The drawback to the Humans was good news to the Black Ink Clan.
Now, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were unable to make a move as they had to sustain the strange Grand Array; however, the Black Ink Clan were not restrained at all.
In other words, the Eighth-Order Masters were in a situation where they couldn’t counterattack, and regardless of how powerful the Grand Array was, there had to be a limit. As long as the Black Ink Clan continuously attacked, there would come a moment when this shield was shattered.
Upon that realisation, the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples stopped hesitating as they chased after the Dragon and cast their Secret Techniques.
On the other hand, after the Humans activated the Intertwining Branches Formation, their defence had indeed been boosted greatly, but their destructive power had also been considerably weakened. For that reason, the Dragon could no longer rampage smoothly as it appeared somewhat sluggish now.
They were efficient earlier as the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could act freely to kill the enemy. Now that they were unable to use their Secret Techniques as they pleased, the Humans appeared less intimidating.
Besides that, as the powerful Black Ink Clansmen relentlessly attacked the Intertwining Branches Formation, the Spirit Array started showing signs of collapsing.
Xiang Shan promptly led the Human soldiers to retreat. The Black Ink Clansmen chased after them and continued to attack. It wasn’t until the Humans were 10 million kilometres away from the Royal City that the Black Ink Clan stopped.
Right then, the 16 Universe Worlds finally arrived. The 30% of the Black Ink Army on the right side easily intercepted them, ensuring that the Royal City was not damaged one bit.
The Black Ink Clan had suffered fewer losses this time than the previous battle, mainly because they were caught off guard by the Humans 20 years ago. Now that they had put their guard up, they ended up in a better situation.
Regardless, they had still lost several tens of thousands of troops, including many Feudal Lords.
The Humans had suffered some losses as well, but with the Intertwining Branches Formation’s protection, the damage was minimal.
A few days later, the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord returned to their own places and recuperated.
After this battle, the Human soldiers would launch an attack on the Royal City every 20 years or so. Basically, the Old Ancestor would make a move first and lure the Royal Lord away. Following that, the two Armies would engage in an intense battle.
Unlike the Black Ink Clan’s rigid defence, the Humans had many tricks up their sleeves.
The Intertwining Branches Formation underwent several improvements. In the past, it couldn’t be easily stopped once it was activated, but now they could stop or start this Grand Array as they pleased. When the Spirit Array was running, the Division Commanders could connect their Battalion-Class Warships and provide the best defence to the long Dragon. The moment the Spirit Array stopped running, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could slaughter their enemies.
As they effortlessly switched between defence and offence, the Black Ink Clan found themselves powerless to deal with them.
Also, the East-West Army wouldn’t just launch an attack on the Royal City from the left side.
In one of the battles, 20,000 soldiers from the East-West Army followed behind the more than 10 Universe Worlds and struck the Royal City from the right side.
The Black Ink Clan suffered immense losses during that clash.
That was because they had been focused on monitoring the Humans’ forward base and failed to detect any mobilisation of Warships at the time.
During that battle, while nothing major happened at the station, more than 10 Universe Worlds appeared out of nowhere and flew at the right side of the Royal City.
The Black Ink clan forces on the right side of the Royal City certainly had no regard for these Universe Worlds. They had to deal with such a situation every 20 years, so they already knew how to quickly destroy these Universe Worlds.
However, after they fully activated their powers and shattered these Universe Worlds, they were astounded to see the fleet of Human Warships appearing before them.
They were caught completely off guard, and in just a few exchanges, many had lost their lives.
On the other hand, 70% of the Black Ink Clansmen had been paying close attention to the Human encampment, but their wait was futile. It had been unusually silent at the enemy forward base, and it wasn’t until the fleet of Warships appeared behind the Universe Worlds that they realised the Humans were already within striking distance.
The Humans had hidden behind the Universe Worlds this time, which was why the Black Ink Clansmen were unaware of their presence.
