The drawbacks of using the Universe Transference Law were too great, and it had to be performed under extremely stable conditions. Right now, at a critical point between life and death, how could any Squad member still be able to use the Universe Transference Law?
The only thing they could do was make a desperate attempt to resist by relying on their positional advantages under the leadership of the two Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in their Squad.
It was also fortunate that this Squad had two Seventh-Order Masters. If there had been only one of them, then they might not have held on this long.
The Black Ink Clansmen were all hiding themselves in the Black Ink Cloud and using it as a cover as they came in and out to attack occasionally, or they would use Secret Techniques to stir things up for the Human cultivators from within the cloud. As time passed, the circle formed by the Black Ink Cloud was rapidly shrinking, leaving the Human Squad with no place to retreat.
It was at this point that Dawning Light came to their rescue.
The Black Ink Clansmen inside of the Black Ink Cloud had clearly noticed Dawning Light’s arrival. As a certain part of the Black Ink Cloud stirred, a few dozen Black Ink Clansmen emerged, led by one with a ferocious appearance and emitting an aura from top to bottom that clearly belonged to that of a Feudal Lord.
The imposing Feudal Lord, armed with a huge spear, was clearly intent on intercepting Dawning Light.
As they continued drawing closer, Dawning Light’s camouflage suddenly dissipated, revealing its true appearance.
After having suffered so many losses to this unique Warship, the Black Ink Clan forces had naturally become aware of it, and that their forces were frequently wiped out once this powerful Human Squad was encountered.
This Feudal Lord was well-informed and had naturally heard about the rumours concerning Dawn and Dawning Light. He had thought that he would not come across them in this vast warzone, but after seeing Dawning Light with its disguise gone and true face appearing, how could he still not know that he truly did bump into them?
When he thought of the rumours, the Feudal Lord did not dare to confront them and immediately retreated back into the Black Ink Cloud.
The Black Ink Clansmen that had rushed out with him were all relatively weak, so they were slightly slower to react. When they saw their Feudal Lord retreating without a fight, they could not even figure out what happened before Dawning Light’s terrifying attacks struck them.
Each attack was so powerful that it was not something that these High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen could resist. In an instant, many of them were wiped out, but Dawning Light did not stop there. It passed through the mess of gore and broken limbs, crashing straight into the Black Ink Cloud.
The Black Ink Clansmen who were hiding under the cover of the Black Ink Cloud took this opportunity to bombard Dawning Light with their attacks, but Dawn had long been prepared for this and had already activated their defensive array, enveloping Dawning Light with a powerful light barrier.
Wave after violent wave spread across the light shield, causing deep dents to appear on its surface. With the deep pits as the centre, there were even ripples spreading out in all directions.
Dawning Light pushed through the Black Ink Cloud’s blockade while withstanding the Black Ink Clan’s attacks, reaching its centre mere breaths later.
The Squad that had been trapped there for a long time were already in dire straits, but when a Human Warship appeared before them, they understood at once that reinforcements had arrived, and it was the Special Operations Squad, Dawn, to their absolute delight.
“Get on board!” Feng Ying shouted from the deck.
With a change of her hand seal, a gap opened in Dawning Light’s shields.
The eight cultivators were completely exhausted and their auras were weak, so they did not hesitate to leap on board.
By the time they got on board, Yang Kai had already disappeared from the deck. When he reappeared, he was in the middle of the dense Black Ink Cloud.
His left pupil instantly turned into an awe-inspiring vertical golden slit.
The Black Ink Cloud was not only extremely adept at corrupting Human cultivators, but also obstructing their senses, but the Demon Eye of Annihilation, which could see through all illusions, was a perfect fit for such an environment.
Not far away, a Black Ink Clan Feudal Lord was silently approaching. It was the same one who had run away when he saw Dawning Light earlier.
He had just escaped back into the Black Ink Cloud and had yet to settle his nerves when Yang Kai suddenly appeared near him.
He was both shocked and delighted to see this. He was shocked because this seemed to be the rumoured Human Squad Leader who was ridiculously strong, but also delighted that this man would be so arrogant as to invade the Black Ink Cloud of his own volition.
The invasive power of Black Ink Strength towards Humans was inexorable, and he had no idea why this man would proactively run into the Black Ink Cloud, but since he was here, then he better not think about leaving.
Through the rolling cover of the Black Ink Cloud, the Feudal Lord quickly advanced to a distance of 300 meters away from Yang Kai. For a Feudal Lord, this was the perfect distance to launch a sneak attack.
The power in his body poured into the giant spear. There was a fierce glint in the Feudal Lord’s eyes as he raised his weapon, preparing to pierce it into Yang Kai’s unsuspecting back.
But at that moment, Yang Kai, who should have been oblivious to his presence, suddenly turned around and stared at him, the corners of his mouth turning into a cold smile. The golden vertical slit in his eyes seemed to contain unopposable majesty that caught the Feudal Lord off guard for a moment.
The Black Ink Clan Feudal Lord was ashen with shock. He could not figure out how he had been spotted, but a spearhead was rapidly expanding in his vision, ensuring him that he was not imagining things.
The Feudal Lord cried out in terror and raised his spear, attempting to block the incoming attack. As their spears clashed, the Feudal Lord felt a terrifying force erupting in front of him, forcing his large body to reel backwards. Even his hand which held the spear was shaking.
An aura of death lingered around him. Looking up, he saw Yang Kai chasing after him like a shadow after the unsuccessful strike, his spear thrusting forward indomitably. Meanwhile, the strength inside of his body was roiling, leaving him powerless to protect himself.
[I’m dead!]
Despair filled the eyes of the Feudal Lord in that instant. He had heard about how strong this Human Squad Leader was, and it was said that only a Territory Lord could defeat him; however, those were just rumours he had heard, and it was only now that he was facing him head-on that he understood that it was not just empty gossip.
True enough, this level of strength was not something that a Feudal Lord could withstand. At the very least, four or five Feudal Lords would be required to besiege this man to have some chance of beating him.
As the Black Ink Clan Feudal Lord was about to die under the Azure Dragon Spear, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly changed, and as if he were possessed by a ghost, he stopped in place and brandished his spear out in front of himself.
An extremely faint golden light appeared, breaking through the Black Ink Cloud. The attack came from outside and struck the Azure Dragon Spear with a loud bang.
After the strange noise sounded, Yang Kai was pushed back by a huge force and his body retreated hundreds of meters before he could steady himself.
When he was able to check, he saw a tiny scratch on the Azure Dragon Spear which had been left by the attack earlier.
If Yang Kai had not reacted quickly and protected himself with his Azure Dragon Spear, the sneak attack would have gone right through his chest.
[It’s that guy!] Yang Kai’s lit up with a frightening glare.
He had been keeping an eye out for this Black Ink Disciple from Divine Feather Paradise since the last time they met, but unfortunately, his search had not been fruitful.
However, after being ambushed once, Yang Kai made sure to keep a part of his focus on his surroundings during every fight in order to ensure that something like that never happened again.
It wasn’t until just now that the feeling of being watched appeared again, and sure enough, that guy took advantage of the moment when he was fighting with the Feudal Lord to deliver another blow.
If Yang Kai had not been prepared for it, then he might have gotten caught by this attack again. Though it was unlikely to kill him, the injury Yang Kai might sustain from it was definitely not going to be light.
The first time he was attacked, Yang Kai was caught unprepared and allowed his arrow to pierce right through him. Then, when he tried to pursue his attacker, he had completely lost sight of him.
Now that he was prepared, how was he going to let that man get away again?
As soon as he steadied himself though, another golden light struck his way, but this time, the golden light came from the opposite direction compared to before. If that previous sneak attack came from the front, then this one came from the back.
[There’s two of them?]
This second attack was not aimed at him though, but rather at Dawning Light.
Dawning Light had also sustained a lot of attacks when they rushed into the Black Ink Cloud. Even though their light barrier did not break, it had grown noticeably dimmer.
With that one attack, the light barrier surrounding Dawning Light actually shattered to pieces, which showed just how powerful it was.
On the Warship, all three of the cultivators in charge of controlling the defensive array grunted and coughed up blood, their faces turning pale.
The defensive array that they had been in charge of had been broken, resulting in them suffering some of the backlash. What’s more, the array itself was damaged, so it was clear that it could no longer be used.
However, Yang Kai’s attention was not on Dawning Light. There was more than one defensive array installed on Dawning Light, so they could temporarily compensate for the destroyed one.
At the second blow, Yang Kai had already rushed over in a hurry, not even wasting time to kill off that Black Ink Clan Feudal Lord who was in front of him.
Previously, he let the sneak attacker get away because he was unprepared, but if he still let him get away even though he was ready for him this time, then it would be a disservice to the Dao of Space that he had been cultivating for so many years.
There were not two attackers, only one. The second attack was a Secret Technique the attacker used in order to confuse Yang Kai.
It was clear that the attacker was also extremely wary of him and feared that he would chase after him.
As Space Principles surged, Yang Kai disappeared from the battlefield in an instant and arrived at a nearby Universe Fragment.
The place seemed empty when he looked around, but there were obvious traces of a weak aura left behind.
[He just left!]
Just like last time, the attacker left immediately after his attack failed. This guy’s wariness was simply impeccable.
Only, Yang Kai could not figure out what sort of Secret Technique it was that this person used that enabled him to run away so quickly. In front of Space Principles, distance was no obstacle at all, so could it be possible that his opponent was also proficient in Space Principles?
If that were the case, then this would be very troublesome to deal with, and it reinforced Yang Kai’s idea that he had to capture this hidden ambusher no matter what.
Under the view of his Demon Eye of Annihilation, the faint traces that remained in the void that were almost imperceptible were revealed.
These traces were clearly left behind when the attacker left.
Yang Kai was about to move to pursue him when an obscure pattern suddenly lit up at his feet, followed by a shattering noise coming in from all directions that instantly enveloped him.
The many attacks were the power erupting from a Killing Array, converging into the shape of wind blades that were cutting towards Yang Kai’s direction as their centre.
It seemed that the attacker had anticipated that Yang Kai would investigate this place and had set up the Spirit Array here in advance.
*Hong hong hong…*
The attacks erupted with a series of loud noises. Yang Kai was able to escape without much injury, but not without looking like a mess. His face was also livid.
The sneak attacker was an archery master, and although he had some knowledge of the Dao of Spirit Arrays, he was not very proficient, so the Spirit Array that he set up was not very strong. Even if Yang Kai just stood in place, the Killing Arrays would hardly be able to do anything to him.
However, it succeeded in disrupting his pursuit. To be tricked to such an extent by this person also left Yang Kai very annoyed. It felt like his intelligence was being crushed by someone else, and it left him feeling a little defeated.
It could be seen that whether it be in terms of cunning or methods, his attacker was First Class.
But that was not all. After rushing out from the Killing Array, Yang Kai was greeted by three golden lights speeding his way. The golden lights were extremely fast and almost seemed like they could ignore the barrier of space, arriving before his eyes in just an instant.
One aiming for his forehead, one for his chest, and one for his abdomen, the three golden lights came in one straight line. Though it was completely silent, it made Yang Kai’s skin crawl.
At the edge of life or death, Yang Kai brought out his Space Principles to their fullest extent and activated Near Distant Horizon, stretching out the Void in front of him infinitely.
The Void seemed to congeal at that instant, and Yang Kai could clearly see the three golden lights that were shooting his way slowed to a turtle’s crawl under the effects of Near Distant Horizon.
However, the violent power held within the golden light broke through the Secret Technique in the blink of an eye, restoring their mobility and piercing through Yang Kai’s body in unison.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s body disintegrated and disappeared without a trace. It was clearly just an after-image. His true body had already travelled away using Instantaneous Movement.
At that exact moment, on a Universe Fragment 1,000 kilometres away, Yang Kai suddenly appeared and threw a fierce punch.
A violent force erupted, and the fragment no more than several dozen square kilometres in size turned to dust in an instant, revealing a figure behind it.
The figure was wrapped in all black, and even their face was hidden underneath a hood, so it was impossible for Yang Kai to see their true appearance. It was impossible to even tell whether it was a man or a woman. This person did not look very tall, and even the longbow they were holding was longer than their entire body.
When he saw the sudden appearance of the figure, Yang Kai sneered, “Caught you!”
The Black Ink Disciple from Divine Feather Paradise had such terrifyingly powerful archery skills that Yang Kai had already eaten a loss from them twice. Any other Seventh-Order Human would not have been able to withstand such attacks. Perhaps they may not even know who their killer was even after being assassinated by them. If a Master of this calibre was not taken down, they would definitely be a snake in the grass for the Human side.
If this person had immediately fled far away when Yang Kai was pursuing them, then even he may not have been able to find them again after being delayed by the Killing Array.
But this guy truly didn’t fear the Heavens. Leaving the Killing Array behind to trap Yang Kai was not enough for them, they had even hidden themselves and tried to snipe him again, giving Yang Kai the opportunity to pursue them.
The person was clearly surprised at the sudden attack, not expecting Yang Kai to have arrived so quickly.
As soon as the figure was exposed, it used the impact of Yang Kai’s punch to back away. At the same time, it reached out to pull their bowstring, and with a harsh whistle, golden light after golden light rained down on Yang Kai like raindrops.
Yang Kai’s vision was instantly obscured by a field of golden light. After summoning his Azure Dragon Spear and blocking all of the attacks, his attacker was long gone.
Only a golden light remained far off in the void, fading away remarkably quickly.
[So fast!] Yang Kai was secretly speechless, and he was also growing increasingly irritated. Gritting his teeth, he snorted, “I’ll take your surname if I let you run again!”
If Yang Kai, who cultivated the Dao of Space, were to let someone get away from him in such a situation, then he would have cultivated all these years in vain.
In an instant, his figure disappeared.
Yang Kai thought he would be able to catch up to the assailant easily, but even with his Instantaneous Movement, he could not reach them within a short amount of time. He had no idea what sort of movement technique this person was using, but it was so profound it was almost not inferior to his use of Space Principles. Yang Kai kept on chasing after them, but all he could see was a fading golden light in the far distance.
It was unfortunate that he was unable to intercept them using Instantaneous Movement so far away. If he did try, then he could very well lose that person’s tracks.
He had no choice but to follow from behind and wait for his chance.
Their chase ended up going on for a whole day and night, and it was not known how many millions of kilometres they crossed.
Yang Kai was originally worried that his ambusher would escape to the Black Ink Clan’s territory. If that were to happen, then Yang Kai would not dare to follow lest he encounter a Master that he could not beat.
But after a long pursuit, it became apparent that this guy had no intention of escaping at all and was just circling around the wider battlefield with Yang Kai.
Whenever there was the slightest opportunity, that person would sneakily shoot out a thunderous blow at Yang Kai, and their attacks were so powerful that he did not dare to take them lightly. Each counter-attack left him worse for wear.
Yang Kai now had a stomach full of grievances and secretly made up his mind that once he caught this hateful person, he would definitely beat them up to vent his anger.
After a whole day and night passed, Yang Kai had more than a dozen new injuries on his body, all of them from his sneak attacker’s long-range attacks. Even though these injuries were not a threat to his life, any other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master might not have the strength to keep chasing at this point and would have been forced to find a place to heal.
Yang Kai suddenly understood why this sneak attacker had not escaped to the Black Ink Clan’s hinterland.
This guy obviously had a lot of confidence in their abilities. Yang Kai wanted to take them down, and they wanted to take Yang Kai down as well, and this constant badgering was because they were trying to exhaust Yang Kai before they struck.
[What an arrogant bastard!] Yang Kai judged. A person like this was difficult to deal with. This fact was already proven earlier during the chase, but if he were to take this guy’s personality into account, then they were not that hard to deal with.
With that in mind, an idea sprouted in Yang Kai’s mind.
After another day of chasing, another dozen injuries were added to Yang Kai’s body.
At a certain point, he suddenly stopped and glared resentfully in the direction where his attacker was fleeing before he let out a roar towards the Heavens.
The roar that sounded through the void was mixed with unwillingness and rage.
A short while later, Yang Kai turned around and sped off towards the forward base. When he passed by a certain Universe Fragment though, he dashed straight inside it.
After finding a good spot, Yang Kai set up a barrier and took out some Open Heaven Pills and healing pills before stuffing them into his mouth.
He was in a miserable state right now, covered in dried blood from top to bottom. Even his aura was slightly weak. He was clearly an arrow at the end of its flight.
Even though the chase only went on for two days, Yang Kai had manipulated Space Principles countless times during that period while constantly enduring the sneak attacks of that guy, which had been a tiring experience. The exhaustion that he was showing now was not completely fake. At least half of it was real, and it was indeed time for him to get a good rest to restore his energy.
As time passed, Yang Kai’s aura slowly recovered.
He did not feel any strange sensations, so Yang Kai was wondering whether that person had taken this opportunity to run away. If that were the case, then he would have just wasted a lot of effort for nought.
But on second thought, it should not be the case. That guy was extremely confident in their abilities, something Yang Kai knew well after their silent two-day chase. A person like this would not give up so easily when faced with ‘easy’ prey.
And, Yang Kai himself was currently that prey.
As expected, just as Yang Kai was wondering if that person had truly left, a faint energy wave suddenly appeared, coming from a certain direction.
Yang Kai’s eyes flitted open as he remained seated from cultivating. He forcibly twisted his body in order to avoid getting hit, but in the next instant, he felt a pain in his abdomen. There was no need to look and Yang Kai could tell that his body had been pierced through once again.
Even with his Dragon Vein, he could not resist the force of that attack.
However, as if he did not even feel it, his body suddenly turned into a blur and he disappeared in an instant.
When he reappeared, it was at a Universe Fragment about 1,000 kilometres away.
Summoning his Azure Dragon Spear, Yang Kai displayed his Supreme Limitless Spear Art freely. The area passed through by his spear shadows seemed to be empty, but an object that appeared like a rock suddenly leapt up high and raised its longbow in front of itself to block the attack.
*Hong hong hong…*
A series of bangs sounded and in an instant, two people were engaged in a heated melee.
Yang Kai was still bleeding from his abdomen, but he completely ignored it and faced his hooded attacker with a fierce smile, “Let’s see you run now!”
The attacker was an archery master and at least somewhat proficient in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. Besides that, this person was first class both in concealing their aura and escaping techniques, but everyone had their strengths and weaknesses. It was impossible for one to achieve perfection in all fields.
Yang Kai thought that close combat must be this guy’s weakness; otherwise, there would have been no need for them to keep on running away.
Unexpectedly, when they finally crossed blades, Yang Kai realized that this guy was also quite amazing when it came to close-quarter combat. They did not have too many flashy Secret Techniques and just fought him instinctively with the longbow in their hand, thus began a back-and-forth tussle.
This longbow that he had never heard about was also quite an amazing item, not showing any weakness even when pitted against the Azure Dragon Spear.
Yang Kai was secretly shocked. This guy really had no weaknesses!
But even so, Yang Kai’s Supreme Limitless Spear Art stood at the pinnacle of all Spear Techniques. In just a dozen breaths of time, the Azure Dragon Spear pierced through his ambusher’s shoulder in a moment of carelessness, and at once, blood was flowing uncontrollably.
The stab was followed by a grunt.
From this brief exchange, it became clear what the difference in strength between Yang Kai and themselves were, so they stopped messing around and, with a feint, sped down towards the Universe Fragment below.
Yang Kai followed closely like a shadow.
As the person passed through the Universe Fragment, they threw out an Array Plate.
Seeing this, Yang Kai knew that it was bad news. Sure enough, as soon as the Array Plate was launched, the entire Universe Fragment burst apart, and a violent power burst out in all directions. Yang Kai staggered as the force hit him and the space around him was also disrupted.
By the time Yang Kai emerged from the chaotic cloud of energy, the attacker had already escaped far away, as he had anticipated. Only, they left behind a clear trail this time that was not as indistinct as before.
Yang Kai coldly snorted. That strike from his Azure Dragon Spear was not easy to take. Even if his spear did not give his attacker a severe injury, it would still dampen their performance.
[One arrow for one spear, that makes it even!]
The biggest difference between them was the strength of their physiques. So, when it came to trading wounds like this, Yang Kai had the advantage no matter how one saw it.
Without dallying in place, Yang Kai pursued his attacker in the direction they left.
The fact that he was unable to catch this guy even after the plot he set up earlier showed just how difficult this ambusher was to manage.
Among Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Yang Kai had never met one of this calibre before. Even if Feng Ying were to face this person, she would not be their opponent if they were facing off at a distance.
But with this, the boiling anger inside Yang Kai finally eased down. The more difficult his opponent was, the calmer he had to be. This was not an enemy he could take down simply, so he had no choice but to be patient. He believed that if he kept on going, then an opportunity would come to him eventually.
While chasing after that person by constant use of Space Principles, Yang Kai gradually shortened the distance between them.
It seemed that his attacker was now much slower after suffering a hit from his Azure Dragon Spear and also having exhausted their strength during this long chase.
They were both similarly in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, and Yang Kai had not advanced into this realm for long, but he had an abnormally strong heritage. So, despite not having broken through for many years, his Small Universe’s stamina was not something that an ordinary Seventh-Order Master could compare with. What was more, he was raising many living beings inside of his body and time flowed differently in his Small Universe, so even if he did not put effort into restoring his World Force, it would recover on its own at a steady rate.
That gave him the advantage when it came to a drawn-out fight.
On the other hand, even if his opponent was a veteran Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, they would still not be able to withstand such intense consumption for such a long period of time, and that was also the reason why his attacker was slowing down.
Just as Yang Kai saw that he was about to catch up with his opponent, a large ship suddenly appeared in his range of vision.
It was a Black Ink Clan ship, which was easily distinguishable on the battlefield due to its strange shape, its large-bodied crew, and the ship’s own bulky size.
Naturally, Yang Kai would have no fear of facing this kind of large ship from the Black Ink Clan. As long as there was no Territory Lord standing by on the ship, then it was impossible for these scattered Black Ink Clansmen to do anything to him. And, even if he did bump into a Territory Lord, he was currently in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. If he could not fight, then he could just run away.
The sudden appearance of a Black Ink Clan ship was a headache for him.
His fleeing attacker was headed straight for the large ship, and in a few moments, joined up with them, boarding the ship and disappearing.
The large ship was heading straight for Yang Kai, with many large Black Ink Clansmen standing on the deck.
His sneak attacker obviously intended to borrow the strength of these Black Ink Clansmen to disrupt his chase.
Even though Yang Kai understood their intentions, he did not slow down at all and instead rushed straight at the ship.
As the distance between them closed rapidly, a couple dozen Black Ink Clansmen suddenly formed up on the deck. This group was led by two Feudal Lords, while the rest were High-Rank Clansmen.
Faced with a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the two Feudal Lords’ eyes were shining with greed; after all, Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples were still considered a rare sight in the Black Ink Clan. Generally, capturing them was possible only by the Territory Lords themselves. They had been leading this team and wandering around this zone for days and fought a few times with the Humans with wins and losses on both sides, but they had never encountered a lone Human before.
Today, they were able to come across one, and it was a Seventh-Order Human at that.
The two Feudal Lords shared the same thought. They decided that they had to capture this Human alive and convert him into a Black Ink Disciple no matter what. As for who this Human would belong to after his capture, that would have to depend on their respective skills.
Alone, they may be no match for a Human in the Seventh Order as Humans in the equivalent Realm were always slightly stronger than them, and they knew that.
But with two against one, and with so many subordinates for them to use at their disposal, adding on to the fact that this Human seemed to be injured, what was there for them to even be afraid of?
As they watched the Seventh-Order Human continue his charge with undiminished vigour, the Feudal Lord on the left waved his hand, and a dozen High-Rank Black Ink Clans charged out, going straight towards the Human.
Yang Kai’s face was indifferent. His spear was as steady as a mountain, but when it crossed paths with these Black Ink Clansmen, his spear turned into a torrent. His seemingly thin figure passed straight through the many High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen in the next instant.
The dozen High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen froze, as if they had been bound in place, their faces filled with horror before they all exploded into a black-blood mist.
The two Feudal Lords at the back were also in a state of shock. Even though they were not weak, they were not strong enough to see what had happened ahead during that instant.
[Is this guy really in the Seventh Order?]
Both the Feudal Lords were taken aback. If the Human Seventh-Order Masters were all so strong, then how were the Black Ink Clan supposed to continue this war?
When they saw the incoming attacker continuing his mad dash, one of the Feudal Lords finally came back to his senses and roared in anger. As he opened his mouth, a Black Ink Cloud was spat out.
“Get out of my way!” Yang Kai shouted, plunging into the Black Ink Cloud without hesitation and stabbing his spear out.
When his spear struck out, space trembled.
The Feudal Lord clearly did not expect Yang Kai to have so little fear of their Black Ink Strength. He thought that this move would definitely force Yang Kai back, but he never anticipated him rushing in head-first with unwavering murderous intent.
This Feudal Lord shrieked and hastily tried to fight back, but with a great splatter of blood, half of his neck had been sliced through.
Even though it was a severe injury, it was not fatal. Writhing in pain, the Feudal Lord backed away while the other took the opportunity to close in for a counter-attack. Yang Kai swept his spear to the side, sending an immense force out. Yang Kai stumbled slightly after blocking this blow, but the second Feudal Lord was sent flying.
Before Yang Kai could stabilize himself, a golden light shot through the void at him from the large ship. Yang Kai had once again been attacked by that sneak attacker he had been chasing.
His attacker’s grasp for an opening was exceptional. Just as Yang Kai had lost his balance and was powerless to resist, the golden light hit his forehead, throwing his head back and sending him tumbling.
The two Feudal Lords were overjoyed at this sight as both of them tried to flank Yang Kai from the left and right.
One Feudal Lord had his head half cut off by Yang Kai, and the other had a huge gash in his waist, both very serious injuries. It had to be known that these were the injuries resulting from just one exchange of moves with Yang Kai, which clearly showed the great disparity in their strengths.
After sustaining such wounds, both of the Feudal Lords had immediately wanted to flee; however, when they saw that Yang Kai was also badly injured, they couldn’t resist trying to take advantage of this situation.
Unfortunately, before they could even get close, the tumbling Yang Kai regained his footing and stood up straight again.
The Dragon Scales on his forehead had shattered, and at the centre of his forehead was a wound so deep that one could see the bone. Clearly, the last attack had almost pierced through his head.
In fact, if Yang Kai had not used his Dragon Scales at the last moment to protect himself, the sneak attacker could have taken his life.
Golden Blood dripped from his forehead, blurring his vision and making Yang Kai look even more miserable than before.
After their long chase, this was the biggest loss he suffered, and it sent him into a complete rage.
Throwing a cold look at the Feudal Lords trying to pincer him from the left and right, Yang Kai inhaled softly, and a chilling aura surrounded his body.
The two Feudal Lords felt as if they had been thrown into an ice cellar. The Feudal Lord who had half of his neck cut through tried to turn around and run when he sensed that things were going to get bad, but as soon as he turned around, a long spear had already pierced through his back and into his heart before emerging out his chest.
He looked down and his eyes were filled with horror.
A violent energy burst through his body, instantly blasting the Feudal Lord into a blood mist.
Yang Kai did not even care about the second Feudal Lord. He wrapped his body in his spear aura and shot directly at the Black Ink Clan ship.
*Hong…*
The large ship was blasted apart and many of the High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen hiding inside were killed, but Yang Kai saw no sign of the accursed Black Ink Disciple he was hunting.
That person had obviously escaped after the attack earlier.
This made Yang Kai so angry that he could only laugh. It was no longer possible for him to catch that person even if he wanted to now. After that chaotic situation earlier, he could no longer grasp that person’s trail, and with their concealment skills, he would not be able to catch them anyway unless they decide to reappear on their own.
It was a lost cause!
If not for the sudden appearance of the Black Ink Clan’s ship here to spoil his good deed, Yang Kai was confident that he could take that person down within half a day.
When he turned around, the second Feudal Lord who was still alive was fleeing far away. Eyes narrowing coldly, Yang Kai’s body rushed out in pursuit.
Since he failed to catch that Black Ink Disciple, then he had no choice but to kill off this Feudal Lord to vent his anger.
Even though the Feudal Lord ran fast, there was no way he could outrun Yang Kai. Within moments, he was caught and could barely resist for more than a dozen breaths before being executed under Yang Kai’s spear.
After the fierce battle, Yang Kai was able to exterminate a large number of Black Ink Clansmen, but he let his true target escape, much to his dismay.
However, with his past experiences as references, Yang Kai was suspicious about whether or not that person had truly left or not, or whether they were just hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right opportunity to launch another sneak attack.
With that in consideration, Yang Kai did not go too far; instead, he stopped at a Universe Fragment nearby and began to recuperate from his injuries.
The wound he sustained this time around was by no means minor. Even though it was blocked by his Dragon Scales, the violent force behind that attack still penetrated his skull, and Yang Kai was somewhat dizzy even now.
A wound of this level was enough to affect his strength adversely.
The healing pills produced by Blue Sky Pass were quite effective though, and Yang Kai had exchanged his Military Merits for some of them at the Inner Sanctum, so he took them now so that he could recover quickly from his injuries.
However, despite keeping a close eye on his surroundings, he could not sense any movements from his attacker.
It seemed from this that the ambusher had well and truly left, unlike last time when they were still lurking around, waiting for an opportunity to make their move.
It was a shame that he failed to catch that guy, but as long as he was still active around this battle zone, then Yang Kai would see that person again sooner or later.
Having made up his mind, Yang Kai relaxed.
There was little for him to worry about in regards to Dawn. Even though he left chasing after an enemy, there were still 4 Seventh-Order Masters there to watch over Dawn, led by a Master like Feng Ying. As long as they did not bump into an enemy that was too strong, then it should be no problem for them to protect themselves.
Forming several hand seals, Yang Kai tried to activate the Universe Transference Law.
There was a Universe Array arranged inside Dawning Light, and all of Dawn’s members had already left their Imprints inside of it. As long as the distance was not too far away, one could use the Universe Transference Law to return instantly.
Following his attempt to activate the Universal Transference Law, Yang Kai’s face turned solemn.
He had arranged a Universe Array on Dawning Light, and also left behind his Imprint on it. As long as the distance was not too great, then the Universe Transference Law could resonate with Dawning Light, creating a connection between them.
He wasted a lot of time chasing down a powerful foe, but judging from the distance he actually travelled, he should still be well within range to use it.
However, he was completely unable to establish a connection with Dawning Light using the Universe Transference Law, which surprised him. There was only one possibility for such an occurrence, and that was that the Universe Array on Dawning Light had been damaged, rendering the Universe Transference Law ineffective.
The Universe Array was located in the deepest part of Dawning Light. If the defensive arrays and hull were not seriously damaged, then it was simply impossible for the Universe Array to have been affected, yet Dawning Light’s Universe Array was indeed damaged. It was not hard to infer from that that Dawn must have encountered a strong foe and engaged in a fierce battle with them.
[Was it a Territory Lord that they bumped into this time, or just a very large swarm of Black Ink Clansmen?]
Yang Kai frowned. No matter how he thought about it, these were the only two possibilities; otherwise, it was impossible for anything to happen with Dawn Squad’s combat capabilities.
However, he did not have to worry too much. There were 4 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Dawn, and Feng Ying was also there. Even if they did have to face off against a Territory Lord, they could escape if they could not beat them. Being wiped out was basically impossible.
It was no use worrying about it now since he had no way of rushing back quickly through the Universe Transference Law. The fight on that side should also have long subsided given how long he had been gone for. Right now, there was a great possibility that Dawning Light was returning to the forward base.
After taking out his Universe Chart and checking his position, Yang Kai found his bearings and began making his way back to the forward base as well.
On his way back, he occasionally encountered Black Ink Clan Squads, all of which he eliminated. After chasing that sneak attacker for so long yet still failing to beat them, Yang Kai was nursing a stomach full of grievances. The only thing he could do was vent his annoyance on those unfortunate Black Ink Clansmen.
In just half a day, he encountered two Black Ink Clan Squads. Their numbers were not high, and they were not very strong in general either. They did not even have any Feudal Lords among them. They seemed to be scouting parties.
However, since they bumped into Yang Kai, there was naturally no other fate for them except death.
