Chen Tian Fei was very satisfied with his current situation.
When he was the Second Manager of Scarlet Star, he had been nothing more than an Elder of a small great force. No matter how hard he worked, he would never have obtained a substantial amount of cultivation resources.
In contrast, the supply of cultivation resources had been continuous and inexhaustible ever since he started serving under Yang Kai. That was how he managed to break through two Orders and advanced from the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the short span of around 1,000 years.
If he had remained as the Second Manager of Scarlet Star, then he would never have had the achievements he enjoyed today.
Whenever he recalled the decision he made on that fateful day, he praised his past self for being bold and wise. If he had not been bright enough to bring out the Loyalty List before Yang Kai killed him that day and voluntarily offered to be Yang Kai’s slave, he would be rotting in a grave by now.
Besides, Yang Kai had been very fair to him over the years, never mistreating him. More importantly, he was not ordered around at will like a slave despite him actually being one. In fact, it was quite the opposite; the treatment he received was more like a trusted subordinate instead.
To have such a master could also be considered an opportunity of a lifetime; therefore, Chen Tian Fei smiled graciously in the face of Yang Kai’s teasing and bowed repeatedly, “It’s all thanks to your care that this subordinate has attained such achievements, Sect Master. This subordinate will repay your kindness no matter what it may cost.”
Yang Kai chuckled and did not take those words seriously.
Chen Tian Fei was extremely scared of death, so there was no saying whether he could actually be relied upon in times of danger. It was enough to listen to those words without taking them seriously.
Yang Kai did not continue the idle chatter though and taking a step forward, he descended to the ground. Chen Tian Fei followed behind Yang Kai respectfully, acting like the perfect subordinate.
Two streams of light rushed over from below. One was red, and the other was black. When the lights came closer, they dispersed and revealed two children dressed in red and black.
“Master!” The little girl shouted with a lively expression.
The boy also wanted to call out to Yang Kai, but a stream of saliva flowed out as soon as he opened his mouth.
Yang Kai looked troubled, “It’s been so many years. Why haven’t you fixed this bad habit of yours?”
The children in front of him were the Scarlet Flood Dragon and Earth Dragon he had brought out from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary back then. Both of them carried a Dragon Bloodline in them. When he first brought them out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, they had the appearance of beasts and their bodies were truly enormous. It was not until they arrived at Void Land and received the teachings of Old Man Bi Xi that they finally acquired Human Forms. Be that as it may, the Earth Dragon Xiao Hei still had some bad habits.
Xiao Hei simply smiled and giggled. It was obvious that he was very happy to see Yang Kai.
“You’ve both gotten stronger,” Yang Kai swept them with his senses and commented. From his perception, it was clear that both Xiao Hong and Xiao Hei were much more powerful than before, basically equivalent to Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Therefore, he couldn’t help feeling a little emotional.
How time flies!
He reached out and stroked their little heads. Only then did he lead them down the mountain peak and came to a stop in front of the old man. He bowed in greeting, “Old Man!”
“Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm!” Old Man Bi Xi narrowed his eyes slightly, “Sect Master, your cultivation speed is fast indeed!”
Chen Tian Fei’s strength was insufficient, so he couldn’t sense Yang Kai’s strength while he was not actively using it. However, Old Man Bi Xi was a Mature Divine Spirit whose strength could rival any Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he could see through Yang Kai’s true state at a glance and was secretly shocked as a result.
Yang Kai had only been in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm when he departed from the 3,000 Worlds, yet just 1,000 years later he was already in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Old Man Bi Xi had lived for many years, and although he had seen many young and talented people in that time, none of them could compare to Yang Kai in terms of cultivation speed.
“I encountered some opportunities,” Yang Kai nonchalantly explained without saying too much.
Behind Yang Kai, Chen Tian Fei was so excited that the fat on his body literally would not stop jiggling. He was amazed that Yang Kai was in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. It should be said that an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was considered a Supreme Elder or Ancestor in the Cave Heavens or Paradises.
Fatty Chen couldn’t help suddenly feeling a sense of pride and honour.
During the brief conversation, two other streams of light came speeding over from opposite directions and landed nearby. They turned out to be Lu Xue and Mo Mei.
Lu Xue came to serve under Yang Kai when they were in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, joining him even earlier than Chen Tian Fei. Back in those days she was bestowed with a Mid-Rank World Fruit by Yang Kai in a time of crisis to improve her Order.
On the other hand, Mo Mei was the former City Lord of Ding Feng City in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. The cultivators from Ding Feng City had been under the effects of the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture’s Bloodline Restriction, so they could not leave the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. It was Yang Kai who used the Grand Evolution Immoral Blood Light Scripture to remove that seal from them and brought them out of the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. They had since become part of Void Land.
When Yang Kai departed, Lu Xue had been in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm while Mo Mei had been in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Today, Lu Xue was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and Mo Mei had advanced to the Seventh-Order!
The reason for their arrival was that they had detected the disturbance caused when the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array was opened. Although they were shocked to see Yang Kai, they quickly bowed in greeting.
Yang Kai nodded, “Are you the only ones who remained behind to oversee the Sect?”
He had actually expected this situation.
The Cave Heavens and Paradises were currently recruiting Fifth and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from the Second Class great forces as reinforcements for the Barren Territory battlefield. Under these circumstances, Void Land couldn’t be an exception.
When he swept his Divine Sense over Void Land earlier, he had not perceived the auras of many Masters in Void Land, with the ones in front of him being the strongest people present who had remained behind to guard the Sect.
As the strongest Human Master present, Mo Mei had command of Void Land now, so she replied, “We received orders from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, so for the past 100 years, all Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and above in Void Land have gradually been deployed to the front lines. Only a few of us remained behind to manage the Sect.”
Yang Kai nodded. Having sensed Su Yan’s aura back on the Barren Territory battlefield, he had already guessed that this was the case. Even Su Yan had gone to the front, so Void Land couldn’t have had many people remain behind.
“Sect Master, did you return from ‘that place’?” Mo Mei inquired.
“Yes, and no,” he replied without explaining in detail. The explanation would take too long after all, “I was simply passing by. There are some things I need to deal with, and then I need to rush back to the battlefield.”
While saying so, he gave a wave of his hand and the portal to his Small Universe opened.
In the blink of an eye, many figures emerged from the portal. There were men and women, both old and young. More importantly, every one of them was at the peak of the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm, having condensed their Dao Seals and refined all the necessary Element Powers. There were no exceptions. Some of them even experienced a surge in their aura and showed vague signs of a breakthrough as soon as they walked out of the Small Universe.
Mo Mei and the others looked slightly stunned by what they could perceive from these people, “Sect Master, these…”
“They are all about to break through to the Open Heaven Realm. I’ll leave them in your hands.” During the brief moment it took for Yang Kai to speak, no less than 100 people had walked out of the portal. Be that as it may, more were still streaming out.
These people were the cultivators who had been living in his Small Universe.
Back in Blue Sky Pass and Great Evolution Pass, Yang Kai would regularly allow some cultivators to leave his Small Universe and advance to the Open Heaven Realm.
Unfortunately, he had been pursued by a Royal Lord during the battle at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Then, he spent several years in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon and later had to find a way back to the 3,000 Worlds. Having been constantly in mortal danger and engaged in brutal fighting, Yang Kai simply had no time to take care of the cultivators in his Small Universe.
In the outside world, it had only been a bit more than 500 years since the battle at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction; however, close to 5,000 years had passed for him.
As for those in his Small Universe, time had to be counted in units of tens of thousands of years! After all, the flow of time in his Small Universe was currently seven times faster than the outside world.
After so many years of accumulation, the number of talents who gathered in the Void Dao Temple had reached a terrifying number!
Living inside his Small Universe, they were unable to break through their limitations and advance to the Open Heaven Realm even though they had cultivated until the peak of the Emperor Realm. As a result, there were many examples of Emperor Realm Masters who died of old age in Void Continent over the past tens of thousands of years.
Unfortunately, there was nothing Yang Kai could do about this situation. He could not allow these people to leave his Small Universe and advance to the Open Heaven Realm when he was in the Temporal Rivers of the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon as that would simply result in them dying.
That long wait finally ended today though, and the accumulation over tens of thousands of years was released into the world all at once.
After an hour, the mountain peak became crowded with people, nearly 5,000 people in total! Many of them could barely suppress their auras from surging; moreover, this caused a kind of resonance among them which resulted in a form of Heavenly Manifestation appearing in the sky.
Advancing into the Open Heaven Realm was an extremely meticulous affair that could broker no outside interference, so if these people were not separated as soon as possible, at least half of them would die a tragic death once their auras began to soar.
Mo Mei hastily instructed the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land to provide support to these people. At the same time, she also instructed the others to bring out all the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills from the warehouse to help these people with their breakthroughs.
For a time, the entire Void Land was extremely hectic. Even Old Man Bi Xi constantly used the power of the Grand Array to send the cultivators from the Void Dao Temple to different locations in order to separate them from each other.
After making the necessary arrangements, nearly 5,000 disciples began the process of breaking through.
On the other hand, Yang Kai did not remain for long. The goal of his return trip to Void Land had been to deliver these people here so that they could advance into the Open Heaven Realm.
Before Yang Kai departed, Chen Tian Fei expressed great reluctance for their separation, so Yang Kai casually quipped, “In that case, why don’t you join me on the battlefield, Fatty? You can prove your mettle and loyalty by slaying the enemy!”
Those words made Chen Tian Fei turn pale and ashen-faced with horror. He hurriedly backpedalled, weakly babbling that it was better for him to stay behind and help Yang Kai protect Void Land.
How could slaying enemies on the battlefield compare with living a leisurely life in Void Land? Besides, he had always been very scared of dying. He would never have offered up the Loyalty List otherwise.
Yang Kai chuckled and did not force Chen Tian Fei, instead turning to look at Old Man Bi Xi as his expression became grim, “Old Man, please take care of the people if Void Land has to migrate.”
Old Man Bi Xi asked solemnly, “Is the situation that serious?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s just a precaution.”
After saying that, he soared into the sky and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai had no intention of hiding the contents of his final conversation with Old Man Bi Xi; consequently, Chen Tian Fei became anxious and secretly prayed that the Human Race fighting in the Barren Territory could return victorious. Otherwise, he would never have time for a leisurely life again despite how vast the 3,000 Worlds were.
Similarly, Mo Mei and Lu Xue became worried and quickly began to make various plans for a future emergency.
Even the Inner Disciples could clearly perceive the abnormal situation in Void Land.
In Fire Spirit Land, a young man in a brocade robe followed behind a young woman. The young woman had a graceful figure and a beautiful appearance. In particular, her eyes resembled pure spring water. She was truly a rare beauty.
The young man was laughing as he made small talk, “Junior Sister Chen, with this Senior Brother’s current aptitude, it is only a matter of time for me to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. I’m sure it’s more than enough to match up to your talents, Junior Sister. Not to mention, our families have a long-standing relationship already. The Elders are hoping that we will marry. Now that we have entered Void Land, we should support and take care of each other. Why are you ignoring me and being so cold to me?”
The young woman ignored him and looked up at the sky. After a long time, she finally spoke, “Senior Brother Liu, do you feel that? Somebody is about to break through.”
Likewise, Senior Brother Liu looked up at the sky, “Of course, I feel it. But… it’s strange. It feels like more than one person is about to advance.”
Junior Sister Chen nodded, “I sense many people on the cusp of breaking through!”
The two of them, who came from the same Great Territory, had only just joined Void Land in the past century. At present, they were both in the Emperor Realm and had yet to condense their Dao Seals.
It was very common in Void Land for talented individuals like them to enter the Sect as disciples; after all, Void Land’s current philosophy was to accept everybody from all walks of life. That was because a huge foundation was necessary for them to select better and more outstanding disciples.
The current philosophy was not Void Land’s initial intent, but the result of many discussions with the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
After the Star Boundary became famous, everybody came to know about the Open Heaven Realm Cradle. It was a place where they could obtain the feedback of the World Tree if they cultivated there. The younger they were and the lower their cultivation, the greater the benefits of this nourishment.
With such tempting incentives, who would not want to send their descendants to the Star Boundary and share in the glory of the World Tree clone? Be that as it may, the Star Boundary was only so big. If everybody were to send their descendants over, then the Star Boundary would not be able to accommodate them all.
Not to mention, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had also established their respective Dao Temples in the Star Boundary. By dividing some of the territories to become independent and autonomous zones, they were given the rights to bring in excellent disciples to cultivate in their respective Dao Temples.
Just the Cave Heavens and Paradises alone had already taken up around 30% of the territory in the Star Boundary. If the Second Class great forces were to also send their own descendants there, then it was only a matter of time before the Star Boundary became overcrowded; however, the benefits of the Star Boundary were coveted by all so it was bound to arouse public outrage if they rejected all of them.
In the end, the Great Emperors of the Star Boundary discussed the issue with the Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises and decided that it was better to regulate entry to the Star Boundary than to block it off completely.
Therefore, they gave a chance to the great forces that wanted to send their descendants to the Star Boundary. These descendants had to join Void Land first, after which Void Land would select the best candidates from among them. Only the selected candidates could go to the Star Boundary for cultivation.
It was because of this decision that Void Land currently had as many as 300,000 disciples. Not to mention, this number was the result of a rigorous and careful selection process. It could be said that Void Land’s disciples were the accumulation of the most elite talents from great forces across hundreds of Great Territories.
Senior Brother Liu and Junior Sister Chen were no exception. They were both outstanding cultivators who demonstrated rare talent in their respective families from a young age.
After looking at the sky for some time, Senior Brother Liu laughed, “There are so many people in Void Land, so what’s so strange about somebody undergoing their advancement? In any case, how can they compare to me? This Senior Brother is a genius that only appears once every 100 years. You will not find many who are more talented than me in Void Land, Junior Sister.”
Junior Sister Chen retorted, “That’s because the more outstanding ones have already been sent to the Star Boundary!”
Those words felt like needles stabbing directly into his heart, so he immediately countered angrily, “Junior Sister, don’t you dare look down on this Senior Brother! This Senior Brother will definitely go to the Star Boundary one day!”
Generally, those chosen to be sent to the Star Boundary were those who had yet to condense their Dao Seals. It would be too late for them if they went to the Star Boundary after they had done so. The reason was that the future path of a cultivator was basically set in stone once they formed their Dao Seal.
