Techniques and artifacts were continuously shot off, each attack killing more enemies.
The number of Black Ink Clan soldiers was rapidly decreasing, and it was the same case for the Human Warships.
In this battle, both parties had paid an almost unbearable price.
The battle lasted for three days.
Finally, there came a moment when the noise on the battlefield died down. Both parties backed down and confronted each other with a distance of several hundred thousand kilometres between them.
Most of the universe fragments were gone, shattered by the fallout of the clash between the two Armies.
With the shattered universe fragments as the background and the Purifying Black Ink Battleship boldly situated at the front of the fleet, the surviving Humans formed up with their Warships. Smoke billowed from those Warships, and the arrays were heard crackling and exploding. Some of the Warships looked so dilapidated that it was as though they would break apart with just a touch.
Despite that, these Warships that had gathered together were intimidating to the enemies.
Several hundred thousand kilometres away, the Territory Lords and their subordinates had also come together.
There were still significantly more people on their side, but faced with the Humans’ intimidation, the Black Ink Clan soldiers were engulfed in wariness and fear.
After this battle, the Black Ink Clansmen became truly afraid. They finally had a taste of how mad and fearless the Humans could be.
Even the Eighth-Order Masters, whose lives were incredibly precious, were willing to drag the Territory Lords down at the cost of their own lives, so what wouldn’t the Humans dare to do?
These Humans were simply insane!
The reason that the remaining Territory Lords survived wasn’t that they were stronger than the Territory Lords who were killed, it was just that they were luckier as they hadn’t been targeted by those crazed Eighth-Order Humans.
None of the Territory Lords, who were targeted by the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters for death, had survived.
After the unimaginably intense battle, the survivors from both sides confronted each other from a distance. In such a tense atmosphere, they greedily enjoyed the rare peacefulness.
The Territory Lords secretly communicated with each other using their Divine Senses.
The Humans had no idea what they were talking about, but it was apparent that they were discussing whether they should fight or retreat.
To the Black Ink Clansmen, there was no doubt that rescuing the Royal City was important. If the Royal City was destroyed, none of these Black Ink Clansmen would survive for long.
This was the reason 500,000 of them departed from Great Evolution Pass upon learning about what had happened in the Royal City.
It could be said that only the minimum number of people were left behind to protect the Great Evolution Pass. Most of them had set off to rescue the Royal City, which went to show how determined they were.
However, they were intercepted halfway and had suffered tremendous losses.
If they still insisted on heading towards the Royal City, another battle would be inevitable. The Humans had made it clear that they would go to any lengths to stop them from moving forward.
Considering the level of madness that the Humans had exhibited, if another battle broke out, these remaining Black Ink Clansmen wouldn’t be able to break through their blockade. Even though most of the Humans would lose their lives, none of the Black Ink Clansmen would survive.
So, should they keep moving forward?
That was the question that had been troubling the Territory Lords.
There was no doubt that the Royal City was important, but if they lost their lives here, everything else would no longer matter.
Therefore, after a brief exchange of words, the Territory Lords came to a consensus.
They had decided to return to Great Evolution Pass.
It was the second time they decided to retreat to Great Evolution Pass.
The previous time was some 100 years ago. At that time, the Royal City wasn’t in a perilous situation, and the Humans were not so resolute yet. It was the same case for the Black Ink Clan.
This time was different.
All the Territory Lords knew that if they retreated this time, they would forever lose the courage to leave Great Evolution Pass again. They would live or die with Great Evolution Pass.
This was a difficult decision to make; however, things had come to such a point where they no longer had a choice.
Although the Black Ink Clansmen had decided to retreat, they did not scatter about. Instead, with the coordination from the Territory Lords, they withdrew in an orderly manner.
They were worried that the Humans would pursue them while they were retreating as they had experienced such a thing before; therefore, they had to keep their formation intact so that they would be able to deal with the possible attacks from the Humans.
On the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, Mi Jing Lun was slightly pale. The blood on his clothes had dried up and many parts of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship were damaged.
During the intense battle earlier, no one could ensure that they would be safe or that their Warships would remain intact. The only difference was how severe their injuries would be and how damaged their Warships would become.
The feather fan in Mi Jing Lun’s hand had turned dim.
He had been waiting for the Black Ink Clansmen to make a decision.
When he saw that the Territory Lords finally led the remnants of the Black Ink Clan Army in the opposite direction, he let out a sigh of relief.
Honestly, if the Black Ink Clan soldiers insisted on moving forward, the Humans would have no choice but to engage them again. It wouldn’t be hard for them to stop the surviving Black Ink Clan soldiers, but the question was, how many from the North-South Army would still be alive after the dust settled?
These courageous soldiers knew that they might lose their lives at any moment on the battlefield, and it was the same for the Eighth-Order Masters. All of them had proven this in the battle earlier.
As an Army Commander, Mi Jing Lun hoped that he would lead more people to see the day when Great Evolution Pass was retaken while they were still alive instead of letting their names become mere memories on the Monument of Heroes.
That would be meaningless.
He pointed his feather fan forward and said gently, “Let’s see them off.”
Despite his small voice, his order carried across all the Warships. All the soldiers could clearly hear him.
As the Purifying Black Ink Battleship slowly moved forward, the dilapidated Warships followed closely behind it.
The Territory Lords were astounded.
When they realised that the Human Warships were moving as well, they thought that the Humans were not willing to let them go.
This made the Territory Lords furious. They had already disobeyed the order to rescue the Royal City and decided to return to Great Evolution Pass; however, the Humans were still not willing to let them go? Were they so determined to kill them here?
At that instant, the Black Ink Clan soldiers broke into a commotion while the Territory Lords hurriedly suppressed them and ordered them to stay vigilant.
Soon though, they realised that the Humans didn’t intend to fight. Instead, the Humans were just following them with a distance of several hundred thousand kilometres between both parties.
The distance made the Territory Lords feel uneasy; after all, it wasn’t really a safe distance. The Humans could make use of the Warships to launch an attack on them at any moment.
Nevertheless, there was nothing they could do. It wasn’t like they could tell the Humans to back further away, that would just make them appear weak.
With that said, by doing this, the Humans had sent a message to them. They would watch them return to Great Evolution Pass, so they shouldn’t even think about making a detour and heading to the Royal City.
Upon that realisation, the Territory Lords were torn between tears and laughter. They wondered who the Army Commander of the Human Soldiers was. That person was just too cautious.
Since the Humans wanted to watch them return to Great Evolution Pass, there was nothing that the Black Ink Clan could do other than tacitly agree to it.
So what if they don’t agree? It wasn’t like they were willing to fight with the Humans again either.
In such an awkward atmosphere, these two surviving Armies slowly moved towards Great Evolution Pass.
Under Zhe Chong’s leadership, it took the Black Ink Clansmen one month to arrive at this place, but it wasn’t so troublesome when they returned, they just had to go back in a straight line, so it only took them 10 days to arrive at their destination.
With that said, it wasn’t smooth sailing on their way back.
Over the past 100 years, the North-South Army had set up a massive amount of traps around Great Evolution Pass in all directions. Under Zhe Chong’s leadership, the Black Ink Clan soldiers kept changing directions, so they had only triggered some 25% of the traps.
