While the rest carried on with their conversation, Ou Yang Lie was the only one who kept glancing behind him with a brooding expression wondering, [What the hell is that Brat up to?]
The others might not be aware of how formidable Yang Kai was in combat, but the same could not be said for Ou Yang Lie.
Of all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters here in Profound Nether Territory, he was the one who was most familiar with Yang Kai as they had fought alongside each other for many years in the Great Evolution Army. Yang Kai was also the reason why he managed to make it out of the Black Ink Battlefield and arrive at the Barren Territory.
Of course, Yang Kai would not have come out of the battle unscathed after slaughtering three Innate Territory Lords in such a short amount of time, so Ou Yang Lie did not even need to check to understand he had used his Soul Rending Thorns.
Injuries in battle were unavoidable, but nevertheless, Ou Yang Lie did not believe that Yang Kai’s wounds were as severe as they seemed to be. He had witnessed just how indomitable Yang Kai had been when they stormed the No-Return Pass; however, Yang Kai’s aura was currently as frail as a candle’s flame amid a terrifying storm. It was almost as if he would die at any moment.
[Is he really that wounded?]
Ou Yang Lie threw a glance in that direction once more and his eyes flashed perceptively as a thought occurred to him. Soon, he chuckled and snickered, “Crafty brat.”
“What did you say?” Wei Jun Yang turned to Ou Yang Lie.
“It’s nothing,” Ou Yang Lie slowly shook his head. Although he deduced that something mischievous was afoot, he was not about to expose it as this involved someone else’s private affairs. If he did, then he would be offending Yang Kai for no reason.
Ou Yang Lie was certain. [That Brat’s injured alright, but his injuries are definitely not that severe.]
Since Ou Yang Lie did not wish to elaborate, Wei Jun Yang did not try to pry it out of him, “Everyone fought hard in this battle. Let’s return and tend to our injuries first so that we can return to our peak as soon as possible, lest the Black Ink Clan starts getting ideas again.”
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
The Profound Nether Territory Army suffered considerable casualties in this battle, including the loss of two Eighth-Order Masters. Even though three Territory Lords had been killed as well, there were more Territory Lords than Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to begin with.
The injuries that Ou Yang Lie, Wei Jun Yang, and the others suffered were fairly serious, so it was true that they needed to hurry up and tend to their wounds.
However, before they moved away, a figure fell from the sky and landed in front of them before cupping his fist as he announced, “Sirs, the Divine Spirits’ reinforcement team has arrived!”
Ou Yang Lie could not resist snapping, “What excellent timing!”
What was the point if the Divine Spirits only arrived when the battle was over? Were they here to help clean up the battlefield?
If they came earlier, the Profound Nether Army would not have suffered such heavy casualties.
Ou Yang Lie could not be blamed for feeling resentful while the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters felt the same to varying degrees. There had been no sign of these Divine Spirits earlier when the battle was at its fiercest and the Profound Nether Army was on the verge of defeat. That was the time when they needed reinforcements the most. Fortunately, Yang Kai had arrived and managed to drive the Black Ink Clan back with his unstoppable strength. Yet, it was only now that the Divine Spirits showed up.
However, though they were dissatisfied, they knew the situation could not be helped. There were only so many Divine Spirits and the Human Race needed all the help they could get on all the different battlefields. The Divine Spirits who had to rush everywhere to offer assistance were under a lot of pressure too.
Without the support of the Divine Spirits, at least two or three of the Humans’ current frontline Great Territories would have been lost.
The Divine Spirits had contributed greatly to the Human Race’s success in holding off the Black Ink Clan.
Wei Jun Yang sighed, “They’re having a hard time too, Brother Ou Yang, so let’s not mention such things.”
“I know,” Ou Yang Lie huffed.
No one was having it easy. They were all pitifully fighting in a bid for survival.
He was just grumbling for the sake of it.
Even under these circumstances, while the Divine Spirits might have been late, they would not have been too late. If Yang Kai had not shown up, the Profound Nether Army would likely still be stretched thin and the risk of defeat would be looming over their heads right now. The Divine Spirits’ arrival would surely have provided them with much-needed help, and if the Divine Spirits were powerful enough, the Profound Nether Army might even manage to turn things around and score a victory.
“Bring them over,” Wei Jun Yang instructed.
The messenger nodded quickly and did as he was instructed.
Soon, a group of 50 or so Divine Spirits who did not bother reining in their imposing presence approached. All the soldiers nearby backed away from the heavy presence of these Divine Spirits.
Ou Yang Lie frowned as he exchanged looks with Wei Jun Yang, both thinking the same thing, [It’s them.]
Previously, Wei Jun Yang said that the Supreme Headquarters was sending a team of Divine Spirits over as reinforcements. Ou Yang Lie had asked if these Divine Spirits were the ones who came from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but Wei Jun Yang did not know the answer.
It was those at the Supreme Headquarters who made the arrangements; thus, he had no say in the matter.
From the looks of it, the Divine Spirits were indeed the ones from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
It was easy enough to tell. Although these Divine Spirits had a domineering presence, they were basically all on par with Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in terms of strength. Only a few of them were on par with Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Furthermore, only these Divine Spirits would behave this arrogantly.
All the Divine Spirits who sided with the Human Race came from one of three places. They were either from the No-Return Pass, Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, or Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Overall, the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary were weaker than those from the No-Return Pass and the Ancestral Land. It was not because they were weaker by nature, but they had only just left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so they had yet to fully adapt to the Principles of the 3,000 Worlds, meaning their strength was somewhat suppressed.
This had been the case with Zhu Jiu Yin back then. Her true strength had been on par with an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but once Yang Kai brought her out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, it dropped to that of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and it took her many years before she returned to her peak.
Thus, upon seeing that these Divine Spirits mostly had Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivations, Ou Yang Lie and the others easily figured out where they were from.
They belonged to the group of Divine Spirits who came out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but this was not all of them.
These Divine Spirits were not all that reliable. When they first arrived at the Star Boundary after leaving the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, they caused quite a bit of trouble. It was Fu Guang of the Dragon Clan who had to step up and teach them a harsh lesson before they reined themselves in.
Many unverifiable rumours regarding these Divine Spirits circulated among the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters…
Apparently, they were cowardly in the face of death and did not do their best in the battle against the Black Ink Clan. Even though they now allowed the Supreme Headquarters to send them out as reinforcements to various frontlines, somehow, they often did things that bungled the Human Race’s chances of winning the battle.
Those at the Supreme Headquarters would not choose to dispatch these Divine Spirits unless absolutely necessary.
In fact, they considered splitting up the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and assigning them to the other Divine Spirit teams, but in the end, they could not do so as these Divine Spirits refused to be separated. If the Supreme Headquarters tried to force the issue, then it would only backfire.
Divine Dragon Fu Guang was now recuperating in seclusion, so there was no one around who could exert authority over these unruly Divine Spirits.
Furthermore, they were related to Yang Kai, so even Xiang Shan and Mi Jing Lun did not want to push too hard when dealing with them.
The reinforcements came in the form of roughly 50 Divine Spirits and one Seventh-Order Human Master.
As a few unpleasant events had happened in the past, a Human Master was now assigned to accompany the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary whenever they were sent into battle. The Human’s role was ostensibly to lead the way as the Divine Spirits were unfamiliar with the 3,000 Worlds, but in reality, their job was there to keep an eye on them. Both sides were fully aware of this.
No one knew which Cave Heaven or Paradise this Seventh-Order Master was from, but as he came over and looked around, his expression was as dark as night.
Once he arrived in front of Wei Jun Yang and the others, he bowed and greeted, “Supreme Headquarters Yu Zhen greets Sirs.”
Wei Jung Yang smiled and reached out to raise him from the bow before nodding lightly at the Eighth-Order Divine Spirits who stood in front, “Many thanks for making the effort to come here.”
Of the Divine Spirits who took the lead, the one who took the form of a middle-aged man chuckled, “It was no effort at all. Rather… Did the battle here end so quickly? I thought you Humans were at risk of being overwhelmed?”
“An unexpected incident occurred and we managed to repel the Black Ink Clan,” Wei Jun Yang replied, but he showed no inclination of sharing in further detail.
Naturally, the Divine Spirit did not bother asking either.
“Oh,” the middle-aged man said in acknowledgement before turning to Yu Zhen, “Since there’s nothing left to do here, does this mean we can go back now?”
Yu Zhen kept quiet, but his expression was icy.
By now, everyone else could tell that Yu Zhen did not get along with these Divine Spirits; however, outsiders would not know what caused the rift between them.
Still, it was rather hard to think favourably of the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. They were different from the Divine Spirits from the Ancestral Land and the No-Return Pass. It would have been more surprising if the Humans heard that Yu Zhen, the Seventh-Order Master who was supposed to keep an eye on these Divine Spirits, had gotten along with them. Perhaps they had shunned him during the journey over here.
“We came all the way here for nothing!” A young man among the group of Divine Spirits grumbled in dissatisfaction, “What a waste of all our efforts to rush over as quickly as possible!”
“The Black Ink Clan here are so weak. They should’ve held out a few more days.”
“Stop trying to talk big, Hou Dou. If you really had to fight against the Black Ink Clan, you might end up peeing your pants. Everyone knows you’re a coward who’s afraid to die.”
A burst of laughter rang out.
The Divine Spirit named Hou Dou immediately retorted, “As if you’re any better, Yan Mo! During the last battle, you were wailing your head off and begging for mercy when that Territory Lord chased after you.”
Yan Mo turned bright red, “That was a Territory Lord! He’s even stronger than an Eighth-Order Human. I haven’t fully restored my strength yet, you know. Once that happens, why would I need to fear a Territory Lord?”
The Divine Spirits thus continued bickering among themselves.
Wei Jun Yang and the others frowned.
They had fought alongside many Divine Spirits during the battle at the No-Return Pass, and even though those Divine Spirits were just as haughty and prideful, always looking down on the Humans, when it came to actually fighting, they were reliable comrades-in-arms whose strength in combat could not be denied.
This was even the case with the Dragon and Phoenix Clans.
As for the Divine Spirits in front of them now… Were they nothing more than a farce? They were standing on the frontlines of a battlefield where the Human Race had suffered countless losses during the earlier battle, and even more of them were injured, and yet, these Divine Spirits turned it into a place where they bickered over who was the bravest.
Still, despite their discontent, Wei Jun Yang and the others could not make any comments as these Divine Spirits had come here as reinforcements.
Yu Zhen seemed to be accustomed to the Divine Spirits’ bickering so he just turned to Wei Jun Yang and asked, “Sirs, is there a need for us to stay here in Profound Nether Territory in case the Black Ink Clan mounts a counterattack?”
Wei Jun Yang glanced in the direction where Yang Kai was resting and shook his head, “That won’t be necessary. The Black Ink Clan suffered significant casualties this time around so they most likely won’t be coming back any time soon.”
[Even if they did, with him around, it would not be hard to defend Profound Nether Territory. The other battlefields might have a greater need for reinforcements.]
“Did we achieve a sweeping victory here?” Yu Zhen exclaimed in surprise.
This was something that had not happened in a very long time. Though the Human Race emerged victorious now and then throughout the various battlefields, those were generally hard-fought wins. After all, if they wanted to force the stronger and numerically superior Black Ink Clan into retreat, they would have to pay a heavy price in the process.
Yu Zhen was ecstatic. If the Human Race achieved a sweeping victory in Profound Nether Territory, the good news was bound to improve the morale of the Armies on the other battlefields.
Wei Jung Yang shook his head and corrected with a bitter smile, “It was a costly victory.”
It could have been considered a sweeping victory if they had not lost two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but they did, so the victory was no longer as sweet.
Yu Zhen paled when he heard this, “Did we lose an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?”
Wei Jun Yang nodded morosely, “Two!”
Yu Zhen’s figure rocked ever so slightly.
Ever since the Human Race Army established the current frontline battlefields including Profound Nether Territory, they had only lost 10 Eighth-Order Masters in total.
Those 10 had been lost throughout the many decades of fighting.
However, two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had been sacrificed in just this one battle alone!
Regardless of how much the Human Race managed to achieve in return, it was still a costly victory.
It was not easy to become an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Those who did were the most talented cultivators among the Human Race, and yet it still took several millennia for one to reach such a height.
Far too many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had died throughout the years of battle, so the surviving ones were now the Human Race’s pillars of strength.
Yet, two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters died in the battle in Profound Nether Territory.
Yu Zhen lowered his head and clenched his fists. His voice quavered as he said, “The two Sirs… need not have died. If we had only arrived sooner…”
Upon seeing that Yu Zhen blamed himself for this, Ou Yang Lie went forward and patted him on the shoulder, “Our two Brothers died honourably. You don’t need to let their deaths weigh too heavily on you. It wasn’t your fault.”
Although two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were sacrificed in battle, they managed to gravely injure their opponents before they took their last breath. Dying on the battlefield was an honourable way for them to go.
Yu Zhen slowly shook his head before all of a sudden, he glared at the Divine Spirits with bloodshot eyes, “You were supposed to come here as reinforcements, but all of you kept causing undue delays. Your lack of urgency resulted in the death of two of the Profound Nether Army’s Eighth-Order Division Commanders. I will report this to the Supreme Headquarters and hope you can give a reasonable justification for your actions when the time comes.”
“What did you say?” Ou Yang Lie and the others were shocked to hear this.
Wei Jun Yang’s expression was grim, “Undue delays? What happened?”
When everyone heard Yu Zhen’s statement earlier, they thought he was merely blaming himself for the situation, but from the looks of it now, it seemed that something else must have happened.
All at once, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters began staring at the Divine Spirits with sharp, piercing gazes.
An undue delay was not something to be taken lightly, and as the one who was tasked with overseeing these Divine Spirits, Yu Zhen’s words carried great weight.
If it was just as Yu Zhen had said and the Divine Spirits did hinder military operations, then it was a serious matter.
Wei Jun Yang and the others believed Yu Zhen’s words without any hesitation or doubt, and they had a good reason for this as the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary had done this in the past.
It happened during the first time they were sent to aid the Humans in battle. They took so long on the trip over that, by the time they arrived on the battlefield, the fighting was nearly over.
