Since the Black Ink Clan had spread nothing about Yang Kai, it meant that he could not have died at their hands.
But the question was if Yang Kai was alive or not. If he was alive, where was he? It was something the upper echelons of the Human Race urgently needed to investigate.
Mi Jing Lun had also summoned many Human Race Masters who had returned from the Universe Furnace to inquire about Yang Kai.
According to the investigation, the last person to speak with Yang Kai was Ou Yang Lie. After the huge battle in the Universe Furnace World that dragged in the majority of the members from both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan, Yang Kai left after recovering from his injuries.
Before leaving, he had a brief conversation with Ou Yang Lie, informing the latter that he wanted to find the remaining Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, and try to find the answers to his doubts while he was at it.
What his doubts were, Ou Yang Lie did not ask, and Yang Kai did not tell.
Since then, Ou Yang Lie did not see Yang Kai again; after all, the Universe Furnace World was massive so it was normal for them to not meet each other.
On the other hand, some Eighth-Order Masters had vaguely sensed Yang Kai’s aura fleeting past them, but Yang Kai was being chased by the Chaos Spirit King at that time, so none of them dared to approach him. Yang Kai simply flew past them, luring the Chaos Spirit King away with him.
Without any useful information, Mi Jing Lun was unable to deduce Yang Kai’s whereabouts.
[Yang Kai was pursued by the Chaos Spirit King after he had parted with Ou Yang Lie. In other words, he must have gone seeking trouble with the Chaos Spirit King and perhaps even snatched back the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill he had lost; otherwise, the Chaos Spirit King wouldn’t have reacted like that.]
[With Yang Kai’s means and strength, it should have been easy for him to throw off the Chaos Spirit King. He could have easily escaped by just using his Space Secret Technique a few times.]
[Yang Kai must have let himself be pursued on purpose, probably because he was afraid the Chaos Spirit King would start attacking the others in its fury. So, he decided to keep it preoccupied like this.]
[Even so, he wouldn’t have been killed by the Chaos Spirit King.]
In the end, the information he had was too little. Even with Mi Jing Lun’s intellect, it was difficult for him to deduce what had happened to Yang Kai. He only knew that something must have happened to him; otherwise, he would have appeared long ago.
Today, Mi Jing Lun made his way to the Star Boundary without alerting anyone and appeared inside High Heaven Palace.
When Head Manager Hua Qing Si learned of his arrival, she hurriedly came to greet him. Mi Jing Lun explained his purpose for coming, to which Hua Qing Si naturally agreed. After making some arrangements, Mi Jing Lun met Xia Ning Chang, who was staying at High Heaven Palace.
All of Yang Kai’s Wives were currently assigned to the Suppressing Black Ink Army, stationed just outside of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, under Fu Guang’s command, resisting the Black Ink Clan.
The only exception was Xia Ning Chang, who was proficient in Alchemy.
There was a constant need for supplies during a war, especially pills. The soldiers needed pills to cultivate and heal their injuries.
As such, the status of Alchemists had risen to unheard of heights, especially Great Grandmasters like Xia Ning Chang. They were practically indispensable to ensure the smooth progress of the war.
How could Mi Jing Lun bear to deploy such a person to the front lines? Basically, all the Alchemists and Artifact Refiners had been gathered on the safe and secure Star Boundary. Every year, a massive amount of resources would be sent to the Star Boundary, where they would be refined into pills and artifacts before being sent to the front lines.
Mi Jing Lun and Xia Ning Chang did not know each other. They had never even met before, but because of Yang Kai, and Xia Ning Chang’s attainments in the Dao of Alchemy, Mi Jing Lun still knew a little about her.
The reason he had come to Xia Ning Chang was because she was the one who was most familiar with Yang Kai.
Inside High Heaven Palace’s reception hall, Mi Jing Lun, after waiting for a short while, saw Xia Ning Chang arrive.
Although it was difficult to see her countenance because of her veil, a hint of fatigue could be seen in her eyes, which should have been bright and clear. Mi Jing Lun could smell an extremely strong medicinal fragrance wafting from her, and also noticed that although Xia Ning Chang had specially combed her hair, it was still a little messy. How could he not know that she had constantly remained inside her Pill Room? She probably had not rested for many years.
Women always paid attention to their appearance, so if it wasn’t for the fact that she didn’t have the time and could not bother to care about it, why would she not take good care of herself?
“Greetings, Supreme Commander Mi!” Xia Ning Chang elegantly bowed to Mi Jing Lung. She had naturally heard of him, the one running the Supreme Headquarters and directing the overall situation of the war, commanding the various Armies in the battle against the Black Ink Clan. She also admired him very much.
Mi Jing Lun promptly stood up and helped her up, “Madam Xia is too polite.”
After exchanging some pleasantries, both took their seats.
Mi Jing Lun was still pondering on how he should ask her about Yang Kai, but to his surprise, Xia Ning Chang was the one who asked him, “Did Supreme Commander Mi come here to inquire about my Husband?”
Mi Jing Lun was stunned for a moment before nodding his affirmation, “Indeed!” He then asked curiously, “Madam doesn’t seem worried?”
He didn’t see any sign of worry in Xia Ning Chang’s eyes. Logically speaking, as Yang Kai’s Wife, Xia Ning Chang shouldn’t have been able to remain so calm after not having heard anything about her Husband for so many years.
Under the veil, a smile seemed to have appeared on Xia Ning Chang’s lips, “How could I not be worried? It’s just that my Husband should be fine.”
Hearing her say so, Mi Jing Lun couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity, “How can you be so sure?”
He had failed to find any clues on Yang Kai’s whereabouts, so how could Xia Ning Chang confirm that Yang Kai was safe? Had it been many years ago, when Yang Kai was in control of that artifact called the Loyalty List, they could still determine Yang Kai’s situation through the life and death of the people who had left their names on the Loyalty List. But back when Yang Kai embarked on his journey to the Black Ink Battlefield, he voluntarily lifted the restrictions placed on the nine people on the Loyalty List. Yang Kai no longer had any life-and-death relationship with them.
Xia Ning Chang was silent for a moment before replying, “A feeling?”
Mi Jing Lun couldn’t help but break into a fit of laughter. How could she judge such a big matter based on her feelings? It was simply too childish.
Xia Ning Chang added, “This Mistress and Husband met each other when we were still young disciples of High Heaven Pavilion. Senior Sister Su Yan was also with us. In the beginning, Husband’s aptitude for cultivation was very poor and he was almost kicked out of the Sect…”
Recalling the past, the corners of Xia Ning Chang’s eyes curled up like crescent moons. Obviously, she was fondly remembering those times.
Mi Jing Lun didn’t interrupt her and quietly listened. Only now did he realize that Yang Kai’s rise to power was no different than an insignificant character’s arduous struggle.
From being a sweeper in a small Sect in a remote backwater world, he had grown up to become a cornerstone of the entire Human Race, a symbol of faith. Such a journey required outstanding willpower, and he had clearly put in far more effort than those born with extraordinary talent.
Mi Jing Lun couldn’t help but heave a long sigh, “When great waves wash away the sand, one’s spirit is revealed, and only as the ocean flows can one’s true colours be seen.”
Xia Ning Chang lifted her hand and brushed her hair behind her ear, “Husband has always accomplished great things. We Sisters have been under his wings for many years; but oftentimes, we are unable to help him. In fact, everyone is quite anxious, so whether it is Sister Ru Meng or Senior Sister Su Yan, all of them have been diligently cultivating all these years, hoping that someday, even if they cannot help Husband, they will not become a burden to him.”
Mi Jing Lun solemnly stated, “Madam Xia, there is no need to be so serious. Yu Ru Meng and the others are currently at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction under Senior Fu Guang’s command, resisting the Black Ink Clan inside the Grand Restriction while ensuring its integrity. They have been working hard for many years without anyone to rely on. Madam, you might not have been fighting on the battlefront, but you have been refining pills for the Human Race, doing your absolute best. All of you are exemplary figures of the Human Race. No one would dare to say that you are a burden.”
Xia Ning Chang continued with a smile, “The Black Ink Clan’s invasion concerns the survival of the Human Race, so we naturally must do our best. We are doing what we can, and so is my Husband. For many years, my Husband has been constantly on the move, often there are no news for many years. Back when he first entered the Black Ink Battlefield without hesitation or looking back, there had been no news of him for almost 1,000 years, but…”
She paused for a moment before her tone became firm, “But, Husband has never disappointed us Sisters. We just need to wait, and no matter where Husband is, no matter what happens, he will return to us some day.”
This was the reason why she felt that Yang Kai was fine, because many people were waiting for him! And he had never disappointed those who had been waiting for him.
Mi Jing Lun remained silent.
After a while, Xia Ning Chang stood up and left.
Mi Jing Lun also left High Heaven Palace with Hua Qing Si and flew out of the Star Boundary.
In the void, Mi Jing Lun suddenly stopped, glancing back.
Although he had come here looking for answers, he had not gained anything factual. Xia Ning Chang was undoubtedly unaware of whether Yang Kai was alive or dead, she simply expressed her absolute confidence and hope in him.
She believed that Yang Kai would return safely one day, just like how he had suddenly killed his way back from the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield, quelling the war in Profound Nether Territory in one fell swoop.
It could be said that Madam Xia had blind faith in this man, but there was nothing wrong with that.
However, as the Supreme Commander of the Human Race’s Armies, planning the movement of every soldier, Mi Jing Lun couldn’t afford to have any delusions. He had to be prepared for the worst. What would he do if Yang Kai had really met with a mishap and died in some unexplored place?
War could not tolerate any unrealistic fantasies!
The Human Race was not made up of just one man, it consisted of every Human being. Yang Kai had done more than enough for the Human Race. It was because of his actions that the Human Race had been able to steadily develop for thousands of years and build up their current strength.
If the Human Race failed to defeat the Black Ink Clan even after this, it would be because the Human Race had lacked in effort. As the favoured children of this era, they had to bear the responsibility alongside the fortune. If they couldn’t survive this crisis, they were destined to be abandoned by this era.
In the end, this era still belonged to the Human Race!
…..
Somewhere in the void, a figure was rapidly moving across. The figure was surrounded by deathly and desolate Universe Worlds, as well as all kinds of magnificent Celestial Phenomena filled with unknown dangers.
Thunder Shadow’s voice rang out, “Second Brother, are you lost?”
Fang Tian Ci gloomily stated, “Big Brother said to go in the opposite direction, and that’s where I’m going. This is the literal edge of the Universe. It should be quite far from the 3,000 Worlds. Don’t be impatient!”
“Why don’t I take the helm for a while?” Thunder Shadow suggested, mainly because he had been idling for too long and wanted to come out and stretch.
“You don’t understand the Dao of Space, so giving the helm to you will only slow things down.”
“Fine, fine, you continue.”
The war between the Human Race and Black Ink Clan suddenly became even more intense. Large and small battles frequently broke out on the raging battlefields, often lasting months before ending.
In such high-intensity battles, both the Human Race or the Black Ink Clan suffered huge casualties, especially the Black Ink Clan. Although they far outnumbered the Humans, it was precisely because of their numbers that their casualties in each battle were so horrific.
Nonetheless, the upper echelons of the Black Ink Clan would never feel distressed about this. The Black Ink Clan was different from the Human Race. The Human Race needed a lot of time and resources to cultivate even one Open Heaven Realm Master, but the Black Ink Clansmen were all spawned from Black Ink Nests. So long as they had enough resources, they could endlessly raise more troops.
Essentially all the Black Ink Clansmen below Feudal Lord rank were cannon fodder. In any battle, they were often the first to be dispatched to exhaust the strength of the Human Race.
A war had broken out in Great Storm Territory. A fleet of numerous Human Race Warships split on the battlefield, outflanking the Black Ink Clan Army. Meanwhile, the battle on the main front raged like a wildfire.
Furthermore, the higher-ups of the both sides had also established a battlefield away from the main battlefield where the Eighth-Order Masters fought with the Territory Lords, and the Ninth-Order Masters faced the Pseudo-Royal Lords.
To a certain extent, the battle between the top Masters from both sides would directly affect the outcome of the battle on the main battlefield, because once the powerhouses of one side gained the upper hand, they would be able to suppress the enemy on the main battlefield.
In Great Storm Territory, two Human Race Armies happened to be fighting against the Black Ink Clan Army. One was the Azure Sun Army under Luo Ting He’s command, while the other was the original Great Storm Army of Great Storm Territory.
After reclaiming Azure Sun Territory, the Azure Sun Army had converged with the Army of this Territory, greatly bolstering their strength.
Originally, it would not have been difficult to reclaim Great Storm Territory, but with the birth of a large number of Pseudo-Royal Lords and their addition to the Black Ink Clan Army, it made the war far less predictable.