After advancing for a short amount of time, violent power fluctuations could be felt from the void a distance away. Yang Kai’s thoughts stirred, realising that there had to be Masters fighting up ahead. He immediately focused his eyesight as far as possible on the energy fluctuations.
He could see two figures tangling up with each other in the void. One of the figures was extremely large, while the other was of ordinary size. Both of them attacked with such ferocity that even from a great distance, Yang Kai could feel the terrifying fallout of their clash.
This was a fight between a Territory Lord and an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
The battle was too far away, so Yang Kai could not see who this Eighth-Order Master was, much less how they were faring in the fight, but after a moment’s deliberation, Yang Kai hastily concealed his aura and quietly approached them.
Universe Fragments littered the battlefield, meaning there were many good hiding spots nearby.
If this were any other time, then the two Masters would definitely have noticed Yang Kai at this distance; after all, his concealment skills were good, but it was still difficult to hide from a Master an Order above himself.
However, both the Territory Lord and the Eighth-Order Human Master were preoccupied with their fight, so how could they have any time to pay attention to their surroundings?
Yang Kai easily reached a spot 1,000 kilometres away from the battlefield and hid behind a small Universe Fragment. Then, he gathered in his aura as much as he could. If one were not paying attention, then one would miss his existence even if they were looking directly at him.
After a careful glance, Yang Kai quickly looked away again, not daring to stare too long. Masters such as the Territory Lord and the Human Eighth-Order Division Commander were extremely sensitive to the gazes of others, and one could easily reveal their whereabouts if they were not careful.
With that quick glance, Yang Kai realised that he did not recognize who the Eighth-Order Master was.
There were 4 Eighth-Order Division Commanders standing guard in the fourth forward base; of them, Yang Kai had met Cha Hu and also knew Lu An, but he did not know this man, which meant that this was either Xie Xiu Ping or Xu Bo Liang.
Whoever it was, this Division Commander lived up to his name as he had an absolute advantage over the Territory Lord, who could hardly catch his breath under the former’s relentless assault.
Yang Kai was amazed by this fight.
Under the premise that one was in the same Order, due to the difference in accumulation of cultivation experiences, Humans were slightly stronger on average compared to Black Ink Clansmen. However, the higher the Order, the smaller that gap between them became. Upon becoming Old Ancestors and Royal Lords, the gap was almost negligible. Any Black Ink Clan Royal Lords had amassed thousands, if not tens of thousands of years of cultivation, making them no less experienced than any Human Race Old Ancestor.
The gap between Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and Feudal Lords was still quite obvious, but the difference between Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords was still noticeable, but not by a significant amount. Back then, when Zhong Liang fought with a Territory Lord around Blue Sky Pass, he still suffered some losses.
However, what Yang Kai saw on this day was an Eighth-Order Human Master holding an absolute advantage over a Territory Lord, who could only defend without any ability to fight back. Not only that, but the Territory Lord’s body was covered in horrific injuries, and ink-black blood was flowing out from all over his figure.
[Is this Eighth-Order Division Commander just that strong? Or is this particular Territory Lord just that weak?]
Yang Kai was now quite glad he snuck over.
Even though the Human Master had the upper hand in this fight, and the Territory Lord seemed to be on the defensive without any means to fight back, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. That was still a Territory Lord, so although it would be easy for the Eighth-Order Master to injure him, killing him was going to be difficult.
Yang Kai felt that if he could find an opening to help the Human Master, there was a chance he could tip the scales just enough for a kill to be made. However, he would have to wait patiently for such a chance, if one even presented itself.
He was a Seventh-Order Master, so it would be dangerous for him to intervene in a battle of this level. Not even an Eighth-Order Master would easily choose to face the final desperate blow of a Territory Lord.
That was probably the reason why the Eighth-Order Master did not push his enemy too hard and instead focused on wearing down his opponent’s strength while biding his time.
As the battle raged on, Yang Kai only peeked at the two figures from the corner of his eye to judge the progress of the fight.
As time passed, it became clear that the Territory Lord was losing ground and was repeatedly trying to escape, only to be stopped by the Human Master. Every time he was about to grow desperate, the Eighth-Order Master would slow down his attacks, giving the enemy the illusion that he could hold out just a bit longer.
That was how their fight dragged on, seemingly without end.
The Eighth-Order Master was also injured during the fight, but not very seriously. The only thing that kept him at bay was the Black Ink Strength used by the Territory Lord.
Even though Masters in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm had a high resistance to Black Ink Strength, that did not mean that it was impossible to be corrupted by it after long periods of exposure. Once Black Ink Strength entered his Small Universe, then he would have no choice but to return to the forward base to cleanse it with the Purifying Light.
However, this was a rare opportunity, so even though he was powerless to kill this Territory Lord, this Division Commander was determined to hit him hard enough to send him back to a Black Ink Nest to recover for several dozen years.
Time seemed to pass quickly, but also dreadfully slowly. Half a day seemed like a million years as Yang Kai kept on waiting for a chance to strike, but that chance never came.
Just as he was starting to grow impatient, there was a sudden change in the battlefield.
He had no idea what sort of Secret Technique the Territory Lord used, but eight strands of dense Black Ink Strength suddenly gushed out from his body, turning into black chains that suppressed and sealed the surrounding space, trapping the Eighth-Order Human Master almost instantly.
The Eighth-Order Division Commander’s movements were sealed, but with a stern look on his face, he launched Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities in the Territory Lord’s direction.
The Territory Lord’s face changed at once and he clearly wanted to dodge, but he seemed to be restrained by his own Secret Technique, causing him to freeze in place without being able to move a muscle. One by one, the Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities landed solidly on his body, hitting him until he spat blood repeatedly.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events, and so was the Eighth-Order Master. It was hard to understand how this Territory Lord could have made such a foolish move.
It was an amazing Secret Technique that he used, but what use would it be if even his own movements were restricted by it?
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up when he saw this scenario, as the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Just as he was about to rush into the battlefield using his Space Principles to assist the Eighth-Order Master, a brilliant bolt of light suddenly flew over from a Universe Fragment 1,000 kilometres away from the clash.
The bolt of light had an astonishing glow to it and swiftly took on the form of two spread wings. As soon as it appeared, it had already reached the side of the Eighth-Order Human Master.
At that moment, the Eighth-Order Master’s movements were restricted by the Territory Lord’s Secret Technique and he was unable to dodge. Moreover, the attack came so quickly and so stealthily without so much as a warning.
The Eighth-Order Master’s face changed drastically as he pushed his World Force madly to form a shield to protect his body.
However, the bolt of light still struck him hard. The barrier that he hastily raised was instantly shattered and fresh blood splattered out. The Eighth-Order Master’s waist had almost blown into a mess of blood and his aura was rapidly weakening.
He had been fighting with this Territory Lord for a long time, so he was nowhere near his peak condition. He also suffered many wounds himself in the battle, so when a mysterious assailant suddenly ambushed him from a secret location, he ended up taking a bad hit.
Meanwhile, the Territory Lord, who had been suppressed by him all this while, was given the opportunity to withdraw his Sealing Technique and throw a punch forward.
The Eighth-Order Master barely managed to block it, but he still coughed up a mouthful of blood. Not only that, but the Black Ink Strength around him was also pouring into his body like crazy.
Before suffering such a heavy injury, he was just barely able to withstand the corruption of the Black Ink Strength. Now that he was suffering such severe injuries and had taken a direct punch from the Territory Lord, he could no longer resist the Black Ink Strength’s encroachment.
In the past, even an Eighth-Order Master would have to sacrifice a piece of their Small Universe as soon as possible in order to prevent any further corruption in such a situation, incurring great damage to their foundation.
However, there was a Purifying Black Ink Battleship on standby at the forward base now which had Purifying Light sealed in it. As long as he was able to return while keeping his sanity, everything would be fine.
So, rather than break away from the battlefield immediately, the Eighth-Order Master clasped his hands together before slashing his arms down like a sword at the Territory Lord.
The Territory Lord did not expect his enemy to be so brutal as to try and kill him even at the expense of his own foundation. He was planning to ride the wave of victory and advance, but when he saw the Human’s arms come down, he immediately shrieked and turned tail in order to escape.
The force of his arm slash turned into an amazing sword wave that cut into the Black Ink Territory Lord’s back, causing blood to spurt out from his large body through a gash deep enough to see bone.
However, the Territory Lord was able to take the opportunity to escape far away.
The Eighth-Order Master was about to give chase, but then his brow suddenly knitted together into a frown as he felt a throbbed pain in his back. This was the result of being targeted by a strong hostile intent.
The intent was well concealed but clearly a warning that if he really did try and pursue the Territory Lord, he would be met with force.
The Eighth-Order Master’s face turned ugly.
Naturally, he could dismiss this little threat if he were in peak condition. In top form, he would surely try to hunt down that Territory Lord and kill him no matter what; however, after a long fight, he had already exerted a tremendous amount of strength and was also heavily injured after suffering that sneak attack. Not only that, his Small Universe was being corrupted by Black Ink Strength, so if this dragged on, his entire Small Universe might become tainted; then, even as an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he would lose himself and degenerate into a Black Ink Disciple.
That was a result that he could not accept no matter what. He could accept dying in battle, but there was no way he would allow himself to turn into a Black Ink Disciple and become one of the Black Ink Clan’s weapons.
So, even though he understood the sneak attacker’s intentions and also knew that a powerful attack like the one he had been struck with earlier would not show up again, he did not dare to take that gamble.
After a cold stare towards the source of the attack, the Eighth-Order Master’s body finally moved back until he arrived at a safe distance before activating the Universe Transference Law that was connected to the Universe Array on the forward base’s Purifying Black Ink Battleship. A short while later, a whirling pattern of a Grand Array appeared underneath his feet, and as the light rose to the air, the man disappeared.
Yang Kai, who had been hiding in the shadows, felt both a little regretful and pleasantly surprised when the intense battlefield regained its calm.
He felt regretful that the Territory Lord was able to escape. Opportunities to kill a Territory Lord were rare to come by. If that person hiding in the shadows had not interfered, he would only have had to jump out and join forces with the Eighth-Order Master and there would have likely been able to kill that Territory Lord.
As to his pleasant surprise, the target that he had lost earlier had resurfaced again and was now just a short distance away from him.
Yang Kai had no idea when this person arrived here, and he was not even sure whether this person had noticed his existence or not. If not for that sudden attack earlier, Yang Kai would not have known that person was here.
That definitely had to be the Black Ink Disciple from Divine Feather Paradise!
Previously, when this guy ambushed Yang Kai, the attack that they used was basically just reminiscent of a golden light or a golden arrow. However, when this person was ambushing the Eighth-Order Master, their attack took the form of a pair of unfurled wings.
Yang Kai had seen the power behind that attack and guessed that even a Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple would be unable to use such a powerful attack repeatedly. Using such an attack even once would probably put a huge burden on them.
Moreover, Yang Kai was also able to injure that person while he was chasing after them not long ago, and there was obviously no way those injuries would have healed in such a short amount of time.
From their body already being wounded to then using such an immensely powerful Secret Technique, it was possible that this Black Ink Disciple had little strength left at this moment.
Yang Kai almost could not endure the urge to throw his head back and roar in laughter. This really was the case of the mantis stalking the cicada, but the oriole waits behind.
Rather than rush out immediately, Yang Kai concealed his aura even more cautiously because he wasn’t sure whether his opponent was aware of his presence or not.
He knew how difficult this ambusher was, and if he missed them again, then he would just be repeating the same mistake. There was only one opportunity here, either he did nothing, or if he went all out, he had to make sure he got this right!
In fact, both Yang Kai and the Eighth-Order Master were correct. The Black Ink Disciple who was lurking in the shadows simply had no energy to unleash that kind of attack again. As a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, even though they were ambushing an Eighth-Order Master from the shadows, they still had to use a sacrificial technique that, while dealing 1,000 points of damage to the enemy, dealt 800 to themselves. After using that attack, their entire person was drained.
They would never have used such a Secret Technique easily and did not even use it last time when they were ambushing Yang Kai; however, in order to land a good hit on an Eighth-Order Division Commander, they had no choice but to use such an attack.
However, the ambusher was smart. Despite having little strength left, they still used their hostile intent to ward off the injured Eighth-Order Master.
Only after confirming that the Division Commander had gone far away did they put down their longbow and lay limp on the ground, struggling to stuff some Spirit Pills into their mouth and refine them in order to restore some strength.
They did not stay in place for too long though since the previous attack had already revealed their whereabouts. They could not be sure whether that Eighth-Order Master would suddenly wheel around for a counterattack. If that were to happen, then they would definitely be powerless to resist.
So, when they regained a bit of their energy after a short rest, they stood up and tried to leave.
However, they had just begun to move when their heart suddenly jumped. They had a bad feeling that something terrible was about to happen.
This person reacted with great haste and twisted around to draw their bowstring. The bowstring whizzed and a golden light condensed.
At the same time, their body rose as they leapt backwards.
From the corner of their eye, they saw a figure appearing nearby, seemingly out of nowhere. The golden light struck that person in the chest and sent fresh blood bursting out, but the target did not stop and continued charging towards them. At the same time, a profound power spread out, locking the local space down.
The Black Ink Disciple was shocked.
After being tangled up with Yang Kai for many days, there was no way that they could not recognize his appearance. Only, this Black Ink Disciple could not understand how this guy actually appeared here. From how the current situation was developing, this person had clearly been here for a long time, just waiting for the moment they relaxed to strike.
Having seen his Instantaneous Movement before, there was no way they didn’t know Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space. Now that the space around them had been locked down, it had to be this person’s doing.
In the time it took for them to think through this, Yang Kai had already crashed into them. Instantly, the Black Ink Disciple’s bones cracked as if they had been struck by an entire Universe World. It was not known how many bones broke at that moment, but they were seeing stars and a mist of blood had been spat out from their mouth. In an instant, their aura weakened considerably.
Despite being pursued by Yang Kai for so many days, they had never been this close before, so the Black Ink Disciple knew that life or death was at stake here. At once, they circulated the power of their Small Universe and swung their bow down at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai completely ignored this attack and instead wrapped his arms around the person, holding them tight in his arms and grinning, “Bastard, eat this!”
Saying so, he slammed his head down. Headbutting someone at this distance was the most effective way to deal damage. The reason he did so was that Yang Kai did not want any distance to build up between him and this person at all.
After having seen what this guy was capable of, Yang Kai knew well that if he were to let them escape his grasp, they might escape again.
With a thunderous bang, Yang Kai’s vision went dark, and the Black Ink Disciple’s head was thrown back, revealing the face which had been hidden under the hood the whole time in full view of Yang Kai.
It was shameful to think about it, but even after facing off against this Black Ink Disciple for so long, Yang Kai had not seen their face until now.
As their long hair flew up, a round face came into Yang Kai’s view. It seemed like the face of a young girl, cute with a bit of baby fat remaining.
[A girl?] Yang Kai was taken aback. That was when he noticed the full and elastic feeling which was pressing up against his chest.
However, soon enough, he tossed gender concerns to the wind. So what if she was a woman? There was no differentiation between a man and a woman on the battlefield. Craning his head back, Yang Kai delivered another devastating headbutt.
The Black Ink Disciple’s forehead was all red and tears were flowing out from the corners of her eyes. With Yang Kai’s Dragonkin body, his physical body was incredibly strong, yet the impact was still enough to black out his vision, so nothing need be said about its effect on the Black Ink Disciple.
After two headbutts, her consciousness was shaken and she almost passed out.
Seeing this, Yang Kai quickly activated Purifying Light in order to disperse the Black Ink Strength in her body.
The reason why he rushed forward to grab her like this was because he planned to do this all along. Yang Kai never thought about killing her. All this while, Yang Kai had wanted to capture her alive so that he could cleanse the Black Ink Strength from her body.
After all, if such a powerful Seventh-Order Master could be saved, she would be of great help to the Human Race.
If he merely wanted to kill her, then Yang Kai could have easily killed her from afar by sending a powerful Divine Ability against her.
However, before Yang Kai’s Purifying Light could come out, the Black Ink Disciple in his arms, who looked like she was about to pass out, suddenly bent her knee and slammed it upwards!
With a grunt, Yang Kai’s face went white!
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Black Ink Disciple freed an arm and sent two fingers right at Yang Kai’s eyes.
In the nick of time, Yang Kai turned his head, but he could still feel her fingers scraping away a layer of skin from his cheek.
The pain caused anger to surge up inside of him, and he squeezed even harder. The Black Ink Disciple yelped as her body creaked with the sounds of bones breaking. There was even blood spilling out from the corner of her mouth. It seemed like it would only take a bit more force from this person in front of her and she would burst apart.
In a moment of fear, her fingers, elbows, even her teeth and head all become weapons that rained down attacks on Yang Kai.
At such a close distance, she attacked Yang Kai completely haphazardly.
A fierce light flashed past Yang Kai’s eyes. He understood that if he did not completely subdue her, then he would simply have no chance to use Purifying Light. So, he restrained her body with both arms and even wrapped his legs around hers to prevent her from targeting his weak spot again.
Following that, Yang Kai used another headbutt.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
Every clash between them was a competition between their Small Universe’s heritages. At first, the Black Ink Disciple was able to put up a little bit of a fight; however, after seven or eight more headbutts, her resistance gradually faded away.
Her close-quarter combat strength wasn’t bad, but everything was relative, not to mention the fact that Yang Kai had practically restrained all of her movements at this moment, stifling her options.
Moreover, she was already exhausted after that sneak attack on the Eighth-Order Human Master. The amount of energy she could restore from her brief respite was limited, while Yang Kai was almost at full strength.
It was obvious who had the advantage in this comparison.
Blood splattered out as Yang Kai’s headbutts turned the Black Ink Disciple’s forehead into a bloody mess. As he watched the Black Ink Disciple’s eyes go white as she fell unconscious, Yang Kai finally stopped.
He shook his head to dispel the dizziness gripping his body before sighing. Yang Kai felt even more exhausted from this than if he were to face an Eighth-Order Master.
Fortunately, the Black Ink Disciple in front of him seemed to have lost all energy to resist and had finally fallen under his capture.
However, this woman had proven herself to be extremely cunning. It was hard to be sure whether she was just feigning unconsciousness or not, so Yang Kai had no intention of letting her go and just silently activated his Purifying Light.
A short while later, his left and right hands glowed in two different colours that merged and fused together into a dazzling white light, completely enveloping the two bodies that were in close contact with each other.
The almost unconscious Black Ink Disciple suddenly looked pained and a hoarse noise escaped from her throat. She instinctively tried to struggle, but with Yang Kai keeping her locked in place, it was useless no matter how much she resisted.
*Ci La La…*
Black Ink Strength could be seen seeping out of her body before disappearing without a trace. The pained look on the Black Ink Disciple’s face also gradually disappeared, and her expression softened.
After a few moments, when no more Black Strength came out, Yang Kai finally let go. Only now was he sure that she had no more energy to resist.
Exhausted, Yang Kai collapsed spread-eagled and gasped hard. Even though the woman next to him was unconscious, her brow was still furrowed, as if she were having a nightmare.
It was only after a few moments that Yang Kai struggled to sit up and stuffed some energy-recovering Spirit Pills into his mouth and silently began refining them.
The woman still showed no signs of waking up. She had sustained several injuries from Yang Kai after being chased down by him for several days. Then, she had hidden in the shadows in order to ambush the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Master, which led to her using a powerful Secret Technique that further aggravated her condition. Finally, she suffered a rough beating from Yang Kai. Even though she had regained her free will, she was still suffering from her overexertion and injuries.
Yang Kai sat cross-legged next to her and stuffed some Spirit Pills into her mouth, helping her swallow them before activating his Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation, enveloping them both in its rich, soothing vitality.
Fortunately, there were no signs of any Black Ink Clansmen around this area; otherwise, he would surely end up in another battle after making such a ruckus.
The woman ended up sleeping for a whole day. At some point, her long lashes fluttered, then her eyes flitted open suddenly and her small body shot up from the ground. Reaching towards the void, she grabbed her longbow, which was even longer than the length of her body.
The bow was drawn with great familiarity, and a golden light was pointed straight at Yang Kai, ready to strike.
Yang Kai remained seated on the ground without moving, not even trying to defend himself. He just looked up at her with a compassionate expression and comforted, “No need to be nervous.”
The young woman looked steadily at him for a moment, then her expression changed slightly as she finally remembered what happened before she fell unconscious, and she could not help but frown. Lowering her bow, she asked with some surprise, “Senior Brother saved me?”
Yang Kai smiled and nodded.
Even though these were her own experiences that she remembered so vividly, the woman still found it hard to believe, “How was Senior Brother able to save me? What sort of technique did you use?”
Since time immemorial, Humans had no means to restore order from chaos after one was corrupted of Black Ink Strength and degenerated into a Black Ink Disciple. As soon as one was turned, from then on, they would stand on opposing sides from the Human Race. The only thing they could do then was to face them in a life-or-death fight on the battlefield.
Many others had either died at the hands of the Black Ink Disciples or turned into weapons against their own people by the Black Ink Clan. This had been the painful reality for the Human Race since the beginning of the war.
But now, what she experienced was a sure sign that the Human Race possessed some Heaven-defying method that could rescue Black Ink Disciples!
Despite her great mental strength, she still could not hide her shock.
Yang Kai smiled, “I have a Secret Technique that can purify and dispel Black Ink Strength.”
The young woman pondered for a moment, “That white light?”
“Indeed!”
The woman nodded, seemingly having an epiphany, “No wonder!”
“Hm?” Yang Kai looked at her in confusion.
The young woman explained, “During the war ten years ago, one thing that struck the Black Ink Clan as odd was the fact that there were essentially no new Black Ink Clan Disciples who were converted after a certain point in time. The Black Ink Clan suspected that we Humans had obtained some sort of countermeasure against Black Ink Strength, but they were never able to figure out what it was. Obviously, that would be the Secret Technique that Senior Brother wielded.”
Yang Kai nodded, “That is correct.”
The young woman had a solemn look for a moment, then she put away her bow and cupped her fist, “Bai Yi thanks Senior Brother for his life-saving grace.”
Only then did Yang Kai learn her name. He stood up and cupped his fist in return, “Don’t mention it. En, my name is Yang Kai. And also, I’m no Senior Brother. I’ve only just advanced to the Seventh Order not long ago. In terms of seniority, I think you might be my Martial Aunt.”
Bai Yi shook her head, “You are in the Seventh Order, and your abilities surpass mine, so you should be referred to as Senior Brother.” While speaking up to this point, Bai Yi recalled the days when she was fighting with Yang Kai in that deadly chase and asked in disbelief, “Senior Brother has only just advanced to the Seventh Order?”
Yang Kai nodded, “I broke through at the end of the last war between the two races.”
Bai Yi could not help but feel shaken. For him to have almost driven her into a corner despite only having recently advanced into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, just how strong was his heritage? If Yang Kai had more time to cultivate, then how could she even be his opponent? She was considered a Heaven-sent prodigy, and even though she had the sense to know that she was not that different from other Seventh-Order Masters in terms of pure strength, once she has some distance from her opponent, ordinary Seventh-Order Masters would not even be able to get close to her.
However, after repeated tussles with Yang Kai, she finally understood that there were always people beyond people, Heavens beyond the Heavens.
“Senio… Junior Sister Bai, is your body all right?” Yang Kai asked out of concern. Since she insisted on calling him Senior Brother, so be it.
Only then did Bai Yi take the time to examine herself. After a moment, she responded, “Nothing serious. I overexerted myself a lot and will need to restore my energy. Has Senior Brother helped me recover from my injuries?”
She remembered her wounds well, and even though some of her injuries would recover while she was unconscious, there was no way they would heal so quickly. That meant that someone helped her recover while she was unconscious, and naturally, Yang Kai was the only possible person.
As she spoke, she touched her forehead, feeling a wave of dizziness coming on. Memories of Yang Kai’s world-shattering headbutts were still fresh, as if they had just happened. Even after living for such a long time, it was the first time in her life that she had been treated that way, so it was a novel experience for her.
Yang Kai laughed awkwardly, “As to what happened before, I had no choice but to do it. Please do not blame me for my indiscretion, Junior Sister.”
Bai Yi nodded, “I understand. Senior Brother was merely trying to save me, not to kill me; otherwise, there was no need to go so far. Only, during that time, I… I’ve caused a lot of trouble for Senior Brother. My apologies!”
Saying so, a look of remorse appeared on her face.
Yang Kai sighed, “Once corrupted and transformed by Black Ink Strength, only the Black Ink Clan is supreme; it is not your fault. En, since Junior Sister is fine, let us head back. There is a forward base nearby. Junior Sister should know about it.”
“Yes…” Bai Yi nodded, but she did not move; instead, she had a slightly hesitant look on her face.
Yang Kai looked at her in confusion, “Is Junior Sister feeling unwell?”
Bai Yi shook her head and suddenly looked straight at him, “Senior Brother, do you want to kill a Territory Lord?”
Yang Kai raised a brow, “Junior Sister, what do you mean?”
Bai Yi explained, “Usually, as you and I are both only Seventh-Order, we would definitely be no match for a Territory Lord; however, there is a good opportunity at hand now. If we do this right, then there’s a good chance we’ll be able to pull it off!”
Yang Kai understood what she meant, “Junior Sister is referring to the Territory Lord who escaped earlier?”
Bai Yi nodded, “That was Zhu Feng Territory Lord who served under Men Xie Royal Lord. I used to be his Black Ink Disciple. He and Xu Bo Liang, Division Commander Xu, were engaged in a particularly brutal fight. Though he managed to escape with my help, Zhu Feng’s foundation was severely damaged. He must be back at his Black Ink Nest, recovering from those injuries. If you and I were to ambush him now, there is a good chance that we can take him down.”
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, but the light in them was bright, “Is Junior Sister sure? If Zhu Feng is healing, then there must be Masters standing guard around him. You and I are only two people, and though our strengths are not bad, how high could the possibility of killing him be?”
Bai Yi shook her head, “Senior Brother may not know, but the Black Ink Clan is not a monolith, and there is a lot of treachery lurking in the dark. If given the opportunity, weaker Black Ink Clansmen can see their strength soaring by devouring the energy of higher-ranking Clansmen. Currently, Zhu Feng has been severely injured, so no matter what, he would not allow this news to reach the ears of other Territory Lords or even most of the Feudal Lords under his command. Otherwise, once this news is leaked, there is no guarantee that the other Territory Lords may not have malicious thoughts about him. Even the Feudal Lords under him might take the risk to attack him. Once they devour his energy, it would be enough for a Feudal Lord to advance and become a Territory Lord.”
Yang Kai nodded at her words, “I have indeed heard of such a thing.”
He had lived in the Black Ink Clan’s territory for two years, so he had naturally heard about this. Back then, Nu Yan had expressed his desire to devour a Feudal Lord more than once in front of him. Unfortunately, he never had any opportunities to do so, so he could only bring Yang Kai around to pick gambling fights and earn Black Ink Coins.
This kind of information was no secret either. The Great Passes of the Human Race all possessed this knowledge.
Bai Yi nodded, “If it were any ordinary injury, then those Feudal Lords naturally wouldn’t have any funny thoughts; however, Zhu Feng’s injuries were severe, so he surely wished to conceal the news. And, the place where he was recovering now was only guarded by a few of his most trusted subordinates.”
“You know where he goes to rest?”
Bai Yi nodded, “Approximately, yes; after all, I was one of the Black Ink Disciples under him and had access to many of his secrets.”
Yang Kai began to ponder.
The temptation of a heavily injured Territory Lord was great. If they could take this opportunity to kill him, then that would be enough to deal a severe blow to the Black Ink Clan’s activities in this region, which would naturally be a great benefit to the Humans.
However, doing this would mean taking on a hefty risk.
After all, that was still a Territory Lord. A starving camel was still bigger than a horse. The desperate measures one could bring out when facing death were not to be underestimated, not to mention the fact that the Territory Lord had his trusted subordinates by his side, protecting him.
Even if they did succeed, there would still be a battle to be had during their escape.
“Senior Brother, this opportunity is not to be missed. If we wait any longer and Zhu Feng manages to make any sort of recovery, it will become impossible to succeed,” Bai Yi quickly tried to persuade Yang Kai when she saw his hesitance.
Yang Kai glanced at her and finally made up his mind, nodding, “Very well. I will join forces with Junior Sister to kill Zhu Feng.”
Seeing him agree, Bai Yi finally smiled, “Senior Brother definitely won’t regret this.”
“However, the two of us still have to recover before we go,” Yang Kai advised.
Personally, his condition was fine; however, Bai Yi’s aura was currently very weak, and it was indeed necessary for her to restore her energy first. Otherwise, where would she find the energy to ambush Zhu Feng?
As such, the two of them settled down to recover their strength.
A sneak attack on a Territory Lord came with very large risks, but if successful, it would become a severe blow to the top powers of the Black Ink Clan in this region of the battlefield, a clear benefit to Blue Sky Pass.
Speed was paramount in war, and Yang Kai had no time to seek help from others either; moreover, something like this was better done with smaller numbers.
A few days later, Yang Kai and Bai Yi, who had almost fully recovered, rose to their feet and headed off under Bai Yi’s lead.
There had been a delay of a few days, but that was unavoidable. However, this amount of time did not matter in the face of their plans as Zhu Feng was severely injured by Division Commander Xu Bo Liang during their fight which had damaged his foundation. A lot of time would be required for Zhu Feng to recover, so a few short days would not make any difference.
During their journey, the two of them discussed their plan, taking care of every detail and finally drew up a general outline of what they were going to do. There were bound to be variables when they finally put their plan into action, but that would be left up to their improvisation abilities then.
For Yang Kai, the reason why he agreed to take this risk with Bai Yi was because it was truly a rare opportunity to come by. Secondly, Bai Yi had been following Zhu Feng for many years and knew his habits well. Third was because of his own proficiency in the Dao of Space that would allow him to find an opening to escape if things did not go to plan.
It should be impossible for a heavily injured Territory Lord to try and stop him if he was determined to flee.
They encountered nothing special along the way as Yang Kai followed Bai Yi forward. They did not even encounter a single squad of Black Ink Clansmen.
The reason for this was not that all of the Black Ink Clan had already withdrawn from this war zone, but that Bai Yi had avoided these Black Ink Clansmen and prevented any encounters with them.
The only target of this trip was Zhu Feng. Naturally, killing a Territory Lord would be far more beneficial to them than killing off some small fry.
Occasionally, Yang Kai observed a strange light flickering in Bai Yi’s eyes, so she had obviously cultivated some sort of profound Eye Secret Technique.
He had his own Eye Techniques, but the two Eye Secret Techniques he inherited from Myriad Demons Heaven were best for seeing through illusions and trapping others, so both lacked the long-range detection and surveillance abilities of Bai Yi’s Eye Technique.
When compared, these Eye Secret Techniques all had their own strengths and weaknesses.
After flying for two days, Bai Yi’s body swayed when they approached a certain Universe Fragment, then she landed on it.
Yang Kai followed closely behind.
“We’re almost there,” Bai Yi said.
Yang Kai nodded, “Then, let’s begin.”
Saying so, he took a deep breath and the Small Universe in his body shook violently. Fresh blood spilled from the corners of Yang Kai’s lips after a grunt. At the same time, his aura was suppressed, turning extremely weak.
In such a state, anyone oblivious to what was going on would surely believe that he was heavily injured. If they were to ambush Zhu Feng, then they had to present themselves as weak in order to numb his sense of danger.
“Please excuse me, Senior Brother,” as she spoke, Bai Yi formed a set of hand seals before hitting Yang Kai with a Secret Technique. In the next moment, golden chains appeared, binding him firmly.
Yang Kai struggled a bit, but found that this sealing technique was quite sturdy. Even with his strength, it would be extremely difficult if he were really caught by such a technique. If he were to be hit by such a technique during a fight, then he would basically just have to wait for death.
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai nodded at Bai Yi, signalling that everything was in order.
Bai Yi nodded and grabbed Yang Kai by the arm before taking to the skies. In this way, it seemed like Bai Yi had captured Yang Kai.
According to Bai Yi, it was absolutely impossible for Zhu Feng to return to his own territory after incurring such severe injuries as it would make it impossible to conceal his current state. If that were to happen, the troops under him would surely become distracted, and there was a great possibility that the ambitious ones among them would start to have thoughts about stirring up trouble.
