“How far away was the East-West Army from Great Evolution Pass when you departed?”
“More than a month’s journey, but less than two months.”
Yang Kai had used over 20 days to complete a journey that would have taken an ordinary person nearly two months to complete. Even if he borrowed the power of the Universe Array on the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, that was an astounding speed. Nevertheless, considering he was a Master of the Dao of Space, this result was within the acceptable range.
Mi Jing Lun quickly made some calculations before saying out loud, “In other words, if the East-West Army charges straight for Great Evolution Pass, then they are currently less than 20 days away from contact. But, I believe the East-West Army has changed direction already. They are planning to attack the Black Ink Clan’s domain after all. It should be almost time. In approximately half a month, the East-West Army will launch an attack on the Black Ink Clan territory. At that time, their whereabouts will be exposed. But, before that, they will release the thousands of puppets as bait to distract the Black Ink Clan garrisoned at Great Evolution Pass!”
“Once it becomes known that the East-West Army appeared in the Black Ink Clan’s territory though, the Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass will surely take action.” Mi Jing Lun seemed to be talking to himself, but he also seemed to be explaining the situation to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters around him, “What the North-South Army needs to do right now is find a suitable position to set an ambush. When the Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass show themselves, we will greet them with a painful assault!”
With a snap of his fan, he made up his mind. He raised his head and looked at Yang Kai, “Do you have any other orders aside from delivering this message?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “The Army Commander only asked me to inform the North-South Army of the change in plans. He did not give me any other orders.”
“Good. In that case, please cooperate with the North-South Army for the time being.”
“Yes!” Yang Kai cupped his fist.
“Did you bring the communication device with you?”
Yang Kai nodded and took out a communication bead, “The Army Commander gave this to me before I left.”
Mi Jing Lun nodded, “There’s no need to trouble another when one alone is enough for a task. Since you are proficient in the Dao of Space, I would like to ask you for a favour.”
“Please give me your orders, Sir.”
“Head towards Great Evolution Pass and use this communication device to search for Army Commander Ou Yang Lie and inform him about the situation here. He has been monitoring the movements around Great Evolution Pass for some time. Ask him whether the Royal Lord has arrived at Great Evolution Pass and whether the Black Ink Clan are showing signs of building up their defences. After getting the answers, deliver the information back here as quickly as possible. Also, ask him to remain in place to monitor the movements of the Black Ink Clan. If the Royal Lord leaves Great Evolution Pass, he should inform us as soon as possible.”
“Understood.”
“Proceed with caution. The Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass have dispatched many of their troops as scouts to try to locate the North-South Army. Do your best not to be discovered.”
Yang Kai nodded again.
“Go!” Mi Jing Lun gestured for Yang Kai to leave.
Yang Kai left with his orders.
After Yang Kai left, Mi Jing Lun addressed the Division Commanders, “What we need to do now is find a suitable position. This position cannot be located too far from Great Evolution Pass. If we are too far away, we will not have enough time to stop the Black Ink Clan once they dispatch their troops. But, we cannot be too close either. If we are too close, we run the risk of being discovered by them. Our best choice is a place located approximately a three-to-five-day journey away. Do you have any good suggestions?”
One of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters replied, “We are not familiar with the topography near Great Evolution Pass. In order to choose a suitable location, we will need to investigate carefully. Furthermore, it’s not easy to conceal our fleet. Why don’t we have our troops stow away all the Warships? That will make it easier for us to remain hidden. Moreover, it won’t be too late to summon them when the battle commences.”
Mi Jing Lun nodded lightly, “That works; however, the Purifying Black Ink Battleship has to remain, lest Brother Ou Yang have no means to contact us.”
Following a brief discussion, numerous orders were relayed throughout the fleet and it didn’t take long for almost all the Warships to be put away, leaving only the Purifying Black Ink Battleship behind.
Without the constraints of the Warships, it was easier and more effective for the soldiers of the North-South Army to rely on their various Secret Techniques and artifacts to conceal their presence.
Afterwards, numerous Squads were subsequently dispatched to search for a suitable ambush location.
On the other hand, Yang Kai left the Purifying Black Ink Battleship and sped towards Great Evolution Pass.
If he could manipulate Space Principles, this trip would not have taken him much time to complete; however, Mi Jing Lun had asked him to remain hidden as much as possible. The Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass had dispatched many troops to search for the North-South Army’s location, so if he travelled by Instantaneous Movement and accidentally appeared too close to the Black Ink Clan’s scouting parties, he would surely be exposed. Therefore, Yang Kai could only travel with great haste using normal means.
Before he left, he had asked about the direction and location of Great Evolution Pass, learning he was currently about 10 days away. Hence, there was no rush time-wise.
…..
Five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sped through the void towards Great Evolution Pass from the direction of Wind and Cloud Pass. These five Eighth-Order Masters were the ones who departed from the East-West Army previously. Each of them carried a Space Ring filled to the brim with puppets.
After Yang Kai’s departure, the East-West Army acted according to Mi Jing Lun’s prediction. Be that as it may, these five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had acted differently and hurried towards Great Evolution Pass instead.
They were only half a month away from Great Evolution Pass at the moment, and up until recently, they had not encountered a single Black Ink Clansman. But, they had constantly run into various Black Ink Clansmen over the past few days. Most of these Black Ink Clan teams were led by a single Feudal Lord, so they were naturally no match for the five Division Commanders. Needless to say, the Eighth-Order Masters slaughtered all the Black Ink Clansmen they came across without any mercy.
Nevertheless, their frequent encounters with the Black Ink Clan indicated that their presence had been noticed.
All of a sudden, the leading Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master came to an abrupt halt and sent out a Divine Sense transmission, “It’s about time. Let’s begin.”
The four others nodded in agreement.
They each took out a Space Ring, and with a surge of their Divine Senses, large batches of puppets began to appear. Each of these puppets radiated with the aura of a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master or higher, up to the Seventh-Order.
One puppet alone might not be very noticeable, but they became a mighty force when so many of them were gathered together in one spot. As the number of puppets increased, the aura they released became more and more imposing. Soon, the entire void became distorted by their mere presence.
A total of 70,000 puppets were quickly summoned by the five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. These puppets were neatly dressed, and their energy sources had been installed and charged in advance.
The Divine Senses of the five Eighth-Order Masters surged once more to relay an extremely simple instruction to the Puppet Army gathered in front of them!
In the next moment, the Puppet Army silently embarked directly in the direction of Great Evolution Pass.
Issuing an order to some 70,000 puppets at once meant that each Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was responsible for more than 10,000 puppets. Even if their cultivations were deep and profound, they could not prevent their complexions from turning pale. That was also why five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had been dispatched together. If their numbers were reduced in any way, they would not have been able to control so many of these puppets at once.
After releasing the Puppet Army of tens of thousands, the task of these five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could be considered complete. They watched the Puppet Army drifting away into the distance, and after resting for a short while, they turned around and sped towards the depths of the void. It was necessary for them to join up with the rest of the Army as their strength would ultimately be required to contribute during the attack on the Black Ink Clan’s territory.
The Puppet Army marched forward.
In less than an hour, a Black Ink Clan search party soon detected the aura of this Army from a distance. There was no helping it. The aura radiating from the Puppet Army simply stood out too much, like a bright moon in the middle of the night. It was difficult for the Black Ink Clansmen in the vicinity to not notice their presence.
This scouting party was led by a Feudal Lord, who had received the orders to investigate the possible locations of the Human Race Army. Over the last couple of days, his search had been fruitless; hence, he never expected to make such a big discovery today.
He originally wanted to investigate more carefully, but he was frightened by the overwhelming aura and did not dare to approach too closely. Even just sensing them from so far away made his face turn pale.
At a glance, he could tell that there were several tens of thousands in the Human Race Army marching towards Great Evolution Pass without any intention of concealing themselves. Therefore, he did not dare to delay and hurriedly relayed the news to the rear. At the same time, he continuously retreated into the distance while monitoring the movements of the Humans from afar.
A few days later, the information was finally delivered to Great Evolution Pass thanks to the efforts of several Black Ink Clan squads.
Inside the spacious Grand Hall, a group of Territory Lords were locked in a heated discussion.
Meanwhile, the gigantic Royal Lord with a pair of pitch-black wings on his back simply sat there with his head resting on his hand and his eyes closed. He looked as though he had not moved at all since arriving.
All of a sudden, a Feudal Lord rushed into the Grand Hall and whispered something to Hong Di before he quickly left again.
The Territory Lords fell silent and turned to look at Hong Di.
Hong Di stepped forward and bowed deeply, “Royal Lord, we have discovered the movements of the Human Race Army.”
The Royal Lord opened his eyes slightly, “Speak!”
“I received a report just now, stating that the Human Race Army has been detected in the direction of Wind and Cloud Pass a few days ago. The number of enemies is estimated to be between 60,000 and 70,000. Moreover, they are marching directly towards Great Evolution Pass. A Feudal Lord has been monitoring their movements from a distance, but he has found no signs to indicate that they planned to change their course.”
“Impudence! Does the Human Race believe that they can retake this Great Pass with a trivial force of 60,000 to 70,000!? They clearly do not know their place!”
“That’s just coming from Wind and Cloud Pass. What about Azure Void Pass? There might be another Army no less than these numbers coming from the other direction. If they joined together, their numbers would reach over 100,000.”
“So what if they have 100,000? With Great Evolution Pass acting as a shield and nearly a million of our Black Ink Clan’s soldiers, forget a mere 100,000, they would never succeed even if they had double those numbers.”
“That’s right. It’s one thing if they didn’t attack us, but since they dared to come, then we’ll make sure they never return.”
“Royal Lord, please allow us to meet the Humans in battle!”
The Territory Lords clamoured noisily. Since they occupied the geographical advantage and their military strength far exceeded that of the Humans, they naturally had the qualifications to dismiss the approaching threat.
However, as long as the Royal Lord said nothing, they did not dare to act rashly no matter how much noise they made.
The Royal Lord remained silent for a time before finally opening his mouth to ask, “Did you learn the location of the Ninth-Order Master?”
Hong Di replied, “The Feudal Lord did not mention anything about this matter. But, the Ninth-Order Master will surely come from the direction of Wind and Cloud Pass.”
The Royal Lord responded flatly and added lightly, “Prepare yourselves. It looks like the Human Race will attack soon.”
“Yes!” The Territory Lords answered loudly and rolled up their sleeves in anticipation.
News from the front line continuously arrived at Great Evolution Pass.
The Human Race Army was less than an eight-day journey away from Great Evolution Pass. Furthermore, they showed no signs of stopping, slowing down, or changing direction.
The Human Race Army was less than a five-day journey away from Great Evolution Pass…
The Human Race Army was less than a three-day journey away from Great Evolution Pass…
The Human Race Army was only one day away from Great Evolution Pass!
Somewhere outside Great Evolution Pass, Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple secretly concealed themselves in one of the scattered asteroids. Their current location was much closer to Great Evolution Pass compared to their previous hiding spot. It could even be said that they were so close that they were being reckless.
At this location, if the whereabouts of the Master and Disciple were discovered by the Black Ink Clan, then they would not be able to escape even though Ou Yang Lie was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. That was because the Royal Lord at Great Evolution Pass could arrive at this spot in the blink of an eye and kill them.
Gong Lian was very unhappy. He felt as though his Honoured Master was being ridiculous and reckless; however, as the Disciple, he could not criticize the actions of his Honoured Master and could only act as carefully as possible.
As they were simply too close, Ou Yang Lie did not dare to glance around Great Evolution Pass at will despite their auras and figures being concealed. He was worried that his careless gaze might arouse the vigilance of a powerful Black Ink Clan Master. That was why he instructed his Disciple to investigate the situation around Great Evolution Pass from beginning to end.
Gong Lian’s innate abilities not only allowed him to have a very keen perception of any approaching danger but also minimised the presence of his existence whenever he wanted to investigate something. For that reason, even the Royal Lord would not notice him as long as he remained careful.
The recent days had been very exhausting for Gong Lian. He had always been lazy. Be that as it may, he was now required to monitor the situation at Great Evolution Pass at all times and report every movement to his Honoured Master. He didn’t even have the time to fall into a daze. It had to be said that the trance achieved during the Divine Wandering was his greatest hobby in life. Under those circumstances, he could empty his entire mind and receive an unparalleled sense of satisfaction.
“Stinking Brat!” Ou Yang Lie suddenly elbowed his Disciple because he had had not moved in a long time, “Are you in a daze again?”
Gong Lian shrank back and flatly denied, “No! I wasn’t! I was checking the movements of the Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass! You shouldn’t always slander me like that, Honoured Master! You should trust in your Disciple!”
How could Ou Yang Lie not understand his own Disciple’s personality? Nevertheless, he did not say anything regarding that matter and simply inquired, “Have there been any changes?”
“There aren’t any huge changes, but there seem to be many additional Black Ink Clan Masters on the four walls of Great Evolution Pass. It’s like…”
“Like what?” Ou Yang Lie asked.
“Like they’re preparing for something?” Gong Lian replied with uncertainty.
The corners of Ou Yang Lie’s mouth twitched, “They have gathered nearly a million troops here. It’s obvious that they are guarding against an attack from our Army.”
“It’s not the same,” Gong Lian shook his head, “Although they stationed their troops here in the past, they’ve never mobilised such a great force before. Their current movements give me the sense that our Human Army is about to attack, and they’re making final preparations.”
Ou Yang Lie raised his brow, “The Black Ink Clan is making preparations for war? Could it be that Brother Mi has made a move?”
[But, that shouldn’t be… If Mi Jing Lun were to make a move, he would surely find a way to communicate with me. He wouldn’t attack without notifying me first. But, if it isn’t the North-South Army, then… could it be the East-West Army?]
He quickly probed further, “Which direction is the Black Ink Clan’s defence focused on at the moment? Is it the left? Or, the right?”
If it was the left, then the Black Ink Clan was defending against the East-West Army. If it was the right, then they were defending against the North-South Army.
Gong Lian replied, “From where I stand, it’s the left. There are more than a dozen Territory Lords standing on the walls and looking out into the distance.”
Ou Yang Lie scowled at those words, [The Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass seems to be guarding against something from the direction of the East-West Army. But, if that’s the case, why didn’t the East-West Army contact me beforehand? Is the East-West Army planning to attack the Great Pass alone? Xiang Shan can’t be that reckless, right? Besides, even if Xiang Shan is unreliable, there’s still the Old Ancestor…]
While Ou Yang Lie was stewing in his doubts, Gong Lian suddenly frowned, “Honoured Master, I can sense something coming from over there.”
“What is it? Is it the Royal Lord?” Ou Yang Lie was startled.
Gong Lian shook his head, “It’s not the Royal Lord. There is no sense of danger coming from that presence, but the aura of what’s coming is very strong… Extremely strong!”
Ou Yang Lie could not understand what his Disciple was saying, but he also understood that his Disciple would not speak nonsense; therefore, he was resentful of the fact that he could not act recklessly while he was currently in this position. Otherwise, he could have extended his Divine Sense to perceive his surroundings.
Fortunately, there was no need for him to carefully probe his surroundings as not long after Gong Lian finished speaking, Ou Yang Lie detected the powerful presence his Disciple mentioned just now.
It was certainly extremely powerful. Even though there was a great distance between them, the aura transmitted clearly across the void. However, what puzzled him was that the aura was rather messy and complicated despite being very powerful. It was as though the presence was formed from the fusion of countless auras.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Ou Yang Lie’s expression changed drastically.
…..
The presence was completely unlike Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple, who acted carefully so that they remained undetected. More than a dozen Territory Lords stood side by side on the towering walls of Great Evolution Pass that faced Wind and Cloud Pass. Under their powerful perception, they could clearly perceive the overwhelming aura coming from the Human Race Army that was about half a day’s journey away from Great Evolution Pass. That aura was akin to an unsheathed blade that moved forward indomitably. It was extremely imposing and frightening.
Although the Territory Lords had previously spouted various grand statements back in the meeting hall, they couldn’t help grimacing slightly after sensing the approaching aura. Had the Humans gone crazy? It was beyond unreasonable for them to attack so directly without the slightest intention to conceal their intentions! They were looking down on the Black Ink Clan too much!
Seeing as the Human Army was about to arrive, the Black Ink Clan did not remain idle. As the Territory Lords conveyed their orders to their subordinates, countless Black Ink Clansmen sprang into action.
In the blink of an eye, the entire Great Evolution Pass felt as though a storm was coming. A chilling and murderous atmosphere enveloped the entire Great Pass as a result.
…
“Honoured Master, this is bad! It’s the Human Race Army!” Half a day later, Gong Lian suddenly let out a strange cry.
Ou Yang Lie looked grim but remained silent. The truth was that he had already speculated about this outcome. That overwhelming yet disordered aura was clearly the forward march of an Army. Besides, the only ones that could come from the direction of Wind and Cloud Pass was the Great Evolution Pass East-West Army.
[What is Xiang Shan trying to do? Is he courting death!?] Ou Yang Lie held the communication device in the palm of his hand and his Divine Sense surged, trying to communicate with the other party. However, he did not receive any response at all.
[Damn it!] He cursed at Xiang Shan in his heart, [What are the Old Ancestors thinking!? I can’t believe they allowed such a fool to serve as the Eastern Army’s Commander! The East-West Army is about to die under his leadership! How will the North-South Army deal with the fallout if the East-West Army is destroyed!? Should they ignore the situation? Or, do their best to rescue their comrades!? Besides, doesn’t the East-West Army know to investigate the situation at Great Evolution Pass before taking action!? How can they be so reckless!? They are looking down on the Black Ink Clan too much! Or, did they just assume that there are not many Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass!?]
Ou Yang Lie had seen with his own eyes that there were nearly a million enemy troops in Great Evolution Pass. There was also a Royal Lord personally overseeing this area, so forget the East-West Army acting alone, even if they gathered the strength of the entire the Great Evolution Army, they would not be able to conquer Great Evolution Pass in a short time.
[What about the Old Ancestor!? Even if the East-West Army wanted to act so reckless, why didn’t the Old Ancestor overseeing the Army stop them!?]
There was too much off about this whole situation.
“Are you sure that it’s the East-West Army?” Although it was almost certain, it was necessary to verify the truth.
Gong Lian nodded, “I can see them now. There’s no doubt it’s a Human Army.”
Ou Yang Lie was heartbroken. A long while passed before he questioned, “How many people?”
At this moment, he could only hope that the East-West Army had not committed all its forces to this attack. If that was the case, then the losses would not be too great.
Gong Lian replied, “Tens of thousands.”
Ou Yang Lie couldn’t stop himself from cursing angrily.
[That childish buffoon is not qualified to participate in strategic planning!] Ou Yang Lie could already foresee the complete annihilation of the East-West Army.
“However… there’s way too many people. There are at least 60,000 auras,” Gong Lian replied.
Startled, Ou Yang Lie turned to look at his Disciple, “Open your eyes wider and look harder. How many are there?”
Gong Lian shook his head, “I can’t give you an exact number, Honoured Master, I might be discovered if I observe too closely, but I’m certain there is somewhere between 60,000 to 70,000 people.”
With Gong Lian speaking with such certainty, it could only mean that he had not seen wrongly.
Ou Yang Lie was immediately confused. [60,000 to 70,000 people? Where did the 60,000 to 70,000 people come from?]
The forces of the East-West Army and the North-South Army should only contain around 30,000 soldiers each. Even if they combined their forces together, they would only have about 60,000. Since the Army came from the direction of Wind and Cloud Pass, then it could only be the East-West Army. So how did their numbers double? Could it be that they combined forces with the North-South Army? But, Mi Jing Lun had not sent anybody to inform him about the situation.
“This is bad, Honoured Master! The East-West Army is heading directly towards Great Evolution Pass!”
“This is bad, Honoured Master! The East-West Army is about to enter the attack range of Great Evolution Pass, but they are showing no signs of stopping!”
“This is bad, Honoured Master! The Black Ink Clan has started attacking! The frontlines of the East-West Army have suffered heavy casualties!”
“This is bad, Honoured Master…”
Every time Gong Lian shouted, Ou Yang Lie’s heart twisted in response. Despite being a powerful Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he could barely withstand the shock at this moment. He was tempted to block out his ears so that he could not listen to his Disciple’s words, but even if he did not listen, the losses of the East-West Army were unavoidable.
He even considered taking the risk to warn the East-West Army about the situation at Great Evolution Pass; however, he still carried a glimmer of hope that this was all part of the East-West Army’s strategy. They had the protection of an Old Ancestor after all, so there might be a different result if it came down to a fight. Unfortunately, it seemed that those were nothing more than his wishful thoughts.
“Honoured Master, something is strange,” Gong Lian suddenly observed.
“What?” Ou Yang Lie asked solemnly.
“There’s something strange about the Army. Although they are being attacked, none of them are fighting back. Tens of thousands of them have already fallen in such a short time, but there are no signs of them trying to resist. More importantly, there have been no traces indicating the deaths of Open Heaven Masters.”
After Gong Lian mentioned that, Ou Yang Lie suddenly realised the oddity of the situation.
[That’s right.] Traces were generally left behind following the death of any Open Heaven Realm Master. Leaving aside those below the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, the phenomenon that followed the death of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master was extremely noticeable. Be that as it may, he had yet to sense the phenomenon that should have occurred following the death of a single High-Rank Master.
Tens of thousands of people had died on the battlefield, yet none of them had been a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master. That did not make any sense. What’s more, the auras of the Open Heaven Realm Masters simply faded away continuously with every death that occurred, which did not make any sense either.
On the other hand, the Black Ink Clan’s attacks continued without pause. The various artifacts and Spirit Arrays that had been set up along the city walls in advance blasted out at full strength, turning into devastating destructive power that ploughed through the Human Race Army.
Ou Yang Lie could clearly perceive these movements; however, he could not sense any attacks coming from the Human side. It seemed as though only the aftermath of the artifacts and Spirit Arrays raged across the battlefield. There was no eruption of World Force at all.
[The East-West Army isn’t fighting back? Why aren’t they fighting back?]
Even just by watching from afar, both Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple could sense the abnormality of the Human Race Army; therefore, it was impossible that those powerful Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass had failed to detect the oddity. The truth was that they had noticed this abnormality much earlier than Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple.
The Human Race Army of 60,000 to 70,000 people had arrived with such an imposing force. Although the Black Ink Clan seemed nonchalant about the matter on the surface, the truth was that they had responded to the attack with extreme prudence.
Therefore, the Black Ink Clan did not dispatch their troops to fight in the void. Their current strategy was similar to what the Human Race at Great Evolution Pass had done more than 30,000 years ago. They relied on the defences of the Great Pass and used various artifacts and arrays to hit the Human Race Army from afar.
That was why the Spirit Arrays and artifacts set up across the walls began to blast out with countless attacks under the orders of the Territory Lords as soon as the Human Race Army entered their attack range.
The quality of these Spirit Arrays and artifacts could not be compared to those at any other Great Pass. Although their numbers were large, their strength was vastly inferior. That couldn’t be helped though as both Artifact Refiners and Array Masters were very rare among the Black Ink Clan. Their only source of Artifact Refiners and Array Masters came from the Black Ink Disciples who were corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
Many Black Ink Clansmen had devoted themselves to cultivating the Dao of Artifact Refining and the Dao of Spirit Arrays over the years, but whether due to a difference in races or something else, the Dao of Artifact Refining and the Dao of Spirit Arrays of the Human Race could not be perfectly mastered by the Black Ink Clan. The Black Ink Clansmen could never attain significant achievements in these Daos; therefore, the quality of the refined artifacts and the prepared Spirit Arrays remained extremely low. It was only natural that their strength would not be too impressive either. Nevertheless, the preparations that spanned over 30,000 years resulted in a rather large number of Spirit Arrays and artifacts.
According to the estimation of the Territory Lords, they might be able to cause some casualties to the Human Race Army by borrowing the power of these Spirit Arrays and artifacts. Nonetheless, they expected the number of casualties to be low. The Humans were not fools after all. They would naturally know how to construct defences in preparation for their invasion.
In any case, the most important factor was to take down the Human’s arrogance by a notch.
Contrary to their expectations though, when the war broke out, the power of these Spirit Arrays and artifacts achieved an unexpected effect that shocked the entire Black Ink Clan.
Under the shroud of the countless rays of light, the Humans collapsed like flies and exploded upon death. The outcome both shocked and pleased the Territory Lords. Although they did not know why the Human Race was so weak and fragile, they were happy to see such an outcome.
Nevertheless, as the Human Race Army rapidly dwindled in number, the situation on the battlefield became increasingly strange.
Faced with the overwhelming attack from the Black Ink Clan, the Human Race Army showed no intention of fighting back or even defending themselves. It did not matter how many people died, they simply bowed their heads and rushed forward in silence. It was almost as though they did not know how to write the word ‘death’.
What bothered the Territory Lords the most was that there were no signs of the phenomena that should have come with the death of the Human Race. Besides that, where were the Human Warships? No matter which Theatre it was, the Human Race’s greatest reliance after the Great Passes themselves had always been their Warships that served both offensive and defensive roles.
Although more than 30,000 years had passed since the last time Great Evolution Theatre had experienced a real war, which Territory Lord among those that were present did not lead an Army to provide reinforcements at Azure Void Pass and Wind and Cloud Pass at least a dozen times over that period? Hence, they generally fought a battle against the Human Race every few hundred years.
They all had a deep understanding of the strength of the Warships used by the Human Race and would never forget such experiences. It was clearly unusual that there was not a single Warship accompanying this Human Army of several tens of thousands.
Less than an hour had passed since the Human Army entered the attack range of the Black Ink Clan, but after such a brief period, only several thousand enemies remained from the original tens of thousands.
Following an order from Hong Di, the endless humming of the Spirit Arrays and artifacts on the city wall slowly subsided. The various anomalies were far too obvious, so how could he fail to notice them? Even the other Territory Lords had noticed the oddness of the situation by now.
Under the watch of the Territory Lords, the remaining few thousand troops of the Human Race Army continued to march directly towards Great Evolution Pass and soon arrived within a few hundred kilometres of its walls.
At this distance, the Territory Lords could clearly see some clues about the oddity of the situation.
Hong Di frowned and reached out to grab at something in front of him. One of the ‘Human soldiers’ was captured by him and drawn over.
The other Territory Lords observed with solemn expressions.
The object in front of them contained no vitality at all. It was not a Human at all but rather some kind of puppet wearing a layer of clothes. Shockingly, this puppet was giving off the aura of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
It was conceivable that the entire Human Army of several tens of thousands was made up of similar puppets. It was just that their numbers were too great, and their combined aura was too powerful when they were gathered together, so that from far enough away, even the Territory Lords failed to notice anything strange. As a result, the Black Ink Clan had mistakenly thought that the Human Race Army was preparing to storm Great Evolution Pass.
“What are the Humans trying to do?” One of the Territory Lords was absolutely baffled.
The other Territory Lords remained silent as none of them knew the intentions behind the actions of the Human Race.
Hong Di quickly took charge, “There must be a reason for this strange situation. It could not have been easy to refine tens of thousands of puppets. The Humans must be plotting something to go through all this effort. We need to report this matter to the Royal Lord immediately.”
Saying so, he turned around and left with the puppet in his grasp. It was evident that he was going to meet the Royal Lord.
Outside Great Evolution Pass where Ou Yang Lie was hiding with his Disciple, Gong Lian observed with a frown, “Honoured Master, the Human Army has been completely annihilated.”
That news would normally have been enough to send anybody into despair; however, at this point, Ou Yang Lie had calmed down considerably after noticing that something was strange about the situation. Although he did not understand what had happened, he could be certain that this was part of the East-West Army’s strategy.
Just as he made the decision to return to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship and contact Mi Jing Lun to ask about this matter, a subtle reaction came from the Communication Bead in his possession.
He quickly took out the Communication Bead and focused his mind on it. It was an unfamiliar Divine Sense claiming to be Yang Kai from the East-West Army of Great Evolution Pass. This person also claimed to have military information to report and asked him for his location.
Ou Yang Lie had been waiting for the East-West Army to contact him, so now that they finally made contact, he immediately told the other party about his location.
A short while later, a figure silently sped over from a distance. It was not until that figure was within a mere 1,000 kilometres of Ou Yang Lie that he noticed its presence. This was an amazing feat that also indicated just how extraordinary this person’s ability to conceal his aura was.
Ou Yang Lie continuously guided the other party towards his location.
After a short search, Yang Kai arrived at the universe fragment where Ou Yang Lie and his Gong Lian were hiding and couldn’t help feeling startled. [Army Commander Ou Yang sure is bold.]
From this position, Yang Kai could clearly see the situation at Great Evolution Pass as it was only about 30,000 kilometres away from Great Pass.
Yang Kai had not encountered any difficulties along his journey, but he did waste a lot of time in order to avoid the Black Ink Clan scouts that were patrolling the surrounding areas. That was why he only managed to contact Ou Yang Lie now.
Upon arriving at the universe fragment, he did not see Ou Yang Lie anywhere. Just as he was feeling confused, he felt a weak energy fluctuation coming from nearby and received another message from Ou Yang Lie on the Communication Bead at the same time. Yang Kai immediately understood and headed in that direction. It didn’t take long before he passed through a Spirit Array and came to a hidden spot.
There were two people in front of him. One of them was a burly red-headed old man, while the other was a young man who looked no older than himself. However, for some reason, Yang Kai couldn’t help thinking of the word ‘lazy’ when he looked at the young man. The young man’s entire body seemed to be radiating a lethargic and carefree aura.
“Junior Yang Kai greets Senior Ou Yang,” Yang Kai cupped his fist in greeting.
“Are you from the East-West Army?” Ou Yang Lie examined Yang Kai carefully.
“Yes!” Yang Kai replied. [Why does it feel as though Army Commander Ou Yang is barely holding back his anger?]
“What military information does Xiang Shan have for me? Why hasn’t the East-West Army met up with the North-South Army?” Ou Yang Lie questioned grimly.
Yang Kai explained, “The East-West Army will not be rendezvousing with the North-South Army for the time being. There have been some changes to the original plans.”
Ou Yang Lie forced himself to calm down and patiently asked, “Explain the situation!”
Therefore, Yang Kai reiterated his previous conversation with Mi Jing Lun. Ou Yang Lie originally listened with a gloomy look on his face, but his expression was changing constantly as time passed. When he finally understood the whole plan, his displeased expression finally relaxed.
“I knew it. I was wondering how Xiang Shan could be so stupid. So that’s how it is.” He rubbed his chin, “In other words, the ‘Army’ of 70,000 that the Black Ink Clan annihilated just now were merely puppets.”
Yang Kai was taken aback, “This Junior felt some movements coming from Great Evolution Pass just now. Was that the annihilation of the puppets?”
Ou Yang Lie nodded, “En. Those 70,000 or so puppets have almost been wiped out completely.” Pausing for a moment, he abruptly continued, “Now that we have attracted the attention of the Black Ink Clan, the East-West Army must have made their move, right?”
“This Junior does not know, but since Army Commander Xiang Shan has a plan in place, I’m sure he will have arranged the timing perfectly. In addition, when this Junior separated from Senior Mi earlier, Senior Mi instructed me to ask whether the Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass was showing signs of mobilizing.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded, “The Black Ink Clan gathered nearly a million troops in Great Evolution Pass recently. Even the Royal Lord rushed over to oversee this place in person.” After saying that, he couldn’t help snorting softly, “Xiang Shan, that old fox! He lured the Royal Lord here but led the Army to attack the Black Ink Clan territory instead. I wonder just how mad the Royal Lord will be when he learns about it.”
Yang Kai said nothing. At this point, combined with the information he learned recently, he was beginning to form a clear understanding of the plan designed by Xiang Shan; thus, he was filled with a sense of admiration.
If Mi Jing Lun’s inference was correct, then this series of plans was all a result of encountering the Black Ink Clan’s 300,000 reinforcements. It might be that Xiang Shan thought up this new strategy when he first discovered the Black Ink Clan’s reinforcement Army, and all his actions afterwards were in preparation to carry it out.
This plan might have been made up on the spot, but the preparations taken during the march of the Army were enough to make it foolproof. It was truly a blessing for the Great Evolution Army to have such a far-sighted Army Commander.
It was just as Ou Yang Lie mentioned earlier. Xiang Shan had lured the Royal Lord to Great Evolution Pass but led his Army to attack the Black Ink Clan’s territory instead. The Black Ink Clansmen left behind to oversee their domain were surely in for an unpleasant surprise.
Mi Jing Lun was amazing too. He had managed to deduce the East-West Army’s plan with only a few clues.
Compared with these old foxes who had lived on the Black Ink Battlefield and fought the Black Ink Clan for countless years, Yang Kai felt like a blank slate of naivety.
Nevertheless, as just one of the soldiers of the Human Race Army, Yang Kai did not need to consider too much. With his current cultivation and status, all he needed to consider was how to lead Dawn so that he could kill more enemies on the battlefield.
As for the big picture and the deployment of troops, he could leave such matters to the people above him. It might be that he would only be eligible to participate in various high-level decisions once he advanced to the Eighth Order.
Inside the Main Conference Hall of Great Evolution Pass, the Royal Lord remained seated on the throne of bones as usual. In addition, there were more than a dozen Territory Lords lined up on both sides below him.