In other words, there were still at least 70% of the traps still left behind.
By going back to Great Evolution Pass in a straight line, the Black Ink Clan soldiers were bound to trigger some of those traps.
Every time they triggered these traps, some of them would lose their lives. Although the Territory Lords had been vigilant, it was impossible for them to avoid these things.
Nevertheless, they were relieved that when they were caught by these traps, the Humans didn’t show any intention of attacking them, they only watched from behind in silence.
It could be said that the journey back to Great Evolution Pass was paved with blood and tears for the Black Ink Clansmen.
When the Black Ink Clan retreated, some of the Humans remained behind at the sight of the battle.
Mi Jing Lun had told some of them to stay so that they could clean up the mess and look for any survivors.
Gong Lian was one of the people who stayed. That was because Mi Jing Lun didn’t sense Ou Yang Lie dying in the battle.
After he killed Zhe Chong, Ou Yang Lie’s aura indeed disappeared all of a sudden, but that wasn’t the same as him being killed.
Therefore, Mi Jing Lun had a reason to believe that Ou Yang Lie was still alive. Perhaps he was just badly injured, so he didn’t even have the strength to return to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship. He had most likely played dead and was now hiding somewhere.
Gong Lian was the best person to handle this matter because he was Ou Yang Lie’s Legacy Disciple. No one in the world was more familiar with Ou Yang Lie than he was.
The area of shattered universe fragments was now filled with the debris of Warships, broken limbs, and hashed meat. The entire void was also full of Black Ink Clouds.
Gong Lian agilely moved around the shattered rocks and debris. When he found Human soldiers who were still alive, he would pull them out and send them to a safe place.
Eventually, there came a moment when he saw a headless corpse.
It was the corpse of a Territory Lord. An aura that was familiar to Gong Lian had been left behind on the wounds. It was the trace of Ou Yang Lie’s Sword Qi.
Since this Territory Lord was killed by Ou Yang Lie, he should have been the Commander of the Black Ink Clan Army.
After staring at the corpse for a while, Gong Lian became at ease and let out a breath. He then said, “Please come out, Honoured Master. You’re no longer a child, so please stop hiding.”
However, no reaction was felt coming from the corpse.
Gong Lian frowned. Suddenly realising something, he hurriedly moved forward and activated his power before slashing across the corpse with his palm.
Although the Territory Lord’s corpse was still sturdy, it couldn’t possibly bear Gong Lian’s attack.
A big cut was formed on the corpse’s stomach, after which a battered figure fell out of it.
Gong Lian promptly supported this figure, only to see that Ou Yang Lie’s face was as pale as a white sheet. His eyes were dyed black, and no part of his skin was intact. His aura was extremely weak, like a candle amidst the storm that might go out at any moment.
Although Ou Yang Lie had managed to kill Zhe Chong by burning his Blood Essence during the battle, his opponent wasn’t a weakling. He was injured by Zhe Chong’s final desperation move; furthermore, he was struck by the backlash of burning his Blood Essence. Surrounded by Black Ink Clansmen, Ou Yang Lie didn’t even have a chance to return to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship; therefore, he promptly decided to activate a Secret Technique to conceal his figure and actually hid inside Zhe Chong’s corpse. That was how he managed to keep himself alive.
It was also thanks to Zhe Chong’s huge figure that he could actually hide inside it.
“Honoured Master, you’re quite miserable!” Gong Lian exclaimed.
Glaring at this good-for-nothing Disciple, Ou Yang Lie snapped, “Brat, if you had come any later, I would’ve killed myself!”
Gong Lian chuckled, “Since you still have the strength to curse at me, it shows that you’re just fine.”
Ou Yang Lie’s eyes became a shade darker as he hurriedly said, “Bring me back to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship right now!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he activated a Secret Technique and passed out, his head slumping to the side.
With a solemn expression, Gong Lian released his Divine Sense and sent a message to his companions, who were looking for survivors nearby. Then, he lugged the unconscious Ou Yang Lie with him and flew towards the fleet of Warships.
He could feel that his Honoured Master was in a perilous situation. Other than the fact that Ou Yang Lie had been struck by the backlash of burning his Blood Essence, he was also invaded by Black Ink Strength. He might turn into a Black Ink Disciple at any moment.
Hence, he wasn’t joking when he said that he would kill himself.
Ou Yang Lie would definitely commit suicide before he was completely corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Although the Humans now had a way to dispel Black Ink Strength, he knew that his Disciple would be the one looking for him, so he was worried that he might accidentally kill his Disciple after he lost his mind.
Fortunately, Gong Lian came to his rescue in time.
Gong Lian moved forward at the speed of lightning; after all, he was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Although he was also injured during the battle, his foundation hadn’t been harmed.
Barely one day later, the pair reached the fleet of Warships and Gong Liang brought his Honoured Master to the inner hall of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
Mi Jing Lun breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the news.
Many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had lost their lives during the battle. All the others who had requested to kill Territory Lords had perished, but at the very least, Ou Yang Lie, the Southern Army Commander, had returned alive.
After dispelling the Black Ink Strength from Ou Yang Lie’s body and settling him down, Mi Jing Lun returned to the deck and watched the Black Ink Clan Army return to Great Evolution Pass.
It took the Black Ink Clan 10 days to retreat to Great Evolution Pass and many of them had lost their lives along the way.
The North-South Army also returned to where the universe fragment where their forward base was once located.
The forward base, which had once been bustling with noise, was now a cloud of debris. Senior Brother Cheng was no longer around to give them valuable lessons, and many familiar faces were gone for good. As Mi Jing Lun recalled the previous battle, he could still remember the glorious moments before each of their deaths.
All of their sacrifices had not been in vain.
They had managed to ensure that the East-West Army wouldn’t be pincered by the enemy.
The Black Ink Clan reinforcements were intercepted before they could arrive at their destination, and they had suffered immense losses. Many of the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples had been slain. The Humans were united as one and doing their best to stop the Black Ink Clan Army, forcing them to return to Great Evolution Pass.
The news was passed on to the Royal City through the Black Ink Nests.
Che Kong was furious as he argued with Hong Di, who was in charge of Great Evolution Pass, through the Black Ink Nests despite being separated by a distance of billions of kilometres. He accused Hong Di of being useless and urged him once again to immediately come to the Royal City.
However, there was nothing Hong Di could do. Although he wanted to save the Royal City as well, he was powerless to do so. After the previous battle, their collective might had been significantly weakened, and about half of the Black Ink Clan soldiers had lost their lives. Even many Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were killed.
When there were still 500,000 soldiers on their side, they were already unable to break through the Humans’ blockade. Even if they went all out now, they wouldn’t be able to leave Great Evolution Pass.
He certainly knew that the Royal City was in a perilous situation, but there was nothing he could do.
Before, the Black Ink Clansmen might have been able to leave Great Evolution Pass, and as long as they were determined enough and not afraid of the losses, they might be able to break through the Humans’ blockade. Now that many of them had lost their lives though, they were trapped inside Great Evolution Pass.
There was no way out for them other than defending Great Evolution Pass.
However, could they really keep Great Evolution Pass? That was the question every Territory Lord had in their mind.