A mere Pseudo-Royal Lord was indeed no match for a Ninth-Order Master, but there were far too many Pseudo-Royal Lords.
This was not the first time the two sides were fighting. Both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan had clashed with each other multiple times over the past few years, enough to already become familiar with each other.
But this time, something different and unexpected happened.
When the battle started, a fearsome aura suddenly appeared out of thin air somewhere on the battlefield, and immediately after, they could sense the death of a Pseudo-Royal Lord from that direction.
This sudden turn of events left many of the Black Ink Clansmen bewildered, thinking that another Ninth-Order Master had been born. However, when they recognized that it was none other than Xiang Shan, they actually felt relieved.
No new Ninth-Order Master had been born in the Human Race, Xiang Shan had simply come to lend support.
The Black Ink Clan wasn’t completely unprepared for this. The Black Ink Clan Master, who was commanding the Black Ink Clan Army this time, instantly dispatched several Pseudo-Royal Lords to intercept Xiang Shan, while also passing on this news up the chain of command.
Xiang Shan’s appearance in Great Storm Territory meant that the Great Territory Battlefield he was originally in charge of had no Ninth-Order Master at this moment. This happened to be a good opportunity for the Black Ink Clan; perhaps they could use it to deal a heavy blow to the Human Race.
The Black Ink Clan had suffered a huge loss in this battle. Furthermore, with Xiang Shan and Luo Ting He teaming up, the lives of the Pseudo-Royal Lords were hanging by a thread.
But in the end, it still amounted to nothing!
Ultimately, Xiang Shan could not stay for too long. He immediately returned to the Great Territory Battlefield where the Blood Flame Army was stationed after the battle had come to an end. A battle had also broken out there, and without a Ninth-Order Master overseeing the situation, things were definitely not good for the Blood Flame Army.
The same tactic was continuously used in other Great Territory Battlefields as well. The Armies of both sides fought back and forth, reducing every Great Territory into a meat grinder.
Although the Human Race’s fierce offensive had failed to recover their lost territory, it had caused unimaginable losses to the Black Ink Clan. Not to mention anything else, just the amount of cannon fodder on Black Ink Clan’s side had decreased a lot by the next battle.
If nothing unexpected happened, this dire situation would likely continue for many years until one side was no longer capable of continuing.
Unfortunately, something unexpected happened; the awakening of a Royal Lord.
At the No-Return Pass, Mo Na Ye, who had returned from the Universe Furnace World and was slumbering inside a Black Ink Nest, had finally recovered after nearly 100 years.
The first thing he did was pay a visit to Royal Lord Mo Yu and inquire about the current battle situation. After learning that the Human Race had already reclaimed six Great Territories and was currently going toe to toe with the Black Ink Clan in the remaining Great Territory Battlefields, Mo Na Ye was slightly taken aback.
When they were in the Universe Furnace, four new Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had emerged in the Human Race, along with quite a lot of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. As the Human Race’s strength had greatly increased, it was not surprising for them to achieve such results in the battle.
What took him by surprise was that the Black Ink Clan was able to defend the remaining Great Territory Battlefields without losing any ground.
Originally, he had thought that the Black Ink Clan would have lost all the Great Territory Battlefields by now.
“Sir, which battlefield is Yang Kai on?” Mo Na Ye asked. Although he had already become a Royal Lord, he still considered himself a subordinate before Mo Yu. He had no intention of competing with Mo Yu for power because the latter was still stronger.
Mo Yu was very satisfied with the way Mo Na Ye addressed him. To be honest, when Mo Na Ye returned from the Universe Furnace, he was greatly shocked by the latter’s advancement to becoming a Royal Lord. Although he looked extremely wretched and miserable at that time, it was an undeniable fact that he had become a true Royal Lord.
Furthermore, Mo Na Ye looked extremely flustered at that time, as if he was being chased by something terrifying.
He later came to know that Mo Na Ye was running from Yang Kai.
When Mo Na Ye inquired about the killing star, a furrow appeared on Mo Yu’s face as he replied, “Funny you asked, I’ve also ordered others to investigate Yang Kai’s whereabouts after your return, but they failed to find anything. Furthermore, we haven’t seen any trace of him all these years. It seems that the Humans are also looking for him. According to some information obtained from Black Ink Disciples, Yang Kai went missing after the Universe Furnace closed.”
“Missing?” Mo Na Ye was extremely astounded, “How did he go missing?”
Mo Yu’s face turned gloomy, “Are you questioning me?”
Mo Na Ye quickly bowed, “This subordinate doesn’t dare! But… it’s very strange.”
Mo Yu took a deep look at him before nodding and continuing, “It’s strange indeed! I’ve also been on guard against him coming to the No-Return Pass to cause trouble these years, but he is indeed missing; otherwise, he would have definitely shown up by now.”
Mo Yu knew that Yang Kai had already advanced to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. When he had first heard this news, he had also been nervous; after all, Yang Kai was quite difficult to deal with. When Yang Kai was just an Eighth-Order Master, he could already cause a great ruckus in the No-Return Pass. Yang Kai had killed many Innate Territory Lords and destroyed many High-Rank Black Ink Nests right under Mo Na Ye’s nose back then.
Now that this killing star had reached the Ninth Order, it would be even more difficult to deal with him. If he really showed up at the No-Return Pass and kicked up a storm, Mo Yu wouldn’t be surprised.
Just because of this, Mo Yu had made a lot of preparations, but none of them had been used yet.
Standing below in the Grand Hall, Mo Na Ye had an extremely bewildered look on his face, as if he had just heard some unbelievable news. The very man who had pushed him to the brink of death, had actually gone missing?
“Hahaha…” Mo Na Ye couldn’t help but break into laughter.
He finally understood why the Black Ink Clan was still able to defend those Great Territory Battlefields. It turned out that Yang Kai had not appeared. If he had, the Pseudo-Royal Lords in those Great Territory Battlefields would have been completely useless, no matter how many of them there were. Yang Kai would have found an opportunity to ambush and slaughter them long ago.
“The Universe Furnace is filled with danger. Could he have encountered some kind of unpredictable crisis inside and died there?” Mo Yu asked.
Mo Na Ye denied, shaking his head, “With his current strength, he can’t die, but there are indeed many inexplicable mysteries in the Universe Furnace. Perhaps… he is trapped?”
He could not say anything with absolute certainty. Nonetheless, it was extremely strange that he had not seen Yang Kai after returning from the Universe Furnace. However, he was in a hurry to escape at that time, so he could not bother to give it too much thought. And after returning to the No-Return Pass, he had immediately entered the Black Ink Nest to rest and recover.
[By the looks of it, Yang Kai is most likely trapped inside the Universe Furnace, unable to escape; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to not appear all these years.]
Mo Yu stated, “Whether he is dead or trapped, it’s a good thing. The Black Ink Clan will have one less nemesis to worry about. Mo Na Ye, I know everything you have faced in the Universe Furnace, but you don’t need to be afraid of him now. You are a Royal Lord, so even if you run into him, you’ll still have the strength to fight back.”
Mo Na Ye respectfully replied, “You’re absolutely right, Sir.”
Mo Na Ye recalled his battle with Yang Kai in the Universe Furnace. At that time, he was already not at his peak. Although Yang Kai had just broken through, his injuries were much more severe than Yang Kai’s, and that was the reason Yang Kai had the upper hand; otherwise, he would not have lost so miserably.
But it was an undeniable fact that Yang Kai’s strength was formidable. Mo Na Ye was certain that even if both of them were at the peak of their strength, he still would not be a match for Yang Kai. On the other hand, Yang Kai could not kill him that easily either.
“Since you’ve come out of seclusion, I’ll leave all the affairs of the Black Ink Clan to you, just like in the past. Back then, you were just a Pseudo-Royal Lord, but now that you are a Royal Lord, you have the qualifications to command the entire Black Ink Clan Army, including this King!”
Mo Yu’s voice was firm and decisive.
Mo Na Ye’s expression changed slightly. It could not have been easy for Mo Yu to say something like that. Mo Yu might not have much talent in military strategy, but he did have one advantage, and that was that he knew how to use people well.
He had been using Mo Na Ye all these years, and that was the best proof in itself.
From the start, Mo Na Ye had never intended to compete with him for power, and after hearing this, there was not even the slightest bit of dissent in his heart.
He immediately bowed, “Many thanks for trusting me, Sir.”
Mo Yu slowly said, “Everything is for the Supreme One’s will. Black Ink Eternal!”
Mo Na Ye also solemnly shouted, “Black Ink Eternal!”
Very soon, he summoned all the personnel responsible for collecting information from everywhere and spent several days collecting and sorting information in the Black Ink Clan’s hand.
Two days after sorting everything, he visited Royal Lord Mo Yu and told him about his plan.
Mo Yu was slightly startled by Mo Na Ye’s plan and marvelled Mo Na Ye’s boldness, but after giving it a careful thought, he found Mo Na Ye’s proposal reasonable. Furthermore, the fact that he had come to ask for his opinion before taking action also pleased Mo Yu and made him feel that he had not misjudged Mo Na Ye. He immediately nodded his agreement, “Since you think so, then you can do as you wish.”
Consequently, Great Storm Territory was finally recaptured by the combined forces of the Azure Sun Army and the Great Storm Army after a fierce month-long battle. The Black Ink Clan Army, on the other hand, carried on fighting while retreating, leaving countless corpses across the void as they retreated from Great Storm Territory.
When its news reached the Supreme Headquarters and Mi Jing Lun received this piece of glorious news, there was no joy on his face.
Rather, a sigh escaped his lips. He knew that Mo Na Ye had most likely come out of seclusion!
“Mo Na Ye is probably out of seclusion!” Stated Mi Jing Lun, standing in front of a giant Universe Chart inside the Supreme Headquarters Main Conference Hall.
The Universe Chart was specially created by the Human Race and was used to simulate the situation of the various Great Territories. This Universe Chart included all the Great Territories known to the Human Race. Even the Black Ink Battlefield was presented to everyone in a translucent manner.
Nearly 99% of the display was dyed black, representing the area occupied by the Black Ink Clan.
Only a few locations were not dyed in black. These were the Great Territories currently under the Human Race’s control, including the few Great Territory Battlefields that they had recently been reclaimed.
While speaking, Mi Jing Lun raised his hand and circulated his strength. Immediately after, the Universe Chart started to change a little before everyone’s eyes as the pitch-black darkness blanketing one of the Great Territories began to fade.
Everyone could clearly see that it was the location of Great Storm Territory.
Those gathered here were the brightest of the brightest gathered from all over to serve under Mi Jing Lun. They formed the think tank of the Human Race.
The cultivation of these people ranged from low to high. Some were Eighth-Order Masters, while others were only in the Fourth-Order. They might not have fought on the battlefield, but it was an irrefutable fact that they had played a huge role in the Human Race resisting the Black Ink Clan’s invasion all these years.
Every single military order sent to various Great Territories was meticulously discussed between them and Mi Jing Lun.
Seeing Mi Jing Lun’s action, someone exclaimed in surprise, “Great Storm has been reclaimed?”
Mi Jing Lun would only make changes to the Universe Chart like this when a Great Territory was recovered.
Mi Jing Lun nodded his affirmation as he passed a jade slip, “This is the battle report I’ve just received from the front lines. The Azure Sun Army and Great Storm Army jointly captured the Black Ink Clan’s main camp three days ago and seized control of Great Storm Territory.”
Everyone immediately gathered around and began reading the jade slip one by one. A look of joy appeared on the faces of many, but there were also some with tight furrows on their brow; they faintly felt that something was wrong.
Nearly 100 years ago, when the projection of the Universe Furnace reappeared, the Human Race, which was already prepared, gave the Black Ink Clan a good beating and killed a lot of their Masters.
Furthermore, with Xiang Shan and Ou Yang Lie returning as Ninth-Order Masters, the Blood Flame and Profound Nether Armies reclaimed their respective Great Territories just a few years later under their leadership.
Over the next few years, the Human Race Armies’ morale was through the roof as they swiftly reclaimed a total of four Great Territories. So, counting Azure Sun and Wolf Fang Territories, the Human Race had already regained six of the dozen or so Great Territory Battlefields.
Unfortunately, their good days soon came to an end. The next couple of decades were filled with arduous struggles and horrific battles.
The Black Ink Clan had produced dozens of Pseudo-Royal Lords out of thin air, erasing the advantages brought about by the Ninth-Order Human Masters. Over the next 100 or so years, the Human Race had not been able to make any significant progress and had failed to recover any more Great Territories.
Yet they were suddenly able to recapture Great Storm Territory despite it being a pure stalemate just months ago. This was quite strange.
Furthermore, there also appeared to be a little problem with the battle report. Those with sharp minds had already noticed that something was amiss.
Combined with what Mi Jing Lun had said at the beginning, someone couldn’t help asking, “Sir Mi, why are you so certain that Mo Na Ye has come out of seclusion?”
