Just when he was worrying about this, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao suddenly said, “The news from Theatres everywhere show that there is only one Royal City in each Theatre, and only one High-Rank Black Ink Nest in each Royal City!”
Yang Kai listened with doubts as his eyes narrowed and asked, “No exceptions?”
The Old Ancestor shook her head and replied, “No exceptions! Moreover, there are no extra Royal Lords that we have not accounted for participating in all the Theatres!”
Yang Kai was silent and sighed, “That’s not necessarily good news.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao did not say anything, but lowered her eyes and pondered.
When Yang Kai reported what he found in the Black Ink Nest Space, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao asked Great Evolution Pass to send another message to the other Great Passes, telling the other Old Ancestors to be on the lookout for a possible surprise attack.”
By now, every Theatre had been pacified. The Black Ink Clan was badly beaten with many killed and wounded. More than half of the Royal Lords were killed, and no additional Royal Lords participated in the battle.
All the Royal Lords who participated in this battle were those who had been fighting with the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in their Theatre already, and there were no unfamiliar faces.
It was fortunate that there were no interferences on the battlefield; otherwise, there was no way that the Human Race Army could be victorious in such a short time.
The 20 or so Royal Lords Yang Kai saw were undoubtedly real as well; yet, they did not hide in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to sneak up on the Old Ancestors.
In the Royal City of each Theatre, there was only one High-Rank Black Ink Nest, even in the Great Battle Theatre.
There were 2 Royal Lords there, and since there are 2 Royal Lords, there should be two High-Rank Black Ink Nest, but there was only one!
It seemed that the 2 Royal Lords shared a High-Rank Black Ink Nest, or one of the Royal Lords did not have his own Black Ink Nest.
This was indeed not good news for the Humans.
There were exactly as many Theatres as there were High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
But how many Divine Senses did Yang Kai see in the Black Ink Nest space at that time?
120 to 130!
There should be as many High-Rank Black Ink Nests as there were Souls in that space!
This meant that the 20 Royal Lords who were watching from the sidelines were not involved in the war at all, and their Black Ink Nests remained undiscovered by the Humans.
Where could they be hiding?
Could the previous speculation about the Mother Nest be true? Were they really the Mother Nest’s guards?
Then, where was the Mother Nest?
Yang Kai suddenly had a bad feeling that the war between the two Races… was far from over.
Other than that, the dozens of Royal Lords that escaped from the major Theatres were an immediate problem. Now that it was confirmed that there were at least 20 more Royal Lords and corresponding High-Rank Black Ink Nests that were not discovered, these issues needed to be resolved.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling vexed.
He had thought that after this great battle, the Black Ink Battlefield would be completely pacified, but now this unforeseen situation had popped up.
This Black Ink Clan situation was more complicated than anyone had expected.
Yang Kai suddenly remembered the phrase ‘Black Ink Eternal’ that Mo Zhao shouted before he died. As a Royal Lord, Mo Zhao should have known the secrets of the Black Ink Clan. He naturally knew that even if the Black Ink Clan of all the other Theatres fell, the Black Ink Clan would not be easily defeated.
At that time, Yang Kai had scoffed at him. The cries of a defeated enemy were laughable, especially when they were about never being defeated.
However, now it seemed that everyone had underestimated the Black Ink Clan, including the Old Ancestors!
Although there were still unseen problems, it was a fact that the Black Ink Clan were defeated in the major Theatres.
When the news of the victories in all the other Theatres was received, the entire Great Evolution Pass fell into a celebratory mood.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao left to discuss important matters with the Army Commanders, while Yang Kai kept his Small Universe and recuperated in silence.
A few days later, Yang Kai felt clear Space Principle fluctuations coming from the Grand Hall where the Space Array was located, followed by Xiang Shan’s aura.
The reinforcements deployed by Great Evolution Pass were led by Xiang Shan, who brought about a dozen Eighth-Order a few hundred Seventh-Order Masters to support other Great Passes. They had finally returned.
Xiang Shan departed with more than 10 Eighth-Order Masters, but only returned with seven.
Those Eighth-Order Division Commanders who did not return would probably never return.
This made Yang Kai angry as so many people had died, yet the Black Ink Clan endured. When would this war finally be resolved?
This also made him realize that he was still too small and weak.
He thought that after this battle he could return to the 3,000 Worlds and the Star Boundary. That he could spend his days with his parents, return to his beautiful Wives, frolic in the rivers and gaze up at the stars. Now, it seemed that he had to quickly break through to the Eighth-Order in preparation for another war!
He had a vague sense of urgency in his heart, like the entire Human Race was facing a huge challenge ahead. Unless he became an Eighth-Order Master, he might not be able to protect himself.
However, cultivation in the Open Heaven Realm was basically a matter of accumulation over time, one that could not simply be skipped over.
Yang Kai’s Small Universe reared countless living beings and had a World Tree clone helping maintain and strengthen it. Time even flowed faster in his Small Universe allowing his cultivation speed to be much faster than any others. Still, it was not that easy to break through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm for him.
In the following days, Yang Kai did not engage in the celebrations; instead, he was madly refining various cultivation materials so that he could enhance the heritage of his Small Universe.
All of Dawn was inspired by him and did not waste any time, all of them entering retreat.
Half a month later, several figures flew out of Great Evolution Pass, followed by a voice in Yang Kai’s ears, “Follow me!”
Yang Kai opened his eyes, looked up, and flew off without saying a word.
With a few movements, he had caught up with the ones ahead of him.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was among them, along with the four Army Commanders.
With such a lineup, it appeared that something big was about to happen.
Yang Kai, braced himself, approached Xiang Shan, and asked, “Sir, what is our plan.”
Xiang Shan did not hide anything from him as he said, “To find out what’s going on with the Black Ink Clan!”
Since Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao wanted him to follow them, there was no need to hide what they were going to do.
Yang Kai instantly understood, “We’re going into the Black Ink Nest Space?”
They were flying towards the Royal City. If they were going to find out what was going on with the Black Ink Clan, they had to use the High-Rank Black Ink Nest to enter its Black Ink Nest Space.
Xiang Shan nodded.
Yang Kai immediately looked at the Old Ancestor and said, “Old Ancestor, this Junior would like to serve as the vanguard!”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao glanced at him briefly and shook her head, “No, you are too weak.”
Yang Kai felt as if his heart had been pierced; however, when he thought about it, there were six of them. A Ninth-Order Old Ancestor, four peak Eighth-Orders Master, and him, a Seventh-Order Junior.
Indeed, he was too weak.
“You were lucky to escape last time. If there are really 20 Royal Lords lying in wait inside that Black Ink Nest Space as you said, you won’t be coming back if you enter again this time.”
Yang Kai could not refute her.
Although his Soul was as strong as any Eighth-Order Master’s, there was still an enormous gap between him and a Royal Lord. Even with the Soul Warming Lotus’ protection, he may not be able to resist the combined attack of several Royal Lords.
Moreover, even if he could block such attacks, once the Black Ink Nest Space was completely closed like the last time, he would also be trapped inside, unable to get out.
Last time, Yang Kai was trapped in the High-Rank Black Ink Nest Space for years in order to help Great Evolution Pass fully control their seized Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest. However, he relied on his Soul Rending Thorns to kill or cripple several Territory Lords, forcing them to open the Black Ink Nest Space.
If he was trapped this time, what would he use to fight with the Royal Lords?
“I asked you to come this time so I could borrow your Soul Warming Lotus.” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao explained, “No one knows what is going on in that Black Ink Nest Space, so we have to take precautions.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai frowned, “Old Ancestor, last time I was there, I saw some 20 Royal Lords inside. It is not safe for you to enter alone, even with the Soul Warming Lotus.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao smiled and said, “I will not be entering alone.”
Yang Kai was amazed and asked, “Others are going with you?”
Suddenly, Yang Kai thought of something and asked, “With the Old Ancestors from the other Theatres?”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao nodded and said, “Since you sent out that warning that day, the Human Race naturally became concerned. The other Theatres all searched for the location of the other High-Rank Black Ink Nest, but so far they’ve yet to discover anything. At the same time, instead of outright destroying them, orders were passed down to preserve as many High-Rank Black Ink Nests as possible in the other Theatres. Although we didn’t manage to capture many, there are still more than 20.”
It was not an easy task to keep a High-Rank Black Ink Nest intact during the crusade. In fact, it was more of a coincidence that the High-Rank Black Ink Nest in Great Evolution Theatre survived than anything else.
Yang Kai had not hesitated or held back when he attacked the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest. At that time, he just wanted to destroy it so that Mo Zhao would have no way to borrow strength from it. He wanted to help Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao gain a decisive advantage.
As a result, the Black Ink Nest collapsed and Mo Zhao could not draw Black Ink Strength from it, causing his combat strength to be greatly reduced. However, the Black Ink Nest itself was not completely destroyed.
If the other Theatres wanted to preserve these Black Ink Nests though, they would have to pay a much higher price.
With over 100 Theatres, it was not easy to leave more than 20 High-Rank Black Ink Nests behind; however, this meant that more than 20 Old Ancestors could join hands to explore the Black Ink Nest Space!
If those Royal Lords really ambushed them, the Old Ancestors need not be afraid of them!
Of course, no one could say if those 20 Royal Lords were still in the Black Ink Nest Space at this moment; so, the Old Ancestors were just taking precautions.
In line with that thinking, borrowing Yang Kai’s Soul Warming Lotus would indeed provide another layer of safety.
Yang Kai naturally did not refuse such a small request.
The Soul Warming Lotus was a Supreme Treasure which ordinary cultivators would conceal at any cost for fear of its existence being exposed, leading to their death.
However, this was the Black Ink Battlefield and Yang Kai would never be wary of Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao. It was impossible for her to hold the intention to harm him; thus, he did not hesitate to take it out.
A seven-coloured lotus suddenly emerged from the Knowledge Sea. The lotus looked ethereal and illusory, almost as if it was material and immaterial all at once. As soon as it appeared, a wondrous aura permeated from it, one that allowed everyone present to feel their Soul being nourished.
Even Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao felt the same, and she was in the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm where very, very few treasures could benefit her.
Only innate Supreme Treasures like the Soul Warming Lotus were of some use to her.
Without standing on ceremony, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao accepted the Soul Warming Lotus into her body and refined it a little.
At the same time, everyone arrived in front of the Black Ink Nest, where several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were standing guard in the shadows. When they saw the Old Ancestor arrive, they only verified her identity but did not show themselves.
Following the passage opened by Yang Kai, the group of six soon arrived at the center of the Black Ink Nest.
Xiang Shan checked around and bellowed, “Assume your positions!”
Mi Jing Lun, Ou Yang Lie, Liu Zhi Ping quickly dispersed and blended in with the shadows.
Xiang Shan remained on guard in the open, while Yang Kai simply observed. As a Seventh-Order Master, there was no other role for him to play here.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao searched for a place and sat down cross-legged, not interacting with the Black Ink Nest, but just waiting patiently.
There might be nothing in the Black Ink Nest Space, or they might be ambushed by more than 20 Royal Lords. Since the Human Race wanted to enter it to investigate the situation, they had to take appropriate precautions.
If only one or two Old Ancestors entered it, then it would be difficult for them to defend against the potential dangers.
Yang Kai was not sure how the Old Ancestors worked out the details, but when one’s cultivation had reached their realm, such trivial matters were naturally not difficult for them.
Yang Kai and Xiang Shan waited silently on the side.
It was only after half an hour or so that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao suddenly opened her eyes.
The time had arrived!
In the next moment, her Small Universe opened up and World Force emerged and was swallowed by the Black Ink Nest.
Using her World Force as a bridge, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao mentally connected to the Black Ink Nest and instantly entered the Black Ink Nest Space.
At the same time, at the High-Rank Black Ink Nests in 21 other Theatres, 21 other Old Ancestors did the same.
In an instant, there were 22 more figures in the Black Ink Nest space.
The moment Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s Soul entered the Black Ink Nest Space, both Yang Kai and Xiang Shan’s expressions changed as they gasped.
This could not be helped as at that instant, both of them could not sense Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s Soul, as if it was completely annihilated.
Xiang Shan immediately coldly snorted, “The Black Ink Clan was prepared!”
Yang Kai also realized immediately and remarked, “The Black Ink Nest Space has been sealed!”
The last time his Soul Avatar was sealed in the Black Ink Nest Space, he was in such a state where his physical body was still alive but it contained no Soul. That frightened Ou Yang Lie, who was guarding him, as he thought something had happened to Yang Kai.
While he was trapped in that Black Ink Nest Space, Yang Kai was totally unaware of what happened in the outside world.
Now that he had seen what happened to Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, he immediately understood it was similar to his situation at that time.
Xiang Shan nodded solemnly, “Must be!”
