The wound could be said to be extremely serious. Even a veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Cha Pu could not bear such an injury and instantly lost his combat ability.
An Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who had lost his combat ability would naturally catch the attention of countless Black Ink Clansmen on this chaotic battlefield where enemies were everywhere.
In Cha Pu’s current condition, any random Feudal Lord would be able to kill him without much effort. If Yang Kai had been one step slower, Cha Pu would have lost his life to the enemy by now.
As soon as the aura of the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple burst out, Yang Kai’s attention was focused on Cha Pu’s situation. That was why he immediately rushed over to provide support. Besides, he was the only person who could have achieved such a feat. Nobody else would have been able to arrive in time even if they wanted to offer assistance.
Thanks to a stroke of luck, the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple had focused his attacks on the Old Ancestor when his identity was revealed. He had wanted to catch Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao by surprise. For him, Cha Pu was merely collateral damage and thus did not target him deliberately.
If the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple had attacked Cha Pu seriously, the Eighth-Order Division Commander would not still be breathing. A Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple was still in the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm after all. An attack from a Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple was not something an Eighth-Order Human could withstand.
“Move!” Yang Kai roared. At the same time, he used the Azure Dragon Spear to sweep away the various obstacles in his path and forged a bloody path forward as he made his way to Great Evolution Pass.
Unfortunately, the Black Ink Clan Army was unwilling to watch a heavily injured Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master escape and quickly gave chase. A large number of Black Ink Clansmen instantly gathered to pursue them aggressively from behind. Various Secret Techniques simultaneously rained down on them.
Both Yang Kai and Cha Pu staggered from the impacts.
It was unknown whether it was due to orders from a Territory Lord or just bad luck, but no matter where Yang Kai went, more and more Black Ink Clansmen would appear to block his path. The enemies pursuing him from behind did not lessen in numbers either, seemingly determined to ensure that Cha Pu did not escape alive.
Even with the help from various nearby Warships, the situation was getting worse.
Yang Kai did not dare to carelessly use Instantaneous Movement either. Under these circumstances, while he would be fine after using Instantaneous Movement, Cha Pu was too heavily wounded to withstand the pressure caused by traversing the Void. In the worst case, Cha Pu could end up dying at his hands instead of the enemy’s.
“Brother Yang!” A shout suddenly entered Yang Kai’s ears, “This way!”
Turning in the direction of the voice, Yang Kai saw a solidly built Warship carrying a huge tortoise shell on its back coming towards him. Several Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were standing outside the Warship, joining forces to slaughter the surrounding enemies. The person who shouted at him earlier was none other than Squad Leader Chai Fang.
Yang Kai hurriedly sped in that direction while the nearby Warships quickly restrained the numerous Black Ink Clansmen closing in from all directions.
After great effort, both parties finally met up with each other and Yang Kai arrived on the Old Turtle Squad’s Warship with some manoeuvring.
The energy fluctuations rampaged wildly outside. It was a massacre. Meanwhile, the inside of the Warship was also very hectic. The Old Turtle Squad’s members were fervently channelling the power of their Small Universes to either maintain the operation of Spirit Arrays or control artifacts to attack the enemy.
Yang Kai placed Cha Pu down and finally had the time to stuff some Spirit Pills into the latter’s mouth. Looking down at Cha Pu, his expression became solemn.
In such a short period, Cha Pu’s injuries seemed to have worsened considerably. It could be seen how terrifying the power of the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple was. Even an established Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Cha Pu could not withstand power from a single sword slash, even if he was not the intended target.
Yang Kai swiftly activated Purifying Light to envelope Cha Pu, trying to eliminate the Black Ink Strength that was invading the latter’s body.
The Black Ink Strength was a minor issue that the Purifying Light could dispel easily; however, the horrifying Sword Qi lingering around the wound was not something Yang Kai could handle. That could only be resolved by the Old Ancestor or Cha Pu himself.
“Be careful!” Cha Pu warned. Afterwards, he was too weak to say anything else.
Yang Kai nodded. Slipping out of the Warship, he rushed towards Chai Fang and the others. He brushed past them and shouted at Chai Fang, “Escort him back to Great Evolution Pass!”
Chai Fang did not hesitate to agree and immediately ordered his Squad members, “Withdraw!”
They hurriedly rushed back into the cabin, and under the control of the Old Turtle Squad members, the bulky Warship immediately turned around and retreated towards Great Evolution Pass under the indiscriminate bombardment from numerous Black Ink Clansmen.
At the same time, Yang Kai’s figure flickered about wildly as he unleashed a barrage with the Azure Dragon Spear to stop the Black Ink Clansmen who were chasing from behind. Wielding his Supreme Limitless Spear Art without restraint, Yang Kai swept through the enemy ranks like a hurricane. It only took an instant for the Black Ink Clansmen in front of him to vanish like snowflakes melting under the scorching Sun.
Yang Kai stood in the void by himself, fending off the advance of his enemies with his strength alone. However, he only lasted for 10 breaths of time before his body stiffened. Coughing up a mouthful of Golden Blood, he staggered backwards.
He excelled at wandering around and killing his enemies. Unfortunately, he needed to remain in place if he wanted to create an opportunity for the Old Turtle Squad to retreat. He couldn’t last for very long while trying to maintain a stationary position. Not to mention, the overwhelming attacks could not just be dismissed. Every time Yang Kai blocked an attack, he would consume a portion of his strength. There was no saying when the battle would finally end, so even if the heritage of his Small Universe was impressive and his strength far surpassed his peers in the same realm, he could not afford to squander his power without any inhibitions.
Taking a moment to glance behind him, Yang Kai saw that the Old Turtle Squad was still surrounded by the Black Ink Clan in all directions. A storm of attacks rained upon the Warship like a torrential downpour, causing the light barrier around the huge tortoise shell to flicker wildly. Be that as it may, the Old Turtle Squad’s momentum did not reduce in the slightest and soon they had approached to within 1 million kilometres of Great Evolution Pass.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a sense of relief. The Old Turtle Squad might not have anything else that was special about them, but their entire Squad could be described with one word, ‘Tough’! And it wasn’t just their Warship that was tough. As far as he knew, Chai Fang and his Squad members had all cultivated extremely powerful defensive Secret Techniques. Even if they met a powerful enemy they could not defeat, they could defend themselves for some time.
This particular characteristic of the Old Turtle Squad certainly played a huge role at this moment.
If Dawn had been the one to escort Cha Pu instead, things might not have gone so smoothly. Dawn’s overall strength was not inferior to the Old Turtles’, but they would have a hard time persisting if they were surrounded and attacked by so many Black Ink Clansmen.
At 1 million kilometres, they had arrived within the range that Great Evolution Pass’s static defences could assist them.
Seeing the large number of Black Ink Clansmen chasing after the Old Turtle Squad, the Spirit Arrays on the walls of Great Evolution Pass began to hum and shine with light. What followed immediately after that was the power of the artifacts shooting across the sky like a hail of meteors.
The attacks brushed past the Old Turtle Squad’s Warship with incredible precision and slammed straight into the midst of the pursuers. Countless Black Ink Clansmen were sent flying by the blasts, and the auras of numerous Black Ink Clansmen vanished in large hordes. There were even Feudal Lords among the lives lost.
Upon seeing the ferocious assault coming from the Great Pass, the pursuing Black Ink Clansmen did not dare to move forward recklessly. Against such a heavy barrage, they would be blasted to smithereens before they managed to reach Great Evolution Pass.
Besides, there was nothing they could do even if they could reach Great Evolution Pass. 20 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were overseeing and protecting Great Evolution Pass. With so few numbers on their side, the Black Ink Clan couldn’t break through the defences of Great Evolution Pass.
A heavily injured Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who had lost his combat ability was not worth such a huge sacrifice from the Black Ink Clan.
At this moment, Yang Kai no longer paid attention to the movements of the pursuers. With a shift of his figure, he began wandering the battlefield again to hunt down his enemies and did not bother to rejoin the members of Dawn.
At present, the situation on the battlefield had become clear. Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was fighting the Royal Lord and the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple in a two-against-one battle. Meanwhile, the Territory Lords on the battlefield were being restrained by the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Therefore, there was practically nothing that could threaten Yang Kai’s safety on this battlefield. Moreover, he did not believe that the Black Ink Clan had any more hidden Territory Lords or Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples.
Now that the battle between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan had reached this point, both sides had already brought out all the power that they could despite not much time having passed. After all, the Human Race had taken out the Evil Purging Divine Spears that had been kept secret for years. How could the Black Ink Clan afford to keep anything else hidden at this point?
The vast battlefield could almost be said to be a place where Yang Kai could rampage without restraint. As long as he did not take the initiative to court death, there was practically nothing that could threaten his life. For him, it was simply a matter of how many enemies he could kill.
Dawn was not weak, so even without him, they could run rampant across the battlefield without any issues. More importantly, Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space so he would be able to maximise his advantage by fighting alone.
From time to time, flashes of pure light that resembled Great Suns would explode somewhere on the battlefield. Those were the Evil Purging Divine Spears that were constantly being activated.
For this battle, Great Evolution Pass had distributed all the Evil Purging Divine Spears that they had been stockpiling all these years. Almost every Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had received two or three Evil Purging Divine Spears. When faced with a powerful opponent, the Evil Purging Divine Spears would often break the stalemate and allow them to slaughter their enemies.
However, now that the existence of the Evil Purging Divine Spears had been revealed, their effects were not as impactful as their debut. The Black Ink Clan had become vigilant now, and no matter how fast the Human Race cultivators activated the Evil Purging Divine Spears, they would still need to take some time.
This was unlike at the beginning when the Human Masters had activated the Evil Purging Divine Spears at the same time, shocking both the Territory Lords and Feudal Lords. They Black Ink Clan had never seen such an artifact before, so how could they have known about them having such a great restraining effect on Black Ink Strength?
The situation might be favourable, but the battlefield was still tense.
There was nothing that needed to be said about the Old Ancestor’s situation. She was powerless to slaughter her enemies even if she could handle them in a two-against-one battle.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were also busy fighting the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples at the moment. The sudden emergence of the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple had shocked all the Eighth-Order Division Commanders.
The Territory Lords, who were originally being heavily suppressed, had taken advantage of that momentary shock to break free from the restraint of the Human Masters and desperately draw on the power of their Black Ink Nests to remove the Purifying Light that had invaded their bodies. Although many of them had been killed, even more of them had managed to escape death.
To pull off that explosive moment, many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had gotten severely wounded.
Take Xu Ling Gong for example. The newly-advanced Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had fought in a two-against-one battle, and for the sake of killing his enemies, he had not hesitated to reveal an opening as bait. He had forcefully withstood a blow from each of his two opponents when the Evil Purging Divine Spears were activated.
It was true that he had indeed killed an enemy, but his strength had been seriously compromised due to his injuries. The assault of another Territory Lord had left him in a miserable state.
Similar situations like his could be seen everywhere on the battlefield. The higher-ups of the Human Race were showing signs of being suppressed even though their numbers were now almost equal to their enemies. The situation might be grim, but that was the price that they had to pay to slay their enemies.
Without their previous efforts, it would have been impossible for 20 Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples to be killed so swiftly.
It had to be said that most ordinary wars between the two races would last from several decades to over 100 years, but the number of Territory Lords who fell during that time would never exceed the fingers on one’s hand. Be that as it may, nearly 20 Territory-Lord-level Masters had lost their lives in just a few breaths. The Evil Purging Divine Spears were worthy of being the Human’s trump card.
The Eighth-Order Division Commanders might not be in shaky condition, but the Warships under the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters’ command were at peak condition.
Although the Great Evolution Army only had 30,000 troops against the Black Ink Clan Army of nearly 1 million, the rate at which the Humans were killing the Black Ink Clansmen was astonishing. In half a day of intense battle, hundreds of thousands of Black Ink Clansmen had been killed, their tattered corpses and remnant Black Ink Strength scattered across the entire battlefield.
The Human Race also suffered many casualties. In such a huge battle, it was inevitable for losses to occur on both sides.
Warships would explode from time to time, but fortunately, the Humans had many years to prepare for this clash. The Squad Leader of every Squad had a spare Warship in their possession. Every time a Warship blew up, they would immediately summon their spare Warship and continue their bloody battle with the Black Ink Clan.
In the past, the Human Race did not have such means because the refining of each Warship required extensive amounts of materials. The Human soldiers already lived a frugal life at that time, with even their cultivation resources being used sparingly, so where would they find the extra resources to refine spare Warships?
However, the lack of resources stopped being an issue that plagued the Human Race once the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors entered circulation throughout the Great Passes. Coupled with their efforts in plundering the Black Ink Clan’s territory, it stood to reason that the Humans would have more resources to go around than before.
That was also the reason why the overall strength of the Human soldiers had improved significantly over the recent 500 years. With a steady supply of resources, there was no need for them to be stingy in their cultivation.
Every Squad at Great Evolution Pass had their own spare Warship, except for Special Operations Squads like Dawn. Special Operations Squads did not have spare Warships because their primary Warships were specially refined and customised by the Artifact Refining Great Grandmasters themselves. Moreover, the customisation of the Spirit Arrays and artifacts on their Warships had cost them countless Military Merits.
In any case, if the situation was so dire that even the Warships of the elite Squads were destroyed, then the Human Race would not be far from defeat. At that point, it would no longer make much of a difference whether they had a spare Warship or not.
The cawing of the Golden Crow reverberated across the battlefield again as a Great Sun leaped out to illuminate the surrounding darkness. Even the Black Ink Strength could not block out this brilliant light. When the Great Sun exploded, countless Black Ink Clansmen were vaporized.
Yang Kai breathed heavily as he looked around with his spear raised. The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters scattered across the battlefield were all locked in desperate battles while the Black Ink Clan Army had rallied and was now surrounding the Warships that were moving across the battlefield.