That was why it was better to head to the Star Boundary as soon as possible. Unfortunately, such matters were not up to the disciples to decide as the decision was completely based on the assessment of the Elders in Void Land.
Both Senior Brother Liu and Junior Sister Chen would have no trouble condensing a Fifth-Order Dao Seal; in fact, Senior Brother Liu was aiming to condense a Sixth-Order Dao Seal. He believed that he could advance directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future.
If he could refine various Sixth-Order cultivation materials into his Dao Seal, then he would be considered extraordinary indeed. In the past, that would have been enough for him to be considered a Core Disciple even among the Cave Heavens and Paradises. For example, Core Disciples like Gu Pan and the others who became acquainted with Yang Kai in the past had all condensed the Sixth-Order Dao Seals.
Even among the Cave Heavens and Paradises, people like him only appeared once every few hundred to 1,000 years. There were only a few such candidates in each generation. Hence, he definitely had reason to be proud of himself.
Senior Brother Liu coveted Junior Sister Chen’s beauty and it was because he wanted to obtain her hand in marriage as soon as possible that he followed behind her and chattered away endlessly.
On the contrary, Junior Sister Chen had other intentions. Although she had been sent to Void Land, her goal was actually not the Star Boundary. Be it her or the Elders of the Chen Family, they all knew that she would never obtain the qualification to enter the Star Boundary with her aptitude. Her true goal was the talented disciples of Void Land!
If she could secure an outstanding and talented cultivator as her future husband, then he could help to protect the Chen Family in the future. The Chen Family had not been prosperous in recent years. They not only suffered various difficulties in life, but the talents their family produced had also withered away. It could be said that she was the greatest hope for the salvation of the entire Chen Family.
It was precisely because of such considerations that she was so standoffish towards her Senior Brother’s courtship, neither accepting or rejecting him. If he could really condense a Sixth-Order Dao Seal and advance directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then accepting him would not be a problem. It was just that nobody would know whether he truly was capable of such a feat until the results were out. How could she dare to gamble on him so easily?
He studied the side profile of the beautiful woman in front of him. The sight of her fair and slender neck made him swallow hard, and he forced himself to look away, “Don’t bother, Junior Sister. Even if someone is breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm, those who currently remain in Void Land will only reach the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm at best. What is there to see? This Senior Brother obtained a new artifact a few days ago. It’s very interesting. Why don’t I show it to you?”
The better his understanding of her intentions, the more he wanted to become intimate with her.
As soon as the words left his mouth though, a loud howl came from the depths of the void. It was immediately followed by a powerful aura emanating from that direction.
Senior Brother Liu’s expression changed, “How could it end so quickly?”
Likewise, Junior Sister Chen was also very astonished.
Although advancing into the Open Heaven Realm was said to come naturally to those who were prepared, the process still took some time. The process might last anywhere from days to months. In some cases, it might even take longer.
However, not much time had passed since they felt the first signs of someone breaking through. A generous estimation indicated that only a cup of tea’s time had passed. How could a breakthrough finish so quickly? They had never heard of anybody who managed to advance to the Open Heaven Realm at such speed.
How could they know that the people of Void Dao Temple had been painfully suppressing their cultivation for so many years? Living inside of Yang Kai’s Small Universe, they were limited by the Principles of that World; hence, they could not take the last step in their advancement. It could be said that most of the 5,000 people were only short of that final step! Now that they were released from Yang Kai’s Small Universe, it was only natural that their breakthrough took place extremely quickly.
“This aura…” Junior Sister Chen’s eyes abruptly brightened, “Senior Brother, this belongs to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, right!?”
She was only in the Emperor Realm, so her perception towards auras in the Open Heaven Realm was not very clear. For that reason, she was not certain whether that person had advanced into the Sixth Order or not.
Although Senior Brother Liu also had a vague feeling that this person had reached the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he stubbornly denied, “Impossible! Those who can advance directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm have all been sent to the Star Boundary. They would not have remained in Void Land. That’s definitely just the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm!”
1,000 years ago, advancing directly into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm was a great blessing to any of the Second Class great forces. Those disciples would be nurtured and trained as successor candidates. Moreover, the cultivation resources in the Sect would be generously supplied to them.
Be that as it may, his words ‘just’ indicated that advancing into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm was nothing special in his opinion. After coming to Void Land and learning more about the wider world, his horizons had naturally been broadened.
Even though she had the feeling that it was the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Junior Sister Chen also felt that his reasoning made sense. All the candidates who could advance directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm had indeed been sent to the Star Boundary. None of them would have remained in Void Land.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t shake the doubts in her mind. She had once felt the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm aura coming from Elder Lu Xue and Elder Chen Tian Fei, who had remained to oversee Void Land. Their auras had felt very similar to the aura just now.
During their conversation, another powerful aura erupted outward somewhere in the void.
Senior Brother Liu was dumbfounded, unable to figure out what was happening today. [Did something happen to the World Principles that made advancing into the Open Heaven Realm become easier?]
Meanwhile, Junior Sister Chen became more and more excited, “Senior Brother Liu, this must belong to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, right?”
Naturally, he continued to be stubborn and refute, “No. It’s the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm!”
“I see!” She nodded.
Just then, another aura spread out, one that was obviously much stronger compared to the previous two.
Junior Sister Chen’s eyes shone brightly, “What about this one?”
Senior Brother Liu now looked livid.
“What about this one?”
“And this one?”
Her questions flowed out endlessly, and his expression became increasingly ugly. He wished he could rush over and butcher those people who had just advanced into the Open Heaven Realm.
[If these people have such great aptitude, then why didn’t they leave for the Star Boundary? Why did they remain in Void Land and advance to the Open Heaven Realm in such a showy manner!?] Seeing his coveted Junior Sister’s eyes grow brighter and brighter, Senior Brother Liu felt his chances of marriage with her swiftly disappearing. A huge sense of sorrow engulfed his heart, and he turned to leave.
Junior Sister Liu was just about to repeat her question when she turned to the side and discovered that Senior Brother Liu was no longer standing beside her. Seeing his figure in the distance, she shouted after him, “Where are you going, Senior Brother?”
To which he responded angrily, “To enter retreat!”
The shock had hit him hard today. Those with better aptitude than him were generally sent to the Star Boundary, allowing him to stand out in the crowd in Void Land. His aptitude was certainly among the best of the disciples here, but be that as it may, he was nothing compared to the people who were currently undergoing their advancement in the sky.
Having experienced such a huge shock, Senior Brother Liu felt deeply saddened. At the same time, he came to a sudden realization. As a cultivator, strength was his foundation. Lust was simply a stumbling block on the Martial Dao!
[When I come out of retreat one day, I will definitely make my lovely Junior Sister kneel at my feet in awe!]
Junior Sister Chen ignored the departing Senior Brother Liu. Her eyes gleamed brightly as she stared intently at the sky as though she could penetrate the Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array and see the heroic figures of the people undergoing breakthroughs in the void.
On the mountain peak where Old Man Bi Xi resided, Mo Mei, Lu Xue, and Chen Tian Fei were completely dumbfounded by the sight in front of them. Even Old Man Bi Xi’s long eyebrows twitched incessantly as he could not hide the astonishment in his heart.
Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm…
Senior Brother Liu and Junior Sister Chen were too weak to carefully discern the cultivation of these people who had just advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, but that was not the case for Mo Mei and the others.
In their perception, all the people who had just advanced into the Open Heaven Realm were either in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm or the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. There was not a single person who was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Naturally, they were shocked to their core.
Yang Kai had not said much when he left these 5,000 people here. He only told them that these people were about to advance into the Open Heaven Realm. Although they had been surprised to receive such a large number of talents into Void Land all at once, few things could truly surprise them again after they witnessed the prosperity of the Martial Dao in the Star Boundary.
But that was only up until this moment!
The cultivators undergoing advancement here were consecutively breaking through to the Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Essentially one out of every 10 people would advance directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. In other words, it was a ratio of 1:10.
In addition, these were not ordinary Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Having advanced directly into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, they were cultivators with hope of one day reaching the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Those who advanced directly into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm were considered Core Disciples among the Cave Heavens and Paradises. As for those who advanced directly into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, they were ranked as Legacy Disciples.
In the past, all the Cave Heavens and Paradises combined would at best produce one such talent every 1,000 years or so.
Any cultivator who broke through directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was considered an invaluable asset by the Cave Heavens and Paradises; after all, the current Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were characters who had advanced directly to the Seventh-Order in the past.
Yang Kai had come into contact with many Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, but even after meeting so many powerful cultivators, Luo Ting He of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven was the only one he knew in the entire 3,000 Worlds who had broken through directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Wu Qing, the Southern Army’s Army Commander of Yin-Yang Pass, was also someone who had advanced directly to the Seventh Order. That was why he eventually advanced to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm and took over command of Yin-Yang Pass.
There were naturally others from the Cave Heavens and Paradises who had advanced directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, but their numbers were small to say the least. It wasn’t until recently that a large number of cultivators who advanced directly to the Seventh Order emerged from the Star Boundary. Be that as it may, all of them were still in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm as not enough time had passed since their appearance for them to grow sufficiently.
This was only possible because it was the Star Boundary, which possessed a World Tree clone that constantly provided nourishment to its inhabitants, resulting in an abundance of peerless talents appearing.
[What is with the people Sect Master brought back!?] Mo Mei couldn’t help wondering, [Don’t tell me he went to the Star Boundary and kidnapped all the talented individuals there!?]
Not only was there no need for Yang Kai to do something as drastic as kidnapping, but the Cave Heavens and Paradises would never allow that to happen either. It was not easy for them to nurture these budding talents, so how could they allow Yang Kai to just take their treasures away?
Besides, even the current Star Boundary could not gather such an impressive line-up out of nowhere. It was not 5 or 50 people, but a whole 5,000 people after all!
During the first few days, Mo Mei and the others still had their doubts. They speculated that the Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were undergoing advancement first as their talents were superior, while Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Masters would probably appear later. However, the aura emanating from every single person who advanced into the Open Heaven Realm was either in the Sixth Order or the Seventh Order.
At this point, nobody had any more doubts. The 5,000 people Yang Kai brought back were all incredible talents who could advance directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm or the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm!
The breakthroughs lasted for nearly three months. The fluctuation of breakthroughs would occur almost every day, ranging from dozens to even hundreds each day…
Various accommodations were prepared for all the people who advanced to the Open Heaven Realm. After questioning the first few of them, Mo Mei and the others finally understood the origins of these people.
Yang Kai’s Small Universe was unique. Mo Mei and the others knew about the countless living creatures flourishing inside his Small Universe; after all, they had known Yang Kai for many years and were privy to some of his secrets, what they could not figure out was what was so special about his Small Universe that produced so many extraordinary talents.
These people were not inferior to those who were nurtured by the Star Boundary for the past 1,000 years. Out of nearly 5,000 people, as many as 500 of them had advanced directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
On the other hand, how many Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had emerged from the Star Boundary over the years? Only 300 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had been produced in the past 1,000 years. That number could not compare with the people Yang Kai brought back at all!
Unbeknownst to them, the number of Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were nurtured and produced by the Star Boundary for the past 1,000 years had all truly emerged within a 1,000-year timeframe.
On the contrary, tens of thousands of years had passed in Yang Kai’s Small Universe. Even if his Small Universe could not compare with the Star Boundary in terms of size or population it held its own advantages that would be displayed over time. It was only natural to have such rich accumulation when so many years had gone by.
The fact that Void Land suddenly gained 5,000 Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters greatly pleased Mo Mei and others.
Void Land and the Star Boundary originally had several Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters among their ranks. There were not many of them, only around 100 in total; nevertheless, such a line-up was absolutely impossible for ordinary Second Class great forces to achieve. Unfortunately, almost all of these Masters had been deployed to the Barren Territory battlefield after receiving conscription orders from the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
Only three Masters had remained behind to oversee Void Land, but today, Void Land suddenly experienced an extraordinary boost in strength. As long as these people had time to consolidate their cultivations properly, they could eventually head to the Barren Territory as reinforcements. With so many people, they might even be able to play a decisive role in certain aspects of the battlefield!
Due to the appearance of 5,000 Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Void Land became very busy.
On the other hand, Yang Kai arrived at the Shattered Heaven with Ji Lao San after his short detour.
He had visited the Shattered Heaven twice in the past.
For his first trip here, he had received information about the Proprietress and came to save her. In the end, he had been forced to break through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm outside the Shadowless Cave Heaven.
At the time, Yang Kai held great resentment towards the arrogant and domineering attitude of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Although he never complained to anyone about this resentment, he had secretly made a vow to himself that once he was powerful enough, he would definitely take revenge. They should never have looked down on him just because he was young and poor!
However, when he entered the Black Ink Battlefield, Yang Kai slowly learned about the Black Ink Clan and the efforts of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. As a result, his resentment towards the Cave Heavens and Paradises gradually faded away.
What happened to him back then seemed like the result of certain people acting out of personal interest, but the truth was they had simply been following the rules and did not act too extreme.
He had only been at the peak of the Emperor Realm at the time. If an Open Heaven Realm Master like Ti Zheng of Myriad Demons Heaven had truly wanted to kill him, it would have taken nothing more than a flick of his finger. What’s more, the person who instigated everything died a long time ago.
One’s personal grudges were nothing compared to the survival of their entire Race. If Yang Kai stood in the shoes of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, he would not have hesitated to eliminate any possible future dangers.
His second trip to the Shattered Heaven was purely for cultivation purposes. Unfortunately, he encountered Blood Crow and experienced bad luck as a result. Blood Crow was eventually captured by the Fisherman Uncle of Bright King Cave Heaven and then held captive here, only to later be sent to the Black Ink Battlefield to kill the Black Ink Clan.
It was also during Yang Kai’s second trip to the Shattered Heaven that he fled to the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land under the pursuit of the Cheng Yang. He experienced numerous opportunities during that trip to the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land.
This could be considered his third trip to the Shattered Heaven.
Yang Kai had not known that the Shattered Heaven was connected to the entrance to the Black Ink Battlefield or that the disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises would first need to travel through the Shattered Heaven to reach the No-Return Pass; after all, he had not entered the Black Ink Battlefield through the official route but through the Void Corridor in Black Territory instead.