So, he had no choice but to hide in a secret nest in order to recuperate. Due to having followed him for so many years, and also being one of the Black Ink Disciples under his command, Bai Yi knew the location of his hidden nest like the back of her hand.
However, they could not be sure as to whether Zhu Feng was in that nest. If he was, then they could carry out their plan as they had drawn up. If not, they had no choice but to give up.
There was nothing left to do but leave it up to chance. Bai Yi would not dare to make a guarantee that her guess was right either.
In fact, basically every Territory Lord, even some Feudal Lords, had their own secret Black Ink Nests that they prepared as a place to heal when they became seriously injured.
Zhu Feng’s nest was actually situated inside a Sealed World.
There were countless Sealed Worlds in the Black Ink Battlefield, and no one knew how these Sealed Worlds came to be. Every now and then, the entrance of a Sealed World would be discovered. Whether it be the Humans or the Black Ink Clan, there was much to gain inside these Sealed Worlds.
Bai Yi had no idea when Zhu Feng had settled down in that Sealed World, but she had followed him in and out of it several dozen years ago, so she knew where it was.
Half a day later, Bai Yi stopped at a certain place in the void.
On the surface, there was nothing out of the ordinary here, but Yang Kai could vaguely sense a hint of Space Principles pulsing in the Void.
In other words, this was where the entrance to the Sealed World was located.
Yang Kai was bound by Bai Yi’s Secret Technique, so his perception was not too clear. For that reason, he could not determine where exactly the entrance was.
However, after confirming the location, Bai Yi took out her longbow and lightly strummed the string three times.
There was a whirr, and ripples appeared in the void.
A few moments later, a portal opened up a short distance ahead of them, and from it came the clear aura of World Force.
Once the portal expanded large enough for them to pass through, Bai Yi grabbed Yang Kai’s arm and moved in with haste.
After their vision flickered, the two of them arrived inside the Sealed World.
Before Yang Kai could even take in the sights of this Sealed World though, he felt a huge surge of force coming over from the side. Shocked, he circulated his strength instinctively to resist, but he quickly remembered that he was bound by Bai Yi’s Secret Technique, so how could he still have any strength left to struggle?
Fortunately, Bai Yi’s reaction was also miraculously quick. With a twist of her hand, she moved Yang Kai behind her while quickly sweeping to the side at the same time.
However, their ambushers had caught them off-guard. The attack was so sudden that even though Bai Yi could react in time, they were still hit by the aftershock.
With a grunt, both she and Yang Kai rolled into a heap.
She quickly rose to her feet and knelt down on one knee. Like a cheetah ready to pounce on its prey, she held her longbow in front of herself and kept a wary eye on the tall figures at the front.
Behind her, Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of blood.
During that ambush earlier, Yang Kai was completely unable to defend himself. Though it was merely the aftershock, it was still enough to injure him.
Bai Yi moved slightly, clearly concerned about Yang Kai’s injuries.
Yang Kai reached out secretly to tap her on the waist, indicating that he was fine.
“What is the meaning of this?!” Bai Yi asked in a cold voice as she glared up at a Feudal Lord. Earlier, it was he who ambushed them, causing Yang Kai to sustain damage.
There were two other Feudal Lords standing by the first’s side. Each one of them was tall and imposing, looking Bai Yi up and down with mischief in their eyes.
As he observed the situation, Yang Kai had the feeling that what they encountered was not exactly what they expected.
His initial plan with Bai Yi was to have her offer him up to Zhu Feng; after all, Yang Kai was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Even if Zhu Feng was a Territory Lord, he would surely be moved by this opportunity. He would surely wish to convert Yang Kai with Black Ink Strength then and turn him into one of his Black Ink Disciples.
Once Zhu Feng did so, it would give Yang Kai and Bai Yi the opportunity to stir up trouble. Even if they were unable to kill Zhu Feng, it would surely add to his injuries.
But who knew that once they entered the Sealed World, before they could even see Zhu Feng, they would be ambushed by the Feudal Lords who were watching over his safety.
[Could it be that Bai Yi’s circumstances were revealed?] However, that possibility was slim as both he and Bai Yi were the only ones who knew of the plan. Before using the Purifying Light, Yang Kai had specially checked their surroundings to make sure that nobody would see them.
In that case, there seemed to be some other reason behind this current situation.
The Feudal Lord who was being glared at by Bai Yi suddenly chuckled and spoke up “So it is Bai Yi. I thought that it was some Human who had come to disturb Sir’s recovery. Just an accident, an accident!”
That was clearly just an excuse. The Sealed World’s portal was equipped with a Spirit Array, which made it impossible to open unless the proper technique was used.
The Feudal Lords inside naturally knew Bai Yi’s identity if they were willing to open the portal and let her in, but they still tried to attack her, which made it obvious that they had done it on purpose. There was no such thing as an accident here.
However, the Feudal Lord did have a sense of proportion when he attacked and did not go all out. At the most, Bai Yi would have to suffer a bit of pain. They would not actually kill or severely injure her.
After all, Bai Yi was one of the Black Ink Disciples under Zhu Feng Territory Lord’s command, and she was clearly highly valued by him. They were still counting on Bai Yi’s efforts in order to down their enemies in this war zone. If they really did kill or severely injure her, then they would have no way of explaining it to Zhu Feng.
So, once the first attack failed, the Feudal Lord immediately put on a smiling face.
When he heard this, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like Zhu Feng really was hiding in this Sealed World to heal. Bai Yi’s deduction was correct.
Bai Yi glared at the Feudal Lord for a moment before snorting, ‘There will be no next time!’
The Feudal Lord’s smile faded, and he coldly snapped, “A trivial Black Ink Disciple dares speak to me in such a way?”
No matter how strong a Black Ink Disciple was, they would still feel a sense of awe when facing an actual Black Ink Clansman. However, Bai Yi was so highly valued by Zhu Feng that she lost her instinct of respecting the weaker Black Ink Clansmen.
On the battlefield, Bai Yi was even allowed to use Feudal Lords as cover in order to kill Human Masters, killing friend and foe alike with a single arrow!
It was exactly because of that incident that these Feudal Lords became very upset with Bai Yi; after all, nobody was happy to have to watch their backs for attacks from their own allies while they were facing off with an enemy.
After that incident, some of the Feudal Lords went up to Zhu Feng to complain, but rather than punish Bai Yi, Zhu Feng reprimanded them for their poor performance in battle instead.
The unjust ruling of the Territory Lord further intensified the feud between Bai Yi and these Feudal Lords. If it were not for Zhu Feng, then these Feudal Lords would have united to kill Bai Yi already.
A Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple was rare, but a Black Ink Disciple who was willing to kill even her own allies to fulfil her mission was not desirable.
This time, Zhu Feng was badly injured and had to sleep inside a Black Ink Nest to heal, so there was nobody to stand up for Bai Yi. These Feudal Lords who had long been sour at the state of affairs would naturally want to teach Bai Yi a lesson and make her understand who her betters were.
That was what resulted in the sneak attack earlier, but they did not expect Bai Yi’s reaction to be so quick as to be able to avoid it, leaving her no worse for wear other than getting some dirt on her face.
Bai Yi’s unpleasant tone of voice angered the Feudal Lord who attacked her even more. When he was about to reprimand her again, he suddenly noticed Yang Kai behind her and asked in surprise, “You captured a Human?”
The other two Feudal Lords also had curious looks on their faces as they looked over.
Bai Yi specialized in long-distance attacks after all, so generally, any opponent she targeted would end up dead. She had never brought one back as a captive before, so there was no way that these three Feudal Lords would not think it strange when they saw this today.
The first Feudal Lord frowned, “What cultivation does this guy have?”
Yang Kai’s power was restricted by Bai Yi’s Secret Technique, so the Feudal Lords were completely unable to sense his cultivation.
Bai Yi frowned, but after hesitating for a moment, she revealed, “Seventh Order!”
“Seventh Order!?” The eyes of the three Feudal Lords lit up upon hearing this, and they all looked at Yang Kai with a burning gaze.
A Human in the Seventh Order was the equivalent to a Feudal Lord in the Black Ink Clan. When it came to a one-on-one fight, the Feudal Lords were basically no match for Seventh-Order Humans. Not being defeated by them was already good enough, much less capturing one alive.
Capturing a Seventh-Order Master would count as a great merit for any Feudal Lord, no matter whether they were turning them into their own Black Ink Disciples or offering them up to the Territory Lord they served. Both options would boost the power of the Black Ink Clan in general.
“Where is Master?” Bai Yi asked. Though she was almost certain that Zhu Feng was recovering here, she still had to make sure that everything was in order before she acted.
The Feudal Lord who spoke previously had a glimmer in his eyes as he grinned and said, “Sir returned with severe injuries and is currently resting in the Black Ink Nest. He is not to be disturbed. Bai Yi, hand that Seventh-Order Human you captured over to me. Once Sir is awake, I will present him to Sir.”
Saying so, he tried to reach for Yang Kai.
As he moved though, Bai Yi suddenly drew her bowstring and a faint golden light appeared, aiming straight for the Feudal Lord’s forehead.
The Feudal Lord’s hand froze in mid-air as he glared at Bai Yi, “What is the meaning of this?!”
Bai Yi glared at him and returned the sentiment, “What are your intentions?”
The Feudal Lord said, “I believe I’ve made my point very clear. As for you… Do you intend to kill me? Why don’t you try and make a move? Then we’ll see whether or not Sir will let you off!”
Bai Yi was unmoved, “You’ll already be dead by then. What does it matter to you whether Master decides to spare me or not?”
Her words implied that she was capable of killing this Feudal Lord. The Feudal Lord felt disdained and flew into a rage, “Trivial Black Ink Disciple, how dare you act so impudently?!”
Bai Yi’s voice was cold, “Open your dog eyes and take a good look at the situation. Do you really think you can snatch the credit for my merits?”
Yang Kai, who had been behind Bai Yi this whole time, felt a mixture of both a headache and anxiety piling on in this situation.
They had known that things would definitely not go exactly according to their plans, so they were ready to improvise a bit; however, neither of them expected to be provoked by these Feudal Lords before they could even see Zhu Feng.
The Feudal Lords in front of them were clearly intent on snatching away Bai Yi’s achievement. For a Seventh-Order Human to be captured alive meant that Zhu Feng would have a new Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple under his command, which was a great merit. Naturally, the Feudal Lords were all eager to take the credit for themselves.
Normally, they would be capable of doing such a thing; however, Zhu Feng was currently asleep in the Black Ink Nest in order to recuperate and was completely oblivious to the world outside. They just had to snatch Yang Kai away and force Bai Yi out of this Sealed World, and the credit would be all theirs.
This gave Yang Kai a headache.
Moreover, the presence of Black Ink Strength inside this Sealed World made him anxious. Even though it was not very dense, it was still Black Ink Strength.
Anyone inside this Sealed World would constantly be exposed to Black Ink Strength.
Yang Kai was fine as he carried a World Spring, so even if Black Ink Strength did encroach into his body, it would be suppressed perfectly, rendering it harmless.
However, Bai Yi was different. Once her Small Universe was corrupted to a certain extent, she would turn back into a Black Ink Disciple.
Yet at this moment, she did not dare to use any of her power to resist the encroachment of the Black Ink Strength either, for if she chose to do so, then it would inevitably arouse the suspicions of the Feudal Lords in front of her.
As she tangled with the Feudal Lords, she could only allow the Black Ink Strength to infiltrate her body.
Yang Kai had no idea how long she could hold out in this situation, but it would not be long. Once Bai Yi became a Black Ink Disciple again, not only would their plans be ruined, he would fall into danger.
It was clear that Bai Yi understood this, too. So, even though she would normally compromise when the Feudal Lords tried to bully and suppress her, she was exceptionally firm today, which made the Feudal Lords very angry.
With just a few words, a storm began gathering.
As she gripped her bow tight, Bai Yi looked up in a certain direction where a huge flower bud-like object stood. The flower bud seemed to have a life of its own, and as it breathed in and out, Black Ink Strength emerged from it, spreading out in all directions.
That flower bud was the source of the Black Ink Strength that filled this Sealed World.
A Black Ink Nest!
Yang Kai had lived in the Black Ink Clan’s territory for two years and followed Nu Yan to many Feudal Lords’ territories. He had seen many Black Ink Nests, so this was not an unfamiliar sight.
Black Ink Nests were where new Black Ink Clansmen were born, as well as the very foundation of their existence, which meant they were critical to the Black Ink Clan. Usually, Black Ink Nests could only be found in large enough territories controlled by powerful masters.
Nu Yan, the High-Rank Black Ink Clansman Yang Kai had followed around, not only did he not have his own territory, but he did not have his own Black Ink Nest. Naturally, one would not have the right to possess such things without the appropriate power and status.
Zhu Feng was a Territory Lord, so it was not difficult for him to get a Black Ink Nest and set it up in this place.
After the shocking battle with Xu Bo Liang, Zhu Feng was severely injured and immediately returned to this place, entering the Black Ink Nest so that he could enter a deep sleep to heal.
This was confirmed through the words of the Feudal Lords.
So, as Bai Yi looked over in that direction, she grabbed Yang Kai and rushed towards the Black Ink Nest, “I will offer the captive myself. You don’t have to concern yourselves with him.”
The three Feudal Lords paled when they saw this and one of them called out in alarm, “Sir is currently recuperating and is not to be disturbed!”
Saying so, he threw a fist out in Bai Yi’s direction in an attempt to stop her.
Bai Yi’s actions were all planned out though. She had long expected such a move from them, so as soon as she saw the attack coming, her body shifted aside, easily avoiding the blow.
And, in a haste to strike, and because of his grudge against Bai Yi, the Feudal Lord had acted rashly. After Bai Yi dodged his strike, it simply continued on towards the Black Ink Nest.
When he saw this, the Feudal Lord felt shocked, as if his soul could leave his body.
The other two Feudal Lords also felt chills run up their spines in that instant.
Everyone watched in horror as the huge power of his punch struck the Black Ink Nest.
*Hong…*
The three Feudal Lords felt like this punch had struck them, rather than the Black Ink Nest. They could feel their hearts clenching and cold sweat was now dripping down their foreheads.
Bai Yi floated in mid-air, a cold smile lingering on her lips as she watched the disgraceful looks of the three Feudal Lords.
The flower bud-like Black Ink Nest’s breathing stopped after being struck, but it was not too badly damaged. Of course, a tidal wave of Black Ink Strength was released after the violent impact.
The dormant aura inside of the Black Ink Nest quickly awoke, followed by a powerful Divine Sense that swept through the entire Sealed World that held a strong sense of alarm and unease.
Zhu Feng was in a state of trepidation at the moment. He was deep asleep and borrowing the Black Ink Nest’s power to recover; however, after being disturbed all of a sudden, his first thought was that the Humans had found him and launched an attack on his nest, so it was unsurprising that he would be so anxious.
In his current state, it would not be good for him if the Human Masters were to appear.
After his Divine Sense swept over the Sealed World though, Zhu Feng realized that things were not as he thought they were.
The three Feudal Lords who were watching over the Sealed World were all on one knee, shaking with pale faces. Meanwhile, his most capable subordinate, the Human Bai Yi, was floating in the air, looking down at the three of them with a sneer on her face.
Looking at the situation and considering the attack that struck his Black Ink Nest earlier, Zhu Feng instantly understood what happened.
If he were at full strength, then he would not have let anyone who disturbed his healing live, but he was still recovering from his injuries right now and had to rely on these loyal subordinates to guard him. So, it was not advisable for him to cause a fuss in case he lost the trust of his men.
After forcing down the anger welling up inside of him, Zhu Feng shouted in a majestic voice, “What is the meaning of this?”
Yang Kai, who was being carried by Bai Yi, raised his brow at that. Though Zhu Feng’s voice sounded extremely imposing, it could not hide the weakness hidden within. It could be seen that Zhu Feng was indeed very badly injured during the fight with Xu Bo Liang, especially when he tried to run away at the end. The might of Xu Bo Liang’s final slash almost cut his entire back open.
That attack from Xu Bo Liang must have damaged Zhu Feng’s foundation.
The three kneeling Feudal Lords remained silent. It was hard for them to explain the situation as there was no way they could say that they tried to cause trouble for Bai Yi and snatch her merit, which ended with them accidentally hitting the Black Ink Nest and disturbing Zhu Feng’s recovery.
If they did tell him that, then there was no need for them to show their faces in front of Zhu Feng anymore in the future.
“Have you all gone mute?” Zhu Feng became even more annoyed when he saw this, so he called one of them up by name, “Bai Yi, speak.”
The faces of the three Feudal Lords turned ashen at once.
Bai Yi said in a crisp voice, “Master, I have captured a Seventh-Order Human, but these three Feudal Lords did not feel assured about him and had intentions of trying to test him. However, they did not expect to accidentally disturb Master’s rest. Please forgive them.”
At these words, the three Feudal Lords kneeling on the ground were all stunned. They thought that Bai Yi would try to add insult to injury here, but here she was trying to stand up for them, which did not make any sense.
But on second thought, even if Bai Yi really did reveal the truth, the Territory Lord would not have done anything to them given his current condition. Instead, it would only make the three of them hate Bai Yi even more.
Rather than do that, she might as well have them owe her a favour instead.
With such thoughts in mind, rather than feel grateful to Bai Yi, the three Feudal Lords became even more resentful towards her.
Because this would only make their Territory Lord think that Bai Yi was being considerate and that they were being petty.
Naturally, Bai Yi would not be so kind. She would happily do anything to borrow Zhu Feng’s hand to make these Feudal Lords suffer, but her plan with Yang Kai was far more important right now. Adding on the fact that Black Ink Strength was constantly encroaching on her Small Universe inside of the Sealed World, she simply could not hold on for long, so she could not be bothered to stir up any trouble.
Now, all that was left was for them to put their plan into action. If they were too slow, then they would never get this chance again.
When Zhu Feng, who was hiding in the Black Ink Nest, heard this, he was silent for a moment before speaking, “In that case, all of you withdraw. Guard this place carefully and do not let anyone else disturb my healing.”
The three Feudal Lords hastily abided by his orders.
Bai Yi, however, spoke up, “Master, I would like to offer you this Human that I have captured.”
Zhu Feng answered flatly, “That is very thoughtful of you. Keep him in captivity for now, we shall wait until I have recovered from my injuries.”
“Master!” Bai Yi cut in again, “This Human is strong and has a high position on the enemy side. He should know what means the Humans have been using in recent years to resist the corruption of Black Ink Strength. If it is convenient for Master, please convert him first and ask him for the answer. In this way, the other Territory Lords will also not be able to take advantage of this opportunity to snatch away your rightful merits.”
Zhu Feng was badly injured and in a hurry to recover, so he was a little annoyed at having Bai Yi object to his orders; however, after hearing her words, he began to ponder.
Bai Yi was right. It was true that the Black Ink Clan had been extremely curious about what mysterious means the Humans had been using to resist the corruption of Black Ink Strength during these recent years. Men Xie himself had personally ordered the Territory Lords under him to figure out the truth of the matter; however, the Black Ink Clan had been unable to capture a single Human recently, thus they were never able to figure anything out.
Since the last war, the Human that Bai Yi captured could be said to be the very first, and he was even in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Indeed, Humans in the Seventh Order held high positions in their race. It was enough for one to become a Squad Leader or even a Battalion Commander. There was a good chance that a Human like this would know something.
If he could squeeze the answer to that mystery out of this Human, then it would be a great merit indeed. Zhu Feng’s injuries were severe, and even with the Black Ink Nest’s help, it would still take him a year and a half just to stabilize himself. By that time, another Territory Lord might have already discovered the answer.
To lay aside merits that were in front of his eyes without taking them and let another Territory Lord profit, Zhu Feng would naturally be unwilling.
There was merely a short pause before Zhu Feng made up his mind, “Bring him inside.”
“Yes!” Bai Yi answered reverently. Then, under the envious and resentful eyes of the three Feudal Lords, she flew straight towards the Black Ink Nest.
The closer she got to the Black Ink Nest, the denser the Black Ink Strength became. Yang Kai, who was dragged along, could faintly sense her situation and felt concerned for her.
He had no idea how much longer Bai Yi could hold out, but it was obviously not much longer. So, this battle had to be a quick one. Only then would they be able to resolve the situation before Bai Yi turned into a Black Ink Disciple again.
Fortunately, though there were changes in their plan, the general progression of it was going smoothly.
Below the huge flower bud-like Black Ink Nest was a rootstalk-like tunnel that was connected to the ground. The root looked like flesh, yet not, and it was exuding an extremely sinister aura.
Bai Yi entered the opening below the Black Ink Nest with Yang Kai in tow and walked up through the rootstalk-like passage.
A short while later, they arrived in a large and spacious area.
Even though Yang Kai had seen Black Ink Nests many times before from a distance, this was the first time he had ever been inside of one, so he observed his surroundings carefully.
The space inside was filled with such rich Black Ink Strength that it was practically liquid. It was tumbling and surging in the space, and seemed to be flowing towards a certain point under an invisible force that was fervently devouring it.
At the source of the pull was a huge figure who was sitting down cross-legged.
The man had a majestic and imposing figure, but there was a weakness enveloping him that could not be concealed. Who else could this figure be if not Zhu Feng, who had escaped with dire injuries?
When the two of them entered, the Black Ink Strength permeating the hall was pouring into Zhu Feng’s large body.
“Master,” Bai Yi walked up to Zhu Feng and knelt down on one knee, bowing her head.
Yang Kai was set down in front of her, lying quietly. As their eyes met, Yang Kai’s chest tightened because he could see a darkness looming in Bai Yi’s pupils.
In less than half a cup of tea’s time since they entered the Sealed World, Bai Yi was nearing her limit. Once the Black Ink Strength fully seized her Small Universe, she would surely transform into a Black Ink Disciple once again.
“So this is the Human that you captured?” Zhu Feng lowered his head and looked down on them, his huge figure exerting intense pressure.
“Yes!” Bai Yi trembled, seemingly intimidated by Zhu Feng’s might; however, Yang Kai knew that it was just her struggling to maintain the clarity of her mind.
“This Human is in the Seventh-Order?” Zhu Feng asked another question.
Yang Kai was about to curse this guy’s mother for blabbering non-stop instead of converting him directly. Hateful!
“There is no doubt about it,” Bai Yi answered.
Zhu Feng naturally did not doubt her. As his Black Ink Disciple, Bai Yi could not hide anything from him, so he was willing to trust what Bai Yi said to be true. Even if he were suspicious of the Feudal Lords under him, he would definitely not doubt his own Black Ink Disciple.
Even though Black Ink Disciples had low status within the Black Ink Clan, they at least had no need to worry about their loyalty.
“You did well,” Zhu Feng praised Bai Yi with a tender look on his face. Previously, it was Bai Yi’s arrow that came out at the key moment that hurt Xu Bo Liang which allowed him to escape from the Division Commander by creating an opening.
“It was merely my duty,” Bai Yi’s head hung low, and the hair in front of her forehead cast a shadow over her face that blocked the light in her eyes.
Zhu Feng nodded lightly. Without further ado, he spat out a mouthful of dense Black Ink Strength in Yang Kai’s direction, which flowed incessantly like a living creature, burrowing into Yang Kai’s seven orifices and pores.
Yang Kai struggled but to no avail. Soon, he became still.
A short while later, Zhu Feng stopped; however, after spitting out that mouthful of Black Ink Strength, his aura had clearly weakened a little. Converting a Seventh-Order Human seemed to have been burdensome on his current state.
Zhu Feng raised his hand slightly and ordered, “Untie him.”
Since he had been converted into a Black Ink Disciple, Yang Kai was on his side now.
Obeying his order, Bai Yi released the sealing Secret Technique around Yang Kai’s body. In fact, she was going to do so even without Zhu Feng’s order.
“Master!” Yang Kai was well versed in disguising himself as a Black Ink Disciple, and he naturally knew how he should present himself at this moment.
“Now tell me, what means are the Humans using in order to resist the corruption of Black Ink Strength? Why is it that our Black Ink Clan has been unable to gain a single Black Ink Disciple after such a long time?” Zhu Feng looked apathetically at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai answered respectfully, “That is the latest Secret Technique researched by the Human Race. This subordinate has also cultivated it. If it is convenient, then this subordinate is willing to demonstrate it for Master to see!”
Zhu Feng was surprised, “Oh? You have cultivated it too?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai responded.
Zhu Feng nodded, “Then demonstrate it for me.”
“As Master wishes!” Yang Kai cupped his fist and spread his hands out. Two seals floated up from the back of his hands, and in the next instant, a dazzling yellow light lit up on his left hand, while his right hand shone a vibrant blue.
When both hands came together, the two lights fused, transforming into a pure white light. All of a sudden, it felt as if a small sun had appeared inside of the Black Ink Nest.
Zhu Feng’s heart clenched tight.
In fact, when Yang Kai activated the seals on both his left and right hands, he instinctively felt a sense of unease; however, it was only when the white light appeared that his unease grew palpable.
Under the envelopment of the white light, Black Ink Strength turned into nothingness. The flesh walls around the Black Ink Nest contracted violently as if they were being eroded by a terrifying heat, emitting a chatter as the entire Black Ink Nest began to shake.
“This is…” Zhu Feng was shocked. That white light was a great threat to him. When his body was exposed to the white light, he was overtaken by a violent pain. The Black Ink Strength in his body melted just like snowflakes under a bright sun.
Before he could work out what was going on, the sun-like white light rapidly grew before his eyes.
“Please observe as closely as you wish, Master!” Following Yang Kai’s shout, the Purifying Light exploded out.
In an instant, Zhu Feng’s roar resounded throughout the Sealed World.
At the same time, Bai Yi, who had been kneeling on the ground, jumped to her feet and pulled the bow in her hands. A golden glow turned into a pillar of light that was blasted straight in Zhu Feng’s direction.
After Yang Kai had finished performing Purifying Light, he summoned his Azure Dragon Spear while using his Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation at the same time. Guiding the great sun with his spear, Yang Kai stabbed it towards Zhu Feng mercilessly.
The combination of both his and Bai Yi’s strength burst out in an instant and contained terrifying killing power.
With an aura of death looming over his head, there was no way that Zhu Feng did not know that he had been tricked. He did not understand how a Human could withstand the corruption of his Black Ink Strength, much less how Bai Yi, who had been following him for so many years, would suddenly betray him; however, at the critical moment between life or death, he still unleashed the terrifying might of a Territory Lord.
His large body moved forcibly while he threw out a fist, and a terrifying power burst forth, causing space to tremble and rupture.
Outside of the Black Ink Nest, the three Feudal Lords stood together with bitter looks on their faces. They were unable to gain any benefits from Bai Yi this time and instead owed her a favour, which was exceptionally displeasing for them.
However, now that Bai Yi had been called into the Black Ink Nest by Zhu Feng, there was nothing the Feudal Lords could do despite their displeasure. Bai Yi was highly valued by the Territory Lord to begin with, and now that she was able to capture a Seventh-Order Human, her status was likely to rise even higher in the coming days. She might even be able to sit on top of their heads from now on.
How could the three Feudal Lords bear to endure having a lowly Human lord over them?
However, they did not know what they could do at this moment. While they were feeling at a loss, a loud bang suddenly came from the Black Ink Nest.
The three Feudal Lords were startled by the commotion and quickly turned their heads over; then, what they saw instantly sent chills down their spines as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
Following the loud noise, the huge flower bud-like Black Ink Nest shook as if it had received a violent hit, and a strange, dazzling white light seemed to burst out from the gaps inside the flower bud, giving the three Feudal Lords an extremely dangerous feeling.
The white light seemed like their natural enemy. Even from such a long distance away, the Black Ink Strength inside of their bodies was conveying a sense of unease to them.
Immediately following that, they heard the raging roar of their Territory Lord.
As the violent energy exploded, the Black Ink Nest crumbled and several flower petals flew out, wilting and losing all their vitality before they could even reach the ground.
[The Black Ink Nest was destroyed?]
It had to be known just how important a Black Ink Nest was to the Black Ink Clan. The one here had been quietly brought over after much effort and expense from Zhu Feng. Now, its destruction was an immense loss for him.
All three of the Feudal Lords were terrified. They simply had no idea what had happened at their Territory Lord’s side for such a thing to happen.
However, it happened after Bai Yi brought the Human into the Black Ink Nest, so it was obvious that this had something to do with her.
Before they could figure out what happened, two figures flew out from the remains of the Black Ink Nest. While racing towards the Black Ink Nest, the three Feudal Lords looked over and discovered that the two figures were Bai Yi and the Human that she had ‘captured’.
They were both in a terrible state and were tumbling through the air while coughing up blood. It was clear that they were both wounded.
Inside the crumbling Black Ink Nest, Zhu Feng roared in rage, “Traitor! How dare you defy this Lord’s will!”
The roar could be heard all throughout the Sealed World. When a Territory Lord unleashed their anger, Worlds trembled.
Following his roar, a large figure rose from the destroyed Black Ink Nest. It was Zhu Feng. Only, he was clearly in bad shape at this moment. His aura was strong at times but weak at others, a sign that he had been seriously injured.
In fact, he was badly injured by Xu Bo Liang to begin with and had yet to recover since escaping back into this Sealed World before falling for Yang Kai and Bai Yi’s ploy. Suffering Purifying Light, Golden Crow Casts the Sun, and Bai Yi’s arrow technique yet not dying on the spot was already proof enough of how immense this man’s heritage was, but it would still inevitably compound his injuries.
At this moment, Zhu Feng could not even bring out half of his peak strength.
Yang Kai finally understood what the phrase, even a starving camel was larger than a horse, meant. Originally in their plan, if they failed to kill Zhu Feng with their initial attack, it would still at least be able to take half of his life. As long as they could cripple him and leave him half-dead, then with their combined strength, the two of them would have a good chance of winning the subsequent battle.
However, Zhu Feng’s strength was beyond their expectation. Though their surprise attack hit him hard, it did not achieve their desired effect and they had already exposed themselves. They could only charge forward now, as there was no turning back. Either their enemy died here, or they did.
Anger tumbled inside Zhu Feng’s chest. Compared to being attacked by Yang Kai, he was even angrier at Bai Yi’s betrayal. Bai Yi had been following him for many years and had rendered many meritorious deeds for him. Just days ago, if it were not for Bai Yi helping him from the shadows, he would not have been able to escape from Xu Bo Liang’s grasp.
Moreover, Bai Yi was truly very strong and Zhu Feng had treated her very well over the years, valuing her much more than the Feudal Lords under his command.
Back then, when he converted Bai Yi into his Black Ink Disciple, her Small Universe had been incomplete. Generally, every Black Ink Disciple’s Small Universe was damaged as a result of them giving up on parts of it in order to save themselves when Black Ink Strength invaded their bodies once or even several times before they were converted into Black Ink Disciples.
As a result, not only did their strength decrease, and their progress in the Martial Dao stall, but their incomplete Small Universes made them less and less able to resist the encroachment of Black Ink Strength, leaving them much more vulnerable to being converted into Black Ink Disciples.
Bai Yi had sacrificed parts of her Small Universe twice during the war before finally falling into Zhu Feng’s hands and transforming into one of his Black Ink Disciples.
After converting Bai Yi, Zhu Feng realised her potential and had even specifically searched for and obtained a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit for her so that she could repair her damaged Small Universe and regain her full strength.
Profound Yin Spirit Fruits were in great demand not only on the Human side but also among the Black Ink Clan. The Black Ink Clansmen themselves were unable to use Profound Yin Spirit Fruits, but they needed them for the Black Ink Disciples under their command.
As a Territory Lord, it was not difficult for Zhu Feng to find a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit for Bai Yi; however, the price he had to pay for it was still not small.
So, he could not understand why Bai Yi would betray him! Or rather, how she could have done so?!
When he thought of the dazzling and pure white light though, Zhu Feng had the vague feeling that it might be the key to everything. When that white light emerged, the Black Ink Strength in his body squirmed with unease, as if it had met with its nemesis.
That white light had a purifying effect on Black Ink Strength!
That must have been the Human Race’s method for resisting Black Ink Strength, which is also the reason why no Black Ink Disciples had appeared in recent years. When he thought about that, Zhu Feng was shocked. If the Humans had grasped such a technique, then the Black Ink Clan’s advantage would be gone in the future.