The situation was extremely dangerous.
Before the crusade began, everyone knew that this would be a tough battle and obtaining victory would not be an easy feat.
Tens of thousands of soldiers from Great Evolution Pass were desperately fighting a bloody battle for the very future of the Human Race. All their efforts were to protect the safety and peace of their future; hence, they did not hesitate to risk their lives for their cause.
It was just that the appearance of the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple was simply too unexpected. If not for the intervention of the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple, the situation might not have been so dire.
Although the Royal Lord could borrow the power of his Black Ink Nest to hold off the Old Ancestor, if the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple had not joined forces with the Royal Lord, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao would have had more than enough power to fully restrain the Royal Lord and several Territory Lords at the same time.
If the Old Ancestor had helped to restrain several Territory Lords, the Eighth-Order Division Commanders could have broken the current stalemate. Unfortunately, that plan was no longer feasible. The joint assault of the Royal Lord and the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple left her powerless to do anything else.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth and glanced in the direction of the Royal City.
He was no match for a Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple, but a Territory Lord was feasible in his current state. Unfortunately, even if he fought at his hardest, he could at most occupy a single Territory Lord at best, which would be meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Rather than wasting his effort, he might as well utilise his strength to the fullest and hunt down more Feudal Lords.
However, if he could destroy the Black Ink Nests in the Royal City and prevent the Territory Lords from borrowing their power, then the current deadlock would also be broken.
Once the Black Ink Nests of the Territory Lords were destroyed, they would not be able to rely on any other external aids. The situation of the Eighth-Order Division Commanders should improve significantly as a result.
It could also be said that… if the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest was destroyed, then the Old Ancestor might even have the opportunity to slay the Royal Lord.
However, entering the Royal City to destroy the Black Ink Nests would not be an easy feat. Even though Yang Kai was standing on the chaotic battlefield, he could clearly sense the aura of several Territory Lords stationed at the Royal City.
The Black Ink Nests were critical to the Black Ink Clan, so how could they not assign a few Territory Lords to protect them?
According to the previous estimates of the higher-ups among the Human Race, before the war began the Black Ink Clan had 70 to 80 Territory Lords on their side, more or less equal to the number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Division Commanders. In addition, they also had some 20 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Black Ink Disciples under their command.
Be that as it may, there were not that many Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Black Ink Disciples on the battlefield. At least 20 Territory Lords must have remained in the Royal City to guard the Black Ink Nests.
That was an extremely powerful force. Judging from the current situation, guarding the Black Ink Nests had been a fail-safe plan. The reason why so many Territory Lords had stayed behind was to guard against the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Great Evolution Pass.
Just as how the Human Race had analyzed the strength of the Black Ink Clan, the Black Ink Clan had also made a judgement on the number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters the Humans had. If not all of the Human Race Masters had taken action, then how could the Black Ink Clan dare to go all out? In the end, both sides had left a large number of top Masters to protect their important locations in order to prevent the other party from causing trouble.
Although Yang Kai was tempted to cause a ruckus at the Royal City, he did not dare to act rashly with so many Territory Lords standing guard.
Just as he was mulling over these ideas, Xiang Shan’s voice suddenly entered his ears, “Target the Royal City’s Black Ink Nests!”
Yang Kai’s eyes immediately lit up at those words. Xiang Shan was asking him to destroy the Black Ink Nests in the Royal City!
[Looks like I was not the only one with this idea.]
It would seem that Xiang Shan had the same thought regarding the method to break this stalemate, or rather, with his abilities, Xiang Shan probably came up with this plan a long time ago but had been waiting for the right moment to carry it out. He probably issued the order to Yang Kai now because he had finally figured out the appropriate countermeasures.
The Eighth-Order Army Commander, who had fallen to the Seventh-Order before clawing his way back up after thousands of years, immediately displayed an unparalleled strategic talent as soon as he returned. It could be said that the Great Evolution East-West Army only managed to defeat the Black Ink Clan 200 years ago thanks to Xiang Shan’s leadership. He had established a huge advantage for the Human Race in the Great Evolution Theatre, and that advantage had continued to this day. That battle also laid the foundation for the Great Evolution Army’s current crusade.
For that reason, Yang Kai held great respect and admiration for Xiang Shan.
Although Yang Kai could not lead an army into battle, he excelled at carrying out individual assaults on his enemies. All the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were being watched closely at the moment, so none of them could extract themselves and head to the Royal City. That made a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Yang Kai the best choice for this task. Not to mention, he was different from ordinary Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Yang Kai was confident that he would succeed at the task as long as he could seize the opportunity. The Black Ink Nests had almost no defensive strength at all, so as long as he could find a way to get close, Yang Kai could easily destroy several of them without much effort.
Under Xiang Shan’s order, Yang Kai did not hesitate to head straight for the Royal City while not daring to make too much of a commotion, lest he catch the attention of the Black Ink Clan Army.
At the same time, at a distance 5 million kilometres away from the Royal City, Great Evolution Pass continued to rotate slowly under the urging of the 20 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters stationed there. Meanwhile, the Spirit Arrays and artifacts on the walls of the city constantly shot towards the Royal City, forcing the Black Ink Clan to assign some of their troops to defend it.
Great Evolution Pass had travelled a great distance for this war, so naturally it could do more than simply launch a single ramming attack. Its role was not just to provide a powerful shield for the Human Race, its offensive and defensive abilities were absolutely lethal weapons on the battlefield. In fact, the very existence of Great Evolution Pass restrained a large part of the Black Ink Clan’s power.
Yang Kai flew around various battlefields, approaching the Royal City without a trace. He did not know what Xiang Shan was planning; however, the latter clearly had an arrangement in place since he had issued such a command.
All Yang Kai could do now was trust in Xiang Shan and act when the opportunity arose.
At that moment, a furious roar sliced through the entire battlefield, “Go! Kill all the Eighth-Order Humans!”
That was the voice of the Royal Lord.
It wasn’t just the Human Race that was trying to break the stalemate. The Black Ink Clan was also trying to achieve the same.
For the Human Race, destroying the Black Ink Nests in the Royal City was the key to breaking the stalemate. On the other hand, killing the Eighth-Order Division Commanders was the Black Ink Clan’s key to victory.
The Black Ink Clan might not have had such capital in the past, but they did now. They had a Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple!
At the start of the battle, this Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple had remained hidden, disguising himself as an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple during his battle with Cha Pu. He has been looking for an opportunity to attack the Old Ancestor. It was a pity that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had received a warning in advance, so she was fully prepared. The terrifying sword slash he unleashed at her had not gotten the desired effect. On the contrary, he exposed his whereabouts and was dragged into Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s battle, unable to extricate himself.
He was now working with the Royal Lord. Although they had managed to suppress Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, dragging out the battle in this manner was not going to accomplish anything. Compared to fighting with Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, it would be more efficient if he hunted down the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters instead. With his Ninth-Order strength, none of the Eighth-Order Humans engaged in battle with the Territory Lords would be able to defend themselves against him.
When the Royal Lord let out that ferocious roar, he also struck out at Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao with all his strength so that the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple could escape. The reason for his shout was also to distract and disturb her focus.
Contrary to the Royal Lord’s expectations, she did not even attempt to stop the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple from leaving, instead increasing the intensity of her attacks on him.
The Royal Lord’s felt his heart clench slightly, vaguely sensing that something was wrong. Logically speaking, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao should have been desperate to prevent the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple from leaving; however, she had done the exact opposite…
Her seemingly illogical choice made the Royal Lord feel uneasy. Having suffered terrible losses due to her schemes in the past, anything that felt out of place made him wary. Nevertheless, the Royal Lord did not have the time to ponder on the matter as her attacks were so fierce that he had to concentrate on defending himself. How could he dare to be distracted at a time like this?
The Royal Lord wasn’t the only one who was taken aback. Even the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple was stunned. Be that as it may, his opponent’s choice happened to be exactly what he wanted, so he quickly stopped thinking about the issue and spun around to attack the nearest Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The Eighth-Order Division Commander was already drenched in blood. His current situation was similar to Xu Ling Gong’s. They were both fighting two-against-one battles, but as a veteran, his heritage was much stronger than Xu Ling Gong’s. That was why he was in better condition despite also fighting two opponents at once.
After activating the Evil Purging Divine Spear, this Division Commander had forcefully withstood the attacks from both enemy Territory Lords and took the opportunity to kill one of them. Unfortunately, he was now severely injured and stuck in a protracted battle with the other Territory Lord.
A sharp aura locked onto him without warning. Before the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple even arrived, a sword slash was unleashed from afar. The terrifying power behind the sword slash even tore space apart in its path.
The Sword Qi not only enveloped the Eighth-Order Division Commander, but also affected the Territory Lord who was fighting him.
The Territory Lord’s expression changed drastically, and he soundly cursed the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple in his heart. Nevertheless, his movements were quick. All the Black Ink Strength in his body surged, and he quickly retreated to avoid being affected by the Sword Qi.
In the next moment, this Territory Lord’s figure stiffened in shock. That was because many powerful auras suddenly emerged from the surroundings and encircled him from all directions.
[Eighth-Order Humans! Why are there so many Eighth-Order Humans here!?]
The thought had only just passed through his mind when countless fists slammed into his body from all sides. He was beaten to the point where he coughed up blood continuously. Even though he was severely wounded in an instant, his life was not in danger; however, the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s Sword Qi fell upon him at that moment!
“No!” He howled, desperately using all his might to defend himself against the sword wave. Be that as it may, how could his severely injured body achieve such a feat? When the Sword Qi enveloped him, his enormous figure was instantly cut to pieces as the horrifying Sword Qi sliced off all his vitality.
The Territory Lord’s vitality dissipated quickly. He widened his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe that he was dying at the hands of the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple instead of the Human Race.
Just before his death, he saw several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters charging towards the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple through his blurry vision. Every one of them was incredibly powerful!
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who had hidden themselves amid the chaotic army no longer had the intention to conceal themselves at this moment. They quickly drew upon their World Force and attacked the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple.
Nobody knew when these five Eighth-Order Masters had entered the fray. It wasn’t just the Black Ink Clan that had failed to notice their presence, even the Human cultivators had not noticed them.
It could even be said that these five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would not have had the chance to shine if things had gone according to plan. Their original task was to remain at Great Evolution Pass and control its Core. While providing the necessary protection for the Pass, they were also supposed to guard against any Territory Lords who dared to attack the Pass directly.
Unfortunately, the original plans could not keep up with the changes on the battlefield. It was only natural for the Humans to adapt the necessary countermeasures following the appearance of a Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple among the Black Ink Clan’s forces.
These five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were the candidates chosen by the Army Commanders to deal with the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple.
Five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters might not be enough to confront a Master like Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao; however, it had not been long since the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple broke through to his current realm, so five veteran Eighth-Order Masters working together should be just enough to restrain him.
There was a huge battle between the Human Race Army and the Black Ink Clan Army; hence, violent energy fluctuations filled the void. It was not strange for them to be able to sneak out of Great Evolution Pass without anybody noticing.
In the next moment, the five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters engaged the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple in battle. The Eighth-Order Master who had been targeted by the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s Sword Qi earlier also joined in the battle without regard for his injuries even though he was coughing up blood. He drew upon his World Force madly as he attacked his imposing opponent.
While the six Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were joining forces to restrain the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple, the aura of several hidden Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters suddenly appeared in the vicinity of the Royal City. Every one of their auras shone brilliantly as they openly charged towards the Royal City without hiding. Every one of them gave off an imposing momentum and even on this chaotic battlefield, they were extremely eye-catching.
“Impudence!” Che Kong, who had remained behind in the Royal City to oversee the protection of the Black Ink Nests roared furiously. How could he not know what the Human Race was planning when he saw the Eighth-Order Masters charging towards the Royal City?
The Humans clearly intended to destroy the Black Ink Nests and weaken the combat power of the Territory Lords and the Royal Lord. The reason Che Kong remained behind was precisely to guard against such actions.
There was no need for him to issue any commands. Even without a word from Che Kong, several Territory Lords had already taken to the skies to intercept the incoming Eighth-Order Humans.
Numerous Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had been dispatched here, 10 in total. Counting the five who were dispatched to restrain the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple earlier, a total of 15 Masters had been deployed at this point.
20 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had initially remained to guard Great Evolution Pass. Now that 15 of them had been dispatched, only five remained behind.
No matter what happened, those five could not be sent out. If they were to leave, they would only be left with the meagre deployment on the walls and the current defensive force that remained in Great Evolution Pass. If the Black Ink Clan tried to attack Great Evolution Pass at that point, then the Humans would not be able to defend it with just those forces alone.
10 Territory Lords rose to meet the 10 incoming Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Although there were 20 Territory Lords who stayed behind to guard the Royal City, they did not dare to all move rashly under these circumstances. The consequences would be terrible if they fell for the Human Race’s trap to lure them away from their posts.
The Masters of both sides collided in the void and immediately split into ten different battlefields.
One of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters laughed loudly, “One isn’t enough! Bring me another!”
Despite speaking such arrogant words, rather than fighting, he stubbornly endured the attacks of his Territory Lord opponent and forced his way towards the Royal City. Even if he was horribly beaten, he did not retreat in the slightest.
He wasn’t the only one! There were six of them who echoed his sentiments! The other four Division Commanders were somewhat weaker, so they did not boast arrogantly and simply concentrated on the opponent in front of them.
The Territory Lords fighting those six Division Commanders were infuriated by their words.
Although the Territory Lords were generally weaker than the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, the gap between their strengths was not that big. In a one-on-one battle, an Eighth-Order Master would have no problem holding the advantage against a Territory Lord, but killing the latter would be quite difficult. In fact, if they were not careful, the Division Commanders would instead be injured by the Territory Lords.
