Wang Xuan Yi and the others had already returned, but the shockwaves of people fighting could still be felt coming from the void and auras were dissipating one after another. Yang Qing and the others looked up, and the next thing they saw left them completely dumbfounded, the Black Ink Clan Army surrounding Swallowing Seas Sect was fleeing like stray dogs.
Furthermore, bright suns and crescent moons also appeared frequently.
[What’s going on?]
Yang Qing and the others were confused and wanted to ask, but Wang Xuan Yi and the others were currently healing. It would be improper to disturb them, so they could only wait quietly.
At first, the battle in the void was quite intense, but it gradually calmed down.
After an hour or two, everything went still and they did not feel or hear anything more.
The Black Ink Strength spread out after the deaths of the Black Ink Clansmen had filled the void outside Swallowing Seas Sect and nothing could be seen through it, not the shining stars or the moon, nothing at all. The Black Ink Strength had isolated everything, causing the entire Swallowing Seas Sect to become extremely dim.
Swallowing Seas Sect’s Sixth-Order Masters were a little perturbed; after all, they had no idea what the current situation was.
At this moment, Wang Xuan Yi opened his eyes. Although he hadn’t fully healed, he could be considered to have recovered enough to move. He stood up and got straight to the point, “A Master is helping us.”
Yang Qing and the others were shocked. Wang Xuan Yi was already in the Seventh Order, so how strong was this ‘Master’ he spoke of?
Still, he now understood why Wang Xuan Yi and the others had been able to kill the Feudal Lords so easily. It was because someone was secretly assisting them.
Wang Xuan Yi bowed towards the void, “Mo Sha Army’s Wang Xuan Yi thanks Senior for your assistance. Could you please grace us with your presence?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the space in front of him suddenly distorted as a figure appeared out of thin air.
Yang Qing and the others were all appalled as their Sect Defending Array was still active. No one could enter their Sect without his permission, but this person had come in, ignoring the isolation of the Sect Defending Array entirely. Furthermore, no one, not even he sensed any abnormal reaction from the Sect Defending Array.
In other words, their Sect Defending Array was no different from air to this person.
What was even more surprising was that this man looked extremely young.
Although it was hard to judge a cultivator’s age from his or her appearance alone when their cultivation was profound, time still left its marks over a long period of cultivation.
As such, it was possible to roughly judge a cultivator’s age from the air around them.
When this man appeared before them, everyone could tell that he was truly young; no one present here felt that he was older than them!
The one who had come was naturally none other than Yang Kai. He wasn’t trying to act mysterious, he just wanted to observe the battle between the Small Stone Race Army and the Black Ink Clan Army without his direct interference.
When Yang Kai arrived from Profound Abundant Sect’s side, he happened to see Wang Xuan Yi’s Squad’s Warship being destroyed. Immediately after, their 13 members quickly assumed a Formation that took the shape of a giant sword. Yang Kai quietly assisted them in killing the Feudal Lords while setting up a perimeter around the Black Ink Clan Army.
If he wanted, he could have easily wiped out the Black Ink Army himself. Be that as it may, since he had brought the Small Stone Race Army from the Chaotic Dead Territory, Yang Kai wanted to test their strength.
As such, he pulled out two armies of Great Sun and Great Moon Small Stone Race, about 100,000 each.
The Small Stone Race’s intelligence was far too low, only knowing how to act according to their instincts. Even 1,000-metre-tall Small Stone Race members that were comparable to Eighth-Order Masters were no exception. If he could not find a way to control them, their usefulness would be greatly reduced, and this experiment greatly disappointed Yang Kai!
Unless he activated his Great Sun and Great Moon Marks, he was basically unable to command these Small Stone Race members.
Against the Black Ink Clan, they would simply charge at them and randomly attack, without any form of tactics or strategy.
The only advantage was that the Small Stone Race’s senses were extremely sharp when it came to Black Ink Strength, almost treating those that possessed it as mortal enemies.
Yang Kai suspected that their brains were only the size of a green bean, otherwise, how could they be so stupid?
What further rendered Yang Kai speechless was that, after killing the 50,000 or so Black Ink Clansmen, the two Small Stone Race armies began to fight amongst themselves, sending rocks flying in all directions!
He quickly activated his Great Sun and Great Moon Marks to collect what was left of them.
The reason why they were like this was because of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s energy. The energies of these two Supreme Masters inherently opposed each other; as a result, the Great Sun and Great Moon Small Stone Race viewed each other as enemies.
After this, Yang Kai secretly decided that next time he would not release the Great Sun Small Stone Race and Great Moon Small Stone Race together.
As soon as Wang Xuan Yi requested to meet him, Yang Kai appeared. As for the Sect Defending Array of Swallowing Seas Sect… with Yang Kai’s current Mastery of the Dao of Space, it might as well not exist.
After Wang Xuan Yi’s self-introduction, Yang Kai knew that this Squad belonged to Mo Sha Army, so he nodded and introduced himself, “Great Evolution Army’s Yang Kai!”
Wang Xuan Yi was stunned for a moment before his eyes lit up, “So it is Division Commander Yang!”
Obviously, he had heard of Yang Kai.
However, after he had noticed that Yang Kai broke through to the Eighth Order and couldn’t help but marvel at his cultivation speed. [Compared to him, I’ve been living like a dog all these years.]
Yang Kai didn’t have the time to exchange pleasantries with him and simply asked, “Why are you here? How is the situation in the Barren Territory battlefield?”
He had been attacked by a Royal Lord in Wind Mist Territory and had no choice but to flee to the Chaotic Dead Territory for help. At that time, the boundary wall between Wind Mist Territory and the Barren Territory battlefield had already been broken through.
Although Yang Kai knew that the Black Ink Clan’s invasion could no longer be stopped, he really didn’t know what the current situation was.
Wang Xuan Yi’s expression immediately became gloomy after hearing Yang Kai’s question, “The Barren Territory battlefield has been abandoned already. In the final battle, 32 Old Ancestors, led by Pure Yang Cave Heaven’s Old Ancestor, managed to kill the 44 Royal Lords and severely wound the newly appeared Black Ink Giant Spiritual God. However, they also… sacrificed themselves. The Dragon and Phoenix Clan Leaders also died in battle. After that battle, the Human Race Army withdrew from the Barren Territory and split up into Squads that were deployed to the various Great Territories to assist in the evacuation. We are responsible for Swallowing Seas Territory. The higher-ups ordered us to lead the Swallowing Seas Territory cultivators to Mo Sha Territory’s Universe Temple where we will rally together with the surrounding Great Territories’ cultivators. The plan is to evacuate to the Star Boundary!”
Yang Kai’s head started ringing as if he was struck by lightning. All he heard Wang Xuan Yi mention was that 32 Ninth-Order Human Race Masters and even the Dragon and Phoenix Clan Leaders had perished. He did not hear the rest.
After the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and the No-Return Pass battles, not many of the 100 or so Ninth-Order Old Ancestors were left, but now, 32 more had fallen on the Barren Territory battlefield, which was almost all of the Human Race’s top Masters.
[Does the Human Race still have any Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters left?]
In an instant, Yang Kai’s face went pale as he stumbled.
Yang Qing and the others also wore blank expressions.
For Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like them, Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like Wang Xuan Yi were already unparalleled existences, while Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like Yang Kai were simply beyond their ability to meet.
Yet the Human Race had lost 32 Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters on the Barren Territory battlefield, along with the leaders of the Dragon and Phoenix Clans!
The leaders of the Dragon and Phoenix Clans were legendary existences that were rumoured to be as, or even more powerful than the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
When they heard about this from the Sixth-Order Elder who had evacuated from the Barren Territory Battlefield, their response was far more dramatic than Yang Kai’s.
“Division Commander Yang… Division Commander Yang!” Wang Xuan Yi called out several times before Yang Kai’s lifeless eyes slowly focused on him.
Yang Kai’s loss of cool did not go unnoticed by him, and he could empathize with his current mood.
The death of so many Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters was an eternal sorrow for the Human Race! Every surviving soldier would remember the shame of retreating from the Barren Territory battlefield.
He wanted to comfort Yang Kai, but he didn’t know what to say as any words seemed hollow and pointless. In the end, he simply pursed his lips and sighed.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, suddenly asked, “How many Royal Lords are left now?”
Wang Xuan Yi answered, “All the Royal Lords on the Barren Territory Battlefield were wiped out. As for whether there are Royal Lords left in other places, I have no idea.”
Yang Kai immediately understood the Old Ancestors’ intentions. They were paving the way forward for the younger generation!
All the Royal Lords on the Barren Territory battlefield were annihilated, while the Royal Lord who had chased Yang Kai to the Chaotic Dead Territory was killed by the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.
In that case, there was only one Royal Lord left, and that was the one who was guarding the No-Return Pass. Yang Kai had met him before and was forced to use the corpse of the Black Ox and Azure Void Old Ancestor to deal with him.
At the moment, all the Royal Lords were Innate Royal Lords, and even the Territory Lords were all Innate Territory Lords.
There was no way for Innate Territory Lords to become Royal Lords.
In other words, if the Black Ink Clan wanted to produce new Royal Lords, they would need to raise them from scratch, which would take a very, very long time.
As such, the Human Race had gained some breathing room to grow.
The Old Ancestors knew that their current generation was unable to solve the problem of the Black Ink Clan, so they had left their hopes to the next generation. For this reason, they were even willing to sacrifice their lives to take out all of the Royal Lords on the Barren Territory battlefield.
Was there any hope for humanity’s future?
Yes, there was!
It was none other than the Star Boundary!
Yang Kai could even say that he himself was that hope as well!
Because whether it was the Star Boundary or his own Small Universe, both received feedback from a World Tree clone, which could produce a large number of prodigies, especially his Small Universe where the flow of time was seven times faster than the outside world. In some ways, he was even more useful than the Star Boundary.
Of course, the Star Boundary was much larger than his Small Universe, and so was its population. This was something his Small Universe could not compete in.
Overall, the Star Boundary and Small Universe had their advantages and disadvantages.
Combined with what Wang Xuan Yi had said before, the goal of the evacuation was the Star Boundary. The Old Ancestors’ plan was quite obvious.
The next generation would shoulder the heavy burden of revitalizing the Human Race. It was both a pressure and motivation. Only by purging the universe of the Black Ink Clan could they live up to the sacrifices of the many Old Ancestors.
Yang Kai wasn’t a fool. When he first learned that the Old Ancestors had died in battle, he had lost his composure, but after he had calmed down, he instantly understood their intentions.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai asked again, “Are there still any Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters left?”
Wang Xuan Yi nodded his affirmation, “Right now, there are two left, one is Old Ancestor Wu Qing and the other is Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao. Both Old Ancestors are currently guarding the Wind Mist Territory’s passageway against the heavily injured Black Ink Giant Spiritual God, just to be on the safe side.”
Yang Kai finally calmed down.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was still alive.
Among all the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, he undoubtedly had the most contact with Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and she had also taken care of him the most. He was glad to hear that she was alive, it was truly a small blessing among so many misfortunes.
Yang Kai silently calculated the difference in strength between both sides. On the Black Ink Clan’s side were two Black Ink Giant Spiritual Gods and one Royal Lord.
Whereas the Human Race had one Giant Spiritual God, two Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and if the Dragon Clan’s Fu Guang didn’t die, the Dragon Clan also had a Divine Dragon.
Furthermore, there was also the Giant Spiritual God Ah Da whose whereabouts remained unknown.
As such, in terms of top combat strength, the Human Race actually had the advantage once Ah Da was added.
Be that as it may, since the Barren Territory’s defensive line was broken and the Black Ink Clan had launched a massive invasion on the 3,000 Worlds, these top Masters alone couldn’t stop them. Black Ink Strength was quite treacherous and extremely difficult to deal with, able to turn an entire Great Territory into the Black Ink Clan’s territory in an extremely short time.
In addition, the Human Race Army had suffered heavy losses over the years. Who knows how many Great Territories were suffering with the heavy losses the Human Race Army had suffered. It was also unknown how many Great Territories were currently tormented by the Black Ink Clan. Who knows how many Humans had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength and turned into the Black Ink Disciples? A mass evacuation of the 3,000 Worlds was a must.
Yang Kai suddenly thought of a problem, “What about the mortals and the countless cultivators who can’t cross the void?”
A great force like Swallowing Seas Sect still had the ability to evacuate the entire Sect; after all, they only had a few thousand disciples so with some flight-type artifacts everything was solved.
But what about Profound Abundant Sect?
What about the Profound Abundant World?
Just like the Star Boundary, the Profound Abundant World had billions, if not trillions of mortals living on it. Profound Abundant Sect couldn’t take all of them away, nor did Swallowing Seas Sect.
If they were to be left behind, the only thing waiting for them was to be turned into Black Ink Disciples, enslaved and ruled by the Black Ink Clan, completely at the enemy’s mercy.
Yang Kai had never given much thought to this before. In the current situation, evacuating and relocating to the Star Boundary was the only option, but only now did he suddenly realize this huge problem.
Gloom immediately took over Wang Xuan Yi’s face as he replied, pursing his lips, “There’s nothing we can do.”
He and the other Seventh-Order’s Small Universe could accommodate some living beings, but there was always a limit, and once they exceeded this limit, it would affect their strength.