If the Humans had such a technique, then how could the Black Ink Clan resist from now on?
As he roared, Zhu Feng raised his hand and pushed his strength wildly.
In that instant, whether it be Yang Kai or Bai Yi, both of them felt a tingle on their skin, a sign of impending danger.
Yang Kai cursed in his heart. How could Zhu Feng still be so powerful even after incurring so much damage? How strong would he be if he were at his peak, and how strong was Xu Bo Liang to be able to hurt him?
But in the next instant, Zhu Feng suddenly coughed up ink-black blood, and the power that had soared up fiercely dissipated again.
His injuries were truly too serious. During that ambush earlier, he had used up all of his strength in a desperate attempt to fight back, and now he was powerless to do anything more.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up at this. How could he not realize that while the enemy appeared strong on the outside, he was in fact dried up on the inside? What were they waiting for? If they did not kill him now, then when?
The change happened too quickly, and it was only a matter of breaths between the initial ambush and Zhu Feng’s counter-attack.
In an instant, Yang Kai stabilized his tumbling body. He had no time to check on his own injuries and instead raised the Azure Dragon Spear in his hands, stabbing it straight in Zhu Feng’s direction while shouting, “Suffer death!”
All the strength in Yang Kai’s body had been poured into that spear thrust. Even though it was nothing fancy, or blessed with any Secret Technique or Divine Ability, this spear was still Heaven-destroying and Earth-shattering.
The World Force inside of the Small Universe in Yang Kai’s body was pouring like mad into the Azure Dragon Spear. His entire being transformed into a stream of light that charged towards Zhu Feng’s face.
Yang Kai’s spear, which contained such intense power, was blocked by a thick flower petal. However, it shattered the flower petal, and the residual force still struck Zhu Feng, which caused the latter to spit blood once more, but not enough to kill him on the spot.
The thing which blocked his spear was a piece of the Black Ink Nest.
Their initial exchange of blows had severely damaged the Black Ink Nest, but at this moment, Zhu Feng’s body was rapidly sinking into the centre of what remained of it. Following his descent, the damaged Black Ink Nest closed up again, transforming into a bud that wrapped Zhu Feng completely into its centre.
Even without actively inspecting it, Yang Kai could clearly feel the power contained in the Black Ink Nest converging rapidly into Zhu Feng’s body. And, as the power drained away, the Black Ink Nest also rapidly withered while Zhu Feng’s aura rapidly recovered.
Yang Kai had no idea what sort of Secret Technique that was, but it was clear that the Black Ink Nest was healing Zhu Feng. It seemed like Zhu Feng was being pushed to a desperate point and had no choice but to do this.
“Kill them, kill them all!” Zhu Feng bellowed from within the Black Ink Nest.
Following his raging roar, three large figures charged towards Yang Kai and Bai Yi at the same time. It was the three Feudal Lords who had arrived late after hearing the commotion.
In fact, they were not slow. They had already charged over as quickly as they could, but everything happened so suddenly and the initial exchange lasted mere moments, which made it seem as if they had arrived late to the rescue.
Three Feudal Lords rushed over, one charging towards Bai Yi while two charged at Yang Kai with a clear division of labour.
It was not that they were underestimating Bai Yi. On the contrary, they were more afraid of her than Yang Kai because they had worked with each other for so many years and knew what she was capable of better than anyone.
So, it would take the combined power of the three of them in order to take down Bai Yi.
The Feudal Lord who was charging for Bai Yi did not expect to be able to kill her alone. His task was merely to delay her and occupy her attention to prevent her from shooting her arrows, allowing his two clansmen to kill Yang Kai first.
Yang Kai was greatly dismayed to sense the two auras charging over from both sides of him as he and Bai Yi definitely could not allow Zhu Feng the time to recover from his injuries. No matter what Secret Technique Zhu Feng was using, as he was draining the potential of the Black Ink Nest, the healing effect must be extraordinary. Once he was given the time to breathe, then killing him would become difficult.
However, with two Feudal Lords coming at him, he could not just ignore them either.
Thus, Yang Kai turned around hastily and thrust his spear towards the two Feudal Lords.
In the next instant, Yang Kai grunted and could not stop his body from flying back several thousand meters. Even the hand holding his spear was trembling slightly.
Under normal circumstances, Yang Kai would naturally not fear facing two Feudal Lords together; however, whether it be him or Bai Yi, the counter-attack from Zhu Feng during their ambush hurt them, so in this exchange, his injuries were enough to affect his performance.
However, he still did not eat too much of a loss after clashing with the enemy. The two Feudal Lords were similarly sent skidding back a dozen steps, and a long cut could be seen on the waist of one of them.
The wounded Feudal Lord could not help but feel shocked when he looked down at himself.
He thought that two Feudal Lords joining hands would definitely be able to take down their injured opponent, but how could they have anticipated that this opponent’s strength was not below Bai Yi’s. In fact, this man could prove to be even more difficult to deal with than Bai Yi!
If he had not dodged quickly enough just now, that spear would have stabbed right through him.
The wounded Feudal Lord was still gawking at his own injury when his comrade next to him paled and shouted, “He’s coming, don’t get distracted!”
Looking up, the Feudal Lord saw the spear of the Seventh-Order Human who was forced back piercing at them again, suffused with intense killing intent.
The two Feudal Lords immediately separated from each other and began to counter-attack. After just several breaths of time though, they were both secretly wailing inside. This Seventh-Order Human was simply insane, fighting desperately with no regard for his own life as soon as he came at them, as if he meant to take them down even if it meant his own death! Under such a fierce assault, even the two Feudal Lords who had worked together for many years were put into a desperate situation. In just a few moments, all three of them were bruised and battered.
Within the Sealed World, following Zhu Feng’s envelopment by the bud-like Black Ink Nest, the battlefield was split into two, one side being Yang Kai facing off against two Feudal Lords on his own, and the other side being Bai Yi alone with the other Feudal Lord.
The Feudal lord who was holding down Bai Yi knew of the might of her archery skills, so he stuck to her like maggots on rotting bones, not giving her the opportunity to shoot any of her arrows. As long as they were in the same Order, if Bai Yi could put some distance between her and her enemy, then nobody could be her opponent.
At this moment, this Feudal Lord was wailing in anguish inside. Even though he knew all this while that Bai Yi was strong, it was not until he truly faced off with her that he realized that he had underestimated her all this while. Even in close quarters, and with her already being injured from their Territory Lord’s counterattack, he was still a little lacking compared to her.
He was both shocked and enraged by this. If things continued like this, he would not be able to last even half of a cup of tea’s time, and his fate would be in jeopardy.
Suddenly, Bai Yi drew her longbow, and a golden light emerged. Shocked, the Feudal Lord quickly lunged over and threw a fierce punch in her direction.
He had not expected his fist to do anything to Bai Yi, but she seemed unprepared for his punch and it sent her flying, fresh blood spewing from her mouth.
Rather than be pleased with his success, the Feudal Lord was shocked and exclaimed, “Not good!”
As he quickly looked back, a golden light had already broken through the barrier of space and hit one of the other Feudal Lords square in the chest, piercing through to the other side. Following the pained roar from the wounded Feudal Lord, a fierce force exploded a hole in his chest.
Bai Yi’s arrow was not aimed at him, but rather at his companion who was engaged in battle with the other Human!
This Feudal Lord could not understand why Bai Yi would act in such a way, preferring to take a direct hit from him in order to help take pressure off the other Human; however, before he could figure that out, his nerves suddenly clenched, and a great sense of crisis shrouded him.
When he looked up in haste, he was mortified by what he saw. Bai Yi, who had gained distance from him, was aiming her bow at him with a golden light that was pointed straight between his brow.
With a roar, the rich Black Ink Strength inside of the Feudal Lord’s body instantly turned into a Black Ink Cloud that covered his figure.
The golden light shot into the Black Ink Cloud, and then a muffled sound was heard.
At the same time, after receiving assistance from Bai Yi, who had heavily injured one of the Feudal Lords with her arrow, much pressure was alleviated from Yang Kai’s side. Originally, two Feudal Lords joining hands was enough to put up a fight with him, but now that one of them was severely injured, cracks immediately began showing in their defence.
Naturally, Yang Kai would not miss such a good opportunity. The Azure Dragon Spear transformed into a towering spear shadow. As he moved, the spear shadow passed through the centre of the two Feudal Lords’ large bodies.
*Chi…*
Following the sound, the head of the Feudal Lord who had been injured burst open, filling the air with his blood. His headless body swayed a few times before falling to the ground.
The remaining Feudal Lord was also battered and bruised, and when he saw his companion die just like that, he became frightened and tried to flee.
The space around him suddenly turned viscous, making each step excruciatingly difficult. A murderous intent hit him from behind, and he felt a slight pain in his back while his body shook. When he looked down, he saw that a spear had pierced through his body.
Horror filled his eyes and he reached out to grip the tip of the spear, hoping to pull it out of himself; however, in the next moment, a violent shockwave was released from the spear.
In an instant, the Feudal Lord’s five viscera and six organs turned to ash, and his entire body burst apart. Ink-black blood and gore showered down on Yang Kai, covering him in filth.
It was not an easy task, killing a Feudal Lord, especially with two of them joining forces. It was enough for them to put up a fight against Yang Kai. Even if Yang Kai was able to kill them off in the end, it would surely cost him and waste a lot of time.
However, with Bai Yi’s help, Yang Kai was able to kill the first Feudal Lord without much difficulty, and when the other Feudal Lord became timid and tried to flee, it gave him a good opportunity to strike.
Without stopping, Yang Kai pulled back his spear and turned around to see Bai Yi floating pale-faced in the air a short distance away, fresh blood staining the corners of her mouth and her chest. Her longbow was drawn slightly, pointing into the Black Ink Cloud.
There was still the aura of one Feudal Lord inside of the Black Ink Cloud.
The last Feudal Lord was wounded by Bai Yi and did not dare to fight her in the open, so he had no choice but to hide away in the Black Ink Cloud to drag things out. Due to the interference of the Black Ink Cloud, Bai Yi was unable to pinpoint his position exactly, so she merely kept her bow drawn as a deterrent.
Body shifting, Yang Kai dove straight into the Black Ink Cloud.
In the next moment, the Feudal Lord’s howl emanated from the Black Ink Cloud, and the sound of them clashing could be heard from within. World Force and Black Ink Strength collided together like a violent storm.
Another dozen breaths of time passed before the noise subsided.
Yang Kai shot out of the Black Ink Cloud with ink-black blood dripping from his spear. The aura of the Feudal Lord inside of the Black Ink Cloud had been extinguished. It was clear that he had been killed.
In a flash, he appeared next to Bai Yi. Stabbing his spear into the ground, Yang Kai’s left and right hands glowed in two different colors.
“Ignore me, hurry and kill Zhu Feng!” Bai Yi put down her longbow and mustered with difficulty, “It will be too late if we delay any longer.”
Yang Kai ignored her and said indifferently, “I don’t want to have to fight you again.” As his hands joined together, the two coloured lights transformed into a dazzling white light that enveloped Bai Yi.
At this moment, Bai Yi’s pale face was already covered in a layer of Black Ink Strength. Flashes of black even appeared in her eyes occasionally, a clear sign that she had been invaded.
In fact, she had been enduring the corruption of Black Ink Strength since they entered this Sealed World. By the time they were facing Zhu Feng, she had almost reached her limit on the amount of corruption she could endure and was about to turn into a Black Ink Disciple.
She held on desperately to the last shred of clarity in her senses, and only then was she able to keep herself sane.
When Yang Kai activated Purifying Light in front of Zhu Feng, it was able to deal heavy damage to the latter, but at the same time, it also helped Bai Yi to dispel some of the Black Ink Strength inside of her Small Universe, alleviating the pressure on her.
However, the Purifying Light was not directed at her that time, so it was unable to dispel all of the Black Ink Strength.
After that, the two of them were wounded by Zhu Feng’s counterattack and then fought with three Feudal Lords, further worsening her condition. If Yang Kai did not help her cleanse the Black Ink Strength in her Small Universe now, then it would take less than half an incense stick of time before she would turn back into a Black Ink Disciple.
Yang Kai could not let that happen; otherwise, if he were surrounded and attacked by both Bai Yi and Zhu Feng at the same time, even he would have to flee for his life.
As Purifying Light enveloped her, Bai Yi let out a slight grunt as the Black Ink Strength escaped from her body before turning into nothing, and the struggling look on her face gradually disappeared.
Several breaths later, Bai Yi opened her eyes, which had regained their clarity, and nodded lightly at Yang Kai. Her aura was still weak, obviously a sign of how severe her injuries were.
Yang Kai picked up his Azure Dragon Spear once more and turned around to look at the Black Ink Nest, which had closed up tight. Bai Yi stepped forward and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
The two figures, one tall and one short, were both battered and bruised, but their gazes were as determined as ever.
“Kill!” Yang Kai shouted as his body flickered. By the time he reappeared, he was already above the Black Ink Nest.
Descending like a meteor while pouring his strength into the Azure Dragon Spear, a great sun emerged and the sound of a Golden Crow’s cry echoed across the Sealed World.
Not far away where Bai Yi stood, one by one, golden lights like stars fanned out and shot towards the Black Ink Nest in a swarm.
The flower bud-like Black Ink Nest was like a living creature, and after wrapping Zhu Feng into itself, it began to beat like a heart. As the Black Ink Nest pulsed, Zhu Feng’s aura was gradually recovering.
At this moment, when Yang Kai and Bai Yi joined hands to launch their attacks, the Black Ink Nest pulsed even more rapidly, as if it could sense the impending danger.
The entire Black Ink Nest suddenly expelled large amounts of Black Ink Strength that practically dyed the entire area black.
In the darkness where one could not even see their fingers in front of them, the Great Sun shone brightly, dispelling the darkness.
*Hong Hong Hong…*
A series of violent bangs rang out.
The Black Ink Nest shook, and the fierce energy fluctuations caused the entire Sealed World to shake.
Yang Kai thrust his spear thirteen times in a row, each attack containing all of his strength. Supported by Bai Yi’s long-range attacks, the entire Black Ink Nest was blasted into a mess.
Inside of the Black Ink Nest, Zhu Feng’s aura rapidly weakened until it became nought.
Yang Kai retrieved his spear and stood in the void, staring down in amazement below him.
[Is it over?] It was simply unbelievable, but as far as his Divine Sense could tell, Zhu Feng’s aura had indeed become so weak that it was practically a candle in the wind that was about to die out at any moment.
Turning his head to look at Bai Yi, he saw that Bai Yi was similarly astonished, obviously not expecting such a situation.
But on second thought, this was not so strange. Zhu Feng had already suffered a huge loss from Xu Bo Liang that forced him to run all the way here in order to recover. Then, he was also struck by the Purifying Light.
It had to be known that Purifying Light was the natural enemy of Black Ink Strength. To have been hit at such a close distance while being severely injured to begin with, Zhu Feng’s foundation had to be damaged.
Even though Yang Kai had no idea what sort of technique Zhu Feng used to suck up the energy inside of the Black Ink Nest to heal himself, it had barely been half a cup of tea’s time since it began, so it must not have been too effective.
Even Zhu Feng may not have expected his three Feudal Lord subordinates to be killed so quickly by Yang Kai and Bai Yi. He was originally hoping that his three subordinates would be able to buy him some time.
Unexpectedly, the three Feudal Lords barely provided any help and were killed one after another.
With this, he had little time to heal and could not withstand the ferocious attacks of Yang Kai and Bai Yi.
Though extremely weak, Zhu Feng’s aura had not truly perished yet. As Yang Kai was about to make preparations to finish the job, he suddenly heard a soft *dong* from the ruined Black Ink Nest below.
It sounded like the beating of a heart, strong and powerful.
Following that sound, Yang Kai felt his own heart throb uncontrollably, and he was overtaken by dizziness for a moment.
A terrifying aura quickly resurfaced from the Black Ink Nest below.
By the time the aura was restored, Bai Yi’s astonished shout rang out, “Senior Brother, watch out!”
Yang Kai had already released a ferocious spear downwards.
*Hua la…*
A large hand suddenly emerged from the ruined Black Ink Nest and grabbed at Yang Kai.
The Azure Dragon Spear’s sharpness was unparalleled, and with Yang Kai pouring all his strength into it, it appeared even more unstoppable. The might of the spear pierced right through the hand, bringing ink-black blood out of it.
However, the hand did not flinch in the slightest and clenched fiercely.
With nowhere to escape, Yang Kai was shocked to find that he could not avoid the hand. In a moment of distraction, he and his spear were caught.
A terrifying force struck his body and all his bones creaked, forming countless cracks.
He tried his best to shake his spear and pushed all the World Force in his Small Universe, blowing a hole into the palm of the large hand. At the same time, a golden arrow of light flashed over, piercing into the wrist of the hand.
With the combined efforts of both Yang Kai and Bai Yi, the grip on Yang Kai finally loosened slightly, allowing him the chance to quickly break free and back away, putting some distance between him and the Black Ink Nest.
As he struggled to stabilize himself, Yang Kai’s face flashed red and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Even though his aura wilted a little, his general situation improved considerably.
Ever since the recovering aura inside the Black Ink Nest began to rise gradually, it surpassed the state that Yang Kai first saw Zhu Feng in, and he was now approaching his peak state.
Both Yang Kai and Bai Yi were shocked.
However, the rising power soon reached a plateau. Though it was powerful, it was not enough to cause them to lose hope.
As they looked over, a pair of large hands emerged from the tattered Black Ink Nest, pushing left and right, tearing it open. Zhu Feng’s giant body reemerged before their eyes.
At this moment, Zhu Feng’s entire body was soaking wet, as if he had just emerged from his mother’s womb as a newborn, and the sticky liquid was dripping down his body, converging into a puddle at his feet.
The ruined Black Ink Nest had already crumbled into dust. Clearly, all the power contained within it had been completely devoured by Zhu Feng.
After being pierced through in the palm by Yang Kai’s Azure Dragon Spear, a large gaping hole had been left; however, the flesh around the wound writhed and began rapidly healing.
Zhu Feng gently clenched his fist before turning his dark eyes in Yang Kai and Bai Yi’s direction. A menacing voice rumbled, “Ants, you have succeeded in angering this Lord! I will let you taste a fate worse than death!”
As he spoke, a fist punched out towards the two of them.
Yang Kai and Bai Yi’s faces paled. One holding a spear and the other a bow, they joined forces to block the attack.
The overwhelming power coming from the front caused the two of them to be violently thrown back. Bai Yi’s petite body tumbled through the air as her bones audibly cracked. Even though Yang Kai had a sturdy physique, he still received the blow badly. It felt like his five viscera and six organs were all knocked out of place as he was blown backwards to a mountain more than a dozen kilometres away, embedding deeply into it and spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood as his face turned as pale as a sheet of paper.
It was merely one punch, but it enlightened Yang Kai to the enormous disparity between Zhu Feng and himself. This guy had used some kind of Secret Technique in order to squeeze out the power of the Black Ink Nest and rapidly heal himself, allowing him to return to almost peak condition.
Even if Yang Kai and Bai Yi were at their peaks, they still may not have been able to resist such an opponent, much less in their current state.
Yang Kai and Bai Yi were already bruised and battered from their previous encounters, greatly reducing their strength. In just a single exchange, the two of them suffered a huge loss.
In such a dangerous situation though, Yang Kai’s fighting spirit soared rather than withered. Even though his face was pale, his eyes were frighteningly bright.
He had no idea what sort of Secret Technique it was that Zhu Feng used to restore his energy, but the stronger the Secret Technique, the greater the backlash. That was common sense!
In other words, there was no way Zhu Feng could maintain this state for long. As long as he and Bai Yi could hold out, when the backlash of Zhu Feng’s technique hit him, his might would crumble on its own.
The two of them understood this in theory, but would they be able to hold on until then? Perhaps the two of them would be killed by Zhu Feng before that.
However, this was a rare opportunity; moreover, Yang Kai had already performed Purifying Light in front of Zhu Feng. Zhong Liang had warned him to never use Purifying Light in front of the Black Ink Clan, but if he did, he had to kill all the witnesses so that word of the technique would not leak out. If the Black Ink Clan knew about Yang Kai and his means to resist Black Ink Strength, he would surely become a target. When that time came, the Humans would no longer allow him to leave Blue Sky Pass for his own safety.
So, no matter the cost, Yang Kai felt that he had to fight. It would be for the best if he could kill Zhu Feng, but if that was truly impossible, then he would have to take Bai Yi with him and escape. As for whether or not they could successfully flee, he could only do his best and leave the rest up to fate.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Yang Kai freed himself from the mountain and with a flare of Space Principles, he arrived before Bai Yi in one step.
At the same time, Zhu Feng threw a punch at Bai Yi while she was still shaken and powerless to resist. She was certainly powerful and fought well in her previous exchanges with Yang Kai, making him expend a lot of effort to take her down; however, she did not have Yang Kai’s powerful heritage in the end, much less a World Spring to stabilize and protect her Small Universe.
Not only did Zhu Feng’s punch send her flying, but it also shook her Small Universe badly, leaving her strength in disarray. She was still dizzy, so she was simply unable to defend herself.
Zhu Feng seemed to hate Bai Yi even more for her betrayal, so he planned to take care of her first before going after Yang Kai.
When his fist came out, a figure suddenly appeared. It was Yang Kai, here to save her. Zhu Feng sneered as the might of his fist did not reduce, but instead turned even fiercer. Even if the Universe itself stood in his way, he would still blow it to pieces to exact his revenge.
A flurry of spear shadows came out, but they were no hindrance to the approaching fist.
Yang Kai was forced back again and again, with a mist of blood being beaten from his body with each step back.
After retreating a dozen steps, he hooked his leg up, swinging Bai Yi, who was by his feet, away into the distance. At the same time, he was unable to resist Zhu Feng’s punch any longer and was sent flying like a paper kite. He was seeing stars, and his right arm, which held his spear, had been bent out of shape, clearly a sign that it had been broken.
However, it was fortunate that Bai Yi had already been sent away and was temporarily out of harm’s way. Instead, he was now the one in danger.
“You like saving people, do you? Then I’ll kill you first!” Zhu Feng roared and spread his hand open, bringing it down on Yang Kai’s head.
All light in front of him was shrouded in darkness, and Yang Kai’s eyes were simultaneously covered in blood. At a time when he had no strength left, he was simply incapable of dodging that blow.
As the huge palm was about to slam down on him though, a golden light suddenly shot over from the side. Bai Yi had managed to stabilize herself and fired a series of arrows to save Yang Kai at the crucial moment.
These arrows were filled with her resolve, and their power was without question. If Zhu Feng was intent on killing Yang Kai, then Bai Yi’s attack would surely take advantage of it.
As a noble Territory Lord, Zhu Feng was obviously unwilling to trade lives with Yang Kai; so, without hesitation, he turned around and blocked the golden light.
Boundless Black Ink Strength poured out, and the might of the golden lights that were pushing forward with overwhelming momentum were greatly hindered. Zhu Feng quickly threw out several punches and shattered most of the golden lights, but he caught the last one and threw it back at Bai Yi.
The golden light flew even faster and carried more power than when it came, and it nailed Bai Yi directly in the shoulder, piercing through her body. As fresh blood flew out, Bai Yi grunted. Being carried by a huge force, her body tumbled uncontrollably before she fell heavily.
“Overconfidence!” Zhu Feng coldly snorted; then, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the pure white light flashing over. When he turned around, a small white sun burst apart before his eyes.
Zhu Feng was immediately horrified. He had suffered a huge loss from this Secret Technique before and knew how powerful it was. It was simply the natural enemy of Black Ink Strength, so how could he dare to touch it again?
However, in order to attack Yang Kai, he had brought himself too close and was now unable to dodge in time.
As his body retreated, rich Black Ink Strength poured out of his body, forming a protective layer around him.
Zhu Feng’s roar resonated through the clouds as the white light burst open, dazzling the World and melting away the sea of darkness, purifying the rich Black Ink Strength.
Once the burst of Purifying Light dissipated, Yang Kai stood in place, panting heavily as he fought back the pain in his broken arm. Meanwhile, Zhu Feng, who was literally smoking where he stood, had an angry look on his face. His aura also seemed to have weakened slightly.
The Purifying Light had clearly done some damage to him.
Four eyes met as Zhu Feng’s rage almost materialized. There were flames burning in his gaze while Yang Kai gripped his Azure Dragon Spear tightly.
Dozens of kilometres away, Bai Yi’s small body lay motionless on the ground.
Only a short dozen breaths had passed since they began fighting with the recovered Zhu Feng and both Yang Kai and Bai Yi did everything they could, but at this moment, Yang Kai was badly injured, and it was not known whether Bai Yi was even alive, proving just how powerful Zhu Feng was.
This fight was truly a disaster!
During the critical point between life and death, Yang Kai’s mind was surprisingly clear. His eyes, blurred by his own Golden Blood, had only Zhu Feng reflected in them. His grip on the Azure Dragon Spear remained firm as he raised the tip slightly, pointing it forward.
“Fight!”
Zhu Feng was clearly angered by his provocation and shouted through his clenched teeth, “You lowly Humans never know how high the sky or how thick the earth are! Since you wish so much to die, this Lord will grant your wish!”
Taking a big step forward, his palm turned into a blade that chopped straight down.
The entire Sealed World seemed to split apart from that blow, and a huge gap suddenly opened up in the Void in front of Yang Kai. The gap ran from Zhu Feng’s hand blade, going all the way down and through where Yang Kai stood.
The Azure Dragon Spear struck out like a dragon. Whether it be the timing or the angle, this thrust was so perfect that Yang Kai had the illusion that he was the spear, and the spear was him.
As if something was shattering inside of himself, Yang Kai had suddenly gained a burst of enlightenment in the Spear Dao, breaking through to the next stage of comprehension.
Yang Kai actually made a breakthrough in the Spear Dao during this life-or-death moment, which was slightly surprising to him, but at the same time, it somewhat made sense. Fighting with one’s life on the line was really the best way to break through a bottleneck.
His Spear Dao was originally only at the fifth level, Attaining Mastery Through Comprehensive Understanding.
However, he had now broken through to the sixth level, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary, the same level he was at in his mastery over the Dao of Time.
Those who could break through to the sixth level of comprehension in any Dao could all be considered a Master of the Dao. It had to be known that Yang Kai was also only at the eighth level in the Dao of Space, Summiting the Peak, and the Dao of Space was something he had been cultivating since he was very weak.
It was a surprise that he was able to make a breakthrough in his Spear Dao at this moment, but Yang Kai had no time to rejoice as Zhu Feng’s fierce attack had completely enveloped him by now, and an aura of death was shrouding him from above.
At this moment, there was neither joy nor sadness in Yang Kai’s eyes.
Boundless Black Ink Strength unleashed itself wantonly while fresh blood spurt out.
Two figures passed each other. The hand which Yang Kai held his spear with was trembling violently and the pain in his chest was almost unbearable. When he looked down, he found a large wound cutting from his shoulder all the way to his waist. His skin was rolled up and he could almost see his organs writhing inside.
In the end, he failed to block or dodge Zhu Feng’s hand blade. Even with his strong Dragonkin physique, he was still almost cut in half by that blow.
But even though he was wounded, Zhu Feng was not completely unscathed either. During that exchange, the Azure Dragon Spear pierced a hole through Zhu Feng’s chest, so it was truly hard to say who came out on top.
Yang Kai did not even bother dealing with his injuries and turned around hastily, pointing his spear at Zhu Feng’s large body as he roared, “Die!”
As he forged ahead, his figure disappeared into the light of his spear. He and the Azure Dragon Spear instantly fused into one, turning into a stream of light that charged in Zhu Feng’s direction.
The battle today would only end when one of them perished!
Zhu Feng’s roar resonated through the clouds as he turned around to meet Yang Kai. Even though he was using only his fists without any artifacts, each blow was terrifyingly powerful.
Both sides instantly engaged in a tangled melee, and horrific wounds surfaced on both their bodies. Meanwhile, rich Black Ink Strength was constantly flowing out of Zhu Feng’s wounds, drilling into Yang Kai’s body.
This Black Ink Strength was just like an extension of Zhu Feng’s body. Not only was it constantly burrowing into Yang Kai’s flesh, it turned into sharp attacks that came one after another, damaging Yang Kai’s five viscera and six organs from the inside.
Yang Kai’s face was covered in blood and his appearance was truly miserable. His aura continued to weaken.
Zhu Feng’s aura was also weakening though. He had used a powerful Secret Technique in order to squeeze the power out of the Black Ink Nest so that he could heal himself. Even though he had obtained some strength to fight for a short amount of time, it was impossible for him to maintain this state for long. As time went on, the drawbacks of the Secret Technique gradually surfaced, hitting him with a severe backlash.
Adding onto the fact that Yang Kai’s attacks had also caused considerable damage to him, the rate at which the backlash came only accelerated.
If he could deal with Yang Kai before the backlash from the Secret Technique came fully, then naturally, everything would be fine. However, if not, he would be done for.
Zhu Feng himself would never have dreamed that a mere Seventh-Order Human could be so difficult to deal with. Even in his current state, no matter what Seventh-Order Human he faced, he was confident in killing them within ten breaths, yet this Human was not only not dead, but was even fighting back and causing serious damage to him.
This was a great humiliation to Zhu Feng’s noble status as a Territory Lord, and his attacks only grew fiercer as a result.
Both sides were weakening, but in comparison, Yang Kai’s situation was worse. If things were to continue this way, then it would not take long for Zhu Feng to kill him. It was clear that Zhu Feng realized this too as he did not give him any room to breathe, continuing this exchange of damage with Yang Kai.
Yang Kai retreated again and again. Blood was churning in his throat as he squeezed out the power of his Small Universe over and over again to put up a desperate fight to the death. However, his resistance was too weak in the face of the enemy’s imposing strength.
The time he spent exchanging blows with Zhu Feng was not long, but it was clear that the World Force inside of his Small Universe was about to dry up.
Such a situation had never happened before since Yang Kai advanced to the Open Heaven Realm. The heritage of his Small Universe was far greater than that of his peers. In fact, if the battle was not too fierce, then no matter what, the power in his Small Universe would never dry up.
However once a Small Universe ran empty, there would be no World Force to use, and his Open Heaven Realm cultivation would become a mere decoration.
Even though Yang Kai still had a trump card up his sleeve, it was his last one. Once he played that card, he had to decide the fight, otherwise, both he and Bai Yi would die here today.
So, without a suitable opportunity, and before he had reached a truly desperate point, Yang Kai would never play his final card.
He had a mind to use Purifying Light again, but with the intensity of their fight, the short delay he would need to condense enough Purifying Light would simply become an opportunity for Zhu Feng to take advantage of.
In the face of Zhu Feng’s frenzied attack, Yang Kai could only struggle to hold on and wait for the right opportunity.
All of a sudden, as he stabbed out with Azure Dragon Spear, it was caught in Zhu Feng’s grasp, causing the latter to grin ferociously and roar, “Die, ant!”
Clenching his other fist, he threw a punch at Yang Kai.
The huge fist rapidly expanded before Yang Kai’s eyes, carrying with it a Heaven-destroying, Earth-shattering power. Yang Kai hurriedly gave up his spear and crossed his arms in front of himself to protect his body.
However, a golden light suddenly came from the side at that moment, appearing between Yang Kai and Zhu Feng. Shining faintly, Bai Yi’s small figure was revealed from inside of the golden light.
This was obviously Bai Yi’s Movement Technique. When Yang Kai was chasing her, he realized that she could change places with the golden light that she shot, similar to his Instantaneous Movement. Such a technique was not exactly the same as Instantaneous Movement, but it was still extremely profound. It was by relying on that amazing Movement Technique that she was able to escape from Yang Kai’s grasp again and again.
Previously, when Bai Yi was wounded by Zhu Feng’s attack, she lay several dozen kilometres away, and whether she was alive or dead was unknown. Yang Kai was so focused on fighting Zhu Feng that he did not even have the time to check on her condition.
However, he never would have thought that she would use her special Movement Technique here to come between the two of them.
Yang Kai’s pupils shrank as he called out in alarm, “No!”
He knew how strong Zhu Feng’s attacks were. Relying on his sturdy Dragonkin physique he could still barely resist until now, but if a punch like that were to hit Bai Yi, she would surely die.
