Their auras linked together and they quickly formed a Five Elements Formation with the veteran Eighth-Order Master Tian Xiu Zhu as the Core, standing by in wait for a fight.
With this Formation, they would still have a chance even if they were to encounter a Pseudo-Royal Lord. But if it was a true Royal Lord, then they would surely be no match for them.
So, after getting into Formation, all of them were secretly praying that it was not a real Royal Lord that was coming over; otherwise, all of them were possibly going to be buried here today.
Xiong Ji reassured everyone, “No need to worry too much. We’ve only discovered one Royal Lord before, but there were a considerable number of Pseudo-Royal Lords who came in. It’s reasonable to say that it’s likely a Pseudo-Royal Lord who’s approaching. There’s no way we’ll be so unlucky as to encounter another Royal Lord, right?”
Liu Fei Fei couldn’t help but glance over at him, “That’s what I was assuming as well, but after hearing you say that… I feel a bad premonition.”
“Calm your minds and concentrate!” Tian Xiu Zhu shouted.
Liu Fei Fei and Xiong Ji shut their mouths at once.
While they were talking, a figure in the distance entered their vision. All they saw was a vast and imposing Black Ink Cloud that was quickly approaching them.
“Xiong Ji, you damn crow-mouth!” Zhan Tian He’s expression changed for the worse. Exactly as they feared, the one who was approaching was, in fact, a true Royal Lord.
Xiong Ji felt depressed. He had only made an offhand remark, yet how did he become a crow-mouth?
It was inevitable that all of them would feel anguished at this encounter. Even in the Five Elements Formation, it was very likely that their fates in the face of this Royal Lord were going to be unpleasant. However, there was no way they wouldn’t even resist when facing an enemy of this calibre.
They were all determined to bite off a chunk of that Royal Lord’s flesh even if they were to die here. They would fight with all their might!
“Prepare for battle!” Tian Xiu Zhu was a veteran Eighth-Order Master, and after experiencing so many life-and-death battles in his life, he was able to calm himself quickly and shouted for the rest of them to focus.
The Battle Formation was running, their auras were connected, and World Force was churning. Tian Xiu Zhu was about to lead his Junior Brothers and Junior Sister into a fight to the death with the Royal Lord, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around to run after being taken aback for a moment.
That left Zhan Tian He and the rest puzzled, but since they were in a Battle Formation, the rest of them could only follow Tian Xiu Zhu under the pull of their auras.
Very soon though, they realized why their Senior Brother Tian had run. That was because it wasn’t simply a Royal Lord coming at them from afar, there was an even stronger aura following closely behind him, one that felt extremely strange. It was unlike a Ninth-Order Master or Royal Lord; instead, it was like…
“Could it be that Chaos Spirit King?” Liu Fei Fei came to a realization.
They were wondering how there could be so many Royal Lords popping out at once, but it was very clear that this was the same Royal Lord that they sensed with Yang Kai back then. The Black Ink Clan didn’t have two true Royal Lords, it was still just one.
Previously, the Royal Lord was fighting against the Chaos Spirit King where the Chaos Spirits were gathering earlier; and at this moment, the Chaos Spirit King was chasing down the Royal Lord, clearly trying to kill him.
However, what confused them was why the Chaos Spirit King would chase him all the way here? Didn’t it have to protect its clansmen? And what about the Chaos Entity that swallowed the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill?
Instantaneously, all of them understood something.
Most likely, Yang Kai had succeeded in seizing the pill and had escaped. The Chaos Spirit King must have mistaken Yang Kai to be on the Black Ink Clan’s side, so it turned its anger on the Royal Lord when it failed to find Yang Kai!
That would explain why there had been so many Black Ink Clansmen gathering in that direction recently. It was very obvious that they were trying to dig out Yang Kai’s location.
Understanding this, Zhan Tian He and the others all glanced at each other, feeling impressed.
As expected of Senior Brother Yang, he had truly succeeded in seizing the chestnut from the fire; and the fact that he got his hands on a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill also meant that a new Ninth-Order Master would soon exist among their ranks! Even more amazingly, he had managed to toss the pot of trouble into the hands of the Black Ink Clan as well.
But now, their situation wasn’t so good. They weren’t as fast as the Royal Lord and the Chaos Spirit King, so it would only be a matter of time before they caught up to them. They had no choice but to avoid them, yet the Royal Lord was chasing after them like maggots on rotting bones. It was very obvious that his intentions were to drag them into the fray so as to divert the Chaos Spirit King’s attention.
Something had to be done; otherwise, they would be forced into a passive position once the Royal Lord made his move.
“Everyone, do you trust this old man?” Tian Xiu Zhu suddenly called out to them.
Zhan Tian He and the others did not understand what he meant, but they could vaguely guess what he intended to do and quickly answered, “No need to stand on ceremony, Senior Brother Tian. If Senior Brother wishes to do something, please act freely!”
Tian Xiu Zhu let out a hearty laugh, “In that case, let us fight the Royal Lord together!”
With those words, he suddenly turned around again and charged towards the Royal Lord.
Behind them, the Royal Lord who was running away had long picked up on these Humans’ presence, and it was also true that he intended to hold off the Chaos Spirit King after him with the help of these Eighth-Order Masters. There was not much he had to do, he just had to stop these Humans for a moment, then there was no way the Chaos Spirit King would just sit back and let them go. When that happened, he could get the Humans to fight the Chaos Spirit King, and then he could take advantage of that opportunity to escape with his superior speed.
It was a sound plan, yet he never would have expected these Humans to have the guts to turn around and attack him. The Royal Lord couldn’t help but be taken aback by this unexpected reaction.
The very sight made him furious. Being chased by the Chaos Spirit King that lacked sapience was terrible in and of itself, but the other party’s fist was bigger, so there was no helping it. However, how did those Eighth-Order Masters dare to underestimate him like this?
“Courting death!” This newly-advanced Royal Lord coldly snorted and raised his hand. Black Ink Strength gathered in his palm before he clenched his fist and threw a punch in Tian Xiu Zhu’s direction.
Inside of the Five Elements Formation, the five Eighth-Order Masters were arranged into a V shape with Tian Xiu Zhu at the lead. Before the Royal Lord’s fist had even reached them, Tian Xiu Zhu had already spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence, which turned into a dense blood mist that wrapped around the five of them, and his already stunning aura rose to another level.
World Force surged fiercely, and all their bodies shone brightly.
The eventual clash caused space to shake for a moment, and several muffled grunts rang out.
The Royal Lord’s body was pushed back slightly, but the mighty Black Ink Cloud remained mostly intact. On the other hand, the streak of blood-red light was blasted back while its glow faded greatly. It wasn’t until they tumbled nearly a million kilometres before the five Eighth-Order Masters managed to steady themselves.
At this moment, the faces of the five Humans were pale, and blood was spilling from the corners of their mouths, especially Tian Xiu Zhu, who had taken the lead. His face had turned almost as white as a sheet of paper, and a part of his chest had caved in.
Even with the five of them assuming the Five Elements Formation, having to take a head-on blow from a Royal Lord still did not go down well for them.
However, Tian Xiu Zhu was laughing loudly, “You two have fun, we’ll be taking our leave!”
Barely maintaining the Battle Formation, he spat out another mouthful of Blood Essence and activated a Secret Technique; then, along with Zhan Tian He and the others, they turned into a streak of red light that quickly moved away.
The aftershocks of a fierce battle could be heard from behind them, as well as the Royal Lord’s unresigned roar of fury, “Humans, I’ll bury all of you and exterminate your entire Race!”
He had originally intended to stop the Eighth-Order Masters here for a while and drag them into the fight, but he never expected them to act against him first before he put his plan into motion.
They had done exactly what he was planning to do!
Under the momentum of the Five Elements Formation, the five Eighth-Order Masters combined their strengths to launch a single attack, but still did not gain much out of it; instead, they had all come out injured. As the Core of the Formation, Tian Xiu Zhu had even briefly trod upon the gates of death, but the result proved that it was undoubtedly the right choice to make.
As a result of the resistance they had put up, the Royal Lord was halted for a moment, even pushed back slightly, which was just enough for the Chaos Spirit King who was chasing after him to catch up.
While two top Masters were now engaged in a close-quarters melee, how could they have any strength left to care about Tian Xiu Zhu and his group?
This truly was snatching life from the gates of death. It was difficult for them to have done something like this without great courage, but fortunately, there was never a shortage of courage among the brave warriors of the Human Race, especially among old veteran Eighth-Order Masters like Tian Xiu Zhu.
Seeking a ray of hope in desperation had always been something that they were best at.
Tian Xiu Zhu and the others managed to escape from a crisis for the time being, but with the varying injuries that all of them suffered necessitated finding a place to hide and recuperate.
The Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King were not fighting again, shattering chaos and tearing apart the void. However, for top Masters such as them, even if there was a noticeable difference in true strength between them, it was not so easy for either side to take the life of the other.
The fight would most likely end in the Royal Lord escaping again in the end, with the Chaos Spirit King chasing after him incessantly…
Elsewhere, Yang Kai felt as if he were a lamp running out of oil.
After seizing the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, he managed to escape with Thunder Shadow. Even though he found an opportunity to recover during this period, the Black Ink Clan would soon discover his trail and he would be forced to flee again, so he did not manage to heal much.
He could sense that a wave of Black Ink Clansmen was constantly converging towards this area. It seemed like the loss of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill had truly irked them.
He was in bad shape now, and so was Thunder Shadow, so he was simply powerless to deal with so many enemies.
Yang Kai had no choice but to constantly move around while finding breathing room to heal.
But if things went on like this, it wouldn’t be long before he had no way to escape and would have to fight to the death.
He had to find a safe place to recover from his injuries; however, though the Universe Furnace World was vast and the terrain complex, it was difficult to find a truly safe place, especially when the Black Ink Clan were currently trying to seek him out.
As he ran, Yang Kai considered his options, and the only place that he could hide seemed obvious.
If he hid inside of the Infinite River that was said to run through the entire Universe Furnace World, then no matter how many Masters from the Black Ink Clan came, they might still not be able to find him.
However, the Infinite River was formed of chaotic Shattered Dao Essence, so if he hid inside of it, being corrupted by the Shattered Dao Essence would still bring great risk to him.
For a while, Yang Kai was at a loss.
The main reason for that was because he currently had no idea how far away he was from the Infinite River.
But no matter what, it was still a way out for him.
While escaping, Yang Kai searched for the location of the Infinite River. During that time, he encountered some Black Ink Clansmen who were trying to seek him out, so he had no choice but to use his Space Secret Techniques, which drained a lot of his energy and exacerbated his injuries.
Following his senses, Yang Kai fled in the direction he thought the Infinite River was, but he couldn’t catch any sign of it no matter how far he flew. This made him doubt himself and wonder whether he had gotten the direction wrong.
But if the Infinite River truly did run through the entire Universe Furnace World, then it wouldn’t matter which direction he went in. He would eventually find it.
All of a sudden, a buzzing sound broke through the world and the Grand Dao shook. The Universe Furnace was evolving again…
[How many times has it been now?]
Yang Kai was starting to lose count. He had no idea whether this was the sixth time or the seventh time.
He quickly stopped in place and calmed his mind to perceive the changes happening around him.
Each evolution was a process of the Grand Dao changing from chaos to order. After nine times, the Shattered Dao Essence that filled the Universe Furnace World would no longer exist, and everything here would no longer be any different from the outside world.
It was a miraculous process, and Yang Kai had a feeling that if one were able to see through the secrets of this evolution, it would come with great rewards for any cultivator, and perhaps even an unimaginable pleasant surprise.
He had calmed his mind to pay attention to the evolutions before, but he was unable to gain anything from them, let alone this time when he was in bad shape and on the run.
Very soon, the evolution was over.
The sense of chaos in the Universe Furnace World had definitely become less apparent, and the Shattered Dao Essence had also grown much thinner. Now, some new pure Grand Dao had even emerged.
The invisible fog that enveloped the entire Universe Furnace was being lifted gradually as the Grand Dao evolved!
It was at that moment that two Divine Senses emerged from the void and probed his position.
Yang Kai’s face turned dark and he quickly manipulated Space Principles to escape. As the chaotic energy grew thinner, it also made it easier for one to scan their surroundings.
A few moments later, two Territory Lords rushed over to this place from different directions, but there was no trace of Yang Kai. However, the lingering fluctuations of Space Principles left behind told a clear story. They hastened to send out messages through their Black Ink Nests in all directions to gather in this direction.
On the other side, Yang Kai appeared with Thunder Shadow, exhausted beyond measure.
He had never tried using Instantaneous Movement so many times with a companion in the same realm before, and it was several times more tiring than if he were to do this alone.
While he was mulling over what to do next, Yang Kai sensed something and sent out his Divine Sense to check in one direction.
