If the Portal Corridor were to break apart, Yang Kai would not be the only one doomed to die. All the people hiding inside the Universe Cave Heaven would face the same fate; therefore, he had to stabilise this Void Corridor through any means possible.
He could not afford to continue fighting here any longer, so he had to finish this battle as soon as possible. However, there were two Territory Lords and in his current state, it would not be easy for him to deal with them unless he resorted to his Soul Rending Thorns once more.
[Will I be able to bear the burden?] Yang Kai took a moment to check the condition of his Soul.
Half a day ago, he had consecutively unleashed three Soul Rending Thorns, so his Soul had been severely damaged. Fortunately, he did not face any major issues thanks to the protection and nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus. The condition of his torn Soul had also somewhat stabilized, but he did not know whether he could afford to use the Soul Rendering Thorns again.
If he could bear the burden, then the situation would turn around for him. He only needed to slaughter one of the Territory Lords as quickly as possible, then he could slowly figure out something in regard to the last one. However, if he could not bear the burden… He did not know what he might do in a state when he fell into a state of delirium.
At this moment, using another Soul Rending Thorn would not count as him using this Secret Technique four times in a row because there was a buffer period between the first three uses, but the difference was not great.
[As expected, I’m still too weak. If only my Soul were strong enough… Two Territory Lords would have been nothing. I could simply hit each of them with a Soul Rending Thorn, then lop off their heads.]
While Yang Kai was hesitating, the two Territory Lords began attacking him. They could clearly see his distress; moreover, the turmoil in the Portal Corridor was becoming more and more obvious to them. If they attacked him at this time, they could cause further damage to this space even if they could not kill him. They were hoping that they could escape this place by shattering the Portal Corridor.
The Void Turbulence was becoming more and more ferocious, so when the two Territory Lords made their decision, they released furious roars in unison. Activating their strength, they threw themselves at Yang Kai from both sides.
[Whatever! Let’s just go for it!] Yang Kai steeled himself. There was nothing in this world that was absolute. More importantly, nothing would change if he didn’t take a little risk!
In any case, he was currently much stronger than when he first left the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon. The repeated tearing and repairing of his Soul had also been beneficial to it. There was no denying that his Soul had gotten much stronger than before.
Besides, there was a buffer period of half a day, so he should be fine even if he unleashed a fourth Soul Rending Thorn today.
With such thoughts in mind, Yang Kai looked at the two Territory Lords charging unsteadily towards him and instead of retreating, raised his spear and went forward to meet them head-on.
A golden cross appeared in his left eye, and under the urging of the Demon Eye of Annihilation, one of the Territory Lords saw his own reflection suddenly twist and distort.
The Territory Lord reacted as though he had been struck by lightning and howled at the top of his lungs, inflicted by unimaginable pain.
At the same time, the blood vessels in Yang Kai’s left eye burst and blurred his vision. There was no helping it as he had not completely mastered the Myriad Demons Heaven’s Eye Technique yet. If the Old Ancestor from Myriad Demons Pass had been the one to unleash this Eye Secret Technique at full force, this Territory Lord would have immediately died.
Nevertheless, this was enough. With both sides suffering injuries, Yang Kai ignored the Territory Lord he had just targeted and with a tearing pain in his Soul silently unleashed a Soul Rending Thorn at the other Territory Lord.
In the next moment, the other Territory Lord screamed in agony and terror. The pain in his Soul was far greater than any physical pain he had ever experienced.
In the blink of an eye, both Territory Lords were severely injured.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already arrived with his spear in hand! Thrusting out, the Azure Dragon Spear stabbed into the Territory Lord who was struck by the Soul Rending Thorn. Various Dao Strengths wove together at the tip of the spear, causing both time and space to become distorted and disordered at that moment of impact.
The Territory Lord didn’t even have time to react before the Azure Dragon Spear pierced into his head and caused it to explode, his aura swelling up before fading out of existence!
Yang Kai had no time to rejoice as, currently, the world was spinning around him. He felt so dizzy that he feared he might lose consciousness at any moment. Biting the tip of his tongue, he barely managed to maintain a sliver of clarity in his mind.
Despite the half-day buffer period, he had truly reached his limit after using a fourth Soul Rending Thorn today. He couldn’t use a fifth any time soon.
Unfortunately, there was one more Territory Lord!
The surviving Territory Lord was now frightened out of his mind. [What happened to the assurance that Yang Kai would be helpless against us as long as we worked together in pairs? Bullshit! There were two of us in this damned place, yet he still managed to kill one of us so easily!]
At the juncture of life or death, the Territory Lord responded purely on instinct and desperately threw his fist out.
Yang Kai was thrown backwards and slammed into a cluster of Void Turbulence that almost drowned him.
After this Territory Lord threw the punch, the already unstable and turbulent Portal Corridor shattered, tearing open a large hole in the relatively stable stretch of Void.
Three powerful Masters had battled for their lives in the Portal Corridor, and four Territory Lords were trying to shatter this section of Void from the outside. It was only natural that the Portal Corridor had a hard time maintaining stability.
Seeing the hole in the Portal Corridor, the remaining Territory Lord was overjoyed and plunged into it without any hesitation.
Not far away, Yang Kai struggled to climb out of the Void Turbulence with a strange expression on his face. Although he had a splitting headache and trouble focusing, the actions of the Territory Lord had not escaped his notice.
[That Territory Lord… Did he perhaps assume that a hole in the Portal Corridor would be a means of escape?] There was no other explanation for why he would plunge into the hole so quickly. Regardless, that made things easy for Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had no wish to fight the remaining Territory Lord at the moment. The truth was that he could no longer move a single muscle. He had been wondering about what to do for his next move, but it would seem that there was no need for such trouble anymore.
That hole in the Portal Corridor was anything but a means of escape. It was impossible to escape from this place as long as the Portal Corridor was not broken from one of its ends. On the contrary, a hole in its walls would simply lead deeper into the Void. That was why Void Cracks were said to be extremely dangerous as even a Master could be trapped inside forever if they accidentally lost their way.
Yang Kai watched the Territory Lord disappear into the hole and did not bother to give chase. In any case, this Territory Lord would not be able to find his way out within a short time after falling so deep into the Void.
Yang Kai decided to come back and kill him after recuperating for some time. Retrieving the Azure Dragon Spear, he manipulated Space Principles and travelled along the path of the Portal Corridor and quickly emerged inside the Universe Cave Heaven.
“Husband!”
“Young Master!”
“Adoptive Father!”
“Big Brother!”
…
A burst of shouts came from all directions as it seemed like all the people who entered the Universe Cave Heaven earlier rushed forward to greet Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was covered in blood that had yet to dry, and new wounds had been added to his previous ones. After seeing his condition, how could they fail to realise that he had encountered another strong enemy?
He landed on the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood. Waving his hands dismissively, he answered their calls with an ashen complexion, “I’m fine!”
Among the crowd, the soldiers headed by Li Zi Yu and others stared at Yang Kai in shock, [Isn’t that the aura of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!? Has Yang Kai advanced to the Eighth Order already!?]
They knew about Yang Kai; after all, they had fought on the Black Ink Battlefield in the past. Yang Kai’s name was famous there, but it was also well-known that he was just a Seventh-Order Master. It was not until meeting him today that they learned he had advanced to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
For a time, Li Zi Yu and the others burned with motivation. They had wanted to rush into battle earlier because they were afraid of being blockaded inside the Universe Cave Heaven by the Black Ink Clan again. But now… with two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like Yang Kai and Feng Ying leading them, they might just stand a chance against the Black Ink Clan.
The Universe Cave Heaven trembled, and the sky was covered in countless cracks that crisscrossed each other. It was a horrifying sight; moreover, the ground split apart as though the end was upon them. It felt as though the entire Universe Cave Heaven could collapse at any moment.
The four Territory Lords outside were bombarding the Void with all their might. There might even be other Black Ink Clansmen who had joined in to attack the Void. It was impossible for these attacks to not affect the Universe Cave Heaven. If they were left alone to do whatever they wanted, it would only be a matter of time before the Black Ink Clan broke open the portal and rushed inside. In fact, they might even destroy the Universe Cave Heaven entirely, causing it to break apart and drift into the Void.
At that time, the Void Turbulence would wash over everything and everyone inside the Universe Cave Heaven would be swept away. There was no saying how many of them would survive such an ordeal, but even if they did manage to hang onto their lives, they would still be lost inside the Void.
Fortunately, they were not powerless to deal with the current crisis.
At this moment, Zhao Ye Bai, Su Yan, and Liu Yan were urging their powers to stabilize the space around them. These three were not the only ones, as there was also another Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master helping them!
Space Principles surged around these four figures and the trembling of the Void was repeatedly smoothened out, which stabilised the Universe Cave Heaven for now.
There was no need to say anything regarding Zhao Ye Bai as he was taught the Dao of Space by Yang Kai himself, and his attainments in it had reached impressive heights.
Meanwhile, Su Yan had an ancient Ice Phoenix Empress’ Source while Liu Yan had a Fire Phoenix Source. The Phoenix Clan’s Bloodline Talent was the Dao of Space. In the past, these two had failed to reveal their talents in the Dao of Space, primarily because their Bloodline Power was not strong enough at the time.
After cultivating in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land for many years though, their Bloodline Power had improved vastly. Not to mention, the Phoenix Clan had brought out the Immortal Parasol Tree after the No-Return Pass was destroyed. As a result, Su Yan and Liu Yan had both entered their respective Phoenix Nests and cultivated in retreat for some time.
In terms of attainments in the Dao of Space, Su Yan and Liu Yan were not inferior to the current Zhao Ye Bai, which was the advantage of their Bloodline Talent. The other Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was somebody whom Yang Kai did not know. His strength was inferior compared to the others, but it was naturally better if even one more person was to contribute at this time.
With these four people working to stabilise this space, the Universe Cave Heaven would not be destroyed for some time.
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief. The situation could be considered safe for the moment. Nevertheless, it simply resulted in another troublesome matter now that he had entered the Universe Cave Heaven with so many people.
It was exactly what Li Zi Yu had been worried about earlier. After entering the Universe Cave Heaven, they were no different from a turtle hiding in its shell. That was why Yang Kai initially did not want to seek shelter here. It was unfortunate that the Black Ink Clan Army had blockaded all the Territory Gates in Acacia Territory, so he had no choice but to seek temporary shelter here.
Be that as it may, he was happy to see the Territory Lords outside keep up their constant bombardment. Attacking non-stop at such intensity would be a huge drain on their energy. If the Territory Lords exhausted themselves, then he could easily stab them all to death once he recovered his strength!
After considering everything, Yang Kai sent a Divine Sense transmission to Su Yan and the others, “Don’t bother trying to stabilize this place entirely, just keep things from deteriorating to a critical point. It would be best if you can keep the Universe Cave Heaven right on the verge of destruction.”
If he wanted the Territory Lords outside to continue their onslaught, he had to give them some hope. If the results of their attacks were suppressed to the limits and the space in the Universe Cave Heaven was completely stabilised, they might not even bother to continue attacking.
Su Yan and the others immediately understood Yang Kai’s intentions while Zhao Ye Bai was filled with admiration. [Honoured Master has great forethought as usual. Such things would never occur to me naturally.]
Yang Kai then glanced at the Hunters. These people had stepped forward to support him in battle, proving that they were quite courageous. In any case, they were now trapped inside the Universe Cave Heaven with him.
Then, he turned to the other side and was secretly astonished, [Why are there so many Human Race Masters here?]
Looking around, he discovered that there were nearly 10,000 Human Masters gathered inside the Universe Cave Heaven.
The Supreme Headquarters had only received news that some Humans refugees from Acacia Territory had been trapped here, but they did not know the specific numbers. Judging from the current situation, it would seem that those trapped inside the Universe Cave Heaven were not just those from Acacia Territory, but probably others from neighbouring Great Territories as well. Otherwise, there would not have been so many of them.
Yang Kai did not bother to think too deeply about the matter.
Right now, he was in critical condition. Both his physical body and his Soul had sustained grave injuries. Even his left eye was damaged due to the strain of activating his Demon Eye of Annihilation earlier, so he could not even see clearly at the moment.
Besides, he was not the only person who was seriously wounded. Every member of the three Squads assisting him earlier was also covered in injuries with varying degrees of severity. It was a minor miracle that there were no fatalities. Aside from a few members in Dawn whom he did not know very well, the members of all three Squads had very close relations with Yang Kai, so if any of them had suffered a sudden misfortune, it would have been a devastating loss to him indeed.
Yang Kai’s Divine Sense fluctuated as he communicated to Feng Ying. Feng Ying received his message and nodded lightly in response.
While Yang Kai was recuperating, the others also took the time to treat their wounds. Only those cultivating the Dao of Space had no time to rest.
At the same time, outside the portal to the Universe Cave Heaven, the four Territory Lords headed by Mo Na Ye along with many Black Ink Clan Masters were struggling to shatter the Void. Space before them twisted and contorted under the impact of their violent onslaught, causing countless cracks to appear.
Suddenly, the vague image of a portal seemed to appear in front of them. The other end of the portal was connected to another World that was hidden inside the Void. Overjoyed, the Black Ink Clan immediately increased the intensity of their attacks.
As long as they could break open the portal, they could invade the Universe Cave Heaven. At that time, the Humans inside would have nowhere else to run.
The primary target was none other than the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army, Yang Kai. If they could kill him here, then they would deal a huge blow to the morale of the Human Race, the others were of no importance.
Yang Kai was certainly worthy of his reputation.
When Mo Na Ye received the messages from Profound Nether Territory and the No-Return Pass, he did not dare to underestimate Yang Kai’s strength. For that reason, he even went so far as to specially request five additional Territory Lords as reinforcements.
Combining the five additional Territory Lords with the five original Territory Lords in Acacia Territory would mean a total of 10 Territory Lords were available for this mission. However, there were only four Territory Lords left! 10 Territory Lords had been reduced to four in just half a day!
Yang Kai had killed four Territory Lords earlier and trapped another two inside the portal, and there was no saying whether those two Territory Lords were dead or alive. If they failed to eliminate Yang Kai here, then the Black Ink Clan would have suffered an enormous loss. On top of that, the Black Ink Clan Army of 100,000 initially deployed outside the Universe Cave Heaven had almost been completely wiped out.
Regardless of the costs, Yang Kai had to die here.
One day… Two days… Three days… Under the continuous barrage of the Territory Lords, the portal in the Void seemed to teeter on the verge of destruction, but never actually shattered apart. The Territory Lords were filled with a mixture of rage and helplessness seeing this result.
Following several consecutive days of effort, the strength of each Territory Lord declined considerably. Even an Innate Territory Lord like Mo Na Ye was exhausted.