As no Human was keeping an eye on them at the time, there was no way of confirming whether or not the Divine Spirits had done this on purpose.
Due to that incident, there was now always a Human Race Master who accompanied the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary whenever they were deployed as reinforcements.
Meanwhile, despite the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters’ gazes, the Divine Spirits were unperturbed. Some of them were on par with Eighth-Order Masters, so they were not afraid of Wei Jun Yang and the other Humans. Furthermore, the Human Race needed their strength. Even if the Human Race discovered anything in their investigations, they could not do anything about it.
The middle-aged man who was in the lead chuckled as he began releasing his Divine Spirit presence to its fullest. Wei Jun Yang and the others were fairly injured in the first place, and now, they became even paler.
He looked at Yu Zhen and retorted coolly, “Watch what you say, boy. Ever since we received the command, we have done our best to rush over as soon as possible. How did we cause any undue delays?”
The pressure from a Mature Divine Spirit was directed fully at Yu Zhen, and it made him feel as if he was being crushed under a mountain. He could barely keep himself upright, let alone speak.
Yu Zhen and the middle-aged man were an Order apart in terms of cultivation.
“What are you doing?” Wei Jun Yang fought back with an imposing presence of his own as he eyed that middle-aged man coldly, “Are you trying to start a revolt in front of the Army? See if I don’t cut your head off!”
The middle-aged man glanced at Wei Jun Yang before snorting, “As if you could!”
The two locked gazes as their imposing presence clashed, but it was clear that Wei Jun Yang was having a harder time as his complexion grew even paler.
The middle-aged man looked around before declaring, “You should be honoured that we Divine Spirits have come to help; however, not only did you not thank us, you even have the gall to spew such nonsense! Unbelievable! The losses you’ve suffered on the battlefield here have nothing to do with us, it’s all because of how useless you are! Even if we did arrive sooner, so what? If you’re useless, you’re useless. You should just die and move on to your next life instead of sticking around and embarrassing yourselves.”
Everyone immediately flew into an uproar.
Ou Yang Lie was on the verge of throwing fists, but he knew that he was in no shape to fight another battle right now, so he forced himself to hold back. Still, he roared in fury, “The Black Ink Clan has invaded the 3,000 Worlds. Both the Humans and the Divine Spirits have to fight together to survive! If we Humans are driven into extinction, do you think the Divine Spirits will be any better off?”
“Well, we’re here, aren’t we?” The middle-aged man smirked.
[We’re only a little late. It’s not a big deal. It’s not as if they lost Profound Nether Territory anyway. Just a bunch of ants whining incessantly.] He would have attacked them by now if it had not been for a few things he had to be wary of.
Yu Zhen spoke up from behind Wei Jun Yang, “Either way, I will report this to the Supreme Headquarters. They will decide what’s right and wrong!”
One of the Divine Spirits snorted, “Your Supreme Headquarters has no control over us. It’s up to us whether or not we’re willing to help the Human Race fend off their enemies.”
In other words, no one could do anything to them if they did not wish to fight.
The Humans were vexed to no end and the veins along Ou Yang Lie’s forehead were throbbing.
100 plus Divine Spirits came out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and quite a number of them were now as strong as Eighth-Order Masters. What’s more, within a few years, these Divine Spirits would only continue to grow stronger as even more of them regained their true strength.
With the way things were going for the Humans right now, no one wanted to offend a powerful group of allies. Even if this news reached the Supreme Headquarters, there was a high chance that nothing would come of it.
Many of the Divine Spirits were snickering, while the middle-aged man in the lead stared at the Humans haughtily.
He dared to behave this belligerently because he was certain that the Humans would not do anything to them, but suddenly, a cold voice sounded, “Even if those at the Supreme Headquarters can’t do anything, what about me?”
The Divine Spirits all froze when they heard this voice and their expressions changed as they swiftly turned towards the direction where the voice came from. They saw a familiar figure approaching.
The middle-aged man frowned, [Why is this little bastard here?]
He did not detect Yang Kai’s aura when he first arrived; however, upon closer inspection, he realised why that was.
Yang Kai was heavily injured and his aura was quite feeble. It was no surprise he had overlooked him when he was in such a state.
As Yang Kai came closer, the Divine Spirits’ expressions kept changing. It had been some 20 years since Yang Kai sent them out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and delivered them to the Star Boundary, but during that time, they heard nothing from Yang Kai and no one knew where he went.
There were only two individuals that these Divine Spirits feared, Fu Guang of the Dragon Clan, and Yang Kai.
The former was strong, so strong they could not afford to offend him. As for the latter… Well, they had sworn a Bloodline Oath with him that they had to abide by.
A group of Women were gathered beside Yang Kai, with Yu Ru Meng and the others looking on in concern. They knew how serious their Husband’s injuries were. He should be focusing on his recovery right now, so why was he running over here and involving himself in this mess?
That being said, it was not as if they could talk Yang Kai out of it, so they came along to protect him.
Soon, Yang Kai stood in front of the Divine Spirits as he eyed the middle-aged man frigidly.
The latter forced himself to smile as he cupped his fist and greeted, “Sir!”
The Divine Spirits quickly followed suit, regardless of whether or not they were doing so willingly.
After all, their Bloodline Oath was in place. They could leave the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary because they pledged their service and loyalty to Yang Kai for 3,000 years. After that, Yang Kai would grant them their freedom.
Since they had to serve Yang Kai, it meant that there was a clear hierarchy. The Divine Spirits were under Yang Kai’s command.
At the time, Yang Kai wanted them to acknowledge him as their Master, but the Divine Spirits were too proud. Even though he was of the Dragon Clan, the Divine Spirits were unwilling to bow their heads. They were only willing to pledge their loyalty and be of service to him for a fixed duration.
Yang Kai did not mind this as to him, there was no difference whether they merely pledged their loyalty or considered him their Master, as long as they helped the Human Race fight the Black Ink Clan.
At the time, Yang Kai assumed that these Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary would be a huge help to the Humans as a lot could be done with 100 Mature Divine Spirits.
He never thought it would lead to such aggravating matters instead.
As a result, he was beginning to regret bringing them out.
He witnessed this today, but what about all the things that happened without him knowing?
Yang Kai stared at the middle-aged man. He did not say anything, but he recognised that this was the Human Form of the Divine Spirit Tao Wu.
Tao Wu could be considered an Ominous Beast like Tao Tie and Qiong Qi. The ancestors of these Ominous Beasts had done things to harm the 3,000 Worlds in the past, so that was why the Old Tree caught them and kept them locked up inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Most of the ancestors of the Divine Spirits inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary were those who had committed great evils. They were lawless and bloodthirsty, and although the crimes of the ancestors had nothing to do with the current generation, the Divine Spirits that Yang Kai had brought out had more or less inherited the callousness and brutality of their predecessors.
These Divine Spirits were completely different from those that came from the Ancestral Land and the No-Return Pass.
Yang Kai turned around and looked at the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who came with the Divine Spirits before nodding at him, “Greetings, Brother Yu!”
“You are…?” Yu Zhen queried doubtfully.
“Great Evolution’s… The Star Boundary’s Yang Kai!”
The Great Evolution Army had been dissolved and was now part of the Profound Nether Army, so he could not introduce himself by his previous title anymore.
“So it is Sir Yang!” Yu Zhen exclaimed in realization.
He had long since heard about the immensely talented Human from the Star Boundary who took less than 1,000 years to go from Fifth-Order to Eighth-Order. He initially thought it was just an exaggerated story, but upon seeing Yang Kai now, he realized that it was true after all.
[He’s really an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now, though his injuries seem quite serious.]
Yu Zhen knew that Yang Kai had to be a lot younger than him, but he addressed Yang Kai respectfully anyway due to the latter’s higher cultivation.
Yang Kai nodded and asked, “Brother Yu, I heard you saying there were undue delays along the way. What happened?”
Before Yu Zhen could answer, Tao Wu quickly cried out, “That’s just a misunderstanding, Sir!”
Yang Kai glanced at him, “I didn’t ask you.”
Tao Wu tried to explain himself anyway, but Yang Kai cut him off with a cold stare, “Say one more word and I’ll relieve you of your head!”
Tao Wu turned red with fury, but he dared not speak up again.
The Divine Spirits behind him became restless too.
Yu Zhen was shocked, [Sir Yang possesses such authority! Tao Wu is the strongest of all the Divine Spirits who came out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary! He is as strong as our Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, which is why the other Divine Spirits follow his lead.]
Even those at the Supreme Headquarters dared not impose on these Divine Spirits too much. Yu Zhen could not believe that Tao Wu did not fly into a rage even though Yang Kai showed such disdain for him.
Furthermore, the Divine Spirits had addressed Yang Kai respectfully as ‘Sir’ when he first came over.
[What’s going on?]
Everyone knew that Yang Kai was the one who brought over the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but none knew what their true relationship was.
Tao Wu and the others did not go around talking about it either. They were Divine Spirits, and it would be a huge loss of face for them if others knew that they pledged their loyalty to a Human.
No one looked into the matter either as Divine Spirits were proud and arrogant beings, so it was already a blessing that they were somewhat willing to help the Humans in battle. Talking about these unnecessary things would only serve to offend the Divine Spirits.
Thus, everyone was taken aback by what they now saw happening.
“Brother Yu, please speak freely,” Yang Kai turned back to Yu Zhen.
Yu Zhen pursed his lips before cupping his fist and recounting, “Supreme Headquarters issued orders for us to immediately make for the Profound Nether Territory battlefield to aid the soldiers here. If we stuck to the original schedule, we could’ve reached here a day earlier and joined the battle, but on the way over, they spent half a day resting after claiming that both their physical bodies and their spirits were drained. After that, we encountered a few scattered Black Ink Clansmen and they insisted on hunting them down, which caused even more delays. That’s why we only arrived here today.”
“Physically and spiritually drained…” Yang Kai scoffed. The Divine Spirits were the epitome of strength and health. Even though they had not fully restored their peak strength yet, how could it be possible for them to be physically and spiritually drained just from travelling? He eyed Tao Wu and the other Divine Spirits coldly. Many of them had sheepish expressions as they probably felt that the excuse was too flippant as well.
“Were there any Territory Lords among those scattered Black Ink Clansmen?”
Yu Zhen shook his head, “There were only a few Black Ink Clansmen reserves who were led by some Feudal Lords.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
By now, Wei Jun Yang, Ou Yang Lie, and the others gathered around were livid.
If what Yu Zhen said was true, then the team of Divine Spirit reinforcements could have arrived a day earlier, and if they had, the Profound Nether Territory Army would not have suffered nearly as many casualties. The two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters might not have had to sacrifice their lives either.
Earlier on, when Wei Jun Yang and Ou Yang Lie spoke while tending to their injuries, Ou Yang Lie asked about the reinforcements and Wei Jun Yang said that they should be arriving soon; however, neither one of them would have thought that the reinforcements should have already arrived by then, but had purposely delayed themselves.
Why would they need a group of Divine Spirits to hunt down scattered Black Ink Clan reserves that were only led by Feudal Lords? The Divine Spirits’ task was to aid the Humans on the frontlines of Profound Nether Territory. The main battlefield would have been the highest priority even if they did run into a Territory Lord along the way, let alone a few enemy scouts.
Their most important mission was to aid the Humans on the Profound Nether Territory battlefield, they did not have to bother with anything else.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were beside themselves with rage and couldn’t help cursing the Supreme Headquarters for assigning the wrong team to this task, though they knew full well that the Supreme Headquarters would not utilise these Divine Spirits unless they had no other choice. Chances were that no other reinforcements could be sent over, so that was why they had to deploy these Divine Spirits.
Yang Kai’s expression remained neutral. After hearing what Yu Zhen said, he turned to Tao Wu, “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Tao Wu remained silent, not even trying to claim it was a misunderstanding anymore as he still had his own sense of pride. It was one thing if no one exposed what had happened, but since his deeds had been brought to light, he did not stoop so low as to deny them.
After a while, he declared, “The Humans at the Supreme Headquarters only told us to come and aid the Humans in Profound Nether Territory, and it hasn’t been lost!”
He did not say anything else, but it was easy enough to decipher what he was implying. Since Profound Nether Territory had not been lost, then even if they did cause unnecessary delays when coming over, it was not a big deal as it did not change the overall outcome.
Yang Kai nodded, “That means you admit to delaying your arrival on purpose.”
Tao Wu frowned, [Why are you harping on this? Even if I admit it, so what? Are the Humans going to kill us Divine Spirits? You wouldn’t dare!]
The Humans were already having a hard time holding their frontlines and were stretched thin as they tried to fend off the Black Ink Clan. They were not in a position to make new enemies. Regardless of everything else, the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary provided indispensable combat strength!
“Very good!” Yang Kai’s icy gaze fixed on Tao Wu before all of a sudden, he growled, “Senior Ou Yang, what are the rules of the Human Race Army?”
Ou Yang Lie stepped forward and rattled off, “When the Army is in battle, the punishment for desertion is death! For those who disrupt morale, the sentence is death. For those who hinder military operations… the sentence is death!”
He spat out the last few words venomously.
Yang Kai raised his hand and summoned his Azure Dragon Spear. With the tip of the spear nearly pressing against Tao Wu’s head, Yang Kai asked through gritted teeth, “Do you understand now?”
The air was filled with murderous intent.
Yu Ru Meng and the other women began circulating their World Force in preparation for what was to come.
They would take their Husband’s side no matter what he did, even if he chose to join the Black Ink Clan, so there was no need to hesitate at this juncture.
On the other hand, Wei Jun Yang and the others froze in shock. Although they found these Divine Spirits reprehensible and deserving of death, it would not be easy to settle the situation if it got too far out of hand.
After all, the Human Race still needed these Divine Spirits’ help. The Eighth-Order Masters had long since outgrown the age of holding onto grudges. They held important positions and had to act in the Human Race’s best interests.
What’s more, it was not just one or two Divine Spirits here, it was 50 of them!
There were also another 50 on a different battlefield.
The Divine Spirits were alarmed by Yang Kai’s aggressive approach and could not help but unleash their Divine Spirit pressure as well.
In a blink of an eye, the atmosphere grew tense. Many of the Human Race Masters who had been observing in secret noticed the change and quickly flew over from all directions. They too began exerting their presence to challenge the Divine Spirits.