In the next moment, the sound of water emerged, splashing deep within his mind.
[The Infinite River!]
Yang Kai was overjoyed. It seemed that his memory had been correct and he was indeed moving in the direction of the Infinite River. Now, he was finally getting closer.
He quickly moved towards the Infinite River with Thunder Shadow and soon saw the magnificent current that looked like it had no source nor end again.
Now that he had found it, Yang Kai started to feel a little hesitant. There was no doubt that hiding in the Infinite River was the only choice he had left. With the Black Ink Clan gathering to search for him, and with him in his current condition, he would sooner or later be surrounded if he did not get a chance to properly recover. When that happened, he would get no response even if he cried out to the Heavens for aid.
However, if he really did enter the Infinite River, Yang Kai had no idea what he would encounter there. The large river was not safe after all.
Unfortunately, he had no other choice right now.
Yang Kai grit his teeth and circulated his power to protect himself and the dazed Thunder Shadow who was on his shoulder. He then leapt into the river, which remained completely silent without even the slightest splash.
The Humans had a lot of information regarding the Universe Furnace World in their hands, of which included information about the Infinite River that was all provided by Blood Crow; however, even though the Infinite River was mentioned in that information, there was nothing said about what would happen if one was to fall into it.
Yang Kai speculated that Blood Crow had neither considered the possibility, or that anyone who fell into the river had died, and that was why no information about it was available.
Yang Kai speculated entering the river was a risky move, and the moment he did he confirmed that theory.
As soon as he fell into the Infinite River, he could feel rich Shattered Dao Essence corroding his body from all directions. It felt as if countless Chaos Entities were attacking him at the same time!
In fact, that was indeed what was going on.
Chaos Entities were formed from Shattered Dao Essence to begin with, so being surrounded by Shattered Dao Essence was no different than being attacked by the Chaos Entities.
Even though Yang Kai had already taken precautions, his body still felt weak in an instant and he could hardly muster any strength while he sank. His mind was even being flooded with all sorts of inexplicable emotions that made him feel pessimistic, despate, and distracted.
The Black Ink Clan was so powerful, could the Human Race really resist them?
Even though it seemed like the both sides could compete as equals, the Black Ink Clan still had Masters on their side that had not been deployed yet. Moreover, there was still Mo, who was sealed in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Even if the Humans exterminated all of the Black Ink Clan in the 3,000 Worlds and the Black Ink Battlefield, it was still impossible to end this war that had started in the early Ancient Era without a way to deal with Mo.
That was an opponent that not even the 10 Martial Ancestors like Cang were able to solve…
So, why was he doing so much to seize the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill? Now, he had gotten himself surrounded from all sides, chased down by his enemies until he had nowhere to go.
With so many gloomy thoughts pounding on his mind, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel tempted to just sink down and stop caring about all the annoying things happening outside. Becoming a part of this Infinite River did not seem all that bad either…
Suddenly, he realized why Blood Crow’s information did not include anything about what happened when one fell into the river; most likely, all who had fallen in had died!
A touch of coolness spread out in his head like the Sun rising into the sky. Under its impact, all of those distracting thoughts disappeared into nothingness.
Yang Kai quickly circulated his power to stabilize his sinking body and he couldn’t help but break out into a cold sweat.
As he expected, the Infinite River was extremely strange. If the Soul Warming Lotus had not protected him in that moment, then he might truly have met his demise.
The Shattered Dao Essence that was gushing over from all directions contained all sorts of mysterious powers that was simply not something a Human could withstand. That power had the ability to influence the most minute and imperceptible flaws deep within a person’s heart and magnify them infinitely. It was not a power that merely confused a person, but rather a mysterious part of the Grand Dao.
Yang Kai was instantly on alert and took the initiative to circulate the Soul Warming Lotus’s power in order to protect himself.
Turning his head over, he could see a peaceful look on the face of Thunder Shadow, who was perched on his shoulder, his eyes looking blank and hollow. It was apparent that he had also been affected, and even his flesh was showing signs of disintegration.
If one’s body were to disintegrate in this kind of place, then the only result would surely be a death without a burial.
Yang Kai raised his voice at once and shouted, “Thunder Shadow!”
Thunder Shadow turned his head languidly to look at him, but he did not show any signs of responding in the slightest, as if he had already accepted his fate…
Yang Kai panicked. He had the Soul Warming Lotus to protect himself, so he was temporarily able to stabilize his mind, but Thunder Shadow didn’t have that advantage. If this situation continued, then it would not take long before Thunder Shadow really died!
Shattered Dao Essence was scouring them from all directions, and it was because of its influence that both he and Thunder Shadow were acting so strangely.
In that case, the only thing Yang Kai could do was to find a way to shield themselves from the Shattered Dao Essence.
Yang Kai immediately circulated his Dao Strengths of Space and Time to summon his own Space-Time River, coiling it around their bodies and protecting both Thunder Shadow and himself while pushing away the Infinite River’s water.
In the next moment, Thunder Shadow abruptly came to his senses and his eyes were filled with fear at what he’d just experienced, “This river is too strange!”
Not only strange, it was simply evil. Even a Master of Yang Kai’s calibre had fallen prey to it momentarily, so there was no need to even mention how ordinary Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords would react.
Even those Pseudo-Royal Lords would likely not have gotten out safely if they fell into the river; however, he had no idea whether Ninth-Order Masters or Royal Lords could withstand the river’s corruption or not.
“En,” Yang Kai answered with a grunt and gritted his teeth, examining his own Small Universe.
He had not paid too much attention to it before, but when he brought out the Space-Time River, he realized that something unusual was happening to his Small Universe.
The Infinite River’s water was not only corrupting his flesh and mind, but also his Small Universe.
At this moment, the World Tree’s clone was swaying in his Small Universe, its gigantic canopy forming a layer of protection like an umbrella, blocking the Shattered Dao Essence’s encroachment.
The realization was fearful to Yang Kai. If the World Tree’s clone had not been here to shield and isolate his Small Universe, then even if he could shake off the influence on his mind with the help of the Soul Warming Lotus, his Small Universe would still have been polluted.
Once the Infinite River’s water encroached upon his Small Universe, it would definitely be filled with great amounts of the chaotic and disorderly Shattered Dao Essence. At that point, he would surely be greatly affected by it. If that were to happen, then not to mention maintaining his original strength, even just keeping his Order from regressing would have been a great outcome.
The dangers of this Infinite River were truly unpreventable.
Yang Kai was now certain that even if a Ninth-Order Master were to fall into this place, they would not have fared well. Even if they were able to withstand the river’s corruption for a time, the integrity of their own Small Universe would still be affected.
The Soul Warming Lotus and the World Tree clone had helped Yang Kai greatly this time around.
He was fine for now, but the need to protect Thunder Shadow with the Space-Time River was a huge drain to his Dao Strengths.
However, it was not too much of a problem for him. Yang Kai carefully adjusted his Space-Time River, reducing its size and volume so as to reduce the consumption.
He only stopped once the Space-Time River was barely enveloping Thunder Shadow. As for himself, he did not need its protection. The Soul Warming Lotus and the World Tree clone were enough.
Even though it was a bumpy process, they had still escaped that situation without much harm in the end. It seemed like jumping into the Infinite River was the right decision.
Without the Black Ink Clan to disturb him, Yang Kai said, “Let’s recuperate for now.”
Thunder Shadow nodded and silently took out a Space Ring before fetching some healing pills and swallowing them.
Though he was from the Monster Race and some Spirit Pills refined by Humans were not usable for him, healing pills were still fine. He had been beaten senseless previously and was now greatly in need of recuperation.
Yang Kai also took out some healing pills and gulped them down, then he silently shut his eyes and began adjusting his breathing.
Yang Kai’s injuries were extremely severe, but his restorative abilities were strong, so his physical injuries were not a big problem for him. Only, his Soul had received some damage from him being forced to use a Soul Rending Thorn against that Pseudo-Royal Lord, which would require the slow nurturing of the Soul Warming Lotus to recover from.
Fortunately, he had only used one, so the injury to his Soul was not particularly serious.
One Human and one Monster quietly recuperated inside the river, remaining still and allowing the river to wash over them.
Meanwhile, another reign of terror had arisen outside due to that Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. There were constantly Black Ink Clansmen gathering, searching for Yang Kai and breaking out into conflict with the Humans who were here.
After several evolutions of the Universe Furnace’s Grand Dao, the situation had become much clearer, unlike before where it would often take long to bump into another living soul. Now, both the Human Race and Black Ink Clan would move in groups and each encounter would end in a bloody battle.
At first, the Humans had suffered a bit of a loss due to the large number of Masters on the Black Ink Clan’s side, but as time passed, the Humans gradually noticed the unusual situation here, especially as Tian Xiu Zhu and the others were also spreading the news, causing more and more Humans to start converging.
Yang Kai had obtained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, but he was currently being hunted down by the Black Ink Clan, and his current status was unknown…
That could, certainly, not be good. The existence of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was equivalent to another Ninth-Order Master, not to mention Yang Kai’s position in the Human Race. No matter what, they could not allow the Black Ink Clan to get him.
Using the Communication Beads that they brought with them, the Humans rallied their allies and swarmed over.
When Ou Yang Lie, the newly advanced Ninth-Order Master, rushed over after receiving the message that had been passed on several times before, the situation had already fallen completely out of control.
Aftershocks from battles between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan could be felt practically everywhere across a vast stretch of the void, throwing the Universe Furnace World into unrest.
Inside the Infinite River, neither Yang Kai nor Thunder Shadow, who were both recuperating, were aware of the situation outside.
After swallowing a large number of Spirit Pills, both of their conditions gradually improved. Some time had passed before Yang Kai felt that his injuries were no longer an issue, and the damage to his Soul was stabilized by the Soul Warming Lotus, though full recovery would take much longer. His current state would not affect his combat capabilities at least.
Yang Kai then checked on Thunder Shadow’s condition, and though Thunder Shadow’s recovery speed was not slow, it still wasn’t as quick as him. Currently, he had mostly recovered from his injuries, but he was still enveloped in the Space-Time River.
Seemingly sensing Yang Kai’s movements, Thunder Shadow slowly opened his eyes to say, “I’m fine now.”
The bodies of those from the Monster Race were extremely strong to begin with, so even though he had been beaten by the Pseudo-Royal Lord until he had almost become a dead leopard, since he survived in the end, it would not be too much trouble for Thunder Shadow to recover.
Yang Kai nodded but was in no rush to leave; instead, he looked down and gazed for a moment, before muttering, “Say, what do you think is inside this Infinite River?”
The most mysterious and magnificent thing inside of the Universe Furnace was undoubtedly the Infinite River. This large river was formed purely out of chaotic Shattered Dao Essence and ran through practically the entirety of the Universe Furnace World. Yang Kai did not think too much about it when he first saw the river. Moreover, he was focused on searching for the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills then and had no time to wonder about such things.
However, through his time in the Infinite River, hiding and recuperating, something came to mind.
Could the Infinite River truly be as simple as it seemed on the surface? The Universe Furnace was the most miraculous treasure in the Universe to begin with, and this was the most mysterious part of it. There was most likely more to this river than met the eye.
Hearing his question, Thunder Shadow became wary, “What are you thinking of doing?”
Even though he was only Yang Kai’s Monster Self, he could vaguely sense that Yang Kai had come up with some dangerous ideas. After all, his true self had never been the type to sit still when something piqued his interest.
Sure enough, Yang Kai said, “Since we have nothing to do, why don’t we go in and take a look?”
Thunder Shadow was speechless, “What do you mean nothing to do…”
There were still many Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills scattered outside, and there were also many Black Ink Clansmen to kill, how could there be nothing to do?
Yang Kai reasoned, “There are probably many of them searching for me outside, including Pseudo-Royal Lords and that Royal Lord. If worse comes to worst, the Chaos Spirit King may be searching for me too. If we go out now, we would end up running around and hiding anyway, so we might as well stay here a while longer and wait for things outside to clear up before heading out.”
[You do have a point…]
Thunder Shadow was silent for a moment, “You’re the Big Brother, so you decide!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Let’s go and take a look, then.”
Saying so, he immediately sank down with Thunder Shadow following close behind him, the Space-Time River coiling around his body and blocking the scouring of the chaotic force.
The Infinite River looked wide and deep from the outside, but there had to be a limit. However, as he sank further down, Yang Kai felt that something wasn’t quite right.
Based on his senses, the depth that he and Thunder Shadow reached was so deep that they could likely have passed through the entire river; but in truth, their bodies were still surrounded in the chaotic flow, as if they had fallen into an endless abyss.
The inside of this Infinite River truly was something special.
Yang Kai became increasingly cautious.
Moreover, the further they sank, the stronger the impact of the water became. Every so often, they could even feel strong currents and turbulence trying to sweep them away.
