More than 10 Feudal Lords were led to the reception hall in the castle and were seated. Zha Gu took the head seat and had some small talk with all of them.
The Feudal Lords here were all familiar with each other; after all, they lived in Hei Yuan’s territory, so they had come into contact with one another before.
They were naturally curious about why Zha Gu suddenly invited them to this place, and even after a brief chat, no one knew of the reason. When Zha Gu was asked about it, he just acted mysterious by smiling in silence.
It wasn’t until the last Feudal Lord arrived and took his seat in the Grand Hall that Zha Gu gently clapped his hands to attract everyone’s attention. Then, he rose from the chair and said with a smile, “I’m sure you’re all curious about why I’ve invited you over. It’s simple. I want to show you two items.”
A Feudal Lord, whose figure was especially burly, asked impatiently, “What items are you talking about?”
Another Feudal Lord, who had wings on his back, said, “Zha Gu, stop stalling and get on with it. We have no time to waste.”
Upon hearing that, Zha Gu put on a smile, “See for yourselves.”
As he spoke, he stepped forward. By the time he finished speaking, he was already standing in the centre of the Grand Hall. In front of everyone’s eyes, he extended his hand into the void and pulled out a giant halberd that was 15 metres long. At the same time, he took off his shirt and revealed an Artifact Armour that covered the upper half of his body.
The Artifact Armour and the giant halberd radiated a dazzling glow, which went to show that they were no ordinary artifacts.
More importantly, the Artifact Armour and the giant halberd seemed to be custom-made for Zha Gu as they fit him perfectly.
Clad in a piece of armour and holding a halberd, Zha Gu looked quite imposing. He appeared especially outstanding among these Feudal Lords.
They were all instantly attracted to him with shocked expressions.
Given these Feudal Lord’s eyesight, they could see that both the giant halberd and the Artifact Armour were no ordinary artifacts. They were undoubtedly made by a skilled Human Artifact Refiner.
While remaining on the spot, Zha Gu looked around and was pleased with their reactions.
In fact, if he hadn’t known the background of these two artifacts, he would’ve sported the same expression if he saw a Feudal Lord who possessed them.
The burly Feudal Lord, who spoke earlier, was so shocked that he stood straight up and walked up to Zha Gu. After examining the artifacts, he knocked on the Artifact Armour and nodded lightly, “Astounding. This thing can withstand an all-out attack from me.”
Zha Gu flashed a smile at him, “This is truly a life-saving treasure if it can take an all-out strike from someone whose power is equivalent to a Feudal Lord.”
Since it could bear an all-out strike from a Feudal Lord, it could also save the wearer from a Seventh-Order Human’s all-out attack.
The Feudal Lord said in a bitter tone, “You’re so lucky to acquire these things. It seemed that you got quite some benefits from following Sir Territory Lord to the battlefield previously.”
Zha Gu said, “Do you think I obtained these things from the battlefield?”
The Feudal Lord asked with surprise, “Didn’t you?”
Zha Gu put on a faint smile, “You’re fully aware of the average size of Humans, aren’t you? How could I have possibly gotten these things from them?”
The burly Feudal Lord was startled for a moment, but after giving it a thought, he realised that Zha Gu was right. Even though there were some slight differences between the Humans when it came to their sizes, they were all petite in the Black Ink Clan’s eyes. Both the giant halberd and the Artifact Armour obviously didn’t belong to Humans. They must have been custom-made for Zha Gu. Even if another Black Ink Clansman got his hands on these two artifacts, he would have a hard time using them if his size was too different from Zha Gu’s.
Another Feudal Lord thought of something as he asked excitedly, “Zha Gu, where did you get these artifacts from?”
He had hit the nail on the head. Zha Gu turned to look at the Feudal Lord and decided to stop keeping them on tenterhooks. He said with a smile, “I asked someone to specifically refine these artifacts for me.”
“What?”
“You asked someone to make these artifacts for you?”
“A Human Artifact Refiner?”
All of them were flabbergasted.
The Feudal Lord with wings gave it a thought and said, “Previously, the Royal Lord gave an order that all Black Ink Disciples who were proficient in Artifact Refining were to be brought to the Royal City. Where did you find a Human Artifact Refiner to help you make these artifacts?”
“That’s right. Moreover, these artifacts appear quite extraordinary. The Human Artifact Refiner who is able to make these things must be a Great Master. Such a Black Ink Disciple should’ve headed to the Royal City long ago. Did you visit the Royal City?”
Zha Gu shook his head, “I certainly didn’t go to the Royal City, and even if I did, I couldn’t possibly interfere with the Royal Lord’s plan. The Royal Lord had indeed summoned all the Black Ink Disciples who were skillful in Artifact Refining, but what if this Human Artifact Refiner arrived at a later time?”
“What do you mean?”
Zha Gu went on to say, “The Black Ink Disciple that Sir Territory Lord recently brought back is an Artifact Refiner.”
“Him?”
“I heard that this Black Ink Disciple was pretty bold. Just because he’s a Black Ink Disciple serving Sir Territory Lord, he offended Sir Gui Liao back at the main castle. He left after that, and no one knows where he went.”
Zha Gu said with a smile, “I was beside Sir Territory Lord when he corrupted that Human. On our way back, I had a chat with that Black Ink Disciple, so it could be said that we’re on good terms. That Human came to my place after leaving the castle. As for his grudges with Sir Gui Liao, I’m sure all of you are aware of Sir Gui Liao’s hobby. That Human’s Small Universe was damaged seriously in the last battle, so if he gave in to Sir Gui Liao’s demand, his Order would have regressed. That was why he left in fury and came to my place.”
The Feudal Lords nodded. They were aware of Gui Liao’s hobby; in fact, some of them had this hobby as well, so they could relate to Gui Liao.
A Feudal Lord asked, “He’s an Artifact Refiner?”
“The halberd I hold and the Artifact Armour I wear were refined by him. He’s indeed an Artifact Refiner, and a good one at that.”
“Where is he?” Another Feudal Lord asked agitatedly. The giant halberd and Artifact Armour in Zha Gu’s possession were indeed extraordinary. They certainly wanted something similar.
Zha Gu replied with a smile, “He’s still in my place.”
“Tell him to see us. I want him to make artifacts for me.”
The other Feudal Lords agreed with him.
Zha Gu grinned, “The reason I’ve invited all of you to come here is to help you get the artifacts you want. Be it a weapon or an Artifact Armour, you can place any order; however…”
“Go on.”
Zha Gu went on to say, “That Black Ink Disciple is a newcomer with no valuable items or resources on him. He certainly doesn’t have Black Ink Coins to purchase resources either. Therefore, he can help you refine artifacts, but you have to pay him a reasonable fee.”
The Feudal Lord with wings snapped, “He should be honoured that we’re here to tell him to make artifacts for us. How dare he demand a fee from us!”
A glint flashed through the burly Feudal Lord’s eyes, “Zha Gu, I guess it’s you who wants the fee, not that Human.”
Zha Gu replied solemnly, “He’ll be the one making the artifacts, while I’m just acting as a middleman. The money will be given to him; however, since he’s promised to share a part of the profit with me, I naturally wouldn’t turn him down.”
A Feudal Lord snorted, “I knew that a Black Ink Disciple wouldn’t be so audacious!”
Zha Gu refuted impassively, “That Black Ink Disciple was personally corrupted by Sir Territory Lord, so he’s different from the other Black Ink Disciples. He doesn’t even have any regard for Sir Gui Liao. Does any one of you think you’re more powerful than Sir Gui Liao?”
They had heard about what happened in the castle; after all, the battle between Yang Kai and Liu Zi An raised such a fuss that it couldn’t be hidden.
Upon hearing Zha Gu’s words, these Feudal Lords were unable to refute him.
In fact, he was right to say that since the Black Ink Disciple didn’t even have any regard for Gui Liao, it would be useless for them to try to force him to refine artifacts for them; after all, he was the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Disciple, so they wouldn’t dare to cross the line. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to explain themselves when Hei Yuan was done recuperating.
“Brothers, with such artifacts in your possession, your attack and defence capabilities would be greatly enhanced. They could potentially save your life on the battlefield. Such treasures are hard to come by, so what’s there to hesitate over when you’re able to get them now? What are a few Black Ink Coins compared to your life? Many Feudal Lords die on the battlefield, and once they do, their Black Ink Coins become useless. To be honest with you, I spent my entire fortune in order to refine these artifacts.”
He wasn’t lying, for he had indeed spent all of his money. Nevertheless, the cost included the Black Ink Coins he had spent to get Yang Kai a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit.
A Feudal Lord suddenly said, “It’s no wonder that you borrowed some money from me recently.”
Zha Gu turned to look at that Feudal Lord, “If you want an artifact, I’ll give you a 20% discount, and your order will be prioritised.”
The Feudal Lord nodded lightly.
Zha Gu’s sales tactics were effective. Just like he had said, it was hard for them to get their hands on useful artifacts. Now that there was a chance, they wouldn’t want to miss it. The reason they were furious was that a Black Ink Disciple had the guts to charge them a fee for his services.
However, any fee would be worth it if they could earn greater merits and preserve their life on the battlefield.
Another Feudal Lord asked, “How much will that Black Ink Disciple charge?”
Zha Gu directly replied, “You have to provide all the materials, and each artifact costs 20,000 Black Ink Coins.”
“What?” 20,000 Black Ink Coins?”
“Why don’t you just rob us instead!?”
“Are you messing with us, Zha Gu?”
…
These Feudal Lords were infuriated. It had to be noted that 20,000 Black Ink Coins was a huge sum to them. Even though most of them were able to fork out 20,000 Black Ink Coins, that could only buy them one artifact. If they wanted two, that would cost 40,000.
These Feudal Lords served Hei Yuan Territory Lord, which meant they were not powerful enough to have their own independent territories and were thus not very wealthy.
By forking out 40,000 Black Ink Coins and paying for all the materials, all their savings would be gone.
Faced with their wrath, Zha Gu just smiled in silence.
He knew that regardless of how furious these Feudal Lords were, they would ultimately agree, for there were no Black Ink Disciples who could help them refine artifacts. Even if there were such Black Ink Disciples in the past, these Feudal Lords didn’t have the right to get artifacts from those Human Artifact Refiners.
Zha Gu told Yang Kai that they would charge 10,000 Black Ink Coins for every artifact, which was a hefty price in the latter’s opinion; however, Zha Gu directly doubled the price in front of these Feudal Lords.
His intentions were obvious; otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried so hard to make it happen. He naturally wasn’t willing to do anything that wouldn’t bring him any benefits.
This way, for every artifact that was crafted, he only had to give Yang Kai 7,000 Black Ink Coins according to their agreement. On the other hand, he would be able to pocket 13,000 Black Ink Coins. He would earn more than Yang Kai, who was the one actually making the artifacts.
He already realised that it was a great business opportunity when Yang Kai made the artifacts for him. As a Feudal Lord, he naturally yearned for his own territory; however, that would require a lot of Black Ink Coins. Although he had taken part in countless life-and-death fights on the battlefield before, he still hadn’t accumulated enough wealth. If he could make good use of this opportunity, his dream would come true.
A Feudal Lord with his own territory was totally different from those that had no territories.
The boisterous Feudal Lords in the Grand Hall were furious at the fact that Zha Gu demanded such an unbearably high price, but an unfazed Zha Gu shuffled towards his own seat and said calmly, “Each of you is only allowed to get one artifact.”
Upon hearing that, all of them fell silent.
A Feudal Lord frowned, “What do you mean by that, Zha Gu?”
Zha Gu replied with a smile, “Just as I said.”
The Feudal Lords exchanged glances as they had no idea why Zha Gu came up with such a restriction. Every artifact would earn him 20,000 Black Ink Coins, so he should be more than happy to get more orders for making more artifacts. Why would he limit how much he could earn?
Zha Gu swept a glance over them with a solemn expression, “Do all of you think he can keep on making artifacts for you forever?”
The Feudal Lord with wings on his back thought of something as his expression changed, “You mean…” He then pointed towards the ceiling.
Zha Gu nodded gently, “More than 10 years ago, the Royal Lord suddenly summoned all the Human Artifact Refiners to the Royal City. All the Black Ink Disciples who know anything about Artifact Refining have been gathered up. I’m sure you’re aware that I used to have a Black Ink Disciple who was an Artifact Refiner, though he was not very skilful. Despite his lack of aptitude, even he was summoned. We have all heard rumours about what is going on in the Royal City, that it is a project that will secure the Black Ink Clan’s future, so not even the slightest negligence is allowed. Black Ink Disciples who know a little about Artifact Refining have all been summoned, so how could Yang Kai, who is an expert in Artifact Refining, be exempted? The reason he’s still free now is that the news hasn’t spread. Moreover, Sir Territory Lord is still recuperating. If my speculation is correct, when Sir Territory Lord is done recovering and finds out that Yang Kai is an Artifact Refiner, he will send him to the Royal City to take part in that project. When that time comes, no one will be able to help you make artifacts no matter how many Black Ink Coins you have.”
Everything he had said was reasonable and well-known, so the Feudal Lords nodded in agreement.
Upon realising the situation they were faced with, those who were not willing to pay 20,000 Black Ink Coins were caught in a dilemma.
If Yang Kai was sent to the Royal City, there would no longer be an Artifact Refiner who could make artifacts for them.
Just then, a Feudal Lord asked, “Zha Gu, how long does it take for him to make an artifact.”
“About two to three months,” Zha Gu replied and swept a glance over them, “There are more than 10 of you here; in other words, we can ensure that every one of you will get an artifact before Sir Territory Lord is done recuperating. That’s why I’ve come up with this restriction. Certainly, no one knows for sure when Sir Territory Lord will leave the Black Ink Nest. If he comes out sooner than expected, some of you might not get your artifacts.”
Upon hearing that, an impetuous Feudal Lord shouted, “I’ll pay 20,000 then! I want an artifact!”
Following that, another Feudal Lord said, “I’ll buy one as well.”
In an instant, the Feudal Lords in the Grand Hall scrambled to place an order. Zha Gu slowly dealt with them with a smile.
After everything was settled, he told these Feudal Lords to start preparing materials and Black Ink Coins; then, he personally saw them off.
He was pleased to see them leaving in a hurry.
Barely two hours later, a Feudal Lord returned and brought with him sufficient materials and 20,000 Black Ink Coins. After taking the materials and Black Ink Coins, Zha Gu headed to the cave and told Yang Kai about the Feudal Lord’s size and requests.
Yang Kai memorised them, and after Zha Gu left, he started making the artifact.
Over the following days, Yang Kai stayed in the cave and focused on refining artifacts. He didn’t have to worry about cultivation resources as Zha Gu would prepare everything for him. He just had to craft the artifacts according to the Feudal Lords’ demands.
For every artifact made, Zha Gu would give him 7,000 Black Ink Coins.
As Yang Kai refined artifacts day after day, his skills in Artifact Refining improved rapidly.
At first, it took him two months to make an Artifact Armour for Zha Gu, but two years later, it would only take him 45 days to create such an artifact, and its quality would be higher as well.
However, he had only been making huge offensive artifacts. No one ordered an Artifact Armour. It seemed that Black Ink Clansmen were fond of offensive artifacts but not interested in Artifact Armours that could potentially save their lives.
Over the past two years, Yang Kai managed to craft about 20 artifacts.
As time passed, more and more Feudal Lords found out about Yang Kai’s ability to refine artifacts through word of mouth. An increasing number of Feudal Lords came over to place an order, and the fee for refining an artifact rose to 30,000 Black Ink Coins per piece.
It wasn’t until this moment that the first batch of Feudal Lords invited to Zha Gu’s castle got over the bitter feeling. They even thought that they had picked up a bargain for their own artifact.
As for the actual fee, Yang Kai knew nothing as he focused on refining artifacts in the cave. Even if he found out about it, he wouldn’t be bothered. Everything he was doing was to better position himself to carry out his mission. Since more and more Feudal Lords asked him to create artifacts for them, it suggested that more people were becoming aware of his ability. That would allow him to have a higher chance of achieving his goal.
His skills in Artifact Refining had improved significantly compared to two years ago, and even though he was far from being a Grandmaster, he could be considered a Great Master.
Great Master, Grandmaster, and Great Grandmaster were the different Ranks of Artifact Refining. Although there wasn’t a systematic classification, such Ranks were universally acknowledged.
Only those who were able to make High-Rank artifacts could be regarded as Grandmasters.
Now, Yang Kai could only create Mid-Rank artifacts, so he was just a Great Master.
He was now just waiting for Hei Yuan to leave the Black Ink Nest. After making some calculations, he reckoned that this would probably happen in a few years.
Inside Hei Yuan’s castle, a Feudal Lord respectfully left the main hall while Gui Liao sported a solemn expression.
He summoned this Feudal Lord because he had some routine business with him, but he was surprised to learn a piece of shocking news.
The Black Ink Disciple named Yang Kai was actually an Artifact Refiner, and a skilful one at that.
Gui Liao was truly astonished. After the battle between Yang Kai and Liu Zi An, he respectively punished them. He thought that by using the Profound Yin Spirit Fruit as a threat, Yang Kai would soon make a concession; however, that guy simply went missing for the past two years.
This matter didn’t really bother Gui Liao. As the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Disciple, Yang Kai couldn’t possibly have gone far and must be hiding somewhere on the universe fragment and recuperating.
Perhaps he was waiting for the Territory Lord to come out of the Black Ink Nest to stand up for him.
That was what Gui Liao originally thought, so he never expected that Yang Kai had gone to Zha Gu’s place and started refining artifacts for the Feudal Lords. He was shocked when he learned this. The other Feudal Lords might not be aware of how valuable a Human Artifact Refiner was; however, as Hei Yuan’s confidant, Gui Liao was.
The Royal Lord was carrying out a grand plan that would affect the entire Black Ink Clan’s future, and it had something to do with Human Artifact Refiners. It could be said that every Artifact Refiner was an invaluable asset to the Royal Lord and were thus regarded quite highly.
A Human Artifact Refiner was no longer just any ordinary Black Ink Disciple.
In that case, despite Gui Liao’s noble identity, he couldn’t possibly oppress Yang Kai; otherwise, Hei Yuan would punish him when he exited the Black Ink Nest.
However, Gui Liao couldn’t apologize. As a noble Feudal Lord, he wouldn’t give in to a Black Ink Disciple no matter what.
After giving it a thought, he called out, “Liu Zi An!”
Liu Zi An stepped out from the darkness, “Master.”
“Go to Zha Gu’s place and tell him to come over.”
“Yes,” Liu Zi An replied.
Barely four hours later, Zha Gu appeared before Gui Liao and saluted him. Then, he asked respectfully, “Is there something you want me to do for you, Sir Gui Liao?”
Gui Liao stared fixedly at him, “Zha Gu, I heard that you’ve earned quite a lot of Black Ink Coins recently.”
Zha Gu was startled for a moment, but he soon pulled himself together and put on a fawning smile, “You’ve found out about it, Sir Gui Liao?”
He knew that this matter couldn’t be hidden from Gui Liao, and he had already expected it to get out at some point.
Gui Liao snorted, “Before Sir Territory Lord entered the Black Ink Nest, he told me to manage the affairs in his territory. Since such an incident has happened, how could I possibly not be aware of it? How dare you, Zha Gu! Since that Black Ink Disciple is an Artifact Refiner, why didn’t you inform me immediately and instead hid him away in your place to make artifacts for others!?”
Zha Gu slightly bent his back, “Sir Gui Liao, that Human is Sir Territory Lord’s Black Ink Disciple after all. Since he wants to stay in my place, I can’t possibly chase him away.”
Gui Liao sneered, “You just aren’t willing to let him go, are you? You’re charging 30,000 Black Ink Coins for an artifact. It would take you dozens, if not hundreds of years to earn that much money.”
Zha Gu forced a smile, “Please understand my situation, Sir Gui Liao.”
“How much do you give that Human?” Gui Liao asked.
After hesitating for a while, Zha Gu replied, “I told him that we’ll charge 10,000 Black Ink Coins per artifact, and I would get 30%.”
“You’re really something,” Gui Liao mocked, “He’s the one doing all the work, but he only gets 7,000 Black Ink Coins for each piece while you get 20 to 30 thousand. You’ve been treating him well, haven’t you? Aren’t you worried that when he finds out about it, he’ll file a complaint against you in front of Sir Territory Lord?”
Zha Gu turned pale, “I suppose Sir Territory Lord won’t bother dealing with such a small matter.”
Gui Liao replied calmly, “Who knows? After all, Sir Territory Lord regards him quite highly.”
Zha Gu instantly became apprehensive upon hearing Gui Liao’s words. Over the past two years, the amount of Black Ink Coins he had earned off of Yang Kai was significantly more than what he could possibly make in his lifetime. With so much wealth in his possession now, he naturally wouldn’t want to give it up; however, just like what Gui Liao had said, if Yang Kai found out about it and filed a complaint with the Territory Lord after the latter left the Black Ink Nest, Zha Gu would be doomed.
Although he believed that the Territory Lord wouldn’t care about such a trivial matter, Yang Kai’s identity was special after all. Not only was he a Human Artifact Refiner, he had also gained the Territory Lord’s favour. What if the Territory Lord was willing to stand up for him?
An anxious Zha Gu gazed at Gui Liao, “Sir Gui Liao… do you think I should give all the money back to him?”
Gui Liao sneered. Without directly answering his question, he asked, “Zha Gu, how long have you been a Feudal Lord?”
Even though Zha Gu had no idea why the other man suddenly asked about it, he still replied honestly, “I’ve been a Feudal Lord for 3,000 years.”
“You’ve been stuck as a Feudal Lord for 3,000. Have you ever thought about ascending to become a Territory Lord?”
Zha Gu said solemnly, “It is every Feudal Lord’s dream to become a Territory Lord one day; however, there’s never been an opportunity for me.”
Just like Open Heaven Realm Masters, accumulation was key to a Black Ink Clansman’s cultivation. However, Humans could refine all sorts of cultivation materials while that wasn’t possible for the Black Ink Clan. There were two ways Black Ink Clansmen could grow their strength. First, they could absorb World Force and convert it into their own Black Ink Strength. Secondly, they could directly absorb Black Ink Strength produced in Black Ink Nests to enhance their powers.
The omnipresent Black Ink Strength in Hei Yuan’s territory was born from the Black Ink Nest, and every Black Ink Clansman could absorb it freely. Black Ink Strength in this place was like World Energy in the 3,000 Worlds.
However, there were innumerable Black Ink Clansmen living in this territory, and everyone was absorbing and refining the ambient Black Ink Strength. With so many people sharing the Black Ink Strength, Zha Gu wouldn’t be able to absorb a lot of it to strengthen himself regardless of how hard he tried.
“An opportunity, huh…” Gui Liao smiled, “Sir Territory Lord once said that we shouldn’t wait for opportunities to come to us, we have to create them for ourselves.”
Suddenly realising something, Zha Gu looked fervently at him, “Sir Gui Liao, you mean…”
Gui Liao stared fixedly at him and changed the topic by saying, “Do you want your own Fief?”
Upon hearing that, Zha Gu felt his breathing becoming hurried. He instantly nodded, “Of course I do. The reason I’ve been trying so hard to earn Black Ink Coins is that I want to buy a sub-nest from Sir Territory Lord; however, he’s recuperating now, and the Black Ink Nest has been shut. Moreover, I don’t have enough Black Ink Coins.”
Although he had earned a lot of money by relying on Yang Kai to make artifacts, he had only amassed 300,000 Black Ink Coins. This was a considerable sum of wealth for a Feudal Lord as 300,000 Black Ink Coins were worth about 3 billion Open Heaven Pills.
A Feudal Lord was equivalent to a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and there were rarely any Seventh-Order Humans who possessed so much wealth. It was the same case for the Black Ink Clan.
In order to own a Fief, not only did a Black Ink Clansman have to become a Feudal Lord, but they also had to possess a Black Ink Nest of their own, only then would he have a right to apply for a Fief from the Territory Lord.
Nevertheless, the lowest Rank Black Ink Nest cost 500,000 Black Ink Coins.
The average Black Ink Clansman would never be able to amass so much wealth in his lifetime. This was the reason there were so many Feudal Lords but only a small number of them had their own Fiefs. Although they were powerful enough, they didn’t have sufficient finances to purchase a Black Ink Nest.
Once a Feudal Lord possessed his own Black Ink Nest, it would be far more convenient for him to cultivate or recuperate when he was injured. For example, after Zha Gu returned from the battlefield, even though he was wounded, he was unable to enter the Black Ink Nest to recuperate as the Territory Lord had shut it. He could only go back to his own castle and wait for his wounds to heal slowly. However, if he had his own Black Ink Nest, he would recover far more quickly.
By owning his own Black Ink Nest, he could also cultivate inside it and increase his strength rapidly so that he would stand a much better chance of becoming a Territory Lord.
There were many benefits to owning a Black Ink Nest. One such benefit was that he would have his own Fief, which could attract a lot of lower-rank Black Ink Clansmen to settle in his territory. If High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen wanted to ascend to become Feudal Lords, they would have to get the help of his Black Ink Nest’s power. By doing so, they would have to pay him a fee. That would bring him a steady source of income.
Besides that, he would also have the right to conscript the Black Ink Clansmen living in his Fief when war broke out. By then, he could establish his own Army to fight against the Humans. If he made a contribution on the battlefield, he would be rewarded handsomely.
Feudal Lords with their own Fiefs were very different from those who didn’t have their own Fiefs. It was Zha Gu’s dream to have his own Black Ink Nest and Fief, and he had been working hard to achieve it.
When Gui Liao asked him such a question all of a sudden, he couldn’t help but fall into his wild thoughts as he secretly anticipated what the other man would say next.
As expected, Gui Liao said with a smile, “It’s not hard for you to get your own Fief. In fact, I can help you with that.”
Zha Gu felt his throat tightening as he asked agitatedly, “How are you going to help me, Sir Gui Liao?”
Gui Liao replied, “You’re strong enough, but you’ll need 500,000 Black Ink Coins to buy a sub-nest. How much money do you have now?”
After hesitating for a moment, Zha Gu said meekly, “300,000.”
Gui Liao nodded gently, “You need another 200,000, then. It’s fine. I can lend that much to you and you can pay me back when you have the money in the future.”
Zha Gu said, “Even if there’s enough Black Ink Coins, the Black Ink Nest is shut now. How am I supposed to get a sub-nest? I’ll have to wait for the Territory Lords to come out.”
The Black Ink Nests owned by the Feudal Lords were bred from the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest. The relationship between them was like that of a Mother and her children. That was why the Black Ink Nests owned by the Feudal Lords were called sub-nests.
On the other hand, the Black Ink Nests owned by the Territory Lords were bred from the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest. Similarly, they were the sub-nests of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest.
It required a lot of energy to breed a sub-nest from a Black Ink Nest, so every sub-nest cost a substantial amount of Black Ink Coins. It wouldn’t be given to a Feudal Lord for free, with the exception of if he had made a massive contribution.
Therefore, even though Gui Liao was willing to lend Zha Gu some money, even the cleverest woman could not cook a meal without rice.
Right then, Gui Liao said, “I happen to have a sub-nest with me. I prepared it for myself back then; however, Sir Territory Lord has ordered me to help manage his territory and never lets me go. That’s why the sub-nest is still unused. Now that I’m about to ascend to become a Territory Lord, the sub-nest is useless to me. I can sell it to you.”
[What a coincidence!] Zha Gu was both shocked and pleasantly surprised.
Over the past two years, he had been exploiting Yang Kai just to get enough money to purchase a sub-nest, but he hadn’t managed to earn enough Black Ink Coins even now.
It never crossed his mind that not only was Gui Liao willing to lend him some money, but he would also sell his sub-nest to him.
Given his understanding of Gui Liao, Zha Gu knew that the other man wasn’t a kind-hearted person; hence, while he was excited, he asked cautiously, “Is there a condition attached to this deal, Sir Gui Liao?”
Gui Liao started chuckling, “I’ve always known that you’re clever, Zha Gu. It seems that I was right about you. There’s indeed a condition, but it won’t harm you in any way.”
“Please make it clear to me, Sir Gui Liao.”
With a solemn expression, Gui Liao said, “When you have your own Fief, I want you to bring Yang Kai to that place and make him continue refining artifacts. I can introduce some wealthy Feudal Lords to you who are much richer than your friends. Also, I will take half of the profit from the sale of these artifacts. Additionally, I want him to refine two artifacts for me first. One offensive artifact and one defensive artifact.”
Zha Gu thought that the other man was indeed greedy by demanding half of the profit. With that said, they could command a higher price from wealthier Feudal Lords; after all, just like him, the customers he introduced to Yang Kai were Feudal Lords who didn’t have their own Fiefs. Feudal Lords who relied on the Territory Lord to survive naturally were not affluent.
As for making two artifacts for Gui Liao first, that wasn’t really an issue.
After giving it a thought, Zha Gu asked, “Sir Gui Liao, how much do you think we should charge our new customers for artifacts?”
Instead of answering his question, Gui Liao asked, “What do you think?”
Zha Gu thought that the other man was a bit ridiculous for just throwing the question back at him, but despite what he thought, he still replied, “I’m currently charging my existing customers 30,000 Black Ink Coins per piece. As for the Feudal Lords that you know, why don’t we charge them 50,000 per artifact?”
If they charged 50,000 per artifact, other than the 7,000 Black Ink Coins that had to be given to Yang Kai, the remaining money would be equally split between Gui Liao and him. That way, he would still get 21,500 Black Ink Coins. It was only slightly less than the 23,000 he was receiving now, which was the amount of money he could get by exploiting Yang Kai on his own.
Furthermore, the deal would be worth it since he was able to get a Fief and a Black Ink Nest.
50,000 was a huge sum in his eyes; after all, when he demanded 30,000, many Feudal Lords were unwilling to pay for it. They would cross the line by asking for a higher price.
“100,000,” Gui Liao said coldly.
“What?” Zha Gu thought that he had misheard him as he gazed at him in shock.
“100,000. It’s decided.”
“Sir Gui Liao!” Zha Gu couldn’t help but call out, “Isn’t this price somewhat exorbitant? Will those Feudal Lords be willing to pay such a price to get an artifact?”
Gui Liao sneered, “Do not compare the Feudal Lords you know to my associates. They are all Feudal Lords who have their own Fiefs. Do you think Feudal Lords who can afford to buy sub-nests are not wealthy enough? They’re all eager to obtain artifacts made by Human Artifact Refiners; however, since all the Artifact Refiners have been sent to the Royal City, they aren’t able to get their hands on them even if they want to. If there’s someone who can refine artifacts for them, they’ll even agree to paying more than 100,000; after all, they only have one life, and they can always earn more Black Ink Coins.”
After a pause, he went on to say, “Moreover, when Sir Territory Lord leaves the Black Ink Nest, this business will naturally have to stop. He’ll definitely send Yang Kai to the Royal City, so if we don’t seize this opportunity to earn more money now, there won’t be such a chance again in the future. Don’t worry. You just have to bring Yang Kai to your Fief, and I’ll introduce some customers to you. You just have to serve them.”
Since Gui Liao had said so, there was nothing Zha Gu could do about it other than nod in agreement.
Gui Liao then asked, “Do you have any specific demands when it comes to your Fief?”
After giving it a thought, Zha Gu replied, “I don’t have any specific demands really, but it seems that Yang Kai needs to rely on an external aid like Earth-Fire to refine artifacts. Do you have a recommendation for that, Sir Gui Liao?”
Upon hearing that, Gui Liao started going through his Universe Chart and a moment later, he left a mark somewhere and passed it to Zha Gu, “There was originally a Great Sun in this area. Although the Sun is dead now, it still has a great amount of residual power. Let’s just make this place your Fief. The power of the Great Sun is still much greater than an Earth Fire.”
In the meantime, Zha Gu was glancing at the Universe Chart. Upon locating the dead Great Sun, he nodded, “Good.”