More than 30 Territory Lords had currently gathered at Great Evolution Pass. In order to confront the Human Race Army of 70,000 that came from the direction of Wind and Cloud Pass, nearly two-thirds of the Territory Lords had been deployed to defend the walls under Hong Di’s leadership. Meanwhile, the other third of the Territory Lords stayed in the Main Hall and quietly waited for news.
The current arrangement was due to the presence of a large Human Race Army hiding nearby, in the direction of Azure Void Pass. Nobody knew when this particular Human Race Army would appear, so the Black Ink Clan had to conserve a certain amount of strength for their defences.
They originally thought that the Human Army would march on them from both sides and attack Great Evolution Pass in a pincer manoeuvre, but contrary to their expectations, only one side experienced a fierce battle while the other remained completely silent. There was no news from the Human Race Army stationed closer to Azure Void Pass, let alone any information on where they were hidden.
If the Royal Lord made a move personally, he might have been able to discover the hiding spot of the Human Race Army; however, his opponent was destined to be the Human Old Ancestor, so he had to conserve his energy before that battle.
While the Territory Lords were silently discussing matters regarding the Human Race Army’s movements amongst themselves, Hong Di barged into the Hall in a hurry. The discussion among the Territory Lords came to an abrupt halt, and they swiftly glanced towards Hong Di.
Hong Di bowed deeply, “Royal Lord, the Human Race Army was fake. All 70,000 of the soldiers were mere puppets dressed up to look real. Moreover, they are extremely weak. Almost the entire Army has been annihilated by now.”
While speaking, he tossed the captured puppet in his hand to the ground.
The Territory Lords looked down in shock. [The entire Human Race Army of 70,000 was fake? They were just puppets?]
Meanwhile, the Royal Lord sitting on the throne opened his eyes slightly with a confused expression. He might be a Royal Lord with overwhelming power, but he was not a spy hiding among the Human Race, so it was naturally impossible for him to figure out what the Humans were trying to do with the little information he had on hand.
More importantly, if the Human Race Army was made up of mere puppets in disguise, where was the real Human Army?
Throughout the years, the Black Ink Clan had deeply suffered from the treachery of the Human Race on countless occasions. Seeing how the Humans were willing to go to such lengths to refine so many puppets just to draw their attention, there was clearly some sort of conspiracy going on.
The Royal Lord vaguely felt a sense of unease coursing through him.
At that moment, a Feudal Lord ran into the Conference Hall from the outside, shouting and stumbling around in a panic, “Sir Hong Di, this subordinate has received an urgent report!”
Hong Di turned to look in that direction and discovered that it was the Feudal Lord in charge of overseeing the Black Ink Nest and gathering information from the entire Theatre. Seeing how panicked the other party looked, it was evident that something major had occurred.
Hong Di turned back to the Royal Lord with a look of inquiry in his eye, and after receiving permission from the Royal Lord, he asked solemnly, “What is it?”
The Feudal Lord bowed and reported the situation, “A moment ago, I received news from the Zhe Chong Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest. In his territory, they discovered a large number of people suspected to be a Human Army composed of some 30,000 people in total.”
“What!?” Zhe Chong turned pale in shock and jumped up in horror. He had fled across the void for more than a year without any rest and finally escaped to Great Evolution Pass. Afterwards, he received an order from the Royal Lord and returned to his territory, hastily gathered an Army of some 30,000, and brought them to Great Evolution Pass to help defend it.
It was precisely because his territory was relatively close to Great Evolution Pass that he arrived fairly quickly. In fact, the Royal Lord had gathered all the Territory Lords whose territories were located on the periphery of Great Evolution Pass. That was the only way the Black Ink Clan Army could have gathered so many troops at Great Evolution Pass so quickly.
Of course, it wasn’t as though the Territory Lords in the deeper areas remained idle with nothing better to do. Every one of them had gathered a force of between 20,000 to 30,000 and set out towards Great Evolution Pass. Their task was to temporarily take over the territories that were currently without a Territory Lord and remain there on standby.
Although Zhe Chong was not stationed in his own territory and a force of some 30,000 had been deployed to Great Evolution Pass, there was another Territory Lord from a different territory temporarily overseeing his domain, so Zhe Chong’s territory was not completely defenceless. Nevertheless, against a Human Race Army of 30,000, the ability of a single Black Ink Clan territory to resist was minimal at best.
The Black Ink Clan had an extensive understanding of the composition of the Human Race Armies. For an Army consisting of 30,000 soldiers, there would be at least a few dozen Eighth-Order Masters among their ranks, and although their overall numbers were few, each Human was an elite. In this aspect, the Human Race was very different from the Black Ink Clan, whose strength varied greatly from individual to individual. Moreover, the Humans also had Warships.
That was why Zhe Chong immediately became anxious when he heard that an Army of 30,000 had appeared in his territory. He abruptly recalled the Human Race Army he encountered on the way to Wind and Cloud Pass and couldn’t help wondering, [That Army also had a force of 30,000… Could there be such a coincidence?]
If it really was the Army he encountered the other day, then the Territory Lord overseeing his territory at this moment had probably already met a disastrous fate. Forget the several dozen Eighth-Order Masters, that Army even had a Ninth-Order Old Ancestor leading them!
“What about now? Where is the Human Race Army now?” Zhe Chong asked anxiously.
The Feudal Lord shook his head, “I don’t know. We lost contact with the Black Ink Nest in Sir Zhe Chong’s territory after we received the report regarding the sighting of the Human Race Army. Furthermore, according to the reports from the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest, the Mid-Grade Black Ink Nest at Sir Zhe Chong Territory can no longer be contacted. Even the traces of its existence have been erased.”
Zhe Chong immediately turned pale and slumped down in his chair.
A Black Ink Nest, owned by a Territory Lord, could no longer be contacted, and even the traces of its existence had been erased from the network. In this case, there was only one possibility: It had been destroyed!
The Feudal Lord who reported the situation earlier mentioned that he received the report not long ago; in other words, not much time had elapsed between the appearance of the Human Race Army and the destruction of the Territory Lord Black Ink Nest. Therefore, there was an extremely high possibility that it was the work of the Human Army under the command of the Old Ancestor. There could be no other reason for Zhe Chong’s Mid-Rank Ink Nest to be destroyed so quickly.
“The Humans’ plan was to lure the tiger from the mountain!” Hong Di snarled through gritted teeth, “They used those puppets to distract us and make us think that they were attacking the Great Pass when, in reality, their goal was not Great Evolution Pass but our territories!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the other Territory Lords who initially just sympathised with Zhe Chong’s situation immediately panicked. They had initially rejoiced slightly when they heard that Zhe Chong’s Black Ink Nest had been destroyed, feeling thankful that the Human Army had not invaded their homes. Otherwise, the unlucky ones would have been them instead. Unfortunately, it would now seem that Zhe Chong’s Black Ink Nest was simply the first to be destroyed, while it would not be the last.
The Black Ink Nests were the foundation of the entire Black Ink Clan. If they were all destroyed, then it would be impossible for them to spawn new Clansmen. They would eventually lose their numerical advantage against the Human Race in the war if that happened, and defeat would become inevitable.
Although a Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest could be produced by the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest, the birth of each and every Territory Lord Black Ink Nest required an exorbitant price in exchange. If too many Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests were destroyed, the Territory Lords would need to wait a very long time before they could obtain new ones.
[If the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest was destroyed…] The Territory Lords couldn’t help shuddering in fear, not daring to let their thoughts continue down that road.
On the other hand, a sudden and thunderous rumble resounded throughout the conference Hall before Hong Di could even finish his sentence. The rumbling sound was accompanied by a black shadow shooting out at the same time.
The Territory Lords looked in that direction only to see that the Royal Lord, who had been sitting on the throne of bones, was now nowhere to be seen. The dark shadow that rushed past them earlier was none other than the Royal Lord himself.
Although he had remained as calm as a mountain since coming to Great Evolution Pass, he could no longer keep his composure after hearing that the Human Race Army had destroyed the territory belonging to one of his subordinate Territory Lords. He had evidently realised the dire consequences that would follow if his High-Rank Black Ink Nest was destroyed; therefore, he had to prevent that from happening at all costs. It was fortunate that he still had some time. Having only just stepped foot into the Black Ink Clan territory for the first time, the Human Race was surely not familiar with the topography, so it would not be easy for them to locate the Royal City in short order.
In the next moment, the Royal Lord’s order spread to the ears of the Territory Lords, “Half of the Army will remain here to guard Great Evolution Pass. The other half will set off for the Royal City at full speed!”
The Territory Lords who received the order hurriedly gathered together to discuss the situation. The Royal Lord had not mentioned any names in his command, so they had to come up with a plan to decide who would stay and protect Great Evolution Pass and who would head towards the Royal City.
Needless to say, everybody would prefer to remain at Great Evolution Pass for it was much safer here. If they set off for the Royal City now, there was no saying whether they would encounter the Human Army on the way. Who could resist against the strength of the Human Old Ancestor if that happened?
Nevertheless, they neither dared to disobey the command of the Royal Lord nor drag their feet in this matter. After a series of compromises and concessions, they soon came up with a plan.
Out of the 30 or so Territory Lords, half of them would remain at Great Evolution Pass under Hong Di’s leadership. Great Evolution Pass was originally Hong Di’s territory, so it stood to reason he should remain. That was an advantage that the other Territory Lords did not have. Meanwhile, the other half of the Territory Lords departed for the Royal City under Zhe Chong’s leadership.
It did not take long for the Black Ink Clan Army at Great Evolution Pass to start moving as the Territory Lords summoned their respective Armies.
In the vast void, the Royal Lord flew in the direction of the Royal City at a terrifying speed. He had to return to the Royal City immediately; otherwise, it would be too late if the Human Army arrived before him.
If his Black Ink Nest was destroyed, then all the Black Ink Nests in this entire Theatre would wither and die as well. The Black Ink Clan would be powerless to replenish their forces if that were to happen, and that would effectively guarantee their extinction in the not-so-distant future.
The Royal Lord never imagined that the Human Race would be so bold. When he predicted that the Humans were coming to retake Great Evolution Pass, he immediately gathered many Territory Lords and deployed various defences in preparation for the confrontation. Contrary to his expectations, the humans seemed to have no intention of attacking Great Evolution Pass whatsoever. They simply sent out an Army of puppets to distract him while their real Army marched directly into the Black Ink Clan territory.
[They made a fool of me!] The Royal Lord was filled with fury. Along the way, he suddenly raised his hand and dense Black Ink Strength condensed and twisted in the palm of his hand, gradually transforming into the shape of a miniature Black Ink Nest. This was not an actual Black Ink Nest, but he could borrow its power to communicate with his own High-Rank Black Ink Nest and then issue commands to the other Territory Lords through it.
The Human Race Army with a force of 30,000 soldiers had already appeared in the Black Ink Clan’s territory. There was bound to be an Old Ancestor and a few dozen Eighth-Order Masters among their ranks. With such strength, it was impossible to repel the Humans with the military strength of a single territory alone. The only way for the Black Ink Clan to stand a fighting chance was if they rallied together at one spot.
In this case, the Royal City was the battlefield chosen by the Royal Lord. That was because the Human Race would surely target the Royal City. Regardless of whether they knew about the secrets behind the Black Ink Nests or not, they were bound to aim for the destruction of his High-Rank Black Ink Nest as their biggest goal.
If he wanted to protect his Black Ink Nest, then he had to gather the strength of all the Territory Lords under his command. However, doing so would completely deprive the other territories of any troops even if the Royal City did not suffer any consequences. In other words, the Black Ink Clan would be abandoning a vast swath of their territory. There would be countless slaughtered Black Ink Clansmen and destroyed Black Ink Nests as a result of this decision.
Despite being completely heartbroken by the losses, the Royal Lord had no other choice. He had never imagined that the Human Race would be so cunning and difficult to handle without the constraints of a Great Pass.
A long time ago, this particular Royal Lord had discovered an interesting fact. That was the impact of the Great Passes on the Human Race.
It was undeniable that the Great Passes provided great help to the Human Race over countless years. By borrowing the power of these Great Passes, the Humans managed to guard their land and prevent the Black Ink Clan from moving forward despite their much smaller numbers.
No matter how strong the individual strength of each Human, it would have been difficult for them to hold the line without the Great Passes; however, these Great Passes that provided such significant assistance to the Human Race were also a form of restriction and constraint.
These Great Passes had effectively locked them up inside a prison because they did not dare to abandon their positions and move around freely. It could be said that their reliance on the Great Passes was extremely strong.
As a result, all the wars throughout history had always been initiated by the Black Ink Clan. Meanwhile, the Humans had always relied upon the strength of the Great Passes to defend against the attacks. This long-standing situation on the battlefield was with very few exceptions.
It was not until today, when the Human Race travelled great distances across the void in order to recover the Great Evolution Pass that was lost 30,000 years ago, that the Royal Lord finally understood what kind of threat the Human Race could pose towards the Black Ink Clan once they were freed from the constraints of the Great Passes.
The Human Army came from afar, acting as though they were charging straight towards Great Evolution Pass. Nobody could have imagined that it was just an army of puppets. On the contrary, the actual Human Army had already invaded the Black Ink Clan’s territory.
The Humans successfully deceived both the Royal Lord and the Territory Lords, causing their attention to be focused on Great Evolution Pass and lowering their guard in other areas. Despite standing in opposing positions, the Royal Lord could not help admiring the decisiveness of the Humans. Faced with such an opponent, a difficult battle was unavoidable.
At this moment, the Royal Lord could only hope that his message would be delivered in time and that the Black Ink Clan’s losses would not be too severe.
On the universe fragment, Yang Kai continued after reporting the current situation to Ou Yang Lie, “Senior Mi instructed this Junior to report back on the current situation as soon as possible. If you do not have any other orders for me, Senior Ou Yang, this Junior will return first.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded lightly.
Before Ou Yang Lie could speak though, Gong Lian, who had been silent ever since Yang Kai arrived, suddenly shouted with a drastic change of expression, “Quiet! Conceal your aura!”
Ou Yang Lie immediately withdrew his aura into his body and became as still as a piece of driftwood.
Although Yang Kai did not understand the sudden turn of events, his reaction was very fast and he quickly concealed his aura.
No more than 10 breaths of time after Gong Lian spoke, an extremely powerful aura rushed out from Great Evolution Pass and charged straight into the depths of the void. The figure rushing out from Great Evolution Pass moved at an astonishing speed, brushing past them and speeding off into the distance, crossing less than 10,000 kilometres away from their hiding spot.
Yang Kai looked down and did not move. If his perception was not wrong, the aura that just passed them by belonged to the Royal Lord.
This place was concealed by a Spirit Array and a barrier, so even without Gong Lian’s warning, the Royal Lord might not have discovered them if he was not paying attention. Be that as it may, concealing their auras was an additional layer of protection for them. There was no saying what flaws the Royal Lord might notice if he happened to glance in their direction by accident.
Yang Kai glanced at Gong Lian in surprise. He did not know this young man, but this person had given him a strong impression of being lazy and carefree during their first meeting. Nevertheless, Gong Lian was not weak; after all, he was in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Just his ability to detect the Royal Lord’s movements in advance was shocking enough. What’s more, Yang Kai did not sense him activating any kind of Divine Sense or Secret Technique whatsoever.
[How did he detect the Royal Lord’s movements and warn us in time?]
The Royal Lord might have disappeared into the distance, but the three of them did not dare to act recklessly. They did not know whether the Royal Lord would suddenly turn around and return the way he came; therefore, they remained as still as possible. They didn’t even dare to reveal the slightest hint of disturbance from their Divine Senses, so they could only communicate with their eyes.
Ou Yang Lie shot a look at Yang Kai, most likely telling him that there was no need to rush to report to Mi Jing Lun.
Yang Kai nodded, indicating that he understood.
An incense stick passed just like that, and only when the Royal Lord showed no signs of returning did Ou Yang Lie finally sigh in relief and softly whisper, “It looks like the East-West Army has begun moving.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Only the news that the East-West Army had taken action could have made the Royal Lord leave in such a hurry.
While speaking, Ou Yang Lie raised his head and looked towards Great Evolution Pass. The East-West Army had taken action, and the Royal Lord had left, so would the Black Ink Clan in Great Evolution Pass remain quiet?
As soon as that thought passed through his mind, he quickly said, “Move back a little.”
At the same time, he hurriedly removed the concealment that had been set up here and began to withdraw together with Yang Kai and Gong Lian. They retreated some 20,000 kilometres before they stopped. This position was basically the limit of where they could observe the movements of Great Evolution Pass without worrying about being discovered by the Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass.
Only then did Ou Yang Lie turn to look at Yang Kai, “Go back and report everything you witnessed to Mi Jing Lun. This Old Master will stay here and continue to gather information.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist and responded, “Senior Mi also asked that you continue gathering information and monitoring when the Black Ink Clan would depart from Great Evolution Pass, Senior Ou Yang.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded, “This Old Master will be fine. Go now.”
Only then did Yang Kai turn around and rush off into the distance. His movements might alert those in Great Evolution Pass if he activated the Universe Transference Law at this position; therefore, he planned to withdraw further before doing so.
A short while later, Yang Kai formed a set of hand seals and activated the Universe Transference Law somewhere in the void. The Array lit up beneath his feet, and after waiting for a moment, a bright light erupted and enveloped him. He felt the world spinning around him, and by the time he came back to his senses, he was already standing in the Purifying Black Ink Battleship of the North-South Army.
Approximately ten breaths later, Yang Kai met up with Mi Jing Lun aboard the Purifying Black Ink Battleship and gave a report on the situation with Ou Yang Lie.
Mi Jing Lun and several other Eighth-Order Division Commanders nodded after listening to the report, with one of the Eighth-Order Masters observing, “It’s just as you predicted, Senior Brother Mi. The Black Ink Clan has been gathering its troops at Great Evolution Pass.”
Mi Jing Lun nodded, “The East-West Army has painstakingly arranged for this situation to occur. Even we could not have known in advance whether the Black Ink Clan would be fooled, but in any case, the Royal Lord has left Great Evolution Pass. The East-West Army must have done something for him to leave in such a rush. I’m afraid the nearly million-strong Black Ink Army guarding Great Evolution Pass will mobilize soon.”
With a snap of his fan, he continued, “Give the order. Each Squad and Battalion is to summon their Warships and travel at full speed. We need to arrive at the predetermined ambush location within three days.”
In order to hide better, the North-South Army had stored away all their Warships except the Purifying Black Ink Battleship. Then, they searched for a suitable place to launch an ambush; however, in this situation, there was no need to hide anything anymore.
The East-West Army had already made their move, so the rest was completely up to the North-South Army. If the North-South Army could successfully stop the Black Ink Clan Army coming from Great Evolution Pass, then the East-West Army would not be attacked from behind. On the other hand, if the North-South Army failed to stop the Black Ink Clan, then the East-West Army was bound to suffer heavy casualties.
The success of the entire plan hinged on the North-South Army getting the timing right, so they had to travel as quickly as possible.
The orders were conveyed throughout the Army, and the soldiers who had been in hiding all this time immediately summoned their respective Warships. In an instant, a huge fleet took shape and sailed out of their hiding place in a mighty procession.
It just so happened that there was a Black Ink Clan search party in the void nearby. They had received orders from Great Evolution Pass and had been scouting in this direction for traces of the possible presence of the Human Race Army. Unfortunately, their search had not been fruitful despite many days of effort. They never expected to detect a large number of energy fluctuations out of nowhere.
The Feudal Lord in the lead took a good look and immediately became dumbfounded. A mighty fleet had suddenly appeared in the void that had been empty just a moment ago.
“The Human Army!” One of the High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen in the team exclaimed in shock.
There was no need to say anything though, for as soon as the Feudal Lord laid his eyes on this fleet, he knew that it was the target that the Territory Lords had been searching for.
“Let’s go!” The Feudal Lord shouted and turned around to lead his subordinates away. He had to report this information as soon as possible, no matter what happened!
Just as they turned around to retreat though, one of the larger Warships suddenly released numerous flashes of lights and brilliant Divine Abilities rained down on them.
The terrifying power swept outward like the waves of a stormy sea, swallowing up the Black Ink Clan squad within its deathly embrace. When the dust settled, the entire Black Ink Clan team had practically been annihilated on the spot. Only the Feudal Lord survived.
Although he was alive, he was in a terrible condition and his aura was flickering weakly. He didn’t even dare to look back as dense black fog erupted from his body and he hurriedly fled the scene.
Aboard the Warship, an Eighth-Order Division Commander coldly snorted but showed no intention to pursue the other party. As far as the current situation was concerned, there was no need to conceal their presence any longer now that the North-South Army had decided to act. Even if a Feudal Lord escaped, how could he affect the situation in any way? Besides, after taking a direct hit from that Divine Ability, he would not survive for long even if he wasn’t dead yet.
Everywhere the North-South Army passed, the Black Ink Clan was annihilated on the spot. These Black Ink Clan scouts had been searching for traces of the North-South Army, but they never imagined that the moment they caught a glimpse of the Humans would also be the moment of their deaths.
Approximately an incense stick after Yang Kai arrived back, Gong Lian also returned to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship and rushed straight towards the conference hall.
“Where is your Honoured Master?” Mi Jing Lun glanced behind Gong Lian but did not see Ou Yang Lie.
Gong Lian replied, “Honoured Master says he wishes to monitor the movements of the Black Ink Clan Army and confirm the direction of their march so that we can find the best opportunity to strike.”
Mi Jing Lun’s eyes flashed, “Has the Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass begun to move?”
Gong Lian nodded, “Before this Junior returned, the Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass dispatched around 15 Territory Lords along with an Army of 400,000 to 500,000. They are marching towards the Black Ink Clan’s territory.”
An Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Division Commander observed, “15 Territory Lords along with an Army of 400,000 to 500,000… In other words, half of the Black Ink Clan forces at Great Evolution Pass.”
Mi Jing Lun smiled, “It looks like the Black Ink Clan has not forgotten us. Leaving behind half of their forces is clearly a precaution against our Army. They are afraid that we might take the opportunity to attack Great Evolution Pass.”
The Eighth-Order Division Commander who spoke earlier immediately broke into a smile, “The Black Ink Clan probably never imagined that we have no intentions of attacking Great Evolution Pass whatsoever.”
It was evident that the Human Race Army had travelled across a great distance to recover Great Evolution Pass; however, one of the Armies had charged straight into the Black Ink Clan’s territory to wreak havoc while the other Army was planning to intercept the Black Ink Clan Army marching out from Great Evolution Pass. They were completely ignoring the Great Pass itself.
In accordance with the order from the Royal Lord, half of the Black Ink Clan Army was dispatched from Great Evolution Pass to head towards the Royal City. At the same time, a figure quietly followed the Army from approximately 50,000 kilometres away. That person was none other than Ou Yang Lie.
Yang Kai and Gong Lian had returned to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship in quick succession to deliver information to the other side, so Ou Yang Lie was acting alone.
Now that he was on his own, his movements were even more covert than before. In any case, the Black Ink Clan were completely unaware that an Eighth-Order Master was monitoring their movements from so close, so he had no reason to worry about his presence being discovered whatsoever.
The East-West Army had already taken action in the Black Ink Clan territory. As for the North-South Army, Mi Jing Lun would surely lead it to intercept the Black Ink Clan’s reinforcement Army from Great Evolution Pass after receiving a detailed report. It was just that the North-South Army had only just arrived here not long ago. Given that they were not familiar with the terrain of this Theatre, choosing a suitable battlefield would be difficult.
By following the march of the Black Ink Clan’s reinforcement Army from Great Evolution Pass, Ou Yang Lie would be able to grasp their movements instantly. When the timing was right, he could then return directly to the North-South Army and guide the Army in the right direction himself.
On the other side, the East-West Army headed by Xiang Shan and Liu Zhi Ping was sailing rapidly through Black Ink Clan territory. The speed of the Warships had been adjusted to the highest, so the huge fleet streaked across the void like a river of lights.
The 30,000 troops of the East-West Army arrived at the first Black Ink Clan territory several days ago. This Black Ink Clan territory was guarded by a Territory Lord, tens of thousands of strong Black Ink Clansmen who were battle-worthy, and hundreds of thousands of miscellaneous Black Ink Clansmen who were not worth counting as combat forces. Be that as it may, these forces were as vulnerable as a piece of paper in front of the imposing East-West Army.
Xiang Shan had personally taken action, and within just a half cup of tea’s time, the Territory Lord was beheaded and the Black Ink Clan’s combat forces were annihilated. As for the miscellaneous Black Ink Clansmen, they were swiftly mopped up with very few escaping. Likewise, the Mid-Grade Black Ink Nest was also destroyed quickly.
The entire Black Ink Clan territory was turned into a dead zone, and the severed remains of the Black Ink Clan could be seen everywhere. Moreover, Black Ink Strength that spilled out into the void due to the deaths of so many Black Ink Clansmen condensed into huge Black Ink Clouds that covered the entire void.
The Human Race Army didn’t even stop to loot the battlefield. They immediately moved forward after razing this entire Black Ink Clan territory and continued their march deeper. This was the time to focus on speed.
According to the original plan, the Royal Lord should have been lured to Great Evolution Pass, so if the East-West Army could take the opportunity of the Royal Lord’s absence to obliterate the Royal City and destroy the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, then it would only be a matter of time before they ruthlessly wiped out the entire Black Ink Clan in this Theatre. That was why the East-West Army’s only goal was to destroy the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest.
During the attack on the previous Territory Lord’s territory, the Old Ancestor had personally entered the Territory Lord’s Black Ink Nest and followed the information Yang Kai provided earlier to communicate with the consciousness of the Black Ink Nests in order to ascertain the location of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest.
Yang Kai used this method to locate the positions of the Territory Lord Black Ink Nests when he was raising chaos in the rear of the Black Ink Clan in the Yin-Yang Theatre back then. He later reported this information to the Yin-Yang Pass Old Ancestor, so it was only natural that she knew about this method. Seeing as it was something that Yang Kai could accomplish, there was no reason she would fail. Furthermore, she had a much easier time than him in this task.
With the help of the Mid-Grade Black Ink Nest, the Old Ancestor quickly located the approximate location of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest. Fortuitously, the direction in which the East-West Army was now marching happened to be this exact location.
The East-West Army encountered some Feudal Lord Fiefs along the way, but they did not delay their progress. In fact, they showed no intent to attack whatsoever. Nevertheless, Xiang Shan and the others soon discovered a problem. There were practically no Black Ink Clansmen worth mentioning in these territories.
According to the information provided by Yang Kai earlier, there would always be several Feudal Lords overseeing a mature Feudal Lord Fief. In addition, there should be no shortage of High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen, with even more Black Ink Serfs. In this way, a Feudal Lord could easily gather hundreds of subordinates whenever the Territory Lords summoned their Armies. Meanwhile, the Armies of the Feudal Lords would continuously merge together and grow stronger to become an Army under the command of the Territory Lords.
However, the territories the East-West Army crossed were not only devoid of Feudal Lords, but even High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen were nowhere to be seen. There were only weak Black Ink Clan Serfs who were born from the Black Ink Nest not too long ago and had no strength to traverse the void.
This situation was within the East-West Army’s expectations.
The rate at which the information spread throughout the Black Ink Clan was far too fast. The Black Ink Nests were basically nodes in a giant information network that the Black Ink Clan could use to deliver messages instantaneously amongst themselves. Whenever there was any news, the Black Ink Clan could swiftly relay the information throughout the entire Theatre by borrowing the power of this network of Black Ink Nests.
News of the East-West Army’s appearance in the Black Ink Clan and the destruction of a Territory Lord’s territory had already become widespread. The Black Ink Clan in the entire Great Evolution Theatre were surely aware of those incidents by now.
Xiang Shan and others originally wanted the Army to march forward as quickly as possible so that they could rush to the Royal City and destroy the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest, but judging by the current situation, the Black Ink Clan’s response had made this plan somewhat difficult to implement.
The Black Ink Clan in those Feudal Lord Fiefs along their way must have received the news and all rushed towards the Royal City. That was why only miscellaneous serfs with no real strength were left behind. It could be predicted that the East-West Army would be greeted by a mighty Black Ink Clan Army when they arrived at the Royal City.
Inside the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, Xiang Shan’s expression was the same as usual. The Black Ink Clan had responded faster than he predicted, but this situation was also within his expectations. Besides, it was also a situation that the East-West Army had deliberately created.
If they wanted to recover Great Evolution Pass, then they needed to deal a severe blow to the Black Ink Clan first. That was the only way to give the Great Evolution Army enough time to restore the various defences in Great Evolution Pass; otherwise, it would be a useless endeavour to simply occupy Great Evolution Pass.
The situation would be rather unfavourable for the East-West Army if the Black Ink Clan wanted to confront them at the Royal City; however, it should not be a huge issue as long as the Black Ink Clan from Great Evolution Pass did not come and add trouble from their rear.
A scout came to report that a Territory Lord’s territory was found ahead; however, after the scouts investigated the area, the situation in this domain was the same as the Feudal Lord Fiefs they encountered before. All the powerful Black Ink Clansmen were gone, and only the miscellaneous serfs without much strength were left behind.
After the scout withdrew, Xiang Shan finally spoke, “It looks like the Black Ink Clan is planning to confront us at the Royal City.”
Liu Zhi Ping nodded lightly, “Since that’s the case, it’s better if the Old Ancestor travels ahead. The Black Ink Clan Army is coming from various directions to gather in the direction of the Royal City, and the Royal Lord will also need some time to travel from Great Evolution Pass to the Royal City. If the Old Ancestor leaves now, she might stand a chance to destroy the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest before the enemy can muster a resistance.”
Although the East-West Army was marching rapidly, their speed could not compare to the speed of the Old Ancestor travelling on her own.
It was just as Liu Zhi Ping mentioned. The Black Ink Clan Army was gathering from various directions towards the Royal City, so it would take them some time to assemble. Moreover, the Royal Lord was currently absent from the Royal City, so the Old Ancestor would be unparalleled and unmatched if she rushed there right now.
The Old Ancestor sitting next to Liu Zhi Ping smiled at those words though and shook her head, “No. Although I have roughly determined the position of the High-Rank Black Ink Nest with the help of the previous Black Ink Nest, it is still unclear how far away or exactly where it is located. Even if I move alone, it will take some time for me to search for the target. Besides, the Royal Lord is on his way back to the Royal City. What if the East-West Army encounters him when I am absent?”
The East-West Army had 60 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and 30,000 troops. While they were not afraid of being completely wiped out by the Royal Lord, or even repelling him, the casualties they would suffer would be extremely severe if the Old Ancestor was absent. If nothing else, at least 10 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were likely to lose their lives just to force the Royal Lord back.
The Great Evolution Army had a total of 60,000 people, but they would need their forces to guard Great Evolution Pass in the future, so minimizing their losses was pivotal to their long-term strategy.
Liu Zhi Ping immediately fell silent and said nothing more after listening to the Old Ancestor’s reasoning.
Xiang Shan said, “In that case, let’s proceed with the original plan. The East-West Army will ignore the Black Ink Clan and charge straight towards the Royal City. Since the Black Ink Clan wishes to confront us there, we should heed their wishes.”
In the battle between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan, strategy was the biggest factor that determined the success or failure of the war. Nevertheless, being strong enough to defeat one’s enemies was the ultimate guarantee of victory.
The words had just left Xiang Shan’s mouth when the Old Ancestor sitting beside him abruptly turned to look in a certain direction. Her bright eyes seemed to penetrate across tens of thousands of kilometres of space. Immediately after that, she smiled and said, “I can’t believe he found us!”
Xiang Shan’s expression turned serious, “Is it the Royal Lord?”
The Old Ancestor nodded lightly, “En.”
“Is he simply passing by? Or, are his actions intentional?”
The Old Ancestor pondered in silence for a while before grinning, “He did not bother to conceal his aura. It would seem that his actions were intentional. Very smart of him!”
It was evident that the Royal Lord was worried that the Old Ancestor might charge directly towards the Royal City, and based on time and distance, he might not be able to stop her if that were to happen.
As such, from the moment he departed from Great Evolution Pass, while the Royal Lord had been heading directly in the direction of the Royal City, most of his attention had been fixated upon finding the Human Race Army. With the help of the Black Ink Nests scattered all over the Theatre, it was not difficult for him to roughly follow the movements of the Human Army, which was why he came to confront them directly.
If the Old Ancestor had not gone directly to the Royal City, then that would be the best-case scenario. He could intercept her along the way and gain more time for the Armies of the Black Ink Clan to gather. If she had gone directly to the Royal City, then it would be too late for him to rush back now, but since the Human Army would no longer have her protection, then they were no threat to him. He could massacre them and severely damage their forces to make up for the losses of the Royal City.
That was undoubtedly the most sensible approach, and by taking it, it could be inferred that this Royal Lord was no fool.
The Old Ancestor had clearly considered the same reasoning, which was why she had disagreed with Liu Zhi Ping’s previous proposal asking her to go on ahead of them. While speaking, she stood up, “Since he is looking for me, I will go and greet him.”
Xiang Shan quickly said: “Old Ancestor, please be careful!”
To which she snickered, “He’s the one who should be careful!”