Despite returning to a place he was familiar with, Yang Kai was in no mood to enjoy his surroundings and simply concentrated on travelling quickly.
A few days later however, the small Dragon that had been wrapped around Yang Kai’s wrist all this time suddenly called out, “I sense the aura of Black Ink Strength!”
During their travels, Ji Lao San had not bothered to transform back to his original form and simply remained wrapped around Yang Kai’s arm. Yang Kai’s speed was incredible after all, so it was more convenient for them to travel in this manner. Besides, Ji Lao San’s foundation had been badly damaged back in the No-Return Pass, so this was a good opportunity for him to recuperate from his wounds.
When Ji Lao San suddenly spoke up, Yang Kai was startled so badly that he almost tripped over his own feet. Coming to an abrupt halt, he muttered, “Why would there be traces of Black Ink Strength here?”
[This place is not the Black Ink Battlefield or the Barren Territory. Where did such traces of Black Ink Strength come from?]
His first thought was that the Barren Territory had been breached, and the Black Ink Clan had invaded the Shattered Heaven, but upon further consideration, Yang Kai knew that could not be the case. If the Black Ink Clan had broken through the defence line of the Barren Territory, then the Shattered Heaven would be ravaged by war. How could the situation in the Shattered Heaven remain so peaceful?
Immediately after that, he became puzzled, [Even I don’t sense any trace of Black Ink Strength here. How did Ji Lao San sense it?]
When Yang Kai voiced his question, Ji Lao San answered, “As you know, the Dragon and Phoenix Clans have been responsible for guarding the No-Return Pass since it was first established. Unfortunately, there’s nothing to do there all day long, and our only options were either to sleep or to cultivate. We couldn’t even leave the No-Return Pass, so it was extremely boring. The Dragon Clan Seniors from several generations ago were so bored that they began experimenting with creating a brand-new Secret Technique. The Secret Technique allows us to detect Black Ink Strength by activating our powers as Divine Spirits, but its use is quite limited. The Dragon Clan couldn’t be bothered to cultivate this Secret Technique and simply stored it away to collect dust. It wasn’t until the Black Ink Clan attacked the No-Return Pass that I began cultivating this Secret Technique.”
“And now you sense the existence of Black Ink Strength here?” Yang Kai asked solemnly.
Ji Lao San nodded, “Yes, but it’s only a slight reaction.”
Yang Kai was tempted to ask whether Ji Lao San had made a mistake, but he did not dare to be careless when Ji Lao San was so serious.
Other people might not understand the dangers of Black Ink Strength, but Yang Kai was all too familiar with the danger it posed. It could be said that Black Ink Strength was the perfect manifestation of how a single spark could cause an entire field to burn up. As long as the slightest bit of Black Ink Strength existed, then the entire Great Territory could be in danger.
“Which direction?” Yang Kai asked.
Ji Lao San used his Dragon Tail and pointed ahead. Yang Kai immediately headed in that direction.
It didn’t take long for them to arrive on a Universe Fragment. They could tell at a glance that there were traces of a battle here, and judging by the traces left behind, the gap in strength between both parties involved in the fight was not small. One of them had clearly been subdued quickly.
Yang Kai circled the Universe Fragment several times but did not find anything.
Nevertheless, Ji Lao San confidently said, “There are traces of Black Ink Strength here. They’ve intentionally been wiped away, but it was definitely less than half a day ago at most.”
Yang Kai closed his eyes and his Divine Sense surged as he carefully inspected his surroundings. A short while later, his expression changed and became extremely grim.
It was just as Ji Lao San had said; he discovered slight traces indicating the presence of Black Ink Strength in the surrounding Void. It was a very slight signature, almost impossible to perceive; however, he could not be more familiar with Black Ink Strength after fighting the Black Ink Clan for so many years.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a chill shoot up his back. Why was there Black Ink Strength in the Shattered Heaven? Was there a Black Ink Clansman here? Or, could it be a Black Ink Disciple instead of a Black Ink Clansman?
The Black Ink Strength here had already dissipated, clearly indicating that somebody had activated Black Ink Strength before erasing traces of it. Combined with the traces of battle that could be found on the Universe Fragment, there was a high probability that a Black Ink Clansman or a Black Ink Disciple had corrupted another person with Black Ink Strength here.
If it was something that took place half a day ago, the Black Ink Clansman or Black Ink Disciple could not have gone far, so Yang Kai hurriedly searched his surroundings.
Another half a day passed. Standing above a Spirit Province, Yang Kai observed what was happening below.
There was no shortage of Spirit Provinces where many cultivators gathered in the Shattered Heaven. The environment in the Shattered Heaven might be harsh, but this unique environment also contained many opportunities. That was why the Shattered Heaven often attracted adventurous cultivators to explore its depths. What’s more, criminals from various Great Territories and traitors who turned their backs on their Master Sects would seek shelter in the Shattered Heaven.
Over countless years of accumulation, the prosperity and liveliness of certain areas in the Shattered Heaven would not lose to any other Great Territory. Be that as it may, the Shattered Heaven was different from the other Great Territories. The balance of power here was not based on various Sects or Clans but instead divided among countless great forces. Needless to say, Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Divine Monarchs like Cheng Yang stood above them all.
The Spirit Province ahead was the territory of one of these great forces. It was just that Yang Kai was not very familiar with the Shattered Heaven, so he did not know which great force this Spirit Province belonged to.
However, Ji Lao San immediately gave another warning as soon as they arrived here. He told Yang Kai that he could sense the aura of the Black Ink Strength coming from the Spirit Province, so it was obvious that somebody here had activated their Black Ink Strength recently.
After observing silently for some time, Yang Kai took a step forward and descended towards the Spirit Province.
There was a city located in the centre of this Spirit Province, which was also the most prosperous place in the Spirit Province. Many cultivators were gathered there; however, Yang Kai did not detect the existence of any High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters when he swept his Divine Sense over it. Although there were many people here, the strongest were a few Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters at most.
While Ji Lao San could detect the aura of Black Ink Strength coming from this Spirit Province, he could not figure out the exact location.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling troubled. How was he supposed to search for the root of the Black Ink Strength in such a dense crowd?
At the very least, he could be certain that there were no Black Ink Clansmen here. If a Black Ink Clansman was hiding here, Yang Kai’s Eighth-Order strength would allow him to see through any disguise at a glance. Since there was no Black Ink Clansman here, it could only be a Black Ink Disciple.
Under normal circumstances, a Black Ink Disciple was no different from an ordinary person until they activated their Black Ink Strength and revealed their true nature.
Of course, Yang Kai could not check every single person in the Spirit Province as that would just take too much time.
In any case, the question that bothered him the most was the reason for the appearance of a Black Ink Disciple in the Shattered Heaven. If there was a Black Ink Disciple, then there had to be a source of Black Ink Strength. Where was the source?
A trace of unease grew in the depths of his heart as it felt as though something ominous was about to occur.
Just as he was thinking about how to search for the hidden Black Ink Disciple, two streams of light appeared in the sky and descended.
The newcomers gave off an imposing aura, clearly showing no intention of concealing their presence whatsoever. Moreover, they were both Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Forget the Shattered Heaven, even in the 3,000 Worlds, Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were considered the strongest as long as the secluded High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters did not take action.
In an instant, countless Divine Senses and gazes were attracted to the two streams of light. The streams of light paused in mid-air before the light around them faded away to reveal the figures of a man and a woman.
The eyes of anybody who saw this pair would immediately light up. At the same time, they would secretly praise those two for being the perfect match for each other. The man was extraordinarily handsome, while the woman was absolutely gorgeous. When they stood together, they were a sight for sore eyes indeed.
The people living in the Shattered Heaven were mostly lawless criminals; therefore, numerous lecherous gazes immediately fixed upon the woman’s graceful form. They secretly swallowed nervously, thinking that if they could become intimate with such a stunning beauty for a night, death would not be too high a price to pay.
The woman was evidently accustomed to such gazes, so she simply snorted coldly before ignoring them.
On the other hand, the man revealed great dissatisfaction, surging his Divine Sense and causing many Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to clutch at their heads and scream in agony.
After teaching these lawless criminals a lesson, he announced loudly, “Heavenly River Divine Monarch has an order to convey! Where is the person in charge of this Spirit Province? Come out and receive the orders immediately!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the expressions of the cultivators on the Spirit Province changed greatly. Those who were watching the woman with lustful gazes quickly lowered their heads and did not dare to take another look. That couldn’t be helped, as the name ‘Heavenly River Divine Monarch’ carried far too much weight.
There were only three Great Divine Monarchs in the Shattered Heaven. In other words, there were three Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters here. One of them was Bright Sun Divine Monarch, Cheng Yang, who pursued Yang Kai in the past, while the other two were Heavenly River Divine Monarch, Tian Luo, and Withering Flame Divine Monarch, Ku Yan.
These three had refused to be controlled by the Cave Heavens and Paradises, so they fled to the Shattered Heaven for shelter. Tens of thousands of years had passed since they entered the Shattered Heaven, and they gradually improved from the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
The cultivators living in the Shattered Heaven could ignore or even insult the Cave Heavens and Paradises, but they could not show the slightest disrespect to the three Great Divine Monarchs. The environment in the Shattered Heaven was harsh, and chaotic, so while those who offended the Cave Heavens and Paradises might survive here, death was inevitable if the three Great Divine Monarchs were to target them; after all, the three Great Divine Monarchs held absolute authority in the Shattered Heaven.
This beautiful pair, who came carrying the orders of Heavenly River Divine Monarch, were clearly from the Heavenly River Palace. Furthermore, Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were considered very powerful in the Heavenly River Palace. These two might even be Disciples of Heavenly River Divine Monarch. With such a close connection to Tian Luo, even the lawless criminals in this Spirit Province did not dare to be disrespectful towards them in the slightest.
Following their command, a figure immediately flew out from the Grand Hall in the middle of the Spirit Province. This person was also in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but he did not look like a warrior. He was dressed luxuriously, seeming more like a wealthy merchant. His face was round and clean, and his smile was ingratiating. Cupping his fists from a distance, he bowed, “Bamboo Basket Province’s Tan Chuan greets the Special Envoys. Allow me to apologise for my late greetings.”
Although they were all in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Tan Chuan was nothing more than the Master of a small Spirit Province. In terms of status, he could not compare to the two people who served under Heavenly River Divine Monarch; hence, he naturally showed a humble attitude as soon as he appeared.
The male Envoy nodded lightly, “So you are the person in charge here, Brother Tan Chuan. This Senior Brother and Junior Sister have not left the Heavenly River Palace in a long time, so we were not aware.”
Judging from his words, they seemed to be acquainted with each other. Nevertheless, his attitude remained aloof. It was obvious that they did not have a close relationship with each other.
“It’s nothing, Brother Wu. Such a rough place cannot be compared to Heavenly River Palace. May I know what brings you here today, Brother Wu? What orders does the Divine Monarch have for me?” Tan Chuan inquired respectfully.
When it came to business, the man surnamed Wu did not procrastinate. He immediately took out a jade slip and announced in a resounding his voice, “By order of my Honoured Master, Tan Chuan of the Bamboo Basket Province must gather 200 Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm and above, then head to the designated rendezvous location in three months.”
Tan Chuan’s expression became solemn when he heard the announcement. Raising his hand to receive the jade slip, he examined the contents carefully and confirmed that the jade slip truly contained this command from Heavenly River Divine Monarch. After that, he revealed a puzzled expression, “Brother Wu, is Heavenly River Palace planning to wage war against the others?”
The three Great Divine Monarchs had divided the Shattered Heaven among themselves, so it was impossible for them to be at peace. There had been countless squabbles and skirmishes among them over the years, but those were mostly inconsequential disputes, nothing serious enough to warrant concern. However, Tian Luo’s actions clearly indicated that he was planning something big.
Although the number of cultivators living in Bamboo Basket Province was not small, there were not many Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm and above. That was especially true for Sixth-Order Masters, whose total numbers could be counted on one hand. Even though there were somewhere between 400 and 500 Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Tian Luo had directly demanded a force of 200 people. That was equivalent to taking away half of the Bamboo Basket Province’s strength! How could that not shock Tan Chuan?
The man surnamed Wu simply shook his head in response. Glancing around, he then kindly pointed out something, “Brother Tan Chuan, if I were you, I would close the Grand Array first before asking questions. At this rate, you might not be able to gather 200 Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters if you delay any longer, and you know what will happen to you if you disobey Honoured Master’s orders.”
Tan Chuan was taken aback by those words and looked around him. What he saw enraged him so much that his face visibly twitched.
After hearing the order relayed by the man surnamed Wu just now, some of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters living in the Bamboo Basket Province had urgently fled to prevent themselves from being recruited by Tan Chuan. Many of them were simply passing by this area or stopping here temporarily to trade with others, so wouldn’t they be wronged if they were caught by Tan Chuan?
A few Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had taken the lead, causing even more Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to take the opportunity to escape. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen such Masters were gone.
Furious, Tan Chuan roared loudly, “Activate the Array! If anyone else dares to leave Bamboo Basket Province, I will slaughter them without mercy!”
After saying that, he took to the skies and instantly caught one of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who was about to leave and swung out his fist at him.
This Fifth-Order Master was rather unlucky. He didn’t even get the chance to speak a word before Tan Chuan punched his face in.
In order to make an example, Tan Chuan had not held back at all. How could a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master survive against the full attack of a Sixth-Order Master? That blow shattered the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s head to pieces. Fresh blood spurted out of his neck like a fountain, and his headless corpse slowly dropped back to the ground.
Such an occurrence would rarely happen in any of the Great Territories across the 3,000 Worlds, but in contrast, the Shattered Heaven was a truly lawless place. Killing others over even a small disagreement was very common here.
After witnessing Tan Chuan murdering a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the others no longer dared to act recklessly. They quickly backed down like cowardly quails.
There was a loud hum, and the Grand Array covering the entire Bamboo Basket Province closed. The inside and the outside were now isolated from one another. With this, nobody could leave without Tan Chuan’s express permission.
Many of the cultivators were panicking at the sudden turn of events; however, Tan Chuan ignored them and looked at the Special Envoys from Heavenly River Palace, “What’s going on, Brother Wu?”