[What’s wrong with this portal?] Mo Na Ye was very puzzled at first; then, he abruptly recalled something that made his expression sink sharply! Yang Kai was a Master of the Dao of Space; furthermore, things like the portal of a Universe Cave Heaven were strongly correlated to the Dao of Space.
[He must be stabilising the portal on the other side; otherwise, it makes no sense for it to remain intact for so long! Doesn’t that mean all our efforts were for nought!? Should we continue? Should we give up? Even if we continue, we might not be able to destroy the portal with Yang Kai stabilising it from the other side, but, if we give up now…]
Now that things had reached this point, how could he willingly give up? Thus, he made his decision in an instant, [We will continue!]
Seeing how exhausted they were, Mo Na Ye was certain that Yang Kai was not doing any better. Out of the four Territory Lords, only You Gong was slightly injured while the other three were unharmed.
In contrast, Yang Kai was severely wounded. With such injuries, how long could he last while constantly stabilising the Portal Corridor? He was bound to break down sooner or later, and once the portal was destroyed, he would be easy prey for their picking.
[Let’s see how long he can persist!] Mo Na Ye coldly snorted in his heart.
Raising his hand, he actually killed a large number of Black Ink Clansmen nearby in one blow. An abundance of Black Ink Strength immediately gushed out from the bodies of the deceased Black Ink Clansmen which Mo Na Ye grabbed and condensed into a ball that he stuffed into his mouth to replenish his lost strength.
Seeing this, the other three Territory Lords quickly followed suit.
There were some 20,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers outside the portal at this point, but in the blink of an eye, nearly half of them died on the spot. Meanwhile, the surviving troops trembled in fear. [The Territory Lords have gone insane… To think they are using such barbaric means to replenish their strength!]
Unfortunately, they were powerless to defend against the actions of the Territory Lords and didn’t even dare to entertain the thought of running away.
The days thus passed by quietly.
Inside the Universe Cave Heaven, Yang Kai’s injuries healed at an impressive speed.
At this moment, the Human Race Masters inside the Universe Cave Heaven had divided themselves into three distinct groups. The first group was the Human Race Masters under Yang Kai’s command who came here on a rescue mission, the second group consisted of the 1,000 or so Hunters, and the final group was made up of the trapped Human refugees who were headed by Li Zi Yu.
The people Yang Kai brought here and the people under Li Zi Yu were gathered together in their respective groups, while the 1,000 or so Hunters were somewhat spread out. Small groups of Hunters maintained a certain distance from each other, but nobody found the arrangement odd or inappropriate. The existence of Black Ink Disciples required constant vigilance after all.
That was also part of the reason why Hunters generally did not gather together in large groups. There was no saying where a Black Ink Disciple could be hiding. If they did not practice such vigilance, it would only be a matter of time before they met their untimely deaths during their travels.
Li Zi Yu’s group and the Hunters even took the initiative to stay away from Yang Kai’s group to prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings.
Half a month later, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes. Most of his physical injuries had healed by now, and although he was not fully recovered, his wounds no longer impeded his combat capabilities. The injuries to his Soul needed more time to heal, but the Soul Warming Lotus would take care of that.
When he looked up, Yang Kai immediately saw the deathly pale complexions of Su Yan and others; moreover, they were swaying unsteadily, as though they were about to collapse at any moment.
The struggle over the past half month had pushed them to their limits. Once they reached that limit, there would be nobody else to stabilize the Universe Cave Heaven. If that happened, it would not take long for the Territory Lords outside to break open the portal.
Yang Kai raised his brow in astonishment as he thought to himself, [The Territory Lords outside are truly persistent. It’s been half a month yet they’re still bombarding the Void!]
Nevertheless, this was the outcome he had hoped to see. Feeling secretly triumphant, he manipulated Space Principles and simultaneously sent a transmission to Su Yan and the others.
In the next moment, Su Yan, Yang Xiao, Liu Yan, and the unknown Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master slumped to the ground while stuffing various Spirit Pills for recovery into their mouths. They were so tired that they didn’t even have the strength to speak anymore. The confrontation for the past half a month had truly pushed them to their limits and beyond.
The constant trembling of the Universe Cave Heaven did not stop; however, Yang Kai had already taken over the task of stabilising it. Space Principles fluctuated around him, maintaining a balance with the external shocks and preventing the destruction of the Universe Cave Heaven.
Compared to the focused demeanour that Su Yan and the others had portrayed, Yang Kai’s performance seemed much more relaxed.
He naturally exceeded them by a great degree when it came to mastery of the Dao of Space as it was his foundational Grand Dao. Even his title as ‘Void Great Emperor’ was derived from his attainments in the Dao of Space.
Yang Kai next turned to look at Feng Ying, who slowly shook her head when she met eyes with him.
Half a month ago, he had instructed her to keep watch over the Hunters to see whether there were any abnormalities among them. He was very vigilant towards the existence of the Black Ink Disciples because others couldn’t identify them unless they took the initiative to reveal themselves.
These Hunters had been roaming around the Black Ink Clan’s territory for many years, decades even in some cases; hence, there was no guarantee that none of them had been defeated and captured by the Black Ink Clan. Black Ink Disciples were valuable tools who could be sent back to acquire intelligence on the Human Race or lure other Hunters into various traps. Such practices were common among the current Black Ink Clan.
Feng Ying had not discovered anything after observing them for the past half a month, so there were either no Black Ink Disciples among the Hunters, or they did not dare to act recklessly for fear of her strength as an Eighth-Order Master.
Yang Kai had been too busy to deal with this matter previously, but he had some time to spare now. There were many ways Yang Kai could settle this issue, but he was short on time and patience so he decided to use the most direct method. Activating the Great Sun and Moon Marks without another word, dazzling yellow and blue lights appeared out of nowhere and merged to form a small, pure white sun.
The white sun that leapt out from where Yang Kai stood in the Universe Cave Heaven exploded out and bathed the entire World in pure white light. A few people turned pale at the sight while others tried to escape into the sky, but under a surge of Space Principles, everyone was locked in place and did not move far.
Inside the white light, an energy that resembled Black Ink Strength suddenly leaked out from several individuals and was purified. At the same time, the Human Race Masters with Black Ink Strength pouring out of their body howled in agony, their expressions contorting in extreme pain. Fortunately, they soon returned to a peaceful state.
A short while later, the white light dissipated and vanished. Many people revealed expressions of guilt among the Hunters. Furthermore, countless looks of astonishment came from all directions.
Yang Kai snorted. Although he had guessed that there would be Black Ink Disciples among the Hunters, he had not expected the number to be so high.
Out of 1,000 Hunters, about 60 of them were actually Black Ink Disciples. Moreover, a large number of them were in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. In some cases, only one or two members of a Squad were corrupted by the Black Ink Strength, while in others, the entire group had been converted into Black Ink Disciples.
What stunned Yang Kai was that nobody among the 10,000 Human refugees in Li Zi Yu’s group had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength, but upon further consideration, it was not that surprising. They had been hiding in this Universe Cave Heaven from the start and had not been in contact with the outside world for more than a couple decades now. Since they did not come into contact with the Black Ink Clan, it was only natural that they were not corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
It was simply bad luck that their whereabouts were exposed. After being trapped for so many years, Li Zi Yu and the others naturally wanted to leave this place and return to Human-controlled territory. In the end, their whereabouts were discovered by the Black Ink Clan when they sent scouts to investigate the situation outside and a siege was subsequently built around the Universe Cave Heaven.
“Purifying Light?” Somebody seemed to recognise the pure white light and muttered.
Those who became Hunters generally did not come from the Cave Heavens and Paradises but from the other Sects; hence, they had never participated in the previous wars or fought with the main Human Army. Naturally, they had never seen Purifying Light before.
Some had heard stories about the past where each Human Army was said to have its own Purifying Black Ink Battleship. These Purifying Black Ink Battleships contained Purifying Light, which could dispel and purify Black Ink Strength. Even a Black Ink Disciple could regain their original self after being bathed in Purifying Light.
Unfortunately, the supply of Purifying Light was exhausted after many long wars and crusades. Before Yang Kai’s return, they had been relying solely on Purifying Black Ink Pills to resist the corrosion of Black Ink Strength. Although the effects of Purifying Black Ink Pill were excellent, there was no denying that Purifying Light was better.
These Hunters, who never had the chance to see the Purifying Light, finally witnessed it for the first time today.
“Old Zhou, what happened to you?” One of the Hunters asked.
The Human Race Master called Old Zhou was part of a four-man team, all of whom were Black Ink Disciples. Needless to say, they once fell into the hands of the Black Ink Clan and were converted into Black Ink Disciples.
Old Zhou looked sorrowful, “Don’t mention it. We accidentally ran into a Territory Lord a year ago and failed to escape.”
“You sure were unlucky,” the person who spoke earlier sighed.
Old Zhou’s Squad was small in number and not particularly strong. Consisting of only two Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, there was no room for resistance when they encountered a Territory Lord. The reason they survived was that the Territory Lord believed that they were more useful if they were corrupted by Black Ink Strength instead.
While speaking, Old Zhou timidly snuck a glance at Yang Kai, only to discover that Yang Kai was not paying attention to them at all.
What was there to be bothered about? Even a fool could have guessed that there were Black Ink Disciples among the Hunters, but there were no means to confirm the identity of these Black Ink Disciples. Fortunately, nothing could be hidden once the Purifying Light enveloped them.
The Black Ink Disciples could no longer be considered such since they regained their true nature after the Purifying Light dispelled the Black Ink Strength from them. Regardless of what they did in the past, they did not act out of their own will; hence, Yang Kai had no intention to blame them for their actions.
Old Zhou and the others realized this and breathed a sigh of relief.
Among the 1,000 or so Hunters, there were around 60 Black Ink Disciples. That was more than 5% of the population here, which was not a small proportion; however, this ratio was likely an aberration. External factors, including the special arrangements of the Black Ink Clan in Acacia Territory, probably played a role which affected the ratio.
Seeing as the Black Ink Clan wanted to use the Humans trapped in Acacia Territory as bait, it was only natural for them to dispatch more Black Ink Disciples to gather intelligence among the Humans. That was why the ratio of Black Ink Disciples was as high as 5%. In reality, the ratio of Black Ink Disciples existing among the Hunters was nowhere near as high.
Ignoring the matter regarding the Black Ink Disciples, Yang Kai turned to look at Li Zi Yu and asked, “Are you the leader here?”
Li Zi Yu stepped forward and cupped his fist, “Red Sun Army’s Li Zi Yu greets Army Commander Yang!”
Over the past half month, Li Zi Yu learned about Yang Kai’s appointment as the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army and various other matters about the outside world from the members of Dawn. After hiding in the Universe Cave Heaven for several dozen years, the world outside had changed entirely, causing him to feel slightly depressed. Be that as it may, it was touching to know that the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army would put himself in danger just to rescue them.
In truth, Li Zi Yu disapproved of this decision by the higher-ups as there were too many things that could have gone and still could go wrong.
It was not a big deal if one or two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Division Commanders were to die in battle; however, the death of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Army Commander would have a large impact on the entire Army. Even more so when the current Army Commanders held higher statuses than the Army Commanders on the Black Ink Battlefield back then.
Which Army Commander serving on the battlefields spread across the various Great Territories did not have hundreds of thousands, if not millions of soldiers under their command? In contrast, an individual Army only consisted of some 8,000 or so Masters at each Great Pass on the Black Ink Battlefield.
In any case, Li Zi Yu understood the current situation. The news regarding Acacia Territory had spread to the general public. Regardless of how many Humans had been trapped in Acacia Territory, the Supreme Headquarters could not turn a blind eye to the situation. If they ignored these trapped refugees, then the morale among the troops battling on the front lines would drop significantly.
The Black Ink Clan was very cunning indeed. Despite knowing that it was a trap, the Human Race had no choice but to jump right in.
Judging by the current situation, it would seem that the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army was extremely outstanding. The ability to lead three Squads and slaughter four Innate Territory Lords… That was not something ordinary people could hope to achieve. Unfortunately… it was somewhat embarrassing for him to also be trapped inside this Universe Cave Heaven now.
“Red Sun Army…” Yang Kai seemed slightly stunned, “Do you know Ning Qi Zhi?”
Ning Qi Zhi came from the Red Sun Paradise, so although not all members of the Red Sun Army belonged to Red Sun Paradise, there was still a chance. Yang Kai had experienced various life and death situations with Ning Qi Zhi of Red Sun Paradise, but ultimately the latter died in battle.
Li Zi Yu bowed, “In terms of seniority, he was my Martial Uncle.”
“Red Sun Paradise produces outstanding talents in every generation…” Yang Kai sighed in appreciation.
Li Zi Yu replied, “You’re giving too much credit, Sir.”
Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively, showing no interest in making small talk. Instead, he looked at the 10,000 Human Race Masters here and asked, “These cultivators are not just from Acacia Territory, right?”
“There are also cultivators from a nearby Great Territory. More than 10 years ago, they passed through Acacia Territory during the great evacuation and so we all decided to head towards the designated Great Territory together. Unfortunately, the Black Ink Clan invaded and we had no choice but to hide here until today.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
10,000 might seem like a lot, but their strengths varied greatly from individual to individual. There were not many Open Heaven Realm Masters among them, and those that had reached that realm did not have particularly high Orders. In fact, Li Zi Yu and a few of his companions were the only Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters among them. With such a force, nothing good would come from confronting the Black Ink Clan Army.
Although they hid inside the Universe Cave Heaven out of desperation, they at least managed to protect themselves from danger. It was lucky that there was a Universe Cave Heaven in Acacia Territory that was discovered and managed by Acacia Sect many years ago; otherwise, they would not have had a place to hide in the first place.
Seeming to realise what Yang Kai was thinking, Li Zi Yu quickly offered, “Sir, if you wish to charge out, we are willing to be the vanguard!”
The other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters nodded in agreement, looking resolute.
Yang Kai glanced sideways at Li Zi Yu, “The vanguard? Are you planning to rush right to your deaths? Four Territory Lords are waiting outside.”
Forget the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, even for Yang Kai… He would be beaten close to death if he were to charge out recklessly. When he killed the Territory Lords previously, he had the advantage of numerous favourable conditions. The Soul Rending Thorns were extremely potent tools, but could he fight one against four in a direct confrontation? Two would be difficult enough.
“But…” Li Zi Yu wanted to object. [Why are we not charging out? Are we going to just keep hiding here?]
Yang Kai raised a hand to interrupt Li Zi Yu, “Let’s wait for now.”
Li Zi Yu did not know what Yang Kai was waiting for; however, he had no choice but to back down.