Having guarded Yin-Yang Pass for tens of thousands of years, she had fought with a Royal Lord countless times. Under normal circumstances, both Supreme Masters would hold back in their attacks since neither of them stood a decent chance of killing the other. Naturally, there were occasions when they lost their tempers and fought ferociously, but in the end, both parties would at most be severely injured from the fight. They would then need to rest and recuperate until their next battle.
However, today was different. If the Human Race wanted to retake Great Evolution Pass as quickly as possible, then they would need to struggle desperately in this fight. It could be said that the Old Ancestor was planning to face the Royal Lord with the sole intention of bringing the battle to a draw where both sides were severely injured.
When Xiang Shan first made his plans, he had intended to lure the Royal Lord out of the Royal City so that the Royal Lord could not use the power of the Black Ink Nest to heal his wounds. It would now seem that the plan was not going to work. If the Royal Lord wanted to set the battlefield at the Royal City to obtain the geographical advantage there, then there was nothing the Great Evolution Army could do to stop him.
A few days away from Great Evolution Pass, the North-South Army was moving through the void, hurrying to the spot designated for the ambush.
An Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had scouted the place beforehand and according to him, there was a high chance for the Black Ink Clan to pass through this spot if they were to send their Army. However, there were no guarantees when it came to such things. Their likelihood of success hinged on how lucky they were.
The North-South Army had originally hidden in the direction of Azure Void Pass, so they had to move at lightning speed. From the looks of it, their path took them to a place between Great Evolution Pass and the Black Ink Clan’s territory.
Several days passed by in a flash.
In the conference hall aboard a Purifying Black Ink Battleship, Mi Jing Lun and the few Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, who were in charge, were all silent. It was as if they were waiting for something. Meanwhile, Gong Lian was leaning against a pillar on the side with a blank look in his eyes. His mind was wandering as usual.
Yang Kai was on the other side with a Communication Bead in his hand. He kept pouring his Divine Sense into it, to try and get in touch with Ou Yang Lie.
Previously, when Yang Kai came from beyond Great Evolution Pass and returned to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, Ou Yang Lie had to stay back to keep an eye on the Black Ink Clan’s movements at Great Evolution Pass. If the Black Ink Clan were to send forth their troops, then the North-South Army and the Black Ink Clan from Great Evolution Pass would inevitably cross paths. The distance between them would decrease as time went on and he would surely be able to get in touch with Ou Yang Lie once more.
“Still no news?” One of the Eighth-Order Division Commanders turned to Yang Kai all of a sudden.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Not yet.”
The Eighth-Order Division Commander frowned, “Judging by how long it’s been, it should be anytime now. We should’ve been able to get in touch with Brother Ou Yang half a day ago.”
It was evident that something must have happened that caused half a day’s delay; however, just as soon as the Division Commander finished his sentence, Yang Kai became excited, “There’s an update.”
Yang Kai immediately began probing into the Communication Bead with his Divine Sense.
Everyone had their eyes on him.
Once Yang Kai got the gist of the message, he informed everyone else, “Senior Ou Yang said that the Black Ink Clan who came out of Great Evolution Pass seemed to have their guards up against the North-South Army. So, they circled around and took a less direct route.”
Mi Jing Lun had a look of realization, “No wonder Brother Ou Yang took so long to get in touch with us.”
Great Evolution Pass’s Black Ink Clan Army did not know much at the moment, only that there were two Human Armies nearby.
The first Army came from the direction of Wind and Cloud Pass. This Army had evaded their detection and then sent tens of thousands of puppets as a distraction while they launched a sneak attack on their territory.
The Black Ink Clan also knew that there was a second group which came over from Azure Void Pass. Numerous Black Ink Clan scouts had mysteriously disappeared, and this proved that a group of Humans were hiding in the vicinity of Great Evolution Pass in the direction of Azure Void Pass. Unfortunately, this Human Army seemed to be continually changing their location and the Black Ink Clan could not gather any information on them.
The Royal Lord had given the command, so 15 or so Territory Lords from Great Evolution Pass had no choice but to lead their Army out and rush towards the Royal City; however, knowing that an unknown number of Human soldiers were hiding nearby, the Territory Lords had a simple discussion and decided to take the longer way around to avoid them.
Naturally, they chose a route in the direction of Wind and Cloud Pass. They were certain this was a safe option, since the Human Army that came from that direction had already launched an attack within their Black Ink Clan territory and exposed their location.
If they had a choice, they would choose to ensure their safety by giving a wide berth and making a huge detour to avoid the hidden Human Army.
However, time was of the essence and they were afraid of causing too great a delay, so they could only take a slightly circuitous path, which would delay them by a day or so.
This was why Ou Lang Lie only managed to get in touch with the North-South Army now.
Under everyone’s watchful gazes, Yang Kai kept using his Divine Sense to stay connected to Ou Yang Lie, allowing both parties to confirm their respective locations.
Still, it was both Yang Kai’s and Ou Yang Lie’s first time in the Great Evolution Theatre and they were unfamiliar with their surroundings. Neither one of them had an accurate Universe Chart of this place, so it was rather troublesome for them to talk about their positions.
Yang Kai could not ascertain where Ou Yang Lie was exactly, and similarly, Ou Yang Lie had no way of confirming where the North-South Army was.
The only thing they both knew was that their distance was within a day’s worth of travel, as this was the Communication Bead’s maximum range.
Amid their exchange, the North-South Army arrived at the designated ambush point.
Initially, based on the deductions by the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who scouted the place, it was highly likely that the Black Ink Clan would pass through this place if they were to send their Army out from Great Evolution Pass. As long as the North-South Army set up here in advance, they would be able to deal a heavy blow to the Black Ink Clan.
As it was, the North-South Army had arrived, but there was no sign of the Black Ink Clan.
Furthermore, based on the update from Ou Yang Lie, it was unlikely that the Black Ink Clan Army would be passing through this region.
Uncertainty was to be expected on the battlefield, as it was impossible for people to know everything and have a contingency for all possibilities at all times. Things could change at any given moment, and the only way to ensure victory was to be highly adaptable.
Yang Kai carried on communicating with Ou Yang Lie, but he was still unable to pinpoint the latter’s location. Both of them described what the area around them looked like, but it did not ring any bells for either one of them.
Ou Yang Lie had a fiery temper, and since it was impossible to communicate effectively, he decided to cut things short, “Just wait!”
That was the last Yang Kai heard from him, even though he kept trying to reconnect with Ou Yang Lie.
After relaying this to the Eighth-Order Division Commanders, they all wore helpless, exasperated expressions.
However, soon enough, Ou Yang Lie’s burly figure came striding in while grumbling, “It’s so troublesome without a Universe Chart.”
It would have been a lot easier for them to communicate if both of them had a Universe Chart as it would have allowed them to confirm their locations and the distance from each other.
Nevertheless, Great Evolution Pass had been lost for 30,000 years, and the Humans who were stationed here in the past had been annihilated. Thus, the Universe Chart of that time was no longer usable.
If they wanted a Universe Chart now, they needed to make one themselves.
Meanwhile, Ou Yang Lie managed to get back quickly thanks to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship’s Universe Array.
“Brother Ou Yang, where are the Black Ink Clan reinforcements now?” Mi Jing Lun quickly asked.
“I don’t know, but I left behind a bit of my aura before I left. Let me check where it is and I’ll know where the Black Ink Clan Army is,” Ou Yang Lie replied.
Saying so, his hands started rapidly forming seals.
A few breaths later, a burst of red light shot out from his fingertip and pointed in the direction of the aura he had left behind.
Mi Jing Lun took note of the location and nodded, “We are about a day’s travel away from there. Taking into account the difference between our travel direction and the Black Ink Clan Army’s, the North-South Army should adjust our position so that we can encounter them within a day or two.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded, “Good.”
The two of them talked for a bit and soon decided on where they should reposition the North-South Army.
The order went down and the fleet, which had only just arrived at the ambush location, set off again without even having time to do anything.
All the Eighth-Order Division Commanders cupped their fists, “We should go and prepare.”
If everything went smoothly, then in a day or two, the North-South Army would engage in a huge battle with the Black Ink Clan from Great Evolution Pass. Naturally, it was best to start preparing as soon as possible.
Mi Jing Lun nodded.
“I’ll be off too, Honoured Master,” Gong Lian bowed.
Ou Yang Lie waved him off casually in response.
Mi Jing Lun finally addressed Yang Kai, “Martial Nephew, what’s your plan now? Are you going to join us here or head off to find the East-West Army?”
“Since there’s going to be a battle here, it’s best if I remain to help,” Yang Kai said.
He could have left now if there were no battle, but since the fight was imminent, it would not be right for him to leave just like that. Furthermore, taking part in the upcoming battle was a good way for him to gather more information about the situation here. That way, he would be able to inform Xiang Shan and the others about what was happening here when he reunited with the East-West Army.
“Good,” Mi Jing Lun said, “Since you’re staying, you can choose a Squad or a Battalion to join.”
“This Junior would like to act alone. Would that be alright?” Yang Kai asked.
He was unfamiliar with the people here in the North-South Army, and it may not be a good thing for him to join a Squad so abruptly; hence, he preferred acting alone without having any ties to anyone.
Mi Jing Lun eyed him with a smile, “Since you’re so confident, Martial Nephew, I won’t stop you, but do be careful on the battlefield.”
“Understood!” Yang Kai cupped his fist and bowed before leaving.
Once he left, Ou Yang Lie piped up, “That Brat sure is confident to want to act alone, and you even gave him your permission. That’s not at all like you.”
Mi Jing Lun chuckled, “I don’t know if you’ve heard much about him, Brother Ou Yang. If any other Seventh-Order Junior made the same request, I would’ve rejected them immediately; but if it’s him, it’s fine for me to make an exception just this once.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded, “I’ve heard quite a lot about him, so you can’t take advantage of me being ignorant and uninformed, Brother Mi. Now that we’re on the subject, it’s quite unbelievable that a Seventh-Order brat had the guts to disguise himself as a Black Ink Disciple to infiltrate the Black Ink Clan. He even managed to destroy the Warship that the Black Ink Clan was building and come back alive. It’s practically a miracle.”
“That’s right. Although the Old Ancestor went out to receive him in person, before that, he managed to kill a Territory Lord while he was in the Blue Sky Theatre, which is quite the feat even if the Territory Lord was badly wounded at the time,” Mi Jing Lun said.
“New talents rise up with every generation. We’re getting old now!” Ou Yang Lie lamented.
Mi Jing Lun smiled at him, “It’s rare for you to pay such a high compliment to someone of the younger generation, Brother Ou Yang. What’s the matter? Are you regretting the fact that you didn’t encounter him sooner to take him as your Disciple?”
“Hah!” Ou Yang Lie snorted loudly, “Why would I regret that? I have a Disciple now! Even though my Disciple isn’t the same as him, he’s not worse off in any way! In fact, my Disciple has more potential than him.”
Mi Jing Lun sighed, “Things never go the way you want them to in life! Yang Kai is a peerless talent, but it’s a pity he will not enter the Ninth Order. If he could make it to the Ninth Order, he would make a huge difference for the entire Human Race.”
“Nothing’s perfect in life,” Ou Yang Lie remarked, “Speaking of which, we’re partly to blame for his current situation since it’s the unfortunate result of the Cave Heavens and Paradises interfering with him.”
If it had not been for those Cave Heavens and Paradises working together to suppress Yang Kai, he would have directly advanced to the Seventh Order and would have stood a chance to become a Ninth-Order Old Ancestor.
Mi Jing Lun shook his head, “They were doing it to prevent uncertainty in the future, and there’s historical precedent for their actions. All along, the Cave Heavens and Paradises have maintained the same attitude towards all those who had the possibility of directly advancing to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Based on their perspective, they didn’t do anything wrong at the time, but looking back now, they’ve made a monumental mistake.”
There was no point in discussing mistakes made in the past. Yang Kai had directly advanced to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Although there was hope that he could become an Eighth-Order Master because he had consumed a Mid-Rank World Fruit, he was not going to be able to become a Ninth-Order Master.
That was unless he could find the Innate Open Heaven Pill which was produced in the Universe Furnace; however, there was no sign of the Universe Furnace and no one knew when it would next appear. Even if it did, Yang Kai might not have the chance to obtain one of its Innate Open Heaven Pills.
There were tons of people in all the Cave Heavens and Paradises who were stuck in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm and could not rise any further. Who among them was not in even more urgent need of those Open Heaven Pills than Yang Kai?
As the two were speaking, an alarming fluctuation came out from the faraway depths of the void.
Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie exchanged glances before instantly heading to the deck and stared in the direction where the fluctuation was coming from.
Yang Kai was also there staring into the distance; however, although everyone could sense the fluctuations, they could also tell that the source was incredibly far away.
“The Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord are exchanging blows,” Ou Yang Lie quickly said.
Mi Jing Lun nodded lightly.
An Eighth-Order Master and a Territory Lord would not have been able to create such powerful fluctuations when they clashed. Across the entire Theatre, only a battle between the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord could cause such a huge disturbance.
This was the first fight between Yin-Yang Pass’ Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord of Great Evolution Theatre. No one could predict the outcome.
That being said, based on the information they had received, they were certain that Yin-Yang Pass’ Old Ancestor would not be the one suffering. Even just by the number of years of cultivation alone, the Royal Lord could not compare with her.
The current Royal Lord was the one who rose to that position 30,000 years ago. The veteran Royal Lord who had been alive for much longer had died along with the Great Evolution Pass Old Ancestor.
Both were the strongest among their respective sides and had immense power. The two silhouettes continued clashing in the depths of the void, and just the fallout from their fight was enough to destroy the barren Universe Worlds around them. Everything within 100,000 kilometres of their clash was thrown into chaos and turmoil.
…..
At this very moment, the Royal Lord was suffering in silence.
When the Royal Lord found out that the Human Race Army had invaded his domain, he left Great Evolution Pass in a fluster. Along the way, he searched for signs of the Humans and he finally managed to intercept the Old Ancestor.
Everything would be fine in his Royal City as long as he stopped the Old Ancestor; however, before he even had the time to relax, the following turn of events caught him off guard.
Initially, he assumed that since it was his first time exchanging blows with this Human Old Ancestor, both parties would focus on feeling each other out since they were both the most formidable on their respective sides, and neither could afford to take any big risks.
The best option was to test the waters and get a sense of what their respective strengths were before breaking off the fight and leaving it for another day once they were more prepared.
That was what the Royal Lord thought, and he assumed the Human Old Ancestor had the same idea.
Except, the Old Ancestor thought very differently.
Although she was a woman, her actions bordered on madness. As soon as they started fighting, she threw all caution to the wind and attacked as if she was prepared to fight to the bitter end, even if it meant sacrificing her life in the process. Waves of ferocious Divine Abilities and merciless Secret Techniques followed, dumbfounding the Royal Lord!
It had to be said that although this Royal Lord had risen to his position 30,000 years ago, he had only ever fought an Old Ancestor once in that entire time.
It was just after he had become a Royal Lord and joined forces with the original Royal Lord of Great Evolution Theatre to kill the Old Ancestor here. Ever since then, the Black Ink Clan claimed Great Evolution Pass and no other battle occurred.
For the past 30,000 years, he stayed within his Theatre. Now and then, he would send his Territory Lords out to help in battles at Wind and Cloud Pass and Azure Void Pass, but he himself had never left.
Thus, it could be said that he barely had any experience when it came to fighting with an Old Ancestor.
Moreover, this particular Old Ancestor was attacking ruthlessly and relentlessly. The Royal Lord had been suppressed from the moment the fight began, and the momentum was now decidedly against him.
Even the Old Ancestor was a little shocked by this too; however, she soon realized why this was the case, [This Royal Lord lacks combat experience!]
This was an unexpected surprise for her.
Back at Yin-Yang Pass, she would get into minor scuffles with the Royal Lord there every century or so, and a serious battle happened every millennium. It was no secret what each other’s Divine Abilities, Secret Techniques, battle strategies, and personalities were.
As the saying went, those who truly understood a person the best were not their friends, but their enemies.
In the Yin-Yang Theatre, as soon as the Old Ancestor made a move, the Royal Lord there could immediately tell what she was up to and formulate a counter on the spot. That was why the two clashed frequently over the years without ever deciding on a victor.
That was not the case here. The Old Ancestor had a wealth of experience fighting against a Royal Lord, and even though it was a different opponent, the experience still counted for something. This was not the same for the Royal Lord here. He had probably forgotten all about the fight 30,000 years ago, and such a long period of peace was enough for him to lose his will to better himself, which was why he found himself in such a state when he got into a fight with a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master all of a sudden.
The Old Ancestor’s line of thinking was rather simple. Since she brought Yang Kai here, she did not need to hold back out of caution. All she had to do was focus on attacking as hard as she could and wounding the Royal Lord as much as possible, even if she was injured in the process.
It did not matter if she got wounded because she could borrow Yang Kai’s Small Universe to rapidly heal and restore herself. Although the Royal Lord could also use his Black Ink Nest to recover from his injuries, the rate at which he would heal would never be as quick as her.
She would be gaining on him with every single round of recovery. Perhaps that would not be immediately noticeable, but given enough time and battles, the Royal Lord would at some point not be able to handle it anymore.
When the time came, she might even have the chance to kill this Royal Lord!
Therefore, she fought him now without holding back at all, as if she wanted to perish together with him.
Her opponent’s obvious decline in combat effectiveness over time only strengthened her resolve to commit to her initial plan.
Meanwhile, the East-West Army paid no mind to the clash between the two powerhouses. As the Old Ancestor headed out to take the Royal Lord head-on, the East-West Army changed course and continued forward.
Even though the East-West Army’s 60 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would undoubtedly be of great help to the Old Ancestor if they joined the fight, no one could guarantee that they would all come out alive if they got involved.
The East-West Army had an even more important task on hand, and that was to wipe out the Black Ink Clan Army and take back Great Evolution Pass. That was their ultimate goal.
Passing through Black Ink Clan territory, they saw that only the weakest Black Ink Clansmen remained in the outskirts, which they could not be bothered to deal with. They made a beeline in the direction of the Royal City instead.
Right now, they still did not know where the Royal City was exactly or how far away it was, but as long as they continued in this direction, they were bound to reach the Royal City at some point. Upon arrival, they would lay siege to the city!
The further the East-West Army went, the more dangerous it was for them as the likelihood of receiving help from the North-South Army decreased with the increasing distance between the two Armies; however, as long as the North-South Army managed to stop the Black Ink Clan coming from Great Evolution Pass, the East-West Army would not need to worry about being attacked from behind.
Since arriving at this Theatre, the 30,000-man-strong East-West Army had only engaged in a single significant battle. They had been marching in haste all this while after that, but even so, the Army’s fighting spirit had not diminished at all. On the contrary, it was even stronger than before.
It was safe to predict that when the Army reached the Royal City, they were sure to strike fear into the hearts of the Black Ink Clan.
…
The North-South Army led by Ou Yang Lie and Mi Jing Lun soon reached a new location after a day of hastened travelling.
Mi Jing Lun was the one who deduced that they would encounter the Black Ink Clan Army at this spot; however, looking out into the void around them, all was quiet and there was no sign of the Black Ink Clan Army.
Even then, Mi Jing Lun was not particularly disappointed even though there were no signs of the enemy since they had to take into account the difference in the two Armies’ travelling speed as well as the possibility of changes in the opposing Armies’ routes.
Several scouts were sent out for reconnaissance in the surrounding area.
Soon, they received word that there was a sighting of the Black Ink Clan Army coming from Great Evolution Pass. They were passing through a location that was less than an hour away from the North-South Army’s current position.
Mi Jing Lun exhaled slowly before commanding the Army to attack.
Under the circumstances, an ambush was impossible as there was no time for them to find suitable spots to set up and hide.
The North-South Army’s only choice now was to charge straight into battle with the Black Ink Clan and take them head-on.
Fortunately, they knew about the Black Ink Clan’s movements while the other party knew nothing about them, so they had the advantage.
The mighty fleet sailed through the void, and one hour later, the Black Ink Clan Army came into sight.
By now, the Black Ink Clan had naturally discovered the Humans as well.
One of the Feudal Lords immediately rushed to Zhe Chong and reported frantically, “Sir Territory Lord, we’ve spotted Human Warships!”
Zhe Chong had been uneasy the past few days, like something bad was about to happen, and that was the reason why he chose to take a longer route when leading the Army out of Great Evolution Pass. He was doing everything he could to avoid the Human Army that had not revealed itself just yet.
All had been calm and peaceful for several days, and his only worry had been the Human Race Army that had been attacking the Black Ink Clan territory.
He did not know when or even if his Army and the Human Army would meet, but if they did, the Black Ink Clan might not be able to stand against them; after all, he had personally witnessed just how mighty that Human Army was. Furthermore, there was still the Human Old Ancestor with them.
Thus, he could not stop himself from jumping in fright when his subordinate reported the news to him.
[We’re running into a Human Race Army in a place like this. Is it the one led by the Old Ancestor?]
“Where are they? How far away from here?” Zhe Chong asked in alarm.
The Feudal Lord pointed with his finger, “They’re in that direction. We’ll probably run into them in less than an hour.”
Zhe Chong looked out in that direction, and sure enough, he spotted a massive fleet approaching.
It was a sea of Human Warships, at least 2,000 to 3,000 of them, just like the one he saw over a year ago.
Based on the direction the Human Army was heading, it could be seen that it was not charging into the Black Ink Clan’s territory. The Humans were positioning themselves in advance so that they could meet the Black Ink Clan Army make contact an hour later and block their way forward.
[Why are we running into them here?]
Zhe Chong could not figure it out and he was not about to dwell on it now. His fear of the Old Ancestor made him lose his composure as he bellowed in terror, “Enemy attack!”
The other dozen or so Territory Lords gasped in fright when they heard him.
They turned to check for themselves, and sure enough, they saw the Human fleet in the distance. All at once, the Territory Lords started to panic.
None of the Territory Lords had expected to run into the Human Race Army here, but from the looks of it, the Humans were fully prepared for this. It was the Black Ink Clan who had been too careless and only noticed their enemy when they were right in front of them.
On the battlefield, there were terrible consequences to not being the one who held the initiative.
All the Territory Lords turned to Zhe Chong, and one of them asked frantically, “Do we engage them?”
The two Armies were only an hour’s distance apart, so they needed to decide right away whether they were going to fight or flee. The Territory Lords considered Zhe Chong their leader, so naturally, the decision depended on his opinion.
Zhe Chong’s brow twitched, “There could be an Old Ancestor among them!”
In other words, if they were to fight, the Black Ink Clan would suffer massive casualties. Even the Territory Lords might be losing their lives here.
The Territory Lord who asked earlier frowned, “Didn’t we sense the fluctuations from the fight between an Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord just now? Since their Old Ancestor is fighting with Sir Royal Lord, why would their Old Ancestor be here?”
Zhe Chong froze upon hearing that. [That’s right. We did feel the fluctuations from a battle between two of the most powerful Masters coming from a great distance away just now. It was clearly caused by the Human Old Ancestor and our Royal Lord. Since they’re fighting over there, there won’t be an Old Ancestor here then. The Humans couldn’t have sent two Old Ancestors over, right?]
Zhe Chong realised that he had jumped to conclusions just now. When he saw that the enormous fleet of the North-South Army was so similar to the one he had seen over a year ago, he subconsciously assumed that the Old Ancestor would be with them too, causing his fear to override his judgement.
Regardless, even if the enemy did not have an Old Ancestor among them, it was probably still too late for them to flee now.
Zhe Chong was a decisive individual and immediately came to a decision, “Relay my orders, prepare for battle!”
A fleet of 2,000 to 3,000 Warships meant there were some 30,000 Humans. Although this was not even a tenth of the Black Ink Clan Army’s numbers, the Territory Lords knew that numbers alone would never be able to determine who was the stronger of the two. Furthermore, a group of 30,000 Humans implied that there were dozens of Eighth-Order Masters among them.
Meanwhile, there were only 16 Territory Lords on their side.
If they chose to flee instead, it would be giving the Humans a chance to chase after and attack them from behind. Thus, meeting the enemy in battle was the best option. It would minimise the number of casualties and they might even be able to deal a heavy blow to the Humans.
Orders were passed down and the hundreds of thousands of Black Ink Clansmen formed rank in the void. They fused Black Ink Strength together to form a massive Black Ink Cloud that covered a vast swath of the void, hiding them from view.
This was the sight that greeted the Human Army when they arrived an hour later.
All they could see was an enormous Black Ink Cloud that had gathered within the void. There was some movement within the cloud, but there was no sign of the Black Ink Clan.
Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie stood on the deck of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship with deep, profound looks on their faces. It had to be said that the Black Ink Clan had made a clever move with their defensive action. They formed a Black Ink Cloud to mask their Army, which meant that the Humans had no way of determining what the Black Ink Clan was up to or what they were planning. If the Humans charged forward hastily, they would be wounded and suffer heavy casualties.
Yet if the Humans chose not to strike, they would be doing exactly what the Black Ink Clan wanted. The Black Ink Clan could use this opportunity to arrange their formations and decide on a battle strategy, and the longer the delay, the less of an advantage the Human Army would have.
Confronted with this situation, the Humans had no other choice. The only thing they could do was rely on the power of their Warships to disperse the Black Ink Cloud and force the Black Ink Clan Army to show themselves.
This was likely what the Black Ink Clan hoped for too as this would mean that they could expend a lot of the Human Army’s strength, even though it also meant that they would suffer a lot of casualties on their end.
Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie exchanged looks before nodding at each other.
The very next moment, an order went out from the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
The Warships began moving forward again, separating into different lines in the void before coming to a stop at around 1 million kilometres away from the Black Ink Cloud.
Following that, all of the Warships started powering their Arrays. Lights flashed, and a raging surge of energy waves began to fluctuate.
Next, the points of light transformed into a myriad of attacks of different forms, all of which shot straight into the Black Ink Cloud.
The Warships had separated into five smaller fleets at this moment, with each one consisting of 400 to 500 vessels. The small fleets took turns attacking one after the other, allowing for a continuous barrage to be maintained.
Each attack was akin to hundreds of Seventh-Order Masters launching a full-force attack together. The onslaught of attacks kept striking the Black Ink Cloud and causing it to disappear. Blinding lights flashed within the Black Ink Cloud. It was a terrifying sight even from a distance.
There were signs of life auras withering constantly, but at a distance of a million kilometres and combined with the chaos of the energy fluctuations, even the Eighth-Order Masters could not sense everything clearly.
Even so, the withering life auras were clearly a sign of death among the ranks of the Black Ink Clan hidden inside the Black Ink Cloud.
The Humans’ attack went on for a half day!
Throughout the whole time, the Warships did not let up on the bombardment. The artifacts and the Spirit Arrays mounted on the Warships kept shooting straight into the Black Ink Cloud.
However, the Humans were surprised at the lack of a response from the Black Ink Clan Army. They seemed to be lying in wait for the right moment to strike, or perhaps they had even fled the battlefield.
Nevertheless, even though they had the Black Ink Cloud to hide them, the Black Ink Clan could not flee the battlefield with so many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters around.
Thus, the Black Ink Clan Army was certainly still hidden inside the Black Ink Cloud.
They were waiting!
The optimum window for them to strike back would be when the Humans’ strength was depleted from their attacks.
It had to be said that the Territory Lords who led this Army were all remarkably patient. Anyone with a fiery temper would have led the Army out of the Black Ink Cloud to start attacking the Humans by now.
Still, this was the exact opposite of what the Humans wanted.
Half a day later, the enormous Black Ink Cloud that had loomed over the void was beginning to thin out. Even though the Black Ink Clan kept channelling their Black Ink Strength to strengthen the Black Ink Cloud, they could not withstand the constant attacks from the Warships.
They would have long since revealed themselves if it had not been for the large amounts of Black Ink Strength that escaped from the dead bodies of the Black Ink Clansmen, which helped thicken the Black Ink Cloud.
They were at their limit after holding out for half a day though.
The thinning Black Ink Cloud could no longer hide all of the Black Ink Clan Army, and the powerful Eighth-Order Masters were beginning to break through the Black Ink Cloud and survey the state of the enemy inside.
They were dissatisfied with what they found.
A half day’s worth of ceaseless attacks did cause some casualties on the side of the Black Ink Clan, but it was far less than what they expected.
Less than 50,000 had died out of the Black Ink Clan Army which was almost 500,000 strong. It was only a 10% casualty rate.
These were not results to be pleased about as they had expected to clear out at least 30% of the Black Ink Clan.
The Human Warships continued their attacks, but by now, the Black Ink Cloud was thin and wispy, meaning they could launch targeted attacks which made the number of casualties rise seriously.
Evidently, the Black Ink Clan realised this problem too. The Territory Lords gave out an order and 400,000 of the Black Ink Clan Army swiftly retreated out of the Black Ink Cloud before rushing off into the distance.
The Black Ink Clan was trying to escape!
The Human Army was not about to ignore that, so Ou Yang Lie immediately gave the order to pursue.
However, the attempt to flee was merely a feint. As soon as the Human Army entered the wispy Black Ink Cloud, the Black Ink Clan Army suddenly turned around and launched its attack.
The Great Evolution Theatre had been at peace for 30,000 years, but on this day, an explosive battle took place between two Armies just a few days’ travel away from Great Evolution Pass.
Although the East-West Army had already attacked some of the Territory Lords’ territories, that was not the same as this fight.
Ou Yang Lie and the others were a little startled by the Black Ink Clan’s strategy, but that was all.
Mi Jing Lun had already been on guard back when Ou Yang Lie gave the order to chase after the supposedly fleeing Army. Even though the Black Ink Clan had suffered some casualties, the fight had not truly begun and there was no way the Black Ink Clan would flee without a fight when they still had 400,000 soldiers. The Territory Lords who led the Army would surely know that they would be doomed the moment they fled.
He was proven right. The Black Ink Clan did not plan on fleeing. They merely wanted to lure the Human Warships into their Black Ink Cloud so that they could gain a geographical advantage.
Although the Black Ink Cloud was thin and sparse now, it was still a significant help to the Black Ink Clan and a hindrance to the Humans once they were inside.
Purifying Black Ink Pills were readily available for use on the battlefield now, and all the Humans had to do was consume one in advance and they would have a temporary window of time where they did not have to worry about the Black Ink Strength invading them. That being said, as time wore on, the medicinal efficacies would wear off, and things would be less rosy then.
Furthermore, repeated consumption of the Purifying Black Ink Pills in short order reduced their effectiveness.
Those at Blue Sky Pass had done a systematic test and figured out that a Sixth-Order Master could use two Purifying Black Ink Pills within the span of a month. Any more than that and the medicinal efficacies would be greatly diminished.
A Seventh-Order Master could use three pills.
There was a limit to the medicinal efficacies of each Purifying Black Ink Pill as well, making them only effective for six hours at most.
Thus, if the Humans fought against the Black Ink Clan within the Black Ink Cloud, they would need to end the fight as quickly as possible, for the longer it dragged on, the more disadvantaged they would be.
The Black Ink Clan had launched their attack at just the right time. They had perfectly positioned the battlefield within the area that still had the wispy Black Ink Cloud.
Despite that, they were still shocked by the Humans’ reactions. They thought that the Humans would be disadvantaged if the fight happened in such an environment, but how could they have anticipated that the Humans would not be affected at all? As the two Armies clashed head-on, the Seventh-Order Masters swiftly leaped out of the Warships without caring about being affected by the Black Ink Strength at all.
The Black Ink Clan was thunderstruck. They had preconceived notions that the Humans avoided Black Ink Strength like the plague, especially those with lower cultivation. Only some of the Eighth-Order Masters could withstand the encroachment of Black Ink Strength for an extended time in battle.
However, from the looks of it now, even the Seventh-Order Masters could move freely within the Black Ink Cloud without being affected at all.
What was going on?
While the Black Ink Clan was reeling from shock, the Human Squads began to unleash their full strength. The Seventh-Order Masters all stuck close to their Warships and coordinated with the other Squads in their Battalions to launch concentrated attacks. The face-to-face confrontation was quickly decimating the Black Ink Clan Army.
It was 30,000 against over 400,000, which was a huge disparity in numbers, yet to the Humans, being heavily outnumbered was not a problem at all. Throughout the ages, Humans had always battled against the Black Ink Clan under such circumstances, so they amassed a ton of experience.
Although the two Armies clashed fiercely, it was evident that both sides were still exercising caution and restraint. No one pressed forward recklessly as neither the Humans nor the Black Ink Clan had anywhere to fall back to for safety in the vast, unending void.
Pushing too aggressively would not benefit either party, especially if things started deteriorating for them. It could even lead to the destruction of the entire battlefield and a devastatingly high number of casualties.
Thus, if anyone had a distant overview of the battle, they would notice that the fight between the two Armies on the battlefield was fairly straightforward. The Human Race Army of 30,000 and the Black Ink Clan Army of over 400,000 were like two waves oscillating back and forth as both parties continued to engage, retreat, and then engage once more.
Every time the two Armies collided, both parties would attack with all their might. All manner of Secret Techniques burst forth in the thick of the skirmish, only to stop when both parties retreated to regroup.
The leaders of the Human Army did not expect to achieve a decisive victory in short order. They were using these small but frequent skirmishes to exhaust the Black Ink Clan Army’s strength and endurance and slowly gain the upper hand.
However, Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie never expected that the Black Ink Clan Army’s strategist also had the same thought.
The commanders on both sides were thinking along the same lines. Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie even felt a glimmer of ‘kinship’ with the Territory Lord who was commanding the opposing Army.
Naturally, it was Zhe Chong who was in charge of commanding the Black Ink Clan Army in this battle.
Among the Territory Lords, Zhe Chong was competent and more importantly, cautious by nature. If it had not been for his prudence, he would not have made the snap decision to escape when he was ambushed by the Human Race Army back at Wind and Cloud Pass. But he did, and therefore, he survived.
Although he was a Territory Lord of the Great Evolution Theatre, over the past 30,000 years, he still gathered considerable combat experience as a result of leading Armies to aid in the battles at Wind and Cloud Pass or Azure Void Pass dozens of times. Though in all fairness, his Army often suffered crushing defeats and few would come back alive.
Still, his wealth of experience going into battle against the Humans was the reason why he could come up with the appropriate strategy for this battle.
He was also the one who came up with the idea of forming the Black Ink Cloud to conceal their movements when they discovered that the North-South Army had come to launch a surprise attack.
If it had been any other Territory Lord at the helm when they saw the Human Race Army’s sudden arrival, they would have most likely rushed headfirst into battle without a second thought.
It had to be said that even though his strategies seemed rather cowardly, Zhe Chong did manage to make things a lot more difficult for the Humans.
Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie had hoped that they would encounter a reckless Black Ink Clan Army that believed they would win based solely on their overwhelming numbers.
They never thought they would run into an Army led by a shrewd mind.
This was something worthy of marvel, as after so many years of going to battle against the Black Ink Clan, it was their first time coming head to head with a Black Ink Clan commander like that.
The two Armies continued to engage in battle, and each time they clashed, life auras would wither, with the vast majority of the casualties being on the side of the Black Ink Clan.
The Humans would not be in much danger if their Warships were intact, but if their Warships were to be destroyed, then the whole Squad would be in great danger.
After clashing over ten times, things started becoming less orderly and more chaotic.
The Humans were not at fault for that.
Despite only numbering 30,000, the Human Army was disciplined and trained to listen to their superiors without question; thus, they carried out their commanders’ orders to the letter.
It was not the same with the Black Ink Clan.
There were over 400,000 Black Ink Clansmen, and while Zhe Chong was considered the commander, they were actually made up of the individual Armies that belonged to over a dozen different Territory Lords, each with a mind of his own.
Upon seeing that there were so many fatalities within Black Ink Clan after each clash while few if any occurred on the Humans’ side, many of the Territory Lords lost their cool and started pushing more aggressively.
The more reckless they were, the more casualties there were on the Black Ink Clan’s side.
It was humiliating, and that resulted in angering them further, so much so that they joined the battlefield in person.
The Eighth-Order Masters were not about to let the Territory Lords have their way on the battlefield. While the Territory Lords stayed out of the battle, the Eighth-Order Masters also hung back and observed, but now that the Territory Lords were making their move, the Eighth-Order Masters were not going to stand idly by either as they came forward to stop them.
Thus, after two hours of skirmishes, the battle suddenly intensified. The battlefield began to fill with the fluctuations from the fights between the Territory Lords and the Eighth-Order Masters.
Meanwhile, on the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, Ou Yang Lie declared, “I’m joining them. I’ll leave things here to you, Brother Mi.”
Mi Jing Lun simply nodded. Ou Yang Lie took one step and instantly appeared in front of a Territory Lord many thousands of kilometres away. He threw out his fist with great force and the Territory Lord who was caught unaware ended up flying backwards.
That being said, he was still a Territory Lord. Despite being a little dazed after the blow from Ou Yang Lie, he quickly regained his composure and started fighting back.
In the ferocious clash between the two, it was Ou Yang Lie who was unable to unleash his full powers, while the Territory Lords attacked without holding back at all.
It could not be helped as the two were fighting in an area that not only had a lot of Black Ink Clansmen but also a number of Humans. The Territory Lord attacked in a frenzy as he did not care about the deaths of his Clansmen, but Ou Yang Lie could not disregard the lives of the Humans in the same way.
Therefore, even though he gained the upper hand with his initial sneak attack on the Territory Lord, he still could not finish or defeat his opponent in short order.
Ou Yang Lie was not the only one confronted with this situation. Most of the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were faced with the same predicament. The Territory Lords’ despicable behaviour was forcing a lot of the Eighth-Order Division Commanders to hold themselves back.
The Purifying Black Ink Battleship hovered in the void at approximately 1 million kilometres from the battlefield.
It was not far by any means, and if a Territory Lord wanted to launch a surprise attack, he could get to the Battleship quite rapidly. Though, of course, it was not considered close either. It was a good spot for Mi Jing Lun to oversee the entire battle.
Of the two Commanders of the North-South Army, Ou Yang Lie was the one who adhered to the principle of talking with his fists, and thus, Mi Jing Lun was the one who commanded the Army in battle.
The Purifying Black Ink Battleship was not alone in the Void as several Battalion-Class Warships hovered around it, each one crewed by an Eighth-Order Division Commander and an entire Battalion!
All of this was to ensure that the Purifying Black Ink Battleship would stay safe even when they were so far away from home.
One could not claim that the Humans were acting too conservatively. On the contrary, the Purifying Black Ink Battleship was just far too important. Not only did the battleship have a great variety of strategic functions, but both the battleship and the Battalion-Class warships around it were carrying quite a number of specialists who followed the Army to this battle.
The East-West Army had over 1,000 Artifact Refiners with them, along with Alchemists and Array Masters in similar numbers.
It was the same with the North-South Army.
These Humans were at the very least in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, with a few even being in the Eighth-Order.
Even so, they spent all their time fully focused on their respective Daos such as Artifact Refining, Alchemy, and Spirit Arrays; thus, they lacked combat power and were not suited to step foot on the battlefield. The loss of any one of them would be a notable loss for the Human Race.
They could only remain in safety until the battle came to an end.
If they were to remain here, then there had to be people here to protect them as well; therefore, even though the North-South Army had 30,000 soldiers in total, in reality, 3,000 to 4,000 of them were not taking part in the battle against the Black Ink Clan.
Mi Jing Lun’s brows were tightly furrowed as he surveyed the battle from the deck of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
What was happening was unlike anything he had expected.
Initially, he assumed that it would not be hard for the North-South Army to come out victorious as a Black Ink Clan Army of 500,000 would only have slightly over a dozen Territory Lords commanding it. The North-South Army had nearly 60 Eighth-Order Masters, which was several times more than their opponents’ number of Territory Lords.
The advantage they had in high-level combat power was enough to make up for the huge difference in numbers between the two Armies.
That being said, it would be impossible to ruthlessly slaughter the entire Black Ink Clan Army as they would undoubtedly flee once things did not look good for them.
The situation at this battle was different from the ambush that the East-West Army had set up at Wind and Cloud Pass.
Yang Kai had filled Mi Jing Lun in on all the details of that battle, and Mi Jing Lun knew that the East-West Army’s successful vanquishment of all 300,000 of the Black Ink Clan Army in such a short amount of time was mainly due to the circumstances of the ambush, and also the fact that they had an Old Ancestor with them. All in all, the Black Ink Clan had no hope of even putting up a strong fight against the Humans back then.
However, the North-South Army failed to set up an ambush and did not have an Old Ancestor to assume command, so they could not compare themselves with the advantageous position the East-West Army had.
Still, the North-South Army should have been able to achieve victory relatively easily without having to suffer too many casualties on their end.
Unfortunately, the reality was quite different.
The Humans did not seem to have as much of an advantage on the battlefield as they anticipated.
Despite the high hopes that Mi Jing Lun placed on the Eighth-Order Masters to turn the battle in their favour, they did not seem to be giving the Humans that much of an edge in battle.
The reason for this boiled down to the existence of numerous Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples among the Black Ink Clan Army!
Even after experiencing so many years of everything from great battles to minor skirmishes with the Black Ink Clan, Mi Jing Lun had never encountered so many Black Ink Disciples at once, and all of them had such high Orders.
It was not surprising to find Black Ink Disciples, a rather unique form of being, on the Black Ink Battlefield. In the past, in every major battle, there would always be Black Ink Disciples taking part. Some unfortunate Humans ended up turning into Black Ink Disciples and becoming an enemy of the Human Race in every clash.
However, ever since Yang Kai came to the Black Ink Battlefield and brought the Purifying Light to the Great Passes, the number of Black Ink Disciples drastically decreased.
The Black Ink Disciples either died on the battlefield or were caught by Human Masters who used Purifying Light to restore their sense of self. Without fresh blood to bolster their numbers, the Black Ink Disciples naturally grew fewer and fewer.
This had become even more apparent in recent years as Mi Jing Lun had barely seen any sign of Black Ink Disciples on the battlefield.
Yet now, at the Great Evolution Theatre, he saw the Black Ink Disciples once more, including quite a number that had Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivations.
Most were in the Seventh Order, numbering in the hundreds.
Although they did not have quite as many Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, Mi Jing Lun had counted nearly 30 of them and he knew that there had to be more than that as there would be some he did not manage to spot in all the chaos.
No one would have ever thought that there were so many High-Rank Black Ink Disciples in the Great Evolution Theatre.
And this was only those that belonged to the Armies of the dozen or so Territory Lords present. The situation would certainly be a lot grimmer if all the forces in the Great Evolution Theatre were combined.
There was no other Theatre like this one.
While the other Theatres also encountered Black Ink Disciples on the battlefield, it was impossible for them to be confronted with such powerful ones and in such alarming numbers.
Nevertheless, after mulling in silence for a brief moment, Mi Jung Lun soon realized the reason for this.
The Great Evolution Theatre’s situation was unique due to the Great Pass having been lost over 30,000 years ago. No great battles had taken place throughout that time in this Theatre, which meant that the Black Ink Disciples could spend all their time on cultivation. They did not have to worry about going to battle and losing their life, and thus, they slowly managed to reach the Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Judging by the number of Black Ink Disciples there were on the battlefield now, it proved that not all of the Human soldiers who were part of the battle at Great Evolution Pass 30,000 years ago had been killed by the Black Ink Clan after the death of the Old Ancestor. The Black Ink Clan must have taken quite a number of them and turned them into Black Ink Disciples.
There was no other way of explaining why so many Black Ink Disciples with High-Orders would appear in the Great Evolution Theatre.
Why did all of the Cave Heavens and Paradises in the 3,000 Worlds classify everything that had to do with the Black Ink Clan? That was because Black Ink Strength was far too tempting for some people.
As it was, once a person’s body was corrupted by Black Ink Strength, they would undergo a drastic change and become someone who served the Black Ink Clan above all else. In other words, they would become an entirely different person, but at the same time, the power that Black Ink Strength provided was enough to enable a cultivator to not be affected by the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm. With enough luck and resources, one could continue to cultivate all the way to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
How many Ninth-Order Masters had there been throughout history? Too few that even the most prominent of Cave Heavens and Paradises could easily count them with their fingers.
With that being the case, it would be hard for cultivators who had reached the ceiling of their cultivation and failed to break through to not be swayed by the temptation of Black Ink Strength.
Yuan Du, a Vice Sect Master of Lang Ya Paradise, was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. He knew very well the risks and dangers of Black Ink Strength, but even then, he could not overcome the temptation. In the end, he chose to become a Black Ink Disciple. Not only did he turn against his people but he even threatened the safety of his Sect. The Sect Master, Li Yuan Wang, had no choice but to kill Yuan Du himself.
The fact that even the Vice Sect Master of Lang Ya Paradise succumbed to the draw of Black Ink Strength proved how hard it would be for most people to resist the temptation as well if the powers of Black Ink Strength became public knowledge in the 3,000 Worlds.
Humans were always unpredictable.
30,000 years ago, the Great Evolution Old Ancestor died and the Great Pass was conquered. Most of the Human soldiers died on the battlefield, but a significant number of them must have been captured by the powerful members of the Black Ink Clan and turned into Black Ink Disciples.
30,000 years of peace was enough time for these Black Ink Disciples to cultivate and break through to a higher Order.
They made full use of the prolonged period of time, which was enough to let a Sixth-Order Black Ink Disciple advance into the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Still, this kind of cultivation came with its own set of dangers. One false move could lead to the cultivator’s death while trying to break through to a higher Order than they would normally be able to reach, and even if the cultivator succeeded, the process would leave visible marks on their body that would clearly indicate they were no longer Human.
This was the reason why Mi Jing Lun spotted so many Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples on the battlefield.
Although these Black Ink Disciples still had Human forms, most of them also had some abnormal characteristics that made them stand out. One of the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples had a large growth coming out of his shoulder, and from a distance, it looked as if he had two heads.
Yet another Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple had two tiny, fleshy wings growing out of his back. With one long and one short, the wings looked like knobbly chicken feet.
One of the Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples even had an extra arm growing out of his abdomen. He was creative enough to come up with a combat strategy that made use of his third arm and wielded three swords, one in each arm, making him quite a formidable force on the battlefield.
All of the Black Ink Disciples who had these abnormal traits were those who relied on Black Ink Strength to break through their innate limitations.
They would never have had the chance to advance any further, but after being corrupted by Black Ink Strength, they were able to explore a higher Martial Dao.
The power that they exhibited was noticeably unstable though, and those around them could feel that it was frenzied and volatile.
However, it was exactly due to the efforts of these Black Ink Disciples that the Humans could not gain a decisive victory with their current strategy.
Originally, Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie assumed that since they had dozens of Eighth-Order Masters to deal with only slightly more than a dozen Territory Lords, the numbers would work in their favour and the Territory Lords would not be able to put up a fight.
As long as the Division Commanders could gang up on the Territory Lords, they would surely be able to kill all of them fairly quickly.
Once the Territory Lords were gone, the hundreds of thousands of Black Ink Clansmen would amount to nothing more than headless chickens, and the Humans could wipe them out with ease.
However, it was the presence of numerous Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples that foiled their plans.
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were fearsome in their violent attacks, but the ferocity also proved that they did not have full control over their strength.
In other words, these Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were not on even footing with the true Eighth-Order Masters. Their powers did not come from proper cultivation, and as a result, they were even weaker than ordinary Territory Lords.
If it came down to a solo fight, any one of the Eighth-Order Division Commanders could easily defeat an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple.
Even so, it would not be as easy to kill one.
Furthermore, both the Territory Lords and the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples attacked without any restraint, not caring whether they injured or even killed their fellow Black Ink Clansmen in the process. On the other hand, the Eighth-Order Masters had to take great care not to harm their fellow Humans.
Thus, when it came to the battle between the two parties’ top Masters, although the Humans still had the advantage, it was not a significant one and could not produce the result they had hoped for.
As the fierce battle progressed, the casualties mounted on the side of the Black Ink Clan.
The Humans also began to suffer more casualties, and there were even signs of Seventh-Order Masters dying on the battlefield.
Mi Jing Lun frowned as this was not what he wanted to see. If things carried on like this, even if the Humans emerged victorious, it would still be at the cost of far too many lives, which would be a crushing blow to them.
[We must break the deadlock as soon as possible to achieve our goal today.]
After thinking in silence for a moment, his Divine Sense surged and in the next moment, five figures jumped out of the Battalion Class Warships around the Purifying Black Ink Battleship and joined the battlefield.
These five were all Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Initially, their job was to stay with the Battalion Class Warships around the Purifying Black Ink Battleship and protect all of the non-combatants on board the ships; but now, it was time for them to make their move.
Five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters joining the battlefield was enough to change the tides of the battle between both parties’ apex cultivators. Once they found the opportunity to kill a few of the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples or even some Territory Lords, they could create a snowball effect and create an overwhelming advantage for the Humans.
Still, this required time.
Mi Jing Lun’s eyes next fell onto a different side of the battlefield, away from the battlefield between the Eighth-Order Masters and the Territory Lords.
There was a solitary figure over there who was rampaging about. This person worked alone without teaming up with any of the Warships. All he had was a long spear in his hands, but wherever he passed, the Black Ink Clan would crumble. Even the Feudal Lords could not withstand a single blow from his spear.
Naturally, it was Yang Kai.
Ever since the battle started, Mi Jing Lun kept checking in on Yang Kai’s situation, yet the Eighth-Order Army Commander was shocked to find that despite his high regard for Yang Kai, he had still underestimated him.
Yang Kai was only a Seventh-Order Master, but he was exhibiting powers that vastly exceeded what someone in the Seventh-Order should be capable of. This was the reason why he could breeze through the battlefield without any difficulty with no one able to stop him.
Although Mi Jing Lun did not know much about Yang Kai, he had heard a lot of stories in the past. He knew that Yang Kai had made a name for himself across a number of battlefields, and he also knew that Yang Kai had a World Tree clone planted inside his Small Universe.
Apparently, the World Tree clone had the unbelievable effect of purifying and enhancing World Force.
From the looks of it now, the effects were even more astounding than Mi Jing Lun had expected as Yang Kai’s World Force was both dense and powerful enough that he could launch devastating attacks with great ease.
Meanwhile, the five Eighth-Order Division Commanders joined the battle among the top Masters of both Armies and worked together to shift the momentum in the Human’s favour, though their efforts would take time to produce real results.
Someone needed to break the stalemate that was happening between the two Armies’ forces that were below the Eighth Order. That way, by gaining an advantage in both the top and bottom ranks, the Humans would be able to decimate the Black Ink Clan in the shortest amount of time possible!
Yang Kai was the best person for that task!
As soon as the thought flashed across Mi Jing Lun’s mind, his Divine Sense surged once more.
Out on the battlefield, Yang Kai was immersed in the fervour of battle.
It had been so long since he could throw caution to the wind and not hold himself back.
Ever since the creation of Dawn, he would have to lead the Special Operation Squad into battle each time, and as the Squad Leader, he had to take a lot of concerns into account.
This time though, he did not need to worry about anything, all he had to do was kill the enemy. He rushed headlong wherever the enemy gathered without having to worry about others failing to keep up with him. He did not have to worry about leading his people into a risky situation with no way out.
With the use of Space Principles, his figure flitted about erratically, and as long as the Territory Lords did not get involved, no one among the Black Ink Clan was a threat to him.
Naturally, not needing to worry about others also meant that no one was there to help him.
Since the beginning of the battle, countless Black Ink Clansmen had died at his hands, but he also suffered a few injuries in the process. Regardless of how strong he was, Yang Kai could not avoid getting hit a few times in the chaos of the battlefield.
Still, such injuries did not affect him too greatly, and the pain only increased his bloodlust.
Just as the fighting was raging, a Warship suddenly approached. It did not look like the regular Squad Class Warship as it was a lot bigger and there were clear signs of numerous enhancements.
It was the Warship that belonged to a Special Operations Squad!
Dawn’s Dawning Light was an example of such a Warship.
8 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were gathered around the Warship, each of them radiating a formidable aura. They were covered in black blood and there was no telling how many Black Ink Clan soldiers they had killed.
The one who took the lead was a young man with a dignified appearance, and his voice rang out across the distance, “Brother Yang, the Army Commander has ordered the Profound Wind Squad and the Snow Wolves Squad to work together with you to break the enemy lines!”
Yang Kai thrust his spear out, and the resulting shadow pierced through a dozen of so Black Ink Clan soldiers in front of him. Once he withdrew his spear, he turned around and asked, “Where’s the Snow Wolves Squad?”
The young man, who seemed to be the Profound Wind Squad Leader, pointed with his finger, “Over there. They can’t get away just yet!”
“Follow my lead!” Yang Kai said before dashing in that direction with his spear sweeping through the enemies along the way.
After being on the battlefield for so long, Yang Kai had already sensed the peculiarity of this particular war.
The Black Ink Clan were not as weak as the Humans thought they were, and it was all due to the significant number of Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples!
Yang Kai was surprised by this too.
He had encountered numerous Black Ink Disciples before and knew what the benefits and consequences were for these Black Ink Disciples who relied on Black Ink Strength for cultivation. At first, he thought that it would be immensely difficult for a Black Ink Disciple to become an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Although Black Ink Disciples were unshackled from their innate constraints, the risk they faced during the ascension to a higher Order than they were naturally capable of reaching was far worse than the average Human cultivator’s. More often than not, Black Ink Disciples would fail to control the power within their body and end up exploding, so even though some might reach the Eighth Order, there shouldn’t be many.
Yet he saw so many Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples here.
It was hard for either party to gain the upper hand when it came to the fight between the top Masters, so the outcome of the battle was still undecided. Things would only get worse for the Humans if they did not break the stalemate.
Yang Kai was only in the Seventh Order, and although he managed to kill a Territory Lord before, it was still hard for him to join the battlefield of the stronger fighters.
The Army Commander seemed to have taken this into account and thus ordered him to lead two of the Special Operations Squads instead. He wished to have Yang Kai be the one who gave the Humans an opening when it came to the fight among those with lower cultivation.
Thus, when Yang Kai heard the order from the Profound Wind Squad, he did not have to dwell on it for long before he surmised what the Army Commander’s plan was.
A single Human charged forward with a mighty aura.
The battlefield was havoc as far as the eyes could see, but Yang Kai drifted through the chaos taking down enemies with great ease and single-handedly carving out a path behind him.
The Profound Wind Squad followed closely behind him. All 8 of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had looks of solemn respect on their faces, especially the young Squad Leader.
Only the best among the Seventh Order could become the Squad Leader of a Special Operations Squad.
Under the young Squad Leader’s leadership, the Profound Wind Squad had also achieved great success in their own Theatre. Initially, he did not understand why the Army Commander ordered the two elite Squads to work together with Yang Kai, but now that he saw just how unparalleled of a fighter Yang Kai was on the battlefield, he began to understand why the order came down.
Only an unstoppable force such as Yang Kai could lead the two Special Operations Squads to break the enemy on the battlefield in the shortest amount of time.
Yang Kai and the Squad charged straight forward, and soon, they arrived at a different part of the battlefield.
The area was filled with Black Ink Clansmen, including many Feudal Lords. They swarmed the area which made it impossible for anyone to get in or out, and at the very centre was a Warship that belonged to another Special Operations Squad that was currently being besieged on all sides.
This was the Snow Wolves Squad, which had about the same number of people as the Profound Wind Squad. Both Squads had roughly 50 members with 8 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters assuming command.
Special Operations Squads had a lot more members than regular Squads, and when combined with the numerous improvements made to the Squad’s Warship over the years, the Snow Wolves were undoubtedly a formidable force in combat.
Although there were only 50 of them, they had the power of the Warship and should easily be able to take on at least 1,000 to 2,000 Black Ink Clansmen at once as long as they did not have to face a Territory Lord as well.
Yet, at this very moment, the Snow Wolves Squad was surrounded by the Black Ink Clan and had no way of escaping. They were not in a dire situation due to the power of their custom Warship, but things were still looking pretty bad for them.
Among the 8 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, one was heavily injured and had to return to the Warship deck to recover. Under the command of the Snow Wolves Squad Leader, the remaining Seventh-Order Masters kept trying to find a way to break out of the encirclement, but every attempt was hindered by the Black Ink Clan’s frenzied attacks which forced them back.
The Snow Wolves were slowly losing ground and things were taking a turn for the worse.
Even so, the Squad Leader remained calm as he unleashed a series of Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques, all the while trying to find a way out for them.
A Special Operations Squad was sure to have its own trump cards, such as powerful arrays installed in their Warship. The Snow Wolves had such an array that was capable of unleashing an attack on par with an Eighth-Order Master’s all-out strike. It would not be hard for the Squad to escape after using this, but the array expended too much power, so once used, the entire Warship would lose over half of its combat power temporarily.
The battle began not too long ago, and the Snow Wolves were unwilling to pay such a heavy price in a situation such as this, especially since they were not pushed to the brink just yet.
Just as the Snow Wolves Squad Leader was trying to think of a good strategy, a commotion arose among the Black Ink Clan. All of a sudden, a spear breached through the ranks of the Black Ink Clansmen, and in an instant, a sliver of space was carved out as the siege was split into two like a ripped piece of cloth.
A solitary figure ploughed through the opening.
The Snow Wolves Squad Leader’s expression brightened at once and he quickly ordered his Squad to head towards the opening, and at the same time, he frantically called out, “Watch out, Junior Brother! Behind you!”
As soon as he said that, Yang Kai felt his heart clench and soon, he felt a wave of pain coming from his lower back.
Someone had indeed snuck up on him!
The one who launched the sneak attack had done it so quickly and surreptitiously that he had not noticed anything until he had been hit.
Yang Kai instinctively swept his spear out but hit nothing.
He spotted a silhouette brushing past him out of the corner of his eye, but when he tried to catch a proper glimpse, he could not find it anymore.
Still, he did not remain still. He kept charging forward and the Profound Wind Squad’s Warship pushed in through the breach in the Black Ink Clan’s lines behind him.
The two Squad Leaders of the Special Operations Squads knew each other, so they exchanged a light nod of greeting but skipped over the usual pleasantries. The Profound Wind Squad Leader informed the Snow Wolves Squad Leader of the Army Commander’s orders, and the latter chuckled bitterly before turning to Yang Kai, “Are you hurt, Junior Brother?”
[The Army Commander ordered both of our Special Operations Squads to work together with Junior Brother Yang, but he suffered a sneak attack just as soon as he showed up.]
One of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters under his command had suffered from a sneak attack as well. He was the one who was tending to his injuries on the Warship’s deck; thus, he knew just how insidious the ambusher who snuck up on Yang Kai was.
The Snow Wolves Squad would not have been blindsided by the Black Ink Clan and ended up getting sieged if it had not been for the fact that the attacker had hidden so well that none of them could locate him.
Although the Squad Leader asked Yang Kai if he was hurt, truth be told, he did not think they could rely on Yang Kai for much now.
Contrary to his assumptions, Yang Kai just shook his head, “I’m fine.”
The Squad Leader was taken aback for a moment before he kindly advised, “Junior Brother, don’t try to put up a strong front when you’re on the battlefield. If you need to tend to your injuries, then it’s best not to delay doing so.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “I’m fine, really. Perhaps you don’t know, Senior Brother, though this Junior Brother here may not have much else to boast about, my skin’s thicker and my flesh’s stronger than average!”
It was true that the one behind the sneak attacks was powerful and not to be underestimated. Such an attack on a regular Seventh-Order Master would at least result in serious injuries, if not worse; however, Yang Kai carried a potent Dragon Vein, which made his physique a lot stronger than that of a regular Human. Thus, something that would have heavily injured someone else was not so serious when it came to him.
Furthermore, his body’s restorative abilities were quite astonishing, so Yang Kai did not need to bother tending to such injuries. He would fully recover soon enough.
What got his attention now was the strength that was contained inside the attack from the one who snuck up on him.
Yang Kai could clearly sense the dense Black Ink Strength that lingered in his wound which was clearly trying to eat into his body and spread to his Small Universe.
This was the most troublesome aspect of this sneak attack.
Even if a Human could survive the initial blow, they would have to deal with the Black Ink Strength’s attempt to invade after.
However, Yang Kai was unbothered by Black Ink Strength, so he simply ignored it. So what if it managed to spread into his Small Universe? It was not as if he did not already have lots of Black Ink Strength sealed up within.
“Was it a Black Ink Disciple?” Yang Kai asked grimly.
“En, it was!” The Snow Wolves Squad Leader replied.
It was just as Yang Kai suspected. At the time, he had a feeling that the one who attacked him was not from the Black Ink Clan. From the looks of it now, it was indeed a Black Ink Disciple, and probably a Seventh-Order one.
The attacker was a master of concealment, so even though Yang Kai’s Divine Sense was stronger than average, he could not find any traces of the attacker. That Black Ink Disciple seemed to have vanished right after striking him.
It went without saying that Yang Kai knew the attacker would not have vanished and was simply hiding somewhere, eyeing them like a venomous snake.
[I need to get rid of that attacker or else the other Seventh-Order Masters might suffer a death blow if they were not careful.]
After teaming together, the two Squads did not come to a halt. Yang Kai and the Squad Leaders had a quick discussion and soon, the two Warships began their attack under Yang Kai’s leadership.
Initially, the Black Ink Clan here had managed to rely on the support of that Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple to keep the Snow Wolves Squad cornered without any hope of escape, but now that the Profound Wind Squad had shown up as well, the Black Ink Clan was having a hard time dealing with the Humans.
In just a few moments, the enemy’s siege was breached yet again.
Two Feudal Lords had been overseeing the situation at the breakthrough spot, but Yang Kai easily cut them down with his spear as if they were nothing more than fish on a chopping block. The rest of the High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen did not amount to much. Wherever the Azure Dragon Spear swept, large swaths of them exploded into black blood mists.
This was the first time that the Snow Wolves Squad Leader ever saw a Seventh-Order Master killing a Feudal Lord with such ease, causing his eyes to nearly fall out of their sockets.
When comparing in terms of realm, a Feudal Lord was supposedly on par with a Seventh-Order Master; however, as the two Races cultivated in different ways, generally speaking, Feudal Lords tended to be weaker than Seventh-Order Humans.
However, despite being somewhat weaker, they were still Feudal Lords and not just random Black Ink Clansmen.
The Squad Leader had killed many Feudal Lords himself, but he never thought there would be a Seventh-Order Master who could cut down Feudal Lords as if they were helpless chickens.
[How the heck did he do that? Is he still Human?]
The Snow Wolves Squad Leader could not resist checking to see what Yang Kai’s Order was right now as he was beginning to suspect Yang Kai was secretly an Eighth Order Master who was hiding his true cultivation.
His actions did not escape the Profound Wind Squad Leader’s attention, and the latter chuckled as, just a short while ago, he had the exact same reaction. Before seeing the way Yang Kai slaughtered their enemy with great ease, never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would possess such terrifying strength in combat.
Regardless, the two Squad Leaders were relieved to find that Yang Kai did not seem to be affected by the sneak attack from earlier. Both of them spotted the trail of golden-coloured blood on Yang Kai’s lower back, but it did not seem to be much of a hindrance to him.
That being said, they were startled to see the golden-coloured blood as well. The blood of regular Humans would not be of that colour.
Nevertheless, they had no time to waste on such thoughts. The two Squads followed closely behind Yang Kai and boldly rushed towards the breach in the enemy lines.
However, before they passed through the opening, they saw a flicker of something right behind Yang Kai, and, in the very next moment, a shadowy silhouette appeared with an artifact in hand that was similar to a dagger. The silhouette was aiming straight for the back of Yang Kai’s neck.
The shadowy silhouette had appeared so abruptly that no one noticed anything until it was right there.
Evidently, it was the Black Ink Disciple who had snuck up on Yang Kai earlier. He had indeed been hiding nearby, waiting for his chance to attack once more. When he saw that Yang Kai was leading the two Special Operations Squads out of the encirclement, he evidently grew impatient and tried to attack again.
“Junior Brother, watch out!” The two Squad Leaders exclaimed in shock.
However, Yang Kai who was in the lead, did not seem to hear them at all. It was as if he had not noticed anything amiss.
The dagger-like artifact stabbed right into the back of Yang Kai’s neck, and everyone in both Squads, including the Squad Leaders, stared in grievous horror.
However, they did not see the spurt of golden blood and the sudden loss of a life that they expected, for the moment the dagger was about to cut into the back of Yang Kai’s head, Yang Kai’s figure became transparent and illusory.
A wave of Space Principles could be seen propagating out.
The attacker could not withdraw in time and he ended up stumbling through Yang Kai’s body.
It was Yang Kai’s Nihility Secret Technique!
A long time ago, Yang Kai had already comprehended a Space Principles Secret Technique that allowed him to exile his body to the Void to avoid certain attacks.
While in this state, Yang Kai’s body was no longer part of this world. Naturally, someone powerful enough would still be able to attack him by shattering the local space and thus affecting him even in the Void, but the Black Ink Disciple who snuck up on him did not seem to have expected Yang Kai to employ such a bizarre tactic and was thus unprepared.
Everything happened in a flash and Yang Kai reacted just as swiftly. When the attack failed, the shadowy silhouette faded away in such an uncanny way that it was almost as if the silhouette never existed in the first place. Even Divine Sense could not detect any traces; however, Yang Kai simply smirked, “Do you think you can use the same trick twice?”
By the time he finished speaking, the attacker had vanished.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai whipped his head about and reached out to grab something in that direction.
Once again, Space Principles rippled out and space was locked in from all sides.
By the time Yang Kai withdrew his hand, it was clenched around the neck of a figure. His World Force surged and crashed into the other person’s Small Universe, which made the person dazed and unable to use his strength.
“Attacking me twice, huh? You seem like a rather stubborn person,” Yang Kai remarked coolly as he stared at the person.
It was clear that the attacker had been highly trained in the art of assassination. When an attack failed, he retreated right away. That was why Yang Kai failed to detect him during the first sneak attack and could not find any traces of him after.
However, after taking into account the mystifying powers of concealment that this Black Ink Disciple had, Yang Kai was certain that the attacker would not give up so easily. He would strike again.
Yang Kai did not know who the attacker would strike against next, or if he would even show himself once more.
Still, the Black Ink Disciple did intend to strike again, and the best and final opportunity would be when Yang Kai led the two Squads out of the siege; therefore, Yang Kai kept his guard up the whole time. He stayed vigilant and aware of everything that was happening around him, including the goings-on near the two Squads behind him.
