When the gate formed, Primordial Light and Primordial Darkness came into existence.
From then on, their paths differed entirely. The Primordial Light signified all that was good and wonderful in the Universe, and as soon as it was born, it left and became the colours of everything in existence.
On the other hand, the Primordial Darkness remained suppressed and sealed behind the gate. Time went on, and even when it developed its own consciousness, it could not escape. It was stuck in an endless sea of darkness and loneliness.
Even the Primordial Darkness craved the light!
If it had not been for Mu’s pity and its own persistent efforts, it would still be suppressed and sealed inside the gate right now, with no hope of ever getting out.
[Why!? We both came into existence together, so why did the Primordial Light get to leave while I, the darkness, had to remain in isolation?]
Mo sent his fist crashing down at Zhang Ruo Xi, but his interrogative cry for an answer was not directed at her, it was directed at the Heavenly Way which had been so unfair.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s Heaven’s Order Sword rose to block Mo’s furious strike which sent her flying away in a flash of white light.
A mere breath later, she flew back and stood in front of Mo, her brow furrowed as she studied him.
She could sense that there was something amiss about Mo’s present state.
Just as Mo had previously said to Mu, Mu and the Humans had made the right choice when they suppressed and sealed him inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
As his power grew, his consciousness was barely able to control his own power. If Mu and the other Humans had not suppressed and sealed him, everything would have already been wiped from existence.
Yang Kai traversed across over 2,000 Universe Worlds and suppressed and sealed about a third of Mo’s Source Strength. Although this weakened Mo’s maximum power, it proved to be of great help to Mo as well, for he was now able to have full control over his strength.
However, when Mo saw Zhang Ruo Xi and sensed her power which entirely opposed its own, Black Ink Strength consumed his mind.
Light and darkness had always been opposing forms of existence.
The separation of the gate was the only reason why both came into existence at the same time.
Now that both of these opposing powers stood before each other, it turned into a battle that would not end until one was vanquished!
Black Ink Strength surged and gathered into an endless sea that seemed to drown out the entire void before charging straight at Zhang Ruo Xi and completely shrouding her.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s wings flickered behind her as her Heaven’s Order Sword lightly tapped the spot at her feet. All at once, light burst forth and vanquished the spreading darkness.
However, Mo seized this chance to draw nearer, swinging both his fists down at Zhang Ruo Xi.
She blocked with her sword but was once again sent tumbling.
After her many years of hard cultivation back in the Chaotic Dead Territory, her power had grown by leaps and bounds thanks to her Heaven’s Order Bloodline as well as the power of the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer.
In terms of pure prowess alone, she was stronger than a Giant Spirit God and no Royal Lord could withstand more than three attacks from her.
That being said, now that she was up against Mo’s frenzied attacks, she was at a complete disadvantage and could not even hold her ground against him.
The Primordial Light had left as soon as it came into existence, it then split the power of Yin and Yang from itself. Afterwards, it crashed into what would become the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land and brought forth the many Divine Spirits and a Human woman who possessed the Heaven’s Order Bloodline.
If Zhang Ruo Xi could have gathered the pure power of Yin and Yang, and all of the Divine Spirits, then with the help of the Heaven’s Order Bloodline, she could have brought forth the full power of the Primordial Light once more.
Alas, too many Divine Spirits had perished, and the surviving ones numbered far too few in comparison to their peak.
Even if Zhang Ruo Xi wanted to try and bring forth the true power of the Primordial Light, there was no way for her to accomplish that.
In other words, the strength she possessed now was incomplete.
However, Black Ink Strength was incomplete as well. Zhang Ruo Xi could sense the many gaps in Mo’s Source.
Nevertheless, even in this state, Mo was still the one with the upper hand as he had continued to grow stronger over millions of years.
After just a brief exchange, Zhang Ruo Xi knew full well that she was not Mo’s equal. She could only hold out for another half-hour or so before she would be defeated.
And, from the ruthless, murderous look on Mo’s face right now, if she were to be defeated, death was the only outcome that awaited her.
She had no choice!
Zhang Ruo Xi let out a soft sigh, and after blocking yet another one of Mo’s attacks, she raised her hand and made a grabbing motion as she cried out, “Come!”
A devastating battle had broken out outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
When Zhang Ruo Xi was around, her strength alone had been enough to deter the Black Ink Clan, making them fearfully hide in the darkness.
However, once she left, the Black Ink Clan sensed that their Supreme One had regained its power so they jumped into action.
They emerged from the darkness and challenged the Small Stone Race Army.
All at once, brutal fights exploded across the void.
The Small Stone Race Army numbered in the hundreds of millions, but the Black Ink Clan Army that emerged from the endless darkness far surpassed even that. This was the result of Mo’s accumulation over millions of years, so it was impossible to imagine just how many Masters from the Black Ink Clan there were right now.
There was no lack of Royal Lords either.
Faced with such a massive Army, the Human Race Army which only numbered a couple tens of millions was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.
It was only now that the Humans realised just how ridiculous their crusade was. If the Human Race had to face off against that many Masters from the Black Ink Clan alone, they had no chance of winning.
Thankfully, Zhang Ruo Xi brought the Small Stone Race Army with her!
Hundreds of millions of Small Stone Race Soldiers bore the brunt of the battle, so the Humans had a fighting chance.
Though the Human Race Army was far smaller in number, it consisted entirely of elite Masters whose strength could not be underestimated.
Under Mi Jing Lun’s command, the Human Army moved in an organized fashion to attack the Black Ink Clan and grind down their power. If someone from the Black Ink Clan was targeted by the Humans, their fate was sealed as they had no means of escaping. The Humans had grown stronger too and had dozens of Ninth-Order Masters among their ranks.
Furthermore, Wu Kuang no longer needed to control the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, and thus, the terror of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was unleashed for all to see.
Relying on the heritage of a Peak Ninth-Order Master, Wu Kuang weaved through the Black Ink Clan Army alone and killed all in his path. Even the Royal Lords could not stop him.
The situation with the two Giant Spirit Gods had changed as well. At the start of the battle, they had to guard the opening at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and had been besieged by swarms of Royal Lords as a result.
Now that the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was no more, they were no longer pinned down. Nothing held Ah Da and Ah Er back anymore, so they worked together to rampage through the Black Ink Clan Army.
Everywhere they went, they crushed the enemy in their path.
Furthermore, there were also the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters!
These eight were scattered across the Black Ink Clan Army as they slaughtered their opponents. Though it looked as if they were fighting separately, their auras remained connected in a Battle Formation that could bolster the strength of any one of them at any moment.
Some of the more arrogant Royal Lords had suffered due to ignorance and died from a single blow from them as a result.
Even though the Royal Lords might be as powerful as the Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters, their opponent could borrow the strength of their fellow Masters at any time, completely blindsiding the Royal Lords.
In this, the fiercest battle to have ever taken place in Human history, huge swaths of soldiers from the Small Stone Race and Black Ink Clan died every second.
The Divine Spirits who received the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks from Yang Kai weaved through the battlefield to wield the power of the two Marks.
Each time they did so, yellow and blue light would shoot out from the rocks left behind by the fallen Small Stone Race members. The two lights merged and turned into dazzling Purifying Light that killed scores of the Black Ink Clan Army. At the same time, it cleared the Black Ink Strength left behind by the deaths of the Black Ink Clansmen, thus changing the environment of the battlefield.
The Human Race Army kept snaking their way around the battlefield without ever coming to a stop as they would be surrounded by the Black Ink Clan if they did.
The situation was dire and fraught with tension.
Even an old veteran like Mi Jing Lun could not predict how this battle would ultimately go.
The Armies on both sides were too great in numbers; the battle had to proceed for some time before the chances of victory grew clearer.
The Human Race and the Small Stone Race Armies simply had to work together to persistently slaughter their enemy and fight to emerge victorious!
Everyone knew that this was the final battle. If they won, peace would return to all the lands, but if they lost… The Humans had come to terms with the outcome of a defeat. All they could do now was give their all for one last time.
Even though the Humans focused on the outskirts of the battlefield, they were still under a lot of pressure. Now and then, the Black Ink Clan Army would try to cut them off and they would have to carve out a path for themselves through blood and slaughter.
One after another, numerous Warships exploded and the Human Race Masters died alongside them. Amidst this battlefield, even the Divine Spirits were at risk of peril.
A clear Phoenix cry echoed through the void as the 30 or so different-coloured Phoenixes transformed into their True Forms and spread their wings.
They were the only remaining clansmen of the Phoenix Clan!
The Phoenix Clansmen were carefully guarding the giant Parasol Tree in their centre, their Sacred Treasure.
They had not used their Sacred Treasure in any of their precious battles as it was the foundation of their existence. All of the Phoenix Clan came from the Immortal Parasol Tree.
However, this was the final battle, so the Phoenix Clan no longer held back.
A white Phoenix, together with its clansmen, sat on the Parasol Tree and wielded the power of the Sacred Treasure, causing space to twist and contort.
The contortions circled the Human Race Army, and as the Space rippled, the Humans vanished.
At the very next breath, the Human Race Army emerged in a completely different part of the battlefield where the situation was dire.
The Small Stone Race Army’s defence lines were on the verge of breaking; however, the Black Ink Clan had been caught off-guard by the sudden appearance of the Human Race Army and soon, the situation stabilised as the Black Ink Clan suffered heavy casualties.
Once again, Space rippled…
With the help of the power of the Phoenix Clan and the Immortal Parasol Tree, the Human Race Army shuttled the Void to different parts of the battlefield to stop the Black Ink Clan’s frenzied attempts to break through the front lines.
Nevertheless, the Phoenix Clan’s aid could not be sustained forever. After numerous uses of their strength, they could no longer maintain their True Forms and reverted back to their Human Forms, the Immortal Parasol Tree then weakened and dimmed.
Without the blessing of the Immortal Parasol Tree, the Humans lost their ability to freely traverse the battlefield. Worse, what they had done earlier drew the attention of countless Masters from the Black Ink Clan, and now, the Black Ink Clan charged at the Humans in a bid to seek vengeance by wiping them out for good.
Dragon Roars then rang out as the Dragon Clan combined their strength and summoned the Crystal Palace.
Similarly, numerous Sacred Treasures were summoned across the battlefield. These were the foundation of the various Divine Spirit Clans, and every single one of them had gone through countless years of accumulation and refinement. The Divine Spirits would not summon them unless their very existence was threatened.
The Divine Spirits harnessed the power of their Sacred Treasures to aid the Human Race Army in the fight to slaughter their common enemy. There were also two Giant Spirit Gods and eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters thundering across the battlefield. Meanwhile, the Small Stone Race Army which numbered hundreds of millions staunchly held the front lines. As a result, compared to the Small Stone Race and the Humans, the Black Ink Clan suffered far greater casualties on the battlefield.
At some point, the Human Race Masters began to see glimmers of hope for a victorious outcome.
Alas, their hopes were soon dashed.
The eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters who had been busy exterminating the enemy seemed to have been summoned by someone. With their aura connected, they charged through the Black Ink Clan Army and headed deep within the darkness. Soon, they disappeared from sight.
No one knew where they went exactly; however, Zhang Ruo Xi had gone off in that direction earlier, and terrifying shockwaves were now rippling out from that area.
Atop the tattered Pure Yang Pass, Mi Jing Lun’s heart sank as he realised that Zhang Ruo Xi must have encountered some kind of trouble.
