Thanks to Feng Ying’s secret introductions earlier, Yang Kai had memorised the identity of this Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor. This person was Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Lu An. Yang Kai had originally planned to visit this person when he had the time. Now that the situation had come to this, he could only reveal his identity in advance.
Lu An raised his brow, looking extremely surprised. He had not expected Yang Kai to be part of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Even if Yang Kai was not born in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, the fact that he could marry two Yin-Yang Cave Heaven disciples indicated that he was not an ordinary person; otherwise, the Sect would not have allowed the two disciples to marry him.
Everybody else was also extremely flabbergasted. It turned out that the little brat standing in front of them was not from any of the Cave Heavens or Paradises!
Not only was he not from any of the Cave Heavens or Paradises, but he was also only in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. How did he come to the Black Ink Battlefield!? Even if he was a Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Son-in-Law, there was no such precedent throughout history.
In the Black Ink Battlefield, all the cultivators in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm and below were the elite disciples of the Cave Heavens and Paradises exclusively. Only a few of the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were from outside Sects. They had been forcefully dispatched to the Black Ink Battlefield by the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
Knowing that Yang Kai was part of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, Lu An’s expression immediately became much friendlier. He nodded lightly and asked, “Whose disciple did you marry?”
He was not asking out of simple curiosity. Words were useless without proof. There was a need to verify the truth in case Yang Kai turned out to be lying. If he believed those lies blindly and something were to happen in the future, it was Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s reputation that would suffer a heavy blow.
Yang Kai replied, “The disciples that this Junior married are the Legacy Disciple under Xu Ling Gong and the Legacy Disciple under Chen Xiu.”
Lu An murmured, “So it was Xu and Chen Boy…”
If Yang Kai had mentioned the names of Qu Hua Shang and Tao Ling Wan, there was a possibility that he would not have recognised them; after all, it had been a long time since Lu An came to the Black Ink Battlefield. The two women might not have even been born yet when he left the Sect.
However, Lu An recalled the names of Xu Ling Gong and Chen Xiu to some extent. That was especially true for the person called Xu Ling Gong. Although Xu Ling Gong was nothing more than a rising star in the Sect who had yet to advance into the Open Heaven Realm when Lu An left the Sect, he was already being trained and nurtured as a Core Disciple at the time.
Furthermore, Lu An heard that Xu Ling Gong joined the Black Ink Battlefield several decades ago. It was just that Xu Ling Gong did not come to Blue Sky Pass. Nevertheless, it would not be difficult for him to verify these facts.
Listening to the conversation between those two, the others could basically confirm that Yang Kai was indeed part of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Somebody immediately cupped his fist at Lu An and said, “What a blessing, Brother Lu!”
“Congratulations, Brother Lu!”
…
Despite the congratulatory words, Lu An did not seem happy. He simply smiled bitterly while shaking his head and waving away their congratulatory wishes. On the other hand, the frown on Zhong Liang’s face deepened.
“Yang Kai, was it?” Among the congratulatory wishes, somebody spoke up suddenly.
Yang Kai looked in the direction of the voice and discovered that the voice belonged to Tian Xiu Zhu. He immediately cupped his fist and bowed, “Yes!”
“What Order were you when you first advanced into the Open Heaven Realm?” Tian Xiu Zhu asked.
Yang Kai answered, “The Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm!”
“Fifth-Order…” Tian Xiu Zhu nodded lightly, “You must be wondering why we are offering our congratulatory wishes. In truth, this is something related to you.”
Yang Kai looked puzzled. Just why would this be related to him? Besides, he was certainly curious as to why the others were congratulating Lu An.
Lu An raised a hand to interrupt, “Brother Tian, let’s talk about this later.”
There was a hint of reluctance and guilt in his expression.
Tian Xiu Zhu looked at Lu An, “The Black Ink Clan is currently besieging Blue Sky Pass. This is the time when we need to strengthen the might of our forces the most! Therefore, this matter cannot be delayed any longer. Since all the Eighth-Order Masters have basically been gathered here, it’s a good opportunity to speak openly about this matter. Brother Lu, I’m sure you understand that this Tian has no selfish intentions. This is all for the greater good of the Human Race!”
Lu An sighed softly.” Of course, I know that you are not being selfish, Brother Lu. But…”
Tian Xiu Zhu said, “This matter concerns the entire Human Race, not just Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Brother Lu, you may remain silent if you feel guilty.”
Lu An sighed again and said no more.
Afterward, Tian Xiu Zhu turned to look at Yang Kai, “You not only possess one of the Four Universe Pillars, but have also suppressed and sealed Black Ink Strength in your body. So, you should know how the Four Universe Pillars hold up against the Black Ink Strength.”
Yang Kai nodded, “This Junior naturally understands.”
It was thanks to the World Spring that his Small Universe remained flawless.
Back when he was in the Black Prison, even the Secret Technique of the Black Ink Royal Lord had no effect on him at all. It could be said that he would never need to worry about the corrosion of the Black Ink Strength as long as he had the World Spring. In fact, as long as he was strong enough, he could charge right into the middle of the Black Ink Clan army without any worries.
Tian Xiu Zhu bluntly got to the point, “The Four Universe Pillars are very useful to the Human Race, but they are very rare and hard to find. That is why, if any of the Four Universe Pillars appear in the 3,000 Worlds, the Cave Heavens and Paradises will spare no effort to obtain and deliver it to the Black Ink Battlefield. The Four Universe Pillars would then be refined by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and used to fight the Black Ink Clan.
“The Old Ancestors are strong enough that they have no need to fear becoming corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Unfortunately, there have been precedents where Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were corrupted. The Four Universe Pillars can protect an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master on the battlefield, which will allow them to fight the Black Ink Clan freely and without fear of becoming corrupted. This matter is something that holds great significance to the Human Race!
“On the Black Ink Battlefield, only Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters are eligible to possess a Four Universe Pillar. That is because only Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters can protect such a treasure. You are only in the Sixth-Order at the moment. If you enter the battlefield, there is no guarantee that nothing will happen to you. More importantly, if anything were to happen to you, the Human Race would not only lose you as an individual but also an extremely rare and precious treasure.
“In addition, the Black Ink Clan will surely target you if they learn that you possess one of the Four Universe Pillars. It would be very detrimental for you; after all, the Black Ink Clan is extremely repulsed by the Four Universe Pillars. If given the chance, they will never allow any Human cultivator with a Four Universe Pillar to walk free. As you are now, you are not strong enough to protect the Four Universe Pillars.
“Do you understand what I am trying to say?” Tian Xiu Zhu looked at Yang Kai solemnly.
At first, Yang Kai had not quite grasped the situation, but Tian Xiu Zhu had spoken so clearly that it was impossible for him not to understand now. He immediately nodded in response, “If I have heard you correctly, Senior, you are asking me to offer up my World Spring.”
Tian Xiu Zhu nodded, “Good steel should be used to forge excellent blades. This Old Master’s words may be somewhat cruel, but I do not have any selfish intentions. I am speaking for the sake of the entire Human Race. Of course, please do not worry. This Old Master does not covet the World Spring in your possession. Since you come from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, the World Spring will be taken over by Brother Lu instead.”
Yang Kai immediately understood. It now made sense as to why they asked him which Cave Heaven or Paradise he came from earlier; they had been preparing for this moment. Depending on which Cave Heaven or Paradise he came from, an Ancestor of that particular Cave Heaven or Paradise would naturally be the one to take possession of the World Spring.
“If you had the potential to advance into the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, this Old Master would not have had to play the part of the villain. Unfortunately, you only advanced into the fifth order as a starting point, making your limit the seventh order. Even if you became a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, you would still lack the necessary strength required to protect the World Spring!” Tian Xiu Zhu exhaled softly and looked at Yang Kai sternly, “So, Little Friend, this Old Master asks that you offer up the World Spring in contribution to the entire Human Race!”
Yang Kai remained silent and said nothing. He certainly did not expect to encounter this situation after coming to the Black Ink Battlefield. Although he heard Feng Ying mention that all the Four Universe Pillars belonging to the Human Race were in the hands of the Eighth-Order Masters, he had not thought much about her statement at the time. It would seem that it was not because the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had amazing opportunities, but that the situation had resulted from intentional distribution of resources.
In the past, people who were not in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm might also have obtained one of the Four Universe Pillars, but they had always voluntarily offered up these treasures so that the Ancestors of their respective Sects could make best use of them instead.
The Black Ink Clan must also be privy to this information, which was why they did not bother to perform a thorough check on cultivators below the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm after converting them with Black Ink Strength. If not for that, the Black Ink Clan Territory Lord would not have departed with such peace of mind after he corrupted Feng Ying.
If this were any other place, Yang Kai would definitely have suspected Tian Xiu Zhu of malicious intentions for bringing up this topic; however, this was the Black Ink Battlefield. There might be some friction and conflicts among the various Cave Heavens and Paradises, but they were of one mind and one will when it came to the war between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan.
It was just like how Chen Xiu had schemed for his own Disciple to suffer from cultivation dissonance in front of Yang Kai in order to protect Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s face. He had no malicious intentions towards Yang Kai at the time and was simply acting in the best interests of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.
Likewise, Tian Xiu Zhu held no malicious intentions towards Yang Kai. Yang Kai himself could perceive that fact; after all, even if he offered up the World Spring, his actions would not benefit Tian Xiu Zhu in any way. The World Spring would only be handed over to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestor of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, Lu An.
It was just as Tian Xiu Zhu had said, this was all for the sake of the greater good of the Human Race.
When Yang Kai remained silent, the atmosphere in the hall turned colder. Everybody knew that this situation was very unfair to Yang Kai, but it was not as if they had never encountered similar situations in the past. They had always handled such situations in this manner. There was no reason for them to make an exception for this case.
Tian Xiu Zhu continued, “Please rest assured. Giving up the World Spring will indeed damage the integrity of your Small Universe; however, the Inner Sanctum will prepare a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit for you. We will help you repair your Small Universe so that your cultivation will not be affected in the future. In any case, there is no hurry. You are only in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm at the moment. Even if you wanted to offer up the World Spring right now, you don’t have the necessary ability to do so. We will only ask this of you when you advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm and your Small Universe transforms from immaterial to material.”
When Yang Kai first obtained the World Spring, he had been placed in captivity by Xia Lin Lang in the Shattered Heaven for some time. That incident had occurred for this very reason.
She had also wanted to obtain the World Spring, but she had to consider Yang Kai’s inadequate cultivation. She believed that his Small Universe was still immaterial and that he could not cut off a part of his Small Universe for her. Therefore, she had provided him with various cultivation materials to help him advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm as soon as possible. Unbeknownst to her, his Small Universe had transformed from immaterial to material a long time ago. He could have separated the World Spring from his body at any time if he wanted.
Needless to say, there was another method available. That method was much easier, which was to kill him. Once Yang Kai died, there was a chance the World Spring would emerge when his Small Universe collapsed.
However, even for the Human Race, forcibly asking a Junior to give up the World Spring was already very cruel, so how could they outright kill him? Nobody would agree to carry out such a heinous act.
Zhong Liang stood silently by the side. There were two reasons why he had previously inquired about Yang Kai’s initial Order when advancing into the Open Heaven Realm. The first reason was that he had been confused as to whether Yang Kai was part of the Human Race or the Dragon Clan. The second reason was that he wanted to know the limits of Yang Kai’s future cultivation.
As soon as he learned that Yang Kai had initially advanced into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he immediately decided to ensure that the news regarding Yang Kai’s possession of the World Spring would never be leaked to others. That was because he knew that they would face this issue once the information was exposed to the public.
If anybody else had possessed one of the Four Universe Pillars instead, Zhong Liang would have wholeheartedly agreed that they should offer up the World Spring. But, Yang Kai was different. The ability to cast Purifying Light would be instrumental for the Human Race; hence, it would not be beneficial for the Human Race to incur his wrath and resentment at such a time.
Secretly glancing at Yang Kai, Zhong Liang discovered that Yang Kai looked calm and indifferent. There was no sign of anger or resentment at all; thus, he couldn’t help feeling impressed.
No matter who was faced with such a situation, it would be difficult for them to remain calm; therefore, Zhong Liang was quite impressed by Yang Kai’s reaction.
It was true that Yang Kai did not feel any resentment; he could understand that Tian Xiu Zhu’s actions were not aimed at him. Rather, Tian Xiu Zhu’s actions and words came from a place of righteousness.
In order to protect the secret of the Void Corridor, Meng Qi was willing to sacrifice his own life. In comparison, how could Yang Kai not endure such insignificant grievance?
“Yang Kai, this is for the greater good of the Human Race!” Tian Xiu Zhu earnestly persuaded.
Seeing that Yang Kai remained silent, he thought that the former was unwilling to compromise. Ultimately though, the willingness of the other party did not matter. This was how such matters had been handled since ancient times. It was a given that those who stepped foot into the Black Ink Battlefield had to put their individual lives aside; therefore, he believed that Yang Kai would eventually come around.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Senior, you have misunderstood. This Junior is not an unreasonable person. You have made yourself very clear, so how can this Junior not understand?”
Tian Xiu Zhu nodded in relief, “It’s good that you understand.”
“But…” Yang Kai changed the subject, “From what you mentioned earlier, Senior, this Junior will not need to offer up the World Spring if I can advance to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future, correct?”
For him, offering up the World Spring would definitely cause some damage to his Small Universe. Although a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit could repair his Small Universe, he would no longer be able to ignore the corrosion of Black Ink Strength. That would be extremely dangerous on the Black Ink Battlefield.
It was not that he was unwilling to sacrifice himself for the Human Race. Had the Cave Heavens and Paradises not made far more sacrifices for the Human Race throughout the ages? They had silently waged war against the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield for countless aeons and invested unimaginable amounts of manpower and resources into the effort. It could be said that the stability of the 3,000 Worlds was inseparable from the contributions of the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
In the safe and stable environment behind them were Yang Kai’s subordinates and disciples in Void Land, as well as his friends and relatives in the Star Boundary. If he were an ordinary Open Heaven Realm Master, he would not have hesitated to give up the World Spring.
However, Yang Kai was confident in himself. He had always been able to crush opponents in the same realm as himself. In other words, if he could advance into the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future, the role he could play and the strength he could exert would definitely be greater than any of the Ancestors in front of him right now.
Tian Xiu Zhu was stunned for a moment, but he nodded anyway, “That’s how it is. If you can advance into the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then there is no need for you to give up the World Spring. The Inner Sanctum will also spare no effort to help you advance to the Eighth Order as soon as possible so that you can contribute to the Human Race.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “This Junior can advance to the Eighth Order!”
Everybody else was startled by his words and somebody scowled and pointed out, “Brat, didn’t you say that your initial breakthrough was to the Fifth Order? How can you advance to the Eighth-Order? Don’t tell me you have an Innate Open Heaven Pill from the Universe Furnace on hand!”
Innate Open Heaven Pills produced by the Universe Furnace were natural products of the World that contained the mysteries of the universe. They could help a person break through the shackles of their limits and ignore the bottleneck of the Open Heaven Realm. As long as they had enough of such Spirit Pills, they could even advance into the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, regardless of their starting point.
Unfortunately, one could only encounter such treasures serendipitously. The Universe Furnace was one of the most profound and mysterious treasures in existence. Not only was it extremely elusive, but its occasional appearance in the world was also very short-lived; therefore, it was no easy task to obtain Innate Open Heaven Pills.
What’s more, even if such treasures were on hand, Yang Kai would not have the chance to consume them. They would be given to an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master instead so that he could advance into the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. It would always be highly beneficial for the Human Race to gain an additional Ninth-Order Master.
Yang Kai calmly explained, “It is true that this Junior only broke through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm initially; however, this Junior was later fortunate enough to consume a Mid-Rank World Fruit and advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.”
“A Mid-Rank World Fruit!?” Somebody exclaimed in surprise while the others looked on in shock.
As Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, how could they not know about the existence of the World Fruit? That was an even rarer treasure than an Innate Open Heaven Pill!
Somebody said, “It is rumoured that there is a World Tree that grows in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. The Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary is extremely difficult for ordinary people to enter. Could that be where you obtained your World Fruit?”
Yang Kai nodded affirmatively, “I accidentally became involved with the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and spent some time inside that place. It was also inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that I obtained the World Fruit.”
A series of gasps rang out throughout the Conference Hall. That was an incredible opportunity indeed! A Mid-Rank World Fruit could not only increase one’s cultivation by an entire Order, but it also increased the limit that they could achieve in the future.
Lu An probed further, “Does that mean that even though you were only in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm when you first advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, you actually have the opportunity to advance to the Eighth-Order in the future?”
The Four Universe Pillars had a huge appeal to Open Heaven Realm Masters, especially Eighth-Order Masters like themselves. Possessing one of the Four Universe Pillars would allow them to fight with greater efficiency on the battlefield.
Lu An was truly reluctant to snatch the belongings of a Junior, but in light of the bigger picture, Yang Kai was powerless to protect the World Spring. Leaving this matter alone would only result in a huge loss for the Human Race. That was why he had remained silent all this while.
He had silently considered this matter in his heart. If Yang Kai was made to offer up the World Spring, he would definitely have to compensate Yang Kai for the gesture. At the very least, he had to protect Yang Kai as much as possible within the scope of his ability. Nevertheless, he did not expect to learn that Yang Kai had consumed a Mid-Rank World Fruit before.
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded firmly, “That is why this Junior has the confidence to advance to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm!”
Lu An nodded lightly, “You should put in more effort in the future then. If you need anything, please let this Old Master know.”
Since Yang Kai could be considered part of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, it was only natural that Lu An would pay more attention to him when they resided at the same great pass. Although there was no strong sense of factionalism in the great passes, it stood to reason that most people would be closer to others of the same Sect.
“Many thanks, Elder,” Yang Kai bowed.
On the other side, Tian Xiu Zhu fell silent for a moment before he said, “If that’s the case, then the matter regarding the World Spring is settled. However, this Old Master would like to say something.”
Yang Kai looked at Tian Xiu Zhu, “Please enlighten me, Elder.”
“The Black Ink Battlefield is extremely dangerous. You need to be very careful. If anything were to happen to you, it would be a huge loss to the Human Race.”
“This Junior will bear that in mind!” Yang Kai bowed.
Zhong Liang, however, just snickered at those words, “Brother Tian, if you knew what this brat did in the past, you would not bother to warn him about such things.”
Tian Xiu Zhu asked curiously, “What did he do?”
Zhong Liang glanced at Yang Kai, “This brat is the boldest one I’ve ever seen. He disguised himself as a Black Ink Disciple and spent several years in the Black Ink Clan’s territory. It was all thanks to this brat that Feng Ying and the others managed to come back safely.”
Everybody in the Conference Hall immediately became speechless, too dumbfounded to say anything.
The corners of Lu An’s face twitched, and he was filled with lingering fear, “You disguised yourself as a Black Ink Disciple and spent several years among the Black Ink Clan!?”
[That’s not bold! That’s reckless!]
Tian Xiu Zhu’s mouth quivered in anger, “What if your identity was discovered and something happened to you!?”
He had tried his best to protect the World Spring. Not only did he not hesitate to use his authority to coerce the other party, but he even demanded that Yang Kai offer up the World Spring without any regard for his pride. Who could have known that Yang Kai had done such a terrifying thing!?
Yang Kai smiled bitterly, “I had no choice.”
He had not wanted to do something so risky either; unfortunately, the place connected to the Void Corridor was located inside a Sealed World in the Black Ink Clan’s domain. Having found himself in the Black Ink Clan hinterland as soon as he arrived, what else could he have done?
Lu An scolded, “Don’t be so reckless again in the future.”
Yang Kai nodded repeatedly, “Yes!”
Many of the Eighth-Order Masters in the hall were staring at Yang Kai with strange expressions now. Nobody had ever done such a thing throughout all of history. If it was said that they had only paid attention to him earlier because of the World Spring, then they were now paying attention to him because of his conduct.
Somebody suddenly turned to look at Zhong Liang, “Brother Zhong, you mentioned that Feng Ying and that group of people only returned thanks to Yang Kai. What did you mean?”
Zhong Liang did not bother to explain; instead, he turned to look at Yang Kai and instructed, “Show them.”
Seeing was always better than listening in terms of clarity. That was why he had gone out of his way to capture a Black Ink Disciple. It was so that Yang Kai could easily demonstrate his ability.
Outside the palace where the Old Ancestor was in retreat, Yang Kai had used the Black Ink Strength suppressed inside his Small Universe to demonstrate the effects of the Purifying Light. It was just that Zhong Liang was reluctant to reveal the fact that Yang Kai possessed a World Spring, so he had gone to the trouble of preparing in advance.
Who could have known that Tian Xiu Zhu had already inferred the truth? He couldn’t keep the secret hidden at all. If he had known earlier, Zhong Liang could have saved himself the trouble of capturing a Black Ink Disciple.
Yang Kai responded affirmatively and strode towards the captured Black Ink Disciple.
The Eighth-Order Masters watched curiously, wondering what Zhong Liang was selling in his bottle gourd.
A seal had been placed on the Black Ink Disciple, so he could not circulate any strength and he had not dared to act rashly after being thrown here by Zhong Liang. Of course, he had been observing his surroundings vigilantly in hopes of finding an opportunity to escape, so when he saw Yang Kai walking towards him at this moment, he stepped back defensively. But, where could he go in his condition? Furthermore, it only took Zhong Liang a casual wave of his hand to completely lock the Black Ink Disciple in place.
A yellow and blue light suddenly appeared in Yang Kai’s hands, which immediately attracted everybody’s attention to him.
Zhong Liang also paid close attention. Even though he had witnessed this sight before, he could not tear his eyes away at this moment.
A distinct Yin and Yang Element Power radiated from the blue and yellow lights respectively. Then, in front of everybody’s eyes, Yang Kai clapped his hands together. A pure white light bloomed into existence when the yellow and blue lights merged together.
The white light immediately cascaded down on the Black Ink Disciple. In the next moment, the Black Ink Disciple revealed a look of pain on his face. A thick layer of Black Ink Strength simultaneously seeped out from his body, accompanied by a series of sizzling sounds.
To the onlookers’ astonishment, the Black Ink Strength was then purified by the white light and vanished into nothingness.
The Eighth-Order Ancestors who were watching closely widened their eyes instantly at the sight. There was a loud clatter as most of them knocked over their chairs and involuntarily jumped to their feet in astonishment. Their expressions were filled with shock, and their widened eyes overflowed with disbelief. Even though they were worldly Masters, they had never seen such an incredulous situation before.
The Black Ink Disciple’s pain only lasted for a moment, and his expression soon calmed down. Under the shroud of the white light, both his figure and his expression appeared hazy.
Yang Kai withdrew his hand and nodded lightly at Zhong Liang. Only then did Zhong Liang dispel his power around Black Ink Disciple and take a step back.
The entire hall was deathly silent. Everybody was staring at the Black Ink Disciple in stunned silence and it was only a long while later that the sound of people nervously gulping echoed throughout the room. Somebody finally asked, “B-Brother Zhong… W-W-What is this?”
He had a guess in his heart, but he could not be certain. That was because what he saw with his eyes might not be what he was thinking in his heart.
There were many people with similar thoughts. All of them turned to look at Zhong Liang with an inquiring gaze, hoping to gain a more definite answer from him.
Zhong Liang smiled slightly, “Don’t tell me you don’t understand what just happened.”
Tian Xiu Zhu’s expression was grim and cold, “Brother Zhong, this is an important matter. Now is not the time for jokes. Could it really be the same as what we are thinking?”
Zhong Liang nodded seriously, “En. What you are thinking is exactly how things are. And, that’s also the reason why I summoned you all here.”
“Impossible!” Tian Xiu Zhu faintly lost his composure, “Black Ink Strength is extremely corrosive; once a person’s Small Universe is corroded by it, they will lose themselves completely! It is not as though we have not tried various methods to reverse this phenomenon throughout the ages. Even the Old Ancestors have been trying to find a solution, but they have never succeeded. H-How is this possible?”
It was not that he did not want to believe the truth, he was simply afraid that having great hope would only lead to greater disappointment.
“Seeing is believing!” Zhong Liang quickly said.
He was feeling a little more comfortable with himself at the moment. When he first learned about this matter, he had also been filled with a sense of incredulity. In fact, he was so shocked that he lost the composure of an Eighth-Order Ancestor. Therefore, he secretly felt cheerful to see the others reacting much more dramatically than him.
It was not that he was trying to mock them, he was simply in a good mood. Turning to look at the Black Ink Disciple he captured previously, he asked, “How do you feel?”
After the Black Ink Strength had been dispelled, the Black Ink Disciple remained standing frozen on the spot with a deep frown on his face. He seemed to be confused by the situation; however, he had not forgotten everything he did when he was a Black Ink Disciple.
Looking back now, he could not understand how he had become so fanatical or how he could willingly follow behind the Black Ink Clan to attack his fellow comrades. Even though he understood that his actions were caused by the corrosion of the Black Ink Strength, he was filled with guilt at this moment.
Upon hearing Zhong Liang’s question, he looked up with a strange expression. It seemed as though he did not know whether to laugh or cry, “Answering Senior’s question, this Junior feels as though he has just woken up from a long nightmare.”
Zhong Liang nodded, “Now that you have awoken, you should be more careful in the future.”
“Yes!”
“Open your Small Universe. We would like to investigate,” Zhong Liang instructed.
The former Black Ink Disciple nodded and opened the portal to his Small Universe with great enthusiasm. In the next moment, the Eighth-Order Ancestors who had been waiting for what seemed like forever quickly poured their Divine Senses into the Small Universe to investigate.
The Eighth-Order Masters probed very carefully without missing any nook or cranny. Only after a thorough sweep did they slowly withdraw their Divine Senses. Most of them had looks of disbelief on their faces, but even more of them were delighted beyond words.
Throughout the ages, the Human Race had fought against the Black Ink Clan. Although they had always guarded the various great passes and prevented the Black Ink Clan from invading the 3,000 Worlds, the price they paid was the continuous investment of generation after generation who would eventually meet their deaths!
On the other hand, the Black Ink Clan endlessly sprung up like bamboo shoots after the rain. As soon as one was cut down, another would immediately sprout up again. They would never be wiped out for good!
The Human Masters who passed through the No-Return Pass would forever lose their chance to return home. That was because nobody could guarantee that they had not been corroded by Black Ink Strength on the Black Ink Battlefield. If they accidentally allowed a Black Ink Disciple to return, it would be a disaster for the 3,000 Worlds.
The key was in the Black Ink Strength! This was an extremely strange and intractable power. Even a Ninth-Order Old Ancestor could not dispel Black Ink Strength that had invaded a Black Ink Disciple’s body; hence, their only option was to slaughter the Black Ink Disciples to prevent future troubles.
However, they had just witnessed a method that could easily purify and dispel Black Ink Strength inside the body of a Black Ink Disciple. Not only could this Secret Technique restore order to chaos, but it also allowed the Black Ink Disciple to break free from the corrosion of Black Ink Strength and recover their true nature!
How could they not be excited and elated? All of them could understand the preciousness of this Secret Technique. This was definitely something that could rewrite the endless years of conflict between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan.
Taking a deep breath, one of them turned to look at Lu An and asked, “Brother Lu, since when did Yin-Yang Cave Heaven become capable of such a feat? Why have we never heard you mention anything before?”
Yang Kai could be considered part of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. Even if he was not born in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, he was a Son-in-Law; therefore, it was not strange for the speaker to associate them together.
What’s more, when Yang Kai cast the Secret Technique just now, he had clearly used Yin and Yang Element Powers. The two Powers had converged into one when he pressed both his left and right palms together. There were some similarities with how certain Yin-Yang Cave Heaven Secret Techniques operated.
Lu An shook his head with a serious expression, “I don’t know anything either.”
He could not be certain whether this was a Secret Technique from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven; after all, he had been stationed on the Black Ink Battlefield for thousands of years. It would not be strange for him to know nothing if this was a new Secret Technique that was recently developed by his Juniors.
After listening to the conversation between these two, Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Reporting to Seniors, this Secret Technique did not originate from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven.”
Tian Xiu Zhu chuckled, “Regardless of where the Secret Technique comes from, an ability that can dispel and purify Black Ink Strength is a good ability! If this Secret Technique can be spread to the public, we Humans will never need to fear the Black Ink Clan again!”
Somebody else immediately nodded in agreement, “That’s right! We have been troubled by the Black Ink Clan for so many years. If everyone can master this Secret Technique, then we will no longer need to fear the corrosion of Black Ink Strength. Nobody else will ever be converted into a Black Ink Disciple again. We can even charge straight into the Black Ink Clan’s territory and purge all the Black Ink Clan once and for all!”
His face flushed red as he spoke. It was as if he could see the glorious scene in front of him, and his heart was filled with excitement.
Everybody else was also influenced by the beautiful dream he described, and many of them looked extremely excited. At the same time, they finally understood why Zhong Liang had sent an urgent message to summon them despite knowing that the Black Ink Clan army was still attacking. The significance behind this Secret Technique was too great, and the news had to be announced to the public as soon as possible.
Although some people were originally dissatisfied with Zhong Liang’s impatience, their dissatisfaction had all but vanished at this moment. This was an important matter that could benefit the entire Human Race after all.
Seeing the heated discussion, Yang Kai sighed inwardly as he had no choice but to disappoint them, “Seniors, this Secret Technique cannot be taught to the public. Nobody else can cultivate this Secret Technique either. Only this Junior can use it.”
The discussion in the Conference Hall stopped abruptly as countless pairs of eyes turned to look at Yang Kai. Even Zhong Liang stared at Yang Kai in astonishment.
He had known that Yang Kai had the means to cast the Purifying Light, but he did not know much else. There had been no time for him to ask either.
Hence, he made some assumptions since Purifying Light was a Secret Technique. Even if it was impossible for everybody to cultivate it, there were thousands of talented individuals in Blue Sky Pass, so there were bound to be some who would succeed. He never imagined that he would hear such words from Yang Kai.
“Why can’t others cultivate this Secret Technique?” Lu An asked in confusion. He had the same thoughts as Zhong Liang. Since it was a Secret Technique, there would definitely be a method to cultivate it. As long as this method could be spread to the public, there was bound to be somebody who could successfully cultivate the Secret Technique.
Yang Kai explained, “This Secret Technique was not obtained through this Junior’s own cultivation, but was rather granted to me by senior experts. There is no cultivation method, so naturally, it cannot be taught to others.”
Having said that, he lifted his hands and activated the two marks. The marks that resembled a sun and moon instantly appeared before the eyes of the Eighth-Order Ancestors.
Yang Kai then continued, “These two marks are the foundation to cast Purifying Light, and they were given to me directly by the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer respectively. The Yin and Yang Element Power that this Junior used to condense the Purifying Light before also comes from the source of those two Seniors’ power.”
“The Burning Light and Serene Glimmer!” Somebody gasped in awe.
Meanwhile, most of the others looked solemn instead.
These two famous existences were so well-known that it was difficult not to have heard of them. It was rumoured that they were Ancient Masters born alongside the world itself. Moreover, they represented destruction and annihilation. The Chaotic Dead Territory where they resided was filled with dead silence. Nobody could enter that place and survive for long, much less meet these two supreme beings.
For Yang Kai to claim that the two marks were given to him by the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, they could hardly believe their ears, but on second thought, it was possible that the powers of such beings were the only thing in the universe that could restrain the Black Ink Strength
Lu An frowned, “You’ve met the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer?”
Yang Kai nodded, “I spent some time with them in the past, and we can be considered friends.”
The Eighth-Order Ancestors felt their faces twitching hard when they heard those words. On the other hand, Zhong Liang widened his eyes and stared at Yang Kai like he was looking at a ghost.
If Yang Kai had claimed that he was fortunate enough to meet the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, then they would have reluctantly accepted his explanation; after all, neither the marks on his hands nor the Purifying Light could be faked. However, Yang Kai claimed that he had spent some time with them and could even be considered friends!
[He was friends with those two existences!? Those are words not even the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Old Ancestors would dare to say!]
“It is quite easy to get along with Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, but… they have some unique hobbies.” Yang Kai casually explained.
“Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan?” Zhong Liang was puzzled.
“Oh! That’s how the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer requested I call them.”
Upon hearing those words, Zhong Liang felt his brow twitching as though he was playing the drums! [What kind of relationship do they have!? Why is he calling them Big Brother and Big Sister!?]
Lu An coughed lightly and asked cautiously, “What unique hobbies do they have?”
Yang Kai looked ashamed, “It’s hard to look back on the past, let alone mention it.”
He could not speak the truth out loud. He could not bring himself to tell them that he had played house with those two for a long time in the Chaotic Dead Territory. Every time he thought about that time, he couldn’t help feeling ashamed deep inside.
Changing the topic of conversation, Yang Kai added, “But, it is precisely for this reason that this Junior was blessed with these two marks by them. It is only with their strength as the source that I can unleash Purifying Light; therefore, it is not that this Junior is unwilling to teach this Secret Technique, it is simply that I cannot teach it. For the same reason, no one else can cultivate this Secret Technique.”
After listening to his explanation, everybody finally understood. This was certainly a Secret Technique that could not be spread to the public. They had been imagining a better future just moments ago, but they were forced to give up that hope at this moment.
The value of a Secret Technique that could be taught to the masses and a Secret Technique that could not be taught to the masses was not equal. It could be said that the significance of Purifying Light had been greatly reduced. For that reason, all the people who had high expectations earlier were extremely disappointed.