Mi Jing Lun happened to be deep in thought, looking at the Universe Chart. Hearing the opposite party’s question, he replied with a question of his own, “First, tell me about the battle report. What does everyone think?”
The person who had spoken just now replied, “At first glance, there doesn’t appear to be any problem. It looks like the Human Race won a momentous victory and killed countless enemies, but upon closer inspection, the Black Ink Clan’s casualties aren’t significant. Also, not a single Pseudo-Royal Lord was killed.”
Many nodded in agreement, and those who had not realized the problem had also come to catch on at this moment.
It was a battle that concerned total control over a Great Territory, so it stood to reason that the Black Ink Clan would have gone all out. But if that really was the case, they should not have suffered so few casualties.
In every single battle that had reclaimed a Great Territory, one or two Pseudo-Royal Lords had always been killed.
This time though, not a single one of them had fallen. A simple Three Fortunes Formation formed by Pseudo-Royal Lords could fight evenly with a Ninth-Order Master or several Six Paths Formations formed by Eighth-Order Human Race Masters.
“Did the Black Ink Clan give up the Territory?” Someone shouted.
Mi Jing Lun replied with a nod, rubbing his forehead, “By the looks of it, the Black Ink Clan should have decided to withdraw from Great Storm Territory long ago, and have just taken advantage of the Human Race’s attack to carry out their retreat. If I’m not mistaken, the other Great Territories should also be recovered very soon.”
Recovering the lost territory was a cause for celebration; after all, the Human Race had been working hard all these years to achieve this very goal. Retaking the lost territories would give meaning to the sacrifices of countless soldiers.
However, the current situation was not what the Human Race wanted to see.
“Retreating instead of defending to enlarge the battlefront. It really does smell like Mo Na Ye,” a voice came from the corner.
Over the years, everyone had fought against Mo Na Ye’s schemes many times under Mi Jing Lun’s leadership. It was a battle of wits and strategy using the deployment of their respective Armies. As such, everyone was quite familiar with Mo Na Ye’s tactics.
The Black Ink Clan had been stubbornly resisting and defending the various Great Territory Battlefields for the past 100 years, but now they had suddenly changed tactics. It was obvious that someone of great authority was behind this. It could be none other than Mo Na Ye.
In fact, when the Human Race had reclaimed six Great Territory Battlefields, Mi Jing Lun had said that recovering the lost territories was not entirely a good thing.
The Human Race’s goal was not just to recover their lost territories, but also to injure, or preferably kill, as many Black Ink Clansmen as possible. If they could recover their lost territories, and also kill a large number of enemies at the same time, that would be the perfect scenario.
It was because there were simply far too many Great Territories in the 3,000 Worlds.
The Black Ink Clan may have lost a Great Territory, but they could still retreat to another. So long as they had not lost too many soldiers, losing a Great Territory could not be considered a significant loss for the Black Ink Clan. The only difference for them was a change of battlefield.
In contrast, things were very different for the Human Race. Every time they reclaimed a Great Territory, it would extend the frontlines further. This would not only create problems with logistics, but once the frontline was stretched too thin, it would most likely isolate the Armies at the forefront, allowing the Black Ink Clan to counterattack.
The best option would have naturally been to maintain the current situation. The Human Race could continuously thin out the Black Ink Clan’s forces until the enemy no longer had the strength to resist. By then, it would be a piece of cake for the Human Race Armies to reclaim the 3,000 Worlds and completely eradicate the Black Ink Clan in one fell swoop.
Thus, although the Human Race had not been able to take back any more Great Territories for the past 100 or so years, every time a war broke out, the Human Race would do everything possible to kill as many Black Ink Clansmen as they could.
The Human Race was more than happy to see the Black Ink Clan fighting to the death in the various Great Territory Battlefields.
But now, the Black Ink Clan had suddenly adopted the exact opposite strategy…
This was quite unfortunate.
“It has been almost 100 years since the Universe Furnace closed. That is ample time for Mo Na Ye to fully recover from his injuries. So, it’s not that surprising for him to come out of his seclusion now. Furthermore, he already has experience in commanding the Black Ink Clan. Mo Yu will value him even more now that he has become a Royal Lord!”
Mi Jing Lun’s heart was filled with regret. If Yang Kai hadn’t met with some unknown mishap, he would have definitely eliminated Mo Na Ye and they would have nothing to worry about.
According to the information they had gathered, Yang Kai and Mo Na Ye entered the Universe Furnace from the same location. After the Universe Furnace closed, they should have appeared at the same time and at the same place. Mo Na Ye was seriously injured at that time, so how could he be Yang Kai’s opponent?
Unfortunately, Yang Kai disappeared after that earth-shattering battle in the Universe Furnace, which gave Mo Na Ye a chance to escape with his life.
By the looks of it, Yang Kai did not appear with Mo Na Ye when the Universe Furnace closed. Could it be that he was trapped inside the Universe Furnace?
If that was the case, who knows how long it would take for him to escape?
“Supreme Commander Mi, how should we respond to the Black Ink Clan’s strategy?” Someone asked.
Mi Jing Lun bitterly smiled, “This is open intrigue, an obvious trap, but we have no choice but to swallow the bait thrown by the Black Ink Clan!”
Great Storm Territory had been reclaimed already, so why would they not want it? This was true for the other Great Territories as well.
It was very easy to predict that the Human Race would definitely reap successive victories in the coming years, reclaiming numerous Great Territories in succession.
With every Great Territory reclaimed though, the front lines would extend further and move farther away. The Human Race would have to leave behind some troops to defend the Great Territories they had reclaimed, which would weaken the Army’s strength with every new Great Territory seized.
Once the front line was stretched enough, and the Black Ink Clan was confident of easily resisting the Human Race, they would launch their counterattack.
This was another battle of wits and courage.
As Mi Jing Lun had expected, the Supreme Headquarters kept receiving news of success from the different battlefronts over the next few months.
Divine Wind Territory had been reclaimed by the combined forces of the Twin Poles Army and Divine Wind Army, with the Black Ink Clan’s main camp being swiftly occupied.
Purple Feather Territory had been reclaimed by the combined forces of the Purple Feather Army and Profound Nether Army, killing countless enemies.
The Cloud Sword Territory had been reclaimed…
The Brahma Territory was taken back…
Reports came in one after another. After a year, the dozen or so Great Territory Battlefields where the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan had been fighting for thousands of years had all fallen into the hands of the Human Race. The Human Race Armies were triumphantly marching forward in high spirits.
As the news of this spread to the Star Boundary, Myriad Monster World, and the Universe Worlds in the New Great Territory, all living there celebrated in jubilation.
Ever since the Black Ink Clan invaded the 3,000 Worlds, gloom and darkness had shrouded the Human Race. But today, everyone finally saw the light and a glimmer of victory in the pitch-black darkness. It seemed as if the Human Race would be able to reconquer the Great Territories one after another as easily as crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood, restoring peace to the 3,000 Worlds.
Only a few people understood that these beautiful dreams would not really come true.
The real war had just begun.
Who knows how much blood would be shed, how many would die in this bloody war which concerned the fate of the two Races?
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was struggling hard on his way back.
Thunder Shadow’s voice rang in Yang Kai’s mind, “Big Brother, you can do it! Just a little faster and we will be able to escape!”
Thunder Shadow sounded panicked and clearly a little nervous.
This could not be helped as Yang Kai happened to be in the middle of a crisis.
Originally, he believed that after advancing to the Ninth Order, he would be able to roam the Universe without any worry. Even if he were to run into someone stronger, he could still escape.
Now though, he found himself completely helpless against this strange Celestial Phenomenon he had encountered on his way back.
Along the way, he was patiently digesting the insights he had gained in the Universe Furnace, leaving Fang Tian Ci to pilot his physical body. Under normal circumstances, he would have steered clear of any Celestial Phenomenon he encountered; however, the Celestial Phenomenon he ran into this time caught him completely by surprise.
At the edge of the Universe lay Chaos which the Universe Furnace continuously devoured before spewing out the evolved 10,000 Grand Daos, causing the world to expand endlessly.
Each Universe World’s birth originated from the Universe Furnace, and each grand and majestic Celestial Phenomenon also stemmed from it.
On the way back, countless Celestial Phenomena of different shapes and sizes appeared, each harbouring immense danger. Fang Tian Ci, who controlled Yang Kai’s body, avoided them as much as possible as he dared not approach them easily; however, there came a moment of carelessness.
This Celestial Phenomenon was similar to a Black Hole. Its size was not particularly large, seemingly only slightly larger than a regular Universe World, but it was discreet enough to go unnoticed.
Fang Tian Ci was caught off guard, causing him to be involuntarily drawn towards this Celestial Phenomenon, and by the time he realised what was happening, it was already too late.
This seemingly ordinary Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon emitted an overwhelming devouring force, causing everything nearby to collapse towards it.
Despite trying several times to manipulate Space Principles to escape, Fang Tian Ci was unable to do so, and even after Yang Kai took over, he could not break free.
Under the terrifying devouring force, the surrounding Void became highly viscous and distorted, greatly reducing the effectiveness of Space Principles in this area.
Now, Yang Kai was like a fallen leaf caught in a vortex in the middle of a vast sea, constantly revolving around the Black Hole, getting closer and closer to it with each orbit.
No one knew what dangers lay within the Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon, but it was undeniable that once one had fallen into it, they would surely meet a terrible end.
Unable to break free, Yang Kai could only go with the flow and travel at full speed in the direction pulled by the devouring force, hoping to escape the grasp of the Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon and snatch life from the gates of death.
Round after round, the pull of the Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon, combined with Yang Kai’s own actions, caused him to speed up, already far surpassing Yang Kai’s physical limit.
Moving at such a terrifying speed put a massive strain on the body, and if it were not for Yang Kai’s strong physique, he would have already been torn to shreds.
Fortunately, he now possessed the body of the Divine Dragon with a powerful Dragon Vein, so despite feeling immense pressure, he could still barely persist.
Thunder Shadow constantly cheered him on. It would still be a worthy death if he were to die fighting against Royal Lords, but to die in a place like this would simply be unacceptable.
After circling countless times, picking up speed the entire time, Yang Kai felt himself reach a critical point, followed by him suddenly feeling his body loosen. Then, as the gravitational force from the Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon could no longer bind him, he channelled all the force he could and propelled himself in a great arc and swiftly escaped from the Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon, leaving it far behind.
Thunder Shadow cheered, and Fang Tian Ci, tense the whole time, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t until they were very far away from the Black Hole Celestial Phenomenon and could no longer feel its pull that Yang Kai slowly lowered his speed and looked around.
Then, he stopped Fang Tian Ci from taking control of his body. Years of comprehension had allowed him to fully digest his gains in the Universe Furnace.
“These Celestial Phenomena are truly unpredictable and difficult to defend against,” Thunder Shadow said, “We’re lucky that Big Brother is quick-witted, or we three Brothers might have been done for. Second Brother, you should learn from him.”
Fang Tian Ci remained silent, feeling that they were both Soul Clones of the original, so praising him was the same as boasting about themselves…
But on this journey, they really had seen too many Celestial Phenomena; all grand and mysterious, yet unpredictable. These natural creations were truly beyond Human strength to resist.
Perhaps only by reaching the Creation Realm could one unravel the mysteries within, but what kind of wondrous realm was the Creation Realm?
“Big Brother, did we go the wrong way? We’ve been travelling for so long yet still haven’t found our way home,” Thunder Shadow asked again.
Yang Kai shook his head, “The location of the Universe Furnace is at the edge of the Universe. Since this Universe was created by the Universe Furnace, going in the opposite direction should be correct. It just means that the Universe is far more vast than we thought.”
“It’s been about 100 years, hasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Although it was impossible to calculate the exact time spent in this void, judging from the passage of time in Yang Kai’s Small Universe, it had indeed been over 100 years since they left the Universe Furnace.
During these 100 years, while Fang Tian Ci had been driving, Yang Kai had also tried to connect with the World Tree from time to time to see if he could establish contact with the Old Tree, but unfortunately, he made no progress.
It had to be noted that when he rushed back from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon back then, it only took him a few years.
At this moment, the position where they were located was undoubtedly in the farthest reaches of the Universe.
Sometimes, Yang Kai would wonder if he had lost their way, but on this silent journey through the void, there were no suitable reference points to discern the correct direction.
After flying forward for a while, he came across a Universe World, and Yang Kai descended to it.
He then carefully sensed his surroundings.
Thunder Shadow was at a loss at the sight and didn’t know what Yang Kai was doing, so he quietly asked Fang Tian Ci, “Is Big Brother looking for something?”
After pondering for a moment, Fang Tian Ci answered, “He should be investigating whether there have been any changes in this Universe World.”
“Changes?” Thunder Shadow became even more bewildered.
