It almost seemed as though nothing had happened, but when the effects of the Sun and Moon Divine Seal gradually subsided, the several thousand-metre-tall High-Rank Black Ink Nest crumbled into dust and disappeared.
At the same time, the dozen or so Innate Territory Lords shuddered violently. Black Ink Blood spurted out of their mouths as their auras withered away. Countless fine scars appeared both inside and on the surface of their bodies, causing the Black Ink Strength inside to spew out uncontrollably. The condition of the Territory Lords, who were wounded in the first place, immediately worsened considerably.
A Dragon Roar burst forth moments later as Yang Kai arrived with his spear in hand. A lifelike Dragon Phantom emerged from the Azure Dragon Spear, one that shot forward with unstoppable momentum. The terrified screams and furious howls of Territory Lords echoed across the void.
With Space Principles sealing the local region, the Supreme Limitless Spear Art reigned unchallenged as each thrust, and every sweep of the Azure Dragon Spear reaped the life of a Territory Lord. Yang Kai was like a tiger who descended upon a herd of defenceless sheep, none of the Territory Lords was able to resist more than a handful of attacks before succumbing.
In this situation, an uninformed Human Master would have mistakenly assumed that Yang Kai’s opponents were mere miscellaneous soldiers of the Black Ink Clan Army. Otherwise, it should have been impossible for him to slaughter them so easily. However, the fact was that these were genuine Innate Territory Lords.
If these Territory Lords were at full strength, they would each not be inferior to a veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in terms of combat power. It was a pity that they encountered a killing star like Yang Kai when they were so heavily wounded. The only fate waiting for them under these circumstances was death.
There were some occasional counterattacks, which Yang Kai did his best to either block or avoid. Those that he could not dodge simply bore with his body. His Dragon Form, which was only one step away from becoming a Divine Dragon, was indescribably tough, so the attacks of the Territory Lords who could not exert anywhere near their full strength were well within his ability to withstand.
A mere 30 breaths after the encounter began, the chaotic energy fluctuations subsided and the dust settled. There was a large amount of Black Ink Strength scattered throughout the void, dotted with hashed meat and severed limbs. However, there was no trace of vitality in the void. Even Yang Kai was nowhere to be seen as he had immediately flown off after slaying the last Territory Lord.
While Yang Kai appeared and attacked the Territory Lords, Mo Na Ye was moving towards the depths of the void. He had been on his way to meet the various Territory Lords who were heading to the No-Return Pass when he received a message through the miniature Black Ink Nest in his hand. He then abruptly turned to look in a certain direction.
[Yang Kai is there!]
Just moments ago, he lost contact with a group of Territory Lords in the direction he was currently staring. One of the figures gathered inside the Black Ink Nest Space had also gone missing. It was obvious that something unfortunate had happened to them.
Mo Na Ye did not rush in that direction to provide support, as he knew he would be too late even if he went all out. The fates of those severely wounded Territory Lords were practically sealed when Yang Kai discovered their whereabouts.
What was the point of rushing there now? Was he supposed to collect the corpses of the dead Territory Lords? Instead of wasting time on such pointless things, he might as well spend it considering how he could better help the Territory Lords who were still alive.
The previous arrangements he made had backfired on him. To guard against the possibility that Yang Kai would accidentally discover the whereabouts of the escaped Territory Lords, Mo Na Ye had arranged for them to remain far away from the No-Return Pass. Consequently, they required a considerable amount of time to reach the No-Return Pass now. A long journey was bound to be affected by many unpredictable factors.
Be that as it may, his previous arrangements had been necessary. If Mo Na Ye wanted to conceal such a powerful force, he could not allow Yang Kai to discover their presence.
He never imagined that the perfect plans back then would only herald the current catastrophe.
It would take at least half a year for these Territory Lords to travel back to the No-Return Pass, most likely longer. On the other hand, there were many things that Yang Kai could accomplish in half a year. Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space, allowing him to travel multiple times faster than the injured Territory Lords.
If Mo Na Ye wanted to protect more Territory Lords, then he only had two choices. He could either locate and tie down Yang Kai so that he had no time to hunt down the Territory Lords, or join up with the Territory Lords as soon as possible to protect them in person. The first choice was almost impossible to achieve. Even if he was lucky enough to encounter Yang Kai, he could not restrain him. Therefore, Mo Na Ye could only rely upon the second option.
Almost all the Territory Lords in the No-Return Pass had been mobilised, and even a Pseudo-Royal Lord like him had not remained idle. Unfortunately, they were still lacking in manpower. Besides, any strategy would seem worthless and ineffective before an opponent like Yang Kai, who could travel through the Void without any traces.
Mo Na Ye was filled with great hatred. Nevertheless, he could only proceed with all haste. Everything else would depend entirely on fate!
While the Black Ink Clan was painstakingly trying to figure out a solution so that they could safely meet up with the newly escaped Territory Lords, Yang Kai was faced with the difficulty of locating his targets. The Territory Lords were no longer in hiding, and each group was carrying a half-hatched High-Rank Black Ink Nest with them. However, it was not easy for him to find an enemy in the vast void.
If he knew where Mo Na Ye had placed those Territory Lords, then he could intercept all of them on their way to the No-Return Pass. The problem was that he did not know where these Territory Lords were originally hiding. At the moment, the only thing Yang Kai could do was expand his search area as much as possible. He also considered the progress of these Territory Lords and estimated the possible places where they would appear.
His methods were not completely ineffective. If he was lucky, it would only take a few days for him to encounter a group of Territory Lords heading towards the No-Return Pass. If he was not so lucky, then it could take him 10 days to half a month just to see results.
In this way, Yang Kai managed to annihilate another four groups of Territory Lords over the next two months. The number of Territory Lords who snuck out from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and died at his hands was close to 120 at this point!
Every group of Territory Lords that went missing felt like a knife stabbing into Mo Na Ye’s heart. Those Territory Lords were the hard-to-obtain reinforcements of the Black Ink Clan, but they were now being intercepted and slaughtered before they could play any role in the war. It could be said that their deaths were completely in vain.
By using the position of the Territory Lords who went missing last, Mo Na Ye could roughly calculate Yang Kai’s current position. The results were absolutely horrifying. Leaving aside Yang Kai’s random and untraceable movements, his ability to traverse the void with the help of the Dao of Space made his whereabouts completely unpredictable. He would be in a certain position one time, but then he would appear in a position that was in the completely opposite direction just days later.
Faced with such an enemy, even Mo Na Ye could do nothing. The endless and vast void was simply the best possible stage for Yang Kai to display his skills.
At this moment, Mo Na Ye had managed to meet up with a group of Territory Lords, so while leading them towards the No-Return Pass, he sent a message to all the nearby Territory Lords so that they could gather towards him. Since he had come forward in person, it was only natural that Mo Na Ye tried his best to protect as many Territory Lords as possible until they arrived at the No-Return Pass safely.
Nevertheless, he was secretly filled with bitterness and unwillingness.
The secret at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had been exposed far too soon. If their secret was only exposed after another 100 years, or even 1,000 years, then the Black Ink Clan would have amassed an enormous amount of Innate Territory Lords to form an overwhelming force that could destroy the Human Race.
In addition, the first Innate Territory Lords who escaped the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction would also have had some time to recover from their injuries. If that were the case, then it would have been possible for them to perform the Source Fusion Technique to create a Pseudo-Royal Lord on the spot!
It did not matter how strong Yang Kai was; even he would be powerless against a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
Unfortunately, it was an impossible feat even if Mo Na Ye were to command these Territory Lords to create a Pseudo-Royal Lord right now. They were all too heavily injured, which meant that their strength was greatly reduced as a result. Even if they used the Source Fusion Technique, the only fate waiting for them was death. There was no possibility of success whatsoever. Otherwise, the Black Ink Clan would not be caught in such a troublesome situation. They could instantly produce several dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords with a single command.
At this moment, a group of Innate Territory Lords were fleeing desperately through the void. There was a several thousand-metre-tall Black Ink Nest enveloped in thick Black Ink Strength travelling with them, and one of the Innate Territory Lords was constantly stationed inside of it. The Territory Lord in the Black Ink Nest had the responsibility of communicating and passing information to Mo Na Ye at any time.
They were gradually getting closer to the No-Return Pass; nevertheless, the Territory Lords did not dare to relax their guard. That was because one of the groups near them had been attacked by the Human Race Master just 10 days ago. Since then, all contact with those Territory Lords had been lost. There was no telling whether the entire group had perished in the attack.
All of a sudden, they were struck by a wave of murderous intent coming from the distance. It was immediately followed by the rise of the Great Sun looming over the Territory Lords in glorious majesty.
The Territory Lords turned pale with fright. They had been on guard against danger coming from behind them, so they never expected Yang Kai to intercept them from the front. This Human… was truly elusive!
Coming to his senses, one of the Territory Lords shouted a moment later, “Enemy attack!”
Meanwhile, the Territory Lord inside the Black Ink Nest hastily conveyed the message of Yang Kai’s appearance.
On the other hand, Yang Kai frowned slightly. Encountering and intercepting a group of Territory Lords in this place had been a pleasant surprise; after all, he had been searching the way ahead for a while with no success.
Just as he was about to leave though, he suddenly sensed a powerful aura approaching him from behind. It only took a brief search for him to discover the traces of these Territory Lords. How could he hold back against them? He immediately launched an offence.
However, this group of Territory Lords reacted differently from the other groups that he encountered previously.
Over the past few months, Yang Kai had slaughtered many powerful enemies. Aside from the first group of Territory Lords who had failed to react in time, the others would immediately choose to flee in separate directions as soon as they noticed him. They didn’t even bother about the Black Ink Nest that they had been carrying with them. Unfortunately for the Territory Lords, none of them had managed to escape from Yang Kai.
Although the group of Territory Lords before him had enough time to react and escape in separate directions, they showed no intention of doing so and instead huddled together tightly. What’s more… there was something wrong with their numbers.
Most of the Territory Lords Yang Kai encountered recently had been travelling in groups of 14 or 15. Most likely, that was because Mo Na Ye had considered the most suitable number of Territory Lords needed to create a Pseudo-Royal Lord; however, nearly 20 Territory Lords were standing in front of him at this moment.
Just as Yang Kai was pondering over the situation, four of the Territory Lords suddenly leapt forward and instantly formed the Four Symbols Formation. Their auras became closely interwoven with each other as a result, and their surging Black Ink Strength transformed into a sturdy barrier.
The Great Sun slammed into the barrier and tore it apart. Unfortunately, the power of the Great Sun had been exhausted in the clash, leaving the four Territory Lords unharmed.
[So that’s how it is!] When Yang Kai saw the Four Symbols Formation, he immediately understood. This group of Territory Lords had managed to join up with the Territory Lords who came from the No-Return Pass.
The Territory Lords who snuck out from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction would not be able to form Battle Formations because they did not have the time to practice and train in them. The only Territory Lords who knew how to form Formations were those who had been dealing with the Human Race for many years.
With the help of the Four Symbols Formation, the four Territory Lords from the No-Return Pass successfully defended against Yang Kai’s Golden Crow Casts the Sun as the eyes of their wounded companions brightened in astonishment at the sight before them.
[Are the Battle Formations of the Human Race really so useful?]
They had always been in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, so they did not know much about Battle Formations.
However, the information they heard about most often in recent days was regarding Yang Kai. All the Territory Lords who encountered him went missing without any exceptions; hence, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master known as Yang Kai became a trauma in the hearts of the Territory Lords. Without overcoming this trauma, it would be difficult for them to proceed towards the No-Return Pass.
The power of the Golden Crow Casts the Sun that Yang Kai unleashed when he showed up had greatly frightened the injured Territory Lords. At the same time, they were secretly relieved. If the four Territory Lords who came to protect them had not combined forces to block that attack… If they had been struck directly by such force… What would have happened to them? The answer left them shuddering in fear. If their allies had failed to block the attack earlier, the impact would have significantly worsened their injuries even if they survived. The only fate waiting for them would be death after that.
At this moment, they had a vague realization about the fate that had befallen their comrades who went missing previously and they secretly made a vow to themselves. If they could arrive at the No-Return Pass safely, they would approach several familiar Territory Lords once they fully recovered from their wounds and properly learn the Battle Formations. In case they ever encountered this Human menace in the future, they never wanted to be stuck in such a powerless and vulnerable position again!
“Yang Kai, withdraw!” One of the Territory Lords roared. He had the strongest aura out of the four Territory Lords who formed the Formation earlier. Standing in the void, his burly figure resembled a soaring iron tower. Although his tone was aggressive and firm, the slight tremble in his expression clearly indicated that he was only trying to act strong.
Yang Kai’s name was enough to terrify the Territory Lords several thousand years ago. Now that his battle record included slaughtering a Pseudo-Royal Lord like Di Wu, his name was enough to inundate all the Innate Territory Lords with fear. Even Mo Na Ye had to tolerate him to a certain extent, so how could these Territory Lords dare to act presumptuously in front of him? Unfortunately, the current situation forced them to grit their teeth and confront the killing star head-on.
The burly Territory Lord was filled with great bitterness, [How can I have such bad luck? I can’t believe I encountered Yang Kai here. What will happen to us now?]
Yang Kai seemed unfazed by those words. Without saying a word, he raised his hand and summoned the Azure Dragon Spear. Then, he thrust the spear forward without any fancy moves, causing spear shadows to cover the entire sky in an instant.
The four Territory Lords in the Formation roared in unison, joining forces to defend against the attack; however, they quickly discovered that the spear contained neither form nor power. The burly Territory Lord who spoke earlier immediately shouted, “Not good!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, two short screams rang out behind him and he could tell what was happening without even turning back to look. On the other hand, the figure of Yang Kai stabbing forward with his spear gradually faded from his vision. It was nothing more than an afterimage.
“Attack!” He shouted, taking the lead to charge towards the rear. The other three Territory Lords tacitly cooperated with him. Even though their hearts were filled with trepidation, they quickly moved to maintain the Battle Formation while pushing their speed to the maximum.
Black Ink Strength and World Force surged, and in the next moment, Yang Kai exchanged multiple blows with the four Territory Lords in Formation. The impact practically shattered the surrounding Void.
When Yang Kai finally withdrew and retreated, the Four Symbols Formation established by the four Territory Lords had securely covered the rest of the Territory Lords. They had used the Battle Formation to protect themselves and their companions, but two of the injured Territory Lords had still perished before they arrived.
As for the surviving Innate Territory Lords, they were all horrified.
They had known that this Human was beyond an ordinary Eighth-Order Master, but they had never seen him take action before today. Their understanding of his strength only came from a limited supply of information and their own imagination, so it wasn’t until they personally experienced it that they realised how feeble their imagination had been. This Human’s strength was simply beyond comprehension.
“Withdraw, Yang Kai!” The burly Territory Lord who spoke earlier shouted once more. Despite their efforts, two of the Territory Lords under their protection had already been killed, so they did not dare to act rashly again, lest they give Yang Kai an opening to exploit.
“You court death!” Yang Kai flicked his spear and pointed the tip forward. Although he did not move, the burgeoning force from its sharp blade enveloped the entire void. The Territory Lords stiffened in fear, evidently feeling the great power brewing in the dark. It was an explosive power that could detonate at any time.
Sweat beaded the forehead of the burly Territory Lord as he hurriedly raised his hand, “Wait! Sir Mo Na Ye has a message for you!”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and the murderous intent leaking from the slits of his eyes grew stronger. After a long time though, his voice boomed out like thunder, “Speak!”
The burly Territory Lord said, “Sir Mo Na Ye told us to pass this message to you. If Your Excellency withdraws now, he is willing to let bygones be bygones. The cultivation resources offered from the No-Return Pass will also be increased from 30% to 50%!”
50%… That was half of the Black Ink Clan’s mined resources, and the offer indicated just how badly Mo Na Ye had been cornered by Yang Kai.
To save the lives of those Innate Territory Lords, Mo Na Ye hoped to entice Yang Kai into withdrawing with this method. Even the fact that Yang Kai had previously slaughtered so many Territory Lords could be ignored as though it never happened. Those Territory Lords were already dead after all. While the Black Ink Clan yearned to avenge them, they could not achieve such a feat for the time being.
It had to be said that Mo Na Ye was a very decisive individual. Although the offer had been forced by the situation, he refused to give up as long as he could find any means to deter Yang Kai.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai couldn’t accept the offer so easily. Forget 50%, even if Mo Na Ye had offered 80% or 100%, the value of such cultivation resources would never compare to the lives of so many Innate Territory Lords. The top-level combat powers of the Black Ink Clan would increase significantly if he withdrew at this point. There was a high possibility that this would affect the entire balance of the war between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan in the near future.
Yang Kai did not respond. His figure remained motionless, but the void seemed to solidify around them. At the same time, his Spiritual Energy began to surge violently.
The expressions of the four Territory Lords in the Battle Formation immediately changed drastically. They were clearly panicked and horrified to their bones. This couldn’t be helped though as at this moment, a chill flooded them both physically and mentally. They were enveloped by a strong sense of death, giving them the feeling that they might die at any moment.
For a moment, the aura connection established by the Four Symbols Formation between them almost snapped. It was not surprising for them to experience a fluctuation of emotions under the threat of death.
Fortunately, the burly Territory Lord composed his emotions by pure force of will and stabilised the Battle Formation. His prompt actions prevented the Battle Formation from collapsing. Nevertheless, he understood one thing clearly. If Yang Kai was determined to kill them today, it was unlikely that they would walk away alive. If they died here, then the dozen or so Territory Lords protected by their Battle Formation would not survive either.
He had experienced this sensation once before. The familiar fluctuation of Spiritual Energy undoubtedly indicated that Yang Kai was preparing to use his mysterious Soul Secret Technique. Even with the support of the Four Symbols Formation, the four Territory Lords would have trouble defending against Yang Kai’s assault once that Technique was brought out.
The last time they encountered Yang Kai, they had been escorting a team that was transporting cultivation materials back to the No-Return Pass. Yang Kai had threatened them with the same move and forced them to hand over the Space Rings containing the resources. They had given up fairly easily back then as their lives were naturally far more valuable than some cultivation resources. It was for such a reason that Mo Na Ye did not blame them for that incident either.
Unfortunately, the situation was different now. They were not guarding mere cultivation resources, but the lives of more than a dozen of their clansmen. They could not afford to back down!
The burly Territory Lord couldn’t help recalling what Mo Na Ye had told them before they departed from the No-Return Pass, ‘Once you meet up with the clansmen, escort them back to the No-Return Pass immediately. If you encounter Yang Kai, try to entice him first. It would be best if he decides to withdraw. If he stubbornly insists on fighting, then he will definitely unleash his Soul Secret Technique to break the Battle Formation. Even if you have to fight him to the death, you must not concede!’
It would seem that Mo Na Ye was wise and insightful. He had clearly anticipated this possibility and issued the necessary orders to handle the situation. For that reason, the four Territory Lords under the burly Territory Lord’s leadership did not dare to disobey Mo Na Ye’s command despite their fear and sorrow. If they disobeyed the command, they were bound to suffer a terrible ending even if they returned alive.
On the other hand… If they could force Yang Kai to activate his Soul Secret Technique here, then he would also suffer heavy damage as a result. It would be impossible for him to hunt down the rest of their clansmen after that.
That was most likely part of Mo Na Ye’s plans. In the best-case scenario, Yang Kai would willingly withdraw in exchange for 50% of the cultivation resources mined by the Black Ink Clan. In the worst-case scenario, the lives of an entire group of Territory Lords would be sacrificed in exchange for rendering Yang Kai incapable of moving about freely for the next two years. That would be better than if Yang Kai went around slaughtering even more Territory Lords and increasing the losses of the Black Ink Clan.
“If you retreat now, I will pretend I never saw you!”
Yang Kai’s surging Spiritual Energy became even more threatening. At the same time, the Soul Rending Thorns stood at the ready. The four Territory Lords in Formation trembled in fear as they could vaguely feel an invisible blade hanging above their heads, threatening to fall and reap their lives at any time.
Gritting his teeth, the burly Territory Lord shook his head slowly and replied grimly, “Impossible!”
There was a clansman stationed inside the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, reporting everything that was happening here in real time. In other words, Mo Na Ye was monitoring the situation here at all times. He knew everything that happened, so how could they choose to escape with their lives?
“In that case, I will grant your wishes!” Yang Kai shouted through gritted teeth and his Spiritual Energy surged wildly.
Filled with terror, the four Territory Lords in Formation drew upon their full strength to protect their Souls. They initially thought that an explosive force would bombard them in the next moment, but contrary to their expectations, the Spiritual Energy only rose to a certain extent before disappearing abruptly. It was almost as though everything had been nothing more than an illusion.
When they looked around, Yang Kai was no longer anywhere to be seen. Even their Divine Senses could not perceive any traces of his aura.
All the Territory Lords were stunned, but the four in Formation did not dare to relax their guard. After standing frozen in place for a long time, they did not detect any changes whatsoever. Then, numerous Divine Senses began to surge as they swiftly communicated among themselves.
“Where is Yang Kai? Where did he go?”
“I don’t know, but don’t let your guard down. He might be waiting somewhere for an opportunity to strike.”
“There are bound to be traces of his aura if he is hiding in the shadows!”
“Could it be… Did he leave? Was he only trying to intimidate us earlier?”
…..
The last statement seemed to enlighten them. Thinking back to Yang Kai’s various behaviours earlier, they combined the facts with the current situation and finally came to the conclusion that Yang Kai was indeed gone. He had deliberately created a sense of deadly danger among them, but it was all just a ploy to intimidate them. Otherwise, there was no explanation for why they could not perceive his presence now.
The four Territory Lords in Formation headed by the burly Territory Lord were overjoyed. They initially thought that they were going to die here. Who could have known that they would survive the ordeal?
“Let’s go!” The burly Territory Lord shouted.
Nevertheless, he did not dare to dispel the Battle Formation even though it was more or less confirmed that Yang Kai was gone. Who knew whether Yang Kai would wheel around suddenly? Hence, he could only work with the other three Territory Lords to maintain the Four Symbols Formation and protect the dozen or so clansmen with all their might. Then, they flew in the direction of the No-Return Pass.
Meanwhile, the Innate Territory Lord inside the High-Rank Black Ink Nest reported the entire situation to Mo Na Ye who was currently a couple dozen million kilometres away.
Upon learning the situation, Mo Na Ye naturally showered the four Territory Lords with great praise. He also spread the news of their achievement in forcing Yang Kai to retreat so that all the clansmen in charge of protecting the Territory Lords would follow their example with peace of mind.
For a time, the morale among the Territory Lords was boosted significantly! Countless Masters from the No-Return Pass had fought against Yang Kai over the years; however, it was the first time they held the upper hand in the battle. Although two Innate Territory Lords had lost their lives in the fight, their deaths were nothing compared to the results that were obtained.
At the same time, Yang Kai sped off into the distance with the help of his Space Principles. He couldn’t help feeling slightly helpless and frustrated because of the situation.
While he was confident that he could destroy the Battle Formation of the four Territory Lords and slaughter the Territory Lords gathered there if he used his Soul Rending Thorns, he would also have to pay a high price for his actions. Doing that would have forced him to spend the next couple of years concentrating on his recovery, which was simply not worth the possible gains. Therefore, he immediately chose to withdraw without attempting to pressure the four Territory Lords when he saw that they were not intimidated by his threats.
In any case, many Territory Lords were retreating in the direction of the No-Return Pass at the moment. He didn’t need to annihilate any group of Territory Lords in particular. There would always be other opportunities in the future. Rather than desperately using the Soul Rending Thorns and inflicting injuries upon himself, it was better for Yang Kai to find other opportunities to hunt down more Territory Lords.
Yang Kai travelled swiftly through the void, crossing hundreds of thousands of kilometres with every step he took.
After travelling for one month, Yang Kai abruptly stopped at a certain spot in the void and watched a group of Territory Lords rushing towards the No-Return Pass from a distance. This was the third group of Territory Lords that he encountered this month. Unfortunately, every group of Territory Lords was protected by a Battle Formation from the No-Return Pass. The situation left him feeling as though he was unable to take action.
Taking the time into consideration, the Territory Lords who were placed outside by Mo Na Ye so that they could concentrate on their treatment should have all met up with the Territory Lords who came from the No-Return Pass by now. It became unrealistic for him to intercept and slaughter these Territory Lords under these circumstances unless he resolved to unleash the Soul Rending Thorns against their defences. Choosing that option would be a one-shot deal; hence, he was reluctant to choose that option unless it was necessary.
[Are there no other chances?] Yang Kai frowned in deep thought. It did not take long before he turned around and gazed into the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield. [No, I still have other opportunities. Many in fact!]
According to his experiment at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, two or three Innate Territory Lords would successfully sneak out every month. 14 to 15 of these Territory Lords would gather together to form a group before they set off in the direction of the No-Return Pass.
Based on these numbers, there would be a group of Territory Lords travelling from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction every six months. In other words, there would be two groups travelling from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction each year!
The Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was extremely far from the place where Mo Na Ye had arranged for them. With the travelling speed of these heavily wounded Territory Lords, they would need to spend around 10 years to reach their predetermined location safely.
In other words, many of the Territory Lords who snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction were still en route from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to the region around the former Royal Cities at this moment. They had always been on the road as there was not enough time for them to arrive at the predetermined location Mo Na Ye had assigned for them to hatch the Black Ink Nest.
Previously, Yang Kai would have needed some extra luck to locate the traces of these Territory Lords in the vast Black Ink Battlefield; after all, he did not know where these Territory Lords were hiding. In comparison, he no longer needed to rely on pure luck to intercept these travelling Territory Lords as there was a high chance that he would encounter them if he simply travelled in a straight line towards the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Naturally, it was impossible for things to progress as smoothly as he had hoped. Each group of travelling Territory Lords would have a Black Ink Nest in their possession, so they could communicate with Mo Na Ye at all times. There was a possibility that Mo Na Ye had already considered their situation and made the necessary arrangements.
[But… it’s worth the risk!] In any case, Yang Kai did not believe he could intercept all of these Territory Lords. However, each group he intercepted represented 14 or 15 Territory Lords!
Having made his decision, Yang Kai determined his direction and took a step forward, his figure vanishing from sight.
Two months later, Yang Kai appeared at a certain spot in the void that was located at the border of the Late Ancient Era battlefield. The battlefield that had been silent for so many years was flooded with murderous intent once more. Having found traces of Innate Territory Lords travelling from the direction of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, Yang Kai immediately attacked them without the slightest trace of politeness. In this battle, he single-handedly defeated the combined efforts of more than a dozen Territory Lords and annihilated the entire group with only minimal injuries to himself.
After some rest, he set off again.
Things were much easier for Yang Kai now that he had found the first group of Territory Lords. He only needed to use his current position to calculate the distance equivalent to half a year’s journey to find traces of the second group of Territory Lords. That was because the Territory Lords who came from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction travelled in half-year cycles.
However, it only took Yang Kai slightly more than 10 days to cover the same distance that had taken these heavily wounded Territory Lords half a year to cross.
Approximately 10 days later, Yang Kai arrived at another spot in the Late Ancient Era battlefield and his Divine Sense surged. He searched his surroundings carefully as his figure travelled around the local area, and it did not take long before he made a discovery.
These Territory Lords had most likely received instructions from Mo Na Ye in advance. They showed no intention to rush on their journey, instead choosing to conceal themselves on a Universe Fragment nearby instead. As they were heavily wounded, their auras were greatly weakened so it was very difficult to find their whereabouts, especially when they were deliberately trying to conceal their presence. If not because Yang Kai had been carefully searching for their traces and his search radius was wide enough, these Territory Lords would have escaped his attention.
When the Territory Lords realised that their whereabouts had been exposed, they knew that there was no hope of escape; hence, they immediately fought back desperately. Still, the result was just another one-sided massacre!
Back at the No-Return Pass, Mo Na Ye had just finished escorting several groups of Territory Lords over. The rest of the groups that were escorted by the Territory Lords from the No-Return Pass were also gradually making their way back, so it would not take long before all of them arrived safely.
Unfortunately, not all of the Territory Lords who snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had received escorts in time. Not counting those who were slain by Yang Kai previously, there were many other groups of Territory Lords still travelling from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction towards the No-Return Pass.
Mo Na Ye had been worrying about these Territory Lords. Knowing Yang Kai was an intelligent and meticulous person, it was always a possibility that he would target these en-route Territory Lords; after all, these Territory Lords had not even had the chance to hatch their Black Ink Nests. Combined with their seriously wounded bodies, they would be completely powerless against an enemy like Yang Kai.
Mo Na Ye’s worries quickly became a reality.
Before he even returned to the No-Return Pass, he abruptly lost contact with a group of Territory Lords who were on their way over. No more than 10 days later, a second group of Territory Lords sent an urgent message stating that a Human Race Master suspected to be Yang Kai had discovered them. By the time Mo Na Ye tried to contact them again, there was no longer any response from the other side!
In the span of a dozen days, Yang Kai not only crossed the distance that would have taken the heavily wounded Territory Lords half a year to travel but also unleashed a swift and explosive assault on them. The speed and brutality of his attack had completely caught the Territory Lords and Mo Na Ye off-guard!
[Bastard!] Mo Na Ye felt a ball of rage burning in his chest and his teeth were practically on the verge of shattering from how hard he gnashed them together.
Yang Kai had already begun his journey to massacre the rest of the travelling Territory Lords. Unfortunately, the distance was too great for the No-Return Pass to provide any kind of support. At this point, the life and death of those Territory Lords depended entirely on their own luck now.
After pondering for a long time, Mo Na Ye immersed his consciousness into the Black Ink Nest and began issuing orders! Many orders were transmitted from the No-Return Pass to the various Great Territories Battlefields immediately after that.
For a time, the battle situation across the various Great Territory Battlefields changed without warning. All the Human Race Masters could sense that the Black Ink Clan’s offensive had grown much more aggressive. Not to mention, the number of Black Ink Clansmen, including Territory Lords, seemed to have increased greatly.
Mo Na Ye even had the urge to send Meng Que to the battlefield. If Yang Kai was openly slaughtering their Territory Lords, then there was no need for him to honour the previous peace agreement at all. If a Pseudo-Royal Lord like Meng Que were to join the battle without warning, his unexpected presence would surely throw the higher-ups in the Human Race into utter chaos!
After pondering long and hard though, Mo Na Ye decided to suppress his urge…
He had always suspected that the Human Race was hiding some Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. The only reason why they had remained in hiding for so many years was that the time to reveal themselves had not yet come. If Meng Que was sent to the battlefield though, Mo Na Ye was certain the hidden Ninth-Order Masters would appear to confront the former.
Worse, a Pseudo-Royal Lord was clearly no match for a true Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. If Mo Na Ye started a war of that scale, the situation would likely spiral out of his control in short order. That was not the outcome he wished to see. At the moment, the Territory Lords needed more time before they could attempt to become Royal Lords, so he could only endure for now…
In the Late Ancient Era battlefield, Yang Kai discovered that it was suddenly much easier for him to search for his targets after he killed the first two groups of Territory Lords.
This couldn’t be helped though as the Territory Lords who were travelling from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had suddenly decided to split up.
Previously, the Territory Lords acted in groups of 14 to 15. Although their numbers were not small, it was very difficult to find them when they were collectively hiding. On the contrary, he currently only needed to rush to the calculated location and investigate his surroundings with his Divine Sense; then, he would easily find traces of several Territory Lords.
Now, Territory Lords were scattered about, some moving quickly in a straight line, some hiding in dark corners, others taking wide detours to avoid encountering Yang Kai as much as possible.
It had to be said that this countermeasure was quite brilliant. If Yang Kai’s guess was correct, this was the solution Mo Na Ye had come up with. Having said that, all the Territory Lords whose whereabouts were discovered by Yang Kai were absolutely powerless to resist being slaughtered. Nonetheless, it was still a better outcome than if the entire group was annihilated completely. A few lucky Territory Lords were bound to escape the slaughter.
Yang Kai was in no mood to search for the Territory Lords who escaped his initial attack as he did not have the time for that either. There were more Territory Lords to slaughter ahead. He had to be willing to sacrifice short-term gains to focus on the bigger situation! In this way, he constantly calculated the distance and possible locations of these Territory Lords; then, he would search the area vigorously, coming up with a significant harvest each time he did so.
This massacre lasted for a whole year, with as many as 200 Innate Territory Lords dying at Yang Kai’s hands during this period! Combined with his previous achievements, he had slaughtered nearly 300 Innate Territory Lords in his recent hunting efforts!
It was a shocking number! Not to mention, those were only the ones whom he managed to slay. Just how many Territory Lords had entered the No-Return Pass? Just how much had the strength of the Black Ink Clan been boosted?
Yang Kai fought his way to the edge of the Late Ancient Era battlefield before he stopped; however, he was not done yet. There were many Territory Lords who escaped his initial attack. Nevertheless, they were all heading in the same direction, so as long as he was fast enough, he could annihilate another round of Territory Lords who escaped his initial attack outside the No-Return Pass!
Yang Kai sliced his way across the entire Late Ancient Era Battlefield, slaughtering more than 200 Territory Lords; then, he immediately returned along the same route he came without pausing to rest. Along his journey, he occasionally encountered some Territory Lords who escaped his initial attack and smoothly annihilated them too.
It only took half a year for him to travel through the Late Ancient Era Battlefield and arrive outside the periphery of the No-Return Pass with the help of the Space Beacons that he scattered during his first journey.
Concealing his figure and aura, he searched for where Sun Zhao was hiding before taking him back into his Small Universe. He was relieved and overjoyed to see that Sun Zhao had managed to remain hidden for so long; otherwise, a mere Emperor Realm Master who had just condensed his Dao Seal would never have survived.
In truth, Mo Na Ye had ordered his men to search for Sun Zhao’s whereabouts. When he used the communication bead to contact Yang Kai previously, he deduced that somebody was impersonating Yang Kai to communicate with him. More importantly, they could not be too far from each other because the communication beads would not have been able to transmit messages across great distances.
Be that as it may, the not-too-far distance still covered a vast area in the spacious void. The Black Ink Clan had searched intensively, but their efforts proved futile in the end. In any case, Mo Na Ye did not pay much attention to this matter. During this time, he had been travelling back and forth to meet the various Territory Lords with all his energy and attention focused on investigating Yang Kai’s movements. How could he be bothered by such a trivial distraction?
There were two reasons for Sun Zhao’s survival. The first reason was pure luck, and the second reason was the difficulty of the situation which prevented the Black Ink Clan from using their full strength.
Yang Kai looked in the direction of the No-Return Pass with a solemn gaze. Despite the distance, he could sense the subtle changes that had taken place.
In the past, only 100 or so Territory Lords were gathered in the No-Return Pass. Some might also have been hidden inside the High-Rank Black Ink Nests to rest or cultivate, but there were never many more than that.
However, the number of Innate Territory Lords gathered in the No-Return Pass now was hard to estimate. The best proof of their increased numbers was the High-Rank Black Ink Nests settling inside the No-Return Pass that constantly shuddered and produced extremely dense Black Ink Strength.
The Territory Lords who came from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction were heavily wounded, so they urgently needed to treat their injuries. Black Ink Strength was essential for the healing process; furthermore, these Territory Lords had brought back many High-Rank Black Ink Nests with them. The number of Black Ink Nests in the No-Return Pass had also increased noticeably, bolstering the foundation of the Black Ink Clan.
Yang Kai did not hang around for long. Quickly turning around, he sped into the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield and found a spot to wait in silence.
It would be too difficult for him to search for the scattered Innate Territory Lords as he did not know where they were hiding or coming from. When he returned through the Late Ancient Era Battlefield, he had only managed to encounter several dozen Territory Lords along the way.
In that case, he could only resign himself to waiting for gains without pains. The ultimate destination of these Territory Lords was the No-Return Pass, so he only needed to find a suitable position and wait for them to walk right into his trap by themselves.
Naturally, Yang Kai’s plan would not allow him to intercept many Territory Lords and it would also be very easy for his whereabouts to be exposed. The Territory Lords in the No-Return Pass were not idle either. At this moment, they had formed into teams of four or five to establish Battle Formations in their efforts to receive their clansmen. Nevertheless, Yang Kai was bound to gain something for his efforts!
After waiting in ambush for half a year, Yang Kai’s efforts finally came to fruition. He couldn’t help grumbling to himself about the Territory Lords’ travel speed, but this couldn’t be helped. He could travel back and forth in a very short time thanks to his Space Principles, but others did not have such convenience.
These heavily wounded Territory Lords naturally could not cross the gap between the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and the No-Return Pass without at least 10 years of continuous travel. For that reason, even the Territory Lords who were lucky enough to escape his initial sweep would need a long time to arrive from the Late Ancient Era Battlefield.
From a distance, an aura approached cautiously. This Territory Lord was trying his best to remain hidden, but his efforts were not perfect. He was clearly a cautious person, and the closer he got to the No-Return Pass, the less he dared to relax his guard.
Unfortunately for him, the group of Territory Lords that he had been travelling with previously had long since scattered and the Black Ink Nest was in the possession of another Territory Lord, so he had no means to contact the No-Return Pass and request support.
He had travelled through the Late Ancient Era Battlefield by comparing the surrounding scenery with the map he received before splitting ways with his initial group. When he determined that he was only half a year’s journey from the No-Return Pass, he couldn’t help feeling overjoyed. However, he felt a sharp murderous intent enveloped him before the thought could even form in his head fully.
Turning in that direction, he saw the tip of a spear was rapidly magnifying in his vision. He hastily and desperately condensed his Black Ink Strength in defence, but this layer of protection was as vulnerable as paper before the spear.
Yang Kai retrieved his spear a moment later. Reaching out with his large hand, he stored the Territory Lord’s corpse and the black blood that gushed out of the corpse in his Small Universe to wipe away the traces that were left behind by the battle. Then, he went back into hiding.
The Territory Lords originally travelled in small groups before they split up and went their separate ways; hence, their travel speed should not be very different from each other. It would not be long before more Territory Lords appeared in the wake of the first Territory Lord’s arrival. It had taken Yang Kai half a year to find just one Territory Lord, but he successively killed four more in the following month!
What followed next was another long period of waiting.
As the Territory Lords fled back to the No-Return Pass from different directions, the power of the Black Ink Clan steadily grew stronger. Be that as it may, Mo Na Ye did not feel the slightest sense of joy.
Their losses were simply too great. As many as 400 Innate Territory Lords had been slain by Yang Kai over the years. What’s more, it was obvious that Yang Kai was hiding somewhere nearby to kill more of the approaching Territory Lords. It was a pity that the Black Ink Clan could not pinpoint his location.
The Black Ink Clan had been stepping up their offensive in the battlefields across the various Great Territories, placing greater pressure on the Human Race, but the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield would have no peace until Yang Kai was eliminated.
Even Mo Na Ye was helpless against such an elusive and powerful opponent. The only thing he could do was repeatedly send messages to Yang Kai, but there was never any response. That was because Sun Zhao had destroyed the communication bead on Yang Kai’s order after he responded to Mo Na Ye’s message. It was a countermeasure to prevent Mo Na Ye from figuring out his position. How could Mo Na Ye use the communication bead to contact Yang Kai now?
[I need to figure out a method to locate him…]
Two years later, Yang Kai changed his hiding position and waited quietly for the Territory Lords who snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to come to him. The groups of Territory Lords had split up under Mo Na Ye’s orders, so although they travelled from the direction of the Late Ancient Era Battlefield in general, they would arrive at the No-Return Pass from various directions.
As long as he was not terribly unlucky, Yang Kai would always achieve success no matter where he lay in ambush. Nonetheless, he would change positions at half-year intervals to avoid the Black Ink Clan discovering his whereabouts. The half-year period was only the rough cycle when the Territory Lords would arrive at the No-Return Pass, which meant that he could not stop all the Territory Lords from reaching their destination. He only managed to intercept a small part of the Territory Lords, but there was only so much that he could do at this point.
In any case, he had to reduce the power of the Black Ink Clan as much as possible in hopes of decreasing the pressure on the Human Race in the future.
Half a month later, the aura of a Territory Lord suddenly barged into Yang Kai’s range of perception. Similar situations had already taken place many times over the years, so this had become routine by now. He remained unmoving and simply waited until the Territory Lord had gotten close enough before suddenly launching an attack with his spear.
The Territory Lord was consumed with fear, knowing that he would not survive the encounter. Nevertheless, he neither dodged nor avoided the attack and instead charged towards Yang Kai. Before the spear reached him, the Black Ink Strength in his body surged wildly and his entire body immediately swelled up dangerously.
Yang Kai could clearly see the resolve in the Territory Lord’s eyes, and the sight made him frown. He swiftly condensed his World Force to protect himself and pulled away at the same time; however, he was one step too late. Following a wave of violent energy fluctuations, the local Void collapsed. The vicious impact lifted his body and threw him backwards as the layer of protection he just erected rippled and shattered almost instantly.
After Yang Kai stabilised his figure once more, the Void that had collapsed in front of him remained broken. One could only imagine the power behind the blow. If not for his sturdy Dragon Form, the impact would have seriously injured him.
[I can’t believe a Territory Lord chose to self-destruct!] Yang Kai had never encountered this situation before. In fact, he never even knew that the Territory Lords had such a hidden trump card. Being caught off guard was not a pleasant feeling.
But why did the Territory Lord choose to self-destruct? Even ants would cling hard to their lives, much less a powerful Innate Territory Lord. Even in a desperate situation, a Territory Lord was bound to struggle and resist as much as possible. Although Yang Kai had slain many Territory Lords, he had never encountered a Territory Lord who would immediately choose to self-destruct.
It did not take long before Yang Kai understood the reason why this Territory Lord had chosen to self-destruct though. While he was pondering in confusion, several powerful auras quickly flew over from the distance. It was obvious that they had noticed the commotion that took place here.
That was not all, however, as soon Yang Kai detected even more auras converging around him from various directions. There were at least several dozen of them, and these were only the ones he could perceive. Yang Kai was certain that others were further away that he failed to sense.
It was not as though he had never encountered similar situations in the past. Many Territory Lords from the No-Return Pass had formed Battle Formations and patrolled the surroundings to welcome their clansmen who came from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
On several occasions, Yang Kai had inadvertently exposed himself and attracted the Territory Lords nearby to investigate the situation when he attacked. It was just that he had never bothered to face them in the past; after all, he was helpless against the Territory Lords who formed Battle Formations unless he used his Soul Rending Thorns. His only option currently was to ignore them.
However, there had never been so many Territory Lords before. It was almost as though they had predicted that he would be here. Knowing that he would attack this place, they had laid an ambush nearby and waited for him to reveal his whereabouts before they swarmed him from all sides. However, the Black Ink Clan couldn’t learn his movements in advance. Not to mention, it had not been long since he moved to this location.
In that case, there could only be one explanation. While he was waiting for gains without pains, the Black Ink Clan had been doing the same. The Black Ink Clan had not predicted the location where he would appear; on the contrary, they had simply set up a lot of traps in various locations with the thought that he was bound to turn up sooner or later.
Although Yang Kai did not know how long the Black Ink Clan had laid in ambush here, he had to admit that this brute force method was effective. At the very least, it had caught him this time. But… so what? The Territory Lords rushing over from all directions would not arrive for some time, which gave him plenty of room to escape.
As soon as Yang Kai’s whereabouts were revealed, countless Territory Lords immediately rushed over from all directions to encircle him. He could have escaped immediately, causing the Black Ink Clan’s plans to fail; nevertheless, he remained motionless and quietly perceived his surroundings with a slight frown.
A short while later, he burst into laughter, [Mo Na Ye, oh, Mo Na Ye… You’ve really gone all out this time.]
According to his perception, a large number of Territory Lords were rushing towards him; however, while the auras of these Territory Lords seemed overpowering on the outside, they were unexpectedly weak once he observed them more closely. Clearly, these Territory Lords were heavily injured.
Yang Kai immediately understood the situation. The Territory Lords besieging him were not the Territory Lords from the No-Return Pass who were in perfect condition, but the Territory Lords who came from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
In a confrontation against the veteran Territory Lords from the No-Return Pass, Yang Kai had no effective means to defeat them aside from unleashing the Soul Rending Thorn. That was why all the Territory Lords who died at his hands so far had come from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Conversely, none of the Territory Lords from the No-Return Pass had been harmed. Even if he occasionally encountered them in the void, Yang Kai would avoid them so as not to waste his energy.
Despite that, the Black Ink Clan had deliberately arranged for the wounded Territory Lords from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to besiege him today, which was clearly a trap meant to entice him.
With such tempting bait in front of him, Yang Kai seriously debated whether he should accept the challenge or not. If he took the bait, he might risk being besieged. On the other hand, how could he just turn a blind eye to so many vulnerable Territory Lords in front of him?
He had been lying in ambush and slaughtering Territory Lords from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction for years now, and although his efforts had produced some results, the gains were not that significant. The Territory Lords had split up from their respective groups, making them harder to catch. For these reasons, the fact that so many Territory Lords were gathered together in one place was a huge temptation to him.
This was an open conspiracy!
Mo Na Ye had laid all his cards on the table, so the next move was completely in Yang Kai’s hands.
It was true that the one who understood a person best was not their best friend, but their worst enemy.
After fighting Yang Kai in numerous battles of wit over the years, Mo Na Ye had gained a thorough understanding of the former’s temperament and character. Based on this bold arrangement, Mo Na Ye must have predicted Yang Kai’s choice in advance. He was confident that Yang Kai would not remain indifferent if he threw out such tempting bait.
Yang Kai had been single-mindedly hunting down Territory Lords over the years, so with so many of them just dangling in front of him like carrots, he would not be able to resist taking the bait.
In truth, the reality was just as Mo Na Ye expected. Yang Kai only hesitated for a moment before he came to a decision. Since Mo Na Ye had dared to throw out such an alluring piece of meat, then he was going to take a gigantic bite without any reservations.
[I have to kill as many Territory Lords as possible before they complete their encirclement to reduce the pressure I have to face later!]
Spreading out his Divine Sense madly, Yang Kai confirmed that Mo Na Ye was not in the vicinity.
A Pseudo-Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye was unable to control their power perfectly, so they couldn’t conceal their auras completely. Yang Kai was bound to detect Mo Na Ye’s presence if he appeared anywhere within his detection range!
Of course, Yang Kai was certain that Mo Na Ye was monitoring the situation and waiting for the perfect opportunity to appear from somewhere nearby!
In the next breath, Yang Kai’s figure flickered. Following the fluctuations of Space Principles, his figure vanished from the spot and instantaneously appeared a million kilometres away. There were several Innate Territory Lords nearby, drawing upon their Black Ink Strength to drive a Black Ink Cloud forward at a high speed.
All of a sudden, a vicious aura enveloped the Black Ink Cloud. Then, a figure came crashing down on them as a Great Sun slammed into the Black Ink Cloud. World Force flared as Black Ink Strength surged wildly. When the Black Ink Cloud dissipated, four figures emerged extremely dishevelled, coughing up Black Ink Blood.
Not far away, Yang Kai appeared with his spear in hand. Not pausing for a moment, Yang Kai charged forward and thrust his spear out, sending an overwhelming number of spear shadows towards the four Territory Lords.
The four Territory Lords roared ferociously. Drawing upon their Black Ink Strength, they unleashed a series of profound Secret Techniques to meet Yang Kai’s attack. They may have been bait, but they were not planning to just sacrifice their lives without fighting back.
These Innate Territory Lords who came from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had not spent much time at the No-Return Pass, not nearly enough to treat their wounds at least. Needless to say, they had barely recovered any of their strength. Even so, they had already begun practising the Battle Formations with the rest of the Territory Lords under Mo Na Ye’s orders.
At this moment, these four Territory Lords had assumed the Four Symbols Formation; unfortunately for them, they hadn’t had much time to practice it, so their auras could not combine perfectly. The Four Symbols Formation that they formed was clearly subpar as a result. That was particularly obvious against a Master like Yang Kai. The unstable Battle Formation only lasted for 10 breaths before shattering.
The four had barely managed to protect themselves with the Four Symbols Formation, so without it, how could these heavily wounded Territory Lords be Yang Kai’s opponent?
When the Battle Formation fell apart, Yang Kai’s spear cleanly sliced through one of the Territory Lords, causing it to explode into blood mist.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai withdrew his spear and swiftly stabbed forward once more. His spear struck another Territory Lord in the head while he simultaneously spread his large hand and manipulated the local Space Principles, causing the surrounding space to instantly solidify. Before the other two surviving Territory Lords could even react, their vision went black and they forever lost consciousness.
In less than two breaths of time, the aura of four Innate Territory Lords withered into nothing. Yang Kai immediately vanished from the spot, charging in another direction without pause.
There were four Territory Lords in each approaching group, enough to assume the Four Symbols Formation. Unfortunately for them, they differed from the Territory Lords from the No-Return Pass. Leaving aside their wounded bodies, they were not familiar enough with the Battle Formation due to lack of time and practice.
Once they were targeted by Yang Kai, they generally suffered the same fate as the first group of Territory Lords. Their Battle Formation would be destroyed within a dozen breaths of time, and what awaited them after was a swift death.
One group… Two groups… Three groups…
Yang Kai’s figure continued to flicker back and forth, smoothly navigating through the void as he engaged in an endless slaughter. At the same time, he did not forget to keep an eye on the movement in his surroundings as he remained vigilant towards the Black Ink Clan’s reaction.
More and more Territory Lords were slain and it was not long before 10 groups of Territory Lords were annihilated. Those 10 groups represented 40 Territory Lords.
Be that as it may, the remaining Territory Lords did not retreat in the slightest. Mo Na Ye had most likely explained the possible situations they might face before they came here; hence, they marched forward boldly and without hesitation or looking back despite knowing the disastrous fate awaiting them. It was not that they did not feel fear; rather, they simply had no other choice. They could not retreat due to the orders from their higher-ups.
The massacre continued, and as time passed, the encirclement formed by the Territory Lords gradually tightened around Yang Kai. After slaughtering a few more groups of Territory Lords, Yang Kai finally found himself besieged by the Territory Lords on all sides.
Yang Kai stood in the void with his spear in hand; meanwhile, the groups of Territory Lords in Battle Formations surrounded him. Nevertheless, it was easy to see the horror and fear in their eyes as they stared at him with shivering terror.
Back in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, they had always considered themselves quite powerful; however, their perspective was also limited by their environment. For that reason, they had harboured great ambitions and confidence when they escaped the Grand Restriction. It was not until they encountered the Human Race Master before them that they suffered a rude awakening. In front of this killing star, they were nothing special at all.
The scene was deadly silent, and the atmosphere was extremely heavy. As long as Yang Kai remained motionless, the Territory Lords did not dare to act rashly either. They simply gathered and strengthened the siege they formed around him.
Their numbers were overwhelming indeed. There were at least 150 Territory Lords gathered in this place, and if the ones Yang Kai killed earlier were included, the Black Ink Clan had clearly dispatched as many as 200 Territory Lords to execute this trap!
[How generous!] Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling secretly impressed. No matter how powerful he was, things would not end well for him if he confronted so many Territory Lords cooperating with each other. There was only one final outcome of this battle: both sides suffering grave injuries.
He would never underestimate these Territory Lords just because they were heavily wounded. Although he could slaughter a group of these Territory Lords even if they formed a Battle Formation with little effort, there were only four Territory Lords per such group. When their numbers accumulated to a certain degree, the situation simply became untenable. What’s more, the destructive power behind the Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities unleashed by these Territory Lords was not insignificant despite their weakened condition.
In the middle of their stalemate, one of the Territory Lords cautiously took a step forward and respectfully held out a miniature Black Ink Nest. Seeming terrified that Yang Kai might misunderstand his intentions, he quickly explained himself, “Yang Kai, Sir Mo Na Ye invites you into the Black Ink Nest for a discussion!”
Yang Kai had slaughtered so many Innate Territory Lords that he was bound to have some Black Ink Nests in his possession. That was something Mo Na Ye could easily guess. He had been trying to communicate with Yang Kai recently, but the messages sent to the communication bead did not receive any response. If he wanted to connect with Yang Kai directly, then he could only rely on the Black Ink Nests now.
However, he could not come forward in person. If he showed up under these circumstances, there was no doubt that Yang Kai would immediately escape. In that case, the several dozen Territory Lords who lost their lives earlier would have died in vain. Those several dozen Territory Lords were nothing more than appetisers. The remaining 150 Territory Lords were the main course!
“Enter the Black Ink Nest for a discussion?” Yang Kai glanced sideways at the Territory Lord and coldly snorted, “Do you take me for a three-year-old child? Tell him to fuck off.”
Leaving aside the fact that his physical body could be attacked from the outside when his mind was immersed in the Black Ink Nest Space, even the space within the Black Ink Nest itself had restrictive abilities.
In the past, he once immersed his consciousness into the Black Ink Nest Space through a captured Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest outside Great Evolution Pass. As a result, he was trapped inside the Black Ink Nest for several years. If he had not forced the Territory Lords to open the Black Ink Nest Void with the help of the Soul Warming Lotus and multiple Soul Rending Thorn, he would not have been able to escape.
[Does Mo Na Ye think I have such a rudimentary knowledge of the mysteries of the Black Ink Nest Space? How can he make such a naïve suggestion?]
Yang Kai was absolutely certain about one thing; even if he found a safe place for his physical body, he would be trapped within the Black Ink Nest the moment he immersed his consciousness into the Black Ink Nest Space. If that were to happen, it would be effortless to annihilate him without any conflict.
[I’m sure Mo Na Ye would laugh his head off with joy.]
The Territory Lord’s Divine Sense fluctuated slightly as though communicating with somebody. A short while later, he spoke again, “It’s fine if you refuse to enter the Black Ink Nest Space, but Sir Mo Na Ye has a message for you.”
“Speak!”
“Sir Mo Na Ye said…” He paused for a moment before he relayed the message word for word, “Brother Yang, the Black Ink Clan has tolerated many of your antics. We even willingly shared 30% of the resources we’ve gathered with you. All we asked for was some peace. Brother Yang, why did you attack and slaughter our Territory Lords?”
Yang Kai snorted with laughter, “The Black Ink Clan and the Human Race cannot coexist under the Heavens in the first place. If the Black Ink Clan was honest, I would not have caused trouble either. What was the Black Ink Clan doing at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction? Sneaking around and gathering your strength… How can I turn a blind eye to your antics? I’m only disappointed that I didn’t kill enough!”
The Territory Lord relayed Yang Kai’s words and received Mo Na Ye’s reply. He continued, “You’re right, Brother Yang. The Black Ink Clan and the Human Race are completely incompatible; however, we have interacted with each other for so many years, and I have come to cherish our friendship. Although this Mo Na Ye would like to be your friend, my wish is nothing more than a faint dream. The both of us… We are only acting for the greater good of our respective sides. We come from different origins, so it is only natural for our circumstances to be different. It is fate. There is nothing that can be done!”
Mo Na Ye’s words were sorrowful, sounding extremely emotional.
Of course, Yang Kai thought to himself, [Who would cherish a friendship with you?]
Nevertheless, looking at the situation from a different perspective, Mo Na Ye had truly done a good job of dealing with the problems Yang Kai caused over the years. If it had been any other Black Ink Clansman who was in charge instead, the results would definitely have been worse.
After delivering Mo Na Ye’s message, the Territory Lords from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction were taken aback. The attitude that the Pseudo-Royal Lord displayed towards this Human was beyond their expectations. Upon further thought though, they could somewhat understand his compromising attitude after considering the strength and abilities displayed by this person.
There was a moment of silence before the Territory Lord began to relay Mo Na Ye’s words again, “Now that things have come to this point, we should settle this matter.”
Yang Kai asked, “How do you want to settle it?”
“The flaw in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction has been repaired, so there won’t be any more Territory Lords coming out. Besides, many of the Territory Lords who snuck out of the Grand Restriction have died at your hands. What I mean is… For this matter, the Black Ink Clan will let bygones be bygones. If you agree to stop hunting down the Territory Lords, the Black Ink Clan will not pursue the previous matters. We will also continue delivering 30% of our resources to you as promised. What do you think, Brother Yang?”
Yang Kai’s expression shifted slightly. He had to admit that Mo Na Ye was being very generous and making a huge concession here. Including the Territory Lords he slaughtered just now, nearly 400 had died at his hands over the past few years.
That was 400 Innate Territory Lords, not Feudal Lords or High-Rank Soldiers. If those 400 Innate Territory Lords were sacrificed to create Pseudo-Royal Lords, they could produce between 20 to 30 with such numbers. After all, there was no shortage of High-Rank Black Ink Nests at the moment.
It was such a terrible loss, yet Mo Na Ye claimed that he could regard the entire matter as though it never happened. That was an impressive show of sincerity indeed.
Looking at the situation from another angle, Mo Na Ye would rather bear such a terrible loss if it made Yang Kai stop. The fact that he had mobilised 200 Territory Lords to besiege Yang Kai indicated that even more than that were on their way to the No-Return Pass. If this issue could not be resolved today, then the Black Ink Clan would end up suffering even heavier losses!
The only method to force one’s enemy into voluntarily enduring a bitter situation was to ensure that an even worse situation was waiting for them.
In a flash of thought, Yang Kai immediately understood everything. He thus chuckled and responded, “Sure. Since you are being so sincere, Mo Na Ye, how can this Yang refuse? So, what happens if I do as you say?”
The Territory Lord quickly replied, “Brother Yang is righteous indeed. In that case, I would like you to stay put for the next 20 years. Please rest assured, Brother Yang. These Territory Lords will be accompanying you, and they will not attack you as long as you do not attack them. Also, I can guarantee that neither Sir Royal Lord nor myself will appear within the range of your perception.”
[I knew Mo Na Ye would definitely have conditions.]
There was no guarantee when it came to verbal promises. Even if Yang Kai was forced to make a vow, Mo Na Ye would never trust Yang Kai so easily. If he wanted to prevent Yang Kai from hunting down the Territory Lords, then the best method was to keep Yang Kai restrained in place. 20 years was enough time for the last batch of Territory Lords to travel from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and arrive at the No-Return Pass safely.
The reason he told Yang Kai that neither he nor Royal Lord Mo Yu would appear within Yang Kai’s range of perception was to give the latter some reassurance and prevent him from worrying about such matters.
Yang Kai smiled, “Mo Na Ye, since I have agreed to your proposal, I will not regret my decision. You have too little trust in me.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Brother Yang. It’s just that there is too much at stake, so I have to be more careful. Please understand.”
Yang Kai nodded in understanding and glanced around his surroundings. The expressions of the Innate Territory Lords turned solemn when they felt his gaze on them and a sense of fear coursed through their bodies.
“If I insist on leaving, these Territory Lords cannot stop me!”
The Territory Lord holding the small Black Ink Nest heaved a long sigh, perfectly and vividly expressing Mo Na Ye’s frustration, “Why must you do this, Brother Yang? I have made enough concessions!”
Even though so many Territory Lords had been killed, the Black Ink Clan was willing to overlook the matter. The Black Ink Clan had relented, compromising again and again. Naturally, their decision was a forced result of the situation. Even if Mo Na Ye wanted to take revenge, he was powerless to do so. Thus, the only thing he could do was choose the second-best option.
Yang Kai lowered his eyes and said indifferently, “There are things that can be negotiated, and there are things that cannot.”
Mo Na Ye fell silent. After a long time, the Territory Lord finally relayed his words, “Brother Yang, are you really willing to leave just like that?”
Yang Kai burst out laughing, “You really know me well, Mo Na Ye! When I advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, I will cut your head off to celebrate my achievement!”
He was definitely not willing to leave just like that. There were 150 Innate Territory Lords here, so how could he possibly leave without massacring them to his heart’s content? Rather than wasting his time and energy waiting in ambush for the scattered Territory Lords to arrive, he might as well go all out and cull all the Territory Lords here.
That was the true ingenuity of Mo Na Ye’s trap. It wasn’t that he could not mobilise the veteran Territory Lords of the No-Return Pass, but that he was not willing to do so. He only mobilised the Territory Lords from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to give Yang Kai an opportunity to exploit and mislead the latter into believing it was possible to massacre all these injured Territory Lords.
The best outcome was for Yang Kai to accept the initial terms. Then, the 150 Territory Lords here would only need to accompany him for the next 20 years. The Territory Lords on their way would also have enough time to arrive at the No-Return Pass. In this way, the strength of the Black Ink Clan was guaranteed to increase in the future.
Even if Yang Kai did not agree to the conditions though, Mo Na Ye knew the former would not escape easily when there was such a tempting target dangling in front of him. A great battle was bound to break out. No matter how many Innate Territory Lords would succumb in battle, it would be impossible for Yang Kai to escape unscathed. Where would he find the time and energy to hunt down the travelling Territory Lords?
Therefore, it did not matter whether Yang Kai agreed to the initial conditions. Both scenarios had been included in Mo Na Ye’s calculations. The only difference was the price that the Black Ink Clan would have to pay!
Before Yang Kai even finished speaking, his figure had already appeared in front of the Territory Lord holding the Black Ink Nest. The Territory Lord had been focused on the Black Ink Nest in his hands to relay Mo Na Ye’s words, and as a result, he could not spare any attention to support the Four Symbols Formation that was maintained between him and his three companions, especially since he was unfamiliar with the Battle Formation in the first place. It was the perfect breakthrough point.
The Territory Lord clearly did not expect Yang Kai to suddenly attack, so before he could react, he saw Yang Kai flashing by him. A long spear pierced into his body at the speed of lightning, and a violent force exploded from his body. He barely had time to grunt in pain before his entire body exploded and filled the void with a cloud of blood mist.
In the next moment, Yang Kai turned his spear to the other three Territory Lords.
An intense battle broke out without any warning. Fortunately, the Territory Lords who came here had been prepared in advance. As soon as Yang Kai made his move, they immediately counterattacked with all their might. Black Ink Strength surged uncontrollably as Black Ink Clouds swirled wildly. Likewise, a few Territory Lords who received different orders beforehand shifted and scattered around the void to prepare their next strategy.
Yang Kai had just finished off the three Territory Lords without the protection of the Battle Formation when countless Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities slammed into him from all directions. His body trembled from the impact, bearing the brunt of unimaginable pressure. Nevertheless, he did not stop his massacre.
With enemies in all directions, Yang Kai swept his spear back and forth without pause. From time to time, a Great Sun would leap into the sky, accompanied by the Golden Crow’s cry.
As the auras of numerous Territory Lords withered and disappeared, Yang Kai suffered numerous wounds. Fighting 150 Innate Territory Lords with the strength of one man alone was an unprecedented feat that had never been seen since ancient times.
If these 150 Innate Territory Lords had been at full strength, even a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would not have lasted long against them; much less an Eighth-Order Master like Yang Kai. It was a case where even an elephant would die from enough ant bites.
Fortunately, these Territory Lords were all heavily injured, so their strength had been reduced considerably. In addition, it was difficult for them to move around and coordinate properly with so many of them trying to attack just one highly mobile target.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered about, having no trouble bearing the attacks for the time being. Mo Na Ye had set the stage, and Yang Kai had to pay a certain price if he wanted to participate. It was inevitable.
Territory Lords continually lost their lives, but the encirclement still grew tighter and tighter. Overwhelming auras closed in from all directions like an invisible barrier, pressing down on Yang Kai. The space in which he could move around grew smaller and smaller.
At a certain point, the encirclement reached its limits and it no longer mattered how ferociously Yang Kai fought back. In this situation, two fists simply could not block four strikes. Even though he could forcibly slaughter the Territory Lord in front of him, at least a dozen different attacks would land on him at the same time. These attacks caused his body to tremble violently as he coughed up Golden Blood.
A Dragon Roar suddenly burst out, and an enormous Golden Dragon Head emerged behind Yang Kai before plunging into his figure. Golden light erupted in all directions as Yang Kai’s small humanoid figure abruptly transformed into an enormous Golden Dragon. Covered in Dragon Scales, the Golden Dragon had Dragon Horns on his head and a thick, fluttering Dragon Beard below his jaw.
The violent assault slammed into Yang Kai’s Dragon Form and broke many of his Dragon Scales; however, he remained indifferent. Unleashing a Divine Dragon Tail Sweep, Yang Kai sent numerous Territory Lords around him flying backwards. Then, his enormous Dragon Head abruptly turned to look in a certain direction where four Territory Lords were gathered in secret. His Dragon Maw opened, and a Dragon Roar reverberated through the void, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Mo Na Ye’s plan was not as simple as it appeared on the surface. He seemed to want to take Yang Kai’s life in exchange for the lives of these Territory Lords, but that would not be worth the effort and sacrifice. In reality, he had a larger ambition. He wanted to trap Yang Kai here so that he could eliminate Yang Kai himself!
Faced with an elusive opponent like Yang Kai, it was extremely difficult to trap him in one place. The only method that the Black Ink Clan could use to accomplish this was to set up the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array. Once the Grand Array was activated, it would have a Heaven Sealing Earth Locking effect, rendering Yang Kai powerless to flee.
These Territory Lords from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had not spent much time at the No-Return Pass, but aside from practising the Four Symbols Formation, they had diligently familiarised themselves with this Spirit Array. Some of these Territory Lords had brought along the necessary Array Plates and Banners and were secretly preparing the Grand Array while their companions were keeping Yang Kai busy.
The moment the Grand Array was completed would be the moment of Mo Na Ye’s dazzling debut. The reason he had not appeared earlier was to not alert Yang Kai to his presence. Once his aura appeared in Yang Kai’s perception, the latter was bound to escape immediately.
However, how could Yang Kai fail to notice Mo Na Ye’s plans? Even if the Territory Lords setting up the Grand Array were extremely secretive, he had been on guard against such tricks from the beginning.
Dragon Scales flew everywhere, bearing the attacks that came from all directions. A series of hideous and terrifying scars appeared on the huge Dragon Form, but the Dragon’s Head soon stretched across the distance and loomed over the four Territory Lords without paying the attackers any mind. Following the fluctuations of Space Principles, the Void froze instantly. At the same time, the Dragon’s Mouth opened wide; then, with a loud cracking noise, Yang Kai actually bit off a piece out of the Void!
As the Dragon Maw closed, a huge piece of the Void seemed to go missing. Even the four Territory Lords who were there previously had disappeared. Then, the sound of chewing came from the mouth of the giant Dragon. Every crunching sound made the hair on the backs of the Territory Lords stand on end. In addition, a large amount of Black Ink Strength and thick black blood leaked out of the corners of his mouth. The gruesome sight terrified all the Territory Lords who witnessed this scene. Nevertheless, a storm of attacks continued to rain down on the Ancient Dragon from all directions.
All of a sudden, the Ancient Dragon turned to look back, his two enormous Dragon Eyes overflowing with unspeakable murderous intent. He opened his large Dragon Maw, releasing a high-pitch Dragon Roar that resounded across the entire universe. Accompanied by the sound of the Dragon Roar, a golden round bead spewed out of his Dragon Mouth.
Because of Yang Kai’s current cultivation and mastery over the Grand Daos of Time and Space, the Sun and Moon Divine Seal was undoubtedly his strongest trump card, but it was closely followed by his Dragon Bead.
The significance of a Dragon Bead to a Dragon Clansman was similar to the significance of a Monster Core to a Monster Beast. It was the crystallisation of their lifetime of cultivation.
The Dragon Clan was known for their thick skin and strong flesh, which gave them incredible resiliency and physical strength. Be that as it may, they rarely summoned their Dragon Bead in a battle against their enemies. The reason was that this method could be very harmful to them. If the Dragon Bead was destroyed by the enemy, then they would lose a large part of their cultivation. In the worst case, their Bloodline might even decline as a result.
Yang Kai himself had only summoned his Dragon Bead a handful of times in his life, and each time he did so, he had achieved remarkable results. At the same time, his actions came with significant risks to himself.
A scorching Sun emerged in the void. The Golden Dragon Bead resembled the Great Sun that instantly pierced through the surrounding darkness. The force contained infinite power, which blasted apart the defensive layer formed through the joint efforts of the Territory Lords and demolished their Battle Formations. It would have been amazing in itself if that were all, but the invisible fluctuations of the Dragon Bead also channelled the rich power of the Grand Dao of Time which washed over the minds of the Territory Lords and blurred their perceptions.
The Dao of Time was the Bloodline Talent of the Dragon Clan, and since a Dragon Bead was the crystallisation of a Dragon Clansman’s cultivation, it was only natural for it to contain the mysteries of the Grand Dao.
With their perceptions warped and their minds disturbed, the Territory Lords were suddenly at a loss for what to do. Everywhere the Dragon Bead passed, powerful Innate Territory Lords suffered death or critical injury, collapsing like flies. Seven auras vanished from existence in an instant.
As Yang Kai unleashed this attack, he was also enduring constant bombardment from his enemies. As the dense barrage of Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities rained down on him, his huge and lumbering Dragon Form abruptly transformed into a golden light and vanished from the spot. Most of the attacks landed in nothing but empty space as a result.
The golden light suddenly appeared a certain distance away, revealing Yang Kai’s figure once more. He was no longer in his Dragon Form, but his Human Form. Having swallowed his Dragon Bead earlier, he immediately summoned the Azure Dragon Spear again. At this moment, various Dao Strengths began interweaving at the tip of the spear before Yang Kai sliced through the nearby enemies with monstrous strength.
Frequently changing between his Human Form and his Dragon Form, Yang Kai exhibited all of his skills, interweaving numerous Dao Strengths to their fullest. A feeling of comprehension filled his heart. Unfortunately, he did not have the time to enjoy the revelation in his heart. The battle had been extremely intense from the beginning, so there was no saying who would win and who would lose.
The number of Territory Lords reduced steadily, but Yang Kai was also beginning to feel tired. His Small Universe had always been much bigger than others in the same Order. Combined with his cultivation that was at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Yang Kai generally had no trouble responding calmly to any situation, regardless of the intensity or ferocity of a battle. However, he was confronting too many enemies today, a testament to Mo Na Ye’s determination.
Yang Kai had summoned his Dragon Bead three times in a row, slaughtering innumerable Territory Lords in the process, but at this point, he could no longer afford to summon it, otherwise, he would risk breaking it into pieces.
Inside his Small Universe, the consumption of World Force was also bordering on excessive. Although he had the World Tree Clone to stabilize it, draining too much World Force from his Small Universe might cause some problems for him. Nothing might happen to Yang Kai himself, but it would be a catastrophe for the living beings in his Small Universe if it was completely drained.
The Black Ink Clan had been repeatedly trying to set up the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array, but the Array always failed to take shape due to Yang Kai’s interference. At this point, they seemed to have completely given up on their plan to restrain Yang Kai with it.
It was not because they were willing to give up on this plan. On the contrary, it was because most of the Territory Lords who brought the Array Boards and Banners with them had been killed by now. As the saying went, ‘Even the cleverest woman could not cook a meal without rice’.
At a certain point, the intense battle suddenly ceased.
Yang Kai stood in the void with his spear in hand. The murderous intent radiating from him was practically tangible, and there was not a single intact spot on his body. Moreover, he was dyed in a mixture of golden and black blood. His tightly bound hair was dishevelled and draped around his shoulders. Although his appearance was bedraggled, he gave off a heroic spirit in his own right.
Even now, over 100 Territory Lords surrounded him and stared at him. In addition, countless overpowering auras wound around him like invisible chains in an attempt to hold him in place.
Yang Kai had slain more than 100 Territory Lords in this battle. The main reason another hundred or so Territory Lords were surrounding him was that more had gradually arrived over time and joined the fight.
At this moment, the gazes watching Yang Kai were filled with absolute horror and fear. They had witnessed how this Human had slain their companions like he was slaughtering chickens and butchering dogs. The only reason they were still alive was not that they were stronger than their dead companions; rather, they were simply lucky enough not to be targeted. None of the Territory Lords targeted by this Human Race Master survived. All of them died.
The battlefield was absolutely silent as severed limbs and broken pieces of bone floated around the void. The atmosphere was extremely tense.
The Territory Lords silently questioned themselves whether the astounding price they paid so far was worth the effort. Be that as it may, the person presiding over this matter was Mo Na Ye. Not only were they simply acting on orders, but they could not disobey their orders either.
Lightly taking a breath and spitting out the blood in his mouth, Yang Kai glanced in the direction of the No-Return Pass. He knew that Mo Na Ye was rushing over from that direction. There was also a possibility that Mo Na Ye was hiding somewhere in the vicinity just beyond the range of his perception.
The only reason Mo Na Ye did not reveal himself was that the time was not yet right. Yang Kai had enough strength in him to continue fighting with no trouble; not to mention, he was proficient at escaping. Mo Na Ye did not have the confidence to stop Yang Kai from fleeing if he showed himself at this moment. Hence, his only option was to wait until Yang Kai was completely exhausted. Only then would he come forward and finish things in one blow!
In any case, Mo Na Ye was certain that Yang Kai would not be willing to leave just like that. That was because the Innate Territory Lords standing in front of him were nothing but meek lambs waiting to be slaughtered. As long as he cared about the future of the Human Race, Yang Kai would not stop fighting until the very last moment.
Yang Kai broke into a grin, and his bloodied appearance made the grin on his face seem even more gruesome. He had to admit that he had fallen completely into Mo Na Ye’s trap. More importantly, he had willingly done so!
[Mo Na Ye is truly the genius of the Black Ink Clan!]
Yang Kai gave a flick of the spear in his hands, and his murderous intent began to surge turbulently as he shouted, “Again!”
Then, his figure transformed into a stream of light and charged towards four Territory Lords in Formation.
After fighting for so long, there was no need for flowery moves at this point. Yang Kai just had to kill as many of the powerful enemies in front of him as he could before he made his escape. On the other hand, the Territory Lords who came here on orders had to put constant pressure on Yang Kai so that he continued to accumulate injuries.
The battle at this point played out differently from the initial flexible context at the beginning. Yang Kai no longer had the strength nor the mood to avoid the incoming attacks. Most of the time, he just took those attacks directly in exchange for reaping the lives of the Territory Lords. His Dragon Form which was only one step away from advancing to the Divine Dragon realm gave him the capital to withstand such abuse.
When the Four Symbols Formation was destroyed, Yang Kai wielded his spear and covered the four Territory Lords in his spear aura. Although the four Territory Lords struggled desperately, how could they escape? A spear light came down, and each Territory Lord stiffened abruptly…
At the same time, a barrage of assaults rained down on Yang Kai. These attacks left him coughing up blood as his figure shuddered violently. Nevertheless, he simply turned around sharply and charged towards the nearest group of four Territory Lords.
The battle was not as intense as earlier; after all, both the Territory Lords and Yang Kai had exhausted themselves. Nonetheless, the brutality was considerably higher than before. The Territory Lords were gutted and beheaded at a constant rate; likewise, Yang Kai’s aura weakened steadily.
About an hour later, Yang Kai’s figure faltered involuntarily when he killed another Territory Lord. His vision also blurred for a moment. He was almost at his limit!
He had not counted how many Territory Lords he slaughtered in this battle, but the Black Ink Clan had invested at least 250 Innate Territory Lords altogether. In contrast, there were only about 70 or 80 surviving Territory Lords at the moment… In this battle alone, Yang Kai had slain some 170 Territory Lords!
That was a terrifying battle record, but it was not something Yang Kai could have achieved on his own strength. If these Territory Lords had not been wounded from the start and Mo Na Ye had ordered them never to retreat, he would not have achieved such a feat so easily.
The outcome of this battle was only possible because one party was willing to fight while the other party was willing to endure. Mo Na Ye was desperate to succeed and Yang Kai was willing to cooperate.
All of a sudden, a powerful aura invaded Yang Kai’s perception from the direction of the No-Return Pass and approached at lightning speed. He turned to look in that direction, coldly snorting in his heart. [Mo Na Ye’s arrival sure is timely. Out of all the times he could choose to come, he had to come just when I was planning to retreat.]
If he was in perfect condition, he would not be scared to encounter Mo Na Ye in the vast, empty void. He had been chased by more than one Royal Lord in the past and had even killed one of them, so what was a mere Pseudo-Royal Lord in comparison?
However, he was heavily wounded at the moment. Yang Kai’s strength was no longer at its peak as both his World Force and Spiritual Energy were basically depleted. If he was targeted by Mo Na Ye in this condition, he was not confident that he could successfully escape.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai did not regret his actions today. Mo Na Ye had taken the initiative to dangle such tempting carrots in front of him. Even if he knew that it was the Black Ink Clan’s trap, Yang Kai could not resist biting. Now was the best time to reduce the strength of the Black Ink Clan. If he did not take this opportunity to kill as many Innate Territory Lords as he could, then many more Humans would die in the future.
Space Principles lingered around his figure as Yang Kai immediately prepared to escape after having sensed Mo Na Ye’s aura approaching.
However, how could the Territory Lords surrounding him allow him to escape so easily? These Territory Lords had been terrified of him earlier, so nobody had dared to confront him recklessly, but at this moment, they seemed bolstered by a newfound sense of courage. Every one of them became as mighty as a dragon and as fierce as a tiger. Their auras locked onto his body, surging violently as they channelled their power. To disrupt his escape, some blasted Secret Techniques at him while others went all out to shake the surrounding Void with their power.
Activating Instantaneous Movement under these circumstances was undoubtedly a fool’s dream. Even Yang Kai could not achieve such a feat. Fortunately, he was not unprepared for such situations. While surging his power to block the storm of attacks, he tried to connect with a Space Beacon.
Over the years, he had placed countless Space Beacons across the Black Ink Battlefield. There was no doubt that performing Space Secret Techniques was much easier and less energy-consuming with the help of these Space Beacons.
It did not take long for Yang Kai to detect the nearest Space Beacon to his current location. Space Principles fluctuated, and his figure began to turn hazy as though he was about to melt into the Void. Before he could vanish completely though, another storm of attacks rained down on him once more. His entire figure shuddered from the force and the space around him became warped, causing his blurry image to solidify again.
Sure enough, it was not feasible for him to escape even with the help of a Space Beacon when so many powerful opponents were surrounding him.
Yang Kai did not hesitate. With a flick of the Azure Dragon Spear, he brazenly charged towards the spot where the defence was the weakest in the Black Ink Clan’s siege. Since he could not escape, he had to break out of the encirclement. That was something he had considered beforehand.
His figure moved with his spear, and thanks to the Supreme Limitless Spear Art, he practically became one with it. He boldly rushed towards the Territory Lords, braving the countless attacks blasting towards him.
The Territory Lords facing him were shocked and frightened, so they instinctively moved to avoid him; however, Mo Na Ye’s furious roar came from the distance at that exact moment, “Stop him!”
After a brief moment of hesitation, the Territory Lords surged their powers in unison and challenged Yang Kai directly.
At the same time that a Battle Formation of four Territory Lords was destroyed, Yang Kai staggered back from the attacks that came from the side. Nevertheless, he threw his head back and roared with laughter, “Who can stop me if I want to leave?”
There was no time for him to exterminate the four Territory Lords whose Battle Formation was broken, but he still rushed out of the encirclement. Unfortunately, a sense of crisis threatened to overcome him before he could activate his Space Principles.
From a distance, Mo Na Ye slammed his palm towards Yang Kai’s direction with a cold snort, “You’re too arrogant, Yang Kai!”
In the brief moment that Yang Kai was delayed just now, Mo Na Ye had arrived in the vicinity!
The long-distance attack made Yang Kai stagger and his Instantaneous Movement Technique that he was about to activate was interrupted halfway. The sound of broken bones also came from his body, causing him to cough up a mouthful of Golden Blood.
A Pseudo-Royal Lord had strength almost equal to a true Royal Lord, the only difference was the amount of power they could display. A Pseudo-Royal Lord could only bring out some 70% to 80% of their full strength, making them far inferior to a true Royal Lord.
There was no doubt that Mo Na Ye was stronger than Di Wu though. If Di Wu could exert 70% of a true Royal Lord’s strength, then Mo Na Ye could exert 80%. Although it was only a difference of 10%, it was still a massive gap in power. That was especially true when Yang Kai was so heavily injured and mentally exhausted. Just a long-distance attack had nearly knocked him unconscious.
Yang Kai bit the tip of his tongue hard, then he took the initiative to trigger the power of the Soul Warming Lotus. Only then did he manage to maintain his consciousness. Not daring to delay any longer, he quickly moved to leave. However, an aura locked onto him from behind and stuck to him firmly.
“Yang Kai, I will spare your life if you surrender without a fight!” Mo Na Ye’s roar reverberated in Yang Kai’s ears as his figure gradually approached.
Without even turning to look back, Yang Kai coughed up blood while making his escape, “Mo Na Ye, you’ve gotten arrogant! Are you not even going to call me ‘Brother Yang’ anymore?”
Mo Na Ye chuckled softly, “You need to be qualified for me to call you that!”
His confidence in his ability to defeat Yang Kai was reflected in his expression, which was so smug it was irritating.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai had to admit that it would be difficult for him to escape Mo Na Ye’s pursuit in his current condition. He couldn’t help feeling relieved that his pursuer was a Pseudo-Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye. If it had been Mo Yu, a true Royal Lord instead, things would have been much worse for him.
Activating the Great Sun and Moon Marks, blue and yellow lights merged and transformed into pure white light. When the pure white light covered Yang Kai, the aura that Mo Na Ye locked onto him was severed in an instant. Then, Yang Kai hurriedly activated Space Principles to leave.
Mo Na Ye coldly snorted. The aura that was severed earlier exploded, like an invisible punch, disrupting the Void around Yang Kai. After fighting Yang Kai for so many years, he had already prepared plans for how to deal with such situations.
If Yang Kai had been at full strength, Mo Na Ye’s approach would not have been effective. It was just that Yang Kai had already fought so many Territory Lords earlier, so he was both physically and mentally exhausted. Although he was not at the point where he was a dry oil lamp, he was practically an arrow at the end of its flight; hence, he was a little powerless in the face of Mo Na Ye’s interference.
Yang Kai’s figure turned hazy and vanished from the spot. Then, he left with the Instantaneous Movement Space Technique. Be that as it may, he did not manage to flee far.
Mo Na Ye found Yang Kai’s location with a sweep of his Divine Sense and his powerful aura stretched out again in that direction, clinging to Yang Kai like leeches.
Having sacrificed so many Innate Territory Lords, how could Mo Na Ye’s plan have no effect on Yang Kai? He had already calculated and anticipated all the possible scenarios that could occur when he came up with this trap. Everything was within his expectations.
The next step was for him to hunt down Yang Kai with all his might! He was not going to rest until Yang Kai was dead! As long as he could annihilate Yang Kai, the deaths of all the Innate Territory Lords earlier would be worth it. If he allowed Yang Kai to carry on hunting down the Territory Lords who escaped from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the losses suffered by the Black Ink Clan would be even greater.
When Yang Kai reappeared, he staggered. He felt light-headed and dizzy, a feeling that he had not felt in a long time. That was when he knew that he had been too greedy. In order to slaughter as many Innate Territory Lords as possible, he had spent too long in the battle which resulted in heavy injuries and extreme fatigue.
Be that as it may, under those circumstances, how could he bring himself to retreat before the last possible moment? Nobody would be willing to leave when faced with so many Innate Territory Lords who could be killed almost effortlessly. Even now, he could only sigh in appreciation. In this confrontation, he had to admit that Mo Na Ye’s trap was truly superior! It was not an easy feat to acknowledge the strength of one’s enemy.
In this battle, he had known that it was a trap Mo Na Ye had prepared for him. Despite that, he had willingly walked into the trap and allowed himself to fall into such a miserable state. Nevertheless, it was unknown who would have the last laugh in this confrontation. It would all depend entirely on their respective skills.
If he could escape Mo Na Ye’s pursuit, then all the scheming and plotting that Mo Na Ye did would turn into something extremely laughable instead. In fact, Mo Na Ye would become thoroughly humiliated. For that reason alone, Yang Kai had to escape the pursuit of a Pseudo-Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye and survive!
He had to fight alone with no help from external forces, there was a significant difference in their strengths, and his life was on the line… All of these factors were disadvantageous to Yang Kai. Fortunately, he was accustomed to such situations. How many times had he been chased by unimaginably powerful enemies? In the end, he always managed to turn the situation around. How could the ship capsize on calm seas now?
Purifying Light appeared once more, severing the aura wrapped around Yang Kai for a second time. Yang Kai then activated Space Principles to escape. Without any delay, he was struck by Mo Na Ye’s interference just as he was about to escape. The severity of his injuries increased. When he reappeared once more, Mo Na Ye swiftly gave chase.
The same situation kept repeating over and over…
The current situation felt familiar to Yang Kai. He couldn’t help but recall the first time he was hunted down by a Royal Lord during his previous escape from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. The current situation was similar to the situation at the time. He had used the Purifying Light to sever the aura that the enemy had locked on him; then, he activated Space Principles to escape. It was just a pity that his enemies would catch up to him soon after.
He had only been in the peak of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm at the time, so his strength was a far cry from that of a Royal Lord. Although Yang Kai was now at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he was severely injured, so his situation was not much better than it had been last time.
Back then, he had been hunted by the Royal Lord for many years. It was only with the help of the numerous mysterious Celestial Phenomena scattered in the void that he managed to escape danger on many occasions. In the end, Yang Kai had dived deep into the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon and cultivated hard for thousands of years inside numerous Temporal Rivers. When he advanced to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm and came out of the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, he managed to slaughter the Royal Lord through a series of coincidences and pure luck.
But what about now? Could Yang Kai borrow the power of the Celestial Phenomenon like before? Regrettably, that was not an option. Leaving aside the various dangers hidden within the mysterious Celestial Phenomena, there was too much distance between him and that part of the Black Ink Battlefield. In his current condition, he did not have the confidence to last until he could reach the nearest Celestial Phenomenon.
Escaping to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was another option. The Suppressing Black Ink Army and Divine Dragon Fu Guang were there, so if he could lure Mo Na Ye that far, he would not only guarantee his own safety, but Fu Guang could also take the opportunity to rip Mo Na Ye in two. Unfortunately, the distance to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was even further than the Celestial Phenomena, so Yang Kai quickly dismissed the idea.
The only ones in the vicinity who could help him were the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters secretly watching over the Human cultivators mining resources nearby. However, Yang Kai would only bring disaster to them if he sought their help. Those Eighth-Order Masters might be able to resist Mo Na Ye for some time if they joined forces, but the cultivators who were responsible for mining or harvesting resources did not have high strength. Many would die just from the fallout of such a battle. Moreover, they would inevitably be besieged by the Black Ink Clan once their whereabouts were revealed.
These tens of thousands of cultivators were heroes who had gone behind enemy lines for over 1,000 years, risking their lives to collect resources from the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield. It would not be appropriate for Yang Kai to drag them into danger for his own self-interests; therefore, his only option was to face this battle alone!
He couldn’t help feeling secretly resentful. It could be seen that Mo Na Ye was determined to remove him from the equation altogether. He did not have the slightest breathing space in their pursuit. Otherwise, he could have connected with the World Tree and asked the Old Tree to guide him to the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary so that he could hide there for some time. It was too bad that he needed a few breaths for the World Tree to receive him, long enough for Mo Na Ye to butcher him.
Now that there were no external forces that Yang Kai could rely on, he could only rely on himself.
He silently perceived his condition. His physical wounds were slowly healing thanks to his potent Dragon Vein, and the World Force in his Small Universe was gradually recovering with each passing moment. Likewise, the Soul Warming Lotus was soothing the headache in his mind… As long as nobody interfered with his healing process, he would be fully recovered in 10 to 15 days. His recovery abilities had always been very strong.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai was currently being hunted by Mo Na Ye, and every time he activated Space Principles to escape, he would suffer additional injuries. Hence, his strength and Spiritual Energy were constantly being depleted.
Under such circumstances, Yang Kai would probably need to escape Mo Na Ye for three to five years before he could recover sufficiently to throw off his pursuer.
Yang Kai did not know whether he could persist for three to five years, but he knew that a disastrous fate awaited him if he made a careless mistake and gave Mo Na Ye an opportunity to capture him. Unfortunately, the current situation left him with no other choice. If he wanted to survive, then his only option was to endure and persist!
After considering all his options, Yang Kai calmed down considerably. Since that was the only path ahead, he just had to walk it. Once three to five years had passed and he had the confidence to escape alive from Mo Na Ye’s pursuit, he would thoroughly mock and ridicule him for his failure. He was certain that Mo Na Ye’s expression would be extremely exciting to watch at that point!
Travelling through the void, Yang Kai felt an immense aura rapidly approaching him. The aura of death also loomed from behind him. Mo Na Ye’s deep voice echoed in his ears once more, “Yang Kai, you will never escape!”
He did not respond. In truth, he could not spare the strength to give a response. He was focusing all his attention on fleeing.
Purifying Light fluctuated and severed Mo Na Ye’s aura once more… Both Yang Kai and Mo Na Ye were extremely familiar with this routine by now.
In the next moment, Yang Kai activated Space Principles and prepared to escape; meanwhile, Mo Na Ye’s aura surged and shook the Void around Yang Kai’s figure to interrupt his Instantaneous Movement. Their actions were extremely in sync, almost as though their minds were connected.
Just when Yang Kai activated Space Principles and prepared to leave via Instantaneous Movement this time though, he suddenly felt a wave of turbulence in his Small Universe. He vaguely felt as though there was an invisible hand flicking his Small Universe, causing ripples to spread throughout it. As a result, his World Force abruptly became disordered and chaotic.
Under normal circumstances, such occurrences would not have had much of an impact on him. He would only need to restore his chaotic World Force to reverse the effects; however, he was currently fleeing for his life, so the effects of this sudden turn of events were horrifying.
His hazy figure that was about to vanish suddenly turned solid again because of the chaotic disruption. His expression immediately became solemn as a result.
Mo Na Ye, who was pursuing closely from behind, was also stunned by the unexpected change. It was the first time such a situation had happened throughout their chase.
In previous cases, Yang Kai would already have escaped by the time he made his move. The situation left him feeling helpless despite his immense strength and ability. Aside from forcibly interfering with Yang Kai’s Instantaneous Movement, he had not been able to make a single move up until now. The situation had been weighing heavily on Mo Na Ye as a result.
At this moment, he immediately saw an opportunity to make his move. He took action almost instinctively, raising his fist and punching in the direction of Yang Kai. Dense Black Ink Strength spewed out and formed a pitch-black light that broke through the barriers of space in an instant and slammed heavily into Yang Kai.
Mo Na Ye was overjoyed. Increasing his speed, he rushed forward and roared, “Yang Kai, suffer death!”
He raised his fist once more and blasted out another punch; however, this turned out to be useless. When the pitch-black light dissipated, Yang Kai’s figure was no longer anywhere to be seen.
Mo Na Ye’s Divine Sense spread out like a tidal wave, and he immediately perceived Yang Kai’s whereabouts. At this moment, Yang Kai’s aura had obviously declined considerably. It was clearly the work of his attack earlier.
[Is he running out of strength?] Mo Na Ye recalled the strange incident just now and made a speculation. He did not know what happened for Yang Kai to make a mistake at such a critical moment. In any case, Yang Kai’s mistake, which caused his figure to stop for a moment, had allowed Mo Na Ye to exploit. The incident greatly increased Mo Na Ye’s chances of success in capturing or annihilating Yang Kai.
Not far away, Yang Kai looked as pale as a sheet. He opened his mouth and instantly coughed up a considerable amount of Golden Blood. His heart was filled with fear and fury.
After bearing the brunt of Mo Na Ye’s long-distance attack, his poor condition worsened even more. He originally only needed to escape from Mo Na Ye for three to five years to make a comeback, but now… he had the feeling that he would not be able to endure much longer. The power behind the attack of a Pseudo-Royal Lord was extremely heavy, so it was not easy to bear, especially when he was in such poor condition at the moment.
However, what truly horrified and enraged him was that something seemed to be wrong with his Small Universe. For a moment just now, his Small Universe had been inexplicably afflicted by extreme turbulence. It had caused the World Force in his body to become disordered. If not for that, how could he have made such a mistake?
But, why did his Small Universe experience turmoil? His Small Universe had always been protected and stabilized by the World Tree Clone, so it was essentially flawless and impenetrable to external forces. Even in a difficult battle against Mo Na Ye, he should only suffer a terrible beating due to his inferior strength. There should not have been any effects on his Small Universe.
Unless… he was completely out of strength. If his World Force had been fully depleted, that would shake the very foundation of his Small Universe. However, that was also impossible. It was true that his strength had been significantly depleted after such an intense battle, but there were countless living beings in his Small Universe. His World Force was constantly being replenished at all times, so his World Force couldn’t be depleted.
[Just what went wrong?]
As Yang Kai fled with his severely injured body, he separated out a thread of consciousness to investigate the situation inside his Small Universe.
His entire Small Universe was filled with an uneasy atmosphere. The turmoil earlier had caused great panic throughout the Void World. Earthquakes had shaken the ground, rivers had flowed backwards, mountains had collapsed, and tidal waves swept across the seas. These disasters had resulted in countless casualties.
Fortunately, the disaster passed just as quickly as it came. There was no further serious damage to his Small Universe at this point. Nevertheless, the Masters of the major Sects and the Void Dao Temple were investigating the situation for the cause, without any success of course.
Yang Kai scowled deeply.
His Small Universe was safe and sound. In that case, what was the cause of the disaster earlier? What puzzled him even more was that something seemed to be drawing his attention, almost as if it was calling out to him from somewhere.
He inadvertently raised his head and looked in a certain direction. It was none other than the direction where he had fought hundreds of Innate Territory Lords earlier. Something seemed to be waiting for him there.
[Is it a trap by the Black Ink Clan? Is it another one of Mo Na Ye’s ploys? No, it doesn’t seem like a trap.]
At his cultivation realm, Yang Kai’s mind and will were strongly fortified. It should be impossible for him to be affected by external influences. The force that was guiding him was most likely a form of guidance from something on a much higher level.
Yang Kai quietly observed Mo Na Ye’s expression as the latter rapidly closed the distance between them.
Mo Na Ye was not hiding the murderous intent radiating from his entire being, but more importantly, he seemed oblivious to Yang Kai’s current abnormal state.
Unbeknownst to Yang Kai, when the wave of turbulence struck his Small Universe, the same phenomenon had occurred throughout the entire 3,000 Worlds. As long as it was a place occupied by the Human Race, be it High Heaven Territory, the New Great Territory, the battlefields across the various Great Territories, or the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, all the Human Race Masters at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm and above had experienced the same turbulence in their Small Universe and subsequently felt the same subtle pull.
Fortunately, most of these veterans at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm were not engaged in battle at the time; otherwise, they might have been severely wounded or killed as a result.
…..
In one of the peaceful Universes located in the New Great Territory, although the World’s Grand Dao had been perfected and the vitality was flourishing, the Universe World had yet to produce any living creatures with high sentience.
There was a simple thatched hut on one of the tall mountains inside the Universe World, but there was no telling how long the thatched hut had been there as it was surrounded by various Arrays to protect it from the erosion of time.
After the Human Race Masters at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm experienced the turbulence in their Small Universe, a figure suddenly flew out of the thatched hut. He came to stand in the middle of the sky and looked up at the Heavens solemnly. Then, his expression seemed to change slightly.
If any of the Black Ink Clan higher-ups were here, they would most likely have recognised him. He was the Human Race Master, Xiang Shan! Aside from Yang Kai, he was one of the few Human Race Masters who were a major concern to the Black Ink Clan.
Mo Na Ye had always suspected that a new Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had already appeared. Among the possible candidates, Xiang Shan and several other veteran Eighth-Order Masters had the highest possibility of breaking through. That was because they had not appeared on any of the Great Territory Battlefields for many centuries.
Nobody knew where these veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were hiding. Although the Black Ink Clan had many Black Ink Disciples acting as spies, such top-secret information could not be obtained no matter what methods were used by these low-level personnel. Even Yang Kai did not know where Xiang Shan was in seclusion, not that he had ever bothered to ask.
Unfortunately, the reality of the matter was that Xiang Shan, whose cultivation had regressed after he sacrificed a large portion of his Small Universe in the past, had not been able to break through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm even though he had been cultivating in retreat for so long. Even now, he was only at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Nevertheless, there were very few among the veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters with the qualification to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the first place. It could be said that Xiang Shan was one of the few cultivators closest to the Ninth Order.
When the turbulence swept throughout the Universe, Xiang Shan had also been disturbed. The phenomenon had interrupted him in the middle of his retreat, causing nearly 1,000 of hard work to come to nought.
If it were anybody else, they would inevitably have lost their composure. In the worst case, they might even suffer a trace of cultivation dissonance. Luckily, Xiang Shan’s mind was strong and stable thanks to the many ups and downs he suffered in life. Although he was disappointed, he was not too bothered by the loss. He simply pondered for a moment before he vaguely understood what had happened.
Xiang Shan was different from Yang Kai after all. Yang Kai might be famous throughout the known Universe, but he had lived a much shorter life than the true veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. It was only natural that he had experienced much less in life compared to these old monsters.
What Yang Kai did not know; Xiang Shan understood almost instantly. With a vertical movement, his figure transformed into a stream of light and charged out of the Universe World, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, various messages began to spread among the Human Race as the Open Heaven Realm Masters who had lived long enough had a vague understanding of what was about to take place.
…..
On the Black Ink Battlefield where Yang Kai had fought hundreds of Innate Territory Lords earlier, after Yang Kai escaped and Mo Na Ye pursued, the surviving Innate Territory Lords seemed to be in no hurry to leave. It was not that they did not want to leave, but rather that they were heavily wounded and their energy reserves had been depleted, so they were having trouble moving about freely.
They might have survived the battle, but too many of them had lost their lives to Yang Kai. Nearly 200 Innate Territory Lords had been slaughtered by Yang Kai in that fight, an outcome that would surely be recorded in the annals of history.
In any case, they were not worried that Yang Kai might return here. Mo Na Ye was personally hunting him down after all. He would be having enough trouble just escaping with his life, so where would he find the energy to wheel around to attack them again?
While they were resting though, none of the Territory Lords noticed that an extremely mysterious force was slowly permeating the nearby void. There were no words to describe the force accurately, but it was no threat to the Territory Lords. On the contrary, it seemed to seamlessly seep into everything without a sound.
As the force began to condense, numerous illusory lines emerged and slowly connected with each other to form a strange image… The illusory phantom covered a huge swath of the void and enveloped the Territory Lords. Strangely enough, none of the Territory Lords noticed anything at all. It was not until a certain Territory Lord suddenly opened his eyes and looked around that he realised something was wrong. He shouted a warning, startling the other Territory Lords from their rest.
Not knowing exactly what was happening, let alone what the illusory phantom that inexplicably appeared was, the Territory Lords did not dare to remain. They quickly summoned their strength to leave this place; however, they soon discovered something strange.
The void within the range of the illusory phantom had twisted and folded upon itself. No matter how they tried to escape, they could not leave the range of the illusory phantom. It was as if they were trapped inside an inexplicable Array, a reality that shocked and horrified them.
These Territory Lords had snuck out from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. After travelling for 10 years and avoiding being hunted by Yang Kai along the way, they finally arrived at the No-Return Pass. Before they could heal from their wounds and recover their strength though, they were used as pawns to besiege Yang Kai under Mo Na Ye’s order.
Many of their clansmen had died in the previous battle, and those who survived initially thought that they would finally be rewarded for all their hardships. Who could have known that such a strange phenomenon would occur? For some reason, they were trapped in the void now with no means of escape.
For a time, many were filled with an inexplicable sense of grief and indignation. How could the outside world be so dangerous? Although life in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had been boring and monotonous, it had at least been safe. Hence, they were starting to miss the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
The region where the Territory Lords were located was not the only place where the peculiar illusory phantom appeared. Many illusory phantoms also emerged out of thin air on the battlefields across the various Great Territories where both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan were fighting. The phenomenon even occurred in the deserted Barren Territory and at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
The illusory phantoms might be scattered across the Universe, but they had the same shape. It was as though a mysterious existence had projected its image at all these different locations. The illusory phantoms loomed over the vast void; however, only the unlucky Innate Territory Lords on the Black Ink Battlefield were trapped within its range. No other living being had been trapped within the illusory phantom; after all, the illusory phantom had emerged very slowly and those with the slightest sense of vigilance had fled at the first sign of its appearance.
The Black Ink Clan was completely bewildered by the phenomenon, but some of the veteran Human Race Masters rejoiced. Some even cheered and praised the Heavens for blessing the Human Race, acting as though the appearance of the illusory phantom was a great blessing to them.
The news quickly spread to the Supreme Headquarters as soon as the illusory phantom manifested in the void, where Mi Jing Lun quickly realized what was happening and also cheered, [What opportune timing!]
For this phenomenon to appear at this point in time… The delicate balance between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan that had been carefully maintained for the past few thousand years was surely about to be broken! The tidal wave, which was destined to sweep across the Universe after accumulating for so many years, was about to come!
Numerous orders were quickly issued and relayed to various parties. Like a sophisticated Grand Array, the entire Human Race began to operate with the Supreme Headquarters as the Core. At the same time, Mi Jing Lun also ordered many different types of ancient books that had been collected by the Cave Heavens and Paradises over the years to be brought to the Supreme Headquarters.
A stream of light soon arrived from the outside and landed in front of the Supreme Headquarters. When the soldiers on duty saw the appearance of the visitor, they immediately allowed him to enter without hindrance.
Mi Jing Lun, who was reviewing the information at the time, looked up with a slight glint of sadness in his eyes. Although he knew that it was unlikely for Xiang Shan to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he couldn’t help feeling disappointed when the outcome was blatantly displayed in front of him.
Xiang Shan walked straight to the table and glanced at the information in front of Mi Jing Lun; then, he raised his brow and asked, “Is it really the Universe Furnace?”
Mi Jing Lun nodded, “I’m sure you’ve sensed it too.”
Xiang Shan agreed, “I was in retreat when my mind became restless and the turbulence struck my Small Universe. It was rumoured that those at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm would experience a resonance when the Universe Furnace appeared. I guess the rumours were true.” After a pause, he added, “Where is it located?”
Mi Jing Lun massaged his temples with a troubled look, “There seems to be more than one location!”
“What do you mean?” Xiang Shan was stunned.
“Take a look for yourself.” Mi Jing Lun pushed a jade slip towards Xiang Shan.
Xiang Shan took the jade slip and checked the contents; then, he exclaimed in astonishment, “How can this be?”
According to the intelligence received by the Supreme Headquarters, the illusory phantom of the Universe Furnace had appeared on a number of the Great Territory Battlefields. Moreover, these were only the ones detected by the Human Race. There was no saying whether anything had slipped through their investigations.
Mi Jing Lun elaborated, “According to the records in the ancient books of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, it is possible for there to be more than one location when the Universe Furnace emerges. At most there were three locations in the past. There has never been a precedent where there were more than 10 locations at once.”
Xiang Shan reminisced with a fond look on his face, “A long time ago, I heard my Honoured Master talking about the Universe Furnace. The Ancestors speculated that the Universe Furnace always remained hidden beyond our Universe. Nobody has ever seen the true Universe Furnace before. On the contrary, what we see is nothing more than its projection. Although the projection is illusory, it is closely related to the body of the Universe Furnace. More than that, the projection is the entrance to the Universe Furnace.”
Mi Jing Lun nodded, “I’ve heard the Seniors discussing this idea in the past. Moreover, the number of projections seems to be related to the number of deaths and the strength of the deceased in a particular area. According to the records, more projections will appear when more strong beings lose their lives.”
Xiang Shan immediately understood, “Is that why there are projections on every Great Territory Battlefield?”
“That’s probably the reason. Both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan suffered countless casualties on the Great Territory Battlefields, and many of these casualties were Open Heaven Realm Masters. Therefore, it is not surprising for the projection of the Universe Furnace to appear on these Great Territory Battlefields.”
“By that logic, projections should also appear in the Barren Territory and at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.”
Countless beings had died in the wars at both the Barren Territory and the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. In particular, the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors and Royal Lords had practically annihilated each other in these two locations. There was a high possibility that the projections of the Universe Furnace had appeared at those two locations.
The location of the projection was the location of the entrance to the Universe Furnace. In other words, there were more options for a person if they wanted to seize the opportunity to enter the Universe Furnace; however, this was not good news for the Human Race.
If there were only one or two entrances, then the Human Race would definitely go all out to seize control of these locations and prevent the Black Ink Clan from entering. Unfortunately, it was a fool’s dream to hope that they could control all the entrances under these circumstances. The Black Ink Clan would also have the opportunity to enter the Universe Furnace, which would be extremely disadvantageous to the Human Race. The current situation would inevitably lead to a bloody battle that would in turn destroy the current balance.
“When was the last time the Universe Furnace appeared?” Xiang Shan asked.
Mi Jing Lun replied, “Around 200,000 years ago.”
Xiang Shan frowned. Too much time had passed since the last appearance. Even if the ancient books of the Cave Heavens and Paradises contained any records, they would likely not be complete or comprehensive.
Mi Jing Lun was currently reading through the ancient books to find some useful information, so the Human Race Masters were not completely blind when they entered the Universe Furnace.
“Every time the Universe Furnace appeared in the past, the projections mostly only appeared on the Black Ink Battlefield. The projections would occasionally appear in the 3,000 Worlds, but those occurrences were rare; therefore, the records left behind in the 3,000 Worlds do not contain much useful information.”
The number and location of projected entrances to the Universe Furnace was closely linked to the number of powerful living beings who died nearby, that much was certain. There had always been various conflicts in the 3,000 Worlds, but large-scale wars were basically non-existent, so the projections rarely appeared in the 3,000 Worlds. The projections generally only appeared on the Black Ink Battlefield.
Among the Old Ancestors, a number had advanced to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm thanks to the opportunities they obtained in the Universe Furnace. For that reason, the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors should have some knowledge regarding the Universe Furnace. Unfortunately, most of the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors lost their lives during the battles at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and the Barren Territory. Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing were the only two Ninth-Order Old Ancestors who survived.
The problem was that these two were considered rising stars among the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors. Only a few thousand years had passed since Wu Qing advanced to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and though Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao advanced earlier, it was still just 20,000 years ago. There was a high possibility that she had not experienced the last appearance of the Universe Furnace.
At present, it was an extravagant hope to acquire information regarding the Universe Furnace from the Masters of the previous generation. Even so, Mi Jing Lun immediately sent men to Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing to inquire about the Universe Furnace. After all, these two were still older than the rest and they might have some useful information.
“What about the Divine Spirits?” Xiang Shan asked, “Some of them have probably lived long enough. Shouldn’t they know something about the Universe Furnace?”
Mi Jing Lun replied, “I have sent messengers to the Elders of the Dragon and Phoenix Clans, but we shouldn’t expect too much. The Divine Spirits generally remained at the No-Return Pass without leaving their position. Although they have lived long enough, they did not participate even when the Universe Furnace appeared in the past; hence, they probably do not know much about the Universe Furnace either.” He continued after a pause, “I also sent messages to some of the Elders from the Cave Heavens and Paradises. We’ll see what information we can obtain.”
The Elders from the Cave Heavens and Paradises might not be very strong, but they had lived for a long time. Even if they did not experience the Universe Furnace in person, they might have heard something from their Seniors.
It was quite a sad situation. Although the Universe Furnace was undoubtedly the biggest opportunity for the Human Race, the interval between each appearance was so long that the Human Race did not know much about it. At this moment, their most urgent task was to collect as much information as possible.
“Will there be enough time?” Xiang Shan asked slightly anxiously.
“There is nothing to worry about on that front,” Mi Jing Lun reassured, “According to the records in these ancient books, the appearance of the Universe Furnace’s projections is just the beginning. The entrance will only open once the projections have solidified completely. This process can take a long time, ranging from a few months to five years.”
Xiang Shan nodded lightly, then he suddenly looked at Mi Jing Lun with an apologetic expression, “I want to enter the Universe Furnace!”
Although he had the qualifications to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he had determined that he could not do so with his own strength alone after cultivating in retreat for the past 1,000 or so years. The damage he suffered when his cultivation regressed might have seemed harmless at the time, but apparently, there had been a profound impact on his foundation after all.
Mi Jing Lun smiled and said, “Brother Xiang, of course, you should be able to enter the Universe Furnace. There’s no need to feel awkward; after all, your advancement to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm will bring greater pressure to the Black Ink Clan.”
Aside from Xiang Shan, the only other person in the Human Race who qualified to coordinate the overall situation and strategize the logistics was Mi Jing Lun. During the years that Xiang Shan had been cultivating in retreat, Mi Jing Lun had basically taken charge of the entire Supreme Headquarters and managed the whole Human Race in an orderly manner.
The Universe Furnace was a great opportunity for both of them, but unfortunately, both of them couldn’t enter it together. One of them had to stay behind to lead the Human Race; otherwise, chaos would surely erupt. In other words, if Xiang Shan were to enter the Universe Furnace, then Mi Jing Lun had to stay behind. That was one of the reasons why Xiang Shan felt slightly guilty.
However, Xiang Shan was not acting solely out of personal interests. It was just as Mi Jing Lun said. Although they were both at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Xiang Shan was superior in terms of combat power; hence, it would be better for him to enter the Universe Furnace in search of an opportunity to break through.
In this regard, Mi Jing Lun was very understanding. Even if Xiang Shan had not said anything, he would have made the same arrangements.
Xiang Shan said nothing more and changed the topic, “Where is Yang Kai?”
Mi Jing Lun answered solemnly, “We had some problems at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction…”
Mi Jing Lun then gave Xiang Shan a rundown regarding the news that Ou Yang Lie brought back and Yang Kai’s warning. Upon hearing the situation, Xiang Shan frowned deeply and instantly understood the gravity of the problem.
A flaw had appeared in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, and an unknown number of Innate Territory Lords had escaped from inside. The strength of the Black Ink Clan at the No-Return Pass was bound to have increased significantly as a result. With an increase in the number of Innate Territory Lords, the Black Ink Clan would have more flexibility and manoeuvrability in making future decisions and arrangements.
Leaving aside everything else, just the creation of more Pseudo-Royal Lords alone was a huge concern to the Human Race!
In the past, the Black Ink Clan was extremely reluctant to produce Pseudo-Royal Lords because the price was simply too high. More importantly, the birth of a single Pseudo-Royal Lord had little impact on the overall situation between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race compared to the immense sacrifice required. However, there were many more Innate Territory Lords now. Those Innate Territory Lords also brought many High-Rank Black Ink Nests with them when they escaped from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
At this rate, the Black Ink Clan no longer had any reason to hold back when it came to creating more Pseudo-Royal Lords. Coupled with the fact that the Universe Furnace was about to appear, the Black Ink Clan was bound to obstruct the Human Race in every possible way to prevent them from obtaining new opportunities.
A storm was coming!
A catastrophe would soon loom over the world with the emergence of the Universe Furnace as its herald. It was both an opportunity and a crisis for the Human Race.
In any case, such a huge event would not escape Yang Kai’s perception. Regardless of where he was now, he was bound to enter the Universe Furnace when the entrances were fully formed. The situation might not turn out too badly if he joined forces with Xiang Shan inside the Universe Furnace.
“Profound Nether Army’s Blood Crow requests to meet Supreme Commander Mi!” A roar suddenly came from outside the Grand Hall.
Xiang Shan and Mi Jing Lun exchanged a glance of astonishment.
Xiang Shan had a vague impression of the name ‘Blood Crow’. Not only was Blood Crow’s background somewhat special, but he also used to be a member of Yang Kai’s Dawn Squad. Xiang Shan had paid much attention to Yang Kai’s Dawn Squad back in the Great Evolution Army, so it was only natural for him to know about Blood Crow.
On the other hand, Mi Jing Lun seemed stunned for a moment; then, his eyes lit up in excitement, “I can’t believe I forgot about him!”
While saying so, he jumped to his feet and went to meet Blood Crow without any delay.
A short while later, Mi Jing Lun and Blood Crow entered the Grand Hall together. One person had a peaceful air around them while the other had an extremely flamboyant aura. The Blood Qi around Blood Crow was so thick that it was practically solid, lingering around him to form a layer of crimson Blood Mist that was visible to the naked eye.
Xiang Shan frowned upon seeing this…
Blood Crow’s cultivation gave Xiang Shan a strange feeling. He seemed to be in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, but also the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Regardless of whether he was in the Seventh Order or the Eighth Order though, he should be able to properly control his cultivation realm aura. However, his appearance seemed to indicate that he could not control his own strength. He was not deliberately being flamboyant with his aura; rather, it was because his power was slightly out of his control.
If Xiang Shan remembered correctly, Blood Crow cultivated a Secret Art known as Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture, which was an Evil Technique. Blood Crow had caused great chaos in the Shattered Heaven some millennia ago and many disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises had died tragically in his hands during that period. In the end, though, he was captured alive by a Master from Bright King Heaven and thrown into the Black Ink Battlefield to redeem himself.
All kinds of information about Blood Crow quickly flashed through Xiang Shan’s mind, and he eventually labelled Blood Crow as a heretic. He did not have a favourable opinion of this person, and if not for the ongoing struggle between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race, he would have taken matters into his own hands to ‘deal’ with this problem individual
At this moment though, Mi Jing Lun was enthusiastically welcoming Blood Crow inside.
Seeing Xiang Shan, Blood Crow generously cupped his fists in greeting, “Greetings, Brother Xiang.”
Blood Crow did not address Xiang Shan as ‘Senior Brother’ or by any other respectful title. Fortunately, Xiang Shan was not bothered by such formalities and simply nodded his head lightly to return the greeting. After all, he could not be called ‘Senior Brother’ by Blood Crow if they went strictly by seniority.
After asking Blood Crow to take a seat, Mi Jing Lun finally asked the important question, “Why did you come looking for me today?”
Although he had some speculations in his heart, he couldn’t help feeling overjoyed to hear the actual sentence coming from Blood Crow himself. Then, he heard Blood Crow’s indifferent voice, “I’ve been to the Universe Furnace before!”
…
In the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the Suppressing Black Ink Army of 6,000 had finally gained the absolute upper hand in their 1,000-year confrontation against the Black Ink Clan. Moreover, they suffered very few casualties.
In the end, the only purpose of the Black Ink Clan in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction in attacking the Suppressing Black Ink Army was to keep the Humans and Wu Kuang distracted while they searched for another way to escape, a venture they eventually succeeded in, at least temporarily.
At this moment, the void was deathly quiet. The gap in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction remained, but the Black Ink Clan was no longer rushing out to their deaths.
The flaw in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction that the Black Ink Clan opened with great difficulty had been exposed and patched by Wu Kuang. Now that there was no means for the Black Ink Clan to sneak out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and the enemy was on guard against such attempts, they no longer had a reason to waste their resources by confronting the Humans outside.
Wu Kuang did not bother to close the gap either. Since it had already been opened, he would most likely cause further impact to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction if he tried to close it again. It was better to simply maintain the current state without making any changes.
As a result, the Suppressing Black Ink Army couldn’t help feeling bored now that they had nothing to do. It was fortunate that they could still focus on their own cultivation.
Just as Xiang Shan and Mi Jing Lun guessed, when the projections of the Universe Furnace appeared everywhere in the Universe, one also appeared outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
All the cultivators whose cultivation had reached the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm were startled by a sense of resonance that welled up at the sight of the phenomenon. Looking at the projection gave them a sense of desire and yearning.
There were several veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Suppressing Black Ink Army, so they immediately guessed the situation when they saw the projection.
As news that the Universe Furnace would be emerging soon spread throughout the entire Suppressing Black Ink Army, many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were shaken by the news.
There were a total of 400 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Suppressing Black Ink Army to begin with, and several others had broken through to that realm over the last 1,000 years. However, less than 10% of them had the qualifications to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Even Yu Ru Meng, Su Yan, and the others had only advanced directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so their limit was the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
On the contrary, rising stars like Zhao Ye Bai, Zhao Ya, and Xu Yi had ascended to the Seventh Order directly and were expected to reach the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future.
As cultivators, it did not matter whether they were men or women, they all desired to seek greater heights in the Martial Dao. It was their greatest wish to climb beyond the peak in hopes of seeing an even broader and exciting scenery. For that reason, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Suppressing Black Ink Army were riled up when news of the upcoming emergence of the Universe Furnace spread.
Be that as it may, neither the veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters nor the rising stars in the same realm knew much about the Universe Furnace. All they knew was that it produced Innate Open Heaven Pills that could help cultivators break through their natural limits. As for what these Innate Open Heaven Pills looked like or how to obtain them, everything was a complete mystery.
Fortunately, there was a Divine Dragon amongst them. In terms of age and seniority, Fu Guang was undoubtedly leagues above everyone else here. He was well-informed and knowledgeable, so he might know something about the Universe Furnace.
Yang Xiao immediately turned to Fu Guang, who was standing nearby and staring at the projection of the Universe Furnace with a solemn expression, “Senior, is that how the Universe Furnace looks?”
Fu Guang smiled faintly, “How else should it look, if not this?”
Yang Xiao laughed dryly, “I don’t know. In any case, it is different from what I imagined.” After a brief pause, he added another question, “Senior, since the Universe Furnace appeared before us, does that mean we have the advantage of being the closest?”
Fu Guang glanced sideways at Yang Xiao, “You think too much. This is nothing more than a projection of the Universe Furnace. Its true body has always been hidden somewhere beyond the known Universe. Nobody has ever seen it before in history.”
“A projection?” Yang Xiao was stunned. He was not the only one; many of the rising star Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters around him were also stunned.
One of the veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters explained, “It is rumoured that the Universe Furnace will reveal a projection of itself in the vast expanse of the Universe before it appears. Once it completely solidifies, it will transform into an entrance for us to enter the Universe Furnace in search of opportunities.”
Yang Xiao was even more confused by the explanation, “Enter the Universe Furnace in search of opportunities? Does that mean there is a Sealed World inside the Universe Furnace?”
The veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master shook his head, “I don’t know the exact details either. These are just what I heard from my Elders when I was younger.”
Another person stepped up, “There’s a possibility that the projection appeared at more than one location. The appearance of the projection is apparently related to the number of powerful Masters who died in a specific place. Too many living beings have lost their lives in the wars here, so it’s not surprising for a projection to appear here.”
“Are you saying there are projections elsewhere?” Somebody asked curiously.
“Yes, I believe so. There are so many Great Territory Battlefields nowadays, and countless living creatures lost their lives in battle on every one of them. I believe there are projections on most, if not all the various Great Territory Battlefields too.”
“Doesn’t that mean we’re not the only ones with access to the Universe Furnace?”
“Of course. Anywhere with a projection would be connected to the Universe Furnace once they solidify into entrances.”
The veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters reported all the information they knew.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiao listened curiously from the side. Scratching his ears thoughtfully, he leaned over to Yang Xue and murmured, “It’s different from what I imagined.”
Yang Xue nodded in agreement, “En, it’s different from what I imagined too.”
They had always heard that the Universe Furnace contained Innate Open Heaven Pills that could allow a person to break through their shackles. Now that the Universe Furnace was in front of them, they wrongly assumed that they would only need to wait quietly for the mysterious Innate Open Heaven Pills to fly out when the time was right. When that moment came, they would then compete for the Open Heaven Pills.
It was not until this moment that they learned that the Universe Furnace in front of them was nothing more than a projection. Even when the time was right, no Open Heaven Pills would fly out of the Universe Furnace. On the contrary, they would need to enter the Universe Furnace to seek these treasures out.
They held a whispered conversation between themselves for a short time; then, Yang Xiao turned to look at Fu Guang again, “Senior, do you know a lot about the Universe Furnace?”
All the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters abruptly stopped talking and looked at Fu Guang with expectant expressions. They clearly hoped to gain more information from him.
Contrary to expectations, however, Fu Guang just shook his head, “The Divine Spirits do not participate when the Universe Furnace manifests in the world, so all I know is hearsay. However… the Universe Furnace does indeed contain a Sealed World of its own. If you enter the Universe Furnace, you can search for opportunities. If you can obtain one of the legendary Innate Open Heaven Pills, it would not be impossible for you to break through your shackles.”
With just a few words, all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were beside themselves with excitement.
On the other hand, Yang Xiao could barely stop himself from rushing forward at this very moment, [I might not require one of these Innate Open Heaven Pills since I’m part of the Dragon Clan, but Adoptive Father definitely needs them! He is already so strong; he shouldn’t be stuck in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. That’s right! Adoptive Father will definitely enter the Universe Furnace in search of opportunities. I’m no longer the little White Dragon who could only take shelter under his wings! It’s only right that I enter the Universe Furnace to help him!]
Seeing Yang Xiao’s eagerness, Zhao Ye Bai immediately stopped him, “Senior Brother, please don’t be rash. The projection might look ordinary, but the space around it is actually highly distorted. I can’t tell how many folds there are. You will definitely be trapped within if you rush in recklessly.”
Although there were many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters present, not many of them had cultivated the Dao of Space. In terms of attainment in the Dao of Space, Zhao Ye Bai was undoubtedly the best.
Not even Su Yan and Liu Yan, both of whom had Phoenix Clan Sources, could compete with Zhao Ye Bai in this regard. Neither of them was of orthodox Phoenix Clan origin after all. Although they had Phoenix Clan Sources and even cultivated in the Phoenix Nest for some time, their compatibility with the Grand Dao of Space could not compare to Zhao Ye Bai, who was blessed with natural talent and trained from young.
Others might not be able to detect the distortion in the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantom with careful observation, but Zhao Ye Bai could perceive the truth at a glance. More importantly, he had made his point clear. There was no reason for Yang Xiao to distrust those words, so he immediately nodded in understanding and adopted a prudent demeanour, “This Senior Brother understands!”
Afterwards, he suddenly heard Fu Guang speaking to the crowd, “The Universe Furnace will soon manifest. It will represent a great opportunity for all of you. Seeing as the Suppressing Black Ink Army is not involved in any fighting at the moment, I will allow 50 of you to enter the Universe Furnace to explore. Once the entrance to the Universe Furnace is fully formed, you may enter immediately. As for how the quota should be distributed, you may discuss and decide among yourselves.”
50 spots out of 400 plus Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters might not seem like much, but it was actually the absolute limit. The Suppressing Black Ink Army might be at peace for now, but nobody could guarantee when the Black Ink Clan might suddenly launch an attack. The overall strength of the Suppressing Black Ink Army would be affected if too many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters left for the Universe Furnace, which would place them at a disadvantage against the Black Ink Clan’s assault. Therefore, after taking everything into consideration, only 50 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could be allowed to leave.
As for the exact candidates to be sent into the Universe Furnace, it was not Fu Guang’s place to decide. In the end, the decision could only be left to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to discuss and negotiate among themselves. Such an opportunity was something anybody would want to obtain after all. He could only hope that the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would not ruin their comradery with each other over the competition to obtain this opportunity.
…..
In the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield.
Due to the sudden turmoil all around the Universe, a momentary lapse in strength caused Yang Kai to be struck by Mo Na Ye’s assault. His condition had gotten significantly worse as a result. He did not understand the phenomenon earlier; after all, he had a World Tree Clone sealing and stabilizing his Small Universe. How could he be affected by some inexplicable phenomenon which ultimately resulted in his difficult situation right now?
Despite coughing up blood, Yang Kai swiftly flew through the void. He was tracing the vague feeling in his heart, which steered him back along his original path. Even now, he did not know the cause of that mysterious calling. He had initially suspected that it was part of the Black Ink Clan’s trap, but he quickly realised upon careful consideration.
If the Black Ink Clan had such ability, they would have drawn him out with this method in the first place. They would never have allowed him to intercept and hunt down so many Innate Territory Lords, much less be forced to set an ambush and wait for him to fall into their encirclement. Therefore, this phenomenon was clearly not part of the Black Ink Clan’s machinations.
If it was not part of the Black Ink Clan’s schemes though, what did he feel earlier? At a time when his life was hanging by a thread, Yang Kai normally would not have paid any attention to such an inexplicable phenomenon; however, he had a hunch that he might have found the opportunity he needed to overcome his current crisis! That was why he only hesitated for a moment before he unswervingly headed in the direction he was seemingly being summoned.
During this period, he was struck by Mo Na Ye’s long-distance attacks on several occasions. The impact caused stars to appear in his vision and his figure to stagger unsteadily. He felt as though he was at the end of his rope.
Seeming to realise Yang Kai’s current condition, Mo Na Ye doggedly gave chase. His attacks did not ease up in the slightest and instead became fiercer and fiercer; after all, he was well aware of the principle that ‘a long night brings many dreams’.
Against an opponent like Yang Kai, he could not afford to slip up or provide any opportunities for the former to exploit. Otherwise, his previous efforts might all be for nought. Having gradually driven Yang Kai to a desperate situation, it was only a matter of time before Mo Na Ye caught up with and slaughtered his foe. Nevertheless, he became more and more cautious as the climax slowly approached.
His heart was filled with a sense of anticipation. After confronting each other for so many years, Mo Na Ye had always been forced to bear various humiliations. He had yielded to Yang Kai on countless occasions, which made his reputation plummet among the Black Ink Clan. The Territory Lords constantly criticized and ridiculed him, but he simply ignored them. That was because he knew that the Black Ink Clan would be the one to suffer if he did not surrender to Yang Kai on occasion.
All his efforts had been aimed at gaining more advantages for the Black Ink Clan. Compared to that, what was always being at a disadvantage in a confrontation against Yang Kai? So what if his reputation was terrible? So what if the Territory Lords constantly looked down on him? If he could return to the No-Return Pass with the glory of slaughtering Yang Kai, then all the humiliation he suffered before would be washed away immediately.
In any case, he was extremely relieved that Yang Kai was the only irregularity among the Human Race. He never wanted to encounter such a difficult opponent in his life again.
What delighted him even more was that the Royal Lord had always trusted in him and never interfered with his decision-making. Having such a generous leader was the biggest reason he could force Yang Kai into such a desperate situation today. The deaths of all those Innate Territory Lords would be honoured soon!
Although his heart pounded with excitement, Mo Na Ye did not reduce the intensity of his onslaught against Yang Kai.
Purifying Light covered Yang Kai and severed Mo Na Ye’s aura. Then, Space Principles began to fluctuate…
[Can you even escape?] Mo Na Ye sneered coldly. [It’s just the final and useless struggle of a cornered beast!]
The severed aura immediately exploded and shook the surrounding Void. Although Yang Kai successfully left via Instantaneous Movement, he did not manage to flee very far.
Mo Na Ye could instantly perceive Yang Kai’s position with a sweep of his Divine Sense, but just as he was about to give chase, he sensed something that made him scowl deeply. In addition to Yang Kai’s aura, he also sensed many auras belonging to the Innate Territory Lords up ahead.
[Why are they here?]
It was only at this moment that he abruptly realised Yang Kai had been leading him around in a wide circle. They had returned to the battlefield from before!
[Why are those Territory Lords still here?]
The pursuit had lasted for more than half a month, so it stood to reason that the Territory Lords should have returned to the No-Return Pass by now.
[These guys are heavily wounded! Why are they just loitering around!?] Mo Na Ye couldn’t help feeling extremely annoyed.
On the other side, Yang Kai reappeared from the Void and stared at the Innate Territory Lords in confusion. Not many Innate Territory Lords remained alive after the previous battle, less than 100 in total, all of whom were heavily injured, so he couldn’t help having the same doubts and questions as Mo Na Ye.
[Why are these guys still here?] However, Yang Kai soon figured out the reason. There was an enormous illusory phantom looming over a vast swath of the void. At first glance, the illusory phantom looked like… an Alchemy Furnace.
Be that as it may, the Alchemy Furnace seemed slightly different from the ordinary Alchemy Furnaces. Not only was the Alchemy Furnace gigantic, but the illusory surface was covered in various complicated runes and patterns. It felt as though the deepest and most profound truth of the Universe was contained within these markings.
A sense of insight and enlightenment subconsciously welled up inside Yang Kai when he glanced at the Alchemy Furnace. The patterns on its surface were also not static, but instead in a constant state of flow and flux. Moreover, he could clearly feel that the Alchemy Furnace was becoming increasingly solidified at an extremely slow speed.
[What is that?] Yang Kai frowned in puzzlement.
There had been no illusory phantom of the Alchemy Furnace in this place when he initially made his escape, so how did such a strange thing manage to appear here while he was wandering the void for half a month? Nevertheless, he was certain about one thing. The mysterious feeling in his heart was coming from this Alchemy Furnace! The inexplicable turmoil that shook his Small Universe was also caused by this Alchemy Furnace.
[What kind of Alchemy Furnace would have such a mysterious force?] Staring at the illusory phantom of the Alchemy Furnace in front of him, a flash of understanding swept through his mind as an existence that only appeared in rumours and legends instantly sprang to mind.
The Universe Furnace!
During the Late Ancient Era, 10 Martial Ancestors, including Cang, had used the power of the World Tree to gain enlightenment about the Open Heaven Realm Method. It was only after their success that the Human Race began to prosper. At the same time, they finally had the means to confront the Black Ink Clan. Thanks to the capital that allowed them to compete for supremacy in the world, the Human Race gradually became dominant in the vast Universe.
Unfortunately, the Open Heaven Realm Method was innately flawed. All cultivators who cultivated this method were limited by their inherent shackles, the peak of their Martial Dao set in stone the moment they reached this Realm. Nevertheless, nothing was absolute. There was bound to be a loophole somewhere, and the mysterious Universe Furnace was one of those loopholes.
The Universe Furnace bred Innate Open Heaven Pills. If a cultivator could obtain these Innate Open Heaven Pills, then they could break through their shackles and overcome the disadvantages brought about by the limitations of the Open Heaven Realm Method. Be that as it may, the Universe Furnace was a thing of legend and myth, its whereabouts rarely revealed throughout history.
Yang Kai’s understanding of the Universe Furnace was limited to some rumours he heard in the past. According to the rumours, the Universe Furnace was extremely elusive and impossible to locate. Furthermore, the Innate Open Heaven Pills had miraculous effects that could help a cultivator break through their inherent shackles.