Based on the strength Zhang Ruo Xi exhibited earlier, the only threat against her had to be Mo!
The Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had been destroyed and Mo had awakened; thus, the battle reached its final, most critical climax.
The departure of the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Races greatly eased the pressure on the Black Ink Clan.
The eight of them had focused on killing off Territory Lords and Royal Lords, with many of the latter suffering or even dying to the targeted attacks.
Now that the Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters left the battlefield, there were only the two Giant Spirit Gods remaining, and Ah Da and Ah Er could not kill off the Royal Lords as swiftly as the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters.
In the end, size was the deciding factor.
Naturally, the Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters were weaker than the Giant Spirit Gods, but they were the same size as Humans and could move around deftly. Any Royal Lord they had their eyes on could not escape from them.
The same could not be said for the Giant Spirit Gods; they were too massive, and though their strength was unparalleled, they were not nearly as nimble or flexible.
Each time they attacked, large swaths of the Black Ink Clansmen would die, but those who reacted in time could still escape.
Thus, now that the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters left the battlefield, the Royal Lords were a lot less hindered and could do much more, such as grouping up to besiege the Human Race Army!
The Black Ink Clan realised that even though the Small Stone Race Army made up the majority on the battlefield, the Humans were the true driving force behind the battle. Furthermore, compared to the hundreds of millions of Small Stone Race Soldiers, it was easier to wipe out the Humans, who only numbered in the tens of millions.
As long as they killed off all the Humans, they would emerge victorious, regardless of the casualties they suffered.
All at once, the Human Race Army was under great pressure as they became the primary targets of the Black Ink Clan.
…..
Deep inside the void, the intense battle between Zhang Ruo Xi and Mo continued. It was the first time that the Primordial Light and Darkness were together again since the dawn of creation, and as they clashed, the Universe seemed to shatter and break.
Mo seemed to have lost all reason as the fury that built up throughout all the aeons poured out at once, leaving Zhang Ruo Xi with barely any room to fight back.
From a distance, the light and darkness could be seen clashing, with the ocean of darkness keeping the light completely surrounded. Only a feeble flicker of light could be seen coming from the centre of the conflict.
Darkness was constantly clawing at the light, and it looked as if the latter would be extinguished at any moment.
Despite having over 30% of his Source suppressed and sealed, Mo’s might was still immeasurable and impossible to imagine. At the very least, he was more than what Zhang Ruo Xi could handle.
Earlier on, she estimated that she could hold out for half an hour, but now that they were well and truly engaged, she realised she had underestimated her opponent.
The power of the Primordial Light had been dispersed, much of it disappearing with the death of the Divine Spirits. All that was left were the Heaven’s Order Bloodline and the power of the Yin and Yang. Therefore, the Primordial Light had lost even more of its strength than Mo.
As the fight went on, Mo grew fiercer. Black Ink Strength surged and it looked as if he was on the verge of completely devouring Zhang Ruo Xi.
Zhang Ruo Xi was at a great disadvantage, and her situation only eased once she summoned the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters over.
They left the main battlefield and swiftly headed straight over to Zhang Ruo Xi. From a distance, their connected auras linked up with Zhang Ruo Xi’s, and a Battle Formation was instantly formed!
Previously, the Eight Trigrams Formation formed by the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters had stunned the Human Race Masters, but if they saw what was happening now, they would have no words to describe their shock and awe.
Zhang Ruo Xi and the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters formed a Nine Palaces Formation, the most powerful of all Battle Formations!
Zhang Ruo Xi acted as the Core while the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters formed the base.
All at once, Ruo Xi’s power soared and she was no longer cornered without any means of fighting back.
The flash of light expanded amid the darkness and broke free of its restraints. It now had the power to fight back and cover a greater area in brightness.
Mo sensed this change and grew even more furious, unleashing even more concentrated Black Ink Strength from his body.
The two continued to clash, and each time light and darkness collided, darkness would spread out behind Mo, while light and the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters followed closely behind Zhang Ruo Xi.
Time and time again, the two smashed against each other, neither side showing any signs of backing down!
With each clash, the Void crumbled and shattered. A battle of such immense power had never occurred before, and it would never occur again. This was a battle between the primordial forces of existence.
The intense fight went on for hours, with no side able to overwhelm the other.
With the help of the Battle Formation with her Small Stone Race Personal Guard, Zhang Ruo Xi could finally oppose Mo on even footing.
Nevertheless, this was merely a Battle Formation and not her own strength.
The prolonged fight not only continued to add to the pressure that Zhang Ruo Xi faced, but even the Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters were struggling.
The Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters had tough bodies, weaker than Yang Kai’s Divine Dragon physique, but not by much. Under normal circumstances, they would not be facing any issues.
However, the long and intense fight proved to be a burden that was slowly exceeding their ability to bear.
Cracks began to appear on the bodies of the Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters, and as Zhang Ruo Xi and Mo continued to clash, these cracks grew. Soon, the cracks weaved across their bodies like spider-webs.
It could be seen that once the cracks reached a certain point, even the Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters would crumble into a pile of rocks.
These Small Stone Races were Ruo Xi’s Personal Guard. They had been groomed with great difficulty and were intrinsically connected to her, so she could sense the state of every single one of them. Therefore, when she picked up on their injuries, she realised that things were looking bad for them.
She was only able to fight Mo because she had formed a Battle Formation with her Small Stone Race Personal Guard, but if something happened to the latter, the Battle Formation would collapse, even if only one of them died. Once that happened, it would be impossible for her to hold her own against Mo.
Once this thought occurred to her, Zhang Ruo Xi changed her strategy. Instead of confronting Mo head-on, she took a defensive stance to drag the fight out.
She did not know what her Sir was doing now, but all along, she knew that he was capable of doing things no one else could and she held strongly to this belief. [Sir can always make a miracle happen even in a hopeless situation!]
Therefore, regardless of what he was doing now, she had to try and buy him enough time.
Her new strategy worked. When two opponents were evenly matched, one could not accomplish much if the other was determined to prolong the fight.
The intense fight turned into a chase instead. Ruo Xi and her eight Small Stone Race Personal Guard kept flitting about, and even though Mo wielded his immense power wildly, he could not pin down and suppress her.
Mo, who had already lost his senses, became even more incensed, releasing bestial snarls and roars in an unending cacophony.
When Mo first emerged from the Space-Time River, he looked no different from a regular Human, apart from his Black Ink Strength. However, when Zhang Ruo Xi showed up, the Black Ink Strength surged and overtook his mind.
At this point, Mo no longer looked Human. Ruo Xi’s appearance and subsequent actions seemed to have driven him mad.
All of a sudden, Mo stopped chasing Zhang Ruo Xi.
As Zhang Ruo Xi puzzled over this, Mo abruptly turned around and charged towards the Space-Time River.
Ruo Xi’s expression stiffened!
Although Mo had been so agitated that he lost his senses, his battle instincts remained. Since Zhang Ruo Xi was equal in strength to him, he could not get rid of her, so he changed his target to Yang Kai who was still within the Space-Time River.
Even in his blurry state, he was still determined to protect the Space-Time River. He was not going to let anyone touch the final trace of Mu!
Upon seeing that Mo was turning back, Zhang Ruo Xi swiftly chased after him. Light flashed as she stopped him and engaged in a frontal battle again.
After a brief skirmish, Ruo Xi repeated her old tactic and quickly retreated. This led to a furious Mo pursuing her in the opposite direction of the Space-Time River.
Mo kept up the chase for a while, but when his efforts proved fruitless, he turned around again.
Once again, Ruo Xi caught up to him…
By doing this over and over again, she managed to occupy Mo’s attention.
Nonetheless, Zhang Ruo Xi knew this was only a temporary measure. She could tell that Mo was not in the right state of mind at the moment, which was why he did not notice what she was doing with her fairly crude strategy.
However, with each clash, the power of the light would wipe out some of the darkness, and similarly, the darkness would devour the light. In other words, both light and darkness were weakening each other each time they collided.
Zhang Ruo Xi could clearly sense that she was greatly weakened by the many hours of fighting, and the same was true of Mo.
Once the Black Ink Strength was weakened to a certain extent, Mo would most likely regain his senses, and when that time came, she would no longer be able to use this strategy to keep him occupied.
Furthermore, Ruo Xi was even more worried by the fact that the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters would not be able to hold out much longer. Their bodies were covered in cracks now and it looked as if they would crumble at the slightest touch.
She was doing her best to keep the head-on confrontations with Mo to a minimum, but if she wanted to stop Mo from heading to the Space-Time River, she had to resort to things that she knew she should not!
Now that things had come to this, Zhang Ruo Xi had no other choice. She could only do her best to keep Mo occupied as she fervently hoped that Yang Kai sped up whatever he was doing; otherwise, once her Personal Guards could no longer hold out anymore, she would not be able to stop Mo alone.
Within Mu’s Space-Time River, Yang Kai was shrouded in his own Space-Time River as he used it to greedily devour everything around him.
The river was made out of Dao Strengths. Every single undercurrent and wave surged with Dao Strength, and as time passed, Yang Kai’s Space-Time River grew bigger while Mu’s river shrank.
It was entirely by chance, but it could not be denied that Yang Kai and Mu had walked the same path. This gave meaning to Mu’s countless years of patience and perseverance.
Due to trying to open the Profound Source Gate in the past, Mu’s Space-Time River was no longer complete, which cut off her future path. She could not explore the deeper mysteries of the Martial Dao; therefore, she passed down her hopes to those who came after her.
Among all the hidden hands she left behind, her Space-Time River was the final gift she had to offer; however, if a person wanted to harness this gift to make themselves more powerful, it would take time.
Perhaps even Mu would not have expected Yang Kai to be approved by so many of her remnant shadows.
Under normal circumstances, if Black Ink Strength had the irrefutable advantage in any of the 3,000 Universe Worlds and there was no hope of suppressing and sealing that particular Source piece, there would be no reason for Yang Kai to waste any time on that Universe World.
Nevertheless, during Yang Kai’s previous travels, he did his best to find every single remaining shadow of Mu. He wanted to save them all from their suffering and take them away from the Universe Worlds.
Each one that disappeared signified that the Mu of that time approved of Yang Kai.
After moving through some 2,700 Universe Worlds, Yang Kai received approval from over 2,000 of them, which was a massive number.
This allowed him to devour and refine Mu’s Space-Time River with greater efficiency.
As Yang Kai’s river kept expanding, his command over the many Dao Strengths increased as well. The enlightenment from the many mysteries exploded in his mind.
Yang Kai was deeply engrossed and could not extricate himself from what was happening inside his mind.
The joy of glimpsing into the mysteries of every Grand Dao was impossibly tantalising for any Master.
Grand Daos were the basis behind all existence and the ultimate goal of all cultivators. If someone were to be entirely immersed in this, there was a chance that they would forget all else and transform into Dao Strengths themselves.
This meant that Yang Kai’s situation was tricky as well; on the one hand, he had to resist the lure of the Dao Strengths, while on the other, he had to do his best to take them in to strengthen his own mastery of the Grand Daos.
He tried his best to maintain the balance of refining as quickly as possible while still remaining in control over his senses, making sure to not let himself be lost in the process.
All of a sudden, his mind felt as if it had received an awakening. It was as if he had broken through a barrier that had been preventing him from growing stronger.
Yang Kai realised that his mastery of the Dao of Time had reached the Ninth Level!