The Soul Warming Lotus’s power was continuously roused, protecting Yang Kai’s mind to stop him from being affected by the chaotic energy. Inside his Small Universe, the large umbrella-like canopy of the World Tree clone was also growing more and more dense.
After sinking for an unknown amount of time, Yang Kai could vaguely feel that he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. Even with the Soul Warming Lotus protecting his mind and the World Tree clone to seal and stabilize his Small Universe, the scouring of the chaotic force on his body was hard to avoid.
Even his Dragon Form, which was only a step away from advancing to become a Divine Dragon, was unable to resist the river’s erosion!
Yang Kai had no choice but to expand his Space-Time River, coiling it around both Thunder Shadow and himself to relieve the pressure.
But with this, his Dao Strength would quickly be depleted. Previously, it was fine when he was just enveloping the tiny Thunder Shadow with the Space-Time River; but now, Yang Kai had to use it to protect both of them, which more than doubled the consumption.
Dao Strength was tied to Yang Kai’s perception and precipitation of his own Grand Dao, so if he consumed too much of it, it would end up affecting the foundation of his Grand Dao.
As he continued to sink down, it truly seemed there was no bottom to this river. The pressure was growing stronger, and sweat was already starting to bead up on Yang Kai’s forehead.
Sensing that things were not looking good, Thunder Shadow quickly shouted via Divine Sense, “I think it’s about time we head back up!”
If they didn’t have enough strength to leave, then they could end up being trapped here. If that happened, Yang Kai’s Dao Strength would eventually be exhausted, making it difficult for him to maintain the Space-Time River, then both he and the original would perish here.
Yang Kai also felt that it was time for them to head up, but this Infinite River was filled with oddities. He dove so deep yet still saw no signs of an end, so it felt like a waste to just give up like this.
He had a nagging feeling that this Infinite River was not as simple as it seemed on the surface, so after a moment of contemplation, Yang Kai continued sinking deeper, bringing forth more of his Dao Strengths to compensate.
His Grand Daos did not end at the Dao of Time and Dao of Space. The Grand Daos that he had put effort into cultivating also included the Alchemic Dao, Spear Dao, and the Dao of Artifact Refining. He had also absorbed and refined many Grand Dao Rivers in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, each one of them filled with different Dao Strengths. It could be said that the Grand Daos of Yang Kai’s Small Universe were numerous and almost all-encompassing. Only their levels of mastery were different.
This was also the main reason why cultivators from the Void World could practice a wide variety of Grand Daos. The presence of this variety in turn increased the choices of Grand Daos that the Void World’s cultivators could more easily comprehend.
Without the harvest he gained from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon back then, the cultivators in his Small Universe would have a far harder time comprehending Grand Daos Yang Kai was unfamiliar with.
Spear Dao, Sword Dao, Dao of Spirit Arrays, Dao of Artifact Refining, Saber Dao…
Many Dao Strengths were circulated at once, strengthening the Space-Time River.
Seeing this, Thunder Shadow quickly circulated its own Dao Strength. He was a Shadow Leopard and was innately proficient in the Dao of Concealment. Later, when became a Great Emperor, he gained enlightenment into the Dao of Thunder. So, when he circulated his Dao Strengths, the Space-Time River began flashing with lightning, though it also seemed ethereal and was all around a bizarre sight.
Under the combined efforts of one man and one leopard, the pressure instantly became much lighter.
Sure enough, the best way to restrain chaos was with complete Dao Strengths.
While circulating his Grand Dao Strength, Thunder Shadow was complaining, “How did you manage to live for so long?”
The Infinite River was clearly full of dangers, yet Yang Kai was obstinate in exploring its depths. Thunder Shadow was genuinely surprised that he could survive thus far with such a daredevil nature.
Yang Kai laughed out loud, “How could you be born without me?”
[You make it sound as if I’m your Son…] Thunder Shadow was instantly silent.
They continued to sink deeper, and when they reached an unknown depth, the undercurrents suddenly grew even more turbulent, and the impact of each wave would violently sap away the Dao Strength of them both, causing the Space-Time River to flicker in unrest.
After reaching this point, even Yang Kai was starting to think of giving up. Previously, the reason he was able to hold on was naturally because he hadn’t brought out his full power yet. However, it seemed now that he would truly be unable to make it out if he were to continue going any further. Once his Dao Strength was depleted, and he was no longer able to maintain the Space-Time River, it would truly be the end of the road for him.
Investigating the Infinite River was just a passing whim for Yang Kai. It was a pity that he got nothing out of it, but it was not worth it to put too much into this.
However, just as Yang Kai was about to retreat, his expression turned solemn. He could vaguely feel the environment around him was changing, as if it was no longer as chaotic…
Thunder Shadow saw a certain look on Yang Kai’s face and had a bad premonition. Even though he was currently in the same cultivation realm as his original, the difference in their abilities was great. He was completely oblivious to some of the things that Yang Kai was able to sense, so he had no idea what Yang Kai discovered, but he seemed… excited?
As expected, the next moment, Yang Kai dove down with great enthusiasm, and he was even going at a much faster rate.
Thunder Shadow couldn’t help but sigh and swallow his words of persuasion. If his main self wanted to take the risk, then he had no choice but to surrender and join him; after all, he couldn’t just abandon himself and run away.
But soon, Thunder Shadow also noticed that something was not right as he muttered in surprise, “The river… is changing?”
He was also in the Eighth Order, so though he had noticed the changes later than Yang Kai, he did still sense them.
Yang Kai nodded, “It does seem to be showing some unusual changes.”
Deep inside the Infinite River, when the density of the chaotic energy reached a certain limit, an amazing change happened that got Yang Kai excited, and it was also the reason why he insisted on diving further.
As for what exactly that change was, Yang Kai could not describe it for the time being. Perhaps it would become clearer as he continued to descend; however, he could clearly feel the impact of the water surrounding him weakening slightly.
Did things reverse once they reached extremes?
With the weakening of the river’s impact, the pressure that he had to bear naturally lessened, so Yang Kai was in no hurry to retreat now.
He had already gotten through the most difficult part, and now it was, naturally, time for a proper exploration of the Infinite River’s depths. Yang Kai had a feeling that he might be able to touch upon some secrets here that were not known to the world at large.
There may have been those who thought about exploring the Infinite River before, but it would have been impossible for them to reach this far.
It was more than the accumulation of Yang Kai’s heritage that enabled him to reach this place, it was also his other blessings. Whether it was the Soul Warming Lotus to protect his mind or the World Tree clone to protect his Small Universe, these were all conditions that ordinary people could not meet.
Not even the Ninth-Order Masters could copy such a performance!
Moreover, Yang Kai was not inferior to any Ninth-Order Master when it came to attainments in one’s own Grand Daos, he was merely lacking in cultivation. The greatest asset one could rely on to explore the depths of the Infinite River was Dao Strength. One’s cultivation was merely secondary.
That was why Yang Kai could conclude almost for certain that nobody had ever reached this place before, let alone explored the Infinite River’s depths to begin with.
The inside of the Infinite River was originally dim, but at some point, a few faint spots of fluorescence began to appear in the surging river around him.
The fluorescence was divided into two colours, yellow and blue…
It wasn’t obvious at first, but as Yang Kai went deeper, more and more points of light began to appear around him. Looking around him, the lights were like ribbons, floating in the river, their luminescence creating a beautiful and colourful sight as they swayed along the flow of the water.
The colour of those lights felt familiar to Yang Kai; moreover, their auras were not unfamiliar either.
Yang Kai was jolted by sudden enlightenment, “Chaos divides into Yin and Yang!”
Thunder Shadow was also filled with profound thoughts at the sight, but he was not as knowledgeable as his main self, so though he had some understanding, it was not very clear.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. The idea to explore the Infinite River’s interior had been a mere whim at the start. Many Black Ink Clansmen were searching for him outside so he just wanted to wait inside of the river for a while longer and let the storm die down; but to gain such an unexpected harvest here was a true surprise to him. He actually witnessed Chaos dividing into Yin and Yang at an unknown depth deep inside the Infinite River.
This was a true evolution of Dao Strength, the primordial separation of Chaos.
Yang Kai steadied himself and concentrated, silently perceiving the changes in the Grand Dao around him.
Only after a long time did he open his eyes again with a thoughtful expression; then, his body moved, continuing deeper together with Thunder Shadow.
The lower down he dove, the more the yellow and blue lights grew in number until at a certain point that was all Yang Kai could see.
Moreover, Yang Kai no longer felt any chaotic Shattered Dao Essence after reaching this place. This was where the Grand Daos of Yin and Yang gathered.
A pure and primordial power surged in this place, openly displaying the ultimate profundity of the two Grand Daos of Yin and Yang.
Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow were practically swimming in an inexhaustible Grand Dao River!
Yang Kai was thrilled, but also felt that it was a pity at the same time.
He was thrilled because of how pure and rich the Dao Strength was in this place. Anyone who came here would be able to absorb and refine it, rapidly increasing their attainments in the Grand Daos of Yin and Yang.
This was primordial Dao Strength which had split from Chaos after all, so there was no way it would not be pure.
It was just a pity that the Daos of Yin and Yang was not the main Grand Daos that Yang Kai cultivated, though he did have some of its Dao Essences in his Small Universe. However, that was only there as a part of what he gained from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon
If a cultivator from Yin-Yang Heaven were to come here, they would truly be like thieves entering a treasure mountain!
For example, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, Luo Ting He, and even his own wives Qu Hua Shang and Tao Ling Wan would definitely save centuries, if not millennia of hard cultivation to raise their attainments in their Grand Daos.
He sighed in his heart. Since they couldn’t come here to grab these benefits, he would just have to do it in their place.
When he opened up his Small Universe, it began swallowing up the Dao Strengths in this place as if it had been starving for hundreds of years.
Yang Kai had done a similar thing in the past, inside of the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, but the conditions then were different from now. The many Grand Dao Rivers of the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon were all of varying volume and strength, each of them containing a random Grand Dao. Back then, Yang Kai had taken each one of those Grand Dao rivers into his Small Universe and refined them there.
However, there was no need for that here. The Dao Strengths of Yin and Yang here were so rich that he just had to open up his Small Universe and they would crash inside by themselves.
Currently, a considerable number of Emperor Realm Masters had been gathered in the Void Dao Temple in Yang Kai’s Small Universe. All of them had condensed their Dao Seals and were usually cultivating in retreat or training and sparring with each other.
One female cultivator who mainly cultivated the Yin-Yang Grand Dao felt a stir, as if something new had been added to the world around her, and she couldn’t help but be enlightened to many things all at once. Things that she usually couldn’t understand opened up to her at this moment. She immediately ended her chat with her companion and sat down cross-legged to meditate. This made her companion dumbfounded, completely flabbergasted at how she had suddenly gained enlightenment out of nowhere.
Unseen by others, a vast amount of the Yin and Yang Dao Essence had appeared in Void World, and the amount was increasing in a continuous flow.
By swallowing and refining the Dao Strengths of Yin and Yang, Yang Kai also gained many new insights, and his understanding of these Grand Daos also increased significantly.
Originally, his attainments in the Yin-Yang Grand Dao were not very high. Based on his own classification, he would at most be at the Fourth Level, Traversing a Familiar Path, which was around an average level for a newly promoted Open Heaven Realm Master; however, as Yang Kai continued to refine more of this pure Dao Essence, that rapidly improved his mastery.
Attaining Mastery Through Comprehensive Understanding, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary, Standing Above All Others Within Sight, Yang Kai only felt that he was reaching a bottleneck when he was nearing the Eighth Level, Summiting the Peak. No matter how much more Dao Strength he took in, it would be difficult for him to make any more improvements within a short time.
This was within his expectations though.
It was impossible to increase one’s attainment in a Grand Dao without limits simply by swallowing up and refining Dao Strength. One would reach a wall sooner or later.
Just like eating, even the greatest king of appetites would reach a limit of what they could consume, and only by slowly digesting that food could their capital be increased gradually.
Yang Kai did not feel that full right now; after all, his Small Universe was exceptionally large, so he could continue swallowing up more of this place’s Dao Strength; however, he was unable to refine more of it into his own Dao Essence.
He had never thought that he would one day be troubled about finding too much wealth. Pure, practically unlimited primordial Dao Strengths was right before his eyes, free for the taking, yet he was unable to refine it.
However, Yang Kai was still very satisfied with what he’d gained. His attainments in the Yin-Yang Grand Dao were originally only at the Fourth Level of mastery, but he was now at the border of the Eighth Level after such a short amount of time. Even with thousands of years, such a thing would be difficult to achieve simply by cultivating in seclusion.
Yang Kai could vaguely feel that the Eighth Level was a bottleneck for him.