All the information he knew was limited to the information accessible by the general public. The Universe Furnace seemed to be even more mysterious than the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary; therefore, he couldn’t help feeling stunned when he realised that the illusory phantom of the Alchemy Furnace belonged to the legendary Universe Furnace.
[I can’t believe the Universe Furnace appeared at this time and location!]
The first thought that sprang to mind was similar to the concerns that Mi Jing Lun had considered previously. This phenomenon might not be a good thing for the Human Race!
The emergence of the Universe Furnace would surely attract the attention of many Human Race Masters. Accordingly, the Black Ink Clan would resort to any means possible just to prevent the Humans from seizing this opportunity.
Up until now, the power accumulated by the Human Race was far from adequate. In stark contrast, the Black Ink Clan just experienced a huge leap in strength thanks to the influx of Innate Territory Lords and High-Rank Black Ink Nests. If the delicate balance that had been maintained for the past several thousand years was broken, the Human Race might not benefit from the outcome.
The second thought that sprang to mind was… that the Universe Furnace seemed a little different from what he had initially imagined. He had always thought the Universe Furnace as something similar to a Supreme Treasure like the Soul Warming Lotus. It would appear out of nowhere one day and exude a mysterious aura into the surroundings. When the time was right, the Innate Open Heaven Pills would fly out of the Universe Furnace and enter the possession of those who were lucky enough to seize them…
The Universe Furnace in front of him not only had the shape of an Alchemy Furnace, but it also exuded a mysterious aura; however, it was much too large. The Universe Furnace loomed over a massive region. Not to mention, it was obviously just an illusory image that was slowly solidifying over time.
[Could it be that the Universe Furnace will only appear once the illusory phantom completely turns solid? I wonder how long that will take.] There was no time for Yang Kai to ponder the mysteries of the Universe Furnace though as he soon noticed the distortion of the Void around it.
Even Zhao Ye Bai had seen through the strangeness of this phenomenon at a glance, so how could Yang Kai fail to notice it? The space around the Alchemy Furnace’s illusory phantom might seem normal on the surface, but the inside was extremely twisted and warped, constantly shifting and folding onto itself.
Yang Kai immediately became overjoyed. Even though he had been backed into a corner with no escape, a path had appeared before him in the end! His intuition proved correct. The opportunity to escape Mo Na Ye’s pursuit was right in front of him. His misery was caused by the Universe Furnace, but his salvation also came from the Universe Furnace. It was truly an object of both misfortune and joy.
The appearance of this mysterious object had shaken the very foundation of his Small Universe. As a result of the turmoil, he suffered a heavy blow from Mo Na Ye. Now, he was going to use this very object to escape his current crisis. The good and bad were even now.
With a single flash of thought, Yang Kai desperately drew upon his World Force. His Divine Sense surged wildly at the same time. The burst of his full force caused the entire surrounding void to become distorted. Like an Ominous Beast that was backed into a corner, he gritted his teeth and howled, “Mo Na Ye, if you want me dead, then I will slaughter those Territory Lords first!”
While saying so, he boldly rushed in the direction of the Innate Territory Lords and plunged directly into the illusory phantom’s space without the slightest hesitation.
Many Innate Territory Lords were trapped inside the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantom. When they suddenly saw Yang Kai approaching them with such fierce momentum, they couldn’t help turning pale with horror and fright. Yang Kai was in absolutely dire condition, and his aura also seemed exceedingly weak; nevertheless, their experience during the fierce battle from before had traumatized them deeply, so they were naturally horrified by his arrival.
It had to be said that these Territory Lords were not in good condition either. They had been severely wounded when they snuck out from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and had almost no chance to heal and recuperate from their wounds at all. After that, they were sent here under Mo Na Ye’s orders to besiege Yang Kai. Although they were lucky enough to survive the previous battle, their injuries had only gotten more severe. If Yang Kai were to attack them now, they would not have much power to fight back at all.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Yang Kai plunged into the illusory phantom of the Universe Furnace. He instantly felt the distortion of Space around him. Just as he had noticed earlier, the Space inside the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantom was twisted and folded upon itself. It was impossible to make sense of this Space with common sense. Even if something seemed close at hand, there might be countless layers of space overlapping and folding over each other between them, so that the actual distance was unfathomably large.
The slightest movement inside this chaotic region would cause a person to land in a different layer of space. That was why the Territory Lords could not escape once they were surrounded by the illusory phantom. They were forced to remain here not because they did not want to leave, but because they simply could not.
The mysteries of the Universe Furnace were perfectly illustrated in this scenario!
For the Territory Lords, everything seemed so close yet so far inside the space shrouded within the illusory phantom, and the same was true for Yang Kai. The difference was that Yang Kai manipulated Space Principles as soon as he stepped into the Universe Furnace’s range. As a result, the layers of folded Space instantly became comprehensible and traceable to him.
Yang Kai lightly took a few steps forward. A layer of ripples spread out all over his body, then he abruptly materialised in front of a Territory Lord. Raising his hand, Yang Kai summoned the Azure Dragon Spear and thrust it directly into the heart of the Territory Lord.
On the other hand, the Territory Lord simply had a look of disbelief on his face. His eyes were also filled with complete incomprehension, as though he never imagined that Yang Kai would appear in front of him and stab him with such ease!
One thing had to be said about their current situation. Although these Territory Lords seemed to be gathered together in one spot, they were actually scattered across different layers of Space. After being trapped inside the Universe Furnace, they could neither escape nor rally together at the same spot. No matter how much they struggled, they could only spin around in circles.
It was also for that reason that the Territory Lords were not too worried about their safety even though they had been terrified to hear Yang Kai’s ruthless threat just now. That was because they knew the strangeness of this Space better than anybody else, but their confidence only lasted until this moment!
When one of their companions was run through by Yang Kai’s spear, the Territory Lords finally turned pale with fright. Yang Kai had easily and effortlessly achieved what they had not been able to do despite their best efforts!
At that moment, they promptly recalled the information given to them by Mo Na Ye regarding Yang Kai’s mastery over the Dao of Space! This place might be able to trap the Territory Lords, but Yang Kai could traverse it as though he were walking on flat ground!
With a shake of the spear, the Territory Lord who was stabbed in the chest immediately exploded into pieces. Yang Kai subsequently retrieved his spear and charged towards the nearest Territory Lord.
Having seen what happened to his companion just now, the Territory Lord was filled with absolute horror and shouted at the top of his voice, “Save me, Sir Mo Na Ye!”
Yang Kai smiled wickedly with a sinister expression on his face, “No one can save you now! Die!”
“Yang Kai, you dare?!” Mo Na Ye’s furious roar came from behind. While he was chasing Yang Kai, he had naturally seen the Territory Lords and the Alchemy Furnace’s illusory phantom surrounding them from a distance.
Yang Kai might have figured out that the phenomenon was caused by the emergence of the Universe Furnace, but Mo Na Ye was completely clueless about the situation. It was only natural though as Mo Na Ye was from the Black Ink Clan. Why would he know about the Universe Furnace? Not to mention, the Black Ink Disciples would not mention such things without reason either.
Mo Na Ye was initially vigilant towards the unknown object, but his vigilance was soon overcome by his rage when he saw Yang Kai casually slaughtering the first Innate Territory Lord and aiming for a second. His figure swayed, and he plunged into the illusory phantom after Yang Kai. In the next moment… his expression became blank with shock.
Yang Kai threw his head back as he laughed wildly. Meanwhile, the expressions of the Territory Lords changed drastically.
While laughing, Yang Kai suddenly coughed up a mouthful of Golden Blood. The power that he had forcibly gathered withered like a deflated balloon, and he rapidly collapsed. His entire appearance made him seem like he was about to die on the spot.
He was a dry oil lamp at this point. When he pushed himself just now to butcher a Territory Lord in one blow, his actions had only been to distract and provoke Mo Na Ye as he was worried that the latter would be too vigilant to follow him into the Universe Furnace.
In truth, Yang Kai would have been powerless to kill the second Territory Lord even if Mo Na Ye had not stepped forward to stop him. Fortunately, things had taken a turn for the better. Mo Na Ye had followed him into the Universe Furnace, which swung the situation in Yang Kai’s favour. He could sleep with peace of mind now!
“Mo Na Ye, oh, Mo Na Ye… Even a scheming and treacherous bastard like you can fall into a simple trap! Just wait for me to recover, then I will deal with you!” While saying that, Yang Kai took out a handful of Spirit Pills and stuffed them into his mouth as all the Innate Territory Lords watched. He subsequently took out a set of cultivation materials to refine while completely ignoring all the Territory Lords around him. The recent period had been too difficult on him. After all, he didn’t even have the time to swallow any Spirit Pills when he was being pursued by Mo Na Ye.
On the other hand, Mo Na Ye was livid. Unable to hold back, he threw a punch in Yang Kai’s direction. The power behind the punch could be said to contain his full strength. Be that as it may, the blow failed to cause the slightest disturbance to Yang Kai as all of the force was absorbed and dissipated by the layers of folded Space between them.
Mo Na Ye’s expression immediately became gloomy. He had sensed that something was wrong as soon as he plunged into this place. The Space inside the illusory phantom was evidently different from the outside world. Combined with Yang Kai’s previous attitude and current reaction, how could Mo Na Ye not know that he had fallen for this rascal’s trick? He could not believe that he was tricked into entering this strange place.
Looking around, he could clearly see the figures of the Territory Lords. The distance between them did not seem very far. Visually, the Territory Lord nearest to him seemed to be only a few steps away; however, the actual distance between them did not reduce whatsoever when he tried to walk over. Mo Na Ye clearly had the perception of moving forward quite a long distance, but he seemed to be walking on the spot without moving forward in the slightest.
“What is this thing?” Mo Na Ye wondered as he quickly realised that the root of the problem was the Alchemy Furnace’s illusory phantom.
Upon hearing Mo Na Ye’s question, the Territory Lords felt a chill running through their hearts. They had been hoping that he could resolve their doubts and bring them out of this place, but it would seem that he was just as clueless as they were.
Staring at the silent Territory Lords around him, Mo Na Ye lost his temper and roared, “Why didn’t any of you warn me about this place!?”
If any of the Territory Lords had warned him in advance, he would not have rashly plunged into this Space and caused himself to be stuck in this trap.
None of the Territory Lords made a sound, but Mo Na Ye knew that his question was unreasonable.
In this case, it was his fault for being too impatient. Yang Kai’s murderous attitude had also given him no time to consider his options. On the other hand, the Territory Lords had been so intimidated by Yang Kai that they were subconsciously expecting Mo Na Ye to protect them. That was how he ended up falling into this trap!
Sure enough, he could not afford to underestimate Yang Kai under any circumstances. Even in such a desperate situation, Yang Kai had actually managed to lure him into a trap. He had to admit that he made the wrong move this time.
Mo Na Ye did not know anything about the Alchemy Furnace’s illusory phantom, much less why the space shrouded by the illusory phantom was so treacherous. The only thing he knew was that he could not give Yang Kai any time to recover. The Black Ink Clan had paid such a large price and sacrificed so many Innate Territory Lords in battle just to push Yang Kai into a corner. He could not give up halfway.
As the saying went, ‘Beat the snake to death in order to avoid future calamity’. If he allowed Yang Kai to walk away alive, then he would be faced with countless troubles in the future. Mo Na Ye had always maintained a certain attitude towards Yang Kai, whereby he tried not to offend the other party as much as possible. Now that their friendly relations were thoroughly destroyed, he needed to ensure that Yang Kai died cleanly.
It was difficult to judge the distance within this strange space, but communicating with each other did not seem to be affected. Mo Na Ye pondered in silence for a moment before he sent a Divine Sense transmission to the Territory Lords around him and prepared a plan.
A short while later, Mo Na Ye and the Territory Lords sprang into action. Every one of them pushed their bodies and tried to move in Yang Kai’s direction. Yang Kai seemed to perceive their movements and opened his eyes to glance at them; however, he quickly ignored them and continued to focus on his recovery.
The Space inside the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantom was extremely chaotic and distorted. Unless the Territory Lords had cultivated the Dao of Space and could figure out some of the rules of this place, it was simply a fool’s dream for them to approach Yang Kai by randomly struggling. It was not to say that they had no chance whatsoever as there were always some coincidences, but the chances were infinitesimal.
More importantly, Yang Kai could sense that the Space shrouded by the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantom was becoming increasingly complicated as time passed. The Territory Lords could try their hardest to approach him, but even if they were lucky enough to enter his space by some great coincidence, he would only need to take a step in any direction and all their previous efforts would go to waste.
Leaving a thread of consciousness to keep an eye on the situation around him, Yang Kai completely immersed himself in recovering.
On the other side, Mo Na Ye finally realised that this method was futile after trying for some time. Several dozen Territory Lords and himself included had been trying to approach Yang Kai, but their efforts were to no avail. It was difficult for them to achieve any results even if they persisted in their efforts.
Besides, judging by the current condition of the Territory Lords… Even if a Territory Lord managed to reach Yang Kai’s location, the only fate waiting for them was death…
Mo Na Ye sent out Divine Sense transmissions again, telling the Territory Lords to cease their useless efforts. Then, he took out a miniature Black Ink Nest and attempted to contact the No-Return Pass. Regardless of the circumstances, he had to inform the No-Return Pass about his current situation. He also wanted to inquire about the illusory phantom of the Alchemy Furnace, as well as if there was some method to escape this place after getting stuck inside!
It was fortunate that the connection between the Black Ink Nests was not cut off, so Mo Na Ye soon received a response from Meng Que, one filled with cynicism and mockery. It was no secret that he had been locked in a power struggle with Mo Na Ye for a long time now. Now that Mo Na Ye’s plans had not only been thwarted, but also resulted in heavy losses for the Black Ink Clan with even Mo Na Ye himself being trapped in this strange Space, Meng Que probably believed that he was the top dog now.
However, there was still a key piece of information that allowed Mo Na Ye to understand the illusory phantom of the Alchemy Furnace. It was the Universe Furnace!
Although there were many Black Ink Disciples under the Black Ink Clan, most of them had neither high cultivation nor extensive knowledge and experience. That was why they did not know much about the Universe Furnace. Their level of understanding regarding the Universe Furnace was about the same or less than Yang Kai’s, so it was difficult for them to provide any valuable information. However, that was enough to make some guesses.
According to the information from the Black Ink Disciples, the Universe Furnace was the most mysterious treasure in existence. It was generally elusive and impossible to locate, so there was no way to discover its whereabouts unless it appeared on its own. More importantly, the Universe Furnace contained Innate Open Heaven Pills. These Innate Open Heaven Pills had the miraculous effect of helping cultivators break through their innate shackles!
Mo Na Ye was shocked by the information.
If these Innate Open Heaven Pills could help cultivators break through their innate shackles, then the Human Race Masters at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm would be able to advance to the Ninth-Order. It would be bad enough if an ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master advanced to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but the strength of one or two additional Ninth-Order Masters would not render the Black Ink Clan helpless.
However, what if Yang Kai was the one who obtained one of these Innate Open Heaven Pills instead?
Over the past several thousand years, most of the obstruction and pressure faced by the Black Ink Clan came from Yang Kai. Whether it was the peace treaty between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan or the matter regarding the surrendering of 30% of their cultivation resources, the Black Ink Clan had been forced to accept those terms due to the existence of the Human Race’s killing star.
That was especially true for the peace discussions between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan. At the time, the Black Ink Clan had considered that they might be able to produce more Royal Lords in the future by accepting the peace deal. That would have greatly reduced the deterrent effect that Yang Kai, an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, had on the Black Ink Clan. Unfortunately, the Universe Furnace had appeared before the Territory Lords could even become Royal Lords.
If Yang Kai could get his hands on an Innate Open Heaven Pill and advance to the Ninth Order, then all the Black Ink Clan’s efforts and compromises over the millennia would be nothing more than a complete farce. With his tyrannical strength and ruthless means, the Black Ink Clan would be no match for Yang Kai once he advanced to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
After considering all these factors, Mo Na Ye felt alarm bells blaring in his heart.
[Yang Kai must never be allowed to obtain the Innate Open Heaven Pills no matter the cost! He cannot be allowed to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm! If he does, the Black Ink Clan will be in mortal danger! Why did the Universe Furnace appear at this point in time!? Is the Human Race really blessed by the Heavens?]
Mo Na Ye’s main concern was stopping Yang Kai from obtaining the Innate Open Heaven Pills, but how was he supposed to achieve that? They were currently trapped inside the illusory phantom of the Universe Furnace with no means of escape. The distance might not seem far visually, but the space was actually extremely distorted and chaotic in reality.
The information from Meng Que indicated that there was more than one illusory phantom of the Universe Furnace as it had appeared on various battlefields across the Great Territories, as well as the Barren Territory…
After compiling all the information, the Black Ink Disciples from the Human Race speculated that the illusory phantoms were not the real body of the Universe Furnace but a mysterious projection. The Universe Furnace itself was hidden somewhere. Nevertheless, the appearance of the projections meant that the Universe Furnace was about to emerge. It might be that the Universe Furnace would finally be revealed when the projections became completely solidified.
These speculations were reasonable. Mo Na Ye pondered in silence for a while before he sent a message to Meng Que. He wanted the Black Ink Clan to search for more information. At the same time, he urgently summoned all the Innate Territory Lords wandering outside to return in preparation for the future.
Not only was Meng Que generally difficult to deal with, but he was also always attempting to take over control from Mo Na Ye. Be that as it may, he had one good point about him: He was self-aware of his shortcomings. He did not object to Mo Na Ye’s requests during such important situations because he knew that he was no match for Mo Na Ye when it came to schemes and tactics. Besides, Mo Na Ye had been appointed by the Royal Lord himself to take command. That was why he quietly did as Mo Na Ye asked.
Putting away the miniature Black Ink Nest, Mo Na Ye frowned and pondered for a long time. He calculated all the possible scenarios that might occur in the future and created countermeasures against these scenarios. After great consideration, he decided that his top priority was to obtain as much information regarding the Universe Furnace as possible.
[Yang Kai might know something…] When the thought crossed his mind, Mo Na Ye immediately glanced over at Yang Kai and offered a ceasefire, “Brother Yang, given the situation, what do you say we have a truce?”
He had called Yang Kai by name during their confrontation, but he was now respectfully calling Yang Kai by the title ‘Brother Yang’ again.
Yang Kai ignored Mo Na Ye. [He pursued me so fiercely earlier that I nearly had no escape, not to mention the curses and death threats that were thrown at me. How dare he propose to call for a truce now? What does he think of me? Does he think that I’m so easy-going?]
Mo Na Ye continued, “Now that you and I are both trapped here, why must you hold a grudge for everything that happened earlier? At the end of the day, the Black Ink Clan suffered the greatest loss. So many Innate Territory Lords died in battle already. Although you are wounded, Brother Yang, you came out alive in the end.”
This time around, Yang Kai failed to stop himself from responding and gave a cold sneer, “Serves you right! It’s your own fault that so many Innate Territory Lords died in battle. If not because you were trying to trap me, then they would not have died in vain. Besides… you might be trapped here, but do you really think this place can trap me?”
Mo Na Ye’s expression suddenly changed with those words. He suddenly realised that he had overlooked a major problem. It was true that both he and the Territory Lords were trapped in this strange space with no means to escape, but what about Yang Kai? This place would not be able to trap Yang Kai. If he really wanted to leave, it would not be difficult for him.
[This is bad…] Mo Na Ye quickly suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind. Either way, it was a good thing that Yang Kai was willing to speak with him.
He thus casually probed, “Brother Yang, do you know what this illusory phantom shrouding this area is?” After asking that question, he chuckled to himself, “Of course, you’re aware, Brother Yang. This is the legendary Universe Furnace after all. I’m sure the Human Race Masters have heard about the Universe Furnace to a certain extent.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows in astonishment, “It seems that the connection between the Black Ink Nests has not been severed. Does that mean you can gather intel from outside of here?”
Mo Na Ye looked proud, “The Black Ink Nest has its own mysterious ways. It seems that you are aware of the Universe Furnace, Brother Yang. In that case, do you have more information regarding the Universe Furnace?”
Yang Kai remained indifferent, “What does it matter if I do? And, what does it matter if I don’t?”
Separating out a thread of consciousness to chat with Mo Na Ye did not impede his healing process. Since Mo Na Ye wanted to discuss the Universe Furnace, Yang Kai was more than happy to fish for some information. Besides, he was honestly feeling quite troubled due to his lack of knowledge on the Universe Furnace. It would be great if he could extract some from the Black Ink Clan.
Mo Na Ye responded seriously, “The Universe Furnace has not been seen for hundreds of thousands of years. Even if you have some knowledge regarding the Universe Furnace, I’m sure your information is not comprehensive. Brother Yang, how about you and I exchange what we know?”
Yang Kai immediately snorted coldly, “The Universe Furnace is a great opportunity for the Human Race. Don’t tell me the Black Ink Clan has their eye on it as well?”
Mo Na Ye replied lightly, “It is precisely because the Universe Furnace is such a great opportunity for the Human Race that the Black Ink Clan will not allow the Human Race to succeed so easily. As you know, Brother Yang, the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race will soon engage in a battle to the death now that the Universe Furnace has emerged.”
Yang Kai fell silent…
Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Mo Na Ye was correct. Over the past several thousand years, the war between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race had never ceased; however, both sides had been concentrating on accumulating their respective strengths since the peace talks. As a result, both the number of Masters among the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race had increased dramatically. The situation was only maintained thanks to the tacit cooperation between the higher-ups of the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race.
However, the delicate balance was bound to be broken with the sudden emergence of the Universe Furnace. The Human Race was desperate to seize the opportunities inside the Universe Furnace. Likewise, the Black Ink Clan was desperate to stop the Human Race from doing so. Once the war broke out, the bloodshed was bound to sweep across the entire world like a tidal wave.
This battle might be the deciding factor in the entire war; moreover, it would only end when one party was completely annihilated. The Human Race… was not ready, but the Black Ink Clan was not ready either!
Although there were more Innate Territory Lords and High-Rank Black Ink Nests at the No-Return Pass now, none of these newly emerged Innate Territory Lords would be able to recover from their injuries without spending at least 100 to 200 years healing. It was fortunate that the Human Race had some newly-advanced Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters while it seemed the Black Ink Clan had not produced any new Royal Lords so far.
While Yang Kai was silent, he heard Mo Na Ye speaking once more, “Brother Yang, did you know that this is not the true Universe Furnace, but just a projection looming over this piece of the void while there are many others out there?”
Yang Kai calmly went along with the flow of the conversation, “Of course, it is just an illusory phantom. Isn’t it only natural for it to appear in more than one place?”
However, he was actually very confused inside, [What does he mean? Could there be many other manifestations in other places? Mo Na Ye, this bastard! Is he trying to trick me? Or, is he up to something else?]
At the same time, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling rather annoyed. If he had known this would happen earlier, he would have studied more of the ancient records from the Cave Heavens and Paradises where there was bound to be some information on the Universe Furnace. Now that the Universe Furnace had appeared, Yang Kai was completely stumped by the situation. In fact, he knew even less than Mo Na Ye, who still could ask the Black Ink Clan to gather more intelligence.
Mo Na Ye studied Yang Kai’s expression carefully but failed to detect any clues. Thus, he bluntly said, “Brother Yang, why don’t we exchange information with each other? Although the Universe Furnace is about to emerge, it has yet to truly appear in the world. Gathering more information would not hurt.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help nodding in agreement, “There is some truth to your words. Why don’t you tell me what you know first, then I’ll tell you what I know. You should understand my character. Over the years, I’ve never broken a single promise I’ve made with the Black Ink Clan.”
Mo Na Ye nodded, “Of course.”
Speaking of which, this was true. Although they were mutual enemies who shared an absolutely irreconcilable blood feud, Yang Kai had never violated the agreements he made with the Black Ink Clan.
As such, Mo Na Ye suddenly broke into a smile, “But, you don’t seem to know much about the Universe Furnace, Brother Yang. Let’s forget about exchanging information with each other.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “Who says I don’t know anything about the Universe Furnace?”
Mo Na Ye smiled lightly, “If you knew anything about the Universe Furnace, Brother Yang, then why would you agree to exchange information with the Black Ink Clan? The fact that you agreed to the information exchange shows that you don’t know much either; otherwise, you would not have mentioned your ‘excellent character’.”
Yang Kai was startled before snarling, “You tricked me!”
Mo Na Ye sighed, “As I suspected…”
Yang Kai’s expression immediately darkened at those words. It was only at this moment that he realised the truth. Mo Na Ye had not been sure about how much he knew regarding the Universe Furnace before, but the truth had been confirmed now…
[This bastard…] Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling secretly annoyed at his carelessness. Regardless, it did not matter much. This was just a small loss that did not affect the big picture anyway.
After confirming that Yang Kai did not know much about the Universe Furnace, Mo Na Ye lost interest in talking to him and instead took out the small Black Ink Nest again to maintain constant communication with the outside world.
Yang Kai secretly watched Mo Na Ye’s actions and coldly snorted to himself in his heart. [Once I’ve spent some time healing, I will find a way to make you cough up everything you know. So what if I lost in this verbal confrontation? This strange Space shrouded by the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantom is practically my home ground! It will be my victory in the end!]
The emergence of the Universe Furnace’s projection triggered various changes among the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan.
The biggest change was that both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan recalled all their forces. Although there were no large-scale battles in any of the Great Territory Battlefields, there were many small skirmishes throughout the lands; after all, the newly advanced rising stars of the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan were constantly seeking out strong enemies to challenge and improve themselves.
Be that as it may, more than a dozen Great Territory Battlefields instantly became calm and peaceful soon after the Universe Furnace’s projection appeared in the world. Both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan withdrew all their outside forces. Nobody dared to make any rash moves before they figured out the mysteries and details of the Universe Furnace.
At the end of the day, the Human Race had a slightly better understanding of the Universe Furnace. They had various sources such as the records written in the ancient books of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, the stories narrated by the Elders who lived long enough to hear about the previous opening, the teachings from the Elders of the Dragon and Phoenix Clans, and the information obtained from Blood Crow’s personal experience…
On the other hand, the Black Ink Clan did not have such rich sources of information…
Throughout history, the projections of the Universe Furnace would almost always appear on the Black Ink Battlefield whenever it manifested. There were occasional appearances in the 3,000 Worlds, but those incidents were very rare.
In the past, the Black Ink Clan had some understanding of the Universe Furnace too, but the Black Ink Clansmen who were active on the Black Ink Battlefield previously had been annihilated during the Human Race Army’s crusade. Even the Royal Lords had been slaughtered to the last, so how could the information be handed down to the current Black Ink Clan?
The current Black Ink Clan consisted only of members who recently emerged from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, so they had never experienced the emergence of the Universe Furnace before. All they could do was respond according to the small amount of information provided by the Black Ink Disciples and the reactions of the Human Race.
Under Mo Na Ye’s orders, countless Innate Territory Lords across the Great Territory Battlefields were transferred back to the No-Return Pass to await further orders, news that was quickly relayed to the Human Race.
The mobilisation of so many Innate Territory Lords was bound to result in a disparity in the balance of power between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan. In the past, this would have been a good chance for the Human Race to make an aggressive counterattack.
However, the Human Race did not make any moves against the Black Ink Clan and simply focused on preparing for the upcoming emergence of the Universe Furnace. Compared to the gains and losses that could be obtained on the Great Territory Battlefields, the Universe Furnace which represented the greatest opportunity in the world was undoubtedly what the Human Race valued more at the moment.
As time passed, numerous armies led by many Masters travelled to the periphery of the void where the Universe Furnace’s projections were located under the orders of the higher-ups of both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan. Both parties faced off against each other across the void shrouded by the illusory phantoms.
The Black Ink Clan was acting as though they were determined to prevent the Human Race from seizing the opportunities in the Universe Furnace at all costs. Naturally, the Human Race would never back down. Nevertheless, it was foreseeable that a massive war between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race would break out once the Universe Furnace fully emerged.
There were more than a dozen projections scattered across the Great Territory Battlefields; therefore, the deployment of personnel and the organisation of the Armies were the greatest considerations of the leaders of the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race. Both Mi Jing Lun of the Human Race and Mo Na Ye of the Black Ink Clan had each deployed their troops to counter the other.
A storm was coming!
As the days went by, the atmosphere on the Great Territory Battlefields became increasingly oppressive. Nevertheless, the Armies of both the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race did not dare to make any moves without explicit orders from above, lest they trigger a war in advance.
…..
At this time, there were many High-Rank Black Ink Nests and Innate Territory Lords missing from the No-Return Pass…
Somewhere in the void shrouded by the projection of the Universe Furnace, located in the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield, Yang Kai finally exhaled deeply and opened his eyes. It had been several months since he first entered this place. Now, filled with energy, he slowly stood up and even brazenly gave a lazy stretch.
Several months of recuperation allowed him to recover all of his strength. The last battle with the Innate Territory Lords followed by the intense pursuit by Mo Na Ye had left him severely wounded and exhausted. It was fortunate that his physique was extremely tough, and thanks to his potent Dragon Vein, it was not difficult for him to recover as long as nobody was disturbing him.
As soon as Yang Kai showed movement, the Innate Territory Lords trapped in this place instantly tensed up in response. In stark contrast to the ruddy complexion on Yang Kai’s face, their auras were weak and unstable. There was no helping this as they could not heal as Yang Kai could in this space, so their wounds had not gotten any better even after being trapped in this space for so long.
Watching Yang Kai get to his feet with a lazy stretch, the complexions of the Territory Lords turned ashen. Looking panicked, many of them cast pleading looks at Mo Na Ye in a silent prayer for help.
Although Mo Na Ye had known that this day would come sooner or later, Yang Kai’s recovery speed still shocked him. He did not wait for Yang Kai to make any moves and quickly opened his mouth to speak, “Brother Yang, the Black Ink Clan promises to provide 30% of our cultivation resources as agreed in the past. We will not withhold any resources or delay any of the deliveries!”
Yang Kai turned around, but said nothing as he simply gave Mo Na Ye a silent grin!
Mo Na Ye gritted his teeth and snarled, “50%!”
Yang Kai put his hands behind his back with a leisurely expression on his face, “The war is about to begin. Do you really think we have the time to be bargaining about such trivial matters? 30%? 50%? What does any of that matter? It wouldn’t make a difference even if you offered 100%. I don’t have time to hang around outside the No-Return Pass anymore.”
It was enough that he had been extorting resources from the Black Ink Clan for the past 1,000 years or so, and similar opportunities would not come again in the future. That was why it was impossible for Mo Na Ye to offer those cultivation resources in exchange for the lives of these Innate Territory Lords.
“What do you want then, Brother Yang?” Mo Na Ye asked solemnly. There were dozens of Innate Territory Lords trapped in this space; however, he was helpless to protect them. The situation left him feeling extremely heartbroken and powerless.
Yang Kai casually summoned the Azure Dragon Spear and gave it a little twirl. At the same time, he pushed his Space Principles and walked towards the Territory Lord closest to him. Space rippled in his wake, making it seem as though he was walking on the surface of a calm lake. The mysterious Space that left Mo Na Ye and the Innate Territory Lords completely vulnerable and helpless seemed no different from the flat ground under his feet.
Watching Yang Kai gradually approach him, the Territory Lord tried to flee in terror; unfortunately, his speed was slower than a turtle’s crawl despite his best efforts. By the time Yang Kai reached him, he had only managed to cover a distance of less than a metre. It was not that he had only moved by one metre. On the contrary, he had actually travelled quite far, but with the folded nature of the surrounding space, that distance was equal to one metre.
Yang Kai pointed his spear at the Territory Lord and turned to look at Mo Na Ye, “One piece of information in exchange for the life of a Territory Lord!”
“Information?” Mo Na Ye raised an eyebrow at those words.
“Yes. Information regarding the Universe Furnace that is valuable and unknown to me,” Yang Kai smiled.
A few months ago, he had been tricked by Mo Na Ye on this matter, but so what if he had fallen for that ruse? Now that the lives of these Innate Territory Lords were at risk, how could Mo Na Ye continue to keep the information he possessed a secret?
Mo Na Ye was certainly decisive and immediately inquired, “Does the information I told you earlier count, Brother Yang?”
Naturally, he was referring to the information he disclosed to Yang Kai a few months ago, about how the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantom had appeared in more than one place.
Yang Kai frowned and pondered for a while, then he removed his spear, “Fine, I won’t take advantage of you. That one counts.”
Having escaped from death, the Territory Lord had a look of lingering fear on his face, his entire body drenched in a layer of cold sweat.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai strolled over to the next Territory Lord nearby and turned to look at Mo Na Ye again.
Mo Na Ye did not even bother to wait for Yang Kai to speak and promptly offered an answer, “According to the information obtained by the Black Ink Clan, Profound Nether Territory also has a projection of the Universe Furnace!”
[Is there really more than one projection? What does that mean?] Yang Kai frowned deeply. [How can the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantom be in two places at once? In that case, where will the Universe Furnace emerge?]
He did not suspect that Mo Na Ye was deceiving him; after all, Mo Na Ye would not dare to do something that reckless in this situation. Nodding lightly, he sidestepped the Territory Lord with the spear pointed at him and came to the third Territory Lord.
Mo Na Ye sounded a little guilty as he muttered, “Azure Sun Territory also has an illusory phantom of the Universe Furnace…”
Yang Kai raised a brow at those words and glared at Mo Na Ye. Nevertheless, he moved on and came to stand in front of the next Territory Lord.
Before Mo Na Ye could speak, Yang Kai interjected, “Don’t tell me… Did the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantoms appear on another Great Territory Battlefield?”
Mo Na Ye smiled awkwardly, “Well, there’s one in Twin Poles Territory too…”
Yang Kai laughed angrily but grudgingly nodded in respect, “Good, count it as my loss. Judging by what you’ve said so far, do all of the Great Territory Battlefields have projections?”
Mo Na Ye kept his mouth shut and considered his answer carefully. Before he could respond, Yang Kai raised a hand to stop him, “I was just talking to myself. You don’t need to answer the question. More importantly, I do not want to hear any more about the other locations of the illusory phantoms.”
Mo Na Ye sighed heavily, “But, Brother Yang, what I’ve told you so far is indeed information that you didn’t know. You’ve always been an honest man. Are you going back on your word now?”
Yang Kai raised his chin with a rebellious expression on his face, “What? Haven’t you heard the phrase ‘People under the eaves have to bow their heads’?”
Mo Na Ye was absolutely annoyed…
Yang Kai muttered under his breath, “Judging by the information so far, does the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantom appear in places where a large number of living beings lost their lives? What about the Barren Territory? What about the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?”
While speaking, Yang Kai studied Mo Na Ye’s reaction carefully. Unfortunately, Mo Na Ye was a cunning man, so how could he slip up at such a moment?
Yang Kai snapped angrily, “Enough. Is there an illusory phantom of the Universe Furnace in the Barren Territory? Tell me honestly. This will count as a piece of information.”
Upon hearing those words, Mo Na Ye finally nodded, “Yes!” Then, he added a casual compliment, “You’re very quick-witted, Brother Yang. The truth is I’ve also speculated that there is an illusory phantom of the Universe Furnace at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Unfortunately, we have no means of confirming the situation.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help teasing, “Have you lost contact with the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?”
Mo Na Ye was expressionless, but he neither confirmed nor denied the statement.
Yang Kai frowned again, “The locations where the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantoms appear are all places where a large number of powerful Masters have lost their lives in battle, including this place… A lot of Innate Territory Lords died here. Does the Black Ink Clan know anything about the relationship between these two factors?”
Mo Na Ye shook his head, “No. The Black Ink Clan doesn’t know much about the Universe Furnace. The Human Race might know something.”
As he spoke, Mo Na Ye secretly thought to himself in his heart, [It looks like Yang Kai is completely clueless about the Universe Furnace. Otherwise, he would not have asked so many superficial questions.]
Yang Kai did not bother wasting his time and energy on threatening another Innate Territory Lord; instead, he stood in place and declared, “What other information do you have? Tell me everything. I am a man who means what he says. A piece of valuable information in exchange for the life of one Territory Lord.”
“That makes five pieces of information from earlier!” Mo Na Ye confirmed.
“I know,” Yang Kai agreed irritably.
Mo Na Ye seemed greatly reassured by those words. After considering his answer for some time, he began talking, “The illusory phantoms of the Universe Furnace are most likely some kind of projection! It’s impossible to tell where the Universe Furnace itself is hiding, but its projection is displayed at various places thanks to its mysterious powers.”
“A projection!” Yang Kai frowned. This was not something he had considered. He only thought that the situation was rather strange.
If the Universe Furnace was about to emerge, then why did more than a dozen or so illusory phantoms appear across the various Great Territory Battlefields? There was even one here. On the other hand, if these illusory phantoms were just projections of the Universe Furnace, then the situation would make much more sense.
“Was this information obtained by the Black Ink Clan?” Yang Kai inquired.
Mo Na Ye shook his head as he replied, “It’s my guess!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. There was no need to doubt Mo Na Ye’s intentions too much. Based on the information he possessed at the moment, he would probably come to the same conclusion if he had the time to calm down and analyse the situation.
“What else?” Yang Kai probed further.
Mo Na Ye pondered in silence for a moment, “Based on my observations, the projections are slowly solidifying. I’m sure you’ve noticed as well, Brother Yang. It has been several months since the projections first appeared. By my estimation, it will take another two years for the projection to completely materialize. I speculate that the Universe Furnace will only appear in the world once the projections have fully solidified!”
Looking around, Yang Kai examined the degree of projection’s solidification compared to a few months ago and did some estimation, arriving at the same conclusion as Mo Na Ye. At the current rate, it would indeed take two years for the projection to solidify completely.
“Although the time of the Universe Furnace’s emergence can roughly be determined, the location of its emergence remains a mystery. There are more than 10 projections at different locations, so it is difficult to determine the exact location of the Universe Furnace’s emergence. Nevertheless, I believe there are two possibilities.”
“What are the two possibilities?” Yang Kai questioned.
Mo Na Ye glanced at Yang Kai in resentment. After being enemies for so many years, they were very familiar with each other by now. Yang Kai’s actions might seem rash and impulsive, but he only took them after much consideration. With his intelligence and the information he just received, it would not be difficult for him to reach his own conclusions if he bothered to put his mind to work on the matter.
However, he was either too lazy to think for himself or he was trying to figure out just how much information the Black Ink Clan had gathered. That was why he was holding the lives of these Territory Lords hostage in exchange for information. Unfortunately, there was nothing Mo Na Ye could do in retaliation.
“The first possibility is that the Universe Furnace’s true body will randomly appear at one of the locations of the projections, and the rest of the projections are mere illusions.” Mo Na Ye expressed his conjectures, not daring to conceal anything. In any case, he was simply guessing as well so there was no harm in sharing. “The second possibility is… all the projections are closely connected to the true body; hence, the Universe Furnace will appear wherever the projections are located!”
Yang Kai listened seriously and nodded lightly, “That’s a reasonable hypothesis. Indeed, these are the only two possibilities.”
It was not difficult to form these conjectures based on the existing information. Be that as it may, neither Mo Na Ye nor Yang Kai was aware of something crucial. The true body of the Universe Furnace would not be revealed even when these projections solidified. In fact, this Supreme Treasure had never been seen before throughout the long course of history. On the contrary, these projections would simply transform into entrances leading into the Universe Furnace once they were fully solidified. The so-called opportunities were hidden inside the Universe Furnace.
It was not that Mo Na Ye and Yang Kai were dull-witted, just that the information they possessed was too little for them to form an accurate conjecture. Besides, they both had preconceived notions about the Universe Furnace. Since it was called the Universe Furnace, they naturally assumed that it was something akin to a mysterious Alchemy Furnace. How could they have known that this Alchemy Furnace would contain a Sealed World of its own?
Mo Na Ye did not continue speaking. It was not that he didn’t want to, but that he had no other valuable information to share. Hence, he immediately started racking his brains for anything he could think of…
Yang Kai did not pester Mo Na Ye either. Sinking deep into thought, he suddenly recalled something. He honestly did not know much about the Universe Furnace. The only knowledge he had was that the Universe Furnace contained Innate Open Heaven Pills that could help a cultivator break through their inherent shackles.
However, he only heard that the world would be thrown into a storm of bloodshed whenever the Universe Furnace emerged!
At the time, Yang Kai had not known much about the 3,000 Worlds. His cultivation was also quite low, which resulted in a shallow understanding of that statement. He had simply assumed that a Supreme Treasure was something everybody would want to obtain, so the so-called storm of bloodshed would be caused by the infighting between the Masters from the Cave Heavens and Paradises. It would now seem that his assumption had been incorrect.
For countless years since the Late Ancient Era, the Cave Heavens and Paradises had committed their elites to the Black Ink Battlefield to wage a never-ending war against the Black Ink Clan. All Ninth-Order Old Ancestors also resided on the Black Ink Battlefield to guard the Great Passes. There might be many Cave Heavens and Paradises, but they had always been united against their common enemy.
With an external enemy threatening them, how could the Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises create a storm of bloodshed over the opportunities that could be found in the Universe Furnace? The Old Ancestors would never allow such foolishness to occur. If the Universe Furnace were to appear, they would step forward to manage the situation themselves. If that were the case, then where would the storm of bloodshed come from?
Yang Kai soon realised something important.
According to the information he received from Mo Na Ye, the projections of the Universe Furnace seemed to appear in places where a large number of living beings had died in battle. When the Universe Furnace appeared in the world recently, the projections had appeared on the various Great Territory Battlefields, the Barren Territory, the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, and even this place. This was the best evidence to support that statement. If this was the case now, then what about the past?
Although there had been conflicts in the 3,000 Worlds in the past, there were all some minor conflicts between various Sects. Even if there were any casualties during these conflicts, the cultivation of these deceased cultivators would not be high.
Unlike the tranquillity in the 3,000 Worlds, the war had never ceased on the Black Ink Battlefield. Every time the Black Ink Clan attacked any of the Great Passes, massive numbers of living beings would lose their lives.
If the number of deaths and the strength of the fall cultivators were related to the criteria for the projections of the Universe Furnace to appear, then the Black Ink Battlefield undoubtedly met these requirements. By that logic, had the projections of the Universe Furnace always appeared on the Black Ink Battlefield whenever the Universe Furnace manifested in the world in the past? In that case, the so-called storm of bloodshed could be explained. It was not caused by the internal struggles among the Human Race, but the confrontation between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan.
Yang Kai suddenly recalled that he had obtained a few Innate Open Heaven Pills from the Blood Monster Divine Palace in the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
After he left the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Lan You Ruo had gone into retreat and attempted to advance to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Yang Kai had given her an Innate Open Heaven Pill to help boost her chances of success, but she ultimately did not need it.
He later took the time to examine those Innate Open Heaven Pills carefully and discovered that the medicinal efficacies were indeed more potent and profound compared to ordinary Open Heaven Pills; however, they did not contain any miraculous effects. He then proceeded to toss them somewhere and forgot about them.
At the time, Yang Kai speculated that those Open Heaven Pills were too old and had not been preserved properly which caused their medicinal efficacies to deteriorate over the millennia. He had felt a slight sense of regret, thinking that Blood Monster Divine Monarch had wasted such precious resources. Looking back now, he realised that the medicinal efficacies of the Innate Open Heaven Pills should not have deteriorated even if they were improperly preserved.
The only explanation was that those Open Heaven Pills themselves were not as miraculous as the rumours proclaimed. In that case, where did the rumours about the Universe Furnace that were passed down from ancient times come from?
Also, the Blood Monster Divine Monarch… Since he managed to obtain Innate Open Heaven Pills, did that mean he had the opportunity to compete for the Universe Furnace? Be that as it may, he had clearly never gone to the Black Ink Battlefield before. Where did he get the opportunity to compete for the Universe Furnace? He was not from the Cave Heavens or Paradises after all. How did he obtain the qualifications for the opportunity?
[Looks like it’s time for me to have a chat with Blood Crow!] Yang Kai silently made up his mind. He was certain he could gain a lot from speaking with Blood Crow, but he had to escape from this place first.
Yang Kai was getting excited when Mo Na Ye finally thought of a topic worth mentioning, “Brother Yang, don’t you think this place is a little strange?”
Yang Kai replied indifferently, “A Supreme Treasure is present. It’s only natural for something strange to happen.”
Mo Na Ye nodded, “That’s true. The Space here is extremely twisted and distorted. Since it comes from the projection of the Universe Furnace’s true body, then there must be a close connection between them. You are proficient in the Dao of Space, Brother Yang. Why don’t you try to trace it back to its source and locate the Universe Furnace’s true body? You might find something if you can do that.”
Yang Kai glanced at Mo Na Ye in surprise. To be honest, he had not considered such a possibility. It was more accurate to say that he had not even considered things from this angle in the first place. Mo Na Ye must have been forced into a desperate situation for him to come up with such a great idea.
Thus, Yang Kai nodded at Mo Na Ye in respect, “Although I know you don’t have the best intentions, just this idea alone is worth three lives!”
Mo Na Ye did not know what expression to make, so he simply squeezed out a forced smile. This thought had indeed been an impromptu idea, but he had to admit he had another purpose. If Yang Kai could use the Dao of Space to determine the location of the Universe Furnace’s true body, then the Black Ink Clan could prepare specific countermeasures in a targeted manner.
Therefore, Mo Na Ye immediately concentrated on the movements around Yang Kai. He watched intently as Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and surged his Space Principles in an attempt to trace the mysterious roots of this place.
Yang Kai initially had little gain from his efforts. The space in this place was extremely warped and distorted. Even if he could use his understanding of the Dao of Space to eliminate the influence of this warped Space on his movements, he had little success in tracing the roots of the strange phenomenon occurring here. Nevertheless, he suddenly recalled his Cow Punch Secret Technique.
The principle of Cow Punch was to track the enemy’s aura back to its source. It was a Secret Technique specifically made to target the Small Universe of his enemies. He even managed to slaughter a Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple with this Secret Technique!
[If something as ethereal as a Small Universe can be traced back to the roots, what more the true body of the Universe Furnace?] Yang Kai acted as soon as the thought occurred to him. The Space Principles around his body became more and more ethereal, almost as though he was about to melt into the Void. He slowly moved his hands as though plucking at invisible strings, trying to trace everything back to its origin.
While Yang Kai was working hard, the Black Ink Clansmen were secretly communicating with each other through a constant stream of Divine Sense transmissions. Although Mo Na Ye had made an agreement with Yang Kai that the lives of each Territory Lord would be spared in exchange for a piece of information, the information provided was clearly far from enough. There were several dozen Territory Lords trapped in this place. How much information could Mo Na Ye realistically provide?
At best, it would be amazing if Yang Kai could spare the lives of a dozen or so Territory Lords. As for the rest… they would not be able to escape his murderous reach. Hence, they had to come up with a self-protection strategy before Yang Kai started taking action. Otherwise, there was no guarantee whose life would be spared by Yang Kai.
At this time, the best option was to attack Yang Kai while he was distracted. Unfortunately, the Territory Lords were under the effects of the folded Space, so how could they attack him when they couldn’t even approach him?
It was even more impossible for them to escape from this Space. Trapped in this place and affected by the layers of overlapping space, they were no different from flies caught in a spider web. It was truly a pathetic situation. Despite much deliberation, the Black Ink Clan could not figure out a solution to their miserable situation. The realisation filled them with an inexplicable sense of sorrow.
Without warning, the Void suddenly trembled like the surface of a beaten drum. The vibration was so strong that all the trapped Territory Lords could feel the movement clearly. Startled, they looked around in bewilderment and discovered that the source of the trembling seemed to be coming from Yang Kai’s direction.
Yang Kai’s eyes were tightly closed. In the space around him, Space Principles fluctuated and various Dao Strengths danced. When he pointed a finger forward, countless ripples spread out from his position. The ripples continued on endlessly, extending into the inexplicable depths of the Void. As time passed, the number of ripples grew. Even the trembling in the local space became increasingly violent…
Mo Na Ye suddenly had a bad feeling that his suggestion for Yang Kai to track the traces of the Universe Furnace back to their source had been an extremely terrible decision! Just as the thought crossed his mind, he abruptly felt a sense of crisis flooding his heart.
He hastily surged his Black Ink Strength and condensed a layer of defence around himself. In the next moment, he felt an invisible and intangible force slicing across his body, cutting through the Black Ink Strength condensed around his figure, and carving into his flesh.
In spite of his immense strength, Mo Na Ye felt a stabbing pain burst through his body. He quickly shifted his position and looked back. At the spot where he had been standing earlier, a portion of the space slid sideways like a piece of broken mirror before quickly returning to normal. The force that had sliced across his body earlier was a tiny Void Crack!
His expression changed drastically at the sight and he hurriedly shouted, “Brother Yang, please stop!”
The Territory Lords did not know why Mo Na Ye was panicking all of a sudden, so they all turned to look in his direction.
At that moment, one of the Territory Lords abruptly felt an inexplicable sense of pain in his body. His vision seemed to tilt to the side, then turned upside down. What entered his sight was a body that had been cleanly sliced into two at a diagonal angle. The incision at the wound was as smooth as the edges of a mirror, and black blood gushed out from the opening.
[This severed body… looks so familiar…] A strange thought entered his mind, but he quickly came to a realization, [Isn’t that my body!?]
He lowered his head to look and sure enough, his lower half had been severed. Everything was so sudden that he failed to notice any abnormality before. Terrified, he screamed at the top of his lungs, “Sir Mo Na Ye, save me!”
But what could Mo Na Ye do? At this moment, Mo Na Ye looked so gloomy that he was practically oozing depression. He could only watch helplessly as the two parts of the Territory Lord’s body separated. Although the Territory Lord’s blood poured out continuously, his vitality was very strong, so it would take some time before he died…
“The space has become chaotic! Defend yourselves with all your might!” Mo Na Ye called out loudly.
After hearing Mo Na Ye’s warning, the Territory Lord finally came back to their senses and hastily summoned their strength to guard themselves.
Although Mo Na Ye did not know what Yang Kai was doing, his perception was not wrong. The whole Space had gotten extremely chaotic due to Yang Kai’s actions. This was a strange place formed by the distortion of countless layers of Space folded over each other in the first place. These layers of folded Space resembled pieces of a broken mirror that fit well together in the beginning. In short, there were no issues with the original arrangement as things were relatively static, or at least changing at a slow pace. However, the Space where these mirrors used to be pieced together had now become mobile and disordered due to Yang Kai’s actions.
The upper body of the dead Territory Lord had been located in one of the layers of the folded Space, while his lower body had been located in a different one. When the two layers of folded Space abruptly separated due to the distortion, his body had also been sliced apart as a result.
Territory Lords were very strong, and if they had been at their peak strength, it would have been impossible for them to be sliced apart so easily. Unfortunately, the Territory Lords here were all arrows at the end of their flight, on top of being heavily wounded. In this situation, they were completely defenceless against such a strange attack.
Nobody knew whether their position was safe because the layers of folded Space shifted around at random. Screams of agony periodically rang out from among the Territory Lords. It was a pity, but Black Ink Strength condensed around their bodies could hardly stop the sharp Space Principles from slicing them apart.
Within a short span of time, more Territory Lords lost their lives as their bodies were severed into pieces. This situation left Mo Na Ye feeling both horrified and furious, “Brother Yang, please stop quickly!”
At this moment, he deeply regretted his earlier words! [Why did I suggest Yang Kai trace the location of the Universe Furnace’s true body with his mastery over the Dao of Space!?]
Space was an extremely mysterious Dao in the first place, and the Space here was already so peculiar. Nothing good would happen to Black Ink Clan Masters like themselves after Yang Kai began fiddling with it.
Suddenly, there was another scream. Mo Na Ye glanced over only and saw the body of another Territory Lord separating into two parts. The Territory Lord’s eyes were filled with pure terror and resentment. He did not expect to lose his life in such an inexplicable manner after managing to survive so many crises until now.
“Brother Yang!” Mo Na Ye roared angrily.
“Shut up!” Yang Kai did not even bother to open his eyes. Although he was concentrating fully on tracing the location of the Universe Furnace’s true body, he retained some awareness of the surrounding situation.
He had not expected the current situation to occur, but it was quite a stroke of good fortune for him. How could he give up just because Mo Na Ye asked him to stop? In any case, their previous agreement indicated that he only needed to spare the lives of a dozen or so Territory Lords. As for the others, it would be even better for him if all of them died. It would even save him the trouble of killing them himself.
Mo Na Ye gritted his teeth and suppressed the anger in his heart. They were enemies in the first place, not to mention they were engaged in a life-and-death clash just a few months ago. What was the point of begging Yang Kai now? All Mo Na Ye could do was record his loss for today. If he had a chance in the future, he would return the debt a hundredfold!
The Territory Lords were tense and nervous. Although they constantly changed positions while simultaneously activating their power to protect themselves, the attacks caused by the distortion of space came with no warning whatsoever. It was very difficult to defend against these attacks. In the end, those destined for death would lose their lives no matter how hard they tried.
Even Mo Na Ye was inadvertently wounded. Fortunately for him, he was strong and in good condition, so there was no threat to his life for the time being, but it was hard to say what would happen if the situation dragged on…
It was hard to tell how much time had passed. More than a dozen Territory Lords had lost their lives by now and the space within the projection of the Universe Furnace was scattered with severed limbs. The wounds on these severed limbs were extremely smooth, and a large amount of black blood now floated around in the void.
Yang Kai suddenly paused with a slight frown on his face. It was not that he could no longer continue his search or that he had not gained anything from his efforts. The truth was that he had indeed been able to trace the Universe Furnace’s aura, but it was difficult for him to determine its exact location.
More importantly, Yang Kai had a feeling that something beyond his control would happen if he persisted in his attempt. It was difficult to deduce whether the phenomenon would be good or bad, but he had the feeling that it was not very dangerous since he did not detect any warning signals. To be on the safe side though, he decided to stop while he was ahead.
Yang Kai looked up at the dishevelled Mo Na Ye with an almost imperceptible light flashing through his eyes… A group of Territory Lords had tragically lost their lives during the events earlier while even a Pseudo-Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye had been wounded, although the latter’s injuries did not seem serious.
There was no denying that Yang Kai was no match for a Pseudo-Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye in a one-on-one battle, but his proficiency in the Dao of Space meant that Mo Na Ye could not hurt him either when he was at his peak.
Now however, Yang Kai might just have a chance to kill Mo Na Ye in this Space within the projection of the Universe Furnace! If he carried on with his previous exploration, he could cause constant damage to Mo Na Ye; then, he would make his move when Mo Na Ye’s injuries had accumulated to a critical degree…
[Let’s see if he can survive that!]
Mo Na Ye regarded Yang Kai as an enormous threat to the Black Ink Clan; how could Yang Kai not be wary of Mo Na Ye? Mo Na Ye could be considered an anomaly in the Black Ink Clan. If Yang Kai could remove Mo Na Ye from the equation, Royal Lord Mo Yu would lose an exceptionally dependable helper. In the future, the Human Race would also have one less threat to worry about in the final war.
[I have to thank Mo Na Ye for suggesting such a convenient and effective method to me.]
Seeming to sense the malice in Yang Kai’s gaze, Mo Na Ye’s expression changed slightly. They had been enemies for so many years now, so how could he fail to realise what Yang Kai was thinking?
He suddenly felt bitter and resentful. His suggestion not only caused heavy casualties to the Territory Lords, but he might also have doomed himself to a miserable death. The entire situation left a bitter taste in his mouth. At the same time, he couldn’t help feeling as though he had lifted a rock only to smash it onto his foot.
Yang Kai chuckled and slowly climbed to his feet when their gazes met.
Under the watchful gaze of Mo Na Ye and the many Territory Lords, he leisurely walked towards the outside. The distorted and folded space did not hinder his movement. It did not take long before he arrived at the edge of the projection.
“Are you leaving, Brother Yang?” In the end, Mo Na Ye could not stop himself and blurted out the question. It would be wondrous news if Yang Kai were to leave this place, but how could Yang Kai possibly depart so easily? He had clearly seen the malice in Yang Kai’s eyes earlier.
“What? Do you expect me to stay behind and chat with you instead?” Yang Kai replied without much thought. Thanks to his mastery of the Dao of Space, he easily stepped out of the folded Space!
Seeing that scene, Mo Na Ye felt a strange feeling wash over him, [This guy… It turns out that he could have really left at any time.]
Trapped inside this space within the projection, even a Pseudo-Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye was powerless. He couldn’t find a way out, but it was no trouble for Yang Kai at all.
While he did not know the meaning behind Yang Kai’s actions, Yang Kai’s departure was good news for him. At the very least, he would no longer be in danger once Yang Kai was gone. Besides, he had secretly made arrangements in advance. As long as Yang Kai dared to stray far enough, then those arrangements would come in handy.
Mo Na Ye stared after Yang Kai’s back expectantly, hoping that Yang Kai would venture further into the distance; however, Yang Kai only took two steps before he abruptly turned to look in a certain direction and shouted, “Mo Yu, I spared the lives of your Territory Lords, yet you dare try to ambush me?”
As soon as those words rang out, Mo Na Ye’s expression changed drastically. [Were we discovered!? That’s impossible! I even specially warned them not to expose their whereabouts when I asked the Royal Lord to set up an ambush nearby with the Territory Lords!]
Not to mention, he had secretly observed his surroundings and confirmed that the Black Ink Clansmen had hidden themselves very well. It was impossible for them to be discovered so quickly, so how did Yang Kai discover them?
There were indeed reinforcements that Mo Na Ye had arranged beforehand outside the projection!
The greatest difficulty in dealing with an enemy like Yang Kai was his Space Secret Techniques. Even if they were stronger than him, it was meaningless if they could neither capture him nor restrain him. For example, the Black Ink Clan once had an opportunity to annihilate Yang Kai in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land. Unfortunately, Di Wu had wasted the opportunity back then.
When Mo Na Ye chased Yang Kai into this strange place several months ago, he quickly realised that he had been tricked. At the same time, he was keenly aware that this was a rare opportunity to remove Yang Kai once and for all!
Yang Kai had been severely wounded at the time. Eager to treat his injuries, he had trapped himself inside the projection to recuperate from his wounds. Nevertheless, there was no denying that he could not move around freely for some time.
For that reason, Mo Na Ye had used the miniature Black Ink Nest to contact the No-Return Pass and asked the Royal Lord to set up an ambush nearby with some Black Ink Clan Masters.
Since the Royal Lord took charge of defending the No-Return Pass, he had not left it again. The only exception was when Yang Kai caused a ruckus in the No-Return Pass and the Royal Lord chased after him, resulting in only greater disaster.
After that debacle, the Royal Lord never left the No-Return Pass again, especially when Yang Kai began loitering around nearby as the latter posed a massive threat. Mo Yu subsequently became the most important force which ensured the safety and stability of the No-Return Pass.
Nobody knew when Yang Kai might suddenly cause another ruckus. Under these circumstances, how could Mo Yu dare to leave the No-Return Pass at will? He was practically a hostage to Yang Kai’s whims, unable to move around freely whatsoever.
Be that as it may, Mo Na Ye had mobilised the one and only Royal Lord in the Black Ink Clan in this endeavour to ensure the success of his plans. It could be seen that his determination and courage were unordinary. In addition, there were many Innate Territory Lords who had been transferred here from the front lines. They were hiding in the shadows and waiting for the signal to attack. Everything had been prepared in advance. As long as Yang Kai escaped from this prison, they would unleash an unrestrained assault on him!
There was only one inconvenient factor in these plans, and that was this strange space within the projection. According to Mo Na Ye’s speculations, there was a high probability that Yang Kai could come and go freely from this Space, and was essentially invulnerable once inside of it. If Yang Kai was to detect any danger when he left the confines of this prison, he could simply seek shelter inside again to protect himself! After all, this strange and eerie space within the projection was practically a natural fortress to him.
Therefore, Mo Na Ye and Mo Yu had secretly discussed their plans in advance. They decided to wait until Yang Kai was some distance away from the projection before the Royal Lord made his move to keep Yang Kai as busy as possible for some time. Doing so, the Territory Lords who were carrying the necessary Array Boards and Banners would have enough time to establish the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Grand Array. Once the Grand Array was activated, Yang Kai would be trapped in place with no hope to escape. At that time, Mo Yu could freely annihilate Yang Kai.
The plan could be said to be foolproof in all aspects. Although there was no guarantee for a 100% success rate, the estimated success rate was in the 70% range. It was enough for the Black Ink Clan to take a gamble and risk the possible dangers. The crux of this entire plan rested on how long Mo Yu could keep Yang Kai distracted. As long as he could delay Yang Kai for long enough, their plans would work perfectly.
Therefore, Mo Na Ye was excited to see Yang Kai leaving the projection even though he did not understand the reason for Yang Kai’s sudden departure. Never did he imagine that his plans would be exposed before the trap could even be implemented, much less that the reason would be Mo Yu’s failure to conceal his aura completely.
[Wait, that can’t be right! It’s impossible for the Royal Lord to be unable to conceal his aura! I’ve warned all of them so many times; not to mention, the Black Ink Clan has repeatedly suffered defeat at Yang Kai’s hands. There is no way the Royal Lord would relax his guard towards Yang Kai… Damn it, Yang Kai tricked us again!]
At that instant, Mo Na Ye realised the truth and opened his mouth to issue a warning; however, he was too late. A majestic aura erupted from somewhere in the void. The emergence of the aura was quickly followed by a black light that flew towards Yang Kai at the speed of lightning.
Mo Na Ye closed his eyes in sorrow…
The sounds of battle between Masters rang out from outside the projection, mixed with Yang Kai’s grunts.
When Mo Na Ye opened his eyes again, he saw that Yang Kai had retreated back into the Space within the projection. Meanwhile, Royal Lord Mo Yu stood quietly outside the projection with a pair of fleshy wings spread out behind his back. Countless bone spurs that resembled fangs protruded from his wings, making him seem absolutely terrifying.
Yang Kai’s arms were trembling uncontrollably, blood dripping profusely from them. He had suffered a direct blow from a true Royal Lord and nearly broke both his arms as a result, but instead of frowning, he was laughing. Furthermore, his laughter sounded extremely mocking.
Royal Lord Mo Yu stood outside the projection with a grim expression and scowled at Yang Kai for a while. Glancing at Mo Na Ye’s dull look, Mo Yu seemed to understand something and snorted coldly.
It was not that he was easily deceived. The truth was the exact opposite. The Black Ink Clan simply had too much vigilance towards Yang Kai. When Yang Kai spoke just now, Mo Yu’s first instinct was that he had been discovered. Everything would be for nought once Yang Kai activated Space Principles and escaped; hence, he believed that he would miss the opportunity to make his move if he did not attack now. It was the reason why he had acted so decisively.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai was only a short distance away from the projection. Although he was struck by the unexpected blow, he had quickly retreated back into the projection.
Numerous figures appeared from their hiding spots and slowly gathered around Mo Yu. These figures were all Innate Territory Lords. They were originally supposed to set up the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array while the Royal Lord was keeping Yang Kai busy; however, they no longer knew what to do in this situation and could only wait quietly for further orders from the Royal Lord.
Staring at Mo Yu through the projection, Yang Kai swung his arms lightly. Then, he chuckled and turned to look back at Mo Na Ye, “The Black Ink Clan sure is hospitable!”
Mo Na Ye responded calmly, “There was no need for you to test the waters if you already expected an ambush, Brother Yang. You could have just asked me, and I would have given you an honest answer.”
At this moment, Mo Na Ye was certain about one thing. Yang Kai had predicted that he would make various secret arrangements in advance. That was why he had taken the initiative to step out of the projection as an experiment, and the results revealed that his predictions were indeed extremely accurate.
Just as how Mo Na Ye had a deep understanding of Yang Kai’s character, Yang Kai also had a good grasp of Mo Na Ye’s thought process after so many years of rivalry. In fact, it would be strange for the Black Ink Clan to ignore such a great opportunity.
“Who could have known whether you were speaking the truth? There are some things one can only learn after seeing it with their own eyes! Mo Na Ye, you have deeply disappointed me!” Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “I was going to spare the lives of these Territory Lords, but it looks like I cannot afford to be merciful towards the Black Ink Clan!”
Mo Na Ye smiled indifferently, “The Black Ink Clan has already sacrificed so many Innate Territory Lords just to annihilate you, Brother Yang. Losing a few more wouldn’t make a difference.”
His statement made the trapped Territory Lords turn pale with fright…
Meanwhile, he continued talking, “But, Brother Yang… What difference does it make even if you slaughtered all the Territory Lords trapped inside this Space? Will that help you escape? Indeed, there is nothing the Black Ink Clan can do to you at the moment; however, this Space will eventually return to normal once the projection completely solidifies in two years. At that time, the Black Ink Clan will only need to prepare a Grand Array in advance. With the Royal Lord personally leading the attack, you will be nothing more than a turtle hiding in its shell! Brother Yang, this place is where you will meet your doom!”
Mo Yu, who had been standing quietly outside the projection, decisively issued the order when he heard those words, “Set up the formation!”
The Territory Lords standing idly behind him immediately scattered in all directions and surrounded the local region where the projection was located with the Grand Array Banners in their hands. It did not take long before the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array was formed, sealing this section of the void!
Mo Yu stared at the projection in front of him, eager to charge forward. Although he had heard about the strangeness of this Space from Mo Na Ye, he was tempted to enter the Space anyway…
Nevertheless, he decided to give up on the idea after further consideration. Mo Na Ye was not very different from him in terms of raw strength, the only difference being that the latter could only exert about 80% of his maximum power.
Seeing as the trapped Mo Na Ye was absolutely incapable of attacking Yang Kai inside the Space, Mo Yu realised that he would most likely face the same situation if he were to enter. Hence, he decided not to embarrass himself with futile actions. This strange Space was not something that could be overcome with strength alone.
While the Territory Lords were busy preparing the Grand Array, Yang Kai simply watched quietly without trying to stop them. In any case, there was nothing he could do to stop them even if he wanted to.
It was just as Mo Na Ye had said, the current situation was a death sentence to him. The Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Grand Array had sealed the space around him. Once he lost the protection provided by the Universe Furnace’s projection, he would have to face Mo Yu directly. A situation like that would only lead to a disastrous ending for him.
The projection was slowly becoming solid over time, and at this rate, it would probably fully manifest after two years. When that happened, Yang Kai would become vulnerable to the attacks of the many Black Ink Clan Masters surrounding him.
There had been many opportunities and coincidences inside the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land. Not to mention, the Ancestral Land had been favourable to him. That was how Yang Kai managed to escape the crisis and even kill a Master like Di Wu back then, leaving the Black Ink Clan with nothing to show for its efforts.
Unfortunately, there were no external factors or geographical advantages that he could rely upon here. No matter how strong he was, how could he be stronger than a true Royal Lord?
At this moment, many of the Black Ink Clansmen were certain of their victory even though they were trapped. On the contrary, Yang Kai’s future was bleak even though he seemed as unrestrained as a fish in water.
Be it Yang Kai or the Black Ink Clan, neither party knew that the projection would transform into an entrance to the Universe Furnace after the projection solidified completely. They also did not know that the Universe Furnace contained a Sealed World, and the so-called opportunity had to be obtained inside of it. In other words, the Black Ink Clan’s efforts were futile no matter how well-made their plans were.
Nevertheless, for Yang Kai who lacked this information, he was indeed stuck in a desperate situation. He had no means to escape in the face of absolute power. It could even be said that he had fallen right into the Black Ink Clan’s trap when he decided to plunge into this Space within the projection.
It was a pity that he had no other choice under the circumstances back then. Not only had he been an arrow at the end of its flight, but he was also being pursued by Mo Na Ye. He had urgently needed a place where he could properly treat his wounds, so plunging into the projection had been his only choice.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, he grinned at Mo Na Ye, “I’m guessing you have a suggestion for me!”
Mo Na Ye laughed, “You know me well, Brother Yang!”
“Speak!”
He bluntly said, “Sit quietly, don’t do anything unnecessary, and restrain your aura. You might have a chance of survival in two years if you do that, Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai inquired, “And where would that chance of survival come from?”
Mo Na Ye replied, “That would depend entirely on how Sir Royal Lord plans to deal with you. If Sir Royal Lord considers you a threat, you will probably lose your life. But, if Sir Royal Lord intends to spare your life so that you can contribute to the Black Ink Clan instead, corrupting you with the Black Ink Strength is not a bad idea either.”
Mo Na Ye was undoubtedly an intelligent man. Standing in front of the Royal Lord, he carefully made sure not to mention anything absolute. He always framed his words so that the final decision was up to Mo Yu. The same was true when they set up the Grand Array earlier. Instead of directly issuing the orders to set up the Grand Array himself, Mo Na Ye simply dropped some hints here and there so that Mo Yu would understand immediately. After all, issuing the orders directly would have put him under suspicion of overstepping his boundaries.
It was for this reason that Mo Yu had handed all authority over the Black Ink Clan to Mo Na Ye for so many years without any concern. Mo Na Ye knew his place and limits. In that regard, Meng Que, who was also a Pseudo-Royal Lord, was not nearly as quick-witted.
Outside the projection, Mo Yu announced graciously, “I know you have a treasure in your Small Universe that prevents the corruption of Black Ink Strength. If you sacrifice this treasure and allow me to personally corrupt you with the Black Ink Strength, then I will spare your life!”
Yang Kai laughed at those words. Lifting his slightly swollen arms, he casually cupped his fists, “In that case, allow me to thank you for the great consideration you’ve shown me, Sir Royal Lord!”
For the Black Ink Clan, it would definitely be highly beneficial if they could turn Yang Kai into a Black Ink Disciple.
He was powerful, after all. If he could contribute to the Black Ink Clan, he would be a significant boost in strength for them. Furthermore, he was part of the Human Race’s higher-ups with extensive knowledge of their activities, so he would be able to provide the Black Ink Clan with substantial inside information.
More importantly, he had become a living symbol of hope to the Human Race over the years! Not only was his name practically a legend throughout the various Great Territory Battlefields, but his outstanding achievements were also highly praised and admired by soldiers and civilians alike. In fact, his very existence struck fear into the hearts of all Black Ink Clansmen!
If such a symbol were to switch sides and turn upon his former comrades, it would be a huge blow to the morale of the Human Race.
The Black Ink Clan could not care less about ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but they would willingly fight for the chance to corrupt Yang Kai with Black Ink Strength. There was more value in converting a person like Yang Kai into a Black Ink Disciple than killing him directly.
When confronting Yang Kai in the past, Mo Yu had never even dreamt about corrupting him with Black Ink Strength. He did not have that ability, after all. Even his chances of killing Yang Kai were slim to none. Be that as it may, the emergence of the Universe Furnace’s projection had turned the impossible into a possibility. He couldn’t help becoming rather excited about such a prospect.
On the other hand, Mo Na Ye discerned the mocking tone in Yang Kai’s words and gave a heavy sigh, “Brother Yang, why must you be so stubborn?”
Yang Kai answered lightly, “Our paths are different, so it’s impossible for us to truly cooperate with each other!” He turned to look at Mo Na Ye, “In any case, it is no loss for me if I drag a Pseudo-Royal Lord and dozens of Innate Territory Lords into the grave with me. Mo Na Ye, between you and me, let’s see which of us dies first!”
Mo Na Ye’s expression immediately darkened.
In the next moment, Yang Kai began surging his Space Principles along with various Dao Strengths, causing the space within the Universe Furnace’s projection to become chaotic once more.
The expressions of the trapped Territory Lords changed drastically at the sight. After their previous experience, how could they not know what was about to happen to them? They hastily drew upon their strength to protect themselves and became vigilant of their surroundings.
Mo Na Ye shouted, “Yang Kai, the Human Race has these sayings, ‘A wise man will submit to the circumstances,’ and, ‘Where there is life, there is hope’!”
No matter how calm he seemed on the surface or how confident he was of Yang Kai’s eventual defeat, he was the first to panic when Yang Kai showed so little regard for life. He desperately tried to persuade Yang Kai otherwise, hoping to arouse Yang Kai’s desire to live. That was because he knew that the situation would not end well for him if Yang Kai continued in this manner. At this rate, he would not survive to see the end of the war, regardless of Yang Kai’s eventual fate.
It was indeed difficult for Yang Kai to be his opponent in a one-on-one battle, but that was on the premise that both of them were at their peak strength. If Yang Kai utilised the strange effects in this Space to inflict heavy injuries onto him, then attacked once he was considerably weaker, Mo Na Ye did not have the confidence to defend himself. At this moment, his life was tied to Yang Kai’s. If he wanted to live, then he could not let Yang Kai die!
Yang Kai laughed loudly, “There’s another popular saying among us Humans. Have you heard of the saying, ‘It is better to have a piece of broken jade than lose a complete tile?’ I’d rather die a glorious death than live on in dishonour!”
The fluctuations of Space Principles became increasingly violent. Under his efforts to trace the roots of the Universe Furnace, the Space within the projection began to tremble and become disordered. The terrified screams of the Territory Lords rang out endlessly as a result.
Even Mo Na Ye was not spared. Streams of black blood constantly gushed out of his body, and the Black Ink Strength protecting his figure was sliced to pieces by the chaotic Space. He kept moving about and changing position, but that barely slowed the pace of his injuries.
All of a sudden, a Territory Lord screamed in agony. His body had been sliced cleanly in two and black blood gushed out of his wound. After suffering this critical blow, which caused him to lose all ability to protect himself, the two halves of his body were quickly carved into fragmented pieces. His screams gradually weakened, and his aura faded away.
One after another, the Territory Lords were reduced to severed limbs and torn flesh due to the effects of the disordered space. At the same time, their auras gradually withered away into nothing.
Outside the projection, Mo Yu watched the situation in distress, so furious that he was practically spitting fire from his eyes.
Mo Na Ye had previously mobilised hundreds of Innate Territory Lords as bait to besiege Yang Kai. Although many of these Territory Lords had died in battle, their deaths had value. Their sacrifice created an opportunity for Mo Na Ye to remove Yang Kai once and for all. Therefore, Mo Yu had not stopped Mo Na Ye even though the sacrifices distressed him. He had tacitly allowed Mo Na Ye to proceed with the plan.
However, the deaths of those Territory Lords were meaningless now. The reason they went through the immense trouble of sneaking out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and travelling for a dozen years just to arrive at the No-Return Pass was to contribute to the Black Ink Clan’s future prosperity. They had not come here just to die in vain.
As things stood, nothing would change no matter how furious Mo Yu became. Although both parties seemed to be separated by a few steps, it was as though they were living in two different worlds. He could not interfere with anything that was happening inside the projection.
The Space within the projection continued to tremble without end. The layers of folded Space shifted in a chaotic manner, constantly bringing harm to the Black Ink Clan.
Yang Kai had done this before. At the time, he stopped after causing the deaths of a dozen or so Territory Lords. That was because he had the vague feeling that something unpredictable would happen if the Space within the projection remained turbulent for too long.
The reason for the turbulence in the projection was the Secret Technique that he used to trace the location of the Universe Furnace’s true body. The Universe Furnace’s true body was hidden at some unknown location. It was because he was tracking the traces in reverse that the Space within the projection became so disturbed and chaotic. If he wanted the Space within the projection to keep oscillating, then he had to keep tracking the traces of the Universe Furnace’s true body. In this way, some things would be rather difficult to predict.
In reality, the other projections scattered throughout the different places were experiencing the same situation when Yang Kai was causing the Space within the projection to shake and become disordered. The Universe Furnace’s true body itself was being affected, so the feedback was reflected in its projections.
The Masters of both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan who were closely monitoring the movements of the Universe Furnace’s projection could not understand the reason for the strange phenomenon. They did not understand what was happening to the Universe Furnace.
In the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress located outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, many of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were also at a loss. Yang Xiao asked Fu Guang for guidance, “Senior, what is happening? Why is the Universe Furnace experiencing such a strange development?”
Fu Guang secretly thought to himself, [If you ask me, who am I supposed to ask?]
The Dragon Clan did not know much about the Universe Furnace since there was no need for them to enter it and compete for opportunities. Besides, this was also the first time a projection of the Universe Furnace had appeared in front of him. As for why the Space within the Universe Furnace’s projection was trembling and disordered, it was only natural that he was as baffled as the others. After much deliberation, he could only claim that the Heavens were unpredictable. His statement left the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters extremely confused.
In the Supreme Headquarters of the Human Race, Mi Jing Lun read through the numerous messages that had been sent with a frown on his face. Then, he looked up at Blood Crow, who was sitting beside him with a dense layer of aura lingering around his body, “Is it normal for the Universe Furnace to experience strange developments before the projection becomes completely solidified?”
Blood Crow was puzzled, “What kind of strange developments?
Mi Jing Lun handed the report over. Blood Crow took the report and glanced through the contents briefly before he shook his head, “I’ve never heard of such developments before. I don’t think this happened last time.”
“You don’t think?” Mi Jing Lun stared at Blood Crow fixedly.
Blood Crow looked slightly apologetic. Scratching his lower jaw, he explained himself, “Sir, as you know, I am not from any of the Cave Heavens or Paradises. During the Universe Furnace’s last appearance, an entrance happened to emerge in the 3,000 Worlds. The cultivators in the 3,000 Worlds were lucky enough to receive an opportunity to enter and explore the Universe Furnace, but the Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises were naturally the first to enter. Moreover, I was only in the Seventh Order at the time and was placed at the outermost edges, being among the last to enter the Universe Furnace. As far as I can recall though, nothing strange occurred to the Universe Furnace’s projection last time. It remained very stable, from the day it appeared to the day it became completely solidified.”
Mi Jing Lun nodded lightly, but he had a slightly worried look on his face. There had to be a reason for this unexpected situation to have happened. It was a pity that the Human Race had such a poor understanding of the Universe Furnace.
Although Blood Crow had personally experienced the phenomenon in the past, the reality was just as he said. His situation at the time was rather awkward as he was not a disciple of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Adding to that, he was only in the Seventh-Order at the time. Even though he managed to enter the Universe Furnace, the information he possessed was not comprehensive. Be that as it may, the information that he provided recently had been extremely helpful to the Human Race!
At the very least, the Human Race far surpassed the Black Ink Clan in terms of understanding of the internal environment of the Universe Furnace and the opportunities waiting for them inside. This information was invaluable to their current planning.
Meanwhile, the Innate Territory Lords died one after another inside the projection located outside the No-Return Pass. Only half of them remained alive right now, and under Yang Kai’s constant influence, the vibration and the disorder in the Space continued to intensify.
The lives of the Territory Lords were hanging by a thread. Those who survived were not stronger than those who died earlier, they were just luckier than the rest. At this point, nobody knew when they might be the next unlucky one to meet their demise.
The movement of the chaotic space came and went without warning. No matter how hard they struggled, they could not discern any clues whatsoever. All they could do was protect themselves as best as they could. Even so, their efforts were to no avail. Their condition was poor in the first place. Combined with the distortion of the chaotic space, they could not defend themselves from the injuries caused by the shifting of the folding space.
Among the Territory Lords who survived by luck, many were missing arms and legs. They were as miserable as they could possibly be. In the beginning, they cried out for Mo Na Ye to save them, but they no longer shouted anymore, having realised that it was useless.
Mo Na Ye couldn’t even protect himself at the moment. It was only thanks to his immense cultivation that he was not in danger yet. Nevertheless, he was covered in wounds. Even his aura, which had initially been at its peak, had reduced considerably. If this were to continue, he would soon be facing the threat of death.
After becoming a Pseudo-Royal Lord more than 1,000 years ago, Mo Na Ye never imagined that he would be in such dire straits one day. The reason he tried so hard was that he wanted to gain the capital to influence the future of the war between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race. That was why he even risked his life to perform the Source Fusion Technique and became a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
As a Pseudo-Royal Lord, it was impossible for his life to be threatened unless he encountered a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Therefore, he had faced Yang Kai over the years from the standpoint of somebody who was superior in strength. The worst outcome for his schemes and calculations was failure. As long as the Royal Lord continued to trust in him, he would not be implicated in any danger.
To his horror, Mo Na Ye abruptly realised something crucial at this moment. Even though he was a Pseudo-Royal Lord, he could barely protect himself in a confrontation against Yang Kai! Di Wu’s death back then was not a fluke!
Yang Kai had always been capable of creating unimaginable miracles when he was caught in a desperate situation. Take this incident for example. There was nothing wrong with Mo Na Ye’s schemes and everything had gone smoothly at the start. However, the Universe Furnace’s projection just had to appear nearby and the space within the projection just had to be so strange. Worst of all, Yang Kai could even take advantage of the characteristics of this location to effortlessly slaughter the Territory Lords and threaten the life of a Pseudo-Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye.
“Brother Yang, tell me, what is it that you want? Please speak freely. This Mo Na Ye will not refuse any request that can be satisfied. Why must we kill each other?” At the critical moment between life and death, Mo Na Ye finally broke down. If he did not figure out a method to break this stalemate, he would die first regardless of whether or not Yang Kai eventually survived.
Space Principles along with various Dao Strengths fluctuated wildly around Yang Kai as he coldly snorted, “You can’t give me what I want.”
Mo Na Ye calmed down upon hearing those words. He had been worried that Yang Kai would ignore him and refuse to speak to him. Since Yang Kai was talking to him, that could only mean that Yang Kai had a request to make. The crisis today might not be unresolvable!
He immediately raised his voice and said, “Sir Royal Lord is right here. Even if this Mo Na Ye is unable to satisfy your request, are you saying Sir Royal Lord would not be able to? But… Brother Yang, I hope you don’t make any unrealistic demands.”
His greatest fear was that Yang Kai would demand that the Royal Lord commit suicide on the spot. If such words came out of Yang Kai’s words, then communication between them would break down immediately.
No matter how highly the Royal Lord valued Mo Na Ye, it was impossible for him to value him more than himself. He would never harm himself just for Mo Na Ye’s sake.
As soon as the words left Mo Na Ye’s mouth, Mo Yu, who was standing outside, hesitated for a moment before he agreed, “Negotiation is permissible!”
Mo Yu could tell that Mo Na Ye was in a precarious situation, and it would be bad to lose such a capable subordinate.
Throughout the years, the management of the Black Ink Clan had been well-organised under Mo Na Ye. The only exception was this plan to besiege Yang Kai, which had resulted in heavy losses. Even so, there was nothing wrong with the plan itself. It was simply a huge coincidence for the projection of the Universe Furnace to appear at this time and place, which unfortunately gave Yang Kai a chance to catch his breath.
In short, Mo Na Ye was extremely capable and loyal. If there was a way to save Mo Na Ye, then Mo Yu certainly would not mind taking a shot.
When Yang Kai heard those words, the movements of his hands gradually slowed down. The Territory Lords, who were exhausted from running around, were secretly relieved to witness the sight.
A short while later, Yang Kai quickly said, “Remove the surrounding Grand Array. I want to leave this place safely!”
Mo Na Ye turned to glance at Mo Yu. The latter pondered for some time before he finally nodded in agreement, “Good. I can remove the Grand Array. I can even lead all the Territory Lords away. Just stop what you’re doing!”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t trust you. Even if you leave this place, who can guarantee that you will not sneak back here in secret? I have experienced the strength of a Royal Lord in the past. How am I supposed to defend myself if you attack me after I leave this place? In that situation, you will only need to keep me busy for a short time until the Grand Array is formed again!”
Mo Yu quickly said, “I will not go back on my word!”
Yang Kai snorted in disdain. Mo Yu had agreed so readily, so it was obvious he was plotting against him. There was one thing Yang Kai knew for sure, if he left the space within the projection, the other party would definitely attack. It would be troublesome if his enemies cut off his escape routes and then concentrate on fighting him.
Mo Yu snapped impatiently, “What do you want? How are you going to leave if you want to leave but refuse to leave?”
Mo Na Ye persuaded, “Brother Yang, the Royal Lord is being quite sincere.”
Yang Kai replied, “Since he is being sincere, then he should do as I say; otherwise, all negotiations are off the table.”
Mo Yu suppressed his rage and spoke in a cold voice, “Let’s hear it.”
Yang Kai already had a plan in mind and immediately quipped, “I want the Black Ink Clan to contact the front lines and pass a messenger Black Ink Nest to the Supreme Headquarters. As for the rest, the Black Ink Clan does not need to worry themselves with such matters.”
Under the current circumstances, he would require the escort of a Human Race Master if he wanted to leave this place safely. However, he had no means to contact the Human Race at the moment. Borrowing a Black Ink Nest for communication was the best solution in his situation. In this way, he could contact the Human Race directly and explain the situation here clearly.
There was no need for many escorts. A single Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be enough!
Although his actions would expose the fact that there was a hidden Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master among the Human Race, now that the Universe Furnace was about to emerge, that would soon happen anyways.
In any case, the Black Ink Clan had always guessed that there was a hidden Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master among the Human Race, it was just that they did not have concrete proof to support their suspicions.
After listening to Yang Kai’s demand, Mo Yu fell silent and Mo Na Ye frowned deeply. They had to admit that Yang Kai’s request was exceptionally simple. Be that as it may, the request was also extremely meticulous. There was no room for the Black Ink Clan to secretly interfere.
Mo Na Ye couldn’t help but sigh helplessly. He knew that the Royal Lord would never accept Yang Kai’s demand. The reason the Royal Lord had been willing to remove the Grand Array and leave with the Territory Lords was that the resulting situation would have remained within his control. There had been a possibility of ambushing Yang Kai again…
On the other hand, all their previous efforts would go to waste if they agreed to Yang Kai’s demand and allowed him to contact the Human Race. More importantly, the Territory Lords would have died in vain.
Yang Kai studied Mo Yu’s expression and sneered, “Mo Na Ye, it looks like the Royal Lord doesn’t value you very much!”
Mo Na Ye sighed lightly, “Now that things have reached this point, why bother trying to provoke discord, Brother Yang?” With a solemn expression, he turned and bowed respectfully in Mo Yu’s direction, his voice steady and sonorous, “Sir Royal Lord, this plan has already cost the Black Ink Clan hundreds of Innate Territory Lords. You must not allow our previous efforts to go to waste just because of this subordinate; otherwise, even more Territory Lords will lose their lives in the future.”
“Yang Kai is a great talent of the Human Race. It is necessary to annihilate him now, more than ever, especially since the Universe Furnace is about to appear in the world. If he were to obtain an opportunity from the Universe Furnace, he would surely become a catastrophe for the Black Ink Clan in the future. Sir Royal Lord, regardless of whether this subordinate lives or dies today, you must not let the efforts of our many clansmen be in vain.
“I, Mo Na Ye, am willing to sacrifice my life in exchange for the life of the Human Race Master, Yang Kai!”
His words were extremely sincere, and his voice resounded throughout the void. Mo Yu and the many Innate Territory Lords outside the projection were deeply moved by his speech. There were very few people among the Black Ink Clan who could disregard life and death for the greater good. Combined with his profound sense of righteousness, the Black Ink Clansmen could not help feeling a sense of admiration towards him.
Originally, many of these Innate Territory Lords had held negative opinions towards Mo Na Ye. They were all Innate Territory Lords after all, so none of them should have stood above anybody else. Many felt Mo Na Ye was simply lucky in that he succeeded in using the Source Fusion Technique and took the last spot available for the position. After he became a Pseudo-Royal Lord, he showed some measure of wit and intelligence that the Royal Lord appreciated, which was why he was put in charge of all matters regarding the Black Ink Clan.
However, over the years, he did not seem to gain anything from the war between the Human Race and his confrontation against Yang Kai. On the contrary, he caused heavy losses to the Black Ink Clan. Anybody could have done that in his place…
Nonetheless, many of these Territory Lords could not help but change their opinion of Mo Na Ye after listening to his speech. Leaving everything else aside, they could never bring themselves to speak such profound and righteous words or show such willingness to sacrifice themselves for the greater good!
Mo Yu glanced at Mo Na Ye, a hint of apology flashing through his eyes as his slight dissatisfaction towards Mo Na Ye over the heavy casualties among the Territory Lords dissipated into nothing. He had been hesitating, wondering whether he should follow Yang Kai’s demand and allow the latter to contact the Human Race. Although that would allow a tiger to return to the mountain, he would be able to rescue his capable subordinate, Mo Na Ye.
Nevertheless, Mo Yu made up his mind after listening to Mo Na Ye’s little speech.
Mo Na Ye was correct. Yang Kai was already a great threat to the Black Ink Clan even though he was only in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Now that the Universe Furnace was about to appear, the consequences would be unimaginably dire if he were to escape and obtain an opportunity from the Universe Furnace!
[No matter what, no matter how great the price, Yang Kai must die here today!] Mo Yu closed his eyes slightly. When he opened them again, his eyes were filled with murderous intent, “Yang Kai, if you stop now, I promise that I will only corrupt you with Black Ink Strength. But, if you dare harm another one of our Masters, I swear I will rip your corpse into 10,000 pieces when the time comes!”
“Were you… referring to this?”
While speaking, Yang Kai took a step forward. Nobody could see his movements clearly under the effects of the chaotic folding space. When he reappeared again, he was grasping a heavily wounded Territory Lord by the head in his large hand.
The Territory Lord had been flustered from concentrating on defending against the attacks of the disordered space. As a result, he was caught completely off-guard by Yang Kai. At this moment, he was fully immobilised and at Yang Kai’s mercy.
Yang Kai turned and stared into Mo Yu’s eyes with a fierce look on his face; then, he put some strength into his hand and the Territory Lord’s head shattered in his grip.
He had remained in one spot without moving, simply urging Space Principles to trace the location of the Universe Furnace’s true body. However, he was actively making his move now. Mo Yu’s ruthless threat was nothing but wind in his ears to him.
“Or, did you mean this?” He asked once more. At the same time, he abruptly appeared behind another Territory Lord. He summoned the Azure Dragon Spear and pierced it through the Territory Lord’s body. With a flick of his spear, World Force erupted and the Territory Lord exploded into blood mist!
After killing seven or eight Territory Lords in a row, Yang Kai finally stopped and glanced at Mo Yu mockingly.
Mo Yu was so furious that his entire body trembled with rage as he roared explosively, “Good, very good! You will regret this!”
After saying that, he closed his eyes. What the eyes did not see, the heart did not grieve.
Yang Kai could not be bothered to argue with Mo Yu and simply continued to manipulate Space Principles. At the same time, he turned to look at Mo Na Ye and smiled slightly, “How cunning!”
He was not sure whether Mo Na Ye’s speech earlier had been truly sincere or merely a show for the public. It might have been a mixture of both. Nonetheless, there was no denying that Mo Na Ye had driven both himself and Yang Kai into a corner.
In any case, this was the crisis that Yang Kai would eventually have had to face. It became impossible for him to leave the moment Mo Na Ye secretly arranged for the Royal Lord and the Innate Territory Lords to ambush him here. That being the case, he might as well slaughter all the Black Ink Clansmen trapped inside the space within the projection first. After two years, his survival would be decided by the Heavens in that decisive battle!
There were less than 20 surviving Innate Territory Lords trapped inside the space within the projection at this moment. If Yang Kai wanted to obliterate them, he could have killed them easily. Only Mo Na Ye posed some trouble for him. He needed to reduce Mo Na Ye’s strength and let the latter’s injuries slowly accumulate over time. Then, he would make his move when the time was right.
The Dao Strengths and Space principles became more and more chaotic. Inside the projection, the random movements of the folded Space increased in frequency. There were too many dangers lurking around with no warning signs. One by one, the Territory Lords who survived by luck eventually died over time.
On the other hand, black blood continuously gushed out of Mo Na Ye’s body as the number of injuries on his body gradually increased. Nevertheless, he was unwilling to wait for his death without doing anything even though he was stuck in such a desperate situation. He constantly changed positions and summoned his strength to protect himself. Although he had valiantly offered to sacrifice himself for the greater good earlier, it was only natural for him to struggle to survive in the face of death.
As time passed, the Innate Territory Lords trapped in the space within the projection gradually lost their lives until not a single one remained. The void was filled with the remains of these Territory Lords after their tragic deaths. It was a bloody and miserable scene.
The only survivors of the massacre were Yang Kai, who was not affected by the effects of this space, and Mo Na Ye, who was struggling to survive. Their situation could not be more different. Yang Kai was casually pushing his Space Principles to their limits. On the other hand, Mo Na Ye was in a terrible state. Their situations were in stark contrast to each other.
Inside the space within the Universe Furnace’s projection, Mo Na Ye had been driven to a desperate situation. There was no regularity to the constant movement and shifting of the folded space. Every movement was like an invisible and intangible millstone grinding away at everything in the void, which caused the severity of his injuries to increase over time.
Nevertheless, Mo Na Ye simply gritted his teeth and persevered without complaint.
Outside the projection, Royal Lord Mo Yu kept his eyes tightly shut. Nonetheless, the bursts of aura fluctuating around his figure revealed the unrest in his heart. He had done everything he could. If Mo Na Ye was destined to succumb here, then there was nothing he could do to prevent it. It was just that such a capable subordinate was difficult to find, so Mo Yu couldn’t help feeling a slight twinge of regret.
There was no saying how much time had passed when all of a sudden, Yang Kai stepped forward. His figure slipped through the layers of folded Space like a ghost, and appeared behind Mo Na Ye without any warning and ruthlessly thrust his spear.
Although Mo Na Ye had been struggling to stay alive, he had not forgotten to remain vigilant towards Yang Kai; hence, he immediately took precautions when he noticed the latter’s movements and abruptly spun around at the same time that the Azure Dragon Spear stabbed at him. Frantically drawing upon his Black Ink Strength, he punched out with all his might.
Thanks to the punch he threw with all his strength, Mo Na Ye managed to block the elusive blow coming from behind him. For a moment, space collapsed violently at the spot where the two forces met.
Yang Kai pulled back slightly.
On the other hand, Mo Na Ye lowered his hand. black blood trickled from his knuckles. He had managed to block Yang Kai’s attack but inevitably suffered some light injuries.
“Heh…” Yang Kai snickered. He continued to connect with the Universe Furnace’s true body, causing the space within the projection to shake. The vibrations and disorder became increasingly violent, but his expression remained relaxed, as though he was in no hurry.
After repeated attacks, Mo Na Ye’s injuries continued to accumulate. Even though the Pseudo-Royal Lord would like nothing more than to find Yang Kai’s location, he was powerless in this treacherous environment. He could only maintain a passive defence in the face of Yang Kai’s repeated assaults. The saying, ‘Using a blunt knife to carve meat’ was the best description for this situation.
Inside the Space within the projection, Mo Na Ye was powerless even though he was stronger than Yang Kai. He could only wait for Yang Kai to shave away at his life, little by little. When he finally reached his limit, he was certain that Yang Kai would finish him off with a killing blow. Although Mo Na Ye was well aware of this harsh reality, there was nothing he could do to change the situation. He could only stubbornly persist with his efforts while feeling humiliated and helpless in his heart.
At a certain moment, Yang Kai suddenly frowned deeply. He had been pushing his Space Principles all this while, but the fluctuations in the Space inadvertently slowed down due to his momentary pause.
That vague feeling from before filled his heart once again. If he continued in this manner, there was a high likelihood that something beyond his control would occur here… Following the emergence of this feeling, Yang Kai clearly noticed that the connection between himself and the Universe Furnace’s true body had strengthened considerably.
What allowed Yang Kai to cause the space within the projection to oscillate endlessly was his comprehension of the Cow Punch Secret Technique. He was using this Secret Technique’s first half to track the traces of the Universe Furnace back to their roots. The stronger the vibration in this Space, the more precisely he could locate the Universe Furnace’s true body. The reverse was also true. The closer the connection between him and the Universe Furnace’s true body, the easier it became for him to make this Space tremble. They seemed to be closely related to each other.
As for whether something beyond his control would occur, Yang Kai did not know for certain. In any case, it should not be a bad thing for him to build a close connection with the Universe Furnace. He might even be able to use this connection to determine the hiding place of the Universe Furnace.
In addition, Mo Na Ye was seriously injured at the moment. Yang Kai only needed a final push before seizing the chance to annihilate Mo Na Ye once and for all!
Although he felt that his actions were slightly risky, he did not stop his movements. In fact, he urged his Space Principles more violently after a brief moment of hesitation. Sure enough, not only did his connection with the Universe Furnace grow stronger, but the trembling throughout the Space also became considerably more violent as a result.
Mo Na Ye’s expression changed slightly. He obviously felt the changes around him, but he was powerless to do anything about it. Facing the chaotic grinding of the folded Space, he could only dodge as much as possible…
All of a sudden, the folded Space reacted violently in a manner that resembled boiling water. The layers of Space completely shifted apart from each other. From the outside, the space inside the projection had suddenly become extremely distorted. It was as though broken pieces of the mirror which originally made up this scene had now been haphazardly scattered.
In the eyes of the Black Ink Clan Masters outside the projection, Mo Na Ye’s figure inside the projection was no longer whole. His head was at one spot, his body was at another spot, his arms were in a third spot…
The Territory Lords did not know whether they were looking at the effects of the disordered space or reality. It would be great if the effects of the warping caused this scene, but if they were looking at reality, then Mo Na Ye was already dead.
Fortunately, Mo Na Ye was not the only person in this condition. When the Black Ink Clansmen looked over at Yang Kai, they saw the same phenomenon affecting him! Yang Kai’s figure was separated into dozens of pieces, scattered throughout the folded Space. It was such a bizarre scene that the Territory Lords could not help exclaiming in astonishment.
Inside the projection, Mo Na Ye felt as though he had been struck by lightning and a mouthful of black blood spewed out of his mouth. He did not know how many additional wounds had appeared on his body in that instant, but it felt as though he was about to be ripped apart.
The scene seen by the Territory Lords outside was just a visual deception; nevertheless, the extremely distorted Space Principles were truly being imposed upon Mo Na Ye inside the projection. If he did not resist with all his might, his body would be divided into countless pieces and scattered across the layers of folded space like what the Territory Lords were seeing at the moment.
[My destined end has come!] Mo Na Ye roared in his heart. Flooded with the immense fear of death, he abruptly regretted the righteous statement he made earlier. At the time, he believed that Yang Kai might not see things through to the end; otherwise, he would not be able to survive this ordeal either. Unfortunately, it would now seem that Yang Kai was determined to finish him off once and for all.
Looking back on his life, Mo Na Ye realised that he had not achieved anything extraordinary. Be that as it may, his life had not been dull either. Especially the years he spent as rivals with Yang Kai. That period could be said to be rather exciting…
While Mo Na Ye was being emotional in his moment of death, Yang Kai had a stunned expression on his face. He vaguely realised that the phenomenon which was beyond his control had already occurred.
Using the mysterious effects of Cow Punch, he deliberately traced the Universe Furnace’s aura back to its true location. At the same time, he caused disorder in the distorted and folded Space within the projection to cause constant damage to Mo Na Ye so that he could create an opportunity to kill the latter.
Everything was going well, and it would not take long before Mo Na Ye lost the strength to fight back. Moreover, Yang Kai clearly felt an extremely mysterious connection form between himself and the Universe Furnace’s true body just now. It felt as though an invisible shackle had bound him directly to the Universe Furnace.
He was overjoyed. With this connection, he could track the traces back to the location of the Universe Furnace itself!
At present, the Universe Furnace’s projection existed at more than a dozen locations, so no one knew where it would eventually appear. If Yang Kai could determine the location of the Universe Furnace in advance, then he might just be able to learn something…
As for how to report his discovery to the Human Race, he did not have the time or energy to consider such matters. He did not even stop to wonder whether he could escape this place alive.
When the connection was first established between him and the Universe Furnace though, an unexpected turn of events occurred before Yang Kai could trace its location. The connection seemed to wrap around him like an invisible rope, immediately followed by an invincible force that came from the other end.
At this moment, Yang Kai felt the Universe becoming chaotic and the Void became ever-shifting.
At the same time, the Black Ink Clansmen outside the projection watched as the bodies of Mo Na Ye and Yang Kai were scattered around the void as though they had been cut into countless pieces while simultaneously, all the other projections became equally distorted and turbulent.
Countless pairs of eyes watched the projection from different locations in shock.
The constant oscillation and distortion of the space within the projection had attracted the attention of both the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race. Nobody knew what was happening. Even Blood Crow who entered the Universe Furnace once in the past could not explain the phenomenon. Although the Supreme Headquarters was working hard to obtain information from various sources, they did not gain much from their efforts; therefore, they could only increase their surveillance.
At the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, a group of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were staring at the projection in confusion. Yang Xiao asked Fu Guan again, “Senior, the Universe Furnace’s projection looks rather dangerous. Are we really going to enter the Universe Furnace from here?”
The space inside the projection was so distorted and disordered now that not many people would survive if they tried to enter it.
Fu Guang frowned with a puzzled look on his face, “I’ve never heard of such a thing happening before the Universe Furnace appeared in the world…”
The Dragon Clan did not know much regarding the internal situation of the Universe Furnace, but they had some basic information. Whenever the Universe Furnace’s projection emerged in the world in the past, everything had progressed smoothly and steadily. The projection would become increasingly solid, and then transform into the entrance of the Universe Furnace. There had never been a precedent where such strange phenomena occurred.
Yang Xiao then glanced towards Zhao Ye Bai, “Junior Brother, with your attainments in the Dao of Space, how much confidence do you have to come out safely if you were to enter the projection now?”
Zhao Ye Bai considered the question seriously before he answered, “Around 60%!”
“Even you only have 60% confidence!?” Yang Xiao was very shocked. He knew how great Zhao Ye Bai’s attainments in the Dao of Space were. If Zhao Ye Bai only had a 60% chance of success, then everybody else who entered the Universe Furnace would probably die!
Zhao Ye Bai looked ashamed and apologetic, “My aptitude is poor, which brings shame to the teachings of Honoured Master. If Honoured Master were here…” His eyes suddenly widened in surprise. He stared at the originally empty, but extremely turbulent projection and blurted out, “Honoured Master?”
He could barely believe his eyes. A tremendously large figure had appeared and filled the entire space inside the projection at that moment; moreover, the figure had the appearance of his Honoured Master!
The Human Race Masters at the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress were incredibly shocked. After hearing the numerous exclamations of astonishment ringing throughout the crowd, Zhao Ye Bai confirmed that he was not hallucinating. His Honoured Master had appeared within the projection!
There were many of Yang Kai’s family and friends stationed in the Suppressing Black Ink Army, so they looked extremely emotional at this moment.
Fu Guang shouted, “What you see is not real! Be wary of deception!”
He could tell at a glance that the figure of Yang Kai, which suddenly appeared inside the projection, was not the real Yang Kai. It was some sort of illusory image, which explained why he was so large that he filled the entire space.
What puzzled Fu Guang greatly was why Yang Kai’s illusory phantom had appeared inside the Space within the Universe Furnace’s projection! [What did that brat do to cause such a bizarre phenomenon?]
Likewise, the Masters of both the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race on the various Great Territory Battlefields were absolutely perplexed by the situation.
Yang Kai’s illusory phantom had not just appeared in the Universe Furnace’s projection outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, but in all the locations where the Universe Furnace’s projection existed. The fact that his illusory phantom had appeared everywhere at the same time could be said to be a spectacular miracle!
The Black Ink Clan Army and the Human Race Army stood in formation outside the Universe Furnace’s projection in Twin Poles Territory, facing each other silently.
Both the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race had been recalling their forces during this period, so there had been no conflict between them for some time. The Universe Furnace was about to emerge in the world, and the situation was unclear; therefore, both parties were being extremely cautious to prevent the other from obtaining an opportunity.
Their current silent confrontation was in preparation for the upcoming fight over the control of the entrance to the Universe Furnace.
The Universe Furnace was a tremendous blessing and opportunity. The Human Race was planning to fight for this opportunity, and the Black Ink Clan could not allow them to obtain what they wanted. The present calm was simply a sign of the turbulent storm that was about to come.
Although there were many Universe Furnace projections, it was foreseeable that a war would inevitably break out between both parties once these projections transformed into entrances. When the time came, the party who had control over more entrances would be able to send more Masters inside.
At this moment, two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were standing side by side in Twin Poles Territory, monitoring the movements of the Territory Lords on the opposite side when Yang Kai’s illusory phantom suddenly appeared out of nowhere. While there were many other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like themselves among their ranks, the number of Territory Lords among the Black Ink Clan was not few either.
One of them suddenly called out in alarm, “Junior Brother Fang, it’s the Dao Lord! The Dao Lord!”
The only ones who would address Yang Kai as ‘Dao Lord’ were the disciples who originated from the Void Dao Temple. The person who spoke earlier was none other than the good friend whom Fang Tian Ci met in the Void Dao Temple all those years ago, Liu Jing Shan.
After leaving the Void Dao Temple, Liu Jing Shan advanced directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm outside of the Star Boundary. He later went through thousands of years of cultivation and eventually reached the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Even with his astounding achievements, he could not conceal his admiration and respect for the Dao Lord. In fact, almost all the cultivators from the Void Dao Temple held blind faith in their Dao Lord, Yang Kai. That sense of admiration in their hearts never faded or changed with the increase in their cultivation.
Needless to say, the person standing beside Liu Jing Shan was Fang Tian Ci, who nodded at those words, “But, it’s just an illusory phantom!”
When the Suppressing Black Ink Army was established, Yang Xiao’s Squad was formally transferred to the Suppressing Black Ink Army. However, Fang Tian Ci, who was originally a member of Yang Xiao’s Squad, had applied to stay behind instead. Needless to say, there was no reason for Mi Jing Lun, who was in charge of this matter, to make things difficult for him.
Over the years, Fang Tian Ci remained active in Twin Poles Territory and joined forces with Liu Jing Shan to defeat their enemies. As many of the Divine Abilities, he cultivated and his habits when dealing with enemies were somewhat similar to Yang Kai, he was often compared to the latter. He eventually gained the nickname ‘Little Yang Kai’ and became quite famous. The Black Ink Clan had since repeatedly tried to target him out of fear that he might grow to Yang Kai’s level. Fortunately, he had always managed to escape and survive their attempts; after all, his attainments in the Dao of Space were not low. It was difficult for the Black Ink Clan to succeed, regardless of their attempts to target him.
Fang Tian Ci frowned at the illusory phantom, feeling extremely puzzled… [Why would his image appear inside the space within the Universe Furnace’s projection?]
Thinking about it again, Yang Kai had always been unconstrained in his actions. He generally made unexpected moves that nobody else could even imagine, so… it did not seem too strange for his illusory phantom to appear here.
Fang Tian Ci smiled at the thought and did not think too deeply about the matter.
Meanwhile, Thunder Shadow, who was in Azure Sun Territory, had the same question as Fang Tian Ci.
When this Monster Race Master advanced to the Monster Emperor Realm in the Myriad Monsters World, he had only been a Fifth-Order Monster Emperor, which corresponded to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Nevertheless, he attracted many congratulatory wishes from everyone at the time. Even the Human Race Masters overseeing the Myriad Monsters World had not dared to take him lightly. That was because Thunder Shadow was not a mere Monster Emperor, but also a Monster Race Great Emperor who the Myriad Monsters World’s Will recognized!
Thunder Shadow had spent most of his time cultivating hard in the Myriad Monsters World over the recent years, and thanks to the blessing of the World Tree Clone, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds. He grew from the Fifth Order to the Seventh Order in just a short 2,000 years, and then 300 years ago, he became an Eighth-Order Monster Emperor after which he came out of retreat. He had brazenly caused a bloodbath in Azure Sun Territory by relying on his brutality and the innate might of the Monster Race. No less than five Territory Lords had died to his claws, which gave him an impressive reputation!
Most of the Monster Race who came from the Myriad Monsters World had been taken in by Human Masters as mounts. By relying on the protection of these Human Masters, Monster Emperors could often improve their cultivation at great speed. At the same time, they could tacitly increase their cooperation with the Human Race Masters to bring down their enemies more efficiently.
However, there was no Human Race Master who would even dare to think about taking Thunder Shadow as a mount. He was an individual who received the recognition of the Myriad Monsters World after all. As a Great Emperor who cultivated the Primal Art, Thunder Shadow naturally had great prospects for the future. Nearly 99% of the Human Race would not be able to match up to his strength. In that case, who would be qualified to subdue him?
However, it was rumoured that he had a very close relationship with a small Great Force known as Great Feather Pavilion. That was because he received great care from a Great Feather Pavilion disciple when he was young and weak.
At this moment, a Monster Leopard with lightning all over its body was quietly watching the projection in Azure Sun Territory. He did not take Human Form. It was not because he didn’t want to, but that he couldn’t.
The Monster Race who cultivated the Primal Art mainly focused on polishing their Monster Cores as their foundation. The stronger their Monster Core, the stronger their strength as a Monster Race member, and the harder it became for them to assume Human Form. That was especially true for a Monster Race Master like Thunder Shadow. It was practically impossible for him to assume Human Form at this point.
There was a man and a woman next to him. They were none other than Qin Xue and her husband who came from Great Feather Pavilion. The couple were both in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Their cultivation was nothing special in Azure Sun Territory, but their safety was guaranteed thanks to the protection of Thunder Shadow. In fact, they often worked with Thunder Shadow to eliminate many powerful foes over the years.
“That’s the Master of the Star Boundary, right?” Qin Xue studied the illusory phantom for a moment and quickly recognised the identity of the figure.
Beside her, Hou Qing Hai nodded lightly, “There’s no doubt it’s him. I saw his statue in the square when I visited High Heaven Palace in the Star Boundary in the past.”
He thought back to the scene he witnessed back then. Seeing thousands of High Heaven Palace disciples showing such great reverence to their Palace Master had fascinated him greatly. Every time he thought about that scene, he couldn’t help thinking that that was how a real man should be. Unfortunately, both he and his Wife were limited by their aptitude. The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was their inherent limit, so it was difficult for them to make any further progress.
“A Hero indeed,” Qin Xue sighed, “It’s only thanks to him that the Human Race managed to persevere until now. But, why did his figure appear here?”
Hou Qing Hai shook his head to express his ignorance.
On the other hand, Thunder Shadow growled softly, “It’s probably related to the Universe Furnace’s projection!”
Qin Xue tilted her head to the side with a puzzled expression, but did not bother to think deeper into the matter. She simply asked in a worried voice, “Thunder Shadow, are you really going to enter the Universe Furnace?”
He did not respond.
Hou Qing Hai tried to persuade Thunder Shadow otherwise, “Thunder Shadow, you are part of Monster Race. Not to mention, you are a Great Emperor recognized by the Myriad Monsters World and cultivate the Primal Art. Even without entering the Universe Furnace, you have great prospects waiting for you in the future. Why must you put yourself in needless danger? I might not know the internal situation in the Universe Furnace, but I’m certain about something, there will be a horrific bloodbath when the time comes!”
Qin Xue nodded repeatedly in agreement and stared at Thunder Shadow expectantly, hoping that the latter would change his mind.
The couple could not understand the reason why Thunder Shadow, who was born as part of Monster Race and cultivated the Primal Art, would want to compete in the bloody battle to enter the Universe Furnace. There was no reason for him to go after all.
In response, Thunder Shadow simply said, “I have my reasons for going, so please stop trying to persuade me otherwise. The entrance to the Universe Furnace will soon open. Please be extremely cautious when I’m not around and don’t try to be brave or reckless. Qing Hai, please take good care of your Wife!”
Hou Qing Hai sighed heavily, “Please don’t worry about us.”
…
Everywhere outside the Universe Furnace’s projections at each location, the Masters of both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan were communicating with each other through voice transmission. Every one of them had their own intentions, but there were no exceptions about one thing, they were confused by the image that suddenly appeared.
At the same time, Yang Kai’s gaze wandered around the Universe Furnace’s projection on the Black Ink Battlefield as though he could see across space.
He could see the astonished expressions of his Wives and several Disciples at the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. He also saw Fang Tian Ci in Twin Poles Territory. When their gazes met, they nodded lightly at each other. Everything was conveyed without any spoken words. Then, he saw Thunder Shadow, Qin Xue, and her Husband standing side by side in Azure Sun Territory. The tense atmosphere between the Human Race Army and the Black Ink Clan Army, as they stood in formation outside the Universe Furnace’s projections, did not escape his notice either…
The barriers of space suddenly became meaningless at this moment. With the help of the mysterious connection between him and the Universe Furnace’s true body, Yang Kai could see everything at all the locations where the Universe Furnace’s projection had appeared.
A realisation suddenly welled up in his heart, and he burst out cursing! He was starting to understand the reason behind this phenomenon. It was the defence mechanism of the Universe Furnace itself!
This Supreme Treasure had remained hidden beyond the bounds of this Universe for all time. Nobody had ever figured out its exact location, much less seen its true body before.
On the other hand, it was different for Yang Kai who was proficient in the Dao of Space. He had utilised the mysterious effects of his Cow Punch Secret Technique to trace the Universe Furnace’s aura back to its roots to determine its true location. At this point, he was only one step away from success.
Unfortunately, the Universe Furnace could not allow him to determine the location of its true body. That was why the connection that formed between him and the Universe Furnace had turned into an invisible rope, and an immense pulling force drew him in from the other end of the connection. The Universe Furnace was trying to pull him into itself so that he could not investigate its location any further!
Whenever the Universe Furnace emerged in the world, it had always been customary to wait for the entrance to appear in order to enter it. Be that as it may, Yang Kai had been given permission to enter the Universe Furnace early, and it was not an invitation that he could refuse.
It was also because of the connection between him and the Universe Furnace’s true body that his image appeared in all the projections. The strange Spaces scattered everywhere were originally projections of the Universe Furnace’s true body. Now that Yang Kai had a close connection with the Universe Furnace and was being drawn into it, his figure was also being projected everywhere.
A series of coincidences and opportunities had all led to this outcome. Yang Kai’s original intention was to trace the location of the Universe Furnace’s true body and simultaneously annihilate those surrounding him. He never expected his actions to cause such an unexpected turn of events; therefore, he couldn’t help feeling slightly panicked. Would he be refined by the Universe Furnace if he entered it? It would be a huge tragedy if that were the case! Instead of increasing his cultivation, he would end up as part of the legendary Innate Open Heaven Pills!
Yang Kai did not know how the Open Heaven Pills that could help cultivators break through their innate shackles were formed, but the Universe Furnace was bound to contain various mysteries. Things would not end well for him if he was dragged into the Universe Furnace just like that.
After realising the precarious situation looming over him, he immediately began drawing upon his strength in desperation to break free from the connection between himself and the Universe Furnace. Nevertheless, his efforts were in vain. The invisible and intangible rope bound him tightly. The force that came from the other end of the rope was so overpowering that even a Master at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm like him was powerless to resist.
Space Principles flared, causing the Void to become extremely distorted, but to his astonishment, he discovered that a vortex had appeared at the place where he was standing. Immediately after that, his figure was rapidly swallowed up and vanished out of sight!
At the last moment, only one thought flashed through his mind… [I haven’t killed Mo Na Ye yet!]
A wave of sorrow flooded his heart. He had persevered with so much effort, and if nothing unexpected had occurred, Mo Na Ye would not have survived. Unfortunately, Mo Na Ye was saved because his own future had become uncertain due to the Universe Furnace.
A great sense of resentment and reluctance filled Yang Kai’s heart. He would have been much more accepting if he had been dragged into the Universe Furnace after he succeeded in killing Mo Na Ye.
[Forget it. Even though I failed to kill Mo Na Ye, I did manage to eliminate many Innate Territory Lords. I’ve done my best.] Yang Kai felt much better after comforting himself with such words.
The unexpected turn of events inside the Universe Furnace’s projection occurred extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai vanished without warning. The bloodstained and dishevelled Mo Na Ye was desperately shifting his body to avoid the attacks caused by the layers of folded Space when the chaotic and oscillating Space suddenly calmed down. Even the ubiquitous murderous intent around him disappeared in an instant.
Mo Na Ye was stunned for a moment; then, he turned to look in Yang Kai’s direction only to find that the latter was gone. Be that as it may, he did not dare to relax his guard and remained cautious of his surroundings.
Nothing abnormal occurred even though a long time had passed though, so he couldn’t help sending out an inquiry via Divine Sense, “Sir Royal Lord, where is Yang Kai?”
Mo Yu frowned and briefly explained the events that took place just now. The truth was that he had not understood the reason behind Yang Kai’s disappearance either, he only saw a vortex inexplicably appearing where Yang Kai was standing. Immediately after that, Yang Kai was swallowed by the vortex and vanished without a trace.
Mo Na Ye was astonished, [Yang Kai was swallowed by a vortex that appeared out of nowhere? Is it some sort of trickery? If that’s the case, then he must be hiding somewhere in this Space. It’s just that nobody in the Black Ink Clan can detect his whereabouts.]
But, what was the point of doing that? The Space within the projection was sealed by a Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Grand Array, so Yang Kai couldn’t leave this place and his whereabouts would be revealed once the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantom completely solidified.
Besides, Yang Kai clearly looked determined to kill him and was on the verge of success. So, there’s no reason for Yang Kai to create further disturbances at a time like this.
Inside this weird space within the projection, there was nothing Mo Na Ye could do to defend against Yang Kai’s attacks. As long as Yang Kai persisted for a little longer, Mo Na Ye would have died without a doubt. By that logic, it made more sense that something happened which caused Yang Kai to be swallowed by that strange vortex rather than him voluntarily giving up on all his accumulated efforts.
Mo Na Ye racked his brains but could not fathom the reason behind Yang Kai’s actions. The Black Ink Clan’s understanding of the Universe Furnace was far too shallow, so much so that he couldn’t even be certain whether Yang Kai was still hiding inside the projection at this moment.
After pondering in silence for some time, he finally spoke once more, “Sir, the Universe Furnace is about to truly emerge. The real war between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan is imminent. You need to return so that you can protect the No-Return Pass and coordinate the movements of the Black Ink Clan!”
Mo Yu nodded lightly, “What about you…”
Mo Na Ye gave a light smile, “Please don’t worry. If Yang Kai wanted to kill me, he would not have given up just now. Since he stopped halfway, he must have other plans. This subordinate will act accordingly, but just to be on the safe side, we should maintain the Grand Array around the perimeter lest he try to escape. It will also give this subordinate more capital to negotiate with him if he reappears.”
Mo Yu had no objections to Mo Na Ye’s suggestions, so he instructed the Territory Lords in charge of maintaining the Grand Array to remain behind and heed Mo Na Ye’s orders. Then, he studied the projection intently for a moment before he transformed into a streak of black light that sped off in the direction of the No-Return Pass.
The No-Return Pass was the Black Ink Clan’s largest base, and all the High-Rank Black Ink Nests were currently sheltered there. Although Royal Lord Mo Yu had personally come to deal with Yang Kai during this incident, he could not afford to stay away for too long lest the Human Race Masters took advantage of his absence.
Watching the Royal Lord disappearing into the distance, Mo Na Ye sat down cross-legged and glanced around him, “Brother Yang, the Royal Lord has left. Can you show yourself so that we can have a good talk? Now that things have come to this, there’s no point in hiding anymore, right?”
He had the feeling that Yang Kai was no longer here, but he could not be certain. Nevertheless, he could not understand the situation. Where could Yang Kai have gone if he wasn’t here? What was the vortex that swallowed him?
In any case, Mo Na Ye had to consider all the possible scenarios. Assuming that Yang Kai was hiding somewhere, then he had to try and make contact.
Naturally, he couldn’t receive a response…
Meanwhile, Yang Kai’s illusory phantom that filled the entire void at each projection appeared for no more than two or three breaths of time before vanishing without warning and the abnormal situation was swiftly reported to the Supreme Headquarters.
Mi Jing Lun, Xiang Shan, and Blood Crow gathered together to discuss the situation in hopes of figuring out what happened. After ruling out the various possibilities, only one answer remained before them: Yang Kai had made contact with the Universe Furnace’s true body!
All the projections originated from the Universe Furnace’s true body, which meant that the Universe Furnace’s true body was the source of everything. Seeing as Yang Kai’s illusory phantom had appeared at each projection at the same time, then the phenomenon was definitely related to the Universe Furnace’s true body.
If Thunder Shadow Great Emperor in Azure Sun Territory could figure this out, then it was only natural for Mi Jing Lun and the others to reach the same conclusion.
For a time, they looked exuberant. Throughout history, nobody had ever learned the location of the Universe Furnace’s true body or even seen it before. At present, it had not been long since the Universe Furnace’s projection appeared. Both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan were waiting for the projections to solidify and transform into entrances, yet Yang Kai seemed to have gotten into contact with the Universe Furnace already. That was exciting news! If that were truly the case, then they would have a massive advantage!
As irreverent as Blood Crow was, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of admiration for Yang Kai. Having been a member of Dawn who fought beside Yang Kai for many years, he had quite a good understanding of Yang Kai’s abilities. Nevertheless, he had never held much respect for Yang Kai due to the sense of arrogance in his heart and the long-standing grievances between them. At most, he only felt a subtle sense of competitiveness towards him. They were both Open Heaven Realm Masters, after all, so there was no reason he could not do what Yang Kai could.
Be that as it may, he was completely convinced at this moment. The Universe Furnace was the most profound and mysterious treasure in existence, yet Yang Kai had managed to make contact with its true body. That was something he could never achieve.
He suddenly wondered curiously, “Was Yang Kai trying to use that opportunity to convey a message to us? For example… informing us about the whereabouts of the Universe Furnace’s true body?”
Mi Jing Lun and Xiang Shan glanced at each other. Both of them were feeling rather excited all of a sudden! If that were truly the case, then the information was extremely important. If they could discover the location of the Universe Furnace’s true body, then they could enter the Universe Furnace and obtain the opportunity in advance. Once the entrances were formed, they could then ambush the Black Ink Clan from within the Universe Furnace World and catch the Black Ink Clan unprepared.
After carefully comparing the information he received from various locations though, Mi Jing Lun shook his head and said, “I don’t think he was trying to convey any information to us. Yang Kai’s figure only appeared for a very short time, and judging from the reports gathered from various parties, he seemed to have been caught off-guard. It is written here that Yang Kai looked astonished when he first appeared… This fact undoubtedly indicates that he had not expected this phenomenon.”
Xiang Shan abruptly added, “According to the information that we received earlier, he should have been hunting down the Territory Lords who escaped from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction when all of this happened. Could the Universe Furnace’s true body be located in the Black Ink Battlefield?”
Mi Jing Lun stroked his beard, nodding thoughtfully, “It’s not impossible. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do even if we know that the Universe Furnace’s true body is located on the Black Ink Battlefield. The entrances will manifest within a year or so, so it’s too late to dispatch our forces to the Black Ink Battlefield. Besides, how will we enter the Black Ink Battlefield without Yang Kai’s protection? We can’t just boldly swagger through the No-Return Pass like he can.”
Xiang Shan lamented, “In that case, we can only wait for the entrances to open!”
“It’s our only option!” Mi Jing Lun sighed slightly, “Fortunately, the Black Ink Clan does not have much information on the Universe Furnace. We still have a slight advantage over them in that regard.”
Among other things, the Black Ink Clan most likely did not know that there was a Sealed World inside the Universe Furnace. Moreover, the projections would transform into entrances that led into the Universe Furnace once they solidified completely. They might have Black Ink Disciples providing them with some rumours and hearsay, but the cultivation of those Black Ink Disciples was not high so such secret information would not be leaked easily.
At the moment, the Black Ink Clan had only moved their Armies to the various locations to confront the Human Race Armies outside the projections. They were simply taking countermeasures against the large-scale movements of the Human Race, not planning for an area control battle. Be that as it may, this secret could only be hidden for a short time as, once the projections solidified and the entrances appeared, the Black Ink Clan would immediately understand.
The advantage that the Human Race held in terms of intelligence would only allow them to make various arrangements in advance. Hopefully, those arrangements would give them a slight advantage when competing for the opportunity inside the Universe Furnace.
Although the guesses of Mi Jing Lun and the others at the Supreme Headquarters were not entirely accurate, they had gotten at least two points correct. The first was that Yang Kai had truly gotten in contact with the Universe Furnace’s true body, and the second was that this incident had indeed happened purely by accident. Yang Kai had not been prepared in advance.
What they did not know was that the accident had caused Yang Kai to be dragged into the Universe Furnace. If they knew the truth, they would have been much more amazed by the situation.
At this moment, Yang Kai was overflowing with worry. When he was dragged into the Universe Furnace, aside from the twinge of regret he felt about failing to kill Mo Na Ye, he had also been concerned about his own fate.
The Universe Furnace contained Innate Open Heaven Pills, but as for how these Open Heaven Pills were produced, nobody knew the truth. Regardless of their method of production, the Universe Furnace was ultimately an Alchemy Furnace though. Things might not end well for him if he were dragged into the Universe Furnace. His greatest fear was being refined by the Universe Furnace. If that were to happen, he would definitely die with many regrets.
After a period of extreme anxiety, Yang Kai discovered that he was showing no signs of being refined. Still, the environment around him seemed to be rather strange. He could not quite describe his surroundings at the moment. It felt as though he had slipped into the Void, with bits of fluorescent lights scattered around like stars twinkling in the sky. Distance had become an extremely vague concept in this place, causing the flickering fluorescent lights to seem both extremely far away yet simultaneously close at hand.
More importantly, Yang Kai could keenly feel that he was either being immobilised by something which prevented him from moving a single muscle or he was wrapped in a mysterious force that shackled him in place. He couldn’t help feeling rather depressed by his circumstances.
[Am I inside the Universe Furnace?] He couldn’t help sinking deep into thought.
The various indications proved that he had indeed been dragged into the Universe Furnace, so there was no doubt about that. Nevertheless… It seemed rather bizarre. It was hard to believe that there was a vast World inside the Universe Furnace! That was something that never crossed his mind before.
In his imagination, the Universe Furnace was nothing more than an Alchemy Furnace which produced the mysterious Innate Open Heaven Pills. Although the projection of the Alchemy Furnace he saw previously was larger than he expected, he had not been overly surprised since the size difference was within the limits of his imagination. On the other hand, the fact that the Universe Furnace contained an independent World was truly astonishing.
Upon further consideration, it did not seem out of the ordinary for the Universe Furnace to contain a Sealed World. The Universe Furnace was the most mysterious Supreme Treasure in existence. Furthermore, it was capable of producing Innate Open Heaven Pills which could overcome the limitations of the established Heavenly Way.
Collecting his thoughts, Yang Kai decided not to spend too much time deliberating over such trivial matters. His biggest concern at the moment was how he could protect himself. He was dragged into the Universe Furnace because his actions had touched upon the essence of this Supreme Treasure. Although there were no signs to indicate that he was being refined at the moment, it was necessary to have countermeasures in place.
[First, I need to figure out a way to break free from these bindings…]
Yang Kai immediately began to draw upon his power to escape this place; however, he discovered that he couldn’t even move a single finger no matter how hard he struggled. The mysterious force holding him in place did not give off a sense of strength, but it was extremely resilient. The more power he exerted against the force, the stronger the force became in response. Thus, he was kept completely immobilised.
Not feeling discouraged, Yang Kai began to push his Space Principles and attempted to leave this place via Instantaneous Movement. Unexpectedly, the omnipotent Dao of Space was completely ineffective here. The Space around him seemed to have frozen solid, creating an unbreakable prison.
Urging Time Principles next, Yang Kai tried to wither whatever it was holding him in place, but it proved futile. He then tried urging Spear Principles, but his efforts remained ineffective.
There was no saying how much time had passed by the time he finished cycling through all the Dao Strengths of the Grand Daos he mastered so far, but none of them helped with his situation whatsoever. The same held true even when he simultaneously activated Time Principles and Space Principles and then merged them together to form the mysterious Space-Time Strength.
His heart was flooded with a sense of frustration. At this point, he was certain about one thing, he could not move a single muscle. Like a prisoner, he was trapped in this inexplicable cage with no means of escape.
[What a disaster!] Yang Kai never imagined that he would suffer such treatment just because he touched upon the essence of the Universe Furnace. Moreover, he not only failed to discover the hiding spot of the Universe Furnace’s true body, but he also failed to take the opportunity to finish off Mo Na Ye!
There were no signs that the Universe Furnace was attempting to refine him, so judging by the situation, he had no reason to worry about his safety at the moment. The Universe Furnace might not necessarily even be for refining foreign objects. Naturally, just to be on the safe side, it was better if he remained vigilant of any unexpected occurrences.
[I might be safe for now, but how am I supposed to leave this place?]
Composing himself, Yang Kai put away the slight sense of anxiety brewing in his heart and carefully began to perceive his surroundings. If he wanted to leave this place, then he had to break free of the force restraining him. Only by comprehending this force could he take the necessary measures to break free from his shackles.
When his Divine Sense spread out like a tidal wave, Yang Kai instantly noticed something that was out of the ordinary. There was a large amount of Dao Essence contained within the Universe Furnace! The abundance of the invisible and intangible Dao Essence that interweaved and accumulated inside the Universe Furnace was almost impossible to imagine. There were no exceptions anywhere his mind extended.
He couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed by the discovery. For some reason, it felt as though he had accidentally fallen into a treasure trove.
The most intuitive manifestation of a cultivator’s Grand Dao was the amount of Dao Essence they possessed. Needless to say, that was not something that could be quantified precisely as it was nothing more than a vague concept.
Take Yang Kai for example. His highest attainments were in the Grand Dao of Space, so the Space Dao Essence was the most abundant in his Small Universe. That was how there were Dao Temple disciples who could inherit his blessings and cultivate the Dao of Space.
The Dao of Time came next; however, thanks to the improvement of the Dragon Vein in his body, Yang Kai’s Dao of Time was now equal in level to the Dao of Space. Naturally, the Spear Dao came third…
There were many other Grand Daos as well. Apart from the Alchemic Dao and the Dao of Artifact Refining that he spent time and effort cultivating, the rest were the results of his harvest from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon.
When he was being hunted by the Royal Lord, Yang Kai had been forced to flee for over a decade. In the end, he dove into the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon and encountered an inconceivable harvest. He only managed to gain so much in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon because of the Grand Dao Rivers that were found inside; after all, flowing in those rivers were countless Dao Essences that had been refined and absorbed by him.
Yang Kai never expected to discover so many Dao Essences inside the Universe Furnace. Not to mention, they were many times richer than the Dao Essences found in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon!