It was easily the most devastating battle for the Black Ink Clan since they started confronting the Humans outside the Royal City.
Most of the Black Ink Clansmen on the right side of the Royal City were slaughtered, with as many as 8 Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples being killed as well.
The Territory Lord and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples did not hold their powers back when destroying the Universe Worlds; therefore, the moment the Humans surprised them, they were out of breath and couldn’t respond promptly.
As for the 70% of the Black Ink Clan Army on the left side, they quickly raced to the rescue, but they were unable to save their clansmen’s lives.
The Humans never stayed for long and would always run away as soon as they gained some advantage. Before the Black Ink Clansmen from the left side arrived, the Humans had retreated.
After the battle, Che Kong’s unresigned roar reverberated across the Royal City.
The two Armies had clashed five times over the past 100 years, with both sides suffering some losses.
Other than the Feudal Lords and Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples, there would be Territory Lords, Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, and even Eighth-Order Division Commanders who lost their lives in every battle.
Although the Humans had the incredible protection of the Intertwining Branches Formation, the brutality of this war was beyond what any of them could have possibly imagined.
As the war that the East-West Army was embroiled in intensified, things were similarly heating up on the North-South Army’s side.
When the East-West Army originally set up their forward base outside the Royal City, there were already a million Black Ink Clan soldiers lying in wait.
After years of war, there were still a million Black Ink Clan soldiers. In fact, instead of a decrease, there had actually been an increase in their numbers.
The reason they were able to achieve this was that they had a way to replace the dead Black Ink Clansmen.
However, the new soldiers were not comparable to the original Black Ink Clan Army.
The Black Ink Clansmen originally outside the Royal City were the Territory Lords’ elite subordinates, so they were all fairly powerful.
On the other hand, the new Black Ink Clansmen were the weaker ones who didn’t get to be selected back then.
Many elite Black Ink Clansmen would be killed in every battle. As time passed, there were still a million Black Ink Clan soldiers, but their collective power was no longer comparable to that in the beginning.
It could be proven by looking at the number of casualties on the Black Ink Clan’s side after every battle. As the Black Ink Clan clashed with the Humans, the number of casualties they suffered increased with every fight. It wasn’t that the Humans had become stronger; it was because the Black Ink Clan’s collective strength had become weaker.
The Humans’ collective power had weakened as well. That was because there would be people who lost their lives in every war.
However, they still managed to gain an increasingly bigger advantage.
How was Che Kong supposed to stay calm and collected in such a situation? The Royal Lord had told him to defend the Royal City. With a million Black Ink Clan soldiers under his command, he didn’t even need to launch an attack; all he had to do was protect the Royal City at all costs. If he couldn’t even achieve that simple task, how was he supposed to face the Royal Lord again?
Nonetheless, it was an undeniable fact that the collective power of the Black Ink Clan was on the decline. In order to change that, he had to get more elite Black Ink Clansmen to come to the Royal City.
Where was he supposed to get those elites from?
In the entire Great Evolution Theatre, other than the one million Black Ink Clansmen outside the Royal City, there were only those who were stationed in Great Evolution Pass.
Other than hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers, there were also over 20 Territory Lords and about 50 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples at Great Evolution Pass. If those soldiers could come to the Royal City, the Humans would certainly be defeated.
It wasn’t until this moment that they realised how much of a mistake it had been to leave many Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass.
If not for the fact that there were too many Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass, the Royal City wouldn’t have fallen into such a state. However, it was the Royal Lord who told so many Black Ink Clansmen to stay in Great Evolution Pass, so the Territory Lords wouldn’t dare to complain about it now.
Through the Black Ink Nest network, Che Kong told the Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass to immediately head to the Royal City.
Upon receiving the order, Hong Di hurriedly started taking action.
Although both of them were Territory Lords, Che Kong was the Army Commander of a million soldiers that the Royal Lord had personally appointed. When the Royal Lord was recuperating, Che Kong would lead the Black Ink Clan in his stead, so Hong Di wouldn’t dare to disobey his order.