There had only been 30,000 soldiers on the Humans’ side, but they had managed to toy with and repel nearly a million Black Ink Clansmen for over 100 years. While the Black Ink Clansmen were not aware of it, their strength was gradually weakened, and when they finally came to that realization, it was already too late.
If they wanted to leave Great Evolution Pass, there would only be one chance: If the Humans suddenly lost their minds and decided to attack them.
Given the Humans’ current power, if they decided to invade Great Evolution Pass, the Black Ink Clan could make use of the arrangements they had built up over the past 30,000 years to destroy them.
Only by doing so would they be able to remove the obstacle in front of them and head straight to the Royal City.
Unfortunately, the Humans didn’t seem to have the intention of attacking Great Evolution Pass. Apparently, they knew that it was unrealistic for them to launch an assault given their current power. Therefore, after returning, they set up a new forward base and began resting and recuperating.
10 years after the Black Ink Clansmen retreated to Great Evolution Pass for the second time, an intense battle broke out outside the Royal City.
Both the East-West Army and the Black Ink Clan Army were familiar with such battles by now, because over the past 100 years, a battle of such a scale would take place every twenty years.
Every time, the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord would end up being mutually wounded. The Humans would retreat in a hurry after winning some advantages, then the Black Ink Clan soldiers would chase after them for a bit.
It was an endless cycle that never seemed to change.
The Black Ink Clan had become desensitized to this routine. They had already expected that the battle would happen, and they were well prepared.
There were no longer a million Black Ink Clan soldiers around the Royal City, but there were still about 700,000 to 800,000 of them. Although the Black Ink Nest could continuously replenish the manpower for them, it wouldn’t be able to efficiently do so if there were too many losses.
Furthermore, all the power of the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest was used to help with the Royal Lord’s recuperation. For that reason, the birth of new Black Ink Clansmen was delayed.
Although there were a lot of Black Ink Clansmen, only half of them had any kind of usable strength.
Some Black Ink Clansmen lost their lives in every battle, and as time passed, the collective might of the Black Ink Clan Army gradually weakened.
This time, the battle broke out as usual.
The Old Ancestor took the initiative to raise chaos among the Black Ink Clan soldiers; then, the Royal Lord raced out of the Black Ink Nest and the two of them clashed far away from the Royal City.
The Human soldiers struck from the left side of the Royal City, and a large number of Universe Worlds flew in from the right.
The Humans had been using the same tactic again and again over the years.
The Black Ink Clan knew fully well how to deal with them by now, so both parties were now equally matched during the battle.
Based on past experiences, they just had to fend off the Humans for half a day, and the latter would retreat.
However, this time, many Territory Lords felt that something was off.
The Humans seemed to be prioritizing defence this time. They were the attackers, so it was puzzling that they focused on defending themselves.
Nevertheless, that was indeed the truth.
After making contact, the Black Ink Clansmen realised that the Humans were indeed determined to defend themselves this time. In that case, they were less intimidating to the Black Ink Clan.
But why?
While the Black Ink Clansmen were puzzled, an unusual energy fluctuation was felt coming from the depths of the void.
The direction was where the two top Masters were clashing.
Although they had gone to a battlefield that was far away from the Royal City, the fallout of their battle was still transmitted to this place clearly; therefore, both the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and Territory Lords could sense what was going on over there.
Basically, the two top Masters were equally matched every time they fought, and neither of them could gain the upper hand. They would always end up being mutually wounded.
However, something was different this time.
Suddenly, the Old Ancestor’s aura spiked and the strength and the intensity of her attacks increased dramatically. On the other hand, the Royal Lord’s aura weakened by the breath.
The realisation horrified the Territory Lords.
The outcome of the Old Ancestor and Royal Lord’s battle would critically impact the outcome of the entire war. The two of them had always been equally matched, so why was the Royal Lord suddenly at such a massive disadvantage today?
His weakening aura proved this point, and it was not a good sign for the Black Ink Clan.
Initially, the Territory Lords prayed that the Royal Lord was simply caught off guard somehow and found himself temporarily at a disadvantage; after all, when these two Masters fought, there were naturally times when one of them appeared stronger. Every now and then, one of the two would use a powerful Secret Technique, granting them a slight edge in momentum; however, this kind of situation never lasted long and they would soon return to a state of equilibrium.
Nevertheless, as time passed, the Territory Lords realised that something was terribly wrong.
The Royal Lord’s aura continued to weaken, and there were no signs of him turning things around. There was no doubt that he was being completely suppressed now.
On the other hand, the Old Ancestor’s aura stopped surging as it had already reached its peak, a kind of pinnacle that the Black Ink Clan had never felt before.
The Territory Lords had no idea what was happening between these two top Masters, nor did the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples understand what was going on. However, the difference between the two auras made it clear who was winning.
Compared to the Old Ancestor’s dominance, the Royal Lord’s performance was the exact opposite.
All the Human Warships were connected as one, and all their defensive arrays were fully activated. With the help of the Intertwining Branches Formation, the entire fleet was wrapped in a powerful defensive barrier.
As a result, the Human Army’s attacks were weak, but their defence was impenetrable. Furthermore, they maintained a high degree of mobility, so the bombardment of attacks from the Black Ink Clan could not harm the Humans at all.
The anomalies such as the Humans’ unusual tactics, the Old Ancestor’s sudden dominance, and the Royal Lord’s weakening aura threw the Black Ink Clan into a fluster. The Territory Lords faintly realised what was happening, and following Che Kong’s order, the Black Ink Clansmen hurriedly increased the force behind their attacks on the Human Warships in the hope that they could achieve a breakthrough.
Nevertheless, their attempts were futile.
Then came the moment when the World Force in the distance erupted, after which the Royal Lord’s aura took a sharp dive.
A terrified Che Kong turned to look in that direction, then passed down an order.
The next instant, a few Territory Lords led 8 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and 100,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers out of the battlefield towards the place where the top Masters were fighting.
It was at that moment that the Humans, who had always been on the defensive, suddenly launched an all-out attack. As the Spirit Arrays were activated, countless Secret Techniques and artifact attacks were shot from the fleet of Warships and struck the Black Ink Clan soldiers,
Meanwhile, in the depths of the void, far from the Royal City, two figures were flying forward, one escaping, one chasing.
The person in front was covered in thick Black Ink Strength. It was the Royal Lord.
There were originally two black wings on his back, but only one of them remained now. The other one seemed to have been ripped from his body. The wound was still splattering out black blood, with raw flesh being exposed to the void. He looked extremely miserable.
As the Royal Lord escaped, a look of terror filled his face.
This couldn’t be helped though, as the opponent that was supposed to be his equal suddenly exhibited a power that far surpassed his own. How was it possible that he could remain calm and collected?
He had never suffered from such a huge setback since his ascension to the rank of Territory Lord.
Over the years, he had clashed with many powerful Human cultivators, and he even successfully launched a sneak attack on an Old Ancestor 30,000 years ago after he became a Royal Lord. As he collaborated with another Royal Lord, they managed to kill that Old Ancestor.
Therefore, he had always felt that the Humans were nothing much.
On this day though, the Old Ancestor who had been in a confrontation with him for more than 100 years suddenly experienced an unprecedented surge in strength.
It wasn’t until this moment that he realised what was going on.