[Is this the carrot after the stick treatment?]
The Universe Furnace had dragged him here and ruined his plans to kill Mo Na Ye, but it turned out that such benefits were waiting for him. It truly was as the saying went, ‘Good fortune came after a catastrophe’.
In any case, there was indeed an amazing opportunity in front of him. Yang Kai immediately calmed down and opened his Small Universe to absorb and refine the Dao Essence, but a short while later, he frowned deeply. Opening his Small Universe once more, he sensed something flowing out of his Small Universe. The something that he sensed flowing out of his Small Universe was none other than the Dao Essence that he had just absorbed.
After a quick try, Yang Kai discovered that the Dao Essence permeating the entire Universe Furnace could not be refined or absorbed whatsoever. This discovery immediately made his wonderful mood sink to the bottom of the abyss. Nevertheless, he refused to accept this reality and tried to absorb the Dao Essence into his Small Universe once more. Following several failed attempts, he finally confirmed that the Dao Essence inside the Universe Furnace could not be refined. He also vaguely grasped the reason that prevented him from doing so.
If it was said that the Dao Essence flowing in the Grand Dao Rivers of the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon he encountered back then could be classified as an orderly form of Dao Essence, the Dao Essence found here could be classified as disordered and chaotic. It was the most primitive form of Dao Essence… Forcibly refining this kind of Dao Essence would not be beneficial for him.
The most superficial explanation was the difference between uncooked rice and cooked rice. The Dao Essence here was uncooked; on the other hand, the Dao Essence flowing in the Grand Dao Rivers of the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon was cooked. Yang Kai would only need to consume and digest the cooked rice to transform it into the foundation of his strength. Conversely, he could not do that with pure uncooked rice. If he forcibly tried to consume the uncooked rice, he might even cause harm to his body.
The realisation left him slightly dumbfounded. In his perception, the amount of Dao Essence accumulated inside the Universe Furnace was rich beyond comprehension. Be that as it may, he could not benefit from the Dao Essence in front of him. There was nothing more tortuous in this world than staring at something he wanted but could not have.
[Why is the Dao Essence inside the Universe Furnace so strange?] Yang Kai frowned pensively.
Thinking about it carefully, the answer became obvious. The Sealed World inside the Universe Furnace was probably in its most primitive form. That would explain the chaos and disorder of the Dao Essence in this place. The world here was not like the world outside, which had undergone countless years of evolution and development. It was only natural for the Dao Essence in this place to remain in its most primitive state.
[Maybe… this is the reason why the Open Heaven Pills produced by the Universe Furnace can help cultivators break through their limitations?]
It was like 99% of the Grand Dao had been integrated into the Universe, leaving out the final 1%. As a result, the Open Heaven Realm Method that the 10 Martial Ancestors gained enlightenment about based on the formation of the Universe itself was naturally incomplete. The final missing piece could only be found in a place that preserved the most primitive environment from before the formation of the Universe, the Universe Furnace! Perfection could only be obtained when both were combined!
Following that thought, Yang Kai suddenly had a realization, [The Universe Furnace itself might be the Human Race’s biggest shackle!]
At this moment, the fluorescent lights around him suddenly began to flicker wildly. His attention was immediately drawn towards them, and he quietly observed his surroundings. The fluorescent lights were innumerable, and Yang Kai did not know what these wisps were, but they looked like countless fireflies at first glance. Moreover, he couldn’t even judge how far these fluorescent lights were from him under the unique environment inside the Universe Furnace.
When the countless lights started flickering, the extremely abundant but disordered and chaotic Dao Essence began to be absorbed by them.
Yang Kai was stunned by the sight. He had tried refining the irregular and chaotic Dao Essence earlier, but it proved impossible for him. In comparison, these fluorescent lights were easily absorbing the Dao Essence here.
[What are these lights?]
Over time, the Dao Essence absorbed by the fluorescent lights increased steadily. Then, nine distinct fluorescent lights among the sea of fluorescent lights gradually began to grow larger and glow brighter than the rest. The amount of Dao Essence they absorbed also increased sharply in response.
Yang Kai’s attention was attracted by these nine distinct fluorescent lights. During the brief interval between flashes, he vaguely noticed that these fluorescent lights seemed to display the outlines of Spirit Pills…
[Innate Open Heaven Pills!] The realisation came to him abruptly. These twinkling fluorescent lights were the Innate Open Heaven Pills produced by the Universe Furnace! They were the legendary Spirit Pills that could allow a cultivator to break free of their innate limitations just by consuming one!
[Are there nine such Pills?]
It made sense; after all, nine was the limit. For the Universe Furnace to produce nine of these Heaven-defying Spirit Pills was an amazing feat in itself. It was not a small number, to say the least. If all of them could be obtained by the Human Race, they could immediately produce nine new Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. That would definitely be extremely beneficial to the upcoming war with the Black Ink Clan!
But… If those nine fluorescent lights that glowed brighter than the rest were the legendary Innate Open Heaven Pills, then what were these countless bits of fluorescent light around them? They were also absorbing the disordered and chaotic Dao Essence inside the Universe Furnace, so apart from the amount of Dao Essence being absorbed and the intensity of their brightness, there was not much difference between them and the nine brightest lights.
Yang Kai couldn’t help recalling the Innate Open Heaven Pills that he obtained from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven and the doubts he harboured in the past… [Could it be that the Innate Open Heaven Pills inside the Universe Furnace had different Grades?]
Inside the Universe Furnace, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling very confused, [Are there different Grades to the Open Heaven Pills in the Universe Furnace? I’ve never heard anything like that before.]
At the same time, many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were gathered at the Supreme Headquarters. These were the candidates chosen from among the Human Race to enter the Universe Furnace and compete for opportunities. Many were veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but some were rising stars. Nonetheless, without exception, all of them were Open Heaven Realm Masters whose Martial Dao ended at the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Having advanced directly to the Sixth Order, the Eighth Order was their limit. If they wanted to increase their cultivation any further, then their only option was to compete for the opportunity inside the Universe Furnace.
Once the entrances to the Universe Furnace took form, a great war was bound to break out between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan. At that time, their duty was to charge into the Universe Furnace as quickly as possible to search for opportunities and advance to the Ninth Order!
As for the rest, there was no need for them to worry. The other Human Race Masters would be in charge of blocking the Black Ink Clan’s attempts at interference.
At this moment, these Eighth-Order Masters were sitting on the ground and studying hard like students in a lecture hall. Meanwhile, standing in front of them was a cultivator wrapped in a layer of Blood Qi. His aura was very showy, but his cultivation was hard to determine. It was Blood Crow!
Blood Crow had personally experienced the emergence of the Universe Furnace last time. Having entered the Universe Furnace once before, his understanding of it was unmatched by anybody else. Therefore, Mi Jing Lun had specially asked him to teach these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters about the internal situation of the Universe Furnace so that they could prepare themselves in advance.
Blood Crow was no great scholar or teacher, so he simply said what came to mind. Still, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were careful to record everything he said; after all, nobody knew whether the things he told them would become the key that would allow them to preserve their lives or grab hold of the opportunity at a critical moment.
“Let’s talk about the Open Heaven Pills produced by the Universe Furnace. Most people only know that these Open Heaven Pills can help cultivators overcome their innate limitations, but what you should know first is that even the Open Heaven Pills inside the Universe Furnace have different Grades.”
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sitting below immediately fell into an uproar. In regards to this matter, not only had nobody ever told them, but they had never even heard rumours about it.
To the side, Mi Jing Lun and Xiang Shan exchanged a glance and smiled wryly. They, too, had been very shocked when they first heard this bit of information from Blood Crow. It turned out that the Open Heaven Pills inside the Universe Furnace had different Grades!
Blood Crow did not play any games and continued, “I don’t know how the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises categorise them; after all, I don’t come from any of the Cave Heavens or Paradises. I can only divide the Open Heaven Pills in the Universe Furnace into two types. The first type is the Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills, which everybody knows as the Innate Open Heaven Pills that can help Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like yourselves advance to the Ninth-Order. Unfortunately, the other type does not have such a potent effect, so we can think of them as Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills!”
Classifying these Innate Open Heaven Pills into Supreme-Grade and Ordinary-Grade was a very rough method of categorisation.
One of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters was confused, “I understand the situation with the Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills, but Junior Brother Blood Crow, why does the Universe Furnace produce these Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills? What are their uses?”
Blood Crow replied, “I don’t know why the Universe Furnace produces these Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills either, but they are by no means useless. While their medicinal efficacies are not as profound as the Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills, they are enough to help a cultivator overcome their bottlenecks.”
The ability to overcome one’s bottleneck, but not one’s limitations… Having heard that, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters seemed to gain a vague understanding of the situation.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who spoke earlier said, “So, that’s how it is. By that logic, the Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills are rare treasures too.”
A cultivator’s Martial Dao was not always smooth sailing.
Take Lan You Ruo for example. She had advanced directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so her limit should have been the Eighth-Order. Nevertheless, it had taken her some 250 years of cultivating in retreat to finally advance to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm during her brief period in Void Land.
The same was true for Feng Ying of Dawn Squad. It had taken her more than 200 years to advance from the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm to the Eighth-Order.
Several hundred years was not a long time for Open Heaven Realm Masters who could live for tens of thousands of years; however, they would not need to waste all that precious time if they could obtain one of these Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills.
There were many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, but many of them were stuck at a bottleneck in their cultivation and had trouble progressing forward. They were not at the point where they needed the Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills. Be that as it may, they would easily advance to the next Order if they had the support of some Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills. One or two Open Heaven Realm Masters might not make a difference, but the strength of the Human Race would surely grow sharply when their numbers increase!
It was not as though the Human Race did not have any kind of Spirit Pills that could help a cultivator overcome their bottlenecks, but the efficacies of such Spirit Pills were not that great. In comparison, the Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills were different. They were the best Spirit Pills to help a cultivator overcome their bottlenecks!
In Xiang Shan’s case, he had originally planned to enter the Universe Furnace for the Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills, but it would now seem that he might not necessarily need to obtain one. The Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills might be enough to help him overcome his current bottleneck.
“Junior Brother Blood Crow, how many Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills are there? And, how many Ordinary-Grade?” Another Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master raised the question he really wanted to know.
Blood Crow glanced at the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and replied, “I’m not certain how many Supreme-Grade Open Heaven Pills there are. The last time I entered the Universe Furnace, I was only in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm and I didn’t dare to carelessly move around, much less dare to compete with the Masters for that peak opportunity. Although I don’t know the exact numbers, I’m certain that there weren’t many such Heaven-defying Spirit Pills.”
After a brief pause, he continued his explanation, “As for the Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills… There are many of those. Even I managed to obtain a few. It was thanks to consuming those Ordinary-Grade Open Heaven Pills that I smoothly advanced to the Eighth Order back then.”
As the topic deepened, the atmosphere in the Grand Hall became more and more heated. The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Masters consecutively asked the questions they were curious about, and Blood Crow did his best to answer. Whenever he encountered a question he could not answer, he did not make any unfounded speculations to prevent misleading others.
…..
Inside the Universe Furnace, Yang Kai was naturally unaware that Blood Crow had differentiated the Open Heaven Pills into Supreme Grade and Ordinary Grade. Nevertheless, he quickly came to an unbelievable conclusion under such close observation. The Open Heaven Pills from the Universe Furnace could be separated into two distinct Grades. The nine brightest lights were clearly the Open Heaven Pills that he had always heard about. Now that he was so close to them, he couldn’t help feeling tempted to grab them.
The Universe Furnace’s projection had appeared in all the various Great Territory Battlefields, which affected numerous Masters from the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan. All of them were waiting to obtain the opportunity within the Universe Furnace. If Yang Kai could snatch these nine Open Heaven Pills in advance, then the Human Race would be the greatest winners no matter what arrangements the Black Ink Clan made. They could use these nine Open Heaven Pills to produce nine Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. That would be enough to form a crushing advantage against the Black Ink Clan.
Unfortunately, he could neither move a muscle nor freely exert his strength at this moment. The greatest opportunity in the 3,000 Worlds was literally right in front of him, but he was powerless to seize it…
[How annoying! Hateful!]
He couldn’t help cursing at the Universe Furnace. It was bad enough that he was dragged into this place, but he was also completely immobilised and then shown such a wondrous opportunity, yet he was unable to seize it.
[What is this torture!?]
At this moment, Yang Kai had long forgotten his earlier worries of being refined by the Universe Furnace. If the Universe Furnace wanted to refine him, the process would have taken place by now. Seeing as there were no movements in that regard, he was most probably safe for the time being. Now that he was safe, it was only natural for him to become greedy when such an opportunity was right in front of him.
Yang Kai stubbornly began to struggle once more, but it was all to no avail; thus, he became even more annoyed and depressed.
As the nine lights devoured the chaotic and primitive Dao Essence at an increasingly fierce rate, they began to glow brighter and brighter as a result.
A rough estimate of the time indicated that there were only a few more months before the Universe Furnace emerged in the world. Yang Kai did not know the exact location where this Supreme Treasure would appear, but he could practically imagine the scene at the time.
The Masters of both sides had gathered outside the Universe Furnace’s projections. When the Universe Furnace opened under the illumination of the dense and multi-coloured lights, the nine Open Heaven Pills and their companions would fly out of the Universe Furnace. Subsequently, the Masters of both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan would plunge into a frenzied battle…
He would be freed of his shackles at that time and might even fly out of the Universe Furnace with the Open Heaven Pills. Although he could easily obtain several of them with his abilities, this method was rather risky; after all, all nine of the best Open Heaven Pills needed to be obtained by the Human Race!
[I need to figure out a way so that it will be easier for me to seize the opportunity once I am free. Since the Universe Furnace dragged me here and allowed me to witness the creation of these Open Heaven Pills, then I ought to benefit from this opportunity.]
After pondering for some time, Yang Kai came up with an idea. He immediately attempted to use his Spiritual Energy to place an Imprint on these Open Heaven Pills. If he succeeded, then he would be able to obtain them with a simple flash of his thoughts!
In the next moment, he gave a deep groan and his complexion went pale from his efforts.
At this moment, the nine Open Heaven Pills were indiscriminately devouring the surrounding Dao Essence. When his Divine Sense penetrated the Open Heaven Pills, his Divine Sense was refined and absorbed in an instant…
His Divine Sense was damaged as a consequence, but Yang Kai was not very concerned about this injury; after all, his Soul would be torn apart every time he unleashed a Soul Rending Thorn. This amount of injury was nothing to him. Besides, the Soul Warming Lotus would quickly repair his damaged Divine Sense.
[Spiritual Energy is ineffective, but what about World Force?]
Yang Kai made another attempt, only for the Open Heaven Pills to refine and absorb his World Force perfectly. It would seem that the Open Heaven Pills were not particular about what kind of energy approached them, greedily refining and absorbing anything they could.
Unfortunately, that was not good news for Yang Kai. As things stood, how was he supposed to leave his mark on the nine Spirit Pills so that he could easily make his move when the time came?
He activated the various Dao Strengths he mastered in hopes that he could leave some kind of mark on the Open Heaven Pills, but his efforts remained futile. Even the mysterious Space-Time Strength was ineffective. These Innate Open Heaven Pills were like starving wolves, swallowing anything and everything that was placed before them.
Yang Kai couldn’t help frowning with a troubled expression, [Spiritual Energy, World Force, and even Dao Strengths have proven to be ineffective. What else is there that I can try?]
All of a sudden, he seemed to recall something and silently activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks. His own strength had been ineffective against the Open Heaven Pills. In that case, the only power that did not belong to him was the two Marks that he received from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. If that was also ineffective, then he had no other methods to try.
He normally borrowed the power of the two Marks to condense Purifying Light; however, he was now attempting to leave a mark on the nine Open Heaven Pills with their power instead.
It was not a difficult feat to perform. The Mysterious Power of the Great Sun and Great Moon sept out from the backs of his hands. Under his careful control, they slowly extended towards one of the Open Heaven Pills. It did not take long before the Power of the Great Sun and Great Moon was influenced by the pull of the Open Heaven Pills and swiftly absorbed into it.
Yang Kai could clearly feel the Power of the Great Sun and the Great Moon gradually being shaved away and becoming weaker. Be that as it may, he was overjoyed in the next moment. That was because a slight trace remained of the Power of the Great Sun and the Great Moon! They had not completely disappeared!
The Great Sun and Moon Marks were created from the Burning Light’s and Serene Glimmer’s Sources; so naturally, the power that came from these two Marks contained the aura of their Sources.
It was a power that was derived directly from the Primordial Light. Perhaps that was the reason why the Innate Open Heaven Pills could not devour it completely.
Either way, the experiment was a success.
Yang Kai was thrilled. He quickly added the Great Sun and Great Moon’s auras to the eight remaining lights; however, after going to great lengths to do so, a thought dawned on Yang Kai.
[There’s no point in doing this!]
Initially, he wanted to leave something that he could control inside the nine best-quality Open Heaven Pills; that way, it would be easier for him to seize them when the Universe Furnace truly emerged. However, the power from the Great Sun and Moon Marks did not belong to him; they had been given to him by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. Although he could wield the two Marks to create Purifying Light, he could not use them to control the nine Open Heaven Pills.
All of Yang Kai’s delight disappeared in a flash as soon as he remembered this.
He thought that after spending half a day on his attempts, he was finally rewarded with success, but in the end, it had all been for nothing. No one would be pleased about that.
Thus, after being dragged into this place by the Universe Furnace, Yang Kai did not receive any significant benefit, other than personally witnessing the mysterious inner workings of the Universe Furnace and the creation of the Innate Open Heaven Pills.
Furthermore, Mo Na Ye got the chance to escape!
Yang Kai was feeling rather disgruntled.
However, he could not do anything about it. A strange power was restraining him right now, and he could not do anything about it.
As time passed, Yang Kai calmed himself down and continued watching as the Open Heaven Pills devoured the Dao Essence all around them and took on a physical form. Eventually, the nine lights grew brighter until they became nine Great Suns that hovered all around Yang Kai.
When compared to the nine Great Suns, the countless dots of glimmering light paled by far, like the difference between the bright moon and dim stars in the night sky.
However, Yang Kai had a feeling that the glimmering lights, which were also Open Heaven Pills, had to be crucial in some way. In any case, how could something produced by the Universe Furnace turn out to be ordinary?
The Open Heaven Pills he got from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven in the past were most likely these lower quality ones, but their medicinal efficacies had probably waned due to the passage of time and the failure to store them properly.
Yang Kai did not know how long it had been, but he was focused on observing the production of the Open Heaven Pills when he felt a kind of strong and vigorous energy surge towards him while undergoing some kind of unknown transformation.
His expression changed, but as he could not move, he could not dodge the sudden burst of energy, so he had to endure it instead.
The strange energy was incredibly powerful, and when confronted with it, even Yang Kai, who was at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, felt minuscule in comparison.
He heard his bones being dislocated and his five viscera and six organs felt as if they were about to explode from the pressure…
Yang Kai had no idea what was happening. Apart from being restrained, nothing else had happened to him ever since he entered the Universe Furnace, until now. It finally felt as if his life was at risk.
In that life-and-death moment, there was only one thought in Yang Kai’s mind, [Is the Universe Furnace… really going to refine me?]
Fortunately, the intense energy fluctuation disappeared as quickly as it appeared. The pressure had only lasted for a moment before it was gone.
Yang Kai could sense that the space he was in, the place with countless glimmering lights, was now endlessly stretching out. At the same time, the glimmering lights turned into streaks and shot out in all directions.
A thought popped into Yang Kai’s mind almost instinctively.
[The Universe Furnace has fully manifested!]
The strange event earlier was clearly a sign that the Universe Furnace was emerging!
After counting the days in his head, Yang Kai realized that the timing added up as well.
Then, Yang Kai noticed that the power that had been restraining him all this while had disappeared.
He instantly manipulated Space Principles to lock up the area around him as he reached out to grab the blazing streaks of light, but they moved away so quickly that Yang Kai came up empty-handed, even though he had been determined to catch hold of them.
Only a few of the weak, glimmering lights were caught inside his trapped space.
The weak, glimmering lights were trembling hard against the constraints of the Space Principles. It was as if the lights had a mind of their own and wanted to escape from Yang Kai’s grasp, but he was not going to let that happen. He stuffed the lights into his Small Universe, though he did not have the time to study them now. Instead, he dashed after one of the dazzling streams of light he targeted earlier.
Space Principles flickered, and in a flash, Yang Kai reappeared millions of kilometres away…
However, just a moment later, Yang Kai came to a stop with a helpless expression on his face.
The stream of light had already gone too far away. It flew a lot quicker than him even though he used Instantaneous Movement. After recalling the earlier scene, Yang Kai immediately understood what was happening. It was not really that the dazzling light was moving faster than he was, but rather that this space was, itself, rapidly expanding.
[I had such a great opportunity right in front of me, but I failed to seize it!] Yang Kai was vexed with himself. No words could express the consternation he felt. Nine top-quality Open Heaven Pills had been right in front of him, each one representing a new Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; and yet, he did not even manage to grab a single one!
Yang Kai was agitated, and as he had been injured by the pressure from the powerful energy earlier, he ended up coughing up a mouthful of Golden Blood. Even his aura noticeably weakened.
He stood in place to restore himself for a moment as he looked around him with a frown.
[What the Hell is going on? Since the Universe Furnace has already appeared, why am I still inside of it? Shouldn’t I have been flung out of here the same way the Open Heaven Pills were? What’s more… the Universe Furnace seems too vast.]
By now, Yang Kai was starting to realise that all his theories had been wrong from the start. The inside of the Universe Furnace turned out to be an independent space, and there was no proof that the Open Heaven Pills had been ejected out of it. So, perhaps the opportunity to seize one of them doesn’t occur outside, but rather inside the Universe Furnace!
Yang Kai would be able to confirm this theory soon enough. If he encountered other living beings inside the Universe Furnace, then it meant the opportunity took place inside.
Yang Kai gathered himself and moved in the direction where the dazzling light had flown. Even though it had escaped from him earlier, he was still going to hunt it down.
At this point, he found that his earlier efforts had not been for nothing. Although the aura of the Great Sun and Moon Marks that he left on the nine Open Heaven Pills previously could not help him when it came to controlling them, he could use the Marks to ascertain where the pills were, though he could only do so if he was close enough.
Yang Kai became a lot calmer now. There was a benefit to being pulled into the Universe Furnace early after all.
During the chase, Yang Kai also found the time to check on the weak, glimmering lights he had captured.
He had slightly over a dozen of them and they were currently flying around his Small Universe. They looked like shooting stars streaking across the sky, and the many cultivators inside Void World were staring up at them in amazement. Some of the Dao Temple disciples with greater cultivation tried to chase after these lights, but none of them succeeded.
These weaker lights still moved at incredible speeds. Yang Kai used Space Principles to capture them, but the Emperor Realm Masters from the Dao Temple did not have such ability.
They thought this was some kind of amazing opportunity and had no idea these were just something their Dao Lord had tossed into his Small Universe as he did not have the time to bother with them.
Soon, Yang Kai gathered the scattered lights together and subdued them. The lights faded away, and several fragrant, flawlessly round Spirit Pills appeared in front of him.
Upon closer inspection, these Open Heaven Pills were fairly similar to the ones Yang Kai got from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, but their medicinal efficacies were clearly much more potent.
[What are they for?] Yang Kai frowned. [Don’t tell me these Open Heaven Pills can help those in the Eighth Order break through to the Ninth Order as well?]
If that was the case, the fact that he now had over a dozen of them meant there were going to be over a dozen new Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but there was no way that was possible.
The reason Humans knew how to create Open Heaven Pills was because the Great Experts of the Early Ancient Era had derived a recipe for them based on the Innate Open Heaven Pills they obtained from the Universe Furnace. Although modifications and improvements to the Open Heaven Pill recipe had never ceased, the ones refined by Human Alchemists were still incomparable to the ones from the Universe Furnace.
There was only one benefit to the ones the Humans made. Those Open Heaven Pills were easy enough to create, and as long as there were sufficient resources and Alchemists available, the production could go on forever. Nearly every Sect had its own way of creating these Manmade Open Heaven Pills to fuel their disciples’ cultivation.
Yang Kai had also refined some Open Heaven Pills many millennia ago when he first entered the 3,000 Worlds. After all the cultivation and resources he had acquired since then, it felt as if this memory of his took place aeons ago.
Once again, Yang Kai gathered his thoughts. He created a Seal on the Open Heaven Pills and put them away safely. No matter what they were for, they had come from the Universe Furnace and thus could not be something simple. He would know whether or not they were useful once he brought them to Senior Brother Mi and asked the latter about them.
Yang Kai then continued chasing after the dazzling lights while occasionally using the Great Sun and Moon Marks to see if he could sense anything nearby.
…
As the interior of the Universe Furnace rattled and shook, the over a dozen illusory phantoms of it that had been solidifying for the past two years finally transformed into the Universe Furnace, which was a grand and majestic Alchemy Furnace that gave off a mysterious, ancient aura with complex lines circulating across its surface…
These Universe Furnaces were not the true body though, merely portals to the World inside of it. As if breathing, the Universe Furnace would occasionally disperse a wondrous aura from its entrances. If anyone was able to cultivate near the furnace opening, they would receive a lot of benefits.
However, who would be thinking of cultivating by the opening when the Universe Furnace had emerged? It was more important to enter the Universe Furnace for opportunities.
Outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the many years of peace gave way to battle once more. The Black Ink Clan inside the Grand Restriction knew that the Universe Furnace was a great opportunity for the Humans, so to stop the Suppressing Black Ink Army from entering, the Black Ink Clan was willing to do whatever it took to launch an attack on them, forcing the various Masters to remain behind to hold the line.
A 100,000-metre-long White Dragon weaved through the fighting, killing dozens, if not hundreds with each blow he struck, but soon, two Royal Lords made huge sacrifices to rush out of the gap in the Grand Restriction and pin him down.
Royal Lords were heavily injured if they tried to leave the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction through the opening Wu Kuang had made. Previously, Fu Guang killed several Royal Lords who had been affected this way, so the enemy knew that in a one-on-one fight, these Royal Lords were no match for him, but it was not as easy for him to kill them when he was up against two of them at once.
Not counting the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods, Royal Lords were at the peak of what was possible for the Black Ink Clan to field and were by no means easy targets. It was already proof of how strong Fu Guang was that he could go up against two of them without being at a disadvantage. It even looked as if he could overpower them given enough time.
On the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, the Suppressing Black Ink Army was doing its best to fend off the enemy. Scores of formidable auras filled the sky as beams of destructive light shot out towards the swarming Black Ink Clan.
It seemed as if the Humans had the situation under control, but more and more enemies kept pouring out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, including many Innate Territory Lords. If things continued on this way, the pressure would only grow more intense.
50 Eighth-Order Masters quietly stood atop the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, not joining the fight.
They were the chosen Eighth-Order Masters who would enter the Universe Furnace in search of opportunities. They should have rushed straight into the Universe Furnace when it opened, but the Black Ink Clan’s attack put a stop to their plan.
This was unsurprising, as the Black Ink Clan would not have allowed the Humans to gain more benefits without a fight. The Black Ink Clan had already predicted this when the illusory phantom of the Universe Furnace first appeared.
The Divine Dragon swam through the void as his murderous intent flared wildly. He defended himself from the two Royal Lords who were charging at him as his Dragon Roars echoed thunderously.
“Go now! What are you waiting for!?”
Fu Guang saw that the 50 Eighth-Order Masters had not moved, so he could not resist scolding them.
Transmissions were coming from other Eighth-Order Masters fighting on the battlefield too, “If you miss your chance now, it will never appear again! Hurry up and enter the Universe Furnace! You don’t need to worry about us, as long as the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress remains standing, the Suppressing Black Ink Army will not fall!”
Still, the 50 Eighth-Order Masters atop the wall did not move. The entrance to the Universe Furnace was wide open, and it would only take them a moment to dive inside to seize the opportunity that would allow them to reach the peak of Martial Dao.
It was not as if they did not long for that; however, there was something else they cared about as well.
Yang Xiao laughed and said, “I only want this opportunity so that I can kill more enemies! Now that the enemy is right in front of me, why must I go round the sun to reach the moon? I shall partake in my share of the kills first!”
He rushed into the battle as soon as he finished speaking, and Yang Xue followed immediately after without saying a word. The two of them seemed to move in unison as they lunged at a Territory Lord who was trying to sneak up on a Human Master.
The 50 figures flew out from the walls, but none of them headed for the Universe Furnace, instead rushing straight onto the battlefield to join the battle.
Fu Guang saw this from afar and sighed, but he did not try to talk them out of it.
The Suppressing Black Ink Army was small, only numbering 6,000 in total. Though the army had more than 400 Eighth-Order Masters and the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, which was a Mobile Palace Artifact on par with the Great Passes of old, it took the genuine unity displayed by all of them to hold back the torrent of Black Ink Clansmen that flooded out from the gap in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
As the 50 Eighth-Order Masters fearlessly joined the fight, the Suppressing Black Ink Army soon gained the upper hand. The Black Ink Clan had not expected the Human Masters to not be tempted by the great opportunity they had in front of them, so they were caught off guard and took a heavy blow. Unfortunately for the Black Ink Clan, they could not stop midway through the battle.
Previously, they attacked the Suppressing Black Ink Army and were willing to sacrifice so many soldiers, including multiple Royal Lords, just to keep Fu Guang and Wu Kuang fully occupied. That way, they could probe the Grand Restriction for weaknesses to let Innate Territory Lords sneak out.
It was an enormous sacrifice, but also a resounding success. At least 1,000 Innate Territory Lords had managed to sneak out undetected.
However, once the situation was discovered and Wu Kuang patched the vulnerability they exploited, the Black Ink Clan ceased all combat. They knew there was no point in carrying on with the unnecessary sacrifices as the Humans were now on full alert. The Human Race Master who was controlling the Grand Restriction now would never allow himself to be tricked in the same way again, and it was basically impossible for the Black Ink Clan to mount a decisive attack that could overwhelm the Human Army outside the gap.
If they could not break past the Humans’ defences outside, they would only be wasting their forces by trying.
Thus, they did not launch any attacks in the past few years, until the Universe Furnace showed up.
To stop the Human Race Masters of the Suppressing Black Ink Army from entering the Universe Furnace and obtaining opportunities for themselves, the Black Ink Clan began a full-scale assault again. They thought this situation would turn in their favour, but who knew that the Suppressing Black Ink Army would choose to stand and fight?
The Human Race Masters were not at all blinded by the opportunity that was right at their fingertips and fully focused on the battle instead. This meant that the Black Ink Clan were caught in a seemingly hopeless situation.
It would be a waste of resources if they continued sending out more soldiers, but if they did not, then those who had already left the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction would be wiped out, including two Royal Lords!
They were caught between a rock and a hard place!
While the Suppressing Black Ink Army and the Black Ink Clan were engaged in a fierce battle outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the Black Ink Clan was in complete control of the Barren Territory.
There was also a phantom of the Universe Furnace in the Barren Territory, and it was impossible for the Human Race Army to approach it. No Human had entered the Barren Territory over the past few millennia except for Yang Kai who had passed by a few times.
The Black Ink Clan had arranged for countless clansmen to wait by the Universe Furnace. Once it opened, the Black Ink Clan Army hesitantly checked it out before a few of their Territory Lords led the charge into the Universe Furnace. Soon, they disappeared inside the Universe Furnace World.
Meanwhile, within the Space on the Black Ink Battlefield, Mo Na Ye who was restrained here had been on edge for nearly two years, but after seeing no sign of Yang Kai, he was certain that the latter had somehow left this place. Although he did not know how that was possible, or what the swirl that devoured Yang Kai was, it was still a good thing for him. At least, he did not have to worry about Yang Kai appearing all of a sudden to kill him.
There was no threat to his life now, but the injuries he previously sustained were quite serious and he could not tend to them while he was being held down here.
When the illusory phantom of the Universe Furnace solidified and the opening appeared, Mo Na Ye felt the ground shaking and the Void fluctuating. When he came back to his senses, he was already inside a vast, boundless space.
Mo Na Ye instantly raised his guard as his Divine Sense flooded out in all directions. Though he did not detect any signs of danger, he did not relax as he had no idea what would happen to him after suddenly appearing in a strange new place.
A moment later, it struck him that he could be inside the Universe Furnace right now. After comparing his experience to the way Yang Kai had disappeared earlier, he came up with a possibility.
[Yang Kai entered the Universe Furnace World approximately two years ago! So that was why he never showed up!] All of a sudden, Mo Na Ye felt a heightened sense of danger. If he ran into Yang Kai here in his present, injured state, there was no guarantee as to who would survive the clash!
Mo Na Ye forcefully composed himself, but did not move away from his spot immediately.
He had entered the Universe Furnace from that strange, folded Space, so if the Territory Lords outside had even the semblance of sense, they would have noticed something had happened.
Regardless of whether they made the decision themselves or consulted with the Royal Lord instead, the Territory Lords would most likely be entering soon. Mo Na Ye was going to stay in this spot and wait for them. He would only feel safe when he regrouped with others.
However, to his disappointment, despite waiting for quite some time, he did not see any signs of the Territory Lords.
When the phantom of the Universe Furnace solidified and the opening appeared, Mo Na Ye’s aura disappeared too.
Outside the Universe Furnace, the Territory Lords who had set up the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Grand Array were at a loss. They had arranged the Grand Array here to stop Yang Kai from fleeing, but Yang Kai was long gone and Mo Na Ye had now disappeared as well, so what were they supposed to do?
Furthermore, when the projection of the Universe Furnace solidified, a mysterious power arose from the furnace opening. It seemed to have turned into a passage that led into another World.
The Territory Lords had a quick discussion before sending a report back to No-Return Pass to seek guidance from Royal Lord Mo Yu.
Meanwhile, Mo Yu received reports from the Barren Territory which stated that after the solidification of the Universe Furnace’s illusory phantom, the Universe Furnace itself did not show up. Instead, a strange passage appeared at the furnace opening. It seemed to be the entrance to the Universe Furnace, and the Black Ink Clan Army stationed at the Barren Territory had started entering it to explore.
It dawned on Mo Yu at that moment that the Black Ink Clan’s understanding of the Universe Furnace had been wrong. The dozen or so illusory phantoms had always been portals to the Universe Furnace.
Realizing this, he immediately ordered the Territory Lords to enter the Universe Furnace to aid Mo Na Ye.
After getting the order, the Territory Lords outside the opening did not hesitate. They quickly made some preparations before rushing into the furnace.
However, when the Territory Lords entered the Universe Furnace, they realised that they had all been sent to different places. Even though they had entered from the same opening, they were now standing alone in a vast void…
This was the reason why Mo Na Ye did not see any of the Territory Lords coming to his aid despite waiting around for a long time.
He had no choice but to leave and find a secure location. What was most important for him right now was to find a way to tend to his injuries.
…..
Battles broke out at the same time across all the different Great Territory Battlefields.
The Black Ink Clan did not know much about the Universe Furnace, so for the past years, they basically moved to mirror the actions of the Humans.
When the Human Race gathered their Armies outside the Universe Furnace, the Black Ink Clan followed suit. When the Humans moved their Masters around, the Black Ink Clan did likewise. Essentially, they decided the best counter was to mimic the Humans’ actions.
This was an astute move on the Black Ink Clan’s part, and it was Mo Na Ye who came up with it.
He thought that since they did not know much, they should simply respond as their enemy did.
On the Battlefields across the void, the Human Race Army and the Black Ink Clan Army gathered around the entrances to the Universe Furnace as they engaged in a fierce battle. With every breath, countless lives were lost.
Mi Jing Lun was at the Supreme Headquarters overseeing everything when a series of reports came in one after the other.
Soon, a deep frown was etched on his forehead!
There had been an unexpected turn of events on the Great Territory Battlefields. The Human Army had managed to break through the Black Ink Clan’s blockade in three of the Great Territory Battlefields and killed countless enemies in an extremely short amount of time.
There was no one around to stop the Human Race Masters from their charge.
The reason behind this was that the Black Ink Clan did not assign any of their Territory Lords to defend these three Great Territory Battlefields. Not a single Territory Lord showed up, and even the Feudal Lords were few and far between.
On these three Great Territory Battlefields, while the Black Ink Clan Army was large in numbers, they were obviously only there to draw the Humans’ attention. Most of the soldiers were just expendable cannon fodder!
Mi Jing Lun immediately realised what was happening.
The Black Ink Clan had already decided to give up on these three Great Territory Battlefields long ago, but they moved their troops in secret to trick the Humans into thinking that there were still Territory Lords positioned there.
Even Mi Jing Lun could not help but feel respect for his opponent’s bold choice to give up on three Great Territory Battlefields.
[This has to be that Pseudo-Royal Lord Mo Na Ye’s doing. No one else in the Black Ink Clan could make such a prompt and resolute decision except for him.]
The Human Race and the Black Ink Clan had been fighting on these three Great Territory Battlefields for several millennia now, sacrificing countless lives. Making a snap decision to give up on three of them would not only negate all the sacrifices made, but it could also have a great impact on the future.
Mi Jing Lun was willing to admit that he would not be able to make this decision on behalf of the Human Race. It was not as if he was any less bold than Mo Na Ye, but because the two parties were in different positions. Throughout these years, the Human Race had been fighting tooth and nail to ensure they did not surrender even a single step of territory to the enemy. The more Great Territories the Black Ink Clan claimed, the worse the situation got for the Humans.
Therefore, no matter how dire the situation was, the Human Race Armies could never give up on any Great Territory Battlefield.
Many years ago, Mi Jing Lun started keeping an eye on Mo Na Ye after being tipped off by Yang Kai. Even though Mi Jing Lun and Mo Na Ye never physically crossed paths throughout their millennia of war, the former had a fairly solid understanding of the latter’s wits.
Thus, the moment he received the reports regarding the three Great Territory Battlefields, Mo Na Ye immediately popped up in his mind.
One could say that the Human Race Armies had made a clean sweep of these three Great Territory Battlefields. Wherever they went, the Black Ink Clan fell defenselessly, and if this situation continued, it would take less than a few months for the Human Race to completely claim these three Great Territory Battlefields for good. The Black Ink Clan would not be able to survive there.
Nevertheless, Mi Jing Lun was not pleased by this at all.
The Black Ink Clan had voluntarily given up on three Great Territory Battlefields and did not assign any of their Masters to stand guard in those areas. Instead, they sent a large army of expendable soldiers to keep the Human Race occupied. This meant that the Black Ink Clan could assign even more Masters to the other Great Territory Battlefields!
[Why did the Black Ink Clan, or rather Mo Na Ye, make such a decision? Even if sacrifices needed to be made for the greater good, Mo Na Ye must’ve known what would happen when he made this decision.]
[Do they not have enough Masters?] Over the years, the Black Ink Clan had added numerous Territory Lords to their ranks, and many more Innate Territory Lords had snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction just recently, so it was unlikely for them to lack Masters.
All of a sudden, a thought occurred to Mi Jing Lun. After taking into account the various reports he had received in the past, he immediately came to a conclusion and swiftly yelled to the group of aides beside him, “Quick! Send word to all the Armies to be wary of Pseudo-Royal Lords!”
He had underestimated the Black Ink Clan’s fervour and determination!
Now that the Universe Furnace had surfaced, the Black Ink Clan would undoubtedly fight the Human Race for the great opportunities available. Regardless of what happened, they would surely create a few Pseudo-Royal Lords to shift the odds in their favour.
Furthermore, a hefty number of Innate Territory Lords had snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, which meant that the Black Ink Clan had more than enough Innate Territory Lords to create Pseudo-Royal Lords.
Mi Jing Lun was not completely caught off-guard by this as he knew all along that the Black Ink Clan would soon begin creating more Pseudo-Royal Lords, but he had not expected them to move so quickly. Fortunately, the Human Race had developed countermeasures for this exact scenario. Although the Pseudo-Royal Lords were powerful, they could not wield all of their strength and were thus considerably weaker than true Royal Lords.
Over the past years, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had been practising numerous Battle Formations specifically to face these Pseudo-Royal Lords.
As a worthy strategist and the Supreme Commander who oversaw all the military operations of the Human Race, Mi Jing Lun had already done his best to consider all the possibilities he could possibly imagine.
However, from the looks of things now, there would be far more Pseudo-Royal Lords than he expected!
Why would the Black Ink Clan have insufficient Masters, forcing them to abandon several battlefields? It took the sacrifice of over a dozen Innate Territory Lords to create just one Pseudo-Royal Lord, so if many of the former were lost to create the latter, then it made sense why the Black Ink Clans had insufficient numbers.
Furthermore, in recent years, the reports from various battlefields confirmed that many of the Innate Territory Lords that were usually seen on the front lines seemed to have disappeared while a few unfamiliar ones had shown up in their place.
[The Innate Territory Lords who disappeared must’ve gone to the No-Return Pass and taken part in the plan to create Pseudo-Royal Lords. As for the unfamiliar ones, they were most likely the Innate Territory Lords who snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.]
Mi Jing Lun did not think the Territory Lords from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction were involved in the plan to create Pseudo-Royal Lords at the moment as they were heavily injured. It would take them at least a century or two before they could be fully restored.
However, even if Mi Jing Lun only took into account the original number of Innate Territory Lords that the Black Ink Clan had, it would still be a terrifying amount if all of them were involved in the plan to create Pseudo-Royal Lords!
As soon as Mi Jing Lun gave the order, streaks of light flashed in from the distance as messengers brought in new reports from the Great Territory Battlefields.
Mi Jing Lun swiftly scanned through them, and soon, all the colour drained from his face.
What he was most worried about had indeed occurred!
The Pseudo-Royal Lords that appeared were far higher in number than what he predicted.
Four Pseudo-Royal Lords had shown up in Profound Nether Territory alone. The battle took a sudden turn as the four Pseudo-Royal Lords burst forth on the battlefield in four different critical locations. They managed to break past their defences which resulted in heavy casualties. Thankfully, the Eighth-Order Masters had swiftly assumed their Battle Formations and were able to stabilize the situation, even if barely.
That being said, things were not looking good in Profound Nether Territory and it seemed unlikely that the Human Race could seize control of the entrance there.
Numerous Pseudo-Royal Lords had also appeared across the various Great Territory Battlefields where intense fights were taking place. Even the heavily wounded Innate Territory Lords with weak auras that snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had joined the battlefields.
These Innate Territory Lords were greatly weakened and could not stand against the Eighth-Order Masters, but they were still Innate Territory Lords, and those lower than the Eighth-Order could not hold their own against them. Thus, their presence was an added burden to the Human Race Armies.
There was only one thing that Mi Jing Lun was thankful for. Even though the Black Ink Clan had more Pseudo-Royal Lords than expected, it was not to the point where the Human Race’s situation became hopeless.
Judging from the reports, he also surmised that the heavily injured Innate Territory Lords from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction really could not take part in the creation of Pseudo-Royal Lords.
This was the only silver lining! Otherwise, the Human Race would have suffered a devastating loss today.
The Black Ink Clan had sacrificed a great number of seasoned Innate Territory Lords to create a group of Pseudo-Royal Lords. Even though they were fewer in number now, when it came to raw power, theirs had greatly increased. Thus, the Black Ink Clan quickly gained the upper hand throughout the various Great Territory Battlefields as they managed to catch the Humans off-guard.
However, the Humans were not on the losing end on every single Great Territory Battlefield.
In Azure Sun Territory, pure Yin and Yang Energy melded together in the void to create the image of a giant Yin-Yang Fish that covered a vast expanse. The dead bodies of several Innate Territory Lords were caught within the Yin-Yang Fish as the auras of four figures clashed, spreading massive waves of destruction all around them.
One of the silhouettes was a tall and slender woman. Her long hair fluttered behind her as murderous intent radiated from her form. Even though she was up against three opponents, she was still able to hold on with the help of her Divine Ability.
She was one of the few Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters that the Human Race possessed. It was Luo Ting He of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, who once stood guard over the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress!
She and Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao came from the same Sect; thus, the Secret Arts and Secret Techniques that they cultivated were quite similar. The Yin-Yang Fish was one of Luo Ting He’s strongest Divine Abilities. This was not just seen in its ability to slaughter enemies, but more importantly, in its ability to restrain opponents.
Back when Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao faced off against the Royal Lord of Great Evolution Theatre, she used the same Divine Ability countless times.
At this moment, Luo Ting He did her best to keep her Divine Ability above the entrance to the Universe Furnace as she fought against the three Pseudo-Royal Lords.
It had not been long since she became a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. At most, it could only be rounded up to 2,000 years. Forget reaching the peak of her cultivation, it was barely long enough for her to consolidate her realm.
However, she was still a genuine Ninth-Order Master. It would be easy enough for her to deal with a single Pseudo-Royal Lord, and she would not lose her ground against two either, but three was pushing the limit, so she had to rely on the power of her Divine Ability to fight back.
The auras of Yin and Yang converged inside the Yin-Yang Fish to form invisible millstones. The three Pseudo-Royal Lords tried their hardest to break away, but they could not get out. The grinding from that mysterious aura made them incredibly irascible.
No one dared to get near the four Masters as they engaged in battle after a few Innate Territory Lords had accidentally gotten caught up and wound up dead.
However, it was not three, but rather five Pseudo-Royal Lords in total who came to Azure Sun Territory!
This battlefield had always been a crucial one in the battle between the Humans and the Black Ink Clan, so the latter would naturally send a sizable number of their Pseudo-Royal Lords over. They had considered the possibility of a Ninth-Order Master being on the battlefield, but they never thought that a Ninth-Order Master would be powerful enough to pin down three Pseudo-Royal Lords alone.
The other two Pseudo-Royal Lords were not having it easier either.
Each of them was up against five Eighth-Order Masters who formed a Five Elements Formation. This enabled the Human Masters to fight evenly against a Pseudo-Royal Lord as neither party was able to overpower the other.
The Humans were the ones who came up with the Battle Formations first. When the Territory Lords went up against Yang Kai, they were able to form Four Symbols Formations, but they could rarely form the Five Elements Formation. However, the same could not be said of the Humans. As long as the Eighth-Order Masters were familiar with each other, they could easily form a Five Elements Formation.
In fact, the Humans’ highest record was a Seven Stars Formation formed by seven Eighth-Order Masters! Such a Battle Formation would even enable the Human Race to face off against a true Royal Lord, though there was no guarantee as to who would win the fight.
However, even the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would have a hard time forming Battle Formations that required even more numbers such as Eight Desolations or Nine Palaces. This was because everyone possessed powerful cultivation, and the higher the cultivation, the harder it was to form a Battle Formation.
This was the reason why Yang Kai was astounded by the way Zhang Ruo Xi managed to control her Small Stone Race Army to form the incredibly complex Second-Order and even Third-Order Nine Palaces Formation.
All five of the Pseudo-Royal Lords were pinned down. Azure Sun Territory had always been an essential area for the Human Masters; therefore, there were many of them here, and the Humans had the upper hand across the entire battlefield. It would not be difficult for them to gain control over the entrance to the Universe Furnace here.
However, the situation remained troublesome for them as Blood Crow had reported that the entrance to the Universe Furnace would only remain open for three days. Once three days were up, it would disappear once more. Therefore, the Humans would have to enter within three days if they wanted to seize the opportunities awaiting them inside the Universe Furnace, or otherwise, it would be too late.
Only those in at least the Seventh Order could enter the Universe Furnace in search of an opportunity, as it was pointless to enter if one’s cultivation realm was too low. Those below the Seventh Order would just needlessly lose their lives if they ran into a Territory Lord or even a Feudal Lord.
Therefore, the Humans curated a list of numerous Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Masters who were given the right to enter the Universe Furnace when it opened this time.
That being said, not everyone who had the right to go in could do so as the Humans could not enter the Universe Furnace if the Black Ink Clan controlled the entrance.
Even if the Human Race had the upper hand on some of the battlefields, these Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Masters could not enter at will.
Quite often, these chosen few were the core pillars in the battle of the armies they served in, so if they all just left, the advantage they had would be lost almost immediately as the tides turned against the Humans.
As a result, none of the Humans on the various Great Territory Battlefields had entered the Universe Furnace yet. They were doing their best to cull the enemy as they would only be able to leave in peace once the threat posed by the enemy was under firm control.
Meanwhile, the Black Ink Clan knew little about the Universe Furnace, so even though their Masters deduced that the Universe Furnace opening was an entrance to a Sealed World, they dared not make any hasty decisions when they did not have any clear evidence. In addition to that, the Humans were also doing their best to suppress the Black Ink Clan in the fight, so the latter had to match them with equal force.
Thus, Masters from both sides fought furious battles around the Universe Furnace openings on all the different Great Territory Battlefields. With each passing breath scores of Masters from both sides died as their souls were extinguished in the empty void.
In Azure Sun Territory, Luo Ting He managed to occupy three Pseudo-Royal Lords all by herself. It took a lot of effort from her, but she was still able to hold her own against them for now.
However, in a different Great Territory, another Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was going all out to kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
This Ninth-Order Master had a burly physique and wielded a long spear in a fashion quite dissimilar to Yang Kai’s Supreme Limitless Spear Art. Each swing, sweep, or stab of his spear was imbued with a tyrannical might. The Pseudo-Royal Lord he was hunting down could not fight back at all as he sustained a series of injuries. He would have been killed by now if it had not been for the support he received from another Pseudo-Royal Lord!
This Ninth-Order Master was Wei Jun Yang of Great Battle Heaven!
Luo Ting He was not the only new Ninth-Order Master that the Human Race added to their ranks over the last few millennia. Wei Jun Yang of Great Battle Heaven was another one, and he happened to be another old acquaintance of Yang Kai’s. During Yang Kai’s time with the Profound Nether Army, Wei Jun Yang had once been a Division Commander under the former’s command.
He was one of the few Humans who had the aptitude to reach the Ninth Order back before the appearance of the Open Heaven Realm Cradles. Once the situation in Profound Nether Territory was calmed, he went into seclusion to focus on his cultivation.
Xiang Shan could not easily reach the Ninth-Order because his Order had fallen once in the past, but Wei Jun Yang had not encountered such a setback. Though his aptitude was considered a little poorer than Xiang Shan’s, his foundation was solid.
Hence, after Luo Ting He broke through and became a Ninth-Order Master, he soon followed suit.
However, Mi Jing Lun kept him hidden all this while to prevent him from being noticed by anyone else until the fierce battle broke out today. On this Great Territory Battlefield, Wei Jun Yang wielded the power of a Ninth-Order Master as he charged right at the enemy.
Cultivators from Great Battle Cave Heaven were undeniably disciplined and militaristic, but they were also all eager to fight, and Wei Jun Yang was no exception.
He did not have a Divine Ability or Secret Technique that could restrain formidable enemies the way Luo Ting He did. All he had to rely on was the long spear in his hands.
As soon as he showed up, Wei Jun Yang shot straight towards one of the Pseudo-Royal Lords and unleashed an all-out strike powered by the full might of his cultivation. He almost managed to split the targeted Pseudo-Royal Lord in two right there and then.
Even though the Pseudo-Royal Lord escaped his doom, he was thoroughly terrified now. Following that, the scene of Wei Jun Yang hunting down the Pseudo-Royal Lord unfolded across the battlefield. It was as if he had zeroed in on this Pseudo-Royal Lord and would not stop until the latter died under his spear!
Another Pseudo-Royal Lord had noticed the dire situation and immediately moved to assist. Thus, the scene changed to Wei Jun Yang chasing after a Pseudo-Royal Lord, while another Pseudo-Royal Lord chased after him.
The three figures crossed tens of millions of kilometres as they weaved through the Great Territory Battlefield. Wherever they passed through, Masters from both sides all scrambled to get out of the way.
Wei Jun Yang’s method was a little blunt and reckless, but it was his resolute stance that enabled him to completely occupy two Pseudo-Royal Lords while really only facing one of them at a time, allowing him to completely control the pace of the fight as all momentum was on his side.
If he had to face off against the two Pseudo-Royal Lords in a two-on-one fight, he would only be able to keep things even at most.
The Black Ink Clan had also sent five Pseudo-Royal Lords to this Great Territory, but two of them were currently occupied by Wei Jun Yang, and the one getting chased down was at risk of dying at any moment. As for the other three, they were similarly held up by the Eighth-Order Masters who formed Battle Formations.
The Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques of the Masters on both sides burst out across the battlefield in great sparks. The two Armies formed long defence lines that snaked across the void as they fought with great intensity.
On these frenzied battlefields, three days felt like forever.
As time passed, the situation across the messy battlefields slowly settled into place. Apart from the three battlefields that the Black Ink Clan had given up on, the two Armies on the other Great Territory Battlefields were beginning to solidify their control over the openings of the Universe Furnace.
To put it simply, both sides had their wins and losses.
The final moments were approaching, and the Human Race Masters on the list began gathering near the openings to the Universe Furnace. They had to enter now, or else the openings would vanish and it would be too late. While they no longer needed to get involved in the battle outside, there was still a battle waiting for them inside the Universe Furnace.
In Azure Sun Territory, Luo Ting He was still keeping the three Pseudo-Royal Lords occupied, but her Yin-Yang Fish could not hold out much longer. The moment her Divine Ability faltered, she would no longer be able to restrain all three of these enemies.
Thus, when Luo Ting He saw that most of the chosen Human Masters had gathered, she ordered, “Go!”
The Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Masters had been prepared for this and all jumped into the opening to the Universe Furnace without hesitation. All at once, they disappeared inside.
Their actions shocked the Black Ink Clan. Even though they had deduced that the opening was an entrance to a Sealed World, they dared not be certain about it.
Now that they saw what the Humans did, they realised that it was indeed as they had thought. The opportunity from the Universe Furnace was inside, and the Human Race Masters had already rushed in!
If the Humans gained any more Ninth-Order Masters, then the Black Ink Clan would have wasted countless lives and resources for nothing!
Therefore, when the Black Ink Clan noticed what was happening, they immediately began focusing their attacks on the entrances, and the three Pseudo-Royal Lords who were being suppressed by Luo Ting He found the chance to unleash a joint attack. The turbulent force from their combined strikes warped the Yin-Yang Fish. It looked as if it would crumble at any moment now.
Initially, the Humans had the advantage in Azure Sun Territory, but what they worried about had indeed happened. Once a large group of Human Race Masters entered the Universe Furnace, they lost their advantage and the Black Ink Clan seized the chance to go on the offensive.
The Human Race Army formed lines of defence all around the opening, but once the Black Ink Clan charged at them, the lines began to buckle.
All at once, the Human Race was under great pressure.
At the same time, the three Pseudo-Royal Lords finally broke free of Luo Ting He’s suppression. The moment the Yin-Yang Fish Divine Ability shattered, the three of them turned into streaks of darkness that flashed in three different directions.
Luo Ting He could only stop one while she could not do anything about the other two. Thankfully, after three days of intense battle, both she and the three Pseudo-Royal Lords had used up a lot of their strength and could not fight at their peak anymore. Even though they broke free, they did not pose a huge danger to the Humans.
A fury of Divine Senses streaked across space as the Black Ink Clan higher-ups discussed their next move.
It was clear that the opening in the Universe Furnace could be entered, and the opportunity had to be inside! If they ignored the Universe Furnace, they were strong enough to gain the upper hand on this Great Territory Battlefield, but the Human Race had a Ninth-Order Master here, so their advantage would not necessarily turn the tides in their favour.
Nevertheless, soon, they came to a decision!
They decided to give up on the flimsy advantage they had and instead send their own Masters into the Universe Furnace to stop the Humans from seizing the opportunities, lest the Humans gained even more Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters!
The orders went out in secret, and under the command of the Pseudo-Royal Lords, these Masters swiftly charged towards the entrance to the Universe Furnace.
They thought the Humans would do their best to stop them, and the Pseudo-Royal Lords were mentally prepared to sacrifice some of their Masters in order to achieve their goal, but things did not go the way they assumed.
Many managed to rush over from all directions and enter the entrance without needing to waste much energy. They could charge straight into the Universe Furnace.
It was as if the Humans did not want to stop them…
In reality, it was not that the Humans did not want to stop them, but the phantom of the Universe Furnace was colossal and the opening was just too massive. If the Black Ink Clan was determined to enter the Universe Furnace, the Humans could not stop all of them.
Since they could not do so, they decided to voluntarily let some of their enemies pass as this would take some pressure off those who remained outside.
This was the strategy that those at the Supreme Headquarters had come up with. Mi Jing Lun oversaw all the military operations from his place at the Supreme Headquarters, so it was not at all surprising that he foresaw the possibility of the current situation taking place.
Once a large number of the Human Race Masters entered the Universe Furnace, the Humans would be weakened and the remaining Masters outside would be under intense pressure. If they tried to stop the Black Ink Clan completely, it would only result in unnecessary casualties.
The best way to ease the burden was to allow some enemies to enter the Universe Furnace. Naturally, just how many they should allow entry would depend on the situation on the respective Great Territory Battlefields.
If too many Black Ink Clan Masters entered the Universe Furnace, then things would get harder for the Humans inside, but if too few were let in, they could not alleviate the pressure off those who remained on the Battlefields.
It was a fine line and the Human Race Masters who were in charge of these Battlefields would have to decide at their own discretion.
Thus, once a certain number of Masters from the Black Ink Clan rushed into the Universe Furnace, Luo Ting He, who seemed exhausted just moments ago, immediately changed. She seemed to burst forth with renewed energy as the Yin-Yang Fish reappeared beneath her and rapidly spread across the void. She then glared at the Pseudo-Royal Lord she had been keeping occupied the whole time and growled, “Ready for round two?”
As soon as her crisp, cold voice sounded, it was time for the Pseudo-Royal Lord to meet his doom!
In the end, Wei Jun Yang failed to kill the Pseudo-Royal Lord he was hunting down. Even though Pseudo-Royal Lords could only wield around 70% of a true Royal Lord’s power, they were still formidable enough that it would not be easy to get rid of them in one fell swoop.
Furthermore, it had not been long since Wei Jun Yang became a Ninth-Order Master, so his heritage was even weaker than Luo Ting He’s. The situation would not be the same if he reached the peak of Ninth-Order.
At times like this, Wei Jun Yang felt envious of Yang Kai’s Space Secret Techniques. He believed that if Yang Kai reached the Ninth Order, it would have been child’s play for him to kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord. He could simply use a Space Secret Technique to prevent his opponent from running away from him, whereas Wei Jun Yang had to doggedly chase down his opponent and still come up short.
While Wei Jun Yang did not want to give up on the chase, time was running out, and he had no other choice.
The entrance to the Universe Furnace was about to close, and he needed to head back over to stand guard over the area and take command of the situation. Otherwise, unexpected crises might occur once the Human Race Masters enter the Universe Furnace.
Even though he could not kill off the Pseudo-Royal Lord, he did manage to severely injure him. For now, that Pseudo-Royal Lord would not be able to do anything else but return to a Black Ink Nest to recuperate.
With Wei Jun Yang personally overseeing the entrance to the Universe Furnace, the situation there quickly stabilised. Similarly to Azure Sun Territory, the Human Race Masters were the first to swiftly enter the Universe Furnace. Soon, the Black Ink Clan Masters rushed over as well, and the Humans readily allowed some of them to pass through.
Things went according to plan at both of these Great Territories which had Ninth-Order Masters overseeing them.
Even on the Great Territory Battlefields where the Human Race were the ones at a disadvantage, the Humans’ efforts had not been fruitless.
The Masters who were chosen to enter the Universe Furnace had already received their instructions from Mi Jing Lun, and they were currently besieging the Black Ink Clan’s lines of defence as they stormed their way into the Universe Furnace.
Over at Azure Sun Territory, the Humans could not stop the Black Ink Clan from entering despite being the ones with the upper hand, but the same applied to the Black Ink Clan on these Great Territory Battlefields as they could not block all the Humans.
As the Black Ink Clan watched the Human Race Masters disappearing into the Universe Furnace, their decision solidified.
Ever since the appearance of the phantom images of the Universe Furnace, the Black Ink Clan had been mimicking their opponent’s every move, and they chose to do so this time too.
Since the Humans wanted to enter the Universe Furnace, they were going to enter as well!
On these Great Territory Battlefields, the Black Ink Clan were the ones in control of the entrances to the Universe Furnace, so nothing stopped them from heading in.
However, they soon encountered the same situation that the Humans had. As more of them entered the Universe Furnace, their advantage on the battlefield slowly diminished…
The Black Ink Clan were in complete control of the Universe Furnace entrance on the Barren Territory, whereas the Humans were in control of the openings on the three Great Territory Battlefields that the Black Ink Clan had given up.
As for the remaining entrances, the advantage oscillated between the two sides, and the situation constantly changed.
At last, the three days were over, and the Universe Furnace projections in each Great Territory suddenly began shaking violently. Everyone was unprepared as they witnessed the Universe Furnaces abruptly turning into wisps of light before completely vanishing.
The disappearance of the Universe Furnace was a pivotal turning point for the battles on each Great Territory Battlefield.
All this while, the two sides had been fighting in the vicinity of the Universe Furnace projections. Naturally, this brought about certain limitations in terms of the scope of military operations. For the most part, the party with the upper hand would organise their Masters near the entrance to guard it.
Now that the entrances were gone, the limitations were lifted as well.
Wei Jun Yang took a deep breath. He felt as if he had shrugged off a layer of restraints, and the air was clear again. He raised his long spear as he roared so loudly that his voice reached across the Great Territory, “Are you ready to die, Black Ink Clan bastards!?”
Previously, he could not freely unleash his full power. As the Ninth-Order Master who was in command here, he had to consider many variables. Otherwise, he would not have given up on his attempt to kill the injured Pseudo-Royal Lord to come back and stand guard at the entrance to the Universe Furnace.
However, there was nothing to hold him back now. The Black Ink Clan in this Great Territory were going to have to sear a name into their memories.
It was going to be his name, Wei Jun Yang of Great Battle Heaven!
Meanwhile, Luo Ting He was also finally able to unleash her full strength and she boldly stormed into the Black Ink Clan Army’s ranks. It was as if the Yin-Yang Fish had taken on a physical form as the massive image churned through a million Black Ink Clan Soldiers. Yin and Yang swirled together to grind down these enemies, reducing them to smashed meat and pools of blood.
Originally, Mi Jing Lun considered sending one of the two new Ninth-Order Masters into the Universe Furnace to aid the Human Race Masters as they went in to seize opportunities; however, after a discussion with Xiang Shan, he gave up on that idea.
Once the Universe Furnace surfaced, the battles between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan would surely erupt. All the previous agreements and pacts would undoubtedly lose all meaning, and it was far more valuable to have the two Ninth-Order Masters out on the battlefields instead of inside the Universe Furnace.
The Ninth-Order Masters did not need to get involved with the goings-on inside the Universe Furnace. Opportunities always came with risks. If the Human Race Masters inside needed a Ninth-Order Master to aid them as they went in search of these opportunities, then it would not be unreasonable to consider all their centuries and millennia of cultivation a waste.
Furthermore, the area inside the Universe Furnace was boundless, so even if a Ninth-Order Master went in, they might not be able to contribute much.
At the time, Blood Crow, who had been listening on the side, casually remarked, “I don’t know whether or not a Ninth-Order Master can enter the Universe Furnace, but the last time it opened, none of the Ninth-Order Masters or Royal Lords went in. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, or perhaps the Universe Furnace imposes a limit on the cultivation realm of those who enter.”
Either way, the two new Ninth-Order Masters did not enter the Universe Furnace.
However, Mi Jing Lun was certain that the dangers inside the Universe Furnace this time would far surpass all the previous times in history!
This was because many Pseudo-Royal Lords had entered as well, and the Black Ink Clan most likely did not have Pseudo-Royal Lords the last time the Universe Furnace emerged, so this situation had no precedent to judge from.
It would be a challenging trial for the Human Race Masters who entered the Universe Furnace this time.
When the Universe Furnace phantoms vanished, tremors were felt across the 3,000 Worlds and the entire Black Ink Battlefield.
Over at Wind Mist Territory, Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing were sitting cross-legged. World Force was circling around them, rippling through the air. There was a rip in the boundary wall in front of them, and a gargantuan arm stretched out. The massive arm looked like a pillar that cut through the void.
The chains that wound tightly around the arm were created by the two Ninth-Order Old Ancestors using some kind of joint Secret Technique.
Many millennia had passed since the Black Ink Giant Spirit God broke through the Boundary Wall between Wind Mist Territory and the Barren Territory to let the Black Ink Clan Army launch its invasion into the 3,000 Worlds.
Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing had been sitting in the same spot for just as many millennia as they engaged in a cross-territory battle with the Black Ink Giant Spirit God!
It was impossible for the two to fight a Black Ink Giant Spirit God head-to-head, let alone restrain one of his arms, but when they were separated by the Boundary Wall, the power that the Black Ink Giant Spirit God could wield greatly weakened.
Furthermore, this Black Ink Giant Spirit God sustained serious injuries previously, which allowed Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing to restrain him all these years.
Over 1,000 years ago though, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God managed to restore much of his strength, causing the two Ninth-Order Masters to experience even more pressure. Thankfully, Yang Kai came in time and used Purifying Light to grind down their opponent’s strength.
However, over 1,000 years had passed since then, and the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s power was restored little by little over that time. Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing did not know how much longer they could hold out.
The Universe Furnace had appeared, and they could sense the rumbles of the Universe’s Grand Dao. They exchanged a glance in silence as they knew a major change was about to come!
At that very moment, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God who never bothered to interact with them throughout the many millennia started laughing out of the blue. Its laughter came through the rip, “The Humans will soon be exterminated!”
As its voice came through, the chains around its arm vibrated slightly before letting out a hissing sound.
Wu Qing and Xiao Xiao did not hesitate even for a breath as they quickly channelled their powers, using their World Force to strengthen the chains.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God did not make another futile attempt. It was as if it had only been testing things out earlier, but even so, the Ninth-Order Masters felt heavily pressured.
“You can run your mouth when you’re able to escape unscathed!” Wu Qing coldly snorted.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God scoffed, but did not respond.
Wu Qing’s expression was dark, and his brow was furrowed tightly. He could tell that the Black Ink Giant Spirit God could have escaped a long time ago if it wanted to. The latter simply had to cut off the arm that he and Xiao Xiao were restraining.
However, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was evidently unwilling to suffer such a loss. That was why it did not do much and allowed the two to restrain it here.
All these years, it was quietly gathering its strength in order to escape unscathed, and from the looks of it, it would happen soon.
Moreover, no Black Ink Clansmen had ever come to disrupt the two throughout these years, and clearly, something was strange about that too. They were keeping the Black Ink Giant Spirit God occupied here, but was it not also doing the same to them?
[Perhaps the Black Ink Clan wants to change things now…]
Wu Qing could not resist glancing at Xiao Xiao, who remained unperturbed. She was holding something in her hand that was hidden beneath her sleeve, and she nodded at him before using Divine Sense transmission to say, “Yang Kai had already prepared for this!”
What she held was something that Yang Kai had secretly given her when he came to check on them previously. She had furtively studied the item, and once she realised what it was, she was both shocked and in awe.
However, she kept quiet about this and did not even inform Wu Qing because too much was at stake, and she had to guard against the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s probing.
Hence, Wu Qing was startled when he heard Xiao Xiao and frowned as he asked, “Do you have so much faith in that boy?”
Xiao Xiao smirked before firmly declaring, “It’s not just my faith in him. He has given the Human Race something that allows us to be this confident!”
Faith alone was meaningless. What she held in her hand was the most important key to dealing with this Black Ink Giant Spirit God. All was well if their opponent chose to stay put and do nothing, but if he tried to escape, it would be time for her to use the trump card in her possession.
Wu Qing nodded lightly and did not ask for more details. He was also a Ninth-Order Master, but he was unfamiliar with Yang Kai. He had been an Army Commander at Yin-Yang Pass, then the Old Ancestor of the Yin-Yang Theatre during Yang Kai’s rise to prominence, so his interactions with Yang Kai were minimal. He had many rumours which, simply put, described Yang Kai as a Junior who often created unexpected but definitely pleasant surprises. As such, he took the simple approach of, [I shall wait and see…]
The air was filled with endless, chaotic Dao Essence. It was as if Grand Dao had shattered in this area. Both Space and Time seemed blurred.
This was what it was like inside the Universe Furnace. It was an expansive World that was mysterious and unimaginable.
Yang Kai traversed through the void as he used his Great Sun and Moon Marks to locate the nine Open Heaven Pills. He was also familiarising himself with the environment.
He did not know much about the Universe Furnace, but based on what he experienced, he was able to confirm that the opportunity from the Universe Furnace was found inside it.
Thus, he surmised that both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan would send a large number of Masters into the Universe Furnace, and Mo Na Ye, who was caught inside the Universe Furnace’s projection with him, would have probably entered the Universe Furnace World by now.
Yang Kai raised his brow ever so slightly. He was determined to give Mo Na Ye a hard time if their paths crossed. Had it been any other time, Yang Kai would not be able to hold his own against Mo Na Ye, but back when they were in the Universe Furnace projection, he had given Mo Na Ye a heavy beating, so it remained to be seen whether the latter could even wield a third of his power. If they did run into each other, Yang Kai might even be able to kill Mo Na Ye!
Alas, the Universe Furnace World seemed endless. It would not be easy to run into Mo Na Ye.
Yang Kai quieted his thoughts and continued surveying the Universe Furnace World.
He thought that this Sealed World would be empty on the inside; after all, this was merely the space inside the Universe Furnace. It did not experience the changes of the Heavenly Way like the many Great Territories outside. There was nothing but chaotic and disorderly Dao Essence inside this place, so what could possibly exist here?
However, as Yang Kai travelled through the Universe Furnace World, he realised how mistaken he was.
Exceptional scenery was found inside the Universe Furnace.
Mysterious sights could be found wherever the chaotic and disorderly Dao Essence gathered. These scenes could rarely be seen outside, and they were similar to the many Celestial Phenomena he had seen deep within the Black Ink Battlefield.
The largest of all these was a great river!
Yang Kai did not know where the Great River started or where it ended. It meandered on and on, and Yang Kai followed it as he observed the Universe Furnace World around him.
However, he had been travelling for three days and crossed a few billion kilometres already, yet the end of the river was nowhere in sight.
The great river was brimming with the chaotic Shattered Dao Essence. It seemed to be made entirely out of it, the kind that was impossible for cultivators to absorb and refine.
To Yang Kai’s even greater shock, strange living beings existed inside the great river.
When he first encountered the great river, he had approached it out of curiosity as he wanted to check what it was, but soon, he was attacked by an unidentifiable monster.
It was hard to describe the monster as, not only did it not have a fixed form, but even its presence was difficult to sense. It seemed to be one with the great river as Yang Kai did not detect it at all before it attacked him.
Even its strength was hard to ascertain; but fortunately, Yang Kai had his guard up the whole time since he was in an unfamiliar environment, allowing him to avoid the attack.
After Yang Kai’s abrupt encounter with this monster, he wanted to catch it and study it close up. A bout of intense fighting took place, but even though he managed to overpower the monster, it swiftly dove into the great river and vanished completely.
It was as if it had only been a wave that rippled out of the strange great river or a part of the river itself…
Following that encounter, Yang Kai made a few more probes and was finally able to confirm that unending dangers were hidden inside the seemingly peaceful great river. Those peculiar monsters were easily found everywhere as well.
[I can’t believe that such a peculiar living thing can be found inside the Universe Furnace!]
To avoid wasting time, Yang Kai did not enter the Great River again to do his inspection. He merely followed it.
Three days later, Yang Kai came across a strange scene. He looked up and saw a massive mountain range with towering peaks cutting through the void in front of him.
Yang Kai was awed by the fact that such things could be seen inside the Universe Furnace. Not only did he come across the great river that began and ended beyond his sight, but he was also now staring at a colossal mountain range.
[The mysteries of the Universe Furnace are far greater than I thought.]
He used his Great Sun and Moon Marks to see if he picked up on anything, but he did not. In other words, the nine top-quality Open Heaven Pills were not within his detectable range.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Yang Kai began heading towards the mountain range.
He knew too little about the Universe Furnace, so it was better for him to familiarise himself with his surroundings above all else.
Just like the great river that seemed to span the entire Universe Furnace World, the mountain range seemed perfectly ordinary when observed from a distance. However, upon closer inspection, Yang Kai realised that the mountain range was also made up of bountiful Shattered Dao Essence. It appeared to balance between the line of something that was material and immaterial.
[The great river was home to those strange monsters, so what about this mountain range?]
Divine Sense seemed to be severely hindered in this place, so even someone of Yang Kai’s calibre could not examine much further than his immediate surroundings. He experienced this firsthand when he scouted inside the great river, and it seemed to be caused by the interference from the Shattered Dao Essence.
Yang Kai moved around without finding anything useful, so he was just about to leave when he came to an abrupt halt and looked into the distance.
He noticed some kind of energy fluctuations coming from somewhere up ahead.
[There’s a fight happening over there!]
Yang Kai raised his brow and immediately dashed over. Soon, he saw the two parties engaged in a fight.
He was a little startled to find that neither one of the two was a friendly party to him. One was from the Black Ink Clan, and from the looks of his aura, he was a Feudal Lord. The other was one of the strange monsters that Yang Kai had encountered at the great river earlier.
[I didn’t think they’d be found in this mountain range either.]
It had been difficult for Yang Kai to determine the power of the monsters he encountered at the Great River, and the same applied to this one as well. Even though he could not detect any form of formidable power inside this monster, it was able to hold its own against a Feudal Lord and was even beginning to overpower him.
The monster did not have a fixed physical form. It was mysteriously able to transform into various shapes as the Shattered Dao Essence that formed its body kept flowing and moving about. It made the monster look like a mass of flowing water.
Shattered Dao Essence kept shooting out of its body and turning into streaks of bizarre attacks that made the Feudal Lord back away in defeat.
It was clear that the Feudal Lord had realised he could not defeat the monster, so after a brief tussle, he began showing signs of retreat. He began channelling Black Ink Strength and with a flicker of his body, a Black Ink Cloud exploded out of him before enveloping the monster. He used this distraction to flee at once.
However, he had not gotten very far when the space around him suddenly solidified and he felt a tight grip around his neck as someone effortlessly locked him in place.
The Feudal Lord was petrified as he turned around and looked right into a grinning face.
[A Human! An Eighth-Order Master!]
A terrifying name immediately popped up in the Feudal Lord’s head and he all but shrieked, “Yang Kai!”
His heart grew cold. He never would have thought he would be this unlucky. He had only just entered the Universe Furnace when he was attacked by that strange monster, and before he could even make a proper escape, he was caught by the Human killing star!
[How am I going to make it out of here alive?]
“Oh? You recognise me?” Yang Kai looked at the Feudal Lord with a smile before gently setting him down. He did not do anything to restrain the Feudal Lord, but the latter just stood in front of him in total submission without having even the guts to move.
The Feudal Lord knew that whether it was fighting back or running away, both were absolutely impossible in front of this Human Race Master who held the record for the most Black Ink Clan Masters killed. He nodded bitterly in response to Yang Kai’s question, “Of course I recognise you, Sir Yang Kai.”
Yang Kai nodded. His encounter with this Feudal Lord confirmed his earlier suspicion. The opportunity from the Universe Furnace would need to be found inside the Universe Furnace. Since the Black Ink Clan had entered, then the Humans would have come in as well; however, it was far too vast inside the Universe Furnace and the chaotic Dao Essence continued to cause interference with one’s Divine Sense, so it would not be easy to run into the other Humans.
[It’s just as well. I need someone who can tell me about the situation outside.]
As such, he swiftly said, “Since you recognise me, let’s not waste any time. Answer a few of my questions and I’ll make sure your end is painless.”
The Feudal Lord’s expression became even more bitter and melancholic, [I knew it. No good will come out of running into the killing star. I won’t be leaving with my life…]
Since he was going to die either way, he decided to ignore Yang Kai.
Yang Kai saw right through his thoughts and coolly remarked, “After so many years of war, with both sides going all out to kill each other, you from the Black Ink Clan have probably never seen what Humans can truly do. For instance, I have a method called Soul Extraction and Refinement. Death is not the most painful end out there. There are many fates that are far worse than death!”
As he spoke, Yang Kai stretched his hand out towards the Feudal Lord’s head, and with a flicker of his Divine Sense, he ripped through the protection around the latter’s Soul.
Yang Kai withdrew his hand a moment later, but the Feudal Lord had crumpled to the ground and was trembling violently. His eyes refused to close as they nearly bulged out of their sockets. He had just experienced pain and suffering so terrifying he had never even conceived of it before now.
What he felt for just the briefest moment was enough for him to understand what Yang Kai meant by ‘a fate worse than death’.
“I’ll ask and you’ll answer! You know what’ll happen to you if you lie to me or attempt to hide anything,” Yang Kai commanded as he looked down at the Feudal Lord.
The Feudal Lord nodded frantically. He dared not disobey Yang Kai any more.
“What’s the situation like outside?”
“I don’t know…” The Feudal Lord shook his head. His expression was timid as he said, “I came in from the entrance on the Barren Territory so I don’t know what’s happening on the other battlefields.”
This was also why he recognised Yang Kai right away. Since he came from the Barren Territory, he would have been stationed at the No-Return Pass not long ago, and Yang Kai had been loitering around outside the No-Return Pass for the past many years. The Feudal Lord had seen Yang Kai from a distance when the latter wreaked havoc at the No-Return Pass a while back.
Yang Kai frowned, “How many from the Black Ink Clan entered from the Barren Territory?”
“I don’t know exactly how many, but we had between 5 and 8 million clansmen at the Barren Territory, and once the entrance solidified, everyone came in as ordered by Sir Royal Lord.”
[Between 5 to 8 million… Let’s go with 7 million then. That’s still a significant number. Does the Black Ink Clan intend on starting a full-scale war inside the Universe Furnace?]
Then again, the Black Ink Clan might have even less of an understanding of the Universe Furnace than Yang Kai did, so they probably didn’t expect it to be this complex inside. Even though they threw in several million of their people, they wouldn’t be able to accomplish much.
Yang Kai quickly thought of something, “Since several million of you came in together, why are you here alone? Where are the others?”
The Feudal Lord shook his head and said, “As soon as I came in, I found myself alone and couldn’t see any of my other clansmen. The opening seems to have the ability to affect space. Everyone was separated.”
Yang Kai frowned the moment he heard this as a flicker of worry emerged in his heart.
If the Black Ink Clan Army had been separated despite entering from the same opening, then it must be the same for the Human Race Masters. In other words, everyone would have to proceed alone the moment they entered the Universe Furnace, or spend time seeking out allies as soon as possible.
However, it would not be easy to find an ally inside the Universe Furnace.
Most of the Humans who came in would be Eighth-Order Masters. If they ran into a Territory Lord alone, it would still be an even fight as both parties were on a similar footing. However, if they ran into a Pseudo-Royal Lord such as Mo Na Ye, then they would be in a disastrous situation!
There was no telling how many Human Race Masters would die in this bid for opportunities inside the Universe Furnace. However, it was possible that those at the Supreme Headquarters would have made some kind of arrangement. Yang Kai had been stuck inside a Universe Furnace projection ever since it appeared, so he did not have any contact with the Humans.
That being said, he was aware of Mi Jing Lun’s meticulous nature. The latter would surely gather as much information regarding the Universe Furnace as possible and come up with strategies to deal with all the possible scenarios.
[If I run into a Human who’s alone, I can lend a hand too.] Yang Kai eased his worries with this thought. Now that things had come to this, there was no point in worrying about it. The Humans who dared to enter the Universe Furnace in search of opportunities would have mentally prepared themselves for the possibility of losing their lives.
On the other hand, the Black Ink Clan who entered were separated too, and since their understanding of the Universe Furnace was a lot poorer than the Humans, they would not have expected this situation. This meant that for the time being, perhaps the Humans were not at a disadvantage when compared to the Black Ink Clan.
This Feudal Lord had been stationed at the No-Return Pass the whole time and had entered from the entrance in the Barren Territory, so he did not know much about the other Great Territory Battlefields. Yang Kai asked a few more questions, but he could not answer any of them.
Since there was no other useful information to glean from this Feudal Lord, Yang Kai did not want to waste any more time and slowly raised his hand.
Upon sensing Yang Kai’s motive, the Feudal Lord hurriedly cried out, “Sir Yang Kai! I will tell you a piece of information that’s useful to the Humans in exchange for my life!”
“Oh?” Yang Kai eyed him with interest, “Information that’s useful to the Humans? What is it?”
The Feudal Lord was sweating profusely as he gritted his teeth and said, “I know you are a man of your word, Sir Yang Kai. I’m sure you won’t go back on your promise…”
“Enough. I’ll spare your life if your information does prove to be useful!”
Yang Kai impatiently cut him off.
The Feudal Lord exhaled in relief and carefully explained, “It’s about the Open Heaven Pills that the Humans want!”
Yang Kai frowned and asked doubtfully, “You’ve seen the Open Heaven Pills?” He had used his Great Sun and Moon Marks not long ago and had not sensed anything, which meant that the nine Open Heaven Pills he marked were not in the vicinity, so where did this Feudal Lord see them?
Amid his puzzlement, the Feudal Lord pointed behind them and said, “One was devoured by that strange thing back there. I saw it with my own eyes! That’s why I got into a fight with it. I wanted to kill it and take the Open Heaven Pill!”
Yang Kai turned his head around and saw something floundering inside the Black Ink Cloud. It was the monster that came from this place.
Yang Kai’s lips twitched as he got the gist of it now.
The Feudal Lord did see an Open Heaven Pill, but it was not the kind that Yang Kai was hunting down. It was one of the lower-grade ones.
Yang Kai had witnessed the creation of the Open Heaven Pills, so that was how he knew there were two different Grades of Open Heaven Pills, but the Black Ink Clan did not. The Feudal Lord had immediately assumed that the Open Heaven Pill he saw was the opportunity the Human Race Masters wanted.
There was nothing wrong with his information, but… it barely mattered.
Yang Kai slammed his hand against the Feudal Lord and with a surge of World Force, the Feudal Lord was sent flying backwards. He spat out a mouthful of blood. He was certain that Yang Kai was reneging on the promise and that he was doomed to die, but to his surprise, he landed with his life still intact.
“Scram!” Yang Kai’s voice rang out from a distance.
The Feudal Lord felt as if he had been granted a Heavenly pardon, so he loudly called out, “Many thanks, Sir Yang Kai!”
Then, he turned into a Black Ink Cloud and fled at once in spite of his injuries.
A heavily injured Feudal Lord was severely weakened, so letting him go was not a big deal. Yang Kai was not someone who would easily choose to renege on a promise he made.
Moreover, he could even use this Feudal Lord to let the word get out that he, Yang Kai, had already gotten an Open Heaven Pill! Some from the Black Ink Clan would surely turn their attention onto him, which would ease the burden on the other Human Race Masters.
Even though he could not defeat a Pseudo-Royal Lord, he could still escape from one fairly easily.
At this moment, Yang Kai’s curiosity was mostly piqued by the monster; more specifically, why did it devour an Open Heaven Pill?
Yang Kai surmised that these peculiar monsters were common inside the Universe Furnace as he had seen a number of them in the great river and now encountered another one at the mountain range.
[Open Heaven Pills are created inside the Universe Furnace too. Do they benefit these monsters in some way?]
With a flick of his hand, the Black Ink Cloud left by the Feudal Lord dispersed to reveal the monster that was still stumbling around woozily.
Endless Shattered Dao Essence flowed and surged like water across its body which kept changing forms as a result.
Previously, Yang Kai did not pay much attention to this monster, but after hearing what the Feudal Lord said, he took a closer look and finally noticed something unusual.
There was indeed an Open Heaven Pill inside the monster. It was wrapped inside the monster’s Shattered Dao Essence and its aura occasionally peeked only to disappear again.
Yang Kai could not tell whether this monster counted as a living being or not, but judging by how a Black Ink Cloud from a Feudal Lord was enough to hinder it, it would not be a living being of high sentience, even if it was technically alive.
However, Yang Kai was a little puzzled as he wondered why it did not merge with the mountain range…
During his explorations back at the Great River, the monsters would merge with the Great River when they realized they could not defeat the one they were up against, which made it hard for Yang Kai to track or capture one.
Logically speaking, the monster in front of him now would also have the ability to merge with the mountain range. The foundation of both the monster and the mountain range seemed similar as they were both created from Shattered Dao Essence. It would be possible for them to completely merge together.
Alas, Yang Kai’s thoughts instantly turned into reality. As soon as he finished pondering, the monster showed signs of attempting to merge with the mountain range. He was about to stop the monster when he quickly halted.
Yang Kai watched as the monster tried to sink into the mountain range, but it was to no avail. It was as if the mountain range rejected it. The monster lay flat on the ground like a puddle of flowing water, and the Open Heaven Pill’s aura was exposed once more.
It was indeed a lower-grade Open Heaven Pill. Yang Kai had collected a few of these earlier, so they were not unfamiliar to him.
He could have claimed the Open Heaven Pill for himself if he wanted, but Yang Kai was curious to see what would happen, so he did not immediately act.
He had a gut feeling that it was more important to figure out why the monster devoured the Open Heaven Pill.
The puddle of water started moving and the Open Heaven Pill aura followed along as well. The monster kept trying to merge with the mountain range at different spots, but nothing worked.
After observing all of this, Yang Kai finally realized why that was the case.
The monster had absorbed a trace of the Open Heaven Pill’s medicinal efficacies, and the Shattered Dao Essence that it was made up of changed ever so slightly. That was the reason why it could not merge with the mountain range, though they were originally formed of the same substance.
Thoughts began coursing through Yang Kai’s mind.
[Does this mean it wasn’t pointless for the monster to devour an Open Heaven Pill? Was it an instinctive act? What happens if it completely absorbs the Open Heaven Pill?]
It was just a unique being that was born inside the Universe Furnace…
After mulling things over for a short while, Yang Kai abruptly stretched his hand out in a grabbing motion while opening a portal to his Small Universe.
With the restriction from Yang Kai’s use of Space Principles, he was able to grab the fluid-like monster from the ground and toss it into his Small Universe without giving it any time to react.
Then, with a single thought, Yang Kai used the power of the Small Universe to lock down the monster. At the same time, he used the Grand Dao of Time to control the flow of time inside a small restricted area.
Time raced forward in that small portion of his Small Universe. It was already 10 times faster than the outside world, to begin with, and with what he did now, time flew by even faster within the confined region.
Yang Kai went full force with this; thus, it was only a blink of an eye in the world outside, but the monster experienced an entire month of time.
The monster kept harnessing and refining the medicinal efficacies of the Open Heaven Pill. It was slowly absorbed into its body.
Yang Kai noticed that an unexpected change was slowly taking place with the chaotic and disorderly Dao Essence that originally formed the monster’s body.
The Dao Essence was gaining order and structure, and along with this, the monster’s form kept changing as well.
When Yang Kai first encountered these monsters, he could not even determine whether they were living beings or not because they did not have any of the characteristics found in living beings.
Yet, as the monster absorbed the medicinal efficacies of the Open Heaven Pill, its form changed as well, and it was slowly giving off the aura of a living creature.
The changes were becoming increasingly noticeable.
At last, when the Open Heaven Pill was fully absorbed and completely disappeared inside the monster’s body, the monster in front of Yang Kai was no longer a mass of free-flowing fluid.
Its form kept changing until a silhouette appeared. Then the silhouette continued refining itself until what finally appeared in front of Yang Kai’s eyes was a figure that looked similar to that of a Human.
The monster from the Universe Furnace was able to take on a humanoid physical form after devouring and absorbing the medicinal efficacies of an Open Heaven Pill.
It now had four limbs and a whole set of facial features. In fact, the monster’s outwardly appearance was around 60% to 70% similar to the Feudal Lord that Yang Kai let go…
Yang Kai began pondering on this. Such an appearance could not be a coincidence. [Could it be that this monster has a natural mimetic instinct? When it could finally hold a physical form, did it instinctively take after the Feudal Lord’s appearance because of the fight with him earlier?]
Yang Kai felt a little relieved that he did not interact much with this monster, or otherwise, it would feel pretty strange and uncomfortable if it suddenly assumed a form similar to his own.
With the existence of such strange beings, Yang Kai swiftly realized that the situation inside the Universe Furnace was quite likely a lot more complex than he originally thought.
Initially, he assumed that it would only be the Humans and the Black Ink Clan inside the Universe Furnace as they fought to gain opportunities with the Open Heaven Pills. Anyone he would encounter would either be his ally or his enemy; however, he now realised that perhaps there was a third party as well.
There was no denying that the Open Heaven Pills created by the Universe Furnace were of great use to these monsters who needed them by nature.
Since that was the case, it was going to be even more difficult for both the Humans and the Black Ink Clan to procure the scattered Open Heaven Pills.
Ever since the beginning, the Universe Furnace would create Open Heaven Pills whenever it surfaced. These native monsters would have greatly benefited from the production of these Open Heaven Pills in the past. They would have been able to escape from their chaotic state and gain a new life…
The monster that now had a physical form that looked similar to the earlier Feudal Lord was clearly a special kind of lifeform.
Yang Kai could sense some vitality, and the monster was partly sentient now. That was why it was carefully examining the world around it, but alas, it could not discover anything since it was in Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
There was a third Great Force inside the Universe Furnace, and no one knew how strong it was. This was not good news for the Human Race Masters who came in to search for opportunities.
[The strength of these native monsters… cannot be underestimated.]
A thought occurred to Yang Kai, and all of a sudden, his Soul Avatar manifested in front of the monster in his Small Universe and he slammed his palm against it. The fight broke out immediately.
Moments later, the dust settled. Yang Kai was standing still and staring at the monster’s meagre remains with a deep frown.
He encountered some of these native monsters in the great river and fought against them there too, but those monsters did not absorb the medicinal efficacies from the Open Heaven Pills and were fairly easy to deal with. The only tricky aspect was the way they merged with the Great River when they were on the verge of defeat, which made them untraceable.
However, after his latest probe, Yang Kai concluded that the monster that absorbed the medicinal efficacies of an Open Heaven Pill and gained a stable physical form was decidedly harder to deal with.
Its most significant characteristic was its endurance. Yang Kai was at the peak of Eighth Order and his strength far surpassed anyone in the same realm as him. He could even kill an Innate Territory Lord in three blows if he went all out.
However, he actually had to put in some effort to kill this monster. It seemed to have a naturally strong resistance to the World Force inside an Open Heaven Realm Master’s Small Universe. The efficacy of the attack was only about a third of its full strength.
Furthermore, these monsters’ physical bodies were odd and hard to injure.
Nevertheless, they had weaknesses too. Dao Strengths were able to restrain them significantly. Earlier on, Yang Kai harnessed his Dao Strengths as he attacked the monster. As a result, the monster howled in agony before disappearing like snow melting under the summer sun, leaving nothing but its destroyed remains behind.
Following all the experiments Yang Kai did, he came to one conclusion. It was going to be somewhat tricky to deal with these monsters from the Universe Furnace!
After taking the remains out of his Small Universe, he began to examine everything once more. He only stopped once he confirmed there would not be any lingering danger.
The most beneficial opportunities inside the Universe Furnace were the nine special Open Heaven Pills that would allow the Human Race Masters to reach the Ninth Order; however, the ordinary Innate Open Heaven Pills were clearly valuable too, so it would not do to pass up on them if found.
[Since there was an ordinary Open Heaven Pill here, there could be more.]
Yang Kai quickly began his search through the mountain range. It was formed solely of chaotic Dao Essence and it was not easy to search for treasure in a place like this. His Divine Sense was hindered and he could not inspect much further from where he was.
Thankfully, Yang Kai could move quickly and soon finished combing through the mountain range, finding two ordinary Open Heaven Pills.
Both of these had been swallowed by the native monsters, but due to this, they could not hide their presence and Yang Kai easily found them. With the surge of Dao Strengths directed at them, the two monsters swiftly turned into smithereens, and Yang Kai collected the Open Heaven Pills with great ease.
All of a sudden, he realised that native monsters shared a similarity with him. They were just as good at escaping as he was! That being said, as long as he was able to restrict their ability to flee, it would not be too hard for him to deal with them.
This applied to Yang Kai too, and he quietly mused to himself. [The Black Ink Clan probably thought of this solution to deal with me too, so that was why they had to set up that Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Grand Array.]
Once again, Yang Kai continued travelling along the meandering great river.
Throughout the journey, he saw many of the curious and intriguing sights of this Sealed World that were real eye-openers for him. He did also run into several Black Ink Clansmen who were alone.
The Black Ink Clan Army had been separated when they came in, but there were still millions of them, so it was unsurprising that Yang Kai ran into them.
There was not much to be said about dealing with them as Yang Kai just executed them on the spot as soon as he spotted them.
Space and Time in this place seemed to grow hazy as it was filled with chaotic Dao Essence. Yang Kai did not know how long he had been travelling, but after doing so for what must have been quite some time, he suddenly sensed disturbances from a fight taking place up ahead.
The cultivation realm of both parties… was not low by any means.
Yang Kai’s gaze hardened as he hid his aura and used Space Principles to fade into the Void before rushing straight for the fight.
Soon, he arrived and saw an Eighth-Order Master battling a Territory Lord.
The Territory Lord seemed to be an Acquired Territory Lord, and the Eighth-Order Master was an unfamiliar face. Yang Kai had never seen him before, so he figured that this person must have become an Eighth-Order Master fairly recently.
The two were evenly matched in battle, but both the Eighth-Order Master and the Territory Lord were clearly holding back, neither of them going all out.
This was not because they were averse to killing each other, but because a fight inside the Universe Furnace would naturally draw attention. If a newcomer was an ally, then it would be great, but if it was an enemy, then the situation would become dangerous.
By reserving some of their strength, they would be able to escape if they sensed that things were going south for them.
Thus, even though the fight was intense, it was unlikely to result in an actual death on either side. All in all, neither one could defeat the other in this kind of battle.
Yang Kai quietly observed for a brief moment before secretly communicating with the Eighth-Order Master. The latter was deeply shocked but he did not let it show on his face.
The next breath, he suddenly caught the Territory Lord unaware by launching an attack with full force. However, the Territory Lord had been on guard and swiftly counterattacked with full strength as well.
Just then, a figure popped up behind him like a ghost. Mysterious Dao Strengths flared as Space solidified and Time blurred…
Just as the Territory Lord’s perception was disrupted by Space-Time Strength, a large hand reached out to him from behind and smashed down on his head.
His head collapsed into his chest and his forehead split open.
The Eighth-Order Master also launched a series of Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques to kill the Territory Lord at once.
He was delighted from having killed a strong opponent and was about to greet Yang Kai when the latter’s expression changed. Yang Kai turned in a certain direction. The very next moment, his figure dashed off into the distance and disappeared.
“Stay here and wait for me!” The Eighth-Order Master heard a voice saying to him.
At first, the Eighth-Order Master was a little confused, but he soon realised what was happening and felt belated fear. He knew he would have been in a disastrous situation if Yang Kai had not come along and given him a hand.
After cleaning up the battlefield a little and consuming a Spirit Pill to replenish himself, he stood still and waited. A moment later, Yang Kai reappeared.
The Eighth-Order Master immediately cupped his fist and bowed, “Wolf Fang Army, Liao Zheng greets Sir Yang!”
They were both Eighth-Order Masters, but Liao Zheng looked rather excited. It was as if he was meeting someone he greatly admired.
In reality, that was exactly what was happening. Among the rising stars of the Human Race, no one was as famous or lauded as Yang Kai, not even Mi Jing Lun who oversaw the Supreme Headquarters or the new Ninth-Order Masters.
The Humans went through many crises and difficulties after the great evacuation all those years ago, and Yang Kai’s efforts largely contributed to the Human Race’s ability to hang on thus far.
Without Yang Kai, Profound Nether Territory would have been lost. Without Yang Kai, the rising stars would not have had a suitable place to temper themselves and cultivate. Without Yang Kai, the Human Race would not have Purifying Light, and the Black Ink Clan would not be hindered as much as they were now.
When these rising stars first started cultivating, their Seniors told them stories of Yang Kai’s many contributions. Their Seniors wanted them to know how everything the Human Race had now come to be, and for them to look up to Yang Kai and follow in his footsteps.
The respect and admiration they had for Yang Kai were seared deep into their hearts. It would not be affected no matter how much stronger they became in terms of cultivation.
Yang Kai nodded lightly and observed the Eighth-Order Master before saying with a smile, “We’re both Eighth-Order Masters. Just address me as Senior Brother. You don’t need to address me as Sir.”
At that moment, he suddenly understood what it must have been like for Wei Jun Yang and Ou Yang Lie when they met him back then in Profound Nether Territory.
Before he returned to Profound Nether Territory, both Wei Jun Yang and Ou Yang Lie were his Seniors, but upon meeting them again after becoming an Eighth-Order Master himself, they insisted on interacting with him as equals.
For Open Heaven Realm Masters, age was not the deciding factor in the way they interacted with and addressed each other. It was based on their cultivation!
Liao Zheng was visibly overwhelmed at being shown such respect. He could not bring himself to address Yang Kai as Senior Brother Yang.
Yang Kai wrapped Liao Zheng up in Space Principles and said, “This isn’t a good place to talk. Come with me.”
A few moments later, Yang Kai and Liao Zheng reappeared beside the great river. Liao Zheng fell into a daze when he saw the magnificent river. He exclaimed, “So, this is the Infinite River! It’s endless indeed!”
“Do you know about this river?” Yang Kai quipped puzzledly.
“Before we came in, we received information about what it was like inside the Universe Furnace,” Liao Zheng replied, “Senior Brother Blood Crow also shared some information with us, which included records of the Infinite River.”
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, “How much do all of you know about the Universe Furnace?”
[Blood Crow was indeed someone who entered the Universe Furnace before. He must’ve gotten the Open Heaven Pills that were stolen and stored in Blood Monster Cave Heaven from the Universe Furnace.]
It would not be hard for the Humans to gather information about the Universe Furnace when they had Blood Crow who had firsthand experience.
This information was what Yang Kai urgently needed. Although the Universe Furnace sucked him in much earlier than everyone else, he barely knew anything about the situation here.
Liao Zheng quickly took out an empty jade slip, “Please give me a moment, Senior Brother. I will record everything that I know. Before we came in, Senior Brother Mi told us that if any of us runs into you, Senior Brother Yang, we must give you the information about the Universe Furnace right away.”
Yang Kai nodded and waited.
With a surge of Divine Sense, Liao Zheng soon added all the information he had into the jade slip before passing it to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai took the jade slip and began examining the information…
True enough, he saw the records of the Infinite River. He noted that the Humans intended to use this river as a means of regrouping. They knew beforehand that they would be separated upon entering the Universe Furnace and that it would be challenging for them to gather once more because the world inside the Universe Furnace was boundless. Even though they brought things that would aid them in communication, it would still be difficult to locate each other in such a vast, open space.
Though, if they were physically connected in some way, such as holding hands, before they entered the Universe Furnace, then they would be transported to the same place instead of getting separated. Apart from that, nothing else would work, not even if they used aura or a Secret Technique to maintain a connection.
However, the battle had been incredibly intense throughout all the Great Territory Battlefields, save for the three that the Black Ink Clan gave up on from the start. Liao Zheng had come from the Wolf Fang Territory Battlefield where the Black Ink Clan had the upper hand, so the Human Masters had to force their way past the Black Ink Clan’s defence lines to enter the Universe Furnace. Although they acted together, it was difficult for all of them to maintain physical contact with each other, so Liao Zheng entered the Universe Furnace alone.
Many Human Masters managed to enter in small groups of three to five, which meant that their safety was less of a concern. After learning this, Yang Kai heaved a small sigh of relief. He had been worried that the Eighth-Order Masters would suffer if they ran into any Pseudo-Royal Lords, but based on what he knew now, the situation would not be as bad as he thought. Groups of three to five Eighth-Order Masters could form Battle Formations that gave them a fighting chance against a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
For Masters who entered the Universe Furnace separately because they could not maintain physical contact with anyone else, Blood Crow suggested that they locate the Infinite River as soon as they arrived and follow it. That way, they would eventually run into allies no matter which direction they travelled. This was a way to meet up with other Human Race Masters who had been separated.
That was the reason why Yang Kai, who was also following the Infinite River as he had no better idea, picked up on the fight between Liao Zheng and the Territory Lord. Liao Zheng had been searching for the Infinite River to regroup with the others.
Yang Kai continued checking the information and saw some regarding the Open Heaven Pills created inside the Universe Furnace. It was just as he deduced. There were different grades of Open Heaven Pills. Based on the way Blood Crow categorised them, the nine best Open Heaven Pills were considered Supreme Grade while the rest were Ordinary Grade.
Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills could help the Human Eighth-Order Masters become Ninth-Order Masters, but these Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills were extremely valuable too. Consuming them would help a Master break through their bottlenecks and save time by forgoing many years of cultivating in seclusion.
However, Yang Kai began frowning at another piece of information. He looked up and asked, “The Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills might help a Territory Lord become a Royal Lord? Did Blood Crow explain why?”
All along, Yang Kai assumed that the Open Heaven Pills from the Universe Furnace were opportunities that belonged to the Human Race. Even if the Black Ink Clan Masters entered this place, they only did so to stop the Humans from gaining these opportunities. However, the information he now had stated that the Black Ink Clan could also benefit from these opportunities!
Yang Kai did not understand this. [Why is it that a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill can help a Territory Lord become a Royal Lord?]
Liao Zheng explained, “Senior Brother Xiang asked about this too, and Senior Brother Blood Crow couldn’t explain exactly why that might be the case. He speculated that this is due to the mysterious nature of the Open Heaven Pills. Anyone, regardless of whether they’re a Human or a Black Ink Clansman, would be able to break through their barriers if they consumed a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.”
Yang Kai frowned as this was troubling news. The Black Ink Clan’s goal was to stop the Humans from gaining these opportunities, but this information meant that they had every reason to seize these opportunities for themselves too. [If a Territory Lord found one of the nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills and became a Royal Lord, then the Humans would not only lose a chance to gain a Ninth-Order Master, but would also gain a formidable opponent.
A gain for one meant a loss for the other. It would be a terrible loss for the Humans.
The good news was the fact that the Black Ink Clan barely knew anything about the Universe Furnace and even less about the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills. They probably had no idea that the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills were beneficial to them yet.
However, this would easily be discovered once a Black Ink Clan Master managed to get a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. There was no way of hiding this information.
Yang Kai was even more concerned by the fact that the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills did not only work on the Humans and the Black Ink Clan, but even the native monsters would benefit greatly from them.
The information inside the jade slip included records of the strange monsters inside the Universe Furnace. They were called Chaos Entities, and these were the ones Yang Kai encountered in the Infinite River and at the mountain range.
Blood Crow did have a solid understanding of the situation inside the Universe Furnace, as expected of someone who had firsthand experience in the search for opportunities.
There were different types of Chaos Entities. The ones made up of chaotic Shattered Dao Essence were the simplest of the Chaos Entities. While it was not easy to deal with them, it was not difficult either, as long as the Masters attacked with their Dao Strengths they could be defeated.
Apart from the countless Chaos Entities, the Universe Furnace also had Chaos Spirits, which had some level of sentience and fixed forms!
If the monsters Yang Kai encountered in the Infinite River were Chaos Entities, then the one he shoved inside his Small Universe and took on a form that was similar to the Feudal Lord after absorbing the Open Heaven Pill’s medicinal efficacies was a Chaos Spirit.
Basically, Chaos Spirits evolved from Chaos Entities, and the only thing that separated the two was an Open Heaven Pill.
Blood Crow informed the Human Race Masters that it was not a big deal if they encountered a Chaos Entity. As long as they were not disturbed, they would not attack first as they were not sentient.
However, he warned them that if they encountered a Chaos Spirit, then they had to be extremely careful because each one would be capable of gathering a large number of Chaos Entities as their subordinates, and these Chaos Entities would preemptively attack anyone who was not the same type of being as them.
If the Humans did run into a Chaos Spirit, they would have to either defeat their opponent swiftly, or leave as soon as possible.
Yang Kai’s hair stood on end when he saw Blood Crow’s speculation that there could be Chaos Spirit Kings hidden inside the Universe Furnace!
What was a Chaos Spirit King?
Chaos Entities who devoured Open Heaven Pills would become Chaos Spirits. Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills created ordinary Chaos Spirits, whereas the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills created Chaos Spirit Kings!
This was not baseless guesswork either. The Universe Furnace had surfaced many times throughout history, and even if only nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills were formed each time, it was unlikely that every single one had been taken away by someone from the outside. There would have been extremely lucky Chaos Entities who managed to absorb and refine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills.
Blood Crow did not know how strong a Chaos Spirit King was as he never came across one; however, when he previously entered the Universe Furnace in search of opportunities, he sensed an intense battle taking place in the void very far away from him. It was a fight between a Ninth-Order Master and some other Master. At the time, Blood Crow did not pick up on the aura of anyone from the Black Ink Clan which he was now familiar with…
If the Ninth-Order Master was not battling against someone from the Black Ink Clan, then it was clear what the implications were.
If Blood Crow was right about this, the so-called Chaos Spirit King would not be any weaker than a Ninth-Order Master or a Royal Lord. They all stood at the apex.
Yang Kai felt a little overwhelmed.
Although he had already figured out that there was a third Great Force inside the Universe Furnace, he never considered the possibility that they would be harder to deal with than he expected!
If the Humans did not handle the search for opportunities inside the Universe Furnace well, it could become a calamity instead!
The jade slip contained other information and reports about the Universe Furnace World, so Yang Kai read through everything and seared the information into his memory.
Then, he destroyed the jade slip and asked, “How many people from our side came in?”
“I don’t know precisely how many as the Supreme Headquarters made all the arrangements,” Liao Zheng replied, “But if we’re talking about just the Wolf Fang Army, around 600 of us came in. Less than 200 of us are Eighth-Order Masters. The rest are in the Seventh Order.”
Yang Kai was startled, “Seventh-Order Masters came in as well?”
However, he soon figured it out, “Is it for the Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills?”
Liao Zheng nodded, “Many of these Seventh-Order Masters have not reached their limit yet, but because they have not been cultivating for long, they are still facing bottlenecks despite having enough heritage. They’re not here for the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, but they might be able to become Eighth-Order Masters a lot quicker if they find some of the Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills.”
Yang Kai more or less understood Mi Jing Lun’s arrangement.
At this point, the Humans kept having new High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters added to their ranks because they had two Open Heaven Realm Cradles, which were the Star Boundary and the Myriad Monsters World.
These were all rising stars who benefited from the World Tree clones, so they had a higher starting point. Many of them became Sixth-Order Masters from the get-go; however, even if they were now Seventh-Order Masters and had enough heritage in their Small Universes, it was hard for them to become Eighth-Order Masters within a short timeframe as they had not been cultivating for long.
Even someone like Feng Ying, an elite among the Humans who had been in countless battles on the Black Ink Battlefield, had to spend over two centuries cultivating in seclusion before she could go from Seventh-Order to Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, so what more need be said about others?
Most Masters would encounter a bottleneck of their own unless they were extremely fortunate or had exceedingly solid foundations, though the difficulty of breaking through the bottleneck always varied.
Once they reached the bottleneck, they could break through it within a century or two if they were lucky, but the unlucky ones might even take up to a few millennia if they ever succeeded at all.
The best thing to do was to let these Seventh-Order Masters look for the Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills inside the Universe Furnace. If they could gain some of these opportunities, then the Humans would have more Eighth-Order Masters around, which would be a huge boost in future battles against the Black Ink Clan or the Chaos Spirit Clan.
Compared to the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, it was far easier to find Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills. Apart from the ones Yang Kai seized when the Universe Furnace emerged, he had also found two of them at the mountain range earlier.
Based on his earlier observations, there were quite a lot of Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills. The Human Masters would surely be able to find some unless they were extremely unlucky.
This meant that quite a number of the Seventh-Order Masters who came in would soon become Eighth-Order Masters!
“You mentioned Senior Brother Xiang earlier. Has he become a Ninth-Order Master?” Yang Kai asked.
Liao Zheng shook his head, “No, so Senior Brother Xiang came in this time too.”
[Xiang Shan didn’t break through to the Ninth Order?] Yang Kai was a little startled. He thought it would have been fairly easy for Xiang Shan to do so, but from the looks of it now, he was still heavily affected by the previous regression in his Order thanks to sacrificing a large chunk of his Small Universe. Otherwise, with his aptitude and talent, it was unlikely for him to fail to have a breakthrough after so many years of retreat.
The Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills might just be his only hope.
[Would Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills be useful for this situation?]
Xiang Shan had the aptitude to become a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. He was different from the others like Ou Yang Lie and Mi Jing Lun who started off in the Sixth-Order. He was now stuck at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm and could not go beyond this, so it could be considered a bottleneck. [Theoretically speaking, an Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pill would probably… be useful in his situation?]
In that case, the Humans would soon have a new Ninth-Order Master inside the Universe Furnace.
This was thrilling news for the Humans and a catastrophe for the Black Ink Clan.
Yang Kai was caught up in these thoughts of his. Meanwhile, in a different part of the Universe Furnace World, there was a terrain that appeared to be a dense forest.
At a glance, the dense forest was just like a regular one outside with towering trees and a variety of plants, but it did not have the sounds of nature and life.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that this seemingly ordinary forest was entirely made up of Shattered Dao Essence, just like the Infinite River and the mountain range that Yang Kai found.
There were a lot of strange sights inside the Universe Furnace. It had everything that could be found in the outside world, but it also had things that could not be found anywhere else.
There was no denying that the space inside the Universe Furnace was exceedingly mysterious.
…..
At this very moment, a heroic-looking figure was sitting cross-legged under a large tree. This Human wore a deep red robe that was quite eye-catching. He did not hide his aura, which was that of an Eighth-Order Master at the peak of his realm. He readily allowed his aura to spread in all directions. Anyone who was nearby would instantly sense it.
He was none other than Xiang Shan!
Usually, Xiang Shang kept a pretty low profile, but he was now purposely announcing his presence because he wanted to attract the Black Ink Clan’s attention, as well as allow the Humans to locate him quickly.
He did not keep a high profile because he was full of himself. Instead, it was because he was confident.
After cultivating in seclusion for over 1,000 years and failing to break through his bottleneck, Xiang Shan realised that he could not rely on his own efforts alone to become a Ninth-Order Master. That was why he entered the Universe Furnace as well.
The Open Heaven Pills could aid him in his efforts to break through into the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and he was not doing so for his own greed. If he became a Ninth-Order Master, the Humans would gain an even more powerful warrior who could deter the enemy.
Xiang Shan had already partaken in a fight earlier and his victory was seen in the form of the scattered remains of a Chaos Entity nearby who was destroyed by his Dao Strength.
As it was, he was fairly lucky. He ended up here when he entered the Universe Furnace and ran into a Chaos Entity who had consumed an Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pill right away. Naturally, Xiang Shan wasted no time and effort in killing the Chaos Entity and taking the Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pill for himself.
He consumed it at once and began refining it!
Moments later, Xiang Shan stood up and held his hands behind his back before letting out a weak sigh.
The Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pill could not help him with his present condition. Even though he figured as much already, he was still disappointed that he had been proven correct.
The real reason why he could not become a Ninth-Order Master was the drawbacks left behind when his Order fell in the past.
No one else knew about this, but he knew full well that his Small Universe never regained perfection after what happened back then.
If he wanted to resolve this, he would have to get a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill!
However, there were only a handful of Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills and it would not be easy to find one. Either way, all he could do was try, the rest was up to the Heavens.
With that thought in mind, Xiang Shan turned into a streak of red light and shot out of the dense forest. As he headed off into his distance, his formidable aura spread across the void and became even more prominent.
…..
Xiang Shan thought of the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills as something rare and almost ethereal. He did not know where to look for one, but somehow, there would always be lucky ones who would find what they wanted even without specifically looking for it.
An intense battle had just ended in another part of the void. The chaotic Shattered Dao Essence was disrupted by the aftershocks of the battle and space became strange and unpredictable.
Two figures stood together. One was a young man dressed in white. He had white hair and bright eyes. The other was a slender woman with delicate features.
As the two of them stood together, they gave off the feeling of a well-matched couple.
The young man and woman were Yang Xiao and Yang Xue from the Suppressing Black Ink Army.
When the Universe Furnace projection fully manifested at the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, the Black Ink Clan Army charged through the opening in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction in an attempt to keep the Suppressing Black Ink Army occupied, but after a frenzied battle, the Black Ink Clan suffered devastating losses. Even the two Royal Lords who took the risk to come out had been severely injured by Fu Guang with the help of his Dragon Bead. One of them nearly died on the spot.
The Black Ink Clan had no choice but to retreat, and the 50 Eighth-Order Masters from the Suppressing Black Ink Army who had been chosen to enter the Universe Furnace managed to do so at the very last breath.
Ever since the Suppressing Black Ink Army took up the responsibility of standing guard at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, they did not have any means of contacting the Supreme Headquarters directly. The distance between them was too great, so it was only Yang Kai who could travel back and forth freely, and he had already visited them once due to the Innate Territory Lords sneaking out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Due to this, Yang Xiao and Yang Xue did not know much about the Universe Furnace; hence, they had no idea that everyone would be separated once they entered.
That being said, despite not knowing about this, Yang Xiao did grab Yang Xue’s hand before they entered. He was not a naive young boy anymore. After all the years of fighting against the Black Ink Clan, he was no longer the mischievous child he once was. Now, he was able to stand alone and shoulder heavy responsibilities.
As a man, he was constantly protective of Yang Xue who was with him all the time; thus, he instinctively grabbed Yang Xue’s hand before entering the Universe Furnace.
This was how they were able to stay together upon entering.
Unfortunately, they had not been inside long before they ran into a Territory Lord.
The Territory Lords who entered the Universe Furnace were Acquired Territory Lords as basically all the Innate Territory Lords who were well and whole had taken part in the plan to create Pseudo-Royal Lords. The only Innate Territory Lords the Black Ink Clan had now were the ones who snuck out from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction or the ones with heavy wounds from battle.
These Innate Territory Lords were severely weakened, so they could not enter the Universe Furnace.
Even in a one-on-one fight, both Yang Xiao and Yang Xue could easily go up against an Acquired Territory Lord, so what more when they were up against one together?
The Territory Lord did not even have the chance to escape as the two of them joined forces and harnessed Time Principles, which turned the Territory Lord into dust.
The two of them came out of the fight completely unscathed!
However, Yang Xiao started frowning as he turned and stared into the distance.
Yang Xue noticed this and was a little anxious, “Are you hurt?”
Yang Xiao shook his head, “No, but… Little Aunt, I think there’s something over there.”
“What is it?” They were in the middle of an endless void, and after hearing what Yang Xiao said, Yang Xue was on edge. She felt as if someone was hiding somewhere and spying on them in secret.
“I don’t know,” Yang Xiao could not explain it either. He raised his hands and channeled the power of his Great Sun and Moon Marks, “When I used Purifying Light earlier, I sensed a vague connection to something over there. These two Marks are something that Adoptive Father gave me!”
Yang Kai had obtained 10 sets of Great Sun and Moon Marks, along with a large amount of Yellow and Blue Crystals from Chaotic Dead Territory. He gave them to 10 Divine Spirits which enabled them to supply the dozen or so Great Territory Battlefields with Purifying Light even when he was not present. This eased the awkwardness and pressure Yang Kai felt from being exhausted and stretched too thin.
This was why Yang Xiao had the Great Sun and Moon Marks from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.
Earlier on, when he was working together with Yang Xue to kill the Territory Lord, Yang Xiao used Purifying Light to attack the enemy, and it was this action that led to the two Marks on his hands sensing something.
[But, what could possibly interact with the Great Sun and Moon Marks inside the Universe Furnace?] Yang Xiao could not figure it out.
Yang Kai would not have thought that Yang Xiao would be the first to reap the rewards of him marking nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills. It could only be chalked up to a person’s luck, which was not something that could be calculated.
Yang Xue’s eyes brightened at once, “Could it be Big Brother?”
She made this guess because Yang Kai also had the Great Sun and Moon Marks, and if both were used, it was normal to sense a Mark from the same source.
Yang Xiao was shocked as well, “It could be. Come. Let’s go and take a look.”
“Why is there a desert here?”
An hour later, Yang Xue froze in a daze as she took in the odd scene in front of her. A barren desert had popped up in the middle of the boundless void, a startling sight for any who saw it.
The two of them quickly surveyed the place and soon realised that it was not a real desert, even though it looked identical to a real one. This seemingly enormous desert was entirely made out of the strange Shattered Dao Essence.
All they saw around them was golden sand that stretched as far as their eyes could see. There was even a fierce wind that blew through the area, and the sand dunes that rose high up to the sky looked majestic!
Anyone who saw this sight would immediately notice the peculiarity of the situation, as well as the danger; however, the closer they got, the clearer the reaction was from Yang Xiao’s two Marks. He could tell that they were getting closer to the source of the reaction.
“Is Big Brother here?” Yang Xue frowned.
“Either way, we’ll find out once we look!” Yang Xiao replied.
Yang Xue nodded, and with a flick of her hand, something flew out and started spinning. It turned into a small temple the size of an ordinary dwelling. The characters ‘Flowing Time’ were etched on the sign above its main entrance. This was what used to be the Flowing Time Temple that they had inherited from the Star Boundary’s Flowing Time Great Emperor.
Over the past few millennia, both of their cultivations improved and their understanding of the Dao of Time had long since surpassed that of Flowing Time Great Emperor.
However, Flowing Time Great Emperor was still their Honoured Master; thus, Yang Xue could not bring herself to simply discard the Flowing Time Temple that the Great Emperor left behind.
Over the years, the two of them exchanged countless Military Merits to seek out the help of an Artifact Refining Great Grandmaster from Divine Cauldron Heaven to strengthen and improve the Flowing Time Temple.
The Flowing Time Temple was vastly different now when compared to its original state. Although it appeared largely the same, its power was not any weaker than that of Dawn’s Dawning Light Warship!
Throughout the many years of charging through the various Great Territory Battlefields, Yang Xiao’s Squad often relied on the Flowing Time Temple to battle against the Black Ink Clan Masters.
This Mobile Palace Artifact had accompanied the two of them on their journey of growth and witnessed their rise. There were countless times when they had relied on it to flee for their lives, and to them, it was no longer just an artifact anymore as it was something that had its own meaning for existence.
After summoning the Flowing Time Temple, the two of them swiftly entered. Yang Xue waved her hand once more and an hourglass-shaped artifact appeared in her fair hand. It was Infinite Hourglass, an artifact they had also inherited from the Flowing Time Great Emperor.
10,008 grains of Flowing Time Sand were sealed up inside the hourglass, and as the sand trickled down, Time Principles encased the Flowing Time Temple. This allowed it to become out of phase with normal Space-Time and become virtually undetectable.
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue remained on high alert as they travelled into the depths of the desert.
A few days later, the Flowing Time Temple abruptly stopped as Yang Xiao triggered his Great Sun and Moon Marks to quietly sense the surroundings for a moment. He then looked up at the towering sand dune in front of him, “It’s coming from the inside of that!”
No matter how one dissected the situation, it was strange to find a sand dune several thousand metres tall in the middle of this unending desert floating in the chaotic void.
The moment they arrived, the two of them realised that Yang Kai could not have been the source of the reaction from the Great Sun and Moon Marks. If he had been here, he would have sensed their approach a long time ago and would not have stayed hidden.
“Let me try,” Yang Xiao said softly as he raised his hand.
The Time Dao Strength that permeated out of the Infinite Hourglass in Yang Xue’s hand grew even more concentrated as she became even more fully focused.
The void shook, and under the vibrations from the Dragon Force, a stretch of bright light shot towards the sand dune.
The forceful blow centred on the sand dune before shooting out in all directions and stirring up clouds of sand in the process. Meanwhile, the seemingly lifeless desert sprung to life all of a sudden as hundreds of millions of grains of sand swirled in the air to form a giant cloud of several thousand metres tall that was constantly shifting in shape.
[What’s that?]
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were both terrified.
However, Yang Xue’s eyes soon lit up as she pointed at a specific spot in the sand dune, “An Open Heaven Pill!”
A multi-coloured light flickered momentarily amid the billowing sand. It had only shone through for the briefest moment, but Yang Xue still managed to spot the shape of a Spirit Pill, along with the mysterious aura which emanated from it.
The shackles that kept her at the peak of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation trembled ever so slightly just sniffing the aroma coming from it!
Yang Xiao had seen the same thing and could not resist laughing with glee, “We’ve found treasure, Little Aunt!”
He never thought they would stumble across an Open Heaven Pill this quickly after entering the Universe Furnace. He was a pure-blooded Dragon so he did not need an Open Heaven Pill. As long as he kept refining his Dragon Vein, he would be able to attain the body of a Divine Dragon. Naturally, this was no easy feat as, after all these years, the Dragon Clan had only birthed a handful of Divine Dragons.
However, Yang Xue needed the Open Heaven Pill.
In the past, Yang Xue had directly ascended to Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. At the time, the World Tree clone had only just begun blessing the Star Boundary and Yang Xue did not benefit much from it. The fact that she directly became a Sixth-Order Master was largely credited to her own aptitude.
If she had been born in the present era, Yang Xue’s aptitude and the blessing from the World Tree would have been enough for her to ascend directly to Seventh Order.
In any case, based on her current situation, reaching the peak of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation was her limit; however, if she could get the help of an Open Heaven Pill from the Universe Furnace, she could remove the shackles and reach the Ninth-Order!
Not only would she be able to reach the pinnacle of Martial Dao, but she would also provide a huge boost to the Human Race’s strength!
This Spirit Pill was the only reason why Yang Xiao accompanied Yang Xue into the Universe Furnace.
Technically speaking, Yang Xiao did not qualify to be one of the ones entering the Universe Furnace. There were over 400 Eighth-Order Masters in the Suppressing Black Ink Army and many of them were bound by the shackles which stopped them from rising into a higher realm. However, Fu Guang, who oversaw the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, only allowed 50 of them to enter the Universe Furnace. This meant that a lot of careful thought and discussion went into deciding who could go in.
As part of the Dragon Clan, Yang Xiao did not need an Open Heaven Pill, so naturally there was no reason to waste a quota on him.
Fu Guang did not express any form of opinion on this either. The 50 Eighth-Order Masters were decided based on the discussion among the inner circle of Masters in the Suppressing Black Ink Army. Initially, they arranged for Su Yan, Yu Ru Meng, Shan Qing Luo, and Yang Kai’s other wives to enter the Universe Furnace.
Without Yang Kai, the Human Race would not have made it to this day. Furthermore, his Wives had slaughtered just as many of the enemy, if not more, so they had every right to enter the Universe Furnace.
However, if Yang Xue was included among them as well, nearly a fifth of all the openings would go to people who were closely related to Yang Kai.
The entire Suppressing Black Ink Army could only afford to allow 50 Masters to enter, which meant that it would be quite unfair to the others.
In the end, it was Su Yan who said that she and the other Wives would not be entering the Universe Furnace. Instead, Yang Xiao would accompany Yang Xue in the search for opportunities. It would be up to fate to decide whether or not their search would be a success.
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue could be considered childhood friends who knew each other extremely well. They had spent thousands of years together and had long since developed the connection that allowed them to be of one heart and mind. When they joined forces, they were able to wield strength that was far greater than that of simply two Eighth-Order Masters combined.
Allowing Yang Xiao to accompany Yang Xue was the best way to ensure her safety; after all, she was Yang Kai’s only blood-related Little Sister. How would anyone be able to face Yang Kai if something happened to her inside the Universe Furnace?
Thus, the two Yangs entered the Universe Furnace just like that.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ye Bai, Zhao Ya, and Xu Yi, who were also with the Suppressing Black Ink Army, all had the aptitude to become Ninth-Order Masters on their own, so they did not need to enter the Universe Furnace in search of opportunities.
Before entering, Yang Xiao had secretly made up his mind to do whatever it took to protect Yang Xue and obtain an Open Heaven Pill that would enable her to become a Ninth-Order Master.
The only difficult part of this was figuring out how to locate such a valuable treasure.
Never would he have imagined it possible for them to locate the precious Open Heaven Pill that countless Human Race Masters desired so easily!
At this moment, he was puzzled as to what the relationship was between the Open Heaven Pill created by the Universe Furnace and the Great Sun and Moon Marks that his Adoptive Father gave him. Why was there a faint connection between them?
He could not figure it out and did not have the time to dwell on it either. As he probed into the sand dune, it seemed to stand up like a living creature, and the hundreds of millions of grains of sand were tumbling around in a way that made it look as if the sand dune was attempting to flee. It was a rather comical sight.
However, in the very next breath, Yang Xiao could no longer smile. Amid the strange movement of the sand dune, a huge surge of sand rose from the desert surface out of the blue, and soon, a large hand stuck out from the sand. It pressed down hard on the surface and a large silhouette appeared.
The silhouette was over 1,000 metres tall. It had the form of a Human and the face of a Human too, but the enormity of the body made the proportions look uncanny. It was as if a baboon had been enlarged by over a dozen times its size and had a Human’s head.
That was not all. More large hands stuck out from the sand, and soon, two more silhouettes joined the baboon-like figure with a Human head.
One of the figures looked like a normal Human while the other looked like it was from the Black Ink Clan!
Yang Xiao’s expression hardened slightly. Although he could not detect the strength of the three strange creatures and had no idea what these three even were, he had the innately heightened senses of a Dragon Clan which made it obvious to him that these three were not to be easily messed with.
They seemed to be guarding the sand dune that had devoured the Open Heaven Pill and would be attacking anyone who approached without any mercy.
Following the appearance of the three Chaos Spirits, the enormous sea of sand seemed to come to life as well. A whole host of formless Chaos Entities made up of Shattered Dao Essence began surging towards the Flowing Time Temple.
“Little Aunt!” Yang Xiao called out.
Without saying anything, Yang Xue began unleashing the power of the Flowing Time Temple as it charged towards the three Chaos Spirits.
To defeat an army, one should defeat the leader first!
Although the two of them did not know the difference between a Chaos Entity and a Chaos Spirit, they could tell that the three Chaos Spirits were the main obstacle in their attempt to seize the Open Heaven Pill. As long as they got rid of the three of them, everything else would not be an issue, including the sand dune that was several thousand metres tall…
The Flowing Time Temple flashed forward and all the Chaos Entities in its path were knocked away. This was a Mobile Palace Artifact of comparable strength to Dawning Light while its defences were the best it could possibly be as Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had spent a hefty amount of their Military Merits on it.
A fierce battle broke out in the desert. It was so intense that the desert seemed to be on the verge of crumbling apart. Although it was Yang Xiao and Yang Xue’s first time dealing with Chaos Entities and the Chaos Spirit Clan, they were not flustered at all as they had fought countless battles on numerous Great Territory Battlefields for millennia now.
At first, they had a harder time as they had not figured out the best way to face off against their opponents, but as time passed, they began to take control of the fight.
Pure World Force, Dragon Force, and even ordinary Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities had limited effects when it came to injuring these monsters, but when the two of them worked together to unleash pure Time Principles in the form of Time Dao Strength, they were able to restrain their opponents.
The three Chaos Spirits with physical forms were as powerful as Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords, but the Chaos Entities without physical forms had varying levels of strength. Some were incredibly weak and were instantly exterminated under the rush of Time Principles, while others were able to put up a struggle for a little while.
However, there was a seemingly endless number of Chaos Entities amid this sea of sand made out of Shattered Dao Essence…
Thankfully, the two had decided from the start that they would be targeting the leaders first to win the battle.
One of them had the body of an Ancient Dragon and an abundance of strength, while the other was at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm and naturally possessed power that could not be underestimated. Furthermore, they had cultivated the Dao of Time since their youth, and after thousands of years of effort, the Dao Strength they wielded when they joined forces to harness Time Principles far surpassed what was to be expected from someone of their cultivation realm.
They expended a fair amount of effort and paid a big price to kill the three Chaos Spirits, but in the end, all that was left was a sand dune several thousand metres tall that was fleeing deeper into the desert…
While Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were busy battling against the Chaos Spirit Clan, Yang Kai and Liao Zheng were travelling together along the Infinite River. After asking about Xiang Shan and hearing that he did not manage to become a Ninth-Order Master, Yang Kai found it lamentable.
However, this meant that the moment the Black Ink Clansmen came across either him or a seasoned Eighth-Order Master like Xiang Shan, they would immediately target the two of them.
The Black Ink Clan would not want to let either one of them gain an opportunity inside the Universe Furnace which would allow them to become Ninth-Order Masters.
All of a sudden, Liao Zheng asked, “Senior Brother Yang, was a Black Ink Clansman spying on us in secret just now?”
He recalled the way Yang Kai shot off on a chase immediately after they joined forces to kill the Territory Lord earlier. It meant that Yang Kai had noticed something.
Yang Kai nodded, “There was one, but they fled soon after realising that the situation didn’t look good for them. I couldn’t figure out where they went.”
By the time he went over to chase that Black Ink Clansman down, all that was left was a tiny trace of the enemy’s aura. Even Yang Kai had difficulty ascertaining the direction in which the Black Ink Clansman had fled amid the endless Shattered Dao Essence inside the Universe Furnace, so he had to return without achieving his goal.
Had this been the world outside, there was no way Yang Kai would have allowed a Territory Lord to escape from right under his nose when he could use Space Techniques.
Alas, this was a unique environment that greatly increased the difficulty of doing things like searching, tracking, and investigating.
Liao Zheng could not help but feel a sense of belated fear when he heard this. He knew that if Yang Kai had not discovered him by coincidence, then the tables would have turned and he would have been the one to suffer the fate of the Territory Lord instead.
As they travelled, the two of them remained on the lookout for both Open Heaven Pills and other Human Race Masters.
Less than half a day later, Liao Zheng’s expression abruptly changed. He took out a communication bead and checked it before exclaiming happily, “Senior Brother Yang, there’s a Seventh-Order Master up ahead.”
