Chapter 5611

Since the Heavenly Tribulation started, bolts of lightning had never stopped striking down mercilessly at the spinning Monster Core.

The flashes of lightning were the manifestation of the Heavens’ might, and they were horrifyingly destructive.

Whenever lightning struck, it would form a new crack in the Monster Core. The Shadow Leopard continuously activated its power to repair its Monster Core, and as long as it could do so faster than the lightning could damage it, the beast would successfully achieve an ascension.

Moreover, this kind of uninterrupted destruction and repair would purify and strengthen the Monster Core while it absorbed part of the power of the lightning.

Usually, it wasn’t too risky for a Monster King to attempt a breakthrough, only a bit more than an Emperor Realm Master trying to make it to the Open Heaven Realm. As long as he had accumulated enough heritage, it wouldn’t be hard for a Monster King to succeed.

Since the Lord of the Star Boundary left behind the Primal Art in the Myriad Monsters World back then, no Monster King had failed to break through their limits; however, their strengths varied greatly after their breakthroughs.

Nevertheless, the Shadow Leopard was different. Compared to the long years of accumulation the older generation Monster Kings possessed, it had only cultivated for a relatively short time.

The Shadow Leopard managed to become a Monster King after just several hundred years because it had devoured many other Monster Beasts. In doing so, it had offended many Monster Kings.

Half of the Rock Snake King’s offspring had been eaten by the Shadow Leopard; therefore, it was only natural that it hated the Shadow Leopard to its core.

In just several hundred years, the Shadow Leopard grew from a little cub to a powerful Monster King by devouring many others, which naturally resulted in its power being mixed with many others.

The Heavenly Tribulation was a crisis, but also an opportunity. The flashes of lightning could dispel any impurities from its Monster Core, greatly strengthening its foundation and heritage.

Any other Monster King would have successfully achieved a breakthrough after such a long time; however, the Shadow Leopard was still making use of the Heavens’ power to purify its strength. It already had a high level of sentience, so it knew that this was a rare opportunity. If it didn’t seize the chance to temper its Monster Core fully, its future would be limited even if it became a Monster Emperor.

Bolts of lightning continued to strike and form even more cracks in the Monster Core, indicating that it had already reached its limit.

But limits were meant to be broken through.

The Shadow Leopard was ambitious, so it wasn’t content with only becoming a weak Monster Emperor in the Myriad Monsters World. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that it had been friends with Qin Xue for years, but it had learned from her that there were extremely powerful Humans. Even the current Monster Emperors were no match for those Seventh-Order, Eighth-Order, and Ninth-Order Human Masters.

The moment Qin Xue turned her head, she saw the Monster Core was full of cracks and that some lightning whirled around it.

It seemed to her that the Monster Core would shatter at any moment, which was why she was anxious. More importantly, the Shadow Leopard appeared to be running out of power.

Unlike how upstanding its figure was when the Heavenly Tribulation started, it had now crouched down. Under Heaven’s power, even the hardest backbone would shatter eventually.

“That’s enough, Leopard King!” Qin Xue exclaimed.

If the Shadow Leopard forcibly attempted a breakthrough at this moment, it would most likely succeed; however, if this dragged on, the situation would get worse.

“You should worry about yourself first!” The Rock Snake King said insidiously as a glint flashed across its hideous teeth.

The storm seemed to have intensified.

Another flash of lightning struck just then. The Shadow Leopard seemed unable to persevere any longer as its knees came into contact with the ground. Blood streamed out of its wounds. The Monster Core above its head appeared ruined as lightning flashed out through the cracks.

“Got you!”

A yell was heard all of a sudden as a gigantic figure shot out from the side of the peak and attempted to assault the Shadow Leopard with its huge hand.

A flash of lightning revealed that this gigantic figure was a white-haired ape. More importantly, before it flared up, no one had detected its aura. It seemed to possess a method to conceal its aura.

Monster Qi undulated wildly around the huge hand. Even if the Shadow Leopard was at the peak of its power, it would be instantly killed after getting struck by such an attack, not to mention in its current, powerless state.

“White Hair Ape King!” Qin Xue exclaimed as her heart sank.

Just like the Rock Snake King, the White Hair Ape King’s territory was adjacent to the Shadow Leopard’s. Since they were neighbours, conflicts were inevitable. While a lot of the Rock Snake King’s offspring had been eaten by the Shadow Leopard, the same thing had happened to the White Hair Ape King.

Since the Snake King had appeared, there was no way the White Hair Ape King would stay put.

However, the Ape King had been hiding in the dark and waiting for a suitable chance, so it was even more insidious than the Rock Snake King. Following the bolt of lightning earlier, the Shadow Leopard’s aura plunged. As such, the White Hair Ape King instantly appeared as it felt it was the best chance to make a move.

Its strong hand struck the Shadow Leopard dead on, but the latter’s skull was not shattered, nor was there any blood at all. The huge hand simply slipped through the Shadow Leopard’s skull directly.

At that moment, the Shadow Leopard seemed to be just an illusory figure.

“Huh?” The White Hair Ape King’s Human-like face appeared doubtful, but before it could figure out what happened, it met the Shadow Leopard’s amber eyes, which were tinged with mockery.

[A trap!]

The White Hair Ape King’s heart was filled with trepidation. Although he had no idea what kind of Divine Ability the Shadow Leopard had used just now, the latter must have hidden it for such a moment.

Both Monster Kings were so close they could feel each other’s breath.

The Shadow Leopard’s aura appeared weak just moments ago, but now it surged all of a sudden. Its sharp claws accurately ripped open the White Hair Ape King’s abdomen, causing blood to splash out wildly.

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been possible for the Shadow Leopard to kill the White Hair Ape King in such a way, not to mention that it was exhausted. However, the White Hair Ape King thought that the Shadow Leopard was doomed, so it had put down all its defences when assaulting the latter. That was how the Shadow Leopard succeeded in one blow.

A single moment was long enough to determine the White Hair Ape King’s fate.

The instant the Shadow Leopard retracted its claws, a fist-sized Monster Core was pulled out. Without hesitation, the Shadow Leopard stuffed the Monster Core into its mouth and gulped it down.

“You…” The White Hair Ape King wasn’t dead yet, but since its Monster Core was lost, around 90% of its cultivation was gone for good. Nonetheless, it was a Monster Race member, so it had intrepid vitality. If it could escape and spend some time recuperating, it might just survive. However, it would take a very long time for it to become a Monster King again, if that was even possible.

*Kacha…* 

Another bolt of lightning struck.

The White Hair Ape King’s face filled with terror. The Shadow Leopard didn’t have the spare time to finish its opponent off, but the Ape King couldn’t possibly resist the Heavenly Tribulation in its current state.

As lightning hit the Ape King, it exploded and turned into ash.

The Shadow Leopard was at the most critical moment of its ascension and it was initially running out of power, but after it devoured a Monster King’s Monster Core, its power had been significantly replenished.

Some of the Monster Core’s power was of course wasted since the Shadow Leopard didn’t have time to absorb it properly; nevertheless, it was the last of the beast’s concerns. Presently, it surged its Monster Qi to repair its Monster Core, healing the old cracks just as more were formed under the Heavenly Tribulation.

The Shadow Leopard knew that if this dragged on, it would lose its life, so without hesitation, it swallowed the Monster Core in front of it.

At that instant, lightning swirled around its figure. Beams of lightning were seen shooting out of its wounds, making it look like a lightning leopard.

“Not enough! It’s still not enough!” The Shadow Leopard roared as its amber eyes had been dyed red. It turned its head and glared at the two nearby Monster Kings who were fighting with the two Emperor Realm Masters.

Both the Rock Snake King and Iron Wing Eagle King shuddered when they met the Shadow Leopard’s gaze.

They were already flabbergasted by the White Hair Ape King’s death. They initially thought that the Shadow Leopard was doomed, so it stunned them when they realised the latter had been concealing its power. The Divine Ability that helped its figure turn illusory didn’t seem like something a Monster Race member could master. Instead, it looked more like a Human Secret Technique.

The White Hair Ape King could never have expected that it would be killed in such a way.

Presently, the two Monster Kings were shaken to the core since the Shadow Leopard had targeted them.

“Snake King, many thanks for everything that has happened today! I must give you something in return!” The moment the Shadow Leopard finished speaking, it disappeared from the peak.

[Damn!] The Rock Snake King secretly cursed. If it had known this would be the outcome, it wouldn’t have tried to interrupt the Shadow Leopard’s breakthrough today.

The White Hair Ape King was a fool, letting himself be killed so easily by the Shadow Leopard. The Snake King was certain that the Shadow Leopard was on its last legs, so all the Ape King had to do was wait patiently and the Heavenly Tribulation would have taken care of everything.

Nevertheless, the Ape King’s Monster Core had become the Shadow Leopard’s source of power now.

Without hesitation, the Rock Snake King turned around and shot off. It had given up on the idea of avenging its offspring’s death. It stuck its head close to the ground and quickly retreated to its territory.

Meanwhile, the Iron Wing Eagle King was doing the same. However, unlike how flustered the Snake King was, the Eagle King was still calm and collected. It was a Monster King that specialized in flight, after all, so its speed was far greater than average. Furthermore, it didn’t have a blood feud with the Shadow Leopard. If the Shadow Leopard chased after the Snake King, the Eagle King could flee with ease.

While it was still thinking so though, it felt a figure approaching it in the sky.

The Eagle King was shocked, wondering why the Shadow Leopard had targeted it instead of its archnemesis, the Snake King.

Just then, it felt a weight on its back as the Shadow Leopard landed. The next moment, a flash of lightning struck.

Both Monster Kings quivered.

Unlike when its Monster Core was out there withstanding the Heavenly Tribulation earlier, the Shadow Leopard had swallowed it now. As such, the Heavenly Tribulation now directly struck the Shadow Leopard, putting it in a more dangerous situation.

However, the Shadow Leopard wasn’t bothered.

If it couldn’t overcome the Heavenly Tribulation, it would lose its life.

Both Monster Kings stiffened when they were struck by the Heavenly Tribulation, after which they fell from the sky. The Shadow Leopard had become somewhat adapted to the lightning and was prepared for its onslaught unlike its opponent, so it was the first to recover as it extended its claws and tore the Eagle King’s back apart. After digging its Monster Core out, the Shadow Leopard directly gobbled it up.

Then, the Shadow Leopard landed on the ground as lightning swirled around its burly figure. It looked in the direction the Snake King was fleeing and roared, “Since you’ve come today, don’t even think about leaving!”

Following that, it streaked across the land like a flash of lightning and reached the Snake King in the blink of an eye before pressing its claws against the snake and forcing its head down, “Why are you running off so quickly, Snake King?”

“I… No!” Following a shriek, another Monster King’s Monster Core was dug out.

Chapter 5612

As the Shadow Leopard swallowed several Monster Cores of Monster Kings who were just as powerful as it was, its aura reached its peak.

The invisible shackles broke apart as the Shadow Leopard achieved a breakthrough. While it roared painfully and wildly, its aura transformed into something new.

Claps of thunder were still heard. While the Heavenly Tribulation was harming the Shadow Leopard, it was also purifying its power.

There came a moment when, with the Shadow Leopard as the centre, a round of visible shockwaves spread out in all directions. An extremely powerful aura exuded from the Shadow Leopard.

“It succeeded!” Qin Xue, who had been paying close attention to the Shadow Leopard, cried tears of joy, oblivious to the fact that she had dug her fingers into her palms from all her worrying.

She initially thought that the Shadow Leopard was doomed, so it surprised her when the latter overcame a seemingly impossible crisis and even achieved greater heights.

“Incredible,” Hou Qing Hai was standing beside her and was astounded by the Shadow Leopard’s determination. If he were in the Shadow Leopard’s situation, he reckoned that he wouldn’t have survived.

As he felt the Shadow Leopard’s aura, he remarked, “It’s now a Third-Order Monster Emperor.”

After a Monster King achieved a breakthrough, it would become a Monster Emperor and the Orders were categorised based on the Humans’ Open Heaven Realm method. As such, the Orders corresponded to those of the Humans.

In other words, the Shadow Leopard, who was now a Third-Order Monster Emperor, was equivalent to a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Human Master.

This kind of cultivation was low compared to Human standards, and if the Shadow Leopard had achieved an ascension through the Open Heaven Realm method, its limit would be the Fifth Order.

On the various Great Territory Battlefields, there were innumerable Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.

However, the Shadow Leopard had achieved a breakthrough using the Primal Art, so its potential was limitless. As long as it continuously tempered its Monster Core and absorbed enough power, it would reach the Ninth Order one day.

Certainly, it would take the beast a long time to achieve that; after all, the strongest Monster Emperors from the Myriad Monsters World were currently only in the Fifth Order.

In the dense forest, many Monster Kings were initially making their way over from all directions, but following the deaths of the White Hair Ape King, Iron Wing Eagle King, and Rock Snake King, these Monster Kings quickly hid themselves and retreated.

They had wanted to hold the Humans responsible using today’s incident and invade several Human Sects to feast on them. They were determined to nullify the agreement and chase the Humans out of the Myriad Monsters World. However, the Monster Kings who were the masterminds behind this plot were dead, so what was the point of the others staying there?

“Not enough! It’s still not enough!” The Shadow Leopard growled.