That was also why those clansmen weaker than Territory Lords in the Black Ink Clan Army would often suffer countless casualties after a huge battle, but most of the Territory Lords would retreat with their lives. Their strength gave them enough power to protect themselves from deadly harm.
It was bad enough that the Eighth-Order Humans were aiming to destroy the Black Ink Nests, but on top of that, they not only ignored the retaliation of the Territory Lords but also openly taunted them. Their behaviour was simply outrageous.
In such a situation, it was only natural that the Territory Lords would not show mercy.
Out of the six Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters with such thoughts, one of them was beaten so soundly that he could barely continue forward. Thus, he could only turn around to concentrate on his opponent and give up on the idea of trying to restrain another Territory Lord.
The other five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters continued charging towards the Royal City.
Che Kong was absolutely furious. The actions of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters clearly indicated that they were aiming to draw out and pin down the Territory Lords. It would seem that they were determined to destroy the Black Ink Nests.
If the protection around the Black Ink Nests weakened, then the risk of them being damaged or destroyed would increase significantly. Unfortunately, the Territory Lords did not have control of the situation.
Seeing the five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters getting closer and closer to the Black Ink Nests, five more Territory Lords beside Che Kong prepared themselves to move out at any given moment.
All of a sudden, the sound of laughter rang out, “Old Liu, you’re getting old. You shouldn’t act like us youngsters. Be careful not to get your old bones broken by the enemy!”
One of the older Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters seemed to be having trouble advancing. Although he wanted to slip past the defences of his opponent and attack the Royal City, he evidently could not handle taking on a second Territory Lord.
In such a short time, he had been struck numerous times by his Territory Lord opponent, and although his injuries were nothing serious, it would be risky if things were to continue at this rate. Not to mention, the situation would only worsen if anything were to happen to him.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master called Old Liu seemed to have realised that he had bitten off more than he could chew. After considering the situation at hand, he stopped pushing himself so hard and laughed self-deprecatingly, “You’re right. These old bones can’t take such a beating. It must be nice to be young and strong like you little ones! Good, I’ll leave it to you!”
Out of the ‘little ones’ he mentioned, who among them were not at least a few thousand years old? It was just that he was even older than them.
After saying that, Old Liu immediately retreated to focus on his opponent and instantly reversed his declining momentum as a result.
Six Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had charged into the Royal City, but two were forced to drop out along the way; therefore, only four were left.
The remaining four were evidently the elite among the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Even though their opponents were attacking them ferociously, they easily continued to lead the battle towards the Royal City.
If the Black Ink Clan were to ignore these Eighth-Order Masters, then the Black Ink Nests would be in danger once the fallout of their battle swept across the Royal City. For that reason, no matter what, the Black Ink Clan could not sit around and do nothing.
There were many Black Ink Nests in the vicinity of the Royal City, so when Che Kong saw that Old Liu had voluntarily retreated, he couldn’t help feeling slightly relieved.
The Black Ink Clan had no trouble dealing with the four incoming Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Che Kong glanced to the left and right before four Territory Lords soared up and joined their companions to engage the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Likewise, the four Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were not careless. Seeing that another four Territory Lords were joining the battle, they knew that they had reached their goal. Not only did they stop trying to approach the Royal City, but they also gradually moved the battle away from it.
In reality, they could no longer control the situation as it was a two-against-one battle. If the Territory Lords wanted to lure their battle out of the Royal City to prevent the fallout from damaging the Black Ink Nest, then they could only follow along.
On a battlefield not far away from the Royal City, Yang Kai suppressed his strength as he fought with the Black Ink Clan while keeping watch on the movements of the Royal City.
10 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had taken action to lure 14 Territory Lords away from the Royal City. Although the results were not ideal, they had barely managed to achieve their goal.
It had to be said that these Territory Lords could borrow the power of their Black Ink Nests too, so if they were not so wary of the Evil Purging Divine Spears, they might not be in such miserable conditions. Under the premise that the Territory Lords could borrow the power of their Black Ink Nests, in a two-against-one battle, they could threaten the life of any Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
There were now six Territory Lords remaining. Among them was the exceptionally powerful Che Kong.
What was Xiang Shan planning?
There were not many people left among the Human Race who could be dispatched. Were they planning to abandon the protection of Great Evolution Pass and send out the remaining five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters?
Just as Yang Kai was mulling over these matters, Che Kong was also pondering over the same question.
The Black Ink Clan had a record of the number and identity of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters after they fought each other so many times.
All but one of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters active on the battlefield were known to the Black Ink Clan. The unfamiliar face had most likely advanced to become an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the recent 200 years; however, that particular Eighth-Order Master was out on the battlefield. Not to mention, he was heavily wounded, so there was no need to worry about him.
There were five other known Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who had yet to reveal themselves. Che Kong shifted his gaze to look at Great Evolution Pass. The defences around Great Evolution Pass seemed sturdy, and the entire Great Pass was slowly rotating on the spot. That clearly indicated that there were still Eighth-Order Humans overseeing Great Evolution Pass and controlling the enormous artifact.
Were all five of the known Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Great Evolution Pass? Even if not all of them were there, at least three had to have remained behind; otherwise, the defences of Great Evolution Pass would not be so sturdy.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Che Kong calmed down.
It didn’t matter whether those five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had remained in Great Evolution Pass. Even if all five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had been dispatched, the Black Ink Clan had six Territory Lords remaining. After sending out five Territory Lords to restrain their enemies, he would be the only one left in the Royal City. Be that as it may, he alone was enough to ensure the safety of the Royal City.
[The Human Race has run out of tricks!]
Just as that thought crossed Che Kong’s mind, a sudden commotion came from a certain corner of the chaotic battlefield. Countless streams of lights shot out in all directions as three Warships emerged from that direction and charged towards the Royal City.
There was a large number of Black Ink Clansmen pursuing them from the rear; however, the pursuers were intercepted by other Warships. Flashes of light blazed across the sky as the soldiers on both sides fought ferociously.
The three Warships were clearly different from ordinary Warships. They were larger and sturdier. Moreover, the Spirit Arrays and artifacts on these Warships were much more powerful than usual. In particular, the Warship in the lead carried a huge shield that resembled a tortoise shell on its back. Countless attacks from the Black Ink Clan smashed into the shield and created bright sparks, but those attacks caused almost no damage at all.
The three Special Operations Squads had arrived!
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up at the sight. He had neither contacted these elite Squads nor asked them to come and provide support; therefore, their timely arrival clearly indicated that they were part of Xiang Shan’s plan.
If an ordinary Squad were to face a Territory Lord, they would have a hard time fighting back or even escaping; however, each Special Operations Squad could hold off a Territory Lord for some time.
It was obvious that Che Kong knew about these elite Squads among the Human Race.
A month ago, the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple had eliminated one of them that had infiltrated their defence line.
Therefore, Che Kong immediately understood the intentions of the Human Race when he saw the three distinctive Warships. They were planning to continue their efforts to tie down the Territory Lords.
There were no pursuers behind them, and there were no obstacles in front of them. With Old Turtles Squad leading the way, these three Special Operations Squads rushed towards the Royal City at maximum speed. Before the Warships even arrived, lights from the arrays and artifacts started flickering.
Chai Fang’s laugh reverberated across the universe, “All of you can go to Hell!”
The instant he finished speaking, over 50 attacks were shot out from the three Warships towards the Royal City.
The Royal City was located on a Universe World. Previously, Great Evolution Pass crashed into it and smashed it into several fragments. Although these fragments had hastily been drawn together again, the city no longer looked as magnificent as it used to.
The attacks from the Warships of these three Special Operations Squads rained on the Black Ink Nests in the Royal City.
Every attack was equivalent to an all-out strike of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. One or two such attacks might not bother the Territory Lords, but 50 all at once was intimidating enough.
With Che Kong leading the way, all six remaining Territory Lords made a move at the same time. As thick Black Ink Strength burst forth, they managed to intercept all the attacks.
However, the people on the Warships didn’t stop at one volley.
Although several dozen Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests and one High-Rank Black Ink Nest were located in the same city, due to their enormous size they were spread somewhat far apart from each other.
Therefore, these six Territory Lords had to protect a vast area.
The Humans took full advantage of this and dispersed their attacks over the widest range possible, forcing the Territory Lords to move around different parts of the Royal City to defend against them.
A while after the battle started, Che Kong turned furious and roared, “Impudent!”
Although these Territory Lords managed to work together and intercept all the attacks from the Warships to ensure that the Royal City remained unharmed, they couldn’t keep doing this forever.
Now, it seemed as though they were the puppets being pulled around by these Warships. The Humans could dictate which direction they had to go and any slight negligence might cause a Black Ink Nest or two to be destroyed.
There wasn’t even a single Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master on these Warships, but the Humans had the nerve to be so reckless. That was why Che Kong was infuriated.
Staring at the Warships, he squinted his eyes and ordered, “Kill them!”
All of these Territory Lords were equally vexed, so the instant Che Kong gave the order, three Territory Lords charged towards the Warships while withstanding the attacks.
Seeing that, Chai Fang, who was aboard the Old Turtles’ Warship, roared, “Scatter!”
Their main objective was to draw out and pin down the defending Territory Lords, not engaging in a life-and-death battle with them.
On any other battlefield, these Special Operations Squads might be able to put up a good fight against these Territory Lords; however, this place was too close to the Black Ink Nests which the Territory Lords could draw strength from, leaving these elite Squads at a serious disadvantage.
They could only try to persevere for as long as possible while withstanding the Territory Lords’ attacks.
Following Chai Fang’s order, the Warships dispersed in three different directions. Without any need for discussion, the three Territory Lords respectively selected a Warship and gave chase. As Black Ink Strength undulated, powerful Secret Techniques were cast at the Warships.
[Only three Territory Lords left!]
Yang Kai had been paying close attention to the Royal City. Seeing what was going on, he knew this was the best chance for him to make a move.
Unless the Black Ink Clansmen had gone mad, there would always be some Territory Lords left to protect the Royal City no matter how they were baited and taunted. In other words, Yang Kai had to break through their interception to destroy the Black Ink Nests.
It was just a matter of how many Black Ink Nests he could destroy.
There was no denying that he wasn’t a match for these three Territory Lords; however, the Special Operations Squads might not be able to persevere for long. Once that happened, all their efforts so far would go to waste.
There were still five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Great Evolution Pass, but they most likely couldn’t leave.
If they could make a move, they would’ve done so instead of letting these Special Operations Squads launch an assault on the Royal City.
Although it would be difficult to achieve his goal, things had come to the point where Yang Kai had no other choice but to act. He just hoped that Xiang Shan had other arrangements to follow up.
Upon making up his mind, Yang Kai stopped hiding strength as he swept his Azure Dragon Spear across his opponents. Half of the Black Ink Clansmen that had been dealing with him were instantly slaughtered.
Yang Kai didn’t bother to kill the rest and instead, he manipulated Space Principles to arrive at the Royal City in the blink of an eye. Presently, he was hovering somewhere near three gigantic Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests.
He didn’t head straight to the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, even though that would be the ideal target. If he could destroy the High-Rank Black Ink Nest first, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao would be able to kill the Royal Lord given their current conditions.
However, Che Kong was stubbornly protecting the High-Rank Black Ink Nest and had not moved away from it from the beginning of the battle. Therefore, Yang Kai might not be able to achieve his goal by targeting the High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
On the other hand, there were quite a number of Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests that were left unprotected. He planned to take advantage of the fact that the Territory Lords were spread too thin at this moment.
The instant Yang Kai appeared, Che Kong and the other two Territory Lords were stunned. None of them could have expected that a Human was able to enter the Royal City with such ease.
More importantly, they had not sensed this Human’s presence before his appearance.
The Territory Lord nearest to Yang Kai immediately pounced on him and barked, “Don’t you dare!”
Certainly, there was nothing in the world that Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to do.
The blood feud between the two Races was irresolvable. The Humans had been preparing for years, and they were determined to achieve their goal. Yang Kai definitely wouldn’t go easy on his opponents at this point.
The next moment, he swept out his Azure Dragon Spear as his World Force surged through it.
As he wielded the weapon, three Black Ink Nests were cut in half and collapsed to the ground.
The Territory Lord charging at Yang Kai widened his eyes in disbelief and before the Human could make another move, he pushed out his palm.
His Black Ink Strength formed into a colossal palm that engulfed Yang Kai.
On the other hand, somewhere on the battlefield, the moment the Black Ink Nests collapsed, a Territory Lord who had been dealing with an Eighth-Order Division Commander realised that his aura had plunged. With his heart pounding against his chest, he turned to look at the Royal City and saw his Black Ink Nest falling to the ground.
His heart sank.
With the Black Ink Nest’s help, he could deal with this Eighth-Order Master, and neither side could gain the decisive edge. If anything, he was in a slightly more advantageous position.
Now that his Black Ink Nest had been destroyed though, his strength plunged to his usual level.
This wouldn’t have mattered usually as it didn’t impact him profoundly. Nevertheless, he was in a life-and-death battle, and the sudden drop in power could cost him his life.
This Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was an experienced warrior, so he certainly wouldn’t let such a chance slip through his fingers. He instantly summoned and hurled an Evil Purging Divine Spear at his opponent.
As the Purifying Light exploded, the Territory Lord was sent into a panic.
Fortunately, he had been vigilant against this artifact, so the moment the other party summoned it, he rapidly retreated. Even so, the Purifying Light seemed to be burning his body, which caused a lot of his Black Ink Strength to dissipate.
Although the Evil Purging Divine Spear couldn’t cripple the Territory Lord, it affected his strength and mobility significantly. The relentless Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master summoned his Divine Manifestation at that moment and engulfed the Territory Lord in it, causing the latter to howl in pain as blood spurted from his wounds.
What’s more, on the vast battlefield, a similar scene was playing out in two other locations.