It had to be said that the Supreme Headquarters, or perhaps more specifically Mi Jing Lun, had given a lot of thought to this operation and prepared everything in great detail. Naturally, this was also because the Humans had ample knowledge regarding the Universe Furnace World.
Mi Jing Lun knew that most of the Humans would be separated when they entered, so he had them stick to the Infinite River as they travelled. That way, they would be able to encounter other Humans regardless of which direction they moved in. Inside the Universe Furnace, the Humans had to team up in groups to defend themselves against the Pseudo-Royal Lords.
Furthermore, Mi Jing Lun even asked Divine Cauldron Heaven to create communication beads that would allow the Human Race Masters to contact each other and handed these out to all of them.
Previously, Liao Zheng had dedicated a thread of his Divine Sense to the communication bead at all times to see whether there were any communications happening nearby. He also sent out regular messages to the general region but he never got a response.
However, just moments ago, a Seventh-Order Master got in touch with him.
Since their communication beads made contact, it meant they were fairly close to each other.
Yang Kai nodded at once, “Let’s go and look for him. Also, tell whoever it is to not enter the river.” Even though he did not think that others would be as careless as he was, it was still better to give a warning anyway. There were a lot of Chaos Entities inside the Infinite River and for the time being, Yang Kai had not encountered any Chaos Spirits, but it was still dangerous for a Seventh-Order Master to enter the river.
Liao Zheng acknowledged his instructions and complied with a flicker of Divine Sense.
The two continued forward for a little while longer, and sure enough, they saw a figure approaching from the distance, a woman. She had not known that Yang Kai would be here as well when she contacted Liao Zheng, so when she saw him, she was visibly excited as she greeted respectfully, “Disciple Qu Ling Ling, greets Palace Master!”
“You’re a disciple of High Heaven Palace?” Yang Kai remarked in surprise.
Even though he had never met this Qu Ling Ling before, she had to have come from High Heaven Palace since she addressed him as Palace Master.
Similarly, those who addressed him as Dao Lord came from the Void Dao Temple.
High Heaven Palace was now of great renown among the Human Race. It was comparable to any of the Cave Heavens or Paradises. In fact, within the Star Boundary, its fame was actually greater than that of all other Great Forces.
This was because Yang Kai was the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace!
When the World Tree clone at the Star Boundary first exhibited the ability to nurture the World, the Cave Heavens and Paradises set up Dao Temples and split up the territory among them to gather disciples with good aptitude. High Heaven Palace did not stop this as Yang Kai knew that the Star Boundary would be filled with many great talents in the future. High Heaven Palace would not be able to take all of them in, so allowing the Cave Heavens and Paradises to set up Dao Temples of their own would ease High Heaven Palace’s burden and ensure that the talent of these Humans did not go to waste.
Thus, when the Cave Heavens and Paradises started dividing up the Star Boundary among themselves, High Heaven Palace had given its full cooperation.
At the time, the Humans of the Star Boundary were pretty open to the other Cave Heavens and Paradises as they were all the mightiest Great Forces in the 3,000 Worlds. Those who could join them would surely make something of themselves in the future too.
However, as Yang Kai’s prestige continued to rise over the years, his fame soared and High Heaven Palace became the symbol of the Star Boundary. If given a choice, the Humans born in the Star Boundary would choose to join High Heaven Palace.
Qu Ling Ling had turned red from the excitement she felt when she met Yang Kai. Her Palace Master was a legend among the Human Race, and even though she had been a part of High Heaven Palace for many years, so much so that she was now a Seventh-Order Master, she had never met Yang Kai in person before. She had only seen his statue back at High Heaven Palace.
She never thought she would run into him after entering the Universe Furnace.
Liao Zheng was quite amused by this sight. He also possessed peak Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation and was quite famous among the Wolf Fang Army, but when compared to Yang Kai, he was nothing but a flicker of light against the dazzling bright moon that was Yang Kai.
He could understand what Qu Ling Ling was feeling as he had also felt an instinctive sense of respect and awe when he met Yang Kai earlier. This was due to the seeds his Seniors had sown deep within him from the moment he started cultivating.
“Senior Brother Yang asked you a question, Martial Niece Qu.”
Liao Zheng had to prompt Qu Ling Ling when she failed to respond after quite some time.
That managed to snap Qu Ling Ling out of her reverie. She blushed and quickly replied, “Yes. I am a Disciple of the Hui Gu Divine Monarch, and before that, I was taught by the two Martial Ancestors on Bamboo Peak.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Hui Gu, huh…”
Hui Gu was the subordinate that Yang Kai had taken under his command at Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Prison Star. At the time, Yang Kai had used the strength of the Loyalty List to subdue Hui Gu, recording his name on the seventh page, so he was one of Yang Kai’s earliest subordinates. However, when Yang Kai decided to head off to the Black Ink Battlefield, he gave Hui Gu his freedom.
The moment he stepped onto the Black Ink Battlefield, Yang Kai would be caught up in a constant life-and-death war and he had no idea whether he would make it out alive. If he died, then those whose names were recorded on the Loyalty List would die as well, so before he left, he gave them all their freedom.
However, even when Yang Kai had these subordinates under his command, he never treated them harshly and was willing to form sincere connections with them. Thus, even though he gave them their freedom, none of them left. As Chen Tian Fei said, he did not possess great powers so he would not be benefiting from leaving Void Land. It was better for him to stay in Void Land; after all, thanks to his relationship with Yang Kai, he would never have to worry about cultivation resources.
During the great evacuation, Void Land combined with High Heaven Palace, and the people whose names had been recorded on the Loyalty List became Elders there.
Luan Bai Feng even formed an elite Squad with Su Yan and the others, and they fought hard together in Profound Nether Territory.
After thinking about Hui Gu, Yang Kai could not help but recall many of his old acquaintances. Throughout the past few millennia, he did return to High Heaven Palace from time to time, but he would always arrive in a flurry and leave in a rush, so he could not stop to meet them.
[Who knows how many more familiar faces will disappear by the time this calamity is over…]
As for the two Martial Ancestors that Qu Ling Ling mentioned, they were none other than Yang Kai’s parents. Although his Father and Mother did not possess exceptional power, they longed to join the battlefield and hunt down the enemy too, but Hua Qing Si would never allow that. If anything happened to them because she gave them her permission, she would not be able to face Yang Kai again.
Thus, she gave them a new responsibility to keep them occupied.
Their task was to teach the new talented disciples who had just begun their cultivation journeys and did not possess particularly noteworthy strength yet.
There was more than met the eye to this arrangement, however. These talented disciples would one day become the core pillars of High Heaven Palace, and the fact that Yang Yin Feng and Dong Su Zhu had once mentored them at the beginning of their Martial Dao meant that regardless of how powerful they became in the future, they would still feel gratitude towards the two of them for teaching them in the past.
Yang Kai quietened down his complicated emotions and smiled, “Has Hui Gu reached the Eighth Order?”
Hui Gu used to be called a Heavenly Monarch, but now, Qu Ling Ling addressed her Master as Divine Monarch, which was a step up. In the 3,000 Worlds, there was an unspoken rule that only High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had the right to be called Divine Monarchs!
“Master is still in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, Palace Master,” Qu Ling Ling replied.
Yang Kai nodded in understanding.
Not all Divine Monarchs were the same. Since High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters could be addressed as Divine Monarchs, it applied to both Eighth-Order Masters and Seventh-Order Masters.
Moreover, he also then recalled that Hui Gu would not be able to become an Eighth-Order Master. The peak of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was his upper limit.
Hui Gu had been a Sixth-Order Master when Yang Kai took him under his command at the Prison Star all those years ago. It was unsurprising that he had become a Seventh-Order Master since then as he would not lack the resources for cultivation when he had Void Land and High Heaven Palace’s support.
Perhaps Hui Gu no longer had any goals of his own after reaching the limit of his Martial Dao, so he decided to take in a Disciple like Qu Ling Ling.
Meanwhile, Qu Ling Ling was at the peak of Seventh-Order and did have the ability to become an Eighth-Order Master. She entered the Universe Furnace to get an Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pill in order to break through sooner rather than later. That way, she would have an even better chance of survival in the coming war.
A rising star like Qu Ling Ling did not need to take the risk of entering the Universe Furnace if she had not wanted to break through to the Eighth Order sooner. She, along with other rising stars, could simply carry on focusing on their cultivation, and they would eventually do so.
Alas, time waited for no one. The appearance of the Universe Furnace changed the situation between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan. The curtain had risen, and devastating battles broke out across all the battlefields in existence. These were building up to the ultimate fight that would determine the fate of these two Races, and there was no stopping it this time.
Mi Jing Lun had realised this, which is why he arranged for many of the Seventh-Order Masters to enter the Universe Furnace. After all, the Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills were fairly readily found, so as long as the Masters were not completely down on their luck, they should be able to find a few.
Since Qu Ling Ling was from High Heaven Palace and Hui Gu’s Disciple, Yang Kai was not stingy with her. He took out a jade bottle and said with a smile, “Your Master helped me a lot back then, and you’re also a High Heaven Palace disciple. I didn’t prepare much, but since it’s our first time meeting each other, I’ll give this to you.”
He flicked the bottle and a gentle force made it float over to Qu Ling Ling.
Qu Ling Ling was a little flustered. She never thought that her Palace Master would be giving her a gift on their first meeting. She wanted to decline, but Liao Zheng remarked with a smile, “You should not refuse a gift from your Elder!”
Yang Kai’s lips twitched, [Elder…]
[Well, so be it. Even though I still look young, I have cultivated for several millennia now, and I’m the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace too. Elder it is.]
Qu Ling Ling paused briefly before accepting the jade bottle and bowing in gratitude, “Disciple thanks Palace Master for his generous gift!”
Yang Kai nodded and started moving again. He took the lead and headed in the direction Qu Ling Ling had come from.
Qu Ling Ling was about to put the bottle away as it would not be polite for her to check its contents in Yang Kai’s presence, but then, she heard a void transmission from him, “There are quite a few of them in there. You probably won’t need to use all of them. If there are any left, you can give the extras to people who need them.”
She was startled at first, but a thought soon struck her. She immediately abandoned all attempts at maintaining propriety and checked what was inside the bottle. When she saw that the bottle was filled with Spirit Pills, she was both shocked and thrilled.
[Have I just received the very thing that I came into the Universe Furnace for? Aren’t these the Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills that I’m looking for? Did I achieve my goal this easily?]
Liao Zheng had also spotted what was inside the bottle and could not help but sigh, [Senior Brother Yang is so efficient! I haven’t even gotten a single thing yet while he has already accumulated so much.]
With luck, this bottle of Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills would be enough to let two Seventh-Order Masters reach the Eighth-Order.
As they travelled, they were still on the lookout for other Humans, but Yang Kai also shared his experiences in finding these Open Heaven Pills with Liao Zheng and Qu Ling Ling.
In reality, it was not difficult to find these Open Heaven Pills. Setting aside the Open Heaven Pills that had not been discovered yet, the ones that had been devoured by the Chaos Entities could easily be found. If a Chaos Entity could not merge into the surroundings and hide, it meant that it had consumed an Open Heaven Pill. Also, it would take a lot of time for them to refine and absorb the medicinal efficacies of such a pill. Based on the test that Yang Kai did in his Small Universe, it would take a Chaos Entity decades to perhaps even over a century before they could fully absorb the Open Heaven Pill.
Therefore, as long as the Humans discovered Chaos Entities who were unable to hide their tracks, they would easily be rewarded with Open Heaven Pills. They did not need to worry about the loss of medicinal efficacies either as the Chaos Entities could not refine them in such a short amount of time.
Qu Ling Ling immediately let out a regretful expression. Earlier on, she had seen one such Chaos Entity inside the Infinite River, but she had been worried about the peculiarities of the terrain and dared not enter.
Thankfully, Yang Kai had her retrace her steps, and soon, they found the Chaos Entity again. Yang Kai personally caught it and killed it with great ease by flushing it with his Dao Strengths before collecting the Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pill it had devoured.
The trio continued moving forward. Now and then, they would stumble across a fellow Human, and the group slowly grew bigger.
The Humans kept making their way along the Infinite River and using the communication beads to get in touch with each other. The ones they met up with included both Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Masters.
Once there were 11 of them in total, Yang Kai, who was in the lead, stopped and turned around before saying, “Here’s where we’ll part, everyone.”
The group of 10 was made up of three Eighth-Order Masters and seven Seventh-Order Masters. There were two reasons for this unusual ratio. Firstly, when compared to the Eighth-Order Masters, a larger number of Seventh-Order Masters had entered the Universe Furnace. Secondly, Mi Jing Lun had also instructed the Seventh-Order Masters to search for the Infinite River the moment they entered, and meet up with other allies. Their only goal was to team up, then find Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills before breaking through to the Eighth Order inside the Universe Furnace.
Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills were extremely rare. Not only would they be hard to find, but even if one was found, they might have to fight the Black Ink Clan and the Chaos Spirit Clan for it, so not many would succeed.
However, if more Seventh-Order Masters became Eighth-Order Masters, it would be a great boost to the Human Race’s overall combat power.
The Eighth-Order Masters naturally hoped to gain their own opportunities, but some of them would still need to lend a hand in protecting the Seventh-Order Masters.
A group of 10 would be strong enough to protect themselves. Even if they ran into a Pseudo-Royal Lord, they would still be able to put up a fight, so Yang Kai no longer had to stay with them.
It was time for him to hunt down a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Liao Zheng and the two other Eighth-Order Masters knew what Yang Kai wanted to do so they simply nodded and Liao Zheng said, “Go ahead, Senior Brother. Over the past few days, we have found many Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills. The three of us will help them find a safe place and let a few of them break through first before we decide what to do next.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That would be for the best. Remember that safety is your top priority. Nothing matters more than survival.”
He cupped his fists in a final goodbye, and with a flicker of Space Principles, his figure disappeared.
Once Yang Kai left, Liao Zheng and the others had a quick discussion. The three Eighth-Order Masters stuck around to protect the Seventh-Order Masters as they led them away from the Infinite River and into the endless void.
It would be challenging to find a safe place inside the Universe Furnace as their abilities to inspect and search the area around them were greatly restrained. No one knew when they might suddenly encounter a fearsome opponent.
Fortunately, the world inside the Universe Furnace was expansive, and as long as one was not severely unlucky, it would be alright to simply select a place at random.
Once they settled down somewhere, they took out the Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills and divided them among the Seventh-Order Masters who needed them. The Seventh-Order Masters quickly consumed the pills and refined them. Soon, the aura of one of the Seventh-Order Masters began to surge. It was a sign of an upcoming breakthrough.
Everyone gasped at the sight. Although the Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills could not help a cultivator break through their innate limits the way the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills could, they were still able to provide great help to cultivators facing a bottleneck.
From the looks of it now, there would be many new Eighth-Order Masters once this trip inside the Universe Furnace was over.
At the same time, Yang Kai was travelling through the void. Now and then, he would check for a reaction with his Great Sun and Moon Marks or check for any activity from the communication bead he had with him.
Liao Zheng had given him this communication bead. It was what the Human Masters used to reach each other in this space. It made it easier for the Humans to confirm where they were, and in a moment of crisis, they could ask for help.
Right now, Yang Kai was concerned as to how he was supposed to find the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills. Even though he left a mark on all nine of them, he still had not found any of them yet. He had no idea where they were either, so he had to rely on luck.
The information he received from Liao Zheng also made it clear to him that the situation inside the Universe Furnace was a lot more complex and perplexing than he thought.
The Chaos Spirit Clan could be found inside here, and there was also the possibility of Chaos Spirit Kings existing. Furthermore, the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills were useful to the Black Ink Clan as well. This possibility had never even occurred to Yang Kai in the past.
Thus, the number of obstacles between the Human Race and the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills was far above what Yang Kai originally suspected.
He was moving through the void when all of a sudden, he spotted something that looked like a grey fog in front of him. He broke out in cold sweat and had a look of belated fear.
It was just a tiny layer of grey fog that was about the size of a table. Yang Kai had nearly gone straight into it just now, but luckily, he noticed it in the nick of time and halted.
He used his Divine Sense to inspect the grey fog, and to his surprise, he found that there were Worlds inside the tiny blanket of grey fog.
It was no mere grey fog, after all, it was a sea of stars that was many, many times smaller than normal!
It looked like a tiny layer of grey fog, but it was treacherous on the inside. If anyone entered it by accident, he or she would be entering the sea of stars. That person could even lose their sense of direction and be stuck in there with no means of coming back out.
[Why would this be inside the Universe Furnace?]
However, upon thinking back now, Yang Kai realised that this was not the only time he encountered something like this. He had seen countless grey fog patches of varying sizes along the way but had not paid any attention to them earlier. He only realised how mysterious they were after studying this one more carefully now.
[The Universe Furnace is proving to be even more mystifying than I thought…]
Yang Kai quietened down his heavily thumping heart. As he stared at the grey fog in front of him, he could not help but consider a new possibility. [If I’m able to take this away, refine it, and summon it whenever I’m up against the enemy, wouldn’t it mean that I’d be invincible?]
Even a Black Ink Gian Spirit God would probably have a hard time escaping from the grey fog if he was stuck inside it, let alone a Royal Lord.
However, the moment Yang Kai began checking out this possibility, he gave up on his unrealistic idea.
He could not… take it with him.
It appeared to be just a tiny patch of grey fog, but it was actually colossal in volume. To take it away meant taking away an entire sea of stars, and the massive strength needed to accomplish that was not something he, an Eighth-Order Master, had. Not even a Ninth-Order Master could do it.
Even after racking his brains for quite some time, Yang Kai could not think of a way to get it done. He had no choice but to give up now as it was more important for him to find a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. He could always return to this place and think of something later on if he had a chance.
However, before he started moving, he sensed something. He immediately turned around and stared into the distance, and at the very next breath, he melded into the Void with Space Principles.
A few breaths later, he saw a silhouette rushing towards him from a distance. The silhouette’s Black Ink Strength was prominent, clearly a Territory Lord. However, Yang Kai could tell that this was an Acquired Territory Lord as his aura was not as strong as that of an Innate Territory Lord.
Yang Kai could easily kill an Acquired Territory Lord without even breaking a sweat. He was waiting in secret to make his move when he noticed what the Territory Lord was holding.
After just a moment of hesitation, Yang Kai decided against attacking; instead, he hid his tracks and chose to tail the Territory Lord in secret.
It was because he saw the Territory Lord holding a miniature Black Ink Nest, and from the latter’s urgency, it was clear that he was heading somewhere in a rush.
Thanks to Yang Kai’s many years of experience battling against the Black Ink Clan, he knew that miniature Black Ink Nests were used for communication purposes. Back when he was hovering outside the No-Return Pass and the Innate Territory Lords were hunting him down, they used these miniature Black Ink Nests to pass messages between them.
However, that was not its only usage. If the Black Ink Clan were willing to pump in the resources, they could turn these into real Black Ink Nests.
Seeing as how the Territory Lord was grasping the Black Ink Nest and was moving in such a hurry, it was easy enough for Yang Kai to deduce that the Territory Lord must have made contact with his clansmen and was using the Black Ink Nest to lead him to them.
Instead of killing just one, it was better to root out a bunch of them. That was why Yang Kai decided against killing this Territory Lord immediately.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai was taken aback by the fact that the communicative function of the miniature Black Ink Nests was still working inside the Universe Furnace. However, the Territory Lord whom he and Liao Zheng joined forces to kill did not have a miniature Black Ink Nest with him.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai realised the reason behind this.
The Black Ink Clan knew nothing about the Universe Furnace, so naturally, they would not be as well-prepared as the Humans. This Territory Lord must have had a Black Ink Nest with him because he was already carrying it around even when he was outside.
Even though Yang Kai was following the Territory Lord the whole time, the latter had no idea that a Human Master was tailing him. This was not only due to their power differential, but also due to the mysteriousness of the Dao of Space. As long as Yang Kai wanted to stay hidden, a mere Acquired Territory Lord would not be able to detect his presence from afar.
Yang Kai patiently tailed the Territory Lord as he pondered the possibilities of the situation taking place up ahead.
Since the Territory Lord was quite likely moving in a rush after being called upon by his clansmen, it was either because they had found something valuable or they had gotten into a fight with the Humans. Either one of these outcomes would still be bad for the Humans.
By following in secret, Yang Kai might be able to alleviate any dangers that had befallen his allies.
Yang Kai thought that the situation would only be one of the two possibilities, so when he suddenly felt a weak reaction from his Great Sun and Moon Marks, he was thunderstruck!
There was no denying that Yang Kai was deeply frustrated and upset over the fact that he had witnessed the creation of the nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills and had let them slip away from him.
Even though he left a mark on each of them, he did not get a reaction after all this time and was beginning to suspect that the mark he left might have dissipated; thus, he was stunned that he felt a reaction now by coincidence!
Yang Kai suppressed his exhilaration and carefully tried to sense the direction where the reaction came from. To his surprise, it was exactly where the Territory Lord was heading. Did that mean the Black Ink Clan discovered a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill?
Who were they fighting against to get it then?
Yang Kai had no clue now, but he would find out once he arrived at the battle.
After travelling for an unknown amount of distance, Yang Kai suddenly sensed the commotion of a battle up ahead, and it was a pretty intense one.
Yang Kai peered into the distance and was a little startled by what he saw.
A large part of the void was filled with countless jellyfish-like creatures of various sizes. They were giving off multicoloured light that glimmered and dimmed. Even the solidity of their forms kept changing which made them look incredibly peculiar.
Several figures were scattered among the sea of jellyfish. Some were fighting while others were moving around.
There was no sign of any Humans.
There was someone from the Monster Race though.
Its five-metre-long body shifted like flowing water. The leopard print on its skin was bright as it dazzled like reflected light. At times its form became phantom-like and at other times it solidified.
It was fighting against several Territory Lords alone.
Thunder Shadow Great Emperor!
Yang Kai never thought he would encounter his Monster Self here. Truth be told, when his Monster Self was in the process of becoming a Great Emperor back at the Myriad Monsters World, Yang Kai had specifically gone over to stand guard, but after that, he did not pay any attention to his Monster Self.
That was because he did not have to. As a Great Emperor, his Monster Self would have an easy, untroubled cultivation journey in the Myriad Monsters World.
From the looks of it now, that was precisely the case. His Monster Self’s cultivation had reached the peak of the Eighth-Order Monster Emperor Realm. Although his Monster Self was using Primal Art to train its Monster Core, just like Fang Tian Ci, it was still held back by Yang Kai, its true body’s limit. Right now, his Monster Self’s cultivation was also at the limit and he could not break through any further.
When Fang Tian Ci was breaking through to the Open Heaven Realm, he possessed everything needed to become a Seventh-Order Master, but in the end, he ended up as a Sixth-Order Master. This was because of Yang Kai. Regardless of whether it was his Human Self or his Monster Self, their cultivation journey was hindered by the limits of their true body.
When the Universe Furnace surfaced, Yang Kai knew that both his Human Self and his Monster Self would enter and reunite with him. Throughout this journey, apart from trying to track down the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, Yang Kai had also been on the lookout for signs of his Monster Self and Human Self.
He had checked with Liao Zheng and the others too, but they had not seen anything either.
However, he did not expect to reunite with his Monster Self under such coincidental circumstances.
It was an unexpected pleasant surprise.
That being said, the biggest and most joyous surprise was the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill among the sea of jellyfish.
At the very centre of the huge swarm of jellyfish, there was one that was at least 10 times bigger than the others and it had clearly devoured a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill which could be spotted when its body turned translucent.
Yang Kai did not know whether it was his Monster Self or the Black Ink Clan who first discovered this Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, but it was evident that the fight had been going on for quite a while now. The Black Ink Clansmen could use the miniature Black Ink Nest to call for aid, but Yang Kai’s Monster Self was alone in a one-against-many fight.
Despite being alone, Thunder Shadow Great Emperor was not as disadvantaged as one might imagine; after all, in most cases, the average Monster Race Master was stronger than the average Human Race Master in the same equivalent realm, Monster Race Masters had far stronger bodies than normal, and Thunder Shadow himself had an Innate Divine Ability that allowed him to blend with the shadows and become hard to detect. By striking suddenly and powerfully now and then, Yang Kai’s Monster Self was just barely able to put up a fight against the group of Territory Lords.
Naturally, this was also thanks to where the fight was taking place.
The large swarm of jellyfish were most likely Chaos Entities, but they were different from all other Chaos Entities that Yang Kai had previously seen. Although they were still shifting through various states of solidness, they had fixed forms. They seemed harmless enough, but when someone else came into contact with them, the person would be hit with a peculiar attack.
Yang Kai saw a Territory Lord flying backwards after being hit by Thunder Shadow. When the Territory Lord crashed into a jellyfish, it looked as if he lost his consciousness as his eyes glazed over. It was a while before he regained mental clarity.
Thunder Shadow was about to kill the Territory Lord when another one came over and rescued his clansman.
The jellyfish-like Chaos Entities… were rather strange.
It was clear that Thunder Shadow had suffered at their hands too, so when it fought against the Territory Lords, it tried its best to avoid touching them. However, that meant it could not move around as freely as normal.
It appeared to be a fiery battle between the two sides, but in reality, both were seriously hindered by the environment and could not go all out.
The Territory Lord that rushed over had clearly received instructions beforehand. Upon arrival, he did not show himself at once and instead quietly crept towards the battlefield in an attempt to sneak up on Thunder Shadow and deal a deadly blow.
Unfortunately, he was not particularly skilled at keeping himself hidden. He had just approached the battlefield and had not even entered the swarm of jellyfish when Thunder Shadow noticed him with a single glance.
The Territory Lord was a decisive one however, and since he had been discovered, he openly revealed himself, but before he could do anything to Thunder Shadow, a Territory Lord stared behind him in shock and quickly shouted, “Watch out!”
All at once, the Territory Lord felt an overwhelming sense of danger envelop him, as if death itself had come. Before he could recover from his shock, he felt a sharp pain. He looked down and saw a spear sticking out of his chest, with World Force surging along it.
[Someone snuck up on me and attacked me!]
What was most terrifying was the fact that he had not noticed anything until the moment the person attacked.
[Who!? Who snuck up on me?]
All sorts of thoughts flashed across the Territory Lord’s mind as he tried to escape, but he could not move…
Space seemed to have solidified around him, and World Force flowed strongly from the spear in his chest…
A violent force erupted and the Territory Lord’s body exploded into a shower of bloodied scraps. The Black Ink Strength that escaped from his body leapt out like a wild horse and swiftly turned into a Black Ink Cloud.
An invisible force surged as the Black Ink Cloud dispersed to reveal a young man with a spear in hand. He flicked his blood-soaked spear and smirked.
“Yang Kai!” The Territory Lords gasped as the colour drained out of their faces. They were petrified and no words could describe the bitterness they felt right now.
How could things end well for them after running into the killing star here?
Most importantly, why did they run into him?
The Universe Furnace was vast and boundless and they had relied on the miniature Black Ink Nests to gather themselves here. No Humans had been drawn over even after their lengthy fight with this Monster Race Master; yet now, it was Yang Kai of all people who showed up.
Thunder Shadow was also taken aback. The lightning in its mouth flashed and crackled, but soon, a Human-looking grin broke out across his face.
He thought that this would turn out to be a fierce struggle between two evenly matched opponents and was fully prepared to flee if things took a turn for the worse. A Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was valuable, but his life was even more so. He knew what his priorities were.
What he did not expect was Yang Kai’s arrival.
The situation was a lot simpler now. It was going to claim the lives of these Territory Lords and collect the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Thunder Shadow was assured and confident, while the Territory Lords were panicking. As for the jellyfish-like Chaos Entities, they just shifted about, giving off their multicoloured glow which illuminated the different reactions from both parties.
Outside the battlefield, Yang Kai lifted his spear and pointed it in front of him as his voice boomed all across the place, “How dare you bully Third Brother?! You must have a death wish!”
Yang Kai’s abrupt appearance immediately changed the tides. Initially, the Territory Lords had the advantage in the fight due to their numbers, but they no longer had any inclination to continue fighting. All they could think of was to flee as far away as possible, lest they met their doom.
Nevertheless, they knew that it was futile for them to try and escape from Yang Kai alone considering his mastery over the Dao of Space. Thus, after a brief moment of panic, the Territory Lords quickly began grouping up to form a Battle Formation to try and put up a fight.
However, forming a Battle Formation in this bizarre environment was no easy feat. All along, they failed to form a Battle Formation due to the inconvenience of being surrounded by the swarm of jellyfish. One false move and they would end up making contact with the strange jellyfish, and when that happened, even Masters as powerful as these Territory Lords would fall into a brief trance.
Previously, they gave up on the idea of forming a Battle Formation and simply used their numbers advantage to gang up on Thunder Shadow, who would not have managed to hold out this long if that had not been the case.
They now wanted to attempt forming a Battle Formation again, but it was too late. Thunder Shadow, who deduced what they were trying to do, immediately charged at the nearest Territory Lord. His strong, agile form morphed into a ball of lightning and in the blink of an eye, appeared in front of the Territory Lord. The lightning shrouded him and his opponent so the others could not see what was happening. All they could tell was that powerful forces clashed within the lightning.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already raised his spear and charged into the swarm of jellyfish.
As soon as he entered the battlefield, he realised what was strange about these Chaos Entities. They kept oscillating between varying physical states. At times, they could be seen, but at others, they were invisible. They also kept moving around as if a swarm of jellyfish was floating along in the vastness of the Universe Furnace World, though there was no telling where their final destination was.
When they disappeared, even Yang Kai could not detect them. This resulted in him bumping into a jellyfish the moment he entered the battlefield, stopping him in his tracks.
Light flickered and the jellyfish reappeared. Yang Kai could sense a wave of jumbled, chaotic energy coming from the jellyfish, aimed straight at his Soul.
It finally dawned on Yang Kai as to why the Territory Lord who made contact with one of these jellyfish-like Chaos Entity ended up in a dazed, trancelike state.
If the attack landed, the target’s Soul would be hit by that strange energy, and it would indeed be hard to retain full control of one’s senses after taking such an unexpected hit.
A few of these attacks in rapid succession could very well damage one’s Soul.
These jellyfish-like Chaos Entities possessed an innate form of energy that allowed them to attack their opponent’s Soul.
This special characteristic of theirs hindered the Territory Lords and Thunder Shadow’s ability to fight, and from the looks of it, everyone in the battle had found out through firsthand experience.
When one of the nearby Territory Lords noticed what was happening, he grinned happily and charged straight at Yang Kai.
Even if they formed a Battle Formation, they might still fail to hold their own against the Humans’ killing star, but now that Yang Kai had accidentally allowed the jellyfish to attack his Soul, it was a rare and precious chance for them to land an attack.
However, the moment the Territory Lord reached Yang Kai, he realised something was amiss. Even though Yang Kai was standing stiffly as if he was in a trance, his eyes were bright and shrewd. It did not look as if he had lost consciousness at all!
By the time the Territory Lord noticed this, it was too late. He was a decisive individual, so immediately shoved both his hands forward and Black Ink Strength gushed out like a wave crashing onto the shore.
Yang Kai snorted and pierced through the attack with his spear. His Azure Dragon Spear turned into countless spear shadows before condensing into one again.
Black Ink Strength collapsed and dispersed, while the Territory groaned as his body flew backwards, black blood spurting out of a hole in his shoulder. His expression was one of someone who just had a narrow brush with death.
A silhouette appeared in the Territory Lord’s hazy peripheral vision. He looked up and was horrified as he saw Yang Kai pull back his fist.
The Territory Lord reacted in haste and crossed his arms in front of him. The moment Yang Kai’s fist made contact though, a surge of unstoppable force sent the Territory Lord flying backwards once more as his arms fell to the side to reveal the gaping hole in his chest.
Yang Kai was only a step away from becoming a Divine Dragon, so a mere Acquired Territory Lord could not withstand even such a simple attack from him.
The Territory Lord landed on a visible jellyfish-like Chaos Entity and the light faded from his eyes as the attack that battered his Soul made things worse for his heavily wounded body.
Yang Kai raised his hand once more and hurled the Azure Dragon Spear out, piercing right through the Territory Lord who was currently dazed.
The Territory Lord’s aura instantly swelled up before fading away entirely!
It had only been three breaths of time since the fight between Yang Kai and the Territory Lord began, but now the other Territory Lords were trembling with fear as they witnessed how easily Yang Kai had killed one of them.
The Azure Dragon Spear flew back to Yang Kai and he grabbed it before turning to Thunder Shadow, who was still fighting against his opponent, and snapped, “Why didn’t you warn me that these Chaos Entities can attack the Soul, Third Brother?”
Thunder Shadow growled and ignored Yang Kai.
[As if you needed a warning.]
These jellyfish could hinder everyone else, but Yang Kai, who had the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, could pay them no mind. If his Soul was attacked, the Soul Warming Lotus would protect him. The Territory Lord assumed that it had been his best chance to strike because Yang Kai had fallen into a trance, but in reality, he was only delivering himself into the hands of the enemy.
[Also… Third Brother? What the Hell is that?]
An inexplicable sense of irritation washed over Thunder Shadow and his attacks became even more ruthless. The lightning that surrounded him and his opponent became even brighter as cries of agony and ferocious growls rang out.
Five Territory Lords had gathered here to gang up on Thunder Shadow, with a sixth nearly joining them before Yang Kai killed him.
Now that Yang Kai had killed the second Territory Lord and Thunder Shadow had pinned one down on his own, there were only three Territory Lords left.
While Yang Kai was dealing with the other Territory Lord, these three Territory Lords managed to gather together and join their auras to form the simplest Three Fortunes Formation.
Despite having successfully formed a Battle Formation, they did not feel any more assured about their chances. Yang Kai had killed a Pseudo-Royal Lord before, and during his time outside the No-Return Pass, he had regularly fought against four Innate Territory Lords who formed the Four Symbols Formation.
Thus, if the Territory Lords wanted to have a fighting chance against Yang Kai, they had to be in at least a Four Symbols Formation, and that also hinged on Yang Kai not employing his strange technique that could injure Souls.
If he did, then a Four Symbols Formation would be useless as well.
Since Yang Kai was inside the Universe Furnace, he was not going to use an artifact like the Soul Rending Thorn as doing so would harm him in the process and have lingering detrimental effects on him. That being said, a Three Fortunes Formation was not sufficient for these Territory Lords to put up a fight against him, so he had no worries in the first place.
The three Territory Lords were quick-witted enough. Once they formed the Battle Formation, they immediately tried to escape, as one of them roared, “Spare our lives, Yang Kai, and the Open Heaven Pill is yours!”
Yang Kai snorted, reached his hand out in their direction, and made a grabbing motion. With a flicker of Space Principles, he grasped something unseen and coolly remarked, “Do you think you can negotiate with me?”
As soon as he said those words, the three Territory Lords stiffened and froze in place against their will.
It was not due to the Space Secret Technique, however, but rather because they were surrounded by the jellyfish-like Chaos Entities. The undetectable Chaos Entities had now revealed themselves and were attacking the Souls of all three Territory Lords who came into contact with them. The Territory Lords instantly became dazed and disoriented.
Yang Kai caught the jellyfish-like Chaos Entities with his Space Secret Technique and teleported them into the Territory Lords’ path. These Chaos Entities could not do much physical damage, but their attacks on the Soul were nearly impossible to avoid, so he made good use of them.
Yang Kai slowly strolled over to the three Territory Lords, brushing away a few of the jellyfish-like Chaos Entities that appeared in his path with his bare hands.
The Territory Lords struggled hard against the relentless attacks on their Souls. Sometimes, they were able to gain clarity, but it would only be for a brief moment before they fell into a daze again. It looked as if the Chaos Entities had rooted them to the spot.
All three of them were now sitting ducks.
When Yang Kai got close to them, he raised his hands. World Force surged forward as he targeted all three and easily reaped their lives.
At the same time, the giant ball of lightning suddenly dissipated and Thunder Shadow walked out. Though he was wounded, his presence was just as strong and domineering as ever. There was a tattered body lying behind him though, looking like it had been torn apart by a hurricane.
Although Thunder Shadow was stronger than these Acquired Territory Lords, he did not have a Soul Warming Lotus to protect his Soul; thus, he still had to put in some effort to kill one head-on in this field of jellyfish.
Yang Kai turned to Thunder Shadow and grinned. There was no need for him to say anything. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of the largest Chaos Entity.
This Chaos Entity was many times bigger than its fellows, though it was uncertain whether it was naturally bigger in the first place or because it devoured an Open Heaven Pill.
The Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill only peeked through and gave off a multi-coloured light when the Chaos Entity’s form became translucent.
“There’s no telling what might happen if this takes too long. We’ll do it together!” Yang Kai shouted and immediately harnessed his Dao Strengths before blasting them at the jellyfish-like Chaos Entity.
Thunder Shadow bounded over and started harnessing his own Dao Strength as well.
Under their combined attacks, the enormous jellyfish-like Chaos Entity instantly started shrinking, as if it had met its mortal enemy.
It seemed to have an instinctive urge to flee from danger, but Yang Kai had used Space Principles to keep it locked in place. It could not move or leave, but its physical state started changing even more rapidly, and the invisible attack on the Soul was shooting out in all directions. Surprisingly, it was able to attack at a distance.
As for the swarm of smaller jellyfish-like Chaos Entities, they were also visibly affected. Their bodies were releasing chaotic energy which soon covered the surrounding void.
Thunder Shadow was affected by this as its Dao Strength would cut off now and then. Upon noticing this, Yang Kai had to channel his Spiritual Energy to protect Thunder Shadow, which saved him from a possible crisis.
Under the constant flow of Dao Strengths, the jellyfish-like Chaos Entity that devoured the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill kept shrinking until it completely disappeared.
Yang Kai reached out and took the Spirit Pill that was giving off a multi-coloured glow.
He now had a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, one which would allow him to break through his limits and become a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
The Universe Furnace produced many Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills, but only nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills were created.
Yang Kai had left a mark on all nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills in advance, and by using his Great Sun and Moon Marks, he could sense where these pills were once they were within a certain distance from him.
Thus, he figured that as long as he was not completely down on his luck, he should be able to make this a fruitful trip, though he could not be certain how many Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills he would ultimately get.
Nevertheless, he did not expect it to be this easy for him to get the first Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. All he had done was tail a Territory Lord in secret, and not only did he get one of the pills, but he even reunited with his Monster Self.
All he needed now was to reunite with his Human Self as well. Once all three of them were together, they would even have a fighting chance against a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
Inside the Universe Furnace, the only ones who posed a threat to Yang Kai were the Pseudo-Royal Lords and the Chaos Spirit Kings. The latter was more powerful than the former as their strength was equivalent to that of a true Royal Lord or Ninth-Order Masters.
However, the Humans did not know for certain whether Chaos Spirit Kings existed as the information they had came from Blood Crow, and it was only a guess of his.
Either way, Yang Kai now had two goals to accomplish inside the Universe Furnace. The first was to carry on searching for Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, and the second was to find his Human Self.
He next quietened down and studied the item in his hand.
The Spirit Pill had an extraordinary appearance. The multi-coloured light glowed freely but the Dao Currents were subdued. [It’s a valuable treasure, alright. It deserves its reputation as the most precious opportunity.]
Even though Yang Kai had witnessed the birth of the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, he could not move at the time and could not use his powers freely either, so he did not know much about these pills. They had scattered into the distance the moment they were created, and Yang Kai’s hopes of getting an early advantage had been dashed.
Thunder Shadow was also studying it carefully out of curiosity. Yang Kai’s thoughtful expression was reflected in Thunder Shadow’s amber eyes, and the latter reminded worriedly, “This isn’t something to be eaten. It needs to be absorbed into the Small Universe and refined.”
He was afraid that Yang Kai did not know how it worked, and it would be hugely ironic if Yang Kai ended up swallowing the Spirit Pill just like that.
According to information provided by Blood Crow, the Open Heaven Pills created inside the Universe Furnace differed from the ones Humans made. The latter was created to mimic the former as the Humans had studied the medicinal efficacies and found a way to create Open Heaven Pills after countless years of trials and experimentations. However, at the end of the day, the Open Heaven Pills created by the Human Race were still completely different from the ones created by the Universe Furnace.
The Open Heaven Pills made by the Humans were consumed and refined. It would then provide a boost to the heritage of an Open Heaven Realm Master’s Small Universe. That was not the case for the ones from the Universe Furnace.
Those needed to be absorbed into the Small Universe and the cultivators would need to rely on the strength of their Small Universe to refine them.
Yang Kai was now at the peak of his Martial Dao and his Small Universe was wrapped inside an invisible layer of shackles that made it impossible to grow any bigger.
However, with the help of the Spirit Pill in his hand right now, those shackles would disappear and his Small Universe could continue expanding again.
As one’s Small Universe grew larger, one’s heritage would also increase. This was the right way to use the Innate Open Heaven Pills from the Universe Furnace, and this was why the pill could help an Open Heaven Realm Master break through their natural limits.
Yang Kai had already read about these things from the jade slip Liao Zheng had given him earlier, so he knew better than to make a reckless attempt.
“Then again, does it work on you?” Thunder Shadow asked.
Yang Kai sighed, “I don’t think so.”
Although he had not refined the Open Heaven Pill, he had a feeling that it would not do him any good. Even if he did absorb it into his Small Universe, it would not be able to help him reach the Ninth Order.
Despite holding this Open Heaven Pill in his hand, the barrier around his Small Universe did not react at all. If the Spirit Pill did work on him, then this invisible layer would show some kind of reaction in response to the Spirit Pill’s aura.
Perhaps this had something to do with the disadvantages of the Open Heaven Realm Method and the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art that Wu Kuang gave him.
The Open Heaven Realm Method was flawed, but the Martial Ancestors were not to blame for this. They had relied on the World Tree to gain enlightenment about the Open Heaven Realm Method before teaching it to the rest of the Human Race, which allowed the Humans to have a fighting chance against the Monster Race and the Black Ink Clan all those years ago. The Humans of today would not exist in the same way if it had not been for Cang and the other Martial Ancestors.
Nevertheless, the Martial Ancestors failed to achieve full enlightenment of the Martial Dao as there was one part that was hidden inside the Universe Furnace from then, making it impossible to comprehend outside.
A Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was able to make up for the imperfections of the Open Heaven Realm Method and complete one’s Martial Dao, which allowed a cultivator to break through their limits.
However, the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art that Wu Kuang taught Yang Kai was a result of Shi’s many years of hard work and effort in his attempts to comprehend the limitations of the Open Heaven Realm Method. Out of the ten Martial Ancestors, Shi’s ability to formulate Secret Arts and Techniques was the best. If it had not been for that, the sinister, heaven-defying ability of Heaven Devouring Battle Law would not exist.
He was the one who came up with the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art to deal with the imperfections of the Open Heaven Realm Method; thus, once Yang Kai chose this path of cultivation, his Martial Dao had been set and it differed from those that cultivated strictly using the Open Heaven Realm Method.
Thus, the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, which was able to complete the Martial Dao of the Open Heaven Realm Method, was meaningless to him.
Once Yang Kai realised this, he did not know whether to laugh or cry. He wondered if this meant that Wu Kuang had screwed him over.
If Yang Kai had not cultivated the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art and created his Human Self and Monster Self, then he would have been able to become a Ninth-Order Master by simply looking for a safe place to absorb and refine this Spirit Pill he had with him now. Once that happened, his heritage would be enough for him to march through the Universe Furnace World without a care in the world. Neither Pseudo-Royal Lords nor Chaos Spirit Kings would pose any threat to him.
Yet now, despite having such a treasure with him, he could not do anything with it.
That being said, Yang Kai knew he had chosen this path himself. At the time, this path was fraught with risks as no one had ever walked it before, but it still represented hope, so he had unhesitantly stepped onto it.
No one knew when the Universe Furnace would surface again and the Human Race greatly needed Ninth-Order Masters to secure their future. Yang Kai was stuck at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm and could not break through his limits. Since there was a possible solution, he had to try it.
Wu Kuang had meant well.
No one could be blamed for this situation. It was simply one of life’s cruel jokes. Who would have thought that the Universe Furnace would show up at such a crucial point in time and that Yang Kai would obtain a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill so easily?
Yang Kai sighed and took out an exquisite wooden box. He stored the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill inside and placed several restrictions to keep it sealed up before carefully putting the box away.
After taking a look around and seeing the swarm of jellyfish-like Chaos Entities who seemed to be floating along unconsciously, Yang Kai used Space Principles to gather them.
Thunder Shadow quietly took this all in as it wondered who the unlucky person would be.
He had also gotten a taste of these jellyfish-like Chaos Entities’ strange attack, and although it was not life-threatening, anyone who touched them would suffer a shock to their Soul.
Most importantly, it was impossible to detect them when they took on an invisible state. This made them an excellent weapon to use in stealth attacks or ambushes.
Yang Kai had already been tempted to take the grey fog that contained a sea of stars inside it when he ran into it earlier, but he could not accomplish that. Now that he ran into these jellyfish-like Chaos Entities, he was not going to hesitate.
While collecting them, he began chatting with Thunder Shadow.
Although Thunder Shadow was Yang Kai’s Monster Self, due to the uniqueness of the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art, Thunder Shadow was also an independent living being. After all, he had been born and had grown up just like any ordinary living being. He possessed all the same qualities as an independent existence had.
However, as Thunder Shadow’s strength grew, the seal that Yang Kai had placed on the various pieces of information inside Thunder Shadow’s Soul slowly lifted, so he knew who he was and what his mission in life was.
This was the same with Fang Tian Ci who had long since become an Eighth-Order Master, which meant that he knew everything he had to know.
Right now, Fang Tian Ci was most likely searching for the whereabouts of Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow.
In all honesty, Yang Kai did find it a little strange to be chatting with his Monster Self, but if he treated Thunder Shadow as an independent entity, then it no longer seemed odd.
After becoming a Great Emperor, Thunder Shadow spent a long time cultivating inside the Myriad Monsters World. That was because it was the only place that allowed it to use his Great Emperor status to rapidly grow stronger.
This continued until nearly 1,000 years ago when his strength hit a ceiling. That was when he came out and joined the battlefield to hunt down enemies. Thunder Shadow spoke mostly of Qin Xue as he undoubtedly cared a lot about the Seventh-Order Master who took care of him when he first started out. He was constantly worried that something bad might happen to her during the imminent battle ahead of them.
All of a sudden, Thunder Shadow asked, “Will the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art really allow you to become a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?”
Yang Kai continued gathering the jellyfish-like Chaos Entities as he said, “No one has ever tried before, so there’s no way of knowing whether it will work. However, since it’s something that Shi derived back then, it should work.”
“Wu Kuang’s no saint…” Thunder Shadow scoffed.
Yang Kai chuckled, “My trust isn’t in Wu Kuang or Shi, but in myself! Even though the three Selves have not reunited yet, I can sense that once that happens, it will indeed help me break through my limits.”
“When the time comes, your Human Self and I will disappear for good.”
“You are me. I am you. Combining as one doesn’t mean you will disappear.”
“You’re wrong. You’re you, your Human Self is you, and I am you, but you are not us. There’s a difference.”
Yang Kai frowned.
Thunder Shadow licked his paw, “What’s the matter? Is this topic too heavy for you? Relax. The Human Self and I both understand our purpose. When the time comes, neither one of us will hesitate.”
“That’s not it…” Yang Kai sighed and closed the portal to his Small Universe, “These jellyfish-like Chaos Entities are polluting my Small Universe. I can’t keep too many of them.”
He had been too simplistic in his thinking. After entering his Small Universe, the jellyfish-like Chaos Entities kept giving off that strange energy to attack his Soul.
Yang Kai had the Soul Warming Lotus for protection so he was not afraid of that; however, these Chaos Entities were made up of chaotic Shattered Dao Essence, and to Yang Kai, that was like the harshest of impurities that could contaminate his Small Universe. If he took in too many of these Chaos Entities, it would affect his Small Universe’s stability.
He had been thinking about taking in all of the jellyfish-like Chaos Entities here, but from the looks of it now, he had to reluctantly abandon that idea. Yang Kai thus only kept the small number that he was still able to suppress as it would be hard for him to carry on doing so if he took in any more of them.
Yang Kai made his way through the void with a tiny, feline Monster Race Master sitting on his shoulder. It was his Monster Self, Thunder Shadow.
Alas, Yang Kai found it lamentable that he could not take too many of the jellyfish-like Chaos Entities with him and left the place with Thunder Shadow in tow. Initially, he wanted Thunder Shadow to give him a ride as he wanted to experience what it was like to have a mount, but Thunder Shadow refused. Instead, he shrunk down and took a seat on Yang Kai’s shoulder.
Yang Kai could not do anything about it. Since Thunder Shadow did not want to do it, Yang Kai was not going to force him.
At this moment, Yang Kai looked somewhat hesitant as he held a miniature Black Ink Nest in his hand.
This was one of his spoils after killing all those Territory Lords. After inspecting it up close, he confirmed that it was a Low-Rank Black Ink Nest; however, since it could be used to communicate inside the Universe Furnace, it meant that there had to be a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest somewhere inside this space to use as a hub for the Black Ink Clan’s communications.
Otherwise, the Black Ink Clan would not have been able to use the Black Ink Nest Space to communicate.
Now that Yang Kai had this small Black Ink Nest with him, he could use it to spy on the Black Ink Clan and glean some useful information.
The only thing he had to worry about was if the Black Ink Clan realised something and sealed the Black Ink Nest Space with him inside.
If that happened, his Soul would also be trapped and he would not be able to escape. He had experienced this once before, but fortunately for him, he had been protected by the Soul Warming Lotus. At that time, he managed to kill and injure quite a number of Territory Lords and Black Ink Disciples with Soul Rending Thorns. That was what eventually forced the Black Ink Clan to undo the seal, which allowed him to escape.
At the time, Yang Kai was still part of the Great Evolution Army, so the situation was not quite the same.
He was inside the Universe Furnace now, and if his Soul did get sealed up, it would hinder him from accomplishing his goals in this place.
After mulling it over for a short while, Yang Kai sighed and crushed the miniature Black Ink Nest. He was certain that the Black Ink Clan would have their guard up against the possibility of someone spying on them. If he did enter the Black Ink Nest with his Soul, he might end up falling into their trap.
Just to be safe, it was better for him to avoid stirring up any possible trouble.
Just then, the void began to rumble and shake. Yang Kai immediately halted and took in the surroundings with his senses.
Thunder Shadow, who was sitting on Yang Kai’s shoulder, also turned solemn as he said quietly, “The first evolution is happening!”
‘Evolution’ was the word used to describe the change that would happen with the chaotic Shattered Dao Essence inside the Universe Furnace. Such changes would happen a total of nine times, and once all nine were complete, the environment inside the Universe Furnace would become vastly different. It was also the signal that the search for opportunities inside the Universe Furnace was about to come to an end.
Blood Crow was the one who provided the Humans with this information. He had firsthand experience from the previous time the Universe Furnace emerged, and although he did not get a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and was not a part of any major fights back then, he did manage to come back out of the Universe Furnace alive. Furthermore, thanks to what he found, he easily broke through and reached the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
The jade slip that Liao Zheng gave Yang Kai not only mentioned the different Grades of Open Heaven Pills and the existence of the Chaos Entities, but it also included information about the changes and evolutions that happened within the Universe Furnace.
The Universe Furnace was filled with Shattered Dao Essences, and anyone who entered would immediately sense that.
Due to the effects of these Shattered Dao Essences, the environment inside the Universe Furnace was similarly chaotic and disorganised. Even Time and Space were both less defined in this space, allowing for a large number of Chaos Entities to be born.
It was possible that an environment like this would not affect the Black Ink Clan much. Their bodies were made up of Mo’s Creation Force and they did not cultivate the Grand Dao; however, the environment did affect the Human Race Masters greatly, especially concerning their Dao Strengths.
In the outside world, Dao Strengths filled every single corner of the Universe. Open Heaven Realm Masters could harness their own Dao Strengths to resonate with the Universe’s Grand Dao, which allowed them to channel part of that strength.
However, inside the Universe Furnace, the Grand Dao was shattered and Dao Essence was chaotic, so there was nothing they could use to enhance their own attacks.
Only the Humans’ physical strength and the World Force inside their Small Universes were not affected.
Yang Kai’s body, with his Dragon Vein, was not affected by him being inside the Universe Furnace, and his ability to use the World Force from his Small Universe was not affected either; however, when trying to manipulate local Space Principles or Time Principles, their effects would be weaker here.
That being said, this did not affect the Human Masters too much as they relied mainly on their own power when engaged in battle. Nevertheless, they were still weakened to a certain extent.
However, the environment inside the Universe Furnace was not static.
Each time the Universe Furnace showed up, the World inside would undergo nine rounds of Grand Dao evolution. Blood Crow had no clue as to why this happened or why nine times instead of eight or seven, but either way, that was what happened.
As a result of each evolution, the Shattered Dao Essence that filled the Universe Furnace would slowly become more refined, and after all nine times, the Shattered Dao Essence would have changed into a complete and structured Dao Essence.
This change had a direct and significant impact on the Universe Furnace World.
Upon entering the Universe Furnace, everyone felt that the World inside was vast and boundless, but that was mainly due to the haziness in the dimensions of Time and Space. If one was unable to define the structure they were inside, it was impossible to determine its size or scope.
However, as the Shattered Dao Essence gradually became more and more refined, the space would also become more clearly defined.
When it came to this Space, the disorder of the Universe Furnace before would slowly morph into one that could be defined and measured through the continuous rounds of evolution.
And, this was only the shallowest of the changes that happened.
Blood Crow said that during his last foray into the Universe Furnace, after nine rounds of evolution, the Universe Furnace started feeling as if it was a real Great Territory, and countless Universe Worlds popped up inside at some point. Every one of the Universe Worlds had been filled with the aura of new life.
He could not figure out where those Universe Worlds came from and could only speculate that they were a result of the rounds of evolution.
This was how the environment inside the Universe Furnace was changed by the evolution of the Grand Dao.
For both the Humans and the Black Ink Clan who came in, this change greatly affected them.
The Universe Furnace World was currently boundless and never-ending. Even though many Masters from the two Races had entered, it was not that easy to encounter anyone else, be it an ally or an enemy. Most of the time, they would brush past others without even knowing about it despite being fairly near to each other.
However, with each round of evolution, the Shattered Dao Essence slowly became more refined, and the environment inside the Universe Furnace World would grow clearer.
Blood Crow even suspected that the Universe Furnace World that emerged after all nine rounds of evolution was the true nature of the Universe Furnace World, and everything that had been visible before that could simply be an illusion. It was as if the real environment had been shrouded by a layer of fog.
Both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan sent many of their Masters into the Universe Furnace, with some 7 million or so Black Ink Clansmen entering from the entrance in the Barren Territory alone.
With so many living beings inside a single Great Territory, the chances of running into each other increased manifold.
Thus, inside the Universe Furnace, it was rare to have a major fight break out during the early evolutions. Most of the time, it would simply be one-on-one fights, or perhaps skirmishes between small groups.
However, as the evolutions continued, the Space inside the Universe Furnace World slowly became more defined and the seemingly boundless area would become a lot more crowded.
There was no way of discerning the pattern of evolution. No one knew when the next evolution would happen, but whenever it did, there were clear signs.
Right now, Yang Kai was standing still as he took in the changes to the environment and found that the information had been accurate. The Shattered Dao Essence that made up the Universe Furnace World had become ever so slightly more refined. It was not a significant change, but it had indeed changed.
[Why would there be an evolution of Dao Essence inside the Universe Furnace?] Yang Kai had pondered this question when he first received the information from Liao Zheng, but he could not think of a reason why, so he decided to wait until he experienced the evolution for himself to see whether he could learn anything from it.
Alas, he was just as clueless as before…
In just a few moments, the rumbling stopped. The evolution had started abruptly, and it stopped just as quickly.
Yang Kai tried to use his Divine Sense to scout around him and realised that it was a little better now. He could inspect a greater radius around him, though it was still far less than the maximum he could perceive outside.
The Shattered Dao Essence inside the Universe Furnace was still a great hindrance to his ability to search and inspect from a distance.
“I sense murderous intent!” Thunder Shadow suddenly growled. He crouched defensively on Yang Kai’s shoulder as lightning began to spark across his skin.
Yang Kai was startled. He nearly wondered whether Thunder Shadow had made a mistake when he abruptly sensed a powerful aura approaching him from behind.
Just as Yang Kai noticed the newcomer, the latter noticed him as well and sent his aura forward. Upon realising that it was Yang Kai, the newcomer was shocked and elated as he roared, “Hand over the Open Heaven Pill, Yang Kai!”
As soon as Yang Kai heard what was said, he figured out what was going on. It was clear that the Territory Lords who were fighting against Thunder Shadow had called for reinforcements, but this one had arrived too late. The Territory Lords were dead and Yang Kai had the Open Heaven Pill.
Thus, this Master from the Black Ink Clan followed the traces left behind and chased Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow down.
Yang Kai did waste some time collecting the jellyfish-like Chaos Entities after all.
The newcomer was a Pseudo-Royal Lord; otherwise, he would not have been as overbearing as he was when he realised it was Yang Kai. The moment the Pseudo-Royal Lord’s aura shot towards Yang Kai, the latter was able to figure out how strong his opponent was.
After swiftly gauging both their powers, Yang Kai immediately came to a conclusion. He could not defeat this one!
Yang Kai had crossed paths with Pseudo-Royal Lords many times. Even though he managed to slaughter Di Wu in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, he only did so thanks to many favourable conditions and advantages of the terrain they fought on, so it was hard for him to repeat that feat.
Previously, when he was outside the No-Return Pass, Mo Na Ye had managed to hunt him down until he had nowhere to hide. Thus, Yang Kai knew full well the power differential between him and a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
He did have Thunder Shadow with him now, but he knew a fight would only result in unnecessary loss.
Therefore, Yang Kai swiftly decided to flee as he began manipulating Space Principles.
While the Shattered Dao Essence around him did affect his use of Space Principles, it also interfered with Divine Sense, so he did not need to travel nearly as far to escape the perception of a Pseudo-Royal Lord. In this way, the suppression from the environment affected all of them equally.
Yang Kai even felt leisurely enough to still be in awe at his Monster Self, Thunder Shadow. He knew that in terms of strength, he was a lot stronger than his Monster Self, but Thunder Shadow had sensed the murderous intent before Yang Kai noticed the Pseudo-Royal Lord’s presence. [Is it because of how innately sensitive those from Monster Race are?]
Since the birth of the vast Universe, there have been three important eras in history. The Primordial Era where the Divine Spirits ruled over everything under the Heavens, the Early Ancient Era where the Monster Race trod the lands freely, and the Late Ancient Era where the Human Race rose to dominance. Each era had thousands upon thousands of wonderful chapters, and each one represented the favourite of the Heavenly Way at the time.
As a Race that represented an era, each of them had their unique characteristics. For the Monster Race, their biggest advantage was their strong physical bodies, keen perception, and diverse clans.
Thunder Shadow was the Monster Self created by Yang Kai using the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art, but since birth, he had been living in Myriad Monster World, filled with ancient aura. He grew up in an environment where they obeyed the law of the jungle. Furthermore, he cultivated the Monster Race’s Primal Art, which could be said to be no different from the Great Monsters of the Early Ancient Era. The only difference was the era they lived in.
Thunder Shadow was actually very strong; otherwise, he would not be able to fight against so many Territory Lords alone. Only, Yang Kai’s true body was just so strong that his light covered the sharpness of his claws.
It was only through innate keen perception that Thunder Shadow was able to alert Yang Kai before the latter noticed anything unusual.
A Pseudo-Royal Lord was chasing them, and since the two of them were not his opponent, they had no choice but to leave first.
However, just as Yang Kai was about to make his escape using his Space Principles, he suddenly changed his mind, though he still activated his Space Principles, shifting the Void slightly around him…
Seeing this, the Pseudo-Royal Lord who was chasing after him panicked and slammed a palm out at Yang Kai’s location from afar, not caring whether or not he could even stop the latter with this blow.
There was no way for him to not panic; after all, he received news from several Territory Lords telling him that they had discovered an Open Heaven Pill, but a Monster Race leopard was keeping them at bay, making it difficult for them to get their hands on it. The leopard was strong, and he also heard that it seemed to be one of Monster Race’s Great Emperors from the Myriad Monster World called Thunder Shadow.
This was not because the Black Ink Clan had a strong intelligence network, but mainly because Thunder Shadow had been baring his fangs too fiercely since descending the mountain and had even killed several Territory Lords. Thus, his existence was recorded by the top members of the Black Ink Clan.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord was always looking over the No-Return Pass, and even though he was usually engrossed with fighting against Mo Na Ye for power, for many years, he had not made much progress. As he could not gain the Royal Lord’s attention, he could only check for more information around the place and return to report.
Coincidentally, this Pseudo-Royal Lord was the third Pseudo-Royal Lord of the Black Ink Clan, Meng Que!
The first Pseudo-Royal Lord to be created by the Black ink Clan was Di Wu, who was killed by Yang Kai at the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land. The second was Mo Na Ye, and Meng Que was the third.
Compared with Di Wu’s vigour and Mo Na Ye’s intellect, the third Pseudo-Royal Lord remained obscure. Without even mentioning the Humans, even the Black Ink Clan knew very little about his existence despite him being active for over 1,000 years, which made him depressed.
That was the reason why Meng Que had been wanting to do something big, something to promote himself and to establish his position. The best he could hope for was to trample Mo Na Ye under his foot…
Unfortunately, the Royal Lord never gave him a chance, and before he even had the time to show his strengths, the Universe Furnace came into existence.
Due to the large outpour of Innate Territory Lords from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, who brought many High-Rank Black Ink Nests with them, the Black Ink Clan now had more than enough resources to create more Pseudo-Royal Lords. Thus, the Royal Lord decisively gathered all the veteran Innate Territory Lords who were in good condition to create a large batch of Pseudo-Royal Lords.
Originally, Meng Que and Mo Na Ye were the only Pseudo-Royal Lords, so he only needed to focus on Mo Na Ye in their battle of wits and courage. Even if he was largely unknown, Meng Que was still the left or right arm of the Royal Lord, but with the increase in their Pseudo-Royal Lords, his presence became insignificant.
So, when he received a message from several Territory Lords that an Open Heaven Pill was discovered, he rushed over without delay.
That Open Heaven Pill was the greatest opportunity for the Humans. As long as he could get it and destroy it, then he could prevent the Humans from gaining another Ninth-Order Master. Such a great feat would be enough to make him stand out among all of the Pseudo-Royal Lords.
However, when Meng Que arrived, he discovered that the Territory Lords had all been killed; all that was left behind was a large amount of Black Ink Strength from their deaths. Furthermore, the rumoured Open Heaven Pill was nowhere to be found.
Following the faint traces left behind, Meng Que pursued the culprits until he happened upon Yang Kai!
There was also a small black leopard crouching on Yang Kai’s shoulder…
Instantly, Meng Que realized that Yang Kai must undoubtedly be the one who killed those Territory Lords, and the missing Open Heaven Pill must have fallen into his hands.
Meng Que was overjoyed. Snatching an Open Heaven Pill was a great enough achievement as it was, but if he could take advantage of this situation to cull Yang Kai, then his position in the Black Ink Clan would definitely rise beyond Mo Na Ye’s. When that time came, he would stand under Mo alone and above all his other clansmen.
After all, Mo Na Ye had been fighting with Yang Kai for so many years but still failed to deal with him; instead, the Black Ink Clan suffered a lot from that struggle. They had lost not only resources but also many Masters along the way.
If Meng Que could kill Yang Kai, then would that not be proof enough that he was superior to Mo Na Ye?
But soon, Meng Que remembered that killing Yang Kai was no easy task. This Human was indeed not as strong as he was, but he was proficient in the Dao of Space and unparalleled when it came to escaping. Even a Royal Lord could do nothing to Yang Kai if the latter was determined to flee. If he were to run away here, then where was he supposed to go to look for him?
In a panic, Meng Que threw out a palm from afar.
Space Principles surged, turning the local space upside down, but the instant when Yang Kai’s body was about to disappear, the palm came down just in time. Yang Kai sprayed out a mist of blood from his mouth and turned over to glare at Meng Que, who had attacked him from behind with hatred in his eyes. Space Principles surged once more, with his figure blurred.
Meng Que shouted anxiously, “Coward! Don’t run!”
But it was to no avail, he could only watch as Yang Kai disappeared without a trace. He instantly felt chagrined beyond words, realizing he had acted too hastily. If he had known this would happen, he would have snuck over quietly and taken Yang Kai down in one swoop instead of announcing his presence.
However, for a Pseudo-Royal Lord like him who had to rely on the Black Ink Clan’s Source Fusion Technique, it was impossible to perfectly control his own power, meaning his aura could not be hidden and stealth was not an option.
The auras of Pseudo-Royal Lords like him were always on in a striking display wherever they went, just like fireflies in the night…
He searched everywhere by instinct to try and find Yang Kai, but soon, Meng Que was taken aback for a moment before rushing in a certain direction.
He was actually able to find Yang Kai’s location! This time, his target’s Instantaneous Movement did not take him too far away. Meng Que had no idea whether it was due to the hit he managed to land earlier or because of this special environment, but no matter what the reason was, this situation was favourable to him.
In that direction, Yang Kai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and focused on flying forward.
On his shoulder, Thunder Shadow watched him with narrowed eyes and curiously asked, “You’re not this pathetic, are you? What are you trying to do?”
He had clearly caught on to some clues. If Yang Kai truly intended to leave just now, then there was no way he would have allowed Meng Que’s palm to hit him. In other words, the current situation was all part of Yang Kai’s plans.
“You and I are of one mind, so why don’t you give it a guess?” Yang Kai laughed.
Thunder Shadow curled its lips, “I can’t be bothered. What’s more, you should understand that though I am born from a part of your Soul, reborn as your Monster Self, my living environment and experiences since young have been very different from yours, so my character and temperament are different from yours, the true body.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Naturally, I know that, but fundamentally, you still originated from me, so you should be able to guess what I’m thinking. Don’t be lazy to use your head just because you’re born a Monster.”
Thunder Shadow snorted and said after a moment, “Are you baiting him?”
Yang Kai nodded and his expression turned serious, “To compete with the Humans for the Universe Furnace’s opportunity, the Black Ink Clan have created many Pseudo-Royal Lords. We would be safe even if we were to face a Pseudo-Royal Lord, but if we shook him off, he would surely go find others instead, and they may not be able to deal with him. So, if I can lead him around, it will at least stop him from starting trouble with someone else instead.”
Thunder Shadow nodded, “The Black Ink Clan have indeed spent a lot of their resources. Currently, the Innate Territory Lords outside have all been re-called to the No-Return Pass, most likely for the creation of Pseudo-Royal Lords.”
Yang Kai sighed, “Many Innate Territory Lords have also come out from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, which gives the Black Ink Clan the confidence to make such a gamble. Those Innate Territory Lords are all injured and would not be of great use to them for the time being, but as long as they recuperate for 100 to 200 years, then they should be back to peak condition.”
After a pause, Yang Kai turned his head to look at the Pseudo-Royal Lord who was chasing after him, “This guy should not be a newly created Pseudo-Royal Lord. If I’m not mistaken, he should be the one who was hiding in the No-Return Pass all this time.”
Even though a Pseudo-Royal Lord was unable to exert the full power of a Royal Lord, as long as they lived for long enough, they could slowly gain more control over their strength, allowing them to display more of it.
The palm from just now was very close in strength to what Mo Na Ye could display, so this was clearly not a new Pseudo-Royal Lord.
Combine that with the warning signs he felt outside of the No-Return Pass, it was not surprising for Yang Kai to have such a guess.
On his shoulder, Thunder Shadow intertwined his aura closely with Yang Kai’s so that he could help the latter save some energy as he used Space Principles to move.
It was only because Thunder Shadow was Yang Kai’s Monster Self that they could act in concert in such a way. Anyone else would not be able to achieve such a seamless blending of auras.
Behind them, Meng Que was chasing after the pair without pause, constantly closing the distance with Yang Kai using his superior strength and speed. However, every time he reached a certain limit, Yang Kai would disappear with Instantaneous Movement, appearing at the edge of Meng Que’s perception, and the loop would continue.
If Mo Na Ye was here, with his intelligence, he would surely have noticed something by now, but Meng Que was far worse in comparison to Mo Na Ye when it came to wits, so not only was he not alerted to Yang Kai’s plans, he became enraged instead and was even more determined to kill Yang Kai.
Though one could say that Meng Que could not best Mo Na Ye in terms of wisdom, one could also say that his understanding of Yang Kai was far inferior. Thus, Meng Que was consumed by his emotions so the feeling of closing the distance repeatedly only to see Yang Kai slip away was extremely irritating.
The pair continued their chase through the void with Yang Kai probing around in all directions at every moment.
For him, his intentions were not only to keep this Pseudo-Royal Lord on his tail to prevent him causing trouble to his allies. His true goal was to find someone who could help him turn the situation around so he could kill his pursuer.
Facing such a Pseudo-Royal Lord, Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow were not his opponents even if they combined their strength, but as long as they could find three more Eighth-Order Masters to form a Five Elements Formation, then it would be enough to contend with Meng Que.
The Universe Furnace World had just experienced its first evolution, but the chaotic and disorderly Shattered Dao Essence had only slightly improved. This place was still vast and boundless, so wanting to find a helping hand in this sort of environment was going to be difficult.
The other worry was that Yang Kai might even attract other enemies before finding the help he needed.
Based on the information he obtained from Liao Zheng and the others, as many as 20 Pseudo-Royal Lords had appeared on the various battlefields, and there could be more of them.
If he were to draw in another Pseudo-Royal Lord, then even Yang Kai would have trouble dealing with them.
There was no helping it, however. He could only keep going with his plan.
As he fled, Yang Kai silently opened the portal of his Small Universe and quickly closed it again, his figure sweeping quickly away without any pause.
He seemed to have done nothing, but Thunder Shadow, who was resting on his shoulder, was keenly aware of the moment his Small Universe’s portal was opened. He even saw Yang Kai release a jellyfish Chaos Entity that he had brought in earlier.
The moment the Chaos Entity was released, it just happened to be in an illusory state and was imperceptible to one’s eyes or Divine Sense, which was within Yang Kai’s calculations.
Naturally, Thunder Shadow understood what Yang Kai was trying to do and he could not help but divert some of his attention to the rear alongside Yang Kai.
The next moment, when Meng Que crossed the point where the trap was set, the Chaos Entity revealed itself and as its body bloomed with multi-coloured light. Meng Que naturally hit the jellyfish straight on.
This was a great shock to Meng Que. Even though he believed himself to be far stronger than Yang Kai, he did not dare to be careless in the face of this powerful enemy who had been causing endless troubles for the Black Ink Clan for thousands of years. During the chase, he was constantly on guard to avoid being taken by surprise.
Yet, he never thought that he would still fall for Yang Kai’s trickery.
The jellyfish-like Chaos Entity was one that Meng Que had previously discovered at the place where the Territory Lords died. Back then, he did not examine them carefully, but now that he touched one, he could sense a shapeless chaotic energy emanating from it that attacked his Soul.
Meng Que was taken aback for a moment and threw his palm out by instinct, slapping away the Chaos Entity in his face…
Up ahead, Thunder Shadow, who had seen everything clearly, licked its paws leisurely and commented, “Useful, but not very much so!”
Yang Kai nodded.
This jellyfish Chaos Entity emitted a very special type of energy that disrupted one’s Soul, and this shock was clearly powerful enough to affect the Pseudo-Royal Lord behind them; unfortunately, the disturbance the jellyfish caused was minimal. It was very different compared to the Territory Lords before, who fell into a complete daze after being hit by these Chaos Entities.
This wasn’t too much of a surprise though as the enemy was a Pseudo-Royal Lord. In terms of cultivation alone, Meng Que was no different from a Ninth-Order Master or true Royal Lord; thus, he had great resistance towards such attacks.
As such, Yang Kai’s plan to use his collected jellyfish Chaos Entities in the fight against this Pseudo-Royal Lord fell apart. At the very most, these Chaos Entities could only hinder a Pseudo-Royal Lord a little rather than become a key to attaining victory.
In fact, regarding this Pseudo-Royal Lord, Yang Kai had at least two ways to deal with him on his own; however, the price he would have to pay was too great and not considered cost-effective in this situation.
He would be better off trying to seek help instead!
Going round and round in this Universe Furnace World where Time and Space were extremely blurred, three figures swiftly moved, one chasing and two fleeing, though only one of the latter was actually exerting any effort. It was not known just how much distance they had traversed or how long it had been.
As long as Yang Kai wanted to run, then Meng Que would not be able to catch him, but he also could not bear to give up on a big fish like Yang Kai, so he had no choice but to soldier on.
After such an extended chase, Meng Que had also garnered some clues from his enemy’s actions. He may not be as smart as Mo Na Ye, but he was still a Pseudo-Royal Lord who had a lot of information about Yang Kai and knew his habits and thoughts well. How could he not understand that Yang Kai was purposefully leading him on after so long?
Even though Meng Que knew his enemy’s intentions, he could not understand what Yang Kai’s ultimate plan was, or if he had a hidden plot beneath the chase, which made him feel slightly uneasy.
As the chase continued, the void suddenly shook. The second evolution was emerging. Just like the first evolution, it came fast and left just as quickly, but after this evolution, the Shattered Dao Essence became a little bit more perfect.
For Yang Kai, who had great proficiency in the Dao of Time and Dao of Space, he had a greater intuition for such details compared to others.
However, the helpers he needed were still nowhere to be found.
Until a certain moment, Yang Kai suddenly sensed the fallout of a fierce battle up ahead. Instantly, he had a bad premonition and focused his senses.
Then, his brow furrowed.
After the second evolution, the interference he experienced during his search was less than before, and very soon, Yang Kai realized that the fight up ahead was between Masters from the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race.
About 4 or 5 different auras were coming from the Humans’ side, all of them in the Eighth Order. To be able to converge in one place so quickly was obviously thanks to physical contact they must have shared while entering the Universe Furnace.
However, the Black Ink Clansman opposing had one particularly powerful aura among them. Though it contained the strength of a Royal Lord, it was clearly a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
The worst situation Yang Kai expected had happened.
What Yang Kai hoped most to encounter along this chase was a group of at least three Eighth-Order Masters travelling together. That way, alongside him and Thunder Shadow, they could easily form the Five Elements Formation and teach the Pseudo-Royal Lord behind him some proper respect.
With a Five Elements Formation, ordinary Eighth-Order Masters could just about put up an even fight against a Pseudo-Royal Lord, but with Yang Kai serving as the Core, the chances of defeating a Pseudo-Royal Lord were relatively high. As for killing such an opponent… that would be a bit difficult.
If they were to encounter 1 or 2 straggling Eighth-Orders, Yang Kai could accept that too.
However, this was what he feared most, where there were enough Eighth-Order Masters to fight a Pseudo-Royal Lord, but they were already encumbered…
Seeing this and understanding the situation, Yang Kai swiftly turned away, hoping to lure his pursuer away with him.
The pursuing Pseudo-Royal Lord’s Divine Sense was not the least bit weaker than Yang Kai’s, so if Yang Kai could detect the movements there, then Meng Que who was chasing him should have felt them too.
However, Meng Que only hesitated for a moment before turning around and continuing to chase Yang Kai.
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed this. This Pseudo-Royal Lord… did not seem very smart. If it were Mo Na Ye, he would not be coming after him.
While thinking so, Meng Que suddenly paused. Clearly, he had also realized something before shouting at Yang Kai from afar, “I’ll go kill those Humans first before coming back to deal with you!”
After venting his anger, Meng Que immediately turned around and swept towards where the battle was taking place earlier.
However, before he could get far, the space in front of him rippled and a figure emerged from within, holding a long spear that he immediately thrust out.
Meng Que seemed to have anticipated that this would happen and let out a hearty laugh before swinging his fist out to meet Yang Kai in battle.
The spear shadow was smashed and Yang Kai was sent flying back while Meng Que only staggered slightly, clearly showing the disparity in their strengths.
In the void, ripples were constantly forming at Yang Kai’s back. He had activated Space Principles to try and defuse the force of the counterattack and was soon able to stabilize himself with a sigh.
Even though this Pseudo-Royal Lord was not very bright, he was not a complete fool either if he knew to threaten him with the lives of Eighth-Order Masters.
If Yang Kai let him leave and join together with that other Pseudo-Royal Lord up ahead, then the Eighth-Order Masters there would certainly be in danger. So, as soon as Meng Que said those words, the chase was over, and the initiative also fell into Meng Que’s hands.
This was the reason why Yang Kai was worried about encountering this situation, because once he did, he would be forced to fight with this Pseudo-Royal Lord.
This was not the outcome he wanted.
Meng Que was extremely pleased that he had successfully forced Yang Kai to face him head on and even felt that his idea was simply a stroke of genius.
He studied Yang Kai carefully and his eyes shone as if he were looking at his own war trophy.
He had seen Yang Kai before, but even though he had been stationed in the No-Return Pass all along, both times that Yang Kai caused a stir, Meng Que had been an Innate Territory Lord, so having to face a killing star like Yang Kai was not something he had confidence in back then.
The number of Innate Territory Lords who fell to Yang Kai’s spear was in the hundreds.
However, Meng Que was now a Pseudo-Royal Lord and naturally in a different state of mind.
Despite having taken the initiative, Meng Que did not let down his guard and turned to look around him, “Where is that leopard? Tell it to come out. I won’t be accused of bullying you.”
Meng Que did not see any trace of the leopard that was sitting on Yang Kai’s shoulder previously, which made him suspicious. He had no idea what Yang Kai was planning by hiding it away.
Even though he was a Pseudo-Royal Lord, it would not be very pleasant for him if he were attacked from behind by a Monster Race Master during a critical moment.
Yang Kai curled his lip and kept silent. He just raised his spear in front of him and silently gathered his strength. Dealing with this Pseudo-Royal Lord could mean losing his life at any moment, so he could not be sloppy.
Meng Que lost patience and sneered, “Good. No matter what plans you try to use, this will be your burial ground today. Remember, the one who killed you is the Black Ink Clan’s Meng Que!”
As soon as those words were said, he turned into a stream of dark light and lunged at Yang Kai.
The next instant, two figures clashed with each other, and in the moment after that, a figure was sent flying out, Golden Blood pouring out of his mouth. It was Yang Kai.
Even though he had fought with two Pseudo-Royal Lords before and even killed Di Wu, it was Yang Kai’s first time fighting a Pseudo-Royal Lord head-on at full strength.
During his fight with Di Wu, the latter had been suppressed by the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land. Yang Kai had favourable conditions and an advantageous position, so that fight did not count for much.
As for the fight against Mo Na Ye… Most of it was just Yang Kai running away from him. During that time, Yang Kai was not in peak condition since he had fought against many Innate Territory Lords earlier, so he no longer had the capital to battle Mo Na Ye.
This was Yang Kai’s first real clash with a Pseudo-Royal Lord without either side having a distinct advantage.
Meng Que was very strong, and even though he could not exert his full strength, he was still not an enemy Yang Kai could fight against freely. Still, Yang Kai steadied himself and went all out.
Compared to Yang Kai’s cautious seriousness, Meng Que was sighing in his heart.
The killing star whose name resounded through the Humans and Black Ink Clan was truly not comparable to ordinary Eighth-Order Masters.
Before meeting Yang Kai, Meng Que had met three other Eighth-Order Masters. One of them was alone, whereas the other two moved in a pair; however, faced with a Pseudo-Royal Lord like him, it did not matter whether they were one or two, there was simply no way for them to fight back and they died swiftly under his palm.
However, Yang Kai was able to block his blow head-on…
Rather than find this ridiculous, Meng Que felt it was only right for Yang Kai to be this strong. If he wasn’t, it would have been impossible for Yang Kai to make the Black Ink Clan suffer so many losses.
Two auras were clashing incessantly in the void, their fierce battle unceasing. Yang Kai was dripping blood with every step, his condition relatively miserable. Ultimately, he was not the opponent of a Pseudo-Royal Lord in a head-on fight, especially with this one called Meng Que who was a veteran Pseudo-Royal Lord. Meng Que was not one of those who had just become a Pseudo-Royal Lord and had yet to familiarize themselves with their own strength.
The strength that he was able to exert in battle was almost the same as Mo Na Ye.
Every collision resulted in Yang Kai being suppressed, forced to back away again and again, his body drifting like a lone wooden boat on a stormy ocean, in danger of capsizing at any moment.
Both Time Principles and Space Principles were pushed to the extreme, and Dao Strengths wrapped around his spear as it danced freely. Yang Kai anticipated the enemy’s moves through Time Principles while moving his body with Space Principles, but he was still just barely able to hold on.
The illusory phantom of a Golden Dragon coiled around Yang Kai’s body as fine Dragon Scales could be seen appearing on the surface of his skin. Against such a powerful enemy that he had no hopes of contending with, the Dragon Scales could offset a lot of the damage. The Dragon coiling around his body was not used to counter Meng Que’s attacks, but rather to circulate the power of Yang Kai’s Dragon Vein in order to defend himself and heal his injuries.
Even Yang Kai’s Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation, which had been unused for years, was brought out. The giant tree dropped its branches, enveloping Yang Kai’s figure as strong vitality pulsed around it.
This Divine Manifestation combined the two effects of defence and healing, but the protection it could offer to Yang Kai was limited under the bombardment of a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
Fortunately, the Divine Manifestation powered by the Immortal Tree’s Essence was really effective in healing wounds, no less so than his Dragon Vein.
Meng Qie soon realized that even though he had no idea what sort of Secret Technique Yang Kai was using, the injuries he was inflicting on this Human were recovering at a rate visible to the naked eye.
This caused Meng Que to frown. He was surprised by Yang Kai’s tricky resilience and despite their crushing difference in their strength, he was still unable to deal with him within a short amount of time. This made Meng Que attack with even greater ferocity.
He also had to divert some of his attention to probe for the leopard’s whereabouts. According to the information he received from the various Great Territory Battlefields, this leopard was very strong and had some hidden Innate Divine Abilities from its origins as one of Monster Race, making it almost invisible under the premise it did not attack. If it suddenly launched an ambush, its power was not to be underestimated.
This was also Yang Kai’s intention. He had Thunder Shadow hide himself from the start just to distract Meng Que.
Even though Thunder Shadow was strong, he was yet to go far beyond the realm of surpassing ordinary Eighth-Order Masters like Yang Kai, and against such a Pseudo-Royal Lord, even if he did attack, it would not have too much of an effect while coming with great risks. Rather than take such a gamble, it was better to just hide itself instead.
Only a hidden card could keep an enemy on their toes.
Meng Que took it for granted that Thunder Shadow was hiding on the sidelines in order to put in a sneak attack; but in fact, Thunder Shadow had silently gone far away when Yang Kai resolutely engaged Meng Que in battle.
Meng Que’s threats made it so that Yang Kai had no choice but to fight him head on. It seemed to put him in a passive position, but Yang Kai had already anticipated this possibility and had a plan ready to deal with it.
There were always two sides to every situation. Even though the fight going on on the other side was the capital Meng Que had to issue threats, why could it not be used to Yang Kai’s benefit as well?
On his own, Yang Kai was no match for Meng Que, but with the help of the other Eighth-Order Masters, Meng Que would become no issue.
To achieve this, he had to first help the Eighth-Order Masters out of their situation.
So, Thunder Shadow had gone over to the other side.
Concealing his aura with his Innate Divine Ability, Thunder Shadow moved urgently, but silently towards the other battlefield.
From a distance, Thunder Shadow could feel the stirring of World Force clashing with the surging Black Ink Strength.
As he moved closer, Thunder Shadow saw four Eighth-Order Masters linked together in a Four Symbols Formation as they fought against a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
The tide was turning against the Humans’ side.
Against a Pseudo-Royal Lord, the Eighth-Order Masters would have to form a Five Elements Formation to compete evenly. The Four Symbols Formation was still lacking.
When Thunder Shadow arrived, the four Eighth-Order Masters were working in perfect tandem with each other and the Battle Formation was functioning flawlessly, but they were still at a disadvantage against their enemy.
Remnants of Black Ink Clansmen’s corpses were still littered around the battlefield. They were apparently from nearby Black Ink Clan soldiers, who had sensed the commotion and had come to support the Pseudo-Royal Lord, only to be killed for their efforts.
Even though the situation was somewhat unfavourable, the four Eighth-Orders were not in danger of dying for the moment. They were not just soft persimmons to be pinched at will. All of them had been through countless life or death struggles, so they knew what needed to be done in situations like these.
The four of them fought with great vigor as they put their lives on the line. Their attacks were sharp and ruthless against the Pseudo-Royal Lord, which left their opponent somewhat constrained.
If he could be determined enough to put his own life at risk, the Pseudo-Royal Lord might be able to finish off these four Eighth-Order Masters at a heavy cost. At the very least, he was sure to sustain serious wounds.
In the Universe Furnace World however, a Pseudo-Royal Lord who was badly wounded but unable to rest and heal would not be able to survive another encounter with a Human Race Master.
This Pseudo-Royal Lord had narrowly escaped death during the Source Fusion, so there was no way he would put himself in such danger so easily.
It was with this in mind that the four Eighth-Orders took such a strong stance. In terms of healing, it was much more troublesome for the Black Ink Clan than the Human Race. In a situation where both sides traded injuries, it was the Human Race that ultimately came out on top even if they suffered fatalities.
Sure enough, the Pseudo-Royal Lord seemed disgruntled by the fight after a while. Seeing that he could not easily finish off these Eighth-Order Masters, he was prepared to retreat.
The Eighth-Order Masters, too, were aware of this. With the Battle Formation joined, they were of one mind and tacitly slowed down their attacks.
No one was willing to meaninglessly sacrifice themselves if the possibility of survival was present. If the Pseudo-Royal Lord wanted to leave, they were happy to let him.
In the next instant, a Black Ink Cloud spread out, enveloping the surrounding space. The Pseudo-Royal Lord feigned an attack before pulling back and jumping out of the four Eighth-Order Battle Formation’s range in an instant.
With a frown on his brow, he was just about to speak a few lines before making his exit, but something suddenly appeared behind him. The Pseudo-Royal Lord’s face looked horrified as he turned around in a hurry, raising his hand to throw out a palm.
But his palm struck at nothing. The only thing that came into view at the corner of his vision was a black leopard that had appeared behind him at some point in time, as well as a flash of pure white light that covered his vision
Purifying Light… Evil Purging Divine Spear!
From the information provided by the Black Ink Disciples, the Black Ink Clan was naturally aware of the Evil Purging Divine Spears, and after fighting with the Humans for so many years, this was a common weapon used on the various battlefields that had given them a big headache.
So, the moment he saw the dazzling white light, the Pseudo-Royal Lord knew that the black leopard, which had snuck over silently, had unleashed an Evil Purging Divine Spear at him.
From its might, it seemed to be the kind of Evil Purging Divine Spear that was used against Territory Lords!
His mind turned sharply and he hurriedly circulated his Black Ink Strength to guard his body. Under the envelopment of the white light, the dense Black Ink Strength was purified and disappeared. Bathed in the pure white light, even a Pseudo-Royal Lord as strong as him felt uncomfortable, and a burning sensation spread over the surface of his skin.
It was fortunate that he had detected the sneak attack in time and did not take the full brunt of it undefended; otherwise, he would have gotten seriously injured, especially if such a powerful weapon were to pierce him and explode inside his body.
All of a sudden, a powerful Battle Formation circled him again. Four auras locked him firmly in place, instantly intensifying the anger welling up in the Pseudo-Royal Lord. Then, the four Eighth-Order Masters launched a barrage of attacks.
Despite his anger, he did not dare to continue this fight. With this silent black leopard joining the Humans, the upper hand he had was lost. Continuing to fight would only be bringing shame upon himself.
Moreover, he was not sure whether or not there were more Human Race Masters lurking nearby.
So, he made a quick decision and his body split into a dozen Black Ink Clouds that shot out in all directions.
By the time the four Eighth-Order Masters reacted, they were only able to block half of the Black Ink Clouds, but none of them hid the Pseudo-Royal Lord. With that delay, how could they still catch the escaped Pseudo-Royal Lord? They could only stop there and sigh at their misfortune.
Among the four Eighth-Order Masters in formation, the one acting as the Core was a brave and heroic man with red hair like fire while the three others surrounded him.
If Yang Kai had been here, he would have instantly recognised Ou Yang Lie.
Ou Yang Lie had originally been deployed to the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield to guard the resource mining teams, but he was sent back to the Supreme Headquarters by Yang Kai when the Territory Lords were found escaping the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to report the situation.
That was how he gained access to the Universe Furnace; otherwise, Ou Yang Lie would surely still be leading the tens of thousands of Humans, moving around in secret while mining for materials.
Of the four Eighth-Order Masters here, Ou Yang Lie was the only veteran while the other three were rising stars who had just advanced recently over the last few thousand years.
It was for that reason that he served as the Core of the Four Symbols Formation.
The old commander naturally had his own role to play.
The three younger Eighth-Order Masters were still eager to give chase, but Ou Yang Lie shook his head, “A hard-pressed enemy should not be pursued too far.”
Even if they did go after him, they would not be able to do much to him in their current state.
All four were wounded in the fight with the Pseudo-Royal Lord, and if the Pseudo-Royal Lord had not decided to retreat for his own safety, they would likely not have come out of this in one piece.
Pseudo-Royal Lords were truly powerful! Despite being in a Battle Formation, the four of them were still suppressed and beaten. Only Yang Kai had ever fought a Master of this calibre alone in all these years, and before the Universe Furnace came into existence, no one else had ever even encountered a Pseudo-Royal Lord before.
The more this was, the more Ou Yang Lie realised how difficult it must have been for Yang Kai.
The Black Ink Clan had cultivated Pseudo-Royal Lords long ago, and if it were not for Yang Kai’s efforts in keeping them in check at the No-Return Pass, there would have been many more casualties on the Human Race’s side.
The Human Race was nothing more than a name, but the weight it carried was extraordinary. It was an inheritance passed down from ancient times, but now, a significant portion of the burdens were resting on one person’s shoulders. How terrible must that pressure be!
Ou Yang Lie’s goal in coming to the Universe Furnace wasn’t to look for any opportunities for himself.
He was thinking that, if possible, he would like to obtain a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and give it to Yang Kai so that he could break through to the Ninth Order! Due to the suppression of the Cave Heavens and Paradises back then, Yang Kai was forced to ascend to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm; but now, he was being relied upon to carry the heavy burden of helping the Human Race survive.
This was what the Cave Heavens and Paradises owed him, so he should find a way to make it up to him.
Moreover, Yang Kai himself was far more powerful than his peers as it was, so to have him advance to the Ninth Order would give them an even greater advantage and even greater benefits.
Of course, these were the thoughts and considerations of Ou Yang Lie alone, so things may not necessarily go as he wished. As the number of Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills was very small, and with the Humans, Black Ink Clan, and the native Chaos Race Masters scouring the Universe Furnace, obtaining a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was not going to be easy.
Putting his thoughts away, Ou Yang Lie turned his head in the direction of Monster Race leopard and recognised it as the Myriad Monsters World’s first Great Emperor who had risen to fame in the last millennium. He was just about to thank him when Thunder Shadow’s voice sounded in his ears, “Yang Kai is facing a Pseudo-Royal Lord alone and may not be able to hold out much longer. Please quickly come and support him!”
Ou Yang Lie’s face turned serious at once, “Where is he now?”
Thunder Shadow turned into a black shadow and shrouded the four Eighth-Order Masters, his voice reaching their ears as well, “Enter my Divine Ability and I will bring you there!”
As the black shadow flickered, the four figures disappeared. Using his Innate Divine Ability, Thunder Shadow swept silently towards the battlefield where Yang Kai and Meng Que were.
Yang Kai’s condition was steadily deteriorating on that battlefield. There was a dent on his chest and half of the fine Dragon Scales were cracked. He was clearly in a precarious situation.
Even Yang Kai was struggling to keep up with this reckless Pseudo-Royal Lord. He should be able to last for an hour at the very most, and by then, he would be too wounded to fight back. Before then, he would have to use his trump card if he wanted to stay alive.
He could only hope that everything was going smoothly on Thunder Shadow’s side.
This bastard, Meng Que, just had to keep rambling despite having the upper hand, shouting that if Yang Kai dared to run away, he would immediately go and kill those Eighth-Orders Masters…
Hearing that irritated Yang Kai, but he was indeed not Meng Que’s opponent. He also had to rely on the jellyfish Chaos Entities he had collected over and over to save himself from danger, but the Chaos Entities had a limited effect on a Pseudo-Royal Lord. Every time Yang Kai released a Chaos Entity, it would immediately be swept away by Meng Que, causing Yang Kai to nearly exhaust the supply he gathered in just a short period of time.
In contrast, Meng Que was undoubtedly feeling extremely smug at the moment. The Black Ink Clan’s attempts at stopping Yang Kai have all ended in failure so far. Furthermore, Mo Na Ye had once said to the Royal Lord that one should not target him rashly without a Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array to restrain Yang Kai’s Space Secret Techniques, lest they be subjected to his retaliation later.
The Royal Lord was also convinced of that back then. Yang Kai had brought endless shame and incalculable damage to the Clan, but his greatest strength was not the power he had which surpassed his peers, his greatest strength was his ability to escape just like a slippery ghost.
Without being able to restrain him, any plan would be meaningless.
That was why the clan had Black Ink Disciple develop the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array and refined many Array Plates and Banners so that they could set it up anywhere Yang Kai appeared.
But now, Meng Que had pinned Yang Kai in place all by himself without the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array or any helpers. All he had to do was threaten him with a few words.
How could Mo Na Ye compare with such efficiency?
If he could kill Yang Kai here, it would definitely be a huge achievement, not to mention the fact that Yang Kai had an Open Heaven Pill on him.
Once he returned to the No-Return Pass with this success, the Royal Lord would definitely praise him greatly, and the trivial Mo Na Ye would be trampled under his feet sooner or later.
Meng Que was filled with anticipation for that future, but he did not forget about the threat of the Monster Race leopard. He was still a Pseudo-Royal Lord, after all, so he would not be so careless.
It was at that moment that Meng Que suddenly sensed something and slightly restrained his attacks towards Yang Kai. Instead, he threw a fierce punch at the void behind him with a cold smile curling his lips.
There was an unusual movement in that direction. Clearly, the leopard finally could not resist making its move.
At first, Meng Que thought that even if he could not take it down with this blow, it would definitely be enough to force the leopard to show itself; however, what greeted him was a powerful blow, like a mountain overturning the sea, one that vastly exceeded what that leopard could produce.
The sneer on Meng Que’s face turned to shock, and the Black Ink Strength that covered his body was dissipated by the blow. He could not even stop himself from stumbling under the impact.
An invisible force spread out like ripples as Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability was broken, and one by one, figures appeared in Meng Que’s eyes.
Meng Que was stunned at first, not understanding how several Eighth-Order Masters had suddenly appeared, but he quickly reacted to the situation.
[It was that leopard…]
He had thought that Monster Race leopard was hiding nearby and waiting for an opportunity to attack, but instead, he had gone to the other battlefield and joined forces with four Eighth-Order Masters to repel his fellow Pseudo-Royal Lord before rushing them over to help.
Meng Que could not help but curse in his heart.
He had no idea who that Pseudo-Royal Lord was, but he had to curse him for being such a waste, to have been forced back in such a short amount of time.
Meng Que also cursed himself for his poor decision-making. He thought that he would win the battle against Yang Kai by mere threats and was already on the road to victory when, in fact, his opponent already had a plan to deal with the situation.
Rather than bothering with Yang Kai, he should have joined forces with the unknown Pseudo-Royal Lord in his fight against the four Eighth-Order Masters, then Yang Kai surely would not just stand by and watch.
If Meng Que had done so, then it would have been two Pseudo-Royal Lords against Yang Kai and Monster Race leopard, as well as the four Eighth-Order Masters, which would give them a much bigger advantage!
One mistake led to another and quickly piled like an avalanche. Meng Que learned for the first time just how difficult it must have been for Mo Na Ye to deal with a cunning bastard like Yang Kai. Sure enough, one must not be the least bit careless or assume anything until this slippery Human was dead!
Meng Que comforted himself that it was not his fault, just that Yang Kai was too tempting a target to let off. Any other Pseudo-Royal Lord would not give up on a large catch like Yang Kai so easily to chase after a different target.
However, it was too late to consider such things. When the leopard brought over the four Human Masters, Meng Que knew that his plan to kill Yang Kai today had failed. Right now, he had to consider whether he was going to fight to the death or immediately turn tail and run.
The power of Yang Kai’s Dragon Vein burned and the Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation that had been enveloping him shone brilliantly, pouring green light into his body. At a rate visible to the naked eye, the injuries over his body could be seen healing. Even his chest, which had been caved in, was pushed back into place.
Yang Kai turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood before pointing his Spear at Meng Que, a stern look on his face as he sneered, “Ready for round two?”
Not since he was chased by the Royal Lord outside of the Primordial Heaven Source Grand Restriction had Yang Kai suffered such a big loss.
It was not that the Black Ink Clan did not have anyone who was stronger than him, but the only one that had beaten him so badly was this Pseudo-Royal Lord called Meng Que in front of him.
This naturally built up a huge grudge in Yang Kai’s heart.
While he was speaking, Yang Kai had already connected his aura to Ou Yang Lie and the others. In an instant, a new Battle Formation was formed.
Originally, the Battle Formation that Ou Yang Lie and the three other Eighth-Order Masters formed was only the Four Symbols Formation. With Thunder Shadow’s inclusion, it became the Five Elements Formation. Now, with Yang Kai joining the formation, it became the Six Paths Formation.
Ou Yang Lie was originally the Core of the Formation, but he had willingly retrieved his aura and transferred this position. In the next moment, Yang Kai, who had now become the Core of the Formation, swelled with power, seemingly surpassing the Eighth Order.
The void trembled and Meng Que’s expression became grave.
He naturally recognised the Six Paths Formation, a Battle Formation of the Human Race. The Black Ink Clan had also studied this Formation. Back then, in the No-Return Pass, Mo Na Ye had made many Territory Lords attempt to form this Formation, but they never got the essence of it.
The many Territory Lords were only able to form up to the Four Symbols Formation, with a select few being capable of barely forming the Five Elements Formation. As for the Six Paths Formation, none of them had ever successfully performed it.
The reason for that was because the Formation required the concerted efforts of all involved, which not only required close coordination but also a tacit understanding of each other. Most importantly, unconditional trust towards the person presiding over the Formation as its Core was essential.
In other words, once a Battle Formation was created, the participants would become parts of a whole, surrendering their Will and strength to a single leader. They had to hand their life and all their power over to the one that stood as the Core of the Formation.
Naturally, the Human Race could more easily form higher ranking Battle Formations due to the oppression of death they faced, formed along with a close camaraderie among those that fought together since long ago. However, that was different for the Black Ink Clan.
Which of them would not have their own plans? The Territory Lords were basically the peak of the Black Ink Clan, so it would be a tough demand to ask them to hand their lives over to another Territory Lord.
Black Ink Clan aside, though there were precedents of the Six Paths and Seven Stars Formation being used by the Human Race, the Eight Desolations Formation and the Nine Palaces Formation was still difficult even for the Human Race. This was no longer a question of trust, but rather the difficulty of the Core withstanding and coordinating the pressure of the immense power gathering at that level. Thus, the Formation’s difficulty increased with numbers.
Right now, Ou Yang Lie and the other three Eighth-Order Masters were willing to entrust Yang Kai with their lives. After so many years of hard work, Yang Kai’s name had become a mainstay in the Human Race. He was the pillar that held back the Black Ink Clan. Which rising star would not have heard of Yang Kai’s illustrious name on their Martial Dao? One could practically say that most of them have grown up with Yang Kai as their goal in life.
With Yang Kai present on the scene, how could they hesitate? There was no need to even mention Ou Yang Lie and Thunder Shadow. The former was a close personal friend, and the latter was his own Monster Self.
Trust was not an issue.
The key to forming a Battle Formation was to have strong trust and the willingness to place one’s life in the hands of another. The Human Race Masters have never lacked this, while that was something that those of the Black Ink Clan had never truly possessed.
Moreover, since Thunder Shadow was Yang Kai’s Monster Self, even though he was part of the Formation’s six members, Yang Kai, as the Core, only needed to coordinate the powers of Ou Yang Lie and the other three Eighth-Order Masters. There was no need for him to pay attention to his Monster Self. As such, the difficulty of presiding over this Formation was just like presiding over a Five Elements Formation. Despite never having worked with each other before, when Ou Yang Lie and the others appeared, and when Yang Kai integrated his aura into the Formation, the Core position immediately shifted to him. In an instant, the Battle Formation was formed as if it had been practised countless times.
Sensing the strength and power of the Battle Formation, Meng Que knew that his troubles were going to be great.
As the thought flashed through his mind, the surrounding space was already rippling. An alarm was set off in Meng Que’s heart when a long spear shadow suddenly stabbed towards his face.
This spear was thrust with the combined powers of Yang Kai, four Eighth-Order Masters, and a Monster Race Great Emperor, so its might could practically shatter the space inside this Universe Furnace World. Even the chaotic Shattered Dao Essence that filled this place was swept away.
This spear, which was covered in the rich Dao Strengths from both the Dao of Time and the Dao of Space, seemed to have come from some point in the past towards a moment in the future.
It was endlessly changing and felt completely unpredictable.
Meng Que’s face paled and he quickly gathered his strength to defend himself. Rich Black Ink Strength poured out into a barrier, but the spear pierced through all the obstacles unhindered, drawing a spray of black blood.
Meng Que gritted his teeth and backed away as quickly as possible!
However, Yang Kai followed him like a shadow and his spear transformed into a rain of shadows, moving fast at times and slow at others. Various Dao Strengths condensed, with the Dao of Time and the Dao of Space forming a core, creating infinite subtleties.
The four Eighth-Order Masters and Thunder Shadow who were in the Formation with Yang Kai followed closely behind, emptying their minds and bodies and channelling all their power into Yang Kai through the Battle Formation.
The situation on the battlefield was instantly flipped upside down. Yang Kai, who had been suppressed until he barely had strength to remain panting, had now gained the upper hand and overpowered Meng Que to the point where he could barely counterattack.
In terms of their might alone, Yang Kai and the others should be at a similar strength to Meng Que after forming the Battle Formation; however, the Dao Strengths that Yang Kai wielded were extremely profound. As he wielded the Dao Strengths while drawing power from Ou Yang Lie and the others, Yang Kai’s attacks became much sharper and completely unpredictable.
While others may not be able to feel it much, Meng Que, who was currently fighting against Yang Kai, could clearly understand the difference.
There were many attacks that Meng Que was confident that he could block, but though he should have deflected or resisted them, the result ended up astonishing him instead.
Each spear thrust seemed to have a clear attack pattern, but they would always fall out of his predictions at some point, causing him to make a misjudgment and causing a disadvantage in his defences.
It was as if Yang Kai’s attacks were not aimed at the current him, but rather at him from some point in the past or the future…
Dealing with such a situation was unusually difficult for Meng Que. Through the support of the Battle Formation, Yang Kai was currently no lesser to him both in terms of momentum and power. If that alone were the case, then a fight like this would probably end up in a situation where neither could do anything to their opponent.
However, the methods that this Human was using were too bizarre…
What Meng Que could not understand was how this Human could actually endure this level of exertion.
Meng Que had also practised the Four Symbols Formation with other Territory Lords before and knew the difficulty of holding a Formation together. It required not only the trust and cooperation of the others, but also the ability to bear a heavy load as the Core.
Serving as the Core of the Formation was equivalent to gathering everyone’s energy into their own body. If the power was too great, then it would be difficult for one’s body to handle it.
Yang Kai had already been battered by Meng Que previously, and now that he was presiding over the Six Paths Formation, he was basically gathering the strengths of the five other Masters into his own body, and the pressure alone was enough to crush any Eighth-Order Master, yet he was taking it as if nothing was wrong.
Meng Que seemed to remember then that this guy was not actually a pure Human, but rather part of the Dragon Clan…
Dragons were famed for their thick skin and strong flesh to begin with, so it seemed reasonable for Yang Kai to be able to withstand such pressure in this case thanks to the sturdiness of his body.
These thoughts made Meng Que furious. He was clearly one step away from success, yet he failed to achieve his goal at the very end, which left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Killing Yang Kai and obtaining the Open Heaven Pill, were both great feats. Why should he have to stay under that bastard Mo Na Ye’s feet forever?
Because Mo Na Ye had more brains than he did?
Because Mo Na Ye had become a Pseudo-Royal Lord before he did?
Anger burned inside Meng Que. Black Ink Strength surged alongside World Force. The Universe Furnace World began to show cobweb-like cracks where their battle was held, but they quickly reverted to their original states.
A Pseudo-Royal Lord was not to be trifled with when they decided to lay everything aside to put up a desperate fight. As each powerful Divine Ability or Secret Technique was released by Meng Que, Black Ink Strength that emanated from him could practically cloud over the entire void.
It was not because Meng Que was willing to fight so desperately, but because he had no other choice. Now that Yang Kai had formed a Battle Formation with the other Masters, it was impossible for them to just let Meng Que go like that. No matter what happened, a full-blown fight was going to break out.
Meng Que was initially confused by Yang Kai’s sudden surge of power, but now that he had gained his bearings, his situation was no longer as miserable as before.
He was not a complete fool, so he would not insist on fighting Yang Kai to the death. Instead, he focused less on dealing damage to Yang Kai and more on killing Ou Yang Lie and the others in the Battle Formation. There was no need to kill too many, just one would be enough to break the Formation, then the initiative would fall back into his hands.
However, even though Meng Que could trouble Yang Kai a little bit, it did not lead to any substantial progress. His intentions were obvious, and Yang Kai would never give him the chance to achieve them. Everyone had entrusted their lives to him, so he would naturally not disappoint them.
This battle was a fierce one that sent trembles through the void from the aftershocks.
At one point, Yang Kai slowed down his attacks. The miserably battered Meng Que, covered in black blood, finally saw an opportunity to dodge out of the Formation’s attack range. As his body shook, he turned into over 100 Black Ink Clouds that flew off in all directions.
Yang Kai had no intention of pursuing him, but there was a slight look of regret in his eyes.
Without delay, he maintained the momentum of the Six Paths Formation and forcibly enveloped Ou Yang Lie and the others with Space Principles before moving far away.
A while later, once they had left that battlefield, Yang Kai and the others emerged at a mountain range formed by the chaotic Shattered Dao Essence.
With one thought, the Battle Formation that they kept up all this while finally dissipated.
In the next moment, everyone grunted, and each one spat out fresh blood from their mouths, even Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow did the same. Yang Kai’s body was swaying and his face was as pale as a sheet of paper. Holding on with the Azure Dragon Spear to support him, he declared, “I will stand guard for everyone, so heal up first.”
Ou Yang Lie and the other Eighth-Order Masters had mixed expressions on their faces, but they did not say anything more. They all nodded and sat down cross-legged, each taking out Spirit Pills and stuffing them into their mouths.
Yang Kai stood while holding his spear and silently circulated the power of his Dragon Vein to heal the injuries on his body; he did not stop surveying their surroundings so that they were not taken advantage of by other enemies.
Fortunately, there were no Chaos Spirits here, only some Chaos Entities, which as long as they were not provoked, would not come over to bother them.
Thinking back to the battle earlier, Yang Kai still felt a little bit of regret; after all, he did not get to cut down that Pseudo-Royal Lord called Meng Que. It was not that Yang Kai wanted to let him off, but that he had no other choice.
He had already been injured by Meng Que before Ou Yang Lie and the others came to support him, and the others had also been fighting another Pseudo-Royal Lord before, so they more or less had their share of injuries.
It was fair to say that everyone but Thunder Shadow was injured before they formed the Six Paths Formation.
After getting into the Formation and engaging in a bloody battle with Meng Que, the powers of Ou Yang Lie and the others constantly converged on Yang Kai, while each of Meng Que’s attacks were also distributed to everyone.
Everyone came out of the battle more wounded than before. It was already getting difficult for them to hold on.
If Meng Que had not fled then, Yang Kai would have been forced to use devastating moves with the help of the Battle Formation that though it might have killed the enemy, would likely result in Ou Yang Lie and the others dying as well. As for himself, Yang Kai was confident that he could survive thanks to the toughness of his body, but it was difficult to say how badly he would be injured.
Even now, the wounds that Yang Kai had sustained were extremely serious. Half of them were from fighting with Meng Que alone, while the others were from the subsequent fight in the Formation.
However, he did gain some insight from this fight. His previous guesses were correct that, if he were to act as the Core of a Five Elements Formation, then that was enough for him to compete with a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
This time, Yang Kai was not able to gain much of an advantage even with a Six Paths Formation because none of them were at their peak strength.
As time passed, when everyone was still healing, the void’s Grand Dao shook.
The Universe Furnace’s third evolution had arrived.
Everyone was startled, but they were relieved to know that it was not an attack.
Seeing that Yang Kai was still standing guard for them nearby, Ou Yang Lie stood up, “Junior Brother, you should heal up too. Let me stand guard instead.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I recover quickly, so don’t worry, Senior Brother.”
Ou Yang Lie looked him up and down and realized that indeed, his rate of recovery was much faster than the rest of them despite not actively cultivating, so he did not continue insisting and sat back down instead.
However, even if Yang Kai had a powerful Dragon Vein, it was still Thunder Shadow who recovered first.
The main reason for that was because Thunder Shadow was unharmed before they formed the Formation, so his injuries were the least severe. With his Monster Self to stand guard, Yang Kai could finally focus on healing.
After an unknown period of time, everyone who was healing opened their eyes one by one. Even though they could not say that they had fully recovered, they were at least fine now.
Ou Yang Lie sighed, “It is a shame that we let that Pseudo-Royal Lord go.”
Yang Kai laughed, “There’s no shame in that. Unlike us, the Black Ink Clan have no place to rest or heal in the Universe Furnace World. He came out of that fight badly injured, so he likely only has 50% of his strength left. He won’t be able to do much from now on.”
It was because of such considerations that Yang Kai did not insist on fighting Meng Que to the death; otherwise, the threat of letting a Pseudo-Royal Lord like him go would be too great for the other Eighth-Order Masters, in which case, Yang Kai would have tried much harder to kill him instead of just trading wounds.
A Pseudo-Royal Lord with only 50% of his power left may not have the guts to make a move even if he were to encounter other Eighth-Order Human Masters. Even though Meng Que did not die, his threat in the Universe Furnace had already been greatly reduced.
Ou Yang Lie could not help but raise his brow at that, “So, that means it wasn’t a loss for us?”
“No, of course not,” Yang Kai shook his head.
The worst-case scenario he originally envisioned was that he would be forced to join hands with Thunder Shadow to fight Meng Que alone. Of course, just his true body and his Monster Self were no match for a Pseudo-Royal Lord, but as long as they dared to put their lives on the line, then they would not let Meng Que off easily no matter what. As long as Meng Que realized that continuing the fight with him was going to cost him greatly, he would naturally withdraw by himself.
Fortunately, that did not happen, and he was able to borrow the strength of Ou Yang Lie and the others to form the Six Paths Formation.
When the other Eighth-Order Masters heard Yang Kai’s words, they were greatly relieved. They had fought against two Pseudo-Royal Lord’s in a row, and the intensity of the fights, especially against Meng Que, was far greater than anything they had ever experienced before. It was also a great benefit to their understanding of their own Grand Daos.
The cultivators who had emerged over the millennia had grown through life-or-death struggles in battle, and the experience of fighting two such Pseudo-Royal Lords could be an invaluable asset to them.
The situation prior was so urgent that they had no time to exchange pleasantries, but now that they had some free time, the other three Eighth-Order Masters introduced themselves and respectfully greeted Yang Kai as Senior Brother Yang.
The three Eighth-Order Masters were two men and one woman. One among the men was Zhan Tian He, a man of proper origins. He was a disciple of a certain Cave Heaven, but he was sent to the Star Boundary to cultivate long ago and was fed by the power of the Star Boundary’s World Tree clone. He advanced directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm then.
Zhan Tian He was born with delicate features. With red lips and white teeth, he looked like a young man in his early twenties, obviously achieved by a high enough aptitude and a fast enough cultivation speed to achieve great strength at a young age, which allowed his youthful appearance to persist.
The other man was much more rugged with a waist like a bear’s and a back like a tiger’s. He was also unusually tall, resembling a steel pagoda when he stood up.
This burly fellow called Xiong Ji was also from a Cave Heaven, Bright King Cave Heaven, to be exact. The cultivators of Bright King Heaven were extremely powerful and robust as they mainly cultivated Body Tempering. Yang Kai had encountered many of Bright King Cave Heaven’s Masters before, but a man of Xiong Ji’s stature was still rare.
The woman, Liu Fei Fei, was not from a Cave Heaven or Paradise, but from a small Great Force. Though it was called a ‘small’ Great Force, it was in fact comparable to the Cave Heavens and Paradises now. That Great Force had also once dominated a Great Territory in the early days. It was similar to that of the Void Land back then, which made it a Second Class Great Force. However, no High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had ever come out from there.
After the great evacuation of the Human Race, this Great Force also moved to High Heaven Territory, and Liu Fei Fei, as a young elite disciple of the Sect, was sent to the Star Boundary to cultivate in order to achieve her present success.
The Sect where Liu Fei Fei came from had now moved to the Myriad Monsters World, where there was no shortage of rising stars. In the future, there would definitely be a lot of good seedlings who could make her Sect shine.
The greetings were all exchanged. Originally, the three rising stars felt more or less restrained when faced with a legendary character like Yang Kai. They had all grown and cultivated in the Star Boundary, so naturally, they had long heard of Yang Kai’s reputation and achievements, so they were all honoured to join forces with a legend such as he.
However, after a short conversation, they realised that the legend was not as imposing as they had imagined. Instead, he was very approachable, and with the friendship gained through their previous battle, a sense of affinity had grown between them.
Yang Kai asked Ou Yang Lie and the others about their situation and learnt that it was by chance that the four of them had come together.
Ou Yang Lie had originally come from Azure Sun Territory alone. As he wandered through the Universe Furnace World, he happened to sense a fight and rushed over to take a look to discover that Zhan Tian He and the others had formed a Three Fortunes Formation and were fighting against a Pseudo-Royal Lord. Ou Yang Lie immediately came to their aid, leading to the scene that Thunder Shadow saw after that.
If Ou Yang Lie had come any later, then Zhan Tian He and the others would likely have been in mortal danger. A Three Fortunes Formation would most likely have been unable to defend against a Pseudo-Royal Lord. As long as the Pseudo-Royal Lord was determined to pay the price to forcibly cut one of them down, the Three Fortunes Formation would easily be broken.
Though Zhan Tian He and the two others were of different origins, they had similarly grown up in the Star Boundary and had fought together with each other many times on the Great Territory Battlefields. So, they had grown to know each other well and formed a deep friendship. This time, the group had also entered through one of the Universe Furnace’s entrances together.
Ou Yang Lie was worried that Yang Kai would not know of the Universe Furnace’s oddities, so he was in a hurry to bring him all the information gathered by the Humans so far. When he found out that Yang Kai had already met up with other Eighth-Order Masters and was informed of all the intricacies, only then did he rest.
He then said with excitement, “With Junior Brother Yang and Thunder Shadow joining us, we can now explore the Universe Furnace World freely with the Six Paths Formation.”
There was sense to his words. They were all injured previously and also fought off Meng Que, but now that they were mostly recovered from their injuries, with the Six Paths Formation, they no longer had to fear any Pseudo-Royal Lords. The only existence likely to be able to be any threat to them in the Universe Furnace World now would be the as of yet unconfirmed Chaos Spirit Kings.
Zhan Tian He and the others were also excited. Originally, the three of them were cautious and uneasy, worried that they would accidentally come across a Pseudo-Royal Lord, and they did end up bumping into one in the end. It was fortunate that they were able to turn a dangerous situation into a beneficial one. With a stronger Formation, there was no longer any need for them to worry about anything.
Ou Yang Lie stood up eagerly, “Junior Brother Yang, shall we get going?”
His wounds had yet to fully heal, but he was well enough to go searching for opportunities while recovering on the way.
Namely, he was eager to go off and search for a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
“There’s no rush.” Yang Kai smiled, “Senior Brother Ou Yang, I have something to give you.”
Ou Yang Lie was surprised, “What is it?”
What would Yang Kai have for him at such a time?
Yang Kai did not explain and just took out a wooden box, tossing it to Ou Yang Lie, who casually caught it and smiled, “Anything that comes from Junior Brother’s hands surely won’t be ordinary. Let me take a look.”
Saying so, he released the many seals on the box as Zhan Tian He and the others looked on curiously.
In the next instant, a dense multi-coloured light suddenly entered their eyes, accompanied by an indescribable fragrance. Ou Yang Lie’s smile froze on his face, but he was only taken aback for a moment before quickly closing the wooden box and sealing it again. He raised his head and narrowed his eyes at Yang Kai while putting on the airs of an Elder, “Stinking Brat, how can you casually throw such a thing around? Hurry up and put it away!”
He quickly walked up to Yang Kai and grabbed his hand, pressing the box heavily onto his palm as he glared solemnly at him.
He tried to take his hand away, but failed to do so. Yang Kai had caught his hand, causing Ou Yang Lie’s face to become even more serious as he scolded, “Damn Brat! You’re still not going to let go? Tugging and pulling at someone’s hand like this is highly improper!”
Ou Yang Lie really never expected that Yang Kai would actually give him “that’’ when he offered to give him something!
Despite having never seen it before, he knew the instant he opened the box and saw the dense multi-coloured light surrounding the object.
It was the greatest opportunity to help cultivators break through their limits, as well as the cause that triggered this great tide of competition between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan.
A Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill!
Ou Yang Lie had to sigh in admiration at this twist of fate. He had been planning to give Yang Kai a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill if he ever came by the opportunity to obtain one so that the latter could advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and so that he could better lead the Human Race to victory and lift the darkness enveloping the 3,000 Worlds.
However, despite his search, Ou Yang Lie never caught a glimpse of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill’s shadow, only finding a few Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills.
He never thought that Yang Kai would actually want to give him one instead.
[What is this boy thinking?]
The moment he saw the Open Heaven Pill, Ou Yang Lie felt a mix of emotions inside of him. He felt touched, but also annoyed at the same time.
He was touched that Yang Kai would so simply part with such a precious item as a gift to him, which was not something that could be done casually. In the end, he and Yang Kai merely knew each other well and shared some friendship as war comrades, but they were not at the level that warranted him being given a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill so simply.
Ou Yang Lie had the idea of giving Yang Kai a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill for the greater good of the Human Race, not to mention the fact that it was still a question as to whether he would get a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill to begin with.
But what was Yang Kai thinking when doing this?
Ou Yang Lie was annoyed at why this brat would give the pill to him when he himself needed it as well. How could he accept such a gift? This Stinking Brat could not be thinking that the pressure on him was too much, and so was thinking of shirking his responsibilities, was he?
Otherwise, why would he not take the Spirit Pill himself after obtaining it?
That would certainly not do. Yang Kai was not just a name, but the spiritual pillar of the entire Human Race. If he were to quit here, then it would greatly impact the morale of everyone.
While such thoughts were running through Ou Yang Lie’s mind, Zhan Tian He and the others were all stunned after seeing the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. Even though they were not as old as Ou Yang Lie and had not seen as much as he had, it was still easy to recognise something like the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Excitement, shock, thrill, admiration… They all instantly went through a tangle of emotions.
Since the three of them entered the Universe Furnace World Together, other than meeting the Pseudo-Royal Lord, their trip had been smooth so far. However, they had not seen a trace of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill along the way.
Yet, Senior Brother Yang had already gotten his hands on one! As expected of the legendary figure that they had been hearing about from their Elders since they were young! They were truly impressed by the speed at which he was able to find and acquire such a treasure.
The presence of this Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was a direct correlation to the birth of another Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the Human Race, which would definitely have a huge impact on the struggle between the Human Race and Black Ink Clan in the Universe Furnace World.
A Ninth-Order Master could provide great help to the Humans.
Of course, they were also Masters who were in need of this Spirit Pill; otherwise, they would not have come into the Universe Furnace World. Though they came spurred on by the situation of the Human Race, they also came because of their own needs.
Now that the opportunity was right in front of their eyes, who would not feel their heart race?
Cultivators spend so many years striving hard on cultivating, was their goal not so they could reach greater heights in the Martial Dao?
It could be said that no Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could stay indifferent in the face of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill; this was merely Human nature, not greed or selfishness.
However, Zhan Tian He and the others quickly put away their thoughts for they knew that with Yang Kai and Ou Yang Lie present, this Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill would not be for them to refine no matter what.
After all, the pill did not belong to them.
Yang Kai had guessed that Ou Yang Lie would reject the pill; only, he never thought that his Senior Brother would reject it so resolutely.
This reinforced Yang Kai’s idea that it was right of him to offer up the Open Heaven Pill. Not just anyone could muster the same determination to reject it when they were able to recognize what the pill was.
Patting the back of Ou Yang Lie’s hand, Yang Kai said, “Senior Brother, please listen…”
Ou Yang Lie shook his head like a rattle drum, “I’m not listening. Take and refine this thing right now. We will stand guard for you. Once you break through to the Ninth Order, go and wipe out all those Black Ink Clan bastards. Wouldn’t all the good stuff that’s left be ours without the Black Ink Clan creating a disturbance here?”
Zhan Tian He and the others nodded in agreement, “Senior Brother Ou Yang has a point.”
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “If this was useful to me, I would have found a place to refine it long ago and not keep it until now.”
Ou Yang Lie was stunned as he did not quite understand, “What do you mean? This thing is useless to you? Could I be mistaken about what this is?” He did not think he was wrong. It should be a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, no doubt about it, but could he have been mistaken?
Yang Kai explained, “Yes, it is what Senior Brother is thinking of, but unfortunately, it really is useless for me.”
Ou Yang Lie frowned, “If it really is that thing, then how could it be useless to you? Don’t try to fool me. I won’t believe a thing you say.”
Yang Kai had no idea what to say to that as he too felt helpless, “That’s why, please let me finish. Senior Brother…” Speaking up to this point, he changed to Divine Sense transmission and began relaying the story about how he obtained the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art from Wu Kuang. Ou Yang Lie listened with changing expressions, his eyes going back and forth between Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow.
[This Thunder Shadow Great Emperor who was born in the Myriad Monsters World is made of part of Yang Kai’s Soul, created with the help of a Secret Technique? That aside, there is still a Human Self, and only when three Selves unite can he break his limits and overcome the shortcomings of the Open Heaven Realm Method to step into the Ninth Order?]
The story sounded bizarre yet Yang Kai looked so serious when he told it to him. Ou Yang Lie did not even know whether he should believe him or not.
However, he did not see any trace of Yang Kai in Thunder Shadow. Could that still be considered part of him?
A moment later, Yang Kai continued, “Senior Brother, I know the situation of the Human Race better than anyone. If I could have broken through to the Ninth Order with this pill, then I naturally wouldn’t hesitate. If you would excuse me for shamelessly boasting, if I were to make a breakthrough to the Ninth Order, then it would be much more valuable than any other Eighth-Order Master. If I had such an opportunity, I would never give it up; however, this pill really is of no use to me. Everything else aside, does Senior Brother feel something unusual in the barrier of your Small Universe when you see this pill?”
Ou Yang Lie gently nodded.
The barrier around his Small Universe, which had been shackling him for so many years did in fact show signs of loosening the moment the multi-coloured light spread out, and it was because of that that he was able to conclude that it was a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Only Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills could have such a miraculous effect in this world.
Yang Kai said, “I don’t feel anything. That is why this pill is of no use to me.”
Ou Yang Lie’s expression turned complex at that, and he was silent for a long time before saying, “You’re not lying to me, right?”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I have already spoken up to this point, how could I deceive Senior Brother? If I may ask, please refine this pill as soon as possible and break through to the Ninth Order, Senior Brother. Then we can strengthen our people’s position and eliminate more powerful opponents.”
As Yang Kai said, if this pill was truly useful to him, then whether it be for personal reasons or the greater good of the Human Race, he would not give it away to anyone else.
However, facts proved that it was of no use to him.
The way the two of them kept pushing the pill to and fro made Zhan Tian He and the others gape in awe.
Even though they had no idea what Yang Kai said to Ou Yang Lie earlier, it did not matter. That was still a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, and no Eighth-Order Master could possibly remain unmoved in front of it.
The opportunity to climb up to the Ninth Order was right in front of them, but these two were showing humility to each other, causing Zhan Tian He and the others to praise the nobility of these two Senior Brothers…
Ou Yang Lie held the wooden box containing the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill in his hand. Though it was a small thing, it felt unusually heavy.
There was a moment of silence before he said, “Junior Brother, I don’t know whether or not I can make a breakthrough with this pill. You should be familiar with my condition. After fighting for so many years and accumulating so many dark injuries, my Small Universe is a mess. If I refine it and do not make it to the Ninth Order, would that not be a shame?”
Yang Kai quickly said, “This pill was conceived by the Universe Furnace and created by the Heavens and Earth. Its wonders are beyond our comprehension. It’s worth a try, Senior Brother!”
Ou Yang Lie shook his head, “It’s still risky. This is an opportunity for someone to become a Ninth-Order Master. I don’t want it to go to waste, no matter how small the possibility.”
Saying so, he handed the wooden box to Zhan Tian He on the side, “Tian He, you do it!”
Zhan Tian He was flabbergasted, “M-Me?”
He was just watching from the side. How could such a good thing suddenly fall on his head? Did the Universe suddenly flip upside down? This was a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill! The goal of all those who came here! Why was everyone refusing to refine it!?
Ou Yang Lie was solemn, “You do it. I don’t have complete confidence in succeeding, while Xiong Ji is from Bright King Cave Heaven. Even if he succeeds, he would still just be a meathead. What he can offer to the Human Race is limited. As for Junior Sister Liu, her heritage is still lacking. You’re the best candidate, so you take it!”
Watching from the sidelines, Liu Fei Fei nodded lightly. Out of the three of them, she had broken through to the Eighth Order last, so it was true that she was still lacking in comprehension and heritage. She was not in as urgent a need for the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Even though Xiong Ji was called a meathead by Ou Yang Lie, he just scratched his head and laughed embarrassedly as he could not deny it.
“Senior Brother, you… I…” Zhan Tian He was at a loss for a moment.
“Don’t go stuttering on me,” Ou Yang Lie slapped the box down on Zhan Tian He’s hand, “Hurry and refined it. We will stand guard for you.”
Zhan Tian He’s body froze as if he had been put under a spell. He had not been at such a loss even when he was facing the Pseudo-Royal Lord earlier.
Opening the wooden box by instinct, the multi-coloured light poured out once more. His heart throbbed and the barrier that stopped his Small Universe from expanding was shaking faintly from the pill’s fragrance.
The greatest opportunity was now in his hands. As long as he took it into his Small Universe, refining and absorbing it, then the walls would be broken through and he would advance to the Ninth Order!
However, Zhan Tian He remained still for a long time…
“Still not refining it? What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for the Black Ink Clan to come and attack us?” Ou Yang Lie could not resist the urge to reprimand him.
The look of struggle on Zhan Tian He’s face gradually eased up. Seemingly having made up his mind, he let out a bitter chuckle and shut the wooden box, handing it back to Ou Yang Lie.
Ou Yang Lie couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at him, “What are you doing?”
Zhan Tian He chuckled bitterly, “Senior Brother, please don’t make things difficult for me.”
Ou Yang Lie shouted, “Make things difficult for you? I’m giving you an opportunity and you say I’m making things difficult for you?”
Zhan Tian He took a step back and bowed respectfully to Ou Yang Lei, “Please forgive me, Senior Brother, but I can’t accept this, nor do I have the right to! Please refine it yourself, Senior Brother.”
Next to them, Yang Kai who was silent the whole time, raised his brow a little. He handed the Spirit Pill to Ou Yang Lie, but the latter did not have the confidence to refine it successfully and was worried about disappointing his expectations, so he turned around and gave it to Zhan Tian He instead. It was not because Ou Yang Lie lacked commitment, but because of how severe the matter was. Right now, having one more or one less Ninth-Order Master could make all the difference in their situation.
If he left it to Zhan Tian He, then a new Ninth-Order Master would definitely be born.
That was why Yang Kai did not stop Ou Yang Lie from doing so. For the greater good, Yang Kai had planned to find an Eighth-Order Master to have them refine the Spirit Pill after he discovered it was useless to him. Before that decision was even made, he never thought that he would end up bumping into Ou Yang Lie.
However, there was bound to be a little bit of selfishness in everyone. Compared to the rising star Eighth-Order Masters like Zhan Tian He, whom he just met, Yang Kai more or less shared a friendly relationship with Ou Yang Lie and would rather have him take the Spirit Pill. This was naturally why Ou Yang Lie became his first choice as a recipient.
As for whether or not it would give Zhan Tian He and the others any ideas, Yang Kai did not care. The Spirit Pill belonged to him so it was his own freedom to choose who to give it to. Nobody had the right to make that decision for him.
However, he truly never thought that Zhan Tian He would be able to resist such a great opportunity when it was brought before him. His virtue was praiseworthy indeed.
Yang Kai suddenly had the feeling that it was worth fighting for the Human Race for all these years.
Zhan Tian He’s quiet voice entered his ears, “Since this Junior Brother entered a Sect and began cultivating, the Elders have been telling us of our Senior Brothers and Sisters honoured names. The fact that the Human Race can occupy a place in the 3,000 Worlds and continue to survive under the oppression of the Black Ink Clan is all thanks to you Seniors. We, the next generation, have been able to grow and cultivate in the Star Boundary without lack of resources or mentors, all thanks to our Seniors and Ancestors, who sacrificed their lives, fighting on the frontlines.”