A Master’s strength was essentially divided based on their cultivation. Of the nine Orders of the Open Heaven Realm, each higher Order was much stronger than the previous. It was a clear and easy way of distinguishing between Masters.
However, this kind of division was not comprehensive and there could be great disparity in power even among Masters in the same Order of Open Heaven Realm.
The disparity came from the difference in accumulation of each Master, the power differential in the heritage of the Master’s Small Universe, as well as… the Master’s understanding of their Grand Daos.
The Open Heaven Realm involved the discovery and mastery of Grand Dao. In a sense, the higher the mastery of one’s Grand Dao, the stronger the Master.
Since the dawn of existence, no one had a clear way of defining the levels of mastery of the Grand Dao.
Thus, Yang Kai had split the mastery of Grand Daos into nine levels based on his own growth.
Superficial Contact, Peering Through the Doors, Taking the Initial Steps, Traversing a Familiar Path, Attaining Mastery Through Comprehensive Understanding, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary, Standing Above All Others Within Sight, Summiting the Peak, and finally Shocking History and Dazzling the Present!
This was merely his own method of division, one he shared with others, and some had adopted it. Until now, none tried to correct it.
Yang Kai felt that he had differentiated them correctly.
His primary Grand Daos were the Dao of Time and the Dao of Space. These were the Dao Strengths that formed the basis of the Space-Time River; however, despite his many opportunities and his mastery over the Grand Daos, after all this time, he had only managed to cultivate the Dao of Time and the Dao of Space to the Eighth Level.
All this while, Yang Kai did not know how to break through to the Ninth Level; however, he had a vague feeling that if his mastery of the Dao of Time reached the Ninth Level, an indescribable change was bound to happen.
Finally, as Yang Kai refined Mu’s Space-Time River, he was able to make a breakthrough on one of his primary Grand Daos, allowing it to reach the Ninth Level!
[To think it’s the Dao of Time first! Not the Dao of Space!] Yang Kai had always thought it would have been the latter that would be the first to reach the Ninth Level of mastery.
Yang Kai was a little taken aback as the Dao of Space was the first one that he truly cultivated. He had his Dragon Source to thank for his ability to cultivate the Dao of Time to its current level.
The Dao of Time was the Bloodline Talent of the Dragon Clan.
All at once, Yang Kai gained a mysterious sense of understanding. As he lifted his hand ever so slightly within the Space-Time River, he seemed to be able to grab onto the flow of Time!
In the past, he was able to make Time flow quicker within his Space-Time River to cultivate 10 times faster, but he could not truly control the passage of Time.
But, he could do so now!
With the increase in Yang Kai’s command over the Dao of Time, his Dragon Vein surged and he could not stop himself from raising his head and letting out a Dragon Roar. His Dragon Scales rustled as his Dragon Form enlarged!
His Dragon Vein had advanced even further.
This was a great surprise.
However, before Yang Kai could dwell on his joy, his mastery over his other primary Grand Dao broke into the Ninth Level as well.
This time, it was the Dao of Space!
Once again, the mysterious sense of enlightenment flooded Yang Kai’s mind. He felt his mind grow hazy. It was as if it had been stuffed full with the truth of the Grand Daos, which he did not understand in the past. The truth of existence was unfolding in front of him.
He quickly harnessed the strength of his Soul Warming Lotus, even though he was uncertain whether it would help.
The clarity that poured back into his mind made him feel a little better.
Now that Yang Kai’s mastery of both the Dao of Space and the Dao of Time had reached the Ninth Level, his Space-Time River became even more massive.
Previously, his Space-Time River looked like a blade of grass in comparison to Mu’s river, which was like a tall tree; however, after all the refining he had done thus far, his river grew bigger and could now be likened to a shrub instead.
While the tree was still a tree, it had grown a lot smaller.
That was not the only difference. At first, Yang Kai had a hard time keeping up with his frenzied attempt to refine Mu’s river to strengthen his own.
The Dao Strengths of Space and Time formed the foundation of the river, and without a strong enough command over both, it was hard for Yang Kai to control the colossal river.
It was akin to a building. If a building’s foundation had only been built for five storeys, the building ran the risk of collapsing if 10 storeys were built instead.
Yang Kai’s command over the Daos of Time and Dao of Space was the foundation in this scenario, and by having a greater mastery over these two Grand Daos, his foundation became stronger. This transformation was evident in the river’s physical state. While it looked a little scattered earlier, it was now a lot more concentrated.
With the Grand Daos of Space and Time breaking through to the Ninth Level of mastery, Yang Kai’s Space-Time River now had a stronger foundation; thus, it began devouring and refining Mu’s Space-Time River at a far quicker rate.
As the frenzy of devouring and refining continued, Yang Kai’s mastery over the Grand Daos increased as well.
Next was a breakthrough in the Spear Dao…
Then, a breakthrough in the Sword Dao…
Breakthroughs in the Alchemic Dao, Array Dao, and Yin-Yang Dao soon followed…
Yang Kai’s understanding of each Grand Dao rose in rapid succession. The barriers were broken through and he achieved a new height of mastery.
With each breakthrough, Yang Kai’s mind was filled with strange and wondrous enlightenment, granting him further clarity in each Grand Dao.
Outside the Space-Time River, light and darkness continued to clash.
Both the Primordial Light and Primordial Darkness did not possess their full power anymore, but as the darkness remained whole and continued to grow over the years, Mo had become a lot more powerful than Zhang Ruo Xi.
This held true even when Yang Kai had used the Profound Source Gate to suppress and seal a third of his Source.
Mo would have regained all of his strength and be even more powerful right now if it had not been for the many hidden hands Mu left behind.
Zhang Ruo Xi could only just barely challenge Mo to a fight with the help of the Nine Palaces Formation she formed with her eight Small Stone Race Personal Guard.
In just a few hours though, the eight Small Stone Race Masters were littered with cracks. It looked as if they could crumble into a pile of rubble at any moment now.
Zhang Ruo Xi tried her best to buy time, but she did not know how much longer she could continue to hold out. All she could do was fervently hope that Yang Kai could hurry up.
Each time light and darkness collided, their respective powers wore down the other. Light dispelled darkness while darkness devoured light.
Time and time again, Zhang Ruo Xi and Mo continued to weaken each other. This was most evident in the way Ruo Xi’s white wings had dimmed and Mo seemed to have lost some of his prior madness.
[This is not a good sign,] Zhang Ruo Xi could tell that Mo, as the consciousness that sprung from Primordial Darkness, did not have full control over Black Ink Strength. The years of growth and accumulation had made the power increase beyond Mo’s ability to freely wield.
That was the reason why her arrival bearing the strength of the Primordial Light had drawn out the frenzied resentment of the Primordial Darkness and caused Mo to lose his rationality.
At the same time, Mo had an instinctive, obsessive yearning and protectiveness of Mu’s Space-Time River. Even his subconscious would not allow anyone to touch what Mu had left behind.
As Black Ink Strength clashed with Mo’s consciousness, his actions began displaying contradicting desires. At times, he fiercely chased down Zhang Ruo Xi, but at times, he turned back around to head for the Space-Time River.
Zhang Ruo Xi relied on this dichotomy to provoke Mo and keep him occupied; however, once Mo regained his senses, it would not be so easy for her to do so.
Although Mo currently possessed strength that surpassed all others, he was currently behaving like a wild beast without a sense of rationality, so Zhang Ruo Xi could still deal with him by employing the right strategy.
Even though Mo regaining his rationality meant that his raw power would be weaker, Zhang Ruo Xi was not confident that she could stop him then.
What one feared the most was often the very thing to occur. As the clashes continued, Zhang Ruo Xi could sense that Mo’s gaze was getting clearer.
To make things worse, her Personal Guard could barely hold out anymore.
That was not the only bad news though. Even her strength, which relied on her Heaven’s Order Bloodline to harmonize the powers of Yin and Yang, was beginning to show signs of instability.
Her Heaven’s Order Bloodline was indeed powerful. It was the only thing that could bridge the powers granted by the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer. Thanks to Zhang Ruo Xi’s many years of diligent cultivation, she was finally able to reconcile the two opposing powers and draw them into her. As a result, she possessed superior strength.
However, her Ninth-Order cultivation was still quite weak in comparison to the powers of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer. She could not withstand a prolonged fight that involved such overwhelming power.
On the other hand, Zhang Ruo Xi dared not hold back in a fight against Mo. She went all out with every strike, and as the number of clashes increased, her power became more and more unstable.
Her Personal Guards were in bad shape and her strength was becoming unstable, so she knew she did not have much time left.
Even so, she never once considered retreating; instead, her eyes filled with determination as she made a decision.
After yet another ferocious clash, the two figures separated.
Zhang Ruo Xi could clearly sense that even more cracks emerged on the bodies of the eight Personal Guard behind her.
Her grip on the Heaven’s Order Sword tightened and she exhaled softly as her wings began to flap and her presence grew even more imposing.
In the void opposite her, Mo stood unmoving with his head lowered.
Just as Zhang Ruo Xi prepared to strike once more, Mo raised his hand to block her, “You should stop now.”
Zhang Ruo Xi did not listen. Her presence continued to intensify with no signs of stopping; nevertheless, she could not ignore Mo’s present state and could not help asking, “Have you regained your rationality?”
Mo raised his head and looked at her. Although his eyes showed signs of a struggle, it was no longer in a state of madness.
“I have to thank you for that,” he replied.
Zhang Ruo Xi knew what Mo meant.
Initially, the power of Primordial Darkness was still too strong for Mo to bear, causing his consciousness to devolve into a frenzied state; however, as he and Zhang Ruo Xi continued to clash, the powers of light and darkness ate away at each other. Both their powers were weakened in the battle.
Now that Mo’s consciousness could overpower his strength, he regained some rationality.
“That won’t be necessary,” Zhang Ruo Xi coolly replied.
Mo’s brows furrowed ever so slightly, “You will die if you use that attack!”
Mo could tell that Zhang Ruo Xi wanted to harness all of her remaining power to engage him in a final clash that would determine life or death.
“You probably won’t die, but you will suffer,” Zhang Ruo Xi said.
“That’s why you should stop. I don’t wish to kill you,” Mo urged.
Zhang Ruo Xi showed no signs of stopping. She did not respond to Mo at all. Instead, she continued to harness her power and strength to prove her determination with her actions. Cracking sounds could be heard from the eight behind her.
With this strike, the eight of them would turn into dust.
Mo’s gaze turned cold as he snarled, “If you insist on dying, I am willing to fulfil your desire for death, but have you thought about what would happen to Yang Kai if you died?”
Zhang Ruo Xi was a little startled.
[Sir would be deeply saddened by my death, right? That’s enough for me…]
Zhang Ruo Xi still showed no signs of backing down; instead, she let out a faint smile. This made Mo exasperated as he could not resist saying, “Why are Human women so stubborn? You think it’s worth it to die at my hands to protect him, but have you ever thought about the guilt and torture the living would have to endure? If you truly want to act in his best interests, I advise you to calm down and look at things from his perspective. You staying alive should come before everything else.”
Zhang Ruo Xi stared at Mo in shock this time, brimming with confusion.
[What’s going on? The one who wields the darkest of all powers that exist is attempting to reason with me during a life-and-death moment…]
She could not help but find it unbelievable, especially since Mo made a good point.
