Inside the space within the Universe Furnace’s projection, Mo Na Ye had been driven to a desperate situation. There was no regularity to the constant movement and shifting of the folded space. Every movement was like an invisible and intangible millstone grinding away at everything in the void, which caused the severity of his injuries to increase over time.
Nevertheless, Mo Na Ye simply gritted his teeth and persevered without complaint.
Outside the projection, Royal Lord Mo Yu kept his eyes tightly shut. Nonetheless, the bursts of aura fluctuating around his figure revealed the unrest in his heart. He had done everything he could. If Mo Na Ye was destined to succumb here, then there was nothing he could do to prevent it. It was just that such a capable subordinate was difficult to find, so Mo Yu couldn’t help feeling a slight twinge of regret.
There was no saying how much time had passed when all of a sudden, Yang Kai stepped forward. His figure slipped through the layers of folded Space like a ghost, and appeared behind Mo Na Ye without any warning and ruthlessly thrust his spear.
Although Mo Na Ye had been struggling to stay alive, he had not forgotten to remain vigilant towards Yang Kai; hence, he immediately took precautions when he noticed the latter’s movements and abruptly spun around at the same time that the Azure Dragon Spear stabbed at him. Frantically drawing upon his Black Ink Strength, he punched out with all his might.
Thanks to the punch he threw with all his strength, Mo Na Ye managed to block the elusive blow coming from behind him. For a moment, space collapsed violently at the spot where the two forces met.
Yang Kai pulled back slightly.
On the other hand, Mo Na Ye lowered his hand. black blood trickled from his knuckles. He had managed to block Yang Kai’s attack but inevitably suffered some light injuries.
“Heh…” Yang Kai snickered. He continued to connect with the Universe Furnace’s true body, causing the space within the projection to shake. The vibrations and disorder became increasingly violent, but his expression remained relaxed, as though he was in no hurry.
After repeated attacks, Mo Na Ye’s injuries continued to accumulate. Even though the Pseudo-Royal Lord would like nothing more than to find Yang Kai’s location, he was powerless in this treacherous environment. He could only maintain a passive defence in the face of Yang Kai’s repeated assaults. The saying, ‘Using a blunt knife to carve meat’ was the best description for this situation.
Inside the Space within the projection, Mo Na Ye was powerless even though he was stronger than Yang Kai. He could only wait for Yang Kai to shave away at his life, little by little. When he finally reached his limit, he was certain that Yang Kai would finish him off with a killing blow. Although Mo Na Ye was well aware of this harsh reality, there was nothing he could do to change the situation. He could only stubbornly persist with his efforts while feeling humiliated and helpless in his heart.
At a certain moment, Yang Kai suddenly frowned deeply. He had been pushing his Space Principles all this while, but the fluctuations in the Space inadvertently slowed down due to his momentary pause.
That vague feeling from before filled his heart once again. If he continued in this manner, there was a high likelihood that something beyond his control would occur here… Following the emergence of this feeling, Yang Kai clearly noticed that the connection between himself and the Universe Furnace’s true body had strengthened considerably.
What allowed Yang Kai to cause the space within the projection to oscillate endlessly was his comprehension of the Cow Punch Secret Technique. He was using this Secret Technique’s first half to track the traces of the Universe Furnace back to their roots. The stronger the vibration in this Space, the more precisely he could locate the Universe Furnace’s true body. The reverse was also true. The closer the connection between him and the Universe Furnace’s true body, the easier it became for him to make this Space tremble. They seemed to be closely related to each other.
As for whether something beyond his control would occur, Yang Kai did not know for certain. In any case, it should not be a bad thing for him to build a close connection with the Universe Furnace. He might even be able to use this connection to determine the hiding place of the Universe Furnace.
In addition, Mo Na Ye was seriously injured at the moment. Yang Kai only needed a final push before seizing the chance to annihilate Mo Na Ye once and for all!
Although he felt that his actions were slightly risky, he did not stop his movements. In fact, he urged his Space Principles more violently after a brief moment of hesitation. Sure enough, not only did his connection with the Universe Furnace grow stronger, but the trembling throughout the Space also became considerably more violent as a result.
Mo Na Ye’s expression changed slightly. He obviously felt the changes around him, but he was powerless to do anything about it. Facing the chaotic grinding of the folded Space, he could only dodge as much as possible…
All of a sudden, the folded Space reacted violently in a manner that resembled boiling water. The layers of Space completely shifted apart from each other. From the outside, the space inside the projection had suddenly become extremely distorted. It was as though broken pieces of the mirror which originally made up this scene had now been haphazardly scattered.
In the eyes of the Black Ink Clan Masters outside the projection, Mo Na Ye’s figure inside the projection was no longer whole. His head was at one spot, his body was at another spot, his arms were in a third spot…
The Territory Lords did not know whether they were looking at the effects of the disordered space or reality. It would be great if the effects of the warping caused this scene, but if they were looking at reality, then Mo Na Ye was already dead.
Fortunately, Mo Na Ye was not the only person in this condition. When the Black Ink Clansmen looked over at Yang Kai, they saw the same phenomenon affecting him! Yang Kai’s figure was separated into dozens of pieces, scattered throughout the folded Space. It was such a bizarre scene that the Territory Lords could not help exclaiming in astonishment.
Inside the projection, Mo Na Ye felt as though he had been struck by lightning and a mouthful of black blood spewed out of his mouth. He did not know how many additional wounds had appeared on his body in that instant, but it felt as though he was about to be ripped apart.
The scene seen by the Territory Lords outside was just a visual deception; nevertheless, the extremely distorted Space Principles were truly being imposed upon Mo Na Ye inside the projection. If he did not resist with all his might, his body would be divided into countless pieces and scattered across the layers of folded space like what the Territory Lords were seeing at the moment.
[My destined end has come!] Mo Na Ye roared in his heart. Flooded with the immense fear of death, he abruptly regretted the righteous statement he made earlier. At the time, he believed that Yang Kai might not see things through to the end; otherwise, he would not be able to survive this ordeal either. Unfortunately, it would now seem that Yang Kai was determined to finish him off once and for all.
Looking back on his life, Mo Na Ye realised that he had not achieved anything extraordinary. Be that as it may, his life had not been dull either. Especially the years he spent as rivals with Yang Kai. That period could be said to be rather exciting…
While Mo Na Ye was being emotional in his moment of death, Yang Kai had a stunned expression on his face. He vaguely realised that the phenomenon which was beyond his control had already occurred.
Using the mysterious effects of Cow Punch, he deliberately traced the Universe Furnace’s aura back to its true location. At the same time, he caused disorder in the distorted and folded Space within the projection to cause constant damage to Mo Na Ye so that he could create an opportunity to kill the latter.
Everything was going well, and it would not take long before Mo Na Ye lost the strength to fight back. Moreover, Yang Kai clearly felt an extremely mysterious connection form between himself and the Universe Furnace’s true body just now. It felt as though an invisible shackle had bound him directly to the Universe Furnace.
He was overjoyed. With this connection, he could track the traces back to the location of the Universe Furnace itself!
At present, the Universe Furnace’s projection existed at more than a dozen locations, so no one knew where it would eventually appear. If Yang Kai could determine the location of the Universe Furnace in advance, then he might just be able to learn something…
As for how to report his discovery to the Human Race, he did not have the time or energy to consider such matters. He did not even stop to wonder whether he could escape this place alive.
When the connection was first established between him and the Universe Furnace though, an unexpected turn of events occurred before Yang Kai could trace its location. The connection seemed to wrap around him like an invisible rope, immediately followed by an invincible force that came from the other end.
At this moment, Yang Kai felt the Universe becoming chaotic and the Void became ever-shifting.
At the same time, the Black Ink Clansmen outside the projection watched as the bodies of Mo Na Ye and Yang Kai were scattered around the void as though they had been cut into countless pieces while simultaneously, all the other projections became equally distorted and turbulent.
Countless pairs of eyes watched the projection from different locations in shock.
The constant oscillation and distortion of the space within the projection had attracted the attention of both the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race. Nobody knew what was happening. Even Blood Crow who entered the Universe Furnace once in the past could not explain the phenomenon. Although the Supreme Headquarters was working hard to obtain information from various sources, they did not gain much from their efforts; therefore, they could only increase their surveillance.
At the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, a group of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were staring at the projection in confusion. Yang Xiao asked Fu Guan again, “Senior, the Universe Furnace’s projection looks rather dangerous. Are we really going to enter the Universe Furnace from here?”
The space inside the projection was so distorted and disordered now that not many people would survive if they tried to enter it.
Fu Guang frowned with a puzzled look on his face, “I’ve never heard of such a thing happening before the Universe Furnace appeared in the world…”
The Dragon Clan did not know much regarding the internal situation of the Universe Furnace, but they had some basic information. Whenever the Universe Furnace’s projection emerged in the world in the past, everything had progressed smoothly and steadily. The projection would become increasingly solid, and then transform into the entrance of the Universe Furnace. There had never been a precedent where such strange phenomena occurred.
Yang Xiao then glanced towards Zhao Ye Bai, “Junior Brother, with your attainments in the Dao of Space, how much confidence do you have to come out safely if you were to enter the projection now?”
Zhao Ye Bai considered the question seriously before he answered, “Around 60%!”
“Even you only have 60% confidence!?” Yang Xiao was very shocked. He knew how great Zhao Ye Bai’s attainments in the Dao of Space were. If Zhao Ye Bai only had a 60% chance of success, then everybody else who entered the Universe Furnace would probably die!
Zhao Ye Bai looked ashamed and apologetic, “My aptitude is poor, which brings shame to the teachings of Honoured Master. If Honoured Master were here…” His eyes suddenly widened in surprise. He stared at the originally empty, but extremely turbulent projection and blurted out, “Honoured Master?”
He could barely believe his eyes. A tremendously large figure had appeared and filled the entire space inside the projection at that moment; moreover, the figure had the appearance of his Honoured Master!
The Human Race Masters at the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress were incredibly shocked. After hearing the numerous exclamations of astonishment ringing throughout the crowd, Zhao Ye Bai confirmed that he was not hallucinating. His Honoured Master had appeared within the projection!
There were many of Yang Kai’s family and friends stationed in the Suppressing Black Ink Army, so they looked extremely emotional at this moment.
Fu Guang shouted, “What you see is not real! Be wary of deception!”
He could tell at a glance that the figure of Yang Kai, which suddenly appeared inside the projection, was not the real Yang Kai. It was some sort of illusory image, which explained why he was so large that he filled the entire space.
What puzzled Fu Guang greatly was why Yang Kai’s illusory phantom had appeared inside the Space within the Universe Furnace’s projection! [What did that brat do to cause such a bizarre phenomenon?]
Likewise, the Masters of both the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race on the various Great Territory Battlefields were absolutely perplexed by the situation.
Yang Kai’s illusory phantom had not just appeared in the Universe Furnace’s projection outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, but in all the locations where the Universe Furnace’s projection existed. The fact that his illusory phantom had appeared everywhere at the same time could be said to be a spectacular miracle!
The Black Ink Clan Army and the Human Race Army stood in formation outside the Universe Furnace’s projection in Twin Poles Territory, facing each other silently.
Both the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race had been recalling their forces during this period, so there had been no conflict between them for some time. The Universe Furnace was about to emerge in the world, and the situation was unclear; therefore, both parties were being extremely cautious to prevent the other from obtaining an opportunity.
Their current silent confrontation was in preparation for the upcoming fight over the control of the entrance to the Universe Furnace.
The Universe Furnace was a tremendous blessing and opportunity. The Human Race was planning to fight for this opportunity, and the Black Ink Clan could not allow them to obtain what they wanted. The present calm was simply a sign of the turbulent storm that was about to come.
Although there were many Universe Furnace projections, it was foreseeable that a war would inevitably break out between both parties once these projections transformed into entrances. When the time came, the party who had control over more entrances would be able to send more Masters inside.
At this moment, two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were standing side by side in Twin Poles Territory, monitoring the movements of the Territory Lords on the opposite side when Yang Kai’s illusory phantom suddenly appeared out of nowhere. While there were many other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like themselves among their ranks, the number of Territory Lords among the Black Ink Clan was not few either.
One of them suddenly called out in alarm, “Junior Brother Fang, it’s the Dao Lord! The Dao Lord!”
The only ones who would address Yang Kai as ‘Dao Lord’ were the disciples who originated from the Void Dao Temple. The person who spoke earlier was none other than the good friend whom Fang Tian Ci met in the Void Dao Temple all those years ago, Liu Jing Shan.
After leaving the Void Dao Temple, Liu Jing Shan advanced directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm outside of the Star Boundary. He later went through thousands of years of cultivation and eventually reached the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Even with his astounding achievements, he could not conceal his admiration and respect for the Dao Lord. In fact, almost all the cultivators from the Void Dao Temple held blind faith in their Dao Lord, Yang Kai. That sense of admiration in their hearts never faded or changed with the increase in their cultivation.
Needless to say, the person standing beside Liu Jing Shan was Fang Tian Ci, who nodded at those words, “But, it’s just an illusory phantom!”
When the Suppressing Black Ink Army was established, Yang Xiao’s Squad was formally transferred to the Suppressing Black Ink Army. However, Fang Tian Ci, who was originally a member of Yang Xiao’s Squad, had applied to stay behind instead. Needless to say, there was no reason for Mi Jing Lun, who was in charge of this matter, to make things difficult for him.