“It can be said that everything we have now is a result of the life offered and blood spilled by those who came before us. This time, we entered this Universe Furnace World to seek treasures and opportunities to make a breakthrough, but even that chance is thanks to the millennia of effort the Seniors and Elders have dedicated to the cause. If we gained something on our own, then the opportunity belongs to us. In that case, this Tian He would not stand on ceremony in seizing that opportunity. We as cultivators should be determined when forging ahead; if we are to act so timidly in front of opportunities, then what are we cultivating for? However, this was something brought here by Senior Brother Yang. Compared to what you two Senior Brothers have given to the Human Race, we are not qualified to receive it, nor do we dare to.”
While saying that, he gave a deep bow, “Tian He gives many thanks to Senior Brother Ou Yang for his kindness, however… Senior Brother Ou Yang, you have fought the Black Ink Clan for the sake of the Human Race for more years than any of us, then continued to do so on the Great Territory Battlefields of today. Isn’t this the reason why those dark injuries have accumulated all over your body? We, the younger generation, have no way of doing anything for you, but at the very least… I cannot rob you of your opportunity; otherwise, it would make me feel guilty. If that happened, how could I possibly hold my head high again?”
Zhan Tian He spoke so earnestly that Ou Yang Lie had to sigh upon hearing his words.
At this point, if he kept insisting to have Zhan Tian He refine the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, he would just be troubling him. All of a sudden, Ou Yang Lie felt strange inside. With such a great opportunity in his hands, everyone should be fighting him for it, yet why did it suddenly become something to trouble others with?
Liu Fei Fei advised him from the side, “Senior Brother Ou Yang, you should refine the pill yourself.”
Ou Yang Lie grabbed the wooden box and turned to look at Yang Kai, making a gentle suggestion, “Why don’t… we leave it for Big Head Xiang? Big Head Xiang came in as well…”
“Senior Brother Ou Yang!” Yang Kai interrupted him without letting him finish, looking serious, “You are a Senior of our Human Race and have fought for so many years against the Black Ink Clan, killing countless enemies, never backing down in the face of death. You were separated from the Human Race Army back at the No-Return Pass yet you did not give up. Now, you are just refining a Spirit Pill, why are you being so sentimental about it? Please bring out some of your guts as a Senior. Don’t make us, your Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, look down on you.”
Liu Fei Fei could not help but glance at Yang Kai. She was a woman after all, so she was slightly more sensitive. She could not help but feel worried that Yang Kai had overstepped.
Ou Yang Lie stared down at the wooden box, face serious but not speaking.
Yang Kai went on, “Senior Brother, both the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race Masters have gathered in this Universe Furnace World, and we also have the native Chaos Spirit Clan to be wary of. We cannot see what happens in the future, we can only strive for the best that we can do now. One more Ninth-Order Master in our ranks would mean a lot to the Human Race!”
Ou Yang Lie heaved a long sigh, “You think I don’t understand that? Forget it. Since you insist on pushing me, then there’s no need to say anything more or that would make me look stingy.”
Suddenly, he grabbed the wooden box and calmed his breathing, shouting, “Junior Brothers and Sisters, Senior Brother will refine this pill today and advance to the Ninth Order. I will trouble you all to stand guard for my sake!”
Yang Kai beamed, “Good!”
Zhan Tian He and the others cupped their fists with dignity, “Please refine the pill with ease, Senior Brother Ou Yang.”
After making up his mind, Ou Yang Lie no longer delayed the situation and immediately opened the wooden box, taking out the Spirit Pill that was glowing with a multi-coloured light from within, opening the portal of his Small Universe, and casting it inside.
The moment the portal opened, what Yang Kai was able to glimpse inside left him in disbelief.
A veteran Eighth-Order Master like Ou Yang Lie had been fighting against the Black Ink Clan for many years and had survived who knows how many bouts with death. Though he survived, the injuries continued to pile on in places unseen, something which Yang Kai had already known.
The Eighth-Order Masters who guarded those collecting resources in the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield were all such senior Eighth-Order Masters.
The hidden injuries in their bodies did not matter too much, but what troubled these veteran Masters were the problems appearing in their Small Universes.
For example, in the split moment that Ou Yang Lie’s portal was opened, Yang Kai could clearly see the abnormal situation within his Small Universe.
It was not that there were any defects to his Small Universe or its foundation was unstable, it was just different from a normal Small Universe. The energy that was coming out from inside of it was also not too stable.
It was not just a pretence when Ou Yang Lie said that he was not fully confident; otherwise, how would he think about having Zhan Tian He refine the Spirit Pill instead?
They watched him cast the pill into his Small Universe, but whether he could successfully break through his limit and advance to the Ninth Order was yet to be known.
However, since Ou Yang Lie had the determination and the qualifications to strive for it, it was worth it to take the gamble.
All Yang Kai and the others had to do was to stand guard for him.
However, standing guard in a place like this was not exactly easy either. Advancing to the Ninth Order should surely cause quite the commotion and might draw in some strong enemies, especially Meng Que, who escaped previously. He would surely spread the word about his encounter, and there were likely already Masters from the Black Ink Clan searching everywhere for them.
If possible, Yang Kai wanted to just seal off this area to stop the commotion Ou Yang Lie would be causing from spreading out, but that was an unrealistic thought. Despite his proficiency in the Dao of Space, it was still impossible for him to seal off too large of an area in this place filled with chaotic Shattered Dao Essence.
After a brief discussion between the four Humans and one Monster, they spread out, each guarding a separate position.
The simplest plan was no plan.
Many forefathers of the Human Race had reached the Ninth Order in the Universe Furnace, so if their Ancestors could do it, then they, the younger generation, could too.
Ou Yang Lie did not cause too much of a commotion at first; but soon, Yang Kai, who was stationed nearby, sensed a mysterious movement from the former’s direction. Obviously, this was a direct result of him refining the Spirit Pill. The burgeoning aura was so profound that even Yang Kai, who had cultivated the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art Secret Technique, could sense the mysteries within it, accompanied by an urge to focus his mind and enlighten himself through its mysteries.
If even he was reacting this way to it, then it should be true even more so for Zhan Tian He and the others. Fortunately, they were tactfully aware of the severity of the situation and fought back the urge to sit down and cultivate, keeping their Divine Senses focused on their surroundings instead.
It did not take long for trouble to arrive, but it was within Yang Kai’s expectations.
Though, while he expected the enemies to come while Ou Yang Lie was making a breakthrough to the Ninth Order here, he never would have thought that the first ones to react would actually be the Chaos Entities that lacked intelligence!
The place that they were hiding in was a mountain range formed by condensed Shattered Dao Essence and was no different from the real mountains in the outside world, but intrinsically, they were completely different.
Chaos Entities existed in this place, which Yang Kai had noticed previously. Only, based on what Liao Zheng told him, the Chaos Entities should not react much as long as they did not take the initiative to provoke them. This was unless they were part of the Chaos Spirit Clan that had defined physical bodies and were strongly hostile against all outsiders. In that case, anyone who entered their territory would have to face their retaliation.
The Chaos Entities had not been on their minds before; thus, they never expected that countless Chaos Entities would be attracted by the disturbance and would swarm towards Ou Yang Lie from all directions.
Yang Kai reacted immediately to the situation and realised that the Chaos Entities must have been attracted by the fluctuations coming from the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
The Chaos Entities had an instinctive yearning towards the Open Heaven Pills that were formed in the Universe Furnace. By refining an Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pill, one of them could form their own physical body and turn into a member of the Chaos Spirit Clan. Now that Ou Yang Lie was refining a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, the fluctuations were so pervasive that there was no way the Chaos Entities could sit still.
It was just like a pack of wolves who had been starving for years had suddenly caught onto the scent of meat.
Yang Kai and the others acted immediately, circulating their Dao Strengths to stop and eliminate the Chaos Entities that were drawn over.
Dao Strengths dealt a great deal of damage to the Chaos Entities and many of them could not even withstand a single blow before they disintegrated back into disorderly Shattered Dao Essence.
However, there were far too many of them, and they were piling in from all directions. They had no idea where these Chaos Entities came from, but there seemed to be no end to them.
Yang Kai felt that he had made a mistake. He should not have asked Ou Yang Lie to make his breakthrough in a place like this; however, Liao Zheng never mentioned any of this in his report, so Yang Kai could not have expected this to happen. The reason they stopped here to begin with was because they were trying to hide themselves in the terrain so that they could recover from their injuries.
Ou Yang Lie refining the Open Heaven Pill here was just a logical progression.
Who knew that such a thing would happen when that decision was made?
Similar to what Yang Kai was encountering, in the desert where Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were, the two of them had obtained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, which Yang Xue had taken into her Small Universe and was in the midst of refining. It did not take long before an endless stream of Chaos Entities popped out from the sea of sand, lunging in for the kill.
Fortunately, the two of them were staying in the Flowing Time Temple all the while. At the moment, Yang Xiao was standing right in front of the Flowing Time Temple and was working its protective powers by channelling all his might into it. At the same time, he used his own Time Dao Strength to kill the approaching Chaos Entities. He slaughtered with reckless abandon, his Dragon Vein throbbing intensely. His Little Aunt was about to advance to the Ninth Order, so how could he allow these mindless Chaos Entities to spoil her efforts?
On Yang Kai’s side, the four Humans and one Monster were originally scattered in all directions with Ou Yang Lie at the centre, but in just a few moments, they had all gathered closer around Ou Yang Lie, each guarding a different direction and stopping all the incoming Chaos Entities. Things were going better on Yang Kai’s side since his attainments in his Grand Daos were exceptionally high, so it was no problem for him to deal with his share of the Chaos Entities.
Thunder Shadow’s side was slightly sloppy, but he was still managing to hold his position.
In contrast, Zhan Tian He and the others paled in comparison, especially Liu Fei Fei. She was not considered weak by any means, but one could clearly tell that her command over her Grand Dao was lacking compared to Zhan Tian He and Xiong Ji. She did not last for long before becoming overwhelmed and almost let a few Chaos Entities slip past her guard.
It was thanks to Yang Kai’s timely help that they were able to avoid a disaster
Of course, this was also related to the fact that they were unable to use their full power. Ou Yang Lie was refining the Open Heaven Pill just behind them, so that he could break through into the Ninth Order. If they were to use their full power here, they might end up disturbing him…
“Big Brother, the Chaos Entities outside have been drawn over as well!”
Thunder Shadow suddenly warned amid the heated battle.
Yang Kai almost choked when he heard himself being called ‘Big Brother’; still, he spared a glance and sure enough, the Chaos Entities wandering the void had also been drawn in, which instantly made their less-than-optimal situation all the more dire.
He had to think of a plan!
If this went on, then Ou Yang Lie’s breakthrough attempt would fail prematurely. If he failed here, it would be a huge loss for the entire Human Race.
If he could turn the power of his Dao Strengths into a protective barrier and envelop the entire area around Ou Yang Lie with it, they should be able to solve this situation, but Dao Strength was formless, so how could Yang Kai achieve something like that?
[Wait…]
While in the midst of battle, Yang Kai suddenly realised something.
[Shapeless power? If Dao Strength is formless, then how were these mountains formed? How could the Infinite River exist? And these Chaos Entities, too, as well as the Chaos Spirit Clan, how could they be explained?]
In an instant, ideas poured into Yang Kai’s head and made him think. While pushing down the emotion of having a sudden epiphany, Yang Kai had the feeling that he had vaguely touched upon something.
[The Grand Dao is not formless, it is perceptible!]
All this while, whether it be Yang Kai or other Human Race Masters, they had always been borrowing from some sort of special method to present their Dao Strengths.
For example, when Yang Kai used the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel back then, the Sun and Moon would shine together to give rise to the time Dao Strength, which was then complemented by Space Dao Strength, intertwining with it to form the profound Space-Time Strength.
The power of the Grand Dao was, for anyone, an ethereal existence, yet one that firmly existed. It was the foundation and direction for every Open Heaven Realm Master’s cultivation.
Nobody had ever actually seen directly what the Dao looked like…
It was both a limitation of one’s mind and stereotyped thinking.
However, what Yang Kai saw in the Universe Furnace gave rise to an epiphany. The Dao was not invisible nor shapeless. These mountains, the Infinite Rivers, and even the jellyfish Chaos Entities that he kept in his Small Universe, were all condensations of Shattered Dao Essence, so which one of them was not a manifestation of Dao Strength?
If the Shattered Dao Essence could assume a form, then why not the Grand Daos cultivated by cultivators?
Yang Kai suddenly felt as if he had pushed open the door to a new world, and many new insights were being born in his mind…
After calming himself, Yang Kai began circulating the Space and Time Dao Strengths with all his might to spur on their subtleties.
Even though he had cultivated many Grand Daos, the ones with the highest attainments were the Dao of Time and the Dao of Space. At this moment, he had completely abandoned the Dao Strengths of the other Grand Daos and only used the Dao Strengths of Time and Space in order to protect this place.
Under his careful control, Yang Kai wrapped the Dao Strengths around Ou Yang Lie to block the Chaos Entities who were rushing at him, brushing them away without affecting Ou Yang Lie in the slightest.
One had to have a high level of mastery and control over one’s Grand Dao to achieve such a thing, or else the slightest mistake could mean pulling Ou Yang Lie into it as well.
More and more Chaos Entities were gathering, emerging not just from the mountains, but also from the void. Some were even born out of thin air.
This mountain range itself could technically be considered a Chaos Entity as well, and an extremely massive one at that. Only, it was unlike the other Chaos Entities in that it was completely fixed in form, incapable of thought, and also immobile.
However, the Shattered Dao Essence that was stripped off of it could come together again to give rise to new Chaos Entities.
The pill fragrance and aura emanated from the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was so strong that a large number of Chaos Entities were spurred into birth within the mountain range that was so full of Shattered Dao Essence.
After being damaged by Dao Strength, the Chaos Entities that came lunging over often dissipated into nothing before they could even get close to Ou Yang Lie. Nonetheless, their numbers were truly too great. Yang Kai could certainly hold down his own end, but if the others were to deplete their strength, then the defensive line would collapse.
Zhan Tian He and the others were getting anxious…
Ou Yang Lie did not have full confidence to be able to refine the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill to begin with, so if he were to be disturbed by the Chaos entities now, it would make things far worse. There may really even be a chance of failing.
However, they had already done everything they could. They were constantly unleashing Dao Strengths, but in desperation, they could only put their hopes in Yang Kai.
He was the pillar of the Human Race who had performed countless miracles, often achieving feats impossible for all others. They only hoped that he had a solution to the situation at hand; otherwise, if even he came up empty in the face of their predicament, there was truly no other hope.
It was at this point that Zhan Tian He and the others saw where the problem lay.
They should not have had Ou Yang Lie refine the Open Heaven Pill here. Any other place in the void would not have been as bad as this place. Without the mass of Chaos Entities being born from the mountains, any one of them could have dealt with this situation easily; in fact, it may not have mattered if there was no one standing guard for Ou Yang Lie then.
This whole situation could only be attributed to poor information on their side, but there was nothing they could do about it as most of the information about the Universe Furnace came from the one witness, Blood Crow. However, to be fair, he was only in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm when he entered the Universe Furnace back then, and he was not from the Cave Heavens or Paradises either. As a rogue character, how could he have known of such confidential information?
Throwing a quick glance over at Yang Kai, they saw him circulating his Dao Strengths and brandishing them freely. His face did not look too panicked, which calmed their anxiety some.
Soon, something unusual caught their attention.
Surprisingly, a mist began forming around Ou Yang Lie…
They had no idea where the hazy mist had come from, but it formed a barrier of protection around him that enveloped Ou Yang Lie into it. Some of the Chaos Entities that failed to be blocked and rushed into the mist would quickly melt away like snowflakes under the blazing Sun, turning into nothing before they could reach Ou Yang Lie.
Zhan Tian He and the rest were shocked!
It was not mist. Clearly, it was a mysterious condensation of Dao Strength.
Instantly, they felt amazed…
[So, Dao Strength can be manifested in such a way?] In all their years of cultivation, nobody had ever told them about that.
And, after tracing the source, Yang Kai turned out to be the cause of the mist!
Though they had no idea what Yang Kai had done to manifest his Dao Strength in such a way, the tense situation from before finally eased up. With the mist of pure Dao Strength as a barrier, the Chaos Entities were simply unable to break through their defence.
The pressure on Zhan Tian he and the others was relieved in an instant, and they were all thoroughly impressed. As expected of this man, he truly was great at creating miracles that nobody else could perform.
As long as Senior Brother Ou Yang Lie did not make any mistakes in refining the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, then there should be no issues.
As they were thinking that, Zhan Tian He and the others were surprised to find that the mist barrier manifested by Dao Strength was still constantly evolving. The Dao Strength around Yang Kai had become increasingly intense, as if the mist barrier was not his ultimate goal.
Sure enough, following Yang Kai’s continuous efforts, the faint particles of the mist as fine as dust began to gather together…
From mist, turning into water…
*Hualala…*
The faint sound seemed to emerge from the depths of their souls, and the moment it did, all of them were taken aback. It seemed like even their own Dao Strengths could not help but resonate in response.
When they looked up, they were immediately met with a shocking sight.
It was not known when a trickle of water had appeared in the mist. It did not seem different from any ordinary stream of water; in fact, this stream of water had come about as a manifestation of the purest Dao Strength.
Water continued to flow, absorbing the surrounding mist and gradually growing in size…
In just a few moments, the stream surrounding Ou Yang Lie disappeared without a trace, replaced by a brook coiling up and constantly spinning around.
It was as if there was a flow of water surrounding Ou Yang Lie and enveloping him into it.
The stream rapidly grew in size, turning into a small river. The river water flowed in a coiling circle, going round and round. There were even some splashes in the river, shooting out instantaneous explosions of Dao Strength. Anytime any Chaos Entity was swept up into the Grand Dao River, they would disappear in an instant as if the water had some kind of devouring effect.
Zhan Tian He and the others slowly stopped what they were doing and just watched the scene in amazement.
They thought that since they had already reached the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm in their cultivation, then even if there were some differences between them and a legendary figure like Yang Kai, he should still not be too far behind them.
It was only at this moment that they realized that Yang Kai belonged in a different league among peak Eighth Orders…
As expected of a living legend!
The Grand Dao River coiled around, protecting Ou Yang Lie. Countless Chaos Entities rushed into it, only to draw up a splash before disappearing into nothingness, unable to disturb Ou Yang Lie inside of it at all.
Yang Kai kept on circulating the Dao Strengths within his own body to keep the Grand Dao River flowing and expressing the profundities of his Dao Strengths, growing the river in volume.
However, it was not long before he reached his limit and could do no more.
Looking over now, the Grand Dao River was now 10 times larger than when it first took shape, and it was coiling around Ou Yang Lie’s body like an awe-inspiring Water Dragon.
Yang Kai had an expression as tranquil as an ancient well, but he was in quite a good mood inside.
This was no surprise as he would have one more trump card up his sleeve from now on besides the Sun and Moon Divine Seal.
[Since it is an expression of the Daos of Time and Space, then let’s call it the Space-Time River…]
The reason he came about with such an idea was because of the Infinite River that he had encountered in the Universe Furnace World.
If the Infinite River could be formed from rich Shattered Dao Essence, then why couldn’t he form a river with his own Dao Strength?
It was from this thought that the Space-Time River was born.
However, there was still an enormous difference between his Space-Time River and the Universe Furnace World’s Infinite River, which was said to run through the entire Universe Furnace World. On the other hand, Yang Kai’s Space-Time River could only exist in a limited area.
At the very root of it was his own attainments in his Grand Daos. If that could be improved, then the volume of the Space-Time River would definitely increase in turn.
This was not something that could be rushed. Regarding the Dao of Time and Dao of Space, Yang Kai was currently only at the eighth level of mastery. If he could one day reach the ninth level, then there would definitely be quantitative and qualitative changes to his Space-Time River.
Of course, the limitations could also be attributed to the fact that Yang Kai had only just been enlightened to such a method. If more time was given to him to study it, familiarize himself with it, and to gain experience using it, then its might and volume would also improve.
The greatest advantage of the Space-Time River over the Sun and Moon Divine Seal was its sustainability. Currently, Yang Kai was using it to protect Ou Yang Lie, but he could naturally use it to trap enemies as well.
If he had this trump card when they were dealing with Meng Que, then they might have been able to kill him rather than just forcing him to retreat.
If there came a day when the Space-Time River’s volume increased to the point where it was on par with the Universe Furnace World’s Infinite River, then Yang Kai would probably become invincible. Whether it was a Royal Lord or a Black Ink Giant Spirit God, as long as he summoned the Space-Time River and dragged his enemies into it, then they would only be able to reflect on their mistakes for the next several hundred thousand years.
After all, the Space-Time River was created purely by manifestations of the Dao Strengths of Space and Time, thus Time and Space in its waters were infinitely variable.
The creation of the Space-Time River fully displayed Yang Kai’s deep understanding towards Dao Strength, and for Zhan Tian He and the others, was this not an opportunity for them to observe and emulate a true Master?
Yang Kai had opened the door to a new world, and at the same time, brought a surprise that gave them great insight.
Of course, whether they were able to manifest their Dao Strength as Yang Kai did would depend on their own enlightenment and their attainments in their own respective Grand Daos.
This was not a simple matter. Yang Kai’s ability to achieve it was naturally through constant enlightenment and polishing of his own Grand Daos, and the countless years of accumulated experience was what led to his current achievement.
But in any case, the Eighth-Order Masters here had now seen another way that Dao Strength could be used.
The Space-Time River that emerged was still nascent, but it was just like a coiled Dragon protecting Ou Yang Lie, silently eliminating all the endless Chaos Entities that were charging in from all directions.
Zhan Tian He and the others were all freed from their task as Yang Kai alone could completely protect Ou Yang Lie through the use of his Space-Time River.
It wasn’t until Zhan Tian He and the others recovered that they were surprised to realize that Thunder Shadow had disappeared at some point in time, and they had no idea where he went.
Time kept on passing and the strong pill aura of the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill kept on bursting out from the barrier of the Space-Time River. Ou Yang Lie’s aura was also flaring madly, though it had reached a kind of limit long ago.
The medicinal efficacies of the Spirit Pill were currently dissolving the barriers of his Small Universe and breaking his shackles; however, there were many problems with Ou Yang Lie’s Small Universe to begin with. If he wanted to make a successful breakthrough, then it would take more than just removing that barrier to succeed. He had to find the perfect moment through breaking the barriers of his Small Universe and achieving equilibrium of his Powers; otherwise, he would risk losing everything.
There was nobody who could help him through this point. He could only rely on himself.
After an unknown period had passed, Yang Kai, who was fully committed to keeping the Space-Time River running, suddenly had a chance of expression.
Ou Yang Lie’s aura, which had long reached its limit, was fluctuating, signalling that he had reached the most critical point of his breakthrough. Whether or not he could advance to the Ninth Order would depend on the final push.
As a veteran Eighth-Order Master who spent countless years fighting the Black Ink Clan, Ou Yang Lie had never been short of determination or drive.
While Yang Kai was still worrying about whether his breakthrough was still proceeding normally, Ou Yang Lie had already circulated his own aura like mad with a determination to succeed or die.
Yang Kai felt deep respect for this old warrior.
The aura at the peak of the Eighth Order floated and sank hundreds of times in an instant, then the limits were smashed through and Ou Yang Lie’s aura rose wildly. The fallout was so unbridled that even the Space-Time River, which Yang Kai kept at a constant coverage, bulged somewhat unstably.
Sensing the movement, Zhan Tian He and the others, who had been tense and apprehensive the whole time, revealed looks of joy.
All of a sudden, they noticed that the number of Chaos Entities swarming over greatly reduced. Some of them even seemed lost and confused having suddenly lost their target.
This was undoubtedly because the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill had been completely refined by Ou Yang Lie and had lost its pill fragrance which had been attracting them.
The Space-Time River was still guarding Ou Yang Lie, and though Zhan Tian He and the others were eager to see what the situation was like inside, they did not dare to intrude and could only look at Yang Kai with enquiring gazes.
Yang Kai simply nodded lightly.
Success!
The clenched hearts of Zhan Tian He and the rest of the group could finally be let go, and if not for the worry of disturbing Ou Yang Lie, they would have not been able to endure the urge to break out in joyous laughter.
Even though they were not the ones who made the breakthrough into the Ninth Order, they were still overwhelmed with the joy of seeing another Old Ancestor join the Human Race, and one who had been born in this Universe Furnace World at that.
There was no Ninth-Order Master among those who entered the Universe Furnace this time, whereas there were many Pseudo-Royal Lords from the Black Ink Clan here. The enemy had superior numbers and strength to begin with, but with the new addition of a Ninth-Order Master, it would definitely have a huge impact on the Human Race’s situation.
After a few moments, the Space-Time River gradually disappeared. It was Yang Kai who had dispersed the energy, allowing a blazing red figure that looked like he was on fire to exit from there, his powerful aura completely unrestrained. Though he was not targeting them deliberately, Zhan Tian He and the others still felt slightly pressured by it.
Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Ou Yang Lie, who had successfully broken through his limits and advanced to the Ninth-Order, was undoubtedly more radiant than before. Even his appearance seemed much haler and youthful.
It was not that he was unwilling to restrain his aura, but rather that he could not as he had just broken through to the Ninth-Order and his cultivation was somewhat unstable.
“Haha, hahahaha!” Ou Yang Lie couldn’t help but laugh as he strode forward, causing Yang Kai to not know whether to laugh or cry at. Ou Yang Lie’s smug attitude always gave off the impression that he was an irreverent brute.
However, he could understand how Ou Yang Lie was feeling. Anyone would be ecstatic if they were able to break through to the Ninth Order.
There was basically no one else alive who had witnessed a Ninth-Order Master’s breakthrough, so this was an event worth celebrating.
“I can’t believe this day would come for me! Hahahaha!” Ou Yang Lie stood akimbo, continuing to laugh boisterously with his head facing the Heavens.
He really never imagined that he would one day, in this lifetime, be able to advance to the Ninth Order.
After countless years of battling with the Black Ink Clan and accumulating countless hidden injuries, the situation in Ou Yang Lie’s Small Universe had become a mess. He had also reached his peak in the Eighth Order and had been stagnating there for some 10,000 years.
He had only one wish in this life, and it was to one day die in battle, but not without dragging along several Masters from the Black Ink Clan to be buried with him to make his death worthwhile.
So, when Mi Jing Lun secretly arranged to have Yang Kai bring him to the Black Ink Battlefield to guard those who were going to collect resources, Ou Yang Lie was more than a little unwilling.
Though collecting resources was still of utmost importance for their Race, Ou Yang Lie had spent his entire life directly fighting against the Black Ink Clan, brushing shoulders with death countless times. It was not his wish to hide around with those who had gone to mine resources.
Fortunately, the escape of the Innate Territory Lords from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had forced Yang Kai to send him back from the Black Ink Battlefield to make a report, which gave Ou Yang Lie another opportunity to continue fighting.
When the Universe Furnace projection appeared in Azure Sun Territory, filled with bloodthirst for war, Ou Yang Lie had only one plan, and that was to charge into the Universe Furnace, or more likely, die in Azure Sun Territory, paving the way for the rest of his people in blood. Since he was going to be dying in battle anyway, his life would not have been considered a waste.
Many Territory Lords had already died at his hands, so he had already played his part as an Eighth-Order Master.
Ou Yang Lie was lucky to get the chance to enter the Universe Furnace and was originally planning to search for a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill for Yang Kai, but in the end, it was Yang Kai who gave him the opportunity to make a breakthrough. This twist of fate was simply hard to put into words.
But no matter what, the current Ou Yang Lie was a true Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master of the Human Race!
Yang Kai saluted him with a smile, “Congratulations to Senior Brother for advancing to the Ninth Order. Now, we have another Ninth-Order Master among our ranks!”
Zhan Tian He and the others also saluted him, “Congratulations, Senior Brother!”
Ou Yang Lie quickly withdrew his laughter and returned the salute solemnly, “Many thanks, Junior Brothers and Junior Sister, for standing guard for me.”
They all exchanged glances, then there was another burst of laughter.
After laughing, Yang Kai said, “Senior Brother has just advanced. Why not cultivate for a while to stabilize your cultivation?”
The current Ou Yang Lie was just like the Pseudo-Royal Lords. He couldn’t withdraw his own aura. The reason for that was because the Pseudo-Royal Lords were unable to completely control their strength, which was currently also the case for Ou Yang Lie.
However, the difference for the Pseudo-Royal Lords was that that was how it would always be for them, but the same was not true for Ou Yang Lie. As he continued to improve his control over his strength and stabilize his foundation, the situation would improve with time.
Ou Yang Lie waved his hand, “That won’t be necessary. I have been fighting my entire life against the Black Ink Clan. As for stabilizing my cultivation… Just killing a few of them will work. The more I kill, the more my cultivation will stabilize.”
There was nothing wrong with what he said, so Yang Kai smiled, “In that case, Senior Brother, why don’t you look over there?”
Saying so, he pointed in a certain direction.
Ou Yang Lie looked in the direction Yang Kai was pointing and soon raised his brows, “So, there are those who come knocking by themselves to court death?”
As he said so, he had already turned into a red glow, charging over to the other side.
At the same time, a powerful force suddenly erupted over there, seemingly from Masters engaging in a fight.
It was only then that it dawned on Zhan Tian He and the others, “Were there Territory Lords who were lured in too?”
There were several auras currently erupting from the battle in that direction, one of which was Thunder Shadow who had disappeared earlier.
Zhan Tian He and the others could not figure out when Thunder Shadow had disappeared as their attention had been drawn to Yang Kai’s Space-Time River at the time, much less where he had gone.
Only now did they realize that Territory Lords had long been attracted by the commotion, but they just didn’t dare to rush forward and just waited in the shadows, watching.
Naturally, the enemy’s actions had long been noticed by Thunder Shadow and Yang Kai.
It was most likely Yang Kai who noticed them and arranged for Thunder Shadow to sneak over; otherwise, Yang Kai couldn’t pinpoint their location so accurately.
Ou Yang Lie’s advancement to the Ninth Order was undoubtedly noticed by those from the Black Ink Clan, which made them even more afraid to do anything rash.
It was only when Yang Kai revealed their whereabouts that Ou Yang Lie began to move, forcing the enemy to reveal themselves while Thunder Shadow, who had been lurking in ambush, began attacking to tie down the stronger enemies.
As soon as Zhan Tian He finished his exclamation, the commotion grew even greater. Clearly, Ou Yang Lie had entered the battlefield and was fighting with the Territory Lords.
“Let’s go take a look,” Yang Kai said to them before making his way there, unhurried.
Zhan Tian He and the others followed closely behind.
By the time Yang Kai led them over to the battlefield, the fight was mostly over.
The three Territory Lords who had been drawn to the commotion were fighting against Ou Yang Lie with a Three Fortunes Formation, but these Acquired Territory Lords were still limited in strength.
Ou Yang Lie had just broken through so his cultivation was yet to fully stabilize. If it had been three Innate Territory Lords fighting in Formation, then the battle might take a while, but three Acquired Territory Lords were far too weak to fight him.
One by one, their lives were extinguished. When Yang Kai and the others arrived, they just so happened to see Ou Yang Lie killing the last Acquired Territory Lord with one punch.
Thunder Shadow was staying on the sidelines, showing no intention of helping. He seemed to have been slightly injured, likely from when he was pestering the three Territory Lords earlier, making sure to delay the enemy for a moment. However, the other side had naturally fought back and injured him.
Thunder Shadow’s injuries weren’t serious, he had only been distracting the three Territory Lords for a moment before Ou Yang Lie rushed over.
Ou Yang Lie felt so relieved and happy that he had to yell for joy after breaking through his limit and defeating three strong enemies.
If he were still at the peak of the Eighth Order, then he might not have been able to take on the three Territory Lords, who had formed a Battle Formation, on his own, but now that he was in the Ninth Order, it was no effort killing them at all.
After reaching the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, even going up by a single Order was truly like reaching another layer of the Heavens.
Otherwise, it would not have been possible that the Humans would only have seen so few Ninth-Order Masters among them. Many of the veteran Masters failed to progress once they reached the peak of the Eighth Order due to their own limitations.
Even those like Yang Kai, who could surpass his peers in the same Order, would still be overwhelmed when facing Royal Lords. Apart from escaping through the use of Space Secret Techniques, it was difficult for him to fight such Masters head-on, much less for the other Eighth-Order Masters.
When he saw Yang Kai and the others coming over, Ou Yang Lie suggested, “Junior Brothers and Junior Sister, I will go off searching for more foes. Do you want to come with me?”
Ou Yang Lie was at the height of enthusiasm after just breaking through into the next Order, and he was eager to make his mark in the Universe Furnace World. There were quite a lot of Masters from the Black Ink Clan who came in this time and he was worried about bumping into those Pseudo-Royal Lords previously; but now, Ou Yang Lie was itching to find one of them so that he could practice on them and to stabilize his cultivation through combat.
Yang Kai answered with some amusement, “No need. With Senior Brother’s current strength, I think it will be best for you to move alone. I will bring the Juniors along.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded lightly, “Fair enough.”
Indeed, as Yang Kai said, he was now in the Ninth Order and was experiencing explosive growth in his strength, so it was more suitable for Ou Yang Lie to move separately. As for Zhan Tian He and his group, it would undoubtedly be better for them to go with Yang Kai. They were four Eighth-Order Masters and Thunder Shadow. Even if they did encounter a Pseudo-Royal Lord, they could smoothly use the Five Elements Formation to deal with them. With Yang Kai acting as the Core, they should not be in any danger.
There was no need for them to worry in terms of safety.
Turning his head to look into the depths of the void, Ou Yang Lie smiled, “Big Head Xiang came in as well. I wonder if he has found his own opportunity… I’ll look for him on the way, and if the opportunity arises, I’ll try and obtain a pill for him.”
He had thought about finding a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill for Yang Kai, but it turned out that the latter couldn’t use it. Instead, he became indebted to Yang Kai. Right now, the one amongst the Humans who most urgently needed a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was undoubtedly Xiang Shan. After building up a comradery through long years of fighting alongside each other, Ou Yang Lie had a firm friendship with him.
If Xiang Shan could obtain an opportunity to advance to the Ninth-Order, then the amount of help he could provide to the Human Race would be much greater than Ou Yang Lie.
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Then, let me wish Senior Brother great success ahead!”
Ou Yang Lie patted him on the shoulder, “Take care.”
Yang Kai nodded.
Ou Yang Lie had one last laugh before turning into a long stream, instantly moving far away. From a distance, his voice was transmitted to them, saying, “Here I come!”
It was a voice that carried great confidence and freedom.
After seeing him off, Yang Kai called out to the group, “Let’s go.”
Zhan Tian He and the rest nodded and naturally followed Yang Kai’s lead. They were much more relaxed with him compared to when they first entered the Universe Furnace.
When the three of them just entered this place, they were all extremely cautious. Though they were not scared of the ordinary Territory Lords or regular Black Ink Clansmen, they had to worry about meeting a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
Unfortunately, what they feared just had to come true as they really did bump into a Pseudo-Royal Lord in the end. If it weren’t for the lone Ou Yang Lie, who had felt the fallout of their battle and rushed over to provide aid, their situation would have been disastrous.
Now, with the inclusion of Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow, the five Masters could form the Five Elements Formation at any time, which would give them full capability to fight against a Pseudo-Royal Lord if they were to encounter another, so there was no need to act as cautiously as before.
The concept of Time and Space in this Universe Furnace World was extremely strange due to the chaotic Shattered Dao Essence that filled the void. Even after several evolutions, there seemed to be no substantive change. Perhaps more evolutions were required in order to lift the invisible fog of the Universe Furnace World, and then the concept of Time and Space would become clear.
They did not have any clear goal in mind either; in fact, whether it be the Human Race or the Black Ink Clan, they had no specific plan for when they entered the Universe Furnace World.
Their greatest target was undoubtedly the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, but nobody knew where they were. They could only wander around to see if they could get lucky.
Thanks to his previous efforts, Yang Kai was able to use the power of the Great Sun and Moon Marks to locate the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, but there were still some limitations. If there was no pill relatively nearby, then there was nothing Yang Kai could do about it.
So, Yang Kai was currently just leading Zhan Tian He and the group around, going wherever they could go with Thunder Shadow perched on his shoulder, faintly circulating his Innate Divine Ability to conceal their movements.
With such cover, even if a Master from the Black Ink Clan were to search around, they would not necessarily find them as long as they weren’t paying too much attention.
Occasionally, they would come across chaotic areas where the Chaos Entities gathered, then they would explore deeper into those places. Though they did not find any Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, they did find some Ordinary Grade ones.
In contrast to the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, there were quite a lot of Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills that were produced by the Universe Furnace. As long as one had the will to search for them, they would eventually find a few.
Though these Ordinary Grade pills were unable to help a cultivator break through their innate shackles, they were still very useful. With the help of these pills, Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who had yet to accumulate enough heritage could use them to cut down the time needed for them to stay in retreat, allowing them to break through their bottlenecks sooner and advance to the next Order.
This time, many Seventh-Order Masters had entered the Universe. Yang Kai had even met a few such cultivators previously.
It was predictable that many new Eighth-Order Masters would be created after this trip into the Universe Furnace.
As they were travelling, Yang Kai suddenly felt something and changed directions, rushing off into the distance while sending a Divine Sense transmission to Zhan Tian He and the others, “Get ready!”
Zhan Tian He and the others understood instantly that an enemy had been spotted, so they all prepared themselves for combat.
A short while later, two powerful auras entered the range of their senses. From the aura alone, they could deduce that these were undoubtedly two Territory Lords who had entered the Universe Furnace World together.
It was five against two, and with Yang Kai here, it should not be a difficult fight.
Moreover, with the blessing of Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability, the two Territory Lords did not even notice them until they had gotten quite close.
Zhan Tian He and the others could not help but be amazed by this. The Innate Divine Ability of this Monster Race Great Emperor that came from the Myriad Monsters World was truly a nightmare to guard against. Even with foreknowledge now, if Thunder Shadow wanted to sneak up on them, they might still not be able to detect him.
Most importantly, this Innate Divine Ability could not only be used on himself, but also used to conceal others.
They were glad that a Master of this calibre was on their side. If he were an enemy, then he would really be a headache to deal with.
The two Territory Lords who were travelling together did not notice them until Yang Kai struck out to attack them. They had only just circulated their Black Ink Strength and had yet to make a single move when they suddenly heard a gushing sound.
This puzzled the two Territory Lords greatly. How could there be sounds similar to flowing water in this empty void?
When they turned their heads, they saw a huge river sweeping towards them like a torrent. The two Territory Lords were shocked and instinctually sent out an attack at the river.
However, their efforts were futile. Their attacks filled with condensed Black Ink Strength were like stones sinking into the Great River, rousing no reaction whatsoever. Unimpeded, the river washed over the two Territory Lords, swallowing them up without a trace in an instant.
To the side, Zhan Tian He and the others, who had assumed a combat stance all froze and glanced at each other, feeling a little at a loss as their enemy had literally vanished right in front of them.
In a five-on-two battle, there was already no suspense to the outcome, but a lion still fought rabbits with all its strength. Zhan Tian He and the others had been prepared to launch their attacks together to achieve a quick victory.
How could they have known that Yang Kai would not even allow them to act as he summoned his Grand Dao River directly, sweeping the two Territory Lords into it?
Turning their heads to look at Yang Kai, they saw his brow furrow as Dao Strength surged around his body. Then, it dawned on them that he must be trying to test out his new ability on these two Territory Lords.
The Space-Time River had only just been created by Yang Kai. It had previously shone in battle when used to protect Ou Yang Lie, but that was because of the natural restraint Dao Strength had against Chaos Entities.
Whether or not such techniques could truly be used against all enemies, Yang Kai himself was not sure, so he naturally had to run some experiments with it.
The two Territory Lords did not die immediately and were now flailing about inside the Space-Time River, trying to find a way out.
However, the Space-Time River surged turbulently and was rich with Dao Strength. The interplay of Space and Time greatly impaired the senses of anyone who fell into it other than Yang Kai. Unless a Master was far stronger than Yang Kai, or had extremely high attainments in the Grand Daos of Time and Space, finding their way out was basically impossible.
The two Territory Lords were trapped inside like headless flies. In fact, despite being quite close to each other, they could not even sense each other’s presence at all. They were separated by the ever-changing space.
The Space inside of the Space-Time River was somewhat similar to the Space projected by the Universe Furnace when it first appeared. Things that may seem close were in fact very far away.
Yang Kai observed them for a while and could feel the strengths of the Territory Lord struggling inside of the Space-Time River, which made his brow raise.
He did not use the power of the Space-Time River to its fullest, so the two Territory Lords were simply trapped and not suffering any real crisis.
The result that he could see now was that this new technique had far exceeded his expectations in its ability to contain enemies. He had easily trapped two Territory Lords, so Yang Kai felt that there should be no pressure on him even if he were to swallow up eight to 10 more of them.
Even if it was a Pseudo-Royal Lord, Yang Kai felt that he could trap them; and if he could trap them, he had the chance to kill them. After all, Yang Kai was able to enter the Space-Time River himself and attack the enemies inside.
With that idea in mind, Yang Kai dashed into the Space-Time River.
In just a few moments, there was a splash and Yang Kai leapt out, carrying the body of a Territory Lord devoid of life.
It had only been two breaths from start to finish…
Zhan Tian He and the others were dumbfounded. That was a Territory Lord, so how was Yang Kai able to kill him so easily? It was as if he had casually dove into the water, caught a helpless fish, and come back to roast it.
In fact, with Yang Kai’s current strength, it would not be difficult even if he were to face a couple of Acquired Territory Lords head-on; however, with his new tactics, he could move with even more secrecy. Till death, those Territory Lords wouldn’t even be able to see who killed them.
While Zhan Tian He and the rest watched on in shock, Yang Kai casually tossed the Territory Lord’s corpse aside before circulating his Dao Strengths again, causing a current to surge through the Space-Time River, sending waves splashing in all directions.
A faint glimpse of dense Black Ink Strength could be seen escaping from several places, as well as the figure of the Territory Lord trapped inside.
Clearly, another Territory Lord was struggling to escape from the Space-Time River.
After a few moments, when the Dao Strengths receded, the Space-Time River disappeared, and the Territory Lord trapped inside was revealed. Only, it did not take long before the Territory Lord’s vitality was burned out as well. Looking at him, his body seemed to not have a single piece of healthy skin, as if he had been cut a billion times with a sharp blade. Even more bizarre was the fact that the Territory Lord gave off a very, very old feeling, as if he had lived for hundreds of thousands of years before he died…
Zhan Tian He and the others watched in awe at the river formed out of the Dao Strengths of Space and Time, which was truly too bizarre.
After trying it out on the two Territory Lords, Yang Kai was able to make a general assessment of his new technique. The Space-Time River was certainly more useful in terms of trapping and containing opponents, while the Sun and Moon Divine Seal had greater explosive killing power.
In terms of lethality, the two were more or less the same, but the consumption was rather for the Space-Time River; after all, Yang Kai had to constantly circulate his Dao Strengths in order to keep it flowing.
However, it was still within a tolerable range and would not be a great problem as long as the battles did not drag on.
The party then continued on their way.
As time passed, they would occasionally gain a harvest, and if they encountered any Black Ink Clansmen, they naturally wouldn’t have a good ending. If they encountered any cultivators, alone or those in small groups, Yang Kai would take them in temporarily until they gathered enough with the ability to protect themselves before leaving them to form their own groups.
After all, it was not a good idea to gather too many people in one place. While it would ensure their safety, the harvests would also lessen.
In this way, Yang Kai’s group never exceeded 12 in total.
Zhan Tian He and the others never thought that fighting with the Black Ink Clan could be so simple and easy. They had also fought with Masters of the Black Ink Clan, like Territory Lords, on each of the Great Territory Battlefields, and though it was not difficult for them to defeat an Acquired Territory Lord with their strength, killing one was never easy.
However, no Territory Lord so far had been able to escape alive with Yang Kai around. Every last one of them were cleanly killed off.
There was only once that they encountered a Pseudo-Royal Lord moving along with several Territory Lords where both sides charged at each other with full momentum. However, after just one exchange of blows, the Pseudo-Royal Lord was taken aback. After only fighting for a few breaths, the Pseudo-Royal Lord fled in a hurry, but Yang Kai would not relent. He chased down their target with a group of Masters in tow until finally injuring the Pseudo-Royal Lord at some cost to themselves before giving up the chase.
Zhan Tian He and the others naturally understood what Yang Kai was trying to do. Pseudo-Royal Lords were the greatest threats to the Humans in the Universe Furnace World, so even if they were unable to kill them in battle, they had to make sure to injure them to cut down the combat strength of their opponent, lest the Pseudo-Royal Lord cause trouble for the other Human Race Masters.
Those from the Black Ink Clan had difficulty recuperating in this place, so getting injured inside of the Universe Furnace was extremely undesirable for them.
If not for the fact that there were still several Territory Lords with the Pseudo-Royal Lord, Zhan Tian He and the others had to wonder whether Yang Kai could keep him trapped here as well.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord escaped, but the Territory Lords with him were all killed, so it wasn’t a total loss.
This trip had been very fruitful both in battle successes and material harvest.
Those from the Black Ink Clan had also collected some Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills, so after they were cut down, these naturally went into Yang Kai and the others’ pockets.
The only unfortunate part for Yang Kai was that he neither encountered his Human Self nor sensed the existence of another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
For him, his only goal during this trip into the Universe Furnace was to reunite with his other Selves and find Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, of which he had already obtained one, leading to Ou Yang Lie’s breakthrough to the Ninth Order. However, his Human Self was nowhere to be found. Yang Kai had also checked with the other Masters for any news about Fang Tian Ci, but it was to no avail.
They travelled around in the Universe Furnace, experiencing 2 more of the Grand Dao evolutions, and as that number continued to rise, so did the frequency of their encounters with both the enemy and their own people.
This was undoubtedly proof that the space inside this world was gradually becoming clear and not seemingly boundless as it felt before. Perhaps, just as Blood Crow’s information stated, after the Universe Furnace Grand Dao evolved nine times, this Universe Furnace World would reveal its true self.
Several torn-up bodies floated around in the deep and boundless void, alongside some broken artifacts scattered around next to them. One of the corpses had its eyes wide open. Though the body was lifeless, he still stood upright, glaring angrily ahead of him as if he was fighting with all his might even after death.
Besides that, there were even fragments of Small Universes floating around the void with Black Ink Strength lingering around them. Most likely, these fragments were from these people willingly sacrificing them.
Yang Kai and the rest stared at the scene in front of them with heavy hearts.
During this time, they had constantly been taking in other Human Race Masters before they broke up into smaller groups. Now, other than Thunder Shadow, they had five members.
Zhan Tian He and the original two were still with him, while the newcomers were Lin Wu, a recently-joined straggler, and a veteran Eighth-Order Master from Xi He Paradise, Tian Xiu Zhu, an old acquaintance of Yang Kai.
Lin Wu was pretty lucky. He had entered at the peak of the Seventh Order and obtained several Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills in this Universe Furnace World, then found a place to refine and advance to the Eighth Order. It was the reverberations from his advancement that were picked up by Yang Kai and his group, who just happened to be passing by. When they went over to investigate the situation, they had also taken him into their group.
Otherwise, with Masters from the two sides moving around in groups now, Lin Wu would not be in a good position if he ever encountered any enemies moving alone.
The reason he was able to safely refine the Spirit Pill and advance by himself without the interruption of any enemies was undoubtedly because he was extremely lucky; however, at this moment, the face of the newly advanced Eighth-Order Master did not look the slightest bit happy. Instead, he was sad and angry.
There were Eighth-Order Masters who died here, and more than one at that. Judging from the remnants of this battle, there were at least four or five Eighth-Order Masters who died here.
In this Universe Furnace World where Masters from the two sides gathered, every moment was a life-or-death struggle and fights could not be avoided.
Yang Kai and the others had also encountered many battlefields left behind after great fights had broken out, including the bodies of those from the two sides, who had died in battle.
However, it was a first for them to see as many as five Eighth-Order Masters dead in a single fight.
After all, the gathering of that number was enough for a Four Symbols or Five Elements Formation. Even if such a group encountered a Pseudo-Royal Lord, they were not without a fighting chance.
The Pseudo-Royal Lords were more careful in these special conditions, and unless they were not fully confident, they would not fight with such recklessness.
“There had to be at least two Pseudo-Royal Lords, or one accompanied by several Territory Lords,” Zhan Tian He contemplated solemnly, “Some of the Eighth-Order Masters must have just advanced recently, so their cultivation had yet to stabilize, which is why their Small Universes got easily corrupted by Black Ink Strength and they had to sacrifice parts of them in order to avoid being fully corrupted.”
The fragments of Small Universes left behind here had been sacrificed by the Human Race Masters during battle, which also formed the basis of Zhan Tian He’s speculation that they were newly-advanced Eighth-Order Masters.
Even if the Eighth-Order Masters could not best the Pseudo-Royal Lords, their Small Universes would not be so easily corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Moreover, most of them had brought Evil Purging Divine Spears. The Purifying Light sealed within them could be used at critical moments in order to disperse the Black Ink Strength in their Small Universes.
Being forced to sacrifice part of their Small Universe meant that the heritage of their Small Universes as Eighth-Order Masters was still not enough, and even the Purifying Light sealed within the Evil Purging Divine Spears used was not enough.
Otherwise, who would sacrifice a part of their own Small Universe in a battle like this? That would only cause their strength to decrease, and they would die even faster.
Yang Kai was silent.
There was nothing wrong with Zhan Tian He’s assessment, but there could be another possibility! However, it was hard to glimpse any more clues just from looking at the remnants left on this battlefield. The Shattered Dao Essence that filled this void had long washed those clues away.
If it was the other possibility though, then things would be troublesome.
Even Yang Kai’s team could face the danger of losing their lives at any moment.
“We should lay them to rest.” When he saw the Eighth-Order Master who was still glaring furiously even in death, Yang Kai sighed. From his appearance, this must be one of the rising stars that did not die on the Great Territory Battlefields, but died here instead.
Red-eyed, Liu Fei Fei immediately went forward and stored the tattered corpses. She had participated in the war a long time and it was not as if she was new to seeing death. After so many years fighting on the frontline, she had seen countless familiar faces fade away, yet she could not help but feel saddened and pained every time she saw such a scene.
She often wondered why the Black Ink Clan existed, and how great it would be if they had never been.
But the Heavens did not give them what they wished for. They were born in turbulent times, living in the midst of the confrontation between the two Races. In order to rise up and gain control of the Universe, then facing death was inescapable!
Just like with the Eighth-Order Masters who died here. They did not even know who they were killed by, let alone where to seek revenge.
Every cultivator was mentally prepared to face death when they entered the Universe Furnace World, as their Seniors had warned.
Once one entered the battlefield, life or death was up to destiny, and success or failure was up to the Heavens!
After cleaning up the battlefield and collecting the remains of the Eighth-Order Masters who died here, the group continued on their way in silence and with heavy hearts.
This time, many from the two Races had entered the Universe Furnace World, especially the Black Ink Clan. There were 20 Pseudo-Royal Lords alone, possibly more.
While teams like Yang Kai’s were hunting down those from the Black Ink Clan, weren’t the Pseudo-Royal Lords also killing Open Heaven Realm Masters?
The peace agreement that had been maintained for thousands of years had been completely shattered by the arrival of the Universe Furnace. Now it was inevitable for a massive all-out war to break out between the two sides. The real battle that would determine the fate of both Races had already begun, which made the battle in the Universe Furnace World that much more important.
If the Human Race could cull more Masters from the Black Ink Clan here and gain more opportunities, it would be a great help to their situation outside; otherwise, it would give their enemy an even greater advantage.
In the past, whenever the Universe Furnace appeared, the Masters that entered it would fight for not just opportunities, but also the fates of their Race!
Fortunately, this time was a special case. As all of the Black Ink Clansmen which were originally occupying the Black Ink Battlefield had been wiped out, destroying all their previous knowledge and intelligence. As such, the Black Ink Clan was completely clueless about anything relating to the Universe Furnace. In comparison, the Humans had much more information in their possession.
However, this superiority in intelligence was still not enough to determine the final course of this event. The Humans still had to fight hard for victory.
This time, nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills were produced in the Universe Furnace, and currently, the only one Yang Kai had found was the one refined by Ou Yang Lie. The remaining eight were still nowhere in sight.
It would be impossible for the Human Race to obtain all nine pills, a fact Yang Kai understood from the beginning.
Without even mentioning the Black Ink Clan, the native Chaos Spirit Clan were the ones with a unique advantage when it came to obtaining the Open Heaven Pills. The Chaos Spirit Clan were spread throughout the entire Universe Furnace World, so chances were high that wherever those Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills drifted off to, the Chaos Spirit Clan would be the first to find them.
Did Yang Kai not also snatch the Spirit Pill he found previously from those jellyfish Chaos Entities?
Now that only eight of the pills were left, it was very possible for any one of them to have already fallen into the possession of the Chaos Spirit Clan. If the Humans or the Black Ink Clan were able to get to them in time, then they might be able to fight for them, but if they were too late, and the pills were refined by the Chaos Spirit Clan, then it was useless even if they found them.
So, even from the start, Yang Kai felt that the Human Race should be able to secure four of the nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, which would still be a great harvest. Naturally, the more the better. If they could get five or six, Yang Kai could not complain.
He still had the Great Sun and Moon Marks, but finding the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills was still not going to be easy; otherwise, he would not have found only a single one until now.
While Yang Kai was thinking about how he could look for the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills with greater efficiency, he suddenly felt something which caused him to turn and look in another direction, his expression brightening.
This truly was wearing out iron shoes while seeking one’s feet! He was just wondering how he was going to find the remaining Open Heaven Pills when the Great Sun and Moon Marks caught onto a hint of one!
Had fortune come so suddenly that he couldn’t even block it?
Thunder Shadow, who was perched on his shoulder, could sense his delight and asked, “What did you find?”
“A Spirit Pill!” Yang Kai gave him a simple answer before sending a Divine Sense message to everyone, “Hide your presence and follow me!”
Saying so, he took off and flew in that direction. Everyone also concealed their auras in a hurry while Thunder Shadow activated his Innate Divine Ability and enveloped everyone in it.
In the silent void, the group of six Humans and one leopard moved silently, like shadows.
After a few moments, the joyful look on Yang Kai’s face gradually faded away and became serious.
He could vaguely sense Masters fighting up ahead, but since it was still far away, he could not probe the situation, which made it hard to ascertain the strength of both sides.
However, despite the distance, the fallout could still be felt, which showed how extraordinary both fighters were.
[Is it a Pseudo-Royal Lord and an Eighth-Order Master? No! There are only two fighters. If it truly was an Eighth-Order Master against a Pseudo-Royal Lord, they would surely be no match for them. It’s simply impossible for such a fight to be so intense.]
As they continued to move, Yang Kai’s face turned increasingly grave.
At this point, Tian Xiu Zhu, the veteran Eighth-Order Master with the greatest heritage among them next to Yang Kai, sensed it too. He could not help but throw a suspicious glance at Yang Kai. He found it a little hard to understand how Yang Kai was able to detect the unusual situation here and rush over from so far away.
As they drew closer, Zhan Tian He and the others noticed it too. All of them were alert, circulating the World Force inside their bodies and waiting for Yang Kai to give the order for them to attack the enemy.
This was how things went thus far. They would go into battle, winning each fight. There were many Territory Lords who had already died by their hands.
However, Yang Kai suddenly stopped and looked gravely at the source of the disturbance. A golden slit appeared in his left eye which looked both bizarre and majestic at the same time.
The scene that entered his eye made his heart heavy beyond measure.
The situation he had feared most had appeared, and it was happening right before his eyes!
Tian Xiu Zhu also noticed that something wasn’t right, but he did not have Eye Techniques like Yang Kai, so he could not see what was going on in the distance. After a moment, he could not resist the urge to ask, “Junior Brother Yang, who are the ones fighting?”
The shockwaves from the battle were too intense. Before they had even got close, the Shattered Dao Essence here had already been thrown into disorder. It gave the impression that it was a Ninth-Order Master fighting a Royal Lord!
Yang Kai sighed, “It’s a Royal Lord fighting a Chaos Spirit King!”
Everyone was shocked, but then they drew in their breaths, looking at Yang Kai in disbelief.
Yang Kai chuckled bitterly, feeling a headache coming on, “I was hoping that I had seen it wrongly, too, but it is not one of our Masters fighting there!”
There was nothing wrong with Blood Crow’s information. There were indeed powerful existences in the Universe Furnace World like the Chaos Spirit Kings, who stood on equal footing with the Ninth-Order Masters and Royal Lords.
It must have been luck that they had not encountered one thus far, which was an indication that such existences were rare to begin with and were hard to find.
Yet, they would never have expected to bump into one here!
Moreover, Yang Kai had also revealed another piece of information that was even more difficult for them to accept than the presence of the Chaos Spirit King.
“The Black Ink Clan… has managed to create a Royal Lord here?” Zhan Tian He’s face looked extremely grim.
Mo Yu was the only Royal Lord left in the Black Ink Clan after the war in the Barren Territory, so no Royal Lords had entered the Universe Furnace this time. The strongest among them were the Pseudo-Royal Lords that they had created as a temporary measure.
However, a Royal Lord had appeared here now, which obviously meant that they had become one in the Universe Furnace World. In other words, this guy had obtained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and refined it.
Indeed, the Black Ink Clan was lacking in information about the Universe Furnace, but the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills were amazing treasures. One of them landing into the hands of the Black Ink Clan was one thing, but they may not even have that much of an interest in them as their main goal in coming here was to kill the Humans and to ruin their opportunities to prevent new Ninth-Order Masters from being.
However, since such a pill landed into their hands, they could naturally understand its profundity. Just by refining one, one would have the opportunity of advancing and becoming a Royal Lord.
Many of the Black Ink Clan’s Masters had entered this time, so there were bound to be lucky ones who could gain such opportunities, and this Royal Lord must be one such example.
Yang Kai was drawn here by the reaction of his Great Sun and Moon Marks. In other words, there was a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill here, and in fact, after he used his Demon Eye of Annihilation, he saw not only the two figures exchanging blows, but also the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Multi-coloured light was emanating every so often from within a Chaos Entity without a fixed form. What could that be if not a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill?
The Royal Lord must have spotted the opportunity and come to snatch it, but he did not expect there to be a Chaos Spirit King standing guard over this place. Thus, the two got into a huge fight. Under Yang Kai’s observation, the Chaos Spirit King was much stronger than the Royal Lord, and it was very clear that it had the upper hand in this fight.
That was understandable though.
The Royal Lord had only just broken through, so like Ou Yang Lie, he must not have familiarized himself with his newfound power yet and was unable to bring out his full strength. However, it was different for this Chaos Spirit King who became one, at the earliest, when the Universe Furnace last appeared.
The time they had spent in this realm was vastly different, and so their strengths naturally could not be compared.
Moreover, there was not just a lone Chaos Spirit King here. There were many other Chaos Spirit Clansmen who had taken on defined forms! They took on all sorts of different shapes, some appearing like Humans, while others looked not much different from the Black Ink Clan. Layer by layer they gathered, protecting the Chaos Entity that had swallowed the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, awaiting the birth of a new Chaos Spirit King.
“It’s him!” Liu Fei Fei suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone was confused, but Liu Fei Fei explained, “Our comrades that died back there were most likely victims of this Royal Lord!”
It was then that Zhan Tian He and the others finally realized and Tian Xiu Zhu nodded in agreement, “It’s highly likely.”
Yang Kai was unsurprised. In fact, he had suspected a Royal Lord had appeared among the Black Ink Clan when he saw the traces on that battlefield.
With five Eighth-Order Masters joining hands, unless they were met with a truly formidable enemy, there was no way they would have been wiped out. A single Pseudo-Royal Lord would not have been able to achieve that.
However, if it were a true Royal Lord, then that was a different matter.
There were no useful clues left at the battlefield, so it was hard to be absolutely certain, but now that he saw this Royal Lord, everything became clear.
The Eighth-Order Masters must have encountered this Royal Lord, and even in their Battle Formation, they were no match for him and were cut down. After that, the Royal Lord came to this place and discovered the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Currently, one Royal Lord had been created with the help of the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, which meant one less Ninth-Order Master for the Human Race. With this, the advantage gained by Ou Yang Lie’s advancement to the Ninth-Order has also been lost.
Right now, they had accounted for three of the nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills. One was used by Ou Yang Lie to advance to the Ninth-Order, another was used by this Royal Lord, and the third was currently inside a Chaos Entity, which was in the midst of refining it.
Of the nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, six were still missing, and it was uncertain how many of these six the Humans could seize; therefore, no matter what, this third Open Heaven Pill they had found could not land in the hands of the Black Ink Clan. Otherwise, if another Royal Lord was created, then the situation of the Human Race in the Universe Furnace would become extremely difficult.
However, seizing the pill was an exceptionally difficult thing to do as there was a Chaos Spirit King standing guard here. Furthermore, there were dozens of Chaos Spirit Clansmen also present.
This place was most likely one of the gathering spots of the Chaos Spirit Clan since Yang Kai had never seen so many together like this before.
They were not like the stumbling Chaos Entities without consciousness or even a stable form. During this trip, Yang Kai had encountered many Chaos Spirits with the group he was leading, and if a comparison was to be made, the ordinary Chaos Spirit Clansmen were able to exert strength around the Human Race’s equivalent of the Seventh-Order to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
One or two was nothing to worry about, but several dozen gathered in one place would be difficult to handle.
Looking over from where he stood, Yang Kai realized that the Royal Lord that the Chaos Spirit King was fighting seemed as if he were riding a tiger. He had attained this identity as a Royal Lord through the help of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill produced in the Universe Furnace World; thus, he knew just how amazing these pills were and was determined to snatch another. Clearly, he could not do much here, but even so, it would be a great shame just to give up, so he continued fighting with the Chaos Spirit King.
Only after reaching a safe place where they could no longer feel the shockwaves of the battle did Yang Kai speak, “Senior Brother Tian, I’ll leave the Junior Brothers and Sisters with you for now. Take them away quickly, as far away as possible.”
Yian Xiu Zhu nodded, “What is Junior Brother planning to do?”
[Could he be thinking of stirring up trouble while the Chaos Spirit King and Royal Lord are fighting?] That was not a sound idea as a battle between two peak Masters was not one that an ordinary person could just step between, not even Yang Kai.
He thought about dissuading him, but Yang Kai added, “There’s a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill there, I have to snatch it!”
Yian Xiu Zhu had to choke back down his words when he heard that while Tian Xiu Zhu was stunned and asked, “There’s a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill there? Did Junior Brother see it?”
Everyone else was also itching with excitement. A Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was basically a guaranteed ticket to becoming a Ninth-Order Master, how could they not be moved?
Yang Kai nodded, “Currently, the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill is wrapped inside of a Chaos Entity that’s refining it; moreover, there’s at least several dozen Chaos Spirit Clansmen standing guard nearby. The Royal Lord must have come to fight with the Chaos Spirit King because he noticed the Spirit Pill there.”
“Several dozen…” Everyone drew in a cold breath.
They had an idea of what the Chaos Spirit Clan was capable of, so with several dozen of them gathered together, they were going to take a lot of work to deal with.
“No wonder!” Tian Xiu Zhu exclaimed in realization. He was wondering why the Royal Lord would clash with the Chaos Spirit King over there. It turned out it was because of the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, “In that case, we will act together with Junior Brother. At least, we can take care of each other.”
Zhan Tian He and the others nodded in unison.
If they wanted to seize this pill from the hands of several dozen Chaos Spirits, if they were not careful, they would land themselves in grave danger. If they were to move together with Yang Kai though, they could at least use a Battle Formation to split up the pressure, which would be much better than Yang Kai having to fight alone.
Yang Kai shook his head, “No. While we may have a higher chance of success if we all go, it will also make us a bigger target. Even if we did manage to seize the Spirit Pill, we may not be able to leave unscathed. It will be easier for me to move about if I just bring along Thunder Shadow.”
Tian Xiu Zhu pondered on his words before nodding lightly, “That is indeed true.”
Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability concealed his presence perfectly. With the blessing of this Divine Ability, he and Yang Kai could approach the pill unnoticed, and with Yang Kai’s skills, he was very likely to be able to seize the Spirit Pill if he burst out and caused a stir. With his proficiency in the Dao of Space, he could then make a speedy escape.
If Yang Kai brought all of them along with him though, his mobility would be seriously hampered.
After understanding this point, Tian Xiu Zhu wore a serious look, “You must be careful, Junior Brother. Seize the pill if you can, but if it’s too risky, then don’t force it. As long as there are green hills, there is no fear of lack of timber. Junior Brother’s safety is extremely important to the future of the Human Race!”
Yang Kai nodded, “I will keep it in mind.”
Tian Xiu Zhu cupped his fist to Yang Kai, then he turned to Zhan Tian He and the rest, “Let’s go.”
Without delay, Zhan Tian He and the rest cupped their fists in farewell to Yang Kai before leaving.
After watching the five of them depart, Yang Kai turned around again, and with Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability activating, he quietly crept towards the battlefield.
As for the safety of Tian Xiu Zhu and his group, there was little need to worry since they could form the Five Elements Formation at any time. As long as they did not bump into a Royal Lord in the Universe Furnace World, or a large group of enemy Masters, they would naturally be in no danger. Even if they did bump into a Pseudo-Royal Lord, they should be able to put up a fight.
A while later, Yang Kai opened his Demon Eye of Annihilation once more after approaching the edge of the battlefield and looked in from outside.
It had to be said that Thunder Shadow’s stealth Innate Divine Ability truly was exceptional. Even at this distance, Yang Kai would very likely have been noticed by the two fighting Masters if he were alone, but under the cover of Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability, neither the Chaos Spirit King nor the Royal Lord were aware that somebody was spying on them.
Yang Kai watched quietly and did not rush into action.
Soundlessly, Thunder Shadow sent his voice over, “How confident are you?”
He was Yang Kai’s Monster Self after all. Though he grew up in a different environment and had different life experiences, causing his personality to differ slightly, he still inherited some of Yang Kai’s characteristics.
Despite how simply Yang Kai had described the plan to Tian Xiu Zhu and the rest, as if the Spirit Pill would fall into his hands with barely any effort, the chances of succeeding were slim from his perspective.
Sure enough, Yang Kai’s response was “Less than 30%!”
The difficulty of seizing the pill lay not in grabbing the pill itself, but rather dealing with the dozens of Chaos Spirits that were in the way; but Yang Kai did not necessarily have to fight them.
With the help of Thunder Shadow’s Divine Ability, he just had to reach a certain distance, then he should be able to seize the Spirit Pill.
The difficult part of this task was going to be how he was going to escape after seizing the pill.
The Royal Lord was currently engaged in a fierce fight with the Chaos Spirit King, seemingly planning to settle their life and death here, but if an outside force were to dive in and seize the pill, Yang Kai was sure that they would immediately join hands to deal with him.
Yang Kai did not even have the confidence to be able to face one top Master, much less two of them, and even the slightest blunder or delay could cost him his life.
The Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was indeed important, but to put his life on the line to seize it was still not worth it.
Hearing this, Thunder Shadow felt his head throb. Less than 30% was too risky in his opinion and he couldn’t help but worry, “Then, what should we do?”
“We’ll wait!” Yang Kai gave a succinct answer.
That puzzled Thunder Shadow, “Wait for what?”
Yang Kai shot a glare at him, which caused Thunder Shadow to become annoyed, “I’m your Monster Self, so in a sense, I’m you. Don’t look at me as if I’m an idiot because that’s just calling yourself an idiot.”
Yang Kai choked for a moment because what Thunder Shadow said was true.
He could only explain patiently, “Look at those two who are fighting. Who do you think is stronger?”
Thunder Shadow answered, “Naturally, it’s the Chaos Spirit King. Is there even a need to ask?”
There was no doubt that the Chaos Spirit King occupied the absolute upper hand in this battle. The Royal Lord was basically pinned down and beaten in the fierce exchange of blows as his rich Black Ink Strength splattered out.
“Then, do you think that there’s an opportunity that the Royal Lord can seize the pill?”
“Of course not!” He could not get by the Chaos Spirit King, much the dozens of Chaos Spirits protecting the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
If Yang Kai had a 30% chance of sneakily achieving his plan, then the Royal Lord, who had already exposed himself, had a 0% chance at all unless he could overpower the Chaos Spirit King.
“If he doesn’t have a chance, why does he continue pestering his opponent rather than retreat obediently? He’s also taking a huge risk fighting the Chaos Spirit King here, and it would not be a pleasant experience for him to be wounded.”
Thunder Shadow instantly realized something, “You mean…”
Yang Kai grinned, “Since he cannot seize the pill from the Chaos Spirit Clan but continues to fight without retreating, I’m guessing there’s a very high chance that he has already called for help.”
“He’s repairing the bridge on the surface while secretly crossing the river!” Thunder Shadow finally understood, and his amber eyes brightened a little, gleaming as if he recalled one of his previous encounters.
This was exactly the same thing he experienced when he was fighting the Territory Lords for the first Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. The Territory Lords had called their allies using the miniature Black Ink Nest they brought with them, and if Yang Kai had not bumped into him by chance, he would have had to flee.
“There may already be Masters from the Black Ink Clan hiding nearby, we just haven’t noticed them.” As he said so, Yang Kai scanned the depths of the void with his golden cross left eye, but he did not find anything.
Thunder Shadow, on the other hand, looked extremely smug, “As expected of myself, to be able to see through things so thoroughly.”
Yang Kai was speechless. With his Monster Self’s boasting, it seemed to not have inherited much of his wisdom, but he could understand; after all, he was from the Monster Race…
The battle between the two Masters went on for who knows how long, and it was not known how much longer it would continue for. Yang Kai did not stay idle, however. It was the first time he encountered a Chaos Spirit King in the Universe Furnace World, and there was even a Master on a similar level fighting it. It was a good opportunity for him to observe their fighting styles and assess their strengths and weaknesses.
Soon, Yang Kai noticed something.
Rather than calling this Chaos Spirit King a peculiar living being, one might as well call it an aggregate of Grand Daos. Its body was purely an amalgamation of various Dao Strengths, formed into a humanoid shape with its own consciousness. The way it fought its enemy was also extremely simple, which was to circulate the various Dao Strengths in its body and smash them into its opponent.
It was simple, yet fierce!
Every blow was Heaven-shattering and Earth-shaking, causing various cracks in the void as it thrust the surrounding Dao Essence into disorder. Inwardly, Yang Kai weighed the odds of how things would go if he were to call Ou Yang Lie over, but there was a great chance that the latter would not be a match for this Chaos Spirit King either.
The rich Dao Essence that filled the Universe Furnace World was the source of the Chaos Spirit King’s power, and it seemed that as long as it was in this World, it would never tire.
After observing for a long time, Yang Kai concluded that this Chaos Spirit King was extremely difficult to deal with, and if he wanted to kill it, then he would have to cut off its connection with the World to deprive it of its source of power.
The Royal Lord clearly noticed this too, so he kept trying to pour out his Black Ink Strength so that he could use it as a barrier to isolate his enemy and stop it from recovering its strength; however, it was all for nought. The Chaos Spirit King was stronger than him to begin with, so it was all the Royal Lord could do to keep himself alive under his opponent’s attacks. How would he be able to do anything else?
The two continued to fight fervently with each other.
All of a sudden, the Royal Lord’s body exploded into a giant Black Ink Cloud that scattered in all directions and he escaped just like that.
The Chaos Spirit King’s Dao Essence shuddered for a moment, then it broke up the Black Ink Clouds, but the true body of its enemy was no longer anywhere to be found. However, it did not give chase and just stood there with an expressionless face, guarding its clansmen behind it.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
[Was my guess incorrect? How can that be? If the Royal Lord was not waiting for backup, then why would he keep on struggling against the Chaos Spirit King? What’s more, the Black Ink Clan can communicate with each other through the use of their miniature Black Ink Nests, so why would he not gather help?]
However, the Royal Lord had indeed retreated, which put Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow in an awkward position. First of all, with the cover of Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability, one man and one leopard were lurking not too close from the battlefield, but definitely not far either. The reason why they were not caught previously was naturally because the Chaos Spirit King’s attention was being focused on the Royal Lord.
Now that the Royal Lord escaped, the Chaos Spirit King was no longer restrained, and with what happened previously, even the slightest breeze might cause the Chaos Spirit King to go on alert.
This caused the two of them to not even have the courage to move a single muscle, and Thunder Shadow had even pushed his Divine Ability to its limits before looking over with a questioning expression on its face, which clearly asked, ‘what should we do now?’.
At this moment, he did not even dare to use his Divine Sense to transmit his voice.
Yang Kai had a gloomy look on his face. With how things were now, if he were to choose to withdraw here, then he would undoubtedly expose himself, which would not matter as the Chaos Spirit King was unlikely to come after him, but then his plan to snatch the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill would come to naught.
The pill was right in front of his eyes, so how could Yang Kai be willing to retreat here? This was the key that would allow an Eighth-Order Master to advance to the Ninth-Order!
Yang Kai still believed that his assumption had been right, and that the Royal Lord had withdrawn because his backup was not able to arrive swiftly.
Since his backup was late, there was no point in the Royal Lord wasting his strength here. It would not be too late to wait for reinforcements before making a move again.
So, it did not take very long for Yang Kai to make up his mind to continue waiting! If that Royal Lord came back, it would prove that his assumption was correct, and when that time came, he would have more wriggle room to carry out his plans.
Time gradually passed unnoticed.
After a certain amount of time, Thunder Shadow was starting to feel as if he could no longer keep up his Innate Divine Ability. If that failed, then there was a great chance they would be revealed under the senses of the Chaos Spirit King.
Just as Yang Kai was considering whether or not they should retreat for the time being, his expression had a slight change. From the direction the Royal Lord escaped in previously, an undisguised powerful aura was rising, which immediately drew the attention of the Chaos Spirit King who had remained on guard this whole time.
Immediately afterwards, a massive Black Ink Cloud rushed over from that direction, reaching the Chaos Spirit King in the blink of an eye, and a fight broke out once more.
[He’s back!]
Sure enough, the Royal Lord that ran away previously came back. Relieved, Yang Kai shot a glance at Thunder Shadow, who also breathed a sigh of relief and took this opportunity to catch his breath.
With his previous experience fighting the Chaos Spirit King, the Royal Lord was clearly being much more cautious than before. Though he was still no match for the Chaos Spirit King, it wasn’t easy for the Chaos Spirit King to just defeat him either.
As the battle raged on, Yang Kai turned in another direction. There, another powerful aura entered his senses, an aura that was not any weaker compared to the Royal Lord who had shown himself.
This aura was just like a lamp in the dark of night, extremely conspicuous, which reminded Yang Kai of the Pseudo-Royal Lords.
The Pseudo-Royal Lords who did not have full control of their powers found it impossible to contain their auras, so hiding had never been one of their strong suits.
This was, without a doubt, a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
From what Yang Kai could sense, there were even a few Territory Lords gathered around the Pseudo-Royal Lord.
These were undoubtedly the helpers that the Royal Lord called for, which was exactly what Yang Kai had suspected. The Royal Lord was simply trying to distract the Chaos Spirit King in a fight as his other companions took the opportunity to seize the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Without being able to conceal himself, the Pseudo-Royal Lord rushed straight into the gathering of Chaos Spirits with several Territory Lords in tow. When the Chaos Spirit King noticed this, its attacks against the Royal Lord became even more ruthless. It clearly intended to force its opponent to back off quickly. Though the Chaos Spirit King was stronger than the Royal Lord, the difference was not enough to one-sidedly end their fight. Meanwhile, its opponent was putting their all into defending, getting them to back off wouldn’t be easy.
While the Chaos Spirit King raged, the Pseudo-Royal Lord and the Territory Lords stormed into the gathering of Chaos Spirits. A dozen or so Chaos Spirits stayed back to protect their clansman refining the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill while the rest rose to meet the others in battle.
Black Ink Strength spread out and Dao Essence flared. The scene became heated in an instant.
The Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King aside, the Pseudo-Royal Lords and the Territory Lords were able to overwhelm their enemies despite being fewer in number.
With the Pseudo-Royal Lord acting as the vanguard, and the Territory Lords in Battle Formations, they charged right through, and the many Chaos Spirits could hardly hold them back.
Most of these Chaos Spirits were of varying levels of strength, but the majority were only equivalent to Seventh-Order Masters or Feudal Lords, with less than 30% being on par with Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords. How would they be able to halt the charge of a Pseudo-Royal Lord?
Fortunately, there were not only Chaos Spirits who had gained solid forms here, but also an incalculable number of Chaos Entities. Under the command of the Chaos Spirit Clan, countless Chaos Entities rushed towards the Black Ink Clan from all directions, without fear of pain or death, which allowed them to keep the Black Ink Clan in check.
Yang Kai and the others also had a hard time due to the Chaos Entities when they were standing guard for Ou Yang Lie during his advancement. If it were not for Yang Kai’s enlightenment and development of the Space-Time River, things might have gotten out of hand back then.
At the moment, that was exactly what was happening.
The Black Ink Clan’s side must not have expected that these Chaos Entities that they normally wouldn’t bother with would actually be so difficult to deal with when their numbers swelled. It looked as if they had sunken into a Great Sea of Chaos Entities. Amidst them were also several dozen Chaos Spirits who were eyeing them closely.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord was furious. He had already pushed his strength to its peak and spread out Black Ink Strength as far as he could. Forcibly, he cut a bloody path through the encirclement with the Territory Lords following him and lunged towards the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
All they had to do was get their hands on the pill, then they could immediately escape from here, and the Chaos Spirit Clan would have no way of pursuing them in the vast expanse of the Universe Furnace World. Meanwhile, their Royal Lord only needed to keep the Chaos Spirit King busy for a while longer.
At this point, neither side had noticed that a small shadow in the void was approaching the battlefield like a phantom, slowly creeping towards the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Inside the shadow, Thunder Shadow was pushing his Innate Divine Ability to its fullest and was hiding the auras of both Yang Kai and himself as far as possible. Under the blessing of his Divine Ability, they blended in and became one with the shadows.
After waiting for a long time, Yang Kai’s speculation was finally proved correct. The Black Ink Clan had now made their move, so why would Yang Kai stay idle? Whether or not he could seize the pill here would be up to whether Thunder Shadow could bring him close enough or not.
It would not be easy to pass through such a chaotic battlefield. There were constantly Chaos Entities here and there that would inadvertently cross into the shadow, but they were all caught and restrained by Yang Kai.
Fortunately, there were so many Chaos Entities here that neither side noticed the unusual situation going on; otherwise, Yang Kai’s plan would have fallen through.
Yang Kai watched the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill get closer and closer, and just as he was about to reach out to snatch it, a cloud of Black Ink Strength happened to sweep past the shadow where Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow were…
The source was a nearby Territory Lord…
Nobody was too concerned when the Chaos Entities were taken away by Yang Kai, but the feedback the Territory Lord received from the energy it released alerted him instantly. Amid the battle, he raised his head towards the shadow and shouted, “Watch out!”
He thought that it was one of the Chaos Spirits hiding, waiting for an opportunity to strike…
That shout had without a doubt exposed Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow completely. Yang Kai could clearly feel two powerful auras, one from the Royal Lord and the other from the Chaos Spirit King, spreading over from the battlefield. Very clearly, it was the two Masters investigating the situation here.
Yang Kai was so angry that his lungs could burst!
If this could have happened just five breaths later, after Thunder Shadow had brought him close enough, he could have seized the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and used Space Principles to escape, then there would be a great probability that he could have achieved his goal without a scratch.
However, this plan, which should have been safe, ended up being inadvertently ruined by a Territory Lord.
Life was full of disappointments!
Instantaneously, a great gushing river was summoned and covered a stretch of the void, swallowing up the Chaos Entity that had devoured the Open Heaven Pill and was refining it along with a dozen or so Chaos Spirits protecting it nearby.
This turn of events was so bizarre that both sides that were battling each other were stunned for a moment.
Then, a bellow broke out, “It’s a Human! Stop him!”
It was the Pseudo-Royal Lord who reacted first. He was furious that some Human would actually try to remove the firewood from under the pot while they were taking on huge risks, fighting the Chaos Spirit Clan so that they could get their hands on the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
How could that be tolerated?!
The Pseudo-Royal Lord reacted quickly, but there was someone else who was quicker, the Chaos Spirit King who was fighting the Royal Lord nearby.
For the Chaos Spirit Clan, any creature that intruded on this place was an enemy regardless of whether they were from the Human Race or the Black Ink Clan!
So, the moment it sensed an enemy lurking in the shadows, it struck from afar. Though it was being hounded by the Royal Lord and could not withdraw easily, it still opened its mouth in the direction of Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow. In the next instant, it seemed to have shouted, but no sound came from its mouth; however, a formless force travelled through the void, launching an attack towards the shadow where one Human and one leopard were hiding.
Chaos was shattered, and Grand Daos shook.
At that moment, Yang Kai just happened to have summoned the Space-Time River to swallow up the Chaos Entity that had devoured the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, as well as several other Chaos Entities and Chaos Spirits which were protecting it, and he was about to escape using his Space Secret Technique.
When the blast of Dao Essence crashed down on him, Yang Kai felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His chest felt extremely stuffy and it was hard for him to manipulate Space Principles. Even the Space-Time River that he summoned was in turmoil as the water splashed about wildly.
The Space-Time River was greatly destabilized by the attack of the Chaos Spirit King, and with this opportunity, two of the Chaos Spirits who were around the Eighth Order in strength managed to free themselves from its confines.
These two had humanoid forms, and their eyes immediately turned to look at Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow before charging them to attack.
Not only that, the Pseudo-Royal Lord who was nearby also freed a fist out of his fight and punched towards Yang Kai!
In an instant, Yang Kai was attacked from three sides; moreover, the local space was so disturbed at the moment that he could not even hope to escape using Space Principles.
In this life-or-death moment, Thunder Shadow roared and transformed into his original size with thunder markings flashing all over his body. When he charged towards the two Chaos Spirits, Yang Kai also let out a shout as a golden light erupted and a Golden Dragon phantom enveloped him.
As Dao Strength was hard to manipulate at the moment, he had no choice but to maintain it with the help of his Dragon Vein.
However, the Golden Dragon phantom only lasted for a moment before shattering. The fierce power was so overwhelming that Yang Kai’s chest felt like it had caved in. In an instant, who knew how many of his bones had broken. Fresh blood came pouring out, but he managed to keep it down. Gritting his teeth, he shot a cold glare at the Pseudo-Royal Lord and with fierce determination, Spiritual Energy flared madly as he roared, “Die!”
The Pseudo-Royal Lord did not even have the chance to shudder before he felt a strange pain in his Knowledge Sea, as if a long, invisible needle had pierced through the defences of his Soul, causing him to stagger back.
It was a strange technique that targeted one’s Soul! The Pseudo-Royal Lord understood that instantly.
The Black Ink Clan had a lot of information about Yang Kai, and most of them were generally aware of such tricks, but according to what they knew, this was an unpredictable technique that was hard to guard against. Back then, many Innate Territory Lords had been killed by Yang Kai with this very technique, which gained him an infamous reputation.
However, this technique did almost as much damage to its user as its target, and Yang Kai had rarely used it over the last few thousand years.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord never would have expected that Yang Kai would use that very technique against him at this moment, so he was unfortunate to suffer quite a loss from it due to being caught off guard!
Taking an injury to his Soul was a great headache for the Pseudo-Royal Lord, but he quickly steadied himself. He was, after all, a Pseudo-Royal Lord who was not something an Innate Territory Lord could compare to, so he could still resist such attacks.
He was only stalled for a moment, but Yang Kai had already disappeared from sight. Following his aura, he saw Yang Kai not far in the distance, clutching a large river and fleeing alongside the black leopard with lightning flashing all around its body…
Yang Kai knew that a Soul Rending Thorn would not be able to do much to a Pseudo-Royal Lord, and his determined gesture from earlier was just to stall his enemy. After sending out a Soul Rending Thorn, he sent a message to Thunder Shadow and they ran.
Thunder Shadow could not gain any advantage when he fought two Chaos Spirits head-on either. In just a few moments, he was beaten to the point where the lightning around its body had dimmed considerably.
The sudden appearance of a third party not only made those from the Black Ink Clan want to spit blood, but even the Chaos Spirits were distracted. Their main target was supposed to be the enemies from the Black Ink Clan, but now they left them behind to attack Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow!
Yang Kai could even sense that two powerful auras were locked onto him and were swiftly moving towards him.
The Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King!
The two of them had stopped their fight and were now tacitly chasing after Yang Kai.
For the Chaos Spirit King, anyone with the intention of snatching away the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was an enemy.
The Royal Lord clearly did not want the pill to fall into the hands of the Humans either, and especially not Yang Kai’s hands. So, when the Chaos Spirit King tried to withdraw, he did not resist and instead joined forces with it.
This time, Yang Kai had stirred up the hornet’s nest.
Yang Kai grumbled audibly. Everything was going smoothly just as he planned; he would have been completely capable of secretly snatching the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill while both sides were fighting each other, then disappear after that.
However, one accident led him to be chased down by the Masters of both sides!
Yang Kai wished he could rip that damn Territory Lord who exposed him into 10,000 pieces…
Yet, he just had to have trouble with using Space Principles at this moment. While dragging along the Space-Time River with several Chaos Spirits inside, all of whom were struggling to break out, he could not use Instantaneous Movement.
It would not take long for Yang Kai to deal with the captured Chaos Spirits, but that little bit of time was enough for both the Chaos Spirit King and the Royal Lord to kill him 100 times over!
There was practically no way out!
Yang Kai sighed in his heart. In the end, he had no choice but to use that. Whether this venture was still worth it or not, he had no idea.
With a thought, he stretched out his hand and made a movement, and in the next instant, a butterfly that was as vivid as if it were alive suddenly appeared in his palm, its body giving off a soft glow. It danced on Yang Kai’s hand before its wings flapped and a beautiful halo of light emerged.
“Go!” Yang Kai whispered and threw the butterfly over his shoulder.
The butterfly fluttered, then its small little body expanded. In the blink of an eye, the shadow of a large butterfly enveloped the Void.
A halo of blue light swept through the chaos, cleansing the world.
All of a sudden, the butterfly burst into a million points of light.
Many from the Black Ink Clan and the Chaos Spirit Clan, who were chasing after Yang Kai, clashed headfirst into the shower of light, and under its glow, their expressions became indiscernible.
The glow of light suddenly gathered towards a certain point, and in the blink of an eye, a gracefully enchanting figure appeared in the void, blocking the many pursuers.
The Chaos Spirits did not have much of an opinion regarding what they saw, but the Pseudo-Royal Lord’s face paled as he stared at it and exclaimed, “Luo Ting He!”
It was quite a coincidence, but this Pseudo-Royal Lord had come from the Great Territory Battlefield that Luo Ting He oversaw. He had also fought her before and was almost cut down in the process. Naturally, seeing this Ninth-Order Master again here made him fearful.
He could not help but think, [Did this woman also come in?]
But when he focused his eyes on her again, he realized that the woman was not living, rather, it was some kind of manifestation or Divine Ability that was shaped in her image.
However, despite it being a mere manifestation, it was still the Divine Ability of a Ninth-Order Master, so it should not be trifled with. The Pseudo-Royal Lord’s expression turned grave in an instant.
At this point, Yang Kai’s heart felt like it was bleeding.
He had used up such a trump card just like that…
The butterfly was given to him by the newly-advanced Ninth-Order Luo Ting He when they met back then. It was something that was condensed from 500 years of Luo Ting He’s cultivation as gratitude to Yang Kai for his help.
This Ninth-Order Master had been trapped in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Samsara Pavilion and was unable to return. It was by chance that Yang Kai had awakened her memories after experiencing nine reincarnations with Qu Hua Shang, which freed her.
After advancing to the Ninth Order, Luo Ting He had been thinking of ways to repay Yang Kai, but she could not come up with anything she could give him. Considering how Yang Kai was constantly on the move and would often encounter many strong enemies though, she spent her own cultivation to create this butterfly for him, which could be used to save his life during a critical moment.
This was arguably one of Yang Kai’s strongest trump cards that he kept hidden away all this while and never used.
Even when he was chased across the Black Ink Battlefield and nearly cornered by Mo Na Ye, Yang Kai never thought about using it. That was because Yang Kai thought it too much of a waste to use such a thing to kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
But now, he had no other choice. If he didn’t use it, then he really wouldn’t be able to get away.
30 breaths of time!
He only had 30 breaths of time!
Luo Ting He made it clear to him when she passed him the butterfly that summoning it was equivalent to summoning her to fight, but it could only last for 30 breaths.
This Divine Ability could be seen as something akin to a Soul Clone of Luo Ting He; however, considering Luo Ting He’s strength and that of the enemies Yang Kai was facing now, it may not even be able to last for 30 breaths.
Yang Kai needed to get out of here even sooner than that.
Almost as soon as Luo Ting He appeared, a battle broke out. The Pseudo-Royal Lord did not dare to step forward as he was wary of Luo Ting He’s power, but the Chaos Spirit Clan knew now fear. Soon, the Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King had also rushed over.
Yang Kai didn’t even have the time to turn around and look. He just felt Dao Strengths fluctuating behind him and the immense aftershocks of their battle blasted out and nearly knocked him over.
At this moment, he was rushing forward while carrying his Space-Time River. No matter whether it was a Chaos Entity or Chaos Spirit blocking his way, the river would flow out and take them all in to be taken care of later.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to waste any time here. The Chaos Entities weren’t difficult to deal with usually, but it was not a good idea to be getting tangled up with them right now.
As a result, the pressure inside of his Space-Time River was growing greater and greater, making it even more difficult for him to escape using Space Principles.
“Yang Kai, you court death!” A furious roar came from behind him, followed by a fierce attack.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord had somehow made it over to give chase. Yang Kai was exasperated. Luo Ting He’s Divine Ability didn’t seem to be as effective as expected; otherwise, how could this Pseudo-Royal Lord have come over? This was making an already bad situation worse.
However, he knew that it was not because the Divine Ability was not powerful, just that even Luo Ting He herself must not have expected him to be able to stir up so much trouble.
Luo Ting He was confident when she told Yang Kai that day that this Divine Ability could be maintained for 30 breaths of time. In her mind, the greatest danger that Yang Kai could face would be to encounter a Pseudo-Royal Lord alone; however, this Soul Clone of hers was now facing the combined forces of a Royal Lord and a Chaos Spirit King, not to mention many more Chaos Spirits…
To have to hold back so many enemies alone, a newly advanced Ninth-Order Master’s Soul Clone would be severely lacking.
If the Pseudo-Royal Lord wanted to get around her, she may not be able to stop him either.
A powerful force hit Yang Kai on the back, sending his Dragon Scales flying and flaying his skin. This Pseudo-Royal Lord had attacked to kill; after all, they had the chance to seize the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, so how could they allow Yang Kai to come out of nowhere and take advantage of the situation?
So, he was unrelenting in his attack, releasing the full extent of his power.
Any other Eighth-Order Master would surely be at death’s door if not buried on the spot by such an attack; fortunately, Yang Kai had thick skin and strong flesh. Even though his five viscera and six organs were shaken after that attack, he endured the dizziness and used the force of that attack to propel himself further, making a speedy escape.
However, the Pseudo-Royal Lord did not give up his chase.
Several others wanted to follow after him as well, but they were held back by the Chaos Spirits and had no choice but to form Battle Formations to fight. However, without the Pseudo-Royal Lord leading the charge, they were soon racking up injuries, leaving them all quite miserable.
They wanted to shout at the Chaos Spirits and tell them that they did not have the pill, so fighting was useless. They might as well go and chase after the culprit who seized the pill instead; however, they knew that the Chaos Spirit Clan would not pay them any mind. To them, it did not matter whether they were from the Black Ink Clan or the Human Race, anyone who stepped into their territory was an enemy.
The Space-Time River opened up before them, rolling in all the Chaos Entities in its path and forging a way forward. The Dao Strengths of Space and Time was extremely dense within the river, and under the erosion of the Dao Strengths, most of the Chaos Entities quickly melted away into nothing, but their numbers were just too great.
Yang Kai could feel his Dao Strengths quickly draining away. Even the volume of his Space-Time River was shrinking rapidly, which was not a good sign. He was able to pull the Chaos Entity with the Supreme Grade Heaven Pill into the river, but if the Chaos Entity could not be scoured away before the Space-Time River broke apart, then it would be difficult to get the pill.
Worse, there were still some relatively powerful Chaos Spirits inside of the river that were taking advantage of his moment of distraction to go on a rampage, stirring up trouble inside the river.
On the other side, Luo Ting He’s Soul Clone had already summoned her Yin-Yang Fish Divine Ability to envelop both the Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King. The power of Yin and Yang intertwined and transformed mysteriously, turning the area it surrounded into a kind of cage.
Without destroying this Divine Ability, even the Chaos Spirit King and the Royal Lord would find it difficult to break free.
A hint of Luo Ting He’s consciousness was undoubtedly in this Soul Clone, and at that moment, her brow was furrowed. She was trying her best to hold on, but she couldn’t imagine how Yang Kai was able to provoke two top Masters to join hands and chase after him.
The 30 breaths of time she promised him was likely going to take a large dip. It would be amazing if she could even last 20 breaths. Understanding this, she immediately sent her voice to Yang Kai, “Quickly escape!”
Once her Soul Clone failed to hold on, even if Yang Kai had his Space Secret Techniques, the chances of him surviving under the pursuit of two powerful Masters would still be slim to none.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth at her call and pushed his Dao Strengths to the fullest, forging ahead with the help of the Space-Time River.
Five breaths, 10 breaths…
One by one, furious attacks unleashed by the Pseudo-Royal Lord landed on Yang Kai’s back from behind, causing him to stumble each time. In just a short moment, Yang Kai felt as if he had sustained the greatest amount of damage in his life…
All of a sudden, the oppressive force ahead cleared up. When Yang Kai turned his eyes over, he realized that he had finally rushed out of the encirclement of the Chaos Entities and was overjoyed. He immediately circulated his World Force, turning his figure into a stream of light and speeding off into the depths of the void.
“Stop him!” The Royal Lord roared from behind him. He had been paying attention to Yang Kai’s movements even as he was fighting with Luo Ting He’s Soul Clone, so when he saw that Yang Kai was about to break away into freedom, he started to get nervous.
If it were any ordinary Eighth-Order Master, they might be able to escape for a while, but certainly not for long. With a Pseudo-Royal Lord in pursuit of them, there would eventually come a time when they had to bow down and accept death.
However, Yang Kai was different. He was proficient in the Dao of Space and was unparalleled at running away. If they let him escape, then forget a Pseudo-Royal Lord, even a true Royal Lord like himself would not be able to catch him.
With a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill at stake, how could the Royal Lord be willing to let that happen?
Previously, the Black Ink Clan had always believed that the appearance of the Universe Furnace was an opportunity for the Humans, and their many Masters had only entered so as to spoil their chances, killing off any Human Race Masters and weakening their overall forces.
However, when he came upon a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill by chance and advanced to become a Royal Lord, he understood that this was not just an opportunity for the Human Race, but also one for the Black Ink Clan!
The Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills that were born from the Universe Furnace held astonishing power!
After discovering that there was another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill here, he decided to gather up as much help as he could to seize it. Everything was going well at first, until Yang Kai appeared out of nowhere, throwing the situation into disarray…
This made the Royal Lord extremely frustrated. Why could they seemingly never rid themselves of this killing star? He seemed to be practically everywhere, always spoiling their plans!
At this point, whether it be the Black Ink Clan or the Chaos Spirit Clan, everyone was engaged in a messy fight. Only the Pseudo-Royal Lord was chasing after Yang Kai without letting up.
That was mainly because of how powerful he was, so the average Chaos Spirit would not be able to hold him back.
Seeing Yang Kai break away from the battlefield, the Pseudo-Royal Lord was also feeling anxious and circulated his aura madly to lock onto Yang Kai’s figure in case he was to suddenly disappear. At the same time, Black Ink Strength surged, and a series of killing moves were blasted in Yang Kai’s direction.
The blows battered Yang Kai to the point of dizziness, which was especially troublesome to his current situation where he was trying to run away and had to use Space Principles to do so; however, without dealing with the problem that was the Space-Time River, it was simply impossible for him to perform Instantaneous Movement.
Therefore, most of his energy was spent on circulating his Dao Strength and dealing with the Chaos Spirits and Chaos Entities that were trapped inside his Space-Time River.
As for the attacks of the Pseudo-Royal Lord behind him, he had no choice but to bear them with his body.
Unfortunately, even with his potent Dragon Vein, Yang Kai couldn’t last too long.
Thankfully, he still had Thunder Shadow. As soon as he saw that things were looking bad, he leapt out from his shoulders and in a flash of lightning, revealed his true body. He circulated the power of his lightning to shield Yang Kai’s back while fighting back against the Pseudo-Royal Lord who was chasing them across the Void.
However, he could only endure for five breaths…
After five breaths, the lightning around Thunder Shadow’s body dimmed and his aura dropped noticeably, reducing him to a panting mess.
Even though Thunder Shadow was quite strong, no weaker than any peak Eighth-Order Master, he was still far from being able to fight a Pseudo-Royal Lord all by himself.
At this point, Yang Kai had also taken some time out to open up his Small Universe, releasing the few jellyfish Chaos Entities that he had left from before.
Not only that, he also deployed batch after batch of Small Stone Race clansmen…
Yang Kai always kept an army of Small Stone Race inside of his Small Universe that he prepared in order to deal with some critical situations, but even if they could not delay their enemies for long here, he did not care.
With the help of the jellyfish Chaos Entities and the Small Stone Race Army, Yang Kai was barely able to buy himself a few breaths of time.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord’s cold voice came from behind him, “Yang Kai, hand over the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill or die!”
After receiving information from that newly-advanced Royal Lord, the Pseudo-Royal Lord understood what a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill could do. At the moment, he was already a Pseudo-Royal Lord, but if he could refine that pill, then he could become a true Royal Lord!
This should have been his Spirit Pill, so how could he allow Yang Kai to seize it?
Yang Kai, who was still fleeing up ahead, turned a deaf ear to these threats. All of a sudden, he shook the Space-Time River that he had been holding all this while. As the Dao Strengths shook, several splashes came out of the large river, accompanied by several figures.
It was the Chaos Spirits that he had swept up previously!
Usually, it would not have taken him long to eliminate these Chaos Spirit Clansmen with the power of his Space-Time River as under the scouring of such potent Dao Strength, they would quickly be ground away into dust, but the situation now was urgent, so how could Yang Kai bother wasting time and energy to eliminate these fellows?
Since he could not do so, he simply tossed them out.
With that, only the Chaos Entity that had devoured the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was left inside the Space-Time River.
As Dao Strength circulated fiercely, the entire river seemed to have been stimulated. The Chaos Entity had not been very strong to begin with, so how could it resist such corrosive power? Its body soon dissolved, and the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill that had been in its body this whole time fell into the river.
With little effort, Yang Kai easily scooped the pill out.
Seeing this, the Pseudo-Royal Lord who was chasing after him shouted urgently, “Hand that pill over to me!”
“Bite me!” Yang Kai spat out the blood in his mouth. Even though his aura seemed extremely drained, he still looked much more relaxed compared to before.
With the trouble in his Space-Time River dealt with and no other external forces holding him back, it was time to go!
It was at that moment that a powerful aura dissipated in the distance. Yang Kai knew that it was a sign that Luo Ting He’s Divine Ability had expired. In other words, her 500 years worth of cultivation had dissipated.
She had not lasted 30 breaths of time, and probably not even 20; however, being able to last as long as she had was already quite a feat in itself, as she was holding back two Masters with power equal or greater than her own.
Without Luo Ting He’s Soul Clone holding back his enemies, the Royal Lord and the Chaos Spirit King were now charging over quickly. From afar, Yang Kai felt two powerful auras stretching over to lock onto him.
How could Yang Kai dare to dally in this situation? He was confident that he could escape if he was only being chased by a Pseudo-Royal Lord, but if he waited for these two to catch up to him, then he really would be just waiting for death.
On the back of his hand, the Great Sun and Moon Marks appeared. Yellow and blue light flowed, gathering and transforming into a dazzling pure white light that enveloped his body, cutting off the aura of the Pseudo-Royal Lord.
Space Principles surged, enveloping Thunder Shadow who had returned to his shoulder and had almost become a dead leopard…
In the next instant, the Void rippled and their forms blurred.
“Don’t you dare!” The Pseudo-Royal Lord howled and a fierce power was unleashed in Yang Kai’s direction. His ruthless attack crashed against his fading illusory phantom, and the aftershock pierced through the barriers of the Void to chase after him.
In the next moment, the Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King who had finally broken away from Luo Ting He’s entanglement rushed over, but they were too late. From a distance, all they saw was Yang Kai’s fading figure.
The Royal Lord felt his heart drop. He had formulated a plan with the hopes of giving rise to a new Royal Lord, yet he never expected to have prepared a dowry for the Humans instead.
Moreover, the one who seized the Spirit Pill just had to be the infamous Yang Kai. With this loss, the disparity in strength between the two sides was going to become enormous.
Fury was boiling inside of him as the Royal Lord was so angry that he could explode!
*Hong…*
A violent power suddenly blasted over. The Royal Lord stumbled as he was caught off guard and turned around in anger, only to see the Chaos Spirit King coming at him with red eyes.
“What are you coming at me for!?” The Royal Lord was extremely vexed, “The one who stole your Spirit Pill is that Human, so why don’t we stop here and join forces to catch him instead?”
Yang Kai had only just escaped, and he was riddled with injuries, so if they chased after him now, they might just have a chance to catch up. However, this inexplicable being was picking a fight with him instead. How foolish!
That said, he hadn’t been able to figure out just what the hell these Chaos Spirits were. The Humans had Blood Crow to provide them with information, so they had some basic knowledge of and could take precautions against the Chaos Entities and the Chaos Spirit Clan; however, the Black Ink Clan did not have any of that.
This Royal Lord had encountered many Chaos Entities before, but this Chaos Spirit King, who was even more powerful than him, was a first.
He only knew that these strange beings were most likely native to the Universe Furnace World, but he did not know much else other than that.
Based on his previous experiences though, he could tell that the sentience of the natives was not very high.
Trying to explain was pointless. The Chaos Spirit King had just lost a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, which meant that they had lost the opportunity for another Chaos Spirit King to be born amongst them. So, it obviously wanted to vent all of its anger on the Royal Lord.
Helpless, the Royal Lord had no choice but to fight, so how could he still have any energy left to chase after Yang Kai?
Moreover, fighting an opponent who was stronger than himself was not a pleasant experience. What aggravated him even more was the fact that his Black Ink Strength had only a limited use against this powerful enemy…
After a few moments of fighting, the Royal Lord had the intention to run; after all, the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was already gone, so there was no use getting tangled up with the Chaos Spirit Clan any longer. However, leaving wasn’t going to be easy either. After fighting for a while longer, the Royal Lord finally found an opening to withdraw and quickly shot off into the distance.
The Chaos Spirit King gave chase at once, seemingly intent on killing him ruthlessly. This naturally made the Royal Lord so depressed that he could spit blood.
“Sir Royal Lord, save me!”
A Territory Lord’s wail rose from afar as he and his comrades had been surrounded by several dozen Chaos Spirits and were almost failing to hold on.
Originally, they had a Pseudo-Royal Lord leading them, and with the aid of a Battle Formation, they could still defend themselves, but after the Pseudo-Royal Lord had run off to chase after Yang Kai, leaving them behind, they were struggling to fight off so many Chaos Spirits.
Seeing that their Royal Lord was also about to leave, one of them couldn’t hold themselves back from yelling for help.
But how could the Royal Lord have any strength to care about them? The Chaos Spirit King was right behind him. He would have a hope of escaping if he was alone, but if he had to bring along those Territory Lords with him, he would most likely be caught and then killed.
Even though he heard the pleas of the Territory Lords, this newly-advanced Royal Lord did not have the strength to care about them right now. As his body was wrapped in a Black Ink Cloud, he left in a hurry.
Seeing that their Royal Lord had abandoned them, the Territory Lords knew they could not hold on any longer. One of the Territory Lords suddenly withdrew his aura and broke away from the Battle Formation in an attempt to escape alone…
“Don’t!” Another Territory Lord shouted, but it was too late. After one Territory Lord took the lead, the rest followed suit, scattering in all directions, leaving each of them to fend for themselves.
However, they were all still surrounded by the Chaos Spirit Clan. With the Battle Formation, they could still hold on for a while, but now that they had taken the initiative to disperse, how could they still be any match for the numerous powerful enemies around them?
One by one, their auras were buried. Every last one of the Territory Lords was butchered, their Black Ink Strength and hashed remains all that was left behind…
This was probably the reason why the Black Ink Clan could not truly grasp the essence of the Battle Formations. A true cohesive unit would stick together to either cut open a path to survival, or die in battle with honour. They would never choose to leave the Battle Formation like these Territory Lords.
The Chaos Spirit King went after the Royal Lord while the Territory Lords died miserably at the hands of its Chaos Spirit subordinates. On the other hand, the one Pseudo-Royal Lord had left, chasing after Yang Kai after he escaped using Instantaneous Movement.
Yang Kai was badly injured this time, and so was Thunder Shadow, who was almost blown up in the fight. Both were quite miserable at the moment.
Even though they managed to seize the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, they weren’t out of danger unless they shook off the Pseudo-Royal Lord who was chasing after them.
If Yang Kai was alone, he would have nothing to worry about since he could use Instantaneous Movement freely, but now that he had to bring Thunder Shadow with him and with his body so battered, the pressure on him was high.
A single round of Instantaneous Movement would not be enough to shake off a Pseudo-Royal Lord completely.
Earlier, as soon as Yang Kai reemerged from the Void, a blow was sent out by his opponent followed through the spatial corridor and hit Yang Kai, causing him to stagger.
From behind, the Pseudo-Royal Lord’s Divine Sense washed over, obviously trying to determine Yang Kai’s position.
Yang Kai grit his teeth and used Purifying Light in order to shield himself from his opponent’s probing; then, without stopping at all, he left again using Instantaneous Movement.
Yang Kai repeated this several times before he finally left the Pseudo-Royal Lord’s detection range, but he knew that they were not that far apart, and chasing after him was the Pseudo-Royal Lord’s top priority now, so it was best for him to hide.
However, where could he hide in this vast void? If Thunder Shadow was unharmed, then they could’ve hidden themselves with his Innate Divine Ability, but Thunder Shadow had almost been turned into a dead leopard, so how could he still have the energy to use any sort of Divine Ability or Secret Technique?
Forcing down the blood that threatened to surge up his throat, Yang Kai grit his teeth and gathered his strength as much as he could while bringing Thunder Shadow along in a random direction.
A few moments later, the Pseudo-Royal Lord rushed to the vicinity of where Yang Kai was previously and began searching around with his Divine Sense, but he did not find any traces. His face turned dark and he quickly swept away to continue investigating the nearby area.
This was a matter of whether or not he could advance and become a true Royal Lord, so he was determined to dig Yang Kai out. Even though he was currently a Pseudo-Royal Lord, a gap still existed between him and a true Royal Lord.
After reaching his current height, how could he not want to go further?
Moreover, he had a vague feeling that if he did manage to catch Yang Kai this time, then there was a high probability that he would be able to kill him and end his scourge once and for all!
Yang Kai had caused far too much damage to the Black Ink Clan, and many of their people had lived under his threat in their early years, so how could anyone from the Black Ink Clan not hate him to the bone?
That was why he spared no effort in searching for Yang Kai. Even though he had lost sight of the latter, he had no intention of giving up at all. The Pseudo-Royal Lord even sent messages out in all directions, summoning more from his clan to join the search.
For a time, many from the Black Ink Clan within the Universe Furnace began to gather in one place, to the shock of the Humans. Fortunately, the Humans basically moved in groups to form Battle Formations, and those from the Black Ink Clan had other tasks to focus on, so they did not have time to start random conflicts with the Humans.
However, this unusual gathering still raised the guards of the many Humans as they had no idea what the Black Ink Clan was up to.
In the void, Tian Xiu Zhu, alongside Zhan Tian He and his other three companions, stopped in place and looked back from where they came and all of them wrinkled their brows.
This couldn’t be helped as they had already encountered several groups of Black Ink Clansmen who were converging towards a certain direction. Just like the Humans, there was no longer anyone from the Black Ink Clan moving alone. It had been a while since the Universe Furnace opened up. So, after being inside for so long, the Masters of both sides should be able to find allies by now. As for those who did not, it was highly likely they had already been killed or were hiding somewhere, not daring to reveal themselves.
The Black Ink Clansmen that Tian Xiu Zhu and the others encountered during this period were all groups of several Territory Lords. Even though both sides had sensed each other’s presence, neither had any intention of starting trouble with the other. They just brushed by each other from a distance.
Liu Fei Fei was more sensitive among them, so she had noticed the unusual situation from early on and could not help but ask, “Senior Brother Tian, do you think Senior Brother Yang may be in trouble?”
These Territory Lords had quite clearly received some sort of message to gather; otherwise, there was no reason for all of them to be heading in the same direction. Moreover, they were all heading towards where they came from, and they knew exactly what had happened there and what was going to be happening next as well.
Tian Xiu Zhu had clearly sensed it as well and nodded, “It’s inevitable that he’ll stir up some trouble by trying to snatch chestnuts straight from the fire, but there’s nothing we can do to help!”
If they could have provided any help to him, then they wouldn’t have left so easily. There was a great possibility that Yang Kai might draw the attention of both the Royal Lord and the Chaos Spirit King by attempting to seize the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill from right under their noses. When that happened, he could escape by relying on his Space Secret Techniques, but they did not have that ability, so following Yang Kai would only hinder him.
But from the current situation, it seemed that things were not going too well on Yang Kai’s side; otherwise, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t be gathering so many Masters.
“Let’s go look for Ou Yang Lie!” Tian Xiu Zhu quickly made a decision.
The Black Ink Clan had their Royal Lord, and the Chaos Spirit Clan had their Chaos Spirit King; however, the Human Race had a Ninth-Order Master in the Universe Furnace as well. Only by seeking Ou Yang Lie’s help would they be able to provide Yang Kai the capital to fight back.
After making up his mind, Tian Xiu Zhu was about to depart with his group when his expression suddenly changed and he shouted, “Link!”
The faces of Zhan Tian He and the others turned serious, but there was no helping it as a powerful aura suddenly intruded into their perception, and the aura was equivalent to those of a Ninth-Order Master or Royal Lord.
Of course, there was also the possibility that it was a Pseudo-Royal Lord, as there was hardly any difference between them and a true Royal Lord in terms of aura alone. This was especially the case if their aura was fully exposed. The only difference was that the Pseudo-Royal Lords could not fully make use of their power and could only effectively bring out around 70% of what a true Royal Lord could.
The aura they perceived was unfamiliar, so it was obviously not a Ninth-Order Master. That could only mean that it was either a Royal Lord or a Pseudo-Royal Lord!
Their auras linked together and they quickly formed a Five Elements Formation with the veteran Eighth-Order Master Tian Xiu Zhu as the Core, standing by in wait for a fight.
With this Formation, they would still have a chance even if they were to encounter a Pseudo-Royal Lord. But if it was a true Royal Lord, then they would surely be no match for them.
So, after getting into Formation, all of them were secretly praying that it was not a real Royal Lord that was coming over; otherwise, all of them were possibly going to be buried here today.
Xiong Ji reassured everyone, “No need to worry too much. We’ve only discovered one Royal Lord before, but there were a considerable number of Pseudo-Royal Lords who came in. It’s reasonable to say that it’s likely a Pseudo-Royal Lord who’s approaching. There’s no way we’ll be so unlucky as to encounter another Royal Lord, right?”
Liu Fei Fei couldn’t help but glance over at him, “That’s what I was assuming as well, but after hearing you say that… I feel a bad premonition.”
“Calm your minds and concentrate!” Tian Xiu Zhu shouted.
Liu Fei Fei and Xiong Ji shut their mouths at once.
While they were talking, a figure in the distance entered their vision. All they saw was a vast and imposing Black Ink Cloud that was quickly approaching them.
“Xiong Ji, you damn crow-mouth!” Zhan Tian He’s expression changed for the worse. Exactly as they feared, the one who was approaching was, in fact, a true Royal Lord.
Xiong Ji felt depressed. He had only made an offhand remark, yet how did he become a crow-mouth?
It was inevitable that all of them would feel anguished at this encounter. Even in the Five Elements Formation, it was very likely that their fates in the face of this Royal Lord were going to be unpleasant. However, there was no way they wouldn’t even resist when facing an enemy of this calibre.
They were all determined to bite off a chunk of that Royal Lord’s flesh even if they were to die here. They would fight with all their might!
“Prepare for battle!” Tian Xiu Zhu was a veteran Eighth-Order Master, and after experiencing so many life-and-death battles in his life, he was able to calm himself quickly and shouted for the rest of them to focus.
The Battle Formation was running, their auras were connected, and World Force was churning. Tian Xiu Zhu was about to lead his Junior Brothers and Junior Sister into a fight to the death with the Royal Lord, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around to run after being taken aback for a moment.
That left Zhan Tian He and the rest puzzled, but since they were in a Battle Formation, the rest of them could only follow Tian Xiu Zhu under the pull of their auras.
Very soon though, they realized why their Senior Brother Tian had run. That was because it wasn’t simply a Royal Lord coming at them from afar, there was an even stronger aura following closely behind him, one that felt extremely strange. It was unlike a Ninth-Order Master or Royal Lord; instead, it was like…
“Could it be that Chaos Spirit King?” Liu Fei Fei came to a realization.
They were wondering how there could be so many Royal Lords popping out at once, but it was very clear that this was the same Royal Lord that they sensed with Yang Kai back then. The Black Ink Clan didn’t have two true Royal Lords, it was still just one.
Previously, the Royal Lord was fighting against the Chaos Spirit King where the Chaos Spirits were gathering earlier; and at this moment, the Chaos Spirit King was chasing down the Royal Lord, clearly trying to kill him.
However, what confused them was why the Chaos Spirit King would chase him all the way here? Didn’t it have to protect its clansmen? And what about the Chaos Entity that swallowed the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill?
Instantaneously, all of them understood something.
Most likely, Yang Kai had succeeded in seizing the pill and had escaped. The Chaos Spirit King must have mistaken Yang Kai to be on the Black Ink Clan’s side, so it turned its anger on the Royal Lord when it failed to find Yang Kai!
That would explain why there had been so many Black Ink Clansmen gathering in that direction recently. It was very obvious that they were trying to dig out Yang Kai’s location.
Understanding this, Zhan Tian He and the others all glanced at each other, feeling impressed.
As expected of Senior Brother Yang, he had truly succeeded in seizing the chestnut from the fire; and the fact that he got his hands on a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill also meant that a new Ninth-Order Master would soon exist among their ranks! Even more amazingly, he had managed to toss the pot of trouble into the hands of the Black Ink Clan as well.
But now, their situation wasn’t so good. They weren’t as fast as the Royal Lord and the Chaos Spirit King, so it would only be a matter of time before they caught up to them. They had no choice but to avoid them, yet the Royal Lord was chasing after them like maggots on rotting bones. It was very obvious that his intentions were to drag them into the fray so as to divert the Chaos Spirit King’s attention.
Something had to be done; otherwise, they would be forced into a passive position once the Royal Lord made his move.
“Everyone, do you trust this old man?” Tian Xiu Zhu suddenly called out to them.
Zhan Tian He and the others did not understand what he meant, but they could vaguely guess what he intended to do and quickly answered, “No need to stand on ceremony, Senior Brother Tian. If Senior Brother wishes to do something, please act freely!”
Tian Xiu Zhu let out a hearty laugh, “In that case, let us fight the Royal Lord together!”
With those words, he suddenly turned around again and charged towards the Royal Lord.
Behind them, the Royal Lord who was running away had long picked up on these Humans’ presence, and it was also true that he intended to hold off the Chaos Spirit King after him with the help of these Eighth-Order Masters. There was not much he had to do, he just had to stop these Humans for a moment, then there was no way the Chaos Spirit King would just sit back and let them go. When that happened, he could get the Humans to fight the Chaos Spirit King, and then he could take advantage of that opportunity to escape with his superior speed.
It was a sound plan, yet he never would have expected these Humans to have the guts to turn around and attack him. The Royal Lord couldn’t help but be taken aback by this unexpected reaction.
The very sight made him furious. Being chased by the Chaos Spirit King that lacked sapience was terrible in and of itself, but the other party’s fist was bigger, so there was no helping it. However, how did those Eighth-Order Masters dare to underestimate him like this?
“Courting death!” This newly-advanced Royal Lord coldly snorted and raised his hand. Black Ink Strength gathered in his palm before he clenched his fist and threw a punch in Tian Xiu Zhu’s direction.
Inside of the Five Elements Formation, the five Eighth-Order Masters were arranged into a V shape with Tian Xiu Zhu at the lead. Before the Royal Lord’s fist had even reached them, Tian Xiu Zhu had already spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence, which turned into a dense blood mist that wrapped around the five of them, and his already stunning aura rose to another level.
World Force surged fiercely, and all their bodies shone brightly.
The eventual clash caused space to shake for a moment, and several muffled grunts rang out.
The Royal Lord’s body was pushed back slightly, but the mighty Black Ink Cloud remained mostly intact. On the other hand, the streak of blood-red light was blasted back while its glow faded greatly. It wasn’t until they tumbled nearly a million kilometres before the five Eighth-Order Masters managed to steady themselves.
At this moment, the faces of the five Humans were pale, and blood was spilling from the corners of their mouths, especially Tian Xiu Zhu, who had taken the lead. His face had turned almost as white as a sheet of paper, and a part of his chest had caved in.
Even with the five of them assuming the Five Elements Formation, having to take a head-on blow from a Royal Lord still did not go down well for them.
However, Tian Xiu Zhu was laughing loudly, “You two have fun, we’ll be taking our leave!”
Barely maintaining the Battle Formation, he spat out another mouthful of Blood Essence and activated a Secret Technique; then, along with Zhan Tian He and the others, they turned into a streak of red light that quickly moved away.
The aftershocks of a fierce battle could be heard from behind them, as well as the Royal Lord’s unresigned roar of fury, “Humans, I’ll bury all of you and exterminate your entire Race!”
He had originally intended to stop the Eighth-Order Masters here for a while and drag them into the fight, but he never expected them to act against him first before he put his plan into motion.
They had done exactly what he was planning to do!
Under the momentum of the Five Elements Formation, the five Eighth-Order Masters combined their strengths to launch a single attack, but still did not gain much out of it; instead, they had all come out injured. As the Core of the Formation, Tian Xiu Zhu had even briefly trod upon the gates of death, but the result proved that it was undoubtedly the right choice to make.
As a result of the resistance they had put up, the Royal Lord was halted for a moment, even pushed back slightly, which was just enough for the Chaos Spirit King who was chasing after him to catch up.
While two top Masters were now engaged in a close-quarters melee, how could they have any strength left to care about Tian Xiu Zhu and his group?
This truly was snatching life from the gates of death. It was difficult for them to have done something like this without great courage, but fortunately, there was never a shortage of courage among the brave warriors of the Human Race, especially among old veteran Eighth-Order Masters like Tian Xiu Zhu.
Seeking a ray of hope in desperation had always been something that they were best at.
Tian Xiu Zhu and the others managed to escape from a crisis for the time being, but with the varying injuries that all of them suffered necessitated finding a place to hide and recuperate.
The Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King were not fighting again, shattering chaos and tearing apart the void. However, for top Masters such as them, even if there was a noticeable difference in true strength between them, it was not so easy for either side to take the life of the other.
The fight would most likely end in the Royal Lord escaping again in the end, with the Chaos Spirit King chasing after him incessantly…
Elsewhere, Yang Kai felt as if he were a lamp running out of oil.
After seizing the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, he managed to escape with Thunder Shadow. Even though he found an opportunity to recover during this period, the Black Ink Clan would soon discover his trail and he would be forced to flee again, so he did not manage to heal much.
He could sense that a wave of Black Ink Clansmen was constantly converging towards this area. It seemed like the loss of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill had truly irked them.
He was in bad shape now, and so was Thunder Shadow, so he was simply powerless to deal with so many enemies.
Yang Kai had no choice but to constantly move around while finding breathing room to heal.
But if things went on like this, it wouldn’t be long before he had no way to escape and would have to fight to the death.
He had to find a safe place to recover from his injuries; however, though the Universe Furnace World was vast and the terrain complex, it was difficult to find a truly safe place, especially when the Black Ink Clan were currently trying to seek him out.
As he ran, Yang Kai considered his options, and the only place that he could hide seemed obvious.
If he hid inside of the Infinite River that was said to run through the entire Universe Furnace World, then no matter how many Masters from the Black Ink Clan came, they might still not be able to find him.
However, the Infinite River was formed of chaotic Shattered Dao Essence, so if he hid inside of it, being corrupted by the Shattered Dao Essence would still bring great risk to him.
For a while, Yang Kai was at a loss.
The main reason for that was because he currently had no idea how far away he was from the Infinite River.
But no matter what, it was still a way out for him.
While escaping, Yang Kai searched for the location of the Infinite River. During that time, he encountered some Black Ink Clansmen who were trying to seek him out, so he had no choice but to use his Space Secret Techniques, which drained a lot of his energy and exacerbated his injuries.
Following his senses, Yang Kai fled in the direction he thought the Infinite River was, but he couldn’t catch any sign of it no matter how far he flew. This made him doubt himself and wonder whether he had gotten the direction wrong.
But if the Infinite River truly did run through the entire Universe Furnace World, then it wouldn’t matter which direction he went in. He would eventually find it.
All of a sudden, a buzzing sound broke through the world and the Grand Dao shook. The Universe Furnace was evolving again…
[How many times has it been now?]
Yang Kai was starting to lose count. He had no idea whether this was the sixth time or the seventh time.
He quickly stopped in place and calmed his mind to perceive the changes happening around him.
Each evolution was a process of the Grand Dao changing from chaos to order. After nine times, the Shattered Dao Essence that filled the Universe Furnace World would no longer exist, and everything here would no longer be any different from the outside world.
It was a miraculous process, and Yang Kai had a feeling that if one were able to see through the secrets of this evolution, it would come with great rewards for any cultivator, and perhaps even an unimaginable pleasant surprise.
He had calmed his mind to pay attention to the evolutions before, but he was unable to gain anything from them, let alone this time when he was in bad shape and on the run.
Very soon, the evolution was over.
The sense of chaos in the Universe Furnace World had definitely become less apparent, and the Shattered Dao Essence had also grown much thinner. Now, some new pure Grand Dao had even emerged.
The invisible fog that enveloped the entire Universe Furnace was being lifted gradually as the Grand Dao evolved!
It was at that moment that two Divine Senses emerged from the void and probed his position.
Yang Kai’s face turned dark and he quickly manipulated Space Principles to escape. As the chaotic energy grew thinner, it also made it easier for one to scan their surroundings.
A few moments later, two Territory Lords rushed over to this place from different directions, but there was no trace of Yang Kai. However, the lingering fluctuations of Space Principles left behind told a clear story. They hastened to send out messages through their Black Ink Nests in all directions to gather in this direction.
On the other side, Yang Kai appeared with Thunder Shadow, exhausted beyond measure.
He had never tried using Instantaneous Movement so many times with a companion in the same realm before, and it was several times more tiring than if he were to do this alone.
While he was mulling over what to do next, Yang Kai sensed something and sent out his Divine Sense to check in one direction.
In the next moment, the sound of water emerged, splashing deep within his mind.
[The Infinite River!]
Yang Kai was overjoyed. It seemed that his memory had been correct and he was indeed moving in the direction of the Infinite River. Now, he was finally getting closer.
He quickly moved towards the Infinite River with Thunder Shadow and soon saw the magnificent current that looked like it had no source nor end again.
Now that he had found it, Yang Kai started to feel a little hesitant. There was no doubt that hiding in the Infinite River was the only choice he had left. With the Black Ink Clan gathering to search for him, and with him in his current condition, he would sooner or later be surrounded if he did not get a chance to properly recover. When that happened, he would get no response even if he cried out to the Heavens for aid.
However, if he really did enter the Infinite River, Yang Kai had no idea what he would encounter there. The large river was not safe after all.
Unfortunately, he had no other choice right now.
Yang Kai grit his teeth and circulated his power to protect himself and the dazed Thunder Shadow who was on his shoulder. He then leapt into the river, which remained completely silent without even the slightest splash.
The Humans had a lot of information regarding the Universe Furnace World in their hands, of which included information about the Infinite River that was all provided by Blood Crow; however, even though the Infinite River was mentioned in that information, there was nothing said about what would happen if one was to fall into it.
Yang Kai speculated that Blood Crow had neither considered the possibility, or that anyone who fell into the river had died, and that was why no information about it was available.
Yang Kai speculated entering the river was a risky move, and the moment he did he confirmed that theory.
As soon as he fell into the Infinite River, he could feel rich Shattered Dao Essence corroding his body from all directions. It felt as if countless Chaos Entities were attacking him at the same time!
In fact, that was indeed what was going on.
Chaos Entities were formed from Shattered Dao Essence to begin with, so being surrounded by Shattered Dao Essence was no different than being attacked by the Chaos Entities.
Even though Yang Kai had already taken precautions, his body still felt weak in an instant and he could hardly muster any strength while he sank. His mind was even being flooded with all sorts of inexplicable emotions that made him feel pessimistic, despate, and distracted.
The Black Ink Clan was so powerful, could the Human Race really resist them?
Even though it seemed like the both sides could compete as equals, the Black Ink Clan still had Masters on their side that had not been deployed yet. Moreover, there was still Mo, who was sealed in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Even if the Humans exterminated all of the Black Ink Clan in the 3,000 Worlds and the Black Ink Battlefield, it was still impossible to end this war that had started in the early Ancient Era without a way to deal with Mo.
That was an opponent that not even the 10 Martial Ancestors like Cang were able to solve…
So, why was he doing so much to seize the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill? Now, he had gotten himself surrounded from all sides, chased down by his enemies until he had nowhere to go.
With so many gloomy thoughts pounding on his mind, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel tempted to just sink down and stop caring about all the annoying things happening outside. Becoming a part of this Infinite River did not seem all that bad either…
Suddenly, he realized why Blood Crow’s information did not include anything about what happened when one fell into the river; most likely, all who had fallen in had died!
A touch of coolness spread out in his head like the Sun rising into the sky. Under its impact, all of those distracting thoughts disappeared into nothingness.
Yang Kai quickly circulated his power to stabilize his sinking body and he couldn’t help but break out into a cold sweat.
As he expected, the Infinite River was extremely strange. If the Soul Warming Lotus had not protected him in that moment, then he might truly have met his demise.
The Shattered Dao Essence that was gushing over from all directions contained all sorts of mysterious powers that was simply not something a Human could withstand. That power had the ability to influence the most minute and imperceptible flaws deep within a person’s heart and magnify them infinitely. It was not a power that merely confused a person, but rather a mysterious part of the Grand Dao.
Yang Kai was instantly on alert and took the initiative to circulate the Soul Warming Lotus’s power in order to protect himself.
Turning his head over, he could see a peaceful look on the face of Thunder Shadow, who was perched on his shoulder, his eyes looking blank and hollow. It was apparent that he had also been affected, and even his flesh was showing signs of disintegration.
If one’s body were to disintegrate in this kind of place, then the only result would surely be a death without a burial.
Yang Kai raised his voice at once and shouted, “Thunder Shadow!”
Thunder Shadow turned his head languidly to look at him, but he did not show any signs of responding in the slightest, as if he had already accepted his fate…
Yang Kai panicked. He had the Soul Warming Lotus to protect himself, so he was temporarily able to stabilize his mind, but Thunder Shadow didn’t have that advantage. If this situation continued, then it would not take long before Thunder Shadow really died!
Shattered Dao Essence was scouring them from all directions, and it was because of its influence that both he and Thunder Shadow were acting so strangely.
In that case, the only thing Yang Kai could do was to find a way to shield themselves from the Shattered Dao Essence.
Yang Kai immediately circulated his Dao Strengths of Space and Time to summon his own Space-Time River, coiling it around their bodies and protecting both Thunder Shadow and himself while pushing away the Infinite River’s water.
In the next moment, Thunder Shadow abruptly came to his senses and his eyes were filled with fear at what he’d just experienced, “This river is too strange!”
Not only strange, it was simply evil. Even a Master of Yang Kai’s calibre had fallen prey to it momentarily, so there was no need to even mention how ordinary Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords would react.
Even those Pseudo-Royal Lords would likely not have gotten out safely if they fell into the river; however, he had no idea whether Ninth-Order Masters or Royal Lords could withstand the river’s corruption or not.
“En,” Yang Kai answered with a grunt and gritted his teeth, examining his own Small Universe.
He had not paid too much attention to it before, but when he brought out the Space-Time River, he realized that something unusual was happening to his Small Universe.
The Infinite River’s water was not only corrupting his flesh and mind, but also his Small Universe.
At this moment, the World Tree’s clone was swaying in his Small Universe, its gigantic canopy forming a layer of protection like an umbrella, blocking the Shattered Dao Essence’s encroachment.
The realization was fearful to Yang Kai. If the World Tree’s clone had not been here to shield and isolate his Small Universe, then even if he could shake off the influence on his mind with the help of the Soul Warming Lotus, his Small Universe would still have been polluted.
Once the Infinite River’s water encroached upon his Small Universe, it would definitely be filled with great amounts of the chaotic and disorderly Shattered Dao Essence. At that point, he would surely be greatly affected by it. If that were to happen, then not to mention maintaining his original strength, even just keeping his Order from regressing would have been a great outcome.