Yang Kai’s expression turned ugly.
The Old Ancestor had just entered, and the Black Ink Nest space had been closed off.
With more than 20 surviving High-Rank Black Ink Nest, the Black Ink Clan must have noticed and realized that the Humans might use those High-Rank Black Ink Nest to make some moves.
Since the Black Ink Clan had already anticipated this, it must be dangerous for the Old Ancestors to enter the Black Ink Nest Space.
However, they had to enter as there were too many uncertainties about the Black Ink Clan. If the Human Race wanted to find out more about the Black Ink Clan, they would have to take some risks.
Of course, the Old Ancestors had already deliberated about this before they decided to go in; otherwise, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao would not have borrowed the Soul Warming Lotus from Yang Kai in preparation.
Even though it was dangerous, they had to step forward.
Only by entering the Black Ink Nest Space could they tear off the veil of mystery that hid the Black Ink Clan.
Yang Kai’s brows furrowed. There was no way for others to help in this situation. The Old Ancestors had to rely on their own strength.
Meanwhile, inside the Black Ink Nest space.
Powerful Soul Avatars were revealed, 22 of them.
Naturally, these were the Ninth-Order Supreme Masters of the Human Race, and they revealed themselves almost at the same time.
However, before the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could investigate the situation, a fierce wave of Spiritual Energy rushed in from all directions.
Immediately after that, violent Soul attacks blasted towards the Old Ancestors like a tidal wave.
There was no fancy Soul Secret Techniques, it was just a simple brute force attack, similar to what Yang Kai previous did to Che Kong. This was the simplest, most direct, and brutal kind of Soul attack.
In an instant, the Old Ancestors’ Soul Avatars were enveloped by violent storms.
Muffled grunts could be heard and several Old Ancestor’s aura suddenly weakened.
[This is bad!]
Just by stepping into this place, several Old Ancestors Soul Avatars were already injured!
Soon, each of the Old Ancestors quickly summoned their defensive artifacts, to guard their Soul Avatars.
Soul-type artifacts were rare, and defensive Soul-type artifacts were even rarer. Nonetheless, they were all Old Ancestors, and had lived more than long enough to have acquired some rare artifacts.
In a flash, various forms of defensive artifacts blossomed with dazzling lights and enveloped the Old Ancestors’ Soul Avatars. The Soul attacks coming from all directions were instantly blocked, causing the light halos to ripple continuously.
“So many!”
Only now were the Old Ancestors able to check the situation here, but with one look, the Old Ancestors exclaimed, “There are too many!”
There were 50 Royal Lords gathered here! That was more than twice the number of Human Masters.
There was a huge mistake in the intelligence report!
Or maybe it was not a mistake, but what Yang Kai saw at that time was not all the hidden Royal Lords the Black Ink Clan possessed!
This time, the Black Ink Clan sent more Royal Lords to ambush the Humans who entered to investigate the situation.
None of the Old Ancestors were fools, so they immediately understood the situation.
What’s more, the 50 they saw today, was that all there were?
Perhaps, but then again, perhaps not.
Although they were taken by surprise, and some of their Soul Avatars were injured, the Old Ancestors did not panic. It could be said that before entering this place, everyone had already expected the worst.
What they now saw confirmed their previous suspicions.
The battle between the two Races was far from over. The Black Ink Clan still had a very powerful force lurking in the shadows. Although the Humans had won every war in all the various Theatres, that was only a surface victory.
Having realized this, the purpose of entering this space had been achieved.
22 against 50, that was a huge difference in numbers. Additionally, this was the enemy’s home turf! It was impossible to prevail in such a situation; thus, in just a blink of an eye, someone shouted, “Retreat!”
The next moment, someone said, “We can’t get out, the Space here has been sealed!”
Another Old Ancestor roared, “Then we break through it!”
Even if this Black Ink Nest Space was the domain of the Black Ink Clan’s Mother Nest, there had to be a limit.
When Yang Kai was trapped previously, it was only naturally that he couldn’t get out because he was nowhere near strong enough to forcefully break through the sealed space.
Now however, this place had 22 Human Old Ancestors. When unified, there was nothing in this World that could suppress and seal them.
This was also the reason why the Old Ancestors wanted to act together. Yang Kai’s last encounter in the Black Ink Nest Space made them wary. The Black Ink Clan seemed to be able to control the opening and closing of the Black Ink Nest Space, which they had planned for.
Not to mention, the 50 Royal Lords’ Soul attacks would also have a significant impact on this space.
Perhaps there were more Royal Lords in the Black Ink Clan, but even if there were, they likely did not dare to move; otherwise, this space may not be able to withstand the stress.
The Old Ancestors were all veterans of countless battles, so although the situation here was unexpected, and there were twice as many enemies as allies, they quickly stabilized their formation and gathered in one place. With their Soul defensive artifacts covering all sides and resisting attacks from all angles. Some Old Ancestors even used Soul Secret Techniques to counter-attack those Royal Lords.
At the same time, streams of light flashed into existence. Naturally it was the Old Ancestors summoning offensive artifacts and each one of them was very powerful.
More than seventy top Masters were now fighting inside this Black Ink Nest Space, causing it to begin to tremble.
“Presumptuous!” Some of the Old Ancestors coldly snorted.
The Black Ink Nest space was indeed powerful, able to seal the Souls of 72 Supreme Masters at once; however, it was now clearly shaking from the clash, which meant that it indeed had a limit.
If the space was still as stable as a rock under such circumstances, then it would be truly terrifying. If that was the case, then the Old Ancestors would have no hope of escaping.
However, now that the space was shaking, the Old Ancestors saw an opportunity.
Spiritual Energies exploded as the attacks came out one after another. The Soul defensive artifacts summoned by the Old Ancestors were extremely powerful, but they could not last long under such circumstances. The artifacts rapidly dimmed and began to shatter after just ten breaths of time.
Grunts sounded when their Soul Avatars were injured, but the situation was not that grave yet.
With one less defensive artifact, the Human defense became more precarious. When the second defensive artifact was about to be broken, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao shouted, “Gather around me!”
As soon as she yelled, a seven-coloured lotus flower suddenly emerged, which quickly expanded to hold all the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters on insides its petals.
Outside the lotus, a brilliant seven-coloured halo of light converged to form a sturdy barrier, stopping all of Royal Lord’s attacks.
“Is this that brat’s Soul Warming Lotus?” An Old Ancestor recognized the origin of the lotus and exclaimed, “A Supreme Treasures of the Universe is indeed extraordinary.”
The defensive artifacts that they summoned could not withstand the barrage of attacks from the Royal Lords for long, but this Soul Warming Lotus’ protection was unwavering, which showed how extraordinary it was.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao shouted, “Enough nonsense! Hurry up and kill them!”
What situation were they in for them to be marveling at this lotus? They were all Old Ancestors, yet they were acting like bumpkins that had not seen and explored the World yet.
The Old Ancestor who spoke smiled awkwardly. Suddenly, a mass of Spiritual Energy transformed into a fierce beast, leapt out of the lotus heart towards the opposite Royal Lord, and gave a huge bite. Although it was a quick burst, it managed to viciously tear into the Royal Lord’s Soul Avatar before it dissipated.
“Wastes! I dare you to fight one-on-one!” An Old Ancestor shouted with indignation.
In a one-on-one fight, the Old Ancestors were not afraid of these Royal Lords. Although the might of their Souls was basically the same, the Old Ancestors felt that they were still slightly stronger.
The key point, however, was that these Royal Lords were far too limited in their usage of Soul attacks, only able to wield their Spiritual Energy in a clumsy manner.
With how they were attacking, a fair amount of the strength of their Souls was simply being wasted.
The Old Ancestors were different as they had all practiced and polished their Secret Techniques in thousands of life-and-death clashes. They all had several handy artifacts as well. Given what power they had, each Old Ancestor was able to display far more combat efficiency than any of their enemies.
Thus, if they fought one-on-one, the Old Ancestors could certainly defeat these Royal Lords.
However, under such circumstances, why would the Royal Lord pay attention to that Old Ancestor roaring at them? They had the absolute numerical advantage, so they would naturally use it.
In this battle, the losing side had only one fate, death!
With twice the numbers on their side and the geographical advantage, the Royal Lords were certain of their victory. Since their entry into this space, the Humans were forced into the defensive, and could only counter-attack occasionally with negligible effects.
If Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had not borrowed Yang Kai’s Soul Warming Lotus, the situation would have been even worse.
However, the Soul Warming Lotus was not all-powerful. The seven-coloured light enveloping them was continuously weakened by the relentless impacts it faced, and once the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus was broken, then the Humans would no longer have the power to protect themselves.
Even so, this was a truly unprecedented battle in terms of scope, scale, and importance. The result of this battle would have a direct impact on the future of the entire Human Race.
“Don’t hold back, it’s time to go all out!” An Old Ancestor roared furiously as his Soul Avatar suddenly expanded atop the Soul Warming Lotus, turning into a giant in the blink of an eye.
The giant reached its hand out of the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus and was quickly cut to pieces by the Soul attacks from the Royal Lords; however, it soon re-condensed.
The giant made a low roar like a wounded beast.
His arm was torn apart, which meant his Soul Avatar was wounded. Furthermore, any damage to the arm of his Soul Avatar was also damage to his Soul.
He remained undaunted though and firmly grabbed a Royal Lord on the periphery.
The Royal Lord went pale and was about to flee when suddenly a mysterious force shot out and caused him to freeze in place.
Not only that, he also felt his Soul Avatar receiving a huge shock and he was overwhelmed by an indescribable pain.
Inside the Soul Warming Lotus, an Old Ancestor’s Soul Avatar surged with Demon Qi, an ominous aura pulsing from his as he smiled treacherously.
Such obvious features could only come from Myriad Demons Heaven.
In fact, this was the Old Ancestor of Myriad Demons Cave Heaven that Yang Kai had once met and studied the two core Eye Secret Techniques under for a time.
The left eye of the Myriad Demons Pass Old Ancestor turned into a golden vertical slit that radiated an imposing aura as it reflected the Soul Avatar of a Royal Lord. It was his Secret Technique that made that Royal Lord freeze.
His right eye was pitch-black, and wherever its gaze landed, a large area of space was covered in darkness that swept up several Royal Lords.
If Yang Kai were here, he would have been amazed by this sight.
He had cultivated Myriad Demons Heaven’s two Eye Secret Techniques, and his attainments in them weren’t bad; however, he had never used them like this.
This showed the differences between Yang Kai and the Myriad Demons Pass Old Ancestor in terms of their attainment in these two Eye Secret Techniques.
Since these two Eye Techniques were the core secrets of Myriad Demons Heaven, they naturally had their unique features.
With one person’s power against several Royal Lords, the Myriad Demons Pass Old Ancestor was also a bit overwhelmed and his Soul Avatar was violently shaken. It would not take too long for his Eye Secret Technique to be broken.
Still, it was enough.
The big hand that reached out and caught the Royal Lord directly in his palm clenched fiercely at that moment.
A mournful howl sounded as the clutched Soul Avatar almost directly collapsed. However, at the critical moment, other Royal Lords intervened and broke the enormous hand, saving the Royal Lord within.
Even so, despite this Royal Lord surviving the attack, his Soul Avatar became very dull. He had obviously been seriously injured.
Just two Old Ancestors were able to launch a near deadly attack by joining forces.
There were several other Old Ancestors who used their own methods to attack the Royal Lords who were affected by the Myriad Demons Pass Old Ancestor’s Black Purgatory Eye, damaging several of them.
No one remained idle, neither the Royal Lords, nor the Old Ancestors.
Soul Avatars were struck one after another as all sorts of exquisite Soul Secret Techniques and Soul-type artifacts clashed inside the Black Ink Nest Space.
This type of battle was far more dangerous than ones in the outside world; after all, this involved their Soul. Thus, the slightest mistake would spell death for them.
The seven-coloured light of the Soul Warming Lotus’ protection was wavering and its brilliance was weakening at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Once the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus collapsed, with the space here still sealed, the Old Ancestors who entered here would definitely meet tragic ends.
Everyone was attacking their opponents furiously except for Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao.
Firstly, she needed to use most of her strength to keep the Soul Warming Lotus’ protection up.
Secondly, she was looking for the right opportunity to strike.
In this kind of fight, timing was critical and chances were fleeting.
However, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was able to seize any opening around her. Her Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm insight was enough to capitalize on such opportunities.
Three breaths later, when Myriad Demons Pass’ Old Ancestor once again used the Demon Eye of Annihilation to freeze a figure he was focused on, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao grit her teeth, let out a war cry, and shot out a golden light from her forehead.
When the golden light appeared, the aura of her Soul suddenly weakened, and even her Soul Avatar lost part of its form.
This was a serious injury that not even an Old Ancestor could easily restore.