Over the years, Fang Tian Ci remained active in Twin Poles Territory and joined forces with Liu Jing Shan to defeat their enemies. As many of the Divine Abilities, he cultivated and his habits when dealing with enemies were somewhat similar to Yang Kai, he was often compared to the latter. He eventually gained the nickname ‘Little Yang Kai’ and became quite famous. The Black Ink Clan had since repeatedly tried to target him out of fear that he might grow to Yang Kai’s level. Fortunately, he had always managed to escape and survive their attempts; after all, his attainments in the Dao of Space were not low. It was difficult for the Black Ink Clan to succeed, regardless of their attempts to target him.
Fang Tian Ci frowned at the illusory phantom, feeling extremely puzzled… [Why would his image appear inside the space within the Universe Furnace’s projection?]
Thinking about it again, Yang Kai had always been unconstrained in his actions. He generally made unexpected moves that nobody else could even imagine, so… it did not seem too strange for his illusory phantom to appear here.
Fang Tian Ci smiled at the thought and did not think too deeply about the matter.
Meanwhile, Thunder Shadow, who was in Azure Sun Territory, had the same question as Fang Tian Ci.
When this Monster Race Master advanced to the Monster Emperor Realm in the Myriad Monsters World, he had only been a Fifth-Order Monster Emperor, which corresponded to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Nevertheless, he attracted many congratulatory wishes from everyone at the time. Even the Human Race Masters overseeing the Myriad Monsters World had not dared to take him lightly. That was because Thunder Shadow was not a mere Monster Emperor, but also a Monster Race Great Emperor who the Myriad Monsters World’s Will recognized!
Thunder Shadow had spent most of his time cultivating hard in the Myriad Monsters World over the recent years, and thanks to the blessing of the World Tree Clone, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. He grew from the Fifth Order to the Seventh Order in just a short 2,000 years, and then 300 years ago, he became an Eighth-Order Monster Emperor after which he came out of retreat. He had brazenly caused a bloodbath in Azure Sun Territory by relying on his brutality and the innate might of the Monster Race. No less than five Territory Lords had died to his claws, which gave him an impressive reputation!
Most of the Monster Race who came from the Myriad Monsters World had been taken in by Human Masters as mounts. By relying on the protection of these Human Masters, Monster Emperors could often improve their cultivation at great speed. At the same time, they could tacitly increase their cooperation with the Human Race Masters to bring down their enemies more efficiently.
However, there was no Human Race Master who would even dare to think about taking Thunder Shadow as a mount. He was an individual who received the recognition of the Myriad Monsters World after all. As a Great Emperor who cultivated the Primal Art, Thunder Shadow naturally had great prospects for the future. Nearly 99% of the Human Race would not be able to match up to his strength. In that case, who would be qualified to subdue him?
However, it was rumoured that he had a very close relationship with a small Great Force known as Great Feather Pavilion. That was because he received great care from a Great Feather Pavilion disciple when he was young and weak.
At this moment, a Monster Leopard with lightning all over its body was quietly watching the projection in Azure Sun Territory. He did not take Human Form. It was not because he didn’t want to, but that he couldn’t.
The Monster Race who cultivated the Primal Art mainly focused on polishing their Monster Cores as their foundation. The stronger their Monster Core, the stronger their strength as a Monster Race member, and the harder it became for them to assume Human Form. That was especially true for a Monster Race Master like Thunder Shadow. It was practically impossible for him to assume Human Form at this point.
There was a man and a woman next to him. They were none other than Qin Xue and her husband who came from Great Feather Pavilion. The couple were both in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Their cultivation was nothing special in Azure Sun Territory, but their safety was guaranteed thanks to the protection of Thunder Shadow. In fact, they often worked with Thunder Shadow to eliminate many powerful foes over the years.
“That’s the Master of the Star Boundary, right?” Qin Xue studied the illusory phantom for a moment and quickly recognised the identity of the figure.
Beside her, Hou Qing Hai nodded lightly, “There’s no doubt it’s him. I saw his statue in the square when I visited High Heaven Palace in the Star Boundary in the past.”
He thought back to the scene he witnessed back then. Seeing thousands of High Heaven Palace disciples showing such great reverence to their Palace Master had fascinated him greatly. Every time he thought about that scene, he couldn’t help thinking that that was how a real man should be. Unfortunately, both he and his Wife were limited by their aptitude. The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was their inherent limit, so it was difficult for them to make any further progress.
“A Hero indeed,” Qin Xue sighed, “It’s only thanks to him that the Human Race managed to persevere until now. But, why did his figure appear here?”
Hou Qing Hai shook his head to express his ignorance.
On the other hand, Thunder Shadow growled softly, “It’s probably related to the Universe Furnace’s projection!”
Qin Xue tilted her head to the side with a puzzled expression, but did not bother to think deeper into the matter. She simply asked in a worried voice, “Thunder Shadow, are you really going to enter the Universe Furnace?”
He did not respond.
Hou Qing Hai tried to persuade Thunder Shadow otherwise, “Thunder Shadow, you are part of Monster Race. Not to mention, you are a Great Emperor recognized by the Myriad Monsters World and cultivate the Primal Art. Even without entering the Universe Furnace, you have great prospects waiting for you in the future. Why must you put yourself in needless danger? I might not know the internal situation in the Universe Furnace, but I’m certain about something, there will be a horrific bloodbath when the time comes!”
Qin Xue nodded repeatedly in agreement and stared at Thunder Shadow expectantly, hoping that the latter would change his mind.
The couple could not understand the reason why Thunder Shadow, who was born as part of Monster Race and cultivated the Primal Art, would want to compete in the bloody battle to enter the Universe Furnace. There was no reason for him to go after all.
In response, Thunder Shadow simply said, “I have my reasons for going, so please stop trying to persuade me otherwise. The entrance to the Universe Furnace will soon open. Please be extremely cautious when I’m not around and don’t try to be brave or reckless. Qing Hai, please take good care of your Wife!”
Hou Qing Hai sighed heavily, “Please don’t worry about us.”
…
Everywhere outside the Universe Furnace’s projections at each location, the Masters of both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan were communicating with each other through voice transmission. Every one of them had their own intentions, but there were no exceptions about one thing, they were confused by the image that suddenly appeared.
At the same time, Yang Kai’s gaze wandered around the Universe Furnace’s projection on the Black Ink Battlefield as though he could see across space.
He could see the astonished expressions of his Wives and several Disciples at the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. He also saw Fang Tian Ci in Twin Poles Territory. When their gazes met, they nodded lightly at each other. Everything was conveyed without any spoken words. Then, he saw Thunder Shadow, Qin Xue, and her Husband standing side by side in Azure Sun Territory. The tense atmosphere between the Human Race Army and the Black Ink Clan Army, as they stood in formation outside the Universe Furnace’s projections, did not escape his notice either…
The barriers of space suddenly became meaningless at this moment. With the help of the mysterious connection between him and the Universe Furnace’s true body, Yang Kai could see everything at all the locations where the Universe Furnace’s projection had appeared.
A realisation suddenly welled up in his heart, and he burst out cursing! He was starting to understand the reason behind this phenomenon. It was the defence mechanism of the Universe Furnace itself!
This Supreme Treasure had remained hidden beyond the bounds of this Universe for all time. Nobody had ever figured out its exact location, much less seen its true body before.
On the other hand, it was different for Yang Kai who was proficient in the Dao of Space. He had utilised the mysterious effects of his Cow Punch Secret Technique to trace the Universe Furnace’s aura back to its roots to determine its true location. At this point, he was only one step away from success.
Unfortunately, the Universe Furnace could not allow him to determine the location of its true body. That was why the connection that formed between him and the Universe Furnace had turned into an invisible rope, and an immense pulling force drew him in from the other end of the connection. The Universe Furnace was trying to pull him into itself so that he could not investigate its location any further!
Whenever the Universe Furnace emerged in the world, it had always been customary to wait for the entrance to appear in order to enter it. Be that as it may, Yang Kai had been given permission to enter the Universe Furnace early, and it was not an invitation that he could refuse.
It was also because of the connection between him and the Universe Furnace’s true body that his image appeared in all the projections. The strange Spaces scattered everywhere were originally projections of the Universe Furnace’s true body. Now that Yang Kai had a close connection with the Universe Furnace and was being drawn into it, his figure was also being projected everywhere.
A series of coincidences and opportunities had all led to this outcome. Yang Kai’s original intention was to trace the location of the Universe Furnace’s true body and simultaneously annihilate those surrounding him. He never expected his actions to cause such an unexpected turn of events; therefore, he couldn’t help feeling slightly panicked. Would he be refined by the Universe Furnace if he entered it? It would be a huge tragedy if that were the case! Instead of increasing his cultivation, he would end up as part of the legendary Innate Open Heaven Pills!
Yang Kai did not know how the Open Heaven Pills that could help cultivators break through their innate shackles were formed, but the Universe Furnace was bound to contain various mysteries. Things would not end well for him if he was dragged into the Universe Furnace just like that.
After realising the precarious situation looming over him, he immediately began drawing upon his strength in desperation to break free from the connection between himself and the Universe Furnace. Nevertheless, his efforts were in vain. The invisible and intangible rope bound him tightly. The force that came from the other end of the rope was so overpowering that even a Master at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm like him was powerless to resist.
Space Principles flared, causing the Void to become extremely distorted, but to his astonishment, he discovered that a vortex had appeared at the place where he was standing. Immediately after that, his figure was rapidly swallowed up and vanished out of sight!
At the last moment, only one thought flashed through his mind… [I haven’t killed Mo Na Ye yet!]
A wave of sorrow flooded his heart. He had persevered with so much effort, and if nothing unexpected had occurred, Mo Na Ye would not have survived. Unfortunately, Mo Na Ye was saved because his own future had become uncertain due to the Universe Furnace.
A great sense of resentment and reluctance filled Yang Kai’s heart. He would have been much more accepting if he had been dragged into the Universe Furnace after he succeeded in killing Mo Na Ye.
[Forget it. Even though I failed to kill Mo Na Ye, I did manage to eliminate many Innate Territory Lords. I’ve done my best.] Yang Kai felt much better after comforting himself with such words.
The unexpected turn of events inside the Universe Furnace’s projection occurred extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai vanished without warning. The bloodstained and dishevelled Mo Na Ye was desperately shifting his body to avoid the attacks caused by the layers of folded Space when the chaotic and oscillating Space suddenly calmed down. Even the ubiquitous murderous intent around him disappeared in an instant.
Mo Na Ye was stunned for a moment; then, he turned to look in Yang Kai’s direction only to find that the latter was gone. Be that as it may, he did not dare to relax his guard and remained cautious of his surroundings.
Nothing abnormal occurred even though a long time had passed though, so he couldn’t help sending out an inquiry via Divine Sense, “Sir Royal Lord, where is Yang Kai?”
Mo Yu frowned and briefly explained the events that took place just now. The truth was that he had not understood the reason behind Yang Kai’s disappearance either, he only saw a vortex inexplicably appearing where Yang Kai was standing. Immediately after that, Yang Kai was swallowed by the vortex and vanished without a trace.
Mo Na Ye was astonished, [Yang Kai was swallowed by a vortex that appeared out of nowhere? Is it some sort of trickery? If that’s the case, then he must be hiding somewhere in this Space. It’s just that nobody in the Black Ink Clan can detect his whereabouts.]
But, what was the point of doing that? The Space within the projection was sealed by a Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Grand Array, so Yang Kai couldn’t leave this place and his whereabouts would be revealed once the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantom completely solidified.
Besides, Yang Kai clearly looked determined to kill him and was on the verge of success. So, there’s no reason for Yang Kai to create further disturbances at a time like this.
Inside this weird space within the projection, there was nothing Mo Na Ye could do to defend against Yang Kai’s attacks. As long as Yang Kai persisted for a little longer, Mo Na Ye would have died without a doubt. By that logic, it made more sense that something happened which caused Yang Kai to be swallowed by that strange vortex rather than him voluntarily giving up on all his accumulated efforts.
Mo Na Ye racked his brains but could not fathom the reason behind Yang Kai’s actions. The Black Ink Clan’s understanding of the Universe Furnace was far too shallow, so much so that he couldn’t even be certain whether Yang Kai was still hiding inside the projection at this moment.
After pondering in silence for some time, he finally spoke once more, “Sir, the Universe Furnace is about to truly emerge. The real war between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan is imminent. You need to return so that you can protect the No-Return Pass and coordinate the movements of the Black Ink Clan!”
Mo Yu nodded lightly, “What about you…”
Mo Na Ye gave a light smile, “Please don’t worry. If Yang Kai wanted to kill me, he would not have given up just now. Since he stopped halfway, he must have other plans. This subordinate will act accordingly, but just to be on the safe side, we should maintain the Grand Array around the perimeter lest he try to escape. It will also give this subordinate more capital to negotiate with him if he reappears.”
Mo Yu had no objections to Mo Na Ye’s suggestions, so he instructed the Territory Lords in charge of maintaining the Grand Array to remain behind and heed Mo Na Ye’s orders. Then, he studied the projection intently for a moment before he transformed into a streak of black light that sped off in the direction of the No-Return Pass.
The No-Return Pass was the Black Ink Clan’s largest base, and all the High-Rank Black Ink Nests were currently sheltered there. Although Royal Lord Mo Yu had personally come to deal with Yang Kai during this incident, he could not afford to stay away for too long lest the Human Race Masters took advantage of his absence.