After a short silence, Zhong Liang finally opened his mouth, “Although it is impossible to spread this Secret Technique to the public, Yang Kai is able to perform this Secret Technique. That in itself is already very helpful in the war between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan. Now that you have gathered here and witnessed the power of Purifying Light, please announce this good news when you return. Tell the disciples that they no longer have to hold back when fighting the Black Ink Clan. They can fight without any inhibitions. Even if they accidentally become corroded by Black Ink Strength, they no longer need to sacrifice parts of their Small Universe as before. They only need to return to the Inner Sanctum as soon as possible. I will designate an area where Yang Kai can help them to purify Black Ink Strength that has seeped into their bodies.”
“Also, as long as your lives are not at risk, please try to capture the Black Ink Disciples alive when you are on the battlefield. There’s no longer a need to kill them outright.”
On the Black Ink Battlefield, the Human Race had always upheld an unchanging stance towards Black Ink Disciples: Kill without mercy! It was not that they were being ruthless; rather, there was simply no other solution.
The Black Ink Disciples corrupted by Black Ink Strength would always hold the Black Ink Clan supreme over all else in their hearts; in other words, they stood against the Human Race as mortal enemies. If the Human Race did not kill the Black Ink Disciples, then the Black Ink Disciple would kill them instead!
Over the years, countless people had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength and converted into Black Ink Disciples by the Black Ink Clan. On a similar note, the number of Black Ink Disciples who died at the hands of their original allies was too high to count.
Which one of these Black Ink Disciples did not come from one of the major Cave Heavens or Paradises? Which one of them was not one of the elite disciples of these forces?
This was the cruel reality faced by the Human Race. Even so, they were powerless in this situation. All they could do was prevent themselves from being corrupted by Black Ink Strength as much as possible, and the price they had to pay for their safety was to voluntarily sacrifice parts of their Small Universe. Unfortunately, their sacrifice would cause their cultivation to decline, their Order to fall, and their Martial Dao to be cut off forever.
At least 20% of the cultivators at each of the various great passes had an incomplete Small Universe, regardless of their Order in the Open Heaven Realm. Their damaged Small Universe was the best evidence of the deadly struggle against the Black Ink Clan.
There were many Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the various great passes. Where did these Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters come from? All of them were originally cultivators in the Sixth-Order whose strength had declined by an Order.
Throughout history, the lowest Order among the personnel dispatched to the Black Ink Battlefield by the Cave Heavens and Paradises was the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. They would never send somebody in the Fifth-Order as they were too weak to join the war against the Black Ink Clan.
As a result, almost all of the talented individuals accumulated by the Human Race over the aeons had been gathered on the Black Ink Battlefield. That was also the reason why Yang Kai felt that the overall strength in Lang Ya Paradise was hugely different from what he imagined when he went there in the past. It turned out that what he saw was not the full heritage of Lang Ya Paradise.
The existence of Purifying Light had resolved the problem that had always been insurmountable to the Human Race; hence, it was only natural that the news would rouse the excitement of the people.
It was conceivable that the morale of the Human Race Army would increase sharply once this information was spread to the public. Morale was something intangible, but it played a big role in any war, even the one between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan.
Yang Kai gave a gentle reminder, “Seniors, I must inform you that using this Secret Technique is not without cost. Just as this Junior mentioned earlier, this Secret Technique is cast by drawing upon the powers of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer through the two marks on my hands. Since this Secret Technique and the means to activate it were given to me by the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, casting it is essentially effortless on my part; however, performing the Secret Technique requires a certain amount of resources. This Junior has some materials on hand, but they are not inexhaustible. So, this Junior would like to ask the Seniors present to warn others to try and avoid being corrupted by Black Ink Strength as much as possible.”
Lu An nodded and said, “That’s only natural. After fighting for so many years, it has become a habit. Even if the news spreads, the disciples will not allow themselves to be easily corrupted by Black Ink Strength.”
Zhong Liang looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Do you have anything else to say?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No.”
“Good.” Zhong Liang turned to look at the others, “The Black Ink Clan is still besieging Blue Sky Pass at this moment, so it is not convenient for you to stay here for a long time. Let’s deal with the war first.”
Somebody inquired, “Where will you place Yang Boy?”
Zhong Liang had mentioned earlier that he would set up an area within the Inner Sanctum where Yang Kai would be responsible for helping the disciples to purify the Black Ink Strength in their bodies. It was only natural for this location to be clarified in advance.
Zhong Liang pondered for a while before he spoke, “How about the Central Square? It’s the most central spot!”
Everybody nodded in unison, “Good!”
Now that the discussion was over, everybody left quickly. They were the Masters in charge of the various defence lines after all, so it was not appropriate for them to remain here for too long.
Before leaving, Lu An said a few words with Yang Kai in private. He did not say much and simply told Yang Kai to let him know immediately if there was anything he needed. They were one family after all. He was happy to help out Yang Kai within the limits of his abilities. For that, he even left his contact information with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling grateful.
After everybody left, Zhong Liang beckoned to Yang Kai, “Come with me.”
The two of them strode out of the Conference Hall. Feng Ying was waiting for them outside and, with a flicker, all three of them sped off in a certain direction.
A short while later, they arrived in the sky above a huge square. Zhong Liang explained, “During the battle, you will be stationed here. There will likely be an endless stream of disciples who come asking for help after becoming corrupted by Black Ink Strength. When that happens, we will be relying on you.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Senior Zhong may rest assured. As long as it is an issue caused by Black Ink Strength, this Junior will definitely solve it.”
Zhong Liang nodded in satisfaction before turning to Feng Ying, “From now on, your task is to protect him. Do not allow any harm to come to him. If you lack the necessary manpower, I grant you the right to mobilise the people of the Inner Sanctum at will!”
“Disciple understands!” Feng Ying cupped her fist.
After watching Zhong Liang leave, Yang Kai glanced at Feng Ying, “Many thanks for your hard work, Martial Aunt Feng.”
Feng Ying shook her head, “It’s nothing. On the contrary, you should take some time to treat your injuries and recover. You were rushed off your feet earlier and didn’t even have the time to tend to your wounds. I’m afraid you will become very busy soon.”
In the previous battle with the Black Ink Clan Army, Yang Kai had transformed into a Grand Dragon and used his body as a shield to protect his allies. Naturally he was battered and bruised from the Black Ink Clan’s assault. After entering the Inner Sanctum, Zhong Liang had then brought him all over the place; therefore, Yang Kai had not had the time to treat his injuries so far.
His appearance at the moment could only be described as unkempt, and there were various bloodstains all over his body. Of course, his injuries were not important given his recuperative abilities, but his strength had indeed been heavily expended. Even he would need some time to recover and recuperate.
“Alright, then I shall trouble you to stand guard, Martial Aunt Feng,” Yang Kai nodded and sat down cross-legged without another word. Stuffing a recovery Spirit Pill into his mouth, he slowly began to refine the medicinal efficacies.
Despite being inside the Inner Sanctum, one could still vaguely hear the sound of battle coming from outside the great pass. In addition, the impact caused by the shockwaves of battle would occasionally be transmitted from the outside. It could be seen that the war was very intense.
Although the life-or-death battle outside raged on incessantly, Yang Kai and Feng Ying enjoyed a peace that was as calm as water. They waited for half a day only for nobody to come. Yang Kai focused on healing in the meantime, without feeling bored or frustrated.
All of a sudden, there seemed to be a commotion coming from the side. Feng Ying immediately looked in that direction and saw several streams of lights speeding over at a high speed. There were six or seven figures in total.
The person in the lead stood in mid-air and looked around below him with all his might. Without warning, he pointed in the direction where Yang Kai and Feng Ying were located and shouted loudly, “This way! This way!”
At the same time, he took the lead and rushed over.
Feng Ying instantly became vigilant. Zhong Liang had entrusted Yang Kai’s safety to her, so naturally she did not dare to take her mission lightly. Having seen Purifying Light in action, she deeply understood the importance of Yang Kai’s existence.
Fortunately, the newcomers did not act rashly. As they approached, the group’s leader immediately cupped his fist, “Senior Sister Feng!”
Feng Ying nodded lightly and asked, “What’s the situation?”
That person pointed behind him and explained, “They have been corroded by Black Ink Strength. Martial Uncle mentioned that we should withdraw as soon as possible if we ever find ourselves in such a situation and come here to find somebody named Yang Kai. Supposedly, he has the means to resolve the situation.”
Truthfully speaking, if it had not been an Eighth-Order Ancestor who told him about this matter, he would not have believed those words at all.
In the past, the people who were corrupted by Black Ink Strength would sacrifice a part of their Small Universe as soon as possible to resolve the crisis; however, it was too late for that now. The speed of the Black Ink Strength’s corrosion was very fast. If they wanted to sacrifice their Small Universe at this point, there was no saying how much they would need to give up. There was a high possibility that doing so would endanger their life. In other words, if Yang Kai could not resolve this matter, then the people who were corroded by Black Ink Strength would most likely die on the spot.
It was just that those words had come from an Eighth-Order Ancestor. If they could preserve the integrity of their Small Universe, then they were willing to give this method a try.
While speaking, he glanced at Yang Kai who had already stood up, “Are you Yang Kai?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Indeed!”
[I’ve never seen him before… Moreover, the aura coming from him does not seem very powerful. He is definitely not in the Seventh-Order. Can a person like him really remove the threat of the Black Ink Strength’s corrosion?]
That person felt his heart sinking in his chest and did not dare to hope for too much.
Yang Kai looked behind that person and saw that seven people had come in total. Leaving aside the leader, there were six others in groups of two. Each group contained one person who seemed to be struggling and urging their power as if resisting something, while the other person in the group had an expression of great concern mixed with a trace of vigilance on their face.
Yang Kai immediately understood the situation.
The three people who seemed to be struggling and silently urging their power to resist something were probably the ones whose Small Universe had been corroded by Black Ink Strength. They were currently fighting the corrosion of the Black Ink Strength, but their efforts were tantamount to drinking poison to quench their thirst. In other words, their efforts were not having much of an effect and could only serve to delay the process of becoming corrupted.
Meanwhile, the other three were most likely in charge of monitoring the ones who had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength; after all, if things spiralled out of control, then it might become necessary to execute their comrades.
Lastly, there was also a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master acting as the group’s leader. This arrangement was fairly reasonable, lest somebody became completely corrupted by Black Ink Strength on the way here. If that were to happen, such a line-up would be capable of dealing with the situation.
“Can you save them?” The leader clearly did not dare to expect too much, but he couldn’t help asking anyway.
Yang Kai glanced at that person and nodded, “Don’t worry!”
He did not waste any more time and quickly activated the Yin and Yang Element Powers. Yellow and blue lights bloomed into existence and soon transformed into a pure white light.
“Let those three stand together!” Yang Kai instructed.
Although the three of them had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength, they were stubbornly holding on to their true nature by the skin of their teeth. With the help of their companions, they stood together in one place. The white light immediately engulfed them.
Feng Ying had seen this situation many times already, so it was no longer surprising to her.
On the other hand, the four others who escorted those three here felt as though their hearts were leaping up into their throats. They stared unblinkingly at the sight in front of them, not willing to miss a single thing.
Sizzling sounds filled the air, and the three men revealed expressions of pain. Fortunately, their pained expressions gradually calmed down as the Black Ink Strength in their bodies was purified and dispelled.
After a while, Yang Kai withdrew his hand and the white light continued to linger. Shrouded in the white light, those three men successively opened their eyes with surprised expressions on their faces.
“How is it?” The Seventh-Order leader asked nervously. Looking at them, it seemed as though the Black Ink Strength had truly been dispelled; however, until he received a definite answer, he did not dare to believe that it was true.
“Squad Leader, I think we’re alright now,” one of them replied.
“What do you mean by that!? Are you alright or not!?” The Squad Leader glared.
Another person added, “It’s probably fine now. The Black Ink Strength has been dispelled.”
“Open your Small Universes!” The Squad Leader ordered.
The three men obediently did as they were told and opened up their Small Universes.
The Divine Senses of the Squad Leader and the other three men surged as they probed the situation together. A moment later, they looked at each other with shocked expressions. There was not the slightest trace of Black Ink Strength left! It was unbelievable!
“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?” The Squad Leader looked at the three of them with concern.
All three of them shook their heads, indicating that they were truly fine.
Only then did the Squad Leader turn to look at Yang Kai with a complicated look in his eyes. The Eighth-Order Ancestor had informed him about this matter, but he had not dared to believe those words.
The Human Masters who remained on the Black Ink Battlefield all this time were all too familiar with Black Ink Strength. Once they were touched by it, it would cling to them like maggots on rotting bones. The only way to protect themselves was to take decisive action within a limited time after becoming corroded by Black Ink Strength.
It was only because of the Eighth-Order Ancestor’s orders that he decided to give this method a chance.
Leading his Squad members, he brought them back to Blue Sky Pass and came to the Central Square. What happened next was beyond his expectations. Yang Kai had actually managed to solve this problem that had plagued the Human Race for countless years. What’s more, judging by the way the Secret Technique was cast, performing it did not seem to be difficult. It could even be said to be extremely easy.
He had never seen such means like the white light before, but he could clearly see the Black Ink Strength dissipating under its shroud with ease.
A sense of excitement suddenly surged up in his heart. [I can’t believe the Human Race has developed the means to resolve the corrosion of Black Ink Strength! This problem has tormented us for aeons, but will no longer be a problem in the future! I can foresee just how much the morale of our people will be boosted once the news spreads to the public!]
He solemnly cupped his fist, “Thanks are not enough for this kindness. In the future, please feel free to let us know if you ever need our help, Brother Yang.”
He was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises. In terms of status and hierarchy, he was definitely in a higher position compared to Yang Kai; nevertheless, he addressed Yang Kai as ‘Brother Yang’, which showed how grateful he was.
Likewise, the six behind him also cupped their fists and bowed. In particular, the gratitude of those three who were rescued earlier was beyond words. They knew that if it was not for Yang Kai’s help, the best outcome for them would be to sacrifice a part of their Small Universe and experience a decline in their cultivation. That was something no Open Heaven Realm Master would ever want to experience.
Although the Profound Yin Spirit Fruit, which could mend damaged Small Universes, could be found on the Black Ink Battlefield, there were extremely few of them, certainly not enough to go around.
Even if they found one of the rare Profound Yin Spirit Fruits, they generally gave them up to those with higher cultivations. Naturally, that meant those with cultivation below the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm would never get the chance to consume one.
Yang Kai not only helped them to resolve the issue regarding the corrosion of Black Ink Strength, but also ensured that their cultivation remained intact. Such a grace was not something that could be made up for with simple thanks.
“You are all too polite. This is my duty!” Yang Kai returned the bow.
“The war is ongoing, so we cannot stay here for long. We will now return to the battlefield. When the war is over, if we are lucky enough to survive, we will share a drink with you, Brother Yang!” The Squad Leader cupped his fist and quickly said.
Yang Kai’s expression became solemn, “I wish you good fortune in battle!”
The group of seven came and left in a hurry. Regardless of the Cave Heaven or Paradise they came from before, they had completely placed their own survival aside on this battlefield.
Looking at the seven departing figures, Yang Kai sighed softly. He did not know when these seven people had come to the Black Ink Battlefield or how long they could endure this cruel war. There might come a day when they were killed by a Black Ink Clansman and died a tragic death. Be that as it may, it should never be forgotten that they were also the sons and daughters of their parents or the parents of their own children.
After seeing the situation on the Black Ink Battlefield side with his own eyes, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little depressed. On the contrary, these people who had been living in this situation for so long had already become accustomed to such matters.
He suddenly turned to look at Feng Ying, “Just now, those people called the person in the lead ‘Squad Leader’. Is the formation of the Human Race Army divided into individual Squads?”
Feng Ying became more and more certain that Yang Kai knew nothing about the great passes. That was because all the questions he asked were related to general knowledge and common sense issues; however, she had already experienced similar situations several times before, so she was no longer surprised by his questions and explained patiently, “A Squad is the most basic unit at any great pass. In general 10 to 15 people form a Squad, 100 people form a Battalion, and 500 people make up a Division. Of course, the numbers vary slightly from case to case, but this is the general makeup. The framework of the Human Race Army was based upon how Great Battle Heaven organizes itself since they are very experienced in army warfare.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. He had heard of Great Battle Heaven even when he was new to the 3,000 Worlds, so he knew that this Cave Heaven was different from the others in the sense that they managed themselves like an army. He had wondered why Great Battle Heaven organized their disciples in such a manner; but now, it would seem that the reason was related to the Black Ink Battlefield.
“Tell me more about the great passes,” he said.
She asked, “What do you want to know?”
“Anything is fine.”
Feng Ying fell silent for a moment before she suddenly sat cross-legged in front of Yang Kai, stretched out her hand, and gestured on the ground in front of her. It didn’t take long for her to draw a picture of the Eight Trigrams on the ground before her.
“Generally speaking, the deployment of the troops at every great pass can be based on this diagram. I also told you just now that the framework of the Human Race Army is based on the Squad as the basic unit. Above a Squad is a Battalion, above a Battalion is a Division, and above a Division is an Army! Moreover, every great pass has four armies which are titled East, West, South, and North. This arrangement is so that four cardinal directions surrounding the great passes can be guarded at the same time.
“The formation can be further subdivided into smaller parts. Each Army is further divided into Left and Right Wings, each composed of a number of Divisions. For example, the North Army’s two Wings each have a First Division, Second Division, Third Division, and so on and so forth. Do you understand so far?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes!”
The situation on the Black Ink Battlefield side reminded him of the battle between Humans and Demons in the Star Boundary. At the time, all the Humans on the Star Boundary had been conscripted as soldiers. The Sixty-First Army he commanded had also made great contributions to the war against the Demon Race.
The past flashed through his mind, as vividly as though it was just yesterday.
Feng Ying continued, “Martial Uncle Zhong Liang is the Western Army’s Army Commander. He is responsible for overseeing the defence line protected by the Western Army, the direction we returned from before. Meanwhile, Elder Lu from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven belongs to the Southern Army. If I remember correctly, he serves as its Fourth Division Commander.
“Each Wing of an Army is overseen by one of the two Vice Army Commanders, while each Division is assigned a Division Commander. Only Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestors are qualified to take up these positions. Naturally the same goes for the Army Commanders. They are chosen from among the strongest and most experienced Eighth-Order Masters.
“When it comes to the Battalions, Peak Seventh-Order Masters generally fill such roles. The Battalions are named after the Eight Trigrams, in other words, Heaven, River, Mountain, Thunder, Wind, Fire, Earth, and Lake. Take myself for example, formally, I hold the rank of Battalion Commander of the Western Army’s Right Wing First Division Heaven Battalion!”
“Below Battalions are Squads. There is no special naming system for Squads, and if they do have a special name, it is generally chosen by their Squad Leader according to his or her preference, or by the Squad members themselves. The higher-ups will not restrict them in that sense. Among the Squad Leaders, some may be in the Sixth Order, but most are Seventh-Order.”
Yang Kai listened silently, gradually gaining some understanding of the situation in the great passes. In any case, the division of troops was certainly very detailed and meticulous.
He raised his brow slightly after giving it some thought, “Back at the Grand Hall earlier, I saw a total of 53 Eighth-Order Masters. Leaving aside the 4 Army Commanders and the 8 Vice Commanders, does that mean that there are 41 Divisions in Blue Sky Pass?”
Feng Ying shook her head, “There are 60 Divisions in total. It is impossible for Martial Uncle Zhong Liang to summon all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Ancestors; after all, somebody needs to be in charge on the battlefield. Those who came back were just the majority.”
Yang Kai nodded in understanding and mentally calculated the total number of people in Blue Sky Pass. The answer left him feeling slightly horrified, “So there are some 30,000 people in Blue Sky Pass?”
30,000 might not seem like a huge number. Thinking back to the time he served as the Commander of the Sixty First Army in the Star Boundary, the number of people in his army had far exceeded that number. When it was first formed, the Sixty First Army had some 300,000 people in it, which was more than ten times that of the entire Blue Sky Pass.
However, the 300,000 people in the Sixty First Army were nothing compared to the 30,000 people in Blue Sky Pass, because everyone in Blue Sky Pass was an Open Heaven Realm Master. Even the weakest among them were in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm! That was a terrifying line-up.
If such a group of people were recalled to the 3,000 Worlds, they could trample all the Great Territories with ease. They would be invincible since there was nobody who could be their opponent. Be that as it may, such an impressive army with such a glorious line-up was trapped in the Black Ink Battlefield. Even though they had been fighting the Black Ink Clan for countless years, there remained no hope of victory in sight.
More importantly, this was only the situation at Blue Sky Pass. There were 108 Cave Heavens and Paradises, which meant that there were 108 corresponding great passes. And, the situation at each great pass was almost identical to Blue Sky Pass.
The deeper he thought about it, the more his scalp tingled in fear. Throughout the ages, how much manpower did the Cave Heavens and Paradises pour into the Black Ink Battlefield? How long did it take for them to accumulate the power of the Human Race to such a scale?
“More or less.” Feng Ying nodded lightly. She did not know the exact number of people in Blue Sky Pass. In fact, nobody knew the exact number because there were always a number of Humans who would meet their deaths in each battle. However, the exact number should not be too far off from the numbers that he estimated.
Although 30,000 might sound like a huge number, after dividing them to the East, West, South, and North, their numbers were not that large anymore. The four directions surrounding Blue Sky Pass would have some 7,000 or 8,000 guarding them.
“Martial Aunt Feng, you are a Battalion Commander. Is it alright if you don’t go to the battlefield?” Yang Kai asked.
She shook her head, “My subordinates can take care of themselves even if I am not there. It’s not a big deal. On the contrary, your safety is of utmost priority.”
Nodding, Yang Kai began asking about other issues, “I noticed that there were many warships on the previous battlefield.”
Feng Ying nodded and explained, “Warships can be said to be the biggest reliance for the Human Race to compete against the Black Ink Clan on the battlefield. Eighth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters have a certain degree of resistance to the Black Ink Strength even if they directly enter the battlefield. As long as the duration is not too long, the Black Ink Strength would not pose a problem for them. However, there are more than just Eighth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Inner Sanctum. There are far more Sixth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Masters. In particular, the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters have suffered a decline in their cultivation as a result of sacrificing parts of their Small Universes. Since their Small Universes are all incomplete to begin with, they are easily corrupted by the Black Ink Strength. Without a warship’s protection, they would instantly turn into Black Ink Disciples once they come into contact with the Black Ink Strength. Therefore, you would rarely see any Sixth-Order or Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters on the battlefield. They rely on their warships to fend off their enemies instead. Essentially each Squad is assigned a generic warship while Battalions have larger and more powerful Battleships.”
Yang Kai recalled the time when Feng Ying had been pursued by the Black Ink Clan army. At the time, she had leaped out of the warship to stop the enemy by herself. Judging by the situation, there was a high possibility that the people on the warship had belonged to her Battalion. They had all been her subordinates.
When they returned from the Black Ink Clan’s domain, they had brought back more than 300 people with them. These people were former Black Ink Disciples. Although 300 could not be considered many, these people were enough to form three Battalions based on Blue Sky Pass’ organizational structure. That was not a small number either.
Seeing as 500 people made up a Division, three Battalions’ worth of people could be said to be more than half the forces of a Division. As might be expected, the number of Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters among the former Black Ink Disciples who were brought back was a bit small and most were only in the Fifth and Sixth-Order.
During their conversation, two more streams of lights sped towards them from a certain direction. Yang Kai looked up and saw faint signs of Black Ink Strength coming from one of them. The other person seemed to be guarding his companion. After having prior experience, how could Yang Kai fail to realise that one of them had been corroded by Black Ink Strength while the other was a companion in charge of providing an escort?
The person who came swept his gaze around from above. Then, he immediately landed in front of Yang Kai and asked anxiously, “Are you Yang Kai?”
Yang Kai nodded. Two coloured lights bloomed from his hands as he walked towards the person who had been corroded by Black Ink Strength, “Leave this to me.”
The person who came glanced at Feng Ying, and Feng Ying nodded lightly in response. Only then did he step away from his companion.
A white light enveloped the other person. Accompanied by a series of sizzling sounds, Black Ink Strength was dispelled and purified from his body. It only took several moments for everything to be dealt with. Those two carefully checked the situation inside the Small Universe and were filled with a mixture of surprise and delight. Just like the first batch of people who came here, they returned to the battlefield quickly after fervently expressing their gratitude.
Afterwards, an intermittent flow of Open Heaven Realm Masters corroded by Black Ink Strength came to the Central Square with the support of their companions.
Yang Kai had been assigned to this area to help dispel Black Ink Strength in the first place, so it was only natural that he did not refuse anybody who came to him. Besides, Purifying Light was neither complicated to activate nor consumed large amounts of his own strength. He could basically help the people who came here restore order to chaos and recover their true nature in just a few breaths.
Not many people came at first, but those who did were filled with anxiety, anticipation, and uncertainty. Nobody had ever experienced such a situation before after all. The Eighth-Order Division Commanders had explained the situation, so it was unlikely for anything to go wrong; nevertheless, nobody could feel at ease without witnessing it for themselves. It was not until they saw the miracle with their own eyes that they finally felt completely relieved.
As time passed, the number of people who came to seek treatment from Yang Kai increased sharply for some reason. Most of them no longer seemed as worried as the others from before, and even the people who escorted their companions here simply observed Yang Kai with curiosity.
Yang Kai became extremely busy as a result. He generally rescued a dozen people a day, but there were also days when he had to rescue as many as 100. About half a month passed in this manner before he finally had time to rest. Yang Kai looked at Feng Ying in confusion and asked, “Is the situation where people are corrupted by Black Ink Strength usually so severe? Didn’t you say that they have the protection of their warships?”
If this was the case, then prior to his arrival, the casualties among the Humans after each war would be far too great. A rough estimate indicated that he had saved several hundred people in just this half month alone. This number only included those who were corroded by Black Ink Strength and not those who had perished on the battlefield.
Even Feng Ying had noticed that something was wrong. Fortunately, she had kept in contact with the outside world and understood the reason for all this. With a shake of her head, she answered his question, “It was not like this in the past. Although there had always been people who were corroded by Black Ink Strength on the battlefield, such incidences did not occur so often. It’s only like this now because of you.”
“Because of me?” Yang Kai seemed taken aback by her words. [What does this have to do with me?]
All of a sudden, he seemed to realise something and his face cramped, “Don’t tell me…”
She nodded, “Information about you has spread on the battlefield. Everybody knows that there is somebody like you in the Inner Sanctum, who can use mysterious means to dispel and purify Black Ink Strength. That is why they have stopped being so reserved when fighting against the Black Ink Clan.”
In the past, becoming corroded by Black Ink Strength was an issue that could not be resolved; therefore, everybody acted cautiously to prevent themselves from coming into contact with the Black Ink Strength as much as possible. However, Yang Kai’s appearance had brought some changes to the situation on the battlefield.
Although the Division Commanders had explained Yang Kai’s existence and Purifying Light to the public from the very beginning, nobody had witnessed or personally verified the situation before. Who could be certain that this information was true? It was not that they did not believe in the Eighth-Order Masters, but that the situation was simply too bizarre to believe so haphazardly.
When those who were initially rescued returned to the battlefield though, the news began to spread rapidly. The increasing number of people whom Yang Kai rescued only caused the news to spread even faster.
These people came from all Armies and Divisions in Blue Sky Pass. Their companions had witnessed them becoming corroded by Black Ink Strength, returning to the Inner Sanctum, and reappearing on the battlefield in perfect condition after a short while. A quick inquiry was enough for them to learn about the treatment that could be found in the Inner Sanctum.
It was true that there was somebody in the Inner Sanctum who could dispel Black Ink Strength that had seeped into their Small Universes through some mysterious means. The Division Commanders had spoken the truth! Hence, morale instantly soared. The people in the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern Armies no longer had any scruples and went all out in their battles against the Black Ink Clan. It was only natural for the number of people who became corrupted by Black Ink Strength to increase as a result.
When the Human Race fought the Black Ink Clan in the past, they would still feel shackled despite having warships as support. Now that they no longer had any scruples, not only was their morale boosted significantly, but their ferocity also increased considerably.
Upon learning the truth, Yang Kai did not know whether to laugh or cry. What could he say? He could only remain in his post with peace of mind and help to dispel Black Ink Strength from the bodies of those who were sent here so that they could return to the battlefield.
The changes in the Humans were deeply felt by the Black Ink Clan. The reason behind the changes was unknown, but the Humans suddenly seemed extremely enthusiastic and full of fighting spirit. Due to the deaths of the Black Ink Clansmen, countless Black Ink Clouds of varying sizes would form all over the battlefield every time a war was fought. These Black Ink Clouds often became supplementary tools for the Black Ink Clan because the Humans generally stayed far away from them.
But now, things were different. The Black Ink Clouds could no longer act as deterrents against the Humans. In the past, by seeking refuge inside the Black Ink Clouds when injured, the Black Ink Clan could generally throw off their pursuers and preserve their lives. However, the Humans seemed to have gone mad now. Even if a Black Ink Clansman hid inside the Black Ink Clouds, the Humans would boldly rush in to attack them, as though they would never give up unless their opponent was dead.
The Black Ink Clan was stunned. The combat experience and doctrine they had built up over millennia suddenly became useless in the face of these changes. In their panicked and unprepared state, they suffered massive losses.
What particularly puzzled the Black Ink Clan was the Humans’ attitude towards the Black Ink Disciples. In the past, the Humans would put forth their best efforts to ruthlessly slaughter all of the Black Ink Disciples they encountered. Now though, they had begun to capture these Black Ink Disciples whenever possible! As a result, many of the Black Ink Clansmen lost their subordinates without realising and could only watch in anguish as their servants were taken away.
The situation of the Humans improved significantly on the battlefield. Feng Ying had always remained in contact with the front lines, so she was not surprised to receive this information.
“If this trend continues, it won’t take more than a few years to repel the Black Ink Clan!” She looked excited.
“A few years…” Yang Kai was stunned speechless. [How could a single battle last several years? Isn’t that too long?]
“A few years is considered a short time. Whenever the Black Ink Clan army besieges a great pass, the war tends to last several years. It might even take up to several decades or even 100 years to resolve.” She sighed slightly, “There is no way for us to get rid of the Black Ink Clan once and for all. Every time the Black Ink Clan army is defeated, they will retreat to their territory to recuperate and come back again after they have accumulated enough strength. This situation has repeated itself over and over again at every great pass on the Black Ink Battlefield for hundreds of thousands of years.”
Yang Kai was stunned by those words. [If this war lasts for several years, then won’t I have to remain in the Central Square for several years? This is a little different from what I imagined…]
He had initially assumed that he would follow the Human Race Army onto the battlefield to destroy the enemy after he came here. Contrary to his expectations, he had been assigned to treat his allies in the rear because of his ability to cast Purifying Light.
It was not to say that this was an unimportant matter and Yang Kai was well aware of the importance of his assignment. The stability of the rear would largely determine the outcome of the war after all. Not to mention, his actions had greatly increased the morale of the Human Race Army and affected the overall trend on the battlefield. But, if he had to stay here all the time… That would be too dull. He would prefer to kill the Black Ink Clan on the battlefield and contribute to the Human Race.
Seemingly seeing through his thoughts, Feng Ying smiled and said, “Be patient. Since your ability cannot be taught to others, Martial Uncle Zhong and the others will not let you go anywhere else.”
Those words troubled Yang Kai so much that he felt as though his teeth ached, his stomach ached, and his whole body ached.
Martial Uncle Zhong immediately arrived at the mention of his name, carrying an individual with a ferocious expression and eyes filled with pitch-black darkness in each hand. He appeared next to the two of them and tossed both people in his grasp in front of Yang Kai and smiled brilliantly, “Yang Boy, did you run into any trouble?”
[What trouble could I possibly face?]
At first, the people who came to Yang Kai for treatment had harboured some doubts about his ability; however, once the news spread, those who later came to ask for help only had big smiles on their faces. Every one of them had been very friendly. Some even tried to build a connection with him and tried to become Sworn Brothers on the spot.
Furthermore, all of them had promised to treat him to a drink if they survived the battle before departing again. If these people were to keep their promises, then he would need to spend a whole year just to attend all those banquets.
Yang Kai shook his head. Looking at the two men who had been tossed to the ground in front of him, he raised his brow inquiringly, “Black Ink Disciples?”
Black Ink Disciples had lost their true nature. They were different from the Human Masters who still retained some of their reasoning after being invaded by Black Ink Strength. During this period, Yang Kai had also rescued many Black Ink Disciples brought back from the battlefield.
Zhong Liang nodded, “I caught them on the battlefield and brought them back. Will it be a problem?”
Yang Kai replied, “Not at all.”
Taking a step forward, he used Purifying Light on the two Black Ink Disciples.
Meanwhile, Feng Ying stepped forward and whispered something to Zhong Liang. Zhong Liang nodded to indicate that he understood.
A short while later, the Black Ink Strength was fully dispelled. The two Black Ink Disciples who recovered their true natures had confused and ashamed expressions on their faces.
Every Black Ink Disciple clearly recalled all the actions they took in the past. It was precisely because they retained those memories that they felt ashamed; after all, some of them might even have killed their own clansmen on the battlefield.
Zhong Liang waved at them and motioned for them to step aside. Although those two had many questions, the Eighth-Order Ancestor had spoken, so they could only step back obediently.
Zhong Liang walked up to Yang Kai, patted him on the shoulder, and said earnestly, “Brat, what you are doing is very important to Blue Sky Pass. It may be boring, but please bear with it. Once the war ends, I assure you your contributions will be fully accounted for.”
“I am only doing my duty. I don’t dare to take credit!” Yang Kai said humbly.