Gui Liao then waved his hand, after which Liu Zi An stepped out of the darkness with a unique-looking box in his hands. It wasn’t certain what the box was made from as it didn’t look like metal nor jade. It also wasn’t certain what was inside the box.
However, the moment Zha Gu saw the box, he became agitated and could not peel his eyes away.
Gui Liao said with a smile, “You have to keep this sub-nest in a safe place. I only have one sub-nest, so if you lose it, it will be gone for good.”
An excited Zha Gu took the box and thanked him repeatedly. This was the key to becoming a Feudal Lord with a Fief, and it was also the thing he had always dreamed of getting. It never crossed his mind that he could easily obtain it on this day.
“Do you need me to teach you how to hatch it?” Gui Liao asked.
“There’s no need for that,” Zha Gu shook his head. Suddenly recalling something, he said hesitantly, “Sir, it requires a lot of resources or World Force to hatch a Black Ink Nest. I…”
A generous Gui Liao waved his hand, “Just buy the resources with the 300,000 Black Ink Coins you have. It should be enough to hatch a Black Ink Nest. As for the 500,000 Black Ink Coins required to buy this Black Ink Nest, you can pay me back later.”
“Many thanks, Sir Gui Liao!” Zha Gu was grateful.
Although he now owed Gui Liao 500,000 Black Ink Coins, it was worth it for a Feudal Lord like him.
He secretly made some calculations and realised that if what Gui Liao said could be achieved, he would get 46,500 Black Ink Coins for every artifact. After making Yang Kai craft more than 11 artifacts, he would be able to pay off his debt.
He couldn’t help but think that it was easy to make money with a Human Artifact Refiner with him. He also felt fortunate that Yang Kai and Gui Liao were on bad terms; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to earn so much cash. Gui Liao would have taken full control over this matter.
Now, Gui Liao only assisted him in secret instead of taking matters into his own hands. He must be worried that the Territory Lord would investigate certain matters when he was done recuperating; therefore, even though Zha Gu would earn even more money, he would also have to take some risks.
Despite knowing all of that, Zha Gu still happily obliged.
After leaving the castle, Zha Gu was still in a dazed state. He still couldn’t believe that his dream had finally come true.
The box that contained the sub-nest couldn’t be kept inside a Space Ring. To the Black Ink Clan, a Black Ink Nest was also a living creature; therefore, Zha Gu returned to his castle and carefully put the box in a safe place before touring around Hei Yuan’s territory. He then spent his wealth by buying a lot of World Spheres and materials of different Orders.
300,000 Black Ink Coins were soon used up. Despite that, the substantial amount of resources in his Space Ring made him feel at ease.
While Zha Gu had gotten everything ready, Yang Kai was completing another artifact.
After telling Yang Kai to get some rest, Zha Gu started dealing with the Feudal Lords who were there to have their artifacts crafted.
Since he had come to an agreement with Gui Liao, he wasn’t willing to keep wasting time here; after all, he could only charge these Feudal Lords 30,000 for one artifact while Gui Liao promised that they would be able to charge 100,000 per artifact. Since there was a huge difference between the prices, Zha Gu naturally knew which one to choose.
Certainly, the Feudal Lords were not pleased with this; however, Zha Gu said that Gui Liao had summoned Yang Kai back to the castle. With this being the case, there was nothing these Feudal Lords could do about it.
After all, Yang Kai was the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Disciple, so it wasn’t appropriate for him to keep staying in Zha Gu’s abode.
When everything was prepared, Zha Gu gathered all his subordinates together and led Yang Kai to navigate across the void.
On the way to their destination, Yang Kai said worriedly, “Brother Zha Gu, it’s inappropriate that I’m suddenly leaving without informing Sir Gui Liao about it.”
Zha Gu replied with a smile, “Don’t worry about it, Brother Yang. I’ve informed Sir Gui Liao already, and he’s aware that you’ve been staying in my place for the past two years.”
“Did he say anything?”
Zha Gu shook his head, “Sir Gui Liao is busy dealing with the affairs in the territory. He can’t be bothered to handle such a trivial matter.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “That’s good.” Then, he asked in puzzlement, “Where are we going?”
An energetic Zha Gu replied, “We’re going to my Fief!”
Yang Kai nodded.
Upon seeing the other man’s lukewarm reaction, Zha Gu said with a smile, “Brother Yang, since you’re a Human, I suppose you have no idea how important a Fief is to a Black Ink Clansman.”
Yang Kai really had no idea about it. Although he had been staying by Nu Yan’s side for two years in the Black Ink Clan’s hinterland in the past, the latter was just a High-Rank Clansman who was equivalent to a Sixth-Order Human. Moreover, Nu Tan simply went from one Blood Arena to the next to earn Black Ink Coins.
Basically, Yang Kai knew little about the internal affairs of the Black Ink Clan. In fact, even though the two Races had been fighting against each other for millennia, the Humans still didn’t know much about the Black Ink Clan.
Yang Kai played along by saying, “Please enlighten me.”
There was a sense of pride on Zha Gu’s face as he spoke, “Let me put it this way, Brother Yang. Only with a Fief in possession will a Feudal Lord be considered a real Feudal Lord. The Feudal Lords who don’t have a Fief are like tigers without teeth.”
A puzzled Yang Kai said, “I don’t get it.”
Zha Gu chuckled, “Since you’re a Human, it’s expected that you don’t get it. Do you know why there are so many Feudal Lords but only a small number of them have their own Fiefs?”
“Is it because there isn’t enough land?” Yang Kai gave a random answer. In fact, he had pondered on this issue before, but he couldn’t figure out the reason behind it. Since Zha Gu mentioned it all of a sudden, he reckoned that his doubt would be solved on this day.
Upon hearing that, Zha Gu was startled for a moment before breaking into laughter, “That’s indeed one of the reasons. Sir Territory Lord has dozens of Feudal Lords working for him. If every Feudal Lord had their own Fief, there wouldn’t be enough land. Nevertheless, the main reason is the limited number of Black Ink Nests.”
“Black Ink Nests?” Yang Kai arched his brow with surprise, “What does it have to do with the Black Ink Nests?”
Zha Gu explained, “Although the Humans have fought against the Black Ink Clan for countless years, I guess you all still don’t know that there are different Ranks of Black Ink Nests. You’ve seen Sir Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest. Don’t you think it’s enormous and imposing?”
“Yes.” Yang Kai bowed his head.
“The Black Ink Nests are the foundation of the Black Ink Clan, and there are three Ranks in total, which the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nests, the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nests, and the Feudal Lord’s Black Ink Nests. In the Human’s terms, these Black Ink Nests could be categorised into High-Rank, Mid-Rank, and Low-Rank. Sir Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest is Mid-Rank. You might think that it’s splendid, but if you have the chance to see a Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest, you’ll realise that the one owned by Sir Territory Lord is quite petite.”
Yang Kai’s expression changed as it was the first time he heard about this. He reckoned that the Humans had no idea about such a categorisation as well. With his brow raised, he asked, “So, a Feudal Lord’s Black Ink Nest would be considered Low-Rank?”
“Yes.” Zha Gu nodded, “Every Black Ink Nest is dependent on the higher Rank one.”
“What do you mean by that?” Yang Kai frowned.
Zha Gu explained with a smile, “A Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest must be bred from the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest, while a Feudal Lord’s Black Ink Nest is always bred from a Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest. Therefore, the Feudal Lord’s Black Ink Nest is a sub-nest of the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest while a Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest is a sub-nest of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest.”
“There’s such a relationship between the Black Ink Nests?” Yang Kai was astonished, thinking that he had learned a great secret of the Black Ink Clan today. In the past, the Humans had some speculations about how the Black Ink Nests were born, but they were never able to discern the truth. It wasn’t until Yang Kai heard about it from Zha Gu that he realised a lower Rank Black Ink Nest was separated from a higher Rank Black Ink Nest.
With a solemn expression, Zha Gu went on to say, “It requires a lot of energy for a sub-nest to be born, so each one is extremely precious. We won’t be able to get it with ease.” As he spoke, he patted the box in his arms, “I bought this sub-nest with 500,000 Black Ink Coins.”
Yang Kai was flabbergasted, “That’s a sub-nest?”
Zha Gu had been carrying this box while on their way to their destination. Yang Kai could certainly see it. Although he was curious, he never asked what was inside the box. It wasn’t until this moment that he realised it was a sub-nest.
“Yes, it’s a sub-nest.” Zha Gu nodded seriously, “However, it hasn’t been hatched. After it’s hatched, it will be a real Black Ink Nest. With that said, it will naturally be much smaller than Sir Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest; after all, it’s just a Feudal Lord Black Ink Nest. With this Black Ink Nest though, I’ll become a real Feudal Lord.”
As he spoke, he started envisioning the bright future ahead of him, “With my own Black Ink Nest, I’ll be able to attract more Black Ink Clansmen to settle down in my Fief. If those High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen want to ascend to become Feudal Lords, they’ll have to rely on my Black Ink Nest’s power, and I can charge them a fee just to use it. When there are enough residents in the Fief, I can form my own Army and follow Sir Territory Lord to fight against the Humans.”
Yang Kai was practically beside himself as it was the first time he found out that a Black Ink Nest had to be hatched. Was it really a living creature? How was it hatched? He had seen a lot of Feudal Lord Black Ink Nests, but they were all gigantic. Although a Feudal Lord Black Ink Nest was not comparable to the one owned by a Territory Lord, it couldn’t possibly be stuffed into a box.
While feeling doubtful, he asked cautiously, “Brother Zha Gu, you said that if those High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen want to ascend to become a Feudal Lord, they would have to rely on your Black Ink Nest. What if you want to ascend to become a Territory Lord?”
Zha Gu replied, “I’ll have to rely on the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest, which is the one owned by Sir Territory Lord. This Black Ink Nest is not powerful enough to support my ascension.”
Yang Kai nodded upon hearing his explanation. In other words, a Low-Rank Black Ink Nest could help a Black Ink Clansman ascend to become a Feudal Lord while a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest could help a Feudal Lord become a Territory Lord. However, only the High-Rank Black Ink Nest could help a Territory Lord ascend to become a Royal Lord.
The different Ranks of Black Ink Nests were owned by Black Ink Clansmen of varying statuses. It was a clear and simple system.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai asked, “Can a sub-nest be born from a Feudal Lord Black Ink Nest?”
Zha Gu shook his head with a smile, “The Feudal Lord Black Ink Nest is the lowest Rank. How can a sub-nest be separated from it?”
“Then, whose sub-nest is the Royal Lord Black Ink Nests from?”
The question startled Zha Gu, “The Royal Lord Black Ink Nest is already the highest Rank.”
Yang Kai frowned, “However, according to you, every Black Ink Nest is separated from a higher Rank Black Ink Nest. In that case, there should be a source where all the Black Ink Nests come from. What is this source?”
A dazed Zha Gu gazed at Yang Kai for a moment before putting on a smile, “It beats me, Brother Yang. I have no idea what or where the source is; however, as far as I know, the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest is indeed the highest Rank. There isn’t a higher Rank Black Ink Nest. Perhaps the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest is the source.”
Yang Kai nodded as he could only acknowledge this statement to be true for now.
He decided not to delve into this topic further; instead, he grew curious about the box in Zha Gu’s hands, “Brother Zha Gu, how are you going to hatch it so that it’ll become a real Black Ink Nest?”
Zha Gu chuckled, “You’ll find out soon.”
As they spoke, they kept moving forward. A few days later, Zha Gu suddenly stopped and fished out a Universe Chart.
Universe Charts were initially invented by Humans; however, as the two Races fought against one another for countless years, many of the Humans’ inventions had been acquired by the Black Ink Clan. Some of the examples were flight-type artifacts and Universe Charts.
“It’s here.” Upon determining their exact location, Zha Gu became energetic, “With this place as the centre, a half-day’s journey radius will now be considered my Fief.”
Yang Kai was stunned, “Your Fief is pretty vast, then.”
It had to be noted that Zha Gu was a Feudal Lord, so he could cross quite a distance by flying for half a day. In other words, his Fief would be massive.
Zha Gu chuckled, “It’s just luck.”
Then, he looked around the area.
Initially, the entire Black Ink Battlefield was supposed to be a flourishing place; however, due to the Black Ink Clan’s characteristics, the Black Ink Battlefield was only filled with dead Universe Worlds now.
Now, all they could see nearby were Universe Worlds and universe fragments that were full of Death Qi.
Zha Gu soon found a suitable place and flew towards a Universe World that was neither small nor big, landing soon after.
The entire World was filled with Death Qi and there wasn’t even a tinge of vitality. Yang Kai couldn’t even feel a bit of World Force around here. With that said, he wasn’t surprised as this was only to be expected.
“I’ll choose this place, then.” Zha Gu looked around, evidently pleased with this area.
As he spoke, he carefully put down the box that he had been carrying in his arms. Although this square box was small, it seemed to be weighty. Yang Kai didn’t realise it when the box was in Zha Gu’s arms, but the moment he put it down, the entire ground shook a little. Even the area around the box sunk somewhat.
With a solemn expression, Zha Gu gazed at the box and said in an equally solemn tone, “Brother Yang, don’t you want to know how a Black Ink Nest is hatched? You should watch attentively, then.”
Yang Kai nodded gently and stared fixedly at the box.
Just then, Black Ink Strength started billowing from Zha Gu’s hand as he placed his palm on the box. It wasn’t certain what he had done, but the box cracked and split. In an instant, a flower bud that was yet to blossom came into Yang Kai’s sight.
This thing was similar to the Black Ink Nests he had seen before, only far, far smaller.
However, he could feel extremely rich Black Ink Strength streaming around this immature Black Ink Nest.
Just like all the Black Ink Nests he had seen before, this thing was like a living creature. Every time it breathed, Black Ink Strength would billow from it.
At this moment, Zha Gu’s subordinates stepped forward. Although no order was given, they all fell on their knees and pressed their heads against the ground in the Black Ink Nest’s direction in a sincere manner. They started chanting something as though they were performing a ritual.
Zha Gu was evidently agitated; then, all of a sudden, he stabbed a finger into his chest.
Yang Kai was stunned at the sight, thinking that Zha Gu was trying to kill himself.
Nevertheless, he soon realised that it wasn’t the case. Although Zha Gu had stabbed a finger into his chest, he wasn’t trying to end his own life. When he pulled out his hand, there was a drop of black blood on his finger.
Black Ink Clansmen were born in Black Ink Nests, so they had no need for sexual reproduction like Humans. With that said, they were not different from the Humans when it came to their anatomy.
Therefore, the moment Yang Kai saw the black blood, he knew that it was a drop of blood from Zha Gu’s heart. It was probably the equivalent of a Human’s Blood Essence. If it was lost, it would destabilise the Black Ink Clansman’s aura and even cause their strength to plunge.
As expected, after Zha Gu extracted a drop of blood from his heart, his aura became noticeably weaker.
Then, he dropped the blood onto the Black Ink Nest, which quickly absorbed it.
The next moment, a connection was formed between the Black Ink Nest and Zha Gu.
Yang Kai watched from the side as he thought that this was similar to how some Humans claimed the ownership of some artifacts by dropping their blood onto them. After absorbing Zha Gu’s blood, the Black Ink Nest was left with his Brand. From now on, this Black Ink Nest was Zha Gu’s property, and other Black Ink Clansmen could never snatch it from him, though it wasn’t clear how the Black Ink Nest would be impacted upon Zha Gu’s death.
Yang Kai reckoned that nothing would change though; after all, he had never heard of any incidents where the artifacts would shatter after their owners passed away. There would simply be a new owner after the original owner lost his life.
Although Zha Gu’s aura had weakened after he finished this, he was clearly high-spirited.
He then fished out something from his Space Ring. Yang Kai could see that it was a World Sphere that was filled with World Force. He wondered where Zha Gu got it from.
Without hesitation, Zha Gu threw the World Sphere into the middle of the flower bud.
The next instant, the Black Ink Nest started shaking and throbbing like a heart. The World Force inside the World Sphere was soon swallowed by the Black Ink Nest.
As this happened, the entire Black Ink Nest started squirming violently as something that looked like flesh grew out of it. The initially petite Black Ink Nest started expanding rapidly.
Just moments later, the originally small Black Ink Nest had expanded by several times, and its growth didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Zha Gu continuously threw more World Spheres, which were filled with World Force, into the Black Ink Nest, which never stopped growing.
A few days later, a 1,000-metre-tall Feudal Lord’s Black Ink Nest that occupied a large area was born. Yang Kai was shaken to the core as he watched the entire process.
It wasn’t until this moment that he figured out how the Black Ink Nests came about. In fact, he was probably the first Human to ever witness how a Black Ink Nest was hatched.
Perhaps some Black Ink Disciples had seen it in the past, but such information had never been collected by the Humans.
“It’s almost done,” Zha Gu was pleased as he gazed at the huge Black Ink Nest.
His subordinates had been repeatedly performing the same ritual in a sincere manner, and they didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
“Is this its final form?” Yang Kai asked. He had seen a lot of Black Ink Nests owned by the Feudal Lords before, but they were all much larger than this. That was why he was curious.
Zha Gu shook his head, “This Black Ink Nest can still keep growing, but I don’t have a lot of resources with me now. I need to use them for other matters. I’ll only be able to keep growing this Black Ink Nest when I have some spare money.”
“I see,” Yang Kai bowed his head.
“Let’s take a look inside,” Zha Gu was in a jolly mood and he couldn’t wait to share his joy with others. Nevertheless, other than his subordinates, Yang Kai was the only Black Ink Disciple there; hence, he could only invite Yang Kai to go in.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t turn him down.
In fact, he was curious about what the inside of a Black Ink Nest looked like. Although he had entered Zhu Feng’s Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest before, that one was specifically used for recuperating. Moreover, all his focus was on killing Zhu Feng back then, so he didn’t pay attention to anything else at that time.
After the Black Ink Nest took shape, it looked like a huge flower bud sitting on the ground.
Over the past few days when the Black Ink Nest was growing, Yang Kai could clearly feel that a profound force seemed to have expanded from beneath the Black Ink Nest and turned into roots, which connected the Black Ink Nest to this Universe World.
Zha Gu didn’t seem to have made a move, but the moment he stood in front of the Black Ink Nest, a gap appeared at the bottom and revealed a dark passageway.
He had used a drop of blood from his heart to refine this Black Ink Nest, so as he was now connected to it, he could easily control it.
After Zha Gu stepped inside, Yang Kai followed him closely.
They walked across the long passageway and arrived at an empty room. Yang Kai could see that the walls of this room seemed to be made from flesh. The entire Black Ink Nest was filled with Black Ink Strength and an indescribably evil aura.
Zha Gu said, “With this Black Ink Nest, it will be easier for me to cultivate. There even a chance for me to ascend to become a Territory Lord.”
“I’ll congratulate you in advance then, Brother Zha Gu,” Yang Kai cupped his fist, then asked curiously, “I saw you using up a lot of World Spheres earlier. So, it requires the World Force to hatch a Black Ink Nest?”
Zha Gu replied with a smile, “Yes, it requires the World Fore to hatch a Black Ink Nest. Of course, cultivation resources used by Humans would work as well. Let me put it this way, a Black Ink Nest can absorb anything that contains energy and transform it into Black Ink Strength.”
Upon hearing his explanation, Yang Kai thought that it was no wonder wherever the Black Ink Clansmen went, the Universe Worlds would be filled with Death Qi. The Black Ink Clan was the natural enemy of the 3,000 Worlds. If they were allowed to invade the 3,000 Worlds, all life would be purged.
Since time immemorial, the Masters of every generation from the Cave Heavens and Paradises had been trying to destroy the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield to stop them from threatening the 3,000 Worlds. For this reason, countless people lost their lives.
However, other than the cultivators from the Cave Heavens and Paradises, there was barely anyone in the entire 3,000 Worlds who was aware of what was going on. It was a tragedy for all these sacrifices to be made yet never recognized.
Since it was a new Black Ink Nest, there was nothing interesting inside it; however, Yang Kai was shocked upon hearing Zha Gu’s explanation. This Black Ink Nest would swallow just about anything that contained energy and use it as food.
This characteristic reminded him of the Heaven-Devouring Great Emperor, Wu Kuang.
That guy cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, and he claimed to be able to swallow anything in the world. Moreover, he possessed the Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus, which perfectly complemented the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but think about what would happen if Wu Kuang came to the Black Ink Battlefield. Would he be corrupted by Black Ink Strength? Would he be able to use Heaven Devouring Battle Law and turn Black Ink Strength into something he could utilise?
However, that guy couldn’t really show up in public now. He went missing after Yang Kai sent him to the Shattered Heaven previously, and it wasn’t certain whether he was dead or alive now.
Having said that, Yang Kai reckoned that Wu Kuang must be alive and kicking. It was said that good people didn’t live long while a scourge would never die.
After casting this strange idea away, Yang Kai slightly opened the portal of his Small Universe, whereupon his World Force streamed out of his body. The next moment, an anomaly took place.
Like a cat that had caught a whiff of a fishy smell, the flesh walls in the Black Ink Nest started drawing the World Force towards them and absorbing it.
An astounded Yang Kai instinctually wanted to close the portal of his Small Universe; after all, he would suffer a loss by letting the Black Ink Nest devour his World Force. However, before he could close the portal, he came into contact with a strange Will.
The reason this Will felt strange was that it gave off a stiff feeling, as though it didn’t have sentience of its own, or wasn’t fully conscious.
This revelation astonished Yang Kai as he gazed at Zha Gu.
Zha Gu only looked smilingly at him, as though he had already expected this.
Seeing that the other man didn’t have the intention of stopping him, Yang Kai set his mind at ease and started exploring this Will.
Just like what he initially felt, the Will wasn’t an illusion, it was just that it didn’t have a consciousness of its own. After some exploration, a surprised Yang Kai asked, “Brother Zha Gu, does this Black Ink Nest have its own consciousness?”
He came to realise that the source of the Will was the Black Ink Nest itself.
Zha Gu replied with a smile, “Of course, this Black Ink Nest has its own consciousness. In fact, all Black Ink Nests have their own consciousnesses, but this consciousness is just a medium. It won’t express any of its feelings.”
“A medium?” Yang Kai was puzzled, “What do you mean?”
Zha Gu said, “Since you’re able to connect to this Black Ink Nest’s consciousness, why don’t you just explore it to find the answers yourself?”
[Find the answers myself?]
There seemed to be an insinuation in Zha Gu’s words. He seemed to suggest that there was a secret behind the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness, so a curious Yang Kai began probing around.
This was the best chance for him to explore some of the Black Ink Clan’s secrets, so he didn’t want to miss it. Furthermore, Zha Gu needed him to refine more artifacts, so he probably wouldn’t harm him.
At the thought of this, Yang Kai became at ease.
Initially, when he detected the Will’s presence, he wanted to ward it off as he was worried that it would harm him in some way. Upon making sure that the Will didn’t have a consciousness or mind of its own, he was able to relax.
As he opened his portal, the power of his Small Universe was continuously swallowed by the Black Ink Nest. As his World Force left his body, Yang Kai realised that his mind was slowly connected to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness.
This was a special experience. Yang Kai couldn’t help but think that he and the Black Ink Nest were going to merge. Nevertheless, he knew that it was just an illusion. He was being influenced by the fact that his mind and the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness were mingling.
Just a moment later, Yang Kai’s mind fully merged with the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness. This startled him as the merging process was incredibly smooth, as though the consciousness had been waiting to accept him.
Certainly, he knew this wasn’t the truth. The Black Ink Nest didn’t have any sentience, so he reckoned that as long as certain conditions were met, anyone’s mind could perfectly merge with the consciousness.
The moment he and the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness became one, Yang Kai seemed to have plunged into a different world.
There was no light or substance in this world; in fact, there wasn’t even any physical presence here. In this world, there were only consciousnesses that moved around and communicated with each other.
Yang Kai was flabbergasted.
He could feel that there were two consciousnesses in a similar state as his that were communicating with one another. They seemed to be talking about a business deal that involved a lot of rare resources and Black Ink Clan servants.
Then, he realised that he could also detect the communication between some other consciousnesses; however, some consciousnesses had blocked out the others as any eavesdropper would be met with hostility.
Yang Kai’s consciousness navigated through this amazing world and ‘saw’ the existence of different consciousnesses.
Some of these consciousnesses were wandering about just like him. Some of them remained on the same spot as they absorbed as much information as they could. There were also some that were communicating others.
Soon, Yang Kai realised something that concerned him.
All these consciousnesses seemed to be moving around in a huge medium, which itself was a consciousness that didn’t have a mind of its own. This mindless consciousness was much larger than the consciousness of Zha Gu’s Black Ink Nest.
“Oh, there’s a new aura here.” While Yang Kai was in his thoughts, a wandering consciousness detected his presence and approached him to ask, “Who are you? Why have I never met you before?”
Yang Kai was startled, not knowing how to respond to him. It wasn’t like he could tell him he was a Black Ink Disciple.
The disturbance soon attracted the attention of the nearby consciousnesses. Yang Kai realised that the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness that carried his mind was now being gazed upon by countless pairs of eyes.
He quickly retracted himself from this strange world and cut off his connection with the Black Ink Nest’s Will.
Zha Gu was just standing beside him and watching in silence. Upon seeing that Yang Kai started moving again, he asked with a smile, “Was it fun?”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai asked, “Brother Zha Gu, the consciousnesses I came across…”
Knowing what the other man was trying to ask, Zha Gu cut him off by saying, “Just like me, they’re the Feudal Lords with their own Fiefs. Just like what you did earlier, they merged their minds with their Black Ink Nests’ consciousnesses and entered the domain of the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest.”
“The domain of the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest?” Yang Kai was stunned as he recalled the much larger consciousness that he came across earlier.
“En.” Zha Gu nodded, “The Black Ink Nests of the Feudal Lords are separated from Sir Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest, so they’re the sub-nests of Sir Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest. Regardless of the distance, as long as these sub-nests are not separated across Worlds, they can communicate with each other. Of course, this requires the support of the domain of the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest, so you can regard this domain as a platform for communication.”
Despite Zha Gu’s convoluted explanation, Yang Kai understood the abstrusity of it following his experience earlier.
To put it simply, the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest had its own consciousness that was without a mind. This consciousness could turn into a Domain and allow the consciousnesses of the sub-nests to enter. The Feudal Lords who had their own Fiefs could merge their minds with the consciousnesses of the sub-nests in order to enter this domain.
Yang Kai soon understood the crux of the matter. With a serious expression, he said, “In that case, a Territory Lord can find out what’s going on with the Feudal Lords who are working for him immediately. Similarly, the Feudal Lords can promptly inform the Territory Lord about anomalies taking place in their Fiefs.”
“Indeed. It’s one of the basic uses of the Black Ink Nests.”
Yang Kai fell silent.
It wasn’t until this moment that he obtained an answer to a question he had pondered for a long time.
When he pretended to be a Black Ink Disciple and stayed by Nu Yan’s side in the past, the Old Ancestor from Blue Sky Pass had led his subordinates to launch a raid on the Black Ink Clan’s territory. However, the Royal Lord reacted very swiftly to it, limiting the amount of damage that could be done.
Yang Kai had always been curious how the Royal Lord received the news and made a move so quickly given the vast distances between the Royal City and the outer borders of the Black Ink Clan’s territory. Moreover, all the Black Ink Clansmen in the entire Blue Sky Theatre were mobilised alongside him.
In fact, the Humans had never been able to figure it out. They speculated that the Black Ink Clan had a special method of communicating with each other. Perhaps something similar to a Space Array.
Now, it seemed that the method of communication between the Black Ink Clan was far more profound than mere Space Arrays.
The Black Ink Nests that were scattered around the void formed into a huge information network for the Black Ink Clan. Whenever anything happened in the areas occupied by these Black Ink Nests, the Black Ink Clan would instantly find out about it and spread it to others.
When the Humans invaded the Black Ink Clan’s territory back then, the news must have been spread around through the Black Ink Nests instantaneously. That was the reason that the Royal Lord could counterattack so swiftly by gathering all Black Ink Clansmen under his command together.
It was no wonder that the Black Ink Nests were touted as the foundation of the Black Ink Clan. This communication function alone was invaluable.
“So, the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness can carry a Human’s mind as well…” Zha Gu suddenly tutted. Apparently, he had no idea that Yang Kai could successfully enter the domain of the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest prior to that.
“I was just giving it a try. I hope I haven’t caused any damage to your Black Ink Nest, Brother Zha Gu,” Yang Kai came to his senses and apologised to him.
He just wanted to find out whether the World Force coming from his Small Universe would be absorbed by the Black Ink Nest; he hadn’t expected that he would easily come into contact with the Black Ink Nest’s mindless Will, which led to the discovery later. This was all just a coincidence.
Zha Gu replied with a smile, “It’s fine. The consciousness of any Black Ink Nest is just a medium, so no damage would be caused to it. In fact, most Feudal Lords have a lot of things to deal with, so they wouldn’t stay inside the domain of the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest all the time. The consciousnesses you came across are likely the trusted aides of those Feudal Lords. I’ll also get one of my subordinates to stay here to gather information eventually.”
“I see,” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
By pretending to be a Black Ink Disciple this time, Yang Kai managed to find out a lot of secrets about the Black Ink Nests. These secrets alone were worth his efforts; after all, these were the secrets that the Humans had been trying to uncover forever, but to no avail.
As for who would be appointed by Zha Gu to stay in this Black Ink Nest and gather information, Yang Kai couldn’t care less. Zha Gu had several dozen Black Ink Clansmen working for him, but they were generally weak. There were only a small number of High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen who were equivalent to Sixth-Order Humans.
The person responsible for gathering information would be one of those High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen.
“Let’s continue,” Zha Gu said, then led the way for Yang Kai.
Soon, they went further inside and arrived at a room that was so large that it occupied half of the Black Ink Nest’s internal space. Flesh walls were seen squirming around the room, and in the centre was something that looked like a pool. The diameter of the pool was several dozen metres across and it was filled with Black Ink Strength.
Zha Gu approached the pool as he stared at it while speaking solemnly, “The Black Ink Pool can be said to be the origin of life to all Black Ink Clansmen.”
[Black Ink Pool!]
Yang Kai arched his brow as he gazed at the pool and fell into a state of contemplation. He couldn’t figure out the abstrusity of this thing, nor could he understand what Zha Gu meant when the latter said it was the origin of life.
However, he soon realised what he meant.
Zha Gu suddenly fished out a lot of resources from his Space Ring and dumped them into the Black Ink Pool without hesitation. The resources were of varying Orders and were the same ones Human cultivators could use to increase the heritage of their Small Universes.
The moment the resources came into contact with the Black Ink Pool, the Black Ink Strength which was originally as calm as a still lake started roiling. It was like water being dropped into boiling oil.
Besides that, the entire Black Ink Pool seemed to have turned into a hideous beast as a series of chattering sounds were heard, like were invisible teeth that were crunching on those resources.
The various resources were crushed as their powers were absorbed.
Following that, beneath the ground around the Black Ink Pool, energies could be seen moving in all directions.
Yang Kai stared at those moving energies in shock. As they streamed into the flesh walls around the room, bulges started forming on those rough walls. They looked just like tumours.
Life auras were being nurtured in those tumours.
Yang Kai fell into a dazed state.
More and more tumours were formed, and within an hour, by the time Zha Gu finished throwing all the resources into the Black Ink Pool, there were several hundred tumours on the walls. Every tumour contained a new life aura.
Yang Kai felt a crawling sensation on his scalp, but he forced himself to calm down and asked, “Brother Zha Gu, these…”
Zha Gu replied with a smile, “In one or two months, they’ll become residents of my territory!”
[I knew it!] Despite knowing that Black Ink Clansmen were born in Black Ink Nests, Yang Kai was still shaken to the core when he saw it happen before his eyes.
That was how Black Ink Clansmen were born. The auras in those tumours were all new Black Ink Clansmen.
Zha Gu’s words suggested that it would only take one or two months for these Black Ink Clansmen to be born. The speed was truly horrifying.