Finally, Qin Xue realised that something was off. Supposedly, since the Shadow Leopard had successfully achieved a breakthrough, its aura would stabilise soon. Instead, the Shadow Leopard’s aura, which showed that it was a Third-Order Monster Emperor, was still rising.

As a bolt of lightning struck, the Shadow Leopard disappeared once again.

Soon, a shriek was heard from the distance as a Monster King questioned furiously, “Why!?”

Following the Monster King’s demise, the dark clouds, which were initially fading, returned. The Heavenly Tribulation seemed to be brewing again in those dark clouds.

Another roar was heard moments later.

The originally quiet forest became clamorous as though a handful of salt had been thrown into a frying pan full of hot oil. These Monster Kings seemed to have detected danger, so they stopped hiding and madly surged their powers to retreat to their territories as quickly as possible.

A Monster King growled, “Leopard King, since you’ve become a Monster Emperor, why do you still want to kill us ruthlessly!?”

The Shadow Leopard didn’t answer the question as it focused on killing and devouring.

Qin Xue’s face turned pale again as she looked up at the increasingly thick dark clouds and the flashes of lightning, “What is it trying to do?”

The Heavenly Tribulation was supposedly over, and the Shadow Leopard had become the Leopard Emperor; however, it was still hunting those Monster Kings down. It didn’t seem to have the intention of letting them off.

Although the Shadow Leopard had just achieved an ascension, the difference in power between a Monster Emperor and a Monster King was unimaginably huge, not to mention that the Leopard Emperor was still withstanding the bolts of lightning. As the Heavenly Tribulation struck randomly and with enough strength to harm the Leopard Emperor, these Monster Kings were unable to bear the fallout.

The auras of these powerful Monster Kings subsequently disappeared, and in the blink of an eye, four or five Monster Kings had been killed. The Shadow Leopard was dextrous to begin with, and now that it had become a Monster Emperor, it could move even faster. From a bird’s eye view, one could see a leopard moving across the land like a flash of lightning.

The Shadow Leopard was badly injured, but it had never felt more alive than it did today. It knew that it had made the right decision.

The Third-Order Monster Emperor Realm wasn’t the end of its ascension this time.

Hou Qing Hai was dumbfounded, but he soon recalled something, “Great Emperor!”

“What?” Qin Xue was startled for a moment before coming to her senses, “Husband, you mean it is trying to become a Great Emperor of the Myriad Monsters World?”

“That’s the only possibility,” Hou Qing Hai nodded with certainty, “Did you tell it about the Great Emperors?”

Qin Xue nodded, “It did ask me about it once. In fact, most Monster Kings are aware of the existence of Great Emperors. When they became Monster Emperors, they certainly hoped to become Great Emperors as well; however, none of them have received the acknowledgement of the World’s Will over the years. As such, there has never been a Great Emperor in the Myriad Monsters World.”

Hou Qing Hai sighed, “It seems that the Leopard Emperor has found a way to become a Great Emperor.”

Perhaps the leopard didn’t look for the way as it merely conformed to the Heavenly Way of this World. There was no order to speak of among the Monster Race. Compared to Humans, Monster Race members lived in a constant state of battle. Furthermore, the Myriad Monsters World’s environment was primitive. Regardless of what the Shadow Leopard had done, it had undoubtedly garnered the attention of the World’s Grand Dao.

If it succeeded, it would most likely become a Great Emperor; however, if it failed, it would be doomed.

It was a huge gamble.

The dark clouds showed signs of dissipating after the Shadow Leopard first became a Monster Emperor, but as its aura continued to rise and it relentlessly killed and devoured other Monster Kings, the dark clouds reconstituted and grew in scale.

Flashes of lightning struck down at the Shadow Leopard like whips, both wounding it while also purifying its aura all at once.

The Shadow Leopard, which was originally a Third-Order Monster Emperor, was about to break through to the Fourth-Order.

As such, it became increasingly easy for it to kill other Monster Kings.

A Monster King that looked like a fox had returned to its territory and withdrawn its aura. While hiding in its den, it shuddered. However, the next moment, the earth was lifted off as a figure with lightning whirling around it appeared above the fox’s head. Its eyes were like two blood Moons as it glared at the fox.

“M-Monster!” The fox spoke in Human language with anxiety. Its voice was soft and demure, so one could imagine that if the fox assumed Human Form, it would be a seductive woman. Its mind had turned blank at the most critical moment, so it could only muster such a response.

“Damn you, Leopard Emperor! You demon!” The Shadow Leopard yanked the fox out of the den and opened its bloody maw to devour its prey.

“Leopard Emperor, stop!” A growl that sounded like it came from a hefty beast was heard at that moment. In the distance, a gigantic figure rushed over and landed in front of the Shadow Leopard. It was a Monster with an ox head and a Human body. The two horns on its head made it look intimidating, and scorching breath was seen puffing out from its nostrils. Given its power, it was already able to assume a full Human Form; nevertheless, it seemed too lazy to do so and only took a half-human form to move around more easily.

“Save me, Sir!” The fox exclaimed.

“You’re finally here!” The Shadow Leopard directly stuffed the fox into its mouth and chewed it as blood spilled through its teeth. There was no doubt the beast was cruel and merciless, its eyes appearing nonchalant, as though it had just killed an ordinary Monster Beast instead of a powerful Monster King. Bolts of lightning continued to hit the Shadow Leopard which made it quiver.

The Ox Head Monster Emperor was both shocked and furious as he roared, “You dare!”

The fox was the ox’s favourite concubine as it knew many tricks to infuse some fun into its boring life. The ox was shocked to see the fox being killed right before its eyes.

The Shadow Leopard’s voice sounded like a sneer, “So what if I’ve killed her? Do you want to avenge its death?”

The breath emitted from the Ox Head Monster Emperor’s nostrils seemed to have materialised, which showed how incensed it was. Nevertheless, it forced itself to calm down and nodded, “Leopard Emperor, since you’re also a Monster Emperor now, you should comply with the rules in this World and mustn’t kill Monster Kings as you please.”

No one had set such rules, but a tacit agreement had been passed down over the generations.

The Ox Head Monster Emperor initially thought that since it had personally shown up to deal with the matter, the Shadow Leopard would give it some face, but much to its surprise, the Shadow Leopard didn’t show any regard for it at all. If the Shadow Leopard were any other Monster Emperor, the Ox Head Monster Emperor wouldn’t have let it off so easily. Monster Race members loved fighting, after all, and it had been a Monster Emperor in the Myriad Monsters World for 300 years, so it wasn’t afraid of anyone.

However, the Leopard Emperor’s aura showed that it was about to reach the Fourth Order, and Heavenly lightning continued to strike it. As such, the Ox Head Monster Emperor wasn’t willing to get into a conflict with it.

It hoped that the Shadow Leopard would be killed by the lightning.

“Why don’t you finish your Heavenly Tribulation first? We can talk after that.”

“Cut the crap! Do you think this Emperor doesn’t know that you’re the one behind all this? That slut must have instigated you to do this as well! I was going to look for you anyway, but since you’re here already, it’s saved me some trouble!”

“You wanted to look for me?” The Ox Head Monster Emperor widened its eyes and looked at the Shadow Leopard in disbelief.

The Shadow Leopard laughed cruelly, “Give me your Monster Core and I’ll spare your life.”

The moment it finished speaking, it turned into a flash of light and charged towards the Ox Head Monster Emperor.

The Heavenly Tribulation still hadn’t ceased, and the Shadow Leopard wasn’t so foolish as to think that the other party would agree to its demand, so it struck first.

The Ox Head Monster Emperor was flabbergasted, for it never expected the crazy leopard to take action without even trying to negotiate. It now regretted coming here.

As Monster Qi surged, both Monster Emperors engaged in battle, elevating the conflict beyond a mere brawl between Monster Kings. Monster Emperors were already the most powerful beings in the Myriad Monsters World, so a life-and-death fight between the two could cause unimaginable damage.

Mountains collapsed and rivers flowed in reverse. The Heavenly Tribulation intensified amidst the thunderstorm as claps of thunder seemed to be cheering on this battle.

Chapter 5613

In the distance, Qin Xue and Hou Qing Hai stood on the crown of a tree, pale as they circulated their Emperor Qi to fend off the aftereffects of the battle. 

Although they had no idea whether the Shadow Leopard would win, its words made them realise that the Ox Head Monster Emperor was the culprit behind the incident tonight.

In the Myriad Monsters World, not all Monster Race members were willing to comply with the agreement. Some of them believed that the Myriad Monsters World belonged to the Monster Race, and as such, all the Humans should be killed or become their food.

Despite having such thoughts, they wouldn’t dare to do anything to directly break the agreement.

The Ox Head Monster Emperor was a leader among this faction of the Monster Race. It had expressed its hostility against the Human Race on many occasions and the Sects run by the Humans in its territory had an especially hard time. The disciples from these Sects would even disappear from time to time.

Although it didn’t dare to brazenly target the Humans, the disciples of those Sects could never collect herbs from the forests as easily as those from Great Feather Pavilion.

The disciples in its territory didn’t have the guts to move far away from their Sects as they were worried they wouldn’t be able to return.

Similarly, there were several Monster Emperors who shared the same sentiment as the Ox Head Monster Emperor, but most never showed their intentions explicitly.

Upon hearing Shadow Leopard’s words, Qin Xue and her Husband were certain that the Ox Head Monster Emperor was the mastermind behind this incident.

Qin Xue and Shadow Leopard had been close friends for hundreds of years, which was no secret. As Shadow Leopard went through the Heavenly Tribulation that night, Rock Snake King and White Hair Ape King, who were on bad terms with it, would make a move. There was no way Qin Xue would sit back and do nothing. Once she decided to meddle though, it was no different from destroying the agreement. As such, there wouldn’t be a problem for those of the Monster Race to flare up and retaliate.

It was hard to imagine that a Monster Race member could come up with such a vicious plan; after all, the Ox Head Monster Emperor looked like a forthright being. Nevertheless, Monster Emperors were no less intelligent than Humans.

Everywhere in the Myriad Monsters World, some Monster Race members were secretly paying close attention to the battle between these two Monster Emperors.

They were not Monster Kings, who were unable to have a hand in the battle between two Monster Emperors. Those who could watch this fight were all Monster Emperors in the Myriad Monsters World.

This single breakthrough had affected the entire Myriad Monsters World. Qin Xue was worried that if Shadow Leopard lost the fight, the Myriad Monsters World would descend into turmoil.

She wasn’t certain if Shadow Leopard would win. Although its aura suggested that it was only one step away from becoming a Fourth-Order Monster Emperor, it was badly injured because of the Heavenly Tribulation. Moreover, it had just achieved a breakthrough, so no one knew how much of its power it could utilize.

On the other hand, even though the Ox Head Monster Emperor was only a Third-Order Monster Emperor as well, it had been 300 years since it entered that realm. Not only did it have ample heritage, it was also steady and obstinate. There was no doubt it was a formidable opponent for Shadow Leopard.

Shadow Leopard’s growls and Ox Head Monster Emperor’s bellows reverberated across the sky.

These two gigantic figures crashed into the ground, causing a radius of 10,000 kilometres around them to tremble.

Lightning continued to strike Shadow Leopard, increasing its wounds. Presently, it was fighting against the Heavens and a Monster Emperor, making this the greatest crisis it had ever faced.

However, it was the Ox Head Monster Emperor who felt increasingly terrified. Although the Heavenly Tribulation mainly struck Shadow Leopard, its fallout was giving the Ox Head Monster Emperor a hard time. Although it was a Third-Order Monster Emperor, such fallout was still deadly to it, and as more time passed, the impact would only become more pronounced.

The Ox Head Monster Emperor was also astonished that instead of plummeting, Shadow Leopard’s aura continued to rise.

“Just die already!” Shadow Leopard roared.

The Ox Head Monster Emperor was both terrified and furious. It had already regretted making use of the Shadow Leopard’s ascension to deal with the Humans. Initially, it was worried that the stronger Open Heaven Realm Masters might intervene to ruin its plan, but it never crossed its mind that before it could even carry out its plot, it would be destroyed by Shadow Leopard.

Another bolt of lightning struck, as though responding to Shadow Leopard’s roar.

The Ox Head Monster Emperor widened its eyes in disbelief because it realised that Shadow Leopard had broken through to the Fourth-Order Monster Emperor Realm.

Such an incident was simply unheard of.

Usually, when a Monster King became a Monster Emperor, its Order would be fixed. It was inconceivable that even though Shadow Leopard had become a Monster Emperor, it could still ascend to the next Order during its Heavenly Tribulation.

Initially, both of them were Third-Order Monster Emperors, so the Ox Head Monster Emperor had the confidence to oppose Shadow Leopard since it had been hundreds of years since its own ascension. However, the moment Shadow Leopard became a Fourth-Order Monster Emperor, the Ox Head Monster Emperor knew that it was doomed.

What’s more, it felt uneasy because the Myriad Monsters World seemed to be favouring Shadow Leopard. Presently, Shadow Leopard was no longer defying the Heavens; instead, it was harmonizing itself with the Will of the Myriad Monsters World.

The Ox Head Monster Emperor suddenly realised that this was the true Grand Dao of the Monster Race.

If it could survive this day, it would only take a short time to make it to the Fourth Order, and in the future, it would probably have great achievements.