Sure enough, the attacker showed himself again and he even chose to make Yang Kai his target. Why would Yang Kai, who already had his guard up, allow himself to be attacked in a similar fashion twice?
To zero in on Yang Kai twice in a row meant that the attacker was stubborn and proud. As he failed to deal a heavy blow to Yang Kai on his first attempt, he did not hesitate at all to try again.
Unfortunately for him, he chose the wrong target. His first sneak attack had been successful due to his tactics and Yang Kai’s lack of vigilance.
That was not the case this time. On the battlefield, one had to pay the price for such wilful stubbornness.
The attacker could feel the terrifyingly powerful World Force that flowed out of Yang Kai’s hand and crashed into his Small Universe. His Small Universe quaked and the Black Ink Disciple was terror-stricken.
He could sense that Yang Kai was merely a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, just like him, but Yang Kai was now holding him by the neck as if he were a chicken waiting to be slaughtered. How could there be such a huge difference in strength between them?
What he found even harder to grasp was the way Yang Kai had managed to locate him. His Concealment Secret Technique was exceptional and in the heat of the moment, even an Eighth-Order Master might fail to notice him.
However, when he tried to conceal himself and vanish earlier after the second attack had failed, Yang Kai managed to capture him with just one hand.
As the Black Ink Disciple tried to struggle, he caught Yang Kai’s eyes and was shocked by the sliver of golden pupil he saw, “Demon Eye of Annihilation! Are you from Myriad Demons Heaven?”
Once the Black Ink Disciple spotted that intimidating golden pupil, he came to a realization.
He assumed Yang Kai was from Myriad Demons Heaven and had cultivated the Demon Eye of Annihilation, one of their core Secret Techniques, to a high degree of mastery.
[No wonder he knew exactly where I was…]
After working it all out, the Black Ink Disciple was filled with bitterness. He could not believe how terrible his luck was to encounter someone from Myriad Demons Heaven on the battlefield, and one who even cultivated the Demon Eye of Annihilation to such a high level to boot.
This mystical technique of the Myriad Demons Cave Heaven could see through all illusions and falsities. If cultivated to the apex, it was rumoured to be capable of seeing into a person’s past and future. All in all, it was the bane of his Concealment Secret Technique.
The Concealment Secret Technique that he relied on was nothing more than a joke before the Demon Eye of Annihilation.
Yang Kai had no intention of responding to the Black Ink Disciple’s question.
Had this taken place 200 years ago, Yang Kai might not have been able to capture the Black Ink Disciple so easily. Although he gained the Demon Eye of Annihilation a long time ago when he was still a fledgling cultivator, he did not actively cultivate it and thus could not utilise much of its powers.
Later on, when he left Black Territory and headed for the Black Ink Battlefield, an Eighth-Order Divine Monarch, Mo Sha, from Myriad Demons Cave Heaven passed the cultivation technique to him.
Throughout these years on the Black Ink Battlefield, Yang Kai kept cultivating the two Eye Secret Techniques of Myriad Demons Heaven, making some small progress.
This carried on until 200 years ago when he used an enormous amount of Military Merits to head to Myriad Demons Pass and personally sought guidance from the Myriad Demons Heaven Old Ancestor.
Ever since then, Yang Kai’s mastery of these two Eye Secret Techniques soared tremendously.
This was a good thing about the Battle Ink Battlefield. With enough Military Merits, a person could cultivate any Secret Technique of the Cave Heavens and Paradises. One could even ask an Old Ancestor for help in the process.
This was simply unthinkable in the 3,000 Worlds. These powerful Secret Techniques were the foundation upon which all Cave Heavens and Paradises built themselves, so who would ever readily allow an outsider to learn them?
However, when on the Black Ink Battlefield, none of the Cave Heavens and Paradises believed in selfishly safeguarding these Secret Techniques for self-preservation anymore. All of the old traditions and beliefs had been broken, and everyone from the Old Ancestors to the regular cultivators had one goal in mind, to eliminate the Black Ink Clan once and for all.
Anything that furthered that goal was acceptable, including teaching others these once carefully guarded Secret Techniques.
By now, Yang Kai’s understanding of the two Eye Secret Techniques far surpassed what it once was 200 years ago. Based on how the Myriad Demons Heaven separated the mastery level of both these Eye Secret Techniques, Yang Kai’s cultivation of the Demon Eye of Annihilation could be considered to be far above average now.
After all, receiving help from an Old Ancestor was no small matter.
Therefore, it was laughable that the Black Ink Disciple attempted to conceal himself in front of Yang Kai.
At this very moment, Yang Kai was holding the Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple by the neck and staring at the lump that came out of the latter’s forehead. Seeing it, Yang Kai let out a small sigh.
Not all Black Ink Disciples were alike.
If someone became a Black Ink Disciple because their body had been invaded by Black Ink Strength, then there was still a way to save them. All they would need to do was remove the Black Ink Strength with Purifying Light.
However, if a person chose to rely on Black Ink Strength to break through the innate barriers of their cultivation, there was no way of saving them anymore.
This was due to the fact that once the Black Ink Strength left their body, the person’s Small Universe would no longer be capable of containing their cultivation. The person would end up dying from the explosion of their Small Universe.
The Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple in front of Yang Kai right now had a bulbous, sore-like mass on his forehead that was surging with Black Ink Strength. It was a clear sign that he had used Black Ink Strength to break through his natural limits.
In other words, this Black Ink Disciple could not be saved, and that was the reason why Yang Kai sighed.
His World Force, which had already been coursing fiercely to begin with, intensified even further as it rushed into the Black Ink Disciple’s Small Universe. In less than a breath, the Black Ink Disciple’s Small Universe began to rumble and quake as cracks started spreading across it like a spiderweb.
The Black Ink Disciple was visibly petrified.
Soon, his Small Universe split apart and shattered into a million pieces. As his Small Universe collapsed, a huge amount of World Force madly surged out, along with all of the Black Ink Disciple’s vitality.
By the time Yang Kai tossed the Black Ink Disciple aside, there was no longer any sign of life within him.
It had only been several breaths from the Black Ink Disciple’s appearance during his second assassination attempt on Yang Kai till the point where his lifeless body was cast aside. The surrounding Black Ink Clansmen did not even have time to register what was happening.
Suddenly, the screech of a Golden Crow reverberated across the void and a brilliant Great Sun rose into the sky. The Golden Crow kept awing in joy as the light shone out brilliantly. Yang Kai lifted his spar to the Great Sun as he shot forward as fast as lightning and roared, “Charge!”
Members of both the Profound Wind Squad and the Snow Wolves Squad were still dazed from the death of the Black Ink Disciple. Now that they saw a Great Sun rising and felt its glorious power spreading through the area, they became even more thunderstruck.
Following Yang Kai’s battle cry, the Great Sun flew across the immense battlefield like a huge ball, and everywhere it went, the Black Ink Clan helplessly fell aside. Those who touched the Great Sun died upon contact, and all others in its proximity were wounded.
Two Special Operations Squads trailed behind the Great Sun, the two Squad Leaders exchanging glances, seeing the astounded look in each other’s eyes.
Both of them could see that the Great Sun was a Divine Manifestation. High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had the power to create a Divine Manifestation of their own, and as Squad Leaders of Special Operations Squads, both of them were among the top talents among the Seventh-Other and naturally had their own Divine Manifestations.
However, they both realized that their Divine Manifestations were hopelessly weak in comparison to the one that Yang Kai displayed.
This Junior Brother Yang of theirs was wielding a Divine Manifestation of such astonishing strength. It did not have the power of an attack from an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master just yet, but it was very close.
Judging by how quickly the Great Sun was slaughtering the Black Ink Clansmen, it showed that those who were beneath the Feudal Lords were killed by the Great Sun’s blinding power before they could even get close.
However, after recalling the power that Yang Kai had exhibited earlier, it was not hard to understand why his Divine Manifestation was this strong.
It was hard to miss the sudden appearance of the Great Sun on the battlefield. It smashed through the enemy lines with unstoppable force, and it made its way through the battlefield without even slowing at all.
The two Squads stayed right behind Yang Kai, one on either side, acting as his wings as they worked together with him to reap as many of the Black Ink Clan’s soldiers’ lives as possible.
This was the benefit of having Squad members to work with. Previously, when Yang Kai acted alone, he did not have to worry about others, but his kill count did not stack up as quickly as it did now either when he did not have help.
Right now, Yang Kai could focus his attention solely on charging forward and killing all the enemies in his path. He did not have to care about anything else, for even if he failed to kill those that fell by the wayside, the two Special Operations Squads following him would finish them off. He also did not have to look over his shoulder or worry about being attacked from behind.
The Army Commander had ordered the two Special Operations Squads to join forces with him, and although there was no clear task communicated in the order, Yang Kai could tell that the appearance of numerous Black Ink Disciples of high Orders had most likely disrupted the North-South Army’s plans.
They were in a deadlock and they needed to break the stalemate.
He could not help with the battle between the Eighth-Order Masters and the Territory Lords, so what he could do was give the Humans an advantage in the fight among those of the lower Orders.
Since the Army Commander hoped that he could break the stalemate, his only choice was to give it all he had; thus, Yang Kai immediately summoned his Divine Manifestation.
The Army Commander did not say how he should break the deadlock, and under the circumstances, Yang Kai would not be receiving any advice from anyone else.
Therefore, his plan was very simple. He was going to rely on the strength of the two Special Operations Squads and rampage through the battlefield without holding back!
Once the Black Ink Clan’s morale fell far enough and they were routed, the Humans could naturally break the stalemate.
Amid the chaos, a Great Sun flew forward, and with the help of two Special Operations Squads, they cut a large swath right across the vast battlefield.
All of the Black Ink Clansmen who stood in their path were slaughtered.
The Seventh-Order Masters behind Yang Kai relentlessly cut down any enemies that managed to survive the initial impact of the Great Sun.
Though a large number of Black Ink Clansmen died from the Great Sun charging up ahead, many more managed to escape and began to launch frenzied attacks upon the source of the deadly attack. Yang Kai was under such heavy assault that his Word Force protection faltered and cracked. His skin split open and golden blood oozed out of the wounds all over his body.
If no one dealt with these Black Ink Clansmen, then they would be a huge hindrance to Yang Kai, and soon, he would not be able to fight as ferociously as he did now.
The task of getting rid of these Black Ink Clansmen fell onto the shoulders of the two Special Operations Squads. The only way to ensure that Yang Kai could continue pushing forward unyieldingly was to stop the Black Ink Clan from attacking him.
By now, the two Special Operations Squads trailing behind Yang Kai had already killed countless enemies, and Yang Kai who led the charge killed even more.
Yang Kai and his spear had stormed through over ten million kilometres of space, and the light of the Great Sun had now grown dim.
Once the light completely extinguished, the two Special Operations Squads behind Yang Kai who had been valiantly killing their opponents abruptly noticed that there was no one around them.
They had cut through the entire battlefield and rushed out into the open void beyond. Not too far behind them was the battlefield upon which tens of thousands of Humans and hundreds of thousands of Black Ink Clansmen were still clashing.
It seemed that all of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who moved around outside the Warship were injured.
They had traversed the entire length of the battlefield in such a short amount of time, and all the while, they had been surrounded by the enemy on all sides. It was not hard to imagine just how many attacks they had to endure, and even though they were Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters with formidable strength, it was impossible for them to come out completely unscathed.
Even so, they were still spirited and full of vigour.
Despite belonging to Special Operations Squads and having earned glory in numerous battles against the Black Ink Clan, they had never done anything quite as reckless as this.
Two Special Operations Squads under the leadership of Yang Kai had carved out a straight path all the way through the entire battlefield.
No one had ever heard of anything like this being done before.
Their long-lost fervour for battle consumed them once more. They could not resist the urge to roar at the top of their lungs as they only wished to rush into the battlefield to do it all over again.
Yang Kai did not disappoint them.
As soon as he broke out of the battlefield, he turned around to face the immense battlefield once more. He raised his spear and pointed at the expansive killing field before shouting, “Take your pills! We’re going in again!”
After a brief moment of startlement, all of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters immediately realized what Yang Kai meant. Without any further hesitation, they swiftly grabbed handfuls of pills, some to restore energy, some to aid in recovery, and even some to provide a temporary boost in strength, and stuffed them into their mouths.
Even the Fifth and Sixth-Order Masters aboard the Warships who were in charge of the arrays and the artifacts did the same.
Despite this being their first meeting and their first time working together with Yang Kai, his ferocity had been seared into their hearts and minds. At this moment, the young man who was covered in golden blood looked like a glowing torch in the dark that could lead them down the path of vanquishing all their enemies. They did not need to think about anything, all they had to do was follow him, and they would be able to wipe out all those whom they wished to exterminate.
The Golden Crow screeched yet again, and the blinding Great Sun rose once more. Just as before, Yang Kai’s spear lifted the Great Sun as he roared, “Kill!”
He led the charge as he stormed back into the colossal battlefield, the two Special Operations Squads following closely behind.
The brilliant Great Sun started rampaging through the battlefield for the second time!
An incense stick later, the light of the Great Sun went out once more as Yang Kai and the two Special Operations Squads appeared on the opposite side of the battlefield.
They were in dreadful states as all of them were covered in blood. Even the two Warships showed visible signs of damage.
“Again!” Yang Kai chose a different direction this time and charged into the battlefield once more. The light of the Great Sun blazed for the third time.
The fourth round started another incense stick later.
Then, the fifth round began…
With each summoning of Golden Crow Casts the Sun, Yang Kai and the two Special Operations Squads under his leadership were able to cut through the battlefield and eliminate their opponents from one end to the other.
By the time the sixth round ended, although the two Warships were still following closely behind Yang Kai, there were five or six fewer Seventh-Order Masters moving around outside the Warships.
Not every Seventh-Order Master could withstand such intense fighting with such a reckless strategy. Charging forward in such an unbridled manner also meant that they would constantly be confronted with new opponents.
After doing so repeatedly, five or six of the Seventh-Order Masters of the two Squads had become heavily injured and had to return to their Warships to recover.
The remaining Seventh-Order Masters were not doing too well either. Even though they consumed a lot of pills, it was still taking a toll on them and those with weaker heritage were beginning to look rather pale.
No one knew just how much longer they could keep this up and continue to weave through the battlefield. Perhaps at some point, they would be exhausted halfway through and all of them would end up dying together.
Compared to them, Yang Kai was likely the one who had used up the most strength as he unleashed his Divine Manifestation every single time they charged.
Although Divine Manifestations were powerful, they expended a lot of strength too.
The Squad Leaders of both the Snow Wolves and Profound Wind Squads had Divine Manifestations of their own, but even though they were in the Seventh Order, they could only use them five times at most before the strength within their Small Universes would completely dry up. All High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters considered their Divine Manifestations their trump cards and would not summon them easily.
However, Yang Kai had used his Divine Manifestation for the sixth time and it was still as powerful as before. It proved just how profound the heritage of Yang Kai’s Small Universe was.
The seventh, eighth, and ninth rounds soon followed…
In just over two hours, they had charged through the battlefield 10 times and killed countless Black Ink Clan soldiers.
By now, there were only seven Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters following behind Yang Kai. Three were from the Snow Wolves Squad and four were from the Profound Wind Squad. The rest had returned to their Warships to recuperate.
Next, the 11th and 12th rounds…
When Yang Kai broke out of the battlefield once again with the light of the Great Sun going out once more, all the colour had drained from his face, but his eyes still radiated a brilliant light.
All of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Masters who followed him out looked depleted. Even the two Warships were heavily damaged and flashing with sparks of light which meant that many of their arrays had broken. The Open Heaven Realm Masters within the Squad who were familiar with Spirit Arrays couldn’t help feeling forlorn.
Both Squads had used up an enormous amount of Military Merits on there Warships. They had requested the Artifact Refiners from their respective Great Passes to enhance the two Warships so that they could withstand more intense battles.
Yet, in a little over two hours, the Warships had been heavily battered and were now on the verge of falling apart. This proved just how violent and ruthless the attacks on them had been thus far.
Out of the 16 Seventh-Order Masters that belonged to both Squads, 13 of them were heavily injured. There were three of them remaining who could still put up a fight, but the strength within their Small Universes was nearly dried up as well.
They could no longer return to the battlefield.
Yang Kai was aware of this. He knew that they were at their limits, so he said, “Please head back to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.”
The Snow Wolves Squad Leader instantly caught what Yang Kai had left unsaid and had to ask, “What about you?”
Yang Kai grinned at him, “The battle is still undecided. I’m going to continue.”
The Profound Wind Squad Leader frowned, “Won’t it be too dangerous for you to go alone?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Since I’ve received my orders, I will continue in spite of the dangers, and besides, the situation’s different now. The Black Ink Clan Army has been seriously weakened, so it won’t be too dangerous even if I head back in alone.”
As veterans on the battlefield, everyone had the ability to make their own judgements and were persistent in their own ways too; therefore, upon hearing what Yang Kai had to say, neither one of the Squad Leaders tried to talk him out of it.
“It is a pity that I can’t stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you till the end of this fight, Brother Yang. I will buy you a drink once you come back victorious!” The Snow Wolves Squad Leader declared.
Yang Kai nodded and smiled, “I’ll look forward to it.”
The Profound Wind Squad Leader said nothing, but he bowed and saluted Yang Kai.
It was easy enough for the two Squads to return to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship from here since the Black Ink Clan were not around to stop them. After watching the two Squads’ Warships limp off into the distance, Yang Kai finally rejoined the battlefield.
The strength in his Small Universe had also almost dried up after using his Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation a dozen times.
However, this did not matter as he still had World Fruits to replenish himself.
He took out a Low-Rank World Fruit and stuffed it into his mouth. The medicinal efficacies were rapidly absorbed into his body and the pure and rich World Force swiftly filled his Small Universe.
Yang Kai tore off a scrap of his tattered, blood-soaked clothing and used it to tie back his dishevelled hair. He raised his Azure Dragon Spear and took a deep breath before pointing the spear in front of him and roaring, “Kill!”
The Great Sun that had gone out not too long ago once again filled the void with its brilliant light as it ploughed through the battlefield.
The two Squads had gathered on the decks of their Warships as they headed back to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship and felt their hearts surging as they watched from afar.
Just as Yang Kai had said to the two Squad Leaders earlier, the situation on the battlefield now was no longer the same as at the start of the battle. The Humans relied on the strength of their Warships, their bravery and tenacity, and their collaborative efforts with one another, but the Black Ink Clan did not show the same unity. All of the respective Armies under the various Territory Lords did their own thing and rarely coordinated with each other.
Therefore, despite the huge difference in numbers, it was the Humans who had the advantage on the battlefield.
Furthermore, Yang Kai had led the two Special Operations Squads on a reckless rampage through the battlefield over and over again, and they had dealt the Black Ink Clan a devastating blow.
After weaving in and out of the battlefield over ten times, Yang Kai had successfully divided up the battlefield and helped the Human Race Army in various areas to eliminate all of the nearby Black Ink Clansmen in the most efficient manner possible.
The effects were not so noticeable after only one or two rounds, but after the seventh or eighth time, the advantage became clear.
When Yang Kai stepped back onto the battlefield alone, he was faced with a lot fewer obstacles. However, he did not have the two Special Operations Squads behind him now so he had to be in charge of making sure he eliminated all the threats around him. He was under a lot more pressure now than before.
Even so, Yang Kai showed no signs of trepidation. Relying on just his powerful heritage and the power of the World Fruit to restore his World Force, he continued to work his way through the battlefield over and over again.
At some point, there was suddenly the aura of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master dying somewhere on the battlefield.
All of the Humans felt a jolt.
The Humans had fought against the Black Ink Clan on the battlefield countless times, and rarely did they ever witness an Eighth-Order Master dying, but that did not mean that it never happened.
Each time they felt this sort of disturbance, it meant that an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had been killed.
And if an Eighth-Order Master died on the battlefield, it meant that the situation was incredibly dire for the Humans.
This explained why everyone in the Human Army was deeply shaken by the commotion that signified the death of an Eighth-Order Master.
However, the Humans soon realized that the Eighth-Order Master who died might not have been one of their Division Commanders, as there were many other Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples on the battlefield as well.
Perhaps the one who died was not one of the North-South Army’s Division Commanders, but one of their opponent’s Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples!
They could not confirm this for now as news and updates could not be transmitted easily in the chaos of the battlefield. In a situation such as this, no one would be going the extra length to ensure that such information was reported promptly.
The only thing the Humans could do was have faith in their Eighth-Order Masters and trust that they could gain the upper hand in the fight between the top Masters, which would influence the trend for the rest of the battle.
Not long after, they sensed the death of another Eighth-Order Open Heaven Master, followed by the last gleaming of a Territory Lord’s vitality.
Deaths among the top Masters meant that the battle was reaching its climax.
Yang Kai’s Divine Manifestation was still making its presence known as he zipped through the battlefield. He fought alone, but even so, he managed to segment out large swaths of the Black Ink Clan Army, which made it easier for the Humans to encircle and crush them.
All the while, countless Secret Techniques rained down on him like a torrential storm. At every given moment, he was straddling the lines between life and death. His senses were heightened like never before, but he could not afford to be distracted, not even for a single breath.
This carried on until it felt as if aeons had passed.
All of a sudden, something changed within the Black Ink Clan Army which had been ceaselessly fighting against the Humans.
Yang Kai, who was still rampaging across the battlefield, was perceptive enough to catch the change. It was a sign that the Black Ink Clan’s fighting spirit was beginning to crack.
Sure enough, it was not long before the Black Ink Clan Army began to move and gather towards a specific location.
They were retreating towards Great Evolution Pass.
The Territory Lords could not cope with the Humans’ strength and ferocity. Although they, too, had exhibited strength that surpassed the Humans’ expectations of them, from the start of the battle till now, they failed to gain the initiative in any way.
Throughout this relentless battle, the Black Ink Clan Army suffered heavy casualties and even lost numerous Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. Even though the Humans suffered losses as well, if the battle carried on in a similar fashion, the situation would only continue to worsen for the Black Ink Clan and they would run the risk of their Army’s total annihilation.
Therefore, the Territory Lords could not hold out any longer.
Given their current position, they could only retreat to Great Evolution Pass, which was several days’ worth of travel away. Once there, they could regroup with the Territory Lords who were standing guard at Great Evolution Pass, and rely on their combined strength to withstand the Humans’ dogged attacks.
Retreating to Great Evolution Pass was the Blank Ink Clan’s only choice right now. They were not in a position to act in accordance with the Royal Lord’s command.
How would they be able to carry out the Royal Lord’s orders if they were dead? Survival came first. There would still be other chances for them to serve the Royal Lord if they came out of this with their lives.
Inside the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, Mi Jing Lun stood by the side of the ship and paid close attention to all the changes on the battlefield. When the Black Ink Clan Army started retreating, the Army Commander’s heart finally settled back into place.
If the Black Ink Clan stood their ground till the very end, then from the way the battle was going, the North-South Army would still win, but at a devastating cost. It was likely that they would be incapacitated as well, as an overwhelming majority of them would be sacrificed.
This was the first time the North-South Army went up against the Black Ink Clan, so what else could they achieve in the future if they suffered such alarming losses in this battle?
After all, their ultimate objective was to take back Great Evolution Pass.
Now that the Black Ink Clan showed signs of faltering, the tides turned in the North-South Army’s favour.
The North-South Army could now hunt down their enemy and gain an even more decisive victory while minimising casualties; thus, when it became clear that the Black Ink Clan was about to retreat, an order came down from the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
All of the Humans who continued to clash with the Black Ink Clan immediately started executing the command as they imperceptibly began to provide opportunities for the Black Ink Clan to retreat.
Two hours later, most of the Black Ink Clan Army had regrouped and were withdrawing towards Great Evolution Pass under the leadership of their Territory Lords.
However, they were not fleeing outright as they kept fighting as they retreated.
The Black Ink Clan fought back just as fiercely when the Human Army pressed hard against them and waited until they managed to hold off the attack before they continued heading towards Great Evolution Pass.
Despite their massive numbers, they still managed to keep an orderly battle formation under the command of the Territory Lords.
Mi Jing Lun could feel a headache coming on as he found himself up against a worthy opponent this time!
He did not know which Territory Lord had command over the Black Ink Clan Army, but judging from the initial reaction to the clash between both factions, it was evident that this particular Territory Lord was a talented and insightful strategist.
Perhaps… the inordinately high number of defeats suffered on the battlefield had given the Black Ink Clan enough experience to strategize against the Humans. All of the Territory Lords who lived long enough would have gone through countless defeats at the hands of the Humans.
Thus, even though the Humans’ attempt to give chase had been effective, it did not accomplish as much as they hoped it would. Mi Jing Lun had planned to wipe out this entire Black Ink Army, but from the situation they were in now, this was unlikely to happen. All the Humans could do now was to try their best to weaken the enemy as much as possible.
The two Armies began to drift apart, while the Black Ink Clouds thickened over the battlefield and loomed over the void.
The Black Ink Clouds were full of broken limbs and scattered corpses from the deaths of both Humans and Black Ink Clansmen, along with the wreckage of Human Warships that had been destroyed.
In this battle, the Black Ink Clan suffered heavy casualties, but the Humans also suffered significant losses.
A few battered Warships hovered outside the Black Ink Cloud with Squad members gathered within, pale-faced and sporting serious injuries.
These Squads were the ones who suffered the most casualties during the battle.
Usually, a Squad consisted of 10 to 15 members, but these Squads had less than half of that.
Their Warships suffered serious damage during the battle; therefore, they were surrounded by danger at every corner without protection.
Although they survived, they were gravely injured in battle and could no longer join the fight.
When Mi Jing Lun gave the order for the Human Army to pursue the Black Ink Clan, he also ordered those who could no longer fight to stay behind and tend to themselves first before regrouping with the rest of the Army once they regained their strength.
Numerous Squads had no choice but to do so. The Human Army had to soldier on as they went after the Black Ink Clan and thus could not linger for long. If the Humans who had been injured managed to join one of the other Squads’ Warships, they could follow the rest of the Army, but if they missed that chance, their only option was to stay back and recuperate.
Once they regained some of their strength, they could use the Universe Transference Law and return to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, which would not hinder the Army in any way.
Yang Kai was one of the ones who received the order to stay back.
Even as Mi Jing Lun stood aboard the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, he witnessed Yang Kai’s incredible feats on the battlefield. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Yang Kai’s presence contributed greatly to the Black Ink Clan Army’s drop in morale and decision to retreat back to Great Evolution Pass.
In the battle between both Armies’ top Masters, the Humans’ Eighth-Order Division Commanders gained the upper hand and eventually pressured the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples into retreating.
However, in the open battlefield, Yang Kai had led two Special Operations Squads in countless forays across the entire area. In doing so, they managed to slice through the Black Ink Clan Army and minimised the casualties suffered by the Humans. Furthermore, with each pass of the Great Sun, the Humans struck a heavy blow to the Black Ink Clan’s morale.
As both their strongest fighters and their regular foot soldiers’ spirits dipped, the Black Ink Clan Army’s performance in battle dropped proportionally. Naturally, they had to retreat.
The light of the Great Sun that rose time and time again across the battlefield was probably the most blinding light that Mi Jing Lun had ever seen in his life.
Others might not know how many times Yang Kai had used his Divine Manifestation, but Mi Jing Lun knew the number very well.
19 times!
That was not an ordinary Divine Ability or Secret Technique, it was a Divine Manifestation which all High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters considered a trump card and expended a huge amount of energy with each use.
A Seventh-Order Master had used his Divine Manifestation 19 times to vanquish the dangers that loomed over the Human Race Army. In the past, Mi Jing Lun would not have believed this to be possible as Humans simply did not have endless energy. How could a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master possess such a remarkable heritage?
However, he had seen it happen with his own eyes today.
While he did not know what Yang Kai used to restore the strength he had expended throughout the battle, using his Divine Manifestation 19 times would still place an extreme burden on Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
Thus, Mi Jing Lun gave the order for Yang Kai to stay back.
He wanted Yang Kai to take this opportunity to recover, as well as look out for the other Humans who could not follow the rest of the Army for various reasons.
Yang Kai naturally obeyed the order.
As it was, he did need to take some time to restore himself. Even though he ate a Low-Rank World Fruit to replenish the World Force he had expended, repeated use of Golden Crow Casts the Sun had once again depleted his Small Universe.
If the Black Ink Clan Army had not begun its retreat, he might have had to consume another World Fruit to replenish his strength once more.
Even though it was quick and harmless enough to consume a World Fruit to restore his World Force, such miraculous treasures were meant to be saved for emergency situations. It was far better to take some time to recover his strength in the normal way.
In addition to that, Yang Kai was covered in injuries from the battle and was mentally drained as well.
Now that the Human Army was chasing after the Black Ink Clan Army, victory had been decided. What remained to be seen was how many Black Ink Clansmen the Humans managed to eliminate in the chase. Yang Kai’s participation would not make much of a difference in this situation.
Therefore, he agreed without protest when Mi Jing Lun’s order came down.
At this very moment, he was sitting cross-legged near the half-wrecked Warships and was silently adjusting his breathing.
The survivors gathered in these Warships did likewise. They did not have looks of grief and sorrow, but instead exhibited strength and determination.
From the moment these soldiers joined the Great Evolution North-South Army, they knew that this was going to be a highly dangerous mission. They would not be able to rely on a Great Pass the way they did in the past. In the Great Evolution Theatre, far from their homes, the only things they could rely on were themselves and their comrades-in-arms.
They knew very well that there would be countless casualties in the fight to reclaim Great Evolution Pass. If they were not the ones who died, then it would be their fellow soldiers beside them. Everyone was mentally prepared to die in this campaign.
Therefore, even though some of their fellow Squad members had died, no one spent time grieving over this. Dying in battle on the Black Ink Battlefield was a worthy sacrifice. The living did not have to mourn in regret, they only needed to kill even more of the Black Ink Clansmen and take back Great Evolution Pass. This was the best way for them to honour and pay their respects to their fellow soldiers who died in battle.
Even these Squads had fared a lot better than some. Although their Warships were heavily damaged and half of their ranks were either gravely wounded or died in battle, many other Squads had been wiped out entirely.
War was always brutal.
There were still Humans who stumbled out of the battlefield every now and then. Some came out alone, while others came in groups of two or three. All of them had one thing in common though, they were covered in blood and their auras were weak.
Attracted by the auras of Yang Kai and the others, these scattered, weakened soldiers soon gathered together and found a place to rest and recover.
As soon as Yang Kai had stabilized his condition, he rushed back into the Black Ink Clouds.
There were countless living beings within his Small Universe, including a World Tree clone, which was why his World Force recovered far quicker than others. The heritage of his Small Universe also continued to increase even without the need for him to actively cultivate.
The Black Ink Clouds were still looming over the battlefield, and while both of the Armies were gone, there could still be Human survivors.
Perhaps some of these Human soldiers still had a bit of vitality left to them but could not move due to the grave injuries they suffered. They would die if no one helped them.
Thus, Yang Kai decided to go and take a look.
The battlefield spanned over 10 million kilometres, so it took Yang Kai some time to scan the area for life auras.
He did end up finding some; however, these mostly came from heavily injured Black Ink Clansmen who were on the brink of death.
Yang Kai did not show any mercy, dispatching these survivors with swiftness and precision.
He carried on searching for two hours.
When Yang Kai emerged from the battlefield, he had a female Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with him.
He did not know her name, but by the time he found her, she was already unconscious. She had climbed on top of the wreckage of a Warship and was covered in wounds, so much so that her clothes were soaked in fresh blood.
Apart from this female Seventh-Order Master, Yang Kai had only spotted numerous dead bodies belonging to other Humans, along with the scattered remnants of Black Ink Clan.
The vast battlefield looked like the depths of hell.
This woman was the only survivor he found.
Yang Kai had joined the Black Ink Battlefield for hundreds of years now. He had started out as Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and was now in the Seventh-Order. Throughout all those years, he had been to numerous Theatres and taken part in countless battles, both small and large. However, none of his past battles had ever been as tough and fearsome as this one.
This could be chalked down to the fact that the Great Evolution Army had to travel so far away without anything they could rely on for help.
The situation was different from all the other battles near the various Great Passes. In the Great Evolution Theatre, the Human Race Army did not have any backup or safe harbour. Even if they were injured, they did not have a secure place to recover and tend to their wounds. The only thing they could do was win their battles so that they could continue working towards the ultimate goal of reclaiming Great Evolution Pass.
It was clear that the battle today would be repeated again and again in the future. How many more Humans were going to sacrifice their lives here in the Great Evolution Theatre in order to achieve victory?
When Yang Kai brought the woman back to where the other Humans were gathered, they glanced at him and nodded lightly without saying anything.
There were less than 30 of them gathered here to recuperate. It did not mean that less than 30 Humans had lost their ability to fight after the battle earlier. These were merely the ones who were too wounded to keep up with the rest of the Human Army which was pursuing the Black Ink Clan.
Most of the other soldiers had joined the rest of the Army despite their injuries.
After setting the woman down beside him, Yang Kai once again sat down cross-legged and adjusted his breathing.
However, at the very next moment, he opened his eyes and stared at the battlefield. He detected an unusual movement over there.