Moreover, Zha Gu’s Black Ink Nest hadn’t fully grown yet. He said that he didn’t have enough resources with him now, for the resources were needed for other matters. When he had more resources in the future, he would continue growing the Black Ink Nest.
Although the Black Ink Nest wasn’t fully grown, it could still nurture several hundred Black Ink Clansmen at once. According to Yang Kai’s estimation, if the Feudal Lord’s Black Ink Nest was fully grown, and given enough resources, it could nurture more than 1,000 Black Ink Clansmen at a given time.
More than 1,000 Black Ink Clansmen being born every month or two would translate to 7,000 to 8,000 a year. Further down the road, there would be 70,000 to 80,000 new Black Ink Clansmen in 10 years and several hundred thousand in 100 years.
Certainly, a Feudal Lord wouldn’t have an infinite supply of resources to squander on such things, but despite that, it was still a terrifying figure.
It was no wonder that they were unable to kill all of the Black Ink Clansmen. The Humans from different Great Passes would always defeat the Black Ink Clan and kill many of them in every major battle; however, after resting for at most 100 years, the Black Ink Clan would strike again without any discernable decrease in number.
The way Black Ink Nests nurtured new Black Ink Clansmen was the fundamental reason behind this.
Upon that realisation, Yang Kai felt his heart sinking. He asked solemnly, “Brother Zha Gu, how powerful will these Black Ink Clansmen be after they’re born?”
Zha Gu replied, “New Black Ink Clansmen are naturally weak and useless. It will take them several dozen years to grow to be Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen. 200 to 300 years after that, a small number of them will grow to be High-Rank Clansmen. As for how far they can go following that, it will depend on their own fates.”
Yang Kai nodded gently. It seemed that even though it would take a shorter time for the Black Ink Clansmen to grow up than the Humans, it wasn’t intolerable. It would take them several dozen years to grow to be Low-Rank Clansmen, which were equivalent to Low-Rank Open Heaven Masters. Such Black Ink Clansmen were essentially useless on the battlefield and would only serve as cannon fodder to deplete the Humans’ energy.
“A competent Feudal Lord should be able to enlist 3,000 Black Ink Clansmen who are able to fight when Sir Territory Lord goes to war. It’s still in the early phase for me, so it will be several hundred to 1,000 years before I can do that.”
Out of the 3,000 Black Ink Clansmen who were able to fight, at least half of them had to be High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen who were equivalent to the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth-Order Humans; otherwise, they would only be giving the Humans free Military Merits.
According to the life cycle of the Black Ink Clansmen, it would indeed take Zha Gu several hundred to 1,000 years to meet this requirement; otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough time for his subordinates to grow.
Yang Kai made some calculations in silence. A Feudal Lord with a Fief could conscript 3,000 Black Ink Clansmen when war broke out. There were dozens of Feudal Lords working for Hei Yuan, but only a small number of them had their own Fiefs. In other words, Hei Yuan alone would be able to mobilise about 30,000 to 40,000 Black Ink Clansmen. That was the number of Black Ink Clansmen that a Territory Lord could use.
On the other hand, every Royal Lord had several dozen Territory Lords. Once a Royal Lord called for war, several hundred thousand to a million soldiers could be brought together in every Theatre before they would storm the Great Passes controlled by the Humans.
The Humans from different Great Passes had spent countless years fending off such a large number of Black Ink Clansmen.
The Black Ink Clan were at an advantage because of their larger numbers. On the other hand, the Humans heavily relied on Warships, which were their unique advantage. If this advantage was taken away by the Black Ink Clan, the Humans wouldn’t be able to defend the Great Passes.
At that instant, Yang Kai felt a hefty weight on his shoulders.
Upon learning the abstrusity of the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness and witnessing the process of breeding Black Ink Clansmen through the Black Ink Pool, Yang Kai finally understood the secrets behind the Black Ink Nests.
Next, Zha Gu led him to explore other places in the Black Ink Nest.
Half a day later, they left the together.
Zha Gu was still evidently excited; after all, his dream had finally come true, so it was expected that he was in a joyful mood. That was the reason he led Yang Kai to take a stroll around the Black Ink Nest. He wanted to share his joy with others, but Yang Kai was the only outsider by his side.
“By the way, you can continue refining artifacts over there, Brother Yang.” Zha Gu finally recalled what he was supposed to do. After all, the reason he was able to get this Fief had something to do with Yang Kai’s skills in Artifact Refining.
Upon finishing his words, he pointed in a particular direction.
Yang Kai looked in the same direction and saw a huge Star in the Void.
“It was originally a giant Sun Star, but it’s dead now. However, there still should be a great amount of heat beneath the surface, which will be useful to you when you make artifacts,” Zha Gu explained.
The reason he decided to hatch his Black Ink Nest in this Universe World was that this place was not far from the Sun Star, so he could move back and forth between the two places with ease.
“A Sun Star?” Yang Kai arched his brow. There was no doubt that a Sun Star, even a dead one, would contain the power of the Great Sun.
“En,” Zha Gu nodded, “I know nothing about Artifact Refining, so you can go over and look for a place that is suitable. I’ll not keep you company as the Black Ink Nest in this Fief has just been hatched, so I need to take care of it.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be fine on my own,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Take this. These are the materials for making artifacts provided by a customer. There’s also a list of demands he has come up with. You just have to follow the specifications. When I settle things here, I’ll look for you,” As Zha Gu spoke, he passed him a Space Ring.
After taking the ring, Yang Kai scanned it with his Divine Sense and realised that there were indeed materials for making artifacts inside it. The number of materials suggested that he would have to make more than one artifact, and there was also a jade slip that supposedly contained the customer’s demands.
After bidding Zha Gu farewell, he directly flew towards the Great Sun Star.
In just two hours, Yang Kai arrived at his destination.
When he arrived in the 3,000 Worlds for the first time, Yang Kai came across a dying Sun Star where he obtained the Golden Crow’s True Fire that would be used to condense his Fire Element in his Dao Seal. For that reason, he became tangled up with the Proprietress. All of those memories flashed through his head. Many years had passed in the blink of an eye.
At that time, the Sun Star he saw was dying, but the one before his eyes now died a long time ago.
Although the Great Sun had lost all its vitality, some heat could still be felt coming from the surface. The entire Star was filled with solidified magma, and a pungent smell permeated the place.
There was no doubt that this environment was hostile and the average person wouldn’t be able to survive here for long. With that said, Yang Kai was now a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he was able to put up with this kind of environment.
In fact, with the power of the Golden Crow’s True Fire in possession, he didn’t need to rely on any external forces when making artifacts. It was just that by using an external aid he would be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort; therefore, a lot of Artifact Refiners loved using great sources of fire when making artifacts. It was the same case for Alchemists.
After circling around the Great Sun for a bit, Yang Kai soon found a suitable location that looked like the caldera of a volcano that led to the depths beneath the ground. He directly plunged inside, but he was soon blocked by some solidified magma.
He summoned his Azure Dragon Spear and began digging deeper into the ground.
The further he went, the more scorching the air felt. Soon, he directly plunged into an ocean of burning magma.
It went to show that even though the Great Sun died a long time ago, its power still hadn’t fully dissipated.
This kind of power was suitable for refining artifacts.
After breaking through the magma, Yang Kai arrived at the Sun’s core. It was then he activated his power and formed an empty space.
This was the deepest part of the Great Sun where he could use its power with ease. Looking around, he was pleased with this place.
Over the following half a month, Yang Kai spent a fair amount of time setting up a simple array so that he could make use of the Great Sun’s power to craft artifacts. Additionally, the Array stabilized the space he had opened up at the centre of the Sun.
After he was done with all of that, he got some rest for a few days to restore his energy. It was only then that he started refining artifacts.
He fished out the jade slip given to him by Zha Gu and realised that he had to make two artifacts this time. One of them was offensive while the other one was defensive. He wondered who this Black Ink Clansman was.
Regardless, it was none of his business, he just had to craft the artifacts according to the demands.
With the help of the Great Sun’s power, he had indeed become more efficient in refining artifacts; furthermore, his skills in Artifact Refining had been improving day by day.
In just three months, he was done crafting these two artifacts.
There was already a Black Ink Clansman waiting for him outside of the Array he set up. In fact, this Black Ink Clansman had been there for half a month. Yang Kai was aware of this, but his focus was on refining the artifacts, so he decided to ignore him.
Now that he was done, Yang Kai opened up the restrictions and let this person in.
The Black Ink Clansman, who had never dared to disturb Yang Kai, instantly noticed and dashed forward before cupping his fist, “Sir Yang!”
Perhaps the only Black Ink Disciples who could be addressed as ‘Sirs’ by the Black Ink Clansmen were Artifact Refiners.
Yang Kai glanced at him and realised that this Black Ink Clansman was a High-Rank Black Ink Clansman who worked for Zha Gu. He had also followed Zha Gu to come all the way here to this Fief.
After a nod, Yang Kai asked, “Has Brother Zha Gu sent you here to tell me something?”
The High-Rank Black Ink Clansman stepped forward and held out a Space Ring, “Sir Zha Gu said this is the next artifact you have to make. The materials, demands, and payment are all inside. Additionally, he wants me to retrieve the artifacts you’ve refined.”
Yang Kai took the Space Ring and realised that just like what the Black Ink Clansman had said, there were a lot of materials for Artifact Refining, a jade slip with the specifications recorded in it, and 7,000 Black Ink Coins inside the ring.
Upon confirmation, Yang Kai passed him the two artifacts he had recently made and put on a bitter smile, “Your Sir doesn’t even give me some rest time.”
The High-Rank Black Ink Clansman put on a fawning smile, “Sir Zha Gu said that your skills in Artifact Refining are exceptional. Many Feudal Lords have heard about you, so they want you to make artifacts for them.”
“It’s fine. I’m earning Black Ink Coins to buy some cultivation resources anyway. Just tell your Sir that he can accept all the orders. I’m fine with it.”
“Yes,” the High-Rank Black Ink Clansman replied, then asked, “When should I come again?”
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai said, “For each artifact, you can come again after two months.”
He then watched the High-Rank Black Ink Clansman leave and reactivated the restriction. Instead of starting right away, Yang Kai fished out a set of Seventh-Order materials from his Small Universe and began refining them.
During this period of time, he had been busy refining artifacts for the Feudal Lords. In Zha Gu’s previous territory, it wasn’t convenient for him to refine Seventh-Order materials; after all, Zha Gu might come over at any moment. It would be hard for Yang Kai to explain himself if Zha Gu saw him refining such expensive materials.
Now that he was inside a Great Sun though, and with the Arrays he had set up, he didn’t have to worry about privacy.
On the other hand, since he had helped so many Feudal Lords craft artifacts, his skill in the Dao of Artifact Refining must be well known by now. That was exactly what he had hoped to see, and the High-Rank Black Ink Clansman’s statement just now proved this point.
Everything was going according to plan, and Yang Kai just had to wait for Hei Yuan to leave the Black Ink Nest.
The days went by slowly.
Zha Gu would send someone to pass Yang Kai materials for Artifact Refining and payment for his services every two months. Most of the time, it would be the same High-Rank Black Ink Clansman who looked for Yang Kai. Zha Gu had just obtained his own Fief, so he seemed to be swamped with work and would only visit Yang Kai sporadically.
Nevertheless, the High-Rank Clansman wouldn’t stay for a long time. After passing Yang Kai the Space Ring that contained the materials and money, he would take the artifact that had been made and leave.
Five years passed by in the blink of an eye.
Including the amount of time Yang Kai had spent in Zha Gu’s previous castle, he had now been refining artifacts for the Black Ink Feudal Lords for seven or eight years. During this period of time, he had produced dozens of artifacts that were all high-quality.
Given his near complete focus on Artifact Refining, Yang Kai’s comprehension of the Dao of Artifact Refining had improved significantly; however, he didn’t feel one bit pleased about it.
That was because he knew that every artifact he refined would be of great help to the Black Ink Clan on the battlefield. Those artifacts might injure or even kill Human soldiers.
He had thought about pulling some tricks by designing the artifacts in a way that they would collapse when the Black Ink Clansmen clashed with the Humans; however, even though he could be considered a Great Master when it came to his mastery of Artifact Refining, he was not able to do such a thing without anyone discovering it. If he really tried, the Feudal Lords would realise it very quickly and that would only destroy the reputation he had built up and derail his following plan.
Hence, he decided to give up on the idea.
Although Yang Kai had spent most of his time refining artifacts over the past few years, he would still take some time off to cultivate after crafting each item. As time passed, he managed to make up for some of the losses in his heritage due to the fact that he had sacrificed a part of his Small Universe in the past.
He had been waiting for Hei Yuan to summon him, but his wish was still not granted.
Supposedly, Hei Yuan should have left the Black Ink Nest by now; although he was badly injured, his speed of recovery shouldn’t be so slow with the help of the Black Ink Nest. Yang Kai wondered what was going on.
One day, Zha Gu came over as usual.
After getting the artifact from Yang Kai and passing him the next set of materials, Zha Gu thanked him and was preparing to leave.
“Wait a moment, Brother Zha Gu,” Yang Kai said.
Zha Gu turned around and asked with a smile, “What’s wrong, Brother Yang?”
Over the years, he had earned a huge fortune through Yang Kai’s skills in Artifact Refining. Gui Liao did indeed have wealthy friends who willingly paid 100,000 Black Ink Coins for a single artifact without blinking an eye. Besides that, those Feudal Lords were eager to get their hands on the artifacts made by Yang Kai. According to Gui Liao, there were still more than 10 Feudal Lords who were waiting to order their artifacts.
They would charge 100,000 coins for an artifact, and other than the 7,000 given to Yang Kai, Zha Gu and Gui Liao would respectively split the rest. Hence, Zha Gu gained 46,500 Black Ink Coins for every artifact.
100,000 was just the amount that Gui Liao told him though, and Zha Gu even suspected that Gui Liao would charge his customers a higher fee. Nevertheless, he wasn’t in any place to demand more.
Over the past five years, Yang Kai had produced more than 30 artifacts, so not only had Zha Gu paid back the Black Ink Coins he owed Gui Liao, but there was a lot of surplus. Now, he focused on managing his own Fief, so all the Black Ink Coins he earned would be used to build up his territory.
Now, his Fief was really beginning to take shape. Not only had Zha Gu nurtured several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clansmen through the Black Ink Nest, but he had also attracted many Black Ink Clansmen from other places to settle down in his territory.
It could be said that he owed his success to Yang Kai, so he was naturally quite friendly with him.
Without beating around the bush, Yang Kai asked, “Do you know what’s going on with Sir Territory Lord? Has he left the Black Ink Nest?”
Upon hearing that, Zha Gu shook his head, “I don’t think Sir Territory Lord has left the Black Ink Nest. I suppose he’s still recuperating.”
Yang Kai frowned, “Why is it taking Sir so long to recover? It’s been nearly eight years since he returned. Supposedly, he should’ve left the Black Ink Nest a long time ago.”
Zha Gu nodded, “Usually, it wouldn’t take Sir such a long time; three to four years at most. However, you’re also aware that Sir Territory Lord wasn’t the only one who entered the Black Ink Nest to recuperate. There were several other Territory Lords as well, and their injuries were even more severe than Sir Territory Lord’s. Although the Black Ink Nest can help Sir recuperate, there are several Territory Lords who need to share that power; hence, it’s not as effective as when he’s on his own. That’s the reason it’s taking him a longer time to recuperate.”
This was the information Zha Gu obtained from Gui Liao; after all, he and Gui Liao knew that once Hei Yuan left the Black Ink Nest, Yang Kai, as his Black Ink Disciple, would be summoned no matter what. By then, their business of selling artifacts would come to a halt. Certainly, Zha Gu wanted this business to last as long as possible.
Therefore, he asked Gui Liao about Hei Yuan’s condition. What he told Yang Kai just now was the information he had obtained from Gui Liao.
Upon hearing his explanation, Yang Kai replied, “I see. Do you know when Sir Territory Lord will leave the Black Ink Nest, then?”
“It will happen within a year or two,” as Zha Gu spoke, he patted the other man’s shoulder, “Don’t worry about it. Sir Territory Lord is powerful, so he’ll be fine; however, after he leaves the Black Ink Nest, you, as his Black Ink Disciple, will have to go back to him. You won’t stay here and keep making artifacts, so during this period of time, you have to work harder in order to earn more money to purchase cultivation resources.”
He thought that Yang Kai was worried about Hei Yuan, so he decided to placate him. Nevertheless, he still reminded Yang Kai to work harder to create more artifacts.
Yang Kai nodded gently, “You have a point, Brother Zha Gu.”
Upon learning that the reason Hei Yuan hadn’t left the Black Ink Nest after such a long time was that he was sharing its power with other Territory Lords, Yang Kai set his mind at ease.
He was most worried that an accident might have happened to Hei Yuan. If Hei Yuan lost his life due to his severe injuries, things would become complicated. Yang Kai definitely didn’t want to see that happen.
After seeing Zha Gu off, he continued refining artifacts.
Several months later, on the universe fragment belonging to Hei Yuan, the Black Ink Nest, which had remained shut since the return of Hei Yuan and the other Territory Lords, shook a little. Following that, a portal opened up at the bottom of the Black Ink Nest.
Several burly figures stepped out from the portal, all of their auras thick and intimidating.
The moment the Black Ink Clansmen, who were guarding the Black Ink Nest, saw these figures, they saluted them in a solemn manner. This couldn’t be helped, as they were all Territory Lords. The person at the front was none other than the owner of this place, Hei Yuan.
Of these Territory Lords, Hei Yuan looked perfectly healthy while the auras of the other Territory Lords were still a little unstable. It seemed that they hadn’t fully recovered.
That was indeed the case. After about eight years of recuperation, their injuries had mostly healed, but they were still some distance away from full recovery.
The only one who had fully recovered was Hei Yuan.
Even though he was indeed a little stronger than the others, that had nothing to do with the speed of recovery. The main reason was that he was the owner of this Black Ink Nest. By having full control over the Black Ink Nest, he could direct most of its power to heal his injuries while the rest would be shared among the other Territory Lords.
Hei Yuan would naturally recover much quicker than the other Territory Lords under such circumstances. It wasn’t that he wanted to suppress the other Territory Lords, just that anyone would’ve done the same thing if they were in his position.
In fact, if possible, Hei Yuan would rather have sent these Territory Lords back to their respective territories upon their return from the battlefield so that he wouldn’t have to share the power of his Black Ink Nest; however, those Territory Lords were horribly injured at that time as they had all fallen into a state of deep sleep, so he couldn’t possibly toss them out. Left with no other choice, he brought them back to his own Black Ink Nest and they recuperated together. That way, they could take care of each other.
Despite all this, the Territory Lords were still grateful to Hei Yuan and not dissatisfied one bit. It was true that they hadn’t fully recovered, but they were now able to protect themselves at the very least. They just had to return to their territories and get some more rest in their own Black Ink Nests so that they would recover as time passed.
The entire process would only take them a few more years.
After stepping out of the Black Ink Nest, the Territory Lords thanked Hei Yuan before shooting into the sky to leave in a hurry. This was Hei Yuan’s territory after all, so it wasn’t appropriate for them to linger here. They naturally had to go back to their territories.
Hei Yuan watched them leave.
Not long after the Territory Lords left, Gui Liao, who had received the news, led a group of Black Ink Clansmen and arrived at this place in a rush to welcome Hei Yuan.
Soon, they returned to the castle. After Hei Yuan was seated on his throne, Gui Liao stood in front of him and reported to him about what had happened in the territory over the years in a respectful manner.
Hei Yuan listened to him in silence.
No major events had taken place over the past few years. The Humans were recuperating, and there hadn’t been any serious conflicts between the two Races; hence, Gui Liao was done with his report soon.
Hei Yuan nodded and praised him by saying, “You’ve done a great job.”
Gui Liao replied humbly, “It is all thanks to Sir’s excellent management of the territory. I am just taking care of it on your behalf, so I wouldn’t dare to take the credit.”
Hei Yuan didn’t comment on it. Suddenly, he asked, “The new Black Ink Disciple named Yang Kai that I’ve taken on is an Artifact Refiner?”
There wasn’t a hint of surprise on Gui Liao’s face as he replied respectfully, “Yes, he has refined a lot of artifacts for the Feudal Lords over the years.”
Hei Yuan had been recuperating in the Black Ink Nest since his return, and he had never come into contact with anyone else. Despite that, he was still aware of all this information thanks to the Black Ink Nest.
The realm built on the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness was where the Feudal Lords would communicate with each other. Certainly, these exchanges couldn’t be hidden from the primary Black Ink Nest’s owner. In other words, as long as Hei Yuan wanted to, he could monitor all the conversations that took place within that domain while he was recuperating inside his Black Ink Nest.
Many Feudal Lords were aware that Yang Kai was an Artifact Refiner, so they would certainly talk about it. It was expected that Hei Yuan would become aware of this fact.
Furthermore, Gui Liao knew that this fact couldn’t be hidden from Hei Yuan, so he never attempted to do so.
“The Feudal Lords seem to be pleased with the artifacts he’s made. What do you think about his skills in Artifact Refining?” Hei Yuan asked.
Gui Liao replied, “I have no idea how the Humans classify the skills of an Artifact Refiner, but I think that he’s fairly talented in Artifact Refining. The artifacts made by him are just as good as the ones owned by the Humans. With those artifacts in possession, the Feudal Lords have enjoyed varying degrees of increase in their strengths. This will help them tremendously when they go to war.”
Hei Yuan nodded lightly, “Since you’ve said as much, it must mean he’s truly skilful in Artifact Refining.”
He couldn’t help but be surprised. It never crossed his mind that the Black Ink Disciple he had taken on was a valuable Artifact Refiner. The reason he decided to personally corrupt Yang Kai was that the latter had showcased exceptional combat strength back then.
Other than being powerful, Yang Kai was also an expert in Artifact Refining. It seemed that Hei Yuan had accidentally picked up a treasure.
A few years ago, he lost the resource harvesting area to the enemy, and many of his soldiers were killed during the war, so the Royal Lord would definitely punish him. As a Territory Lord, Hei Yuan wouldn’t be slapped with a serious punishment; a part of his territory would be taken from him at most. However, he wouldn’t want to see that happen.
Nevertheless, he could probably make up for the losses by presenting a skilled Artifact Refiner to the Royal Lord.
Certainly, he would feel heartbroken letting such a talented person go, but since Yang Kai was an Artifact Refiner, he would have to take part in that plan. Regardless of whether Hei Yuan wanted to make up for his losses or not, he couldn’t keep Yang Kai by his side; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to bear the Royal Lord’s wrath.
“Where is he now?” Hei Yuan asked all of a sudden.
Gui Liao replied honestly, “He’s in Zha Gu’s place. There’s a dead Great Sun Star that is useful for him to refine artifacts with.”
“Tell him to come over and see me now.”
“Yes.”
Four hours later, Yang Kai, who was refining an artifact, realised that the restriction was touched, which caused him to frown. Over the years, Zha Gu’s subordinate would always wait outside of the restriction instead of triggering it, so this behaviour was a little unusual.
Moreover, he could sense that the person triggering the restriction was none other than Zha Gu himself.
Yang Kai initially decided to ignore him; after all, he was in the final stage of refining the artifact he was working on and it would be completed in just three to five days.
Zha Gu waited for a bit, but upon seeing that the restriction was not open, he directly broke it and entered.
The restriction Yang Kai had set up was a simple one, not something powerful, so it was easy for a Feudal Lord like Zha Gu to break it.
This caused Yang Kai to be disturbed and the artifact in his hands that was about to take shape became contorted.
After taking a glance at it, Zha Gu knew that the artifact must have been ruined because of what he had done; however, that was the least of his concerns now as he promptly said, “Sir Territory Lord has left the Black Ink Nest, Brother Yang. He wants to see you now.”
“Sir has left the Black Ink Nest?” Yang Kai was surprised. Previously, Zha Gu told him that it would only happen after a year or two, but only half a year had passed since then.
However, since Hei Yuan wanted to see him, there was no way Yang Kai could tarry; after all, he was technically Hei Yuan’s Black Ink Disciple.
“I’ll set off immediately then. What about this artifact?” Yang Kai turned to look at the warped artifact.
Zha Gu replied, “It’s fine. I’ll pay for the loss. Don’t worry about it.”
“Sorry for the trouble then, Brother Zha Gu.” Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Since I’m going back to Sir Territory Lord’s side, I guess I won’t have a chance to work with you and refine artifacts again. Please take care of yourself. We’ll definitely meet again if there’s a chance. Farewell!”
“I’ll see you off,” Zha Gu said.
A moment later, they dashed out of the Great Sun Star together. After flying alongside Yang Kai for a while, Zha Gu stopped in his tracks and fished out a Space Ring, “Many thanks for your hard work, Brother Yang. It’s been a pleasure cooperating with you over the years. Please take this little gift that I’ve prepared.”
“There’s no need for this…” Yang Kai was ready to turn him down.
Nevertheless, Zha Gu directly stuffed the ring into his hands, “I’ve earned quite a few Black Ink Coins over the years thanks to your skills. You’re the one who has been working hard, and there’s nothing much I can help you with. This is what you deserve, so don’t turn me down.”
“Since you’ve said so much, I’ll accept it. Many thanks.”
“Farewell,” Zha Gu waved his hand. It seemed that he wasn’t willing to part with him.
Yang Kai cupped his fist and left the place.
As Zha Gu watched him leave, he let out a long sigh. Over the years, he had earned about 1.5 million Black Ink Coins thanks to Yang Kai. That was the amount of money he made in less than 10 years. A Human Artifact Refiner like Yang Kai was simply a money tree to him.
Certainly, he wasn’t willing to let him go.
However, he wouldn’t dare to disobey the Territory Lord’s order. He probably would never have a chance to make easy money like this again.
It was expected that he was heartbroken and disappointed.
A long time after Yang Kai’s figure was out of sight, Zha Gu forced himself to turn around and return to his territory. Fortunately, his Fief was on the right track now, and the Black Ink Nest was fully hatched. He had the capital to gain a footing, which was unlike in the past when he had the title and power of a Feudal Lord, but not the wealth and influence to match it.
After leaving Zha Gu’s place, Yang Kai looked into the Space Ring given to him and realised that there were only 10,000 Black Ink Coins in it.
He couldn’t help but break into laughter, thinking that Zha Gu was truly stingy.
Although he wasn’t aware of the exact amount Zha Gu charged the other Feudal Lords as he had been focused on refining artifacts over the years, he at least knew that Zha Gu wasn’t being honest with him.
When he started refining artifacts for Zha Gu back then, the latter was broke, so how did Zha Gu get 500,000 Black Ink Coins to buy a sub-nest in just three years and even purchase a lot of resources to hatch it?
Yang Kai was clearly the one who helped him earn that money. In other words, the price Zha Gu told him was a bald-faced lie. He must have been charging far more than 10,000 Black Ink Coins per artifact.
Despite knowing all of that, Yang Kai didn’t intend to settle accounts with him. Black Ink Coins were useless to him. He just wanted to make himself known as a competent Artifact Refiner.
Fortunately, everything was going according to plan. Yang Kai was glad that after accepting this task in Blue Sky Pass back then, he spent the next 10 years studying the Dao of Artifact Refining; otherwise, he wouldn’t know where to start after arriving in the Black Ink Clan’s domain.
Since Hei Yuan had left the Black Ink Nest, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling apprehensive as it was now the most critical moment.
One day later, Yang Kai arrived at the castle on the universe fragment and soon, he was granted an audience with Hei Yuan.
Inside the Grand Hall, Yang Kai finally saw Hei Yuan again after eight years.
After saluting him, Yang Kai stood respectfully in front of him. He could feel that Hei Yuan was examining him. On the other hand, Gui Liao was just standing beside Hei Yuan in a subservient manner, no longer displaying any haughtiness.
“Your Small Universe has fully healed?” Hei Yuan suddenly asked.
Gui Liao, who had been standing there in silence, suddenly lifted his gaze and glanced at Yang Kai. He had never expected this to be the first question Hei Yuan asked Yang Kai.
In fact, this matter had something to do with him. He could do whatever he wanted when Hei Yuan wasn’t around; however, since Hei Yuan was here, he was worried that Yang Kai would say something that would put him in an unfavourable position.
Yang Kai happened to look at him as well, and as their eyes met, Gui Liao felt his chest tightening.
He suddenly had a bad premonition!
Just as expected, Yang Kai grinned at him and cupped his fist, “Master, I asked Zha Gu to help me buy a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit previously. After acquiring it, I managed to heal my Small Universe.”
Upon hearing that, Hei Yuan frowned, “Why did you ask Zha Gu to help you buy a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit? Didn’t I tell Gui Liao to get you one before entering the Black Ink Nest?”
Yang Kai replied impassively, “You’ll have to ask Sir Gui Liao about that.”
Hei Yuan instantly turned to look at Gui Liao.
Gui Liao turned around and saluted Hei Yuan before explaining, “Sir, as you know, it is difficult to acquire Profound Yin Spirit Fruits. After you started recuperating, I did my best to look for one, but was regretfully unsuccessful in short order. Because of that, Yang Kai might have misunderstood my intentions. After asking for the Spirit Fruit several times but to no avail, he got into a conflict with my Black Ink Disciple, Liu Zi An. I punished them respectively. After that, Yang Kai became furious and left the castle. It wasn’t until you summoned him that he returned.”
“Is that the case?” Hei Yuan frowned.
Yang Kai replied dispassionately, “I’m not sure if Sir Gui Liao had done his best to look for the Spirit Fruit; however, after I went to Zha Gu’s place and promised that I would refine two artifacts for him, he obtained a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit for me within three days.”
Gui Liao explained, “That was when the Profound Yin Spirit Fruits became available in the territory. I seized the chance and bought one, thinking that I’d give it to you when you came back, but you didn’t seem to have the intention of returning.”
Upon finishing his words, he fished out a box from his Space Ring and opened it. There was a Profound Yin Spirit Fruit sitting inside it.
Yang Kai widened his eyes and secretly cursed at him, thinking that Gui Liao must have prepared it beforehand.
Gui Liao sighed, “You never showed up, and I didn’t know where you were. It wasn’t until a long time later that I found out you had been refining artifacts in Zha Gu’s place, and your Small Universe had fully recovered.”
At that instant, Yang Kai was lost for words despite feeling aggrieved. He initially wanted to expose Gui Liao to Hei Yuan, but he hadn’t expected that this guy had already come up with an immaculate explanation. Now, he was in a dilemma.
After pulling himself together, Yang Kai adjusted and said, “In that case, I must have misunderstood you, Sir Gui Liao. Please accept my apology.”
“It’s fine. You are Sir Territory Lord’s Black Ink Disciple. Since it was his order, I would definitely do my best to execute it.” Gui Liao emphasized his loyalty to Hei Yuan.
Hei Yuan wasn’t willing to waste his time dealing with such a minor issue, so he waved his hand and said, “Since it’s a misunderstanding, let’s end this matter here. Now that your Small Universe is complete, you won’t face any issues when cultivating.”
Gazing at Yang Kai, he changed the topic by saying, “You’re an expert in Artifact Refining?”
Yang Kai replied respectfully, “I wouldn’t dare to say that I’m an expert in Artifact Refining; I simply know a thing or two about it.”
Hei Yuan nodded lightly and extended his hand towards Gui Liao, who got the hint and hurriedly fished out a lance from his Space Ring before shuffling towards Yang.
“Did you make this artifact?” Hei Yuan asked.
After taking the lance, Yang Kai examined it and recognised that it was an artifact he made. Furthermore, if he wasn’t mistaken, it was the first artifact he crafted after he followed Zha Gu to his new Fief.
Although he had crafted quite a number of artifacts over the years, there wasn’t an overwhelming number of them; therefore, he could remember every piece distinctly. This lance was one of the artifacts he was tasked to refine at that time, together with an Artifact Armour that could cover the upper half of the body.
As he recalled the customer’s demands and the specifications of the Artifact Armour, Yang Kai instantly realised that Gui Liao was the patron who wanted him to make the lance and Artifact Armour.