It wasn’t that he was weaker than the Old Ancestor. If both of them were at their peaks, he wouldn’t have been so battered even if he was slightly weaker.
However, since he was injured by this Old Ancestor for the first time back then, his wounds had never properly healed. What’s more, he would be injured again and again every 20 years. Before his old wounds could heal, new ones would be inflicted. The same thing repeatedly happened over the past 100 years, and so his injuries had only exacerbated.
Initially, he thought that it was the same case for the Human Old Ancestor. If the information given to him was correct, it was extremely difficult for this female Old Ancestor to recover from her wounds, so how much could she recover in a mere 20 years?
Over the years, the Old Ancestor would always appear to be injured whenever they fought, resulting in them indeed being equally matched.
It wasn’t until this day that he realised he had been deceived.
The Old Ancestor had fully recovered; not just this time, but every time in the past when they clashed. She just pretended to be wounded so that he would drop his guard. As they engaged in intense fights over the years, she gradually ensured that his injuries only deepened.
After accumulating such a huge advantage, she finally bared her bloody fangs today.
Both of them were supposedly equally matched, but one of them was in peak condition while the other was plagued by numerous heavy injuries. There was no doubt about who would win such a fight.
It wouldn’t have mattered if it was just about deciding victory or defeat, but what the Royal Lord was terrified of was that since the Old Ancestor had patiently spent 100 years laying out this trap for him, her intention definitely wasn’t just to injure him again.
What she was after this time was his life!
An Old Ancestor would only exercise such patience and prudence in order to kill a Royal Lord.
Presently, he was remorseful of his own fallibility. He should have figured out that this woman wasn’t as badly injured as he thought. He also shouldn’t have left the Royal City and followed her to such a distant battlefield.
More than anything, he was resentful of the Royal Lord from the Yin-Yang Theatre, who had misled him. If not for the fact that he completely trusted the information she had given him, he wouldn’t have fallen into such a pitiful state.
Regardless, it was pointless to cry over spilled milk. Now, he had to focus on how he could escape from the Old Ancestor and return to the Royal City.
As long as he could return to the Royal City, he could make use of his Black Ink Nest to repel his opponent. With it, he would have the capital to fight back.
However, his chances were slim.
The Old Ancestor had been preparing for this moment for more than 100 years, so she certainly wouldn’t give him a chance to flee. Proof of this was that at the start of the fight, she had lured him somewhere much further away from the Royal City than normal. Now, in his current state, it would take him at least an hour to return to the Royal City.
An hour was more than enough time for the Old Ancestor to cut off his head.
While he was running away, he felt horrifying Secret Techniques coming at him from behind. Although he had been trying his best to dodge and resist, every time he was struck his strength sank even further.
Behind him, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was relentlessly chasing after him. As she performed different hand seals, she cast Secret Techniques that she had never displayed before.
Her expression was calm. She didn’t show any elation or expectation about killing a powerful foe of the same calibre.
That was because she knew that everything was still uncertain before the last moment came.
Even the Territory Lords and Feudal Lords had methods to save their lives at the critical moment, not to mention that she was after a Royal Lord. If he didn’t still think he had a chance to survive, instead of fleeing, he would have turned around and tried to bring her down with him.
Although she had been patient over the years waiting for this day, and had made a lot of prior arrangements, she didn’t have the confidence that she would succeed in the end.
She could only do her best and let the Heavens make the decision. However, from the looks of it, it was highly likely that she would succeed.
…..
Presently, several Territory Lords were leading 8 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and 100,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers over from the Royal City to assist the Royal Lord. The Human soldiers also chose to strike at that moment.
Just by looking in the direction the detachment of Black Ink Clan soldiers was heading, Xiang Shan knew where they were going. If everything went well, this would be the final battle here at the Royal City. The Old Ancestor was the key to winning the war, so the Humans definitely couldn’t let those Black Ink Clan soldiers disturb her.
Therefore, under Xiang Shan’s leadership, the Human Warships did their best to intercept them.
On the other hand, Che Kong led even more Black Ink Clan soldiers to stop the Humans. As both parties clashed, the originally dry battlefield was filled with rivers of blood as countless people on both sides lost their lives.
In the end, the East-West Army was unable to stop the detached force from the Black Ink Clan. Although they had done their best, there were too few people on their side. With Che Kong and his Army restraining the Humans, the Territory Lords still managed to leave with those Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clan soldiers.
During the intense battle, both parties used all sorts of amazing Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities. Be it the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were already aware of it or the Territory Lords who had figured it out, they knew that this clash would determine the future trend of the entire Great Evolution Theatre.
None of them would hold back their powers in such a fight, all of them bringing out their hidden trump cards in hopes of settling things here once and for all.
One hour later, in the depths of the void, the Royal Lord’s injuries had grown worse. Faced with the Old Ancestor’s relentless attacks, he was unable to keep himself safe even though he had focused all his efforts on defending himself and escaping.
If this dragged on, he would perish before he returned to the Royal City.
He had never expected that he would be so close to death one day.
Since the day he became a Royal Lord, he had always believed that he had become immortal and indestructible.
However, only 30,000 years had passed, and it was just the first war he had against an Old Ancestor on his own. It never crossed his mind that this female Old Ancestor would have the capability to kill him.
Compared to others, he had only been a Royal Lord for a very short time.
The Royal City was within his sight, and as long as he persevered for a while more, he could connect with his Black Ink Nest and make use of its power.
Unfortunately, he didn’t expect to have that chance.
Just as dejection was setting in, he saw a large number of Black Ink Clansmen coming to his rescue from the Royal City.
At that, he was ecstatic.
The Human language was an art. Both Races had been in a confrontation with each other for countless years, and although the Black Ink Clan looked down on Humans, thinking that they should become their subordinates and slaves, they were constantly being influenced by the Human Race.
For example, the Humans’ habits and sayings had subtly influenced the Black Ink Clan over the years.
The Royal Lord had heard an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple say that ‘every cloud has a silver lining’, and ‘there’s always a way out’. At that time, he dismissed it, thinking that it was something only a loser would say, and it was complete nonsense.
However, he finally realised that there was some truth in the saying after all.
At the most critical moment, some Territory Lords and several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clan soldiers were coming to his rescue. It seemed there was a silver lining for him.
Behind him, the Old Ancestor’s attacks became even more aggressive. It was apparent that she had spotted those Black Ink Clansmen as well. She wanted to kill the Royal Lord before they could join together, but she was unlikely to be able to achieve that goal in the time allotted.
Still, given the current state of affairs, it was unrealistic to think that these few Black Ink Clansmen could stop the Old Ancestor.
Although there were some Territory Lords, 8 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, and several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clan soldiers, that was not nearly enough to block the Old Ancestor if she was determined to break through their lines.
Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, the Royal Lord released his Divine Sense and secretly sent an order to the Territory Lords who were coming towards him.
The Territory Lords were startled for a moment before resolve filled their faces.
Thick Black Ink Strength started billowing from the Territory Lords’ bodies while the Black Ink Clan soldiers had already done so before the Territory Lords acted.
Endless Black Ink Strength formed into a gigantic Black Ink Cloud. As Black Ink Strength rapidly left their bodies, the Territory Lords and their subordinates felt their vitality weakening by the breath.