The man surnamed Wu shook his head and said nothing. The reason for all this was in no way glorious, and could even be said as shameful, so how could he reveal the truth at will?
Tan Chuan only became more anxious seeing this. Revealing a pleading expression, he begged, “Brother Wu, why don’t you come over and have some tea? You must allow this Tan to provide some hospitality as a host. Bamboo Basket Province might lack many things, but we have a specialty known as the Jade Spirit Fruit. The taste is sweet and exquisite. You’ve come from afar, why not take a short rest? It won’t be too late for you to leave after a cup of tea.”
What he mentioned was not without reason. The so-called ‘Jade Spirit Fruit’ was certainly a local delicacy. It was not very useful in terms of cultivation, but it had beauty-preserving effects when consumed by female cultivators. Unfortunately, the number of such fruits produced was very small so they would be cleaned out in a matter of breaths every time they appeared on the market. It was precisely because Tan Chuan was overseeing the Bamboo Basket Province that he could preserve a few for his own use.
He did not have a close relationship with the man surnamed Wu, so there was nothing he could do if the other party was not willing to divulge much, so in order to learn more, a more convoluted method was required. He hoped that the Jade Spirit Fruit would catch the interest of the woman standing nearby.
Sure enough, the eyes of the woman, who had remained silent and indifferent all this while, suddenly brightened at the words ‘Jade Spirit Fruit’.
As a Disciple of Heavenly River Divine Monarch, it was only natural for her to know about the Jade Spirit Fruit. It was just that these fruits were often shared among the wives and concubines of Heavenly River Divine Monarch whenever they were offered to Heavenly River Palace, so how could she hope to get any?
Women would always be conscious of their appearance. Even if she was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and her appearance could be described as youthful, she still wished to look young forever. Nevertheless, she said nothing and simply used her large eyes to plead with her Senior Brother.
After spending so many years together, how could the man surnamed Wu not understand the meaning behind that look? Thinking to himself that a moment of delay would not hurt, he nodded in agreement, “Good. We can rest for a moment before we leave.”
Tan Chuan was overjoyed and quickly motioned his hand to guide them, “This way, please.”
A short while later, Tan Chuan led the two Envoys from Heavenly River Palace into the Grand Hall and sat down.
The man surnamed Wu was thinking about how he should respond if Tan Chuan brought up the matter from earlier; after all, one was generally partial towards those who bestowed favours upon others. His Junior Sister had benefited from Tan Chuan, so it would not be reasonable for him to ignore the latter’s inquiry.
Unexpectedly, Tan Chuan did not mention the matter and simply had a leisurely chat with the man surnamed Wu.
The man surnamed Wu was very satisfied, thinking that Tan Chuan knew how to show proper respect, causing his impression of the latter to increase significantly.
After a short wait, a servant brought over a platter of Spirit Fruits. These Spirit Fruits were the size of a fist and crystal clear. Moreover, a sweet fragrance permeated the air.
The woman from Heavenly River Palace stared at the Jade Spirit Fruits without blinking. She immediately fell in love with the appearance of the fruits and couldn’t bring herself to eat them. Just as she was about to put them away, Tan Chuan suddenly turned towards her, “These fruits are freshly picked. You, Young Lady, should eat them immediately for the best effect.”
When the woman heard those words, she looked conflicted.
As her Senior Brother, the man surnamed Wu knew what she was thinking and laughed, “Since there are six fruits, why don’t you eat some right now and save the rest for later?”
She smiled brightly at those words and nodded, “I’ll do as you say, Senior Brother.”
Her smile was absolutely brilliant; in fact, even the slightly dim hall seemed to brighten because of her smile.
Reaching out her slender jade fingers to pick up one of the fruits, she brought it to her mouth and lightly bit through the peel. A stream of sweet fruit juice immediately turned into a warm current that flowed down her throat. As for the Spirit Fruit in her hands, only a layer of peel remained.
Before she could savour the wonderful taste of the Spirit Fruit though, her beautiful face abruptly turned pale. Her World Force also surged and fluctuated wildly all of a sudden.
The man surnamed Wu was shocked and cried out, “Junior Sister, what’s wrong!?”
However, she instead quickly looked over at Tan Chuan and coldly declared, “What did you do!?”
When she swallowed the fruit juice, she clearly felt a strange energy entering her body at the same time. Although she had never eaten the Jade Spirit Fruit before, she knew that this strange energy did not belong to it. In that case, it could only mean that the fruit itself had been tampered with.
Following her question, she immediately noticed that something was wrong. The strange energy was extremely corrosive, and she could not contain it even with her powerful Sixth-Order cultivation.
When she observed her own condition, she saw traces of black energy that felt extremely vile and malevolent swirling around inside her originally pure and flawless Small Universe; thus, she hastily activated her World Force to defend against the corrosion. Her expression seemed pained, as though she was suffering from poison.
The man surnamed Wu was shocked for a moment, then he immediately became livid. Summoning a sword with a flick of his hand, he thrust it out, “Tan Chuan, you court death!”
A sword wave flashed from the tip of his longsword, flicking like the tongue of a spirit snake. The sword wave conveyed a sense of unparalleled sharpness that sliced off several strands of Tan Chuan’s hair.
Unexpectedly, Tan Chuan remained completely calm, leisurely picking up his tea cup and taking a sip. Only then did he calmly turn to look at the man surnamed Wu with a slight smile, “Brother Wu, why are you so angry?”
At this moment, he no longer portrayed the same ingratiating attitude as before. On the contrary, he seemed confident that victory belonged to him.
Tan Chuan’s behaviour enraged the man surnamed Wu even more, but just as he was about to attack, he heard Tan Chuan’s relaxed voice entering his ears, “You should be careful, Brother Wu. Swords have no eyes, so you can easily hurt someone if you are not careful. It doesn’t matter if you take this Tan’s life, but if you do, you will never be able to save Junior Sister Ling.”
“Are you working for the other two Divine Monarchs!?” The man surnamed Wu suddenly thought of something. He had no previous enmity or grievances against Tan Chuan, so there was no reason for Tan Chuan to plot against him or his Junior Sister; however, everything would make sense if Tan Chuan was working for the other two Divine Monarchs. He gritted his teeth and snarled, “My Junior Sister is Honoured Master’s most beloved Disciple. If anything happens to her, even the other two Divine Monarchs will not be able to protect you! Tan Chuan, hand over the antidote immediately if you don’t wish to die!”
While the man surnamed Wu seemed enraged on the outside, inwardly he was feeling very puzzled. Both he and his Junior Sister had Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivations, so at their level of strength, just what kind of poison could make his Junior Sister experience such difficulty? He even noticed a trace of black energy gradually emerging from her body out of the corner of his eye.
[What is this poison!?]
Listening to the man named Wu’s self-righteous misunderstanding, Tan Chuan laughed loudly, “The other two Divine Monarchs? How could they be worthy of my service?”
The man surnamed Wu was stunned… [Isn’t Tan Chuan working for the other two Divine Monarchs? How could he spout such presumptuous nonsense, as though he doesn’t put the Divine Monarchs in his eyes!?]
While the other party was stunned, Tan Chuan stretched out two fingers and slowly grasped the longsword pointed directly at him. Moving the longsword away from his face, he warmly comforted the man surnamed Wu, “Rest assured, Brother Wu. Junior Sister Ling is not in danger. This Tan has no intention of harming her. As long as you cooperate with me, Brother Wu, this Tan will not only make amends to the both of you. I will also show you the Heavenly Grand Dao that will bring you directly to the peak of the Martial Dao!”
The man surnamed Wu’s first reaction was disbelief. What nonsense was this guy spouting? His Junior Sister looked like she was about to be overwhelmed by the poison, so how could Tan Chuan say that he has no intention of harming her?
Tan Chuan earnestly continued, “If this Tan remembers correctly, you initially advanced directly to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm; isn’t that right, Brother Wu? As a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, you have reached your limit. Don’t you wish to advance to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm and have a taste of the glory that belongs to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters? Junior Sister Ling advanced directly to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so she has hopes of reaching the Seventh-Order in the future, but in contrast, you can only waste away in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. How will you be a match for Junior Sister Ling when that time comes?”
Those words seemed to hit a sore spot for the man surnamed Wu, and his expression involuntarily darkened.
He did not know how or where Tan Chuan received this information; however, it was just as Tan Chuan had said. His Junior Sister was expected to advance to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future, but he could only remain in the Sixth-Order forever. Would his Junior Sister even bother with him when she was in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm?
His mind wavered for a moment, feeling as though Tan Chuan’s words were filled with an inexplicable appeal. His voice changed slightly, no longer as cold and sharp as before, “If you’re capable of guiding us to the peak of the Martial Dao, then why are you still just a Sixth-Order Master yourself?”
Tan Chuan’s situation was similar to his. When they advanced into the Open Heaven Realm back then, they had advanced directly to the Fourth Order; therefore, the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm was their limit. If there truly was such a wonderful method to break through their innate shackles, then why didn’t Tan Chuan break through to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm himself?
Upon hearing the other party’s question, Tan Chuan chuckled softly and circulated his strength. His entire body suddenly turned black, and his aura increased steadily. Under the stunned gaze of the man surnamed Wu, Tan Chuan’s aura quickly broke through the limits of what a Sixth-Order Master should have and gradually increased to the Seventh-Order.
Following the surge of aura, his figure that resembled a wealthy merchant also began to swell. Then, he soon withdrew his aura and returned to normal, looking no different from before. He then said mildly, “If this Tan wishes to break through to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, I can do so at any time.”
“How did you…” The man surnamed Wu blanked out completely in astonishment. He instinctively refused to believe what he was witnessing, but all his senses indicated that Tan Chuan’s words were not false.
“Senior Brother!” The woman who was currently fighting against the corrosion in her body shouted, “It’s Black Ink Strength!”
“What!?” The man surnamed Wu turned pale with fright, “Is this Black Ink Strength!?”
Several months ago, they had been completely oblivious to the existence of something like Black Ink Strength, but then, one particular day, two honoured guests in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm came to Heavenly River Palace. They had not known the identity of those honoured guests, but they left quickly after an extensive discussion with Heavenly River Divine Monarch.
Afterwards, Tian Luo had summoned them and given them an important task. They were ordered to head to the Spirit Provinces under the jurisdiction of Heavenly River Palace, recruit Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Fifth Order and above, and rendezvous at the designated location within a short time limit.
Heavenly River Divine Monarch also told them about certain matters that day.
It was at that moment that they learned the identity of the honoured guests who arrived at Heavenly River Palace that day. The two honoured guests were Eighth-Order Ancestors from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, who came to ask for Tian Luo’s cooperation in a war concerning the survival of the 3,000 Worlds. This war apparently involved many secrets and concerned the survival of the Human Race as a whole, so even the Shattered Heaven could not turn a blind eye to the situation.
It was also from Heavenly River Divine Monarch that they learned about the existence of the Black Ink Clan and Black Ink Strength.
Be that as it may, they had never seen the Black Ink Clan or Black Ink Strength before. They had assumed that the Cave Heavens and Paradises were exaggerating the dangers of the situation, believing that the war related to the 3,000 Worlds and the survival of the Human Race was nothing but bullshit; after all, they had never even heard of such things in this World.
They truly believed that their Honoured Master had only agreed to cooperate with the Cave Heavens and Paradises under duress, which was quite embarrassing.
The Shattered Heaven had remained outside the influence of the 3,000 Worlds for aeons. They were not governed by the Cave Heavens and Paradises, but this incident had forced them to be at the beck and call of those same forces. That was the reason why the man surnamed Wu had not explained anything when Tan Chuan asked about Heavenly River Divine Monarch’s command. He had felt that the reason was too shameful to reveal.
The neutrality and detachment that the Shattered Heaven had always enjoyed turned out to be nothing more than the indulgence of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. With the enormous heritage of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, were they really helpless to control the Shattered Heaven?
The people in the Cave Heavens and Paradises simply understood that some things could not be forbidden completely no matter how hard they tried. That was why they tacitly agreed to the existence of the Shattered Heaven and allowed this place to become the gathering spot for those who refused to follow the order of the 3,000 Worlds. Nevertheless, they could easily force the Shattered Heaven to compromise when they needed their cooperation in their schemes. Just like this incident…
The Senior Brother and Junior Sister did not know what kind of conditions the people from the Cave Heavens and Paradises had offered to their Honoured Master; however, Tian Luo seemed very enthusiastic about this endeavour. He even entrusted this task to them and asked them to carry it out with all diligence so as not to make him lose face.
Despite having heard of the Black Ink Clan and Black Ink Strength, they had never seen the Black Ink Clan or Black Ink Strength in person; therefore, the man surnamed Wu never associated this incident with Black Ink Strength even though he had witnessed the black aura enveloping his Junior Sister. He simply thought that she had been poisoned.
On the other hand, the woman being corroded by the Black Ink Strength suddenly realised what was going on. [These symptoms… Aren’t they identical to the corruption of Black Ink Strength that Honoured Master mentioned previously?]
Tan Chuan chuckled, “So, you know about Black Ink Strength? Since you already know, then that saves this Tan the effort of explaining the situation to you. That’s right. This is Black Ink Strength!”
The man surnamed Wu felt a chill in his heart, “Are you a Black Ink Disciple?”
[No wonder Tan Chuan showed no particular signs of abnormality earlier.] He had heard that Black Ink Disciples looked no different from ordinary people, but their true nature had long been lost.
Tan Chuan laughed lightly, “So what if I am? Besides, this Tan is not the only Black Ink Disciple in this place.”
After his declaration, four figures suddenly walked out of the shadows of the Grand Hall. One was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and two were in the Sixth-Order. The last person was completely wrapped in darkness, so his face could not be seen. His exact cultivation could not be determined either, but anybody could tell that he was very powerful.
The expression of the man surnamed Wu changed drastically as he grabbed his Junior Sister and rushed into the sky to try to escape this place immediately.
A person would completely lose their true self once they were corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Even if he could advance to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, would he even be himself at that point? Nobody faced with such a choice would willingly compromise on something like that unless they were absolutely desperate.
Unfortunately, he failed to escape. He barely managed to flee more than a dozen metres before being stopped by a transparent light barrier. It turned out that a Grand Array had been set up in the Grand Hall at some point in time, isolating the inside from the outside.