However, it was still worth it.
When the golden light shot out, it directly struck into a Royal Lord who was locked down by the Myriad Demons Heaven Old Ancestor’s Eye Secret Technique.
In the next instant, the intense golden light penetrated deep inside the Royal Lord’s Soul Avatar, drawing a deafening cry of anguish from his lips as his Soul Avatar rapidly weakened.
In the blink of an eye, the might of his Soul dropped from that of a Royal Lord to a Territory Lord’s.
With the follow up attacks of two other Ninth-Order Masters, this Royal Lord’s Soul Avatar was blasted apart!
The Black Ink Nest Space, which was already trembling, shook even more violently!
All the Royal Lords were shocked by what had just happened.
Although they had injured a few Old Ancestors in the two dozen breaths or so since the battle began, the first to fall was actually one of them.
That was when they outnumbered the Humans two to one!
They were alarmed at just how deadly these Humans were!
What was that golden light? It was undoubtedly that golden light which had the power to condemn a Royal Lord to death!
Of course, the Royal Lord was not killed directly by the golden light, but rather due a series of attacks.
Not only were the Royal Lords surprised by this outcome, many of the Old Ancestors were also astonished.
No one expected Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao to have such a terrifying trump card.
Only two of the Old Ancestors, who were good friends with Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, looked at her with concern. It was as if they had guessed the nature of the golden light, so they were both happy and a little worried.
If what they suspected was true, then that golden light, which had a great killing power, also has a considerable impact on its user.
It was a Soul Rending Thorn!
If the Old Ancestor could pass on to Yang Kai the method to refine and use Soul Rending Thorns, then she would naturally be able to use them as well. In order to refine this artifact, one needed to imbue a thread of their Soul into it, and in order to activate it, a Secret Technique which sacrificed a large portion of their Soul was required.
For tens of thousands of years, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had kept and nourished three Soul Rending Thorns in her Knowledge Sea.
She had never used them, as once these things were used, she would deal significant damage to herself in order to deal critical damage to an enemy. If she was not careful, she might get herself into a bind instead of killing the enemy.
The last time she thought of using a Soul Rending Thorn was when she last fought against Mo Zhao. She would have used it if Yang Kai could not cut off Mo Zhao’s link to his Black Ink Nest.
At that time, there was a great risk of using a Soul Rending Thorn because there was still the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple on the battlefield.
Fortunately, Yang Kai did not disappoint her and destroyed the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest, thereby cutting off Mo Zhao’s source of power.
She did not use one of these vicious artifacts to kill Mo Zhao, but she had no choice but to use one now.
In fact, before entering this space, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was already prepared to use the Soul Rending Thorns because the Black Ink Nest Space was a battlefield of the Soul.
The effect of the Soul Rending Thorns could be fully displayed here!
Yang Kai did not spend much time nurturing his Soul Rending Thorns yet at that time, he was able to cripple and even kill several Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples despite his Soul only being roughly on par with an Eighth-Order Master’s.
On the other hand, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had been nourishing and refining her Soul Rending Thorns for millennia.
At this point, each of her Soul Rending Thorns could be regarded as a peerless treasure.
When unleashed, just one could deal enough damage to weaken a Royal Lord’s Soul to the level of a Territory Lord’s.
In the chaotic Black Ink Nest Space, the first to suffer a fatality was the numerically superior Royal Lords, which caused the remaining Royal Lords to go into a frenzy.
At that moment, a second Soul Rending Thorn was fired.
Again, a golden light shot out, and in an instant, it penetrated the body of another Royal Lord.
That Royal Lord immediately looked terrified. He saw what happened to his companion, so now he knew what was about to happen to him.
The Soul Rending Thorn dug in and began shredding his Soul Avatar, causing his strength to plummet.
Although the remaining Royal Lord’s rushed to shelter him, the Old Ancestors acted faster, raining down Secret Techniques upon the wounded target.
The effects of the attack were devastating and caused the Royal Lord’s Soul Avatar to shatter.
A second Royal Lord had fallen!
The Black Ink Nest Space shook wildly.
The Royal Lords were horrified now.
The Myriad Demons Cave Heaven Old Ancestor shouted, “Xiao Yue Ya, I’ll trap them, you kill them!”
After he said that, the Demon Eye of Annihilation reappeared. This time, instead of using the Black Purgatory Eye, the Myriad Demons Old Ancestor used all his efforts to activate this Eye Secret Technique.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao cursed to herself, [How old is this Great Aunt now? How dare you call me Xiao Yue Ya! Fortunately, we’re all Ninth-Order Masters and there are no Juniors around; otherwise, wouldn’t those damn brats all die laughing?]
Though she was snarling to herself, her actions remained swift.
The third golden light shot out.
All the Royal Lords tried their best to dodge, but the Myriad Demons Old Ancestor, who had fully committed to using his Demon Eye of Annihilation, proved to be too much.
He locked his sights onto one of the fastest retreating Royal Lords and captured his figure in the vertical golden slit of his eye. In the next moment, the vertical slit actually rotated and turned into a horizontal line.
At the same time, the Royal Lord who was targeted felt that his Soul Avatar warp and distort, like it was being crushed and torn apart all at once. His whole body began to tremble and he was barely able to maintain a coherent form.
In that brief moment of delay, the third golden light had already plunged into his body.
“Die!” The Myriad Demons Old Ancestor roared furiously. His Spiritual Energy maddeningly gushed out as a series of golden rings suddenly manifested and contracted down into a single point.
The trapped Royal Lord’s Soul Avatar was crushed towards a central point, and despite his best efforts to resist, it was all useless.
The Soul Rending Thorn exploded inside of him, making it difficult for him to focus his strength, and in the blink of an eye, the Royal Lord’s Soul Avatar was crushed under tremendous pressure before exploding into pieces.
The third Royal Lord had perished!
The two previous Royal Lords who fell had their auras regress to the level of Territory Lords before they were blasted apart. However, this time, the Royal Lord’s aura did not even have the time to fall as he was directly killed by Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and the Myriad Demons Cave Heaven Old Ancestor.
The entire Black Ink Nest Space was now filled with the Spiritual Energy that escaped from the death of these Souls and shaking violently.
When Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and the Myriad Demons Old Ancestor were unleashing their powers, the other Old Ancestors did not remain idle either. Just after the third Royal Lord fell, a fourth perished in quick succession.
Although none of the Humans had died yet, all were wounded and their Soul Avatars’ luster were not as before.
This battle had only raged for 30 breaths, yet in such a short duration, all of the 22 Old Ancestors had been injured in one form or another while 4 Royal Lords had died. It was not an exaggeration to say this was the most dangerous and fiercest battle in history.
Although the Humans had achieved huge successes so far, the situation was deteriorating quickly.
Apart from their individual injuries, it was clear that the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus would not last long. In fact, the protection provided by this Supreme Treasure had already been vastly exceeded everyone’s expectations. No one would be surprised if it were to collapse in the next breath.
In addition, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had used three Soul Rending Thorns in a row and her Soul was now severely damaged, causing her control over the Soul Warming Lotus to falter.
The Myriad Demons Old Ancestor obviously noticed this and did not ask Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao to cooperate with him to kill the enemy again.
The Humans were at risk of collective annihilation at any moment.
Temporary gains would hardly resolve their crisis.
All the Old Ancestors realized that if they did not break the Black Ink Nest Space and escape from this entrapment, they would all fall the moment the Soul Warming Lotus’ protection collapsed.
An old man suddenly stepped forward and said, “No wonder my right brow kept twitching today. So, it ends here. My Fellow Daoist Brothers and Sisters, stand guard for me one last time!”
A Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master turned his head to look at him and exclaimed, “Ping Yu…”
“Enough nonsense!” The old man bellowed, “I am from Bright King Cave Heaven and Soul attacks are not this Old Master’s strength. I’m not much use here, but if I can open a way for my Fellow Daoist Brothers and Sisters, then I would not have lived in vain.”
As this Old Ancestor called Ping Yu said, he was from Bright King Cave Heaven, and although his Soul cultivation was indeed in the Ninth-Order, he was less powerful than the others and his methods of attacking were very limited.
Simply put, the role he could play on this kind of battlefield was minimal, and he felt that he was of not of much use to the rest of his Brothers and Sisters.
Everyone immediately understood what his intentions were and many Old Ancestors looked grim, but they were powerless to stop him.
The Old Ancestor who tried to object earlier immediately clenched his fists and bellowed, “Push them back!”
As soon as he said that, all the Ninth-Order Masters activated their Soul Secret Techniques and artifacts and sent out a concentrated burst of attacks.
To the surprise of the Royal Lords, the Human’s attacks were not directed at them, but at a certain point in the Black Ink Nest Space, opening up a passageway free of interference.
A Royal Lord quickly realized what the Humans were trying to do and shouted frantically, “Stop them!”
Following the shout, more than 40 Royal Lords blasted at the passage in order to destroy it.
However, it was too late. The Bright King Cave Heaven Old Ancestor laughed heartily and charged out of the protection of the lotus. He dashed into the passage, and in an instant reached towards the edge of the space. His Spiritual Energy maddeningly surged as he roared, “Break!”
*Hong…*
As his Ninth-Order aura was annihilated, a tsunami of Spiritual Energy burst forth and opened a visible crack in the void.
A loud boom reverberated throughout the Black Ink Nest Space, causing all inside to have their Soul Avatars shake.
Even the outer protective layer of the Soul Warming Lotus rippled continuously, as if it might shatter at any moment.
All the Royal Lords were stunned.
That Human… had actually detonated his Soul without any hesitation!
Although the Humans were clearly in a dire situation, trapped inside this Black Ink Nest Space, they had still killed four Royal Lords and had the strange lotus to protect them. The battle was nowhere near its end yet.
Yet, this Human chose to self-destruct?
Just what kind of courage was required to do that?
The Human Race… was terrifying!
At the same time, all the Old Ancestors were staring at the invisible shell which encompassed the space, and the next moment, their eyes lit up.
The Bright King Old Ancestor’s self detonation was not in vain. A crack had developed on the shell, and although it was not large, it was still a crack.
The power of the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s self-destruction was unimaginable.
When the four Royal Lords fell earlier, it only caused this space to shake violently, but Bright King Cave Heaven’s Old Ancestor’s targeted sacrifice immediately tore the space open.
“Go!” Some Old Ancestors roared.
If there was a break in the sealed space, then there was a way out. So, why hesitate to leave?
However, before they could make a move, the Royal Lords frantically counter-attacked. They were no fools and immediately understood what the Humans were trying to do.
If they let these Ninth-Order Masters escape, their entire ambush would become a joke.
They had the Humans trapped and outnumbered two to one, yet four Royal Lords had perished and although one of the Humans also fell, that was due to him sacrificing himself, not their own efforts to kill him.
All of a sudden, Soul Warming Lotus protection started to waver and the Old Ancestors found themselves stalled in place.
During this momentary delay, the crack on the shell was filled with a powerful force and was quickly closing up!
All Old Ancestors seethed with anger when they saw this happen.
No one expected that this space could repair itself so quickly. Now their hopes of escape had evaporated.
The protective glow of the Soul Warming Lotus had already faded to almost nothing, and it would surely be gone in less than five breaths.
Once that happened, while they could probably take some of the Royal Lords down with them, the entire group of Old Ancestors would surely perish as well.
…..
When the Bright King Cave Heaven Old Ancestor self-destructed, a gap tore through the Black Ink Nest space. Far away in the depths of the void, in an unknown place where the Human Race had not set foot for countless eons, a surge of energy fluctuations disturbed the countless years of silence.
This fluctuation was extremely faint and came and disappeared almost instantly.
A withered figure with almost no aura at all was disturbed by this fluctuation and suddenly opened his eyes.
This figure could almost be regarded as a corpse. There was hardly any life in his body which was now extremely withered with only skin and bones remaining.
Anyone who saw him would not think that he was still alive.
However, when he opened his eyes, they bloomed with dazzling light like two Great Sun.
The next moment, the living corpse suddenly laughed. It was impossible to know how many years he had not spoken for, so now his voice was dry and hoarse, making it extremely difficult to listen to, “Finally! Do we now have a promising generation of descendants?”
He had sat here for countless years. At the beginning, there were some like-minded friends to chat with, but after so many years and without any resources to supplement themselves, his companions had fallen one by one.
Now, he was the only one left to guard this place and slowly became a living dead.
He did not dare to die so easily, and he could not leave, otherwise all their efforts would be in vain.
He did not know how many years he had been asleep as this place was devoid of all sound and light; however, just with those brief energy fluctuations, he was able to gain a lot of insight into what had happened.
Someone’s descendants had begun to counter-attack, and had touched the root of the Black Ink Clan; otherwise, it was impossible for the calm that had lasted for so many millennia to be broken.