After the three Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests were destroyed, the strength of the corresponding Territory Lords was impacted. The Eighth-Order Masters that had been dealing with them seized the chance to suppress their opponents.
In the Royal City, Che Kong still steadfastly guarded the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, not daring to move away from it. As he watched Yang Kai being suppressed by a Territory Lord, he breathed a sigh of relief.
This Seventh-Order Human’s movements were too elusive; however, it was just the Humans’ wishful thinking that they could rely on this single person to destroy their Black Ink Nests. How was a weak Seventh-Order cultivator supposed to make a scene in front of three Territory Lords?
[Although he’s clever not to target the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, there’s nothing much more he can do…]
While Che Kong was still thinking so, he suddenly felt a powerful aura coming from the place where the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had disappeared along with an immense pressure.
The other two Territory Lords noticed this as well and turned their gazes in that direction with solemn expressions.
The next moment, a high-pitched Dragon Roar reverberated across the void.
From the thick cloud of darkness, a golden light burst forth. A gigantic Dragon Head rose up, its golden eyes blazing like two Great Suns, giving off an imposing aura.
“A Dragon!” Che Kong exclaimed.
On the Black Ink Battlefield, most of the Black Ink Clansmen in the various Theatres had never seen a member of the Dragon Clan before. However, it was a different case in the Great Evolution Theatre. Some time after they first occupied Great Evolution Pass, they had launched an attack on the No-Return Pass.
Therefore, the veteran Black Ink Clan Masters in the Great Evolution Theatre were familiar with the Dragon Clan. They had even exchanged moves with the Dragons and Phoenixes outside of the No-Return Pass.
Without any surprise, they were soundly routed and forced to flee for their lives.
There were not a lot of Dragons and Phoenixes in the No-Return Pass, but each one of them was incredibly powerful. The Black Ink Clansmen even felt that it was harder to deal with those creatures than the Humans.
Che Kong had engaged in an intense battle with an Ancient Dragon back then and was impressed by the other party’s power as well as the other side’s resistance to Black Ink Strength.
The Dragon Head that had risen out of the darkness was huge. Che Kong speculated that the Dragon was just as enormous as the Ancient Dragon he had fought in the past.
Moreover, the Dragon Pressure emanating from this being was far too intense to be that of a mere Grand Dragon.
There was no doubt that this individual was an Ancient Dragon.
Upon realising the other party’s true strength, Che Kong expression warped as he roared, “Stop him!”
The other two Territory Lords realised that they were in a critical situation as well. They initially thought that the attacker was just a Seventh-Order Human, so they were caught completely off guard when he transformed into an Ancient Dragon.
As the Dragon Pressure permeated the air, darkness scattered and a colossal figure came into the Territory Lords’ sight.
It was a magnificent creature even with its long body coiled up onto itself.
The two Territory Lords charged towards the Ancient Dragon as they cast their Secret Techniques.
Yang Kai lifted his head and roared to the Heavens. The Golden Dragon Scales on his Dragon Form gave off a dazzling radiance as a torrent of Dragon Breath was released from his giant maw to stop the Territory Lords from moving closer. At the same time, he swept his Dragon Tail out.
*Hong Long Long…*
With one great sweep, over 10 Black Ink Nests around Yang Kai’s enormous figure were smashed like straw amidst a storm, and that was just the beginning. Wielding the outrageously massive Azure Dragon Spear in his Dragon Claws, Yang Kai unleashed another sweep in front of himself, cutting down even more Black Ink Nests.
The Royal City was instantly thrown into turmoil as the already damaged Universe World it sat upon was at risk of collapsing at any moment.
The three Territory Lords widened their eyes in fury. Regardless, Che Kong still refused to move away from the High-Rank Black Ink Nest. He could only cast powerful Secret Techniques from afar. Upon impact, Yang Kai staggered as his Dragon Scales were smashed in and his Dragon Blood scattered.
Even though his enormous Dragon Form was menacing and intimidating, it had its shortcomings.
For one, dodging attacks was almost impossible.
The other two Territory Lords endured the Dragon Breath and appeared at both sides of Yang Kai. They roared as their figures expanded. Using their Black Ink Strength, they respectively transformed into 10,000-metre-tall figures and grabbed hold of Yang Kai’s Dragon Horns. By exerting all their strength, they somehow managed to force Yang Kai’s 70,000-metre-long Dragon Form back.
As the two Territory Lords were doing their best to repel Yang Kai, Yang Kai was repeatedly slashing at them with his Dragon Claws.
However, the two Territory Lords didn’t dare to release him and were determined to drag him out of the Royal City; after all, if they engaged in a battle here, many more Black Ink Nests would be destroyed regardless of the outcome. If they accidentally let this Human damage or even destroy the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest, they would be condemned as the greatest sinners in the annals of the Black Ink Clan’s history.
The moment Yang Kai was hurled away, the two Territory Lords, who had transformed into 10,000-metres tall figures using their Black Ink Strength, shrunk significantly as countless wounds appeared on their bodies.
Nevertheless, they didn’t back down. Surging their Black Ink Strength to expand their bodies again, they pursued Yang Kai.
They couldn’t give this Dragon Clan member a chance to breathe; otherwise, even more Black Ink Nests would be destroyed.
In just one breath, this Dragon had managed to destroy nearly 20 Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests, but that wasn’t even the most significant loss. Without their Black Ink Nests to empower them, some 20 Territory Lords would see a drastic drop in strength which was enough to affect the outcome of the entire war.
The two Territory Lords were still reeling from the shock, but they were determined to kill Yang Kai at any cost.
Meanwhile, Che Kong still steadfastly guarded the High-Rank Black Ink Nest. While glaring at Yang Kai with resentment, he paid close attention to the surroundings.
Did the Humans have other hidden hands to play? He had no idea. A Dragon had never appeared in any Theatre before, but there was one who had joined the battle now. Given the unprecedented situation, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Humans still had other arrangements.
At this moment, Che Kong felt like he was on pins and needles.
He was the only Territory Lord left guarding the Royal City now while five known Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters still hadn’t shown themselves. It could be said that the Black Ink Clan was in a perilous situation.
The Royal Lord and the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple noticed the anomaly in the Royal City and were now doing their best to shake off their opponents and return.
Nevertheless, the Old Ancestor and the six Eighth-Order Division Commanders were determined to hold these two back, so for the moment, the Royal Lord and Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple were unable to get rid of the Humans.
After waiting for a while, Che Kong realised there wasn’t any anomaly in Great Evolution Pass’ posture, allowing him to slightly set his mind at ease.
It seemed that those five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to leave Great Evolution Pass; otherwise, they would have made a move a long time ago given the current state of the war.
On the other hand, even though Yang Kai’s power increased significantly after he transformed into his Ancient Dragon Form, he still found it difficult to deal with two Territory Lords.
Moreover, these Territory Lords had abandoned all thoughts of retreat and were determined to kill him as quickly as they could, so they went all out while also madly drawing energy from their Black Ink Nests, granting them a sharp boost in strength.
Being a 70,000-metre-long Ancient Dragon, Yang Kai could wield power on par with a veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but he still found it difficult to fight two Territory Lords at once.
His Dragon Scales were constantly blasted off and his Dragon Blood gushed from his wounds. He was in so much pain that he roared continuously.
Despite looking battered, Yang Kai had not suffered any critical wounds yet. Dragon Clan members had thick skin and strong flesh, and Yang Kai was no exception.
As time passed though, he became increasingly anxious. If he couldn’t break through these Territory Lords’ blockade, he wouldn’t be able to raise chaos in the Royal City. If he couldn’t destroy those Black Ink Nests, he couldn’t cut off the sources of those Territory Lords’ powers. That would put the Humans in a disadvantageous position on the battlefield.
Furthermore, he could already sense that there was more than one Eighth-Order Division Commander who had lost their lives.
It was extremely dangerous on this battlefield, and with a number of Territory Lords already having fallen, there was no way the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could remain unharmed.
There was still no movement from Great Evolution Pass. Just like what Yang Kai had expected, the remaining five Eighth-Order Masters didn’t seem to show signs of making a move. It seemed that they were unable to leave the Pass.
In fact, the five Eighth-Order Masters who had stayed back in the Pass had been paying close attention to the battle. It wasn’t that they were not willing to lend a hand, but they were simply unable to do so.
Great Evolution Pass was an enormous Mobile Palace Artifact. Previously, it took the combined power of the Old Ancestor and 30 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters just to move this artifact to this place.
Only with so many powerful Masters could they provide the necessary World Force to effectively drive Great Evolution Pass.
Now, the Old Ancestor and most of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had join the battle, leaving just five Eighth-Order Masters to control the Core. It could be said that these five had become one with this core. Unless the Old Ancestor returned to take over, they were unable to leave. If they made a rash move now, not only would their lives be at risk, but the Core might also explode. If that happened, the entire Great Evolution Pass would collapse, and the thousands of soldiers who stayed behind to man the walls would die.
Given the circumstances, these five Eighth-Order Masters wouldn’t dare to be impetuous; therefore, they were unable to directly take part in the battle.
Locked in an intense fight, Yang Kai stowed away his Azure Dragon Spear. Although the gigantic Azure Dragon Spear was immensely destructive, he was a colossal Ancient Dragon now, so he felt clumsy using such a weapon. In fact, it was easier for him to just use his Dragon Claws instead.
These Territory Lords’ 10,000 metres figures were covered in wounds, and they would shrink from time to time; however, they could always draw more energy from their Black Ink Nests to ensure they remained at peak strength.
Yang Kai had made several attempts to break their siege and charge towards the Royal City, but these Territory Lords would always stop him. They were practically in a deadlock now.
In such a situation, Yang Kai wasn’t without a trump card. Nevertheless, even if he used it, he wasn’t certain if it would allow him to reach the Royal City; therefore, he had been hesitating.
The three Territory Lords who had been lured away by the Special Operations Squads now showed the intention of returning to the Royal City. Although they were powerful enough to suppress these elite Squads, it was hard for them to kill Chai Fang and the others in short order.
Realising the Territory Lords’ intentions, Chai Fang and the others certainly wouldn’t let them go. They were initially trying to draw the Territory Lords away, but at this moment, they took the initiative to provoke them and stop them from returning to the Royal City.
With that said, they were unable to hold them for long. If these Territory Lords were determined to leave, Chai Fang and the others wouldn’t be able to stop them as they were not powerful enough.
As such, Yang Kai decided that he couldn’t keep waiting. There was still some hope if he made a move now, but if this situation dragged on, everyone’s efforts would go to waste when the three Territory Lords returned to the Royal City.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai prepared to use his trump card.
Just then, a faint Dragon Roar was heard coming from Great Evolution Pass.
Yang Kai became startled and turned back to look at Great Evolution Pass, only to see a ray of light charging forward from that direction. The ray of light was able to move across a million kilometres in the blink of an eye.
Detecting the familiar aura, Yang Kai was elated. What he heard wasn’t a real Dragon Roar, but a Sword Roar.
A slender figure was seen shooting out of Great Evolution Pass with a sword in hand. As sword lights undulated, innumerable sword waves formed into a tremendous Sword Dragon.
The magnificent Sword Dragon shot across the void and swiftly arrived near Yang Kai the next instant. It was the Myriad Swords Dragon, which was Feng Ying’s Divine Manifestation.
When Yang Kai first encountered Feng Ying all those years ago, she had used this Divine Manifestation to slaughter a small army of enemies. It was a Divine Manifestation that she had cultivated for thousands of years and was more destructive than most High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters’ Divine Manifestations.
At that time, Feng Ying was just a Seventh-Order Master, but now, she had broken through to the Eighth-Oder. Apparently, she had just exited seclusion.
Yang Kai had no idea when she stopped cultivating in retreat or when she ascended to the Eighth Order, but she had come at the right time.
Back when they were stationed in Blue Sky Pass, Feng Ying was already incredibly strong.
This was only natural though as she was the closest to breaking through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the entire Blue Sky Pass at the time. Although there were a lot of Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in every Great Pass, rarely would any of them hold the title of strongest below the Eighth-Order.
Before Yang Kai’s arrival, Feng Ying was undoubtedly the most powerful Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in Blue Sky Pass.
Of course, Xiang Shan wasn’t included in these rankings as he was initially an Eighth-Order Master who had his cultivation regress after being plotted against by the Black Ink Clan.
The Eighth-Order Division Commanders in Blue Sky Pass had high hopes for Feng Ying, but it wasn’t smooth sailing when it came to her ascension.
It had been 200 years since she started cultivating in seclusion. Before Great Evolution Pass set out, Yang Kai had checked in with her and realised that Feng Ying still hadn’t shown signs of breaking through.
She had cultivated hard for the past 200 years, and at this moment, she was like a butterfly that had broken free from its chrysalis. The Myriad Swords Dragon was like an impenetrable Grand Dragon. The splendid Sword Dragon widened its jaws and directly devoured a Territory Lord.
As Sword Qi permeated the void, the Sword Dragon swayed about wildly. Violent exchanges of moves could be felt coming from inside the Sword Dragon, but the Divine Manifestation remained intact and ensured that the Territory Lord couldn’t break free.
Yang Kai was thrilled upon seeing that.
Feng Ying was still as powerful as ever. Not long after she ascended to the Eighth Order, she was already able to restrain a Territory Lord who was drawing strength from his Black Ink Nest.
Yang Kai had no idea what the outcome of the battle would be, but the most pressing issue for him had been resolved.
Since one of the two Territory Lords blocking him had been restrained, there was only one left now.
Yang Kai widened his maw and let out a deafening roar before clawing at the Territory Lord before him. As his immense physical strength burst out, the Territory Lord’s 10,000-metre figure, which was formed from Black Ink Strength, was wounded.
The other party’s life or death didn’t concern Yang Kai as he directly returned to his Human Form. Then, he attempted to skirt past the Territory Lord and head to the Royal City.