At this moment, the man surnamed Wu finally understood why Tan Chuan seemed so confident about his victory. Tan Chuan had probably planned out everything from the moment he invited the Senior Brother and Junior Sister duo to his palace.
The man surnamed Wu could only laugh bitterly at how they had stupidly walked into the trap without knowing anything.
The enemy had at least three Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and they were stuck inside the Grand Array with them. Under these circumstances, he had no choice but to admit that he and his Junior Sister were not their opponents even if they combined their strength. Things were looking very dismal for them at the moment.
Even so, he refused to give up and wait for death. He spun around and protected his Junior Sister behind him. At the same time, he drew his longsword and prepared his battle cry to bolster his courage; however, he couldn’t help feeling surprised by the scene unfolding before him as Tan Chuan and the others were no longer paying any attention to him.
At this moment, the three Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, including Tan Chuan and the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master were all staring at the mysterious person who was completely enveloped in darkness.
“Who are you, Your Excellency?” Tan Chuan’s next sentence left the man surnamed Wu scratching his head in confusion.
The man surnamed Wu did not understand, [Don’t you know the person who appeared in your own territory? Why would you still need to ask?]
Faced with Tan Chuan’s question, the mysterious man covered in darkness answered lightly, “Don’t ask so many questions.”
After saying that, a powerful aura suddenly erupted outward before disappearing in a flash.
The expressions of everybody in the Grand Hall, including the man surnamed Wu and his Junior Sister, changed drastically. That was because this mysterious person was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
He had concealed his aura previously, so nobody could determine anything about him; however, how could they fail to perceive his strength when he deliberately released an Eighth-Order aura?
Tan Chuan and the three others hurriedly bowed respectfully, “Greetings, Sir!”
Under the cover of the darkness, Yang Kai nodded lightly and made a non-committal sound in response, perfectly displaying the demeanour of a senior expert.
In reality, being in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm meant that there was indeed no need for him to pay much attention to these Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciples. If not to figure out the source of these Black Ink Disciples in the Shattered Heaven, he would have just captured them from the start.
Yang Kai had received guidance from Ji Lao San earlier and pursued those traces until he reached Bamboo Basket Province; as a result, he happened to overhear the Heavenly River Divine Monarch’s command that was conveyed by the man surnamed Wu and his Junior Sister; thus, he secretly concealed himself and snuck into the Grand Hall.
Although he knew that the Jade Spirit Fruit that the Junior Sister ate had been tampered with, he did nothing to stop her so that he did not alert the enemy to his presence.
If he still had Yellow and Blue Crystals in his possession, then he wouldn’t have needed to resort to such troublesome methods. He would only need to activate the Purifying Light to expel and purify the Black Ink Strength from the bodies of the Black Ink Disciples inside the Grand Hall, then they would willingly help him. Unfortunately, he no longer had the means to create Purifying Light and could only rely on petty tricks.
Yang Kai made a mental note to visit the Chaotic Dead Territory as soon as possible so that he could obtain more Yellow and Blue Crystals from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. In addition, he wanted to ask them about the Primordial Light…
On the Black Ink Battlefield, he had disguised himself as a Black Ink Disciple for years, and was so familiar with the act that even the Black Ink Clan could not see through him, so what more these Black Ink Disciples?
Although Tan Chuan and the others did not know Yang Kai’s identity, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in front of them was clearly a Black Ink Disciple like them. How could they suspect him?
Every one of them became animated. They had been worried about failing their task because they were only Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciples; therefore, it was a pleasant surprise to have an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple appear before them.
One of the Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciples beside Tan Chuan asked respectfully, “What brings you here, Sir?”
Yang Kai replied indifferently, “I just happened to be passing by and wanted to gather some manpower, but it seems someone made their move in advance. Seeing as that’s the case, this King will not snatch another person’s property. You’ve done well. Since these two are part of Heavenly River Palace, we can send them to the other Spirit Provinces after enlightening them with Black Ink Strength. That will certainly allow us to act more easily.”
The Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple was ecstatic, “This subordinate had the same idea. That’s why I asked Brother Tan to invite them back to his palace.” After a pause, he continued, “Sir, this subordinate has a favour to ask.”
“Speak!” Yang Kai waved his hand slightly.
The Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple said, “Sir, I’m sure you’ve seen the situation here. Our forces in Bamboo Basket Province are too weak. Although we have several Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciples on our side, it will take great effort for us to corrupt all the cultivators here with Black Ink Strength. This subordinate implores you to take action, Sir. With your help, Bamboo Basket Province will definitely fall into our hands!”
Following that statement, the man surnamed Wu felt the colour draining from his face. It was difficult to imagine what the situation would be like if all the cultivators in Bamboo Basket Province were corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
“You want me to take action?” Yang Kai raised his brow at those words, and his smile deepened meaningfully, “Is the one behind you willing to accept such an arrangement?”
The Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple replied straightforwardly, “Please rest assured, Sir. It is pure coincidence for this subordinate to meet you here. After gifting me with Black Ink Strength, he only gave me orders to convert more companions with Black Ink Strength. There were no other orders.”
Yang Kai frowned and looked displeased, “Whoever it is sure is careless. Where did he go?”
During this brief exchange, he managed to figure out that the person who actually held decisive authority here was not the Master of Bamboo Basket Province, Tan Chuan. On the contrary, it was this Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple who was speaking to him.
This Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple had most likely encountered a higher Order Black Ink Disciple somewhere. After he was corrupted by Black Ink Strength, he was released with the goal of corrupting all the cultivators in Bamboo Basket Province.
He probably bumped into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master during his return trip. Seizing the opportunity, he had taken action out in the void to quickly subdued the latter.
That would explain why Yang Kai and Ji Lao San first found traces of Black Ink Strength on a Universe Fragment some distance from here. It was because this person used Black Ink Strength to corrupt the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and left traces behind, allowing Ji Lao San to notice.
Afterwards, this Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple brought the Fifth-Order Master back to Bamboo Basket Province with him. It was here that Tan Chuan and the other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master were also corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
Although they were all in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Tan Chuan and the other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master were likely caught unprepared. Combined with the powerful corruptive nature of Black Ink Strength, they were practically powerless to resist.
Yang Kai secretly heaved a sigh of relief. It would seem that the situation was not too bad. Seeing as he managed to arrive here in time, the only Black Ink Disciples on Bamboo Basket Province were probably the ones standing in front of him right now. If he had been a few days later, the situation might not have been so easily resolved.
Even though his question earlier seemed casual, it was the one that Yang Kai was most concerned about getting an answer to. He wanted to know the whereabouts of the Black Ink Disciple, who corrupted this Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple with Black Ink Strength! Only by finding the original Black Ink Disciple could he get to the bottom of this matter and figure out the source of Black Ink Strength in the Shattered Heaven.
Faced with Yang Kai’s inquiries, the Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple did not suspect anything and quickly answered, “Sir did not tell me where he was going, but this subordinate noticed that he and another companion were travelling towards the Shattered Ruins.”
Beneath the darkness, Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly, [The Shattered Ruins!?]
The Shattered Ruins was the most dangerous Forbidden Zone in the Shattered Heaven, as well as the location of the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land. Surrounding the Shattered Ruins was the Divine Ability Sea, which was filled with enormous dangers.
[Why is a Black Ink Disciple heading in the direction of Shattered Ruins? And judging from what this Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple had said, it sounds like there was more than one Black Ink Disciple! In fact, there are two of them! What is their realm? Where did they come from?] Yang Kai did not know anything.
“Did they mention why they were heading there?” Yang Kai inquired.
The Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple shook his head, “No.”
“What were their cultivations?”
Although Yang Kai’s questions puzzled the Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple, he did not think too deeply into the matter and answered honestly, “The person who enlightened me with Black Ink Strength is probably in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm like you, Sir. The other person did not take action, but his cultivation was likely not inferior!”
[Two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples! I can’t believe there are two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples in the Shattered Heaven!] Yang Kai suddenly realised that he had greatly underestimated the severity of the situation.
Aside from the three Great Divine Monarchs in the Shattered Heaven, Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters only existed in the Cave Heavens and Paradises; however, they were existences regarded as Ancestors or Supreme Elders.
Were these two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples originally hiding in the 3,000 Worlds? Or, did they sneak in from the Barren Territory?
Regardless of which scenario was the truth, the situation was absolutely terrible. If it was the former, then many of the Masters in the Cave Heavens and Paradises on this side had probably been corrupted by Black Ink Strength. If it was the latter… Seeing as the Barren Territory battlefield had not been breached, then there was only one other possibility. There was another passage connecting to the 3,000 Worlds!
At that moment, various thoughts swirled around in Yang Kai’s mind as a dull and ominous premonition made him feel very uneasy. He felt as though he had overlooked something very important, but he could not remember what it was in the heat of the moment.
Numerous expressions flitted across his face as he remained silent in thought.
Meanwhile, Tan Chuan and the others looked at each other uncertainly for a moment before the Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple hesitantly called out, “Sir?”
Yang Kai returned to his senses and nodded, “This King will take action in Bamboo Basket Province, but this King has another task for you.”
The expression of Tan Chuan and the others brightened, and they cupped their fists respectfully, “Please enlighten us, Sir!”
“Enter my Small Universe first.” Yang Kai commanded and opened the portal to his Small Universe.
Tan Chuan and the others exchanged a glance with each other, but they did not suspect him and quickly rushed into his Small Universe.
“Oh, right,” Yang Kai suddenly asked another question, “Are there any other Black Ink Disciples here in Bamboo Basket Province?”
Just for safety’s sake, he decided to confirm the situation.
The last Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple who was the last one remaining outside quickly replied, “No, we are the only ones at the moment. This subordinate only returned not long ago, so there was no time to take action.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded, and when the last Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had entered his Small Universe, he closed the portal and withdrew his Black Ink Strength around him to reveal his face. Then, he turned to look at the man surnamed Wu.
At this moment, the man surnamed Wu was filled with despair. He had mustered the courage to fight back when his opponents had been Tan Chuan and the others; however, the person in front of him was an authentic Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. How was he supposed to fight back? His opponent could crush him to death with a mere flick of his finger!
Seeing Yang Kai looking at him, the man surnamed Wu tried to act strong and shouted loudly, “My Honoured Master is Heavenly River Divine Monarch Tian Luo! If you dare to raise a hand against us, then Honoured Master will never forgive you!”
Yang Kai chuckled and reassured the other party gently, “Don’t be scared. I’m not a Black Ink Disciple.”
The man surnamed Wu reacted with an expression that seemed to say, “Who will believe you?”
Regardless, Yang Kai couldn’t be bothered to explain himself. He then raised his fingers and flicked a Purifying Black Ink Pill towards the man surnamed Wu, “Give this pill to your Junior Sister. I guarantee that she will be safe.”
If the woman had been completely corrupted by Black Ink Strength, then the Purifying Black Ink Pill would no longer be effective. Be that as it may, the medicinal efficacies of the Purifying Black Ink Pill would still be effective under the current circumstances.
The man surnamed Wu took the Purifying Black Ink Pill, but he clearly did not trust Yang Kai.
Yang Kai pointed out, “Things have already come to this point. What can be worse than becoming corrupted by Black Ink Strength? If I were you, I would take a gamble!”
The man surnamed Wu had been confused and at a loss for what to do after experiencing such a huge turn of events, but after listening to Yang Kai’s words, he couldn’t help feeling that what he said made sense.
There really was nothing for him to do but take a leap of faith. In any case, if an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master truly wanted to kill them, they would die regardless of how they tried to resist. As for whether the Spirit Pill would be effective, he would know once he gave it to his Junior Sister.
Gritting his teeth, he turned around and placed the Purifying Black Ink Pill into his Junior Sister’s mouth. Then, he stood guard over her while secretly being vigilant towards Yang Kai.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai ignored the man surnamed Wu as he was now thinking hard.
For some reason, he had the feeling that he had forgotten something important ever since he stepped foot in the Shattered Heaven; however, he simply could not remember what he had forgotten despite racking his brain for so long.
In addition, he was extremely concerned about the origin and whereabouts of those two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples.
It was not easy to corrupt an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with Black Ink Strength. The Human Race had been fighting against the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield for countless millennia, but there were very rarely cases where an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
Thanks to the immense strength of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, they had a strong resistance towards Black Ink Strength. What’s more, even if they were accidentally invaded by Black Ink Strength, they could prevent themselves from becoming corrupted by sacrificing a part of their Small Universe.
The most common method to convert an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master into a Black Ink Disciple was for a Royal Lord to personally take action, using their Royal Lord Secret Technique.
However, the situation on the battlefield was constantly changing and even a Royal Lord would not dare to use their Secret Technique without good reason.
In the past, the sheep-headed Royal Lord chasing after Yang Kai had caused his body to weaken considerably by unleashing the Royal Lord Secret Technique. Immediately after, he had taken the full brunt of Yang Kai’s Sun and Moon Divine Wheel, which played a big role in how a mere Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was able to kill him.
Unless there was no other choice or under the premise that their safety was guaranteed, a Royal Lord would never use the Royal Lord Secret Technique to corrupt an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
In any case, Yang Kai had no means of learning the origins of the two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples without locating them first.
While Yang Kai was pondering these matters, the woman from Heavenly River Palace swallowed and refined the Purifying Black Ink Pill. It didn’t take long for the Spirit Pill to take effect, and under its medicinal efficacies, the Black Ink Strength corroding her was slowly forced out of her body.
The man surnamed Wu was overjoyed by the sight and finally believed Yang Kai’s words from before. At the same time, he couldn’t help wondering about something.
Wrapped entirely in darkness earlier, Yang Kai had clearly given off the impression of being a Senior Black Ink Disciple. How was he not affected by Black Ink Strength?
Unfortunately, the man surnamed Wu did not have a deep understanding of Black Ink Strength. All he knew about Black Ink Strength was what he heard from his Honoured Master, so his knowledge was severely limited.
A short while later, the woman’s condition improved considerably and she exhaled deeply and opened her eyes. Although she couldn’t shake off the lingering fears in her heart, she quickly came forward to thank Yang Kai.
Likewise, the man surnamed Wu was extremely grateful.
