The eight Divine Spirits broke through the heavy blockade of the Royal Lords and headed straight towards Zhang Ruo Xi, who did not remain idle either. At this moment, she released a powerful burst of energy and tore through the besiegement of the Royal Lords to join the Divine Spirits as soon as possible. With the power of the new Nine Palaces Formation, the original crisis that loomed over her was resolved in an instant.
When Zhang Ruo Xi united with the eight Divine Spirits, a huge change took place in the overall situation.
The Human Race Army escorting the Divine Spirits did not stop forging ahead and instead acted like a raging current that swept across the void in a wide arc before returning to their original battlefield via a huge detour. With tremendous help from the Small Stone Race Army, the two Armies reunited once more and resumed their endless battle against the Black Ink Clan Army.
At this point, Pure Yang Pass was completely destroyed and the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress had been shattered. Most of the Warships were also gone with just a few barely surviving. The Human Race no longer had many external aids to rely upon at this last juncture of the war. The only thing they had left was the barrier of flesh and blood!
In the void, Zhang Ruo Xi had united with the eight Divine Spirits. She gripped the Heavens Order Sword tightly with both hands, surrounded by many Royal Lords in all directions, she murmured softly under her breath, “We won’t have much time…”
The strength of the eight Divine Spirits could not compare with her Personal Guard, so not only would forcefully forming a Battle Formation cause immense damage to the bodies of the Divine Spirits, but even the powerful Divine Sense of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer which directed their auras caused hidden dangers.
If Zhang Ruo Xi could not end the battle as soon as possible, the Divine Spirits who joined up with her would eventually explode. Even if their physical bodies somehow managed to endure, their Souls might be extinguished. What’s more, Yang Xiao and Su Yan were among the eight Divine Spirits… These two were Yang Kai’s important family members. She could not lose this fight!
Even setting aside the weakness of the Divine Spirits, Zhang Ruo Xi could hardly last for much longer. At this very moment, she was burning the Heavens Order Bloodline in her body just to forcefully maintain a balance between the power of Yin and Yang, despite Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan doing everything they could to assist her. It would not be long before the balance would be broken and her Bloodline was burned out entirely.
Forcing down her worries, Zhang Ruo Xi lifted her sword and boldly charged towards her enemies, followed closely by the eight Divine Spirits!
The sudden burst of power left the Royal Lords scrambling in a panic. One after another, the Royal Lords fell prey to Zhang Ruo Xi’s sword, but when she finally broke through the encirclement, she did not escape. On the contrary, she turned around and led the Divine Spirits to attack once more!
Thanks to the Nine Palaces Formation which was formed with Zhang Ruo Xi as the Core and the eight Divine Spirits as the foundation, she had once more become an unstoppable blade that repeatedly swept across the battlefield. Every charge resulted in the deaths of many Royal Lords.
10, 20, 30, 50…
Zhang Ruo Xi’s vision went blurry, and she could not see the scenery in front of her clearly. Furthermore, the power of Yin and Yang in her body was faintly showing signs of imbalance. Even so, she did not stop. She had no choice but to charge forward and swing her sword.
Meanwhile, the eight Divine Spirits following behind her were covered in blood; after all, the Nine Palaces Formation placed an extremely heavy burden on their bodies. The only reason they could maintain the Formation at all was because the Divine Spirits had relinquished all control over their own bodies and fully surrendered themselves to become part of the Battle Formation. By doing so, even with their bodies on the verge of collapse, they managed to persist.
The bones in Yang Xiao’s arms had been shattered to pieces. Meanwhile, Su Yan’s internal organs were crushed. She was also bleeding from her seven orifices, which made her appearance extremely ghastly…
After fighting for some time, Zhang Ruo Xi suddenly felt a change in the Battle Formation. One pillar of the foundation had failed; thus, she hastily readjusted the Battle Formation!
The Nine Palaces Formation became the Eight Trigrams Formation. Unable to withstand the pressure of the Battle Formation any longer, one of the Divine Spirits fighting behind her had exploded and died.
The death distressed her greatly, causing a sharp stab of pain in her heart. Nevertheless, she did not dare to check the identity of the deceased Divine Spirit. She could only persist and swing her sword to cut down her enemies.
At a certain point, Zhang Ruo Xi could no longer detect any Royal Lords around her. She looked around with bleary eyes, but no matter where she looked, she could find none of the Masters who had previously besieged her. She had cut down all 200 Royal Lords!
When the realization struck her, she nearly burst into tears. Her entire body was covered in countless wounds, and the fresh blood that drenched her entire body had dyed what was left of her robes scarlet.
She had not been too concerned when she teamed up with her Personal Guard to form the Battle Formation; after all, her Personal Guard each had the strength of a Ninth-Order Master. Not to mention, their bodies were robust. They were capable of withstanding the pressure of the Battle Formation for an extended time.
However, there were too many things to worry about when she entered a Battle Formation with the Divine Spirits. There were times when she could not dodge the attacks from the Royal Lords, so she was forced to bear the brunt of these attacks or the Divine Spirits would be killed instead. In this way, she had taken more damage in this shot battle than in all her previous fights.
It was not until this moment that she had the time to check on the condition of the Divine Spirits. Eight Divine Spirits had forced their way through the enemy blockade to help her, but only three remained behind her! Even so, the aura of these three was weak and unstable, like they could be snuffed out at any moment.
Although she was heartbroken by the losses, Zhang Ruo Xi was relieved to see that Yang Xiao and Su Yan had survived… The Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan were certainly worthy of being the strongest among the Divine Spirits. Besides, both Yang Xiao and Su Yan had been at the peak of their cultivation for a long time, which was another reason why they managed to persist until the end.
“Seniors, please release the Battle Formation!” Zhang Ruo Xi anxiously urged.
Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan immediately released control over their Source Strength at the same time. In the next moment, the three hollow-eyed Divine Spirits regained consciousness. Three muffled groans of pain sounded in unison. They had not been aware of their states when their consciousness had been taken over, but a wave of boundless agony washed over them when their consciousness was restored.
All the bones in Yang Xiao’s body made cracking sounds as he revealed his true Form without hesitation. Changing into his Dragon Form would give him greater endurance against his wounds. The injuries might be fatal to his Human Form, but the same degree of injuries would only be considered critical in his Dragon Form. Still, his 90,000-metre-long Ancient Dragon Form was tattered and covered in terrible wounds; moreover, the aura around him was weak and unstable.
Similarly, the other Divine Spirit revealed his true Form. He was a Pi Xiu who had survived for innumerable years and was thus an old veteran with an incredibly solid foundation.
Neither of these two suffered from major problems. Although they were very heavily wounded, their lives were not in danger.
Then, Zhang Ruo Xi turned to look at Su Yan, and her eyes immediately widened in horror at the sight.
Su Yan’s body was breaking apart and crumbling into dust. Like Yang Kai, she was originally part of the Human Race and only became part Divine Spirit after obtaining her Phoenix Source.
She had repeatedly entered the Phoenix Nest to cultivate over the years, and in the end, she completely integrated the Third Generation Phoenix Empress’ Source to become a pureblood member of the Phoenix Clan. Be that as it may, her foundation and physique were still inferior compared to someone born and raised in the Phoenix Clan.
Yang Xiao and Pi Xiu just barely survived the ordeal, but Su Yan failed to pull through until the end.
Yang Xiao evidently noticed Su Yan’s condition because he released a sorrowful wail at the sight.
Su Yan, who was covered in various wounds, looked down at her hands which were beginning to disintegrate into ash. A look of remembrance flashed through her eyes at the sight. Raising her head once more, she looked at the weeping Zhang Ruo Xi and smiled, “Please don’t blame yourself. The Phoenix Clan has our Phoenix Flame. There might be a chance for me to revive from death… But, if I fail… Please pass a message to him for me. Tell him that meeting him was the greatest blessing in my life!”
Zhang Ruo Xi nodded desperately, her tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
The Phoenix Clan’s Phoenix Flame was also known as the Flame of Rebirth. It was only natural for Su Yan and Zhang Ruo Xi to know about such things. Unfortunately, the Flame of Rebirth did not always succeed. It was simply a possibility of Rebirth; after all, the Phoenix Clan would be truly immortal if their Rebirth succeeded in every attempt.
If the Flame of Rebirth failed, their Phoenix Source would return to the Phoenix Nest and be reborn as a new member of the Phoenix Clan.
After the battle, Zhang Ruo Xi’s crisis was resolved. Unfortunately, the price of her rescue was not small. Five out of the eight Divine Spirits who came to help her had lost their lives in battle. Only three of them had survived to the end.
Be that as it may, Su Yan had already set one foot across the gates of death.
After Su Yan finished speaking to Zhang Ruo Xi, her entire body dissolved into tiny points of fluorescent light, which did not dissipate into the Void but condensed into a dim blue flame instead. It was her Phoenix Flame, as well as her Phoenix Source. It was the inheritance she received from the Third Generation Phoenix Empress, who lived back in the Late Ancient Era.
Zhang Ruo Xi anxiously stared at the small ball of fire.
The Phoenix Flame flickered, going from light to dark. In just a short moment, the dim blue Phoenix Flame became dim and dull, as though it would be extinguished in the next moment!
Despite facing hundreds of Royal Lords without the slightest change in her expression, Zhang Ruo Xi now was as pale as a sheet; moreover, her body was enveloped in a layer of boundless chill.
The extinguishment of the Phoenix Flame would mean that Su Yan was gone forever. Even if the Phoenix Flame returned to the Phoenix Nest and produced another member of the Phoenix Clan, that person would no longer be Su Yan.
“…e… ey… Hey!” Big Brother Huang’s voice abruptly sounded in Zhang Ruo Xi’s mind, causing her to snap back to her senses.
“Grab that ball of fire!” Big Brother Huang urgently urged.
Although Zhang Ruo Xi did not know what Big Brother Huang was planning, she quickly did as she was told. She stepped forward and wrapped her hands around the weakened flame. In the next moment, she clearly sensed Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan pouring power from their Sources into the Phoenix Flame. She immediately understood their plan and hurriedly activated her Heaven’s Order Bloodline to help balance the flow and harmonize their power.
The flame that was on the verge of being snuffed out slowly stabilised. In addition, faint hues of yellow and blue gradually seeped into the flame. The hues of yellow and blue were none other than the Source Strength of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.
Shortly after the Primordial Light left its birthplace, the power of Yin and Yang were split from it. The Primordial Light later collided with the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, and the dissipated energy transformed into the various Divine Spirits. In the end, its remaining essence turned into a woman bearing the Heaven’s Order Bloodline.
Strictly speaking, the Burning Light and the Serene Glimmer originated from the same source as all Divine Spirits. Although they could be classified as Divine Spirits, they were different from ordinary Divine Spirits. That was because they were the first to split from the Primordial Light. Be it in terms of the purity or strength of their Source, ordinary Divine Spirits were simply incomparable to the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer. Even the Dragons and Phoenixes were no exception in this regard.
Therefore, the pure Source Strength of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer was a great supplement to the Divine Spirits. Their Source Strength could help in the refinement of a Divine Spirit’s Source and enhance the Bloodline of these Divine Spirits.
Yang Kai was the best example of this.
When Yang Kai first met Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, he had only just become a 10,000-metre-long Grand Dragon, but after receiving a gift of Source Strength from the two of them, his Dragon Vein improved at an astonishing pace, allowing him to grown to 20,000 metres in just half a month. What’s more, the gift of Source Strength from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan was nowhere near exhausted and had helped Yang Kai several more times over the years, eventually allowing him to become an Ancient Dragon less than 1,000 years later. This rate of growth for a member of the Dragon Clan was unheard of in history.
At this moment, the same effect took place when they injected their Source Strength into the Phoenix Flame. The Phoenix Flame reacted as though it suddenly received significant nourishment and began burning brighter and stronger until the small ball of flame gradually resembled a blue-coloured Great Sun.
Zhang Ruo Xi watched the flame intently. Then, she vaguely noticed the figure of a Phoenix Clan member flying about within the flames. When the burning brightness of the Phoenix Flame reached a certain point, the blue-coloured Great Sun abruptly expanded and exploded!