To Black Ink Clan, Black Ink Strength was their foundation, just like what World Force was to Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Such a crazy act was no different from an Open Heaven Realm Master shattering their own Small Universe. In the best-case scenario, their cultivation would regress, and in the worst-case scenario, they would directly lose their lives.
Usually, no Black Ink Clansmen would be willing to do such a thing; however, since it was the Royal Lord’s order, the Territory Lords could only oblige, not to mention the Black Ink Clansmen below the Territory Lords.
The moment the Royal Lord’s order was passed down, the lower-ranking soldiers started wantonly releasing their Black Ink Strength. They were clearly more obedient than the Territory Lords, so they had taken action sooner.
On the other hand, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples dashed out of the huge Black Ink Cloud and rushed over to the Royal Lord’s side.
Although they were Black Ink Disciples, whose Small Universes had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength, the Black Ink Strength in their bodies was impure; hence, it couldn’t support the Secret Technique that the Royal Lord was about to cast. That was the reason they didn’t have to imitate the Territory Lords.
The Royal Lord hoped that these 8 would be able to stall the Old Ancestor at least for a while.
At that instant, with the Territory Lords taking the initiative, Black Ink Strength billowed from several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clansmen and formed into a Black Ink Cloud, inside of which more and more of them perished.
Meanwhile, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples skirted past the Royal Lord and clashed with the Old Ancestor.
If these 8 were ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, they would have been able to handle an Old Ancestor for a brief moment by joining forces.
However, they were just Black Ink Disciples, and even though they were in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, they were even weaker than Territory Lords as they had forcibly exceeded their innate limits.
It could be said that they were the weakest Eighth-Order Masters possible.
Such beings wouldn’t be able to intercept an Old Ancestor even if they joined together.
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple at the front only managed to wield his sword once before he was beheaded by the Old Ancestor. Blood spurted from his neck, and the headless corpse was blown away by the impact.
The attack he had cast only caused a flesh wound on the Old Ancestor’s figure.
In order to break through the blockade of these Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples in the shortest time possible, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao focused all her efforts on attacking and didn’t bother defending herself at all. That was because she knew that if the battle dragged on, the Royal Lord might be able to turn things around, and all her previous efforts would all go to waste.
She then landed a palm on an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple, which caused his figure to tremble and his World Force to become a mess. It was obvious that his Small Universe had been struck.
The Old Ancestor didn’t even spare him a second glance. As she brushed past him, this Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple exploded into blood mist.
Seeing that, the other Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples turned pale. When they fought with the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from the East-West Army back then, they already realised that there was a wide gap between their strengths. Although it was a big difference, it wasn’t enough to make them feel despondent. It wasn’t until this moment that they realised they were completely powerless to deal with the Old Ancestor.
Nevertheless, as Black Ink Disciples, they could only obey the Royal Lord. Even the Territory Lords were willing to sacrifice themselves to assist the Royal Lord, let alone them.
Therefore, after the two Black Ink Disciples were killed, the rest of the Black Ink Disciples didn’t hesitate to activate their powers and spread out their Small Universes to cover the void.
Every Small Universe was like a cage, and in order to leave, the Old Ancestor could only shatter these Small Universes.
This was the only way they could think of to slow the Old Ancestor down.
The moment these Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples spread out their Small Universes, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, whose expression had always been calm and indifferent, couldn’t help but appear sorrowful and dejected.
If there was a chance, she would rather bring these Black Ink Disciples back and dispel the Black Ink Strength from their bodies instead of killing them; however, she knew these Black Ink Disciples could no longer be saved even if they were brought back to the Humans’ side. Without the Black Ink Strength’s support, their Small Universes couldn’t accommodate their cultivation and they would inevitably explode.
Perhaps death was the best release for them.
A glow radiated around the Old Ancestor’s figure, and her World Force surged madly.
She directly broke the first Small Universe that served as the cage, then the second, then the third…
When she broke through their blockade, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples behind her, who were seated with their legs crossed, had become extremely frail. The illusory phantoms of their Small Universes were broken, and their World Forces were madly escaping from their bodies.
Their Small Universes had been shattered by the Old Ancestor. When their World Forces were gone for good, they would lose their lives, unless they had a way to repair their Small Universes before that.
Nevertheless, even if they immediately consumed Profound Yin Spirit Fruits, their Small Universes still wouldn’t be fixed. After the Old Ancestor broke through their blockade, the Small Universes of these Black Ink Disciples had become shattered like broken mirrors.
The Black Ink Disciples’ efforts were not in vain though. Although they had only managed to stall the Old Ancestor for a few breaths of time, the Royal Lord had used a Secret Technique to swallow the Black Ink Cloud that was formed from the Black Ink Strength of the Territory Lords and Black Ink Clan soldiers.
The Royal Lord, who was originally listless and weak, became energetic all of a sudden.
However, he had no intention of fighting with Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao. Instead, he put all his renewed strength into escaping towards the Royal City. Although he was now in a better state after consuming so much Black Ink Strength, that was not his own power and was thus somewhat incompatible with him. He wouldn’t have used this Secret Technique if there was any other way around the current crisis.
As long as he could return to the Royal City though, he could make use of the Black Ink Nest to repel the Old Ancestor. That was the power he could control as he pleased.
The moment Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao broke through the blockade of the several Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, she saw the Royal Lord trying to run away. Certainly, she wouldn’t allow that to happen.
On her left palm, Yin and Yang were born, and on her right palm, chaos manifested. As she clasped her hands together, her eyes turned blood red. The next instant, she thrust a single finger at the Royal Lord, who was running away.
Although she didn’t seem to have exerted much force with her finger, the Royal Lord was shaken to his core.
Without hesitation, he turned around and released all the Black Ink Strength he had just consumed. That Black Ink Strength turned into a violent torrent that struck towards the Old Ancestor.
As the brutal forces clashed, the Royal Lord felt a profound power breaking through the Black Ink Strength and piercing his chest, causing black blood to burst from a fresh wound.
What terrified him was that there was a strange power festering in his wound that he could not expel.
His aura plunged again, and he became even weaker than before.
Just as he thought he would lose his life, he lifted his gaze and saw that the Old Ancestor had become far less intimidating.
He was elated, thinking that even though the Secret Technique he was struck with was incredibly powerful, it wasn’t easy for the Old Ancestor to use it.
Seizing the chance, he promptly escaped.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao froze in the same spot for a moment, then gritted her teeth and continued chasing after him.
Behind them, the corpses of the Territory Lords and Black Ink Clan soldiers hovered in the void.
Usually, these Territory Lords and several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clan soldiers wouldn’t all pass away. Although they had released their Black Ink Strength for the Royal Lord to consume, some of them would have survived.
However, be it the Feudal Lords or even Territory Lords, the Royal Lord did not hesitate to absorb all their Black Ink Strength. As he fully activated his power, he drew out every bit of Black Ink Strength in their bodies.
It could be said that these Territory Lords and Black Ink Clan soldiers were killed by the Royal Lord.
They had paid a huge price just to give him a chance to flee.
Outside the Royal City, the East-West Army and the Black Ink Clan Army were still locked in an intense battle. The Humans had gained the upper hand, so there was no doubt that the Black Ink Clan soldiers were on the losing side.