There were over a dozen Universe Worlds in Swallowing Seas Territory, each one massive in both size and population.
The two Seventh-Order Master’s Small Universes couldn’t contain so many mortals in them no matter what.
The evacuation of the 3,000 Worlds was quite a quandary and every Squad responsible for this mission had considered this issue.
In the end, all they could do was bring as many with them as possible, but most of them would have to be abandoned.
This was an extremely cruel decision to make, but also the only option.
Yang Kai remained silent for a moment before stating, “Squad Leader Wang, assist Swallowing Seas Sect in evacuating. I’ll go to the Profound Abundant World.”
Wang Xuan heaved a sigh and consoled, “Division Commander Yang, there is a limit to everyone’s ability. All we can do is try our best.”
Obviously, he had misunderstood something. He thought that Yang Kai couldn’t bear to stand by and watch, and wanted to go to the Profound Abundant World and use his Small Universe to bring out as many people as possible.
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement before handing a Space Beacon to Wang Xuan Yi, instructing him to keep it close to him before disappearing.
Using Instantaneous Movement, it only took Yang Kai half an hour to arrive in the outer void of Profound Abundant World. It was quite a beautiful world, a huge Universe World was like a lustrous sapphire in the Starry Sky.
Once a beautiful Universe World like this was occupied by the Black Ink Clan though, this beautiful gem would be covered in dust.
There were more than a dozen such Universe Worlds in Swallowing Seas Territory and countless more across the entire 3,000 Worlds. Did the Human Race really have to abandon them all?
Yang Kai was extremely unwilling and wracked his brain to think of a way to resolve this issue.
After staring for a while, Yang Kai suddenly sat down cross-legged before his Divine Sense started surging towards the vast Universe World like a tidal wave.
Although Profound Abundant World was quite big, the Divine Sense of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was extremely powerful.
Not to mention, it was Yang Kai, whose Soul was abnormally strong. Even an ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be able to cover the entire Profound Abundant World with a single thought, so much less needed to be said about him.
The next moment, Yang Kai began manipulating Space Principles, squeezing the Void from all directions. At the same time, his hand quickly formed hand seals as beams of light shot towards Profound Abundant World. These beams of light disappeared into the Universe World before dazzling flashes lit it up.
He wanted to refine the entire Profound Abundant World into a World Bead!
Yang Kai had refined World Beads a long time ago in the Star Boundary.
At that time, Yang Kai’s cultivation wasn’t very high, only in the Emperor Realm. Even his mastery in the Dao of Space wasn’t very high, but he was still able to refine simple World Beads.
World Beads were a kind of storage artifact based on Yang Kai’s original Small Sealed World and could accommodate living beings.
In the past, when the Star Boundary and the Demon Race’s Armies fought, the Armies of the Star Boundary were extremely mobile thanks to these World Beads. Even Su Yan and the other women who were close to Yang Kai had obtained many World Beads, but their World Beads were not used to accommodate an Army but to kill enemies.
Although the World Beads were only the size of a small bead, they were actually refined from massive asteroids and even some Dead Stars. There was no need for any special technique, just throwing such a massive amount of mass at an enemy would cause considerable damage.
At that time, Su Yan and the others had used the World Beads given to them by Yang Kai to kill many powerful enemies.
Anyway, Yang Kai had not refined World Beads since then because there was no need, so the technique remained somewhat rough.
After breaking free from the Universe World’s shackles and leaving the Star Boundary, Yang Kai had spent all his time focusing on his own cultivation, so how could he be in the mood to engage in such pointless research?
Now, however, with the Black Ink Clan launching a large-scale invasion, countless living beings on thousands of Universe Worlds had no one to rely on. Since Yang Kai couldn’t take all of these people away on his own, he figured he could just pack up the entire Universe World!
In this world, perhaps Yang Kai was the only one who could come up with such a bold and crazy idea.
When he was in the Emperor Realm, Yang Kai had been able to refine World Beads from small Dead Stars, so now that he had advanced to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, his strength was thousands of times greater than when he was in the Emperor Realm, while even his mastery over of the Dao of Space was far beyond what it was back then.
Therefore, Yang Kai didn’t think that refining the entire Profound Abundant World into a World Bead was just wishful thinking.
What’s more, his current achievements in the Dao of Artifact Refining and Dao of Spirit Arrays were also extraordinary.
As long as he regarded Profound Abundant World as a kind of Artifact Refining material, and used his understanding over the Dao of Spirit Arrays, Dao of Artifact Refining, and Dao of Space as a foundation, his idea was completely possible.
There was only one problem.
Yang Kai had to be extremely careful when refining this Universe World into an artifact. If he made a single mistake, it would likely cause the entire Profound Abundant World to collapse. At that time, the living beings of the Profound Abundant World were destined to suffer massive casualties under natural and man-made calamities.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai had no other choice. He couldn’t just teleport away all the living beings in this world before refining it.
Profound Abundant Sect, led by the acting Sect Master Zhu Ge Xing Wei, had previously received Yang Kai’s assistance and instructions, and was now preparing to evacuate.
The Sect was not as powerful as Swallowing Seas Sect, but the number of disciples they had was a dozen times higher, reaching the tens of thousands with widely varying cultivations.
After all, occupying an entire Universe World made it easier to select, accept, and house disciples.
Profound Abundant Sect, of course, had its own flight-type artifacts, a few ships of different sizes, which were normally only used by the Sect’s top Masters when they went out, but now they were being repurposed as evacuation ships.
But even if these ships were filled to the brim, they could only carry 5,000 people at most, so it had become a huge problem to decide who would leave and who would stay from tens of thousands of disciples.
Everyone had family and friends, and no one wanted to leave them behind. In less than half a day, the quota of 5,000 people had been filled after much deliberation by the Elders, but there were still many whom they needed to bring with them.
For a moment, the Elders in the main conference hall broke into a heated argument, giving Zhu Ge Xing Wei a massive headache. He was the acting Sect Master, but how could he have imagined that during his tenure, he would be faced with an event that would put the survival of Profound Abundant Sect in jeopardy?
Just as everyone was arguing, everything began to lightly shake. Faintly, something seemed to have changed in this Universe World.
Everyone was shocked and quickly came out to investigate. Upon looking up, they saw beams of light shooting towards them from all directions and disappearing into various parts of Profound Abundant World.
Every time a beam of light fell, the Profound Abundant World would slightly tremble.
Zhu Ge Xing Wei’s expression changed greatly as he quickly linked his consciousness with Profound Abundant World, wanting to investigate.
The reason he was able to accomplish this was not because of his extraordinary strength. His cultivation of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm might be strong, but it was not that strong. He was able to do this because when he was in the Emperor Realm, he had been recognized by the Profound Abundant World’s Will, making him a Great Emperor.
His identity was similar to Yang Kai’s status in the Star Boundary.
Having received the acknowledgement of this World’s Will, Zhu Ge Xing Wei’s perception of the changes in the Profound Abundant World was naturally sharper than others.
After examining the situation for a while, a look of shock could not help but appear on his face.
The entire Profound Abundant World seemed to be undergoing some kind of refinement! The method of this refinement was extremely profound and left markings all across the Universe World. Zhu Ge Xing Wei had no idea what the purpose of this refinement was.
He didn’t dare to neglect this, but just as he was about to go out to investigate, a large hand pushed aside the clouds in the sky as a massive face appeared.
Zhu Ge Xing Wei glanced up and immediately bowed in respect, “Greetings, Senior!”
He recognized this person as the young man who had just saved them from certain death.
Yang Kai slightly nodded to him, but did not waste time explaining himself. He just gave an order, “All Open Heaven Realm Masters, come out!”
How could Zhu Ge Xing Wei dare to refuse? He quickly summoned the Open Heaven Realm Masters in his Sect and soared into the sky.
In the blink of an eye, all of the Open Heaven Realm Masters had disappeared from the Profound Abundant World. When they arrived in the void, Zhu Ge Xing Wei saw Yang Kai sitting cross-legged, his hand constantly forming seals.
Fraught with restlessness, he stepped forward and asked, “What instructions does Senior have?”
Yang Kai replied, “None, you’re just a hindrance inside!”
They were indeed a hindrance, especially since this was Yang Kai’s first time refining an entire Universe World into a World Bead. He wasn’t very familiar with the process and the Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Profound Abundant World were creating further disturbances in his refinement.
Now that they had all left Profound Abundant World, the process became much smoother.
A look of distress appeared on Zhu Ge Xing Wei’s face. He had no idea how he and the others were hindering Yang Kai, but he didn’t dare to ask any more questions. The group of over 200 Open Heaven Realm Masters could only silently stand on one side, watching Yang Kai.
Slowly, they discovered that the void in front of them was starting to distort and couldn’t help but be shocked. They knew that this senior expert was about to do something astonishing to their Profound Abundant World.
Zhu Ge Xing Wei was restless, his mind was filled with many questions, but he did not dare to ask, which only fueled his anxiety.
Yang Kai suddenly asked, “How many Universe Worlds does this Territory have?”
Zhu Ge Xing Wei quickly replied, “Reporting to Senior, counting the Profound Abundant World, there are a total of 14.”
Yang Kai nodded in response, “Pick 13 people and send them to these 13 Universe Worlds. Give each of them one of these and tell them to wait for my message.”
Saying so, he sent out 13 Space Beacons with a wave of his hand.
Yang Kai knew that time was of the essence as the Black Ink Clan had launched a large-scale invasion. If he could save even a little bit of time travelling, perhaps he could save more people.
He had these Open Heaven Realm Masters of Profound Abundant Sect take the Space Beacons and head to the Universe World to wait for him because once he was done here, he could just arrive at the next location in a flash using Instantaneous Movement.
Zhu Ge Xing Wei took the Space Beacons, picked 13 of his subordinates, and handed them one each before sending them on their way.
While Yang Kai was busy refining, the Profound Abundant World was shaking violently, sending countless living beings into a panic; after all, this was the first time he had attempted to refine an entire Universe World into a World Bead, so his process was a bit jerky. Even though he was being extremely cautious, his efforts still brought some natural disasters to the Profound Abundant World.
Tsunamis, earthquakes, mountains collapsing, continents drifting apart, and many more were happening all across the Profound Abundant World.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had remained vigilant all the while. Once he spotted something wrong, he would immediately act to salvage the situation. This way, he didn’t cause too much of a disturbance in the Profound Abundant World, nor did he cause any casualties.
Be that as it may, fear and panic inevitably made its way into everyone’s heart.
Gradually, the huge Profound Abundant World became more and more distorted. Zhu Ge Xing Wei and the others who were standing nearby all felt as if the Profound Abundant World had entered a different time and space. It was clearly right in front of them, but it gave everyone an extremely illusory feeling.
Soon, Yang Kai had reached the critical point.
At this moment, he faintly felt that he was only a step away from refining the Profound Abundant World into a World Bead and achieving the goal he had originally envisioned; however, upon reaching this point, he found that he was unable to continue. The entire Profound Abundant World was showing resistance, which was preventing him from completing the refinement.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before faintly understanding the cause of this.
This resistance was none other than this World’s Will!
Every Universe World had its own Will. The Star Boundary had one, and so did the Profound Abundant World. This was also the fundamental reason for the differences between Universe World, along with their Grand Daos and Martial Daos.
The stronger the World’s Principles, the higher its corresponding Grand Daos and Martial Dao would be.
1,000 years ago, the Star Boundary’s Grand Dao could be said to be very weak, so it could only give birth to Great Emperors while no known Open Heaven Realm Masters had ever appeared.
But after receiving the blessings of the World Tree clone, the Star Boundary’s World Principles were no longer inferior to any Universe World in this vast 3,000 Worlds.
On the other hand, the Profound Abundant World was able to give birth to Profound Abundant Sect, which had some 200 Open Heaven Realm Masters. Its Grand Dao could be said to be extraordinary.
This Universe World’s Principles were extremely profound, which also affected how strong its Will was. Ordinary people would not be able to sense this kind of Will. Only those who were shockingly talented could resonate with the World’s Will, obtaining its acknowledgement and becoming Great Emperors, were even fully aware of it.
Now, when Yang Kai was refining the Profound Abundant World, the World’s Will instinctively resisted; after all, Yang Kai was an outsider, so how could the Profound Abundant World accept being refined by him?
Yang Kai could forcefully refine it, but if he did so, the World’s Will and Principles would inevitably be damaged. Yang Kai was unaware of what would be the consequences of such actions, but he was certain that it would not be good for the Profound Abundant World.
Perhaps, the cultivation of the cultivators in the Profound Abundant World would become more difficult, and the chances of giving birth to new Masters would also be lower.
This did not line up with his original intentions.
Frowning, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged as he transmitted the images of what he had seen on the Black Ink Battlefield, about what happened to the Universe Worlds occupied by the Black Ink Nest.
The World’s Will could not be considered fully sentient, but it was an extremely special existence nonetheless.
Yang Kai had no idea if this would have any effect, but if he wanted to smoothly refine the Profound Abundant World, he could only make the World’s Will cooperate with him and stop resisting his refinement.
As the saying went, the World Lives. Yang Kai was hoping for the World’s Will to understand his intent and cooperate.
Yang Kai’s original intention was to let Profound Abundant World’s Will understand what would happen if it was occupied by the Black Ink Clan. It was destined to become the same as the Universe Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield, where the World Force would be devoured and turned into a dead Universe World.