Watching the Royal Lord disappearing into the distance, Mo Na Ye sat down cross-legged and glanced around him, “Brother Yang, the Royal Lord has left. Can you show yourself so that we can have a good talk? Now that things have come to this, there’s no point in hiding anymore, right?”
He had the feeling that Yang Kai was no longer here, but he could not be certain. Nevertheless, he could not understand the situation. Where could Yang Kai have gone if he wasn’t here? What was the vortex that swallowed him?
In any case, Mo Na Ye had to consider all the possible scenarios. Assuming that Yang Kai was hiding somewhere, then he had to try and make contact.
Naturally, he couldn’t receive a response…
Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s illusory phantom that filled the entire void at each projection appeared for no more than two or three breaths of time before vanishing without warning and the abnormal situation was swiftly reported to the Supreme Headquarters.
Mi Jing Lun, Xiang Shan, and Blood Crow gathered together to discuss the situation in hopes of figuring out what happened. After ruling out the various possibilities, only one answer remained before them: Yang Kai had made contact with the Universe Furnace’s true body!
All the projections originated from the Universe Furnace’s true body, which meant that the Universe Furnace’s true body was the source of everything. Seeing as Yang Kai’s illusory phantom had appeared at each projection at the same time, then the phenomenon was definitely related to the Universe Furnace’s true body.
If Thunder Shadow Great Emperor in Azure Sun Territory could figure this out, then it was only natural for Mi Jing Lun and the others to reach the same conclusion.
For a time, they looked exuberant. Throughout history, nobody had ever learned the location of the Universe Furnace’s true body or even seen it before. At present, it had not been long since the Universe Furnace’s projection appeared. Both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan were waiting for the projections to solidify and transform into entrances, yet Yang Kai seemed to have gotten into contact with the Universe Furnace already. That was exciting news! If that were truly the case, then they would have a massive advantage!
As irreverent as Blood Crow was, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of admiration for Yang Kai. Having been a member of Dawn who fought beside Yang Kai for many years, he had quite a good understanding of Yang Kai’s abilities. Nevertheless, he had never held much respect for Yang Kai due to the sense of arrogance in his heart and the long-standing grievances between them. At most, he only felt a subtle sense of competitiveness towards him. They were both Open Heaven Realm Masters, after all, so there was no reason he could not do what Yang Kai could.
Be that as it may, he was completely convinced at this moment. The Universe Furnace was the most profound and mysterious treasure in existence, yet Yang Kai had managed to make contact with its true body. That was something he could never achieve.
He suddenly wondered curiously, “Was Yang Kai trying to use that opportunity to convey a message to us? For example… informing us about the whereabouts of the Universe Furnace’s true body?”
Mi Jing Lun and Xiang Shan glanced at each other. Both of them were feeling rather excited all of a sudden! If that were truly the case, then the information was extremely important. If they could discover the location of the Universe Furnace’s true body, then they could enter the Universe Furnace and obtain the opportunity in advance. Once the entrances were formed, they could then ambush the Black Ink Clan from within the Universe Furnace World and catch the Black Ink Clan unprepared.
After carefully comparing the information he received from various locations though, Mi Jing Lun shook his head and said, “I don’t think he was trying to convey any information to us. Yang Kai’s figure only appeared for a very short time, and judging from the reports gathered from various parties, he seemed to have been caught off-guard. It is written here that Yang Kai looked astonished when he first appeared… This fact undoubtedly indicates that he had not expected this phenomenon.”
Xiang Shan abruptly added, “According to the information that we received earlier, he should have been hunting down the Territory Lords who escaped from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction when all of this happened. Could the Universe Furnace’s true body be located in the Black Ink Battlefield?”
Mi Jing Lun stroked his beard, nodding thoughtfully, “It’s not impossible. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do even if we know that the Universe Furnace’s true body is located on the Black Ink Battlefield. The entrances will manifest within a year or so, so it’s too late to dispatch our forces to the Black Ink Battlefield. Besides, how will we enter the Black Ink Battlefield without Yang Kai’s protection? We can’t just boldly swagger through the No-Return Pass like he can.”
Xiang Shan lamented, “In that case, we can only wait for the entrances to open!”
“It’s our only option!” Mi Jing Lun sighed slightly, “Fortunately, the Black Ink Clan does not have much information on the Universe Furnace. We still have a slight advantage over them in that regard.”
Among other things, the Black Ink Clan most likely did not know that there was a Sealed World inside the Universe Furnace. Moreover, the projections would transform into entrances that led into the Universe Furnace once they solidified completely. They might have Black Ink Disciples providing them with some rumours and hearsay, but the cultivation of those Black Ink Disciples was not high so such secret information would not be leaked easily.
At the moment, the Black Ink Clan had only moved their Armies to the various locations to confront the Human Race Armies outside the projections. They were simply taking countermeasures against the large-scale movements of the Human Race, not planning for an area control battle. Be that as it may, this secret could only be hidden for a short time as, once the projections solidified and the entrances appeared, the Black Ink Clan would immediately understand.
The advantage that the Human Race held in terms of intelligence would only allow them to make various arrangements in advance. Hopefully, those arrangements would give them a slight advantage when competing for the opportunity inside the Universe Furnace.
Although the guesses of Mi Jing Lun and the others at the Supreme Headquarters were not entirely accurate, they had gotten at least two points correct. The first was that Yang Kai had truly gotten in contact with the Universe Furnace’s true body, and the second was that this incident had indeed happened purely by accident. Yang Kai had not been prepared in advance.
What they did not know was that the accident had caused Yang Kai to be dragged into the Universe Furnace. If they knew the truth, they would have been much more amazed by the situation.
At this moment, Yang Kai was overflowing with worry. When he was dragged into the Universe Furnace, aside from the twinge of regret he felt about failing to kill Mo Na Ye, he had also been concerned about his own fate.
The Universe Furnace contained Innate Open Heaven Pills, but as for how these Open Heaven Pills were produced, nobody knew the truth. Regardless of their method of production, the Universe Furnace was ultimately an Alchemy Furnace though. Things might not end well for him if he were dragged into the Universe Furnace. His greatest fear was being refined by the Universe Furnace. If that were to happen, he would definitely die with many regrets.
After a period of extreme anxiety, Yang Kai discovered that he was showing no signs of being refined. Still, the environment around him seemed to be rather strange. He could not quite describe his surroundings at the moment. It felt as though he had slipped into the Void, with bits of fluorescent lights scattered around like stars twinkling in the sky. Distance had become an extremely vague concept in this place, causing the flickering fluorescent lights to seem both extremely far away yet simultaneously close at hand.
More importantly, Yang Kai could keenly feel that he was either being immobilised by something which prevented him from moving a single muscle or he was wrapped in a mysterious force that shackled him in place. He couldn’t help feeling rather depressed by his circumstances.
[Am I inside the Universe Furnace?] He couldn’t help sinking deep into thought.
The various indications proved that he had indeed been dragged into the Universe Furnace, so there was no doubt about that. Nevertheless… It seemed rather bizarre. It was hard to believe that there was a vast World inside the Universe Furnace! That was something that never crossed his mind before.
In his imagination, the Universe Furnace was nothing more than an Alchemy Furnace which produced the mysterious Innate Open Heaven Pills. Although the projection of the Alchemy Furnace he saw previously was larger than he expected, he had not been overly surprised since the size difference was within the limits of his imagination. On the other hand, the fact that the Universe Furnace contained an independent World was truly astonishing.
Upon further consideration, it did not seem out of the ordinary for the Universe Furnace to contain a Sealed World. The Universe Furnace was the most mysterious Supreme Treasure in existence. Furthermore, it was capable of producing Innate Open Heaven Pills which could overcome the limitations of the established Heavenly Way.
Collecting his thoughts, Yang Kai decided not to spend too much time deliberating over such trivial matters. His biggest concern at the moment was how he could protect himself. He was dragged into the Universe Furnace because his actions had touched upon the essence of this Supreme Treasure. Although there were no signs to indicate that he was being refined at the moment, it was necessary to have countermeasures in place.
[First, I need to figure out a way to break free from these bindings…]
Yang Kai immediately began to draw upon his power to escape this place; however, he discovered that he couldn’t even move a single finger no matter how hard he struggled. The mysterious force holding him in place did not give off a sense of strength, but it was extremely resilient. The more power he exerted against the force, the stronger the force became in response. Thus, he was kept completely immobilised.
Not feeling discouraged, Yang Kai began to push his Space Principles and attempted to leave this place via Instantaneous Movement. Unexpectedly, the omnipotent Dao of Space was completely ineffective here. The Space around him seemed to have frozen solid, creating an unbreakable prison.
Urging Time Principles next, Yang Kai tried to wither whatever it was holding him in place, but it proved futile. He then tried urging Spear Principles, but his efforts remained ineffective.
There was no saying how much time had passed by the time he finished cycling through all the Dao Strengths of the Grand Daos he mastered so far, but none of them helped with his situation whatsoever. The same held true even when he simultaneously activated Time Principles and Space Principles and then merged them together to form the mysterious Space-Time Strength.
His heart was flooded with a sense of frustration. At this point, he was certain about one thing, he could not move a single muscle. Like a prisoner, he was trapped in this inexplicable cage with no means of escape.
[What a disaster!] Yang Kai never imagined that he would suffer such treatment just because he touched upon the essence of the Universe Furnace. Moreover, he not only failed to discover the hiding spot of the Universe Furnace’s true body, but he also failed to take the opportunity to finish off Mo Na Ye!
There were no signs that the Universe Furnace was attempting to refine him, so judging by the situation, he had no reason to worry about his safety at the moment. The Universe Furnace might not necessarily even be for refining foreign objects. Naturally, just to be on the safe side, it was better if he remained vigilant of any unexpected occurrences.
[I might be safe for now, but how am I supposed to leave this place?]
Composing himself, Yang Kai put away the slight sense of anxiety brewing in his heart and carefully began to perceive his surroundings. If he wanted to leave this place, then he had to break free of the force restraining him. Only by comprehending this force could he take the necessary measures to break free from his shackles.
When his Divine Sense spread out like a tidal wave, Yang Kai instantly noticed something that was out of the ordinary. There was a large amount of Dao Essence contained within the Universe Furnace! The abundance of the invisible and intangible Dao Essence that interweaved and accumulated inside the Universe Furnace was almost impossible to imagine. There were no exceptions anywhere his mind extended.
He couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed by the discovery. For some reason, it felt as though he had accidentally fallen into a treasure trove.
The most intuitive manifestation of a cultivator’s Grand Dao was the amount of Dao Essence they possessed. Needless to say, that was not something that could be quantified precisely as it was nothing more than a vague concept.
Take Yang Kai for example. His highest attainments were in the Grand Dao of Space, so the Space Dao Essence was the most abundant in his Small Universe. That was how there were Dao Temple disciples who could inherit his blessings and cultivate the Dao of Space.
The Dao of Time came next; however, thanks to the improvement of the Dragon Vein in his body, Yang Kai’s Dao of Time was now equal in level to the Dao of Space. Naturally, the Spear Dao came third…
There were many other Grand Daos as well. Apart from the Alchemic Dao and the Dao of Artifact Refining that he spent time and effort cultivating, the rest were the results of his harvest from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon.
When he was being hunted by the Royal Lord, Yang Kai had been forced to flee for over a decade. In the end, he dove into the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon and encountered an inconceivable harvest. He only managed to gain so much in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon because of the Grand Dao Rivers that were found inside; after all, flowing in those rivers were countless Dao Essences that had been refined and absorbed by him.
Yang Kai never expected to discover so many Dao Essences inside the Universe Furnace. Not to mention, they were many times richer than the Dao Essences found in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon!
[Is this the carrot after the stick treatment?]
The Universe Furnace had dragged him here and ruined his plans to kill Mo Na Ye, but it turned out that such benefits were waiting for him. It truly was as the saying went, ‘Good fortune came after a catastrophe’.
In any case, there was indeed an amazing opportunity in front of him. Yang Kai immediately calmed down and opened his Small Universe to absorb and refine the Dao Essence, but a short while later, he frowned deeply. Opening his Small Universe once more, he sensed something flowing out of his Small Universe. The something that he sensed flowing out of his Small Universe was none other than the Dao Essence that he had just absorbed.
After a quick try, Yang Kai discovered that the Dao Essence permeating the entire Universe Furnace could not be refined or absorbed whatsoever. This discovery immediately made his wonderful mood sink to the bottom of the abyss. Nevertheless, he refused to accept this reality and tried to absorb the Dao Essence into his Small Universe once more. Following several failed attempts, he finally confirmed that the Dao Essence inside the Universe Furnace could not be refined. He also vaguely grasped the reason that prevented him from doing so.
If it was said that the Dao Essence flowing in the Grand Dao Rivers of the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon he encountered back then could be classified as an orderly form of Dao Essence, the Dao Essence found here could be classified as disordered and chaotic. It was the most primitive form of Dao Essence… Forcibly refining this kind of Dao Essence would not be beneficial for him.
The most superficial explanation was the difference between uncooked rice and cooked rice. The Dao Essence here was uncooked; on the other hand, the Dao Essence flowing in the Grand Dao Rivers of the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon was cooked. Yang Kai would only need to consume and digest the cooked rice to transform it into the foundation of his strength. Conversely, he could not do that with pure uncooked rice. If he forcibly tried to consume the uncooked rice, he might even cause harm to his body.