The Territory Lord had a robust physique though, and although he was injured, he was still combat capable. Realising Yang Kai’s intention, he roared and threw his fist towards the Human.
Yang Kai, who was ready to manipulate Space Principles and leave, staggered slightly. The Void had been disturbed by the Territory Lord’s blow, so he was unable to use Instantaneous Movement for the time being.
A furious Yang Kai turned around as a Great Sun and Full Moon leapt from behind him. The Sun and the Moon glowed brilliantly as Time Principles and Space Principles undulated. The Sun and the Moon swirled around and formed into a kaleidoscope which then shot towards the Territory Lord.
An amazing power seemed to disturb both time and space in the surrounding region.
It was the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel!
The Sun and Moon Divine Wheel was a Secret Technique that Yang Kai had developed. However, compared with his relatively simple Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation, profound Space-Time Strength formed the basis of the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel, making it even more powerful.
When Yang Kai was still in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he used this Secret Technique to seriously wound a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. And in the Seventh Order, he had already used this attack to damage more than one Territory Lord.
It was an intimidating Secret Technique that could be used against Masters who were more powerful than Yang Kai because the Space-Time Strength which radiated from it could influence the enemies’ senses and perception.
In fact, Yang Kai hadn’t used this Secret Technique for some time. As his strength increased, there was rarely any opponent that could force him to bring out this trump card.
When he activated the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel this time though, he realised it was different from before. The main difference was that this Secret Technique had become even more powerful and the Space-Time Strength which pulsed from it seemed more complete somehow.
At that instant, a realisation dawned upon Yang Kai, [So… this is what the real Space-Time Strength is supposed to look like.]
The reason for such a change was largely due to his experience at the No-Return Pass. During his trip to the No-Return Pass, his Dragon Vein had improved tremendously. From a Grand Dragon, he grew to a 70,000 metres Ancient Dragon, which was a shocking increase.
With the refinement in his Bloodline came the improvement in his Bloodline Talent, and the Dragon Clan’s Bloodline Talent was the Dao of Time.
Before Yang Kai entered the Dragon Pool, he had refined a lot of Space Dao Essence in Su Yan’s Phoenix Nest, which enhanced his mastery over the Dao of Space. His comprehension of the Dao of Time and Dao of Space had grown significantly, which was why his Space-Time Strength, which evolved from the two Grand Daos, had become even more powerful.
He even had a feeling that if he could improve his mastery over the Dao of Time to be on par with his mastery of the Dao of Space, his Space-Time Strength would reach a whole new level. As for what the changes would be, he wasn’t sure. Regardless, this allowed him to see a path forward.
However, it wasn’t easy to bring his Dao of Time up to the same level as that of the Dao of Space.
Yang Kai had been cultivating the Dao of Space for centuries, and he was quite gifted in it; however, according to his own classification, he had only reached the Eighth Level, Transcending the Mundane.
His Dao of Time was initially stuck at the Sixth Level, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary. Nevertheless, his experience in the Dragon Pool helped him reach the Seventh Level, Standing Above All Others Within Sight.
In other words, his mastery over the Dao of Time was still one level below his Dao of Space. If he did not encounter some special opportunity, he would need to work harder to improve his Dragon Vein to strengthen his mastery over the Dao of Time.
All these thoughts only stayed in his mind for a short while. For now, was not the time to ponder on them. In such a situation, he had to enter the Royal City as quickly as possible and destroy the Black Ink Nests.
The Sun and Moon Divine Wheel charged towards the Territory Lord, causing the latter’s mind and body to become sluggish. When he finally came to his senses, it was already too late for him to dodge.
The Territory Lord roared as thick Black Ink Strength condensed around his body. His figure expanded significantly as his muscles swelled. Instead of backing down, he actually crashed into the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel.
Heaven and Earth seemed to collapse at that moment as countless cracks formed in the void. The Territory Lord’s aura plunged sharply, but he still survived.
Although the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel was extremely powerful, it wasn’t enough to kill a Territory Lord.
Surrounded by innumerable Void Cracks, the Territory Lord was enraged. With blood still dripping from his body, he changed towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai, who was flying towards the Royal City, instantly noticed the other party’s imposing aura and Black Ink Strength closing in on him. It was apparent that the Territory Lord was preparing to use a deadly Secret Technique.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai took out a glowing feather from his Space Ring and tossed it at the opponent behind him. At the same time, he shouted, “Lend me a hand, Si Niang!”
The feather shot towards the Territory Lord, and on its way, it flashed and transformed into a beautiful and majestic bird. A furious Huang Si Niang ground her teeth as she snapped, “Smelly Brat!”
Life had been boring for her stuck at the No-Return Pass. Although a lot of Humans would pass through the No-Return Pass and head to the different Great Passes, the Phoenix Clan was aloof and therefore wouldn’t easily come into contact with them.
Furthermore, their ancestors had made a Bloodline Great Oath in the past that unless their Race was at risk of extinction, they could not leave the No-Return Pass.
Therefore, Huang Si Niang had stayed in the No-Return Pass since birth. Although the Great Pass was vast, it was still like a cage to her. She was fed up with her unchanging life and longed to go out and have a look at the beauty of the 3,000 Worlds. When Yang Kai arrived at the No-Return Pass back then, she saw a chance.
This Human had the aura of a Dragon, so she didn’t mind interacting with him. By using a bet as an excuse, she gave him one of her feathers. In reality, the feather contained a type of Soul Clone. Restricted by the Great Oath, Huang Si Niang was unable to leave the No-Return Pass, but that restriction didn’t apply to her Soul Clone.
Previously, when Yang Kai entered the Void to look for Great Evolution Pass’ Core, Huang Si Niang detected the unusual movements of space and took the initiative to reveal herself. It was with her help that Yang Kai managed to find Great Evolution Pass’ Core.
However, Huang Si Niang didn’t intend to appear this time, but Yang Kai forcibly summoned her in such a perilous situation.
Her real strength was equivalent to that of an Ancient Dragon; nevertheless, this was just a Soul Clone, so her power now was no different from that of a Grand Dragon. A Grand Dragon was roughly on par with a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. With that said, a Grand Dragon would be slightly stronger.
Still, her Soul Clone couldn’t possibly be a match for a Territory Lord. Faced with the Territory Lord, her Soul Clone would most likely end up in a horrible state or even be destroyed. Regardless, she didn’t have a choice.
The Territory Lord was hurtling towards her, but the instant he saw an enormous, dazzling bird in front of him, he exclaimed in shock, “A Phoenix?!”
Not only had a Dragon Clan member appeared, but there was also a Phoenix Clan member now! Had the Masters from the No-Return Pass made a move?
When that thought crossed his mind, this Territory Lord was naturally flustered, for the Dragons and the Phoenixes were extremely difficult to deal with. Many Territory Lords still remembered the debacle they experienced when they launched an attack on the No-Return Pass in the past.
They had a million-strong Black Ink Clan Army and several dozen Territory Lords, but in a single engagement, the Dragon and Phoenix Clans tore them apart and even slaughtered several Territory Lords.
Therefore, the Territory Lords in Great Evolution Theatre were extremely wary of the Dragons and Phoenixes. It didn’t matter that a single Dragon Clan member had appeared on the battlefield, but with a Phoenix Clan member also now revealing herself, it was expected that he started getting worried.
However, he soon realised that this Phoenix Clan member before him wasn’t very powerful. At the very least, she was much weaker than he was. Gritting his teeth, he thrust his palm towards Huang Si Niang.
Seeing this, a cold glint flashed across Huang Si Niang’s eyes. Her wings were so big that they seemed to cover the entire sky, and as she flapped them, flashes of light swirled around her body and warped the local space.
Then, her wings fluttered as her figure distorted. The next instant, the Territory Lord crashed into an invisible wall and a deep gash from which black blood gushed out appeared on his chest.
Horrified, the Territory Lord swiftly retreated. He realized he had been attacked by the opponent just now, but he didn’t even see her movements clearly.
In other words, she must have gotten close to him in the blink of an eye and slashed at him before she returned to her original position the next instant, making it seem as though she had not moved at all. There was no denying that she had used a Phoenix Clan Secret Technique powered by her Bloodline Talent in the Dao of Space.
The Black Ink Clan from the Great Evolution Theatre had dealt with the Dragons and Phoenixes before, so they knew about these Innate Secret Techniques. Many of them had suffered serious setbacks when they fought Phoenix Clan members in the past.
Yang Kai was concentrating on reaching the Royal City, so he didn’t see what had happened, but if he had, he would have been amazed by Huang Si Niang’s methods.
His mastery of the Dao of Space was greater than that of Huang Si Niang, but when it came to their utilisation of Space Principles, he was no match for her.
Although her move earlier appeared ordinary, it was the manifestation of extremely precise control of Space Principles, something Yang Kai wasn’t capable of. After all, this was the Phoenix Clan’s Bloodline Talent. Using Space Principles was as natural as breathing to her.
Following the attack, Huang Si Niang was momentarily surprised as well. The power of her Soul Clone was only equivalent to that of a peak Grand Dragon, so she knew she was not a match for a Territory Lord; therefore, she was surprised that her move had actually forced the other party back.
After some observation though, she finally realised the reason behind it. This Territory Lord was heavily injured, and a shocking Space-Time Strength was still swirling around his wounds, causing his strength to plunge.
It was obviously Yang Kai’s doing.
[At least that brat has some conscience left, not leaving his Great Aunt a completely healthy Territory Lord to deal with.]
Given this Territory Lord’s condition, Huang Si Niang figured she could stall him for some time even if she couldn’t defeat him.
Only a moment had passed since Yang Kai summoned Huang Si Niang’s Soul Clone, who then blocked the pursuing Territory Lord, but with that brief opening, Yang Kai manipulated Space Principles and returned to the Royal City.
Seeing this, Che Kong directly threw an attack at him from a distance.
Yang Kai sneered and disappeared from the spot, causing Che Kong to miss his target.
When he reappeared, he was already hovering in front of a Black Ink Nest. Yang Kai wasn’t certain whose Black Ink Nest it was because there were many nests scattered around the ruins of the Royal City.
Yang Kai summoned his Azure Dragon Spear again and struck the Black Ink Nest, cutting it in half. Without stopping, he charged towards the next Black Ink Nest.
Che Kong widened his eyes in fury and bellowed, “You court death!”
As he spoke, he surged his Black Ink Strength and cast a profound Secret Technique at Yang Kai.
Unfortunately for Che Kong, he couldn’t fully unleash his power for that would cause too much damage and potentially destroy more Black Ink Nests. On the other hand, Yang Kai had no such concerns as he agilely moved around the Black Ink Nests, using them as cover to dodge Che Kong’s attacks, fully taking advantage of the latter’s restraints.
Barely a moment later, five Black Ink Nests had been destroyed.
One party had no constraints while the other had to act cautiously. The Royal City was in a perilous situation.
In fact, Che Kong wasn’t the only one in the Royal City; there were still quite a number of Black Ink Clansmen around.
However, he was the only Territory Lord left. Even though there were a lot of Black Ink Clansmen, none of them were capable of stopping Yang Kai. As he wielded his Azure Dragon Spear, he killed Black Ink Clansmen and destroyed Black Ink Nests all at the same time.
Seeing this, Che Kong was infuriated. Given his passive position, he was unable to protect those Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests. He couldn’t pin his hopes on the other Territory Lords either. It had come to a point where all the Territory Lords were dealing with their own opponents, so they were unable to return to the Royal City to help.
Che Kong could still protect the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest and ensure it wouldn’t be impacted; however, if all the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests were destroyed, the war would still be lost.
Without the support from their Black Ink Nests, the Territory Lords would be no match for the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and their new weapon.
Now, Che Kong was the only one who could deal with Yang Kai. As he gritted his teeth, he leaped into the air and pounced at him.
Che Kong was one of the top three Territory Lords in the Great Evolution Theatre, stronger than even many Eighth-Order Masters.
Although it was a risk leaving the High-Rank Black Ink Nest at this point, the only way for Che Kong to resolve the current crisis was by killing this Human quickly, so he decided to proactively make a move instead of waiting for death.
As a veteran Territory Lord, Che Kong had good judgement in the face of a crisis, and he had made the right choice.
It was also the outcome that Yang Kai wanted to see though. This Territory Lord had been guarding the High-Rank Black Ink Nest doggedly, a problem to which Yang Kai didn’t have a good solution. Now, the chance presented itself as Che Kong had pounced at him.
In truth, regardless of what choice that Che Kong had made, it wouldn’t affect Yang Kai one bit.
If this Territory Lord never stayed away from the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, Yang Kai could just go around the Royal City and destroy the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests. As long as he could smash enough of them, the Eighth-Order Division Commanders would be able to gain a decisive advantage.
Although there was a huge gap between their strengths, Che Kong wouldn’t be able to stop Yang Kai if the latter transformed into an Ancient Dragon and raised chaos in the Royal City.
Now that Che Kong had decided to temporarily abandon the High-Rank Black Ink Nest and chase after his opponent though, Yang Kai felt that it was the best chance for him to deal a fatal blow to the High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
There was an unbreakable bond between Black Ink Nests. Higher-rank Black Ink Nests were the source of the lower-rank Black Ink Nests.
For example, a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest could breed dozens to over 100 Low-Rank sub-nests. Even if all of these sub-nests were destroyed though, the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest wouldn’t be affected.
However, if the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest was destroyed, all the Low-Rank Black Ink Nests would wither as well.
The sub-nests could not untether themselves from the higher-rank Black Ink Nest they were bred from and survive on their own. The Humans had repeatedly verified this fact.
Although Yang Kai had been kicking up a storm in the Royal City for quite a while, he had only managed to destroy half of the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests. In other words, there were still half of them that remained standing and it would take him some effort to destroy all of them.