The dangers of this Infinite River were truly unpreventable.
Yang Kai was now certain that even if a Ninth-Order Master were to fall into this place, they would not have fared well. Even if they were able to withstand the river’s corruption for a time, the integrity of their own Small Universe would still be affected.
The Soul Warming Lotus and the World Tree clone had helped Yang Kai greatly this time around.
He was fine for now, but the need to protect Thunder Shadow with the Space-Time River was a huge drain to his Dao Strengths.
However, it was not too much of a problem for him. Yang Kai carefully adjusted his Space-Time River, reducing its size and volume so as to reduce the consumption.
He only stopped once the Space-Time River was barely enveloping Thunder Shadow. As for himself, he did not need its protection. The Soul Warming Lotus and the World Tree clone were enough.
Even though it was a bumpy process, they had still escaped that situation without much harm in the end. It seemed like jumping into the Infinite River was the right decision.
Without the Black Ink Clan to disturb him, Yang Kai said, “Let’s recuperate for now.”
Thunder Shadow nodded and silently took out a Space Ring before fetching some healing pills and swallowing them.
Though he was from the Monster Race and some Spirit Pills refined by Humans were not usable for him, healing pills were still fine. He had been beaten senseless previously and was now greatly in need of recuperation.
Yang Kai also took out some healing pills and gulped them down, then he silently shut his eyes and began adjusting his breathing.
Yang Kai’s injuries were extremely severe, but his restorative abilities were strong, so his physical injuries were not a big problem for him. Only, his Soul had received some damage from him being forced to use a Soul Rending Thorn against that Pseudo-Royal Lord, which would require the slow nurturing of the Soul Warming Lotus to recover from.
Fortunately, he had only used one, so the injury to his Soul was not particularly serious.
One Human and one Monster quietly recuperated inside the river, remaining still and allowing the river to wash over them.
Meanwhile, another reign of terror had arisen outside due to that Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. There were constantly Black Ink Clansmen gathering, searching for Yang Kai and breaking out into conflict with the Humans who were here.
After several evolutions of the Universe Furnace’s Grand Dao, the situation had become much clearer, unlike before where it would often take long to bump into another living soul. Now, both the Human Race and Black Ink Clan would move in groups and each encounter would end in a bloody battle.
At first, the Humans had suffered a bit of a loss due to the large number of Masters on the Black Ink Clan’s side, but as time passed, the Humans gradually noticed the unusual situation here, especially as Tian Xiu Zhu and the others were also spreading the news, causing more and more Humans to start converging.
Yang Kai had obtained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, but he was currently being hunted down by the Black Ink Clan, and his current status was unknown…
That could, certainly, not be good. The existence of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was equivalent to another Ninth-Order Master, not to mention Yang Kai’s position in the Human Race. No matter what, they could not allow the Black Ink Clan to get him.
Using the Communication Beads that they brought with them, the Humans rallied their allies and swarmed over.
When Ou Yang Lie, the newly advanced Ninth-Order Master, rushed over after receiving the message that had been passed on several times before, the situation had already fallen completely out of control.
Aftershocks from battles between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan could be felt practically everywhere across a vast stretch of the void, throwing the Universe Furnace World into unrest.
Inside the Infinite River, neither Yang Kai nor Thunder Shadow, who were both recuperating, were aware of the situation outside.
After swallowing a large number of Spirit Pills, both of their conditions gradually improved. Some time had passed before Yang Kai felt that his injuries were no longer an issue, and the damage to his Soul was stabilized by the Soul Warming Lotus, though full recovery would take much longer. His current state would not affect his combat capabilities at least.
Yang Kai then checked on Thunder Shadow’s condition, and though Thunder Shadow’s recovery speed was not slow, it still wasn’t as quick as him. Currently, he had mostly recovered from his injuries, but he was still enveloped in the Space-Time River.
Seemingly sensing Yang Kai’s movements, Thunder Shadow slowly opened his eyes to say, “I’m fine now.”
The bodies of those from the Monster Race were extremely strong to begin with, so even though he had been beaten by the Pseudo-Royal Lord until he had almost become a dead leopard, since he survived in the end, it would not be too much trouble for Thunder Shadow to recover.
Yang Kai nodded but was in no rush to leave; instead, he looked down and gazed for a moment, before muttering, “Say, what do you think is inside this Infinite River?”
The most mysterious and magnificent thing inside of the Universe Furnace was undoubtedly the Infinite River. This large river was formed purely out of chaotic Shattered Dao Essence and ran through practically the entirety of the Universe Furnace World. Yang Kai did not think too much about it when he first saw the river. Moreover, he was focused on searching for the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills then and had no time to wonder about such things.
However, through his time in the Infinite River, hiding and recuperating, something came to mind.
Could the Infinite River truly be as simple as it seemed on the surface? The Universe Furnace was the most miraculous treasure in the Universe to begin with, and this was the most mysterious part of it. There was most likely more to this river than met the eye.
Hearing his question, Thunder Shadow became wary, “What are you thinking of doing?”
Even though he was only Yang Kai’s Monster Self, he could vaguely sense that Yang Kai had come up with some dangerous ideas. After all, his true self had never been the type to sit still when something piqued his interest.
Sure enough, Yang Kai said, “Since we have nothing to do, why don’t we go in and take a look?”
Thunder Shadow was speechless, “What do you mean nothing to do…”
There were still many Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills scattered outside, and there were also many Black Ink Clansmen to kill, how could there be nothing to do?
Yang Kai reasoned, “There are probably many of them searching for me outside, including Pseudo-Royal Lords and that Royal Lord. If worse comes to worst, the Chaos Spirit King may be searching for me too. If we go out now, we would end up running around and hiding anyway, so we might as well stay here a while longer and wait for things outside to clear up before heading out.”
[You do have a point…]
Thunder Shadow was silent for a moment, “You’re the Big Brother, so you decide!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Let’s go and take a look, then.”
Saying so, he immediately sank down with Thunder Shadow following close behind him, the Space-Time River coiling around his body and blocking the scouring of the chaotic force.
The Infinite River looked wide and deep from the outside, but there had to be a limit. However, as he sank further down, Yang Kai felt that something wasn’t quite right.
Based on his senses, the depth that he and Thunder Shadow reached was so deep that they could likely have passed through the entire river; but in truth, their bodies were still surrounded in the chaotic flow, as if they had fallen into an endless abyss.
The inside of this Infinite River truly was something special.
Yang Kai became increasingly cautious.
Moreover, the further they sank, the stronger the impact of the water became. Every so often, they could even feel strong currents and turbulence trying to sweep them away.
The Soul Warming Lotus’s power was continuously roused, protecting Yang Kai’s mind to stop him from being affected by the chaotic energy. Inside his Small Universe, the large umbrella-like canopy of the World Tree clone was also growing more and more dense.
After sinking for an unknown amount of time, Yang Kai could vaguely feel that he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. Even with the Soul Warming Lotus protecting his mind and the World Tree clone to seal and stabilize his Small Universe, the scouring of the chaotic force on his body was hard to avoid.
Even his Dragon Form, which was only a step away from advancing to become a Divine Dragon, was unable to resist the river’s erosion!
Yang Kai had no choice but to expand his Space-Time River, coiling it around both Thunder Shadow and himself to relieve the pressure.
But with this, his Dao Strength would quickly be depleted. Previously, it was fine when he was just enveloping the tiny Thunder Shadow with the Space-Time River; but now, Yang Kai had to use it to protect both of them, which more than doubled the consumption.
Dao Strength was tied to Yang Kai’s perception and precipitation of his own Grand Dao, so if he consumed too much of it, it would end up affecting the foundation of his Grand Dao.
As he continued to sink down, it truly seemed there was no bottom to this river. The pressure was growing stronger, and sweat was already starting to bead up on Yang Kai’s forehead.
Sensing that things were not looking good, Thunder Shadow quickly shouted via Divine Sense, “I think it’s about time we head back up!”
If they didn’t have enough strength to leave, then they could end up being trapped here. If that happened, Yang Kai’s Dao Strength would eventually be exhausted, making it difficult for him to maintain the Space-Time River, then both he and the original would perish here.
Yang Kai also felt that it was time for them to head up, but this Infinite River was filled with oddities. He dove so deep yet still saw no signs of an end, so it felt like a waste to just give up like this.
He had a nagging feeling that this Infinite River was not as simple as it seemed on the surface, so after a moment of contemplation, Yang Kai continued sinking deeper, bringing forth more of his Dao Strengths to compensate.
His Grand Daos did not end at the Dao of Time and Dao of Space. The Grand Daos that he had put effort into cultivating also included the Alchemic Dao, Spear Dao, and the Dao of Artifact Refining. He had also absorbed and refined many Grand Dao Rivers in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, each one of them filled with different Dao Strengths. It could be said that the Grand Daos of Yang Kai’s Small Universe were numerous and almost all-encompassing. Only their levels of mastery were different.
This was also the main reason why cultivators from the Void World could practice a wide variety of Grand Daos. The presence of this variety in turn increased the choices of Grand Daos that the Void World’s cultivators could more easily comprehend.
Without the harvest he gained from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon back then, the cultivators in his Small Universe would have a far harder time comprehending Grand Daos Yang Kai was unfamiliar with.
Spear Dao, Sword Dao, Dao of Spirit Arrays, Dao of Artifact Refining, Saber Dao…
Many Dao Strengths were circulated at once, strengthening the Space-Time River.
Seeing this, Thunder Shadow quickly circulated its own Dao Strength. He was a Shadow Leopard and was innately proficient in the Dao of Concealment. Later, when became a Great Emperor, he gained enlightenment into the Dao of Thunder. So, when he circulated his Dao Strengths, the Space-Time River began flashing with lightning, though it also seemed ethereal and was all around a bizarre sight.
Under the combined efforts of one man and one leopard, the pressure instantly became much lighter.
Sure enough, the best way to restrain chaos was with complete Dao Strengths.
While circulating his Grand Dao Strength, Thunder Shadow was complaining, “How did you manage to live for so long?”
The Infinite River was clearly full of dangers, yet Yang Kai was obstinate in exploring its depths. Thunder Shadow was genuinely surprised that he could survive thus far with such a daredevil nature.
Yang Kai laughed out loud, “How could you be born without me?”
[You make it sound as if I’m your Son…] Thunder Shadow was instantly silent.
They continued to sink deeper, and when they reached an unknown depth, the undercurrents suddenly grew even more turbulent, and the impact of each wave would violently sap away the Dao Strength of them both, causing the Space-Time River to flicker in unrest.
After reaching this point, even Yang Kai was starting to think of giving up. Previously, the reason he was able to hold on was naturally because he hadn’t brought out his full power yet. However, it seemed now that he would truly be unable to make it out if he were to continue going any further. Once his Dao Strength was depleted, and he was no longer able to maintain the Space-Time River, it would truly be the end of the road for him.
Investigating the Infinite River was just a passing whim for Yang Kai. It was a pity that he got nothing out of it, but it was not worth it to put too much into this.
However, just as Yang Kai was about to retreat, his expression turned solemn. He could vaguely feel the environment around him was changing, as if it was no longer as chaotic…
Thunder Shadow saw a certain look on Yang Kai’s face and had a bad premonition. Even though he was currently in the same cultivation realm as his original, the difference in their abilities was great. He was completely oblivious to some of the things that Yang Kai was able to sense, so he had no idea what Yang Kai discovered, but he seemed… excited?
As expected, the next moment, Yang Kai dove down with great enthusiasm, and he was even going at a much faster rate.
Thunder Shadow couldn’t help but sigh and swallow his words of persuasion. If his main self wanted to take the risk, then he had no choice but to surrender and join him; after all, he couldn’t just abandon himself and run away.
But soon, Thunder Shadow also noticed that something was not right as he muttered in surprise, “The river… is changing?”
He was also in the Eighth Order, so though he had noticed the changes later than Yang Kai, he did still sense them.
Yang Kai nodded, “It does seem to be showing some unusual changes.”
Deep inside the Infinite River, when the density of the chaotic energy reached a certain limit, an amazing change happened that got Yang Kai excited, and it was also the reason why he insisted on diving further.
As for what exactly that change was, Yang Kai could not describe it for the time being. Perhaps it would become clearer as he continued to descend; however, he could clearly feel the impact of the water surrounding him weakening slightly.
Did things reverse once they reached extremes?
With the weakening of the river’s impact, the pressure that he had to bear naturally lessened, so Yang Kai was in no hurry to retreat now.
He had already gotten through the most difficult part, and now it was, naturally, time for a proper exploration of the Infinite River’s depths. Yang Kai had a feeling that he might be able to touch upon some secrets here that were not known to the world at large.
There may have been those who thought about exploring the Infinite River before, but it would have been impossible for them to reach this far.
It was more than the accumulation of Yang Kai’s heritage that enabled him to reach this place, it was also his other blessings. Whether it was the Soul Warming Lotus to protect his mind or the World Tree clone to protect his Small Universe, these were all conditions that ordinary people could not meet.
Not even the Ninth-Order Masters could copy such a performance!
Moreover, Yang Kai was not inferior to any Ninth-Order Master when it came to attainments in one’s own Grand Daos, he was merely lacking in cultivation. The greatest asset one could rely on to explore the depths of the Infinite River was Dao Strength. One’s cultivation was merely secondary.
That was why Yang Kai could conclude almost for certain that nobody had ever reached this place before, let alone explored the Infinite River’s depths to begin with.
The inside of the Infinite River was originally dim, but at some point, a few faint spots of fluorescence began to appear in the surging river around him.
The fluorescence was divided into two colours, yellow and blue…
It wasn’t obvious at first, but as Yang Kai went deeper, more and more points of light began to appear around him. Looking around him, the lights were like ribbons, floating in the river, their luminescence creating a beautiful and colourful sight as they swayed along the flow of the water.
The colour of those lights felt familiar to Yang Kai; moreover, their auras were not unfamiliar either.
Yang Kai was jolted by sudden enlightenment, “Chaos divides into Yin and Yang!”
Thunder Shadow was also filled with profound thoughts at the sight, but he was not as knowledgeable as his main self, so though he had some understanding, it was not very clear.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. The idea to explore the Infinite River’s interior had been a mere whim at the start. Many Black Ink Clansmen were searching for him outside so he just wanted to wait inside of the river for a while longer and let the storm die down; but to gain such an unexpected harvest here was a true surprise to him. He actually witnessed Chaos dividing into Yin and Yang at an unknown depth deep inside the Infinite River.
This was a true evolution of Dao Strength, the primordial separation of Chaos.
Yang Kai steadied himself and concentrated, silently perceiving the changes in the Grand Dao around him.
Only after a long time did he open his eyes again with a thoughtful expression; then, his body moved, continuing deeper together with Thunder Shadow.
The lower down he dove, the more the yellow and blue lights grew in number until at a certain point that was all Yang Kai could see.
Moreover, Yang Kai no longer felt any chaotic Shattered Dao Essence after reaching this place. This was where the Grand Daos of Yin and Yang gathered.
A pure and primordial power surged in this place, openly displaying the ultimate profundity of the two Grand Daos of Yin and Yang.
Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow were practically swimming in an inexhaustible Grand Dao River!
Yang Kai was thrilled, but also felt that it was a pity at the same time.
He was thrilled because of how pure and rich the Dao Strength was in this place. Anyone who came here would be able to absorb and refine it, rapidly increasing their attainments in the Grand Daos of Yin and Yang.
This was primordial Dao Strength which had split from Chaos after all, so there was no way it would not be pure.
It was just a pity that the Daos of Yin and Yang was not the main Grand Daos that Yang Kai cultivated, though he did have some of its Dao Essences in his Small Universe. However, that was only there as a part of what he gained from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon
If a cultivator from Yin-Yang Heaven were to come here, they would truly be like thieves entering a treasure mountain!
For example, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, Luo Ting He, and even his own wives Qu Hua Shang and Tao Ling Wan would definitely save centuries, if not millennia of hard cultivation to raise their attainments in their Grand Daos.
He sighed in his heart. Since they couldn’t come here to grab these benefits, he would just have to do it in their place.
When he opened up his Small Universe, it began swallowing up the Dao Strengths in this place as if it had been starving for hundreds of years.
Yang Kai had done a similar thing in the past, inside of the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, but the conditions then were different from now. The many Grand Dao Rivers of the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon were all of varying volume and strength, each of them containing a random Grand Dao. Back then, Yang Kai had taken each one of those Grand Dao rivers into his Small Universe and refined them there.
However, there was no need for that here. The Dao Strengths of Yin and Yang here were so rich that he just had to open up his Small Universe and they would crash inside by themselves.
Currently, a considerable number of Emperor Realm Masters had been gathered in the Void Dao Temple in Yang Kai’s Small Universe. All of them had condensed their Dao Seals and were usually cultivating in retreat or training and sparring with each other.
One female cultivator who mainly cultivated the Yin-Yang Grand Dao felt a stir, as if something new had been added to the world around her, and she couldn’t help but be enlightened to many things all at once. Things that she usually couldn’t understand opened up to her at this moment. She immediately ended her chat with her companion and sat down cross-legged to meditate. This made her companion dumbfounded, completely flabbergasted at how she had suddenly gained enlightenment out of nowhere.
Unseen by others, a vast amount of the Yin and Yang Dao Essence had appeared in Void World, and the amount was increasing in a continuous flow.
By swallowing and refining the Dao Strengths of Yin and Yang, Yang Kai also gained many new insights, and his understanding of these Grand Daos also increased significantly.
Originally, his attainments in the Yin-Yang Grand Dao were not very high. Based on his own classification, he would at most be at the Fourth Level, Traversing a Familiar Path, which was around an average level for a newly promoted Open Heaven Realm Master; however, as Yang Kai continued to refine more of this pure Dao Essence, that rapidly improved his mastery.
Attaining Mastery Through Comprehensive Understanding, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary, Standing Above All Others Within Sight, Yang Kai only felt that he was reaching a bottleneck when he was nearing the Eighth Level, Summiting the Peak. No matter how much more Dao Strength he took in, it would be difficult for him to make any more improvements within a short time.
This was within his expectations though.
It was impossible to increase one’s attainment in a Grand Dao without limits simply by swallowing up and refining Dao Strength. One would reach a wall sooner or later.
Just like eating, even the greatest king of appetites would reach a limit of what they could consume, and only by slowly digesting that food could their capital be increased gradually.
Yang Kai did not feel that full right now; after all, his Small Universe was exceptionally large, so he could continue swallowing up more of this place’s Dao Strength; however, he was unable to refine more of it into his own Dao Essence.
He had never thought that he would one day be troubled about finding too much wealth. Pure, practically unlimited primordial Dao Strengths was right before his eyes, free for the taking, yet he was unable to refine it.
However, Yang Kai was still very satisfied with what he’d gained. His attainments in the Yin-Yang Grand Dao were originally only at the Fourth Level of mastery, but he was now at the border of the Eighth Level after such a short amount of time. Even with thousands of years, such a thing would be difficult to achieve simply by cultivating in seclusion.
Yang Kai could vaguely feel that the Eighth Level was a bottleneck for him.
Previously, he had also reached a standstill for a long time before breaking through to the Eighth Level of mastery in the Dao of Space and the Dao of Time, and those were his primary Grand Daos while the Yin-Yang Grand Dao was something he never actively cultivated.
As for the Ninth Level, it was useless to even think about it. Yang Kai himself had no idea how long it would take to make a breakthrough to the mysteries of the Ninth Level.
Though he had no way of refining more, he faced no obstruction when it came to taking it in.
As such, rather than close his Small Universe’s portal, Yang Kai continued swallowing up more of the Dao Strengths as he created a separate, isolated region in his Small Universe to store it for later use.
If the Infinite River had a consciousness and saw what Yang Kai was doing, it would likely feel the urge to cry.
Eating and drinking his fill here wasn’t enough for him, he was even packing up a massive amount of takeaway. Such greed was simply too much!
Yang Kai’s thoughts were simple though. He had reached a bottleneck now, but there was no saying when he would not have the blessing to make a breakthrough later. When that time came, this Dao Strength that he saved would be of use to him in order to raise his attainments again.
Even if he ultimately did not use it himself, he could still bring it to his two wives. They came from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so they certainly had a better understanding of the Yin-Yang Dao and could use this to strengthen themselves.
As for Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and Luo Ting He… They were already in the Ninth Order and had cultivated for so many years. They had most likely reached their own limits in their cultivation, and that was not something that could be changed with outside help.
Thunder Shadow stood aside, completely silent about Yang Kai’s behaviour. Indeed, his true self’s greed was embarrassing, but fortunately, nobody else was there. Moreover… If anyone else were to be faced with such a blessing, they would most likely also find it difficult to refuse.
After taking his fill, Yang Kai was in high spirits. After closing his Small Universe’s portal, he continued downwards with Thunder Shadow.
Diving deeper into the Infinite River did not come without pressure, but it was still easier than the most difficult time they faced here. Fortunately, Yang Kai had some attainments in this Grand Dao to begin with, and those attainments were climbing with each passing moment, so the pressure became less and less. At this point, it had become no more difficult for Yang Kai than an idle walk in his courtyard.
“What sort of changes do you think we’ll see down there?” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
Thunder Shadow was sullen, “Don’t know. I’m not guessing!”
Yang Kai laughed, “Even though you’re from the Monster Race, you still need to use your head a bit more. Monsters without brains don’t survive long!”
Thunder Shadow looked askance at him, thinking to himself, [If you scold me, then it’s equal to scolding yourself, don’t you know? It’s your fault I don’t have more smarts!]
But Yang Kai went on by himself, “It is said that the world began as Chaos, then after many long years of evolution, Yin and Yang were born from it; afterwards, it transformed into… the Five Elements!”
As if to verify his guesses, the river, which was filled only with yellow and blue before, now suddenly had other colours appearing.
The Yin and Yang Dao Strengths were no longer pure. As the two Dao Strengths intersected, traces of other Dao Strengths emerged.
The evolution of Dao Strength was an amazing process. Deep inside of the Infinite River, the yellow and blue colours were gradually replaced by five different colours of light. Gold represented the Metal Element, green represented the Wood Element, blue represented the Water Element, red represented the Fire Element, and brown represented the Earth Element!
The intermingling of five colours caused the interior of the river to become more and more colourful.
Chaos divides into Yin and Yang, and then Yin and Yang transform into Five Elements.
The Grand Dao of Yin and the Grand Dao of Yang could be encompassed into a single Grand Dao just as it could be two separate ones. The Grand Dao of the Five Elements was the same. If it were broken down, then the Grand Dao of the Five Elements would contain five different Grand Daos. There would always be preferences as to which a cultivator focused on during their cultivation.
But for any cultivator, Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements were the foundation of the Dao, and that was because once one reached the Emperor Realm in their cultivation and condensed their Dao Seal, they would have to start refining a complete set of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements materials to split Heaven and Earth apart within their bodies to form a Small Universe.
Even the tallest building had to start with a base, so the Powers of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements were critical.
Therefore, no matter which Open Heaven Realm Master it was, or whatever type of Grand Dao they cultivated, they more or less had some experience with the Daos of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. Only, their attainments would vary in each of them.
In Yang Kai’s case, without the gains he made at the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon back then, even though he had some attainments in the Grand Daos of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, it was merely superficial.
But now, his Yin-Yang Grand Dao was quickly nearing the Eighth Level of mastery, and the Five Elements Grand Dao was also bound to transform here.
Rich and pure primordial Dao Strengths of the Five Elements surrounded his body, but Yang Kai was not in any hurry to take it in and refine it; instead, he was silently experiencing it.
After a few moments, Yang Kai opened his eyes and shook his head slowly.
His attainments in the Five Elements Grand Dao were not very high, so at this moment, he was only able to feel the Dao Strength of the surrounding Five Elements interacting with each other and changing endlessly, but not much more.
However, he was not discouraged. Right now, it was more important to raise his attainments in this Grand Dao.
Yang Kai was starting to feel some pressure again after arriving at this place. The scouring of Dao Strength around them caused the Space-Time River, which had been coiling around him and Thunder Shadow this whole time, to become restless. This was clearly because of his lack of attainments in the Grand Dao of the Five Elements.
As before, Yang Kai opened his Small Universe’s portal and swallowed up the Dao Strength here as much as possible while refining it.
The Five Elements Dao Essence was rapidly accumulating inside of Void World.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be reminded of the situation back then in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, which was similar to what he was experiencing now; but there, he still had to spend some effort to capture each one of the Grand Dao Rivers. Here, it was completely different. All he had to do was devour Dao Strength.
And, as the concentration of Five Elements Dao Essence increased, more and more disciples suddenly gained enlightenment in the Void Dao Temple and hurried to cultivate in seclusion.
After some time had passed, Yang Kai felt himself reaching another bottleneck, and the Five Elements Dao Essence in his Small Universe could not increase with ease anymore. Even if he took in more Dao Strength, he wouldn’t be able to refine it.
His perception told him that his attainments in the Five Elements Grand Dao were more or less the same as his Yin-Yang Grand Dao now. Both of them stopped near the peak of the Seventh Level.
Sure enough, the Eighth Level was a firm boundary in each Grand Dao that could not be broken through so easily.
Just like before, Yang Kai created an isolated area in his Small Universe and sealed some Five Elements Dao Strength for later use.
As he had previously considered, the sealed Dao Strength of Yin and Yang could be given to Qu Hua Shang and Tao Ling Wan. If he had no use for the Dao Strength of the Five Elements after leaving this place, he could still split them with the other Masters.
There was currently a considerable number of Masters among the Human Race, and though the newly advanced High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were not weak, their accumulation of heritage was still greatly lacking when compared with the older Eighth-Order veterans, especially in terms of attainments in their Grand Daos.
The older Eighth-Order Masters had already reached the limits of their own Martial Dao and were unable to reach higher Realms, but the accumulation of experience through many years still helped to improve their perception of their own Grand Daos.
The young High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had only cultivated for a short time, especially the fine seedlings who had broken through into the Seventh Order directly. The higher the starting point, the more quickly their cultivation could improve; but one’s comprehension of their Grand Dao may not be able to keep up with such a growth rate.
Many things needed to be polished with time.
This Five Elements Dao Strength would benefit many cultivators when brought out.
As Yang Kai’s attainments in the Five Elements Grand Dao deepened, the pressure on him lessened in turn.
Yang Kai waited until he had secured enough Dao Strength of the Five Elements inside of his Small Universe before stopping and continuing to sink further.
Thunder Shadow suddenly spoke up at that moment, “According to you, Chaos divides into Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang transforms into the Five Elements, then would the next step be the Five Elements give rise to Ten Thousand Daos?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Most likely.”
Thunder Shadow was shaken, “Could such a miraculous evolution happen inside of this Infinite River?”
This was not only the evolution of the Grand Dao, but also the transformation of Heaven and Earth. What the Grand Dao showed here was equivalent to presenting the Universe’s evolution from Chaos, step by step.
Perhaps this was how the vast expanse of Heaven and Earth was created in the long-lost era of Chaos.
These were just vague speculations from Yang Kai, so he dared not make a firm deduction.
One Human and one Monster continued to sink down, and the evolution of Dao Strength around them happened just as Thunder Shadow suggested. As the Five Elements intersected and intertwined, they began to transform into Ten Thousand Daos.
The further down they went, the more brilliant the colours became. Colourful bands of all different colours gathered deep in the river, converging into a turbulent flow.
Even though he had expected it before, Yang Kai still could not help but feel complicated emotions well up within him when he saw this sight with his own eyes.
Exhaling softly, Yang Kai cheered, “Third Brother, we’re rich!”
Thunder Shadow had no time to care about him right now as he had long circulated his power to grab onto a flashing lightning ribbon, opening up his mouth wide and gulping it down.
That was naturally a manifestation of Thunder Dao Strength in its purest, most primordial state…
Thunder Shadow’s mouth was full of lightning as he chewed. Even the pattern on his fur was shimmering. While swallowing, he mumbled, “It really is convenient for you with your Small Universe.”
To devour and refine Dao Strength, Yang Kai need only open the portal to his Small Universe, but not Thunder Shadow. He was from the Monster Race and cultivated the Primal Art, so was without a Small Universe and thus only able to benefit by doing this.
Previously, he was already filled with envy when he saw Yang Kai wantonly devouring and refining the Grand Daos of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. Now, he finally got his turn to reap some benefits.
While refining the Thunder Dao Strength, Thunder Shadow lamented, “It’s a shame that Second Brother isn’t here…”
Yang Kai had not been able to find his Human Self, Fang Tian Ci, all this while. He had no idea where the latter had hidden himself.
Though, it was just a passing lamentation.
Thunder Shadow caught another shadowy Dao Strength ribbon and continued chewing and refining it. As for his poor Second Brother, he had long been tossed to the back of his mind.
Unlike Thunder Shadow, who was selective with what he ate, Yang Kai naturally did not reject anything that came his way, like an ocean open to all rivers.
As the portal was opened again, the colourful rivers flooded into his Small Universe. Despite putting all his effort into refining them, Yang Kai still could not keep up with the speed at which the Dao Strengths were pouring in.
The Dao Essences of all sorts of Grand Daos were constantly accumulating inside his Small Universe, and his attainments were steadily increasing.
Inside the Void Dao Temple, things had been strange recently. Firstly, a female disciple who cultivated the Yin-Yang Grand Dao suddenly gained enlightenment and sank into cultivation. Following that, another three disciples cultivating the Five Elements Grand Dao showed similar signs.
This made the other disciples very envious.
Their cultivation had long since reached the peak of the Emperor Realm, and they had also condensed their own Dao Seals and refined various materials. They were only one step away from advancing to the Open Heaven Realm.
It was just a shame that the Dao Lord never showed himself in these recent years to guide them out, so there was no way for them to leave Void World.
After reaching their cultivation realm, it would be difficult to make any further progress unless they left this world to advance to the Open Heaven Realm.
So, it was inevitable that the others would become envious as they saw these people making gains in their Grand Daos.
Recently, however, more and more disciples were gaining enlightenment, often without doing anything at all. Some were even blessed inexplicably while merely chatting idly and drinking tea with their companions, gaining a sudden understanding of mysteries they could not see through in the past.
For a while, the originally lively Void Dao Temple became extremely quiet. Practically nobody could be seen in the large Dao Temple as all of them had retreated to cultivate…
This was something that had never happened since the establishment of the Void Dao Temple tens of thousands of years ago, so it could only be described as fantastical.
In the outside world, Yang Kai was starting to feel stuffed. If he were asked to cultivate bitterly on his own, then if he had to raise any one Grand Dao to the peak of the Seventh Level, it would take at the very least hundreds, if not up to 1,000 years, even if he were to start from his current level.
However, there was no need to cultivate here. He just had to swallow up the Dao Strengths and refine them.
The pure, primordial Dao Strengths could be refined into Dao Essence and integrated into his Small Universe.
His Spear Dao quickly reached the peak of the Seventh Stage, and so did his Sword Dao, Saber Dao, and even his Dao of Spirit Arrays…
With the accumulation of all these Dao Strengths, while Yang Kai’s Small Universe may not look any different on the surface, it was completely different from before in terms of substance.
Peeking into his condition, Yang Kai could feel that even if the Dao Strengths gathered in his Small Universe did not reach 10,000, it would still likely have reached 3,000…
Nobody had ever cultivated so many Grand Daos before, much less raised so many to such a high level of mastery.
It was not out of Yang Kai’s abilities that he was able to achieve such a thing, but through the combined blessings of two unique opportunities.
The first would be the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, which paved a foundation for his 10,000 Daos, and the second was this Infinite River.
Yang Kai gained a huge harvest back then from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon; only, he was lacking in time and had left in a hurry as soon as he ran out of cultivation materials.
Before leaving, he left a Space Beacon behind so that if he ever had the time, he could go back to it and gather more benefits he left behind in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon.
Unfortunately, he had not been free all these years, nor did he have the energy to do such a thing; after all, to come and go from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon would take him far too much time. Also, how would he dare to leave when the situation between the two Races was still undetermined?
But now, it seemed like he wouldn’t be needing to go to the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon again. The Infinite River’s benefits alone were enough.
In fact, the Infinite River’s benefits were even more primordial and pure in comparison, and even easier to obtain. Over at the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, Yang Kai still needed to expend some effort and energy to find and then refine the individual Grand Dao Rivers.
While Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow had sunken into the depths of the Infinite River and were reaping great benefits, the Universe Furnace World had already descended into a bloodbath.
With Yang Kai’s move of seizing the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill as the trigger, both sides had gathered their soldiers and were now engaged in constant clashes with each other, forming rivers of blood with Masters falling frequently.
The battle was not as intense at first, but following Ou Yang Lie’s arrival, the situation became explosive.
This new Ninth-Order Master had been choking down his complaints all these years. Now that he had risen to the Ninth Order, he had to make sure to slaughter more to vent the pent-up knots in his heart; however, the Human Race were unable to gain much of an advantage even with Ou Yang Lie’s participation, and the main reason was the number imbalance. The Black Ink Clan greatly outnumbered them.
Inside this Universe Furnace World, the Black Ink Clan could still communicate with each other using their miniature Black Ink Nests, not only sending out their locations, but also calling for reinforcements from all directions.
But the Humans could not do that. Even though the Supreme Headquarters had made arrangements before their entry, supplying each Master with a special Communication Bead, its usage was limited in comparison to the Black Ink Nests. Naturally, not as many helpers could be called over through that method.
What’s more, the Humans had fewer forces than the Black Ink Clan to begin with. If Ou Yang Lie had not made it over in time, then the Humans would surely have suffered a terrible loss in this battle.
On top of all that, the Black Ink Clan had many Pseudo-Royal Lords on their side.
By the time the Royal Lord broke away from the Chaos Spirit King and joined the battlefield, the limited advantage that the Humans had was gone.
Both sides clashed with the Masters gathered, and the Ninth-Order Master and Royal Lord led the fight until finally, a kind of critical mass was reached and both sides pulled back.
On the Humans’ side, Ou Yang Lie looked over at the situation on the other side and couldn’t help but curse, [Didn’t they say that the Royal Lord was being pinned down by the Chaos Spirit King? How did he come over to support them so soon? That Chaos Spirit King is so useless! How could it let this guy break loose from him so early? As expected, its intelligence is lacking…]
He hadn’t had his fill of slaughter just yet, but it was no longer a good idea for conflict now; otherwise, even if they could gain an advantage here, their side would inevitably incur some losses.
[And where is that Brat hiding? If he was here, then the situation would surely improve!]
He heard that Yang Kai managed to seize another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, and that he’d snatched it from right under the Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King’s noses…
Only Yang Kai could possibly achieve something akin to fetching chestnuts from a raging fire, but he must have gotten injured during the process and hidden away somewhere to recuperate.
[What about Big Head Xiang? Where did that guy go?] Ou Yang Lie had not heard anything about Xiang Shan since entering this place. In fact, nobody had even seen him since then.
[That guy can’t be dead somewhere, can he? If so, that would be laughable.]
Ou Yang Lie was reluctant to just back away here, but he also had a few scruples about starting a war with their enemies. For a moment, a bitter taste had sprouted on his tongue. He truly wasn’t suited to strategizing as he had always been a fierce general charging in at the forefront of a battlefield. He was most suitable to receive commands and go wherever he was needed to fight rather than give orders.
Seemingly catching onto Ou Yang Lie’s hesitation, the Royal Lord on the opposite end shouted, “Ou Yang Lie, you Humans did not eat any losses this time, but my Black Ink Clan is not gaining any favours either. Why don’t each of us take a step back and call things to a halt here? It won’t be too late to wait until we’re out of the Universe Furnace to settle this fight!”
“Bullshit! If I don’t kill all of you today, then my name won’t be Ou Yang Lie!” Ou Yang Lie barked back a furious response. Even though he did agree with his opponent’s suggestion, and he himself was happy to lead his men in retreating, he could not allow himself to lose in terms of momentum.
The Royal Lord’s expression dimmed and he coldly snorted, “You’ve got a big mouth! If you have the ability, then come forward and show it! I’d like to see how you’re going to kill all of us!”
“Just you wait, I’ll make my way over there immediately!” Ou Yang Lie roared loudly.
However, he did not feel so good after roaring out like that. His rash words had landed himself on the back of a tiger, and how could that be a good thing? He couldn’t just lead his men over to fight. He was not afraid of the Royal Lord, but they had more Masters gathered on the enemy side than what the Human Race could muster up. There were also several Pseudo-Royal Lords standing by. This wouldn’t be an easy fight.
The only advantage they had on their side was their Battle Formations.
The Black Ink Clan had Formations as well, but most of them could only reach the Four Symbols Formation, and it was generally unstable, but the same was not true for the Humans. At worst, they were able to form a solid Five Elements Formation, which would naturally make them stronger than the Black Ink Clan.
However, they couldn’t make up for the numerical disadvantage with that alone. If they really fought here, then it wasn’t just the Black Ink Clan that would suffer, but the Humans as well. Moreover, Ou Yang Lie guessed that there would still be more reinforcements coming over to support them.
[Forget it. If we can’t fight, then the only other option is to back away. As for pride…] Ou Yang Lie wasn’t the type of person to care about such things.
Just as he was about to say a few more words, Ou Yang Lie’s expression suddenly changed and he turned to look in a certain direction.
At the same time, the Royal Lord also picked up on something and looked over in that direction as well.
There seemed to be some unusual movements emerging from that side.
At a distance that seemed to be merely several millions of kilometres away from where they were confronting each other, on a small chaos asteroid, a figure had been hiding since who knew when.
This figure had a brave and heroic aura, with a majestic appearance. It was Xiang Shan, whom Ou Yang Lie was thinking about before!
At this moment, Xiang Shan’s brow was deeply furrowed and his mouth was filled with a bitter taste as he wanted nothing more than to just scream out loud, “Ou Yang Lie, you old fart, you’re going to cost me my life today!”
Since entering this Universe Furnace World, he had been acting alone, but it was not because he was unwilling to join hands with the other Masters, but instead because he never encountered anyone.
He had also been searching for Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills all this while.
He had tried to break through his own bottleneck with the help of Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills, but they proved to be of no use. The drawbacks left behind from dropping in Order made it so that only a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill would be able to compensate for them.
His luck was not good, but it was not too bad either.
After searching for a long time, to a point where he was about to grow desperate, Xiang Shan finally lucked out. There, on this small asteroid, he found an unclaimed Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill!
Suppressing his excitement, he had been hesitating for a long time on whether or not he should refine this Spirit Pill here and break through to the Ninth Order immediately, or wait. As long as he could make a breakthrough, then he would be free to roam the Universe Furnace World unobstructed.
Unexpectedly, he had sensed movements of a fight in the distance as soon as he took the pill into his Small Universe, which worried him greatly.
It was too late to move now though, so he immediately took out the many Array Plates that he brought with him, laying out a concealment Array to hide his figure and aura.
He thought that the fight would not last long, and that he just had to wait for it to finish before he could make a breakthrough in peace.
How could he have anticipated that not only did the fight show no signs of ending, but instead intensified greatly. For some strange reason, it seemed like the Masters from both slides were constantly gathering in this very location.
It was only after a long time that the battle finally calmed.
Just now, he heard the shouting of Ou Yang Lie and the Royal Lord… Only then did he realize that it was Ou Yang Lie who presided over the battle on the Human Race’s side.
He was relieved to hear the Royal Lord’s suggestion of stopping for both parties. Xiang Shan nearly celebrated as that would allow him to break through in peace after the Black Ink Clan left.
But then, when he heard Ou Yang Lie shouting about killing all from the Black Ink Clan, he wanted nothing more than to rush out and cover Ou Yang Lie’s mouth…
They had known each other for so long, so how could he not understand Ou Yang Lie’s character? That bastard was going more and more overboard as he shouted, and kept on trying to act strong. The Black Ink Clan wanted to leave, so he should have just let them leave! What reason did he have to force them to stay when he knew he couldn’t win?
But that was not the end of it. The most important point here was that he had already taken the Spirit Pill into his Small Universe, and had been suppressing it all this while, not daring to refine the pill for fear of touching his bottleneck and revealing his location.
However, there was a limit to how long he could suppress it, and it was at that point that it could no longer be suppressed. The medicinal efficacies of the pill were spreading, and the barrier of his Small Universe was beginning to melt and expand. The commotion that would arise from one breaking through to the Ninth Order was not something that could be hidden even while being enveloped in the Spirit Array.
Ou Yang Lie and the Royal Lord had noticed him practically at the same time…
Both sides were shocked. It was a realization that a Master had obtained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and was currently in the middle of making a breakthrough!
But were they from the Black Ink Clan or the Human Race?
Even though the Array was unable to cover up all traces of his breakthrough, it still blurred the perception of outsiders. For a while, neither Ou Yang Lie nor the Royal Lord was able to ascertain whether it was one of their own people making a breakthrough or not.
But soon, everything became clear.
World Force surged on that side, and the stirring resulting from the breakthrough was growing increasingly intense, so much so that it was becoming impossible to ignore.
Now, the Masters on both sides were able to sense it as well.
Ou Yang Lie’s eyes lit up, “It’s one of our people who is making a breakthrough, and this aura…” He realized now who it was who was making the breakthrough.
[This is clearly Big Head Xiang’s aura!]
Just now, he was wondering whether he had ended up dead somewhere, but he never thought that this guy would be quietly hiding nearby to make a breakthrough. It really was a great surprise.
Compared to Ou Yang Lie’s pleasant surprise, the Royal Lord’s face was gloomy as he roared, “A Human is breaking through to the Ninth Order! Kill him!”
He had originally planned to retreat with his soldiers, but how could he leave now? The Human Race already had one Ninth-Order Master, so if they were to raise another, that would be no laughing matter. The only thing he could do right now was try to find a way to kill him before he succeeded in breaking through.
Even if he did not kill him, then he had to make sure to ruin his opportunity. They must never allow the Humans to raise another Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
After the Royal Lord gave the order, those from the Black Ink Clan followed him closely and dashed towards Xiang Shan.
Understanding the severity of the matter, Ou Yang Lie rushed after the Royal Lord and yelled, “I’ll stand guard for you, Big Head Xiang! Just try to achieve a breakthrough without worrying too much! When you make it to the Ninth Order, we’ll kill them all together!”
From a distance, Xiang Shan growled, “Damn you, Ou Yang Lie! When I achieve a breakthrough, the first one I kill will be you!”
[Did I dig out your Ancestors’ graves or something?] Ou Yang Lie was dumbfounded.
In fact, he felt that it was Xiang Shan’s fault instead. If not for the fact that Xiang Shan suddenly showed signs of achieving a breakthrough, the Black Ink Clan and Human Race would have retreated. But now, war was inevitable, and many Masters would lose their lives.
Despite his displeasure, Ou Yang Lie still got in the Royal Lord’s way. Presently, only a Ninth-Order Master like him was able to deal with this Royal Lord. Unless the others formed a Six Paths Formation, they would be no match for such an enemy.
After intercepting the Royal Lord, Ou Yang Lie told others to go and protect Xiang Shan. Only then could the latter attempt a breakthrough without worries.
Rays of light, figures, and Battle Formations dashed towards Xiang Shan. Soon, intense battles broke out around him.
This time, the Humans mainly had to defend themselves. Hundreds of Masters formed into different Battle Formations and surrounded Xiang Shan to fend off the Black Ink Clan’s attacks.
Seeing that, Xiang Shan knew it was a chance he must not miss; as such, he released all the suppression and focused on achieving a breakthrough.
However, it wasn’t easy to ascend from the Eighth Order to the Ninth Order, and it would certainly take some time. If the Black Ink Clan managed to breach the Humans’ defence line before Xiang Shan achieved a breakthrough, it would greatly disrupt him. The fallout from the battles already made it difficult for him to stay focused, and if not for the fact that he was a resolute person, he would have already failed.
The battles grew increasingly violent. On the battlefield between the Ninth-Order Master and the Royal Lord, Ou Yang Lie had gained the upper hand. Both of them had just ascended to their current Realms, so they should be equally matched, but in comparison, Ou Yang Lie was fiercer, for he was determined to protect Xiang Shan, which made the Royal Lord appear less intimidating.
Soon, Ou Yang Lie’s expression changed, for he saw the Royal Lord fishing out a miniature Black Ink Nest and activating his Divine Sense during the battle. Apparently, he was trying to contact someone.
[He’s asking for help!] An enraged Ou Yang Lie stepped up his attacks and further suppressed the Royal Lord. Unfortunately, the Royal Lord still managed to send out a message through the Black Ink Nest.
In the depths of the Universe Furnace World, there was a magnificent Black Ink Nest in the remote chaos.
The Black Ink Nest’s aura suggested that it was a High-Rank one; however, since it hadn’t been fully hatched, it wasn’t able to produce new Black Ink Clansmen.
Nevertheless, such a Black Ink Nest could allow injured Black Ink Clansmen to enter and recuperate.
Presently, a powerful Black Ink Clansman was asleep inside. He was none other than Mo Na Ye!
This guy was extremely lucky. Outside the No-Return Pass back then, Yang Kai managed to injure him using the Universe Furnace project’s folded Space. At that time, Mo Na Ye’s life was hanging by a thread.
Unfortunately, just as Yang Kai was ready to kill him, he accidentally touched upon something he should not have, sucking him into the Universe Furnace earlier than expected.
After entering the furnace, Yang Kai was trapped and witnessed the birth of the nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, leaving Mo Na Ye hanging by a thread in the outside world.
The moment Mo Na Ye entered the Universe Furnace World, he found a quiet place and hatched his High-Rank Black Ink Nest so that he could make use of it to heal his wounds.
As the one managing the Black Ink Clan, Mo Na Ye had many resources with him, which was why he was able to hatch a Black Ink Nest and recuperate so quickly.
If he didn’t have these resources, he wouldn’t have been able to do that.
While hatching his Black Ink Nest, Mo Na Ye saw a colourful light stream over from a distance and brushed past him.
Despite his injury, he was still fairly powerful, so he immediately grabbed the beam of light and examined it before confirming that it was what the Humans called an opportunity.
The person who most easily obtained an opportunity in the Universe Furnace World was undoubtedly Mo Na Ye, not Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, who had accidentally found a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. In fact, Mo Na Ye was the first one to get such a Spirit Pill.
The moment the pill fell into his hands, Mo Na Ye realised that it was no ordinary thing. He was elated, thinking that there was a silver lining for him. He initially thought that since he entered this place with heavy injuries, he would be doomed. It didn’t cross his mind that he would obtain this kind of reward.
He then stepped into the half-hatched Black Ink Nest with the Spirit Pill. While he refined the pill’s medicinal efficacies, he also made use of the Black Ink Nest’s power to heal his wounds.
The Black Ink Clan in the Universe Furnace World could communicate with each other by relying on his High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
Yang Kai had speculated that there must be a Territory Lord Class or Royal Lord Class Black Ink Nest in the Universe Furnace World, but he wasn’t sure where it was; otherwise, the Black Ink Clansmen couldn’t have communicated with each other, for they needed a more powerful Black Ink Nest to serve as a communication hub.
All of a sudden, the Black Ink Nest shook, causing Mo Na Ye to awaken in shock. He was displeased and furious, but the moment he saw the message sent to him, he was astounded.
The message was simple, [Xiang Shan has obtained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and is trying to achieve a breakthrough!]
Mo Na Ye was only wary of three Humans who were below the Ninth Order.
The first one was undoubtedly Yang Kai. As a Pseudo-Royal Lord, he had suffered a lot of setbacks because of Yang Kai. In the previous battle, not only had he lost a lot of Innate Territory Lords, but he was also almost killed by Yang Kai, causing him to lose a lot of authority within the Black Ink Clan.
Fortunately, Yang Kai wasn’t able to make it to the Ninth-Order; otherwise, Mo Na Ye would’ve gone all out to kill him instead of compromising so many times.
However, the Universe Furnace’s appearance allowed Yang Kai to have a chance to break through his shackles. Therefore, by entering the Universe Furnace, the Black Ink Clan did not only have to try to kill as many Human Race Masters as they could and stop them from acquiring those opportunities, a more important task for them was to keep an eye on several people and make sure they couldn’t make it to the Ninth-Order.
Yang Kai was ranked first, while Mi Jing Lun came second.
Mo Yu wasn’t interested in managing the Black Ink Clan’s affairs, so ever since Mo Na Ye became a Pseudo-Royal Lord, he had been the one handling all the day-to-day affairs. His counterpart, the Supreme Commander of the Humans, was Mi Jing Lun.
Although Mo Na Ye had never met this Eighth-Order Master before, they had clashed on many occasions as they were both leaders of their respective sides.
While Yang Kai was a great fighter, Mi Jing Lun was an intelligent strategist. Although he wasn’t at the frontline, such a being was more intimidating than those who knew nothing but fighting.
If Mi Jing Lun managed to make it to the Ninth Order and went to the frontline, he would cause unimaginable damage to the Black Ink Clan because he wasn’t merely another Ninth Order Master.
Xiang Shan was ranked third. After all, he was a famous and experienced Eighth-Order Master. Although he wasn’t as powerful as Yang Kai, he was far-sighted and ruthless. It was said that he was the Army Commander of the Great Evolution Army in the past, and Mi Jing Lun had to obey his orders.
The Humans also retrieved the Great Evolution Pass under Xiang Shan’s leadership.
Any one of these three ascending to the Ninth Order would be disastrous to the Black Ink Clan; therefore, even though Mo Na Ye was still recuperating, he was no longer able to sit still upon learning that Xiang Shan had acquired a Spirit Pill and was ready to ascend to the Ninth-Order.
Inside the Black Ink Nest, Mo Na Ye opened his eyes and let the thick Black Ink Strength stream into his body, allowing him to examine his power.
His aura wasn’t different from the past, only more condensed; after all, there wasn’t any difference between a Pseudo-Royal Lord and a true Royal Lord when it came to their auras.
Nonetheless, as Mo Na Ye balled up his fists, he knew that he was no longer the same as when he just entered the Universe Furnace World.
He was able to fully activate his power, which meant that he was now a real Royal Lord.
Moreover, 80% of his injuries had been healed. The Open Heaven Pill’s medicinal efficacies not only helped him achieve a breakthrough but also helped him rapidly recover.
That came as a pleasant surprise to him.
Without hesitation, Mo Na Ye identified the direction and dashed out of the Black Ink Nest, charging towards the battlefield.
Yang Kai would certainly show up for such a major incident. Almost getting killed by Yang Kai was the worst humiliation in Mo Na Ye’s life. Since he was now a Royal Lord, he no longer had to put on an act in front of Yang Kai.
He secretly swore that if Yang Kai had the guts to show up, he would destroy him to get his revenge.
Mo Na Ye was determined to kill Xiang Shan and Yang Kai to weaken the Humans’ strength and morale.
…..
In the meantime, on the other side of the Universe Furnace World, a majestic palace artifact flew across the void, an inscribed signboard with the characters ‘Flowing Time’ hung above its doors.
There were eight Human Masters in front of the palace with a man and a woman, both in white robes, standing at the fore.
Since it was the Flowing Time Temple, the man and woman in white robes were undoubtedly Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.
After getting the Spirit Pill in the desert, Yang Xue refined it and ascended to the Ninth-Order. She had just stopped cultivating in seclusion a while ago. Then, she and Yang Xiao continued to explore this Universe Furnace World.
They came across a group of Humans and there was someone they were familiar with among these people. He was none other than Fang Tian Ci!
At that time, Fang Tian Ci was leading the way for the other Masters in a Formation and was pleasantly surprised to bump into Yang Xiao and Yang Xue. When he realised Yang Xue was now a Ninth-Order Master, he was elated.
Both parties had known each other for many years and had worked together countless times to deal with powerful enemies; therefore, they were pleased to reunite in the Universe Furnace.
Following that, they decided to move forward together.
During this period, Yang Xiao repeatedly activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks on the backs of his hands in the hope that he would acquire more pills, but he couldn’t detect anything at all. This prompted him to wonder if it was just a coincidence when he managed to detect the location of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill by using the Great Sun and Moon Marks back then.
Although they hadn’t found another Supreme Grade Spirit Pill, they had killed some Black Ink Clansmen along the way. They were satisfied with it, especially when they managed to end a Pseudo-Royal Lord’s life.
During that battle, Yang Xue personally made a move and killed the powerful opponent. Chaos shattered and the void collapsed, which astounded onlookers.
Presently, the Flowing Time Temple was hovering in the void as a battle had broken out outside.
Yang Xue single-handedly dealt with four Territory Lords who had formed a Battle Formation. Even though these Territory Lords had assembled a Four Symbols Formation, they were still no match for a Ninth-Order Master.
If they were Innate Territory Lords, they might have persevered longer; however, the Territory Lords who had entered the Universe Furnace this time were all Acquired Territory Lords, so they were generally weaker.
Yang Xue didn’t kill them ruthlessly though; instead, she prolonged the fight intentionally, just like she had against all those from the Black Ink Clan they bumped into along the way. It was a good way for her to adapt to her increased strength.
The others were aware of what she was trying to do, so they didn’t lend her a hand.
Only Yang Xiao was shouting in front of the temple to show his support.
Words like ‘Little Aunt is the best’ and ‘Little Aunt is the most powerful’ just naturally came out of his mouth, which caused Yang Xue to flush. She wouldn’t mind it if he did such a thing in private, but many people were also there at that moment, which was why she was embarrassed.
After shouting for a while, Yang Xiao suddenly sighed.
Fang Tian Ci, who stood beside him, turned to look at him and smiled, “What’s wrong?”
A dejected Yang Xiao sent him a Divine Sense transmission, “Old Fang, she’s a Ninth-Order Master now!”
Fang Tian Ci replied, “En, I know.”
A dispirited Yang Xiao continued, “When will I become a Divine Dragon?”
If he turned into his Dragon Form, he would be over 90,000 metres long, which was equivalent to an elite peak Eighth-Order Master. Although it seemed like Yang Xiao was just one step away from becoming a Divine Dragon, the truth was that it was extremely difficult to ascend from an Ancient Dragon to a Divine Dragon. That was the reason there were only a small number of Divine Dragons in the history of the Dragon Clan. There were only ever two or three Divine Dragons in every generation.
In the past, Fu Guang had been cultivating in the depths of the Dragon Pool for thousands of years, but he didn’t manage to become a Divine Dragon. It was only thanks to Yang Kai that he achieved his goal.
Yang Xiao was confident that he would be a Divine Dragon one day, but that would take a long time.
“She’s my Little Aunt, to begin with, and now she’s more powerful than me. Would I have to rely on her forever?”
He was certainly happy that Yang Xue had made it to the Ninth Order; after all, in this chaotic time, her power could protect her. However, he was downcast because he was less powerful than her now.
When they made a name for themselves in the future, he wouldn’t want others to say he was the man behind a Ninth-Order Master. That would be embarrassing.
He would rather hear others say he was the Divine Dragon beside the Ninth-Order Master.
Having spent many years with Yang Xiao, Fang Tian Ci certainly understood the underlying meanings behind his words, but since he wasn’t in any place to say anything, he only put on a meaningful smile.
Yang Xiao frowned and complained, “You’ve changed, Old Fang.”
Fang Tian Ci asked, “What do you mean?”
Yang Xiao examined him for a moment before shaking his head, “I don’t know, but you’re different from the first time I met you, especially after you became an Eighth-Order Master.”
Fang Tian Ci thought that it was obvious because the things that Yang Kai had sealed off in his Soul gradually awakened as his power increased. Without explaining anything, he only replied with a smile, “You’re reading too much into it.”
A relentless Yang Xiao forcefully wrapped his arm around the man’s neck and questioned through clenched teeth, “Are you looking down on me, Old Fang?”
Fang Tian Ci was torn between tears and laughter, “I am not. You’re the one making a scene.”
Yang Xiao glowered at him for a moment before letting out a sigh, “Forget it. It’s not like relying on a woman is a big deal anyway.”
The next instant, he pushed Fang Tian Ci away and beamed at Yang Xiao, who was returning, asking in a caring manner, “Are you tired or hurt, Little Aunt? You should have just killed these guys, why bother bringing them back?”
Yang Xue felt embarrassed because of his actions, so she glared at him. In any case, she realised that after she made it to the Ninth Order, Yang Xiao started saying nonsense more frequently.
[Is it because he now has low self-esteem? Hmph! Men will be men.]
An Eighth-Order Master suddenly asked, “Senior Sister, have you captured them to extract some information from them?”
Given Yang Xue’s strength, it wasn’t hard for her to kill these Acquired Territory Lords; however, she had captured them alive and brought them back. It was apparent that she was up to something.
The moment the Eighth-Order Master finished speaking, he realised someone was glowering at him. Puzzled, he turned his head and saw Yang Xiao gaping at him.
[Have I offended you in any way?] The Eighth-Order Master was bewildered.
[You’re taking advantage of me!] Yang Xiao was displeased. Since he called Yang Xue ‘Little Aunt’, the man was basically taking advantage of him by calling the woman ‘Senior Sister’.
For some reason, he had been sensitive and diffident recently.
Just as he was ready to argue with the Eighth-Order Master, he saw Yang Xue glower at him. In an instant, he relented.
“The Black Ink Clansmen we’ve bumped into recently are all moving in the same direction. It seems like something has happened over there, so I’ve brought them back to interrogate them,” Yang Xue explained.
She wasn’t sure if the others were aware of such an anomaly, but the Black Ink Clansmen they had come across recently were all converging towards a certain direction in quite a hurry.
Upon hearing her, the others realised that was indeed the case and felt that women were indeed more sensitive. Some of them had noticed it, but they never gave it much thought. Now, it seemed that something had indeed happened over there.
The powers of these four Acquired Territory Lords had been sealed by Yang Xue. Presently, they stood before the woman with horrified expressions.
This couldn’t be helped. Even though they had joined forces, they were still captured alive by this woman. Furthermore, the power she showcased suggested that she was a Ninth-Order Master.
She swept a glance over them and said impassively, “I have some questions for you. Reply to me honestly.”
Suddenly, she pushed out a palm and exploded the first Territory Lord. As blood splashed, Yang Xue’s white robe was unaffected while an unsuspecting Yang Xiao had his clothes dyed black.
Her action not only shocked the remaining three Territory Lords but also the Human Race Masters.
[Didn’t she just say she had questions? Why did she kill him all of a sudden?]
She could’ve directly killed them all, so why did she bring them back and do that in front of them instead?
Yang Xiao looked at the blood stain on his clothes and fell silent. It seemed that Yang Xue was displeased with him and did that intentionally. As such, he felt uneasy.
Oblivious to everything else, Yang Xue stood in front of the second Territory Lord, who was anxious as he said, “Madam…”
Yang Xue cut him off and snarled, “I’m not listening!”
Then, she landed a palm on the Territory Lord and killed him as well.
Black blood splashed onto Yang Xiao again. Although he was well-prepared this time, he didn’t dare ward off the blood. He took a look at Yang Xue and realised she was smiling. It seemed that she had cheered up slightly.
Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and thought it was difficult to be a man.
The Human Race Masters were dumbfounded, not knowing what Yang Xue was trying to do; nevertheless, after pondering for a moment, they soon understood her intentions. They couldn’t help admiring her strategy, though this method was quite horrifying, especially for these captured Territory Lords.
They thought that even though this new Ninth-Order Master appeared demure, she was actually ruthless. At any rate, it shouldn’t be surprising; after all, she was Yang Kai’s Little Sister, so how was it possible that she was weak? If she were a kind-hearted person, she wouldn’t have survived in this chaotic time.
The remaining two Territory Lords were now scared out of their wits.
The Ninth-Order Master captured them and said she was going to ask them some questions; however, instead of asking anything, she began butchering them. Although one of them wanted to tell her everything, she still mercilessly ended his life, which was ridiculous.
The moment Yang Xue stood in front of the third Territory Lord, he almost fell to his knees and said hurriedly, “Ask anything you want, Madam! I’ll tell you everything! Please spare my life!”
He was worried that if he spoke any slower, he would perish like the two Territory Lords before.
This time, Yang Xue didn’t kill him right away and only asked slowly, “Do you want to live?”
The Territory Lord wasn’t sure how to respond to her. Certainly, he wanted to live. Although they were unlucky to bump into a Ninth-Order Master, they would rather not get killed.
The survivors exchanged glances and nodded, “Yes.”
The fourth Territory Lord then said, “Madam, if you insist on killing us, do it at once. However, you’ll never glean any information from us.”
That was audacious of him; nevertheless, it was what they hoped for. If death was a certainty, they naturally weren’t willing to reveal any information.
Now, they only hoped that Yang Xue would spare their lives.
The woman’s unreasonable actions had mentally destroyed them.
After a moment of silence, Yang Xue nodded, “Good. Since you want to live, I’ll give you a chance.”
Both of them were elated and the third Territory Lord asked cautiously, “Will you go back on your word?”
It wasn’t like there was anything they could do in that case, but they now had a chance to survive at the very least.
This time, Yang Xue remained silent while Yang Xiao snorted, “Do you think you have the right to bargain?”
The Territory Lords were crestfallen upon hearing that.
Since they were captives, they no longer had a say when it came to their life or death. They indeed had no right to bargain for anything.
Just then, Yang Xue said, “However, only one of you will get to live. Why don’t you tell me where you’re going and all the information you know? I’ll let the one who can provide the most valuable information live while the other one will die.”
Only one of them would survive, and the chance belonged to the one who could provide the most useful information. There was no doubt it was a devious method, but the Territory Lords knew they had to oblige.
The Human Masters couldn’t help admiring Yang Xue. Although the trick was simple, it was more effective than any torture. She really was Yang Kai’s Little Sister. Although they had heard about her before, she wasn’t outstanding among the talented people in this chaotic time, but after ascending to the Ninth Order, she was bound to become a famous figure among the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan.
Yang Xue went on to say, “Although you have no right to bargain for anything, you don’t have to worry about me going back on my word. Since I’ve said I’ll spare one of you, I’ll fulfil my promise. Humans value our reputation more than the Black Ink Clan.”
She was right in a sense. Over the years, the Black Ink Clan had clashed with Human Masters on countless occasions, but under normal circumstances, the Humans wouldn’t go back on their word.
The Territory Lords exchanged glances before one of them hurriedly said, “We’ve received Sir Xiao You’s order to join him in battle.”
The other one spoke at the same time, “Sir Xiao You told us to help him kill the Human Masters.”
Both Territory Lords had spoken at the same time and mentioned the name ‘Xiao You’. A curious Yang Xue asked with a frown, “Don’t speak at the same time. Take it slow.”
She then turned to look at the Territory Lord on the left, “Is Xiao You a Pseudo-Royal Lord?”
Before the Territory Lord could answer her question, an Eighth-Order Master explained, “I exchanged moves with Xiao You previously; however, he was still an Innate Territory Lord at that time. Since he was powerful, I found it hard to deal with him in a one-on-one fight. If he’s still alive, he should be a Pseudo-Royal Lord now.”
Due to the Universe Furnace’s appearance, all the veteran Innate Territory Lords were summoned to the No-Return Pass to create more Pseudo-Royal Lords. That was the reason there were suddenly dozens of them.
The Black Ink Clan didn’t do this in the past because it was of no help to the overall situation. The birth of dozens of Pseudo-Royal Lords meant sacrificing at least ten times the number of Innate Territory Lords. However, the Universe Furnace’s appearance forced the Black Ink Clan to make such a decision. Only a larger number of Pseudo-Royal Lords could help them secure the upper hand in the Universe Furnace.
Pseudo-Royal Lords could only be made by sacrificing Innate Territory Lords, so the dead ones wouldn’t be remembered while only those who survived could make a name for themselves.
After hesitating for a bit, the Territory Lord on the left said, “Sir Xiao You is a true Royal Lord now. He previously obtained an opportunity in the Universe Furnace and broke through…”
All of them were shocked upon hearing that.
The opportunity in the Universe Furnace he had mentioned must be a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill!
Before entering this place, they had thought about the possibility of Black Ink Clansmen having a chance to acquire Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills; however, that was just a possibility. They certainly hoped for the Black Ink Clan to be unlucky and find no Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills at all.
Nevertheless, the information they had just heard made them wake up to reality.
A new Royal Lord had reached his current Realm by consuming a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. Not only did it level off the advantage of the Humans for having a new Ninth-Order Master like Yang Xue, it also made the Humans lose an opportunity, which was agonising.
Despite their unwillingness, there was nothing much they could do now; thus,
Yang Xue turned to look at the Territory Lord on the right and muttered, “Go on.”
As though knowing what these Humans were thinking, the Territory Lord quickly said, “As far as I know concerned, there is a new Human Ninth-Order Master.”
A moment later, he added, “I’m talking about someone else; not you, Madam. That Ninth-Order Master is leading the Humans to fight with Sir Xiao You.”
The Human Masters’ interest was finally piqued. Apart from Yang Xue, there was another Ninth-Order Master, which was good news.
Yang Xue had made the right decision by trying to glean information from these Territory Lords instead of just killing them. The Black Ink Clan could share information quickly through the Black Ink Nests while the Humans found it hard to communicate with each other in the Universe Furnace at all.
“Do you know who the new Ninth-Order Master is?” Yang Xue asked.
Just as the Territory Lord on the right was ready to speak, the one on the left shouted, “It’s my turn!”
Yang Xue had said that whoever could provide the most useful information would survive; since it had something to do with his survival, this Territory Lord naturally had to fight for it.
Yang Xue turned to look at him, after which the Territory Lord on the left continued, “The Ninth-Order Master is named Ou Yang Lie!”
Hearing that, all of them were surprised.
Ou Yang Lie was one of the oldest Eighth-Order Masters who had been fighting against the Black Ink Clan back on the Black Ink Battlefield over 10,000 years prior to the invasion of the 3,000 Worlds. He had also made a name for himself in Profound Nether Territory during the war even after that. Everyone present had heard about him before.
Furthermore, it was said that Ou Yang Lie had been left with many concerning hidden injuries from his countless battles against the Black Ink Clan. His Small Universe had been damaged, so he was no longer at the peak of his power.
No one could’ve expected that he would acquire such an opportunity in the Universe Furnace and make it to the Ninth Order.
There was no doubt it was a piece of exhilarating news for the Human Race.
The Territory Lord on the right then said, “The conflict this time started because of an opportunity.”
The one on the left cut him off, “After Sir Xiao You became a Royal Lord, he accidentally discovered another opportunity; however, that opportunity was protected by some native Masters. One of them is just as powerful as Sir Xiao You.”
“A Chaos Spirit King?” Someone postulated.
The Black Ink Clan knew nothing about the Chaos Spirit Clan, but the Humans were aware of it. A native Master who was just as formidable as a Royal Lord must be a Chaos Spirit King.
“I guess so,” the Territory Lord went on to say, “After discovering the opportunity, Sir Xiao You summoned more people to assist him. While he was tangled up with the Chaos Spirit King, he directed others to snatch the opportunity. However, Sir Yang Kai somehow approached them undetected and snatched the opportunity.”
“What!?” Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were both shocked.
Yang Xiao questioned anxiously, “You said my Adoptive Father… That opportunity was snatched by Yang Kai?”
The other Territory Lord nodded, “That’s the reason both sides are engaging in a large-scale conflict. Since the opportunity was snatched away, Sir Xiao You was naturally displeased. He has summoned more people to track Sir Yang Kai down, which caught the Human Race’s attention. That’s why more and more people from both Races are gathering together. We too were on our way there as well.”
They had bumped into these Human Race Masters before they even arrived at their destination; now, only two out of four Territory Lords remained alive.
“How severe are his injuries?” Yang Xue questioned grimly.
Yang Kai snatched a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill while a Royal Lord and a Chaos Spirit King were fighting nearby. Although Yang Kai was unmatched when it came to escaping, he couldn’t possibly flee from such a situation unscathed. There was no doubt he was injured, but no one was aware of his condition.
The Territory Lord on the left shook his head, “No idea. We haven’t heard any news on Sir Yang Kai again.”
“Then ask now!” Yang Xue demanded.
These Territory Lords wouldn’t dare displease her. One of them quickly fished out a miniature Black Ink Nest and communicated with the other Territory Lords.
A while later, he put away the Black Ink Nest and replied, “Sir Yang Kai is badly injured, but no one knows where he is.”
Yang Xue breathed a sigh of relief. Since the Black Ink Clansmen were not aware of where Yang Kai was, it meant that he didn’t fall into their hands. Given his abilities, he must have escaped and was now recuperating somewhere.
These Territory Lords realised that Yang Kai must be related to this Ninth-Order woman; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so agitated at the mere mention of his name.
They cautiously waited for Yang Xue to calm down before one of them continued, “We have no idea where Sir Yang Kai is hiding with that opportunity. Just as the battle seemed to have reached a stalemate and both sides were preparing to withdraw though, something happened. As a result, the battle intensified instead.”
“What happened?” Yang Xiao furrowed his brow. Although he didn’t take part in the battle, he felt that it was full of twists and turns just by listening to these Territory Lords.
The other Territory Lord explained, “Sir Xiang Shan was suddenly discovered nearby, showing signs of achieving a breakthrough. He must have obtained an opportunity and was preparing to refine it. He probably didn’t expect so many people to gather together in that area…”
All the Humans were now torn between tears and laughter.
They were thrilled because Xiang Shan had also gotten a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and was about to achieve a breakthrough; if he succeeded, the Human Race would have three new Ninth-Order Masters.
That hadn’t even included Yang Kai, who had snatched another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill away.
Nevertheless, the place that Xiang Shan had chosen to hide was quite awkward, which led to the Masters from both sides detecting the fluctuations of his breakthrough. Both parties were about to retreat, but instead got into a massive fight again because of that.
Behind Yang Xue, an Eighth-Order Master cupped his fist, “Senior Sister, since an intense battle has broken out, we should rush over to assist.”
Although they knew little about the situation over there, they believed that the Humans were at a disadvantage; after all, the Black Ink Clan could communicate with each other through the Black Ink Nests over vast distances while the Humans couldn’t. Therefore, there must be more Black Ink Clansmen than Humans over there.
Ou Yang Lie had to hold Xiao You back and protect Xiang Shan at the same time. It was imaginable that the Humans were in a perilous situation.
Yang Xue nodded, knowing that this matter could not be delayed. She initially wanted to slowly glean all the information she could from these Territory Lords, but she was no longer in the mood to do so. The next instant, she drove the Flowing Time Temple forward and instructed the Territory Lords to give directions.
If they were to look for the battlefield on their own, they might not be able to find the location; nevertheless, with these Territory Lords’ help, they didn’t need to worry about anything, for the Black Ink Nests could locate the battlefield.
Although the Territory Lords were disgruntled, they wouldn’t dare disobey Yang Xue. As such, they promptly pointed the way for her.
While on their way, Yang Xue tried to extract as much information from these Territory Lords as possible.
The information they knew was limited, so there naturally came a time when they had nothing else to say.
In the end, they could no longer provide any useful information.
Yang Xue motioned for Yang Xiao to take action, after which he flashed a wide smile at the Territory Lords, one so eerie that they shuddered.
The next moment, they were horrified by what they saw. Two marks appeared on the backs of Yang Xiao’s hands. Yellow light and blue light merged and turned into a dazzling white light.
Purifying Light!
The Black Ink Clan had been battling against the Humans for millennia, so they were familiar with this pure white light. In battle, Human Race Masters would often summon Evil Purging Divine Spears, which contained intense Purifying Light.
However, it was the Territory Lords’ first time seeing someone directly condensing Purifying Light, which was why they were scared out of their wits.
In front of the Flowing Time Temple, Yang Xiao smiled harmlessly, but the two Acquired Territory Lords, whose powers had been sealed, quivered like quails without a home in winter.
They felt that the Humans were preparing to kill them after gleaning all the information from them. Although the Humans had promised to let one of them off, they had now decided to end their lives. It seemed that they were about to go back on their word.
However, it wasn’t like these Territory Lords had the power to resist.
Ignoring them, Yang Xiao activated the Purifying Light and covered them in the dazzling white light. Instantly, these Territory Lords howled in pain as their Black Ink Strength was dispelled and their auras plunged.
A moment later, Yang Xiao retracted his hands.
Although the Territory Lords appeared battered, they were still alive at the very least, but both of them were shocked and puzzled.
[We’re still alive? Does that mean they have decided not to kill us?]
Yang Xiao snorted, “Since my Little Aunt said she will let one of you go, she won’t go back on her word. Or what, did you think I was going to kill you?”
After escaping from death’s door, the Territory Lords acted meekly. Unlike how flustered they were a moment ago, they were now slightly at ease.
They also understood why the Humans were willing to fulfil their promise.
Although the Purifying Light didn’t kill them, it significantly weakened their auras and caused their strength to plummet. They were originally Territory Lords, but now they could only be considered High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen. Several thousand years of cultivation was gone, just like that.
Two High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen were no longer of any use in the Universe Furnace, which was full of powerful Masters. If they came across other Human Race Masters now, they would easily die.
“Since you’ve been cooperative, I’ll let both of you go,” Yang Xiao announced and extended his hand, “Give me your Black Ink Nest!”
Not having the guts to hesitate, they promptly fished out a Black Ink Nest and presented it to him.
Only then did Yang Xiao wave his hand and slap these Black Ink Clansmen out of the temple before bellowing, “Get lost!”
Having just survived a calamity, these Black Ink Clansmen ran for their lives without delay. As for whether they would bump into other Humans and get killed, that was up to luck now.
In front of the temple, Yang Xue asked, “Since you’ve chased them away, who will point out the directions for us?”
“They’re no longer needed. I’ve got the location,” Yang Xiao replied and showed her the Great Sun and Moon Marks on the backs of his hands.
Yang Xue understood what was going on upon seeing that.
Initially, Yang Xiao relied on the Great Sun and Moon Marks to lead them to find a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, thus allowing Yang Xue to make it to the Ninth Order.
During this period, Yang Xiao had been trying to look for another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill using the same method, but they found nothing. As such, they thought that their previous discovery was merely a coincidence.
Now, it seemed that it wasn’t a coincidence. With the help of the Great Sun and Moon Marks, Yang Xiao was able to detect the locations of Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills.
Since Yang Xiao had detected the Spirit Pill’s whereabouts, it suggested that the battlefield wasn’t far away from them. The Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill must be the one in Xiang Shan’s possession.
Yang Xiao turned to look at her, “Little Aunt, I’ve confiscated their Black Ink Nest because I was worried they’ll share our information with the other Black Ink Clansmen. The enemies are not aware that you’ve ascended to the Ninth-Order yet. When we arrive at the battlefield, I’ll divert the Black Ink Clans’ attention while you look for an opportunity to support Martial Uncle Ou Yang to kill the Royal Lord.”
Yang Xue nodded, “Good.”
“Old Fang, you assist Little Aunt,” Yang Xiao then turned to look at Fang Tian Ci. Although he had been emotionally unstable recently, he was once the Leader of an Elite Squad, after all. Given his experience on the various battlefields, Yang Xiao could make some arrangements in an orderly manner.
Fang Tian Ci nodded, “Please rest assured.”
“The rest will form two Battle Formations with me. Let’s go kill those Black Ink Clan bastards!” Yang Xiao shouted. He was high-spirited as they were ready to barge into the battlefield and destroy the enemy.
No one disagreed.
A moment later, they felt the fallout of battles coming from up ahead. Apparently, they were about to arrive at the battlefield.
Fang Tian Ci and Yang Xue exchanged glances before leaping out. As Space Principles undulated, they vanished.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiao drove the Flowing Time Temple forward openly and menacingly. Before they even reached the battlefield, he roared at the top of his lungs, “Yang Xiao of the Dragon Clan has arrived! Black Ink Clan bastards, are you prepared to die!?”
Presently, the Humans were in a perilous situation. Many Human Race Masters had surrounded Xiang Shan and set up a defence line and were mainly fending off the enemies’ attacks.
They were at a disadvantage when it came to numbers, so even if they were unrestricted, they couldn’t possibly gain the upper hand, not to mention that they had to protect Xiang Shan now.
The Black Ink Clan continuously launched powerful Secret Techniques on the Humans in an attempt to shatter the defence line and disrupt Xiang Shan’s ascension.
Ou Yang Lie was unable to help as the Royal Lord named Xiao You was determined to tie him down, giving him no chance to take a breath. He had to defeat Xiao You before he could give Xiang Shan a hand.
He secretly cursed at Xiang Shan for dragging all of them into such a situation. Xiang Shan had chosen the wrong time to achieve an ascension, and worst of all, the location he had selected was so awkward.
Due to various reasons, the Human Race Masters were unable to advance further or retreat. They could only grit their teeth and hold on.
However, if this dragged on, once the Humans’ defence line was broken, things would collapse like an avalanche. Not only would Xiang Shan fail his ascension, but many Human Race Masters would lose their lives, as well.
Just as they were in a deadlock, Ou Yang Lie heard Yang Xiao’s voice all of a sudden. Elated, he roared, “Yang Xiao, go and protect Xiang Shan right away!”
Yang Xiao had seen what was happening on the battlefield, so he didn’t need Ou Yang Lie to tell him what to do. He drove the Flowing Time Temple forward and charged towards the battlefield with seven Human Race Masters in tow. The temple arrived at a weak point in the defence line, after which they started warding off the attacks.
The Black Ink Clansmen on that side were so frustrated that they almost spat blood. Initially, they had the chance to break through the enemy lines. By then, they could go straight to attack Xiang Shan.
Presently, Xiang Shan was attempting a breakthrough, so he was powerless to counterattack. Regardless of whether they could kill Xiang Shan or not in the end, they could make him fail at the very least.
They didn’t expect more Humans to come over at this critical moment. What was more, these Humans had brought with them a powerful Mobile Palace Artifact, which plugged the originally weak point in the Humans’ defence line.
Those from the Black Ink Clan were resentful of Yang Xiao. Nevertheless, the Flowing Time Temple had a robust defence. Since they were unable to destroy it, they decided to attack elsewhere.
Seeing that, Yang Xiao roared, “Where do you think you’re going!?”
The Black Ink Clansmen directly ignored him.
Yang Xiao was anxious, but he couldn’t take the initiative to attack. As such, he bellowed again, “Yang Kai is my Adoptive Father! He can easily slaughter all of you trash from the Black Ink Clan! Since he’s not around now, I’ll teach all of you a lesson on his behalf! If you have the guts, come and fight me!”
Those who were moving away, suddenly all stopped in their tracks. A Pseudo-Royal Lord’s eyes reddened as he glowered at Yang Xiao, “Did you just say Yang Kai is your Adoptive Father?”
Standing in front of the Flowing Time Temple, Yang Xiao looked condescendingly at him, “Yes! Do you have a problem with that?”
“Then you must die!” The Pseudo-Royal Lord roared and shouted, “Tear him apart!”
The next instant, with the Pseudo-Royal Lord leading the way, multiple Territory Lords charged towards the Flowing Time Temple.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiao was surprised by their reaction. He just wanted to curse at the enemies and pin them down; never did he expect them to react in such a way. Seeing that the enemies were coming over, he yelled, “Make ready!”
The seven others he had brought with him already had their auras connected and formed two Battle Formations. With the help of the Flowing Time Temple’s power, they engaged the enemy.
As they fought, Yang Xiao suddenly mocked, “It seems that your aura is unstable, Sir Pseudo-Royal Lord. Did my Adoptive Father punch you or something?”
At the mention of this, the Pseudo-Royal Lord intensified his attacks.
Yang Xiao was startled, for he didn’t expect his speculation to be right. He asked curiously, “What’s your name? When I see my Adoptive Father, I’ll tell him to kill you.”
The Pseudo-Royal Lord said through clenched teeth, “My name is Meng Que! At least now you’ll know who killed you!”
He was one of the earliest Pseudo-Royal Lords within the Black Ink Clan, so there was no doubt he held a prestigious position. However, when Yang Kai formed a Battle Formation with other Humans he managed to injure him seriously, which was greatly humiliating for Meng Que.
Although Yang Kai was badly injured now, he was nowhere to be found. As such, Meng Que was unable to get his revenge.
It was only natural that he wanted to vent his fury on Yang Xiao, who was Yang Kai’s Adoptive Son.
Although he couldn’t kill Yang Kai, Meng Que had the confidence to butcher Yang Xiao. The place where Yang Xiao and the others were located was in turmoil while they were dealing with the bombardment of attacks. Fortunately, they had the Flowing Time Temple’s protection. Otherwise, they couldn’t have persevered. After all, a Pseudo-Royal Lord was significantly more powerful than a Territory Lord. Meng Que being injured and unable to fully use all his power also helped immensely.
On the other side, with the help of Space Principles, Fang Tian Ci and Yang Xue stealthily approached Ou Yang Lie and Xiao You.
Although Fang Tian Ci had earned the moniker ‘Little Yang Kai’, he was still inferior to the true body when it came to mastery in the Dao of Space. Furthermore, Yang Xue was a Ninth-Order Master; as such, he felt pressured bringing her with him and helping to hide her aura at the same time.
“We have to stop here. If we go any closer, the enemy will notice us,” Fang Tian Ci said while stopping in his tracks, “Be careful.”
Yang Xue nodded but wasn’t in a rush to make a move; instead, she was observing the battle and waiting for a chance.
Killing a Royal Lord wasn’t easy, and the timing to make a move was crucial.
As though noticing a powerful presence, Xiao You became uneasy. He had a feeling that someone was staring at him in secret, so he reserved some of his strength. He was initially equally matched with Ou Yang Lie, but now the latter gained a slight upper hand.
Ou Yang Lie naturally noticed this and began openly taunting him. Ignoring the foul-mouthed Human in front of him, Xiao You wondered where his sense of unease came from.
Soon, however, he realised what the source was.
A powerful and unrestrained aura was suddenly felt rushing over from the distance. The aura didn’t have the signature of World Force or Black Ink Strength. Rather, it felt like pure chaos.
[It’s that Chaos Spirit King! I can’t believe that guy found me!]
At that moment, Xiao You was both shocked and flustered.
Xiao You was terrified of the Chaos Spirit King after the traumatising experience previously. He felt wronged since he wasn’t at fault.
He was indeed the one who discovered the Chaos Spirit Clan’s Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and intended to snatch it, but he didn’t achieve his goal in the end. Instead, the Spirit Pill was stealthily taken away by Yang Kai. The Chaos Spirit King was so stupid though that after the culprit Yang Kai ran away, it targeted Xiao You.
Before coming across Ou Yang Lie, Xiao You had been hunted down by the Chaos Spirit King, but just as he thought he had finally gotten rid of it, this guy appeared all of a sudden.
It was likely that the Chaos Spirit King was attracted to the great disturbance of the battle. Since the Humans and the Black Ink Clansmen were clashing in this place, it was only natural that the Chaos Spirit King would notice the clamour.
Therefore, the moment Xiao You detected the Chaos Spirit King’s presence, he had the urge to flee right away.
He and Ou Yang Lie were equally matched, but if the Chaos Spirit King joined the fight, he wouldn’t be able to deal with the two of them on his own.
He had personally had a taste of the Chaos Spirit King’s power, so he knew that it was stronger than either Ou Yang Lie or himself by a substantial margin.
Nevertheless, he soon calmed himself. The Chaos Spirit King had very low sentience; otherwise, it wouldn’t have relentlessly raced after him.
Now that it was here, regardless of whether it was attracted to the fallout of the battles, the most attractive thing to it wasn’t the Human Race or the Black Ink Clan, it was the Spirit Pill’s aura.
The Chaos Spirit King was enraged because it had lost a Spirit Pill, so now that there was another ripe for the picking, the Chaos Spirit King would likely want to snatch it.
Xiao You now felt that it might not necessarily be a bad thing for the Black Ink Clan that the Chaos Spirit King appeared all of a sudden. Perhaps things would go contrary to the Humans’ wishes and lead to their downfall.
Therefore, he suppressed his urge to flee while dealing with Ou Yang Lie and paying some attention to the Chaos Spirit King’s movements.
Such a powerful aura appeared all of a sudden and charged towards the battlefield, so it was only natural that the Masters of both Races were shocked and doubtful.
Soon, the Chaos Spirit King arrived, and without hesitating at all, it charged towards Xiang Shan. Wherever it went, the Black Ink Clansmen stepped away and let it pass. On the other hand, the Human Race Masters had no choice but to block the Chaos Spirit King from advancing further.
Six Eighth-Order Masters formed a Six Paths Formation and clashed with the Chaos Spirit King. A moment later, these Eighth-Order Masters paled as their World Forces destabilised. Since the Chaos Spirit King was obstructed, it was apparently furious. It roared like a beast as its Chaotic Force swept everyone away before charging forward again.
Helplessly, the Human Race Masters counterattacked with the Six Paths Formation. Again, they were forced to step back as they were no match for the opponent. If this dragged on, it would only take 10 breaths of time before the Six Paths Formation was broken. When that happened, the Chaos Spirit King would break through the defence line and reach Xiang Shan.
“Hahaha!” Xiao You couldn’t help guffawing, for luck was on their side. He was initially resentful of the Chaos Spirit King, but it turned out to be a blessing for them.
It was indeed attracted to the Spirit Pill’s aura and decided to attack the Humans. In other words, the Black Ink Clan had gotten a powerful helper for free.
Certainly, the Chaos Spirit King wasn’t there to assist them, and if the Black Ink Clansmen got in its way, it would attack them as well. Its only target was the Spirit Pill, after all.
That was good news for the Black Ink Clan. To begin with, the Humans were already at a disadvantage, and now they were faced with the Chaos Spirit King’s suppression. It was only a matter of time before they were destroyed.
Across from Xiao You, Ou Yang Lie grew anxious. The Chaos Spirit King’s appearance had undoubtedly exacerbated the situation for the Humans. He wanted to get rid of Xiao You and go over to block the Chaos Spirit King, but Xiao You naturally wouldn’t grant his wish.
He had pulled back his attacks earlier because he was wary of the Chaos Spirit King, but upon realising Ou Yang Lie’s intention, Xiao You took the initiative to entangle them as he mocked, “Where do you think you’re going!? No one can leave unless one of us is killed, hahaha!”
“If you dare laugh again, I’ll knock your teeth out!” Ou Yang Lie roared as his World Force surged, turning him into a ball of fire.
It seemed that the Heavens weren’t on the Humans’ side today. Why were there so many twists and turns during Xiang Shan’s ascension? Although Ou Yang Lie had faced some difficulties during his breakthrough, it had been smooth sailing in general. However, when it was Xiang Shan’s turn, he was faced with all sorts of problems, and even the Chaos Spirit King had come targeting him.
Ou Yang Lie was so incensed that he almost erupted like a volcano.
Meanwhile, Xiao You’s attacks intensified. To make the furious Ou Yang Lie stay, he had given up on his defence so that he could stop his opponent from going to Xiang Shan’s rescue.
Just then, ripples formed in the void, and following that, Ou Yang Lie saw a long sword extending from nowhere, a fair hand gripping its hilt.
[Who is that? Why didn’t I know someone was there before?]
Ou Yang Lie was startled.
The next moment, he was ecstatic because he saw a sword-wielding woman and a man stepping out of the ripples. He was familiar with both of them.
The initially arrogant Xiao You was flabbergasted as though he had been struck by lightning.
A sense of danger overwhelmed him as a powerful aura locked onto him, causing him to feel he was doomed.
He didn’t have time to ponder on what happened, but he knew someone had launched a sneak attack on him. Just as he was haughtily trying to make Ou Yang Lie stay, a Master shattered the Void and attacked him from behind.
Given the sense of danger he felt, Xiao You believed this person must be formidable.
The smile on his face froze as he roared and released a large amount of Black Ink Strength, which turned into a Black Ink Cloud in an instant and totally engulfed his figure.
Nevertheless, the sword still accurately pierced into his back the next instant and then thrust out from the other side. A powerful force exploded and formed a hole in his body.
The Black Ink Cloud broke into ten smaller clouds as Ou Yang Lie released his flames to destroy seven of them in the blink of an eye. However, he failed to harm Xiao You’s true body.
Soon, someone was heard saying, “I’ll leave it to you, Senior Brother!”
The helper had turned into a beam in the shape of a sword and charged towards the Chaos Spirit King.
“Don’t worry!” Ou Yang Lie replied briefly as he recognised that person.
He was shocked deep within, for Yang Xue had also ascended to the Ninth Order. It seemed that she had acquired her own opportunity.
Fortunately, she had come at the right time; otherwise, the Human forces here would’ve been in trouble.
On the other hand, Fang Tian Ci left the moment Yang Xue appeared and launched her sneak attack. Presently, he stood in front of the Flowing Time Temple and joined Yang Xiao and the others to deal with Meng Que and the other Black Ink Clansmen.
Recalling the sight earlier, Fang Tian Ci felt gratified. There was no doubt Yang Xue had made the right decision.
Earlier, he was hiding in the dark with Yang Xue. While they were waiting for a chance to strike, the Chaos Spirit King appeared out of the blue. At that time, Yang Xue only had two choices. The first was to deal with the Chaos Spirit King right away to stop the latter from attacking the Humans’ defence line. It was a huge challenge for the Eighth-Order Masters to clash with such a Master, and if they were not careful enough, they would be killed.
The second choice would be to immediately try to kill Xiao You.
Nonetheless, Xiao You spent most of his power defending himself at that time. Even if Yang Xue made a move, it wouldn’t have brought about meaningful results. Once she was exposed, she wouldn’t have time to join forces with Ou Yang Lie and fight with him.
Therefore, the best choice would be directly clashing with the Chaos Spirit King as that was also the safest bet.
However, Yang Xue chose the third option, which was to keep waiting for the best chance.
The Chaos Spirit King clashed with the Humans, and it would only take a short time to shatter the Six Paths Formation in its way. On the other hand, Xiao You was conceited. Just as he was focused on holding Ou Yang Lie back, Yang Xue decisively took action.
She managed to severely injure the Royal Lord with just one strike, after which she headed straight to confront the Chaos Spirit King.
She had to make a decision quickly, for it would affect the outcome of the entire battle. Her decision was a huge bet, but it also showed her confidence in the Human Race Masters.
She believed that the Humans could persevere for a longer time. Regardless of how powerful the Chaos Spirit King was, the Humans were united. As such, they wouldn’t be defeated so easily.
Those in the Six Paths Formation didn’t fail her, nor did she disappoint the Humans.
Fang Tian Ci couldn’t help letting out a sigh, for the young girl had grown up to be a reliable and independent Master.
That was the sorrow of the times.
He soon pulled himself together and connected his aura with the others to ward off the enemies.
In the void, Ou Yang Lie’s red hair flapped in the air like fire as he looked at the astounded Xiao You and grinned, “You’re dead!”
The moment he finished speaking, he turned into a magnificent flame and dashed towards Xiao You.
A Royal Lord had shocking vitality, so even though Yang Xue had badly injured him, she didn’t manage to end his life. As such, Xiao You was still able to fight.
Nevertheless, he was shocked at the fact that there was another new Ninth-Order Master. Including Ou Yang Lie, there were two now. If they also included Xiang Shan, who was attempting a breakthrough, the Humans had managed to secure three Ninth-Order Masters for their side.
Certainly, he wouldn’t forget that Yang Kai had also acquired a Spirit Pill!
Was luck indeed on the Humans’ side? The Black Ink Clansmen were initially at an advantage, but it was gone for good now that a second Ninth-Order Master appeared abruptly. Could there be even more Ninth-Order Masters lurking out there?
While still reeling from the shock, Xiao You had the illusion that there was another Human Race Master lurking behind him, just waiting to give him a fatal blow.
He almost couldn’t contain his urge to escape.
Nonetheless, he stopped himself from doing so. This was a chance the Black Ink Clan mustn’t miss. If their plan was ruined because he ran away, the Black Ink Clan would suffer immense losses, and he also couldn’t accept the outcome.
Furthermore, the Black Ink Clansmen were not on the losing side. They were still at an advantage when it came to trying to ruin Xiang Shan’s ascension. Also, the new Ninth-Order Master had to contend with the Chaos Spirit King, so she couldn’t stop the other Black Ink Clansmen from advancing.
More importantly, Mo Na Ye was on the way to this place.
As long as Mo Na Ye appeared, they would have one more Royal Lord on their side. By then, the Black Ink Clan would take back control of everything.
Given the deadlock, if any party had one more powerful Master, the outcome of the battle would be affected.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Xiao You mustered his courage and engaged with Ou Yang Lie again.
Although his power had been weakened significantly following Yang Xue’s sneak attack, it didn’t mean he was powerless to fight. As he pulled himself together and focused on defending himself, he wouldn’t be defeated so soon.
The Masters from both sides had tacitly divided the battlefield into three places. The first was where a Ninth-Order Master was dealing with a Royal Lord, the second was where a Ninth-Order Master was clashing with the Chaos Spirit King. The third and final place was where the Human Race Masters, who had formed many Battle Formations to protect Xiang Shan, were fending off the Black Ink Clansmen’ siege.
The battles were so intense that the void itself trembled.
The noise spread in all directions and attracted more Human Race Masters to come over and lend their fellow Humans assistance. Nevertheless, even more Black Ink Clansmen were rushing over as well.
The Black Ink Clan could communicate with each other through the Black Ink Nests, so they could easily summon more people. Mo Na Ye had also stopped recuperating and was on his way.
The Black Ink Clansmen had obviously decided to go all in for this battle where thousands of Masters from both sides were involved. If they won, they would deal a heavy blow to the Humans.
Whenever the Universe Furnace opened up in the past, even though both sides would fight, there had never been such a large-scale battle before.
…..
While the fight raged outside, Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow were oblivious to everything as they swam through the Infinite River. At this moment, Thunder Shadow crouched down on Yang Kai’s shoulder as lightning flickered around him. He seemed to have turned into a lightning ball.
Thunder Shadow was frustrated, but pleased at the same time.
It never crossed his mind that he would one day feel bloated after consuming too much Dao Strength in a single day.
The Dao Strengths in the depths of the Infinite River were pure, primitive, and rich. As long as one could reach this place, they would gain unimaginable benefits.
Unfortunately, even though the Universe Furnace had appeared many times before, rarely could anyone step into the Infinite River. Even the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could hardly reach Yang Kai’s current depths.
Although the Infinite River didn’t look menacing from the outside, it was actually filled with mortal danger. Without sufficient understanding of their own Grand Dao, one wouldn’t be able to resist the corruption of the currents. It was a challenge to one’s body, Soul, and Grand Daos.
There was no doubt that the Ninth-Order Masters were powerful, and they had strong attainments in their Grand Daos, but they had merely met the criteria. Without the Soul Warming Lotus protecting their Soul, and a Word Tree clone or Four Universe Pillar sealing and stabilizing their Small Universe, they would not be able to move around freely in the Infinite River.
As such, no one managed to snatch the countless opportunities in the Infinite River over the aeons.
At that moment, Thunder Shadow was envious of his main body. As an Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai had a Small Universe, so even if he couldn’t refine the ambient Dao Strengths yet, he could still take them away.
In fact, he had absorbed many Dao Strengths and sealed them in his Small Universe. In any case, he had never closed the portal to his Small Universe, so the Dao Strengths continued to stream into his body.
After giving it some thought, Thunder Shadow realised he shouldn’t be envious. When Yang Kai found his Human Self, the three Selves would be united. By then, all the benefits that Thunder Shadow gained would blend into the main body, and everything else wouldn’t matter.
Upon that realization, he felt less frustrated.
A long time later, Yang Kai closed the portal to his Small Universe as though he was full.
He had split his Small Universe into many areas where different types of Dao Strengths were sealed.
These Dao Strengths looked like coloured ribbons or creeks that moved around in those areas.
Yang Kai had refined a massive amount of Dao Strengths in the Infinite River. Now, it could be said that he had learned over 10,000 Grand Daos. The Grand Daos that he had previously only dabbled in improved significantly and reached the Sixth or Seventh Level.
Even the Grand Daos he had never touched before, which included Thunder Shadow’s Thunder Dao, reached the Fifth or Sixth Level.
Countless Dao Essences were present in his Small Universe now. Following the advancements in his mastery over these Grand Daos, he gained new insights.
Since time immemorial, no one had ever learned so many Grand Daos, nor had anyone attained such mastery in them.
Yang Kai had reached his limit, so he was no longer able to refine more Dao Strengths. He had also sealed many of them in his Small Universe. If he kept doing that, he wouldn’t be able to take it anymore.
He was only trying to escape from his enemies, so he didn’t expect to gain such massive rewards. To him, it was more valuable than acquiring several Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, which were not useful to him as the Dao Strengths here were immensely beneficial.
Without stopping, Yang Kai brought Thunder Shadow to dive deeper. He wanted to find out what lay at the bottom of the Infinite River.
The progression from the outside to the inside of the Infinite River went like this; chaos split into Yin and Yang, which transformed into Five Elements, which then gave birth to 10,000 Grand Daos.
What else was there after the 10,000 Grand Daos? Was there any further evolution?
To a powerful cultivator like Yang Kai, the secrets at the deepest part of the Infinite River were deathly attractive.
Although the Infinite River was expansive, one could tell from the outside that there must be an end. Nevertheless, as Yang Kai brought Thunder Shadow to explore the river, they seemed to have plunged into an abyss with no end in sight.
There had to be some secrets at the deepest part of the river.
Over 10,000 types of Dao Strengths gathered together. Although they were clearly distinct, they could also integrate. When several related Dao Strengths clashed, they might form an entirely new Dao Strength.
When a particular Dao Strength was stimulated, it might also split into several Dao Strengths.
As Yang Kai dove deeper, he witnessed a lot of wonders.
At the same time, he felt increasingly pressured. At the top of the river, the Dao Strengths were considered peaceful, which was the reason he and Thunder Shadow were able to absorb them.
However, as they went deeper, the Dao Strengths became increasingly unsettled, which mounted even more pressure on Yang Kai.
He had been trying to sustain the Space-Time River to protect Thunder Shadow and himself from the Infinite River’s erosion; fortunately, he had already gained massive benefits by improving his mastery over many Grand Daos. Otherwise, he couldn’t have persevered.
As time passed, the Space-Time River contracted and stuck close to the pair, which was caused by powerful external pressure.
As they went deeper, the originally stable Space-Time River started shaking. Regardless of how hard Yang Kai tried to stimulate his Dao Strengths, he was unable to keep the Space-Time River stable.
At this point, the Dao Strengths had become violent as every coloured ribbon or undercurrent carried immense power. As Yang Kai was struck, he found it difficult to take charge of where he was heading.
Thunder Shadow appeared worried as he had a feeling that his main body was doing something dangerous, but he wasn’t in any place to dissuade him. As such, he could only activate his Dao Strengths and help sustain the Space-Time River to drive off the external force.
A long time later, when the external force reached a critical limit, Yang Kai felt as though he had passed some kind of divide. The originally colourful environment where all sorts of Grand Daos came together descended into chaos all of a sudden, after which he saw nothing but endless darkness.
All the pressure disappeared abruptly, leaving Yang Kai puzzled.
[Did everything return to chaos after the Grand Daos integrated and bloomed? In that case, wouldn’t that make it a cycle? If I dive deeper, would I come across the scene where Chaos split into Yin and Yang, and everything started over on repeat?]
Nevertheless, Yang Kai realised that something was amiss.
The chaos in this place was different from the one at the beginning of the Infinite River, which was desolate and still. The chaos in this place was tinged with a different sort of charm.
The darkness in this place wasn’t pitch black; instead, there were some flickering lights.
As Yang Kai looked at those weak lights, he fell into a dazed state.
The flickering lights were special beings. They were natural creations, not living creatures. They came in different sizes and shapes. Some looked like Chaos Entities while the others did not.
Yang Kai felt that he had seen these natural creations before, but he couldn’t recall where.
Thunder Shadow, who had been crouching on his shoulder, suddenly said, “Big Brother, I think those things are dangerous.”
As a beast, he instinctively felt that these seemingly ordinary things were filled with unpredictable danger. If they struck them, they would be in hot water.
Oblivious to him, Yang Kai stared fixedly in a particular direction where there was a washbasin-sized existence that looked like seaweed getting tangled up. A round of light glowed in the periphery of that thing.
He had a feeling that he had come across these things before, but he couldn’t remember where, which was odd.
Given his cultivation, Yang Kai was able to remember everything he saw. If he had really seen these things before, he wouldn’t forget about them.
As he looked intently, he soon had an illusion that this washbasin-sized seaweed-like thing was magnifying before his eyes. In the blink of an eye, it became a colossal being.
It was magnificent and ancient. Standing in front of this existence, Yang Kai felt that he was as insignificant as dust, which made him feel flabbergasted.
Then, he came to his senses, finally realising why he felt that these things looked familiar to him. He had also recalled where he had seen them before.
Strictly speaking, the things he saw back then were not the same as the ones before his eyes; they were beings with similar qualities.
They were dangerous Celestial Phenomena that lay in the depths of Black Ink Battlefield.
He couldn’t recognise them at first glance because every Celestial Phenomenon was different. Furthermore, the Celestial Phenomena he came across at the depths of Black Ink Battlefield were massive. The largest Celestial Phenomenon he had seen was just as vast as a Great Territory, and it contained unimaginable danger. Even a Ninth-Order Master or a Royal Lord might not survive if they barged into such a place.
All the Celestial Phenomena on the Black Ink Battlefield were massive and magnificent. Meanwhile, the Celestial Phenomena in this place were petite.
The difference in their sizes was the reason Yang Kai didn’t associate the two together at first. It wasn’t until he took a much closer look at their appearance that he realised what they were. These weak lights that came in different shapes and sizes were none other than Celestial Phenomena.
Yang Kai was astounded as he knew a thing or two about where Celestial Phenomena came from.
It was rumoured that in the beginning when Chaos split apart, 3,000 Grand Daos were unclear. As such, some strange natural creations were born, and they were Celestial Phenomena. It could be said that Celestial Phenomena were strange entities that could be traced back to the ancient source of Heaven and Earth.
In ancient times, the universe was filled with all sorts of Celestial Phenomena, and they were unimaginably dangerous.
That was the reason there were still Celestial Phenomena in the depths of Black Ink Battlefield while there were none in the 3,000 Worlds.
Rarely would anyone head to the depths of Black Ink Battlefield. Even the Black Ink Clansmen wouldn’t go there under normal circumstances, let alone Humans. That was why those Celestial Phenomena still remained intact.
Nevertheless, in the 3,000 Worlds, many Universe Worlds sprang to life and living beings rose to power. As these beings grew and explored, they extracted resources and transformed the environment to better suit themselves, causing the Celestial Phenomena to gradually disappear.
Now, there were essentially no Celestial Phenomena in the 3,000 Worlds. Many had never heard of Celestial Phenomena in their lifetimes.
Yang Kai had the honour to witness the wonders of the Celestial Phenomena, and he had made use of a few of them to get rid of some formidable enemies. He also gained massive benefits in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon; therefore, he was quite familiar with them. However, he didn’t expect to see Celestial Phenomena in the depths of the Infinite River where everything returned to chaos.
Soon, he became doubtful, [Are these Celestial Phenomena just as small as what I saw back then? Was what I saw earlier merely an illusion?]
As he looked intently, he was astounded all of a sudden. Perhaps what he saw was not all there was. The Celestial Phenomena in this place appeared petite because he was in a special environment. They might look very different if they were outside.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai was startled.
In the depths of the Infinite River, 10,000 Grand Daos bloomed before returning to Chaos, which then gave birth to so many Celestial Phenomena. There was also a Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon on the Black Ink Battlefield that had many Grand Dao Rivers inside of it.
Similarly, many undercurrents contained Dao Strengths in the Infinite River.
Previously, Yang Kai wondered why there were so many Grand Dao Rivers in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon; after all, Dao Strengths were extremely abstruse, so it wasn’t likely that they were born out of nowhere. The Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon should have had such power.
However, what if the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon was born from the Infinite River? That explained everything!
Yang Kai was astounded. He didn’t have any evidence to prove his speculation, but he had a feeling that it was the truth.
All the Celestial Phenomena in the depths of Black Ink Battlefield and the ones that once existed in the 3,000 Worlds but disappeared came from this place.
Yang Kai was eager to prove his point, so he dashed towards the Celestial Phenomenon he had paid attention to earlier.
What he saw astonished him. The Celestial Phenomenon was supposedly not far away from him, but regardless of how hard he tried, he was unable to approach it. Space seemed to have been extended infinitely before him, but he didn’t feel any fluctuations of Space Principles.
Furthermore, as he charged forward, the washbasin-sized seaweed-like Celestial Phenomenon was quickly expanding.
As expected, what he had seen wasn’t merely an illusion. The Celestial Phenomenon must be gargantuan, but it was somewhat illusory in the depths of the Infinite River.
Yang Kai stopped in his tracks and stepped backwards. Soon, he realised that everything returned to normal. He then went over to inspect other Celestial Phenomena and realised that they were the same.
He even saw a fog-like Celestial Phenomenon. Upon inspection, he discovered that what looked like dust in the fog wasn’t what it seemed. The particles were unformed Universe Worlds! He remembered seeing a fog-like Celestial Phenomenon in the Universe Furnace, and he was shocked at that time. It didn’t cross his mind that it was born from this place.
All the strange-looking Celestial Phenomena gathered in the depths of the Infinite River, which was filled with ancient and primitive auras. While swimming in this place, Yang Kai seemed to have returned to the ancient times and gotten lost.
A long time later, Thunder Shadow exclaimed, “Big Brother!”
An astounded Yang Kai came to his senses and realised that something was off, His Dao Strengths were dissipating and blending into this place. He quickly stabilised himself and circulated his power to stop his Dao Strengths from leaving his body.
A terrified Thunder Shadow asked, “What’s going on?”
Everything was going well when an anomaly happened. If he hadn’t discovered that something was amiss, Yang Kai would’ve lost his life without knowing the reason.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was soaked in cold sweat as well. Just now, he had been focusing on observing these bizarre Celestial Phenomena. While witnessing the wonders, he suddenly felt dead deep within. If Thunder Shadow hadn’t called out to him in time, Yang Kai would’ve lost his life.
Under such a circumstance, once all his Dao Strengths were gone, his figure would’ve melted into this place as well. Moreover, the Soul Warming Lotus didn’t react at all while Thunder Shadow was unaffected.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai realised something. The feeling of lifelessness wasn’t an external force; it was born within him. As such, the Soul Warming Lotus didn’t react in any way.
Such an anomaly happened because his Dao Strengths resonated with the Power of 10,000 Grand Daos in this place.
Thunder Shadow wasn’t as attuned to the environment, so he could remain alert. On the other hand, Yang Kai, who had mastered a lot of Grand Daos, was affected by this place.
After suffering such a setback, Yang Kai became more cautious. This was a dangerous place where he couldn’t be negligent.
Thunder Shadow said, “Let’s go up. There’s nothing interesting here to see.”
He was still terrified. Before this, even though Yang Kai was taking a huge risk, everything was still under control. The turn of events earlier apparently surprised him as well.
There was nothing much Thunder Shadow could do in this place, and once his main body was in danger, no one could save him.
“You don’t understand,” Yang Kai shook his head.
The Celestial Phenomena were indeed not interesting; however, the Power of the 10,000 Grand Daos returning to Chaos and the development of various wonders were the essence of this place.
Yang Kai had a feeling that he had caught a glimpse of something amazing, but he couldn’t fully comprehend it. There seemed to be a wall in front of him, blocking his path. He could faintly see the beauty beyond it, but it was shrouded in fog.
This place seemed to be the deepest part of the Infinite River. Not only were there a lot of Celestial Phenomena, but there was also a long riverbed that was filled with gravel.
Yang Kai had been focusing on the Celestial Phenomena, so he didn’t pay attention to the riverbed, but while looking down, he scooped up a handful of gravel and examined it. Just as he expected, these small stones were not what they seemed to be; instead, they were the collective of different Dao Strengths.
Yang Kai even realised that these small stones were actually the prototypes of Universe Worlds.
“Creation Force?” Yang Kai muttered.
He had heard about the Creation Realm from Cang for the first time. According to Cang, the Realm that was above the Ninth-Order was the Creation Realm!
The only one who had reached that Realm was Mo, who had been shackled inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Even Cang and the other nine Martial Ancestors were not in that Realm. They had merely walked further down the path of the Open Heaven Realm than any others.
One could say that if they reached the Creation Realm, they would’ve been able to kill Mo.
Yang Kai had no idea how abstruse that Realm must be; after all, he was only at the peak of the Eighth Order and had yet to reach the Ninth Order. As such, the Creation Realm was still too far away from him; however, in his opinion, if they wanted to destroy Mo once and for all, someone had to reach that Realm.
Nevertheless, how to ascend to the Creation Realm remained a mystery; otherwise, Mo wouldn’t have been the only one to reach that Realm after so many aeons.
Cang and the other Martial Ancestors were geniuses, but even they were unable to reach that Realm, let alone their descendants.
Perhaps Wu Kuang, who had inherited Shi’s knowledge, knew something; however, he was looking after the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, so he was unreachable.
Yang Kai had never really seriously considered reaching that Realm. To him, the most important task was to break through to the Ninth Order. As such, he didn’t have any energy left to ponder on something so unattainable.
With that said, he seemed to have caught a glimpse of the Creation Realm in the deepest part of the Infinite River.
These were not the nurturing of simple living beings, but rather the wonders of Creation of the Universe itself.
Every stone in his hand was the prototype of a Universe World. If he took them to the outside world, they would probably become Dead Stars with no vitality.
Yang Kai remained in the same spot and fell into his thoughts.
Thunder Shadow was anxious as he was worried that his true body’s Dao Strengths would dissipate again. He stared fixedly at Yang Kai and was ready to call out to him at any moment.
Thankfully, he was relieved that the same thing didn’t happen again. Although Yang Kai remained unmoving like a statue, the Dao Strengths around him continued to flow. Apparently, he was trying to comprehend various aspects of the Grand Dao.
A long time later, just as Thunder Shadow was growing distressed, Yang Kai suddenly moved as all the gravel in his hand fell. He then swam upwards.
[Are we finally leaving?] Thunder Shadow was elated. Although he had gained massive benefits in this damned place, he wasn’t willing to stay any longer.
Certainly, he was pleased that the main body was leaving.
They were faced with many obstacles when coming to this place, but it was much easier when they were leaving. It certainly wasn’t smooth sailing, but it was no longer as difficult as when they tried to head to the depths.
Soon, Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow arrived at the upper part of the Infinite River. The water in this place was filled with Shattered Dao Essence, and if they kept moving upwards, they would be able to leave.
Much to Thunder Shadow’s surprise, Yang Kai suddenly stopped in his tracks and let the river’s Chaotic Force wash over him. He even removed the Space-Time River around himself and only protected Thunder Shadow with it so that the latter would remain safe.
[What is he doing?] Although Thunder Shadow was puzzled, he knew he shouldn’t disturb Yang Kai. As such, he could only wait patiently.
As the violent water washed over Yang Kai, his figure swayed with it. Undoubtedly, it was dangerous to directly come into contact with the Chaotic Force, but it allowed him to see the truth clearly.
A long time later, even his figure started falling apart. His golden blood blended into the river as it disappeared.
Just as Thunder Shadow became apprehensive, Yang Kai suddenly dove deeper and arrived at the point where chaos split into Yin and Yang before he continued to comprehend things.
Yang Kai’s figure was in a terrible state as his skin started cracking. As the water surged over him, a layer of his skin was peeled off. His hideous expression suggested that he was in excruciating pain; however, he gritted his teeth and persevered.
Meanwhile, Thunder Shadow was now completely anxious. If Yang Kai lost his life in this place, he would become a true laughingstock.
Moments later, Yang Kai understood something and dove deeper. Soon, he reached the point where Yin and Yang split into the Five Elements.
His flesh started coming apart. The powers of his Dragon Vein and the Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation were fully activated, but they did little to stop his injuries from worsening.
When Yang Kai dove deeper for the last time and reached the point where Five Elements split into 10,000 Grand Daos, his aura was extremely weak. He was like a candle amidst the storm, at risk of losing his life at any moment.
His entire figure was covered with blood as the Infinite River’s erosion made him look battered and miserable.
If not for the fact that he still had some vitality left, and the Space-Time River was still being sustained, Thunder Shadow would’ve thought that the main body was dead.
At that moment, Thunder Shadow was ill at ease. He had figured out what the main body was trying to do, but it was a huge risk to take. If an accident occurred, the damage would be irreversible.
In the depths of the Infinite River, Yang Kai’s badly injured figure remained still as he let the water strike him from all directions, his aura constantly weakening until it reached a critical limit and his originally listless eyes suddenly started shimmering.
Just then, Thunder Shadow heard the main body shouting, “I understand!”
The next moment, 10,000 Grand Daos started surging from his injured figure. They were his own Dao Strengths, not those in the Infinite River.
The Dao Strengths integrated and formed a protective layer outside the Space-Time River; then, Yang Kai’s figure shot upwards.
As it happened, the Dao Strengths around him evolved. When he reached the point where Five Elements split into 10,000 Grand Daos, the 10,000 Grand Daos around him evolved into Five Elements. When he reached the point where Yin and Yang transformed into Five Elements, and the Five Elements around him evolved into Yin and Yang.
When he finally reached the upper part of the Infinite River, everything around him returned to chaos.
Moreover, as Yang Kai swam upwards, the Space-Time River around him trembled violently. Thunder Shadow couldn’t help feeling that Space and Time seemed to have turned upside down.
It felt like Space and Time were reversing as flesh started appearing on Yang Kai’s damaged figure out of thin air.
Eventually, he returned to his original state. Although he no longer looked battered and miserable, his aura was still weak.
Nevertheless, he was energetic and elated, “I see!” He then turned to look at Thunder Shadow and asked, “Did you understand?”
Thunder Shadow was on the brink of breaking into tears, [What am I supposed to understand?]
He figured that Yang Kai was trying to comprehend the secrets behind the evolutionary process from Chaos to the 10,000 Grand Daos; however, he had never cultivated the 10,000 Grand Daos before, so how was he supposed to understand anything?
At that moment, he only wanted to tell Yang Kai to stop torturing himself as it was bad for his heart.
Knowing what was on Thunder Shadow’s mind, Yang Kai merely smiled in response.
It wasn’t that he wanted to torture himself, but since the opportunity was there, he just wasn’t willing to miss it.
When he dove into the Infinite River for the first time, Yang Kai used his Dao Strengths to shield himself. As such, he was unable to comprehend anything, nor did he intend to.
It wasn’t until he witnessed the end of the 10,000 Grand Daos at the bottom of the Infinite River that he had the urge to comprehend everything he witnessed.
Therefore, he decided to give up the protection of his Dao Strengths and expose his body and mind to comprehend the wonders of Chaos giving birth to the 10,000 Grand Daos.
Naturally, this process came with huge risks, but the outcome was extraordinary. Yang Kai had gained immense benefits in the Infinite River and even had a feeling that his experience in this place would change the way he cultivated in the future.
Moreover, he formed a doubt after experiencing this whole process.
Was what everyone knew about Mo correct? Was Mo really in the Creation Realm?
In the past, Yang Kai had not doubted it; after all, Cang had said so. However, after Yang Kai went through the process of 10,000 Grand Daos returning to Chaos, he realised that Mo might not be in the Creation Realm.
In any case, that wasn’t what he should be concerned about at the moment. If he wanted to face Mo, he had to solve the trouble brought by the Black Ink Clan first.
As for how his injured figure recovered so rapidly, the truth was it hadn’t.
Currently, both his Dao of Time and Dao of Space were at the Eighth Level, and he had mastered the Space-Time River; therefore, while in the Space-Time River, he could mark a particular point in time and when it was necessary, restore his physical state to that particular point.
It was a new way of using the Space-Time River, which he had mastered in the Infinite River after his understanding over the numerous Grand Daos improved significantly. Yang Kai wasn’t able to use it in the past because other than the Dao of Space and Dao of Time, he hadn’t mastered the other Grand Daos to such a degree.
During the restoration process, Thunder Shadow felt as though Space and Time were reversing when in fact, that wasn’t what happened. Under the Space-Time River’s blessing, Yang Kai returned to a state he had marked at a particular point in time.
Certainly, he had to consume lots of Dao Strength to achieve this, and it was not without risks.
It was a novel technique that would prove to be useful in some situations, but had serious limitations and drawbacks.
Then, Yang Kai turned to look at the depths of the Infinite River with a dark gaze.
He believed that he had only seen the tip of the iceberg and there must be even more secrets in the Infinite River. That was because when the 10,000 Dao Strengths around him returned to chaos, he could clearly feel that something faintly resonated with him from the other end of the Infinite River.
However, he had to fully activate his Dao Strengths to touch upon those endless wonders, so he didn’t have time to pay attention to anything else.
As he thought about it, he realised that the resonance was odd. Where did the resonance come from?
Since time immemorial, the Universe Furnace had appeared many times and allowed many Human cultivators to become Ninth-Order Masters; however, no one had ever seen the Universe Furnace itself.
Even the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors, who had lived for a very long time, had no idea what the Universe Furnace really looked like or where it was.
The Infinite River ran through the entire Universe Furnace World, and there was no doubt it was an important part of the Universe Furnace; therefore, the resonance in the distance was certainly worthy of attention.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai didn’t have time to explore it, for he had been held up in the Infinite River for a long time already. He wondered about the outcome of the fight between Humans and the Black Ink Clan. After some calculations, he realised that the ninth Grand Dao evolution would take place soon.
Once that happened, the Universe Furnace would close.
[It’s time to leave.]
Certainly, he felt that it was a shame. If he had known beforehand, he would’ve immediately explored the Infinite River the moment he entered the Universe Furnace; however, if he had done so, he wouldn’t have acquired a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Trade-offs could not be avoided.
And so, Yang Kai led Thunder Shadow to dash upwards and soon left the Infinite River.
As he scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense though, he was startled.
Thunder Shadow hurriedly said, “There are calls for help everywhere! It seems that they’ve come across formidable enemies!”
Thunder Shadow had a Communication Bead that was used to contact others. He always brought it with him so that he could send or receive information at any moment. Nevertheless, Humans’ communication method was inferior to those of the Black Ink Clan. Since he could receive a message that asked for assistance, it showed that the other party wasn’t far away.
“I’ll ask them where they are,” Thunder Shadow said.
“There’s no need for that,” the moment Yang Kai finished speaking, he charged forward in a particular direction, for he could already feel the fallout of battle.
A moment later, his expression turned solemn.
Although he had detected the fluctuations, he couldn’t feel them clearly. As he moved closer though, he had a feeling that the fights were unusual.
The battle was intense, and the auras were chaotic; moreover, there were a lot of people on both sides, including Royal Lords and Ninth-Order Masters!
[Is this the final battle?]
Yang Kai had never expected that the situation outside had become so violent after he dove into the Infinite River.
Unbeknownst to him, his snatching of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was what set off this final conflict.
After successfully stealing the pill, Yang Kai brought Thunder Shadow with him and snuck into the Infinite River. The Black Ink Clan certainly wouldn’t give up searching for him, so they summoned more people over. On the other hand, Humans had to deal with the increasing number of enemies; as such, more and more people on both sides gathered together.
When the Chaos Spirit King joined in, everything flew out of control.
If the Chaos Spirit King was the only issue, even though the Humans would still be at a disadvantage, they could have still persevered. After all, Yang Xue, a new Ninth-Order Master, appeared out of the blue and seriously injured Xiao You.
Nevertheless, when a new Royal Lord joined the battle, the Humans fell into a perilous situation again.
Mo Na Ye had arrived and joined his fellow Black Ink Clansmen!
That was what Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow saw when they reached the edge of the battlefield.
Ou Yang Lie was battling against Xiao You and two groups of Territory Lords who had formed Four Symbols Formations. Xiao You had been wounded by Yang Xue, so he was no longer a match for Ou Yang Lie on his own. Left with no choice, he summoned eight Territory Lords, who then formed two Battle Formations and joined forces with him. There were more Masters from the Black Ink Clan than the Human Race to begin with, so eight of them joining Xiao You wouldn’t change the overall situation.
Only then could they contend with Ou Yang Lie and even gain the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Yang Xue was fighting with the Chaos Spirit King on her own. As World Force and Chaotic Force clashed, the situation was truly intense. Yang Xue was at a disadvantage, but she did her best to keep the Chaos Spirit King at bay.
Yang Xiao and five Eighth-Order Masters had formed a Six Paths Formation and were fighting with Mo Na Ye with the help of the Flowing Time Temple, but they seemed to be in a difficult situation.
Other Humans surrounded a particular place and fended off the Black Ink Clan’s attacks from all directions.
Yang Kai could also sense the fluctuations of a Human Race Master achieving a breakthrough in that direction, and he found the aura familiar.
[Xiang Shan! He’s attempting a breakthrough!]
Only then did Yang Kai realise why the Humans refused to retreat despite being at a disadvantage. They had to protect Xiang Shan, who was lucky enough to have acquired a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Yang Kai initially wanted to give Xian Shan the Spirit Pill he had found, but now it seemed that it was no longer necessary.
It was wonderful that Xiang Shan had his own opportunity, but it was terrible that he attracted the Black Ink Clan’s attention at the most critical moment of his ascension.
Some of the things Yang Kai saw on the battlefield also surprised him.
First of all, he hadn’t seen Yang Xue for many years; as such, he was surprised to learn that his Little Sister was now a Ninth-Order Master. As her Big Brother, he was still at the peak of the Eighth-Order, so while he was gratified, he was also a bit embarrassed.
As he thought about it, he had done a terrible job as a Son and as a Big Brother.
Yang Xue was born because Yang Kai loved venturing into the outside world, so he couldn’t keep his parents company most of the time. Furthermore, they usually wouldn’t get any news on him for many years. Worried that they might learn about their Son’s death one day, they decided to give birth to another child, for they knew that they couldn’t rely on their Son.
That was the reason Yang Xue was born.
However, as her Big Brother, Yang Kai had rarely taken up any responsibility for her. He didn’t keep her company when she was growing up, nor did he teach her how to cultivate when she was young. Even when she and Yang Xiao ventured into the outside world, he had never given her much protection.
Now, just like him, Yang Xue had to join the war to kill the Black Ink Clan, leaving their parents back in High Heaven Palace, waiting for their return.
It was an awful fate for all of them.
Apart from Yang Xue, Yang Kai was also surprised by Mo Na Ye.
That guy was battling against Yang Xiao with his Six Paths Formation on the battlefield, and he had gained the upper hand.
One had to know that Yang Xiao had the Flowing Time Temple’s assistance on top of forming the Six Paths Formation with him as the Core. How was it possible that Mo Na Ye was a match for them?
Mo Na Ye was just a Pseudo-Royal Lord, and he couldn’t have possibly recovered from his near-death situation in such a short amount of time. In the folded Space, Yang Kai all but killed him, so under normal circumstances, a Five Elements Formation should have been more than enough to restrain Mo Na Ye.
As Yang Kai observed them for a while longer though, he became shocked. Mo Na Ye wasn’t as badly injured as Yang Kai thought, and he was no longer a Pseudo-Royal Lord. The power he was using showed that he was a true Royal Lord now!
[Did that bastard obtain a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill?]
Yang Kai was naturally displeased. It was true that good people would usually die young while a scourge would live a long life. It was a shame that he hadn’t managed to kill Mo Na Ye in the Universe Furnace’s folded Space back then.
Nevertheless, at that time, Yang Kai didn’t expect that his actions would trigger the Universe Furnace’s self-defence mechanism, sucking him into the Universe Furnace World and allowing Mo Na Ye to survive.
Presently, Thunder Shadow still crouched on Yang Kai’s shoulder, using his Innate Divine Ability to conceal both of their auras. While looking in a particular direction then, he sent Yang Kai a Divine Sense transmission, “Second Brother is over there.”
He was naturally aware of Fang Tian Ci’s existence; after all, they had come across each other on several occasions while fighting the Black Ink Clan in the various Great Territory Battlefields; however, it wasn’t until he heard the conversation between Yang Kai and Ou Yang Lie that he realised Fang Tian Ci was Yang Kai’s Human Self.
Yang Kai nodded, for he saw Fang Tian Ci as well.
Presently, Fang Tian Ci was part of Yang Xiao’s Six Paths Formation. It was thanks to their close collaboration that they managed to oppose a Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye for so long.
It wasn’t that Yang Xiao didn’t want to form a Seven Stars Formation. If he could do that, it would certainly help with their situation. At the very least, they would find it easier to fight with Mo Na Ye.
Nevertheless, the Human Race had fewer people on their side as compared to the Black Ink Clan, and all of them were tangled up in fights. If they asked someone to assist them, a different part of the defence line might break.
Furthermore, it wasn’t easy to form a Seven Stars Formation. If they were not close enough and couldn’t collaborate tacitly, it would be better to stick to the Six Paths Formation than forcibly try to form the Seven Stars Formation.
At the very least, it was easier for Yang Xiao to sustain the Six Paths Formation.
In general, things were not looking optimistic for the Humans. Yang Xue and Ou Yang Lie, both Ninth-Order Masters, could still manage to deal with their own opponents; however, Yang Xiao’s team and the ones protecting Xiang Shan were in a perilous situation.
Once Yang Xiao’s group was defeated or the defence line was broken through, the Humans were bound to suffer immense losses.
At that moment, Yang Kai was glad that he didn’t spend any more time in the Infinite River.
To the Human Race, he and Thunder Shadow, who were hiding in the dark, were their best bet to turn the situation around.
Yang Kai had to look for a chance and make a move to lift some pressure off his side.
He could ignore the Chaos Spirit King, for Yang Xue was powerful enough to restrain it. Furthermore, he believed that even if he launched a sneak attack, he couldn’t possibly harm the Chaos Spirit King. If he couldn’t kill it with one strike, it would only become more agitated and aggressive.
Could he deal with the two Royal Lords, then?
Both Royal Lords were not at the peak of their powers. Ou Yang Lie’s opponent seemed to be horribly injured as his aura was unstable; however, he had joined forces with eight Territory Lords to stabilize his situation.
Mo Na Ye was wounded as well, but his injuries weren’t serious.
Yang Kai didn’t have the confidence to kill either of them; at best, he could injure them.
As such, he decided to set his sights on the weaker targets.
The Humans felt immensely pressured mainly because there were over 10 Pseudo-Royal Lords. Even if both parties were in one-on-one fights, the Human Race Masters would still feel intimidated.
Many more Pseudo-Royal Lords had entered the Universe Furnace World, but these were the only ones on the battlefield at that moment. The other Pseudo-Royal Lords were either on their way or didn’t bring Black Ink Nests with them.
As such, the key to this battle wasn’t the fights between the Royal Lords and the Ninth-Order Masters, but Xiang Shan!
As long as they could hold on until Xiang Shan achieved a breakthrough, they could turn the tides as they would have another Ninth-Order Master.
Yang Kai soon made a decision. Given his strength, he wouldn’t be able to kill a Royal Lord; however, with Thunder Shadow’s help, he could probably end a Pseudo-Royal Lord’s life.
After he sent a transmission to Thunder Shadow, they silently flew towards the battlefield.
At that moment, the Black Ink Clan were trying to break through the Human Race’s defence line, but they hadn’t managed to achieve their goal yet. As such, many of them roared furiously.
The Black Ink Clan was at an advantage as they had more people on their side. The Territory Lords could also form Four Symbols Formations, negating a large part of the Humans’ advantage. Nevertheless, the Humans also had Warships with them which allowed them to form a solid defence line around Xiang Shan.
Faced with the bombardment of attacks, the Human Race Masters only had to defend themselves. The Defensive Arrays on the Warships had been fully activated and linked with each other to form a sturdy shield.
Without breaking the Warships’ protection, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t be able to deal a decisive blow to the Humans.
That was the reason the Humans could hold on for such a long time despite having fewer people on their side.
Nevertheless, the Warships were not unbreakable. Once they were damaged, the Humans would have to directly deal with the enemies. By then, no one could tell how much longer they could persevere.
In a particular spot of the defence line, a Pseudo-Royal Lord that looked like a humanoid Ox with horns on his forehead madly released waves of Black Ink Strength, striking the light barrier in front of him, dimming it significantly.
He could feel that the defence line made from Warships in this spot was about to break apart at any moment. Once that happened, the Humans would have to directly face his wrath.
“Ants, you die today!” He growled with bloodshot eyes. Despite being at an advantage, he did not forget to weaken the Humans’ morale as well.
Regardless of whether it was useful at all, he felt much better after shouting it out. He had been in life-and-death fights with the Human Race Masters in the past many times. Before he became a Pseudo-Royal Lord, the opponents he had come across were all difficult to deal with.
This time, hundreds of Human Race Masters were unable to flee. Once the defence line was shattered, slaughter would be inevitable.
It would be a huge victory that the Black Ink Clan hadn’t enjoyed for a long time, so he was naturally quite pleased.
He could already imagine that scene in his mind.
All of a sudden, he felt his chest tightening and a chill shoot up his spine. He was engulfed in a great sense of crisis.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord was startled. Before he could figure out what was going on though, he felt an aura appear from behind, one that was so savage that he felt a sharp pain in his skin.
Someone was launching a sneak attack on him, and the person was powerful!
In an instant, the Pseudo-Royal Lord realised what was going on. Before he could ponder on who stealthily attacked him or how the person approached him without his knowledge though, Black Ink Strength around him exploded to form a protective cover and obscure his exact position.
Nonetheless, his efforts proved useless. The moment his Black Ink Strength exploded out, he felt a sharp pain in his back. A sharp object had penetrated his figure.
He hurriedly turned his head and saw a familiar-looking young man with a cold expression and a murderous gaze.
At the most critical moment, the Pseudo-Royal Lord reacted quickly enough. He leapt forward to widen the gap with his attacker and the weapon left his body, drawing a gush of blood with it. An abstruse power lingered on his wound however, making him feel uneasy.
Behind him, Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
Just as he expected, it wasn’t easy to kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord. With Thunder Shadow’s help, he managed to approach the opponent without alerting him and successfully launched a sneak attack; nevertheless, it was still impractical to try to end a Pseudo-Royal Lord’s life with only one strike.
At the end of the day, Yang Kai was still weaker than the other party.