Yu Zhen was dumbstruck as he never thought things would come to this.
He resented these Divine Spirits and was going to report their misconduct to the Supreme Headquarters, but he knew full well that the Supreme Headquarters could not do anything about it. At most, the Supreme Commanders would reprimand the Divine Spirits, but in the end, they would have to smooth things over without making a huge fuss.
[Division Commander Yang is so brave and decisive. His spear is almost stabbing into the Divine Spirit’s face.]
It could not be denied that the sight the Humans saw now was… incredibly satisfying. The anger that welled up inside them previously was now appeased.
However, after a momentary bout of gratification, they started worrying.
How were they going to settle the situation if it went any further? [We can’t let it come to blows, right? The Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary are firm about sticking together, so if a fight breaks out, it’s our side that will suffer losses.]
How ironic it would be if they survived the onslaught from the Black Ink Clan Army only to die at the hands of these Divine Spirits.
Many others shared Yu Zhen’s worries and a few veteran Eighth-Order Masters were frowning hard as well. [Yang Kai’s still too young. Doing this may feel satisfying for now, but it won’t resolve the issue.]
If things went too far, it would fall on them, the older ones to clean up the mess, so…, why even bother?
With such thoughts in mind, they started communicating with Yang Kai as they reminded him to focus on the bigger picture.
However, Yang Kai’s expression remained indifferent, as if he did not hear them.
Tao Wu seemed to have noticed their transmissions. Just moments ago, his expression was grim, but now, he abruptly laughed and said to Yang Kai, “Do you want to execute me, Sir?”
“Why wouldn’t I execute you?” Yang Kai replied, “You’re their leader, the one who decides what they do, so you should take responsibility for everything.”
Tao Wu shook his head, “If you insist, Sir, then I have nothing to say. However…” He paused and chuckled, “If you’re going to attack me, Sir, then I will respond in kind. This does not go against the oath.”
They were not in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary anymore. While there, the Divine Spirits’ strength had been suppressed and they could not stand against Yang Kai, resulting in Zhu Jian and the others being soundly defeated. As Yang Kai was able to take them out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, they willingly made a Bloodline Oath to pledge their loyalty to Yang Kai for 3,000 years.
No one could break a Bloodline Oath, so they had to abide by its conditions, but if Yang Kai tried to kill them, they had the right to defend themselves; after all, they had pledged their loyalty to him, not their lives.
It would be far too unreasonable for them to have to die at Yang Kai’s whim.
[So what if this brat is an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master? Is my strength not equal to his?] Tao Wu thought.
Furthermore, Tao Wu was certain that Yang Kai was merely trying to scare him, for if Yang Kai did want to go through with it, he wouldn’t need to make such a grand spectacle of things. He would’ve just thrust his spear out and been done with it rather than wasting his breath on all this nonsense.
Tao Wu actually readily welcomed the possibility of Yang Kai attacking him. That way, he would no longer have to abide by his oath and would have the chance to rid himself of the need to serve for 3,000 years.
Many of the Divine Spirits shared the same thought as Tao Wu. 3,000 years was a long time, so if this was their chance to break the chains that shackled them, then it was a good thing as they would be able to regain their freedom.
“Go ahead and fight back. See if I manage to kill you or not!” Yang Kai retorted coolly.
Quite a number of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were still secretly trying to dissuade Yang Kai when all of a sudden, a powerful force was unleashed from Yang Kai’s spear as it thrust towards Tao Wu’s head.
“If any of you want to attack, then go ahead!” Yang Kai bellowed, “Let’s see whether it’s you or me who dies!”
The Human Race Masters were thunderstruck.
The Divine Spirits were stunned as well.
Even Tao Wu gawked in disbelief.
Yang Kai did make the first move, and it was a deadly blow! [It’s not an act. He wants to take my life!]t
Tao Wu was enraged.
He was a Mature Divine Spirit on par with an Eighth-Order Human Master, without a Ninth-Order Old Ancestor Around, he was one of the strongest beings in all the 3,000 Worlds, yet this Brat wanted to kill him just because he was a bit tardy today?
Tao Wu hated being constrained by the Bloodline Oath to begin with, so now that Yang Kai was attacking him, while he did feel angry, he was also thrilled to have the chance to obtain his freedom.
Although Yang Kai’s attack was sharp and powerful, Tao Wu knew it was not enough to take his life; after all, he had been keeping his guard up as Yang Kai’s spear had been pointed at his head the whole time.
Thus, as soon as Yang Kai launched his attack, Tao Wu reacted by unleashing his strength as a Divine Spirit and moved to dodge the spear.
At that exact moment though, a piercing pain coursed through his head, like his Soul was being torn apart. He felt dizzy and his vision grew hazy and even his movements became sluggish.
It would not have been as bad for Tao Wu if that was all. The force unleashed by Yang Kai’s spear was brutal and relentless, but it was still not enough to kill him; at most, he would be heavily injured.
Yet, all of a sudden, a mysterious force shrouded Tao Wu, causing over half of his strength to instantly be suppressed.
He was already in agony over his Soul being ripped apart, and now his Divine Spirit Strength was nullified as well, it meant he could not withstand the menacing blow from Yang Kai’s spear.
A muffled sound rang out as the Azure Dragon Spear pierced right through Tao Wu’s skull, his eyes still wide with fear and disbelief.
His strength diffused into the air as his Blood Essence spurted out, filling the void with a heavy scent of metal.
The Human Race Masters gasped in shock while the Divine Spirits showed a similar reaction.
[He really killed him!]
Tao Wu, a Divine Spirit who was as powerful as an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Master, had been executed on the spot!
Before this happened, both the Humans and the Divine Spirits thought it was unlikely that Yang Kai would follow through with his threat. They assumed he simply wanted to intimidate Tao Wu; otherwise, he would not have exposed his murderous intent.
Tao Wu was not weak by any means, and any sane person would have their guard up when they sensed such potent murderous intent being directed at them.
Wei Jun Yang and the others had already prepared what they were going to say. They were going to wait until Yang Kai had finished with his threats before they came in and smoothed things over; that way, Yang Kai would have a valid reason to hold himself back and the Divine Spirits would not feel too offended. Everyone would still be able to work together in the future under such circumstances.
It never crossed their minds that Yang Kai would kill Tao Wu just like that.
However, Wei Jun Yang and the other Humans were even more confused as to why Tao Wu seemed so… weak. It was not the same when Yang Kai killed the Innate Territory Lords. Although Yang Kai had killed those Innate Territory Lords swiftly and decisively, one could consider it a sneak attack of sorts due to the Soul Rending Thorns.
Firstly, Yang Kai was powerful, and he was also willing to sacrifice pieces of his Soul to use the Soul Rending Thorns. Even an Innate Territory Lord would be caught off guard by such an attack, and therefore, it was not surprising that Yang Kai could seize the opening to kill them off.
In return, Yang Kai had to pay a heavy price.
After all, they saw that Yang Kai stopped attacking any other Territory Lords after killing three of them. They knew it was not because he did not want to continue, but because he could not.
If Innate Territory Lords could be killed off that easily, then Yang Kai could have dealt with all of them by himself and the Human Race would not have to be in such a difficult predicament.
But then, what happened to Tao Wu?
Yang Kai kept his Azure Dragon Spear pointed at Tao Wu’s head for several breaths of time, but even so, Tao Wu still died after a single blow. Weren’t Divine Spirits supposed to be as strong, if not stronger than Humans in the same Realm as them? Did that not apply to the Divine Spirits who came from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary?
The Human Race Masters were confused, but they were still quick to react. All of them began condensing their World Force as they warily eyed the Divine Spirits in front of them.
The Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary were a closely-knit bunch who stuck together no matter what. Now that Yang Kai killed Tao Wu, there was no way of guaranteeing that these Divine Spirits would not rebel; however, even after a few breaths, the Divine Spirits showed no signs of acting, still just stuck in their state of shock.
[Tao Wu’s dead!]
[Yang Kai said he would kill Tao Wu, then he did just that!]
In an instant, the Divine Spirits were filled with trepidation after witnessing Yang Kai’s merciless act.
The Human Race Masters saw Yang Kai killing Tao Wu with ease and assumed that Tao Wu was too weak; they did not notice much else, but the Divine Spirits did.
At that very moment when Tao Wu was killed, a strange force emanated from Yang Kai that suppressed all of their Divine Spirit Bloodlines. When that happened, the Divine Spirits felt as if they were being crushed under the weight of an entire Universe World, making it difficult for them to even breathe.
What kind of power was that?
Most of the Divine Spirits had no clue, but a few of the strongest seemed to have sensed something and stared at the back of Yang Kai’s hands in shock.
There seemed to be some kind of mysterious imprints that glowed momentarily, but they disappeared too quickly, so none of them got a clear look at them.
[Was that the source of that suppressing power?] The Divine Spirits were shaken. If Yang Kai had the power to completely suppress their Bloodlines, it was not a shock that Tao Wu died.
Nevertheless, what was it that enabled him to do so? Even a Master as strong as Tao Wu could not resist it.
These Divine Spirits left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary not too long ago, so they had no clue that Yang Kai possessed the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks. As it was, not many people knew about these two Great Marks, only the Human Race’s highest authority figures did.
They knew that these two Great Marks gave Yang Kai the ability to use Purifying Light. Without them, it was impossible to extract power from the Yellow and Blue Crystals and then merge them to form Purifying Light.
However, only one or two others knew that Purifying Light was not the only thing these two Great Marks were capable of.
After all, these two marks were personally bestowed upon Yang Kai by the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer and were formed from those two Supreme Being’s Source Strength.
Even though Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan denied being the progenitors of the Divine Spirits, they were still connected to them somehow. On top of that, their Bloodlines surpassed those of all Divine Spirits, so their Source Auras alone were enough to suppress Divine Spirits by force.
It was similar to the Dragon Clan’s Bloodline suppression. Those of the Dragon Clan with purer Dragon Veins had the natural ability to suppress those whose Bloodline wasn’t as pure.
Back then, when Yang Kai headed for the No-Return Pass on Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s orders, Ji Lao San showed up to challenge him.
In just two strikes, Yang Kai easily managed to subdue Ji Lao San. Even when Ji Lao San assumed his Dragon Form, Yang Kai was able to smack him back into his Human Form with just a casual slap.
What Yang Kai relied upon at the time was not his strength or his Dragon Vein as Ji Lao San’s Dragon Vein was not any weaker than his, but rather the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks.
Even Ji Lao San’s Dragon Clan Bloodline was suppressed to the point where he could not fight back, so how could Tao Wu fare any better?
How could Tao Wu possibly survive a sudden attack in the form of a Soul Rending Thorn combined with the suppression from the Source of the two Great Marks?
Yang Kai withdrew his spear and turned to the other Divine Spirits. Earlier, when he attacked Tao Wu, a few Divine Spirits surged their strength, as if they wanted to help the latter, but the two Great Marks nullified everything, and before they could come to their senses, Tao Wu was dead.
Now that Yang Kai was eyeing them coldly, the Divine Spirits turned pale and held their breaths in fear that Yang Kai would attack them next.
Even Tao Wu had died without being able to fight back, so the rest knew they were no match for Yang Kai.
Thus, a strange scene played out in front of everyone. The Humans were grim and alert as they were afraid that Yang Kai’s act of executing Tao Wu would lead to a frenzied response from the Divine Spirits. If that happened, it would undoubtedly lead to a fierce battle, and many more Humans might die.
If that was indeed what was to come, then the irony of the situation could not be missed.
However, the Divine Spirits showed no signs of wanting to avenge Tao Wu; rather, they were cowering in fear and did not even dare to speak up.
[Why do they look so terrified?] Wei Jun Yang and Ou Yang Lie exchanged nonplussed glances.
Were the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that afraid of Yang Kai? Though it was their first time interacting with these Divine Spirits, they heard a lot about them. These Divine Spirits were a lot haughtier than the ones from the Ancestral Land and the No-Return Pass. During their time in the Star Boundary, they stirred up quite a lot of trouble, and High Heaven Palace had to keep cleaning up the mess they left behind.
Thankfully, they were not completely lawless and never did anything that led directly to the death of others; otherwise, the Human Race would not be cooperating with them now.
In contrast to the Divine Spirits from the Ancestral Land and the No-Return Pass, the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary only had a loose relationship with the Humans.
They aided the Human Race to secure the frontlines of various battlefields, but they did not come under the Human Race’s command structure.
This was the reason why those at the Supreme Headquarters were reluctant to send out these Divine Spirits. There was no way of guaranteeing what they would do.
The Supreme Headquarters would not have sent them over this time if it had not been because there was literally no one else they could send.
However, the Human Race Masters exhaled in relief. They were thankful that a fight did not break out and there was still the chance of peacefully resolving this situation. They now waited to see how Yang Kai wanted to settle the matter.
The atmosphere was fraught with tension as the Divine Spirits stared at Yang Kai with complicated expressions. They were fearful and cautious, but they were also on guard lest Yang Kai attacked again.
“Zhu Jian!” After a long time, Yang Kai finally spoke up again.
A burly, pot-bellied man who was one of the Divine Spirits standing in front mustered up the courage to step forward. He cupped his fist and called out, “Sir!”
“Tell me what all of you swore to me when we were still in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary,” Yang Kai stared at Zhu Jian with a neutral expression.
Zhu Jian was the first Divine Spirit that Yang Kai subdued in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. He came along with this team of reinforcements, and even though he was now in his Human Form, Yang Kai recognised him right away.
Zhu Jian started quaking when he heard Yang Kai’s question as he still remembered that Yang Kai had originally wanted to roast him alive before eating him. He would not still be breathing now if he had not choked down his pride and surrendered back then.
He had already been fearful of Yang Kai before, and now that Tao Wu was killed so easily, he was even less inclined to behave insolently. He respectfully replied, “We swore a Bloodline Oath that pledged our loyalty to Sir for 3,000 years!”
The Human Race Masters were dumbfounded when they heard this.
This was their first time hearing that such a relationship existed between Yang Kai and the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Pledging loyalty was no joking matter, especially when it involved these haughty Divine Spirits who were all Masters in their own right. No one of such strength and pride would easily serve another, even if only temporarily.