The realisation left him slightly dumbfounded. In his perception, the amount of Dao Essence accumulated inside the Universe Furnace was rich beyond comprehension. Be that as it may, he could not benefit from the Dao Essence in front of him. There was nothing more tortuous in this world than staring at something he wanted but could not have.
[Why is the Dao Essence inside the Universe Furnace so strange?] Yang Kai frowned pensively.
Thinking about it carefully, the answer became obvious. The Sealed World inside the Universe Furnace was probably in its most primitive form. That would explain the chaos and disorder of the Dao Essence in this place. The world here was not like the world outside, which had undergone countless years of evolution and development. It was only natural for the Dao Essence in this place to remain in its most primitive state.
[Maybe… this is the reason why the Open Heaven Pills produced by the Universe Furnace can help cultivators break through their limitations?]
It was like 99% of the Grand Dao had been integrated into the Universe, leaving out the final 1%. As a result, the Open Heaven Realm Method that the 10 Martial Ancestors gained enlightenment about based on the formation of the Universe itself was naturally incomplete. The final missing piece could only be found in a place that preserved the most primitive environment from before the formation of the Universe, the Universe Furnace! Perfection could only be obtained when both were combined!
Following that thought, Yang Kai suddenly had a realization, [The Universe Furnace itself might be the Human Race’s biggest shackle!]
At this moment, the fluorescent lights around him suddenly began to flicker wildly. His attention was immediately drawn towards them, and he quietly observed his surroundings. The fluorescent lights were innumerable, and Yang Kai did not know what these wisps were, but they looked like countless fireflies at first glance. Moreover, he couldn’t even judge how far these fluorescent lights were from him under the unique environment inside the Universe Furnace.
When the countless lights started flickering, the extremely abundant but disordered and chaotic Dao Essence began to be absorbed by them.
Yang Kai was stunned by the sight. He had tried refining the irregular and chaotic Dao Essence earlier, but it proved impossible for him. In comparison, these fluorescent lights were easily absorbing the Dao Essence here.
[What are these lights?]
Over time, the Dao Essence absorbed by the fluorescent lights increased steadily. Then, nine distinct fluorescent lights among the sea of fluorescent lights gradually began to grow larger and glow brighter than the rest. The amount of Dao Essence they absorbed also increased sharply in response.
Yang Kai’s attention was attracted by these nine distinct fluorescent lights. During the brief interval between flashes, he vaguely noticed that these fluorescent lights seemed to display the outlines of Spirit Pills…
[Innate Open Heaven Pills!] The realisation came to him abruptly. These twinkling fluorescent lights were the Innate Open Heaven Pills produced by the Universe Furnace! They were the legendary Spirit Pills that could allow a cultivator to break free of their innate limitations just by consuming one!
[Are there nine such Pills?]
It made sense; after all, nine was the limit. For the Universe Furnace to produce nine of these Heaven-defying Spirit Pills was an amazing feat in itself. It was not a small number, to say the least. If all of them could be obtained by the Human Race, they could immediately produce nine new Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. That would definitely be extremely beneficial to the upcoming war with the Black Ink Clan!
But… If those nine fluorescent lights that glowed brighter than the rest were the legendary Innate Open Heaven Pills, then what were these countless bits of fluorescent light around them? They were also absorbing the disordered and chaotic Dao Essence inside the Universe Furnace, so apart from the amount of Dao Essence being absorbed and the intensity of their brightness, there was not much difference between them and the nine brightest lights.
Yang Kai couldn’t help recalling the Innate Open Heaven Pills that he obtained from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven and the doubts he harboured in the past… [Could it be that the Innate Open Heaven Pills inside the Universe Furnace had different Grades?]
Inside the Universe Furnace, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling very confused, [Are there different Grades to the Open Heaven Pills in the Universe Furnace? I’ve never heard anything like that before.]
At the same time, many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were gathered at the Supreme Headquarters. These were the candidates chosen from among the Human Race to enter the Universe Furnace and compete for opportunities. Many were veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but some were rising stars. Nonetheless, without exception, all of them were Open Heaven Realm Masters whose Martial Dao ended at the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Having advanced directly to the Sixth Order, the Eighth Order was their limit. If they wanted to increase their cultivation any further, then their only option was to compete for the opportunity inside the Universe Furnace.
Once the entrances to the Universe Furnace took form, a great war was bound to break out between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan. At that time, their duty was to charge into the Universe Furnace as quickly as possible to search for opportunities and advance to the Ninth Order!
As for the rest, there was no need for them to worry. The other Human Race Masters would be in charge of blocking the Black Ink Clan’s attempts at interference.
At this moment, these Eighth-Order Masters were sitting on the ground and studying hard like students in a lecture hall. Meanwhile, standing in front of them was a cultivator wrapped in a layer of Blood Qi. His aura was very showy, but his cultivation was hard to determine. It was Blood Crow!
Blood Crow had personally experienced the emergence of the Universe Furnace last time. Having entered the Universe Furnace once before, his understanding of it was unmatched by anybody else. Therefore, Mi Jing Lun had specially asked him to teach these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters about the internal situation of the Universe Furnace so that they could prepare themselves in advance.
Blood Crow was no great scholar or teacher, so he simply said what came to mind. Still, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were careful to record everything he said; after all, nobody knew whether the things he told them would become the key that would allow them to preserve their lives or grab hold of the opportunity at a critical moment.
“Let’s talk about the Open Heaven Pills produced by the Universe Furnace. Most people only know that these Open Heaven Pills can help cultivators overcome their innate limitations, but what you should know first is that even the Open Heaven Pills inside the Universe Furnace have different Grades.”
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sitting below immediately fell into an uproar. In regards to this matter, not only had nobody ever told them, but they had never even heard rumours about it.
To the side, Mi Jing Lun and Xiang Shan exchanged a glance and smiled wryly. They, too, had been very shocked when they first heard this bit of information from Blood Crow. It turned out that the Open Heaven Pills inside the Universe Furnace had different Grades!
Blood Crow did not play any games and continued, “I don’t know how the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises categorise them; after all, I don’t come from any of the Cave Heavens or Paradises. I can only divide the Open Heaven Pills in the Universe Furnace into two types. The first type is the Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills, which everybody knows as the Innate Open Heaven Pills that can help Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like yourselves advance to the Ninth-Order. Unfortunately, the other type does not have such a potent effect, so we can think of them as Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills!”
Classifying these Innate Open Heaven Pills into Supreme-Grade and Ordinary-Grade was a very rough method of categorisation.
One of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters was confused, “I understand the situation with the Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills, but Junior Brother Blood Crow, why does the Universe Furnace produce these Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills? What are their uses?”
Blood Crow replied, “I don’t know why the Universe Furnace produces these Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills either, but they are by no means useless. While their medicinal efficacies are not as profound as the Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills, they are enough to help a cultivator overcome their bottlenecks.”
The ability to overcome one’s bottleneck, but not one’s limitations… Having heard that, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters seemed to gain a vague understanding of the situation.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who spoke earlier said, “So, that’s how it is. By that logic, the Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills are rare treasures too.”
A cultivator’s Martial Dao was not always smooth sailing.
Take Lan You Ruo for example. She had advanced directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so her limit should have been the Eighth-Order. Nevertheless, it had taken her some 250 years of cultivating in retreat to finally advance to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm during her brief period in Void Land.
The same was true for Feng Ying of Dawn Squad. It had taken her more than 200 years to advance from the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm to the Eighth-Order.
Several hundred years was not a long time for Open Heaven Realm Masters who could live for tens of thousands of years; however, they would not need to waste all that precious time if they could obtain one of these Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills.
There were many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, but many of them were stuck at a bottleneck in their cultivation and had trouble progressing forward. They were not at the point where they needed the Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills. Be that as it may, they would easily advance to the next Order if they had the support of some Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills. One or two Open Heaven Realm Masters might not make a difference, but the strength of the Human Race would surely grow sharply when their numbers increase!
It was not as though the Human Race did not have any kind of Spirit Pills that could help a cultivator overcome their bottlenecks, but the efficacies of such Spirit Pills were not that great. In comparison, the Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills were different. They were the best Spirit Pills to help a cultivator overcome their bottlenecks!
In Xiang Shan’s case, he had originally planned to enter the Universe Furnace for the Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills, but it would now seem that he might not necessarily need to obtain one. The Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills might be enough to help him overcome his current bottleneck.
“Junior Brother Blood Crow, how many Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills are there? And, how many Ordinary-Grade?” Another Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master raised the question he really wanted to know.
Blood Crow glanced at the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and replied, “I’m not certain how many Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills there are. The last time I entered the Universe Furnace, I was only in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm and I didn’t dare to carelessly move around, much less dare to compete with the Masters for that peak opportunity. Although I don’t know the exact numbers, I’m certain that there weren’t many such Heaven-defying Spirit Pills.”
After a brief pause, he continued his explanation, “As for the Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills… There are many of those. Even I managed to obtain a few. It was thanks to consuming those Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills that I smoothly advanced to the Eighth Order back then.”
As the topic deepened, the atmosphere in the Grand Hall became more and more heated. The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Masters consecutively asked the questions they were curious about, and Blood Crow did his best to answer. Whenever he encountered a question he could not answer, he did not make any unfounded speculations to prevent misleading others.
…..
Inside the Universe Furnace, Yang Kai was naturally unaware that Blood Crow had differentiated the Open Heaven Pills into Supreme Grade and Ordinary Grade. Nevertheless, he quickly came to an unbelievable conclusion under such close observation. The Open Heaven Pills from the Universe Furnace could be separated into two distinct Grades. The nine brightest lights were clearly the Open Heaven Pills that he had always heard about. Now that he was so close to them, he couldn’t help feeling tempted to grab them.
The Universe Furnace’s projection had appeared in all the various Great Territory Battlefields, which affected numerous Masters from the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan. All of them were waiting to obtain the opportunity within the Universe Furnace. If Yang Kai could snatch these nine Open Heaven Pills in advance, then the Human Race would be the greatest winners no matter what arrangements the Black Ink Clan made. They could use these nine Open Heaven Pills to produce nine Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. That would be enough to form a crushing advantage against the Black Ink Clan.
Unfortunately, he could neither move a muscle nor freely exert his strength at this moment. The greatest opportunity in the 3,000 Worlds was literally right in front of him, but he was powerless to seize it…
[How annoying! Hateful!]
He couldn’t help cursing at the Universe Furnace. It was bad enough that he was dragged into this place, but he was also completely immobilised and then shown such a wondrous opportunity, yet he was unable to seize it.
[What is this torture!?]
At this moment, Yang Kai had long forgotten his earlier worries of being refined by the Universe Furnace. If the Universe Furnace wanted to refine him, the process would have taken place by now. Seeing as there were no movements in that regard, he was most probably safe for the time being. Now that he was safe, it was only natural for him to become greedy when such an opportunity was right in front of him.
Yang Kai stubbornly began to struggle once more, but it was all to no avail; thus, he became even more annoyed and depressed.
As the nine lights devoured the chaotic and primitive Dao Essence at an increasingly fierce rate, they began to glow brighter and brighter as a result.
A rough estimate of the time indicated that there were only a few more months before the Universe Furnace emerged in the world. Yang Kai did not know the exact location where this Supreme Treasure would appear, but he could practically imagine the scene at the time.
The Masters of both sides had gathered outside the Universe Furnace’s projections. When the Universe Furnace opened under the illumination of the dense and multi-coloured lights, the nine Open Heaven Pills and their companions would fly out of the Universe Furnace. Subsequently, the Masters of both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan would plunge into a frenzied battle…
He would be freed of his shackles at that time and might even fly out of the Universe Furnace with the Open Heaven Pills. Although he could easily obtain several of them with his abilities, this method was rather risky; after all, all nine of the best Open Heaven Pills needed to be obtained by the Human Race!
[I need to figure out a way so that it will be easier for me to seize the opportunity once I am free. Since the Universe Furnace dragged me here and allowed me to witness the creation of these Open Heaven Pills, then I ought to benefit from this opportunity.]
After pondering for some time, Yang Kai came up with an idea. He immediately attempted to use his Spiritual Energy to place an Imprint on these Open Heaven Pills. If he succeeded, then he would be able to obtain them with a simple flash of his thoughts!
In the next moment, he gave a deep groan and his complexion went pale from his efforts.
At this moment, the nine Open Heaven Pills were indiscriminately devouring the surrounding Dao Essence. When his Divine Sense penetrated the Open Heaven Pills, his Divine Sense was refined and absorbed in an instant…
His Divine Sense was damaged as a consequence, but Yang Kai was not very concerned about this injury; after all, his Soul would be torn apart every time he unleashed a Soul Rending Thorn. This amount of injury was nothing to him. Besides, the Soul Warming Lotus would quickly repair his damaged Divine Sense.
[Spiritual Energy is ineffective, but what about World Force?]
Yang Kai made another attempt, only for the Open Heaven Pills to refine and absorb his World Force perfectly. It would seem that the Open Heaven Pills were not particular about what kind of energy approached them, greedily refining and absorbing anything they could.
Unfortunately, that was not good news for Yang Kai. As things stood, how was he supposed to leave his mark on the nine Spirit Pills so that he could easily make his move when the time came?
He activated the various Dao Strengths he mastered in hopes that he could leave some kind of mark on the Open Heaven Pills, but his efforts remained futile. Even the mysterious Space-Time Strength was ineffective. These Innate Open Heaven Pills were like starving wolves, swallowing anything and everything that was placed before them.