However, could it escape from death’s door?

Its epiphany at this point seemed laughable.

“It’s incredible! Good! Great!” Shadow Leopard seemed to have gone mad as its amber eyes were filled with ecstasy when all of a sudden, it stepped backwards.

The Ox Head Monster Emperor, who had been bearing the storm of attacks, could finally take a breather. Although it had no idea why Shadow Leopard suddenly retreated, it did not question this unexpected reprieve.

While panting, it took a look at Shadow Leopard, but just as it was ready to say something, it saw Shadow Leopard’s robust figure crouching down. One of its paws was in front of the other while it bent both of its back legs.

The leopard looked like a bow that was ready to shoot.

The Ox Head Monster Emperor felt a chill running down its spine, for it was most familiar with Shadow Leopard’s posture.

The posture showed that it was ready to take down its prey.

“Hear me out, Leopard Emperor!” The Ox Head Monster Emperor exclaimed despite feeling embarrassed.

An unfazed Shadow Leopard roared, “Block my move, and I’ll spare your life!”

Upon finishing its words, it seemed to draw in all the lightning around it before vanishing into the darkness.

However, the Ox Head Monster Emperor wasn’t elated at all as it felt the aura of death coming right at it. Faced with the leopard’s glare, it involuntarily stiffened.

As the lightning struck, the Shadow Leopard’s figure was illuminated. It leaped into the air and pounced on the Ox Head Monster Emperor. As it opened its hideous maw, lightning flickered in it. It was as though the leopard had bolts of lightning in its mouth.

Thunder Bite!

Following a flash of lightning, a low shriek was heard reverberating across the Myriad Monsters World. Upon hearing the shriek, all Monster Race members shuddered and remained silent in their dens.

A powerful aura died out in the next instant.

It had been 800 years since the Myriad Monsters World opened up to the outside world, but the Ox Head Monster Emperor was the first Monster Emperor to pass away on it.

Following the use of Thunder Bite, the Ox Head Monster Emperor didn’t even have the strength to counterattack. It stiffened after the lightning struck its figure. Shadow Leopard bit its neck and dug out its Monster Core before gulping it down.

A Third-Order Monster Emperor’s Monster Core was quite nourishing to the leopard.

The Heavenly Tribulation seemed to have become more violent at that moment as nine lightning columns struck consecutively. The peak where Shadow Leopard was located became a valley upon impact.

It felt as if only an instant had passed, but simultaneously like a million years had gone by. Dark clouds continued to gather in the sky, but there was no more lightning.

In the mountain valley, a battered Shadow Leopard got up with difficulty and roared at the sky, after which the dark clouds dissipated.

In the void, the figure of a sturdy black leopard was reflected. The figure looked exactly like Shadow Leopard, right down to its fur.

Throughout the entire Myriad Monsters World, wherever the Humans and Monster Race members were, as long as they looked up, they could see this magnificent figure.

The World hummed as it seemed to be filled with joy.

The Shadow Leopard’s illusory figure in the sky warped before transforming into two ancient characters. The language didn’t belong to the Humans or the Monster Race and seemed to be a direct manifestation of the Heavenly Way. They represented the World’s Will, so everyone could recognise their meaning in an instant.

Thunder Shadow!

The trillions of living creatures in the Myriad Monsters World instantly realised that there was a new Great Emperor that had gained the World’s acknowledgement, and Thunder Shadow was its title.

While the Humans were astonished, the Monster Race celebrated.

They had only heard about Great Emperors from the Humans; however, while many Monster Race members had managed to become Monster Emperors over the years, none had risen to claim the mantle of Great Emperor. They initially thought that it was because the Monster Race was different from the Humans; after all, the Heavenly Way in this era favoured Humans while the Monster Race was only the darling of the previous era. As such, they were worried there would never be a Great Emperor from the Monster Race.

The birth of Thunder Shadow Great Emperor allowed them to see new hope. Fortunately, the Heavens had not cut off the dream of becoming Great Emperors. They were in the Myriad Monsters World where the environment and aura were primitive and favoured them, which was almost like an extension of the previous era.

Since Shadow Leopard had become a Great Emperor, it meant that the other Monster Kings had such a chance as well.

In comparison, the deaths of more than 10 Monster Kings and a Third-Order Monster Emperor were nothing worth mentioning.

Initially, many long-time Monster Emperors were worried about Shadow Leopard’s actions and planned on suppressing it after the dust settled to let it know that it couldn’t kill as it pleased.

Now though, none dared to suppress it, nor were they capable of doing so. Shadow Leopard was the only Great Emperor in the Myriad Monsters World, so they would consider themselves lucky if Shadow Leopard didn’t find fault with them. How would they have the audacity to challenge it?

This fellow had killed countless Monster Race members to get to where it was today, so if it was disgruntled one day, it might just kill some Monster Emperors and eat them as a snack.

Soon, the two abstruse characters turned into rays of light and shot into Shadow Leopard’s body, leaving a mark in the deepest part of its Soul.

Shadow Leopard had gained the acknowledgement of the Myriad Monsters World and earned a title. Its aura, which was faint and withering, immediately started burning again as though it had been splashed with oil. In all directions, the might of the World streamed into its body, allowing its battered figure to acquire immense nourishment. Its blood stopped flowing out of its wounds which were now healing at an incredible speed. Even its Monster Core, which was about to shatter due to the Heavenly Tribulation, became hard and perfect once more.

The rapid increase in its aura allowed it to rapidly ascend to the Fifth Order before it gradually stopped.

It was a gift from the World, openly showing its favour to Shadow Leopard.

Countless living beings were dumbfounded upon sensing this and many couldn’t help feeling envious.

Chapter 5614

“The One-Legged Ox Clan offers congratulations to Thunder Shadow Great Emperor! From now on, you will be our leader, and we will always obey your commands!”

A loud voice was heard coming from the Southwest. It was a Monster King from the Ox Head Monster Emperor’s Clan who was expressing his loyalty. Since their Clan’s Monster Emperor was killed, there was supposed to be a blood feud between them; however, to the Monster Race, strength mattered above all else, so the dead Monster Emperor no longer mattered.

“The Ice Frog Clan congratulates Thunder Shadow Great Emperor. May you reign over the Myriad Monsters World for generations to come!” A croak was heard coming from the Northeast.

“The Snow Mink Clan congratulates Thunder Shadow Great Emperor.”

It was from the Southeast this time.

One by one, Monster Emperors and Monster Kings raised their voices.

Besides Monster Race members, even the Open Heaven Realm Masters from various Sects congratulated Shadow Leopard.

After it became a Great Emperor, congratulations came from all around.

To the Humans, a Fifth-Order Monster Emperor was certainly not worth much attention; after all, millions of Open Heaven Realm Masters ranged from the Fifth-Order to the Seventh-Order on the various battlefields.

A Great Emperor was nothing special either as every Universe World could produce their own Great Emperors who were powerful in their domains, but insignificant in the expansive Universe.

However, a Great Emperor of the Myriad Monsters World was different; after all, Thunder Shadow Great Emperor was of the Monster Race.

The Humans were fully aware of the achievements of the Great Emperors who came from the Star Boundary. Apart from the Universe-famous Yang Kai, there was Zhan Wu Hen, Duan Hong Chen, Mo Huang, and others who were also well-known figures. They all had made a name for themselves on the battlefields as they slaughtered Black Ink Clansmen.

These Great Emperors only directly ascended to the Sixth Order when they made it to the Open Heaven Realm in the past, but now, most of them were already in the Eighth Order. Two or three of them were still in the Seventh Order, but it wouldn’t be long before they made it to the next Order.

The key was that it had only been about 2,000 years since they first ascended to the Open Heaven Realm.

It would take the average person 2,000 or more years just to ascend from the Sixth Order to the Seventh Order, while it should be impossible to make it to the Eighth Order no matter how many resources they had available. After all, it took time to refine resources too.

However, by relying on their identities as Great Emperors or the Star Boundary, they were able to take advantage of the abundant World Force drawn in and purified by the World Tree clone to shorten the time they needed to cultivate, allowing them to create countless miracles.

Unfortunately, every Universe World had its limit. The World’s Bottle in the Star Boundary was already full, and all the positions had been occupied. Unless a Great Emperor fell, there wouldn’t be new ones rising up. Hence, no one else could enjoy this advantage.

Perhaps the capacity in the Star Boundary would increase in the future, but that would take a long time, and there would surely be fierce competition for any newly opened spot.

In the beginning, the World’s Bottle of the Star Boundary could only accommodate 10 Great Emperors, but that number had expanded to 12 now.

Apart from the Star Boundary though, there was also the Myriad Monsters World.

The first Great Emperor from the Monster Race was born in the Myriad Monsters World today. Although it was currently only a Fifth-Order Monster Emperor, everyone knew the Monster Emperor titled Thunder Shadow would be able to grow in power at an unimaginable pace.

If the Shadow Leopard had used the Open Heaven Realm method to achieve its ascension, its limit would be the Seventh Order since it was now in the Fifth Order; however, it had achieved a breakthrough by relying on the Primal Art. As such, it had a chance to make it to the Eighth Order or even the Ninth Order.

Once it became a Ninth-Order Monster Emperor, given how fierce the Monster Race was, perhaps no Human Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be a match for it.

Certainly, the Humans wouldn’t dare to disregard such a rising Star, not to mention that it was the only Great Emperor in the Myriad Monsters World for now. In other words, the entire Universe World was its territory. Since the Humans wanted to make a living in this world, they had to give face to the Shadow Leopard.

At that instant, many people shifted their attention to the Great Feather Pavilion.

They were aware the Great Emperor was good friends with a woman from the Great Feather Pavilion. It was a well-known fact that it was hard to get along with the Monster Race, but they reckoned that they could try approaching those from the Great Feather Pavilion. As long as they could strike up a relationship with Thunder Shadow Great Emperor through Great Feather Pavilion, that would be beneficial to their Sects.

Currently, the Sects found in the Myriad Monsters World were all smaller Great Forces. The truly powerful Great Forces of the 3,000 Worlds had already settled down in the Star Boundary. The disciples from these smaller Great Forces wouldn’t dare to ignore a Great Emperor’s influence.

This was destined to be a restless night. The Great Forces started planning on how to establish ties with Great Feather Pavilion. Although Great Feather Pavilion was ordinary, it was now the centre of attention in the entire Myriad Monsters World.

Since the sky was now clear, Stars shone down brilliantly at this moment.

The Heavenly Tribulation was over as the dark clouds had dissipated; however, Thunder Shadow Great Emperor had fallen into a deep slumber. It was exhausted from all the battles, not to mention that it had to go against the Heavenly Tribulation at the same time.

Although it had become the Fifth-Order Monster Emperor, its body and soul were now quite weary.

Just then, two figures came over. They were Qin Xue and her husband, who had been paying close attention to the Shadow Leopard. When they heard its loud snoring from a distance, they were startled, but after exchanging glances, they were torn between tears and laughter.

While the Myriad Monsters World experienced a paradigm shift, the one who caused everything was flopped onto its belly, snoring away peacefully, leaving them quite speechless.

“Please go back first, Husband. Don’t let Shuang’er and the others worry about us,” Qin Xue sent him a Divine Sense transmission, “I’ll stay here and take care of it.”

Hou Qing Hai nodded, “Good.”

There wasn’t a need to say anything else. The Shadow Leopard was on good terms with Qin Xue, and now that it was a Great Emperor, no one in the Myriad Monsters World would dare to harm her.

After Hou Qing Hai left, Qin Xue walked over lightly and took a seat beside the Shadow Leopard. As she ran her fingers through its smooth fur, she couldn’t help but recall the first time she met the Shadow Leopard several hundred years ago. It never crossed her mind that the little cub from back then would grow up to be so powerful one day.

She decided to hurry up and break through to the Open Heaven Realm to catch up to it.

As for the agreement between the two Races, there was no need to worry about it. Since the Ox Head Monster Emperor was dead, its plan had failed miserably. Moreover, the Shadow Leopard was now the sole Great Emperor, so as long as it was willing to uphold the agreement, everything would remain the same even though it was just an oral agreement.

No Humans or Monster Race members would dare to disobey a Great Emperor in the Myriad Monsters World at this point.

Shadow Leopard had never shown any hostility towards Humans, and it had always let the disciples from Great Feather Pavilion roam its territory and collect Spirit Herbs at will. The Monster Race members in its territory had also never antagonized the Humans.

As the Shadow Leopard continued to snore, it changed to a more comfortable position.

All of a sudden, its eyes shot open and it gazed up into the sky, but its amber eyes reflected nothing.

“What’s wrong?” Qin Xue asked.

“Nothing,” the Shadow Leopard replied while feeling doubtful. Earlier, it sensed that someone was observing it, but it discovered no one upon scanning the surroundings.

Either it perceived wrongly, or the one spying on it was far more powerful.

It was a Monster Beast with a sensitive perception, so the former was unlikely; hence, the person lurking in the shadows must be significantly more powerful than it.

It reckoned that the person was either a Seventh-Order or Eighth-Order Human Master, as only such a formidable being could hide its presence so completely.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t worried because it didn’t detect any hostility from this gaze. The other side was merely examining it.

As such, it closed its eyes again and dozed off.