Compared to his allies fighting on the front lines, it could be said that he was extremely safe inside Blue Sky Pass. Everybody else was doing their part in the fight against the Black Ink Clan. Some people had even died for this cause. In comparison, his ability to purify and dispel Black Ink Strength had been given to him by the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer. It was not even his own ability, so how could he dare to take credit for it?
Zhong Liang nodded, “It’s good if you can think that way, but it does not change the fact that you have contributed greatly. Work should be rewarded, that is the rule here. The battle outside the great pass is fierce, so it is inconvenient for me to stay here for long. If you need anything, just let Feng Ying know. She will cooperate with you.”
“Yes!” Yang Kai responded.
After watching Zhong Liang and the two rescued Black Ink Disciples leave, Yang Kai sat down cross-legged and examined his Small Universe. He had been mulling over a problem recently, how was he going to find an opportunity to break through to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm? Unable to fight on the front lines, he could only remain at his position in the Central Square and passively wait for somebody to ask him for help; therefore, he had a lot of free time on his hands for idle thoughts.
Now that his cultivation could be said to have reached the peak of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, further efforts to refine resources would have little effect on him; furthermore, he had been raising a large number of Humans and Small Stone Race inside his Small Universe. To add to that, the time in his Small Universe flowed several times faster than the outside world. As things stood, he didn’t even need to cultivate for the heritage of his Small Universe to grow stronger with every passing moment.
Therefore, he currently suffered from a faint bloated feeling. That was naturally because his heritage had exceeded the limit that his current cultivation could store. Like how one would feel bloated after eating too much food; his capacity as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master made it difficult for him to accommodate so much power. If he wanted to resolve this issue, then his best choice was to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Unfortunately, he had already gone into retreat when he was in Black Territory in an attempt to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. His attempt had turned out to be ineffective, and there was no progress in regards to a breakthrough. Since entering retreat once had proven to be ineffective, it would likely be futile to enter retreat again. The faint traces of opportunity could not be obtained from secluded cultivation.
In order to advance into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, the Proprietress had spent over 100 years in retreat in Void Land. That showed just how difficult it was for an Open Heaven Realm Master to advance from the Sixth Order to the Seventh Order; after all, it was a significant leap from the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm.
Throughout time immemorial, countless heroes had failed to overcome this obstacle and remained stuck in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm for their entire lives. It would be very difficult for them to reach the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm in that state.
In order to resolve the situation in his Small Universe, Yang Kai had been using his heritage to cultivate more Profound Yin Bamboo in his Small Universe. He had no other choice. The heritage of his Small Universe constantly became stronger and stronger, but he had no means of breaking through to the next Order. If he did not use up some of his heritage, his Small Universe would become painfully bloated. Consequently, the Profound Yin Bamboo thrived in his Small Universe and grew wildly in numbers.
Since he had one of the Four Universe Pillars, the World Spring, the Profound Yin Bamboo was of little use to him. Be that as it may, the Profound Yin Bamboo would be useful to the Human Masters in Blue Sky Pass. It would never hurt for him to cultivate more of them.
He had given a small batch of them to Feng Ying. Although he only gave her a dozen or so bamboo shoots in total, she was absolutely overjoyed. It stood to reason that she understood the power of the Twelve Minor Universe Pillars; after all, there were quite a few High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters among the Human Race who possessed one of them. It was just that the Profound Yin Bamboo had not appeared before.
The other eleven types of the Twelve Minor Universe Pillars were different from the Profound Yin Bamboo in that they could not be cultivated in large numbers, much less shared with others. While the effects of the various Twelve Minor Pillars were relatively similar, the Profound Yin Bamboo was undoubtedly the most useful in a situation like the Black Ink Battlefield. That was because the Profound Yin Bamboo could multiply continuously. If the conditions permitted, every single High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master would be able to cultivate a bamboo forest in their Small Universe in the future.
The Cave Heavens and Paradises had poured great efforts into searching for the Profound Yin Bamboo in the past, but their efforts had never been fruitful.
Feng Ying never expected that Yang Kai would possess the Profound Yin Bamboo. In this way, as long as enough time passed, all the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in Blue Sky Pass would be blessed with their very own Profound Yin Bamboo. The Profound Yin Bamboo was highly effective at boosting their resistance towards the Black Ink Strength, which would be of great help in the war effort.
Unfortunately, the battle was raging fiercely at the moment, so it was not the appropriate time to bring up the matter of the Profound Yin Bamboo. Hence, Feng Ying suggested that Yang Kai inform the Eighth-Order Ancestors about this matter after the current war had ended, a suggestion he readily agreed to.
When he inquired about her advancement into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, Feng Ying recalled her memories for some time before she responded, “I was fighting the Black Ink Clan on the battlefield at the time. When my life was hanging by a thread, I felt a sudden enlightenment come to me. Thankfully, I survived that battle, and upon my return to the Inner Sanctum, I swiftly went into retreat and broke through to the Seventh Order.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. Most people would experience great terror when faced with death, but their minds would also become clear when faced with such a threat and it would often be easier to comprehend things that had remained unclear to them previously. He himself had also broken through his shackles when he was faced with death, so he did not doubt her answer. Besides, she had no reason to deceive him.
The next few days passed by as usual. Yang Kai was stationed at the Central Square of Blue Sky Pass, and countless people came to him for treatment. Under Purifying Light, the Black Ink Strength in their bodies was reduced to nothing.
During this period, there were also some Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who came to him for help. After treating them, he would question them about the situation surrounding their advancement into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. These Seventh-Order Masters were quite open about their experiences. He had saved their lives, and what he asked was not a secret either, so there was no need for them to conceal anything. On top of that, they were desperate to form a connection with Yang Kai, so it was only natural for them to answer his questions to the best of their abilities.
Everybody experienced different things when they advanced into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, but these experiences could generally be divided into three types. For the first type, their advancement just came naturally. Many of them eventually experienced the opportunity to breakthrough after they had accumulated enough heritage. The second type achieved their advancement through voluntary retreat and broke through to the next Order while they were in seclusion. Lastly, the third type experienced similar situations as Feng Ying. In fact, there were quite a few who gained valuable insight when wandering the border of life and death.
Yang Kai had already gone into retreat once, so going into retreat again would probably be futile. With his aptitude, he believed that his advancement was simply a matter of course if he continued to accumulate experience. The main reason he could not realise the opportunity for a breakthrough was that his cultivation time had been too short.
Most cultivators would spend hundreds or even thousands of years for their cultivation to improve until they reached the Open Heaven Realm, regardless of how great their talent and aptitude was. Furthermore, after advancing into the Open Heaven Realm, each advancement to the next Order would require an even longer period of accumulation. The higher the Order, the longer they would need to cultivate for.
Under normal circumstances, advancing from the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm would require thousands of years’ worth of accumulation. It would take even longer to advance from the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Accordingly, it might even take tens of thousands of years to advance from the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Not much time had passed since Yang Kai started cultivating. There was no need to mention the time before he advanced into the Open Heaven Realm, it was enough just to look at the amount of time he spent after advancing into the Open Heaven Realm to reach his current achievements.
Back when he was in the Shattered Heaven, Yang Kai had been forced to cut off his future prospects and advance into the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm in front of everybody outside the Shadowless Cave Heaven. Afterwards, he entered Shadowless Cave Heaven and consumed a Mid-Rank World Fruit, which allowed him to smoothly advance to the Sixth Order. There was no time for him to accumulate at all during this brief period.
Furthermore, only a few hundred years had passed since he advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. He only managed to obtain his achievements by relying on various opportunities. The time he spent on accumulation was extremely short.
Although cultivating steadily was not a huge issue, nobody could say for certain how many years it would take before he gained insight on the fleeting opportunity for a breakthrough.
That was most likely the main reason why Yang Kai had not been able to comprehend the opportunity for advancement after so long. Even if the heritage of his Small Universe was saturated to the extent where he felt bloated, he would not be able to advance to the Seventh Order smoothly in his current condition.
After understanding this point, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling troubled. The passage of time was not something that could be accelerated after all.
Now that he was on the Black Ink Battlefield, his thirst for strength had grown far stronger than when he was in the 3,000 Worlds. On this chaotic battlefield, he could only ensure his safety by having enough strength to protect himself; otherwise, he would not have been so desperate to advance to the Seventh Order. It was not a bad thing to cultivate calmly and steadily after all.
Unfortunately, this place was not the 3,000 Worlds, where peace and stability could be found almost everywhere. Yang Kai had seen the situation where the Black Ink Clan army besieged Blue Sky Pass. Zhong Liang had assigned a post for him here so that his life would never be endangered; but, could he really hide in this place for the rest of his life without taking another step outside?
This was not the life he wanted. If he were honest, during the time he spent here, Yang Kai was practically raring to go after listening to the commotion from the fighting and explosions coming from the outside every single day. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to remain in this place because he had the means to dispel and purify Black Ink Strength.
He did not regret exposing his ability. Since he had the means to help, it was impossible for him to stand by and watch as his allies got corrupted by Black Ink Strength without doing anything. He was honestly thankful that he could rescue the allies who were corrupted by it.
It was just that… As a man, he looked forward to fighting the Black Ink Clan! On a battlefield where he could die at any time, he might even be able to perceive the opportunity to advance to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
The more he thought about it, the more restless he became. He was tempted to rush into the battlefield and experience the battle with his own body. Be that as it may, it was not easy for him to leave this place. If he were to leave this place, there was nobody else who could save those who were corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Since he had the ability, and it was unique to him, he had to take the bigger picture into account.
In life, it was impossible to satisfy the desires of all parties.
Those corroded by Black Ink Strength continued to be escorted here by their companions to seek treatment, so Yang Kai was busy every day. One day though, he was helping two people who came to him for help in dispelling the Black Ink Strength in their bodies when he suddenly stared at the long-lasting white light and fell into deep thought.
The two, who had Black Ink Strength removed from their bodies, checked their condition and thanked him profusely after confirming that there were no issues with the treatment. However, his response was absent-minded and he continued to stare fixedly at the white light in front of him.
Upon seeing that, they quickly understood that he had discovered something and did not disturb him any longer. Thus, they quickly left with their companions after saying their goodbyes.
Once those people had departed, Feng Ying glanced at the white light; then, she glanced at Yang Kai in curiosity and puzzlement.
She had watched this treatment countless times by now. The same thing happened every time he finished treating the Black Ink Disciples, but she had never seen any reaction from Yang Kai before; hence, she could only wonder why he seemed to have discovered something new this time. It was just that she did not know much about Purifying Light, so she could not ask much.
As time passed, Yang Kai’s eyes suddenly brightened and a trace of excitement and elation also appeared on his face.
Feng Ying couldn’t stop herself from asking him, “Did you discover something?”
“Martial Aunt Feng, do you know how the Purifying Light is produced?” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
Feng Ying said, “No.”
She had been guarding him all this time, so she was present every time he activated the Purifying Light; however, she had only seen what was happening on the surface. She did not know anything about the inner workings of Purifying Light. Even when Yang Kai had taken the time to explain this matter to the Eighth-Order Ancestors in the Main Conference Hall, she had remained outside and did not hear his explanation as a result.
Yang Kai suddenly took out two crystals. One was yellow and the other was blue. Both crystals were the size of a fist and had distinct, sharp edges. Moreover, there was an unmistakable Yin and Yang Element energy fluctuation coming from the yellow and blue crystals.
Feng Ying raised her brow at the sight, clearly recognising them as two Fifth-Order Yin and Yang Element materials. In addition, these two materials gave her a sense of great purity. They seemed to be of better quality than most Yin and Yang Element materials of the same Order.
“These are the Yellow and Blue Crystals.” Yang Kai stared at the objects in his hand, seeming to be talking to himself but also explaining to Feng Ying at the same time, “They come from the Chaotic Dead Territory!”
Stunned, Feng Ying soon yelled in surprise, “The Chaotic Dead Territory!? Which Chaotic Dead Territory!?”
Yang Kai laughed, “Are you implying that there’s a second Chaotic Dead Territory in this universe? You’re right, Martial Aunt. It’s the Chaotic Dead Territory where the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer are located.”
Feng Ying was flabbergasted.
On the other hand, Yang Kai waved his hand and said, “It is rumoured that the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer are brutal and extremely dangerous. While there is some truth to that, the rumours are somewhat exaggerated. I spent some time in the Chaotic Dead Territory and interacted with these two beings before.”
[Interacted with them before…] Feng Ying was confused and could barely believe what he was saying.
“A Black Ink Clansman once appeared in the 3,000 Worlds. Elites from all the Cave Heavens and Paradises had to be dispatched just to suppress the chaos. Unfortunately, many people were corroded by Black Ink Strength and were converted into Black Ink Disciples because of this incident. In the end, I went to the Chaotic Dead Territory to seek help. The Burning Light and Serene Glimmer were the ones who gave me these two marks! “
She asked, “The ones on the backs of your hands?”
During this period, two distinct marks would appear on the backs of Yang Kai’s hands every time he activated Purifying Light. Naturally, that had not escaped Feng Ying’s notice. She had not understood the mystery and heritage hidden in the marks, but she immediately realised after listening to his explanation.
“Exactly.” He nodded, “With these two marks as the foundation, I can channel the powers of those two beings that are contained within these Yellow and Blue Crystals. When Yin and Yang converge, the Purifying Light is produced!”
Feng Ying seemed to have an epiphany, “In other words, you need to consume these Yellow and Blue Crystals whenever you use Purifying Light.”
“That’s right.” Yang Kai looked at the objects in his hand, “Purifying Light consumes these two objects when cast.”
His words immediately made her anxious, “How many of these crystals do you have on hand?”
Yang Kai laughed, “Martial Aunt, are you worried that I will run out of these Yellow and Blue Crystals?”
“Aren’t you worried?” Even the cleverest woman could not cook a meal without rice. Nobody would be able to purify and dispel the Black Ink Strength if Yang Kai ran out.
“It’s useless to worry. Besides… I have a lot of these on hand. They will not be used up in such a short time.” Yang Kai had made an astronomical fortune back in the Chaotic Dead Territory. Even he did not know how many Yellow and Blue Crystals he had received. The amount was so large that it was practically innumerable. What’s more, there were countless piles of these crystals stacked up like mountains in his Small Universe. How could he run out of them in such a short time?
Although he had split his collection in half and given one part to High Heaven Palace before his departure, he still had literal mountains of them in his possession. The Yellow and Blue Crystals consumed during this period were nothing but a drop in the ocean for him.
After listening to what he said, Feng Ying relaxed considerably. Even so, she admonished him lightly, “We need to plan for that eventuality in advance. Have you tried using other Yin and Yang Element materials to replace the Yellow and Blue Crystals?”
“I tried, but it didn’t work. Purifying Light has to be cast with the Yellow and Blue Crystals that come from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer.” While speaking, Yang Kai waved his hand dismissively and continued “I didn’t bring this up to discuss this matter with you, Martial Aunt. Rather, I’ve always felt that the Purifying Light leftover from purifying Black Ink Strength within those I’ve treated goes to waste because there are no other immediate uses for it.”
Feng Ying nodded lightly. This situation had not escaped her notice. That was indeed the case. Every time someone infected came over, Yang Kai would use Purifying Light to dispel the Black Ink Strength from them. However, the remaining white light would linger for a time before dissipating.
In the past, she had thought that the ability came from Yang Kai himself and was not too concerned, but now that she knew the Purifying Light consumed Yellow and Blue Crystals, she immediately felt a twinge of pain in her heart. The Purifying Light that had been wasted was still an invaluable treasure that could dispel more Black Ink Strength if it could only be preserved somehow.
“What do you want to do?” She asked, “Is there a way to prevent this wastage?”
“I have an idea, but I don’t know if it can be realised.” He put the Yellow and Blue Crystals away, “Strictly speaking, the Purifying Light is just another form of energy. Since it is a type of energy, do you think it can be stored?”
“Stored?” She furrowed her eyebrows slightly.
“For example, with the help of a Grand Array. If we can achieve this, then there will be no need to worry about waste in the future.” Yang Kai continued slowly, “I have quite a few Yellow and Blue Crystals in my possession; nevertheless, it is better to plan ahead for the long term since we are on the Black Ink Battlefield. We should save wherever we can. In that way, more people can receive treatment in the future.”
Her eyes brightened at those words, “It’s exactly as you said. Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about the Dao of Spirit Arrays. You will have to consult others regarding this matter.”
“Many thanks, Martial Aunt,” Yang Kai cupped his fist and bowed.
Feng Ying pondered for a while before saying, “Wait a moment. I will summon some people over.”
While saying that, she took out a communication artifact and sent out a few messages. Zhong Liang had already granted her the right to mobilise the people within the Inner Sanctum so that she could better protect and cooperate with Yang Kai; hence, there were no issues with her current actions.
Less than an hour later, an elderly man with a longsword descended from the sky. He greeted Feng Ying after he landed and studied Yang Kai with great interest.
Feng Ying introduced them, “Yang Kai, this is Senior Brother Fan Xun from Mo Sha Heaven.”
Yang Kai bowed, “Greetings, Martial Uncle Fan!”
Fan Xun stretched out his hand and laughed loudly, “No need to be polite. I have heard a lot about you, so I’ve been wanting to meet you all this while. Unfortunately, the ongoing war makes it difficult for me to leave my post without permission. Now that I see you today, I can see that you really are a talented young man.”
There was no doubt that Yang Kai was currently the most popular person in Blue Sky Pass. Quite some time had passed since his arrival, and at this point, almost every Cave Heaven or Paradise guarding Blue Sky Pass had a disciple who was rescued by Yang Kai. There was no saying how many people were indebted to him by now.
Those who had not been corroded by the Black Ink Strength were naturally curious about these mystical means that suddenly appeared in Blue Sky Pass. The Human Race had been deeply troubled by the Black Ink Strength for countless years because there had been no method to dispel it; therefore, Yang Kai’s arrival had undoubtedly brought a solution to this age-old problem. Who would not be curious about such a person and their means?
That was also why Fan Xun behaved so politely. Things on the battlefield could change at a moment’s notice and he could not guarantee that he would not be invaded by Black Ink Strength one day. So, even though he was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he did not put on airs around Yang Kai. There was no saying whether he would need Yang Kai’s help in the future, so how could he act arrogantly now?
“You praise me too much, Martial Uncle Fan,” Yang Kai responded humbly.
Feng Ying said, “Within the Inner Sanctum, in the Seventh Order, Senior Brother Fan can be ranked among the top three in terms of his mastery in the Dao of Spirit Arrays.”
Fan Xun smiled and waved his hand dismissively, “Everybody has their talents. If your words spread to the public, Junior Sister, I will not be able to hold my head up anymore.” His expression turned solemn, “Why did you summon me, Junior Sister?”
Feng Ying said, “Yang Kai is the one who has something to discuss with you. But, don’t be in such a rush. I also summoned a few others, so let’s wait for them to arrive before we talk about that.”
Doing that would allow them to save some energy from repeating themselves over and over again. Besides, it would be better to explain things in one go after everybody had gathered.
Fan Xun nodded. With the goal of promoting a good relationship with Yang Kai, he spent the time chatting with him.
While they were waiting, a cultivator who was corroded by Black Ink Strength happened to arrive seeking help. Fan Xun witnessed Yang Kai casting the Purifying Light with his own eyes. The sight of the pure white light shrouding the cultivator and dispelling the Black Ink Strength amazed him greatly.
Four people arrived in quick succession after a short wait. All of them were proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. Their cultivations might vary, but even the lowest among them was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. These people would be known as Grandmasters wherever they went.
According to Yang Kai’s own system of classification for the Dao, all of them had reached the sixth level, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary, in the Dao of Spirit Arrays, at the very least.
It had to be said that Yang Kai himself was only at this level in his Dao of Time.
Such talented people would not face the Black Ink Clan’s offensive directly on the battlefield and were generally stationed inside the Barrier Grand Array of Blue Sky Pass, ready to repair and maintain the operation of all the Grand Arrays at any time. As long as the enemies did not invade Blue Sky Pass, they usually would not face any danger.
Feng Ying introduced everybody to Yang Kai. Yang Kai memorised their details and greeted them in turn.
Like Fan Xun, the people who came were very friendly towards Yang Kai.
It was only then that Yang Kai revealed his purpose of inviting them over. In order to show them what they needed to do, he deliberately cast the Purifying Light in front of them.
After witnessing the Purifying Light, Fan Xun seemed pensive, “That is a great idea, Martial Nephew. If we can achieve that, it will certainly be possible to save on some materials for later use.”
The others nodded in agreement.
Fan Xun looked at the others, “If that’s the case, why don’t we discuss how we should proceed with this matter?”
The others naturally had no objections. They immediately gathered together and communicated with each other through their surging Divine Senses. During this period, some of them even demonstrated various Spirit Arrays in an attempt to come up with a feasible solution.
Yang Kai and Feng Ying remained idle by the side. They both knew nothing about the Dao of Spirit Arrays, so they could not provide any input. In fact, they didn’t even understand what these people were doing most of the time.
Several days passed in a similar fashion before the Spirit Array Grandmasters took action. In quick order, they set out various Array Boards and installed various Array Banners everywhere. Their movements were so smooth and skilful that the people watching could only gape in amazement. It didn’t take long for them to finish setting up a new Grand Array.
Fan Xun looked at Yang Kai, “Would you like to test out the Spirit Array, Martial Nephew?”
“I would indeed,” Yang Kai nodded and asked, “What is this Spirit Array?”
Fan Xun smiled, “This Spirit Array was specially researched and developed for this matter. It has the effect of sealing and storing energy. As for the name, we have yet to decide.”
Yang Kai raised his brow slightly. These Spirit Array Grandmasters had managed to create a brand-new Spirit Array after discussing with each other for just a few days. It could be seen that their achievements in the Dao of Spirit Arrays were very high.
Yang Kai stepped into the centre of the Grand Array and stood still. Then, Fan Xun made a gesture with one hand, gently waved the Array Banner with his other hand, and shouted, “Rise!”
A transparent light barrier immediately rose up from the ground and closed around Yang Kai.
Inside the nameless Grand Array, Yang Kai extended his Divine Sense to investigate his surroundings. He could not understand the workings of the Grand Array, but he knew it had been specially researched and developed for this purpose, so it certainly contained a sealing effect. As for whether it was effective, he would know once he tested it out.
He immediately cast the Purifying Light. Of course, he did not use any Yellow and Blue Crystals of a High Order. He only used Fifth-Order ones, just in case the experiment failed and they went to waste. A small ball of white light that resembled a small Sun suddenly appeared above his hand the next moment. Under his control, the white light remained condensed in the palm of his hand without scattering or dispersing. It was extremely dazzling.
Everybody watched intently as Yang Kai tossed the ball of white light that resembled a small Sun into the air. The white light instantly filled the entire Grand Array but was blocked from escaping and sealed within its boundaries by the light barrier.
Afterwards, Yang Kai waited quietly to see whether the Grand Array could keep the Purifying Light sealed for an extended time. This was a factor that would affect the next series of plans that he wished to implement, so he could not be negligent. He had to make sure that his plans were feasible. To that end, his Divine Sense monitored the changes in the white light at all times.
Outside the Grand Array, Feng Ying and others were also paying close attention to the situation. It was just that the entire Grand Array was filled with blinding white light, causing Yang Kai’s figure that was shrouded within the veil to become a little hazy when viewed from the outside.
Yang Kai gradually revealed a happy expression as more time passed, having discovered that his previous speculations were correct. The Purifying Light was a unique and profound kind of energy, but at its root it was energy nonetheless. Since it was a type of energy, then it could be sealed and stored away. In that aspect, the Spirit Array created by Fan Xun and the others had already achieved this goal. The Purifying Light had been sealed within the confines of the Grand Array; therefore, it could neither dissipate into nothingness, reduce in amount, nor become defective in any way. Moreover, it could be maintained for a long period of time.
In this way, as long as the Human cultivators corroded by Black Ink Strength were guided into the Grand Array, the excess Purifying Light that remained after the Black Ink Strength in their bodies was dispelled would no longer be wasted. Little by little, the many grains of sand would eventually build a tower. The existence of the Grand Array would undoubtedly decrease the consumption of the Yellow and Blue Crystals to a great extent in the long run.
“Martial Uncle Fan, that’s enough,” Yang Kai said.
Upon hearing that, Fan Xun who was controlling the Grand Array from the outside immediately formed a set of hand seals and the light barrier of the Grand Array cracked open slightly. However, a portion of the Purifying Light inside the Grand Array escaped outside before Yang Kai could leave the Grand Array. Fan Xun resealed the light barrier as soon as Yang Kai left its range, but it was obvious that the amount of Purifying Light inside the Grand Array had decreased.
Yang Kai looked back, and the look of joy on his face faded from his face. His brow furrowed tightly together instead. He had forgotten that while the Grand Array had an excellent sealing effect, and could easily contain the Purifying Light, a portal would open whenever someone needed to enter or exit, allowing the Purifying Light contained inside to flow out.
The losses accumulated from opening the portal once or twice might not be significant, but what about tens or hundreds of times? It had to be said that if this plan could be realised, then every cultivator who was corroded by Black Ink Strength would have to enter and exit the Grand Array. In that way, the entry and exit of a single person would cause some amount of Purifying Light to be lost twice. That would be far too much waste unless they could keep the Grand Array sealed at all times. But, if the Grand Array was sealed at all times, then those who were corrupted by Black Ink Strength would not be able to enter.
This was a difficult problem, and it was obvious that Fan Xun and others had also discovered this issue. All of them were frowning deeply at this moment.
Yang Kai looked at Fan Xun, “Is there a way to improve the Grand Array, Martial Uncle Fan?”
Fan Xun pondered for a while before he made a suggestion, “We might be able to add a gathering effect, which may stem the loss.”
The others nodded lightly with one of them agreeing, “That sounds reasonable.”
“Then, I shall have to trouble you.”
The Spirit Array Grandmasters immediately got to work. They were planning to add an additional effect to the foundation of the original Spirit Array. Unfortunately, it was not as simple as adding one Spirit Array onto another. Each Spirit Array was intricately constructed, so adding an entirely new effect onto an existing Array was by no means easy. The slightest change would affect everything else. That was why great changes had to be made to the Grand Array in order to add the gathering effect. They needed to make sure that the Grand Array not only operated perfectly, but also achieved the desired effects.
Fan Xun and the others gathered to the side, busy as bees. From time to time, they would set up numerous Array Banners. At other times, they would gather together and hold a deep discussion. There were times when they even quarrelled until they were red in the face due to various disagreements.
Unable to help them, Yang Kai could only wait by the side. Those corrupted by Black Ink Strength would occasionally come to him for help during this period. Needless to say, he swiftly dispelled and purified the Black Ink Strength in their bodies.
Those who came to seek treatment had no idea what Fan Xun and the others were doing, but most of the time, they would leave immediately after receiving treatment from Yang Kai and return to the battlefield to fight the Black Ink Clan. This battle would continue until the Black Ink Clan withdrew their forces. Only then would the current war finally come to an end.
Several days passed in the same manner before a brand-new Grand Array took shape. Fan Xun and others might have profound cultivation in this field, but even they were exhausted. Their exhaustion did not come from physical exertion though, but rather psychological exhaustion. Everybody knew that Yang Kai’s request was extremely important, so they had given their all to fulfil his request. The mental burden bearing down on them was very exhausting.
Just like before, Yang Kai stood in the middle of the Grand Array and cast the Purifying Light.
The Purifying Light was allowed to flood the entire Grand Array as an experiment. The sealing effect of the Grand Array remained the same as before, so there were no problems in that aspect. The Purifying Light was perfectly sealed inside the Grand Array; however, the same situation repeated once more when the Grand Array was opened. A small amount of the Purifying Light escaped when Yang Kai walked out of the Grand Array’s boundary. The amount that escaped might have lessened considerably compared to the first attempt, but it was obvious that the gathering effect could not achieve the desired result entirely.
The Purifying Light was the only way to treat those invaded by Black Ink Strength. Moreover, this ability consumed two unique materials known as the Yellow Crystals and Blue Crystals. These materials only come from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer in the Chaotic Dead Territory, so they could not be found on the Black Ink Battlefield.
In other words, if Yang Kai exhausted his supply of Yellow and Blue Crystals, the Human Race would once again fall into a situation where they were powerless against the Black Ink Strength. That was something nobody wanted to see.
The trace amounts of Purifying Light that were wasted today might have been the last rays of hope for one of the corrupted at some point in the future. With those thoughts in mind, how could Fan Xun and the others dare to be careless? They all felt as though there was a heavy burden pressing down on their shoulders.
The second experiment had undoubtedly ended in failure once more. Nevertheless, the Spirit Array Grandmasters gathered together again to learn from their previous experience and improve upon their solution.
For the next two months, the Spirit Array Grandmasters would come up with brand-new solutions and prepare a different Grand Array every few days. Be that as it may, the results of each experiment were unsatisfactory. They were unable to solve the issue of the Purifying Light escaping when the Grand Array was opened, so they could not avoid the wastage caused when people entered or exited.
After just a short span of two months, all the Spirit Array Grandmasters had bloodshot eyes. For them, their inability to answer Yang Kai’s request was an indication of their lack of skill and their shortcomings in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. How could these people, who had always been proud of their ability, accept such a reality? They were the top figures who represented the Dao of Spirit Arrays in the major Cave Heavens and Paradises. There were only a handful of people in the world who could surpass their achievements in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. Therefore, they secretly vowed to develop a Grand Array that could solve this problem perfectly.
Following another failed experiment, they did not become discouraged. On the contrary, they seemed to become even more enthusiastic than before. It felt as though they had gone back to the time when they were young and learning as apprentices. Back then, they had yet to make great achievements in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. Despite facing all sorts of challenges, they had always figured out a solution to their troubles. The joy they would experience in their heart every time they solved a difficult problem was indescribable. They were looking forward to the day they would experience that feeling again.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was worried about this group’s mental condition. It was obvious that something was wrong with these Spirit Array Grandmasters. They were putting in special effort and competing against their very own selves. Although there were times when being persistent was a good thing, there were times when they could fall into an obsessive state instead.
During this period of time, Yang Kai had also formed a vague idea in his heart. It was just that he had been too embarrassed to mention his idea in front of them, lest he be suspected of trying to show off meagre skills before an expert. But, at this moment, he could not remain silent any longer. At the very least, he would be able to provide them with a different perspective.
“Martial Uncle Fan, what do you think of this idea? If we set up a Space Array inside the Grand Array, then we can use the Space Array to come and go freely. In that way, there will be no need to open the Grand Array at all.”
If they did not open the Grand Array, then no wastage caused by the loss of the Purifying Light would occur.
“A Space Array?” Fan Xun raised his brow at those words. His bloodshot eyes that were staring fixedly at Yang Kai gradually brightened, “That’s right! A Space Array! Why didn’t I think of that!?”
Similarly, the others also looked speechless and ashamed of themselves. How could they fail to realise such a simple thing until Yang Kai reminded them?
Feng Ying secretly found the scene amusing from where she watched them by the side. She knew that these Spirit Array Grandmasters had fallen into a spiral and were looking at things from the wrong direction. They had been constantly obsessing over creating the perfect Grand Array, so how could they even think about a completely different solution to the issue? There were times when overly complicated thoughts were not a good thing. It could be said that Yang Kai had brought them back to their senses with a single sentence.
Fan Xun and others immediately cheered up and began working on preparing another Grand Array.
With several Spirit Array Grandmasters joining forces, it was only natural that a small Space Array would not be difficult for them. In less than a day, there was an additional Space Array inside the Sealing Array. The Space Array was useless on its own; therefore, they prepared another Space Array at a place not far away from the Grand Array so that both Space Arrays could resonate with each other.
When both Space Arrays were ready, Fan Xun suddenly spoke up with a troubled expression, “Yang Kai, this Old Master suddenly realised a problem.”
“Please elaborate, Martial Uncle Fan!”
“In order to ensure that the Purifying Light does not go to waste, we worked very hard on the Sealing Array. The sealing effect is absolutely extraordinary as a result. To put it bluntly, the area covered by the Grand Array is completely isolated from the outside world. In other words, the two Space Arrays will not be able to connect with each other when the Sealing Array is in operation.” Fan Xun blushed slightly while speaking.
The other Spirit Array Grandmasters also revealed expressions of realisation at that moment.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was stunned by those words. When he finally recovered from his shock, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This was truly a huge blunder. He had merely been expressing his thoughts when he suggested using a Space Array. Unfortunately, it would now seem that his efforts had been for nought.
Thanks to the Sealing Array, the space within was completely isolated from the outside world. The connection between both Space Arrays would naturally be cut off as a result, so it was impossible to transport something from the outside into the inside via the Space Array.
“Of course, it might not be completely impossible. I might be able to make some adjustments. When the Space Array is activated, the Sealing Array will activate at the same time to open a small portal. In that way, the two Space Arrays will be able to connect with each other. But, I cannot guarantee that the Purifying Light will not be lost by doing that.”
“Whether or not the Purifying Light will be lost, we will know once we test it out.”
Now that things had come to this, they had to explore every single possibility that came to mind.
Fan Xun and others got to work again tinkering with the Grand Array. Another two days passed before they finally completed their preparations.
As before, Yang Kai walked into the Grand Array and Fan Xun formed a hand seal to activate the Sealing Array. After that, Yang Kai cast Purifying Light.
Looking at the pure white, flawless light, Fan Xun and the others couldn’t help feeling a deep sense of pain and remorse. Over the past few months, their experiments had failed over and over again, resulting in them wasting quite a lot of the Purifying Light. These incidents had been eating away at their confidence, and they were starting to harbour great doubts about the craft they had honed over all these years.