If the opponent was a Territory Lord, even an Innate one, Yang Kai had the confidence to kill them with one move.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai retracted his spear and released the Space-Time River. The water rushed towards the Pseudo-Royal Lord and swept him up into it.
Before the Pseudo-Royal Lord could shout to warn the others, he disappeared into the river.
The turn of events shocked both the Humans and the Black Ink Clansmen. None of them could clearly see what happened, they only knew that a river appeared out of the blue, after which a Pseudo-Royal Lord vanished out of sight.
As they looked in the same direction, Thunder Shadow appeared with a figure surrounded by lightning. He then turned into a lightning ball and growled before biting a Territory Lord.
The Territory Lord was only an Acquired one and was bitten by Thunder Shadow while he had his guard down. As lightning struck, the Territory Lord trembled uncontrollably, and all his Black Ink Strength dissipated.
Thunder Shadow exerted more force with his mouth and split the Territory Lord’s body in half. With a contemptuous gaze, it spat out the body and roared, “What are you looking at? I’ll bite you to death!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared. When he reappeared, he was already in front of another Territory Lord. Opening his hideous mouth, he sank his teeth into the opponent.
Thunder Shadow was powerful to begin with. When Yang Kai bumped into him back then, Thunder Shadow was already able to hold off several Territory Lords on his own; then, in the depths of the Infinite River, he devoured a lot of compatible Dao Strength, to the point he became stuffed. Now, he was 30% stronger than in the past.
Naturally, no Acquired Territory Lord was a match for him anymore. In just several breaths of time, two Territory Lords had lost their lives.
No one could find Thunder Shadow when he was hiding, and when he struck, he did so ferociously, making it difficult for his opponents to respond or defend themselves.
While the Black Ink Clan was reeling from the shock, the Humans were ecstatic. They realised that strong reinforcements had arrived.
Apart from Thunder Shadow, who had made a name for himself on the various Great Territory Battlefields, the Human, who had appeared momentarily, wasn’t weak either; otherwise, they wouldn’t have targeted a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
Several Human Race Masters recognised the signature Space-Time River. People like Zhan Tian He, Xiong Ji, and Liu Fei Fei had witnessed Yang Kai using the river before, so they knew he had arrived.
There was no doubt that the person who launched a sneak attack on the Pseudo-Royal Lord and dragged him into the Space-Time River was Yang Kai. They had been doubtful about why Yang Kai, who had caused all this chaos, was nowhere to be seen while the Humans were locked in an intense fight with the Black Ink Clan.
Only now did they finally relax slightly.
Although Yang Kai had only brought a leopard with him, his presence alone gave them massive confidence.
On the battlefield, Thunder Shadow wandered around the Space-Time River and killed several Territory Lords. Just then, a Pseudo-Royal Lord came over and sent out a punch. Thunder Shadow was sent flying away while coughing up blood. Just as the Pseudo-Royal Lord was preparing to end his life though, the leopard disappeared into the void again.
Thunder Shadow’s goal was clear, he only had to target the Territory Lords to keep them at bay. Even Yang Kai couldn’t easily kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord, let alone his Monster Self. If he forced himself to contend with a Pseudo-Royal Lord, Thunder Shadow would be courting death.
Given his Innate Divine Ability and powerful combat skills though, it was easy enough for Thunder Shadow to kill some Acquired Territory Lords, which was what Yang Kai asked him to do.
They had to lift some pressure off the Humans guarding this position.
However, Thunder Shadow soon realised there was nothing much he could do on his own. There were quite a number of Pseudo-Royal Lords; moreover, after suffering some setbacks, the Territory Lords quickly formed Battle Formations, ensuring that Thunder Shadow couldn’t easily kill them.
As numerous Black Ink Clansmen scanned the surroundings, even Thunder Shadow could hardly conceal his figure using his Innate Divine Ability. The Pseudo-Royal Lords discovered his whereabouts and struck several times, causing the lightning around him to dim.
With a pair of amber eyes, Thunder Shadow glanced over at the Space-Time River, which was undulating violently and charged forward. At the same time, it exclaimed, “Save me, Big Brother!”
Several Pseudo-Royal Lords relentlessly raced after him while many rained their attacks on the Space-Time River. Regardless of what technique it was or who activated it, since their opponent was there, they just had to attack.
The Space-Time River shook violently because of external pressure as well as the internal fight.
Right after Yang Kai summoned the Space-Time River and swept the Ox Pseudo-Royal Lord into it, he too dove in. He was so swift that hardly anyone could see him clearly.
Inside the Space-Time River, Yang Kai naturally held the advantage. Although he couldn’t control everything like he did in his Small Universe, he was in a favourable position in the river.
Presently, the Space-Time River was filled with many more Dao Strengths, which formed countless undercurrents and enacted all sorts of wonders. Yin and Yang, Five Elements, 10,000 Grand Daos, Chaos. The entire evolutionary process took place repeatedly, completely confusing the opponent’s senses.
While hiding in the river, Yang Kai waited for a chance to flare up and kill the enemy.
Just as Thunder Shadow called for help, everyone could clearly feel that a powerful aura suddenly vanished inside the raging river.
The next instant, waves spread out as a figure shot out with a corpse with no Black Ink Strength left in his hand.
All the Black Ink Clansmen were flabbergasted. A Pseudo-Royal Lord was killed in such a short time!
Although there were quite a number of Pseudo-Royal Lords present, none of them had lost their lives despite fighting with the Humans for such a long time. Now, one of them had been killed just like that.
Meanwhile, a young man stood above the river with a dispassionate expression before tossing the corpse away as though it was common trash.
“Yang Kai!” A Black Ink Clansman exclaimed, for he finally made out Yang Kai’s face and realised his identity.
On the other hand, a solemn Mo Na Ye, who had been suppressing Yang Xiao, roared, “Yang Kai!”
After entering the Universe Furnace World, he acquired an opportunity to become a Royal Lord and even healed most of his injuries.
He initially thought that if he came across Yang Kai again, he would have a chance to kill him once and for all.
Now, it seemed that while he gained an opportunity, it wasn’t like Yang Kai acquired nothing. Yang Kai had become significantly more powerful than when they parted ways previously.
The strange river was obviously a new technique he had created, one Mo Na Ye had never seen or heard of before.
More importantly, he was concerned about the fact that Yang Kai was now able to pose a serious threat to the Pseudo-Royal Lords.
Although Yang Kai had killed Di Wu before, that was the result of many coincidences and specific circumstances. It wasn’t a reflection of his true power.
Mo Na Ye was deeply astonished. Yang Kai was already at the peak of the Eighth Order, so his power supposedly shouldn’t improve any further in his lifetime. Nevertheless, contrary to common knowledge, Yang Kai’s strength had increased tremendously. Such a person posed a huge threat to the Black Ink Clan, so he had to be killed as soon as possible!
Secretly, Mo Na Ye was glad that Yang Kai wasn’t so capable yet when he dealt with him previously; otherwise, he might’ve ended up in a miserable state, since he was only a Pseudo-Royal Lord at that time.
Unlike how heavy-hearted Mo Na Ye was, Ou Yang Lie was elated as he cheered, “You finally showed up, you stinking brat!”
He initially thought that Yang Kai had lost his life since the latter had not appeared even after all this time. Now, it seemed that he shouldn’t have worried about him, for Yang Kai was still alive and kicking. The moment he appeared, he even managed to end a Pseudo-Royal Lord’s life, which boosted the Humans’ morale greatly.
“Big Brother!” Yang Xue called out as well.
Yang Kai turned to look at her and put on a smile, “Focus on dealing with your opponent!”
An obedient Yang Xue replied, “Yes!”
Then, Yang Kai turned his head back and gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Although he held an advantageous position with the Space-Time River’s help, he had to pay a certain price to kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord in such a short time.
Nevertheless, it was worth it.
“Kill him!” Mo Na Ye roared. Nothing good ever happened when Yang Kai was around, and this time was no exception. Yang Kai was undoubtedly a huge threat. Although the Black Ink Clan was currently at an advantage, Yang Kai might be able to turn things around in some crazy way.
If possible, Mo Na Ye would love to end Yang Kai’s life with his own hands; however, he was unable to shake off Yang Xiao and the others, who were now relentlessly pushing back against him.
Certainly, the Black Ink Clansmen didn’t have the guts to disobey Mo Na Ye’s order. Several Pseudo-Royal Lords rushed towards Yang Kai from different directions, locking their auras onto him before they even arrived.
The Pseudo-Royal Lords had learned their lesson, so they wouldn’t dare underestimate Yang Kai. After they communicated with each other using their Divine Senses, they decided to use their most powerful moves all together.
Yang Kai snorted and called out to Thunder Shadow before retracting the Space-Time River. The next instant, Thunder Shadow activated his Innate Divine Ability, after which both of them disappeared.
“There!” A Pseudo-Royal Lord growled while looking in a particular direction. He then pushed out a fist.
In that direction, a battered Thunder Shadow reappeared, “Why did you hit me? Big Brother isn’t with me!” He yelled while spitting blood, which made him look quite embarrassed.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord, who had struck Thunder Shadow, was startled, but in the next moment, he heard the sound of rushing water.
He immediately turned his head and widened his eyes in disbelief.
Yang Kai was already in a different spot as the river appeared abruptly before retracting.
Like a gale gusting through leaves, over 10 Territory Lords were swept into the river this time.
The next moment, Yang Kai took the river and ran away. While all the Black Ink Clan Masters shifted their attention to Yang Kai, Thunder Shadow activated his Innate Divine Ability and fled.
Mo Na Ye’s expression changed drastically. Seeing that several Pseudo-Royal Lords were now in a daze, he furiously roared, “Go after them!”
Regardless of what kind of technique that river was, after a Pseudo-Royal Lord fell into it, he died just a few breaths later. It was obvious that those Territory Lords were doomed.
It was only then that the Pseudo-Royal Lords came to their senses and raced after them. Nevertheless, how could they possibly capture or even catch up to Yang Kai? His figure flickered several times before he soon got rid of them.
Mo Na Ye’s expression changed again as he ordered, “Come back!”
The Pseudo-Royal Lords stopped in their tracks and returned at once. They looked grumpily at Mo Na Ye, who told them to chase after Yang Kai but then summoned them back the next moment. [What the Hell does he want?]
Mo Na Ye ignored those Pseudo-Royal Lords while feeling vexed.
[The same thing happens every time!]
Whenever he had to deal with Yang Kai, despite being more powerful, he would always lose his temper. That was because Yang Kai could flee swiftly if he was no match for the other party. That was the reason Mo Na Ye had been putting up with him for such a long time.
This time, he could no longer tolerate it or retreat.
“Yang Kai!” He growled as his attacks intensified. Those in the Six Paths Formation, which was led by Yang Xiao, felt immensely pressured in an instant. Still, they gritted their teeth and persevered.
They were initially able to go against Mo Na Ye with six Eighth-Order Masters joining forces; moreover, they had the Flowing Time Temple’s help. However, at this moment, they found it hard to hold on any longer.
It was indeed hard to deal with an enraged Royal Lord.
Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had spent a lot of Military Merits to modify and upgrade the Flowing Time Temple, so it was now just as powerful as Dawning Light back then. Although the temple’s defences had been fully activated, it still shook violently and some cracks began to form.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiao was equally furious. Mo Na Ye had been cursing at Yang Kai but raining the attacks on his Adoptive Son instead, which was outrageous.
Was the Adoptive Son supposed to bear the brunt for his Adoptive Father?
“Stop calling out to me! Do you think I’m your Father or something?”
Yang Kai’s voice was heard all of a sudden. In the meantime, ripples formed in the Void as the man returned with the flowing river in his grip.
Right in front of everyone’s eyes, he shook the river and cast away more than 10 figures. As they looked in that direction, they were shocked.
Those figures were the Territory Lords that had been swept into the river earlier; however, in just several breaths of time, they had lost all vitality. They were still alive and kicking just moments ago.
The problem was, there were no wounds on their bodies, and they appeared oddly at ease. It was as though their lives were snatched from them while they were asleep.
The scene terrified the Black Ink Clan.
Since Yang Kai was able to kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord with his strange river, there was no doubt that the Territory Lords that were drawn into it were doomed. What horrified them though was that they had no idea how those Territory Lords were killed.
It was only natural that people feared the unknown. Yang Kai was able to slaughter those Territory Lords without much effort, which was why they were fearful.
The moment Yang Kai reappeared, the Pseudo-Royal Lords made a move as their powerful Secret Techniques swept across the void.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered as Space Principles undulated. Although he was struck several times, he still managed to break the siege and flee from the attacking Pseudo-Royal Lords. While spitting blood, he charged forward in a particular direction.
In that direction, more than 10 Territory Lords, who had formed different Battle Formations, felt deeply distressed. It was apparent to them what Yang Kai was up to.
They had just witnessed their clansmen’s deaths, and their corpses were still warm. They certainly wouldn’t want to die along with them.
Seeing that Yang Kai was about to reach them, these Territory Lords hurriedly tried to run away. Just then, Thunder Shadow, who had gone into hiding amidst the chaos earlier, reappeared abruptly with a figure surrounded by lightning. With him as the centre, a gigantic lighting ball exploded and formed a giant web. In an instant, the Territory Lords stiffened.
At the same time, the Human Race Masters in that direction cast their Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques at those Territory Lords.
The Humans were in a passive position a while ago because they had to form a defence perimeter to protect Xiang Shan. As such, they were unable to move around. Faced with the bombardment of attacks, they could only focus on defending themselves. Fortunately, with the Warships’ protection, they managed to hold on.
Now that there was a chance to make a move, they certainly wouldn’t hesitate to do so.
The moves from Thunder Shadow and the Human Race Masters ensured that the Territory Lords were unable to run away, and the instant Yang Kai arrived, he swept those Territory Lords into the river.
A heartbroken Mo Na Ye roared, “Yang Kai, you dare?!”
Across from him, Yang Xiao and the others in the Six Paths Formation were in a perilous situation as they felt even greater pressure from their opponent.
Yang Xiao secretly lamented, thinking that he was there to bear Mo Na Ye’s wrath in his Adoptive Father’s stead.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai, who had captured over ten Territory Lords, ran away with the Space-Time River. While spitting blood, he announced, “I’ll be back!”
*Hong long long!*
The Pseudo-Royal Lords fully activated their powers and struck in the direction where Yang Kai was fleeing; however, his figure kept flickering and disappeared soon after.
Mo Na Ye’s face was gloomy as he thought that Yang Kai was indeed a huge threat to them. Whenever Yang Kai appeared, the Black Ink Clan would suffer immense losses. This time, apart from over 20 Territory Lords, even a Pseudo-Royal Lord had been killed.
Moreover, since it took several Pseudo-Royal Lords to even partially restrain Yang Kai, a great deal of pressure had been lifted off the Humans’ defence line. Initially, the Humans were in a passive position, but they were now able to fight back. In some places, they had even gained the upper hand as the Territory Lords were forced to step back.
Seeing this, Mo Na Ye knew that they couldn’t allow Yang Kai to dictate the flow of the battle any longer; otherwise, they would just be led around by the nose.
He had dealt with Yang Kai several times, so he understood the latter very well. Based on past experiences, once Yang Kai managed to influence the war enough, the Black Ink Clan was doomed to fail.
After making up his mind, Mo Na Ye barked, “Focus on breaking their defence line and killing Xiang Shan!”
The Pseudo-Royal Lords immediately turned around and charged towards Xiang Shan. That was what they had been doing before Yang Kai disrupted them, and with the help of these Pseudo-Royal Lords, the Black Ink Clan once again seized the initiative. Although more than 20 Territory Lords had been killed, the overall situation hadn’t changed. They were still at an advantage.
It had to be said that Mo Na Ye was a brilliant strategist and tactician. He didn’t lose his composure because of Yang Kai’s intervention and understood that the key to this battle was whether Xiang Shan would successfully break through or not.
As long as the Black Ink Clan could stop that from happening, the Humans would lose the chance of having a new Ninth-Order Master, and victory would belong to the Black Ink Clan.
They had a great chance of achieving their goal as well as it wasn’t like the Humans could persevere forever. Once Mo Na Ye shattered the Six Paths Formation in front of him, he could provide even more assistance to the siege. By then, Xiang Shan would be doomed.
If not for Yang Kai, the Black Ink Clan would’ve been in control of everything the entire time.
Despite Yang Kai’s appearance, as long as the Black Ink Clan could stick to their plan, the Humans wouldn’t be able to turn things around. The best they could do was to stall for time.
Seeing how intense the battle was, Yang Kai had a solemn expression. Corpses of the Territory Lords in perfect condition dropped out of the Space-Time River again.
Given enough time, he could’ve continued to harass the Black Ink Clan, slaughtering the Territory Lords to weaken their collective power.
Nevertheless, as he observed the battlefield, he knew that time was running out.
It wasn’t that something had happened to the defence line surrounding Xiang Shan. Before his arrival, even though the Humans were at a disadvantage as they had fewer people on their side, they were able to resist the bombardment of attacks from the enemies. Since more than 20 Territory Lords had been killed, they felt less pressured.
The problem was with Yang Xiao and his Six Paths Formation; after all, they were dealing with a true Royal Lord. Despite having the Flowing Time Temple’s help, they were still no match for Mo Na Ye. It was already commendable that that had held on until now.
At that moment, the Flowing Time Temple was about to collapse. While Yang Xiao was pale, some people around him spat blood and their auras plunged.
These six Eighth-Order Masters were a complete entity. If one of them collapsed, the entire Battle Formation would come apart. When that happened, Mo Na Ye would be able to kill all of them.
Mo Na Ye could tell that they were on their last legs, so he bombarded them with attacks that were as violent as a storm. At the same time, he growled through clenched teeth, “Yang Kai, I heard that he’s your Adoptive Son! Are you going to just watch as I kill him!?”
They had been contending with each other for years, but even if he couldn’t kill Yang Kai, he had the confidence to slaughter his Adoptive Son.
In the void, Yang Kai arched his brow.
[Is he trying to provoke me? What is he trying to achieve? What’s the point of him provoking me at this point? Is he worried that I’ll target those Territory Lords instead? Is that why he’s forcing me to confront him to pin me down? It’s possible…]
However, Yang Kai knew that he mustn’t underestimate Mo Na Ye, who was not only very patient, but cunning. Over the years, he dealt with Yang Kai directly a few times, so it was obvious he was up to something by trying to provoke him under these circumstances.
Regardless of what his intention was, Yang Kai had no choice but to help.
Yang Xiao and his Six Paths Formation were on their last legs. As Mo Na Ye rained attacks down on them. The Battle Formation would fall apart at any moment.
As Yang Kai guffawed, he stepped forward and bellowed, “You only know how to bully a child? Why not ask his Father first!”
Yang Xiao rolled his eyes when he heard that. He was an Ancient Dragon who was several thousand years old, after all. How could his Adoptive Father call him a child?
As Yang Kai brushed past the defence line, he released and retracted the Space-Time River like it was a whip, after which several Territory Lords were swept into it.
In an instant, currents surged in the river as 10,000 Grand Daos were stimulated. When Yang Kai arrived at the battlefield, the corpses of those Territory Lords fell out of the river with no vitality left.
He then stepped into the Six Paths Formation, which was led by Yang Xiao, and infused his aura into it.
Instantly, the Six Paths Formation became the Seven Stars Formation. However, Yang Xiao’s face blanched as he roared.
As the Core of the Formation, he had to harmonise the powers coming from all directions, so he felt immensely pressured. Since he was an Ancient Dragon with a figure of over 90,000 metres long, he was better able to bear such pressure, but he had never formed a Seven Stars Formation with others before, so he found it difficult to harmonise everyone’s power at that moment. When he led the Six Paths Formation just now, the Battle Formation could still run smoothly; however, the instant Yang Kai joined them, the Battle Formation started shaking violently, as though it would come apart at any moment.
That was the reason the Human Race Masters found it hard to form stronger Battle Formations. When it came to Battle Formations, more people was not always better. Just like shoes, one had to choose ones that fit.
The Eighth-Order Masters that could form a Seven Stars or Eight Trigrams Formation were those who spent millennia fighting together, so they understood each other extremely well. They also had to rehearse the Battle Formation countless times so that they could achieve the desired result when dealing with enemies.
On top of all that, it was dangerous for Yang Kai to barge into a Battle Formation that was already running to begin with. If something went wrong, instead of forming a higher Battle Formation, he would make the original one break apart.
Once the Battle Formation fell apart while they were dealing with a formidable opponent, they would be doomed; however, Yang Kai had no choice but to take a huge risk.
The Battle Formation trembled as Mo Na Ye’s attacks never ceased. The seven of them were forced to step back. One of the members was badly injured. His aura plunged as he spat blood.
Helpless, Yang Kai activated the Space-Time River to surround them and ward off Mo Na Ye’s attacks, which helped lift some pressure off them.
Nevertheless, even the Space-Time River, which was based on the Dao Strengths of Space-Time and infused with 10,000 Grand Daos, couldn’t fend off a Royal Lord for long.
Faced with the violent attacks, the river was immediately sent into turmoil, which caused Yang Kai’s vitality to undulate.
“Rotate the Core!” He growled through clenched teeth. While sustaining his aura, he stepped towards Yang Xiao, who moved away at the same time.
Although they had never practised forming a Battle Formation before, nor were they really related by blood, Yang Xiao blindly believed in Yang Kai. That was because it was thanks to Yang Kai that Yang Xiao was born safely into this world back then.
The two figures replaced each other in the blink of an eye. Yang Kai became the Core of the Formation while Yang Xiao stood in his Adoptive Father’s previous position. As streams of aura came from all directions, Yang Kai quickly made some adjustments.
The initially turbulent Battle Formation soon stabilised. At the same time, their auras rose rapidly like the Sun at the break of dawn and reached new heights.
There was a price to pay, though. The Space-Time River was almost destroyed by Mo Na Ye. The moment they were done with the change of Formation, Yang Kai quickly took control of the Space-Time River, turned it into a whip, and lashed Mo Na Ye with it.
The Dao Strengths shook as Mo Na Ye staggered upon impact. He was flabbergasted because Yang Kai’s power had increased significantly.
Before the Universe Furnace’s appearance, he was hunting Yang Kai down as a Pseudo-Royal Lord at that time. Yang Kai was powerless to counterattack and could only flee in embarrassment. At the most critical moment, the Universe Furnace appeared all of a sudden and the Space surrounding its projection became something like a trap, which provided shelter for Yang Kai. If not for the Universe Furnace’s appearance, Yang Kai would have been killed.
Now, the Battle Formation that had been formed with Yang Kai as the Core seemed able to go against a true Royal Lord like him.
There was no doubt that the Battle Formation was powerful, but it also showed how formidable Yang Kai was.
It was at that moment that Mo Na Ye knew he had made the right decision. Xiang Shan becoming a Ninth-Order Master was indeed a crisis, but Yang Kai would be a bigger threat to them if he wasn’t killed.
Mo Na Ye believed that he could kill two birds with one stone this time.
With Yang Kai as the Core of the Formation, the Human Race Masters successfully formed the Seven Stars Formation, which was significantly more powerful than the previous Six Paths Formation. Even when dealing with a Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye, they were no longer in a difficult situation.
The fight between them was so intense that space around them heaved and shattered.
Yang Xiao hurriedly stowed the tattered Flowing Time Temple. He and Yang Xue had inherited the artifact from Flowing Time Great Emperor, and it had accompanied them for thousands of years. He had no choice but to use it to deal with the opponent earlier. If it was destroyed, he would be quite heartbroken.
Now, he didn’t have to worry about the Flowing Time Temple being destroyed. He just had to collaborate with Yang Kai. It was much easier than when he had to lead the entire Formation earlier.
While engaging in a hot-blooded fight, Yang Kai frowned.
This wasn’t enough. Although they had formed the Seven Stars Formation with him as the Core, they still found it hard to oppose Mo Na Ye. The crux of the problem wasn’t the Seven Stars Formation, but rather that all of them had suffered various degrees of injury already.
In particular, one of the Eighth-Order Masters was badly injured and his aura was unstable. The power coming from him was much weaker than those of the others. That was the reason the Seven Stars Formation’s power couldn’t be fully activated.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai sent a voice transmission to the Eighth-Order Master.
Upon hearing that, the Eighth-Order Master nodded, “Please be careful.”
Saying so, he immediately left the Battle Formation. The others were shocked as someone leaving at this point might cause the Battle Formation to fall apart.
Nevertheless, the next moment, someone filled in the position where the Eighth-Order Master previously stood. After a moment of turmoil, the Battle Formation stabilised.
The person was none other than Thunder Shadow.
He had been hiding somewhere nearby and waiting for a chance to make a move, but he had yet to find an opening. After receiving a Divine Sense transmission from Yang Kai, he promptly replaced the injured Eighth-Order Master and ensured that the Seven Stars Formation wouldn’t break apart.
While busy, he flashed a smile at Fang Tian Ci and called out intimately, “Second Brother!”
Fang Tian Ci responded with a smile.
On the other hand, Yang Xiao was astonished, “You’re Brothers? No way. Brother Thunder Shadow is a Monster Race member while Old Fang is a Human. When did you two become family? Why didn’t I know that?”
Furthermore, as far as he was concerned, Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow had rarely come into contact before; after all, Thunder Shadow only started getting active in different Great Territory Battlefields 1,000 years ago. Prior to that, he spent most of his time cultivating in the Myriad Monsters World.
He was a Great Emperor of the Myriad Monsters World where there was a World Tree clone. By cultivating there, Thunder Shadow could increase his power much faster.
As such, Yang Xiao was puzzled as to why they called each other Brothers when they were supposedly not close.
Fang Tian Ci replied meaningfully, “There are many things that you don’t know.”
Yang Xiao felt that there was some underlying meaning in those words, but it wasn’t the right time to probe; therefore, he could only suppress his doubt and focus on dealing with the opponent before them.
It had to be said that with Thunder Shadow joining the Formation, the Seven Stars Formation instantly became more powerful, and they were able to run the Battle Formation far more smoothly.
Despite that, they were still not at an advantage when going against Mo Na Ye.
Yang Xiao was astounded at that, for he didn’t expect a Royal Lord to be so mighty. He initially thought that with his Adoptive Father leading the Battle Formation, it would be easy for them to push Mo Na Ye back, but now it seemed that he had misjudged the situation.
He reckoned that Mo Na Ye didn’t go all out earlier; otherwise, even though they had the Flowing Time Temple’s help, the enemy could’ve easily destroyed him and the Six Paths Formation.
Yang Xiao wasn’t the only one who realised this problem. It seemed to Yang Kai that Mo Na Ye was getting stronger as the battle progressed. Although Thunder Shadow had replaced the wounded Eighth-Order Master, they still couldn’t gain the upper hand.
[Something is off about this guy. Since he’s so powerful, why didn’t he kill Yang Xiao and the others quickly earlier? Was he worried that he’d be injured?]
That was an understandable thought, as it was quite troublesome once a Black Ink Clansman was injured. If Mo Na Ye pushed Yang Xiao and the others over the edge, he might have been seriously wounded if they decided to throw all caution to the wind.
Could it be that he had other considerations?
Regardless of his intention, Mo Na Ye displayed a strong sense of fortitude that Yang Kai had never seen in other Black Ink Clansmen before.
As they exchanged moves, their Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques bloomed. It was undoubtedly a life-and-death battle.
Yang Kai grew apprehensive as time passed. He had the confidence to persevere; after all, he was used to this kind of combat. Yang Xiao, as a Dragon Clan member, would be fine too. As a Monster Race member, Thunder Shadow could hold on as well. Nevertheless, the other Eighth-Order Masters wouldn’t be able to last long, not even his Human Self, Fang Tian Ci.
They were injured to begin with, so if the intense battle dragged on, their wounds would only exacerbate.
Therefore, they had to deal with Mo Na Ye quickly. It was extremely difficult to kill him, for he was a Royal Lord; as such, they could only try to injure him and force him to retreat.
After making up his mind, Yang Kai shouted, “Blood Crow!”
In the defence line surrounding Xiang Shan, a figure looked up in Yang Kai’s direction with bloodshot eyes. His body was covered with a red aura, and he gave off a mad and bloodthirsty vibe.
It was none other than Blood Crow!
With a smug expression, he grinned, “Have you finally realised how important I am?”
Yang Kai replied solemnly, “Cut the crap and come over here!”
“Fine, fine…” Blood Crow shrugged and exploded the next moment. He turned into countless blood-coloured crows and brushed past the Black Ink Clansmen.
Mo Na Ye’s expression changed drastically when saw this and yelled, “Stop him!”
Without the need for him to give an order, the Black Ink Clansmen made a move the moment Blood Crow tried to break through the siege.
Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques were cast, after which half of the blood-coloured crows were killed. The remaining half successfully fled before they came together and transformed back into Blood Crow.
He smiled contemptuously, “Do you think you can stop me?”
The next instant, he charged towards Yang Kai.
Mo Na Ye directly pushed out a palm at Blood Crow, one that seemed to cover the entire void. Since he had realised Yang Kai’s intention, he certainly wouldn’t allow Blood Crow to come over.
“In your dreams!” Yang Kai roared and surged his power before whipping Mo Na Ye’s wrist with the Space-Time River.
As both parties clashed, the Seven Stars Formation shook while Mo Na Ye staggered.
Seizing the chance, Blood Crow approached Yang Kai and announced, “Dawn’s Blood Crow joins the Formation!”
“Come!” Yang Kai adjusted the Battle Formation as he led Blood Crow’s aura to integrate.
The Seven Stars Formation instantly became the Eight Trigrams Formation and their collective power had increased by more than 30%!
On the other hand, Mo Na Ye was shocked as he saw them really form the Eight Trigrams Formation.
Although he had heard that some Human Race Masters were able to form the Eight Trigrams Formation, he had never seen it before; moreover, the Eight Trigrams Formation had only appeared once, and it lasted for a short time. That was because this kind of Battle Formation was extremely taxing for the one acting as the Core.
Moreover, the last time this Formation took shape, the Eighth-Order Master who served as the Core perished.
However, the Black Ink Clan also paid a hefty price as a Pseudo-Royal Lord was killed.
It was at that time that the Eight Trigrams Formation amazed everyone, and no one had yet to make it happen again.
When Yang Kai summoned Blood Crow to come over, Mo Na Ye already suspected that the other party wanted to set up this Battle Formation. After the Black Ink Clan failed in their attempt to stop Blood Crow, Mo Na Ye still hadn’t lost hope though.
It was extremely difficult to establish the Eight Trigrams Formation, and even Yang Kai might not be able to create this miracle.
After all, Yang Kai had been on his own over the years, and he had never rehearsed any Battle Formations with other people. How was it possible that they could form such a Formation at a moment’s notice?
In fact, Mo Na Ye was already surprised that Yang Kai was able to run a Seven Stars Formation with ease.
But now, the Eight Trigrams Formation was right before his eyes. Those eight figures had their aura closely connected and they appeared even more intimidating than a Royal Lord like him.
At that instant, Mo Na Ye knew that he was in trouble.
Mo Na Ye couldn’t figure out how Yang Kai managed to form an Eight Trigrams Formation without much difficulty.
Before Yang Kai summoned Blood Crow, Mo Na Ye was in control of everything, including besieging Xiang Shan and suppressing Yang Xiao and the others in front of him; however, once the Eight Trigrams Formation took shape, he lost control of the situation.
[This guy can always do things that surprise us…]
The Seven Stars Formation that they had formed with Yang Kai as the Core was already able to go against him. Now that the Eight Trigrams Formation had been established, they appeared even more intimidating. How was Mo Na Ye supposed to be a match for them?
He almost couldn’t contain the urge to use the trump card.
Xiao You was the one who set up the trump card, in fact. It was meant to be used at the most critical moment to ensure that they would win this battle and was the reason Mo Na Ye was confident about destroying Xiang Shan and Yang Kai at the same time.
Nevertheless, if he used his trump card now, he certainly could stop Xiang Shan, but Yang Kai would likely escape. In that case, all the waiting and forbearance would be for nought.
If he only wanted to kill Xiang Shan, he could’ve used his trump card early on. He had been tangled up with the Humans because he was waiting for Yang Kai to appear as he was certain that the latter would come.
Just as he expected, Yang Kai arrived, although slightly late, but everything was still going to plan.
Compared to Xiang Shan, Mo Na Ye had a greater desire to kill Yang Kai. He had a feeling that if he allowed Yang Kai to live, he would prove to be a bigger threat than Xiang Shan becoming a Ninth-Order Master.
Everything was within his control before the Eight Trigrams Formation came into existence, which disrupted his arrangements.
After a moment of hesitation, Mo Na Ye suppressed his uneasiness, for it wasn’t time to spring his trap yet. Although Yang Kai had managed to form the Eight Trigrams Formation, it wasn’t easy to kill a Royal Lord like him. As such, Mo Na Ye still had a chance to achieve his goal.
Furthermore, no one was certain how long the Eight Trigrams Formation could last. How long could Yang Kai, as the Core, sustain such an arduous Battle Formation? Once he collapsed, the Eight Trigrams Formation would naturally fall apart.
At the thought of this, Mo Na Ye stopped being aggressive and started defending himself instead. Faced with the bombardment of attacks, he was forced to retreat. Although he appeared to be in a difficult situation, he didn’t suffer any injuries.
Across from him, Yang Kai couldn’t help complimenting Mo Na Ye in secret, for his opponent had made the right decision. If one wasn’t a match for the enemy, he shouldn’t fight with them head-on. If he were Mo Na Ye, he would’ve made the same decision. Sometimes, being defensive was more effective than being aggressive.
It was fine if your opponent was only on par with you, for as long as one could stall for time, the more aggressive one would generally run out of strength sooner.
Since Yang Kai had to adjust and harmonise everyone’s aura to sustain the Eight Trigrams Formation, he felt immensely pressured. Although he was just one step away from becoming a Divine Dragon, he still found it hard to sustain this Formation for a long time. What was more, Mo Na Ye had decided to stall for time. If they couldn’t injure him and force him to back down within an hour, their advantage would disappear.
[It seems that I have to take a risk…]
If they couldn’t settle Mo Na Ye using the Eight Trigrams Formation, Yang Kai would have no choice but to unite his three Selves and attempt to ascend to the Ninth Order.
Wu Kuang was the one who taught him the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art, which was a technique devised by Shi to break through the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm Method. No one had ever cultivated it since its invention though, so no one could give Yang Kai any valuable insight.
How was he supposed to unite his three Selves? Could he really break his shackles and ascend to the Ninth Order by doing so?
Yang Kai didn’t have the answers to those questions; therefore, even though his Human Self and Monster Self were by his side, he didn’t choose to unite them. He initially intended to wait for the dust to settle before he returned to the 3,000 Worlds and looked for a suitable place to proceed.
In that case, even if there were any mistakes, he would have some room to rectify them. If he united his three Selves in this situation, once he made a mistake, he would probably be doomed, and the Human Race would be in hot water too.
All the same, Yang Kai had to get prepared given the power and resilience that Mo Na Ye showcased.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t need to use his trump card.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai still sent a Divine Sense message to Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow, after which they started taking action in silence.
Originally, in the Eight Trigrams Formation, his Human Self and Monster Self had only integrated their aura and energy with Yang Kai. However, upon receiving his transmission, they also released their Spiritual Energy and resonated with Yang Kai.
Suddenly, Yang Kai was able to run the Eight Trigrams Formation nearly effortlessly. Meanwhile, the gazes of Thunder Shadow and Fang Tian Ci became hollow as though their Souls practically left their bodies. Only their auras continued to stream into the Battle Formation.
The Eight Trigrams Formation became effortless to operate not because Yang Kai, as the Core of the Formation, was mighty, but rather because there were two special existences in the Battle Formation.
The Human Self, Fang Tian Ci, and Monster Self, Thunder Shadow, were created by Yang Kai. They were essentially Soul Clones, though different from how one traditionally defined a Soul Clone. They had gone through their formative years separately, so they had their own unique personalities and experiences.
However, if the main body needed their collaboration, they could work seamlessly with him.
Therefore, Yang Kai only had to harmonise the powers of the other five people when sustaining the Eight Trigrams Formation and could ignore the Human Self and Monster Self. Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow as they would perfectly collaborate with him.
In other words, Yang Kai was controlling an Eight Trigrams Formation with the difficulty of a Six Paths Formation. Furthermore, Yang Xiao and Blood Crow were part of the Battle Formation, whom he was very familiar with and had a high degree of trust with, which made the collaboration easier.
If it was anyone else other than Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been able to pull off such a feat.
By resonating their very Souls with Yang Kai, Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow had basically surrendered themselves to him, allowing the main body to take control of their actions entirely. That was the reason they were able to run the Eight Trigrams Formation far more smoothly.
Mo Na Ye was stunned when their attacks suddenly intensified, not having expected their power could still increase at this point.
Given his acute insight, he could naturally see the crux of the problem, which was why he was astonished, [Is Yang Kai that trustworthy? Two people in the Battle Formation have practically abandoned their own Will and turned into a simple source of energy for him! If Yang Kai held even the slightest ill intentions towards them, he could kill them with a thought!]
Certainly, Mo Na Ye was envious of the fact that the Humans were so united. The Black Ink Clan were no match for them in this regard. Although they all came from the most supreme being, they were selfish. Mo Na Ye was no different.
If he was not selfish, he wouldn’t have become a Pseudo-Royal Lord and eventually a Royal Lord.
And so, he gritted his teeth and held on while madly releasing his Black Ink Strength to fend off the intensifying rounds of attacks.
Even if he couldn’t contribute to the battle anymore, Mo Na Ye wouldn’t want to make a mistake either; as such, he decided to persevere and wait for the right opportunity.
Meanwhile, Ou Yang Lie was dealing with Xiao You and two Four Symbols Formations formed by the Territory Lords on his own. Despite that, he remained brave and ferocious. As his violent power surged, Xiao You and the eight Territory Lords could hardly counterattack, leaving them in a perilous situation.
It was thanks to Yang Xue that Ou Yang Lie was able to pull off this display. If Yang Xue hadn’t stealthily approached Xiao You and injured him, Ou Yang Lie would’ve only been able to deal with the latter instead of fighting with a Royal Lord and eight Territory Lords at the same time.
While in an intense battle, he still paid some attention to the entire battlefield. When he saw that Yang Kai had successfully set up an Eight Trigrams Formation to suppress Mo Na Ye, he was ecstatic, but he soon became worried.
An Eight Trigrams Formation was extremely draining for the one acting as the Core, so even Yang Kai couldn’t persevere for long. To suppress a Royal Lord, Yang Kai had to be in top condition at all times; otherwise, the opponent might turn things around.
It was a challenge for Yang Kai as well as the other members of the Eight Trigrams Formation.
An anxious Ou Yang Lie couldn’t help but roar, “Still not done yet, Big Head Xiang!?”
A long time had passed, but Xiang Shan still hadn’t achieved a breakthrough. Although there were some obstacles when Ou Yang Lie attempted his own ascension, he didn’t take nearly this long.
Given their situation, if the Humans wanted to win this fight, they had to pin their hope on Xiang Shan. As long as Xiang Shan could make it to the Ninth Order, they could turn the situation around and slaughter the enemy forces here. They might even be able to kill the two Royal Lords.
However, Xiang Shan had to disappoint them. He was touted as a rare talent, but he couldn’t achieve an ascension as quickly as he should.
Ou Yang Lie had clearly lost his temper; otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered Xiang Shan at such an important moment.
He could feel that Xiang Shan’s aura was unstable, hovering around the peak of the Eighth Order but unable to break through to the Ninth Order. That was why Ou Yang Lie was so frustrated. With the help of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, it supposedly wasn’t difficult to make it to the Ninth Order. At the very least, it wasn’t too hard for him.
At that moment, Xiang Shan was also aggrieved. He didn’t expect to face so many obstacles when attempting a breakthrough. Undoubtedly, Yang Kai was the one who set off this fight when he snatched a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. Nevertheless, Xiang Shan was the one who escalated events when he accidentally revealed his aura while attempting a breakthrough.
If his breakthrough was successful, they could destroy the Black Ink Clan present; however, if this dragged on, the situation would only worsen for the Humans.
He naturally wanted to shatter his shackles and make it to the Ninth Order as soon as possible; nonetheless, the hidden damage leftover from when his Order regressed back then was more severe than he thought.
Although he eventually managed to make it to the Eighth Order again, the boundary wall in his Small Universe seemed to have thickened.
That was the reason Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills were useless to him; supposedly, someone like him didn’t need a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. He only needed some Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills to break the bottleneck and ascend to the Ninth Order.
If the boundary walls of other Eighth-Order Masters were like a thin membrane, his boundary wall was akin to a metre-thick metal wall.
Since the boundary wall in his Small Universe was so thick, the medicinal efficacies of Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills were useless to him. Although a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was indeed effective, it still took time to break down the boundary wall.
Unfortunately, the thing the Humans were most lacking right now was time.
Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills were undoubtedly the best opportunities in the Universe. Xiang Shan could clearly feel that, with the help of the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, the thick boundary wall surrounding his Small Universe was slowly dissolving. When it was destroyed, he would make it to the Ninth Order.
However, up until now, only 70% had been broken down. The remaining 30% was still stopping his Small Universe from expanding, which made it impossible for him to break through.
Although he was anxious, there was nothing much he could do.
If he gave up, the Humans would no longer be in a passive position. At the very least, they would no longer need to surround and protect him.
Nevertheless, if he gave up now, the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill would be wasted. In this kind of situation, how could someone like him, a mere peak Eighth-Order Master, do anything to turn things around?
Only by ascending to the Ninth Order could he help the Human Race destroy the Black Ink Clan here.
Just like Ou Yang Lie, Xiang Shan was equally anxious, but there was nothing he could do, as such, he gritted his teeth and madly pushed his strength to refine the Open Heaven Pill’s medicinal efficacies in the hope that the boundary walls in his Small Universe would dissolve faster.
In a particular spot of the defence line made up of Human Race Masters, five Eighth-Order Masters, who had previously parted ways with Yang Kai, formed a Five Elements Formation to ward off the enemies.
Presently, Tian Xiu Zhu, who was an old veteran Eighth-Order Master, served as the Core of the Formation while Zhan Tian He, Xiong Ji, Liu Fei Fei, and Lin Wu supported him. Apart from Lin Wu, who ascended to the Eighth-Order inside the Universe Furnace World, the others were already Eighth-Order Masters before arriving in this place. As such, the Battle Formation they had established was fairly powerful.
As they fought though, Lin Wu suddenly sent a transmission to everyone, “I’m worried that Senior Brother Yang and the others might not be able to hold on for long.”
Before he brought this matter up, the others didn’t give it much thought, but now, even Liu Fei Fei worriedly spoke up, “The Eight Trigrams Formation is too draining for those in the Formation.”
When Yang Kai successfully formed the Eight Trigrams Formation, the Humans were just as surprised as the Black Ink Clansmen; however, because the Core was Yang Kai, a legendary figure who could make the impossible possible, they quickly accepted the situation.
Although the Battle Formation had been established though, no one could tell how long it could last.
Everyone could see that, which was why Mo Na Ye was stalling for time and Ou Yang Lie blew his top.
Tian Xiu Zhu chastised them by saying, “Don’t get distracted! Focus on dealing with the enemy in front of you!”
At this point, they had to concentrate on warding off the Black Ink Clan instead of worrying about others. If the enemy managed to break their defence, Xiang Shan would be in danger.
Tian Xiu Zhu secretly thought that these new Eighth-Order Masters were just not as hardened as the long-time ones.
Under normal circumstances, everyone would’ve just obeyed his order; however, Lin Wu seemed insistent as he went on to say, “Senior Brother Tian, we have to lend a helping hand to Senior Brother Yang. Once their Battle Formation collapses, not just Senior Xiang Shan will be in danger, all of us will be.”
Tian Xiu Zhu furrowed his brow, “How are we supposed to assist them?” He had no idea what was on Lin Wu’s mind. They were surrounded by Black Ink Clansmen, so it was difficult for them to break the siege as it is. Blood Crow managed to escape earlier because his Secret Art was unique, which caught the Black Ink Clan off guard.
None of them had techniques that could replicate what Blood Crow had done, so how were they supposed to leave? Moreover, if they did that, the Humans in this place would surely face greater pressure.
Lin Wu replied quickly, “It’s not that I doubt Senior Brother Yang’s capabilities. Given his strength, he can certainly sustain the Eight Trigrams Formation as its Core for some time, but what about the others? How long can they hold on? Apart from Senior Brother Yang, if any one of them collapses, the Battle Formation will break apart.”
He was only telling the truth, and it was a matter everyone was concerned about.
Then, he continued, “Given the situation, only we can lend Senior Brother Yang a helping hand. If we don’t come up with a way, do we wait until the Eight Trigrams Formation falls apart? Please consider my suggestion, Senior Brother Tian!”
The others fell into their thoughts as well.
Lin Wu said they were the only ones who could give Yang Kai a helping hand because they were faced with less pressure compared to the other Masters; after all, they were dealing with an injured Pseudo-Royal Lord, Meng Que.
There were over ten Pseudo-Royal Lords on the battlefield, and although Yang Kai had killed one of them, there were still many more to deal with. Presently, they were applying pressure on the Humans in different places.
Tian Xiu Zhu and the others were dealing with Meng Que and some Territory Lords.
Certainly, Zhan Tian He and the others were familiar with Meng Que as he, Xiong Ji, and Liu Fei Fei had faced off against him together with Yang Kai, Ou Yang Lie, and Thunder Shadow some time ago, leaving both sides battered.
Since Meng Que was badly wounded before this battle broke out, he was unable to fully utilise all his power.
It was unlike the other Pseudo-Royal Lords, who were all in top condition. As such, the other Human Race Masters were unlikely to break the siege.
If they wanted to provide support to Yang Kai, their group would have the best chance of achieving this goal by settling Meng Que first. It had to be said that Lin Wu was a shrewd person.
After his persuasion, Tian Xiu Zhu couldn’t help falling into his thoughts as well. A moment later, he nodded, “You have a point. Only we can help Junior Brother Yang and the others.”
At that moment, he couldn’t help feeling he had grown too old. Although he was more experienced than the young ones, he wasn’t as flexible as them.
Lin Wu then said grimly, “Senior Brother Tian, we’d better get prepared early so that we can lend them a hand at any moment.”
Tian Xiu Zhu nodded almost imperceptibly, “Follow my lead!”
“Yes!” They all replied.
The next moment, Tian Xiu Zhu surged his Divine Sense and sent a transmission to the Human Race Masters in the nearby Battle Formations. A moment later, they nodded imperceptibly as they were ready to offer their help when Tian Xiu Zhu and the others took action.
Soon, everything was prepared; however, Tian Xiu Zhu didn’t immediately act to assist Yang Kai as it was an arrangement that they would rather not use. Presently, they had to sustain the current situation and protect the defence line. Once it was necessary for them to shift to providing assistance though, they wouldn’t hesitate to do so.
Everyone in the Eight Trigrams Formation felt immensely pressured, and even Yang Kai was injured and soaked in blood.
Every time they attacked, it was a strain on their bodies and Souls. They had no choice though as their opponent was a Royal Lord.
On the other hand, Mo Na Ye was equally battered. Faced with the Eight Trigrams Formation, he could hardly counterattack and was forced back repeatedly as his Black Ink Strength was scattered.
Strictly speaking, a Seven Stars Formation was enough to deal with a newly promoted Royal Lord like him. With Yang Kai as the Core, they could even oppose a veteran Royal Lord like Mo Yu with an Eight Trigrams Formation.
There was no doubt that Yang Kai and the others were at an advantage at that moment as all of them were going all out to kill the Royal Lord before them, but it was still extremely difficult to do so. Regardless of how battered Mo Na Ye looked, he was still a true Royal Lord. Unless they were significantly more powerful, they couldn’t end his life.
Yang Kai and the others were caught in a dilemma. Although they had expected this outcome, they were still unable to turn things around.
The Space-Time River had been turned into a long whip, and every time Yang Kai wielded it, 10,000 Grand Daos evolved and integrated to release awe-inspiring might.
Despite his majestic aura, however, it would inevitably wither as time passed.
When the Eight Trigrams Formation started showing signs of weakening, a battered Mo Na Ye guffawed, “Yang Kai, if you can’t kill me today, you will die!”
Yang Kai glared at him without saying anything and wielded his whip. The attack was supposed to be fierce, but it became sluggish all of a sudden. In the Battle Formation, one of the Eighth-Order Master was no longer able to hold on as he tipped his head back and sprayed out a mouthful of blood. At the same time, his aura plunged.
He had been holding on for far too long.
Over thousands of years, Humans had always formed Battle Formations to deal with their enemies; however, an Eight Trigrams Formation of Eighth-Order Masters had only appeared once before today. At that time, the Formation only lasted for 20 breaths, after which the Eighth-Order Master who served as the Core perished while the other seven were seriously wounded.
Their sacrifice was not in vain though as they managed to kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord and several Territory Lords.
Since then, the Eight Trigrams Formation had never appeared again on any Battlefield until Yang Kai managed to pull off this feat.
This time, they had been holding on for an hour. Although Yang Kai, as the Core of the Formation, had borne half the pressure, the others didn’t have it easy.
The pressure didn’t only come from the Battle Formation, but also Mo Na Ye’s attacks.
Since an Eighth-Order Master was no longer able to persevere, it wouldn’t be long before more people collapsed.
Seeing this, Mo Na Ye stopped being passive and became smug instead, “It’s my turn!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he switched from defence to offence. Black Ink Strength surged and swept over them like a storm.
Yang Kai knitted his brow tightly. Left with no choice, he surrounded them with the Space-Time River to ward off the attacks.
At that instant, the Humans fell into a passive position, and their remaining advantage was gone for good.
Simultaneously, Tian Xiu Zhu, who had been paying attention to the battle over there, sent a transmission to his surrounding allies with a determined gaze, “It’s time. Please lend us your aid, everyone!”
Following that, the Human Race Masters in that section of the defence line surged their Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques. Unlike how passive they were earlier, they took the initiative to attack.
The turn of events caught the Black Ink Clansmen off guard and for a moment, they found it hard to resist their opponents.
Meng Que, who was in charge of this sector of the line, was startled for a moment. He could see members of a Five Elements Formation charging towards him as though they were prepared to sacrifice themselves.
Tian Xiu Zhu, who was at the front, roared, “Black Ink Bastard, go to Hell!”
His imposing aura shocked Meng Que. Although he was the third Pseudo-Royal Lord to be born within the Black Ink Clan, he had never been used or valued.
Now, there were quite a few Pseudo-Royal Lords, and as such, he became even less important.
He had always been ambitious. Initially, he intended to make a great contribution while in the Universe Furnace World. Nevertheless, luck wasn’t on his side. He repeatedly came across powerful opponents and became injured, which was why he was so frustrated.
When Meng Que saw Tian Xiu Zhu and the others charging towards him, he naturally wouldn’t dare take them head-on in his current state; instead, he instinctively moved away.
Much to his surprise, Tian Xiu Zhu didn’t intend to exchange moves with him at all. He and the other four people brushed past him and shot off towards Yang Kai.
After becoming startled for a moment, Meng Que came to his senses and growled, “Don’t even think about leaving! I’ll make all of you stay!”
Although he had no idea what their intention was, he could tell that these five Eighth-Order Masters were moving to assist Yang Kai somehow. Certainly, he wouldn’t allow that to happen.
There were about 10 Pseudo-Royal Lords on the battlefield, and each was doing an excellent job in contending with the Humans. If only his opponents managed to flee, Meng Que would be held responsible.
He had never been valued to begin with, so if these five people ruined Mo Na Ye’s plan, the latter would never let him off.
As such, Meng Que was determined to make Tian Xiu Zhu and the others stay. He forcibly activated his power and chased after the Five Elements Formation. While he was at it, he made countless attacks at the enemies.
Meng Que’s attacks could not be underestimated. Left with no choice, Tian Xiu Zhu and the others had to counterattack. As both parties became entangled with each other, they approached the place where the Eight Trigrams Formation and Mo Na Ye were in a fight.
Soon, Tian Xiu Zhu furrowed his brow. This matter couldn’t drag on. They either had to shake off Meng Que as soon as they could, or send some people to give Yang Kai a hand. Otherwise, they would lure a powerful opponent to Yang Kai’s side and make things worse.
He could see that two Eighth-Order Masters in the Eight Trigrams Formation were no longer able to hold on.
Ou Yang Lie, who was battling against Xiao You and others, noticed what was going on as well and intended to lend them a hand, but he couldn’t break free from Xiao You and the other Territory Lords.
Certainly, they couldn’t expect Yang Xue to help either. Strictly speaking, she was no match for the Chaos Spirit King and had to go all out just to hold it back.
At the most critical moment, Tian Xiu Zhu roared, “Two of you go!”
The other four people in the Formation knew what he meant.
Lin Wu promptly said, “I’ll go!”
Saying so, he left the Battle Formation and charged towards Yang Kai. The next moment, another figure flew away. It was none other than Zhan Tian He.
It was a huge risk to take to move towards Yang Kai and Mo Na Ye’s battlefield. If one wasn’t careful enough, they would lose their lives. Lin Wu was a newly promoted Eighth-Order Master who managed to break through in the Universe Furnace World, but he was willing to take up such a task. As a Senior Brother, Zhan Tian He naturally couldn’t back down.
After two people left, the Five Elements Formation instantly turned into a Three Fortunes Formation. Furthermore, following a long fight, Tian Xiu Zhu and the others were no longer at the peak of their powers, so how were they supposed to deal with a Pseudo-Royal Lord?
Undoubtedly, they were put in a perilous situation.
Fortunately, it wasn’t easy for Meng Que to kill them either. This guy was badly injured to begin with, so his strength had been greatly reduced. If he were at the peak of his power, he could’ve destroyed a mere Three Fortunes Formation quite quickly.
Two breaths later, Lin Wu and Zhan Tian He arrived somewhere near the place where the Eight Trigrams Formation and Mo Na Ye were locked in combat and Lin Wu yelled, “Senior Brother Yang, we’re here to help!”
Yang Kai replied gladly, “You’ve come at the right time!”
He was worried about how to sustain the Eight Trigrams Formation when these two promptly arrived to replace their injured members.
Of the members of the Eight Trigrams Formation, Yang Kai, who served as the Core of the Formation, was close to four of them. They were his Human Self, Fang Tian Ci, his Monster Self, Thunder Shadow, Yang Xiao, and Blood Crow. He wasn’t familiar with the rest. One of them was a veteran Eighth-Order Master while the remaining two were newly ascended Eighth-Order Masters.
The two new Eighth-Order Masters were the problem. Their heritages were not as ample as that of the veteran, nor were their bodies as strong as Yang Xiao and Thunder Shadow. Their foundations were not as solid as those of Fang Tian Ci and Blood Crow. While contending with the enemy alongside Yang Kai, they had borne too much pressure. Their bodies were about to fall apart and their Small Universes were also in turmoil, causing their auras to be unstable.
If this dragged on, they would soon collapse. Once that happened, the Eight Trigrams Formation would break apart.
That was the reason Mo Na Ye started being aggressive. Although he risked injuring himself, he was determined to break the Battle Formation. He even specifically struck as hard as he could at where the new Eighth-Order Masters were positioned.
Once they lost the Eight Trigrams Formation, they wouldn’t be a match for Mo Na Ye. By then, he could kill whoever he wanted.
Nevertheless, his plan was suddenly disrupted by Tian Xiu Zhu and the others. Seeing that two energetic Eighth-Order Masters were about to join the Battle Formation, Mo Na Ye grew anxious. As such, his attacks intensified. He even tried to directly make a move on Lin Wu and Zhan Tian He.
Naturally, Yang Kai wouldn’t allow that to happen, adjusting everyone’s aura to contend with the opponent. At the same time, he secretly told the new Eighth-Order Masters to look for a chance and let Lin Wu and Zhan Tian He replace them.
They nodded in agreement, but they appeared embarrassed and unresigned.
At such a critical moment, they were the problem in the Formation, and they might even cause their side to lose the fight. It was only natural that they felt ashamed.
Nonetheless, they were indeed running out of energy, and the pressure, both internal and external, had caused their Small Universes to descend into chaos. If this dragged on, they would be the cause of the Battle Formation coming apart, and Yang Kai and the others would be even more affected.
Rather than hanging on at all costs, it would be best if they could retreat at this point.
Lin Wu and Zhan Tian He dashed towards Yang Kai. Before they even arrived, they connected their auras with the Formation.
It was extremely risky to replace the members of a Battle Formation during a fight. To begin with, it was already hard to form an Eight Trigrams Formation. Since everyone’s aura was connected, if they replaced the members in the middle of combat and did not manage to maintain the connection, the Battle Formation would break.
It was an especially huge challenge for the person who served as the Core. After all, as the Core of the Formation, Yang Kai had to harmonise and adjust everyone’s power and aura. It could be said that the Core of the Formation was the most important person in any Battle Formation.
The moment Lin Wu and Zhan Tian He connected their auras with the Battle Formation, the two new Eighth-Order Masters were ready to withdraw. Yang Kai had to spend more energy to keep the Battle Formation stable, which worsened their already terrible situation. Naturally, Mo Na Ye seized the chance and struck them with increased intensity. Upon impact, the Battle Formation trembled and staggered backwards.
The next instant, two figures shot out of the Battle Formation while Lin Wu and Zhan Tian He entered it. Yang Kai roared and diverted all his focus to adjusting the Battle Formation, allowing Mo Na Ye to continue to rain down attacks on them.
After a moment of turmoil, the Eight Trigrams Formation stabilised.
The Battle Formation was formed once again!
Finally, everyone became at ease. At the same time, they were amazed and glad that Yang Kai was the one leading the Battle Formation. If the Core was someone else, the Battle Formation would’ve probably fallen apart then and there.
Meanwhile, Tian Xiu Zhu, who was leading Xiong Ji and Liu Fei Fei to deal with Meng Que, shouted, “Come here and help us!”
They were no longer able to hold on.
It seemed that Meng Que felt ashamed because he was at fault for letting the opponents have a chance to replace the members of the Eight Trigrams Formation. As such, he ignored his injuries and madly surged his power to vent his fury on Tian Xiu Zhu and the others.
Given the intensity of the fight, even if he managed to kill his opponents, he would also end up in a terrible state; however, that was the last of his concerns right now.
The two new Eighth-Order Masters, who had just left the Eight Trigrams Formation, quickly stuffed some Spirit Pills into their mouths and approached Tian Xiu Zhu.
When contending with Mo Na Ye earlier, they didn’t even have time to consume pills.
The moment the two new Eighth-Order Masters joined Tian Xiu Zhu and formed a Five Elements Formation, they finally felt a lot less pressured.
Nevertheless, they couldn’t persevere for long; after all, these two new Eighth-Order Masters were badly wounded.
“Come to me!” Ou Yang Lie shouted. Presently, he was dealing with Xiao You and two Four Symbols Formations made up of Territory Lords. Although he wasn’t at an advantage, it wouldn’t be hard for him to protect someone else.
Upon hearing that, Tian Xiu Zhu led the other four to approach Ou Yang Lie without hesitation. Naturally, Meng Que relentlessly chased after them. Soon, both parties came together, and it was now one Ninth-Order Master and a Five Elements Formation facing a Royal Lord, a Pseudo-Royal Lord, and two Four Symbols Formations of Territory Lords. The two sides were almost equally matched now, with the Humans being at a slight disadvantage, but with there not being any risk to Tian Xiu Zhu and the others’ lives for the time being.
When Meng Que realised that he wasn’t able to kill his enemies, he slowed down his attacks. Now, he had calmed down. Knowing that there was no turning back, he prioritized his own safety. Since he was injured, he was better off not overexerting himself.
The battlefield was highly unpredictable. After the replacement of members, the Eight Trigrams Formation led by Yang Kai finally became stable and once again, Mo Na Ye was at a disadvantage.
While Yang Xue’s situation remained unchanged, Ou Yang Lie was faced with more pressure.
Meanwhile, the Humans remained united as their defence line held steady. They were determined to protect Xiang Shan, so although the Black Ink Clan had a far greater number of people on their side, they were unable to break through for now.
In truth, if the Black Ink Clan ignored their own safety and forcefully tried to break the defence line, they might succeed; however, that would require the Pseudo-Royal Lords to endanger themselves. Perhaps half of them would be killed if they wanted to achieve their goal in short order.
These Pseudo-Royal Lords were created using the Source Fusion Technique, and each one represented the sacrifice of more than 10 Innate Territory Lords.
They were the survivors who came out of a cruel process, so they valued their lives more than any other Black Ink Clansmen. Certainly, they weren’t willing to lose their lives in such a place.
Therefore, even though the Black Ink Clan had gained the upper hand, they were unable to destroy the Humans’ defence line.
In the centre of the defence line, Xiang Shan was seated with his legs crossed. The illusory phantom of his Small Universe hovered behind him as his aura continuously undulated. He was on the brink of breaking past the limit of the Eighth Order.
By now, 90% of the boundary wall in his Small Universe had been dissolved. He was on the brink of breaking through his shackles. Once the boundary wall was gone, the territory of his Small Universe would expand. Only then would he make it to the Ninth Order.
While fighting with the numerous enemies, Ou Yang Lie somehow found time to curse at Xiang Shan and urge him to break through fast. Nevertheless, this process couldn’t be rushed.
Yang Kai became slightly at ease. He had been paying close attention to Xiang Shan; after all, the key to winning this battle was whether Xiang Shan could make it to the Ninth Order in time.
As he felt the aura coming from Xiang Shan surging, he believed that the latter would achieve a breakthrough soon.
He had no idea why it took Xiang Shan such a long time to make it to the Ninth-Order. Previously, he stood guard for Ou Yang Lie when the latter attempted a breakthrough, but it was done fairly quickly.
Before his arrival, Xiang Shan had been refining the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill for quite a while. Now that such a long time had passed, it was a mystery as to why Xiang Shan hadn’t broken through yet.
He speculated that it had something to do with the fact that Xiang Shan’s Order dropped previously, which might have had some unexpected consequences.
Nevertheless, the most difficult time had passed. As long as Yang Kai could hold on for a while longer until Xiang Shan made it to the Ninth Order, the Humans would be able to strike back.
The birth of a new Ninth-Order Master would shatter the deadlock. By then, they might even be able to kill Mo Na Ye and the other Royal Lord.
“Hahaha!” Someone was heard laughing in the middle of the fight. A startled Yang Kai lifted his gaze and saw Mo Na Ye looking at him with a faint grin.
There seemed to be some underlying meaning behind the smile and Yang Kai’s heart clenched as he had a bad premonition.
[Why is this guy laughing under such circumstances?] Both parties had been enemies for millennia, so they understood each other quite well.
Mo Na Ye was a patient and cunning strategist, making him an extreme outlier within the Black Ink Clan. Yang Kai hadn’t suffered a fatal setback when dealing with Mo Na Ye, but he would never underestimate the latter.
At this point, Mo Na Ye shouldn’t be laughing; instead, he should be trying his best to break the Eight Trigrams Formation. So, why did he seem so amused?
His smile was meaningful, as though he was confident about winning even now, mocking Yang Kai for being ignorant.
A sense of danger abruptly rose within Yang Kai.
Alarmed, he realised that he might have missed something, and thinking back, there were some details he had failed to notice before.
He had already felt that something was amiss before now. Since Mo Na Ye was able to face off against the Eight Trigrams Formation for such a long time, it proved that he could’ve destroyed the Six Paths Formation led by Yang Xiao previously; however, he didn’t do that.
Before Yang Kai’s arrival, Yang Xiao and the other five had been dealing with Mo Na Ye on their own.
Initially, Yang Kai thought that Mo Na Ye was worried about injuring himself; after all, it would be troublesome if a Black Ink Clansman was injured in the Universe Furnace World, especially a Royal Lord.
Nevertheless, Mo Na Ye was a shrewd individual, so how was it possible that he would worry about getting injured at such a critical moment? He certainly knew that he had to destroy the Six Paths Formation led by Yang Xiao as quickly as possible so that the Black Ink Clan would win this battle.
At that time, as long as Mo Na Ye was willing to pay a certain price, Yang Xiao and the others wouldn’t have been a match for him, so why did he choose to stall for time?
Many ideas flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, but though he knew that something was amiss, under the tense circumstances, he couldn’t distract himself to ponder it properly.
“Laugh all you want, it won’t change anything!” Yang Kai snorted. Since he didn’t know what the problem was, he had to be patient and play it by ear.
Mo Na Ye laughed again. While warding off Yang Kai’s attacks, he said impassively, “I suppose Xiang Shan is going to break through soon.”
Just like Yang Kai, he had been paying close attention to Xiang Shan. Although he had no idea when Xiang Shan would achieve a breakthrough, the disturbance over there couldn’t be concealed. As such, he could roughly sense how things were going.
Yang Kai’s bad premonition intensified. It was odd that Mo Na Ye was still in the mood to talk about Xiang Shan at this point.
While remaining silent, Yang Kai strengthened his attacks.
Mo Na Ye went on to say, “Yang Kai, you are a wonderful opponent. I’ve always respected you whether I was a Territory Lord, a Pseudo-Royal Lord, or even a true Royal Lord. The Human Race has managed to hold on for such a long time mainly because of you. If not for your hard work over the past few thousands of years, the Humans would’ve already been defeated. Unmistakably, you are my greatest opponent. It’s fortunate that you can never become a Ninth-Order Master; otherwise, we would have been in deep trouble.”
He spoke loudly during the fight to ensure that everyone could hear him.
All of them were puzzled as to what Mo Na Ye was trying to achieve. Why was he in the mood to chat about such irrelevant matters in a life-and-death battle?
Mo Na Ye seemed oblivious to everything and kept speaking, as though he wouldn’t be able to say it again if he missed this chance. Staring at Yang Kai in pity, he muttered, “Just like what you Humans say, you were born in the wrong era. You have to bear the shackles and sins that this era has inflicted on you. Those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises forced you to ascend to the Fifth Order back then, which resulted in the Eighth Order being your limit. Now, they have to rely on you to save the Human Race. Do you not resent them at all?”
His hypnotic voice seemed able to bewitch others.
In all directions, many Human Race Masters, especially those who came from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, appeared guilty. Those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises had indeed made a mistake. Although only several Sects made a move, they represented the collective decision.
Nevertheless, they had no choice but to do so at that time. They had suffered a terrible crisis in the past, so they wouldn’t allow any rogue cultivator to directly ascend to the Seventh Order. Regardless of their intentions, they were compelled to suppress Yang Kai.
After all, a Seventh-Order Master might make it to the Ninth-Order one day. Meanwhile, all the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors from the Cave Heavens and Paradises were on the Black Ink Battlefield. If Yang Kai became a Ninth-Order Master and decided to cause trouble, the Cave Heavens and Paradises wouldn’t be able to contain him.
Over the years, many people thought that if they hadn’t suppressed Yang Kai and let him directly ascend to the Seventh Order back then, given his aptitude and opportunities, he would’ve made it to the Ninth Order by now.
Undoubtedly, that would’ve been a huge boon to the Human Race.
Nonetheless, things had come to such a point where it was pointless to regret anything. When Yang Kai decided to directly ascend to the Fifth-Order back then, his future was set.
Yang Kai snorted, “Are you trying to sow discord between us? Do you think such petty words will work on me at this point?”
Mo Na Ye sighed, “I’m not trying to sow discord, I’m just curious. It seems that I’m not mistaken. Although those from the Cave Heavens and Paradises owe you much, you’re still willing to sacrifice yourself for them.”
After a pause, he went on to say, “Over the years, I’ve constantly been thinking about how to kill you. Unfortunately, there has never been a good opportunity as you are too adept at running away. Your Space Secret Techniques have been a constant headache for me. The previous battle was undoubtedly the best chance so far, but it was disrupted by the Universe Furnace. If not for the Universe Furnace’s sudden appearance, you would’ve lost your life.”
Yang Kai frowned, “What’s the point of you saying all this now? Or are you saying you are certain you can kill me now?”
Something was definitely off. Mo Na Ye was speaking and acting like everything was within his control, so he was undoubtedly up to something; however, Yang Kai didn’t have time to figure out what he was plotting. Since he couldn’t find out what was on Mo Na Ye’s mind, he could only try to glean as much information from him as possible through conversation.
Mo Na Ye seemed to have realised his intention, so he said with a smile, “I’ve been plotting against you for years, but only this time could be considered successful. Please don’t blame me for being verbose, Brother Yang. I should probably stop the small talk now; otherwise, Xiang Shan will really break through.”
All of a sudden, his expression turned cold as he looked grimly at Yang Kai, “Did you know? I was waiting for you to appear, all along. I knew that you would show up. You were the one who set off this fight, so how was it possible that you wouldn’t come? Fortunately, you arrived just in time!”
At that moment, a sense of crisis engulfed Yang Kai, but he had no idea what Mo Na Ye was going to do.
Many ideas flashed across his mind like lightning and he soon thought of something, but it was too late.
Mo Na Ye stared fixedly at him and shouted dispassionately, “Black Ink Eternal!”
Suddenly, Yang Kai turned to look at Xiang Shan and shouted, “Senior Brother Xiang, watch out!”
At the same time, he saw two Eighth-Order Masters leaving their Battle Formations from two different directions and charging towards Xiang Shan while casting lethal moves.
Yang Kai widened his eyes in disbelief.
Black Ink Disciples!
He finally realised what he had failed to take note of. The Black Ink Clan had planted two Black Ink Disciples among the Humans! They had been hiding all this time, waiting for a chance to attack Xiang Shan.
Therefore, Mo Na Ye wasn’t worried about Xiang Shan becoming a Ninth-Order Master, because he knew that the latter would never succeed. He even felt free to chat just now because everything was within his control.
Many Black Ink Clansmen were startled by the turn of events. Similarly, the Humans were caught off guard. No one could’ve expected that their companions, who had been fighting alongside them all this time, would betray them as they were on the brink of victory.
All of them had been negligent.
It wasn’t a surprise that Black Ink Disciples existed. During the fight against the Black Ink Clan in the past, many Humans would be captured by the Black Ink Clan and turned into Black Ink Disciples. The situation was especially bad on the Black Ink Battlefield.
However, after Yang Kai brought Purifying Light with him and then received 10 sets of Great Sun and Great Moon Marks from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, the Humans no longer had to worry about Black Ink Disciples hiding amongst their ranks.
There was a Purifying Black Ink Battleship, which contained a large amount of Purifying Light, in every Human camp. Whenever the cultivators returned to base, they had to pass through the Purifying Black Ink Battleship before they were allowed to enter.
The Humans also had Purifying Black Ink Pills. One only had to consume such a pill before they fought with the Black Ink Clan to prevent themselves from being corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
The Black Ink Clan had occupied the 3,000 Worlds for many years, and although they had turned a large number of Hunters into Black Ink Disciples, those people were generally weak.
Many younger cultivators had never even seen Black Ink Disciples before. Also, Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were extremely rare, even back on the Black Ink Battlefield.
To turn an Eighth-Order Master into a Black Ink Disciple, a Royal Lord had to personally make a move.
As such, whenever the Eighth-Order Masters formed Battle Formations to deal with the enemies, they became less vigilant. No one would think that their companions might be Black Ink Disciples.
Even Yang Kai had not seen this coming; however, everything made sense if these people were not Eighth-Order Masters when they were turned into Black Ink Disciples.
Eighth-Order Masters were not the only ones who had entered the Universe Furnace World this time. There were also many Seventh-Order Masters! They were there not here for the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills but for the Ordinary Grade ones.
These Seventh-Order Masters who had entered the Universe Furnace World were new generation cultivators that had received the World Tree clone’s nourishment. As such, they were all talented elites who increased their cultivation rapidly.
Wonderful aptitude and quick increase in cultivation were not always a blessing though, as compared to the experienced cultivators who had gotten to where they were slowly and steadily, these younger cultivators lacked accumulation and experience; therefore, when they reached the peak of the Seventh Order, they often faced bottlenecks, which made it hard for them to break through to the Eighth-Order.
Given their aptitude, they would shatter the bottleneck sooner or later, but that could still take dozens to hundreds of years.
However, in the current situation, time was always short.
Fortunately, Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills could solve this problem by helping them break through their bottleneck, saving lots of time.
Many Seventh-Order Masters managed to ascend to the Eighth-Order in the Universe Furnace World this time, and presently, hundreds of them had gathered together, but they were just Seventh-Order Masters when they entered.
Everything made sense if they bumped into Black Ink Clansmen and were turned into Black Ink Disciples before ascending to the Eighth Order.
The two Black Ink Disciples that had betrayed them were undoubtedly such cases.
Time seemed to have frozen at that moment as all the Humans shifted their attention to the two Black Ink Disciples who were charging towards Xiang Shan, in horror. Presently, Xiang Shan was at the most critical moment of his breakthrough. If he was interrupted now, his breakthrough would undoubtedly fail, and there would also be a serious risk to his life.
All the Human Race Masters surrounded him and formed a defence line to fend off the Black Ink Clansmens’ attacks; as such, no one stood guard directly by his side. Even though he had set up a kind of Spirit Array, it couldn’t stop two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples from killing him.
Undoubtedly, Xiang Shan was powerless to contend with these two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples.
Just then, another turn of events took place somewhere else.
It had taken Mo Na Ye a long time to devise this plan, and it had all hinged on him being certain that Yang Kai would show up. His trump card was meant to kill Yang Kai and Xiang Shan at the same time; after all, if he only wanted to take out the latter, he wouldn’t have had to wait until now.
Mo Na Ye would have ordered the two Black Ink Disciples to make a move at any point earlier on. He had been patient because he could feel that Xiang Shan would still take a long time to make a breakthrough, so he wasn’t anxious.
In comparison, he was more interested in ending Yang Kai’s life. Over the years, Mo Na Ye had suffered a lot of setbacks because of Yang Kai and could never rest at ease as long as the latter wasn’t dead. It was a knot in his heart, one that had nothing to do with Yang Kai’s cultivation.
Mo Na Ye had been stalling for time because he was waiting for this exact moment.
He needed a suitable person to carry out his plan, and the chance had finally come!
Just as two Black Ink Disciples left their respective Battle Formations and charged towards Xiang Shan while the Human Race Masters watched in horror, the Eight Trigrams Formation, which was dealing with Mo Na Ye, trembled as everyone’s aura descended into chaos. Soon, the Eight Trigrams Formation broke.
Everyone in the Formation was shocked as they had no idea what happened. The moment the Battle Formation came apart, the immense backlash swept across them, causing their vitality to undulate and their Small Universes to fall into turmoil.
They already suffered from various degrees of injuries when contending with Mo Na Ye, and now the situation was exacerbated.
Compared to the Battle Formation’s backlash, a despairing incident took place right before their eyes. One of the members suddenly summoned a sword and thrust it towards Yang Kai’s back. World Force undulated around the weapon as the attacker appeared dispassionate. Without holding back any power, he seemed determined to slaughter Yang Kai.
To make things worse, Mo Na Ye made a move at the same time as the Battle Formation shattered.
The chance he had been waiting for had finally come, so he naturally wouldn’t just watch from the sidelines.
The Battle Formation’s backlash, the betrayal of a member, and Mo Na Ye’s attack happened all at once, engulfing everyone in a sense of great danger.
The members of the Eight Trigrams Formation were flustered, furious, shocked, and despondent. All sorts of emotions broke out from them.
Despite that, Yang Kai remained calm and collected as things were playing out just as he expected.
The moment he realised that there were Black Ink Disciples within their defence line, he knew that there must be a Black Ink Disciple by his side as well.
Mo Na Ye had been beating around the bush earlier, looking as though everything was within his control. It was apparent that he had made some arrangements to target Yang Kai; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so composed.
Yang Kai was the Core of the Eight Trigrams Formation while his Human Self Fang Tian Ci, Monster Self Thunder Shadow, Yang Xiao, Blood Crow, Lin Wu, Zhan Tian He, and another veteran Eighth-Order Master assisted him.
Of these seven people, apart from Lin Wu, who had ascended to the Eighth-Order in the Universe Furnace World, the others were already Eighth-Order Masters long before entering this place.
The others would not be so easily corrupted; as such, it had to be Lin Wu that was the Black Ink Disciple.
It turned out that Lin Wu was indeed the problem.
Yang Kai couldn’t help recalling the time he came across Lin Wu. At that time, he, Zhan Tian He, Xiong Ji, and Liu Fei Fei were wandering around the Universe Furnace World. When he detected the aura of an Open Heaven Realm Master attempting a breakthrough, he went over and checked on him. Upon realising the person was Lin Wu, he invited him to join the team without worrying too much.
Then, he bumped into Tian Xiu Zhu.
Following that, he decided to take a huge risk by bringing Thunder Shadow with him to snatch a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. As such, he told Tian Xiu Zhu to leave with everyone else.
Now, it seemed that before he came across Lin Wu, the latter had already been turned into a Black Ink Disciple who was allowed to move around on his own and ascend to the Eighth Order. Then, Lin Wu joined the Human Race and waited for a chance to act.
It wasn’t necessarily planned for Lin Wu to target Yang Kai, but Mo Na Ye had made good use of a pawn like him.
Initially, Lin Wu wasn’t a part of the Eight Trigrams Formation. He and Zhan Tian He joined at a later time.
Mo Na Ye had been waiting for Lin Wu to join the Eight Trigrams Formation. That way, when he finally gave the order, three Black Ink Disciples would flare up at the same time. Not only could they stop Xiang Shan from achieving a breakthrough, but they could also end Yang Kai’s life. Mo Na Ye planned to remove the two biggest threats at the same time.
Everything became clear now.
A while ago, Yang Kai was still wondering why Mo Na Ye didn’t break Yang Xiao’s Six Paths Formation earlier even though he was capable of doing so. At that time, if Mo Na Ye had been willing to pay a small price, he could’ve defeated Yang Xiao and the others quickly. After that, he could’ve personally attacked the Humans’ defence line and killed Xiang Shan.
However, he didn’t do that. Just like Mo Na Ye said, he had been waiting for him to show up.
When Yang Kai formed the Eight Trigrams Formation to deal with Mo Na Ye, the latter actually fought back hard without being bothered by his injuries. That way, he could force the two newly promoted Eighth-Order Masters in the Formation to withdraw, giving Lin Wu a chance to join them.
It was all part of Mo Na Ye’s plot.
When Lin Wu finally joined the Battle Formation, all the pawns were in the right places and Mo Na Ye was confident that Yang Kai wouldn’t survive. Both of them had been contending with each other for millennia. Since his archnemesis was about to die, he couldn’t help recalling the fights between them over the years. Perhaps he respected a Master like Yang Kai or felt so conceited that he started talking nonsense.
Presently, two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were dashing towards Xiang Shan while Lin Wu broke the Eight Trigrams Formation and pushed his sword towards Yang Kai’s back with a gaze filled with murderous intent.
The initially clamorous battlefield fell into dead silence at that moment as every Human Race Master appeared helpless and despondent.
The Black Ink Clansmen still relentlessly attacked the Humans while Mo Na Ye guffawed.
“You dare!” Ou Yang Lie growled as his figure seemed to be burning.
“Big Brother!” Yang Xue exclaimed at the top of her lungs. She wanted to shake off the Chaos Spirit King and save Yang Kai, but she was unable to do so.
The Chaos Spirit King was more powerful than her, so it was difficult for her to even pin him down.
In the midst of this crisis, Yang Kai only let out a sigh.
Before Lin Wu even made a move, Yang Kai had realised that he was in danger; therefore, he had put his guard up. If he hadn’t figured it out, he probably would’ve lost his life.
Since he was well-prepared though, he had a chance to escape.
Nevertheless, if he fled, the remaining six with him would fall into grave danger. They no longer had the Battle Formation’s help, and faced with the backlash and Mo Na Ye’s attack, half of them would undoubtedly die.
Therefore, despite knowing that he was at risk of losing his life, Yang Kai couldn’t escape. Suppressing the undulating vitality within him, he released his Spiritual Energy and brought everyone’s aura together again. In an instant, he made the proper adjustments and formed a new Seven Stars Formation with him as the Core.
At the same time, he flicked his fingers and sent a wooden box flying away.
In the next instant, he summoned the Azure Dragon Spear as the Space-Time River swirled around the weapon like a Dragon. He then thrust the weapon towards Mo Na Ye.
As the violent force exploded, everyone shuddered while Yang Kai sprayed out a mouthful of Golden Blood. Fortunately, he managed to ward off Mo Na Ye’s fatal strike.
Nonetheless, a sword penetrated his chest the next moment. The power around the sword exploded, causing Yang Kai to stagger before he swept his spear across Lin Wu and sent him flying away.
After the sword left his body, blood started gushing out from the wound on his chest. His face turned pale in an instant, and his aura weakened.
Meanwhile, the two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples reached Xiang Shan. Just as they were ready to make a move, they met Xiang Shan’s furious gaze.
Despite being at the most critical moment of his breakthrough, Xiang Shan extricated himself and got to his feet as he summoned a sabre. As World Force surged, he covered the two Black Ink Disciples with sabre lights.
He had given up on achieving a breakthrough!
It couldn’t be helped. If he tried to persist, he would only be killed as the Spirit Array he had set up wasn’t able to fend off two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples.
Compared to losing his life, giving up on the breakthrough was the only choice.
The two Black Ink Disciples had only achieved a breakthrough in the Universe Furnace World, so how were they supposed to be a match for Xiang Shan even though there were the two of them? They were soon suppressed.
Nevertheless, considering that they were Humans, Xiang Shan didn’t move to kill them.
During the intense battle, Xiang Shan’s aura, which was initially reaching a peak, plunged. It was a sign that his ascension had failed. Fortunately, despite what happened, it didn’t affect his strength much.
In just several breaths of time, the Eight Trigrams Formation fell apart, Yang Kai was wounded, and Xiang Shan had given up on his breakthrough, sinking the Humans into a perilous situation once again.
No one knew if there were more hidden Black Ink Disciples.
Battle Formations required members to have complete trust in each other in order to operate them smoothly, something the Black Ink Clan couldn’t grasp the essence of, preventing them from forming higher Battle Formations.
Now, the Humans were suspicious of each other, so every Battle Formation had weakened and couldn’t be run smoothly.
They were no match for the Black Ink Clan when it came to numbers and had persevered until now because of their Warships and their powerful Battle Formations, but with the latter undermined, the Humans were clearly in grave danger.
The Battle Formations, which the two Black Ink Disciples were initially part of, had disintegrated, allowing the Black Ink Clan to charge forward and kill several Eighth-Order Masters, which further exacerbated the situation.
It wasn’t that the Humans weren’t still united; if they weren’t, they wouldn’t have held on until now. Nevertheless, in such a situation, they had to be cautious.
The appearance of three Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples had destroyed any advantage that the Humans initially had.
Xiang Shan was supposedly the key to winning the battle. If the Humans wanted victory, they had to hope for Xiang Shan to ascend to the Ninth Order as quickly as possible. With one more Ninth-Order Master, they could still turn things around.
But now, Xiang Shan was forced to give up on his breakthrough, so their only hope was crushed.
Everyone was shrouded in a layer of despair. Would hundreds of Eighth-Order Masters lose their life in this place? If that happened, the Human Race’s future would be bleak.
The outcome of this battle would have a huge impact on future clashes between both Races.
“Why won’t you just die already!” A growl was heard reverberating across the void.
Across from the Seven Stars Formation, Mo Na Ye looked at Yang Kai in disbelief and anger. He had been plotting against him and waiting for the best chance to use his trump card. Initially, he believed that Yang Kai had no chance to survive, but things went contrary to his wishes.
He realised that he had still underestimated Yang Kai. More importantly, he didn’t expect that it would only take Yang Kai an instant to switch the Eight Trigrams Formation to the Seven Stars Formation and ward off his fatal strike.
Fortunately, even though things didn’t go to plan, Yang Kai was badly injured. The Eight Trigrams Formation’s backlash, Lin Wu’s sneak attack, and a long and intense battle had significantly weakened Yang Kai’s aura. As a result, he was still at risk of losing his life at any moment.
Even the Seven Stars Formation couldn’t run steadily and was on the verge of breaking apart.
With a determined expression, Mo Na Ye charged forward. He knew that he couldn’t give Yang Kai even a moment to breathe. Seeing how frail his opponent looked, he certainly wouldn’t miss the chance. He decided to end Yang Kai’s life as quickly as possible. As his Black Ink Strength surged, he roared, “How much longer can you hang on!?”
[How many of my moves can he take? Three? Five?] Given Yang Kai’s condition, Mo Na Ye had the confidence to kill him in 10 breaths of time, after which his goal would finally be achieved.
Xiang Shan’s breakthrough had failed, and the Humans’ defence line was on the brink of collapsing. After Mo Na Ye killed Yang Kai, he could slaughter the other Humans freely.
[I will win!]
Faced with the bombardment of attacks, Yang Kai and his Seven Stars Formation were unable to counterattack. Furthermore, they found it increasingly difficult to maintain the Battle Formation. Everyone struggled to hold on, but they couldn’t see any hope.
They could only take two more moves before the Battle Formation came apart.
Just as the Seven Stars Formation was about to shatter, a stream of fierce aura approached from the distance. Before the person even arrived, a voice was heard yelling, “Mo Na Ye, your opponent is me!”
The next moment, a slender figure joined the battle and slashed her sword out to intercept Mo Na Ye’s attacks.
“You…” Mo Na Ye looked at the person before his eyes in disbelief, unable to figure out how she could be there.
[How did she manage to come over?]
The person was none other than Yang Xue.
Mo Na Ye was naturally aware of this female Ninth-Order Master’s presence; however, since she didn’t seem to be a match for the Chaos Spirit King, he stopped paying attention to her.
She couldn’t meddle in the battle before she could get rid of the Chaos Spirit King; however, at this moment, she was there to deal with him.
[Where’s the Chaos Spirit King?]
Mo Na Ye was determined to kill Yang Kai, so he was filled with fervor and joy; as such, he didn’t pay attention to the battle between Yang Xue and the Chaos Spirit King. It didn’t cross his mind that such a turn of events would take place.
[Was the Chaos Spirit King defeated? Impossible, this woman is incapable of that!] Previously, Xiao You suffered a defeat at the hands of the Chaos Spirit King. He was a new Royal Lord while the woman was a new Ninth-Order Master; therefore, both of them were equally matched.
How did this woman get rid of the Chaos Spirit King and come over the help, then?
Soon, Mo Na Ye realised where the Chaos Spirit King was. He could sense that the Chaos Spirit King was dashing forward in a particular direction for some reason.
“What did you do!?” Mo Na Ye was deathly curious. Although the Chaos Spirit King was a powerful being, its sentience was low. What did this woman do that made the Chaos Spirit King abandon the fight?
Certainly, Yang Xue wouldn’t respond to him as she just fully activated her power as World Force undulated. Her sword turned into innumerable phantoms as she was determined to get revenge for her Big Brother.
A helpless Mo Na Ye could only clash with Yang Xue. Watching as Yang Kai took the Seven Stars Formation somewhere else, he was so frustrated that he almost spat blood.
He almost succeeded in killing Yang Kai, so how did things end up this way?
Across from him, Yang Xue was actually equally puzzled as to why the Chaos Spirit King retreated all of a sudden. When she saw that her Big Brother was in danger earlier, she was quite flustered. She wasn’t a match for the Chaos Spirit King, to begin with, and the situation was exacerbated because she had lost her composure. Then, for some inexplicable reason, the Chaos Spirit King withdrew and shot off into the distance. That was how Yang Xue was able to move to lend them a hand.
Nevertheless, she didn’t have time to ponder on it, for she had to deal with Mo Na Ye.
Suddenly realising something, Mo Na Ye turned to glare at Yang Kai and explained, “The Open Heaven Pill!”
When Lin Wu launched a sneak attack on Yang Kai earlier, Mo Na Ye faintly saw Yang Kai throw out a small wooden box. At that time, he was mid-attack, and the box seemed ordinary, so he didn’t pay any attention to it.
Now, it was apparent to him that the wooden box probably contained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
As far as he knew, Yang Kai really had one, which was stolen during the intense battle between Xiao You and the Chaos Spirit King previously.
The Chaos Spirit King was lured to this place because it was after the Supreme grade Open Heaven Pills. Xiang Shan was giving off the aura of one such pill, so the Chaos Spirit King attacked, leaving Yang Xue no choice but to intercept it.
Now, Xiang Shan no longer exuded any of the Open Heaven Pill’s aura, so when Yang Kai tossed out another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, it was only natural that the Chaos Spirit King would chase after it.
Upon that realization, Mo Na Ye was extremely vexed.
The Chaos Spirit King’s appearance had helped restrain Yang Xue, a Ninth-Order Master. The Black Ink Clan had basically gotten a free helper, which allowed them to suppress the Humans.
However, no one could’ve expected that it was also the Chaos Spirit King who ruined the Black Ink Clan’s plan. It was easily lured away by an Open Heaven Pill, which allowed Yang Xue to come deal with Mo Na Ye.
It was only natural that Mo Na Ye cursed at the Chaos Spirit King for derailing his plans.
Despite his resentment, there was nothing much he could do about it.
Fortunately, Yang Kai was badly injured, and Xiang Shan’s ascension had failed. At the very least, they had achieved something.
While he was thinking so, he suddenly felt that Yang Kai’s aura, which was initially frail, rose sharply. As he turned his head in shock, he saw a river swirling around Yang Kai like a Dragon. Yang Kai was recovering as it happened. Even the wound on his chest caused by Lin Wu was healing rapidly.
Time seemed to be reversing as the river swirled around him.
In just a moment, Yang Kai had basically completely recovered!
[What kind of Secret Technique is that!?] Mo Na Ye was flabbergasted.
Yang Kai had just discovered this wonderful use of his Space-Time River not long ago and used it once in the Infinite River to restore his wounded body. Naturally, he chose to use it again this time.
Lin Wu’s sneak attack and the Battle Formation’s backlash had indeed wounded him, but he managed to reverse time for himself and return to the state he had marked some time ago.
The price he had to pay was a massive consumption of his Dao Strengths; nevertheless, that was the last of his concerns now.
He had already come up with a plan the moment Lin Wu launched his sneak attack; as such, he decided to toss away the precious Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill to attract the Chaos Spirit King’s attention.
Only when Yang Xue was freed from that fight could she deal with Mo Na Ye, allowing Yang Kai to take a breather.
However, at that time, Yang Kai wasn’t confident that he would succeed. If the Chaos Spirit King didn’t retreat, Yang Xue wouldn’t have been freed up. All the same, he had to take the risk.
Fortunately, the Chaos Spirit King was only concerned about getting the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill back; therefore, the moment it detected the pill’s aura, it chased after it, allowing Yang Xue to deal with other threats.
Overall, the Humans were still at a disadvantage. Ou Yang Lie was doing fine while Yang Xue was dealing with Mo Na Ye and were not at risk of losing their lives; however, the other Humans were in a terrible situation. Although Xiang Shan had joined the battle, it was still hard for them to turn things around.
If this dragged on, many more Humans would lose their lives.
They had to quickly resolve the suspicions the Humans had for each other and catch all the hidden Black Ink Disciples.
Yang Kai soon made a decision. As he continued to recover, he shouted, “Yang Xiao, form a Four Symbols Formation and use Purifying Light!”
Understanding his intentions, Yang Xiao replied, “Yes!”
After informing Zhan Tian He and the others about it, Yang Xiao formed a Four Symbols Formation with him as the Core; then, they charged towards the centre of the battlefield. Before they even arrived, the Great Sun and Moon Marks on the back of Yang Xiao’s hands appeared. As yellow and blue lights swirled around and combined with each other, they turned into a dazzling white light that illuminated the entire battlefield.
“Stop them!” A Pseudo-Royal Lord growled; however, the Purifying Light was their archnemesis, so the Black Ink Clansmen were terrified to get close.
“I dare you to stop me!” Yang Xiao roared and continued to condense more Purifying Light as he led Zhan Tian He and the others forward. Wherever they went, the Territory Lords quickly backed away and even the Pseudo-Royal Lords shrank from the intense Purifying Light.
From the defence line, Xiang Shan and several people came over to help. There was no doubt that Xiang Shan was intelligent as he shared the same sentiment as Yang Kai. They had to quickly resolve the internal problems that the Humans faced, so they had to assist Yang Xiao.
After all, they needed Yang Xiao’s Purifying Light to catch all the hidden Black Ink Disciples.
The war intensified at that moment. Xiang Shan was the Core of a Six Paths Formation, which was exceptionally powerful. After an exchange of moves, they finally joined Yang Xiao’s Four Symbols Formation. They then entered the defence line together while the Black Ink Clan were unable to stop them.
The next moment, Yang Xiao roared as the Great Sun and Moon Marks on the back of his hands became increasingly bright. Copious amounts of Yellow and Blue Crystals were consumed in an instant before an eruption of Purifying Light spread out with him as the centre.
Wherever the white light went, Black Ink Strength dissipated as the light covered all the Human Race Masters and continued to expand. The two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, who had attacked Xiang Shan moments ago, had been subdued and were presently unable to move a muscle. As they were shrouded in the Purifying Light, they started trembling as if struck by lightning. They howled in pain while Black Ink Strength left their bodies.
On the periphery, the Black Ink Clansmen had managed to shrink the Human defence line while the latter’s Battle Formations were in turmoil. Some parts of the defence line were about to break, but when the Purifying Light surged forth like a tidal wave, the Black Ink Clansmen had no choice but to retreat.
This kind of large-scale Purifying Light was no different from poison to the Black Ink Clan. Although they wouldn’t be killed, nobody wanted to see their powers significantly weakened.
The Human Race Masters seized the chance to counterattack and stabilize the defence line.
By the time the pure white light dissipated, the Humans had managed to fortify their defence line and all the Battle Formations were operating smoothly again.
As the Purifying Light swept out, no Human Race Masters showed signs of corruption. Apparently, the Black Ink Clan had only planted three Black Ink Disciples among them.
This wasn’t too surprising as it was still quite hard for the Black Ink Clan to turn Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Masters into Black Ink Disciples.
As the Humans no longer had to worry about being betrayed by their teammates, they naturally focused on dealing with the enemies.
The use of the Purifying Light helped the Humans regain their composure as Yang Xiao’s eyes brightened as he guffawed, “So useful!”
He decided that if the defence line was falling apart again, he would condense another burst of Purifying Light and rush up towards the weak point. Although he couldn’t kill enemies with it, he could at least ensure that the defence line remained intact.
However, this kind of move required a lot of Yellow and Blue Crystals because it had to cover a vast area. His Yellow and Blue Crystals were given to him by Yang Kai back then, and he had consumed quite a number of them over the years; as such, he didn’t have many left. If he used this move two more times, he would run out of crystals.
Once that happened, he would lose the ability to force the Black Ink Clan to retreat, which might result in the defence line collapsing.
Therefore, if the Humans wanted to gain victory, they had to pin their hopes on Ou Yang Lie and Yang Xue. If these two Ninth-Order Masters could kill their opponents quickly, they could help the other Humans out.
Nevertheless, their opponents were Royal Lords. They might be able to defeat their enemies, but it would be hard for them to kill the Royal Lords. How were they supposed to help out?
Ou Yang Lie had apparently realised that as well, so he had been exerting himself even more while ignoring his injury in the hope that he could kill Xiao You quickly. Nevertheless, Xiao You had eight Territory Lords assisting him. Although Ou Yang Lie was madly wielding his strength, he couldn’t achieve his goal in a short time.
To make things worse, he had to spend some energy protecting Tian Xiu Zhu and his group as Meng Que, a Pseudo-Royal Lord, seemed determined to kill them.
A while ago, Tian Xiu Zhu led his Five Elements Formation to leave the defence line and sent two Eighth-Order Masters to lend Yang Kai a helping hand, which infuriated Meng Que. The other Pseudo-Royal Lords were doing fine while something went wrong in his place, so it was only natural that he was embarrassed.
Although he was shocked by Lin Wu’s betrayal and realised that it was Mo Na Ye’s arrangement all along, he knew nothing about it before then. If Mo Na Ye had told him earlier, Meng Que would have held back to allow Lin Wu out more easily.
At the end of the day, it seemed Mo Na Ye still had no regard for him, so he didn’t let him have a hand in such an important plan.
At that time, if Meng Que had managed to stop the Five Elements Formation, Mo Na Ye would’ve probably given him a heads-up.
All the same, everything was within Mo Na Ye’s control. Regardless of what happened, he would make sure that Lin Wu could approach Yang Kai and deal a heavy blow.
Meng Que was resentful. Initially, both of them were Pseudo-Royal Lords, but Mo Na Ye acquired an opportunity in the Universe Furnace World and became a true Royal Lord while Meng Que suffered a setback and became seriously injured.
As he was frustrated, he wasn’t willing to let Tian Xiu Zhu and his Five Elements Formation off. He was determined to kill these weakened Eighth-Order Masters to vent his rage.
The Humans seemed to be on the losing side as the war intensified.
The Black Ink Clan was much stronger when it came to the quantity of their Masters. The Humans had managed to hold on previously because they could see hope as Xiang Shan attempted to break through. They also had their Warships’ assistance.
Now, Xiang Shan’s breakthrough had failed, and after a long battle, the Warships were seriously damaged. Without the Warships’ protection, how were they supposed to fend off the Black Ink Clan’s bombardment?
It was only a matter of time before their lines broke and they were routed.
They also couldn’t pin their hope on the two Ninth-Order Masters as they were both occupied.
Everyone was frustrated, especially the two Eighth-Order Masters who had attacked Xiang Shan earlier. After the Black Ink Strength in their bodies was dispelled by the Purifying Light, they felt guilty and ashamed. As such, they struck with reckless abandon, hoping to kill more enemies even if they lost their lives in the process.
If they hadn’t made a move at the most critical moment, Xiang Shan would’ve become a Ninth-Order Master.
Their sneak attack didn’t only make the Human Race lose a Ninth-Order Master, but also put hundreds of Human Race Masters in peril.
Although no one blamed them, they couldn’t forgive themselves so easily.
They had heard their Seniors mention that after some Black Ink Disciples were saved, they would rather kill themselves out of guilt. They might have hurt other Humans or even killed their friends and relatives; however, those were only stories and not something they personally experienced.
It wasn’t until this moment that they realised how despairing it was. Sometimes, living was more painful than death.
As such, they were looking for a chance to die while taking out several powerful opponents. However, the Territory Lords were naturally vigilant, so these Eighth-Order Masters didn’t have a chance to do so.
They had almost gone mad because of their fury and self-blame.
“Calm down! There is still hope for all of us! Don’t go throwing your lives away just yet!” A voice was suddenly cut through the noise. The person must have realised their intentions, so he decided to persuade them.
Both of them were startled. Was there still hope for all of them? But they didn’t see it!
The person went on to say, “Don’t forget that my Adoptive Father isn’t dead yet. As long as he’s alive, there’s still hope! He’s best at creating miracles in the most despairing situations!”
It was only then did they realise who was speaking to them.
He was none other than Yang Xiao!
The Adoptive Father he talked about was Yang Kai.
Indeed, during their formative years, they had heard their Seniors talk about Yang Kai’s numerous achievements. They knew that he had done many incredible things and the Human Race managed to hang on despite having to deal with the mighty Black Ink Clan largely thanks to his efforts and victories.
He was so powerful that he could kill Territory Lords like they were chickens and dogs, and was even used to dealing with opponents that were more powerful than him. He had even escaped from the pursuit of Royal Lords.
It was also rumoured that he had killed a Royal Lord on his own.
Certainly, it was a strange rumour; after all, there was a huge gap in power between an Eighth-Order Master and a Royal Lord. No one would believe it without any verification.
He was undoubtedly a legend and all the younger generation cultivators hoped to be the next Yang Kai.
One of them was even touted as ‘Little Yang Kai’. Such a title was enough to make many new cultivators feel envious.
Apart from these inconceivable rumours, they had seen how Yang Kai managed to form an Eight Trigrams Formation to push back a true Royal Lord and even gain the upper hand, a shocking and amazing feat indeed.
An Eight Trigrams Formation of Eighth-Order Masters had only appeared once before that, and at that time, it only lasted for 20 breaths. However, the Eight Trigrams Formation led by Yang Kai this time lasted for over an hour. If not for the fact that Lin Wu was a hidden Black Ink Disciple, Yang Kai could’ve kept the Formation running for much longer.
However, was there really hope for all of them?
The Eight Trigrams Formation had shattered, and Yang Kai was heavily injured. He was unable to make it to the Ninth Order as the Eighth Order was the limit in his lifetime.
What else could he do in such a situation?
If Yang Xiao hadn’t mentioned Yang Kai, they would’ve forgotten about him. That was because regardless of what he did, he wouldn’t be able to turn things around now.
Instinctively, they turned to look at Yang Kai, after which they were astounded.
If they remembered correctly, Yang Kai was supposed to be badly wounded with a weekend aura; however, even though he wasn’t in peak condition at this moment, he wasn’t nearly as battered as they believed.
They were amazed by his restorative ability.
Presently, Yang Kai was hovering in the void with Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow.
With the Space-Time River’s help, Yang Kai had mostly recovered; however, everyone seemed to have forgotten about him.
Only Lin Wu was looking at him warily at this moment.
Yang Kai was famous and powerful, after all. Although Lin Wu was resolute when launching a sneak attack earlier, he didn’t have the guts to fight Yang Kai head-on. Nevertheless, he couldn’t rashly have a hand in other battles. As such, he decided to stay there and keep an eye on Yang Kai.
Noticing Lin Wu’s stare, Yang Kai turned to look at him and put on a faint smile, one without resentment or anger.
After all, after getting corrupted, a Black Ink Disciple would place Mo and the Black Ink Clan before all else. As a Black Ink Disciple, everything Lin Wu did was against his will. Yang Kai had encountered countless Black Ink Disciples over the years. He would save them if he could; otherwise, he would not hesitate to kill them as that was a kind of extrication as well. As such, he wouldn’t blame Lin Wu for anything.
However, it seemed that he now had no choice but to use his trump card. Undoubtedly, he was unresigned.
No one had ever cultivated the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art devised by Shi before, so no one knew if it could shatter the Open Heaven Realm Method’s shackles. It would be wonderful if Yang Kai succeeded, but if he failed, he would be left with numerous concerns.
From what he had gathered, the Secret Art should be feasible. At the very least, both the Human Self and Monster Self had grown to be powerful; moreover, these two seemed closely connected to his own, true body.
Putting Thunder Shadow aside for now, Fang Tian Ci had the potential to directly ascend to the Seventh Order back then; nevertheless, when he made it to the Open Heaven Realm, he became a Sixth-Order Master for seemingly no reason.
That was the restriction from the main body. Yang Kai’s limit was the Eighth Order; therefore, as the Human Self, regardless of how good Fang Tian Ci’s aptitude was or how solid his foundation had been, he was unable to directly ascend to the Seventh Order.
It was the same case for Thunder Shadow. He had come to a point where his cultivation was impossible to improve further.
In fact, if he was not Yang Kai’s Monster Self, he could’ve stayed in the Myriad Monsters World and continued to improve his cultivation since he had cultivated the Primal Art to refine his Monster Core. Someone from the Monster Race who had cultivated the Primal Art didn’t have any shackles to speak of.
Yang Kai initially wanted to wait for his Human Self and Monster Self to reach the absolute limits of their cultivation; then, he would look for a safe place and use the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art to attempt a breakthrough.
If possible, he could also ask some friends and relatives to stand guard for him to avoid any accidents.
He didn’t know the kind of problems he would face after he used the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art, so he had to make some preparations.
Nevertheless, things went contrary to his wishes. Now, Xiang Shan’s breakthrough failed while Ou Yang Lie and Yang Xue had their respective opponents. If this dragged on, the Humans’ defence line would break. Faced with more than 10 Pseudo-Royal Lords and countless Territory Lords, Yang Kai, an Eighth-Order Master, wouldn’t be able to achieve anything even if he joined the battle.
Therefore, he had to take the risk despite being in less-than-ideal circumstances.
After giving it some thought though, Yang Kai realised that if he managed to successfully achieve a breakthrough, he could immediately kill many Masters from the Black Ink Clan to celebrate his breakthrough, which sounded like an excellent idea.
At that moment, he became high-spirited.
Yang Kai was a resolute person, and since he had made a decision, he wouldn’t hesitate. The only problem was that his Human Self, Monster Self, and himself were not in the best of conditions.
With the Space-Time River’s help, he had managed to heal 80% of his injuries; however, Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow didn’t have such incredible restorative power and were still heavily injured from the prolonged battle.
Resolving himself, Yang Kai muttered, “Are you ready?”
Fang Tian Ci replied with a faint smile, “I’ve always been ready.”
Thunder Shadow nodded, “We’re all Brothers. As long as we’re united, we can achieve anything!”
Fang Tian Ci couldn’t help but refute, “We’re merely part of his Soul…”
Thunder Shadow cut him off by saying, “So what if we’re part of his Soul? Can’t we be Brothers? Moreover, we’re not Soul Clones in the traditional sense. What do you say, Big Brother?”
Yang Kai nodded, “You’re right. This time, the three of us will be going for broke!”
A smug Thunder Shadow pulled a face at Fang Tian Ci, who smiled helplessly.
“Enter my Small Universe!” Yang Kai ordered and opened up the portal to his Small Universe.
Without hesitation, Fang Tian Ci stepped forward and disappeared into it, followed by Thunder Shadow. Before that, Thunder Shadow said to Yang Kai, “I owe Qin Xue and her Husband from Great Feather Pavilion a favour. Please take care of them on my behalf.”
“Don’t worry,” Yang Kai replied quickly.
After the Human Self and Monster Self were gone, Yang Kai shuddered as his entire Small Universe trembled. Even the World Tree clone was unable to suppress the turmoil.
Yang Kai’s expression turned solemn as he focused on suppressing the upheaval in his Small Universe.
The moment Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow entered Yang Kai’s Small Universe, Yang Xiao was flabbergasted.
Earlier, he consoled the two Eighth-Order Masters, who had attacked Xiang Shan, and told them not to lose hope yet because his Adoptive Father was still alive. Yang Kai had created many miracles in his life, so as long as he was still alive, there was hope for all of them. Naturally, Yang Xiao took a look at his Adoptive Father as he spoke.
That was when he saw the inconceivable sight.
[Old Fang and that Monster Race Great Emperor entered Adoptive Father’s Small Universe? What the Hell is going on!?]
Yang Xiao felt dizzy all of a sudden. He even suspected that he was seeing things because of his injuries.
Both Yang Kai and Fang Tian Ci were Eighth-Order Masters, so how did the latter enter Yang Kai’s Small Universe?
Since time immemorial, only Open Heaven Realm Master in a higher Order could allow one in a lower Order enter their Small Universe. It couldn’t be achieved when both of them were in the same Order.
That was because the Small Universes of two Open Heaven Realm Masters in the same Order had similar capacities. As such, one couldn’t keep the other person inside their Small Universe. If they forcibly did so, their Small Universe would explode.
Moreover, as far as Yang Xiao knew, the Monster Race Great Emperor was equivalent to an Eighth-Order Master. How did he enter Yang Kai’s Small Universe?
Yang Xiao found everything inconceivable, so he couldn’t help but look around, after which he saw that Blood Crow appeared equally shocked.
“Did you see that?” Yang Xiao asked.
Blood Crow glanced at him and nodded faintly.
Yang Xiao was stunned, “It wasn’t a hallucination?” Was what he saw real?
Blood Crow snorted, “Why are you so surprised? Didn’t you say he’s the best at creating miracles in the most despairing situations?”
Yang Xiao was startled for a moment before coming to his senses. If anyone else had done such a thing, that would’ve been shocking. However, that person was his Adoptive Father, so everything made sense.
Although he had no idea how Yang Kai managed to take Fang Tian Ci into his Small Universe, there wouldn’t be a problem as it was his Adoptive Father doing that.
Having said that, he still felt that something was off. What was the relationship between Fang Tian Ci and Yang Kai? Since both of them were Eighth-Order Masters, how and why did Fang Tian Ci enter the latter’s Small Universe?
Yang Xiao was aware that Fang Tian Ci came from Yang Kai’s Small Universe; moreover, Fang Tian Ci was well-versed in the Dao of Space, Dao of Time, and Spear Dao, all of which he had inherited from Yang Kai. He was known to be Little Yang Kai because of that.
Also, Zhao Ye Bai and the others said that Yang Kai had travelled around his own Small Universe before. It was during that time that he took him and Zhao Ya as his Disciples.
At the thought of this, Yang Xiao gasped in shock as a bold idea formed in his mind.
[Could Old Fang be my Adoptive Father’s illegitimate Son?]
When Yang Kai travelled around his Small Universe, he might have come across a beautiful lady and fallen in love with her, leading to Fang Tian Ci being born.
Later, Yang Kai would have kept Fang Tian Ci in his Small Universe and taught him how to cultivate, which was how the latter inherited all three of the former’s Grand Daos.
Assuming that it was the truth, Yang Xiao nodded gently. He couldn’t believe that Fang Tian Ci was related to Yang Kai by blood, and he had never heard about it from him before. For that reason, he decided to teach Fang Tian Ci a lesson for hiding it from him at a later time.
“What are you doing? Don’t get distracted!” Blood Crow suddenly snapped.
Since Yang Xiao was having such wild thoughts, the Four Symbols Formation began to become unstable.
Yang Xiao quickly pulled himself together and guffawed, “We’re going to win this one!”
Blood Crow looked at him like he was a fool. The Humans were in a difficult situation, so what made Yang Xiao believe that they could still win? Was it merely because Yang Kai had put an Eighth-Order Master and a Monster Race Great Emperor in his Small Universe? Was he supposed to break through to the Ninth Order by doing that?
While they were secretly shocked, two more people were equally astonished when they saw what Yang Kai did.
Lin Wu had been looking at Yang Kai warily; therefore, he could clearly see what Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow did. At that moment, he was puzzled as to how Yang Kai managed to put two cultivators in the same equivalent Realm in his Small Universe.
On the other hand, Mo Na Ye became agitated. Although he couldn’t shake off Yang Xue, he had still been paying close attention to Yang Kai.
This couldn’t be helped as he had suffered too many setbacks because of Yang Kai, leading to a kind of paranoid trauma when it came to the latter. Before Yang Kai was dead and buried, Mo Na Ye could never relax.
When he saw Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow dashing into Yang Kai’s Small Universe, he felt his chest tightening as a bad premonition came over him.
Although he had no idea what Yang Kai was up to, he had to be cautious whenever the latter did something unusual, which was usually a sign that Yang Kai was about to achieve something shocking.
Mo Na Ye immediately made a decision and sent a Divine Sense transmission.
The next moment, three Pseudo-Royal Lords, who had been trying to break the Humans’ defence line along with the Territory Lords, suddenly left their positions and charged towards Yang Kai from different directions.
It was a difficult decision to make for Mo Na Ye to send three Pseudo-Royal Lords to deal with Yang Kai at such a critical moment.
Without these three Pseudo-Royal Lords, a great deal of pressure had been lifted off the Human Race’s defence line, especially now that Xiang Shan was free to contend against the Black Ink Clan. Presently, he was charging around while leading a Seven Stars Formation, and after those three Pseudo-Royal Lords left the battle, the advantage that the Black Ink Clan had would probably be wiped out.
However, Mo Na Ye had no choice but to make such a decision to kill Yang Kai as quickly as possible. Despite that, they might not be able to end Yang Kai’s life. If it was so easy to kill Yang Kai, he wouldn’t have remained alive until now.
Nevertheless, if they could kill Yang Kai, Mo Na Ye wouldn’t mind letting the rest of the Human Race Masters here escape.
Faced with the approaching imposing auras, Yang Kai sported a cold expression and snorted, “It seems you all still consider me a huge threat, huh?”
Yang Kai knew that when he got started, the Black Ink Clan would definitely notice and attempt to stop him. As such, he was well-prepared.
Seeing that three Pseudo-Royal Lords were about to reach him, he certainly wouldn’t stay there and wait for death.
Space Principles undulated and his figure blurred.
By the time the Pseudo-Royal Lords arrived, Yang Kai had disappeared. In a different direction, his aura slowly reappeared.
Yang Kai was certainly no match for three Pseudo-Royal Lords; in fact, given his condition, he couldn’t even deal with one Pseudo-Royal Lord. He had been contending with the Black Ink Clan for many years, and he frequently came across opponents he couldn’t defeat, but he managed to survive until now because he firmly believed that even if he couldn’t defeat the other party, he would be able to run away.
Given his mastery over the Dao of Space, he was unmatched when it came to escaping.
A temporary retreat wasn’t a sign of weakness; he just needed to wait for a chance to strike back.
Including Mo Yu, Yang Kai had been hunted down by three different Royal Lords before. One of them was killed by him even though he had no idea how, and the other was lured to the Chaotic Dead Territory and eliminated by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. Only Mo Yu was still alive and kicking.
Since Yang Kai could escape from true Royal Lords, he naturally wasn’t afraid of mere Pseudo-Royal Lords. More importantly, the Black Ink Clan didn’t have any Heaven Sealing and Earth Locking techniques. If he freely manipulated Space Principles, these Pseudo-Royal Lords wouldn’t even be able to touch him despite joining forces.
However, the situation was unusual at that moment.
With his Human Self and Monster Self inside his body, his Small Universe was in turmoil; as such, as Yang Kai manipulated Space Principles, he realised that he was unable to use his Space Secret Techniques smoothly.
The turmoil in his Small Universe caused everything to destabilise. Even the Space-Time River around Yang Kai could hardly be sustained. The moment he reappeared, the Space-Time River suddenly came apart and dispersed.
Yang Kai turned pale as he sported a solemn expression.
He didn’t expect that such a thing would happen after he let his Human Self and Monster Self inside his Small Universe; now, it seemed that he was in a perilous situation.
No one had cultivated the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art before, so no one could teach him anything about it or warn him of any dangers of cultivating it. He had planned to choose a safe place and prepare thoroughly before using this Secret Art; however, the situation the Humans were facing didn’t allow him to make any preparations at all. As such, he could only take a risk.
The three Pseudo-Royal Lords hadn’t noticed this anomaly, but the instant they detected his aura, they still turned around and charged towards him.
Yang Kai certainly wouldn’t stand still and wait for death, so he promptly dashed off to widen the gap between him and his enemies. At the same time, he spent some energy circulating the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art.
Strictly speaking, the Secret Art devised by Shi was divided into two parts. The first part was about splitting one’s Soul to cultivate two Selves. That was the foundation as well as the preliminary preparation, the key to success so to speak.
Yang Kai had completed this part. Over the years, both his Human Self, Fang Tian Ci, and his Monster Self, Thunder Shadow, had grown to be independent beings. They had reached the limits of their respective Realms, so there wasn’t much room for improvement for them.
The second part was what Yang Kai was currently doing. By circulating the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art, he could unite his three Selves. After integrating the powers of the two other Souls, he would be able to massively expand his Small Universe and thereby shatter the Open Heaven Realm Method’s innate shackles.
When Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow entered Yang Kai’s Small Universe, the powers of the two caused everything to descend into upheaval, especially Fang Tian Ci. He was also an Eighth-Order Master, so he too had a massive Small Universe in his body, which caused an enormous impact on Yang Kai’s own Small Universe.
That was the reason a person couldn’t accommodate another cultivator in the same Order into their Small Universe.
As Yang Kai’s Small Universe trembled, everyone in the Void World was apprehensive. The World Tree clone’s illusory phantom appeared, its gigantic tree crown like an umbrella that covered the entire sky.
Meanwhile, a battered Yang Kai was dashing forward to escape from the three Pseudo-Royal Lords while madly circulating the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art at the same time.
Just then, a Dragon Roar was heard reverberating across the Small Universe. The next moment, a Golden Dragon phantom that was 99,999 metres long appeared. The Golden Dragon was the visual manifestation of Yang Kai’s Divine Spirit Source.
The Phantom Dragon covered a large part of the World, and when it appeared, all the living creatures were exposed to its Dragon Pressure and felt the urge to bow to it.
After his trip to the Dragon Pool back then, Yang Kai could be considered a pure-blooded Dragon Clan member. That was the reason the Ancient Dragon Elders from the No-Return Pass wanted him to record his name on the Dragon Tome and found the Yang Family lineage so that there would be more Dragon Clan descendants in the future.
However, Yang Kai had never considered himself a true member of the Dragon Clan. Turning into a Dragon was his way to deal with large swaths of weak opponents or singular powerful enemies. He would always regard himself as a Human.
All the same, his beliefs wouldn’t change the fact that he was a pure-blooded Dragon Clan member.
The appearance of the Golden Dragon showed that his Source had been fully stimulated at this moment.
If he wanted to integrate the powers of his other two Selves, he had to make use of his Source.
The instant the illusory phantom Golden Dragon appeared following the Dragon Roar, Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow sported solemn expressions.
Thunder Shadow looked at the Golden Dragon while feeling his power stir in his body. Suddenly, he asked, “Second Brother, have you flirted with many women over the years?”
Fang Tian Ci broke into laughter, “Why are you asking this question at this point?”
Thunder Shadow smiled meaningfully, “Think about it. Since both of us are Big Brother’s Soul Clones, if you’ve been intimate with some woman, after Big Brother assimilates both of us, the women you’re in love with will probably go looking for him.”
Fang Tian Ci was stunned and wondered, “Is that so?”
Thunder Shadow replied matter-of-factly, “Of course. Both of us come from him, after all. Regardless of what we’ve done, he’ll have to take responsibility for everything.”
Fang Tian Ci couldn’t help teasing him, “It seems that Big Brother will be in big trouble, then. You must’ve been with many female Monsters in the Myriad Monsters World over the years.”
Thunder Shadow refuted seriously, “Nonsense. I focused on cultivating while in the Myriad Monsters World and have never done anything I would feel ashamed of.”
Then, he winked at the other man, “So, have you really flirted with some women?”
“No,” Fang Tian Ci shook his head, “I’ve always been honest and righteous, so why would I flirt with random women?” Then, he sighed, “However, when a man is brilliant, he’ll always attract many women’s attention. I’ve been feeling troubled because of that.”
Hearing that, Thunder Shadow pursed his lips and muttered, “It seems that Big Brother isn’t such a good thing compared to us.”
Both of them were Yang Kai’s Soul Clones, so strictly speaking, they had inherited Yang Kai’s temperament. As such, they were the reflection of Yang Kai’s disposition.
The two of them exchanged glances and guffawed.
“If you two are done chit-chatting, hurry up and help, otherwise, I’ll be killed soon!” Yang Kai shouted.
As even his use of Dao Strengths was in turmoil, Yang Kai found it hard to use his Space Secret Techniques. Since three Pseudo-Royal Lords were hunting him down, he was in a perilous situation. He could still run away for a while as he had put some distance between him and them, but as time passed, that distance would surely shrink.
Moreover, he could feel that Mo Na Ye had been paying attention to him and trying to shake off Yang Xue, but to no avail.
Faced with the Chaos Spirit King, Yang Xue wasn’t a match for it, but it wasn’t hard for her to keep Mo Na Ye pinned down; after all, Mo Na Ye was her equal in cultivation, and wasn’t in peak condition. He was injured even before the current battle broke out, and then he had spent some effort fighting the Eight Trigrams Formation, leaving him both wounded and weakened.
Since Yang Xue could tell that Mo Na Ye wanted to harm Yang Kai, she naturally wouldn’t let him go.
Inside Yang Kai’s Small Universe, Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow sported serious expressions. Although they had no idea what was going to happen next, they were aware of their fates after the memories in their Souls were fully unsealed.
They had been cultivating for many years for this moment.
At the very least, they had lived their lives to the fullest, travelling around and experiencing many wonders of the Universe.
Without resistance, they emptied their minds and let their Soul turn into nothingness.
The Golden Dragon continued to roar, and as its Source Strength shook, Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow resonated with it. Gradually, their figures became blurred and were engulfed in a layer of golden light.
A moment later, two gigantic golden figures shot into the sky.
Everyone in the Void World was paying respects to the Golden Dragon when they saw such a shocking sight. Presently, a gigantic golden leopard surrounded by lightning and an equally majestic Human figure were flying up towards the Golden Dragon.
No one had any idea what was going on; however, they had experienced several fantastical phenomena in the Void World over the years, and these incidents always subsided quickly; as such, they were already somewhat used to it.
Seven Stars Sect was the dominant Great Force in the Void World without any question. No one had yet managed to challenge their status over the past 100,000 years.
This couldn’t be helped though as the Dao Lord used to be a Supreme Elder in Seven Stars Sect. They still kept his position in the Sect and everyone from the lowest disciple to the Sect Master himself would frequently pay homage to his statue.
With such a natural advantage, it was only expected that they had an edge over other Sects.
As the most powerful Great Force on the continent, Seven Stars Sect had many satellite cities around it. The area could be considered the centre of the World.
About 20 kilometres away from one such city was the Fang Family Village. It used to be an ordinary village, but they had an Ancestor who grew to be a powerful cultivator and became part of the Void Dao Temple many millennia ago. The village had been thriving since then.
Presently, there were many descendants and cultivators in the Fang Family Village, including some Emperor Realm Masters. Their inheritance was just as great as some of the Sects with equally long histories.
When such an anomaly took place in the Void World, the Patriarch led the Fang Family members to salute the Golden Dragon and pray for their safety.
Nonetheless, when the Patriarch looked up and saw the face of the golden Human figure, he was thoroughly startled because he found the face familiar.
The commotion behind him made him realise that he wasn’t mistaken. The golden Human figure looked just like their famous Ancestor that used to live in their village over 10,000 years ago.
Fang Tian Ci was a legendary figure within the Fang Family, and it was because of his identity as a Void Dao Temple disciple that the Fang Family was able to thrive all these years.
It could be said that this Ancestor was the reason the Fang Family rose to power. Before him, the Fang Family was just one of many ordinary families in the Void World.
[Is that… Honoured Ancestor?]
The Patriarch could not be certain. After the Ancestor joined the Void Dao Temple, he gave the Fang Family some benefits before he left the Void World. There had never been any news about him since.
While the Fang Family’s Patriarch was doubtful, the colossal golden figure seemed to have sensed something and looked in their direction. Despite the distance, Fang Tian Ci could clearly see what was going on in the Fang Family Village.
Then, he flicked his fingers and shot out a white light, which soon landed in front of the Patriarch with a faint thrum.
As the Patriarch looked on intently, he realised there was a sword in front of him. Despite the modest appearance, the sword was actually an extremely high grade artifact.
The Patriarch hurriedly straightened up and grasped the hilt. To his surprise, he was able to pull out the sword easily.
When he saw the character ‘Fang’ on the hilt, he realised something and shouted, “It is Ancestor Tian Ci! Heavens bless Ancestor Tian Ci!”
Behind him, countless Fang Family’s descendants called out, “Heavens bless Ancestor Tian Ci!”
The golden figure that Fang Tian Ci had turned into nodded gently and shot towards the Golden Dragon along with Thunder Shadow. Before they even arrived, their figures started dissipating into millions of points of light before assimilating into the Golden Dragon.
Although Fang Tian Ci was only a Soul Clone, he was born and raised in this World. In the end, he still had sentiments for the Fang Family. That was the reason he left behind his sword before leaving. As long as the sword was still around, the Fang Family would continue to thrive.
The entire Void World was the true body’s Small Universe, so why would the Soul Clone’s sword be lost? It could be said that as long as the true body was still alive and the Small Universe remained intact, the Fang Family would continue to prosper.
Despite being a Soul Clone, Fang Tian Ci wanted to do something for his family at the end of his life.
Following the integration of the two Soul Clones, the colour of the golden Phantom Dragon thickened. Its figure trembled and expanded in length.
The Phantom Dragon was already 99,999 metres long, which was only a step away from 100,000 metres. Now that Yang Kai had merged with the two, he had finally shattered the bottleneck.
At that, he was surprised.
Back then, when his Dragon Vein was stuck and couldn’t be improved any further, Yang Kai figured that he would have to ascend to the Ninth Order before he could break this bottleneck and become a Divine Dragon.
It never crossed his mind that he would become a Divine Dragon first.
After giving it some thought though, he realised it wasn’t so surprising. Both his Human Self and Monster Self were split and had to combine with his Source. Now that the two had integrated with him, his Source would naturally be strengthened. It naturally allowed him to become a Divine Dragon first.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling ecstatic, for he managed to become a Divine Dragon at the perfect time.
Presently, he was no longer able to escape from the three Pseudo-Royal Lords. Although he had repeatedly used his Space Secret Technique, his Dao Strength was in turmoil, which made it impossible for him to use Instantaneous Movement smoothly. As such, he was unable to shake off these powerful opponents. Now, he was cornered by the three Pseudo-Royal Lords in a particular spot in the void.
They were madly activating their aura to strike at Yang Kai and the Void around him. They were trying to disturb Yang Kai and make it impossible for him to run away.
Since Yang Kai was no longer able to flee, the murderous intent of these Pseudo-Royal Lords surged as one of them yelled, “Kill!”
They then charged towards him from different directions. As their Black Ink Strength surged, they cast powerful Secret Techniques at Yang Kai, who staggered while appearing battered.
If Yang Kai had not just become a Divine Dragon, he wouldn’t have persevered for long when faced with the bombardment of attacks from three Pseudo-Royal Lords. He would’ve had to spend some energy evading their attacks before, but the difference of one metre allowed him to ascend to the next stage, increasing his powers tremendously.
The difference between an Ancient Dragon and a Divine Dragon was similar to that between an Eighth-Order Master and a Ninth-Order Master.
It could be said that since Yang Kai was now a Divine Dragon, he was already able to deal with three Pseudo-Royal Lords; however, it was still hard for him to defeat them. This couldn’t be helped as he was at the most critical moment of using the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art. If he wanted to make it to the Ninth Order, most of his focus had to remain on that.
Yang Kai’s Dragon Vein was only one of the reasons why he was powerful, while his Small Universe was his true foundation.
He had a feeling that he couldn’t reach the Creation Realm by relying on his Dragon Vein alone. It was only when his Small Universe grew stronger that he could peek at a higher Realm of the Martial Dao.
Yang Kai had to spend most of his energy monitoring his Small Universe and circulating the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art while only a small part of his energy was diverted to deal with the three Pseudo-Royal Lords. That was the reason he still appeared to be in danger.
Fortunately, after becoming a Divine Dragon, his body became much more resistant to beatings.
Dragons had thick skin and strong flesh to begin with, not to mention that he was a Divine Dragon now, the most powerful of all Dragons.
From the outside, it appeared to everyone that Yang Kai was in mortal peril. Facing three Pseudo-Royal Lords, Yang Kai stood no chance of surviving and it was only a matter of time before he was defeated and killed.
Ou Yang Lie had thrown all caution to the wind as he raged. Although Xiao You felt bitter, he didn’t dare to let his opponent go. He could only grit his teeth and hold on as he joined forces with eight Territory Lords to ward off Ou Yang Lie’s violent storm of attacks.
Yang Xue bit her lip so hard that it started bleeding. Now, it was Mo Na Ye trying to make sure she couldn’t leave, not the other way around.
Since Yang Kai was about to be killed, Mo Na Ye certainly wouldn’t let Yang Xue stop that from happening.
Everyone assumed that Yang Kai was doomed and he might lose his life at any moment. Nevertheless, the three Pseudo-Royal Lords fighting him felt that something was off. Although they had indeed managed to gain the upper hand, the feedback from the battle they received was strange somehow.
It was as if something was greatly amiss.
Supposedly, since Yang Kai was only a peak Eighth-Order Master, he could only rely on Space Secret Techniques to escape in this situation. Regardless of how powerful he was, there had to be a limit.
Now that he was unable to flee, he should have lost his biggest advantage. With three Pseudo-Royal Lords joining forces, they should be able to kill him with ease.
However, despite how battered Yang Kai appeared and how frequently he spat blood, they were unable to kill him.
In fact, he still seemed full of life.
What’s more, when their attacks landed on him, they couldn’t cause any serious impact. It was as though a mysterious force was undermining their powers, making it impossible for them to deal a fatal blow.
Yang Kai even counterattacked from time to time, and the power he exhibited didn’t seem to belong to an Eighth-Order Master.
Feeling uneasy, the three Pseudo-Royal Lords intensified their attacks.
Faced with this kind of barrage, Yang Kai could only clench his teeth and persist. He was at the most critical moment of uniting his three Selves. He had been waiting for this moment for thousands of years, so he wasn’t willing to just give up because once he failed, he probably wouldn’t get a second chance.
The final war between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race had begun, so he didn’t have time to nurture another Human Self and Monster Self.
Therefore, he was determined to succeed.
Although he was now a Divine Dragon, Yang Kai couldn’t hold on for long while dealing with three Pseudo-Royal Lords. He had to make it to the Ninth Order before he lost all strength; otherwise, he could only give up.
When Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow merged with his Source, he managed to become a Divine Dragon, but on top of that, he could feel that there was something else added to his Small Universe.
It was something Yang Kai couldn’t describe or identify.
He tried to calm himself down and investigate, but it was to no avail. Nonetheless, he could feel that this indescribable thing had filled his entire Small Universe.
The Golden Dragon phantom roared. As Dragon Pressure spread across the World, the robust boundary walls around his Small Universe started wavering.
Yang Kai was elated, thinking that the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art was working.
When he reached the limit of his cultivation, Yang Kai could feel the boundary wall’s presence in his Small Universe. It could be said that every peak Eighth-Order Master unable to ascend to the Ninth-Order could feel this boundary wall in their Small Universe.
That was the shortcoming of the Open Heaven Realm Method. The shackles within a cultivator couldn’t be broken by using ordinary means.
It had been quite some time since Yang Kai reached the peak of the Eighth Order; however, regardless of how hard he tried, he was unable to expand or break the boundary wall at all. Although the boundary wall was invisible, it was extremely robust, as it engulfed his entire Small Universe.