The sudden turn of events left her dumbfounded. She couldn’t help thinking that something extremely awful had happened; however, she immediately revealed an expression of joyous surprise. That was because a clear and striking Phoenix Cry resounded throughout the void when the blue Phoenix Flame erupted. It was followed by the unfurling of a giant pair of dazzling wings, then the gradual appearance of a beautiful and graceful figure.
Having received help from the Source Strength of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, Su Yan had succeeded in her Rebirth!
Zhang Ruo Xi wept tears of joy.
A Phoenix’s Rebirth generally came with great risks. If they failed, they would lose their life on the spot. On the other hand, they would receive immense benefits if they succeeded. That was because the strength of the Phoenix Clan members would improve significantly with each Rebirth. Not to mention, Su Yan received aid from the Source Strength of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer during her Rebirth.
At this moment, her Ice Phoenix aura radiating from the Flame of Rebirth was at a height that Su Yan had never been able to achieve in the past. She would not lose even if compared to Divine Dragon Fu Guang! She was now a Divine Spirit that was on par with a veteran Ninth-Order Master!
While the Divine Spirits’ population was far from their peak back in the Primordial Era, there was no small number of them nowadays; nevertheless, Fu Guang was the only living Divine Spirit who had achieved such a level of power. Naturally, Yang Kai could also be included in this list.
The rest of the Divine Spirits were at most equivalent to peak Eighth-Order Masters. Although these Divine Spirits were generally stronger than average Human Race Masters at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, that did not change the fact that they had yet to reach the highest peak of their strength.
Therefore, the Phoenix Clan no longer had a designated leader, much less a Phoenix Empress after the death of the former Dragon and Phoenix Clan Leaders during the battle in the Barren Territory. Only a Phoenix who had reached the realm of Ninth-Order Masters had the right to command the Phoenix Clan and vie for the position of Phoenix Empress.
Su Yan had reached the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm; in addition, her Phoenix Clan Source had reached a realm equivalent to the Eighth-Order. Having inherited the Source of the Third Generation Phoenix Empress, she was expected to become a Phoenix Empress in the future if she had enough time to develop and grow.
The entire Phoenix Clan had placed their hopes in her.
Nevertheless, the enhancement of a Divine Spirit’s Bloodline and Source was extremely difficult. Even though Su Yan repeatedly entered the Phoenix Nest to cultivate over the years, she had remained stuck at a bottleneck. She simply could not overcome the bottleneck and advance to the final step.
That was until this moment.
Su Yan, who was reborn thanks to the Flame of Rebirth, had finally shattered her bottleneck. Her Bloodline had improved significantly, allowing her to advance. She even overcame the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm, which was nothing short of a miracle.
Amidst the ringing notes of the Phoenix Cries, Su Yan who had transformed into an Ice Phoenix, gave Zhang Ruo Xi a slight nod of acknowledgement. Then, she turned around and charged towards the vast battlefield, leaving a long and flickering tail of blue light in her wake.
Another Phoenix Cry sounded a moment later, and a large part of the void froze as a result. Countless Black Ink Clansmen were turned into ice sculptures that maintained their final appearance before their deaths, drifting aimlessly in the void. Even the surviving Royal Lords were too intimidated by the icy aura to step forward and challenge this new enemy. They were certain that things would not end well for them if they were touched by that kind of power. At the same time, the enormous Black Ink Cloud that had condensed above the battlefield was also enveloped in huge ice crystals.
One after another, Phoenix Cries sounded from various directions across the battlefield. It was the Phoenix Clan welcoming their newly-crowned Empress. Their sonorous cries pierced through space itself, sounding a horn of counterattack.
“Hou!” A high-pitched Dragon Roar sounded next.
Zhang Ruo Xi, who finally managed to collect her emotions, looked up into the void and saw Yang Xiao writhing around in his Dragon Form. The power of the Dragon Vein in his body fluctuated wildly, showing faint signs that he was about to break through.
Moreover, he was not the only one! Pi Xiu, the final survivor, was also exhibiting similar signs!
The previous battle was an arduous struggle that they had never experienced before. Although their consciousnesses had been dormant at the time, their bodies did not forget the details of the battle. The enormous pressure had brought them closer to the limits of their Bloodline.
Nonetheless, what truly allowed them to break through their limits was the pure Source Strength of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer which had poured into them. Both Yang Xiao and Pi Xiu were bearers of the Great Sun and Moon Marks, which were the manifestation of a piece of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s Source.
In order to successfully form the Nine Palaces Formation with Zhang Ruo Xi, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had integrated their Marks into the Divine Spirits and assumed control over their bodies; hence, all eight of the Divine Spirits received the blessing of the Burning Light and the Serene Glimmer’s Source Strength, which stimulated the growth of their Bloodline greatly. The benefits that they obtained after surviving their near-death experience were unimaginable.
The power of Yang Xiao’s Dragon Vein boiled. He roared endlessly, filled with the faint realisation that he had touched up the barrier that hindered his growth. As long as he could break through this barrier, he would be able to successfully become a Divine Dragon!
He had been under tremendous mental pressure ever since he returned from the Universe Furnace. Although Yang Xue had advanced to the Ninth Order, he remained stuck as an Ancient Dragon. Consequently, there were many occasions in which they could no longer fight side-by-side with each other. The main reason was the difference in their strengths, which caused him to become a burden for Yang Xue.
For this reason, Yang Xiao had been desperately trying to improve his Bloodline. He had asked Fu Guang for advice on countless occasions, but the path to becoming a Divine Dragon was not easy. Even with Fu Guang’s careful guidance, he simply could not find a way to overcome his bottleneck.
The number of people in each generation of the Dragon Clan who could successfully advance to become Divine Dragons could always be counted on one hand. Most of the time, the Dragon Clan had only one Divine Dragon, and even at the peak of the Dragon Clan, there had only been a total of three Divine Dragons.
At this moment, Yang Xiao could almost see his breakthrough on the horizon. He knew that this might be his opportunity to overcome his bottleneck; therefore, he could not afford to miss it. In order to break through the shackles of his Bloodline, he was willing to sacrifice everything!
The same was true for Pi Xiu!
While the Dragon and Phoenix Clans generally had the protection of a Dragon Emperor or a Phoenix Empress in each generation, no equivalent Divine Spirit had appeared among the rest of the Divine Spirits since the end of the Primordial Era.
The Primordial Era had been the turning point for the Divine Spirits, who lost the blessings of the Heavens and earned the malice of the Universe instead.
During the Primordial Era, the Divine Spirits had been the favoured of the Heavens. They were unrestrained in their actions, doing whatever they wanted without any fear or scruples. Their reign came to an end after countless years of warring against each other for dominance, and they were eventually supplanted by the Monster Race. By that point, countless Divine Spirits had perished. Afterwards, the blessing and favour of the Heavens gradually shifted to the Monster Race.
Innumerable Divine Spirits were again wiped out during the Early Ancient Era when the Monster Race ruled, and the number of Divine Spirits who survived was less than one percent of their numbers at their peak. If the Monster Race had continued to reign over the Universe, the Divine Spirits would have gone extinct completely. Even the Dragon and Phoenix Clans would not be an exception.
What happened next was amusing indeed. The Monster Race ultimately walked down the same path as the Divine Spirits after they overthrew the reign of the Divine Spirits. Once again, the blessing and favour of the Heavens shifted, now falling upon the Human Race!
It was for that reason that the Divine Spirits cooperated with the Human Race. By taking shelter under the wings of the Human Race, they managed to preserve the lives of the surviving Divine Spirits until today!
In short, the Divine Spirits lost the favour of the Heavens after the Primordial Era and could no longer reproduce the glory of their Ancestors. The greatest sign of their decline was the huge reduction in the number of Divine Spirits that could touch what was equivalent to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Only those born in the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan had produced such Masters after the Primordial Era. It had to be said that every single Divine Spirit Clan had the protection of their respective ‘Ninth-Order Divine Spirits’ during the Primordial Era. In fact, their numbers could range from a few to several dozen in each Divine Spirit Clan back then.
Countless aeons had passed since then, and at this moment, there was a Pi Xiu who finally experienced the opportunity to overcome the shackles of his Bloodline on this vast battlefield. He was ecstatic beyond imagination. Forcefully enduring the damage caused by his injuries, he pushed his Bloodline Power with reckless abandon. The vitality surrounding his body became more and more intense as time passed.
All over the battlefield, the Divines Spirits revealed their true bodies and roared in excitement. If Su Yan’s transformation was a joyous event for the Phoenix Clan, then Pi Xiu’s current state was a joyous event for all the Divine Spirits. Regardless of whether he succeeded in overcoming his bottleneck or not, he had already given the other Divine Spirits a glimpse of hope.
On the main battlefield, the difficult situation faced by the allied Army had been greatly eased, all thanks to Zhang Ruo Xi.
The Black Ink Clan had paid an exorbitant price to take down Zhang Ruo Xi, resulting in the loss of hundreds of Royal Lords and yielding less-than-desirable results.
If the Human Race Army had not desperately escorted the eight Divine Spirits to aid her at the last moment, the Black Ink Clan’s plans to kill Zhang Ruo Xi would most likely have succeeded, and once she was dead, there would no longer be anybody on the battlefield with sufficient strength to pose a threat to the Black Ink Clan.
At that moment, the two Giant Spirit Gods were trapped by over 100 Royal Lords. They were too busy fending for themselves to spare any energy to rescue the Human Race Army.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruo Xi eventually won the battle. The price of her victory was the lives of five Divine Spirits, but all the Royal Lords surrounding and besieging her had been eliminated in exchange. Furthermore, Su Yan had successfully been crowned as the Phoenix Empress. The enormous figure of the Ice Phoenix radiated with a bone-chilling cold that froze everything in its wake. Even space itself was no exception.
Be that as it may, the situation remained bleak.
The Black Ink Clan had twice as many troops as the allied Army, which gave them a numerical advantage that was difficult to overcome. Furthermore, not all of the Royal Lords had been eliminated in the skirmish with Zhang Ruo Xi. The enemy had preserved enough Royal Lords to maintain the situation on the main battlefield despite their attempt to kill Zhang Ruo Xi.
At this moment, the difference in strength between the two sides had not shrunk, but instead increased significantly. The main cause for this was that the Small Stone Race died at a much faster rate than the Black Ink Clan.
Su Yan’s Rebirth had only managed to help stabilize the situation by a small margin. The Human Race Army would need an even greater injection of strength to prevent things from deteriorating, much less win the battle.
A continuous wave of Dragon Roars reverberated throughout the void. When the power of Yang Xiao’s Dragon Vein reached a certain limit, the aura of the Divine Dragon erupted. Then, the body of a 100,000-metre-long White Dragon emerged, its enormous Dragon Head rising high above, overlooking all living creatures from a lofty height. Yang Xiao had succeeded in ascending to the realm of Divine Dragon!
At the same time, the aura of a ‘Ninth-Order Divine Spirit’ radiated from Pi Xiu.
Eight Divine Spirits had stepped forward to help Zhang Ruo Xi, and though five had died in battle, the remaining three had successfully overcome their respective shackles and risen to greater heights.
It was important to note that the difference in impact a Ninth-Order Divine Spirit like Pi Xiu could play on the battlefield compared to a newly advanced Ninth-Order Human Master was enormous. That was because the Divine Spirits were inherently stronger than Ninth-Order Humans by a large margin.
As soon as Yang Xiao and Pi Xiu joined forces and charged into the battlefield, a large swath was cut into the ranks of the Black Ink Clan Army. The overwhelming aura of the Divine Spirits flooded the void, causing countless Black Ink Clan Soldiers to perish.
In the distant void, another silver Divine Dragon was rampaging across the battlefield. His entire body was drenched in blood, and many of his tough Dragon Scales had been torn or blasted off. This silver Divine Dragon was none other than Fu Guang. Regardless of his immense strength, he was bound to sustain injuries in such a chaotic and intense battlefield.
When Fu Guang saw Yang Xiao charging into the battlefield after becoming a Divine Dragon, he immediately rushed over towards him. At the same time, a series of Dragon Roars were exchanged between them, as though they were communicating with each other. It did not take long before Yang Xiao seemed to understand the situation, and he quickly sliced a bloody path through his enemies to approach Fu Guang.
A short while later, the two Divine Dragons gathered at the same place. In terms of size alone, Fu Guang was undoubtedly larger than Yang Xiao. This was only natural as Fu Guang had been a Divine Dragon for a much longer time.