Up in the sky, Yang Kai looked down with a faint smile. It seemed that his Monster Self indeed had sharp senses.

It had been 500 years since he built a cave mansion in the World Tree clone in the Star Boundary to enter secluded cultivation. Over the years, he had been refining all sorts of resources to strengthen the heritage of his Small Universe and had gained a lot.

If not for a sense of danger suddenly washing over him one night, he wouldn’t have stopped cultivating and exited retreat.

Since he was only cultivating inside the World Tree, he naturally wouldn’t fall into danger. The feeling he had suggested that either his Human Self or Monster Self was in peril.

The two Soul Clones were independent beings who didn’t even know of their connection to the true body’s existence; however, they were still closely related to him.

After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai concluded that his Human Self was likely fine, so he immediately left the Star Boundary and headed to the Myriad Monsters World.

Given his strength, it only took him two hours to travel from the Star Boundary to the Myriad Monsters World.

Upon his arrival, he saw the Shadow Leopard facing its Heavenly Tribulation. Although he was mentally prepared, Yang Kai was still shocked by Shadow Leopard’s cultivation speed.

It only took Shadow Leopard 500 years to grow from a little cub to a Monster Emperor. The average Monster Race member could never have achieved this.

Although Monster Race members were powerful, their cultivation rate was innately slower compared to that of Humans. It usually took them a long time for them to reach the same relative Realm as their Human counterparts, though they were usually more powerful as a result. It was for this reason that many Monster Race members assumed Human Form early on and gave up on refining their Monster Cores through the Primal Art.

Nevertheless, the Shadow Leopard’s achievements went against common sense. Its cultivation speed was even quicker than that of talented Humans.

When Shadow Leopard came across Qin Xue back then, it was only two years old. At that time, Qin Xue was already in the Separation and Reunion Boundary, but now it was a Great Emperor while Qin Xue had only condensed her Dao Seal.

Although Qin Xue’s cultivation speed wasn’t considered fast among the Humans, it wasn’t slow by any means.

The Shadow Leopard’s growth had broken all rules and conventions. Even some Human prodigies paled compared to the Shadow Leopard when it came to their cultivation speed.

Certainly, this wasn’t solely due to the Shadow Leopard’s capabilities. It was thanks to an amazing Secret Art named the Heaven Devouring Blood Light Scripture.

It was the combination of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law and Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture. Yang Kai had cultivated both Secret Arts before, and given that he was an Eighth-Order Master now, it wasn’t hard for him to combine these Heaven-defying Secret Arts and devise a new one.

The Secret Art was specifically prepared for his Monster Self.

When he split his Soul to create his Monster Self back then, Yang Kai imprinted this Secret Art into Shadow Leopard’s petite figure, turning it into its own Innate Secret Art.

That was the reason Shadow Leopard had been making enemies everywhere over the years. To cultivate the Heaven Devouring Blood Light Scripture, it had to kill and gobble up the physiques and Monster Cores of other Monster Beasts to strengthen itself.

Now, it seemed that Shadow Leopard had done a great job.

Chapter 5615

Yang Kai had travelled far and wide since he started cultivating and considered himself quite knowledgeable, but the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was still the most profound and powerful Secret Art he had ever encountered.

This wasn’t a surprise though seeing how it was deduced by the Martial Ancestor most skilled at creating Secret Arts and Techniques, Shi. Even the core Secret Arts used by the Cave Heavens and Paradises paled in comparison to the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.

Of course, it also had obvious drawbacks. This Secret Art allowed a cultivator to devour anything and everything which possessed even the slightest bit of energy, embracing and consuming all of creation like how every river eventually flowed into the sea. However, a cultivator’s body wasn’t a sea and what was being devoured weren’t rivers.

Unbridled devouring of external power for oneself could help a cultivator gain a large amount of strength quickly, but having too many kinds of strength gathered in one’s body was akin to drinking impurities which would affect one’s mentality. Hence, this Secret Act could easily cause dissonance in one’s cultivation.

Since Wu Kang had the Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus, which kept one’s physical body completely free of all impurities, he could safely practice the Heaven Devouring Battle Law while others couldn’t. Only one Heaven Devouring Great Emperor had ever existed since ancient times for this exact reason.

In truth, the ones who were the most suited to cultivate this Secret Art were the Stone Spirit Clan members. The Stone Spirit Clan possessed the innate ability to extract and purge all impurities, so it was a perfect match for them to practice this Secret Art.

Embodiment, who Yang Kai retrieved from the Demon Realm, had cultivated using the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.

Compared to the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture didn’t have as many drawbacks. However, it had a huge limitation because it could only devour Blood Essence.

Yang Kai merged the advantages of the two Secret Arts and deduced the Heaven Devouring Blood Light Scripture. Though it wasn’t as profound as the Heaven Devouring Battle Law or even the Great Evolution Indestructible Blood Light Scripture, it was incredibly well suited for his Monster Self.

The growth of the Monster Race had always been accompanied by bloodshed. After a battle, the victorious Monster would devour the losing Monster’s physique and Monster Core.

This sort of devouring was instinctual, so Yang Kai only turned that instinct into an Innate Secret Art which greatly accelerated his Monster Self’s growth rate.

This only worked because devouring and refining power from a Monster Beast’s physique and Monster Core wouldn’t have large drawbacks compared to the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Since the power contained in a Monster Beasts’ physiques and Monster Cores was already compatible with other members of the Monster Race, even without the Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus, a Monster Race member’s body could naturally expel any impurities while this new Secret Art helped it far more efficiently and effectively refine that strength for its own use.

Now, there were clear results.

In just a short 500 years, his Monster Self advanced to the Monster Emperor Realm and rose to claim the mantle of Great Emperor.

Yang Kai only felt a bit remorseful now because his Monster Self would no longer be able to kill other members of the Monster Race recklessly and devour their Monster Cores and essence.

Now that his Monster Self was a Great Emperor, the entire Myriad Monsters World was its territory, and all Monster Race members looked up to him, so if it did start a massacre, it would break the balance and might even lose the acknowledgement of the Myriad Monsters World.

Fortunately, Yang Kai’s Monster Self didn’t necessarily need to use such methods to gain more strength. Moreover, there weren’t many Monster Emperors in the Myriad Monsters World in the first place, so even if it killed them all, it wouldn’t gain much growth.

His Monster Self was now the Myriad Monsters World’s only Great Emperor and could follow the example set by Zhan Wu Hen and the others by absorbing World Force directly from the World itself to cultivate. In that sense, it could use the entire Myriad Monsters World’s power without having to share it with any others. Unless a second Great Emperor rose up, Yang Kai’s Monster Self could easily break through to the Sixth-Order, Seventh-Order, or even the Eighth-Order Monster Emperor Realm extremely quickly!

In this way, its growth rate would greatly surpass even Zhan Wu Hen and the other Star Boundary Great Emperors.

His Human Self had a World Tree clone inside his Small Universe, while the title of Great Emperor gained by his Monster Self allowed it to cultivate the power of the World Tree clone in the Myriad Monsters World. Both his Soul Clones had promising futures.

Currently, the Humans and Black Ink Clan were maintaining a delicate balance. The agreement between the two Races stated that besides the six Great Territories where any form of war was permitted, the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords were not allowed to interfere in the ongoing battles; however, no one could be sure when this balance would be broken.

After a rough estimation, Yang Kai realised that it had been about 1,000 years since the Great Armies had retreated from the Barren Territory Battlefield. During this millennium, the Human Race had seen the rise of many talented individuals, but so had the Black Ink Clan.

Even though Yang Kai was in retreat inside the World Tree, it didn’t mean he didn’t know what was happening outside. He was a Great Emperor of the Star Boundary, so nothing that happened in the Star Boundary escaped his senses.

There were also reports coming in from the 13 Battlefields, so Yang Kai knew the Humans had gained several rising stars that shone brightly in each of the Great Territories. Of course, many highly regarded and aspiring youths had also died in battle.

On the other hand, the Black Ink Clan had successfully nurtured a new batch of Territory Lords. Though these Territory Lords weren’t as strong as Innate Territory Lords, they symbolised infinite possibilities as they could one day become Royal Lords.

With how much territory and resources the Black Ink Clan had conquered, they could nurture quite a lot of Royal Lords if they were willing to dedicate all their resources to this pursuit.

Both Races were gathering their strength for the future, so the relative calm they were maintaining was just an illusion. Once one of the clans gained enough of an advantage to wipe the other out, the final battle would commence.

How long would that take? 2,000 years? 3,000? No one could say for certain.

However, Yang Kai knew that there wasn’t much time left.

Judging by the situation on the battlefields, the Human Race didn’t have much of an advantage. Many aspiring individuals had directly broken through to the Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, saving them a lot of cultivation time; however, these individuals still needed a long time to enhance their heritages before advancing to the Eighth and Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realms.

On the other hand, with their Black Ink Nests, though the Black Ink Clan had to steadily rise up from the very weakest as well, they could still advance quicker than the Humans.

Therefore, it could be estimated that when a new Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master appeared among the Humans, the Black Ink Clan would also see the birth of new Royal Lords.

After returning to the Star Boundary, Yang Kai threw himself into his secluded cave mansion and started another round of cultivation.

Years went by.

Yang Kai had completely lost track of time and his secluded cave mansion had slowly been covered in a thick layer of green leaves. Now, if passing Open Heaven Realm Masters didn’t look closely, they would never notice that there was a tree cave here. 

A full 1,200 years later, the sealed-up cave mansion opened again, and Yang Kai emerged.

After more than a thousand years of seclusion, and adding on the time from before he was interrupted by his Monster Self’s advancement, Yang Kai’s retreat lasted for 1,700 years.

This wasn’t the longest time Yang Kai had ever spent cultivating, that distinction belonged to his stay in the Temporal Rivers inside the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, where from his perspective he had secluded himself for some 4,000 years. 

Since he had spent so much time in retreat though, Yang Kai had depleted all the resources he had gathered. One had to know that the number of resources he had collected was simply unfathomable as he had huge piles of various valuable things he had gained through various exploits over the years, but now, all of that was gone.

Of course, with such a huge expenditure, he had achieved equally great results.

Though he hadn’t reached the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he was not far from it. Also, his Small Universe now had countless living beings inside, which would constantly bring him more benefits. Even if he didn’t enter retreat ever again, he would have still reached the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm in short order. That was also his limit in this lifetime.

Yang Kai gently clenched his fists as he felt the majestic strength inside his Small Universe.

If he encountered an Innate Territory Lord now, he was confident that even without using a Soul Rending Thorn, he could kill the other party within 10 moves. 

This was something impossible for him 1,700 years ago.

After nearly 2,000 years of retreat, Yang Kai was eager to find some ignorant Innate Territory Lord and test his current strength. Unfortunately, that idea could only exist in his head, for if he took action, it would violate the peace deal.

For now, the Human Race wasn’t ready for a final battle with the Black Ink Clan, and neither was Yang Kai.

A shadow flashed before Yang Kai’s eyes at that moment as a slender figure landed nearby. The woman had a surprised expression as she exclaimed, “Palace Master!”

Looking at the familiar face, Yang Kai nodded lightly, “You’ve worked hard.”

Hua Qing Si had already broken through to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. After all, many years had passed, and the High Heaven Palace didn’t lack cultivation materials, so it wasn’t hard for her to break through from the Sixth Order to the Seventh Order. However, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was her limit because her aptitude back then was average and she only made her initial breakthrough to the Fifth-Order. 

“I’ve only done what is necessary,” Hua Qing Si replied humbly as she observed Yang Kai and discovered that while his appearance didn’t change much after all these years, his aura had become heavier. This showed that Yang Kai’s strength had significantly increased after this retreat.

“I have something for you to do,” While Yang Kai spoke, he casually waved his hand, and in the next instant, 800 hundred people appeared before them.

All of them were at the peak of the Emperor Realm, and judging by their auras, they had all condensed their Dao Seals and refined all sorts of materials. They were now just one step away from breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm.

These people were naturally the disciples gathered in the Void Dao Temple over the years. 

While looking at the situation, Hua Qing Si understood what Yang Kai meant; after all, it wasn’t the first time she had seen this scene before. As such, she simply nodded, “Palace Master, please rest assured that I will make the necessary arrangements.”

After that, she addressed these Emperor Realm Masters, “Follow me.”

The Emperor Realm Masters respectfully bid the Dao Lord Yang Kai goodbye before leaving with Hua Qing Si.

Once the Head Manager distributed Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, the group of Emperor Realm Masters started breaking through to Open Heaven Realm outside of the Star Boundary. This scene attracted many bystanders.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai stood in place and used his Divine Sense to cover the entire Star Boundary. Instantly, he heard a multitude of conversations.

While listening, Yang Kai soon understood the latest situation on the various Great Territory Battlefields.

In general, both clans were still maintaining their side of the agreement, and it seemed like it would stay that way for some time to come. Besides the ones in those six Great Territory Battlefields, the other Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters remained silent.

On the contrary, the six Great Territory Battlefields which had remained unchanged from the beginning now had very few ordinary soldiers as many Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters now used these vast expanses as their own battlegrounds. 

While quite a number of new Territory Lords had appeared in the Black Ink Clan, the Humans also had many new Eighth-Order Masters, all of whom swarmed into those six Great Territory Battlefields, intending to temper themselves while weakening the enemy’s strength by killing their top Masters. It could be said that the intensity of the battles in those six Great Territory Battlefields vastly exceeded all others.