Yang Kai questioned them briefly and learned that the Cave Heavens and Paradises had dispatched several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to Heavenly River Palace. Moreover, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had already reached an agreement with Heavenly River Divine Monarch.
It was not just Heavenly River Divine Monarch though. According to the two Envoys, all three Great Divine Monarchs in the Shattered Heaven were working together with the Cave Heavens and Paradises now.
This was a war that involved the survival of the Human Race, so nobody could afford to stay out of the fight. Although the three Great Divine Monarchs had lived leisurely in the Shattered Heaven for many years, they were familiar with the principle, ‘Without lips, the teeth go cold’.
Therefore, the three Great Divine Monarchs who controlled the Shattered Heaven had come forward. They issued commands to the various Spirit Provinces, ordering Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to gather at the assembly point within the time limit.
In the Shattered Heaven, the command of the three Great Divine Monarchs held more authority than the Cave Heavens and Paradises. As soon as their commands were spread out to the public, all the cultivators who wanted to live peacefully in the Shattered Heaven did not dare to disobey.
Take Bamboo Basket Province for example. Heavenly River Divine Monarch had ordered Tan Chuan to gather 200 Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Fifth-Order and above, so the latter had to ensure that the command was carried out properly if he wanted to keep his life.
In this way, the combat forces in the Shattered Heaven would also contribute to the war.
Meanwhile, the three Great Divine Monarchs had already headed to the battlefield with several Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The Cave Heavens and Paradises had promised them that they could freely travel to any of the Great Territories in the 3,000 Worlds after the war, regardless of the outcome. As long as they did not commit any outrage, their past transgressions would no longer be pursued.
For the three Great Divine Monarchs, these were conditions that could not be refused.
They were Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters after all, so no matter where they went in the 3,000 Worlds, they would be considered peak existences. It was only due to their fear of the Cave Heavens and Paradises that they remained hidden in the Shattered Heaven for so many years. As such, their lives were usually extremely boring. If they survived this war, then they would no longer need to waste away in the Shattered Heaven. They could go anywhere they wanted.
It was with such incentives that the three Great Divine Monarchs obeyed the Cave Heavens and Paradises; otherwise, nobody would willingly risk their lives if there were no benefits.
However, nobody expected that Black Ink Disciples had already appeared in the Shattered Heaven.
“I want you to spread the message and inform everyone about the appearance of Black Ink Disciples as fast as possible so that others will be wary of suspicious figures. Can you do that?” Yang Kai looked at those two.
The man surnamed Wu considered for a moment, “With the help of Heavenly River Palace’s intelligence network, we can pass the message to the other two Divine Monarchs. Unfortunately, it will take some time since the Shattered Heaven is vast.”
“Just do your best,” Yang Kai nodded as there was nothing that could be done; after all, spreading messages across a vast Great Territory was not a task that could be done overnight.
“Please rest assured, Senior! We will do our best!” The man surnamed Wu cupped his fist.
Yang Kai nodded, but just as he was about to leave, he remembered something and immediately turned around again, “By the way, I’d like to ask about somebody.”
The man surnamed Wu probed, “Who is this person you’d like to inquire about, Senior?”
“Have you ever heard the name ‘Wu Kuang’ in the Shattered Heaven?”
As soon as Yang Kai’s question came out, the expressions of the man surnamed Wu and his Junior Sister became strange. The man surnamed Wu carefully asked, “Senior, are you acquainted with Wu Kuang?”
“I guess.”
The man surnamed Wu smiled wryly, “If it’s ‘that’ Wu Kuang you’re asking about, then he is very famous in the Shattered Heaven.”
After listening to their explanation, Yang Kai learned that Wu Kuang had made a name for himself in the Shattered Heaven over the past 1,000 years.
There was no helping it as the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was simply too overbearing and astonishing. Anyone who made an enemy of Wu Kuang was bound to die a miserable death, having all their strength devoured cleanly by him.
At the beginning, Wu Kuang was only in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so the people in the Shattered Heaven did not consider him a significant threat; however, he grew and developed very quickly. After advancing to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm 500 years ago, he became increasingly unscrupulous. Many cultivators in the Shattered Heaven suffered at his hands.
Even the people from Heavenly River Palace, Withering Flame Divine Palace, and Bright Sun Temple were no exception. For that reason, the three Great Divine Monarchs were livid. Withering Flame Divine Monarch Ku Yan even pursued him personally, but Wu Kuang actually managed to escape into the Shattered Ruins.
Withering Flame Divine Monarch searched for a full 100 years with no results. In the end, he angrily returned empty-handed.
It had been a long time since Wu Kuang last appeared, so there was no saying whether he was even alive or not. In any case, more than 200 years had passed since the last time he showed his face and was chased by Withering Flame Divine Monarch.
After listening to the explanation, Yang Kai had a strange expression on his face despite knowing that Wu Kuang would not live a quiet and peaceful life. When he brought Wu Kuang to the Shattered Heaven, he knew that the latter was bound to stir up a storm.
Nevertheless, he never imagined that Wu Kuang would be so reckless as to provoke the three Great Divine Monarchs.
Even so, most of the cultivators in the Shattered Heaven were criminals, so with Wu Kuang’s wicked personality and his Heaven Devouring Battle Law, he couldn’t show mercy in this place.
Of course, Wu Kuang was no fool, so he knew his limits. The disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises would often come to the Shattered Heaven for life experience and training, but even if Wu Kuang encountered them, he would not attack them. He knew that nothing would happen to him if he killed the local cultivators in the Shattered Heaven, but he was bound to suffer if he provoked the ire of the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
More than 1,000 years ago, Yang Kai fled from the Shattered Heaven and escaped into the Shattered Ruins when he was chased by Bright Sun Divine Monarch Cheng Yang. On the other hand, Wu Kuang was chased by Ku Yan and fled into the Shattered Ruins around 300 hundred years ago.
Their experiences were rather similar.
As for Wu Kuang’s absence for the past 200 years, the man surnamed Wu speculated that he had died. On the contrary, Yang Kai did not believe that speculation at all. As the saying went, ‘The good die young, but a scourge lasts 1,000 years’. By that logic, with how treacherous Wu Kuang was, he would probably live forever.
It was just that the Shattered Ruins was not a pleasant place. The Divine Ability Sea surrounding the outer layer of the Shattered Ruins was filled with various dangers, so Wu Kuang had most likely been trapped there.
As Yang Kai was thinking such thoughts, a Blood River surged and swept across the Barren Territory battlefield. The Blood River wrapped around a Feudal Lord, churning violently with an extremely corrosive nature.
Caught in the Blood River, even the Feudal Lord could not endure. It didn’t take more than a few breaths for his body to dissolve and Black Ink Strength to dissipate. The Blood River then fearlessly devoured and refined the body of the Feudal Lord, growing even stronger after receiving this nourishment.
On this battlefield, the only person who could cause such a scene was Blood Crow.
Together with Yang Kai during the great crusade, Blood Crow had used his Grand Evolution Immoral Blood Light Scripture to refine Black Ink Clansmen and obtained a great harvest as a result. After tasting such benefits, he had continued using this method to fight.
Although he suffered some drawbacks after refining Black Ink Clansmen, he would be safe as long as he consumed large amounts of the Purifying Black Ink Pill or used the Purifying Light in the Purifying Black Ink Battleships. Consequently, Blood Crow was the most frequent visitor to the Purifying Black Ink Battleships at Yin-Yang Pass.
Be that as it may, his growth was extremely remarkable. He could now be considered among the strongest Seventh-Order Masters alive. Even Feng Ying from back then could not compare with him. Combined with his brutal method of fighting the Black Ink Clan, even his comrades, who were part of the Human Race, couldn’t help feeling frightened of him.
Just as he was about to successfully refine the Feudal Lord though, a figure rushed over from the side and reached out a hand. A mysterious energy surged, forcefully stealing away most of the energy inside the Blood River.
Blood Crow was furious. Turning to the side, he roared, “Wu Kuang, can you be more shameless!?”
Wu Kuang snorted with laughter, “You’ve eaten too much. Be careful, or your belly might burst. This King is simply helping you out. There’s no need to thank me!”
Blood Crow was so furious that his face visibly twitched.
He originally thought that Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture was the evillest Secret Art in the world, until he encountered this person known as Wu Kuang on the Barren Territory battlefield.
Wu Kuang cultivated a Secret Technique known as the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. The effects of this Secret Technique were similar to Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture as they both refined foreign energy to enhance their strength.
However, the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture could only refine Blood Essence, while there was nothing the Heaven Devouring Battle Law could not refine. Forget the Blood Essence of the Black Ink Clan, even Black Ink Strength could be refined with the latter!
When Blood Crow first saw Wu Kuang directly refining Black Ink Strength, he was shocked to the core.
Black Ink Strength was extremely corruptive. Once touched by Black Ink Strength, it would stick to a person like maggots on rotting bones. If the Human Race did not have Purifying Light and Purifying Black Ink Pills, there would not have been a crusade in the first place. They would also have suffered a crushing defeat by the Black Ink Clan during the battle outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction without these two methods.
Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could prevent Black Ink Strength from corrupting them to a degree, but Wu Kuang could just rush straight into the dense Black Ink Clouds to refine them.
What shocked Blood Crow even more was that the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was said to be a Secret Art created by Wu Kuang himself! This kind of genius was simply awe-inspiring!
If that were all, Blood Crow would have been scrambling over his feet to become close acquaintances with Wu Kuang to exchange their experiences in refining and devouring. They might even have become close friends. However, Wu Kuang constantly snatched the benefits that were just about to fall into his hands. Such actions infuriated Blood Crow and made him hate Wu Kuang.
There was nothing he could do though since his Secret Art was inferior. He could only resign himself to his fate or curse at Wu Kuang even though his prey had been stolen as he couldn’t do anything more to Wu Kuang.
Thanks to the powerful devouring nature of their respective Secret Arts, these two were considered apex Seventh-Order Masters. They also made a name for themselves on the Barren Territory battlefield, standing out from even the top Seventh-Order Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
However, Blood Crow had enough self-awareness to know there could only be one outcome to a duel between the two of them.
He would be completely devoured by Wu Kuang and turned into nothing but a pile of bones!
When it came to devouring energy, the Grand Evolution Immoral Blood Light Scripture paled in comparison to the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
At the moment, both Wu Kuang and Blood Crow were under the jurisdiction of the Great Evolution Army. They served as Division Commander Feng Ying’s right-hand men!
Wu Kuang’s appearance in Barren Territory was the result of a series of coincidences. A while back, he had offended one of Ku Yan’s men and Withering Flame Divine Monarch personally came forward to kill him. Wu Kuang had no choice but to flee into the Shattered Ruins in the hopes that the dangers there would help him escape Ku Yan’s pursuit.
Wu Kuang was an intelligent fellow, so it was not surprising he could think up the same strategy that Yang Kai once used.
Wu Kuang broke into the Shattered Ruins and was caught in the Divine Ability Sea, but he was actually more fortunate than Yang Kai.
Yang Kai deduced that no one heard anything from Wu Kuang for 200 years because he was stranded inside the Divine Ability Sea, but in reality, Wu Kuang managed to get out of that place after just one year; furthermore, he even stumbled into the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land by chance.
He had no clue he was in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land and assumed that he had fallen into an unknown Sealed World. Just as he was searching for opportunities, he chanced upon a golden rooster.
That golden rooster was innocent and naive. He had apparently lived much of his life in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land and was unfamiliar with the sinister side of Humans’. In fact, he even excitedly approached Wu Kuang, an unfamiliar face.
Wu Kuang, a lawless person through and through, immediately started getting ideas when he noticed that the golden rooster seemed to possess a Divine Spirit Bloodline but was still just a fledgling.
While he had devoured all kinds of beings in his life, Wu Kuang had not tasted a Divine Spirit with power equivalent to a Master in the Open Heaven Realm before. There was a high chance that his power would soar to greater heights if he could consume this rooster.
With this mind made up, Wu Kuang decided to act immediately. He used his Heaven Devouring Battle Law to try and devour the golden rooster, but just as he made his move, a much bigger golden rooster appeared.
Wu Kuang finally realised that an older golden rooster had followed the little one, and the older one’s strength was akin to a peak Eighth-Order Open Heaven Master!
Once again, Wu Kuang cut a sorry figure as he fled. In fact, he would likely have met a disastrous end if the commotion had not drawn the attention of Shan Qing Luo, who was cultivating nearby.
The two were shocked to see each other as neither expected to run into an acquaintance from the outside world in this place.
Shan Qing Luo acted as a mediator and Wu Kuang was able to set aside his pride and sincerely apologise. After finding out that Wu Kuang was an old acquaintance of Yang Kai, and since Great General had not actually been harmed, Mie Meng decided to let Wu Kuang off the hook just this once. Thus, things were settled just like that.
However, Mie Meng did give Wu Kuang a harsh warning. She would not show any mercy if he ever tried to approach her child again.
Naturally, Wu Kuang gave his word, for what that was worth…
After talking to Shan Qing Luo, Wu Kuang finally realised that he had ended up in Divine Spirit Ancestral Land. Shan Qing Luo was not the only one here either. Su Yan, Zhu Qing, and all the others from Void Land who had Divine Spirit Sources and Bloodlines were all cultivating here and had been for several hundred years.
Ordinary Humans were not allowed to remain in Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, so Shan Qing Luo reached out to Su Yan and the others. They were all discussing sending Wu Kuang away when the Black Ink Clan captured the No-Return Pass and the war erupted in the Barren Territory.
The Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan sent word for the Divine Spirits in Ancestral Land to come to their aid in the Barren Territory.
When the Divine Spirits received this message, they rushed to the No-Return Pass at once with the Four Phoenix Pavilion and Kun Clan at the helm. Wu Kuang decided to tag along to witness the excitement.
For the time being, he dared not return to the Shattered Heaven, so he figured he might as well join the fun on the Barren Territory battlefield.
Due to their connection with Yang Kai, the others apart from the Divine Spirits from the Ancestral Land, such as Su Yan, Shan Qing Luo, Liu Yan, Jiu Feng, and the others from the Star Boundary were all taken into the Great Evolution Army under the command of Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao.
Once the group arrived at the Barren Territory battlefield, Wu Kuang took to the place like a duck to water. He could unleash his Heaven Devouring Battle Law here to the fullest without anyone condemning him, allowing his cultivation to rise rapidly.