It seemed that Gui Liao had already come into contact with Zha Gu at that point in time. The reason Zha Gu could obtain his new Fief might even have something to do with Gui Liao.
Yang Kai stopped pondering on it and nodded, “I was the one who made it.”
Upon hearing that, Hei Yuan became energised, “How long did it take you to make it?”
Yang Kai replied, “About two months.”
Hei Yuan’s eyes brightened, “It only took you two months to make such an artifact. It seems that you really are skilful in Artifact Refining.”
“Many thanks for your praise, Master. According to Human standards, I am barely qualified to be called a Great Master when it comes to my skills in Artifact Refining. This is already the best I can make.”
“It’s already incredible that you’re able to refine such artifacts. I’m sure you’re aware that due to the Black Ink Clan’s unique powers, we’re not proficient in Artifact Refining. Therefore, it’s difficult for us to get artifacts that suit us. That’s why Human Artifact Refiners are valued highly among the Black Ink Clan.”
To the side, Gui Liao smiled and nodded, “You’re right, Sir. Great Master Artifact Refiners like Yang Kai are even rarer. Given enough time to grow, he’ll be able to create even better artifacts.”
Hei Yuan looked fervently at Yang Kai, “If I want you to focus on crafting artifacts, how much do you think you can improve on your Artifact Refining skills?”
“Focus on crafting artifacts?” Yang Kai appeared bewildered, “Master, please understand that the Dao of Artifact Refining is just a hobby of mine. I hope that I can focus on Martial Dao so that I will be able to assist you out on the battlefield.”
A gratified Hei Yuan nodded, “That’s very thoughtful of you; however, what if I insist that you focus on the Dao of Artifact Refining?”
Without hesitation, Yang Kai replied, “Since it is your order, Master, I will definitely obey it. However…”
“Go on,” Hei Yuan said.
“I do not have an exceptional aptitude in the Dao of Artifact Refining. Regardless of how hard I try, at best I will become a Grandmaster in the future. There is no possibility I can become a Great Grandmaster.”
“You have a chance to become a Grandmaster?” Hei Yuan’s eyes lit up as he laughed, “Wonderful!”
A hesitant Yang Kai asked, “Do you need me to make any artifacts for you, Master? If that is the case, I shall do my best not to disappoint you.”
“I do need you to refine an artifact for me, but…” Hei Yuan caught himself and paused for a moment, “Go back and get some rest first. You will accompany me somewhere in a few days.”
Despite appearing puzzled, Yang Kai saluted him and left the hall.
After he was gone, Gui Liao asked, “Are you bringing him to the Royal City, Sir?”
An excited Hei Yuan nodded, “Yes. The Royal Lord has already given the order that whenever we find Human Artifact Refiners in our territories, we have to send them to the Royal City. I’ve told you the reason behind it, so I’m sure you still remember it.”
“Yes,” Gui Liao replied respectfully, “How is the Royal Lord’s plan progressing, Sir?”
At the mention of this, Hei Yuan appeared worried, “It’s not going well. Although some prototypes have been made, they’re weak and unreliable, totally incomparable to the Warships owned by the Humans. That’s why they desperately need skilled Artifact Refiners. Yang Kai is a Great Master now, and he might grow to become a Grandmaster one day. Perhaps he won’t be able to take charge of the plan, but he can surely help out in some important parts. Someone like him is exactly what the Royal Lord needs.”
Hei Yuan then let out a sigh, “It’s a shame. He was quite strong after all.”
The reason he personally corrupted Yang Kai back then was that the latter had showcased exceptional combat power; however, compared to Yang Kai’s strength, the Royal Lord’s plan was definitely more important. Hei Yuan had no choice but to let him go.
Yang Kai was told to wait for a few days before leaving with Hei Yuan. Although he pretended to be perplexed, he knew that his plans were progressing smoothly.
He reckoned that Hei Yuan was bringing him to see the Royal Lord.
This made him feel both excited and anxious. He was excited because everything was going according to plan. If nothing unexpected happened, he would soon figure out who were the Human Artifact Refiners were that made artifacts for the Black Ink Clan as well as their whereabouts.
On the other hand, he was anxious because it wasn’t easy to deal with a Royal Lord, who was as powerful as a Ninth-Order Old Ancestor. Faced with such a being, he wouldn’t dare to say that he wouldn’t be exposed.
When he was in the Royal City on his own, once his identity was exposed, he wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences.
Instead of idling in the castle, Yang Kai headed to the city.
Over the years, the main reason he worked with Zha Gu to refine artifacts was that he wanted to make himself known as an expert in Artifact Refining and attract Hei Yuan’s attention. At the same time, he had also accumulated quite a lot of Black Ink Coins.
For every artifact he made, he received 7,000 Black Ink Coins. Over the past seven to eight years, he had made about 50 artifacts and had thus earned more than 300,000 Black Ink Coins.
In fact, the purchasing power of Black Ink Coins was incredible. Based on the conversion rate, 300,000 Black Ink Coins would be equivalent to 3 billion Open Heaven Pills. Although Black Ink Coins were useless to Yang Kai, he could use them to purchase cultivation resources.
This was the first time he brought so much money with him and bought things in the city, so he was curious about everything. There were quite a number of Black Ink Disciples in the city, but they all followed behind their Masters. He was the only Black Ink Disciple who was on his own, which was why he caught the attention of many Black Ink Clansmen.
Although they were curious, they wouldn’t dare to do anything to him upon detecting his Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation.
The person who could corrupt a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had to be a Territory Lord at the very least; furthermore, they heard that the ruling Territory Lord here had taken on a Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple recently. Perhaps this Human was that Black Ink Disciple. Certainly, no one would dare to have their eyes on the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Disciple.
There were a lot of shops in the city, and after visiting several of them, Yang Kai realised that the Black Ink Clan possessed a truly massive amount of cultivation resources.
After giving it a thought though, he realised that this wasn’t surprising. The Black Ink Battlefield was vast, and the Black Ink Clan occupied most of it. There were countless Universe Worlds in those territories that could be mined; hence, they were not lacking cultivation resources.
This was starkly different from the situation that the Humans were in. They would only be able to snatch some resource-harvesting areas and extract the resources there for a short period of time after defeating the Black Ink Clan’s Army. After the Black Ink Clan was done recuperating, the Humans would have to give up those resource-harvesting areas.
This kind of cycle never ended.
With that said, the Black Ink Clan were unable to directly refine these resources to cultivate; instead, they had to throw them into the Black Ink Nests, which would produce Black Ink Strength. It was only then that the Black Ink Clansmen could make use of Black Ink Strength.
The resources that the Human cultivators yearned for couldn’t be directly used by the Black Ink Clansmen; therefore, these resources were surprisingly affordable in this Black Ink Clan city.
The 300,000 Black Ink Coins that Yang Kai had were worth 3 billion Open Heaven Pills. If he were in a city run by the Humans, he would use up all the money purchasing two or three sets of Seventh-Order materials.
Nevertheless, in this city, he managed to buy more than 10 sets of Seventh-Order materials with his Black Ink Coins. The difference between the purchasing powers of these two currencies was astonishing.
Yang Kai suddenly felt regretful, thinking that he should have gotten some Black Ink Coins from Zhong Liang and the others when he was in Blue Sky Pass back then.
The Humans from the various Great Passes had amassed a staggering amount of Black Ink Coins over the years, all of which were collected from the battlefield after they defeated the Black Ink Clan over the years.
They would pick up Black Ink Coins from the dead Black Ink Clansmen, but the money was useless to them, so they would just pile them up.
Over the years, Blue Sky Pass had probably amassed trillions of Black Ink Coins. If Yang Kai had brought those Black Ink Coins with him, he could’ve snapped up all the resources in Hei Yuan’s territory.
Certainly, it would cause a commotion if Yang Kai really did so. He just regretted that he hadn’t brought a few million Black Ink Coins with him; otherwise, he could’ve purchased a fair amount of resources without being noticed.
More than 10 sets of Seventh-Order material were nothing compared to his total wealth, but he could refine them without worrying about getting caught.
This was the reason he left the castle to purchase resources; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself when Hei Yuan saw him refining resources.
Without staying for a long time, he used up his Black Ink Coins and returned to the castle to start cultivating.
A few days later, Hei Yuan finally summoned him.
Above an empty square in the middle of the castle, a large ship was hovering in mid-air. More than 100 Black Ink Clansmen were ready to board the ship with Hei Yuan, including Yang Kai.
This large ship wasn’t a Warship; it was just a flight-type artifact. Given Yang Kai’s mastery of Artifact Refining, it would only take him some time to craft a similar ship; however, it would take him a longer time and more energy to build one than make an ordinary artifact.
Over the years, none of the Feudal Lords that were his customers had asked him to make a flight-type artifact. To the Feudal Lords, artifacts that could save their lives or kill the enemies were far more important than flight-type artifacts. Furthermore, the materials used to build a flight-type artifact were more expensive than the ones used for making an ordinary artifact.
“I will return from the Royal City soon. After I’m gone, you will manage the affairs in the territory,” Hei Yuan said to Gui Liao.
“Don’t worry, Sir. I’ll handle everything well,” Gui Liao replied respectfully.
Hei Yuan went on to say, “When I come back, I’ll let you enter the Black Ink Nest so that you can become a Territory Lord. You’ve accumulated enough over the years to do so.”
In an instant, Gui Liao became agitated, “Many thanks, Sir Territory Lord! I’ll not disappoint you!”
Hei Yuan nodded lightly, then said to the Black Ink Clansman who was responsible for controlling the large ship, “Let’s go.”
Following his order, the ship hummed and rose into the sky. After turning in a different direction, it transformed into a ray of light and left the place at the speed of lightning.
On the deck, Hei Yuan stared out at the void and fell into his thoughts.
Yang Kai just stood silently behind him in a subservient manner.
“I rarely turn Humans. The last time I did so was 2,000 years ago. The Black Ink Disciple I corrupted at that time was just like you. He was strong,” Hei Yuan suddenly said.
Yang Kai had no idea what the other man was trying to say. Although it seemed like a small talk, he didn’t think a Territory Lord would waste his time in such a way. Hence, he decided to remain silent so that he wouldn’t say anything wrong.
“He had followed me for 1,000 years and made a lot of contributions. Unfortunately… he was killed on the battlefield in the end.” Hei Yuan sighed, “Theoretically, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master is equivalent to a Feudal Lord; however, a Seventh-Order Human will always be stronger than ordinary Feudal Lords. The strongest ones are even able to wound newly promoted Territory Lords.”
Yang Kai explained, “The cultivation of Humans is all about accumulation. Even if two people are both in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, there might be a difference of several thousand years of cultivation between them; hence, there is a huge gap in power between them.”
Hei Yuan nodded, “It’s all about accumulation for the Humans, and it’s the same case for the Black Ink Clan; however, in general, it takes a shorter time for the Black Ink Clan to mature than the Humans. Moreover, all our ascensions rely on the Black Ink Nests. Perhaps that is the reason the individual power of the Black Ink Clan is weaker than that of the Humans.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was startled, “I’ve never thought about it before.”
Without turning his head, Hei Yuan said with a smile, “The Humans rely on themselves to break through while the Black Ink Clan have to make use of external aids to do so. That’s the difference between us. However, Humans are not comparable to us when it comes to population. We have an infinite supply of soldiers while there’s only a limited number of Human cultivators in each Great Pass. Despite that, rarely has any Great Pass been conquered over the years. Sometimes, I can’t help but admire the Humans’ determination and perseverance.”
Yang Kai sensitively caught a piece of important information in Hei Yuan’s words, “Sir, you said rarely any Great Pass has been conquered before. Does that mean it has happened before?”
Hei Yuan turned to look at him and asked curiously, “Don’t you know about it?”
[It really happened before?] Yang Kai felt his heart sinking. While remaining calm, he shook his head, “I’ve never heard about it. In fact, it’s only been a short time since I arrived at this battlefield.”
Hei Yuan nodded gently, “It indeed happened a long time ago. The Humans must be ashamed of this incident, so they naturally wouldn’t spread it. Perhaps they’ve erased all records of it.”
“Which of the Great Passes had been conquered before?” Yang Kai knew that as a Black Ink Disciple, he shouldn’t have asked so many questions. Nevertheless, he couldn’t suppress his curiosity.
“It happened so long ago that I can no longer remember it. Let me think… I believe it was called the Great Evolution Pass. Yes, it was the Great Evolution Pass.”
[Great Evolution Pass… Great Evolution Paradise!]
Yang Kai was shaken to the core.
The Great Passes were basically named after the Cave Heavens and Paradises. At the mention of the Great Evolution Pass, Yang Kai could only think of Great Evolution Paradise.
That was the Paradise where Grandmaster Ma Fan came from. The Good Fortune Divine Furnace that could be used to derive higher-order materials from lower-order ones was one of Great Evolution Paradise’s core inheritances.
Back then, in order to fight for the right to use the Good Fortune Divine Furnace, the Cave Heavens and Paradises haggled with Yang Kai for quite some time.
Great Evolution Paradise was removed from the 72 Paradises, and Grandmaster Ma Fan was just a remnant of Great Evolution Paradise.
Yang Kai had always been curious about what kind of crisis such a Paradise faced to cause its downfall.
Now, it seemed that it had something to do with the fact that the Great Evolution Pass was conquered on the Black Ink Battlefield. However, other than the Old Ancestors, no one else seemed aware of what had happened in the past. Even Grandmaster Ma Fan himself seemed unaware of the details. After all, he had never come to the Black Ink Battlefield as he had always been living in the 3,000 Worlds.
“That is the only Great Pass we managed to conquer.” There was a hint of displeasure in Hei Yuan’s tone, “Although we had many chances of conquering other Great Passes in the past, we’d always fail in our attempts in the end. The resilience and persistence of the Humans is inconceivable. You are a Human as well as a Black Ink Disciple, so you surely understand Humans and the Black Ink Clan better than most. Do you know the strengths and weaknesses of the two Races?”
Yang Kai was caught off guard as he was suddenly asked such a question, but after giving it a thought, he replied, “Just like what Master has said, the Black Ink Clan have an unlimited supply of soldiers while there is a limited number of Human cultivators. That’s the advantage of the Black Ink Clan. Also, Black Ink Strength is a tricky problem for the Humans. In the past, once they were invaded by Black Ink Strength, they either had to sacrifice a part of their Small Universes or kill themselves on the spot; otherwise, they would be turned into Black Ink Disciples. However, since the Humans invented Purifying Black Ink Pills, the threat of Black Ink Strength has greatly diminished.”
“Indeed.” Hei Yuan snorted, “Purifying Black Ink Pills are being used by the Humans to suppress Black Ink Strength now. If we lose this advantage, it will be useless regardless of how many soldiers we have. The Humans also have Warships. That is their biggest advantage! A Warship is the greatest weapon for both offence and defence. With only a small number of Humans controlling the vessel, it can cause severe casualties on the battlefield. If the Humans never had Warships, they would’ve been destroyed by now.”
Yang Kai played along by saying, “If the Black Ink Clan also had Warships, the Humans wouldn’t be a match for us. Unfortunately, it’s extremely difficult to refine a Warship. Only Great Grandmasters are able to do that. Although I know a thing or two about Artifact Refining, I’ll never be able to make a Warship in my lifetime regardless of how hard I try.”
Hei Yuan turned to look at him and smiled, “While you can’t do it, that doesn’t mean no one else can make it.”
Yang Kai said curiously, “Master, you mean…”
Hei Yuan went on to say, “You’re not the only one who has thought of this idea. In fact, the Royal Lord has been working towards this goal for a long time now. The Black Ink Clan has been trying to create a Warship, and we’ve achieved some success so far.”
Yang Kai instantly appeared shocked, “There’s a Great Grandmaster Artifact Refiner in the Black Ink Clan?”
Hei Yuan shook his head, “I have no idea whether he’s a Great Grandmaster. Perhaps he’s still some distance away from that rank, but he’s certainly approaching it. As time passes, he’ll be able to refine a Warship. That’s the reason I’m bringing you to the Royal City.”
Upon learning his intentions, Yang Kai said, “Master, you want me to help create a Warship?”
Hei Yuan nodded, “You’re a Great Master in Artifact Refining, so you should be able to help out; after all, there are not a lot of Artifact Refiners as capable as you in the Black Ink Clan.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai said, “Since it is your order, this servant will do his utmost to comply.”
Hei Yuan was apparently pleased with his response, “Just do your best when you’re there, and don’t cause trouble. If other Territory Lords have their eyes on you, just tell them you’re my Black Ink Disciple. When you manage to make a name for yourself, you’ll be a great contributor to the Black Ink Clan. I’ll reward you handsomely when the time comes.”
“You flatter me, Master. I will do my best to help.”
While facing away from him, Hei Yuan waved his hand, “We’ll reach the Royal City in a few days. You don’t have to stay here. Go get some rest.”
“Then I will retire to my room,” Yang Kai cupped his fist and stepped backwards before turning around to leave.
After he entered the room assigned to him, Yang Kai sat down with his legs crossed and fished out a set of Seventh-Order materials to cultivate.
Although he already had a speculation about Hei Yuan’s intentions, he hadn’t expected the latter to make them so clear to him while they were on their way to the destination.
After giving it a thought though, he realised that Hei Yuan must have decided to inform him about it in advance so that he wouldn’t be perplexed when they arrived at the Royal City.
Nevertheless, it never crossed Hei Yuan’s mind that it was exactly Yang Kai’s intention to sneak into the core of the Black Ink Clan’s territory.
Everything was going well, and if nothing unexpected happened, after they arrived at the Royal City, Hei Yuan would recommend Yang Kai to take part in the Warship refining project. By then, it would be easy for Yang Kai to gather information.
Having said that, there was one thing that troubled him.
How was he going to relay the information he had gathered back to Yin-Yang Pass?
It wasn’t that those from Yin-Yang Pass had neglected this issue per se, but while he could pretend to be a Black Ink Disciple and sneak into this place, sending information back remained a difficult problem. Those from Yin-Yang Pass were simply unable to solve this problem. They only told Yang Kai to come up with a way to send the information to them.
Yang Kai had been racking his brain for a long time, but he still couldn’t come up with a solution, and it was now giving him a headache.
A few days later, Yang Kai was cultivating when he felt the large ship shaking a little and decelerating.
Following that, a Black Ink Clansman was heard shouting from the deck, “Get ready! We’re about to reach the Royal City!”
Yang Kai put away his resources and dashed towards the deck. As he looked in the direction where the large ship was headed, a gigantic universe fragment came into his sight.
Hei Yuan’s territory was also a large universe fragment, but it paled compared to the one before his eyes. The universe fragment where the Royal City was located was ten times larger than Hei Yuan’s territory.
At the sight of it, Yang Kai was astonished.
It had to be noted that a universe fragment was basically the result of a Universe World breaking apart. Just by looking at the size of this universe fragment, Yang Kai could imagine how colossal the Universe World must have been when it was whole.
This must have originally been a flourishing World, but now, there was only a universe fragment left, and it was engulfed in thick Black Ink Strength all year long.
As the large ship drew nearer, a massive Black Ink Nest came into view. Despite the fact that the universe fragment was covered in dense Black Ink Strength, it still couldn’t conceal the magnificent nest. Looking at the unimaginably large object, Yang Kai was flabbergasted.
Zha Gu had told him about the different ranks of Black Ink Nests, so he was aware that this was supposed to be the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest, which was a High-Rank Nest.
On the other hand, Zha Gu’s was just a Low-Rank Black Ink Nest. Despite being the lowest rank Black Ink Nest, it could produce more than 1,000 Black Ink Clansmen at any given time as long as enough resources were provided to it.
The Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest in front of them was several dozen times larger than Zha Gu’s Black Ink Nest. Sitting on the universe fragment, the Black Ink Nest looked like an insurmountable mountain.
Given enough resources, such a Black Ink Nest would undoubtedly be able to produce several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clansmen at once.
Black Ink Nests were the foundation of the Black Ink Clan, and this one was also the centre of the entire Royal City.
With the Black Ink Nest as the centre, the vast area surrounding it made up the Royal City.
Before the large ship even got closer to the universe fragment where the Royal City was located, Yang Kai detected a powerful aura that examined them. The person was obviously a Territory Lord who was responsible for keeping the Royal City safe.
Hei Yuan was just standing on the bow as he revealed a bit of his aura.
Soon, the other aura retracted as the person verified Hei Yuan’s identity.
Without the need for any instructions, the large ship flew in a particular direction towards the Royal City. They soon arrived at a square where more than 100 ships of different sizes were anchored. All of them were much larger than the ships owned by the Humans.
Nevertheless, these large ships were apparently made by Human Artifact Refiners. Yang Kai was a fairly skilled Artifact Refiner now, so he could easily figure this out. These large ships were specifically made for the Black Ink Clan by the Human Artifact Refiners.
“All of you, stay here. I’ll see the Royal Lord now,” Hei Yuan said to his subordinates and left the ship.
While standing on the deck, Yang Kai fell into a dazed state.
He initially thought that Hei Yuan would bring him to see the Royal Lord, so he had been apprehensive all along; after all, he wasn’t sure if the Royal Lord had any special skills that would allow him to see through his deception. If that was the case, he would lose his life before achieving his goal.
However, Hei Yuan apparently didn’t have the intention of bringing him to see the Royal Lord. This allowed Yang Kai to feel relieved.
After giving it a thought, he realised that even though he could be considered a treasure as he was a Great Master Artifact Refiner, he still wasn’t important enough to see the Royal Lord directly. It was expected that Hei Yuan wouldn’t bring him along.
Since Yang Kai didn’t have to face the Royal Lord just yet, he set his mind at ease.
Hei Yuan headed towards the giant Black Ink Nest, and he was soon out of sight. Yang Kai looked around and realised that the Black Ink Clansmen who had tagged along all sported solemn expressions. While standing upright, they stared at the Black Ink Nest in a respectful manner.
Besides them, the Black Ink Clansmen staying on the other large ships were in a similar state.
It seemed that the Black Ink Clansmen especially revered the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest.
According to Zha Gu, the Black Ink Nest in the Royal City was the source of all Black Ink Nests in the Yin-Yang Theatre. All the Territory Lords’ Black Ink Nests were bred from this one, and the many Low-Rank Black Ink Nests were then bred from those Territory Lord Black Ink Nests.
Innumerable Black Ink Clansmen were born from the Black Ink Nests of different ranks. Basically, the Black Ink Nest in the Royal City was the source of their lives. That was why they revered this particular Black Ink Nest while they were here.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but fall into his thoughts, [Where is the source of the Royal Lord Black Ink Nests? It is not likely for them to have appeared out of thin air. I asked Zha Gu about it, but he was unable to answer my question.]
All Zha Gu knew was that a Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest was the highest rank one; however, Yang Kai didn’t think that was true. Perhaps there were some secrets that even many of the Black Ink Clansmen were unaware of.
It wasn’t certain how long the meeting between Hei Yuan and the Royal Lord would last, and since Yang Kai was bored, he thought about taking a stroll around the Royal City. However, he wasn’t familiar with this place, so he was worried that he might invite some trouble; after all, his identity as a Human was conspicuous. Furthermore, he had used up all his Black Ink Coins. Even if he came across any good things, he wouldn’t have the money to buy them; therefore, he decided to give up on the idea.
He thus shuffled into the cabin and fished out his resources to continue cultivating.
This went on for a few days.
Finally, there came a moment when he felt Hei Yuan’s aura descending on the deck, so he hurriedly left the cabin.
Hei Yuan was indeed standing on the deck; however, though he was on his own when he left the ship, when he returned, he had another Black Ink Clansman with him.
The Black Ink Clansman was a Feudal Lord, but his aura was more ample than any Feudal Lord Yang Kai had seen before.
Yang Kai saluted Hei Yuan respectfully, “Master.”
“Him?” The unfamiliar Black Ink Clansman looked down at Yang Kai and examined him.
Hei Yuan replied, “Yes, it’s him.”
The Black Ink Clansman nodded, “I’ll take him from here, then. I hope he’s as skilful in Artifact Refining as you’ve described him to be, Sir Hei Yuan.”
Hei Yuan said, “Why would I lie to the Royal Lord?”
Then, he beckoned to Yang Kai, “Yang Kai!”
“Master,” Yang Kai stepped forward.
Like a Senior to him, Hei Yuan instructed, “You will follow him. Remember what I told you before? Don’t tarnish my reputation while you are here.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Don’t worry, Master. I will do my utmost to serve you.”
A satisfied Hei Yuan nodded and turned to look at the Feudal Lord, “You can take him away now.”
The Black Ink Clansman then activated his Black Ink Strength and engulfed Yang Kai with it. After turning into a cloud of black fog, he shot into the sky. He didn’t even bid Hei Yuan farewell before he left.
Nevertheless, Hei Yuan didn’t mind it. Although he was a Territory Lord, the other person was a personal guard of the Royal Lord. There was no doubt that he was weaker than Hei Yuan now, but he would be on an equal footing in the future.
Everything was going well; initially, after he was defeated in the previous battle and lost the resource harvesting area to the Humans a few years ago, Hei Yuan was supposed to be punished. However, after he recommended Yang Kai to the Royal Lord, the latter didn’t even reprimand him, just like he had expected. The Royal Lord only gave him a warning and told the personal guard to come to this place with Hei Yuan and take Yang Kai away.
Since the matter had been settled, Hei Yuan decided to leave. He then told the person controlling the large ship to set off and return to his territory.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was engulfed in thick Black Ink Strength and dragged along by the Black Ink Clansman at the speed of lightning.
As he was covered in the Black Ink Strength, it was hard for him to identify the exact direction they were travelling, though he had a general idea. As time passed, Yang Kai realised that they were actually moving further away from the universe fragment where the Royal City was located.
This astounded him.
They were trying to build a Warship, and this task couldn’t be carried out by only one person, so there must be a lot of Human Artifact Refiners that had been gathered together. Since this was an important matter, the Black Ink Clan must have set up a secure place to conduct research and experiments.
Yang Kai initially thought that such a place must be in the Royal City. That was the speculation of those from Yin-Yang Pass as well. That was why they decided to let him become Hei Yuan’s Black Ink Disciple so that he could move around the Royal City and gather information freely.
Now, it seemed that the place where the Warship was being developed wasn’t in the Royal City.
The revelation made Yang Kai feel elated.
Since the research centre wasn’t in the Royal City, it meant that he didn’t have to directly face the Royal Lord. This was good news to him; after all, the Royal Lord was too powerful.
While they were on the way to their destination, Yang Kai asked probingly, “Where are we going, Sir?”
The Black Ink Clansman apparently didn’t have the intention of answering his question and simply ordered impassively, “Shut up!”
Yang Kai directly kept his mouth shut.
It seemed that it was difficult to deal with this Feudal Lord, for even Hei Yuan had to be polite to him. It was apparent that his identity was special. If Yang Kai was oppressed by him, he wouldn’t have a way to get his revenge.
Just one hour later, the Feudal Lord suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked around, as though he was trying to find something.
Yang Kai scanned the surroundings and soon detected an anomaly somewhere in the Void.
Although that place didn’t look different from the area around it, there was a weak fluctuation of Space Principles. Yang Kai arched his brow; if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a portal over there.
He soon realised what was going on.
The place where the Warship was being developed wasn’t in the Royal City; instead, it was in a Sealed World that would take a person an hour to reach from the Royal City. This was indeed a good arrangement.
As expected, after looking around for a while, the Feudal Lord stared fixedly at the hidden portal. Following that, he fished out a token and infused his power into it before casting a light at that place.
A ripple spread across the void as the light penetrated a barrier and disappeared into another World.
Yang Kai felt his brow twitching. It was apparent to him that this was a Human’s creation. The people who set up a restriction around here and made this access token were definitely Human cultivators.
After the Feudal Lord was done with all that, he waited patiently.
A moment later, a ripple spread across the void as the portal to the Sealed World opened up. Supposedly, someone from the inside had opened it.
When the portal was large enough, the Feudal Lord grasped Yang Kai’s collar and dashed inside.
The view around Yang Kai changed and he realised that he was now inside a Sealed World.
Just like the Sealed Worlds that had been explored before, this one was full of greenery. It was beautiful and refreshing like a spring day.
The portal that led to the outside world was just behind him; however, he felt his skin tightening at that instant. This couldn’t be helped, as he realised that several dozen auras had locked onto him, one of them being particularly fierce.
Looking up, Yang Kai saw that there was a place that looked like a camp in front of him where several dozen Black Ink Clansmen were looking in their direction. The one standing at the front had two horns on his forehead and his burly figure made him look like some kind of two-legged Ox Demon.
Those several dozen auras apparently came from this group. Surprisingly, they were mostly Feudal Lords while the Black Ink Clansman who looked like an Ox Demon was a Territory Lord.
There were many powerful Black Ink Clansmen guarding the portal of this Sealed World, and their leader was a Territory Lord. It went to show how important the Black Ink Clan considered this place.
The Feudal Lord, who led Yang Kai to this place, gazed at the Territory Lord and cupped his fist, “Sir Mei Qiong.”
The Territory Lord named Mei Qiong nodded lightly. Just by taking a glance at Yang Kai, he figured out the latter’s identity, “Found a new Artifact Refiner?”
The Feudal Lord replied, “It was Sir Hei Yuan who found him.”
“Hei Yuan…” Mei Qiong snorted. Perhaps he had some grudges against Hei Yuan. Yang Kai could see a hint of disdain flashing through his face at the mention of Hei Yuan, “What’s his rank?”
The Feudal Lord replied, “According to Sir Hei Yuan, he’s a Great Master Artifact Refiner.”
“A Great Master? Hei Yuan is pretty lucky!” Mei Qiong was surprised; after all, since this plan had been started years ago, all the Black Ink Disciples who knew even a thing or two about Artifact Refining had been gathered here. It was hard to find a Great Master Artifact Refiner in the outside world.
Even in this place, there were only a small number of Great Masters.
“I’ll leave him to you, Sir Mei Qiong. I still have to go back and report the matter to the Royal Lord.”
Mei Qiong nodded, “Good. Just leave him here. You can go back now.”
The Feudal Lord went on to say, “The Royal Lord wants me to tell you and Sir Qing Lei to work harder and complete this task as soon as possible.”
In an instant, Mei Qiong appeared annoyed, “It’s not like Qing Lei and I can accelerate the process in any way. The Human Artifact Refiners are the ones developing it.”
The Feudal Lord asked impassively, “Do you want me to pass on your words to the Royal Lord, Sir?”
Mei Qiong felt his brow twitching. Feeling vexed, he uttered, “Qing Lei and I will work harder to supervise them. Tell the Royal Lord to rest assured.”
It was only then that the Feudal Lord bowed his head and flew towards the portal.
After the portal closed, Mei Qiong turned to look at Yang Kai and sneered, “You’re pretty bold. I hope your skills in Artifact Refining are just as great as your audacity.”
Yang Kai put on a fawning smile as he wouldn’t dare to say anything in front of this overbearing man.
Mei Qiong beckoned to a subordinate and ordered, “Bring him to see Qing Lei.”
“Yes,” Upon receiving the order, the Feudal Lord directly pushed his Black Ink Strength and engulfed Yang Kai with it before flying further into the Sealed World.
Just a moment later, they arrived at a huge valley where there was a Grand Hall in the middle of the mountain wall. There were a lot of Black Ink Clansmen moving around the Grand Hall. The Feudal Lord turned his head and ordered, “Come with me.”
He then shuffled into the Grand Hall; naturally, no one stopped him.
Yang Kai followed him closely.
Soon, they moved across the Grand Hall and arrived at an open-air platform on the other end. There was a well-built figure standing on the platform. Looking down from this position, one could watch over the entire valley.
The Feudal Lord, who led Yang Kai to this place, saluted the well-built figure, “Sir Qing Lei.”
Without turning his head, Qing Lei asked in a deep voice, “The portal of the Sealed World was opened just now?”