Previously, he had also reached a standstill for a long time before breaking through to the Eighth Level of mastery in the Dao of Space and the Dao of Time, and those were his primary Grand Daos while the Yin-Yang Grand Dao was something he never actively cultivated.
As for the Ninth Level, it was useless to even think about it. Yang Kai himself had no idea how long it would take to make a breakthrough to the mysteries of the Ninth Level.
Though he had no way of refining more, he faced no obstruction when it came to taking it in.
As such, rather than close his Small Universe’s portal, Yang Kai continued swallowing up more of the Dao Strengths as he created a separate, isolated region in his Small Universe to store it for later use.
If the Infinite River had a consciousness and saw what Yang Kai was doing, it would likely feel the urge to cry.
Eating and drinking his fill here wasn’t enough for him, he was even packing up a massive amount of takeaway. Such greed was simply too much!
Yang Kai’s thoughts were simple though. He had reached a bottleneck now, but there was no saying when he would not have the blessing to make a breakthrough later. When that time came, this Dao Strength that he saved would be of use to him in order to raise his attainments again.
Even if he ultimately did not use it himself, he could still bring it to his two wives. They came from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so they certainly had a better understanding of the Yin-Yang Dao and could use this to strengthen themselves.
As for Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and Luo Ting He… They were already in the Ninth Order and had cultivated for so many years. They had most likely reached their own limits in their cultivation, and that was not something that could be changed with outside help.
Thunder Shadow stood aside, completely silent about Yang Kai’s behaviour. Indeed, his true self’s greed was embarrassing, but fortunately, nobody else was there. Moreover… If anyone else were to be faced with such a blessing, they would most likely also find it difficult to refuse.
After taking his fill, Yang Kai was in high spirits. After closing his Small Universe’s portal, he continued downwards with Thunder Shadow.
Diving deeper into the Infinite River did not come without pressure, but it was still easier than the most difficult time they faced here. Fortunately, Yang Kai had some attainments in this Grand Dao to begin with, and those attainments were climbing with each passing moment, so the pressure became less and less. At this point, it had become no more difficult for Yang Kai than an idle walk in his courtyard.
“What sort of changes do you think we’ll see down there?” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
Thunder Shadow was sullen, “Don’t know. I’m not guessing!”
Yang Kai laughed, “Even though you’re from the Monster Race, you still need to use your head a bit more. Monsters without brains don’t survive long!”
Thunder Shadow looked askance at him, thinking to himself, [If you scold me, then it’s equal to scolding yourself, don’t you know? It’s your fault I don’t have more smarts!]
But Yang Kai went on by himself, “It is said that the world began as Chaos, then after many long years of evolution, Yin and Yang were born from it; afterwards, it transformed into… the Five Elements!”
As if to verify his guesses, the river, which was filled only with yellow and blue before, now suddenly had other colours appearing.
The Yin and Yang Dao Strengths were no longer pure. As the two Dao Strengths intersected, traces of other Dao Strengths emerged.
The evolution of Dao Strength was an amazing process. Deep inside of the Infinite River, the yellow and blue colours were gradually replaced by five different colours of light. Gold represented the Metal Element, green represented the Wood Element, blue represented the Water Element, red represented the Fire Element, and brown represented the Earth Element!
The intermingling of five colours caused the interior of the river to become more and more colourful.
Chaos divides into Yin and Yang, and then Yin and Yang transform into Five Elements.
The Grand Dao of Yin and the Grand Dao of Yang could be encompassed into a single Grand Dao just as it could be two separate ones. The Grand Dao of the Five Elements was the same. If it were broken down, then the Grand Dao of the Five Elements would contain five different Grand Daos. There would always be preferences as to which a cultivator focused on during their cultivation.
But for any cultivator, Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements were the foundation of the Dao, and that was because once one reached the Emperor Realm in their cultivation and condensed their Dao Seal, they would have to start refining a complete set of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements materials to split Heaven and Earth apart within their bodies to form a Small Universe.
Even the tallest building had to start with a base, so the Powers of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements were critical.
Therefore, no matter which Open Heaven Realm Master it was, or whatever type of Grand Dao they cultivated, they more or less had some experience with the Daos of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. Only, their attainments would vary in each of them.
In Yang Kai’s case, without the gains he made at the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon back then, even though he had some attainments in the Grand Daos of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, it was merely superficial.
But now, his Yin-Yang Grand Dao was quickly nearing the Eighth Level of mastery, and the Five Elements Grand Dao was also bound to transform here.
Rich and pure primordial Dao Strengths of the Five Elements surrounded his body, but Yang Kai was not in any hurry to take it in and refine it; instead, he was silently experiencing it.
After a few moments, Yang Kai opened his eyes and shook his head slowly.
His attainments in the Five Elements Grand Dao were not very high, so at this moment, he was only able to feel the Dao Strength of the surrounding Five Elements interacting with each other and changing endlessly, but not much more.
However, he was not discouraged. Right now, it was more important to raise his attainments in this Grand Dao.
Yang Kai was starting to feel some pressure again after arriving at this place. The scouring of Dao Strength around them caused the Space-Time River, which had been coiling around him and Thunder Shadow this whole time, to become restless. This was clearly because of his lack of attainments in the Grand Dao of the Five Elements.
As before, Yang Kai opened his Small Universe’s portal and swallowed up the Dao Strength here as much as possible while refining it.
The Five Elements Dao Essence was rapidly accumulating inside of Void World.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be reminded of the situation back then in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, which was similar to what he was experiencing now; but there, he still had to spend some effort to capture each one of the Grand Dao Rivers. Here, it was completely different. All he had to do was devour Dao Strength.
And, as the concentration of Five Elements Dao Essence increased, more and more disciples suddenly gained enlightenment in the Void Dao Temple and hurried to cultivate in seclusion.
After some time had passed, Yang Kai felt himself reaching another bottleneck, and the Five Elements Dao Essence in his Small Universe could not increase with ease anymore. Even if he took in more Dao Strength, he wouldn’t be able to refine it.
His perception told him that his attainments in the Five Elements Grand Dao were more or less the same as his Yin-Yang Grand Dao now. Both of them stopped near the peak of the Seventh Level.
Sure enough, the Eighth Level was a firm boundary in each Grand Dao that could not be broken through so easily.
Just like before, Yang Kai created an isolated area in his Small Universe and sealed some Five Elements Dao Strength for later use.
As he had previously considered, the sealed Dao Strength of Yin and Yang could be given to Qu Hua Shang and Tao Ling Wan. If he had no use for the Dao Strength of the Five Elements after leaving this place, he could still split them with the other Masters.
There was currently a considerable number of Masters among the Human Race, and though the newly advanced High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were not weak, their accumulation of heritage was still greatly lacking when compared with the older Eighth-Order veterans, especially in terms of attainments in their Grand Daos.
The older Eighth-Order Masters had already reached the limits of their own Martial Dao and were unable to reach higher Realms, but the accumulation of experience through many years still helped to improve their perception of their own Grand Daos.
The young High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had only cultivated for a short time, especially the fine seedlings who had broken through into the Seventh Order directly. The higher the starting point, the more quickly their cultivation could improve; but one’s comprehension of their Grand Dao may not be able to keep up with such a growth rate.
Many things needed to be polished with time.
This Five Elements Dao Strength would benefit many cultivators when brought out.
As Yang Kai’s attainments in the Five Elements Grand Dao deepened, the pressure on him lessened in turn.
Yang Kai waited until he had secured enough Dao Strength of the Five Elements inside of his Small Universe before stopping and continuing to sink further.
Thunder Shadow suddenly spoke up at that moment, “According to you, Chaos divides into Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang transforms into the Five Elements, then would the next step be the Five Elements give rise to Ten Thousand Daos?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Most likely.”
Thunder Shadow was shaken, “Could such a miraculous evolution happen inside of this Infinite River?”
This was not only the evolution of the Grand Dao, but also the transformation of Heaven and Earth. What the Grand Dao showed here was equivalent to presenting the Universe’s evolution from Chaos, step by step.
Perhaps this was how the vast expanse of Heaven and Earth was created in the long-lost era of Chaos.
These were just vague speculations from Yang Kai, so he dared not make a firm deduction.
One Human and one Monster continued to sink down, and the evolution of Dao Strength around them happened just as Thunder Shadow suggested. As the Five Elements intersected and intertwined, they began to transform into Ten Thousand Daos.
The further down they went, the more brilliant the colours became. Colourful bands of all different colours gathered deep in the river, converging into a turbulent flow.
Even though he had expected it before, Yang Kai still could not help but feel complicated emotions well up within him when he saw this sight with his own eyes.
Exhaling softly, Yang Kai cheered, “Third Brother, we’re rich!”
Thunder Shadow had no time to care about him right now as he had long circulated his power to grab onto a flashing lightning ribbon, opening up his mouth wide and gulping it down.
That was naturally a manifestation of Thunder Dao Strength in its purest, most primordial state…
Thunder Shadow’s mouth was full of lightning as he chewed. Even the pattern on his fur was shimmering. While swallowing, he mumbled, “It really is convenient for you with your Small Universe.”
To devour and refine Dao Strength, Yang Kai need only open the portal to his Small Universe, but not Thunder Shadow. He was from the Monster Race and cultivated the Primal Art, so was without a Small Universe and thus only able to benefit by doing this.
Previously, he was already filled with envy when he saw Yang Kai wantonly devouring and refining the Grand Daos of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. Now, he finally got his turn to reap some benefits.
While refining the Thunder Dao Strength, Thunder Shadow lamented, “It’s a shame that Second Brother isn’t here…”
Yang Kai had not been able to find his Human Self, Fang Tian Ci, all this while. He had no idea where the latter had hidden himself.
Though, it was just a passing lamentation.
Thunder Shadow caught another shadowy Dao Strength ribbon and continued chewing and refining it. As for his poor Second Brother, he had long been tossed to the back of his mind.
Unlike Thunder Shadow, who was selective with what he ate, Yang Kai naturally did not reject anything that came his way, like an ocean open to all rivers.
As the portal was opened again, the colourful rivers flooded into his Small Universe. Despite putting all his effort into refining them, Yang Kai still could not keep up with the speed at which the Dao Strengths were pouring in.
The Dao Essences of all sorts of Grand Daos were constantly accumulating inside his Small Universe, and his attainments were steadily increasing.
Inside the Void Dao Temple, things had been strange recently. Firstly, a female disciple who cultivated the Yin-Yang Grand Dao suddenly gained enlightenment and sank into cultivation. Following that, another three disciples cultivating the Five Elements Grand Dao showed similar signs.
This made the other disciples very envious.
Their cultivation had long since reached the peak of the Emperor Realm, and they had also condensed their own Dao Seals and refined various materials. They were only one step away from advancing to the Open Heaven Realm.
It was just a shame that the Dao Lord never showed himself in these recent years to guide them out, so there was no way for them to leave Void World.
After reaching their cultivation realm, it would be difficult to make any further progress unless they left this world to advance to the Open Heaven Realm.
So, it was inevitable that the others would become envious as they saw these people making gains in their Grand Daos.
Recently, however, more and more disciples were gaining enlightenment, often without doing anything at all. Some were even blessed inexplicably while merely chatting idly and drinking tea with their companions, gaining a sudden understanding of mysteries they could not see through in the past.
For a while, the originally lively Void Dao Temple became extremely quiet. Practically nobody could be seen in the large Dao Temple as all of them had retreated to cultivate…
This was something that had never happened since the establishment of the Void Dao Temple tens of thousands of years ago, so it could only be described as fantastical.
In the outside world, Yang Kai was starting to feel stuffed. If he were asked to cultivate bitterly on his own, then if he had to raise any one Grand Dao to the peak of the Seventh Level, it would take at the very least hundreds, if not up to 1,000 years, even if he were to start from his current level.
However, there was no need to cultivate here. He just had to swallow up the Dao Strengths and refine them.
The pure, primordial Dao Strengths could be refined into Dao Essence and integrated into his Small Universe.
His Spear Dao quickly reached the peak of the Seventh Stage, and so did his Sword Dao, Saber Dao, and even his Dao of Spirit Arrays…
With the accumulation of all these Dao Strengths, while Yang Kai’s Small Universe may not look any different on the surface, it was completely different from before in terms of substance.
Peeking into his condition, Yang Kai could feel that even if the Dao Strengths gathered in his Small Universe did not reach 10,000, it would still likely have reached 3,000…
Nobody had ever cultivated so many Grand Daos before, much less raised so many to such a high level of mastery.
It was not out of Yang Kai’s abilities that he was able to achieve such a thing, but through the combined blessings of two unique opportunities.
The first would be the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, which paved a foundation for his 10,000 Daos, and the second was this Infinite River.
Yang Kai gained a huge harvest back then from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon; only, he was lacking in time and had left in a hurry as soon as he ran out of cultivation materials.