Yang Kai had no idea why Bai Yi would appear at this moment, but it was clear that she wanted to use her own body as a shield to absorb the unstoppable blow for him.
He reached out for Bai Yi, but it was too late.
Zhu Feng’s huge fist struck Bai Yi’s small figure so hard that Yang Kai could clearly hear the sounds of bones breaking in quick succession.
In the instant that she was about to be hit though, Bai Yi drew her longbow, and a feathered arrow in the form of a pair of unfurled wings entered Zhu Feng’s chest.
Zhu Feng’s roar and Bai Yi’s muffled grunt rang out at the same time.
In their clash of blows, Zhu Feng stumbled backwards while Bai Yi crashed into Yang Kai’s arms, sending the two of them tumbling through mid-air.
Before the two of them could land, they heard Zhu Feng roar again. The Azure Dragon Spear that he had snatched from Yang Kai turned into a beam of light that was shooting straight for Yang Kai and Bai Yi, reaching them almost instantly.
This attack was so powerful that space was torn apart in its wake. If they were hit by it, then even Yang Kai’s Dragonkin body would be pierced through.
However, at this moment, whether it be Yang Kai or Bai Yi, both of them were basically out of strength, rendering them powerless to resist.
Seeing as the two of them were about to be skewered like a bottle gourd, a dragon roar sounded and a glowing Dragon Head appeared dazzlingly behind Yang Kai.
In a flash, the Golden Dragon Head burrowed into Yang Kai’s body and disappeared from sight.
Following that, there was a crackling sound as a 20,000-metre behemoth appeared out of nowhere within the Sealed World.
Dragon Pressure filled the air!
The Grand Dragon curled up, wrapping Bai Yi in its body. The Azure Dragon Spear plunged directly into the Dragon’s belly and disappeared completely. At the wound, Dragon Scales flew out, and the violent pain that took the Great Dragon caused it to throw back its head and let out a mournful roar.
Yang Kai suffered a terrible wound, but Bai Yi’s life was saved.
The Grand Dragon suddenly turned around, and its giant Dragon Eyes glared in Zhu Feng’s direction. In the next instant, the Dragon swayed and its ferocious Dragon head lunged at Zhu Feng.
At first, Zhu Feng was taken aback when he felt the terrifying Dragon Pressure. Even the pain from the wound that Bai Yi just gave him had been forgotten.
Even though the Black Ink Clan knew of the existence of the Dragon Clan, they had essentially never encountered them on the Black Ink Battlefield. However, they had heard of a Grand Dragon showing itself during their attack on the Humans at Blue Sky Pass.
However, Zhu Feng was not present during that battle, so he was not able to see it for himself.
He did not expect to be able to see it today.
That meant that this Human was no Human, but rather a Grand Dragon that appeared in the Blue Sky Theatre!
Faced with the charge of a Grand Dragon, Zhu Feng roared and faced it head-on.
His figure seemed so large and tall in the eyes of ordinary Humans; however, he was as small as an ant in the face of this Grand Dragon. Still, one’s strength had never been determined by their size alone.
Zhu Feng felt that he was currently strong enough to slaughter this Grand Dragon, so he did not falter.
However, when they clashed, Zhu Feng realized he had underestimated his opponent.
A terrifying force descended upon him, and Zhu Feng lasted merely an instant before he was pinned down on the ground by a huge Dragon Claw.
A massive crater spanning several dozen kilometres appeared in the ground, with many deep cracks expanding out from it.
Zhu Feng was unable to resist his opponent’s fierce power.
Zhu Feng was furious. If he were not wounded, then he would naturally be able to withstand this amount of raw force; however, after the many injuries he suffered during the previous fight, and the peak he had reached by using that sacrificial Secret Technique also dissipating, his strength was rapidly weakening which allowed him to be held down on the ground in disgrace.
He struggled hard, trying to free himself from the confines of the Dragon Claw.
However, the Grand Dragon’s head dropped slightly and it opened its terrifyingly large mouth, spewing out a mouthful of Dragon Breath that enveloped Zhu Feng.
The Dragon Breath cut through Zhu Feng’s body and opened wounds all over his figure like a torrent of blades, causing ink-black blood to splash out.
With a raging roar, Zhu Feng threw his fist out, hitting the giant Dragon with fierce power. In a flash, Dragon Scales were sent flying into the air as a horrible gouge appeared on the giant Dragon that would not recover for a long time.
It was now a competition to see who could outlast the other.
There was a look of pain in the Grand Dragon’s eyes, as well as a small hint of hesitation.
However, those eyes soon turned resolute.
A round bead suddenly appeared in the midst of the Dragon Breath that was constantly being spewed out.
The round bead, wrapped in Dragon Breath, did not move very fast. It could even be described as exceptionally slow as it gradually pressed down on Zhu Feng, who was pinned to the ground.
Zhu Feng, who had not panicked even when he had been pinned to the ground by the Grand Dragon, instinctively felt a sense of fear rise in him the moment he saw the round bead.
The round bead that was pressing down on him gave off an extremely dangerous feeling, one that was no mere illusion, but a real threat to his life.
Without hesitation, Zhu Feng instantly directed his frenzied attacks at the Grand Dragon’s body to the round bead instead.
In the next moment, something happened that shocked Zhu Feng.
No matter what attacks he threw at the round bead, he could not make it budge in the slightest, let alone stop its descent.
It seemed like an instant, but also like millions of years.
When the round bead landed on Zhu Feng, his chest instantly caved in and a spurt of ink-black blood was forced out of his throat uncontrollably. Violent power rampaged through his limbs and bones, weaving through his body and wreaking havoc within.
At the same time, the Grand Dragon also roared in pain. Its 20,000-metre body suddenly shrank and Yang Kai returned to Human Form, drawing back the round bead into his mouth at the same time with a strong suction force.
Without the Dragon Claw to keep him down, Zhu Feng was free again. Enduring the pain ravaging his body, he suddenly threw out a punch.
Yang Kai, who was still dizzy and unable to stabilize himself was unprepared for this punch and was sent flying, spitting out a mouthful of golden blood as he tumbled through the air, his aura becoming extremely weak.
At this moment, Yang Kai was nearing complete exhaustion, not to mention the fact that he had squeezed every last drop of the heritage out of his Small Universe. As for the round bead that he had spat out earlier, that was his own Dragon Bead.
Back then, in the depths of the Shattered Heaven, in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, when Yang Kai progressed from a mere Dragonkin into a True Grand Dragon, a Dragon Bead was condensed in his body, crystallized from the Dragon bloodline’s essence and his Divine Dragon Source; it was the symbol of a Grand Dragon. Only Grand Dragons were capable of creating a True Dragon Bead.
This bead was the same as the Monster Cores found in Monster Beasts. A Monster Core was the foundation of a Monster Beast, and the Dragon Bead was the foundation of a Dragon. Nonetheless, a Dragon Bead was more concentrated than a Monster Core in terms of both power and purity.
When a Monster Beast encountered a powerful enemy, it would unleash its Monster Core and use it to attack or defend, as could those from the Dragon Clan.
This was a simple attack, but an immensely powerful one. However, it did have its drawbacks. Once done, the user would be taking a huge risk, whether it be for a Monster Core or a Dragon Bead. If it were destroyed, then it would immediately put one’s life in danger, and in the worst-case scenario, directly result in one’s death.
It was for this reason that Yang Kai would never unleash his Dragon Bead no matter what sort of enemy he faced; after all, he was a Master of the Dao of Space, so if he could not beat an enemy, he could always run away.
This time, however, he was truly forced into a desperate situation. The secret of the Purifying Light had already been exposed to Zhu Feng. If possible, Yang Kai naturally had to kill him here to avoid future problems.
The power inside of his Small Universe had dried up, so now the only power he had left to use was that of his Dragon Vein. Faced with a strong foe like Zhu Feng, unleashing his Dragon Bead was the strongest card Yang Kai could play.
Indeed, the Dragon Bead was able to injure Zhu Feng heavily. Even his chest had been caved in. However, Zhu Feng’s flurry of attacks had also left cracks on Yang Kai’s Dragon Bead and almost broke it apart on the spot. What’s more, that was the final trump card Yang Kai had.
With his Dragon Bead damaged, Yang Kai could not even maintain his Dragon Form.
He had exhausted his options and no longer had the power to fight.
In this match, he and Bai Yi were defeated!
Zhu Feng was heavily injured, but he was still not dead. The only thing Yang Kai could do now was hurry and bring Bai Yi away from here. Only, he had no idea whether he would have that opportunity.
Somehow forcing himself to stand, Yang Kai’s vision was blurry and his head was buzzing incessantly. Even as he stood there, he was shaking too much to maintain his stance.
Bai Yi was laying motionless not far away from him.
He stumbled over to Bai Yi, and when he arrived next to her, he could finally hang on no more and fell head-first on top of her.
The weight of his body caused a large amount of blood to spill from Bai Yi’s mouth, and her aura, which was already weak, became even weaker.
Yang Kai grabbed her arm and flipped her over, putting her on her back before struggling to stand up again. Every step he took left a bloody footprint on the ground. Following the direction in his memories, he made for the exit.
However, before he could even walk a few steps, Zhu Feng’s cold voice came from behind, “Where do you think you’re going?”
Yang Kai ignored the voice and was determined to keep going forward with faltering steps.
“Don’t even think you can…” Zhu Feng shouted in a cold voice as his aura quickly neared Yang Kai. He clearly had the intention to stop him from escaping, but before he could even finish speaking, he began coughing violently as a large amount of ink-black blood spilled from his throat.
As the blood came out, his aura rapidly deflated and became incredibly weak, almost disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The coughing sounds became even fiercer as large mouthfuls of blood poured out continuously.
Yang Kai stopped in his tracks and turned back to look. From his blurred vision, he could faintly see Zhu Feng’s miserable appearance.
At this moment, Zhu Feng was down on one knee not far away from them, ink-black face covering his face, almost pooling like a river at his feat. There were even bloody arrows squirting out from the wounds all throughout his body. It was clear that he could no longer suppress his wounds.
“Hah haa…” Yang Kai wanted to laugh, but the sound that came out of his throat was hoarse like a wheeze. He was truly reaching his limit.
He thought that the only thing left for him to do now was escape, but who knew that the situation could change so unpredictably? The roles of predator and prey swapped almost in an instant.
The backlash from Zhu Feng’s Secret Technique had finally manifested in full! This was the moment Yang Kai had been waiting for since he began the fight with Zhu Feng!
In fact, Zhu Feng’s aura had been constantly weakening all this while; otherwise, there was no way that Yang Kai could have held on for so long. Even so, Yang Kai had still paid an immense price to force this stalemate.
At the very last moment, Yang Kai even unleashed his Dragon Bead, but it was damaged and left him powerless to continue fighting. On the other hand, Zhu Feng still had energy remaining. The victor had already been decided, so if he did not leave, he would only be waiting for death.
In fact, Yang Kai did not have much confidence that he could bring Bai Yi out of here alive. He could only try and leave the rest to fate.
At the critical moment though, the Heavens smiled down on him as Zhu Feng finally fell. Perhaps it was not just luck. Bai Yi’s desperate strike, Yang Kai’s desperate attempt to summon his Dragon Bead, all of those compounded and accelerated the onset of the backlash of Zhu Feng’s Secret Technique.
Zhu Feng’s Secret Technique was very powerful, but now it seemed that the backlash he had to endure was just as terrifying.
At this moment, of the three living beings in this Sealed World, Bai Yi’s aura was the weakest. After taking Zhu Feng’s blow for Yang Kai, she was now in a comatose state.
Zhu Feng’s aura was almost non-existent as well, but it was still just slightly stronger than Bai Yi’s. Clearly, he was unable to bear the backlash of the Secret Technique in his current state.
In the end, it was the hobbling Yang Kai with his strength at the brink of being fully drained that had the strongest aura present. Life was truly filled with twists and turns.
Crouching down and gently laying Bai Yi on the ground, Yang Kai approached Zhu Feng step by step, still hobbling and swaying as he moved, almost as if a gust of wind could send him sprawling.
Halfway there, he summoned the Azure Dragon Spear into his hand. As the spear dragged across the ground, a harsh scraping sound could be heard.
Zhu Feng was still coughing up blood, and it seemed like he was going to vomit every last drop from his body. When he heard the scraping noise and looked up though, horror flashed across his eyes.
He stood up with great difficulty and turned around, moving step by step away from Yang Kai while trying to act strong by shouting, “Don’t come any closer!”
There was no way Yang Kai would listen to him of course. When he saw Zhu Feng in this state, power somehow welled up within him, allowing him to speed up as he shouted, “Stop running you coward! One quick spear thrust and it will all be over!”
[As if I’d listen to you!] Zhu Feng cursed in his heart. If he was caught here, then he would surely die; however, even though he wanted to get away from Yang Kai, his extremely weak condition left him moving even slower than a turtle’s crawl.
A noble Territory Lord like himself, being reduced to this state, Zhu Feng was desperate to cry but unable to shed any tears.
Similarly, Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry; after everything that happened today, nobody would have imagined that the battle would end this way.
A Territory Lord and a Seventh-Order Human were now locked in a ridiculous chase that even ordinary Mortals would find slow and awkward. It was simply disgraceful.
At this point in time though, anyone with any achievement in cultivation would be able to kill both of them.
Fueled by his instinct to survive, Zhu Feng dragged his feet along step by step, leaving bloody footprints behind.
Yang Kai was doing the same.
The backlash from Zhu Feng’s Secret Technique was indeed strong, and after a few moments, Zhu Feng stumbled and fell headlong to the ground. Down on his hands and knees, he was now crawling forward little by little.
During his desperate moment, Zhu Feng heard a loud noise from behind him. Turning his head with great difficulty, he saw that Yang Kai, who was coming to kill him, had also fallen to the ground, crawling just like him.
“Why go through this trouble?” Zhu Feng said with a heavy voice, “Why don’t we both rest first then settle this?”
Yang Kai’s voice was weak, but he still snarled, “In your dreams. Once I’m close enough, I’ll stab you to death with my spear!”
Zhu Feng said, “Bai Yi is on her last breath. Why don’t you go and check on her? Don’t regret it when she dies!”
Yang Kai was unmoved, “Rest assured, if she still has a breath left in her, I will be able to bring her back. It will not be too late if I kill you first.”
Zhu Feng coldly snorted, “We are both in the same state now, we don’t know who’s going to die and who’s going to live yet.”
As they spoke, they continued pushing their bodies forward, but they were moving at a similar speed. The distance between them was neither increasing nor decreasing. From how things were, it seemed unrealistic for Yang Kai to catch up with Zhu Feng.
Realizing this, Yang Kai suddenly stopped and stared ahead.
Zhu Feng’s heart clenched. Even though he had no idea what Yang Kai was up to, he had a bad premonition about this, and the speed at which he crawled increased.
A short moment later, Yang Kai grinned, “I win!”
Saying so, the portal of his Small Universe suddenly opened up in front of him, and in the next instant, a figure instantly rushed out.
It was an elderly man holding a sharp blade in his hand. He was dazed when he first emerged, seemingly a bit dizzy, but soon he found his target and charged at Zhu Feng with sword drawn.
Zhu Feng was stunned. Frankly, even after fighting with the Humans for all these years, he had never met such a weak one before. The Humans on the Black Ink Battlefield were all at least in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but this old man who appeared out of nowhere was not even in the Open Heaven Realm.
[This is… the Emperor Realm?]
As a Territory Lord, Zhu Feng naturally knew much about Humans. He knew that the Open Heaven Realm for the Humans was separated into Nine-Orders, and under the Open Heaven Realm existed many other Realms, the most immediate of them being the Emperor Realm.
Zhu Feng had heard of Emperor Realm Humans, but he had never seen one with his own eyes; after all, an Emperor Realm Human would simply be incapable of staying alive on the Black Ink Battlefield.
Yet he saw one today.
If it were any normal day, a simple glance from Zhu Feng would have been enough to cause such a weak ant to explode and die; however, he was now heavily injured and suffering from severe backlash from his Secret Technique. He was completely devoid of the might that a Territory Lord should have, so much so that even the appearance of an Emperor Realm Human was life-threatening to him. And, it was clear that this Emperor Realm Human had been brought out from Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
The elderly man had clearly received orders from Yang Kai, and as soon as he appeared, he did not hesitate to brandish his sword in Zhu Feng’s direction.
Zhu Feng’s face paled. Barely squeezing out a last breath, he spat out a mouthful of ink-black aura that headed straight for the elderly man.
The aura was extremely thin, and it was quite apparent that Zhu Feng could not muster any more Black Ink Strength from his body.
However, the elderly man did not care. He protected his body with his strength and moved through the ink-black aura, slashing down and unleashing a sword wave.
His sword struck Zhu Feng’s huge neck. There was a deep wound there to begin with, so under the power of the sword, the wound instantly widened, going so deep that one could almost see bone. Fresh blood squirted out from the aggravated wound in an instant.
After that one strike, the elderly man immediately backed away. Forming a hand seal, he tapped his own body a couple of times then, without a word, he fell limp to the ground.
Before passing out, the elderly man looked in Yang Kai’s direction, speaking with difficulty, “Ancestor, I’ve done all I could…”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Zhu Feng, however, could not help but laugh loudly, “Even an ant thinks he can kill me? You’ll need more than one for that!”
Even though the elderly man’s sword had inflicted a serious wound on him, it was indeed not enough to kill him. The wound, horrible as it may seem, was merely a flesh wound to a Territory Lord.
The only regretful thing was that after the ant slashed down at him, he had sealed his strength and forced himself unconscious; otherwise, with his Emperor Realm cultivation, he would simply be unable to withstand the corruption of the Black Ink Strength. It would only take a few breaths before he transformed into a Black Ink Disciple, and when that time came, he would become a weapon for Zhu Feng to use against Yang Kai.
However, if Yang Kai dared to bring him out from his Small Universe, he must have realized this possibility and would naturally not allow it to happen.
The elderly man’s self-imposed seal must have been ordered by Yang Kai in advance.
Zhu Feng half wheezed, and half-laughed, but only for a moment because he soon saw Yang Kai looking at him with mockery and pity.
Instantly thinking of something, he drew a breath of cold air and muttered, “You still have more helpers?”
Yang Kai snorted, “I have thousands of them. Just lie down and accept death!”
Saying so, the portal to his Small Universe suddenly opened again, and another person came out of it. Just like the elderly man from before, this man had also only reached the Emperor Realm. In fact, he was not even as powerful as the elderly man from before.
Just like before, as soon as this man appeared, he charged at Zhu Feng and slashed his sword down fiercely right at the wound on his neck, immediately widening the gash, leaving a mark on his collarbone.
After getting one hit in, the man backed away and sealed himself like his predecessor, instantly falling unconscious on the ground.
Then, from the portal of the Small Universe, another man emerged…
Zhu Feng cried out in terror and crawled forward on his hands and knees. He was truly feeling the threat of death now.
One Emperor Realm Human was nothing to him, even two did not matter; however, if they kept coming one after another, sooner or later he would die.
With enough numbers on their side, even ants could kill an elephant. Zhu Feng had always laughed when he heard this saying in the past, but he was now experiencing it for himself. Sadly, he was the elephant that was being bitten to death by these ants.
One by one, Humans poured out from the Small Universe, all of them in the Emperor Realm, and all of them only having one chance to attack, yet all of them struck at the same spot.
Zhu Feng’s wound grew worse with each hit, and his neck was soon almost severed.
When the fifth person emerged from Yang Kai’s Small Universe, Zhu Feng’s head instantly separated from his body when his sword came down, rolling far away.
From the wound on his neck, only a small amount of ink-black blood gushed out. Clearly, the blood in Zhu Feng’s body had almost dried up already.
The last cut that killed Zhu Feng came from a young man in the Third-Order Emperor Realm. He was slightly surprised to have finished the deed in one hit, but he quickly imposed a seal upon himself. Before falling unconscious, he cupped his fist at Yang Kai, “Fortunately, I did not fail my mission!”
With that, he fell headlong to the ground.
Zhu Feng had been beheaded and he could not be any more dead than this, but his eyes still blinked with unwillingness.
To a Territory Lord such as himself, the only worthy opponents in this World were the Eighth-Order or Ninth-Open Humans. Yet, the demise of someone like him came under the combined strength of a few Emperor Realm Humans.
The light in Zhu Feng’s gaze gradually dissipated and eventually, he died with his eyes wide open.
Yang Kai was panting heavily. Rolling on his back, he lay with his limbs spread on the ground.
His victory had come with much difficulty in this battle. Neither he nor Bai Yi could have expected Zhu Feng to have a Secret Technique that would allow him to recover so quickly. They had almost fallen into a desperate situation with one mistake.
Now, Bai Yi was heavily injured and unconscious. He himself was also badly injured, with cracks having formed on his Dragon Bead, which was an unbelievable price to pay for this victory.
Zhu Feng was saved by his Secret Technique, but it also became his demise. Fortunately, the backlash of his Secret Technique broke out in full force at the critical moment; otherwise, Yang Kai felt that he may not have been able to escape with his life. By the end of the battle, he had become a dry oil lamp, completely exhausted.
Yang Kai had learned just how strong the Territory Lords were from this fight. They were not an opponent a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could take on by themselves. If he were to bump into a Territory Lord at his peak alone, then Yang Kai could only hope to escape with his life.
But no matter how difficult the process was, the outcome was still a happy one. Zhu Feng was finally dead.
On the Black Ink Battlefield, the winner was the King, the loser was the villain. There was nothing more to be said.
After consuming a healing Spirit Pill, Yang Kai silently refined it, and after a full cup of tea’s time, he finally struggled to his feet.
He was still dizzy and his Small Universe was still empty. If one were to look into his Small Universe at this moment, one would see that the world inside had gone grey and dull. Naturally, it was because he had consumed too much of his strength, and that consumption could only be slowly restored later.
Now though, the most important thing was to safely bring everyone back.
Step by step, he walked up to the unconscious Emperor Realm cultivators and took them into his Small Universe.
These Emperor Realm cultivators had all come from the Seven Stars Sect inside of his Small Universe. The first elderly man to emerge was Sect Master Shang Guan Ji. The rest were the Elders of Seven Stars Sect, such as Guan Qian Xing.
Many years ago, Yang Kai entered Seven Stars Sect with his Soul Avatar and became their Ancestor; it was also there that he accepted his two Legacy Disciples, Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya. Later, he even accepted a third Disciple from Seven Stars Sect, Xu Yi.
After sending Zhao Ye Bai, Zhao Ya, and Xu Yi back to the Star Boundary, Yang Kai no longer made an appearance in his Small Universe. This time, if his hand were not forced, then he would not have let these Emperor Realm cultivators take on such a risk.
The corruption of Black Ink Strength was too difficult for even an Open Heaven Realm Master to resist, much less for someone in the Emperor Realm. So, before Yang Kai borrowed their power to deal with Zhu Feng, he had given them repeated warnings that they had only once chance to strike, after which they should seal their bodies and consciousness. Otherwise, the consequences would be unpredictable.
The Emperor Realm cultivators of Seven Stars Sect were very obedient to his word; after all, Yang Kai was too profound an existence for them, and they naturally would not dare to disobey the word of their Ancestor. Each one of them made only one strike after emerging before sealing their bodies and falling unconscious.
This proved to be the right choice.
By now, these Emperor Realm cultivators had already been corrupted by the Black Ink Strength to their cores and transformed into Black Ink Disciples. Only, they were all unconscious; otherwise, they would have attacked Yang Kai.
Soon, Yang Kai arrived at the young man who appeared last. It was this youth who laid down a great achievement delivering the final blow that decapitated Zhu Feng.
The face of this youth looked vaguely familiar to him.
Yang Kai thought for a moment before recognising this guy as Mao Fei Ping.
He was slightly surprised. This was the little one who joined Seven Stars Sect together with Zhao Ye Bai and Zhao Ya back then. Now, he had reached the Third-Order Emperor Realm.
If it had to be said, then Mao Fei Ping’s aptitude was quite good. The Emperor Qi in his body was also carefully cultivated. If not for him living in Yang Kai’s Small Universe all this while, he could have reached the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm by now based on his aptitude.
It was thanks to the help of these Emperor Realm cultivators that came out today that Yang Kai turned failure into a success. Perhaps he could give them some pointers and show them the way to greater heights in the Martial Dao.
After putting Mao Fei Ping back into his Small Universe, Yang Kai hurried over to where Bai Yi was.
Bai Yi was still unconscious, and her aura was extremely faint. Her body was marked with wounds and covered with blood. The wound on her shoulder was especially bad, having blown a significant portion of her chest open.
This wound was inflicted when Zhu Feng caught her feathered arrow and threw it back at her. Then, she sacrificed herself to act as a shield, protecting Yang Kai and sustaining a direct hit from Zhu Feng that broke a great number of the bones in her body.
These wounds were almost fatal, even for a Seventh-Order Master like Bai Yi. If she did not receive help, then she could die here.
She had been unconscious all this while, and she had also long been corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Just like the Emperor Realm cultivators from before, she had turned into a Black Ink Disciple.
Yang Kai first used Purifying Light in order to dispel the Black Ink Strength inside of her Small Universe. Only then did he use his Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation. The illusory phantom of the Immortal Tree immediately appeared behind Yang Kai’s back, its branches dropping down, forming a half-circle of protection, allowing rich vitality to flow out and envelop Bai Yi.
Yang Kai then took out some Spirit Pills and pried open Bai Yi’s mouth, pouring them in and then using his power to help her refine them.
Even though the Sealed World was filled with Black Ink Strength, it was relatively safe; after all, this was Zhu Feng’s hidden base, so there was no worry about them being disturbed by anyone else.
With a combination of Spirit Pills and Towering Evergreen, Bai Yi gradually recovered her vitality, and the wounds on her body also began to heal.
It was the same for Yang Kai. The rate of his recovery was even greater than Bai Yi’s since he had a Dragon physique, so his restoration abilities had always been stronger than average.
However, while physical wounds were easy to heal, and the World Force of his Small Universe could also be replenished, the damage to his Dragon Bead would surely give him a headache for some time to come.
Yang Kai’s Dragon Bead was hidden under his maw, and when he looked inside now, he could clearly see the tiny cracks covering its surface and its lustre had also dulled.
Unleashing his Dragon Bead did succeed in causing great damage to Zhu Feng, but Zhu Feng’s counter-attack also led to his Dragon Bead being damaged.
This was also the reason why Yang Kai would not dare to simply bring out his Dragon Bead. Once it was brought out, its power was indeed awe-inspiring, but the dangers were equally immense. Once the Dragon Bead was destroyed, his life would immediately be put in danger. It was fortunate that the worst-case scenario did not happen.
However, now that his Dragon Bead had been damaged, Yang Kai had a vague feeling that he would not be able to use his Dragon Transformation anytime soon, much less assume his Grand Dragon Form.
He had spent some time in the Dragon Clan’s Crystal Palace inside the Divine Spirit’s Ancestral Land. During his seclusion there, following the refinement of his Bloodline purity, Yang Kai had also awakened some of his Dragon Clan Inheritance and knew that once a Dragon Bead was damaged, it was extremely difficult to repair.
It had to be gently nurtured with the power of one’s own Dragon Vein, and it was a slow process that could not be rushed.
So, while the problem with his Dragon Bead was not a big one for Yang Kai right now, it was by no means small either. Since he could only rely on his own Dragon Vein’s power to repair it though, there was no point in feeling anxious.
As the Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation continued to do its job, Yang Kai inhaled a mountain of Open Heaven Pills before taking out a set of resources to silently refine and replenish his depleted World Force.
After two or three days of this, Bai Yi’s lashes suddenly fluttered, and she opened her eyes with a slightly laboured grunt.
“You’re awake?” Noticing her movements, Yang Kai quickly opened his eyes to check on her.
Bai Yi’s injuries were serious, and even though Yang Kai had already helped her recover from some of them, he was only an external aid in the end. It was good news that she had woken up on her own. Now, she could recover much faster if she focused on healing herself.
Bai Yi still looked disoriented, but she soon remembered what happened before she fell unconscious and was startled, “Where is this? Where’s Zhu Feng?”
Yang Kai explained, “We are still in Zhu Feng’s hideout, and he’s dead.” Saying so, he pointed to the side.
Bai Yi turned her head around and saw Zhu Feng’s large body lying on the ground a short distance away, his head separated from it. The eyes on his large head had widened into circles as they stared straight in their direction, almost as if he wanted to stare them down even in death.
Bai Yi could not help but feel shocked that Zhu Feng actually died! Before falling unconscious, Zhu Feng’s power was still close to its peak. Even though he had also been hurt through the combined efforts of Yang Kai and herself, a Territory Lord was still not an entity that two Seventh-Order Masters could hope to compete with.
She thought that she and Yang Kai would not be able to escape death, but who knew that she would wake up to see Zhu Feng’s headless corpse?
She had no idea what happened after she fell unconscious, but she knew that it had to have been an astonishing battle.
“Senior Brother saved me?” Bai Yi asked.
Yang Kai could not help but laugh, “There is no one here besides you and me. Naturally, it was I who saved you.”
Bai Yi had a complicated look in her eyes before she sighed, “There was no need to save me.”
Yang Kai frowned at her words. There was something not quite right with that sentence, but after pausing for a moment, he simply said, “First, heal your injuries. You were badly wounded, so if you don’t focus on recovering, you might suffer from lingering danger in the future.”
Bai Yi nodded slightly and struggled to sit cross-legged, silently circulating her strength.
There was silence inside of the Sealed World for a while as the two healed their wounds and restored their energy. With Towering Evergreen nourishing and shielding them, the lingering Black Ink Strength could not encroach upon their position in the slightest.
Another eight days passed, and Yang Kai had finally made a recovery. The injuries to his physical body were basically healed, and the emptiness inside of his Small Universe was also somewhat replenished. Even though he had not returned to full strength, he was not far from it.
Bai Yi was a little slower to recover than he was, but after noticing Yang Kai’s movements, she opened her eyes and slowly got up, elegantly saluting him, “Many thanks for your life-saving grace, Senior Brother.”
Yang Kai looked at her silently for a moment before speaking, “If you really want to thank me, then live on and kill more Black Ink Clansmen. You are strong, so it would be a great loss to the Human Race if you were to fall here.”
Bai Yi pursed her lips and nodded.
Yang Kai did not notice it previously, but he realized the problem with what Bai Yi said when she woke up now.
Bai Yi clearly had a death wish!
Perhaps she was determined to die when she stood in front of Yang Kai and blocked Zhu Feng’s ferocious blow for him.
Yang Kai had treated many Black Ink Disciples so he had seen this condition before. The hands of these Black Ink Disciples were all stained with the blood of their own people.
To Black Ink Disciples, the Black Ink Clan was supreme, and they would follow any order given to them without question, even if it meant murdering their own people. After being saved by Yang Kai, these events became something of a trauma for them.
It had to be known that those whom they killed used to be the allies whom they fought side-by-side with, so it was likely that these experiences would continue to haunt them for a long, long time.
This was particularly true for Bai Yi. With her incredible archery skills and her powerful Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, even Yang Kai suffered three serious losses at her hands, so how could ordinary cultivators even hope to survive when facing her?
Yang Kai had no idea how many Humans had died at Bai Yi’s hands, but he knew that it was far more than just one or two.
It was exactly for that reason that Bai Yi desired to die. She felt ashamed to return to the side of the Humans with her hands dripping in their blood and with their souls lingering behind her.
Her perfunctory reply seemed to suggest that she was not taking his words seriously, so Yang Kai frowned and scolded, “One Zhu Feng is not enough to make up for your sins. If you feel guilty, then for everyone you killed, you must take ten or a hundred from the Black Ink Clan! If you were to die so easily, then those who fell to you would truly have died in vain!”
He hadn’t been planning to be this blunt with her, but Bai Yi was clearly not in the right state of mind at the moment, so he had no choice but to use some sharp words.
The blood suddenly drained from Bai Yi’s face, turning her as pale as snow. Her body trembled and she gritted her teeth, “Senior Brother’s teachings are correct. I will definitely not let Senior Brother down!”
Yang Kai shook his head, “This isn’t about whether you let me down or not. It’s about your own conscience you have to clear.”