Although he was responsible for guarding this place, he was a Territory Lord after all. He certainly could detect that the portal was opened earlier.
The Feudal Lord replied respectfully, “An Artifact Refiner has been sent over from the Royal City.”
Qing Lei turned around and examined Yang Kai before nodding, “What’s his rank?”
“It’s said that he’s a Great Master Artifact Refiner.”
Qing Lei said impassively, “Not bad. Leave him to me.”
“Yes,” the Feudal Lord replied, then left the place respectfully.
Yang Kai stood there silently and waited for Qing Lei to speak to him; however, Qing Lei didn’t seem to have the intention of saying anything to Yang Kai as he remained unmoving.
Yang Kai had no idea what the other man was waiting for. Despite that, he had figured out some important information not long after he arrived in this Sealed World.
There was no doubt that Mu Guang Royal Lord treasured this Sealed World highly. Not only did it require a special token to open the portal, but there were also two Territory Lords guarding this place. One of them was Mei Qiong, who was responsible for guarding the portal, and the other was Qing Lei.
Yang Kai had no idea how many Feudal Lords there were in this place, but he was certain there were a lot of them.
The number of powerful Black Ink Clansmen here showed how cautious Mu Guang was. Although Yang Kai always knew this would be a difficult task, he still felt frustrated at this moment.
He could ignore the Feudal Lords, but it wasn’t easy to do anything without alerting the Territory Lords.
As Yang Kai followed Qing Lei’s gaze, he saw a huge Warship hovering in the middle of the mountain valley.
The size of this Warship was similar to the one he saw in Blue Sky Pass in the past. It was much larger than a typical Warship owned by a Human Squad, similar to the size of a Warship used by a Battalion. The appearance of the Warship was imposing.
Since Yang Kai was unable to get closer, he couldn’t ascertain the capabilities of this Warship; however, it had been 20 years since those from Yin-Yang Pass discovered the first prototype Black Ink Clan Warship, so the newer one must have been improved at least a little.
At this moment, there were a lot of Human Artifact Refiners that had gathered together in this mountain valley. Nevertheless, not every Artifact Refiner had the right to refine this kind of Warship. Most of the Artifact Refiners could be ignored. The most pressing issue for Yang Kai was to find out who was the Artifact Refiner that was in charge of developing the Warship. Only by doing so could he come up with a solution.
All of a sudden, a figure shot into the sky, which caught Yang Kai’s attention.
As he looked intently, he realised that the person was a Human, not a Black Ink Clansman.
The person was an elderly man who was in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm; however, he appeared exhausted, as though he hadn’t taken a break from work for a long time.
The elderly man walked up to Qing Lei and saluted him, “What’s wrong, Sir Qing Lei?”
Qing Lei shot him a dispassionate glance, “Here’s a new Artifact Refiner. Help him settle in.”
It was then that the elderly man noticed Yang Kai, who was behind Qing Lei. Elated, and replied, “Understood!”
Upon finishing his words, he beckoned to Yang Kai, “Come with me.”
Yang Kai nodded and flew towards the mountain valley alongside the elderly man.
Before they landed, the elderly man turned to look at Yang Kai and asked, “What’s your name?”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Yang Kai.”
The elderly man nodded, “So it is Little Brother Yang. You’re already so strong at such a young age. You do have a promising future. By the way, I’m Wu Xing He.”
[Wu Xing He!]
Yang Kai turned serious the moment he heard this name.
Before he left Yin-Yang Pass, Tang Qiu had given him a list of a dozen people who had gone missing on the battlefield. Those from Yin-Yang Pass speculated that they had been corrupted by the Black Ink Clan and turned into Black Ink Disciples. These dozen people had studied Artifact Refining before and shown some talent for it. Of course, when they went missing, they could only be considered novices in Artifact Refining.
However, if they fell into the hands of the Black Ink Clan and started focusing on studying the Dao of Artifact Refining, they would have a chance to grow. Those from Yin-Yang Pass speculated that the person in charge of developing the Warship was one of those people.
Tang Qiu told Yang Kai to pay more attention to the information regarding the people on the list when the latter arrived in the Black Ink Clan’s domain.
Yang Kai had never expected that not long after he entered this Sealed World, he would meet one of the people on the list.
Could this person be the one who was in charge of developing the Warship? Yang Kai was uncertain about it. From the looks of it, even if Wu Xing He wasn’t the most important figure in this project, he wouldn’t be insignificant; otherwise, Qing Lei wouldn’t have told him to help Yang Kai settle in.
Suppressing the emotions in his heart, Yang Kai cupped his fist, “So, it is Senior Wu.”
Wu Xing He glanced at him and chuckled, “We’re both in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, so you don’t have to call me a Senior. Moreover, we’re in the Black Ink Clan now, so we don’t have to comply with the etiquette of the Humans.”
Yang Kai was already used to Human etiquette, and although he was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he could only be considered a rising Star compared to the other much older veteran Seventh-Order Masters.
Upon hearing Wu Xing He’s words though, Yang Kai stopped being overly polite and addressed the older man in a different way, saying, “Senior Brother Wu.”
Wu Xing He replied with a smile, “What’s your rank in Artifact Refining?”
Yang Kai replied honestly, “Great Master.”
“What field are you particularly well-versed in?”
“Personally, I’m good at refining offensive and defensive artifacts. I can build flight-type artifacts as well, but that will take a longer time.”
Upon hearing that, Wu Xing He nodded, “In that case, you shall work with me. I happen to need more people on my side.”
“I shall trouble you from now on then, Senior Brother Wu.”
“No worries.”
By the time they finished speaking, they arrived at the bottom of the mountain valley. Yang Kai looked down and saw many Artifact Refiners working on the Warship. There were also some Feudal Lords walking around that seemed to be supervising them.
Wu Xing He directly led Yang Kai to the edge of the mountain valley where there were a lot of houses. Wu Xing He pointed at those houses and said, “This is where we can get some rest and cultivate. The three houses on the left are empty, so you can choose one of them. Although Black Ink Disciples are considered lowly in the Black Ink Clan, Artifact Refiners like us are treated fairly well. If you need resources to cultivate, you can go over there and get some.”
Then, he pointed at the hall on the side, “Not only are there materials of different Orders, but there are also a lot of Spirit Pills. They’re for us to use.”
Yang Kai was astounded, “It seems that everything is provided for us.”
Wu Xing He replied with a smile, “They’ve prepared everything for us so that we can work harder. It requires a lot of energy to refine artifacts. If we can restore ourselves quickly, we can put more effort into making artifacts. The Black Ink Clan is aware of that.”
Yang Kai nodded to show that he understood what the other man was saying.
“The Black Ink Clan has a lot of resources that are hard to come by on the Humans’ side. In this place, you can get a set of Seventh-Order materials from the Black Ink Clan to cultivate with ease. Of course, you can only get one set at a time, and you can only get another set after refining the ones you have.”
“Since you’re a newcomer, you can get used to the environment first. Look for me tomorrow,” Wu Xing He said, then turned around to leave.
Yang Kai then watched him leave.
After the older man was gone, he shuffled towards the three houses on the left. Wu Xing He said that these three houses were vacant, so Yang Kai could choose one of them at random. He didn’t have any specific demands, so he just chose the one furthest away from him. Upon pushing the door open, he realised that the facilities were quite simple. There was only a table, chair, and bed.
There was also a token on the table. After picking it up, he realised that this was the token that could control the restriction around this house.
He spent some time refining the token, then activated the barrier. This restriction couldn’t be considered powerful as it could only prevent others from eavesdropping or disturbing the one getting some rest in the house. It should be the same for the other houses. Nonetheless, this was enough for the Artifact Refiners here.
Just like Wu Xing He had said, it required a lot of energy to refine artifacts. When they were exhausted, they needed such a place to restore their energy with peace of mind.
After Yang Kai was done with all that, he took a stroll around the mountain valley; then, he found the hall where he could get some resources and entered.
The Black Ink Clansman responsible for managing the resources was a Feudal Lord. Faced with Yang Kai’s request, he didn’t even question him. He directly fished out a set of Seventh-Order materials and passed them to him.
This made Yang Kai feel rueful. It had to be noted that in the Great Passes, it was rare for anyone to refine Seventh-Order materials to cultivate, for there was an acute shortage of resources on the Black Ink Battlefield. Most of the time, even the Eighth-Order Division Commanders couldn’t refine Seventh-Order materials to cultivate.
Of course, the shortage had been alleviated since the introduction of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
Yang Kai had no idea about the circumstances in other Great Passes, but in Blue Sky Pass at least, the Human cultivators could use the best possible resources to cultivate now, provided that they had enough Military Merits.
The structures around the mountain valley were so simple that one could see everything clearly at a glance. Apart from the Warship in the middle of the mountain valley, Yang Kai didn’t find anything that was worth his attention.
After getting what he requested, he returned to his house and cultivated in silence.
He didn’t forget to keep track of the time of course, and the next day, he headed to the Warship following Wu Xing He’s order.
From afar, he could see many people working on the Warship. Fluctuations of energy were seen coming from every corner.
At least 100 people were trying to build this Warship, all of them Artifact Refiners.
Yang Kai had seen Artifact Refiners repairing Warships in Blue Sky Pass, and it was equally bustling at those times; therefore, he wasn’t surprised one bit.
However, that was in the Inner Sanctum, after all. It must have been difficult for the Black Ink Clan to have found so many Artifact Refiners.
Furthermore, there must be more Artifact Refiners who were currently not working on the Warship and were resting.
Upon Yang Kai’s arrival, some Artifact Refiners shot him curious glances, but they soon stopped paying attention to him. He soon found Wu Xing He, who was busy working on the Warship somewhere.
Wu Xing He was apparently refining an offensive artifact with full attention. A flame was seen flickering from his hands. The flame was scorching hot, and Yang Kai couldn’t immediately identify was it was.
All the artifacts on the Warship had to be custom-made and were quite different from the artifacts used by cultivators; after all, the Warship was huge, so the artifacts that had to be installed on the vessel wouldn’t be small. That way, when the artifact, as an Array Node of an offensive array, was activated, it would be powerful and lethal to the enemies on the battlefield.
Yang Kai appeared beside Wu Xing He and greeted him.
Wu Xing He was swamped with work as his forehead was beaded with sweat, so he just nodded and glanced to the side, “You came at the right time. Help me refine these materials. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask Junior Brother Sun Jiu over there.”
Yang Kai turned his head and saw a lot of materials that had been piled up beside Wu Xing He. All of them were precious as they were the materials needed for refining the artifact.
It wasn’t difficult for Yang Kai to refine these materials; therefore, he could be considered Wu Xing He’s assistant now.
He knew that he still wasn’t skilful enough to be directly involved in developing the Warship despite being a Great Master, so it was appropriate that he became Wu Xing He’s assistant. This kind of task was not simple, but it wasn’t critical either. It suited his current rank in the Dao of Artifact Refining.
In fact, he wasn’t the only assistant of Wu Xing He. Before his arrival, there was already a young man who was doing this task. He should be the person named Sun Jiu that Wu Xing He had mentioned. Certainly, Yang Kai already noticed him.
The fluctuations of energy coming from Sun Jiu suggested that he was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. It wasn’t certain which Cave Heaven or Paradise he was from.
Yang Kai cupped his fist at him, “Junior Brother Sun.”
Sun Jiu flashed a smile at him, “You must be Senior Brother Yang.” Apparently, he had heard about Yang Kai from Wu Xing He.
Yang Kai nodded.
While Sun Jiu never stopped working, he asked, “Have you ever taken part in developing a Warship before?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No. In fact, Artifact Refining was just a hobby of mine and I rarely made any artifacts when I was on the Humans’ side.”
Upon hearing that, Sun Jiu nodded, “I see. Why don’t you refine this Seventh-Order Metal Element material first? This task is suitable for you given your cultivation. We’ll need it at a later time.”
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t disagree. He then sat down with his legs crossed and picked up the Seventh-Order Metal Element material. Following that, he fished out his hammer and circulated his power before striking the material with his own technique.
Sun Jiu arched his brow with surprise, “Thousand Tempering Art! Are you from Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven. I learned this Artifact Refining technique from a Senior Brother from Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven.”
Sun Jiu commented, “You’ve fully mastered this technique. That’s why I thought that you’re from Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven.”
“Many thanks for your compliment, but compared to you, I’m still not skilful enough,” Yang Kai replied humbly.
Sun Jiu shook his head with a smile, “I have simply practised a lot. I started focusing on refining artifacts since I came to the Black Ink Clan. It’s been several hundred years since then.”
Yang Kai was surprised. Sun Jiu’s words suggested that he started focusing on refining artifacts after he became a Black Ink Disciple, probably on the Black Ink Clan’s orders.
Therefore, it seemed that the Black Ink Clan had already started preparing to build a Warship several hundred years ago, or perhaps even longer. Otherwise, these Black Ink Disciples couldn’t have achieved so much.
Although Sun Jiu was one Order below Yang Kai, he was also a Great Master Artifact Refiner; furthermore, he was more skilful than him when it came to his mastery of Artifact Refining. This was proven from his way of refining these materials.
According to Yang Kai’s observation, Wu Xing He, who was focused on refining the offensive artifact now, was a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner.
An Artifact Refiner like Wu Xing He was already able to refine High-Rank artifacts. In fact, the one he was crafting was a kind of High-Rank artifact, though it wasn’t certain if he could successfully complete it; after all, it was more difficult to refine an artifact specifically for a Warship than an average High-Rank artifact. It took a talented and experienced Artifact Refiner to achieve this.
Therefore, even a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner might fail in his attempt to craft such an artifact.
Over the following days, Yang Kai continued to assist Wu Xing He, and nothing major happened. Sun Jiu, who worked with him, was a talkative person, so Yang Kai managed to gather a lot of useful information through his conversations with him.
According to Sun Jiu, there were about 300 Artifact Refiners that had gathered together in this mountain valley, with the three of them being Grandmasters.
There were two more Grandmasters apart from Wu Xing He, Wang Si Bo and Guan Ning. Below them, there were 30 Great Master Artifact Refiners. Although the rest of the Artifact Refiners were not talented in Artifact Refining, they were good enough to handle some miscellaneous tasks.
It was this large team that was building a Warship for the Black Ink Clan.
Just like Wu Xing He, Wang Si Bo and Guan Ning were on the list which was given to Yang Kai by Tang Qiu. They were the targets he had to investigate.
During this period of time, Yang Kai came to know more about the capabilities of this Warship.
Compared to the one he saw in Blue Sky Pass, the one before his eyes was indeed a significantly better version. It seemed that the Artifact Refiners here were working hard to improve their skills.
This was terrible news for the Humans.
Fortunately, even though the capabilities of this Warship had been enhanced, it still couldn’t meet the Black Ink Clan’s needs on the battlefield. In other words, this Warship was not good enough, and certainly not comparable to the Warships used by the Humans. Even if it was deployed on the battlefield, its usefulness would be quite limited.
The Warship had been greatly improved in just 20 years though, so if their progress went unhindered, a lot of Warships owned by the Black Ink Clan would appear on the battlefield in the near future. By then, the Humans would be doomed.
Now, Yang Kai had successfully snuck into this place, so he had to come up with a solution to settle the issue here.
In fact, it wasn’t hard to deal with this issue. He could simply kill all three Grandmaster Artifact Refiners like Wu Xing He.
Without these Grandmasters, the development of the Warship would come to a halt. Although the other Artifact Refiners still had room for growth, they couldn’t possibly become Grandmasters. Over the years, the Black Ink Clan had filtered a lot of Black Ink Disciples and only found 300 Artifact Refiners. Most of the Artifact Refiners were not gifted in this Dao, so even if they were allowed to grow, they wouldn’t become Grandmasters.
Killing Wu Xing He and the others could be said to be the simplest way to destroy their plan once and for all. By then, no one could be in charge of developing the Warship, and the threat facing the Humans would be resolved.
However, if Yang Kai did so, his identity would instantly be exposed. There were also two Territory Lords who were monitoring this place, so once he was exposed, he didn’t have the confidence to escape.
Furthermore, Grandmaster Artifact Refiners like Wu Xing He were extremely valuable assets to the Humans too. They only worked for the Black Ink Clan because they had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength. It would be much better to purify them and bring them back rather than kill them.
For the time being, Yang Kai couldn’t think of a perfect solution, nor did he have any idea how he could flee from this place once his identity was exposed; therefore, he could only wait patiently and play it by ear.
Fortunately, the Warship in this place was still not usable, so he had time to come up with a plan.
In the blink of an eye, three years had passed since Yang Kai arrived at this Sealed World.
During this period of time, the Warship was continuously improved. On the other hand, Yang Kai’s skills in Artifact Refining also grew day by day. When he was a newcomer back then, his skills in Artifact Refining were inferior to those of Sun Jiu; however, three years later, he was now a much better Artifact Refiner than the latter.
Although he still wasn’t a Grandmaster, he had grown to be a more accomplished Artifact Refiner than before.
Even though it had something to do with his aptitude and hard work, his conversations with the other Artifact Refiners had helped him grow rapidly as well.
Wu Xing He’s attentive guidance was especially important in this regard.
It should be noted that before Yang Kai left Blue Sky Pass, he had spent 10 years studying Artifact Refining, and his teacher was an Artifact Refining Grandmaster like Chai Hao. During that period of time, Chai Hao selflessly taught Yang Kai all of the Divine Cauldron Cave Heaven’s Secret Techniques in Artifact Refining.
Yang Kai’s knowledge of Artifact Refining was just as great as that of any Grandmaster, what he lacked were practice and experience.
After he arrived at the Black Ink Clan’s domain, he spent 8 years refining artifacts for Feudal Lords. As a result, his skills in Artifact Refining improved tremendously.
Now, he was sent to this Sealed World as he spent his days with a Grandmaster like Wu Xing He and a Great Master like Sun Jiu. It was expected that he would reach greater heights in the Dao of Artifact Refining.
Over the years, Wu Xing He realised Yang Kai’s talent in Artifact Refining and witnessed his growth, so he spent even more time giving him guidance. Even Wang Si Bo and Guan Ning now saw Yang Kai in a different light after observing his performance. Whenever Yang Kai had any questions regarding Artifact Refining, these two Grandmasters would teach him everything they knew.
As Yang Kai intentionally got closer to them, he formed a strong bond with these three Grandmasters over the past three years.
After three years of observation and planning, Yang Kai already had a vague plan in mind. If this plan could be carried out successfully, not only would he be able to crush the Black Ink Clan’s dream of building Warships, he could also escape unscathed.
However, it was difficult to execute this plan, for there were a lot of factors that were beyond his control. A slight problem could completely derail his plan; therefore, even though he already had a plan, he was still waiting for a suitable opportunity.
One day, Yang Kai, who was swamped with work, suddenly looked up and saw a figure flashing across the sky above the mountain valley. The figure was heading towards the Sealed World’s portal.
That figure was none other than Qing Lei, who was responsible for guarding this place.
There were a total of two Territory Lords and about 100 Feudal Lords here, with a large number of High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen accompanying them. One of the Territory Lords, Mei Qiong, was responsible for guarding the portal while Qing Lei was tasked with monitoring the Artifact Refiners who were developing the Warship in the mountain valley.
Basically, Mei Qiong would never leave the portal. On the other hand, even though Qing Lei stayed in the palace above the mountain valley most of the time, he would leave this Sealed World every six months.
Yang Kai had asked Wu Xing He about it, and according to the latter, Mu Guang regarded the development of the Warship extremely highly, so the Royal Lord wanted Qing Lei to head to the Royal City to make a progress report to her every six months.
Every time Qing Lei returned from the Royal City, he would take Wu Xing He and the other Grandmasters to task and urge them to finish perfecting the Warship as quickly as possible. He had probably been reprimanded by the Royal Lord, which led to him venting his anger on these Human Artifact Refiners.
Nevertheless, perfecting a Warship was highly dependent on their skills in Artifact Refining. Although Wu Xing He and the others were Artifact Refining Grandmasters, they were unable to create something as great as the Warships owned by the Humans; therefore, the same scene would repeat itself every six months.
The reason Qing Lei suddenly left his Grand Hall must be that he had to head to the Royal City to report on the progress as usual.
As expected, a moment later, Yang Kai felt a faint fluctuation of Space Principles coming from the portal which soon disappeared.
It must be the movement from opening and closing the portal. The duration was short, so the average Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters might not be able to detect it; however, to a Master in the Dao of Space like Yang Kai, he could easily sense such a fluctuation.
Yang Kai waited for a bit to make sure that Qing Lei was gone before he put down what was in his hands and said to Sun Jiu, “Junior Brother Sun, I’m exhausted. I’m going to rest for a bit.”
Looking up, Sun Jiu saw that Yang Kai’s face was pale, and his aura was weak; therefore, he nodded and replied, “Sure thing, Senior Brother Yang. Just leave it to me.”
Artifact Refiners were treated well in this place; nevertheless, it required a lot of energy to refine artifacts, so the Artifact Refiners would frequently use up their energy and need to rest. Yang Kai’s request wasn’t unusual, so Sun Jiu wasn’t surprised one bit.
“Many thanks, Junior Brother,” Yang Kai said, then leaped off the Warship and flew towards the place where the Artifact Refiners resided.
Instead of returning to his place though, he headed straight to a certain three-storey building.
This was where Wu Xing He resided. As one of the three Artifact Refining Grandmasters, the treatment he received was naturally better than the other Artifact Refiners.
Yang Kai visited this place frequently because he would ask Wu Xing He questions about Artifact Refining from time to time. Half a day ago, Wu Xing He had returned to his home to get some rest as he was exhausted. Now, he should be inside this building.
Despite seeing all this from afar, the Black Ink Clansmen, who were patrolling around the area, didn’t come over and question Yang Kai; instead, they just walked on by.
Yang Kai knocked on the restriction and called out, “Senior Brother Wu!”
Moments later, the restriction around the building was deactivated and Yang Kai pushed the door open and entered.
When he reached the second floor, he saw that Wu Xing He was seated with his legs crossed on his bed. There was a set of Seventh-Order materials around him and the energy fluctuations around him suggested that he was refining those resources.
“Senior Brother Wu!” Yang Kai cupped his fist at him.
Despite being disturbed while getting some rest, Wu Xing He was not annoyed; instead, he looked curiously at Yang Kai and asked, “What’s wrong, Junior Brother Yang?”
Yang Kai replied, “I faced a problem when I was refining a certain material earlier. I wanted to ask you about it.”
Wu Xing He asked, “What kind of problem did you face?”
“The thing is, when I was refining an Eighth-Order Fire Stone, I used the Landslide Technique that you taught me; however, I realised that it slightly damaged the integrity of the Fire Stone. Why is that?”
As he spoke, he shuffled towards Wu Xing He. Seeing that the older man was deep in thought, Yang Kai swiftly manipulated the local Space Principles.
In an instant, space was frozen solid.
Wu Xing He was pondering on Yang Kai’s question when the turn of events took place, so he hadn’t been able to react at all. When he looked up, he saw that Yang Kai had clapped his hands together as a dazzling light came right at him.
A dumbstruck Wu Xing He had never expected that Yang Kai would launch a sneak attack on him and instinctually wanted to resist.
However, he had been resting here because he was exhausted from artifact refining, so he didn’t have much energy to begin with. Furthermore, since he became a Black Ink Disciple, he had been focusing on improving his Artifact Refining skills following the Black Ink Clan’s orders and had not fought with anyone for the past 1,000 years. Therefore, despite being a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was unable to fully utilise his power.
On the other hand, Yang Kai was an experienced fighter whose strength significantly surpassed the other cultivators in the same Order; hence, it was expected that Wu Xing He was unable to counterattack or even resist.
Before Wu Xing He could even condense his World Force, his forehead was slapped by Yang Kai. A horrifying power penetrated his Small Universe and caused him to fall into a dazed state. Following that, the dazzling and pure light completely engulfed him.
A strange sound was then heard. While Wu Xing He was engulfed in the white light, something like a dark fog began leaking from his body and was purified into nothingness.
He appeared to be in pain, but his expression soon became tranquil.
A moment later, Yang Kai retracted his hands and vigilantly paid attention to the surroundings.
After letting Yang Kai in earlier, Wu Xing He reactivated the restriction to prevent anyone from disturbing them; however, Yang Kai was still worried that his actions would attract the Black Ink Clan’s attention.
That was the reason he had to wait for Qing Lei to leave before making a move. Qing Lei was a Territory Lord after all, so if he noticed the anomaly, Yang Kai wouldn’t be a match for him.
Fortunately, Yang Kai acted swiftly and decisively. Only a few breaths of time had passed since he activated Purifying Light; furthermore, he deliberately sealed the surrounding space and made sure that Wu Xing He was unable to resist. Hence, the restriction around the building was not triggered.
[Everything is going well!] Upon making sure that the Black Ink Clan were not alerted, Yang Kai let out a breath.
“Forgive my disrespect, Senior Brother Wu!” Yang Kai apologised to him and sat down cross-legged in front of him.
Presently, Wu Xing He’s face was pale; after all, Yang Kai’s palms did not only contain the Purifying Light, but also his own power, which penetrated Wu Xing He’s Small Universe and caused it to shake. That was how he suppressed Wu Xing He and made sure the latter couldn’t resist.
When Wu Xing He heard the other man’s voice, his vision refocused. While staring fixedly at his face, he said doubtfully, “You…”
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai said, “Senior Brother Wu, what I’m about to tell you might sound inconceivable, but you have to believe that what I’m going to say is true. We don’t have much time left, so I’ll be blunt; first of all, you should know that I was never corrupted by Black Ink Strength, nor am I a Black Ink Disciple. I’m simply pretending to be one.”
“I knew it!” Although Wu Xing He appeared shocked, he was also relieved.
The Black Ink Strength in his Small Universe had been rapidly purified, so the moment he regained his senses as a Human, he suspected that Yang Kai had never been corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
After all, Yang Kai was able to dispel the Black Ink Strength in his body, so there was no way he would be corrupted.
Now, it indeed seemed to be the case. Yang Kai had been pretending to be a Black Ink Disciple, and he had managed to fool the Black Ink Clan.
“What kind of technique was that?” Wu Xing He asked curiously.
“It’s called Purifying Light,” Yang Kai explained, “It could be said to be the nemesis of Black Ink Strength. It’s something that the Humans mastered a few dozen years ago.”
Upon hearing his explanation, Wu Xing He muttered, “It’s no wonder the Black Ink Clan have been talking about there being no new Black Ink Disciples recently. So, that’s the reason.” He paused for a moment and asked, “Can the Purifying Light prevent me from being corrupted again?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No. If you come into contact with Black Ink Strength again, you’ll still be corrupted. Fortunately, there’s no Black Ink Nest in this Sealed World, nor is it filled with Black Ink Strength, so as long as you’re careful enough, you won’t be corrupted by Black Ink Strength.”
Yang Kai was relieved at the fact that the Black Ink Clan had set up their Warship development site in this Sealed World. This gave him room to carry out his plan.
Just like he had said, there was no Black Ink Nest in this Sealed World, nor was it flooded with Black Ink Strength; therefore, as long as Wu Xing He was careful enough, he wouldn’t risk getting corrupted again.
It wouldn’t have been possible in any other Black Ink Clan territory as they were all practically filled with Black Ink Strength. Even if Yang Kai helped dispel the Black Ink Strength in Wu Xing He’s body using Purifying Light, the latter would soon be corrupted again. When that happened, Yang Kai’s identity would be exposed. How could he carry out his plans in such an environment?
“Senior Brother Wu, I’m from Yin-Yang Pass. On the Army Commanders’ orders, I’ve come here to look for Artifact Refiners like you all who are developing the Warship for the Black Ink Clan and make sure that this project fails. On the other hand, you’re the first breakthrough point I’ve selected. I’ll need you to work with me for the following plan. Qing Lei has just left the Sealed World. Based on past experiences, I believe he’ll return in half a day. That’s the amount of time we have.”
There was a solemn expression on Wu Xing He’s face as he asked, “What’s your plan? What do you want me to do?”
Yang Kai replied, “First of all, I need you to lure Senior Brother Wang and Senior Brother Guan to this place. I’ll make a move and purify the Black Ink Strength in their bodies so that they will regain their senses as Humans. Although they’re Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, they’ve been completely focused on Artifact Refining for centuries now so their fighting instincts have grown dull. If we work together and launch a sneak attack on them, there shouldn’t be a problem. Then, I want the three of you to gather all the Artifact Refiners together. I’ll dispel the Black Ink Strength in their bodies at once so that they can recover their true selves.”
Of all the Artifact Refiners, Wu Xing He and the other two were not only Artifact Refining Grandmasters but also Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. The other Artifact Refiners were much weaker. Other than the fact that they were less competent than the three of them when it came to Artifact Refining, they were mostly in the Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm; therefore, as long as Yang Kai could settle Wu Xing He and the other two, the rest of the Artifact Refiners wouldn’t be an issue.
Wu Xing He nodded gently, “And then? Assuming that everything goes to plan and the Black Ink Clan are not alerted, how are you going to leave this Sealed World? Although Qing Lei is not around, Mei Qiong would never leave the portal. If you can’t defeat him, you’ll never be able to leave this Sealed World. Moreover, you have to bring so many of us with you.”
Yang Kai replied, “Other than the three of you, I can keep the rest of the Artifact Refiners inside my Small Universe. It’s not a problem to bring them with me. However, the three of you are in the same Order as me, so I can’t keep you inside my Small Universe. Therefore, I need you three to sacrifice a part of your Small Universes so you regress to the Sixth Order.”
Upon hearing that, Wu Xing He was astounded, “You want to escape this place on your own?”
With a serious expression, Yang Kai replied, “Other than me, all of you are not able to resist Black Ink Strength. Only by staying inside my Small Universe would you be safe.”
Wu Xing He frowned, “But that will be a huge burden on you.”
These 300 Artifact Refiners were all Open Heaven Realm Masters. If they all entered his Small Universe, it would be a tremendous burden on Yang Kai. As a result, his strength would undoubtedly be affected.
Yang Kai was already less powerful than Mei Qiong to begin with, so if his abilities were further weakened, he wouldn’t have any chance of escaping from Mei Qiong.
Yang Kai said, “I can deal with 300 people staying inside my Small Universe. There will be some negative impact, but it won’t be an issue. On the other hand, it’s indeed difficult to deal with Mei Qiong as he would never leave the portal. There are no other ways apart from trying to force my way out of this Sealed World. Certainly, it would be wonderful if I can fool him into opening the portal for me; however, as soon as I make a move here, the Black Ink Clansmen around us will notice. There’s no way we can do it secretly.”
Wu Xing He nodded, “So, your plan is to bring us all away so that the Black Ink Clan will never be able to finish this Warship.”
“It’s indeed a simple plan, but it’s also the best way to crush their ambitions once and for all.” Yang Kai let out a breath, “Is there a problem with this plan?”
Wu Xing He stared fixedly at him and replied, “There’s a big problem with this plan.”
Certainly, Yang Kai knew that there were all sorts of problems with his plan. Nevertheless, he was on his own in this Sealed World where he was surrounded by enemies. Even the Artifact Refiners could be considered the Black Ink Clan’s allies, so any negligence would cause his plan to be exposed earlier than he had hoped. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a better solution.
Therefore, he wasn’t surprised when Wu Xing He said there was a problem with his plan and he simply asked humbly, “What is it?”
Wu Xing He replied, “Even if you successfully bring all of us away, you still can’t stop the Black Ink Clan from developing a Warship.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and asked, “Why is that?”
Wu Xing He explained, “That’s because we’re not the ones leading the development of the Warship. Although Wang Si Bo, Guan Ning, and I are contributing to this project, we’re just assistants. There’s someone else who is in charge of this project.”
Yang Kai was flabbergasted, “Really? Who is it? I thought the three of you are the only Artifact Refining Grandmasters here.”
Wu Xing He let out a sigh, “A person named Nie An. He’s more talented than Wang Si Bo, Guan Ning, and me when it comes to Artifact Refining, and he’s just one step away from becoming a Great Grandmaster.”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded, “Nie An… Why have you all never mentioned him before?”
