Feng Ying sighed, “It’s not that I’m concerned, just some things that have been bothering me to see.”
And so, she told him.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded at what he heard, “Truly? How come I never noticed it?”
Feng Ying could not help but roll her eyes, “That’s why I say that you men are all blind. That Miao Fei Ping is like this, and so are you. That day, her eyes were practically melting when she came out of your Small Universe, but you didn’t even notice.”
Yang Kai scratched his head in confusion.
“Based on the time frame, shouldn’t they be in retreat to consolidate their cultivation right now? Why did she come out to ask you to let her join our Squad?” Yang Kai asked.
Feng Ying answered, “No no, she didn’t do that. She just brought it up back then when we were on the way back after they just broke through. I told her that we can only accept members when a battle happens and the number of our Dawn’s Squad members went down, so she said she didn’t want to join Dawn anymore. This girl has a good foundation. While the others are still stabilizing their cultivation, she has already come out of retreat several days ago and specifically came over to offer her help.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “Her cultivation has stabilized after just over a year? Have you checked to make sure?”
Feng Ying snorted, “How could I be sloppy about such things?”
Yang Kai nodded. Thinking back to what she told Feng Ying earlier, he praised, “She’s quite a sensible girl.”
“Yes, and it’s her sensible nature that makes it so hard to reject her,” Feng Ying sighed, “Unfortunately, Miao Boy did not even notice it in the slightest. I don’t even know if he’s really a fool or just acting.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “But Dawn is still full. It’s unfair for us to break the rules for just one person. If I were to bring this matter up, then it would make things difficult for the Army Commanders in the future, too.”
Feng Ying nodded, “Fair enough. Never mind, we’ll see how things go. These are youthful problems either way, I don’t have the time or energy to worry about them.”
“That’s exactly the attitude to have!” Yang Kai nodded. Then, he suddenly changed the subject, “But then again, Senior Sister, it’s time for you to advance to the Eighth Order. It’s not a good idea to stay in the Seventh Order forever.”
Feng Ying squinted at him, “Such matters are dependent on opportunity. If the opportunity is yet to come, then what is struggling through cultivating going to help?”
Yang Kai laughed, “Then, where is Senior Sister’s opportunity?”
“Who knows? Maybe it’ll come tomorrow.” Feng Ying also laughed before turning around and heading out, “I’m going.”
As he watched her leave, Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
Feng Ying had been in the Seventh Order of the Open Heaven Realm for long enough, and she had already accumulated enough to break through to the Eighth Order. Only, she never sensed an opportunity to do so all this while. Still, it was true what Feng Ying said, nobody can say when something like an opportunity would arrive. Maybe one day she will suddenly have the urge to forge ahead and advance to the Eighth Order.
All this while, Feng Ying had been making preparations for that moment. So, no matter when she advanced, she could still ensure that she had the highest chance of succeeding.
After returning to his own small courtyard, Yang Kai opened the Spirit Array barrier to isolate himself from the outside before he sat down cross-legged.
With a flick of his palm, he took out a Soul Rending Thorn. Now that the artifacts were ready, the only thing he had to do was to refine them. The refinement process was also easy, the same as any ordinary Soul-type artifact. One had to pour their Spiritual Energy Sense into it until they formed a solid connection to the artifact itself.
The process of refinement was also a process of familiarisation. Only when the artifact was fully refined could it be used against an enemy with ease.
Compared to creating this artifact, refining it was simpler, so it took only a few days for Yang Kai to fully refine one Soul Rending Thorn.
The hard part was the final step that came after the refinement process was complete!
The refiner had to split a portion of their Soul from themselves and integrate it into the Soul Rending Thorn to render the process complete.
This was akin to sacrificing one’s life for power.
The separation of a portion of one’s Soul and the consumption of Spiritual Energy were two completely different things. Simply expending energy was a type of consumption that could be replenished once it was exhausted and was of no harm to a cultivator.
However, to separate even a thread of one’s Soul was considered a sacrifice.
In short, for every Soul Rending Thorn that he refined, he had to give up a portion of his Soul.
That was where the Soul Rending Thorn got its name from. To rend naturally meant to tear off.
This was why the Old Ancestor said that Yang Kai was the only one in the world who could properly make use of this artifact.
It was also why Grandmaster Ma Fan commented on the artifact being sinister when it received its manufacturing method.
That was because this thing was a weapon that inflicted serious harm to oneself to deal even more devastating damage to the enemy, to a ridiculous degree at that.
Right now, Yang Kai was merely refining it and hadn’t used it against an enemy, yet he already had to give up a thread of his Soul. Once it truly came time for him to face off against an enemy with this thing, then the price he had to pay would be even bigger. When that time came, the more of one’s Soul that one sacrificed, the more powerful the artifact would be as the Secret Technique was performed.
If that were not the case, then the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who was hiding in the Shattered Heaven, would have been able to defend against Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao with this thing at that time.
Even if an ordinary cultivator was to refine a Soul Rending Thorn and cultivate the necessary Secret Technique, it was still difficult to use because giving up a thread of one’s Soul was akin to self-mutilation, likely leading to irreparable damage.
However, it was different for Yang Kai. With the Soul Warming Lotus’ protection and nourishment, even if he did have to give up a part of his Soul, he could eventually heal from the wound, which was the greatest capability that the Soul Warming Lotus had.
It can be said that the Soul Rending Thorn was simply tailored to Yang Kai.
This, combined with his already powerful Soul, if he did get attacked by all the Territory Lords in the strange space inside of the Black Ink Nest, he would still be able to fight back.
Yang Kai was no stranger to separating parts of his Soul. Back then, that was also how Embodiment was born; however, even with preparation, the pain that came from one’s Soul being torn apart was still hard to bear.
It felt as if one’s body was being cut in half by a blunt knife, and one had to remain conscious throughout the entire process and not be distracted by the pain, otherwise, the entire process would fail while still leaving a wound on the Soul.
Yang Kai’s body trembled violently and he was instantly drenched in sweat. Even though the process lasted but a short moment, for Yang Kai, it felt like a million years had passed.
Once he had finally sacrificed a thread of his Soul and merged it with the Soul Rending Thorn, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
However, at the thought that he still had 11 more Soul Rending Thorns to refine, Yang Kai’s face turned a little dark, inwardly scolding himself for being so foolish as to have asked Grandmaster Ma Fan to refine so many.
However, when he thought of the number of Territory Lords he would have to face, Yang Kai felt like he had to fully refine all of the Soul Rending Thorns even if the price was high.
Any other cultivator would find it difficult to move their fingers after such a gruelling experience. The damage and pain that this process caused were not something that ordinary people could bear. However, with the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai instantly felt a cooling sensation pour into his Knowledge Sea, as if a small invisible hand was brushing over him and smoothing out the pain in his body and filling his heart with comfort.
To feel this kind of relief immediately after excruciating pain was especially indulgent…
After calming himself slightly, Yang Kai took out a second Soul Rending Thorn and repeated the process.
Even with the Soul Warming Lotus nourishing his Soul though, Yang Kai still had to stop for a while and adjust himself after refining 3 Soul Rending Thorns in a row so that his Soul could recuperate.
Normally, it took an extremely long time for an injury on a cultivator’s Soul to heal, and even with the help of the Soul Warming Lotus, it took Yang Kai almost a month to recover from refining the first 3 Soul Rending Thorns.
And so, only after 4 months was Yang Kai able to fully refine all 12.
Without further delay, he went to the universe fragment that housed the Black Ink Nest.
As usual, he first went to see Ou Yang Lie who was watching over this place, and only after receiving permission did he step into the Black Ink Nest under his accompaniment.
The reason why Ou Yang Lie was accompanying Yang Kai was because he was curious to see what plan the latter had thought up to solve this problem that had been plaguing them, and secondly, it was to stand guard for Yang Kai in case something were to happen to him while he was dealing with the Territory Lords.
During this time, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had not tried to enter the strange space again. The few Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who tried and failed previously showed the Humans that any attempt would only be a great risk to them without a proper solution to the problem.
Ou Yang Lie was not sure what Yang Kai was going to do exactly, but he had received some vague information previously from the Inner Sanctum that if anyone was going to solve the problem of the Black Ink Nest, then it had to be Yang Kai.
The source of this information was somewhat obscure, but it did not take much to guess that it was probably related to the Old Ancestor.
Since the Old Ancestor trusted Yang Kai so much, then what was there for him to worry about? However, it was still necessary for someone to stand guard for him.
Soon, the two of them arrived at the centre of the Black Ink Nest.
Ou Yang Lie said, “Kid, you must be cautious. If the situation turns awry, then retreat immediately. Those Territory Lords must be lying in ambush inside. Several have already suffered considerable losses from them previously.”
Even though the Humans had not made any moves for more than a year, how could the Territory Lords become complacent? Under Hong Di’s lead, the Black Ink Clan stationed at Great Evolution Pass were forced to agree to Mi Jing Lun’s condition of allowing them to keep the Black Ink Nest when they retreated. However, now that the Humans had a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest, the Black Ink Clan could only use this method to force the Humans to give it up.
Only by forcing them to give up on the Black Ink Nest would the Black Ink Clan be able to ensure that the Humans would not be able to spy on them when they were exchanging information in the future.
Yang Kai nodded solemnly, “I understand.”
With that, he opened the portal of his Small Universe, and as World Force surged, the Black Ink Nest devoured it like mad. Yang Kai immersed his mind into the stream, forming a connection with the Black Ink Next’s consciousness.
Soon, a familiar yet strange sensation engulfed him, as if his entire being was merging with the Black Ink Nest.
This was a clear sign that his connection was successful.
Connecting to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness was not difficult, and any Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could do it with ease. That was because even though the Black Ink Nest itself had a consciousness, it was not sentient. The Black Ink Nest’s consciousness was more like a platform that could carry one’s Soul and become one with it without distinction.
However, the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness could only ever carry one Soul at any one time. In other words, if Yang Kai connected with this Black Ink Nest’s consciousness, then nobody else could join him from the same Black Ink Nest.
This meant that once an Eighth-Order Master connected with the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness and entered that strange space, they would forever be forced to fight alone.
However, it was different for the Black Ink Clan.
Even though the Great Evolution East-West Army destroyed many Black Ink Nests during the war, there were still many owned by Territory Lords remaining on the Black Ink Clan’s side.
Each of these Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests was representative of one Territory Lord, so they would always have the advantage in numbers.
As Yang Kai’s consciousness connected to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness, he entered the strange space that he was familiar with in an instant.
It was a space completely different from the outside world. It seemed vast, but also small at the same time. Not a hint of vitality could be felt, and the entire world was dead silent.
With a slight thought, Yang Kai brought out his Soul Avatar.
The reason he had to bring out his Soul Avatar was naturally so that he could prepare for the big fight to come.
The moment his Soul Avatar emerged, Yang Kai immediately put up his guard against his surroundings, but to his surprise, the attack that he expected did not immediately come.
No Territory Lords were lying in ambush inside of the strange space, only the rapid movement of a Feudal Lord’s consciousness coming from a certain direction.
By the time Yang Kai’s body moved in order to chase after it, the Feudal Lord’s consciousness had already disappeared.
[What’s going on? Where is the Black Ink Clan?]
Even though Yang Kai thought of many possible scenarios he would face, what he encountered still left him confused.
However, in the blink of an eye, one by one Territory Lord consciousnesses suddenly appeared from nowhere. In the blink of an eye, the originally empty space now contained six Territory Lord consciousnesses.
After these Territory Lords entered the strange space, some who did not transform into their Soul Avatars were just irregular blobs of Spiritual Energy, which were ever-changing. Only two Territory Lords made the same choice as Yang Kai and manifested their Soul Avatars. One looked like an ape, while the other looked like a giant.
Yang Kai instantly understood.
It must have been that the Old Ancestor’s appearance previously surprised the Territory Lords, and that was why they did not dare to appear here before verifying who it was in case they ended up running into the Old Ancestor again.
Even though they did not wait in this space, they had clearly left behind some subordinates to keep an eye on the situation, which explained the Feudal Lord that Yang Kai encountered when he first entered.
The Territory Lords had to verify that it was not an Old Ancestor who entered before they could feel assured.
The Territory Lords were no fools, so how could they allow the Old Ancestor to give them trouble?
This was also the reason why the Old Ancestor was unable to resolve the matter. She was strong, but the decision to fight or not was in the hands of the Black Ink Clan.
On the other hand, the Eighth-Order Division Commanders were helpless against the enemy and would only be putting themselves in danger to face them when they were so seriously outnumbered.
Yang Kai was the best person for the job.