He felt as if he had been born for battlefields such as this. Black Ink Strength, something that all Humans feared and reviled, was actually the greatest supplement he could obtain.
In this place, Wu Kuang developed a kind of kinship with Blood Crow, who cultivated the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture. He took good care of the latter, so much so that anyone who saw his actions would be moved by him, in a good way, of course.
…..
Of course, Yang Kai knew nothing of Wu Kuang’s eventful escapades. After giving his instructions to the Senior Brother and Junior Sister of Heavenly River Palace, he passed them a large number of Purifying Black Ink Pills and informed them that anyone who was corrupted by Black Ink Strength but had not turned into a Black Ink Disciple yet could consume this pill to drive the Black Ink Strength out of their body.
The woman had experienced this herself and so greatly valued these pills. She accepted them with a grateful heart before both she and her Senior Brother vowed that they would do as Yang Kai requested and ensure that his instructions were carried out to the letter.
It was only then that Yang Kai took his leave.
“Are you not heading to Barren Territory?” Ji Lao San quickly asked when he noticed that Yang Kai seemed to be heading in the wrong direction.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Something’s happened in the Shattered Heaven. Black Ink Disciples have shown up here, so I need to investigate their movements and check where they came from. I will have to trouble you with something though, Brother Ji.”
“Do tell.”
“Make a trip to Barren Territory and tell them that Black Ink Disciples have appeared in the Shattered Heaven. Also, please ask the Old Ancestors there if a Royal Lord has used the Royal Lord Secret Technique to corrupt some Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. If that’s indeed the case, then I’m afraid a portal from the Barren Territory to the Shattered Heaven has somehow been opened. The Old Ancestors must locate the point of connection and find a way to block the linkage. The Phoenix Clan’s Leader should be able to take care of it!”
Ji Lao San was fully aware of the severity of this request, so he immediately nodded and agreed, “I understand. I’ll leave for the Barren Territory right now.”
“Also, tell them to send some people over to the Shattered Heaven to guard the Territory Gates.”
Since there were Black Ink Disciples in the Shattered Heaven, if the Humans did not seal off this place at once, it was likely that the threat of the Black Ink Clan would soon spread to the other Great Territories.
The situation would still be manageable if the Black Ink Clan remained contained within the Shattered Heaven, but it would be impossible to control the threat if too many Great Territories were infected by Black Ink Strength.
Yang Kai would have personally gone over the seal off the Territory Gate to the Shattered Heaven if he had not been in a rush to pursue the two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples.
Ji Lao San swiftly sprinted for the Barren Territory’s Territory Gate while Yang Kai rushed towards the Shattered Ruins.
According to what the Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple said, he ran into the two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples by chance and they corrupted him with Black Ink Strength. After doing so, they did not tell him to do anything else other than to corrupt other Humans with Black Ink Strength.
From the looks of it, they had no specific motive for doing so and had merely done it because the opportunity presented itself to them.
It was likely that there were others in the Shattered Heaven who were in the same situation as that Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple, but it would be hard to pinpoint them if these Black Ink Disciples did not expose themselves.
If things were exactly as Yang Kai guessed, then it was very likely that another portal had opened between the Barren Territory and the Shattered Heaven.
However, the situation in the Shattered Heaven was still fairly stable, which meant that if a new portal existed, it was probably highly unstable. Or else, the Black Ink Clan Army would have flooded through the portal and laid siege to the Humans instead of merely sending two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples over.
They sent Black Ink Disciples because it was easier for them to move about unnoticed since they were Humans. If the Black Ink Clan showed up instead, everyone would easily recognise them for who they were. How could they possibly engage in subterfuge if everyone targeted them everywhere they went?
Yang Kai did not know what the situation was truly like right now, so all of this was just his deductions.
He was even more curious to find out about the purpose behind the appearance of the two Black Ink Disciples.
Although they were heading towards the Shattered Ruins, there was very little chance that they were aiming to get to the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land. There was nothing of value to them there.
However, a thought flashed across Yang Kai’s mind and his expression turned grim at once.
He finally realised what he had been forgetting all along.
[Divine Spirit Ancestral Land! Black Ink Sealing Land! That Black Ink Giant Spirit God!]
Yang Kai would not have given it much thought if it had not been for the precedent set by the Black Ink Giant Spirit God which appeared on the Late Ancient Era battlefield.
That Black Ink Giant Spirit God from the Late Ancient Era battlefield had clearly already died, though his body remained indestructible and even retained the Will to slaughter his enemies. However, the Black Ink Clan used some sort of method to bring it back to life. As a result, outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the two Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods attacked the Human Race Army from both sides and caused their defeat.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Lane had been dead for many years, but its body remained.
Since the Black Ink Clan could awaken a dead Black Ink Giant Spirit God from the Late Ancient Era battlefield, why would they not awaken the one in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land?
If the two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples had come with that goal in mind, there was only one possibility!
They wanted to reawaken the Black Ink Giant Spirit God at Divine Spirit Ancestral Land!
Yang Kai felt goosebumps all over his scalp.
A Giant Spirit God was too powerful of an existence. Even if over a dozen Old Ancestors joined forces, they might still fail to lay a finger on a Giant Spirit God.
Although the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods were created by Mo, they were essentially on par with true Giant Spirit Gods. Just their massive size was enough to easily unleash Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering power.
Had Mo reached the realm of being able to create living beings? The fabled Creation Realm!?
If the Black Ink Clan had the power to awaken and unleash the Black Ink Giant Spirit God in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, the Humans were done for.
No one but a Giant Spirit God could stop a Black Ink Giant Spirit God!
After thinking this through, Yang Kai became frantic and desperately urged his Space Principles, moving with all speed towards the Shattered Ruins.
In half a month, he arrived on the outskirts of the Divine Ability Sea. It looked just the same as the last time he came here, as if the passing of time meant nothing in this place.
The situation at this Divine Ability Sea was similar to the Late Ancient Era battlefield, but the one there had been left after a great battle, whereas the one here was specifically created by Humans.
The last time Yang Kai was here, he did not understand why there was the Divine Ability Sea here until he saw the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
The Divine Ability Sea was a barrier against the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, acting like a cage to keep it imprisoned.
However, the Ancestral Strength of the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land was able to suppress Black Ink Strength, and the Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress of that generation used the Sacred Treasures of 16 Divine Spirit Clans to forge an immense Sealing Array. After countless aeons, the Ancestral Strength had worn away all of that Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s power, leaving nothing but an empty shell behind.
This was the reason why Yang Kai did not consider this possibility until now.
He secretly hoped that the two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples’ motives were not as he deduced as he dove straight into the Divine Ability Sea.
He was only a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master the last time he came here, so he and Xia Lin Lang went through great pains before they stumbled into the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land.
Now that he was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai was over 100 times stronger than he was back then, so he simply forged ahead boldly.
The Divine Ability Sea had been left behind innumerable years ago and its power had weakened during that period. The main reason why Yang Kai managed to take Xia Lin Lang through the Divine Ability Sea when he was just a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, other than his mastery over the Dao of Space, was this weakening.
He had to tread carefully then, but he did not need to do so now after he had gotten stronger and improved his mastery of the Dao of Space.
As Yang Kai was in a hurry, he could not spare the time to worry about much else. He dashed straight through and triggered countless barriers and restrictions. Divine Abilities situated throughout the area all activated and chased him down as he flitted through the void, making it look as if he had a tail made of rainbow-coloured lights behind him.
He did encounter a few setbacks, but they did not affect him much.
Within the short span of 10 days or so, Yang Kai managed to make his way through the Divine Ability Sea and step foot onto Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, albeit with a bruised and battered body.
This was a truly ancient place and was also the origin of all Divine Spirits. It was said that back in the earliest days, a myriad of Divine Spirits lived and flourished here; however, over time, the conflict between the various Divine Spirits grew until it culminated in a dreadful war.
The place of origin of the Divine Spirits had fragmented in the destruction and the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land of today was merely the largest piece that remained.
Even so, it was still the Divine Spirits’ most important Holy Land. Although Ancestral Strength could cause great harm to those who did not have a Divine Spirit Bloodline, it was a great help to those who did. By using Ancestral Strength, Divine Spirits could significantly shorten the time it took for them to cultivate and grow.
The last time Yang Kai came here, the Ancestral Strength had become thin and sparse, which was why the Divine Spirits, under the leadership of the Kun Clan, were all eager to open up the Black Ink Sealing Land as the Ancestral Strength was thick and abundant there.
Now that Yang Kai was here in this Ancestral Land again, he immediately sensed that the Ancestral Strength was a lot more plentiful than it had been before. While there were dangers that came with opening the Black Ink Sealing Land, the Divine Spirits did benefit from the Ancestral Strength that flowed out from the Black Ink Sealing Land.
However, Yang Kai was in no mood to ponder the changes in the Ancestral Strength density right now. As soon as he arrived, a fierce battle that was happening a great distance away instantly caught his attention.
He looked over and saw two flashes of light, one black and one white, tangled up together in the void. The Ancestral Land in its entirety rumbled and quaked each time the two flashes of light came into contact, which made it obvious that two Masters were engaged in battle.
Now and then, shrill, sorrowful bird cries pierced through the air.
Yang Kai’s expression hardened. He cursed under his breath at how fast the enemy had arrived. Even though he rushed over as quickly as he could, he still failed to arrive in time.
By now, he was more than clear that his earlier deductions were accurate. The two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were after the Black Ink Giant Spirit God inside the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, planning on reawakening it!
The fight that was happening in the distance was between Hong Hu of Four Phoenix Pavilion and one of the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, though Yang Kai did not know which one.
Yang Kai swiftly concealed his aura and raced over.
Halfway there, he spotted a large group of Divine Spirits in various states fleeing in his direction. The one in the lead was a golden rooster that was about as tall as a building. He held his head up high with its chest puffed out even though he was clearly trying to make an escape.
This golden rooster looked a little familiar to Yang Kai, and when they got closer, he quickly showed himself and called out, “Ruler of the Dawn Great General?”
The golden rooster froze briefly when he saw Yang Kai, but surprise soon took over as he flapped his wings and came over at once. With a flicker of Divine Sense, he communicated to Yang Kai, “What are you doing here?”
Neither one of them could have predicted that they would meet again under such circumstances.
There was no time to catch up however, so Yang Kai quickly explained, “I’m here because I’m chasing after the two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. Is Senior Hong Hu holding them back? Where’s the other Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple?”
Ruler of the Dawn Great General’s tone was a little bitter, “You’re too late. The two Black Ink Disciples infiltrated this place and snuck up on Senior Kun Ao, who was standing guard here, leaving him gravely injured. Then, one of them stayed here to stop Senior Hong Hu while the other went into the Demon Sealing Land. I don’t know what he’s trying to do there.”
Yang Kai’s heart sank. He saw Hong Hu battling against an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple and assumed that the situation was not quite so dire yet, but unexpectedly, things had already reached the worst-case scenario.
Ruler of the Dawn Great General hurriedly explained the current situation, “A fierce battle has broken out in the Barren Territory, and most of the Divine Spirits have gone to help. Senior Hong Hu and Kun Ao stayed behind to take care of us young ones, but now we can’t even tell if Senior Kun Ao will survive his wounds. I’m leading the young ones as far away as possible to hide. Come with us.”
Although he was huge in size, Great General was still considered a child when viewed in the light of the Divine Spirits’ prolonged growth period. It was the same with the other Divine Spirits behind him. Yang Kai could sense that even the strongest among them was only equal to a Fifth-Order Human Master, incapable of helping much on the battlefield. This was why they had been left behind under the care of Hong Hu and Kun Ao.
This way, even if some of the Divine Spirits who went to aid the Humans in the Barren Territory were sacrificed, their bloodlines would continue.
However, no one expected two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples to quietly sneak into the Ancestral Land and heavily injure Kun Ao by catching him off-guard. Hong Hu noticed the commotion and rushed over to stop them, but it was already too late.
One of the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples stayed behind to hold Hong Hu back while the other seized the chance to infiltrate the Demon Sealing Land.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I came here to deal with the two Black Ink Disciples. Hurry up and leave, all of you. The other Black Ink Disciple probably intends to awaken the Black Ink Giant Spirit God inside the Demon Sealing Land. The Ancestral Land isn’t safe anymore. You must leave here at once!”
The young Divine Spirits were all panicking, but one of the braver ones declared, “Ruler of the Dawn, let’s turn back and fight back with all we’ve got! Our parents aren’t here and Senior Hong Hu can’t fight alone. We should be defending our home!”
Ruler of the Dawn was young, but he lived among the Humans for a while and was thus a lot more mature than the others, so he swiftly turned around and snapped, “How are you going to fight them? We’re all too weak! We’d just get in the way before dying pointlessly! Do you want your parents to come back to find that even your corpse no longer exists? You’re all leaving with me!”
The young Divine Spirit dared not say anything in rebuttal after being rebuked as Ruler of the Dawn seemed to have some prestige among the little ones.
Initially, Ruler of the Dawn only wanted to lead the young ones away from the battlefield and find someplace further away to hide, but after hearing what Yang Kai said, he knew that they could not stay in Ancestral Land any longer. The Ancestral Land would most likely be destroyed the moment the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple awakened the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
Thus, he instantly made the decision to lead the young ones away out of Ancestral Land.
Fortunately, there was the safe passage that he and his Mother took to return to the Ancestral Land back then and he could still remember the way; otherwise, they would all be doomed if they had to break through the Divine Ability Sea like Yang Kai had earlier.
“Yang Kai, hurry up and help Senior Hong Hu,” Ruler of the Dawn quickly said.
Yang Kai nodded, “Be extremely careful, all of you. Once you’ve left the Ancestral Land, don’t stop for anything. Do you still remember Seven Wonders Land?”
Back then, Yang Kai had gotten to know Ruler of the Dawn Great General in Seven Wonders Land, so it was unlikely for him to have forgotten about it, and indeed he nodded right away.
“Head to Seven Wonders Land and look for Bi Xi. Get that old man to protect all of you.”
A large group of young Divine Spirits was far too eye-catching, and things could quickly turn dangerous if those with ulterior motives set their sights on these fledglings. It would be best for them to head to Seven Wonders Land, which was now known as Void Land, and sought protection from Bi Xi.