After the order was passed down, the Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass started getting prepared to leave. 500,000 soldiers would depart from Great Evolution Pass this time along with some 20 Territory Lords. Zhe Chong would be the leader of this expedition.
Only 100,000 Black Ink Clansmen would be left behind to protect Great Evolution Pass.
This time, the Black Ink Clan didn’t make a detour; instead, they headed straight towards the North-South Army’s base.
They knew that to assist their clansmen in the Royal City, they had to destroy these Humans before them. If they were ambushed by the Humans on their way to their destination, a battle would be inevitable, and they might even fall into the Humans’ trap.
This was exactly what Ou Yang Lie and Mi Jing Lun hoped would happen.
In fact, the moment Cha Pu brought the news from the East-West Army with him, Mi Jing Lun started making arrangements for this very scenario.
He knew that as the East-West Army kept on using the same tactic, the Black Ink Clansmen in the Royal City wouldn’t be able to persevere forever.
Once the Royal City fell into a perilous situation, they would seek help from their allies in Great Evolution Pass. By then, regardless of whether they were willing to or not, the Black Ink Clan here would have to head to the Royal City.
The North-South Army had been getting prepared for almost a century for this moment.
Over the past 100 years, other than clashing with the Black Ink Clan from Great Evolution Pass, the North-South Army spent their time extracting resources from everywhere instead of resting and cultivating. They had set up clusters of Spirit Arrays in various locations, and it could be said that regardless of which way the Black Ink Clan chose to head to the Royal City, it wouldn’t be smooth sailing for them.
The universe fragment where the North-South Army was located had become especially sturdy. Although it didn’t look special from the outside, Mi Jing Lun had ordered a massive amount of Spirit Arrays to be installed, creating another fortified forward base.
It wouldn’t have mattered if the Black Ink Clan chose to stay in Great Evolution Pass, but if they dared to attack the Human fortress, they would be greeted with innumerable traps.
Compared to the war between the East-West Army and the Black Ink Clansmen in the Royal City, it had been relatively peaceful between the North-South Army and the Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass. Apart from the first battle where both parties had suffered immense losses, they had been acting restrained in all following confrontations.
However, this time was different.
In order to save the Royal City, they had to wage a life-and-death battle with the North-South Army regardless of whether they were willing to do so.
When the battle broke out, the Humans were fully prepared.
With the Territory Lords leading the way, 500,000 Black Ink Clansmen charged towards the universe fragment where the North-South Army was located. In that universe fragment, the soldiers of the North-South Army were ready for war.
Before the Black Ink Clansmen could even get close to the forward base, the Humans activated a myriad of Spirit Arrays and artifacts to attack the Black Ink Clansmen, immediately battering them from all sides.
The forward base where the North-South Army was located could be considered a mini Great Pass. Although it was not as sturdy as a real Great Pass, the entire place was filled with arrays and artifacts that could be used to attack the enemy from a great distance.
500,000 Black Ink Clansmen were just 5 million kilometres away from the universe fragment when they were struck by the storm of attacks from the arrays and artifacts.
Under normal circumstances, such a barrage would be enough to drive these Black Ink Clansmen off, but this time was different.
All the Territory Lords were aware of the severity of the situation with the Royal City at risk of being destroyed; therefore, regardless of the price they had to pay, they had to head to the Royal City.
Zhe Chong took the initiative by leading the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples to open up the way for the rest of the Army. Faced with the intense bombardment, they steadfastly drew closer to the Human’s base.
The Black Ink Clansmen were still 5 million kilometres away from the forward base, but several tens of thousands of them had lost their lives in a short time. They were practically stepping on the corpses of their clansmen to advance, while the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples at the vanguard were all injured.