With the Soul Warming Lotus’ protection, he was not worried about being injured, and with the Soul Rending Thorns, it was not a loss to take out an enemy. If he could take down two, that would be a good deal. If he could get rid of a few of them, then he was certain that the Black Ink Clan would not dare to act presumptuously in this strange space again.
The Territory Lords clearly had no intention of greeting Yang Kai. They did not even care which Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master it was who entered this place. Since they had already confirmed that it was not the Old Ancestor, what else was there for them to hesitate about?
Naturally, they grouped up and sent out a barrage of attacks, like they were trying to wash away the disgrace that the Black Ink Clan had suffered in the war over the past 150 years!
So, when the Territory Lords entered this strange space, three of them charged at Yang Kai without even a single word, while the other three assumed a triangle formation as they bombarded him with Secret Techniques.
In an instant, a storm spun up by Spiritual Energy swept over Yang Kai.
The Black Ink Clan had no particular talents when it came to Artifact Refining, arranging Arrays, or Alchemy. Most of them relied on the Black Ink Disciples under their command for such things. However, when it came to cultivating Secret Techniques, they had a special talent for it.
Perhaps that was the Heavenly Way’s compensation.
Who could say for sure?
They were able to freely perform many of the Human Race’s Secret Techniques, and it was all thanks to the teachings of the Black Ink Disciples that were corrupted by their Black Ink Strength.
They had even been able to develop new Secret Techniques based off of the foundations of the Secret Techniques they learned, evolving them to better suit the Black Ink Clan.
And, what the Territory Lords were using now were exactly those powerful Soul Secret Techniques.
Yang Kai could feel the power behind those three Soul Secret Techniques. Even though he was not physically here, his scalp could not help but tingle.
It was no wonder why the Eighth-Order Division Commanders all suffered such heavy losses here. Which Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be able to withstand such a barrage? They would probably be beaten into a cowering ball after just one round of attacks.
Even though the enemy was strong, Yang Kai had no intention of summoning the Soul Warming Lotus.
He could easily block these attacks with the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, but that would just be exposing his trump card from the start.
Taking things slow was preferable in a fight with these Territory Lords. He had to beat these Territory Lords half to death and make them suffer. Only then would the Humans be able to take full control of their Black Ink Nest.
The Territory Lords had ruthless techniques, but Yang Kai was even more ruthless.
As the Soul Secret Techniques blasted his way one by one, he rushed straight towards the Territory Lords that resembled a blob of flowing liquid.
Yang Kai’s actions had clearly startled the Territory Lords.
Many times in the past, they faced off with the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but every one of them would try and flee when faced with their united attacks since nothing good would befall them if they dodged too late.
However, this Human was quite interesting. Not only did he not run away, he even took the initiative to charge at them. Was he perhaps tired of living, and that was why he was eager to have a taste of death?
If that were the case, then these Territory Lords did not mind granting him his wish.
However, a moment later, something even more shocking for the Territory Lords happened.
A flash of Spiritual Energy suddenly burst out of this Open Heaven Realm Master’s Soul and a piercing scream rang out deep within the minds of all of the Territory Lords.
“GAHHH!!”
This was a scream filled with agony that pierced directly into their consciousnesses. Though there was no sound in this space, the Territory Lords could still feel like they could hear it.
The Territory Lords had never heard such a miserable cry before. It was as if that Human was suffering an extremely vicious form of torture, and it made their hearts clench with anxiety.
What they could be sure of was the fact that this cry of agony was no illusion. It was truly miserable and also resulted from a grievous injury.
And indeed it was, for at the same time that Open Heaven Realm Master screamed, his Spiritual Energy noticeably weakened, as if he had become severely wounded all of a sudden.
However, something confused the Territory Lords.
Their attacks had not even landed yet, so how could he be severely injured already?
Only in the next instant did the Soul Secret Techniques released by the three Territory Lords finally envelope the Human Master.
The dead-silent space was sent into turmoil at once.
When the dust settled, only the six Territory Lords’ consciousness were left in that space. The Human’s Soul Avatar had long since disappeared from sight.
The three Territory Lords who had unleashed their Secret Techniques stood still, confused.
The other three Territory Lords, who charged straight at Yang Kai had no choice but to stop as they had lost their target.
The one Territory Lord with the long arms and an ape-like appearance asked, “Did he die?”
At that moment, the energy fluctuations were so messy that they were unable to even notice what end came to that Open Heaven Realm Master.
The other Territory Lord’s Soul Avatar, who had transformed into the shape of an eyeball, laughed coldly, “Even if he isn’t dead, he won’t be alive for long.”
The Territory Lords had no idea whether that Human was dead or not. All they knew was the fact that that Human’s Soul was heavily injured…
No Human could come out of the combined attacks of three Territory Lords’ Soul Secret Techniques unscathed; moreover, something strange had happened to the Human all of a sudden. His Soul suddenly became extremely weak. In such a state, even one of the Humans’ Old Ancestors could not hope to be able to withstand their combined attacks.
“Those foolish Humans really don’t learn their lessons!” The Territory Lord whose Soul Avatar had morphed into the form of an eyeball coldly snorted. After saying that, he suddenly turned to look at one of his companions in realization, wondering, “What happened to you?”
The companion next to him was the one whose Soul Avatar was in the form of a blob of flowing water. At the moment, a very unusual aura could be felt from the Territory Lord’s Soul Avatar. It was as if he was desperately trying to hold his form but was being met with great resistance. His shape was constantly changing and his aura was fluctuating wildly.
This anomaly soon attracted the attention of the other Territory Lords who turned their attention to him.
It was then the fluid-like Territory Lord finally seemed to be able to gather a shred of his strength and spread out his voice, “Save… Save me!”
As soon as he said that, a violent wave of energy exploded inside of his fluid-like body, causing him to howl miserably in pain, and his shape, which had been unstable to begin with, wavered even more.
The other 5 Territory Lords were shocked and they all gathered together quickly. They were surprised to find that a needle-like object had suddenly appeared inside the fluid Territory Lord’s Soul Avatar. It appeared to be some kind of artifact with something like a Soul inside of it, and it was constantly piercing deeper and deeper into the Territory Lord’s Soul Avatar, shredding everything in its path.
The Territory Lords could see the viciousness of this artifact at a glance. If the needle-like artifact was truly allowed to destroy their companion’s Soul Avatar, then even if his body survived, he would lose his Soul and become a walking corpse.
Not to mention the fact that the long needle was still tearing apart his Soul Avatar, causing him to suffer from unimaginable pain. If he could not stop the encroachment of this artifact, then it would be difficult to say whether he could survive or not.
“A Soul-type artifact!” The ape Territory Lord shouted in a deep voice. He also had some Black Ink Disciple subordinates, so he was naturally no stranger to Soul-type artifacts.
Most of the Open Heaven Realm Humans who came to stir up trouble previously had their own Soul-type artifacts which were indeed powerful when activated, but they were still unable to stop their combined attacks.
However, the Soul-type artifact that they were seeing now seemed different. It was far more malevolent than anything they had ever seen before.
Could this be that Human’s trump card?
They had not even noticed when the Human activated this artifact, but obviously, it must have been when things turned chaotic earlier. And, adding to the artifact’s stealthiness, nobody noticed it.
“Resist it! I’ll help you!” The ape Territory Lord shouted and his Spiritual Energy surged.
Not only him, but the other Territory Lords also did the same so that they could help their companion withstand the encroachment of the long needle.
It was then that a familiar aura appeared in the strange space. It was that Human who was screaming so miserably earlier.
He wasn’t dead!
Not only was he not dead, he actually came back at them.
However, he was in the same condition, as the Territory Lords had guessed. He was heavily injured, and his Soul Avatar was also much dimmer compared to before. Even his aura seemed very unstable, strong at times, but weak at others.
“This reckless fool, I’ll deal with him!” The eyeball Territory Lord bellowed, turned around, and charged at Yang Kai.
At the same time, Yang Kai also charged towards him. Halfway there, Spiritual Energy flashed again and another miserable cry rang out.
“Ahhh…”
If one regarded death as their ultimate home, they would not fear charging ahead even when facing ten thousand enemies!
The eyeball Territory Lord was stunned. This scene… was familiar. Just now, this Human had also rushed at them while screaming, and now he was doing it again?
When he thought about what his companion experienced, he immediately raised his guard. One by one, rays of light condensed within the eyeball, each containing a powerful Soul Attack, which turned into a large net that was thrown over Yang Kai.
Yang Kai did not dodge it as his Soul Avatar’s aura weakened rapidly. Opening his mouth, he simply spat out a stream of light.
Even though the eyeball Territory Lord was extremely wary, he was still unable to defend against this bolt of light. As soon as the ray of light appeared, it broke through his net and shot straight into his Soul Avatar.
In the next instant, the net also enveloped Yang Kai and contracted abruptly. Yang Kai’s body turned into glowing wisps of light that disappeared into thin air.
The eyeball Territory Lord did not feel any joy at having won, however. It just hovered in mid-air as if it had been caught under a binding technique, unable to move.
The other Territory Lords who were helping their companion defend against the needle artifact suddenly felt a wave of unease.
As they watched on, the eyeball swivelled to the side and Divine Sense surged. A voice was transmitted to all directions, “Hel… Help!”
The four unharmed Territory Lords wanted to curse…
At the same time, Ou Yang Lie was looking at Yang Kai in disbelief inside the Black Ink Nest.
Soon after Yang Kai connected to the Black Ink Nest, he discovered that Yang Kai’s Soul had suddenly weakened, which was apparently due to sustaining injuries.
Ou Yang Lie couldn’t help but click his tongue as he had already warned this brat to be careful. He told him early on that there were Territory Lords lying in ambush inside of the strange space, but it seemed now that his words had fallen on deaf ears.
Now things were bad. Even though he had no idea what had happened, Ou Yang Lie was still sure that Yang Kai had been beaten up by the Territory Lords after rushing into that space from the changes in his Soul.
Ou Yang Lie silently prepared some Spirit Pills for Yang Kai to heal his wounds once he withdrew; however, despite receiving such injuries to his Soul, Yang Kai showed no intention of retreating. Immediately after, his Soul, which had already weakened considerably, withered dramatically again.
Ou Yang Lie jumped in shock.
Things were really bad now. Yang Kai’s Soul had already shown signs of weakness from suffering severe injuries, but now that he weakened again, he was likely not far from death.
If it were possible, Ou Yang Lie would have wanted to forcibly pull Yang Kai from that strange space, but even he was powerless to do anything in this situation. He could only hope that Yang Kai escaped sooner rather than later, only then would he be able to ensure his survival.
Ou Yang Lie even had doubts as to whether Yang Kai would be able to return alive or not this time. It would also be difficult for him to suffer no consequences in the future. Even if he did not become completely brain-dead, his cultivation might still regress from the Seventh Order.
Just as he was on edge, Yang Kai suddenly came back to his senses with a jolt.
Ou Yang Lie asked anxiously, “How was it?”
When he heard his voice, Yang Kai turned to look at him out of instinct with a dazed look in his eyes.
Ou Yang Lie knew right away that there was trouble. Yang Kai’s hollow gaze was a clear sign of his Soul falling unstable.
He was done for!
However, before he could speak, Yang Kai suddenly crouched down and held his head, screaming, “Ahhhh….”
The scream was so miserable that it broke the hearts of those who heard it and made them shed tears.
Ou Yang Lie felt goosebumps rising on his skin, not for any other reason than for the fact that Yang Kai’s screams reminded him of his own experiences of when his Soul was injured back when he was young.
It was because he had a similar experience that he knew just how much it hurt.
It was not something that anyone could just endure, regardless of how strong they were. It could be said that there was nobody that could withstand such pain!
For a moment, Ou Yang Lie was at a loss as to what to do.
Yang Kai had already begun rolling on the ground.
Ou Yang Lie stepped forward and tried to restrict Yang Kai’s movements with his World Force, then he stuffed all the Spirit Pills he prepared into Yang Kai’s mouth and helped him swallow them before refining them.
The entire process was a mess. Ou Yang Lie had no idea how he was supposed to report this to the Old Ancestor once they returned. It was fine if it were just an ordinary Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but this was Yang Kai.
Even though Purifying Light was no longer the only means that the Humans had to resist Black Ink Strength, Yang Kai was still needed to arrange Universe Arrays. If anything were to happen to him, that would be a terrible loss for the Human Race.
However, some results did seem to have been spawned from his efforts. Yang Kai’s screams gradually calmed down, but his body was still curled up and twitching from time to time. His entire body was covered in sweat.
Ou Yang Lie stood up with a grave expression.
There was currently nothing that he could do in this situation but report to the higher-ups and see whether the Old Ancestor had any method of bringing Yang Kai back at the brink of death.