Yang Kai could have also kept them inside his Small Universe, but he was on a dangerous mission right now and did not know whether he could make it out alive. If he died here, then these young Divine Spirits would all die with him.
The young Divine Spirits were the ones who would carry on their bloodlines, so he dared not take such a risk.
“Go!” Yang Kai said firmly.
“You be careful too!” Ruler of the Dawn called out before fleeing once more with the group of young Divine Spirits.
Yang Kai glanced at the fight between the black and white flashes of light in the sky and breathed out. He decided against hiding his aura again and instead summoned his Azure Dragon Spear and charged into the sky.
At first, only the alarming light of the spear appeared, but a plethora of Dao Strengths soon joined the mix. The imposing aura grew stronger until the earth shook, the sky dimmed, and the wind and clouds whipped around.
As for the two that were fighting on the battlefield, Hong Hu was distraught as what happened today had been far too unexpected. Two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples had managed to sneak into the Ancestral Land without anyone noticing them and had gravely injured Kun Ao who had been standing guard. Even though she managed to hold off one of them, the other had already entered the Demon Sealing Land.
She did not know what their motives were and did not have any idea where these two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples came from; thus, she could not stop herself from viewing the situation pessimistically. Had the Barren Territory battlefield been breached as well? Were all her friends dead? Was an enemy invasion on the way?
Still, she was a mature Divine Spirit. Although she did not rank highly among the Divine Spirits, she had a Phoenix Clan Bloodline, so an ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was no match for her.
That being said, her opponent was fighting with reckless abandon, as if he did not care if he died here today, so there was no way Hong Hu could defeat him quickly.
Just as the two clashed, they both detected the appearance of a terrifying Spear Intent, and soon, a flash of piercing aura came from afar and locked onto the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple.
Hong Hu was gleefully surprised, while the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s expression darkened.
He never thought that an Eighth-Order Master would come over to render aid at a time like this. Furthermore… he was familiar with the newcomer’s aura!
The Black Ink Disciple kept trying to use his Secret Techniques to break off the aura that was locked onto him, but his opponent seemed to have seen this coming and kept increasing the force behind his aura, preventing him from breaking free.
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple chuckled bitterly, as if he could tell what his fate would be, “That brat… has actually become an Eighth-Order Master already!”
He could tell who it was from the person’s aura, but he never thought the Brat they all thought had died back then would still be alive. Not only was he still alive, but he even possessed an Eighth-Order cultivation!
Knowing that he would not be leaving this place alive, the Black Ink Disciple gave up any attempt to defend himself and instead channelled all of his power into attacking Hong Hu instead. He wanted to take Hong Hu down with him.
Hong Hu was immediately overwhelmed by a series of relentless attacks, but as she was more powerful than her opponent, she managed to control the situation, even if just barely.
Meanwhile, spear and Master merged into one. As Yang Kai’s Dao Strengths continued to intertwine, his expression turned sorrowful and his eyes turned a little red; however, he resisted the reluctance in his heart and thrust out with all of his power.
At this very moment, he could not help but recall the words he had lectured Jiu Yan with back when they were outside the Universe Temple.
On that battlefield, countless soldiers had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength and ended up serving the Black Ink Clan as they fought against those who were once their Fellow Brothers!
‘How would you ever know the agony and helplessness of having to kill those who were once your closest allies?’
Back then, Yang Kai was only trying to reprimand Jiu Yan with those words. He never imagined that they would be so prophetic!
Despite being part of the Black Ink Battlefield for so many years, Yang Kai had actually killed very few Black Ink Disciples.
Since he could use Purifying Light, he would save any Black Ink Disciples he encountered whenever possible.
Shen Ao, Ning Qi Zhi, and Qi Tai Chu were just some of the ones he saved; however, after years of crusades, out of those three Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters that he saved, Shen Ao was the only one left. Ning Qi Zhi and Qi Tai Chu had both fallen in battle.
Sacrificing their lives in battle was an honourable death for both of them, though it did not make their passing any less sad.
Yang Kai never thought that there would come a time when he would have to do just as he said to Jiu Yan and kill someone who once fought alongside him in battle, and an Elder who took great care of him at that!
He did not have any Yellow or Blue Crystals left with him and thus could not use Purifying Light, but even if he could, he did not have the chance to do so.
After all, Yang Kai’s opponent was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with formidable strength and was fully aware of Purifying Light. After being corrupted by Black Ink Strength, Yang Kai knew his opponent would fight to the bitter end and never give him a chance to purify him.
Perhaps there might have been hope under different circumstances, but this situation was critical and Yang Kai had to end the fight as swiftly as possible so that he could head over to the Black Ink Sealing Land to stop the other Black Ink Disciple!
Yang Kai’s silhouette turned into a ray of light as his Dao Strengths combined. The dominance of his spear today surpassed every other attack he had ever launched as all of the Ancestral Land’s Principles resonated with him.
“Please go on ahead, Elder Lu!”
Yang Kai bellowed with great agony. His voice echoed all around as the pain and sorrow in it almost seemed as if it was dripping with blood.
“Magnificent!” Lu An, who was still relentlessly battling Hong Hu, roared with laughter. He did not show any signs of fearing death. His hands kept moving as he sent out several of Yin-Yang Heaven’s profound Secret Techniques. He turned a piece of the sky into the powers of Yin and Yang, which acted like a pair of scissors that launched ferociously cut towards Hong Hu.
Before he died, he wanted to drag Hong Hu down with him to make it easier for his partner.
Hong Hu cried out and a dazzling white light appeared to protect her. The strength of a Divine Spirit was unleashed to its fullest as she was forced to assume her True Form, a flawless phoenix-like creature.
Even though she was more powerful than Lu An, she dared not underestimate him as he was literally fighting with his life on the line, forcing her into a defensive posture.
The powers of Yin and Yang cut through the void and the light which had been protecting Hong Hu’s body was sheared apart. As feathers scattered in the air, Hong Hu gasped in pain as her blood splattered across the sky.
However, she at least managed to avoid suffering a fatal blow.
Just as Hong Hu was injured, the light of a spear brushed past Lu An.
It was as if the black and white in the sky were disarmed with a binding technique as they immediately froze, their intense fight coming to an abrupt halt.
Yang Kai had his back towards the Elder, tears streaming down his cheeks. His veins bulged out of his arm as he tightened his grip around his spear.
“Damn!” Lu An lamentingly sighed, “I’ve fought on the Black Ink Battlefield for more than 6,000 years. I’m old now, but it seems I can’t even maintain my dignity in my final moments. I’m too embarrassed to face the Ancestors of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”
At last, Yang Kai slowly turned around and bowed deeply to Lu An.
He heard someone mentioning that when Mi Jing Lun took back Great Evolution Pass, he instructed the Black Ink Clan to leave behind all Black Ink Disciples who were below the Seventh Order. They could not be saved as they had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength for too long and relied on it to break through their innate restrictions.
Even Xiang Shan did not know what to do with those Black Ink Disciples, so in the end, they had to report the matter up to Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao did not hesitate at all, and with a single blow, all the Black Ink Disciples received a fatal injury.
However, just before their deaths, they seemed to return to their old selves for a moment, freed at last.
Lu An’s behaviour was evidently a sign that he had regained his former self; after all, he had not been under the corruption of Black Ink Strength for long and was originally an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. His situation was a lot better than that of those Black Ink Disciples back then.
“This Junior still remembers everything that you have taught and will never forget the words you have spoken. This Junior now sends you off, Elder!” Yang Kai softly declared in grief.
Lu An was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven who took great care of Yang Kai when he first entered Blue Sky Pass as he partly counted as someone from Yin-Yang Heaven.
At that time, Yang Kai still possessed a World Spring, one of the Four Universe Pillars, and the superiors of Blue Sky Pass naturally discussed extracting it to give to an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master instead.
The Four Universe Pillars were far too important for the Human Race as they could be used to resist Black Ink Strength. The best use for such a tool was in the hands of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
During that discussion, an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master by the name of Tian Xiu Zhu strongly petitioned to take the World Spring away from Yang Kai and grant it to Lu An, who could be considered Yang Kai’s Elder. Lu An naturally tried to decline, and as the discussion progressed, the situation was eventually resolved.
However, after Yang Kai and Dawn Squad were reassigned to the Great Evolution Army, he never got to meet Lu An again.
Yang Kai never thought they would meet again under these circumstances, and that he would be forced to kill Lu An.
After hearing Yang Kai’s words, Lu An nodded and hurriedly said, “Ye Ming of Azure Nether Paradise is carrying one of Mo’s Soul Clones and intends to use it to awaken the Black Ink Giant Spirit God here. Mo created this Soul Clone before being sealed up. You have to stop Ye Ming!”
Yang Kai’s expression turned grim, “One of Mo’s Soul Clones?”
“Every Black Ink Giant Spirit God can be considered one of Mo’s Soul Clones. As its body is essentially indestructible, it can be awakened with Mo’s Soul Clone. A secondary passage between the Barren Territory and the Shattered Heaven has opened, but it’s highly unstable. If the Giant Spirit God is awakened here and joins forces with the Black Ink Clan in the Barren Territory though, they can permanently open that passage!”
Lu An’s expression faltered once he finished speaking and muttered, “Seems my time’s up…”
As soon as he said those words, his eyes drooped and his body fell limp.
Yang Kai’s spear had destroyed his vitality, but through sheer force of Will, Lu An held on just a little longer to relay this information.
Yang Kai’s heart was pounding wildly after hearing what Lu An had to say while all the colour drained out of Hong Hu’s face as well.
Everyone thought that Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods were simply powerful servants that Mo had created, but Lu An now informed them that the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods were actually Mo’s Soul Clones!
Mo’s true body was sealed up inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and could not escape, but it seemed it was still possible for Mo to send out its Soul Clones.
This meant that the Black Ink Giant Spirit God that came out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction back then had been one of Mo’s Soul Clones as well.
This explained why the Black Ink Giant Spirit God in the Late Ancient Era battlefield could still come back to life after being dead for so many years.
Mo must have sent out more than one Soul Clone without anyone noticing, and one of them had entered the body of the Black Ink Giant Spirit God on the Late Ancient Era battlefield. After being revived, that Black Ink Giant Spirit God snuck up on the Humans from behind and the crusade failed, falling short at the last moment.
Another Soul Clone had been brought to this place by Lu An and Azure Nether Paradise’s Ye Ming.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s body was indestructible, so as long as it had Mo’s Soul Clone, it could come back to life.
Yang Kai also found it tough to swallow the news that there was indeed a second passage between the Barren Territory and the Shattered Heaven. Although he had guessed at such a possibility earlier, it was only a guess, and he held onto the hope that he was wrong.
Now, all his hopes were dashed.
Thankfully, Lu An said that the passage was highly unstable and needed the Black Ink Giant Spirit God from the Demon Sealing Land to join forces with the one in the Barren Territory to open it permanently.
There was still a chance to turn things around if he could stop the Black Ink Giant Spirit God from awakening.
At last, Yang Kai finally understood why the Black Ink Clan did not send an Army but just a couple of Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples instead.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to send their Army, but rather that they couldn’t. Sending two Black Ink Disciples to revive the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was the best option available. As long as they succeeded, no one could stop the Black Ink Clan from carrying out their plan unless several Ninth-Order Old Ancestors came over to deal with the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
But, could several Old Ancestors come over?
The answer would definitely be a no. The Barren Territory battle was already a worrying situation with the Humans at a disadvantage; thus, none of the Ninth-Order Masters could leave easily.
All sorts of thoughts raced through Yang Kai’s mind as he rushed towards the Black Ink Sealing Land. Hong Hu could not waste time tending to her injuries either as she followed closely behind.
The Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan had partitioned the Black Ink Sealing Land with an unbreakable barrier, but that seal had been lifted back then. Now, the entrance to the Demon Sealing Land was just a large portal that Ancestral Strength continued to flow out of.
Yang Kai and Hong Hu dashed through the portal and arrived inside Demon Sealing Land, but their hearts dropped as soon as they saw what was going on inside!
Black Ink Strength from the Black Ink Giant Spirit God at the centre of the sealed land was surging, seeming to congealing around its body while an imposing aura was swiftly recovering.
They were too late!
Apparently, it was far easier than anyone expected to revive a Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
Ye Ming of Azure Nether Paradise had not been inside for long, at most half a day, but all he seemingly had to do was plant Mo’s Soul Clone inside the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
Yang Kai did not know who Ye Ming was, but he spotted him right away.
Ye Ming was lying on top of a hill, his aura completely dried up, like there wasn’t a drop of vitality left in him. He was barely more than a bag of bones and his breath was failing. It was clear that he would soon die.
He, an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, now looked like an ordinary mortal who had never cultivated before.
Upon noticing Yang Kai and Hong Hu’s arrival, Ye Ming mustered the strength to glance at them and eke out a bitter smile.
Lu An had only told Yang Kai that Ye Ming had one of Mo’s Soul Clone with him and wanted to reawaken the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, but even Lu An did not know that an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would have to pay a heavy price to carry one of Mo’s Soul Clones with him.
Ye Ming’s current state was the price he had to pay.
Mo was a Supreme Master, formed from the Primordial Darkness alongside the Primordial Light at the beginning of the Universe. Mo far exceeded the Open Heaven Realm as Humans knew it, while even the powerful Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods could only count as Mo’s Soul Clones.
Even a mere Soul Clone of such a being was not something that just anyone could hold onto.
Even if a Ninth-Order Old Ancestor carried it, it would still severely damage their foundation within a short time.
An Eighth-Order Master like Ye Ming would have to pay with his life.
Knowing that Ye Ming was about to die, Yang Kai simply sighed. He knew Lu An well, but was forced to kill him himself. Thus, he was deeply sorrowful over that; however, he was not acquainted with Ye Ming. Also, after so many years of battles and witnessing death countless times on the battlefield, while Yang Kai felt pity at the imminent death of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it was simply that.
Staring at the Black Ink Giant Spirit God whose aura continued to rise, Yang Kai gripped his spear tightly, “Leave first, Senior Hong Hu.”
Hong Hu turned to him, “What about you?”
“Someone has to deal with this,” Yang Kai replied.
“Can you deal with it?”
To such a question, Yang Kai could only grimly shake his head.