This time, the Black Ink Clan exhibited unwavering resolve. Faced with the continuous attacks from the arrays and artifacts, none of the Territory Lords and Feudal Lords backed down. Although the clansmen around them continued to pass away, they were determined to continue forward.
That was because the Territory Lords knew that it was a price they had to pay. As long as they could get close to the Humans and force them into a melee, they would gain the upper hand as they had numbers on their side.
Although the skirmishes between both parties over the years had been intermittent and relatively tame, the Black Ink Clansmen were fully aware of the Humans’ true power.
The Humans numbered 30,000 when they first arrived outside Great Evolution Pass, but that number included several thousand specialists such as Artifact Refiners, Array Masters, and Alchemists. Furthermore, after years of war, the Humans had naturally suffered a number of losses. Now, the combat force they could mobilise totalled about 20,000.
On the other hand, there were 500,000 soldiers on the Black Ink Clan’s side, with the number of top Masters being equal to that of the Humans.
Therefore, even though the Humans had their Warships to rely on, they didn’t have any kind of significant advantage.
These 500,000 Black Ink soldiers sacrificed many of their comrades before finally getting close to the forward base; however, the moment they landed on the universe fragment, they were dumbstruck.
That was because this forward base, which was full of Humans before, was completely empty now. Regardless of where they looked, they couldn’t find a single Human on this large universe fragment.
Besides that, the artifacts that served as the Array Cores were gone as well. What was left behind were the large number of arrays that couldn’t be taken away.
The Territory Lords promptly scanned the surroundings with their Divine Senses, but as far as they could tell, the Humans were nowhere to be seen.
[Where are they?]
The Territory Lords were puzzled. How did all the Humans retreat in such a short time without leaving any traces behind?
Even the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, who had a deep understanding of what the Humans were capable of, couldn’t explain it; after all, it had been 30,000 years since they were corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Purifying Black Ink Battleships and Universe Arrays only appeared after Yang Kai arrived, so how were they supposed to know the secrets behind them?
“Damn it!” One of the Territory Lords roared and stomped his foot on the ground. As his violent force burst forth, the entire universe fragment shook a little.
“Don’t!” Zhe Chong quickly tried to stop him, but it was too late.
A dangerous aura suddenly engulfed the entire universe fragment. Following that, the arrays that remained lit up and connected with each other.
After just a moment, the universe fragment was covered in a massive Grand Array.
Just as the Black Ink Clansmen shot into the sky to escape, the universe fragment detonated. An intense destructive force swept out, battering all the Territory Lords.
After the shockwave subsided, Zhe Chong gazed around with a dark expression, only to see that the universe fragment was completely gone. Following this turn of events, more than 10,000 Black Ink Clansmen, who had landed on the universe fragment to investigate, lost their lives.
Those were mostly High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen.
Although the Black Ink Clan hadn’t suffered immense losses, they were frustrated.
Regardless, Zhe Chong was glad that the universe fragment wasn’t that big. Out of an abundance of caution, he didn’t let a lot of Black Ink Clansmen land on the universe fragment; otherwise, there would have been many more casualties.
Zhe Chong turned to glower at the Territory Lord who stomped his foot back there. That Territory Lord was furious out of shame as he roared, “I must kill them! All of them!”
Barely two days had passed since these 500,000 Black Ink Clansmen departed from Great Evolution Pass, but 10% of them had already perished.
Despite knowing that there were certainly more traps ahead of them, the remaining 450,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers had no choice but to keep moving forward.
Zhe Chong wasn’t a fool; if he was, he wouldn’t have promptly decided to run away from Wind and Cloud Pass back then. A foolish Territory Lord would never live long.
As he clashed with the North-South Army over the years, Zhe Chong came to realise that the enemy had a leader who was particularly good at devising tactics and laying out plans on the Humans’ side.