After transmitting a message to the outside, it wasn’t long before Gong Lian entered. When he saw the injured Yang Kai, he asked in surprise, “What happened to Brother Yang?”
Ou Yang Lie quickly said, “He connected to the Black Ink Nest and was ambushed by the Territory Lords, injuring his Soul. Look after him, I’m going to report to the Old Ancestor.”
This was a serious matter, so even Ou Yang Lie did not dare to handle it carelessly. Passing through the Space Array at once, he returned to Great Evolution Pass.
Ou Yang Lie arrived at the Old Ancestor’s residence, but there was no sign of her there. When he finally gave his report, the Old Ancestor only gave him one answer.
[Just wait and see!]
Yang Kai was already in this state, yet they were just going to wait and see?
If anyone else had said this, Ou Yang Lie would have definitely spat on their face, but these words came from the Old Ancestor, so he did not dare to disrespect her. He could only speculate that perhaps things truly were not as bad as he expected.
After returning to the universe fragment where the Black Ink Nest was located and heading into the Black Ink Nest, what he saw was mystifying.
Yang Kai was now seated cross-legged, meditating. Under Ou Yang Lie’s perception, even though Yang Kai’s Soul was incredibly weak, it seemed to have stabilized.
“What’s going on?” Ou Yang Lie asked his Disciple.
Gong Lian was also flabbergasted and shook his head, “I have no idea. Not long after Honoured Master left, Brother Yang suddenly crawled up, and it has been like this since.”
Ou Yang Lie was scratching his head in puzzlement. How could Yang Kai still meditate and recover on his own after his Soul was so injured?
It seemed like things were not as bad as they thought they were. The Old Ancestor must have known something, but since she did not explain, he did not dare to ask.
For now, he would just wait and see just as the Old Ancestor said!
Immediately, Ou Yang Lie had the Black Ink Nest sealed off to prevent anyone from entering; then, every few days, he would personally come over to check on Yang Kai’s condition.
As time passed, Ou Yang Lie’s astonishment deepened.
That was because Yang Kai’s condition would actually improve upon each visit. Even though the recovery speed was not fast, he was indeed getting better.
It was simply unbelievable. Ordinarily, Soul injuries like those sustained by Yang Kai were irreversible. No matter how one tried to fix them, it was still impossible for one to return to their peak after being wounded so grievously. Being able to keep one’s life was already incredible.
However, from the situation now, it seemed like Yang Kai was well on the road to a full recovery.
After a year had passed, when Ou Yang Lie came to check on him again, Yang Kai’s recovery speed increased noticeably. It was because of his visits every few days that he knew better than anyone what the situation of Yang Kai’s recovery was.
Two years later, the condition of Yang Kai’s Soul had already completely stabilised.
By the three-year mark, he had already been restored to his original condition!
Ou Yang Lie, who witnessed the entire process from beginning to end, was completely speechless. Despite how serious the injuries to his Soul were, it surprisingly only took Yang Kai three years to return to his peak. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he simply would not have believed it.
Ou Yang Lie had a vague suspicion that Yang Kai must have some kind of astonishing treasure which protected and sustained his Soul; otherwise, there was no way he could have recovered from such injuries. As for what that treasure was… Only a few legendary things could have such a miraculous effect.
[This brat is truly a man of great fortune.]
One day, three years after returning from the Black Ink Nest’s strange space, Yang Kai exhaled deeply.
Even though he had now fully recovered, thinking back to that day’s experiences still made him shudder.
This Soul Rending Thorn was truly too sinister.
Yang Kai had already sacrificed a thread of his Soul when refining each of those artifacts; but even so, he did not have to sacrifice ‘much’ back then and would be fine after resting for some time.
However, while facing the Territory Lords, the portion of his Soul that he had to sacrifice was simply incomparable to when he was merely refining the Soul Rending Thorn.
The best way to describe the experience of using the Soul Rending Thorn was to wound oneself to wound one’s enemy. That was why his Soul suddenly turned so feeble when he attacked those Territory Lords, and why he could not hold himself back from screaming.
Based on Yang Kai’s estimation, even in peak condition, he could only use three Soul Rending Thorns within a short period at any moment. After three uses, he would have exhausted so much of his Spiritual Energy and Soul that he simply couldn’t do it again. If he were to try to make a fourth attack, even with the Soul Warming Lotus’s protection, his Soul would still be extinguished.
That was why he made a firm decision to withdraw from the Black Ink Nest’s space after two consecutive attacks. There was no other choice, for if he stayed behind, he would truly meet his end along with the Territory Lords.
The memories of the days after he withdrew his Soul from the strange space were blurry for him because of the damage he sustained to his Soul. With an incomplete Soul, one’s memory would naturally be affected.
Now that he had recovered, Yang Kai’s face would still darken at the thought of going through the same pain again.
Gong Lian had been watching over Yang Kai all this while, and when he saw the latter wake up, he immediately sent word outside. It was not long before Ou Yang Lie arrived. After looking him up and down, Ou Yang Lie beamed, “I’ve never seen someone like you before who can recover after sustaining such injuries to their Soul. How are you feeling now?”
Yang Kai laughed bitterly, “I’m fine now.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded, “After paying such a huge price, how were the results of your battle?”
Yang Kai grinned and lifted two fingers, “Two Territory Lords. Even if they aren’t dead, they should be critically injured!”
Ou Yang Lie was almost eyeing Yang Kai as if he were a ghost, “Truly?”
“This Junior dares not lie.”
“Then, the two Territory Lords suffered severe wounds to their Souls?”
“Indeed.”
“Good!” Ou Yang Lie was overjoyed.
Ordinary wounds were nothing, but things were different when it came to wounds on one’s Soul. Ou Yang Lie had no idea what sort of treasure this brat had protecting him to be able to recover in just three years after having his Soul reduced to the state it was in back then, but those Territory Lords could not possibly do the same.
Now that Yang Kai told him that two Territory Lords were either dead or heavily injured, it meant that those two Territory Lords had completely lost the ability to fight.
Ou Yang Lie was actually very curious how Yang Kai was able to achieve such a feat when he was only in the Seventh-Order; after all, many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had entered that strange space previously by relying on the strength of their own Souls, but all of them returned in failure. Still, Ou Yang Lie decided not to ask since it was beneficial for the Humans regardless.
As he spoke, Yang Kai got up, “Since this Junior is just about done recovering, I will immediately get to work to take down another two Territory Lords.”
“You can still fight?” Ou Yang Lie was astonished. Even though he was just thinking that even though two Territory Lords were killed, it still couldn’t change the overall situation; after all, there were still many more Territory Lords.
However, he was surprised to see that Yang Kai still had another fight in him.
Yang Kai nodded, “We need to strike while the iron is hot. Now is the time for us to pursue the enemy while we have them cornered.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded, “In that case, you should be careful. Don’t get carried away by momentary success.”
Yang Kai gave him a scare last time, so much so that he had to run over to seek out the Old Ancestor for advice, so he had no idea what it would turn out like this time.
After reassuring Ou Yang Lie, Yang Kai went to the centre of the Black Ink Nest and opened up his Small Universe, connecting his consciousness to it.
Inside the Black Ink Nest’s space, 6 Territory Lords were lurking in different corners just like before.
The reason why there were still 6 was because 2 of them were new. Even though it had been peaceful and quiet in this space for 3 years, the Territory Lords did not dare to let down their guard and remained vigilant at all times.
3 years ago, a reckless Human who did not fear death burst in and used a needle-like Soul-type artifact, heavily injuring 2 Territory Lords.
Even though things did not end well for the Human, the 2 heavily injured Territory Lords did not fare any better.
Despite the best efforts of the other 4 Territory Lords trying to save them, one of the Territory Lords unfortunately had his Soul destroyed and died. The other Territory Lord managed to keep his life, but the long needle artifact was still deeply rooted in his Soul, constantly damaging it. Currently, that Territory Lord was struggling to resist the encroachment of the artifact, and it was not even clear yet whether or not he would succeed in the end.
However, even if he did succeed, his foundation would still be severely damaged, causing a drastic drop in his strength.
The loss of 2 Territory Lords was heartbreaking for the Black Ink Clan, whose strength had already taken a sharp dive in the Great Evolution Theatre.
After that encounter, the surviving Territory Lords reflected on the situation and when they combined it with what their Black Ink Disciple subordinates told them, they concluded that the Soul-type artifact that the Human used must have been some kind of sacrificial weapon, one that damaged the user to deal greater damage to the enemy.
Unfortunately, the Black Ink Disciples had no idea what artifact it was either as none of them had ever heard of anything like it. If they had, then they might be able to figure out a defence.
However, that did not matter too much as such an artifact would surely be difficult to create, and if used, would be equally devastating for the Human who used it.
That Human from before must have already been reduced to flying ashes and smouldering smoke.
Because Yang Kai’s Soul was so powerful, despite only being in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, in Soul Avatar form he was indistinguishable from an Eighth-Order Master; thus, the Territory Lords all thought that Yang Kai was in the Eighth-Order.
Territory Lords were valuable existences in the Black Ink Clan, but so were the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters for the Humans. There was no way that the Humans would be crazy enough to sacrifice multiple Eighth-Order Masters to kill a few Territory Lords.
So, what happened before should not happen again.
Probably…
After 3 years of waiting in ambush, sure enough, there had been no movements from the Human side. This made the Territory Lords who were waiting here both angry and helpless.
They were angry that they were unable to return the favour after having suffered such a huge loss, but helpless as well that even if the Humans did not come, they could only sit and wait here.
Unless the Humans voluntarily gave up the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest, any information that the Black Ink Clan passed between themselves in the future could not be hidden from the enemy’s eyes and ears.
One day, as the 6 Territory Lords were feeling bored, a ripple suddenly broke out in the calm space.
A figure appeared out of nowhere, which caused all 6 Territory Lords to sit up and focus. After ascertaining that it was not an Old Ancestor, they all rose from their ambush spots, ready for an attack. 6 powerful Spiritual Energies transformed into a barrage that blasted in Yang Kai’s direction.
The Soul Avatar that Yang Kai brought out was not his own image, but rather the image of a tall, lanky man.
Since Soul Avatars were formed out of Spiritual Energy, they had no definite shape. Just like before, there was a Territory Lord who took on the shape of an eyeball, and another who was like a blob of fluid. It all depended on their personal preferences.
Even if one did not cultivate any sort of transforming Secret Technique, it was still easy to do this.
However, although one’s Soul Avatar could change its appearance freely, the aura of one’s Spiritual Energy could never be changed. Every cultivator’s Spiritual Energy rippled differently, so even if some people had Secret Techniques that allowed them to disguise themselves as others, there would still be flaws.
So, if one wanted to identify someone through their Soul Avatar, the best and only way to find out who they were was to check the aura of their Spiritual Energy.
Yang Kai had purposefully reined in his power as much as he could this time, out of worry that the Territory Lords would recognize him at a glance. He had even taken on a different image.
As expected, the Territory Lords felt assured when this ‘different’ Human showed up and boldly emerged to launch their attacks against him.
6 powers that were completely silent in the outside world transformed into a variety of visible attacks inside of this strange space, all hitting Yang Kai without fail.
Since Yang Kai did not summon the Soul Warming Lotus’s protection, he was truly strong in will but weak in strength even if he wanted to defend against these attacks.
However, he did not even bother trying to defend himself. He was going to be on the verge of death by the time he was done here anyway, so defending himself or not made no difference.
The 6 attacks sent out by the Territory Lords were no joke, and Yang Kai’s Soul immediately felt shaken. The pain was hard to suppress as it felt as if his Soul was going to shatter right then and there.
In fact, if it was any other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in his place, they also would not be in good shape after taking these six attacks.
It was all thanks to the Soul Warming Lotus that Yang Kai had the courage to engage in such a reckless fight. Even though he did not urge the Soul Warming Lotus to protect himself, it still made his Soul far sturdier than normal.
A long, miserable scream rang out next, “Ahhh…”
At Yang Kai screamed, he charged straight at the Territory Lord that was nearest to him.
Of the 6 Territory Lords, other than the two newcomers, the other four were all stunned.
This scene could not be any more familiar to them. 3 years ago, they encountered the same thing twice, and the result of it was that 2 Territory Lords had been severely injured by that bizarre artifact!
The wail of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was simply a death knell for the Territory Lords.
Then, an even more familiar scene emerged. Following the anguished wails of the Human, his Soul sharply weakened.
At the same time, a familiar burst of energy rippled out.
The face of the ape Territory Lord who had experienced this scene before immediately changed and he exclaimed, “It’s him, it’s him!”