Instinctively, she suddenly felt that Mo was scheming something.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Mo curtly snorted, “I lived among you Humans for more years than you have lived. We once worked together and protected each other.” [There was even someone very important to me once. All I wanted to do was to help her, but in the end, I was destined to ruin everything…]
When Mo saw what Zhang Ruo Xi was about to do, he could not help but recall his own past. [Mu must’ve felt great anguish when she decided to lock me up. In the end, I let her down.]
Mo turned towards the Space-Time River and said, “Why don’t we just wait here? When he comes out, I will fight him.”
Zhang Ruo Xi frowned as she looked at Mo, too afraid to let her guard down.
Mo turned back to her once more, “There’s nothing for you to worry about. You are free to strike me at any given moment and engage me in a fight to the death. As you said, even if I kill you, I will suffer in the process, and when he comes out, perhaps I won’t be able to hold my own against him.”
Zhang Ruo Xi simply could not figure out what Mo was thinking.
It would indeed be great for her if she did as Mo suggested.
She had enough strength to unleash a powerful final strike, and she could do so at any time, so the only one who had anything to gain by agreeing to Mo’s suggestion was her.
Besides, even if Mo was plotting something sinister, would she be able to stop him?
[If Mo is truly willing to simply stop and wait now, once Sir comes out, he and I can attack Mo together.]
“You better not do anything rash,” after hesitating for a brief moment, Zhang Ruo Xi withdrew her imposing aura.
“Naturally,” Mo smirked as it remained standing in place.
Zhang Ruo Xi nodded.
The two Masters who had been dueling in a brutal, all-out fight to the death now stood together in the void, waiting in silence. Sure enough, life was unpredictable.
Zhang Ruo Xi was still on guard, so she led her eight Personal Guards over to a spot between Mo and the Space-Time River to block Mo.
Mo saw what she was doing and showed no inclination of stopping her, puzzling her even further.
That being said, she had never encountered Mo before. She imagined Mo to be a brutal, sinister, and vicious existence, but after interacting with him herself, she realised that was not the case.
Though confused, as Zhang Ruo Xi stared into Mo’s eyes, she had a vague inkling and could not help but ask, “What do you want to do?”
Mo’s gaze went past her and stared at the massive Space-Time River as he asked, “It’s very grand and beautiful, isn’t it?”
Zhang Ruo Xi did not answer Mo’s question, instead frowning in doubt, “So what if it is?”
“It saved me from endless darkness,” Mo replied, “So, to me, it is the light. This is what she left behind, and since she has chosen a Successor, I want to see what happens. If her Successor can kill me, it won’t be a bad way for me to die.”
After a pause, Mo continued with a heavy heart, “When it comes down to it, I did something I shouldn’t have. It only stands to reason that I pay the price for it.”
“If you wish to die, I can fulfil your wish for you!” Zhang Ruo Xi shot back.
Mo eyed her coolly, “Only the person who gave me my new life can kill me. No one else has the right to do so.”
Alas, the one who had the right to kill Mo was no longer around and nothing mattered to him anymore. Everything and everyone in existence was meaningless and he could kill them off as he desired without feeling any hesitance.
Zhang Ruo Xi and Mo stood opposite each other outside the Space-Time River. She remained vigilant at all times, but Mo did not do anything, he simply stared at the Space-Time River that cut through the void and watched as it churned.
Meanwhile, the Human Race Army was snaking its way through the large battlefield as it constantly attacked the Black Ink Clan Army’s frontlines to weaken them.
The Humans were actually able to make good progress.
Furthermore, the Small Stone Race Army was fearlessly confronting the Black Ink Clan. Many lives came to an end with every breath.
A battle of this scale had never been seen before. The three parties out on the battlefield numbered into the billions when combined.
The Small Stone Race Army consisted of hundreds of millions while the Black Ink Clan Army was twice as large. On the other hand, there were less than 20 million Human Race Masters left, which was not even a tenth of either of the other two.
Despite being much lower in numbers, the Humans came out on top when it came to the average power. Only Fourth-Order Masters and above could directly join in the crusade, and after many millennia of cultivation, the Human Race now had a large number of Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Masters.
In this respect, neither the Small Stone Race nor the Black Ink Clan could compare to the Humans. Even though they had massive numbers, weak soldiers who could not contribute much made up most of their ranks. This was especially true of the Black Ink Clan. Whenever the Human Race Army crossed paths with large groups of the Black Ink Clan’s cannon fodder, all of the latter would be exterminated in great sweeping waves of death.
Nevertheless, being so few was still an undeniable disadvantage. Although the Human Race Army was able to attack the Black Ink Clan and wipe them out in large groups, they could not persist for long.
The Humans started this battle, but it was the Small Stone Race Army that enabled them to keep going. If Zhang Ruo Xi had not brought the Small Stone Race reinforcements over, the Humans would have been defeated the moment the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction broke. These were sorrowful times.
Many of the Small Stone Race Soldiers died and turned into rocks and pebbles that littered the battlefield. The Divine Spirits who had the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks kept using the power of the marks to draw out the power of Yin and Yang inside the remains of the Small Stone Race who had been ‘sacrificed’. These powers were then transformed into Purifying Light which not only killed many Black Ink Clansmen, but also purified the environment of the battlefield.
It was thanks to this that the Humans and the Small Stone Race could still put up a fight against the Black Ink Clan.
Initially, Ah Da and Ah Er, the two Giant Spirit Gods, were able to move about with impunity. Without enough Royal Lords to keep them pinned down, they were completely invincible and seas of blood formed wherever they went.
However, as more and more of the Royal Lords joined forces to besiege Ah Da and Ah Er, the latter pair slowly lost their ability to act freely.
The fierce battle continued.
Every few days, the Human Race Army would retreat behind the Small Stone Race’s lines to rest and regroup before charging out again.
Pure Yang Pass, which led the Human Race Army into battle, was now a wreck. It did not look like it could hold out much longer, and the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress was in a similar state. The extreme intensity of the battle was a taxing trial for all the Humans, with even the Ninth-Order Masters having a hard time, let alone those of lower Orders.
Nevertheless, the Humans could not stop. This was the final confrontation, and if they backed down, total extermination was the only fate that awaited them; therefore, all of them grit their teeth and persevered.
A month after the start of the battle, the situation on the battlefield grew clearer.
Mi Jing Lun was fatigued and ashen-faced as he stood atop the worn Pure Yang Pass, his forehead covered in a layer of sweat.
He had overexerted himself. As the Supreme Commander of the Human Race Army, he faced the most pressure. Not only did he have to keep an eye on the situation on the battlefield to promptly make the right strategic decisions, but as a Ninth-Order Master, he was also in charge of controlling Pure Yang Pass to attack the enemy.
At this point, he had expended so much energy that his foundation had suffered heavy damage.
However, his sense of helplessness stemmed not from his exhaustion, but from the fact that the situation was not in the Human Race’s favour.
There were far too many of the Black Ink Clansmen inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, twice as many as there were Small Stone Race Soldiers, and after a month-long battle, the Black Ink Clan was beginning to show signs of suppressing the former.
If this continued, in less than two weeks, the Small Stone Race Army would be defeated.
Once the Small Stone Race Army was vanquished, the Humans would not be able to survive. They were bound to follow the Small Stone Race Army to their deaths.
Mi Jing Lun could not be resigned to this. The fight between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan began towards the end of the Late Ancient Era and had carried on for millions of years since then. Was it going to end in tragedy for the Human Race?
Still, there was not much he could do to change things now. In a massive battle like this, there was not a single strategy that could lead to a decisive outcome. Victory hinged on the strength of both parties.
Mi Jing Lun could not stop himself from casting a glance into the depths of the void.
Over a month ago, Zhang Ruo Xi had abruptly left the battlefield and the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters followed soon after. Nothing had been heard from them ever since.
Initially, great aftershocks of an intense battle reverberated out from that part of the void, but soon, everything went silent.
Even now, Mi Jing Lun did not know what was happening over there.
All he knew was that Zhang Ruo Xi and her eight Personal Guards were there. Yang Kai was there too, along with… Mo!
If anything could turn the tides of this battle, it had to come from that part of the void!
[Stay strong! We must persist!]
As long as the worst did not happen, they still had a shred of hope of survival.
…..
The churning of the Space-Time River became even more ferocious. After a month of devouring and refining Mu’s Space-Time River, Yang Kai’s Space-Time River had grown unimaginably large, while Mu’s river, which was outside his, was turning into an empty shell.
Thanks to this final gift, Yang Kai’s Space-Time River had enlarged to the point where it could rival that of Mu’s.
Outside the river, Zhang Ruo Xi and her eight Personal Guards were still in a Battle Formation. They were intrinsically connected and kept their guards up the whole time.
Thankfully, throughout this whole time, Mo did not move, he merely stood quietly and waited.
At last, a resounding splash sounded and the Space-Time River which had meandered across the void for countless eons was completely destroyed.
It was replaced by another river that was comparable to it, but the new one was churning even more ferociously and its water seemed even more forceful.
This was not a sign that Yang Kai had surpassed Mu in strength; instead, it was a result of his inability to fully control this sudden growth in strength.
If Yang Kai had full control over the power of his river, it would be completely still and silent, not causing such a huge commotion like now.
Zhang Ruo Xi had to fight the urge to turn around and look, her expression grim.
Just a moment ago, she clearly sensed a flash of murderous intent coming from Mo.
Mo did not bother to hide it at all. Apart from the clear murderous intent, Zhang Ruo Xi also picked up a sense of hatred and regret.
As she sensed the churning of the Dao Strengths behind her, she knew that Yang Kai had succeeded.
Though, she had no idea what he did…
Amidst the churning waves, Yang Kai’s figure appeared as the Dao Strengths surged around him.
Based on strength alone, he was stronger than both Mo and Zhang Ruo Xi after their earlier fight. This was a result of his heightened mastery of Grand Daos.
The clearest evidence of this was the size of his Space-Time River.
Yang Kai’s Space-Time River was comparable to the one Mu left behind and it had grown colossal beyond imagination.
A baby Dragon was bound to become a Divine Dragon someday. Although Yang Kai’s cultivation did not increase by much, his strength was leaps and bounds above what it once was.
A piercing gaze shot over at him.
Yang Kai immediately spotted Mo, who was standing in the distance. The abhorrence and murderous intent in its eyes were plainly visible.
Mo looked a lot like Little Eleventh whom Yang Kai met inside the Primordial World. If Little Eleventh grew up as a normal Human, he would resemble Mo’s current appearance.
Ruo Xi stood between Yang Kai and Mo with a grim and vigilant expression.
Yang Kai had been busy refining Mu’s final gift and knew nothing of what was happening outside the river all this while. Upon sensing Mo and Ruo Xi’s present states though, he realised that they had engaged in a fight earlier. Both seemed to have walked away injured as neither one of them felt as powerful as he expected them to be.
His Divine Sense tingled as it spread out like a gush of water. Soon, he picked up on the situation out on the battlefield in the distance.
Yang Kai’s brow furrowed slightly.
Compared to the situation over here, the Human Race Army and the Small Stone Race Army were in a bleak situation. If things continued as they were, they would certainly be defeated.
“Ruo Xi!” Yang Kai called out at once.
“I’m here, Sir,” Zhang Ruo Xi swiftly replied.
“Head to the battlefield and help them.”
Zhang Ruo Xi was startled.
She figured that since Yang Kai had emerged, they could work together to take on Mo now.