He had searched the battlefield for two hours and did not find anything noteworthy, apart from the female Seventh-Order Master who was still alive. Where were these unusual fluctuations coming from?
Just as Yang Kai pondered in confusion, the movements became even clearer. It was the result of a trace of vitality that was in rapid recovery. The vitality was strong and its recovery accelerated.
A strong aura suddenly emanated from the battlefield.
Yang Kai’s expression turned grim at once. He leaped to his feet as his Divine Sense blasted forth a message, “Use the Universe Transference Law and return to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, now!”
There were over 30 Open Heaven Realm Masters who also sensed the recovering vitality before Yang Kai said anything. They had been staring puzzledly at the battlefield, but upon hearing Yang Kai’s words, their expressions hardened as they realised the severity of the situation.
No one hesitated. Everyone jumped into action and used the Universe Transference Law.
Two hours of restoration was not enough for these heavily injured cultivators to heal completely, but it was enough time to let them regain the strength to cast this Secret Technique, which did not require too much of it.
The light of an Array glowed beneath all of their feet as they cast the Universe Transference Law and they connected with the Universe Array on the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
In just a few breaths of time, everyone would be able to rely on the Universe Transference Law to teleport back to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
Just then, as everyone focused on the commotion caused by the Universe Transference Law, a strong Divine Sense swept out from the recovering vitality on the battlefield.
Yang Kai turned pale.
That which he had been most concerned about became reality.
Earlier on, even though he sensed that the vitality was a powerful one, he could not confirm what cultivation this individual had. Just to be safe, he immediately ordered everyone to evacuate; however, now that this person’s Divine Sense burst forth, Yang Kai could instantly tell what cultivation they had.
The recovering vitality from the battlefield belonged to someone in the Eighth Order!
Yang Kai was fairly certain that the cultivator was not an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from the North-South Army, so there was a high chance that it was an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple.
Although he did not know whether any of the North-South Army’s Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters died in battle, he knew that even if they did, if their bodies were still intact, the other Eighth-Order Masters would not leave them just lying around. They would surely take the body back with them.
Only Territory Lords ignored the bodies of the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples who died.
[There’s still an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple on the battlefield!] No one had seen this coming.
Yang Kai had not noticed anything when he searched the battlefield earlier. From the looks of it now, this Eighth-Order Master most likely cultivated some sort of Secret Technique that allowed him to fake his death; otherwise, he would not have escaped the notice of the Eighth-Order Division Commanders when they searched the battlefield.
The Human Army had left, and the remaining 30-odd Humans were weak and injured. Now that they were confronted with an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple, things did not look good for them
Yang Kai’s heart caught in his throat.
One breath; two breaths; three breaths of time passed…
The light from the 30-plus Arrays grew brighter.
After the third breath of time, some of the lights flared up like an explosion, and the silhouette inside that light was enveloped around instantly disappeared.
Three of them were gone.
By the fourth breath of time, even more of them had left.
However, there were still over a dozen of them remaining.
The Universe Transference Law was incredibly useful, but it had its pros and cons.
By using the Universe Transference Law, Humans could swiftly return to nearby Universe Array, in this case, the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, but the distance and the user’s cultivation both affected the time it took for the teleportation to be initiated.
In summary, the higher the person’s cultivation and the closer the Universe Array, the shorter time it took for the Universe Transference Law to take effect.
The three Humans who left after the third breath were all in the Seventh Order.
As for the dozen or so ones who left at the fourth breath, they were all in the Sixth Order. Their cultivation was slightly lower than the previous ones, so they left a little later.
The remaining ones were mostly those in the Fifth-Order, with a couple of Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters among them. They had the lowest cultivation and thus took the longest to be transported.
Under the usual circumstances, when Humans used the Universe Transference Law, they would do their best to ensure that the process would not be disrupted as any disturbance would result in the failure to be transported.
However, this crisis came upon them too suddenly. By the time they sensed that things were not looking good for them, they could only try to leave as quickly as possible without being able to care about anything else.
Two more breaths of time passed, and just as the remaining Humans were about to leave, a figure emerged from the battlefield and charged towards them.
Although the figure was still some distance away, a burst of World Force in the shape of a wispy hand grabbed at them.
Affected by the powerful force, the Arrays beneath the dozen or so remaining Humans began to shift and contort.
If the enormous hand managed to catch them, even if the Humans did not die, they would still fail to teleport away. If that happened, then a group of Fifth and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would be left to face off against an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple. They had no hope of surviving the encounter.
Yang Kai had been on high alert all along, so as soon as he noticed what was happening, he roared and leapt forward with his spear.
The spear soared towards the hand, and at the same time, Space Principles flared madly.
As the spear shadows dissipated, the enormous hand enclosed Yang Kai within its grasp; however, at that very next moment, Yang Kai’s silhouette burst back out of the hand. Enveloped by the radiance of his spear, his body swiftly returned to where he had been earlier.
At last, flashes of light engulfed the remaining Humans. Thanks to the time that Yang Kai had bought for them, the dozen or so Fifth and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters managed to leave safely.
As they left, every single one of them stared at Yang Kai with shocked and worried expressions.
They knew that had it not been for Yang Kai’s interference, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple would have managed to keep them here. Yet, now that they were all gone, Yang Kai was left all by himself. How could he fight against an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple?
If they had known that this would happen, they would have chosen to remain behind and join forces to battle against the Black Ink Disciple. Even though all 30 or so of them were weakened and injured, they would still be able to put up a fight if they fought together.
Still, there was no point in dwelling on this now. When they noticed that the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s vitality was recovering, they all decided to leave. No one would have expected the Black Ink Disciple to recover so quickly.
In the silence of the void, Yang Kai raised his Azure Dragon Spear and watched as the figure emerged from the battlefield.
It was indeed an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple.
He was shrouded in Black Ink Strength and had a large mass growing out of his shoulder that made him appear as if he had two heads. The inky black strength within the mass was surging with great ferocity.
The fact that Yang Kai had managed to interrupt his attack and render it useless made him visibly furious. He glared darkly at Yang Kai and murderous intent swirled in his eyes, “You saved everyone else, but can you save yourself?”
“I won’t know until I try,” Yang Kai responded coolly.
While speaking, he secretly consumed a World Fruit.
Although some of his strength had been restored, he had to ensure that he was in his best condition in order to face off against an Eighth-Order Master.
Though, this Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple… did not seem to be all that powerful…
During their earlier exchange, Yang Kai detected something strange.
This Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s attack appeared terrifying, but in reality, it seemed to lack true substance.
He was heavily injured as well. Even on the surface, he had a large wound along his abdomen, and even though he used his strength to seal it up, blood continued to trickle out. Furthermore, one of his eyes had been destroyed. The remaining, functional eye was glaring darkly at Yang Kai the same way a venomous snake stared at its prey.
It was understandable to find him in this state. Someone who needed to fake his death in order to survive the battlefield had to have been incapacitated at some point. The lingering injuries on him proved as much.
Plus, he was only an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple and not a true Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, which meant that he was a lot less powerful than a real Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Even if he was at the peak of his current strength, he might not even be stronger than any of the Territory Lords.
If Yang Kai was alone, he might not have been willing to take this risk. With Instantaneous Movement at his disposal, this heavily-wounded Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple would most likely fail to do anything to him. Thus, even if Yang Kai could not win this fight, he could still escape just fine.
However, he was not alone right now.
He still had the unconscious female Seventh-Order Master that he brought back from the battlefield.
Yang Kai was a Seventh-Order Master, and although his Small Universe could keep cultivators that were not High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, it could not do so with a Seventh-Order Master.
There was very little chance Yang Kai could escape from this Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s attacks if he brought the woman with him, so his only option was to fight.
Back then, Yang Kai and Bai Yi joined forces and with great difficulty, they managed to kill a heavily injured Territory Lord, Zhu Feng.
It had been several hundred years since then, and Yang Kai was now up against a heavily injured Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple. He did not think it was an impossible fight for him as he was now a lot more powerful than before.
“Has the younger generation grown so arrogant?” The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple snorted coldly. Yang Kai’s response clearly infuriated him.
“Even though you might not have done it willingly, since you’ve become one with the Black Ink Clan, you’re my enemy now. You have no right to consider yourself my Senior,” Yang Kai answered evenly.
As Yang Kai spoke, his hand shot out and a gentle force wrapped up the unconscious female Seventh-Order Master’s body that was situated nearby. In the next moment, Space Principles fluctuated and the woman’s body shimmered before disappearing and reappearing hundreds of thousands of kilometres away and continued drifting further off into the void.
A fierce battle was about to break out, and Yang Kai had no way of keeping the woman safe in the thick of the fight, so his only choice was to send her away.
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple knew very well what Yang Kai was attempting to do, but he did not try to stop it. To him, he could easily go after the unconscious Seventh-Order woman once he dealt with Yang Kai. He would have all the time in the world to decide her fate then.
Still, he was deeply displeased by Yang Kai’s attitude. After glancing at the female Seventh-Order Master that Yang Kai sent away, he withdrew his gaze and extended his arm. A clear sword cry filled the battlefield, and immediately after, a ray of light shot out and was soon drawn to his hand.
Yang Kai’s expression turned grim as he subconsciously tightened his grip around his Azure Dragon Spear.
He had seen it very clearly. A longsword had flown out of the battlefield, one that most likely belonged to this Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple.
From the looks of it now, this Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple cultivated the Sword Dao. Yang Kai gritted his teeth at this realization, for those who cultivated Sword Dao were extremely well-versed in killing. In other words, Sword Dao cultivators all had a lot of experience in battle and were incredibly tough opponents.
Feng Ying was proof of this as she also cultivated the Sword Dao.
A longsword that was prized by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would not be an ordinary artifact. The long years of nurture were enough to bind the life of an Eighth-Order Master with his artifact.
The only thing that Yang Kai could rejoice at was the dimmed glow of the longsword artifact the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple summoned. Its spirituality was noticeably diminished and there were numerous dents and cracks along its length. It could be seen that during the clash with the North-South Army’s Eighth-Order Open Heaven Masters, this Black Ink Disciple was so badly defeated that he not only had to fake his death, but even his artifact was damaged as well.
Once the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple retrieved his longsword, he created a Sword Array with a simple flick. However, bolstered by his powerful cultivation, a dangerous aura emanated from the Sword Array as it formed. This proved that he was indeed highly proficient in the Sword Dao.
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple grasped his sword in one hand and held it out in front of him as he said, “The Royal Lord values talent, so this Old Master will ask you this, are you interested in serving the Royal Lord? If you agree to do so, I can spare your life today. Truth be told, this Old Master’s condition is less than satisfactory. I do not wish to fight against anyone else.”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed with a hint of grievous melancholy, “You were born a Human, but you now serve the Black Ink Clan. Old Sir, have you forgotten your comrades-in-arms who fought alongside you 30,000 years ago and defended you with their lives? Have you forgotten the countless soldiers who died in battle at Great Evolution Pass?”
A hint of remembrance flickered in the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s eyes, but he quickly shook his head, “30,000 years was a long time ago. Who’d clearly remember anything that happened back then?”
Yang Kai’s lowered his eyes, “Old Sir, this means you must have also forgotten the sincerity of your goals and initial intent when you first stepped onto the Black Ink Battlefield!”
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple chuckled, “Young man, are you trying to advise this Old Master to turn back after straying down the wrong path? Don’t waste your breath. Ever since this Old Master was enlightened by Black Ink Strength, this Old Master ceased to be a Human. You don’t need to try and lecture this Old Master.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “In that case, I won’t say anything more.”
“Seems to me that you’ve made up your mind,” the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple remarked as he eyed Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s fighting intent surged as he pointed his spear forward and answered coolly, “Right here, right now, either you die or I perish!”
“Good, good, good!” The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple nodded, “You know, this Old Master was just as proud and relentless as you at that age. It’s a pity… Age creeps up on everyone! Since you’ve made your choice, this Old Master will fulfil it for you. How’s that? Are you ready to die, young man? In the state that this Old Master is in right now, it’s one thing if I choose to stand down, but if we are to fight, I will do so with full force. I won’t hold back at all.”
He had only just finished his sentence when Yang Kai suddenly flickered and appeared beside him. The Azure Dragon Spear pierced out as he unleashed the full potential of his Supreme Limitless Spear Art, sending a storm of blows towards the enemy.
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple clearly did not expect Yang Kai to be this treacherous. He was caught unaware and did not have his guard up. In his haste, he raised his sword to fend off the attack and unleashed scores of sword waves at Yang Kai.
The two figures immediately engaged in battle.
Spear shadows and sword waves filled the void in a constant cycle of disappearing and reemerging once more. Apart from the sparks from the spear shadows and sword waves colliding, bursts of World Force clashed against each other with such ferocity that the local space became unstable.
The look of surprise on the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple increasingly intensified.
Although he was heavily injured, this Seventh-Order Junior did not seem to be in a much better state than him. Both of them had just survived a bitter battle, so neither one of them was in good condition.
Thus, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple assumed that it would be fairly easy for him to kill this Seventh-Order Master. Yet, once the fight started, he realised that things were not as he had expected.
This Seventh-Order Junior had a mysterious Movement Skill that gave him a huge advantage of mobility. The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple had no choice but to focus on defending himself and to try and regain the initiative.
Had his opponent been an ordinary Seventh-Order Master, then it would not have been hard for him to regain the advantage. He could easily exhibit to his opponent what the difference in Orders signified in terms of strength.
However, this young Seventh-Order Master was clearly not ordinary. Each time their World Forces clashed, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple could vividly sense the extreme density and purity of his opponent’s strength.
It was not the kind of strength that a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was supposed to have. Judging by the purity alone, it was comparable to his own.
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple could not help but feel stunned by this. He could not figure out how this young Seventh-Order Master could cultivate the strength within his Small Universe to this extent.
He had encountered numerous Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in his life, but none were comparable to the young man in front of him now.
The higher the purity of the World Force, the more powerful the cultivator was. Moreover, the rigorousness of this young man’s World Force was also remarkable. It far surpassed what was to be expected from a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
[Where did this freak come from?] The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple was thoroughly perplexed.
Apart from that, he was also shocked by the young Seventh-Order Master’s accomplishments in the Spear Dao.
All his life, he focused on cultivating his Sword Dao. Even after becoming a Black Ink Disciple, he never stopped doing so; thus, after so many years, he had reached a very high state of attainment in it.
Yet, right now, a young man who was only a Seventh-Order Master managed to use his Spear Dao to fight against his own Sword Dao. Even though it required a fair amount of effort, he could still tell that the young man was highly accomplished in his cultivation of Spear Dao as well.
The young man’s Spear Dao was not as refined as his Sword Dao and was not of a domain as high as his, but it seemed to flow freely and effortlessly. The young man wielded his spear with such ease that it was impossible to discern any kind of pattern from his attacks, despite each of them being extremely sharp and precise.
A Spear Dao like this perfectly embodied the concepts of freedom and limitlessness. Even just the wielding of such a Spear Dao was enough to give those who witnessed it a sense of joy and satisfaction.
With pure and vigorous World Force and high attainment in the Spear Dao, this young man had every right to be arrogant. This was why the Black Ink Disciple failed to defeat him as quickly as predicted.
However, if this was all there was to it, then the outcome would not change in any way. After just a brief exchange of blows, the advantage that the young man gained earlier was beginning to slip away, and soon, he would slowly start to be disadvantaged in the fight.
Still, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple was a little reluctant to kill off such a fine talent.
Even when he was still Human, he had already exhibited great appreciation for talented people. Even though he had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength for 30,000 years now and prioritised the Black Ink Clan over all else, this part of his personality did not change very much.
Thus, the more talented Yang Kai seemed, the less inclined the Black Ink Disciple was to kill him.
Amid the chaotic battle, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple transmitted a message, “Little friend, this Old Master will ask you one last time. Are you willing to serve the Royal Lord? With your capabilities, if you gain the help of Black Ink Strength, you will one day become even stronger than this Old Master. Perhaps you might even be able to become a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!”
Yang Kai did not stop attacking as he said, “So what if I can become a Ninth-Order Master? I will be enslaved by the Black Ink Clan and forced to kill my fellow Humans.”
“How would you know the joys of Black Ink Strength if you’ve never experienced its mysterious power for yourself?” The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple argued back.
“If it is a joy that annihilates the self, then I’d rather not know it!”
“Do you persist down your misguided path, little friend?”
“Our beliefs differ. We will never see eye to eye on this!”
“Hah! Since you insist on doing things the hard way, don’t blame this Old Master for not showing you any mercy!”
True enough, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s attacks became a lot more ruthless.
He indeed had a great appreciation for talent, but Yang Kai’s staunch attitude dissuaded him from trying to convince him further. Furthermore, it would not be safe to linger too long here. Although the Human Army had left some time ago, several dozen Humans managed to flee earlier, so if the Human Eighth-Order Masters found out he survived by faking his death, they might send a Division Commander over and deal with him.
Considering the condition he was in right now, he would be doomed if an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master came.
With a flick of his longsword, the sword waves combined together and struck at Yang Kai’s head.
Under the crushing strength of the Black Ink Disciple’s blow, Yang Kai’s body shook violently. Even though he mustered all of his strength to withstand the blow, it was still too much. The piercing Sword Qi slashed through his clothes and his blood began to gush out of the wounds.
The force of that powerful blow sent Yang Kai flying back as if he had been launched from a cannon.
Even so, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple did not let up on the attacks. Again and again, he slashed his sword and sent flurry after flurry of relentless Sword Qi out.
From a distance, the endless waves of Sword Qi seemed to form a long river that ended where Yang Kai stood.
[Profound Sword Paradise’s Chasing Stars and Moon Sword Art!]
At last, Yang Kai realized what this Black Ink Disciple’s background was.
After fighting on the Black Ink Battlefield for many years, he became acquainted with many of the elites from various Cave Heavens and Paradises; thus, he knew a thing or two about the unique Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques of the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
It was clear that this Black Ink Disciple was using the Chasing Stars and Moon Sword Art, which was one of Profound Sword Paradise’s core Sword Arts.
However, this knowledge did nothing to influence the course of this sombre fight.
Both Yang Kai and the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple were survivors of the brutal battle that took place earlier. Even though the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s injuries were a lot more severe than Yang Kai’s, he was still one Order higher than Yang Kai, and one Order’s difference was enough to give him a compelling advantage.
Any other Seventh-Order Master would have probably died at the hands of this Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple by now, but as it was, the one up against him was Yang Kai.
Even so, Yang Kai seemed to have a hard time dealing with the never-ending storm of attacks. Despite unleashing his Supreme Limitless Spear Art to its fullest force, it was still hard for him to withstand the ferocity of his opponent’s sword skills.
The savage Sword Qi’s overbearing power left Yang Kai’s body littered with wounds.
As the Black Ink Disciple’s sword waves continued to wash over Yang Kai, the distance between them grew smaller, and the Black Ink Disciple’s Sword Intent grew colder.
Yang Kai’s instincts flared from the looming sense of danger. He did not know why, but he had a feeling that once the distance between them closed to a certain range, the Black Ink Disciple was sure to unleash a devastating Divine Ability. When that happened, it would be a life-or-death moment for Yang Kai.
But why would Yang Kai allow his opponent’s plans to come to fruition?
As the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s figure continued to approach, Yang Kai suddenly closed his eyes.
All at once, his right eye turned into an endless black abyss and the entire void seemed to be shrouded by a curtain of darkness.
At the same time, a piercing golden pupil appeared in his left eye.
The silhouette of the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple was reflected in the golden pupil, and with the casting of Yang Kai’s Eye Secret Techniques, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s reflection mysteriously contorted.
It was as if the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple who had been launching a storm of attacks at Yang Kai was suddenly struck by lightning. It felt as if a powerful force had popped out of nowhere, struck him, leaving his body twisted up in pain as it instinctively stiffened.
After noticing Yang Kai’s pair of strange eyes, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple exclaimed in shock, “The Demon Eye of Annihilation and Black Purgatory Eye?”
[This young man is from Myriad Demons Cave Heaven?]
However, the Black Ink Disciple did not detect any hint of Demon Qi on Yang Kai.
Thus, there were only two possibilities. Either the young man had been hiding his background all along, or he was not a Myriad Demons Heaven disciple, but had instead used Military Merits he earned from the Black Ink Battlefield in exchange for these two powerful Secret Techniques.
It would not be as big of a deal if the former was true, but if the truth was the latter, then this young man was surely a lot more formidable than he assumed.
Anyone who gained the chance to cultivate core Secret Techniques by exchanging them for Military Merits had to be those who earned a vast number of them on the battlefield. They were all elites who would have the blood of countless Black Ink Clansmen on their hands.
However, even though the young man was accomplished in both of these Eye Secret Techniques, the effects were naturally dampened when he tried to use them against someone of a higher Order.
Thus, in the time it took the Black Ink Disciple to think this through, the effects of both the Eye Secret Techniques wore off.
What Yang Kai wanted was precisely this momentary lapse though.
The call of the Golden Crow rang out, and a Great Sun rose once again to illuminate the void.
Just as the Black Ink Disciple snapped out of his thoughts, the Great Sun had already broken through the torrent of sword waves and was charging towards him.
“Divine Manifestation!” The Black Ink Disciple frowned as he felt a sense of admiration for the young man. Although this youth was only in the Seventh Order, beneath his own realm, his combat sense was remarkable. He must have sensed something, which was why he used his Eye Secret Techniques and followed up with his Divine Manifestation in the hopes of disrupting his plans.
The Black Ink Disciple had to admit that it was an astute move to make.
Had it not been for the young man’s series of counterattacks, the Black Ink Disciple might have already used his trump card and taken the young man’s life.
This was the Divine Manifestation of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Master, so even he, an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple, could not afford to take it lightly. He had no choice but to focus his attention on defending against the attack.
His finger swiped across the longsword and his World Force burst forth. The sword, which had been dim this whole time, suddenly lit up in a brilliant flare. He then slashed down with force and cut the Great Sun in half. Even the Golden Crow, which had been cawing inside the Great Sun, let out a seemingly mournful cry.
The Black Ink Disciple did not stop there. He cast another mysterious sword technique and a multitude of swords appeared in the Void.
When the final sword appeared, Yang Kai’s silhouette reappeared, and instantly, Yang Kai felt an enormous pressure weighing down on him. He was suppressed and sealed from all sides.
His expression turned grim.
As was expected of an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple, he was able to decipher what his opponent was doing and act accordingly. Earlier on, after summoning Golden Crow Casts the Sun, Yang Kai charged towards the Black Ink Disciple to try to deliver a sneak attack. Yet, the situation now seemed like he was delivering himself into the lion’s den. His actions appeared incredibly foolish.
Strictly speaking, this was Yang Kai’s first time battling an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple.
Although his opponent was not a true Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was still close.
Yang Kai now knew how difficult and terrifying it was to deal with an Eighth-Order Master, and this was only a heavily injured Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple. What if he had been at his peak?
What would it be like up against the Eighth-Order Division Commanders?
Zhu Feng, the heavily injured Territory Lord from all those years ago, was a lot easier to take on by comparison.
As a former Human, this Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple understood the way Humans thought a lot better than any Territory Lord ever could.
Thankfully, Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space. He did not know how the Black Ink Disciple’s mysterious sword techniques worked, or why it had the effect of suppressing and sealing space. That being said, while this effect would have proved useful against any other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, the same did not apply to him.
With a flicker of Yang Kai’s Space Principles, the local space which had been sealed instantly broke apart. As he hastened to retreat, the Black Ink Disciple’s longsword was already slashing at him. The cutting sword waves crackled from the tip of the sword.
When Yang Kai came to a stop again, there was a trail of blood that ran from his forehead down to his abdomen. The cut was deep enough that his bones were visible.
Had he been the tiniest bit slower in retreating just now, the Black Ink Disciple might have managed to cut him in half. If that happened, then even if he had a powerful Dragon Vein, it would have been doubtful if he could have survived.
Despite the very recent brush with death, Yang Kai’s expression remained composed.
The Black Ink Disciple charged forward again. This battle was taking far longer than he thought it would, and the more it dragged on, the greater his fear of impending danger grew. He had to end this fight as soon as possible.
“Junior, you’re a difficult one to deal with!” The Black Ink Disciple’s World Force burst forth in a frenzy. Every single blow he sent at Yang Kai was suffused with a terrifying bloodthirst as he now seemed to be giving his all in every single attack.
Yang Kai had numerous strange and unpredictable methods up his sleeve, so his opponents had to keep their guards up at all times. Thus, the Black Ink Disciple decided to overwhelm Yang Kai with sheer force. No matter what kind of peculiar tricks Yang Kai had, his decisive weakness was the difference in Order. The Black Ink Disciple did not plan to rely on strategies anymore. He was going to fight with brute force and crush his opponent from the front.
“As are you!” Yang Kai grit his teeth and he defended himself against the Black Ink Disciple’s fevered attacks.
If a cultivator was hellbent on using his cultivation to overwhelm an opponent who was an Order lower, then there was not much the latter could do to overcome the situation. The only choice would be to try and withstand the assault.
However, there was a limit to what a person could withstand. Once the opponent was worn down, death would become inevitable.
In the span of several dozen breaths, Yang Kai gained over a dozen fresh wounds that cut right down to the bone. The most serious injury was the one on his neck. The Black Ink Disciple’s sword seemed to have cut through half of his neck, causing golden blood to pour out.
The more serious Yang Kai’s injuries became, the weaker his resistance grew.
This was to be expected. The Black Ink Disciple surmised that after being on the receiving end of his attacks for so long now, Yang Kai would not only be heavily injured, but even his Small Universe would no longer be able to take it anymore.
It was already shocking that Yang Kai managed to survive this long.
“Do you still insist on being so stubborn, young man?” The Black Ink Disciple roared.
Yang Kai clenched his jaw and refused to answer, but his dogged determination to carry on fighting was clear.
“You court death!” The Black Ink Disciple coldly snorted. His longsword swished in the air and aimed straight for Yang Kai’s heart.
This was going to be the final blow. From the young man’s earlier display, the Black Ink Disciple deduced that he would not be able to withstand this attack; however, at that very moment, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple saw Yang Kai raise his spear and throw it at him.
Even though it was just a careless throw, his opponent’s formidable strength was enough for the spear to break apart the void and fly straight towards him.
Naturally, the Black Ink Disciple would not allow such a crude attack to land and with a quick flick of his longsword, he deflected the Azure Dragon Spear and sent it flying.
At the same time, he saw the young man opposite him charging towards him with his fist raised to strike at him.
Instinctively, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple had a feeling that something was amiss, but how could he mull this over at a time like this?
The longsword pierced right through Yang Kai’s chest and the savage Sword Qi poured into the wound.
Yang Kai’s fist did not touch the Black Ink Disciple, stopping less than a forearm’s length away.
The Black Ink Disciple eyed Yang Kai coolly, not showing any kind of emotion on his face.
He had given his opponent a choice, and since the latter chose death, he merely granted him passage.
However, just as the sword touched Yang Kai’s body, the Black Ink Disciple was able to detect that his opponent had shifted slightly, so the blow failed to hit his vitals.
Still, that did not matter. Even if the young man survived this attack, his condition would be dismal right now.
Just as all of this went through the Black Ink Disciple’s mind, all of a sudden, Yang Kai grinned at him and called out lightly, “Cow Punch!”
If Yang Kai had a choice between fighting against a Territory Lord or an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple, he would definitely choose the latter.
Although an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple was the more unpredictable opponent between the two when it came to battle tactics and thus was harder to guard against, Yang Kai still preferred facing an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple over a Territory Lord.
After all, he had his Cow Punch Secret Technique that used Space Principles to specifically target the enemy’s Small Universe. It was a Secret Technique that enabled him to win even if his strength was lower than his opponent’s.
Among all the Cave Heavens and Paradises, there were several Secret Techniques that targeted the Small Universe of Open Heaven Realm Masters, but after all the years, Yang Kai had never found one with effects as superb as his Cow Punch.
Unfortunately, this Secret Technique of his relied on the use of Space Principles, so no one else apart from him could cultivate it.
Plus, as Purifying Light and Purifying Black Ink Pills were distributed to all the Great Passes, the number of Black Ink Disciples on the battlefield steadily decreased, and the Humans’ Secret Techniques that targeted the Small Universe lost their utility.
The Black Ink Clan did not have a Small Universe, so such Secret Techniques would be useless against them.
It had been years since Yang Kai last used his Cow Punch Secret Technique. If he recalled correctly, the last time he used it was back in the Shattered Heaven when he fought Blood Crow.
Several hundred years later, he was using it once more.
Although it had been a long while since he first created Cow Punch, the strength of this Secret Technique increased as he grew stronger.
From the moment Yang Kai noticed that his opponent was an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple, he had counted on using Cow Punch to win the battle for him. As for his previous display of struggling to keep up in the fight, some of it could be chalked up to his genuine weakness against a stronger opponent, but some of it was on purpose as well. He wanted to lull his opponent into a false sense of security so that the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple would let his guard down.
While the Secret Technique was fairly powerful, it took time to implement.
The profoundness of the Cow Punch Secret Technique was in the way it traced back and targeted the core source of the opponent’s World Force, which was their Small Universe.
It was a time-consuming process to perform this trace. With his cultivation being in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, Yang Kai needed approximately an incense stick of time to accomplish this against an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple.
So, the battle between them thus far lasted for approximately that amount of time. Now was his chance!
It was nearly impossible for an ordinary Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to survive an incense stick worth of time against an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple, so this Secret Technique would become meaningless the moment they failed to continue holding out.
But once Cow Punch was successfully used, it meant that the battle outcome had been decided.
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple wanted to use brute force in lieu of strategy, but Yang Kai chose to engage in a battle of wits, which was the real key for someone of a lower order than their opponent.
When the longsword pierced into Yang Kai’s chest, all the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple had to do was ruthlessly flick his sword; then, he would be able to cut Yang Kai in half. However, he no longer had the chance to do so.
Just as the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple wanted to finish Yang Kai off, a wave of fierce and intense force exploded inside his Small Universe. All at once, his Small Universe was thrown into chaos and began shaking violently.
All of the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s strength dissipated due to the instability of his Small Universe. In that instant, he could barely even hold onto his sword.
Yang Kai was not about to miss his chance. His fist swung out with great force and smashed it straight into the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s head.
With Yang Kai’s current cultivation, combined with the terrifying physical strength that his Dragon Vein bestowed upon him, as well as the proximity between him and his opponent, the Black Ink Disciple’s head would certainly explode if struck by such a blow.
However, his opponent was still an Eighth-Order Master, and in this life-or-death crisis, he still managed a response, causing the huge growth on his shoulder to explode and eject a concentrated mass of Black Ink Strength. The Black Ink Strength swiftly formed into a massive jaw that swallowed Yang Kai’s approaching fist.
The sudden disruption made Yang Kai freeze in shock for a moment.
He never thought that the abnormal growth on his opponent’s shoulder possessed such a strange ability. All along, he assumed that the growth was merely a malformity left behind when this Black Ink Disciple relied on Black Ink Strength to break through beyond his natural limits.
When Yang Kai’s fist entered the gigantic jaw formed by the Black Ink Strength, he immediately felt as if something sticky was clinging to it. The further his fist travelled, the more its strength was weakened.
By the time Yang Kai’s fist struck the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s head, the power behind it had been at least halved.
Even though it was a weakened blow though, it still managed to send the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple flying backwards. However, his head did not explode the way Yang Kai had predicted it would.
The sword was yanked from Yang Kai’s body just as the Black Ink Disciple flew backwards, drawing a grunt of pain and a splash of blood from him.
Even so, Yang Kai did not have the time to dwell on his injury. Now that he had finally managed to use his Cow Punch, everything he had done that led up to this would be wasted if he could not defeat his opponent before the latter was able to recover.
Yang Kai estimated that his Cow Punch’s effects would only last another three breaths of time!
Thus, when the Black Ink Disciple went flying backwards, Yang Kai stepped forward as well, and with a surge of Space Principles, he followed closely behind.
Drawing on the remaining World Force in his Small Universe, Yang Kai summoned a new Great Sun. The Golden Crow’s calls echoed.
Yang Kai raised the Great Sun and sent it crashing down on the Black Ink Disciple.
The moment the Black Ink Disciple flew backwards though, he was already wary of Yang Kai’s subsequent actions.
He was at the weakest he had ever been as his Small Universe continued to shake and rumble. Never would he have thought that a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could push back against an Eighth-Order Master like him to this extent.
It was humiliation beyond compare!
None of his previous admiration or appreciation for Yang Kai’s talents remained. All he wanted to do now was to take Yang Kai’s life to make up for the indignity he felt.
His opponent charged at him and once again used his Divine Manifestation that appeared like a Great Sun.
The Black Ink Disciple had to admit that this Divine Manifestation’s strength was formidable. Even an Eighth-Order Master like him dared not underestimate it; however, he had seen this move before and understood its power, so knew how to defend himself from it.
He could not wait until his Small Universe stabilized, so he bit down on his tongue and spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence onto his sword. The Blood Essence fully seeped into the sword, and suddenly, the dim artifact glowed radiantly.