Another Territory Lord, who had experienced the same thing, shouted, “Run, quickly!”
Despite Yang Kai’s disguise, he could no longer hide his identity once his Spiritual Energy burst forth.
The 4 Territory Lords who had fought him before recognized him instantly, but what shocked them even more was how this Human could still be alive.
Even though the eyeball Territory Lord had clearly seen this Human on the brink of death during the last moment, he actually reappeared here after just 3 years, running and jumping like nothing was wrong. Just like last time, he screamed and became weak, but at the same time, rushed in for the kill!
[What’s wrong with this Human!?]
Despite the timely warning of the ape Territory Lord, he still could not save his fellow Territory Lord from his fate.
This strange space was created from the consciousness of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest. It was a platform that connected the consciousnesses of all the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests linked to it. It seemed very large, but at the same time very small without any definite shape.
For someone proficient in the Dao of Space, this was the perfect battlefield.
After sacrificing his own Soul ruthlessly, Yang Kai opened his mouth at an unfamiliar Soul Avatar, and a Soul Rending Thorn turned into a golden light that broke through the confines of space as soon as it appeared, nailing straight into the Soul Avatar’s body.
The Territory Lord was not unprepared. Since the enemy he was facing was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, how could he have lowered his guard down? At the same time as when Yang Kai charged towards him, he had already condensed his power to protect himself.
However, it was all in vain.
The Spiritual Energy that he used to protect his avatar was no different than paper in front of the Soul Rending Thorn, easily tearing.
The Territory Lord’s Soul Avatar was instantly frozen in place, as if he were struck by lightning. The next instant, his figure began to shake.
Yang Kai did not even look at him as his Soul Avatar weakened once more. Then, he turned his head to look towards the ape Territory Lord and opened his mouth again, spitting out another flash of golden light.
The ape Territory Lord feared for his life.
He couldn’t understand how he could be targeted by the enemy despite being so far away from him; however, he was the one who was too loud earlier, so if not him, who else would Yang Kai target?
Space Principles began to surge as a golden light flashed. Almost at the same time, a bright green barrier appeared in front of the ape Territory Lord that looked as if it were made of vines.
This was clearly a Soul-type artifact, and a defensive Soul-type artifact at that. It was not known where the ape Territory Lord got his hands on this thing, but it must have been made for him by a Black Ink Disciple proficient in Artifact Refining.
This Soul-type artifact was of decent grade. Whoever created it must have been at least a Great Master in the Dao of Artifact Refining.
However, even with the Soul-type artifact protecting him, it was only able to block the golden light for only a moment before the green barrier shattered into wisps of light and the Soul Rending Thorn pierced into the ape Territory Lord’s body.
The ape Territory Lord instantly felt an unbearable pain.
At the same time, a frenzy of attacks once again covered Yang Kai from all directions as wild waves of Spiritual Energy rippled through the strange space.
How could any of the Territory Lords go easy on him after discovering that this was the same Human as last time? While Yang Kai made his move, they also sent out their own ruthless attacks.
Using the Soul Rending Thorns twice had caused Yang Kai’s Soul to become incredibly weak. He would not be able to hold on if he were hit by these attacks again, and so he wailed, “My destined end has come!”
With those words, his avatar dissipated, disappearing from sight.
The chaos subsided after just a couple of breaths, but all of the Territory Lords present felt as if they had just walked the border between life and death. Even thinking back to what they just encountered was enough to cause them to shudder.
One tall Territory Lord with bull horns on his head looked left and right nervously, “Was that the same Eighth-Order Human from last time?”
The tall bull-horned Territory Lord was the very same Territory Lord Hong Di who led the retreat of the Army from Great Evolution Pass and gave away the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest to the Humans.
Hong Di was both very lucky and very unlucky.
Several years ago, he led peace talks with the Human Mi Jing Lun that led to the safe evacuation of the Black Ink Clan Army from Great Evolution Pass. However, the price that he paid was a great number of resources, the many fortifications throughout the entire Great Evolution Pass, all of the Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples, as well as his own Black Ink Nest.
No Territory Lord had ever voluntarily given up their own Black Ink Nest before. In all of history, Hong Di could be said to be the very first.
However, it had been worth it since he was able to ensure the safe evacuation of their Army.
To avoid running into the Old Ancestor or the other Human Army along the way, Hong Di had specifically made a long detour after leading his Army out of Great Evolution Pass, and they had to march for an entire month before they finally saw the Royal City again from afar…
However, the Human Old Ancestor literally appeared out of nowhere at that moment.
That was undoubtedly one of Hong Di’s misfortunes.
In that battle, several Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples perished at the Old Ancestor’s hands. There was no need to mention the Black Ink Clan soldiers, as their casualties exceeded 100,000.
Fortunately, Hong Di was unharmed in that battle, not because he fled due to fear of death, but because he was lucky. The Old Ancestor had killed her way in and out of his Army without even sparing a glance at him.
Now that the Humans were trying to stir up a storm using his Black Ink Nest, he naturally could not sit out of this matter. The reason why he did not wait in ambush here before was mainly because he was still recovering from his injuries.
When he encountered the Old Ancestor several years ago, the Old Ancestor may not have spared him a glance, but the fallout from her rampage still wounded him a little.
Now, after recuperating for a few years, he finally managed to recover.
Of the 2 previous Territory Lords posted here, one was dead, and the other was in critical condition. Now that two were being added to replace the fallen members, Hong Di was naturally obligated to join.
He heard about what happened last time from the ape Territory Lord, and that was why he asked such a question.
The other humanoid Territory Lord who participated in the last fight nodded at his words, “That’s right, it has to be the same Eighth-Order Human.”
Hong Di wondered, “Didn’t you say that he died back then?”
The humanoid Territory Lord shook his head, “I have no idea about that. Maybe he did not die and we all just thought he was dead, just like this time.”
Hong Di frowned, “You’re saying that he isn’t dead this time either? But we clearly saw him being beaten to within an inch of his life just now.”
The humanoid Territory Lord looked deeply at him, “That’s what we thought last time.”
Hong Di did not ask any further questions and frowned silently. If that Human had some method that could bring him back from the brink of death, then it was very possible that he would come to stir trouble for them again.
But how did that Human achieve such a thing? How could damage to the Soul be healed so quickly and easily? Unless it was not the real Soul of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that entered, but rather something similar to a Soul Clone?
However, that did not make sense either. Even if it were just a Soul Clone, his true body would still be affected if it were destroyed.
While Hong Di was communicating with the humanoid Territory Lord, the other 2 Territory Lords had already gone to examine the injuries of their peers.
The Territory Lord who was first targeted by Yang Kai was a newcomer, just like Hong Di. Not knowing the severity of the situation, he charged in the quickest, and so he was also the most severely injured.
When Hong Di went over to investigate, he saw the long needle artifact that was constantly digging deeper into his peer’s Soul Avatar, seemingly trying to tear it apart.
It was just like the other Territory Lord who was lingering on a last breath of life after facing the same attack.
With just a glance, Hong Di knew that his peers were fated for a tragic end. Even if they did manage to survive, their foundations would still be severely damaged.
When he turned to look at the ape Territory Lord, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since the ape Territory Lord was well-prepared, and he also had the artifact to protect him, his injuries were not too serious. The long needle-like artifact had only drilled halfway into his Soul Avatar, and though it was still trying to work its way in deeper, the ape Territory Lord was able to force it into a standstill by resisting it with great effort.
The other Territory Lords did not dare to dally. With one of them watching over the less fortunate Territory Lord, the other three gathered around the Ape Territory Lord and poured out their Spiritual Energies to lend him a hand.
And so, 10 days passed by.
It was not until a certain moment that the long needle-like artifact was forced out by the ape Territory Lord from his Soul Avatar. Even then, the ape Territory Lord appeared extremely weak and his Soul Avatar was clearly unstable.
The other Territory Lord was in a much worse situation. The long needle artifact had sunken completely into his avatar, so who knows when he would be able to force it out of his body, or if he could even live long enough to do so.
“That Human must not be dead yet. He will come again. That man is strange, he’s no longer someone that we can deal with. We must report this to the Royal Lord and ask him to make a decision!”
The ape Territory Lord declared weakly.
Even though he had seen the Soul of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master being beaten to the brink of death with his own eyes, that was also the case last time. They all thought he was dead, but then he appeared before them again just 3 years later.
The reappearance of a similar situation could only mean that the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could live even if his Soul was shattered.
Perhaps he would come to stir up another storm in another 3 years.
All the Territory Lords present knew that the ape Territory Lord was right. Even though they were powerful Territory Lords, there was nothing more that they could do in this situation.
The only way to resolve this matter now was to report it to the Royal Lord.
Hong Di’s voice was a little weak, “Sir Royal Lord… has not been in a good mood lately.”
Despite being heavily injured, the Royal Lord was unable to enter his Black Ink Nest to sleep and heal from his wounds, so it would be strange if he were in a good mood.
This was all the fault of that dastardly Old Ancestor, who would run over to the Royal City from time to time and show her aura, causing fear and trepidation among the Black Ink Clansmen while also driving the Royal Lord to exhaustion.
She would not attack the Royal City, just sit outside of it and taunt them. The power of a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was released in an unbridled manner, like a beacon of light in the darkness, making the Black Ink Clan feel miserable.
Nobody knew what sort of technique it was she used to be able to mysteriously appear near the Royal City. After she left, the Black Ink Clan organized a large number of soldiers to search the area, but to no avail.
Worse yet, the Old Ancestor would suddenly wheel around from time to time, and none of the Black Ink Clansmen who were sent out would fare well when that happened.
So, for a while now, no Territory Lord dared to draw the Royal Lord’s ire. They had also hidden the death and injury of the previous 2 Territory Lords because they were worried that the Royal Lord’s fury would explode and he would take his rage out on them.
However, the matter had already reached a point that they had no choice but to report it.
They thought that they could stop the Humans from using the Black Ink Nest with their own power, but now it seemed that the methods of the Humans were beyond even their imaginations.
After hearing what Hong Di said, the ape Territory Lord answered weakly, “There’s no need for Sir Royal Lord to act personally. He just needs to agree to allow us to utilize the power of his Black Ink Nest. The next time that Eighth-Order Human returns, we won’t give him the chance to escape.”
Hearing this, Hong Di understood, “If that’s the case, it would not be a problem.”
The ape Territory Lord did not speak too clearly, but how could Hong Di not know what he meant?
The most troublesome thing about the situation they were currently facing was the fact that they were unable to kill off that Human completely. During both of their brief encounters, it seemed as if they had already brought their opponent to the brink of death; but in reality, a glimmer of vitality still remained, and he had escaped.
However, with the help of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest’s power, they could seal off this space completely so that the Human had no way to run. Then, after paying a certain price, the Territory Lords would be able to take him down slowly!
There was no such thing as an opponent that was impossible for them to kill, only a lack of power and opportunity.
While the Territory Lords were discussing their countermeasures in that strange space, Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple were both staring in amazement at Yang Kai.
Just like last time, Yang Kai had become slightly dazed after withdrawing from the strange space with a dull expression. Not only was his expression stiff, even his eyes seemed unfocused.
The last time he saw Yang Kai like this, Ou Yang Lie jumped in shock; however, he was more at ease now that he had some experience.
And, under some careful inspection, he realized that just as he thought, Yang Kai was in a Soul-fragmented state.
When his Soul became fragmented, it was natural for him to appear like a fool.
This made Ou Yang Lie sigh a little as this Yang Boy truly did pay a heavy price to secure this Black Ink Nest. Even though he had a special treasure that could repair his Soul, having to bear this kind of pain over and over again was not something that an ordinary person could do.
If they could really take control of this Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest and allow the Humans to build their own intelligence network, then Yang Kai would be the first to take credit.
Just like last time, Yang Kai collapsed to the ground while hugging his head after a few moments, rolling around on the floor while screaming miserably.
Ou Yang Lie and Gong Lian could not bear to watch, but they had no choice but to stay here and stand guard in case anything happened.
Another few days went by and even Yang Kai’s voice had become hoarse. His entire body was extremely weak and the clothes on his body were drenched over and over again in sweat.
It was only at a certain point that his pitiful screams finally stopped; not that it was no longer painful, but because his Soul had recovered slightly under the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus, allowing him to regain some control of himself.
As Yang Kai forced himself into a cross-legged position, Ou Yang Lie hurriedly handed over the Spirit Pills that he had prepared earlier, which Yang Kai took with a pale face and swallowed down.
Even though he had the Soul Warming Lotus to repair his Soul, having Spirit Pills on hand would still allow him to recover a little faster.
As time passed, the injuries to his Soul gradually mended, and Yang Kai’s aura also stabilized.