Yang Kai couldn’t help frowning with a troubled expression, [Spiritual Energy, World Force, and even Dao Strengths have proven to be ineffective. What else is there that I can try?]
All of a sudden, he seemed to recall something and silently activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks. His own strength had been ineffective against the Open Heaven Pills. In that case, the only power that did not belong to him was the two Marks that he received from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. If that was also ineffective, then he had no other methods to try.
He normally borrowed the power of the two Marks to condense Purifying Light; however, he was now attempting to leave a mark on the nine Open Heaven Pills with their power instead.
It was not a difficult feat to perform. The Mysterious Power of the Great Sun and Great Moon sept out from the backs of his hands. Under his careful control, they slowly extended towards one of the Open Heaven Pills. It did not take long before the Power of the Great Sun and Great Moon was influenced by the pull of the Open Heaven Pills and swiftly absorbed into it.
Yang Kai could clearly feel the Power of the Great Sun and the Great Moon gradually being shaved away and becoming weaker. Be that as it may, he was overjoyed in the next moment. That was because a slight trace remained of the Power of the Great Sun and the Great Moon! They had not completely disappeared!
The Great Sun and Moon Marks were created from the Burning Light’s and Serene Glimmer’s Sources; so naturally, the power that came from these two Marks contained the aura of their Sources.
It was a power that was derived directly from the Primordial Light. Perhaps that was the reason why the Innate Open Heaven Pills could not devour it completely.
Either way, the experiment was a success.
Yang Kai was thrilled. He quickly added the Great Sun and Great Moon’s auras to the eight remaining lights; however, after going to great lengths to do so, a thought dawned on Yang Kai.
[There’s no point in doing this!]
Initially, he wanted to leave something that he could control inside the nine best-quality Open Heaven Pills; that way, it would be easier for him to seize them when the Universe Furnace truly emerged. However, the power from the Great Sun and Moon Marks did not belong to him; they had been given to him by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. Although he could wield the two Marks to create Purifying Light, he could not use them to control the nine Open Heaven Pills.
All of Yang Kai’s delight disappeared in a flash as soon as he remembered this.
He thought that after spending half a day on his attempts, he was finally rewarded with success, but in the end, it had all been for nothing. No one would be pleased about that.
Thus, after being dragged into this place by the Universe Furnace, Yang Kai did not receive any significant benefit, other than personally witnessing the mysterious inner workings of the Universe Furnace and the creation of the Innate Open Heaven Pills.
Furthermore, Mo Na Ye got the chance to escape!
Yang Kai was feeling rather disgruntled.
However, he could not do anything about it. A strange power was restraining him right now, and he could not do anything about it.
As time passed, Yang Kai calmed himself down and continued watching as the Open Heaven Pills devoured the Dao Essence all around them and took on a physical form. Eventually, the nine lights grew brighter until they became nine Great Suns that hovered all around Yang Kai.
When compared to the nine Great Suns, the countless dots of glimmering light paled by far, like the difference between the bright moon and dim stars in the night sky.
However, Yang Kai had a feeling that the glimmering lights, which were also Open Heaven Pills, had to be crucial in some way. In any case, how could something produced by the Universe Furnace turn out to be ordinary?
The Open Heaven Pills he got from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven in the past were most likely these lower quality ones, but their medicinal efficacies had probably waned due to the passage of time and the failure to store them properly.
Yang Kai did not know how long it had been, but he was focused on observing the production of the Open Heaven Pills when he felt a kind of strong and vigorous energy surge towards him while undergoing some kind of unknown transformation.
His expression changed, but as he could not move, he could not dodge the sudden burst of energy, so he had to endure it instead.
The strange energy was incredibly powerful, and when confronted with it, even Yang Kai, who was at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, felt minuscule in comparison.
He heard his bones being dislocated and his five viscera and six organs felt as if they were about to explode from the pressure…
Yang Kai had no idea what was happening. Apart from being restrained, nothing else had happened to him ever since he entered the Universe Furnace, until now. It finally felt as if his life was at risk.
In that life-and-death moment, there was only one thought in Yang Kai’s mind, [Is the Universe Furnace… really going to refine me?]
Fortunately, the intense energy fluctuation disappeared as quickly as it appeared. The pressure had only lasted for a moment before it was gone.
Yang Kai could sense that the space he was in, the place with countless glimmering lights, was now endlessly stretching out. At the same time, the glimmering lights turned into streaks and shot out in all directions.
A thought popped into Yang Kai’s mind almost instinctively.
[The Universe Furnace has fully manifested!]
The strange event earlier was clearly a sign that the Universe Furnace was emerging!
After counting the days in his head, Yang Kai realized that the timing added up as well.
Then, Yang Kai noticed that the power that had been restraining him all this while had disappeared.
He instantly manipulated Space Principles to lock up the area around him as he reached out to grab the blazing streaks of light, but they moved away so quickly that Yang Kai came up empty-handed, even though he had been determined to catch hold of them.
Only a few of the weak, glimmering lights were caught inside his trapped space.
The weak, glimmering lights were trembling hard against the constraints of the Space Principles. It was as if the lights had a mind of their own and wanted to escape from Yang Kai’s grasp, but he was not going to let that happen. He stuffed the lights into his Small Universe, though he did not have the time to study them now. Instead, he dashed after one of the dazzling streams of light he targeted earlier.
Space Principles flickered, and in a flash, Yang Kai reappeared millions of kilometres away…
However, just a moment later, Yang Kai came to a stop with a helpless expression on his face.
The stream of light had already gone too far away. It flew a lot quicker than him even though he used Instantaneous Movement. After recalling the earlier scene, Yang Kai immediately understood what was happening. It was not really that the dazzling light was moving faster than he was, but rather that this space was, itself, rapidly expanding.
[I had such a great opportunity right in front of me, but I failed to seize it!] Yang Kai was vexed with himself. No words could express the consternation he felt. Nine top-quality Open Heaven Pills had been right in front of him, each one representing a new Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; and yet, he did not even manage to grab a single one!
Yang Kai was agitated, and as he had been injured by the pressure from the powerful energy earlier, he ended up coughing up a mouthful of Golden Blood. Even his aura noticeably weakened.
He stood in place to restore himself for a moment as he looked around him with a frown.
[What the Hell is going on? Since the Universe Furnace has already appeared, why am I still inside of it? Shouldn’t I have been flung out of here the same way the Open Heaven Pills were? What’s more… the Universe Furnace seems too vast.]
By now, Yang Kai was starting to realise that all his theories had been wrong from the start. The inside of the Universe Furnace turned out to be an independent space, and there was no proof that the Open Heaven Pills had been ejected out of it. So, perhaps the opportunity to seize one of them doesn’t occur outside, but rather inside the Universe Furnace!
Yang Kai would be able to confirm this theory soon enough. If he encountered other living beings inside the Universe Furnace, then it meant the opportunity took place inside.
Yang Kai gathered himself and moved in the direction where the dazzling light had flown. Even though it had escaped from him earlier, he was still going to hunt it down.
At this point, he found that his earlier efforts had not been for nothing. Although the aura of the Great Sun and Moon Marks that he left on the nine Open Heaven Pills previously could not help him when it came to controlling them, he could use the Marks to ascertain where the pills were, though he could only do so if he was close enough.
Yang Kai became a lot calmer now. There was a benefit to being pulled into the Universe Furnace early after all.
During the chase, Yang Kai also found the time to check on the weak, glimmering lights he had captured.
He had slightly over a dozen of them and they were currently flying around his Small Universe. They looked like shooting stars streaking across the sky, and the many cultivators inside Void World were staring up at them in amazement. Some of the Dao Temple disciples with greater cultivation tried to chase after these lights, but none of them succeeded.
These weaker lights still moved at incredible speeds. Yang Kai used Space Principles to capture them, but the Emperor Realm Masters from the Dao Temple did not have such ability.
They thought this was some kind of amazing opportunity and had no idea these were just something their Dao Lord had tossed into his Small Universe as he did not have the time to bother with them.
Soon, Yang Kai gathered the scattered lights together and subdued them. The lights faded away, and several fragrant, flawlessly round Spirit Pills appeared in front of him.
Upon closer inspection, these Open Heaven Pills were fairly similar to the ones Yang Kai got from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, but their medicinal efficacies were clearly much more potent.
[What are they for?] Yang Kai frowned. [Don’t tell me these Open Heaven Pills can help those in the Eighth Order break through to the Ninth Order as well?]
If that was the case, the fact that he now had over a dozen of them meant there were going to be over a dozen new Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but there was no way that was possible.
The reason Humans knew how to create Open Heaven Pills was because the Great Experts of the Early Ancient Era had derived a recipe for them based on the Innate Open Heaven Pills they obtained from the Universe Furnace. Although modifications and improvements to the Open Heaven Pill recipe had never ceased, the ones refined by Human Alchemists were still incomparable to the ones from the Universe Furnace.
There was only one benefit to the ones the Humans made. Those Open Heaven Pills were easy enough to create, and as long as there were sufficient resources and Alchemists available, the production could go on forever. Nearly every Sect had its own way of creating these Manmade Open Heaven Pills to fuel their disciples’ cultivation.
Yang Kai had also refined some Open Heaven Pills many millennia ago when he first entered the 3,000 Worlds. After all the cultivation and resources he had acquired since then, it felt as if this memory of his took place aeons ago.
Once again, Yang Kai gathered his thoughts. He created a Seal on the Open Heaven Pills and put them away safely. No matter what they were for, they had come from the Universe Furnace and thus could not be something simple. He would know whether or not they were useful once he brought them to Senior Brother Mi and asked the latter about them.
Yang Kai then continued chasing after the dazzling lights while occasionally using the Great Sun and Moon Marks to see if he could sense anything nearby.
…
As the interior of the Universe Furnace rattled and shook, the over a dozen illusory phantoms of it that had been solidifying for the past two years finally transformed into the Universe Furnace, which was a grand and majestic Alchemy Furnace that gave off a mysterious, ancient aura with complex lines circulating across its surface…
These Universe Furnaces were not the true body though, merely portals to the World inside of it. As if breathing, the Universe Furnace would occasionally disperse a wondrous aura from its entrances. If anyone was able to cultivate near the furnace opening, they would receive a lot of benefits.
However, who would be thinking of cultivating by the opening when the Universe Furnace had emerged? It was more important to enter the Universe Furnace for opportunities.
Outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the many years of peace gave way to battle once more. The Black Ink Clan inside the Grand Restriction knew that the Universe Furnace was a great opportunity for the Humans, so to stop the Suppressing Black Ink Army from entering, the Black Ink Clan was willing to do whatever it took to launch an attack on them, forcing the various Masters to remain behind to hold the line.
A 100,000-metre-long White Dragon weaved through the fighting, killing dozens, if not hundreds with each blow he struck, but soon, two Royal Lords made huge sacrifices to rush out of the gap in the Grand Restriction and pin him down.
Royal Lords were heavily injured if they tried to leave the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction through the opening Wu Kuang had made. Previously, Fu Guang killed several Royal Lords who had been affected this way, so the enemy knew that in a one-on-one fight, these Royal Lords were no match for him, but it was not as easy for him to kill them when he was up against two of them at once.
Not counting the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods, Royal Lords were at the peak of what was possible for the Black Ink Clan to field and were by no means easy targets. It was already proof of how strong Fu Guang was that he could go up against two of them without being at a disadvantage. It even looked as if he could overpower them given enough time.
On the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, the Suppressing Black Ink Army was doing its best to fend off the enemy. Scores of formidable auras filled the sky as beams of destructive light shot out towards the swarming Black Ink Clan.
It seemed as if the Humans had the situation under control, but more and more enemies kept pouring out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, including many Innate Territory Lords. If things continued on this way, the pressure would only grow more intense.
50 Eighth-Order Masters quietly stood atop the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, not joining the fight.
They were the chosen Eighth-Order Masters who would enter the Universe Furnace in search of opportunities. They should have rushed straight into the Universe Furnace when it opened, but the Black Ink Clan’s attack put a stop to their plan.
This was unsurprising, as the Black Ink Clan would not have allowed the Humans to gain more benefits without a fight. The Black Ink Clan had already predicted this when the illusory phantom of the Universe Furnace first appeared.
The Divine Dragon swam through the void as his murderous intent flared wildly. He defended himself from the two Royal Lords who were charging at him as his Dragon Roars echoed thunderously.
“Go now! What are you waiting for!?”
Fu Guang saw that the 50 Eighth-Order Masters had not moved, so he could not resist scolding them.
Transmissions were coming from other Eighth-Order Masters fighting on the battlefield too, “If you miss your chance now, it will never appear again! Hurry up and enter the Universe Furnace! You don’t need to worry about us, as long as the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress remains standing, the Suppressing Black Ink Army will not fall!”
Still, the 50 Eighth-Order Masters atop the wall did not move. The entrance to the Universe Furnace was wide open, and it would only take them a moment to dive inside to seize the opportunity that would allow them to reach the peak of Martial Dao.
It was not as if they did not long for that; however, there was something else they cared about as well.
Yang Xiao laughed and said, “I only want this opportunity so that I can kill more enemies! Now that the enemy is right in front of me, why must I go round the sun to reach the moon? I shall partake in my share of the kills first!”
He rushed into the battle as soon as he finished speaking, and Yang Xue followed immediately after without saying a word. The two of them seemed to move in unison as they lunged at a Territory Lord who was trying to sneak up on a Human Master.