The two behemoths began to draw upon the power of their Dragon Veins, causing their vitality to surge and boil within them. That was not all. They also began to spin in circles at a high speed, with their bodies connected together from end to end. In the beginning, their figures could still be seen; however, they soon blurred into a rapidly rotating blur.
Something could vaguely be seen amidst the rapidly spinning circle of light, as though being summoned into existence.
Many of the Royal Lords in the Black Ink Clan Army couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable at the sight. Although they did not know what the two Divine Dragons were attempting, they knew that their actions would undoubtedly be detrimental to the Black Ink Clan. They had to stop the Divine Dragons at all costs; hence, more than a dozen Royal Lords immediately rushed towards the two Divine Dragons from various directions.
Despite their efforts though, another shocking scene entered their eyes before they could approach the Divine Dragons.
Under the joint efforts of the two Divine Dragons, a large amount of turbid liquid suddenly gushed out from the dazzling circle of light. The unknown liquid splattered across the void like a spray of mist from a mountain spring, covering everything around them. Then, a torrent of water emerged and swept out in all directions.
Many of the Divine Spirits who knew what was happening couldn’t help feeling moved by the scene before them. They knew that the Dragon Clan had brought out their strongest trump card in order to obtain victory in this war. The torrent gushing into the void without restraint was clearly the waters from the Dragon Pool!
The Phoenix Clan had the Phoenix Nest, while the Dragon Clan had the Dragon Pool. These were the foundations of their respective Clans.
When the Phoenix Clan mobilised the power of the Phoenix Nest against their enemies, the Dragon Clan had not unleashed the power of the Dragon Pool. It was not that the Dragon Clan did not want to bring out their trump card, but rather that they lacked the ability to perform such a feat.
Under normal circumstances, the act of summoning the Dragon Pool would have required various complicated rituals in addition to the concerted efforts of many Dragon Clan members. Unfortunately, the Dragon Clan simply could not afford the time and energy to perform such intricate rites on such a crisis-ridden battlefield.
That was the case until Yang Xiao became a Divine Dragon. With Fu Guang’s cooperation, the two Divine Dragons joined hands and forcibly summoned the Dragon Pool to the battlefield.
The Dragon Pool was the foundation of the Dragon Clan; after all, the existence of the Dragon Pool was the prerequisite for the Dragon Clan to produce endless descendants. Not to mention, the power of the Dragon Pool was diligently accumulated over countless generations of the Dragon Clan.
Regardless of whether the war would end in victory or defeat today, the Dragon Clan would inevitably suffer unimaginable losses by summoning the Dragon Pool on such a chaotic battlefield. It would be impossible to restore the lost energy without several hundreds of thousands of years of recuperation. Nevertheless, there was no denying that the effects of summoning the Dragon Pool were remarkable.
The waters of the Dragon Pool turned into a raging torrent that swept out in all directions, and the Black Ink Clan Soldiers caught within this flood instantly perished. The power of the Dragon Pool was an unstoppable force. If a Dragon bearing the Dragon Clan Bloodline came into contact with the Dragon Pool’s waters, they would be able to enhance their Bloodline and increase their strength. On the contrary, the waters of the Dragon Pool were a lethal poison to living creatures without the power of a Dragon Vein in their bodies.
Everywhere the mighty current flowed, death followed. Even one of the Royal Lords rushing towards the two Divine Dragons who accidentally got caught in the current only managed to struggle for a few breaths before he dissolved into the rampaging waters. It was a grand display of the terrifying power within the mighty current of the Dragon Pool.
Needless to say, the current did not pose any threat to beings like the Royal Lords and the Territory Lords as long as they remained on guard. The power emanating from the Dragon Pool might be impressive, but powerful Masters only needed to avoid the waters by a certain margin to remain unaffected.
However, it was never Fu Guang’s intention to target the enemy Masters when he joined forces with Yang Xiao to summon the Dragon Pool. His goal had always been the Black Ink Clan Army! The Royal Lords and the Territory Lords could easily dodge the raging currents, but the Black Ink Clan Soldiers weaker than the Territory Lords were not so capable; therefore, the troops of the Black Ink Clan Army were now perishing in droves.
Some Small Stone Race members fighting the Black Ink Clan Army were also caught in the raging torrent, but this couldn’t be helped. Although Fu Guang had done his best to summon the Dragon Pool in an area where only the Black Ink Clan was heavily concentrated, he could not exert fine control over the direction in which the mighty current of the Dragon Pool would flow; hence, accidental injuries among friendly troops was inevitable.
What shocked him though was that the Small Stone Race members caught in the raging torrent of the Dragon Pool did not lose their lives. On the contrary, they simply struggled in the current for some time before they quickly rushed out and resumed fighting.
After pondering on it for a moment though, Fu Guang realized what had happened. These Small Stone Race Soldiers might be simple-minded, but their bodies contained a significant amount of power from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.
Even if the power of the Dragon Pool was both ancient and pure, it was still incomparable to the original powers of Yin and Yang born alongside the Universe. The realization completely relieved Fu Guang of his worries. With hindsight, he had to admit that summoning the Dragon Pool at such a perilous juncture had been a stroke of genius.
Following the raging torrent that swept out in all directions, the Black Ink Clan Army suffered enormous losses, completely eliminating the numerical advantage they originally held.
On the other hand, the Human Race Army was small in number and extremely agile in their movements; hence, it was not difficult for them to avoid the mighty current under Mi Jing Lun’s command. As for the Small Stone Race… only their formations were scattered by the impact while they did not suffer any actual casualties.
After a while, the Dragon Pool vanished without a trace. The release of the waters that the Dragon Pool had accumulated over countless aeons instantly changed the entire situation on the battlefield. It was finally time for a counterattack of the allied Army of the Human and the Small Stone Races!
Among the remaining Black Ink Clan Army, all the Royal Lords wore solemn expressions on their faces. They simply could not understand this sudden turn of events. How did the Black Ink Clan, who should have had an absolute numerical advantage, end up in such dire condition all of a sudden?
Without sufficient numerical advantage, it was impossible for the Black Ink Clan to be a match for the allied Army of the Human Race and the Small Stone Race. To make matters worse, that terrifying woman was also beginning to take action again.
After the three Divine Spirits advanced to the Ninth Order in quick succession, they immediately charged into the battlefield to resolve the most critical crises. Zhang Ruo Xi finally had the chance to catch her breath as a result. She had watched the entire chain of events unfolding before her, beginning with the Dragon Pool’s summoning, the raging current sweeping out across the battlefield, and finally, the Black Ink Clan Soldiers being washed away and vanishing from existence.
Tightening her grip around the Heavens Order Sword, she murmured under her breath, “Seniors, I’m heading into battle!”
Big Brother Huang sighed softly, like he wanted to make a comment, but in the end, he said nothing and silently cooperated with Big Sister Lan to help Zhang Ruo Xi maintain the balance of power in her body.
The Heavens Order Bloodline burned once more, and the wings behind Zhang Ruo Xi’s back glowed with a blue and yellow hue. She charged into the battlefield without hesitation, aiming directly at the Royal Lords besieging Ah Da and Ah Er.
At this moment, the pressure faced by the allied Army on the main battlefield was not that serious; in fact, they were beginning to gain the upper hand. That was why Zhang Ruo Xi did not head for the main battlefield.
She would not last much longer in battle, so there was no point in slaughtering some miscellaneous Black Ink Clan troops with what little time she had left. It was undoubtedly more cost-efficient to spend her limited strength slaughtering some Royal Lords instead.
Besides, Ah Da and Ah Er would be freed as long as she killed enough Royal Lords. The allied Army of the Human Race and the Small Stone Race would also receive the support of the two Giant Spirit Gods if she succeeded, which might be more effective than providing support by herself.
In a flash of yellow and blue, Zhang Ruo Xi entered the range of the battle where Ah Da and Ah Er were located.
At this moment, the Royal Lords besieging the two Giant Spirit Gods were forced to suffer in silence.
The Royal Lords besieging Zhang Ruo Xi had been completely eradicated, and the numerical advantage of the Black Ink Clan Army on the main battlefield was quickly being overturned. At this point, the Human Race Army had gained the upper hand in this battle.
Even if the Royal Lords fighting the two Giant Spirit Gods wanted to help their comrades, they did not dare to leave their positions easily. They were only able to keep the two Giant Spirit Gods in check by relying on sufficient numbers to harass them. If any of them stepped away from their position, there was a risk that the delicate balance would be broken.
Once the two Giant Spirit Gods broke free of their restraints, it would be impossible to pin them down again. However, it was evident that Zhang Ruo Xi was coming to help the two Giant Spirit Gods.
The Royal Lords would only be waiting for their imminent deaths if they continued to confront the two Giant Spirit Gods, but showing their backs to these three terrifying enemies would likely just result in them dying faster… At this point, they were stuck in a situation with no hope of escape. Any choice they made would result in a tragic end; thus, every one of them felt aggrieved and hopeless.
The Black Ink Clan’s plans to use the Royal Lords to keep the two Giant Spirit Gods under control failed as soon as Zhang Ruo Xi came to the latter’s aid.
With a flash of her sword, several Royal Lords perished on the spot.
Upon receiving Zhang Ruo Xi’s assistance, Ah Er immediately struck out at the same time. He reached out his hand and smacked at a Royal Lord who was hovering around him. Thanks to Ah Er’s Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering strength, the Royal Lord struck by his blow was instantly smashed to pieces.
However, Ah Er paid a heavy price for his actions. The other Royal Lords immediately took the opportunity to leave numerous wounds on his body, causing blood and flesh to splatter everywhere. Nevertheless, Ah Er did not back down. Abandoning all defences, he switched to a violent offensive instead.
As time passed, the Royal Lords steadily perished. When the number of Royal Lords besieging Ah Er dropped to half their original number, the restraints and shackles holding him down could no longer be sustained.
Ah Er was freed!
Afterwards, his offensive became increasingly violent and vicious. He worked together with Zhang Ruo Xi to quickly slaughter a few more Royal Lords around him, and as a result, the remaining Royal Lords could no longer withstand the pressure of the assault and scattered in various directions. Zhang Ruo Xi and Ah Er did not give chase but instead took the opportunity to rush towards Ah Da.
A feeling of doom washed over the Royal Lords at this sight. Zhang Ruo Xi had resolved Ah Er’s predicament by killing off many of the Royal Lords in the encirclement with her strength alone. And now, she was joining forces with Ah Er to attack the remaining Royal Lords. How were they supposed to survive this onslaught?
Seeing that the situation was not looking good for them, the Royal Lords besieging Ah Da hastily abandoned their opponent and fled in all directions. Ah Da naturally flew into a rage and chased after the fleeing Royal Lords, but his movements were slow and clumsy due to his enormous size, so how could he catch up to them? In the end, he was stopped by Ah Er.
At this point, Ah Da had practically lost his ability to think rationally and was acting purely on his instincts. Thus, he immediately turned around and punched out. The punch caused Ah Er to stagger and lose his balance. Fortunately, Ah Da realised that he had attacked the wrong person after the first strike and his anger immediately vanished. He then stood there awkwardly scratching his head.
Among the two Giant Spirit Gods, Ah Da had always been the most simple-minded. In comparison, there was no doubt that Ah Er was the smarter one. That was also why Zhang Ruo Xi had decided to rescue Ah Er first when she had the opportunity to help them.
“Come with me, we’ll beat them up together!” Ah Er told Ah Da, then he turned around and charged towards the main battlefield.
Ah Da obediently followed after his brother, quickly forgetting about how he was bullied by the Royal Lords earlier.
On the main battlefield, the appearance of the three Ninth-Order Divine Spirits and the mighty current of the Dragon Pool had long since levelled the gap in military strength between the two sides. These changes allowed the allied Army to gain the upper hand in the battle over time. Moreover, their advantage swiftly widened when the two Giant Spirit Gods came forward to provide support.
Everything had gotten better, and the situation was bound to improve even more.
On the other side, Zhang Ruo Xi was relentlessly chasing down the fleeing Royal Lords. Her speed was extraordinary. With the slightest flap of her wings, she could ignore the barriers of space and appear before any one of the Royal Lords in an instant.
None survived the slash of the Heavens Order Sword.