The last time he ended up in this state, it took Yang Kai nearly 3 years of recovery to return to his peak.
The amount of time it took him to recover was not much different this time, shorter only by a single month.
The reason why such a difference occurred was because Yang Kai’s Soul had become a little stronger than before.
He had noticed after his last recovery that recovering from these self-inflicted injuries made his Soul a bit stronger than before.
This was an unexpected surprise for him.
The situation now was the same as last time. After the injury to his Soul recovered, it once again became slightly stronger.
Yang Kai felt as if he had unexpectedly chanced upon a method for him to cultivate his Soul…
However, even if this method was quite effective at strengthening his Soul, Yang Kai was quite unwilling to do it. Unless someone was forced to, who would willingly endure such pain?
It was not strange that such a method was able to strengthen his Soul as it was quite similar to how one would temper their body, constantly battering one’s physique then healing would slowly improve their physical quality over time.
It was a method that only those with great perseverance and determination could use.
When Yang Kai opened his eyes, he saw Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple watching him with concern. Yang Kai first reassured them, “I’m fine now.”
Ou Yang Lie could not help but smack his lips, “Are you going in again?”
“Naturally,” Yang Kai nodded. Since he had already started, then he naturally had to see the Black Ink Nest matter through to the end. How could he even have the thought of giving up halfway? However, he still had to ask, “What’s the situation inside the Black Ink Nest currently?”
Ou Yang Lie told him, “I personally went inside to check last time. There aren’t any changes, so I did not dare to stay long either. I withdrew immediately.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Seems like the Black Ink Clan hasn’t suffered enough yet.”
After going in twice, he used a total of 4 Soul Rending Thorns which injured 4 Territory Lords in succession. Even under such circumstances, the Black Ink Clan had not diverted from their initial plan. It was clear that they were waiting for his return so that they could take revenge.
As some say, one must not attempt the same trick thrice and expect to get away with it. If Yang Kai went in again, he would probably not be as successful as he was the last 2 times. The Black Ink Clan wasn’t made up of fools. Since they had already figured out his trick, there was no way they would just offer themselves up on a platter for nothing.
So, he was almost certain that the Black Ink Clan had prepared some sort of nasty trick and was waiting for him to fall into their trap.
However, he had the Soul Warming Lotus to protect him, so what was there for him to be afraid of?
Without needing to make any sort of preparations, Yang Kai said, “Senior Ou Yang, things may change this time around, but as for what those changes are going to be, this Junior won’t know until he enters. If all goes well, then this Junior will return soon. In the meantime, I will have to ask for Senior to stand guard for me.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded, “Naturally, that is not a problem. You must be careful.”
Without saying anything more, Yang Kai opened up his Small Universe and allowed the Black Ink Nest to devour his World Force. With a surge of his Divine Sense, he connected with the consciousness of the Black Ink Nest.
Yang Kai’s figure appeared inside of the familiar space. This time, he had also taken on an unfamiliar appearance. Even though his identity would be exposed as soon as he made his move, it did not hinder him to put on a disguise.
As soon as he appeared, he noticed several auras locking onto him. The Black Ink Clan had obviously been waiting here for him.
One of the Soul Avatars had even taken the initiative to approach him, but Yang Kai was surprised to find that the Soul Avatar did not hold much malice.
From afar, he transmitted his thoughts over via Divine Sense, “One moment, Dao Brother. I am Si De Kuai, by order…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Yang Kai wailed in agony and spat out a golden light in his direction.
The golden light travelled as quickly as lightning, shooting straight into the Soul Avatar.
The person who called himself Si De Kuai immediately broke out into a cry of anguish as his Soul Avatar writhed violently.
Yang Kai forcibly endured the tearing pain and took a few steps forward. His Spiritual Energy was surging madly, turning into beam-like attacks that shot towards Si De Kuai furiously.
The storm of attacks enveloped Si De Kuai, and in just a short three breaths, the Soul Avatar, which had already been severely damaged by the Soul Rending Thorn, shattered and dissipated into nothingness.
Yang Kai’s face was twisting in pain, but he still looked dumbfounded at the Soul Avatars around him and muttered, “What was he trying to say?”
Honestly, Yang Kai recognised at first glance that this Si De Kuai was not a Territory Lord, but an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple. And, in terms of Spiritual Energy, he was on par with Yang Kai. If they were to compete with their respective Secret Techniques, then it was not known who would win.
However, this guy should have received an order from the Territory Lords to try to communicate with him.
Who knew that Yang Kai would not have that intention at all, immediately releasing a Soul Rending Thorn as soon as he stepped up and attacking him until his Soul Avatar shattered?
He was truly dead, unlike Yang Kai, who had the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus. Si De Kuai’s Soul was damaged to the point of shattering, so there was no chance for him to survive.
All the Territory Lords were dumbfounded at what they saw.
This Human had already killed the man, and now he asks what he was trying to say?
The Black Ink Clan lacked high-end combat strength to begin with, and that Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple was a part of the strength that they were heavily reliant on, yet he had just died here, which was heartbreaking news for them.
The fallout of a Soul Avatar’s death gradually spread out to the Territory Lords who had already surrounded Yang Kai in a closed circle.
Just as Yang Kai expected, things were different this time.
During the previous 2 times, 6 Territory Lords were lying in ambush inside the strange space. This time, the number of Territory Lords did not increase, but there was the addition of 4 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples’ Soul Avatars.
Yang Kai cut down one of them earlier, so only 3 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples remained.
At this moment, the 6 Territory Lords surrounded him in an outer circle whilst the 3 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples formed an inner triangle. The intentions of the Territory Lords were obvious. Since Yang Kai had the means to severely damage their Souls in one attack, they would use these Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples to exhaust Yang Kai’s power first.
In this way, even if Yang Kai were to use his needle-like artifacts, the only ones who would be injured would be the Black Ink Disciples.
Judging from the situation during the first 2 times, this human could only use the long needle artifact twice at most, then his Soul probably wouldn’t be able to withstand more.
So, that meant that this Human in front of them only had one attack left!
The Black Ink Disciple that Yang Kai cut down before did not actually intend to try and negotiate with Yang Kai, he was just trying to get close so he could try to launch a sneak attack on him. However, Yang Kai acted even more decisively, immediately going for the kill without even giving the enemy the chance to speak any nonsense.
The Territory Lords realized from this that no amount of clever strategy would help in front of this Human. The best way to face him was through overwhelming force.
“Attack!” Hong Di gave the order.
The 3 Black Ink Disciples in the inner circle had fierce looks on their faces as they all charged at Yang Kai.
Since Yang Kai only had one attack left in him, then he would not be able to stop them all. The Black Ink Clan would only lose one more Black Ink Disciple, which would be much better than a Territory Lord dying.
As soon as Hong Di’s voice came out, Yang Kai did not hesitate to spit out another Soul Rending Thorn and hit the nearest Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple.
He had no specific target in mind. To Yang Kai, the effects of killing an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple or a Territory Lord was the same. Both could help in weakening the Black Ink Clan’s strength so as to reduce the pressure for the Humans in their future crusade.
The lethality of the Soul Rending Thorn was truly terrifying; after all, the user had to sacrifice a big piece of their Soul each time it was used, and the larger the sacrifice, the greater the strength.
So, despite the fact that the 3 Black Ink Disciples left no openings for him to attack, the Soul Rending Thorn still quickly and accurately pierced into its target’s body.
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple screamed at once as his Soul Avatar began to writhe.
The remaining 2 Black Ink Disciples calmed themselves and each blasted a Secret Technique in Yang Kai’s direction.
Yang Kai was so mentally and physically exhausted at the moment that he no longer had the strength to defend himself. His Soul Avatar was torn to pieces at once as if it were a mere rag.
On the previous two occasions, he used the tearing of his Soul as a cover to evacuate from the strange space, but this time, something unexpected happened.
The entire strange space seemed to be sealed off by an invisible force, completely isolating him from the outside world so that Yang Kai had no way of leaving and connecting back to his own body.
It seemed that when the lead Territory Lord called for an attack, an unusual change occurred within this space. The pain in his Soul at that time was so hard to bear that Yang Kai was unable to sense it clearly.
Now, it seemed like the unusual change must have been a technique used by the Black Ink Clan to seal off the strange space and isolate it from the outside world.
[So, it’s this again?]
This was not the first time that Yang Kai had encountered such a situation, as it had been the same back in the Yin-Yang Theatre when he was ambushed by a large number of Feudal Lords and Hei Yuan Territory Lord.
Given the situation, Yang Kai quickly understood what sort of plan the Black Ink Clan had come up with. Undoubtedly, they were trying to trap him here and deny him the chance to escape, allowing them to finally kill him!
It had to be said that the Black Ink Clan did make the right decision this time.
Since this Human that barged into the Black Ink Nest again, and again could not be killed quickly, they had to cut off any chance of him escaping. No Soul could not be killed, it was just that they failed to grasp their opportunities when they had them.
As long as they were able to trap the Human’s Soul Avatar in the Black Ink Nest space, then they could do whatever they wanted to him, especially now that the Human had used his needle artifacts twice in a row and could not use them a third time.
And, to seal off the Black Ink Nest’s space, the Territory Lords had no choice but to have Che Kong and Hong Di, two Territory Lords, take the lead in meeting with the Royal Lord to request the latter’s help during the critical moment.
The entire Black Ink Nest Space was a platform that evolved from the consciousness of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest, to begin with. Naturally, the right to enter and leave that space was in the hands of the Royal Lord.
If they were to seal off this space completely, then they had to have the Royal Lord’s cooperation. Without the Royal Lord’s explicit permission, the Territory Lords had no ability to control this. However, with the Royal Lord’s permission, they could use a simple Secret Technique to seal up the Black Ink Nest Space.
When he was informed about this situation, the Royal Lord let loose a barrage of curses and insults at his disappointing Territory Lord subordinates, but he also had no choice but to cooperate.
The days had been harsh on the Royal Lord. His injuries were piling up with no chance to rest and recover, and now he was facing such a rotten problem, which naturally put him in a foul mood.
Fortunately, he did not take out his rage on his subordinate Territory Lords too much, which allowed Che Kong and Hong Di to breathe sighs of relief.
After confirming that Yang Kai had entered the space, the Territory Lords sent word to the outside so that the Territory Lord waiting on standby inside of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest could activate its power to seal off the space and isolate it from the outside.
If they did not do this, then Yang Kai would have escaped long ago.
As the strange space was completely sealed off, at the centre of the Black Ink Nest possessed by the Humans, Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple, who were both waiting for Yang Kai’s return, paled instantly.
Gong Lian gasped, “Honoured Master, Brother Yang he…”
Ou Yang Lie also had a grave look on his face and stepped forward to try to get a better grasp of the situation, the look on his face changing constantly.
Just now, the reverberations of Yang Kai’s Soul that they should have been able to feel disappeared completely. In plain terms, it meant that his Soul was gone. Even though his body was still here, it was now just a living corpse.
This was a clear sign that something had happened to Yang Kai inside of the Black Ink Nest Space. When Ou Yang Lie thought back to what Yang Kai said earlier, it seemed that he had anticipated that something different would happen this time around.
However, this development was far beyond what they had expected, with Yang Kai’s Soul essentially vanishing. What were they going to do now?
After a long time, Ou Yang Lie finally showed an anxious expression. From what he could sense, Yang Kai’s Soul had indeed completely disappeared. He could not sense where it was located at all.
Twice previously, even though Yang Kai’s Soul became somewhat vague and indistinct after entering the Black Ink Nest Space, Ou Yang Lie could still feel an invisible connection between it and his body. As long as that connection existed, Yang Kai was fine.
However, that connection had now been severed.
But if his Soul was truly destroyed, then there was no way that the aura of Yang Kai’s body could remain stable. The most likely scenario would be instantaneous death or complete dementia.
Strangely enough, the aura of Yang Kai’s body remained perfectly steady.
This made Ou Yang Lie confused as to what was going on.
After pondering for a moment, he had Gong Lian watch Yang Kai’s body carefully while he left in a flash so that he could find several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters proficient in Soul cultivation to see what was going on.
While Ou Yang Lie was busy, Yang Kai was fleeing like mad while forcibly enduring the tearing pain in his Soul.
He had no choice but to run as only an Old Ancestor would be able to withstand the combined attacks of 6 Territory Lords and 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, not to mention that his Soul already suffered critical damage from using the Soul Rending Thorns.
That was the troublesome part about this strange space that was created by the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness. It seemed both large and small, being of no definite shape, which made Yang Kai’s escape particularly difficult. That was because no matter how he tried to run, his enemy’s attacks would still be able to catch him at any moment.