The Humans were filled with curiosity as to how Yang Kai managed to make the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary submit to him as this was not something strength alone could accomplish.
“I thought you’d all forgotten,” Yang Kai sneered.
Zhu Jian lowered his head, “We wouldn’t dare to. No one would dare to desecrate the sanctity of a Bloodline Oath!”
“Good. Now, what were my orders when I sent you all out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary?”
Zhu Jian instantly replied, “To head directly to the Star Boundary, find Hua Qing Si, and obey her commands!” This was the command Yang Kai had given them, so naturally, Zhu Jian still recalled it clearly. In fact, all the Divine Spirits present remembered these exact words.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and snorted coldly, “Did you tell her that?”
“Well…” Zhu Jian mumbled awkwardly.
After noting Zhu Jian’s hesitation, Yang Kai knew that he guessed correctly. Hua Qing Si probably had no idea that he had sent these Divine Spirits over to be under her command!
Otherwise, why would the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary be able to act in such an unbridled manner?
“Do you want to die?” Yang Kai’s eyes filled with murderous intent again.
Sweat flowed down Zhu Jian’s forehead as he shouted, “Tao Wu and the others said to Manager Hua that ‘we’ve been sent over to help them’, Sir!”
It was true that Yang Kai had indeed sent the Divine Spirits over to help the Humans, but the Divine Spirits had only relayed this information to Hua Qing Si in a vague manner.
The Divine Spirits did not tell Hua Qing Si that they were supposed to be under her command.
By only saying they were sent to help, they were able to decide what they wished to do.
Their original orders were to be under her command, which meant they had to do whatever they were told to. It was clear that these were two vastly different situations. They had clearly twisted the truth on purpose.
It was probably the result of their pride.
Due to this, Hua Qing Si misunderstood the situation. As the Human Race were now dealing with a powerful team of reinforcements who were supposedly helping the Human Race of their own volition, the Humans would compromise and put up with a lot of things. This allowed the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary to behave even more wantonly.
That was why they could establish a so-called ‘collaborative relationship’ with the Human Race’s leaders, rather than one of subordinates and superiors.
“You’re all quite shrewd, aren’t you!” Yang Kai sneered.
Yang Kai knew he was partly to blame for this too. He had been in a rush to take Wu Kuang to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, so he opened a passage with the help of the Old Tree and sent the Divine Spirits to the Star Boundary without going along with them to ensure things went smoothly.
None of this would have happened if he had just taken a moment to return to the Star Boundary and explain the situation to Hua Qing Si.
Still, it was impossible for him to have predicted these Divine Spirits would act so shamelessly.
“What did Manager Hua instruct you to do?” Yang Kai asked.
Zhu Jian was sweating, “Manager Hua told us to join the battlefields and work together with the Human Race Army.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Is this how you work together with them? The battle in Profound Nether Territory rapidly intensified when the Black Ink Clan snuck in a large number of Territory Lords, causing the Human Race Army to fall into a critical disadvantage, but you lot purposely delayed your arrival. Profound Nether Territory might have been lost to the enemy if I hadn’t returned by coincidence!”
Now it was Wei Jun Yang and the others who looked ashamed.
Yang Kai was right. If it had not been for his sudden appearance, they would have most likely decided to abandon Profound Nether Territory and retreat in order to preserve as much manpower as possible, though the efficacy of such a strategy was questionable at best.
Yang Kai’s cold gaze swept across the group of Divine Spirits, but none of them dared to speak.
Yang Kai was boiling with rage and wanted nothing more than for one of them to jump out and refute him, which would give him the chance to set another example, but none of them dared to come forward.
“Tao Wu said that the Supreme Headquarters had no control over your actions, but since Manager Hua told you to work together with the Humans, it very much meant they have the right to command you! As your leader, Tao Wu hindered military operations and caused the Human Race Army to suffer heavy casualties, so I executed him for his crimes. Do any of you have a problem with that?”
This was a redundant question, as who among them would have the gall to protest now?
After hearing what Yang Kai said, not only did the Divine Spirits not voice any dissatisfaction, but many of them even relaxed. Although Yang Kai had not stated things clearly, his words implied that he was only going to punish their leader, Tao Wu for this. Now that Tao Wu was dead, Yang Kai was unlikely to execute the other Divine Spirits.
“Sir has made a wise decision!” Zhu Jian cupped his fist.
Yang Kai slowly continued, “As the leader of the Grand Ancestral Ruins Boundary Divine Spirits, Tao Wu’s death is justified. Although the rest of you do not deserve to be executed for your misdeeds, that does not mean you can be absolved of responsibility so easily either.”
Instantly, the Divine Spirits started fretting once more as they did not know what Yang Kai would do to them.
“Senior Wei!” Yang Kai abruptly turned to Wei Jun Yang, “We lost two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in this battle, correct?”
Yang Kai had not known about this earlier, but he found out after overhearing the conversation between Wei Jun Yang and Yu Zhen earlier when he was tending to his injuries.
Wei Jun Yang’s expression was grim as he nodded, “Indeed.”
The Human Race had lost two Eighth-Order Division Commanders, while the Black Ink Clan lost three Territory Lords. It seemed as if they were not the ones who lost the most, but in reality, all three Territory Lords had died at Yang Kai’s hands.
If it had not been for Yang Kai’s serendipitous arrival, the Profound Nether Army would have suffered a devastating defeat.
Yang Kai turned back to Zhu Jian and the other Divine Spirits, “You heard that?” he snarled coldly, “Two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters died because you were late!”
Zhu Jian and the other Divine Spirits felt aggrieved, but they dared not refute him.
“Within three months, I want to see the heads of two Territory Lords. I don’t care how you do it, where you do it, or when you do it. The method is up to you, but if you fail to do so…” Yang Kai eyed them once more, “It will be your heads that start rolling!”
The Divine Spirits paled.
“Don’t think I’m joking about this,” Yang Kai continued icily, “There are a total of 49 of you, and three of you have reached the level of Eighth-Order Human Masters. It should be easy enough for you to kill two Territory Lords. Of course, feel free to try and run. If you flee, then perhaps I won’t be able to find you in the vastness of the 3,000 Worlds.”
“We wouldn’t dare!” Zhu Jian replied bitterly. Who would dare to run when their Bloodline Oath was still in effect? Would it even be possible for them to run?
[But, to kill two Innate Territory Lords…]
Even though the Divine Spirits were fairly strong, it was not easy to kill a Territory Lord. All the Territory Lords were accompanied by Black Ink Clan Armies which were at least 100,000 strong. If they wanted to kill a Territory Lord, they would first have to deal with the Army under their command.
Zhu Jian was livid as he thought to himself, [Tao Wu didn’t just smash open his own head, he dragged us down with him too! Why did he have to cause those delays anyway? He’s dead now, but we’re being punished in his place!]
However, despite grumbling on the inside, Zhu Jian knew that the Divine Spirits had been caged up inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary the whole time, and now that they finally had a chance at freedom, none of them wanted to risk their lives in any way. They valued their lives more than anything.
This was why the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary were even more cowardly than the Divine Spirits from other places.
“Maybe you can surrender yourselves to the Black Ink Clan and support them instead,” Yang Kai suggested with a smile as he surveyed the Divine Spirits.
Not a peep was heard from the Divine Spirits…
After all, there was no way they were going to do that. If they chose to side with the Black Ink Clan, that would mean offering themselves up to be corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Even though they had a lot more resistance to Black Ink Strength than Humans did, they wouldn’t be able to withstand being corrupted forever.
“I’m tired. I will take my leave now, Sirs,” Yang Kai waved at Wei Jun Yang and the others before heading back to Bi Xi’s Soul Clone. He kept coughing up blood as he walked, looking like he was on the verge of death, and this brought even more heartache to Su Yan and the others.
[He was already injured. Even though it looked as if he easily killed off Tao Wu, who knows what kind of price he had to pay to do so?]
Soon, Yang Kai was back inside the Warship that was made out of Bi Xi’s Soul Clone. He looked deathly pale as he sat down to rest while Su Yan sat behind him so that he could lean against her.
The other women crowded around, expressing their concern and fussing over Yang Kai as he wheezed and gasped…
Yu Ru Meng on the other hand stood back and watched the scene unfold with a clear gaze, scoffing on the inside.
Yang Kai managed to fool her earlier, and as a result, she had been on edge for quite some time; however, she realised that he did not seem like an injured person at all when he killed Tao Wu.
[No physical injuries, but an injured Soul instead, was it?]
She knew very well that he had the Soul Warming Lotus! She had been too concerned earlier, and it had been around 1,000 years since they last met, so it did not occur to her then, but it did now.
[No matter how injured his Soul is, nothing will happen because he has the Soul Warming Lotus to protect and heal it! He will recover sooner or later, but there he is, acting as if he’s about to die!]
Yu Ru Meng snorted when she saw the looks of concern on Su Yan and the other women’s faces.
[Naïve women, fawning all over him like that! It’s really true, the longer the hair, the shorter the wits! Have you all forgotten how he abandoned us for 1,000 years!?]
“Get a move on. Do none of you have any injuries to tend to?” Meanwhile, Wei Jun Yang ordered the Human Masters to disperse.
They were still in a daze over the shocking turn of events, but after hearing Wei Jun Yang’s order, they finally snapped out of it and moved away as they gleefully celebrated on the inside. They had long since heard about the abhorrent behaviour of these Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. The latter’s delayed arrival had also led to the sacrifice of two of the Profound Nether Army’s Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters as well as many lower-order soldiers, resulting in a great deal of frustration and anger.
Thus, they felt particularly gratified when Yang Kai executed Tao Wu. It was as if he had vented all their rage on their behalf.
Ou Yang Lie smacked his lips as he secretly lamented the loss of an Eighth-Order Divine Spirit. [Why kill him off just like that? It would’ve been better to throw him at the Black Ink Clan Army and have him kill them instead. With luck, he might’ve even taken down a Territory Lord.]
[We could’ve extracted that Divine Spirit’s Blood Essence and Source and let the Humans refine them too. It would’ve been a great help.]
Ou Yang Lie thought Yang Kai was being too wasteful. [He’s never been an Army Commander, so he doesn’t know how to make the best use of such resources.]
Once the crowd cleared out, Wei Jung Yang looked at Yu Zhen and said, “Now that the battle in Profound Nether Territory has calmed for the moment, we have a lot of things to attend to here. You should report back to the Supreme Headquarters first. I don’t think we’ll be seeing any battles here in the near future.”
“Yes, Sir!” Yu Zhen cupped his fist and carried out his orders, turning to leave without paying any attention to the Divine Spirits.
However, he had not gone very far away when the Divine Spirits caught up to him. Zhu Jian even went over to Yu Zhen with a sheepish smile, “Brother Yu, Sir Yang has asked us to kill two Territory Lords in three months, but it’s not easy to kill them. Do you have any advice for us?”
Yu Zhen eyed him coldly and said, “How could I possibly dare to give you advice?”
[Aren’t you Divine Spirits supposed to be so high and mighty? On the way over, when you weren’t ignoring me, you were insulting me. Even when I urged you to focus on our mission, Tao Wu just berated me for it. Yet, here you are being so courteous with me…]
Everyone knew that it was hard to kill a Territory Lord as all the surviving Territory Lords were Innate Territory Lords. Every single one of them was powerful; not any weaker than a peak Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
[Why would we need you if those Territory Lords were easily killed?]
Yu Zhen was appeased by the fact that Yang Kai had given the Divine Spirits a challenging task, so the anger and contempt he felt had mostly dissipated.
Zhu Jian sighed and said, “We were wrong, Brother Yu. This Old Ox apologises on behalf of all my fellow Divine Spirits. Sir Yang is angry now, so if we don’t kill two Territory Lords in three months, I’m afraid we might not be able to keep our heads. Sir Yang… cannot be underestimated.”
He had noticed this during his initial encounter with Yang Kai back at the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. This incident just reminded him how vicious and merciless Yang Kai could be.
Yang Kai executed Tao Wu without even the slightest hesitation.
As Zhu Jian thought about it now, he began to think that Yang Kai was not just trying to scare him when he said he would slaughter him and eat his meat. Zhu Jian was certain that if he had refused Yang Kai back then, he would have ended up in Yang Kai’s stomach.
Zhu Jian felt chills, as if he had survived a narrow brush with death.
“What does that have to do with me?” Yu Zhen retorted coolly. He was only there to keep an eye on them. When it came to actual strength in combat, he was a lot weaker than these Divine Spirits.
Zhu Jian sighed, “Brother Yu, although what we did was wrong, having us around benefits the Human Race too; otherwise, Sir Yang wouldn’t have brought us out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary in the first place. Wouldn’t it have been fine to let us live there in peace? If Sir Yang does kill us because we failed to accomplish the task he gave us, it will only benefit the opponent instead. Don’t you think so?”
Yu Zhen glanced at Zhu Jian in surprise, [This Old Ox looks like he’s nothing but a muscle-head, but it seems he does have some wits about him.]
Even though Yu Zhen did not want to bother with these Divine Spirits anymore, he knew that Zhu Jian was right. The Divine Spirits could be a great help to the Human Race, and it would be a waste if Yang Kai just killed them all.
Furthermore, the fact that Yang Kai had given them three months to kill two Territory Lords was something to be taken seriously. If the Divine Spirits manage to do this, it would be wonderful news for the Human Race and all past grievances between them could be considered settled, but if they failed to complete this task, then Yang Kai would be put in a difficult situation.
Yang Kai had given the ultimatum in front of an entire crowd of Human Masters, but was he truly going to kill all the Divine Spirits if they failed to meet his demand?
The Divine Spirits would not take such an act lying down, and after seeing what happened to Tao Wu, they might very well choose to rebel to defend themselves if they had no other choice. If that happened, it would be extremely detrimental to the Human Race and only benefit their common enemy, the Black Ink Clan.
Thus, even though Yu Zhen was somewhat reluctant, he softened his tone and said, “Three months isn’t very long, and it will be hard to kill two Territory Lords in that time. I’m just a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so I can’t help you with it.”