Yang Kai glanced at the portal with a frown on his face. Now that he was trapped inside the Universe Cave Heaven, he could not help feeling uncomfortable. Besides, he could not delay for too long if he wanted to break out of this place. The Territory Lords outside might have called for more reinforcements by now. Although he did not know who was acting as the Commander of the Black Ink Clan here, just by looking at how a total of 10 Territory Lords had been guarding Acacia Territory, Yang Kai could tell that this leader was a cautious person.
If his guess was correct, the other party would have requested more reinforcements by now. Once more Territory Lords arrived, their chances of breaking out of this situation would become even slimmer. If he really wanted to leave, then he had to figure out a solution as soon as possible.
Yang Kai considered his options for a moment as he continued treating his wounds; after all, he had yet to heal completely.
After another half month, Su Yan and the others had gradually recovered from their fatigue. They had not been seriously injured before, but the burden of controlling Space Principles and resisting the impact from the outside world was too great. Half a month was enough time for them to recover.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master came to Yang Kai and bowed, “Wan Le Shan greets Dao Lord.” Then, he turned to Miao Fei Ping beside Yang Kai, “Greetings, Senior Brother Miao.”
Yang Kai opened his eyes and stared at the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, “Are you from the Void Dao Temple?”
Those who would address him as ‘Dao Lord’ could only be disciples from the Void Dao Temple.
Yang Kai had already guessed as much earlier.
This Sixth-Order Master cultivated the Dao of Space, and although his attainments were not very high, he still had considerable skill. It was highly likely that he came from the Void Dao Temple and inherited some of Yang Kai’s Grand Dao.
Many of those who came from the Void Dao Temple were in similar situations, having varying degrees of accomplishments in the Dao of Space, Dao of Time, and the Spear Dao. However, most had inherited Yang Kai’s Spear Dao because it was much easier to comprehend compared to the Dao of Space and the Dao of Time.
That had always been the case.
However, the disciples from the Void Dao Temple began to flourish even more ever since Yang Kai comprehended the myriad Grand Daos in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon. An increasing number of Grand Daos were cultivated by the Void Dao Temple disciples now.
It could be said that the future Grand Daos of the cultivators from the Void Dao Temple were closely related to Yang Kai. Needless to say, not all of them were related to Yang Kai, even though most of them were.
This Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was quite powerful, and his aptitude was clearly extraordinary.
Seeing as Yang Kai did not recognise him, that could only mean that he came from the last batch of cultivators he released from his Small Universe. It was also the batch that Yang Kai released in Void Land when he returned from the Black Ink Battlefield. There were some 5,000 people in that batch, so it was natural for Yang Kai to not recall all their faces.
Those people had all advanced to the Open Heaven Realm in Void Land at the time, which had shocked Bi Xi, Mo Mei, and all the others. Every one of that batch had advanced to the Sixth or Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, making for an extremely spectacular scene.
Some disciples originated from the Dao Temple that Yang Kai released on the Black Ink Battlefield directly, but their numbers were not high each time. Yang Kai might not be able to remember everybody’s names, but they would at least look familiar to him.
If Wan Le Shan had advanced to the Open Heaven Realm in Void Land, then not much time had passed since his break through. In other words, he had advanced directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Thus, he was expected to reach the Eighth-Order in the future. His aptitude was certainly outstanding.
“Why didn’t you join the Army?” Yang Kai asked.
Wan Le Shan explained respectfully, “We advanced to the Open Heaven Realm in Void Land, then retreated to the Star Boundary with Senior Bi Xi. Most of my Dao Brothers and Sisters joined the various Armies, but some of us followed the Head Manager’s orders and became Hunters. We were tasked with the responsibility of investigating the movements of the Black Ink Clan in the various Great Territories.”
So it was Hua Qing Si’s work!
Yang Kai immediately understood the situation.
Hunters were not just lone wolves who did not fit in with the Army, they were also scouts for the Human Race. Most of the information from the outside was brought back by the Hunters who risked their lives to obtain it. That was necessary; after all, it was impossible to fight the Black Ink Clan on the battlefields across over a dozen Great Territories without knowing anything about what the enemy was up to.
[Hua Qing Si sure is bold.] Talents who advanced directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm were candidates with the hope of advancing to the Eighth-Order in the future. [I can’t believe she sent them out just like that. Nobody would be able to rescue them if something happened outside.]
There were probably many others like Wan Le Shan.
He had the feeling that Hua Qing Si was not the only one doing such things though. The Human Race Supreme Headquarters was bound to have similar arrangements. If nothing else, the news about those trapped in Acacia Territory had been provided by the Hunters.
“Many thanks for your hard work,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
“Dao Lord is the one who gave us a chance to rise in life, it is only right for this Disciple to live up to such high expectations.” Wan Le Shan lowered his head with a respectful expression.
All the disciples from the Dao Temple had an almost fanatical worship of Yang Kai, the Dao Lord of the Void Dao Temple. That was because almost everything they had came from Yang Kai.
Yang Kai had not known about Hua Qing Si’s arrangements, but he had heard from Su Yan and the others about some 200 Open Heaven Realm Masters who were hidden by Hua Qing Si in High Heaven Palace. These 200 were those who had advanced directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm back at Void Land!
Hua Qing Si had not allowed these 200 to participate in the war yet. Their task was to cultivate diligently. There was no fear of insufficient resources, the only fear was that they could not comprehend or cultivate well.
Yang Kai understood Hua Qing Si’s intentions. Those who advanced directly to the Seventh Order were candidates with the hope of advancing to the Ninth Order one day. Nobody would willingly send these candidates to the battlefield; after all, it would be a complete waste if they were slain by a Territory Lord.
It was not expected for all 200 of these candidates to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but even if only 5% or 10% of them succeeded, that was already equivalent to 10 or 20 Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Hua Qing Si could not bring herself to place them on the battlefield, and neither could the higher-ups. There were practically no Open Heaven Realm Masters who advanced directly to the Seventh-Order on the battlefields across the various Great Territories now.
Over the years, the Star Boundary had produced numerous talents who advanced directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, but these talents had all been hidden away by the Cave Heavens and Paradises because they were the hope and future of the Human Race.
Every single person harboured selfish desires, and although the Human Race was united in a common cause, Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from other Sects would never compare to Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from one’s own Sect.
Zhao Ye Bai and the others had advanced directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm as well, so according to Hua Qing Si’s plans, they were supposed to remain in the Star Boundary and ignore the fighting outside. It was not too late for them to make a name for themselves when they advanced to the Ninth-Order one day. How could she have known that the little ones would sneak out on their own though?
Yang Kai did not agree with the strategy adopted by the higher-ups of the Human Race; after all, cultivating blindly behind closed doors did not necessarily lead to one’s advancement to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
The Cave Heavens and Paradises had several talented candidates who advanced directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm over countless years; however, there were not nearly as many Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Old Ancestors, just over 100 in total.
If it were that easy to reach the Ninth-Order, then they would not be Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters anymore. Besides, the real strength of those who simply cultivated in seclusion would be questionable even if they were lucky enough to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Only those who had experienced life-or-death battles and comprehended the mystery of the Grand Dao amid multiple crises could truly be called strong.
Although Yang Kai disapproved of the arrangement, he knew that their actions stemmed from a sense of helplessness. The battlefield was extremely dangerous, and it would only take the slightest mistake for even an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to fall in battle.
The Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had contributed so much for the sake of buying more time for the future generation, but if all those talented candidates were to die in the war before reaching the peak, then the Human Race would no longer have hope of survival. A Race without hope was bound to fall into the abyss of despair, sooner or later.
Dispelling the distracting thoughts in his head, Yang Kai looked towards Su Yan and the three others, “Take over the Universe Cave Heaven. I’ll be right back.”
Su Yan and the others nodded in unison, surging their Space Principles to stabilise the shaking in their surroundings.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already opened a portal and plunged into it.
Three Territory Lords had rushed into the Portal Corridor together. One had been kicked out by Yang Kai, one had been killed, and the last one had escaped into the depths of the Void.
Yang Kai had been too injured at the time to hunt down the Territory Lord who escaped, but now was the time to deal with that loose end. Naturally, he could also choose to simply ignore the existence of that Territory Lord as he might never find his way back after plunging into the depths of the Void. It was very difficult for somebody to escape from the Void Crack; however, it was not impossible. If that Territory Lord was lucky enough to escape from the Void Crack, then he would become another powerful enemy for the Human Race.
Therefore, Yang Kai could not give up the opportunity to kill this Territory Lord.
The Black Ink Clan was not alone in wanting to annihilate their enemies once and for all. The Human Race would not let the opportunity to kill a powerful enemy Master slip through their fingers either.
It didn’t take long for Yang Kai to return to the Portal Corridor where Void Turbulence overlapped. The Portal Corridor had become highly unstable because of the previous battle fought here and the four Territory Lords trying to break the Void from the outside.
Yang Kai had not forgotten the spot where the Territory Lord had escaped previously, so wandering through the Void Turbulence alone, he soon arrived at his destination and dove inside the large crack in space that appeared.
It was difficult to search for anybody in a place like this and even Yang Kai did not dare to guarantee that he could find his target. He could only hope that the Territory Lord had not run or drifted too far; otherwise, there was nothing he could do either.
The Territory Lord had indeed not gone far. The Portal Corridor had been torn open by the aftermath of their battle at the time, and he mistakenly assumed that this opening was a means of escape. How could he have known that he would find himself deeper inside the Void Crack after he entered the hole? He was so scared that he did not dare to move around carelessly. Only the fact that Yang Kai had not given chase gave him a slight sense of relief.
During this period, he had remained inside the Void Crack and treated his wounds while searching for an exit. It was a pity that this place was highly abnormal. As he had never cultivated Space Principles before, he found moving around to be extremely difficult. He was constantly caught up in the Void Turbulence, which made him lose his direction. After several attempts, he no longer knew where he was anymore.
Yang Kai spent half a day tracking various traces that were almost imperceptible before he finally found the Territory Lord.
The aura of the Territory Lord was very weak. It was obvious that his efforts to counter the impacts of the Void Turbulence had exhausted him greatly. In addition to the injuries he previously suffered, he could not replenish his strength in this place, so at this point, his strength was far from its peak.
Yang Kai had been prepared to use a Soul Rendering Thorn to end the battle as quickly as possible; however, given the other party’s condition, it seemed he did not have to trouble himself with that.
An hour later, Yang Kai slipped out of the Universe Cave Heaven’s Portal Corridor. There were bloodstains on his body, but he did not seem to be seriously injured.
Fighting to the death with a Territory Lord was never easy. Nevertheless, the already weakened Territory Lord was further suppressed by the countless Void Turbulence surging in the Void Crack, so Yang Kai’s long years of cultivation would have all been in vain if he failed to kill his opponent under these circumstances
Currently, only four Territory Lords remained from the original 10 Territory Lords!
Be that as it may, the enemies in Acacia Territory were not just the four Territory Lords, but also the massive Black Ink Clan Army. So much time had passed since the initial confrontation, so it was likely the Black Ink Clan had mobilised even more troops to surround the portal by now.
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s forces no longer consist of just the three Squads from before. The 1,000 or so Hunters were also an excellent combat force. As for the 10,000 Human refugees trapped inside the Universe Cave Heaven, there were not many among them who could fight the Black Ink Clan as most were too weak. If they fought the Black Ink Clan, they were bound to become corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
“Prepare for battle!” Yang Kai roared.
Everybody responded with great enthusiasm. The three Squads, 1,000 Hunters, Li Zi Yu’s Squad, and the others from the former Red Sun Army burned with passionate murderous intent.
Likewise, Yang Kai began to manipulate Space Principles and stabilize the surroundings. At the same time, he sent a Divine Sense transmission to Su Yan and the others to cooperate with him.
The Black Ink Clan Army of 100,000 that originally stood guard outside the Universe Cave Heaven was gone, decimated by the attack from Yang Kai’s original team or used as resources by Mo Na Ye and the other three Territory Lords to recover their strength. At this point, not many of them remained.
Although the original Black Ink Clan Army of 100,000 was gone, over a million troops had taken their place instead. Mo Na Ye had relocated these troops from the Territory Gates, having each of the five armies dispatch some 300,000 soldiers for a total of 1.5 million troops.
The Black Ink Clan Army spread across the void like a swarm of locusts and surrounded the portal tightly.
A full month had passed since the Human Race Masters fled into the Universe Cave Heaven. During this period, numerous Black Ink Clan Masters had worked diligently and continuously under Mo Na Ye’s lead to shatter the surrounding Void.
Mo Na Ye wanted to break open the portal to the Universe Cave Heaven and invade it. Unfortunately, things did not go as he had planned. Knowing that Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, he believed that the latter must have done something to the portal; otherwise, there was no explanation for its unusual durability.
Mo Na Ye was not willing to give up, however. Having reached this point, all the Territory Lords who were sacrificed previously would have died in vain if he gave up now. His only option was to continue his assault.
Yang Kai had been heavily wounded. In addition to his injuries, he also had to stabilize the portal of the Universe Cave Heaven. He was bound to collapse from the burden one day, and that moment would be the moment of his death!
However, Mo Na Ye’s belief was beginning to waver at this point. Would Yang Kai really run out of strength?
Despite an entire month of continuous bombardment, there were no visible results to show for their efforts, causing Mo Na Ye to begin to doubt the decision he made back then.
Suddenly, the Void in front of him seemed to change slightly. Mo Na Ye immediately snapped to attention and looked in that direction. For some reason, the faintly perceptible portal seemed much more solid and tangible than before. Then, the portal abruptly shattered and exploded.
When the portal shattered, the Universe Cave Heaven hidden in the Void appeared before the eyes of the Black Ink Clan Masters and a figure soared into the sky while coughing up a mouthful of Golden Blood. At the same time, the Human Race Masters inside the Universe Cave Heaven screamed mournfully.
It was Yang Kai! Even though Mo Na Ye only caught a glimpse of Yang Kai back then, how could he forget the face of this Human Race Master?
[He’s at his limits!]
Reality proved that his previous speculations were correct. The reason why the Universe Cave Heaven held out for so long was due to Yang Kai’s tricks; however, in the end, Yang Kai was just one person. How could he resist the violent bombardment of so many Black Ink Clan Masters forever?
The portal shattered, revealing the Universe Cave Heaven. Meanwhile, the Human Race Masters hiding inside panicked as though the end was upon them.
Mo Na Ye even saw many of them retreating in terror, as though afraid that the Black Ink Clan would charge forward and slaughter them.
Chuckling, Mo Na Ye took a step forward, preparing to enter the Universe Cave Heaven. However, after giving it another thought, he stopped and whirled around sharply, “You Gong, go and finish him off!”
You Gong was furious and cursed vehemently in his heart, [Bastard! Why me? Why don’t you go yourself!? Mo Na Ye, you bastard!]