While she could not face off against Mo alone, if she and Yang Kai worked together, they had a good chance of winning this fight.
Mo was a lot weaker now thanks to both Yang Kai’s deed of suppressing and sealing his Source as well as the earlier fight with Zhang Ruo Xi. Light and darkness had clashed and worn each other down.
If they got rid of Mo, they would completely eradicate the threat against the 3,000 Worlds.
Yang Kai seemed to have deduced Zhang Ruo Xi’s thoughts as he said, “The Human Race Army is the only remaining strength we have now. A victory against Mo is meaningless if they get wiped out. Go and help them at once, Ruo Xi. Leave things here to me.”
Zhang Ruo Xi knew that Yang Kai was right. If the Human Race Army was entirely vanquished, then even if she and Yang Kai managed to defeat Mo, it was a pointless victory.
The goal of this battle was to ensure the survival of the Human Race, and victory hinged on bringing the entire Army to victory.
She clenched her jaw and said, “Be careful, Sir! I’ll come back as soon as possible!”
After glaring viciously at Mo one last time, her wings fluttered and she turned into a streak of light before shooting off towards the battlefield.
Once she left, Mo and Yang Kai were left alone in the void.
“A wise decision!” Mo remarked.
Yang Kai quirked his eyebrows, “How so?”
“She’s in a poor state right now,” Mo commented with a faint smile, “You asked her to leave to save her life, right?”
Yang Kai’s brow was tightly knitted, “I thought I was going up against an evil being who has lost all its rationality. I didn’t expect to be facing off against an intelligent opponent. This makes things a lot more challenging.”
With just one look, Yang Kai noticed Zhang Ruo Xi’s condition. Although he did not know what would happen when the Heaven’s Order Bloodline harmonized the powers of Yin and Yang, he could tell that the eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters behind Ruo Xi were on the verge of crumbling apart.
As the Core of the Nine Palaces Formation, she was undoubtedly shouldering the heaviest burden.
If she stayed here and partook in the fight against Mo, once the eight fell apart, Ruo Xi would be doomed once Mo found the chance to strike her down.
Naturally, protecting Ruo Xi was not the only reason why Yang Kai told her to leave. The Human Race and the Small Stone Race were in dire need of help too. They were bound to lose if they did not receive any outside intervention on the battlefield.
Now that Zhang Ruo Xi had gone back to the battlefield, it was unlikely for her to be involved in any fight as taxing as the one against Mo earlier. As long as she was careful and ensured that her eight Personal Guards did not die, she would not be in any grave danger.
That being said, Yang Kai was taken aback by the current Mo.
As Yang Kai said, he thought he would be facing an evil being without any sense of rationality; however, Mo was evidently able to think and act calmly…
Yang Kai would much rather go up against a senseless killing machine as it was easier to deal with an opponent like that.
“I’m surprised you didn’t stop me from devouring and refining Mu’s Space-Time River,” Yang Kai spoke up.
While refining the gift from Mu, he was vigilant against the possibility of Mo interfering, but the latter did not do anything else after his initial attempt was interrupted.
Although Zhang Ruo Xi had come over in time to occupy Mo, what Yang Kai saw when he came out was simply a silent standoff between Mo and Ruo Xi.
It was entirely unexpected.
He knew that Mo could have chosen to forcefully break away from Ruo Xi, though he would have to pay a price; however, from Mo’s standpoint, stopping Yang Kai from refining Mu’s river had to be the primary goal, and it would have been worth paying a price to accomplish that.
After hearing Yang Kai’s comment, Mo lowered his eyes and let out a soft sigh, “Did Mu leave something in the river to be used against me?”
Yang Kai nodded, “You noticed that, as expected.”
Mu had left her Space-Time River for someone who would succeed her, but it was impossible to refine the entire river in the blink of an eye. During that time, Mo was bound to interfere.
It was not surprising that someone with as much intelligence and foresight as Mu had considered this and left something behind inside the river to target Mo. If Mo entered her river, he would end up stumbling around the endlessness of Space-Time in a hazy daze and would not be able to find Yang Kai.
What Mo said to Zhang Ruo Xi earlier was simply for the sake of convincing her. Even if she did not try to stop him, he would not enter the river unless absolutely necessary.
But without entering the river, he would not be able to locate Yang Kai, and thus, he would not be able to stop the latter from devouring and refining it.
With all that Mu had set in place, Yang Kai had guaranteed success at refining the river.
Mu had been wise and insightful, and naturally, Mo knew her incredibly well. After spending all those years together, both she and Mo had a thorough understanding of each other. Just as Mu predicted the possibility of Mo entering the river, Mo also figured that Mu would have left behind countermeasures to deal with him as well.
It was yet another confrontation after all these years that resulted in a stalemate.
Yang Kai was the only one who benefited from the situation. He had a major leap in his mastery over the 10,000 Grand Daos and his Space-Time River had grown to an indescribable size.
“Even if you obtained the power Mu left behind, so what?” Mo’s eyes were filled with disdain, “Do you think that’s enough for you to defeat me?”
Yang Kai smirked, “Let me see what someone in the Creator Realm can do!”
As he spoke, he raised both his hands and the Space-Time River beneath him began churning violently. It was as if the river turned into a rampaging Dragon as the waves crashed in thunderous splashes while Dao Strengths surged.
All at once, scores of rope-like Water Dragons formed from Dao Strength shot out of the river and flew straight at Mo.
Mo raised his fist and punched forcefully at the void. The space in front of him shattered and the myriad of Void Cracks that formed as a result turned into a barrier that blocked the onslaught of the Water Dragons.
Then, Mo took a step forward and moved past the shattered space, arriving right in front of Yang Kai as he stared down at him with an indifferent expression, “Your ability to wield Dao Strength is less than a thousandth of what Mu was capable of!”
Black Ink Strength rippled forth and its destructive power wrapped around Mo’s fist which came crashing down.
Yang Kai’s eyes hardened. He could instinctively sense the might of this punch and knew he could not allow it to make contact with him; otherwise, death would be his only fate.
The river churned and formed a layer of Dao Strength that acted as a barrier.
However, the Dao Strength barrier only lasted for a blink of an eye before the fist shattered it apart.
Thankfully, that had given Yang Kai enough time to summon his Azure Dragon Spear. Now that he had his weapon in hand, he harnessed the Dao Strengths and sent his spear flying out at the fist.
A gust of unstoppable power came at Yang Kai from the front and he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His body froze up for a brief moment before he went flying backwards. He stumbled into his river and nearly lost his grip on the spear.
“Weak!” Mo looked down at his fist. There was a tiny white mark left behind from the Azure Dragon Spear, but it soon vanished.
The invincible Azure Dragon Spear could not even scratch Mo despite Yang Kai landing a strike with all his strength. This was a clear sign of the power disparity between the two.
A powerful and imposing manner did not necessarily translate into true might. A real Master could easily keep his power hidden and undetectable from the outside. Yang Kai’s outward display of dominance and imposingness was in fact a sign that he could not fully control the power he had.
A figure stepped out of the river. It was Yang Kai who had been pushed back inside it earlier. His expression was grim. Even though he deduced that he was not strong enough to be Mo’s equal right now, he did not expect their disparity to be this big.
[Is this the might of someone in the Creator Realm?]
Yang Kai had suppressed and sealed over 30% of Mo’s Source, so what would Mo be able to do if that had not been the case?
[His earlier punch would’ve probably been enough to kill me.]
While Yang Kai was caught up in these thoughts, Mo was already storming over. Even though Yang Kai used the Dao Strengths of the river to form barriers and restraints, it was not enough to stop Mo.
Apart from Black Ink Strength, yet another mysterious power was swirling around Mo. It was most likely Creation Force. All of the Dao Strengths that came near Mo would instantly shatter without accomplishing anything.
As soon as Yang Kai managed to steady himself, Mo arrived in front of him, his fist flying out again, aiming to pulverize his opponent.
Yang Kai was not about to let that happen. Waves rippled out of the Azure Dragon Spear with Dao Strengths circling it as it moved forward once more.
Mo did not change his attack, but the simple blow was hiding an unfathomable strength that allowed it to easily deflect Yang Kai’s attack before closing in on its target.
In that moment of crisis, Yang Kai’s Azure Dragon Spear suddenly vanished from his hand as he stowed it away.
Following that, he grabbed Mo’s shoulder with both hands and flung himself backwards in an attempt to drag Mo into the Space-Time River.
The short exchange just now made it clear to Yang Kai that he was unable to hold his own against Mo right now.
Since that was the case, he needed to bring the fight to an advantageous environment for him, and the Space-Time River was an excellent choice.
Yang Kai was confident that as long as he was able to drag Mo into his Space-Time River, he would be able to unleash even more powerful attacks that could perhaps be enough to deal with this enemy.
However, before Yang Kai could do anything else, Mo kicked him.
Yang Kai felt his chest caving in as he fell into the river.
“Waste!” Mo stood above the river. The torrential waves fiercely charged at Mo, but they would die out once they were within 10 steps of him, filling his eyes with disappointment.
[Mu’s successor is weaker than I thought. He’s not even stronger than that woman earlier who wielded a portion of the Primordial Light’s power. At the very least, she’d been able to cause a bit of trouble for me, but Mu’s successor is nothing more than a child.]
As Mo quietly eyed the Space-Time River beneath him, he lightly raised his hand…
[In that case, I shall destroy it all!]
A gust of pure and concentrated Black Ink Strength unlike any that had been seen before poured out towards the Space-Time River as the might of a Creator began to emerge. Any part of the river that was touched by Black Ink Strength immediately showed signs of being corrupted by it.
The river was made out of Dao Strengths. Ordinarily, Black Ink Strength from the Black Ink Clan was only capable of corrupting living beings; however, as the source of Black Ink Strength, Mo was even capable of corrupting Dao Strengths.
As Yang Kai’s body sank downwards into the river, his heart sank along with it. With just two strikes, he had a clear understanding of just how powerful Mo was.
[I definitely won’t be able to defeat him.]
Yang Kai coughed lightly and the stench of blood filled his mouth.
He was now a Divine Dragon with thick skin and hard flesh, impervious to most ordinary strength, but a simple kick from Mo was enough to break a few of his ribs.
It had been a long time since he last suffered such injuries.
The pain of his broken bones sticking into his organs cleared his mind, and in the very next breath, he sensed the changes happening to his Space-Time River.
He realised the severity of the situation. If Mo was allowed to continue what he was doing, sooner or later, his Space-Time River would be completely corrupted by Black Ink Strength. He would lose all his Dao Strengths, and even if he did not die, he would become crippled and useless.
The urgent sense of danger consumed Yang Kai and he knew that if he did not do something soon, it would be too late.
After stabilising himself, Yang Kai gathered his thoughts and wielded all the strength he could muster.
The next instant, his body turned into an invisible black hole that devoured large amounts of the river’s water!
He was refining the Dao Strengths and absorbing them into his body!
Yang Kai had been able to put away his original Space-Time River and summon it out when he wanted to deal with his opponent because he had gained the river through hard work and diligent cultivation. It was the manifestation of his own Dao Strengths.
However, the gift from Mu had been too overwhelming. Even though he used his Space-Time River to devour and refine Mu’s Space-Time River, which led to a great increase in his mastery over the 10,000 Grand Daos, he now had a problem on his hands too.
He did not have full control over his new Space-Time River!