Before leaving, he left a Space Beacon behind so that if he ever had the time, he could go back to it and gather more benefits he left behind in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon.
Unfortunately, he had not been free all these years, nor did he have the energy to do such a thing; after all, to come and go from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon would take him far too much time. Also, how would he dare to leave when the situation between the two Races was still undetermined?
But now, it seemed like he wouldn’t be needing to go to the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon again. The Infinite River’s benefits alone were enough.
In fact, the Infinite River’s benefits were even more primordial and pure in comparison, and even easier to obtain. Over at the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, Yang Kai still needed to expend some effort and energy to find and then refine the individual Grand Dao Rivers.
While Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow had sunken into the depths of the Infinite River and were reaping great benefits, the Universe Furnace World had already descended into a bloodbath.
With Yang Kai’s move of seizing the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill as the trigger, both sides had gathered their soldiers and were now engaged in constant clashes with each other, forming rivers of blood with Masters falling frequently.
The battle was not as intense at first, but following Ou Yang Lie’s arrival, the situation became explosive.
This new Ninth-Order Master had been choking down his complaints all these years. Now that he had risen to the Ninth Order, he had to make sure to slaughter more to vent the pent-up knots in his heart; however, the Human Race were unable to gain much of an advantage even with Ou Yang Lie’s participation, and the main reason was the number imbalance. The Black Ink Clan greatly outnumbered them.
Inside this Universe Furnace World, the Black Ink Clan could still communicate with each other using their miniature Black Ink Nests, not only sending out their locations, but also calling for reinforcements from all directions.
But the Humans could not do that. Even though the Supreme Headquarters had made arrangements before their entry, supplying each Master with a special Communication Bead, its usage was limited in comparison to the Black Ink Nests. Naturally, not as many helpers could be called over through that method.
What’s more, the Humans had fewer forces than the Black Ink Clan to begin with. If Ou Yang Lie had not made it over in time, then the Humans would surely have suffered a terrible loss in this battle.
On top of all that, the Black Ink Clan had many Pseudo-Royal Lords on their side.
By the time the Royal Lord broke away from the Chaos Spirit King and joined the battlefield, the limited advantage that the Humans had was gone.
Both sides clashed with the Masters gathered, and the Ninth-Order Master and Royal Lord led the fight until finally, a kind of critical mass was reached and both sides pulled back.
On the Humans’ side, Ou Yang Lie looked over at the situation on the other side and couldn’t help but curse, [Didn’t they say that the Royal Lord was being pinned down by the Chaos Spirit King? How did he come over to support them so soon? That Chaos Spirit King is so useless! How could it let this guy break loose from him so early? As expected, its intelligence is lacking…]
He hadn’t had his fill of slaughter just yet, but it was no longer a good idea for conflict now; otherwise, even if they could gain an advantage here, their side would inevitably incur some losses.
[And where is that Brat hiding? If he was here, then the situation would surely improve!]
He heard that Yang Kai managed to seize another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, and that he’d snatched it from right under the Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King’s noses…
Only Yang Kai could possibly achieve something akin to fetching chestnuts from a raging fire, but he must have gotten injured during the process and hidden away somewhere to recuperate.
[What about Big Head Xiang? Where did that guy go?] Ou Yang Lie had not heard anything about Xiang Shan since entering this place. In fact, nobody had even seen him since then.
[That guy can’t be dead somewhere, can he? If so, that would be laughable.]
Ou Yang Lie was reluctant to just back away here, but he also had a few scruples about starting a war with their enemies. For a moment, a bitter taste had sprouted on his tongue. He truly wasn’t suited to strategizing as he had always been a fierce general charging in at the forefront of a battlefield. He was most suitable to receive commands and go wherever he was needed to fight rather than give orders.
Seemingly catching onto Ou Yang Lie’s hesitation, the Royal Lord on the opposite end shouted, “Ou Yang Lie, you Humans did not eat any losses this time, but my Black Ink Clan is not gaining any favours either. Why don’t each of us take a step back and call things to a halt here? It won’t be too late to wait until we’re out of the Universe Furnace to settle this fight!”
“Bullshit! If I don’t kill all of you today, then my name won’t be Ou Yang Lie!” Ou Yang Lie barked back a furious response. Even though he did agree with his opponent’s suggestion, and he himself was happy to lead his men in retreating, he could not allow himself to lose in terms of momentum.
The Royal Lord’s expression dimmed and he coldly snorted, “You’ve got a big mouth! If you have the ability, then come forward and show it! I’d like to see how you’re going to kill all of us!”
“Just you wait, I’ll make my way over there immediately!” Ou Yang Lie roared loudly.
However, he did not feel so good after roaring out like that. His rash words had landed himself on the back of a tiger, and how could that be a good thing? He couldn’t just lead his men over to fight. He was not afraid of the Royal Lord, but they had more Masters gathered on the enemy side than what the Human Race could muster up. There were also several Pseudo-Royal Lords standing by. This wouldn’t be an easy fight.
The only advantage they had on their side was their Battle Formations.
The Black Ink Clan had Formations as well, but most of them could only reach the Four Symbols Formation, and it was generally unstable, but the same was not true for the Humans. At worst, they were able to form a solid Five Elements Formation, which would naturally make them stronger than the Black Ink Clan.
However, they couldn’t make up for the numerical disadvantage with that alone. If they really fought here, then it wasn’t just the Black Ink Clan that would suffer, but the Humans as well. Moreover, Ou Yang Lie guessed that there would still be more reinforcements coming over to support them.
[Forget it. If we can’t fight, then the only other option is to back away. As for pride…] Ou Yang Lie wasn’t the type of person to care about such things.
Just as he was about to say a few more words, Ou Yang Lie’s expression suddenly changed and he turned to look in a certain direction.
At the same time, the Royal Lord also picked up on something and looked over in that direction as well.
There seemed to be some unusual movements emerging from that side.
At a distance that seemed to be merely several millions of kilometres away from where they were confronting each other, on a small chaos asteroid, a figure had been hiding since who knew when.
This figure had a brave and heroic aura, with a majestic appearance. It was Xiang Shan, whom Ou Yang Lie was thinking about before!
At this moment, Xiang Shan’s brow was deeply furrowed and his mouth was filled with a bitter taste as he wanted nothing more than to just scream out loud, “Ou Yang Lie, you old fart, you’re going to cost me my life today!”
Since entering this Universe Furnace World, he had been acting alone, but it was not because he was unwilling to join hands with the other Masters, but instead because he never encountered anyone.
He had also been searching for Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills all this while.
He had tried to break through his own bottleneck with the help of Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills, but they proved to be of no use. The drawbacks left behind from dropping in Order made it so that only a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill would be able to compensate for them.
His luck was not good, but it was not too bad either.
After searching for a long time, to a point where he was about to grow desperate, Xiang Shan finally lucked out. There, on this small asteroid, he found an unclaimed Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill!
Suppressing his excitement, he had been hesitating for a long time on whether or not he should refine this Spirit Pill here and break through to the Ninth Order immediately, or wait. As long as he could make a breakthrough, then he would be free to roam the Universe Furnace World unobstructed.
Unexpectedly, he had sensed movements of a fight in the distance as soon as he took the pill into his Small Universe, which worried him greatly.
It was too late to move now though, so he immediately took out the many Array Plates that he brought with him, laying out a concealment Array to hide his figure and aura.
He thought that the fight would not last long, and that he just had to wait for it to finish before he could make a breakthrough in peace.
How could he have anticipated that not only did the fight show no signs of ending, but instead intensified greatly. For some strange reason, it seemed like the Masters from both slides were constantly gathering in this very location.
It was only after a long time that the battle finally calmed.
Just now, he heard the shouting of Ou Yang Lie and the Royal Lord… Only then did he realize that it was Ou Yang Lie who presided over the battle on the Human Race’s side.
He was relieved to hear the Royal Lord’s suggestion of stopping for both parties. Xiang Shan nearly celebrated as that would allow him to break through in peace after the Black Ink Clan left.
But then, when he heard Ou Yang Lie shouting about killing all from the Black Ink Clan, he wanted nothing more than to rush out and cover Ou Yang Lie’s mouth…
They had known each other for so long, so how could he not understand Ou Yang Lie’s character? That bastard was going more and more overboard as he shouted, and kept on trying to act strong. The Black Ink Clan wanted to leave, so he should have just let them leave! What reason did he have to force them to stay when he knew he couldn’t win?
But that was not the end of it. The most important point here was that he had already taken the Spirit Pill into his Small Universe, and had been suppressing it all this while, not daring to refine the pill for fear of touching his bottleneck and revealing his location.
However, there was a limit to how long he could suppress it, and it was at that point that it could no longer be suppressed. The medicinal efficacies of the pill were spreading, and the barrier of his Small Universe was beginning to melt and expand. The commotion that would arise from one breaking through to the Ninth Order was not something that could be hidden even while being enveloped in the Spirit Array.
Ou Yang Lie and the Royal Lord had noticed him practically at the same time…
Both sides were shocked. It was a realization that a Master had obtained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and was currently in the middle of making a breakthrough!
But were they from the Black Ink Clan or the Human Race?
Even though the Array was unable to cover up all traces of his breakthrough, it still blurred the perception of outsiders. For a while, neither Ou Yang Lie nor the Royal Lord was able to ascertain whether it was one of their own people making a breakthrough or not.
But soon, everything became clear.
World Force surged on that side, and the stirring resulting from the breakthrough was growing increasingly intense, so much so that it was becoming impossible to ignore.
Now, the Masters on both sides were able to sense it as well.
Ou Yang Lie’s eyes lit up, “It’s one of our people who is making a breakthrough, and this aura…” He realized now who it was who was making the breakthrough.
[This is clearly Big Head Xiang’s aura!]
Just now, he was wondering whether he had ended up dead somewhere, but he never thought that this guy would be quietly hiding nearby to make a breakthrough. It really was a great surprise.
Compared to Ou Yang Lie’s pleasant surprise, the Royal Lord’s face was gloomy as he roared, “A Human is breaking through to the Ninth Order! Kill him!”
He had originally planned to retreat with his soldiers, but how could he leave now? The Human Race already had one Ninth-Order Master, so if they were to raise another, that would be no laughing matter. The only thing he could do right now was try to find a way to kill him before he succeeded in breaking through.
Even if he did not kill him, then he had to make sure to ruin his opportunity. They must never allow the Humans to raise another Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
After the Royal Lord gave the order, those from the Black Ink Clan followed him closely and dashed towards Xiang Shan.
Understanding the severity of the matter, Ou Yang Lie rushed after the Royal Lord and yelled, “I’ll stand guard for you, Big Head Xiang! Just try to achieve a breakthrough without worrying too much! When you make it to the Ninth Order, we’ll kill them all together!”
From a distance, Xiang Shan growled, “Damn you, Ou Yang Lie! When I achieve a breakthrough, the first one I kill will be you!”
[Did I dig out your Ancestors’ graves or something?] Ou Yang Lie was dumbfounded.
In fact, he felt that it was Xiang Shan’s fault instead. If not for the fact that Xiang Shan suddenly showed signs of achieving a breakthrough, the Black Ink Clan and Human Race would have retreated. But now, war was inevitable, and many Masters would lose their lives.
Despite his displeasure, Ou Yang Lie still got in the Royal Lord’s way. Presently, only a Ninth-Order Master like him was able to deal with this Royal Lord. Unless the others formed a Six Paths Formation, they would be no match for such an enemy.
After intercepting the Royal Lord, Ou Yang Lie told others to go and protect Xiang Shan. Only then could the latter attempt a breakthrough without worries.
Rays of light, figures, and Battle Formations dashed towards Xiang Shan. Soon, intense battles broke out around him.
This time, the Humans mainly had to defend themselves. Hundreds of Masters formed into different Battle Formations and surrounded Xiang Shan to fend off the Black Ink Clan’s attacks.
Seeing that, Xiang Shan knew it was a chance he must not miss; as such, he released all the suppression and focused on achieving a breakthrough.
However, it wasn’t easy to ascend from the Eighth Order to the Ninth Order, and it would certainly take some time. If the Black Ink Clan managed to breach the Humans’ defence line before Xiang Shan achieved a breakthrough, it would greatly disrupt him. The fallout from the battles already made it difficult for him to stay focused, and if not for the fact that he was a resolute person, he would have already failed.
The battles grew increasingly violent. On the battlefield between the Ninth-Order Master and the Royal Lord, Ou Yang Lie had gained the upper hand. Both of them had just ascended to their current Realms, so they should be equally matched, but in comparison, Ou Yang Lie was fiercer, for he was determined to protect Xiang Shan, which made the Royal Lord appear less intimidating.
Soon, Ou Yang Lie’s expression changed, for he saw the Royal Lord fishing out a miniature Black Ink Nest and activating his Divine Sense during the battle. Apparently, he was trying to contact someone.