There were constantly Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords dying in battle, which was very tragic news.

After 1,700 years of retreat, Yang Kai was now eager to move his body. Moreover, he had long decided to search for the first Primordial Light after finishing his latest retreat. To his knowledge, the Primordial Light was the only instrument capable of completely wiping out Mo; therefore, after gathering some intel, Yang Kai flew up to the sky and soon left High Heaven Territory.

Chapter 5616

Now that nearly 2,000 years of changes had passed, the situation in Azure Sun Territory had already changed.

Originally, the Humans and Black Ink Clan in Azure Sun Territory were engaged in a massive total war with battles of all sizes never ceasing. But as time passed, such sights became rarer.

This place was now the battlefield where only the strongest Masters battled each other. Ordinary soldiers from both Races had already moved out of this Great Territory; after all, ordinary soldiers had no right to participate in battles involving such Masters.

At this moment, those who were still actively moving about in this Great Territory were at least Feudal Lords and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who came here to gain some stimulation and break through their bottlenecks.

There were Masters from both Races fighting each other in every corner of this Great Territory, the fallout so intense that it could be felt across vast distances in all directions. These fights wouldn’t continue for long periods as those who gained small victories would immediately fall back, lest they attract the attention of reinforcements from the other side.

The quiet void was like a sleeping monster that would wake up at any moment and devour all the active Masters from both Races.

Amidst all his tension and chaos, a figure leisurely toured around the void, and though he was alone, he was completely calm and relaxed. It was as though that figure thought of this dangerous battlefield as his own home garden.

His Divine Sense carefully swept through the entire void as if he was looking for something but couldn’t find it, causing a disappointed expression to fill his face.

At some point in time, three large Black Ink Clouds rushed over from three different directions, coincidentally surrounding him. 

However, this person didn’t seem to notice them at all and just continued searching his surroundings.

When this person arrived at the centre of the three Black Ink Clouds, three figures appeared from within the three Black Ink Clouds. Those three had strong auras and were clearly Territory Lords.

In the front was a burly Territory Lord with a single horn. He had a vicious expression as his Black Ink Strength surged and he fiercely slammed his palm towards that Human while roaring, “Die!”

Behind him was a slender female Territory Lord that charged towards the Human at breakneck speed. Then, she reached out her hand, which was equipped with nails that were as sharp as knives, aiming at her target’s heart from behind.

Finally, the third Territory Lord launched his own attack at that Human. Though he wasn’t as burly as the first Territory Lord, and he wasn’t as fast as the female Territory Lord, a huge amount of Black Ink Strength enveloped a large patch of the void at the shake of his arms. That dense Black Ink Strength was like the Astral Wind from the Nine Heavens, cutting through the void as it sliced towards the Human.

The three Territory Lords attacked together, creating a vortex of death that surrounded their lone target.

Such a lethal momentum wasn’t something any Eighth-Order Master could resist.

The Territory Lord in front was smiling wickedly, as if he could already see the terrified expression of his enemy. 

[I wonder where this Eighth-Order Human came from. How bold of him to wander around Azure Sun Territory alone. He’ll pay for his ignorance!]

However, what happened next stunned that Territory Lord.

The Eighth-Order Master, who should be terrified, was smiling at him with an expression that seemed excited and eager. Palming his fist, the Human cracked his knuckles and joyously called out, “You guys did this to yourselves, so don’t blame me for what happens next!”

The gleeful expression on the Human’s face looked like he had just received a huge gift and was celebrating his good fortune.

[Something’s not right…]

However, it was too late to turn back. Since the three Territory Lords had already surrounded the Human, they didn’t care that something felt off and decided to kill first before figuring out anything else.

Instantly, all three Territory Lords arrived before the lone Eighth-Order Master, and the first burly Territory Lord threw a punch as a violent wave of Black Ink Strength surged out. 

The next moment, however, his expression froze and the look of determination and resolve on his face quickly warped with confusion and doubt.

It was because that Eighth-Order Master had also thrown a punch. Even though this punch seemed small and weak, it shattered his own attack. The burly Territory Lord clearly saw how the other party’s fist seemed to vaporize his arm as it advanced towards him, an overwhelming strength surging behind it. The next moment, this seemingly slow punch moved upwards unimpeded and landed on his head.

Like an exploded watermelon, the burly Territory Lord was instantly turned into a headless corpse.

The Eighth-Order Human turned around abruptly, his bright eyes coincidentally meeting those of the female Territory Lord attacking him from behind.

Both of them were so close their faces were practically touching. The female Territory Lord felt her body tremble as she suddenly felt as though she wasn’t facing an Eighth-Order Human, but some Ancient Ominous Beast that had been caged for countless aeons. The shocking and terrifying murderous intent that radiated from this Human gave the female Territory Lord chills as her heart continuously sank. In desperation, she gathered all her Black Ink Strength at her fingertips as her nails turned black before striking at the Human.

To her astonishment though, rather than the feeling of her nails sinking into flesh, she felt a tight grip around her wrist, clearly indicating that the enemy had somehow caught her.

A low whisper sounded from beside her ear, causing her heart to clench, “You’re next…”

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in her abdomen, followed by a violent energy that resembled a volcanic eruption exploding inside her. She felt like her enemy had punched through her body and completely broken her spine. The violent energy then surged out and attacked her strong body, and in less than a breath’s time, the female Territory Lord exploded into a mist of blood. 

It was only after the death of the first two Territory Lords that the violent Black Ink Strength wave created by the third Territory Lord reached its target. This was supposed to be a powerful Secret Technique that could create an optimum battleground for his two companions, but now, it was what saved the third Territory Lord.

Seeing his two companions being decapitated and exploded by a single attack each from the mysterious Human before him, the third Territory Lord didn’t dare to remain any longer.

In a state of utter shock, the third Territory Lord instinctually tried to escape, but the space around him warped, instantly giving him an illusion that it was being stretched out infinitely. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move from the spot where he stood.

At that moment, a figure shot out of the rolling Black Ink Strength, splitting the Black Ink Cloud apart before arriving in front of the third Territory Lord in the blink of an eye. Then, the Human casually reached out and easily grabbed the Territory Lord’s neck like he was picking up a chicken, tilting his head as he wondered aloud, “You guys are so weak…”

[Weak?] When the remaining Territory Lord heard that comment, he didn’t know what to say.

[Are we weak?]

Since they were Territory Lords, of course, they weren’t weak. Though the joint attack these three Territory Lords used wasn’t invincible in Azure Sun Territory, there was rarely anyone who could beat them. They had killed some Human Masters using this tactic and thought that since this Human was alone, it would be impossible for him to do anything to them, no matter how strong he may be. However, it was only now that this Territory Lord understood the Human expression ‘there are always mountains beyond mountains’.

It wasn’t that they were weak, it was just that their enemy was absurdly strong. 

[How could there be such a strong Eighth-Order Master?] Perhaps it was because the Territory Lord was near-death that his memory was suddenly jogged and he recalled a name that had disappeared for nearly 2,000 years. 

“You’re…”

“Alright, time’s up!” Yang Kai didn’t let the Territory Lord finish his words as he simply exerted some strength with his hand before separating the latter’s head from his body, causing a fountain of blood to spurt everywhere.

[Good! As I expected, these 1,700 years of retreat weren’t in vain. I’m now far stronger than I was before.]

However, Yang Kai immediately understood that he could kill these three Territory Lords so easily because they weren’t Innate Territory Lords but Acquired Territory Lords.

Back when they were on the Black Ink Battlefield, it was common knowledge that under normal circumstances, a Territory Lord’s strength would be weaker than an Eighth-Order Master’s because Humans acquired their strength through long-term accumulation.

Yang Kai had killed quite a few Innate Territory Lords, so these Acquired Territory Lords were nothing to him.

With his current ability, he could kill one of them with a single punch, just like when he was at the peak of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm back then and slaughtered Feudal Lords like chickens and dogs.

If he were to encounter those strong Innate Territory Lords, it might not be as easy to kill them, but with his fearful reputation, those Innate Territory Lords wouldn’t dare to come and find trouble with him. Only these Acquired Territory Lords who never experienced his terror would have forgotten his infamy and mistakenly targeted him.

Though Azure Sun Territory was vast, the sudden annihilation of three Territory Lord auras was enough to attract the attention of many Masters.

Following that, several Divine Senses came from all directions, including Divine Senses from Territory Lords, Feudal Lords, and Seventh and Eighth-Order Masters. During these years of continuous battles, both races suffered losses, but never had a battle ended so quickly, much less with three Territory Lords dying at once.

Yang Kai naturally sensed these probes and secretly sighed, [There has indeed been a significant increase in Masters from both races during my years of retreat.]

The Black Ink Clan could use their Black Ink Nests to cultivate, so it was normal for them to become stronger quickly. As long as there were enough resources and Black Ink Nests, it wasn’t surprising for them to nurture many Feudal Lords and Territory Lords. 

However, it was surprising that so many Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Masters had appeared so quickly. Theoretically, it would be difficult for so many Humans to break through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm after just 2,000 years, especially those rising stars because they wouldn’t have enough accumulation.

The truth, however, was that the rate of breaking through to a new realm amongst those rising stars was not any slower than those veteran Open Heaven Realm Masters. Moreover, some of them even broke through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm earlier than veteran Seventh-Order Masters.

Perhaps this was a blessing from the Heavens.

Just like how the Heavens chose Yang Kai as a means of protecting themselves from the Black Ink Clan’s invasion, all the Human soldiers who fought against the Black Ink Clan had gained the Heavens’ favour as they were complying with the Heavens’ Will.

Such people could be said to be fighting on behalf of the Heavens and would thus receive far more opportunities and good fortune.

In the past, there weren’t many such people around, but now that the Black Ink Clan had invaded the 3,000 Worlds and the Humans were forced to defend just a handful of Great Territories, was the time when they needed to increase their overall strength the most. It was for this reason that the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors and Yang Kai worked hard to create a safe environment for them to grow. This very scenario imperceptibly shortened the time the Humans needed to grow stronger.

It was said to be difficult to predict the Heavens’ Will, but in truth, it could be seen in everything.

While in a trance, Yang Kai seemed to have realized something.

But soon, he was interrupted by a frantic Divine Sense.

Those Acquired Territory Lords didn’t know of Yang Kai’s reputation, but the Innate Territory Lords certainly did. Back in the day, all Innate Territory Lords were shown images of him so that they could memorise what he looked like.

1,700 years had passed, and the Black Ink Clan had gradually forgotten the shadow cast over them by Yang Kai. Moreover, according to the reports from the various Black Ink Disciples, this killing star had seemingly entered retreat in the Star Boundary soon after the peace deal was signed and not shown his face ever since.

No one expected that he would suddenly appear inside Azure Sun Territory and announce his return by slaughtering three Territory Lords!

Chapter 5617

“Sir Yang Kai, what’s the meaning of this?” A magnificent Divine Sense suddenly reverberated from the depths of the void. Though it sounded like the voice was questioning Yang Kai, it didn’t dare to be too reckless with its tone or words. Clearly, it was the Innate Territory Lord who was overseeing this place.

1,700 years ago, the number of Innate Territory Lords Yang Kai killed had reached more than 30; what’s more, those Innate Territory Lords were basically killed in a single blow by Yang Kai. Although Yang Kai had used special external means to kill them back then, that did nothing to diminish his incredible strength.

Now that 1,700 years had passed, no one knew exactly how this killing star’s ability had changed, but from how he killed three Acquired Territory Lords in just a few short breaths, everyone could tell he was stronger than before.

The terror that had faded away after nearly 2,000 years of silence had now resurfaced and tightly gripped the Innate Territory Lords. 

[Is this monster… going to start another killing spree? If that’s true, the peace we maintained for more than 1,000 years will surely shatter.]

“Sir, are you planning on breaking the peace treaty our two Races agreed upon?” The Innate Territory Lords asked again, his voice echoing from many different directions, as if he was deliberately trying to hide his whereabouts.

Yang Kai snorted disdainfully as he felt somewhat displeased. These Innate Territory Lords reacted too quickly. It seemed he had killed those Territory Lords too quickly. He should have taken more time to tear them apart so he could have killed a few more Territory Lords without drawing attention to himself.

However, he hadn’t taken action for nearly 2,000 years, so his fine control of his strength was somewhat lacking at the moment.

Yang Kai’s gaze drifted for a moment, then seeming to have ignored the barriers of space, he fixed his eyes on a particular position in the void. Then, he yawned out of boredom and waved his hand, “I’m just looking around. You can all go back to what you were doing.”

The Innate Territory Lord who had spoken earlier while hiding in the dark had already broken out into a cold sweat as he felt a fierce aura locking onto him from far away and pinning him down. Fortunately, that aura disappeared in the next instant.

Knowing that his position had been exposed and that his tricks to hide his whereabouts meant nothing before Yang Kai, the Innate Territory Lord realised that if the latter wanted to kill him, Yang Kai could have arrived in front of him within a couple of breaths. He didn’t have the slightest confidence in resisting Yang Kai’s assault.

On the other hand, Yang Kai’s answer made several Territory Lords feel their chests tighten.