One… Two… Five… Ten…
The Royal Lords who scattered and fled in all directions had no hope of surviving. On the contrary, their actions simply accelerated the arrival of their demise. When the Royal Lords finally realised their mistake, they hastily gathered together once more.
Unfortunately, there were only some 40 Royal Lords remaining at this point.
These Royal Lords were originally responsible for surrounding and besieging the Giant Spirit Gods. There had been more than 100 of them in the beginning, but more than half had perished in such a short span of time.
Having seen the situation on the main battlefield, they knew that the Black Ink Clan had already lost the battle, but so what? As long as they had the Supreme One, they would never be defeated. What they needed to do now was preserve their strength as much as possible. When the Supreme One finished dealing with whatever matters it had to, they would rule the Universe under the command of the Supreme One.
With these considerations in mind, the Royal Lords gathered together but did not attack Zhang Ruo Xi. They simply waited quietly and assumed a defensive posture.
Holding the Heavens Order Sword in both hands, Zhang Ruo Xi smiled slightly even though her complexion was as pale as a sheet.
Their response perfectly aligned with her desires. If they had scattered and fled in different directions, then she would not have been able to eliminate them all. On the contrary, the fact that they gathered together in one place had certainly saved her the trouble of hunting them down.
Needless to say, the situation was also a risk to her. If she failed to handle the situation properly, she would most likely suffer catastrophic consequences.
“Come!” Zhang Ruo Xi exhaled lightly and stabilised the power in her body. When she looked up, the vitality surrounding her began to boil and burn and she transformed into a stream of light that charged towards the Royal Lords.
This was her last burst of strength, so she had to act swiftly. She had to finish dealing with these Royal Lords before the situation fell out of control.
When the stream of light crashed into the Royal Lords, various howls of fury resounded. Blood splattered everywhere and dismembered limbs scattered across the void. Under the rain of sword slashes that ruthlessly came pouring down, the Royal Lords perished one after another.
The entire incident seemed to last for only a brief moment, but at the same time, there was also a feeling that hundreds of thousands of years had passed in that brief moment.
When Zhang Ruo Xi finally stopped swinging her sword, the void was littered with the dismembered remains of the Royal Lords. The few survivors opposite her looked petrified. Those short few moments had deeply instilled the true meaning of despair in their hearts. In the face of absolute might, even Royal Lords like themselves were as weak as ants!
Nevertheless, something unexpected occurred.
Under the horrified gazes of the Royal Lords, Zhang Ruo Xi’s hands suddenly fell limply to the sides. The vitality that enveloped her body also became extremely weak at this moment. On the other hand, the terrifying aura within her became increasingly intense and unstable.
“She’s at her limits!” One of the Royal Lords yelled in pleasant surprise.
The Royal Lords had extremely keen vision, so they immediately noticed the changes when Zhang Ruo Xi showed abnormal symptoms. At this moment, the few surviving Royal Lords finally glimpsed an opportunity to defeat this woman; hence, they charged forward without hesitation.
A sharp look flashed through Zhang Ruo Xi’s eyes, and she struggled to lift the Heavens Order Sword up again. Big Brother Huang’s anxious shout entered her ears at that moment, “You’ll die at this rate!”
A faint smile appeared on her face, but her hands did not loosen their grip on the sword, instead tightening even more as she answered calmly, “We all have a predestined time.”
Big Sister Lan called out anxiously, “If you die, Big Brother Huang’s and my power will surely go out of control! Are you willing to watch this place turn into another Chaotic Dead Territory?”
There was no denying that Big Sister Lan was much better at reading hearts when it came to persuading others.
Zhang Ruo Xi was not afraid of death. If her death could bring victory to the Human Race, she would sacrifice herself without a second thought. However, there would be catastrophic consequences if she lost her life here.
Without the coordination of the Heavens Order Bloodline, the power of the two ancient Supreme Beings would definitely spiral out of control. The enormous void would become another Chaotic Dead Territory in an instant. If that were to happen, the Black Ink Clan Army would surely be eradicated, but unfortunately, the Human Race Army scattered across the battlefield would also be dragged down with them.
The Human Race had been fighting for millions of years just to obtain peace… At this point, they were only one step away from the dream of so many generations. How could Zhang Ruo Xi destroy everything at such a critical moment?
After a brief hesitation, Zhang Ruo Xi abruptly retreated. She no longer dared to carelessly activate the power within her; therefore, she could only avoid the attacks of the Royal Lords who were charging forward desperately.
Seeing that, the Royal Lords pursued Zhang Ruo Xi even more fiercely than before.
Ripples suddenly spread out across the void, and in the next moment, a dark blue Ice Phoenix wrapped in a bone-chilling cold stepped out from the ripples and shot a blast of icy aura at the Royal Lords who were pursuing Zhang Ruo Xi.
The Royal Lords were startled by the unexpected arrival and quickly dodged. When they raised their heads once more, their hearts ran cold with fear.
Following the appearance of the Ice Phoenix, several other figures stepped out from the ripples. They were none other than the Ninth-Order Human Masters!
The allied Army had completely seized the initiative on the main battlefield. They marched forward in high spirits, with their overwhelming advantage in battle steadily growing larger. Under such circumstances, the outcome of the battle was no longer in question. Their victory was only a matter of time at this point.
It was for that reason that Mi Jing Lun immediately sent reinforcements when he noticed Zhang Ruo Xi’s predicament. For the sake of ensuring Zhang Ruo Xi’s safety, he did not even hesitate to mobilise Su Yan, who had only just become a ‘Ninth-Order Divine Spirit’.
After repelling the Royal Lords who were pursuing Zhang Ruo Xi, a flash of light appeared around the Ice Phoenix. The figure shrank rapidly to reveal Su Yan’s appearance. She took a step forward and came to Zhang Ruo Xi’s side. Grabbing Zhang Ruo Xi by the arm, she quickly made a few manoeuvres and withdrew from the battlefield. Her next task was to protect Zhang Ruo Xi until the battle ended.
Once Su Yan retreated from the battlefield with Zhang Ruo Xi, the Ninth-Order Masters promptly found an opponent for themselves and clashed with the surviving Royal Lords.
As time passed, powerful auras were eliminated one after another. The Masters from the Black Ink Clan suffered heavy casualties, and the Black Ink Clan Army was steadily being eradicated.
The Small Stone Race Army also suffered terrible casualties, but even their deaths played a huge role in the battle.
From time to time, flashes of dazzling light would burst out across the battlefield. Those flashes were none other than Purifying Light. Everywhere the light illuminated, Black Ink Strength dissipated and Black Ink Clansmen howled in agony.
The Royal Lords and Territory Lords were perishing all over, and this only accelerated with the destruction of the Black Ink Clan Army. At a certain moment, the last stubborn Royal Lord was finally eliminated. The remaining Human Race Army looked around and realised that there were no other enemies around…
The battle that lasted for several months with almost no time for respite finally ended with the victory of the allied Army.
The Small Stone Race Army had suffered a heavy price for the victory. At this moment, less than 30% of their original numbers remained.
As for the Human Race Army… About 10 million troops remained when the entire Human Race Army assembled together in one place. Even the number of Ninth-Order Masters had reduced by more than half. Among the Ninth-Order Masters who lost their lives in battle, most of them were those who advanced recently. Although they managed to break through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, they barely had any time to stabilize and strengthen the foundation. Compared to the veteran Ninth-Order Masters, their heritage and control over their own strength was undoubtedly weaker by a significant margin.
Furthermore, there were also many injured and crippled among the survivors.
The price of victory was extremely heavy, but the victory was ultimately worth the sacrifices.
A Heaven-shattering burst of cheers rang out soon after. The survivors screamed and rejoiced at the top of their voices, revelling in the ecstasy that overflowed from their hearts.
Meanwhile, unlike the ordinary soldiers, the higher-ups in the Human Race Army knew that this war was not over.
Although they had finally eradicated the entirety of the Black Ink Clan that escaped from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, as long as Mo, the Source of the Black Ink Clan, was still alive, the Black Ink Clan could rise once more.
Despite fighting for months, Mo had never appeared on the battlefield. Yang Kai had not shown up either. It could be conceived that these two were battling each other somewhere in the depths of the void, and the outcome of their clash would determine the ultimate fate of the Universe.
Nobody knew the situation in the depths of the void. Zhang Ruo Xi had indeed exchanged blows with Mo for a period, but so much time had passed since then that she could no longer judge the situation on the other side. For that reason, the allied Army only took a brief moment to rest and reorganise their formation after their victory. Then, they began marching into the depths of the void in hopes of helping Yang Kai.
There was only one piece of good news that could be confirmed. Yang Kai was definitely alive. That was because they could sense a series of disturbances that were caused by a battle somewhere deep in the Void. Those disturbances could only mean that Yang Kai currently had the capital to exchange blows with Mo!
Passing through the site where the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was originally located, the Human Race Army was shocked by the sight that greeted their eyes.
There were countless Black Ink Nests scattered throughout the void; moreover, precious High-Rank Black Ink Nests could be found everywhere. It was just that there was no sign of activity from any Black Ink Clansmen even though there were so many Black Ink Nests. Having dispatched all their military strength to the battlefield for the earlier battle, the Black Ink Clan had been completely wiped out as a result. These Black Ink Nests were nothing more than decorations now.
However, what shocked the Human Race Army was not the countless Black Ink Nests scattered everywhere, but the gigantic figures dispersed throughout the void. Those figures were none other than Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods!
The outcome of the previous battle would have been even harder to determine if the Black Ink Clan had dispatched these Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods to the battlefield. In fact, there was a high possibility that the battle would have ended with the defeat of the allied Army.
Fortunately, the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods were Soul Clones of Mo, so Mo had to inject a strand of his Soul into these behemoths to make them move. Without a strand of Mo’s Soul, these Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods were nothing more than empty shells. There was nothing the Black Ink Clan could do about the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods even if they wanted to mobilize them.
After passing through the void where the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was previously located, the allied Army increased their pace; however, Mi Jing Lun’s expression grew increasingly solemn as they steadily marched forward.
He originally brought the allied Army with the intention of helping Yang Kai, but he also knew that Mo was extremely powerful. The rumours claimed that Mo had reached the legendary Creation Realm. Even if the allied Army boasted massive numbers, they might not be of much help to Yang Kai.
Be that as it may, he was currently faced with a dilemma. At present, it was no longer a question of whether the allied Army could provide any help to Yang Kai, but whether the allied Army could even continue their forward march under the current circumstances.
As they marched forward, the shockwaves from the battle up ahead became increasingly terrifying. Even now, the mere fallout was enough to shake the entire void. The countless ripples that constantly spread out from the depths of the void were powerful enough to warp space despite their origin being beyond the horizon…
Mi Jing Lun soon realised that the intensity of the battle between Yang Kai and Mo was unprecedented. At this rate, it was evident that the allied Army would not be of any help. That was because they did not even have the qualification to approach the battlefield. If they forced their way forward, they would be crushed by the fallout before they even arrived.
After considering the situation for a time, Mi Jing Lun made a decisive decision. He ordered the allied Army to remain on standby at their current position; then, he brought only the Masters in or stronger than the Ninth Order with him and resumed their trek to the depths of the void.
The small group travelled for some time before the situation on the battlefield finally came into view, but the sight that entered their eyes stopped them cold in their tracks and turned them pale with horror. It did not matter whether they were a Ninth-Order Master or a ‘Ninth-Order Divine Spirit’. Even Ah Da and Ah Er were no exception.
Yang Kai stood in the void with the Azure Dragon Spear in his hand. There seemed to be a small and slender Spirit Snake wrapped around the body of the spear. In addition, every thrust of his spear contained a Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering force. The Spirit Snake was the manifestation of his Space-Time River
He had completely refined and absorbed Mu’s Space-Time River into his body now, and although he was robbed of many benefits by Mo during the process, the benefits he gained had already pushed him to his limits. Hence, the fact that Mo had stolen some of the benefits did not affect the overall situation by much. The stolen benefits had only restored some of Mo’s strength at most.
The Spirit Snake wrapped around the Azure Dragon Spear was Yang Kai’s Space-Time River. It was the result he obtained after countless near-death encounters with Mo. The ability to condense the Space-Time River into this shape undoubtedly indicated that he had complete control over the power of the Space-Time River.