Currently, he was like a three-year-old who was trying to wield a massive sledgehammer. Though the sledgehammer was powerful, he could not even lift it.
That was the reason why he could not fight back against Mo. It was to the point where he seemed even weaker than Zhang Ruo Xi; after all, Ruo Xi had diligently cultivated for some 2,000 years in the Chaotic Dead Territory. By using her Heavens Order Bloodline to harmonize the powers of Yin and Yang to a level where she could control it, she was able to unleash all of that power freely.
There was only one way for Yang Kai to deal with his current situation, and that was to refine the Dao Strengths and absorb them into his body! That was the only method for him to gain control over his new Space-Time River and be strong enough to oppose Mo.
It was an extremely dangerous move. If he were careless for even a moment, he would explode from the overwhelming power of the massive Space-Time River and would undoubtedly die.
That was the reason why Yang Kai did not choose to do so earlier, but under the present circumstances, he had to throw caution to the wind and take the risk.
As he did this, a huge vortex emerged on top of the river. It looked like a large mouth that was swallowing the water.
Meanwhile, Mo was still channelling his Black Ink Strength and corrupting the river. By doing so, Mo could even absorb the river and strengthen itself.
After seeing the appearance of the vortex though, Mo’s eyes flashed with an unreadable glimmer as he scoffed, “You finally realised it?”
Mo had spent many years with Mu and understood the Space-Time River far better than Yang Kai did, so he could immediately tell what Yang Kai was doing when he saw the movement of the river.
Both of them continued to refine the power of the Space-Time River which rapidly shrank before them.
When it came down to it though, this was still Yang Kai’s Space-Time River. Thus, Mo could not refine it as quickly as Yang Kai could. It could be said that Yang Kai and Mo were devouring the river at a ratio of seven to three.
Beneath the river, Yang Kai’s face had turned red as his Dragon Vein throbbed with ferocity within him. The Dao Strengths he devoured and absorbed into his body made him feel as if he were going to explode. He even had the urge to transform into a Divine Dragon.
Nevertheless, he squashed down this thought. Although turning into a Divine Dragon could ease the pressure on his body, there was still a limit. It would not make a difference if he could not find a way to surpass that limit.
Therefore, he chose to grit his teeth and bear it.
Thankfully, he had endured a similar kind of pressure when he first started taking in the gift Mu left behind and was now able to have a marginally easier time with it.
As time passed, the massive Space-Time River had shrunk by about 30%.
Beneath the river, Yang Kai was surrounded by Dao Strengths, while above the river, Mo’s aura had grown a lot stronger too.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai’s eyes hardened. As he continued to devour the power of the river, he raised his hands and snarled, “Rise!”
The Space-Time River that cut across the void seemed to abruptly come to life as the water churned and the waves came crashing down at Mo.
Mo’s gaze darkened as he swiftly backed off.
He knew that even with his present strength, he would have a hard time if he was struck by the full force of the Space-Time River.
His eyes briefly flickered with surprise as he did not think that Yang Kai would be able to gain control over the Space-Time River so quickly.
If Yang Kai was previously likened to a three-year-old attempting to wield a sledgehammer and failing due to his lack of strength, then he was now a young child able to raise the sledgehammer, though luck and fate would determine whether or not he could strike his opponent with it.
As the river surged, Yang Kai’s figure appeared out of it. It was clear that something was not right with his present state. It was as if an indescribable power gathered within his body. He looked like he was about to explode at any given moment.
That was indeed the case. He was at his limit from the Dao Strengths that had built up inside him. He felt a pressing need to let it all out of him, so with that thought in mind, he shot up and charged at Mo.
As he moved, the colossal Space-Time River followed behind him like a shadow.
In a flash, the two silhouettes collided and a fight broke out.
Yang Kai took the offensive and pushed out Dao Strengths with each strike. He had to release the Dao Strengths which had accumulated inside his body; otherwise, he ran the risk of exploding.
As a result of his ferocious attacks, Mo had to focus and fight back as well, using Black Ink Strength to clash with and wipe out the rampaging Dao Strengths.
Even in the midst of the fight, Yang Kai did not stop devouring the Space-Time River. There was a large vortex behind him that was sucking the river water into his body.
As Yang Kai continued absorbing Dao Strength into his body, the power he could wield grew stronger and his attacks became more intense.
After exchanging a dozen blows, Yang Kai suffered a hit from Mo and flew backwards into the river; however, he soon emerged and charged at Mo once again.
Although he faced setbacks, Yang Kai showed no sign of despair. Instead, his thirst for battle grew even stronger.
During the first clash between the two, Mo could send Yang Kai flying back into the river as soon as he emerged. Despite being a Ninth-Order Master, Yang Kai could not fight back at all.
Yet, he could now hold out against Mo for a brief moment.
This was the result of his absorbing the Dao Strengths into his body. It was also the reason why he could control even more of the river’s power.
[I can do better than this!] Yang Kai firmly believed, [As long as I can control the entire river, I’ll be powerful enough to challenge Mo!]
Time and time again, he shot out at Mo and was knocked back.
The Space-Time River continued to shrink as Yang Kai’s aura grew even more powerful.
As time passed, Yang Kai was able to hold out against Mo for increasing amounts of time. From withstanding an exchange of 10 or so blows, he was able to slowly increase that number to 20, 30, eventually reaching 100 without showing any sign of falling behind.
This seemed to set Mo off and his attacks grew even more vicious as murderous intent surged.
Yang Kai used the Profound Source Gate to suppress and seal over 30% of Mo’s Source, which weakened the latter by a fair amount. Mo’s power had also been further weakened after the fight with Zhang Ruo Xi. That being said, he had corrupted a sizable chunk of the river’s power with Black Ink Strength, which allowed him to make up for what he lost in the fight with Zhang Ruo Xi.
Mo was even more powerful now than when he first woke up.
In a short amount of time, Yang Kai was able to go from being completely powerless against Mo to just barely holding out against him, but that was already his limit. He couldn’t defeat Mo in his current state.
[Not enough! Not nearly enough!]
[Even if I gain control over the remaining river, it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to kill him.]
If Mo, the one behind everything, did not die, then the threat against all of existence would endure.
Using the Profound Source Grate to suppress and seal Mo’s Source had been the right thing to do. Yang Kai’s previous journey had proved that the Profound Source Gate could indeed accomplish that feat; however, when one went up against an entity this powerful, how was one supposed to suppress and seal them without defeating them first?
The only way to end this once and for all was to break out of the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm and ascend to a higher realm.
However, this was something impossible for the current Yang Kai.
It had not been long since he became a Ninth-Order Master, and although he used the two Open Heaven Realm Cradles and the power of his Space-Time River to speed up his cultivation dramatically, it was only effective for him to grow within the Ninth-Order Realm. It was not enough for him to reach the realm beyond.
Throughout history, the best and most talented Humans had been limited by the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm Method. They could not break through them at all. Only Mu had been able to vaguely peek into the mysteries of an even higher Martial Dao.
Nevertheless, her Space-Time River was incomplete and she could not step over the barriers to enter the mysterious realm she touched upon.
Even though Yang Kai had received Mu’s gift, it was unlikely that he could accomplish what Mu and all the Human Race Ancestors could not in such a short time.
He did not have the barest inkling of enlightenment regarding the next realm.
If he wanted to break out of the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm, at the very least, he had to familiarise himself with his present strength and continue to gain knowledge and understanding through many years of accumulation and cultivation.
Since he could not overcome the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm, he had to find another way.
Yang Kai dared not allow himself to be distracted for even a moment in his battle against Mo. He was up against an opponent who could kill him off at any moment.
Over and over again, Yang Kai was sent flying backwards into the river. Although he looked completely battered, his situation was slowly taking a turn for the better.
Only about 30% of the Space-Time River behind him was left now. The moment he absorbed all of the river, he would be able to wield strength far beyond what he could before.
…..
As the intense fight had broken out between Yang Kai and Mo, the fight on the battlefield in the distant void was just as ferocious.
The Black Ink Clan Army was too numerous and the allied Armies of the Human Race and the Small Stone Race were beginning to show signs of defeat. If nothing changed, sooner or later, both Armies would be completely wiped out. Once that happened, even the Ninth-Order Masters could not be certain whether they could escape with their lives. Only the two Giant Spirit Gods could most likely leave safely.
This was not an outcome they could accept.
Just as the battle reached its most pressing climax, a dazzling light shot out from the depths of the void.
It was a familiar scene that renewed the Human Race Masters’ spirits as they knew who had come.
As per Yang Kai’s instructions, Zhang Ruo Xi rushed back to the battlefield. The moment she arrived, she turned into a bolt of light that weaved across the battlefield multiple times.
The flowing light acted like a sharp blade that slaughtered countless Black Ink Clan Soldiers and wrecked the seemingly impenetrable formations they had set up.
All at once, the Humans and the Small Stone Race were relieved of much of the pressure they had been under.
Soon after that, Ruo Xi headed over to Ah Da and Ah Er.
The two Giant Spirit Gods had proved to be invaluable allies to the Humans, be it during the reoccupation of the No-Return Pass or the battle that broke out against the Black Ink Black reinforcement army. In both situations, the Giant Spirit Gods had played pivotal roles.
Ah Da and Ah Er were currently in a tough situation once again. They were surrounded and besieged by many Royal Lords and could not provide any help to the rest of the battlefield.
Therefore, after relieving the pressure against the allied Armies of the Human Race and the Small Stone Race, Zhang Ruo Xi chose to aid the two Giant Spirit Gods.
As long as the two Giant Spirit Gods were unencumbered, they would be able to draw the attention of a large number of Masters from the Black Ink Clan. The Black Ink Clan would have to send even more Royal Lords over to keep these two occupied, thus, relieving the pressure on the rest.
Ruo Xi alone was enough to rampage through enemy lines and leave the Royal Lords scared witless, let alone when she had formed a Nine Palaces Formation with her eight Personal Guard.
In the blink of an eye, the flash of light appeared beside Ah Er. The eight Small Stone Race Masters scattered around to seal the surroundings, their Battle Formation encapsulating a large portion of the void.
The Royal Lords who had been attacking Ah Er paled in response.
They had learned the hard way just how terrifying this winged woman could be. Before the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had even broken, she had charged inside alone and exterminated all the Masters who lingered at the opening, which included dozens of Royal Lords.
Her actions back then terrified the Masters inside the Grand Restriction, so much so that they were too afraid to make any rash moves.
Many Royal Lords had remained hidden in the darkness. They had personally witnessed how powerful Zhang Ruo Xi was and were afraid of her strength. This was the reason why the Black Ink Clan Army did not rush out the moment the Grand Restriction broke.
They only gained the courage to leave the shelter of darkness when she rushed into the depths of the void to deal with the Supreme One.
No one expected this woman to come charging back out on the battlefield at such a critical moment.
Naturally, if Mi Jing Lun could tell which way the battle was going, the Royal Lords could as well. The Black Ink Clan Army had the upper hand right now, and as long as no unexpected variables were introduced, the Black Ink Clan would eventually be able to vanquish the Humans and Small Stone Race. When the time came, all of existence would belong to the Black Ink Clan as the Human Race would be wiped out in totality.
They were only a step away from their grand success, so how could the Royal Lords back down now?
Thus, even though Zhang Ruo Xi and her Personal Guard were wielding the might of their Nine Palaces Formation, a large number of Masters from the Black Ink Clan still fearlessly charged forward to stop them.