[He’s asking for help!] An enraged Ou Yang Lie stepped up his attacks and further suppressed the Royal Lord. Unfortunately, the Royal Lord still managed to send out a message through the Black Ink Nest.
In the depths of the Universe Furnace World, there was a magnificent Black Ink Nest in the remote chaos.
The Black Ink Nest’s aura suggested that it was a High-Rank one; however, since it hadn’t been fully hatched, it wasn’t able to produce new Black Ink Clansmen.
Nevertheless, such a Black Ink Nest could allow injured Black Ink Clansmen to enter and recuperate.
Presently, a powerful Black Ink Clansman was asleep inside. He was none other than Mo Na Ye!
This guy was extremely lucky. Outside the No-Return Pass back then, Yang Kai managed to injure him using the Universe Furnace project’s folded Space. At that time, Mo Na Ye’s life was hanging by a thread.
Unfortunately, just as Yang Kai was ready to kill him, he accidentally touched upon something he should not have, sucking him into the Universe Furnace earlier than expected.
After entering the furnace, Yang Kai was trapped and witnessed the birth of the nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, leaving Mo Na Ye hanging by a thread in the outside world.
The moment Mo Na Ye entered the Universe Furnace World, he found a quiet place and hatched his High-Rank Black Ink Nest so that he could make use of it to heal his wounds.
As the one managing the Black Ink Clan, Mo Na Ye had many resources with him, which was why he was able to hatch a Black Ink Nest and recuperate so quickly.
If he didn’t have these resources, he wouldn’t have been able to do that.
While hatching his Black Ink Nest, Mo Na Ye saw a colourful light stream over from a distance and brushed past him.
Despite his injury, he was still fairly powerful, so he immediately grabbed the beam of light and examined it before confirming that it was what the Humans called an opportunity.
The person who most easily obtained an opportunity in the Universe Furnace World was undoubtedly Mo Na Ye, not Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, who had accidentally found a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. In fact, Mo Na Ye was the first one to get such a Spirit Pill.
The moment the pill fell into his hands, Mo Na Ye realised that it was no ordinary thing. He was elated, thinking that there was a silver lining for him. He initially thought that since he entered this place with heavy injuries, he would be doomed. It didn’t cross his mind that he would obtain this kind of reward.
He then stepped into the half-hatched Black Ink Nest with the Spirit Pill. While he refined the pill’s medicinal efficacies, he also made use of the Black Ink Nest’s power to heal his wounds.
The Black Ink Clan in the Universe Furnace World could communicate with each other by relying on his High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
Yang Kai had speculated that there must be a Territory Lord Class or Royal Lord Class Black Ink Nest in the Universe Furnace World, but he wasn’t sure where it was; otherwise, the Black Ink Clansmen couldn’t have communicated with each other, for they needed a more powerful Black Ink Nest to serve as a communication hub.
All of a sudden, the Black Ink Nest shook, causing Mo Na Ye to awaken in shock. He was displeased and furious, but the moment he saw the message sent to him, he was astounded.
The message was simple, [Xiang Shan has obtained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and is trying to achieve a breakthrough!]
Mo Na Ye was only wary of three Humans who were below the Ninth Order.
The first one was undoubtedly Yang Kai. As a Pseudo-Royal Lord, he had suffered a lot of setbacks because of Yang Kai. In the previous battle, not only had he lost a lot of Innate Territory Lords, but he was also almost killed by Yang Kai, causing him to lose a lot of authority within the Black Ink Clan.
Fortunately, Yang Kai wasn’t able to make it to the Ninth-Order; otherwise, Mo Na Ye would’ve gone all out to kill him instead of compromising so many times.
However, the Universe Furnace’s appearance allowed Yang Kai to have a chance to break through his shackles. Therefore, by entering the Universe Furnace, the Black Ink Clan did not only have to try to kill as many Human Race Masters as they could and stop them from acquiring those opportunities, a more important task for them was to keep an eye on several people and make sure they couldn’t make it to the Ninth-Order.
Yang Kai was ranked first, while Mi Jing Lun came second.
Mo Yu wasn’t interested in managing the Black Ink Clan’s affairs, so ever since Mo Na Ye became a Pseudo-Royal Lord, he had been the one handling all the day-to-day affairs. His counterpart, the Supreme Commander of the Humans, was Mi Jing Lun.
Although Mo Na Ye had never met this Eighth-Order Master before, they had clashed on many occasions as they were both leaders of their respective sides.
While Yang Kai was a great fighter, Mi Jing Lun was an intelligent strategist. Although he wasn’t at the frontline, such a being was more intimidating than those who knew nothing but fighting.
If Mi Jing Lun managed to make it to the Ninth Order and went to the frontline, he would cause unimaginable damage to the Black Ink Clan because he wasn’t merely another Ninth Order Master.
Xiang Shan was ranked third. After all, he was a famous and experienced Eighth-Order Master. Although he wasn’t as powerful as Yang Kai, he was far-sighted and ruthless. It was said that he was the Army Commander of the Great Evolution Army in the past, and Mi Jing Lun had to obey his orders.
The Humans also retrieved the Great Evolution Pass under Xiang Shan’s leadership.
Any one of these three ascending to the Ninth Order would be disastrous to the Black Ink Clan; therefore, even though Mo Na Ye was still recuperating, he was no longer able to sit still upon learning that Xiang Shan had acquired a Spirit Pill and was ready to ascend to the Ninth-Order.
Inside the Black Ink Nest, Mo Na Ye opened his eyes and let the thick Black Ink Strength stream into his body, allowing him to examine his power.
His aura wasn’t different from the past, only more condensed; after all, there wasn’t any difference between a Pseudo-Royal Lord and a true Royal Lord when it came to their auras.
Nonetheless, as Mo Na Ye balled up his fists, he knew that he was no longer the same as when he just entered the Universe Furnace World.
He was able to fully activate his power, which meant that he was now a real Royal Lord.
Moreover, 80% of his injuries had been healed. The Open Heaven Pill’s medicinal efficacies not only helped him achieve a breakthrough but also helped him rapidly recover.
That came as a pleasant surprise to him.
Without hesitation, Mo Na Ye identified the direction and dashed out of the Black Ink Nest, charging towards the battlefield.
Yang Kai would certainly show up for such a major incident. Almost getting killed by Yang Kai was the worst humiliation in Mo Na Ye’s life. Since he was now a Royal Lord, he no longer had to put on an act in front of Yang Kai.
He secretly swore that if Yang Kai had the guts to show up, he would destroy him to get his revenge.
Mo Na Ye was determined to kill Xiang Shan and Yang Kai to weaken the Humans’ strength and morale.
…..
In the meantime, on the other side of the Universe Furnace World, a majestic palace artifact flew across the void, an inscribed signboard with the characters ‘Flowing Time’ hung above its doors.
There were eight Human Masters in front of the palace with a man and a woman, both in white robes, standing at the fore.
Since it was the Flowing Time Temple, the man and woman in white robes were undoubtedly Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.
After getting the Spirit Pill in the desert, Yang Xue refined it and ascended to the Ninth-Order. She had just stopped cultivating in seclusion a while ago. Then, she and Yang Xiao continued to explore this Universe Furnace World.
They came across a group of Humans and there was someone they were familiar with among these people. He was none other than Fang Tian Ci!
At that time, Fang Tian Ci was leading the way for the other Masters in a Formation and was pleasantly surprised to bump into Yang Xiao and Yang Xue. When he realised Yang Xue was now a Ninth-Order Master, he was elated.
Both parties had known each other for many years and had worked together countless times to deal with powerful enemies; therefore, they were pleased to reunite in the Universe Furnace.
Following that, they decided to move forward together.
During this period, Yang Xiao repeatedly activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks on the backs of his hands in the hope that he would acquire more pills, but he couldn’t detect anything at all. This prompted him to wonder if it was just a coincidence when he managed to detect the location of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill by using the Great Sun and Moon Marks back then.
Although they hadn’t found another Supreme Grade Spirit Pill, they had killed some Black Ink Clansmen along the way. They were satisfied with it, especially when they managed to end a Pseudo-Royal Lord’s life.
During that battle, Yang Xue personally made a move and killed the powerful opponent. Chaos shattered and the void collapsed, which astounded onlookers.
Presently, the Flowing Time Temple was hovering in the void as a battle had broken out outside.
Yang Xue single-handedly dealt with four Territory Lords who had formed a Battle Formation. Even though these Territory Lords had assembled a Four Symbols Formation, they were still no match for a Ninth-Order Master.
If they were Innate Territory Lords, they might have persevered longer; however, the Territory Lords who had entered the Universe Furnace this time were all Acquired Territory Lords, so they were generally weaker.
Yang Xue didn’t kill them ruthlessly though; instead, she prolonged the fight intentionally, just like she had against all those from the Black Ink Clan they bumped into along the way. It was a good way for her to adapt to her increased strength.
The others were aware of what she was trying to do, so they didn’t lend her a hand.
Only Yang Xiao was shouting in front of the temple to show his support.
Words like ‘Little Aunt is the best’ and ‘Little Aunt is the most powerful’ just naturally came out of his mouth, which caused Yang Xue to flush. She wouldn’t mind it if he did such a thing in private, but many people were also there at that moment, which was why she was embarrassed.
After shouting for a while, Yang Xiao suddenly sighed.
Fang Tian Ci, who stood beside him, turned to look at him and smiled, “What’s wrong?”
A dejected Yang Xiao sent him a Divine Sense transmission, “Old Fang, she’s a Ninth-Order Master now!”
Fang Tian Ci replied, “En, I know.”
A dispirited Yang Xiao continued, “When will I become a Divine Dragon?”
If he turned into his Dragon Form, he would be over 90,000 metres long, which was equivalent to an elite peak Eighth-Order Master. Although it seemed like Yang Xiao was just one step away from becoming a Divine Dragon, the truth was that it was extremely difficult to ascend from an Ancient Dragon to a Divine Dragon. That was the reason there were only a small number of Divine Dragons in the history of the Dragon Clan. There were only ever two or three Divine Dragons in every generation.
In the past, Fu Guang had been cultivating in the depths of the Dragon Pool for thousands of years, but he didn’t manage to become a Divine Dragon. It was only thanks to Yang Kai that he achieved his goal.
Yang Xiao was confident that he would be a Divine Dragon one day, but that would take a long time.
“She’s my Little Aunt, to begin with, and now she’s more powerful than me. Would I have to rely on her forever?”
He was certainly happy that Yang Xue had made it to the Ninth Order; after all, in this chaotic time, her power could protect her. However, he was downcast because he was less powerful than her now.
When they made a name for themselves in the future, he wouldn’t want others to say he was the man behind a Ninth-Order Master. That would be embarrassing.
He would rather hear others say he was the Divine Dragon beside the Ninth-Order Master.
Having spent many years with Yang Xiao, Fang Tian Ci certainly understood the underlying meanings behind his words, but since he wasn’t in any place to say anything, he only put on a meaningful smile.
Yang Xiao frowned and complained, “You’ve changed, Old Fang.”
Fang Tian Ci asked, “What do you mean?”
Yang Xiao examined him for a moment before shaking his head, “I don’t know, but you’re different from the first time I met you, especially after you became an Eighth-Order Master.”
Fang Tian Ci thought that it was obvious because the things that Yang Kai had sealed off in his Soul gradually awakened as his power increased. Without explaining anything, he only replied with a smile, “You’re reading too much into it.”
A relentless Yang Xiao forcefully wrapped his arm around the man’s neck and questioned through clenched teeth, “Are you looking down on me, Old Fang?”
Fang Tian Ci was torn between tears and laughter, “I am not. You’re the one making a scene.”
Yang Xiao glowered at him for a moment before letting out a sigh, “Forget it. It’s not like relying on a woman is a big deal anyway.”
The next instant, he pushed Fang Tian Ci away and beamed at Yang Xiao, who was returning, asking in a caring manner, “Are you tired or hurt, Little Aunt? You should have just killed these guys, why bother bringing them back?”
Yang Xue felt embarrassed because of his actions, so she glared at him. In any case, she realised that after she made it to the Ninth Order, Yang Xiao started saying nonsense more frequently.
[Is it because he now has low self-esteem? Hmph! Men will be men.]
An Eighth-Order Master suddenly asked, “Senior Sister, have you captured them to extract some information from them?”
Given Yang Xue’s strength, it wasn’t hard for her to kill these Acquired Territory Lords; however, she had captured them alive and brought them back. It was apparent that she was up to something.
The moment the Eighth-Order Master finished speaking, he realised someone was glowering at him. Puzzled, he turned his head and saw Yang Xiao gaping at him.
[Have I offended you in any way?] The Eighth-Order Master was bewildered.