Mo Na Ye was clearly worried that the Human Race Masters were feigning weakness, which was why he decided to send You Gong to test the waters first.
Unfortunately, Mo Na Ye had the highest authority over the matters in Acacia Territory. Unable to protest, You Gong gloomily muttered, “They have one more Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.”
Although that female Eighth-Order Master was not very strong, she was still in the Eighth-Order. With so many Seventh-Order Masters around, a lone Territory Lord would not be able to guarantee their safety.
Mo Na Ye frowned but still glanced at another Territory Lord and ordered, “Go and help him.”
The Territory Lord nodded.
With no other choice, You Gong raised his arm above his head and roared, “Kill!”
He charged forward with the other Territory Lord whom Mo Na Ye selected while countless Feudal Lords followed behind them. It only took the blink of an eye for the Black Ink Clan Army to charge into the Universe Cave Heaven.
Feng Ying activated her Myriad Swords Dragon and met their charge head on. In response, You Gong yelled to the other Territory Lord, “I will stop her! You go after Yang Kai!”
Ignoring the opinion of the Territory Lord accompanying him, You Gong immediately began exchanging blows with Feng Ying, resulting in intense shockwaves rippling out.
The other Territory Lord coldly snorted, [You Gong, that fool! He has been scared witless by that Human! I can’t believe he doesn’t even dare to attack the enemy even though he is heavily wounded! What a useless good-for-nothing!]
In his opinion, Yang Kai’s battered and miserable appearance did not seem fake, and it was easy to understand why.
Yang Kai was seriously injured to begin with, but even so, he had to stabilize the Universe Cave Heaven and resist the Black Ink Clan outside for an entire month. Where would he find the time to rest? If he had any strength remaining, the portal would not have been destroyed. Not to mention, he probably suffered additional injuries on top of his previous ones when the portal shattered. How much strength could he have left?
Nevertheless, the Territory Lord was still cautious of Yang Kai’s strange methods. After considering everything, he shielded his Soul and charged towards Yang Kai. Along the way, many Seventh-Order Human Masters tried to block his path only to be blown away by him.
The Feudal Lords following behind the Territory Lord also began to launch their offensive. It didn’t take long before they were entangled in battle against the Human Race Masters in the Universe Cave Heaven.
The peace in the Universe Cave Heaven was destroyed in an instant. Everywhere in the Universe Cave Heaven, Humans and Black Ink Clansmen fought desperately.
Yang Kai awkwardly dodged the ferocious attacks of the Territory Lord, spitting blood from time to time. His complexion was as pale as a sheet, and he looked as though he would collapse at any time; however, he was cursing furiously on the inside, [Why are the two Territory Lords outside not coming in? Aren’t you being a little too cautious!? I’m already in such terrible condition! Shouldn’t you join forces to kill me as soon as possible!?]
The current situation was different from his expectations.
Stuck inside the Universe Cave Heaven, it was not easy for them to break free and escape. They could not force their way out with so many Black Ink Clan Masters standing guard outside. If they so much as revealed themselves, they will definitely be swarmed to death. Even Yang Kai was not confident that he could successfully charge out of the portal under the watch of so many Black Ink Clan Masters.
Since they could not leave, they could only lure their enemies into a trap.
The portal had been shattered and the Universe Cave Heaven was revealed; furthermore, Yang Kai appeared to be in an extremely weak condition.
Yang Kai did not believe that the Black Ink Clan could resist the urge to charge forward, and as expected, that was what they did. Unfortunately, the Black Ink Clan did not use their full strength. Out of the four Territory Lords, two had charged into the Universe Cave Heaven but two had remained outside.
Judging by the current situation, it would seem that the Territory Lord in command of Acacia Territory was an extremely cautious individual.
Yang Kai did not dare to push his luck at this point; besides, no battle plan ever survived the first engagement, and there would always be something that would go wrong or turn out unsatisfactory. In any case, two of the four Territory Lords had entered the Universe Cave Heaven’s range, and the enemy siege would essentially dissolve if these two were taken out.
“Kill!” All of a sudden, the battered-looking Yang Kai gave a loud roar.
Following his signal, the Human Race Masters who had been holding back under his instructions stopped hiding their strength. A series of destructive Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques blasted out, throwing the Feudal Lords who were charging forward off their feet.
At the same time, Yang Kai unleashed a Soul Rending Thorn. Although his Soul was not completely healed after just one month of recuperation, he had no trouble wielding the Soul Rending Thorn once.
The Territory Lord engaged in battle with Yang Kai suddenly felt a sense of crisis washing over him, immediately followed by a sharp pain in his Soul, as though it was being dug into by thousands of needles. The pain was so great that his vision blurred and he could not hold in a cry of agony.
Yang Kai thrust his spear at that moment, but only managed to pierce the Territory Lord’s shoulder blade. Nevertheless, that was enough to blow away one of the Territory Lord’s arms.
The Territory Lord had forcibly twisted his body and avoided being struck in a vital spot at the last moment. Turning pale with fright, he finally realised how Yang Kai managed to kill so many Territory Lords with such ease in the past. Although he did not know exactly what method the other party had used, it was just as Mo Na Ye had previously speculated. It was a Secret Technique that specifically targeted the Soul.
If he had not been on constant guard and attentively protected his Soul, he would have died from that brief moment of disorientation earlier. Even taking all those precautions though, he was still severely injured and only narrowly managed to survive. Black blood gushed out of his severed shoulder, and even his Black Ink Strength poured out of the wound.
Before the Territory Lord could breathe a sigh of relief, an overwhelming number of spear shadows shot towards his face. Mustering his courage at the critical moment between life and death, he chose to fight rather than flee. Charging forward with a loud roar, he attacked Yang Kai with reckless abandon.
On the other side, You Gong and Feng Ying were engaged in an intense battle; however, You Gong was clearly stronger, so not only was he steadily pushing Feng Ying back, he could also spare some attention to monitor Yang Kai’s movements.
All of a sudden, he saw Yang Kai making an unexpected comeback and severely injuring his companion. Combined with the flash of Spiritual Energy that appeared for a brief moment, how could he not realise that Yang Kai’s battered appearance was nothing more than an act?
At this moment, he was extremely thankful that he had chosen not to fight Yang Kai. Although he had initially believed that Yang Kai was an arrow at the end of its flight, he had chosen Feng Ying as his opponent just to be safe. It would now seem that his decision had been wise indeed. If he had boldly chosen to face Yang Kai earlier, the one struggling to avoid Yang Kai’s spear right now would have been him instead.
[This is another trap! This Human named Yang Kai is the most cunning man I’ve ever encountered in my life! I’ve never met another Human Race Master as devious as him.]
The black blood of the other Territory Lord gushed out with every thrust of Yang Kai’s spear, and his aura was weakening at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.
Seeing that, You Gong lost his will to fight. Once Yang Kai finished off his companion and became unfettered, he would be Yang Kai’s next target. Black Ink Strength surged violently around him before he threw a punch and sent Feng Ying flying backwards. Immediately after that, he rushed towards the shattered portal without another backward glance. He had already escaped from the Universe Cave Heaven before Feng Ying even realised what was happening.
Outside the portal, Mo Na Ye had an extremely solemn expression on his face. He had been on guard against Yang Kai and even suspected that he had been deliberately acting weak. Even so, he could barely accept the truth when he saw Yang Kai’s abrupt comeback.
[How is that possible?]
Yang Kai had been seriously wounded previously; not to mention, he had been stabilising the Universe Cave Heaven against the bombardment of numerous Territory Lords for the past month. Where did he find the time to treat his wounds? He must have suffered from severe backlash due to the destruction of the portal, and looking at the current situation, he had indeed suffered some injuries. It was just that these injuries had little effect on his combat power.
[Should I charge in?] A huge conflict arose in Mo Na Ye’s heart.
Aside from him, there was another Territory Lord outside. They might stand a chance to defeat Yang Kai if all three of them joined forces, but it was nothing more than a chance. If they failed, then there was a high probability that both he and the other Territory Lord would pay for it with their lives.
However, his internal conflict did not last for long because he saw You Gong rushing out of the Universe Cave Heaven. Mo Na Ye honestly did not know what to say at this point.
You Gong had been hugely traumatised ever since he escaped alive from his first encounter with Yang Kai and was now so scared that he actually fled the battlefield without another word when he saw Yang Kai’s sudden comeback.
[The ship has sailed!] Mo Na Ye heaved a sigh in his heart.
Including You Gong who escaped from the Universe Cave Heaven, there were three Territory Lords and a Black Ink Clan Army of approximately 1 million. Unfortunately, the You Gong who had lost his courage was practically useless.
With just Mo Na Ye and one other Territory Lord alone, it would be difficult for them to keep the Human Race Masters trapped in the Universe Cave Heaven even if they had the support of the Black Ink Clan Army; after all, there were many Human Race Masters and several extremely powerful Warships on the other side. Once the Humans broke through their blockade, the Territory Lords would probably lose their lives here.
[We’ve been careless! If I had known earlier, I would have asked for more Territory Lords as reinforcements!]
It was just… who could have known that the 10 Territory Lords overseeing Acacia Territory would end up in this state?
The main reason was You Gong and his companions. They had just arrived at Acacia Territory, but they started a fight without permission before they even met up with the other Territory Lords. In the end, Yang Kai eventually slaughtered them until only one remained. That had instantly cut the number of effective Territory Lords in half.
Two more Territory Lords had been trapped in the Portal Corridor, and their survival remained a mystery even now; however, Mo Na Ye was fairly certain they too were dead now, otherwise, there was no reason for them to remain hidden for so long.
The remaining four Territory Lords might have stood a fighting chance if they all worked together, but another Territory Lord would soon be dead. Other Territory Lords were rushing to Acacia Territory to provide support right now, but they would not arrive in time.
This situation far exceeded Mo Na Ye’s wildest expectations. In just a month, Yang Kai not only recovered from most of his wounds, but also made preparations to lure them into a deadly trap.
Hence, Mo Na Ye couldn’t help feeling upset. If he had known earlier, he would not have ordered his forces into the Universe Cave Heaven when the portal shattered earlier! The truth was that they only needed to form a blockade outside the portal to prevent any of the Humans from escaping. In fact, they could have gained an absolute advantage if they only waited until the next batch of Territory Lords arrived to provide support.
However, who could have resisted the urge to rush forward after witnessing the scene of Yang Kai coughing up blood when the Universe Cave Heaven appeared? That was definitely the best time to eliminate him once and for all!
Unfortunately, one wrong move had resulted in the entire strategy falling apart! Feeling disheartened, Mo Na Ye curtly instructed, “Barricade the portal. Kill any Human who dares to exit!”
The Black Ink Clan Army of 1 million that he transferred here immediately prepared themselves for battle.
Inside the Universe Cave Heaven, both the Human Masters and the Black Ink Clan soldiers clashed violently. Many of the Black Ink Clansmen charging forward dropped dead like flies, but that was only to be expected. Launching an assault through a narrow corridor was very risky because they could easily be targeted by the Humans.
That was precisely the reason why Yang Kai did not want to charge out of the Universe Cave Heaven. Needless to say, he would launch an attack if it was necessary as he could not remain hunkered down inside the Universe Cave Heaven.
He had 2 million Small Stone Race soldiers as a last resort, and if it came down to that, he could summon that Army. They would be enough to wipe out the Black Ink Clansmen here. It was just that this Small Stone Race Army was the trump card he reserved for his battle against the Royal Lord. Yang Kai had no wish to reveal his trump card unless absolutely necessary.
The Black Ink Clan was at a disadvantage in the first place, and following You Gong’s escape, they became even more vulnerable.
Feng Ying did not chase after You Gong, choosing instead to turn around and target the Feudal Lords. Although she was no match for an Innate Territory Lord, killing some Feudal Lords was a piece of cake with her Divine Manifestation.
In addition, there were the 1,000 or so Hunters and the three Squads, including Dawn. It did not take long before most of the Black Ink Clansmen who charged into the Universe Cave Heaven were eliminated. Only several Feudal Lords reacted quickly enough and escaped back through the portal.
Moments later, the disturbance caused by the death of a Territory Lord spread out. It was Yang Kai’s opponent being slain. The Territory Lord had been struck by a Soul Rending Thorn earlier, so even though he survived the initial attack, his strength had suffered a huge decline. How could he compete with Yang Kai in a one-on-one fight in that condition?
Looking around, Yang Kai confirmed that the battle within the Universe Cave Heaven had been decided; then, he raised his spear and charged towards the portal with a roar, “Li Zi Yu and the others are to remain behind. The rest, follow me into battle!”
“Yes!” Numerous figures transformed into streams of light and followed behind Yang Kai as they sped towards the portal.
Yang Kai charged out of the portal in the blink of an eye, and as he had expected, was immediately greeted with a storm of attacks blasting towards him from all directions. Fortunately, he had prepared himself in advance.
A Dragon Roar reverberated through the void, and a 70,000-metre-long Ancient Dragon manifested before everyone’s eyes, releasing intense Dragon Pressure all around. The Dragon Body curled around the portal to form a defensive barrier in the void.
Countless attacks landed on Yang Kai’s Dragon Body, causing him to tremble from the impact. Dragon Scales flew everywhere as the Black Ink Clan Army of a million had formed a blockade in all directions. Of course, space was limited, so not all of them could attack at once; nevertheless, Yang Kai still endured at least 100,000 attacks at that moment. Even a 70,000 metre long Ancient Dragon could not endure such a barrage for long.
Five breaths! That was the limit of what he could endure! He would not be able to take it any longer than that!
Yang Kai was on high alert against the Territory Lords outside. While he could endure the onslaught of ordinary Black Ink Clansmen for some time, he would not be able to defend against the attacks of several Territory Lords. Unexpectedly, his Divine Sense perception did not detect the aura of any Territory Lords nearby. Even the aura of You Gong, who fled earlier, was nowhere to be seen.
[What’s going on?]
Before Yang Kai could figure out what was happening, Feng Ying slipped out of the portal. She glanced at Yang Kai’s Dragon Form and instantly understood that he was shielding the Human Race Masters behind him. That was why he curled his Dragon Form to form a defensive barrier around the portal. Otherwise, only the two of them could exit the portal safely. If the other Human Race Masters rushed out, they would surely suffer innumerable casualties.
“Kill!” Her voice rang out. Urging the Myriad Swords Dragon to its limits, she produced an overwhelming number of sword waves that fanned out before her. The sword waves swept out, piercing the bodies of the nearby Black Ink Clansmen, reaping countless lives in an instant.
The solution to relieve Yang Kai’s burden was simple, they simply had to annihilate the Black Ink Clan soldiers as quickly as possible. At this moment, Feng Ying attacked at full strength without holding back in the slightest.