[Looking around… He’s just looking around, yet he killed three Acquired Territory Lords…]

However, they also knew that couldn’t be helped because it was those three Territory Lords who attacked first. In other words, they were the ones who courted death themselves.

The peace treaty did state that Yang Kai couldn’t participate in the war or attack any of the Territory Lords, but it never said Yang Kai couldn’t fight back if he was the one attacked. Moreover, since those three were killed by this killing star, the other Black Ink Clansmen didn’t dare to harp on this matter for fear they would be next.

“I hope what you said is true!” That Innate Territory Lord barely managed to keep his remaining dignity by broadcasting such words in all directions.

A short while later, a frenzy of activity occurred in Azure Sun Territory as all the Feudal Lords and Territory Lords around their main base hurried back inside while those too far away simply found places to hide.

Panicked energy fluctuations could be felt coming from all directions. 

How could the Seventh and Eighth-Order Masters let such an opportunity go? Immediately, they began intercepting those Feudal Lords and Territory Lords while going all out to kill them. In an instant, the originally quiet Azure Sun Territory became extremely lively. 

Meanwhile, Yang Kai slowly moved across the void while sweeping his Divine Sense around. He soon came across several Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters surrounding a group of Feudal Lords. The Humans already had a slight upper hand, but when Yang Kai passed by, the Feudal Lords became terrified. Even though Yang Kai didn’t even glance at them, those Feudal Lords felt like death itself was stalking them, causing their strength to plummet by some 30 or 40%. 

Before Yang Kai even left, the Feudal Lords, who had barely maintained a balance before, were now at a total disadvantage. It was only a matter of time before they were killed by those Seventh-Order Masters.

A while later, Yang Kai came across another battlefield, but this time he stopped to take a look.

There were three Eighth-Order Human Masters currently battling a single Innate Territory Lord. Though it was three against one, the Humans didn’t hold much of an advantage.

Besides the fact that an Innate Territory Lord was already a very powerful foe, these three Eighth-Order Masters had clearly broken through to their current realm not long ago, so they didn’t have much heritage.

However, the three Eighth-Orders Masters were able to work together seamlessly and were proficient in many kinds of Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques. Despite not having an overwhelming advantage in this battle, they were still able to surround and pin down this Innate Territory Lord.

The space around this battlefield was warped, especially at its centre, and rays of bright light and murderous intent flared wildly.

Yang Kai’s arrival had naturally attracted the attention of these four, and the terrified Innate Territory Lord couldn’t help bellowing, “Sir Yang Kai, are you going to attack?”

Yang Kai chuckled, “No. I’m just having a look. You guys can continue your fight.” 

Then, his expression turned grim as he reprimanded those Eighth-Order Masters, “You three little brats, what have you been cultivating for all these years? It’s three against one, and this is the best you can do? If word of this spread out, my reputation would be completely ruined!”

A young man with an innocent expression immediately wore a bitter look on his face as he complained, “Honoured Master, we only broke through to the Eighth Order 300 years ago, and this guy is an Innate Territory Lord.”

If their opponent had been an ordinary Territory Lord, their fight wouldn’t have been nearly this difficult, but Innate Territory Lords were far more powerful than the current generation of Acquired Territory Lords.

Yang Kai’s face darkened, “You dare talk back to me? Has this Honoured Master’s teachings been in vain for all those years?” 

He then raised his head slightly and spoke in a sorrowful tone, “Didn’t your Honoured Master ever tell you that he killed a Royal Lord just after breaking through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm?”

Among those three Eighth-Order Masters, the young man with a bowl cut pursed his lips, “Honoured Master, all you know is how to boast about your achievements.”

They would have believed Yang Kai if he had said he killed an Innate Territory Lord as they had heard about how powerful he was for many years. However, killing a Royal Lord? Even they, Yang Kai’s Legacy Disciples, wouldn’t believe him, let alone others.

All three of them were silently complaining about how they never knew their Honoured Master was so shameless.

“How could you all get distracted during a battle? Do you want to die?” Yang Kai scolded them.

The only female Eighth-Order Master amongst them gripped her spear and swept it out fiercely with an angry roar, “Kill!”

Yang Kai applauded, “Ye Bai, you should learn more from your Junior Sister. How can a man not have any murderous intent? When fighting an enemy Master, it’s either you die or they do, so if you don’t give it your all, you won’t be the one to laugh in the end.”

“Yes!” Zhao Ye Bai’s expression became stern as his murderous intent surged.

The Innate Territory Lord was already afraid that Yang Kai would suddenly make a move and kill him, but now he felt completely hopeless after listening to this conversation.

[Honoured Master? Yang Kai is these three Eighth-Order Masters’ Honoured Master? What the Hell am I supposed to do now?]

If these three had been any other Eighth-Order Masters, it wouldn’t have mattered if he killed them, but these were Yang Kai’s Disciples. Once he made a killing attack, would Yang Kai really just stand there and do nothing?

Even if Yang Kai killed him today, the Black Ink Clan would not bring up the peace agreement for discussion and would just let the matter slide.

At that instant, the Innate Territory Lord fell into a dilemma.

Meanwhile, the three Eighth-Order Masters had been through many battles, so they wouldn’t show any mercy to their enemies when given such a good opportunity. Now that the Innate Territory Lord could only defend himself and had no way of striking back, the three redoubled their assault, sending out all sorts of Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques which illuminated the entire void.

Yang Kai nodded lightly, “You three can barely achieve one or two parts of my strength back then.”

Hearing that, Zhao Ya felt her veins bulging and couldn’t stand it anymore, so she spoke while thrusting out her spear, “Honoured Master, why don’t you go look around somewhere else?”

[We three Senior Brothers and Sister are fighting a life-or-death battle! It’s fine if this old fart can’t help us, but can he not just stand there boasting shamelessly while making sarcastic remarks?]

Yang Kai raised his hand and knocked her head, “What’s wrong? Don’t you want me here?”

Zhao Ya felt aggrieved, but at the same time, she was secretly astonished at her Honoured Master’s ability. Although she didn’t have her guard up against him and was fully focused on fighting the Innate Territory Lord, she was still an Eighth-Order Master, after all. However, she didn’t even notice when her Honoured Master arrived beside her.

While thinking of that, she couldn’t help but exclaim inside, [Indeed, old ginger is spicier than young ginger. Boasting might be a habit every man has, but this old man does have some skill it seems. I guess I’ll just let him continue to boast…]

As such, she didn’t say anything.

“Why is it only the three of you? Where’s that little bastard Yang Xiao?” Yang Kai looked around curiously. If he remembered correctly, his three Disciples should have been with Yang Xiao because they seemed to have formed a group called the Ten Directions Supreme and had also made a name for themselves.

But now, there were only the three of them, and Yang Xiao was nowhere to be seen.

Xu Yi used Time Principles to disrupt the Innate Territory Lord’s senses while finding a moment to answer, “These years, our Fellow Brothers and Sisters have broken through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm one after another, so it’s not suitable for us to stay in a single Squad and kill enemies together anymore. The three of us parted ways with Senior Brother Yang some time ago.”

Yang Kai nodded in understanding.

Back then, they formed a squad to kill the enemy because they weren’t strong enough. Although there were quite a lot of Seventh-Order Masters among them, going into the Great Territories conquered by the Black Ink Clan was extremely dangerous; therefore, it was a better choice to band together. 

But now, these little ones had all broken through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so there was no need to act as a unit anymore.

Also, this was a wise choice because only in this way could they continue to break through their limitations by exposing themselves to dangerous situations. 

Yang Kai’s three Disciples had all directly broken through to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm back then and were now Eighth-Order Masters. Once they had accumulated enough heritage, they could strive to break through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. If they did, they would become pillars of the war against the Black Ink Clan.

It was the same for Yang Xiao. He was a pure Dragon Clan member and had a very strong Bloodline Talent, so he could only rely on purifying and tempering his Dragon Vein and nothing else to achieve a breakthrough.

As for Yang Xue, she was the same as Yang Kai. The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm was her limit. 

“Die!” A fierce roar suddenly sounded as Zhao Ya pierced the Innate Territory Lord’s chest with her spear. Violent energy exploded, directly opening a huge hole in the enemy’s chest.

With her strength, she couldn’t land such a blow on an Innate Territory Lord so easily. The best outcome for today’s battle would have been both sides suffering injuries or both sides retreating on their own. 

However, Yang Kai standing there talking non-stop forced the Innate Territory Lord to divide some attention to guard against him. Also, the Innate Territory Lord had to be mindful of Zhao Ye Bai and the others being Yang Kai’s Disciples, so he didn’t dare to kill them.

Since the Innate Territory Lord couldn’t escape or pay full attention to fighting his opponents, he naturally wouldn’t have a good end.

“Senior Brother!” Xu Yi bellowed. The three Brothers and Sister had been together for many years and had gone through countless battles together, so they knew each other incredibly well by now. When Zhao Ya succeeded in attacking the enemy, Xu Yi immediately seized the chance. 

Zhao Ye Bai roared, “Coming!”

The two of them immediately pushed their Time Principles and Space Principles, intertwining their strength to create a mysterious energy.

Chapter 5618

At that moment, the local Space became a mess, and the entire battlefield was rendered into a patchwork of light. The Innate Territory Lord had a surprised and frightened expression on his face as he watched a spear coming at him, swiftly moving about as it slashed him 18 times.

During this critical life-and-death moment, the Territory Lord no longer cared about Yang Kai. The Black Ink Strength surrounding his body surged as it spread out in all directions like a tsunami.

The chaotic Space was disrupted and three figures were sent flying, all of them coughing up fresh blood.

At the same time, the Territory Lord had 18 new injuries and was covered in fresh black blood, making him look incredibly haggard.

Not intending to remain a moment longer, he turned around and transformed into a Black Ink Cloud before making his escape.

“In your dreams!” Zhao Ye Bai roared. The trio had exerted a lot of effort to heavily injure their enemy. If they let their opponent escape, they would have spent their years of cultivation in vain.

Moreover, their Honoured Master was watching them from the side.

Zhao Ye Bai had no expectations that his Honoured Master would lend a helping hand, and Yang Kai had no such intentions either. Instead, he just watched them with interest.

While Zhao Ye Bai roared, his figure flickered. Then, with a slight step, a vague shadow remained in place while his true body appeared in front of the escaping Innate Territory Lord. At some point, a mysterious object appeared in Zhao Ye Bai’s hand. It seemed like a sword, but it also looked like a snake. The thing was squirming in his hand like an untamed animal that could bite back at him at any moment.

Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he offered some silent praise. Though he did not pay much attention to his Disciples, he didn’t expect the dopiest little one to have grown so much.

The thing in Zhao Ye Bai’s hand wasn’t a sword or a snake, it was a Void Crack. He was using a Void Crack as a weapon.

“Scram!” The Territory Lord yelled madly as a palm appeared from within the rolling Black Ink Cloud and slammed towards Zhao Ye Bai.

The Space Sword didn’t slash downwards but nimbly formed a curve that cut into the Black Ink Cloud. At the same time, Zhao Ye Bai ducked and avoided the Territory Lord’s palm while also revealing Xu Yi standing behind him.

While using Space Principles to intercept his enemy, he also brought along his Third Junior Brother with him.

The Innate Territory Lord had been completely focused on running away, and the two Brothers had combined their auras, so he didn’t notice that there were two Humans before him rather than one.

Xu Yi had a stern expression as he placed his palms together. Then, a dense layer of Time Principles surrounded his body, and with a gentle slap, Time itself was sent flying. 

As this palm struck, the surrounding void seemed to pass through countless years in an instant. When the Innate Territory Lord’s attack reached Xu Yi’s palm, only half of its power remained.

With a shake of Xu Yi’s body, the Innate Territory Lord was sent flying, and Zhao Ye Bai’s Space Sword slashed downwards. 

The huge Black Ink Cloud roiled and split, revealing the Territory Lord’s figure with a large wound at his waist that was gushing out blood. The wound didn’t look like it was from a sharp object piercing him; instead, it was as if some beast had ripped a chunk of his flesh out.

Before the Territory Lord could steady himself, an intense murderous intent struck him from behind. Zhao Ya had harnessed the essence of the Supreme Limitless Spear Art and transformed her weapon into a giant phantom image that swiftly enveloped the Innate Territory Lord.

At that moment, the Innate Territory Lord could no longer escape.

“Kill!” Xu Yi called out and charged forward with his Eldest Senior Brother. 

However, The trio didn’t dare to be reckless and the fight with the Innate Territory Lord lasted another half an hour before they finally took him down with great difficulty.

After Zhao Ya used her spear to blast the Innate Territory Lord’s head off, she withdrew it while all three of them looked pale and panted heavily. However, they were feeling indescribably happy inside.

This was the first Innate Territory Lord they had killed!

Even though they had fought Innate Territory Lords before, it would always end with them suffering a loss and the three of them escaping under their Eldest Senior Brother’s lead. There were also some rare times when both sides suffered heavy losses and mutually withdrew, but never had they imagined killing an Innate Territory Lord so soon.

Yang Kai overseeing the situation might have contributed to their win, but during the latter half of the battle, the Innate Territory Lord had gone all out and no longer restrained his attacks.

This life-or-death battle was certainly beneficial to them. Once they had absorbed the experience from this fight, they were confident that they wouldn’t be in such a wretched state when encountering another Innate Territory Lord in the future.