Faced with such an opponent, he had to be extremely careful; therefore, after the Black Ink Clansmen set off again, they no longer moved in a straight line. Instead, they kept making detours. Even Zhe Chong himself didn’t have a particular direction in mind. That way, he could ensure that the Army wouldn’t fall into the traps that the Humans had set up.
They were especially wary of areas that were full of asteroids or universe fragments. When they came across such places, they would steer clear.
That was because they had suffered from a similar setback already.
Three days later, the Humans were still nowhere in sight and the scouts that the Black Ink Clan had sent out couldn’t find anything. It was as though the Human soldiers had vanished into thin air.
However, Zhe Chong knew that the Humans wouldn’t give up so easily. They had to be hiding somewhere, waiting to launch a sneak attack on them.
Again, they circled around an area that was full of universe fragments; however, without a warning, light burst forth from the void itself. In an instant, numerous glowing objects appeared and connected with one another to form a Grand Array, cutting the Black Ink Clan Army in half.
The sudden change caused the Black Ink Clansmen who were moving forward in an orderly manner to descend into chaos.
Right then, the Humans appeared out of nowhere. No one knew where they had been hiding. It was as though they had simply manifested from nowhere.
The Warships charged forward and rained a series of attacks on the split-up Black Ink Clan soldiers.
One hour after the battle began, the Humans retreated. By the time the Black Ink Clan Army was done reorganising itself, the Humans were gone.
If the Humans had left any later, the Black Ink Clan could have rallied together and dealt a heavy blow to them.
Although Zhe Chong was vexed, he wouldn’t dare to tell the others to pursue the Humans. No one could be certain whether there were any traps set up on the route the enemy had retreated.
Zhe Chong would appear useless if they fell into the Humans’ traps again.
Ordering the Black Ink Clan soldiers to pull themselves together, Zhe Chong continued their forward march.
Similar ambushes repeatedly over the next 10 days. Regardless of how hard Zhe Chong tried to suppress his fury, he was on the brink of flaring up.
There was one thing he just couldn’t understand, He had been ordering random changes in the Army’s marching direction all this time, leading to them taking 10 days to cross a distance which could normally be traversed in just 5; however, they had still repeatedly fallen into traps that the Humans had arranged.
There was no way this was a mere coincidence, nor was it possible that the Humans had accurately speculated about the route they would take; after all, even Zhe Chong had no idea about the next direction he would lead the Army towards, so how were the Humans supposed to figure it out?
There was only one possibility that could explain such a situation.
The Humans had simply set up a tremendous amount of traps in various places between Great Evolution Pass and the Royal City. Although the Black Ink Clan Army kept changing directions and successfully avoided some traps, they would inevitably fall into others.
Upon that realisation, Zhe Chong couldn’t help but groan.
If that was true, the number of traps that the Humans had arranged must be astronomical, as was the amount of resources they had consumed to make such a thing possible.
However, considering the fact that the Humans had occupied a forward base outside Great Evolution Pass for 100 years, keeping the Black Ink Clan contained there all this time, it wasn’t necessarily impossible for them to pull this off.
There was also another thing that bothered Zhe Chong though. When he told the soldiers to circumvent areas that were full of universe fragments or universe fragments on several occasions, they would always come across the traps that the Humans had arranged.
In that case, the Humans must have anticipated his thought process and done the opposite. Instead of setting up traps inside the areas that were full of asteroids or universe fragments, they had done so in their periphery.
In other words, the areas that were full of asteroids or universe fragments were actually safe zones.
Upon that revelation, Zhe Chong thought of a solution.
Zhe Chong had started with 500,000 soldiers and still had many of them with him. It had been one month since they departed from Great Evolution Pass, but they had only crossed about 30% of the distance to the Royal City.
This couldn’t be helped. Even though they had avoided many of the traps the Humans had set up, they had also wasted a lot of time. If they had headed towards the Royal City in a straight line, they would have arrived at their destination in a little over a month.