“The Universe Furnace splits Heaven and Earth apart, constantly expanding the Universe. The Universe Worlds that are spewed out from the furnace were all barren and lifeless, with not even basic World Principles. However, after countless eons of accumulation, the 10,000 Grand Daos which make up the Universe itself will eventually allow these Universe Worlds to undergo some changes. Their World Principles will gradually form and improve, and vitality will spring up in the World, giving rise to life. Every Universe World in the 3,000 Worlds should have been born this way.”
“So what?” Thunder Shadow became even more confused upon hearing that.
Fang Tian Ci almost choked, not knowing how to explain it to him.
Yang Kai chuckled, “We’re checking the completeness of the World Principles in the Universe Worlds we have encountered on our journey. The more complete they are, the closer we are to the 3,000 Worlds. The 3,000 Worlds may just contain the earliest Universe Worlds created from the Universe Furnace, which is why they are so wonderful and full of vitality.”
Finally, Thunder Shadow understood, “Oh, I see…” He couldn’t help but retort, “Second Brother, you’re so dumb. You can’t even explain something so simple. What’s the use of you?”
Fang Tian Ci seriously wanted to hit him!
Thunder Shadow asked again, “So, how about this Universe World? Are the World Principles complete?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Of course not. If the World Principles were complete, it would not be as barren and lifeless as this. But there are already signs of World Principles being born here. Maybe in several million years, this will be a thriving Universe World.”
Those words made Thunder Shadow thrilled, “That means we are headed in the right direction!”
“Correct!” Yang Kai replied with a smile and flew up into the sky, continuing on their journey.
He suddenly realised that it was a good thing that the wills of his Human Self and Monster Self had not been erased during the unification of the three Selves. At least, he wouldn’t be too lonely on this journey home!
Although Yang Kai didn’t know how many years it would take for them to return, he believed that as long as he kept heading in the right direction, he would eventually make it back.
After a moment, Thunder Shadow’s voice echoed in Yang Kai’s mind, “Big Brother, do you think our Universe is the only one?”
As Yang Kai travelled using his Space Secret Technique, he casually asked, “What do you mean?”
“Think about it, our Universe was created by the Universe Furnace from Chaos, and according to what you said, Big Brother, the 3,000 Worlds were the first to be born. But what if the Universe Furnace opened up some other Universes beyond the Chaos before the birth of the 3,000 Worlds, and we are just unaware of each other due to the sea of Chaos and vast distances between us?”
Yang Kai smiled and replied, “That’s not pos…”
Initially, he wanted to say that it was impossible, but he suddenly realised that what Thunder Shadow said was not impossible at all. Chaos was boundless, and the void was limitless. If the Universe Furnace had indeed created another Universe somewhere in the sea of Chaos, and there was a barrier to it, it would be difficult to detect the existence of each other.
Just like when they were in the Star Boundary, they assumed it was their entire Universe until they went beyond it and discovered a wider world. Even in the currently known world, Yang Kai didn’t know what lay in the deeper parts of the Black Ink Battlefield because no one had ever explored it.
The unknown represented infinite possibilities.
Though Thunder Shadow had always been talkative and not used his brain much, his question made Yang Kai contemplate.
Before Yang Kai could answer, Thunder Shadow asked, “Did I say something wrong?”
In the Soul Warming Lotus, Fang Tian Ci suddenly looked at Thunder Shadow and said, “Third Brother, you are actually capable of saying thought-provoking things sometimes.”
Thunder Shadow became defensive upon hearing it, “What do you mean? Don’t think I don’t know you’re calling me stupid.”
“You said it yourself.”
“Second Brother, let’s fight! I’ve been holding back for too long!”
Ignoring the noise in his mind, Yang Kai smiled and thought to himself, [Is there really another Universe out there? If so, what would it look like?]
Whether there were other Universes or not, the only thing he needed to do was to return home as soon as possible. The Universe Furnace had closed, and the war between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan must have broken out in full force. Although the Humans had gained tremendous benefits in the Universe Furnace and had greatly increased their strength, the Black Ink Clan was never an easy opponent to deal with.
Yang Kai naturally recalled that before the appearance of the Universe Furnace, a gap had opened in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction which allowed a large number of Innate Territory Lords to escape. Although these Territory Lords were severely injured and not very useful right away, they should have restored their strength by now, and they would undoubtedly cause great trouble for the Humans.
It was still unknown who would emerge victorious in this war.
As Yang Kai travelled forward on his journey, he searched for a Universe World every few years to investigate the situation and determine his direction based on the completeness of the World Principles he found.
In this way, he could ensure that there were no large mistakes with his travelling direction.
There were too many unknown wonders in this vast universe. If Yang Kai wasn’t in a hurry to return to the war, he would surely explore them thoroughly.
After 100 years went by, Yang Kai figured he should be getting closer to the 3,000 Worlds as the World Principles he observed in the Universe Worlds along the way were gradually being perfected.
Perhaps one day, when a Universe World was found with truly perfect World Principles, he would be close to the 3,000 Worlds.
…..
Since the appearance of the Universe Furnace and the outbreak of the two Races’ full-scale war, it had been almost 300 years, during which time one Great Territory after another had been successfully recovered by the Humans.
The rapid progress of the Humans could be attributed to the huge heritage accumulated over thousands of years and also to the Black Ink Clan’s active avoidance.
Therefore, although the Humans had reclaimed many Great Territories in recent years, the number of fallen Black Ink Clansmen was not high. Even if the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters personally made a move, it was difficult to kill those Pseudo-Royal Lords who already had countermeasures.
Years of fighting had made the Human Race Masters aware of some abnormalities. The Black Ink Clan was deliberately making them lengthen their battle lines, using the reclaimed Great Territories to weaken the strength of the Human Race Army while looking for opportunities to make a breakthrough.
But as Mi Jing Lun said in the Supreme Headquarters, this was open intrigue. The Black Ink Clan had thrown out their bait, and the Humans had to swallow it!
The 3,000 Worlds and the vast Great Territories were originally the Humans’, so faced with those victories that were easily within reach, the Human Race could not remain indifferent. After all, the ultimate goal of this war for the Humans was to expel these invaders.
To this end, the Humans had prepared many countermeasures.
First of all, every time a Great Territory was recovered, the Humans would block the Territory Gates, leaving only one necessary passage.
The Great Territories were connected by Territory Gates, and most Great Territories had several of them leading to other Great Territories, with the exception of a few Great Territories with only one Territory Gate.
Although these Territory Gates could ensure communication with the outside world, they could also become breakthrough points for the Black Ink Clan. In order to prevent this from happening, the Human Race had no choice but to completely seal off the extra Territory Gates.
Fortunately, there were still many Masters who were proficient in the Dao of Space, all of whom were from the Void Dao Temple and inherited Yang Kai’s legacy. With the help of the Phoenix Clan, it was not difficult to seal off these Territory Gates, though some time and resources were required.
After reclaiming each Great Territory, all Territory Gates except for the essential ones were sealed to ensure that the Black Ink Clan could not suddenly attack through them.
In addition, the Masters of each Army coordinated and reorganized each time more territory was taken.
At present, although the Human Race had only a few Ninth-Order Masters, they had a total of nine of them.
Yang Kai was missing, Wu Kuang and Yang Xue guarded the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing were restrained the Black Ink Giant Spirit God in Wind Mist Territory, Ou Yang Lie commanded the Profound Nether Army, Xiang Shan commanded the Blood Flame Army, Luo Ting He commanded the Azure Sun Army, and Wei Jun Yang commanded the Wolf Fang Army.
With over 10 Armies, however, and only four Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters available, they couldn’t manage everything.
Under the arrangements of the Supreme Headquarters, many Masters were recruited to bolster the Armies that did not have a Ninth-Order Master, including many Divine Spirits, to ensure that each one had what it took to fight against the Pseudo-Royal Lords.
A large number of Warships and Evil Purging Divine Spears were also allocated to the frontline battlefields. With various measures in place, the Human Race Masters steadily swept away the Black Ink Clan in each Great Territory, never giving them any chance to rest.
However, as more and more Great Territories were reclaimed, the military strength of the Human Race’s Army that went to war constantly weakened. To guard those reclaimed Great Territories, it was inevitable that they had to divide their forces.
At present, there were not a lot of reclaimed Great Territories, so the Humans could still bear the burden, but there would always be a limit. Once the limit was surpassed, no matter how the Humans responded, there would unavoidably be gaps on the extended front line.
In fact, solving this problem was actually quite simple; they just needed enough troops. With enough soldiers, no matter how divided they were, they would have what it took to fight against the Black Ink Clan.
These troops came from the Second-Class or Third-Class Forces.
Many years ago, the upper echelons of the Human Race were already aware of this impending problem. During the great evacuation, too many Masters of the Human Race perished in the war, including some ancient inheritances, Sects, and even more Humans simply living in the various Universe Worlds. All were slaughtered by the Black Ink Clan!
These cultivators were weak, and even if they were transformed into Black Ink Disciples, they were of little use, so the Black Ink Clan would naturally not show mercy.
It could be said that during that great evacuation, the number of the Humans in the entire 3,000 Worlds was reduced by as much as 80%. Those who were still alive today were mostly just luckier.
If the Human Race’s population was larger, there would be more Masters to support the Army.
Therefore, after realising this problem, the Supreme Headquarters began to comprehensively encourage Human reproduction, hoping to give birth to more people. Even if this generation lacked the aptitude to cultivate, there would surely be some talented individuals in the next generation or the one after.
Over the years, there had been some effects, especially in the Star Boundary. It was common for an ordinary family to have five or six children, and many families became prosperous thanks to the Supreme Headquarters’ policy.
The Star Boundary had High Heaven Palace, Dao Temples of various Cave Heavens and Paradises, and the nourishment of the World Tree clone. Hence, the impact of the war that swept across the 3,000 Worlds on the Star Boundary was not significant; instead, the outbreak of the war brought more attention and resources to the Star Boundary.
On the other hand, the families and Sects that migrated from different Great Territories were not as lucky. During the war, nobody had the mood to set up and expand their families.
Before the New Great Territory was fully opened, these migrants were living in fear and uncertainty; they could only survive on Universe Fragments floating in the void, unable to see hope for the future.
It wasn’t until the New Great Territory was opened that these people migrated to Universe Worlds there and the situation improved slightly.
Nowadays, to supplement the Human Army’s strength, the Supreme Headquarters had issued orders once again to encourage more people to reproduce, even going so far as to offer rewards.
For every newborn, they would receive corresponding military merits. If the newborn had an aptitude to cultivate and reached different Realms, they would receive more military merits.
During the war, military merits were unquestionably valuable. Some had even calculated that if a child in a family or Sect could cultivate to the Emperor Realm, they would receive enough military merits to exchange for a set of Fifth-Order materials.
Such rewards were incredibly generous and were enough to make many small families and Sects tempted.
As a result, many babies had been born into the Human Race in recent decades, and the number of Humans had been greatly supplemented.
In many Universe Worlds, even ordinary men from common families were able to have multiple wives and concubines, daily feasting on sumptuous meals while having a weak and depleted body…
There was no right or wrong with the Supreme Headquarters implementing such measures as it was simply out of necessity. This war could last for countless years, and if they wanted to increase the Army’s strength, they had to increase their population base.
In short, the Humans had already prepared to fight this war for thousands, even tens of thousands of years.
The biggest problem that arose from this was the supply of resources.
The Humans had limited resources available, just as it was when they defended over a dozen or so Great Territory Battlefields in the earlier years, and the situation had not improved much now.
Fortunately, after reclaiming many Great Territories, they could exploit the resources left by the Black Ink Clan, and when fighting against the Black Ink Clan Armies, they could also seize some of their resources.
The collecting or mining of resources in the New Great Territory had never stopped, barely supplying the needs of the large Army and rear lines.
However, in these years of fighting, the two Royal Lords of the Black Ink Clan had never appeared on the battlefield.
When the Black Ink Clan only had one Royal Lord in the earlier years, it was normal for him not to participate in any battles. The No-Return Pass was the Black Ink Clan’s main camp, and injured Black Ink Clansmen would return there to heal in hibernation. The materials gathered from the Black Ink Battlefield would also be concentrated at the No-Return Pass. Besides, there was a large number of Black Ink Nests there.
Mo Yu did not dare to leave easily. Under various constraints, he could only guard the No-Return Pass all year round to prevent Human Race Masters from causing trouble, especially Yang Kai.
Currently, even though the Black Ink Clan had two Royal Lords, they still dared not leave the No-Return Pass easily. The reason was that several decades ago, the Humans had gathered the power of four Ninth-Order Masters and executed a beheading plan.
At that time, the four Ninth-Order Masters located on four different battlefields joined forces to invade the No-Return Pass to kill Mo Na Ye or Mo Yu.
That battle made the void in the No-Return Pass tremble and turned the Universe upside down.