The intensity and ferocity of this battle were something Yang Kai had never experienced before either. The slightest negligence would lead to his death, and he had indeed suffered several near-death experiences because of Mo. It was fortunate that he had always managed to avoid the worst outcome at the last moment.
Mo’s vicious attacks had allowed Yang Kai to rapidly gain control over the power of his Space-Time River. He had been no match for Mo in the beginning, but it had only taken him a few days to reach his current mastery.
Originally, Yang Kai could only absorb the Dao Strengths into his body by force. When he devoured and refined Mu’s Space-Time River, he had swallowed Mu’s Space-Time River whole and did his best to grasp as much of Mu’s last gift as possible.
If the Yang Kai from then was compared to a piece of raw ore, then his battles with Mo had been various forms of tempering and refinement. Every application of Dao Strengths and every encounter with Mo had gradually increased his control over the power of the Space-Time River. The rough and ugly ore had been forged into a fine piece of metal now.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s understanding of the 10,000 Dao Strengths had truly reached the peak of enlightenment. The strength he could now exert was no weaker than what Zhang Ruo Xi had previously displayed at her peak. Unfortunately, it was still not enough.
If he wanted to slaughter Mo, then he had to overcome his limits in the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm and advance into a higher Realm. Only then would he have hope of victory; however, his heritage was insufficient. How could Yang Kai easily overcome his limitations under these circumstances? Not even Mu could achieve such a feat.
The more perfectly he could control his powers, the more aware Yang Kai became of his shortcomings. He couldn’t reach a higher level of the Martial Dao in such a short span of time. He would need to spend long years of precipitation and accumulation before he could ascend.
Therefore, he sank into a vicious loop. As long as he failed to overcome his limitations, he would not be able to slaughter Mo. If he wanted to break through to a higher Realm of the Martial Dao, he would require more time. But, how could Mo allow him to have enough time to grow and develop?
Ever since Yang Kai condensed his Space-Time River in the Universe Furnace, he had found his path to the future. It was just that he failed to realise his discovery until Mu pointed it out to him.
Although he could now oppose Mo to a certain extent, he knew in his heart that this situation would not last for long. There were times when one simply lacked the necessary strength, and he was bound to become exhausted at some point. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of Mo. Mo was a strange existence that was born when Heaven and Earth split apart. As long as his Source remained intact, his strength would never be depleted. Furthermore, he was supposedly in the Creation Realm already! Even if more than 30% of his Source had been suppressed and sealed, he was still a mighty being in a Realm above the Open Heaven Realm.
Yang Kai had finally seen the bizarre means of a being in that Realm. Black Ink Strength that permeated the void could be transformed into a Royal Lord with a single touch from Mo. The ability to create something out of thin air was simply unimaginable.
It was truly fortunate that Yang Kai’s current strength was extraordinary, so even a Royal Lord would only pose a minimal threat to him. That was why Mo stopped using such ineffective tactics after a few attempts and decided to fight Yang Kai with his own strength instead.
With each vicious exchange of blows, the violent aftermath that spread out in all directions caused the void to shudder and crack.
During one of their confrontations, Yang Kai suddenly heard a slight sound coming from deep within his heart. At the same time, a strange sensation was also transmitted from his arm. Looking down at his arm, he couldn’t help being shocked by the sight. A crack had appeared on the as-till-now indestructible Azure Dragon Spear!
The Azure Dragon Spear was given to Yang Kai by Ah Da when he was still living in the Star Boundary. In other words, the spear had accompanied him for thousands of years, during which they experienced numerous battles and slaughtered countless enemies together.
As the spear was an artifact refined from the body of a Divine, its Grade was so high that it was practically unmatched. Be that as it may, Mo had managed to cause a crack to appear in such an amazing spear. It was easy to imagine the intensity of this battle; after all, even the body of a Divine Dragon could not withstand the force of Mo’s attacks.
After the first crack appeared on the spear, a second and third crack quickly followed. It did not take long before the entire body of the spear was covered in fine cracks. The spear was on the verge of shattering to pieces.
When Mo noticed the cracks on the spear, a hint of mockery appeared in his eyes and his attacks became fiercer and fiercer.
Yang Kai suppressed the reluctance in his heart and summoned his Dao Strengths with all his might; then, he thrust out with his spear. As soon as the violent forces collided with each other, the impact caused his body to freeze for a moment. The spear that had accompanied him for thousands of years simultaneously shattered into a million pieces in his hand.
Mo had been waiting for this very opportunity. When the Azure Dragon Spear shattered to pieces, he jumped forward and punched Yang Kai. This punch was meant to become the deciding factor of this battle. He strongly believed that Yang Kai would be forced to avoid his blows after losing his weapon. If that was the case, then he could steadily press forward and gain complete control over the flow of the battle until Yang Kai became powerless to fight back.
Contrary to expectations though, Yang Kai did not retreat from the blow even after the Azure Dragon Spear shattered to pieces. The Space-Time River, which was originally wrapped around the body of the spear, seemed to have gained spirituality and clung tightly to his arms. Facing Mo’s attack directly, Yang Kai threw a punch in Mo’s direction.
The Dao Strengths fluctuated violently.
At the moment when both forces collided with each other, a powerful impact manifested as a visible halo of light centred around the two opponents flashed. The halo of light swiftly spread out in all directions. Everywhere the light passed, space shattered and collapsed. It was quickly followed by the appearance of numerous enormous Void Cracks…
The Ninth-Order Masters who had arrived at the periphery of the battlefield turned pale with fright. Faced with the approaching fallout of the battle, they quickly summoned their strength to defend themselves against the impact. Nevertheless, they were still sent flying.
They, who were no longer at their peak strength, were instantly thrown into disarray by the impact. Luckily, the two Giant Spirit Gods stood in front of them and bore the brunt of the shockwave. It was only thanks to the protection of Ah Da and Ah Er that there were no casualties.
Once the effects of the aftermath passed, they couldn’t help looking slightly flustered and bitter.
They originally came here intending to help Yang Kai. Halfway into the journey, the allied Army was forced to stop at a distance and discontinue their forward march because the troops could not withstand the overwhelming pressure of the battle.
At this moment, they were horrified to discover that even Ninth-Order Masters like themselves could not approach the battlefield. They would be torn apart by the aftermath of such powerful attacks. As things stood, the only ones who could be depended upon were the two Giant Spirit Gods, Ah Da and Ah Er…
Mi Jing Lun looked up at the two behemoths and instantly realised that the two Giant Spirit Gods could not be counted on either. The survivors were exhausted after the arduous battle. Even Ah Da and Ah Er were no exception. While the two Giant Spirit Gods managed to resist the shockwave just now, they were still pushed back significantly by the impact.
Under these circumstances, it was impossible for any of them to intervene in the battle. They would only be a burden for Yang Kai if they recklessly charged forward. Mi Jing Lun was abruptly struck by a saddening realization. The only thing they could do after coming here was to witness the unique battle with their own eyes. That was an unimaginably heartbreaking truth.
When the aftermath fully dissipated, everyone looked towards the battlefield from behind Ah Da and Ah Er. The scene that greeted them made their hearts tighten with fear. Yang Kai was steadily being pushed back, seemingly at a complete disadvantage. Compared to an ancient entity like Mo, Yang Kai’s heritage was simply too shallow. The slightest negligence or careless mistake could become fatal.
“Waste!” During the battle, Mo suddenly yelled in frustration.
Yang Kai flew backwards like an arrow released from the bowstring following a vicious strike. The Space-Time River wrapped around his arm suddenly emerged behind him and he fell into the river, diffusing some of the impacts from the blow. It did not take long before he stepped out of the river once more. His complexion was pale, and a trickle of blood dripped from the corners of his mouth.
Mo did not pursue Yang Kai. He simply stared coldly and calmly stated, “My offer from before still stands. Give up your futile resistance and hand over Mu’s inheritance. I guarantee that the Human Race will have a place to live in the future!”
Yang Kai turned his head to the side and spat out a mouthful of blood. Then, he grinned wickedly, “Kill me, then you can deal with the Human Race as you please!”
Mo closed his eyes gently. When he opened them once more, his murderous intent overflowed. He did not bother to speak again, and his figure abruptly vanished from where he was standing. By the time he reappeared again, he was already standing in front of Yang Kai. The sudden disappearance and reappearance were not a trick of Space Principles; rather, his speed had simply reached such an extreme.
Yang Kai did not seem surprised by these movements. With a backward grab, the Space-Time River that was originally flowing behind him transformed into a whip and appeared in his hand. The long whip then lashed out towards Mo.
Mo frowned slightly but did not dodge aside, he simply threw a punch instead.
The punch struck Yang Kai squarely in the head. The blow made his head arch backwards, and his skull seemed to crack from the impact. He was immediately drenched in blood; nevertheless, the long whip wrapped around Mo…
Standing so close to each other, the blood-drenched Yang Kai grinned at Mo, “I finally caught you!”
He seemed to have been waiting for this moment. After he finished speaking, he gave the long whip in his hand a sharp flick. The Space-Time River manifested once more, and the raging currents instantly engulfed the two figures.
Before their figures vanished from view, the Masters standing in the distance vaguely heard Mo’s mocking voice sounding in their ears, “Since you’re so eager to die, I will fulfil your wishes!”
Afterwards, the Space-Time River that stretched out into the void suddenly boiled and bubbled violently. Meanwhile, the Grand Dao Strengths trembled agitatedly. These were the results of the battle between Yang Kai and Mo in the Space-Time River.
The Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters couldn’t help being extremely nervous at the sight.
The Space-Time River was the condensed crystallization of Yang Kai’s 10,000 Grand Daos. Even if fighting in the Space-Time River would give him a considerable advantage over his opponent, that was not enough to overcome the fact that Mo’s cultivation was in a higher Realm than his.
Besides, the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had seen the previous battle with their own eyes. Under Mo’s powerful offensive, Yang Kai could only parry and defend at most; he had no strength to fight back whatsoever. That was the result of the undeniable gap in their strengths. Rashly dragging his enemy into the Space-Time River was both an opportunity and a danger. If he failed to defeat Mo in the Space-Time River, then he would not be able to guarantee his own safety in the Space-Time River.
The churning of the river waters became increasingly turbulent. Waves rose and fell, splashing around fiercely. At the same time, countless Dao Strengths appeared and disappeared mysteriously. Although the Ninth-Order Masters could not see the ongoing battle, they could deduce that Yang Kai was at a disadvantage just by looking at the changes in the Space-Time River.
The situation lasted for several days. The Ninth-Order Masters were about to rush forward to help when the churning river suddenly turned calm. With their hearts in their throats, they watched the Space-Time River intently. They knew that the outcome of the battle had been decided.
Mi Jing Lun immediately sent a transmission to his companions, ordering them to be ready for action at any time.
A figure suddenly stepped out of the river… To their horror, the figure that stepped out turned out to be not one but two figures. Mo held Yang Kai by the head, dragging him with one hand. Yang Kai hung limply from Mo’s grasp as though every bone in his body had been broken.
Standing above the Space-Time River, Mo held Yang Kai’s head as though holding a chicken in his grasp and snorted, “Useless waste! You don’t have the right to continue living!”
Then, he abruptly exerted great strength in his hand.
How could Yang Kai, who had lost his ability to fight, withstand such an attack? His head instantly exploded from the impact; however, Mo did not stop there. It punched out and smashed the crippled body to pieces.
The scene was imprinted in the eyes of the Ninth-Order Masters who were watching the battle from afar. They stood frozen in shock and stared in disbelief.
Yang Kai died? The man who was the best at creating miracles and turning the tides of war countless times? The man who had saved the Human Race from various catastrophes? Did he die just like that?
They instinctively refused to believe the scene before them and subconsciously wondered whether they were looking at an illusion; however, the dissipation of his aura that followed the destruction of his body could not be faked. Everything indicated that he was really dead! Yang Kai had died at the hands of Mo!
Only a short moment had passed from the time Yang Kai was dragged out of the Space-Time River by Mo; moreover, Mo had not hesitated in the slightest when he killed Yang Kai. Everything happened so quickly that the Ninth-Order Masters had no time to even think about rescuing Yang Kai.