However, if he could directly destroy the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, all the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests would fall with it. Only by destroying the High-Rank Black Ink Nest could he deal a fatal blow to the Black Ink Clan once and for all.
Therefore, the moment he saw Che Kong charging towards him, Yang Kai took the initiative to approach him instead of backing down.
Seeing that, Che Kong was enraged. He extended his hands into the void and summoned out a spear. As he surged his Black Ink Strength, he pushed the weapon towards Yang Kai.
This artifact was apparently made for him by one of the Artifact Refiners who had become a Black Ink Disciple. Although it wasn’t a very high-grade artifact, Che Kong was the one using it after all. Even Xiang Shan wouldn’t be able to ignore an attack cast by a top Territory Lord like Che Kong.
However, an unfazed Yang Kai continued flying forward, as though he didn’t see the attack coming. While mid-flight, he roared and turned into a 70,000-metre Ancient Dragon again.
He had no choice but to assume his Dragon Form. Despite being the strongest Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master among all the Humans, Yang Kai was still no match for his opponent. Only by turning into an Ancient Dragon could he deal with a Territory Lord.
He stared fixedly at Che Kong with eyes as bright as two Great Suns. The next instant, the authoritative-looking eyes reflected Che Kong’s figure and the reflection contorted all of a sudden.
Che Kong, who was shooting towards Yang Kai, felt a mysterious force flooding through him, causing him to become sluggish. Still, he was a powerful Territory Lord and with a surge of his power, he easily shook of the influence of Yang Kai’s Eye Secret Technique.
After the Eye Secret Technique was broken through, Golden Dragon Blood started streaming from Yang Kai’s eyes. Nevertheless, that brief moment of sluggishness was all Yang Kai needed.
Space trembled as Yang Kai roared. At this moment, he seemed to be enduring some unbearable pain as his Dragon Roar sounded heart-wrenching and could make anyone weep for him. At the same time as the Dragon Roar sounded, Yang Kai’s aura plunged tremendously.
However, instead of becoming excited, Che Kong was shocked for he had a bad premonition all of a sudden.
Before he could figure out the reason behind this ominous feeling, he felt a sharp pain in his head. It was as though an invisible force had penetrated his defence and torn into his Soul, disorienting him greatly.
At that instant, his mind turned blank as he couldn’t think straight. Still, he thrust out the spear in his hands instinctually.
A Dragon Roar sounded again, but this time it was because Yang Kai’s belly had been wounded by Che Kong’s spear, which resulted in his Dragon Blood gushing out. Despite having robust Dragon Scales all over his body, they couldn’t stop Che Kong attack.
Certainly, it also had something to do with the fact that Yang Kai’s mind was in a mess. Just now, he had sacrificed a large piece of his Soul to power his last Soul Rending Thorn.
Back then, after Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao taught him how to refine and use the Soul Rending Thorns, Yang Kai had looked for Grandmaster Ma Fan to create some for him.
Even with Grandmaster Ma Fan’s mastery in Artifact Refining, it still took him a year to 12 Soul Rending Thorns.
After that, Yang Kai entered the Black Ink Nest Space with his Soul and dealt with the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples lying in ambush there. All in all, he had used 11 Soul Rending Thorns to injure or kill that number of Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples.
It was only then that the Humans managed to completely take over the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest near Great Evolution Pass.
Yang Kai had kept the last Soul Rending Thorn on him since then, and he finally found a chance to use it now.
Soul Rending Thorns were extremely powerful artifacts that specifically targeted the Soul, and coupled with the special method to use them, Yang Kai managed to single-handedly destroy several formidable enemies inside the Black Ink Nest Space. The Masters who had been wounded by his Soul Rending Thorns all ended up in a horrible state.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had said that it was an artifact and Secret Technique that seemed to have been specially invented for Yang Kai.
Every time Yang Kai used this artifact, he had to sacrifice a part of his Soul to power it. Even the strongest cultivators, including the Old Ancestors, couldn’t repeatedly discard pieces of their Soul.
Perhaps they could do it one or two times, but if they did it frequently, even the Old Ancestors wouldn’t be capable of bearing the consequences. Once their Soul was too badly damaged, their consciousness would become muddled or even worse, collapse. By then, they would be no different from a living corpse.
However, Yang Kai was different. With the nourishment and protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, his Soul would always recover as long as it wasn’t instantly destroyed.
Despite that, he could only use the Soul Rending Thorn once in this situation.
This place was different from the Black Ink Nest Space where he could summon his Soul Warming Lotus and hide inside it after using several Soul Rending Thorns. The Soul Warming Lotus was the strongest shield when it came to Spiritual Energy, but this place was a chaotic battlefield and Yang Kai was surrounded by enemies, so what did it matter if his Soul survived while his body was destroyed?
Furthermore, the feeling of getting one’s Soul torn apart was simply unbearable. Even someone like Yang Kai would become paralysed on the battlefield if he had to go through this multiple times in short order.
As the user of the Soul Rending Thorn, Yang Kai was enduring immense pain; however, Che Kong, who had been struck by the Soul Rending Thorn, was suffering from excruciating pain. The moment his Soul was pierced, his facial features contorted and his eyes lost focus as he howled like a wild beast.
As these two figures, one small and the other large, clashed, they both became sluggish for a moment and roared in agony.
Yang Kai had quite a lot of experience dealing with this kind of pain though, so he managed to steady himself faster and viciously swiped Che Kong away with his claw.
The violent force of a 70,000-metre Ancient Dragon burst forth, and even a Territory Lord as strong as Che Kong was unable to withstand it when he was not protecting himself. With numerous bones cracking, and his Black Ink Strength becoming a mess, his gigantic figure was sent flying away like an arrow as he sprayed out black blood while tumbling through the void.
Yang Kai ignored his own injuries and continued forward. Even though Che Kong’s spear was still stuck in his belly, and he couldn’t move around agilely being a 70,000-metre Dragon, he still manipulated Space Principles and appeared right in front of the High-Rank Black Ink Nest the moment he sent Che Kong flying.
This Black Ink Nest was much larger than any of the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests Yang Kai had seen, and it had been in the Royal City for countless years. Over the years, it continuously produced Black Ink Strength and nurtured innumerable Black Ink Clansmen.
It was the very foundation of the Black Ink Clan in the Great Evolution Theatre.
Without delay, Yang Kai swept his Dragon Tail across the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, causing it to be smashed to the ground.
All the Black Ink Clansmen within the Black Ink Nest turned to mist following Yang Kai’s powerful attack. These Black Ink Clansmen were not powerful to begin with. The reason they even stayed inside the Black Ink Nest was to feed resources into the Black Ink Pool so that the Royal Lord would always have enough Black Ink Strength to draw from. How were they supposed to block Yang Kai’s attack?
It wasn’t until this moment that Che Kong stabilized himself. Enduring the sharp pain in his head, he lifted his gaze just in time to see the High-Rank Black Ink Nest collapsing to the ground.
He was dumbfounded. The High-Rank Black Ink Nest had been destroyed. He couldn’t believe his own eyes.
Only three breaths of time had passed from the time he struck out at Yang Kai to the destruction of the High-Rank Black Ink Nest. Despite the short amount of time, it was enough to undermine the very survival of the entire Black Ink Clan in this Theatre.
Che Kong’s heart sank. It was not an exaggeration to say this was the end of the world for them.
When Yang Kai was destroying the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests earlier, even though Che Kong was furious, he wasn’t in a state of despair. That was because the Royal Lord was still fighting against the Old Ancestor, and they also had the new Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple. They still had a chance to repel the Humans.
But now, the High-Rank Black Ink Nest had been destroyed. All their hopes were shattered following the destruction of this Black Ink Nest and Che Kong felt cold all over his body.
At this moment, he regretted his decision. He shouldn’t have moved away from the High-Rank Black Ink Nest no matter what.
Somewhere on the battlefield, the Royal Lord could be heard roaring in a heart-wrenching voice, “Che Kong!”
His Black Ink Nest had been destroyed. Although there were 20 Territory Lords who stayed back in the Royal City, they were unable to protect his Black Ink Nest.
[Wastes! Every last one of them!]
At that instant, the Royal Lord had the urge to leave the battlefield and kill Che Kong and the other Territory Lords who stayed back in the Royal City to vent his fury; however, he was unable to do so. The moment his Black Ink Nest was smashed to the ground, he was no longer able to draw energy from it.
Although he wasn’t in peak condition from the start, he could still fight against Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao with the help of his Black Ink Nest. Now that his Black Ink Nest was gone for good though, how was he supposed to deal with Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao?
Upon realising that her opponent’s aura had plunged, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao knew that it was a chance she couldn’t afford to miss. She exerted more force with her attacks and bellowed, “Suffer death, Mo Zhao!”
Mo Zhao was the name of this Royal Lord.
Those from the Great Evolution Army were not aware of this Royal Lord’s name, but having fought against this opponent for so many years, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao certainly knew his name. During their exchanges of moves in the past, they occasionally engaged in some small talk, and that was when they learned each other’s names.
It seemed that a lot of Royal Lords had the surname Mo. So far, around 70% of the Royal Lords’ names that the Humans were aware of shared the same surname.
On the other hand, the Territory Lords had all sorts of strange names. The Humans had always wondered if those Territory Lords would change their names once they became Royal Lords one day.
As Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao bellowed, she cast several Divine Abilities at Mo Zhao, causing his huge figure to stagger and bleed.
In just a few breaths, Mo Zhao’s aura plunged again, as though all his injuries accumulated over the years broke out at the same time. He no longer looked as majestic as a Royal Lord should be.
Initially, he could still fight back against Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, but barely 10 breaths after the destruction of his Black Ink Nest, he fell into a complete disadvantage.
On the other hand, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was increasingly assertive. It seemed that she was determined to destroy her opponent.
No longer a match for the Human woman, Mo Zhao roared, “Save me!”
If no one could lend him a hand, he would most probably be killed by this Old Ancestor.
There was only one person he could seek help from, the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple who was still dealing with the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Presently, only this Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple was able to interfere in the battle between the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord.
The Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple was indeed powerful. Although six Eighth-Order Masters had joined forces to fight him, they still couldn’t gain the upper hand, and instead, they had been suppressed by this Black Ink Disciple. Three of them were seriously injured as blood spurted out of their wounds.
Hearing Mo Zhao’s call for help, the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple wielded his sword as his Sword Qi exploded and drove the six Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters away before he turned and raced towards Mo Zhao.
Certainly, he had noticed that the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest had collapsed, so he knew that the Black Ink Clan had lost the battle and they couldn’t stay there any longer. Under such circumstances, the only chance to flee from here was for him to join forces with Mo Zhao.
But how could the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters simply stand by and watch?
These six Division Commanders were all experienced warriors, so there was no way they would let their opponent just go at this point. They soon charged forward again and unleashed Secret Techniques and even summoned their Divine Manifestations to pin down this Black Ink Disciple.
These Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were determined to make their opponent stay and didn’t even care if they were heavily wounded in the process.
Hence, two groups of the most powerful Masters entered into an even more intense struggle.
On the other hand, after Yang Kai accomplished his task in the Royal City, he shouted, “The Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest has been destroyed! Death to the Black Ink Clan!”
His loud voice reverberated across the void.
A hush fell on the clamorous battlefield as both the Humans and the Black Ink Clansmen seemed to be digesting this shocking news.
The next instant, countless Humans chanted at the same time as their voices shook the Void.
“Death to the Black Ink Clan!”
“Death to the Black Ink Clan!”
“Death to the Black Ink Clan!”
…..
The Human soldiers felt their morale soar while the Black Ink Clan became anxious and confused.
The battlefield had been chaotic as the soldiers of the two Races clashed, so none of them paid any attention to the happenings in the Royal City. Therefore, both the Humans and the Black Ink Clansmen were not aware that the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest had been destroyed until Yang Kai’s announcement.
Certainly, the Black Ink Clansmen wouldn’t believe Yang Kai, but within moments, the Royal Lord cried out for help. That was when all the Black Ink Clansmen fell into a state of fear and depression.
It seemed that the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest had really been destroyed. Otherwise, the Royal Lord wouldn’t have called for help all of a sudden.
At that instant, the morale of the Black Ink Clan plunged into the abyss.
It had been quite a while since the war started, and both Races had suffered immense losses. With that said, the Black Ink Clansmen were not unable to fight. If they remained united, the Humans might not be able to wipe them out. The Humans might win the battle, but the losses they suffered would also be unbearable.
However, at this moment, all the Black Ink Clan soldiers were flustered and many lost all will to fight. Forget the weaker Black Ink Clansmen, even the Territory Lords felt the urge to throw down their weapons and run for their lives.
Most of the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests had been destroyed even before the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest fell, so the Territory Lords could no longer draw energy from them. On the battlefield, more and more Territory Lords were killed in rapid succession. Although some of the Eighth-Order Masters had lost their lives as well, the Black Ink Clan suffered far more significant casualties.
It seemed that the Royal Lord was no longer able to persevere, and once he was killed, the Territory Lords would certainly die as well. Both Races had been fighting for millennia, and the blood feud between them was irresolvable. The Black Ink Clansmen didn’t think that the Humans would be magnanimous enough to spare them when the war ended.
At the thought of this, the surviving Territory Lords lost the determination to fight on. Nevertheless, it was because of this that they fell into an even more perilous situation.
The destruction of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest seemed to be a catalyst that propelled the Humans to an absolute advantage on the battlefield.
The Special Operations Squads, who had been suppressed by the three Territory Lords, finally had a chance to catch their breath.
The three elite Squads, led by the Old Turtles, respectively held up one Territory Lord each. They were initially on the losing side, and their Warships had all taken significant damage. They would have to retreat soon; otherwise, fatalities would soon begin to appear among them. Once their Warships were shattered, many, if not all of them would lose their lives.