Nevertheless, at this moment, the boundary wall was shaken. This was undoubtedly a good start. As long as the boundary wall was broken, his Small Universe would continue to expand, which would then allow him to make it to the Ninth Order.
The Phantom Dragon continued to roar and smash into the boundary wall. Every time it did that, the boundary wall would shake, and as time passed, the intensity of the boundary wall’s trembling increased.
As such, Yang Kai spent even more energy to circulate the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art.
Gradually, small cracks formed on the boundary wall. As long as he spent enough time and effort, he would be able to shatter the boundary wall!
To his chagrin though, after he made some calculations, Yang Kai helplessly realised that he didn’t have enough time.
Presently, he didn’t only have to attempt breaking through to the Ninth Order but also deal with three Pseudo-Royal Lords.
They were Pseudo-Royal Lords, not Territory Lords, so while they weren’t on par with true Royal Lords, it did not mean they were weak.
Despite being a Divine Dragon, Yang Kai was unable to hold on for long while remaining passive against such foes. At this rate, he was worried that he would be killed before he managed to break the barrier around his Small Universe.
As such, he had to hurry up.
However, he was circulating the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art at its supposed maximum, so there was nothing else he could do to enhance the process.
[Should I just give up?]
If he gave up at this point, he certainly could contend with the three Pseudo-Royal Lords since he was a Divine Dragon; nonetheless, his dream of becoming a Ninth-Order Master would be crushed, and the integration of his Human Self and Monster Self would be rendered meaningless.
If he refused to give up, his injuries would only worsen until he was no longer able to hang on. Even if he gave up at that point, he would be too battered to fight three Pseudo-Royal Lords.
At that moment, Yang Kai fell into a dilemma.
It was because of all these risks that he had wanted to look for the right time and place to unite his three Selves; however, things had come to a point where he had no choice but to take a chance. To his dismay, things went contrary to his wishes.
The sudden appearance of the Universe Furnace, the start of the war in this place, and the disadvantage that the Human Race was facing made Yang Kai fall into such an awkward situation.
He secretly let out a sigh. If he couldn’t achieve his goal, he would have no choice but to give up. Even though he couldn’t make it to the Ninth Order, he had become a Divine Dragon at the very least, so he was glad that he had achieved something.
After making up his mind, Yang Kai scanned the entire Small Universe and felt sorrowful as he figured he would never make it to the Ninth Order in his lifetime.
Just as Yang Kai was sweeping his gaze over his Small Universe, an anomaly in a particular place caught his attention.
The source of the anomaly was the Fang Family Village.
At that moment, in the small Fang Family Village, everyone was saluting and calling out to Ancestor Tian Ci in a sincere manner with the Patriarch in the lead.
Before Fang Tian Ci merged with Yang Kai’s Source, he had left behind his sword to the Fang Family. He wanted to do something for his family, and Yang Kai had seen it.
Although the Fang Family members didn’t know what their Ancestor was going through or doing, it wouldn’t affect their admiration for him. That was because it was thanks to this Ancestor that the Fang Family had been thriving. The Ancestor brought about the Fang Family’s rise to power.
If not for the fact that the Ancestor had become a successful cultivator and joined the Void Dao Temple, the Fang Family wouldn’t have flourished to such an extent.
Over the years, countless families appeared and then disappeared in the Void World, unable to pass down their inheritance as they didn’t have sufficient heritage.
The Fang Family members were sincerely paying respects to their Ancestor because they were grateful for his contributions to the family. They were doing so for their descendants.
There seemed to be a mysterious power that gathered in the Fang Family Village before it integrated with the Golden Dragon phantom.
Yang Kai fell into his thoughts when he witnessed this. Moments ago, his entire focus was on circulating the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art to break his shackles, so he didn’t notice this small anomaly in the Fang Family Village. Moreover, the mysterious power was so weak that it was almost imperceptible, so it failed to catch his eye.
As he looked intently though, Yang Kai realised that he wasn’t mistaken. A mysterious power was indeed emerging from the Fang Family Village. The power was like a long thread that connected the Fang Family Village and the Golden Dragon phantom in the sky above.
At that moment, many ideas flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, and he soon realised something critical.
[I see! This is the true nature of the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art!]
He had learned the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art from Wu Kuang and spent thousands of years nurturing a Human Self and Monster Self; however, he didn’t know how he could make use of the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art to shatter his shackles so that he could ascend from the Eighth-Order to the Ninth-Order.
Initially, Yang Kai speculated that he just had to combine the powers of the Human Self and Monster Self to forcefully shatter his shackles and achieve a breakthrough; however, after activating the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art, he realised that things were different from what he had imagined. The integration of three Peak Eighth-Order Masters’ powers was not enough to allow him to blow away the innate shackles and break the boundary wall around his Small Universe. Nevertheless, after the two Selves merged with the Source, he managed to become a Divine Dragon.
The secret of the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art wasn’t just about uniting his three Selves, it was about cultivating this mysterious power!
The Power of Destiny!
Destiny was a combination of Fate, Luck, the Will of the People, and the Source of the Heavens and Earth.
In the expansive Universe, since the birth of the Primordial Light, there had been three major eras.
The Divine Spirits, who were transformed from the Primordial Light, ruled over all under the Heavens during the Primordial Era.
Then, the Great Monsters rose to power, leading to the Early Ancient Era.
When the Open Heaven Realm Method was popularized, it ushered in the Late Ancient Era, where the Human Race dominated the Universe.
In every era, the Race that ruled over everyone else was the favourite of the time, and fortune was on their side. The Divine Spirits, Monster Race, and the Human Race. Each represented three different eras.
On the other hand, the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art combined the powers of three Selves to transcend the barriers between the eras. By integrating the Power of Destiny of the three eras, one could shatter the Open Heaven Realm Method’s shackles and achieve a breakthrough.
That was the secret of the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art. Integrating the Power of Destiny from different eras was the key.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking that Shi was indeed a genius. The Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art wasn’t just a Secret Art, it was a method of condensing the essence of all past eras into one.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai realised it wasn’t so surprising. If Shi were not brilliant enough, he wouldn’t have been able to devise a Heaven-defying Secret Art such as the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
Since Yang Kai had figured out the secret of the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art, he realised that there was still hope for him. He didn’t have to give up just yet!
Although time was running out, he decided to give it a try. If he succeeded, he would ascend to the Ninth Order in addition to becoming a Divine Dragon. If he failed, he would be stuck at the peak of the Eighth Order forever.
Having made up his mind, Yang Kai spent most of his energy observing his Small Universe, and soon, he saw even more Power of Destiny streaming towards the Golden Dragon from different parts of his Small Universe.
The Power of Destiny was invisible and intangible, so one could hardly notice it in their day-to-day life. Nevertheless, since this was inside Yang Kai’s Small Universe, he was able to see more than normal and could spot traces of this mysterious force.
Inside Yang Kai’s Small Universe, apart from those from the Fang Family Village paying respects to their Ancestor, many people from other places were also praying for safety.
The Fang Family members were mainly saluting their Ancestor, who had merged with the Golden Dragon’s Source. As such, their Power of Destiny naturally integrated with the Source as well.
Other people from different places were offering their prayers to this world, so their Power of Destiny streamed towards the Golden Dragon as well.
However, that wasn’t enough.
The next moment, the people in the Void World, regardless of their cultivation, gender, or age, saw something so shocking that they would never forget it.
A figure suddenly appeared in the sky, one that was both enormous and authoritative.
Soon, a sense of unease washed over the entire World. Most of them had no idea what was going on. Their initially peaceful lives had descended into chaos as a Golden Dragon and a gigantic figure appeared. The faint-hearted thought that the end had arrived, so they started bawling their eyes out in panic.
On the other hand, the disciples from the Void Dao Temple or those who had cultivated in that place before recognised the figure and exclaimed loudly.
That was because the person was none other than the Dao Lord!
The disciples of the Void Dao Temple were aware of secrets that ordinary people didn’t know. They knew that the entire Void World was the Dao Lord’s Small Universe. When one had reached an adequate cultivation realm, they would be brought out of this place by the Dao Lord and allowed to break through.
The Dao Lord had rarely shown up since time immemorial, so it surprised them when he appeared all of a sudden.
At that moment, the disciples of the Void Dao Temple were excited as they fell to their knees and called out to the Dao Lord.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai swept a glance over the entire Small Universe. He initially wanted to put on an imposing act, but when he noticed the unease in the Small Universe, he decided to just cut to the chase, “My name is Yang Kai, the lord of this World!”
Everyone fell silent as billions of people stared up at the figure in a dazed state. Some of them were in disbelief while some of them were excited.
“This World is in turmoil now because I am facing powerful enemies. So first, I must ask all of you to remain calm.”
Upon hearing that, the people of Void World were astonished, especially those from the Void Dao Temple. The disciples there knew that the Dao Lord had been contending with some powerful enemies over the years. Their Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters had left this World to help the Dao Lord in his fight.
However, they assumed that the Dao Lord was mighty and that there was nothing he couldn’t achieve; as such, they wondered how powerful his opponents had to be to cause the World they lived in to fall into upheaval.
They had rarely experienced such turmoil before.
Needless to say, the opponents that the Dao Lord was dealing with must be formidable.
“Alone, I am no match for these enemies, so I need all of you to lend me your aid.”
In the Void Dao Temple, an old cultivator shouted, “Please tell us what we can do to help you, Dao Lord!”
Since the Dao Lord was in danger, they wouldn’t hesitate to offer their assistance. The entire Void World was his Small Universe, after all. If the Dao Lord was defeated, the entire world would fall apart as well. Their fates were intertwined with the Dao Lord’s.
Therefore, the moment the old man heard that the Dao Lord needed help, he had the urge to leave this World at once and fight alongside him.
The other cultivators shouted, “Please tell us what we can do, Dao Lord!”
They knew that they were too weak to help the Dao Lord in his fight; however, he must have his reasons for saying that he needed their aid.
Regardless of what they were required to do, they just had to put in the effort.
Just then, a hot-headed man yelled, “Who are those people who have the guts to fight you, Dao Lord? Although I am weak, I am willing to do anything to help! Even if I may die, I will make sure to take a piece of the enemy’s flesh before I fall!”
Yang Kai flashed a smile at that disciple and continued, “There’s no need for that. The enemy is too powerful, so even if all of you combine your might, you will not be able to oppose them. As for how you can help… Uh… I need you to cheer for me! Chant things like ‘Dao Lord is unrivalled’, ‘Dao Lord is mighty’, ‘Dao Lord will never be defeated’, and so on…”
All the disciples in the Void Dao Temple and the people in the Void World were dumbfounded. Could they really help the Dao Lord just by cheering for him? Was he pulling their leg? He certainly sounded uncertain just now, so they didn’t understand how this could help him contend with the enemies.
Fixing his expression, Yang Kai shouted solemnly, “Time is running out! Whether I win this battle depends on all of you now!”
The moment he finished speaking, the figure dissipated.
In the Dao Temple, the disciples exchanged shocked glances for a moment before all of a sudden, the same hot-headed disciple lifted his arms and shouted, “Dao Lod is unrivalled!”
He was so agitated that the veins on his neck throbbed. His unwavering attitude showed that he truly believed that the Dao Lord was unrivalled under the Heavens.
Then, he raised his arms and shouted again.
Soon, the other disciples joined in. Several moments later, all the disciples of the Dao Temple were cheering for the Dao Lord. They even circulated their powers to spread their voices far and wide.
Their fervour spread like wildfire. In the Void World, the people from all the cities, villages, and Sects cheered for the Dao Lord, their voices reverberating out across the sky.
Soon, all the people in the entire World were cheering for the Dao Lord at the same time.
Words like ‘Dao Lord is invincible’, ‘Dao Lord is almighty, and ‘Dao Lord is the most powerful’ could be heard everywhere.
All were united to boost the Dao Lord’s morale.
Just like the Divine Spirits in the Primordial Era and Monster Race in the Early Ancient Era, the Humans were the favourite of this era and the rulers of the Universe. As such, the Humans’ Power of Destiny was the strongest.
Presently, there were billions in Yang Kai’s Small Universe, so when so many were united to cheer for the Dao Lord, a torrent of Power of Destiny flooded into the Golden Dragon phantom.
Everywhere in the Void World, regardless of how flourishing or rural it was, the Humans of different ages, genders, and cultivation cheered for the Dao Lord at the top of their lungs with utmost sincerity.
Streams of Power of Destiny with various degrees of strength flowed towards the Phantom Golden Dragon from these billions of people.
As Yang Kai looked internally, he could see countless threads of Destiny connecting the Golden Dragon and the citizens of his Small Universe, forming a gigantic and dense web.
The Power of Destiny from a small number of people was weak, but when billions of people cheered for him, their Power of Destiny could move the World.
As a result, the Dragon Pressure intensified.
The Dragon phantom roared and swam through the air. Like snowflakes under the scorching Sun, the boundary wall that engulfed Yang Kai’s Small Universe started melting away.
The Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art was fully activated. The Power of Destiny from three different eras integrated with each other with the Humans’ era being the most prominent. The shackles were shattered, and the Small Universe expanded.
At the same time, Yang Kai’s aura rose rapidly.
The three Pseudo-Royal Lords, who were contending with him, realised that something was off. Since they had joined forces, Yang Kai, a Peak Eighth-Order Master, was supposedly not a match for them. Considering the fact that he was unable to flee, it should have been a simple matter to kill him.
However, the fact that he had persevered until now puzzled the three Pseudo-Royal Lords.
What was more, his aura was now rising sharply, as though he was about to achieve a breakthrough, an inconceivable occurrence.
No one knew what Yang Kai had done that allowed him to be so resilient and unwavering. They speculated that it might have something to do with the fact that he had opened up his Small Universe and put an Eighth-Order Master and a Monster Race Great Emperor, but they had no idea how that was possible.
His already magnificent aura was still strengthening.
A Pseudo-Royal Lord exclaimed, “Kill him now!”
Something was definitely amiss. If they allowed Yang Kai’s aura to continue to strengthen, he would probably break through and reach the Ninth Order, which would be a disaster. As far as the Black Ink Clansmen knew, Yang Kai could never ascend to the Ninth Order in his lifetime, but he now showed signs of doing just that.
The other two Pseudo-Royal Lords needed no reminder as they used their most powerful moves. They madly channelled their strength in an attempt to end Yang Kai’s life in that instant.
Nevertheless, regardless of how hard they tried and how battered Yang Kai appeared, they were unable to end him.
A Divine Dragon was already stronger than an average Ninth-Order Master or Royal Lord, so while Yang Kai focused on his Small Universe and only spent a bit of his energy fending off the enemies, it still wasn’t easy to kill him.
On the other side, Mo Na Ye was growing apprehensive as well. He knew that something must’ve gone terribly wrong. It seemed that Yang Kai was indeed about to make it to the Ninth Order, so he was anxious to race over and kill him once and for all. However, before getting rid of Yang Xue, he could never have a hand in the fight over there.
Just as the Black Ink Clan was growing anxious, Yang Kai’s aura seemed to have broken through a limit and exploded.
The imposing aura coming from him suggested that he was no longer an Eighth-Order Master. In fact, it seemed that he was now even more powerful than an ordinary Ninth-Order Master!
At that moment, Yang Kai, who was seemingly no match for the three Pseudo-Royal Lords, suddenly opened his eyes, which shone as brightly as a pair of Great Suns.
Although his entire figure was covered in blood, he was full of vigour and vitality.
He swept a glance over the three Pseudo-Royal Lords and growled, “Had fun beating me up? It’s my turn now!”
The moment he finished speaking, he clenched the Azure Dragon Spear and surged his Dao Strengths. A splashing sound was heard all of a sudden and the Space-Time River, which disappeared previously when his Dao Strengths fell into turmoil, reappeared and swirled around the spear like a Water Dragon.
He then thrust his spear out and stabbed it into the Pseudo-Royal Lord nearest to him.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord was dumbstruck and hurriedly tried to retreat; however, the instant he made a move, the spear broke past the barriers of Time and Space and penetrated his figure.
He fell into a dazed state as he felt a sharp pain in his chest and looked down, realizing he had been hit.
His eyes were filled with disbelief as he looked up with difficulty and stared at Yang Kai, “How?”
He was a Pseudo-Royal Lord, after all. Although he had just become one before entering the Universe Furnace, he was still a Pseudo-Royal Lord. He had the power of a Royal Lord, and though he couldn’t use all of it, he shouldn’t be that different from a Ninth-Order Master.
Any other Ninth-Order Master wouldn’t have been able to kill him with such ease. They would’ve exchanged over 100 moves at the very least.
However, he was gravely injured by Yang Kai with just one attack.
The attack didn’t look like anything special, but he had somehow fallen into a dazed state and failed to dodge it.
Before his death, the Pseudo-Royal Lord suddenly realised something. He couldn’t help recalling the moment Yang Kai extended his spear earlier. Despite how ordinary the attack looked, the spear seemingly thrust out from a vague point in the past before piercing into him at a particular moment in the future. As such, he stood no chance of dodging it.
[The Dao of Space-Time!] He finally figured out what happened.
“Too weak!” Yang Kai snorted. Despite how battered he appeared, he still appeared extremely aggressive. As he wielded his spear, the Pseudo-Royal Lord exploded into a blood mist, after which his ample Black Ink Strength dissipated.
Everyone suddenly fell silent in shock.
Yang Kai managed to kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord with only one attack, so how were the others in the Black Ink Clan supposed to be a match for him?
Although it had clearly something to do with the fact that the Pseudo-Royal Lord was caught off guard, that did not diminish how powerful Yang Kai was.
This kind of strength was beyond their comprehension.
Mo Na Ye, who was contending with Yang Xue, turned pale and felt a crawling sensation on his scalp.
There was no doubt that Yang Kai was now a Ninth-Order Master.
[He broke through to the Ninth Order! How!? How did this happen!? How is it possible for him to even have the chance to make it to the Ninth Order!?]
Mo Na Ye heard that Yang Kai had snatched a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, so he was worried that the latter would refine it and reach the Ninth Order. As such, even though the Black Ink Clan had gained the upper hand, and he had also prepared a trump card, he still waited patiently for that opportunity to take Yang Kai down.
There was no denying that Xiang Shan was a formidable opponent, but in comparison, Yang Kai posed a bigger threat; therefore, Mo Na Ye had to wait for Yang Kai to show up before taking action.
Yang Kai indeed appeared at a later time, and he was still an Eighth-Order Master, which made Mo Na Ye breathe a sigh of relief.
At the most critical moment, Yang Kai threw away the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill to divert the Chaos Spirit King’s attention, but without that pill, how did he manage to reach the Ninth Order? Did it have something to do with him taking an Eighth-Order Master and Monster Race Great Emperor into his Small Universe?
Mo Na Ye was unable to figure out the answer.
All the same, it was an irrefutable fact that Yang Kai was now a Ninth-Order Master; otherwise, he couldn’t have killed a Pseudo-Royal Lord with one thrust of his spear.
When Yang Kai was still an Eighth-Order Master, he was already able to easily kill Innate Territory Lords by using his Soul Secret Technique, though he would also hurt himself during the process. Mo Na Ye was worried that things would only get worse if Yang Kai managed to make it to the Ninth Order, and now it seemed that his greatest fear had become reality.
At that moment, he intended to flee, but how was he supposed to do that when he was engaged in a fight with Yang Xue?
“Hahaha! I told you we were going to win!” Yang Xiao, who was part of the Humans’ defence line, guffawed while Blood Crow, who was fighting alongside him, was speechless.
Earlier, Yang Kai opened up his Small Universe and put Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow, Yang Xiao had already made such a bold claim. At that time, Blood Crow dismissed it. The Humans were in a perilous situation as the two Ninth-Order Masters were tangled up in fights, and the defence line was on the brink of coming apart. The Humans were bound to collapse at any moment.
No one could’ve expected that barely an hour later, things would take such a drastic turn. Since Yang Kai was now a Ninth-Order Master, the Black Ink Clan had lost their advantage. Presently, the Humans had gained the upper hand instead.
Just like Mo Na Ye, Blood Crow was puzzled as to how Yang Kai ascended to the Ninth Order. Even if he had refined a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, he couldn’t have achieved an ascension so quickly; moreover, he had already lost that Spirit Pill.
However, it was just like what Yang Xiao had said. His Adoptive Father could always create miracles in the most despairing situations and turn the tides of fortune around. Perhaps that was why the people who had fought alongside him before had blind trust and admiration for him.
In fact, Blood Crow was one of those people. Back then, he was a terrible fellow; he still couldn’t be considered a good one now. Nevertheless, after going through bloody battles and witnessing how much the Humans were willing to sacrifice for the greater good, Blood Crow, who was also a Human, sincerely hoped that the Black Ink Clan would be destroyed once and for all one day.
“Good, good, good! Kill them all!” Ou Yang Lie became energetic in an instant. When he saw that Yang Kai was in danger earlier, he was anxious, but now, he could be at ease.
Nonetheless, he was doubtful as well. He knew that Yang Kai had made use of the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art to ascend to the Ninth Order, but the latter seemed to have a greater heritage than him.
As a new Ninth-Order Master, Yang Kai’s attack earlier was surprisingly powerful.
After giving it some thought, Ou Yang Lie realised it wasn’t so shocking.
Yang Kai had said that after he used the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art, his three Selves would unite. In that case, Fang Tian Ci’s Small Universe would merge with Yang Kai’s.
In other words, Yang Kai’s Small Universe didn’t only have his own heritage but also Fang Tian Ci’s heritage, which helped save him a lot of cultivation time. Therefore, it was only natural that he was more powerful than the average newly ascended Ninth-Order Master.
After Yang Kai killed a Pseudo-Royal Lord with just one attack, everyone was shocked.
When the other two Pseudo-Royal Lords saw how ferocious Yang Kai was, they naturally wouldn’t dare to fight him head-on. They quickly retreated together as they stared warily at Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai only shot them a glance but didn’t pursue them.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but rather that since he was a new Ninth-Order Master, his Small Universe was still a bit unstable. He had fully surged his power to kill the Pseudo-Royal Lord a moment ago to intimidate the others so that they would back off.
At this moment, the boundary wall in his Small Universe had been shattered and it was still expanding rapidly.
Besides that, Fang Tian Ci’s Small Universe was also assimilating into his, which brought with it a lot of pure World Force. Since Fang Tian Ci was his Human Self, his power could perfectly blend into Yang Kai’s Small Universe without any contamination concerns.
Even Thunder Shadow’s Monster Core, which he had nurtured all his life, was melting and turning into a very pure power, which was then assimilated into Yang Kai’s Small Universe and helped strengthen his heritage.
Yang Kai’s many years of cultivation were a path with bumps and thorns. Moments ago, his Martial Dao had come to a standstill, but now that he had finally reached the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he couldn’t help but sigh with a multitude of emotions!
With the expansion of his Small Universe, his heritage strength, which was already powerful, grew at a steady pace.
Nevertheless, there was still a limit to this kind of growth, and soon after, his Small Universe calmed down and stabilized at a new peak.
Taking advantage of Yang Kai’s momentary distraction, the two Pseudo-Royal Lords had already fled back to the Black Ink Clan. The sudden death of their companion had left them terrified, so how could they have the courage to remain behind to face Yang Kai? At this moment, it was only natural for them to run to a place with more allies to seek a sense of security.
The Black Ink Clan’s side had some 10 Pseudo-Royal Lords and a large number of Territory Lords, so even if Yang Kai had reached the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm and decided to pursue them, they might still be able to put up a fight.
In any case, Yang Kai did not seem to have any intention of killing his way over; instead, he simply stretched out his hand and made a grabbing motion. The next moment, a figure appeared out of thin air.
It was none other than Lin Wu, who had ambushed him and caused the Eight Trigrams Formation to break apart previously. He had been staying nearby, probably looking for an opportunity to sneak attack Yang Kai again, but everything happened too fast. Yang Kai somehow advanced the Ninth-Order and killed a Pseudo-Royal Lord with a single thrust of his spear, so Lin Wu basically had no suitable opportunity to make his move.
Furthermore, he was only a newly promoted Eighth-Order Master, so even if he really attacked, he might not be able to play any role in such a battle.
Lin Wu instinctively tried to resist after being captured by Yang Kai, but bound by Space Principles, he was unable to move a finger.
The next moment, a dazzling pure white light enveloped Lin Wu. He instantly started screaming miserably as Black Ink Strength was purged from his body completely.
After finishing this, Yang Kai let go of him. Guilt instantly blanketed Lin Wu as he stuttered, “S-Senior Brother Yang, I…”
Yang Kai interrupted him, “You don’t need to explain, killing the enemy is what you should do now!”
Lin Wu grit his teeth before nodding, “Yes!” He then looked around for a moment before turning around and flying off towards Tian Xiu Zhu and the others.
At this time, the huge battlefield was divided into four battlefronts. The first battlefront was naturally Yang Xue versus Mo Na Ye, the second battlefront was fought between the Black Ink Clan Masters and the besieged the Human Race Masters, the third battlefront was fought between Ou Yang Lie and Xiao You and his eight Territory Lord allies, and the last battlefront involved Tian Xiu Zhu leading the Five Elements Formation confronting the Pseudo-Royal Lord, Meng Que.
Previously, Tian Xiu Zhu, who was leading his Battle Formation, sent Lin Wu and Zhan Tian He to assist Yang Kai in maintaining the Eight Trigrams Formation, but because of this, they were stranded outside the main battlefield and unable to return to their own side. Ultimately, they had no choice but to enter a battle with Meng Que.
Lin Wu checked the four battlefronts. Obviously, he could not intervene in the battle between a Ninth-Order Master and a Royal Lord, nor could he break through the defensive line of the Black Ink Clan who were besieging the Humans. The only fight he could join was the one Tian Xiu Zhu was leading. Perhaps after joining Tian Xiu Zhu and the others, they could form a Six Paths Formation and repel the enemy.
Originally, there was another battlefield where Yang Kai was fighting against three Pseudo-Royal Lords alone; however, after the death of one of the three Pseudo-Royal Lords, the rest had fled, leaving Yang Kai completely free.
After Lin Wu left, Yang Kai flew in another direction with his Space-Time River flowing over his spear.
Suddenly, Mo Na Ye’s thoughts fell into complete disarray; and why not? After all, Yang Kai was coming straight for him!
At first, he was able to fight evenly with Yang Xue. Although he was at a slight disadvantage because of his injuries, it did not bring him that much harm. In this battle, they were basically mutually restraining each other, so he could neither kill Yang Xue, nor could she kill him.
But if Yang Kai joined in, he would definitely not be able to survive in the face of Yang Kai’s treacherous methods.
In the blink of an eye, Mo Na Ye shouted, “Kill all the Humans at all costs, or it will be too late!”
After he gave the order, the Black Ink Clan’s offence immediately became fiercer; originally, the Humans on the other side of the battlefield were no match for the Black Ink Clan, be it in quality or quantity, so things were not looking good for them. The main reason they were able to hold on until now was because of the protection of many Warships and superior Battle Formations.
But at this point in the battle, most Warships had been destroyed, so now, the Humans were only holding their ground thanks to the joint efforts of the Eighth-Order Masters and the Black Ink Clan’s fear of death, but they could not last long.
Once the defensive line was broken, the Black Ink Clan, under the leadership of the many Pseudo-Royal Lords, would definitely massacre the Human Masters, causing tremendous casualties.
Previously, the Black Ink Clan had been acting cautiously against the Humans, but after Mo Na Ye had given the order, they no longer had any scruples and were willing to pay any price to kill the enemy.
Yang Kai, who was heading straight towards Mo Na Ye, momentarily stopped before continuing with his original intention. At the same time, he thrust his spear out at Mo Na Ye before he even arrived while shouting in a cold voice, “Clever!”
Mo Na Ye, who was still entangled with Yang Xue, had a drastic change in his expression. Clearly, Yang Kai had thrust his spear from quite a distance, but he had a feeling that he would not be able to block it even from afar. The oncoming spear gave the feeling as if it was thrust from right in front of him.
Mo Na Ye’s figure shook as his Black Ink Strength gushed out. While he was pulling back, he saw the tip of the spear rapidly expanding in his eyes, quickly filling his vision.
Unable to defend and unable to dodge, Mo Na Ye let out an indignant roar before gathering all his energy in his palm and smacking it towards the oncoming spear with all his might.
As the spear and palm met, a powerful shockwave spread across the void. In the wake of the clash, as Mo Na Ye was sent flying, three sword lights shot towards him at an incredible speed.
These attacks were launched by none other than Yang Xue!
Mo Na Ye had clearly noticed these three sword strikes coming at him, and had Yang Xue been acting alone, he would have had no problem dealing with them, but Yang Kai was also attacking him at the same time, so how could he have any extra strength to spare?
These three sword strikes seemed to contain the mysteries of the Grand Dao of Time as Mo Na Ye clearly saw Yang Xue swing her sword, but was already struck by the attack before she completed the motion.
Immediately after, pitch-black blood sprayed out of three gaping wounds on his body!
Mo Na Ye somehow withstood this fearsome attack and barely managed to stabilize himself, but the clash had left him in a sorry state.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was still slowly making his way towards Mo Na Ye from far away; he was walking at such leisure that it looked like he was taking a stroll in his own courtyard. The long spear in his hand was also slightly flickering, leaving spear shadows behind. Yang Kai then calmly stated, “Xue’er, go help the others, I’ll deal with this guy.”
Holding her sword, Yang Xue looked at Mo Na Ye with some unwillingness before finally nodding, “Big Brother, be careful.”
Saying so, she transformed into a streak of light as she flew towards the main battlefield.
Although she wanted to stay behind and kill Mo Na Ye together with her Big Brother, the Human defensive line was on the verge of collapse. She was the only one who could help stabilize their position now.
This was also the reason why Mo Na Ye had ordered the Black Ink Clan troops to slaughter the Humans at all costs.
He knew that he was definitely not an opponent of two Ninth-Order Masters, especially when one of them was Yang Kai. If he didn’t find a way to restrain one of them, he would certainly die.
The best option he could use was the Humans’ defensive line.
Although he had successfully removed Yang Xue, Mo Na Ye still did not have much confidence. His sharp intuition told him that today would definitely be disastrous. Since he was targeted by Yang Kai, he would definitely die.
For many years, he had been a Pseudo-Royal Lord while Yang Kai was only an Eighth-Order Master. Although he was clearly stronger, Mo Na Ye never acted to confront Yang Kai because he knew that without a thorough plan, he would never be able to kill someone so good at escaping.
Once he provoked Yang Kai, it would definitely cause a lot of trouble, so he had been tolerating Yang Kai’s rudeness so far. It was only after he had become a Royal Lord in the Universe Furnace World that he finally gained the confidence to scheme for Yang Kai’s life.
Everything was going according to plan, but then Yang Kai’s sudden breakthrough to the Ninth Order messed everything up.
Even now, he still could not understand how Yang Kai managed to break through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm right under their noses!
Mo Na Ye was certain that the information he had obtained from the Black Ink Disciples was not wrong. Yang Kai should have had no chance of reaching the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm in his life. The peak of the Eighth Order had to be his limit.
Furthermore, Yang Kai had yet to refine a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, so how could he have advanced?
Mo Na Ye could not understand it at all, but in any case, Yang Kai was already in the Ninth Order. Now, a life-and-death battle was definitely going to be fought between them!
In the void, Yang Kai was still walking towards Mo Na Ye at a leisurely pace, but every time he took a step, Mo Na Ye’s heart would jump to his throat.
Distance was basically meaningless to a Master proficient in the Dao of Space, so Mo Na Ye had to be on guard against Yang Kai as the latter could attack at a moment’s notice!
“Mo Na Ye, you seem a bit nervous!” Yang Kai suddenly chuckled.
Mo Na Ye’s heart tightened as he replied in a shaky voice, “No one can remain calm and indifferent when facing someone like Brother Yang.”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “You used to call me Yang Kai, but now that I’ve advanced to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, you’re addressing me as Brother Yang. But even if you speak with me in such a friendly manner, I won’t let you off. Among everyone in the Black Ink Clan, I am most wary of you. You seem to be a bit different from the others of your kind.”
Mo Na Ye’s brow slightly rose, “I am honoured to receive such praise from you, Brother Yang. In fact, the Black Ink Clan has many talented members, it’s just that Brother Yang’s vision is too high, so you seem to not have noticed them.”
“Perhaps,” Yang Kai noncommittally replied, “As an old rival of many years, I’ll give you a chance to leave behind your last words. If you have anything you want to say, say it quickly.”
Mo Na Ye couldn’t help but break into laughter, “Does Brother Yang really want to fight me to the death? Why don’t you and I withdraw and meet again on the battlefield some other day? In fact, if we continue fighting like this, it won’t end well for either of us. Although your Sister has already gone to support them, how many people can she protect by herself? My Black Ink Clan has many Pseudo-Royal Lords here.”
“You make a good point!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Mo Na Ye’s expression suddenly changed as he threw a powerful punch forward, releasing a blast of Black Ink Strength before him. Meanwhile, Yang Kai, who had been strolling in the distance, suddenly appeared right in front of him and thrust out his spear. The Space-Time River was continuously swirling around his spear as Dao Strengths converged and transformed, displaying endless mysteries.
He was just talking about stopping the fight, but now he suddenly became violent. Of course, Yang Kai was going to go all-out when confronting the enemy.
“That’s why I need to kill you as soon as possible!” Yang Kai’s next words were accompanied by a powerful attack.
Mo Na Ye clenched his teeth and did not say a word. He had been on guard against Yang Kai all this time as he knew that he could not move the latter with words alone. So, when Yang Kai suddenly attacked, he immediately reacted.
Yang Kai’s figure kept moving along with his spear as Dao Strengths fiercely fluctuated with every attack. On the other side, Black Ink Strength surged around Mo Na Ye. The two of them had completely given up on using any Divine Abilities or Secret Techniques. They were attacking only based on their subtle sense of danger and their grasp of the situation. For a time, the two were locked in a heated battle, shattering the Void every time they clashed.
Ever since the Black Ink Clan invaded the 3,000 Worlds and started occupying various Great Territories, Ninth-Order Masters and Royal Lords had not fought each other, until today.
The devastating battle in the Barren Territory robbed both sides of almost all of their top Masters. The Black Ink Clan was left with only one Royal Lord, Mo Yu, who was guarding the No-Return Pass, while the Human Race’s situation was slightly better, having a total of two Ninth-Order Masters, Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing. But, as they needed to contain the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, these two Ninth-Order Masters were unable to participate in other matters. So, naturally, the top powerhouses of both sides never met, much less fought.
The older generation’s cultivators were slightly better off as they had witnessed battles of that level before, but how could the younger generation of Humans have had the opportunity to witness such a sight? Throughout their growth, the Ninth-Order Masters were akin to legendary figures!
But today, on this battlefield, battles between Royal Lords and Ninth-Order Masters occurred for the first time after the Barrier Territory War! First, a battle between Ou Yang Lie and Xiao You broke out, then between Yang Xue and Mo Na Ye, and now, Yang Kai took Yang Xue’s place and fought with Mo Na Ye.
The fallout of their battle seemed to shake the entire World.
Only now did the younger Humans finally get to witness and experience the true might of a Ninth-Order Master. Furthermore, the strength displayed by Yang Kai was obviously much more devastating than Yang Xue’s; he completely suppressed Mo Na Ye the moment they clashed. His Azure Dragon Spear moved back and forth with the Space-Time River swirling around it, making use of 10,000 different Dao Strengths. All kinds of unfathomable methods appeared one after another, causing even a Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye to be unable to resist.
The morale of the Humans immediately soared!
The moment of crisis for the Human Race had already passed with a Ninth-Order Master like Yang Xue personally coming to their aid. Although it was still difficult for them to turn the tide, the situation on the defensive line would not worsen at the very least.
With Xiang Shan and many other veteran Eighth-Order Masters taking command, it would not be easy for the Black Ink Clan to break through their defensive line anymore.
After seeing this, Ou Yang Lie quickly calmed down and stabilized his state of mind. He was fighting Xiao You and eight Territory Lords all this while. He had not suffered any major losses, but neither had he occupied any significant advantages. This was mainly because he was having a real hard time focusing on his battle with the dire state of the Humans around him and all kinds of unforeseen events popping up.
Now that he had calmed down, Ou Yang Lie saw a way to defeat his enemy. He kept only as much focus on dealing with Xiao You as necessary while he diverted most of his strength attacking the eight Territory Lords who were arranged into two Battle Formations.
So long as he could take out these Territory Lords, killing them one by one, Xiao You alone would not be his opponent; after all, Xiao You had suffered serious injuries at the hands of Yang Xue before, which made it difficult for him to display his full strength.
The battle on various battlefronts instantly grew even more heated than ever.
Suddenly, a laugh originated from somewhere in the void, carrying a hint of surprise and relief.
It was Mo Na Ye!
No one knew why he laughed, as he was clearly in a tight spot; he could lose his life at any moment under Yang Kai’s relentless and powerful attacks, but he was still able to laugh.
Across from him, Yang Kai, who was relentlessly attacking, coldly rebuked, “What’s so funny? Be careful or you might lose your teeth!”
Mo Na Ye, while defending himself, slowly shook his head, “Brother Yang, you’re very strong, but… you’re weaker than I expected!”
These words sounded somewhat contradictory, but they were indeed true.
When Yang Kai had broken past the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm’s shackles, advancing to the Ninth-Order, Mo Na Ye thought he was dead for sure!
If he was facing any other Ninth-Order Master, Mo Na Ye was confident that even if he could not defeat them, he could at least escape, but against someone like Yang Kai who was proficient in the Dao of Space, he thought that only death awaited him if he could not win outright in battle.
So, when he saw Yang Kai advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm and kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord with a single thrust of his spear, Mo Na Ye resigned himself to death already.
But after a brief exchange with Yang Kai, he was surprised to discover that Yang Kai was not as powerful as he had imagined!
It had to be known that when Yang Kai was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he could kill Territory Lords and Innate Territory Lords like he was slaughtering chickens and dogs. Up against him, the Acquired Territory Lords and Innate Territory Lords could not put up a fight, and were often slaughtered before they even saw his face.
When he was in the Seventh Order, Yang Kai was rumoured to be capable of butchering Feudal Lords in just the same way.
So, in Mo Na Ye’s estimations, once Yang Kai advanced to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, no Royal Lord would be able to survive against him. He had always regarded Yang Kai as the greatest threat to the Black Ink Clan. If he had to choose between killing Xiang Shan or Yang Kai, he would pick Yang Kai without hesitation.
He had devised many arrangements and had been waiting for Yang Kai to appear all this time just for that purpose.
But all his schemes had come to nought as Yang Kai still broke through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
During this exchange, Yang Kai’s momentum was still unstoppable and his attacks were devastating to the point that Mo Na Ye was unable to even lift his head, but this kind of Yang Kai was still within the realm of what seemed normal. He was not strong to the point of absurdity.
It had to be known that Mo Na Ye’s current state was quite bad. He was already injured even before arriving here, and then he still fought Yang Kai in an Eight Trigrams Battle Formation for a long time, which added more wounds to his body. After that, he even fought with Yang Xue…
The current Mo Na Ye was nowhere near his peak.
Yet, Yang Kai was unable to quickly finish him off, which painted a clear picture.
That was why Mo Na Ye laughed, not because he thought that he could escape from this crisis, but because even if Yang Kai had advanced to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, there were still members in the Black Ink Clan who could go against him!
At the very least, a veteran Royal Lord like Mo Yu was definitely not inferior to the current Yang Kai! If the two fought right here and now, it would probably end in a draw.
Of course, Mo Na Ye knew that Yang Kai was also not in peak condition, but so what? In the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, Yang Kai’s strength was not currently beyond his understanding, and that was more than enough!
Yang Kai roughly knew what his opponent was laughing about, but he was also helpless in this matter.
Since even Mo Na Ye had suffered heavy injuries and his strength had taken a hit, how could he remain unscathed?
At this moment, Yang Kai had just advanced to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm and was not in great shape. Not to mention, he was injured in the previous battle and also suffered serious injuries when Lin Wu’s sneak attack landed. Although he had recovered to about 80% of his peak thanks to the profound power of the Space-Time River, it was still not a complete recovery.
Furthermore, his Human Self Fang Tian Ci and Monster Self Thunder Shadow’s injuries were far more severe than his own. The fusion of his three Selves in his Small Universe was imperfect. Although the union of three Selves had allowed Yang Kai to break through his shackles, his gains had been very limited.
Had his Divine Spirit Self, Human Self, and Monster Self all been in top condition, Yang Kai would have definitely been stronger and could have easily killed Mo Na Ye.
Be that as it may, his hands were tied at that moment. Luckily, Yang Kai was able to lure the Chaos Spirit King away thanks to the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. He had executed the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art in haste and did not have much time to consider other things. He had no choice but to rely on this method to help the Humans here escape their current crisis.
In any case, both Yang Kai and Mo Na Ye were not in their best condition; as such, the intensity of their battle had greatly reduced.
A fierce struggle ensued!
Yang Kai quickly glanced over at the Humans’ defensive line and found that even with Yang Xue’s help, it was still difficult for them to gain the upper hand. He could do nothing about this though as the Pseudo-Royal Lords and Territory Lords far outnumbered the Eighth-Order Masters. Furthermore, after receiving Mo Na Ye’s order, the Black Ink Clan were attacking without any care for their own casualties and were using all means possible to break through the defensive line.
Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Masters were dying frequently as Black Ink Strength exploded, World Force dispersed, and Small Universes shattered.
Everyone knew that in today’s battle, the outcome of any battlefront would affect the overall situation. As long as one side won any battlefront, they would win the entire war!
Yang Kai knew that he could not delay any longer. He was still confident that he could kill Mo Na Ye, and judging by the current situation, Mo Na Ye would definitely die under his spear within half an hour.
But half an hour was too large a variable as the Humans’ defensive line might be breached at any time.
After hesitating for a moment, Yang Kai made his decision.
As Yang Kai thrust the Azure Dragon Spear, the opposing Mo Na Ye promptly pulled back, wanting to avoid the blow; however, he didn’t expect that this spear was just a feint. The Space-Time River that had been swirling around it suddenly flew out like a Water Dragon and expanded with a loud splash, transforming into an enormous river that gushed through the void.
Mo Na Ye’s expression immediately changed at the sight of the enormous river crashing towards him.
He had suffered many losses because of the Space-Time River previously. At that time, Yang Kai, who was leading an Eight Trigrams Battle Formation, had used the Space-Time River as a whip. When Mo Na Ye was struck by the Space-Time River, the various Dao Strengths had thrown his mind into a disarray, rendering him stunned.
So, when he saw Yang Kai use the strange river once more, he naturally became vigilant. His figure flickering as he tried to escape in between the gaps.
“Seal!” Yang Kai shouted as the overflowing river suddenly connected end to end, taking a circular shape. The next moment, the turbulent river water started spreading outward, filling the entire Void.
Mo Na Ye had never expected for the river to transform like this and was struck by a wave, which immediately destabilized him.
By then, Yang Kai had already arrived, hurling his spear at him and shouting, “Die!”
The spear attack felt as if it was piercing through space and time. It was emanating fearsome murderous intent and was extremely powerful. Mo Na Ye definitely could not take it in his current condition. If he really got impaled by this spear, he would be dead or not that far from it.
In a hurry, his figure suddenly sank, plunging into the enormous river.
Yang Kai’s spear missed Mo Na Ye and pierced the empty void, but he did not stop even for a moment and also plunged into the river in a flash.
From the start, Yang Kai wanted to force Mo Na Ye into the Space-Time River. He had used this method to kill some Territory Lords before, but this was the first time he had forced a Royal Lord into the Space-Time River. The Space-Time River was the manifestation of his Dao Strengths and took his Space and Time Dao Strengths as its foundation. 10,000 Dao Strengths fused and clashed with each other in the Space-Time River. Although Yang Kai had an absolute geographical advantage when fighting in the Space-Time River, once the battle became too intense, it would definitely impact his own Dao Strengths.
This was no different than trapping a thief in one’s own house and throwing him against the walls. Although it was possible to borrow the terrain to one’s advantage, it could also possibly wreck their house.
It was still alright if it was just a Territory Lord as their strength was not enough to shake the foundation of the Space-Time River, but a true Royal Lord was another matter.
As such, Yang Kai was putting himself at a huge risk, but this was the only way to kill Mo Na Ye in the shortest time possible. Yang Kai really could not worry too much about it if he wanted to win.
Yang Kai was dead set on killing Mo Na Ye; his murderous intent soaring to a whole new height. When the Space-Time River sealed off the void, it forced Mo Na Ye inside, whereupon Yang Kai rushed after him.
In an instant, the Space-Time River that had formed a large sphere became extremely turbulent. Waves rose and fell, spewing Dao Strength and Black Ink Strength randomly.
With the Space-Time River isolating everything, no one could see the battle, but they could clearly tell how dangerous it was from the upheaval in the Space-Time River.
The Black Ink Clansmens’ hearts all jumped to their throats!
If Mo Na Ye was defeated and died here, the Black Ink Clan would not be able to survive much longer; after all, they would have to face the infamous killing star!
With his means and brutality, he would not stop until he killed all of the Black Ink Clansmen here.
All of them were now thinking how they could get out of this situation.
Perhaps the Pseudo-Royal Lords could rush into the river to help Mo Na Ye, but at this moment, the Pseudo-Royal Lords were unable to move about freely as they were tied up with their respective opponents.
This was especially true for the Pseudo-Royal Lords who were fighting against Yang Xue. Once they withdrew, she would definitely launch a fierce counterattack, which would result in far greater casualties. And once the Black Ink Clan their advantage, they would no longer be able to turn the tide.
More importantly, even if they really went to help, no one could say for sure how useful they would be; after all, Yang Kai’s Space-Time River was too mysterious.
Somewhere in the void, Tian Xiu Zhu and several other Eighth-Order Masters formed a Six Paths Formation to pin down Meng Que.
This was the steadiest battlefront of them all as both sides were quite lacking in comparison to other fights both in number and strength.
On top of that, the Eighth-Order Masters as well as Meng Que were heavily injured.
Although the Eight-Order Masters were barely able to maintain their Battle Formation, it was still a little difficult for them to display its full power. It could not be helped as two of the Eighth-Order Masters in it had originally withdrawn from the Eight Trigrams Formation because they could not withstand the pressure due to their wounds. They had been fighting Mo Na Ye with Yang Kai and were completely exhausted already.
The only reason they were still able to fight was because they refused to back down. It was a shocking display of pure grit and willpower.
After this battle, these two Eighth-Order Masters’ foundations would definitely be severely damaged regardless of whether they won or lost.
Thus, Tian Xiu Zhu and the others only managed to gain a slight upper hand against a heavily injured Pseudo-Royal Lord like Meng Que, and were unable to kill him.
Amidst the heated battle, Meng Que angrily shouted, “Old dog, I’ve had it with you!”
He was furious. Usually, even if a group of old, weak, and injured people like them assumed a Six Paths Formation, they would not be able to do anything to him, but he too was not in a good condition, allowing him to be suppressed by the enemy.
If this continued, he would quite likely die.
Two Pseudo-Royal Lords had already perished in this battle, both of them at Yang Kai’s hands. One of them was killed by Yang Kai’s sneak attack, while the other was killed after Yang Kai broke through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Be that as it may, if a Pseudo-Royal Lord like him was really to die at the hands of ordinary Eighth-Order Masters, it would be too embarrassing.
He was the third Pseudo-Royal Lord born in the Black Ink Clan. If not for the unlucky timing, he would have become famous throughout the 3,000 Worlds, standing on equal footing with Mo Na Ye!
For someone like Meng Que, even if he died, he wanted to die at the hands of famous figures like Yang Kai or Xiang Shan. He would never allow himself to die at the hands of these nameless ants!
Meng Que’s attacks became fiercer, fueled by his anger. He knew that his end was nigh, as such, he did not care about his own safety.
“Old dog?” Right across from him, Tian Xiu Zhu, who was covered in blood, had his expression become fierce as he roared, “Today, I’ll let you know that this old dog still has a few teeth left!”
Facing Meng Que’s powerful counterattack, not only did he not retreat, he instead charged straight at him, leading the Battle Formation, seemingly intent on perishing together with his enemy.
The other Eighth-Order Masters, including Lin Wu who had joined last, followed after him without any hesitation.
Under the violent collision, the already unstable Six Paths Formation nearly collapsed. Fortunately, Tian Xiu Zhu quickly adjusted everyone’s aura, ensuring its continuous operation.
However, this clash further worsened everyone’s injuries, with the two most severely injured Eighth-Order Masters nearly fainting.
It wasn’t like Meng Que didn’t suffer from this desperate attack though, as his aura suddenly waned and Black Ink Strength spurted uncontrollably from his wounds.
Looking at the fearless Eighth-Order Human Masters and the Human he had called old dog, Meng Que could not help feeling some admiration.
[The Human Race is indeed incredible!]
Adjusting his chaotic aura and state of mind, he suddenly burst into laughter and pointed his halberd at Tian Xiu Zhu, “What a sharp-tongued old dog. Come, let’s see who dies here today, you or I!”
[I, Meng Que, am just unlucky. I am not inferior to you, Mo Na Ye. Even if I die, I will still shine brilliantly in the end!]
As soon as he finished speaking, his aura soared as he charged straight at the Six Paths Formation.
How could Tian Xiu Zhu and the others back down when challenged so openly? They quickly adjusted the Battle Formation before rushing forward to meet Meng Que.
Both sides clashed a few more times, without even the slightest sign of retreating. Meng Que was nearly demented in his onslaught as his body bordered on collapse. The Eighth-Order Masters led by Tian Xiu Zhu did not fare any better. Their Battle Formation was unstable, and all of them had suffered critical wounds.
All were hovering between life and death!
The next clash would decide the victor and loser, who would live and who would die!
Tian Xiu Zhu shouted loudly, “This Tian is lucky to have fought with you all today! If there is a next life, I hope that we will fight shoulder to shoulder once more to kill the enemy!”
“Kill, kill, kill!”
Everyone’s eyes turned red. Although their auras were unstable and figures unsteady, their murderous intent shot through the sky.
After forcefully adjusting everyone’s chaotic aura and stabilizing himself, Tian Xiu Zhu let out a long sigh before shouting, “Kill!”
The Six Paths Formation left a streak of light as it charged straight towards Meng Que.
A grim and dignified look appeared on Meng Que’s face as he glanced towards the Space-Time River, coldly snorting in his heart, [Whether you see it or not, I, Meng Que, will not disappoint the title of Black Ink Clan Pseudo-Royal Lord!]
“Kill!”
As he shouted, Meng Que surged his Black Ink Strength as he smashed into the Six Paths Formation.
In this stretch of the void, where violent shockwaves appeared everywhere, the collision between six Eighth-Order Masters and one Pseudo-Royal Lord was far from spectacular, but it was the last glimmering of both sides who were willing to lay down their lives for their convictions.
When the two streaks of light, one bright and one dark, crashed into each other, the entire world seemed to have frozen for a moment before seven figures were sent flying in different directions.
Immediately after, Small Universes collapsed and World Force dissipated as someone’s vitality began to wane…
Of the six Eighth-Order Masters who formed the Six Paths Formation, three of them died on the spot!
Meng Que’s vitality had also become dismal and his strength started to dissipate. At this moment, he didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger.
Furthermore, there were no allies around him on this battlefront who could save him.
As he lay there dying, he could not help but glance over at the Space-Time River and mock himself silently. He was the third Pseudo-Royal Lord to be created, but he had never imagined that he would become the third Pseudo-Royal Lord to die today. It was truly ironic.
[When Humans die in battle, their names are engraved on the Monument of Heroes for future generations to remember their sacrifices, but what about the Black Ink Clan? What do we gain from sacrificing our lives?]
The Space-Time River was still full of upheavals, naturally due to the clash between two top Masters. Every time a wave rose, everyone could hear a faint dragon roar.
Suddenly, a fearsome blast of energy blew up a part of the Space-Time River off, opening a hole in the already unstable flow.
Immediately after, a figure in a wretched condition leapt out of that hole. Surprisingly, it was Mo Na Ye. At this moment, Mo Na Ye was in an extremely sorry state. There was a huge gaping hole that went from the front of his chest to the back. The Black Ink Strength in his body was surging and fear was written on his face.
Yang Kai had gone mad and resorted to every means possible to kill him as quickly as possible.
Mo Na Ye was simply no match for Yang Kai in the Space-Time River. All Yang Kai needed to do was fight steadily while controlling his Space-Time River and Mo Na Ye would certainly have perished.
However, Yang Kai didn’t choose this route. After gaining a bit of upper hand, he directly summoned his Dragon Bead.
Yang Kai was no longer a 99,999-metre-long Ancient Dragon. After his three Selves merged, and his Source had fused with them, he immediately became a Divine Dragon.
With the strengthening of his Dragon Vein, Yang Kai’s Dragon Bead received a significant boost in power.
Using their Dragon Bead to launch an attack was the final trump of a Dragon Clansman, one they would not resort to unless it was absolutely necessary. Yang Kai had once used this method in the past to great effect each time.
He was currently many times stronger than before, so how could the heavily injured Mo Na Ye resist the Dragon Bead’s attack?
The hole in his chest was the result, and this injury was more than enough to push Mo Na Ye half into the grave!
However, the Dragon Bead’s fearsome attack also allowed Mo Na Ye to escape.
The battle between the two top Masters had already made the Space-Time River unstable, and the flow of Dao Strengths inside chaotic. The Dragon Bead’s attack had not only severely injured Mo Na Ye, but it also blew open a hole in the Space-Time River.
Yang Kai had already expected this, but he had no choice but to do it. Only such an attack could quickly kill Mo Na Ye.
When Mo Na Ye escaped, Yang Kai followed close behind, but the turbulence in the Space-Time River caused his Dao Strengths to become unstable, making it difficult for him to gather his strength. As such, he had no choice but to stabilize his Dao Strengths first.
Right then, an indignant roar suddenly reverberated across the void.
“Mo Na Ye, this Old Master won’t submit to you, I’ll never bow to someone like you!”
It was Meng Que, who was also just a moment away from dying.
[Why is it that you have always been in charge of the Black Ink Clan? Why is it that the Sir Royal Lord never gave me a chance? Why must I hide in the No-Return Pass all this time just because you became the Pseudo-Royal Lord before me!? If I, Meng Que, could wield greater authority, I would not have been any worse than you!]
With this roar, Meng Que used all his remaining strength to rush towards Mo Na Ye.
No one knew what he wanted to do, and even Mo Na Ye was stunned for a moment before a heavy sigh escaped his lips.
Others might not have any idea what Meng Que was about to do, but he did. Mo Na Ye never thought that in the critical moment between life and death, it would be Meng Que, whom he had always looked down upon, who would come to his aid.
Meng Que was on the verge of death, his entire body was covered in wounds and his vitality was fading. Even if no one did anything to him, he would not last more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. And naturally, Mo Na Ye could also see this.
Perhaps it was because he was about to die that he was making such a surprising move.
On the other hand, although Tian Xiu Zhu and the others did not know what Meng Que was planning to do, his actions were definitely far from normal. While Tian Xiu Zhu and the others may have been oblivious, they still wanted to stop Meng Que, but how could they do anything about it when they could not even gather their strength? Three of their members had perished in the last exchange, and the three who were still alive were hanging by a breath. They had no choice but to helplessly watch Meng Que approach Mo Na Ye, shining brilliantly like the last radiance of a setting sun. He looked like he wanted to kill Mo Na Ye immediately.
And coupled with Meng Que’s furious roars, they all thought that there was some kind of irreconcilable grudge between these two; otherwise, why would Meng Que still be so indignant even on the verge of death?
In a flash, Meng Que arrived before Mo Na Ye and their eyes met. Mo Na Ye’s eyes happened to be filled with bitterness, while Meng Que’s eyes were shining brilliantly like raging fire, fueled by his last remaining life force.
The next moment, Meng Que’s body quivered as he gathered all his strength and his Black Ink Strength madly surged out. The richness and purity of that Black Ink Strength had far exceeded the norm.
In the blink of an eye, an enormous Black Ink Cloud appeared in the place where Meng Que once was and wrapped itself around Mo Na Ye before pouring into his body through his nose, mouth, and wounds like a living creature.
Subsequently, Mo Nay Ye’s fading aura began to recover at a rate visible to the naked eye. Even the hole in his chest began to slowly close up. Correspondingly, Meng Que’s aura and vitality rapidly dwindled.
“Damn it!” Tian Xiu Zhu cursed through his teeth. After seeing this, how could he not tell that Meng Que was not trying to harm Mo Na Ye, but was instead trying to heal him?
Although he had no idea what kind of profound Secret Technique Meng Que had used, it was an undeniable fact that Mo Na Ye was recovering.
Never had this Secret Technique appeared before, nor had the Humans ever seen it, so no one had been on guard against Meng Que’s actions before his death. Furthermore, no one had any strength to stop him either.
After sparing no effort, Yang Kai finally critically wounded Mo Na Ye, but if the latter were to recover, all previous efforts would go down the drain.
Tian Xiu Zhu grit his teeth and gathered his strength, wanting to stop Meng Que; however, as soon as he circulated his strength, his face turned pale and his mind went blank.
The previous battle had exhausted all his Small Universe’s strength, so now when he forcefully tried mustering it, his Small Universe immediately became unstable.
At this moment, Tian Xiu Zhu no longer had any strength left to fight, and the other two Eighth-Order Masters were in even more precarious states; after all, the foundation of a veteran Eighth-Order Master like Tian Xiu Zhu was still sturdier than that of the new generation Eighth-Order Masters.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai too wanted to stop it after seeing this, but he too was powerless to do anything. His Dao Strengths was left in extreme disarray after his Dragon Bead attack had blown open a hole in the Space-Time River. As such, he needed to quickly stabilize it.
A short while later, the Black Ink Cloud around Mo Na Ye finally disappeared, but Meng Que’s figure was nowhere to be seen. It was as if this Pseudo-Royal Lord had poured all of his energy into Mo Na Ye’s body before his death, helping him heal and recover.
Mo Na Ye had indeed recovered a little and many of his wounds had healed, but it was far from enough. Mo Na Ye was a Royal Lord now, so the more serious his injuries were, the harder it was for him to recover. The infusion of a dying Pseudo-Royal Lord’s essence could do nothing about it.
If he wanted to recover completely, he would need the infusion of the Source of all the Pseudo-Royal Lords present here. But this type of infusion could only be used voluntarily, and why would these Pseudo-Royal Lords voluntarily kill themselves?
Meng Que’s act of coming to his aid at the last moment already came as a surprise to Mo Na Ye; after all, they had never been on good terms.
For that reason, Meng Que’s last words seemed to echo so loudly in his ears.
[Live, you must live on! The Black Ink Clan is too stupid and ignorant, only by living can you finally help the Supreme One complete its grand plan!]
Mo Na Ye suddenly realized that he had been underestimating Meng Que all along. The reckless arrogance Meng Que had displayed before him might have just been a front.
[I misjudged him!]
Mo Na Ye silently mocked himself.
Suddenly, ripples appeared in the Void as Yang Kai furiously shouted, “Mo Na Ye, today you die!”
Mo Na Ye, who had just recovered a little, immediately looked up, only to see Yang Kai hastily stabilizing his mind and his Dao Strengths before charging straight at him with his spear.
Mo Na Ye’s heart was filled with bitterness, knowing that he had failed to live up to Meng Que’s expectations.
Against someone like Yang Kai, if he couldn’t defeat him, the only thing that awaited him next was death! As for escaping, it was naturally impossible to do so against a Master of the Dao of Space.
Yang Kai escaped from the pursuit of the Black Ink Clan many times, the reverse had never happened.
Since there was no way out, Mo Na Ye had no choice but to fight!
If Meng Que was willing to sacrifice himself, so why could he not?
“Yang Kai!” Mo Na Ye furiously roared, grinding his teeth. He did not retreat this time, but rather took the initiative to charge Yang Kai.
The two clashed again.
In the last confrontation, Yang Kai had the absolute upper hand. He even managed to fatally injure Mo Na Ye using his Dragon Bead. Although Meng Que had used a Secret Technique to help Mo Na Ye steady himself, this kind of injury could not be so easily healed.
So, when they were locked in another round of confrontation, Mo Na Ye was still no match for Yang Kai. Had he not recovered a little thanks to Meng Que’s help, he would have died within five moves.
It was only because of Meng Que’s sacrifice that Mo Na Ye was able to even fight back against Yang Kai.
Various Daos Strengths converged and merged, while Black Ink Strength fiercely surged as the two figures clashed with each other. They flew around the void, attacking each other with deadly intent.
Every clash would leave them injured, splashing their Golden and Black blood everywhere!
After an extremely fierce collision, the two figures respectively flew backward.
Yang Kai quickly came to a stop and stood completely still. His face kept distorting with various expressions as if something was terribly wrong.
Mo Na Ye, on the other hand, flew far away, tumbling many times through the void. After he somehow stabilized himself, he spurted a mouthful of black blood. Immediately afterwards, he looked in Yang Kai’s direction, seemingly sensing something.
He did not know whether it was all an illusion, but he felt that Yang Kai’s strength was unstable at the moment!
Regardless of whether it was an illusion or not, the fact was that Mo Na Ye was on the verge of dying again. Regardless of what happened to Yang Kai, he would definitely end up dead if the fight continued.
Meng Que’s last words once again echoed in his ears.
[Live, you must live on!]
It was indeed difficult to escape before someone proficient in the Dao of Space, but how would he know if he didn’t even try? He wasn’t someone who was afraid of death, but how could he be willing to die when the Black Ink Clan’s great task of unifying the 3,000 Worlds was still not complete?
He wanted to live not for himself, but for the Black Ink Clan’s grand ambition!
Having made his mind, Mo Na Ye instantly turned around and fled.
“You want to run!? In your dreams!” Yang Kai grit his teeth and shouted when he saw Mo Na Ye flee. He promptly activated his Space Secret Technique to chase after him.
But right then, the entire Universe Furnace World suddenly started quaking as another Grand Dao evolution took place.
The Grand Dao of the Universe Furnace had evolved many times already, and with each evolution, the chaotic Shattered Dao Essence that filled the Universe Furnace World disappeared, replaced by order and stability.
At the same time the Grand Dao started evolving, everything suddenly went blurry before Yang Kai, making it impossible for him to pursue Mo Na Ye. It was only after a short while that he could finally see clearly again.
The Grand Dao evolution had also come to an end by then.
However, Yang Kai still appeared to be in a daze. He stood in his place, looking around, exclaiming, “What’s going on?”
This question left members of both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan confused.
Ou Yang Lie even more anxiously shouted, “Quickly kill Mo Na Ye!”
This was a rare opportunity. If they let Mo Na Ye escape this time, it would be difficult to find him again. Right now, Mo Na Ye was not just an intelligent commander of the Black Ink Clan, but also a true Royal Lord. He was a massive threat to the Human Race!
What was Yang Kai hesitating about? This was a good opportunity to cut weeds and pull out roots!
Yang Kai remained dazed for a moment before immediately releasing his Divine Sense. After sensing the direction of Mo Na Ye’s escape, he promptly gave chase.
Ou Yang Lie finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, Yang Kai soon returned with the Azure Dragon Spear in hand, and a helpless look on his face. He kept moving his joints from time to time, raising his arms and legs as if he were very uncomfortable.
“Is he dead?” Ou Yang Lie hurriedly asked, finding it very strange that he had not sensed Mo Na Ye’s fall. Even if he had escaped far away, it was still impossible for a Royal Lord to die without any sound or disturbance.
“I couldn’t catch up!” Yang Kai angrily lashed out.
[Couldn’t catch up!?]
Ou Yang Lie simply thought that he heard it wrong, [How could you not catch up? How could anyone escape from you? What the Hell is wrong?]
Ou Yang Lie tightly furrowed his brow. He instinctively felt that something was off. If he was not so familiar with Yang Kai, he would have thought someone was pretending to be him.
But after carefully observing him, he felt that the current Yang Kai was indeed a little different from the one he was familiar with…
As for what was different about him, he could not put his finger on it.
In any case, he did not have much time to think about it now, so Ou Yang Lie just shouted, “Then let’s kill this one!”
It was a pity Mo Na Ye had escaped, but another Royal Lord was still present; killing him would also be a big haul. Thanks to the appearance of the Universe Furnace, the Black Ink Clan had managed to gain two Royal Lords. One of them might have escaped with serious injuries, but they could not let the other one run away as well.
“Fine, fine!” Yang Kai lifted his Azure Dragon Spear and waddled towards the battlefield like a penguin.
“Something’s wrong!” Elsewhere, Yang Xiao, who was leading a Six Paths Formation to fight a Pseudo-Royal Lord, had also noticed this. Although he had not spent much time with Yang Kai, the latter was still his Adoptive Father. As such, Yang Xiao was quite familiar with him.
At this moment, his Adoptive Father gave him a very strange feeling, as if he was a completely different person…
“What’s wrong?” Blood Crow asked casually.
“I think that’s not my Adoptive Father!” Yang Xiao frowned.
Blood Crow sneered, “If that’s not your Adoptive Father, who else could it be?” His Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm aura was unmistakable. How could anyone pretend to be Yang Kai down to the most minute details and even carry the Azure Dragon Spear?
If someone could imitate another to the point that he was absolutely indistinguishable from the original, it would be truly shocking.
While Yang Xiao and Blood Crow were secretly communicating, Yang Kai broke one of the Four Symbols Formation formed by the four Territory Lords with his spear.
After engaging in a fierce battle, although both Yang Kai and Mo Na Ye were dead tired, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. In any case, he was a Divine Dragon, and a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so how could four mere Territory Lords resist him?
In addition, Yang Kai’s infamy also made the Territory Lords extremely fearful. Seeing Yang Kai charging towards them, whether it was the Territory Lords or Xiao You, who was fighting Ou Yang Lie, all of them became fearful.
Under such circumstances, how could a Four Symbols Formation stop Yang Kai’s rampage charge? He easily broke the Battle Formation after just a few attacks.
Without the support of the Battle Formation, the four Territory Lords were quickly slaughtered by Yang Kai one after another.
But suddenly, Yang Kai frowned and stowed the Azure Dragon Spear back in his Small Universe all while muttering, “Annoying!”
Saying so, Yang Kai’s body went down on his fours as an intense hostility and murderous intent broke out from him, like he was a ferocious beast that had been trapped for 10,000 years!
He then slightly raised his head and stared in the direction of the other Four Symbols Formation. The next moment, a mysterious energy surged from him before he disappeared, as if he had never been there.
Inside the Four Symbols Formation, the four Territory Lords were frightened like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow-string; after all, they had just witnessed their four companions being easily killed by Yang Kai. Now that it was their turn, how could they remain indifferent?
Even before Yang Kai reappeared, the four Territory Lords, who had been struggling to maintain their Battle Formation, became extremely unsettled.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning appeared before Yang Kai’s figure emerged behind a Territory Lord out of thin air, his hand suddenly thrusting towards the Territory Lord like a beast’s claw. Furthermore, lightning was crackling around his palm.
By the time Yang Kai pulled his hand back, a huge gaping hole had appeared in that Territory Lord’s body while lightning crackled around the wound. The violent lightning energy made the Territory Lord shake uncontrollably!
Immediately after, Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Better!”
Ou Yang Lie’s eyes shrank upon seeing this!
He had immediately realized something.
On another side, Yang Xiao’s eyes involuntarily widened as he blurted out, “Thunder Shadow Great Emperor!”
That strange offensive stance, the brutal way of killing his enemies, even the Concealing Divine Ability and those violent Thunder Principles were exactly the same as Thunder Shadow Great Emperor whom Yang Kai had taken into his Small Universe!
Blood Crow was also shocked beyond words.
The other Human Race Masters who saw this were also puzzled.
[What’s going on!? How did Yang Kai suddenly become Thunder Shadow Great Emperor? Was he possessed?]
At the same time, they also finally understood why Yang Kai had failed to kill Mo Na Ye. Indeed, it was meaningless to flee before someone proficient in the Dao of Space, but what if Thunder Shadow Great Emperor had occupied Yang Kai’s body? He was not proficient in the Dao of Space, so if Mo Na Ye wanted to escape, he could be helpless.
While everyone was still in shock, Thunder Shadow had already killed all four remaining Territory Lords, cutting them down like vegetables. After that, he had concealed himself once more, and thanks to Yang Kai’s Ninth-Order foundation, Thunder Shadow’s concealment became even more mysterious and unpredictable. Even Ou Yang Lie could not find any trace of him.
As for Xiao You, he was incomparably depressed!
Originally, he was seriously injured by Yang Xue’s sneak attack and was already having a hard time fighting Ou Yang Lie. The only reason he had been able to hold on until now was thanks to the eight Territory Lords who were assisting him, but now that they had been killed by Yang Kai, he would definitely not be able to hold on anymore. The only reason he was still alive was because Ou Yang Lie was somewhat dazed and confused.
However, with a powerful enemy like Yang Kai lurking nearby, ready to attack at any moment, Xiao You’s heart was firmly lodged in his throat. He didn’t feel safe at all even when he was on full alert.
“Thunder Shadow, what happened to Yang Kai!?” Ou Yang Lie grit his teeth and shouted, not letting down his guard just because the Thunder Shadow had killed the eight Territory Lords. He knew about the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art, and that the union of three Selves was the key to Yang Kai’s breakthrough to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but by the looks of it, something had gone wrong with the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art which resulted in Thunder Shadow occupying Yang Kai’s body.
Of course, Thunder Shadow was also part of Yang Kai, but he was not Yang Kai, so Ou Yang Lie had no choice but to ask.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s figure appeared with a flash of lightning as he ruthlessly clawed towards Xiao You’s head. Xiao You had been on guard the entire time, so when he sensed danger, he promptly turned around and threw a punch, barely managing to resolve the crisis. But taking advantage of this opportunity, Ou Yang Lie also attacked Xiao You, and his attack managed to land.
Thunder Shadow couldn’t help but click his tongue before he once again concealed himself while sending Divine Sense transmission to Ou Yang Lie, “Big Brother’s Dao Strength became unstable in the last battle. Also, he was too exhausted after suffering repeated serious injuries. He’s currently in a deep sleep, but don’t worry, he should recover after a while!”
After a momentary pause, he added, “Stop wasting your breath, let’s get this over with first!”
Ou Yang Lie nodded lightly in agreement. Long story short, Yang Kai’s problem wasn’t very big, but there was a big problem with the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art.
Regardless, it was not the time to mull over such matters. Whether Yang Kai would suffer a mishap or not remained to be seen. The most important thing right now was to deal with the remaining Black Ink Clan.
Immediately, Ou Yang Lie straightened his thoughts and attacked again with renewed focus.
With Ou Yang Lie suppressing Xiao You and creating opportunities, it became much easier for Thunder Shadow to launch sneak attacks. Every time Xiao You was caught off guard, Thunder Shadow would suddenly appear and fiercely attack before going into hiding again. Every strike put Xiao You in agony, gradually worsening his injuries further.
From the start, Xiao You was not Ou Yang Lie’s opponent because of his grave injuries, so when an expert like Thunder Shadow was hiding in the dark nearby, attacking him at every opportunity, it became impossible for Xiao You to survive.
Compared to Ou Yang Lie, the hidden Thunder Shadow posed a much greater threat to Xiao You.
[We lost! The Black Ink Clan completely lost this time!]
At first, the Black Ink Clan had the advantage, but things took a turn for the worse when Yang Kai suddenly advanced to the Ninth Order.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was Mo Na Ye’s escape at the last moment, which ruined the Black Ink Clan’s last hope of victory. Nonetheless, Xiao You also knew that if Mo Na Ye had not run, he would have been the first to die!
At that time, escaping was the only option for Mo Na Ye.
As such, although Xiao You held some resentment towards Mo Na Ye, he did not hate him. If he was in Mo Na Ye’s position, he would have made the same choice.
Now that he was being targeted by two Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters though, Xiao You knew his death was assured, so his mindset changed as he became determined to make the most of the time he had left.
There were many Black Ink Clansmen on the battlefield; Xiao You could not let them all die!
“Withdraw and escape!” Xiao You suddenly shouted to the Black Ink Clan troops who were besieging the Human Race’s defensive line.
The moment he gave this order, the Black Ink Clansmen scattered without a moment of hesitation, as if they had been waiting for those exact words all along.
The tides were already not in their favour, which anyone could see. Mo Na Ye had already fled, and it was difficult to tell whether Xiao You would survive or not. If the remaining Territory Lords and Pseudo-Royal Lords didn’t run now, when Xiao You was killed and the two Ninth-Order Masters became free to act, none of them would be able to escape.
Previously, they had not fled because they didn’t dare to, but now that Xiao You had given them the order, how could they hesitate?
All the Black Ink Clansmen fled, and the Human Race Masters, who were originally having a hard time, were freed all of a sudden. Yang Xue let out a cold snort and stared at a Pseudo-Royal Lord, before giving chase.
She also knew that it was impossible to eliminate all of the Black Ink Clan troops, so she decided to target the Pseudo-Royal Lords, who were stronger than the others, and eliminate as many as possible.
“Pursue them!” Xiang Shan shouted. Having been an Army Commander for millennia, he was well-versed in the art of war. In battle, the best time to get results was when chasing a fleeing enemy. At least half of all kills were generally obtained during this time, while it was extremely hard to eliminate an opponent when two Armies were confronting each other head-on.
So naturally, when the Black Ink Clan started fleeing in every direction, it was a good opportunity for the Humans to chase and slaughter them. As for how many they could kill, that would depend on luck and methods.
The faster Black Ink Clansmen fled into the distance in the blink of an eye, while the slower ones suffered.
The Humans had been suppressed since the beginning of this battle, so after having gone through so much hardship, they had a lot of anger and resentment bottled up in their hearts, which they finally got a chance to vent.
Suddenly, small battles broke out all across the void, with the sound of Territory Lords falling occurring frequently.
Seeing this, Ou Yang Lie shouted anxiously, “Finish him quickly!”
As long as Xiao You was alive, he and Thunder Shadow would be tied down with him. They had to kill Xiao You as soon as possible so that they could join the pursuit of the other Black Ink Clansmen.
This was a rare opportunity. If they could kill even half of the Black Ink Clan Masters present here, it would definitely lift a lot of pressure from the Human Race in the near future.
With two Ninth-Order Masters acting together, one in the open and one in the dark, it was impossible for the injured Xiao You to survive even if he was a true Royal Lord.
Under the repeated sneak attacks of the Thunder Shadow, Xiao You’s injuries slowly piled up, but he still went all out to hold on as long as possible, just to buy more time for the other Black Ink Clansmen to escape.
However, there was still a limit.
Thunder Shadow, controlling Yang Kai’s body, suddenly reappeared behind Xiao You and punched out. Lightning flashed and the power of thunder exploded, almost blowing his head off on the spot.
Surrounded by lightning, Xiao You violently convulsed and lost all control over his body. At that exact moment, he saw Ou Yang Lie’s long blade swinging towards him, but he was unable to defend himself.
“Die!” Ou Yang Lie roared as he used all his strength to cut Xiao You in half.
The aura of a Royal Lord suddenly flared up before vanishing!
The next moment, Black Ink Strength along with pitch-black blood gushed out from Xiao You’s two halves.
In response, Ou Yang Lie did nothing. He just stood there with his sabre, letting the black blood stain his body as he shouted, “Good!”
Thousands of years had passed since the devastating war in the Barren Territory, and this was the first time a Royal Lord had been killed since then, and he was killed by Ou Yang Lie!
It was a glorious moment.
The next instant, Yang Kai, who was moving like a beast the entire time, also appeared nearby.
Ou Yang Lie glanced at him as the corner of his mouth twitched. He could not help but wonder what kind of expression Yang Kai would make when he recalled this scene after regaining consciousness.
However, Thunder Shadow could not be blamed for this either. Thunder Shadow had always lived in the Myriad Monster World, cultivating the Primal Art and tempering his Monster Core. He had never taken on Human Form, nor did he have the ability to do so. He had always maintained his beast-like appearance, so suddenly asking him to smoothly control Yang Kai’s body and act like a Human was impossible. So, it was better for Thunder Shadow to simply act in accordance with his original nature.
“Don’t just stand there! Kill!” Thunder Shadow shouted as lightning crackled around him before he transformed into a streak of light that chased after the fleeing enemies.
Ou Yang Lie followed closely behind.
A short while later, shockwaves of a fierce fight could be felt coming from the distant void.
The Human Race Masters were not pursuing the enemy aimlessly and haphazardly, especially since the Black Ink Clan outnumbered them still. If they gave chase without any plan, it was likely the Human Race would suffer unnecessary casualties.
Fortunately, Xiang Shan had quickly coordinated their efforts during the initial moments of the pursuit. All the Humans assumed Battle Formations, and each Battle Formation would work in conjunction with one or two others, covering each other as they chased after the Black Ink Clan. Although moving like this would result in fewer kills, it would ensure the safety of their troops.
Furthermore, Xiang Shan had warned them not to maintain the chase too long. Those Black Ink Clansmen here were definitely not all that had entered the Universe Furnace World. There were definitely many more of them hiding in the shadows, so it was imperative to act cautiously lest they fall into the enemy’s trap.
In short, the order was to kill all it was safe to kill before retreating.
Nothing could be done about this, as after having fought continuously for days, every single Human, whether weak or strong, whether newly promoted or veteran, had suffered some degree of injury, making it difficult for them to fight another prolonged battle.
Only the three Ninth-Order Masters were free to move about as they pleased. Whether it was Yang Xue, Ou Yang Lie, or Thunder Shadow who had taken over Yang Kai’s body temporarily, no Black Ink Clansman in this Universe Furnace World could stop them.
Thunder Shadow was on a rampage as all the Black Ink Clansmen he encountered were killed without exception, even the Pseudo-Royal Lords did not escape.
The chase lasted for several days before everyone started returning one after another.
When Thunder Shadow returned from the distant void, he saw a large group of Humans gathered at the original battlefield. Upon sensing an aura approaching, many Divine Senses swept over him, one after another.
The corner of Thunder Shadow’s mouth twitched as he muttered, “Second Brother, you explain, I’m not good with words.”
Saying so, his eyes suddenly became dim and dull, but turned bright and lustrous once more the next moment. A bitter smile appeared on Yang Kai’s lips as he slowly shook his head.
The one that took over couldn’t help but rebuke in his heart, [He did not show any restraint when killing the enemy, but now he ditched explaining himself to our allies! Shameless!]
Nonetheless, some things were unavoidable and one had to see them through whether they wanted to or not. He then straightened his clothes and surged Space Principles as he took a step forward. By the time he appeared next, he was already standing before the Human Race Masters.
“Big Brother?” Yang Xue, who had been on tenterhooks all this time, had her eyes light up as she suddenly called out in surprise.
She too had noticed that change in Yang Kai’s behaviour, but at that time, she was not that clear about the situation, nor did she have the time to inquire about it. Only after listening to Ou Yang Lie’s explanation did she learn that her Big Brother had cultivated a special technique that allowed him to tear his Soul apart and form two Soul Clones.
By uniting his three Selves and fusing them into his Source, he ultimately broke the shackles of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm and ascended to the Ninth-Order, allowing him to turn the tide of the battle.
Unfortunately, something had gone wrong with this technique, which caused Yang Kai’s consciousness to fall into a deep sleep and allowed Thunder Shadow Great Emperor’s consciousness to take over his body.
After listening to Ou Yang Lie’s explanation, everyone’s doubts were finally cleared.
The reason why Yang Kai’s Small Universe was able to accommodate Fang Tian Ci, who was also an Eighth-Order Master, and Thunder Shadow Great Emperor who was in the same equivalent realm, was because those two were basically part of him to begin with.
When Mo Na Ye fled, ‘Yang Kai’ had given chase, but to no avail, because Thunder Shadow, who was not proficient in the Dao of Space, was in control of Yang Kai’s body, which made it hard to catch up to Mo Na Ye.
Everyone was secretly shocked by this revelation.
Much to their surprise, there was such a profound method in this world that could allow one to break through the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm, other than using a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. This was definitely good news.
It had to be known that there were countless Human Race Masters stuck at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. They had no chance of reaching the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm in their lives as they had already reached the limit of their Martial Dao. Furthermore, it was extremely difficult to find Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, so if they could spread this technique, the Human Race might gain many more Ninth-Order Masters in the near future!
Although judging by Yang Kai’s previous performance, there were still some problems with this technique, compared to advancing to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, these trivial problems counted for nothing.
This was definitely a technique that could change the current cultivation system of the Human Race!
Thunder Shadow was not a Master of the Dao of Space, so Yang Kai returning using a Space Secret Technique caused Yang Xue to misunderstand.
‘Yang Kai’ gently shook his head and explained, “Big Brother is still asleep, I am Old Fang.”
Everyone looked at each other in dismay, [First, Thunder Shadow took over Yang Kai’s body, and now Fang Tian Ci! It looks like this Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art is quite problematic.]
A trace of disappointment flashed across Yang Xue’s eyes, but since she was well acquainted with Fang Tian Ci, she pursed her lips and worriedly asked, “Can he wake up?”
Fang Tian Ci replied, “Probably.”
“Probably?” Ou Yang Lie furrowed his brow. This uncertain answer made him a little worried.
Fang Tian Ci explained, “In order to kill Mo Na Ye as quickly as possible, Big Brother used his Dragon Bead to attack, which blew a hole in the Space-Time River, causing his Dao Strengths to become unstable. Furthermore, the prolonged high-intensity battle further aggravated his injuries, which sent his consciousness into a kind of defensive deep slumber. However, it still hasn’t reached the point of no return, so there’s a good chance he will wake up. As for when, it’s hard to say.”
Having finished explaining, a light chuckle escaped his lips before adding, “Everyone, there is no need to worry. Whether it’s me or Thunder Shadow, both of us originate from him. In the end, we are basically only his Soul Clones. We might have our own thoughts, but we will not harm ourselves.”
He could also tell that the Masters of the Human Race were worried that Yang Kai would never wake up again, or that one of the two would take his place; thus, Fang Tian Ci had to give an explanation.
Yang Xiao, who was hiding behind Yang Xue, repeatedly nodded, “Old Fang, I trust your character.”
Fang Tian Ci glanced at him, smiling meaningfully.
Yang Xiao’s face twitched as many complex emotions raged around inside him. He could not wait to tear open a Void Crack and crawl inside…
Old Fang knew a lot of his secrets, many of which he had never told to anyone else. How could he have known that the seemingly honest and upright Old Fang was actually a Soul Clone of his Adoptive Father!
Had he known about this, he would have never confided his private thoughts all these years…
[It’s over! I’m afraid I won’t be able to face Adoptive Father again…]
[Now that I think about it, Old Fang’s behaviour had indeed been a bit strange these past few years. He would occasionally give me that meaningful smile…]
“Junior Brother Fang, do you think that we can promote the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art to the rest of the Human Race?” Xiang Shan asked.
The group of veteran Eighth-Order Masters, cultivating and recovering in the vicinity these past few days, couldn’t help but perk up their ears…
This matter was of grave importance as it was related to their future and whether they could advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm or not!
Fang Tian Ci replied calmly, “This Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art was passed down to us by Wu Kuang. Wu Kuang can be considered Martial Ancestor Shi’s reincarnation, and this Secret Technique was also derived from him. This Secret Technique may seem profound and powerful, but it actually has a lot of limitations. First of all, you need to be able to split your Soul basically in half to create a special Soul Clone. That step alone is easier said than done for most.”
“You need to split your Soul in half!?” Ou Yang Lie couldn’t help but exclaim. Although Yang Kai had told him about the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art, he did not tell him the exact details or how it was executed. After hearing the actual process from Fang Tian Ci, he finally understood how dangerous it was.
Severing one’s Soul was no joke and was extremely difficult to recover from.
Fang Tian Ci nodded his affirmation, “When you split your Soul in two, the corresponding pain and injury is not something an ordinary person can endure. If something goes wrong, you might lose your mind and become crazed, which is the best-case scenario. In the worst case, your Soul will simply be extinguished and you will die on the spot. Furthermore, this process must be done twice!”
To cultivate two Clones, one naturally had to split their Soul twice, so the risk of dying was also doubled.
“The reason why Big Brother was able to bear this pain is because he has often used Soul Rending Thorns over the years to fight the Black Ink Clan, so he is somewhat used to the pain of his Soul being torn apart. Moreover, he also has the Soul Warming Lotus that can nourish and protect his Soul, so even if his Soul is split into two, he can recover. Of course, the Soul Warming Lotus can be lent out, so if someone is willing to try it, I think Big Brother won’t mind.”
Realization immediately dawned upon Ou Yang Lie, “No wonder Yang Kai had to enter retreat for many years every once in a while, it turns out that he was recuperating. That’s also why there was such a large gap between your and Thunder Shadow’s first appearance.”
Fang Tian Ci nodded, “First, Big Brother nurtured me in his Small Universe, then after repairing his Soul, he nurtured Thunder Shadow. In addition, severing one’s Soul isn’t the most difficult part. Comparatively speaking, there is another problem that the current Humans cannot solve.”
“What’s that?” Xiang Shan asked.
Fang Tian Ci explained, “The Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art requires one to have a Divine Spirit Self, Monster Self, and Human Self. Only by combining these three Selves can one break through the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm. As a Human, the Human Self is naturally available, and it’s not difficult to obtain a Monster Self either. There are many Monster Beasts in the Myriad Monster World now, so it’s easy to find a newborn Monster Beast cub that would otherwise die if left alone, but where can one find a Divine Spirit to create a Divine Spirit Self?”
The current era was not the Primordial Era when the Divine Spirits ruled the Universe and could be found anywhere.
As the Universe changed and evolved, the Divine Spirits’ population dwindled. Many Divine Spirits and their respective bloodlines vanished in the river of time.
Although there were still a few Divine Spirits remaining, most had already reached the point where it was difficult to pass down their bloodline, leading them to the brink of extinction.
The Divine Spirits that had the greatest number was the Dragon Clan, but even they had 200 members at most.
A Monster Self could be cultivated by going to the Myriad Monster World and nurturing a Monster Beast cub, but what about a Divine Spirit Self? Could they ask a Divine Spirit for their descendants?
Who would dare to do that? Who could even be successful?
The Divine Spirits would definitely not agree, and forcefully doing so would only enrage the Divine Spirits. The cons heavily outweighed the pros.
The difficulty of tearing apart one’s Soul and the difficulty of cultivating a Divine Spirit Self were huge obstacles in using the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art.
“Haa…” Ou Yang Lie heaved a heavy sigh. Although he had expected this, he still couldn’t hide his disappointment, “It really isn’t that easy.”
If it was easy, or if there was even a bit of hope, with Yang Kai’s character, he would have never kept this method to himself. He would have disseminated it ages ago before anyone even asked him to.
Since Yang Kai had not passed down this cultivation technique for so many years, it meant that it was not suitable for others.
He had a Divine Spirit Self, as well as the Soul Warming Lotus, so it could be said that the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art was simply tailor-made for him and no one else could imitate his success.
All the Eighth-Order Masters in the vicinity, who were listening to this conversation, had a disappointed expression appear on their faces.
The Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art was an astonishing technique, but it was unsuitable for the general public to cultivate and thus couldn’t be disseminated. As such, it didn’t have much value.
A silent and heavy air descended on everything, as Fang Tian Ci didn’t know how to comfort them.
In fact, there was one more thing he didn’t mention, and that was that there was an even bigger issue with this technique.
In order to cultivate this technique, one needed to cultivate two Soul Clones, and these two Soul Clones were different from ordinary Soul Clones. Whether it was the Divine Spirit Self, Monster Self, or the Human Self, although they were inextricably connected to the true body, they could basically be considered independent entities with their own unique characters and thoughts.
It was also because of this reason that after the union of three Selves, the consciousnesses of the two Soul Clones were not actually lost, which led to the coexistence of these Soul Clones with the true body.
During the battle, Yang Kai’s consciousness had suddenly fallen into a comatose state as his Dao Strengths had become unstable, allowing his Monster Self and Human Self to emerge.
Although Yang Kai was now a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, his body contained three different consciousnesses, which was a big hidden danger. Perhaps one day, during a great battle, his original consciousness would fall into a coma again, transferring the possession of the body to Thunder Shadow or Fang Tian Ci; however, neither of them could bring out Yang Kai’s true strength.
This was a grave concern. Now that Yang Kai was a Ninth-Order Master, his future opponents would definitely be Masters like Royal Lords or Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods.
In a fight with such a powerful opponent, the slightest mistake could lead to eternal damnation.
Fang Tian Ci couldn’t help but be a little worried about it, but he had no idea how to resolve this issue. In his and Thunder Shadow’s original plan, when the three Selves united, his and Thunder Shadow’s consciousness would also fuse back into the main body. At that time, Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow would no longer exist in this world; however, things didn’t go as they had envisioned.
Yang Kai’s consciousness suddenly fell into deep slumber, and Thunder Shadow’s consciousness woke up. After he was left in-charge of the original’s body, even Thunder Shadow took some time to adapt.
After a moment of silence, Fang Tian Ci changed the subject, “What are our casualties this time?”
Ou Yang Lie heaved a sigh as he replied, “Everyone is injured and needs to rest, and over 100 fell in battle!”
The fallen ones he was talking about were not Sixth-Order or Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but Eighth-Order Masters; more than 100 Eighth-Order Masters had died in this battle alone!
The number of Eighth-Order Masters gathered here in the last battle was only a few hundred in total, and about 20% of them had died. Such losses were not insignificant.
The fall of so many Eighth-Order Masters was mainly because of two reasons; first, because the Human Race had lost the protection of their Warships, and second, because Mo Na Ye had ordered the Black Ink Clan to kill at all costs.
The Human Race hadn’t suffered many casualties during the early stages of the battle. At that time, Xiang Shan was refining the Open Heaven Pill’s medicinal efficacies and trying to break through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Mo Na Ye had hidden his trump card and was waiting for Yang Kai to appear, so naturally he wouldn’t force the Human Race too hard.
Furthermore, the Human Race’s Warships were still displaying their full power at that time.
After Yang Kai advanced to the Ninth Order, both sides began to suffer massive casualties.
Although the Human Race had Yang Xue’s assistance, she was still just one person. The best she could do was defend one side of the defense line; she was unable to deal with the combined attacks of the Black Ink Clan Army.
After the last battle of the Barren Territory War, there had never been a fight in which the Human Race had lost so many Masters in thousands of years.
“We might have suffered significant losses, but the results of the battle were also great. The Black Ink Clan definitely lost more,” Ou Yang Lie encouraged, after seeing everyone become low-spirited.
While the Human Race had lost over 100 Eighth-Order Masters, the Black Ink Clan had lost at least 500 Territory Lords and a few Pseudo-Royal Lords.
Most of these casualties were wrought during the final pursuit, when the Territory Lords fled like stray dogs. Basically, not a single Black Ink Clansman who was caught survived.
As such, this was still a huge victory!
Not to mention, the Human Race now had three more Ninth-Order Open Heaven Masters! Including Xiao Xiao, Wu Qing, Luo Ting He, and Wei Jun Yang, the Human Race already had as many as seven Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters!
This was definitely an inspiring force.
Although Mo Na Ye had become a Royal Lord and had escaped, he was just one man.
The Human Race had also produced many newly advanced Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and harvested many Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills. If these Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills were to be distributed, the Human Race would gain even more new Eighth-Order Masters.
It could be said that the Human Race had a great harvest with the appearance of the Universe Furnace.
“Unfortunately, we were too careless and caused Big Head Xiang to fail his breakthrough!” Ou Yang Lie glanced at Xiang Shan and indignantly sighed.
Had he been on guard and quickly caught the hidden Black Ink Disciples, Xiang Shan would probably be a Ninth-Order Master right now, but during that kind of battle, who would have expected for a Black Ink Disciple to be hiding amongst the Eighth-Order Masters.
When the three Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples started rampaging at two battlefronts, not only did they cause Xiang Shan to fail in his breakthrough, but they also broke Yang Kai’s Eight Trigrams Battle Formation, severely injuring him in the process.
Everyone was befuddled and had really fallen into despair. Fortunately, they managed to turn things around and turn defeat into victory.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Xiang Shan, on the other hand, looked completely calm, “In that situation, not realizing the Black Ink Disciples’ existence was a good thing. If we had caught Black Ink Disciple earlier, the consequences would have been unimaginable!”
The Black Ink Clan actually had the absolute upper hand before Yang Kai’s appearance, but Mo Na Ye had been holding back and hadn’t displayed his true strength as he wanted to engage in a long-drawn battle with the Six Paths Formation led by Yang Xiao.
Judging by the strength Mo Na Ye displayed later on, he was completely capable of quickly defeating Yang Xiao, even with the Six Paths Formation at a cost, but he didn’t, because he was waiting.
If they really disrupted Mo Na Ye’s plans, they would have only forced him to act in advance. At that time, Yang Xue was fully occupied with the Chaos Spirit King, so there was only one Ninth-Order Master on the Human Race side, Ou Yang Lie, who was preoccupied with Xiao You and the Territory Lords led by him. So, who could stop Mo Na Ye?
Breaking Mo Na Ye’s arrangements would only force him to go on a killing spree, which would definitely have ended tragically.
Hearing Xiang Shan’s words, Ou Yang Lie pondered for a moment before agreeing with him, “You’re right.”
This was the perfect example of the popular adage ‘Man proposes but Heaven disposes’.
Mo Na Ye thought he had everything under control, but unforeseen events kept throwing his plans off. For instance, had the Chaos Spirit King not suddenly appeared, eyeing Xiang Shan’s Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, Mo Na Ye’s plan would have failed from the start.
The appearance of the Chaos Spirit King was equivalent to the Black Ink Clan finding a helper for free. This was also the main reason why the Human Race was in such a difficult situation.
“Not to mention…” Xiang Shan suddenly smiled, “Who said I failed my breakthrough?”
Everyone was taken aback for a moment and Ou Yang Lie couldn’t help but size up Xiang Shan a few times, his Divine Sense constantly scanning him as he muttered curiously, “You’re not a Ninth-Order Master!”
It was an irrefutable fact that Xiang Shan was still an Eighth-Order Master and had yet to break through; moreover, everyone had witnessed him failing in his breakthrough. At that time, when the two Black Ink Disciples were rampaging, Xiang Shan had no choice but to stop his advancement. It was already pretty good that he did not suffer any backlash, so how could he possibly break through?
After that incident, everyone believed that Xiang Shan’s path to reaching the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm was cut off, and he would remain at the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm for the rest of his life.
“I didn’t say I was a Ninth-Order Master!” Xiang Shan shot a glance at him.
A thoughtful look appeared on Yang Xue’s face, “Senior Brother Xiang’s situation is different from other veteran Eighth-Order Masters. In that case… does that mean the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was useful to you?”
Xiang Shan nodded slightly in affirmation, “Over 90% of my Small Universe’s boundary wall has been destroyed, leaving only a thin barrier behind. I think I can now break through with my own strength!”
From the beginning, Xiang Shan was qualified to reach the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm as he broke through directly to the Seventh-Order millennia ago. However, because of a harrowing battle on the Black Ink Battlefield in the past, during which his Small Universe was corrupted by Black Ink Strength, he had no choice but to sacrifice a large portion of it to protect himself, which caused his Order to regress.
Although he managed to recover his fallen Order by repairing his Small Universe using a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit, his Small Universe’s boundary wall seemed to have become much thicker because of that experience.
These circumstances basically made it extremely difficult for him to break through with his own strength.
While Luo Ting He and Wei Jun Yang had broken through to the Ninth Order during the last 1,000 years in secluded cultivation, Xiang Shan had not made any progress.
The boundary wall was so solid that even Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills couldn’t put a dent in it. It wasn’t until he had refined a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill that he felt a difference.
Mo Na Ye had allowed him to refine the pill until the very last moment before ordering the Black Ink Disciples to launch a sneak attack, clearly thinking that was enough to completely destroy Xiang Shan’s path forward. But what Mo Na Ye never expected was that Xiang Shan would still be left with a ray of hope precisely because of this delay.
Currently, the boundary wall in Xiang Shan’s Small Universe was no longer as thick and solid as it used to be; rather, it was even thinner than an average peak Eighth-Order Master. Such a boundary wall could not stop him.
Although he had not tried yet, Xiang Shan was completely confident!
Xiang Shan could actually break through to the Ninth Order! Everyone was overjoyed by this news.
Yang Kai was a symbol of the Human Race among the trillions of Humans, but so was Xiang Shan. Yang Kai had already advanced to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but there were some problems with his cultivation because of the mysterious technique he used. If Xiang Shan could also break through to the Ninth-Order, it would greatly boost the morale of the Human Race’s soldiers.
Although Ou Yang Lie had always had a kind of rivalry with Big Head Xiang, at this moment, he was genuinely happy and broke into a hearty laughter, “So you’re saying that the effects of the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill haven’t been wasted? Mo Na Ye’s plan was also in vain?”
Previously, in order to lure the Chaos Spirit King away, Yang Kai had thrown out a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, which was enough to make one’s heart ache. That was a chance to grain another Ninth-Order Master.
If Xiang Shan couldn’t break through, it would be tantamount to losing another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. The Human Race had only managed to obtain a total of four such pills this time, that’s all. Losing half of them one after another would be hard for anyone to accept.
But by the looks of it, the only pill they had lost was the one Yang Kai had thrown away, while the one Xiang Shan had refined still played its role.
Everyone was overjoyed.
“There’s no time to lose, quickly break through to the Ninth Order,” Ou Yang Lie urged.
Xiang Shan agreed with a nod, “That’s what I was planning to do.”
Xiang Shan left to focus on his breakthrough. Perhaps, it would not take him long to become a Ninth-Order Master.
Almost everyone on the Human Race’s side was busy recuperating as all of them had been injured in the last battle, the only different thing was the severity of their injuries.
Ou Yang Lie looked at Fang Tian Ci, who was controlling Yang Kai’s body, and suggested, “You should also go and recuperate. Junior Sister Xue and I will act as protectors.”
Ou Yang Lie was also injured, but his wounds were not that serious. As for Yang Xue, she was completely unharmed, just exhausted from having consumed a great deal of energy in the last fight. She would just need a little time to recuperate.
Currently, most of the Human cultivators were recovering, but with two Ninth-Order Masters personally overseeing everything, there should be no problems at all.
Fang Tian Ci nodded, “Good!”
He really did need to heal himself as his physical injuries were still quite serious. Yang Kai might have become a Divine Dragon and had astonishing healing abilities, but his consciousness was still in a coma. Fang Tian Ci had to find a way to awaken Yang Kai’s consciousness.
He immediately found a secluded spot and sat down cross-legged before stuffing a handful of pills into his mouth.
The cacophonous battlefield suddenly sunk into silence. All the Black Ink Clansmen had either died or fled, leaving behind traces of a horrific battle in the void. Most of the corpses of the Human Race Masters had been collected, but as most of them had died without an intact corpse, it was impossible to gather everyone’s remains.
As the number, as well as quality of the Masters participating in this battle were both extremely high, the loss of so many at once was extremely tragic and heart-wrenching.
“How many times has the Grand Dao evolved?” Ou Yang Lie suddenly asked.
When Yang Kai attacked and almost killed Mo Na Ye, the Grand Dao of the Universe Furnace World had undergone another evolution, but as the battle was quite intense at that time, no one had paid any attention to it.
“The last one was the eighth time,” Yang Xue replied, stuffing some recovery pills into her mouth.
Ou Yang Lie slowly nodded, “The Universe Furnace is about to close.”
According to the information provided by Blood Crow, after the Universe Furnace World’s Grand Dao underwent nine evolutions, the Universe Furnace World would close and everyone would be expelled.
The place they would reappear would be the same as the place from where they entered.
In other words, the Humans and Black Ink Clansmen would appear in the same location they entered the Universe Furnace after they were expelled from the Universe Furnace World.
This information was extremely important and could be used by the Human Race.
If things went well, they could deliver a huge blow to the Black Ink Clan; after all, the Black Ink Clan outside did not know this matter.
They knew that Black Ink Disciples couldn’t keep any secrets, but even if the Black Ink Clansmen inside the Universe Furnace World now knew, so what?
The appearance of the Universe Furnace had suddenly triggered wars across various Great Territory Battlefields. Many Black Ink Clansmen forced their way through the Human Race’s defensive lines and entered the Universe Furnace World through the projections. At that time, their entire focus was on destroying the Human Race’s opportunity, but it would have never occurred to them that when the Universe Furnace closed, everyone would return to their original location!
Currently, all the locations where the Universe Furnace’s projection space had appeared should be heavily guarded by the Human Race Army, waiting for the Black Ink Clansmen to appear to destroy them!
Of course, the Human Race had no way of interfering in places like the Barren Territory and Black Ink Battlefield; after all, they were completely under the Black Ink Clan’s control. The Black Ink Clan would be able to return safely from these two locations, but it would be difficult for them to safely return from the other entrances.
It was foreseeable that the day this Universe Furnace closed would be the day the Humans slaughtered many of them. The Human Race would definitely bag another glorious victory!
As time passed, everyone separated to recover.
Inside Yang Kai’s body, Fang Tian Ci immersed his consciousness and tried to awaken Yang Kai’s consciousness with Thunder Shadow’s help. He had thought that it would be difficult, but much to their surprise, Yang Kai’s consciousness woke up after a casual attempt!
“Big Brother, you’re finally awake!” Thunder Shadow’s surprised voice rang out in his mind.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment, thinking that he was hearing things; however, when he realized that something was wrong with his body, he finally reacted.
[Fang Tian Ci and Thunder Shadow’s consciousnesses are now sharing my body! What the Hell is going on!?]
Yang Kai’s thoughts were still stuck at the moment he had injured Mo Na Ye and was preparing to pursue him, so he had no idea what had happened after that.
“Is Mo Na Ye dead?” Yang Kai asked.
“He escaped,” Fang Tian Ci replied, “At that time, your consciousness suddenly sank into a coma and Third Brother’s consciousness awakened a step ahead of me, putting him in control of your body. As he doesn’t understand the Dao of Space, he couldn’t chase after Mo Na Ye.”
Thunder Shadow unhappily explained himself, “There’s nothing I can do about it. After Big Brother’s consciousness fell asleep, I just suddenly woke up. I also chased after him, but he was too fast. It’s all Second Brother’s fault. If he had woken up earlier than me, perhaps Mo Na Ye would be dead now.”
Fang Tian Ci was also proficient in the Dao of Space, and although his mastery wasn’t as high as Yang Kai’s, had he been in control of Yang Kai’s body at that time, Mo Na Ye would have been unable to escape.
It was just that at that time, Thunder Shadow had indeed awoken a step sooner, and by the time Fang Tian Ci’s consciousness had awakened, Mo Na Ye had already fled out of their sight. At that time, it was already meaningless for him to take control of Yang Kai’s body.
Listening to their explanations, Yang Kai roughly understood what had happened. Although he found it a bit regretful, he still stated, “As expected, a scourge will live for 1,000 years.”
Who would have thought that his consciousness would suddenly go haywire at such a critical moment? Just like how all of Mo Na Ye’s schemes had come to nothing, Yang Kai never expected that one of his schemes would lead to so many variables.
“Then what about us? What’s our situation now?” Yang Kai felt a headache coming on.
Originally, he had thought that after combining the three Selves, all of his Soul Clones would merge into one, but after waking up, he discovered that there were two other egos in his body.
He couldn’t help but recall what befell Bustling World Great Emperor all those years ago.
During the battle in the Shattered Star Sea, Bustling World Great Emperor had fallen to Wu Kuang’s scheme and had almost had his body seized by the latter. Although Wu Kuang had ultimately failed, he had still managed to fuse with Bustling World Great Emperor and share his body.
As a result, the Souls of these two Great Emperors had to reside in one body for many years, fighting openly and covertly. Wu Kuang had also used Bustling World Great Emperor’s body to accomplish many things.
Ultimately, after killing Great Demon God Mo Sheng in the Star Boundary, Wu Kuang left the Bustling World Great Emperor’s body and seized Mo Sheng’s body.
Duan Hong Chen and Wu Kuang only had two Souls in one body, but Yang Kai now had a total of three…
The only silver lining he had over Duan Hong Chen’s situation was that the two others would not oppose him; after all, these two originated from him and shared the same ideals as him.
Be that as it may, it was not good news either. If Yang Kai remained in this state for a long time, problems would inevitably appear.
“The current situation is probably a hidden danger brought about by the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art. Although Third Brother and I originated from you, we are still independent individuals. Perhaps because the differences are too great, the fusion of three Selves is incomplete,” Fang Tian Ci postulated.
Everything from their strength, Source, and their own destiny had all fused into the main body, but their egos remained untouched, and this was the root cause of Yang Kai’s current situation.
Yang Kai lightly nodded in acknowledgement, thinking that there should be a reason. He couldn’t help but curse in his heart, [That bastard Wu Kuang, he really harmed me!]
At that time, if he hadn’t cultivated the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art, he could have used a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill to advance to the Ninth Order and would not be in this awkward situation.
But he had no other choice at that time either. Yang Kai could not place his hopes on the ethereal Universe Furnace. He had to try to find some definite way to break through to the Ninth Order. Wu Kuang’s Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art happened to give him that hope.
“Actually, this problem shouldn’t be difficult to overcome,” Fang Tian Ci suddenly stated, “Third Brother and I are basically complete entities, so as long as you cut off a portion of your Soul that contains our essence, Third Brother and I will just need to find suitable physical bodies. The best option would be an infant who has just been born or is about to be born.”
This was equivalent to cultivating from the start again, but the goal this time was not the fusion of three Selves.
Yang Kai had done this before, so it shouldn’t be difficult for him to do it again.
Wu Kuang could have used this method to separate himself from Duan Hong Chen back then, but he wasn’t willing to do so mainly because he would definitely enter a period of weakness after separating. He was afraid Duan Hong Chen would finish him off during that time, which was why he was entangled with him for many years.
Yang Kai nodded in agreement, “There’s no rush, we can discuss it after we’ve dealt with Mo.”
Not to mention, he would definitely be weakened for many years after splitting his Soul. Now that the war had fully broken out between the Black Ink Clan and Human Race, and he had reached the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, how could Yang Kai allow himself to become weak when he should be focusing on destroying Mo?
Furthermore, he didn’t know if he would suddenly fall unconscious in the future. If that happened again, having these two to take over his body was a kind of safety measure. Even if the two were unable to display his full strength, they wouldn’t be completely helpless against even powerful enemies.
“I’m not in a hurry. Big Brother can do as you see fit,” Thunder Shadow indifferently stated. At the very least, he didn’t have to worry about where to go to kill his enemies.
“What’s going on over there?” Yang Kai looked up again.
Someone seemed to be breaking through in that direction, giving off a fierce aura and energy fluctuations. Furthermore, they were giving a familiar feeling.
It was none other than Xiang Shan!
[Didn’t Xiang Shan fail to break through? Why is he breaking through again?] Yang Kai couldn’t understand.
In his mind, Fang Tian Ci repeated what Xiang Shan had said before, after which, Yang Kai understood everything.
In other words, Xiang Shan’s Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill had not been wasted. He had indeed been interrupted at the critical moment of his breakthrough, but at that time, his Small Universe’s boundary wall had almost been completely broken. As such, even if he was interrupted, the progress he made towards a breakthrough hadn’t been lost.
This was good news. In that case, the Human Race would be able to gain four new Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters thanks to the Universe Furnace, which was in line with his initial expectations.
This time, the Universe Furnace had produced a total of nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills. Yang Xue had obtained one, Xiang Shan had obtained one, and Yang Kai alone had obtained two. The main reason for this was because he had the Great Sun and Moon Marks; otherwise, it would have been impossible to find the whereabouts of these two pills so easily.
Of the two pills Yang Kai obtained, one of them had allowed Ou Yang Lie to reach the Ninth Order while the other was used to lure away the Chaos Spirit King.
On the Black Ink Clan’s side, Mo Na Ye obtained one while Xiao You had obtained another. In other words, the whereabouts of the other three Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills were still unknown. If the Human Race and Black Ink Clan hadn’t seized them, there was a high chance they had fallen into the hands of the Chaos Spirit Clan. The Chaos Spirit Clan were natives to the Universe Furnace World and had a massive population, which gave them a natural advantage in this place.
As he was conversing with the two, Ou Yang Lie and Yang Xue seemed to notice the change in his situation and quickly rushed over.
When he got closer, Ou Yang Lie sized up Yang Kai, furrowing his brow, wondering who was in control of Yang Kai’s body.
Yang Xue tentatively called out, “Big Brother?”
Yang Kai gently nodded, “You’ve worked hard.”
Yang Xue’s eyes immediately turned red, “Big Brother, you’re finally awake.”
Ou Yang Lie also let out a long sigh of relief, “Great, you’re awake!”
Although Fang Tian Ci had assured that there was nothing wrong with Yang Kai, it was still worrying. After confirming that Yang Kai had woken up, he finally put his worried heart to rest.
“Mo Na Ye got away,” Ou Yang Lie reported.
Yang Kai nodded, “I’m aware, but there is still a chance. How many times has the Grand Dao evolved?”
In fact, he had been keeping track of the number of times the Grand Dao had evolved, but because he had entered the Infinite River to comprehend the mysteries of the 10,000 Grand Daos, he was unable to perceive the evolutions during that time. So, he had no idea how many times the Grand Dao in this Universe Furnace World had evolved.
Ou Yang Lie succinctly replied, “Eight.”
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement before declaring, “We still have some time. When the Universe Furnace closes, and Mo Na Ye and I leave this place, we should appear at the same location. His current injuries must have reduced his strength. I should be able to kill him at that time!”
He and Mo Na Ye had entered the Universe Furnace from the same location, so when they were expelled from the Universe Furnace World, they would definitely appear at the same location. At that time, the heavily injured Mo Na Ye would be completely at Yang Kai’s mercy; all he could do was helplessly wait for his death.
Ou Yang Lie added as his face turned serious, “That guy is indeed difficult to deal with. As long as he is alive, he will remain as a hidden danger.”
This time, Mo Na Ye had nearly predicted all the turns of events of the battle between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan. Thinking back now, Ou Yang Lie still felt some lingering fear. Had Yang Xue not timely rushed over to support him, severely injuring Xiao You and restricting the Chaos Spirit King, and had Yang Kai not turned the tide after breaking through, it would have been hard to say how many of the hundreds of Eighth-Order Human Masters would have survived.
Even a Ninth-Order Master like him would not have been able to escape this disaster.
In the past, Yang Kai had sent a message to the Supreme Headquarters to warn the Human Race to be wary of Mo Na Ye, but at that time, the latter wasn’t that strong, at most only a Pseudo-Royal Lord, and with Mi Jing Lun overseeing the war, Mo Na Ye was not able to display much of his strength.
This time, however, everyone present had witnessed just how terrifying he was. The danger of Mo Na Ye was not from his power alone, but rather from his shrewd schemes. Now that he had become a Royal Lord and his strength had greatly increased, he was like a tiger with wings.
Such an enemy should naturally be killed as soon as possible to put everyone’s heart at ease.
Fortunately, they still had one more chance! The moment the Universe Furnace closed, Mo Na Ye would undoubtedly die!
While they were talking, Xiang Shan’s breakthrough had reached its final juncture. His aura had already soared to its limit and was violently fluctuating. His Small Universe’s illusory phantom had almost materialized, floating behind him.
Along with the fluctuations of World Force, Xiang Shan’s aura, which had reached its limit, suddenly increased by a tremendous amount. Correspondingly, the illusory Small Universe also seemed to have greatly expanded in an instant.
Today, the Human Race’s eighth Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was born!
Ou Yang Lie looked in his direction before a sigh filled with emotions escaped his lips, “He really had it hard!”
It truly wasn’t easy. Xiang Shan was just like the current Yang Kai of his era, a peerless talent who had the chance to reach the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm and possessed strength to outclass his peers. It was also because he had shown too much of his abilities that he was targeted by the Black Ink Clan and fallen prey to an insidious ambush. When he was fighting the Black Ink Clan, he was corrupted by Black Ink Strength and forced to discard a large portion of his Small Universe to protect himself.
This led to the fall of his Order, and he had to lie low for thousands of years. Although he somehow recovered his lost cultivation, it was extremely difficult for him to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Xiang Shan’s luck turned around when he came to the Universe Furnace World, where he got his hand on a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. But once again, some unforeseen events threw his plans off as his breakthrough was interrupted by the Black Ink Clan at the last moment, forcing him to give up on it.
In comparison, Ou Yang Lie felt that he was both lucky and blessed…
Before entering the Universe Furnace, he had never thought that he would one day be able to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. He was a hot-tempered and straightforward man, and many years of fighting against the Black Ink Clan had left him with numerous hidden injuries, causing his strength to drop from its peak.
In the past, his only wish was to die on the battlefield one day while taking a few Territory Lords with him. This way, he would not have lived his life in vain.
Even if he had entered the Universe Furnace, it was only to find a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill for Yang Kai or Xiang Shan so that they could advance to the Ninth Order. He had never thought of refining such a pill himself.
Unexpectedly, Yang Kai gave him a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and protected him while he was refining it.
Although there were some twists and turns in the process of his breakthrough, it was still smooth sailing overall. Ou Yang Lie had somehow managed to reach the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm without much difficulty.
When comparing like this, Ou Yang Lie felt sorry for Xiang Shan.
“The road to happiness is strewn with setbacks,” Yang Kai chuckled as he observed Xiang Shan for a while, making sure that his breakthrough was completed. Nonetheless, Xiang Shan’s cultivation would be a bit unstable due to the recent expansion of his Small Universe, so he would need to consolidate his foundation for some time.
“Xue’er, what about you?” Yang Kai turned to look at Yang Xue, “How did you reach the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm?”
In truth, when he had rushed over from the Infinite River and noticed that Yang Xue was a Ninth-Order Master, he had thought he was mistaken.
While he, the Big Brother, hadn’t even broken through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, his Little Sister had already reached that step. This made Yang Kai feel a little embarrassed. Fortunately, he had also successfully broken through and was barely able to maintain his prestige and status as the older sibling.
Yang Xue replied, smiling, “It was just luck.”
A few days after she entered the Universe Furnace World with Yang Xiao, the latter suddenly noticed something. Following the Great Sun and Moon Marks’ guidance, they found a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
After hearing this, Yang Kai understood that Yang Xue also obtained the pill thanks to some luck and his helping hand.
If it weren’t for the fact that he had left behind some hidden means in the nine pills, how could Yang Xiao have sensed it?
However, there was no need to explain such things in detail.
“In that case, didn’t Xiao’er make a great contribution?” While speaking, Yang Kai glanced towards the location where Yang Xiao was healing. Yang Xiao, who happened to be secretly looking around, quickly closed his eyes and sat up straight.
Yang Xue gently nodded, but then hesitated to speak.
Yang Kai roughly knew what she was trying to say. Although Fang Tian Ci’s consciousness had been completely preserved after the three Selves had united, all of his life’s experiences had still been integrated into Yang Kai’s Soul, so Yang Kai knew exactly what Fang Tian Ci had experienced over the years. Naturally, this also included the little secrets Yang Xiao had shared with him…
Yang Kai had expected this though. The two children had grown up together and could be considered childhood sweethearts. The two cultivated for thousands of years together, never separating from one another, so how could they not have feelings for each other?
However, due to the difference in seniority between the two of them, they had never crossed that last line. They probably didn’t want to make things difficult for him.
If it weren’t for this, Yang Xiao would have never told Fang Tian Ci about these things either. It was mainly because he had been suppressing the bitter feelings in his heart. It was rare to have a friend who shared the same ideals as him, so he often came to talk to him.
However, not even in Yang Xiao’s wildest dreams did he expect the secrets he had been hiding for so many years would be exposed in such an outrageous manner. In the past, Yang Xiao and Yang Kai were extremely close. Whenever Yang Kai appeared, Yang Xiao would always fly around him. But now, Yang Xiao couldn’t wait to be as far away from his Adoptive Father as possible, hiding from him and quietly healing his injuries; he was obviously feeling guilty.
Yang Kai withdrew his gaze as a smile appeared on his lips, “His Dragon Vein is already quite pure, so let him quickly break through to become a Divine Dragon. If he has any doubts, he can ask Senior Fu Guang. Since both of them belong to the same clan, he won’t refuse to help if he can.”
Yang Xue nodded faintly in agreement.
Yang Kai then turned to her and advised, “If nothing happens after the Universe Furnace closes, you should return to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Now that you’re a Ninth-Order Master, you must assist Senior Fu Guang in guarding the Grand Restriction. Also, tell Wu Kuang that the Black Ink Clan inside the Great Restriction may show some unusual movements. He needs to be extra vigilant.”
Yang Xue nodded more firmly, “Yes.”
Ou Yang Lie solemnly asked, “What may happen at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m just preparing for any contingency. The war between the Human Race and Black Ink Clan has entered a new phase. Comparing our current strength, the Human Race is far inferior to the Black Ink Clan in terms of numbers, but we have a slight advantage in terms of top Masters. This war will be the final one. If we win, the Human Race won’t have to worry for the rest of their lives, but if we lose, the Black Ink Clan will rule the Universe, and no Human will be left alive. With such stakes, the Black Ink Clan in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction will definitely take action, so we must be on guard against their internal and external forces coordinating with each other. It will be extremely difficult for us to win this battle, but no matter how difficult it is, we must persevere!”
To win, the Human Race would not only have to eradicate the Black Ink Clan that had invaded 3,000 Worlds, but they would also have to find a way to deal with the ones inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, as well as Mo!
This was especially true for Mo, which was suspected to have reached the Creation Realm. Yang Kai still hadn’t found a way to deal with it. In the past, Cang and the others had chosen to seal it within the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, but unless Mo was eliminated, it would still remain a hidden danger. Perhaps after 100,000 years or 200,000 years, another Black Ink Clan disaster would engulf the entire world, and this cycle would continue on, endlessly.
Yang Kai then turned to Ou Yang Lie, “Senior Brother Ou Yang, you’ll be in charge of the 3,000 Worlds after the Universe Furnace closes. I will rush back to join you as soon as possible.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded his acknowledgement, “As a Human, I am duty-bound.”
Pausing for a moment, he asked, “Junior Brother, what are you planning to do next?”
“I’ll go take a look around,” Yang Kai slowly stood up, “There’s still some time before the Universe Furnace closes. I don’t know where the Chaos Spirit King, who took my pill, went, but I want to see if I can get it back. Also… I have some doubts and want to find an answer.”
Previously, Yang Kai had no choice but to throw away the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill to lure the Chaos Spirit King away. Now that the crisis had been resolved, Yang Kai naturally wanted to get it back. Furthermore, there were still three pills in this Universe Furnace World whose locations remained unknown. He could still try to find them.
Of course, if he ran into Mo Na Ye, that would be even better. He could kill him along the way.
However, Mo Na Ye wasn’t a fool and would surely be hiding somewhere, silently licking his wounds at this moment. It would not be that easy to find him.
“Junior Brother can move freely, Junior Sister Xue and I will take care of things here,” Ou Yang Lie stated. Many Human Race Masters happened to be recovering from their injuries and needed someone to look after them. Even so, not everyone had to remain. Since Yang Kai had some plans, it was naturally better for him to set off immediately.
If he could recover the pill taken away by the Chaos Spirit King, that would be a good thing.
Yang Kai nodded, “I’ll be going then.”
Bidding goodbye, Yang Kai took a step forward and in the next moment, Space Principles undulated as his figure disappeared. As a matter of fact, he still had not recovered from his injuries, but as he didn’t have much time on his hands, Yang Kai didn’t want to waste any on healing. Not to mention, his injuries didn’t impede his movements. Furthermore, now that he was a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, even if he were to encounter a Chaos Spirit King, he could still put up a fight!
Just after he left, a figure suddenly appeared beside Yang Xue. Impressively, it was none other than Yang Xiao, who had been pretending to be healing.
Yang Xiao’s face was slightly pale. He had consumed a great deal of energy in the previous battle and had suffered some heavy injuries. Be that as it may, he was still a member of Dragon Clan. He had a powerful physique and possessed outstanding recovery abilities, so he could heal several times faster than an ordinary Eighth-Order Master.
Staring in the direction Yang Kai had left, Yang Xiao nervously asked, “Little Aunt, what did Adoptive Father say just now?”
Yang Xue slowly shook her head as she replied, “He did not say anything.”
“Nothing!?” Yang Xiao’s eyes widened in shock, “He didn’t ask anything about me?”
[How is that possible? Why did he not say anything?] This made Yang Xiao feel even more uneasy.
Yang Xue thought for a moment before replying, “Big Brother wants you to become a Divine Dragon as soon as possible.”
Yang Xiao paused for a moment, but when he saw that Yang Xue had nothing else to add, he asked in a huge surprise, “That’s it?”
Yang Xue couldn’t help but glare at him, “What else do you want to hear?”
“Well…” Yang Xiao couldn’t help but frown, [Could it be that he doesn’t know anything? Impossible, Old Fang was his Soul Clone, and now that his Selves have united, he should know everything by now… shouldn’t he!?]
Yang Xiao wore a distressed expression and thought for a moment before his eyes suddenly lit up and he broke into a loud laugh, “I understand!”
Yang Xue tilted her head and looked at him with a dumbfounded look.
[What do you understand?]
Yang Xiao then shouted towards the direction Yang Kai had left, “Don’t worry, Adoptive Father! The day I become the Divine Dragon will be the day I go to the Yang Family to ask for Yang Xue’s hand in marriage!”
Yang Xue’s face turned red as she stomped her foot, “What the Hell are you spouting!?”
Ou Yang Lie also couldn’t help but turn his head and look at Yang Xiao in surprise before looking at Yang Xue. Suddenly, he seemed to have realized something.
Yang Xue’s face became even redder as she shot an angry glare at Yang Xiao. Immediately after, she turned around and left.
Yang Xiao looked at Ou Yang Lie innocently, “Did I say something wrong? Did Adoptive Father not mean that?”
Ou Yang Lie heartily laughed, “No, you’re right, that’s what Yang Kai meant. You brat, you’re really astute! Women get easily embarrassed though, are you not going to chase after her!?”
“Oh, en!” Yang Xiao suddenly came to a realization. He bowed to Ou Yang Lie before chasing after Yang Xue.
Gazing over, Ou Yang Lie couldn’t help but nod his acknowledgement, “Young and vigorous, hot-blooded and unyielding. Good, very good!”
He couldn’t help but think back to when he was young. At that time, he too was bold and daring. He would do whatever he wanted and couldn’t care less what others thought about him!
Turning his head, Ou Yang Lie saw a figure slowly approaching from the distant void. When he got close, Ou Yang Lie sized him up before asking, “You just broke through, don’t you need to stabilize your foundation?”
Xiang Shan replied, shaking his head, “We don’t have that kind of time. The Universe Furnace will close before I can consolidate my realm.” He then turned his head to look in the direction Yang Xiao and Yang Xue had left, and asked, confused, “What happened?”
Ou Yang Lie immediately became spirited and explained what he had seen and heard.
Xiang Shan nodded in understanding, “Since they have feelings for each other, let them do whatever they want. It’s not like they’re related by blood, they are just related because of their relationship with Yang Kai. It doesn’t count. I’m sure Junior Brother Yang won’t mind.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded in agreement, “That’s right, we cultivators don’t have so many worldly customs, and that brat, Yang Kai, doesn’t seem to care about this matter either.” Sighing, he continued, “Moreover, if the Human Race doesn’t win this time, I’m afraid we won’t have a future at all. If we stop them now, they’ll only be left with regrets”
Xiang Shan nodded and dropped this matter before changing the subject, “I’m going to kill some enemies, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of things here.”
Saying so, he turned into a streak of light and left, not caring if Ou Yang Lie agreed or not.
Ou Yang Lie was mouth agape. He did not expect Xiang Shan to do something like this, and by the time he wanted to stop him, it was already too late. Nonetheless, he could not help but shout, “Big Head Xiang, get back here!”
But why would Xiang Shan return? The streak of light gradually disappeared into the distance, as if it hadn’t heard anything.
Ou Yang Lie was enraged, “This is too much!”
He also wanted to go kill some enemies. He thought that Xiang Shan would want to stabilize his new Ninth-Order cultivation, so he was planning on entrusting overseeing things here to him. After that, he would be free to do whatever he wanted, but he never expected Xiang Shan to beat him to it.
But after giving it another thought, he understood why Xiang Shan was in such a hurry.
When the Universe Furnace opened this time, Xiang Shan didn’t even have time to do anything before he was drawn into the great battle between the Human Race and Black Ink Clan. Now that he had just broken through to the Ninth Order, he couldn’t wait to test his newfound strength.
Xiang Shan had left, Yang Xue had also left…
Looking around, Ou Yang Lie found that only he among the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters was left to guard this place. He could not leave. With so many Eighth-Order Masters recovering here, they would need someone to protect them.
[Miserable!] Ou Yang Lie cursed in his heart, [When the Universe Furnace closes, I will definitely make Big Head Xiang pay for this!]
Although the battle between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan here ended with the Human Race’s victory this time, the war was far from over.
Not to mention that the number of Black Ink Clansmen who had entered the Universe Furnace was not limited to the ones who had appeared before, and many even managed to escape at the last moment.
With two Royal Lords, one dead and one seriously injured, and the Pseudo-Royal Lords who had managed to escape all wounded, the Black Ink Clan was at a significant disadvantage at the moment. As such, this was the perfect opportunity to slaughter them.
If they missed the current opportunity, the Human Race would have to wait for the Universe Furnace to close before they got another chance.
If they could eliminate some of the Black Ink Clan forces in advance, the pressure on the Human Race would decrease by some degree once the Universe Furnace closed.
Perhaps they could also kill some of the Black Ink Clansmen who had entered the Universe Furnace from the Black Ink Battlefield and the Barren Territory.
As time passed, the Human Masters began recovering one by one, but they didn’t remain in place for long. Ou Yang Lie ordered them to form Battle Formations and spread out to search for the Black Ink Clan survivors.
By the time the last batch of Human Race cultivators had recovered, a lot of time had already passed, but finally, Ou Yang Lie, who had been guarding this place, was able to move again.
Naturally, he showered Xiang Shan with curses in his heart.
.….
Somewhere in the void, a battle had just ended and Yang Kai happened to be standing there alone, surrounded by the corpses of several Black Ink Clansmen.
Calling it a battle could not be farther from the truth though, as it was really just a one-sided massacre.
Even if the Territory Lords assumed Battle Formations, they were unable to do anything in front of the current Yang Kai. He was a Ninth-Order Master with the body of a Divine Dragon. Even if he hadn’t fully recovered, killing a few Territory Lords was still as easy as chopping vegetables now.
The advancement of one Order had brought about an earth-shattering change in his strength. His Small Universe’s size had expanded by several times. Of course, it was partly due to the increase in his cultivation, but the integration of Fang Tian Ci’s Small Universe had played no small role in it; otherwise, how could Yang Kai, a newly advanced Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, have such a strong foundation?
Not only that, but his Small Universe also had another World Tree clone at the moment.
In the past, Yang Kai had handed his last World Tree clone to Fang Tian Ci to help him rapidly grow, but with the fusion of Fang Tian Ci’s Small Universe with his, that World Tree clone had also merged with it.
Yang Kai already had a World Tree clone to begin with, so there was not much point in having a second.
[After returning to 3,000 Worlds, I should find a suitable candidate and give it to them. It should help them save some time in cultivation and allow them to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm earlier.]
After separating from Ou Yang Lie and the others, Yang Kai began searching the void, mainly because he wanted to find the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill he had thrown away.
One more Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill meant the birth of one more Ninth-Order Master, and currently, the Human Race did not have many Ninth-Order Masters.
Yang Kai especially wanted to bring a Supreme Grade pill back for Mi Jing Lun. The war would definitely become more intense and fierce in the future. Mi Jing Lun, who was the Supreme Commander of the Human Race Armies might not be able to control the overall situation if he remained in the rear, and his Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation would make it risky for him to stand on the front lines. If he could break through to the Ninth Order however, it would be much better for the Human Race!
Unfortunately, Yang Kai failed to find anything even after searching for so long, but that did not mean that his search was without harvest. He ran into some Black Ink Clansmen along the way, so naturally he finished them all off.
Thunder Shadow’s voice rang out in his mind, “Big Brother, isn’t my Innate Divine Ability quite useful?”
Although Yang Kai’s strength was great and he had always been unrivalled among his peers, he was not proficient in stealth and assassination. Under normal circumstances, when he ran into enemies, he would usually just fight them head-on.
But after merging with his Monster Self, Thunder Shadow’s exceptional mastery over the Dao of Thunder and Dao of Concealment also became available to Yang Kai.
Just now, he had given Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability a try and hid himself. When he suddenly attacked the Territory Lords, they did not even have the chance to react. It could be said that they had no idea who had killed them.
Yang Kai lightly chuckled, “There is some truth as to why Great Monsters ran rampant in the Early Ancient Era.”
The different types of Monster Race had different Innate Divine Abilities. Thunder Shadow was a member of the Shadow Leopard Race and was innately proficient in the Dao of Concealment, which was one of the reasons Yang Kai chose him as his Monster Self.
At that time, Yang Kai had to go into a retreat to recuperate, so he didn’t have much time to take care of his Monster Self. Choosing Thunder Shadow would give the latter more opportunities to survive.
As for the Dao of Thunder, that was something that Thunder Shadow had cultivated on his own, so it was not an Innate Divine Ability.
As for the title Thunder Shadow, it was also the title he had obtained as a Great Emperor, not his race.
“In any case, I’m more useful than Second Brother!” Thunder Shadow proudly proclaimed.
Fang Tian Ci was the Human Self Yang Kai had cultivated in his Small Universe, and the Grand Daos he cultivated were basically inherited from Yang Kai. It could be said that everything he was proficient at was the same as Yang Kai, while the one he wasn’t proficient at, Yang Kai was proficient at. So, naturally, there was nothing Yang Kai could take advantage of…
Thus, from this fact alone, Thunder Shadow felt a sense of superiority.