Over the past month, the Black Ink Clan soldiers had clashed with the Humans on multiple occasions. Presently, only 400,000 of them were left. All the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were alive and kicking, but many of the Feudal Lords had lost their lives.
In the void, the Black Ink Clan Army continued heading towards the Royal City.
Meanwhile, the Warships of the North-South Army were hiding in an area that was full of universe fragments. With the help of the Warships, the Humans’ mobility and speed were superior to those of the Black Ink Clan. Therefore, the North-South Army could always stay one step ahead of the Black Ink Clan Army and set up obstructions.
The Universe Arrays on the two Purifying Black Ink Battleships could ensure that if their speculation about the direction that the Black Ink Clan was heading was wrong, they could quickly re-deploy their forces.
Presently, aboard one of the Purifying Black Ink Battleships, Mi Jing Lun, Ou Yang Lie, and the other Eighth-Order Division Commanders had gathered together.
With a solemn expression, Mi Jing Lun said, “If we’re lucky, the Black Ink Clan’s reinforcements will pass by this place. This is where we will engage them in a decisive battle.”
“Have we used up all our prior arrangements?” Ou Yang Lie asked. He wasn’t interested in managing the affairs of the Army, so he let Mi Jing Lun make all the decisions. What he excelled at was fighting powerful Black Ink Clansmen and killing them. Even though he knew a thing or two about the setups that the North-South Army’s soldiers had built, he didn’t know as much as Mi Jing Lun did.
Mi Jing Lun shook his head, “We set up countless traps, so how is it possible that they were all used up? Only 20% to 30% of them have been used, but we expected this outcome when we started making those arrangements. However, there’s nothing else beyond this point.”
This couldn’t be helped. Although the North-South Army had spent 100 years and consumed a massive amount of resources to set up innumerable traps in the void, they couldn’t possibly build traps all the way from Great Evolution Pass to the Royal City in such a short amount of time.
This was already the best they could do. If the Black Ink Clan Army successfully crossed this point, there would no longer be any dangers ahead of them.
Regardless of whether the North-South Army was willing to do it or not, they had to fight a life-or-death battle with the Black Ink Clan Army here where all the traps ended. Whatever the price they had to pay, they had to stop the Black Ink Clan reinforcements from reaching the Royal City in order to ensure that the East-West Army’s plans wouldn’t be thwarted.
If they let the Black Ink Clan break through their blockade and go to the Royal City, the East-West Army’s plans would be foiled. In the worst-case scenario, the East-West Army would be pincered by the enemy, and when that happened, they would be doomed.
There were two Human Race Armies in the Great Evolution Theatre. The East-West Army had their mission, which was to invade the Royal City.
The North-South Army had their own task as well, which was to intercept the Black Ink Clansmen garrisoned at Great Evolution Pass. It was a task they had to accomplish no matter the cost.
The North-South Army wasn’t trying to stall for time in the past month; rather, they were trying to weaken the Black Ink Clan’s power.
After all, 500,000 Black Ink Clansmen was a force to be reckoned with. The North-South Army wasn’t powerful enough to destroy such an Army.
Over the past month, they had made use of the traps they had set up and clashed with the Black Ink Clan on several occasions, but they still hadn’t achieved their goal.
Although there was a decrease of somewhere between 20% and 30% in the number of Black Ink Clansmen, there were still about 400,000 of them. For the North-South Army, it was hard to stop such a force, which was determined to rescue the Royal City.
“This battle is different from those in the past. Many people will lose their lives,” Mi Jing Lun lifted his gaze and looked at Ou Yang Lie.
A nonchalant Ou Yang Lie replied, “Are we Humans even afraid of death? We already expected this outcome when we formed the Great Evolution Army. I’m sure the soldiers are aware of it as well.”
Mi Jing Lun nodded, “In the end, strength is what it takes to win a war. Strategies are just the icing on the cake.”
An impatient Ou Yang Lie said, “Let’s not belittle ourselves and overestimate the enemies’ power. Just tell us what we should do, and keep it simple. I do not understand complicated strategies anyway.”