However, at this moment, these three Territory Lords were no longer determined to kill and instead began focusing on fleeing.
Certainly, Chai Fang and the others wouldn’t grant their wish. They did everything they could to tie down their opponents, and as expected, the Territory Lords were enraged.
On the battlefield, the Humans fought on while the Black Ink Clansmen were routed and attempted to flee.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was having a hard time in the Royal City.
Right after he announced the destruction of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest, he felt that all his fury accumulated over the years had been vented. However, his thrill was short-lived as Che Kong soon charged at him with a dark expression.
This time, Che Kong no longer held back any of his strength. Being one of the top Territory Lords, his full power was quite intense. Although Yang Kai was now a 70,000-metre Ancient Dragon, his Dragon Scales were still blasted off by his opponent. His bones cracked, and one of his eyes was almost blinded.
The power that Che Kong showcased at this moment was even greater than that of even Xiang Shan.
After just 30 breaths of time, Yang Kai knew that he was no match for the other party. If not for the fact that the Dao of Space was abstruse and elusive and his Dragon Form was incredibly sturdy, he would’ve been beaten to death by now.
There was no denying that he was in a perilous situation.
Yang Kai wasn’t born as a member of the Dragon Clan and had only grown into a 70,000-metre Ancient Dragon because of an opportunity in the Dragon Pool; it wasn’t a result of his own hard work in terms of training and gradual growth; therefore, he didn’t have enough control over his Dragon Form’s power yet.
In other words, he wasn’t able to fully bring out the strength of his Ancient Dragon Form at this moment.
If he had grown into a 70,000-metre Ancient Dragon through hard work over many millennia, he wouldn’t have looked so battered despite not being a match for Che Kong.
When his opponent’s fist struck his head, Yang Kai started seeing Stars, and he felt as if his skull had cracked. Infuriated, he snarled, “Che Kong, the Royal Lord will die soon, and then you’ll be next!”
Since he couldn’t defeat Che Kong, Yang Kai could only threaten him, hoping to intimidate the other party into escaping.
Although letting Che Kong off would be potentially problematic in the future, Yang Kai didn’t want to be entangled in this life-and-death battle any longer.
However, Che Kong was unfazed as he refuted coldly, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to kill you first.”
He was truly resentful of Yang Kai. He was responsible for protecting the Royal City, but Yang Kai still had the nerve to destroy so many Territory Lord Black Ink Nests in front of him. In the end, Yang Kai had even smashed the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest.
Now, Che Kong wasn’t sure if the other party was a Human or a Dragon Clan member.
When Yang Kai was a Human, it was apparent that he was just a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but when he transformed into a Dragon, he was a 70,000-metre-long Ancient Dragon, which was odd.
Regardless of Yang Kai’s real identity, Che Kong could only vent his anger by killing him.
Che Kong had considered running away, but he didn’t think he could succeed. The other Territory Lords might be able to flee, but he didn’t have a chance to do so because he was one of the most powerful Territory Lords, so the Humans would undoubtedly prioritize killing him.
Che Kong’s stubbornness was giving Yang Kai a headache as it seemed the former was determined to drag him down to the Yellow Springs.
The Humans had gone through lots of hardship since the crusade started, and they finally saw hope of victory. Perhaps after this war, they would be able to destroy all the enemies on the Black Ink Battlefield once and for all and then return to the 3,000 Worlds.
Yang Kai’s friends and family members were still waiting for him, so he didn’t want to lose his life here.
It was vexing that he had used up all the Soul Rending Thorns. If he could cast a second Soul Rending Thorn at Che Kong at this time, he could significantly weaken him despite not being able to kill him.
[His Black Ink Nest might still be around. Otherwise, he couldn’t possibly remain so powerful. I have to find his Black Ink Nest and destroy it…] All of a sudden, Yang Kai felt his chest tightening. [Wait. What am I thinking? His Black Ink Nest is still around? How could that be?]
Supposedly, since the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest had been destroyed, all the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests should have started withering as well. After all, those Territory Lord Black Ink Nests were bred from the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest, and they couldn’t survive on their own.
However, at this moment, there were still about a dozen Territory Lord Black Ink Nests standing in the Royal City.
[What’s going on?] A lot of ideas flashed across Yang Kai’s mind and he soon took a glance at the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest and formed a speculation.
The Royal Lord Black Ink Nest had been smashed to the ground by his tail sweep earlier, but it hadn’t been completely destroyed. In its current state, it had affected the Royal Lord’s ability to draw energy from it, which was proven by the fact that the Royal Lord now appeared weak and feeble while fighting against Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao; however, it wasn’t dead yet.
Since the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest hadn’t been fully destroyed, it certainly didn’t have a huge impact on the surviving Territory Lord Black Ink Nests.
Realising Yang Kai’s intentions, Che Kong exerted more force with his attacks, giving the opponent no chance to approach the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest again.
[I can’t drag this out any longer.]
Yang Kai looked around and saw that in different parts of the battlefield, the Eighth-Order Masters were locked in intense battles with the Territory Lords. There was no denying that the Humans had gained the upper hand; however, if Yang Kai lured Che Kong to those Eighth-Order Masters, their efforts so far might go down the drain.
In that case, there was only one place he could go.
Having made up his mind, he braced himself to endure one of Che Kong’s blows, which caused his Dragon Form to stagger before he charged towards Great Evolution Pass while calling out, “Help!”
Great Evolution Pass was hovering 5 million kilometres away from the Royal City.
While it was rotating slowly, the arrays and artifacts installed on the walls continuously shot at the Black Ink Clan soldiers. It had been a while since the war started, and the arrangements around Great Evolution Pass had killed a lot of enemies.
Certainly, the soldiers in Great Evolution Pass could see the golden 70,000-metre Ancient Dragon fleeing in their direction.
Hearing Yang Kai’s call for help, they activated the power of the arrays and artifacts and rained down attacks on the enemy behind him without hesitation.
At that instant, countless flashes of light cut across the void and reached for Che Kong.
However, Yang Kai’s figure was colossal and Che Kong was following behind him, so the attacks from Great Evolution Pass couldn’t directly strike him.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai quickly returned to his Human Form. While spraying out a mouthful of blood, he flew towards Great Evolution Pass.
As a result, Che Kong fell into a dangerous situation.
Although most of the attacks missed their target, dozens of them rained down on him in a constant barrage, so many of them still hit their mark.
Yang Kai crossed a million kilometres in the blink of an eye.
When Che Kong endured the storm of attacks and reached somewhere near Great Evolution Pass, Yang Kai was nowhere to be found.
While he was on the way earlier, he was faced with the powers of the arrays and artifacts from Great Evolution Pass, which disturbed the space around him and caused him to lose track of his enemy.
[Where is he?]
Soon, Che Kong detected Yang Kai’s aura. He was strong, so it was expected that his Divine Sense wasn’t weak either. Unless Yang Kai had already left this battlefield, Che Kong would definitely find him if he was determined to do so.
When Che Kong found Yang Kai though, his expression turned livid.
That was because after Yang Kai lured him to this place, he wheeled around and returned to the chaotic battlefield. At this moment, he didn’t intend to hide his whereabouts at all. He transformed into his 70,000-metre Ancient Dragon Form again and charged around the battlefield.
Now, essentially all of the Territory Lords were occupied with their own battles, so a 70,000-metre Ancient Dragon like Yang Kai was like a tiger barging into a flock of sheep. No one was a match for him.
Every time Yang Kai let out his Dragon Breath and wielded his Dragon Claws, hundreds of Black Ink Clansmen exploded into blood mist. While he was at it, he kept looking in Great Evolution Pass’ direction. Despite being majestic, he appeared as though he was ready to flee at any moment.
Che Kong was enraged as the fury stuck in his chest was like a volcano that was about to erupt.
[That brat has gone too far!]
An incensed Che Kong directly turned around and charged towards the battlefield. The attacks from Great Evolution Pass rained down on him from behind, causing his Black Ink Strength to undulate and his figure to shake.
Seeing that his opponent was chasing after him again, Yang Kai was vexed.
Left with no choice, he returned to Human Form and darted in a particular direction on the battlefield. While on his way, he avoided passing through places where the Humans gathered and instead stuck closer to the Black Ink Clan forces
Che Kong had apparently gone insane, so Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to lure him to the Human soldiers lest they be implicated.
The opponent’s powerful aura locked onto him like an anchor, causing his brow to twitch. It was a sign that he was constantly in danger.
Given such a situation, Che Kong was still determined to kill Yang Kai, which went to show how angered he was.
Although Yang Kai was a Master of the Dao of Space, Che Kong was swift as he relentlessly pursued his target. Wherever they went, the Black Ink Clan soldiers, who had lost their morale, suffered miserably. They were either killed by Yang Kai or lost their lives after getting hit by the fallout of Che Kong’s attacks.
It had come to a point where Che Kong couldn’t be bothered with accidentally killing his own clansmen. To him, Yang Kai was the culprit who had destroyed all their Black Ink Nests, so even though the Black Ink Clan had lost the war, he was determined to end Yang Kai’s life.
As the chase dragged on, the gap between them shortened.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai turned around and dashed towards the Royal City.
He hadn’t forgotten that there were still a couple dozen Black Ink Nests that were still standing. Moreover, the reason Che Kong was still so powerful must have something to do with the fact that his Black Ink Nest was still around.
To get rid of his pursuer, Yang Kai had to destroy Che Kong’s Black Ink Nest first.
“Courting death!” Che Kong instantly figured out Yang Kai’s intention; however, he was unable to stop him on his own. Seeing that Yang Kai was getting closer to the Royal City, Che Kong roared, “Bo Gen, kill him!”
Somewhere in front of Yang Kai, a Territory Lord was tangled up in a fight against the Old Turtle Squad.
Since he started battling against this Special Operations Squad, Bo Gen had managed to injure Chai Fang and the others. While there were 10 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Old Turtle Squad, none of them was in good shape now.
Previously, Bo Gen had drawn energy from his Black Ink Nest, allowing him to use a power that exceeded his own limits.
However, when Yang Kai kicked up a storm in the Royal City, his Black Ink Nest was among those destroyed. Without the Black Ink Nest’s assistance, Bo Gen’s power returned to normal, which was why the Old Turtles were able to deal with him.
Nevertheless, they were all wounded. Even though they had given their all, the Old Turtles could only ensure that they wouldn’t lose.
They couldn’t kill this Territory Lord named Bo Gen.
Even if all the Seventh-Order Masters of the Old Turtle Squad were still at peak strength, they couldn’t kill a Territory Lord, not to mention that they were all injured now.
Similarly, it was difficult for Bo Gen to destroy them. The Old Turtle Squad’s defence was impenetrable, and all the members specifically cultivated defensive Secret Arts. As such, they all had thick skin and strong flesh.
Hearing Che Kong’s roar, Bo Gen used a powerful Secret Technique without hesitation. As his Black Ink Strength undulated, he cast this Secret Technique at the Old Turtle Squad. At the same time, he whirled around and pounced towards Yang Kai.
Seeing that, Chai Fang, who was leading his team members to deal with the Territory Lord, bellowed, “Stop him! Activate the sealing array!”
The moment he finished speaking, the Old Turtle Squad’s Warship started shining brightly. Something that looked like a tortoise shell expanded rapidly and occupied a large area in the void.
Bo Gen, who was trying to leave, was suddenly rooted to the spot. The moment of delay cost him the chance to extricate himself.
The gigantic tortoise shell soon folded and entrapped everyone inside.
After that, Bo Gen and the Old Turtle Squad’s Warship were nowhere to be found.
It was apparent that they had been trapped inside the tortoiseshell and now a fierce struggle where only one party would survive would ensue.
That was a dangerous move for the Old Turtles. If a Territory Lord decided to go all out, they might not be able to withstand his attacks.
Yang Kai skirted past the tortoise shell and roared, “Hang in there, Brother Chai! I’ll be back to help you kill the enemy soon!”
Chai Fang’s voice sounded from the shell, “There’s no need! I’ll kill this Territory Lord myself!”
Yang Kai fell silent. [Fine. Since you want to act tough, I’ll let you be. Let’s see if you ask for my help later.]
While he was distracted by this thought, someone warned him from afar, “Brother Yang, watch out!”
Instantly, Yang Kai was alarmed as he lifted his Azure Dragon Spear and thrust it to the side without hesitation.
Struck by an immense force, he was sent flying away while spraying out a mouthful of blood.
Another Territory Lord, who was previously dealing with the Profound Wind Squad, had arrived.
On the battlefield, every Territory Lord had their own opponents, who were mostly Eighth-Order Division Commanders. Those Territory Lords who were dealing with the Eighth-Order Masters could naturally not shake off their opponents.
Therefore, it was the three Territory Lords who were battling against the Special Operations Squads that were able to help out.
The Old Turtle Squad’s opponent had been trapped inside a giant tortoise shell, while the one facing Dawn wasn’t strong enough, so he was unable to shake off his opponents. Unfortunately, the Profound Wind Squad’s enemy escaped from Ma Gao’s suppression and launched a sneak attack on Yang Kai, causing the latter to suffer a setback.
Seeing that, a relentless Che Kong roared, “Well done!”
He also seized this chance to push out his palm at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai hadn’t stabilised himself when Che Kong’s attack arrived. Flustered, he raised his spear to defend himself, but his actions were futile. His arms shook and as his body cracked. Even his chest was indented, and the blood he sprayed out was mixed with pieces of his organs.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai borrowed the momentum of this blow to continue charging towards the Royal City, coughing up blood the whole time.
Meanwhile, Che Kong’s expression was extremely dark.
He and the other Territory Lord had successfully attacked, but they were still unable to kill Yang Kai. There was no denying that it was hard to deal with this brat.
If an average Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was struck with their attacks, they would be badly wounded if not killed outright.