“Honoured Master, please give us some guidance!” After steadying his breath, Zhao Ye Bai looked at Yang Kai and cupped his fist.

Yang Kai smiled, “Your Master simply shows you the path, how you walk it is up to you. Your Honoured Master has no more advice for you. I only have one comment. Well done.”

Although he felt that the three little ones still had a few rough edges while battling their opponent, and many opportunities weren’t grasped perfectly, nothing was truly perfect in this World. Even he had times when he made mistakes and misjudgments. Moreover, the situation on the battlefield was constantly changing, and only by continuously overcoming their limitations could they grow strong.

Also, Yang Kai noticed that they had adopted an original approach when using their Martial Daos, especially when Zhao Ye Bai and Xu Yi combined both Time and Space Principles, allowing them to display a kind of Space-Time Strength.

Yang Kai could summon the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel and use Space-Time Strength because he was proficient in both the Dao of Space and the Dao of Time. It was like a person’s left and right hands working together seamlessly and not too difficult to achieve; however, Zhao Ye Bai and Xu Yi were two different individuals. When one person’s left hand had to work with another person’s right hand, it didn’t only require perfect timing but also absolute trust in each other.

As Yang Kai thought of that, he couldn’t help but sigh. It seemed like the young eagles had grown their feathers and were able to soar in the sky.

He suddenly understood how Ou Yang Lie and the others felt back then. Each age offered new talents, and those new talents would surpass the older ones! The veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters might have had high hopes and felt like they had passed their prime when looking at the young and active him back then.

“After so many years, Honoured Master has never taught you anything in detail, but since we’ve encountered each other today, I will give you one final lesson!” Yang Kai wore a kind smile on his face.

The three Disciples looked serious as they felt inexplicably sad. Though their Honoured Master didn’t seem old and could even be considered young when compared to other veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, they knew that the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm… was their Honoured Master’s limit in this lifetime.

That was undoubtedly a ruthless fate for a cultivator who used up all his life to pursue the peak of the Martial Dao. Though their Honoured Master’s appearance would not age for tens of thousands of years at least, his ambition to pursue Martial Dao would no longer be as strong as it once was.

Zhao Ya’s eyes reddened slightly as she remembered how Yang Kai had taken such gentle care of them when they were young. All these years, they seemed to have never been filial to their Honoured Master, so she secretly decided that if they could wipe out the Black Ink Clan, they must stay beside their Honoured Master and take care of him.

However, while such thoughts flashed across her head, Yang Kai raised his fist to his lips and coughed twice before suddenly shouting, “This King’s three Legacy Disciples are right here! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! If any of you Territory Lords have a grudge against me, feel free to target them! If you manage to kill them, that just proves your capability, and this King will not avenge them in the future!”

The three Disciples slowly widened their eyes as their sadness instantly disappeared while looking at their Honoured Master with stunned expressions.

Yang Kai then winked at them, “The final lesson is that your Honoured Master can’t protect you for a lifetime, so you have to learn how to fend for yourselves!”

After saying that, Yang Kai didn’t bother to see what their reactions were before taking a step and appearing a million kilometres away from them. Then, he laughed from afar and announced, “There will come a day when the eagle learns to fly and soars high in the sky!”

He seemed to be in an extremely pleasant mood. 

In just a few short moments, his aura disappeared from Azure Sun Territory, obviously indicating that he had left through one of the Territory Gates.

At that instant, many Divine Senses swept towards Zhao Ye Bai and the others from all directions and the trio felt like countless pairs of eyes were now staring at them from the dark.

“Run!” In a panic, Zhao Ye Bai grabbed his Junior Sister and Brother before turning around and dashing towards one of the Human Race’s forward outposts.

“Master?! How could there be such a terrible Master in this life!? Ahhh! I’m going to drop out of the Master’s Sect!” Xu Yi felt like he was going mad.

In this World, the number of those who knew they were Yang Kai’s Legacy Disciples was not low, but it also wasn’t high; after all, Yang Kai had arranged for them to be cared for at the High Heaven Palace before he went to the Black Ink Battlefield, which was some 3,000 years ago. Back then, the three of them were still weak, so the others only thought of them as ordinary High Heaven Palace disciples. No one had ever expected them and Yang Kai to be Disciples and Master.

Of course, they also wouldn’t announce this fact to the wider world.

They knew what their Honoured Master had done to the Black Ink Clan, so if the Black Ink Clan found out about their relationship, they would definitely be targeted.

That was also why the Human higher-ups never said a word about them despite knowing the whole story.

Never would they have imagined that Yang Kai would take the initiative to expose their Master and Disciple relationship today. 

There were so many Territory Lords who died because of Yang Kai, but since the Black Ink Clan couldn’t do anything about him, their next best option was to target his three Disciples.

It was easy to predict that the dangers and risks these three would be facing in the future would vastly surpass what they encountered previously. Perhaps they would be targeted by multiple Territory Lords the moment they appeared in any Great Territory.

Zhao Ya bit her lips as her eyes reddened even more. 

She had secretly decided that once her Honoured Master turned old, could no longer move about, and was bedridden, she would show him the real meaning of filial piety!

After giving it some more thought, she realized that this old fart had never taught them anything these past few millennia. All he did was take them under his wing when they were young and naïve. Since he brought them out from the Void World, they had hardly even met, so how could he have taught them anything?

Yet this old ghost dared to say this was their final lesson!

“Eldest Senior Brother, run faster! They’re chasing us!” Xu Yi screamed in panic. It had only been a short moment, but several powerful auras which obviously belonged to Innate Territory Lords were rapidly closing in on them. On top of that, there were dozens of weaker auras following closely behind them in the dark. Clearly, everyone now saw the three of them as prime targets.

“Don’t resist!” Zhao Ye Bai shouted while using Space Principles to wrap around his Junior Sister and Brother, their figures beginning to flicker.

By the time he had almost run out of energy, they finally reached the Human Race’s main camp. Zhao Ye Bai fell to the ground, feeling like he didn’t even have the energy to move a finger. While he looked up at the jet-black void, he only had one thought in mind. 

[Honoured Master is definitely trying to screw with us!]

Chapter 5619

After nearly 2,000 years, the Human Race’s biggest killing star, Yang Kai, had emerged from retreat; then, he appeared in Azure Sun Territory and killed three Acquired Territory Lords.

When the news spread out, the Black Ink Clan was terrified!

Acquired Territory Lords were also Territory Lords, and although they weren’t as powerful as Innate Territory Lords, or even ordinary Eighth-Order Human Masters, they weren’t easy to kill by any means.

The Black Ink Clan then heard that those three Territory Lords were the ones who initiated the attack, but all of them were killed within three breaths.

Fortunately, Yang Kai didn’t start a killing spree or even intend to break the treaty they had agreed on previously. Instead, he just strolled around Azure Sun Territory and left.

At that moment, all the Black Ink Clansmen in all the Great Territory Battlefields shivered in fright as they did all they could to get news about Yang Kai.

Soon, they received word from all directions that Yang Kai had appeared on the Great Territory Battlefields one after another; however, he never started a fight and just wandered around as if searching for something.

No one knew what he was searching for.

There were many times when he appeared near the Black Ink Clan’s bases, which made the Territory Lords eager to start a fight but also extremely wary.

They were eager to start a fight because if they did, they might stand a chance of defeating Yang Kai if the entire Army attacked him together. However, they were worried that if a battle broke out, there was no telling how many Territory Lords would die, and there was also a chance that they might not be able to defeat Yang Kai.

It wasn’t until Yang Kai left that the Black Ink Clan finally felt relieved.

However, more news spread across the Great Territories, saying that Yang Kai’s three Legacy Disciples were in Azure Sun Territory, so many began thinking of ways to surround and kill them. This news greatly energized the Black Ink Clan.

The fear of Yang Kai would forever stay with them because he was so strong and overbearing that no Black Ink Clansman dared to offend him. Since the Black Ink Clan couldn’t do anything about Yang Kai though, they could take out their frustrations on his three Legacy Disciples.

Moreover, it was Yang Kai who exposed their relationship before leaving Azure Sun Territory. Also, he said that if the Black Ink Clan managed to kill his Disciples, he would not take revenge. 

Just as countless Black Ink Clansmen were focusing their attention on Azure Sun Territory, they heard even more news from other Great Territories.

Yang Xiao and Yang Yue, who made a name for themselves recently, were revealed to be Yang Kai’s Adopted Son and Younger Sister.

Also, a few women who had recently broken through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm were said to be his Wives.

In an instant, the Black Ink Clan began targeting everyone with close connections to Yang Kai. The Black Ink Clan had also devised several plans to round them up and slaughter them; however, whether they would actually kill them was doubtful as none of the higher-ups in the Black Ink Clan believed Yang Kai would really not seek revenge.

If they could capture these important people and corrupt them with Black Ink Strength though, turning them into Black Ink Disciples, it would certainly allow them to restrain Yang Kai’s actions greatly.

Undercurrents surged throughout the various battlefields surrounding those cultivators with close relationships with Yang Kai. The Human Race and the Black Ink Clan continuously fought each other in battle after battle, turning the situation into a chaotic mess.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai had long left the 13 Battlefields. With a Universe Chart in hand, he began touring around all the Great Territories.

If the Human Race wanted to get rid of the Black Ink Clan once and for all, they had to find the Primordial Light. Although Yang Kai had ventured into the Chaotic Dead Territory to ask Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan about it, the information he received wasn’t of much use; therefore, Yang Kai still didn’t have a clue about what the Primordial Light was or where to find it.

Now, he could only use the dumbest method of performing an exhaustive search, hoping he would get lucky.

Cang had previously said that when the Primordial Light was born, Primordial Darkness appeared alongside it. Light and darkness were opposite sides of the same coin and were inextricably linked, but now, that darkness had become Mo and was set on devouring the Universe while the light was nowhere to be seen.

The Primordial Light might not take the form of light, just like how darkness had taken the form of Mo. The light could be a blade of grass, a simple tree, or even a Monster or a Human. There was even the possibility of it being everything in this World.

Yang Kai wasn’t sure if he could find it, but he believed that where there was a will, there would be a way.

Moreover, his cultivation was approaching his personal limit. Though it hadn’t reached the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm yet, the heritage in his Small Universe was constantly increasing without the need to go through bitter secluded cultivation.

After chasing his limits for all his life, Yang Kai had reached the end of his Martial Dao, but he didn’t feel the slightest joy. That was because he knew that this wasn’t the peak of the Martial Dao. This knowledge was undoubtedly the greatest despair to a cultivator.

Since he didn’t need to cultivate and couldn’t head to the battlefield to fight the enemy, Yang Kai couldn’t stay idle. If he were an ordinary man, he could stay with his family and be filial to his parents, or spend the rest of his life in peace, but he wasn’t an ordinary man.

It would be best if he could find the Primordial Light, but if he couldn’t, he would take this journey as a trip to reorganize his mind and calm his spirit.

His Divine Sense was constantly surging like the tide, leaving no stone unturned. In every Great Territory he visited, he would bring out his Universe Chart and use his Divine Sense to draw a cross on its corresponding position. 

Now, most of the Great Territories in the 3,000 Worlds were conquered by the Black Ink Clan, and the Universe Worlds that used to be flourishing and filled with vitality were now dead because they were depleted of World Force and had their Grand Daos destroyed. Numerous Black Ink Clansmen could be seen moving about the void and there were many Black Ink Nests above the dead Universe World. 

Back when the Black Ink Clan had just started invading the 3,000 Worlds, Yang Kai had also visited many Great Territories, but back then, he was rushing about refining the Universe Worlds in an attempt to save as many living beings as possible. 

That journey was frantic and brief.

This time, his journey was more deliberate as he performed a thorough search of every corner of each Great Territory, including all the dead Universe Worlds and Universe Fragments.

In comparison to back then, the Great Territories were now undoubtedly duller. Even the void was permeated with the extremely wicked and loathsome aura of Black Ink Strength.

The dead Universe Worlds were like decaying corpses. 

Black Ink Strength had swept through the Universe. No one could avoid their personal responsibility when faced with such a tragedy.

During his journey, Yang Kai met quite a few Hunters. These Hunters travelled around each Great Territory, destroying Black Ink Nests and being chased after by the Black Ink Clan, which they all considered exciting and terrifying experiences. While facing such dangers though, they also gained a lot.

As Yang Kai passed through each Great Territory, the number of crosses on his Universe Chart gradually increased and soon almost covered the entire map.

He didn’t pay much attention to how many years he had been searching for until he suddenly came to an extremely quiet place.

After cross-checking with his Universe Chart, he suddenly realised that this was actually the Chaotic Dead Territory.

Yang Kai was very surprised as he had visited the Chaotic Dead Territory thrice, but no matter when he came, this place had always been in complete chaos.

Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were extremely powerful but couldn’t control their own strength; therefore, wherever they were, the violent might of Yang and Yin they possessed shattered the void.

It was because of this that Yang Kai didn’t succeed when asking them to descend the mountain and help the Humans deal with the Black Ink Clan. If they did so, many other Great Territories would become a part of the Chaotic Dead Territory, which was something the Humans couldn’t accept.