[You’re taking advantage of me!] Yang Xiao was displeased. Since he called Yang Xue ‘Little Aunt’, the man was basically taking advantage of him by calling the woman ‘Senior Sister’.
For some reason, he had been sensitive and diffident recently.
Just as he was ready to argue with the Eighth-Order Master, he saw Yang Xue glower at him. In an instant, he relented.
“The Black Ink Clansmen we’ve bumped into recently are all moving in the same direction. It seems like something has happened over there, so I’ve brought them back to interrogate them,” Yang Xue explained.
She wasn’t sure if the others were aware of such an anomaly, but the Black Ink Clansmen they had come across recently were all converging towards a certain direction in quite a hurry.
Upon hearing her, the others realised that was indeed the case and felt that women were indeed more sensitive. Some of them had noticed it, but they never gave it much thought. Now, it seemed that something had indeed happened over there.
The powers of these four Acquired Territory Lords had been sealed by Yang Xue. Presently, they stood before the woman with horrified expressions.
This couldn’t be helped. Even though they had joined forces, they were still captured alive by this woman. Furthermore, the power she showcased suggested that she was a Ninth-Order Master.
She swept a glance over them and said impassively, “I have some questions for you. Reply to me honestly.”
Suddenly, she pushed out a palm and exploded the first Territory Lord. As blood splashed, Yang Xue’s white robe was unaffected while an unsuspecting Yang Xiao had his clothes dyed black.
Her action not only shocked the remaining three Territory Lords but also the Human Race Masters.
[Didn’t she just say she had questions? Why did she kill him all of a sudden?]
She could’ve directly killed them all, so why did she bring them back and do that in front of them instead?
Yang Xiao looked at the blood stain on his clothes and fell silent. It seemed that Yang Xue was displeased with him and did that intentionally. As such, he felt uneasy.
Oblivious to everything else, Yang Xue stood in front of the second Territory Lord, who was anxious as he said, “Madam…”
Yang Xue cut him off and snarled, “I’m not listening!”
Then, she landed a palm on the Territory Lord and killed him as well.
Black blood splashed onto Yang Xiao again. Although he was well-prepared this time, he didn’t dare ward off the blood. He took a look at Yang Xue and realised she was smiling. It seemed that she had cheered up slightly.
Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and thought it was difficult to be a man.
The Human Race Masters were dumbfounded, not knowing what Yang Xue was trying to do; nevertheless, after pondering for a moment, they soon understood her intentions. They couldn’t help admiring her strategy, though this method was quite horrifying, especially for these captured Territory Lords.
They thought that even though this new Ninth-Order Master appeared demure, she was actually ruthless. At any rate, it shouldn’t be surprising; after all, she was Yang Kai’s Little Sister, so how was it possible that she was weak? If she were a kind-hearted person, she wouldn’t have survived in this chaotic time.
The remaining two Territory Lords were now scared out of their wits.
The Ninth-Order Master captured them and said she was going to ask them some questions; however, instead of asking anything, she began butchering them. Although one of them wanted to tell her everything, she still mercilessly ended his life, which was ridiculous.
The moment Yang Xue stood in front of the third Territory Lord, he almost fell to his knees and said hurriedly, “Ask anything you want, Madam! I’ll tell you everything! Please spare my life!”
He was worried that if he spoke any slower, he would perish like the two Territory Lords before.
This time, Yang Xue didn’t kill him right away and only asked slowly, “Do you want to live?”
The Territory Lord wasn’t sure how to respond to her. Certainly, he wanted to live. Although they were unlucky to bump into a Ninth-Order Master, they would rather not get killed.
The survivors exchanged glances and nodded, “Yes.”
The fourth Territory Lord then said, “Madam, if you insist on killing us, do it at once. However, you’ll never glean any information from us.”
That was audacious of him; nevertheless, it was what they hoped for. If death was a certainty, they naturally weren’t willing to reveal any information.
Now, they only hoped that Yang Xue would spare their lives.
The woman’s unreasonable actions had mentally destroyed them.
After a moment of silence, Yang Xue nodded, “Good. Since you want to live, I’ll give you a chance.”
Both of them were elated and the third Territory Lord asked cautiously, “Will you go back on your word?”
It wasn’t like there was anything they could do in that case, but they now had a chance to survive at the very least.
This time, Yang Xue remained silent while Yang Xiao snorted, “Do you think you have the right to bargain?”
The Territory Lords were crestfallen upon hearing that.
Since they were captives, they no longer had a say when it came to their life or death. They indeed had no right to bargain for anything.
Just then, Yang Xue said, “However, only one of you will get to live. Why don’t you tell me where you’re going and all the information you know? I’ll let the one who can provide the most valuable information live while the other one will die.”
Only one of them would survive, and the chance belonged to the one who could provide the most useful information. There was no doubt it was a devious method, but the Territory Lords knew they had to oblige.
The Human Masters couldn’t help admiring Yang Xue. Although the trick was simple, it was more effective than any torture. She really was Yang Kai’s Little Sister. Although they had heard about her before, she wasn’t outstanding among the talented people in this chaotic time, but after ascending to the Ninth Order, she was bound to become a famous figure among the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan.
Yang Xue went on to say, “Although you have no right to bargain for anything, you don’t have to worry about me going back on my word. Since I’ve said I’ll spare one of you, I’ll fulfil my promise. Humans value our reputation more than the Black Ink Clan.”
She was right in a sense. Over the years, the Black Ink Clan had clashed with Human Masters on countless occasions, but under normal circumstances, the Humans wouldn’t go back on their word.
The Territory Lords exchanged glances before one of them hurriedly said, “We’ve received Sir Xiao You’s order to join him in battle.”
The other one spoke at the same time, “Sir Xiao You told us to help him kill the Human Masters.”
Both Territory Lords had spoken at the same time and mentioned the name ‘Xiao You’. A curious Yang Xue asked with a frown, “Don’t speak at the same time. Take it slow.”
She then turned to look at the Territory Lord on the left, “Is Xiao You a Pseudo-Royal Lord?”
Before the Territory Lord could answer her question, an Eighth-Order Master explained, “I exchanged moves with Xiao You previously; however, he was still an Innate Territory Lord at that time. Since he was powerful, I found it hard to deal with him in a one-on-one fight. If he’s still alive, he should be a Pseudo-Royal Lord now.”
Due to the Universe Furnace’s appearance, all the veteran Innate Territory Lords were summoned to the No-Return Pass to create more Pseudo-Royal Lords. That was the reason there were suddenly dozens of them.
The Black Ink Clan didn’t do this in the past because it was of no help to the overall situation. The birth of dozens of Pseudo-Royal Lords meant sacrificing at least ten times the number of Innate Territory Lords. However, the Universe Furnace’s appearance forced the Black Ink Clan to make such a decision. Only a larger number of Pseudo-Royal Lords could help them secure the upper hand in the Universe Furnace.
Pseudo-Royal Lords could only be made by sacrificing Innate Territory Lords, so the dead ones wouldn’t be remembered while only those who survived could make a name for themselves.
After hesitating for a bit, the Territory Lord on the left said, “Sir Xiao You is a true Royal Lord now. He previously obtained an opportunity in the Universe Furnace and broke through…”
All of them were shocked upon hearing that.
The opportunity in the Universe Furnace he had mentioned must be a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill!
Before entering this place, they had thought about the possibility of Black Ink Clansmen having a chance to acquire Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills; however, that was just a possibility. They certainly hoped for the Black Ink Clan to be unlucky and find no Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills at all.
Nevertheless, the information they had just heard made them wake up to reality.
A new Royal Lord had reached his current Realm by consuming a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. Not only did it level off the advantage of the Humans for having a new Ninth-Order Master like Yang Xue, it also made the Humans lose an opportunity, which was agonising.
Despite their unwillingness, there was nothing much they could do now; thus,
Yang Xue turned to look at the Territory Lord on the right and muttered, “Go on.”
As though knowing what these Humans were thinking, the Territory Lord quickly said, “As far as I know concerned, there is a new Human Ninth-Order Master.”
A moment later, he added, “I’m talking about someone else; not you, Madam. That Ninth-Order Master is leading the Humans to fight with Sir Xiao You.”
The Human Masters’ interest was finally piqued. Apart from Yang Xue, there was another Ninth-Order Master, which was good news.
Yang Xue had made the right decision by trying to glean information from these Territory Lords instead of just killing them. The Black Ink Clan could share information quickly through the Black Ink Nests while the Humans found it hard to communicate with each other in the Universe Furnace at all.
“Do you know who the new Ninth-Order Master is?” Yang Xue asked.
Just as the Territory Lord on the right was ready to speak, the one on the left shouted, “It’s my turn!”
Yang Xue had said that whoever could provide the most useful information would survive; since it had something to do with his survival, this Territory Lord naturally had to fight for it.
Yang Xue turned to look at him, after which the Territory Lord on the left continued, “The Ninth-Order Master is named Ou Yang Lie!”
Hearing that, all of them were surprised.
Ou Yang Lie was one of the oldest Eighth-Order Masters who had been fighting against the Black Ink Clan back on the Black Ink Battlefield over 10,000 years prior to the invasion of the 3,000 Worlds. He had also made a name for himself in Profound Nether Territory during the war even after that. Everyone present had heard about him before.
Furthermore, it was said that Ou Yang Lie had been left with many concerning hidden injuries from his countless battles against the Black Ink Clan. His Small Universe had been damaged, so he was no longer at the peak of his power.
No one could’ve expected that he would acquire such an opportunity in the Universe Furnace and make it to the Ninth Order.
There was no doubt it was a piece of exhilarating news for the Human Race.
The Territory Lord on the right then said, “The conflict this time started because of an opportunity.”
The one on the left cut him off, “After Sir Xiao You became a Royal Lord, he accidentally discovered another opportunity; however, that opportunity was protected by some native Masters. One of them is just as powerful as Sir Xiao You.”
“A Chaos Spirit King?” Someone postulated.
The Black Ink Clan knew nothing about the Chaos Spirit Clan, but the Humans were aware of it. A native Master who was just as formidable as a Royal Lord must be a Chaos Spirit King.
“I guess so,” the Territory Lord went on to say, “After discovering the opportunity, Sir Xiao You summoned more people to assist him. While he was tangled up with the Chaos Spirit King, he directed others to snatch the opportunity. However, Sir Yang Kai somehow approached them undetected and snatched the opportunity.”
“What!?” Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were both shocked.
Yang Xiao questioned anxiously, “You said my Adoptive Father… That opportunity was snatched by Yang Kai?”
The other Territory Lord nodded, “That’s the reason both sides are engaging in a large-scale conflict. Since the opportunity was snatched away, Sir Xiao You was naturally displeased. He has summoned more people to track Sir Yang Kai down, which caught the Human Race’s attention. That’s why more and more people from both Races are gathering together. We too were on our way there as well.”
They had bumped into these Human Race Masters before they even arrived at their destination; now, only two out of four Territory Lords remained alive.
“How severe are his injuries?” Yang Xue questioned grimly.
Yang Kai snatched a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill while a Royal Lord and a Chaos Spirit King were fighting nearby. Although Yang Kai was unmatched when it came to escaping, he couldn’t possibly flee from such a situation unscathed. There was no doubt he was injured, but no one was aware of his condition.
The Territory Lord on the left shook his head, “No idea. We haven’t heard any news on Sir Yang Kai again.”
“Then ask now!” Yang Xue demanded.
These Territory Lords wouldn’t dare displease her. One of them quickly fished out a miniature Black Ink Nest and communicated with the other Territory Lords.
A while later, he put away the Black Ink Nest and replied, “Sir Yang Kai is badly injured, but no one knows where he is.”
Yang Xue breathed a sigh of relief. Since the Black Ink Clansmen were not aware of where Yang Kai was, it meant that he didn’t fall into their hands. Given his abilities, he must have escaped and was now recuperating somewhere.
These Territory Lords realised that Yang Kai must be related to this Ninth-Order woman; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so agitated at the mere mention of his name.
They cautiously waited for Yang Xue to calm down before one of them continued, “We have no idea where Sir Yang Kai is hiding with that opportunity. Just as the battle seemed to have reached a stalemate and both sides were preparing to withdraw though, something happened. As a result, the battle intensified instead.”
“What happened?” Yang Xiao furrowed his brow. Although he didn’t take part in the battle, he felt that it was full of twists and turns just by listening to these Territory Lords.
The other Territory Lord explained, “Sir Xiang Shan was suddenly discovered nearby, showing signs of achieving a breakthrough. He must have obtained an opportunity and was preparing to refine it. He probably didn’t expect so many people to gather together in that area…”
All the Humans were now torn between tears and laughter.
They were thrilled because Xiang Shan had also gotten a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and was about to achieve a breakthrough; if he succeeded, the Human Race would have three new Ninth-Order Masters.