The 50 figures flew out from the walls, but none of them headed for the Universe Furnace, instead rushing straight onto the battlefield to join the battle.
Fu Guang saw this from afar and sighed, but he did not try to talk them out of it.
The Suppressing Black Ink Army was small, only numbering 6,000 in total. Though the army had more than 400 Eighth-Order Masters and the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, which was a Mobile Palace Artifact on par with the Great Passes of old, it took the genuine unity displayed by all of them to hold back the torrent of Black Ink Clansmen that flooded out from the gap in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
As the 50 Eighth-Order Masters fearlessly joined the fight, the Suppressing Black Ink Army soon gained the upper hand. The Black Ink Clan had not expected the Human Masters to not be tempted by the great opportunity they had in front of them, so they were caught off guard and took a heavy blow. Unfortunately for the Black Ink Clan, they could not stop midway through the battle.
Previously, they attacked the Suppressing Black Ink Army and were willing to sacrifice so many soldiers, including multiple Royal Lords, just to keep Fu Guang and Wu Kuang fully occupied. That way, they could probe the Grand Restriction for weaknesses to let Innate Territory Lords sneak out.
It was an enormous sacrifice, but also a resounding success. At least 1,000 Innate Territory Lords had managed to sneak out undetected.
However, once the situation was discovered and Wu Kuang patched the vulnerability they exploited, the Black Ink Clan ceased all combat. They knew there was no point in carrying on with the unnecessary sacrifices as the Humans were now on full alert. The Human Race Master who was controlling the Grand Restriction now would never allow himself to be tricked in the same way again, and it was basically impossible for the Black Ink Clan to mount a decisive attack that could overwhelm the Human Army outside the gap.
If they could not break past the Humans’ defences outside, they would only be wasting their forces by trying.
Thus, they did not launch any attacks in the past few years, until the Universe Furnace showed up.
To stop the Human Race Masters of the Suppressing Black Ink Army from entering the Universe Furnace and obtaining opportunities for themselves, the Black Ink Clan began a full-scale assault again. They thought this situation would turn in their favour, but who knew that the Suppressing Black Ink Army would choose to stand and fight?
The Human Race Masters were not at all blinded by the opportunity that was right at their fingertips and fully focused on the battle instead. This meant that the Black Ink Clan were caught in a seemingly hopeless situation.
It would be a waste of resources if they continued sending out more soldiers, but if they did not, then those who had already left the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction would be wiped out, including two Royal Lords!
They were caught between a rock and a hard place!
While the Suppressing Black Ink Army and the Black Ink Clan were engaged in a fierce battle outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the Black Ink Clan was in complete control of the Barren Territory.
There was also a phantom of the Universe Furnace in the Barren Territory, and it was impossible for the Human Race Army to approach it. No Human had entered the Barren Territory over the past few millennia except for Yang Kai who had passed by a few times.
The Black Ink Clan had arranged for countless clansmen to wait by the Universe Furnace. Once it opened, the Black Ink Clan Army hesitantly checked it out before a few of their Territory Lords led the charge into the Universe Furnace. Soon, they disappeared inside the Universe Furnace World.
Meanwhile, within the Space on the Black Ink Battlefield, Mo Na Ye who was restrained here had been on edge for nearly two years, but after seeing no sign of Yang Kai, he was certain that the latter had somehow left this place. Although he did not know how that was possible, or what the swirl that devoured Yang Kai was, it was still a good thing for him. At least, he did not have to worry about Yang Kai appearing all of a sudden to kill him.
There was no threat to his life now, but the injuries he previously sustained were quite serious and he could not tend to them while he was being held down here.
When the illusory phantom of the Universe Furnace solidified and the opening appeared, Mo Na Ye felt the ground shaking and the Void fluctuating. When he came back to his senses, he was already inside a vast, boundless space.
Mo Na Ye instantly raised his guard as his Divine Sense flooded out in all directions. Though he did not detect any signs of danger, he did not relax as he had no idea what would happen to him after suddenly appearing in a strange new place.
A moment later, it struck him that he could be inside the Universe Furnace right now. After comparing his experience to the way Yang Kai had disappeared earlier, he came up with a possibility.
[Yang Kai entered the Universe Furnace World approximately two years ago! So that was why he never showed up!] All of a sudden, Mo Na Ye felt a heightened sense of danger. If he ran into Yang Kai here in his present, injured state, there was no guarantee as to who would survive the clash!
Mo Na Ye forcefully composed himself, but did not move away from his spot immediately.
He had entered the Universe Furnace from that strange, folded Space, so if the Territory Lords outside had even the semblance of sense, they would have noticed something had happened.
Regardless of whether they made the decision themselves or consulted with the Royal Lord instead, the Territory Lords would most likely be entering soon. Mo Na Ye was going to stay in this spot and wait for them. He would only feel safe when he regrouped with others.
However, to his disappointment, despite waiting for quite some time, he did not see any signs of the Territory Lords.
When the phantom of the Universe Furnace solidified and the opening appeared, Mo Na Ye’s aura disappeared too.
Outside the Universe Furnace, the Territory Lords who had set up the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Grand Array were at a loss. They had arranged the Grand Array here to stop Yang Kai from fleeing, but Yang Kai was long gone and Mo Na Ye had now disappeared as well, so what were they supposed to do?
Furthermore, when the projection of the Universe Furnace solidified, a mysterious power arose from the furnace opening. It seemed to have turned into a passage that led into another World.
The Territory Lords had a quick discussion before sending a report back to No-Return Pass to seek guidance from Royal Lord Mo Yu.
Meanwhile, Mo Yu received reports from the Barren Territory which stated that after the solidification of the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantom, the Universe Furnace itself did not show up. Instead, a strange passage appeared at the furnace opening. It seemed to be the entrance to the Universe Furnace, and the Black Ink Clan Army stationed at the Barren Territory had started entering it to explore.
It dawned on Mo Yu at that moment that the Black Ink Clan’s understanding of the Universe Furnace had been wrong. The dozen or so illusory phantoms had always been portals to the Universe Furnace.
Realizing this, he immediately ordered the Territory Lords to enter the Universe Furnace to aid Mo Na Ye.
After getting the order, the Territory Lords outside the opening did not hesitate. They quickly made some preparations before rushing into the furnace.
However, when the Territory Lords entered the Universe Furnace, they realised that they had all been sent to different places. Even though they had entered from the same opening, they were now standing alone in a vast void…
This was the reason why Mo Na Ye did not see any of the Territory Lords coming to his aid despite waiting around for a long time.
He had no choice but to leave and find a secure location. What was most important for him right now was to find a way to tend to his injuries.
…..
Battles broke out at the same time across all the different Great Territory Battlefields.
The Black Ink Clan did not know much about the Universe Furnace, so for the past years, they basically moved to mirror the actions of the Humans.
When the Human Race gathered their Armies outside the Universe Furnace, the Black Ink Clan followed suit. When the Humans moved their Masters around, the Black Ink Clan did likewise. Essentially, they decided the best counter was to mimic the Humans’ actions.
This was an astute move on the Black Ink Clan’s part, and it was Mo Na Ye who came up with it.
He thought that since they did not know much, they should simply respond as their enemy did.
On the Battlefields across the void, the Human Race Army and the Black Ink Clan Army gathered around the entrances to the Universe Furnace as they engaged in a fierce battle. With every breath, countless lives were lost.
Mi Jing Lun was at the Supreme Headquarters overseeing everything when a series of reports came in one after the other.
Soon, a deep frown was etched on his forehead!
There had been an unexpected turn of events on the Great Territory Battlefields. The Human Army had managed to break through the Black Ink Clan’s blockade in three of the Great Territory Battlefields and killed countless enemies in an extremely short amount of time.
There was no one around to stop the Human Race Masters from their charge.
The reason behind this was that the Black Ink Clan did not assign any of their Territory Lords to defend these three Great Territory Battlefields. Not a single Territory Lord showed up, and even the Feudal Lords were few and far between.
On these three Great Territory Battlefields, while the Black Ink Clan Army was large in numbers, they were obviously only there to draw the Humans’ attention. Most of the soldiers were just expendable cannon fodder!
Mi Jing Lun immediately realised what was happening.
The Black Ink Clan had already decided to give up on these three Great Territory Battlefields long ago, but they moved their troops in secret to trick the Humans into thinking that there were still Territory Lords positioned there.
Even Mi Jing Lun could not help but feel respect for his opponent’s bold choice to give up on three Great Territory Battlefields.
[This has to be that Pseudo-Royal Lord Mo Na Ye’s doing. No one else in the Black Ink Clan could make such a prompt and resolute decision except for him.]
The Human Race and the Black Ink Clan had been fighting on these three Great Territory Battlefields for several millennia now, sacrificing countless lives. Making a snap decision to give up on three of them would not only negate all the sacrifices made, but it could also have a great impact on the future.
Mi Jing Lun was willing to admit that he would not be able to make this decision on behalf of the Human Race. It was not as if he was any less bold than Mo Na Ye, but because the two parties were in different positions. Throughout these years, the Human Race had been fighting tooth and nail to ensure they did not surrender even a single step of territory to the enemy. The more Great Territories the Black Ink Clan claimed, the worse the situation got for the Humans.
Therefore, no matter how dire the situation was, the Human Race Armies could never give up on any Great Territory Battlefield.
Many years ago, Mi Jing Lun started keeping an eye on Mo Na Ye after being tipped off by Yang Kai. Even though Mi Jing Lun and Mo Na Ye never physically crossed paths throughout their millennia of war, the former had a fairly solid understanding of the latter’s wits.
Thus, the moment he received the reports regarding the three Great Territory Battlefields, Mo Na Ye immediately popped up in his mind.
One could say that the Human Race Armies had made a clean sweep of these three Great Territory Battlefields. Wherever they went, the Black Ink Clan fell defenselessly, and if this situation continued, it would take less than a few months for the Human Race to completely claim these three Great Territory Battlefields for good. The Black Ink Clan would not be able to survive there.
Nevertheless, Mi Jing Lun was not pleased by this at all.
The Black Ink Clan had voluntarily given up on three Great Territory Battlefields and did not assign any of their Masters to stand guard in those areas. Instead, they sent a large army of expendable soldiers to keep the Human Race occupied. This meant that the Black Ink Clan could assign even more Masters to the other Great Territory Battlefields!
[Why did the Black Ink Clan, or rather Mo Na Ye, make such a decision? Even if sacrifices needed to be made for the greater good, Mo Na Ye must’ve known what would happen when he made this decision.]
[Do they not have enough Masters?] Over the years, the Black Ink Clan had added numerous Territory Lords to their ranks, and many more Innate Territory Lords had snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction just recently, so it was unlikely for them to lack Masters.
All of a sudden, a thought occurred to Mi Jing Lun. After taking into account the various reports he had received in the past, he immediately came to a conclusion and swiftly yelled to the group of aides beside him, “Quick! Send word to all the Armies to be wary of Pseudo-Royal Lords!”
He had underestimated the Black Ink Clan’s fervour and determination!
Now that the Universe Furnace had surfaced, the Black Ink Clan would undoubtedly fight the Human Race for the great opportunities available. Regardless of what happened, they would surely create a few Pseudo-Royal Lords to shift the odds in their favour.
Furthermore, a hefty number of Innate Territory Lords had snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, which meant that the Black Ink Clan had more than enough Innate Territory Lords to create Pseudo-Royal Lords.
Mi Jing Lun was not completely caught off-guard by this as he knew all along that the Black Ink Clan would soon begin creating more Pseudo-Royal Lords, but he had not expected them to move so quickly. Fortunately, the Human Race had developed countermeasures for this exact scenario. Although the Pseudo-Royal Lords were powerful, they could not wield all of their strength and were thus considerably weaker than true Royal Lords.
Over the past years, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had been practising numerous Battle Formations specifically to face these Pseudo-Royal Lords.
As a worthy strategist and the Supreme Commander who oversaw all the military operations of the Human Race, Mi Jing Lun had already done his best to consider all the possibilities he could possibly imagine.
However, from the looks of things now, there would be far more Pseudo-Royal Lords than he expected!
Why would the Black Ink Clan have insufficient Masters, forcing them to abandon several battlefields? It took the sacrifice of over a dozen Innate Territory Lords to create just one Pseudo-Royal Lord, so if many of the former were lost to create the latter, then it made sense why the Black Ink Clans had insufficient numbers.
Furthermore, in recent years, the reports from various battlefields confirmed that many of the Innate Territory Lords that were usually seen on the front lines seemed to have disappeared while a few unfamiliar ones had shown up in their place.
[The Innate Territory Lords who disappeared must’ve gone to the No-Return Pass and taken part in the plan to create Pseudo-Royal Lords. As for the unfamiliar ones, they were most likely the Innate Territory Lords who snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.]
Mi Jing Lun did not think the Territory Lords from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction were involved in the plan to create Pseudo-Royal Lords at the moment as they were heavily injured. It would take them at least a century or two before they could be fully restored.
However, even if Mi Jing Lun only took into account the original number of Innate Territory Lords that the Black Ink Clan had, it would still be a terrifying amount if all of them were involved in the plan to create Pseudo-Royal Lords!
As soon as Mi Jing Lun gave the order, streaks of light flashed in from the distance as messengers brought in new reports from the Great Territory Battlefields.
Mi Jing Lun swiftly scanned through them, and soon, all the colour drained from his face.
What he was most worried about had indeed occurred!
The Pseudo-Royal Lords that appeared were far higher in number than what he predicted.