After thinking through his words, Bai Yi nodded again.
As Bai Yi steadied herself, Yang Kai followed up, “That’s all I have to say. You think about it on your own. I’m no good at consoling people so I may have spoken a little harshly, but I hope you don’t take it to heart. It would be inconvenient for us to stay here any longer, so let’s get out of here first.”
Bai Yi had no objections.
While helping Bai Yi heal, Yang Kai had used his Divine Sense to look through this Sealed World. It was not a large place, so he could naturally examine its entirety without much trouble. Unfortunately, he did not find anything valuable. The Black Ink Nest would have been an excellent specimen to be studied; however, after Zhu Feng used his Secret Technique, it had already withered completely and broken apart, rendering it useless.
In just a short moment, the two of them arrived at the exit which was blocked by some kind of Secret Technique; however, this was no problem for Yang Kai.
Using Space Principles, he pried open the World Barrier so the two of them could leave.
Once they were back in the void, Yang Kai immediately checked his surroundings, but found nothing unusual.
It had been almost a month since he had been separated from Dawn, so Yang Kai naturally wondered how they were doing.
Back then, Yang Kai had run off chasing Bai Yi; as a result, he ended up on a tumultuous ride that delayed him until now. However, there was no need for Yang Kai to worry too much about Dawn. Even without him, there were still 4 Seventh-Order Masters to take charge. And, Dawning Light was a far stronger Warship than normal. As long as they did not bump into a Territory Lord, they would basically be fine.
However, the last time that Yang Kai tried to use the Universe Transference Law, he was surprisingly unable to connect with the Universe Array on Dawning Light, which left him a bit puzzled.
He had no idea what happened.
Once again, Yang Kai used the Universe Transference Law in the silent void.
This time, the Universe Transference Law was able to resonate with the Universe Array on Dawning Light; in other words, as long as he was willing, he could return that instant.
However, though he could return, Bai Yi couldn’t. So, after confirming that he could connect with Dawning Light, Yang Kai dismissed the technique and turned to her, “Let’s go.”
After saying that, he led the way while Bai Yi followed in a somewhat depressed manner.
Even though neither of them was in peak condition, they were not existences with whom ordinary Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could compete to begin with, so they did not even bother trying to hide themselves. They had even killed a Territory Lord, so they were eager to meet some Black Ink Clansmen along the way to satisfy their appetites.
Unfortunately, they had an uneventful journey back. It was as if the Black Ink Clansmen in this region had all been ruthlessly killed off.
Not even a single Human was seen either.
Yang Kai found this very strange, as when he was pursuing Bai Yi, he would still occasionally bump into Human or Black Ink Clan Squads.
This was not a safe or peaceful area and soldiers from both sides had been fighting all over the place just a few days ago. Something was clearly not right about the current situation.
It seemed that something big had happened in this region during the time that he and Bai Yi were in Zhu Feng’s nest.
Realising this, Yang Kai increased his speed.
A few days later, the asteroid where the fourth forward base was located came into view, and Yang Kai led Bai Yi straight towards it. There were naturally Human Masters who stopped them in order to question them, only allowing them to pass after Yang Kai identified himself.
Yang Kai flew straight over to Dawn Squad’s camp and a figure rushed out from within one of the huts a moment later. It was Feng Ying.
Feng Ying’s eyes lit up the moment she saw Yang Kai and she breathed a sigh of relief, “Squad Leader, you’ve finally returned.”
They were naturally a bit worried when Yang Kai did not show his face for so long. They had no idea whether something had happened to him. As Yang Kai was a special member of the Human Race, then the loss they would be incurring would be far greater than the loss of an Eighth-Order Master if he were to die.
Yang Kai nodded and looked at her surprised, “Are you hurt?”
Feng Ying’s aura showed some signs of instability, which was a clear sign that she had been injured.
“It’s nothing major,” Feng Ying smiled casually.
Their conversation drew the attention of even more of Dawn’s members. One by one, they all came out of retreat and were all overjoyed to see Yang Kai.
But although all 35 of Dawn’s members were present, most of them were injured, especially the Seventh-Order Masters who seemed to be in serious condition.
Yang Kai was shocked at this sight; wondering what Dawn had encountered in his absence, he could not help but ask, “Was there some kind of great battle with the Black Ink Clan?”
With Dawn Squad’s heritage and the capabilities of the Warship, Dawning Light, they could easily crush any small group of Black Ink Clansmen that they bumped into. However, that the Squad’s members all had injuries proved that they had experienced a fierce battle. Perhaps they had bumped into some big Army from the Black Ink Clan.
Shen Ao answered, “We were unlucky and ran into a Territory Lord.”
[Territory Lord!] Yang Kai frowned slightly, “What happened?”
Shen Ao quickly gave him a rundown of what happened then.
When Yang Kai left to chase after Bai Yi, they stayed behind to clean up the battlefield; then, when they followed the direction Yang Kai left in, they failed to find any traces of him and had to give up.
There was a Universe Array set up on Dawning Light, so Yang Kai need only use the Universe Transference Law to return safely anytime he wished to. And, with Yang Kai himself being exceptionally strong, as well as a master of the Dao of Space, his life should not be in danger even if he were to run into a Territory Lord. So, Dawn didn’t need to worry much about him.
Dawning Light continued to roam the resource zone and hunt down Black Ink Clansmen as they waited for Yang Kai.
Unfortunately, they inadvertently ran into a Territory Lord. Naturally, Dawn was manned with elites, so they had a back-and-forth fight with the Territory Lord for a time and that was how their injuries came about. The battle had also left many of Dawning Light’s arrays damaged.
Even though the Territory Lord was fierce, Dawn was not defenceless, so it was difficult for even a Territory Lord to try to eliminate them.
At the critical moment, Xu Bo Liang appeared and engaged the Territory Lord.
Every one of Dawn’s members were injured, and even Dawning Light had sustained serious damage. Naturally, they couldn’t stay on the battlefield anymore and could only return to the forward base first.
As for the outcome of the battle between Xu Bo Liang and the Territory Lord, they had no idea.
However, within half a day of their retreat back to the forward base, Xu Bo Liang also returned. Now, he had replaced Cha Hu as the one assuming command here.
After Shen Ao finished his recounting, Feng Ying said, “Division Commander Xu must have sustained some injuries. When he returned, his aura was slightly unstable.”
Once he finished hearing everything they had to say, Yang Kai and Bai Yi exchanged glances, their expressions looking a little funny.
“What is it?” Feng Ying was confused.
Yang Kai shook his head, “It’s nothing. Coincidentally, I also met the Territory Lord who attacked you.”
Feng Ying was surprised, “You saw him too? Did you fight?”
Yang Kai nodded, “It was a big fight! I almost didn’t make it back.”
Feng Ying immediately chastised, “Foolishness! Even though that Territory Lord was hurt by Division Commander Xu, he was still a Territory Lord! He’s not someone that one or two Seventh-Order Masters can fight against!”
Yang Kai deeply agreed, “That’s right. Bai Yi and I had to expend a lot of effort in order to kill him.”
“K-Kill… Kill him?” Shen Ao and the others were dumbfounded. Feng Ying’s eyes also widened in surprise. If they had not heard those words from Yang Kai themselves, then they would not even dare to believe it.
“Luckily, I managed to ambush him with a point-blank strike of Purifying Light that greatly damaged his strength. Then, with Junior Sister Bai Yi’s help, it was a difficult fight, but we managed to come out of it with just a scare,” Yang Kai explained simply.
Everyone was shocked.
Feng Ying turned to look at Bai Yi, and Yang Kai hurried over to introduce them.
Feng Ying realized, “So, Junior Sister Bai was the one who left Squad Leader in a mess? Junior Sister Bai is powerful indeed.”
Bai Yi blushed, “I was corrupted by Black Ink Strength and was not in control of myself. I’ve made Senior Sister laugh. Now, with Senior Brother’s help, I’ve regained my senses.”
Feng Ying smiled, “You must have no idea, but besides me, everyone in Dawn was once a Black Ink Disciple that he saved.”
Bai Yi looked up in surprise, “All of them?”
Feng Ying nodded, “All of them!”
Bai Yi looked at each one of their faces and suddenly smiled, “Bai Yi is honoured to greet all my Senior Brothers and Junior Brothers!”
Shen Ao waved his hand and said, “Since you’ve returned, then you should kill more Black Ink Clansmen in the future. We should make them pay for our past frustrations.”
Bai Yi answered with a soft yes.
Yang Kai said, “I’ll bring her to see Division Commander Xu. You should focus on recovering first, we can talk later.”
Nobody had any objections.
Yang Kai then led Bai Yi to see Xu Bo Liang. On the way there, Bai Yi clearly looked nervous. Not to mention anything else, she was the one who hit Xu Bo Liang with her arrow back then and wounded him, even helping Zhu Feng to escape.
Even though Yang Kai noticed this, he did not try to comfort her. Some things had to be faced head-on.
However, after talking with Feng Ying and the others, Yang Kai finally understood what happened that day.
Dawn Squad first encountered Zhu Feng, and then both sides ended up in a large battle where Dawn was defeated, and even Dawning Light was damaged. Obviously, Zhu Feng had also eaten quite a loss from Dawn. Afterwards, Xu Bo Liang appeared and Zhu Feng was heavily injured during their fight. During the critical moment, Bai Yi ambushed him with an arrow which gave Zhu Feng the opportunity to escape.
Following that, Xu Bo Liang retreated, and Yang Kai managed to take down Bai Yi. Under her suggestion, the two of them then headed to Zhu Feng’s hidden nest.
Now, there was no way that Yang Kai did not understand why he failed to connect with the Universe Array on Dawning Light when he used Universe Transference Law that day. It was obviously because of the damage that Dawning Light sustained.
Now that the resonance was back, it meant that the Universe Array had been repaired.
Even though the Array Masters on the Humans’ side could not arrange new Universe Arrays, they could do simple repairs on them. Of course, that was on the premise that the Universe Array was not too damaged to begin with.
Soon, Yang Kai and Bai Yi arrived at where Xu Bo Liang was located and waited outside for a while as they asked someone to pass on the word for them. A while later, someone came to invite them inside.
Yang Kai thanked him and stepped inside with Bai Yi.
At the end of the long table sat a brave and heroic figure with a dignified look on his face. Yang Kai had seen Xu Bo Liang from afar, and though he did not see him too clearly, he could still tell that this face was about a seventy to eighty percent match to the face he saw before. It was Xu Bo Liang, no doubt about it.
Yang Kai quickly cupped his fist, “Dawn’s Yang Kai greets Division Commander Xu!”
Bai Yi also saluted him, “Bai Yi greets Division Commander Xu.”
Xu Bo Liang nodded gently and reached his hand out, and then the two of them were lifted by an invisible force.
He looked at Yang Kai first, then at Bai Yi. The next moment, his brow rose in surprise, “It was you who attacked me that day, right?”
Naturally, he was able to recognize Bai Yi the instant he saw her.
Bai Yi dropped her head, “I was not myself then, please forgive me, Division Commander Xu!”
Xu Bo Liang chuckled, “It doesn’t matter. You were a Black Ink Disciple back then, so it was only natural that you did what you did; however, your archery skills are indeed amazing. I have met many from Divine Feather Paradise, yet there are few who are on par with you. Have you cultivated the Sun Chaser Arrow Heart?”
Bai Yi answered respectfully, “Yes!”
Xu Bo Liang nodded lightly, “I heard that it is extremely difficult to cultivate the Sun Chaser Arrow Heart. Inside Divine Feather Paradise, it is rare to find even one each generation that achieves success with it. For you to have reached this level of mastery in the Seventh Order, you will surely become a great asset when your Order rises in the future!”
Bai Yi was humble, “Division Commander Xu is too polite.”
Yang Kai listened in confusion, but he could guess that the Sun Chaser Arrow Heart must be a type of Secret Technique from Divine Feather Paradise. Just like the Eye Secret Techniques of Myriad Demons Heaven, it was rare to find anyone who could successfully cultivate it.
After a few words of encouragement, Xu Bo Liang turned to Yang Kai, “You are not bad either. Saving a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master is no small merit. On that topic, were you also hiding nearby on that day?”
Yang Kai was a little embarrassed, “Please forgive me, Division Commander Xu. I was so determined to capture Junior Sister Bai that I did not help, worrying that I would disturb the grass and alert the snake.”
Xu Bo Liang nodded lightly, “You made the right decision. It’s good that you have your own considerations, but it was also a shame that Zhu Feng was allowed to escape.”
“We were just about to speak to Division Commander about that.” Yang Kai cupped his fist, “After capturing Junior Sister Bai, this Junior received critical intelligence from her and was able to infiltrate Zhu Feng’s hidden nest. While he was trying to recover, we were able to kill him, as well as three of his subordinated Feudal Lords.”
Xu Bo Liang was surprised, “You were able to kill Zhu Feng?”
He had fought with Zhu Feng and knew just how powerful that guy was. Even though Zhu Feng was heavily injured, he was still not an easy target to take down, much less with three of his subordinated Feudal Lords present.
“Yes!”
Xu Bo Liang looked slightly spirited, “How did you kill him? Tell me in detail.”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before starting his account from when he and Bai Yi entered the nest, disguised themselves as Black Ink Disciples to get close to Zhu Feng, and then used Purifying Light to deal a heavy blow to him. Then, Zhu Feng used a Secret Technique to recover his strength while his three subordinated Feudal Lords came forward to buy time for him. The fight ended quickly, and after dealing with the three Feudal Lords, they laid down a flurry of attacks on the Black Ink Nest. As a result, Zhu Feng used some kind of sacrificial Secret Technique to rapidly recover. Yang Kai described their desperate fight at the end in great detail.
Xu Bo Liang’s expression kept on changing as he listened.
Even though Yang Kai and Bai Yi now stood before him unharmed, suggesting that the fight was less risky than it let on, he could almost feel just how perilous it had been. If the two of them were less fortunate that day, they would have died there.
When he heard that Zhu Feng was actually killed by the combined efforts of five Emperor Realm cultivators who beheaded him, Xu Bo Liang also didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
For a Territory Lord like Zhu Feng to die in such a manner was truly sad. Nobody would have expected that Emperor Realm cultivators would actually be able to achieve such a great feat on the Black Ink Battlefield.
However, if all had to be said, then Zhu Feng’s death was not only the result of Yang Kai and Bai Yi’s efforts. It had to also be attributed to his fights with Dawn and Xu Bo Liang.
Yang Kai and Bai Yi knew that they had only picked up a bargain at the end.
“So, the Black Ink Clan can actually use Black Ink Nests to recover rapidly. I have never heard of such a thing before. This is a very important piece of information you’ve brought back. This knowledge may be able to reduce unnecessary casualties on our side in the future.”
They had never encountered such a thing before, mainly because of how precious the Black Ink Nests were for the Black Ink Clan. They were all placed in the depths of the Black Ink Clan’s territory, so no Human had even seen a Black Ink Clan Master use one to recover their injuries like this.
Had it not been for a coincidental opportunity, then Yang Kai and Bai Yi would not have learned of this either. They had also paid a steep price because of their ignorance.
“In any case, the two of you have rendered a great service this time,” Xu Bo Liang looked approvingly at them.
Yang Kai smiled, “Division Commander Xu, if we did a great service, then does that mean we can ask for some benefits, too?”
Xu Bo Liang scolded while laughing at him, “Smelly brat, what sort of benefits do you want? Let’s hear it.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Junior Sister Bai has only just rid herself of her Black Ink Disciple Status. This Junior asks that Division Commander please register her and assign her to my Dawn Squad.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Bo Liang nudged him, “Brat, you’ve got quite the appetite. Already coveting your Junior Sister Bai? Do you have any idea how ordinary Squads are assigned and how your Dawn Squad is allocated? Yet, it’s still not enough for you, I see.”
Yang Kai nodded, “This Junior naturally knows. It would be extremely fortunate for a Squad to even have two Seventh-Order Master assuming command. Many Squads only have a single Seventh-Order Squad Leader while my Dawn has five Seventh-Order Masters. This is indeed a lot more than an ordinary Squad would have.”
Xu Bo Liang was brusque, “It’s good that you know.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “The Military Merits that Dawn has accumulated until now more than justifies this kind of distribution. If we include the merit of killing Zhu Feng, which happened with the combined efforts of this Junior and Junior Sister Bai, then we have far surpassed what should be required.”
Xu Bo Liang nodded, “That is true.”
Seeing that he did not object to what he said, Yang Kai struck while the iron was hot, “Since its inception, Dawn has been a Special Operations Squad. If those in Blue Sky Pass were to be described as a spear, then Dawn would be the tip of its blade, and the sharper the tip, the easier it would be for us to take down our foes. So, the stronger Dawn is, then the more it would benefit Blue Sky Pass. What does Division Commander think?”
“That’s a crooked argument,” Xu Bo Liang snickered again with laughter.
However, after pondering for a moment, he nodded, “En, so be it. Army Commander Zhong Liang also said in the past that you could recruit anyone under the Eighth Order into Dawn. Now that Bai Yi has caught your eye, then let her be included in your Squad.”
Yang Kai hurriedly cupped his fist, “Many thanks, Division Commander Xu.”
Xu Bo Liang turned to Bai Yi, “Bai Yi, I should still ask you for your opinion on this matter. If you are willing to join Dawn, then I will register you under their name; otherwise, you can also go to a different Squad. With your abilities, you are definitely qualified to become a Squad Leader yourself. There is no need to put yourself under this little brat.”
Bai Yi bowed elegantly to him, “This Junior is willing to be at Senior Brother Yang’s disposal.”
“Very well!” Xu Bo Liang nodded lightly and immediately registered Bai Yi, also noting Yang Kai and her military merits.
A short while later, the two of them left Xu Bo Liang’s office and returned to Dawn’s camp.
When they found out that Bai Yi had joined Dawn, everyone was overjoyed. They had not experienced Bai Yi’s strength for themselves, but anyone who could escape repeatedly while being chased by Yang Kai could not be weak. What was more, Bai Yi was also a disciple of Divine Feather Paradise. Her joining Dawn would bring their long-range fighting capabilities to a new level.
They believed that with her archery skills, they would surely have an even easier time when they encountered the Black Ink Clan in the future.
After arranging a place for Bai Yi to stay, she was told to meditate and recover since her injuries had yet to heal; after all, Zhu Feng’s nest was not exactly suited to proper healing.
As Yang Kai was about to return to his own place of rest, Feng Ying came over.
After allowing her inside, the two of them took their seats and Yang Kai asked, “What is it, Martial Aunt?”
Feng Ying hesitated for a moment before speaking, “You are already in the Seventh Order now. You and I are in the same Order, so there’s no need to call me Martial Aunt anymore.”
Yang Kai laughed, “Then what should I call you? Senior Sister?”
Feng Ying nodded, “That will do! You see, you call Bai Yi, Junior Sister Bai, and I also call her Junior Sister Bai, yet you call me Martial Aunt. It’s a bit confusing.”
Yang Kai was silent. He had also noticed this, and it was indeed a mess.
“For us cultivators, age has never been a criterion for how we address one another, our strength is. If you were from a Cave Heaven or Paradise, then that would be fine, but you are not, so there is no need to stick to the rules of seniority.”
“Then we will do as Senior Sister says,” Yang Kai nodded.
Feng Ying smiled, “That’s more like it.”
“Is that why Senior Sister is here?”
Feng Ying shook her head, “No. I have some other business.”
Yang Kai looked serious, “Please speak, Senior Sister.”
Feng Ying explained, “It’s like this, a new area with rich resources has been discovered near the forward base that used to be occupied by the Black Ink Clan; however, our people have the upper hand now and are pushing the battle line there little by little. The Black Ink Clan seems unwilling to give up that area, so they have gathered a lot of forces to hold the line. Most of the people from this forward base have gathered there already, and some days ago, I heard from Division Commander Xu that both the Black Ink Clan and the Humans intend to settle things there. In that case, it would become the final battle here, and if the Humans were to win, then we would fully occupy the resources in that area.”
Yang Kai finally understood, “No wonder we didn’t see any of our people or any Black Ink Clansmen on the way back. So they have all gathered there, have they?”
Feng Ying nodded, “On top of its strategic importance, it’s also a good place to gain merits. It is only natural that the Division Commanders don’t want to miss it. Even if we do get to seize that area, Blue Sky Pass would only be able to mine it for several dozen years at most before we will have to retreat. However, being able to mine for several dozen years is still enough to provide the Inner Sanctum with a great surplus of cultivation resources.”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded, “Has the fight there started already?”
Feng Ying said, “The skirmishes have never stopped, but the real battle has not begun yet. Still, it will not be long till it happens. What the Division Commanders were afraid of were the several Territory Lords standing guard in this area. The number of Territory Lords and their power is similar to that of our Division Commanders, so neither side can gain an advantage over the other. Now that you and Bai Yi have killed Zhu Feng though, the Black Ink Clan has one less Territory Lord. The Division Commanders will definitely seize this opportunity to deal a serious blow to the Black Ink Clan.”
Yang Kai raised a brow, “What is Dawning Light’s current status?”
Feng Ying told him, “I just went to check. Repairs will require seven or eight more days to fully complete.”
“Seven or eight days…” Yang Kai muttered, “Then we shall wait. During our last battle, Bai Yi and I also used up a lot of our strength. We are in need of time to recover.”
Feng Ying nodded, “Good.”
After sending Feng Ying away, Yang Kai immediately went into retreat to restore his energy. He took a large number of Open Heaven Pills and a set of Sixth-Order materials and began refining them, seeking to quickly restore the heritage of his Small Universe.
He was now in the Seventh-Order, so naturally, the fastest way to recover was to refine Seventh-Order materials; however, Seventh-Order materials were ten times more precious compared to Sixth-Order materials, and with the aid of Open Heaven Pills, Sixth-Order materials were sufficient.
Moreover, the many living beings he was rearing in his Small Universe were constantly providing him with more World Force.
Yang Kai had a lot of resources on hand, but any amount of resources was not easy to come by in this Black Ink Battlefield, so he had to use them sparingly.
After a few days, Yang Kai pushed open the door to his room, feeling refreshed.
Inside Dawn’s camp, Dawning Light hovered quietly in mid-air as Feng Ying led the Squad up and down the deck, examining its condition. When she saw Yang Kai’s reappearance, Feng Ying peered out of the deck and waved at him.
Yang Kai flew over and looked around, “How is it?”
Feng Ying nodded, “All the damaged arrays have been repaired and the Squad has just about recovered. We are ready to sortie.”
Yang Kai nodded and looked down towards Bai Yi’s room. Seeing the door closed, he said, “Call Bai Yi. She can continue restoring herself on the way. I will go and inform Division Commander Xu of our departure.”
Saying so, he sped off towards where Xu Bo Liang was.
A few moments later, he saw Xu Bo Liang and informed him of his plans.
Xu Bo Liang naturally had no intention of stopping him. It could even be said that he wanted Dawn to participate in the final fight there to begin with, it was just that he knew that Dawning Light was in repairs all this while, so he decided to wait for the repairs to complete before calling Yang Kai over and sending him off with the task. Now that Yang Kai had come to him himself with such intentions, naturally, he could ask for nothing better.
“Reports coming in from that side say that there are a lot of Black Ink Clansmen gathered there, at least 20,000 of them. For the Black Ink Clan, it’s enough to make up an entire Army. Even though there are definitely going to be a lot of High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen, one still cannot take the situation too lightly.”
Yang Kai nodded earnestly and asked, “How many people are there on our side?”
“Less than 2,000!” Xu Bo Liang gave a concise answer.
2,000 versus 20,000, that was ten times the difference. These numbers could not be compared at all; however, Yang Kai knew that it was impossible for the Humans to deploy any more troops than this.
In the entirety of Men Xie Royal Lord’s territory, the Humans occupied four resource harvesting areas. If they had to assign 2,000 men in each of these areas, then four areas would require 8,000 soldiers combined. That was an entire Army from Blue Sky Pass.
Naturally, Blue Sky Pass could not send out so many clansmen to capture the resource-harvesting areas as they still needed to retain most of their strength around the Great Pass itself in case something went wrong.
However, all 2,000 of the Humans here were in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm and above, and they could depend on the might of their Warships to further boost their strength. On the other hand, nobody could say how many of the weak Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen there were mixed into the Black Ink Clan’s 20,000-strong army.
So, despite the disparity in numbers, it was difficult to say which side would win in this battle. The only way to know was to fight.
“Dawn is strong, so if you perform well, you can play a decisive role on a battlefield like this; however, I have one order for you.”
Yang Kai said with a serious face, “Please speak, Division Commander Xu!”
“You are not allowed to use Purifying Light on the battlefield!”
Yang Kai nodded, “I understand.”
On a battlefield of such scale, it was impossible to slaughter every last Black Ink Clansman. If he were to use Purifying Light, then it would surely alert the Black Ink Clan. When that time came, there was a high chance that his existence would be exposed.
After a short hesitation, Yang Kai added, “What if there are people that need to be treated?”
Xu Bo Liang said, “We have the Purifying Black Ink Battleship at the forward base, and everyone has already left behind their Imprint. If they cannot hold on, then they can return here by using the Universe Transference Law.”
After bidding farewell to Xu Bo Liang, Yang Kai returned to Dawn’s camp where the Squad had already finished assembling. Bai Yi had also joined them.
On the deck stood the Squad’s 36 soldiers lined up in three lines and ready to go.
Yang Kai looked over at them for a while before waving his hand, “Depart.”
The members in charge of the Arrays immediately spread out and took their posts. A short while later, Dawning Light turned into a stream of light that took to the skies and left in a flash.
The final battlefield was a zone with rich resources, and also the last line of defence for the Black Ink Clan before their established territory. If this final line of defence was broken, then the Humans would be able to occupy this resource-harvesting area for the next several dozen years and mine in peace. Perhaps there would be some occasional harassment from the Black Ink Clan, but the regular patrol Squads could keep such interference at bay.
The two clans had been fighting each other for countless years, so they were already used to such situations.
The location of the final decisive battle was taking place a two or three days’ journey away from the forward base. During this time, other than the ones taking turns controlling Dawning Light’s speed and direction, everyone else was resting and preparing.
Yang Kai stood alone on the deck, keeping a lookout.
Two days later, before Dawning Light had even reached their destination, Yang Kai could already see the lights shining brightly ahead of them in the void. Even from such a great distance, occasional energy fluctuations could be felt coming from there.
[Have they already begun fighting?] Yang Kai’s face turned cold and he hurriedly sounded the alarm.
The cabin door opened and one by one, figures emerged onto the deck like a school of fish, gazing out at the war that was going on in full swing up ahead.
The decisive battle had indeed begun, but as they grew closer to it, Yang Kai realised that it must not have been long since the fight began, because the Black Ink Clan’s Army was still in formation and there were not many casualties.
It seemed like hostilities had broken out about an hour ago.
It could be said that Dawning Light had arrived just in time.
Looking over, they could see Human Warships shuttling through the large battlefield, unleashing powerful bursts of bright light towards the Black Ink Clan’s lines. These were clearly the abilities of the offensive arrays installed on the Warships.
Rarely would a cultivator leave the shelter of a Warship. Only the Seventh-Order Masters who were confident in their abilities would choose to fight exposed; after all, this was not Blue Sky Pass. In the last great battle that happened between the two clans, even if the Humans were to be corrupted by Black Ink Strength, they could quickly retreat to the Inner Sanctum or use the Purifying Light sealed within the Purifying Black Ink Battleships in order to dispel the encroaching Black Ink Strength.
Right now, there were no Purifying Black Ink Battleships here. If they really were invaded by Black Ink Strength, they would have no choice but to return to the forward base using the Universe Transference Law and then travel at least two or three days to return. The battle might even be over after such a period of time.
What was more, the fight had only just begun, so the Humans were trying to preserve their strength as much as possible, capitalizing on the advantage their Warships gave them to kill their enemies.
Opposite the Human battlefront, the tide of Black Ink Clansmen was blasting away at the Warships, causing the defensive arrays to flicker as they were hit.
The Warships of some of the less fortunate Squads had even lost the ability to continue fighting and had no choice but to retreat towards the forward base.
Dawning Light sped over, and as soon as they entered the battlefield, Yang Kai could feel several powerful Divine Senses enveloping them, facing off against each other from a distance. These Divine Senses clearly belonged to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Humans and the Territory Lords.
It was exactly because of the presence of the Eighth-Order Masters that the Territory Lords were deterred from intervening in the battle, and this was also true for the Humans. The ones at the top were all suppressing each other, so the victor of this fight could only be decided by those below the Eighth Order on both sides.
Yang Kai, who was standing on the deck, swept his eyes around and saw a weak point in the Human lines. The Black Ink Clan were attacking that point with such ferocity that even with a dozen Warships supporting each other, they were still in a shaky situation. The defensive array on one of those ships was even starting to fade. It was clear that it could not hold out much longer.
Yang Kai pointed in that direction, “Adjust our course!”
Dawning Light immediately turned and headed in that direction, and within a dozen breaths, it entered the fray.
As soon as they saw reinforcements appear, the Humans were overjoyed. Even though it was just a single Squad-level Warship like theirs, any help would be greatly appreciated at this moment. Perhaps the addition of another Squad would help them resist the Black Ink Clan’s offensive.
On the bow of one of the ships stood a bearded man with two large swords in each hand, looking mighty and imposing. He beckoned his Vice Squad Leader, “Go and greet them and have them coordinate with our movements.”
His Vice Squad Leader was a beautiful woman, and just as she was about to send a message, she saw Dawning Light sweeping past the defensive line formed by the dozen ships and charge straight into the Black Ink Clan Army.
The beautiful woman was dumbfounded, and the bearded man was jumping in rage as he scolded, “Where did this Squad come from? Are they courting death!?”
The combined power of a dozen Squads could barely stop the advance of the Black Ink Clan Army, but this Squad suddenly rushed straight into enemy lines, so how could they possibly survive? They were likely going to be turned into dust by the Black Ink Clan, then even their Squad members would be left without a corpse.
Though he was cursing, he was inwardly feeling pained by this situation. Those were the lives of a dozen Open Heaven Realm Masters. He had no idea which bastard of a Squad Leader was leading them, but if that bastard wanted to court death, he shouldn’t have dragged his entire Squad down with him.
As soon as those words left his mouth though, the bearded man looked shocked as a ripple suddenly formed around the new Squad’s ship and its image distorted greatly. In an instant, a Warship which was over twice as large as an ordinary Squad-level Warship took its place.
The Warship was almost as large as a Battalion-level Warship!
“Dawn!” The bearded man snapped to his senses. Dawn was the only Squad which possessed a Warship wish such features in Blue Sky Pass, and he had also seen Dawning Light in repairs back at the forward base with his own eyes. He deeply coveted the capabilities of this unique Warship.
The beautiful Vice Squad Leader asked curiously, “Are they Dawn?”
The bearded man nodded heavily, “No doubt about it!” With a sudden jolt, he called out, “Quickly, follow them! This is our chance to break the Black Ink Clan’s lines!”
The Vice Squad Leader was a little hesitant, but she still quickly passed the order down, and the Squad’s ship immediately followed after Dawning Light.
At the same time, the dozen or so other Squads who were struggling to maintain their positions made the same choice. All of them turned towards the Black Ink Clan and prepared to meet them in battle.
When Dawning Light swept in, the Black Ink Clan did not think much of it. It was just the arrival of another Human Squad after all. The Humans were completely overwhelmed in terms of numbers and were powerless to resist. However, when the Illusion Array on Dawning Light was lifted and revealed its true face, a commotion built up at the Black Ink Clan’s side.
Dawning Light had recently become famous among the Humans, and it was just as well-known among the Black Ink Clan. Many of the Black Ink Clansmen knew of the existence of this special Human Squad whose Warship and configuration of members were vastly superior to others on the battlefield.
It was unknown just how many Black Ink Clansmen had suffered losses at the hands of this special Squad, and many of their groups had even been completely wiped out by them.
In a battlefield where one’s life was on the line, one’s prestige could often be a powerful deterrent.
An overwhelming barrage of attacks rained down on Dawning Light, trying to halt its advance. A dazzling protective glow sparked up around Dawning Light like a beacon of light, dispelling the darkness and tearing a gaping hole straight through the Black Ink Clan Army.