Dawning Light and the two Bi Xi Battleships also charged out and immediately dispersed in different directions to take down their enemies.
Following closely behind the three Warships were the 1,000 or so Hunters. These Hunters retained their previous formations and remained in their respective Squads. Scattering in all directions, they rushed towards the Black Ink Clan Army.
Once five breaths of time were up, Yang Kai immediately retracted his Dragon Form. His body was covered in countless wounds, and his complexion was deathly pale.
Even an elephant could be killed by countless ant bites. At this moment, Yang Kai fully understood the meaning behind this saying. No matter how strong a Master was, it was only a matter of time before they cracked if they were targeted by an overwhelming number of enemies, even if those enemies were weak by comparison.
What puzzled him was that he had not felt any attacks from the Territory Lords until now. A thought flashed through his mind, and a vague speculation formed before he let out a roar, “Your Territory Lords have fled! All of you will die here today!”
His furious roar reverberated throughout the void and after that, he raised his spear and slashed his way through the Black Ink Clan Army. Everywhere he passed, he left a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood in his wake.
The Black Ink Clan Army was taken aback. When Mo Na Ye ordered them to eliminate the Human Race Masters rushing out of the Universe Cave Heaven, they obeyed the order without question. Unfortunately, they had failed to stop the wave of Humans. It wasn’t until they heard Yang Kai’s shout that the Feudal Lords discovered the shocking truth. Mo Na Ye and the others were gone!
[Have the Territory Lords really escaped!?]
In the beginning, some of the Black Ink Clansmen refused to believe the truth and continued to confront the Human Race Masters bravely; however, there was no movement from the Territory Lords even though the fight had been ongoing for some time.
In the end, they had no choice but to face reality. The Territory Lords had fled! The morale of the Black Ink Clan Army instantly dropped like a stone, and their tight formation rapidly collapsed.
Even though the strength of the Black Ink Clansmen varied greatly, they held an overwhelming advantage in terms of numbers. If they were determined to put up a fight, they could cause huge casualties among the small number of Humans. Dawning Light and the two Bi Xi Battleships might come out unscathed, but not many among the 1,000 or so Hunters would survive such a battle.
Having said that, the Territory Lords had escaped, so without their pillars, how could the Black Ink Clan Army retain their fighting spirit? The siege fell into tatters after several clashes with the numerous Human Race Masters. That was especially true for the places where Yang Kai and Feng Ying passed through. Wherever Yang Kai and Feng Ying went, swathes of Black Ink Clansmen were cut down like ripe wheat in a field.
Dragon Roars and Phoenix Cries sliced through the air, immediately followed by the emergence of Tai Yue. As thousands of lives disappeared with each breath, the Black Ink Clan Army was filled with absolute terror.
The Black Ink Clansmen in the outermost circle began to retreat. The Territory Lords had already escaped, so were they supposed to hang around and wait for their deaths? Their choice quickly affected the Black Ink Clansmen in the inner circles. Hence, more and more Black Ink Clansmen began to break away from the battle and flee into the distance.
At this moment, the Black Ink Clan Army was a Dragon without a head, so it didn’t take long before the 1 million strong Army became completely vulnerable and fell apart like a handful of loose sand.
There were several Feudal Lords who tried to rally their companions to stand and fight without retreating. They undoubtedly had a clearer picture of the situation, so they knew that they had a chance of survival if they banded together and fought back desperately. On the contrary, they would not stand the slightest chance if they panicked and all escaped in random directions. Without any exceptions, these Feudal Lords would quickly be cut down by Yang Kai.
Yang Kai navigated his way through the Black Ink Clan Army as though there was nobody in his path, heading in the direction where the resistance was fiercest. It was difficult even for him to eliminate such a massive Black Ink Clan Army, and since that was the case, his focus was to force them to retreat.
As time passed, more and more of the Black Ink Clan Army fled the battlefield. When the number of escaped Black Ink Clansmen reached a critical point, the fighting spirit of the Black Ink Clan Army collapsed completely. The three Warships and the Hunters pounced on this opportunity, causing heavy casualties to the Black Ink Clan everywhere they went.
“A hard-pressed enemy should not be pursued too far!” Yang Kai shouted, preventing the Hunters from chasing the enemy into the distance.
Upon hearing his command, everybody quickly ceased their pursuit. Countless Black Ink Clansmen quickly fled in all directions, vanishing into the depths of the void and disappearing out of sight.
The battle ended on an anticlimactic note. After the battle, countless Black Ink Clan remains littered the battlefield. Just a rough estimate indicated that there were at least 300,000 fresh corpses. That number was nothing compared to the Black Ink Clan Army of 1.5 million that was transferred here, 20% of it at most, but the battle had not lasted for very long either. The entire process took no more than an hour from the beginning to the end.
300,000 enemies had been slaughtered in an hour, which was a staggering victory.
Likewise, there were casualties among the Human Race Masters. Many Hunters had lost their lives, and those who survived were covered in wounds. Nevertheless, these casualties could not be avoided to achieve this kind of result.
It was impossible to suffer zero casualties in such a battle, but nobody mourned too much. Ever since choosing to become Hunters, these people had disregarded their concerns over life or death. Nobody knew when they would encounter an accident, so they had long since become indifferent to such matters.
For the first time, the Hunters discovered that large-scale army battles were much more enjoyable than their previous small-scale raids. The main reason they chose to become Hunters was that they could not adapt to the way the Army fought in war. Cultivators generally believed in their own strength rather than the support of others.
However, it might not be unacceptable if all the Army fought in this manner. For a time, many Hunters entertained different ideas in their hearts.
“Keep a lookout in all directions,” Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief and issued the command before he slipped back into the Universe Cave Heaven again.
Due to the destruction of the portal, the Human Race Masters inside the Universe Cave Heaven could vaguely see the battle taking place outside. It was just that they did not have a very clear view of the situation. The battle had erupted without warning and then ended so quickly that many people could not tell who had won and who had lost. It was not until Yang Kai’s figure appeared again that everybody finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Sir!” Li Zi Yu came forward to greet Yang Kai, “The situation outside…”
“The Territory Lords have escaped, and the Black Ink Clan Army has been repelled,” Yang Kai briefly explained. The 10,000 Human refugees inside the Universe Cave Heaven immediately burst into cheers, causing the entire World to resonate with joy.
“Can we leave this place now?” Li Zi Yu asked emotionally.
Several dozen years had passed since they were tasked with the responsibility of evacuating the Humans in Acacia Territory and became trapped in this Universe Cave Heaven. It was extremely dull to remain cooped up inside this Universe Cave Heaven. When the Black Ink Clan besieged them after they accidentally exposed their whereabouts, they believed that they would die soon. Who could have known that Human Masters would be dispatched to rescue them?
At this moment, the Black Ink Clan Army standing guard outside had been repelled, so there was nobody to stop them from leaving the Universe Cave Heaven.
Yang Kai nodded lightly. In the next moment, he opened the portal to his Small Universe, “Everybody, please enter my Small Universe!”
Not many among the 10,000 refugees were in the Open Heaven Realm, so it was not difficult for Yang Kai to take them in.
Many Black Ink Clansmen were slaughtered during the previous battle in the Universe Cave Heaven, and Black Ink Strength flooded the World as a result. Although Feng Ying and the others had distributed Purifying Black Ink Pills to the crowd, the weaker Humans here would not be able to resist the Black Ink Strength for long. Therefore, they did not hesitate to rush into the portal of Yang Kai’s Small Universe upon hearing his command.
An hour later, all 10,000 refugees in the Universe Cave Heaven had been taken into Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
“You too!” Yang Kai turned to Li Zi Yu and the others.
“Us, too?” Li Zi Yu was astonished.
He was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Not to mention, he was not the only Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in this place. Although they could enter Yang Kai’s Small Universe… Could Yang Kai really accommodate so many cultivators at once?
Despite feeling suspicious, he did not dare to question Yang Kai’s orders further, so he immediately told the others, “Move.”
The crowd of Open Heaven Realm Masters quickly plunged into the portal. Since Yang Kai wanted them to enter his Small Universe, then he must be confident in his ability.
Li Zi Yu was the last to enter, but before he did, he secretly peeked at Yang Kai’s complexion. Yang Kai was very pale, but that was more likely a result of the injuries he sustained in his previous battle than any strain on his Small Universe.
Hence, Li Zi Yu was secretly astonished, [How large must Sir Yang’s Small Universe be!?]
After accepting all of the Human Race Masters in the Universe Cave Heaven, Yang Kai darted out.
Outside the Universe Cave Heaven, the rest of the Human Race Masters were watching their surroundings under Feng Ying’s command. It was just that none of the Black Ink Clan came attacking. They had only just been forced to retreat, so who would dare to return?
When Yang Kai appeared without anybody else behind him, Feng Ying immediately understood the situation. Those Humans inside had probably been taken into his Small Universe, so she simply asked, “Squad Leader, do we fight our way out?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “All five Territory Gates are guarded by Black Ink Clan Armies, and we don’t know where the three Territory Lords who escaped might be. It’s too risky to charge out of Acacia Territory.”
The reason they managed to defeat the Black Ink Clan Army earlier was pure luck as the three Territory Lords had escaped first. If the scenario unfolded for a second time, they might not be so lucky again. As long as the three Territory Lords were not fools, there was a great chance that they could stop their advance if they joined forces and cooperated with a large Black Ink Clan Army.
“What should we do?”
“I have an idea,” Yang Kai replied, “How many people can you accommodate in your Small Universe if they are in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm and below?”
Feng Ying considered for a moment before she responded, “I’ve never tried, but 200 is probably my limit with Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters as a standard.”
If she took in those in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, then she might only be able to accommodate 20 or 30 at most; after all, the higher their Order, the larger the size of their Small Universe, and the heavier the burden to hold them became.
“Do your best to take in as many as you can. I will deal with the rest,” Yang Kai instructed.
Feng Ying nodded.
Yang Kai swept a glance across his surroundings and spoke in a loud voice, “Everybody, it is true that we won this battle; however, the Territory Gates in Acacia Territory are guarded by large Black Ink Clan Armies. The whereabouts of the Territory Lords also remain unknown, so it will be extremely difficult for us to safely leave Acacia Territory. While I have a method to escape this place safely, I will require your full cooperation.”
His speech was mainly aimed at the Hunters since he was not familiar with them. Furthermore, these Hunters were not part of the Army, so his orders held no weight with them. Discussion and compromise were the only options here.
One of the Hunters shouted, “Sir, please feel free to ask anything of us, we will not refuse.”
Having witnessed Yang Kai’s strength and heroics, these Hunters could be said to hold great admiration for him. Now that the Territory Gates in Acacia Territory had been blockaded, they could only rely upon him if they wanted to leave, so how could they dare to be disrespectful?
Yang Kai nodded, “I would like to ask you to enter my and Senior Sister Feng’s Small Universes!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he shot a glance at Feng Ying. The two of them opened the portals to their Small Universe in unison.
Ordinary people might not be able to notice any kind of difference; however, for these Masters, as soon as the two portals appeared side by side, the difference in strength between the two Small Universes could be seen at a glance.
The aura radiating from Yang Kai’s Small Universe was undoubtedly more substantial. Even the impression given by the two portals was distinctly contrasting. If the portal to Feng Ying’s Small Universe was akin to a wooden door, then the portal to Yang Kai’s Small Universe was a huge steel gate. There was no comparison between the two at all.
“Those in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm and below will enter Senior Sister Feng’s Small Universe first. Those in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm will come to my side,” Yang Kai continued.
Many of the Hunters rushed over without hesitation and plunged straight into the two portals.
Not long afterwards, Feng Ying’s expression began to twist in discomfort. She persisted for a while longer, but eventually closed her portal with a shake of her head when her aura fluctuations became unsteady, “I can’t take any more.”
Her Small Universe had reached its limits, so it was impossible for her to accommodate any more Open Heaven Realm Masters.
On the other hand, the opened portal to Yang Kai’s Small Universe resembled a bottomless pit that accepted every single person who came forward. Even so, it could be seen that he too was starting to feel the pressure after accommodating so many cultivators in his Small Universe.
When all the Hunters had entered his Small Universe, he turned to look at Yang Xiao and the others, “You too.”
Yang Xiao worriedly said, “Adoptive Father, will you be okay? We don’t need to enter…”
“Enough nonsense, get inside,” Yang Kai snapped irritably. [Do you really think I can’t see through your little schemes?]
These little ones were clearly looking for an opportunity to escape his watch so that they could continue wandering outside; however, the situation here was too dangerous. How could they be so careless? If he had not come to Acacia Territory himself, they would have been in mortal danger by now.
Seeing Yang Kai being so insistent, Yang Xiao and the others had no choice but to obey; thus, they dejectedly took turns entering the portal.
Yang Kai urged his power slightly. Although his World Force which used to flow smoothly felt slightly congested, he had yet to reach his limits. He could probably accommodate a few more people in his Small Universe; thus, he turned to look at the Dawn Squad, “You too. Enter my Small Universe.”
“Yes!” Shen Ao of Dawn quickly received the order; then, the entire Squad plunged into the portal of Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
When all the members of Dawn had entered Yang Kai’s Small Universe, he had the sense that he had almost reached his limits. The strongest indicator was a bloated feeling as though he had eaten too much.
An ordinary person would have trouble moving around if they were bloated. On the other hand, an Open Heaven Realm Master would not only have trouble moving around when bloated, but their ability to exert their full strength would be greatly affected.
Therefore, most High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters generally would not accept others into their Small Universes unless their safety could be guaranteed. No matter how few they accepted, they were bound to face some degree of impact on their strength, and the more they accommodated, the greater the impact.
If a Territory Lord were to appear right now, Yang Kai would not be able to compete against them. He could barely even exert 20% of his full strength at the moment, but his condition was not too bad. When he turned to look at Feng Ying, he saw that her aura was unstable and her expression twisted constantly. She looked like she could explode at any moment.
Yu Ru Meng’s Squad remained, but Feng Ying or Yang Kai couldn’t accommodate any more people.
At this moment, Yang Kai could only pray that everything would go smoothly; otherwise, he did not know how he could bring so many people out of Acacia Territory.
“Stay close to me!” Yang Kai beckoned to the others. Feng Ying and the last Bi Xi Battleship responded immediately and crowded around him.
Exhaling slowly, Yang Kai activated his strength and connected his mind to the World Tree.
The Void trembled and the entire Great Territory rumbled. A kind of ethereal connection in the distance seemed to appear, it could not seem to condense no matter what.
Yang Kai’s expression turned ugly as he knew the reason was that he had too many people with him.
The last time he brought Wu Kuang alone to the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, he had not faced any pressure. The difference this time was that he had many Human Race Masters in his Small Universe. Not to mention, he also had an Eighth-Order Master like Feng Ying and 10 others in Yu Ru Meng’s Squad with him. It was not the same situation as before.