There were two reasons why it turned out this way. Firstly, the Black Ink Clan Army had scattered around. On the left side of the Royal City, they had to intercept the Human soldiers, while some of them had to stay on the right side of the Royal City to deal with the incoming Universe Worlds. Moreover, some Territory Lords had brought a number of Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and 100,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers to rescue the Royal Lord.
For that reason, only 400,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers were fighting the Humans right now.
Secondly, the Black Ink Clan’s collective strength had significantly weakened over the years.
These 400,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers were not comparable to the ones from Great Evolution Pass that the North-South Army had clashed with. The Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass were all elites. However, the ones outside the Royal City were made up of many replacements for those killed in previous battles, so their average power had plunged.
Furthermore, there were dozens of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who took part in this fight, so the Black Ink Clansmen were unable to resist the Humans even though they had the advantage in numbers.
In such a situation, something that was terrifying to the Black Ink Clan happened.
Their pillar of strength, the Royal Lord, was returning from the void, looking completely bloody and battered.
Presently, the Royal Lord was in a miserable condition. Black blood continuously spurted out of the wound on his chest, and while there were originally two wings on his back, only one of them was left now.
Forget the Humans, even the Territory Lords had never seen the Royal Lord so feeble before, which went to show that he had suffered a huge loss in his fight against the Old Ancestor.
The Royal Lord hadn’t returned to the Royal City, but as soon as he entered the range of his Black Ink Nest, he connected with it and madly drew energy from it.
The next instant, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s figure appeared and the two top Masters clashed above the Royal City.
Violent explosions burst forth as the World Force and Black Ink Strength clashed. The space around the Royal City warped and cracked under the weight of the clash.
Although these two top Masters had exchanged moves on several occasions near the Royal City over the past 100 years, the battle on this day was by far the most intense.
Both the Humans and Black Ink Clansmen were acutely aware that this was a life-and-death battle.
What terrified the Black Ink Clansmen was that even though the Royal Lord had the support of the Black Ink Nest, he was still at a clear disadvantage.
This was hard for the Black Ink Clan to accept.
One had to know that with the Black Ink Nest’s help, the Royal Lord could use a much greater power than normal. It could be said that as long as the Royal Lord was within the Black Ink Nest’s range of coverage, no Old Ancestor would be a match for him.
However, it was the complete opposite now.
There was nothing wrong with the Black Ink Nest. Over the years, whenever a battle broke out, there would always be two or three Territory Lords or Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples who stayed back to prevent the Humans from launching a sneak attack and ward off the fallout of the battle between the two top Masters so that the High-Rank Black Ink Nest wouldn’t be harmed. At the same time, countless resources would be poured into the Black Ink Pool to be turned into energy and absorbed by the Black Ink Nest.
The Royal Lord was the problem here.
His injuries were too severe, so even though he had the Black Ink Nest’s help now, he still couldn’t match the Old Ancestor.
If the Royal Lord was killed, how would the rest of the Black Ink Clansmen survive?
After a brief moment of fear and unease, the Black Ink Clan soldiers became even more fierce. The fact that the Royal Lord was at a disadvantage didn’t make them lose the courage to resist; instead, their survival instincts had been ignited.
The leaders of the East-West Army sensitively noticed this. Xiang Shan and Liu Zhi Ping promptly ordered the Human soldiers to put more emphasis on defence so that they could persevere in a prolonged fight with the Black Ink Clan soldiers.
Profound forces undulated as the two Armies clashed. Impacted by the battle between the two top Masters, the Void itself became shattered.
The Royal Lord was in an increasingly battered state. Although he was at a disadvantage, with the help of the Black Ink Nest, he was still someone who was difficult to deal with. The Old Ancestor had launched several fatal attacks, but her attempts proved futile. Instead, she was almost badly injured when the Royal Lord seized a chance to counterattack.
This made her realise she had to be extra careful when dealing with this opponent.
She knew that a Royal Lord was the most powerful Master in the Black Ink Clan who was on an equal footing with an Old Ancestor, so it wasn’t easy to kill one. Nevertheless, this chance was hard to come by. She had spent 100 years trying to shape the outcome of the war, so it would be such a shame if she failed at the last moment.
Therefore, she had to give it a shot no matter what.
One hour later, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao finally found a chance. Just as the Black Ink Nest seemed to stop operating smoothly for a brief moment, she cast a Divine Ability at the Royal Lord.
An unprepared Royal Lord was struck by the Divine Ability and in an instant, he was engulfed in a dazzling light.
At the same time, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao grunted as blood spurted from her lips.
It wasn’t a pretence this time. When she exchanged moves with the Royal Lord in the past, she showed signs of being injured on several occasions, but those were mostly just acts she put on.
This time, she was really hurt. The moment she made a move, the Royal Lord also sent out a fatal attack at her. Instead of dodging the attack, she endured it so that she wouldn’t miss the chance to kill her opponent.
As the light went out though, the Royal Lord’s figure was revealed.
A hint of disappointment flashed through Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s eyes.
The Divine Ability did not yield the result she had hoped for. Although her opponent had become even weaker, he was still able to fight.
If she kept pressuring the Royal Lord, he would be forced to engage in a mutually destructive battle. By then, she might not be able to survive.
[It should end here.] She secretly sighed. It had been 100 years since she started preparing for this day, so it was such a shame that she eventually couldn’t succeed.
With that said, it wasn’t a terrible outcome. At the very least, they had achieved the goal that Xiang Shan had set before they departed from Wind and Cloud Pass.
The two top Masters tacitly agreed to stop fighting all of a sudden, which directly influenced the two Armies that were locked in an intense battle.
The Black Ink Clan soldiers were still puzzled, but the Humans had already expected this outcome.
Therefore, the moment Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao ceased her attack, the Human Warships started retreating. Considering the fact that the Old Ancestor was watching them, the Black Ink Clan soldiers wouldn’t dare to pursue the Humans and could only let them leave even after suffering so much at their hands.
A moment later, the Humans were already several hundred thousand kilometres away. Although many of the Warships were damaged, the Humans were still a menacing force and certainly had the strength to engage in another bout.
Behind the Humans was the Old Ancestor who stood there in silence. She didn’t make a move, nor did she retreat, as though she was waiting for something.
In such silence, the Black Ink Clan Army felt smothered, as though a mountain was pressing down on them, causing them to be ill at ease.
Time passed by slowly.
A moment later, the Black Ink Clan soldiers broke into a commotion.
This couldn’t be helped, as more than 10 Universe Worlds that were full of arrays came flying at the Royal City. Presently, they could already see the gleaming arrays on those Universe Worlds, so they would arrive in no time.
About 30% of the Black Ink Clan soldiers were still on the right side of the Royal City as they didn’t take part in the previous battle. Their job had always been to intercept the Universe Worlds; that had never changed.
In fact, they had done an excellent job. Other than the first time when they accidentally let a fragment of a Universe World strike the Royal City, they managed to stop all the Universe Worlds in the following battles.
However, they had also paid a huge price for this.
Sometimes, these Universe Worlds would come quickly. They arrived at the Royal City almost at the same time as the Humans. Sometimes, they would be late, not appearing until the Humans retreated.