In just a short few breaths of time, Yang Kai felt like he could run no more.
His entire Soul Avatar was in tatters which severely affected his ability to think and was causing him to make mistakes in his judgment which worsened his injuries.
If this went on, then he would surely be doomed.
Desperately holding onto the last bit of consciousness in the depths of his Soul, Yang Kai did not dare to hesitate anymore when he saw the attacks coming at him from all directions. He finally summoned the Soul Warming Lotus that he had been hiding all this while.
A seven-coloured light blossomed, and in an instant, a seven-coloured lotus appeared in the strange space. The lotus appeared in the form of a bud about to blossom, enveloping Yang Kai’s tattered Soul.
The fierce Spiritual Energy attacks hit the seven-coloured lotus, but caused no damage to it in any way, forming only light ripples on the surface of its petals.
The Soul Warming Lotus was a Supreme Treasure, unique in the Universe. It may not be able to display much strength under normal circumstances, but in the Black Ink Nest Space, where Spiritual Energy ruled everything, there was no strongest defence in existence. None of the attacks of the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples or the Territory Lords could break through its protection.
The Black Ink Clan quickly realized this unusual change; after all, none of them was blind. Who would not be able to see the dazzling seven-coloured lotus that suddenly appeared?
To their shock and incomprehension, while looking delicate and fragile, this thing was incomparably solid, remaining completely unaffected as it hovered silently in the void no matter how fierce their attacks were.
After a while, the bombardment ceased.
6 Territory Lords and 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples surrounded the Soul Warming Lotus, observing it warily.
“What is this?” Hong Di asked. He watched as this lotus flower suddenly appeared to protect the Human that they were about to kill, and the fact that they could not break it even with 8 top Masters of the Black Ink Clan joining forces naturally left him annoyed.
However, he did not recognize what this lotus flower was. If even he could not recognize it, then there was no need to mention the other Territory Lords.
The question now would have to go to the 2 surviving Black Ink Disciples to answer.
One of them, who took on the form of an old man, was frowning slightly. As he observed the Soul Warming Lotus carefully, a vague guess came into his mind; however, he had never seen this treasure before, so he dared not be certain.
He could only ask his companion, “It’s that, isn’t it? This Old Master should be correct.”
The other Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple nodded, “It is as the rumours say. If it truly is that, then it explains why this man has no fear of sustaining damage to his Soul.”
Not counting this time, Yang Kai had already invaded this Black Ink Nest Space twice and used the Soul Rending Thorn 4 times, killing or severely wounding 4 Territory Lords.
Such aggressiveness was alarming, but what puzzled them even more was his ability to recover from his injuries.
This man’s Soul had been fatally wounded, yet he returned running and jumping after just 3 years of recovery. No Spirit Pill or precious treasure could possibly have such an effect, no matter how good they were, save for one legendary object.
“Speak clearly, what is this thing exactly?” Hong Di asked in a stern voice. This was what annoyed him most about Humans. They always seemed to talk in a roundabout manner, which was very unpleasant to listen to.
The old man bowed, “Reporting to Sir, if this servant is not wrong, then it should be the rumoured Soul Warming Lotus.”
“Soul Warming Lotus?” The Territory Lord frowned. Even though he had been dealing with the Human Race for countless years and learned many of their habits, he was still not very clear about some of the Human Race’s more obscure rumours, not to mention something like the Soul Warming Lotus which was basically a mythical existence. Even the Masters of the Human Race themselves would only see such a thing recorded in the ancient books and never in real life.
“It is said that there exist two Supreme Treasures in the form of twin lotuses that grow side by side,” the old man explained, “One is the Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus that grants the holder a flawless body, impervious to all impurities, allowing them to gain twice the result with half the effort in their cultivation. The second is the Soul Warming Lotus that, while useless for one’s physical body, can protect and sustain their Soul. Under the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus, its holder’s Soul constantly grows stronger, and no matter how severe the damage sustained to their Soul, as long as it is not completely destroyed, the Soul Warming Lotus can allow its holder to rapidly recover to their peak.”
“These two Supreme Treasures are unique, with only one of each in existence. Once the first is found, another would never appear again. Not to mention, most had never seen them before, many have never even heard of their existence.”
“What Sirs see before you now must be the Soul Warming Lotus of legend.”
“It’s that precious?” A Territory Lord asked.
The old man nodded solemnly, “A Supreme Treasure of Heaven and Earth is priceless, beyond value entirely. Unless one has great opportunity and great destiny, they can never possess it.”
Hong Di rubbed his chin in thought, “If that is the case, the reason why this man has been able to escape death repeatedly and return unscathed was all thanks to the nourishment and protection of this Soul Warming Lotus?”
“Indeed!” The old man nodded, “It is said that the Soul Warming Lotus first blossoms with three colours, then five, and then finally seven. What Sirs see before you is already the Seven-Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, which is considered its apex. This man must have come into possession of this treasure many years ago; otherwise, it is simply impossible for him to have nurtured it to its seven-coloured form. With the nourishment of such a Supreme Treasure, he will naturally not fear any sort of injury to his Soul.”
The Territory Lords all had ugly looks on their faces now. With such a treasure, it was laughable they even thought they had killed Yang Kai the first time. It now made perfect sense that after just 3 years he was back to full strength and could come back to butcher 2 more Territory Lords.
If they had not sealed the Black Ink Nest Space this time and forced him to summon the Soul Warming Lotus to preserve his life, they would probably still be oblivious to the situation they faced.
Hong Di frowned, “This man is not making any further moves. I think his Soul is too badly damaged, so he must be resting inside of the lotus flower. Based on our previous experiences, it would only take him 3 years to recover completely. Then, he will definitely use those evil artifacts against us again. We have to find a way to deal with him before then. Does anyone have any ideas?”
All the Territory Lords were silent, and the 2 Black Ink Disciples also kept mum.
They had all seen what happened. The attacks of 6 Territory Lords and 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples couldn’t even disturb the Soul Warming Lotus, so trying to break through its defences was clearly a waste of time and energy.
One Territory Lord suggested, “Why don’t we try attacking again? He can only take our attacks now without being able to retaliate, so no matter how powerful this Soul Warming Lotus is, there should be a limit to how much it can take. We might be able to break it.”
The old man’s face twitched as he shook his head, “This is a unique Supreme Treasure, it would be a waste to break it. It would be best if we could recover and refine it.”
Hong Di was impressed by his suggestion, “That is a reasonable thought. If this treasure is so useful to a person’s Soul, then our Black Ink Clan can also make use if it. If we can refine it, then we will no longer have to fear the Soul Secret Techniques of those Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the future.”
The Humans did not have the innately strong physical bodies of the Black Ink Clan, and their growth cycle was also much longer, but the Humans also had their own racial advantages, and that was the variety of strange artifacts and techniques that they possessed.
Especially their Secret Techniques, which practically every Territory Lord had eaten a loss from. Of them, some Soul Secret Techniques were difficult to guard against and were the most troublesome.
If they could really refine this Soul Warming Lotus, then what Soul-type attack would they have to fear in the future? If the Humans dared to perform those Soul Secret Techniques again, then it would only be lifting a stone and dropping it on their own feet.
That was why Hong Di was so impressed with the old man’s proposal.
And, as the most senior Territory Lord here, Hong Di would naturally not step down from this opportunity, “I will try and refine it.”
Saying so, he took a step forward and his Spiritual Energy surged, enveloping the Soul Warming Lotus. Even though the other Territory Lords were displeased, there was nothing they could say.
The 2 Black Ink Disciples exchanged glances and stepped back, looking for their companion that was injured by Yang Kai before and helping him to resist the Soul Rending Thorn that was shot into his body earlier.
Upon entering the Black Ink Nest Space, Yang Kai first killed a Black Ink Disciple before injuring another. The Black Ink Disciple who was injured earlier had been fending off the power of the Soul Rending Thorn this whole time, but he was only a Black Ink Disciple after all, not a true Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it was a difficult struggle for him.
His 2 companions came at just the right time. If they had been any later, then he may not have been able to hold on. Even with 2 companions helping, it took a lot of effort for the Black Ink Disciple to stabilize his condition, but if he wished to force out the Soul Rending Thorn, it would be a long and gruelling task. Moreover, the entire process was bound to be fraught with ups and downs. The slightest misstep could result in a fatal end for him.
The Black Ink Nest Space was quiet for a while, with only the constant fluctuations of Hong Di’s Spiritual Energy breaking up the monotony.
After half a month, Hong Di finally lost patience and withdrew his Spiritual Energy, “Not a single drop is going through this thing. It’s impossible to refine. If any of you are interested, you’re free to try!”
He spent half a month and wasted a lot of Spiritual Energy, yet he came out completely empty-handed, which was extremely vexing for Hong Di. However, he needed to let the other Territory Lords have a try; after all, just because he could not refine it did not mean that others could not.
Anyone would want to give it a try.
After he stepped down, another Territory Lord took his place eagerly.
However, half a month later, he stepped back in disappointment just like Hong Di.
The other 4 Territory Lords tried one after another, but they all failed. This showed the Territory Lord that this Soul Warming Lotus probably wasn’t so easily refinable, especially when its owner was still alive.
If they wished to refine this Supreme Treasure, there was no choice other than to kill its owner first.
However, that Human had been hiding inside of the lotus bud ever since the Soul Warming Lotus appeared, and the Territory Lords had no idea what his condition was currently. How were they going to kill this guy off if they could not break through the Soul Warming Lotus’s protection?
This was simply a problem with no solution.
Just then, the old man came over with bad news, “Sirs, Brother Wan is on the verge of death. Could Sirs please open the space and allow him to return to his body so that he may recover?”
The Brother Wan that he spoke of was the Black Ink Disciple that Yang Kai injured previously.
Hearing his words, Hong Di turned around and saw that, sure enough, the Soul of the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan was unstable and weakening continuously.
Hong Di frowned, “Wasn’t he fine before? Why did this suddenly happen?”
The old man smiled bitterly, “Sir may not know, but for the three of us to remain in a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests with our consciousness connected to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness, we must use our World Force as a bridge. In other words, as long as the three of us are in here, the Black Ink Nest will constantly be devouring the World Force inside of our Small Universes. Counting the time, it has been 2 months since we entered this place. We may be in the Eighth Order with deep heritages, but Brother Wan’s Soul was severely injured, and with the World Force inside his body gradually running out, he can no longer hold on.
Not to mention Brother Wan, even he and the other unharmed Black Ink Disciple could not remain inside of the Black Ink Nest’s space forever. Otherwise, once all the World Force Inside their Small Universes were devoured by the Black Ink Nest, there was a risk of it collapsing, which was the same as them dying.
Their situation was unlike the Black Ink Clan, the Territory Lords may not be significantly stronger than them, but the power within the Black Ink Clan was Black Ink Strength that could connect with the Black Ink Nest at will without the same risks that they had to take on.
The Territory Lords could stay in their Black Ink Nests for as long as they wanted, but the same could not be said for the Black Ink Disciples. Before the power in their Small Universes dried up, they had to return their Souls to their bodies and seal off their Small Universe. Otherwise, they would be sucked dry and turned into withered corpses by the Black Ink Nest.
However, as these two were unharmed, they were able to last longer than Brother Wan.
After hearing what the old man said, Hong Di realized that he had overlooked the predicament of these Black Ink Disciples.
However, he was still hesitant to open up this space.
That was because the Human hiding inside of the Soul Warming Lotus would be allowed to escape once the space was opened. Only the Heavens knew what condition he was in right now, so who could say if he was capable of escaping when given a chance?
The Territory Lords had already paid a very heavy price and even asked the Royal Lord for help just so they could trap this Human here, so how could they be willing to let him escape?
However, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were currently a force that the Black Ink Clan relied on, so Hong Di was also reluctant to have that Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan just die in vain here.
It was a difficult choice!
Hong Di was indecisive when faced with this predicament.
However, the eyes of another Territory Lord suddenly lit up, “If you Black Ink Disciples are facing this problem, then it must be the same for that Human. Since he could enter this place, it means that he must have connected his consciousness with the Black Ink Nest just as you have, using the World Force of his Small Universe as a bridge. So, there’s simply no need for us to try so hard to refine the Soul Warming Lotus or even attack him. We only need to wait until the power inside of his Small Universe is exhausted, then sooner or later, he will die!”
Hong Di thought it was very logical when he heard it and nodded repeatedly, “That’s right, that’s exactly it!”
The old man’s heart went cold upon hearing this. It seemed like the Territory Lords were saying that they would rather sacrifice the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan than open this space.
However, it must be said that what the Territory Lord said was indeed the best solution at hand.