Four Pseudo-Royal Lords had shown up in Profound Nether Territory alone. The battle took a sudden turn as the four Pseudo-Royal Lords burst forth on the battlefield in four different critical locations. They managed to break past their defences which resulted in heavy casualties. Thankfully, the Eighth-Order Masters had swiftly assumed their Battle Formations and were able to stabilize the situation, even if barely.
That being said, things were not looking good in Profound Nether Territory and it seemed unlikely that the Human Race could seize control of the entrance there.
Numerous Pseudo-Royal Lords had also appeared across the various Great Territory Battlefields where intense fights were taking place. Even the heavily wounded Innate Territory Lords with weak auras that snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had joined the battlefields.
These Innate Territory Lords were greatly weakened and could not stand against the Eighth-Order Masters, but they were still Innate Territory Lords, and those lower than the Eighth-Order could not hold their own against them. Thus, their presence was an added burden to the Human Race Armies.
There was only one thing that Mi Jing Lun was thankful for. Even though the Black Ink Clan had more Pseudo-Royal Lords than expected, it was not to the point where the Human Race’s situation became hopeless.
Judging from the reports, he also surmised that the heavily injured Innate Territory Lords from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction really could not take part in the creation of Pseudo-Royal Lords.
This was the only silver lining! Otherwise, the Human Race would have suffered a devastating loss today.
The Black Ink Clan had sacrificed a great number of seasoned Innate Territory Lords to create a group of Pseudo-Royal Lords. Even though they were fewer in number now, when it came to raw power, theirs had greatly increased. Thus, the Black Ink Clan quickly gained the upper hand throughout the various Great Territory Battlefields as they managed to catch the Humans off-guard.
However, the Humans were not on the losing end on every single Great Territory Battlefield.
In Azure Sun Territory, pure Yin and Yang Energy melded together in the void to create the image of a giant Yin-Yang Fish that covered a vast expanse. The dead bodies of several Innate Territory Lords were caught within the Yin-Yang Fish as the auras of four figures clashed, spreading massive waves of destruction all around them.
One of the silhouettes was a tall and slender woman. Her long hair fluttered behind her as murderous intent radiated from her form. Even though she was up against three opponents, she was still able to hold on with the help of her Divine Ability.
She was one of the few Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters that the Human Race possessed. It was Luo Ting He of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, who once stood guard over the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress!
She and Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao came from the same Sect; thus, the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques that they cultivated were quite similar. The Yin-Yang Fish was one of Luo Ting He’s strongest Divine Abilities. This was not just seen in its ability to slaughter enemies, but more importantly, in its ability to restrain opponents.
Back when Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao faced off against the Royal Lord of Great Evolution Theatre, she used the same Divine Ability countless times.
At this moment, Luo Ting He did her best to keep her Divine Ability above the entrance to the Universe Furnace as she fought against the three Pseudo-Royal Lords.
It had not been long since she became a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. At most, it could only be rounded up to 2,000 years. Forget reaching the peak of her cultivation, it was barely long enough for her to consolidate her realm.
However, she was still a genuine Ninth-Order Master. It would be easy enough for her to deal with a single Pseudo-Royal Lord, and she would not lose her ground against two either, but three was pushing the limit, so she had to rely on the power of her Divine Ability to fight back.
The auras of Yin and Yang converged inside the Yin-Yang Fish to form invisible millstones. The three Pseudo-Royal Lords tried their hardest to break away, but they could not get out. The grinding from that mysterious aura made them incredibly irascible.
No one dared to get near the four Masters as they engaged in battle after a few Innate Territory Lords had accidentally gotten caught up and wound up dead.
However, it was not three, but rather five Pseudo-Royal Lords in total who came to Azure Sun Territory!
This battlefield had always been a crucial one in the battle between the Humans and the Black Ink Clan, so the latter would naturally send a sizable number of their Pseudo-Royal Lords over. They had considered the possibility of a Ninth-Order Master being on the battlefield, but they never thought that a Ninth-Order Master would be powerful enough to pin down three Pseudo-Royal Lords alone.
The other two Pseudo-Royal Lords were not having it easier either.
Each of them was up against five Eighth-Order Masters who formed a Five Elements Formation. This enabled the Human Masters to fight evenly against a Pseudo-Royal Lord as neither party was able to overpower the other.
The Humans were the ones who came up with the Battle Formations first. When the Territory Lords went up against Yang Kai, they were able to form Four Symbols Formations, but they could rarely form the Five Elements Formation. However, the same could not be said of the Humans. As long as the Eighth-Order Masters were familiar with each other, they could easily form a Five Elements Formation.
In fact, the Humans’ highest record was a Seven Stars Formation formed by seven Eighth-Order Masters! Such a Battle Formation would even enable the Human Race to face off against a true Royal Lord, though there was no guarantee as to who would win the fight.
However, even the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would have a hard time forming Battle Formations that required even more numbers such as Eight Desolations or Nine Palaces. This was because everyone possessed powerful cultivation, and the higher the cultivation, the harder it was to form a Battle Formation.
This was the reason why Yang Kai was astounded by the way Zhang Ruo Xi managed to control her Small Stone Race Army to form the incredibly complex Second-Order and even Third-Order Nine Palaces Formation.
All five of the Pseudo-Royal Lords were pinned down. Azure Sun Territory had always been an essential area for the Human Masters; therefore, there were many of them here, and the Humans had the upper hand across the entire battlefield. It would not be difficult for them to gain control over the entrance to the Universe Furnace here.
However, the situation remained troublesome for them as Blood Crow had reported that the entrance to the Universe Furnace would only remain open for three days. Once three days were up, it would disappear once more. Therefore, the Humans would have to enter within three days if they wanted to seize the opportunities awaiting them inside the Universe Furnace, or otherwise, it would be too late.
Only those in at least the Seventh Order could enter the Universe Furnace in search of an opportunity, as it was pointless to enter if one’s cultivation realm was too low. Those below the Seventh Order would just needlessly lose their lives if they ran into a Territory Lord or even a Feudal Lord.
Therefore, the Humans curated a list of numerous Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Masters who were given the right to enter the Universe Furnace when it opened this time.
That being said, not everyone who had the right to go in could do so as the Humans could not enter the Universe Furnace if the Black Ink Clan controlled the entrance.
Even if the Human Race had the upper hand on some of the battlefields, these Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Masters could not enter at will.
Quite often, these chosen few were the core pillars in the battle of the armies they served in, so if they all just left, the advantage they had would be lost almost immediately as the tides turned against the Humans.
As a result, none of the Humans on the various Great Territory Battlefields had entered the Universe Furnace yet. They were doing their best to cull the enemy as they would only be able to leave in peace once the threat posed by the enemy was under firm control.
Meanwhile, the Black Ink Clan knew little about the Universe Furnace, so even though their Masters deduced that the Universe Furnace opening was an entrance to a Sealed World, they dared not make any hasty decisions when they did not have any clear evidence. In addition to that, the Humans were also doing their best to suppress the Black Ink Clan in the fight, so the latter had to match them with equal force.
Thus, Masters from both sides fought furious battles around the Universe Furnace openings on all the different Great Territory Battlefields. With each passing breath scores of Masters from both sides died as their souls were extinguished in the empty void.
In Azure Sun Territory, Luo Ting He managed to occupy three Pseudo-Royal Lords all by herself. It took a lot of effort from her, but she was still able to hold her own against them for now.
However, in a different Great Territory, another Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was going all out to kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
This Ninth-Order Master had a burly physique and wielded a long spear in a fashion quite dissimilar to Yang Kai’s Supreme Limitless Spear Art. Each swing, sweep, or stab of his spear was imbued with a tyrannical might. The Pseudo-Royal Lord he was hunting down could not fight back at all as he sustained a series of injuries. He would have been killed by now if it had not been for the support he received from another Pseudo-Royal Lord!
This Ninth-Order Master was Wei Jun Yang of Great Battle Heaven!
Luo Ting He was not the only new Ninth-Order Master that the Human Race added to their ranks over the last few millennia. Wei Jun Yang of Great Battle Heaven was another one, and he happened to be another old acquaintance of Yang Kai’s. During Yang Kai’s time with the Profound Nether Army, Wei Jun Yang had once been a Division Commander under the former’s command.
He was one of the few Humans who had the aptitude to reach the Ninth Order back before the appearance of the Open Heaven Realm Cradles. Once the situation in Profound Nether Territory was calmed, he went into seclusion to focus on his cultivation.
Xiang Shan could not easily reach the Ninth-Order because his Order had fallen once in the past, but Wei Jun Yang had not encountered such a setback. Though his aptitude was considered a little poorer than Xiang Shan’s, his foundation was solid.
Hence, after Luo Ting He broke through and became a Ninth-Order Master, he soon followed suit.
However, Mi Jing Lun kept him hidden all this while to prevent him from being noticed by anyone else until the fierce battle broke out today. On this Great Territory Battlefield, Wei Jun Yang wielded the power of a Ninth-Order Master as he charged right at the enemy.
Cultivators from Great Battle Cave Heaven were undeniably disciplined and militaristic, but they were also all eager to fight, and Wei Jun Yang was no exception.
He did not have a Divine Ability or Secret Technique that could restrain formidable enemies the way Luo Ting He did. All he had to rely on was the long spear in his hands.
As soon as he showed up, Wei Jun Yang shot straight towards one of the Pseudo-Royal Lords and unleashed an all-out strike powered by the full might of his cultivation. He almost managed to split the targeted Pseudo-Royal Lord in two right there and then.
Even though the Pseudo-Royal Lord escaped his doom, he was thoroughly terrified now. Following that, the scene of Wei Jun Yang hunting down the Pseudo-Royal Lord unfolded across the battlefield. It was as if he had zeroed in on this Pseudo-Royal Lord and would not stop until the latter died under his spear!
Another Pseudo-Royal Lord had noticed the dire situation and immediately moved to assist. Thus, the scene changed to Wei Jun Yang chasing after a Pseudo-Royal Lord, while another Pseudo-Royal Lord chased after him.
The three figures crossed tens of millions of kilometres as they weaved through the Great Territory Battlefield. Wherever they passed through, Masters from both sides all scrambled to get out of the way.
Wei Jun Yang’s method was a little blunt and reckless, but it was his resolute stance that enabled him to completely occupy two Pseudo-Royal Lords while really only facing one of them at a time, allowing him to completely control the pace of the fight as all momentum was on his side.
If he had to face off against the two Pseudo-Royal Lords in a two-on-one fight, he would only be able to keep things even at most.
The Black Ink Clan had also sent five Pseudo-Royal Lords to this Great Territory, but two of them were currently occupied by Wei Jun Yang, and the one getting chased down was at risk of dying at any moment. As for the other three, they were similarly held up by the Eighth-Order Masters who formed Battle Formations.
The Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques of the Masters on both sides burst out across the battlefield in great sparks. The two Armies formed long defence lines that snaked across the void as they fought with great intensity.
On these frenzied battlefields, three days felt like forever.
As time passed, the situation across the messy battlefields slowly settled into place. Apart from the three battlefields that the Black Ink Clan had given up on, the two Armies on the other Great Territory Battlefields were beginning to solidify their control over the openings of the Universe Furnace.
To put it simply, both sides had their wins and losses.
The final moments were approaching, and the Human Race Masters on the list began gathering near the openings to the Universe Furnace. They had to enter now, or else the openings would vanish and it would be too late. While they no longer needed to get involved in the battle outside, there was still a battle waiting for them inside the Universe Furnace.
In Azure Sun Territory, Luo Ting He was still keeping the three Pseudo-Royal Lords occupied, but her Yin-Yang Fish could not hold out much longer. The moment her Divine Ability faltered, she would no longer be able to restrain all three of these enemies.
Thus, when Luo Ting He saw that most of the chosen Human Masters had gathered, she ordered, “Go!”
The Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Masters had been prepared for this and all jumped into the opening to the Universe Furnace without hesitation. All at once, they disappeared inside.
Their actions shocked the Black Ink Clan. Even though they had deduced that the opening was an entrance to a Sealed World, they dared not be certain about it.
Now that they saw what the Humans did, they realised that it was indeed as they had thought. The opportunity from the Universe Furnace was inside, and the Human Race Masters had already rushed in!
If the Humans gained any more Ninth-Order Masters, then the Black Ink Clan would have wasted countless lives and resources for nothing!
Therefore, when the Black Ink Clan noticed what was happening, they immediately began focusing their attacks on the entrances, and the three Pseudo-Royal Lords who were being suppressed by Luo Ting He found the chance to unleash a joint attack. The turbulent force from their combined strikes warped the Yin-Yang Fish. It looked as if it would crumble at any moment now.
Initially, the Humans had the advantage in Azure Sun Territory, but what they worried about had indeed happened. Once a large group of Human Race Masters entered the Universe Furnace, they lost their advantage and the Black Ink Clan seized the chance to go on the offensive.
The Human Race Army formed lines of defence all around the opening, but once the Black Ink Clan charged at them, the lines began to buckle.
All at once, the Human Race was under great pressure.
At the same time, the three Pseudo-Royal Lords finally broke free of Luo Ting He’s suppression. The moment the Yin-Yang Fish Divine Ability shattered, the three of them turned into streaks of darkness that flashed in three different directions.
Luo Ting He could only stop one while she could not do anything about the other two. Thankfully, after three days of intense battle, both she and the three Pseudo-Royal Lords had used up a lot of their strength and could not fight at their peak anymore. Even though they broke free, they did not pose a huge danger to the Humans.