In the next instant, Dawning Light rumbled and shook again and again as its offensive arrays were activated by the many Fifth and Sixth-Order Squad members on board. Sword waves like white silk, huge spear shadows, and light beams that were strong enough to swallow everything in their path, all of these were blasted towards the densest gatherings of Black Ink Clansmen.
Violent energies swept forth, killing or maiming the Black Ink Clansmen wherever they passed.
Each attack unleashed from the offensive arrays was comparable to the full-powered strike of a Seventh-Order Master, and the area of attack was also extremely wide. Any Low-Rank Black Ink Clanman touched by these attacks would be killed, while the High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen would find it hard to resist.
That was the power of the Humans’ Warships. With the help of powerful arrays and the combined strength of several Fifth and Sixth-Order Masters, they were able to unleash power equivalent to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. And, as long as the Warship they were on was not damaged, they did not have to worry about being corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
With just one salvo, Dawning Light demonstrated power that greatly surpassed ordinary Squad-level Warships. Before the Black Ink Clansmen that survived could even catch their breaths, another dozen Squads sailed over on their ships, following closely behind Dawning Light while different coloured lights blossomed from each of them.
Naturally, the offensive arrays on these large ships were not as rich and varied as those on Dawning Light; after all, their numbers were incomparable to Dawn, so even if they had more arrays installed, there would be no one to power them, which would just be a waste; however, they had the advantage in numbers. Even if each ship carried just two offensive arrays, with a dozen or so ships it would mean almost 30 attacks.
These were the attacks comparable to 30 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters striking at full power.
More of the Black Ink Clan who had yet to catch their breaths were felled, and many of their Feudal Lords were also severely injured by this wave of attacks.
A hole immediately appeared in the Black Ink Clan’s Army that kept on growing in size. Everywhere that Dawning Light went, a clear path was cut into the Black Ink Clan’s defence line like a hot knife through butter.
“Squad Leader, the defensive array team won’t be able to hold up any longer,” Feng Ying suddenly warned.
It was thrilling for Dawning Light to charge into the fight like this, but the defensive needs of such a manoeuvre were too high. Though the defensive array was not damaged, the Squad members in charge of powering it were expending too much energy. They had to maintain the protective shield at all times; otherwise, Dawning Light would be damaged if it were hit directly.
In less than a few dozen breaths, the Squad members in rotation were all pale-faced.
Even without Feng Ying’s warning, Yang Kai had also noticed this as the protective barrier around Dawning Light had dimmed a lot. It was indeed true that they could not hold on for long.
“Swap with me!” Yang Kai appeared at one of the defensive arrays as he spoke and sat cross-legged, taking a deep breath before pouring the energy from his Small Universe into it.
In the next instant, the shield, which had been on the verge of collapse, glowed brightly again, instantly exploding dazzlingly like a rising sun.
Shen Ao and the others were astonished.
The strength of a defensive array was proportional to the depth of heritage of the one presiding over it.
At each defensive array was a defensive artifact acting as the Array Core, and all the one presiding over the array had to do was pour their energy into it and the array would activate, creating a defensive shield.
Normally, each defensive array would require the combined efforts of at least three members to operate; after all, the cultivation of these members were either at the Fifth-Order or the Sixth-Order.
This was the only way they could ensure that their defences remained sturdy.
Now, Yang Kai’s power alone fueled the arrays to greater heights than before. The attacks that came from all directions barely made a ripple on the light barrier before dispersing without a trace.
One could see just how rich Yang Kai’s heritage was from this.
The various arrays laid out on Dawning Light were the most advanced that Blue Sky Pass could produce.
Usually, if the defensive arrays could bring out 70% of their power under the combined efforts of several Squad members, then with Yang Kai personally powering the array, 100% of its effect burst out all at once.
In terms of its protective power, it was naturally different from before. The difference of 30% almost doubled the shield’s strength.
Feng Ying had originally been worried that Dawning Light would not be able to hold on for long, but when she saw the attacks causing only a ripple as they hit the light barrier before becoming completely useless, she swiftly shouted, “Charge through!”
Hearing this, the Squad member in charge of steering the ship manoeuvred Dawning Light so that it could crash straight through the Black Ink Clan Army, moving in whichever direction had the most enemies.
In an instant, Dawning Light cut a swath of destruction wherever it passed. The Black Ink Clansmen who were unable to dodge in time had all their bones shattered when they were hit by the large Warship, while those who reacted quickly enough to dodge were still annihilated by the glowing lights coming from the offensive arrays.
The other dozen or so Warships were following closely behind Dawning Light, and a barrage of powerful attacks was fired from them in all directions.
A deep gash soon appeared in the Black Ink Clan’s line of defence.
Once Dawning Light reached the other end of the enemy army, it quickly turned around and crashed back into it again. With Dawn taking point, the dozen other Squad-level Warships spread out like wings that proceeded into another deadly charge.
After three or four such sweeps, the Black Ink Clan’s troops on the defence line were all either killed or injured, completely collapsing, no longer able to maintain an effective formation.
On the Warship where the bearded man was, the beautiful Vice Squad Leader muttered in awe, “Dawning Light is so powerful!”
The bearded man licked his lips and chuckled, “You have no idea, the arrays on the Dawning Light are all top of the line. The Array Cores are also the top of the top, whether it be the offensive or the defensive artifacts; otherwise, how could they be this powerful? Heh, there even seems to be a Universe Array aboard Dawning Light as well as a stock of Purifying Light.”
The beautiful woman knitted her brow and grumbled, “Aren’t the Army Commanders a bit too biased? What, was Dawn born from the real mother and we were raised by the stepmother?”
The bearded man raised his hand and smacked her on the head, “Don’t talk nonsense!”
The beautiful woman covered her head, aggrieved.
The bearded man told her, “The Army Commanders are in charge of the four Army regiments, and all the soldiers under their command are their lifeblood. They won’t do something like play favourites. All the modifications on Dawning Light were commissioned for Military Merits.”
The beautiful woman was astonished, “How many Military Merits would that cost?”
The bearded man was a little deflated, “I quietly asked the Junior Brother at the Merit Hall last time, and he told me that the Military Merits that Dawn Squad’s Leader obtained on the last battle was…” He casually named a figure before continuing, “After commissioning Dawning Light’s construction, all those Military Merits were spent, and that was just his own. Senior Sister Feng Ying’s Military Merits were also basically exhausted as well.”
The beautiful woman looked even more shocked, “They really are generous, spending so many of their Military Merits on Dawning Light.”
The bearded man grinned, “You have to admire their boldness, but Dawning Light has now become an extraordinary weapon. After this battle, they may not be able to earn back all the Military Merits that they spent, but 30 or 40% shouldn’t be a problem. If they just fight a few more battles like this, then they would definitely be able to earn everything back and more.”
The beautiful woman pouted, “If we had as many Military Merits, then we could do the same.”
“But we don’t!” The bearded man guffawed, “So, we should follow Dawning Light. They eat the meat, but for us to have a share of some of the soup is still very good!”
Then, the bearded man’s face suddenly turned solemn, “The Black Ink Clan’s line of defence has been broken, so we’ll soon be facing their main force head-on. Remember, if you get corrupted by Black Ink Strength, head for Dawning Light, they have Purifying Light!”
The beautiful woman nodded heavily, “I understand!”
“Open the array!” The bearded man shouted. Then, he raised his hand, summoning his large wolf fang mace, a horrible-looking club that was covered in spikes.
A gap was opened in the ship’s shield and both the bearded man and his beautiful subordinate rushed out at once, charging straight for the Black Ink Clan. The wolf fang mace swung down hard and the few Black Ink Clansmen who were unable to dodge it were smashed into a mist of blood at once.
The bearded man laughed heartily, “Hahaha! Black Ink Clan brats, come and have a taste of your Grandfather’s big rod!”
The beautiful woman glared at him in disgust. One after another black flowers bloomed from the tip of her sword as she stabbed towards the Black Ink Clansmen who were fleeing in front of her. As the sword flowers faded, the Black Ink Clansman fell to pieces.
The ship they were from followed closely behind them while the offensive arrays continued unleashing their power. Clearly, this Squad had been together for a long time, allowing the two Seventh-Order Masters and the ship to work in perfect harmony.
This was not the only ship that was doing so; the rest of the dozen ships were also the same. Each one of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters aboard them had personally come out to join the battle, fighting around their Warships. This way of fighting was undoubtedly safer. Even if they were to encounter a strong enemy, they would still have the chance to return to their Warships so that they could recover; however, the number of Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in each of these Squads was not high. There were basically only two on each ship.
On the other hand, Dawning Light, which was leading the pack, had five Seventh-Order Masters rush out at once. Whether it was Yang Kai or Feng Ying, once they attacked, even Feudal Lords would find it hard to defend themselves.
On the deck of Dawning Light, there was even a small figure standing at the bow while a small gap had been opened up in the barrier in front of her. The figure was holding a powerful bow with its string pulled taut, a golden light at her fingertips.
With a whizz, a bolt of golden light flashed, and every time it did, a Feudal Lord would either be severely injured or would be felled directly.
Bai Yi, who came from Divine Feather Paradise and cultivated the Sun Chaser Arrow Heart, had achieved the eighth level of Mastery in the Archery Dao, so every arrow released from her fingertips was all but unstoppable.
With Dawning Light at the centre, any Feudal Lord who caught her eye within a 100-kilometre radius would either take a severe hit from her or be taken out entirely. There was no third possibility.
The power of such an archer on such a battlefield was simply too great.
Moreover, she never focused on any Black Ink Clansmen below the Feudal Lords, only those above them.
Originally, the Black Ink Clan had a huge advantage in this particular line of defence, pinning down a dozen Human Squads and forcing them back slowly. However, after Dawn’s arrival, the tide was instantly turned. Not only did the Humans gain the ability to fight back, they had successfully thrown the Black Ink Clan’s soldiers into chaos.
In the midst of the intense battle, a bloodied Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master suddenly rushed towards Dawning Light, a flash of unnatural Black Qi lingering about his pale face.
This Seventh-Order Human had obviously been invaded by Black Ink Strength.
Bai Yi immediately pointed her arrow at him and the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was instantly frozen in place, not daring to move.
Fortunately, Bai Yi quickly realized the situation and stepped aside, shouting, “Get in, quickly!”
The Seventh-Order Master cupped his fist, “Thanks are not enough for this kindness.”
In a flash, he dashed through the gap in the protective barrier and entered Dawning Light. At once, a member of Dawn came to lead him to a Space Array on the deck.
As a light flashed, the Seventh-Order Master’s figure disappeared.
A few moments later, the light reappeared, and the man reemerged on the Space Array. Even though he was still looking a little tired, the Black Ink Strength covering his face had disappeared.
The bearded man was not the only one who knew that there was Purifying Light sealed aboard Dawning Light. Previously, while Dawning Light was undergoing repairs at the forward base, the Seventh-Order Squad Leaders had basically all come over to see it, and all of them were in great admiration of its capabilities.
However, this was a Warship that Yang Kai and Feng Ying spent an enormous amount of Military Merits to modify so no one else could emulate it no matter how much they envied it.
It was not that Inner Sanctum was unwilling to do this for others, only that the cost of such a customization was so high that Blue Sky Pass was unable to bear it for every Squad, so they could only use Military Merits as a stopgap measure. What was more, the average Squad’s makeup was also lacking quite a bit when compared to Dawn, so they did not require this level of modification. To put it mildly, even if Dawning Light were given to another Squad, it would be difficult for them to even operate it properly.
Anyone who had visited Dawning Light naturally knew that there was Purifying Light sealed on it.
Now, if anyone were to be corrupted by Black Ink Strength on this battlefield, their best choice was to seek help from Dawning Light; otherwise, they would have to head back to the forward base using the Universe Transference Law.
The Seventh-Order Master cupped his fist again in thanks before rushing out of Dawning Light, going back to slaughtering more enemies.
On the battlefield, even the slightest mishap could trigger a chain reaction of changes.
Here, Black Ink Clan’s defensive line had collapsed with Dawn’s entrance, and this collapse was now rapidly spreading throughout the battlefield.
It had been less than an hour since Dawn entered the fray, but almost all of the Black Ink Clansmen on this defensive line had been annihilated. Those who were still alive were either fleeing or had fled long ago.
Yang Kai did not stop there though, leading the Seventh-Order Masters and Dawning Light under him towards the nearest Black Ink Clan Army.
A dozen Warships followed in their wake.
With Dawning Light at the front, the dozen Warships quickly plunged into the Black Ink Clan’s Army like a sharp blade.
Immediately, another commotion broke out.
In the void above the battlefield, powerful Divine Senses were confronting each other from a distance.
The defeat of the Black Ink Clan Army had angered several Territory Lords. Even though they were in confrontation with the Eighth-Order Humans, they were still paying attention to the battle below.
Undoubtedly, they were disappointed by the performance of their subordinates.
One of the Territory Lords had his gaze fixed on Dawning Light. Murderous intent was surging and he had a mind to completely ignore everything else, enter the battle, and blast that Warship to pieces.
He saw everything clearly. The Black Ink Clan had a slight advantage over the Humans before, but after this Warship appeared on the battlefield, the situation began to spiral out of control.
This Warship was definitely the Humans’ sharpest weapon. If he could slaughter its members, it would be a huge loss for the enemy.
However, as soon as this thought surfaced in his mind, he was caught by the Eighth-Order Masters hiding in the void, and a warning rang out in his ears, “Why don’t you try and see what happens?”
At the sound of the voice, the Territory Lord could finally be sure which Eighth-Order Master it was that had his eyes on him and coldly snorted, “Cha Hu!”
The Blue Sky Theatre corresponded to Men Xie Royal Lord’s territory.
After countless years of fighting, the Masters of the two clans knew each other to some extent, so as soon as the Territory Lord heard that voice, he could ascertain that it was Cha Hu.
Cha Hu answered with no trace of politeness, “What did you call your Grandfather for?”
The Territory Lord raged, “A trivial Human dares act so arrogant!?”
Cha Hu snapped back, “A trivial Black Ink Clansman dares to shamelessly boast?”
The Territory Lord was fuming, “Sooner or later, I will slaughter all the Humans of your Blue Sky Pass, rip your heart out, and make you beg for death!”
Cha Hu sneered, “What are you speaking all this nonsense for? Save it for after our fight!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly turned into a stream of light and rushed towards a space in the void, slamming a fist down with such force that it caused space to tremble.
A black shadow emerged, hurriedly retreating; however, he was still struck by the fist and let out a grunt.
The Territory Lord was shocked, not expecting Cha Hu to actually make a move here. In fact, in such battles, Masters like them would basically only act as a deterrent. Rarely would they fight in person because everyone knew that there was nothing they could actually do to each other in battle.
In the same Order, the Humans were generally slightly stronger when compared to the Black Ink Clan, but this difference became less and less pronounced the higher one’s cultivation was. When one reached the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm or became a Territory Lord, that difference became quite limited, and when it came to Royal Lords and Ninth-Order Old Ancestors, they were basically evenly matched.
Moreover, the Territory Lords outnumbered the Eighth-Order Masters by one in this battle, and this advantage in high-level combat power was enough to deter the Eighth-Order Humans from doing anything rash.
Only when the Black Ink Clan Army attacked Blue Sky Pass would the Eighth-Order Humans and the Territory Lords have a chance to face each other directly.
So, there was no way that this Territory Lord could have ever expected Cha Hu to actually make a move.
Not only him, but violent energy fluctuations also suddenly erupted at two other spots in the void. It was apparent that Lu An and Xie Xiu Ping had also joined in, forcing out the Territory Lords in hiding.
“You dare…” The Territory Lord was furious after eating a small loss from Cha Hu’s sudden attack.
Before he could finish speaking though, his words were cut short by Cha Hu, who broke out in laughter, “You’re still waiting for Zhu Feng? I forgot to tell you, but Zhu Feng is dead! I’m afraid he won’t be coming today!”
“What?” The Territory Lord was shocked at his words, but he immediately refuted, “Lies!”
He was instinctively unwilling to believe Cha Hu’s words; after all, Zhu Feng was a Territory Lord just like himself, so how could he possibly die just like that?
After all, he had seen Zhu Feng just a month ago.
He thought that Cha Hu was just trying to shake him with an alarming bluff, but in the next instant, his expression changed as he turned his head to glance at that particular Human Warship.
He had paid attention to the performance of this Human Warship all this while, and it was because of its appearance that the Black Ink Clan’s defence line collapsed, so this Territory Lord was nursing a great hatred for Dawning Light.
It wasn’t the special Warship itself that had his attention at this moment though, but rather the small figure that was standing at the front of its deck, holding a drawn bow. As soon as each golden light flew out, a Black Ink Clansman was bound to suffer.
This Territory Lord focused his eyesight to the fullest in order to see through the heavy clutter of obstructions and was shocked when he finally had a clear look of the small figure’s face.
[That Human woman… Isn’t she Zhu Feng’s prized Black Ink Disciple?]
Even though he had only seen the young Human woman a few times in the past, this Territory Lord remembered her well. It was because this Human woman was extremely strong and was also highly valued by Zhu Feng.
But how could she appear on the Humans’ side and even kill off their Black Ink Clansmen?
For a moment, the Territory Lord’s thoughts were in disarray. He could not figure out how the Black Ink Disciple Bai Yi had returned to the embrace of the Human Race.
However, since she was here, where had Zhu Feng gone? Could he truly be dead?
In fact, he had not been able to feel Zhu Feng’s aura all this while. He thought that Zhu Feng was hiding somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to strike, but he did not see him anywhere even until this moment, so he truly could have met a disastrous fate.
This made him feel a little unsettled. While he was distracted, Cha Hu landed a punch on his shoulder, causing his huge body to stumble, drawing a guttural roar from his lips.
Before he could steady himself, however, a murderous intent locked in on him, causing the Territory Lord to freeze up.
He turned around in a hurry and was shocked to find that a Human had suddenly appeared behind him with two fingers raised, cutting down at him like a sword.
The sword wave at the tip of his fingers swept over in a flash.
The Territory Lord’s body shook wildly, then a huge wound appeared at his shoulder blade, so deep that the organs could vaguely be seen writhing beneath. As ink-black blood and Black Ink Strength spewed out of the wound, he howled, “Xu Bo Liang!”
He was truly both shocked and enraged.
He was shocked that Xu Bo Liang would actually appear here, and enraged because he had been caught unaware by him. A sneak attack from an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was not to be underestimated. The Territory Lord suffered a serious wound, and Sword Qi was still lingering around it, preventing it from healing. At the same time, the silk-like Sword Qi was burrowing into his body and causing damage everywhere.
He was forced to circulate his energy to suppress the Sword Qi wreaking havoc inside, instantly reducing the strength he could put out by 20%.
What puzzled him the most was how Xu Bo Liang could have appeared on this battlefield.
According to the information that the Black Ink Clan received, Xu Bo Liang had been standing guard in the Humans’ forward base this whole time and did not leave. That was also the reason why there was one more Territory Lord than Eighth-Order Human on this battlefront.
There were originally four Black Ink Clan Territory Lords in this resource harvesting area and four Eighth-Order Humans, an equal number to each other.
However, the Humans always kept one Eighth-Order Master at their forward base in case the Black Ink Clan’s Army were to attack. If anything were to happen to the forward base, then it would definitely be a huge loss for the Humans.
For that reason, in terms of top Masters, the Black Ink Clan held an advantage.
Even if Zhu Feng died, it would still be three against three, so the Territory Lords had nothing to fear.
So, this Territory Lord never anticipated that Xu Bo Liang would suddenly appear in this place like a ghost and even launch a sneak attack on him. It was because he had not conceived of this possibility that he was inadvertently hit.
Weren’t the Humans afraid that their forward base would be wiped out by the Black Ink Clan?
However, Xu Bo Liang left as soon as he finished his attack without any intention of pursuing him. He just nodded lightly at Cha Hu before forming a set of hand seals.
Soon, a light appeared below Xu Bo Liang’s feet, and by the time the glow faded, he was already gone.
Naturally, it was the Universe Transference Law that he just performed, allowing him to return to the forward base through the Universe Array of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship that was moored there.
The reason he did not stay behind to fight alongside Cha Hu was that he was worried something might suddenly happen at the forward base, so he had no choice but to maintain his strength and stand guard there.
The sneak attack that heavily injured the Territory Lord should be enough to set the course for the battle, there was no need to ask for more. Even though they could have killed this Territory Lord if Xu Bo Liang stayed behind and joined forces with Cha Hu, nobody could guarantee that the Territory Lord would not bring one of them down with him in a desperate attempt to fight back.
Nearby Dawning Light, Yang Kai held his Azure Dragon Spear and looked in astonishment at the sudden change, “How did Division Commander Xu come out from Dawning Light?”
The Territory Lord had no idea why Xu Bo Liang would suddenly appear on this battlefield, but Yang Kai had seen everything clearly. Just now, Xu Bo Liang had actually walked out from Dawning Light.
Auras flared along with great explosions across the chaotic battlefield, so basically nobody had noticed an extra Eighth-Order Master mixed in among the Humans until it was too late.
Feng Ying slashed her sword down in front of her and took a breathing spell in between, “Some days ago, Division Commander Xu left his Imprint on Dawning Light’s Universe Array.
Yang Kai was surprised at first before grinning, “Old ginger is indeed spicier than young ginger!”
Xu Bo Liang had already left his Imprint in Dawning Light’s Universe Array, so he could naturally use it to reach the battlefield in an instant, make a sneak attack on the Territory Lord, and then return to the forward base through the Universe Array there.
His sneak attack could truly be called a masterstroke. Perhaps even the people at the forward base had no idea that Xu Bo Liang had crossed a distance of a billion kilometres in such a short amount of time and came over here so he could inflict a serious injury on a Territory Lord.
To think the Universe Array could be used like this, Yang Kai felt his horizons broadening.
After composing himself, he looked at the many Black Ink Clansmen in front of him. Then, Yang Kai thrust his spear forward and attacked!
On the high-level battlefield, Lu An and Xie Xiu Ping were each facing a Territory Lord of their own. The difference in strength between them was not obvious though, so they were basically evenly matched in this situation. Neither side could take the other down.
However, Cha Hu was now facing an enemy whose strength had plummeted, allowing him to gain a significant advantage. Under Cha Hu’s flurry of attacks, this Territory Lord could only defend himself without being able to hit back.
The two of them were originally similar in strength, but after incurring a heavy hit from Xu Bo Liang, this Territory Lord was forced to divert some of his strength in order to suppress his injuries, so how could he be a match for Cha Hu?
All sorts of Secret Techniques poured out, but he remained in a poor situation.
Things would only get worse if the fight continued. If Xu Bo Liang were to show up again, then he might truly lose his life here. After realising he was no match for this Human, this Territory Lord immediately had a mind to escape.
Cha Hu could naturally tell what he was thinking and attacked him even more fiercely, as if he wanted to eradicate his existence here and now.
The Territory Lord hissed furiously, “Cha Hu, if you want to die, then I can fulfil your wish for you!”
Cha Hu sneered, “Do you even have that ability?”
His tone was mocking, but the look on his face was one of extreme caution. The final desperate resistance of a Territory Lord was not something that he dared to underestimate. This was also the reason why Xu Bo Liang did not stay behind to fight with him. Even if they were fighting two against one, they might still have to pay a painful price.
It was a price that the Human Race could not afford to pay!
Any Eighth-Order Master was considered an extremely valuable asset for the Humans, and the fall of even one was an unbearable wound.
So, when he received news that Zhu Feng had been killed by Yang Kai and a former Black Ink Disciple called Bai Yi, Cha Hu could hardly believe it.
However, after learning the details, Cha Hu realized that Yang Kai and Bai Yi were only able to kill Zhu Feng because they were both abnormally strong and extremely lucky.
Part of it also had to do with Zhu Feng underestimating them. Of course, Zhu Feng being in a miserable state from his severe injuries was also one of the reasons.
So, even though he held an absolute advantage, Cha Hu did not dare to push his enemy too hard. Every now and then, he would give the Territory Lord a ray of hope, an illusion to make him think he could continue to fight.
For Cha Hu, even if he could not kill this Territory Lord, he would still have to force him to retreat to his Black Ink Nest to recuperate for a hundred years at least.
Time passed as the battle raged on.
The Black Ink Clan Army had been routed.
The Black Ink Clansmen gathering in this area originally numbered some 20,000 strong, but now, their numbers had been reduced to less than half of that. Even though most of the ones who died were the Low-Rank and High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen, and the number of casualties among the Feudal Lords was not that large, the Humans’ victory was already inevitable.
What was even more unbearable to the Black Ink Clan was the fact that they had paid such a terrible price for such lacklustre results.
Not only did they fail to convert any new Black Ink Disciples, but they also failed to kill many of the Human cultivators.
The Warships were far too useful a tool on such a battlefield. All of the Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Humans were hiding under the protection of their Warships, and the only ones who showed up to fight were the Seventh-Order Masters.
Without destroying those Warships, it was simply impossible for them to kill any of the Humans.
However, the Warships were too well protected; how could it be easy to destroy them?
After less than half a day of fighting, the Black Ink Clan had destroyed more than 30 Human Warships, but with the help of nearby Squads, the ones who lost their Warships were still able to continue fighting. Less than 100 Humans had fallen in total, and they had failed to kill even a single Seventh-Order Human.
This was also the reason why the Black Ink Clan hated and coveted Human Warships so much. If not for the Warships, then the Great Passes of the Humans would have long been conquered by the Black Ink Clan. How else could they have put up a fight with the Black Ink Clan for all these millennia?
It wasn’t that the Black Ink Clan did not wish to refine their own Warships. If the Black Ink Clan had their own Warships, then the Low-Rank and High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen would be able to exert far more strength than they could currently. The Black Ink Clan had been working tirelessly towards this goal for countless years; however, the Humans had always been extremely prudent on matters concerning the refinement of Warships. All of the Artifact Refiners who were involved in the creation of Warships were never allowed on the battlefield, and they were also carefully protected at all times. So, the Black Ink Clan was strong in will but weak in strength even if they did wish to convert a few Artifact Refining Grandmasters into Black Ink Disciples.
To this day, the Black Ink Clan still did not possess Warships of their own. They were able to refine some ordinary flight-type artifacts, but those were only useful for transportation and not for battle.
The Black Ink Clan’s Army was defeated, and the three Territory Lords were not in very good positions either.
Naturally, there was no need to mention Cha Hu’s opponent, who could barely hold out against the former’s assault. Xie Xiu Ping and Lu An’s opponents were able to go back and forth with them, but they were still powerless to turn the situation in their favour and had no choice but to watch as their Army was destroyed.
With Cha Hu leading him on, whether intentionally or not, several large wounds were added to the Black Ink Clan Territory Lord’s body, each one of them deep enough that it exposed bone. Black Ink blood was flowing out of those wounds, and his aura was no longer at its peak.
Seeing that it was only a matter of time until his Army was wiped out, this Territory Lord had no desire to remain any longer. He struck out a fierce blow while forcibly enduring an attack from Cha Hu, forcing him back and giving himself an opening to escape.
However, at that moment, a hostile aura suddenly locked onto him and a blazing light shot towards him like lightning from a certain spot in the void.
The Territory Lord could not help but feel his skin tightening, and as he turned his head in horror, his eyes caught sight of an attack resembling a pair of wings rapidly expanding in front of him.
On Dawning Light’s deck, Bai Yi’s eyes shone with a strange light as the Territory Lord’s figure was reflected in them. She slowly lowered her bow and panted heavily, her face looking as pale as a sheet of paper.
Clearly, she was the one responsible for the sudden attack.
Although she had not left the Warship like Yang Kai and the other Seventh-Order Masters and simply stood at Dawning Light’s bow, supporting them with her skilful archery, there were still at least a dozen Feudal Lords who had died by her hands after half a day of battle. And, with the support of her arrows, Yang Kai and the others were able to slaughter their own opponents without fear.
Bai Yi might have been one person, but her inclusion still increased Dawn’s overall strength by more than 10%.
Prolonged use of archery techniques was a huge drain on Bai Yi’s strength, especially her last attack which was clearly an extremely powerful Secret Technique that was far more exhausting than her previous strikes.
Even Xu Bo Liang was caught unprepared by this attack and was wounded by it, so there was simply no way that the heavily wounded Territory Lord would be able to resist when he was taken off-guard.
The unfurled wings sank into the Territory Lord’s chest in an instant. He howled, his voice containing unconcealable fury as his already weak aura dropped by another 20%.
It was at this moment that he finally understood why Zhu Feng valued this Human Black Ink Disciple so much. Indeed, this woman had abilities that were unlike others and were thus worth looking at in a different light.
Even though he could want nothing more than to slaughter this woman who ambushed him right here and now to vent his anger, the Territory Lord knew that escaping from was more important. So, after he had been hit, he did not slow down and rather sped up as he rapidly fled towards the rear.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
From his perception, the Territory Lord discovered that the Human blocking his path was only in the Seventh Order!
He was furious. After being heavily injured by Xu Bo Liang’s sneak attack, he was unable to defeat Cha Hu, then he was ambushed by that Human girl from afar using her archery skills. He could do nothing about all of the previous setbacks, but now, another Seventh-Order Human came to block his way. Truly, did anyone and everyone have the guts to come and provoke him now?
The Territory Lord spread out his palm and rich Black Ink Strength gathered into a huge ink-black hand seal in an instant, which he brought down fiercely at the arrogant man.
Cha Hu, who was giving chase closely behind the Territory Lord, paled and called out in alarm, “Yang Kai, dodge!”
He didn’t expect Yang Kai to run here from the battlefield below during this critical moment either and even blocked the Territory Lord from escaping.
Right now, the Territory Lord was like a feral animal, so even he had to be careful when facing him, much less a Seventh-Order Master like Yang Kai.
If Yang Kai were to be met with some sudden misfortune, then how was Cha Hu going to explain to the Army Commanders and Old Ancestor when he returned?
In a panic, a layer of blood mist burst out from Cha Hu’s body. It was clear that he was burning his Blood Essence to speed himself up, trying to stop the strike of the Territory Lord before it hit Yang Kai.
However, how could he move faster than the Territory Lord’s attack?
Faced with this blow, Yang Kai did not even try to dodge it and just formed a set of hand seals. With a serious expression, he shouted, “Division Commander Cha, allow me to assist!”
Following the formation of the hand seals, a Golden Crow cried and a Great Sun rose into the sky. Following closely behind the Great Sun, a Full Moon rose, bathing the world in its icy moonlight.
As he manipulated Space Principles the Sun and Moon began circling and Time Principles spread out.
A mysterious energy wove together as the Sun and Moon rapidly spun.
When Sun and Moon came together, they transformed into a kind of kaleidoscope that spiralled straight towards the oncoming Territory Lord.
At that moment, whether it was the Territory Lord or Cha Hu behind him, they could feel Time and Space being disrupted, and their minds could not help but freeze for an instant.
Even though it was only a brief moment, both the Territory Lord and Cha Hu still looked shocked.
The next moment, the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel smashed into the Territory Lord’s body. There was no violent burst of energy, but instead, the Territory Lord felt as if he had just experienced the passing of millions of years in an instant. His aura rapidly weakened and fine cracks had even begun forming on his skin. A strange glow could be seen vaguely beneath those cracks, obstructing the healing of his wounds and also causing his blood to flow out ceaselessly.
At the same time, the Territory Lord’s fierce attack made contact with Yang Kai’s body.
The sound of bones breaking could be heard in short succession as Yang Kai was sent tumbling out like an arrow released from a taut bow, unable to stop himself as blood constantly spilled from his mouth.
*Wa…*
The Territory Lord had also spat out a mouthful of ink-black blood as his aura weakened further.
Cha Hu had already appeared like a ghost above his head and pressed his palm down, shouting in a cold voice, “Die!”
The Territory Lord looked terrified. Not even bothering to suppress his wounds, he used everything he had to raise his hand and launched a counterattack.
The fierce power had already been released from Cha Hu’s hand though, and the Territory Lord’s head was blasted open with a loud bang. Rich Black Ink Strength spurted out of his neck mixed together with his ink-black blood. Cha Hu also grunted, his face paling slightly.
He had killed the Territory Lord, but that last desperate strike made before his opponent’s death still caused his vitality to tumble and his Small Universe to be disturbed.