Much to Yang Kai’s surprise, it actually worked.
After showing the scenes he had seen on the Black Ink Battlefield, the resistance of the Profound Abundant World’s Will became much weaker.
Yang Kai was overjoyed by this discovery. Striking while the iron was hot, he continued to transmit what he had seen to the World’s Will using his Divine Sense.
The World’s Will’s resistance became weaker until it was almost non-existent.
At this moment, a heavy sigh suddenly rang in Yang Kai’s mind, like the tolling of a loud bell. Yang Kai’s mind instantly went blank as he faintly felt as if he had become one with the Profound Abundant World, and there was no disjunction between the two.
Another inexplicable feeling surged in Yang Kai’s heart, before his consciousness crossed a vast distance and arrived at an unknown place in a flash.
There was nothing but endless darkness around him and for some reason, he could not lift a finger. He was even unable to sense his own existence.
Yang Kai was beside himself, not understanding how he had encountered such a strange phenomenon when he was only refining the Profound Abundant World.
He calmed himself down though and didn’t panic.
He couldn’t feel the passage of time at all. After an unknown amount of time, a tiny bit of light appeared in the endless darkness. When the Primal Chaos first parted, and Heaven and Earth were created, a fearsome power capable of destroying the entire universe erupted from this point. This kind of power was something even the Black Ink Giant Spiritual God, or even Mo itself, could not compare with.
This was the power of the entire universe.
Suddenly, the constraints binding the light instantly disappeared as everything expanded endlessly, transforming into one Great Territory after another. These Great Territories then gave birth to primitive Universe Worlds.
The Profound Abundant World was one of them!
After an unknown period, the Profound Abundant World gradually gathered the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, and was acknowledged by the Heavenly Way. It slowly perfected its World Principles, transforming into a true Universe World. Slowly but surely, the deathly still World started to gain vitality. This vitality rapidly spread, gradually transforming, filling it with life!
Yang Kai understood that this was the process of the Profound Abundant World’s formation. He seemed to be personally experiencing it after merging with its Will.
In fact, he had experienced this feeling once before, when he was acknowledged by the Star Boundary’s Will and became a Great Emperor.
However, the current experience was different from the last. This time, the feeling was clearer, and the history of this place was even more ancient!
Yang Kai suddenly realized something and made a bold guess.
It was just that he was temporarily unable to investigate these insights as his cultivation was too low and he did not have the time.
He had no way of verifying this conjecture either!
Yang Kai didn’t know how long he had experienced these events for, but to Zhu Ge Xing Wei and the others, it had only been half a day.
In just half a day, Yang Kai’s entire body became distorted and illusory like the Profound Abundant World, as if he didn’t exist.
Zhu Ge Xing Wei and the others also had no idea what had happened to Yang Kai. As there was a massive gap in their strength, and in the way they cultivated, they didn’t dare to disturb him.
Only after some time did Yang Kai’s figure suddenly materialize, allowing them to once again perceive his existence.
The Profound Abundant World, on the other hand, was still the same, the void around it distorting as if it was not in the same space as them.
Suddenly, Yang Kai broke into a long laughter and stood up, “Success!”
Saying so, he stretched out his hand and grabbed towards the Profound Abundant World.
What Zhu Ge Xing Wei and the others saw next was quite difficult for them to accept. Yang Kai’s hand pierced through the Void, seemingly passing through the surface of water, gently scooping something out of it.
When Yang Kai withdrew his hand, the warped space suddenly collapsed and the Profound Abundant World disappeared!
Zhu Ge Xing Wei was beside himself in shock and could not help but cry out, “Where is the Profound Abundant World?”
The 200 or so Open Heaven Realm Masters were also alarmed and bewildered. The Profound Abundant World that had raised them had actually disappeared right before their eyes.
How could they accept this? They still had friends and families in the Profound Abundant World!
“Don’t panic!” Yang Kai smiled and stretched out his hand towards everyone, “Take a look at this.”
Zhu Ge Xing Wei and the others shot a glance over and saw a round bead in Yang Kai’s palm. The surface of this bead was gray, but deep blue inside, as if a sapphire was embedded inside it.
The sapphire embedded inside was extremely familiar, whether it was its shape or colour distribution. It was the same as the Profound Abundant World, the only difference was its size.
After all, the Profound Abundant World was a Universe World, extremely vast, whereas the object in Yang Kai’s hand was only the size of a large marble.
Zhu Ge Xing Wei focused his gaze, trying to see through the fog on its surface. Immediately, he saw the true appearance of the sapphire embedded in the bead.
It was the Profound Abundant World!
He even saw Profound Abundant Sect, its tens of thousands of disciples inside as tiny as dust particles, completely crowding the main square. Many of them were looking around with blank expressions on their faces.
He even saw his Cave Mansion, and also his Wife and concubines, who were hurriedly packing up and preparing to escape after receiving his orders.
He then shifted his gaze and saw the scene of peddlers shouting and hawking in a city close to the Profound Abundant Sect while people went about their daily lives…
Zhu Ge Xing Wei was completely astounded and couldn’t believe his eyes.
[The Profound Abundant World has been refined into a bead?]
[How can anyone do this? Is it even possible!?]
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed this feat even in his dreams.
Soon, his face beamed with excitement. Previously, the Elders of Profound Abundant Sect were arguing about who to bring away and who to abandon, but now that the entire Profound Abundant World had been refined into a bead, there was nothing to worry about!
Not to mention, the tens of thousands of Profound Abundant Sect disciples, even the billions of lives on the Profound Abundant World could be brought with them!
It was only now that he understood Yang Kai’s painstaking efforts and what he had been refining.
[This Senior’s means are truly astonishing!]
Many people who saw the true appearance of the bead like Zhu Ge Xing Wei were beside themselves in shock.
Zhu Ge Xing Wei calmed himself down. He wanted to thank Yang Kai, but just as he was about to, Yang Kai casually tossed the World Bead to him.
A chill shot up through Zhu Ge Xing Wei’s spine.
Even if he was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was still thrown into a fluster as he tried to catch the bead.
Holding the World Bead refined from the Profound Abundant World in his hands, Zhu Ge Xing Wei’s smile was even uglier than when he was crying. He looked at Yang Kai, stuttering, “Senior, this… this…”
[What do I do now?]
Although it was good news that the entire Profound Abundant World had been refined into a World Bead, how could he keep it? He was afraid that if he made any slight movements, he would cause the entire Profound Abundant World to collapse.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, waved his hand in a totally unconcerned manner and stated, “There’s no need to be so cautious. I’ve also refined the Void around your Profound Abundant World to insulate it. As long as you keep it close to you and prevent it from coming into contact with any powerful shocks, like the attacks of an Open Heaven Realm Master, the Profound Abundant World won’t be in any danger.”
Zhu Ge Xing Wei suddenly understood why the outer layer of the bead was grey, it was actually a buffer space surrounding the Profound Abundant World.
This revelation finally put Zhu Ge Xing Wei at ease. Following Yang Kai’s instructions, he put the World Bead in his pocket close to his chest, and also patted it to check. Even then, he was still not completely at ease, but it would have to do for now.
Then, he earnestly bowed to Yang Kai, “Senior’s great kindness is something that the entire Profound Abundant World will never forget.”
Yang Kai lightly nodded his acknowledgement before stretching his hand out, poking into the Void. The next moment, a portal appeared in front of him, one that led to Swallowing Seas Sect with the help of the Space Beacon he had given to Wang Xuan Yi, “Go in and join up with Swallowing Seas Sect.”
Zhu Ge Xing Wei thanked him once more before leading his 200 or so disciples through the portal. The next moment, they arrived at Swallowing Seas Sect, where they saw Wang Xuan Yi, Yang Qing, and the others. After chatting, when everyone came to learn about Yang Kai’s feat of refining the Profound Abundant World, they were thoroughly shocked.
Even someone like Wang Xuan Yi, who was someone from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, had never heard of people refining a World into a bead.
Thus, he was in great shock, but more than that, he was overjoyed.
Originally, the evacuation and relocation could only ensure the safety of the top cultivators from various Sects and great forces. They were completely powerless to help the myriad living beings in all the defenceless Universe Worlds. Now, thanks to Yang Kai, everyone in the entire Swallowing Seas Territory could evacuate.
Not just Swallowing Seas Territory, as long as there was enough time, the same feat could be repeated in many other Great Territories.
Wang Xuan Yi couldn’t help but recall the question Yang Kai had asked him before, ‘What about the mortals?’
His answer at the time was that they were powerless to do anything.
Even so, Yang Kai had come up with a solution in just a few days, causing an enormous sense of admiration to well up in his heart.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already arrived at another Universe World’s location via a different Space Beacon. Previously, he had asked Zhu Ge Xing Wei to gather 13 disciples and send them to the 13 other Universe Worlds in this Territory carrying a Space Beacon each, which saved him the time he would have spent on travelling.
This Universe World was the closest to the Profound Abundant World, and it also had a Sect overseeing it with strength similar to Profound Abundant Sect’s. They also had a good relationship with Profound Abundant Sect.
Previously, when Profound Abundant Sect’s Open Heaven Realm Masters were fighting with the Black Ink Clan, Zhu Ge Xing Wei had sent two Elders out to seek help. One of them was Elder Pang, who had gone to the Swallowing Seas Sect. When he saw that Swallowing Seas Sect was besieged by the Black Ink Clan Army from a distance, how could he go and ask for their help? He had no choice but to return empty-handed. The other Elder had come to this Universe World, but they had lost contact with him after that.
After everything Profound Abundant Sect had gone through, Zhu Ge Xing Wei lost his cool and forgot to mention this to Yang Kai.
On the other hand, Profound Abundant Sect’s Elder, who was responsible for bringing the Space Beacon to this World, was quite prudent. He did not rashly approach and instead hid some distance away, concealing his aura and waiting for Yang Kai.
A few days later, Yang Kai appeared beside him, nearly frightening the life out of him.
When this Elder saw that it was Yang Kai though, he finally relaxed and quickly reported everything that had transpired.
A deep furrow appeared on Yang Kai’s brow after hearing the report. He immediately focused his gaze towards the Universe World, and as expected, he saw some Black Ink Clansmen and Black Ink Disciples moving about.
The Sect governing this Universe World had been completely defeated by the Black Ink Clan, and almost all the surviving cultivators had been converted into Black Ink Disciples.
Fortunately, these Black Ink Clansmen were not that strong and were not many in number, just a squad about the same size as the one that had gone to attack the Profound Abundant World. The leader of this Black Ink Clan squad was only a High-Rank Clansman, that was all, not even qualified to own their own Black Ink Nest.
If a Feudal Lord was here, and if he had planted his Black Ink Nest, the entire Universe World would be flooded with Black Ink Strength, at which point it would be impossible to reverse the situation.
Although the current situation was not something to rejoice, it was still salvageable. For Yang Kai, it was as easy as snapping his fingers.
The Profound Abundant Sect Elder standing next to Yang Kai only saw the latter stretch his hand out and grasp towards the Universe World. And when he pulled his hand back, the Profound Abundant Sect Elder saw several dozen strange-looking Black Ink Clansmen appear in front of them.
These Black Ink Clansmen had no idea what just happened. They were suddenly captured and brought out into the void, so they were completely confused.
Immediately after, a fearsome force swept through them from all directions, wiping out these several dozen Black Ink Clansmen in the blink of an eye.
Yang Kai then brought his hands together as a beam of Purifying Light shot down towards the Sect below, enveloping all the Black Ink Disciples and dispelling the Black Ink Strength in their bodies.
After having taken care of the Black Ink Clansmen and Black Ink Disciples, Yang Kai waited for the cultivators in the Sect below to recover before sending a Divine Sense transmission.
A moment later, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, leading a group of Open Heaven Realm Masters, rushed over to greet him.
Yang Kai didn’t waste time chatting with them and directly opened a portal to Swallowing Seas Sect’s Space Beacon, ordering them to head over and meet up with the others.
Seeing that Yang Kai was an Eighth-Order Ancestor rank figure, the Fifth-Order Master didn’t dare to object and simply led his subordinates into the portal.
After the Profound Abundant Sect Elder responsible for bringing the Space Beacon here had also left, Yang Kai began refining the Universe World.
Having done it once before, this second attempt was naturally smoother and he did not even feel resistance from the World’s Will.
This second Universe World gave Yang Kai the feeling that it was actively cooperating.
This only further confirmed his suspicions.
Just like that, Yang Kai travelled from one Universe World to the next. After arriving at each Universe World, he would open a Void Corridor to the Swallowing Seas Sect and order the Open Heaven Realm Masters of the respective Universe Worlds to go on ahead. Without the complication of Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yang Kai was then able to smoothly refine the World Bead.
Not every Universe World had Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Every single Universe World in Swallowing Seas Territory had Humans living on them, but the level of their Martial Daos differed quite significantly. The higher the level, the easier it was to cultivate and give birth to Open Heaven Realm Masters. The strongest cultivators in some of the Universe Worlds were just Emperor Realm Masters though, with no Open Heaven Realm Masters overseeing them. In other words, refining them was even easier.
After more than a month, Yang Kai had finished refining all 14 Universe Worlds in Swallowing Seas Territory. Aside from the original Profound Abundant World, which had been handed over to Zhu Ge Xing Wei, Yang Kai had kept the remaining 13 with him.