“Old Tree, help!” Yang Kai hurriedly shouted. He couldn’t enter the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary with his strength alone, so he could only ask the Old Tree for help.
When the words left his mouth, something that resembled a tree branch came from somewhere unknown and extended towards him across the vague expanse of space. As the tree branch stretched towards his location, Yang Kai was overjoyed, [Old Tree is reliable after all!]
Then, he quickly shouted, “Go!”
Wrapping his power around Feng Ying and Yu Ru Meng’s Squad, he stepped onto the illusory path that had opened before him and vanished into the Void.
By the time he came back to his senses, Yang Kai had already arrived in front of the majestic and enormous World Tree. Unfortunately, the Void trembled violently even though he had the support of the Old Tree. Feng Ying and Yu Ru Meng’s Squad were knocked off balance as a result.
He stood up shakily and turned back to look in the direction he came. The path leading here was becoming insubstantial, and even the tree branch that the World Tree extended earlier was beginning to shatter.
A chill ran through his heart when he realised that the Old Tree probably had to pay a price to support his trip here. The reason he failed to notice in the past was that he had always been travelling alone. Now that he brought so many people along with him, the price was much more noticeable as a result. In other words, the Old Tree probably had to pay some kind of price every time he came here, it had just never mentioned anything to him before.
“Many thanks, Old Tree.” Yang Kai expressed his gratitude.
The Old Tree did not reveal himself and simply waved his branches lightly in response.
“Is this the World Tree!?” Bi Xi’s Soul Clone suddenly exclaimed.
He was the oldest out of everybody else present by a large margin, so he was also the most knowledgeable. It only took him a glance to see through the Old Tree’s true nature. Nevertheless, even he had only heard of the World Tree but had never seen it before. He never imagined that he would see the World Tree today.
Thinking back to Yang Kai’s actions earlier, he quickly grasped the situation. This place was probably the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that was mentioned in legends.
“This is the World Tree? Why does it look so withered and wilted?” Yu Ru Meng was extremely taken aback.
At present, the World Tree certainly looked rather wilted. The originally lush leaves had withered away, and a feeble aura permeated its surroundings.
Yang Kai sighed and casually explained, “Old Tree’s existence is related to the Universe Worlds in the 3,000 Worlds. If one suffers, all suffer; if one prospers, all prosper. Now that many of the Great Territories have been occupied by the Black Ink Clan, most Universe Worlds have had their Grand Daos collapse and their World Force drained away. It’s only natural that the Old Tree suffered some backlash.”
“Are those World Fruits?” Su Yan suddenly asked, pointing at the few fruits hanging on the tree.
Yang Kai nodded, “En, they are World Fruits. But, we can’t pick any of them. Most of the surviving World Fruits contain Universe Worlds that have been integrated into them. The rest represent the Universe Worlds that we have managed to preserve so far.”
The 3,000 Worlds used to be extremely prosperous, with countless Universe Worlds in the past, but only around 2,000 or so remained now. Each of these Universe Worlds corresponded to one of the World Fruits hanging on the World Tree. When the Grand Dao of a Universe World collapsed, the most obvious sign reflected by the World Tree was the decomposition of its World Fruit.
If Yang Kai had not travelled across so many Great Territories and refined the Universe Worlds there, the World Tree would probably be bare by now. Yang Kai did not know whether the World Tree could survive in such a condition. The highest probability was that the World Tree would survive, but not much vitality would remain.
Yu Ru Meng and the others were amazed. Although they could not understand how they suddenly travelled to this place from Acacia Territory, they did not inquire further into the matter since it was obviously related to Yang Kai.
“All of you should take some time to recuperate. I will lead you out later,” Yang Kai instructed, and then he sat down cross-legged.
Everybody obeyed his command. Taking out some Spirit Pills, they sat beside the World Tree and began to adjust their breathing. Many of them had sustained injuries during the battle earlier, and Yang Kai suffered the most wounds among them.
While these Humans were quietly focusing on their recovery, the Black Ink Clan Army stood guard around the five Territory Gates in Acacia Territory.
The three Territory Lords who escaped from the battle were gathered at one of the Territory Gates. Their leader, Mo Na Ye, was monitoring the depths of the void with a gloomy look in his eyes. That direction was where the Universe Cave Heaven in Acacia Territory was located.
They did not know the outcome of the battle outside the Universe Cave Heaven. Although Mo Na Ye had ordered the Black Ink Clan Army to lock down the Universe Cave Heaven before they departed, they were not there to oversee the situation themselves. No matter how great the numbers of the Black Ink Clan Army were, it would be difficult for them to succeed in the endeavour without the Territory Lords. On the contrary, the situation would improve significantly if they managed to suppress the enemy.
As Mo Na Ye mulled over the issue, a wave of murderous intent surged in his heart and he glared at You Gong who was standing nearby!
This bastard was the first to flee the battle after rushing out of the Universe Cave Heaven. As a result, Mo Na Ye did not dare to stay for long. If You Gong had not fled back then, Mo Na Ye would not have left so quickly either. The three Territory Lords would have stood a chance against the Humans if they cooperated with the Black Ink Clan Army, but this coward chose to flee without any hesitation! Mo Na Ye did not have the confidence to restrain Yang Kai without You Gong, so he could only choose to leave with him.
Seeming to sense Mo Na Ye’s glare, You Gong turned his head away and silently cursed in his heart, [Bastard Mo Na Ye! He refuses to take action for fear of danger, but has no problems sending others to die in his place!]
The other Territory Lords had not experienced the horror of Yang Kai from up close, but he had. It was fortunate that he had wisely chosen to make that female Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master his opponent and avoided fighting Yang Kai; otherwise, he would not be alive right now! After all, wasn’t that other fool dead?
As for Mo Na Ye’s dissatisfaction with him, he couldn’t care less. They were all Territory Lords, so even if Mo Na Ye was unhappy with him, what could the other party do to him?
All of a sudden, he sensed something. He raised his head and stared into the distance with a sigh, “The battle has probably ended.”
Similarly, Mo Na Ye and the other Territory Lords had noticed the situation. Many Black Ink Clansmen were fleeing towards them in a panic, as though an ominous beast was chasing them from behind.
[We lost!] Mo Na Ye sighed and closed his eyes. The Black Ink Clan Army of one million had failed to stop the Humans from escaping. Who knows how many losses they sustained in this battle?
Not long afterwards, Mo Na Ye learned the specifics of the situation from the fleeing Black Ink Clansmen.
The Black Ink Clan had indeed lost the battle. Without the support of the Territory Lords, the Black Ink Clan Army had fallen apart like loose sand. It only took several attempts for the Human Race Masters to break their formation. Moreover, nobody knew which direction the Humans had fled.
Mo Na Ye then quickly relayed a command to each Territory Gate, ordering the troops to keep a strict watch for any movement by the Human Race Masters. Although the Humans had broken out of the Universe Cave Heaven, the Black Ink Clan was not without a chance of success.
There were over 700,000 troops standing guard at each Territory Gate, so no matter where the Humans tried to attack, there was bound to be a large battle. The Black Ink Clan Army guarding the targeted gate would only need to buy some time for the rest of the Black Ink Clan Army in Acacia Territory to arrive and overwhelm the enemy. With several million soldiers and three Territory Lords, there was still a chance to prevent the Humans from escaping.
However, what puzzled Mo Na Ye was that the situation at each Territory Gate remained peaceful and quiet even though more than 10 days passed. There was no movement from the Human Race Masters at all.
After some time, more Territory Lords arrived from various Great Territories to provide support, allowing Mo Na Ye to finally feel at ease. It was not until a total of nine Territory Lords had gathered here that he finally relayed a new command. The Territory Lords would split into groups of three, and each group would lead a portion of the Black Ink Clan Army to search for the whereabouts of the Human Race Masters in Acacia Territory.
The Humans could not have left Acacia Territory through the Territory Gates, so they must have been hiding somewhere and recovering from their wounds. In that case, it was only a matter of time before they were found.
Contrary to Mo Na Ye’s expectations though, the search lasted for half a year, but revealed nothing. The Humans… seemed to have vanished into thin air!
Inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Yang Kai stood up after several days of rest and said goodbye to the Old Tree. The Old Tree simply waved his branches lightly in response, not even bothering to reveal his face. The effort to help Yang Kai previously must have placed a huge burden on him.
Yang Kai secretly vowed that he would not allow the Old Tree to help him like this again. Although the Old Tree was the manifestation of the 3,000 Worlds, his existence was integrated with all the Universe Worlds in every Great Territory. If the Old Tree exhausted too much energy, it would be harmful to the heritage of each Great Territory in the future.
When Yang Kai arrived, he needed the Old Tree to help him; fortunately, there was no need for that during his return.
Back then, Yang Kai managed to transfer 100 Divine Spirits to the vicinity of the Star Boundary with ease, so naturally, he did not require much effort this time either.
Activating his strength, he wrapped his power around everybody and connected his mind to the Star Boundary. It did not take long for him to locate the World Fruit on the World Tree that corresponded to the Star Boundary as that one was larger and more robust than the others.
In the next moment, Yang Kai charged towards the World Fruit. The World Tree rapidly enlarged in his vision, as though an entire universe was rushing straight at him. The Void turned upside down and space became hazy. Then, they suddenly appeared in the periphery of the Star Boundary.
Even though Yang Kai was in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he couldn’t help feeling slightly overwhelmed when he felt this familiar aura. He was home! After several thousand years, he was finally home!
Nearly a millennium ago, Yang Kai entered the Black Ink Battlefield from Black Territory, where he constantly fought for centuries without rest, and then got stuck in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon for many years. Only a few decades ago did he finally return from the Black Ink Battlefield.
Even then, he had been travelling about and did not have time to return to the Star Boundary.
When the situation in the 3,000 Worlds stabilized, he had to take Wu Kuang to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. One man could only do so many things.
Even when Yang Kai had sent the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary’s Divine Spirits to the Star Boundary, he still could not spare time to return himself.
It was only today that he finally returned home.
He was a Great Emperor who had been acknowledged by the Star Boundary’s Will, and was bestowed the title ‘Void’. As such, he was inseparable from the Star Boundary. As soon as he returned, an exceptionally strong intimate feeling filled his body, making him feel warm and content, like he had returned to his mother’s womb.
But the next moment, an angry shout interrupted this warm and homely sensation, “Who dares to trespass my Star Boundary?”
Immediately after the shout, a massive figure suddenly appeared from the Star Boundary. This figure was so massive that it blotted the entire void and was radiating quite an intimidating pressure.
Yang Kai felt that even though this pressure had yet not reached the Eighth Order, it was not far from it. Furthermore, as the opposite party was also borrowing the Star Boundary’s might, even an average Eighth-Order Master might not necessarily be his opponent.
Yang Kai smiled at the figure, “A wanderer has returned home, don’t panic, Sir Hong Chen!”
The projection from the Star Boundary belonged to none other than Bustling World Great Emperor, Duan Hong Chen.
Obviously, he was the one holding the fort currently.
Yang Kai had also heard about this from Yu Ru Meng and the others. In the beginning, the Star Boundary’s defences were not very tight, but it had now become the Human Race’s final refuge and primary base where the cultivators from Great Territories all across the 3,000 Worlds were gathered. Most of these refugees were weak and helpless, but there were a fair number of strong ones too. If someday the Black Ink Clan really fought its way to the Star Boundary, that would be the day of the final battle.
Ever since Yang Kai had sent the 100 or so Divine Spirits here, the Star Boundary had raised its level of vigilance significantly. It was not that they were on guard against Yang Kai specifically, it was more that they were concerned that the Black Ink Clan might have someone who could employ similar methods.
As such, a Great Emperor would remain on guard duty at all times.
Iron Blood, Bustling World, Martial Beast, Serene Soul, Flower Shadow, Ice Feather, Wondrous Pill, Heavens Revelation, and Void, these nine were the Star Boundary’s current Great Emperors.
Each of them was an outstanding character; otherwise, they would not have become Great Emperors. In the past, all of them had broken through straight to Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm with Yang Kai’s help, and thanks to the abundant resources available to them, they had smoothly advanced to Seventh-Order over the years.
Even then, their cultivation speed was quite fast, but what surprised Yang Kai today was Duan Hong Chen’s pressure. It was not the pressure of someone who had just recently advanced to the Seventh Order. Even many veteran Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would not be able to hold a candle to him.
Yang Kai had some speculation in his mind.
Duan Hong Chen was taken aback after hearing Yang Kai’s voice, but joy soon replaced his shock, “Yang Kai?”
The moment he mentioned Yang Kai’s name, the Star Boundary became abuzz with excitement as streaks of light shot up from its surface towards the void.
Yang Kai’s heart could not help but pound with excitement, sensing so many familiar auras.
A moment later, the streaks of light came to a halt and revealed themselves. A few of the figures were familiar to Yang Kai, while a few were not, but all of them radiated quite powerful undulations.
He immediately started heading in a particular direction. Standing in that direction was a middle-aged couple, who were both looking at him with excitement and warmth. The woman was incessantly sobbing, while the middle-aged man maintained a calm look, but he was still unable to conceal his excitement.
When he arrived close to the two, Yang Kai bowed down to kneel, “Your unfilial son, Yang Kai has made Father and Mother worried.”
“Get up!” Yang Ying Feng promptly grabbed him, preventing him from kneeling, “You are now an Army Commander, you represent the face of an entire Army as well as its prestige.”
The nearby Dong Su Zhu could not help but nod in agreement, but most of her attention was focused on Yang Kai’s body, checking if he was hurt in any place or not.
Naturally, the people in the rear received word of everything that had been going on in the frontlines. They had already received the news about Yang Kai being appointed as the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army, but Yang Kai’s parents were just happy that their Son was alive and well. They were proud that he was now entrusted with such heavy responsibilities by the Supreme Headquarters; still, they were worried that Yang Kai might not be able to shoulder such heavy responsibilities.
Yang Kai smiled, “Who does not have parents? Without parents, how could the current Human Race continue on?”
He then respectfully kneeled down, and kowtowed three times to his parents.
Only then did he stand up, lifted by his parents, before looking towards the figure standing next to his parents, “Thank you, it must have been hard on you…”
Xia Ning Chang’s eyes turned red, but she still shook her head and smiled, “Not at all.”
The moment Yang Kai appeared on the Profound Nether Territory battlefield, the news was instantly transmitted back. Xia Ning Chang had quickly rushed to Profound Nether Territory, but unfortunately, when she arrived, she received the news that Yang Kai had left with some soldiers just a few days prior. Helpless, Xia Ning Chang could only return to the Star Boundary.