This was apparently part of the Humans’ strategy, which was to use these Universe Worlds to restrain the Black Ink Clan soldiers. The Humans already had fewer people on their side to begin with, so if they let the Black Ink Clan consolidate all its forces, it would be a tough fight for them.
It was the slowest this time since the Humans started using Universe Worlds to attack the Royal City.
It wasn’t certain whether it was coincidental or intentional. Both Armies had stopped attacking each other, and the two top Masters had halted their fight. It wasn’t until this moment that these Universe Worlds finally arrived.
Without any disruption, it wouldn’t be hard for these Black Ink Clansmen to intercept the Universe Worlds.
Therefore, the moment the Universe Worlds appeared, the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, who had stayed on the right side, started taking action.
A Territory Lord was the first one to charge forward, but as soon as he made a move, he felt a dangerous aura engulfing him.
The next instant, an immense force exploded in his mind, causing him to feel a sharp pain in his head which froze him on the spot.
Knowing that he had been attacked, the Territory Lord was astounded. Moreover, the attacker was none other than the Old Ancestor, who had remained unmoving and silent while hovering in the void.
The Territory Lord didn’t understand why the Old Ancestor had used her Spiritual Energy to attack him as her opponent was supposed to be the Royal Lord.
The two top Masters were confronting each other in silence, so supposedly, when one of them made a rash move, the other would surely react.
Therefore, even though the Territory Lord was astounded, he wasn’t afraid. That was because he believed that the Royal Lord would save him.
Unfortunately for him, he was wrong. The Royal Lord just stood there and stared at the Old Ancestor in silence. The next moment, she charged towards the Territory Lord who had been affected by her Soul Secret Technique and extended her hand, after which she easily beheaded him.
Black blood started spurting out of the Territory Lord’s neck while Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao swiftly returned to her original spot with a head in her hand. The widened eyes of this head suggested that the Territory Lord was unresigned before his death.
In the blink of an eye, a powerful Territory Lord had lost his life.
The other Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, who were about to make a move, froze and stared vigilantly at Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, worried that she would kill them as well.
Soon, they were relieved that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao stopped making another move after killing the first Territory Lord. She remained standing there.
If not for the fact that there was a headless corpse on the battlefield and Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was holding a fresh head in her hand, all the Black Ink Clansmen would have thought that it was just an illusion.
They were all puzzled.
They didn’t understand why the Old Ancestor had made a move all of a sudden. Since the battle had ended, why did she kill a Territory Lord at this point?
They were even more perplexed at the fact that the Royal Lord didn’t react to it at all. Given his power, it wouldn’t be hard for him to stop the Old Ancestor. However, he was just standing there, doing nothing.
The Universe Worlds were rapidly approaching, so if they didn’t stop them now, it would be too late. They would be the ones facing the Royal Lord’s wrath if the Royal City was damaged.
Therefore, even though these Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were wary, they had no choice but to fulfil their duty.
However, the same thing happened again.
The moment they made a move, they were engulfed in a great sense of danger, which caused them to be rooted to the spot. At the same time, the Old Ancestor had disappeared.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao reappeared a moment later, as though she had never moved at all, but there was another head in her grasp.
A strange noise that suggested that another Territory Lord had lost his life was heard coming from the Black Ink Clan’s side.
This horrified the Black Ink Clan soldiers.
The two people who were killed were Territory Lords. The Old Ancestor had consecutively made a move and easily beheaded two Territory Lords. It suggested that without the Royal Lord stopping her, the Old Ancestor could kill anyone as she pleased even though she was injured.
What puzzled them was that the Royal Lord still didn’t react.
However, after the Old Ancestor made a move twice, they finally realised something.
The Territory Lords that she had killed were the ones who took the initiative to intercept the Universe Worlds.
By specifically targeting these two Territory Lords, the Old Ancestor had sent a clear message; she would kill anyone who dared to make a move.
What was she trying to achieve? Was she determined to stop them from intercepting the Universe Worlds? Could they only watch?
That was outrageous!
The Royal Lord, who had been silent since his return to the Royal City, couldn’t take it anymore as he roared, “Don’t go too far!”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao turned to look at him with a pair of dispassionate eyes; then, the next instant, she made a move again.
Having experienced what just happened earlier, the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were wary of whatever the Old Ancestor did. Seeing her disappear, they hurriedly raised their guards.
Most of the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples would be safe, but there would always be someone who was unlucky.
There were no noises that suggested there had been a fight. When Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao reappeared in her original spot, she had grasped a Territory Lord in her hand.
This time, it was a Territory Lord who was alive and kicking, not just a head.
Although the Territory Lord was several times larger than Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, who didn’t seem to exert much force with her hand, he was unable to struggle out of her grasp regardless of how hard he tried.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao gazed at the furious Royal Lord and lifted her blemish-free chin in a provocative manner, “I’ll do whatever I want!”
Saying so, she exerted more force with her hand. As her World Force surged, a horrifying pressure squeezed the Territory Lord.
Soon, the Territory Lord’s figure contorted and a series of bone-cracking sounds were heard. With a horrified look, he struggled fiercely as he looked in the Royal Lord’s direction, pleading with him, “Sir Royal Lord, save me!”
A hint of conflict flashed through the Royal Lord’s eyes, but he soon decided not to make a move.
Countless soldiers of both Races watched as the Old Ancestor, who was standing between the two Armies, squeezed the Territory Lord to death with her World Force. Under such immense pressure, the Territory Lord eventually exploded, his blood and flesh scattering about.
The Black Ink Clansmen were infuriated, but deep down, they were also terrified.
The Old Ancestor had repeatedly made a move and killed three Territory Lords, which went to show how domineering she was. On the other hand, the Royal Lord only watched from the side without doing anything.
They were in an awkward situation.
No Royal Lord was willing to see his Territory Lords being slaughtered without even trying to save them, for that would have a huge impact on his authority. The only reason he would not act was simply because he was unable to save his subordinates.
It seemed that the Royal Lord was more severely injured than the Territory Lords thought; therefore, even though the Old Ancestor killed three Territory Lords and taunted him in such a provocative manner, the Royal Lord could only choke down the insult.
The Territory Lords wouldn’t dare to move a muscle.
Without the Royal Lord’s help, they wouldn’t be able to fend off the Old Ancestor who was determined to kill regardless of how careful they were.
Since the Territory Lords remained unmoving, their subordinates wouldn’t dare to make a move either.
Everyone was just standing in the same spot, so anxious that it was as though they were sitting on pins and needles.
Even though they didn’t make a move though, the Universe Worlds wouldn’t stop approaching the Royal City because of that. More than 10 breaths after the third Territory Lord died, the Universe Worlds arrived.
Given the close proximity, if they still didn’t take action, the 30% of the Black Ink Clan soldiers stationed on the right side of the Royal City would be hit. By then, not only would they be injured or killed, the Royal City would also be devastated as well.
Regardless of whether they made a move or not, they would be doomed.
A Territory Lord finally couldn’t take it anymore as he cast a violent Secret Technique at the Universe Worlds. At the same time, he remained vigilant against the Old Ancestor.
What surprised him was that even though the Old Ancestor had locked onto him with her aura, she didn’t attempt to kill him.
This made him feel ecstatic, as though he had just escaped from death’s door.