However, in the end, the attack failed. Neither Mo Na Ye nor Mo Yu was easy to kill, and it seemed that the Black Ink Clan had anticipated such an attempt and had set up an ambush with more than 10 Pseudo-Royal Lords at the No-Return Pass.
Three Pseudo-Royal Lords could contend against one Ninth-Order Master. Since the Humans only had four Ninth-Order Masters, it was difficult to gain the upper hand.
The result of that battle was that the aftermath destroyed several High-Rank Black Ink Nests, which was considered a small gain.
Seeing that they could not succeed in this kind of direct approach, the four Ninth-Order Masters could only temporarily withdraw. They couldn’t keep entangling with the Black Ink Clan, as without them present, the Black Ink Clan would definitely attack the frontlines.
Since then, the Humans had temporarily given up the idea of killing Mo Na Ye or Mo Yu. Under the various arrangements of the Supreme Headquarters, they proceeded steadily, recovering more Great Territories step by step.
The void was silent as the once bustling Great Territory had long become a lifeless wasteland.
There used to be several Universe Worlds nearby, but the Black Ink Clan Armies invaded and destroyed them, reducing them to scattered Universe Fragments.
For years, no one had visited this place except for occasional Black Ink Clansmen who came to check on the situation, but even they refused to stay for long.
Wind Mist Territory…
Since the brutal Barren Territory War, the only two surviving veteran Ninth-Order Masters had been guarding Wind Mist Territory for some 5,000 years.
Before Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing stood a magnificent and spectacular arm, extending from Barren Territory and breaking the boundary wall between two Great Territories, creating a passage that connected the two domains.
It was through this passage that the Black Ink Clan Army bypassed the defences of the Human Race Army and invaded the 3,000 Worlds. It was also since the arm pierced through the boundary wall that the 3,000 Worlds fell into chaos.
At this moment, thick chains wrapped around the arm, binding it tightly. These chains were the joint Secret Technique of the two Ninth-Order Masters, used to restrict the Black Ink Giant Spirit God that resided in the Barren Territory.
In terms of strength, a Black Ink Giant Spirit God was not something that two Ninth-Order Masters could contend with, but during the war that year, this one had been severely injured. Moreover, with one arm stuck between two Great Territories, it was difficult to fully utilise his strength.
While the two Ninth-Order Masters were no match for the Black Ink Giant Spirit God in a frontal confrontation, they were able to restrain it and prevent it from escaping, given its weakened state and the restriction on one of its arms; however, as time passed, even this simple restraint became increasingly difficult.
After thousands of years, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s strength had been mostly restored and the two Ninth-Order Masters could clearly feel the difficulty in binding him.
100 years ago, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God nearly broke free during a rebellion, and the Ninth-Order Masters didn’t know how much longer they could hold him down.
Trapped in Wind Mist Territory and isolated from the world, they had no way of knowing the current situation of the 3,000 Worlds or what the status of the Human Race was.
It seemed as though the world had forgotten about them.
The torment of solitude was far worse than the pressure that the Black Ink Giant Spirit God had inflicted upon them.
Over the years, Yang Kai visited them twice and informed them about the situation of the Human Race, but after those two times, he never visited them again.
The great war in the Barren Territory took the lives of almost all veteran Ninth-Order Masters, leaving just the two of them alive.
The dead were finally freed, but those who survived had to bear with the aftermath.
The supplies that Yang Kai had given them back then were almost depleted, and now they could only try to minimize the consumption of their own power in order to persist a little longer.
In this extremely quiet environment, both of them just meditated with their eyes closed. In fact, they had spent most of their time this way, only taking action when Black Ink Giant Spirit God attempted to break free.
Suddenly, both of them felt something and opened their eyes, turning their heads to look in a certain direction.
Over there, a figure was strolling towards them with a composed posture, exuding an unmasked magnificent and powerful aura.
A Royal Lord!
Wu Qing raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “A rare guest…”
For so many years of entanglement with the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, no one from the Black Ink Clan had dared to approach this area.
This was mainly because there were not many Masters on the Black Ink Clan side; the only Royal Lord had to guard the No-Return Pass all year round, and the Innate Territory Lords did not dare to come here and act recklessly.
So, even though the Black Ink Clan knew that two Ninth-Order Masters were restraining the Black Ink Giant Spirit God here, they never had any intentions of interfering.
However, the situation now was different. The number of powerful Black Ink Clansmen had surged, not only with an additional Royal Lord but also with a large number of Pseudo-Royal Lords being created. Moreover, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s injuries had already improved. With things the way they were, the Black Ink Clan naturally had some thoughts about this situation.
“Mo Yu?” Xiao Xiao smiled and looked at the lone Royal Lord who came. She had heard Yang Kai mention that the only Royal Lord of the Black Ink Clan was named Mo Yu, who guarded the No-Return Pass all year round, and who Yang Kai had fought with on several occasions.
Although Yang Kai seemed calm and relaxed when he talked about it, Xiao Xiao knew that the real situation must have been that he was being chased after by the Royal Lord…
Since the one who was strolling over was a Royal Lord, Xiao Xiao naturally thought he was Mo Yu.
The visitor stood still in front of the two Ninth-Order Masters, maintaining a relatively safe distance, and smiled slightly with a hint of surprise, “Senior Xiao Xiao knows my name?”
He easily called out Xiao Xiao’s name, which was not surprising since over the years many Humans had fallen into the hands of the Black Ink Clan, and once transformed into Black Ink Disciples, they could extract some basic information from them.
There were only two Ninth-Order Masters here, a male and a female, making it easy to distinguish them.
Xiao Xiao looked at him coldly and said, “Senior? I dare not accept such a title. We are of different Races and enemies, so how can I be considered your Senior?”
The visitor did not seem to mind and just smiled casually.
Then, Wu Qing quickly asked, “You’re not Mo Yu, are you? Who are you?”
They had never met Mo Yu. Even though they had participated in the Barren Territory War, at that time, Mo Yu was stationed in the No-Return Pass, so they didn’t know what Mo Yu looked like.
Judging from the visitor’s tone though, it was obvious that he was not Mo Yu.
The visitor cupped his fist and loudly said, “Black Ink Clan’s Mo Na Ye greets two esteemed Human Seniors!”
“Mo Na Ye… you are Mo Na Ye?” Xiao Xiao frowned and immediately used her Divine Sense to probe Mo Na Ye without disguise. She seemed to be trying to determine if Mo Na Ye was truly a Royal Lord, but after observing him, it became clear that he was indeed one.
Xiao Xiao was puzzled.
Mo Na Ye also became surprised and asked, “Senior Xiao Xiao has heard of me?”
Only someone familiar with him would show such a surprised reaction.
After asking though, Mo Na Ye looked like he suddenly realised something and said to himself, “Brother Yang must have mentioned me to you two, right?”
He was originally just an Innate Territory Lord, so the Ninth-Order Masters would not pay much attention to him. Yang Kai was the only person who had visited this place over the years, and since these two Ninth-Order Masters knew of his existence, it must have been because of Yang Kai’s mention of him to them.
Mo Na Ye smiled and seemed very pleased, “Brother Yang and I have rarely crossed swords before, but I regard him as my greatest opponent, and it seems he doesn’t underestimate me either. It is my honour.”
He addressed them as ‘Seniors’ and Yang Kai as ‘Brother Yang’, making Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing feel uncomfortable. They hadn’t encountered someone from the Black Ink Clan who was so polite before. If it was not for his Black Ink Clan’s identity, he would seem like a Human who was well-versed in politics and double talk.
As expected, anyone who was mentioned by Yang Kai was not to be trifled with.
They had heard of Mo Na Ye before, but only in passing. On the other hand, Yang Kai mentioned that there was a talented figure in the Black Ink Clan named Mo Na Ye, but they hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time. It wasn’t until Mo Na Ye introduced himself that they suddenly remembered Yang Kai’s evaluation from years ago.
“Wait! You can’t be Mo Na Ye!” Wu Qing suddenly said coldly.
Mo Na Ye raised his eyebrows, “Senior Wu Qing, what do you mean? If I am not Mo Na Ye, who else could I be?”
“As far as I know, Mo Na Ye is an Innate Territory Lord. Although an Innate Territory Lord is much stronger than a normal Territory Lord, they have inherent limitations and can never become Royal Lords. You are a Royal Lord, so how could you be Mo Na Ye?” Wu Qing snorted.
Mo Na Ye chuckled, “Senior Wu Qing makes a good point. Innate Territory Lords do indeed have a hard time reaching the realm of Royal Lord, but there are always exceptions. The Human’s knowledge of the Black Ink Clan is not as comprehensive as you imagine. Besides, the two of you have been isolated here for thousands of years. How much information could you have gathered?”
Those words darkened Wu Qing’s expression. The fact that Innate Territory Lords could not become Royal Lords was common knowledge among the Human Race for many years; however, if this knowledge was incorrect, the situation would be dire since the Black Ink Clan had quite a few Innate Territory Lords.
Mo Na Ye continued with a proud expression, “I don’t need to impersonate anyone. I will always be myself. Of course, my identity is not important. What’s important is why I am here…”
“I see, the Universe Furnace!” Xiao Xiao suddenly interrupted before Mo Na Ye could finish his sentence.
Mo Na Ye choked on his words, and a flash of surprise and shock passed through his eyes. He had not expected Xiao Xiao to be so sharp, instantly seeing through the situation.
On the other hand, Xiao Xiao stared into Mo Na Ye’s eyes after uttering the words ‘Universe Furnace.’ Although the hint of surprise in his eyes quickly disappeared, she still caught it.
“So that’s how it is! 300 years ago, there was a commotion in the Barren Territory. Did the Universe Furnace emerge?” Xiao Xiao asked.
Wu Qing also fell into deep thought.
Mo Na Ye smiled as he remained silent while feeling extremely annoyed deep down that the Humans were indeed not easy to deal with. He had originally wanted to use words to attack the two Ninth-Order Masters’ minds, hoping to shake their resolve; however, even the tiniest bit of information he had let leak to confuse them had been seen through and allowed them to grasp the true situation.
“It’s true that the Universe Furnace emerged!” Seeing Mo Na Ye’s reaction, Xiao Xiao knew that her guess was correct.
Although Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing had been isolated in Wind Mist Territory, they could sense some of the situations in the Barren Territory due to the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s arm tearing a hole in the boundary wall between the two Great Territories. They might not notice small movements, but they could not miss the obvious signs of a massive Black Ink Clan’s army gathering.
At the time, the two of them thought that the Black Ink Clan’s army was preparing to launch an attack on the Humans. Although they were a little suspicious, they didn’t pay much attention as there was nothing they could do about it.
But now, it seemed that things were not as simple as they thought.
Upon careful recollection, there was indeed some abnormal commotion in the Barren Territory before the Black Ink Clan gathered their army.
Through the hole in the boundary wall, Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing vaguely perceived some minor commotion, but they didn’t pay much attention to it at the time; however, decades later, a similar commotion came again from the Barren Territory, with traces of powerful Black Ink Clansmen appearing among them.
Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing had never figured out what happened on the other side in the Barren Territory until Mo Na Ye suddenly appeared this time as a Royal Lord. It was then that Xiao Xiao connected the dots.
She stared at Mo Na Ye while explaining to Wu Qing, “In the Universe Furnace, there are Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills that are born from Heaven and Earth. These pills are not only useful to the Human Race though, but also to the Black Ink Clan!”
Wu Qing turned to her with a look of surprise in his eyes.
In terms of age and seniority, Wu Qing was much younger than Xiao Xiao, so there were many things that he did not know despite both of them being Ninth-Order Masters.
On the other hand, Xiao Xiao knew about this because she had heard her senior Ninth-Order Masters talking about it previously.
Finally, Wu Qing realised, “So, he was able to become a Royal Lord because he got an opportunity in the Universe Furnace?”
Xiao Xiao nodded, “Otherwise, how could an Innate Territory Lord become a Royal Lord?”
The two seemingly unrelated events, an Innate Territory Lord becoming a Royal Lord and the commotion in the Barren Territory, combined to reveal the truth.
Wu Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the information on the Human side should not be wrong. An Innate Territory Lord could not become a Royal Lord, but if he had an opportunity in the Universe Furnace, things could be explained.
“You’re quite lucky,” Xiao Xiao said while looking at Mo Na Ye with a sarcastic smile, “There should be many Ninth-Order Masters born in the Human Race too, right?”
Over the years, every time the Universe Furnace opened, the Human Race would gain benefits to varying degrees; therefore, after realising that the Universe Furnace had reappeared, Xiao Xiao was certain that there must have been Ninth-Order Masters born among the Human Race.
Upon hearing her words, Mo Na Ye’s smile disappeared, and he replied after a moment of silence, “A total of four Ninth-Order Masters rose inside the Universe Furnace!”