The old man was merely a Black Ink Disciple after all, so despite how unbearable it was, the Territory Lords had already made their decision and he was in no position to try and convince them otherwise. He could only turn around and glance at the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan, sighing.
However, Hong Di said, “You do not need to worry either. I’ve just thought of something.”
The old man bowed, “Please, Sir.”
“You said before that this Soul Warming Lotus was grows from three colours, five colours, and seven colours, correct? Now that this Soul Warming Lotus has already reached seven colours, it means that this man has possessed it for a long time, correct?”
“Exactly so.”
“Based on your speculation, how many years do you suppose this Human has possessed the Soul Warming Lotus?”
“At least 1,000 years, if not several thousand,” the old man reported.
“That’s right,” Hong Di’s eyes shone brightly, “If my guess is not wrong, then there is a great possibility that this Human is not in the Eighth Order.”
“Not in the Eighth Order?” The Territory Lords and the old man were stunned. They had no idea why Hong Di would make such a guess.
“I had a strange feeling when I fought him before; however, I couldn’t tell exactly what that feeling was. He just seemed different from the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters I’ve faced in the past. Knowing what I know now though, it is obvious that the reason his Soul has reached the intensity of the Eighth Order is because he had the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus. As such, it’s likely he is only in the Seventh Order! If he was truly in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then his Soul should have been far more powerful than an ordinary Eighth-Order Human.”
Hong Di’s speculation was also logical, and the Territory Lords who heard him all nodded repeatedly. And this indeed made sense, for if this Human was truly in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then after his Soul was nurtured by the Soul Warming Lotus for several thousand years, there was no way his Spiritual Energy would remain at the same level as an ordinary Eighth-Order Human. It would definitely far surpass that.
Now, the Spiritual Energy of this Human was merely on par with an ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it was clear to see that his true strength was not in the Eighth-Order.
The old man was even more delighted than the Territory Lords at that and exclaimed, “In that case, this man’s strength lies entirely in his Soul, while his true strength should be far inferior to ours.”
Hong Di smiled, “And so, he will not be able to hold out longer than you can.”
“Sir is absolutely correct!” The old man bowed.
If that were the case, then the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan might still have a thin hope. As long as he could outlast the man inside of the Soul Warming Lotus, then once their opponent’s Small Universe dried up, their predicament would be solved and there would be no need for them to seal the Black Ink Nest’s space any longer.
…..
At the same time, at the outpost with the Black Ink Nest in its centre.
Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple were standing by, next to Yang Kai.
Several months had gone by with Yang Kai remaining in this living corpse state without any trace of a ripple from his Soul, yet also with no physical abnormalities showing in his body.
Ou Yang Lie had also invited several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were proficient in Soul cultivation to come and take a look at him previously, but they all came to the conclusion that the connection between Yang Kai’s Soul had been cut from his body, and it should be suppressed and sealed inside of the Black Ink Nest Space.
Since only a single person could connect to a Black Ink Nest at any one time, there was nothing they could do to help on the Human side even if they wanted to.
In this situation, Yang Kai could only protect himself.
While being idle and having nothing to do, Gong Lian suddenly said, “Honoured Master, this Disciple heard that Brother Yang’s Small Universe is raising countless living beings. Even if he doesn’t cultivate, the heritage of his Small Universe is constantly increasing. Is that true?”
Ou Yang Lie smacked his lips, “I’ve heard that too, so it is most likely not false. That means that this boy is a lucky one. Not even an ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would dare to raise living beings in their Small Universe, yet he, as a Seventh-Order brat, had done so. Only the Heavens know how many years of cultivation that will save him in the future.”
Gong Lian looked impressed, “If I were to raise living beings in my Small Universe too, then would I not have to cultivate in the future?”
For him, this was a perfect solution as he always felt cultivation was a huge hassle. If he could increase his cultivation even while lying down and sleeping, nothing would make him happier.
Ou Yang Lie glanced at him, “He has the capital to do so, but do you? The Four Universe Pillars aren’t cabbages you pick up in the market. Without one of the Four Universe Pillars to fortify your Small Universe, once you fought against a powerful foe, your Small Universe would certainly be shaken. When the time came, it would be a disaster for all the living beings inside. Such a sin would not be beneficial to your future cultivation.”
Gong Lian felt a little dejected upon hearing that. Looking at Yang Kai, he really had to sigh with envy.
Ou Yang Lie smacked his lips again, “However, we should be thankful to those living in this boy’s Small Universe. If not for them, he might have been sucked dry by the Black Ink Nest after not returning for such a long time.”
Ou Yang Lie had been observing the condition in Yang Kai’s Small Universe this whole time, which he naturally could not normally check on. However, since Yang Kai had to connect to the consciousness of the Black Ink Nest, his Small Universe remained open the whole time, allowing the Black Ink Nest to devour his World Force. At least, Ou Yang Lie was still able to see some clues.
After a few months had passed, any ordinary Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would have been drained dry; however, the World Force inside of Yang Kai’s Small Universe remained plentiful without visibly decreasing in the slightest. It was clear that the living beings that he raised inside of his Small Universe were working in this case.
Now, there was no need to worry that Yang Kai’s Small Universe would be sucked dry by the Black Ink Nest, and he also had the Soul Warming Lotus to protect his Soul. Even a Royal Lord would not be able to do anything to him inside the Black Ink Nest Space, so there was little to worry about when it came to his safety.
The only thing the Black Ink Clan could do was trap him inside the Black Ink Nest Space, and he had no idea when Yang Kai would be able to escape.
Ou Yang Lie believed that the situation would not change much in the near future, and there was nothing that he could do about it either, so he just waited here and monitored Yang Kai’s status. As soon as anything happened he would immediately report it.
Time passed inside the Black Ink Nest, and in the blink of an eye, another 2 months went by.
It had almost been half a year since the Black Ink Nest Space was sealed off, an amount of time that would barely count as anything for both the Territory Lords and the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples.
At their Realm, one would ordinarily spend upwards of several dozen to 100 years in retreat during their cultivation, so a trivial half a year was just like a snap of one’s fingers.
However, for the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan, this half a year was torturous.
The Soul Rending Thorn was constantly wearing down his Soul, and even with the help of the 2 Black Ink Disciples, it was difficult for him to turn the tides on his condition. If his Soul Avatar could return and unite with his body, then it would provide some help to his current situation.
However, the Territory Lords were too worried about opening the Black Ink Nest Space simply for fear that the Human would escape. Under such circumstances, how could the Black Ink Disciple’s Soul return and remerge with his body?
In addition, the Black Ink Nest was constantly devouring the power inside of his Small Universe, further adding frost to snow and worsening his condition.
He had no idea what the condition of his Small Universe was at the moment, but if too much of its World Force was consumed, it would also kill him.
With the help of 2 companions, he was able to last for half a year, but the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan was starting to slip away.
At the same time, as when his Spiritual Energy began fluctuating violently, the 6 Territory Lords who were watching for any movements from the Soul Warming Lotus turned around just in time to see the Soul Avatar of the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan exploding, turning into dots of light and dissipating from the Black Ink Nest Space.
“Brother Wan!” The old man cried out in grief, feeling sad for his fellow peer.
The other Black Ink Disciple also had a mournful expression.
They had done everything they could, but they were unable to save the life of their companion. Before entering the Black Ink Nest on this mission, nobody could have expected that the situation would turn out this way.
They had a lineup of 6 Territory Lords and 4 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. Even if an Old Ancestor were to enter, they could still somehow put up a fight.
But now, 2 Black Ink Disciples were dead, and the Human was still hiding inside of the Soul Warming Lotus, without showing any signs of moving. There was simply nothing the Black Ink Clan could do.
Hong Di’s eyes were practically spitting fire.
[We lost another one!]
After counting the 2 prior times, the battles inside the Black Ink Nest Space had already cost the Black Ink Clan 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and 1 Territory Lord, and there were 3 other Territory Lords left with severe injuries to their Souls. It was not known whether they were even dead or alive at this point.
Such losses could not be considered small for the Black Ink Clan.
After the last war in Great Evolution Theatre, the Black Ink Clan’s forces were nowhere near as strong as they had been before. Whether it be the Territory Lords or the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, their numbers had essentially been halved from what they were just a few hundred years ago.
Suddenly, doubt emerged in Hong Di’s heart.
Was it worth paying such a high price just to force the Humans to give up the Black Ink Nest?
If their plan worked, then of course it would be worth it!
However, they had now experienced several serious setbacks with the Humans only having to mobilize a single person to make them lose so much ground. In the words of the Humans, the Black Ink Clan was now riding a tiger.
The cost was too great, but if they gave up now, how were they supposed to explain themselves to the Royal Lord?
So, no matter what, they had to deal with this Human and seize the Soul Warming Lotus so that they could show their faces to the Royal Lord.
On the other hand, the 2 Black Ink Disciples could only watch as the Soul Avatar of their companion surnamed Wan faded away. Losing a friend, they were both sad and also worried about their own situations.
Even though they were currently unharmed, it would still be a problem for them if they did not return to their physical bodies for a long time due to the Black Ink Nest continuing to eat up the World Force inside of their Small Universes.
They were Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but how long would they be able to last?
A year? 2? Maybe 3? Nobody could say for sure.
In fact, they were already feeling a bit of fatigue. Even though it was not very obvious, it was definitely a result of the depletion of their physical strength being reflected in their Souls Avatars.
This bit of exhaustion was nothing at the moment, but if they allowed this to continue, things would only get worse.
However, they were nothing more than Black Ink Disciples, servants of the Black Ink Clan, so how could they advise the Territory Lords to abandon this plan at this time?
The Territory Lords couldn’t give up easily. The 2 Black Ink Disciples could vaguely foresee the miserable state that awaited them, but now they could only hope that that Human was not in the Eighth, but in the Seventh or even Sixth Order.
Only then would they be able to outlast him.
Time passed in silence.
1 year, 2 years…
The Territory Lords remained unchanged, but the Soul Avatars of the two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples had clearly dimmed. The fluctuations of their Spiritual Energy had also clearly grown extremely weak, as if they were ailing and sick.
Souls naturally could not get sick, so there was only a single explanation for this occurrence; their bodies in the outside could not hold out any longer. For 2 long years, the Black Ink Nests were constantly devouring the World Force from their Small Universes, so even Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were not be able to hold on.
The weakness of their bodies was being reflected in their Soul Avatars, and that was naturally how things came to appear as they were.
After enduring for so long, the old man could not bear it any longer and came trembling to Hong Di’s side, bowing, “Sir, could you please open the Black Ink Nest Space and allow us to withdraw first? I’m afraid we won’t be able to hold out much longer.”
There was a look of struggle on Hong Di’s face. Frankly, he did not wish to lose 2 more Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples here for nothing; after all, they had already lost 2 before.
He was also happy to have the 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples live.
The reason he did not open the Black Ink Nest’s space previously was because he was worried that Yang Kai would take this opportunity to escape; however, there was no choice but to open the space now. If he didn’t, then the 2 Black Ink Disciples would surely die here.
He couldn’t understand just how this Human could last even longer than the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. His guess should have been correct. If this Human truly was in the Eighth-Order and had the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus for several thousand years, then his Soul would definitely be a great deal stronger than an ordinary Eighth-Order Human’s.
The fact that he only exhibited strength on par with an ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master proved that his true cultivation was not in the Eighth-Order. It was highly possible that he was only in the Seventh Order.
The heritage of a Seventh-Order Small Universe naturally could not compare to an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s, yet even though these 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples could not last much longer, the Human still showed no signs of weakening.
Now that things had come to this, Hong Di had no choice but to let the 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples retire first while they, the Territory Lords, stayed behind and continued waiting things out.
He had just made up his mind and was about to open up the Black Ink Nest Space, when a weak voice suddenly came from the Soul Warming Lotus, which had been silent all this while, “Yes, yes, quickly open this space. I also can’t hold on much longer so let’s call it a draw. We’ll talk again when we get the chance to meet again next time.”
[There is going to be a next time?]
Hong Di glared and shouted, “Impudence! No matter how amazing your skills are, this time, you will definitely die here!”
The old man’s Soul Avatar trembled as he turned his head towards the Heavens. If he were here in the flesh, then he would surely have burst into tears.
The only ray of hope he had left had just been destroyed by that Human…
He silently stood down and found a secluded corner with his other companion, calming the fluctuations of his Spiritual Energy and trying to minimize the loss of power as much as possible.
His only hope now was that they could last a moment longer than this Human.
Inside the Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai was now chattering non-stop, “You Territory Lords, why are you doing this? Those 2 obviously can’t hold on much longer. If you don’t open up this place, they are going to die here. I don’t care since I’ve killed so many of you already, and now I even got to take 2 more of you along with me to the grave. It’s a win for me no matter what.”