With such a precedent, the other Black Ink Clan soldiers also started taking action. At that instant, countless Secret Techniques formed into a black torrent that bombarded the Universe Worlds.
Still, the Old Ancestor remained unmoving.
Seeing that, the Black Ink Clan soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed to them that as long as they stayed in the same spot instead of moving, the Old Ancestor wouldn’t kill them.
However, the truth was different.
The Old Ancestor had been patiently preparing for this day for the past 100 years. Every time she clashed with the Royal Lord, she had to pretend that her injuries hadn’t healed while also suppressing some of her power so that the Royal Lord wouldn’t discover the truth.
It wasn’t easy to deceive a Royal Lord, so it had been a constant struggle for Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao for the past 100 years.
The advantage she accumulated over the years was perfectly hidden by the Old Ancestor, and when there was finally a chance, she unleashed her full might against her opponent. For the first time in her life, she saw hope to kill a Royal Lord, and if not for the Territory Lords and Black Ink Clan soldiers who rushed over from the Royal City earlier, she would have succeeded.
As long as the Royal Lord died, no one else would be a match for her and the Humans would soon fully occupy the Great Evolution Theatre.
Such a victory had never happened before in history.
Initially, she had the chance to set a precedent for the entire Human Race, but her plan was foiled by those Territory Lords and Black Ink Clan soldiers. Although many of the Territory Lords, Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, and Black Ink Clan soldiers lost their lives in the process, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was still displeased.
Since she was unable to end the Royal Lord’s life, it was pointless no matter how many Territory Lords and Black Ink Clan soldiers she killed.
It could be said that she had been vexed since these Territory Lords led the Black Ink Clan soldiers to lend the Royal Lord a hand.
100 years of effort had gone to waste because of them, and there wouldn’t be such a chance again in the future. After suffering such a setback, the Royal Lord would always be wary of her.
When the Royal Lord returned to the Royal City and exchanged moves with her, she knew that there was no longer any hope to kill him, unless she was determined to perish together with him.
Although she was unable to kill the Royal Lord, she could vent her anger on some of these annoying Territory Lords.
The Royal Lord wouldn’t dare to stop her, nor was he able to do so; therefore, he could only watch in silence.
In fact, he even hoped that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao would kill more Territory Lords.
Although the Royal Lord had no idea what kind of an amazing Secret Technique that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had used to kill a Territory Lord in the blink of an eye, after using it three times, he was certain that this Secret Technique had to be quite energy-consuming. That was because even though she was an Old Ancestor, she couldn’t possibly behead a Territory Lord with no effort.
He was just as powerful as an Old Ancestor, so he had the confidence to make such a judgement. That was because it also wasn’t possible for him to kill an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with ease, unless he used his Royal Lord Secret Technique that would only be used in moments of extreme need.
However, once the Royal Lord Secret Technique was cast, the Royal Lord himself would be significantly weakened for a time, which was a huge drawback on the battlefield. Therefore, the Royal Lords never used this trump card unless absolutely necessary.
After the previous battle, the Royal Lord was injured and had fled back to the Royal City in a fluster, but it wasn’t like Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was completely unharmed. If she repeatedly used this Secret Technique, she would soon run out of stamina, giving him an opening to get his revenge.
However, he couldn’t tell the Territory Lords about his speculations, nor could he order them to provoke the Old Ancestor; therefore, he could only watch in silence.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao never made a move again.
She had naturally figured out what the Royal Lord was plotting; moreover, if she continued to make a move at this point, it would be no different from forcing the Royal Lord to engage in a life-or-death battle with her.
After all, the Royal Lord wouldn’t allow the Royal City to be destroyed no matter what. That was because his Black Ink Nest was in the Royal City and was of critical importance to him and the entire Black Ink Clan in the Great Evolution Theatre.
In this silent exchange, the two top Masters each tacitly made a concession in order to not shatter the last sliver of calm. The price that the Black Ink Clan had to pay was the lives of three Territory Lords and the trouble that ensued.
The Universe Worlds were menacing, so although the Black Ink Clan soldiers had done their best to intercept them, they had missed the best opportunity to act because of Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s intimidation earlier.
The moment the Universe Worlds were shattered, the explosions of the installed arrays covered the void and universe fragments of varying sizes rained down on the Royal City.
Countless Black Ink Clan soldiers lost their lives as the Royal City trembled under the impact.
It was apparent that the Black Ink Clan soldiers on the right side of the Royal City were unable to ward off these Universe Worlds completely.
Following Che Kong’s order, the soldiers that had just clashed with the Humans on the left side went over to help. Fortunately, both the Old Ancestor and the Humans didn’t react to this.
As the Black Ink Clan soldiers rallied together, they finally managed to stop all the Universe Worlds.
Several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clan soldiers were killed in the process, and the Universe World where the Royal City was located was severely damaged, losing as much as 30% of its land mass. Many structures in the Royal City had been levelled.
Only the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest remained perfectly intact.
That was because there had always been several Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples guarding the Black Ink Nest. Regardless of how intense the battle between the Races was, they would never move from their posts or let anything harm the Black Ink Nest.
The noise slowly died down.
The Black Ink Clan Army was completely battered.
After staring at the Royal Lord for a while, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao curled up her lips and sneered. Then, she turned around and shouted, “Withdraw!”
Aboard the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, Xiang Shan passed down an order loudly through his Divine Sense, “Retreat!”
The Human Warships turned around and headed to the forward base while behind, the Black Ink Clan soldiers let out a breath of relief.
The battle had finally ended.
On the deck of Dawning Light, Yang Kai sighed.
Before the battle started, he had received a secret order from Xiang Shan to charge towards the Royal City and destroy the Black Ink Nest if there was a chance.
Even though it was a High-Rank Black Ink Nest, it had almost no defensive strength. Given the fact that Yang Kai was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, as long as he got close enough, he could easily destroy it.
He was the best suited for this job because he was a Master of the Dao of Space.
Since the start of the war, Yang Kai had been looking for such a chance, but there was never an opportunity for him to make a move.
Given his Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation now, it wasn’t hard for him to get close to the Black Ink Nest using Instantaneous Movement, but he couldn’t defeat the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples on guard there. As soon as he appeared, he would be killed by them before he could damage the Black Ink Nest.
It had been almost 150 years since the East-West Army arrived in the Great Evolution Theatre.
Over the years, the East-West Army had clashed with the Black Ink Clan on eight occasions, and each time they managed to kill a lot of their enemies.
It could be said that in this war, they were very close to success, but they ultimately didn’t manage to achieve their goal.
As Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao would always recuperate in Yang Kai’s Small Universe, he had access to information that the average soldiers wouldn’t; therefore, he was aware of the ultimate plan, so the moment he saw the injured Royal Lord returning to the Royal City, he knew that the plan wouldn’t succeed.
However, the end result wasn’t terrible.
The Black Ink Clan soldiers responsible for protecting the Royal City were practically half-dead now with more than half of the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples having been killed. If not for the fact that the Royal Lord could make use of the Black Ink Nest to strengthen himself, they could have easily destroyed the Royal City. Unfortunately, the Royal Lord had returned alive. With the Black Ink Nest’s help, he still had the capital to drag Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao down with him in death.