He spoke the truth, though he did not mention that the Human Race already had two Ninth-Order Masters before that, Luo Ting He and Wei Jun Yang.
“Yang Kai should be one of the four!” Xiao Xiao nodded lightly, speaking with a tone of certainty rather than asking a question.
Mo Na Ye’s brow twitched. The fact that the other party trusted Yang Kai so much showed that this Ninth-Order Master also had high hopes for him.
Well, the higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment!
After collecting himself, Mo Na Ye laughed lightly, “Brother Yang… is truly a genius of the ages. I have always respected him. In the past, I have had many dealings with him.”
“It looks like you suffered quite a bit,” Xiao Xiao said, her smile widening.
Mo Na Ye ignored her taunting and continued, “Perhaps you don’t know, but Brother Yang ascended to the Ninth-Order not by relying on a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, but by cultivating an extremely marvellous Secret Technique. In the Universe Furnace, my Black Ink Clan had a strong army and was fully prepared, with ambushes and traps set up, waiting for him to fall into the pit. However, Brother Yang, being himself, was able to turn the tide even in such dire circumstances, breaking through on the spot and in very short order. Not only did he ruin my plans, but he also killed one of our new Royal Lords in the process. In that battle, my Black Ink Clan suffered heavy casualties. After that battle, the Black Ink Clan in the Universe Furnace was powerless to resist, so the survivors had to run and hide, not daring to show their faces. I felt tormented, knowing that my time was running out. Since Senior Xiao Xiao knows some secrets about the Universe Furnace, you should know that if people enter the Universe Furnace from the same entrance, they will return to the same place. And on that day, Brother Yang and I entered the Universe Furnace from the same entrance!”
He described the confrontation in the Universe Furnace from top to bottom, not hesitating to praise and show his admiration for Yang Kai, which made Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing frown while feeling that something was amiss.
Though they heard that Yang Kai had mastered a miraculous Secret Technique, which allowed him to break through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm and had even killed a Royal Lord, there was no great joy in that news.
Sure enough, Mo Na Y’s tone changed, “When the Universe Furnace closed, I was prepared to fight Brother Yang to the death. If I died at his hands, it would not be unjust, but can two Seniors guess what happened later?”
Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing remained silent.
Since Mo Na Ye did not die, it meant that Yang Kai had not been able to kill him at that time. There must have been some unexpected event, but there was no need to play along with Mo Na Ye’s intentionally tantalising remark.
After seeing the two Old Ancestors remain silent, Mo Na Ye continued, “When the Universe Furnace closed, I returned, but saw no signs of Brother Yang. I was fortunate enough to survive and restore myself after 100 years of cultivation. Of course, that’s not the point. The point is… there has been no news of Brother Yang till today!”
“On the day the Universe Furnace closed, I found it strange that I did not see Brother Yang. At that time, I did not pay too much attention because my Black Ink Clan did not know much about the Universe Furnace; however, after so many years, it is strange there’s still no signs of Brother Yang!”
Xiao Xiao’s expression darkened, “What are you trying to say?”
Mo Na Ye smiled and stared into Xiao Xiao’s eyes, “Brother Yang is probably trapped somewhere in the Universe Furnace and has no way to escape.”
“So?” Xiao Xiao stared back at him with cold eyes. It did not matter whether Mo Na Ye’s words were true; even if it was, why would it matter?
Mo Na Ye sighed softly, “Nothing, it’s just that someone like Brother Yang being trapped in the Universe Furnace is a pity. This is not something I can talk about on a regular day, but I’ve said more than I should in front of you two. Please forgive me.”
“You’re not just here to talk, are you?” Wu Qing spoke while looking around. Since he began speaking, there had been some movement in the surroundings; powerful auras were faintly visible, and it was clear that the Black Ink Clan was making some preparations.
He immediately understood that the day was here!
The Black Ink Clan was going to help the Black Ink Giant Spirit God escape!
He and Xiao Xiao had always known that this day would come.
“Of course not,” Mo Na Ye’s expression became solemn, “The Human Race will be destroyed, only the Black Ink Clan will be eternal. I don’t have much time, so I only came here for one purpose!”
After a pause, he shouted loudly, “I ask Two Seniors to please die!”
As he spoke, Black Ink Strength surged around him as he charged fiercely towards Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing.
At the same time, more than 10 Pseudo-Royal Lords appeared from all directions, forming Battle Formations and using their own Secret Techniques to surround and attack them.
Not only that, but at the moment the Black Ink Clan began to attack, the towering arm that had remained motionless began to shake violently. Suddenly, the thick chains that locked the arm tightened and showed signs of being broken free.
“In your dreams!” Xiao Xiao shouted out, summoning a massive Yin-Yang Fish under her feet, enveloping all from the Black Ink Clansmen within it.
Wu Qing also summoned a giant halberd and charged towards Mo Na Ye.
In the next instant, the two figures collided, with Wu Qing’s attack becoming more and more ferocious, causing Mo Na Ye to be instantly knocked back.
In terms of raw strength, Wu Qing was far above Mo Na Ye; after all, he had ascended to the Ninth Order thousands of years ago and had not stopped improving his heritage during these years whereas Mo Na Ye had only recently broken through. He was naturally not Wu Qing’s opponent.
Mo Na Ye had already known this was the case but was not worried at all because his main goal was to help the Black Ink Giant Spirit God break free as well as to use the opportunity to surround and kill these two Ninth-Order Masters. For this reason, he brought the Grand Formation that was usually used to deal with Yang Kai. His previous chat with Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing was just to delay time to set up the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Grand Array.
The entire section of the void had been completely isolated, leaving the two Ninth-Order Masters no chance of escape. In the end, they would be killed by him and the many Pseudo-Royal Lords working together!
After this battle, the Human Race would no longer be able to fight back. An unrestrained Black Ink Giant Spirit God would eventually lead the Black Ink Clan to eradicate the Human Race!
After repelling Mo Na Ye, Wu Qing did not chase after him but immediately retreated to Xiao Xiao’s side to join forces and fight the dozen or so Pseudo-Royal Lords.
To ensure that they could kill these two Ninth-Order Masters, Mo Na Ye not only came in person but also brought some 20 Pseudo-Royal Lords, 10 of whom were being used to maintain the Grand Formation on the periphery.
However, with a Royal Lord plus more than 10 Pseudo-Royal Lords, they were already more than enough to defeat the two Ninth-Order Masters without any external help.
The huge Yin-Yang Fish pattern continued to rotate, with Yin and Yang intermingling and reversing within it. Dao Strength pervaded while Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing each stood on one side of the Yin-Yang Fish, making it difficult for the Pseudo-Royal Lords trapped inside to break through the protection even with their Battle Formation.
Mo Na Ye rushed over and warned through clenched teeth, “I told you, your time is up. Stop being so stubborn, Seniors!”
It was a big risk leading so many Pseudo-Royal Lords here. Removing so many top Masters from the front lines could not be hidden, so there was a chance the four other Ninth-Order Masters would join forces again and attack the No-Return Pass once the Black Ink Clan’s intentions were revealed. If that happened, with the forces available, Mo Yu and the other defenders wouldn’t be able to fight back.
Therefore, before executing this plan, Mo Na Ye commanded the armies of the Black Ink Clan to launch a massive attack against the Humans to serve as a distraction to tie down Xiang Shan and the others.
At the moment, Xiang Shan and the others could not spare much attention to other matters, so the risks were minimized; otherwise, Mo Na Ye wouldn’t have made such a bold move.
But once this matter succeeded, the benefits would be significant. Not only would it allow the Black Ink Giant Spirit God to break free, but it would also eliminate two Ninth-Order Masters, completely turning the tables for the Black Ink Clan.
Divine Sense surged and under the transmission of orders, six Pseudo-Royal Lords formed two Three Fortunes Formation and attacked.
Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing grew increasingly pressured!
They had never fought against Pseudo-Royal Lords, only hearing about them from Yang Kai previously. But at that time, there were only one or two Pseudo-Royal Lords among the Black Ink Clan, so the sudden appearance of 20 of them was truly surprising.
Each of these Pseudo-Royal Lords were comparable to a Royal Lord in terms of aura, but they were unable to fully control their full strength. However, facing so many enemies with such a small number of their own, the two Masters would not be able to hold on for too long.
What was even more frustrating was that though they still used a large part of their strength to reinforce the chains, the restraints that had bound the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s arm for thousands of years were rapidly breaking!
In Wind Mist Territory, Mo Na Ye led the many well-prepared Pseudo-Royal Lords while the Black Ink Giant Spirit God made its move. Despite Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing’s efforts, they were outnumbered and overwhelmed. Though they were not yet in dire straits, they could no longer restrain the Black Ink Giant Spirit God in such a situation.
Once the Black Ink Giant Spirit God broke free, the two Ninth-Order Masters who had held out for thousands of years would have their efforts undone, and the other Human Race Masters would have no chance against such a being.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God played a vital role in the Black Ink Clan’s invasion of the 3,000 Worlds previously; had it not been awakened from the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land and charged into the Barren Territory, forcibly opening a passage connecting to the Wind Mist Territory, the Human Race Armies would have had the ability to hold off the Black Ink Clan in the Barren Territory.
However, the breach nullified all of the Humans’ efforts, leading to a grand final battle where many Ninth-Order Masters sacrificed themselves to preserve hope for the future. This was followed by the mass migration of people in the 3,000 Worlds.
It could be said that the existence of the Black Ink Giant Spirit God established the current state of affairs, with the Black Ink Clan occupying the 3,000 Worlds and Human Race defending only a dozen or so Great Territory Battlefields.
If the Black Ink Giant Spirit God were to break free now, it would bring disastrous consequences to the Human Race.
Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing had been stationed in Wind Mist Territory precisely to prevent such a thing from happening. Previously, the Black Ink Clan did not come to bother them because they could not do so as there weren’t a lot of top Masters on the Black Ink Clan’s side either. In addition, under the premise that the only Royal Lord was unable to come forward, Innate Territory Lords were unable to cause any commotion against two veteran Ninth-Order Masters.
Besides, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was heavily injured in that great battle thousands of years ago and needed time to restore itself.
Now that the Black Ink Clan had Masters emerging one after another, and the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s injuries had been mostly restored, the time had finally come!
World Force surged and Black Ink Strength roiled as they clashed, causing the void to shatter.
Along with that, some chains that bound the gigantic arm had also broken.
The huge Yin-Yang Fish rotated continuously, and Dao Strength permeated. While struggling to withstand the joint attack of the many Pseudo-Royal Lords, the two Ninth-Order Masters attempted to continue restraining the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
However, their strength was limited. How could they hold on in such a situation?
Wu Qing roared, and Xiao Xiao yelled. The two had an overwhelming presence, and they would never compromise even when facing adversity, just like the many Human Old Ancestors who had sacrificed themselves for the greater good in the Barren Territory years ago.
Mo Na Ye only laughed, “The situation is as such, why bother struggling? I have always admired the strength of the Human Race, but my arrival today is just to give you both a dignified death!”
Meanwhile, in the Barren Territory, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God roared in anger, “You think you can restrain this Supreme One? Break!”
As the roar echoed, the arm of the Black Ink Giant Spirit God suddenly expanded, unleashing a violent surge of power. The chains that had been struggling to hold on could no longer bear the immense pressure and shattered into twinkling fragments of light, scattering in all directions.
With the Secret Technique broken, Wu Qing and Xiao Xiao both grunted, clearly suffering from some backlash.
On the other hand, Mo Na Ye stood outside the battle ring, enjoying the despair in the eyes of these two Ninth-Order Masters.
For years, the Black Ink Clan had not gained many advantages in their battles against the Human Race, but after this victory, those Humans who continued to resist would finally understand who the true masters of the Universe were!
*Hong long long…*
With a resounding boom, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God finally broke free after being restrained for thousands of years.
To the Human Race, this was surely a great calamity.
The despair in the eyes of Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing grew even more intense as Mo Na Ye coldly said, “Don’t even think about escaping. This space has already been sealed off, and with your strength alone, you won’t be able to get away.”
He had even brought the Grand Array that could be used to deal with Yang Kai, fearing that these two Ninth-Order Masters would try to escape.
It was difficult to find an opportunity to ambush two Ninth-Order Masters at once, and if they managed to escape, it would be a huge problem for the Black Ink Clan.
After Mo Na Ye finished speaking, Wu Qing charged at him with his halberd, intending to execute the leader of the enemies to intimidate his troops. However, as soon as he moved, he was stopped by a Three Fortunes Formations and became trapped in a bitter battle, unable to escape.
Seeing this, Mo Na Ye smirked in mockery.
[The trap has already been sprung, now it is up to you both to decide what to do next!] He thought to himself, hoping that they wouldn’t disappoint him.
At that moment, Xiao Xiao suddenly shouted, “Let’s go!”