“You don’t need to help us with the act, Brother Yu,” Zhu Jian quickly said, “However, you’re aware of our situation. We don’t have much information about the different battlefields. We didn’t pay much attention to the battles back then, but now that Sir has given us an order, we’ll surely do our best to meet his expectations. How’s this? When you go back to the Supreme Headquarters, please put in a good word for us, Brother Yu, and find out which battlefield requires the most assistance right now. We’ll head over at once, and we won’t stop until we kill a few Territory Lords!”
Yu Zhen stared at Zhu Jian in surprise, as if he was startled to find that Zhu Jian had a brain after all.
Zhu Jian just flashed him a simple-minded smile.
It was indeed a good strategy. The Human Race were clashing with the Black Ink Clan on over a dozen different battlefields, and the fights were getting more intense by the day. Those at the Supreme Headquarters had overall command of the war, so naturally, they knew exactly what was happening on all the fronts. If Yu Zhen could find a way to get some information from the Supreme Headquarters and give the Divine Spirits a few pointers, then it would be fairly easy for the latter to kill two Territory Lords within three months.
After all, these Divine Spirits could not be considered weak, and there were many of them.
Yu Zhen was laughing happily on the inside. Those at the Supreme Headquarters had been extremely resistant to sending out the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary because they were too unreliable. The Human Race would not have sent these Divine Spirits to Profound Nether Territory as reinforcements if they had other options available.
Even though Yu Zhen was sent along to supervise the Divine Spirits, they were still able to play a few tricks.
[Well, now that Yang Kai has set an example by executing Tao Wu, I bet the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary won’t have the gall to disobey orders again.]
Yu Zhen nodded and said, “That’s not a problem. I’ll help you get this information.”
Zhu Jian quickly cupped his fist, “Many thanks, Brother Yu.”
Zhu Jian finally exhaled, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his chest. With Yu Zhen’s help, they would most likely be able to overcome this challenge. [But, in the process of killing two Territory Lords… who knows if we might suffer any casualties…]
Zhu Jian shuddered when he recalled the way Yang Kai executed Tao Wu. He made up his mind to talk to the rest of the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and warn them to do as told, lest they follow in Tao Wu’s footsteps.
…
“Brother Ou Yang, how do you feel about all of us coming together and submitting a request to the Supreme Headquarters for Yang Kai to become the Army Commander here and oversee Profound Nether Territory?” Wei Jun Yang abruptly asked from his spot on the Universe Fragment.
Ou Yang Lie was taken aback, “Let him be the Army Commander of an entire battlefield? He’s… strong enough, but not experienced enough, don’t you think?”
[I can’t believe Wei Jun Yang would even suggest that.]
No one could deny Yang Kai’s strength. Even after killing three Territory Lords in a row, he could still kill the Divine Spirit Tao Wu with a single thrust of his spear despite being heavily injured. Based on strength alone, none of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Profound Nether Territory were his match; however, Ou Yang Lie did not think it was a wise decision to make Yang Kai the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army.
Yang Kai was too young, still a rising star by all measures. There were many more experienced people above him, including Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were even more experienced in strategy and command than Ou Yang Lie and Wei Jun Yang.
Although there were quite a number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters on the Profound Nether Territory battlefield, none of them was the actual Army Commander who presided over the entire situation. Wei Jun Yang was considered the leader, but he, Ou Yang Lie, Fei Yong Ze, Kong Cheng De, and two other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters all currently shared that responsibility among them.
Whenever a decision needed to be made, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would come together and form a joint plan of action based on the directives set by the Supreme Headquarters.
As it was, Ou Yang Lie was mainly a silent member of this team of Commanders. All he ever cared about was charging at the enemy so he did not get involved in the day-to-day operations of the Army.
Even so, Ou Yang Lie was shocked that Wei Jun Yang suggested having Yang Kai assume full command of Profound Nether Territory. Wei Jun Yang was a powerful Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and would not easily defer to someone else’s authority, though this was not because he was wildly ambitious or power-hungry, it was simply because it was hard to be convinced by someone’s leadership if that person was neither powerful enough nor experienced enough.
“Do you think so highly of him, Old Wei?”
Wei Jun Yang eyed Ou Yang Lie a little helplessly. Everyone else liked saying that he and Ou Yang Lie were two peas in a pod, so that was why they considered each other confidants. Still, why would the Supreme Headquarters feel it was safe to let him be in charge at Profound Nether Territory if he did not have some wits about him?
[Brother Ou Yang is the only one who doesn’t think at all…]
“Why do you think Yang Kai executed Tao Wu?” All of a sudden, Wei Jun Yang asked an off-topic question.
Ou Yang Lie stared at him blankly, “He killed a Divine Spirit who hindered military operations. What other reason could there be?”
[I knew you wouldn’t have picked up on anything else.]
However, Ou Yang Lie seemed to have an epiphany, “That Brat is young and impulsive. He doesn’t have much tolerance and can’t hold himself back. It wouldn’t be good if he was put in charge of the Profound Nether Territory battlefield.”
Wei Jun Yang smirked and shook his head, “What you saw was only the surface intent.”
“Don’t tell me you think there was a deeper meaning behind Yang Kai’s decision to kill Tao Wu,” Ou Yang Lie retorted, frowning before asking, “What was he considering?”
Wei Jun Yang glanced at Bi Xi’s Soul Clone and said, “It’s true that he’s young and impulsive, but I think he executed Tao Wu more to send a warning to the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and to open up an opportunity for reconciliation between them and we Humans.”
Ou Yang Lie paused in thought. He was reckless, but that did not mean he could not think, he just couldn’t be bothered to spend time mulling things over. However, now that Wei Jun Yang pointed this out to him, he had a vague idea of what Yang Kai’s motives had been.
“The Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary have a pretty bad reputation; however, they haven’t committed any grave mistakes thus far, so those at the Supreme Headquarters can’t be too harsh on them. This time around though, their delay led to the deaths of two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. If word of this got back to the Supreme Headquarters, Xiang Shan, Mi Jing Lun and the rest wouldn’t let it slide so easily. According to the rules of the Army, Tao Wu would have to be executed, but could they do that? Perhaps it wouldn’t have been difficult to kill Tao Wu, but it would mean offending all the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and they’re a group with significant strength. Yet, if the Supreme Headquarters did not punish Tao Wu, how would they appease the rest of the Human Army? They would’ve had to choose between two extremely difficult decisions if Yang Kai hadn’t executed Tao Wu.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded in agreement, “Yes. That’s right. That’s what I thought too.”
[As if you can think of this with that dull head of yours…] Wei Jun Yang ignored him and continued, “Once the news got out, it would’ve caused a rift between the Humans and the Divine Spirits. Now that the Black Ink Clan has invaded the 3,000 Worlds, the Humans and the Divine Spirits need to stand together, but this rift might even affect the Divine Spirits from the Ancestral Land and the No-Return Pass since at the end of the day, they’re also Divine Spirits, just like the ones from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. With how things are going in the 3,000 Worlds, who knows when the tides will turn against us? If the Humans and the Divine Spirits can’t work together to fend off our common enemy, then it’ll lead to endless troubles!”
Ou Yang Lie nodded fervently, “En en, that’s just what I was thinking.”
“That’s why Tao Wu had to die, and Yang Kai had to be the one to kill him! That way, the Human Race wouldn’t bear animosity towards the Divine Spirits even after the fact.”
Ou Yang Lie slapped his thigh, “That Brat takes after Big Head Xiang and Big Head Mi! From now on, I’ll call him Big Head Yang.”
He turned around and eyed Gong Lian who was right behind him and admonished him sternly, “You should learn from your Senior Brother Yang! Don’t rush into the battlefield like a fool, use your brain more often.”
Gong Lian was so exasperated he could only feel tired, [I’m not the one who rushes into the battlefield like a fool, that would be you, Honoured Master! Also… when did Yang Kai become Senior Brother Yang to me? He’s a lot younger than me… Well, he’s stronger than me now, so I guess it’s not wrong to call him Senior Brother.]
Naturally, Gong Lian dared not refute Ou Yang Lie aloud.
“Yes, this Disciple will remember,” Thus, he just respectfully replied.
After telling off his Disciple, Ou Yang Lie began discussing with Wei Jun Yang, “I don’t mind if Yang Kai becomes the Army Commander here, but I’m not sure how Old Fei and the others will feel about this.]
Wei Jun Yang chuckled and said, “What’s there for them to think or feel about it? The Old Ancestors are tied up in Wind Mist Territory and can’t leave, and all the battlefields lack capable people who can take charge and be the pillar for others. Yang Kai is powerful and has an enormous Small Stone Race Army with him. If he assumes command over Profound Nether Territory, then he will be the rock that everyone can depend on. Old Fei and the others would want nothing more than that.”
“That’s true!” Ou Yang Lie imagined what the situation at Profound Nether Territory would be like in the future and grinned, “It’s decided, then! Let Yang Kai be in charge of Profound Nether Territory. We’ll be his subordinates and run his errands for him.”
He did not care about prestige or glory. Even though Yang Kai was younger than him, he believed that the Profound Nether Army would be blessed to have Yang Kai as their Commander.
Out of the blue though, a thought occurred to him, “Would Yang Kai be willing to take up the role?”
“He will,” Wei Jun Yang declared with full confidence, [And even if he isn’t, he will have to!]
Aboard the Warship made from Bi Xi’s Soul Clone, Yang Kai closed his eyes and focused on recuperating while Su Yan and the others gathered around him as they did the same.
In reality, if Yang Kai heard Wei Jun Yang’s analysis about appeasing the Human Race Army and mending the rift between the Humans and the Divine Spirits, his response would have been simple, [What the hell are you talking about?]
He did what he did without considering anything else. He executed Tao Wu simply because the latter disobeyed orders!
In Yang Kai’s mind, it was all very straightforward, [I brought you out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary to help us kill off our enemies, so why would I keep you around if you don’t put in the effort to do just that?]
Of course, he did mean for it to serve as a warning to the rest of the Divine Spirits and he was fairly certain that they would not have the courage to behave impudently again.
Right now, however, Yang Kai was facing a far more difficult challenge. Even though he was focusing on his recovery, he could sense that Yu Ru Meng was glaring at him.
[Ru Meng, your beloved Husband is truly injured!]
In total, Yang Kai used four Soul Rending Thorn in quick succession, and his Soul was heavily damaged. Thankfully, it had not been four times in a row, as there had been a short break before the last one was unleashed. He was fairly certain he would be unconscious right now if he had used those four Soul Rending Thorn all at once.
While Yang Kai had the Soul Warming Lotus, which meant that the core of his Soul would not be affected, ripping out four large pieces of it within a few days was by no means easy! It would take him quite some time to recover.
[Ru Meng needs to be taught a lesson!] Yang Kai fumed to himself, swearing to spend many long, arduous nights with her doing just that once he recovered.
The Human Race Army was busy tending to their wounds and other cleanup tasks after the battle.
Though the Profound Nether Army suffered significant casualties in this battle, the Black Ink Clan did not have it any better. After such an intense battle like this one, it was likely that Profound Nether Territory would experience a long period of calm.
If nothing unexpected occurred, then it was unlikely that a huge battle would break out for many years, though smaller skirmishes were inevitable.
This was not only true of Profound Nether Territory, but also of all the other Great Territory battlefields.
More than 10 days passed in the blink of an eye, and Yang Kai’s condition had stabilised. Though the injury to his Soul hadn’t fully healed, he had the Soul Warming Lotus continuously nourishing it, so all that was required was time.
He had used Soul Rending Thorns many times by now and was used to getting injured in this fashion.
Moreover, after having torn apart his Soul countless times, his Soul had become more robust and resilient than before.
When he thought about it, this was something that happened often because the path of Martial Dao usually followed the principle of tribulation before success, so the process of constantly tearing apart his Soul and restoring it could be considered a type of cultivation.
It was just that such a cultivation method wasn’t widely usable by others.
At this moment, Yang Kai was summoning Purifying Light and sealing it into a Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
Now, all the battlefields were strained because there were a large number of troops but limited logistical resources.
When fighting against the Black Ink Clan, the first hurdle the Humans had to cross was the corruption of Black Ink Strength. Purifying Black Ink Pills could solve the greater half of that issue; however, with over a dozen battlefields and more than 10 million troops almost constantly engaged in battle, there was a huge demand for Purifying Black Ink Pills. Even after gathering all the Alchemists in the 3,000 Worlds and having them work without rest, there still weren’t enough pills to satisfy the demand.
Without Purifying Black Ink Pills to suppress the corruption of Black Ink Strength, soldiers wouldn’t be able to go all out when fighting the Black Ink Clan and would lose about 30% of their combat efficacy.
Back when they were on the Black Ink Battlefield, the soldiers from all Great Passes had Purifying Light, but after so many years of battle, the Purifying Light from all those Great Passes had been depleted.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had returned, and there was an abundance of Yellow and Blue Crystals in his Small Universe, so they could have as much Purifying Light as they wanted.
Moreover, Yang Kai was no longer the only one who could use Purifying Light, Sun Yan could as well!
In the Chaotic Dead Territory, Yang Kai asked Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan to bestow him more Great Sun and Moon Marks because he was preparing for this moment.
Previously, he was the only one who could summon Purifying Light, which was very inefficient, but now that Sun Yan also had the Great Sun and Moon Marks embedded on the back of her hands, she could help Yang Kai share the burden, so summoning Purifying Light had become less stressful.
Not only that, but Yang Kai was preparing to pass out the remaining nine sets of Marks because once that was done, almost all the battlefields would have someone who could summon Purifying Light, which could greatly relieve the pressure the Human Race was facing.
Of course, if one wanted to take on the Great Sun and Moon Marks, one had to have a Divine Spirit Source and Bloodline.
The Source Strength from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer was too powerful, making it impossible for those without bloodline ties to them to withstand, so only Divine Spirits could accept the two Marks.
Yang Kai had let Wei Jun Yang relay this message to the Supreme Headquarters.
There were now more than a dozen battlefields, so the nine remaining Marks naturally couldn’t be distributed evenly among them. As for how to allocate these personnel, that was a problem the Supreme Headquarters had to solve.
After a long period of being constantly busy, Yang Kai finally had some time to rest.