With his sword empowered by his Blood Essence, the Black Ink Disciple slashed out at Yang Kai ferociously.
This attack was enough to deflect his opponent’s Great Sun Divine Manifestation. Although he would also suffer the aftereffects of using this attack, it was still better than dying on the spot.
All he needed was to buy himself a little more time. Once the shaking in his Small Universe calmed, he would easily be able to crush his gravely injured opponent.
However, just as he struck this blow, to his horror, yet another gust of force appeared all of a sudden.
If the Great Sun gave off scorching heat, then this force felt like a frigid winter.
Together with the dazzling Great Sun, a Full Moon rose up above his Seventh-Order opponent’s head.
The Sun and Moon appeared together!
In all the years that this Black Ink Disciple had lived, he had never seen such a mystifying scene; however, together with his awe, he felt an even greater sense of danger. With a loud roar, he forcefully channelled even more force into his attack, trying to execute it before it was too late.
He did not know what Divine Ability his opponent was using, but he could tell that in his current state, he could not defend against it.
All he could do was try to pre-empt his opponent for the chance of survival.
As the Black Ink Disciple’s sword slashed towards Yang Kai, he used the cover of the Great Sun to cast Water Reflects the Moon.
The Great Sun to his left, the Full Moon to his right. When the began to revolve around him, Yin and Yang intertwined, and the Sun and Moon combined into a spinning kaleidoscope as Space Principles erupted out.
In an instant, a mysterious force manifested. Formless and undetectable, this force seemed from the swirling Sun and Moon.
Space shattered, and time froze.
Terror filled the remaining eye of the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple who had his longsword held out in front of him. At that moment, he could feel his thoughts coming to an abrupt halt as everything around him seemed to warp and distort.
He had never felt anything like this before, and the sensation left him petrified.
He watched as the Sun and Moon locked together and spiralled towards him, enveloping him in a kind of domain that he had no way of escaping.
That singular moment seemed to stretch out as if it lasted millions of years.
As the dazzling light of the Sun and Moon that had lit up the void slowly died out, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple stood frozen in place, his longsword still stretched out in front of him, barely a palm’s length away from Yang Kai’s forehead.
Yang Kai’s face was ghostly pale and his aura was completely depleted. Fresh blood continued to flow out of the wound in his chest where the longsword had previously impaled him. There was also a long wound that stretched from his forehead down to his abdomen. His body was a mangled mess of flesh and blood which made him look completely wretched.
“What Divine Ability was that?” The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple suddenly asked.
Yang Kai’s eyelids hung low as he replied, “Sun and Moon Divine Wheel!”
“A manifestation of Space-Time Strength?” The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple pressed further.
“Merely scratching the surface,” Yang Kai nodded.
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple did not say anything else. He simply nodded lightly and withdrew his sword before sitting down cross-legged with a half-lidded eye.
“Black Ink Eternal!” He whispered.
As soon as he spoke, his entire being seemed to turn into a statue that had been exposed to the elements for thousands of millennia, crumbling apart and drifting away like dust scattered in the wind.
The only thing left was a dim longsword.
Corroded by the Space-Time Strength from the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel, this longsword lost all spirituality. It was now nothing more than a weapon made out of somewhat decent quality material.
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple had managed to fake his death to survive the chaotic battlefield earlier, but now, he was well and truly dead.
Yang Kai was consumed by a level of exhaustion that he rarely felt before. He could not stop his body from growing weak as he crumbled down.
It was a narrow victory!
If Yang Kai had failed to kill his opponent with his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel, he would not have been able to put up any further resistance as the Black Ink Disciple’s Small Universe would soon recover from the effects of his Cow Punch Secret Technique. Once that happened, the Black Ink Disciple would be able to access his full strength once more.
Fortunately, the Black Ink Disciple had miscalculated. After seeing the Great Sun, he assumed that Yang Kai was just using his Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation, he never expected that the Great Sun was only one half of an even greater Divine Ability.
He spat out his Blood Essence to deal with Golden Crow Casts the Sun, but he was caught off-guard by the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel.
How could the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple survive when his Small Universe had been rendered powerless and he was attacked with Yang Kai’s strongest trump card?
Yang Kai quietly lay in the void, not feeling any joy from this victory.
That was because even at the moment of death, that Black Ink Disciple still showed utmost loyalty to the Black Ink Clan, even though he was a Human by nature.
Perhaps Black Ink Strength might not change a Human’s personality, but the corrupted Black Ink Disciples would reject their own nature and willingly be servile to the Black Ink Clan.
How woeful and lamentable that was.
Yang Kai’s nearly dried-up Small Universe slowly began to restore its strength, but the progress was akin to water trickling into a bottomless well; thus, he mustered the energy to stuff a pill into his mouth to speed up the process.
The very next moment, he leaped to his feet and warily observed the surroundings.
He sensed the aura of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master somewhere out there, and it was swiftly approaching.
However, after realising which direction the aura was coming from, Yang Kai sighed in relief. The aura was coming from the direction of Great Evolution Pass, and if his guess was correct, the source was one of the North-South Army’s Eighth-Order Division Commanders.
From the looks of it, the 30 or so Humans who returned to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship via the Universe Array must have reported the news to the higher-ups. As a result, the North-South Army swiftly dispatched one of the Eighth-Order Masters to check on the situation.
Sure enough, just moments later, a short and slender Eighth-Order Open Heaven Master appeared in front of Yang Kai with a grim expression. He studied Yang Kai for a moment and was secretly shocked by the severity of his wounds. Although he did not know what happened earlier, from the state that Yang Kai was in now, he knew enough to tell that Yang Kai had just fought a desperate life-or-death battle.
After looking around and noticing that Yang Kai was alone, he asked, “This Old Master is Cha Pu, Northern Army, 4th Division Commander. I am here on a rescue mission under the orders of the Army Commander. Are you Yang Kai?”
“I am,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Where’s the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple?”
“Dead.”
“You killed him?” Cha Pu was visibly taken aback.
“That Black Ink Disciple was heavily injured and lost most of his combat ability. This Junior was fortunate enough to eke out a victory,” Yang Kai answered.
Cha Pu nodded lightly without asking further, “In that case, come with me. We’ll reconvene with the rest of the Army,” He did not ask Yang Kai how the latter managed to kill an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple. Even if the Black Ink Disciple was gravely injured, he was still an Eighth-Order Master.
However, since Yang Kai was still standing here and that Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple was missing, it meant that Yang Kai did emerge victorious, so there was no reason to continue probing.
“Please wait, Sir. There’s still one more person,” Yang Kai said as his figure flickered and disappeared all of a sudden.
Cha Pu raised his brow, “Space Principles!”
Naturally, Yang Kai left to find the female Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master he had pushed out into the depths of the void earlier. He was in no position to take care of anyone else while engaged in a battle against an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple, so he had no choice but to send her far away before the fight began.
When he sent her away though, Yang Kai left a Space Beacon with her, so it was easy enough for him to locate her.
With a ripple of the Space Principles, he emerged beside the unconscious woman.
Yang Kai was slightly heartened to find that she was not harmed by the fight between him and the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple. She was still unconscious and drifting through the void due to the force he exerted earlier.
He caught her and swiftly returned.
Soon, he was back with Cha Pu.
“You did well,” Cha Pu praised, “Do you have the strength left to trigger the Universe Transference Law?”
“Yes, I do,” Yang Kai replied with a smile.
“Excellent. Do it and return to the Army’s Purifying Black Ink Battleship,” Cha Pu took the woman from Yang Kai and placed her inside his Small Universe.
He then waited until Yang Kai had successfully left with the Universe Transference Law before using it himself.
Once the two of them walked out of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship’s Universe Array and stepped foot on the deck, Yang Kai immediately sensed the constant fluctuation of unrelenting forces some distance away. It seemed as if life auras were being extinguished with every breath.
It seemed the North-South Army was still pursuing the Black Ink Clan Army which was fleeing back to Great Evolution Pass. From the way the situation looked now, the two Armies had been clashing for quite some time.
Mi Jing Lun was standing on the deck of the ship and staring off into the distance with a pair of gleaming eyes.
Upon noticing someone’s approach, Mi Jing Lun turned around and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that Yang Kai was alive and well, albeit looking extremely miserable and exhausted.
The lower-order cultivators might not know of Yang Kai’s importance, but as an Army Commander, Mi Jing Lun was fully aware of the situation.
Although Yang Kai was merely in the Seventh Order, his presence had a direct correlation with the speed at which the Old Ancestor’s strength could be restored. In this campaign to reclaim Great Evolution Pass, the Old Ancestor had specifically requested for Yang Kai to come along with them in order to take advantage of his Small Universe to rapidly recover from her injuries.
If a sudden misfortune fell upon Yang Kai, the Old Ancestor would lose an important source of support. Would that not multiply the difficulty of reclaiming Great Evolution Pass?
Earlier on, Mi Jing Lun instructed Yang Kai to stay back and recover because he did not want Yang Kai to join the subsequent fight and endanger himself. How could he have known that there was an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple who had survived by faking his death back at the initial battlefield?
Mi Jing Lun had nearly jumped up in fright when he heard the news and had immediately sent Cha Pu over to rescue Yang Kai.
Thankfully, Yang Kai was safe.
Cha Pu came over to Mi Jing Lun and used his Divine Sense to give a summarised report of what he knew.
Mi Jing Lun’s expression became a little peculiar as he nodded lightly.
Cha Pu brought out the female Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that he had placed inside his Small Universe and passed her to one of the nearby soldiers before he jumped back into the battlefield.
“You don’t need to join the rest of the fight. Just rest and tend to your injuries.” Mi Jing Lun eyed Yang Kai and added, “The sword wounds are going to be a little trickier to tackle. Remember to clear out the Sword Qi and Sword Intent when you tend to them.”
“Junior understands,” Yang Kai nodded and looked out into the distance. Although the battle was fierce, he could not tell what the situation was like for the two Armies, so he had to ask, “How are things going, Sir?”
Mi Jing Lun smiled faintly, “Reasonably well.”
“Can we take them all down?” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up.
Mi Jing Lun shook his head, “That’s going to be a little tough. They still have quite a number of Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples among them. It’ll be hard for us to wipe them out.”
No one expected to find so many High-Order Black Ink Disciples here at the Great Evolution Theatre. That being said, Great Evolution Pass had been lost for 30,000 years, so it was obvious that the large number of Black Ink Disciples who had been corrupted all those years ago had enough time to grow in strength. No one knew what the situation would be like here, and now that they finally noticed this after going up against the Black Ink Clan, it was too late.
“If the Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass don’t come over to rescue them, then it’s still possible for us to take them all down, but if they do send reinforcements, then we’ll just have to avoid the clash for now.”
The Black Ink Clan Army had acted quite strategically. When their commander realised that things were looking bad for them, he immediately ordered a retreat to Great Evolution Pass. Clearly, he wanted to rely on the strength of the Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass to hold the North-South Army back. If fresh enemy troops came over to help, the North-South Army would be forced to back away.
After observing the battle from the deck for a little longer, Yang Kai bowed and took his leave, “This Junior will go and tend to the injuries now.”
“Go ahead,” Mi Jing Lun waved him off.
Someone led the way and helped him settle down in one of the rooms aboard the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
The room had been reinforced with numerous Spirit Arrays that blocked out everything, so Yang Kai could tend to his injuries in peace.
His impressive restorative powers were now serving their ultimate function. In just a few days, Yang Kai had pretty much recovered from his injuries and cleared out all the Sword Intent and Sword Qi that had wreaked havoc within his wounds. All that was left now was for him to slowly continue restoring his depleted strength.
As such, Yang Kai did not continue tending to his injuries and opened the door and left.
All was quiet, with no discernable energy fluctuations nearby, nor any sound of battle. From the looks of it, the battle had come to an end at last, though he had no idea what the outcome was.
After figuring out the right direction, Yang Kai left his room and headed for the Purifying Black Ink Battleship’s conference hall.
Along the way, he heard someone calling out to him. He turned to look and spotted a familiar face.
It was the Seventh-Order Squad Leader of the Profound Wind Squad.
“How are your injuries, Brother Yang?” The Squad Leader queried in concern.
“I’ve almost fully recovered now,” Yang Kai said.
The Profound Wind Squad Leader nodded and said, “That’s good. I heard that you stood guard at the battlefield when the rest of the Army left and encountered an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple who survived by faking his death. We were so worried about you. Later on, we heard that Martial Uncle Cha personally went over to bring you back.”
During the earlier fight on the battlefield, the Profound Wind Squad and Snow Wolves Squad, two Special Operations Squads, had worked closely with Yang Kai. Yang Kai took the lead, and the two Squads stuck close by him as they snaked through the battlefield slaughtering their enemies.
They had fought side-by-side and forged a connection through that. Furthermore, the strength of the heritage that Yang Kai exhibited on the battlefield left both Special Operations Squads deeply in awe of him.
Thus, despite this being only their second meeting, neither of the two men felt like they were strangers.
Such was often the case on the battlefield. Prior acquaintanceships or connections did not matter, just being comrades-in-arms was enough to bridge all distances between people.
During the main battle, the Profound Wind Squad and Snow Wolves Squad had drained themselves of all their strength and had no choice but to return to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship. However, Yang Kai continued to weave his way through the battlefield alone and did so multiple times. The two Special Operations Squads stood aboard the Purifying Black Ink Battleship and witnessed everything clearly. They sorely wished they could rush out to fight alongside Yang Kai, but they did not have any strength left in them. Not being able to stand with him till the end was an immense regret.
“Pardon me for asking, but may I know how I should address you, Senior Brother?” Yang Kai asked a little apologetically.
They had fought a life-or-death battle together, but Yang Kai still had no idea what the other man’s name was.
The Profound Wind Squad Leader chuckled heartily, “I forgot to tell you my name, Brother Yang. I am Ma Gao.”
“So it is Senior Brother Ma!” Yang Kai cupped his fist in greeting before asking a little solemnly, “Senior Brother Ma, what was the outcome of the battle? As you know, I’ve been tending to my injuries after my return so I don’t know what happened in the end.”
Yang Kai had intended to find out from Mi Jing Lun, but since he ran into Ma Gao, it was easy enough to ask him instead.
Ma Gao sighed when he heard the question.
Yang Kai’s heart lurched at Ma Gao’s response, “What’s the matter? Did things go badly for us Humans?”
Yang Kai felt this was unlikely having spoken to Mi Jing Lun before he went to recover from his injuries as the latter had said that things were going well for the Humans.
[Did something happen after that to turn the tides?]
“No, it didn’t go badly for us Humans. During the battle, our Great Evolution North-South Army managed to slaughter over 300,000 of the Black Ink Clan Army, along with 6 Territory Lords and over 20 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. You could say it was a great victory for us.” Ma Gao paused for a moment before continuing, “But, we suffered quite a number of casualties too.”
“How many?”
“4 Eighth-Order Division Commanders, and 3,000 of those beneath the Eighth-Order,” Ma Gao reported sorrowfully.
Yang Kai froze for a moment before sighing heavily.
Just by numbers alone, the Humans did not lose even a tenth of what the Black Ink Clan did, but this was not the way to quantify the battle casualties.
Ever since the Humans began standing guard on the Black Ink Battlefield of all the various Great Passes, there had never been a battle with this many casualties aside from the one where Great Evolution Pass had been lost. The loss of four Eighth-Order Division Commanders was particularly damaging to the Great Evolution Northern and Southern Armies.
One had to know that in a typical war against the Black Ink Clan that spanned 100 years, it was quite normal for none of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to die, and usually less than 1,000 Human soldiers below the Eighth-Order would perish.
That was because the Humans had the Great Passes behind them. They could return to Inner Sanctum anytime and recuperate to prevent a large number of casualties.
Usually, there were only 30,000 to 40,000 people stationed at any Great Pass. If too many people were killed in a single war, the Cave Heavens and Paradises from the 3,000 Worlds couldn’t possibly send enough reinforcements over to make up for the losses.
Even though the Cave Heavens and Paradises had deep heritages, it wasn’t easy for them to nurture Open Heaven Realm Masters that were above the Sixth Order.
If extensive casualties were the norm, as more people were killed over time, the Great Passes would inevitably be snatched by the Black Ink Clan.
With the help of the Great Passes and Warships, the Humans were able to effectively kill the enemy while protecting themselves during the battles against the Black Ink Clan; however, it was a different case when it came to retaking Great Evolution Pass.
They could still rely on Warships to engage the enemy, but they no longer had a Great Pass behind them, just like what happened in the previous battle. When the war broke out, the North-South Army had no other choice but to continue fighting the Black Ink Clan regardless of the situation; hence, it was understandable that there were a larger number of casualties.
After the war, 3,000 out of 30,000 soldiers were killed. In other words, they had lost 10% of their forces in a single battle, which was truly heartbreaking.
Furthermore, 4 Eighth-Order Division Commanders had lost their lives.
“A Martial Uncle told me that, in comparison, Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples pose a greater threat to the Division Commanders than the Territory Lords.” Ma Gao looked slightly dejected, “That’s not just because Black Ink Disciples are Humans, so they’re more familiar with our capabilities, but primarily because of their mindset. Regardless of how powerful they are, they are only loyal to the Black Ink Clan. If the Territory Lords are unable to defeat the Division Commanders, they will run away; however, the Black Ink Disciples are different. Following the Territory Lords’ orders, they’re willing to risk their lives to fight against the Division Commanders despite knowing that they might perish. None of the deceased Division Commanders were killed by Territory Lords. It’s all because of the Black Ink Disciples’ madness!”
Yang Kai felt his heart sinking.
Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were not as powerful as the true Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters; however, if they were not concerned about their own survival, they would still be extremely dangerous foes.
That was the reason so many Black Ink Disciples lost their lives during the war this time. Following the Territory Lords’ orders, they were willing to sacrifice themselves so that the Territory Lords had a chance to flee.
It was imaginable that even though only 4 Eighth-Order Division Commanders were killed, there must be a lot of others who were seriously injured.
“Those Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples are all Humans, but they’ve sided with the Black Ink Clan and killed their own people. Outrageous!” Ma Gao angrily swung his arm, as though there was an invisible enemy standing in front of him.
Fortunately, they were well prepared when they were assembling an Army to retake Great Evolution Pass. Although there were only 30,000 soldiers in the North-South Army, they had some 60 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
It was thanks to this large number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters that the North-South Army could gain an upper hand when fighting against the top Masters from the previous Black Ink Clan Army which only had between 40 and 50 Territory Lords and the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples combined.
There was no doubt that the Humans held an advantageous position in such a battle.
If not for the fact that the Black Ink Disciples had gone mad during the pursuit and were willing to sacrifice their lives to protect the Territory Lords, which caused the Division Commanders from the North-South Army to be wary, all of the Territory Lords would’ve been killed during the battle.
The North-South Army chased after the Black Ink Clan Army for four days, but just as the enemy seemed ready to break, the Black Ink Clan reinforcements from Great Evolution Pass arrived.
When the Black Ink Army had retreated from the initial battle, they must have sent some people to seek help from the garrison at Great Evolution Pass. Upon learning that the Humans had ambushed their clansmen, the Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass were shocked.
Figuring that the Humans would be exhausted from a protracted battle, the Black Ink Clansmen from Great Evolution Pass decided to make a move.
About a day’s travel from Great Evolution Pass, the retreating Black Ink Army and their reinforcements met. The North-South Army dealt with this grouping for a while; however, knowing that they were unable to kill all these Black Ink Clansmen, they had no choice but to retreat to recuperate.
The North-South Army then established a base about two day’s march from Great Evolution Pass. They didn’t intend to cover themselves up as they blatantly hovered in the void in front of Great Evolution Pass, as if declaring they would attack anyone who dared to come out.
On the other hand, the Black Ink Clan had suffered immense losses this time. They had lost about 30 Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples in total, so they didn’t dare to provoke the Humans for the time being.
Both parties peacefully coexisted for now, but they all knew that it was just the calm before the storm. Perhaps an incident would take place at any moment and shatter the peace.
Regardless, this was the situation that those from the North-South Army wanted to see.
The previous battle was the most dangerous they had ever experienced, and many were either killed or injured, so they needed time to recover. Hence, they were glad to see the Black Ink Clan not make a move for now.
After the talk with Ma Gao, Yang Kai had a better understanding of the current situation.
Ma Gao had other matters to attend to, so he soon left the place.
After watching him leave, Yang Kai continued shuffling towards the conference hall.
When he arrived, he waited for the person on guard to inform the Army Commander about his arrival. Soon, he was told to see the Army Commander.
Upon entering the hall, he saw that Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie were having a discussion. They soon made a decision, then Ou Yang Lie left the place in a hurry.
It was only then that Mi Jing Lun had time to attend to Yang Kai. He lifted his gaze and asked, “Why don’t you rest for a bit longer? I doubt you’ve fully recovered.”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “I’m fine. I just came here to bid you farewell. The Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord must have fought with each other, so perhaps the Old Ancestor will need my help.”
Mi Jing Lun nodded, “I agree. In that case, you’d better get going now.”
“Do you have a word that you want me to pass on to others?” Yang Kai asked.
After giving it some thought, Mi Jing Lun replied with a smile, “Please tell Brother Xiang and Junior Sister Liu that I won’t allow the Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass to trouble the East-West Army, so they can act without constraints.”
“I’ll be sure to tell them,” Yang Kai nodded and cupped his fist again, “Farewell.”
“Be careful on your way,” Mi Jing Lun nodded.
Yang Kai didn’t have to bid anyone else farewell, so after leaving Mi Jing Lun’s office, he flew off towards the depths of the void.
Although he hadn’t fully recovered, it didn’t affect his mobility. As he manipulated Space Principles, his figure flickered. He would also try to activate the Universe Transference Law from time to time to sense the location of the East-West Army’s Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
He faced no obstacles along the way.
One day later, Yang Kai arrived at the outskirts of the Black Ink Clan’s territory. Usually, there would be a lot of Black Ink Clansmen in such a place; however, there wasn’t even one Black Ink Clansman in sight at this moment.
He even passed by a Feudal Lord’s Fief and realised that there were no living creatures around. It seemed that the Black Ink Clansmen had completely vanished.
This place was close enough for him to activate the Universe Transference Law and return to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship in the East-West Army, so he came to a stop before doing so. A glowing Array appeared beneath his feet, and by the time the light faded, Yang Kai had disappeared.
He was extremely familiar with the Universe Array and the interior of the Purifying Black Ink Battleships, so when he arrived, he promptly headed to the Space Array on the side, and through it arrived on the deck of this Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
There would always be a person guarding the Space Array of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship in the North-South Army, and similarly, there was a person guarding this place. The moment this Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master saw Yang Kai, his eyes brightened, “Senior Brother Yang!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master quickly followed up, “The Army Commander has ordered that you are to immediately see him on your return.”
“I’ll head over now,” as Yang Kai spoke, he turned to look in a certain direction.
When he left the North-South Army one day ago, he told Mi Jing Lun that the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord should have exchanged moves; now, it seemed that they were still fighting. He could tell because he could still feel the horrifying energy fluctuations coming from the depths of the void even though he was far away from their source.
Those were clearly the repercussions of the fight between the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord.
Many days had passed, but they were still locked in an intense battle.
Yang Kai was astounded. Before the North-South Army ambushed the Black Ink Clan Army, he had already felt the initial fallout of the beginning of their battle.
Seven or eight days had passed since then, but they were still fighting. It seemed that they were in a deadlock.
After giving it a thought though, Yang Kai realised that this wasn’t too surprising. Once powerful beings like the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord got into a fight, there wouldn’t be an outcome in a short time. If they wanted, they could fight for seven or eight years without halting, not to mention seven or eight days.
However, Yang Kai reckoned that even if the Royal Lord wanted to drag the fight out, the Old Ancestor wouldn’t cooperate.
She had asked Yang Kai to join this campaign, so it was apparent that she wanted to make use of his Small Universe to rapidly recover from her injuries. If he were in the Old Ancestor’s shoes, he would’ve found a chance to engage in an all-out clash with the Royal Lord with the goal of causing mutual damage. Hence, he supposed the battle would end in no time.
He then cast these thoughts away and headed straight to the conference hall.
This time, he didn’t even need to inform the Army Commander about his arrival as the moment a Senior Brother standing guard saw him coming over, he promptly led him inside. It seemed that the Army Commander had given orders in advance.
Xiang Shan and Liu Zhi Ping, as well as some Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, were all inside the conference hall.
Upon Yang Kai’s arrival, Xiang Shan ended the discussion they were having and asked, “You’re finally back. How was the trip?”
Yang Kai saluted them, “Greetings, Sirs. Fortunately, I’ve managed to complete my task.”
Xiang Shan nodded, “How is it going in the North-South Army now?”
Yang Kai replied, “They fought an intense battle before I came back. The 30,000 soldiers of the North-South Army intercepted the Black Ink Clan Army that departed from Great Evolution Pass. They managed to kill more than 300,000 Black Ink Clansmen, including 6 Territory Lords and over 20 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples.”
One of the Eighth-Order Division Commanders was elated upon hearing that, “That’s wonderful!”
On the other hand, Xiang Shan looked at the matter from a different perspective and asked with concern, “How about their own casualties?”
Yang Kai reported honestly, “4 Division Commanders and 3,000 soldiers below the Eighth Order died in battle.”
Liu Zhi Ping sighed, “That’s more or less the same as what we’d estimated.”
Xiang Shan rubbed his forehead, “En. No one could’ve expected there to be so many High-Rank Black Ink Disciples in the Great Evolution Theater. Every Territory Lord seems to have two or three Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples serving them.”
His words suggested that they were already aware of the existence of the excess of High-Rank Black Ink Disciples. It showed that the East-West Army had at least exchanged moves with the Black Ink Clan already.
This saved Yang Kai the trouble of explaining. He initially wanted to report to them about the Black Ink Disciples as a kind of warning, but since Xiang Shan and the others were already aware of the situation, he didn’t have to anymore.
After giving it a thought, Yang Kai realised that it wasn’t surprising. The North-South Army only had to attack the Black Ink Clan coming out of Great Evolution Pass. On the other hand, the East-West Army had to charge through the enemy’s territory, so there was no way that the journey would be smooth sailing.
Those High-Rank Black Ink Disciples could be said to be the tumours left behind in Great Evolution Pass 30,000 years ago. Those tumours were the losses that the Humans had suffered and also the obstacles that the Humans would face in the future.
“Sir Mi Jing Lun gave me a message to pass along,” Yang Kai said.
Xiang Shan replied, “Go on.”
“He said for the East-West Army to act freely, and that he will ensure that the Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass won’t pose a threat.”
Xiang Shan nodded, “Got it.” He then examined Yang Kai, “Are you injured?”
Yang Kai replied, “I’m fine.”
Xiang Shan went on to say, “Since you’re injured, you should go back to recuperate now. Good work.”
“It’s my duty,” Yang Kai cupped his fist and withdrew.
After he was gone, Liu Zhi Ping let out a sigh, “It seems that the North-South Army will have to suffer quite a bit to deal with the Black Ink Clan in Great Evolution Pass.”
Xiang Shan remarked, “It’s the same everywhere. The situation we’re facing is not optimistic either. There’s still a long road ahead if we want to destroy the Black Ink Clan and retake Great Evolution Pass.”
The other Eighth-Order Division Commanders nodded as they understood what he meant.
The Black Ink Clan was able to react remarkably quickly to any changes in the war as Black Ink Nests were unparalleled when it came to the transmission of information.
The plans that Xiang Shan had devised could be said to be immaculate. First of all, they let go of a Territory Lord in the Wind and Cloud Theater to alert their enemies. Then, they sent a Puppet Army to Great Evolution Pass to keep the Black Ink Clan focused on that front. Even the Royal Lord had personally headed to that place.
That way, the Black Ink Clan’s territory would be void of any powerful Masters. Without the Royal Lord in charge, the East-West Army could directly storm into their territory. If they could shatter the Royal City and destroy the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest, it would be much easier to retake Great Evolution Pass.
The Great Evolution Army was divided into two groups. One of them headed straight to the Black Ink Clan territory while the other ambushed the Black Ink Clansmen that left Great Evolution Pass. It was a well-thought-out plan.
If the transmission of information between the Black Ink Clan wasn’t so swift, the East-West Army could gradually weaken the Black Ink Clan’s power along the way while they headed to the Royal City. At the very least, they could weep clean a dozen Territory Lords’ territories, killing off those Territory Lords and their subordinates one by one.
Once that was done, the pressure that the East-West Army would face in the future would be greatly reduced.
However, not long after the East-West Army arrived at the Black Ink Clan’s domain and occupied a Territory Lord’s home territory, the news that the Humans had arrived spread across the entire Great Evolution Theater in an instant.
All the Territory Lords who stayed back led their Armies to the Royal City to protect that place. On the other hand, the Royal Lord promptly returned. He was an intelligent person, so he didn’t head straight to the Royal City. Instead, he intercepted the Old Ancestor and got into a fight with her, and their battle was still ongoing till this point.
The North-South Army had intercepted the first batch of Black Ink Clansmen from Great Evolution Pass, so the East-West Army fortunately didn’t have to worry about being attacked from the rear. Unfortunately, the Royal City must be heavily guarded now, so the East-West Army was sure to face a tough battle.
While it was difficult for the North-South Army, it would be even more strenuous for the East-West Army.
…..
The moment Yang Kai returned to Dawning Light, his Squad members approached him. Seeing that his face was pale, Feng Ying asked with concern, “Are you injured?”
Yang Kai nodded, “I had a fight with someone, but I’m fine. How are things here?”
Feng Ying replied, “We’re still heading towards our destination. Supposedly, we’re not far away from the Royal City now.”
They were not able to accelerate their pace with so many soldiers moving together; therefore, even though the North-South Army had already gone through a great battle, the East-West Army still hadn’t arrived at the Royal City.
When Yang Kai was coming back to Dawning Light, he already realised that the Army was still moving forward.
“Were there any fights here?” Yang Kai asked.
Feng Ying replied, “There were no proper battles to speak of. When we just arrived at the Black Ink Clan’s domain, we managed to take over a whole Territory Lord’s territory. It was a place with a Territory Lord, who had several Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, and several tens of thousands of soldiers. However, we effortlessly killed them all due to the huge gap between our forces.”
The Territory Lord’s territory that was destroyed belonged to Zhe Chong.
Upon receiving the Royal Lord’s order, he headed to Great Evolution Pass with his own army, and after he departed, another Territory Lord brought his own army to be stationed in Zhe Chong’s territory. That was because his territory was on the periphery, so the Royal Lord had ordered that all the Territory Lords had to head to the borders to get ready to lend assistance to Great Evolution Pass.
After all, there were about a million Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass right now, so the place couldn’t accommodate any more people.
To their surprise, the East-West Army never attacked Great Evolution Pass. Instead, they headed straight to the Black Ink Clan’s domain. The unlucky Territory Lord, who had only stayed in Zhe Chong’s territory for a few days, was killed by the East-West Army.
There was no doubt that luck wasn’t on his side.
“It was peaceful at first; however, in the past three days, the Black Ink Clan started harassing us from time to time. It seems that they’re trying to slow down our pace as we approach their Royal City.”
As soon as Feng Ying finished speaking, Yang Kai felt some fluctuations coming from a particular direction. It was apparent that some people were in a fight, but it wasn’t a large-scale battle.
The exchange of moves didn’t last for long. Barely a cup of tea’s time later, the noises died down. The fight didn’t even slow the Human Army down at all.
The Black Ink Clansmen were not fools.
There were 30,000 Human soldiers, 2,000 to 3,000 Warships, and 60 or so Eight-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in this Army. In order to deal with such a horrifying force, they had to mobilise an equal number of Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples as well as several hundred thousand Black Ink Clan soldiers.
If there hadn’t been so many Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass, they could have come together and intercepted the East-West Army in order to stop them from approaching the Royal City.
Nevertheless, there were about a million Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass, with roughly an equal number of Black Ink Clansmen left in the Black Ink Clan’s domain.
If they sent several hundred thousand people to attack the Humans, the defence around the Royal City would be significantly weakened. No one would dare to expose the Royal City to such a huge risk.
It would be wonderful if they could defeat the Humans and stop them from advancing further; however, if they lost the battle, they would no longer be able to protect the Royal City.
It would also be unwise to divide themselves into smaller groups. Only by gathering all their forces together in the Royal City would they stand a chance to deal with the Humans; therefore, the Territory Lords responsible for protecting the Royal City told the Territory Lords who were on their way to hasten their pace and only send some small groups to harass the Humans in an attempt to slow them down.
Their strategy was indeed effective as, although there were a lot of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the East-West Army, they couldn’t be constantly on the lookout for harassment from all directions.
These small groups from the Black Ink Clan ranged from 2,000 to 10,000 in number and were like vipers that were hiding in the darkness as they waited for a chance and jumped out from all directions to bite the East-West Army.
The Humans were initially unsuspecting, so they suffered some losses. Nevertheless, the leaders soon adapted. Following Xiang Shan’s order, the Eighth-Order Division Commanders scattered around the Army to maintain a perimeter. Since then, the harassment from the Black Ink Clan became significantly less effective.
Every time the Black Ink Clan launched a sneak attack, they would suffer immense losses.