Both the Space Arrays had been inspected before the Sealing Array was activated, and it was confirmed that they were in working order.
Now that the Grand Array had been activated, Yang Kai stood on the Space Array and tried to activate it, but sure enough, his attempt failed. It was just as Fan Xun claimed. They had poured massive effort into preparing the Sealing Array to isolate the inside from the outside. In other words, the space inside the Sealing Array could not connect with the outside world. Forget the two Space Arrays, even if Yang Kai wanted to perform Instantaneous Movement on his own, he could not escape from the confines of the Spirit Array without destroying the Grand Array first.
“Yang Kai, are you ready!?” Fan Xun shouted.
Yang Kai replied, “Yes! Martial Uncle Fan, please begin!”
Fan Xun nodded lightly and changed his hand seal. With a slight wave of the Array Banner, the Grand Array underwent some subtle changes.
Outside the Grand Array, everybody watched intently without even blinking. In the next moment, obvious fluctuations of Space Principles came from within the Grand Array, emanating from Yang Kai. Everyone quickly turned to look to the side. Sure enough, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly appeared on the other Space Array. Unfortunately, some of the pure white light emerged along with him. The light lingered around his body and quickly dissipated into the surroundings.
There was no doubt that the white light was the Purifying Light that was originally sealed inside the Grand Array. When the two Space Arrays connected with each other, Yang Kai was not the only thing to be transported out of the Grand Array. The Purifying Light had also escaped along the passage established by the Space Array.
Fan Xun frowned deeply. This outcome was both unexpected and expected; therefore, he couldn’t help feeling extremely helpless.
On the other hand, Yang Kai sighed softly. Even the Space Array could not solve their current conundrum. At this rate, he truly did not know how to solve this problem anymore. The failure this time had also affected him to a certain degree. That was because this matter was highly related to him. If they were unable to resolve this issue, the wastage of the Purifying Light was a secondary problem. More importantly, his future prospects would not be bright either. He was just about to console Fan Xun and the others so that they could think of other solutions when he heard Feng Ying’s voice, “Martial Uncle Dong Guo!”
Everybody quickly turned to look in Feng Ying’s direction only to see her bowing in a certain direction in the sky. They followed her gaze and saw a burly middle-aged man suspended in mid-air. He was quietly looking down at the situation below him.
Fan Xun and others hurriedly bowed in greeting, and Yang Kai followed suit.
Yang Kai did not recognise the person who came. Although he had met most of the Eighth-Order Masters in Blue Sky Pass back at the Main Conference Hall, a few of them had not shown up for that meeting. Feng Ying had explained that it was impossible for Zhong Liang to summon all the Eighth-Order Masters to the Main Conference Hall at once; after all, somebody needed to oversee the battlefield. Martial Uncle Dong Guo was clearly one of those people.
Having said that, Yang Kai had seen this person passing by several times recently even though he did not recognise him. Every single time, Martial Uncle Dong Guo would fly overhead with a group of people following behind him. He was always in a rush and seemed to constantly be busy.
Yang Kai had noticed him looking down curiously on several occasions, but he was most likely in too much of a hurry to come over and investigate the situation. It would seem that he had some time on his hands today. There was no saying how long he had been watching the situation; after all, everybody had been so focused on testing the effects of the Space Array that they did not notice his arrival.
Martial Uncle Dong Guo walked over as though there were invisible steps leading downward under his feet. He turned to look at the Sealing Array, then he turned to glance at Yang Kai. After a brief scan, he smiled and nodded at Yang Kai.
Even though Yang Kai did not know him, he knew about Yang Kai. He knew that there was a person who could purify and dispel Black Ink Strength in the Central Square. That person had helped countless resolve their crisis over the past few months. Many people he knew had also benefited from this person. That was why he had always paid attention to the situation every time he passed by this place.
Feng Ying knew that Yang Kai was not familiar with Blue Sky Pass and did not recognize the person in front of them, so she took the initiative to explain, “This is Martial Uncle Dong Guo An Ping of Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven.”
[Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven…] Yang Kai raised his brow at the name and recalled the little fatty, Xu Zhen.
Speaking of which, he had not seen the little fatty again after they parted at the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Xu Zhen was a Core Disciple of Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven after all. Not to mention, he had received the favour of a Divine Spirit while he was training in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and grew tremendously as a result. It was rumoured that Xu Zhen had successfully advanced into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm a long time ago.
“Greetings, Martial Uncle Dong Guo.” Yang Kai bowed once more.
Dong Guo An Ping nodded and said, “No need to be so polite. I’ve heard about you for some time now. Although I’ve passed by a few times, I’ve always been busy with work and could not make the time to come down. It so happened that I had some free time when I passed by today, so I came to take a look.”
Feng Ying explained, “Every time the Black Ink Clan attacks, the people from Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven are the busiest. If the warships on the battlefield are damaged, they will require many Artifact Refiners to repair and replace them. The Fellow Brothers of Divine Cauldron Heaven are proficient in the Dao of Artifact Refining, so this task is naturally entrusted to them.”
Yang Kai was stunned when he heard those words. It was not until this moment that he understood the reason why he kept seeing Martial Uncle running around recently. It turned out that Dong Guo An Ping had been going around repairing the damaged warships. Since Divine Cauldron Heaven was famous for Artifact Refining, it was only natural that they were also capable of this.
It could even be said that most of the warships at the great passes were produced by Divine Cauldron Heaven disciples. They were considered extremely precious talents, similar to Array Masters like Fan Xun. Such talented individuals would never be allowed to carelessly set foot on the battlefield, lest they were killed or corrupted by Black Ink Strength and became Black Ink Disciples. On the contrary, they gave those at the front strong support from the rear.
“What are you doing here?” Dong Guo An Ping asked with a glance at the Sealing Array. Having passed by this place on several occasions, he had a vague idea about what they were up to, but he was not sure if the situation was the same as what he was thinking. It was precisely because he had some speculations on the matter that he deliberately took the time to stop and watch for a while today.
Feng Ying quickly explained what they had been working on for the past few months and the challenges that they were facing at the moment. The person in front of her was not just an Eighth-Order Master, but also a Division Commander. Even if he would not easily set foot on the battlefield, Dong Guo An Ping had the qualifications to intervene in such matters. Besides, she did not wish to conceal anything from him.
Dong Guo An Ping nodded after listening to her explanation, “So that’s how it is.” Then, he suddenly suggested something, “Since the Dao of Spirit Arrays is unable to perfectly prevent the wastage of the Purifying Light, have you considered using the Dao of Artifact Refining?”
Fan Xun was taken aback, “The Dao of Artifact Refining?”
They were all Spirit Array Grandmasters, so when encountering problems, it was only natural that they tried to solve them from the perspective of Spirit Arrays. Why would they consider using the Dao of Artifact Refining?
“The Dao of Artifact Refining…” Yang Kai murmured. His eyes lit up a moment later, and he rubbed his palms together, “Right… How could I have forgotten about that?”
There were times when one might not see the light at the end of the tunnel. On the contrary, the road ahead might end in a steep hanging cliff. He had been working together with Fan Xun and others throughout this period of time, so he had been influenced by them and only considered the problem from the perspective of the Dao of Spirit Arrays. He had totally forgotten about the Dao of Artifact Refining.
Back in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, the little fatty, Xu Zhen, had helped him to refine the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd which sealed and contained a large amount of Yuan Magnetic Divine Light! In the past, Yang Kai had borrowed the strength of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd to repel many powerful enemies.
Strictly speaking, the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light and the Purifying Light were essentially the same. Both were a kind of energy. Although they had different effects, there was no denying that both were a form of light! If the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd could seal the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, then it could also seal the Purifying Light.
In his excitement, Yang Kai took out the empty Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd and handed the object to Dong Guo An Ping, “Senior, please take a look at this.”
Dong Guo An Ping took the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd and immediately raised his eyebrows in surprise, “This object contains traces of Divine Cauldron Heaven’s techniques, but… which lousy brat has such poor skills to refine something like this?”
Yang Kai was instantly ashamed.
When the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd was first refined, Xu Zhen had yet to advance to the Open Heaven Realm; in fact, he had only just condensed his Dao Seal. Xu Zheng had been in the process of accumulation, so his cultivation was not that high. Although he had received instruction from Divine Cauldron Heaven, in the eyes of Artifact Refining Grandmasters like Dong Guo An Ping, Xu Zhen’s methods were indeed clumsy and crude.
The Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd no longer contained Yuan Magnetic Divine Light. Back then, Void Land had been in desperate need of cultivation materials, and the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light was a Metal Element material. Moreover, it was a Sixth-Order material. For that reason, Yang Kai had used the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light as a cultivation material for the disciples to refine.
“This bottle gourd is interesting at least,” Dong Guo An Ping carefully examined the bottle gourd, “This gourd is born of the world, right?”
Yang Kai revealed a look of admiration, “Senior certainly has sharp eyes.”
Dong Guo An Ping asked thoughtfully, “Do you want me to refine something similar to seal the Purifying Light? In that way, even without you, others will be able to help dispel and purify Black Ink Strength.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “That’s not the case. Although doing so is feasible, that will only increase the wastage of the Purifying Light. Senior, this Junior was hoping to ask you to create an artifact that can satisfy the effect of sealing the Purifying Light, avoid any wastage, and even facilitate the entry and exit of personnel. Can that be done?”
Dong Guo An Ping held the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd and furrowed his brow in thought. Everybody else watched him intently. A long while passed before he finally nodded and said, “It can be done.”
Yang Kai was overjoyed, “Are you serious!?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he realised that his words were inappropriate and quickly explained, “Please forgive me, Senior. It’s not that this Junior is not willing to believe you, it’s just that this matter is extremely important, so we have to be extra careful.”
Dong Guo An Ping smiled and said, “It’s fine. I understand your feelings. But, since this Old Master said that it can be done, then it can be done. Hm… The war is raging fiercely recently, so I might be quite busy. Let’s do this; I will make some time to refine this artifact for you. The shortest will take one month while the longest will take three months to complete.”
While saying that, he tossed the Yuan Magnetic Divine Bottle Gourd back to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai exhaled slowly and cupped his fist, “Many thanks, Martial Uncle!”
Dong Guo An Ping waved his hand dismissively, “It’s all for the sake of our people. We are just doing our respective duties.” Then, he glanced at Fan Xun and the others, “Come with me. The Sealing Array will be needed. When that time comes, I will need your help.”
Naturally, there was no reason for Fan Xun and the others to object.
Time flew by quickly, and two months passed in the blink of an eye. The war had gotten more and more intense during this period. Although the Black Ink Clan had suffered countless casualties, a steady stream of reinforcements continued to arrive from the rear as though their numbers were infinite.
On the other hand, the Human Race relied on Blue Sky Pass’s sturdy defences in order to repel the Black Ink Clan’s repeated onslaught. There were not many casualties on their end. Blue Sky Pass itself was an enormous Mobile Palace Artifact, so it had its own defensive mechanisms. Furthermore, warships and Masters were frequently sent into battle to break through and disrupt enemy lines. As long as the Blue Sky Pass and the various warships remained intact, the lives of those hiding inside would not be endangered.
Be that as it may, the number of people who were corroded by Black Ink Strength every single day remained very high. Knowing that they now had the means to dispel and purify Black Ink Strength, the Human Masters no longer had any scruples when fighting the Black Ink Clan. If they had the chance to kill an enemy, they would not pass up on the opportunity even if they would be corroded by Black Ink Strength as a result.
In the beginning, the Black Ink Clan had been happy to see these changes. That was because many Black Ink Disciples corrupted by Black Ink Strength would voluntarily defect to their side every time the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan clashed. Contrary to their expectations though, they were surprised to discover that not a single Black Ink Disciple was born from the Human Race after a certain point in time. This phenomenon was extremely unusual, and this matter soon attracted the attention of the higher-ups in the Black Ink Clan. They tried to learn more about this phenomenon, but were powerless to do anything about the situation.
In the Central Square of Blue Sky Pass, Yang Kai cast Purifying Light to help those infected dispel and purify the Black Ink Strength in their bodies. All of a sudden, he heard the sound of something travelling through the air at a high speed. It did not sound like the arrival of another infected person though; thus, he took a moment out of his busy schedule to glance in that direction and was promptly astonished by the sight.
Over there was a ship which by no means could be called small. Judging by its appearance, the ship did not seem to be a simple flight-type artifact but a warship. Yang Kai had seen many of the warships belonging to the Human Race during the time he spent on the battlefield previously. While there were various shapes and sizes to them, the vast majority of them seemed to adopt the appearance of a large ship.
There were evident traces of an assault marring the surface of this particular warship, so it was clear it had seen action on the battlefield. Nevertheless, what surprised Yang Kai was the people standing on the deck of the ship. They were none other than Dong Guo An Ping, Fan Xun, and the others.
As soon as he saw them, Yang Kai became excited and hurriedly finished the tasks he had on hand. Only then did he soar into the sky and land on the deck of the large ship. After greeting Dong Guo An Ping and the others, he examined the large ship with interest.
Dong Guo An Ping smiled, “This old girl was taken out of the storehouse. Since you needed a finished product in a hurry, there was no time to refine a new one. The other functional warships are already in use by others, so although this one was badly damaged in the past, it has been patched up since then. You can use it with peace of mind.”
Yang Kai nodded and asked suspiciously, “Does it work?”
Dong Guo An Ping laughed, “Whether it can be used or not, you will know once you’ve tested it out. Since you wanted to seal the Purifying Light while also having a convenient method for entry and exit, this was the only solution that I could come up with. Fan Xun and the others also made many modifications during this period before they finalised the design. We brought this here for you to make the final verification. Come, follow me.”
While saying that, he beckoned and guided Yang Kai towards the cabin inside.
Upon entering the cabin, Yang Kai discovered that ship’s interior had undergone a lot of changes. The entire hull had basically been hollowed out, so the entire cabin was nothing more than a huge empty space. The surrounding walls of the cabin were engraved with complex patterns, and a Space Array had also been prepared in the centre of the cabin.
Dong Guo An Ping explained, “Those who were corrupted by Black Ink Strength can be teleported into this room via the Space Array on the deck. In addition, they can be teleported out in the same manner after the Black Ink Strength has been dispelled from their bodies.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Your arrangements are very thorough, Senior.”
Dong Guo An Ping waved his hands dismissively, “That was Fan Xun’s suggestion. He claimed that you have tried implementing this method in the past. If this method becomes feasible, then it will certainly be inconvenient to constantly open and close the Grand Array. To prevent any wastage of the Purifying Light, the existence of the Space Array is necessary. I also heard from Fan Xun that you’ve been experimenting for several months but have failed to solve this problem. In any case, this should be enough to satisfy your requirements. I’ve refined the interior of the large ship specifically for that purpose. On the other hand, Fan Xun and the others have supplemented the rest with the Dao of Spirit Arrays. You can think of this cabin as a space similar to the interior of your bottle gourd. It has a strong gathering and sealing effect. Even if an occasional connection is formed between the Space Arrays, the Purifying Light sealed in this place will not escape.”
After he finished his explanation, he turned to look at Yang Kai, “Do you want to test it?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded.
The space in the cabin was rather spacious. If he wanted to perform an experiment on its effectiveness, he would need to fill it with a large amount of Purifying Light to check its effects. That was why he drew upon the energy from a huge number of Yellow and Blue Crystals all at once. At that moment, an extremely blinding white light bloomed in his hand and illuminated the entire cabin. The space inside the cabin was so huge that the Purifying Light seemed weak and scattered in comparison; hence, Yang Kai cast Purifying Light several more times in succession so that it would become a little denser.
After careful inspection, he confirmed that the Purifying Light showed no signs of escaping. The Purifying Light was perfectly sealed inside this cabin, allowing Yang Kai to breath a sigh of relief.
It could be said that they had taken the first step forward; however, even when he was experimenting with Fan Xun and the others, there were no issues during the first step. Their troubles only came in the next step. If they could not resolve the issue of wastage caused whenever somebody entered or exited the Grand Array, then this matter could not be considered to be completely solved; therefore, he couldn’t help feeling slightly nervous. This matter was simply far too important to him.
His ability to cast Purifying Light to dispel Black Ink Strength had certainly brought great fortune to the Human army in Blue Sky Pass, but at the same time, he was constrained by his ability. Due to his ability, Yang Kai had to remain inside Blue Sky Pass at all times. It was impossible for him to go anywhere else. The reason he had been so enthusiastic about solving this issue during this period was so that he could regain some of his freedom. The problem of reducing the Purifying Light’s wastage was secondary.
Yang Kai stepped onto the Space Array, breathed out lightly, and immediately manipulated Space Principles. The world spun around him and his vision blurred for a moment, then he appeared on the ship’s deck.
Fan Xun, Feng Ying, and the others had been waiting above while paying close attention to the movements of the Space Array. As soon as they saw Yang Kai appear, they carefully observed the Space Array with solemn expressions.
“How is it?” Yang Kai anxiously asked. Although he had not felt the loss of the Purifying Light when he was transported out of the cabin, it was better to ask the outside observers about such matters.
Fan Xun stroked his beard and said, “It worked. I didn’t see any signs indicating that the Purifying Light had escaped.”
“Really?” Yang Kai raised his brow in surprise.
Feng Ying nodded as well, “There was none.”
“Come, come. You should all come and give it a try then,” Yang Kai gave up his spot.
Feng Ying and the others did not refuse. They immediately took turns using the Space Array and teleported themselves into the cabin. A short while later, they used the same method and returned to the deck from inside the cabin. Meanwhile, Yang Kai watched them intently. His Divine Sense inspected the movements of every single person entering and exiting the Grand Array. In the end, he found that there were indeed no signs of the Purifying Light leaking.
He rejoiced, knowing that his goal had been accomplished. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help sighing slightly. It had not been easy. Despite joining efforts with Fan Xun and the others for several months, they had failed to produce satisfactory results. On the contrary, the matter was accomplished as soon as Dong Guo An Ping intervened in this matter.
It was not to say that the Dao of Artifact Refining was better than the Dao of Spirit Arrays, it was just that the Dao of Artifact Refining was simply more suitable for what he wanted to accomplish. Besides, the many Spirit Arrays inside the cabin were clearly constructed through a careful blending of Artifact Refining and Spirit Arrays. That was why they could produce such effects.
“Many thanks for your help, Senior Dong Guo,” Yang Kai sincerely thanked Dong Guo An Ping when the latter walked out to the deck.
Dong Guo An Ping waved his hand nonchalantly, “You are too polite. There’s no need to be so stiff, Martial Nephew.” He paused for a moment before he continued, “Actually, I would like to ask you for a favour.”
Yang Kai turned solemn, “Please speak freely, Senior.”
Dong Guo An Ping replied, “I originally planned to create an artifact specifically for the Purifying Light. It was only because of your idea that I changed my mind and modified this warship instead.”
While he was speaking, he suddenly glanced outside the great pass. The Human Race and the Black Ink Clan were fighting fiercely outside the great pass with every passing moment. The sounds of their battle came from afar, accompanied by the violent fluctuations that came from the collision of energies. It was obvious that the Masters of both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan were clashing with one another.
“Humans have suffered from the Black Ink Clan’s attacks since time immemorial. The Cave Heavens and Paradises would often send a large amount of manpower to the Black Ink Battlefield at regular intervals. Countless elite disciples have died on the battlefield for this cause; even so, we have been unable to eliminate the Black Ink Clan completely. The main reason was that we were powerless to invade the Black Ink Clan’s domain and eradicate them once and for all. Although the Old Ancestor occasionally leads a team into the Black Ink Clan hinterland in person, such measures are nothing more than a temporary solution. It does not strike at the root of the issue. These invasions might even incite the wrath of the Black Ink Clan, provoking a stronger retaliation in return.”
He turned to look at Yang Kai, “The existence of Black Ink Strength is a huge deterrent for us; however, your arrival and the appearance of the Purifying Light has greatly reduced the deterrence of the Black Ink Strength and given the Human Race the capital to launch a crusade against the Black Ink Clan.
“Looking at the current situation, in order to dispel Black Ink Strength, those infected have to withdraw from the battlefield and come to you for treatment. But, what if we deployed this ship to the battlefield instead? If someone is corrupted by Black Ink Strength in battle, they will no longer need to return to the Inner Sanctum. On the contrary, they can quickly resolve the issue and return to the fight without delay. That will greatly preserve the manpower on the battlefield.
“Looking at things from a long-term perspective, if we refine more ships that contain the sealed Purifying Light and dispatch them along with the army, won’t we be able to assault the Black Ink Clan’s core and finally eradicate them completely?”
His words were delivered calmly, but anybody could hear the anticipation and excitement hidden in his tone. Following his speech, everybody else’s eyes also began to light up with excitement.
That was right. They had been fighting the Black Ink Clan for so many years, and the main reason they could not completely eradicate the Black Ink Clan was that Black Ink Strength posed too much of a danger to the Human Race. They were powerless to invade deep into the Black Ink Clan’s domain as a result. Most of the time, they could only wait passively for the Black Ink Clan to attack. Even if they ultimately repelled the Black Ink Clan’s forces, they could not eliminate the Black Ink Clan from the roots up. They could only watch the remnants of the Black Ink Clan army withdraw from the battlefield. The Black Ink Clan would slowly accumulate their strength and make another comeback after several dozen or hundreds of years.
In that way, the cycle would repeat over and over again. Naturally, that was because they had no means to dispel the Black Ink Strength. Now that they had the means to do so though, shouldn’t they utilise this advantage to the fullest?
When it came down to it, Dong Guo An Ping was an Eighth-Order Ancestor; standing higher allowed him to see further. While Yang Kai and the others were focused on solving the issue regarding the Purifying Light’s wastage, he had already considered using it to launch a crusade.
It was precisely due to his considerations that one of the damaged warships had been brought out from the storehouse and modified. The reason Dong Guo An Ping did that was so that the artifact used to seal the Purifying Light would not only be suitable for a crusade but also come equipped with a strong defence. In this case, a warship in the shape of a large ship was undoubtedly the most suitable choice for such an endeavour.
This matter was extremely important; therefore, it was not something Dong Guo An Ping could decide on his own. They had to wait until the Old Ancestor fully recovered and returned from retreat before they could make a full report and plans could be made.
Even if they prepared for a crusade against the Black Ink Clan, this endeavour would involve more than just Blue Sky Pass. All the great passes would have to contribute to the crusade. The troops from each great pass would need to march forward together in order to eliminate and eradicate the Black Ink Clan completely. The advance preparations for the crusade would not be something that could be accomplished in a short time. Nevertheless, such a glorious future filled their imaginations vividly.
“To see whether or not this Old Master’s idea is feasible, the battlefield around Blue Sky Pass is the perfect place to experiment.” Dong Guo An Ping retracted his gaze, “I have already contacted the four Army Commanders, so they should be arriving soon. This Old Master will explain this matter to them later, but the final decision on how to proceed will ultimately depend on them. In any case, we will need you to work hard when the time comes, Yang Kai.”
“This Junior will do his utmost!” Yang Kai cupped his fist.
When the results of the experiment came out and the application of the remodelled warship was confirmed earlier, Dong Guo An Ping immediately sent a message to the Army Commanders. Four figures quickly arrived one after another before the people on the ship had even waited for a stick of incense worth of time.
The Eastern Army’s Army Commander, Ding Yao, came from Great Battle Heaven; the Southern Army’s Army Commander, Liang Yu Long, came from Crape-Myrtle Cave Heaven; the Western Army’s Army Commander, Zhong Liang, came from Blue Sky Paradise; and the Northern Army’s Army Commander, Shen Tu Mo, came from Azure Clouds Paradise.
Every one of them was an Eighth-Order Ancestor; moreover, they were considered the best of the best among the Eighth-Order Masters. The war was currently ongoing, and these four were in charge of guarding the East, South, West, and North directions around Blue Sky Pass respectively; therefore, they would not carelessly leave their positions before the war ended.
The last time they left their positions, it had been because Zhong Liang claimed that he had an important matter to discuss. This time around, Dong Guo An Ping had summoned them for another matter of great importance. It was something that required the Army Commanders to come forward in person; otherwise, he would not have dared to disturb them so easily.
They did not have much time, so they immediately inquired about the situation as soon as they arrived. Zhong Liang was well aware of Yang Kai’s recent activities. Feng Ying, who had been serving beside Yang Kai all this time, would periodically send messages to him about the situation; however, the other three did not know much.
Upon listening to Dong Guo An Ping’s outlook on the war in the future, their eyes involuntarily lit up with hope. If that was truly the case, then Yang Kai’s arrival would not only give Blue Sky Pass the means to resolve Black Ink Strength, but also give the Human Race the power to launch a crusade against the Black Ink Clan’s domain. Such a matter was extremely important.
Ding Yao was dressed in golden armour, looking absolutely imposing. All the cultivators from Great Battle Heaven generally dressed in this manner. After he entered the large ship and inspected the interior, he turned to the side and asked, “Does it work?”
“It should work fine,” Yang Kai nodded in response.
Ding Yao frowned, “We cannot afford to be negligent in this matter. We need to take careful measures to ensure that this endeavour is feasible.”
While he was talking, he suddenly noticed a figure flying over at a high speed. It was a Human cultivator who had been corroded by Black Ink Strength and came here to seek treatment. As soon as he saw the four Army Commanders standing there, he visibly jumped in surprise and hurriedly cupped his fist in greeting.
The four men waved their hands dismissively, indicating that there was no need for such courtesy.
Yang Kai smiled, “Whether or not it works, we will know after this.”
There was no need to prepare anything on his part since people would come to him for help with dispelling Black Ink Strength every single day. In fact, he was waiting for this very moment in the first place.
The four Army Commanders immediately understood. Nodding lightly, they waited quietly. Meanwhile, Yang Kai stepped forward and guided the cultivator corroded by Black Ink Strength to the Space Array. Despite activating the Spirit Array and transporting that person into the cabin, he did not follow along.
A short while later, that person came out of the cabin again. He looked slightly dazed and in shock. Although he had heard about the person in the Inner Sanctum who had the mysterious ability to dispel and purify Black Ink Strength from his allies, those were merely rumours that he had heard. He had not experienced such miracles himself, so he did not have much understanding regarding the matter.
Now that he had experienced the situation for himself, he finally understood what the word ‘incredible’ meant. The Black Ink Strength inside his body had been dispelled cleanly in such a short period of time. Furthermore, not the slightest trace remained. He was no longer at risk of becoming corrupted by it. On the contrary, the gentle white light in the cabin had been as comfortable as the spring breeze.
[This is a true life-saver!] He was extremely grateful to Yang Kai
Nevertheless, the four Army Commanders were not reassured just yet. They carefully inspected that person’s Small Universe and confirmed that he was perfectly fine before they released him.
During this interval, Yang Kai took the chance to enter the cabin and check on the loss of the Purifying Light. The Black Ink Strength had been brought into the cabin to be dispelled and purified, so the Purifying Light was bound to have been consumed to a certain extent. However, the results were as expected. The loss was almost negligible. He had drawn upon the power of many Yellow and Blue Crystals in the cabin previously, so the Purifying Light sealed in the cabin remained quite dense.
Dong Guo An Ping said, “Brothers, this method is feasible.”
The method had been verified, so there was no need to harbour further doubts. There was a faint sense of excitement burning in their hearts now. Had the Human Race finally gained the means to support a crusade? If they could perfectly end the war on the Black Ink Battlefield one day, then those trapped here for so long would finally have hope of going home.
Liang Yu Long nodded, “This matter is extremely important, so we shouldn’t reveal anything for the time being. We should limit this knowledge to the people present here.”
Needless to say, everybody understood what he meant. It was impossible to hide the existence of this ship. All the people who sought help would eventually need to enter the large ship in order to dispel and purify the Black Ink Strength in their bodies. Therefore, what Liang Yu Long had been referring to was the matter regarding the future crusade. The Human Race was not ready for such an enormous campaign yet. What’s more, the Old Ancestors had yet to make a decision regarding this matter. If news about the crusade were to spread, it would only give the people hope and expectations; however, their hope and expectations would turn into disappointment if their plans failed to materialize.
Yang Kai and the others naturally accepted the order.
Zhong Liang patted Yang Kai’s shoulder with a chuckle, “You’ve worked hard recently, Martial Nephew.”
Yang Kai truly was a treasure! How many losses had been prevented since he arrived at Blue Sky Pass!? If nothing else, he had rescued all those who were corrupted by Black Ink Strength recently; otherwise, those people would either have been forced to sacrifice a part of their Small Universe and suffer a decline in their strength or have been converted into Black Ink Disciples and defected to the Black Ink Clan. However, such incidents no longer occurred after Yang Kai came to Blue Sky Pass. Not a single Black Ink Disciple had been converted by the Black Ink Clan.
The more Zhong Liang looked at Yang Kai, the more he approved of this boy. It was fortunate that Feng Ying had encountered Yang Kai back in the Black Ink Clan hinterland and brought him to the great pass. Blue Sky Pass would not have been blessed with such great fortune otherwise.
“It is this Junior’s responsibility,” Yang Kai replied humbly.
“Old Ancestor!?” Ding Yao’s expression suddenly changed, and he glanced in a certain direction.
Startled by his words, everybody else turned to look in that direction only to see that there was nothing there. The Old Ancestor was nowhere to be seen. While they were caught up in their confusion though, a surging force suddenly erupted from Ding Yao’s body. The force immediately sent Yang Kai and the others flying backwards. Since they never expected to be attacked here, they were completely caught off-guard and could not react in time; hence, all of them were sent drifting in all directions like fallen leaves in the middle of a storm.
Suspended in mid-air, Yang Kai heard Zhong Liang shouting furiously, “Ding Yao, what are you doing!?”
His heart sank abruptly, wondering why Ding Yao had committed such an outrageous act. [Could it be that Ding Yao was a Black Ink Disciple? Now that the Purifying Light has been revealed, is he planning to kill me? But, something doesn’t add up. His actions might have been forceful, but there was no intention to harm. At the very least, I didn’t sense any danger. I’ve only been sent flying by the impact.]
After he finally managed to stabilise his body, Yang Kai looked over and felt his face twitching at the sight.
In the sky above the Central Square, Ding Yao was standing alone on the deck of the new ship. Moreover, the warship had been turned around and was currently facing the eastern defence lines. Looking at the situation, it would seem that Ding Yao had taken control of the ship and was trying to fly it towards the East. It was just that his path forward had been blocked, so he was forced to stop.
Combined with Ding Yao’s position as the Eastern Army’s Army Commander, Yang Kai had a vague idea about the current situation.
At this moment, Liang Yu Long, Zhong Liang, and Shen Tu Mo were standing in front of the large ship and blocking the path forward. Like Yang Kai, these three had been caught off-guard and sent flying backward by the impact just now. It was just that they were Eighth-Order Masters, so not only was their foundation strong, but their reflexes were also quick. The sudden attack only stunned them for a moment before they immediately adapted.
“Ding Yao, your actions are dishonourable,” Liang Yu Long’s expression darkened.
Shen Tu Mo frowned, “What are you doing?”
Zhong Liang was polite and roared furiously, “Do you even need to ask!? As soon as this hooligan made his move, I already knew what he had in mind! This old fart is planning to steal the ship!”
Ding Yao did not deny his actions. His intentions had been seen through anyway, so he cheerfully said, “From now on, this ship will belong to the Eastern Army.”
“On what basis!?” Liang Yu Long yelled inquiringly.
Ding Yao looked down condescendingly from above, “Based on the fact that I’m standing on it while the three of you aren’t.”
Shen Tu Mo chuckled, “What does that prove? That only happened because you made a sudden move and we were caught unprepared. If it really came down to it, this ship should belong to the Northern Army! Take a look at the emblem on the ship. Don’t you see that the emblem belongs to the Thunder Battalion of the Northern Army’s Left Wing Third Division? Disembark, Ding Yao. I’m bringing this ship back to the Northern Army!”
The ship was something Dong Guo An Ping had taken out of the storehouse. It had originally been severely damaged and was barely usable after he made some repairs to the ship. Upon a closer look though, it turned out that the ship once belonged to the Thunder Battalion of the Northern Army’s Right Wing Third Division.
Ding Yao sneered coldly and responded with three words, “In your dreams!”
Zhong Liang persuaded earnestly, “Ding Yao, why don’t you come down first? Let’s talk things out peacefully.”
Ding Yao snorted, “I’m not coming down. You will definitely board the ship as soon as I come down!”
Zhong Liang was speechless. [Senior Brother, you’re not a child anymore, why are you acting like a little brat fighting over a toy!? What would others think if they learned about this!?]
Nevertheless, he could understand Ding Yao’s motives in snatching the ship. Bringing this warship back to the battlefield might not directly increase the army’s combat ability, but it would greatly cut down on the travel time needed to purify Black Ink Strength. Furthermore, the existence of the ship itself would be a tremendous stabilising force. The morale of the army would be greatly improved as a result. It wasn’t just Ding Yao who wanted the large ship, he wanted it too!
“We all belong to Blue Sky Pass. Although we are the Army Commanders of our respective armies, we cannot only think about ourselves. Ding Yao, if you take this ship away today, what will happen to the Southern Army, the Western Army, and the Northern Army?” Zhong Liang asked gravely.
Ding Yao snorted and motioned to the side, “Isn’t Yang Boy here? You can just go to him. The Eastern Army is having a difficult time on the battlefield. The presence of this ship might be able to change the war situation.”
“Don’t exaggerate,” Liang Yu Long clicked his tongue, “The Eastern Army is having a hard time on the battlefield, but so is the Southern Army! Why are you only focusing on the Eastern Army and ignoring the lives of the disciples in the three other Armies? Ding Yao, you are an Army Commander. How can you be so selfish!?”