With this matter settled, Yang Kai’s next stop was the Swallowing Seas Sect.
At this point, Swallowing Seas Sect and the other cultivators who had rushed to this place, under the leadership of Wang Xuan Yi and his Squad, were prepared to move out at a moment’s notice.
When they noticed Yang Kai’s arrival, Wang Xuan Yi hurried over to salute him.
After exchanging some pleasantries, Yang Kai came to learn that everyone was ready to leave, so he immediately stated, “There’s no time to delay, we need to set out right away.”
To evacuate, the Swallowing Seas Sect would first head to Mo Sha Territory’s Universe Temple, where they would rendezvous with cultivators from the neighbouring Great Territories, and then, they would head to the Star Boundary under the protection of Mo Sha Cave Heaven’s Masters.
Although it would be quite a lengthy journey, with Mo Sha Cave Heaven and Mo Sha Army’s Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters’ protecting them, it would still be much safer than the cultivators of each Great Territory heading out alone.
The evacuation plans of every Cave Heaven and Paradise were basically the same.
For example, the dozen-plus Great Territories under Pure Yang Cave Heaven’s jurisdiction all needed to arrive at the Pure Yang Territory’s Universe Temple within a set period of time, where they would coordinate with the Pure Yang Army’s Masters. Furthermore, Pure Yang Army Squads like Wang Xuan Yi’s Squad had gone to various Great Territories to assist the local Sects and forces in their evacuation.
This was a great migration that involved the entire 3,000 Worlds with no Sect being able to avoid it.
Just as Wang Xuan Yi had said before, even colossal forces like the Cave Heavens and Paradises would have to abandon their Sect’s ancestral foundation, which had been passed down through countless millennia.
As long as they were alive, they would be able to take back their foundations sooner or later, but if all of them died, then nothing would be left.
Already, not much time was left before the deadline. If Swallowing Seas Territory’s group couldn’t arrive in time, Mo Sha Army’s Masters wouldn’t wait for them.
This was something that had already been agreed upon.
So no matter what, they had to arrive at Mo Sha Territory’s Universe Temple before the deadline.
“Is Division Commander Yang not coming with us?” Wang Xuan Yi asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I must head to the other Great Territories.”
Wang Xuan Yi immediately understood that Yang Kai wanted to refine more Universe Worlds and save more people!
Wang Xuan Yi was filled with deep veneration and cupped his fist, “Division Commander Yang, please take care. Although all the Royal Lords have been wiped out and the two Black Ink Giant Spiritual Gods are restrained, the number of Territory Lords is still quite high. The current Territory Lords are all Innate Territory Lords, who are as strong as our strongest Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.”
He thought that since Yang Kai had just broken through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he should not be that strong, thus his warning.
How could he have known that Territory Lords were no longer Yang Kai’s opponent. Not to mention Territory Lords, Yang Kai had even killed a Royal Lord!
If he knew, he would probably be overwhelmed in shock.
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement, “You must also be careful as you may encounter the Black Ink Clan along the way…”
Saying so, Yang Kai was suddenly struck with an idea.
As he wanted to go to another Great Territory to refine more Universe Worlds, he couldn’t afford to escort the evacuees from Swallowing Seas Territory.
He might not be able to personally guard them, but he had a great army of tens of millions of Small Stone Race members!
These creatures might have low intelligence, but they were more than capable of dealing with some Black Ink Clansmen. The Small Stone Race hated Black Ink Strength above all else, so if the Black Ink Clan appeared in front of them, they would immediately attack.
Swallowing Seas Territory’s survivors would naturally be much safer if they were escorted by a Small Stone Race Army.
Unfortunately, the Small Stone Race was difficult to control due to their low sentience. If Yang Kai could solve this problem, the Small Stone Race would be of great help to the Human Race’s evacuation.
Considering all this, Yang Kai quickly came up with a plan. Afterwards, he looked left and right before suddenly shouting, “Everyone, prepare to depart!”
Wang Xuan Yi had no idea what Yang Kai had in mind, but since everything was set, and they could set out at any moment, he immediately ordered everyone to leave.
The Open Heaven Realm Masters of all the Sects in the entire Swallowing Seas Territory were gathered here. There were not that many of them, just over 1,000 or so, and their Orders ranged widely.
Swallowing Seas Sect had 3,000 members, but naturally not all of them were in the Open Heaven realm.
Flight-type artifacts were summoned, and in an instant, more than a hundred ships and palaces of different shapes and sizes appeared in the void.
Standing on the deck of the largest ship was Wang Xuan Yi, who was gazing down at Yang Kai. Yang Qing was also standing next to him, following suit. Both of them wanted to see what Yang Kai was planning on doing.
The next thing they saw left the two completely astounded. Swallowing Seas Sect which should have been very close to them was looking like a mirage now, distorted and indistinct. Clearly, it was very close, yet it seemed so far away that it was impossible to grasp.
Yang Qing suddenly came to the realization, “Division Commander Yang wants to refine my Swallowing Seas Sect’s Spirit Province into a World Bead!”
Although he had never seen Yang Kai refine a World Bead, he had heard Zhu Ge Xing Wei describe the process, so how could he not understand Yang Kai’s intentions?
His heart was filled with joy. From the start, he had been reluctant to abandon Swallowing Seas Sect’s heritage that had been passed down for generations, but he was helpless regarding this matter. Now, when Yang Kai wanted to refine it into the World Bead, all his worries were easily resolved.
Hearing this, Wang Xuan Yi only nodded in agreement, also thinking that Yang Kai was refining Swallowing Seas Sect’s Spirit Province into a World Bead. Nonetheless, he failed to understand why Yang Kai was doing this.
The Swallowing Seas Sect disciples were already set to evacuate, leaving just an empty Spirit Province behind. The Black Ink Clan would probably not be interested in it, so there was no need to bring it along.
“Ah!” Yang Qing suddenly cried out as piercing pain filled his heart.
And why would it not? The glorious Spirit Province in front of him suddenly collapsed into at least 100 fragments.
Each and every one of them was almost the same size. Obviously, Yang Kai had done this on purpose, demonstrating extreme power and control.
Yang Qing wanted to cry, but had no tears to shed.
If they could not bring this Spirit Province with them, then so be it, Swallowing Sea Sect still had a chance to return and rebuild their Sect after defeating the Black Ink Clan. But all his hopes had been shattered to pieces, just like this Spirit Province.
His initial joy quickly disappeared as he couldn’t understand why Yang Kai was doing this.
Nevertheless, he didn’t dare to ask any questions. He just consoled himself that Yang Kai’s actions must have a deeper meaning.
Soon, Yang Kai reached out and grabbed towards the distorted Void. Every time he did so, an asteroid would disappear, and soon all of them were collected.
After silently working at something for a while, Yang Kai appeared on the deck where Wang Xuan Yi was using Instantaneous Movement. He then handed him over 100 newly refined World Beads before instructing, “Each of these World Beads contains 10,000 Small Stone Race soldiers. If you run into a Black Ink Clan Army, use them to defend yourselves.”
Wang Xuan Yi’s eyes lit up when he heard this, “Are these Small Stone Race soldiers the ones who were attacking the Black Ink Clan before?”
Previously, he had also witnessed the two Small Stone Race Armies brutally attacking the Black Ink Clan outside Swallowing Seas Sect. Although these strange creatures seemed simple, even somewhat stupid, they were perfect for dealing with the Black Ink Clan as they seemed to be able to ignore the corrosion of the Black Ink Strength.
So, when Yang Kai mentioned this, Wang Xuan Yi immediately understood.
Yang Kai nodded his agreement.
He himself couldn’t escort these people all the way to Mo Sha Territory, but it was no problem for him to pack up a Small Stone Race Army and send them with these people. Even if Wang Xuan Yi and the others couldn’t control the Small Stone Race, all they needed to do was toss them out when they encountered the Black Ink Clan, and the Small Stone Race members would immediately attack.
The reason why Yang Kai had divided the million-strong army into 100 smaller groups was because he had also considered how difficult it would be to retrieve the Small Stone Race after a battle. As Wang Xuan Yi and the others didn’t have the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks, the Small Stone Race would not obey their orders, and if they really released them, there was a high chance they would simply… run off.
A million Small Stone Race soldiers was enough to protect them from any kind of threat. Also, they would be of great help even to the other cultivators in Mo Sha Territory.
With a million Small Stone Race soldiers escorting them, their journey to the Star Boundary would be much safer.
“Many thanks, Division Commander Yang!” Wang Xuan Yi bowed in gratitude, amazed by Yang Kai’s generosity.
He had never seen or heard of the Small Stone Race before, but now Yang Kai had gifted him a million of them in one go. That was truly generous.
Their Warship had already been destroyed, which had greatly affected their Squad’s combat and defensive strength, but a million-strong Small Stone Race Army was more than enough to make up for that.
Yang Kai added, “I only recently obtained these Small Stone Race soldiers, so I haven’t been able to figure out how to control them effectively. Their characteristics are that their intelligence is extremely low, and they rely mostly on their instincts to act. If any of you is proficient in Beast Taming Techniques, I suggest you experiment and try to find a way to control them.”
It was not probably impossible to control the Small Stone Race using Beast Taming Techniques, but as Yang Kai wasn’t versed in any good Beast Taming Techniques, he couldn’t run these tests himself.
Wang Xuan Yi’s eyes lit up after hearing this and repeatedly nodded, “Understood.”
Many cultivators more or less knew a Beast Taming Technique, though the quality and profundity varied wildly. If they could find a feasible method, it would give them far better control over the Small Stone Race in battle.
“Go,” Yang Kai waved off.
Wang Xuan Yi cupped his fist and bid his goodbye, “Take care, Division Commander Yang!”
Having said his farewell, he gave a shout as the fleet of 100 or so flight-type artifacts filled with cultivators led by Swallowing Seas Sect’s largest ship flew towards the Territory Gate, rushing towards Mo Sha Territory.
On the lead ship, Wang Xuan Yi looked back, but Yang Kai was nowhere to be seen.
Calming himself down, he gathered a group of Sect Masters and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from the various Sects and gave each of them a World Bead with an army of 10,000 Small Stone Race members. Then, following Yang Kai’s instruction, he asked them to look for cultivators who were proficient in Beast Taming to begin searching for an effective method to control the Small Stone Race soldiers.
All of them were overjoyed after obtaining the army of 10,000 Small Stone Race members.
Wang Xuan Yi then deployed them to various ships to guard the fleet. Like this, all the cultivators in Swallowing Seas Territory began to evacuate.
At the same time, fleets from every Great Territory were rushing towards the Great Territories where the various Cave Heavens and Paradises were located.
Some of the evacuation went completely smoothly; after all, the Black Ink Clan would need some time to invade all the Great Territories of the 3,000 Worlds, so if the cultivators could gather before the Black Ink Clan reached their lands and immediately rush to the designated Universe Temple, they would encounter no dangers.
Other Great Territories were less fortunate though and were invaded by the Black Ink Clan Army before they could evacuate. Many Sects were occupied by the Black Ink Clan and their cultivators all transformed into Black Ink Disciples.
There were other instances where Black Ink Clan Armies pursued fleeing evacuation fleets, leading to battles of different scales breaking out across the 3,000 World, throwing everything into chaos!
After parting from Wang Xuan Yi’s group, Yang Kai immediately rushed to the adjacent Great Territory. This Great Territory was still under the jurisdiction of Mo Sha Cave Heaven, and the situation here was similar to Swallowing Seas Territory. The Black Ink Clan had already invaded, but the cultivators of the various Sects were still desperately resisting.
Just like Wang Xuan Yi’s Squad, there was also a Human Race Squad in this Great Territory, responsible for coordinating the evacuation. When Yang Kai arrived, he easily eliminated all of the Black Ink Clan invaders and then sent away the fleet. He also gave them 100 or so World Beads containing Small Stone Race troops.
After that, he began refining the Universe Worlds where the Human Race lived.
He knew that he couldn’t save everyone as the Black Ink Can’s invasion was happening everywhere. He could save the Humans of a few Great Territories, but there were more than 1,000 Great Territories in the 3,000 Worlds, so how could he possibly save them all by himself?
All he could do was try his best.
At first, the situation in the Great Territories Yang Kai arrived at were still manageable. For example, in the Swallowing Seas Territory, he had refined a total of 14 Universe Worlds into World Beads, saving almost all the Humans living there.
But as time passed, the situation of the Great Territories deteriorated rapidly.
After the order was issued, all the cultivators of various Great Territories were forced to evacuate, leaving behind only weaker cultivators and mortals who were unable to break free from their Universe World’s shackles. These people were completely powerless to resist the Black Ink Clan’s invasion.
The further Yang Kai walked, the more heartbroken he became.
Some of the Universe Worlds already had Black Ink Nests planted on them, absorbing the World Force of the entire World. Rich Black Ink Strength enveloped such Universe Worlds, corrupting all the living beings inside.
Yang Kai could do nothing in the face of such situations.
With his Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, he could completely destroy these Universe Worlds if he wanted to, but if he did so, the billions of innocent lives living on them would also be lost along with the Black Ink Clan soldiers.
These people might have been reduced to Black Ink Disciples, but there was still hope for them to be rescued in the future. How could Yang Kai bring himself to ruthlessly slaughter them?