“The Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples on your side are not many now, right? I guess it makes sense. After the war, we Humans suffered huge casualties, so I can only imagine what it was like for the Black Ink Clan. If 2 more of you die, then the loss would be immense. By the way, how are the Royal Lord’s injuries? Is our Old Ancestor still visiting him often? We’re all neighbours so we should check in on each other frequently, but your Race is always so distant and unwelcoming. How boring it is that you don’t even come to visit.”
“Don’t pretend to be mute, I’m dying here. Will it kill you to say a few words to me? Haa… I’ve been cultivating all my life and shook the wind and clouds. Even though I only reached the Seventh Order, I’ve managed to kill quite a few Territory Lords. Unfortunately, the Heavens must be jealous as it seems I’m going to die here after all.”
“Since I’m going to die soon, let me ask you something. Answer me if you can, or don’t if you can’t. The Black Ink Nests are divided into different Ranks, and each Rank is the sub-nest of the Rank above it. In that case, whose sub-nest is the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest? What gave birth to it? This question has bothered me for a long time, so can you please enlighten me? If you can tell me, then I will also be able to die in peace.”
The Territory Lords were silent, but as they listened to the Human ramble on by himself, they could finally ascertain that just as they suspected, he was not in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, only the Seventh-Order.
Even though it was possible that he was lying, what was the point of doing so now that things have come to this?
What’s more, this situation was exactly the same as they had previously deduced. So, this noisy Human had to be in the Seventh Order, no doubt about it.
How humiliating!
If they had been driven into such a miserable state by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, then so be it, but now, they were actually being made fools of by a Human brat who was only in the Seventh-Order. All the Territory Lords felt great shame, and if possible, they wanted to drag Yang Kai out of the Soul Warming Lotus and make him suffer all kinds of torture to relieve their hatred.
Yang Kai’s voice grew weaker and weaker, “All right, fine. Since you are unwilling to speak, then pretend I never asked. I’m tired, I’m going to sleep.”
Mu Nan Fei, one of Great Evolution Paradise’s 1,653rd-generation disciples, showed a special talent in cultivating since entering the Sect and was highly valued by them, supplemented by the careful education and the training of famous mentors.
He was also hardworking and diligent, cultivating seriously and never disappointing his Elders and just 800 years after stepping onto the Martial Dao, had advanced directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
The day he broke through was a day when the sky opened up for him to fly high like a bird, but before his lofty plans could finally be realized, something suddenly happened to the Sect.
News came from the Black Ink Battlefield that Great Evolution Pass was being attacked by the Black Ink Clan Army and was in a precarious situation. So, Great Evolution Paradise quickly mobilized all its available troops to provide support.
Mu Nan Fei vividly remembered the day when all of the Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Sect, regardless of their Order, their gender, their age, or whether they were in the High-Rank, or the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm, gathered together.
Led by many Eighth-Order Divine Monarchs, tens of thousands of Great Evolution Paradise’s Open Heaven Realm Masters marched out from the Sect and went towards the No-Return Pass before stepping into the Black Ink Battlefield.
Once they arrived at Great Evolution Pass, the situation was even worse than any one of them could have expected.
Far off in the distance came violent energy fluctuations. Naturally, it was the fallout of the Old Ancestor of Great Evolution Pass fighting with the Royal Lords. However, the Old Ancestor was facing 2 enemies, and having already been severely injured from a sneak attack, his aura had become extremely weak.
Outside of Great Evolution Pass, the Black Ink Clan Army poured in like a tide that resulted in many of the Humans either dead or injured.
There was simply no time for them to recover. All of the disciples who came from Great Evolution Paradise to provide support were thrown onto the battlefield as soon as they arrived. For these newcomers who had never fought the Black Ink Clan before, this war was extremely brutal and many perished the moment they stepped onto the battlefield.
Mu Nan Fei’s Dao Partner, a gentle woman who had been accompanying him for 500 years, was killed in that battle.
He was seeing red and had completely lost his mind as he fought madly until he exhausted all the strength in his body.
He had forgotten how that battle ended. He just knew that by the time he was conscious, Great Evolution Pass was gone. The entire Army that had been defending the Great Pass together with the Old Ancestor was completely wiped out.
All except for those of them who were corrupted by Black Ink Strength and transformed into Black Ink Disciples.
It had been 30,000 years since that happened.
The newly advanced Sixth Orders of then were now already in the Eighth Order, and among them, he was different from the rest. That was because he had advanced directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and so his limit was the Eighth-Order, so he did not need Black Ink Strength to break through his shackles.
He could be described as a true Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that was no worse even when compared to the Human Race’s Eighth-Order Division Commanders. In a one-on-one fight, most Territory Lords may not even be a match for them.
His 30,000-year-long life as a Black Ink Disciple could almost be said to be extremely boring until the Human Armies came to retake Great Evolution Pass.
A bloody battlefield just like the one 30,000 years ago appeared, but this time, it was the Black Ink Clan who were on the losing end. The Humans reoccupied Great Evolution Pass while the Black Ink Clan incurred severe casualties and was forced to retreat to the Royal City, even having to willingly hand over one of their Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests.
The Royal Lord was furious while the Territory Lords were all extremely ashamed, vowing that they must force the Humans to give up that Black Ink Nest of their own accord.
They were quite successful when it came to hindering the Humans from using the Black Ink Nest at first, because the Humans had to connect their consciousness to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness in order to use it. Inside of the Black Ink Nest Space, the Black Ink Clan occupied an absolute advantage.
They had beaten several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and forced them to flee, and even the Old Ancestor had to return empty-handed after her visit. The Territory Lords thought that they had cornered the Humans.
That was until a strange fellow appeared.
2 successive attacks from this Human left 4 Territory Lords either dead or severely injured, and when all the Territory Lords thought that he was dead with certainty, he appeared for a third time.
Another 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples died because of him.
The Territory Lords had been locked in a stalemate with this Human for 3 years now.
That man was protected by the Soul Warming Lotus, so even the Territory Lords could do nothing about him. They could only hope that his Small Universe would be sucked dry by the Black Ink Nest, which would in turn cause his Small Universe to collapse and kill him.
However, after waiting for 3 years, Mu Nan Fei and the other Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple could finally hold on no longer.
In the final moments of their lives, the 2 Black Ink Disciples opened their eyes in unison, seemingly as if something had awoken and resonated between them.
As their gazes met, they could both see the confusion in each other’s eyes.
What had they been doing all these years? Why would they willingly become the minions of the Black Ink Clan? Why would they willingly turn their blades against the Human Race?
How could the sins of this life be washed away by their mere deaths?
Without need for words or deliberation, the 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples emitted a brilliant light in the final throes of their life.
Their extremely weak Spiritual Energy burst into flames all of a sudden, and as they supported each other, they shot across the strange empty space and charged straight into one of the Territory Lords.
The Territory Lords were completely unguarded, with all of their attention focused on the Soul Warming Lotus, or rather, the Seventh-Order Human hiding inside of it.
These days, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would open his mouth and make a bunch of noise from time to time, annoying them to no end.
Though it was annoying, the one thing that was giving hope to the Territory Lords was the fact that this guy’s voice seemed to be getting weaker and weaker, as if he was on the verge of death.
And yet he simply refused to die, clinging stubbornly to life from beginning to end.
The Territory Lords were all sick of him. He wouldn’t live either way, so couldn’t he just make it quick?
Burning the last bit of energy in their Souls, the 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples charged over, but the Territory Lords didn’t notice them at all.
It wasn’t until they rammed into Hong Di, that he suddenly turned around with a livid expression and roared, “What are you doing!?”
If it were any ordinary Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples joining hands like this, then even Hong Di would not be able to withstand it if he was caught completely off guard; however, these 2 were too weak now. Even burning the last of their Spiritual Energy, ramming into Hong Di felt like they were doing no more than scratching an itch.
Hong Di didn’t even feel much impact from it.
The flash of light dimmed, and the 2 figures relying on each other reappeared. However, at this moment, both Mu Nan Fei and the other Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s Soul Avatar were dull to the point of transparency, and they were fading quickly. It was clear that they were about to fade away.
However, Mu Nan Fei laughed, “A fitting death for us. Ancestors of Great Evolution Paradise, this Disciple will set off now!”
The other Black Ink Disciple nodded, “Together, we shall go together!”
With those words, the 2 Soul Avatars faded completely, dissipating as if they had never existed before.
The Territory Lords watched this scene in silence, deep frowns drawn between their brows. Though they lamented the loss of 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, they were more curious about the reaction these 2 showed before death… It was quite strange.
However, they were not given much time to ponder the issue as a powerful burst of Spiritual Energy was released at that moment, followed by the emergence of an extremely dangerous aura.
The Territory Lords were all shocked and hurriedly turned back, only to see that the Soul Warming Lotus had opened up at some point, and the Human who had caused them so much pain was standing in the middle of the blooming flower. Divine Sense locking onto a Territory Lord, a golden light shot out.
None of them had expected this Human to rise up and make trouble for them at such a time, but what puzzled them more was the fact that this Human did not seem weak in the slightest. His Soul Avatar was dense and solid, pervading with an imposing might, just short of glistening to show off his power.
[How could this be!?] The eyes of the Territory Lords almost popped out of their sockets.
Even if he had the Soul Warming Lotus to nourish his Soul, what could he do if his physical body failed to hold on? The 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were the perfect example of that.
However, looking at this Human now, the past 3 years did not seem to have made a dent in his strength.
[This is impossible!]
Unlike his attacks from before, Yang Kai did not scream miserably this time, yet violent pain still shot through his Soul Avatar, as if his very being was being torn apart. He forced himself to bear with it only so that he could make this sudden attack, and the effects were remarkable.
The attention of the Territory Lords were drawn to the strange actions of the 2 Black Ink Disciples. And, further dulled by the preconceived notion that Yang Kai had no more power to fight, none of them kept their guard up.
The first Soul Rending Thorn hit one of the Soul Avatars of the Territory Lords squarely, sinking in viciously, sending him flying back as he screamed, drawing distance between himself and Yang Kai.
But could Yang Kai still have the energy to bother with him? A second Soul Rending Thorn was already targeting a different Territory Lord.
He originally wished to attack Hong Di, as from their previous exchanges, it seemed that this Territory Lord was of a higher status than the others, so it would naturally be more meaningful to kill him off or at least severely injure him.
Unfortunately, whether intentionally or not, Hong Di was now the furthest away from him.
Yang Kai had no choice but to choose a closer, more certain target.
As the second Soul Rending Thorn came out, the Territory Lords had also aimed a flurry of attacks at Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai did not pay them the slightest mind. He had already summoned the Soul Warming Lotus to protect himself and was not as helpless as he was before, so why would he still have to fear the attacks of these Territory Lords?
Violent Spiritual Energy collided with the Soul Warming Lotus, but only a seven-coloured ripple appeared on its light halo before the attacks were completely dissipated. On the other hand, Yang Kai’s second Soul Rending Thorn broke through the Soul defences of the Territory Lord in an instant, nailing straight into his body.
However, he fared a little better than the first Territory Lord, for he had at least taken some precautions. The Soul Rending Thorn did not dig into his body completely, a small portion of it remaining outside, making it look as if he had been struck by an arrow.
A similar howl of pain left the second Territory Lord’s mouth though as he stumbled backwards, his Soul stirring violently.
Whether it be in its refinement or use, the Soul Rending Thorn had cost Yang Kai a great deal of energy to activate, so it was naturally very powerful.
Its limitations were such that anyone who obtained it would only be able to use it as a one-time trump card, impossible to bring out again after one use.
However, Yang Kai could use it over and over again thanks to the Soul Warming Lotus which would always repair his damaged Soul.
So what did it matter?
Once they saw that Yang Kai had already released 2 Soul Rending Thorns, the remaining 4 unharmed Territory Lords finally breathed sighs of relief.
Based on their past experiences, this Human could at most use that strange artifact twice before becoming incapacitated. It was impossible for him to shoot out a third needle within a short period of time.
Before they could even finish that thought though, a terrifying scene emerged.
As Yang Kai opened his mouth, a third Soul Rending Thorn shot out like a golden light just as the Territory Lords began to relax!
The timing was perfect.
This strike was even more effective than the first and second ones as the Soul Rending Thorn shot straight into the Soul Avatar of a third Territory Lord, disappearing from sight.
Another wail of horror broke out!
Throughout the Black Ink Nest Space, Soul auras fluctuated madly, from the 3 injured Territory Lords to the 3 unharmed Territory Lords, as well as Yang Kai’s. It was pure chaos.