He had waited for untold generations for the Human Race to reach this point. The wait had been so long that even he felt despair.
Today, when this ray of hope appeared before his eyes, he began to cackle happily.
As he laughed, he suddenly raised his hands into the dark and slowly said, “Mo, you are the ancient supreme being of the Black Ink Clan, why cause trouble for the little ones.”
His hand was nothing but skin and bones when it was raised, but in the blink of an eye, his physique was restored and it became like flawless jade.
The calm within void was completely broken in the next instant as the boundless darkness started to stir and surge towards the jade white hand.
As the hand crept forward, it began to crumble, and when it plunged into the heart of the darkness, only bones remained.
It was this small skeletal hand that stirred up the entire surrounding space.
There was a harsh wave of Spiritual Energy coming towards the Ninth-Order Master, which was more powerful than anything a Ninth-Order Master could produce, along with an angry roar, “Cang! How dare you interfere! You court death!”
The living dead man called Cang scoffed, “Until I destroy you, old thing, I dare not die so easily!”
As he spoke, his hand slapped down onto the endless darkness.
…
Inside the Black Ink Nest Space, the Soul Warming Lotus’ protection was so weak that it was barely visible.
All the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters knew that they were on the verge of death. They knew that they already had no hope of escaping from this place; so, they steeled their resolve to kill as many Royal Lords before they fell.
They had already come to terms with dying, but even if they all perished, they wanted to ensure that the Black Ink Clan did not feel any better.
The Human Race was gaining strength with each generation, so even if they all fell here, there would be more Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in time to take their place.
The only thing that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao felt a little regretful over was that when she died here, the Soul Warming Lotus would be left behind. She was worried that Yang Kai would blame her for this.
Still, she set aside those worries as she was about to die anyways.
*Kacha…*
The sound of something shattering suddenly reverberated in everyone’s heart. After Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had summoned the Soul Warming Lotus, they had held on for 30 breaths of time before its protection finally broke.
All the Royal Lords were overjoyed, but soon, their smiles froze. At the moment the Soul Warming Lotus’ protection shattered, the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Masters all shot forward with overwhelming murderous intent. Each of them pushed all the might from their Souls without reservation, clearly not caring about their own lives.
This confused the Royal Lords. It was as if the Humans thought that they had the advantage over them.
Just like the Old Ancestor who detonated his Soul previously, the Royal Lords realized that these Old Ancestors were not afraid of death!
“Kill!” Roared the Royal Lords.
The Human Race was not afraid of death and likewise they were not!
Today’s deaths were just the materials to lay the foundation for the future.
Supreme Masters from both Races no longer concerned themselves with surviving, only caring about slaughtering more enemies before they crossed the gates of death.
Just before the two sides could engage in the final clash though, the entire Black Ink Nest Space suddenly shook violently, and the shaking this time was an order of magnitude greater than when the Bright King Cave Heaven Old Ancestor self-destructed!
It happened so suddenly that no one knew what was going on. The Supreme Masters of both sides who were about to fight to the death all stopped and took a step back, looking at each other warily.
They were not afraid of death, but the anomaly in the Black Ink Nest Space made them wary; after all, no one knew if the other side had set up some kind of trap.
Kacha…
Another shattering sound was heard, this one much louder than before. All the Old Ancestors and Royal Lords looked up, but as soon as they gazed into the distance, they were all stunned.
The crack opened by the Bright King Cave Heaven Old Ancestors that had just closed, opened up again for some reason.
The Old Ancestors were overjoyed.
The reason why they decided to fight the Royal Lords to the death was because they had no hope of escape; now that the crack had opened up again though, there was hope. Why should they die if they had a chance to live?
They did not know why the crack opened again, but what surprised them most was that the crack seemed to open up much wider than when their fellow Old Ancestor self-destructed.
Through the crack, they caught a glimpse of some vague images.
There was no time to hesitate, so the Myriad Demons Old Ancestor bellowed, “Let’s go!”
As soon as he shouted, blood flowed from his right eye!
He was currently a Soul Avatar, so it shouldn’t be possible for him to bleed. What flowed from his eyes was his own forceful burned Soul Essence.
This moment, he was going all out.
Blackness suddenly filled the space and wrapped up a number of Royal Lords who were in the way.
The other Old Ancestors immediately did whatever they could to interfere with the Royal Lords while leaping towards the crack in the sky. Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had already sacrificed a large part of her Soul and had to be carried away by another Old Ancestor.
Many of the Royal Lords saw this and were extremely unwilling to let the Humans escape. They turned their raging Spiritual Energy into a boundless onslaught to cut off the Old Ancestors’ escape route.
Without the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters’ Soul Avatars were faltering and some of them may not be able to escape at this rate.
Realizing this, one of the Old Ancestors turned towards the Royal Lords instead of heading to the crack and a violent and fierce power burst from his Soul.
He decided to stay behind and follow in the path of the Bright King Cave Heaven Old Ancestor. By detonating his Soul in the faces of the Royal Lords, he could buy a moment of time that the others would be able to use to escape.
Just as he did so though, an even more powerful Soul was already rushing towards those Royal Lords. Halfway there, his Soul Avatar ignited, making him look like a raging ball of flames.
“Great Battle Pass has two Old Ancestors, it can afford to lose one! Get out of here! All of you!”
The one that had rushed out was an Old Ancestor from Great Battle Cave Heaven. He was now burning his Soul using some kind of sacrificial Secret Technique. There was no turning back for him now!
As he roared, he was hit with a continuous stream of Spiritual Energy blasts from the Royal Lords, blowing holes in his Soul Avatar; however, this Great Battle Heaven Old Ancestor did not flinch in the slightest.
In the blink of an eye, he had already rushed to the place where the Royal Lords had gathered and his Soul Avatar flashed a fierce smile as he roared, “Burn!”
As soon as he roared, a dazzling light erupted from his Soul Avatar, and his already burning Soul Avatar suddenly turned into a sea of fire that engulfed the Royal Lords.
The first few Royal Lords caught by this Soul Fire howled in agony, while the others tried to dodge in a fluster.
However, they were too late.
Their Spiritual Energy was like fuel for this Soul fire, and the more they tried to extinguish it, the more intensely the flame burned.
The flames did not discriminate and were rapidly catching up to the 20 surviving Old Ancestors who were fleeing towards the crack.
Seeing that the Soul fire was about to reach them, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, whose Soul Avatar was almost transparent, forced whatever power she had left into the Soul Warming Lotus and formed a thin barrier, covering the many Old Ancestors.
The next instant, everyone rushed out of the crack and disappeared.
The Black Ink Nest Space was left in shambles.
A sea of fire covered the entire Black Ink Nest Space, engulfing everything in flames. The Royal Lords did not dare to remain any longer and rushed towards the crack, dragging their injured comrades along with them.
Within a breath, this Black Ink Nest Space went from an intense battlefield, to suddenly being devoid of anyone, leaving only raging flames behind.
These flames were the product of a Ninth-Order Master sacrificing his Soul; there was no telling how long it would take to extinguish.
..…
Darkness shrouded the unknown place, as harsh hissing sounds transmitted through the void, mixed with endless pain.
Old man Cang chuckled as he casually commented, “This generation’s descendants are all so courageous. It’s no wonder they were the ones who managed to break through. Mo, your end is near.”
A voice filled with hatred echoed back from the darkness, “Your people will forever be slaves!”
Cang faintly snorted, “You are not worthy!”
He turned his head, and looked into the depths of the void. After countless years of waiting, the day had finally arrived.
…..
Great Evolution Royal City, in front of the collapsed High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
Yang Kai and Xiang Shan both wore solemn expressions.
Although Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had only entered the Black Ink Nest for several dozen breaths of time, the two of them felt like years had gone by. They could no longer feel the Old Ancestor’s Soul, which meant that the Black Ink Nest Space was sealed. That also meant that the Black Ink Clan was prepared. They did not know what would happen to the Old Ancestor inside.
Although they were worried, the two of them could not do anything to help at this point. They could only wait.
They thought it would take some time, but who would have thought that just several dozen breaths later, the two of them once again sensed Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s Soul. They quickly looked over and the Old Ancestor also rapidly opened her eyes.
Yang Kai and Xiang Shan’s faces changed dramatically!
Old Ancestor was injured, extremely seriously injured! Her face was as white as paper and she winced painfully as the aura of her Soul fluctuated unsteadily.
Yang Kai and Xiang Shan could not even imagine that in just a short duration of several dozen breaths, an epic battle must have been fought in the Black Ink Nest Space. It was a battle between 22 Old Ancestors and 50 Royal Lords. In this short battle, 4 Royal Lords and 2 Old Ancestors had fallen. The Black Ink Nest Space also had a strange crack opened in it.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao obviously did not intend to explain anything but quickly took some Spirit Pills and stuffed them into her mouth before weakly saying, “During the time I enter retreat to recuperate, Commander Xiang Shan, heed by words, the war is not over. The Black Ink Clan still has very strong forces hidden in the shadows.”
Xiang Shan’s face changed slightly before he cupped his fist and bowed, “Understood!”
If the Old Ancestor was so afraid, then the Black Ink Clan’s hidden forces must be extremely dangerous.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao then turned to Yang Kai and said, “You, come with me!”
Upon saying this, she shot towards Great Evolution Pass followed by Yang Kai.
The Old Ancestor was so badly wounded that she had to use the power of his Small Universe to heal her wounds. Naturally, Yang Kai was used to this.
After following her back to Great Evolution Pass, Yang Kai immediately spread out his Small Universe and let the Old Ancestor enter to recover.
He could feel that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s Soul was badly injured. He just did not know what had happened to her in that Black Ink Nest Space.
Fortunately, there was no need to worry about her life. The Soul Warming Lotus was still with the Old Ancestor, and with it, no matter the damage, her Soul would quickly recover. Furthermore, there was the difference in how fast time flowed in Yang Kai’s Small Universe, so it should not take long for Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao to fully heal.
If Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was in such a state though, then what about the other Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters? After all, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was not the only one who entered the Black Ink Nest Space this time.
It seemed, this time, some of them must have fallen.
Yang Kai’s heart sank when he thought of this.
When the Human Race launched their crusade across the 106 Theatres, dozens of Royal Lords were killed without any losses among the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Of course, it was inevitable that some of them were injured.
However, this time, it was almost certain that some Ninth-Order Old Ancestors had fallen.
The confrontation in the Black Ink Nest Space was just that dangerous.
While Yang Kai was assisting the Old Ancestor heal, the celebratory atmosphere in Great Evolution Pass slowly changed. Xiang Shan, as the head of the Army, intentionally reversed the atmosphere. People tended to let their guard down if they continued to celebrate. If a battle really began, then they would be caught off guard.
Although it was a bit cruel to deprive the soldiers of this moment of joy, it had been like that for countless years. The Human Race had always been like that, constantly under the pressure of the Black Ink Clan, forced to forge ahead while never compromising!
Within a few days, two shocking messages reached Great Evolution Pass from other Great Passes.
Bright King Cave Heaven’s Old Ancestor had died in the Black Ink Nest Space!
Great Battle Heaven’s Old Ancestor had also perished in the Black Ink Nest Space!
It was said that 22 Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had gathered to explore the Black Ink Nest Space; however, the Black Ink Clan had laid an ambush. The moment the Old Ancestors entered it, the Black Ink Nest Space was sealed and 50 Royal Lords attacked together. The Old Ancestors fought valiantly and managed to kill 4 Royal Lords despite terrible odds. Bright King Cave Heaven and Great Battle Heaven’s Old Ancestors sacrificed themselves in order to give the other Old Ancestors a chance to escape.
Two Old Ancestors had died in battle!
The entire Human Race mourned for this loss.
Now not only Great Evolution Pass, but all the Humans knew that the war with the Black Ink Clan was far from over. On the surface, more than 100 Theatres had been pacified and the Black Ink Clan had been decimated; however, lurking in the dark, the Black Ink Clan had an even bigger hidden force.
The story of Black Ink Clan’s Mother Nest began spreading throughout the Great Passes.
The Mother Nest was perhaps the root of the Black Ink Clan where its hidden forces were located. To completely eradicate the Black Ink Clan, the Mother Nest must be destroyed.
So, after more than 100 Theatres were pacified, the Humans celebrated for a brief moment before they entered a state of war again!
Wounds were treated, and while some began cultivating, others were sent out to mine resources in order to prepare for the coming battle.
There would be more battles ahead, ones that would be even more dangerous than all those experienced before.
Within Yang Kai’s Small Universe, the four Army Commanders gathered in a small house.
The house was left by the Hunter and his Wife, and although hundreds of years had passed in his Small Universe, Yang Kai had kept it in pristine shape because Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao would come here every time she needed to heal.
This was the first time Xiang Shan and the others had truly entered Yang Kai’s Small Universe, so it did not take long for them to notice that time flowed faster than normal here.