She was now one of the most outstanding Alchemists of the Human Race and the soldiers on the frontline required a great deal of pills every day. So, she could not remain absent for too long.
Unexpectedly, Yang Kai had returned so soon, and appeared right outside the Star Boundary.
From Little Senior Sister’s perspective, it had been over 1,000 years since they last met, but her endless longing completely turned into tender feelings after just a glance at Yang Kai.
While they were chatting, more and more people flew over from the Star Boundary, but remained standing at a respectful distance.
Yang Kai spotted Hua Qing Si, Hui Gu, Mo Xiao Qi, Lin Yun’er, and many other acquaintances and unfamiliar figures in the crowd.
Most of them were injured and had probably returned from the front lines to recuperate at the Star Boundary. Once they had recovered, they would probably head back to the battlefield.
After some brief hellos, Yang Kai shouted, “Head Manager!”
Hua Qing Si immediately stepped forward, “Yes!”
“I’ll have to trouble you to take care of these people.” Saying so, he and Feng Ying immediately opened portals to their Small Universes and many cultivators rushed out, soon reaching 10,000 in number with quite a lot of them in the Sixth Order and Seventh Order.
The crowd was dumbfounded at the sight of this. Feng Ying’s side was still acceptable as the number of people she had taken was not high and none of them were in the Seventh Order.
Yang Kai’s side was rather spectacular though; not only did the people coming out of his Small Universe number over 10,000, but there were many in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
This left many speechless, wondering just how vast his Small Universe was.
“Palace Master, these are…” Hua Qing Si asked.
Yang Kai explained, “Most of them were rescued from Acacia Territory, while the rest are Hunters who happened to be there and provided us with their aid.”
Hua Qing Si immediately understood after hearing this and stated with a nod, “I understand! Everyone, please follow me.”
There were so many refugees, so it was impossible to settle them all on the Star Boundary. In fact, the Star Boundary could no longer accept any more people. The logistics department had already arranged the cultivators who had come from other Great Territories to other places.
Yang Xiao and the others wanted to slip into the crowd and disappear, but they were caught by Yang Kai, “You’re not going anywhere.”
A look of misery immediately took over Yang Xiao’s face as he shot a glance towards Yang Xue; however, how could Yang Xue dare to raise her voice; her parents were right here, so acting cute to her Big Brother would be useless. As for Zhao Ye Bai and the others, they obediently lowered their heads like baby chicks.
Yang Kai then shouted to the surrounding crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, this Yang has just returned home from a long journey. I’m sorry, but I won’t be entertaining any of you. I’ll visit you another day.”
A Seventh-Order old man from some Cave Heaven Paradise stated, putting on a smile, “Sir Yang is too polite, you can go about your own business. We are now members of the Star Boundary, so we can catch up later!”
Seniority-wise, he was many generations older than Yang Kai, but Yang Kai was currently in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm and was also an Army Commander. Even the Sect Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises dared not put on airs before him. Addressing him as Sir was not inappropriate.
Yang Kai nodded in response before wrapping everyone around him in his World Force and heading to the Star Boundary.
A short while later, an Auspicious Aura basked High Heaven Palace, causing many disciples in retreat to start breaking through in succession. Those who could see fate and fortune saw an obscure, enormous Golden Dragon encompassing High Heaven Palace from afar. They could not help but marvel at this sight, “High Heaven Palace is really something, they are enjoying 30% of the Star Boundary’s fortune.”
It was foreseeable that in the future, Masters would emerge from High Heaven Palace one after another, and would continue to do so for some time.
In the past, the Auspicious Aura around High Heaven Palace was much stronger than other places in the Star Boundary already, but now, with Yang Kai’s return, that Auspicious Aura grew even stronger. It was as if the entire Star Boundary was celebrating his return. Even the World Tree clone towering in the Star Boundary rustled happily.
The area within a range of 100,000 kilometres of the World Tree clone was considered a Holy Land of the entire Human Race. This region was demarcated by High Heaven Palace, and only the most outstanding young generation disciples were allowed to cultivate here because it was easier to comprehend the various Grand Daos in the vicinity of the World Tree. Even healing effects here were much better than anywhere else.
The seriously wounded who had retreated from the front lines would also be sent here to recuperate.
At this moment, on a certain Spirit Peak in High Heaven Palace, where Yang Kai’s parents lived, a group of people suddenly appeared. Yang Kai was back, so were Yu Ru Meng and the others. Even Yang Xiao and the other little ones had been caught and brought back. The Spirit Peak, which was usually deserted, suddenly started bustling with activity.
Looking at the buzzing crowd, Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu glanced at each other as a smile appeared on their lips. After so many years, this place finally looked like a real home again.
Yu Ru Meng and the others got busy preparing a family banquet, while Yang Kai accompanied his parents, chatting non-stop with them. No one talked about the current situation of the Human Race, nor did Yang Kai’s parents ask about his recent experiences, because they did not need to ask, they knew that their Son must have gone through a lot.
Yang Xiao and others also wanted to help out, but just as they went to do so, they were reprimanded by Yu Ru Meng. Helpless, they had no choice but walk to one side in embarrassment, staring at each other in speechless dismay.
Endless sighs escaped Yang Kai’s lips, watching everyone and making small talk with his parents.
The noise and cruelty of the battlefield seemed so far away at this moment. This rare warmth could make anyone forget oneself and not want to leave.
His parents were both Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters now, but it had been ages since they advanced to the Fifth-Order. After so many years of cultivation, they were on the verge of breaking through to the Sixth Order. Only, his parents’ aptitude was not that great, and the further their cultivation progressed, the harder it became for them to advance. If they want to break through to the Seventh Order, they would need many more years.
Yang Ying Feng and Dong Su Zhu were still very satisfied. They were also among the first generation of people to receive the World Tree’s feedback. In fact, had it not been for the World Tree clone’s feedback, it would have been difficult for them to even advance directly to the Fourth Order with their past aptitude. They would have probably had to settle for reaching the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Currently, they were in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Yang Kai was in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and with high status and weighty responsibilities. Although Yang Xue was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, she was about to advance to Seventh-Order and had a lot of room for growth. Furthermore, all of their Daughters-in-law were in the Seventh Order. So, what was there to be dissatisfied about? The two had never been insatiably greedy.
The Spirit Peak was overflowing with joy and happiness.
Most of the time, it was Dong Su Zhu who was speaking, Yang Ying Feng did not say much. Their chat included the interesting events that had taken place in the Star Boundary over the years. Like, when two Elders of some Cave Heaven or Paradise fought with each other over a Disciple, only to end up being taken advantage of by others.
This kind of thing had happened before. Only, when Yang Kai was here, the World Tree clone’s feedback had only just appeared, and was not as marvellous as it was now.
Like, when a native disciple of the Star Boundary with outstanding aptitude was acknowledged as Great Emperor a few years ago.
Or how a gorgeous disciple of High Heaven Palace made their Fellow Brothers compete with each other for her favour.
Yang Kai calmly listened with a smile.
High Heaven Territory was the last pure land of the Human Race. Feeling the warmth he had not felt for a very long time, Yang Kai suddenly understood the feelings of the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors who had sacrificed their lives that day.
They wanted to protect this final paradise at any cost, because this was the future hope of the Human Race.
Unfortunately, warm moments were always too short.
Yang Kai did not stay with his parents for long. After attending the family banquet, he left Yu Ru Meng and the others with his parents and departed.
He still had many things to attend to.
Yang Kai was sitting up straight in the Main Conference Hall of High Heaven Palace, listening to Hua Qing Si explain the Star Boundary’s current situation.
The Star Boundary could now be said to be the most important rear base of the Human Race, because of the World Tree clone. The current Star Boundary was truly an Open Heaven Realm Cradle, with a large number of them being born every year, each one extremely talented in their own right.
Most of these people would advance straight to Fifth-Order or Sixth-Order, while occasionally, one or two would advance straight to Seventh-Order! These rare few would be treated as precious treasures by the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
More than 1,000 years ago, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had founded their own Dao Temples on the Star Boundary, laying claim to vast stretches of territory. Over the years, a balance of power in the Star Boundary had been maintained by High Heaven Palace as the leader, and other local Sects and Cave Heavens and Paradises’ Dao Temples acting as supports. This power balance had not changed much for nearly a millennium.
A few decades ago though, when the Human Race suffered defeat on the Barren Territory battlefield, cultivators from various Great Territories all migrated to High Heaven Territory.
It was quite hectic back then as too many people had suddenly arrived, and more kept on coming. Fortunately, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had stepped in to manage the situation, otherwise the Star Boundary would have been in total chaos.
The Star Boundary’s name had spread far and wide long ago, and at that time, all the cultivators who had lost their homes all naturally wanted to settle down in the Star Boundary, but the Star Boundary was only so big and could not accommodate so many people.
In the end, Masters from the various Cave Heavens and Paradises came forward and allowed various forces to set up temporary palaces in the vicinity of the Star Boundary, but all the forces of a Territory were only allowed to set up one such palace.
Since they could not enter the Star Boundary, staying in its periphery was not a bad idea. At the very least, they would be able to benefit from some of the feedback from the World Tree clone.
Furthermore, the forces that had migrated from all over 3,000 Worlds were promised that if their outstanding disciples chose to enter any of the Cave Heavens or Paradises’ Dao Temples to cultivate they would be allowed to do so as long as they passed certain tests.
These tests were neither easy nor difficult, but only true geniuses could pass them.
Over the years, some people had passed these tests and entered the various Dao Temples, but their numbers weren’t that high.
With these kinds of arrangements, the initial chaos was finally settled.
Yang Kai suddenly understood, “No wonder there were so many Universe Fragments in the periphery of the Star Boundary, they were arranged by the combined effort of various forces of the Great Territories!”
When he had returned, Yang Kai noticed numerous Universe Fragments of various sizes floating around the Star Boundary. Furthermore, there were many palaces and buildings erected on these Universe Fragments; obviously, cultivators were living on them. Yang Kai could not understand why there were so many Universe Fragments present, but after listening to Hua Qing Si’s explanation, he finally understood.
The Cave Heavens and Paradises ate the meat, while the forces that had migrated could only settle for the soup. There was no other alternative though. The Dao Temples’ domain had already occupied a large portion of the Star Boundary, and far too many forces had migrated to High Heaven Territory, so the Star Boundary could not accommodate all of them.
Hua Qing Si concurred with a nod as a bitter smile appeared on her face as she continued, “If the Demon Territory’s environment wasn’t so unsuitable, many would have been more than happy to settle there.”
There were not many Universe Worlds suitable for habitation and cultivation in High Heaven Territory. Apart from the Star Boundary, there was the Demon Realm. The latter had been shattered many years ago, and Yang Kai had used his Embodiment to activate the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and re-assemble all those shattered pieces.
In terms of cultivation environment, the Demon Realm was naturally inferior to the Star Boundary; furthermore, the Demon Realm was rich in Demon Qi. Myriad Demons Heaven disciples should like it very much. Likewise, cultivators who cultivated Demon Techniques would not reject it, but for most cultivators, the Demon Realm was simply not suitable to live in.
“The numbers don’t match though, how come there are so few migrated cultivators here?” Yang Kai was a little puzzled. Although there were many palaces in the vicinity of the Star Boundary, those could only house so many cultivators, far fewer than the total number who had migrated here from the other Great Territories.
Hua Qing Si explained, “The number of cultivators living in the palaces in the periphery of the Star Boundary is small because most others were settled in the New Great Territory. There are many more suitable Universe Worlds in the New Great Territory for habitation. Whether it is the World Energy, World Force, or even the Grand Dao or material resources there, they can be well suited for varying forces.”
Yang Kai understood right away.
The Small Stone Race he had was discovered in the New Great Territory. This Great Territory was only accidentally discovered about a millennium ago, and Humans from the other Great Territories had never set foot into it. The void was truly vast, so a Great Territory could remain undiscovered as breaching the Territory Barriers was no simple feat.
Over the past 1,000 years or so, High Heaven Palace had worked hard to develop the New Great Territory and reaped quite a lot of benefits from it. During that time, the New Great Territory had been under High Heaven Palace’s sole control, with the Cave Heavens and Paradises unable to intervene in it. But now, in order to accommodate all the refugees, there was no choice but to open up the New Great Territory.
Be that as it may, if the New Great Territory had any treasures, they had already been snatched up by High Heaven Palace during their 1,000 year development period.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Follow me, let’s take a trip to the New Great Territory.”
Huan Qing Si instantly obeyed, “Yes.”
Yang Kai had learned a bit about the Star Boundary from Yu Ru Meng and his other Wives, but that information was mainly obtained during pillow talks. Now that he had personally returned, he naturally had to obtain a better understanding of the Star Boundary’s situation.
“I heard you have 200 disciples hidden here?” Yang Kai suddenly remembered this matter.
Hua Qing Si nodded her affirmation, “Yes, I have reported this to the Supreme Headquarters, and also received their permission.” After saying so, she added, “But not just High Heaven Palace has done so, the Cave Heavens and Paradises’ good seedlings who advanced straight to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm have basically all been sequestered here. Only, their disciples are fewer than ours.”
High Heaven Palace had many disciples because of the tens of thousands of years of accumulation of Yang Kai’s Small Universe. Even if the Cave Heavens and Paradises stashed away some disciples, they did not have such unique conditions to benefit from.
“Does Palace Master think it’s inappropriate?” Huan Qing Si asked.
Yang Kai shook his head in denial, “It’s not about whether it is appropriate or not, but… never mind, we’ll discuss it later, I have my own considerations.”
He had always felt that a diligent cultivator who remained in a greenhouse would never have much potential.
He then turned to look at Bustling World Great Emperor, who was drinking tea by the side, and stated with a smile, “After so many years, your cultivation has become quite profound, Sir Hong Chen.”
Duan Hong Chen glanced at him and refuted, smiling, “Even so, I can’t compare to you. How did you reach the Eighth Order so quickly?”
Yang Kai had broken through to the Open Heaven Realm a little earlier than the other Great Emperors, but they had advanced directly to the Sixth Order, while Yang Kai had advanced to the Fifth Order; there was a difference of an Order between them and Yang Kai at the start.
Over these years, the cultivation of the Star Boundary’s Great Emperors had advanced at an astonishing pace. Each and every one of them had reached the Seventh-Order, and Iron Blood Great Emperor, Zhan Wu Hen had already reached the peak of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Originally, Duan Hong Chen believed that their cultivation must have surpassed Yang Kai’s; after all, Yang Kai had been fighting on the Black Ink Battlefield. But much to their surprise, Yang Kai had reached the Eighth Order by the time he returned, making him even stronger than the Great Emperors who had been stationed at the Star Boundary.
Duan Hong Chen was very puzzled about this.