A shrill but mournful Phoenix Cry rang out, accompanied by a furious Dragon Roar. Su Yan and Yang Xiao transformed into their Divine Spirit Forms and charged towards Mo. The rest of the Ninth-Order Masters also followed suit and sprang into action. Despite knowing that they were no match for Mo, nobody hesitated in the slightest.
Now that Yang Kai was dead, there was nobody in this World who could compete with Mo. Black Ink Strength would soon gain complete control over the Universe. When that happened, the Human Race would no longer have a place to live. This was the final struggle!
Su Yan was the fastest; after all, the Dao of Space was the Bloodline Talent of the Phoenix Clan.
She had lost her mind after being consumed by her feelings of rage and sorrow. At this moment, there was only one thought left in her heart. She wanted revenge, and if she could not have it, she would accompany Yang Kai to the afterlife!
A gorgeous trail of light lingered behind the enormous blue figure. With a few flickers, she arrived on the battlefield. However, a bizarre phenomenon occurred before she could unleash her strength. Ripples suddenly emerged in the originally calm Space-Time River. Following the splashing waves, a figure leapt out.
Upon seeing the appearance of the figure, Su Yan froze in shock. Even the Ninth-Order Masters behind her were dumbfounded by the sight. The figure who stepped out from the Space-Time River was none other than Yang Kai, who should have been killed by Mo earlier!
[He’s alive!?] Everybody stared at the scene in front of them in disbelief. Their reactions were similar to when they watched Yang Kai being killed just now.
He had clearly died right before their very eyes, and his death had not been an illusion. Nevertheless, he just walked out of the Space-Time River alive! The bizarre phenomenon was beyond their comprehension. This kind of resurrection after death was simply impossible.
After stepping out from the surging waves, Yang Kai immediately noticed Su Yan and the others. He seemed to have anticipated the current situation and breathed out deeply, “I’m glad I made it back in time. Step back.”
Su Yan, who had transformed into an Ice Phoenix, only hesitated for a brief moment before she turned around and retreated backwards. She also manipulated Space Principles and quickly transported the people behind her away from the battlefield.
The Ninth-Order Masters were forcefully returned to their previous positions. This location could barely be considered safe from the aftermath of the battle.
Xiang Shan frowned deeply, “What just happened?”
Yang Kai had clearly been killed, so how did he come back alive from the Space-Time River? Although Xiang Shan had lived for many years, he had never encountered such a bizarre sight before.
A light flashed through Mi Jing Lun’s eyes, “Creation Realm… Could it be the mysteries of the Creation Realm?”
“What do you mean?” Ou Yang Lie raised an eyebrow at those words, “Are you saying that Yang Kai has stepped into the Creation Realm?”
Mi Jing Lun shook his head, “It doesn’t seem like it.”
The Yang Kai who stepped out of the Space-Time River only had the aura of a Ninth-Order Master. It did not seem as though he had ascended to a new Realm.
Be that as it may, Mi Jing Lun had no other explanation for the bizarre phenomenon that they just witnessed. What’s more, could reaching the Creation Realm really allow one to revive from the dead? It was simply outrageous and inconceivable.
On the battlefield, Mo watched Yang Kai reappear from the Space-Time River and turned to look at the scattered pieces of the dismembered body. After confirming that he had indeed slaughtered Yang Kai earlier, he immediately understood the situation, “A Shadow?”
Yang Kai smiled at Mo, “I can’t fool your eyes after all.”
Mu and Mo had lived together for such a long time. It was only natural for Mo to know about Mu’s methods. Besides, two identical individuals could not exist together unless they originated from different Space-Times.
Mu’s Shadow Technique had transcended the limits of the mundane. In order to suppress and seal Mo’s Source, she had divided her entire life into 3,000 shadows to protect the 3,000 Universe Worlds inside her Space-Time River. Each shadow represented a part of her past, an illusion of sorts that was also real and tangible.
Yang Kai had obtained Mu’s final gift. Devouring and refining her Space-Time River had allowed him to massively increase the volume of his own Space-Time River. At the same time, he also enhanced and improved his attainments and comprehension of the 10,000 Grand Daos. The benefits he received were enormous.
Nevertheless, those were not his greatest gains. The greatest benefit he obtained was Mu’s Shadow Technique. That Secret Technique was definitely the pinnacle of the mysteries of the Grand Daos.
After fighting Mo, Yang Kai had deeply understood that he was no match for his opponent. That was because he could not overcome his limits and advance to a higher Realm within a short time. As long as he could not advance to a higher Realm, then his battle with Mo would only end with his defeat and death. Be that as it may, he could not afford to die. The Human Race would be doomed if he fell here.
Since he had no means to advance to the next Realm within a short time, his only chance of victory was to master Mu’s Shadow Technique!
Just one or two of him could not compete with Mo, but what about three of him? Or, five? Or, 10?
Mastering the mysterious Shadow Technique was Yang Kai’s only chance at defeating Mo; therefore, he had mainly been buying time during his previous fight with Mo so that he could integrate the many Dao Strengths into his body completely.
Mu had not been able to teach Yang Kai about the mystery behind the Shadow Technique. It was not that she had no intention to teach him the Secret Technique; on the contrary, it was a Secret Technique that resulted from reaching the pinnacle of the Grand Daos, so it was not something he could learn even if she tried to teach him. The Secret Technique was something he had to comprehend with his own abilities. Fortunately, Yang Kai had embarked on the same path as Mu. It was for that reason she believed that he would eventually comprehend the mysterious Secret Technique and understand her intentions for giving him her Space-Time River.
Having come into contact with more than 2,000 of Mu’s shadows, Yang Kai already had some vague ideas about the Shadow Technique before he devoured and refined Mu’s Space-Time River. Furthermore, Mu’s final gift had laid down a solid foundation for him. It was thanks to the foundation that he finally understood the secrets of the Shadow Technique and was able to perform it through his Space-Time River.
There was no denying that Mo had killed him, but the one who died was a copy of himself who had existed at a certain time in the past. Nonetheless, the demise of a shadow was not without cost. Although it was Yang Kai’s first time performing the Shadow Technique, he quickly noticed that something was wrong. He raised a hand to his head in confusion, “It feels like I’ve forgotten something…”
He had completely lost his memories of the time during which the deceased shadow of him had existed.
“Never mind. It probably wasn’t anything important.” He gave a carefree laugh and looked up at Mo, “Shall we go for round two?”
Mo’s lips curled upwards. His expression had been sullen throughout the battle with Yang Kai, as though he owed him a massive debt. He also repeatedly made rude and disparaging remarks, but he broke into a smile at this moment, “Interesting!”
“The interesting part has yet to come!” As soon as the words left Yang Kai’s mouth, the Dao Strengths lingering around his body began to fluctuate. He arrived in front of Mo in the blink of an eye. The Space-Time River surged behind him. Raising his arm, Yang Kai summoned the Azure Dragon Spear and thrust it at Mo.
The Azure Dragon Spear should have been destroyed, but the Azure Dragon Spear in the Space-Time that Yang Kai’s shadow originated in remained intact. That was why the shattered spear could display its great strength once more!
As before, the violent fallout produced by their exchange of blows continuously spread to the surroundings. The spectating Ninth-Order Masters couldn’t help widening their eyes at the sight. They secretly rejoiced that Yang Kai had resurrected in time. With their strength, Mo would have effortlessly killed them if they had rushed forward at the time.
It was initially assumed that Yang Kai would be able to persist for a long time even though the battle was not evenly matched in strength; after all, he had displayed his immense strength previously. Unexpectedly, the battle only lasted for four hours before Mo found an opening and slammed his fist into Yang Kai’s chest.
A gaping hole appeared in Yang Kai’s chest, then his body exploded into pieces. His aura also swiftly dwindled away into nothing. Despite knowing that he would not experience a true death, the Ninth-Order Masters could not help being overwhelmed by sorrow at the sight.
After eradicating Yang Kai’s second shadow, Mo raised his eyes to look in the direction of the Space-Time River. He had lived with Mu for such a long time, so he was well aware of the Shadow Technique’s strength. The true strength of the Secret Technique was not power, but the prominent ability to survive that was granted to the users of the Secret Technique.
The Shadow Technique was created based on the Space-Time River, so the foundation of the Secret Technique was the Space-Time River itself. In order to completely eradicate a user of the Shadow Technique, the Space-Time River must first be destroyed; otherwise, the user of the Shadow Technique would never perish.
For that reason, Mo immediately aimed for the Space-Time River as soon as he slaughtered Yang Kai’s second shadow. Black Ink Strength around his body surged to cover the entire river. He planned to corrupt the entire Space-Time River with Black Ink Strength in order to destroy Yang Kai’s Shadow Technique.
But before Mo could make a move, another of Yang Kai’s shadow jumped out of the Space-Time River. Yang Kai instantly summoned the Azure Dragon Spear and launched himself at Mo, he even made a mocking remark, “Why are you in such a hurry?”
The two figures resumed their vicious battle once more. During that time, Yang Kai fought Mo while gathering various information on the Shadow Technique. It was his first time performing the Secret Technique, so his understanding of it was quite lacking. He had to perfectly master the Secret Technique as soon as possible because that was the only way he could turn the situation around and obtain victory!
If he only relied on a never-ending series of battles via his shadows, he would never be able to defeat Mo. However, Yang Kai would need to make countless attempts and gain experience from actual practice to perfectly master the Secret Technique as soon as possible.
“I’ve forgotten more things, but the memories I deliberately preserved have not been forgotten. That’s good news…” Yang Kai quietly muttered to himself and resumed battle against Mo. Although he was no match for Mo still, he no longer needed to worry about death. That was why he could afford to act more recklessly than before. Shortly afterwards, Yang Kai gained another important piece of information, “The shorter the span of Space-Time allocated, the weaker the shadow’s fighting ability. That is certainly worth noting!”
When that thought passed through his mind, the strength of his shadow faltered. Yang Kai showed weaknesses in his defences, so Mo instantly found an opening and slaughtered him!
Blood rained all over the void. Despite witnessing similar scenes on several occasions already, the Ninth-Order Masters watching the battle from afar still widened their eyes at the sight. What reassured them was that the next Yang Kai had already leapt out of the Space-Time River almost as soon as the previous Yang Kai died.
One after another, Yang Kai’s shadows stepped out from the Space-Time River only to perish at Mo’s hands. There were no exceptions. The first one had survived the battle for over four hours. The second one lasted for less than four hours. As for the third… the battle had ended even faster.
“This is bad!” Among those who were watching the battle from a distance, Mi Jing Lun’s expression turned solemn. He had noticed the issue at hand.
It was an extremely serious issue. Although Yang Kai’s Shadows were endless in supply, his strength seemed to be weakening over time. It was as though time was flowing backwards for him, causing his condition to return to an earlier period with each shadow.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s aura was only comparable to a newly advanced Ninth-Order Master; hence, he was effortlessly slaughtered by Mo as soon as he stepped out from the Space-Time River.
If the situation continued in this manner, he would not even be able to maintain his cultivation in the Ninth-Order. If that were to happen, Mo would be able to exterminate him without even breaking a sweat, no matter how many shadows were to appear.
Another one of Yang Kai’s shadows in the newly advanced Ninth Order stepped out from the Space-Time River. Raising a hand, Mo captured the shadow in its grasp and stared at Yang Kai faintly, “You’re a disgrace to Mu’s legacy!”
Yang Kai did not panic even though he was captured by Mo. After the repeated deaths of his shadows, he was now very familiar with the feeling of death. Raising an eyebrow at those words, he denied the statement, “That might not be true!”
Mo looked surprised, “Do you have another trick up your sleeve?”
Yang Kai grinned, “Indeed, a trick you’ve never seen before.”
“Very good!” Mo made a faint smile. While saying so, he exerted some strength into his grip and crushed the shadow in his grasp.
In the next moment, another Yang Kai leapt out from the Space-Time River; however, the aura lingering around him was different this time. Something had obviously changed as his aura was once again at the peak of his strength.
If the foundation of the Shadow Technique was said to be the Space-Time River, then the Core of the Secret Technique was the user of the selected Space-Time. In Yang Kai’s case, he was manipulating the 10,000 Dao Strengths with his Self from this Space-Time as the Core and his Space-Time River as the foundation. That was how he gained the ability to summon shadows from previous Space-Time periods.