It was no wonder Yang Kai’s cultivation speed was so much greater than average; this kind of time differential was all but impossible for others to emulate.
They could also perceive that the World Force within Yang Kai’s Small Universe was extremely refined, unlike what ordinary Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could have.
This was probably the effect of the World Tree clone, which was able to purify World Force.
This was also one of the reasons why Yang Kai’s Small Universe was different from the other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in terms of weight. It also allowed him to showcase power that should not be seen in his cultivation realm
The purer and denser one’s World Force was, the more power they could exert.
Although there was some envy, no one felt sore about it.
The World Tree clone was very beneficial, but it was only the most effective in Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
Even if an Eighth-Order Master obtained it, it would only enhance their own strength. Unlike Yang Kai, whose Small Universe had time flowing at a different rate compared to the outside world, and could amplify the World Tree clone’s effectiveness to its limits.
Although Eighth-Order and Ninth-Order Masters were the main forces of the Human Race today, Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters such as Yang Kai were the hope for the Human Race’s future.
That was why when Yang Kai obtained the World Tree clone in the Blue Sky Theatre, Ding Yao and others did not take it, but rather, allowed him to keep it.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao still looked pale. Her injuries were so severe that even though she had the Soul Warming Lotus and was using Yang Kai’s Small Universe to recuperate, the wounds did not heal so easily.
However, her condition was much better compared to when she just returned from the Black Ink Nest Space.
At this moment, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was telling Xiang Shan and the others about what happened in Black Ink Nest Space. The four Army Commanders all listened solemnly.
Although a lot of information had arrived from other Great Passes already, it was far less detailed than what Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was telling them.
22 Old Ancestors collaborated to probe the Black Ink Nest Space, but they were ambushed by 50 Royal Lords as soon as they entered.
The ensuing battle was so intense that neither the Old Ancestors nor the Royal Lords could hold anything back. In the end, the Old Ancestors managed to kill 4 Royal Lords while 2 of their own sacrificed themselves to allow the rest to escape!
In just a few dozen breaths of time, 6 top Masters from the two Races perished.
“When the Human Race intentionally did not destroy those 22 High-Rank Black Ink Nests, the Black Ink Clan must have guessed our intentions to enter the Black Ink Nest Space to pry for information. Thus, they gathered a number of Royal Lords in advance for the ambush,” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao said softly.
Xiang Shan frowned and said, “The battle reports from earlier indicated that the Royal Lord that used to be at the Yin-Yang Theatre was among those who escaped. Did Old Ancestor feel her aura in the Black Ink Nest Space?”
Not all Royal Lords were killed in the previous grand war across the 106 Theatres. Roughly half of them were killed, while the other half escaped.
Now, no one knew where they were hiding.
The Royal Lord of Yin-Yang Theatre was known to be one of the survivors.
Yin-Yang Pass was originally the place where Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was assigned and she had fought with that Royal Lord for tens of thousands of years, so they could not be more familiar with one another.
However, later when the Southern Army Commander of Yin-Yang Pass, Wu Qing, broke through and reached the Ninth-Order, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was given the mission of re-taking Great Evolution Pass. Now, Wu Qing was at Yin-Yang Pass, serving as its Old Ancestor.
Wu Qing had just advanced to the Ninth-Order, so compared to the rest of the Old Ancestors, he was not very strong. Although he was unable to kill the old Royal Lord when they fought at the Yin-Yang Theatre, the Royal Lord found herself outmatched when Wu Qing was joined by several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters; thus, she eventually fled into the void, her whereabouts now unknown.
The reason why Xiang Shan asked this question was because he suspected that the Royal Lords who ambushed the Humans in the Black Ink Nest Space were not the ones who escaped from the other Theatres.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao shook her head and replied, “I didn’t feel her aura.”
Xiang Shan frowned and replied, “Then the problem is very serious… In recent days, I had also queried the other Old Ancestors who were involved. I asked them similar questions, but none of them felt any familiar auras among the 50 Royal Lords that participated in the ambush.”
In other words, among those 50 Royal Lords, not one was an old acquaintance of the surviving 20 Old Ancestors.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao declared solemnly, “Those Royal Lords were all fresh faces! Their strength was there, but they were unable to fully display it. It was as if they did not have much experience in fighting.”
Although the battle only lasted several dozen breaths of time, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had tens of thousands of years of combat experience so she was easily able to notice such details.
At the time, she was too busy fighting and preserving her life to pay attention to this, but now, looking back, there were many questions that were unanswered.
She knew what Xiang Shan was trying to determine.
If there were 50 Royal Lords who they had never seen before, plus those who had escaped from the Theatres, that meant that there were almost 100 Royal Lords still alive!
It was a terrifying force!
What made it even more unbelievable was that these Royal Lords did not have much experience in fighting! It was as if their strength was attained totally from intense cultivation rather than being built up through millennia of tempering in war.
The fact was, if it was not for those Royal Lords’ clumsiness in battle, the Old Ancestors would not have been able to rally themselves so quickly to defend and then counter attack.
Additionally, if those Royal Lords had concentrated on just one or two Old Ancestors at a time, they would have been able to kill all of them very quickly.
However, they did not do that. Instead, they all just wildly pushed their Spiritual Energy to bombard them indiscriminately.
Such a way of fighting could only be described as foolish.
“And I suspect that… the Black Ink Clan has more forces hidden than what we’ve seen.” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao frowned with worry.
Liu Zhi Ping remarked softly, “There are more of them?”
100 Royal Lords was already a problem, if there were more of them, then how could the Black Ink Clan be eradicated?
“The Black Ink Clan still has its limits; for instance, that Black Ink Nest Space was not impregnable. With 50 Royal Lords and 22 Old Ancestors fighting, the clashing of Spiritual Energy shook that space quite violently. It looked like that was the limit of what that space could withstand. If there were even a few more, it is difficult to say whether that space could endure the impact.”
The Black Ink Clan was able to estimate the limit of the Black Ink Nest Space’s tolerance; however, when the Bright King Cave Heaven Old Ancestor self-destructed his Soul, he managed to exceed that limit and tear open a crack in the Black Ink Nest Space.
The Black Ink Clan must not have expected that a Human Race Master could be so decisive.
Mi Jing Lun understood and said, “So, Black Ink Clan may not only have 50 hidden Royal Lords, they simply deployed 50 because that was the limit the battlefield could handle.”
Ou Yang Lie smacked his lips and said, “That’s bad.”
“There is good news though…” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s expression suddenly became a little odd and she appeared to be contemplating something before she murmured, “We may not be the only ones fighting this war!”
“What does Old Ancestor mean by that?” Liu Zhi Ping asked curiously.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao replied, “In fact, at the end of the battle, the Soul Warming Lotus’ protection had been shattered, and we were already on the verge of death. We were preparing to go all out in a final battle to the death with those Royal Lords; however, at that critical juncture, the sealed Black Ink Nest Space cracked open once again…”
Mi Jing Lun gasped, “The power released by the two Races was so strong that it went beyond the limit of what the Black Ink Nest Space could withstand?”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao shook her head and explained, “The gap was opened from the outside.”
Everyone was stunned when they heard that.
A gaping hole opened from the outside and saved the lives of 20 Old Ancestors at a critical moment!
Who opened it?
How was it opened?
No one knew.
However, this was also the reason why Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao said that their present Army might not be alone in this war.
That crack opened at a very timely moment. If it had opened a little later, more of the Old Ancestors would have been killed and injured.
What surprised Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was that through the crack, she vaguely saw a big hand that looked like it was made of white crystal jade!
It was a pity that she could not see it clearly because the power was too chaotic and the event was so short-lived.
The only thing that was certain, was that the hand was the source that opened the Black Ink Nest Space. Without that hand, there was no way they would have escaped from that space.
“Interesting…” Xiang Shan suddenly smiled inexplicably, “In addition to the other Armies from the other Theatres, there is actually another party that is fighting against the Black Ink Clan!”
Mi Jing Lun’s eyes lowered and pondered aloud, “Is this other party hostile or friendly?”
Ou Yang Lie looked at him as if he was a fool and said with disdain, “If that power helped the Old Ancestors get out of trouble, isn’t that obvious as to whether it was hostile or friendly?”
Mi Jing Lun shook his head with a light smile and said, “Who knows? If it was that obvious, then why didn’t they contact us before? Why did they have to wait till the very last moment before revealing themselves? Was something restricting them from showcasing their power, or was it all intentional?”
Ou Yang Lie raised his eyebrows and said, “Aren’t you over-thinking this?”
He seemed annoyed with Big Head Mi, who always made issues more complicated than they were. Was it not better to keep things simple?
Mi Jing Lun shook his head solemnly and said, “It’s not that I want to over-think things, I just can’t help worrying. According to what the Old Ancestor said, a lone party was able to break open the Black Ink Nest Space from the outside, which means this person or party must be more powerful than all the Old Ancestors combined!”
Ou Yang Lie was dumbfounded.
The Old Ancestors were Ninth-Order Masters, the strongest warriors in existence. Who could be more powerful than them?
If this unknown party was friendly to the Human Race, then it would be a blessing; however, if it was hostile, then it would be far more difficult to deal with compared to the Black Ink Clan. At the very least, the Humans knew the Black Ink Clan quite well today. They did not know anything about this hidden party.
It was easy to dodge a spear in the light, but difficult to avoid an arrow in the dark.
Xiang Shan looked at Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and asked respectfully, “Old Ancestor, is the Ninth-Order really the limit of cultivation? Is it possible to go further?”
When he asked this question, even Yang Kai, who had been uninvolved so far, listened eagerly.
No one other than the Old Ancestors, who had reached the Ninth-Order, had any insights into whether there was a higher realm than the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
It was said that there was no peak to the Martial Dao, but was there really no limit?
However, according to the current situation on the Human’s side, the Ninth-Order appeared to be the peak of Martial Dao.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was silent for a moment before replying, “The cultivation of the Open Heaven Realm is mainly related to one’s Small Universe. As the volume of the Small Universe increases, their Order rises. The First-Order is the lowest while the Ninth-Order is the limit! We have been exploring if there is anything higher beyond the Ninth-Order. I don’t know about the others, but personally, with my level of cultivation, the volume of my Small Universe has reached its limit and there is no way to improve any further.”
In other words, the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm was Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s limit.
She could not say if that was the same situation for the other Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
In all these years, no one had ever gone beyond the Ninth-Order. No one had ever seen any power beyond the Ninth-Order.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao then added, “Moreover, in regards to that party that helped us escape, we do not know how powerful or what realm they were in. The situation was too chaotic and there was no way to perceive it accurately. Even if the other party is stronger than us, perhaps they have not transcended the Ninth-Order.”
After a lifetime of cultivation, the concept of Ninth-Order being the peak was deeply rooted in their psyches. When someone suggested the possibility of a higher realm than the Ninth-Order in this world, it was difficult for Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao to believe it.
After all, she had made this judgement based on thousands of years of her own experience.
“No matter what realm the other party has reached, or whether they are friend or foe, at least, in terms of dealing with the Black Ink Clan, their stance is the same as ours,” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao continued, “Furthermore, this other party should be under some kind of restriction; otherwise, it makes no sense why they have not contacted the Human Race after all these years. I even suspect… that they are some ancient force or a remnant of a force from a distant era.”
Before this, no one had thought that there was another force in the world that stood against the Black Ink Clan.
Before coming to Great Evolution Pass, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao guarded Yin-Yang Pass for tens of thousands of years, but even she had never heard anything about another force before. Neither had the other Old Ancestors.
If the other party had not taken the initiative to help them out this time, they would still be ignorant of their existence.
There was only one possibility now, that the power was a remnant from a very distant era. So long that even the Old Ancestors had never heard of it.
Mi Jing Lun nodded slightly and said, “Since the other party has a similar stance to ours, we can ally with them. The question is… where are they, and who made that move?”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao narrowed her eyes and said, “If I am not mistaken, their location should be where the Black Ink Clan Mother Nest is!”
All the Army Commanders’ pupils contracted, but after a moment of reflection, they understood why the Old Ancestor had made such a judgment.
The Black Ink Nest Space that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and the other Old Ancestors entered this time should be the creation of the Black Ink Clan Mother Nest. Since the unknown Master was able to break open the space from the outside, it meant that they could not be too far away from the Mother Nest. They must have directly attacked the Mother Nest; otherwise, it was impossible to accomplish this.
In other words, if they found the Mother Nest, they should be able to find the person behind that mysterious attack.
But where was the Mother Nest? Although they might be able to find some clues in the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, who would dare to enter that place again considering what just happened?
The Black Ink Clan’s ambush must still be there, so going back would be suicidal.
Even so, the Humans had some suspicions as to where the Mother Nest was.