The Yin-Yang Fish suddenly became turbulent and many Pseudo-Royal Lords were violently pushed back by the overwhelming force. Xiao Xiao then charged straight up, followed closely behind by Wu Qing with his halberd.
The direction they were heading was the same as the spot where the Black Ink Giant Spirit God had retreated, a crack leading to the Barren Territory!
“Hah!” Mo Na Ye couldn’t help but snort, his expression showing no surprise as if he had expected this all along.
In fact, he had already anticipated how the two Ninth-Order Masters would respond to the situation.
This strength of void was completely sealed off, and with so many Pseudo-Royal Lords surrounding them and Mo Na Ye himself presiding over the situation, the two Ninth-Order Masters simply did not have the strength to fight back. Continuing to engage in battle would only result in their inevitable defeat and demise.
However, Mo Na Ye was not willing to take on too much risk or suffer heavy losses. He was confident that he could kill the two Ninth-Order Masters here, but he didn’t know how much it would cost him. If the two of them abandoned all hope of survival and fought to achieve mutual destruction, the Pseudo-Royal Lords would surely suffer heavy casualties. Even he might not escape intact.
With such concerns in mind, he couldn’t force them too hard or else it would be too risky.
As someone who had been in charge of the Black Ink Clan’s military affairs for so many years, Mo Na Ye knew that sometimes giving the enemy hope was the best way to corner them and reduce one’s own losses.
Although the Black Ink Giant Spirit God had been freed, and the arm that had been chained for thousands of years had been retrieved, the opening in the boundary wall connecting the Barren Territory and Wind Mist Territory had long stabilized and did not disappear.
In this dire situation, the two Ninth-Order Masters only had one way out, to charge into the Barren Territory!
[Everything is going according to plan…]
In the Barren Territory, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God had been fully freed. If the two Human Masters rashly charged in, there would surely be no good outcome. By that time, Mo Na Ye would lead his Pseudo-Royal Lords to pincer them with the assistance of the Black Ink Giant Spirit God; a way simpler way to take them down rather than fighting to their death here in the Wind Mist Territory.
The two Ninth-Order Masters knew what they were about to face, but under the current circumstances, they did not have another choice.
Staying here meant certain death as they would be worn down and killed sooner or later. So, charging into the Barren Territory was their only chance to snatch life from the gates of death.
The arm of the Black Ink Giant Spirit God had already been retrieved, and Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing had also charged into the passage and disappeared. The many Pseudo-Royal Lords followed closely behind, ready to charge in, but were suddenly stopped by Mo Na Ye, “Wait!”
The Pseudo-Royal Lords immediately paused their movements.
Mo Na Ye remained calm, silently waiting and feeling the intense fluctuations of battle coming from the other end of the passage that was occasionally mixed with the muffled groans of Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing. It was clear that they had suffered losses at the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s hands.
Mo Na Ye sneered in his heart, [So what if you’re a Ninth-Order Master? You’re nothing in the face of our Black Ink Giant Spirit God.]
Previously when the Black Ink Giant Spirit God appeared on the battlefield, the Human Race had needed to mobilize at least 10 Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to simply contain it.
But currently, with only the two of them, how could Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing be opponents of the Black Ink Giant Spirit God?
“Charge!” Mo Na Ye commanded his subordinates soon after. The reason the Pseudo-Royal Lords and the others had to wait was to prevent the two Ninth-Order Masters from ambushing them on the other side of the passage. If they did, it would be a surprise attack that could deal them serious damage.
Now that they had confirmed that the two had fully charged into the Barren Territory, they didn’t need to wait any longer. Besides, Mo Na Ye was also worried that if they followed too late, the two Humans might have a chance to escape. Although the Barren Territory had some defences in place, there were not enough Masters to provide comprehensive coverage. Furthermore, though the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was powerful, it might not be able to stop the two Ninth-Order Masters if they were determined to escape.
The Pseudo-Royal Lords rushed into the passageway, with Mo Na Ye following behind. Soon after, the many Black Ink Clansmen entered the Barren Territory.
Looking up, Mo Na Ye saw the imposing Black Ink Giant Spirit God standing in place as its two massive hands reached out to grab at the two Ninth-Order Masters who were frantically flying around, trying to avoid its grasp.
Although the Black Ink Giant Spirit God occasionally threw a punch that didn’t land, the shockwaves alone were enough to shatter the void and send the Ninth-Order Masters tumbling.
Watching this scene quietly, Mo Na Ye ordered, “Set up the Array and kill them both!”
The two Ninth-Order Masters were at a dead end. With the Black Ink Giant Spirit God here, along with a Royal Lord and many Pseudo-Royal Lords working together, there was no way they could survive.
It was time to reap the rewards of their victory.
Suddenly, Mo Na Ye felt a bit disheartened, [If the one we were targeting was Yang Kai, what would he do to break out of this situation?]
He couldn’t think of any effective methods to break through such a defence, except to avoid entering the Barren Territory altogether and to simply fight in the Wind Mist Territory until one side gave in, but that would likely result in losses for his side.
It was a shame that the killing star was now certainly trapped in the Universe Furnace. He might have already perished inside, or he might have to wait until the next time the Universe Furnace opened to escape; however, who knew how many years it would take for the next opening? By then, the entire Universe would belong to the Black Ink Clan.
As Mo Na Ye was lost in thought, his expression suddenly changed as he looked towards Xiao Xiao, who was flying about frantically.
Xiao Xiao had suddenly looked towards him too, and when they locked eyes, Xiao Xiao shouted, “Mo Na Ye, Yang Kai left something for the Black Ink Clan as a gift, please accept it!”
With that, she tossed a round bead towards him. There was no fluctuation of power, and it didn’t seem to be an artifact; in fact, it looked like a simple pebble that could be found anywhere in any Universe World.
But when Xiao Xiao threw out that bead, Mo Na Ye felt a sense of imminent crisis and a chill shot up his spine from the tips of his toes to the top of his head.
The assault of the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was simple yet violent, making it difficult for even two Ninth-Order Masters to contend with. It was as the saying went, ‘One great force surpasses 10 Masters.’
Amidst the chaos, Xiao Xiao threw an object towards the Pseudo-Royal Lords and Royal Lord.
In that instant, Mo Na Ye felt a sense of danger as he heard the name ‘Yang Kai’ ringing in his ears.
Over the years, he had engaged in many battles with Yang Kai but never gained an advantage. In fact, even when he had the upper hand in their last two encounters and was on the verge of killing him, Yang Kai always managed to turn the tables on him.
In the previous encounter, the Black Ink Clan lost many Innate Territory Lords to Yang Kai, and in their last battle, a true Royal Lord and several Pseudo-Royal Lords had fallen at his hands!
It could be said that Yang Kai had long since become Mo Na Ye’s heart demon.
When Mo Na Ye learned that Yang Kai was trapped in the Universe Furnace and had no chance of escaping, he felt pity but also joy as he would no longer have to face that killing star; however, he never expected to face a hidden hand left behind by Yang Kai at this critical moment. He didn’t know what the bead thrown by Xiao Xiao was, but anything related to Yang Kai couldn’t be taken lightly.
The little round bead thrown by Xiao Xiao came at an extremely high speed, almost hitting them before Xiao Xiao finished speaking, but was immediately punched furiously by a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
“Don’t!” Mo Na Ye roared, but it was too late.
Under the violent impact, the bead momentarily froze before quickly breaking through the force impacting it and came flying towards them again.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord who had attacked felt something unusual about the bead the moment his Black Ink Strength made contact. Though others might not have been able to perceive its mystery, he could feel that Xiao Xiao’s bead was unexpectedly heavy, and when combined with the mysterious power from a Ninth-Order Master, he was unable to block it with his punch.
The next instant, the round bead closed in, and although the Pseudo-Royal Lord heard Mo Na Ye, he was too focused on the sense of danger that suddenly and inexplicably overwhelmed him. He did not care anymore, so he punched out again with all his strength.
With a loud bang, the void shook and the Pseudo-Royal Lord grunted as he was sent flying.
At the same time, the bead finally shattered. It was not some sturdy artifact, so it couldn’t withstand the full force of a Pseudo-Royal Lord’s attack.
At the moment when the bead shattered, Space Principles surged wildly. From the remnants of the shattered bead, large Universe Fragments appeared and shot in all directions, causing chaos among the Black Ink Clan.
“An entire Universe World!?” Mo Na Ye exclaimed in a low voice, his eyes full of shock.
Only now did he realise that the bead was not some simple stone, but rather a Universe World refined into an unremarkable appearance through some profound means.
Combined with Xiao Xiao’s words earlier, Mo Na Ye immediately thought of Yang Kai. In this world, who else could achieve such a fantastic feat but Yang Kai?
Moreover, many years ago, he had heard rumours that a Human had refined and saved many Universe Worlds before the Black Ink Clan’s Army arrived. Many of the Universe Worlds, which had been lingering in the void for countless years, had disappeared abruptly.
Some Black Ink Disciples also revealed related information that Yang Kai had the means to refine Universe Worlds into tiny beads, apparently called Sealed World Beads or World Beads.
Putting all the pieces of information together, Mo Na Ye immediately understood that this was a World Bead that Yang Kai had refined.
Although the Pseudo-Royal Lord was powerful and could easily shatter a World Bead with his strength, he had suffered some injuries, mainly because he had not expected such a small thing to have such tremendous weight behind it.
But what could a trivial World Bead do to the Black Ink Clan? Was this the ‘gift’ that Yang Kai had left? If so, that was too disappointing.
Mo Na Ye remained tense because he knew that things could not be that simple. While resisting the impact of those shattered Universe Fragments, he calmly observed his surroundings.
The next moment, Mo Na Ye caught a glimpse of something horrifying, causing his expression to change dramatically.
In his field of vision, a huge Universe Fragment that covered the sky suddenly exuded an extremely terrifying aura. As the aura emerged, a figure slowly rose up in the void. The figure was majestic and towering, with a bald head that shone like the Sun; despite its ferocious appearance, there was a strange simplicity in its expression.
It seemed to have just woken up from a deep sleep, and its bleary eyes were still mixed with a hint of confusion and sleepiness. It also had a somewhat displeased expression, just like anyone who was forcibly awakened from their sleep would feel.
Mo Na Ye’s soul trembled as he exclaimed, “A Giant Spirit God!”
[How could there be a Giant Spirit God? How could there be a Giant Spirit God inside!?]
He immediately realised that a Giant Spirit God had been sealed within Xiao Xiao’s World Bead, and he finally understood that the World Bead was not the gift from Yang Kai to the Black Ink Clan, but rather this Giant Spirit God was!
Although the Giant Spirit God seemed to have just awakened from a deep sleep, no one dared to underestimate its power.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods were created based on this unique race. Mo had to split parts of his Soul to create them. Thus, each Black Ink Giant Spirit God could be seen as a Soul Clone of Mo.
In the whole Universe, there was no Race more powerful than the Giant Spirit God Clan and only Supreme Masters like Mo could surpass them.
The Black Ink Clan had always considered the restrained Black Ink Giant Spirit God their strongest hidden hand. They had ignored it for many years not because they had forgotten about it, but because they were waiting for the right opportunity to release it.
Now that the opportunity had come, Mo Na Ye led many Pseudo-Royal Lords to besiege the two Ninth-Order Masters in Wind Mist Territory, taking the chance to help the Black Ink Giant Spirit God break free. After they succeeded, the Black Ink Clan would have the power and strength to eradicate the Human Race.
This Black Ink Giant Spirit God was their greatest trump card, and the Human Race would ultimately find it impossible to contend with.
But never had they imagined that Yang Kai had a way to deal with the Black Ink Clan’s long-preserved hidden hand.
Worse, he clearly discovered this card long ago!
Mo Na Ye did not know when Yang Kai had given the World Bead to Xiao Xiao, but it was definitely not recently. Perhaps 1,000 years ago, or maybe 2,000 years ago, or even earlier!
[Did Yang Kai predict this day even back then?]
Mo Na Ye quickly dismissed this idea. Although Yang Kai was powerful and agile, it was impossible for him to know everything beforehand. He must have given the World Bead containing the sealed Giant Spirit God to Xiao Xiao just to guard against the day the Black Ink Giant Spirit God would escape.
He knew the Black Ink Giant Spirit God would surely break free one day, and in this Universe, only a true Giant Spirit God could stand against it!
Though there was clearly some forethought put into this, the events of today were more coincidence than careful planning.
Realising this, Mo Na Ye was filled with bitterness. He thought that Yang Kai was trapped in the Universe Furnace and he would never have to deal with this powerful enemy again, but who would have thought that he had still fallen into Yang Kai’s trap even though Yang Kai was not even here anymore?
This killing star was indeed his lifelong enemy!
With his thoughts in chaos, Mo Na Ye heard Xiao Xiao’s explosive shout, “Ah Da, kill the enemy!”