The only option he was left with was to destroy the Black Ink Nest, and all of the Black Ink Clansmen around!
There was nothing else he could do.
At this point, he also got to experience the helplessness Wang Xuan Yi felt when he answered his question.
The Universe Worlds which had been completely devoured by Black Ink Strength now were filled with billions of Black Ink Disciples. Even if he didn’t lack Yellow and Blue Crystals, he couldn’t purify them all. It would drain a lot of Yellow and Blue Crystals, and was too time-consuming, while time was what he was most short of.
The faster he moved, the more people he would be able to save!
Along the way, Yang Kai not only witnessed scenes of disaster and despair though, he also had encountered many heroic deeds.
Many Sects and cultivators weren’t strong, but they had the courage and determination to fight to the death with the Black Ink Clan, refusing to withdraw with the other cultivators of their Great Territory and instead choosing to remain with the Universe Worlds that had raised them, using their lives and blood to protect them for as long as they could!
Cultivators of many such Sects faced total annihilation in the battle, leaving not one survivor behind. Such resistance deeply angered the Black Ink Clan, so what awaited them was death.
Yang Kai’s mood became even gloomier when he saw such scenes!
The order to retreat was not given because they were timid or cowardly, but because it was the best course of action in this situation; after all, only by surviving could they turn the situation around. Their decision to stay and fight to the death may have been praiseworthy, but from a strategic standpoint, it was utterly meaningless.
Who was right and who was wrong, nobody could say for sure. It was just a matter of one’s choice, and everyone had to face the consequences of their actions. Just like Yang Kai, who had chosen to roam various Great Territories and refine Universe Worlds into World Beads to save more lives, causing him to bear witness to far too many tragedies.
20 years went by in a flash.
Over the past 20 years, Yang Kai travelled to hundreds of Great Territories and accumulated over 2,000 World Beads. Each World Bead was a complete Universe World with its Seven Elements, Will, and World Principles intact.
The number of Humans he had saved was difficult to calculate.
But this was already the limit.
There were still many Great Territories Yang Kai had yet to set foot in, but now that 20 years had passed since the Black Ink Clan’s full-scale invasion began, it was difficult for him to find any Universe World that had not been devoured by Black Ink Strength.
The Black Ink Clan could be found in every Great Territory, and almost every Universe World that had a living being on it had a Black Ink Nest planted on it.
Countless mortals and cultivators with low cultivations had been reduced to Black Ink Disciples, and the World Force each Universe World had accumulated over countless aeons had been reduced to nourishment for the Black Ink Clan.
Of the tens of millions of Small Stone Race soldiers he started with, Yang Kai was now left with less than 10 million, the rest were all given away to others.
Over the past 20 years, the number of Black Ink Clansmen who had lost their lives at Yang Kai’s hands was also incalculable, with just the number of Territory Lords who had died at the end of his spear reaching over a dozen.
Now, with only one Royal Lord left alive, and the two Black Ink Giant Spiritual Gods being occupied, the Territory Lords were the top Masters of the Black Ink Clan. Be that as it may, if any of these Innate Territory Lords ran into Yang Kai alone, they would only be courting death. Even if there were two or three of them, Yang Kai was confident he could eliminate them after paying a price.
In these 20 years, those who should have evacuated had already evacuated, and those who couldn’t leave could only stay and bear the fate of being turned into Black Ink Disciples.
Yang Kai estimated that the cultivators who had evacuated from the various Great Territories should have all reached the Star Boundary by now.
He knew in his heart that this mission to save the remaining Humans of the 3,000 Worlds had come to an end. Even if he continued, it would just be a fruitless endeavour.
Looking at the dim stars in the void and the Universe Worlds enveloped in Black Ink Strength, a heavy sigh escaped Yang Kai’s lips as he shouted, “Old Tree, do you still want to hide? I think it’s time we meet!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a mysterious change started to occur in this Great Territory. Immediately after, a rolling fog appeared in the distance and swept towards Yang Kai.
Seeing this fog, Yang Kai knew that his guess was correct!
20 years ago, when he refined the Profound Abundant World, he had a vague guess in his heart. But at that time, he hadn’t refined enough Universe Worlds, so whether this conjecture was just his imagination or if it was true, he still had to verify it.
Over the past 20 years, he had refined more than 2,000 Universe Worlds, which was more than enough to confirm his previous speculations.
Because every time he refined a Universe World, he would sense an invisible connection with that unknown place.
After refining more than 2,000 Universe Worlds, this connection had become pretty strong; so, even if the other party didn’t respond, Yang Kai still had a way to force his way into this unknown place.
The rolling fog soon arrived before him and Yang Kai allowed it to envelop him, concealing his figure.
When the fog dissipated, Yang Kai’s figure was nowhere to be found.
When he reappeared, Yang Kai was already in a mysterious place that was difficult for ordinary people to reach. There happened to be some kind of suppression in this mysterious place, preventing anyone from completely displaying the might of the Open Heaven Realm, no matter what one’s Order was.
The Great Ancient Ruins Boundary!
When Yang Kai was just an Emperor Realm Master, he had been swept up by a mysterious fog and thrown into this Sealed World. It was in this Sealed World he got his hands on a World Tree clone, which he used to save the Star Boundary that was on the verge of shattering.
It was also from here that he brought out the Heavenly Moon Demon Spider, Zhu Jiu Yin.
According to Cang, the World Tree was one of the most ancient existences in the Universe. In the past, the 10 Martial Ancestors had relied on the World Tree to comprehend the mysteries of the Open Heaven Realm, which they later passed down to the wider Human Race, allowing it to gain a foothold in the Universe where the Monster Race ran rampant.
The people who obtained the favour of the World Tree were also a means of protection for the mysterious Heavenly Way. Cang’s group of 10 were chosen by the Heavenly Way, and they had sealed Mo in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction for millions of years. If not for their actions, how could the current 3,000 Worlds still exist? Perhaps the entire Universe would have become the Black Ink Clan’s paradise eons ago.
After Cang’s group, there were likely more candidates. The World Tree clone in Yang Kai’s Small Universe also belonged to a previous candidate who had fallen ages ago.
As for Yang Kai himself, he should have been chosen recently.
This method of self-preservation was seemingly performed through the World Tree, so no matter what, the World Tree was an indispensable and important link.
Mo had said that the Old Tree had always been hiding from it, afraid of it.
In the past, Yang Kai didn’t know what Mo meant by this. Both of them were among the most ancient of existences, so although Mo’s strength was hard to imagine, how could it be that the World Tree was weak? Why would it hide?
Now, Yang Kai finally understood.
Because the World Tree was a direct manifestation of the entire 3,000 Worlds. The relationship between the World Tree and the 3,000 Worlds was one of mutual destruction and prosperity.
Mo’s existence had severely threatened the survival of the 3,000 Worlds. If Mo really ruled over 3,000 Worlds, then Black Ink Strength would be everywhere, and every Universe World would die. At that time, the World Tree would also be completely destroyed.
Inside the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary, Yang Kai, who was swept up by the rolling fog, looked up and saw a towering tree in front of him.
Compared to the World Tree Yang Kai had seen in the past, this one was far larger and more majestic.
The tree was absolutely filled with World Fruits.
But different from the past, the current World Tree seemed to be seriously ill, looking very weak and sickly.
Many of the World Fruits hanging on the World Tree were gray, as if they had rotted. Yang Kai could even feel Black Ink Strength coming from these fruits!
He had actually witnessed this scene before.
When he used his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel just outside the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, Space and Time became chaotic, allowing Yang Kai to glimpse into the future.
One of the scenes was of him holding the head of the Royal Lord.
And the other scene was of a large, sickly tree filled with rotting fruits!
Yang Kai stared blankly for a long time before a sigh escaped his lips, “Old Tree, you’re quite pitiful!”
The World Tree’s body swayed slightly as its huge leaves rustled, looking like it was protesting Yang Kai’s ridicule.
Yang Kai quickly stated, “Don’t get agitated, each of these fruits corresponds to a Universe World. If you shake them off, it won’t be a good thing.”
When he first came here, Yang Kai’s strength, vision, and insight were all too shallow, so he only knew that the World Fruits could help a person break through to the next Order of the Open Heaven Realm. He was totally oblivious to the true mysteries of these World Fruits.
Now, after reaching the Eighth Order, having refined more than 2,000 Universe Worlds scattered across hundreds of Great Territories, and coming into contact with ancient Supreme Masters like Mo and Cang, how could Yang Kai not see the profundities of these fruits?
As he had just said, each of these World Fruits corresponded to a Universe World in some Great Territory, and was the Source of those very Universe Worlds.
It could be said that the World Tree was connected to all the Universe Worlds in the 3,000 Worlds. It was precisely the convergence of these Universe Worlds that had given birth to the World Tree.
Now that these Universe Worlds had been devoured by Black Ink Strength and occupied by the Black Ink Clan, it had affected the World Tree, making it and those World Fruits appear sick.
If a certain Universe World was completely destroyed, the corresponding World Fruit would also cease to exist.
Vice versa, if a new Universe World was born, the World Tree would bear a new fruit.
Yang Kai finally understood why the World Fruits had such potent effects.
This was because these World Fruits contained the mysteries and essences of an entire Universe World.
A Low-Rank World Fruit corresponded to a world with a low level of Martial Dao, a Mid-Rank World Fruit corresponded to a world with a mid-grade Martial Dao, and a High-Rank World Fruit corresponded to a high-grade Universe World, the best possible. Such Universe Worlds might be where the various Cave Heavens and Paradises resided.
If someone were to pick a World Fruit and swallow it, what they were actually eating was not the fruit itself, but the essence of the Universe World.
So naturally, this would rapidly increase their strength and even increase their Order.
But as a result of this, the Martial Dao of the corresponding Universe World and even the perfection of its World Principles would be greatly affected, taking thousands, if not tens of thousands of years to recover.
A Universe World with sufficient Martial Dao would have its own Principles and Will.
These Wills could be said to have come from the Universe World itself, but they could also be considered the wisps of the World Tree’s consciousness.
The Great Emperors of every Universe World had obtained the acknowledgement of their respective World’s Wills, but at its root, it was really the World Tree who had acknowledged them.
As such, every time Yang Kai refined a Universe World, he would gain the approval of the World Tree, allowing him to sense the latter’s existence.
Yang Kai had not understood these mysteries previously, but now he got the complete picture.
If 3,000 worlds were completely occupied by the Black Ink Clan, the World Tree would definitely perish!
Currently, only about 20% of the fruits on the tree remained intact, with most of them corresponding to the World Beads Yang Kai had refined.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai waved his hand as over 100 World Beads refined from Universe Worlds flew out. Each of the World Beads looked like a glorious pearl; a magnificent sight indeed.
As soon as these World Beads appeared, each of them resonated with a World Fruit and disappeared into them.
The World Bead had not really disappeared, but had instead become one with the fruit. It did not affect the living beings inside the World Beads either, and when peace had returned to the 3,000 Worlds once more, when the Black Ink Clan was eliminated, the World Tree would be able to send these World Beads back to the corresponding Great Territory, so that they could regain their former prosperity.
Yang Kai was just giving it a try; after all, it was quite troublesome and risky to carry so many World Beads on him. The World Beads might look small, but as each World was formed from a Universe World, they were actually quite massive in size. It was impossible for him to store them into his Small Universe or Space Ring, so Yang Kai could only sew together a huge backpack to carry them that way.
All these years, Yang Kai had been carrying a bag filled with World Beads on his back, which was extremely inconvenient
Now that he had discovered that these World Fruits could accommodate the corresponding Universe World, it naturally saved him a lot of trouble.
After some time, Yang Kai had finally tossed all 2,000 or so World Beads to the World Tree for safekeeping.
What surprised Yang Kai was that after obtaining these 2,000 or so World Beads, the World Tree’s condition seemed to have improved a little, but he was not sure, it might have just been his imagination.
On top of that, Yang Kai was also concerned about the still intact World Fruits on the World Tree.
The World Fruits corresponding to the Universe Worlds he had refined were intact because they were saved and not corroded by Black Ink Strength, but in addition to those World Fruits, there were several dozen more that were still completely healthy.
These fruits were not showing any features similar to the other ruined fruits, neither were they emanating any Black Ink Strength. Yang Kai even had a special connection with one of these fruits, feeling very close to it.
This feeling greatly surprised him. It was just a World Fruit, so how could he feel close to it?
After examining it for a moment though, Yang Kai raised his brow and asked, “Is this the World Fruit of the Star Boundary?”
He was a Great Emperor recognized by the Star Boundary’s Will, so the World Fruit corresponding to the Star Boundary naturally gave him a different feeling from the rest.
This World Fruit was a Mid-Rank World Fruit. In other words, if one ate it, it could allow a cultivator in the Third-Order to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm to advance an Order, and allow them to have better future prospects by increasing their innate limit.
But correspondingly, the Star Boundary would have to pay a huge price. Perhaps its Martial Dao level would be greatly affected and its World Principles would be damaged.
Yang Kai’s heart clenched as he recalled the Low-Rank World Fruits and Mid-Rank World Fruits he had obtained.
Back then, he had obtained more than a dozen or so fruits from the Old Tree, causing harm to some Universe Worlds.