Once again, the allied Armies of the Humans Race and the Small Stone Race were relieved of even more pressure.
As the sword light of the Heavens Order Sword flashed, the part of the battlefield where Zhang Ruo Xi was seemingly turned into an abyss of death. Be it Territory Lords or Royal Lords, none could escape from her or even put up a fight. Each time sword light flashed, numerous Masters from the Black Ink Clan perished.
Their glory and dignity as Masters was completely trampled on. Once someone reached a certain level of power, it became child’s play for them to slaughter those in their path.
In just a few moments, over 20 Royal Lords were killed. Ah Er, who had been harassed by the Royal Lords all this time, was finally freed from those who had been keeping him pinned down. With a loud roar, he began attacking the nearby Royal Lords.
However, before he could truly unleash his strength, a new group of Royal Lords rushed over.
The Black Ink Clan could tell that the allied Armies no longer posed a threat to them, and they could use their advantage in numbers to keep them occupied.
At this moment, the only ones who posed a threat to the Black Ink Clan were Zhang Ruo Xi and the two Giant Spirit Gods.
Thus, they had to stop these three no matter what.
Even if it cost them the lives of their Royal Lords!
On this part of the battlefield, Royal Lords and Territory Lords fell like leaves from a tree in a howling storm.
The black blood and Black Ink Strength that escaped their corpses turned the void into a patch of darkness, which seemed to want to devour everything in its wake.
Amidst it all, the sword light of the Heavens Order Sword shone brilliantly.
Despite the show of force she was putting on, Zhang Ruo Xi’s original plan had actually been foiled.
Initially, she wanted to save Ah Er before working together with him to extricate Ah Da. Then, the three of them could charge out onto the main battlefield and rampage. Even though the Black Ink Clan was massive in numbers, they would not be able to stop the three of them from slaughtering those in their path if they remained mobile.
Given enough time and room to take action, these three powerful existences could massacre the entire Black Ink Clan Army on their own; however, the Black Ink Clan promptly reacted to the situation and Zhang Ruo Xi ended up being tied down to this part of the battlefield. Even Ah Er, whom she had only just rescued, was once again completely surrounded by Royal Lords and could no longer do much.
Now that it had come to this, Zhang Ruo Xi acted per the hand she was dealt.
Since they wanted to impede her, they would have to pay an exorbitant price.
Compared to her original plan, the present situation was actually even more beneficial for the Human Race Army. The more the Masters from the Black Ink Clan focused on her, the less pressure the Humans faced.
In fact, if she managed to kill off enough Royal Lords, she would undoubtedly be helping the allied Armies secure the final victory.
Thus, Zhang Ruo Xi was not upset by the Black Ink Clan’s actions. On the contrary, it suited her just fine.
The Royal Lords came at her one after the other. They all turned into corpses under the Heavens Order Sword, but even so, none of those from the Black Ink Clan showed any inclination to retreat.
For both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan, this was the final battle that would decide their fate. They could not back down no matter what.
This was a make-or-break battle that would determine who would go down in history as the ultimate victor!
Zhang Ruo Xi persistently swung her sword, and every swing of her sword brought about significant results. Ever since her return, no fewer than 300 Royal Lords had died at her hands in just two days! That was an extremely terrifying number.
It had to be said that there were only a few dozen Ninth-Order Masters among the Human Race at present. The number of Royal Lords was many times more than the number of Ninth-Order Masters.
Furthermore, the inheritance accumulated in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction over millions of years could not be underestimated. Even though Zhang Ruo Xi had slaughtered so many Royal Lords, many more Royal Lords were surrounding Zhang Ruo Xi and the two Giant Spirit Gods still.
Zhang Ruo Xi relentlessly slaughtered her enemies, and the movement of drawing her sword had almost become an instinctive reaction by now.
The Black Ink Clan had shifted the focus of the battle around her, which certainly resolved the crisis that had been looming over the Human Race Army. At this moment, the allied Armies of the Human Race and the Small Stone Race finally regained their ability to hold their own against the Black Ink Clan even though they continued to face some pressure on the main battlefield. The situation was no longer as hopeless as before, where their defeat had been imminent and there was no hope for victory.
The Black Ink Clouds condensed from the dissipated Black Ink Strength had reached extreme concentration. Even the Ninth-Order Masters felt apprehensive when they saw the dense Black Ink Clouds that encompassed the huge void. Aside from Zhang Ruo Xi and the two Giant Spirit Gods, nobody could easily venture into the depths of the Black Ink Clouds to fight against the Black Ink Clan.
Meanwhile, the immaculate white wings behind Zhang Ruo Xi’s back began to glow with a faint yellow and blue hue. The subtle change resembled an omen of something to come.
At a certain moment, one of the Royal Lords fearlessly charged towards a Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Master. He gathered all his strength in his fist and punched the Personal Guard with all his might.
The Personal Guard staggered from the blow, then it immediately followed up with a violent counterattack that immediately killed the Royal Lord.
Although the Small Stone Race Personal Guard was equivalent to Ninth-Order Masters, these were currently joined in a Nine Palaces Formation with Zhang Ruo Xi as its Core. Any one of them could borrow the power of the Battle Formation at any time, so their current strength could no longer be judged by their mere cultivation alone.
It could be said that Zhang Ruo Xi and her eight Personal Guards were one. The attacks unleashed by any party in the Battle Formation carried the culmination of their combined powers. Even if the Royal Lords were strong, they could not withstand such attacks; therefore, many Royal Lords had died at the hands of the Personal Guard over the last two days.
The Personal Guard who slaughtered the Royal Lord earlier prepared to make its next move, but just as it raised its fist to attack, its hand shattered to dust. It was immediately followed by its arm, which then spread to its body… In the blink of an eye, the powerful Personal Guard was reduced to a pile of rubble.
The surrounding Royal Lords and Territory Lords besieging it froze in surprise.
When Zhang Ruo Xi returned, her Personal Guard had all been covered in deep cracks. It was only natural for the surrounding Royal Lords and Territory Lords to notice such an obvious thing. They initially thought that the Personal Guards wouldn’t last for long which is why they targeted them while simultaneously attacking Zhang Ruo Xi.
It was not until they paid a horrendous price that they realised one thing. These Personal Guards might look like they were about to fall apart at any moment, but they remained capable of unleashing a despairing amount of power with every blow.
That was until this moment!
In the end, the Personal Guard could not withstand the pressure of the drawn-out battle and shattered to pieces. At the same time, the yellow and blue hue of the wings behind Zhang Ruo Xi’s back increased significantly when the Personal Guard crumbled to dust.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruo Xi seemed to have anticipated the situation and immediately switched the Battle Formation to the Eight Trigrams Formation!
An increasingly violent barrage of attacks ensued. After the first Personal Guard shattered to pieces, the Black Ink Clan suddenly saw hope in regard to their struggle to defeat Zhang Ruo Xi. Their assault only became more and more aggressive as a result.
Half a day later, the second Personal Guard shattered to pieces and the Eight Trigrams Formation subsequently changed to the Seven Stars Formation. Another half day passed, and the third one broke apart…
When Zhang Ruo Xi led her Personal Guard against Mo, they sustained indelible damage during the battle. If there had been enough time, she would have allowed them to rest and recover. Unfortunately, they were in the middle of a large-scale battle. There was no time for them to even catch their breaths, much less recuperate from their wounds.
They only managed to persist until now because the intensity of the current battle paled in comparison to her solo battle against Mo. Even so, her Personal Guard had finally reached their limits.
One after another, they crumbled to pieces. Their destruction also signified that the Battle Formation was steadily weakening. As the Battle Formation weakened, the power they could exert was also considerably reduced.
At the same time, the yellow and blue hue of the wings behind her back became extremely obvious.
When the sixth Personal Guard shattered, Zhang Ruo Xi forcefully changed the Battle Formation to the most basic Three Fortunes Formation. At that moment, the Black Ink Clan finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. It would not take much longer to defeat her.
A voice abruptly sounded in Zhang Ruo Xi’s mind, “Silly girl, you can’t carry on in such a reckless manner! At this rate, you will soon struggle to maintain the balance between Yin and Yang. You will die if that happens!”
In the Chaotic Dead Territory, Zhang Ruo Xi spent 2,000 years harmonizing the power of Yin and Yang using her Heavens Order Bloodline. By doing so, her strength surged to unprecedented heights. She rapidly grew from an Eighth-Order Master to a mighty existence who could fight against Mo alone.
Nevertheless, she was still just a Master at the peak of the Ninth Order without the power she was granted by the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.
Previously, she had maintained a balance between the powers of Yin and Yang with her Bloodline and both Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had remained sleeping deep within her body. However, they were beginning to regain consciousness as a result of her continuous fights and the deaths of her Personal Guard.
That was not a good thing for her. The situation indicated that her Bloodline was starting to have trouble maintaining a balance between the power of Yin and Yang. Just as Big Brother Huang said, if she were to lose control now, a Master at the peak of the Ninth Order like her would not be able to withstand the pressure of their rampaging power and would instantly perish!
Zhang Ruo Xi remained silent. Forming the Three Fortunes Formation with her two remaining Personal Guards, she persisted in her slaughter.
At this moment, the number of Black Ink Clansmen gathered around her had reduced significantly. Their numbers were far less than their initial numbers due to her desperate slaughter of her enemies. No matter how many there were, there was bound to be a time when they were completely obliterated.
At this juncture, the Masters from the Black Ink Clan were no longer as desperate as they were before though; instead, they constantly wandered around her and forced her to expend her energy while keeping themselves safe from harm. They were evidently waiting for the destruction of her two remaining Personal Guards. Once she lost the support of the Battle Formation, the threat she posed towards the Black Ink Clan would be greatly reduced.
Realising that, Big Brother Huang sighed and said no more. He knew that Zhang Ruo Xi couldn’t stop fighting at this time; after all, this battle was related to the survival of the entire Human Race. The slightest wavering would lead to their eternal doom.
There was only one thing he could do for her at this moment. He attempted to cooperate with Big Sister Lan, trying to coordinate the power of the Yin and Yang in her body and prevent the balance between their respective strengths from being broken. Unfortunately, what they could do was extremely limited…
The situation gradually developed in the direction that the Black Ink Clan were hoping for. When the seventh Personal Guard shattered to pieces, it became impossible for Zhang Ruo Xi to form a Battle Formation with just her last Personal Guard!
The Black Ink Clan had been waiting a long time for this very moment and they immediately swarmed forward and tore the last Personal Guard apart.
In an instant, Zhang Ruo Xi sunk into the dire situation of fighting a solo battle. Meanwhile, Ah Da and Ah Er were also being restrained by many Masters from the Black Ink Clan. They could not break free to help her.
Death slowly approached her… Just as she was at her most vulnerable, something resembling a violent torrent suddenly tore through the dense layers of the Black Ink Clan Army and swiftly approached the battlefield where she was located. It was none other than the Human Race Army that had been fighting fiercely this whole time!
When the Human Race Army first departed from the No-Return Pass on their second crusade, there were over 20 million Masters! Unfortunately, their numbers had dwindled by more than half at this moment.
What’s more, their current numbers were only possible because the Small Stone Race Army had withstood the brunt of the pressure from their enemies. If not for the Small Stone Race Army, the Human Race Army would have been defeated in battle long ago.
Countless heroes fell on this vast battlefield. The severed limbs and dismembered corpses of the Black Ink Clan littering the void were basically a manifestation of their Military Merits.