Since ancient times, those in the Great Passes had never conquered a Royal City, not to mention the void beyond the Royal Cities.
“The war is not yet over, and the crusade will continue. For now, let the soldiers in the Inner Sanctum recuperate some more. I have a feeling that… the next battle may be more dangerous!” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao finally commanded. Xiang Shan and the others listened gloomily.
As a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, she had an extremely keen perception for danger, even danger that had yet to manifest. Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao would not have said such words for no reason.
Soon, Xiang Shan and the others left so that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao could continue to recuperate.
…
The Theatres everywhere were pacified and the Black Ink Clan was defeated; however, the Human soldiers only enjoyed a few days of peace and quiet before they entered a state of intense war preparation again.
Alchemists and Artifact Refiners at every Great Pass became busy.
Information was passed back and forth between the Great Passes.
The term ‘crusade’ was used by the top brass of the Human Race when attacks were launched against the Royal Cities in the Theatres. However, now the Human Race’s Army was preparing for an even grander crusade!
A crusade to the Black Ink Clan Mother Nest!
Yang Kai also could not help but feel a sense of urgency.
In the previous battles, he played an indispensable role on the battlefield. He was able to kill a powerful Territory Lord like Che Kong and even destroyed a lot of Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests. He was also the one who killed a Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple with a punch.
However, all those achievements had many coincidental elements.
In the end, he was still just a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
When Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao said that the future battle was going to be more dangerous than ever, how could he protect himself and the others around him unless he was at least in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm?
[But the Eighth-Order…]
Yang Kai estimated that even with his current rate of cultivation, he would require at least 1,000 years to reach the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. By the time he managed to get to the Eighth-Order the wars would be over.
Time was not on his side.
In fact, he took only a few hundred years to advance to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, so even if he took another 1,000 years to break through once more, his rate of advancement was already extremely terrifying. Which Eighth-Order Division Commanders had not taken several thousand years to break through from the Seventh-Order to the Eighth-Order?
Just look at Feng Ying. She was one of the most talented cultivators of her generation, but she spent 3,500 years in the Seventh-Order before just recently achieving a breakthrough and advancing to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
And that was already considered faster than usual.
On average, it took Seventh-Order Masters 5,000 years to break through.
As for the advancement from the Eighth-Order to the Ninth-Order, that was a 10,000 year endeavour at best
The growth of a Human was simply too slow.
Yang Kai did not lack resources to cultivate with, so during Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s recuperation, he was constantly refining materials and spared no expense to expand the number of Small Stone Race in his own Small Universe.
Although there was no way for him to break through and enter the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm in a short period of time, he could still increase his strength.
Xiang Shan, would from time to time come over to pass on some messages to Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and to seek her opinion on certain matters. He did not keep anything from Yang Kai either; thus, Yang Kai was able to hear some confidential information.
Three months after the Old Ancestor’s return from the Black Ink Nest Space, the Great Evolution Army, which had been resting outside of the Royal City, began to buzz again. It started to move beyond the Royal City towards the depths of the void.
It was the same for all the major Theatres and the Great Passes.
Another crusade had begun!
According to the Old Ancestors, it was vital for them to eliminate the remaining enemy! Previously, the Human Race in the other Theatres had decimated the Black Ink Clan such that they could no longer form a coherent army. Regardless of the situation at the Mother Nest though, they could not give those fleeing Black Ink Clansmen any opportunity to re-group and reorganize.
There were dozens of Royal Lords who had escaped, and several times more Territory Lords and Feudal Lords who, though wounded, still breathed.
There were no concerns about the morale of the Humans. After the news of the Mother Nest was intentionally spread, all the soldiers knew that the war was far from over.
Until the Black Ink Clan was destroyed, the Human Race would never relent!
Scouts were sent out to perform reconnaissance on the route ahead so the Army Commanders could adjust their strategy.
In fact, the Human Race had always been curious about the void beyond the Royal Cities as it was a land that Humans had never set foot in.
However, before the Theatres were pacified, the Human Race had no ability to explore that void as the Royal Cities in front of this void were an impassable biggest obstacle.
Now, the Human Race was finally going to explore this mysterious place.
There was nothing unusual in the first month.
However, after another month, some of the scouts who had gone on ahead found the corpses of Black Ink Clansmen in the void, which was very unusual.
When the Squad tried to investigate, they were attacked by an unexplained force. There would have been casualties if not for their Warship’s protection.
When the encounter was reported to the Great Evolution Army. Xiang Shan took it very seriously and went to check the situation personally. He came back soon after.
In Yang Kai’s Small Universe, in the same small courtyard, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao frowned and remarked, “A residual Divine Ability?”
Xiang Shan nodded and said, “Yes, one that is still very powerful. Though I don’t know how many years have passed since it was formed, those dead Black Ink Clansmen must have been the ones who escaped from the Royal City and ventured into that area. They ended up triggering the residual Divine Ability, and died as a result.”
“How strong is it?” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao asked.
“The one I touched was almost equivalent to the full powered strike of a Seventh-Order Master.”
“That is indeed strong…” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao appeared grave and asked, “Are there many such Divine Abilities left?”
Xiang Shan replied with a grave expression, “There was no way to investigate. I sensed some Divine Abilities as they were obvious and could be detected at a glance, but there were others that were extremely well hidden. Some are completely unnoticeable unless they are triggered. I suspect that there are not only residual Divine Abilities, but many other Arrays as well!
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao frowned as she muttered, “Residual Divine Abilities and Arrays…”
There were two kinds of Spirit Arrays in this world, innate and man-made. If the road ahead had residual Divine Abilities, then it was impossible that these Arrays were naturally formed. They had to be man made.
“Old Ancestor, I suspect that in ancient times, there was a force that fought against the Black Ink Clan in this stretch of void. There must have been countless Great Experts involved who set up and arranged those residual Divine Abilities and Natural Arrays.”
Yang Kai suddenly interjected, “A Divine Ability Sea!”
“Hm?” Xiang Shan looked at him in confusion.
Yang Kai said, “Once, when I was in Shattered Heaven, I was chased by an Eighth-Order Master and had to escape to the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land in the Shattered Ruins. That Divine Spirit Ancestral Land was surrounded by a massive Divine Ability Sea, which concealed innumerable Divine Abilities and Spirit Arrays. It was almost certain death for any trespassers, even Eighth-Order Masters.”
“At that time, I did not know why the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land was surrounded by such a dangerous layer of traps and arrays, so I ventured in unaware. I originally thought that those Divine Abilities were left by the Divine Spirit themselves, but later I learned that it must have been arranged by some Great Experts in ancient times who were trying to seal in a Black Ink Giant Spirit God. Of course, those arrangements became unnecessary as the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was eventually eroded by the Ancestral Land’s Ancestral Strength and his vitality was completely worn down before he could get that far.”
“From ancient times to the present, even after countless years, the Divine Ability Sea set up by those Great Experts of the past is still extremely powerful. While it must have weakened after so much time, its effectiveness is still quite shocking. In fact, if the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was able to get out of the trap, it would still be greatly hindered by that Divine Ability Sea.”
“The situation in the void ahead is somewhat similar to the Divine Ability Sea outside of Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, only that it’s not as obvious.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao nodded and said, “Now that you mention it, I do have some memory of that. Rumour has it that there is indeed a vast field of Divine Abilities outside the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, though I have not seen it before.”
She had been on the Black Ink Battlefield for so long that if Yang Kai did not mention about this Divine Ability Sea, she would not have thought about it.
“So, it seems that the source of the Divine Abilities and Arrays up ahead and the Divine Ability Sea outside of the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land should be from the same era. Let’s call them the Ancients. They may have had a great battle against the Black Ink Clan here, so there are many residual Divine Abilities, as well as many restrictions and Arrays…” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao said and then her eyes lit up, “If the Divine Ability Sea outside of the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land was to protect against the sealed Black Ink Giant Spirit God. Then who is this Divine Ability Sea set up to guard against?”
Yang Kai and Xiang Shan looked at each other, and almost without thinking, immediately said, “The Mother Nest!”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao nodded, “That’s the only possibility. The Mother Nest must be located at an even deeper location, and many methods were used to guard against it.”
“But from the perspective of the later generations, that meant that the Ancients had failed as the Black Ink Clan managed to break out from the Mother Nest and built one Royal City after another, harvested the nearby resources, hatched their Black Ink Nests, bred more soldiers, and expanded the scale of the Black Ink Battlefield.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s eyes flashed as she speculated on the vital events of the ancient times.
“In order to fight against the Black Ink Clan, the Ancients must have built the Great Passes. These Passes were created to resist the invasion of the Black Ink Clan. Yes… the appearance of the Cave Heavens and Paradises must also be connected to them. They are likely the founders who created the Cave Heavens and Paradises in the 3,000 Worlds, cultivated various talents, selected the right people, and brought them to the Black Ink Battlefield, a cycle which has continued on till this day.”
While talking, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao vaguely recalled an ancient book she saw in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven once. It was very old, and unlike the other Secret Arts or Secret Books. It was more akin to a journal of sorts, which she came across by accident.
The ancient book mentioned a little bit about the founding of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, which was very consistent with their current speculations.
However, she was not very strong at that time, and there were many ancient characters in that journal that were extremely obscure and difficult to understand. She had no interest in such dusty history back then, so she casually browsed through before placing it back.
These were only her own speculations and no one knew how things turned out during the ancient times unless they could find someone who survived from that era.
However, that period was at least a million years ago, and none of the living Old Ancestors was nearly that old.
After gathering her thoughts, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao said, “We should only be at the outer edge of this Divine Ability Sea now. If even the outer edge is so dangerous, just imagine what it is like inside! Pass the order down, maintain the highest level of alertness as we progress. We cannot get bogged down here before we even locate the Mother Nest.”
“Yes!”
“What about the other Great Passes?” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao asked next.
Xiang Shan replied, “Almost all the other Theatres are facing the same situation as ours.”
“It’s that big!?” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s pupil constricted.
The Black Ink Battlefield was enormous, taking over 100 Great Passes to span it from one side to the other. Now, all the Great Passes were proceeding deeper into the void, searching for the Mother Nest, but the Divine Ability Sea was baring all of their path’s forward.
This meant that the Ancient Great Experts had filled this entire region of the Black Ink Battlefield with Divine Abilities and Spirit Arrays! Such a feat was truly astonishing!
With the heritages of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, they could surely accomplish something similar, but the expenditure of time and resources would surely be beyond astronomical.
“Proceed carefully and report immediately if there are any abnormalities!”
“Yes!” Xiang Shan received her orders and retired respectfully.
After he left, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao murmured, “The Ancients…”
Yang Kai frowned and pondered. He could not help but recall the scene he saw in the Dragon Clan Sacred Treasure. The Crystal Palace seemed to carry with it the memory of ancient times. At that time, he thought it was all quite strange, but now it seemed to be somehow related to the Dragon Clan’s Bloodline Talent.
After all, the Dao of Time was the Bloodline Talent of the Dragon Clan.
Back then, he saw the scene in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, where two Supreme Masters, the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress of that age, fought against the Black Ink Giant Spirit God. They finally suppressed it and sealed it with the help of the Sacred Treasure of the different Divine Spirit Clans.
Yang Kai naturally did not know how many years ago that battle took place, but from the situation of that battle, the Ancient Great Experts might not have been able to hold back the invading enemy.
When Black Ink Strength invaded the 3,000 Worlds, even a Giant Spirit God had been corrupted by it.
[Right! Black Ink Strength must have invaded the 3,000 Worlds in the past!]
“Was that Royal Lord suppressed and sealed in the Black Prison back then as well?” He exclaimed.
Yang Kai had entered the Black Ink Battlefield through the Black Territory.
It now seemed that the Royal Lord who was suppressed and sealed in the Black Prison had been there much longer than anyone could have imagined.
Such ancient events were no longer traceable, so there was no way to really know what happened so many years ago.
The situation that the Human Race needed to face today was grim.
“But this is also an opportunity,” Yang Kai suddenly chuckled.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao looked at him and asked curiously, “An opportunity?”
Yang Kai said, “If the path ahead is really that hazardous, not many of the Black Ink Clan that escaped will be able to survive. Those that do will clear a path for us.”
During the war to take the Royal Cities, not all the Black Ink Clansmen were killed. In fact, many had escaped, and these Black Ink Clansmen had varying levels of strengths. In the Great Evolution Theatre alone, numerous Territory Lords, Feudal Lords, even weaker Black Ink Clansmen had managed to flee.
With those Black Ink Clansmen fleeing to the rear, it was as good as opening up a path for the Great Evolution Army. Thus, the Great Evolution Army could avoid many unknown dangers.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao thought about it and agreed that was indeed the case. She could not help but snicker slightly and suddenly regretted that she had hunted down too many Territory Lords.