Ding Yao curled his lips into a sneer, “Don’t try to push such nonsense onto me. There are Great Battle Heaven disciples serving under your armies. How can I possibly disregard their lives? It’s just that there is only one ship right now, so the Eastern Army will use it first. If you are truly selfless, then you shouldn’t stop me.”
Liang Yu Long’s expression was dark, but he said nothing in response. Instead, he shot a look at Zhong Liang and Shen Tu Mo. They could not allow Ding Yao to take the ship away today. If the news were to spread that only the Eastern Army had a ship while the Southern Army, the Western Army, and the Northern Army did not, wouldn’t their subordinates criticize them for being useless?
Shen Tu Mo frowned and said, “Ding Yao, this warship will not be the only one. Now that we have a prototype, we are bound to have a second, third, and so on. Why are you being so anxious? There will come a day when every one of us has a ship.”
Nevertheless, Ding Yao remained stubborn in the face of their persuasion. He retorted, “Since you’re not anxious, then stop wasting my time. The army is still fighting outside, and the disciples are struggling desperately. This Old Master is not in the mood to waste my energy on you. Make way.”
The three of them naturally refused to move aside.
On the other side, Dong Guo An Ping sighed as he muttered, “Highly improper!”
At this moment, the Army Commanders were squabbling over the ownership of a ship. Their actions were extremely detrimental to their dignity. It was fortunate that no disciples had seen their squabbling; otherwise, they would quickly become laughingstocks.
“This ship was created by Yang Boy. Why don’t we ask him for his opinion? The army he chooses will have the rights to use the large ship. What do you think?” Zhong Liang suggested. While speaking, he secretly gave Yang Kai a wink. Among the four Army Commanders present, he was the closest to Yang Kai. He was certain that he held a great advantage if he asked Yang Kai to step forward.
The other three could not object to this suggestion. Yang Kai’s ability had been proven in the recent period and many of the disciples serving under their respective armies had received help from him. More importantly, they would still need to rely on his ability to solve the problem of the Black Ink Strength in the future. Rejecting this suggestion would simply cause problems for themselves; therefore, Yang Kai had a great say in this matter even though he was only in the Sixth Order.
Seeing the gazes of the four men turning towards him, Yang Kai felt speechless. He had seen the wink Zhong Liang gave him, but how could he be partial at a time like this? Besides, he could not be biased in this matter. After pondering in silence for some time, he cupped his fist and said, “Seniors, although this ship can be used, I’m afraid it will not last for long if you bring it out to the battlefield.”
Ding Yao frowned, “What do you mean by that?”
Yang Kai explained, “The Purifying Light is the foundation that dispels and purifies Black Ink Strength. Although a large amount of Purifying Light has been sealed in the cabin, according to this Junior’s estimate, it is only enough for 100 people at most. In other words, the Purifying Light will be exhausted after 100 people come and go. After that, this large ship will be nothing more than a decoration.”
The Army Commanders exchanged a glance with each other.
Meanwhile, Ding Yao blinked his eyes. He suddenly realised that he had been overly eager after seeing the effects of the Purifying Light ship with his own eyes. Although he had heard rumours about the Purifying Light recently, he did not actually know much about the specifics of the situation. He originally thought that he could kick back and relax once he obtained the large ship. It was not until he heard Yang Kai’s explanation that he learned that the Purifying Light would be consumed with each use. If it could only be used for 100 people, then what was the point?
“Can’t more Purifying Light be sealed inside?” Ding Yao asked.
“Of course, that is possible,” Yang Kai nodded, “But, this Junior has yet to run thorough experiments on how much Purifying Light can be sealed in this ship. That is why I have to ask you to leave the ship here, Seniors. This ship has only just been completed, after all, so nobody knows if there are any hidden faults with it. If you leave the ship here for further observation, this Junior will be able to check on and resolve its flaws more easily.”
Since a single bowl of water could not be split evenly, there was no need to split it at all. The large ship would remain here, and nobody could take it away. His words were not meant as a polite refusal either; rather, checking the ship was really something that needed to be done. Yang Kai could not guarantee that the ship could withstand the test of time or the rigors of battle. That was something he would need to observe carefully to be certain of. By determining these flaws earlier, he would have an easier time working on them in the future.
Ding Yao and the others looked at each other. Yang Kai had already spoken, so how could they not know that nobody was allowed to set their sights on the ship today? Ding Yao came down from the ship following a period of silence.
Meanwhile, Zhong Liang turned to look at Yang Kai and asked, “Approximately how long will it take for you to perform the necessary inspections and verifications?”
“It will definitely take a few months; after all, many issues will not come to light if the time is too short.”
Zhong Laing nodded lightly and said, “Once you verify that nothing is wrong with the ship, we will proceed with mass-producing them. At the very least, we will need four so that each Army will receive one.” He turned to look at Dong Guo An Ping, “Many thanks, Brother Dong Guo.”
Dong Guo An Ping nodded, “Please rest assured, Brother Zhong. Artifact Refining is the duty of Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven. I will live up to your trust.”
“Then, it’s settled.” While speaking, Zhong Laing glanced at the other three Army Commanders. Naturally, nobody had any objections.
Now that the discussion was over, there was nothing that required their attention anymore. In any case, they needed to preside over the battle faced by their respective Armies at the moment and could not stay for much longer. After reminding the others not to reveal the matter regarding the crusade, they hurriedly left the scene.
Likewise, Dong Guo An Ping, Fan Xun, and the others also departed soon afterwards to work on a new warship.
The ship in the Central Square had been dragged out of the storehouse, so it was severely damaged and only just managed to meet the requirements after some patching by Dong Guo An Ping. If they planned to refine a similar artifact for each of the Armies, then they would need to refine brand-new warships designed specifically for this role. More than anything, they would need to focus on defence. This new class of warship could probably do without any offensive abilities, but its defensive abilities would need to be top-notch; otherwise, the losses would be massive if such a warship was damaged or destroyed in battle.
It didn’t take long before only Yang Kai and Feng Ying remained in the Central Square.
“If anybody comes here for help in dispelling Black Ink Strength, just let them in directly,” Yang Kai instructed before he stepped onto the Space Array and teleported into the cabin.
It was just as he had explained to the Army Commanders earlier. The large ship was newly completed, so there were many things that needed to be tested and verified. At the very least, Yang Kai needed to know the limits of how much Purifying Light could be sealed within the cabin. It was easy enough to verify this fact though as he simply needed to cast Purifying Light without stopping until the Grand Array was saturated.
Inside the cabin, yellow and blue lights bloomed continuously from Yang Kai’s hands and immediately transformed into a pure white light. At the same time, he silently calculated the consumption rate of the Yellow and Blue Crystals while paying close attention to the changes in the Spirit Array. He was testing the limits of the Grand Array’s sealing effect, a little bit at a time.
A huge amount of the Yellow and Blue Crystals had been consumed, and it was not until half a day later that he finally stopped his actions. Yang Kai could vaguely sense that the Grand Array in the cabin was about to reach its limits. In other words, it could not accommodate any more Purifying Light.
Looking around, the interior of the cabin was filled with a blanket of white at the moment. The Purifying Light was so dense that it almost felt solid to the touch. In fact, that was not that far from the truth.
Yang Kai calculated the number of Yellow and Blue Crystals consumed and immediately had a grasp on the situation. The Purifying Light sealed inside the cabin was enough for nearly 2,000 Sixth-Order cultivators. The outcome of his experiment satisfied him greatly. 2,000 was quite a big number after all. Based on the information he received from Feng Ying, during the previous wars between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan, the total number of people who got corrupted by Black Ink Strength throughout the war did not exceed this number.
The reason why so many people had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength recently was that they were relying on Yang Kai’s support. They knew that it did not matter even if they were corroded by Black Ink Strength, so they fought freely without any scruples. As a result, the number of cultivators corrupted increased dramatically.
Thanks to Yang Kai’s existence, the cultivators corrupted by Black Ink Strength would not suffer from a decrease in combat power as long as they returned in time for treatment. It was unlike before when they would have to sacrifice a part of their Small Universe in order to escape danger.
If a single ship could be used for 2,000 people, and each army would have its own ship, that meant there was enough Purifying Light for 8,000 people at full capacity. That would be enough even for extended use, such as on a long crusade.
While he was busy working, Yang Kai would occasionally sense others entering the cabin through the Space Array. These people had undoubtedly come to him for help, but now that they had the ship, there was no need for him to personally cast Purifying Light on each person. They only needed to teleport into the cabin, wait for a while, and teleport out of the cabin again for all their worries to be removed. That had saved Yang Kai a lot of time and energy.
After confirming the limits of how much Purifying Light could be sealed in the Grand Array, Yang Kai returned to the deck. Feng Ying had been paying close attention to the Space Array, so she quickly came to greet him as soon as he appeared.
“Were there any problems?” Yang Kai asked.
Although he had verified that the Purifying Light would not escape from the Grand Array, the concentration of the Purifying Light had not been very high at the time. The current situation was no longer the same as before. The Purifying Light sealed inside the cabin was extremely dense, so nobody could guarantee that no losses would occur during entry and exit.
“There were no problems,” Feng Ying shook her head.
Yang Kai immediately felt relieved. It would seem that the ship which integrated both the Artifact Refining and the Spirit Array Daos could perfectly meet the requirements of his original plan. In that case, he could continue with the next step.
After pondering for some time, Yang Kai asked, “Martial Aunt, does the Inner Sanctum contain a Universe Temple?”
Feng Ying was slightly taken aback by his words before replying, “I’ve heard that they exist.”
“You’ve heard?” Yang Kai raised his brow in surprise.
She nodded, “That’s right. It’s because I’ve never seen them myself. It is said that each pass possessed a Universe Temple when they were first constructed. As you know, a Universe Temple makes travelling around very convenient. Even when our people were scattered across great distances, they only needed to activate the Universe Transference Law to return to the Universe Temple. That was why each great pass had its own Universe Temples in the beginning. Unfortunately, the Black Ink Battlefield is different from the 3,000 Worlds. The situation here is rather special, and the existence of the Universe Temples may give the Black Ink Clan a strategic advantage over us; hence, the Universe Temples of each great pass were sealed after several incidents.”
Yang Kai immediately understood after listening to her explanation, “If Black Ink Disciples were to suddenly appear inside the Universe Temple, they would surely cause devastating damage to the Inner Sanctum.”
“That’s right. Aside from the Old Ancestor, who can guarantee that they will not be corrupted by Black Ink Strength? What if they became corrupted by Black Ink Strength and were converted into Black Ink Disciples? They would not be able to disobey the orders of the Black Ink Clan. If they teleported back here, forget how much destruction they could cause to us, even if they merely self-destructed, they could spread Black Ink Strength around and incite panic. That is why, even if there was a Universe Temple in the Inner Sanctum, it would have been sealed a long time ago. No one would be allowed to use it.”
He nodded, “That’s true.”
“Why did you suddenly ask about the Universe Temple?” She looked at him curiously.
Yang Kai smiled and pointed at the cabin, “Martial Aunt, what effect do you think will occur if we arrange a Universe Array inside this ship’s cabin?”
Feng Ying was initially stunned by his words, but her expression immediately changed in the next moment. Whilst she was deep in thought, various ideas flashed through her mind as she murmured to herself, “The reason the Universe Temples were sealed was to prevent Black Ink Disciples from infiltrating and causing havoc, but if we added a Universe Array to the ship’s cabin, then we wouldn’t need to worry about such occurrences. Even if a Black Ink Disciple teleports into this place, the Black Ink Strength in their bodies will instantly be dispelled and purified to restore their true nature.”
With the Purifying Light, all the previous issues that troubled them were no longer a problem.
Feng Ying’s eyes lit up, “Your idea might just work! But…” After saying that, she furrowed her brow, “I don’t think anyone here can arrange a Universe Array. At the very least, there are no such talents in Blue Sky Pass.”
The Universe Temples in the various great passes were as ancient as the great passes themselves. There might have been people who could prepare a Universe Array and construct a Universe Temple in ancient times. Unfortunately, with the closure of the Universe Temples, the means and the knowledge disappeared with the passing of time.
That was intentionally done by the Human Race in order to prevent the relevant personnel from becoming corrupted by Black Ink Strength and the Black Ink Clan from obtaining the creation method of the Universe Temples. The Black Ink Clan was hard to deal with in the first place. If they were allowed to master the mysteries of the Universe Temples, then they would truly be invincible.
“I can do it!” Yang Kai quickly said.
Feng Ying was astonished, “You can arrange a Universe Array!? Aren’t you…”
Yang Kai laughed, “It’s true that I’m completely clueless about the Dao of Spirit Arrays, but Space Arrays and the Universe Arrays are related to the Dao of Space after all. That’s why I dabbled in them slightly.”
Back in the 3,000 Worlds, he had spent over 30 years comprehending the mysteries of the Universe Array. His attainments in the Dao of Space soared as a result, and he ultimately comprehended his Cow Punch Secret Technique from his efforts.
Afterwards, Yang Kai also constructed some Universe Temples in the New Great Territory adjacent to High Heaven Territory so that his disciples could conveniently travel back and forth to investigate the New Great Territory. That was why preparing a Universe Array was not a difficult task to him.
“Do you need me to do anything? Should I gather some helpers?” Feng Ying asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t need any assistance, though I am lacking a few resources. I will need you to help me gather these materials, Martial Aunt.”
“Good!” She quickly nodded in agreement.
A short while later, Yang Kai handed a list of resources to Feng Ying and asked her to procure them for him. This was not a difficult task for her. Blue Sky Pass had its own storehouse, which contained large amounts of cultivation resources and other materials. Most of the items that Yang Kai needed could be found there.
Nevertheless, she would need to inform Zhong Liang and the others regarding this matter and obtain their permission to proceed before she could enter the storehouse to retrieve the corresponding resources.
Upon learning that Yang Kai was not only capable of preparing a Universe Array but was also planning to set one up inside the cabin of the purification ship, Zhong Liang could be said to be both surprised and delighted.
Only less than half a year had passed since Yang Kai first arrived at Blue Sky Pass, but he had brought about numerous miracles in that short time.
The biggest surprise was his means to dispel and purify Black Ink Strength. Other than that, he also worked with Dong Guo An Ping and the others to create a warship that was suitable for a large-scale expedition. In addition, he was planning to prepare the Universe Array in said warship.
As an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it was only natural that Zhong Liang could see the endless prospects for this method.
If they could feasibly carry out this plan, then the Humans scattered around would have a much easier time returning to Blue Sky Pass in the future. They would only need to activate the Universe Transference Law within a suitable range to return to the ship immediately. Furthermore, the ship contained Purifying Light, so there was no need to worry about a Black Ink Disciple infiltrating their ranks. It could even be said that the addition of a Universe Array to the ship made it more suitable for crusading.
Needless to say, Zhong Liang was in full support of the idea. He also gave Feng Ying nearly unlimited authority so that she was free to choose from the resources stored within the storehouse. In short, he was willing to cooperate with Yang Kai completely.
Half a day later, Feng Ying returned with all the materials that Yang Kai needed.
With the required resources in hand, Yang Kai plunged right into work inside the cabin.
Arranging a Universe Array was undoubtedly much harder than setting up a simple Space Array. Although the nature of both Spirit Arrays was essentially the same, the Universe Array was ultimately more profound compared to a Space Array. Not to mention, the layout of the Universe Array was subjected to certain restrictions due to the limited space within the cabin.
The Universe Temples that Yang Kai previously constructed in the New Great Territory were not small in size. Now that he had to operate the Universe Array in a limited space, it became necessary for him to make some minor changes to its Array Chart.
Yang Kai was busy for two whole months. During this period, he made several major changes through repeated trial and error before he finally completed his task. It was fortunate that the ship already contained large amounts of the Purifying Light, so when those corroded by Black Ink Strength came over, he had no need to treat them personally. Otherwise, his task would have taken even more time to complete.
Afterwards, Feng Ying personally tested and confirmed that the Universe Array was functional. Zhong Liang couldn’t help being overjoyed when he received the report on this matter.
Following a delay of two months, Dong Guo An Ping also delivered the first newly constructed warship.
Under normal circumstances, it would have taken at least half a year for Blue Sky Pass to construct a brand-new warship. That was not something that could be refined carelessly after all. The construction of a warship not only required a large amount of manpower, but also an extremely skilled Artifact Refiner to oversee the process.
It was just that Dong Guo An Ping knew the importance of this project. The war was raging fiercely, and the sooner they completed this project, the bigger the role the warship could play for the Human Race. For that reason, he had mobilised the elite disciples of Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven from various places and assembled a workforce of over 100 people. That was how they constructed a brand-new warship in the short span of two months.
The warship was brought to the Central Square, and Yang Kai immediately entered the cabin. He did not begin filling it with Purifying Light immediately and chose to arrange the Universe Array first. It was not until he finished preparing the Universe Array that he sealed a massive amount of Purifying Light inside its hull.
Another month later, this new warship was ready for the defence lines of the Eastern Army.
In the end, Zhong Liang and the others ultimately agreed to give the first warship to Ding Yao. It was not because they could not compete with him for it, but because the battle on the Eastern Army’s side was indeed the most intense. The other three Army Commanders couldn’t be bothered to squabble over such trivial matters either. Since Ding Yao came forward in person to make the request, it was only right for them to show him some respect. Naturally, the most important reason was that each Army would soon obtain a new warship of their own, so there was no need for them to quarrel among themselves.
For both Yang Kai and Dong Guo An Ping, constructing these new warships was equivalent to traversing a familiar path; hence, they could take advantage of parallel production to speed up the process.
Half a year passed by in the blink of an eye, and all three other Armies gained their own Purifying Black Ink Battleship
‘Purifying Black Ink Battleship’ was the class designation Dong Guo An Ping had given this special warship. The name soon spread far and wide, receiving the recognition of the public.
The four Purifying Black Ink Battleships were stationed at the rear of the four armies. Anyone corroded by Black Ink Strength could be rescued immediately, so it was much more convenient compared to the past. Thanks to these four Purifying Black Ink Battleships, the battle between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan became even more intense.
Meanwhile, in the Central Square, Yang Kai suddenly had nothing to do… It used to be very lively here. At least a dozen infected people used to come to ask for help every single day; however, ever since the four Purifying Black Ink Battleships were introduced, nobody came to visit this place anymore. Even if they were corrupted by Black Ink Strength, there was no need for them to come here or for Yang Kai to take action in person either. Each of the Purifying Black Ink Battleships contained enough Purifying Light for 2,000 people to use; therefore, there was enough to last for a long time.
After spending so much time and energy, Yang Kai finally reached his goal. It was time for him to focus on his own affairs now.
On the deck of the original Purifying Black Ink Battleship, Feng Ying was cultivating with her eyes closed when a figure appeared in a flash before her. Yang Kai had teleported out of the cabin.
She opened her eyes to look at him. Although nobody came looking for help during this period, Yang Kai had remained extremely busy. She did not know what he had been working on. She had asked once, but he had not replied to her question; thus, she did not ask further questions.
At this moment, Yang Kai took the initiative to speak, “Martial Aunt, I’ve made some adjustments to the Universe Array. I don’t know what kind of effect there will be, so I’m going to test it out.”
“Good!” She nodded lightly without doubting him.
When he was testing the effects of the Universe Array, he had also personally taken on the task. His reasoning was that it would be easier for him to discover any issues if he performed the tests himself. It would indeed be somewhat inconvenient to leave such tasks to other people; therefore, Feng Ying had no reason to feel suspicious about how he planned to test the Universe Array himself.
“Martial Aunt, please wait for a moment,” After saying as such, he turned and left.
Since Yang Kai planned to test the effects of the Universe Array, it stood to reason that he could not experiment from nearby. He had to go much further for the experiment to be effective.
Once he was out of Feng Ying’s sight, Yang Kai spun around and rushed towards one of Blue Sky Pass’ main gates.
During this period, he had investigated quite a lot about the situation at Blue Sky Pass; hence, he was not unfamiliar with the route.
Not long after he left, Yang Kai saw many people up ahead of him. It was very lively here with a warship moored in a small docking area, and cultivators dressed in the uniforms of the Divine Cauldron Heaven working on it. A series of clanging sounds came from within the large ship, occasionally accompanied by flashing lights. The warship had clearly been in battle as its hull had been damaged.
There were several other similar warships in the docking bay, and several hundred people were scattered around the area. They sat down cross-legged in small groups, each silently circulating their Secret Arts to recover their strength.
Yang Kai observed the scene before him, vaguely guessing that these people were those who had just withdrawn from the battlefield. During this period, he had gleaned a lot of information from Feng Ying and gained a rough understanding of the situation in Blue Sky Pass. Although he had not experienced the fighting for himself, he had no trouble understanding the situation when he saw it.
His sudden arrival did not attract much attention. To these people, time to rest was extremely precious and should not be wasted frivolously. Besides, there were many people coming and going from this area, which provided a great cover for him.
Looking around, Yang Kai discovered that the main gate was shrouded by a barrier and guarded by several elites. They would not release the barrier easily without an explicit order. The sight made him frown slightly. He originally planned to sneak out of the great pass, but it would seem that his plans were not feasible. There was no way for him to leave as long as the barriers around Blue Sky Pass remained sealed.
Turning his head to look around him, Yang Kai decided to wait and see what happened. He found a corner and sat down cross-legged, pretending to be adjusting his breathing. Truthfully, he was feeling extremely anxious inside. This was a rare opportunity, and if he failed, he would never be able to leave Blue Sky Pass again.
Luckily, fortune seemed to be on his side. After waiting for less than an incense stick worth of time, the Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven disciples in charge of repairing a certain warship, had apparently completed their repairs.
A Seventh-Order Master immediately leapt onto the ship and activated it to check its condition. Once he confirmed that there were no problems with the ship, he yelled loudly, “Mountain Battalion, get on board!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, 100 people stood up in a flurry and flew towards the ship. Yang Kai quickly grasped the opportunity at hand. He hurriedly stood up and followed the large batch of people onto the ship.
The Seventh-Order Master swept his gaze over the people on the ship and nodded lightly; then, he turned to look in a certain direction, cupped his fist, and shouted in a clear voice, “Western Army Right Wing Fourth Division Mountain Battalion is prepared to sortie. We request permission to depart for battle!”
A guard glanced over from the top of the inner wall, and Yang Kai quickly hid behind the crowd to conceal himself.
This couldn’t be helped. The person he saw was one of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Division Commanders who arrived at the Conference Hall when Zhong Liang convened all the higher-ups. Although Yang Kai didn’t know his name, if he encountered this Master, he would undoubtedly be identified.
He would never want to be caught sneaking out.
With a solemn expression, the Eighth-Order Division Commander said, “Launch!”
The shield opened at his command, allowing the warship to slowly set sail.
The moment they sailed out of Blue Sky Pass, the atmosphere turned chilly immediately. Yang Kai, who was standing on the deck, peered upward and noticed a massive void. Numerous warships scurried back and forth and occasionally, a profound light erupted from their weapon ports, blasting towards the Black Ink Clan’s Army.
There were Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, who had profound cultivations out on the battlefield battling against the Black Ink Clan.
Black Ink Clouds of all sizes were dispersed around the battlefield, forming something akin to an ocean of murky darkness. The battlefield was also littered with shattered Spirit Provinces.
The Black Ink Clouds were composed of Black Ink Strength that escaped and condensed after the death of a Black Ink Clansmen. And undoubtedly, the shattered Spirit Provinces were pieces of Small Universes that had been left behind after the death of High-Rank Open Heaven Masters. Some might even be pieces of Small Universes that the High-Rank Masters sacrificed during battle.
Explosions and screams of death rang out as fresh blood dyed the void red and black, and every now and then, powerful life auras would disappear.
This battlefield was where countless Black Ink Clan members and Humans were buried. The number of Masters from both sides who had passed away here throughout the war was unknown.
Yang Kai’s blood steadily boiled as he saw the sight in front of him, and a raging fighting spirit began to rise in his chest. He desperately wanted to rush to the Black Ink Clan Army and fight to the death.
But he was also aware of the limitations of his ability on such battlefields, no matter how powerful he may be. The two Races were at odds with one another, and this war involved countless lives. Even the Eighth-Order Division Commanders would not survive charging into the enemy’s army all alone, not to mention a mere Yang Kai.
Additionally, he had his own purpose this time when he snuck out.
He wanted to advance to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm!
His cultivation had been stagnant at the peak of the Sixth Order for many years now. For the time being, secluded retreat appeared useless. There was now only one option left, and that was to seek an opportunity to break his own shackles during a juncture of life and death.
Yang Kai had long intended to do this, and the ongoing war gave him the ideal opportunity.
He was aware that it was impossible for those overseeing Blue Sky Pass to let him accomplish this, though. No one would be concerned if he was simply a typical Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. The life or death of an average Sixth-Order Master wasn’t of much concern as there were literally thousands of other Sixth-Order Masters in the Inner Sanctum. Everyone had been in a brutal battle with the Black Ink Clan and only those with enough strength and good fortune survived.
However, the fact was that Yang Kai’s very existence was extremely important to Blue Sky Pass and, by extension, to the whole Human Race. He wasn’t just another Sixth-Order Master.
Yang Kai had brought the Purifying Light with him, and was capable of arranging Universe Arrays.
It was precisely because Zhong Liang realised Yang Kai’s importance, that he had asked Feng Ying to guard him. Feng Ying was also not an ordinary Seventh-Order Master; she was one of the strongest among them.
There was no doubt that it was a waste of talent now that she could only tightly protect Yang Kai, but it was still an important and essential duty.
Zhong Liang even wanted to assign an Eighth-Order Master to protect Yang Kai, but that was impossible, so a Seventh-Order Master was the next best choice and Feng Ying was the best option.
This alone showed how much importance Zhong Liang attached to Yang Kai.
If Yang Kai told him that he wanted to go to the battlefield and look for a chance to break through by risking his life, Zhong Liang would definitely disagree. Not only would he disagree, he would even ask Feng Ying to keep a closer eye on Yang Kai and prevent him from entering the battlefield.
If Yang Kai was killed, the cost to the Human Race would be too high; after all, he was just a Sixth-Order Junior, meaning his strength wasn’t particularly high.
Countless Sixth-Order Masters had died on this battlefield as one tiny mistake could spell death.
Because of this, Yang Kai kept his desire to join the battle a secret from the beginning, and even Feng Ying, who had been with him for six months, failed to notice any such signs.
After waiting for so long, Yang Kai finally found a good opportunity.
If he succeeded, he would become a Seventh-Order Master, if not, he would have to cultivate patiently in the future and simply wait for an opportunity to break through to come.
However, before leaving, Yang Kai still waited until the four Purifying Black Ink Battleships were delivered, so that even if anything went wrong in the battle, the Purifying Black Ink Battleships in Blue Sky Pass side could last for a while, enough to support everyone until the end of the current battle at least.
If he was still in the 3,000 Worlds, Yang Kai might not be this anxious.
But this was the Black Ink Battlefield. The stronger he was, the higher his chances of survival. The Sixth-Order was too weak, while the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm was barely enough, so he had to give it a try.
Yang Kai went without leaving even a Space Beacon for himself in order to prevent himself from having an escape route, thus increasing the pressure he felt. He did all this only to improve the chances of him making a life-or-death breakthrough.
The Western Army Right Wing Fourth Division Mountain Battalion was a unit under Zhong Liang’s command. Each Army had a total strength of around 8,000 troops with 15 Divisions in total, each of which had 8 or so Battalions.
The Eastern Army was currently engaged in the fiercest combat, while the Western Army was somewhat better off. The Black Ink Clan Army had attacked frequently in the West, but had been repelled each time. They had left many dead bodies after those battles, but they were evidently unconcerned about them.
Yang Kai, who had spent the two years residing in the Black Ink Clan’s hinterland, knew that the Black Ink Nests served as the Black Ink Clan’s foundation. The Black Ink Clan would continue to exist so long as the Black Ink Nests remained standing. Although the Black Ink Clan’s casualties were not small, they weren’t sufficient to force the enemy to retreat either.
The Western Army’s defence line was constructed in the void, some 10,000 kilometres from Blue Sky Pass. This was where warships laid out a tightly defended barrier that would never be broken through by the Black Ink Clan.
The warship of the Mountain Battalion was only a few thousand kilometres away from its destination and sailed swiftly, so it arrived at the battleground soon after it departed Blue Sky Pass.
The Seventh-Order Master at the prow of the warship should be the Mountain Battalion’s Commander, and with his menacing gaze and deep voice, he ordered, “Everyone, follow me to kill the enemy!”
When that was said, the 100 or so members of Mountain Battalion immediately got busy, each of them performing their own duties.
Yang Kai was suddenly caught off guard and didn’t know what to do.
He was able to board this ship, but he was unaware of Mountain Battalion’s distribution of duties. With no other choice, Yang Kai followed a random pair of people to the deck after realising that everyone else had gone to their respective positions to prepare to repel the enemy.
Suddenly, the two ahead of him turned their heads to look at him, and one of them suddenly said in shock, “Senior Brother Yang, why are you here?”
It wasn’t that no one saw him when he followed everyone on the boat earlier, but rather that those who saw him didn’t seem to pay much attention to him. After all, it wasn’t odd for people to be transferred around when manpower needed to be replenished.
Those who were unfamiliar with Yang Kai automatically viewed him as a newcomer.
Who would have thought that at this moment, he met someone who knew him?
As the words fell, Yang Kai raised his head and became speechless.
The man in front of him looked familiar, and although Yang Kai didn’t know his name, it was certain that he was someone who he had treated before.
Before the advent of the Purifying Black Ink Battleships, there were at least hundreds of people treated by Yang Kai personally. Each of these people was grateful to him and made a point of remembering his face, even if Yang Kai didn’t remember their names.
Yang Kai had been afraid of encountering such a situation, but he also knew that there was no way to avoid it. He had saved so many people after all and being exposed was basically inevitable.
“What happened?” The Battalion Commander turned his head towards them and immediately saw an unfamiliar face. He stared at Yang Kai and frowned vigilantly, “Who are you?”
The person who knew Yang Kai said, “Sir, this is Senior Brother Yang,” while hastily cupping his fist.
The Battalion Commander raised his brow. Despite not having returned to the Inner Sanctum to meet Yang Kai personally, he had lately heard the name a lot and asked in shock, “That Yang Kai?”
The person who replied nodded quickly, “Indeed.”
The Battalion Commander was immediately shocked and asked, “Why are you here?”
If this was the Yang Kai he had heard of, he should be in Inner Sanctum at the moment, so how did he get on his ship? He hadn’t received orders to replace any lost manpower as the Mountain Battalion was currently at full strength.
Furthermore, even if manpower had to be replaced, Yang Kai would never have been deployed to the battlefield. The Battalion Commander understood the significance of Yang Kai when he learned about his extraordinary methods. It only made sense for such a valuable asset to be well-protected. How could Yang Kai be sent to the front lines?
It was no small matter that Yang Kai actually appeared on his ship.
Yang Kai quickly thought of an excuse, cupped his hand, and murmured, “Sir, I was ordered by the Army Commander to perform a secret mission. Travelling with you is mainly to conceal my involvement!”
“A secret mission!” The Battalion Commander frowned, wondering what secret mission actually required this man to visit the battlefield in person. He had also heard that, in order to ensure this man’s safety, Army Commander Zhong had entrusted Feng Ying to remain at his side at all times. However, after screening his surroundings, he could find no sign of Feng Ying.
The Battalion Commander was no fool, so it was obvious to him that there was something wrong with this matter.
However, now that his ship had already arrived on the battlefield, and the front line was in urgent need of support, he couldn’t just turn back because of some small doubt.
Without asking more, the Battalion Commander nodded lightly and said, “If that’s the case, you can do what you need to.”
“Many thanks, Sir.” Yang Kai cupped his fist thanking him, turned his head, and spoke a few words to the two men who had first noticed him.
When the Battalion Commander saw this, he tilted his head slightly and ordered another Seventh-Order Master under his command in a stern voice, “Go back and ask the Army Commander what is happening here.”
He sensed that something was off, and since the issue involved Yang Kai, he had to inform Zhong Liang and ask for instructions. Naturally, he had no reason to believe Yang Kai was acting maliciously as this man would never do something to harm the Human Race after saving so many of them already.
“Yes,” The Seventh-Order Master responded and took out a communication artifact.
Back in the Inner Sanctum, Feng Ying stood up and scowled as she scanned the area around the prototype Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
Yang Kai said that he had made some changes to the Universe Array and needed to run some tests, but even after waiting here for half an hour, he had yet to return.
As a result, she became doubtful and wondered if he had perhaps already returned.
This was not impossible, for even the prototype Purifying Black Ink Battleship was equipped with a Universe Array. If Yang Kai really came back, he would be inside the cabin.
With that in mind, Feng Yin teleported in through the Space Array on the deck.
However, all she could see was white in the cabin; the gentle Purifying Light flowed around her body like warm water, but there was no sign of Yang Kai in this empty space.
He obviously had not returned.
Feng Ying left the cabin, now more suspicion than ever. She was perplexed when she unexpectedly noticed a stream of light that had abruptly fallen on the deck from a distance. She fixed her eyes upon him and hurriedly bowed, “Martial Uncle Zhong!”
The person who came was Zhong Liang.
“Where is Yang Kai?” Zhong Liang questioned nervously with an ashen face.
Feng Ying replied, “He said that he made some modifications to the Universe Array and needed to test it out, so he left.”
“How long has he been gone?” Zhong Liang’s expression sank.