It had been three years since he arrived at this Sealed World. Although Yang Kai had tried to gather information through his conversations with other Black Ink Disciples, he had never heard of this Nie An before. That led him to believe that Wu Xing He and the other two Grandmasters were the ones who were in charge of this project. If the person in charge of developing the Warship was someone else, Yang Kai’s plan naturally wouldn’t work.
Just like Wu Xing He had said, even if he managed to bring all of the Artifact Refiners here away, he still couldn’t stop the Black Ink Clan from developing a Warship. That was because the key person behind this project was someone he had never met before.
In fact, if Yang Kai hadn’t prepared to carry out his plan on this day, he would never have found out about it.
“He’s not in this Sealed World, so no one would talk about him in front of you.”
Yang Kai’s plan was thoroughly derailed now, but he soon composed himself. That was because he knew that there would always be factors that were beyond his control, so he had to play it by ear. It was just that a variable like Nie An had appeared now.
“What’s his background?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
Wu Xing He, Wang Si Bo, and Guan Ning were on the list given to him by Tang Qiu, but Nie An was not. Where did he come from?
“I know little about his background,” Wu Xing He shook his head, “Although we’ve spent many years together, we don’t really talk to each other. Other than the discussions on Artifact Refining, we rarely come into contact with one another. Moreover, he’s an arrogant person because of his talent in Artifact Refining. He doesn’t even have any regard for me. More importantly, it’s said that he’s the one who initiated the plan to build a Warship for the Black Ink Clan.”
“He was?” Yang Kai said through clenched teeth. However, as a Black Ink Disciple, Nie An was loyal to the Black Ink Clan. Since they were on different sides, it couldn’t be said that Nie An had betrayed the Humans.
“Rumour has it that he doesn’t have an outstanding aptitude. When he was corrupted by Black Ink Strength and became a Black Ink Disciple, he was not valued by the Black Ink Clan at all. He almost lost his life on several occasions when he was brought to the battlefield. Before he became a Black Ink Disciple, he had never come into contact with the Dao of Artifact Refining. When he saw that the Artifact Refiners were valued by the Black Ink Clan, he decided to study the Dao of Artifact Refining. That was when his life changed. Although his aptitude in cultivation is average, he’s extremely gifted in the Dao of Artifact Refining. In a short time, he significantly improved his skills in Artifact Refining and became a Grandmaster. Then, he launched the project of building a Warship, which gained the support of the Black Ink Clan. However, despite being a Grandmaster, he’s still struggling to build a Warship. As you can see, the Warship in the mountain valley is not comparable to true Warships.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Since he’s the one who has proposed building a Warship, where is he? Why have I not seen him over the past three years?”
Wu Xing He replied, “He’s trying to achieve a breakthrough right now. Given his aptitude in Artifact Refining, he could grow to be a Great Grandmaster; however, you’re also aware that it requires both skill in Artifact Refining and powerful cultivation to become a Great Grandmaster. A person has to be in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm to become a Great Grandmaster.”
“He’s trying to break through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm?” Yang Kai was astonished.
Wu Xing He nodded solemnly, “Indeed. I don’t know whether he’ll succeed. In fact, one year before your arrival, he was already taken away by the Black Ink Clan to prepare to break through to the Eighth Order.”
Although the environment in this Sealed World was terrific, it was still a Sealed World after all. As Nie An wanted to ascend to the Eighth Order, this place was naturally not suitable. That was the reason he had left this place many years ago. This led Yang Kai to believe that Wu Xing He and the other two Grandmasters were the ones in charge of this project.
This kind of misunderstanding could have led to severe consequences had he acted rashly.
It couldn’t be helped though, as no one had mentioned Nie An to Yang Kai before, so how was he supposed to know that this guy was the key person behind this project?
“Senior Brother Wu, you said that Nie An’s aptitude in cultivation wasn’t high?” Yang Kai suddenly thought of something.
“Yes. He was already a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master when he left; however, even that was because he had the help of Black Ink Strength. His original limit was the Sixth Order,” Wu Xing He replied.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
Nie An’s original limit was the Sixth-Order. In other words, he had originally broken through to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm. This kind of aptitude was indeed average among the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
However, Black Ink Strength could help an Open Heaven Realm Master break through their limits. Nie An, whose limit was the Sixth Order, was already a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master when he left this Sealed World and he was now going to attempt breaking through to the Eighth Order.
It was no wonder Wu Xing He said that this guy was an arrogant person. As far as Yang Kai knew, Open Heaven Realm Masters who managed to break through their natural limits with the help of Black Ink Strength would have their temperaments changed drastically, just like Liu Zi An, who was Gui Liao’s Black Ink Disciple.
Moreover, when Black Ink Disciples tried breaking through their limits, they had to face a huge risk and any negligence would cause them to self-destruct.
Yang Kai had witnessed such an incident in the Black Prison many years ago.
Nie An was already lucky enough to have ascended to the Seventh Order, and he was now trying to make it to the Eighth Order. This was no different from committing suicide.
“The Royal Lord takes this matter extremely seriously. Since Nie An is trying to achieve a breakthrough, I believe the Royal Lord will give him all the support he needs. The Royal Lord might even personally assist him. If the Royal Lord makes a move, Nie An might be able to succeed.”
The success of Nie An’s breakthrough was related to the Black Ink Clan’s future, so it was expected that Mu Guang wouldn’t sit on the sidelines.
Yang Kai initially thought that Nie An wouldn’t succeed in ascending to the Eighth Order; however, he wasn’t so sure now if Mu Guang decided to help. No one knew what methods the Royal Lord had.
Regardless, this matter had to be dealt with accordingly; otherwise, even if Yang Kai managed to take all of the Artifact Refiners away from this Sealed World, he still couldn’t stop the Black Ink Clan from carrying out their plan.
This made him fall into a dilemma. He initially intended to execute his plan today, but a variable like Nie An came out of nowhere all of a sudden.
Fortunately, there was still room for manoeuvre. At this moment, Yang Kai was relieved that this Sealed World was not filled with Black Ink Strength; otherwise, his plan would have come to a halt at this point.
Presently, he had to make some changes.
After giving it a thought, he said, “Senior Brother Wu, we have to confirm whether Nie An is dead or alive. It would be great if he lost his life during his breakthrough; however, if he returns safely, that’ll mean he’s successfully become a Great Grandmaster. By then, the Warship will be perfected.”
“What do you want to do?” Wu Xing He asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t have a solution right now, we can only wait. After all, it’s not like we can ask the Black Ink Clan about it. During this period of time, you have to be cautious to avoid coming into direct contact with the Black Ink Clan. There’s no ambient Black Ink Strength in this Sealed World, so as long as you don’t get too close to the Black Ink Clansmen, you won’t be corrupted. If you happen to be invaded by Black Ink Strength, you have to immediately inform me and I will purify it for you.”
“Got it.” Wu Xing He nodded, then said, “As for Wang Si Bo and Guan Ning, do you want to dispel their Black Ink Strength only when you’re in the final stages of the plan, or do you want to act in advance?”
Yang Kai asked, “What do you think?”
After pondering on it for a moment, Wu Xing He replied, “The risk will be increased if we act now; after all, even if they regain their Human nature, they’ll still be at risk of getting corrupted again. However, they’re Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and Artifact Refining Grandmasters; what’s more, they frequently come into contact with me. Guan Ning is especially sensitive, so I’m worried that I’ll accidentally expose myself…”
“We’ll act in advance, then.” Yang Kai directly made a decision, “I’ll need you to work closely with me.”
“Got it. I’ll inform you when everything is prepared,” Wu Xing He nodded.
“Also, I want to take control of this Sealed World’s portal; that way, it’ll be easier for us to flee when executing the plan.”
Upon hearing that, Wu Xing He shook his head, “That won’t be easy. Mei Qiong has never left the portal over the years. How are you going to take control of it?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I have my own methods; however, I’ll have to pass through the portal.”
“Does that mean you have to leave this Sealed World once?” Wu Xing He asked.
Yang Kai nodded, “En. Do you have any idea how we can do it?”
After a moment of deliberation, Wu Xing He replied, “I can have you head to the Royal City to buy some materials for me. I believe the Black Ink Clan won’t turn me down.”
“That sounds good.”
“However, there will be a Black Ink Clansman who will follow you. The two Territory Lords will never leave this Sealed World, so the person who will go with you will most likely be a Feudal Lord.”
“That’s fine. I’ll make sure that the Feudal Lord won’t notice whatever I do.”
Since the other man was so confident, Wu Xing He stopped trying to dissuade him.
After they discussed the matter for a while longer, Yang Kai left and returned to his own house to get some rest.
A few days later, Qing Lei was seated on the platform that was above the mountain valley. As he looked down, he was able to monitor everything that was going on in the mountain valley from his position. No anomalies could be hidden from him.
With that said, nothing major had happened since the day he started guarding this place and the Human Artifact Refiners had always been working hard to perfect the Warship.
Unfortunately, many years had passed, but the thing they created was still not usable.
Just then, a figure shot up from the valley and landed in front of him.
Qing Lei lifted his gaze and realised that this person was one of the Artifact Refining Grandmasters, Wu Xing He.
Wu Xing He saluted him respectfully, “Sir Qing Lei.”
“What’s wrong?” Qing Lei asked impassively.
Wu Xing He replied, “I need some materials that we are running low on in this Sealed World. Will you please allow me to go to the Royal City to buy them?”
Upon hearing that, Qing Lei furrowed his brows, “What materials do you need that have to be purchased in the Royal City?”
Wu Xing He randomly mentioned some materials, which were all quite precious.
Qing Lei replied, “Got it. I’ll tell someone to send them to you.” Although those materials were valuable, there was never a lack of resources in the Black Ink Clan; moreover, this project was related to the Black Ink Clan’s future, so the Royal Lord was fully supportive of it. Regardless of what materials they needed, they just had to make a request, and someone from the Royal City would send them over.
Wu Xing He seemed to have expected this kind of response, so he said, “Sir, the quality of these materials is critical. Someone who is not proficient in Artifact Refining might not be able to fight the appropriate ones. As such, I have to personally head to the Royal City.”
“You want to personally go there?” Qing Lei was surprised. In the past, Wu Xing He had asked for more materials on several occasions, but he only came over and told him what he needed, and the materials would be sent to him. He had never requested to personally head to the Royal City.
Wu Xing He nodded, “I have to go there to make sure that all the materials are up to standard so that the progress won’t be held up. Some of the materials they sent us previously were substandard and could not be used.”
Qing Lei became fidgety, “You and the other two Grandmasters are in charge of this project now. If you’re gone, who will continue developing the Warship?”
After giving it a thought, Wu Xing He suggested by saying, “Why don’t I tell someone to go over there on my behalf?”
Qing Lei asked, “Who is it?”
Wu Xing He replied, “The newcomer, Yang Kai. His aptitude in Artifact Refining is just as good as mine, so he’ll definitely grow to be a Grandmaster one day.”
Qing Lei didn’t understand what aptitude in Artifact Refining had to do with the purchase of materials; however, since Wu Xing He had recommended this person, he decided to stop questioning him. He thus nodded, “He’ll be the one, then. I’ll tell someone to accompany him.”
Saying so, he waved his hand.
The next moment, a Feudal Lord behind him stepped forward.
Qing Lei ordered, “Bring that Human to the Royal City and come back quickly.” Then, he passed a token to the Feudal Lord.
After taking the token, the Feudal Lord flew towards the mountain valley alongside Wu Xing He.
A moment later, Wu Xing He called out to Yang Kai, who was getting some rest in his place. As Yang Kai was told what to do, he nodded.
“You have to come back quickly,” Wu Xing He ordered with a solemn expression.
Yang Kai stared fixedly at him and nodded, “Don’t worry, Senior Brother Wu. I’ll come back as soon as possible.”
He then said to the Feudal Lord on the side, “Please.”
Without saying anything, the Feudal Lord led Yang Kai to fly towards the portal.
When they arrived at the portal, the Feudal Lord passed the token to Mei Qiong, who was guarding this place. Since the token was authentic, they were allowed to leave.
The moment the portal was opened, Yang Kai and the Feudal Lord subsequently dashed out of it.
In the blink of an eye, the Feudal Lord passed through the portal and arrived in the outside void. When he turned his head though, he realised that Yang Kai was nowhere in sight.
This startled him for a moment, for it had never happened before. Supposedly, since they entered the portal at the same time, they should reappear together. Nevertheless, he was the only one there at the moment while Yang Kai was missing.
While he was puzzled, the portal before his eyes contorted slightly. Following that, Yang Kai’s figure came into his sight.
Although he found the incident strange, he didn’t read too much into it and just beckoned to Yang Kai, “Let’s go.”
He then flew towards the Royal City.
The Sealed World wasn’t far away from the Royal City. When Yang Kai was led to the Sealed World from the Royal City back then, it only took them an hour to arrive.
Therefore, one hour later, Yang Kai and the Feudal Lord came to the Royal City. With the Feudal Lord leading the way, they soon reached a street where all sorts of resources were sold.
It took Yang Kai another hour to purchase all the materials that Wu Xing He wanted.
Yang Kai didn’t intend to stay in the Royal City for long, and the Feudal Lord apparently wanted to go back as soon as possible; hence, they soon left the Royal City.
One hour later, before they arrived at the Sealed World’s portal, Yang Kai felt that something was coming from behind. When he turned his head, he saw a large ship charging forward in their direction. In the blink of an eye, the large ship got very close to them.
Yang Kai and the Feudal Lord certainly noticed it. Seeing that the large ship wasn’t going to stop, they quickly moved to the side.
Even so, Yang Kai was almost hit by the large ship.
Upon stabilising himself, he lifted his gaze and saw that the large ship had moved across several hundred kilometres ahead. He frowned at the sight.
Although the large ship had brushed past him quickly, he clearly detected two powerful auras from the vessel. One of them was a Territory Lord while the other was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Putting the Territory Lord aside, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master gave off a violent and dangerous aura, as though he would explode at any moment.
Yang Kai was astonished. He had pretended to be a Black Ink Disciple and snuck into the Black Ink Clan’s territory twice, but he had never come across an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple before.
Usually, an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wouldn’t be corrupted by Black Ink Strength unless a Royal Lord personally made a move. However, in every major battle, the Royal Lord would have to deal with an Old Ancestor from the Humans’ side, so they wouldn’t have any spare energy to use their Secret Technique to corrupt Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. If they did so, they would be giving the Old Ancestor a chance to injure them.
Hence, there were some Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples, but Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were extremely rare.
The direction the large ship was heading suggested that it was going to the Sealed World.
A strange idea suddenly sprang into Yang Kai’s mind.
[Would it be so coincidental?]
The Feudal Lord turned to look at Yang Kai, and upon making sure that the latter was fine, he continued moving forward without saying a word. Yang Kai quickly followed him.
A short while later, they arrived at the Sealed World’s portal. At this moment, a large ship was parked in the void as it was waiting for the portal to open. The large ship was the one that Yang Kai had seen earlier.
By the time Yang Kai and the Feudal Lord reached this place, the Sealed World’s portal was slowly opening.
The two figures on the deck noticed them and turned their heads.
One of them was a Territory Lord while the other was the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that Yang Kai had detected. Upon closer look, he realised that the Eighth-Order Master had a bloated figure, which made him look like a ball. His head was right above his figure, as though his neck didn’t exist.
Sarcomas could be seen all over his skin, looking like horrible abscesses.
Just by standing there, this bloated person exuded a violent and dangerous aura. Even the Territory Lord beside him wasn’t willing to stand close to him.
The moment Yang Kai saw this person’s appearance, he realised his identity.
This person was none other than the Nie An that Wu Xing He had mentioned.
Although Yang Kai had never seen him before, this person’s appearance suggested that he had broken through his limit with the help of Black Ink Strength and achieved something that couldn’t be achieved through ordinary means; however, his life was also at risk now due to the hidden dangers in his Small Universe.
Nie An only made it to the Fourth Order when he ascended to the Open Heaven Realm, so the Sixth Order was his natural limit. He was already lucky enough to have ascended to the Seventh Order with the help of the Black Ink Strength. Now, he even managed to make it to the Eighth Order, which was simply inconceivable. The Royal Lord must have taken action personally; otherwise, Nie An couldn’t have achieved this.
It could be said that Nie An was in a perilous situation, for he gave off a feeling that he might explode at any moment. However, he was still safe and sound. Perhaps Mu Guang had used an incredible technique to ensure his safety when he ascended to the Eighth Order.
In that case, he would most likely become a Great Grandmaster.
A Great Grandmaster would definitely be able to refine a Warship. Perhaps the Black Ink Clan would have their own Warships in no time and sail them across the battlefield. It wouldn’t be like in the past when their Warships were practically useless.
At that instant, Yang Kai felt a sense of urgency.
Back then, when he heard about the existence of Nie An from Wu Xing He, he had no choice but to change his plans; still, it never crossed his mind that Nie An could break through his limit and ascend to the Eighth Order so soon.
Fortunately, he was certain that Nie An was alive at the very least, and he could act accordingly.
While Yang Kai was in his thoughts, Nie An suddenly asked, “Are you a newcomer?”
Yang Kai promptly cupped his fist, “Greetings, Sir. I’ve been here for three years.”
Upon hearing that, Nie An asked, “Are you the one who was sent here by Hei Yuan?”
“Yes,” Yang Kai had no idea how the other man found out he was Hei Yuan’s Black Ink Disciple. Nevertheless, it went to show that Nie An was able to get his hands on the sensitive information that only the most important Black Ink Clansmen knew. In other words, the Royal Lord truly treasured him.
“Where were you?” Nie An asked.
Yang Kai honestly reported to him. Fortunately, the materials that Wu Xing He asked him to buy were indeed precious. Qing Lei could be easily fooled because he knew nothing about Artifact Refining, but the same trick couldn’t be used on Nie An.
Luckily, Nie An didn’t intend to probe him further and just nodded gently before he stopped talking.
As the portal was opened, the Territory Lord and Nie An dashed inside while the ship remained anchored outside. After they entered, Yang Kai and the Feudal Lord also flew into the Sealed World.
Presently, Mei Qiong was busy handling the Territory Lord and Nie An, so he couldn’t pay a lot of attention to Yang Kai. After asking some questions, he simply let Yang Kai pass.
After leading Yang Kai to the mountain valley, the Feudal Lord left, for he had to report to Qing Lei on the completion of this mission.
Yang Kai sauntered towards Wu Xing He’s residence and gently triggered the restriction. A moment later, a gap appeared in the middle of the restriction, then Yang Kai walked inside.
On the second floor, Wu Xing He was seated with his legs crossed. There was some faint Black Ink Strength lingering around his figure. Presently, he was continuously circulating the power of his Small Universe to resist the Black Ink Strength.
Yang Kai wasn’t surprised at the sight. He walked up to Wu Xing He and clapped his hands. The next instant, a pure and dazzling light engulfed Wu Xing He.
A sizzling noise was heard as the Black Ink Strength inside Wu Xing He’s body soon disintegrated.
Wu Xing He’s clothes were already soaked in sweat as he let out a breath, “You came back pretty quick, Junior Brother.”
Yang Kai replied, “I wouldn’t let you be at risk.”
Before he left the place some time ago, he already realised that Wu Xing He had been invaded by Black Ink Strength. That was the reason he had to come back in a hurry. If he returned any later, Wu Xing He would have been corrupted and become a Black Ink Disciple. When that happened, Yang Kai’s identity would have been exposed.
Of course, Yang Kai reckoned that Wu Xing He would kill himself at the most critical moment to ensure that the secret remained safe.
On the Black Ink Battlefield, Human soldiers had always been willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the greater good.
Wu Xing He was corrupted by Black Ink Strength when he came into contact with Qing Lei. This Sealed World was not filled with Black Ink Strength, so he didn’t have to worry about anything as long as he was cautious enough; however, Wu Xing He was standing too close to Qing Lei at that time. As a Territory Lord, Qing Lei naturally released Black Ink Strength around him. On the other hand, Wu Xing He wouldn’t dare to resist lest his secret was exposed. That was how he was corrupted.
Fortunately, he was only stained with a small amount of Black Ink Strength; otherwise, he would’ve become a Black Ink Disciple again before Yang Kai returned.
“Is everything prepared?” Wu Xing He asked with concern.
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes.”
Wu Xing He had no idea what move Yang Kai had used to fool the Feudal Lord that had tagged along with him; however, since he had said as much, it meant that the matter was indeed settled.
“Nie An has returned, Senior Brother Wu,” Yang Kai said.
“He’s back?” Wu Xing He was startled.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai nodded, “I came across him on my way back. He’s now an Eighth-Order Master!”
Upon hearing that, Wu Xing He sported an anxious expression, “That’s terrible news for us.”
What he and Yang Kai hoped was for Nie An to explode and pass away when trying to achieve an ascension so that no one would be able to help the Black Ink Clan finish their Warship. Now that Nie An had returned safely though, it was bad news for them.
After giving it a thought, Wu Xing He asked, “Can Nie An be saved?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “No. His limit is the Sixth-Order, so his Small Universe can only bear the power of the Sixth-Order. The reason he’s alive right now is because of the Black Ink Strength. The moment I dispel the Black Ink Strength in his body, his Small Universe will explode.”
The light in Wu Xing He’s eyes went out, “What a shame.”
If Nie An could be saved, it would be good news for the Humans. After all, Artifact Refining Great Grandmasters were rare. However, Yang Kai made it clear that Nie An could not be saved, which was why Wu Xing He found it to be a shame.
“Yes, it is indeed a shame, but Nie An has to die!” Yang Kai said grimly.
As long as Nie An was killed, the Black Ink Clan’s plan to build a Warship would come to a halt.
Perhaps they would still be able to nurture some Artifact Refiners in the distant future, but those Black Ink Disciples would never grow to be Great Grandmasters.
Now, Humans from different Great Passes had Purifying Light, and Purifying Black Ink Pills had been successfully developed. In other words, no Human soldiers would be corrupted by Black Ink Strength again. How was the Black Ink Clan supposed to nurture Artifact Refiners without any new Black Ink Disciples?
The moment they broke through their limits with Black Ink Strength, people like Nie An and Liu Zi An lost all hope to be saved.
“It’s not easy to kill an Eighth-Order Master. Moreover, there are two Territory Lords in this Sealed World. What’s your plan?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’m certainly no match for a normal Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; however, Nie An is different. He won’t be able to fully utilise his Eighth-Order might. Furthermore, I don’t have to fight with him directly. I just have to get a chance to dispel the Black Ink Strength in his body. By then, his Small Universe will come apart, and he’ll detonate. As for the two Territory Lords… Mei Qiong has never left the portal over the years, so I don’t have a good solution for him. Nevertheless, Qing Lei will leave this Sealed World every six months. We can make use of that.”
Upon hearing that, Wu Xing He nodded, “Qing Lei only left this Sealed World some time ago, so it will be another six months before he leaves again.”
“We’ll make a move in six months, then.” Yang Kai was determined, “I hope that everything will go well by then; however, before that, I will need you to deal with Senior Brother Wang and Senior Brother Guan.”
Wu Xing He nodded, “I’ll inform you at an opportune time.”
As they spoke, the restriction around the building was triggered. A thought flashed through Wu Xing He’s mind as the restriction was deactivated. A moment later, a Black Ink Disciple walked up the stairs and cupped his fist at them, “Senior Brother Nie wants to see you, Senior Brothers.”
A puzzled Wu Xing He asked, “What happened?”
The Black Ink Disciple shook his head, “I have no idea, but Senior Brother Nie wants everybody to gather together.”
Upon finishing his words, he turned around and left.
After exchanging glances, Yang Kai and Wu Xing He frowned. They had no idea why Nie An wanted them to come together not long after he returned.
“Let’s see what he’s up to,” Wu Xing He said, then left the place with the other man.
A moment later, several hundred Artifact Refiners gathered together in front of the Warship in the mountain valley. Standing in front of them was the bloated Nie An.
Many people were whispering among themselves as they had no idea why Nie An gathered everyone.
When all of the Artifact Refiners were present, Nie An gazed at the huge Warship with narrowed eyes and waved his hand, “Dismantle it.”
Upon hearing that, all of them were astounded.
Guan Ning, who was at the front, stepped forward and said, “Senior Brother Nie, this Warship is about to be completed. Why do you want to dismantle it?”
Nie An replied dispassionately, “What’s the point of keeping this rubbish? Dismantle it.”
“But…”
Just when Guan Ning wanted to continue speaking, Nie An suddenly turned his head and glared at him, “What else do you want to say?”
As he spoke, his Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm pressure swept across the place.
Guan Ning gulped and spoke no further.
Wu Xing He, who was standing beside Yang Kai, frowned. Although Nie An was haughty back then, he had never been so overbearing. It seemed that his temperament had changed after he forcefully ascended to the Eighth Order.
The Artifact Refiners worked together to dismantle the Warship, which was yet to be completed.
Then, Nie An directly gave the order and divided the hundreds of Artifact Refiners into a dozen groups. Each group was given specific tasks according to the fields they were proficient in.
A massive amount of resources were sent to this place by the Black Ink Clan, after which the Artifact Refiners started building a new Warship.
While working hard, Yang Kai secretly observed Nie An and realised that the latter was indeed an Artifact Refining Great Grandmaster now. He had no idea how skilful Nie An was in Artifact Refining before his recent ascension, but from the looks of it, the latter was indeed a more accomplished Artifact Refiner than Wu Xing He and the others.
Perhaps he was still not comparable to Dong Guo An Ping, who was a Great Grandmaster in Blue Sky Pass; however, Dong Guo An Ping had been a Great Grandmaster for thousands of years. As a new Great Grandmaster, Nie An was naturally less experienced; however, as time passed, his achievements might be just as great as those of Dong Guo An Ping.
This person was indeed gifted when it came to Artifact Refining. It was no wonder he could transform into an influential figure from a little-known person.
Although he still wasn’t skilful enough, he was already capable of refining a functional Warship.
As Yang Kai observed with concern as the Warship in the mountain valley started taking shape after just three months. It was not different from the previously dismantled Warship when it came to its appearance, but all the Artifact Refiners in the mountain valley clearly felt that its capabilities were much greater than those of the previous version. Once it was completed, it would be good enough to be deployed on the battlefield.
The Artifact Refiners were elated at the imminent success of the project, so they spent longer hours taking part in the development of the Warship, which further accelerated the refinement process.
Yang Kai remained as Wu Xing He’s assistant.
During this period of time, with Wu Xing He’s cooperation, Yang Kai managed to dispel the Black Ink Strength within Wang Si Bo and Guan Ning.
Although these three Grandmasters were doing their best to delay the process of perfecting the Warship, they had to be cautious to prevent exposing themselves.
Day after day, with the enormous amount of resources pouring in and hundreds of Artifact Refiners working diligently, the Warship was nearing perfection.
It was also closer to the deadline Yang Kai had set almost six months ago.
One day, Yang Kai was helping Wu Xing He as usual to refine an offensive artifact to be installed on the Warship. It had only been six months since Nie An returned, but under his leadership, the hundreds of Artifact Refiners here worked together to perfect the Warship. The Warship was almost complete, but there were still some defects that had to be rectified.
As for the capabilities of this Warship, these Artifact Refiners had their own judgements; however, those could only be verified by deploying the Warship on the battlefield.
Somewhere near the Warship, Nie An was having a chat with Qing Lei, who was responsible for guarding this place.
Qing Lei had always acted aloof and arrogant in front of Wu Xing He and the others, but he was polite to Nie An. He totally regarded him as an equal, which just went to show how important Nie An was to the Black Ink Clan.
This was to be expected though as Nie An was an Eighth-Order Master as well as an Artifact Refining Great Grandmaster. Regardless of whose Black Ink Disciple he previously was, he was now working directly under Mu Guang.
Naturally, the treatment that the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Disciple received was different.
They didn’t seem to have the intention of keeping their conversation secret, so Yang Kai could hear them clearly.
Qing Lei asked, “Brother Nie, is this Warship usable now?”
With his hands behind his back, Nie An replied proudly, “Yes. After a bit of troubleshooting, it can be deployed on the battlefield.”
Upon hearing that, Qing Lei was ecstatic, “You’re indeed incredible.”
Nie An replied impassively, “This Nie certainly wouldn’t disappoint the Royal Lord.”
Qing Lei went on to ask, “How capable is this thing compared to those owned by the Humans?”
Nie An said, “It’s likely slightly inferior; however, this is a prototype. As we refine more Warships, everyone will become familiar with the process. In time, the capabilities of our Warships will improve. Soon, we’ll be able to make ones that are on par with the ones owned by the Humans. With that said, even though this Warship is less capable, it’s also much larger than the ones owned by the Humans as it’s specifically made for the Black Ink Clan. With enough people on board, this Warship will be able to deal a heavy blow to the enemy.”
Qing Lei nodded gently, “I’ll report what you’ve said to the Royal Lord.”
“Please tell the Royal Lord that one Warship will not be useful on the battlefield. It would be better to make a number of them first so that we can catch the Humans off guard.”
Qing Lei grinned, “With you working for the Royal Lord, it’s as great as owning an entire army.”
“Many thanks for your compliment, Brother Qing Lei.”
Qing Lei decided to end their conversation here, “I’ll head to the Royal City now and tell the Royal Lord about this piece of good news. I’m sure the Royal Lord will be pleased. I’ll leave affairs here to you.”
“It’s my duty,” Nie An nodded lightly.
The next instant, Qing Lei shot into the sky and headed towards the portal.
As Yang Kai and Wu Xing He exchanged glances, a glint flashed through their eyes.
A moment later, a faint fluctuation of Space Principles was felt coming from the portal. Apparently, Qing Lei had left this Sealed World.
Upon that confirmation, Yang Kai nodded at Wu Xing He and got up before shuffling forward in a different direction.
When he passed by Wang Si Bo, he secretly said, “The time has come.”
Wang Si Bo halted what he was doing and nodded almost imperceptibly.
Then, Yang Kai brushed past Guan Ning and told him the same thing.
A moment later, Wu Xing He suddenly got up and called out, “Senior Brother Nie!”
Nie An was in a nearby place. Upon hearing that, he turned his head and frowned, “What’s wrong?”
Wu Xing He said, “There’s a slight problem here. I need you to have a look at it.”
Despite being bloated, the unsuspecting Nie An appeared in front of him the next instant, “What’s the problem?”
Wu Xing He pointed at the offensive artifact he was refining, “There seems to be a problem with this artifact. Should I refine a new one?”
Nie An turned to look at the artifact and picked it up before examining it. A moment later, he snapped with a dark expression, “Waste! You’ve basically ruined this artifact! How do you have the nerve to call yourself an Artifact Refining Grandmaster?”
To the side, Wu Xing He didn’t dare to say anything, but in the next instant he caught a glimpse of Yang Kai appearing behind Nie An like a phantom. Yellow and blue light appeared on his palms as energy fluctuated. The moment he clapped his hands, those lights turned into a pure white light and engulfed Nie An.
Seeing that, Wu Xing He did not hesitate to execute the original plan as he dashed towards the defensive array and infused his power into it.
In the meantime, in two different places around the Warship, Wang Si Bo and Guan Ning acted according to Yang Kai’s instructions. The instant they detected the surge of energy, they promptly infused their powers into the defensive arrays.
Three defensive arrays were simultaneously activated by three Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and a huge light barrier instantly covered the entire Warship.
The sudden change happening on the Warship instantly caught the attention of the Black Ink Clansmen nearby. As they turned their heads to look, however, they realised they were unable to see anything clearly as the Warship was engulfed in a solid light barrier which looked like a membrane that prevented anyone from peering through it.
This made all the Black Ink Clansmen feel shocked and doubtful. Having no idea what was going on with the Warship, they began to gather around.
None of them could have expected that a plan that was a long time in the making was unfolding right before their eyes.
While the Black Ink Clansmen were caught off guard, Nie An also hadn’t expected that someone would launch a sneak attack on him.