All those who were slaughtered by Mo previously were his shadows; however, the one who walked out of the Space-Time River now was his main body. It was the him of the current Space-Time!
The foundation and core were extremely important to the Shadow Technique; therefore, it was necessary to destroy both aspects to overcome it.
Mo had initially wanted to refine the Space-Time River but was hindered by Yang Kai’s numerous shadows, which prevented it from taking action. However, he saw a ray of hope when Yang Kai’s main body emerged from the Space-Time River. The Shadow Technique would be destroyed as long as the Yang Kai standing before him was eliminated!
But, could it be that simple? For Yang Kai’s main body to emerge from the Space-Time River at this point… His actions certainly seemed like a desperate move; after all, the shadows that he summoned earlier had been cleanly eradicated. If he summoned any more shadows from earlier Space-Time periods, he would only have the cultivation of an Eighth-Order Master, which would not be able to cause any trouble for Mo at all.
Combining the situation with what Yang Kai mentioned just now, Mo had the vague feeling that Yang Kai was about to reveal his trump card. Oddly enough, he found himself looking forward to what was to come for some reason.
Yang Kai did not disappoint. When his main body stepped out of the Space-Time River, he lightly chanted, “I offer 1,000 years of my past in exchange for a contribution from the future! Come!”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the Space-Time River behind him began to rumble turbulently. The enormous river abruptly shrunk by a large margin, then another of Yang Kai’s shadow emerged from within the waters.
Seeing this, Mo’s eyes narrowed slightly. That was because the aura lingering around this shadow was slightly stronger than Yang Kai himself.
That should have been impossible. It had to be said that the Shadow Technique was performed with one’s self in the current Space-Time as the core. For that reason, the summoned shadow could only be formed from one’s self that existed in previous Space-Times. In other words, the summoned shadow should never be stronger than the main body, because the main body was ultimately the strongest. Be that as it may, an exception had appeared in Yang Kai’s case.
Mo instantly figured out the truth behind the situation and exclaimed in astonishment, “You summoned a shadow from the future!?”
Only Yang Kai from the future could be stronger than the main body of Yang Kai, who existed in the current Space-Time!
Mo did not remain idle when he raised this question. After realising that Yang Kai’s attainments in the Shadow Technique had surpassed Mu’s, he knew that Yang Kai could not be allowed to continue, so he charged forward even while asking this question.
In response, Yang Kai just stood calmly in place.
On the other hand, the summoned shadow stepped forward and immediately engaged in an intense battle with Mo. Although he came from 1,000 years in the future, his strength was still limited even though he was slightly stronger than the main body. He was no match for Mo either, but he would have no trouble buying some time for Yang Kai.
Furthermore, Yang Kai did not need much time!
He then shouted again, “Come!”
A second shadow stepped out from the Space-Time River. It was another Yang Kai who came from another 1,000 years into the future. When the second shadow appeared, the size of the Space-Time River shrunk again. On the other hand, the aura of Yang Kai and the two shadows instantly became closely interconnected. A Three Fortunes Formation was established!
The aura of the second shadow was again stronger than the first…
The first shadow had been steadily pushed back by Mo’s intense assault, but his situation improved as soon as the Three Fortunes Formation was established even though he remained at a disadvantage.
“Again!” Yang Kai shouted. The Dragon Blood in his body boiled and churned, while at the same time, his face began to flush red.
A third shadow stepped out from the Space-Time River. Glancing at the main body, he nodded lightly before he directly charged onto the battlefield. The Three Fortunes Formation also instantly transformed into the Four Symbols Formation!
“Again!” Golden Blood trickled out of Yang Kai’s nose as a fourth shadow emerged and the Four Symbols Formation evolved into a Five Elements Formation!
Shadow after shadow emerged from the Space-Time River without pause; only when the eighth shadow was summoned did Yang Kai finally stop. It was not that he no longer wanted to continue, but rather that the volume of his Space-Time River would shrink by a certain extent whenever he summoned a shadow from the future, and the Space-Time River had vanished completely after he summoned the eighth shadow.
He had reached the absolute limit of his Shadow Technique!
At this moment, Yang Kai’s main body was bleeding from all seven of his orifices. It was evident that he had endured tremendous pressure in order to pull this feat off.
The shadows that appeared towards the end possessed increasingly powerful auras. When the sixth shadow emerged, its aura had already reached the absolute peak of the Ninth Order. It was a stage that even Yang Kai’s main body had not achieved. The seventh and the eighth shadows also had auras at the peak of the Ninth Order, but their auras had become even more profound.
Looking at Mo who was being besieged and steadily repelled by the shadows on the battlefield, Yang Kai smiled even though he was covered in blood.
In truth, the shadows were already capable of fighting Mo on an equal footing when the Six Paths Formation was formed; therefore, Mo’s situation then became more and more critical when it later evolved to become the Seven Stars, Eight Trigrams, and ultimately Nine Palaces Formation!
The ones who established the Battle Formation were all ‘Yang Kais’. To be more precise, they were Yang Kais from future Space-Times! This was a feat that even Mu could not achieve. Her Shadow Technique could only summon shadows of her past because her Space-Time River was incomplete, but that was not the case for Yang Kai. His Space-Time River had been perfected, so the power of the Shadow Technique he wielded was even more terrifying!
Each shadow represented a Yang Kai from subsequent 1,000-year periods in the future. In other words, the eight shadows represented 8,000 years worth of future Space-Time.
These eight shadows combined with Yang Kai’s main body to establish the Nine Palaces Formation. For that reason, the power of the Battle Formation was even greater than the Nine Palaces Formation formed between Zhang Ruo Xi and her eight Personal Guard.
Zhang Ruo Xi, who had harmonized the power of Yin and Yang with her Heavens Order Bloodline, was certainly stronger than any of Yang Kai’s individual shadows. Be that as it may, the strength of the eight Personal Guards had held her back. Taking the overall situation into account, Yang Kai’s Nine Palaces Formation was undoubtedly the strongest Nine Palaces Formations that had appeared on the battlefield. Moreover, the difference in strength was significant!
After establishing the Nine Palaces Formation, Yang Kai’s main body took a step forward and charged towards Mo with the combined strength of the other eight shadows.
The Six Paths Formation was already sufficient for Yang Kai to fight Mo on even terms, so the Seven Stars Formation and Eight Trigrams Formations had left Mo at a complete disadvantage. At this moment, Yang Kai was practically invincible thanks to the Nine Palaces Formation. With the combined forces of the main body and eight shadows, Mo was powerless against their intense assault.
Black Blood and Black Ink Strength splattered everywhere.
The nine Yang Kais moved around swiftly, each one of them having mastered the 10,000 Grand Daos. As they were shadows of Yang Kai himself, there was no need for them to worry about their cooperation. The connection between the shadows was so close and firm that there were no flaws in their movements at all!
Mo naturally wanted to break free, but it was not easy to escape the besiegement of the Battle Formation.
The Ninth-Order Masters watching the battle from afar were stunned. Nobody could have imagined that such a strange scene would appear during the final battle. The mysteries of the Shadow Technique had exceeded their comprehension and imagination.
Looking at the current situation, they couldn’t help feeling hopeful and excited. That was because they finally saw a glimpse of hope in defeating Mo. In the past, the issue of defeating Mo had always been a plague to the Human Race. Although they never deliberately avoided the topic, the reality was that they simply did not have sufficient means or strength to oppose Mo.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s support had certainly been a pleasant surprise; unfortunately, even she was not strong enough to compete with Mo in battle.
The battle on the main battlefield was over, and the entire Black Ink Clan had been obliterated. If Yang Kai could defeat Mo, then the Black Ink crisis that had been plaguing the Human Race since the Late Ancient Era would be resolved in one fell swoop. A bright future was awaiting the Human Race! The light would eventually expunge all darkness!
However, the veteran Ninth-Order Masters soon began to look worried. The current situation might be favourable for them, but nobody knew what price Yang Kai had paid to wield the Shadow Technique like this. Seeing as the Secret Technique far exceeded his own abilities, the price he paid would correspond to the strength he obtained. In other words, the greater the strength Yang Kai obtained, the greater the price he had to pay! Furthermore, they did not know how long he could persevere in such an intense battle.
The truth was just as they feared. Yang Kai had indeed paid an unimaginable price to wield the Shadow Technique in such a fashion. His body was also forced to bear the incredible pressure that came from obtaining strength that exceeded his own abilities. In other words, he could not maintain this state for long! He had to finish this battle as soon as possible, and for that reason, he did not hesitate to join the battle himself just to defeat Mo a little faster!
Mo was steadily being pushed back under the suppression of the Nine Palaces Formation. At this point, he was backed into a corner with no ability to fight back.
The vexing situation infuriated Mo. As the ancient Supreme Being, he was a Master who not only originated from the same era as Mu, but also once held the opportunity to reign over the entire Universe. Even if more than 30% of his Source had been suppressed and sealed, he could still not tolerate a Junior acting so presumptuously in front of him; especially when this particular Junior had stolen Mu’s final legacy from him.
Amid the intense battle, Mo abruptly turned to look in a certain direction and fixed his gaze on one of Yang Kai’s figures. Naturally, it was Yang Kai’s main body.
The main body was easy to identify. Not only was the aura of the main body the weakest among the other shadows, but the appearance of the main body was also the most dishevelled and worse for wear due to the effects of performing the Shadow Technique.
To break the Shadow Technique, it was necessary to either destroy the Space-Time River that acted as the foundation or the main body that acted as the Core. At this moment, the Space-Time River was nowhere to be seen because it had been evenly divided between Yang Kai’s eight shadows. In that case, Mo only had one option left.
Mo turned to face the storm of attacks coming from so many shadows and disregarded the injuries he sustained, even when the strongest shadow chopped off his arm. In the end, the heavy price he paid was worthwhile indeed. He successfully broke out of the encirclement created by the shadows and arrived in front of Yang Kai’s main body.
Black Ink Strength surged. Raising his remaining hand, Mo blasted his fist at Yang Kai. The punch was quite a distance away from Yang Kai; nevertheless, the force of the punch was enough to cause space to shatter, time to stop, and the universe to collapse. The blow containing Mo’s full strength could not be dodged or avoided.
Mo could almost see Yang Kai’s main body being smashed into paste, and a hint of triumph flashed through the fury in his eyes, but unexpectedly, the imagined scene did not appear.
Despite the incoming blow, Yang Kai’s main body did not show the slightest trace of panic; on the contrary, he stepped forward and threw himself in the direction of the blow.
Mo was stunned by the strange turn of events.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s main body suddenly unleashed a burst of power that far exceeded his own strength. The force directly penetrated the shackles of Space and caused the stagnant Time to flow again. Then, he punched out at the same time.
[Damn it!] Mo abruptly realised that he had fallen into a trap.
For a long time now, the Core of the Nine Palaces Formation had always been sustained by the strongest shadow. Nevertheless, the fact that Yang Kai’s main body could exert such a powerful burst of strength indicated that the Core of the Nine Palaces Formation could be transferred to the main body.
The method to break the Shadow Technique was to defeat the body which existed in the current Space-Time. That was something both Mo and Yang Kai knew. Seeing as the former was bound to target the main body, how could the latter not take precautions? It could even be said that Yang Kai had been waiting for this very moment.
A violent force swept out, pushing Mo’s figure backwards. In the meantime, the eight shadows attacked from all directions. Dao Strengths fluctuated wildly, and the barrage of attacks left Mo staggering from the impact.
If that were all, Mo’s situation would have been bad enough; however, each of the eight shadows actually exerted strength that far exceeded their limits with every blow that they unleashed. The position as Core of the Formation was constantly being transferred around! To be precise, the position as Core was instantly transferred to whichever shadow was attacking Mo at the time.
Such a feat would have been impossible to achieve if it was any other configuration for the makeup of the Battle Formation, but Yang Kai could freely transfer the position as Core between his main body and his shadows without any obstruction.
This was the same strategy that Zhang Ruo Xi had carried out previously. She and her eight Personal Guard had both been the Cores and not the Cores at the same time. Such a perfect Nine Palaces Formation could be said to have no flaws whatsoever. More importantly, there was no need to fear the weak links being targeted; in fact, there was only one method to destroy this Battle Formation, which was to totally annihilate it by brute force!