She had learned the name of the Giant Spirit God from Yang Kai himself. In the world today, there were only two known Giant Spirit Gods left, Ah Da and Ah Er. Their names were simple and they were easy to tell apart. Ah Da was bald, while Ah Er had a tuft of baby hair on his head.
Back when the Black Ink Clan Army breached the No-Return Pass, the Human Race was promptly assisted by Ah Er, who was wandering around the 3,000 Worlds. Somehow, Ah Er seemed to know what was happening and stormed into the Barren Territory to face off against the Black Ink Giant Spirit God. After the Human Army suffered a crushing defeat, they withdrew, but Ah Er stayed behind.
For thousands of years, he had been locked in battle with another Black Ink Giant Spirit God, a battle so intense that it literally shattered space wherever they went.
Today, the Barren Territory was home to the Giant Spirit God and the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
In truth, the Human Race wanted to locate Ah Da earlier, but unfortunately, they had never been able to determine his whereabouts and the matter was eventually left unresolved.
It wasn’t until Yang Kai went out searching for traces of the First Primordial Light that he found Ah Da, sleeping in one of the dead Universe Worlds.
Ah Da must have been eating well as he was sleeping so soundly that he was totally unaware of what was going on in the outside world.
That time, Yang Kai had traversed almost the entire 3,000 worlds, personally investigating each Universe World. However, instead of immediately awakening Ah Da after finding him, he first refined the entire Universe World to leave as a hidden hand. Then, when he went to visit Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing, he quietly handed the World Bead over to Xiao Xiao to keep until the day they needed Ah Da’s power to counter the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
As Mo Na Ye predicted, Yang Kai knew that the day would come when the Black Ink Giant Spirit God would break free, and the Black Ink Clan undoubtedly used it as a trump card. When that day came, Xiao Xiao could summon the World Bead and awaken Ah Da.
No matter what the Black Ink Clan was planning, Ah Da’s appearance would surely catch them off guard.
It was just that Yang Kai would never expect that the sleepy Ah Da would react slowly even after being forcibly awakened.
Though, to be fair, this guy had always been a simpleton…
It was only after Xiao Xiao shouted that Ah Da gradually focused his sleepy eyes, rubbed his bald head, turned his neck slowly, and looked around.
Upon seeing the black figures around him, his already unpleasant mood became much worse.
“Black Ink Clan!” Ah Da exclaimed, his voice like thunder, shaking the void all around him. With an irritated look, he shouted, “Little friend told Ah Da to kill all from the Black Ink Clan!”
The ‘little friend’ he was referring to was undoubtedly Yang Kai. While he was sleeping in the World Bead, he repeatedly heard Yang Kai’s voice echoing in his ears, telling him to kill all from the Black Ink Clan after he woke up.
Despite being annoyed, Ah Da remembered those words.
After waking up from his thousands of years of sleep, Ah Da finally saw them and began slowly striding towards the largest cluster of Black Ink Clansmen.
[Little friend said to kill, so Ah should kill!]
Even if Yang Kai had not encouraged Ah Da, there was already an irreconcilable enmity between the Giant Spirit God Clan and the Black Ink Clan, so Ah Da would have killed them regardless!
The Giant Spirit God Clan had very few clansmen, but each one was incredibly powerful. They were practically the strongest beings in the Universe, with even the Divine Spirits like the Dragons and Phoenixes not being their match.
Fortunately, the Giant Spirit God Clan had a gentle, almost child-like nature and never actively sought out trouble. Otherwise, if they were as destructive as the Black Ink Clan, the 3,000 Worlds would have been destroyed by them long ago.
This Race fed on dead Universe Worlds and had the unique ability to sense the location of dying Universe Worlds from afar.
Yang Kai and Ah Da first met during the Star Boundary’s crisis.
During the great battle with Great Demon God Mo Sheng, the Star Boundary was brought to the brink of collapse. Ah Da arrived and slept outside the Star Boundary, waiting for an opportunity to eat it. It was from Ah Da that Yang Kai learned how to save the Star Boundary. Later, Yang Kai broke free from the shackles of the Star Boundary and went to the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary in the 3,000 Worlds to obtain a root of the World Tree, which he then planted in the Star Boundary to bring it back to life.
Ah Da then disappeared without a trace, but it was thanks to his guidance that the Star Boundary was saved. Without Ah Da telling him to search for the World Tree, Yang Kai would not have been able to save the dying Star Boundary.
Years later, Yang Kai discovered traces of a Giant Spirit God in the void, thinking it was Ah Da, but it turned out to be another Giant Spirit God named Ah Er. Under Ah Er’s guidance, he entered the Chaotic Dead Territory and met Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan…
Because Giant Spirit Gods fed on dead Universe Worlds, they had an irreconcilable enmity with the Black Ink Clan since ancient times. If the dead Universe Worlds were like pieces of meat for the Giant Spirit Gods, then the Universe Worlds corrupted by Black Ink Strength were like disgusting rotten flesh. The Giant Spirit Gods would never feed on such filth.
The existence of the Black Ink Clan was naturally in opposition to the Giant Spirit Gods. It was because of this that Ah Er rushed over to assist the Humans in the Barren Territory to fight against the Black Ink Giant Spirit God. Otherwise, with the Giant Spirit God’s gentle character, how would they easily start a fight with another creature?
In the Late Ancient Era, during the great war between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race, the Giant Spirit Gods were also active. Both Ah Da and Ah Er had even participated in the war against the Black Ink Clan back then.
At that time, there were more than these two Giant Spirit Gods, but after the endless fighting that lasted for countless years, the already small number of Giant Spirit God Clan members was reduced to two.
Many years later, Ah Da woke up from his slumber and saw the only Race that the Giant Spirit God deeply hated, which caused his terrifying aura to sweep across half the Barren Territory. He took big steps forward, and although his movements were clumsy, he was extremely fast. He reached out his gigantic hand and grabbed at the gathering place of the Pseudo-Royal Lords.
The hand was so big that it seemed to cover the entire sky, and the Pseudo-Royal Lords were all shocked as they quickly tried to flee in all directions. However, there was an extremely mysterious force surging in the area covered by the giant hand that stirred the void, leaving many Pseudo-Royal Lords staggering despite Ah Da missing the target.
Without giving them a moment to catch their breath, another gigantic hand slapped down. The next moment, a miserable cry resounded as a Pseudo-Royal Lord who could not dodge in time was instantly smashed into paste, exploding into a blood mist from which thick Black Ink Strength dissipated.
The survivors were terrified at the sight as even a true Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye had to flee desperately under the wild attacks of the Giant Spirit God. Such power was simply impossible for any Royal Lord to resist, and he finally understood the pressure that the two Ninth-Order Masters faced when confronting the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
“Ahh!” Ah Da shouted as he slapped his hands down one after another, causing chaos throughout the entire Barren Territory.
Many Pseudo-Royal Lords were unable to avoid being hit either directly or by the shockwaves of these attacks. As strong as the Pseudo-Royal Lords were, they could not withstand the might of a Giant Spirit God. Within moments, three Pseudo-Royal Lords died, and several more were injured to the extent that they were coughing up blood non-stop.
Mo Na Ye was also grazed by the giant palm and his vitality fluctuated wildly as his heart filled with fear. Even in this situation though, he continued to give orders, commanding the rest to form Battle Formations and kill the enemy.
However, even after the Pseudo-Royal Lords formed Battle Formations, they were no match for the Giant Spirit God. Often, before they had a chance to fight back, the Battle Formation was broken and they were left dazed from the crude yet overwhelming power used against them.
Mo Na Ye felt a chill all over his body as he commanded the battle as he cursed Yang Kai in his heart, [How malicious can he be to have this hidden hand and not show it after all this time!]
Over the years, nothing related to Yang Kai was ever a good thing.
Mo Na Ye couldn’t help but think back to the great battle between the Ninth-Order Masters and the Black Ink Giant Spirit God. The Ninth-Order Masters were not necessarily stronger than the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, but with the cooperation of a dozen of them, they were still somewhat able to hold it back. Just how much courage and determination did that take?
At this moment, if there were more Royal Lords cooperating with him, Mo Na Ye would have had the confidence to contain this Giant Spirit God, but there were only two. Besides, Mo Yu was currently stationed at the No-Return Pass, unable to come to the rescue, so what could Mo Na Ye accomplish alone? Although there were enough Pseudo-Royal Lords, they were ultimately not true Royal Lords so Mo Na Ye did not expect much from them.
Originally, victory seemed certain for the Black Ink Clan after forcing Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing into the Barren Territory; however, they had turned the tables by using their previously displayed despair to trick their opponents into letting their guard down.
The situation became awkward as the Black Ink Giant Spirit God struggled to quickly kill the two Ninth-Order Masters, while Pseudo-Royal Lords were being decimated. If this continued, their situation would only become worse and there would be more casualties.
Mo Na Ye had no choice but to shout loudly, “Supreme One!”
He could only beg the Black Ink Giant Spirit God for assistance. However, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God ignored him even after hearing this cry, treating the two Ninth-Order Masters like annoying insects buzzing around him. It frustrated the Black Ink Giant Spirit God who sought to crush them.
In truth, Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing were in a precarious state. Though the Pseudo-Royal Lords were struggling to withstand the aftermath of the Giant Spirit God’s attacks, Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing also couldn’t hold out for long despite being stronger.
However, the two of them had no intention of fleeing. They gritted their teeth and continued to fight back against the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, provoking its anger and preventing it from helping the Pseudo-Royal Lords.
After a while, another Pseudo-Royal Lord’s aura was extinguished. He had failed to avoid a fierce attack from Ah Da and was instantly obliterated. As a result, four Pseudo-Royal Lords from the Black Ink Clan had fallen, while all the others were now heavily injured.
Both the Giant Spirit God and the Black Ink Giant Spirit God were enormous and seemingly clumsy in their movements, but every single blow they unleashed contained tremendous power that could destroy the Heavens and Earth. It was impossible to completely avoid such attacks.
Perhaps after killing some enemies, Ah Da’s sleep-addled head became clearer. At a certain moment, after sweeping his palm around, he stopped in his tracks and stared in one direction, “Big guy!”
He finally saw the Black Ink Giant Spirit God!
Enraged, his eyes immediately erupted with boundless fury towards that entity that looked almost identical in appearance and size but was completely different in nature. He seemed to have a great deal of hatred towards this being.
In an instant, he abandoned the numerous Pseudo-Royal Lords and Mo Na Ye, instead taking large strides towards the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
The many Pseudo-Royal Lords, who had been teetering on the edge of life and death, breathed a collective sigh of relief…
In that direction, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God naturally sensed the approaching foe and with a broad wave of his arm sent Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing flying before quickly turning around and striding towards Ah Da.
The two colossal creatures charged each other, their identical size and aura making them seem like a mirror reflection in the void, except that one of them was surrounded by Black Ink Strength.
This was a battle between the most powerful beings in the Universe, one in which no one could interfere.
On the other side, many Pseudo-Royal Lords wore expressions of relief, glad to have survived that encounter.
Fortunately, the Giant Spirit God discovered the Black Ink Clan Giant Spirit God’s presence; otherwise, none of them knew how many more of them would have died.
Mo Na Ye felt extremely bitter. In the end, it wasn’t their own strongest Master who saved them, but the enemy who drew the Supreme One’s attention.
In the blink of an eye, the two colossal creatures closed in on each other, seeming to have a telepathic connection as they both threw punches at the same time.
When their fists collided, space shattered.
The silent collision created visible shockwaves that spread out in all directions from the point of impact.
The fallout was so intense and far-reaching that they swept up the injured Pseudo-Royal Lords, causing them to tumble and flip over. Even Mo Na Ye had a hard time standing his ground.
This was not the first time this level of battle was fought in the Barren Territory.
Back then, Ah Er and another Black Ink Giant Spirit God fought for nearly 1,000 years, with each clash being incredibly terrifying, causing chaos all around them.
It wasn’t until they grappled each other’s limbs, making it impossible for either to move easily, that the 1,000-year-long battle reached a stalemate.
Even now, these two Giant Spirit Gods were entangled with each other somewhere in the Barren Territory’s void, and no one knew how long this fight would last.
After another violent collision, Mo Na Ye felt like he could barely stand still as he was too close to the battlefield of these two Supreme Masters, so the aftermath he suffered was naturally more intense.
Suddenly thinking of something, he became alert and muttered, “Where are Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing?”
Before this, Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing were entangled with the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, but now that the Giant Spirit God had his eyes on the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing were nowhere to be found…
“Watch out for sneak attacks!” Mo Na Ye hastily shouted, but just as he finished his sentence, a desperate scream came from nearby. He turned his head to see a fleeting figure; it was a Pseudo-Royal Lord falling into a rapidly rotating Yin-Yang Fish, unable to escape as the Yin-Yang Power ground him up.