“Less than an hour,” As soon as she said that, Feng Ying understood that something was off. Similar experiments were conducted by Yang Kai in the past, but each time he returned quite quickly. He was experimenting with the Universe Array after all, so all he needed to do was to distance himself a little from here and perform the Universe Transference Law to return. How was it even possible for him to take this long this time? The Inner Sanctum had nothing to delay him either.
“Damn it, it really is him!” Zhong Liang exclaimed. He had hurried back from the front line immediately to investigate the matter himself as soon as he received a message from the Fourth Division Mountain Battalion, wondering whether there had been a mistake; after all, why would Yang Kai suddenly sneak out? But after he arrived here, he realised that there was no mistake, Yang Kai had indeed snuck out.
Upon hearing that, Feng Ying asked, “Martial Uncle, is something wrong?”
Zhong Liang ground his teeth in frustration for a moment before sighing in exasperation and muttering, “That brat went out to the battlefield.”
“What?” Feng Ying was shocked when she heard his words, “Why would he go out to the battlefield?”
“How would I know!?” Zhong Liang looked over at the main gate, worried, “I hope we’re not too late.”
After receiving the call from the Fourth Division Mountain Battalion, Zhong Liang rushed to the Inner Sanctum to investigate the matter while also ordering Mountain Battalion to turn back. Before making sure whether the person was Yang Kai, he preferred to err on the side of caution.
However, the battlefield was always in chaos, and Zhong Liang was unsure if the Mountain Battalion would be able to carry out his orders; after all, returning from the front lines was not always simple. If they were surrounded by the Black Ink Clan Army, they would have to kill their way out.
Feng Ying stood there dumbfounded. Yang Kai actually entered the battlefield. What did this brat intend to do? Furthermore, he didn’t even let her know beforehand. It was just truly absurd.
Since Yang Kai was really with the Mountain Battalion, Zhong Liang had no reason to stay here any longer. He had to go and bring Yang Kai back, so he instantly sprang into the air and shot towards the perimeter.
Feng Ying followed closely behind. Zhong Liang had assigned her to protect Yang Kai at all times, but the latter had deceived her and escaped. She needed to be responsible for this.
“He didn’t bring this up to you previously, did he?” As they soared by, Zhong Liang abruptly turned his head to inquire.
“No,” Feng Ying shook her head. She was also perplexed by this series of events, but it was clear that Yang Kai had planned this whole thing out; otherwise, he wouldn’t have to lie and claim that he wanted to go test the Universe Array to get past the gates.
“Has there been anything unusual about his recent behaviour?” Zhong Liang asked again.
Feng Ying responded in shock, “Martial Uncle are you suspecting that he… “
“He has the ability to cleanse and remove Black Ink Strength, and he has a World Spring. He has helped thousands over these past few months, and he led the effort to build the Purifying Black Ink Battleships, which is of great significance to us. I don’t think it’s possible to doubt his loyalty. He should not intend any harm by his action towards Blue Sky Pass or the Human Race. I simply don’t understand why he had to quietly leave. You spent months with him. Didn’t you notice anything?”
Suddenly recalling something, Feng Ying scowled, “Martial Uncle, if I’m not mistaken, he is trying to break through to the Seventh Order!”
“What?”
“When he initially arrived at Blue Sky Pass, he inquired about advancing to the Seventh Order. Later, after treating several Seventh-Order Masters, he would ask them about their breakthrough experiences. I asked whether he was getting ready for his own breakthrough and he frankly admitted that he had reached the peak of the Sixth Order and was just looking for an opportunity to reach the Seventh Order. You are also aware that advancing to the Seventh Order is different for everyone. There are some who retreat to cultivate in seclusions, there are some who have accumulated over a long period of time and simply break through naturally, and then there are those who break through in life-or-death crises in battle. Yang Kai said that he tried entering retreat, but failed. He also said only the Heavens would know when he would succeed using the accumulation method. Since these two methods are useless to him, I’m afraid that he wants to try using the last one to make a breakthrough. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have to go to the battlefield at a moment like this.”
When Zhong Liang heard the words, his face twitched, “That must be it!”
Judging by his actions, that brat must have had this idea for a long time now. He also understood that Blue Sky Pass placed an extremely high value on his own existence; therefore, he had to sneak out because he knew that they would never allow him to go to the battlefield.
After working hard to build the Purifying Black Ink Battleships and leaving enough Purifying Light to support the four Armies for this war though, Yang Kai clearly decided it was his chance to go out and seek battle.
As he began to understand this, Zhong Liang suddenly thought of something and gasped, “Oh no…”
“What’s wrong, Martial Uncle?”
“That brat is probably mentally prepared to not return; otherwise, there would be no need for him to leave so much Purifying Light behind. He’s made up his mind to succeed or die trying and cut off all responsibilities to ensure he doesn’t hesitate!” Zhong Liang replied with an ashen expression.
Feng Ying’s heart clenched. If this was the case, then she would surely be punished for failing her duties, because she didn’t even notice the signs despite being with Yang Kai for such a long time.
Zhong Liang abruptly halted their conversation and pulled out a communication artifact. After swiftly exchanging a few messages, he cursed, “That little bastard!”
Feng Ying turned to look at him.
Zhong Liang ground his teeth and said, “That brat is too slippery. He must have realised that Mountain Battalion was suspicious of him, so he actually escaped from their warship before it could retreat! Mountain Battalion currently can’t locate him either!”
“Ah!” Feng Ying’s face suddenly paled. Yang Kai was just a Sixth-Order cultivator, yet he plunged into the battlefield alone. He would definitely be in grave danger if he did not receive support soon!
“I’ll tan that boy’s hide red once I drag him back!” Zhong Liang angrily roared. Yang Kai knew that he was vital to the Human Race as a whole, yet he dared to take such a risk. How would he explain to the Old Ancestor if anything happened to him?
The Old Ancestor was still recovering in retreat, totally unaware of Yang Kai’s existence, but this incident would definitely have to be reported to him afterwards. Zhong Liang would also be blamed if the key to victory for the entire Human Race over the Black Ink Clan encountered an accident right under his nose. At the very least, he would be stripped of his position as the Western Army’s Commander.
“Martial Uncle, Yang Kai… he’s not weak.” Having worked with Yang Kai to fight their way back from the Black Ink Clan’s domain, Feng Ying knew that Yang Kai’s strength was far beyond that of a typical Sixth-Order Master, and he could even assume his Grand Dragon form, which put him on par with a Seventh-Order Master.
“It makes no difference how powerful he is, how could one man stand against the Black Ink Clan army!?” Even Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Masters perished on the battlefield, not to mention Yang Kai, a Junior in the Sixth-Order. Zhong Liang also knew about Yang Kai’s ability to transform into a Grand Dragon, which at the time, would give him Seventh-Order strength. However, Yang Kai wanted to seize this chance to break through in a life-and-death struggle, so he would certainly not use his Dragon Clan strength as doing so would become a mental crutch, leaving no possibility for him to use this method to achieve a breakthrough again in the future.
In other words, Yang Kai would only use his Sixth-Order strength while in battle.
Zhong Liang was now merely praying that Yang Kai would not approach the Black Ink Clan Army’s core or show off his Purifying Light Secret Technique.
The last time Yang Kai used Purifying Light offensively, he instantly injured a Black Ink Territory Lord, giving Feng Ying an opportunity to kill him.
The Black Ink Clan wouldn’t think too much of it if it was only used once; but, if Purifying Light was used repeatedly, the Black Ink Clan would eventually become aware that it was the nemesis of their Black Ink Strength. Once they realized that, they would spare no effort to eliminate Yang Kai and would almost certainly succeed.
The Black Ink Clan would take whatever necessary measures to execute Yang Kai.
The both of them had hurried out of Blue Sky Pass while they were conversing, but once they were outside, all they saw was the raging battle between the two Races, with thousands of figures flying about everywhere. How were they to locate Yang Kai in this tangled mess?
Zhong Liang’s expression turned dark, and he quickly sent out a message.
Meanwhile, aboard the warship belonging to the Fourth Division Mountain Battalion on the front lines of the battlefield, the Battalion Commander frowned.
After rushing out to the battlefield to confront the Black Ink Clan, Yang Kai used the excuse of performing his secret mission to open the ship’s shields and instantly escape.
Naturally taken by surprise, Mountain Battalion hastily closed the shield to stop any Black Ink Strength on the battlefield from flowing in.
The Battalion Commander also received an order from the Fourth Division’s Commander shortly after, asking him to keep Yang Kai under strict supervision for the time being and immediately return to the Inner Sanctum.
But this message was received too late. Yang Kai had already left and was nowhere to be seen.
There was no other option than to report this issue. As a result, the Division Commander reprimanded him severely, which aggrieved the Seventh-Order Battalion Commander.
Full of grievances and nowhere to vent, he could only let it out on the Black Ink Clan. The warship shuttled back and forth, beams of light blasting out as they rammed into the Black Ink Clan Army, killing many as they went.
Soon after, a group of Seventh-Order Masters from the Battalion leapt out of the ship, activated their Secret Techniques and artifacts, and cut a swath through the surrounding enemies.
This was how the Human Race and Black Ink Clan fought.
Seventh-Order Masters were free to enter the battlefield at their own discretion, while those below the Seventh-Order had to rely on the might of their warships. Both Battalions and Squads worked in this fashion to attack and defend on the battlefield.
Meaning, elsewhere on the battlefield, Yang Kai wielded his Azure Dragon Spear recklessly, slaughtering Black Ink Clansmen wherever he went.
One reason he was currently invincible against his opponent was due to his own strength, but the more important point was that the strength of those in the Black Ink Clan Army was really quite diverse, with many Black Ink Clansmen simply being too weak for Yang Kai to have any trouble with.
This was much unlike the Cave Heavens and Paradises, who only sent Sixth-Order Masters or above to the Black Ink Battlefield. In fact, the only reason there were Fifth-Order Human Masters present at all is because their cultivation had regressed from the Sixth-Order after they repeatedly sacrificed parts of their Small Universes.
The Black Ink Clan was different. Anyone from their army could freely roam the battlefield. There were the Territory Lords and Feudal Lords, who were the strongest in the Black Ink Clan besides the Royal Lords, but there were also Black Ink Clansmen who were only as strong as First-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivators. How could such weaklings be Yang Kai’s opponent?
Therefore, even though there was a huge disparity in numbers between the two clans, with the Black Ink Clan Army always being many times larger than the Human Race Army, the latter had not yet been defeated. Each time, the Black Ink Clan Army would be forced to retreat. With their army diminished, they had to return to their territory to recover, and then made a comeback after dozens or hundreds of years.
Thus, the cycle repeated.
World Force shook wherever Yang Kai’s spear passed, and several Black Ink Clansmen would die. The death of each Black Ink Clansman would cause Black Ink Strength to leak out, which would condense on the battlefield, eventually forming Black Ink Clouds.
Black Ink Clouds would not do any harm to the Black Ink Clan; in fact, they provided them with a tactical advantage as they served as both a form of protection and deterrent.
Before Yang Kai came to Blue Sky Pass, the Human Masters would normally avoid the Black Ink Clouds on the battlefield, both to avoid being ambushed and to avoid being corrupted by the Black Ink Strength.
This sort of ambush happened quite frequently on the battlefield, as the Black Ink Clan would often attack passing Humans while sheltering in the Black Ink Clouds.
However, after the arrival of Yang Kai and his Purifying Light Secret Technique became well known, the Human Masters became unconcerned with the Black Ink Clouds.
When a Black Ink Clansman was injured in the past, he would look for a way to flee into nearby Black Ink Clouds in order to survive as no human would have the audacity to follow him in.
But things had changed now. Even if they took cover inside the Black Ink Clouds, the Human Race Masters would still pursue and attack, catching many Black Ink Clansmen off guard and increasing the number of their losses greatly.
The Black Ink Clan was also confused by this sudden change and couldn’t understand why the Humans from Blue Sky Pass had suddenly become so aggressive.
As Yang Kai fought, attacking all the enemies he encountered, he saw a group of Human Masters fighting nearby. These Masters were all in the Seventh Order, as only such Masters could effectively play a role without the protection of a warship.
He had arrived here immediately after rushing out of the Mountain Battalion’s warship and received little attention from these nearby Seventh-Order Masters as they were all engaged in battle and could not spare him too much thought at the moment. If one was careless in this place, they could end up dead, so who would not focus all their attention on the enemies in front of them?
However, the Seventh-Order Masters in the area soon took notice of Yang Kai. This was unavoidable though, as it was clear from Yang Kai’s aura that he was the only Sixth Order.
It was not that Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would not appear on the battlefield, but in most cases when they did, it indicated that a warship had been destroyed, exposing the Sixth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Masters who were sheltering inside it.
So, after realising Yang Kai’s cultivation, the Seventh-Order Masters assumed that he belonged to that scenario and began to move to protect him.
However, the Seventh-Order Masters were a little taken aback when they witnessed the might of Yang Kai’s spear thrusts. No ordinary Sixth-Order Master could possess such strength.
There were a total of four Seventh-Order Masters close to Yang Kai. The leader of this small group seemed to be an elderly man as his cultivation was clearly the strongest of the four. As for the other three Masters, they were a lanky middle-aged man, a young man who appeared to be around Yang Kai’s age, and a beautiful woman.
A warship followed closely behind this group of four, assisting them from the rear.
These four Masters and the warship which was accompanying them must have belonged to a certain Battalion. Yang Kai, who was already familiar with the distribution of forces in Blue Sky Pass, quickly determined this.
This spot was also where the fighting was the most intense on the front lines of the battlefield.
“Little Brother, which Battalion are you from? Why did you come here?” The lanky middle-aged man slashed out a shocking sword wave, dispersing the Black Ink Clan Army in front of him and giving him a moment to ask Yang Kai amidst the chaos.
“Fourth Division Mountain Battalion!” He simply said.
Technically he wasn’t lying as he indeed came out of Blue Sky Pass with the Fourth Division Mountain Battalion.
The middle-aged man sighed, subconsciously believing that the Fourth Division Mountain Battalion’s warship had been destroyed. Due to this, the boy in front of him was forced onto the battlefield alone, so he said, “Get back on board. You’re not qualified to be out here.”
Coincidentally, their Battalion’s warship was coming up on them. Although Yang Kai did not belong to their Battalion, they were all fighting for the same cause; therefore, taking him aboard their ship was not an issue.
Yang Kai turned to look at this man, raised his spear, and began condensing a scorching power that filled the surrounding void. The cry of the Golden Crow rang out as a Great Sun appeared.
The surrounding void was suddenly illuminated as this Great Sun rose.
The Golden Crow cried out ecstatically as it circled around the Great Sun.
The Great Sun perched itself atop the long spear and Yang Kai thrust it out into a nearby mass of Black Ink Clansmen.
A massive halo suddenly erupted within the Black Ink Clan Army and ignited a region 1,000 kilometres in radius. The blazing force of the light blanketed the landscape, the space itself began warping under the force. A great number of Black Ink Clansmen yelled and wailed before disintegrating into ash under the light of the Great Sun.
With a single strike, at least 10,000 Black Ink Clansmen were obliterated.
The nearby old man’s brow rose as he and the young man looked at Yang Kai in great shock while the beautiful woman exclaimed, “Divine Manifestation?”
They had witnessed the Great Sun’s brilliance, and they knew that it was no ordinary Divine Ability or Secret Technique. It was undoubtedly a Divine Manifestation.
But… how could a Sixth-Order Master have a Divine Manifestation? How was that possible? The four of them almost thought they had seen wrong.
Only Seventh-Order Masters were capable of using Divine Manifestations, and not every Seventh-Order Master had comprehended one. Despite the fact that all four of them were Seventh-Order Masters, only the old man and the middle-aged man who spoke to Yang Kai just now had their own Divine Manifestations, the other two had yet to fully comprehend one.
The young man and the lovely woman exchanged glances as they both noticed the astonishment in each other’s eyes and simultaneously felt somewhat ashamed.
Unlike the two of them, this Sixth-Order Junior could cast a Divine Manifestation, which was simply unprecedented in their opinion.
Although Yang Kai didn’t say anything, his message was clear as he cast a quick glance at the middle-aged man who spoke to him earlier on. [Though I’m an Order lower than you, I’m not that weak. There’s no need for me to fall back.]
The middle-aged man instantly understood as he grinned, though his brow twitched slightly as he spoke, “Since that’s the case, do as you please. Just be careful, kid. On the battlefield, you can only rely on yourself, don’t count on anyone saving you if you find yourself in trouble.”
With that said, he re-focused his attention on his own battle.
Although the Great Sun eliminated a large number of enemies, the Black Ink Clans soon regrouped. These enemies, surrounded by Black Ink Strength, seemed almost inexhaustible.
Back near Blue Sky Pass’ defence line, Zhong Liang and Feng Ying strained their eyes as they scanned the battlefield.
As the Western Army Commander, Zhong Liang had issued an order to all the Battalions to search for Yang Kai, but due to the chaotic nature of the battlefield, the actual number of people who could seek out Yang Kai was quite limited.
As a result, Zhong Liang had gotten no useful information up to this point. He only knew that after Yang Kai escaped the Fourth Division Mountain Battalion, he flew off into the battlefield alone. Nobody knew his whereabouts now.
Suddenly, somewhere out on the battlefield several tens of thousands of kilometres away, a distinctive explosion of light occurred.
Zhong Liang’s expression changed as he immediately looked over.
He remembered the first time he saw Yang Kai casting Purifying Light on the battlefield; the bright and pure white light was a sight never before seen in this war.
With the eruption of that white light, the Black Ink Territory Lord who battled against Zhong Liang was badly injured and subsequently killed by Feng Ying.
Right now, what caught their eyes was not a pure white light though, but a dazzling orange-red light like a small Sun.
Zhong Liang felt both relieved and disappointed.
He was relieved that it wasn’t the Purifying Light as he was concerned that Yang Kai might reveal it again in the heat of battle. It would be too obvious that it could suppress the Black Ink Clan once that happened, and the leaders of the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t naturally not ignore such a threat, putting Yang Kai into a risky position.
However, he was disappointed as it didn’t provide any clues about Yang Kai’s whereabouts.
On the other hand, Feng Ying’s eyes lit up as she shouted, “Martial Uncle, over there!”
She pointed to where the little Sun erupted.
“That was created by Yang Kai?” Zhong Liang frowned.
“Golden Crow Casts the Sun! That’s his Divine Manifestation!” Feng Ying said, nodding.
“Divine Manifestation? He has a Divine Manifestation?”
“Although it is unbelievable, he does. I saw him use it once as we were making our way back here,” Feng Ying confirmed.
Due to this event, Feng Ying was able to locate Yang Kai, making it a stroke of luck in this chaotic battlefield.
Zhong Liang gaped, unsure what to say.
A Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master possessed a Divine Manifestation? This was something never heard of or seen before. What sort of Heaven-defying aptitude did it require for Yang Kai to possess a Divine Manifestation in the Sixth Order? But the words came from Feng Ying, so it shouldn’t be a mistake.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Zhong Liang raged.
[Well, you never asked…]
Everyone was drawn to Yang Kai’s Purifying Light when he arrived at Blue Sky Pass; they knew he had mastered the means of restraining Black Ink Strength and thus had great hopes for this method.
Who would have paid attention to Yang Kai’s own strengths and aptitude at that point?
Forget about if Yang Kai was a Heaven-defying talent, even if he was a mediocre individual, Purifying Light was all that was necessary to make him critical to the Human Race and someone who had to be protected at all cost.
“Adjutant!” Zhong Liang abruptly yelled.
A Seventh-Order Open Heaven young woman rushed over, cupped her fist, and shouted, “Sir!”
“What’s the situation with the Eastern, Northern, and Southern Armies?” Zhong Liang asked anxiously.
The woman quickly replied, “The Three Army Commanders have responded and agreed to cooperate with the operations here!”
“Good! It appears that they are also aware of the severity of the situation and will not be a hindrance,” Zhong Liang replied solemnly, “Pass down my order. With the reinforcements from the other three armies, we will launch a full offensive!”
The four armies of Blue Sky Pass were organised into four defensive lines. This was a traditional formation that had not changed in hundreds of thousands of years. There were of course instances where one Army would require help from another, but in general, each Army functioned separately in order to hold their own defence line and repel the Black Ink Clan.
This time, however, in order to save Yang Kai from the chaotic battlefield, Zhong Liang couldn’t care less. So, he notified Ding Yao, Liang Yu Long, and Shen Tu Mo to send some of their forces here to assist him so he could bring Yang Kai back.
The other Army Commanders were shocked when they heard the news. They cursed Yang Kai for being so foolish to sneak out to the battlefield. Worse, no one knew where he was, or even whether he was still alive or not.
Still, as the only user of Purifying Light, his existence was critical to the entire Blue Sky Pass and even the Human Race as a whole. He could not be allowed to die.
The other three Army Commanders severely reprimanded Zhong Liang as they responded to him, blaming him for his lack of supervision. They then immediately made adjustments to their forces to send a portion of them back to the Inner Sanctum so that they could rush from there to the Western Army defence line to rescue Yang Kai, who was on the Western Army’s battlefield.
This was the safest option; otherwise, it would be too tough for reinforcements from the three Armies to fight their way to the Western front.
There were always more than 30,000 people in Blue Sky Pass, and each army contained around 8,000 each. The size of the force was more than enough to deal with the Black Ink Clan’s siege, but as a result of the Army being split up, the battle at the other three fronts grew increasingly tense.
The three Army Commanders did not hesitate to send around 30% of their forces to provide reinforcements, which essentially doubled the amount of troops there were on the Western front.
These Masters, who had returned, were presently gathered in Blue Sky Pass’ main square. The mission was unknown to them, but each Division Commander had already been given instructions.
‘Do whatever it takes to locate Yang Kai on the battlefield and ensure that he is brought back safely!’
In the meantime, the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Armies all gave up on their advantages on the battlefield and pulled back to the area around Blue Sky Pass. By shrinking their outer perimeter, they ensured that even with fewer forces, they could hold the line, especially with the assistance of Blue Sky Pass’ own defensive armaments. However, this mission had to be completed quickly to avoid any accidents taking place.
The Black Ink Clan saw what happened, and the Territory Lords in charge of the Black Ink Clan Army were perplexed by this. They had no idea why the Human forces had abruptly reduced by so much; however, given this opportunity, they would undoubtedly make the most of it. In mere moments, Blue Sky Pass was tightly surrounded on three fronts.
As for the Western Army, Zhong Liang, who had already ascertained Yang Kai’s whereabouts, instantly killed his way out of the Inner Sanctum, directing Feng Ying in that direction.
But, as soon as Zhong Liang emerged, he was met by a Black Ink Clansman with a powerful aura. The tall and imposing figure was obviously a Territory Lord with immense Black Ink Strength.
Because Zhong Liang foresaw this scenario, he had borrowed men from the other three Armies.
The lethality and deterrent of Eighth-Order Masters was outstanding on the battlefield, so the Territory Lords would obviously not remain silent once such a Master appeared. Those with weaker cultivations would have no means to intervene in a battle between such powerhouses.
Similarly, the Eighth-Order Masters on the Human side would do the same once a Territory Lord was sent out by the Black Ink Clan. The two parties had essentially come to an unspoken agreement about such things after battling for so long.
“Go!” Zhong Liang commanded Feng Ying as he cast a gaze across the battlefield and fixed a glare on the Territory Lord who was heading in his direction.
Feng Ying nodded. Though she had killed a Territory Lord once before, that was only because that Territory Lord was already seriously exhausted and injured, and had been further wounded by Yang Kai’s Purifying Light. If she really encountered a Territory Lord herself, she would definitely not be his opponent. Furthermore, she had something more important to do, which was to bring Yang Kai back safely.
“Be careful, Martial Uncle!” Holding a razor-sharp sword, Feng Ying charged into the battle. From behind her came a powerful clash of power as Zhong Liang engaged the Territory Lord somewhere in the void.
As soon as the two Masters clashed, a radius of several thousand kilometres around them was evacuated as neither side dared to approach them. This was a battlefield solely for the two of them!
Warships and Masters surged towards the Black Ink Clan’s lines as a dozen Eighth-Order Masters also rushed out from behind the surging Western Army.
The Humans became increasingly aggressive, stunning the Black Ink Clan. For many months now, the Humans had been entirely on the defensive and never launched counter-attacks unless they had a decisive advantage.
This was certainly not the situation right now, though, so the Black Ink Clan were quite confused about the Human Master’s thinking.
The Black Ink Clan still responded swiftly when they noticed several Division Commanders being sent out against them. Territory Lords from the Blank Ink Clan’s rear appeared one after another to meet the enemy.
Eyes from the two sides of Great Experts clashed in the void, unleashing endless murderous intent.
Only a moment later, the Eighth-Order Division Commanders and the Territory Lords clashed. Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques bloomed, and the universe trembled as figures transformed into streams of light and surged towards one another.
However, the Human side was undoubtedly at a disadvantage due to the imbalance in the numbers, with some Division Commanders having to engage two Territory Lords at once. Zhong Liang experienced a similar situation. He was quickly met by a Territory Lord as soon as he stepped onto the battlefield, but it was not long before another Territory Lord emerged and joined the fight.
The Human side had always had a disadvantage when it came to numbers against the Black Ink Clan though, so all the Eighth-Order Masters had experienced fighting two enemies at once.
Deep into the battlefield, Yang Kai silently slaughtered enemies around him.
He came to advance to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, and for this reason, he deliberately made up an excuse to deceive Feng Ying and used others to sneak out of Blue Sky Pass.
However, when he arrived on the battlefield and became completely immersed in the fight, he had no time to ponder on his breakthrough. All he could do was focus and give it his all in battle.
He cooperated with the four Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters nearby and it was not long before the number of Blank Ink Clansmen that died at his hands became countless.
Initially, the old man was worried that Yang Kai couldn’t keep up with their pace and intensity, but as time passed, he surprisingly found that though Yang Kai was a mere Sixth-Order Master, his headcount was not lesser than theirs. Moreover, he seemed to have no trouble keeping up with and even coordinating with them.
They worked together as if they had been comrades for years.
This realization made the old man and others feel relieved, and soon they simply considered him another Seventh-Order Master.
Yang Kai, fighting on this battlefield, soon discovered a peculiarity. Under the premise of them being in the same realm, the average strength of a Black Ink Clansman was weaker than that of a Human Master.
Yang Kai, for instance, easily butchered many High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen that were equivalent to Sixth-Order Masters; however, none of these enemies was on par with the Sixth-Order Masters he knew.
In Void Land, there were plenty of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters with varying depths of heritage. As a result, their strength varied greatly as well. Nevertheless, none of the High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen here would be a match for even the weakest Sixth-Order Master in Void Land.
In fact, Yang Kai first became aware of this issue when he was following Feng Ying back to Blue Sky Pass; however, at the time, he paid little attention to it. Back then, before he could even take action, the majority of Black Ink Clansmen would be dealt with by Feng Ying and the others while he focused on saving Black Ink Disciples. Thus, at that time, he only at best cleaned up the leftovers.
Prior to that, Yang Kai had pretended to be a Black Ink Disciple for two years, so he had not fought any of them during that time.
It was only now that Yang Kai was able to confirm his original suspicions.
Even so, until now, he had only fought those below the Black Ink Feudal Lords, so he did not know whether this trend was consistent among the stronger Black Ink Clan Masters.
“Watch out, the Feudal Lords are going to launch an attack!” A cry was heard from the beautiful woman.
Yang Kai’s heart clenched upon hearing that. Wasn’t this the moment he had been looking for?
This was the first time he participated on the defensive side of the war between the two races, so he didn’t know much about the situation on the battlefield. On the other hand, the old man and his comrades were very clear that the higher ranking a Black Ink Clansman was, the less they cared about their lower clansmen’s life or death.
Every time the two races fought, the Black Ink Clan would send forth its weaker members to wear down the Human Army. Only after grinding down the Human’s strength would the real Masters from the Black Ink Clan show up in an attempt to catch the enemy off guard.
The old man and the others had been fighting for about two hours already, yet they had not encountered a single Feudal Lord during this time. It was clear what the enemy was up to.
As soon as the word came out, a figure suddenly rushed out from a dense Black Ink Cloud close to the old man.
The old man frowned before extending his hand and directly charging towards the approaching enemy.
The Feudal Lords, who had been hiding all this while, all took action simultaneously, emerging from the Black Ink Clouds to launch an ambush. The middle-aged man, young man, and beautiful woman were instantly pinned down. To top it all off, the middle-aged man was actually caught between two powerful enemies.
Several Feudal Lords rushed towards the warship and began bombarding it. However, the Humans had long gotten used to dealing with such tactics. Furthermore, warships were all refined with this exact situation in mind, so even without any High-Rank Master on board, with the aid of powerful defensive and offensive artifacts, the weaker Human Masters could still hold off such an assault.
The Black Ink Clan immediately became fiercely entangled with the Battalion, Yang Kai was accompanying.
Suddenly, a rather slender female Black Ink Clansman leapt out of a large group of enemies and sent a palm strike out at Yang Kai.
Caught off guard, Yang Kai was sent tumbling by this sudden attack. The next moment, he frowned as he realised that this female Black Ink Clansman was actually a Feudal Lord!
Apparently, she had hidden in the group of Black Ink Clansmen previously while concealing her strength, causing Yang Kai to not notice her until she struck.
The female Feudal Lord resembled a typical Human in terms of her physical form. She even wore revealing clothing, and the black lines that covered her exposed flesh gave her entire figure a bewitching appearance.
She glanced at Yang Kai with cold eyes and was surprised that he survived her sudden assassination attempt.
Since the two races had been at war for so long, they had a fair understanding of each other’s strengths. While she was hiding in the Black Ink Clan Army, she noticed that Yang Kai was only a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, whereas she was a Feudal Lord on par with a Seventh-Order Human Master. It didn’t make sense that he had survived her sneak attack.
However, she soon began to giggle, her long, crimson, forked snake-like tongue licking her lips seductively.
Her figure then flickered and transformed into a black cloud of smoke.
Yang Kai’s heart clenched as he instinctively thrust his spear forward.
Subsequently, the figure of the female Feudal Lord was revealed, avoiding the deadly spear and appearing directly to his left. She patted him lightly with her seemingly soft little hand, but her palm strike contained a Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering power.
Yang Kai just barely managed to block the blow with his spear.
*Hong hong hong..*
Yang Kai countered three successive palms but was forced to retreat several hundred metres before somehow stabilizing himself. At that moment, he could feel the vitality in his chest roiling and fresh blood threatened to leak from his lips. With nothing more than stubborn will, he forcefully choked back down the metallic liquid.
The female Feudal Lord was now genuinely stunned, to the point where she didn’t use this opening to kill Yang Kai. Rather, she gasped slightly as she stared at him.
[This Human seems different from the others. He’s clearly in the Sixth-Order, but he’s considerably stronger than any other Sixth-Order Human I’ve killed before.]
On the opposite side, Yang Kai brandished his spear, sweeping clean all the Blank Ink Clansman that were charging towards him, reducing them to a cloud Blank Ink Strength. He then aimed his spear at the female Feudal Lord and smirked, “You really are quite weak.”
He had now confirmed his earlier hypothesis. Under the premise that they were in the same relative realm, the Black Ink Clan Masters were indeed weaker than their Human counterparts. Yang Kai had not been certain about this before; after all, he had not faced a Feudal Lord alone before now. It was only after he traded blows with this female Feudal Lord that he was able to verify his speculations.
It was also at this moment that Yang Kai figured out why this odd dichotomy was.
In order to reach the Open Heaven Realm, Humans needed to cultivate for a very long time. There were no shortcuts to this process, even if the person wanted to only make an initial breakthrough to the First Order. What’s more, after reaching the Open Heaven Realm, it required a lot of time and effort to advance to the next Order; therefore, no matter which Order a Human Master was in, their foundation and heritage would be much stronger compared to those from the Black Ink Clan, whose cultivation was fundamentally different. The Black Ink Clan were born from the Black Ink Nests, and their advancement also depended on it. As a result, while they needed less time to develop than Human Masters, their strength was not acquired through personal effort and comprehension, thus it was not as refined.
Unfortunately, Black Ink Strength was incredibly corrosive and a strong deterrent to Humans, restricting them in combat to a great extent, which compensated for the Black Ink Clan’s lack of raw strength.
In that sense, even if there was a one-on-one battle between a Feudal Lord and a Seventh-Order Master, it was impossible to predict who would prevail.
Of course, this was all before Yang Kai appeared.
With his arrival, the Humans possessed the means necessary to purify and disperse Black Ink Strength; thus, it no longer posed as much of a threat to them. It didn’t matter if their Small Universe got unintentionally contaminated as long as they weren’t fully corrupted by the Black Ink Strength. They simply had to return to a Purifying Black Ink Battleship before losing themselves entirely, and the issue would be instantly resolved.
This was also the reason why Zhong Liang and the other Army Commanders put so much importance on Yang Kai’s existence, to the point that they actually re-assigned thousands of Masters just to rescue him and bring him back from the battlefield.
In addition to boosting morale, the ability to purify and dispel Black Ink Strength also increased the battle efficiency of the Human Army, enabling them to go all out without fear.
Regardless, a Feudal Lord was still a Feudal Lord, a Master on par with a Seventh-Order Human. Yang Kai would never lower his guard against such an opponent.
Although his words were provocative, his expression remained solemn.
The provocation proved to be successful. Possibly as a result of her own attack failing twice, the female Feudal Lord was completely furious. Not only did she fail to kill Yang Kai, but there weren’t even any signs she had been able to seriously injure him. She immediately let out a piercing scream and rushed towards him.