“I obtained a certain opportunity,” Yang Kai casually replied. The next moment, his expression turned serious as he asked, “Sir Hong Chen, is the World Tree clone’s feedback useful to you?”
Considering everything, Duan Hong Chen and the others had advanced to the Open Heaven Realm just over 1,000 years ago, but all of them had now reached the Seventh Order. This was a huge improvement. If it was any other Open Heaven Realm Master, it would have been impossible to show so much improvement in such a short time, no matter how outstanding his or her aptitude was.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai believed that the reason was the World Tree clone’s feedback.
In the past, he had also borrowed the Star Boundary’s power to resist his enemies, because he was a Great Emperor acknowledged by the Star Boundary’s Will. As a result, he greatly improved in a short time with the help of the Star Boundary’s World Force.
Borrowing strength like this consumed the World Force of the Star Boundary, but it also strengthened one’s foundation greatly.
This was equivalent to seizing the Star Boundary’s foundation.
It was quite beneficial to one’s self, and could save a great deal of time in cultivation, but for the Star Boundary, it was akin to killing the goose that laid the golden eggs, the Star Boundary being the goose.
Duan Hong Chen and the others understood this point, and with their sense of righteousness, they would never do something like harming others for the sake of their own benefit. So, their rapid progress must have something to do with the World Tree clone’s feedback.
Duang Hong Chen nodded his agreement, “It’s useful; very useful. I didn’t notice it at first, but with the increase in the World Tree clone’s feedback these past years, we discovered that our heritages increased much more rapidly than average. Furthermore, as Great Emperors, our Small Universes’ World Force should be denser than others. So, we should be stronger than other cultivators in the same realm.”
The World Force became denser with the increase in his cultivation. Suddenly, Yang Kai felt a sense of familiarity.
After giving it a thought, he realized that it was true for him as well.
There was a World Tree clone in his Small Universe, which was why his cultivation was much faster than before. Furthermore, the World Tree clone had the effect of purifying World Force, so it naturally made his World Force denser.
Although Duan Hong Chen and the other Great Emperors did not have World Tree clones in their Small Universes, they were Star Boundary Great Emperors, so the World Tree clone being in the Star Boundary was naturally beneficial to them.
Realization suddenly dawned upon Yang Kai.
No wonder Bustling World Great Emperor’s cultivation had improved so quickly. In the final analysis, it was all thanks to the World Tree clone.
The source of the World Tree clone’s feedback was energy siphoned from other Universe Worlds and then transferred to the Star Boundary, allowing the latter’s fortune and Auspicious Aura to flourish while its Grand Dao was further tempered. This way, both enlightenment and cultivation became easier for the residents of the Star Boundary.
Be that as it may, there was a limit to this kind of extraction, and it was not without restrictions. So, when Yang Kai asked the Old Tree to bestow him with more World Tree clones, the latter had only given him three. If the Old Tree had given him more, not to mention if the Old Tree could sustain them or not, the feedback effect would have also substantially decreased.
Of the three World Tree clones, Yang Kai had given one to Wu Kuang, which left him with two.
Wu Kuang was in quite a precarious position as no one knew when Mo would awaken. The stronger Wu Kuang was, the more he could utilize the power of Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. This was the reason why Yang Kai wanted to send Wu Kuang there as soon as possible. No matter how powerful Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was, it was an inanimate object which could do nothing if no one was manning it. Only a stronger Wu Kuang could utilize the complete might of the Grand Array and continue to suppress and seal Mo.
The World Tree clone plus the Heaven Devouring Battle Law would ensure that Wu Kuang could grow stronger in the shortest amount of time; otherwise, he would not have boasted that he could advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm in just 3,000 years.
It had to be noted that Wu Kuang was currently just a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
“Who has been titled in the Star Boundary?” Yang Kai asked again.
Getting a title did not mean advancing to the Open Heaven Realm, it meant being acknowledged by the Star Boundary’s Will, and obtaining a title granted by the World itself. In truth, the person obtaining the title would just be at the peak of the Emperor Realm, but unlike others in that realm, he or she would be a Great Emperor.
Generally speaking, every Universe World had their own Great Emperors.
The number of Great Emperors was dependent on the limit of the Universe World itself.
Just like the Small Universe of an Open Heaven Realm Master had limits, so did real Universe Worlds.
In the entire history of the Star Boundary, only 10 Great Emperors could be born in the Star Boundary. This was the limit of the Star Boundary. There could be no more Great Emperors.
To a Universe World, once every Great Emperor had their own position, there was no additional vacancy. Unless a Great Emperor perished, no other Great Emperor could be born.
Originally, the Star Boundary had nine Great Emperors including Yang Kai, but after returning, Yang Kai could clearly feel that there was another Great Emperor.
When he was chatting with his parents, they had also mentioned this, but they did not mention who it was.
Hua Qing Si replied, “It’s Pastoral Great Emperor!”
Dong Hong Chen added, “Do you remember Shi Da Zhuang?”
Even though Yang Kai’s cultivation was profound and his memory was superb, he didn’t have much of an impression of this name. Nonetheless, he found it a little familiar, so he should have heard of it before.
Pondering for a moment, it suddenly came to him, “The Disciple Elder Yu Chang Dao of Free and Unfettered Paradise took a liking to?”
Duan Hong Chen affirmed, smiling, “That’s right.”
Yang Kai suddenly realized, “So, it’s him,” he happily continued, “So to say, he is also a member of my High Heaven Palace?”
Hua Qing Si added with a smile, “Yes, Palace Masters. Now, our High Heaven Palace is a Sect with two Great Emperors.”
Even though many Great Emperors of the Star Boundary were quite close to High Heaven Palace, everyone had their own backgrounds and none of them were from High Heaven Palace other than Yang Kai.
Pastoral Great Emperor, whose title was so down to earth, was different. He was born in the Star Boundary, and had joined High Heaven Palace. Now, counting Yang Kai, High Heaven Palace genuinely had two Great Emperors.
Yang Kai remembered Shi Dao Zhuang because he was one of the first Disciples to benefit from the World Tree clone’s feedback.
In the past, when word about the World Tree clone’s miraculous benefits spread through the 3,000 Worlds, various Cave Heavens and Paradies had swarmed to the Star Boundary to establish their Dao Temples in search of talented disciples. Free and Unfettered Paradise’s Elder Yu Chang Dao was quite lucky and found Shi Dao Zhuang soon after his arrival and immediately intended to take him under his wing.
Unfortunately, Shi Da Zhuang’s widowed mother, Liu Cai Xia, strictly adhered to her deceased Husband’s final request that Shi Dao Zhuang only join High Heaven Palace.
At that time, it was Yang Kai, leading High Heaven Palace and various Masters of the Star Boundary, who drove off the Demon Race. Some 200 years after Great Demon God Mo Sheng was killed, High Heaven Palace’s prestige was at its peak. The entire Star Boundary had an inexplicable fervor for High Heaven Palace and all cultivators dreamed of joining it.
Shi Da Zhuang’s Father had departed this world before the boy was born. He did not have much talent in cultivation, but before he passed away, he left a will and hoped that Shi Da Zhuang could join High Heaven Palace someday.
Yu Chang Dao wanted to take Shi Da Zhuang as his Disciple, but Liu Cai Xia was reluctant.
This matter had given Yu Chang Dao a big headache at that time. One had to know that he was from Free and Unfettered Paradise, and a Seventh-Order Master. Furthermore, he personally stepped forward to receive this Disciple. If any cultivator had obtained this opportunity, they would be dancing with joy and immediately kowtow to him. Liu Cai Xia, however, failed to appreciate this opportunity and instead wholeheartedly followed her deceased Husband’s will.
In the end, a compromise had to be reached. Yu Chang Dao became a High-Ranking Guest Elder in High Heaven Palace, while Shi Dao Zhuang became Yu Chang Dao’s Disciple after joining High Heaven Palace; everyone was happy.
So to say, Shi Da Zhuang was a High Heaven Palace disciple as well as a Free and Unfettered Paradise disciple.
As it turned out, Yu Chang Dao had quite a discerning eye. Shi Dai Zhuang’s growth had been extremely rapid after he had started cultivating. He advanced to the Emperor Realm in a short span of 200 years, obtained the acknowledgement of the Star Boundary’s Will, and earned the title of Pastoral Great Emperor. After that, he advanced directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. His future prospects were simply limitless.
In the past, he was Shi Da Zhuang, and now he was Pastoral Great Emperor, the Star Boundary’s 10th Great Emperor. Duan Hong Chen and the other Great Emperors could enjoy the World Tree clone’s feedback, which increased their cultivation speed, and naturally, so could the Pastoral Great Emperor. Furthermore, his foundations were far better than the current Great Emperors. He had advanced straight to the Seventh Order, which meant he had a chance to reach the Ninth Order one day.
In this regard, even Yang Kai could not hold a candle to Shi Da Zhuang. His limit was the Eighth Order, and although he had yet to reach the peak of his realm, it was next to impossible for Yang Kai to break through to the Ninth Order.
“Wonderful!” Yang Kai rejoiced. No matter what the background of the Pastoral Great Emperor was, so long as he could advance to the Ninth Order, he would become a cornerstone of the Human Race.
Thanks to the invasion of a powerful external enemy, the Human Race no longer had much internal strife.
Even though there were quite a lot of geniuses who had advanced straight to the Seventh Order, their growth would be extremely slow. Shi Da Zhuang was different though. His growth time should be much shorter than others thanks to the World Tree clone in the Star Boundary.
“There’s also something that Iron Blood and I haven’t announced to the public yet. In fact, we haven’t been able to make up our minds about what to do, but since you’re back, we’ll ask for your opinion,” Duan Hong Chen added.
Yang Kai stated, “Senior Hong Chen, please speak.”
Duan Hong Chen replied, “Actually, I don’t think you need me to tell you this, but since you just returned, you probably haven’t noticed yet. The limit of the Star Boundary seems to have increased.”
Yang Kai was momentarily stunned after hearing this before he tried to focus and sense it.
A Universe World’s limit was tangible and fixed, but normal people could not sense it unless they were a Great Emperor like Yang Kai or Duan Hong Chen. No matter how high one’s cultivation was, it was extremely difficult to perceive this as it was related to the acknowledgement of the World itself.
The number of Great Emperors depended on the capacity of the Universe World. The larger the capacity, the more Great Emperors it could give birth to.
The Star Boundary had always had a total of 10 Great Emperors at maximum. Logically speaking, after Shi Da Zhuang became a Great Emperor, the Star Boundary’s capacity should have reached its limit, making it impossible for another Great Emperor to be born.
Despite that, Yang Kai discovered that the Star Boundary still seemed to have some room to accommodate more, which meant the Star Boundary’s capacity had not reached its limit.
“When did it start to change?” Yang Kai was astounded.
“I don’t know,” Dong Hong Chen shook his head, “In the past, the Star Boundary had never been able to give birth to more than 10 Great Emperors. We only had nine for so long we did not pay much attention to it. It was only when Pastoral was titled that we noticed that the Star Boundary had still not hit its limit. Furthermore, it seemed to have continued growing over the years.”
“The World Tree clone?” Yang Kai pondered.
Duan Hong Chen nodded, “Apart from this, I can’t find any other explanation. As you know, a Universe World’s capacity is directly correlated to its Grand Dao. Some Universe Worlds’ Grand Dao is stronger, so their capacity is larger. Correspondingly, the number of Great Emperors they could give birth to is higher. Under normal circumstances, the limit of a Universe World’s Grand Dao is fixed, and that was also true for the Star Boundary. So, the number of Great Emperors was also fixed. But now, after years of the World Tree clone’s nourishment, the Star Boundary’s Grand Dao has become stronger. This should be the reason why the World’s capacity has increased.”
Yang Kai nodded his agreement, “Makes sense.”
Duan Hong Chen continued with a smile, “Right now, only a few people besides the Great Emperors know about this matter. We haven’t publicly announced it…”
Yang Kai knew what was going through their minds. There might not be any strife among Humans right now, but everyone still had their own selfish motives. In the current Star Boundary, the Dao Temples of various Cave Heavens and Paradises had many disciples. Naturally, Duan Hong Chen and the others were more inclined to have the Star Boundary native cultivators become Great Emperors and occupy the final position. As such, the more Star Boundary Great Emperors there were, the stronger their overall strength would be and the greater their position in the Human Race’s hierarchy would become.
“Do you think we should announce it to the public?” Duan Hong Chen asked.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before agreeing, “Let’s announce it to the public. Presently, the 3,000 Worlds has been invaded by foreign enemies, uniting us all in a common cause. In times like this, it would be quite petty to hide such a fact. Also, announcing it should stimulate competitiveness in the younger generation. Although the Star Boundary’s capacity has increased, it seems to only be able to give birth to one more Great Emperor at most. It might increase in the future, but that remains to be seen. Not to mention, we won’t be able to hide this forever. Someone will eventually rise up to take that Great Emperor position.”
Duan Hong Chen nodded, “Then we’ll follow your lead. Head Manager, find an opportunity to spread the news.”
The nearby Hua Qing Si nodded her acknowledgement, “Leave it to me.”
A Great Emperor might not be much on its own, as it was just another Emperor Realm Master that was a little stronger than normal, after all; but a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary was another thing altogether. Duan Hong Chen, Zhan Wu Hen, and the other Great Emperors’ rapid growth was obvious to other cultivators. Everyone knew that it was thanks to the World Tree clone’s feedback. If they could be titled as a Great Emperor in the Star Boundary, it would definitely save them a great deal of time in the future.
It was quite easy to imagine that once this news was disseminated, it would create a cultivation frenzy among the younger generation. There was only one position, and everyone would compete for it. Whether one could compete or not would depend on one’s potential.
“The Star Boundary is too crowded,” Yang Kai suddenly looked outside and said.
In the past, various Cave Heavens and Paradises came to the Star Boundary to establish Dao Temples, dividing up some of the territory. At that time, it was nothing to worry about. Although High Heaven Palace enjoyed quite a popularity in the Star Boundary, it alone was unable to nurture all the rising talents. So, Yang Kai was more than happy to share the burden with the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
It was a win-win cooperation.
Only, with the migration of cultivators from other Great Territories, in which even Cave Heavens and Paradises lost their millennia of heritage and foundation, a single Star Boundary was unable to meet the needs of the entire Human Race.
The sight of all the remaining forces and elites of the Human Race gathered at one spot might have looked spectacular, but in fact, it was quite detrimental to their development.
Originally, Yang Kai had been hesitant about creating another Star Boundary, but by the looks of it, doing so was imperative.
Not only could it relieve the pressure of the Star Boundary, but it could also resolve some internal issues of the Human Race.
Not to mention, if there was another Star Boundary, there would be more Great Emperors like Duan Hong Chen and Zhan Wu Hen in the future.