As if the World Tree sensed his thoughts, it swayed again. Although the World Tree did not speak or transmit anything via Divine Sense, Yang Kai could clearly tell what it wanted to say.
The corresponding Universe Worlds of the World Fruits he had taken back then didn’t have any highly sentient lifeforms on them, so his actions didn’t cause much harm overall. At most, it would have delayed the development and evolution of those Universe Worlds by a few thousand years.
Knowing this, Yang Kai felt less guilty.
But very soon, he had another feeling. By using this World Fruit corresponding to the Star Boundary as a beacon, he might be able to create a passage to the Star Boundary and return to it!
Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly checked the other World Fruits that were still intact. After checking them with his Divine Sense, he discovered that his guess was right on mark; he could indeed open a Void Corridor with the help of these World Fruits and arrive directly at the Universe Worlds corresponding to these fruits.
He could even tell which Great Territory these Universe Worlds were located in by observing the void around them through this link.
Yang Kai’s expression changed as he couldn’t help but ask, “Old Tree, could this place be considered a transit point for 3,000 Worlds?”
The World Tree’s body swayed again as if saying it was a given.
This was not surprising though. The World Tree was the physical manifestation of all the Universe Worlds in 3,000 Worlds, with each of its fruits corresponding to a Universe World. It was closely connected to all the Great Territories and Universe Worlds in this way.
It was no wonder that the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary was so ethereal, and why the rolling fog through which one could enter the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary was able to appear in any Great Territory. Because theoretically speaking, one could enter the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary through any Universe World, depending on whether this Old Tree was willing to let them in or not!
With this discovery, Yang Kai’s interest was immediately piqued as he carefully examined the intact World Fruits.
These fruits corresponded to the Universe Worlds in the Star Boundary’s Territory, while another dozen or so were linked to the Universe Worlds in New Great Territory which was adjacent to the Star Boundary.
The New Great Territory was something Yang Kai had inadvertently discovered when he was fighting with Zuo Quan Hui of Thousand Cranes Paradise. No one from the 3,000 Worlds had stepped foot in it before.
The Small Stone Race was also brought out from the New Great Territory.
Apart from those, there were about 30 more intact World Fruits, which meant that there were an equal number of Universe Worlds in 3,000 Worlds that had not been occupied by the Black Ink Clan, scattered across various Great Territories.
Realizing this, Yang Kai quickly requested, “Old Tree, please assist me!”
Saying so, Yang Kai’s figure flickered as he shot towards one of the World Fruits. This fruit was only the size of a baby’s fist, but at this moment, it suddenly enlarged in Yang Kai’s eyes, allowing him to enter.
The moment he entered the World Fruit, Yang Kai immediately sensed the corresponding Universe World’s location. Space Principles flared and a Void Corridor leading to a distant Great Territory was opened with help from the World Tree.
In a flash, Yang Kai shuttled through the Void and appeared in the vicinity of the Universe World.
The Universe World was both big and beautiful, but it probably hadn’t been long since it was born. Its environment could not be considered good either. It was suitable for inhabitation, but its Principles were still relatively lacking. In other words, if the Martial Dao evolved here, its level would be extremely low.
Scanning it with his Divine Sense, Yang Kai didn’t find any Humans, just some low-level creatures.
He took out his Universe Chart and checked its location, soon concluding that the reason it was not occupied by the Black Ink Clan even after 20 years was because it was located in a remote region. It was quite likely that the Black Ink Clan had simply not discovered its existence, which had allowed this place to escape disaster.
Otherwise, the Black Ink Clan would have definitely not let go of a Universe World like this.
Without further delay, Yang Kai quickly began refining it. After having refined over 2,000 Universe Worlds, he was now quite familiar with this process.
After a couple of days, this Universe World was refined into a World Bead and collected by Yang Kai.
This time, he didn’t even have to ask the Old Tree to pick him up; rather, Yang Kai opened a Void Corridor with the help of the connection between the World Bead and World Tree before stepping inside.
When he reappeared, he was already standing beneath the World Tree.
Yang Kai didn’t even stop to catch his breath, he simply handed the new World Bead he had refined to the World Tree for safekeeping before identifying another intact World Fruit and setting off.
At this moment, he couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated. Had he known that the World Tree could connect to the various Great Territories and Universe Worlds, he would have contacted it long ago.
He could have easily travelled to other Great Territories with the help of World Tree, saving him massive amounts of time. Had he done so earlier, he might have been able to save even more Universe Worlds.
It was just that he had no idea about the World Tree’s stance, so he didn’t dare to rashly disturb it. It was only after he had refined more than 2,000 Universe Worlds and was closely connected to the World Tree that he called out to it.
30 Universe Worlds were not that many, and Yang Kai could refine a Universe World in just a few days now. These Universe Worlds were all quite remotely located, which was why they were never discovered by the Black ink Clan and thus avoided being poisoned by Black Ink Strength.
Most of the Universe Worlds did not have any Humans, only seven or eight in total, but their Martial Daos were not very high. Even when Yang Kai was refining the entire Universe World, the Human inhabitants never noticed a thing.
Today, Yang Kai arrived in the vicinity of another Universe World with the help of the World Tree, but just as he started refining it and reached a critical point, he noticed fluctuations of battle coming from the distance.
Yang Kai was quite taken aback by this discovery and could not understand why someone was fighting in such a remote location.
Logically speaking, the Humans had already evacuated from the greater 3,000 Worlds. Those who should have left had already left, and those who hadn’t were doomed.
There should not be anyone in such a remote place, but the commotion caused by the battle was quite obvious. Furthermore, the person who was fighting was quite strong, at least in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
[Who could it be?]
Yang Kai’s heart was filled with suspicion. Although he was alone, he wasn’t worried about being disturbed; after all, he still had some 10 million Small Stone Race soldiers on him. If any enemy was to come here, even if he could not divert his attention, Yang Kai could just summon a Small Stone Race Army to protect himself.
He paid no heed to the battle and decided to only take a look after he had refined the Universe World before him. But contrary to his plans, the battle was getting closer and closer, as if both sides of the battle were approaching him.
Yang Kai still ignored it. The other party’s approach shouldn’t be intentional, but it was still good news for him. The only ones who could be fighting at this time would be Humans and Black Ink Clansmen. If they were to approach him, he might be able to provide some assistance to the Human side.
About half an hour later, the sounds of the battle really grew closer and now, a strange look appeared on Yang Kai’s face because he felt a familiar aura!
Yang Kai was immediately overjoyed. [What a coincidence… I was planning to look for him after finishing with this business, but who would have thought that I would run into him here.]
[As the old saying goes, a good man does not live long, but a scourge lasts 1,000 years! Guess that makes this bastard immortal!]
The next moment, Yang Kai sent a message to the other party via Divine Sense.
The Human who was fighting with the Black Ink Clan was momentarily taken aback, but was soon overjoyed and quickly started approaching Yang Kai’s position. From the distance, he saw Yang Kai using some kind of strange technique, causing the Universe World in front of him to twist and distort like a reflection in the water, which greatly surprised him, “What are you doing?”
Yang Kai snapped back, “Why do you care? What are you doing here?”
It was none other than Wu Kuang, his entire body covered in blood, cutting quite a sorry figure.
Wu Kuang broke into carefree laughter after hearing Yang Kai’s question and replied, “I’m currently being pursued by a team of Black Ink Clansmen!”
He was acting smug, as if being chased around was something to boast about.
Yang Kai also admired his shamelessness before glancing behind Wu Kuang and frowning slightly, “Is there a Territory Lord?”
Wu Kuang was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and had mastered the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. It was a simple matter for him to deal with ordinary Feudal Lords. Since he was being pursued and in such a sorry state, obviously, a Territory Lord must have taken action.
Wu Kuang secretly circulated his strength, preparing to flee at any moment, “If you can’t fight, then it’s better to run away; otherwise, there will be no one to even collect your corpse.”
He could also tell that Yang Kai was currently doing something important, and got worried that he wouldn’t be able to help.
Yang Kai smiled proudly, “It’s just a Territory Lord, don’t worry and take a rest, just wait and watch how I take care of him!”
[‘Just’ a Territory Lord…]
Wu Kuang was beside himself in shock, unable to believe that such arrogant words were coming from Yang Kai’s mouth. He then scanned Yang Kai with his Divine Sense before his expression changed greatly, “You’ve reached the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm?”
Wu Kuang and Blood Crow had talked quite a bit while fighting in the Barren Territory battlefield, so Wu Kuang had learned a lot about Yang Kai and knew that the latter had long since broken through to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm and had even killed a number of Territory Lords.
However, Yang Kai had disappeared after the battle outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, with no one knowing if he was dead or alive.
So, Wu Kuang also had no idea. In truth, he didn’t care much about Yang Kai’s life or death, so it was a huge surprise to actually run into each other in this place. Furthermore, Yang Kai was already an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
Wu Kuang’s heart was filled with bitterness. He knew that he would not lose to anyone in this World when it came to cultivation speed; after all, the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was both exquisite and ingenious. It was definitely the best cultivation technique in existence. Even Blood Crow, who cultivated the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture, was forced to admit defeat before him. Yet, it had not been long since Yang Kai had advanced to the Seventh Order, so how could he already have reached the Eighth Order so quickly?
“Did you secretly cultivate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law?” Wu Kuang made a wild guess.
Yang Kai sneered, “Do you think I use it so haphazardly like you?”
Wu Kuang sized him up before vigorously shaking his head left and right, “Then this doesn’t make sense!”
If he hadn’t cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, how could his cultivation increase so rapidly? Yang Kai wasn’t like him, so he would only be dooming himself if he cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law without the Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus.
Yang Kai disdainfully sneered, “This King’s aptitude is not something you can fathom!”
Wu Kuang could not wait to slap him to death. No one had ever dared act so arrogantly in front of him!
While the two were bickering, an army of about 100,000 Black Ink Clansmen had already arrived, led by a Territory Lord and a dozen or so Feudal Lords.
Wu Kuang still maintained a ready-to-flee posture, and was no longer in the mood to bicker with Yang Kai, “If you have any tricks up your sleeve, hurry up and use them. If you delay anymore, I’m afraid we’ll both die here today.”
Yang Kai snorted lightly before opening a portal to his Small Universe. The next moment, a 1,000-metre-tall Small Stone Race member stepped out, followed closely by another.
He had collected millions and millions of Small Stone Race members from the Chaotic Dead Territory back then, and these 1,000-metre-tall Small Stone Race members were all comparable to Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
In the beginning, Yang Kai had over 100 of these 1,000-metre-tall giants, but after distributing most of the Small Stone Race Army to the evacuating Human forces as protectors, he was left with just 10 million Small Stone Race soldiers, of which just two were 1,000-metre tall.
On one side was an Innate Territory Lord, while on the other was two 1,000-metre tall Small Stone Race Masters. It was a fairly even match.
Right behind these 1,000-metre-tall Small Stone Race members though was a densely packed army of the Small Stone Race. In an instant, hundreds of thousands charged out of Yang Kai’s Small Universe, and more were still appearing.
Wu Kuang gawked, faintly feeling these creatures were a little familiar. He had spent some time in New Great Territory in the past and had seen ordinary Small Stone Race members; however, the Small Stone Race he had seen was the most primitive of beings, so how could they possibly give off the same awe-inspiring aura as the ones right before him.
The Small Stone Race Army instantly detected Black Ink Strength after stepping out of Yang Kai’s Small Universe. The two leading 1,000-metre tall Small Stone Race Masters furiously roared towards the sky before leading their army towards the Black Ink Clan, as if they had just seen an absolutely irreconcilable enemy.
The Territory Lord on the opposite side couldn’t help but be dumbfounded. They had come here chasing a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Human, but now they were suddenly attacked by a massive army. He was caught a little off guard.
But soon, the Territory Lord recognized these Small Stone Race members.
Over the past 20 years, the Black Ink Clan had encountered armies of similar creatures when they were pursuing the Humans through the various Great Territories. These creatures were extremely valiant when they fought with Black Ink Clan Army, causing them to suffer defeat many times at their hands.
More importantly though, these creatures didn’t fear the corrosion of Black Ink Strength at all, which gave the Black Ink Clan a serious headache.
Apart from directly killing them, the Black Ink Clan had yet to find an effective method to deal with them.
The Territory Lord had never imagined that he would encounter such a formidable enemy here; moreover, the enemy’s numbers were several times greater than his own. On top of all that, there was even an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Human staring at them with hostility.
The Territory Lord instantly wanted to retreat, but before he could do so, the two 1,000-metre Small Stone Race members had already surrounded him. Helpless, the Territory Lord could only retreat while fighting. As for his own army, he couldn’t give a damn about them right now. In this situation, his life was naturally more important.
The sudden appearance of the Small Stone Race Army had thrown the Black Ink Clan pursuers into disarray. Wu Kuang, on the other hand, was in high spirits.
He was chased by this Black Ink Clan Army for several months already, during which time he had several brushes with death. In short, he was dead tired. Any other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would have long succumbed to exhaustion. It was only thanks to the wonders of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law that he was able to keep his life.
Since the tables had turned with Yang Kai’s help, how could he just sit back and watch? Of course, Wu Kuang wanted to take revenge. Activating the Heaven Devouring Battle Law across a wide area, Wu Kuang began drawing everything into himself. Not only did he devour the Black Ink Clan’s Black Ink Strength, but he also devoured the energy of the Small Stone Race.