That hadn’t even included Yang Kai, who had snatched another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill away.
Nevertheless, the place that Xiang Shan had chosen to hide was quite awkward, which led to the Masters from both sides detecting the fluctuations of his breakthrough. Both parties were about to retreat, but instead got into a massive fight again because of that.
Behind Yang Xue, an Eighth-Order Master cupped his fist, “Senior Sister, since an intense battle has broken out, we should rush over to assist.”
Although they knew little about the situation over there, they believed that the Humans were at a disadvantage; after all, the Black Ink Clan could communicate with each other through the Black Ink Nests over vast distances while the Humans couldn’t. Therefore, there must be more Black Ink Clansmen than Humans over there.
Ou Yang Lie had to hold Xiao You back and protect Xiang Shan at the same time. It was imaginable that the Humans were in a perilous situation.
Yang Xue nodded, knowing that this matter could not be delayed. She initially wanted to slowly glean all the information she could from these Territory Lords, but she was no longer in the mood to do so. The next instant, she drove the Flowing Time Temple forward and instructed the Territory Lords to give directions.
If they were to look for the battlefield on their own, they might not be able to find the location; nevertheless, with these Territory Lords’ help, they didn’t need to worry about anything, for the Black Ink Nests could locate the battlefield.
Although the Territory Lords were disgruntled, they wouldn’t dare disobey Yang Xue. As such, they promptly pointed the way for her.
While on their way, Yang Xue tried to extract as much information from these Territory Lords as possible.
The information they knew was limited, so there naturally came a time when they had nothing else to say.
In the end, they could no longer provide any useful information.
Yang Xue motioned for Yang Xiao to take action, after which he flashed a wide smile at the Territory Lords, one so eerie that they shuddered.
The next moment, they were horrified by what they saw. Two marks appeared on the backs of Yang Xiao’s hands. Yellow light and blue light merged and turned into a dazzling white light.
Purifying Light!
The Black Ink Clan had been battling against the Humans for millennia, so they were familiar with this pure white light. In battle, Human Race Masters would often summon Evil Purging Divine Spears, which contained intense Purifying Light.
However, it was the Territory Lords’ first time seeing someone directly condensing Purifying Light, which was why they were scared out of their wits.
In front of the Flowing Time Temple, Yang Xiao smiled harmlessly, but the two Acquired Territory Lords, whose powers had been sealed, quivered like quails without a home in winter.
They felt that the Humans were preparing to kill them after gleaning all the information from them. Although the Humans had promised to let one of them off, they had now decided to end their lives. It seemed that they were about to go back on their word.
However, it wasn’t like these Territory Lords had the power to resist.
Ignoring them, Yang Xiao activated the Purifying Light and covered them in the dazzling white light. Instantly, these Territory Lords howled in pain as their Black Ink Strength was dispelled and their auras plunged.
A moment later, Yang Xiao retracted his hands.
Although the Territory Lords appeared battered, they were still alive at the very least, but both of them were shocked and puzzled.
[We’re still alive? Does that mean they have decided not to kill us?]
Yang Xiao snorted, “Since my Little Aunt said she will let one of you go, she won’t go back on her word. Or what, did you think I was going to kill you?”
After escaping from death’s door, the Territory Lords acted meekly. Unlike how flustered they were a moment ago, they were now slightly at ease.
They also understood why the Humans were willing to fulfil their promise.
Although the Purifying Light didn’t kill them, it significantly weakened their auras and caused their strength to plummet. They were originally Territory Lords, but now they could only be considered High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen. Several thousand years of cultivation was gone, just like that.
Two High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen were no longer of any use in the Universe Furnace, which was full of powerful Masters. If they came across other Human Race Masters now, they would easily die.
“Since you’ve been cooperative, I’ll let both of you go,” Yang Xiao announced and extended his hand, “Give me your Black Ink Nest!”
Not having the guts to hesitate, they promptly fished out a Black Ink Nest and presented it to him.
Only then did Yang Xiao wave his hand and slap these Black Ink Clansmen out of the temple before bellowing, “Get lost!”
Having just survived a calamity, these Black Ink Clansmen ran for their lives without delay. As for whether they would bump into other Humans and get killed, that was up to luck now.
In front of the temple, Yang Xue asked, “Since you’ve chased them away, who will point out the directions for us?”
“They’re no longer needed. I’ve got the location,” Yang Xiao replied and showed her the Great Sun and Moon Marks on the backs of his hands.
Yang Xue understood what was going on upon seeing that.
Initially, Yang Xiao relied on the Great Sun and Moon Marks to lead them to find a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, thus allowing Yang Xue to make it to the Ninth Order.
During this period, Yang Xiao had been trying to look for another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill using the same method, but they found nothing. As such, they thought that their previous discovery was merely a coincidence.
Now, it seemed that it wasn’t a coincidence. With the help of the Great Sun and Moon Marks, Yang Xiao was able to detect the locations of Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills.
Since Yang Xiao had detected the Spirit Pill’s whereabouts, it suggested that the battlefield wasn’t far away from them. The Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill must be the one in Xiang Shan’s possession.
Yang Xiao turned to look at her, “Little Aunt, I’ve confiscated their Black Ink Nest because I was worried they’ll share our information with the other Black Ink Clansmen. The enemies are not aware that you’ve ascended to the Ninth-Order yet. When we arrive at the battlefield, I’ll divert the Black Ink Clans’ attention while you look for an opportunity to support Martial Uncle Ou Yang to kill the Royal Lord.”
Yang Xue nodded, “Good.”
“Old Fang, you assist Little Aunt,” Yang Xiao then turned to look at Fang Tian Ci. Although he had been emotionally unstable recently, he was once the Leader of an Elite Squad, after all. Given his experience on the various battlefields, Yang Xiao could make some arrangements in an orderly manner.
Fang Tian Ci nodded, “Please rest assured.”
“The rest will form two Battle Formations with me. Let’s go kill those Black Ink Clan bastards!” Yang Xiao shouted. He was high-spirited as they were ready to barge into the battlefield and destroy the enemy.
No one disagreed.
A moment later, they felt the fallout of battles coming from up ahead. Apparently, they were about to arrive at the battlefield.
Fang Tian Ci and Yang Xue exchanged glances before leaping out. As Space Principles undulated, they vanished.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiao drove the Flowing Time Temple forward openly and menacingly. Before they even reached the battlefield, he roared at the top of his lungs, “Yang Xiao of the Dragon Clan has arrived! Black Ink Clan bastards, are you prepared to die!?”
Presently, the Humans were in a perilous situation. Many Human Race Masters had surrounded Xiang Shan and set up a defence line and were mainly fending off the enemies’ attacks.
They were at a disadvantage when it came to numbers, so even if they were unrestricted, they couldn’t possibly gain the upper hand, not to mention that they had to protect Xiang Shan now.
The Black Ink Clan continuously launched powerful Secret Techniques on the Humans in an attempt to shatter the defence line and disrupt Xiang Shan’s ascension.
Ou Yang Lie was unable to help as the Royal Lord named Xiao You was determined to tie him down, giving him no chance to take a breath. He had to defeat Xiao You before he could give Xiang Shan a hand.
He secretly cursed at Xiang Shan for dragging all of them into such a situation. Xiang Shan had chosen the wrong time to achieve an ascension, and worst of all, the location he had selected was so awkward.
Due to various reasons, the Human Race Masters were unable to advance further or retreat. They could only grit their teeth and hold on.
However, if this dragged on, once the Humans’ defence line was broken, things would collapse like an avalanche. Not only would Xiang Shan fail his ascension, but many Human Race Masters would lose their lives, as well.
Just as they were in a deadlock, Ou Yang Lie heard Yang Xiao’s voice all of a sudden. Elated, he roared, “Yang Xiao, go and protect Xiang Shan right away!”
Yang Xiao had seen what was happening on the battlefield, so he didn’t need Ou Yang Lie to tell him what to do. He drove the Flowing Time Temple forward and charged towards the battlefield with seven Human Race Masters in tow. The temple arrived at a weak point in the defence line, after which they started warding off the attacks.
The Black Ink Clansmen on that side were so frustrated that they almost spat blood. Initially, they had the chance to break through the enemy lines. By then, they could go straight to attack Xiang Shan.
Presently, Xiang Shan was attempting a breakthrough, so he was powerless to counterattack. Regardless of whether they could kill Xiang Shan or not in the end, they could make him fail at the very least.
They didn’t expect more Humans to come over at this critical moment. What was more, these Humans had brought with them a powerful Mobile Palace Artifact, which plugged the originally weak point in the Humans’ defence line.
Those from the Black Ink Clan were resentful of Yang Xiao. Nevertheless, the Flowing Time Temple had a robust defence. Since they were unable to destroy it, they decided to attack elsewhere.
Seeing that, Yang Xiao roared, “Where do you think you’re going!?”
The Black Ink Clansmen directly ignored him.
Yang Xiao was anxious, but he couldn’t take the initiative to attack. As such, he bellowed again, “Yang Kai is my Adoptive Father! He can easily slaughter all of you trash from the Black Ink Clan! Since he’s not around now, I’ll teach all of you a lesson on his behalf! If you have the guts, come and fight me!”
Those who were moving away, suddenly all stopped in their tracks. A Pseudo-Royal Lord’s eyes reddened as he glowered at Yang Xiao, “Did you just say Yang Kai is your Adoptive Father?”
Standing in front of the Flowing Time Temple, Yang Xiao looked condescendingly at him, “Yes! Do you have a problem with that?”
“Then you must die!” The Pseudo-Royal Lord roared and shouted, “Tear him apart!”
The next instant, with the Pseudo-Royal Lord leading the way, multiple Territory Lords charged towards the Flowing Time Temple.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiao was surprised by their reaction. He just wanted to curse at the enemies and pin them down; never did he expect them to react in such a way. Seeing that the enemies were coming over, he yelled, “Make ready!”
The seven others he had brought with him already had their auras connected and formed two Battle Formations. With the help of the Flowing Time Temple’s power, they engaged the enemy.
As they fought, Yang Xiao suddenly mocked, “It seems that your aura is unstable, Sir Pseudo-Royal Lord. Did my Adoptive Father punch you or something?”
At the mention of this, the Pseudo-Royal Lord intensified his attacks.
Yang Xiao was startled, for he didn’t expect his speculation to be right. He asked curiously, “What’s your name? When I see my Adoptive Father, I’ll tell him to kill you.”
The Pseudo-Royal Lord said through clenched teeth, “My name is Meng Que! At least now you’ll know who killed you!”
He was one of the earliest Pseudo-Royal Lords within the Black Ink Clan, so there was no doubt he held a prestigious position. However, when Yang Kai formed a Battle Formation with other Humans he managed to injure him seriously, which was greatly humiliating for Meng Que.
Although Yang Kai was badly injured now, he was nowhere to be found. As such, Meng Que was unable to get his revenge.
It was only natural that he wanted to vent his fury on Yang Xiao, who was Yang Kai’s Adoptive Son.
Although he couldn’t kill Yang Kai, Meng Que had the confidence to butcher Yang Xiao. The place where Yang Xiao and the others were located was in turmoil while they were dealing with the bombardment of attacks. Fortunately, they had the Flowing Time Temple’s protection. Otherwise, they couldn’t have persevered. After all, a Pseudo-Royal Lord was significantly more powerful than a Territory Lord. Meng Que being injured and unable to fully use all his power also helped immensely.
On the other side, with the help of Space Principles, Fang Tian Ci and Yang Xue stealthily approached Ou Yang Lie and Xiao You.
Although Fang Tian Ci had earned the moniker ‘Little Yang Kai’, he was still inferior to the true body when it came to mastery in the Dao of Space. Furthermore, Yang Xue was a Ninth-Order Master; as such, he felt pressured bringing her with him and helping to hide her aura at the same time.
“We have to stop here. If we go any closer, the enemy will notice us,” Fang Tian Ci said while stopping in his tracks, “Be careful.”
Yang Xue nodded but wasn’t in a rush to make a move; instead, she was observing the battle and waiting for a chance.
Killing a Royal Lord wasn’t easy, and the timing to make a move was crucial.
As though noticing a powerful presence, Xiao You became uneasy. He had a feeling that someone was staring at him in secret, so he reserved some of his strength. He was initially equally matched with Ou Yang Lie, but now the latter gained a slight upper hand.
Ou Yang Lie naturally noticed this and began openly taunting him. Ignoring the foul-mouthed Human in front of him, Xiao You wondered where his sense of unease came from.
Soon, however, he realised what the source was.
A powerful and unrestrained aura was suddenly felt rushing over from the distance. The aura didn’t have the signature of World Force or Black Ink Strength. Rather, it felt like pure chaos.
[It’s that Chaos Spirit King! I can’t believe that guy found me!]
At that moment, Xiao You was both shocked and flustered.