The Feudal Lord released a massive cloud of Black Ink Strength, which was so dense it instantly turned into a gigantic Blank Ink Cloud, engulfing Yang Kai inside of it.
She now believed it would be too kind to simply kill this arrogant Human who was looking down on her despite being weaker. Thus, she made the decision to turn him into her own Black Ink Disciple, so she could torture him for a long time to come.
Deep inside the Black Ink Cloud, Yang Kai put on a guileful expression as he instantly understood his enemy’s plan. Unfortunately for her, she had chosen the wrong target.
The female Feudal Lord swam freely through the Black Ink Cloud, believing Yang Kai must be feeling flustered as all Humans so far would struggle to perform well in such a situation.
She didn’t assault Yang Kai immediately; instead, she wanted to enjoy the misery of her enemy, a rare interest she had on the battlefield.
To her astonishment though, what came next was a sharp flying blade. This attack shocked the female Feudal Lord, who quickly dodged to the side as soon as she sensed it approaching.
Followed by a slight pain in the cheek, where it had been injured by the attack, black blood stained the palm of her hand as she reached up to wipe it.
The female Feudal Lord was truly incensed now. How could she have allowed such a weakling to injure her? Unfortunately, the next moment, her fury turned to panic as a storm of attacks flew at her incessantly.
Realizing she had greatly underestimated her opponent, the female Feudal Lord knew that dodging here would only cause her to fall into a disadvantage, losing any opportunity to counterattack.
With no other choice, she clenched her teeth and hurled herself at her attacker, sending out a flurry of palm strikes to meet the enemy head-on.
The Black Ink Cloud roiled turbulently as violent energy fluctuations and deafening rumbling sounds continuously erupted from it.
Yang Kai pushed his Supreme Limitless Spear Art without restraint. Every thrust, sweep, and slash carried with them the essence of his lifetime of cultivation.
Likewise, the female Feudal Lord refused to back down. She found Yang Kai’s behaviour irritating, and she wished for nothing more than to make him submit before her.
Inside the dense Blank Ink Cloud, the pair engaged in a deadly melee.
At some point, Yang Kai was sent tumbling, his eyes reddening as he panted hard and stared at the hazy figure in front of him. His clothes were shredded and fresh blood was dripping from hundreds of wounds that covered his body. Even his face was stained with golden blood, showing how mercilessly he had fought.
The female Feudal Lord’s palms were not her real weapons. After engaging several hundred blows with her, Yang Kai had deeply understood that it was actually her razor-sharp claws that she was using to deal damage. Her nails were so hard and sharp that it really made him wonder how she cultivated them.
At that same time, her claws were imbued with dense Black Ink Strength that acted like a kind of poison. Whenever he was wounded, Black Ink Strength would seep into his body.
If a normal cultivator suffered such injuries, they would quickly be corrupted by Black Ink Strength and degenerate into a Blank Ink Disciple.
Of course, Yang Kai had no such worries. He had a World Spring in his Small Universe that could perfectly suppress and seal Black Ink Strength, making him practically immune to its corrosive effects.
The battle between the two had only lasted a dozen breaths or so, yet Yang Kai was already looking quite ragged.
He wasn’t the only one struggling though, as the female Feudal Lord was not feeling much better than him. She had underestimated Yang Kai’s strength greatly and had fallen into an unfavourable position. Despite the fact that she made a concerted effort to regain control of the battle, the Azure Dragon Spear had left its mark on her, especially on her lower abdomen where the spear had almost pierced right through her, drawing a thick stream of black blood from a grievous wound.
Her clothes, which were originally quite revealing, were now completely torn, leaving her practically naked.
Still, she licked the fresh blood from her lips with her long tongue and glared at Yang Kai with hatred in her eyes. Wiping her hand across the wound on her abdomen, she snarled, “Just you wait, once you’re my Black Ink Disciple, I will make you beg for dea…”
From the thick black cloud, a fist suddenly emerged in front of her eyes and slammed hard into her pretty face. The female Feudal Lord instantly felt as though she had been hit by the entire Universe World, as the immense force sent her flying.
“You talk too much!” Yang Kai ripped off his torn shirt and revealed his chiselled muscles. As he stretched himself slightly, his body made a cracking sound, after which all the cuts he suffered stopped bleeding and closed up.
Contrastingly, flashes of golden stars appeared before the female Feudal Lord’s eyes. That punch left her in a bad state as she felt her nose being broken and tears were now streaming down her face.
If it had been a weaker Black Ink Clansman who took that punch, their head would have exploded on the spot.
Fortunately for her, she had responded quickly when she realised something was off and condensed her Black Ink Strength to defend herself. Even so, she had been badly injured.
The power of that punch genuinely frightened her.
What was more unbelievable was the fact that her Black Ink Strength didn’t seem to have any effect on Yang Kai at all. Forget about corrupting him, he didn’t even seem to notice its existence at all.
Somehow managing to stabilize herself inside the Black Ink Cloud, she gasped to steady herself.
The hazy figure in front of her quickly approached though, as a menacing voice rang in her ears, “Come! This fight is just getting started! I won’t take advantage of you, so bring out all your skills! Today, either you die, or I perish!”
The female Feudal Lord’s brow furiously twitched and she involuntarily took a step backwards. Her instincts were telling her to turn around and flee, but what face would she have left if she really did that? She was only facing a Sixth-Order Human Master, if she ran from such an opponent, she wouldn’t have a place in the Black Ink Clan in the future.
The female Feudal Lord quickly realised what Yang Kai meant when he said that he ‘wouldn’t take advantage of her’.
He actually put away his artifact and then leapt towards her, throwing out his fists as he flew.
She dodged the attack by diving to the side as rage began surging within her. She was even angrier now that she was being looked down upon and mocked by a mere Sixth-Order Human. With a fierce cry, Blank Ink Strength erupted from her and she assailed Yang Kai, her razor-sharp claws serving as her weapons as she slashed wildly.
Ignoring her attack entirely, Yang Kai raised his fist and punched out, engaging in a deadly melee.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Black and golden blood splattered out. The pair even began coughing up blood onto each other’s faces as their bodies trembled fiercely.
In just a short time, the female Feudal Lord’s ferocity was quickly dulled, as the momentum she had collapsed.
She hadn’t met a Human like this before. Everyone in the Human Race had viewed death slightly differently in critical situations and there were indeed times when her enemies would choose to drag Black Ink Clansman down with them in death. However, Yang Kai was the first Human she had encountered who was so vicious.
[How is he Human? He’s more like a ravenous beast!]
What made her even more terrified was that the erosion of Black Ink Strength seemed to have no effect on him. Even with the help of her sharp claws, there was no evidence of Black Ink Strength corrupting him.
She was quite hopeful that it would still take effect. If it did, she could take him down with ease once her Black Ink Strength had completely corrupted him. She might even be able to obtain a powerful new Black Ink Disciple. It had to be noted that capturing a Black Ink Disciple on the battlefield was something to be proud of in the Black Ink Clan. However, even now, this man’s consciousness remained crystal clear.
Not only that, the power from each of his punches was heavier than the previous one. There were no signs of him weakening at all.
She was well-versed in regards to Humans and was aware that their Small Universes served as a foundation of their cultivation. If the Small Universe was disrupted, it would affect their strength.
Logically speaking, after all these violent clashes, Yang Kai’s combat ability should have been reduced.
But it was the complete opposite for him!
Additionally, close combat was not her forte.
The dreadful thought that she would perish at the hands of this strange Human slowly crept into the female Feudal Lord’s mind. She was terrified when this notion crossed her thoughts, and she seriously considered fleeing.
After another clash, the female Feudal Lord suddenly tried to shake off Yang Kai and retreat.
“Want to run?” Yang Kai glared fiercely. He did not immediately chase after her, but rather his body shook and the Void stretched infinitely as Space Principles surged.
Near Distant Horizon!
The female Feudal Lord was shocked to discover that no matter how hard she tried to escape, she was unable to move away from Yang Kai due to some strange power engulfing her.
[What is this Secret Technique?!] Despite the fact that she had no idea what the mystery of this Secret Technique was, her fingers were moving as swiftly as the wind, and she immediately broke free of its restraints by disrupting the space around her.
In the end, she was still stronger than Yang Kai in terms of realms; thus, Near Distant Horizon couldn’t trap her for long.
But thanks to this moment of delay, Yang Kai successfully caught up to her, and the fierce battle continued.
Outside, on the battlefield, Feng Ying wielded her long sword. She was one of the strongest Seventh-Order Masters in Blue Sky Pass, so no one other than a Black Ink Territory Lord could stop her.
All around her, Sword Qi flashed as Blank Ink Clansmen died before Feng Ying even approached them. Even a Black Ink Clan Feudal Lord could hardly resist three strikes from her sword. They could either flee or fight on knowing they would die.
She had not used her Divine Manifestation, but if she did her strength would only increase further.
Feng Ying once killed a Territory Lord, even if she did so with Yang Kai’s assistance, so it was clear she had an incredibly strong heritage.
She kept moving forward, with many allies helping her clear the way, and eventually reached the front lines of the battle. At the spot where Golden Crow Casts the Sun had previously erupted, she turned around and looked in all directions. Her Divine Sense surged, but she was unable to locate Yang Kai at all.
Her face suddenly sank. Could it be that she was too late and Yang Kai had already been killed?
Two Feudal Lords were besieging a Seventh-Order Master nearby, and he was in danger of dying at any moment. Even though Humans were somewhat stronger than those from the Black Ink Clan in the same Realm, two fists could not block four strikes. Once two Feudal Lords joined forces, most Seventh-Order Masters would not be their opponent.
Slashing out with her sword, Feng Ying struck the two Feudal Lords and forced them to retreat temporarily.
“Have you seen Yang Kai?” She urgently questioned, grabbing the collar of the Seventh-Order Master before he re-engaged the two Feudal Lords.
The old man who was caught by her, was stunned and asked, “Who’s Yang Kai?”
Suddenly, Feng Ying remembered that not everyone knew who Yang Kai was, or what he looked like. She realised that she might not be able to learn anything by asking this question, so she instantly changed the question to, “Have you seen a strange Sixth-Order youth?”
“You’re looking for him?” The elderly man instantly knew who she was referring to.
This old man was one of the four Masters that Yang Kai had been cooperating with before. There were innumerable Sixth-Order youths on the battlefield, but Feng Ying must have her reason for asking, so the old man recalled a certain Sixth-Order Master right away.
“Where is he?” Feng Ying was nervous about the response she would receive; she was afraid the answer was not what she wanted to hear.
The old man’s expression suddenly darkened, and he pointed to a specific area, saying, “In there, dealing with a Feudal Lord.”
Looking in the direction he was pointing, Feng Ying noticed a sizable gathering of Black Ink Clouds.
Feng Ying’s heart clenched.
“That brat was very strong, but unfortunately…” The old man let out a small sigh. He would have liked to look after Yang Kai on the battlefield if it were possible, but unfortunately, he was entirely preoccupied with dealing with the two Feudal Lords who surrounded him and couldn’t render any aid.
The old man didn’t know how Feng Ying was related to Yang Kai, so he simply blurted out, “My condolence!”
He was almost positive that the Feudal Lord had already killed the boy; after all, even if it was him, his fate would not be pleasant if he were to fight inside those Black Ink Clouds.
“He won’t die so easily!” Feng Ying gritted her teeth. She had witnessed Yang Kai’s abilities. What’s more, Yang Kai still had a World Spring, and would not be corrupted by Black Ink Strength. He could even transform into a Grand Dragon…
But she was also aware that Yang Kai would not simply transform into his Grand Dragon Form even if his life was in danger solely because he entered the battlefield this time to seek an opportunity to break through. Transforming into a Grand Dragon simply meant he failed to accomplish his goal.
Feng Ying sped towards the Black Ink Cloud as soon as the words were spoken.
The very next moment though, a sudden change occurred.
Two entwined figures suddenly burst out of an enormous Black Ink Cloud. The two were so close to each other, it was as if they were one person. The murderous aura emanating from the two figures made one’s blood run cold.
Feng Ying’s eyes lit up as soon as she recognized that one of the figures was Yang Kai.
[He’s still alive! He can still be saved!] Just when Feng Ying prepared to rush to his rescue, she stopped abruptly, her expression odd.
The old man was also shocked when he looked over.
It was the previous female Feudal Lord who was entangled with Yang Kai, with his arms tightly encircled around her body like chains.
This was only possibly because her figure was quite small. If she was like most Black Ink Clansmen, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to use his arms to tie her up like this.
It was possible to imagine the intensity of the power of Yang Kai’s physique as fresh blood continued to spew forth from the mouth of the female Feudal Lord. The bones in her upper body had been crushed, and it was clear that her chest had caved in slightly. Her pain was visible in the twisted expression on her face.
Yang Kai’s shirt was gone, leaving him half-naked, while the female Feudal Lord was also almost completely naked in her shredded clothing.
Feng Ying and the elderly man were at a loss for words as they observed this scene.
Naturally, this had not been part of Yang Kai’s original plan, it was just that the female Feudal Lord was constantly trying to escape. Even though he once used Near Distant Horizon to stop her, he might not be able to do so if she tried again.
In order to prevent his opponent from fleeing, Yang Kai had to resort to this.
Although his cultivation was one Minor Realm lower than his opponent, the ferocity of Yang Kai’s strength was enough to battle against this female Feudal Lord. As she was struggling to escape, more of her bones broke and stabbed into her organs, causing her immense pain.
With her life on the line, she held nothing back, but because she was unable to use her arms as they were currently bound, she used her knees to kick and struggle against Yang Kai’s lower half. Fortunately, Yang Kai was prepared for this as well, and as a result, he managed to wrap his legs around hers and lock them in place. It was this scene that appeared in front of Feng Ying and the others.
Yang Kai unleashed a vicious headbutt, causing him to see stars while knocking the female Feudal Lord’s head back. A large bump even formed on Yang Kai’s forehead as a result, but he couldn’t care less at the moment. The female Feudal Lord, of course, didn’t just lay there waiting for death and fought back with everything she had. The sound of their battle echoed all around.
All the Open Heaven Realm Masters gasped when they saw this scene. It was the first time they had witnessed such a scene even after fighting against the Black Ink Clan for so long. Yang Kai’s brutality was simply shocking.
[Where did this guy come from…]
Predicting that Yang Kai was going to headbutt her again, the female Feudal Lord stretched her slender neck, resulting in his attack missing its mark.
The next instant, her stretched-out head abruptly bounced back. Her cherry lips parted to reveal the fangs in the corners of her mouth as she bit towards the nearest exposed target.
Feng Ying had come to help immediately after recognizing Yang Kai’s figure, but she was too late, as she had to witness the female Feudal Lord’s teeth sinking into Yang Kai’s neck with her own eyes.
Feng Ying’s heart nearly stopped at that precise moment.
If Yang Kai died here, it would be an immeasurable loss to the entire Human Race. Even though she wanted to aid him, Yang Kai and the female Feudal Master were literally entangled with each other, so she did not dare to simply intervene; all she could do was move close and prepare to assist at a moment’s notice.
Suddenly, a resounding Dragon Roar sounded through the void, and before Feng Ying’s eyes, Yang Kai, who had been bitten by the female Feudal Lord, unleashed the power of his Dragon Vein. His head shook and transformed into a Grand Dragon’s head, with sharp horns and a flowing beard.
Although his head turned into that of a Dragon, his body remained Human, giving him a very strange appearance.
The Dragon Head turned in a swift movement, opened its giant maw, and bit brutally into the female Feudal Lord’s slender neck, letting her get a taste of her own medicine!
Feng Ying’s face twitched when she saw this strange scene. Yang Kai and the female Feudal Lord seemed to be hugging, with their heads pressed against each other’s necks, like a pair of passionate lovers. Of course, the murderous intent that radiated from them made it clear that they wanted nothing more than to kill one another.
Dragon Roars and piercing screams sounded continuously, as fresh blood spewed everywhere.
Shortly after, the Dragon Head suddenly pulled back, and the female Feudal Lord’s head was ripped clean off. A bewildered and incredulous expression hung on her face as her vitality swiftly dissipated.
Fresh black blood poured out like a fountain from the place where her head had been torn off.
Meanwhile, the Dragon’s jaw crunched hard, while the body previously imprisoned in Yang Kai’s arms was burst by a violent force.
Yang Kai raised his head to the sky after spitting out the filth in his mouth and roared.
On the chaotic battlefield, his figure terrified numerous Black Ink Clansmen; none daring to approach him.
The battle with the female Feudal Lord was truly dangerous, but his enemy had looked down on him too much, allowing Yang Kai to gain a decisive advantage. The female Feudal Lord tried her hardest to reverse the situation, but in such close quarters, her options were severely limited. In the end, she eventually lost and died in battle.
The next moment, Yang Kai felt someone rushing at him and instinctually threw out his fist.
Feng Ying became pale in shock and immediately flourished her sword to deflect the punch while at the same time shouting, “Yang Kai!”
Upon hearing his name, Yang Kai brought his fist back and locked eyes with the person approaching from behind. His blood-red eyes flashed, and his violent impulses finally began to subside. He then nodded to Feng Ying, and the massive Dragon Head returned to its original form.
Feng Ying took a deep breath as she looked down at his neck. A bite wound on Yang Kai’s neck was vivid and clear. A deep gash that made it a fair way through his neck demonstrated just how much strength the female Feudal Lord used at the very end. If Yang Kai hadn’t reacted quickly enough, Feng Ying might actually have had to collect his corpse.
Nevertheless, fortune had favoured him. Yang Kai appeared to be seriously injured, but such a wound was actually not a major issue to a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
“Have you come to your senses?” Feng Ying inquired.
Killing a Black Ink Feudal Lord all on his own was a major accomplishment for a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but Feng Ying felt that in that life-or-death battle, Yang Kai had completely lost track of his surroundings and given in to his battle instincts; otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to punch her when she approached him.
Yang Kai nodded in response, feeling a little guilty.
“Army Commander Zhong has ordered you to immediately return to the Inner Sanctum!” Feng Ying remarked.
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed, “I’m part of the Human Race too!” The connotation was he wanted to contribute on the battlefield between the two races.
Feng Ying gritted her teeth as she solemnly warned, “On the battlefield, orders are absolute. Yang Kai, don’t make things difficult for me!”
She came here to get Yang Kai to return. Even though she knew exactly why he had come to this battlefield, a breakthrough to the Seventh Order was something that should not be rushed. His safety was of utmost importance. Feng Ying really didn’t know what she should do if Yang Kai insisted on not returning. She couldn’t force him to obey, could she?
“Martial Aunt, I’m not officially a member of Blue Sky Pass, so the Army Commander’s orders can’t restrain me,” Yang Kai grinned.
When she heard those words, Feng Ying was taken aback. Yang Kai was indeed not registered in Blue Sky Pass. Although he had been there for some time, with the ongoing war and the vital role he had to play, there was simply no time for Yang Kai to officially register himself, let alone be assigned a position in one of the Armies.
Feng Ying couldn’t argue either if he insisted on using this reasoning.
In a daze, Yang Kai dashed away, heading straight towards the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and Black Ink Clan Feudal Lords who were still battling it out nearby.
Feng Yin hurriedly chased after him, advising him bitterly as she travelled side by side with him, “Yang Kai, consider the big picture.”
“I’m just a Sixth-Order Junior. I don’t know what ‘big picture’ you’re talking about. All I know is that the Black Ink Clan is here, and that agitates me,” Yang Kai replied nonchalantly.
As the words fell, the pair had already closed in on a Black Ink Feudal Lord.
This Feudal Lord, along with another comrade, was originally fighting the old man, but he was now diverted away by Yang Kai, which immediately eased the pressure on the elderly man.
Seeing how stubborn Yang Kai was acting, and realizing that this chaotic battlefield was not a suitable place to convince him, Feng Ying clenched her teeth, drew her fingers across her blade, and shouted, “Myriad Swords Dragon!”
With a loud clatter, thousands of sword waves emerged behind her. These sword waves were so dense that they were practically solid, with sharp Sword Qi emanating from them. The sword waves quickly gathered towards her, forming the body of a 1,000-metre-long Sword Dragon. As for Feng Ying herself, she was perfectly hidden inside the head of the Sword Dragon.
The Dragon roared, and it shot directly towards the direction of Yang Kai and the Feudal Lord.
When he saw this, the Feudal Lord, who was fighting against Yang Kai, became pale with fright. The Black Ink Clan was well-versed in their enemy’s tactics and abilities, so, at a glance, he recognised the Myriad Swords Dragon as a Human Master’s Divine Manifestation. How would he have the audacity to take it head-on?
Immediately, he tried to flee, but how could Yang Kai allow that? Immediately, Space Principles flared and shackled the Feudal Lord in place.
Frozen for an instant, the Feudal Lord watched helplessly as the Sword Dragon opened its terrifying maw and devoured him in one gulp.
Yang Kai was also devoured by the Sword Dragon along with the Feudal Lord as he was just too close for Feng Ying’s attack to succeed without avoiding him, not that she planned to either.
Once Yang Kai entered the Sword Dragon’s belly, he vividly felt the deadly murderous intent and the rich Sword Qi around him, but he remained unharmed.
On the contrary, the Feudal Lord, who had been devoured by Feng Ying’s Sword Dragon too, cried out ceaselessly as his body was viscously cut to pieces.
A short while later, the aura of the Feudal Lord disappeared, indicating that Feng Ying had killed him; even so, she had no intention of letting Yang Kai out. The massive Sword Dragon turned around and began rushing back towards Blue Sky Pass.
If Yang Kai refused to return to Blue Sky Pass, she would just capture him and bring him back herself.
However, just as she turned to leave, Feng Ying’s expression changed. This was because Yang Kai was thrashing around inside the Sword Dragon’s belly, attempting to break free.
Yang Kai was rapidly covered in wounds despite Feng Ying’s best efforts to restrict her Sword Qi. He clearly has no intention of compromising. His relentless efforts proved how he would not stop until he escaped or she allowed him to leave.
Feng Ying felt like stomping her foot in frustration. Of course, she could lock Yang Kai in the Sword Dragon, but doing so would only result in a lose-lose situation.
After some thought, the Myriad Swords Dragon opened an exit, and Yang Kai emerged outside in an instant.
“Smelly brat, what do you think you’re doing?” Feng Ying raged.
“We collaborated quite well just now, how about we join forces to kill some enemies?” Grinned Yang Kai as blood dripped from his wounds.
“You want to join forces with me?”
“I have the power to restrict the enemy’s movements, and you have the power to eliminate them. We complement each other perfectly!”
Feng Ying’s thoughts shifted as she looked at him from top to bottom, “Is that your only intention?”
Yang Kai replied nonchalantly, “You’re here already. What other intentions can I have?”
Seeing his sincerity, Feng Ying nodded slightly, “I hope that’s the case.”
Forcing Yang Kai to return was basically impossible, so she would have no other option but to guard him since he insisted on staying on the battlefield. Rather than just being by his side guarding him though, it was preferable to work with him to eliminate some enemies. As Yang Kai stated, the restrictive abilities of Space Principles was extremely useful, and the power of the Myriad Swords Dragon was overwhelming. With the two of them joining forces, only a Territory Lord would be able to stop them.
Of course, Feng Ying also had made other considerations before agreeing to Yang Kai.
Seeing how Yang Kai was acting, he seemed to have given up on his original purpose of coming to the Black Ink Battlefield.
The purpose of sneaking out was undoubtedly to grasp the opportunity to break through while treading the fine line between life and death. However, the atmosphere of the battlefield had influenced him, causing him to fully immerse himself in it, seeking the blood of the enemy wholeheartedly. This caused him to change his priorities.
Thinking about it logically, Feng Ying felt that agreeing with Yang Kai to join forces was her best option, as it would allow her to guard him as closely as possible.
However, if this was done, Yang Kai’s chance to advance to the Seventh Order by risking his life in battle would be lost.
It was impossible to put Yang Kai in danger with her protection unless a Territory Lord came after them, but all the Territory Lords were tied up dealing with the Eighth-Order Masters.
That was why Yang Kai said that he had no other intentions now that the situation had reached this point. There was no way to carry out his initial goal even if he wanted to. With a Seventh-Order Master like Feng Ying constantly protecting him, there would be no chance for him to experience any near-death situations.
The instant Feng Ying nodded, Yang Kai bolted and stood atop the Sword Dragon’s Head.
The Sword Dragon shook its head and flicked its tail, crashing into the nearby Black Ink Clan Army. Wherever it passed, a reign of chaos descended. The pair had a clear target, the Black Ink Feudal Lords. The other Black Ink Clansmen they killed along the way were nothing more than a bonus.
A moment later, the Sword Dragon dashed to the vicinity of the nearby warship, which was currently under siege by two Feudal Lords. Thankfully, the warship was a carefully refined artifact, so its protective shields were very powerful. Not to mention, there were many Human Masters on board, so even if they were besieged by two Feudal Lords, they could deal with them for some time and even spare some attention to thin out the surrounding Black Ink Clansmen.
Before the Sword Dragon could reach them, the two Feudal Lords had already noticed it, so one of the massive Feudal Lords came forward, attempting to intercept it.
He moved swiftly, but all of a sudden, a figure mysteriously appeared in front of his eyes and obstructed his path.
While the Feudal Lord was slightly taken aback, Yang Kai had already taken action, using Space Principles to lock the surrounding space.
As soon as the Feudal Lord’s huge figure froze, the Sword Dragon opened its terrifying maw and devoured him, killing him soon after.
Elsewhere, the defence lines of the three Eastern, Southern, and Northern Armies shrank as they retreated towards Blue Sky Pass under the onslaught of the Black Ink Clan Army.
This couldn’t be helped. Originally, the three Armies were still holding their ground and even had some small advantages over the Black Ink Clan.
However, Zhong Liang had to put down his dignity and ask for assistance from the other three Armies to bring Yang Kai, who snuck out of Blue Sky Pass, back. The three Army Commanders, Ding Yao, Liang Yu Long, and Shen Tu Mao, knew the importance of Yang Kai, so without hesitation, they sent a portion of their Armies to assist.
Thus, the three Armies could now only switch to a defensive stance, or their lines would collapse.
After the division of the Armies, the defending Open Heaven Masters became immensely agitated. The majority were unaware of what had occurred, they simply knew there were fewer allies on their side and they had to pull back in order to withstand the Black Ink Clan’s vicious assault.
But this kind of deployment couldn’t last for long as the defence lines were at risk of being breached. Once that happened, the Black Ink Clan Army would be able to directly assault Blue Sky Pass. Though it would still be hard to conquer the great pass, casualties would be unavoidable, and if that happened, the foundation of the entire Human Race’s position would be in danger.
The three Army Commander’s expressions darkened. Inside, they were cursing Yang Kai for being so reckless and willful. This battlefield was not a place where one could simply act as they wished. If they managed to bring him back to the Inner Sanctum afterwards, they would strictly monitor him to ensure he never snuck out to the battlefield again.
Approximately 30% of the three Armies immediately retreated back to Blue Sky Pass and gathered in the central square. Then, they quickly raced to the Western Army’s defence line.
Some 7,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters drew their artifacts and began their attack on the Black Ink Clan.
In an instant, the Black Ink Clan was overwhelmed.
On the Western front, the Black Ink Clan was initially on par with the Western Army; however, the sudden influx of reinforcements was like an entire additional Human Army had appeared. How could the Blank Ink Clan deal with this? One after another, Feudal Lords were killed and even some Territory Lords began to falter. The Western Black Ink Army descended into chaos, and the Humans took advantage of the situation to slaughter as many as they could. They would definitely not pass up this chance to deal damage to the enemy.
On the Western defence line, having at some point disengaged from the Territory Lord he was previously battling, Zhong Liang stood, peering out at the situation.
He had already received a message from Feng Ying, who was on the battlefield. Despite the fact that the battlefield was chaotic and deadly, taking some time to deliver a message was not at all a problem.
Yang Kai had been located, but as he refused to return, Feng Ying could not force him back; moreover, the location they were at was already at the forefront of the battlefield where they could come face-to-face with Black Ink Clan Masters at any time. Any negligence could result in disastrous consequences.
Feng Ying also said that Yang Kai had given up his intention of achieving a breakthrough, and was now cooperating with her to kill the enemy. Their efforts had proved fruitful already.
She proceeded to send out a message asking whether they should continue to kill or convince Yang Kai to return.
Zhong Liang frowned. Yang Kai had obviously given up his intention to break through, and Feng Ying was protecting him. What’s more, the brat had a World Spring, so there was no risk of him being corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Under such circumstances, being out on the battlefield was not too dangerous.
After all, all the Territory Lords in the Western region were being dealt with by the Eighth-Order Masters. As long as no Territory Lord took action against them, Feng Ying and Yang Kai would be able to defend themselves.
But there were also all the what-if situations. What if both of them accidentally fell into the trap and got surrounded by the enemy? Two fists couldn’t block four strikes.
Yang Kai’s existence was just too vital to be jeopardised. So, after some thought, Zhong Liang responded, urging Feng Ying to convince Yang Kai to return to Blue Sky Pass no matter what. Even if it required her to break his arms and legs to bring him back, it had to be done.
Feng Ying replied less than an incense stick later, stating that persuasion failed. Yang Kai insisted on remaining on the battlefield to contribute and indicated that if Feng Ying forced him, he would immediately escape from her sight, which Yang Kai had proven he was capable of by using Space Principles right in front of her.
Feng Ying continued to report that although she was definitely stronger than him, if he really had the intention of escaping, she couldn’t stop him.
“That little bastard!” Zhong Liang cursed, [This brat is too stubborn! Does he not know how important he is!?]
He couldn’t be persuaded to return, so all they could do was force the battle to end as quickly as possible so Yang Kai would have no choice but to withdraw. Zhong Liang immediately sent orders to the Division Commanders to fight harder and either kill the Territory Lords or force them to retreat.
It was only by doing this that the battle would end and Yang Kai would be forced to return, even if he didn’t want to.
The current force on the Western side was nearly equal to two full Armies, which proved too much for the Black Ink Clan. With every breath, large numbers of Black Ink Clansmen were slaughtered, and the sounds of Masters dying emerged one after the other on the battlefield.
After half a day, the Western Black Ink Army had been forced back almost 100,000 kilometres. The Human Masters were constantly pressuring them and continuing to slaughter them mercilessly.
Suddenly, Zhong Liang’s female adjutant approached, cupped her fist, and said, “Sir.”
“Speak!” Zhong Liang had been studying the flow of the battle and estimated it would only take another half a day to clear the Western Army’s front. By that time, he could call it a day and withdraw the army.
“The other three Armies have urged us to act quickly and return their manpower as they are on the verge of being defeated.”
Zhong Liang turned his head in shock and asked, “So quickly?”
He had borrowed troops from the three armies, and knew that such an action would have consequences; after all, the four sides of Blue Sky Pass were only holding fast rather than advancing before now. Withdrawing 30% of the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Armies would undoubtedly put a heavy strain on them. While the Western Army had an overwhelming advantage, the other three armies would have to pay a steep price. However, Zhong Liang didn’t expect the situation to become so bad so quickly. He believed it would be a simple matter for the three other armies to maintain their lines for a couple of days at least.
Contrary to his expectations, only half a day had gone by before this scenario played out.
The adjutant then replied, “The Black Ink Clan have seemingly gone mad. They are ignoring the costs and assaulting the three armies without regard for their casualties.”
Zhong Liang’s brow furrowed. The Black Ink Clan was acting unusual, but he couldn’t figure out why, so he didn’t think too hard before he ordered, “Send them this message, tell them to hold for half a day more no matter what; after that, I will go there in person to assist them!”
The adjutant nodded and quickly carried out her orders.
On the Northern, Southern, and Eastern defence lines, Ding Yao, Liang Yu Long and Shen Tu Mo received Zhong Liang’s reply. The first thing they did was curse Zhong Liang for not supervising Yang Kai properly and allowing this mess to happen in the first place, but immediately after, they reorganized their lines to assume a complete defensive posture, ceasing all attempts to counterattack the enemy. The Army Commanders even set out personally to battle against the Territory Lords in order to buy more time for the Western Army.
The fact that the three Army Commanders battled in person was inspiring to the Human Masters, and the Black Ink Clan Army’s reckless assault also resulted in many casualties on their side. It was not long before the Black Ink Army began losing momentum after suffering so many losses, but they still refused to withdraw for some reason.
On the Western Army’s defence line, the Black Ink Clan army had retreated repeatedly, now having been pushed back almost 200,000 kilometres. The void along the way was littered with Black Ink Clan corpses, showing the heavy losses they had taken in this battle.
Two hours later, as the Western Army was cutting into the rear lines of the Black Ink Clan Army, a peculiar situation arose on the Eastern Front.
The Black Ink Clan Army, which had been almost suicidally attacking the Eastern Army’s defences, suddenly came to a halt for some reason, and after a brief rally, turned around and flew off.
The Eastern Army Commander, Ding Yao standing in the void, gawked in shock at the scene. He had no idea why the Black Ink Clan Army withdrew all of a sudden.
An adjutant standing nearby cheered, “Army Commander, the Black Ink Clan is retreating!”
Ding Yao snorted, “I can see that, I’m not blind!”
The adjutant awkwardly cleared his throat and said nothing further.
An injured Division Commander nearby frowned and muttered, “But, why? Army Commander, do we pursue them?”
The adjutant hurriedly warned, “Sirs, this might be a trap. The Black Ink Clan may be trying to lure us out.”
The Division Commander did not argue his point, as he had similar concerns. The Black Ink Clan had never done anything like this before. They appeared to have evacuated their soldiers, but in reality, they might be digging a pit and waiting for the Humans to jump into it. If it was really a trap, they couldn’t go after them, or they would be caught.