A fury of Divine Senses streaked across space as the Black Ink Clan higher-ups discussed their next move.
It was clear that the opening in the Universe Furnace could be entered, and the opportunity had to be inside! If they ignored the Universe Furnace, they were strong enough to gain the upper hand on this Great Territory Battlefield, but the Human Race had a Ninth-Order Master here, so their advantage would not necessarily turn the tides in their favour.
Nevertheless, soon, they came to a decision!
They decided to give up on the flimsy advantage they had and instead send their own Masters into the Universe Furnace to stop the Humans from seizing the opportunities, lest the Humans gained even more Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters!
The orders went out in secret, and under the command of the Pseudo-Royal Lords, these Masters swiftly charged towards the entrance to the Universe Furnace.
They thought the Humans would do their best to stop them, and the Pseudo-Royal Lords were mentally prepared to sacrifice some of their Masters in order to achieve their goal, but things did not go the way they assumed.
Many managed to rush over from all directions and enter the entrance without needing to waste much energy. They could charge straight into the Universe Furnace.
It was as if the Humans did not want to stop them…
In reality, it was not that the Humans did not want to stop them, but the phantom of the Universe Furnace was colossal and the opening was just too massive. If the Black Ink Clan was determined to enter the Universe Furnace, the Humans could not stop all of them.
Since they could not do so, they decided to voluntarily let some of their enemies pass as this would take some pressure off those who remained outside.
This was the strategy that those at the Supreme Headquarters had come up with. Mi Jing Lun oversaw all the military operations from his place at the Supreme Headquarters, so it was not at all surprising that he foresaw the possibility of the current situation taking place.
Once a large number of the Human Race Masters entered the Universe Furnace, the Humans would be weakened and the remaining Masters outside would be under intense pressure. If they tried to stop the Black Ink Clan completely, it would only result in unnecessary casualties.
The best way to ease the burden was to allow some enemies to enter the Universe Furnace. Naturally, just how many they should allow entry would depend on the situation on the respective Great Territory Battlefields.
If too many Black Ink Clan Masters entered the Universe Furnace, then things would get harder for the Humans inside, but if too few were let in, they could not alleviate the pressure off those who remained on the Battlefields.
It was a fine line and the Human Race Masters who were in charge of these Battlefields would have to decide at their own discretion.
Thus, once a certain number of Masters from the Black Ink Clan rushed into the Universe Furnace, Luo Ting He, who seemed exhausted just moments ago, immediately changed. She seemed to burst forth with renewed energy as the Yin-Yang Fish reappeared beneath her and rapidly spread across the void. She then glared at the Pseudo-Royal Lord she had been keeping occupied the whole time and growled, “Ready for round two?”
As soon as her crisp, cold voice sounded, it was time for the Pseudo-Royal Lord to meet his doom!
In the end, Wei Jun Yang failed to kill the Pseudo-Royal Lord he was hunting down. Even though Pseudo-Royal Lords could only wield around 70% of a true Royal Lord’s power, they were still formidable enough that it would not be easy to get rid of them in one fell swoop.
Furthermore, it had not been long since Wei Jun Yang became a Ninth-Order Master, so his heritage was even weaker than Luo Ting He’s. The situation would not be the same if he reached the peak of Ninth-Order.
At times like this, Wei Jun Yang felt envious of Yang Kai’s Space Secret Techniques. He believed that if Yang Kai reached the Ninth Order, it would have been child’s play for him to kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord. He could simply use a Space Secret Technique to prevent his opponent from running away from him, whereas Wei Jun Yang had to doggedly chase down his opponent and still come up short.
While Wei Jun Yang did not want to give up on the chase, time was running out, and he had no other choice.
The entrance to the Universe Furnace was about to close, and he needed to head back over to stand guard over the area and take command of the situation. Otherwise, unexpected crises might occur once the Human Race Masters enter the Universe Furnace.
Even though he could not kill off the Pseudo-Royal Lord, he did manage to severely injure him. For now, that Pseudo-Royal Lord would not be able to do anything else but return to a Black Ink Nest to recuperate.
With Wei Jun Yang personally overseeing the entrance to the Universe Furnace, the situation there quickly stabilised. Similarly to Azure Sun Territory, the Human Race Masters were the first to swiftly enter the Universe Furnace. Soon, the Black Ink Clan Masters rushed over as well, and the Humans readily allowed some of them to pass through.
Things went according to plan at both of these Great Territories which had Ninth-Order Masters overseeing them.
Even on the Great Territory Battlefields where the Human Race were the ones at a disadvantage, the Humans’ efforts had not been fruitless.
The Masters who were chosen to enter the Universe Furnace had already received their instructions from Mi Jing Lun, and they were currently besieging the Black Ink Clan’s lines of defence as they stormed their way into the Universe Furnace.
Over at Azure Sun Territory, the Humans could not stop the Black Ink Clan from entering despite being the ones with the upper hand, but the same applied to the Black Ink Clan on these Great Territory Battlefields as they could not block all the Humans.
As the Black Ink Clan watched the Human Race Masters disappearing into the Universe Furnace, their decision solidified.
Ever since the appearance of the phantom images of the Universe Furnace, the Black Ink Clan had been mimicking their opponent’s every move, and they chose to do so this time too.
Since the Humans wanted to enter the Universe Furnace, they were going to enter as well!
On these Great Territory Battlefields, the Black Ink Clan were the ones in control of the entrances to the Universe Furnace, so nothing stopped them from heading in.
However, they soon encountered the same situation that the Humans had. As more of them entered the Universe Furnace, their advantage on the battlefield slowly diminished…
The Black Ink Clan were in complete control of the Universe Furnace entrance on the Barren Territory, whereas the Humans were in control of the openings on the three Great Territory Battlefields that the Black Ink Clan had given up.
As for the remaining entrances, the advantage oscillated between the two sides, and the situation constantly changed.
At last, the three days were over, and the Universe Furnace projections in each Great Territory suddenly began shaking violently. Everyone was unprepared as they witnessed the Universe Furnaces abruptly turning into wisps of light before completely vanishing.
The disappearance of the Universe Furnace was a pivotal turning point for the battles on each Great Territory Battlefield.
All this while, the two sides had been fighting in the vicinity of the Universe Furnace projections. Naturally, this brought about certain limitations in terms of the scope of military operations. For the most part, the party with the upper hand would organise their Masters near the entrance to guard it.
Now that the entrances were gone, the limitations were lifted as well.
Wei Jun Yang took a deep breath. He felt as if he had shrugged off a layer of restraints, and the air was clear again. He raised his long spear as he roared so loudly that his voice reached across the Great Territory, “Are you ready to die, Black Ink Clan bastards!?”
Previously, he could not freely unleash his full power. As the Ninth-Order Master who was in command here, he had to consider many variables. Otherwise, he would not have given up on his attempt to kill the injured Pseudo-Royal Lord to come back and stand guard at the entrance to the Universe Furnace.
However, there was nothing to hold him back now. The Black Ink Clan in this Great Territory were going to have to sear a name into their memories.
It was going to be his name, Wei Jun Yang of Great Battle Heaven!
Meanwhile, Luo Ting He was also finally able to unleash her full strength and she boldly stormed into the Black Ink Clan Army’s ranks. It was as if the Yin-Yang Fish had taken on a physical form as the massive image churned through a million Black Ink Clan Soldiers. Yin and Yang swirled together to grind down these enemies, reducing them to smashed meat and pools of blood.
Originally, Mi Jing Lun considered sending one of the two new Ninth-Order Masters into the Universe Furnace to aid the Human Race Masters as they went in to seize opportunities; however, after a discussion with Xiang Shan, he gave up on that idea.
Once the Universe Furnace surfaced, the battles between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan would surely erupt. All the previous agreements and pacts would undoubtedly lose all meaning, and it was far more valuable to have the two Ninth-Order Masters out on the battlefields instead of inside the Universe Furnace.
The Ninth-Order Masters did not need to get involved with the goings-on inside the Universe Furnace. Opportunities always came with risks. If the Human Race Masters inside needed a Ninth-Order Master to aid them as they went in search of these opportunities, then it would not be unreasonable to consider all their centuries and millennia of cultivation a waste.
Furthermore, the area inside the Universe Furnace was boundless, so even if a Ninth-Order Master went in, they might not be able to contribute much.
At the time, Blood Crow, who had been listening on the side, casually remarked, “I don’t know whether or not a Ninth-Order Master can enter the Universe Furnace, but the last time it opened, none of the Ninth-Order Masters or Royal Lords went in. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, or perhaps the Universe Furnace imposes a limit on the cultivation realm of those who enter.”
Either way, the two new Ninth-Order Masters did not enter the Universe Furnace.
However, Mi Jing Lun was certain that the dangers inside the Universe Furnace this time would far surpass all the previous times in history!
This was because many Pseudo-Royal Lords had entered as well, and the Black Ink Clan most likely did not have Pseudo-Royal Lords the last time the Universe Furnace emerged, so this situation had no precedent to judge from.
It would be a challenging trial for the Human Race Masters who entered the Universe Furnace this time.
When the Universe Furnace phantoms vanished, tremors were felt across the 3,000 Worlds and the entire Black Ink Battlefield.
Over at Wind Mist Territory, Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing were sitting cross-legged. World Force was circling around them, rippling through the air. There was a rip in the boundary wall in front of them, and a gargantuan arm stretched out. The massive arm looked like a pillar that cut through the void.
The chains that wound tightly around the arm were created by the two Ninth-Order Old Ancestors using some kind of joint Secret Technique.
Many millennia had passed since the Black Ink Giant Spirit God broke through the Boundary Wall between Wind Mist Territory and the Barren Territory to let the Black Ink Clan Army launch its invasion into the 3,000 Worlds.
Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing had been sitting in the same spot for just as many millennia as they engaged in a cross-territory battle with the Black Ink Giant Spirit God!
It was impossible for the two to fight a Black Ink Giant Spirit God head-to-head, let alone restrain one of his arms, but when they were separated by the Boundary Wall, the power that the Black Ink Giant Spirit God could wield greatly weakened.
Furthermore, this Black Ink Giant Spirit God sustained serious injuries previously, which allowed Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing to restrain him all these years.
Over 1,000 years ago though, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God managed to restore much of his strength, causing the two Ninth-Order Masters to experience even more pressure. Thankfully, Yang Kai came in time and used Purifying Light to grind down their opponent’s strength.
However, over 1,000 years had passed since then, and the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s power was restored little by little over that time. Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing did not know how much longer they could hold out.
The Universe Furnace had appeared, and they could sense the rumbles of the Universe’s Grand Dao. They exchanged a glance in silence as they knew a major change was about to come!
At that very moment, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God who never bothered to interact with them throughout the many millennia started laughing out of the blue. Its laughter came through the rip, “The Humans will soon be exterminated!”
As its voice came through, the chains around its arm vibrated slightly before letting out a hissing sound.
Wu Qing and Xiao Xiao did not hesitate even for a breath as they quickly channelled their powers, using their World Force to strengthen the chains.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God did not make another futile attempt. It was as if it had only been testing things out earlier, but even so, the Ninth-Order Masters felt heavily pressured.
“You can run your mouth when you’re able to escape unscathed!” Wu Qing coldly snorted.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God scoffed, but did not respond.
Wu Qing’s expression was dark, and his brow was furrowed tightly. He could tell that the Black Ink Giant Spirit God could have escaped a long time ago if it wanted to. The latter simply had to cut off the arm that he and Xiao Xiao were restraining.
However, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was evidently unwilling to suffer such a loss. That was why it did not do much and allowed the two to restrain it here.
All these years, it was quietly gathering its strength in order to escape unscathed, and from the looks of it, it would happen soon.
Moreover, no Black Ink Clansmen had ever come to disrupt the two throughout these years, and clearly, something was strange about that too. They were keeping the Black Ink Giant Spirit God occupied here, but was it not also doing the same to them?
[Perhaps the Black Ink Clan wants to change things now…]
Wu Qing could not resist glancing at Xiao Xiao, who remained unperturbed. She was holding something in her hand that was hidden beneath her sleeve, and she nodded at him before using Divine Sense transmission to say, “Yang Kai had already prepared for this!”
What she held was something that Yang Kai had secretly given her when he came to check on them previously. She had furtively studied the item, and once she realised what it was, she was both shocked and in awe.
However, she kept quiet about this and did not even inform Wu Qing because too much was at stake, and she had to guard against the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s probing.
Hence, Wu Qing was startled when he heard Xiao Xiao and frowned as he asked, “Do you have so much faith in that boy?”
Xiao Xiao smirked before firmly declaring, “It’s not just my faith in him. He has given the Human Race something that allows us to be this confident!”
Faith alone was meaningless. What she held in her hand was the most important key to dealing with this Black Ink Giant Spirit God. All was well if their opponent chose to stay put and do nothing, but if he tried to escape, it would be time for her to use the trump card in her possession.
Wu Qing nodded lightly and did not ask for more details. He was also a Ninth-Order Master, but he was unfamiliar with Yang Kai. He had been an Army Commander at Yin-Yang Pass, then the Old Ancestor of the Yin-Yang Theatre during Yang Kai’s rise to prominence, so his interactions with Yang Kai were minimal. He had many rumours which, simply put, described Yang Kai as a Junior who often created unexpected but definitely pleasant surprises. As such, he took the simple approach of, [I shall wait and see…]