Since Yang Kai was now proficient in many Grand Daos; whether it be Alchemy, Artifact Refining, or Arrays, he had some attainments in all of them. As the saying goes, those who were able could do more, so he naturally wouldn’t have time to rest.
Today, Yang Kai was repairing a Warship when a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master flew over and landed in front of him before cupping his fist and said, “Sir, someone from the Supreme Headquarters has arrived. Senior Wei and Senior Ou Yang have asked that you head over there and join the discussion.”
“Why do I need to head over there?” Yang Kai was a little taken aback.
Though he was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and could count as a Division Commander, he hadn’t received any official appointment from the higher-ups, so he was still quite free.
However, Wei Jun Yang and the others asked him to head over to join their discussion, which meant they might have something planned for him.
Yang Kai knew that very well because Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were now the mainstay of the Human Race, so each Eighth-Order Master had to take on a leadership role.
The main reason Yang Kai was reluctant to go over was that he felt he had the strength and ability but needed more experience, so if he was officially appointed as a Division Commander, it would be very stressful for him.
Moreover, he still had something important he needed to do. If he were appointed as a Commander, he might not have much time to do that.
*Cough! Cough!* Yang Kai covered his chest and coughed a few times before speaking with a pale face, “Go back and tell Senior Brother Wei that my injuries have worsened, so I have returned to rest.”
While saying so, he didn’t even bother about repairing the Warship and turned around to leave in the direction of his temporary accommodations.
Having just reunited with his many Wives, Yang Kai had many things to say to them, so Yu Ru Meng and the others had transformed a small Universe Fragment near the frontlines into a temporary palace.
No one had said anything about their actions either.
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master let out a bitter laugh before dashing over and stopping Yang Kai in his path. He bowed and said, “Sir, it’s an order from the higher-ups, so please don’t make things difficult for me.”
Meanwhile, he was thinking, [Could this Sir have discovered something? Otherwise, why is he trying to flee?]
With a bitter expression, Yang Kai persuaded the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, “I’m not making things difficult for you. My injuries have indeed gotten worse.”
Saying so, he coughed a few more times and spat out a mouthful of blood…
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was speechless. [Isn’t this a little too exaggerated?]
But seeing that Yang Kai had gone to such lengths to avoid going there, he couldn’t say anything else. Just as he was about to leave, a majestic voice boomed from the Main Conference Hall, “Smelly Brat, get your ass over here!”
Stunned, Yang Kai looked at the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and asked, “Who… is the person that came from the Supreme Headquarters?”
With a slight smile, the Seventh-Order Master replied, “It’s Senior Xiang Shan who personally came over.”
Yang Kai felt frustrated. [Damn Big Head Xiang! Can’t that bastard stay at the Supreme Headquarters to just oversee everything? Why come all the way here?]
While he was complaining inside, his pale face gradually returned to normal as he sighed and beckoned to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, “Come on, let’s go.”
[Since Big Head Xiang has arrived, I should at least give him some face…] Thus, Yang Kai decided that he would go over, but would only listen and not make any comments during the discussion; after all, his goal was to have freedom, so they should just forget about appointing him to a post in the Army.
[If I had known this would happen, I would have returned to the Star Boundary for a visit because Little Senior Sister is still there.]
“Sir, please!” The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master gestured with a smile. His expression was obviously implying, ‘Why waste all the effort playing sick when you could have just complied?’
Soon, Yang Kai arrived before the Main Conference Hall and looked up at its entrance. This Main Conference Hall was also temporarily built, so it didn’t have any strong defensive abilities. After all, they were at the frontlines and might have to face an attack from the Black Ink Clan at any moment. There was no telling when this frontline would be broken through, so building a sturdy conference hall was unnecessary.
This conference hall was built so that the higher-ups had a place to hold discussions, so even a tent would do.
“Senior Brother Yang!” A familiar voice sounded from beside Yang Kai, so he turned to look over and saw that it was indeed someone he knew.
Or, to be more precise, a Divine Spirit he knew.
It was Ji Lao San from the Dragon Clan!
This guy had stopped Yang Kai in front of the No-Return Pass, but was then humiliatingly defeated. However, since Yang Kai’s disappearance after saving him, Ji Lao San no longer held a grudge against Yang Kai.
Now, Ji Lao San greatly admired Yang Kai, but his admiration had nothing to do with Yang Kai’s life-saving grace, because after spending some time with Yang Kai, Ji Lao San had seen Yang Kai’s full abilities.
Not only was Ji Lao San there, but there were also eight other figures, of which all looked quite familiar. Amongst them was a colourful-robed young woman who was squinting her eyes at Yang Kai, making her look quite playful.
Huang Si Niang! The one from the Phoenix Clan at the No-Return Pass. She was the one who gave Yang Kai one of her tail feathers!
Standing beside Huang Si Niang was the stern-looking Feng Liu Lang. It seemed these two were inseparable and went everywhere together; however, Yang Kai didn’t know if they were a real couple.
All nine of these familiar faces were Divine Spirits!
More importantly, most of them were from the Dragon and Phoenix Clans.
Having understood the situation, Yang Kai knew that the Supreme Headquarters had chosen the Divine Spirits who would be receiving the Great Sun and Moon Marks. Also, it seemed like Xiang Shan coming here personally might have something to do with this as well.
These Divine Spirits did not join the Humans in the conference hall but chose to wait outside.
“Brother Ji!” Yang Kai bowed and then proceeded to greet Huang Si Niang and Feng Liu Lang. Since he was unfamiliar with most of the other Divine Spirits, he only nodded at them as a greeting.
It seemed like the Divine Spirits also knew why they came, so they were naturally polite to Yang Kai.
After exchanging some formalities, Yang Kai asked, “Brother Ji, how are Senior Fu Guang’s injuries?”
There were originally two Divine Dragons in the Dragon Clan, but the current Dragon Clan Leader had died in the battle on the Barren Territory, so only Fu Guang was left. Now, not only was Fu Guang the pillar of the Dragon Clan, but he was also the leader of all Divine Spirits.
Yang Kai had long since heard that Fu Guang was injured, but he didn’t know how serious his condition was.
Hearing that, Ji Lao San sighed, “After the battle in the Barren Territory, our Clan Leader died in battle while Senior Fu Guang sustained heavy injuries and almost didn’t make it. He has been restoring his health all these years, but at his level of strength, it is just as hard to heal as it is to be hurt.”
Yang Kai nodded. It was true that cultivators with great strength were not afraid of minor injuries, but if they sustained heavy injuries, it would be even more difficult for them to restore their health. Moreover, judging by Ji Lao San’s words, it seemed like Fu Guang was injured by the Black Ink Giant Spirit God and almost didn’t survive.
“Is he recuperating inside the Dragon Pool?” Yang Kai asked.
Ji Lao San nodded. The Dragon Pool was the origin of the Dragon Clan, so it wasn’t strange for Fu Guang to be restoring himself in there. Back in the day, the Divine Spirits that came from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary were causing so much chaos in the Star Boundary that it actually alerted Fu Guang. In the end, Fu Guang came forward and deterred them from making trouble, which made the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruin Boundary quiet down.
Otherwise, those Divine Spirits would have stayed in the Star Boundary and continued to cause chaos.
Although the Human Race now had Fu Guang as one of their strongest Masters, they wouldn’t disturb him unless it was the last resort.
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai could only sigh as he couldn’t do anything to help.
Turning to look at Huang Si Niang, he took out a tail feather that had lost all spirituality, “Many thanks for giving me this tail feather, Si Niang. It has now returned to its owner.”
Huang Si Niang chuckled, “I, too, wanted to take a look at the view outside, so there’s no need to thank me.” While saying that, she reached out and took the tail feather.
The Dragon and Phoenix Clans took a Bloodline Great Oath, so they couldn’t easily leave the No-Return Pass. When Huang Si Niang took advantage of a bet with Feng Liu Lang to give Yang Kai her tail feather, which in truth was a type of Soul Clone, she did so with the thought of wanting to head outside the Great Pass and take a look at the scenery.
But now that the No-Return Pass had been lost, the Dragon and Phoenix Clans no longer had to abide by their Oath anymore.
The two Clans had mixed feelings about the No-Return Pass because they had been guarding it for aeons and now saw it as their home. However, the No-Return Pass was also a cage to them. Though they wanted to leave the No-Return Pass, they didn’t want to be forced out in such a way.
Sooner or later, they would storm in and snatch the No-Return Pass back from the Black Ink Clan!
It was all laughs at the entrance of the Main Conference Hall.
Whether they were people Yang Kai knew or not, they all swarmed over to talk to him. This couldn’t be helped, because they all knew the reason they were gathered here. Yang Kai had received nine pairs of Marks from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer and was about to give them out, so now they owed Yang Kai.
Moreover, the Divine Spirits were guessing that the Source Marks from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer might not only allow them to summon Purifying Light, but it might also have the effect of purifying their bloodline.
Before today, the Divine Spirits had gone through a selective trial because of the matter of who would receive the marks. In the end, it was these nine who prevailed.
“Stop chattering. Yang Kai, get inside.”
Xiang Shan’s voice came from the Main Hall, obviously knowing why Yang Kai was staying outside with no intentions of coming in.
With a bitter laugh, Yang Kai cupped his fist at the Divine Spirits and announced, “Let’s continue our conversation another day. Please make yourselves comfortable.”
The Divine Spirits didn’t object.
When Yang Kai stepped inside the Main Hall, he felt several dozen pairs of eyes instantly fall on him and look at him as if he was some kind of strange being.
Inside the Main Hall were all Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, with no exceptions.
There were a few that Yang Kai recognised, but more that he didn’t. Sitting upright at the end of the table was Xiang Shan.
Yang Kai didn’t feel nervous, because he was now an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master too, and all of them might not be his match when it came to strength, except for Xiang Shan.
He didn’t know how strong Xiang Shan was because they had never fought each other, but Big Head Xiang had climbed back up after having fallen once, so his ability might have increased even more. He could be considered one of the most powerful Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters alive today.
While facing the crowd, Yang Kai cupped his fist and greeted, “Junior Yang Kai greets Seniors.”
[That’s right. I’m just a Junior with abilities but no experience, so I can’t take up any huge responsibilities!]
His intentions naturally couldn’t escape Xiang Shan’s eyes. Big Head Xiang looked at him with a faint smile but didn’t make any comments.
Instead, one of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters burst out laughing, “Junior Brother, you’re too modest. You are now also an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and have the same cultivation as all of us, so you shouldn’t be referring to us as your Seniors but as Fellow Brothers!”
Another Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master nodded before adding, “We cultivators only care about strength, not age, unless you’re from the same Sect that is. But since you’ve already reached the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm at such a young age and even recently killed three Innate Territory Lords at once, I’m sure you’re going to have a very promising future!”
“Not bad for a person so young. We older ones have high hopes for you.”
Following that was a wave of compliments from everywhere. The only words that weren’t said were that Yang Kai was the future of the entire Human Race.
Yang Kai felt defeated and looked at Xiang Shan grimly. He wouldn’t believe it if someone said Xiang Shan hadn’t colluded with these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to do this.
This group of Eighth-Order Masters had even begun spouting utter nonsense, so it was obvious that they had some kind of hidden intentions.
At that point, Yang Kai felt even more stressed.
After secretly sighing, he knew he couldn’t go against so many of them, so he complied and cupped his fist, “Senior Brothers, you are all too kind. It was just pure luck, so I can’t accept your praise.”
“Let’s continue exchanging pleasantries later. Yang Kai, find a seat and sit down.”
It was then that the crowd stopped chattering. Yang Kai looked around the room and saw Ou Yang Lie beckoning him over, so he immediately went and sat beside him.
Today was just another ordinary meeting between Human Race higher-ups. With over a dozen battlefields, the Masters at the Supreme Headquarters would personally head over to each battlefield and gather intel from time to time. When Profound Nether Territory was almost lost, the higher-ups at the Supreme Headquarters didn’t dare take the situation lightly; moreover, Xiang Shan personally coming here also had a sliver of such meaning.
All the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sitting here were the mainstays of the Profound Nether Army, who were responsible for guarding this place. Therefore, they knew the Black Ink Clan in the Profound Nether Territory very well.
So now, they would proceed with reporting to Xiang Shan about the situation on the battlefield.
As time passed, all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters took turns giving their reports, and Yang Kai now knew more about the situation in Profound Nether Territory.
However, what shocked him the most was that these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were extremely detailed, including how many battles each Army had gone through, how many enemies were killed, how many casualties they had, how many troops they had left, and where they had placed Arrays and other arrangements.
Yang Kai felt curious, [Shouldn’t these basic details already be known? Why do they need to report such trivial things to Xiang Shan?]
Turning his head to look at Xiang Shan, Yang Kai found him sitting upright while seriously listening to every word while nodding occasionally.
The Human Race needed leaders like Xiang Shan to be able to band together when fighting against the Black Ink Clan.
Although Yang Kai had decided to only listen but not speak, it turned out that there weren’t many opportunities for him to get in a word. He had recently arrived at Profound Nether Territory, where he would either spend time at the palace fooling around with his Wives, casting Purifying Light, fixing Warships, or patching up Spirit Arrays. There was indeed not much for him to say as he was fairly ignorant of the general situation.
There was an infinite joy in the activities done inside the bedroom. After spending over 1,000 years in celibacy on the Black Ink Battlefield, 5,000 if the years in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon were counted, Yang Kai felt as though he had finally been set free and returned to the time when he could do whatever he wanted.
All his Wives were constantly blushing every day and Ru Meng wouldn’t lose her temper that much anymore, behaving in a gentle and considerate manner most of the time.
“Yang Kai, do you have anything to add?” Xiang Shan suddenly turned to look at Yang Kai.
Waking up from his thoughts, Yang Kai shook his head like a rattle-drum, “No!”
“If so, why are you smiling so happily?” Xiang Shan frowned.
Yang Kai coughed lightly, “I was just thinking about something interesting…”
Feeling awkward, he gestured towards the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who was currently speaking, “Senior Brothers, please continue.”
[Has Big Head Xiang come all the way here just to make things difficult for me? Can’t I even smile discreetly?]
The conference continued, and the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters narrated the comprehensive situation in Profound Nether Territory.
Half a day passed just like that, and the report on matters in Profound Nether Territory had finally ended. The group of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters felt like their mouths had dried up from all the talking.