The biggest reason why Zhang Ruo Xi had been defeated by Mo was that her Personal Guard could not withstand the intensity and ferocity of the battle. Transferring the Core position to her Personal Guard was a huge burden on their bodies. Each time they became the Core, they would also suffer heavy damage from the pressure; hence, there was a risk of their bodies collapsing after numerous transfers.
The same was also true for Yang Kai! In fact, the burden was greatest on his main body! The main body had already been greatly weakened after performing the Shadow Technique. With the addition of the pressure from being the Core of the Formation, he couldn’t help vigorously coughing up blood, his complexion turning as pale as a sheet.
Be that as it may, he did not hesitate in the slightest. Taking full advantage of the opening created by the eight shadows who were besieging Mo, Yang Kai stepped forward and approached Mo’s arm that had been severed earlier. Although the arm was bleeding profusely, it was not a fully physical body part.
“Open!” Yang Kai raised his arm and pointed at the arm. His Divine Sense surged turbulently. A moment later, a huge set of doors suddenly appeared in front of him. The door opened slightly to reveal a small gap, and then an indescribable pulling force seeped out from within and devoured the entire severed arm.
This arm contained part of Mo’s Source! Previously, some 30% of Mo’s Source had been suppressed and sealed by Yang Kai with the help of the Profound Source Gate.
If Yang Kai could not suppress and seal this piece of Mo’s Source quickly, the opportunity to retrieve his severed arm and reabsorb the piece of his Source he had lost would remain. Once Mo did so, he would return to full strength again.
Now that this piece of his Source had been sealed, Mo’s aura dropped significantly. Although Black Ink Strength surged at the spot where his arm had been severed and formed a new limb in the blink of an eye, the power that had been suppressed and sealed could no longer return.
With the success of this attack, Yang Kai’s confidence increased tremendously! This was the first crucial step towards victory. It was also the hardest and most dangerous step in the entire process! This step had paved the way for the rest of the path, making what came next easier.
Retrieving the Profound Source Gate, Yang Kai turned around and charged towards Mo. The furious battle resumed once more!
The secret that the position as Core of the Nine Palaces Formation could be freely transferred between the shadows had already been exposed; therefore, Yang Kai had no reason to hide his movements anymore. Dao Strengths fluctuated violently around him, and his offensive grew increasingly vicious.
Mo was already no match for Yang Kai when the Nine Palaces Formation was formed, so now that he had lost a part of his Source, his situation worsened even more.
After a brief but intense battle, one of Yang Kai’s shadows found an opening and chopped off one of Mo’s arms again.
Mo immediately attempted to retrieve his severed arm, but Yang Kai was already prepared for such an opportunity in advance. In the end, Mo was incapable of extricating himself from the battle due to the constant assault by the various shadows.
Yang Kai’s main body swiftly approached the severed arm, and for the second time, he summoned the Profound Source Gate and devoured the Source piece!
After completing his task, Yang Kai coughed up another mouthful of blood. He raised his head and glanced at the battlefield. Perceiving the condition of his shadows, he knew that he could not persist for much longer.
His main body was not the only one who was severely wounded by now, the rest of the shadows were also in a similar condition. However, only a small portion of these wounds were caused by Mo. Most of them had come from carrying the burden of being the Nine Palaces Formation Core.
Yang Kai’s immense strength and heritage had allowed him to bear an unimaginable amount of pressure from being the Core. That was only possible because it was him. If it were any other Ninth-Order Master instead, they would not have been able to withstand the pressure after being a Core three times in such a situation, regardless of their strength.
“I have to end this as quickly as possible!” Yang Kai muttered under his breath; then, he stepped forward and joined the battlefield.
In the next moment, his strongest shadow took on the boundless pressure from being the Core and unleashed a continuous storm of attacks without care whether his body could withstand the burden or not!
Mo clearly faltered under the violent bombardment of the strongest shadow.
While Mo was busy stewing in rage, the strongest shadow threw himself forward and disregarded Mo’s counterattack to restrain Mo firmly. At such a close distance, he grinned at Mo and revealed a sinister row of fangs!
Mo immediately understood Yang Kai’s intentions. Roaring furiously, he desperately struggled to escape; however, the attacks that came blasting from all directions rained down on Mo and the shadow the next moment!
Even the strongest shadow could not withstand this barrage of attacks; thus, he exploded and disintegrated completely! Likewise, Mo’s body was battered from the attack. The left part of his body was gone, revealing the internal organs within his abdomen cavity.
Mo staggered backwards weakly, a strange light flashing through his eyes for a moment. Before he could do anything though, another shadow charged towards him.
The strongest shadow had already been shattered, and with that, the Nine Palaces Formation had also been reduced to the Eight Trigrams Formation, which significantly reduced its might.
At the same time, Mo’s aura was not as strong as before. After two pieces of his Source were sealed by Yang Kai, his aura had been notably weakened.
As the remaining seven shadows attacked Mo, Yang Kai’s main body summoned the Profound Source Gate for a third time, suppressing and sealing another piece of Mo’s shattered body.
Mo’s aura weakened once again! The Eight Trigrams Formation was now sufficient to deal with the current Mo.
A series of fearsome attacks struck back the Battle Formation, destroying another of Yang Kai’s shadows; in exchange, Mo once again suffered heavy injuries.
The Eight Trigrams Formation had been reduced to the Seven Stars Formation.
Previously, Yang Kai’s shadows had emerged from the Space-Time River one after another, joining the Battle Formation and making it stronger, but the situation had reversed now.
As more of these shadows perished, the might of the Battle Formation also began to weaken.
The only benefit was that Mo also weakened.
Each time a shadow perished, Mo’s body would shatter and Yang Kai’s main body would seize the opportunity to suppress and seal another piece of the former’s Source.
In the end, all of the shadows disappeared, leaving Yang Kai bleeding all over, staring right across at a miserable and weakened Mo.
The current Mo had a large amount of his Source suppressed and sealed, which significantly decreased his strength. He was no longer as mighty as before, and even the rich and dense Black Ink Strength lingering around him was now extremely faint, almost invisible.
The current Mo had lost more than 90% of his Source. In other words, he only had 10% of his peak strength, which was far from prime condition.
Right then, several figures flew over and formed a circle, surrounding the battlefield.
They were the Human Race Masters who had been watching from afar, as well as the Giant Spiritual Gods Ah Da and Ah Er.
Previously, it was impossible for them to intervene in the battle. Even the two Giant Spiritual Gods were unable to approach, let alone the Ninth-Order Masters; however, as Mo’s strength suffered with the destruction of Yang Kai’s shadows again and again, the spectating Masters finally had a chance to be useful.
Mo… had lost!
It was simply impossible for him to deal with so many Masters with his current strength. Just the two Giant Spiritual Gods alone were enough to overpower him now.
Nonetheless, Mo was laughing, his voice sounding extremely cheerful.
Zhang Ruo Xi stood before Yang Kai with the Heavens Order Sword in her hand, vigilantly staring at Mo. Although Mo was in a miserable state right now, no one knew what kind of methods this ancient being still had hidden up his sleeve. As such, they still had to take necessary precautions.
“Yang Kai!” Mo’s smile faded as it shouted at Yang Kai, “Let’s settle this!”
Behind Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai calmed his roiling vitality and replied, “Good!”
“Sir!” Zhang Ruo Xi shouted, “Allow me!”
She still had the strength to launch one last attack and was confident that she could take down Mo with it; so, she naturally wouldn’t let Yang Kai take the risk.
“No. There’s no need!” Yang Kai stepped forward and walked past Zhang Ruo Xi, staring at the nearby Mo. Even as victory was within his grasp, there was no trace of the pride or arrogance on Yang Kai’s face as a victor should have, rather there was only a complicated expression.
“None of you is to interfere!” Yang Kai gently ordered.
The gathered Masters furrowed their brows ever so slightly. In the current situation, the best course of action was undoubtedly to attack together and take down Mo in an instant, ending this disaster that had lasted for millions of years once and for all; however, Yang Kai actually told them not to interfere.
No one knew what Yang Kai was thinking or up to.
However, out of their trust in Yang Kai, everyone still acquiesced to his demand. Be that as it may, they still maintained their encirclement, and focused their auras. If anything happened to Yang Kai, Mo would immediately be attacked from all directions.
When dealing with Mo, there was no need to discuss honour or morals.
Despite being surrounded on all sides, Mo’s expression still remained calm. He simply stared at Yang Kai and shouted, “Come!”
As soon as he spoke, his figure rushed straight towards Yang Kai, leaving a streak of black light behind him.
Simultaneously, Yang Kai also charged towards Mo.
The moment the two figures collided, everyone’s hearts jumped to their throats.
However, the next thing that entered their sight left them relieved.
Yang Kai’s fist had smashed into Mo’s chest, while Mo’s fist had stopped right before Yang Kai’s head.
*Pu…*
Mo spurted a mouthful of black blood as his raised fist limply fell.
Standing at arm’s length from one another, when their eyes suddenly met, Mo smiled at Yang Kai.
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai nodded to him, and thought for a moment before adding, “I will let you see the world Mu wished for you to see.”
Despite the jet-black blood flowing from the corners of Mo’s mouth, a free and relieved expression appeared on his face after hearing this, “Then, that’s enough!”
Yang Kai didn’t say anything more and summoned the Profound Source Gate. As the gate cracked open, it swallowed Mo whole!
Right afterwards, the door slowly closed itself, sealing the endless darkness behind it.
Back then, it was Mu who had rescued Mo from behind this door, and after more than a million years, Yang Kai had sent him back through it.
This ancient being had lived his life. He did not dare say he didn’t have any regrets, but at the very least, his life had certainly been quite an exciting one.
*Pu…* Yang Kai spurted a mouthful of blood before sitting down cross-legged, taking out a handful of pills from his Space Ring and stuffing them into his mouth.
Everyone immediately rushed to him upon seeing this. Su Yan flew straight behind Yang Kai and sat down, allowing him to lean on her.
After a while, Yang Kai’s chaotic aura finally started to stabilize. As he opened his eyes, he saw many pairs of eyes gazing at him with worried looks.
“I won’t die,” Yang Kai comforted everyone, allowing them to relax.
Mi Jing Lun finally couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked, “Why did you thank Mo at the last moment?”
Although no one heard Yang Kai’s words of thanks, they could tell what he was saying by reading Yang Kai’s lips.
Yang Kai heaved a sigh, explaining, “From beginning to end, Mo never went all-out.”
“What?” Ouyang Lie was shocked, “He didn’t go all out? How is that possible?”
The others also had a look of incredulity on their faces. To their surprise, their battle almost ended in mutual destruction even when Yang Kai had given it everything he had. Did that mean Mo would have obtained the final victory if he had not held back?
Yang Kai continued, “It’s not that Mo didn’t use his full strength, but rather that he didn’t resort to any of his other tricks.”
Yang Kai had always been on guard against certain methods.
The Royal Lords had their Royal Lord Secret Technique, which could instantly corrupt Eighth-Order Masters. As the Black Ink Clan’s Creator, how could Mo not have similar methods? What’s more, such a method when used by Mo would surely be far more profound than what a Royal Lord could produce.
Of course, Yang Kai had the Soul Warming Lotus protecting his Soul, and the World Tree clone protecting his Small Universe, but even so, he could not say with absolute certainty that they would be able to defend against such a move.
Cang once mentioned that a mere clone could not completely negate Mo’s Black Ink Strength, only the World Tree itself would be capable of that!
So, when Yang Kai fought with Mo, he had always been on guard.
But from beginning to end, Mo had not used that mysterious method.
Was it that Mo couldn’t? Impossible!
He just didn’t want to!
Even after Yang Kai summoned his eight shadows, Mo still held a trump card that could have instantly turned the tables. Furthermore, he never needed to fight Yang Kai head-on, he could have just stalled for time, and the eight shadows from the future Space-Times would slowly have dissipated.
Not to mention, there was even a decent chance Mo could have broken away from the Nine Palaces Formation’s blockade and escaped. At the very least, it was clear Mo had no such intention. From beginning to end, he had fought with Yang Kai head-on!
At first glance, it seemed like Mo wanted to kill Yang Kai, no matter the cost, but was that really the case?
Therefore, although Mo had been fighting with all his strength against Yang Kai, he had not truly gone all out.