If it had only happened once or twice, it could have been explained as an accident, but after tasting the benefits contained in these Small Stone Race, Wu Kuang became more unrestrained, and the Heaven Devouring Battle Law’s range enlarged. Not only did the Black Ink Clan endlessly cry out in grievance, but even the Small Stone Race Army suffered numerous casualties.
The Small Stone Race in Yang Kai’s hands had all evolved with the help of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, so to Wu Kuang, their energy was far more beneficial than Black Ink Strength.
Yang Kai saw this and immediately cursed, “Old thief, don’t touch my Small Stone Race soldiers!”
It was only because he had reached a critical juncture in his refinement of the Universe World that he couldn’t handle other matters; otherwise, he would definitely beat Wu Kuang up.
Wu Kuang assured, laughing loudly, “It was a mistake, a mistake. Don’t worry about it!”
But at least after that, he acted with some discretion.
Yang Kai quickly concentrated on refining the Universe World, and half a day later, he stretched out his hand and made a scooping gesture in the Void, as if he was trying to pluck the moon’s reflection from a lake. The next moment, the Universe World disappeared and a World Bead appeared in his hand.
Having finished, Yang Kai arrived in front of the Territory Lord who was being attacked by the two 1,000-metre Small Stone Race members in a flash. Not even using his Azure Dragon Spear, he just unleashed a simple punch; however, this one punch made the Territory Lord’s chest cave in as he spurted a mouthful of blood.
The Territory Lord was already struggling under the two-pronged attacks of the two Small Stone Race giants, so how could he resist Yang Kai’s sudden attack?
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to escape, but the 1,000-metre-tall Small Stone Race members’ attacks were too strong and fearsome, giving him no room for escape.
The Black Ink Clan Army under him had suffered continuous casualties at the hands of the Small Stone Race, dropping to around 30,000 in total from an original 100,000. Now, with the Eighth-Order Master joining in, he knew that his death had come.
Driven into desperation, the Territory Lord became ruthless. His Black Ink Strength started madly surging, making it look like he was prepared to die as long as he could drag them down with him.
Be that as it may, how could Yang Kai allow him to do as he wished? Utilizing numerous Dao Strengths, one after another, Yang Kai beat the Territory Lord dizzy. Coupled with the cooperation of the two Small Stone Race Masters, the Territory Lord was completely powerless to do anything.
In the time it takes to boil a cup of tea, the Territory Lord was blown to pieces by Yang Kai’s fists, spurting black blood everywhere. Wu Kuang, who saw everything from a distance, had his brow twitching visibly.
When Yang Kai had scoffed at it being ‘just a Territory Lord’, he thought that this Brat had become a braggart; even if Yang Kai was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he would have had his hands full against a Territory Lord.
By the looks of it, this Brat’s strength was simply abnormal. Although he was assisted by two Small Stone Race members, Yang Kai’s strength was the key.
Wu Kuang was still secretly absorbing some of the Small Stone Race members’ energy, but after witnessing Yang Kai’s strength, he didn’t dare act presumptuously anymore, lest he be beaten black and blue.
He was someone who had been famous for tens of thousands of years before Yang Kai was born, so being taught a lesson by a Junior like him would have made him lose all face.
Without the support of the Territory Lord, the remaining Black Ink Clan Army found it even harder to resist the encirclement of the Small Stone Race Army. Yang Kai did not make any further moves, whereas the two 1,000-metre-tall Small Stone Race members fought their way into the encirclement, wiping out all of the Black Ink Clan soldiers in less than half an hour.
Only then did Yang Kai activate the Great Sun Mark and collect this Great Sun Small Stone Race Army to prevent them from running about.
After having dealt with this, Yang Kai turned to Wu Kuang and asked, “Why are you here?”
When he was in the Shattered Heaven, Yang Kai had asked a pair of Heavenly River Palace disciples about Wu Kuang’s whereabouts, but they could only tell him the latter had disappeared some years ago.
The Shattered Heaven Masters should have already been evacuated back to the Star Boundary; however, Yang Kai hadn’t expected to encounter Wu Kuang here either.
Wu Kuang casually replied, “After the Human Race Army in the Barren Territory retreated, this King decided to wander off alone.”
As far as others were concerned, retreating to the Star Boundary with the army was the safest option, but to Wu Kuang, this was a good opportunity to apply his talents.
When he was in the Shattered Heaven, he had still restrained himself a little; after all, the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was not a glorious cultivation technique. If some Master from one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises decided to exterminate evil and uphold righteousness, they might just kill him.
Even when he was extra careful, Wu Kuang still managed to provoke Withering Flame Divine Monarch and was hunted all the way to the Shattered Ruins. By some chance and coincidence, he entered the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land and then followed a group of Divine Spirits to the Barren Territory battlefield.
When he arrived at the Barren Territory battlefield, Wu Kuang finally let himself loose!
There, no one would care what kind of cultivation method one used. So long as one could kill the Black Ink Clan, they would be comrades!
On the Barren Territory battlefield, Wu Kuang had obtained quite a harvest and his cultivation had also risen rapidly.
Unfortunately, the good days didn’t last long. The Black Ink Clan broke through the boundary wall leading to Wind Mist Territory, forcing the Human Race Army to retreat. Wu Kuang couldn’t be bothered to move with the others, so he found an excuse to leave.
When he was fighting together with the other Humans, Wu Kuang always had to worry about accidentally injuring his allies, but now that he was alone and surrounded by enemies, he had completely let himself go.
Not only did he devour many, many Black Ink Clansmen, he even dared to devour the energy from Universe Worlds occupied by the Black Ink Clan. Along the way, his cultivation rose at an astonishing pace, but this also provoked the Black Ink Clan who started pursuing him.
Wu Kuang would really have been in danger if he hadn’t met Yang Kai here today.
It was also because of this encounter that Wu Kuang faintly felt that his strength was still too low. Although the Black Ink Clan could no longer deploy Royal Lords to the battlefield, they still had plenty of Territory Lords. As a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Wu Kuang was still a little lacking when facing a Territory Lord.
Only after advancing to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm could he truly act without restraint.
Unfortunately, even with the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, it was not easy to break through to the Eighth Order.
The fact that Yang Kai was already an Eighth-Order Master made him quite envious.
How could Yang Kai have known what Wu Kuang had gone through all these years? He only thought that Wu Kuang had been hiding in the Shattered Heaven all this while, so he was extremely surprised when he heard all about Wu Kuang’s experience, “You went to the Barren Territory battlefield?”
Wu Kuang proudly declared, “This King has obtained outstanding military merits! I’m also famous in your Great Evolution Army.”
Seeing his smug look, Yang Kai found it funny and proposed, waving off, “Let’s talk later, come with me.”
Yang Kai had many things he wanted to ask Wu Kuang and he also needed Wu Kuang’s cooperation in a plan he had in mind, but he did not forget there were still many intact Universe Worlds waiting for him to refine.
Having said that, he reached out to grab Wu Kuang.
Wu Kuang hesitated a little, but chose to go along with him. Since the day he became famous, he had become the target of everyone’s hatred. He had long developed a lone-wolf persona, but if there was anyone in this world he was willing to believe, then it would probably be Yang Kai.
In the past, it was Yang Kai who secretly brought him to the Shattered Heaven; otherwise, he would have remained hidden in the New Great Territory all this time. After all, Myriad Demons Heaven’s Pei Wen Xuan had died at his hands.
Space Principles started fluctuating and Wu Kuang felt as if the entire world had flipped upside down. By the time he came to his senses, he found himself standing in an inexplicable place.
Yang Kai ordered, “You stay here and recuperate, I’ll talk to you later.”
Yang Kai turned around and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Wu Kuang didn’t find this strange at all. Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, and now that his cultivation was an Order higher than Wu Kuang’s, it was indeed difficult for Wu Kuang to catch his movements.
Wu Kuang started looking around and soon had his attention focused on a huge, towering tree in front of him. The tree seemed to be ailed by some kind of illness as it looked sickly and most of its fruits were even rotten.
Wu Kuang furrowed his brow as he kept staring at the tree. He vaguely found the towering tree a little familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before. Oddly enough, he even got the feeling that there was some kind of bad blood between them!
In another place, Yang Kai once again arrived outside a completely intact Universe World, and this time, the refining process was quite smooth.
After refining that Universe World into a World Bead, Yang Kai returned to the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary and saw Wu Kuang sitting cross-legged in front of the World Tree, staring at it.
He didn’t pay the sight any heed and continued using the World Tree as a transit point to head towards the next Universe World.
After several more trips, he finally finished refining all of the still intact Universe Worlds.
When Yang Kai returned to the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary for the last time, he was beside himself in shock at the sight before him. The towering World Tree was nowhere to be seen, while Wu Kuang was hugging the lower half of a short, stubby old man. By the looks of it, he was pestering the old man, begging for something.
The dense and thick hair on the old man’s head looked like branches, and countless fruits were growing on them.
The old man’s lower body did not have any legs either and was instead something weird that looked like it was composed of countless roots.
Although Yang Kai had never seen this old man before, he could tell that he was the World Tree at a glance; after all, the branches on his head and the roots on his lower body were too obvious.
What surprised him was that the World Tree could actually transform into such an appearance, something he had never seen before.
The old man was also holding a walking stick in his hand and looked completely incensed as he beat Wu Kuang’s head with it. Wu Kuang appeared to be in quite a sorry state, bleeding from his head with red liquid pouring down his face.
Even so, Wu Kuang was still tightly holding onto the old man’s lower body, refusing to let go. Yang Kai could even sense him using the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
Wu Kuang was pleasantly surprised after seeing Yang Kai appear, and shouted, “Yang Boy, this is the World Tree, quickly help me refine it!”
It had taken him a long time to recognize that this was the legendary World Tree, but once he had, how could Wu Kuang resist the temptation of such a precious treasure?
Over the past few years, he did not even let off Black Ink Strength, so Wu Kuang immediately expressed his desire to refine the World Tree with practical actions. If he really succeeded in refining it, he would definitely be able to reach the Heavens in a single bound.
At that time, not to mention Territory Lords, he would be able to devour even Royal Lords with ease.
Had he still been able to use his Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, he wouldn’t be in such a sorry state, but this was the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary where no matter what one’s Order was, it was difficult for him or her to mobilize the World Force of their Small Universe. At most, one could only display the strength of the Emperor Realm.
A mere Emperor Realm Master couldn’t do anything against the World Tree.
The Old Tree kept bashing Wu Kuang’s head with the walking stick to the point that Wu Kuang had started to feel dizzy. Be that as it may, Wu Kuang held on, seemingly willing to die for his great cause.
The roots of the Old Tree’s lower body also kept lashing him like thousands of whips, tearing his skin and flesh.
While they were entangled with each other, Yang Kai walked over.
Old Tree immediately voiced his grievance, “Boy, why did you bring someone like him here!”
The Old Tree was not just angry, he was also exasperated and even a little frightened, for this was actually not the first time something like this had happened. He had faced a similar situation a very long time ago.
At that time, when that fellow named Shi saw him, he had also acted in such a manner, clamouring to refine him, making him panicked!
What’s more, at that time, the Secret Art Shi had used was exactly the same as the one in front of him was using.
The Old Tree immediately understood that the fellow in front of him was definitely connected to Shi somehow; otherwise, how could he come to possess the same Secret Art?
Yang Kai was also rendered speechless by the scene before him. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Wu Kuang by the neck, lifting him up with a little force.
Having escaped from Wu Kuang, the Old Tree quickly hid far away and breathed a sigh of relief.
Wu Kuang, who was being held by Yang Kai, turned to the latter before stoically and indifferently stating, “This King is still your Senior, is this how you treat me? Put me down!”
Apparently, he was more ashamed of being held like this than anything else.
Yang Kai put him down and warned him in a distressed voice, “Stop messing around!”
Wu Kuang adjusted his clothes as if nothing had happened, but the bruises and bloodstains on his face made him look miserable still.
“Why aren’t you restricted by this place?” Wu Kuang asked curiously.
His cultivation had been suppressed to the Emperor Realm, but clearly, Yang Kai had not been suppressed and was still able to display the strength of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to pick him up like a chicken.
Yang Kai explained, “I have refined many Universe Worlds and obtained the Old Tree’s approval, so naturally I am not restricted here.”
Wu Kuang was absorbed in his thoughts after this revelation.
Yang Kai then looked at the Old Tree and asked, clicking his tongue in surprise, “You can even take Human Form?”
[Since you could assume Human Form, what was the point of shaking your trunk to communicate with me?]
The Old Tree replied, “This Old Master has lived for so long, it would be stranger if I was not able to transform like this. Anyways, why did you bring him here? Quickly take him away!”
Although Wu Kuang’s cultivation was locked at the Emperor Realm, the Old Tree didn’t feel safe with him.
Yang Kai agreed, “I’ll be leaving immediately, but before I leave, Old Tree, I have a presumptuous request.”
Old Tree looked at him vigilantly, “Tell me.”
Yang Kai bowed to him before stating, “The Black Ink Clan has invaded the 3,000 Worlds on a large scale. We Humans had no choice but to retreat to the Star Boundary. Many Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sacrificed their lives on the Barren Territory battlefield in order to buy time for our younger generations. This Junior sincerely asks Old Tree to take pity on us and bestow upon us some of your clones to nurture our Human Race’s talents!”