It was then that Xiang Shan nodded and looked towards Yang Kai, “Have you understood the situation in Profound Nether Territory?”
Yang Kai was extremely shocked.
[Why is he asking me that?] But he still nodded, “Yes.”
“Very good!” Xiang Shan got up and took a step forward before he boomed, “Star Boundary’s Yang Kai, come forward and receive your orders!”
Stunned, Yang Kai froze, so Ou Yang Lie yanked him to his feet and kicked his butt, causing Yang Kai to stumble forward. When he looked up and saw Xiang Shan’s stern face, he felt his heart sink as he cupped his fist and quickly said, “Sir!”
While looking at him, Xiang Shan quickly said, “Previously, during the critical battle of Profound Nether Territory, Yang Kai killed three Innate Territory Lords on his own and turned the tide of war, successfully saving Profound Nether Territory from its end, making a huge contribution to the Human Race. In the following battles with the Black Ink Clan, he led the charge in every battle and killed numerous enemies, which has won him many Military Merits and demonstrated the spirit our Human Race must follow to obtain victory in his war. Therefore, the Supreme Headquarters has decided to appoint Yang Kai as Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander. From now on, he will command the Profound Nether Army and stand guard over Profound Nether Territory to defend it against the Black Ink Clan!”
Yang Kai was shocked and gawked at Xiang Shan with a blank expression, seemingly wanting to see if the latter was pulling a bad prank on him.
Back when Yang Kai received Xiang Shan’s order to attend the conference between Profound Nether Army higher-ups, he had already mentally prepared himself, thinking that he was about to be assigned some formal posting; after all, he was also an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and according to the rules, he was capable of assuming the rank of Division Commander.
He was thinking of a way to get out of it despite knowing that the chances of that happening were slim, and he had almost accepted his fate and thought if he were appointed as a Division Commander, he could accept it. It was better to have subordinates than to fight alone after all.
However, he never expected that Xiang Shan would make such an enormous announcement.
The Profound Nether Army Commander was the person responsible for overseeing the entire Profound Nether Territory! It was a position completely incomparable to the trivial post of Division Commander!
If Yang Kai accepted the position of Army Commander, all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sitting here would become his subordinates. Moreover, Profound Nether Territory now had about 600,000 Human soldiers, a number that would increase in the future. How could Xiang Shan just leave all of them to him?
[No, it wasn’t Xiang Shan making this decision!] Yang Kai turned to look at both his sides of the room and saw the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters smiling as they looked at him, especially Ou Yang Lie, who was even winking like he was doing him some big favour!
This was the decision made by all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Profound Nether Army!
Without agreement from the ones actually leading the Profound Nether Army, it would be impossible for the Supreme Headquarters to implement such orders. It seemed like Wei Jun Yang and the other Eighth-Order Masters had long since agreed to ‘let’ Yang Kai become the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army!
At this moment, Yang Kai had no words to describe what he was feeling.
Back on the Black Ink Battlefield, the highest post he held was Squad Leader. He had never even experienced being a Battalion Commander, much less a Division Commander, but now, he was suddenly promoted to Army Commander… The difference was too big to fathom.
It now made sense why the Eighth-Order Masters here were being so detailed with their reports. Those matters weren’t for Xiang Shan to hear, they were for him!
They knew that Yang Kai had just arrived in Profound Nether Territory and wasn’t that knowledgeable about the army’s situation, so they used this chance to tell him in detail.
This was clearly a premeditated plot!
Xiang Shan using this chance to come here and appoint Yang Kai as Army Commander might be the real reason for his visit, while everything else was secondary.
[Bunch of old foxes!] Never would Yang Kai have expected that all these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had kept him in the dark about this until the moment they sprung the trap.
He was already a little reluctant to take up the position of Division Commander, but now he thought being a Division Commander seemed quite reasonable. Compared to overseeing the entire Army, looking after a mere Division seemed like a breeze.
Many thoughts flashed through Yang Kai’s head before he quickly declined, “Sir, this Junior is still young and has insufficient experience. The Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army is a critical position, and I’m afraid I might not be able to handle it, so please choose someone else, Sir.”
Xiang Shan replied calmly, “Although you’re still young and inexperienced, no one can compare to you in regards to Military Merits. What’s more, you have all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master here today to support you, so what’s there to worry about? Unless… you’re unwilling to take up this role!”
That was indeed what Yang Kai was thinking, and he immediately nodded, “Sir, please understand. This Junior is unwilling to accept this position, and he does not dare to accept it!”
Once he became the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army, he would have to stay in Profound Nether Territory for a very long time, possibly until the war here was settled. He felt that his talent wasn’t in leading an Army or in devising battle tactics. His talent was in killing Black Ink Clansmen and relieving the pressure on the Human Race. That was something Xiang Shan knew, so why was he so insistent on having Yang Kai become the Army Commander?
Frowning, Xiang Shan asked, “Are you really unwilling to accept this position?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded his head like a chicken pecking rice while looking at Xiang Shan with sincere eyes.
With a light sigh, Xiang Shan said, “You can’t force someone to do what they are unwilling to do. If you’re unwilling to take up that position, I won’t make things difficult for you. As for the Profound Nether Army… the Supreme Headquarters will have another discussion about it.”
Yang Kai cheered, “Sir is wise!”
[Why have I never noticed how easy Big Head Xiang is to speak with?]
“Report!”
Following a shout, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm soldier ran into the Main Hall and cupped his fist at Xiang Shan, “The Black Ink Clan Army has been sighted advancing from 10 million kilometres outside the eastern front. They appear to be rallying for another attack.”
Under normal circumstances, there wouldn’t be anyone barging into the higher-ups’ conference, but an urgent military situation was an exception.
Obviously, the Black Ink Clan on the eastern front pressing in on them was an urgent military situation.
“Bold!” Wei Jun Yang bellowed, “Those Black Ink Clansmen must be courting death!”
While he spoke, he exuded his majestic Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm aura.
Ou Yang Lie also exclaimed, “It seems like they haven’t learnt their lesson yet.”
…..
Not only were these two cursing the Black Ink Clan, but the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters all joined in, causing the Main Conference Hall to instantly fill with all kinds of voices.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai frowned, [What is the Black Ink Clan up to? They have just lost a major battle and three Territory Lords. How could they come back for another attack after such a short amount of time?]
Looking back at the Seventh-Order soldier who came to report the news, Yang Kai could see that he was from Great Battle Heaven because he was wearing distinctive golden armour. Undried blood still marred his armour, which seemed to indicate that he was injured.
What caught Yang Kai’s attention though was that the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Profound Nether Army were too calm.
[Since the Black Ink Clan Army are rallying to attack, shouldn’t they be discussing a plan of action and dispatching troops to consolidate the eastern front? It’s highly improper of them to just be acting loud and rowdy at this moment.]
While he was lost in such thought, one of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters came forward and cupped his fist to Xiang Shan before saying, “Sir Xiang, I request permission to fight off the enemy!”
Xiang Shan nodded lightly, “It’s rare for you, Division Commander Chen, to be so eager to fight. You have my permission. How many troops are you preparing to bring with you?”
Division Commander Chen answered proudly, “I don’t need much. A single Division will suffice.”
Then, Xiang Shan warned sternly, “The war between the two Races is not child’s play.”
After coldly snorting, Division Commander Chen replied, “It’s just a motley group of weak Black Ink Clansmen, what’s there to be afraid of? If we don’t deter the enemy, this Chen will offer his head up to you!”
“Good!” Xiang Shan nodded unceasingly to show his approval, “Although we Humans are at a disadvantage, we do not lack the thirst for blood and bravery. Division Commander Chen is still so enthusiastic at such an old age. You are a role model to all of us. Therefore, I’ll permit—”
“Wait a moment!” Yang Kai hurriedly interjected.
He was beyond shocked as he listened to this conversation.
[In such an urgent situation, you old Eighth-Order Masters made a snap decision just like that, and Xiang Shan actually agreed to it? What about the difference between the enemy’s Army and ours? What about the number of enemies coming over? With such a lack of information, how could you reach a decision so quickly?]
More importantly, Yang Kai knew Division Commander Chen personally. In regards to age, he was one of the eldest Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but when it came to power, he wasn’t the strongest and would not stand a chance against an Innate Territory Lord.
Under such circumstances, how could this old man have the confidence to say he would only bring a single Division out to fight the enemy?
Was he just bluffing? However, the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters showed no signs of wanting to stop him.
“Yang Kai, do you have something to say?” Xiang Shan turned around to look at Yang Kai.
Feeling his head pulsing, Yang Kai cupped his fist and suggested, “Senior Xiang, if I remember correctly, the number of soldiers in a single Division of the Profound Nether Army is about 20,000, right?”
20,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters was no small number.
One had to know that back at the Black Ink Battlefield, a Division only had 500 to 600 troops. However, all the Open Heaven Realm Masters on the Black Ink Battlefield were Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and above.
The Profound Nether Army even had soldiers in the First and Second-Order Open Heaven Realm, so when comparing the two types of Divisions, although 20,000 soldiers was a lot more than 500, the overall difference in strength wasn’t that large.
“Indeed,” Division Commander Chen nodded, “My Division now has 23,651 soldiers enlisted in it.”
Though the old man was up there in age, his memory had not deteriorated and he knew his troops like the back of his hand.
Feeling speechless, Yang Kai looked at him and asked, “Do you know how many troops the Black Ink Clan has brought over to attack us?”
Division Commander Chen snorted coldly, “Who cares how many troops they have? We will kill them all!”
Once he said that, he didn’t even wait for Yang Kai to respond before cupping his fist to Xiang Shan and announcing, “Sir, this Chen will be off then. This mission to defend our homeland will either end with victory or us dying in battle. If the situation comes to that, I would have to trouble all of you to help us gather our corpses.”
Nodding, Xiang Shan promised, “We won’t let our soldiers’ corpses rot in the wilderness.”
“Division Commander Chen, please wait!” Yang Kai shouted again. He couldn’t let Division Commander Chen run away because the Squad his Wives were in just happened to be under Division Commander Chen’s jurisdiction. It wouldn’t matter to Yang Kai if Division Commander Chen decided to deploy in force to push back the enemy, but if he was going with his Division alone, Ru Meng, Su Yan, and the others would get dispatched too.
“Yang Kai, how dare you continuously interrupt us when we’re discussing sending troops to defend our frontlines! Are you trying to disrupt military order?”
Yang Kai’s heart clenched as he quickly cupped his fist, “I dare not do such a thing! But…”
“But what?” Xiang Shan looked at him coldly.
[But… something isn’t right here…]
Yang Kai looked at Xiang Shan and then at the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters around him. What he saw was Wei Jun Yang looking up at the sky as if nothing concerned him, while Ou Yang Lie was looking down at the floor as if a flower was growing between his feet. Meanwhile, the other Eighth-Order Masters were either huddled together and discussing something or sitting there calmly with their eyes closed as if everything was under control.
At that moment, Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter, [So, this is how it is.]
He knew these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had all fought in no less than 1,000 battles, so there was no way they would act this foolishly under normal circumstances. Even if Division Commander Chen was a reckless glory-seeker, it was impossible for the rest of them to just let him race off to his death.
Moreover, Xiang Shan was a man with incredible tactical insight. The strategy he came up with to reclaim Great Evolution Pass, and the skill with which he executed it were both extremely shocking, so it was impossible for him to immediately agree when Division Commander Chen asked to lead a single Division off into battle with no idea about the enemy’s composition.
If he did, he wouldn’t be Xiang Shan but someone like Ou Yang Lie.
After sighing, Yang Kai explained, “Senior Brothers, you have all lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, do your consciences not hurt at all, working together to trick a Junior like me?”
Snorting, Division Commander Chen insisted, “Junior Brother, whatever do you mean? I’m getting on in years and my mind is not quite what it used to be, please speak plainly.”
Yang Kai gave him a sorrowful look, [You’re clearly the most enthusiastic one in this plan!]
Meanwhile, Xiang Shan still had the same cold expression, “Speak up if you have something you want to say, stop wasting time with all this nonsense.”
[Haven’t I made myself clear enough? It’s you old farts that are playing dumb! I guess it’s true when they say the older a person, the more cunning they are! Judging from this situation, the eastern front… probably isn’t under threat at all. It’s only been about 10 days since the Black Ink Clan suffered serious losses, they wouldn’t dare launch a full offensive so soon.]
This was all just a big show. The Eighth-Order Masters in this room and even the Seventh-Order soldier who came to deliver the ‘report’ were all in on this matter. They were acting out a play with Yang Kai as the only audience member.
[These old farts are obviously trying to force me to do something I’m incapable of. It’s a fake emergency this time, but what about next time? If there really is a next time, this Division Commander Chen will definitely lead his Division to charge the enemy!]
Yang Kai sighed internally. It seemed he couldn’t avoid this matter.
While he was lost in his thoughts, the Seventh-Order soldier shouted again in a voice filled with grief and anger, “Sirs, this situation is urgent, please come to a decision as soon as possible; otherwise, the eastern front might not be able to hold.
*Cough! Cough!*
Then, he spat out a mouthful of blood, seeming to be heavily injured.
[Really? Really??]
Yang Kai glanced at the soldier who was looking straight ahead and had a pale complexion and a depressed aura.
Xiang Shan glared and muttered, “Yang Kai, stand down. Since you don’t want to be appointed as the Army Commander, you have no right to speak here. Division Commander Chen, head back and lead your Division to reinforce the eastern front. If you cannot defeat the enemy, I’ll head over there and behead you myself!”
While cupping his fist, Division Commander Chen replied, “This Chen accepts the order. We will not let you down.”
After that, he turned around and strode towards the door, but he still stared into Yang Kai’s eyes, seeming to say, “If you don’t speak up, this Old Master will really lead my force into battle. It doesn’t matter if there were no enemies at the eastern front this time, because there were enemies in the Black Ink Clan’s camp. Are you afraid now?”