The moment Yang Kai engulfed him with the Purifying Light, Nie An turned around and felt an instinctive disgust towards the white light. He quickly snapped, “You court death!”
As his Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm power burst forth, he threw out his fist.
A grunt was heard as someone was sent flying away; however, the white light had already covered Nie An completely. In an instant, he wailed in pain as the Black Ink Strength in his body gushed out of his body, as though it was facing its nemesis. The Black Ink Strength was soon dispersed and purified.
Nie An’s expression was transformed by fear and horror. The violent aura around him became even more dangerous and the sarcomas on his skin started bulging as black pus spewed out of them.
Just moments later, all the Black Ink Strength in his Small Universe was dispelled by the Purifying Light, and without its support, he was unable to bear his own Eighth-Order cultivation.
He widened his eyes as the veins on his forehead throbbed. While he looked horrible, his already bloated figure started expanding rapidly like a balloon.
He shook a little as he extended his hands in an attempt to grab something, but he was unable to do anything in the end.
Following a loud boom, he exploded and turned into hashed meat and blood.
Just like Yang Kai had said to Wu Xing He before, he didn’t need to directly deal with Nie An in order to kill him. Nie An acquired his Eighth-Order cultivation through the help of Black Ink Strength; hence, without the Black Ink Strength’s support, his own cultivation would kill him.
Yang Kai didn’t even need to fight with him; just by activating Purifying Light to dispel the Black Ink Strength in his body, he could easily dispatch Nie An.
Having said that, Nie An was still an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. If they really got into a fight, Yang Kai might not be a match for him.
The moment the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master detonated, a violent force spread across the Warship and caused the people on the deck to fall to the ground. The Artifact Refiners closest to Nie An had all collapsed while the bow of the Warship was destroyed upon impact. Even the light barrier around the Warship bulged.
As Yang Kai coughed, he struggled out of the wreckage with a flushing face.
Nie An’s last desperate strike managed to hurt him, but that was inevitable, for they were basically at arm’s length from each other at that time. Despite being a Master in the Dao of Space, Yang Kai couldn’t dodge the final strike of an Eighth-Order Master before his death.
Fortunately, everything was going according to plan.
Since Nie An was dead, the Black Ink Clan’s plan would come to a halt. Other than this new Great Grandmaster, no one else could help them build Warships that would be used against the Humans.
It could be said that Yang Kai had completed half of his task just by killing Nie An. Even if he was unable to escape now, he would die with no regrets.
Strictly speaking, Yang Kai’s plan was a crude one with many factors that were beyond his control. For example, he wasn’t certain whether Qing Lei would leave at the appropriate time. And, how was he going to escape from the Sealed World when a Territory Lord was guarding the portal? Even if he managed to flee from the Sealed World, how would he shake off the Black Ink Clan’s pursuit?
He didn’t have time to ponder on all these issues though, nor was it useful for him to do so.
Since the plan was crude, it meant that there were too many variables he could not account for. The only thing he could do was to launch a sneak attack and kill Nie An.
Under Nie An’s leadership, the Warship was about to be completed, and Qing Lei had left at this point. Regardless of how crude the plan was, it had to be executed immediately.
Since Nie An was dead, the Black Ink Clan’s plan would come to a halt. As for whether Yang Kai could bring the other Artifact Refiners to flee from this Sealed World, and how he would get rid of the Black Ink Clan’s pursuit after that, he could only leave it up to the Heavens.
Upon confirming that Nie An was dead, Yang Kai was relieved. Then, he madly absorbed the powers of Yellow and Blue Crystals in his Small Universe and activated Purifying Light.
There were several hundred Artifact Refiners on the Warship now. Over the past six months, under Nie An’s leadership, everyone was constantly building the Warship, so no one had time to rest. All of them had gathered together, which gave Yang Kai a chance to deal with them all at once.
Other than Wu Xing He and the other two Grandmasters, whose Black Ink Strength had been dispelled some time ago, these hundreds of Artifact Refiners were still Black Ink Disciples.
In order to make these Black Ink Disciples work with him, Yang Kai had to restore their true natures first.
With Yang Kai as the centre, Purifying Light exploded outwards and soon engulfed the entire Warship as well as all the Artifact Refiners.
Sizzling noises were heard coming from everywhere as Black Ink Strength leaked from these Artifact Refiners before fading into nothingness under the intense white light.
Just a moment later, all the Artifact Refiners regained their senses as Humans. The turn of events startled them as they had no idea what was going on.
With that said, they still remembered what had happened over the years and instantly felt ashamed and vexed that they had actually built a Warship for the Black Ink Clan.
With no time to waste, Wang Si Bo and Guan Ning quickly told them what was going on in loud voices and calmed them down.
Following a temporary commotion and puzzlement, these Artifact Refiners followed the instructions of Wang Si Bo and Guan Ning as they took charge of the arrays and infused their powers into them.
Outside of the Warship, the Black Ink Clansmen were perplexed as they had no idea what was going on within the light barrier. They reckoned that something had gone wrong and many of the Feudal Lords were now shouting. Some of them even started attacking the light barrier in order to find out what was going on inside.
Right then, a humming sound was heard as the Warship rose into the air. Following that, violent attacks were shot from its weapons.
Many of the unprepared Black Ink Clansmen suffered injuries or were killed in this initial bombardment. Even some of the Feudal Lords were badly injured.
Although Nie An’s return was terrible news to Yang Kai, the Warship built under his leadership was of great help now.
The capabilities of this Warship were not comparable to those of the Warships owned by the Humans, but it was already good enough to be deployed in battle. Moreover, with hundreds of Artifact Refiners present, they were able to unleash the Warship’s full power; after all, they were the ones who built it, so they were the ones most familiar with its capabilities.
Nothing was more enjoyable in the world than using the Warship they had crafted to deal with the Black Ink Clan. These Artifact Refiners madly channelled their World Force to vent out their grievances of becoming the Black Ink Clan’s lackeys.
As the Warship roared to life, all the offensive arrays were fully activated. The consumption of energy did not bother the people on the vessel. Faced with this barrage of attacks, the surrounding Black Ink Clansmen had no choice but to flee.
The Black Ink Clansmen would counterattack from time to time, but they wouldn’t dare to use all of their powers, and the light barrier around the Warship could easily fend off such tepid attacks.
Before the Black Ink Clansmen were certain what was going on with the Warship, they wouldn’t dare to destroy it. They had been staying in this Sealed World for a long time, so they knew that these Artifact Refiners were valuable assets as well as talented people that the Royal Lord had high hopes for. Hence, no one would dare to deal a lethal blow to them. If they accidentally killed some of these precious Artifact Refiners, they would surely be executed as well.
Since they were concerned about accidentally killing the Artifact Refiners, the Warship only became more unstoppable.
One of the Feudal Lords came to his senses soon and shouted, “Inform Sir Mei Qiong about this, now!”
In fact, Mei Qiong was already gazing in their direction while feeling shocked and doubtful, a solemn expression on his face.
The energy fluctuations coming from the Warship were violent, and as a Territory Lord, he had certainly detected them. However, he was tasked with guarding the portal, so he couldn’t leave as he pleased. Therefore, despite realising the anomaly, he didn’t immediately go over and look into the matter right away.
After all, he had felt energy fluctuations coming from the Warship in the past when the Artifact Refiners were experimenting with its offensive and defensive artifacts.
Nevertheless, this time seemed to be different. After hesitating for a bit, Mei Qiong said to one of his subordinates, “Go over there and find out what’s going on.”
Upon receiving the order, the Feudal Lord quickly left to investigate.
At this moment, Yang Kai was moving around the Warship. Although the Humans managed to gain the upper hand by leveraging the Warship’s power and making a move first, the Black Ink Clansmen would soon react accordingly.
Although Qing Lei was not around, it was not easy to deal with Mei Qiong. Once the Territory Lord arrived, the Humans wouldn’t be able to fight against him despite having the Warship; after all, this vessel was not complete to begin with, and many of the arrays were damaged after Nie An exploded.
Yang Kai had to transfer these Artifact Refiners inside his Small Universe before Mei Qiong realised what was going on so that they would stand a better chance of fleeing; otherwise, with so many people around, they couldn’t possibly flee.
Other than Wu Xing He and the two Grandmasters, the rest of the 300 or so Artifact Refiners were below the Seventh Order; therefore, Yang Kai could easily keep them inside his Small Universe.
Wherever he went, the Artifact Refiners would disappear as they were stuffed into his Small Universe.
Without these Artifact Refiners powering it, the Warship was weakening rapidly.
After just 10 breaths of time, only Yang Kai and the three Grandmasters were left on the Warship. The Warship instantly became powerless, which startled the Black Ink Clansmen around it.
Yang Kai quickly shouted, “Please cut your cultivations, Senior Brothers!”
Wu Xing He and the others were in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, which was the same Order as Yang Kai. Usually, Yang Kai wouldn’t be able to keep them inside his Small Universe; however, if they were willing to give up a part of their Small Universes and force their Order to regress, there wouldn’t be a problem.
This was part of Yang Kai’s plan, so Wu Xing He and the others were aware of it.
Therefore, at this moment, they did not hesitate to sacrifice parts of their Small Universes. In order to save time, they ferociously sliced off large chunks of their Small Universe to quickly weaken themselves.
Just moments later, their Orders all fell from the Seventh Order to the Sixth Order. Their faces were pale, and the Soul-wrenching pain caused them to tremble uncontrollably.
Yang Kai had gone through the pain of sacrificing a part of his Small Universe before, so he understood how they felt; however, their Orders regressing was a small price to pay to escape with their lives. After all, when they returned to the Humans’ side safely, they could consume Profound Yin Spirit Fruits to repair their Small Universes. If they lost their lives, nothing else would matter.
Soon, Wu Xing He and the others were also put inside Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
Any other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master wouldn’t be able to keep these 300 Open Heaven Realm Masters in their Small Universes; after all, there was a limit to the capacity of a Seventh-Order Master’s Small Universe. By keeping too many Open Heaven Realm Masters, they would find it hard to utilise their World Force, and their strength would plunge.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai wasn’t affected one bit. He wasn’t certain if it was because his heritage was ample or for some other reason.
With that said, this was undoubtedly good news to him.
However, without Wu Xing He and the other Grandmasters taking charge, the light barrier around the Warship instantly disappeared. It wasn’t until this moment that the Black Ink Clansmen saw what was going on.
The sight before their eyes astounded them.
Presently, the several hundred Artifact Refiners had gone missing from the Warship, leaving only one person behind. Besides that, the Warship seemed to have been impacted by a violent explosion and many places were evidently damaged.
[What happened?]
All the Black Ink Clansmen were perplexed.
Standing on the deck, Yang Kai ignored the clamour coming from the Black Ink Clansmen and instead stared intently at the portal.
He could sense that Mei Qiong’s aura was approaching quickly, obviously having detected the abnormal situation over here.
After letting out a breath, Yang Kai channelled as much strength as he could into the defensive array beneath his feet. The next moment, the light barrier reappeared around the Warship. However, this time, it could only serve as a shield and could no longer prevent others from looking through it.
Following that, he turned the Warship in a different direction and drove it towards the portal.
From afar, he could see a dark light approaching the vessel. It was none other than Mei Qiong, who was responsible for guarding the portal, followed by a large number of Feudal Lords.
At this moment, Mei Qiong was both shocked and furious.
Although he had already detected the anomaly taking place in the mountain valley earlier, he didn’t immediately come over to have a look considering that the Humans had been experimenting with the powers of the artifacts recently. Therefore, he only told a subordinate to look into the matter; however, he was astonished by the news he received.
For some reason, the Warship started attacking the Black Ink Clansmen in the mountain valley and caused a lot of casualties.
This was simply intolerable!
Were the Human Artifact Refiners out of their minds? How did they have the guts to make a move on the Black Ink Clan? What prompted them to do so?
Before Qing Lei left, he told Mei Qiong that the Warship was almost complete, so he had to head to the Royal City and share this good news with the Royal Lord.
Nevertheless, such an incident happened not long after he left. As the only Territory Lord in this place now, how was Mei Qiong supposed to take responsibility? If the Royal Lord blamed this debacle on him, he would be severely punished despite being a Territory Lord.
Like a rumbling volcano, the fury in Mei Qiong’s chest was about to erupt.
From afar, he saw that the Warship built by the Human Artifact Refiners was coming at him at full speed, and standing on the deck was one person whose expression was cold and indifferent.
He was the Artifact Refiner sent to this place by Hei Yuan!
[Why is he the only one here? Where are the others?]
Seeing that the Warship was coming at him at full speed without showing signs of decelerating, Mei Qiong barked, “Stop!”
Yang Kai, who was standing on the deck, curved his lips into a smile. Instead of stopping, he infused even more energy into the Warship’s arrays, which caused the Warship to accelerate further.
[Something is wrong with him. He’s not a Black Ink Disciple!] An idea flashed through Mei Qiong’s mind.
If he was really a Black Ink Disciple, regardless of who his Master was, he wouldn’t dare to be impudent in front of a Territory Lord; however, instead of obeying Mei Qiong’s order, this person became even more brazen.
Mei Qiong didn’t have time to ponder on this issue though as the Warship was about to hit him. Roaring, he surged his rich Black Ink Strength, which turned into a huge Black Ink Cloud and engulfed the Warship. At the same time, he pushed out his palms.
The giant Warship hummed as every part of it creaked upon impact. Mei Qiong was forced to move backwards, but he soon stabilised himself after more than ten steps. He successfully stopped the Warship.
Given his power as a Territory Lord, such a Warship with only a single person in charge couldn’t cause any damage to him. If he wanted, he could have destroyed this Warship.
However, this was the treasure that the Royal Lord had high hopes of. They had spent countless amounts of time, resources, and manpower to build it. This ship was the key to securing the Black Ink Clan’s future. That was why he wouldn’t dare to destroy it.
Left with no other choice, he could only stop the Warship in such a way. By stopping the vessel so easily, it went to show how powerful he truly was.
Separated by only a light barrier, Yang Kai and Mei Qiong stared at one another. One of them was unfazed while the other was infuriated.
Mei Qiong said through clenched teeth, “Bastard, you’re dead!”
Yang Kai grinned at him as he madly channelled his power into the Warship like a torrent.
The next instant, a dangerous aura could be felt coming from every part of the Warship.
With widened eyes, Mei Qiong roared, “You dare?!”
As he spoke, he extended his hand towards Yang Kai. The thin light barrier around the Warship couldn’t possibly fend off the powerful attack from a Territory Lord and lasted for only one breath before it shattered.
As he was about to capture Yang Kai though, a dazzling light suddenly exploded from the Warship. A horrifying force spread out as the entire Warship was engulfed in a ball of raging flames.
Mei Qiong missed his target and failed in his attempt to capture the insolent Human. At the most critical moment, the Human seemed to have vanished into thin air.
On the other hand, the Warship’s explosion caused his arm to be injured and he was also forced to move backwards upon impact.
The Warship was destroyed!
Mei Qiong stared at the burning Warship. Despite the heat, he felt as though a basin of cold water had been poured onto his heart.
He could almost envision how infuriated the Royal Lord would be upon learning what had happened. He probably would have to bear all the responsibility. Despite being a Territory Lord, he wouldn’t be able to bear what was to come.
Up until this moment, he still had no idea what was going on. How did things go so wrong all of a sudden? After all, not long ago, Qing Lei told him that the Warship was almost completed, so he had to head to the Royal City and inform the Royal Lord about it.
Mei Qiong thought that he would not have to stay here much longer. In the future, he could stand on a Warship and look down condescendingly at his enemies on the battlefield.
Barely two hours later, his dream burst like a bubble. It was expected that he was enraged.
[That Human!]
As long as he could capture that Human, he would find out the truth.
He suddenly turned his head and gazed at the portal before yelling, “Cordon off the portal! Make sure no one can leave this place!”
Although the Human disappeared as the Warship exploded, Mei Qiong didn’t think he was dead. The Human must have pulled a trick and avoided his detection by using the explosion to cover his tracks.
In that case, the Human’s target would undoubtedly be the portal, for he had to leave this Sealed World as quickly as possible.
Upon giving the order, Mei Qiong turned around to return to the portal.
As soon as he started moving though, he heard the sound of battle coming from the portal. Following that, the portal in mid-air opened rapidly.
The Human that had escaped from Mei Qiong had really headed to the portal. The instant the portal was opened, he dashed past it and disappeared.
After that, the portal closed abruptly and vanished.
A furious Mei Qiong turned into a dark streak of light and reached the portal in just a few breaths’ time. Lifting his gaze, he realised that seven or eight Feudal Lords had collapsed, all badly injured. The most severely wounded one had a large hole in his figure as his body was penetrated by some kind of weapon earlier. Black blood was splattered all over the place.
[That Human is so strong!] Mei Qiong was startled.
As far as he knew, the Black Ink Disciple sent to this place by Hei Yuan was just a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Usually, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was more powerful than a Feudal Lord, but even if one Feudal Lord was no match for him, how was it possible that so many Feudal Lords were defeated at the same time?
Moreover, only a few breaths of time had passed since the Human escaped from Mei Qiong. How did he disable seven or eight Feudal Lords in such a short time?
Mei Qiong didn’t have time to ponder on this issue. While gritting his teeth, he ordered, “Open the portal!”
Since the Human had fled, he naturally had to chase after him. Only by capturing the Human could he make up for his mistake and find out what had happened.
It wasn’t necessary for Mei Qiong to give the order. In fact, after Yang Kai fled, a Feudal Lord, who was usually responsible for opening the portal, had been trying his best to do just that; however, the portal that could be opened with ease normally showed no reaction on this day.
After several attempts, he still got the same outcome.
The Feudal Lord’s forehead was covered with sweat, possibly because of pain, anxiety, or both. Still, he turned to look at Mei Qiong and reported, “Sir, I can’t open it!”
“Waste!” Mei Qiong directly kicked the Feudal Lord away and snatched the token. He then infused his power into the token and waved it at the portal.
As usual, a dark light shot into the Void, but no reaction was seen. The portal, which should’ve been opened by now, was nowhere in sight.
Mei Qiong widened his eyes and made one more attempt, but the outcome was the same.
A Feudal Lord came over and said in a hushed voice, “Sir, the portal’s restriction was set up by the Black Ink Disciples. They must have tampered with it somehow.”
Certainly, Mei Qiong realised this as well; otherwise, he couldn’t explain what was going on. He directly exerted more force with his hand and turned the token into dust before demanding, “Break it open!”
As he spoke, he made a move first by launching an attack on the portal. Seeing that, the Feudal Lords followed suit.
In the void, Yang Kai manipulated Space Principles and repeatedly used Instantaneous Movement. He was trying to get as far away from the Royal City as possible.
Previously, when he was led to the Royal City to purchase materials, he left behind a trick in the Sealed World’s portal. Given his mastery in the Dao of Space, no one else could possibly notice it. Now that he had to flee from this Sealed World, he activated the trick.
However, he knew that this little measure couldn’t hold Mei Qiong up for long. Mei Qiong just had to forcefully break through the portal, which would take no more than a cup of tea’s time. After that, a large number of Black Ink Clansmen would relentlessly pursue him.
Therefore, he only had a cup of tea’s time to flee. Given such a short time, regardless of how proficient he was at the Dao of Space, Yang Kai couldn’t possibly escape from the Black Ink Clan; therefore, he could only get as far away from the Royal City as possible.
Given his strength, he might be able to escape from a Territory Lord; however, if the Royal Lord made a move, there was nothing else he could do but to wait for death.
Nie An was dead, and the only completed Warship was destroyed. It could be said that the Black Ink Clan’s plan was as good as dead.
Everything would be perfect if Yang Kai could bring the remaining 300 Artifact Refiners in his Small Universe back to the Humans’ side.
Nevertheless, the road ahead of him was paved with danger. He wasn’t certain if he could get away. Presently, he could only do his best to run for his life. If he succeeded, everything would be fine. If he failed, he had more than 300 friends to accompany him on the road to the Yellow Springs, so he wouldn’t feel lonely.
As he fully activated Space Principles, his figure flickered like a phantom.
Fortunately, Yang Kai didn’t run into any real danger while navigating through the void.
Even though he would sometimes come across some Black Ink Clansmen who were heading to the Royal City, he would disappear from their sight the next instant. Many of the Black Ink Clansmen even thought that they saw an illusion.
Suddenly, there came a moment when Yang Kai felt all his hair standing on end. There seemed to be a pair of eyes that were opening and staring at him from a faraway place behind him.
Mu Guang Royal Lord!
After making some calculations, Yang Kai realised that Mei Qiong should have broken through the portal and informed the Royal Lord about what had happened in the Sealed World by now.
Even from such a great distance, the Royal Lord could still accurately locate him, astonishing Yang Kai.
One had to know that he had never stopped using Instantaneous Movement since he left the Sealed World and presently, he was very far away from the Royal City.
The Royal Lords were really astounding, and their powers were beyond Yang Kai’s imagination.
He wasn’t certain whether Mu Guang could really find his exact whereabouts, but he wouldn’t dare to stop fleeing. However, after he was targeted by that gaze, he felt that something had been wrapped around his figure, which made him feel a constant sense of discomfort and left him slightly muddle-headed.
It was obviously because of the Royal Lord’s aura that had locked onto him.
With a solemn expression, Yang Kai continued charging forward without worrying about his consumption of energy. Regardless of whether Mu Guang had really discovered his whereabouts, he still had a chance to flee; after all, Mu Guang was still far away from him, so it wouldn’t be easy for the Royal Lord to catch up.
Half a day after Yang Kai escaped from the Sealed World, he finally came across a Black Ink Clan army that was there to stop him.
It wasn’t appropriate to call them an army really, as their scale suggested that they were just a Feudal Lord’s private force. There were only a small number of Feudal Lords, and the rest were High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen, numbering about 300 people.
This private force was right in front of Yang Kai, as though they had been waiting for him for a long time. The moment Yang Kai’s figure appeared, the Feudal Lord at the front shouted, “He’s that Human! Capture him and the Royal Lord will reward you handsomely!”
Yang Kai wasn’t surprised at the fact that this Black Ink Clan Army could quickly find out what was going on and even intercept him here. In fact, he had already expected it.
Compared to the Humans, the transmission of information between the Black Ink Clansmen was far quicker.
In Zha Gu’s territory, Yang Kai learned about some of the Black Ink Nest’s secrets. With the Black Ink Nests of different sizes as the foundation, a colossal information network could be built. Through the information network, everything that happened in the Black Ink Clan’s territory could spread around quickly.
Since Mu Guang had found out about what had happened in the Sealed World, the Royal Lord could make use of the Black Ink Nests and spread the word across the entire Yin-Yang Theatre, allowing the Black Ink Clan to promptly respond.
Certainly, given Yang Kai’s current strength, he wouldn’t have any regard for a mere Feudal Lords’ force. If he wanted, he could easily kill these mixed soldiers with only a few Feudal Lords in charge.
However, he didn’t have the intention of fighting with them. Mu Guang’s aura had locked onto him from afar, so he wouldn’t dare to waste any time or energy. If possible, he wouldn’t want to battle against any Black Ink Clansmen so that he would have a better chance of fleeing.
Hence, before the private force could even approach him, he manipulated Space Principles and disappeared.
Several hundred Black Ink Clansmen were left dumbfounded.
However, this was just the beginning. In the following half a day, Yang Kai would come across a number of private forces trying to block his path. Nevertheless, he was determined not to deal with those Black Ink Clansmen, and since he was bent on fleeing, those Black Ink Clansmen couldn’t do anything to him either.
They couldn’t capture him unless they could cordon off a stretch of space and seal it. Unfortunately for them, the void was expansive, so even if they knew where he was heading, they couldn’t set up a trap in advance.
It was a thrilling escape.
In fact, Yang Kai was familiar with this kind of escape as, throughout the years, he had been in this exact situation a number of times. He managed to get away every time with the help of his mastery of Space Principles.
He couldn’t remember when the last time such an incident took place, but every time he ran into this kind of situation, he was facing an opponent he couldn’t hope to defeat.
As time passed, all the Black Ink Clansmen in Mu Guang’s territory seemed to have been mobilised. After experiencing several setbacks, the Black Ink Clansmen began using a different tactic. Instead of gathering together, they separated into small teams and scattered around the void as they awaited Yang Kai’s appearance.
That way, regardless of how reluctant Yang Kai was, he inevitably had to fight at least some of the Black Ink Clansman he happened to bump into. After all, when manipulating Space Principles, he couldn’t be certain whether there would be a Black Ink Clansman waiting for him in his next location.
Fortunately, he never came across a lot of Black Ink Clansmen, and most of his enemies were weak, so it took him little effort to kill them all.
This kind of delay wouldn’t ordinarily pose a problem, but it was lethal at this moment as he was being pursued by a Royal Lord.
As time passed, he could feel that Mu Guang was getting closer. Although he had no idea about Mu Guang’s exact location, Yang Kai realised that the aura that had locked onto him became heavier. He felt a kind of pressure, as though he was held down by something, making it more difficult to manipulate Space Principles. The entire Void felt viscous to him.
Despite his calm expression, Yang Kai felt helpless in his heart.
As expected, he was unable to escape from a being like a Royal Lord. The huge gap between their powers couldn’t be made up for with Space Principles alone.
While fleeing, he turned his hand around as an ancient coin appeared in his palm.
This coin was given to him by the little girl who wandered around the Marketplace in Yin-Yang Pass all the time. According to her, she acquired this thing from the Old Ancestor and it might save his life if he cast it out at the critical moment.
Certainly, Yang Kai wouldn’t expect the little girl, who knew nothing but how to eat all the time, to help him in any way; however, this thing came from the Old Ancestor of Yin-Yang Pass, so it must have some special power.
As the Old Ancestor, she must be fully aware of everything that was going on in Yin-Yang Pass. Yang Kai didn’t think a little girl, who had never cultivated before, could steal anything from the Old Ancestor.
In other words, the Old Ancestor must be aware that the little girl had given this ancient coin to him. Perhaps she had even instructed the little girl to do so.
Why would the Old Ancestor give him this ancient coin, though? After giving it a thought, Yang Kai reckoned this coin was some kind of life-saving tool; after all, he was asked to come to this place by those from Yin-Yang Pass. Moreover, he could be considered a half-disciple of Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so it was expected that the Old Ancestor in Yin-Yang Pass would give him something to protect himself.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t explain why the Old Ancestor had never shown up even though he had been staying in Yin-Yang Pass for quite some time. The fact that the Black Ink Clan were building a Warship was a critical matter, so it was impossible that the Old Ancestor wasn’t concerned about it. The reason she never showed up was that she must have made a special arrangement.
This ancient coin could very well be the Old Ancestor’s arrangement.
Yang Kai had inspected this ancient coin before, but couldn’t find out the secrets inside it.
Given the situation he was in, he could only pin his hope on this ancient coin. He secretly prayed that this thing had better be useful; otherwise, he and 300 Artifact Refiners would perish today.
The aura behind him was getting closer and Yang Kai could feel the grand Will that was unique to Royal Lords. It wasn’t the first time he sensed this kind of Will. He had the same experience in the Black Prison and outside of Blue Sky Pass.
However, those experiences were not as profound as what he was going through at this moment.
After all, the Royal Lord in the Black Prison had been sealed off since ancient times, so she was already weak and frail. On the other hand, the one outside of Blue Sky Pass was badly injured and not really paying much attention to him.
However, Mu Guang, who was behind him, was at full strength and was completely focused on him, which was different from the two Royal Lords he had encountered before.
The pressure coming from this Will alone had almost devastated him. Yang Kai felt as if he was carrying a huge mountain on his back, which made it extremely difficult for him to take even a step forward and he could no longer manipulate Space Principles with ease.
After fleeing with difficulty for a bit, he suddenly froze on the spot and became immovable.
First of all, he had consumed too much energy by madly manipulating Space Principles for a prolonged time. Secondly, a pressure had engulfed the entire Void and cordoned off the space around him.
He didn’t even have the strength to turn around.
In the void, a figure slowly stepped out of the darkness.
Lifting his gaze, Yang Kai saw that there was an elegant-looking, curvy woman standing in the void in front of him. The woman was in an imperial dress, which was a form of clothing commonly worn by Humans. The imperial dress perfectly outlined her hourglass figure.
Yang Kai almost thought that he was having a hallucination.
Upon closer look though, he realised that the person indeed looked perfectly Human; however, her grand Will, indescribably authoritative demeanour, and overwhelming Black Ink Strength, suggested that she wasn’t just any Black Ink Clansman. She was the Royal Lord!
Mu Guang!
Yang Kai had heard of the Royal Lord’s name on several occasions from the mouths of the Humans in Yin-Yang Pass as well as the Black Ink Clansmen; however, it wasn’t until this moment that he realised this was what Mu Guang looked like.
It was the first time he came across a Black Ink Clansman that looked entirely Human. Most of the Black Ink Clansmen were burly, and came in various different forms. Yang Kai had been living in the Black Ink Clan’s territory for quite a long time, and he had seen all sorts of Black Ink Clansmen, but he had never seen someone like her before.
This was an eye-opener.
If Mu Guang never revealed her Black Ink Strength, no one would have thought that she was a Black Ink Clansman.
Although the woman was stepping forward in a leisurely manner, her expression was as cold as a frigid winter’s day and she spoke dispassionately, “Despite being weak, you’re pretty audacious.”
Apparently, she had heard from Mei Qiong about what happened in the Sealed World. She knew that not only had all the Artifact Refiners gone missing at the same time, but the Warship that was almost completed had also been destroyed.
It could be said that her centuries-long plan, which could potentially change the status quo and secure the Black Ink Clan’s ultimate victory, was ruined right before it succeeded.
It was expected that she wasn’t pleased with what had happened.
Yang Kai’s figure was stiff as he remained silent. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to retort, but rather that he didn’t even have the strength to speak in front of Mu Guang.
Mu Guang stopped in a place that was just 100 metres away from Yang Kai and asked grimly, “Where is Nie An?”
To her, Nie An was key to the success of her plan. They could build a new Warship and nurture a new batch of Artifact Refiners, but there was only one Nie An. Without this Great Grandmaster, they would never be able to construct a functional Warship.
It had to be noted that the Black Ink Clansmen had been waiting for countless years before they finally had a Great Grandmaster like Nie An. That was the result they had achieved with the Royal Lord’s full support; otherwise, Nie An couldn’t have safely ascended to the Eighth Order on his own, let alone become a Great Grandmaster.
As she spoke, Mu Guang slightly retracted her pressure.
Yang Kai was finally able to speak; still, his voice was hoarse, as though he hadn’t drunk anything for several days, “Nie An is dead!”
“Impudence!” Mu Guang roared. Impacted by the invisible pressure, Yang Kai sprayed out a mouthful of blood, and he instantly looked dispirited.
Her eyes were burning with fury as she glowered at Yang Kai, “I’ll give you one more chance. Tell me where Nie An is, and I’ll spare your life!”
Yang Kai guffawed, “Nie An’s natural limit was only the Sixth Order, so he couldn’t bear his Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation. Why would I lie to you about him being dead? Moreover, he exploded right in front of me. What? Are you going to kill me to avenge his death?”
Mu Guang was enraged, but she soon thought of something and calmed herself down. She sneered, “You want to die? It won’t be so easy. I heard that you’re pretty talented in Artifact Refining. With proper training, you might be the next Nie An.”
After she finished speaking, her eyes filled with an endless darkness all of a sudden.
Yang Kai felt a force trying to break into his Small Universe, but it soon dissipated. Upon coming to his senses, he exclaimed, “Royal Lord Secret Technique!”
When he was in the Black Prison back then, some of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who fought alongside him were struck by the Royal Lord’s Secret Technique and instantly became Black Ink Disciples. Yang Kai still vividly recalled the incident, and coupled with his own experience, he came to realise what the woman before his eyes had done just now.
Apparently, Mu Guang had used her Royal Lord Secret Technique on Yang Kai.