If they had let a few more Territory Lords escape, perhaps the path ahead could be more thoroughly cleared for them.
However, under the circumstances, after the death of Mo Zhao and the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple, as someone in the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, she was unchecked on the battlefield. Thus, naturally she wanted to kill ruthlessly.
As Xiang Shan said, some of the residual Divine Abilities were very obvious and could be seen at a glance, while others were hidden and would only flare up on contact.
The scout Squads experienced a lot of hardships because of this. Thankfully after so many years, the power of many of these residual Divine Ability restrictions had degraded. Under the protection of the Warships, there were no casualties.
Even inside Great Evolution Pass, Yang Kai could detect the occasional energy fluctuations outside. They were naturally the hidden Divine Abilities or restrictions that were triggered.
However, Great Evolution Pass was so large and had such strong barriers around it that these occasional bursts did not pose any threat to it.
Suddenly, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, who was sitting on a wicker chair and resting peacefully, had her eyes shoot open as she looked up suspiciously towards the sky.
Yang Kai, who was cultivating nearby, noticed and also turned to where she was looking.
At first, he did not notice anything unusual, but soon, his face changed slightly and he retracted his Small Universe.
The barrier protecting the Great Pass had a crack in it, and looking beyond this opening, Yang Kai saw the scene outside.
Out in the void, a huge figure was charging forward, carrying a huge bone of unknown origins in his hand. He brandished it around as if there were endless enemies on all sides and he was smashing them apart.
Every time he swung the bone in his hand, the Void itself shuddered.
The huge figure shot past Great Evolution Pass, causing it to tremble noticeably. The mere passing of this enormous figure had caused the protective barriers around the Pass to quake. Even those Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, who were responsible for protecting the Pass, were affected.
Yang Kai had no doubt that if the bone in that figure’s hand had hit Great Evolution Pass, even if all the defensive arrays were fully operational at this moment, it might not have been able to withstand the impact!
“A Giant Spirit God!” Yang Kai shouted out loud.
In the deep depths of the Black Ink Battlefield, he had actually seen a Giant Spirit God. But, why would one be here?
Yang Kai was confused.
This was the third Giant Spirit God he had encountered in his life!
When the Star Boundary was dying, it attracted a Giant Spirit God called Ah Da, who fed on the dead Worlds. However, Ah Da had waited outside the Star Boundary for decades, just snoring loudly as he slumbered. In the end, Yang Kai brought back a World Tree clone which enabled the Star Boundary to recover.
Eventually, Ah Da left. The Giant Spirit God Clan was born with unmatched power, but they were childlike in their innocence and quite gentle, only feeding on completely dead worlds. When the Star Boundary recovered, Ah Da did not linger any longer.
Later, Yang Kai met a second Giant Spirit God, Ah Er, in the vast void. By catching a ride with Ah Er, Yang Kai entered the Chaotic Dead Territory, where he befriended Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan and gained a lot of benefits.
However, after they parted, Yang Kai heard no news of either Ah Da or Ah Er. Although they were huge and transversed the 3,000 Worlds freely, it was like they simply disappeared, never to be seen again. It was truly bizarre.
Yang Kai never expected that there would be a Giant Spirit God in the Black Ink Battlefield, and very much unlike Ah Da and Ah Er’s mildness, this Giant Spirit God radiated an intense fury, as if he was out to kill all living beings!
This was very strange.
Just like Yang Kai and Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, the entire Great Evolution Army was dazzled by the sight of the Giant Spirit God dashing through the void.
The Giant Spirit God Clan were very few in number, so although all of them had heard of these strange beings before, almost none of them had ever seen one before.
Not to mention, this was the Black Ink Battlefield!
No one had ever heard of a Giant Spirit God living on the Black Ink Battlefield.
After a moment of silence, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao suddenly shot up and chased after the Giant Spirit God.
Yang Kai hesitated for a moment before following suit.
He had been in Great Evolution Pass this whole time and had not checked out the surrounding void. When he got out of Great Evolution Pass and looked around, Yang Kai was stunned.
The surrounding void was actually dotted with points of light, just like a sky that was full of stars, a beautiful sight to behold.
Even as Yang Kai marveled at this beauty, he could sense the dangers hidden within.
The dots of light were all Divine Abilities left over from the ancient times. The whole void was filled with chaotic and dense energies, and it was these energies that had been nourishing these Divine Abilities and Arrays for countless years, allowing them to persist to this day.
However, these Divine Abilities were extremely unstable and would explode at the slightest touch.
As Great Evolution Pass advanced, it inevitably touched a lot of these things. All the bursts of energy were blocked off by the shields of Great Evolution Pass, so the soldiers inside were not affected at all.
Without dallying any further, Yang Kai followed after the Old Ancestor.
Although he was proficient in the Dao of Space, he still could not keep up with Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao who was in the Ninth-Order; thus, was steadily falling behind her.
Soon though, he perceived the Old Ancestor’s aura rapidly coming towards him.
In the blink of an eye, the Old Ancestor appeared in front of him, looking somewhat frantic, as if there was some great danger behind her. Yang Kai still did not understand why the Old Ancestor came back all of a sudden but she did not give him time to ponder on it as she simply grabbed his hand and shouted, “Run!”
After she said that, she dragged Yang Kai away. In the blink of an eye, they were hundreds of thousands of kilometres away.
Along the way, they inadvertently touched a hidden restriction which was blown apart by her fist.
It was only when the Old Ancestor dealt with this restriction that Yang Kai came to his senses and turned around to look back!
The Giant Spirit God’s huge figure was rushing over again, waving the huge bone in his hand, smashing the void on all sides, causing it to crumble and crack.
Yang Kai was stunned for a moment and said with surprise, “Another Giant Spirit God?”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao shook her head and said, “It’s still the same one!”
“Why is he back?” Yang Kai was puzzled.
The Old Ancestor had no answer to his question and quickly said, “Just wait and see.”
Yang Kai frowned, observed, and saw the Giant Spirit God come back towards them. He then flew off into the distance and disappeared in a flash. Though his movements appeared awkward and clumsy, his speed was astonishingly fast. He only appeared unwieldly because of his enormous size.
Yang Kai did not understand what he was doing and Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao did not explain.
After waiting for a time, Yang Kai’s eyes narrowed and as he struggled to see the Giant Spirit God dash back towards them during his rampage all through the void, then disappear again.
Yang Kai frowned deeply, wondering what the Giant Spirit God was doing.
On the other hand, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao just sighed.
Although Yang Kai had some suspicions now, he wasn’t certain yet. However, after the Giant Spirit God flew back and forth three times, he was able to confirm his theory.
“Is this Giant Spirit God… already dead?” Yang Kai asked.
Although the Giant Spirit God exuded a strong killing intent, there was no trace of vitality coming from his body. What caused Yang Kai to feel frightened was seeing that the Giant Spirit God’s body was full of wounds, ones that had obviously been inflicted long ago but never healed.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao said with great concern, “You could say that.”
“Then why…”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao knew what was on Yang Kai’s mind and said, “Although the Giant Spirit God Clan is incredibly powerful, their thought process is extremely simple. Although I do not know what actually happened to him before he died, from his behaviour, he must have been fighting against countless mighty enemies before he died.”
As he traveled back and forth, the Giant Spirit God kept waving the giant bone in his hands, as if there were an endless number of enemies around him that were attacking him.
The Giant Spirit God’s malevolent aura was also extremely terrifying.
“The Black Ink Clan!” Yang Kai gasped.
Under such circumstances, who else could be Giant Spirit God’s enemy? It had to be Black Ink Clan.
Although he did not know what the ancient battles were like, he could tell by looking at the state of the Giant Spirit God that he was in a desperate situation. He must have defeated untold numbers of enemies before eventually dying of exhaustion.
Although his vitality had dissipated, his last Will remained unbroken. Endless eons had passed by, yet he was still charging around this battlefield, tirelessly trying to kill the invisible enemy, never once ceasing.
Perhaps, only when his physical body eventually collapsed would he stop.
Yang Kai’s heart inexplicably sank. Although he did not have any previous contact with this Giant Spirit God, both Ah Da and Ah Er were incredibly friendly and good to him. They were truly gentle and innocent, never using their great strength to bully others.
However, in ancient times, even a Race as peace-loving as the Giant Spirit God were drawn into the war and eventually fell on the battlefield, which showed how dire the situation was at that time.
The Black Ink Clan was not only the greatest enemy of the Human Race, but also the greatest enemy of all living beings in the vast Universe.
“Let’s go.” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao muttered solemnly.
The Giant Spirit God was not alive. He was just repeating the actions of when he was alive, running back and forth on the battlefield, smashing those enemies that no longer existed.
It was truly sad, but also worthy of respect!
As Yang Kai followed Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao towards Great Evolution Pass, the Giant Spirit God once again charged forward from behind.
Yang Kai suddenly looked back and thought that this Giant Spirit God might not simply be killing the enemy. Perhaps he was saving some Humans or holding back the advance of the enemy.
With the strength of a Giant Spirit God, it was obvious he could have escaped if he was defeated, but he persisted and remained rampaging on the battlefield. That meant that someone or something caused him to remain and fight, something more important to him than his own life.
Perhaps, in that ancient battlefield, the ancient Humans were fighting side by side with the Giant Spirit God right here, blocking the Black Ink Clan Army!
They had no means to uncover such ancient events. Those who came after them could only retrace the journey of their forefathers; as for how it ended, that was anyone’s guess.
The deeper they traveled into the Black Ink Battlefield, the more dangerous it became.
It was hard to imagine the far past, and the amazing battle that must have happened between the Ancients and the Black Ink Clan. It was a war destined to end only in the total destruction of one side!
The void was full of chaotic energy, with Black Ink Clouds and seas of Black Ink Strength scattered about. Where the chaotic energy and Black Ink Strength entwined after countless years, they evolved to form endless dangers through the ages.
Six months after Great Evolution Pass departed from the Royal City, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao could no longer heal in peace.
There were so many dangers around that it was sometimes impossible for the Eighth-Order Division Commanders to handle on their own. For instance, when a certain massive Spirit Array was triggered, and the entire Great Evolution Pass’ defensive barrier nearly shattered and Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had to personally go out to protect the Pass.
At this point, the hidden dangers in the void had become strong enough to threaten Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
This situation was true for all the Human Race Armies. Many Great Passes had lost contact with each other already due to these chaotic energy outbursts.
Yang Kai began to wonder if the Royal Lords who had escaped from the Humans in each Theatre would even be able to make it back to the Mother Nest safely.
After fighting the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, those Royal Lords would surely be seriously wounded, and in this kind of environment, if they were not careful, they might die.
At this time, Yang Kai was leading Dawn to scout ahead of Great Evolution Pass to check for possible dangers.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao sat inside the Pass as she monitored the four directions in case something happened, ready to respond if she needed to.
Dawn was a Special Operations Squad and was adept at dangerous scouting missions; however, just in case of trouble, Dawn had an extra Eighth-Order with them.
She was none other than Feng Ying!
In the last battle in the Royal City, Feng Ying rushed out at the critical moment and held back a Territory Lord who was pursuing Yang Kai. As a newly promoted Eighth-Order Master, Feng Ying was naturally no match for that Territory Lord and was injured during the battle.
Later, there was a breakthrough in the situation. Che Kong, Mo Zhao and the Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple, each died one after another. Feng Ying’s Territory Lord opponent realised that the situation was not in the Black Ink Clan’s favour and attempted to escape.
Feng Ying went all out to pin her opponent down, and with the help of other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, she eventually managed to kill that Territory Lord.
Now that Feng Ying was in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, she was supposed to have left Dawn to assume greater responsibilities. In fact, the Army was reorganized just before Great Evolution Pass left the Royal City.
This was the third time the Great Evolution Army went through a mass-reorganization.
The first time was when the Great Evolution Army was first established. The second time was when they re-took Great Evolution Pass. Now was the third and probably the last time.
Feng Ying was now a Division Commander of the Western Army.
Dawn also had some new faces.
Yang Kai stood on the deck at the bow of the Warship, using his Divine Sense to monitor in all directions, checking for possible hidden dangers.
Apart from Dawn, there were dozens of other Squads that were fanning out on the path ahead of the Great Pass.
The reconnaissance teams would quickly map the route ahead and send their findings back to Great Evolution Pass, so that they could avoid any impending dangers.
If there was a strong restriction or Divine Ability detected in front, the scouts would be responsible for triggering it. However, if it was too strong, then the Eighth-Order Division Commanders who had gone along with the scouts would have to take action.
If even the Eighth-Order Masters could not handle the threat, then they could only call the Old Ancestor to come forward to deal with it.
The road ahead was known to be dangerous, so no one bothered to contact the Old Ancestor unless the threat was so great that even Great Evolution Pass’ shields would be unable to withstand the impact.