“How could this Junior be qualified for this…” Yang Kai smiled bitterly. However, he was honestly quite touched inside. All these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had worked together with Xiang Shan to act out such a performance for him just so that he would take up the position of the Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander. This was a kind of wholehearted trust that was rare to see.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai cupped his fist and boomed, “Since all of you Senior Brothers think so highly of me, this Junior is willing to take up the position of Army Commander and guard Profound Nether Territory. This Junior will risk his life to make sure Profound Nether Territory is never lost!”
“So you’ve changed your mind?” Xiang Shan’s lips curled up ever so slightly as he teased.
While looking at him with a blank stare, Yang Kai didn’t say anything.
[Do I have a choice? Old Man Chen is halfway out of the Main Conference Hall, so if I don’t change my mind, he will really leave. His leaving is not that concerning, but my Wives will definitely have to follow him to the battlefield.]
Then, Xiang Shan stopped playing with him and spoke sternly, “Overseeing Profound Nether Territory is a very heavy task. If this Territory is lost on your watch, you’ll be punished according to military law!”
“Understood!”
“Yang Kai, receive your orders!” Xiang Shan roared before taking out a token, “The Supreme Headquarters hereby appoints Yang Kai as Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army. This is the Army Commander Token. With this, you will assume full command of all soldiers in the Profound Nether Army. If anyone dares to disobey or rebel against you, they will be sentenced to death without exception!”
“We accept the order!” All the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters bowed in unison.
“Yang Kai accepts the order!” Yang Kai came forward and raised both hands to receive the Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander Token, which suddenly felt quite heavy.
This wasn’t just a token, it was a physical representation of the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers that were being entrusted to him.
At that moment, Yang Kai’s aura seemed to have changed and become even more profound and mysterious.
Noticing this, Xiang Shan watched with amazement as the words ‘Heaven’s Will’ appeared in his head.
“Greetings, Army Commander!” Wei Jun Yang chuckled and cupped his fist before bowing. The other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters copied him and did the same. The atmosphere inside the Main Hall was very harmonious.
Division Commander Chen ran back as well and no longer shouted about racing off to kill the enemy.
Of course, Yang Kai wouldn’t take what happened just now to heart and exchanged pleasantries with the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. He would be overseeing Profound Nether Territory in the future, so he would need these old foxes’ help.
“Report!”
Another Seventh-Order soldier dashed into the Main Hall and cupped his fist, “Sirs, there is news from the eastern front. The Black Ink Clan Army has retreated. It seems like their previous actions were just a feint. There is no imminent attack.”
Nodding, Xiang Shan replied, “It’s good that the Black Ink Clan has retreated. Division Commander Chen, you may take a rest as well.”
Division Commander Chen laughed, “The Black Ink Clan retreated before the news about Junior Brother Yang taking up the position as Army Commander was released. It seems like the Heavens are siding with us today.”
The group of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters all nodded in agreement.
Yang Kai looked around and couldn’t help rolling his eyes. Were these old farts still acting even now? They even organized this kind of closing scene to their play! It seemed they really made a full and detailed plan for today.
Thinking back to the time when they gathered at Azure Void Pass to form the Great Evolution Army, Xiang Shan and Liu Zhi Ping were appointed as Great Evolution’s Eastern and Western Army Commanders. On that same day, many of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were appointed as Division Commanders and accepted with great solemnity.
Back then, Yang Kai was just a Seventh-Order Squad Leader.
Never had he imagined he would someday hold the Army Commander Token like today, so he couldn’t help but sigh internally.
Being an Army Commander wasn’t just any duty, it was a responsibility to become the central pillar for an army of hundreds of thousands of soldiers!
[Can I do it?]
Yang Kai didn’t know the answer to that question, but since things had already come to this point, he could only give it his all and do his best. From today onwards, his every decision will affect hundreds of thousands of lives directly.
“I can’t spend too long here. Besides the appointment of Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander, there is one other thing I need to accomplish here.” Xiang Shan spoke up.
Yang Kai put away the token and nodded, “Please say it, Senior Brother.”
At first, he thought it was about the Great Sun and Moon Marks, but that was just a minor matter because he had already given one set of Marks to Su Yan. Moreover, the nine Divine Spirits outside were the ones who had been chosen to receive the Marks, so all that was needed was to call them inside.
He wasn’t expecting Xiang Shan to not talk about this matter but instead summoned his Universe Chart. Then, with a wave of his hand, a three-dimensional virtual image appeared before everyone.
Following that, Xiang Shan moved his hand and pointed at a particular spot, “A month ago, the Supreme Headquarters received intelligence that the cultivators from more than a dozen Sects in the Acacia Territory have been besieged by the Black Ink Clan and are facing a critical situation. If they don’t get any reinforcements soon, they might not be able to hold out much longer.”
Wei Jun Yang frowned, “Where did this information come from? Is it reliable?”
Xiang Shan nodded, “The intelligence was brought to us by a few different roaming Hunter teams, so its likely authenticity was deemed high. Afterwards, the Supreme Headquarters moved and confirmed it.”
Division Commander Chen raised an eyebrow, “Is the Supreme Headquarters asking Profound Nether Territory to send out troops to rescue them?”
“That’s right.” Xiang Shan nodded, “At first, there was no plan to have Profound Nether Territory carry out this mission, but all the other Great Territory Battlefields are engaged in heated conflicts right now, so our side is at a disadvantage and can’t dispatch troops for a rescue mission. However, Profound Nether Territory could be said to have won a great victory during the previous battle, so there should not be any large-scale battles here for the foreseeable future. Therefore, you are the ones most suited to attempt this rescue mission.”
While saying that, he looked at Yang Kai, “Junior Brother, now that you are the Army Commander, you will be responsible for planning and executing this mission! You must bring our trapped allies back safely.”
Yang Kai knew this was also a test to see how he would deal with such matters. Although the Supreme Headquarters had appointed him as the Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander, they also knew that the talents he had shown were mostly in charging into battle and defeating the enemy. He had never shown much talent in things like strategy and tactics.
This mission to rescue the Humans trapped in Acacia Territory was a chance to make a contribution and show off his talents.
Therefore, he immediately cupped his fist, “I have received the order!”
“You can discuss this matter on your own. There is no need to report to the Supreme Headquarters about your plan before carrying it out, but there is one thing you must remember, you mustn’t let Profound Nether Territory fall into the hands of the enemy!” Xiang Shan enjoined them before shouting towards the entrance, “Enter.”
He then turned to look at Yang Kai, “Previously, we’ve received news from Profound Nether Territory that you’ve received nine sets of Great Sun and Moon Marks from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer. These are the nine Divine Spirits the Supreme Headquarters chose to receive those marks. I’ll leave them to you as well.”
“Understood, Senior Brother!”
Later, Xiang Shan, Wei Jun Yang, and the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters left the Main Conference Hall while Ji Lao San and the other eight Divine Spirits came in.
It wasn’t difficult to pass the two marks from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer to them because they were just drops condensed from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s Source Strength. After the Divine Spirits received them, they only needed to slightly refine them to condense the Great Sun and Moon Marks.
The nine Divine Spirits only took about an hour to complete this process.
Later, Yang Kai distributed the nine Space Rings he had prepared beforehand to them, rings filled with Yellow and Blue Crystals.
With the two Great Marks and a large supply of Yellow and Blue Crystals, there would no longer be a lack of Purifying Light on the various battlefields. This could also greatly lessen the pressure on the Human Race.
It could also lessen the Alchemists’ burden, allowing them to put in more effort to refine other Spirit Pills.
Purifying Black Ink Pills weren’t the only Spirit Pills the Human Race lacked. Open Heaven Pills for cultivation and healing pills for healing injuries were all in short supply.
As for how these nine Divine Spirits would be distributed to each front, that was for the Supreme Headquarters to figure out. Although there weren’t enough Divine Spirits for each Great Territory Battlefield, it might not be too much of a problem for one Divine Spirit to aid two neighbouring battlefields and provide them with Purifying Light.
Xiang Shan was waiting outside, so Yang Kai led the Divine Spirits out before seeing them off.
Once they left, Yang Kai finally said, “Senior Brothers and Sisters, please enter the conference hall!”
The group of Eighth-Order Masters then returned to the Main Conference Hall and sat down. Yang Kai sat at the head of the table and looked around. He saw all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had serious expressions on their faces as they looked straight ahead.
Seeing that, Yang Kai burst out laughing, “Since all of you Senior Brothers and Sisters think so highly of me and choose me to take up the position as Army Commander, I, as your Junior Brother, will not let all of you down!”
The atmosphere suddenly became lively, and Ou Yang Lie slumped back into his chair and beamed, “Our generation of cultivators respect strength above all else. Since your fist is bigger, of course it’s you who will take up the position of Army Commander, but you little br… ahem, Junior Brother, the most important issue you need to deal with now is the matter of Acacia Territory. This is your first mission after your appointment, so you have to do it well.”
Wei Jun Yang added, “Indeed. Since the Supreme Headquarters has entrusted us with this mission, we must do our best to complete the task and not let the other battlefields look down on us.”
Nodding, Yang Kai replied, “Both Senior Brothers are right, but I’ve only recently returned from the outside. Though I have a basic understanding of Profound Nether Territory, I don’t know much about the situation outside of Profound Nether Territory, so I still need you all to catch me up.
Fei Yong Ze looked at him, “Junior Brother Yang, what would you like to know?”
Yang Kai answered, “According to what I know, after the war in the Barren Territory, the Human Race Army retreated and broke up into many different teams to help the cultivators from the various Great Territories retreat and evacuate. However, that was a couple dozen years ago, so those who could evacuate should have already arrived. How could there still be Humans left outside?”
Division Commander Chen sighed and replied, “That’s not a surprise because the purpose of evacuation back then was to let all the Sects move to the nearest territory directly controlled by the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Afterwards, those Cave Heavens and Paradises would have their Masters escort those people to High Heaven Territory. However, the Black Ink Clan moved too fast, so cultivators from a number of Great Territories could not evacuate in time and were surrounded by the enemy. We have suffered quite a significant number of casualties as a result.”
Yang Kai nodded as he knew about such incidents as well. When the Black Ink Clan invaded Swallowing Seas Territory, Yang Kai was fortunately there to lend his assistance.
If Yang Kai hadn’t appeared there at that moment, the cultivators from Swallowing Seas Territory wouldn’t have been able to escape.
In addition to those who failed to evacuate in time, others were ambushed along the way, which might be what had happened to the Humans trapped in Acacia Territory.
When Yang Kai heard this, he frowned, “Forgive my crassness, but if they were intercepted by the Black Ink Clan over 20 years ago, they should all be dead by now.”
Wei Jun Yang raised an eyebrow, “Junior Brother, are you thinking this might be a trap?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Perhaps the cultivators in Acacia Territory found somewhere to hide all these years but have now been found by the Black Ink Clan. Otherwise, they can’t have held out until now.” While he spoke, he used his fingers to tap on the armrest, “What is strange is for word of this to have reached us. Theoretically, Acacia Territory has been entirely conquered by the Black Ink Clan, so if there were any Humans left there, the Black Ink Clan should have easily taken care of them, but of course, dragging on—”
Suddenly thinking of something, he looked at the others below him, “Senior Brothers and Sisters, do you think that the Black Ink Clan are besieging a stronghold to strike at the reinforcements?”
Wei Jun Yang raised an eyebrow, “Why do you ask that?”
Yang Kai explained, “The Black Ink Clan should have been able to easily finish off the cultivators in Acacia Territory but haven’t. It’s obvious that they want to attract our side’s attention, which led to today’s events where Senior Brother Xiang charged us with this matter. We won’t be able to hide the Profound Nether Army dispatching a large number of troops to the Acacia Territory. The enemy is likely planning an ambush in Acacia Territory. There should be multiple Territory Lords and a large Army guarding that place.”
Once he said that, the other Eighth-Order Masters looked at each other and then burst out laughing.
Wei Jun Yang turned to look at Ou Yang Lie and teased, “Are you going to kill a Territory Lord, or are you going to call me ‘Father?”
Rolling his eyes, Ou Yang Lie retorted, “You didn’t win! What’s more, it’s just killing a Territory Lord. How difficult could that be?”
Wei Jun Yang chuckled, “I’ll take it as you choosing to kill a Territory Lord.”
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was dumbfounded as he looked at the others below him, “Senior Brothers, did I say something wrong?”
Division Commander Chen stroked his beard and chuckled, “No, you didn’t say anything wrong. It’s just that your performance shocked us.”
“What do you mean?” That answer made Yang Kai even more confused, [Also, what’s up with Wei Jun Yang and Ou Yang Lie? Why would they say something like calling the other ‘Father’?]
Division Commander Chen explained, “Junior Brother, what you’ve just said is correct. There is a Second Class Great Force, Acacia Sect, in Acacia Territory. During its founding, Acacia Sect discovered a Universe Cave Heaven left by an unknown Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after their death, which Acacia Sect obtained many benefits from. Didn’t you say the cultivators in Acacia Territory might have found a place to hide all these years? It’s been surmised that they have been hiding inside that Universe Cave Heaven and somehow managed to seal its entrance, which is why it remained safe until today. But their hiding spot has now been exposed, which is why they are now under siege.”
He continued, “It’s not that the Black Ink Clan doesn’t want to deal with them, but it isn’t an easy task to break open a Universe Cave Heaven’s portal from the outside without appropriate skills. Of course, the Black Ink Clan can still do it, but it will take them some time. Also, us receiving this news should also be the Black Ink Clan’s doing. Junior Brother, you were right when you said they were planning to strike at the reinforcements. However, their target is not the various Armies from the Great Territory Battlefields, but the roaming Hunters who have snuck into their territory.”
A short pause later, he elaborated, “There are many Human Masters that are either unwilling to be governed or are simply not used to functioning in an army and working with others, so they choose to become roaming Hunters instead and sneak deep into the Great Territories that the Black Ink Clan controls. Over the years, the Hunters have attacked and killed many Black Ink Clansmen, and traces of them can be found in many Great Territories. There are indeed many Black Ink Clansmen, but most of them are busy battling the Human Race Army, so those roaming Hunters take the chance to cause chaos behind the Black Ink Clan’s lines by destroying Black Ink Nests and raiding their supply lines. The Black Ink Clan is clearly frustrated with this, and besieging those in Acacia Territory is a good opportunity to attract large numbers of Hunters over. They want to clean up as many of them as possible with this one move.”