Judging by the Old Tree’s expression, it appeared as if he had expected this request. As soon as Yang Kai spoke about a request, he had already guessed what it would be.
After pondering for a moment, he asked, “How many do you want?”
Yang Kai pondered about it for a moment. When he saw Wu Kuang secretly gesturing to him, he immediately stated, “Not much, 100 roots should be enough!”
Wu Kuang gasped, secretly shocked by Yang Kai’s unreasonable demand for he had clearly gestured for 10.
The Old Tree chuckled as a kind look appeared on his face, “Boy, you’re quite interesting, how can 100 roots be not much? Why don’t you just let him refine this Old Master instead?”
Wu Kuang immediately took a step forward, expressing that he was ready at any moment, it was just that the old man was not inviting him!
Yang Kai tentatively asked, “Then 90?”
Old Tree stated angrily, “Do you know that every time this Old Master cuts off one of his roots, it will severely damage my foundation? This Old Master’s body is related to the Universe Worlds of the entire 3,000 Worlds. If this Old Master’s foundation is greatly damaged, that damage is distributed back to the Universe Worlds, damaging all of them as well. Moreover, you don’t understand the secret behind the feedback of my clones at all. If you understood its intricacies, you wouldn’t have made such ridiculous demands.”
Yang Kai had really never thought about the feedback of the World Tree clone. He only knew that the World Tree clone was extremely beneficial to the living beings below the Open Heaven Realm, but he had never thought about the reason behind it.
After hearing the Old Tree say so much though, he realized that there was some great secret behind it.
He thus humbly requested, “Please enlighten me, Old Tree.”
The Old Tree looked at him deeply before answering, “The reason why this Old Master’s clones are able to nourish a Universe World is not because of its own abilities, but because all my clones are closely related to this Old Master. My clones draw energy from other Universe Worlds through this Old Master’s body to nourish that particular World. Still, this extraction will affect the development of all other Universe Worlds as well.”
Realization suddenly dawned upon Yang Kai, “Does Old Tree mean that the reason the Star Boundary is so prosperous now is that it extracts good fortune and energy from other Universe Worlds to nourish itself?”
Old Tree nodded his affirmation, “Exactly.”
This was the first time Yang Kai had heard of such a thing, but since it was mentioned by the World Tree himself, it was obviously not a lie. And after he gave it another thought, Yang Kai found this answer quite reasonable.
“If that’s the case, doesn’t it mean that having more clones isn’t the better choice?” Yang Kai immediately realized that the benefits of these clones did not lie in themselves. The nourishment provided by these clones did not actually come from them, but rather was the energy extracted from other Universe Worlds. This extraction could not be without limitations under the premise that it did not damage the development of other Universe Worlds.
If there was only one clone, this kind of feedback would be extremely powerful, but if there were two clones, the feedback energy would also be divided into two. The more of them there were, the less the feedback there would be; after all, the total number of Universe Worlds in 3,000 worlds was fixed.
No wonder Old Tree had said that if he understood the mysteries behind it, he wouldn’t have made such a ridiculous request.
If the benefits of the clones were because of the energy extracted from the other Universe Worlds, then having too many clones would be useless.
Yang Kai suddenly thought of something and asked, “What about the clone in a cultivator’s Small Universe?”
The Old Tree replied, “Naturally, the same is true for it too. Your Small Universe also has one of my clones. Previously, it was difficult for you to detect it, but now that you’ve refined so many Universe Worlds, if you calmly sense it, you’ll definitely be able to see through it.”
Yang Kai didn’t place much importance on these concerns before, but he quickly performed a deeper investigation and realised that, just as the Old Tree had said, the World Tree clone in his Small Universe drew its nourishment from somewhere else, and the direction it drew nourishment from had a lot to do with the Universe Worlds he refined.
[So that’s how it is!]
The nourishment from the clone feedback was not created out of thin air but from the strength of many Universe Worlds! The prosperity of the Star Boundary was also due to the power drawn from other Universe Worlds.
“But, Old Tree, now that most of the Universe Worlds have been conquered by the Black Ink Clan, why don’t I feel a reduction in the incoming nourishment?” Yang Kai was a little puzzled.
If what the Old Tree claimed was true, only the 2,000 or so Universe Worlds that he refined among the rest remained intact whereas the rest were conquered by the Black Ink Clan. Most of the Universe Worlds conquered by the Black Ink Clan already had a Black Ink Nest planted on them, consuming their World Force clean. There were far fewer Universe Worlds now, which should have meant less nourishment from the World Tree clones.
However, Yang Kai did not feel that was the case; instead, the nourishment from the World Tree clone in his Small Universe remained the same as it was previously, and it was most likely the same for the Star Boundary.
Old Tree replied, “If you only need to nourish one World, input from only a few Universe Worlds is required, somewhere between 100 to 200. The Universe Worlds you saved far exceed that number.”
Understanding this, Yang Kai rejoiced. If he hadn’t saved all these Universe Worlds throughout these years, the nourishment from the World Tree clones would have vanished altogether after the Black Ink Clan had taken control of every Universe World. By that time, the Star Boundary would no longer deserve its title as an Open Heaven Realm Cradle, and even the clone in Yang Kai’s clone in his Small Universe might lose its power.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel a little frightened. Fortunately, he had been working hard to refine Universe Worlds these past 20 years, which led to this unexpected benefit.
Wu Kuang secretly asked Yang Kai, “How many Universe Worlds did you save throughout the years?”
“Around 2,000,” he simply replied.
After some silent calculation, Wu Kuang said again, “If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be a problem to have another 15 World Tree clones.”
According to the World Tree, it only required 100 to 200 Universe Worlds to share their power to nourish a Universe World, so if there were more than 2,000 left, it shouldn’t be a problem to have 15 more World Tree clones.
Realizing that, he hurriedly told Yang Kai, “Hey, Brat, I want one!”
Who in the Open Heaven Realm wouldn’t crave the mystical effects of a World Tree clone? Though Wu Kuang was proficient in the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and his cultivation had advanced rapidly and without problems throughout the years, he could sense some instabilities in his foundation. If he managed to acquire a World Tree clone to protect and sustain his Small Universe, all those potential problems would be solved.
It was precisely because of this consideration that after recognizing the World Tree, Wu Kuang anxiously wanted to refine it. However, due to him being relatively weaker than the other, he was beaten back by Old Tree.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai realized something and shook his head, “I’m afraid there won’t be that many.”
With a nod of approval for Yang Kai, the Old Tree remarked, “Indeed.”
Wu Kuang might be unclear about it, but Yang Kai and Old Tree knew clearly that though it only required 100 to 200 Universe Worlds to nourish a World Tree clone’s World, there was an issue.
There were currently two active clones out there, one in the Star Boundary and one in Yang Kai’s Small Universe; however, the latter required an immense number of Universe Worlds as time flowed significantly faster there than in the outside world.
Understanding this, Yang Kai respectfully asked, “Old Tree, how many more can you offer?”
After a moment of deep consideration, the Old Tree tapped the walking stick in his hand and sighed, “Only three more! Anything more than that will affect the strength of nourishment.”
Wu Kuang’s expression turned dark. If there are 15 more, he may be able to get one, but if it was just three, Yang Kai might not be willing.
After all, he wasn’t that close to Yang Kai.
Without trying to negotiate, as he knew it would be pointless, Yang Kai bowed and said while cupping his fist, “Old Tree, please give me three of your clones!”
The continuance of the World Tree was linked to the survival of 3,000 Worlds, so Yang Kai believed that at times like this, Old Tree would not be stingy. Three World Tree clones was likely the maximum he could offer.
The Old Tree gave a light nod, and the numerous roots on its lower body squirmed. Three of them eventually broke off and sprouted into three tiny saplings.
Just as Wu Kuang prepared to dash forward to snatch one, space around him froze and he became immobile. He knew clearly that it was Yang Kai’s doing. This Brat who manipulated Space Principles was stopping him, causing him to squirm and glare at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai naturally ignored him. After carefully putting the three clones into his Small Universe, he thanked the Old Tree.
The Old Tree waved his hand, “This old man can only do so much. The future of the 3,000 Worlds is in the hands of you Humans. If you win, I can continue to live; otherwise, I will inevitably perish as well.”
“Old Tree may rest assured, the Human Race will not be defeated. However, Junior may come visit you somewhat frequently in the future,” stated Yang Kai immediately.
Now that he could use the World Tree as a transit point to travel around the Great Territories, he would undoubtedly arrive here frequently in the future.
However, this method of travel had its limitations. After using the World Tree to travel back and forth many times, Yang Kai realised that, though this approach enabled him to connect to the World Tree at any moment and arrive at the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he had to connect to a Universe World of a particular Great Territory if he wished to travel from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary to that Great Territory as he needed to make use its World Will.
The reason he could travel across almost every Great Territory currently was even though most of the Universe Worlds were occupied by the Black Ink Clan, the Universe World’s Wills had yet to completely vanish. As long as the Universe Worlds still had some semblance of Will, it indicated that the World Tree was still linked to it.
But after some time, it would become difficult for Yang Kai to do this.
Even right now, he couldn’t go to the Black Ink Battlefield, because the Universe Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield had been dead for many, many years, with their Wills all having been destroyed long ago.
The Old Tree nodded lightly, and without delay, his figure shook and his body returned to its majestic towering tree form again. Most of the fruits on the tree were sick and rotting, a worrying sight.
“By the way, Old Tree, this Junior wants to bring out all the Divine Spirits here since they have strong combat abilities,” Yang Kai made such a request.
There were no other sentient living beings in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary except for the Divine Spirits. These Divine Spirits’ strength were restricted by the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary as well so they weren’t very powerful; even once they departed from here, it would take many years before they completely familiarised themselves with the outside world’s Principles and slowly restored their true strength.
This was the case with Zhu Jiu Yin back then. She had power equivalent to an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, yet when she first left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, she could at most display power similar to a Seventh-Order Master. After that, it took decades to slowly return to her peak.
There were quite a number of Divine Spirits in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, with Yang Kai having seen dozens of them back when he first came here. There were also a number who he had not met. Every single Divine Spirit here was like another High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, so bringing them along would be of great help now that the Human Race was in a vulnerable state.
Additionally, these Divine Spirits had always wanted to escape from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so Yang Kai thought that they would also be willing to leave with him.
Old Tree replied, “If you wish, this Old Master has no objection, but do keep in mind that the ancestors of these Divine Spirits have histories of wicked deeds that put the 3,000 Worlds in jeopardy. The current generation is innocent of those crimes, but you should be careful.”
Yang Kai now understood why there were so many Divine Spirits gathered here. It was because these Divine Spirits’ ancestors had done something to threaten the stability of the 3,000 Worlds, therefore, the Old Tree imprisoned them here. However, he was not a merciless jailer and gave a chance for these Divine Spirits to escape this prison.
Each time the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opened, the Divine Spirits could select a Bearer from among the Humans that were swept inside to engage in the Spirit Seizing War, and the Bearer that won would be able to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary with the Divine Spirit that chose them.
Back then, Zhu Jiu Yin had chosen Yang Kai; otherwise, she would not have been able to escape the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
To the Human Race, the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was a Sealed World that they yearned to enter, but to the native Divine Spirits, it was a prison.
Many Divine Spirits never got the chance to leave this place and simply passed away here; after all, the opening of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was too rare.
“This Junior will tame them well.”
Saying so, he flashed and disappeared into thin air.
Wu Kuang, who was still left frozen in place, cursed Yang Kai furiously.
The next moment, a branch from the Old Tree flicked over and knocked Wu Kuang to the ground, causing the latter to explode in rage!
He had never suffered such humiliation in his entire life of cultivation, not even in the brutal battle with other Great Emperors in the Shattered Star Sea.
In a certain mountain valley, a Divine Spirit resembling an ox with a height of about 3,000 metres was sleeping soundly. It looked exactly like a mountain as it lay there, with white smoke puffing from its nostrils as it snored.
In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, the Divine Spirits remained essentially inactive because there were no other sentient beings besides them on usual days. It was not until the opening of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that Humans would flood in, making the atmosphere slightly livelier.
While this Divine Spirit was sleeping soundly, a voice sounded next to his ears, “Zhu Jian, recognize me as your Master, and I shall bring you along to leave the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Are you willing?”
The next moment, Zhu Jian awoke, and as he opened his eyes, he saw a Human figure. He briefly felt lost for a moment before bursting with excitement.
[A Human!? Does that mean that the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary opened?]
Every opening of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary was an extremely rare opportunity for the Divine Spirits who were trapped here. The remaining Divine Spirits had been jealous of Zhu Jiu Yin for many years ever since she escaped from here last time.
Now that an unfamiliar Human had arrived and was standing right in front of him, Zhu Jian believed that his chance had finally come!
Rising slowly and purposefully releasing the pressure of a Divine Spirit, Zhu Jian looked down onto the tiny Human and laughed sarcastically, “You want me to accept you as my Master? Are you dreaming? Have you ever heard any Divine Spirit acknowledging any other as their Master?”
Yang Kai thought for a while before shaking his head, “No.”
The Divine Spirits had always been arrogant beings; how could it lower their heads for a mere Human?