The period when Zhang Ruo Xi had penetrated the depths of the void and fought with Mo had been the most difficult for the Human Race Army. Countless Black Ink Clansmen had besieged and intercepted the Humans, leading to the deaths of many brave soldiers. Even the Ninth-Order Masters had suffered several casualties, with their deaths hitting morale particularly harshly.
However, the pressure faced by the Human Race Army decreased substantially when Zhang Ruo Xi returned with her Battle Formation of Personal Guard. She was the reason why so many Masters from the Black Ink Clan were killed!
In such a fierce and chaotic battlefield, the slightest negligence could be fatal. Most of the Human Race Masters on the battlefield were unaware of Zhang Ruo Xi’s dire state. Be that as it may, how could Mi Jing Lun, who had been keeping an eye on the overall situation on the battlefield, be oblivious to her circumstances?
The Black Ink Clan had shifted the focus of the battle to Zhang Ruo Xi. During this period, Mi Jing Lun could only watch anxiously as the Personal Guard around her were destroyed one by one until she fell into a critical condition.
Zhang Ruo Xi was undoubtedly one of the keys to winning this war. If she were defeated and killed, then the Human Race Army would lose their only hope at victory; therefore, she had to be protected no matter the cost!
Even though that was the case… what strength did the Human Race Army have to help her right now? Mi Jing Lung racked his brains for an answer but could not think up a good plan. Recklessly charging forward with what remained of the Human Race Army without a suitable plan would not help her. In fact, his actions would only place the Humans in greater danger instead.
At this moment, the Human Race Army could borrow the strength of the Small Stone Race Army to offset the pressure from their enemies; however, that was only possible thanks to the cooperation between the Human Race Army and the Small Stone Race Army. If they charged out, they would be separated from the Small Stone Race Army. Under such circumstances, the pressure that the Humans would have to withstand on their own was unfathomable.
At the critical moment, a blood-drenched Yang Xiao suddenly rushed towards Mi Jing Lun, and after a brief conversation, the latter made up his mind. Under his command, the Human Race Army instantly condensed their forces into an attack formation, broke through the Black Ink Clan’s heavy encirclement, and charged towards Zhang Ruo Xi like a violent storm.
At this moment, many top Masters from the Black Ink Clan had been slaughtered by Zhang Ruo Xi, and out of those that remained, more than 100 Royal Lords were working together to restrain Ah Da and Ah Er while nearly 200 surrounded Zhang Ruo Xi.
Therefore, the Human Race Army was not facing much pressure at the moment. It could even be said that the Black Ink Clan no longer considered the Human Army a worthy opponent. As long as the Royal Lords defeated Zhang Ruo Xi, the Humans would be helpless to resist when they finally turned around to deal with them. The Black Ink Clan’s underestimation was the reason the Human Race Army successfully broke out of the encirclement.
The strange movements of the Human Race Army naturally caught the attention of many Masters from the Black Ink Clan. They might not know what the Human Race Army was planning, but they had finally pushed Zhang Ruo Xi to the brink of desperation after sacrificing so many of their Masters. How could they allow for any external interference at this time?
Dozens of Royal Lords immediately turned around and charged towards the Human Race Army while a massive number of Black Ink Clan Soldiers pursued the Humans from the rear.
Under these circumstances, the Human Race Army would be facing enemies from the front and back if they did not quickly escape the besiegement of the Royal Lords. Only an extremely disastrous ending awaited them if they were engulfed by the enemy in their current state.
When the Royal Lords took action, Zhang Ruo Xi also made her move. She attempted to slash her way through the heavy blockade and join the Human Race Army; however, numerous Masters from the Black Ink Clan fearlessly threw themselves at her to obstruct her path. They did not seem to hesitate even though their lives were on the line. Hence, she was successfully prevented from escaping for some time.
By this time, Zhang Ruo Xi was exhausted beyond her limits. After she departed from the Chaotic Dead Territory, she rushed to the battlefield without delay. Once she arrived, she not only fought countless Royal Lords, but she also expended her strength to open the Void Corridor that connected to the Chaotic Dead Territory. Afterwards, she delved into the depths of the opening in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and wreaked havoc there for some time before she engaged Mo in an intense battle…
It could be said that she had not rested at all since she stepped foot on the battlefield. She had simply been moving from battle to battle without any breaks in between; therefore, she could only bring out 70% of her full strength. The most obvious change was her combat effectiveness. She used to be able to kill a Royal Lord in one blow, but now it took her multiple strikes to kill one. It would not be easy for her to join up with the Human Race Army when she was being besieged by so many Masters from all directions.
At this moment, a figure abruptly soared into the sky. Raising both hands high, he clenched his fists and roared furiously, “Burn!”
The two Marks on his clenched fists flashed with a blinding light!
Seven figures rushed into the sky behind him. Every one of them also had mysterious Marks shining brightly on the backs of their hands. These Marks indicated that these people were blessed by the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer. Yang Kai had brought these Marks from the Chaotic Dead Territory and bestowed them to 10 Divine Spirits many years ago.
These Divine Spirits had been scattered throughout the various battlefields. Thanks to the Great Sun and Moon Marks in their possession, they could mobilise and transform the power of the Yellow and Blue Crystals into Purifying Light. Consequently, they were essential to the logistical support of the Human Race Army. It was precisely thanks to this method that the threat of the Black Ink Strength to the Human Race was greatly reduced. The Purifying Black Ink Pills alone would not have been enough otherwise.
Even before this incident, these Divine Spirits had been mobilising the power of the Great Sun and Moon Marks constantly during the war. So many Small Stone Race Soldiers had died on the battlefield that they could easily summon a large burst of the Purifying Light without much effort. In this way, they could not only purify the battlefield, but they could also cause great damage to the Black Ink Clan, killing two birds with one stone.
When the Human Race Army charged in Zhang Ruo Xi’s direction, the Divine Spirits with the Great Sun and Moon Marks quickly activated the marks on the backs of their hands under Yang Xiao’s leadership.
Zhang Ruo Xi, who was besieged by countless Royal Lords, saw the scene from a distance and immediately understood their plan. A smile appeared on her exhausted face. Feeling the strength of the people around her, she knew she was not fighting alone! It was just that she had never even contemplated what they were about to attempt, much less tested it, so she did not know if she would succeed!
“Seniors, please assist me!” Closing her eyes, she gripped the Heaven’s Order Sword tightly with both hands and pleaded.
The sighs of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan sounded in unison, but they did not refuse her.
In the next moment, the wings behind Zhang Ruo Xi’s back glowed in two-coloured light. When she opened her eyes, the colour of her eyes had also changed. One eye was yellow and the other eye was blue. It was a strange sight to behold!
At the same time, with Yang Xiao in the lead, the two Marks on the backs of the hands of the Divine Spirits abruptly burst forth and transformed into a two-coloured light that enveloped their bodies as a powerful Divine Sense simultaneously penetrated their Knowledge Seas.
It was the Divine Senses of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.
Under normal circumstances, they would never allow any external Divine Sense to encroach on their minds; however, they abandoned all defences at this moment and allowed the Divine Sense to link with their own.
One by one, the eyes of the Divine Spirits went blank as though they had lost themselves…
“Link!” Zhang Ruo Xi cried out.
With herself as the source point, various rays of aura instantly connected with each other across the distance and became closely intertwined. Her aura, which had initially begun to dwindle, suddenly surged and shook the surrounding void.
The Royal Lords paled at the sight!
“Success!” Relief washed over Mi Jing Lun at the sight.
This was Yang Xiao’s suggestion…
When the eight Personal Guards shattered to pieces, it became impossible for Zhang Ruo Xi to form a Battle Formation. She would never escape from the besiegement of so many Masters from the Black Ink Clan in her current condition, so it was only a matter of time before she suffered a tragic death. The Black Ink Clan would be free to attack the Human Race Army once Zhang Ruo Xi died, which would undoubtedly result in the Human Race’s defeat.
Be that as it may, the Human Race Army had no extra resources to spare in their current condition. The very idea of helping Zhang Ruo Xi was nothing more than a fool’s dream unless somebody could form a new Nine Palaces Formation with her!
Although they had enough Ninth-Order Masters to fulfil the requirements to form a Nine Palaces Formation, it was not easy for them to actually pull off such a feat. Even if eight Ninth-Order Masters were sent to help Zhang Ruo Xi, even if they trusted her wholeheartedly, it would be impossible for them to join forces and form a Nine Palaces Formation in such a short time; after all, this was not solely a matter of trust but also of compatibility.
That was why Yang Xiao had suggested attempting to form the Nine Palaces Formation with the Divine Spirits who owned the Great Sun and Moon Marks instead. He believed that they might achieve a pleasantly surprising result.
The Great Sun and Moon Marks were derived from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s Sources. Since Zhang Ruo Xi had united the power of Yin and Yang with her Bloodline, her body was brimming with the Source Strength of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.
In other words, to her, Yang Xiao and the other Divine Spirits should not be that much different from her destroyed Small Stone Race Personal Guard.
At this point, their only option was to attempt this unprecedented feat. If they succeeded, then it would be a joyous success. If they failed, then there was nothing that could be done regardless. In any case, they would only know the result after they made the attempt.
For that reason, Mi Jing Lun ordered the entire Human Army to charge out and separate from the ranks of the Small Stone Race Army.
It was their final desperate attempt to overturn their current predicament. If this plan failed, they would not only fail to rescue Zhang Ruo Xi, but also face the imminent destruction of the Human Race Army.
Fortunately, the plan had worked.
When the power of the Nine Palaces Formation enveloped the enormous void, Mi Jing Lun smiled from the bottom of his heart.
Dozens of Royal Lords were currently on the way to intercept the Human Race Army and bombarded them with a storm of powerful Secret Techniques before they even arrived.
The defences of the Human Race Army could be said to have fallen apart at this moment, with only the Ninth-Order Masters being capable of blocking such an onslaught.
Just as the Ninth-Order Masters were confronting the Royal Lords though, the hollow-eyed Divine Spirits charged forward with Yang Xiao in the lead. Every one of these Divine Spirits was enveloped in a blue and yellow light, and the aura surrounding them was so strong that the void shuddered in their presence.
Yang Xiao headed straight towards one of the Royal Lords, and under that Royal Lord’s astonished gaze, Yang Xiao slammed his fist forward. Half of the Royal Lord’s body instantly exploded into mist when the punch landed. Meanwhile, Yang Xiao did not stop his movements and charged towards the second Royal Lord with a blank expression on his face.
Yang Xiao was an Ancient Dragon, equivalent to a peak Eighth-Order Master; naturally, killing a Royal Lord in one blow was the result of the Battle Formation and not his own strength. It was a pity that the attack cost him a heavy price. The arm he used to punch the Royal Lord became twisted and broke, with blood pouring out of it from multiple wounds…
Most of the Divine Spirits displayed similar performances.
With no leader coordinating their movements, the Royal Lords blocking the Divine Spirits were swiftly cut down without much resistance. The remaining Royal Lords were frightened and quickly moved aside to open up a path.
Such a feat was only possible because Yang Xiao and the others were Divine Spirits.
The physical body of each Divine Spirit was extremely powerful in comparison to any other existence. If they were ordinary Eighth-Order Human Masters who had supported Zhang Ruo Xi in this Battle Formation instead, their bodies would not have been able to withstand the backlash from launching such powerful attacks.