Presently, the East-West Army hadn’t been greatly affected, but they were not sure what would happen when they arrived at the Royal City. The leaders would have to make a decision then.
Feng Ying and the others were curious about what was going on with the North-South Army, so they asked Yang Kai about it.
Yang Kai didn’t inform the members of Dawn when he left a while back; nevertheless, as he remained missing for such a long time, Feng Ying and the others naturally grew curious.
After asking around, they found out that Yang Kai had left their Army and headed to Great Evolution Pass in order to contact the North-South Army.
Since he had returned, it suggested that he had completed his task.
Yang Kai told them that the North-South Army had clashed with the Black Ink Clan’s Army. Although they had killed a lot of their opponents, 4 Eighth-Order Divisions Commanders and 3,000 cultivators below the Eighth Order had lost their lives.
When they heard this solemn news, all of them fell silent.
The moment they joined the Great Evolution Army, they knew that it would be a dangerous journey. Despite that, none of them had experienced any real danger so far.
As Yang Kai brought up the number of losses, they realised that it was more dangerous than they had imagined.
4 Eighth-Order Division Commanders lost their lives, so how were weaker cultivators like them supposed to protect themselves? Perhaps they would lose their lives in the next battle.
With that said, all of them had been cultivating for countless years, and it wasn’t the first day they arrived at the Black Ink Battlefield. They were all prepared for their eventual demise.
As long as they didn’t lose their lives meaninglessly, they would have no regrets.
The demise of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters made them feel dejected, so they were no longer in the mood to keep chatting. They returned to their own places and cultivated in an attempt to strengthen themselves.
For the following days, Yang Kai detected harassment from the Black Ink Clan on several occasions, but just like what happened previously, the noises soon died down.
What was strange was that at a certain point, all the harassment stopped.
Yang Kai had a feeling that they were not far away from the Royal City now; otherwise, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t have frequently harassed them and then stopped all of a sudden.
They were anxious because the Humans were getting close to the Royal City and frequently harassed them as a result. However, after discovering that harassment was no longer useful, they decided to stop wasting troops.
Just like Yang Kai had expected, one day later, the Army was given orders to stop.
Yang Kai was recuperating on the deck when he received the order. The messenger was passing on the order to everyone using Divine Sense and soon left to inform the soldiers at the back.
If the East-West Army was compared to a Dragon, Dawning Light was located in the Dragon Claw area.
Hence, they were able to clearly see what was ahead of them.
The moment Yang Kai received the order, he opened his eyes and gazed at the front.
From afar, he could see that darkness had covered a large area of the void, and there seemed to be something magnificent in the middle of the darkness.
The last time Yang Kai saw something similar, he was outside of the Royal City in the Yin-Yang Theatre; therefore, he immediately realised that the darkness was where the Royal City was located.
At this moment, the East-West Army was in a spot that would only take a person half a day to reach the Royal City.
The Army Commanders seemed to be acting rather boldly, as though they had no regard for the Black Ink Clan whatsoever. While the North-South Army was stationed two days away from Great Evolution Pass, the East-West Army was stationed just outside of the Royal City.
The distance between the Armies of the two Races was short, and the slightest anomaly might lead to a war.
Although they were in a place where it would take half a day to reach the Royal City, Yang Kai could see a lot of people moving around on the other side.
However, he was unable to clearly see it as the distance was still too great.
Therefore, he decided to activate the Demon Eye of Annihilation and observed intently.
Soon, he could clearly see what was going on over there. The Eye Secret Technique was useful in such situations as not only could it help the user see through all falsities and apply pressure to enemies, but it could also enhance the user’s eyesight.
Within the darkness was indeed where the Royal City was located, and the magnificent structure there was none other than the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest, which looked like a giant flower that was yet to blossom.
As the Black Ink Nest pulsed, a lot of Black Ink Strength spurted out of it and spread across the entire Royal City.
There was no doubt that the Black Ink Clansmen living in this place had the best environment to cultivate in. It was the same for the Humans who had occupied the best Cave Heavens and Paradises that suited them.
However, at this moment, the atmosphere in the Royal City was pretty intense. Yang Kai did not only see that there were a lot of Black Ink Clansmen moving around in the Royal City, but there were also a large number of Black Ink Clan soldiers who were stationed outside of the Royal City.
These Black Ink Clan soldiers were brought to the Royal City by the Territory Lords who had rushed over to this place in recent days. Presently, they had set up defensive positions as they prepared to deal with the Human Race Army.
The sight prompted Yang Kai to let out a sigh.
Although the East-West Army had gotten off to a good start, they arrived at this place too late as the Black Ink Clan had ample time to get ready. If the East-West Army had arrived at the Royal City earlier, they could have easily destroyed the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest and retaken Great Evolution Pass.
Once the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest was destroyed, all Black Ink Nests in the Great Evolution Theatre would wither. By then, all the Black Ink Clansmen here would be like a tree without roots or a river without a source. Without Black Ink Nests, no new Black Ink Clansmen could be born; at that point, the Great Evolution Army wouldn’t even have to directly clash with the enemy, they could just slowly weaken them and eventually occupy this entire Theatre.
But now, the Black Ink Clan had rallied together around the Royal City, so it wouldn’t be possible for the East-West Army to destroy the High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
Standing beside Yang Kai, Feng Ying asked, “Is that the Royal City?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes.”
“That’s some really thick Black Ink Strength,” Qi Tai Chu sighed.
Although they had been fighting against the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield for a thousand to several thousand years, it was the first time they were so close to a Royal City. It wasn’t until this moment that they realised how grand it truly was.
The progress against the Black Ink Clan in the Blue Sky Theatre was pretty swift. It was the first Theatre where the Humans had their own forward base.
However, the forward base was still far away from the Royal City. The Black Ink Clan in Blue Sky Theatre were only forced to give up a half of their territory.
This was the first time Humans had gotten so close to a Royal City, putting them practically on the Black Ink Clan’s doorstep.
The thick Black Ink Strength exuding from the Royal City astounded the Humans. The Black Ink Clouds they had encountered in the past weren’t comparable to the ones they were seeing now.
They were also awestruck by the High-Rank Black Ink Nest. Those Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests they had destroyed in the past were not comparable to the one in this place. It was like the difference between a Grandfather and his Grandson.
While they were astonished, they were also excited.
It was the first time in history that Humans had managed to come to the Black Ink Clan’s doorstep. Although it had been a bumpy journey, it was a breakthrough for the Human Race.
This breakthrough also meant that the deadlock that had been ongoing for countless years on the Black Ink Battlefield had finally been shaken.
Since they were already in this place, battle would be inevitable. Nevertheless, none of them knew how or when the war would break out.
As the leaders had told them to stay in place for the time being, it seemed that they didn’t intend to immediately launch an attack on the Royal City.
This was understandable seeing how the East-West Army had to come all the way to this place while the Black Ink Clan were fortifying their Royal City’s defenses. If the Humans launched an attack now, they would be the ones suffering a setback.
How would the leaders achieve a breakthrough in such a situation?
Yang Kai fell into his thoughts as he pondered on what he would do if he were the Army Commander of the East-West Army.
After giving it a thought, he believed that they’d better get some rest first while it would be ideal if they could lure some Black Ink Clansmen out of the Royal City.
The situation the two Races were in seemed to have turned around. Usually, it would be the Black Ink Clan attacking the Great Passes while the Humans defended themselves; however, this time round, it was the Humans attacking the Black Ink Clan while the latter was forced to defend themselves.
Nevertheless, the Royal City was not as sturdy as the Great Passes occupied by the Human Race. Strictly speaking, the Great Passes were actually enormous Mobile Palace Artifacts that were built by their forefathers, and they had been continuously refined and enhanced over the generations. These safe havens had helped the Humans ward off the Black Ink Clan countless times.
On the other hand, the Royal City was different. No Humans had ever attacked a Royal City before, so the Black Ink Clan had never thought about building defences around it.
This was the biggest difference between the Royal City and the Great Passes. It was also something that the Humans could make use of.
Certainly, there were areas where the Humans were weaker than the Black Ink Clan. Although there were 30,000 people in the East-West Army, several thousand of them were actually craftsmen who specialized in the Daos of Artifact Refining, Alchemy, and Arrays. As these specialists were excluded from direct combat, there were only 26,000 to 27,000 people who could go to war, and they had to ensure that there wouldn’t be a lot of casualties. When the Black Ink Clansmen attacked the Great Passes, they wouldn’t worry about the loss of lives; in fact, the Territory Lords and Feudal Lords had no regard for the lives of the lower-rank Black Ink Clansmen.
The Humans could never use the same tactic.
While Yang Kai was pondering on this issue, he suddenly felt an anomaly happening in a particular direction. He turned his head and saw several rays of lights charging forward in that direction.
They were all Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
[Where are they going?] Yang Kai was puzzled, and the members of Dawn were equally perplexed.
Half a day later, they finally got their answer.
Once again, some Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters leaped into the void and worked together to place down some artifacts.
Yang Kai’s brow twitched as he watched them.
Ning Qi Zhi stroked his chin as he gazed at the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, who were pretty busy now, and asked doubtfully, “If I’m not mistaken, they’re trying to set up a set of Void Yin-Yang Mirrors. Am I right?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes, they’re Yin-Yang Mirrors.”
Yang Kai was the one who originally created this set of Artifacts, which was then enhanced by Grandmaster Ma Fan. The Humans from different Great Passes had learned how to make them and improved upon the initial design. This new version did not require someone with the knowledge of the Dao of Space to use. With the help of this artifact, one could literally flip parts of the Void, transferring massive objects across vast distances. The Void Yin-Yang Mirrors had allowed for a much more convenient mining of resources, increasing the available resources in the Great Passes severalfold.
It could be said this new version of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors had helped all the Great Passes amass a large amount of materials.
Now that they were setting up a set of Void Yin-Yang Mirrors in this place, their goal was obvious.
Upon realising the reason behind it, Qi Tai Chu commented, “They’re trying to build a forward base here. It seems that they’ve decided to enter a prolonged fight with the Black Ink Clan.”
It wasn’t certain whether the Black Ink Clan had deliberately done it, but the void around the Royal City was empty. There wasn’t even a single shattered universe fragment, let alone Universe Worlds.
With that said, it was understandable. The Black Ink Nests would consume a lot of resources in order to nurture new Black Ink Clansmen. The Universe Worlds around the Royal City must have been fully extracted and then disposed of.
Besides the Royal City, it was similar for all the territories owned by Territory Lords and Feudal Lords.
Therefore, the place where the East-West Army was located was completely empty without any cover at all. Regardless of what they did or what plans they came up with, the Black Ink Clan could clearly see everything. On the other hand, there was Black Ink Strength that concealed the entire Royal City, making Humans unable to peer through the darkness.
In order to even the playing field, they had to move a Universe World to this place. With a Universe World around, they could turn it into a base of operations. Although it wouldn’t be as useful as a Great Pass, it was better than nothing.
By doing so, they could exert more pressure on the Black Ink Clan as well.
With the Humans openly building a forward base right at their doorstep, would the Black Ink Clan make a move? Certainly, the Humans hoped that the Black Ink Clan would launch an attack. Xiang Shan and the others would like nothing more than to see the Black Ink Clan leave the Royal City. If the enemy did not launch an attack now, it would be harder to deal with the Humans when the latter finished building their forward base.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters that had left this place half a day ago must have been searching for a suitable Universe World.
This simple move would put the Black Ink Clan soldiers in a tight spot.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but think that the leaders of the Army were indeed like aged ginger, spicier than the young stuff. With that said, if he were the one in charge, he would have made the same decision. It was the best option.
It wasn’t that hard to arrange a set of Void Yin-Yang Mirrors. There were two sets of Mirrors, namely the Yin Mirrors and the Yang Mirrors. Currently, there were eight Mirrors set up in different places in the void. When the artifacts were activated, the place that was locked by Yin Mirror and Yang Mirror would flip like a mirror, initiating an exchange between two places.
Shortly after, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were done setting up the artifacts. Now, all they had to do was wait.
When the Division Commanders found an appropriate Universe World, they would activate the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
The Black Ink Clansmen were both furious and astounded when the Human soldiers marched towards them; however, when they saw that the Humans had stopped in a place that would take half a day to reach from the Royal City, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Certainly, what the Humans had been doing couldn’t be hidden from the Territory Lords; however, they had no idea what the Humans were up to.
Before they ascertained the Humans’ intentions, they wouldn’t dare to make a rash move, nor would they be willing to do so. All the Territory Lords hoped that the Royal Lord could defeat or even kill the Human Old Ancestor. Once the most powerful Master on the Humans’ side was removed from the picture, the Humans would automatically lose the fight.
Having said that, it wasn’t likely to happen, for it wasn’t easy to deal with an Old Ancestor.
Initially, they hoped that their fellow Clansmen from Great Evolution Pass would come so that they could pincer the Humans from both sides. However, the news they heard from Great Evolution Pass enraged them.
The cunning Humans had left behind an Army just outside of Great Evolution Pass. As they clashed, the Black Ink Clansmen coming out of Great Evolution Pass were either killed or seriously injured. Left with no choice, they were forced to confront the Human Race Army there.
The Territory Lords looked intently and saw some dots of light flickering in the void. The dots of light were already dazzling the moment they appeared.
As the dots of light resonated with each other, they seemed to seal a portion of the Void within them.
The next instant, layers of ripples started spreading from the Void that was locked by the lights.
The Territory Lords outside the Royal City couldn’t help but widen their eyes and watch attentively.
At this moment, they were wary of anything that the Humans were doing.
As they looked intently, more and more ripples spread from the Void. As it happened, a phantom image started appearing.
The gigantic phantom looked like a Universe World; however, the phantom was somewhere between real and illusory, so they were unable to clearly identify it for now.
Soon though, the Territory Lords could see it with clarity. It was indeed a Universe World’s shadow. Moreover, the shadow was solidifying by the breath, as though it was turning physical.
One of the Territory Lords even recognised this Universe World, which would take a person about a day to arrive at from the Royal City.
It was purely a coincidence. When this Territory Lord came to the Royal Lord to attend to some matters more than 10 years ago, he happened to take a rest on that Universe World. He had observed the Universe World’s terrain, so he could still remember it; therefore, even though it was just its shadow, he could instantly recognise it.
The discovery shocked the Territory Lords.
They initially thought that it was just a phantom image, but now it seemed that the Humans were using some kind of special technique to move a Universe World over.
[What are the Humans trying to achieve?]
While they were both shocked and doubtful, the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors started to flip the Void. The Universe World that would take a person a day to reach from the Royal City now appeared in the void as it hovered in silence. Nevertheless, this Universe World was desolate and void of any vitality.
All of the Universe Worlds on the Black Ink Battlefield looked just like this. Their World Forces had been sucked dry by the Black Ink Clan, and without World Force, those Universe Worlds would wither and die.
After the Universe World stabilised, a Purifying Black Ink Battleship flew towards the Universe World under the protection of several Battalion Class Warships.
Following that, a large number of cultivators that came in groups of different sizes stepped out of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship and Battalion Class Warships and began dispersing around the Universe World.
The Universe World that was moved to this place by the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters using the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors looked like a gigantic sphere. Although it was quite massive, it wasn’t hard for Open Heaven Realm Masters to move around it.
A Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could circumnavigate the Universe World in half a cup of tea’s time.
The cultivators that had left the warships were all Array Masters and Artifact Refiners, 2,000 in total. They soon scattered around the Universe World as they examined the terrain and looked for suitable spots.
Yang Kai and the others could clearly see what they were doing, so at this point, the leaders’ intention was obvious to them.
The Universe World that had been moved to this place would be turned into a forward base, just like the forward base in the Blue Sky Theatre.
They had been part of establishing the forward base in the Blue Sky Theatre and suppressing the Black Ink Clan over the years, and by now it was a robust fortress. Furthermore, the forward base was connected to Blue Sky Pass through a series of Universe Arrays. Regardless of what the Black Ink Clan did, they couldn’t remove the forward base anymore.
After all, the Territory Lords from the Blue Sky Theatre had suffered immense losses after the war back then and it wasn’t certain how long it would take them to recover.
Before they could nurture enough Territory Lords, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t pose a threat to the forward base in the Blue Sky Theatre.
Now, the Eighth-Order Masters who were the leaders of the East-West Army had spent some effort moving a Universe World to this place and were planning to turn it into a forward base, which would serve the same purpose as the forward base in the Blue Sky Theatre.
However, the East-West Army’s current location was far more provocative. It was expected that the Black Ink Clan would be furious once they figured out what was happening.
The forward base in the Blue Sky Theatre was still far away from the Royal City; however, the East-West Army was camped out right at the Black Ink Clan’s doorstep.
It was a real question whether the Black Ink Clansmen could tolerate it.
While the Artifact Refiners and the Array Masters were busy building the new forward base, the leaders of the Army told all the soldiers to be prepared for any potential attacks from the enemies.
The leaders were apparently wary of what the Black Ink Clan might do.
Regardless of whether the Black Ink Clan would launch an attack or not, the Humans would be in an advantageous position. If the enemy didn’t make a move, the Humans would be able to complete their forward base. However, if the enemy rashly attacked, the East-West Army wouldn’t be afraid to confront them out in the void. The Human Race had come all the way here to fight against the Black Ink Clan; thus, they needed to kill their opponents and complete military objectives to make their sacrifices worthwhile.
On the other hand, the Black Ink Clan had no idea how to deal with such a situation.
A commotion broke out among the Territory Lords the moment they realised the Humans’ intentions.
Presently, there were 30 or so Territory Lords that had gathered together outside the Royal City. The number was slightly higher than the number of Territory Lords in Great Evolution Pass.
Initially, there were close to 90 Territory Lords in the Great Evolution Theatre, which was higher than average for any given Theatre.
That was because it had been peaceful in the Great Evolution Theatre for the past 30,000 years. The Black Ink Clan had ample time to cultivate in peace, so they naturally had more Territory Lords.
From time to time, these Territory Lords would bring their Armies to lend a hand to their fellow clansmen at Wind and Cloud Pass or Azure Void Pass. Although they would always be defeated, most Territory Lords could come back alive, at the very least. Mostly it would be the High and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen they had brought to the battlefield that lost their lives.
Therefore, there had always been some 90 or so Territory Lords in Great Evolution Theatre over the years. The number might vary from time to time, but there wouldn’t be a drastic change.
However, the Humans had deployed soldiers from Wind and Cloud Pass and Azure Void Pass this time. They were so ferocious that the Black Ink Clansmen in the Azure Void Theatre and the Wind and Cloud Theatre were soon defeated. Even the reinforcements sent from Great Evolution Theatre had lost their lives.
In the battle against the Black Ink Clan outside of Wind and Cloud Pass, the East-West Army managed to kill close to 300,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers and 11 Territory Lords. Those were all Territory Lords from the Great Evolution Theatre.
The same thing happened outside Azure Void Pass. All of the reinforcements who had been fighting there from Great Evolution Theatre were defeated.
As a result, some 20 Territory Lords from Great Evolution Theatre had lost their lives. It could be said that they had suffered tremendous losses.
Hence, there were a total of only about 70 Territory Lords in the Great Evolution Theatre right now, and they were divided into two groups. One of the groups was in Great Evolution Pass while the other was in the Royal City. The numbers were basically equally divided.
The Humans’ intentions were obvious, so the Territory Lords could naturally see it.
At that moment, more than 30 Territory Lords were locked in an argument, with two opposing points of view.
One of the groups thought that the Human soldiers must be exhausted from the long journey, so now was the time to attack. At the very least, they wouldn’t allow the Humans to provoke them by building a forward base just outside the Royal City. These aggressive Territory Lords were the majority.
This couldn’t be helped, as the Great Evolution Theatre had been completely ruled over by the Black Ink Clan for the past 30,000 years. Over the years, they had always regarded the entire Theatre as their territory. Certainly, they couldn’t put up with these Humans who came out of nowhere and made a scene in their home.
Compared to these aggressive Territory Lords, the other group was more conservative.
Through the Black Ink Nests, they had learned about the outcome of the war at Great Evolution Pass. After that war, 6 Territory Lords, over 20 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, and 300,000 soldiers had lost their lives. The number of casualties was terrifying.
In the Great Evolution Theatre, the Black Ink Clan had never suffered such immense losses over the past 30,000 years.
And all this was also when they were facing far fewer Human soldiers.
From what they had gathered, only 30,000 Humans had fought in that battle in total. Although they had a lot of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and their Warships certainly played a big role, the outcome showed that the Humans were truly powerful.
30,000 Humans could already kill so many Black Ink Clansmen outside of Great Evolution Pass, so the same number of Humans outside the Royal City wouldn’t be weak either.
If they got into a fight, the Humans would definitely suffer, but the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t be in a better state; they might even come out worse than before. Whatever the outcome, it was inevitable for some of the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples to lose their lives if they fought.
Since the stronger Black Ink Clansmen all innately feared death, they were worried that they would be the ones getting killed.
The conservative Territory Lords knew that by not making a move now, it was like giving the Humans a chance to sharpen their blades, and once those blades were sharp enough, it would pose a huge threat to the Black Ink Clan.
With that said, they had their own considerations.
The battle between the Royal Lord and the Old Ancestor hadn’t ended.
Everything would be fine if the Royal Lord won the battle; however, if the Royal Lord was defeated, and they didn’t manage to defeat the enemy at their doorstep, the Royal City would be destroyed.
Therefore, they wanted to play it safe for now so that they would remain a threat to the Humans.
Furthermore, it had been some time since the Royal Lord and the Old Ancestor first clashed, so they figured it would not be long before the battle came to an end. Perhaps the Royal Lord would return to the Royal City soon, and when that happened, he would decide whether they should launch an attack or hold their lines. Hence, they wouldn’t have to worry about anything else, nor would it be a waste of time by not making a move.
As they couldn’t see eye to eye, the Territory Lords continued to argue. None of them could convince the other side.
As a result, they were not able to launch an attack on the Humans and could only watch as the enemy made their arrangements on the newly moved Universe World.
Certainly, the aggressive Territory Lords were infuriated, thinking that they had missed an opportunity; however, without the cooperation from the conservative Territory Lords, they wouldn’t be able to launch an attack on the Humans.
On a barren mountain in the Universe World, Xiang Shan looked into the void with his hands behind his back. His gaze seemed able to ignore the restraint of distance and clearly see what the Black Ink Clansmen were doing in the Royal City.
“What a shame,” Xiang Shan said impassively.
Liu Zhi Ping, who was standing beside him, turned to look at him, “Senior Brother Xiang, do you think the Black Ink Clan won’t attack us?”
Xiang Shan replied, “A long time has passed already. They would have attacked us already if they wanted to. Since they don’t seem to have the intention of launching an attack, they won’t be coming anytime soon. It seems that none of the Territory Lords is authoritative enough to make a decision.”
Liu Zhi Ping replied with a smile, “The Royal Lord is the most powerful being among the Black Ink Clan. The Territory Lords working for the Royal Lord have their own territories and subordinates, so while they wouldn’t dare to disobey the Royal Lord, they are all on equal footing amongst themselves. It’s unlike the strict military structure we have.”
Xiang Shan nodded gently.
Liu Zhi Ping went on to say, “Regardless, we can seize the chance to get some rest and establish the forward base. Once we gain a foothold here and recover, we can come up with a way to lure the enemies out of the Royal City.”
“You have a point, Junior Sister. I share the same sentiment.”
All of a sudden, Liu Zhi Ping turned to look at him with a pair of bright eyes, “Do you already have a solution?”
Instead of replying to her question, Xiang Shan asked, “Why do you think so?”
Shaking her head, Liu Zhi Ping replied, “I just feel that you’re quite confident. It’s apparent that you’ve given it some consideration; otherwise, you wouldn’t have told some people to look for a suitable Universe World not long after we arrived at this place. Since you already expected the current situation, you certainly have a follow-up plan.”
Xiang Shan put on a smile, “I do have an idea that I want to discuss with you.”
Liu Zhi Ping felt somewhat dejected. In fact, she was an intelligent person; however, after leading the East-West Army alongside Xiang Shan all this time, she realised that she was nowhere as quick-witted as the latter.
When it came to military affairs, while she could see one step in front of her, Xiang Shan could already see three to four steps ahead.
Prior to working with Xiang Shan, who was from Blue Sky Pass, she had already heard a lot about him. It wasn’t until she started working with him that she realised the man was truly gifted when it came to military affairs. He was born with this gift, and no one else could imitate him.
There were a total of 2,000 Arrays Masters and Artifact Refiners who were working together, all of them above the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Before this, the soldiers from the East-West Army had no idea how efficient it would be when so many Array Masters and Artifact Refiners worked together, but now they could witness it.
Right after the Universe World was moved to this place, the Array Masters and the Artifact Refiners started collaborating. It took them two days to fully survey the Universe World’s terrain; after that, more than 10 leaders gathered together and came up with a plan.
Three days later, a Grand Array framework was established on this huge Universe World.
Although three days had passed, the Black Ink Clan still remained silent. It was basically confirmed that the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t launch an attack. If they had the intention of attacking the Humans, they wouldn’t have waited for three days, they would have taken action before the Humans could organize themselves.
The Array Masters and the Artifact Refiners, who were initially in a hurry, became at ease now.
Since the framework had been completed, they just had to fill it with different arrays. They also had to continuously modify the connection and coordination between the arrays.
This framework was the result of the planning of all the Array Masters in the East-West Army, and with the help of the Artifact Refiners, the Array Masters could quickly get any artifacts they needed. There was basically no wasted time.
Although a lot of resources had been consumed, no one would worry about that given the circumstances.
Resources and manpower were naturally of utmost importance in a war.
Back then, in order to attract the Black Ink Clan’s attention, Xiang Shan told the Artifact Refiners to craft several tens of thousands of puppets and send them to Great Evolution Pass. Now, he didn’t mind consuming some resources to build this forward base.
As long as they could occupy the Great Evolution Theatre, they would be able to extract as many materials as they pleased in this expansive void. By then, they wouldn’t have to worry about a lack of resources. They would be rewarded handsomely in the future for their hard work today.
Five days had passed in the blink of an eye.
Over 10,000 individual arrays had been arranged on this Universe World, and with their activation, this Universe World, which was initially just an ordinary rock, now exuded a dangerous aura.
They had made such an achievement in just a few days, so it was imaginable that if these Array Masters were given enough time, they would be able to turn this Universe World into a robust fortress.
All this time, the Black Ink Clan still didn’t take any action.
Xiang Shan and the others had already expected it, so they were not surprised.
Violent energy fluctuations could still be felt coming from the depths of the void. Although they were far away from that place, everyone could still detect the dangerous aura that came from this fallout.
Those were the repercussions of the clash between the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord.
It had been half a month since their fight began, but the battle still hadn’t ended, and no one knew when it would end.
Finally, there came a moment when the continuous shockwaves abruptly stopped and no more energy fluctuations were felt coming from that place.
At that instant, both the Humans and the Black Ink Clansmen couldn’t help but look in the direction where the fluctuations were previously emanating from, their hearts all seemingly stuck in their throats.
The battle between the two top Masters had ended!
Who was the winner?
Was one of them killed?
The outcome of the battle would affect the fate of these soldiers of the two Races greatly.
As they stared intently, a dazzling light was seen approaching them at full speed from the depths of the void. The moment they spotted this ray of light, it was still far away, but in the blink of an eye, it had moved across millions of kilometres and by the time they blinked, it had become much closer.
While the Humans were excited, the Black Ink Clansmen were horrified.
This couldn’t be helped, as a light of such brightness could only belong to the Old Ancestor. The Royal Lord could never emit such brilliance.
Just like what they had expected, as the light approached, the aura of an Open Heaven Realm Master that could overturn the universe spread out imposingly. There was no doubt that it was the Old Ancestor.
The Black Ink Clansmen instantly went on full alert.
They had no idea what was going on with the Royal Lord, but the Human Old Ancestor had returned while the former was still nowhere in sight. It was apparent that he was in a terrible state.
If the Old Ancestor decided to make a move on them, they wouldn’t be able to counterattack without the Royal Lord around.
In an instant, all the Black Ink Clansmen inside and outside of the Royal City were panicking.
However, they were pleasantly surprised to see that the Old Ancestor didn’t have the intention of attacking them. Instead, she dashed towards the Humans’ side and soon disappeared into the Universe World.
The Territory Lords’ eyes brightened when they saw that.
There was no doubt that the Old Ancestor was badly injured; otherwise, she wouldn’t have ignored them.
In that case, the situation wasn’t as terrible as they thought. Since the Old Ancestor was no longer able to make a move against them, what about the Royal Lord?
While they were lost in their thoughts, from the direction where the Old Ancestor appeared from, a cloud of darkness stealthily approached.
Compared to the grandiose display the Old Ancestor made earlier, the Royal Lord’s appearance was somewhat furtive.
These clever Territory Lords instantly figured out that the Royal Lord must be terribly injured as well, just like the Human Old Ancestor; otherwise, he wouldn’t be acting so cautiously.
When the Royal Lord was close enough, the Territory Lords could feel that his aura was indeed unstable. It was obvious that he was heavily wounded.
They hurriedly went over to protect the Royal Lord.
At the same time, they reported to him what the Human soldiers had been doing and asked him to make a decision on what they should do.
While they were at it, the Territory Lords of different stances argued and accused one another, trying to shift the blame for whatever was to come.
The Royal Lord was already furious to begin with, and seeing his Territory Lords endlessly pestering him, his fury erupted like a volcano. As he released his pressure, the Territory Lords instantly shut their mouths.
As he swept a dispassionate glance over them, he couldn’t help but have the urge to kill them all to vent his rage.
He had suffered a huge setback because of the Old Ancestor.
Since he became a Royal Lord, he had only dealt with an Old Ancestor once; therefore, even though he was powerful, he was unable to fully utilise his strength when exchanging moves with a Human of the same calibre.
Moreover, this Old Ancestor was like a rabid dog when fighting him, not caring one bit about defending herself as long as she could bite off a piece of his flesh. As a result, he had been badly suppressed during the entire fight.
There were even several times when he almost lost his life and presently, one of the black wings on his back had turned limp.
That wing had nearly been torn off his back by the Old Ancestor.
A chill ran down his spine as he recalled that moment.
[That bitch is insane!]
Although he had only dealt with a Ninth-Order Master once prior to this battle, and it happened over 30,000 years ago, he knew that the fights between Royal Lords and Old Ancestors almost never resulted in death for either side. No one would really be aiming to kill the other party.
Given how strong they were, no one could intervene in their battles, and no one could guarantee that they would be the last one standing. Each strike might also be fatal; thus, they would act cautiously.
However, this female Old Ancestor was different. She seemed determined to kill him the moment they clashed.
Fortunately, he wasn’t unprepared.
He had speculated that the Humans intended to retake Great Evolution Pass, and upon learning that the Old Ancestor that was in charge came from Yin-Yang Pass, he contacted the Royal Lord from the Yin-Yang Theatre through his Black Ink Nest.
Although he had never exchanged moves with the Old Ancestor who was in charge of the invading Human Army, the Royal Lord from Yin-Yang Theatre was her arch nemesis.
After the conversation, he learned a lot of useful experiences from the Royal Lord from the Yin-Yang Theatre and had at least some understanding of the methods this Old Ancestor could use.
It was thanks to this information that he was able to deal with the Old Ancestor’s violent attacks and preserve his own life.
Despite that, he was still badly battered after the fight.
Having said that, that crazy woman wasn’t in a better state either. It could be said that they were mutually wounded after the battle. He had suffered a setback, but it was negligible in the long run as the other party was in a similar state.
He was already furious to begin with, so upon returning to the Royal City and being bombarded with his subordinate Territory Lords’ arguments, it was only natural he flew into a rage.
The Human soldiers were already at their doorstep, so the Territory Lords should have launched an attack before they established a foothold, but instead, they gave the Humans ample time to rest and even build a forward base.
[Wastes!]
Although he was infuriated, he knew what the Territory Lords were worried about; moreover, it was pointless to blame it on them at this point.
Since they had missed the best chance, it was unwise to launch an attack on the Humans now.
He endured the pain and asked, “Where are the reinforcements from Great Evolution Pass?”
Before he left Great Evolution Pass, he had ordered them to send troops to the Royal City and reckoned that they should have arrived by now.
The Territory Lords gloomily exchanged glances before one of them with a distinctive hunched back, making him look like an old turtle with a hard shell, reported, “Sir, the reinforcements were intercepted by the Humans on their way here. Many were injured or killed, so they had no choice but to withdraw back to Pass.”
The Royal Lord’s brow twitched when he heard that.
[It seems that nothing is going to go well for me.]
When he was still in Great Evolution Pass earlier, he heard from Hong Di that there were some Human soldiers who were hiding outside Great Evolution Pass. Nevertheless, they were unable to find out their whereabouts.
Now, it seemed that the Human soldiers had ruined their plans. With their presence outside Great Evolution Pass, it was impossible for the Black Ink Clansmen there to lend a hand.
In other words, the Royal City was in a state of isolation.
Fortunately, the Humans were divided as well. It wasn’t the worst-case scenario yet for the Black Ink Clan.
The Territory Lord, who looked like an old turtle, said cautiously, “Royal Lord, please make a decision on whether we should launch an attack or focus on defending the Royal City.”