The Royal Lord Secret Technique was a technique that was, naturally, unique to Royal Lords, and they wouldn’t use it unless it was absolutely necessary. That was because even though this Secret Technique was powerful, as even Eighth-Order Masters were powerless to resist it and easily transformed into Black Ink Disciples, it would take the Royal Lord a lot of strength to cast it.
Therefore, on the battlefield, with a Human Old Ancestor around, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters didn’t have to worry about getting struck by the Royal Lord Secret Technique and becoming Black Ink Disciples. If the Royal Lord really did so, it would give the Old Ancestor a chance to land a heavy blow on them. However, without the Old Ancestor’s deterrence, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could only rely on themselves if they came across a Royal Lord.
As expected, after using the Royal Lord Secret Technique, Mu Guang flushed slightly. The pressure that made it difficult for Yang Kai to breathe since her appearance had also weakened.
Despite that, the woman before Yang Kai’s eyes was still a powerful being he could not hope to defeat.
“You indeed have one of the Four Universe Pillars. That smelly girl in Yin-Yang Pass is pretty generous.” Seeing that Yang Kai was still fine, the woman wasn’t one bit surprised. Instead, she seemed to have expected this outcome.
After all, there had to be an explanation for why a Black Ink Disciple had suddenly betrayed them. Only a Human who possessed one of the Four Universe Pillars wouldn’t have to worry about Black Ink Strength or the Royal Lord Secret Technique. It also enabled them to pretend to be a Black Ink Disciple and sneak into the Black Ink Clan to kick up a storm.
However, the cultivators who possessed the Four Universe Pillars that they had come across before were all Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters; none of them was a Seventh-Order Master. Moreover, when Hei Yuan corrupted this Human, he saw him giving up a part of his Small Universe twice. The Human even appeared powerless to turn things around and was determined to sacrifice his life to avoid capture.
Both Hei Yuan and the Royal Lord were fooled. They had never expected that the Humans would be audacious enough to let a Seventh-Order Master own one of the Four Universe Pillars and pretend to be a Black Ink Disciple. Furthermore, he almost succeeded.
Yang Kai had no idea who the ‘smelly girl from Yin-Yang Pass’ that the Royal Lord had mentioned was, but before he could ponder on it, he felt his entire figure stiffen on the spot.
The woman extended her slender hand and said impassively, “Do you think I have no way to deal with you just because you have one of the Four Universe Pillars? Since Nie An is dead, you’ll replace him from now on!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she pushed out her palm.
Endless darkness shaded his vision, and a great sense of danger engulfed his entire figure; however, Yang Kai was powerless to resist. Faced with the Royal Lord’s attack, he was unable to even move.
Right then, he felt a warm stream of energy gathering in his forehead. Following that, something broke out from his figure. At that instant, he broke free from the horrifying pressure and regained his freedom.
On the other hand, Mu Guang let out a cry of surprise.
As a dazzling light expanded, Yang Kai could see a wisp flying out of his forehead and shooting towards Mu Guang. The wisp of light soon turned into a Human form.
It was an old man whose hair and beard were grey with age. Clad in an ordinary robe, he stood there barefooted. His entire figure was covered in a gentle white light, which made him look a bit ethereal and immaterial.
Yang Kai was flabbergasted and unconsciously muttered, “Old Ancestor?”
The old man, who looked surreal as he was engulfed in a white halo, was the Old Ancestor from Blue Sky Pass.
Yang Kai wouldn’t be mistaken, for he had met the Old Ancestor once when he was in Blue Sky Pass.
[Why is Old Ancestor here?] Yang Kai was puzzled.
But soon, he realised that it wasn’t the Old Ancestor’s true form. It was more like a projection or an Avatar.
That was because the figure that was engulfed in the white light didn’t look like it had a physical body.
In an instant, Yang Kai figured out everything. Previously, he was asked to see the Blue Sky Old Ancestor. Just when he was ready to leave after the meeting ended, the Old Ancestor told him that both the dead and the living were contributors to the Human race. After that, he poked a finger on Yang Kai’s forehead and told him to leave.
Yang Kai had no idea why the Old Ancestor did that. He had even inspected himself but did not find anything of note.
He reckoned that the Old Ancestor must have given him something to help save himself; after all, he possessed the Purifying Light, which was important to the Human race. Therefore, it was expected that the Old Ancestor would treat him differently. The technique was hidden most of the time, but it would be triggered when Yang Kai’s life was at stake.
However, when he and Bai Yi snuck into Zhu Feng’s hideout and fought with the latter, Yang Kai almost lost his life on several occasions. At the most critical moment, he even spat out his own Dragon Bead and engaged in a life-and-death clash with Zhu Feng. Yang Kai eventually managed to kill Zhu Feng. He was in a perilous situation at that time, but the Old Ancestor’s technique didn’t activate.
Hence, Yang Kai thought that his speculation was wrong. The Old Ancestor’s technique was probably not a way to save his life; instead, it might have other uses. It just wasn’t triggered because the right time hadn’t come yet.
As time passed, Yang Kai almost forgot about that incident, but just when he was in danger this time, the technique was triggered and the Old Ancestor’s Avatar appeared!
Yang Kai was elated. It seemed that his speculation was right. The Old Ancestor had really given him a life-saving charm, but that technique would only be triggered when he was facing a Royal Lord and not on lesser occasions.
After a moment of thought, Yang Kai figured out everything. As the Old Ancestor’s Avatar was facing off against Mu Guang, Yang Kai heard him say, “I can only delay her temporarily. Run!”
The next instant, the Old Ancestor’s Avatar clashed with Mu Guang and blocked her violent attack. As their ferocious powers clashed, a ring of light expanded. Space trembled, and the entire universe seemed to be cracking apart.
Struck by the fallout, Yang Kai was sent tumbling away.
With determination written all over his face, he forcefully cast out the ancient coin in his hand. Usually, the ancient coin looked just like any other coin, but at that moment, it spun rapidly and enlarged. Despite being a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as well as a Grand Dragon, Yang Kai was still dumbstruck after the two powerful Masters clashed. However, the ancient coin wasn’t affected one bit.
In the blink of an eye, the ancient coin expanded to the size of a house. There was a square hole in the middle of the ancient coin and at this moment, violent Space Principle fluctuations could be felt coming from it, causing the local space to ripple and warp.
A slender figure stepped out from the hole in the coin in the next instant. She looked like she was a young woman in her early twenties. With a smile on her face, she called out to Yang Kai and asked, “Are you alright?”
A dumbfounded Yang Kai gazed at her and replied, “You…”
Although he hoped that the ancient coin could save him, he hadn’t expected to see such a sight. He initially thought that the ancient coin was a powerful artifact that could be used to injure the Royal Lord, but it turned out that the ancient coin was actually a kind of artifact that could be used to build a Void Corridor that led to somewhere.
This woman apparently stepped out of the other end of the Void Corridor.
For some reason, Yang Kai found this young woman familiar, as though he had seen her before. Nevertheless, he was certain he had never come across her in his life.
That was because the aura exuding from this woman suggested that she was an Old Ancestor.
The woman waved her hand in front of Yang Kai’s and with a frown, she asked worriedly, “Did you injure your head or something?”
An anxious Yang Kai quickly cupped his fist, “Junior Yang Kai greets Old Ancestor!”
He had certainly figured out the woman’s identity by now. She was none other than the Old Ancestor of Yin-Yang Pass. He was somewhat surprised at the fact that the Old Ancestor of Yin-Yang Pass was a woman, and such a young and beautiful one at that.
However, the age of an Old Ancestor would naturally not show on her face. Despite looking like she was in her early twenties, she must be an old monster that had lived for at least 10,000 years.
The woman laughed happily, “You don’t have to be overly polite with me.”
Then, she turned her head and said, “Didn’t I tell you to use that ancient coin when you were in mortal danger? Fortunately, that old man left a Secret Technique in your body; otherwise, you wouldn’t have even had a chance to use the ancient coin.”
A sheepish Yang Kai lowered his head, but he was secretly cursing in his heart. He couldn’t help thinking that the Old Ancestor of Yin-Yang Pass was somewhat unreliable. Since the ancient coin was so important, she should have explained its uses clearly to him. Instead, she actually had a little girl pass it to him, which made him think that those from Yin-Yang Pass never provided any help for him. He even thought that if he couldn’t turn things around, he would perish today along with 300 Artifact Refiners.
As they spoke, the fight between the Old Ancestor’s Avatar from Blue Sky Pass and Mu Guang was already in its final stage; after all, it was just an Avatar. Although it had the power of an Old Ancestor, it couldn’t last for long.
As the violent forces dissipated, the two figures separated. Mu Guang stared fixedly at the woman and said through clenched teeth, “It’s you, little bitch!”
The woman refuted, “Mind your language, old hag, or I’ll skin you alive!”
She then gazed at the Old Ancestor’s Avatar from Blue Sky Pass. Presently, the Avatar was dim and flickering, as though it would disappear at any moment.
Noticing the woman’s gaze, the Avatar turned his head and nodded gently, “I’ll leave the rest to you.”
With a solemn expression, the woman replied, “Rest in peace, old man. I’ll certainly avenge you.”
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he found the whole conversation awkward. The Old Ancestor’s Avatar was indeed going to disappear, but it wasn’t like he was really dying.
With that said, even though it was just an Avatar, its destruction would undoubtedly cause a serious loss to the Old Ancestor. If not for the fact that Yang Kai had made a huge contribution to the Human Race and was of incredible importance, the Old Ancestor wouldn’t have left an Avatar with him.
The Avatar took a glance at Yang Kai, then turned into countless motes of light and dissipated.
“I’ll hold her here!” The Yin-Yang Pass Old Ancestor suddenly yelled. Yang Kai turned his head and saw that she had deliberately folded her arms, as though she was gripping something. With her left hand remaining still, she extended her right hand, like she was drawing out an invisible sword.
As she did that, she really unsheathed a sharp-looking sword!
Mu Guang’s expression turned solemn as the Black Ink Strength around her surged.
“Yang Boy, head in the direction of Yin-Yang Pass. The Army has sortied from the Inner Sanctum. Join up with them!” The Old Ancestor ordered as she raised her sword.
“Yes!” Yang Kai replied and turned around to leave.
Mu Guang couldn’t help looking in that direction.
“What are you looking at, old hag?” The woman yelled. Only half of her sword was unsheathed at this point, but the next instant, she forcefully drew it and disappeared from the spot. When she reappeared, she was right above Mu Guang as she slashed down with her weapon.
Mu Guang roared and lifted both of her hands, blocking the attack with her rich Black Ink Strength.
Yang Kai couldn’t possibly intervene in the battle between the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord. What’s more, both of them had been fighting against each other for many years. Be it the Old Ancestor from Yin-Yang Pass or Mu Guang Royal Lord, the two of them knew practically everything about their opponent, so the outcome of the battle was basically predetermined.
It would either come to a draw or be a mutual loss. There wasn’t a third possibility.
Mu Guang had the advantage in that this was her territory, but it wouldn’t be realistic for her to think that she could make the Old Ancestor of Yin-Yang Pass stay behind.
If the Old Ancestor was bent on fleeing, the Royal Lord wouldn’t have a way to stop her. It was just like what happened outside of Blue Sky Pass back then. When the badly injured Royal Lord wanted to flee, the Old Ancestor from Blue Sky Pass was unable to stop him.
The repercussions of the battle spread across the void, and even though Yang Kai had immediately manipulated Space Principles to escape the battlefield, he could still feel the violent impacts behind him.
A sense of longing overwhelmed him as he wondered when he would be able to make it to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
With that said, he knew that he was far from that goal; after all, he only directly ascended to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm back then. Although he had consumed a Mid-Rank World Fruit and made it to the Sixth Order, his limit would be the Eighth Order. In order to ascend to the Ninth Order, he would have to find the Innate Open Heaven Pills formed in the Universe Furnace.
That wouldn’t be easy, for the Universe Furnace was elusive and mysterious. No one knew when it would appear.
Casting his wild thoughts away, Yang Kai dashed toward Yin-Yang Pass.
The Old Ancestor said that the Army had deployed. If he wanted to survive, he had to join up with them and fight against the Black Ink Clan alongside them. However, the road ahead would surely be paved with danger, so Yang Kai wasn’t sure if he would successfully join the Yin-Yang Pass’ Army.
Fortunately, the Old Ancestor was there to deal with Mu Guang. Without the Royal Lord pursuing him, he stood a greater chance of fleeing.
He fished out some Spirit Pills from his Small Universe and stuffed them into his mouth. As he moved forward, he tried to restore his strength.
As he repeatedly manipulated Space Principles, his figure kept flickering across the void.
Whenever he bumped into Black Ink Clansmen, he wouldn’t deal with them. Only when he was left with no choice would he fight.
By doing so, he moved across billions of kilometres in one day. Presently, he was soaked in blood. The blood was his own as well as the Black Ink Clan’s. After escaping for such a long time, he was quite battered, but he was still far from Yin-Yang Pass.
After all, his starting point was basically the Royal City. Even though he had the help of Space Principles, it would still take him a long time to return to Yin-Yang Pass.
Despite being exhausted, Yang Kai didn’t dare to stop and rest. Wherever he went, there would be Black Ink Clansmen waiting for him. With the help of the Black Ink Nests, the Black Ink Clan was able to relay information rapidly. Whatever happened in any given place, the news would be soon spread to all the Black Ink Nests in the region.
Fortunately, he didn’t come across any Territory Lords while escaping, which gave him some room for manoeuvre. If he really bumped into a Territory Lord, he wouldn’t be able to shake them off given the state he was in.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that this wasn’t so surprising. Just like Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, Territory Lords were rare. Furthermore, the Army had left Yin-Yang Pass, so the Territory Lords had to deal with the enemy. They wouldn’t have time to hunt him down.
Half a day later, Yang Kai flickered and appeared somewhere in the void; however, before he could stabilise himself to scan the surroundings, he felt a gust of wind coming at him as several auras locked onto him.
A shocked Yang Kai knew that he was unlucky as he happened to bump into Black Ink Clansmen who were lying in wait for him here.
Nevertheless, he had encountered similar incidents during his escape, so he wasn’t flustered. He easily dodged the initial attacks and took some distance from his opponent.
Lifting his gaze, Yang Kai realised there were indeed a lot of Black Ink Clansmen who had surrounded him. Many of them looked pleasantly surprised or perplexed. Apparently, his sudden appearance startled them.
Yang Kai silently cursed and thought that he had run out of luck as he was surrounded by so many enemies. He reckoned that he had to fight his way out of here.
“I knew there was something wrong with you from the start, and now it seems I was right!” A stern voice, which sounded familiar to Yang Kai, was heard speaking from the side.
Yang Kai turned his head and saw a Black Ink Disciple with a hunched back who was glowering at him. This person was the one who launched a sneak attack on him just now.
“Liu Zi An!” Yang Kai arched his brow with surprise.
He had never expected to bump into Liu Zi An here. Initially, he thought that after leaving Hei Yuan’s territory, he would never see Liu Zi An again. Who would have thought they would see each other again? After scanning his surroundings, Yang Kai couldn’t help but stare at the Feudal Lord who was apparently in charge. As expected, wherever Liu Zi An was, Gui Liao would also be there; after all, Liu Zi An was Gui Liao’s Black Ink Disciple.
Of the other Black Ink Clansmen, Yang Kai also found another Feudal Lord he was familiar with. It seemed that he had seen him before.
These were obviously the Black Ink Clansmen who were Hei Yuan’s subordinates.
Yang Kai soon figured out what was going on. While he was fleeing in Yin-Yang Pass’ direction, he unknowingly returned to Hei Yuan’s territory.
Hei Yuan wasn’t around as Yang Kai couldn’t detect his aura, which made him feel relieved.
“Surrender now. You can’t escape!” Liu Zi An barked.
Ignoring him, Yang Kai extended his hand and summoned his Azure Dragon Spear.
Liu Zi An snapped, “Since you refuse a toast, you must drink a loss!”
As he spoke, he summoned a sabre and surged his strength. A glint flashed across the blade as he took a step forward and wielded the weapon at Yang Kai.
Gui Liao, who was not far away from them, ordered, “Don’t kill him! We have to capture him alive!”
Upon finishing his words, he circulated his Black Ink Strength and charged towards Yang Kai. At the same time, the Black Ink Clansmen around Yang Kai dashed towards him.
Liu Zi An grinned, “Don’t worry, Master. He’s strong, so I might not be a match for him.”
As soon as he brought his weapon down, he cut Yang Kai in half. However, he didn’t feel ecstatic for killing his opponent; instead, his expression changed drastically. That was because he didn’t feel he had hacked into blood and flesh. It was apparently an afterimage.
He promptly whirled around and brandished his sabre. Although he seemed to have hit something, a horrifying impulse was felt coming at him through the blade, one that forced him to step backwards.
Before he could stabilise himself, the tip of a spear rapidly magnified before his eyes as he was engulfed in a great sense of danger.
A flabbergasted Liu Zi An madly pushed his strength in an attempt to dodge, but the spear seemed to have affected the space around him, which made it impossible for him to evade the attack.
“Master! Save…” Liu Zi An exclaimed in horror, but before he could finish his words, the Azure Dragon Spear pierced right into his eye. The violent force from the spear exploded and turned his head into mist.
Liu Zi An was fully aware of his inferiority. He had fought with Yang Kai back then when the latter’s Small Universe was damaged, and he was defeated in the end. Certainly, he wouldn’t be a match for Yang Kai now as the latter’s Small Universe had healed, and his power had increased.
Therefore, he knew that he couldn’t defeat Yang Kai, nor did he hope that he would deal a heavy blow to him; however, they were in a one-on-one fight back then, but he had many Black Ink Clansmen with him now. Liu Zi An thought that regardless of how powerful Yang Kai was, there had to be a limit; after all, Yang Kai was just a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he couldn’t possibly defeat so many Black Ink Clansmen on his own.
Nevertheless, it never crossed Liu Zi An’s mind that he would lose his life after just two exchanges.
His demise astounded the Black Ink Clansmen around him. They couldn’t even clearly see what was going on when the Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple was killed by the enemy.
They had a feeling that Liu Zi An hadn’t stood a chance to even resist in front of Yang Kai.
It wasn’t until this moment that Gui Liao reached Yang Kai and tried to attack him. Liu Zi An’s death shocked him as well, so he was affected despite being determined to capture the opponent. This led to him uncontrollably retracting half of his force to defend himself.
When he summoned Zha Gu back then, the latter told him about what happened before Yang Kai was eventually captured by Hei Yuan. Zha Gu’s descriptions of Yang Kai’s capabilities were vivid, but Gui Liao had a feeling that he was exaggerating.
It wasn’t like he had never dealt with Seventh-Order Humans before, and they were nothing special in his opinion. Although Yang Kai was indeed unusually powerful, he couldn’t possibly be as invincible as Zha Gu described him to be.
Gui Liao figured Zha Gu must have suffered a loss at Yang Kai’s hands, who was then personally corrupted by the Territory Lord and became his Black Ink Disciple. That was the reason Zha Gu overstated Yang Kai’s strength.
Upon seeing that Yang Kai easily killed Liu Zi An though, Gui Liao realised that perhaps Zha Gu wasn’t exaggerating. Yang Kai was just as powerful as Zha Gu’s descriptions of him.
It was no wonder that the Territory Lord decided to personally corrupt him; he was indeed significantly stronger than other Seventh-Order Humans. It was expected that Hei Yuan would be tempted.
Gui Liao could feel that Yang Kai wasn’t at his peak and he seemed to be injured, which wasn’t a surprise since he must have gotten into quite a number of fights as he fled from the Royal City to here.
Despite that, he was still able to showcase such terrifying strength. How formidable would he be if he was in top condition?
Nevertheless, this realisation came too late.
After killing Liu Zi An, an overbearing Yang Kai turned his Azure Dragon Spear into countless phantoms and engulfed Gui Liao with them.
In an instant, Gui Liao felt immensely pressured. He madly pushed his Black Ink Strength and cast several Secret Techniques in an attempt to save his own life.
The Black Ink Clan no longer hesitated to launch their attacks on Yang Kai. As a result, Yang Kai staggered while his blood spurted out of his wounds, but he remained unperturbed.
Gui Liao was feeling both helpless and frustrated at the moment.
He had no idea why Yang Kai only targeted him even though there were many Black Ink Clansmen around. In fact, there were Black Ink Clansmen who were closer to him, but Yang Kai ignored them and seemed determined to kill Gui Liao.
Could it be that Yang Kai still hadn’t gotten over the unfair treatment he had received in the castle? If that was really the case, Gui Liao felt that he was being unfairly blamed.
However, he had no idea that the reason Yang Kai only targeted him was that he was the most powerful and authoritative figure among the Black Ink Clansmen at the scene.
Gui Liao was Hei Yuan’s confidant, so killing Gui Liao would be akin to weakening Hei Yuan’s power. Besides that, Gui Liao was indeed more powerful than other Feudal Lords. As far as Yang Kai was concerned, it wouldn’t be long before Gui Liao would ascend to become a Territory Lord.
When that happened, the Humans would have a new formidable opponent on the battlefield. It would be like nipping a potential problem in the bud by killing Gui Liao here.
With that consideration in mind, and as the chance was rare, it was expected that Yang Kai wouldn’t let Gui Liao off.
Faced with the aggressive onslaught, Gui Liao was forced back repeatedly. On the other hand, Yang Kai thrust out his spear in rapid succession. Gui Liao realised that he could only ward off the opponent’s attacks, but not counterattack.
This made him feel shocked and infuriated.
He had never expected that such a Seventh-Order Human existed in this world. Over the years, he had frequently followed Hei Yuan to the battlefield and fought with many Seventh-Order Masters; however, none had ever made him feel that he couldn’t defeat them.
At this moment, a sense of despair overwhelmed him as he was dealing with Yang Kai.
Gui Liao used all the Secret Techniques he knew, but every strike Yang Kai made was overwhelming. In every exchange of blows, his Black Ink Strength would be blasted apart on impact. Furthermore, Yang Kai’s mobility was simply astonishing. Although the surrounding Black Ink Clansmen managed to hit him from time to time, they were unable to seriously injure him. They only managed to cause some flesh wounds, which wouldn’t change anything.
[I’ll die!] That was the thought that flashed through Gui Liao’s mind as a sense of anxiety gripped him. He had never expected that such a feeling would rise within him when he was facing a Human in the same relative Realm. This made him feel both ashamed and unresigned.
He still had a bright future ahead of him, and he was about to attempt to ascend to become a Territory Lord. That was why he wasn’t willing to lose his life here.
Before Hei Yuan sent Yang Kai to the Royal City, he told Gui Liao that he would let him enter the main Black Ink Nest and make a breakthrough to the Territory Lord Realm upon his return. Gui Liao had been looking forward to it.
However, several Territory Lords had recuperated in the Black Ink Nest recently, so it was running low on energy; therefore, Hei Yuan didn’t immediately let Gui Liao enter the Black Ink Nest upon his return. Instead, he spent a massive amount of resources trying to replenish the Black Ink Nest’s spent energy.
Over the past few years, the Black Ink Nest had almost restored all its energy and it would only take another six months before Gui Liao could attempt a breakthrough. When he succeeded, he would be a new Territory Lord, which would put him on par with Hei Yuan.
Nevertheless, before his dream could become a reality, it was crushed by Yang Kai’s spear.
Presently, Gui Liao was soaked in blood, and facing the Azure Dragon Spear, he felt his aura weakening by the breath.
Regardless of how hard he tried, he was unable to resist Yang Kai’s bombardment. The attacks were both sharp and unpredictable, with the spear always coming at him from the most unexpected angle, making it impossible to counterattack. Every strike also brought with it a strange power that sealed off the space around him. Just a short while later, Gui Liao was left with more than ten serious wounds on his figure. The most severe injury was on his abdomen, which now had a hole the size of a fist in it.
Just when Gui Liao felt he was about to lose his life, a formidable aura suddenly appeared in the distance.
Yang Kai and Gui Liao, who were locked in battle, detected this familiar aura at the same time. The former turned solemn while the latter was elated.
This couldn’t be helped, as the newcomer was none other than Hei Yuan.
This place was Hei Yuan’s territory, and his Feudal Lords had scattered around to intercept Yang Kai. The moment Gui Liao and the Black Ink Clansmen got into a fight with Yang Kai, Hei Yuan naturally detected it and hurriedly came over.
Hei Yuan could move swiftly, so not long after Yang Kai detected his aura, he caught a glimpse of Hei Yuan approaching.
Gui Liao promptly exclaimed, “Sir Territory Lord, save me!”
Yang Kai fell into a dilemma as he hesitated between fleeing immediately and killing Gui Liao. The next moment though, he summoned all of his strength and thrust out his spear.
At the same time, Gui Liao’s figure was reflected in Yang Kai’s right eye. The reflection slightly contorted, and at that instant, Gui Liao, who was attentively resisting Yang Kai’s attack, seemed to be struck by an immense pressure. There seemed to be a mysterious force that was contorting his body. His figure stiffened while he was overwhelmed by an excruciating pain.
This moment of sluggishness cost him dearly. The Azure Dragon Spear directly pierced through his chest, and as the violent force exploded, his figure split in half. Black blood and Black Ink Strength scattered across the void.
A hint of disbelief flashed through Gui Liao’s eyes. Although he hadn’t lost his life yet, his death was inevitable given his injuries.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but close his right eye as blood dripped down from it.
Myriad Demons Heaven’s Eye Secret Techniques were indeed incredible; however, Yang Kai had yet to fully master them, and he had already consumed a lot of energy prior to this battle. Forcefully activating this Eye Secret Technique caused a huge burden on him.
Fortunately, he managed to kill Gui Liao with the help of this Eye Secret Technique, cutting off a potential crisis for the Human race. It could be said that his efforts were worth it.
Since Hei Yuan was about to reach him, Yang Kai naturally wouldn’t want to stay here and he quickly pushed his Space Principles in an attempt to flee.
Nevertheless, the Black Ink Clan’s bombardment of attacks caused the surrounding Void to become unstable, so he was unable to leave immediately. On the other hand, Gui Liao, who was cut in two, turned ferocious as his half-figure came right at Yang Kai. He spread his arms in an attempt to detain Yang Kai as he yelled, “Don’t even think about escaping!”
Yang Kai hadn’t expected this guy to be so savage. Just when he was almost captured by Gui Liao, Yang Kai hurriedly pushed out his spear and turned Gui Liao’s top half into mist.
Unfortunately, thanks to this moment of delay, Hei Yuan finally reached him.
Black Ink Strength surged around Hei Yuan as he sported a furious expression and he directly extended his hand towards Yang Kai.
At this critical moment, Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to be negligent. All of a sudden, a gigantic ancient tree appeared behind him. The tree crown seemed able to cover the entire sky. Its low-hanging branches turned into the strongest defence for Yang Kai.
Hei Yuan struck the tree crown with all his might.
The branches rustled upon impact as points of green light flew out everywhere. Towering Evergreen was instantly broken through, and as if struck by a huge hammer, Yang Kai was sent flying away while he sprayed out a mouthful of blood.
It was expected that Yang Kai couldn’t resist a Territory Lord’s all-out attack. If not for his Towering Evergreen’s fantastic defensive power, he would have lost his life then and there.
It could be said that Hei Yuan was completely enraged; after all, he was the one who turned Yang Kai into a Black Ink Disciple and recommended him to the Royal Lord to take part in the plan. In the end, the Black Ink Clan’s grand plan was destroyed because of Yang Kai, and even the critical person in charge of the project, Nie An, was dead.
This was a huge failure that even a Territory Lord like him couldn’t bear.
It was imaginable that the Royal Lord was mad with rage, and her fury would surely be vented out on him. All of this was Yang Kai’s fault, so it was expected that Hei Yuan would be furious.
Honestly speaking, when he received the news from the Royal City, Hei Yuan couldn’t believe what he was hearing and suspected that the other side was mistaken.
After all, before he captured Yang Kai back then, he saw the latter going all out to resist and even give up a part of his Small Universe twice, which almost caused his Order to regress. Since he was unable to turn things around, he even decided to commit suicide. It was only then that Hei Yuan made a move and corrupted him.
Was everything he saw that day nothing more than an act? Were those the lengths this Human was willing to go to in order to sneak into the Black Ink Clan’s territory? If that was true, he was truly a cunning and devious person.
Despite knowing that the Humans were sly, Hei Yuan hadn’t expected them to be so deceitful. He regretted not examining Yang Kai’s Small Universe after capturing him back then. If he had done so, none of this would have happened.
At that time, he firmly believed that he had successfully corrupted Yang Kai. In his defence, the Humans never granted one of the Four Universe Pillars to Seventh-Order Masters, so it never crossed Hei Yuan’s mind that Yang Kai would be capable of resisting his Black Ink Strength. The Human was even audacious enough to pretend to be a Black Ink Disciple and follow him to his territory.
After several inquiries, Hei Yuan finally confirmed that the news from the Royal City was true.
It was only then that he realised he had been played by the Humans all along. While he was recuperating, Yang Kai tactfully revealed his talent in Artifact Refining, which must have been part of the Humans’ plans from the beginning.
Everything that had happened made Hei Yuan feel humiliated. As a result, he was burning with endless fury, which ensured that he did not hold back when sending out his last strike.
However, he regretted it the instant he made a move, because the Royal Lord had ordered that Yang Kai be captured alive!
It seemed that the Royal Lord had the intention of replacing Nie An with Yang Kai, who would be tasked to continue building Warships.
Fortunately, Yang Kai was unusually strong and had used some kind of Secret Technique to save himself. Seeing that Yang Kai was still alive, Hei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.
If he had accidentally killed Yang Kai, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself to the Royal Lord. Now, he could still make up for his mistake.
Presently, Yang Kai was overwhelmed by a great sense of discomfort.
He had already suffered a setback in front of Mu Guang, and then he consumed a lot of energy and became injured while escaping. Now that he was struck by Hei Yuan’s attack, it was expected that he would be in a terrible state.
It had to be noted that Hei Yuan was one of the top five Territory Lords who served Mu Guang, meaning he was significantly stronger than the average Territory Lord.
If not for the great defensive power of his Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation, and that Yang Kai had thick skin and strong flesh due to his Dragon Vein, he would’ve lost his life after being struck.
Even so, he was still feeling dizzy and seeing stars at this moment. Many of his bones were also fractured.
Steadying himself with difficulty and lifting his gaze, Yang Kai saw Hei Yuan standing not far away from him, while he was surrounded by a lot of Black Ink Clansmen.
As their eyes met, Hei Yuan suppressed his fury and said grimly, “You’re really something.”
Yang Kai spat out a mouthful of blood and grinned, “Many thanks for your compliment, Sir. I never expected that I’d come across you again. It seems that we share some common destiny, don’t we?”
Hei Yuan replied impassively, “Since it all started because of me, I’m sure the Royal Lord will be pleased if this matter is ended by me. Surrender without a fight. You’re important to the Royal Lord, so I don’t want to keep damaging you.”
Upon realising what the other party meant, Yang Kai arched his brow, “Does the Royal Lord want you to capture me alive?”
“An Artifact Refiner is only valuable if he’s alive.”
Yang Kai replied, “It seems that Mu Guang intends to keep building Warships.”
Hei Yuan looked sympathetically at him, “It’s pointless to stall for time. Your Old Ancestor is still in a fight with the Royal Lord while the Human Army is far away from here. You don’t stand a chance to flee. The Humans have a saying, do not refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Resisting will only make you suffer.”
“Who says I’m going to flee?” Yang Kai lifted his Azure Dragon Spear and pointed it at Hei Yuan. With his chin raised, he appeared condescending, “It’s not like I’ve never killed a Territory Lord before. I don’t mind killing one more.”
Hei Yuan was slightly surprised, “You’ve killed a Territory Lord before?” However, he soon cast the doubt away as he strode towards Yang Kai, “Whatever. I can explain myself to the Royal Lord as long as you’re not killed.”
As he stepped closer, his Territory Lord’s pressure swept over Yang Kai.