So far, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had to intervene twice. The restrictions that were neutralized by the Old Ancestor were truly terrifying. If one was accidentally triggered by the scouting Squads, there was a high possibility that they would be wiped out.
On this day, Yang Kai was checking out the possible dangers ahead when a Divine Sense transmission reached his ear, “Brother Yang, come and take a look. There’s something interesting here.”
Yang Kai turned his head to look over there, and without hesitation, he called out to Feng Ying to take command and dashed off.
A short while later, when he reached the area that another Squad was exploring, he took a look at the situation and was stunned by what he saw.
He saw a figure standing in the void in front of him, his body covered in black blood. It was a Black Ink Clansman.
He was not just any Black Ink Clansman though. From his aura, he was clearly a Territory Lord.
Yang Kai even recognized this individual, smiled, and said, “It’s really fate that we meet again after so long. How should I address you?”
This couldn’t be helped. This Territory Lord was the one who chased after Yang Kai in the previous battle. Yang Kai did not know his opponent’s name, but in the end, he had summoned Huang Si Niang’s Soul Clone to block him.
This Territory Lord had obviously defeated Huang Si Niang’s Soul Clone, which now remained as a lifeless feather. Yang Kai placed the feather in his Space Ring and planned on returning it to Si Niang when he had the chance to see her at the No-Return Pass.
He did not expect to meet this Territory Lord in such a place.
Previously, the Humans had relentlessly pursued the enemy, trying to eliminate as many as possible.
In the battle over the Royal City, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao personally hunted down and killed most of the remaining Territory Lords. Only a few were lucky enough to escape.
Yang Kai did not expect this Territory Lord to be one of those lucky few.
Unfortunately for him, he managed to escape Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s pursuit, but failed to avoid the dangers of this Divine Ability Sea, and was now trapped here by some kind of restriction.
This Territory Lord’s aura was a bit unstable and was obviously severely injured. There were several huge wounds all over his body with black blood still leaking out.
Yang Kai knew what happened as soon as he arrived.
This piece of the void was actually filled with numerous tiny Void Cracks, which must have been left behind by Masters fighting during the ancient times. Furthermore, there were also some very powerful Killing Arrays nearby.
Some of these Void Cracks could be seen with the naked eye, but others were completely invisible. When the Territory Lord fled to this place, he must have run head-long into this fractured region of the void, resulting in many fresh wounds. Now he was trapped and dared not move.
In fact, Great Evolution Pass had encountered many Void Cracks along the way, ranging in size from tiny slivers to huge rifts that filled the sky, seemingly cutting the entire Black Ink Battlefield apart.
That was why Yang Kai was specially assigned to reconnaissance, as he was a Master of the Dao of Space and able to detect all the hidden Void Cracks.
However, it was still rare to see a place as broken and cracked as this. It was almost like a prison for the fleeing Black Ink Clansmen.
This Territory Lord was fortunate to have even survived after barging into this kind of place. However, he was equally unlucky as he could not escape from this trap.
Yang Kai was in a good mood when he saw this Territory Lord, not only because he could avenge Huang Si Niang’s Soul Clone, but also because if he was trapped here, that meant that the Great Evolution Army was going in the right direction.
One of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters near Yang Kai was also overjoyed, “This guy is really unlucky to come here of all places. Now he has truly gotten caught in a trap.”
Yang Kai laughed lightly and reached out at the space in front of him with his hand.
The Territory Lord looked at the scene and scoffed sarcastically. This damned place was full of Void Cracks, each one practically indestructible. Even he could not withstand being cut by those cracks. He knew this well as he had tried several times to break out and each time he ended up being cut up even worse than before.
What made him feel more desperate was that while some of these cracks were visible to the naked eye, others were totally invisible, so there was no way he could detect them.
The location of these cracks was also not fixed as their location changed as time went by.
He was a Territory Lord. How could he be trapped here if not for all these damned Void Cracks?
Now this Seventh-Order Human even dared to grab at these Void Cracks with his bare hand. He would definitely suffer some pain, and if he was unlucky, his hand might even be cut off.
While he was thinking about this, he saw Yang Kai’s hand wave, and the hidden cracks of the Void appeared one after another. Then with some mysterious power, Yang Kai grabbed a huge crack and held it in his hand!
The Territory Lord was dumbfounded when he saw the Void Crack shatter in Yang Kai’s hand. He could not believe what he had just seen!
Territory Lord was stunned and frozen in place.
Then he suddenly remembered that he had encountered this Human in the previous battle. He seemed to have some power related to the Dao of Space. He did not understand such a power, and did not recall this immediately; however, what just happened undoubtedly explained something.
After destroying one of the Void Cracks, Yang Kai asked, “Do you want to die or live?”
Words were not as convincing as showing the other party that he had the means to save his life. Now, all that was left was the other party’s desire to live.
The Territory Lord pursed his lips and did not say a word.
However, Yang Kai did not mind the snub. There was a blood feud between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan, one that could never be resolved. Turning down Yang Kai’s offer was only to be expected.
Yang Kai asked, “What’s your name?”
The Territory Lord was silent for a long time before he replied, “Ge Chen!”
Yang Kai’s brow rose slightly as a response meant that the other party had some desire to live and might cooperate with them.
It was easy to understand how this Ge Chen felt. He was caught between a death trap and his enemy was now willing to give him a chance to survive. Anyone would grasp the opportunity to survive.
“I’ll ask you a question. If you answer me honestly, I’ll save you and guarantee that no one will do anything to you for half a day. After half a day, whether you live or die depends on your own ability.”
Ge Chen said in a gruff voice, “How can I trust you?”
He knew that if the tables were turned and it was he who discovered a trapped Human Master, he would definitely not let him go so easily.
Yang Kai snickered and said, “Let me summarize the situation you are in. Whether you like it or not, you have to trust me. If you choose to trust me, there is a chance you will survive, if you choose not to trust me, you can remain here. I will not kill you, but good luck trying to get out of here on your own.”
Ge Chen’s expression turned grim.
He also knew that what Yang Kai said was the truth. It felt horrible to him that his head was on the chopping block while Yang Kai held the axe. If he could get away from here on his own, would he still be standing here?
He had already attempted many times and each time he only wound up worse than before. If hadn’t acted cautiously, he would have already died long ago.
However, Yang Kai was just a Seventh-Order brat who had no right to represent the Human Race.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master standing beside Yang Kai said impatiently, “Enough nonsense. Yang Kai said that no one will attack you for half a day, which means that you can escape for half a day. Mo Zhao, that son of a bitch, died during the battle over the Royal City. You are one of the few Territory Lords that managed to escape. What else can you do to survive? Yet, you still dare to question us?”
The Humans did not know much about the situation in the Black Ink Clan, especially about the previously speculated Mother Nest. Although it was certain that there was a higher rank Black Ink Nest above the High-Rank Black Ink Nests, they still did not really know what exactly the Mother Nest was. What was there to lose from letting a Territory Lord live if he could tell them something about the Mother Nest?
This Eighth-Order Open Heaven Master was definitely aware of Yang Kai’s intentions, which was why he said this.
Ge Chen shook his head, looked past the two of them and said, “If it’s the Old Ancestor who guarantees to spare my life, I will tell you anything you want.”
“Impudence!” The Eighth-Order Master sternly shouted.
After the Eighth-Order Master roared though, the Old Ancestor suddenly appeared behind them. Apparently, she also found out about the situation somehow and rushed over long ago, but hid from sight.
When the Territory Lord saw Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, he obviously looked a bit nervous.
This was the Supreme Human Master who killed Royal Lord Mo Zhao. Every Black Ink Clansman would be terrified of her.
“Upon my name, I swear I will not kill you as long as you answer a few questions,” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao looked at Ge Chen and said flatly, “You can choose not to answer, but if you dare to lie… I have ways to make you beg for death.”
Ge Chen looked conflicted for a while, but soon resigned himself to his fate and nodded, “Good!”
Old Ancestor replied, “Regarding your High-Rank Black Ink Nests, is there a higher Black Ink Nest that is the source of the Black Ink Clan?”
Ge Chen frowned and answered, “I’m not sure. Maybe.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao stared at him with narrowed eyes and asked, “Do you have a death wish?”
Ge Chen quickly said, “I’m really not sure about this. I’m not lying.”
The Old Ancestor narrowed her eyes and asked, “How could you not know such a simple matter as a Territory Lord?”
Ge Chen explained, “There are differences between Territory Lords. These things may be known to Innate Territory Lords, but I am an Acquired Territory Lord and don’t know much about the secrets of the clan.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was puzzled and asked, “Innate? Acquired? What are the differences between an Innate Territory Lord and an Acquired Territory Lord?”
Even Yang Kai, who had lived amongst the Black Ink Clan for years, never knew that there were any differences between the Territory Lords.
“After a High-Rank Black Ink Nest is fully grown, the earliest Territory Lords spawned from it are considered Innate Territory Lords. After that, they are all Acquired Territory Lords.” As he said that, he glanced at Yang Kai, “Sir Che Kong, the one this boy killed, was an Innate Territory Lord.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao glanced at Yang Kai, but he just shrugged and smiled awkwardly.
He was in a life-or-death situation, so who would care about whether a Territory Lord was Innate or Acquired? Furthermore, he had never heard of such a difference.
“What’s the difference?” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao asked. She had a hunch that this time, she might be able to get a lot of extremely confidential information about Black Ink Clan from Ge Chen.
Ge Chen thought for a moment before answering, “There are definitely big differences. Innate Territory Lords existed long before Acquired Territory Lords and are generally much more powerful. However, the biggest difference is that they were directly born from the High-Rank Black Ink Nests. Thus, when they are born, they immediately have the strength and status of a Territory Lord!”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s eyes constricted and Yang Kai was even more surprised as he exclaimed, “A Royal Lord Black Ink Nest can directly spawn Territory Lords?”
If that was the case, how come there were so few Territory Lords?
Although there were more Territory Lords compared to Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, if what Ge Chen said was true, then there should be many, many more Territory Lords. Why did the Black Ink Clan not simply create more Territory Lords and overwhelm the Human Race?
“Is there some kind of limit?” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao asked curiously.
Ge Chen nodded, “Yes. There is a limit. I have heard other Territory Lords say that the birth of an Innate Territory Lord is inseparable from the Source Domain. In the ancient times, the Royal Lords emerged from the Source Domain with their own High-Rank Black Ink Nests. Those Black Ink Nests carried some of the Source Domain’s power in them, and only by relying on that power could Innate Territory Lords be born.”
[Source Domain…] Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and Yang Kai were both in awe.
It was the first time they had heard the term ‘Source Domain’. The term alone caused their imaginations to run wild.
This was revealed by Ge Chen of his own accord, so they did not know if he did it intentionally. It now was clear that he did not want to die; otherwise, why would he reveal such secrets so easily?
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao wanted to urge him to reveal more and said, “In that case, the power of the Source Domain as you call it is what allowed the High-Rank Black Ink Nest to directly birth to Territory Lords, but by doing so, that power is drained and cannot be replenished.”
“That’s right,” Ge Chen said bitterly, “We Acquired Territory Lords climb up slowly through hard work and cultivation; yet, when compared to the Innate Territory Lords, we are much worse in terms of status and strength.”
“Then you guys must really be miserable…” Yang Kai snickered.
Ge Chen shook his head and said, “There is a saying among your people, the Heavens are fair in all things. Although Innate Territory Lords are born extremely powerful, they will forever be Territory Lords for the rest of their lives. On the contrary, Acquired Territory Lords who achieved our status through cultivation have a chance to one day become Royal Lords.”
“Why is that?” Yang Kai was puzzled. According to reason, the Innate Territory Lords should be more privileged.
Why was it different when it came to the Black Ink Clan?
“I don’t know,” Ge Chen shook his head, “Sir Mo Zhao was once an Acquired Territory Lord too!”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao fell silent.
It was a short conversation, but the information gathered was enormous.
Innate Territory Lords, Acquired Territory Lords, Source Domain…
There were also Royal Lords who came out of the Source Domain with their own Black Ink Nests.
Mo Zhao, who had advanced to become a Royal Lord through his own efforts, was not one of them. The High-Rank Black Ink Nest that they found at Great Evolution Pass was left behind by a Royal Lord 30,000 years ago. Mo Zhao simply took over the nest.
Without dwelling too much on it, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao asked, “Back to my question, is the Mother Nest… in your so-called Source Domain?”
Ge Chen shook his head and replied, “I have never heard of a Mother Nest, so I don’t know if it is in the Source Domain. None of us Acquired Territory Lords have ever been in contact with the Source Domain; however, some of us had some guesses about the existence of a greater Black Ink Nest. If there really is a ‘Mother Nest’, as you call, it in this world, then it can only be in the Source Domain.”