A trace of Black Ink Strength invaded his Small Universe and expanded constantly, nourished by the rich World Force.
If it were in the past, then such a situation would be extremely troublesome for an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. They would have no choice but to sacrifice part of their Small Universe in order to protect themselves; otherwise, they would be at risk of turning into a Black Ink Disciple. However, such a thing was not something for them to be afraid of anymore now that they had Purifying Light. They could simply wait until the battle was over before scattering the Black Ink Strength.
To be honest, neither Cha Hu nor Xu Bo Liang, who had ambushed the Territory Lord earlier, had any intentions of taking the latter’s life when they fought him earlier. Otherwise, Xu Bo Liang would not have returned immediately to the forward base as soon as his sneak attack landed. It would have been completely possible for him to stay behind and join hands with Cha Hu to kill the enemy.
That was because the two of them knew that even if they joined forces, they may not have the chance to kill off this Territory Lord, and even if they did manage to succeed, the price they would have to pay would not be small.
Their best option was to simply deal a heavy blow to him.
However, at the critical moment, Bai Yi and Yang Kai’s actions made it possible to kill this Territory Lord. Whether it be Bai Yi’s arrow or Yang Kai’s Secret Technique, both of them were far more powerful than what Seventh-Order Humans could normally produce, knocking down the Territory Lord’s momentum again and again, further worsening his injuries.
The two Seventh Orders had created such a good opportunity for him that if Cha Hu did not succeed, it would have been a disservice to their efforts.
Even so, he was wounded by the desperate counterattack made before his opponent’s death, which showed just how dangerous fights between Masters at their level could be.
Turning his head, he glanced in Yang Kai’s direction, slightly worried at his condition.
This brat had taken a direct hit from a Territory Lord, but hopefully, nothing too serious had happened to him.
Feng Ying had already rushed over to Yang Kai’s side to support him at this moment and was stuffing healing Spirit Pills into his mouth. Cha Hu appeared in a flash next to the two of them and quickly said, “How is he?”
Feng Ying shook her head with a terrified expression, “Not good. He’s fallen unconscious.”
Cha Hu placed his hand on Yang Kai’s wrist and released his Divine Sense, checking his condition. He also could not help but frown as Yang Kai’s situation was not merely not good, it was simply terrible.
It was not known how many of his bones had been broken, and his five viscera and six organs were also damaged. Even his vitality was extremely weak like a candle in the wind, flickering with uncertainty.
Anyone with such injuries would not be far from death.
Fortunately, Yang Kai bore a World Spring in his body, so his Small Universe was impervious to external shocks. Otherwise, that attack earlier could really have caused some sort of damage to his foundation.
“Take him back and let him recuperate!” Cha Hu commanded.
Obeying his order, Feng Ying carried Yang Kai and returned to Dawning Light, placing him down in a quiet room in the ship’s cabin.
On the other side, the two Territory Lords who were fighting with Xie Xiu Ping and Lu An had similarly seen how their comrade had died at Cha Hu’s hands and were both shocked. How could they dare to linger here any longer? Both of them made a feint and then retreated.
Xie Xiu Ping and Lu An followed closely behind them. Despite knowing that there was no way there was anything they could do if the Territory Lords were fully intent on escaping, they still gave chase.
By the time Cha Hu finished checking Yang Kai’s condition and wanted to head over to provide support for Xiu Xiu Ping and Lu An, the two Eighth-Order Masters and the two Territory Lords were already nowhere to be seen.
Cha Hu coldly snorted before turning his gaze to the chaotic battlefield. Like a bolt of lightning, he charged straight in.
The Black Ink Clan Army was already on the verge of defeat and would not have held on much longer even without Cha Hu’s intervention, but now that an Eighth-Order Division Commander had joined the battle, how could they ever hope to hold on?
A large number of Black Ink Clansmen were killed, but a small number of them scattered when they saw that the odds were against them and escaped. After all, even the Territory Lords ran. Staying behind would only mean death for them.
Cha Hu led a chase after the enemy for half a day, killing some of them before returning.
And so the battle came to an end. On each Warship, the Human soldiers looked around at the severed limbs and remains of the Black Ink Clansmen scattered all over the void. Even though the Humans had sustained a lot of damage to their Warships and even lost over 100 Open Heaven Realm warriors, their casualties were almost negligible when compared to the Black Ink Clan’s losses.
This battle was a great victory for the Humans.
Cheers rang out as the Humans celebrated.
For Blue Sky Pass, this victory meant that Blue Sky Pass had finally secured this resource harvesting area, and for the next several dozen years they would be able to mine it in peace.
This victory had not come easy and many of them had spilled blood in order to achieve this result.
The battlefield was cleared up and the casualties were counted. Then, under the leadership of the Eighth-Order Masters, the Warships all headed back to the forward base.
By the time Yang Kai regained consciousness, several days had passed. When he opened his eyes, he could feel pain intense enough to cause him to sweat all over with just the slightest movement. His five viscera and six organs felt as if they were on fire.
“The Squad Leader is awake, go and inform the Division Commanders,” a voice could be heard saying. When he looked over, a familiar figure was reflected in Yang Kai’s hazy eyes.
When his vision cleared up, Yang Kai realized that it was Feng Ying.
With eyes full of concern and joy, Feng Ying asked anxiously, “Squad Leader, how do you feel?”
Yang Kai made a quick scan of his own condition before his brow furrowed and he asked, “Who are you?”
Feng Ying’s face paled instantly, “Squad Leader, it’s me, Feng Ying. Do you not recognize me?”
Yang Kai stared at her for a moment as if he were looking at a stranger.
Feng Ying was really panicking now. While she was at a loss as to what to do though, Yang Kai suddenly grinned, “I’m kidding, don’t take it too seriously.”
Feng Ying was stunned at first, but then she glared at him menacingly.
It was then that someone opened the door and entered. Cha Hu’s voice rang out, “Has Yang Boy awoken?” He had obviously rushed over as soon as he heard the news.
Yang Kai struggled to get up, but Cha Hu pressed him back down with his hand, “Your injuries are not light so you better lie still. How do you feel?”
Feng Ying snorted before answering in a disgruntled tone, “He should be fine. He even has the strength to joke around with me.”
Puzzled, Cha Hu pressed his hand on Yang Kai’s wrist and scanned his body. After a while, he retracted his hand and said with some surprise, “As expected of someone with a Dragon Vein. Your vitality is as strong as expected.”
In fact, Yang Kai’s vitality had been faint, almost nonexistent, when he received the fierce blow from the Territory Lord that injured him so badly that he fell unconscious. He was in a state that was not far away from death.
If any other Seventh-Order Master were to sustain such injuries, there would have been at least a 70% chance that they would not have survived.
Yet, after just a few days, Yang Kai’s vitality was stronger and he had regained consciousness. Even though his aura was still weak, there was no longer any threat to his life.
Cha Hu had to sigh in admiration that sure enough, the restorative abilities of someone with a potent Dragon Vein were uniquely powerful, thinking to himself that as long as this boy did not suffer any immediately fatal injuries, then he would be able to recover back to health quickly.
“Division Commander Cha, how is the battle going?” Yang Kai asked with concern, his memory having cut off when he was attacking the fleeing Territory Lord. He had no idea what happened after that.
Cha Hu explained, “The Black Ink Clan only had four Territory Lords in this region. Zhu Feng was killed by you and Bai Yi, and on the battlefield several days ago, I killed another with your and Bai Yi’s help, so there were only two Territory Lords left. What other outcome could there be? They all fled after that, and we had almost annihilated all of the Black Ink Clansmen that were left. We won.”
Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good to hear.”
Even though he had expected this result, it was still heartening to hear it with his own ears.
Cha Hu was silent for a moment before he said, “Yang Kai, I know you’re confident in your strength, but confident people often become conceited and make mistakes. You were lucky this time, but what about the next? Right now, you are a Squad Leader, and your choices affect more than your own personal safety. Oftentimes, you’ll find that your entire Squad’s lives are on the line, too, so do remember to be more careful in the future.”
“I will take that to heart,” Yang Kai accepted his criticism with an open mind.
Cha Hu did not care whether or not Yang Kai really accepted what he said either, he just patted his shoulder, “Rest well. We have already taken the resource harvesting area under our control so there won’t be any more major battles for the next few decades. Build up your strength as soon as possible so that you can kill even more of the Black Ink Clan in the future.”
“Yes!”
As soon as Cha Hu left, a large group of people crowded in from the outside, all of them with smiles on their faces, naturally it was Dawn Squad’s members.
Yang Kai swept a glance over them and discovered that besides him, there were 35 people, no more and no less, packing the relatively small room to the brim, and only then did he feel relieved.
During the previous battle with the Black Ink Clan, he had witnessed the ships of a number of Squads being blown apart. And, once one was without the shelter of their Warship, those under the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm would find it difficult to survive in such a chaotic melee. The Sixth-Order Masters fared slightly better, but if the Fifth-Order Masters did not promptly receive the help of nearby Squads, they would barely be able to hold out for a dozen breaths before dying.
Dawn’s Battleship was different of course. Dawning Light was much more powerful and sturdy than average, so there was no risk of it being destroyed in a battle like that. So, all of the Squad members were still fit and well.
However, it was inevitable that they would still suffer some minor injuries, especially Shen Ao and the other Seventh-Order Masters who went out to fight against the Black Ink Clan, all of whom were in different states of injury.
Dawn had been instrumental in the previous fight, especially during the killing of the Territory Lord at the end. It was Bai Yi and Yang Kai’s two strikes that enabled Cha Hu to deliver the killing blow.
The other Squads were all envious of such an achievement, yet they were unable to emulate it; after all, not every Seventh-Order Master had the same capabilities as those two.
Seeing the concerned eyes of everyone, Yang Kai reassured them, “I’m fine, I just need to rest for some time. Everyone should go and recuperate, too.”
The crowd then dispersed, leaving only Feng Ying behind.
Yang Kai looked at her and asked, “There’s a smile on Senior Sister’s lips. Has something good happened?”
Feng Ying could not help but laugh, “You could tell?”
“So, there is something good?” Yang Kai was stunned.
Feng Ying nodded, “Dawn contributed greatly in the last battle, so the Division Commanders have decided to award us with one of the most resource-rich harvesting points for us to freely mine. We can head there as soon as we finish recuperating.”
Yang Kai understood, “So, that’s how it is.”
The last battle was fought for control over a resource harvesting area, and since the Humans won, this stretch of territory naturally belonged to the Humans.
Now that the battle was over, the only thing left to do was to mine the resources, so it was natural that they had to determine which Squad was going to be mining which area. They could not just wander around randomly and snatch resources from each other.
In this way, the resources harvested by Dawn could also be handed over to Blue Sky Pass to be exchanged for Military Merits.
“The Division Commanders are thoughtful,” Yang Kai said.
“Rest well, Squad Leader. We will depart once you have recovered.”
“En!” Yang Kai had no objection.
After ten days, Yang Kai had mostly recovered, and the other Squad members were also basically done with healing themselves.
Yang Kai first went to Xu Bo Liang who was standing guard over the forward base to report in before leading Dawn towards the area that was allocated to them.
The area allocated to Dawn was about three days away from the forward base. Even though it was slightly far, it was rich in resources. As long as they concentrate on mining, then they would surely be able to accumulate a large batch of materials over the next several dozen years.
Patrols were of course still being made, as even though the Black Ink Clan was defeated in the last battle, there was no guarantee that there weren’t any fish that had slipped past the nets who would come to cause trouble.
Fortunately, their journey was uneventful. After suffering such a devastating defeat, it seemed that the Black Ink Clan really had completely pulled out of this resource-harvesting area.
Two days later, Yang Kai checked their location on the Universe Chart in his hand while standing on the deck, making sure that this was indeed the area allocated to Dawn before ordering Dawning Light to stop.
Standing on the deck, he looked up and saw a few dozen land masses of varying sizes in the void, each one of them a Universe World of their own.
If these Universe Worlds were in the 3,000 Worlds, this would definitely be a bustling place; however, this was the Black Ink Battlefield, and the Black Ink Clan consumed World Force as their food. The World Force of all Universe Worlds had already been sapped dry by the Black Ink Clan, and that was why all of these Universe Worlds were in shambles without a hint of vitality to be seen.
Even though there were no living beings here, and any World Force was also non-existent, the various resources born in these Universe Worlds were preserved after their death.
What the Human cultivators needed to do was to retrieve these resources from these dead Universe Worlds.
It was not only the Humans that were doing this though, but also the Black Ink Clan when they occupied the resource harvesting areas. They needed the resources to provide energy for the Black Ink Nests to breed more clansmen and produce more Black Ink Strength.
“This is an abundant place, as expected!” Yang Kai exclaimed in awe as he looked at the scene ahead.
Several dozen Universe Worlds sat before his eyes, and the resources contained in them would naturally not be few.
Now, what those from Dawn had to do was extract the resources left behind in these Universe Worlds. This was a difficult process as there were only some 30 of them while there were several dozen Universe Worlds in this area. They wouldn’t be able to fully extract the resources in a mere few decades.
Mining everything of use here would take several hundred years.
They wouldn’t be able to shorten the time needed unless Blue Sky Pass could send more people over to help out; however, Blue Sky Pass was of critical importance, so the vast majority of people had to be stationed there to prevent the Black Ink Clan from attacking. It would not be possible for them to send a lot of people over to help extract resources.
They had already reached the limit by mobilising an Army to the four resource harvesting areas.
“Squad Leader, even though we’ve chased the Black Ink Clan out of this area, we can’t guarantee that some of them won’t come back to harass us. I think we’d better stick together rather than scatter everywhere. If anything really happens, we’d be able to support each other as soon as possible.” Feng Ying offered a suggestion, considering that Yang Kai was unfamiliar with these affairs. Such incidents had happened before, though the probability was low; however, once it happened, a lot of their members could die.
“I’ll leave it up to your judgment,” Yang Kai nodded, “Where do you think we should start first?”
After looking around, Feng Ying pointed at the largest Universe World, “We’ll start from there, then. I’ve taken a look and found traces that suggest the Black Ink Clan had been mining there before. In that case, there should be a lot of resources in that Universe World.”
“Let’s take a look at it, then,” Yang Kai waved his hand, after which Dawning Light headed towards that Universe World.
A moment later, Dawning Light landed on a barren mountain. After looking around, Yang Kai realised that this Universe World was desolate and void of any vitality. Not only were there no living creatures, but there was also not even a tiny bit of greenery.
The World Force of the Universe Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield had been sucked dry by the Black Ink Clan. A Universe World without World Force was like a tree without roots or a river without a source. It was expected that they wouldn’t survive.
There were indeed some traces in this place which suggested that the Black Ink Clan had extracted resources here before. A lot of the places appeared shattered in this Universe World.
The sight reminded Yang Kai of the Black Prison.
The Black Prison was also full of materials, but they were all hidden in Ore Stars. Many people were required to mine Black Stones from the Ore Stars and use the World Force to melt the Black Stones in order to extract various materials.
Most of the time, even though a person exerted themselves, there still wouldn’t be a single thing inside a piece of Black Stone. Even if there was a reward, the Order of the material they would get depended on their luck.
Extracting materials in the Black Prison was just like gambling.
If one was lucky, they could easily obtain a Sixth-Order, Seventh-Order, or even Eighth-Order material. If one was unlucky, there wouldn’t be anything for them at all.
Previously, in order to deal with the Royal Lord trapped in the Black Prison, all the Cave Heavens and Paradises joined forces and mobilised a lot of manpower. They spent 100 years mining out all the Ore Stars in Black Territory in order to crack the Super Array’s suppression so that they could have a final battle against the Royal Lord. The materials obtained during that period of time were simply incalculable.
Those materials had all fallen into the hands of those from Void Land and High Heaven Palace. It could be said that the Cave Heavens and Paradises had worked for free for them; otherwise, given Void Land, High Heaven Palace, and Luan Bai Feng’s available manpower, they wouldn’t have been able to fully extract the materials in Black Territory even if they spent thousands of years doing it.
It was a huge boon to Yang Kai’s forces. With that said, Yang Kai was trapped in the core of the Black Prison together with a Royal Lord for 100 years. The materials from Black Territory could be seen as compensation for his efforts from the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
Now, the Universe Worlds in this resource harvesting area were essentially no different from the Ore Stars in Black Territory, aside from the fact that there were no Black Stones. The resources they extracted were what they got, and no luck was needed.
As Yang Kai recalled Black Territory, an idea suddenly sprang to mind. In the past, in order to help Luan Bai Feng’s subordinates mine the Ore Stars with peace of mind, he created an artifact that could move the Ore Stars across vast distances, the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
The situation in Black Territory was similar to that which he was facing now.
While Yang Kai was lost in his own thoughts, he heard Feng Yin saying, “Squad Leader, there’s a rule in the Inner Sanctum. Whoever extracts the resources can use them as they please as long as it’s for their own cultivation. Only when there are extra resources should they be handed in to the War Materials Hall. Most importantly, we can’t keep the extra resources to ourselves. There are more members in Dawn than in other Squads, so I reckon that we can extract the resources in small groups. While some people are mining resources, the others can stand guard.”
Yang Kai was absent-minded as he replied, “En, you make the arrangements. I have something I need to look into.”
Upon finishing his words, he shot into the sky.
If his idea was feasible, they wouldn’t have to stay here and extract resources. He just had to move these Universe Worlds to somewhere near Blue Sky Pass, and the resources could be fully extracted in no time; after all, there were more than 20,000 people in Blue Sky Pass, so it would naturally be more efficient to get them to mine these Universe Worlds than just the members of Dawn alone.
All the members were shocked as they had no idea where Yang Kai was going.
Shen Ao even muttered, “Squad Leader is acting so mysterious. What is he going to do this time?”
Feng Ying shook her head, “I have no idea, Squad Leader can be a bit careless at times. Ignore him for now,” After she finished speaking, she divided more than 35 people left into six groups, each of them led by a Seventh-Order Master. They would take turns to stand guard to prevent the Black Ink Clan from launching a sneak attack on them. With one of the groups on patrol, the rest could extract resources with peace of mind.
They would spend decades in this place, so those who kept guard could also cultivate and strengthen themselves so that no time would be wasted.
After Feng Ying was done with the arrangements, they all got to work. She, on the other hand, went to look for Yang Kai in order to find out what he was doing.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already arrived at a nearby Universe World.
He had some experience in moving Ore Stars in the Black Prison, so he was pretty skillful at it; however, he wasn’t certain if Void Yin-Yang Mirrors could send one of these Universe Worlds to Blue Sky Pass, which was very far away from this place.
Regardless, he had to give it a try.
The Void Yin-Yang Mirrors consisted of a total of 16 artifacts. They could be divided into Yin and Yang sets with 8 artifacts in each. Yang Kai had personally refined the prototype for these artifacts, and after that, Grandmaster Ma Fan of Great Evolution Paradise helped him enhance them so they were stabler and more powerful.
While he was scanning the surroundings, Yang Kai noticed a ray of light approaching him from a distance. When he turned his head, he saw that Feng Ying was coming over.
After Feng Ying arrived, she asked curiously, “What are you doing here?”
Yang Kai replied, “I have an idea. You’ve come at just the right time. Stay here for a moment.”
Feng Ying nodded.
It was then that Yang Kai fished out 8 artifacts of Void Yang Mirrors and started setting them up.
Two hours later, he was done with arranging the artifacts. Feng Ying’s expression became increasingly solemn as she observed his actions.
Although she had no idea what Yang Kai was doing, the 8 artifacts he scattered around the Universe World seemed to have created some kind of spatial lock around it. It was apparent that something big was about to happen.
The next instant, Yang Kai abruptly appeared in front of her, “Just stand here and monitor the situation. I need to head back to the Inner Sanctum.”
“Huh?” Feng Ying was shocked, “Why are you going back to the Inner Sanctum?”
“For something good!” Yang Kai kept her in suspense, “If this works, we won’t have to stay here to extract resources.”
After he finished speaking, he performed a hand seal and activated the Universe Transference Law.
Just when Feng Yin was ready to ask more questions, the Array had already appeared beneath Yang Kai. He was engulfed in a dazzling light, and when the light dissipated, he was nowhere to be found.
Feng Ying couldn’t help but shake her head as she had no idea what Yang Kai was up to. This was the best chance to mine resources, and any wasted time would result in fewer resources for them. Nevertheless, she knew that Yang Kai wouldn’t act for no reason, so she decided to wait patiently.
However, she didn’t understand why he said they wouldn’t have to mine resources if he succeeded. If they didn’t do anything, would the resources just float into their pockets?
In the meantime, Yang Kai’s figure appeared in the prototype Purifying Black Ink Battleship in Blue Sky Pass.
The other Great Passes only had four Purifying Black Ink Battleships respectively, stationed with their Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Armies.
Only Blue Sky Pass had five Battleships. That was because the prototype of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship was created in this place. The Purifying Black Ink Battleships produced later were all modelled on the first.
There were four resource harvesting areas now, and each had a Purifying Black Ink Battleship. The first Purifying Black Ink Battleship stayed in the Inner Sanctum so Yang Kai could use it to move around easily.
After stepping out of the Battleship, Yang Kai headed straight to the Western Army Headquarters.
Zhong Liang was handling work-related affairs when he saw Yang Kai land nearby and asked in shock, “Brat, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in the fourth forward base?”
As he spoke, his expression changed slightly, “Has something happened over there?”
Yang Kai was surprised and asked, “Haven’t you received any information from there, Army Commander?”
Zhong Liang replied, “Of course I have. Last I heard you all successfully occupied that place.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Indeed. They’re extracting resources over there right now.”
Zhong Liang let out a sigh of relief, “You scared me. I thought something had happened. Since you’ve occupied the area, aren’t you supposed to be mining it? Why did you come back?”
Yang Kai replied, “I can’t explain it clearly now. Please accompany me out of the Inner Sanctum, Army Commander. If this matter is successful, it will be of great benefit to us all.”
Zhong Liang arched his brow, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “It won’t be useful to talk about it if it fails; however, if it succeeds, you’ll be able to observe it in person.”
“How do you even have the nerve to act mysterious in front of me?” Zhong Liang snorted and rose from the chair, “Fine, fine. I’ll go with you.”
If it had been someone else speaking, Zhong Liang would have made him explain everything first. As an Army Commander, he was swamped with work, so he didn’t have any time to waste; however, considering the shocking achievements Yang Kai had made over the years, and the fact that the death of two Territory Lords at the fourth forward base had something to do with him, he decided to be a bit more patient.
Soon, they left Blue Sky Pass and arrived at the void on the outside.
Zhong Liang looked around and frowned, “What do you want me to see? You can show me now.”
“Please give me a moment, Army Commander,” Yang Kai replied, then started setting up the Void Yin Mirrors.
The creation of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors stemmed from an idea that suddenly sprang into Yang Kai’s head many years ago. It was also a result of his years of cultivation in the Dao of Space.
The Void Yin-Yang Mirrors consisted of two sets. One of them was Yin while the other was Yang. Just like the two sides of a mirror, each one of them was indispensable. Once set up at an appropriate distance, activating them would be akin to flipping a mirror around, swapping the Yin and Yang Mirrors. By doing so, Yang Kai could transfer whatever was bound within the confines of the mirrors to a distant place.
The environment in Black Territory was too hostile, so the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors were tailored to its unique conditions. After all the Ore Stars in Black Territory were fully extracted, Yang Kai thought that there wouldn’t be a need for the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors anymore, and certainly never expected that he would need them again on the Black Ink Battlefield.
This came as a surprise to him.
Since he had set up Void Yang Mirrors on the other side, he naturally had to arrange the Void Yin Mirrors near Blue Sky Pass.
One hour later, he was done with arranging all eight Void Yin Mirrors.
Zhong Liang observed silently and could recognize the abstrusity of the eight artifacts that had been placed at eight different coordinates. While he was pondering on who made these artifacts and what their uses were, he saw Yang Kai withdraw and then form a hand seal. The next moment, Yang Kai shouted, “Invert!”
As soon as he spoke, the eight artifacts lit up and started buzzing. Following that, the Void around these eight artifacts started contorting.
A violent fluctuation of Space Principles burst forth.
Zhong Liang arched his brow as he had a feeling that it was the critical moment, so he focused and observed intently. Soon, he became surprised because he could feel a weak fluctuation coming from a distant place, resonating with the eight artifacts in front of him.
This wasn’t an illusion, for the resonance became increasingly stronger until it could not be more obvious.
Then came the moment when Zhong Liang widened his eyes and stared at the scene in front of him in shock.
The space that had been surrounded by the eight artifacts was initially empty, but at this moment, a faint but gigantic image appeared inside it in an abrupt manner.
He almost thought that he was seeing an illusion, but upon closer inspection, he confirmed that there was indeed a colossal figure in front of him, and it was becoming increasingly solidified.
After ten more breaths, the figure fully materialised. The lights around the eight artifacts went out, and the resonance with the faraway place was cut off.
Zhong Liang widened his eyes as he almost bit his tongue as his jaw flapped open and closed. He had never been more flabbergasted in his life.
As an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he had lived for a long time and dealt with the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield for countless years. He could be considered an experienced and worldly person, but he had never seen anything like what Yang Kai had just achieved before.
The thing that abruptly appeared in front of him was an entire Universe World, one so huge that the massive Blue Sky Pass was less than 10% of its size.
Even though it was dead and devoid of any vitality, it was indeed a Universe World.
*Shua shua shua…*
Several figures approached them rapidly from Blue Sky Pass, all of them Eighth-Order Masters. They must have come over to look into the matter upon realising the anomaly in this place. In an instant, everyone in Blue Sky Pass became alert and were ready to fight.
Eastern Army Commander Ding Yao appeared beside Zhong Liang and asked in a grim voice, “What’s going on?”
Northern Army Commander Shen Tu Mo also asked, “Why is there a Universe World here?”
It was inconceivable that a Universe World had abruptly appeared in front of their place, so they had to find out the reason behind it.
Faced with the inquisitive gazes, Zhong Liang put on a helpless smile, not knowing how to explain it. Moreover, he was also clueless about it. Even though he had some speculations, he couldn’t be certain, so he simply shouted, “Yang Boy, come over and explain it to them!”
“Coming!” Yang Kai replied and flew over. Upon arriving, he saluted these people, “Greetings, Sirs.”
Zhong Liang waved his hand, “Cut to the chase. What has just happened?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “It’s just like what you all see. Four hours ago, this Universe World was still in the resource harvesting area around the fourth forward base. Now, I’ve used a certain trick and moved it here.” He then sported a solemn expression, “This is what I was thinking. Rather than letting the people at the forward bases take the risk of extracting resources, why don’t we move all the Universe Worlds to somewhere near Blue Sky Pass? This way, everyone here can help with the mining. The efficiency and the safety would be improved significantly.”
Southern Army Commander Liang Yu Long widened his eyes upon hearing that and asked, “You said you moved this Universe World here using some kind of trick, and it only took you four hours to do it?”
Yang Kai replied, “Strictly speaking, it only took me half an hour. The other three and a half hours were for making the arrangements.”
With his eyes brightening, Ding Yao took a step forward, “Are you serious?”
Yang Kai pointed at Zhong Liang, “Sir Zhong witnessed everything.”
All of them turned to look at Zhong Liang, who nodded sincerely, “En, I saw the entire process. Don’t ask me how he did it though, I have no idea what trick this little brat used. I only know that it involved a set of artifacts.”
The next moment, Yang Kai waved his hand as all eight artifacts turned into rays of light and came to him from different directions. They were then displayed in front of everyone.
All of these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters curiously examined the artifacts.
Yang Kai explained, “These are just half of the artifacts involved. The other half are in the original location of this Universe World. I call it the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.”
He then explained to them the uses of Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
The eyes of these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters lit up as Shen Tu Mo praised him by saying, “Such a wonderful treasure!”
An interested Ding Yao asked, “So, by just using these Void Yin-Yang Mirrors, we can move the Universe Worlds from the resource harvesting area to here. Am I right?”
With a serious expression, Yang Kai nodded, “Yes.”
All of them were astonished. If that was the case, their people no longer had to go out to extract resources. They could just send all the Universe Worlds back to Blue Sky Pass and let the people from the Inner Sanctum mine them freely. Just like Yang Kai had said, the efficiency and safety would be significantly improved by doing so.
Even though this treasure couldn’t be used to deal with enemies directly, it would contribute greatly to the Humans on the Black Ink Battlefield.
Zhong Liang directly landed a slap on the back of Yang Kai’s head as he snapped, “Why didn’t you take these things out sooner?”
A helpless Yang Kai replied, “The idea didn’t come to me until just now.” Up until now, he had been locked in a number of intense battles with the Black Ink Clan, so he hadn’t had time to think about it. It wasn’t until he arrived at the resource harvesting area that he recalled this treasure.
Ding Yao remarked, “Even though this treasure is wonderful, there’s a big potential issue with them.”
Zhong Liang turned to look at him, “What do you mean?”
Ding Yao stared hard at Yang Kai, “Are you the only one who can activate these Void Yin-Yang Mirrors? Or can anyone who is strong enough use them?”
If it was the former, the treasure would still be useful, but only in a limited sense. If it was the latter, it would be wonderful news for all the Humans on the Black Ink Battlefield.
Yang Kai replied hesitantly, “I’m the only one who has used these since they were first created. Although I believe that others can use them as well, we would need to experiment with them.”
Ding Yao immediately turned to gaze to Shen Tu Mo, “The Purifying Black Ink Battleship at the fourth forward base belongs to the Northern Army, right?”
Shen Tu Mo nodded, “Yes. I’ll head over there with Yang Boy and give it a try now.”
Ding Yao nodded, “En, many thanks, Brother Shen Tu.”
Shen Tu Mo waved his hand, “It is the least I can do. It’s not like it’s difficult to go there.” He then turned to Yang Kai, “Brat, get back there and set things up. I’ll come over as soon as everything’s ready.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai cupped his fist, “I’ll be waiting for you, Senior Shen Tu.”
Having said so, Yang Kai stored the eight Void Yang Mirrors and activated the Universe Transference Law, soon disappearing from the spot.
After he was gone, Shen Tu Mo also activated the Universe Transference Law and headed to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship at the fourth forward base.
Zhong Liang took a glance at the Universe World and tutted, “That Brat sure has a lot of weird tricks up his sleeve!”
Certainly, Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like them could also move such a Universe World back from a faraway place, but they would have to spend a lot of time and effort to do so.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had managed to easily achieve it with that strange treasure of his.
Ding Yao nodded, “Isn’t it wonderful that he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve? It’s good news for the Humans that he has many different skills. Since his arrival at Blue Sky Pass, the status quo has changed for the better for us Humans.”
In the past, Purifying Light, Purifying Black Ink Battleships, and Universe Arrays were unimaginable to the Humans in the Great Passes as they didn’t have access to them; however, Yang Kai managed to bring all those things on his own. If the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors could be popularised as well, the contribution would be far greater than killing one or two Territory Lords.
In the meantime, Yang Kai stepped out of the cabin of Dawning Light and headed straight to the location where the Void Yin Mirrors were placed.
He soon found Feng Ying.
Presently, Feng Ying was dazedly staring ahead and scanning the surroundings with her Divine Sense, as though she was trying to find something that should have been there.
Upon seeing Yang Kai, she quickly said, “Junior Brother, the Universe World disappeared.”
Just a short time ago, the eight artifacts left behind by Yang Kai lit up and began humming, after which the entire Universe World faded. There came a moment when the Universe World abruptly disappeared from her sight.
That astounded Feng Ying, for such a big Universe World was gone just like that. She thought that she was seeing an illusion, or that Yang Kai had set up some kind of strange Array to hide it from her; however, regardless of how hard she scanned the surroundings, she was unable to find a trace of the Universe World.
It was only then that she confirmed that the Universe World had really disappeared.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t figure out how the Universe World had vanished all of a sudden or where it was now.
Yang Kai nodded, “Don’t worry about it, Senior Sister. I sent that Universe World back to Blue Sky Pass.”
Feng Yin’s jaw dropped and her eyes bulged. Disbelief was written all over her face.
Yang Kai went on to say with a smile, “This is what I told you about earlier. Since it was a success, we no longer have to stay here to mine resources.”