Just as the adjutant’s words fell, he received a communication and hurried to inspect it. A moment later, he raised his head with a perplexed expression, “Army Commander, the Black Ink Clan on the Southern and Northern Fronts have also withdrawn.”
Ding Yao turned his head hurriedly and asked for confirmation, “The Black Ink Clan to the North and South also retreated?”
The adjutant nodded firmly, “Word was passed from both sides. They are also asking us what the situation is here.”
Ding Yao was now dumbfounded. The Black Ink Clan withdrew its troops from the Eastern, Southern, and Northern Fronts. What exactly were they up to?
Whatever the Black Ink Clan’s intentions were, such a large-scale three-sided retreat did not appear to be part of some elaborate trap. There were simply too many risks with this type of grand plan. Defeating an entire army, as the expression goes, is as difficult as collapsing a mountain. Such a large re-organization of the Black Ink Clan’s deployment would leave them scattered and out of position, rendering any kind of trap they wanted to set useless, at least for a while.
So, after a brief hesitation, Ding Yao shouted, “All units, pursue the enemy!”
The adjutant was startled and hurriedly discouraged, “Army Commander, we should be wary of tra- Ah!”
Ding Yao kicked him in the butt and snapped, “Trap my ass! What kind of trap could there be in this situation? Inform the Northern and Southern Armies about my decision, and ask Liang Yu Long and Shen Tu Mo to make their decision quickly!”
He was the Army Commander of the Eastern Army, so he could not command them to do anything, but Ding Yao believed that Liang Yu Long and Shen Tu Mo would make the correct decision; after all, they had been fighting alongside each other for thousands of years. They understood one another perfectly.
Right after he gave the order, Ding Yao rushed out first, followed by numerous Human Masters from the Eastern Army. In an instant, the Human Army began pursuing the retreating enemy.
The adjutant got up and stomped angrily as he watched the Army leave before hastily sending a message to the Northern and Southern Armies. He then hurriedly followed the Army forward.
Ding Yao’s judgement was swiftly proven correct. Liang Yu Long’s Southern Army and Shen Tu Mo’s Northern Army immediately made the same decision when they received the message stating that Ding Yao ordered his Army to pursue the retreating enemy. Within moments, other than those who had to stay behind to tend to the wounded, tens of thousands of Human Masters set out to attack the enemy from three different directions.
On the Eastern Army side, Ding Yao led the charge to hunt down the Black Ink Clan. He was initially a bit worried that the Black Ink Clan was really scheming something, but after chasing them for a while, he discovered that the enemy appeared to have no plots in mind. It was a true retreat, with no traps along the way.
This made him completely relieved, and to the Black Ink Clan Army who made a beleaguered retreat, they would show no mercy.
It was not when the two massive armies were facing one another in a large-scale battle that massive casualties were incurred. Although there would be losses in conflicts when they were battling each other, the casualties suffered would be minimal as long as the difference in strength between the two sides was not too big.
What truly led to mass casualties was when one party lost the will to fight and was forced to escape. Great results could naturally be achieved when chasing down a disorganized, fleeing enemy as the pursuing side could focus all their attention on attacking.
This was the scenario that the Eastern Army found itself in right now.
When the Black Ink Clan Army saw that the Human Army was pursuing and attacking them from behind, they sacrificed some of their troops to block the Eastern Army. Needless to say, these Black Ink Clansmen were rapidly wiped out.
The whole of the Eastern Army was deployed, so Masters were as numerous as clouds and naturally they dealt significant damage to the enemy.
The same situation occurred with both the Northern and Southern Armies as well. The number of Black Ink Clansmen killed was so high they couldn’t be counted anymore.
Ding Yao and the others weren’t sure why the Black Ink Clan retreated at first, but after pursuing them for some time, they realized that the Black Ink Clansmen were all heading in the same direction.
The Western Front!
The Black Ink Clan Armies in the North, South, and East, were all racing towards the West to provide assistance.
When Ding Yao and the rest discovered this, they hurriedly sent a message to Zhong Liang to alert him of the situation. Zhong Liang was shocked as well when he heard the message, because he never anticipated the Black Ink Clan to respond in such a manner.
It made no sense! Although the Black Ink Clan on the Western Front were defeated and were fleeing due to Zhong Liang borrowing so many reinforcements, the Black Ink Clan Armies in the North, South, and East did not need to risk coming here to rescue them. All the enemy needed to do was continue to attack Blue Sky Pass to overturn their defeat on the Western Front. Given what Zhong Laing knew of the Black Ink Clan, he wouldn’t be surprised if they were willing to sacrifice their entire Western force if they could breach Blue Sky Pass’ defences on the other three sides.
Unlike the Human Race, the Black Ink Clan cared little for their fellow clansmen, so they wouldn’t provide support to each other at the risk of their own lives and benefits.
There was definitely something wrong here, but for a while, Zhong Liang couldn’t figure out what the problem was.
However, this had provided him with a tremendous chance. Initially, he had to take a lot of risks by borrowing troops from the three other Armies. This approach aided the Western front, but thinned the lines on the South, North, and East.
The original plan was for him to wait until the fighting on the Western Front ended before he sent reinforcements to the other three fronts.
But the Black Ink Clan had apparently become impatient for some reason and was now all but handing victory to them. Zhong Liang, who had served as Army Commander for thousands of years, was extremely sensitive to the ebb and flow of the battlefield, so he did not miss this chance to capitalize on the situation.
Immediately, he sent orders to redeploy the army.
On the Western battlefield, the Human Masters quickly seized the initiative and began dividing up their forces. Some pursued the remnants of the Black Ink Clan’s Western army while another portion turned around to meet the enemy reinforcements.
At the same time, Zhong Liang himself also disappeared from where he stood and hurried towards the battlefield. Ding Yao and others were already fighting on the front lines, and every asset that both Blue Sky Pass and the Black Ink Clan possessed had been deployed. It was almost predetermined that the Black Ink Clan would lose this war now, so there was no need for Zhong Liang to restrain himself.
Soon after, Zhong Liang reached the front lines. The divided Army had already prepared itself and was just waiting for the command to attack. When they saw the Army Commander arrive, their gazes sharpened and they readied themselves to charge.
When the Division Commanders came to enquire about the situation, Zhong Liang did not hold anything back and informed them of the changes on the other three fronts, drawing happy cheers from all around.
They understood the situation just as well as Zhong Liang did.
They all recognised that the Black Ink Clan had made a huge blunder this time.
“Here they come!” One of the Division Commanders said soon after.
Everyone turned towards Blue Sky Pass and saw three massive Black Ink Armies moving in their direction like tidal waves. These groups were undoubtedly the Blank Ink Clan Armies from the North, East, and Southern Fronts.
Behind those three Armies, were the Humans who were closely chasing after them. They were the Armies led by Ding Yao and the other Army Commanders.
During the pursuit, the Black Ink Clan was taking heavy casualties, with life auras disappearing en masse.
Soon, the Black Ink Clan Armies that retreated gathered together. Likewise, the Human Race Armies rendezvoused like many streams flowing into the ocean.
The split force from the Western Army held their ground, waiting for the enemy to arrive. As the Black Ink Clan Army took in the situation, many of them wanted to turn around and flee; however, Zhong Liang had been waiting for this moment in person, so he certainly wouldn’t allow the Black Ink Clan to do as they wished. Drawing his sword, he lifted it high and roared, “With me men, kill!”
As soon as his words dropped, his body transformed into a stream of light as he crashed towards the approaching Black Ink Clan army. Following him were the Eighth-Order Division Commanders, and behind them was the rest of the Army.
Divine Abilities pummelled the Black Ink Clan Army even before they arrived, and in the blink of an eye, the Black Ink Clan suffered massive casualties.
Ding Yao and other Army Commanders lead their forces into the fray, showing no mercy.
In the void, the Black Ink Clan Army from the East, North, and South sides, who had just gathered together, were now surrounded and besieged.
World Forces continuously erupted as the light of Diving Abilities and Secret Techniques set the void alight. The situation soon descended into chaos.
Even taking its entire history into consideration, Blue Sky Pass had not engaged in many battles of this scale. Previously, Blue Sky Pass’s defenders were separated into four Armies that each fought independently of one another. It was the same for the Black Ink Clan. The current condition, though, was essentially all of Blue Sky Pass’ forces against all of the Black Ink Clan Army in one, massive melee.
On their way to the West to provide support, the Black Ink Clan had already taken significant losses from Ding Yao and the other three Armies pursuit, and now they were halted by Zhong Liang’s Army from the front. They were assailed from both sides, forcing them into a passive position where they couldn’t counterattack at all.
The number of Feudal Lords that had fallen was simply uncountable, and even three Territory Lords had perished in less than half an hour.
The Black Ink Clan Army, like any cornered beast, naturally fought back fiercely. They tried their hardest to break through, but the more desperately they struggled, the greater the casualties they suffered.
At the front lines of the Western battlefield, Feng Ying’s Divine Manifestation was in shambles and no longer possessed its original power.
Yang Kai had been standing on top of the Dragon’s head, working with Feng Ying to kill the enemy all this time.
More than a dozen Feudal Lords had perished at the hands of these two, but their resistance before death could not be disregarded. Yang Kai and Feng Ying both suffered a lot, especially Yang Kai, whose bare chest was covered with scars and blood, making him look equal parts terrifying and miserable.
But to him, it didn’t matter as long as the injury wasn’t fatal.
The massive commotion behind him of course drew Yang Kai’s attention, and as he turned his head to look back, and saw that the two Races’ armies were locked in battle some distance away and he exclaimed in shock, “Why are there so many Black Ink Clansmen coming from behind us!”
Feng Ying also noticed the situation behind him and commented, “They should be reinforcements from the other three fronts.”
“It seems that the battle on the Western Front is so intense that the Black Ink Clan can’t hold on any longer,” Yang Kai smirked.
He assumed that the Black Ink Clan Armies from the other three fronts came to assist because of the disadvantage they suffered on the Western Front, but Feng Ying had the feeling that something was amiss.
Compared to Yang Kai, who was new to the Black Ink Battlefield, Feng Ying had been here for thousands of years and had some grasp of the Black Ink Clan’s way of thinking. Typically, even if the war on the Western Front was very intense, the Black Ink Clan on the other three lines would never come to support them. Instead, they would attack Blue Sky Pass more and more aggressively with no regard for the lives of their allies.
However, despite the fact that she had no idea why this was happening, the reality in front of her was clear. The Human Race had achieved a significant advantage, and after this battle, the Black Ink Clan would definitely suffer severe losses.
On the Western Front, the reinforcements Zhong Liang borrowed from the three other Armies were in charge of intercepting the reinforcements from the Black Ink Clan, while the original Western Army was still in charge of advancing.
It was impossible for everyone to turn around and intercept the Black Ink Clan reinforcements, otherwise, the original Western Black Ink Army would assault them from behind, and in the end, the Human Race would also find itself besieged from both sides.
The Black Ink Clan on the Western Front was still trying to retreat. Having taken huge losses over the past day or so though, they were unable to withstand the assault of the Western Army.
The Sword Dragon shook its head and flicked its tail, charging towards a Black Ink Feudal Lord. The High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen along the way all burst and died as the sharp sword waves brushed across them.
The Feudal Lord, who apparently had sharp perception, sensed the approaching crisis and instantly turned his head to stare at Sword Dragon and roared. His initially large body expanded as rich Black Ink Strength lingered around his figure. Next, a fierce punch was thrown towards the Sword Dragon.
With one punch, space shook.
Yang Kai, who was standing atop the Sword Dragon’s head, abruptly stepped forward and his Azure Dragon Spear thrust out at the Feudal Lord without hesitation.
When the violent energies collided, Yang Kai flew out while coughing up blood. On the other side, the Feudal Lord cried out in pain as his gigantic hand was pierced through by the Azure Dragon Spear, causing fresh black blood to gush out.
Without giving him a chance to recover, Feng Ying’s Sword Dragon instantly transformed into thousands of sword waves and began pelting the Feudal Lord. Despite his best efforts to repel them, the Feudal Lord was swiftly pierced by hundreds of blades.
Yang Kai, who had previously been blasted away, flickered and appeared right before his target. Channeling his strength, Yang Kai cast his Divine Manifestation and the Great Sun directly struck the Feudal Lord’s chest.
A massive hole was silently formed in the Feudal Lord’s chest, and with a conspicuous flash of sword light, Feng Ying, whose Divine Manifestation had collapsed, found its mark.
A massive head flew up, and black blood gushed into the void. The massive body of the Feudal Lord staggered before collapsing in a dead heap.
Feng Ying spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, her expression somewhat languid.
She could not maintain her Divine Manifestation anymore; furthermore, killing that last Feudal Lord had cost her and Yang Kai a lot.
The Great Sun’s afterglow was particularly noticeable, shooting forward like a small Sun and scattering a massive Black Ink Cloud in front of it.
Yang Kai and Feng Ying helped steady each other, but just as they were about to head for a nearby warship to recover, they felt a shiver run up their spines.
It was as if a pair of cold eyes suddenly opened and fixed on them from the depths of the Black Ink Cloud dissipated by Yang Kai’s Golden Crow Cast the Sun. At the same moment, a crushing Will seemed to awaken from a deep slumber.
That Will felt as deep as the abyss and carried with it a terrifying aura. Yang Kai’s hairs all rose up at once, and his heart clenched tight.
When he turned his head sharply to look at the source of the Will, Yang Kai saw a massive figure towering inside the rich Black Ink Cloud.
It was unknown how long this figure had been in this Black Ink Cloud as previously, its aura had not been revealed at all and no one had noticed it. Moreover, this location was basically at the rear of the Black Ink Clan Army’s, so Humans weren’t supposed to be anywhere near here. The repeated losses of the Black Ink Clan’s Western forces had led the battlefield to expand to this place though, exposing it to the ongoing conflict.
Coincidentally, Yang Kai’s Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation had blown away this particular Black Ink Cloud, revealing the figure hiding inside it.
The Will was like a sleeping Dragon, and once it awakened, the entire Universe trembled, causing the raucous battlefield to fall silent.
Yang Kai once felt a similar Will back in the Black Prison from a Black Ink Clan Royal Lord; however, that Royal Lord had been sealed and suppressed for countless years so her strength had been greatly diminished. At the very least, it was far less intense than the one he was currently facing.
What he felt right now was orders of magnitude more imposing than back in Black Territory.
“The Royal Lord!” Feng Ying cried out, her already pale face draining of all remaining colour.
A Black Ink Royal Lord was a Master on par with a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. On the Black Ink Battlefield, only an Old Ancestor was worthy to be the opponent of a Royal Lord. Previously, Blue Sky Pass’ Old Ancestor had led the Human Army to attack Black Ink Clan’s domain, destroying several of their Spirit Provinces and a number of Black Ink Nests.
This action enraged the Royal Lord responsible for this region, so he swiftly marshalled his forces to counter-attack, resulting in this current war.
As far as Yang Kai knew, Blue Sky Pass’ Old Ancestors had already fought with the local Royal Lord, but neither was able to gain an advantage over the other. Both suffered serious injuries, and ever since that battle, the Old Ancestor had remained in the Inner Sanctum to recover. Meanwhile, the Royal Lord was nowhere to be seen.
Zhong Liang also stated that the side whose leader recovered first would gain control over the current battle, heavily tipping the scales in their side’s favour.
The Human Race assumed that the Royal Lord had chosen a safe location far from the battlefield to rest and recover.
Nobody would have thought that the Royal Lord had deceived them and actually hidden in a Black Ink Cloud only a few hundred thousand kilometres away from Blue Sky Pass.
Of course, logically speaking, though the Royal Lord did not retreat very far, ordinarily he wouldn’t have been disturbed where he was. Even if he had hidden at the rear of the Blank Ink Clan Army, he could rest easy and recover as long as the Humans did not slaughter their way through the entire Western Black Ink Army.
All previous wars of this sort had lasted at least a few years, normally taking several dozen years to resolve. With that much time, the Royal Lord was confident he could completely recover from his current injuries.
However, the battle developed in a manner far outside his predictions. Zhong Liang had an overwhelming advantage on the Western Front, having borrowed troops from the other three Armies. The Western Black Ink Army was repeatedly defeated and forced to withdraw over and over again. Yang Kai and Feng Ying, who were battling on the front lines, had already fought their way right up to the Royal Lord’s hiding place.
Then, in one move, Yang Kai’s Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation just happened to explode near the Royal Lord and revealed his figure, interfering with his recovery.
This situation resulted from a series of accidents and coincidences, startling both the Humans and the Black Ink Clan.
When the Royal Lord awakened, his pressure instantly filled the battlefield, and the continual slaughtering came to an abrupt halt. Whether it was the Humans or the Black Ink Clansmen, they all fell into a stupor for a brief moment.
Ding Yao, Liang Yu Long, Zhong Liang, Shen Tu Mo, and all the other Eighth-Order Masters acutely felt the aura of the Royal Lord. Turning to look at the source of the aura, their expressions became grim.
The Royal Lord, whose location was a complete mystery to them, was actually on the Western battlefield? They had previously tried hard to locate him to gain a tactical advantage, but now he had just been revealed by accident.
They had also considered where the Royal Lord would hide to heal his wounds after being injured by the Old Ancestor, but the void was vast, so the Royal Lord simply needed to choose a secure place some distance away, and the Human Race would never be able to find him.
Who knew that all this time, he was so close.
The rich Black Ink Cloud had obscured his figure and aura, and the Black Ink Clan Army stationed nearby gave him the best protection. Not to mention the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, even the Old Ancestors wouldn’t have thought that the Royal Lord would do such a thing.
Zhong Liang instantly felt enlightened, as the questions he had been harbouring since learning about the withdrawal of the Black Ink Clan from the other three fronts were resolved.
He now knew why the Black Ink Clan Armies, which clearly had the upper hand on the other three fronts, abruptly withdrew and began rushing to the West.
This was clearly for protection!
The Humans and most of the Black Ink Clan had no idea where the Royal Lord was hiding, but the top Territory Lords would definitely be aware of this information.
The Black Ink Army on the Western Front was being pushed back as the Humans were pressing their advantage, forcing them to retreat again and again. Once the Human Army invaded the area where the Royal Lord was healing, the Royal Lord would undoubtedly be exposed.
This could not be allowed, so as a last resort, even though they had the upper hand on the other three fronts, they had to retreat to provide assistance.
As a result, they surrendered their advantage and switched from offence to defence. Ding Yao and others also reacted quickly, leading their Armies to pursue and kill, inflicting huge casualties to the Black Ink Clan Armies.
Zhong Liang couldn’t help but laugh wildly as he comprehended everything. There were numerous twists in this battle that threw them off guard, but overall, the current scenario was extremely favourable to the Human Race.
This was all thanks to him borrowing troops from the other three Armies to force back the Black Ink Clan on the Western front. Originally, the plan was to quickly defeat them and rescue Yang Kai from the battlefield; however, at this moment, this one action had actually altered the entire course of the current war.
In the next moment, Zhong Liang’s heart sank and his face turned black when he remembered Yang Kai.
Zhong Liang was so distracted by the sudden and unexpected changes that were happening on the battlefield that he temporarily forgot that Yang Kai was still fighting on the front lines. The little bastard was undoubtedly at the very tip of the Western Army’s spear, which meant he was quite far forward. If he was killed by the Royal Lord, this battle would still be counted as a massive loss even if they managed to slaughter ever last Black Ink Clansman present.
Zhong Liang had no idea that the Royal Lord had been revealed by Yang Kai’s accidental action. There was no telling whether he would laugh or cry in exasperation if he found out.
“I’ll leave this place to you,” Zhong Liang said to the Human Masters around him before turning around and dashing towards the Western front, hoping in his heart that Yang Kai did not encounter an accident.
The Old Ancestor would deal with the Royal Lord now that he had appeared, so Yang Kai would not be in any danger as long as he could protect himself until the Old Ancestor arrived.
At the same moment as Zhong Liang set off, the door to a certain palace in the depths of Blue Sky Pass opened and a figure shot out, transforming into a stream of light as he soared towards the battlefield.
The Old Ancestor had taken action!
Yang Kai and Feng Ying had been immobilized at the leading edge of the Western front. Before the glare of the Royal Lord, they didn’t even have the ability to move a finger.
The difference in strength was too enormous, and both Yang Kai and Feng Ying were already arrows at the end of their flight. The two had intended to retreat to a nearby warship to rest and recover after having expended all their strength just now, but who could have predicted that this disaster would suddenly befall them?
The ice-cold eyes of the Royal Lord fixed on Yang Kai, the culprit who had revealed his whereabouts, and murderous intent gradually began to rise from their depths.
Of course, Yang Kai had no idea about the Royal Lord hiding here. All he did was cooperate with Feng Ying to kill a random Feudal Lord.
Blasting off the Black Ink Cloud and exposing the Royal Lord with the remnants of his Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation was a complete accident.
But this matter could not be explained away, nor would it be useful to even try to explain. The Royal Lord was now staring in their direction as if he was looking at a corpse, obviously aware that Yang Kai was the culprit behind his current awkward situation.
As long as the Royal Lord’s gaze was on them, Yang Kai and Feng Ying were incapable of moving as the pressure and nearly tangible murderous intent locked them in place.
*Pu…*
Suddenly, a muffled sound came from the Royal Lord who had been glaring coldly at Yang Kai. Opening his lips, a black mist of blood was spat out by the Royal Lord; his figure staggered and his aura fluctuated chaotically.
Seeing this, Yang Kai and Feng Ying were both shocked and surprised.
The Royal Lord had clearly suffered some kind of backlash from his injuries. It was apparent that his last battle with the Old Ancestor had left him in a bad state, one that would require several years of cultivation to recover from.
What caused his current weakened condition was undoubtedly Yang Kai’s Golden Crow Casts the Sun which wiped away the Black Ink Cloud he was hiding in. This Divine Manifestation naturally did not cause any direct harm to the Royal Lord, but it seemed to have disturbed him at a critical moment in his recovery.
Usually, a Royal Lord wouldn’t have been affected at all by an attack from a Sixth-Order Human, even one as strong as Yang Kai; however, being interrupted at the critical juncture in his healing had caused a backlash that further aggravated his wounds. It was equivalent to the Royal Lord striking his old injuries himself.
Yang Kai and Feng Ying figured all this out in an instant, and without any hesitation, they turned around and escaped while the Royal Lord was busy trying to stabilize himself.
They couldn’t deal with an enemy like this, especially when the two of them didn’t have much strength left. If they didn’t run, they would undoubtedly die.
To escape faster, Yang Kai even employed Space Principles, trying to carry Feng Ying away with him using Instantaneous Movement.
In the blink of an eye, the pair was able to flee several thousand kilometres.
However, how could the Royal Lord allow the ant who disturbed him to flee after the shame he had experienced?
The Royal Lord’s Will flared with murderous intent, and the surrounding space instantly solidified, disturbing Yang Kai’s Space Principles and freezing him in place once more.
Chills shot up their spines as the aura of death descended upon them.
Yang Kai had encountered several life-or-death crises since he first began treading the Martial Dao, and during the Human-Demon War in the Star Boundary, his body was totally destroyed by Mo Sheng. It was only thanks to the Soul Warming Lotus protecting his Soul that Yang Kai had managed to survive that disaster and resurrect himself with the help of the Immortal Tree.
That was unquestionably the most dangerous battle he had ever fought.
Still, although that battle was extremely dangerous, he never lost hope. The Great Emperors all gathered together and united with all the Masters of the Star Boundary to face Mo Sheng. Eventually, after a hard-fought battle, they won and saved the Star Boundary, along with all those that lived there.
But, at this very moment, targeted by this aura of death, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel despair.
The Royal Lord he encountered in Black Territory was completely different from the one behind him now. The Black Prison Royal Lord had been shackled for countless eons and could not bring out anywhere near her full strength. Although the one behind him now was injured, he was still much stronger than the one Yang Kai met in Black Territory.
With great effort, Yang Kai stiffly turned his head and saw the massive figure in the Black Ink Cloud wave his giant hand, after which a torrent of darkness surged towards him. The action seemed light and casual, like flicking off an annoying bug, but the bug that was soon to be flicked off was Yang Kai.
The darkness cut through the void, shattering the space around it as it rapidly approached its target.
At that moment, time seemed to be frozen.
Many scenes inexplicably flashed before Yang Kai’s eyes. Familiar faces appeared and disappeared like a rotating lantern as his entire life’s journey vividly replayed in his mind.
All this while, the aura of death grew increasingly intense.
At the critical moment, Yang Kai’s Dragon Vein suddenly rampaged. The strength of his Dragon Vein almost exploded in the face of this certain death crisis. However, even if he transformed into his Grand Dragon Form right now, it would be impossible to resist this seemingly off-handed attack from the Black Ink Royal Lord.
The Royal Lord had really used only a small bit of force, a result of the vast disparity in their strength preventing him from even considering Yang Kai a threat worthy enough of a fight. He only intended to kill Yang Kai because he was irritated that this ant had revealed his location and interfered with his recovery process.
After this simple strike, the Royal Lord quickly turned his head and gazed in the direction of Blue Sky Pass, where a shooting-star-like stream of light was speeding in his direction.
The familiar aura of his old enemy, the Human Race Old Ancestor, was coming!
His whereabouts had been revealed, so the Old Ancestor would definitely not stand idly by. Facing this Human Race Old Ancestor, the Royal Lord naturally felt some anxiety and he could not spare any energy or attention to anything else, so naturally, the irritating Human bug he had just swatted had long since left his thoughts.
*Kacha…*
The sound of something cracking rang out from the depths of Yang Kai’s heart, and he abruptly came to his senses.
The simple strike from the Royal Lord was still bearing down on him, leaving him feeling defeated. It was an absolute suppression of strength, a gulf that could not be crossed. Yang Kai had, however, encountered certain death before, so of course he would not sit still and wait for the end to take him.
[I will never give up so easily!]
Yang Kai roared fiercely, resisting the agitation of the Dragon Vein in his body, refusing to transform into his Grand Dragon Form at this critical juncture. The cry of a Golden Crow resounded across the void in the next instant, and a Great Sun slowly rose behind him, followed by a Full Moon leaping out.
As both the Sun and the Moon appeared together, they formed an astonishing scene.
Even the Royal Lord, who was intently observing the Old Ancestor’s movements, took notice of this anomaly and couldn’t help glancing over to inspect it.
Space Principles surged as the Sun and Moon began orbiting around Yang Kai. When the Sun set, the Moon rose, and Time Principles propagated out. The two Principle Strengths swirled and intermingled just as the Sun and Moon did, forming a profound and mysterious new strength.
Sun and Moon Divine Wheel!
Under Yang Kai’s control, the Great Sun and Full Moon rapidly spun together and crashed towards the approaching wave of darkness, Space-Time Strength warping everything around it in a surreal manner.
Yang Kai’s face was as pale as paper after he unleashed this blow. He was already an arrow at the end of its flight, but now, he had forced out his greatest trump card, draining almost all the World Force left in his Small Universe. He was now truly out of strength.
Yang Kai had no clue whether he could withstand the Royal Lord’s attack, but he had already given everything he had. Even under the Royal Lord’s pressure, he refused to back down and resolved to fight back. There was no other Sixth-Order Master who could claim to have ever accomplished such a feat.
Now, life or death was entirely up to fate!
Seemingly inspired by Yang Kai, Feng Ying, who was shivering under the Royal Lord’s might, let out a fierce cry as well and aggressively mobilised all the strength she had left. Ten Thousand Swords appeared before rapidly condensing into a small Sword Dragon only a couple dozen meters long that wrapped around Yang Kai and herself.
While on the verge of blacking out, Yang Kai was wrapped in the Sword Dragon. He could not see the scene in front of him, nor hear any noise, only the screeching of swords rang in his ears.
In the next instant, a violent surge of energy erupted, forming an unstoppable shockwave that burst out in all directions.
Tumbling uncontrollably, Yang Kai clearly felt the Sword Dragon wrapped around him breaking apart as a result of the impact of the shockwave.
Just the fallout had such a violent impact, so it was easy to imagine just how they would have fared if they had been struck directly by the Royal Lord’s attack.
Feng Ying coughed up blood repeatedly. When her Myriad Swords Dragon, her Divine Manifestation, was damaged, she naturally suffered along with it.
Moments later, the Myriad Swords Dragon completely shattered, revealing the two figures hidden inside.
The aftermath was still rampaging, and fresh blood from both Yang Kai and Feng Ying violently gushed from their wounds. They both felt as though they were fallen leaves caught in the raging storm, at risk of being ripped to pieces at any moment.
Even at this point though, Feng Ying was still tightly gripping Yang Kai’s arm, keeping him from separating from her.
As Zhong Liang approached from behind, he happened to see the collision of the wave of darkness with the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel from afar. To one party, it was simply a casual strike, while to the other, it was everything they could muster; however, the darkness still came out on top in the clash, collapsing the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel after only a brief standstill.
The attack then directly smashed into the Sword Dragon.
Zhong Liang’s face paled at this sight and in the next instant he spat out a mouthful of blood mist, burning his own Blood Essence just to increase his speed.
He originally didn’t know where Yang Kai was, but the second he saw the Sword Dragon, he understood. Feng Ying’s Divine Manifestation couldn’t be more obvious, and Zhong Liang knew she was together with Yang Kai.
Zhong Liang’s heart pounded with anxiety. How could the Royal Lord attack the two of them out of everyone around? Zhong Liang didn’t think that the Royal Lord would be so petty as to assault weaklings like Yang Kai and Feng Ying. The only enemies the Royal Lord should have paid any attention to were the Old Ancestor and the Eighth-Order Humans.
The Old Ancestor was also already rushing to the battlefield, so the most logical course of action for the Royal Lord was to conserve his energy for the coming fight. So, why would the Royal Lord actually target Yang Kai and Feng Ying?
Zhong Liang silently prayed that the two of them weren’t dead; however, the wave of darkness had clearly shattered Feng Ying’s Myriad Swords Dragon. Zhong Liang vividly observed two individuals tumbling in the tumultuous aftermath of the explosion as the horrific shockwave pummeled their bodies, causing them both to cough up blood incessantly.
Zhong Liang’s speed increased dramatically when he burnt his Blood Essence, and he arrived at where Yang Kai and Feng Ying were after just three breaths of time. With his blade drawn, he slashed forward and cut through the remnant shockwave.
He wasn’t weak; after all, he was an Eight-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and the Western Army Commander. Under normal circumstances, such a casual strike from a Royal Lord wouldn’t have been too difficult for Zhong Liang to block because the other party hadn’t put any real strength into the attack.
However, Zhong Liang had just burnt his Blood Essence, and though it gave him a momentary boost in speed, he suffered from a backlash soon after, resulting in a loss of strength. As such, he was pushed back and slightly injured when dispersing the shockwave.
Before he even checked his own condition though, Zhong Liang immediately whirled around and grabbed both Yang Kai and Feng Ying.
Looking down at them, he saw that they were both drenched in blood and their auras were so weak they could barely be detected. Feng Ying was in a particularly bad shape and had seemingly slipped into a coma.
However, Zhong Liang was relieved to discover that Yang Kai was still alive. As long as he didn’t die, he could slowly restore himself.
From behind, a terrible force erupted. Zhong Liang turned his head to look and his eyes caught sight of two figures, one large and one small, battling in the distance. Every time they collided, space shattered like glass, rending apart chaotically.
It was the battle between the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord.
The surrounding Humans and Black Ink Clansmen hurriedly withdrew. In such a battle, no one could interfere or they would only end up dead.
The Royal Lord was unconcerned with the lives of his subordinates, but the Old Ancestor wasn’t; therefore, whenever he clashed with the Royal Lord, he would purposefully shift their battlefield to an area further away from the Army.
The location they were at was not suitable to linger at for much longer, so Zhong Liang tightened his grip on Feng Ying and Yang Kai and dashed towards Blue Sky Pass.
Shortly after, Zhong Liang set down both of them on the outer ramparts of Blue Sky Pass and scolded Yang Kai while glaring at him, “Stay here! If you have the audacity to run off again, I’ll break your damn legs!”
Yang Kai’s neck shrank as he spoke weakly, “In my condition… I couldn’t move even if I wanted to.”
“I’ll deal with you later!” Zhong Liang furiously snapped.
After instructing some nearby cultivators to tend to Yang Kai and Feng Ying’s injuries, Zhong Liang returned to the battlefield. His Eighth-Order strength could not be absent on the battlefield at this crucial time. The outcome of the current war was about to be determined, so he had to return.
Those left behind immediately took out healing pills and gave them to Yang Kai and Feng Ying after receiving orders from Zhong Liang. Compared to Feng Ying, Yang Kai was luckier as he was awake at the very least. Whereas Feng Ying was already in a coma, so they could only open her lips and place the healing pill in her mouth before using their own World Force to help her refine its medicinal efficacies.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, sat cross-legged on the wall, staring out into the vast battlefield, feeling delighted.
Fortunately, the Royal Lord did not take him or Feng Ying seriously as he needed to conserve his strength to battle against the Old Ancestor, or else both of them would have died then and there.
The wave of darkness that struck them managed to destroy his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel and Feng Ying’s Divine Manifestation while still having enough power remaining to inflict critical injuries on both of them.
Yang Kai was not in a rush to recover though as he was more concerned about the outcome of the war.
In any case, he had an intrepid physique due to his Dragon Vein, with strong restoration powers. Though his injuries appeared quite serious, possibly even fatal, it would only take him cultivating for a few days to recover. The results of the current battle were of more interest to Yang Kai right now.