However, even though Yang Kai was injured, his mobility wasn’t affected one bit.
Che Kong had a feeling that it had something to do with the fact that Yang Kai was a member of the Dragon Clan.
A Dragon’s defence and physique far surpassed that of a Human’s; after all, every Dragon Clan member was covered with Dragon Scales. Although their Dragon Scales were not visible when they were in Human Form, their defence remained strong.
The Territory Lords’ attacks might have been offset by Yang Kai’s hidden Dragon Scales.
Many ideas flashed across Che Kong’s mind, but it didn’t slow him down.
The other Territory Lord intended to chase after Yang Kai as well, but the Profound Wind Squad pounced on him. Ma Gao was so furious that his face contorted. The illusory phantom of his Small Universe flashed across his back as he led his Squad members to cast a barrage at this Territory Lord.
They blamed themselves for failing in their duty to prevent Yang Kai from being ambushed, so they were naturally enraged.
The Old Turtle Squad and Dawn Squad had managed to pin down their opponents. Was the Profound Wind Squad any weaker?
At that instant, all the Profound Wind Squad members exerted themselves to attack this Territory Lord. They had mainly been trying to stall for time while defending themselves earlier, but they had given up on that now. They were determined to make sure this Territory Lord wouldn’t shake them off again even if they had to suffer casualties along the way.
On the other hand, Yang Kai arrived at the Royal City and bolted towards a Black Ink Nest. While on his way, he roared, “Che Kong, open your dog eyes wide and watch!”
He swept his Azure Dragon Spear across a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest, causing it to collapse to the ground.
Without stopping, he continued dashing forward. Soon enough, another Black Ink Nest collapsed. A moment later, another Black Ink Nest was destroyed. In the blink of an eye, three Black Ink Nests had been shattered.
When Yang Kai flew out the other side of the Royal City, he felt his face twitching wildly. Che Kong was just too lucky!
There were only a couple dozen Black Ink Nests left in the Royal City, and he had destroyed three of them. However, none of them belonged to Che Kong as his aura remained powerful.
The success rate was neither high nor low as he had cut three out of some 20 Black Ink Nests. Furthermore, he had demolished several Black Ink Nests a while ago, but Che Kong still hadn’t been affected one bit.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but acknowledge that Che Kong was a lucky person.
He didn’t intend to completely destroy the High-Rank Black Ink Nest as it had already fallen to the ground and the Royal Lord was no longer able to draw energy from it, which was enough.
Since the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest had survived his attack, Yang Kai decided to let it be for now.
The Humans possessed a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest, and after years of research, they found out a lot of the Black Ink Nest’s secrets. If they could obtain this half-dead High-Rank Black Ink Nest, they might be able to learn even more.
Things were looking up in the Great Evolution Theatre, causing Yang Kai to wonder how the Humans in the other Theatres were doing. Therefore, he reckoned that he should keep this High-Rank Black Ink Nest. Perhaps it would prove to be useful in the future.
Two figures subsequently left the Royal City and darted towards Great Evolution Pass again.
While running away, Yang Kai bellowed, “Shoot him!”
Soon, innumerable flashes of light shot out from Great Evolution Pass, as if history was repeating itself.
However, with his previous experience, Che Kong figured out that Yang Kai wanted to use the attacks from Great Evolution Pass as a screen to shake him off so he could make a fuss on the battlefield again.
Therefore, he quickly locked his aura onto Yang Kai, ensuring that the latter wouldn’t be able to flee.
The aura was like a needle as well as a lock. While Yang Kai felt a threat behind him, he was also unable to activate Instantaneous Movement.
The instant Space Principles undulated, Che Kong’s aura would flare up and destabilize the Void, ensuring that Yang Kai was unable to flee.
Over the years, even though Yang Kai had repeatedly made use of Space Principles to escape opponents, there were distressing moments when he was faced with much stronger enemies.
After all, Instantaneous Movement wasn’t invincible.
As long as the Void around Yang Kai was sufficiently turbulent, he wouldn’t be able to teleport away.
Two figures circled around Great Evolution Pass at a great speed. While spitting blood, Yang Kai grinned, “Let’s see how much longer you can persevere!”
This kind of action put Che Kong in a disadvantageous position.
There were all sorts of arrangements on the walls of Great Evolution Pass which could be used to rain down a constant stream of attacks on Che Kong while Yang Kai, who was at the front, was unaffected.
They repeatedly circled Great Evolution Pass.
During the third round, Che Kong started finding it unbearable. His gigantic figure trembled as he was struck by the attacks from Great Evolution Pass over and over again. Soon, he realised that he couldn’t just keep getting hit without counterattacking.
Infuriated, he threw out his fist at Great Evolution Pass.
Upon impact, the light barrier around the Pass shook, but it remained undamaged.
Seeing that, Yang Kai snorted. Now, five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were controlling the Core and sustaining the defences around the Great Pass. There was no way Che Kong could damage the Great Pass on his own.
Che Kong was distracted when he made a move earlier. Seizing the chance, Yang Kai activated his power and shook off the aura locked onto his figure. The next instant, he activated Space Principles and disappeared.
Detecting something, Che Kong turned around and saw Yang Kai hovering above an enormous Black Ink Nest in the Royal City.
A distance of five million kilometres was short for a powerful cultivator, especially one skilled in the Dao of Space. An unrestrained Yang Kai could cross such a distance in a flash.
However, he didn’t immediately destroy the Black Ink Nest beneath him; instead, he eyed Che Kong from a distance and sneered.
Che Kong barked, “Don’t you dare!”
Yang Kai scoffed, “Your expression tells me that this is indeed your Black Ink Nest.”
He had gained some useful information after being tangled up with Che Kong for such a long time. At the very least, he had faintly detected the direction where his opponent drew more Black Ink Strength from.
By tracing this trail, he soon found Che Kong’s Black Ink Nest.
Che Kong was lucky earlier as he wasn’t affected one bit after Yang Kai destroyed three out of more than 20 or so remaining Black Ink Nests. Now that his Black Ink Nest had been found though, it seemed that he had run out of luck.
While roaring, Che Kong charged towards the Royal City in an attempt to stop Yang Kai.
Nevertheless, it was too late. For a Master of the Dao of Space like Yang Kai, he could move across hundreds of thousands of kilometres in the blink of an eye, so regardless of how fast Che Kong was, it would take him at least a few breaths to reach his enemy. He was unable to stop Yang Kai.
Yang Kai raised his hand as World Force swirled around his palm. The next moment, he pushed his palm out.
Under the influence of an immense force, the Black Ink Nest trembled before being ground to paste. All the Black Ink Strength within the Black Ink Nest formed into a gigantic Black Ink Cloud, shadowing a large area of the Royal City.
With the previous experience where the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest wasn’t completely shattered, Yang Kai realized that his move at that time wasn’t ruthless enough; therefore, he made sure to completely vaporize this Black Ink Nest, leaving no trace of it behind.
The moment the Black Ink Nest was destroyed, Che Kong’s imposing aura plunged and his figure became sluggish.
The destruction of the Black Ink Nest did not only make him lose the source where he could draw energy from, but it also caused some backlash to him.
Usually, this kind of impact was negligible and it wouldn’t harm him one bit.
However, at this moment, there was a pair of eyes that sensitively caught this momentary weakness.
Right after Yang Kai destroyed the Black Ink Nest and Che Kong’s aura plunged, a figure shot out of Great Evolution Pass and launched an attack. He had been waiting for quite a while.
A ferocious aura locked onto Che Kong and the attack from behind was like an ominous wind from Hell, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.
It was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
At this critical moment, an Eighth-Order Master launched a sneak attack on him.
[Is it one of the Eighth-Order Masters who was staying in Great Evolution Pass?] Che Kong was unable to figure it out. He chased after Yang Kai to Great Evolution Pass twice, and during the second time, he circled around the Pass three times. However, those Eighth-Order Masters didn’t seem to have the intention of making a move even then.
Che Kong had a feeling that they were unable to make a move for some reason. That was why he had the guts to stick so close to Great Evolution Pass. It never crossed his mind that an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would assault him at this moment.
His fury over the destruction of his Black Ink Nest was replaced by extreme fear. At this critical moment, he had to save himself instead of chasing after Yang Kai.
He hurriedly turned around and surged his Black Ink Strength before casting a Secret Technique.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s World Force and the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Strength clashed as their figures trembled. The figure from Great Evolution Pass left just as quick as he came. The moment he came into contact with Che Kong, he was sent flying away and spraying out a mouthful of blood. On the other hand, even though Che Kong was forced backwards, he wasn’t as battered as his opponent.
There was no denying that Che Kong had gained the upper hand during this exchange. Despite the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s majestic attack, he seemed as frail as a piece of paper.
Finally, Che Kong identified the Eighth-Order Master who launched an attack on him.
He was none other than Cha Pu!
The weaker Black Ink Clansmen knew little about the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but a Territory Lord like Che Kong was well aware of the enemies’ information.
Therefore, he could instantly recognise this Eighth-Order Master. [I see! I’m surprised that it’s him.]
Cha Pu was previously injured when the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple revealed himself. If not for the fact that the Black Ink Disciple’s target was the Old Ancestor, Cha Pu would’ve been killed by the surprise attack.
Despite that, Cha Pu was still badly wounded in that clash. After that, Yang Kai came over in a hurry and saved him before bringing him back to Great Evolution Pass.
In fact, as a veteran Eighth-Order Master, Cha Pu was fairly strong. However, he had lost the ability to fight after being wounded by the Black Ink Disciple. Therefore, he could only recuperate in Great Evolution Pass.
Che Kong had almost forgotten about him.
Who could have thought that a wounded Eighth-Order Master would launch a sneak attack on him at that instant?
That was the reason Cha Pu was easily driven off after being struck, for the Black Ink Disciple had severely wounded him. There was no way he could suppress such a serious injury in such a short time. Although he had made a rash move, the fact that he wasn’t killed by Che Kong’s all-out counter-attack showed the depths of his heritage. Wounded for a second time, Cha Pu was unable to make a second move.
Presently, he was sent flying away towards Great Evolution Pass with a livid expression.
Without hesitation, Che Kong chased after the man.
Although Yang Kai was despicable, Che Kong had realised it was difficult to deal with him after their brief clash. Yang Kai wasn’t powerful in his Human Form, but he could make use of Space Principles and the Great Pass to deal with his opponent. Now that Che Kong’s Black Ink Nest was destroyed, he might not be able to kill him.
On the other hand, Cha Pu was different, for Che Kong had the confidence to kill him.
Ending an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s life was tempting to Che Kong. Since the Black Ink Nests were now all dying, he had to take any chance he could get to weaken the Humans’ collective power.
However, before Che Kong could make a move, a figure appeared in front of him suddenly and almost stood face-to-face with him.
Che Kong widened his eyes in disbelief and roared, “You dare provoke me still?!”
Yang Kai should consider himself lucky that Che Kong didn’t find fault with him. Nevertheless, after he destroyed the Black Ink Nest, he didn’t immediately run away. Instead, he had the nerve to get in Che Kong’s way.
[Does he think I’m a pushover!?]
Che Kong was infuriated. He was one of the most powerful Territory Lords in the Great Evolution Theatre. Even some of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were no match for him. Even though he was no longer able to draw energy from his Black Ink Nest, there was no way a Seventh-Order Human was a match for him.
While roaring, he extended his hand and grasped Yang Kai.
Just as he was ready to exert more force with his hand and squeeze Yang Kai to death, the latter also extended his hands and turned them into Dragon Claws before gripping Che Kong’s shoulders. With a hideous expression, he roared, “Die! Die! Die!”
Every time he cursed at Che Kong, his Divine Sense flared as pure Spiritual Energy burst forth like a tsunami.
Che Kong became rooted to the spot as his facial features warp in agony. He was going through so much pain that he couldn’t stop howling.
Yang Kai wasn’t feeling any better. All his bones cracked as Che Kong tightened his grip; however, he was still laughing like a madman.
Their faces were in such close proximity that they almost came into contact with each other, and both of them appeared deranged. Seeing that, the soldiers in Great Evolution Pass felt a crawling sensation on their scalps.
Despite the distance between them, they could clearly feel the violent fluctuations of Spiritual Energy bursting out of Yang Kai.
At this moment, he was engaging in a Soul battle with Che Kong.
This was a fight without any technique, simply a brutal clash that might lead to mutual destruction. It was dangerous for two Divine Senses to clash as even if one party was stronger, their Soul would inevitably be weakened and damaged by the other party.
If there was serious damage to one’s Soul, that person would become a living corpse.
[He’s putting his life in danger! It’s too brutal!]
All the soldiers in Great Evolution Pass widened their eyes in disbelief. They were shocked by Yang Kai’s savage move that was akin to mutual suicide, fearful of what might happen to him.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was not worried about his safety at all. The higher-ups also knew that he had the Soul Warming Lotus, and with it, there was no need to worry about this kind of damage to his Soul.
However, it was a different story for Che Kong.
He was previously struck by a Soul Rending Thorn, so his Soul had already suffered a serious injury. Now that he was faced with Yang Kai’s all-out Spiritual Energy attack, he started seeing Stars and feeling dizzy.
Back when Yang Kai was in Royal Lord Black Ink Nest Space, he had used 11 Soul Rending Thorns and killed and crippled a lot of Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples.
Although some of them ultimately survived, they were badly wounded and might not have recovered to this day. This went to show how powerful the Soul Rending Thorns were.
With that said, everyone in the Black Ink Nest Space was a Soul Avatar, which magnified the effectiveness of Soul Rending Thorns.
Although a Soul Rending Thorn was still extremely powerful in the outside world, it wasn’t as fatal as in a Black Ink Nest Space where one lacked a physical body to help protect themselves.
Despite that, Che Kong couldn’t have possibly remained unharmed after getting struck by a Soul Rending Thorn.