Although many Great Territories now were filled with dead Universe Worlds and were conquered by the Black Ink Clan, restoring them in the future was still possible. However, if a Great Territory became a part of the Chaotic Dead Territory, there would be no hope for restoration.

When Yang Kai came again this time and noticed there was actually something different, he couldn’t help but be curious.

Therefore, he flew deeper into the void while calling out, “Big Brother Huang, Big Sister Lan, your Little Brother is here to visit!”

Following a faint aura he sensed, Yang Kai soon found Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, but when he saw them, he was taken aback, “What are… you two doing?”

Standing before Yang Kai was a single figure, or more precisely, the combined figures of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. The left half of the figure looked like Big Brother Huang, while the right side looked like Big Sister Lan. The figure’s appearance seemed extremely strange, as if some sort of power had forcefully merged them together but failed.

“Uhm…” The strange combined figure looked at Yang Kai, and its two different coloured eyes also showed different emotions. Then, with a roll of their eyes, the combined body split into two.

With a soft popping sound, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were separated entirely. The two of them looked a little exhausted and depressed.

Big Brother Huang massaged his temples, looking like he had a headache, “We’re trying to fuse. When you were here the last time, didn’t you say we might have a connection with the Primordial Light? We thought about it after you left and thought perhaps you were right, so we gave it a try.”

“What’s the result?”

“The result is what you just saw,” Big Brother Huang spread his hands.

“It’s your fault. If you hadn’t tried to gain control, I wouldn’t have fought with you because I was afraid to get devoured,” Big Sister Lan complained.

Big Brother Huang looked aggrieved, “How can that be my fault? You initiated it. How could I comply silently?”

“As a proper Little Brother, you should carry out your Big Sister’s will,” Big Sister Lan chastised.

“Nonsense,” Big Brother Huang jumped one metre high, “I’m the Big Brother, so you should listen to me!”

Then, Big Sister Lan grabbed Big Brother Huang’s collar and threatened angrily, “Say that again!”

Big Brother Huang looked down at her and repeated arrogantly, “I’m the Big…”

“Alright alright,” Yang Kai grabbed them before placing them on either side of himself, “Stop arguing. You guys have been together for so many years. What’s there to argue about?”

They had been arguing about who was the Big Sister or Big Brother for aeons, but they still hadn’t reached a conclusion.

*Hmph!* Both of them coldly snorted before turning their heads to the side as if they didn’t want to talk to each other anymore.

Yang Kai touched his chin and commented, “When this Little Brother saw your condition just now, I seemed to have seen signs of integration.”

“We can integrate with each other,” Big Brother Huang sighed and shook his head. After so many tries, he finally understood something, “However, unless one of us is willing to be devoured by the other, we’ll never truly become one.”

Big Sister Lan added, “Also, even if one of us is willing to be devoured, the most likely possibility is that we’ll simply destroy each other entirely.”

They were originally the manifestation of Yang and Yin, so their powers were opposed, the epitome of incompatibility, so how could they possibly integrate?

“If that’s true, then why are you guys still trying?” Yang Kai was confused.

Big Brother Huang shrugged, “We have nothing to do anyway. Also, she wouldn’t let me devour her.”

Chapter 5620

That answer was impeccable. It was the same reason why Yang Kai went to look for the Primordial Light. He felt he had to do something, but there was literally nothing else for him to do, in short, he was bored…

“But we did learn something,” Big Sister Lan suddenly spoke up.

Yang Kai’s expression turned serious, “What did you discover?”

Instead of answering him, Big Sister Lan asked a question, “Do you know Alchemy?”

Not knowing what Alchemy had to do with this situation, Yang Kai still answered honestly, “I know a little.”

He had some Alchemic Dao Essence inside his Small Universe. Though he wasn’t as proficient in it as his three primary Grand Daos, his accomplishments weren’t low either. If he was willing, Yang Kai figured he could easily become an Alchemy Grandmaster. Moreover, he actively cultivated the Alchemic Dao in his youth.

Since there were many cultivators in his Small Universe, they were able to benefit from this and some became quite talented in the Alchemic Dao.

Big Sister Lan continued, “Since you know Alchemy, you should know that there are many times when herbs that have opposing natures are put together inside the same furnace, but not only do they not destroy each other, they enhance each other’s medicinal efficiency.”

Nodding, Yang Kai replied, “Indeed. The Alchemic Dao is profound and boundless, and what it focuses on is the ratio of herbs and how they counteract and enhance each other.” After thinking about it, he questioned, “Are you saying…”

“If you think of me and Big Brother Huang as counteracting herbs, what would you do to blend our medicinal efficacies?”

Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “A catalyst!”

It wasn’t true that two counteracting herbs couldn’t be placed in the same furnace, one only had to add a suitable medicinal catalyst, and disaster could be turned into a miracle. Not only could a catalyst help maximize the two herbs’ medicinal efficacies, but it could help them fuse together and produce new and astonishing effects.

“I understand now!” Yang Kai was elated, like a terminally ill patient who suddenly found a cure after searching for so long. He was acting almost epileptic.

The last time Yang Kai came to the Chaotic Dead Territory and talked with these two, he realised that they had a huge connection with the Primordial Light, and perhaps were even part of it at one point. That was because Big Sister Lan previously said that she vaguely remembered being abandoned. 

[Who would abandon them? And what kind of being could abandon them?]

The answer to that was undoubtedly the Primordial Light.

Although Yang Kai didn’t know the reason behind all of this, the Primordial Light did separate from the Yang and Yin that eventually became the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer.

That was why they vaguely remembered feeling like they were abandoned. They were originally the same being but were separated by a powerful force.

If they wanted to fuse, they would have to reverse what happened. So, there must be a special existence in this World, and that existence was the medicinal catalyst to help Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan reintegrate with each other!

If he could find that catalyst, perhaps they might be able to recreate that glorious light.

Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan looked at each other, feeling speechless.

But soon, Yang Kai’s expression turned stiff, and he frowned deeply. It only took a moment for his happy expression to disappear.

He managed to figure something out, but it all seemed meaningless…

Would he be able to find the catalyst when he couldn’t even find the Primordial Light? He had been searching around so many Great Territories, but so far hadn’t found anything at all. Even if he searched every Great Territory, there was still a chance that he wouldn’t find what he was looking for.

Logically speaking, Mo was born at the same time as the Primordial Light, so if the latter hadn’t separated from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, it might also have become a sentient existence in the 3,000 Worlds that was equally strong by now.

However, the Primordial Light separated Yang and Yin aeons ago, and now no one knew what it looked like.

Even the World Tree had no idea.

The Old Tree had been around since the dawn of time and was connected to all the Universe Worlds in the 3,000 Worlds, so who would know something that he didn’t?

Yang Kai suddenly felt devastated.

“Hey!” A leg suddenly landed on Yang Kai’s face. The force was so great that he was sent flying out and even saw stars.

When he finally found his footing, he felt something wet on his face. When he touched it, his hands were stained by blood.

He shook his head as he walked back and looked aggrieved at Big Brother Huang as he asked, “Why did you kick me?”

Big Brother Huang snorted coldly, “You looked so depressed, like your family died or something. It was annoying to look at it.”

Smiling bitterly, Yang Kai asked, “Is it that obvious?”

Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan nodded in sync.

Then, Big Brother Huang jumped up and slapped his small hand on Yang Kai’s shoulder while speaking like an elder, “Little Brother, there is no difficulty that can’t be solved. If you admit defeat before even starting, you’d be better off dead. At least you could have some peace and quiet that way.”

Feeling aggrieved, Yang Kai argued, “I’m not admitting defeat! I just thought…”

“Don’t think,” Big Brother Huang interrupted Yang Kai, “All beings have their own fate. Don’t put everything on your shoulders because you can’t bear that weight. This tragedy that is happening, it’s the whole world’s tragedy, not just yours. If the world would be destroyed without you, so be it.”

Yang Kai lowered his head, suddenly reminded of all he had done all those years ago. 

Back then, he was invincible on the battlefield. With the Soul Rending Thorn and his various Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques, he killed so many Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory that the enemy became traumatized by his mere mention. However, even with such a huge advantage, Yang Kai still chose to make peace with them.

Didn’t he do that because of this exact reason?

This war wasn’t solely his struggle. No matter how strong a person was, there was a limit to their strength. This was the Human Race’s war, and only by the constant strengthening of their successive generations could they have hope of defeating the Black Ink Clan.

How could he have forgotten his original intention after so many years?

Yang Kai suddenly turned serious and nodded, “Big Brother Huang, you’re right.”

Also, he saw a new side to Big Brother Huang as he didn’t expect this little guy to have such insight after having stayed in the Chaotic Dead Territory for such a long time.

When Big Brother Huang heard Yang Kai compliment him, he eagerly added, “Don’t worry. If there ever comes a day when you Humans are defeated, your Big Sister Lan and I will charge out from the Chaotic Dead Territory and make this vast world into a dead zone so that the Black Ink Clan will be buried along with you!”

Yang Kai felt his brow twitch when he heard that as he thought, [This might be Big Brother Huang’s real intentions.]

No matter how isolated he and Big Sister Lan were, or how reasonably they seemed to behave, they were still avatars of chaos and destruction. When the Humans were in charge of the Universe, they could still stay here peacefully, but if the Humans disappeared from existence, nothing would be restraining them anymore. At that point, charging out of the Chaotic Dead Territory wasn’t just talk.

“Can the two of you stand against Mo?” Yang Kai felt doubtful. According to what he knew, these two might have abilities that were on par with a Giant Spirit God or stronger; however, was that enough to rival the strength of Mo?

When he thought about it, Mo created Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods while the Primordial Light created the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer; therefore, the Primordial Light might have been in the Creation Realm as well!

After pondering for a moment, Big Brother Huang replied, “We aren’t his opponent, but nothing will happen if you don’t act. Besides, we can’t just sit here and wait for death.”

Yang Kai exhaled lightly before sighing, “That’s right. We can’t just give in and wait for death to come!”

No one knew whether they could find the proper catalyst, but they had to try before knowing the answer.

Slapping his cheeks, Yang Kai thought, [Cheer up, the future is full of difficulties, but you can’t let that stop you from forging ahead!]

Suddenly, he thought of something. Since these two represented chaos and destruction, how could they have peacefully stayed in the Chaotic Dead Territory for so many years? Shouldn’t they be freely roaming around the 3,000 worlds and releasing their strength?

When Yang Kai unconsciously asked that question, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan looked at each other and saw the confusion in each other’s eyes.

“You’re right!” Big Brother Huang was puzzled, “This is a good question. Why do we have to stay in the Chaotic Dead Territory?”

Frowning, Big Sister Lan said, “But we don’t have the urge to wipe out the Humans and destroy this World. What’s more, I think staying here is quite good.”

“Could this be the thoughts left by the Primordial Light?” Yang Kai asked.

The two couldn’t answer him.

At that moment, Big Brother Huang suddenly felt frustrated, “Hey! Why do you have so many questions? There aren’t that many whys in the world.”

For so many years, they had been living their lives this way and didn’t find it unusual, but this annoying Little Brother kept coming over and asking them so many questions that left them confused. 

“Is there anything else? If not, please leave,” Big Brother Huang had no trace of politeness when he said that. 

“Ugh…” Yang Kai was speechless and thought about it before saying, “Please bestow me some Yellow and Blue Crystals. Also, after so many years, the Small Stone Race…”

Although Yang Kai had brought away a huge batch of Yellow and Blue Crystals and a massive Small Stone Race Army from the Chaotic Dead Territory, so many years of war with the Black Ink Clan had consumed many of the Yellow and Blue Crystals, while few Small Stone Race were remaining. The Small Stone Race soldiers still remaining were mostly the ones who had strength on par with the Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but thanks to their low sentience, they couldn’t exert nearly as much power as the Humans.

“You’re so annoying!” Big Brother Huang felt a headache, “You’ve already taken away everything the last time you were here, yet you’re doing it again.”

Even though it had been nearly 2,000 years since Yang Kai’s last visit, that wasn’t actually a long time from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s perspective.

But despite Big Brother Huang’s complaints, he and Big Sister Lan had already prepared a huge pile of supplies for Yang Kai. It didn’t matter if Yang Kai didn’t mention it, but now that he did, they wouldn’t be stingy with him. Therefore, Big Sister Lan waved her hand, and a giant-mountain-sized pile of Yellow and Blue Crystals floated over from deep inside the void.

Then, she shouted out an order, and several Small Stone Race Armies charged out from all directions in the Chaotic Dead Territory.

Yang Kai happily opened his Small Universe, and under Big Brother Huang’s constant grumblings, he put away the huge pile of materials and Small Stone Race Armies. 

After that was done, Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s nearly 2,000 years of accumulation were gone.

Such a huge pile of materials and reinforcements were enough to influence the final result of the war between the two races. 

Without mentioning anything else, if Yang Kai distributed the Small Stone Clan Armies he received to the various battlefields, they could deliver a huge blow to the Black Ink Clan as those Small Stone Race Armies had many that were on par with Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.

Once Yang Kai was done, he respectfully thanked the two.

Since the two Races still wanted to maintain their current situation of the war, Yang Kai wasn’t in a rush to head back and distribute these Small Stone Race Armies. Also, he had to start his search for the medicinal catalyst. 

“I think you should try visiting the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land,” before he could go though, Big Sister Lan suddenly made this suggestion.