Mi Jing Lun put on a helpless smile. After giving it a thought, he said grimly, “There’s only one way to win this battle.”
“What is it?” All of them gazed at him.
With a solemn expression, Mi Jing Lun went on to say, “We must prioritise killing the most powerful Black Ink Masters. It would be best if we could kill several Territory Lords or Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples at the outset of the battle so that we can intimidate the Black Ink Clan and make the Territory Lords flustered. That way… we might be able to stop them.”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
It wasn’t easy to kill the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. As Eighth-Order Division Commanders, they were certainly more powerful than the Territory Lords or Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples; however, in a real fight, while it was easy for them to get the upper hand, it was hard for them to take their opponents’ lives.
In order to accomplish this, they would also have to pay a huge price.
Mi Jing Lun didn’t say it clearly, but everyone present knew what he meant.
This battle would be significantly more dangerous than the ones they’d had fought in the past.
The North-South Army had stopped the Black Ink Clan from heading to the Royal City before; however, at that time, the Royal City wasn’t in a perilous situation, so the Territory Lords were not determined to engage in a life-and-death struggle. Generally, after they suffered a setback, they returned to Great Evolution Pass.
This time was different. The Royal City was at risk of being destroyed, so the Territory Lords wouldn’t give up as long as there was still a chance. In order to crush their hopes, the Humans had to deal a devastating blow to them.
Dealing a crippling blow to the enemy would require significant sacrifices.
Ou Yang Lie guffawed, “Since you already have a plan, why did you look miserable earlier? That’s easy. I’ll take the lead and kill a Territory Lord first.”
Gazing at him, Mi Jing Lun shook his head, “Brother Ou Yang, you’re the Army Commander of Great Evolution Southern Army, so you can’t put yourself at risk.”
Ou Yang Lie refuted him with a smile, “That’s nonsense. Although I’m an Army Commander, I know nothing about strategies and military affairs. All I have is brute strength, so whether I’m around or not makes no difference in the long run. With you in charge of the North-South Army, that will be enough.”
“Brother Ou Yang…”
Before he could finish speaking, Ou Yang Lie interrupted him by lifting his hand, “Brother Mi, stop trying to dissuade me, or you’ll look petty. I’ve just said that we’re not afraid of death. When the time comes, I’ll lead the charge as an Army Commander. Those at the top must set an example for the rest to follow.”
The moment he finished speaking, an old man stepped forward as he ran his fingers through his beard, “I’m an old man who no longer has a future, and I’ve always wanted to end my life in the most splendid way. This is a good opportunity. Count me in for killing a Territory Lord.”
A moved Mi Jing Lun glanced at the old man, “Senior Brother Cheng…”
Senior Brother Cheng had helped him a lot in the past. When Mi Jing Lun arrived at the Black Ink Battlefield as a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master back then, Senior Brother Cheng was the Squad Leader of his Squad. It was Senior Brother Cheng who had repeatedly saved him from life-and-death moments. Without him, Mi Jing Lun wouldn’t even be alive today.
Many years had passed, and Senior Brother Cheng was no longer as energetic as when he was young; however, he never forgot about why he came to the Black Ink Battlefield in the first place, which was to destroy the Black Ink Clan.
Senior Brother Cheng cupped his fist and said, “This Cheng would like to accept the challenge of killing a Territory Lord at the outset of the battle. I’ll not disappoint you, Army Commander!”
Mi Jing Lun clenched his teeth and exerted so much force with his hand that he almost broke the feather fan that had been with him for so many years, but in the end, he said with difficulty, “Good.”
Senior Brother Cheng put on a smile, “Many thanks, Army Commander.”
After he sat back down, another person rose from the chair, “I’ve been practising a certain sword technique for 5,000 years. The moment I unsheath my sword, even a Territory Lord can’t fend it off. I’d like to accept the challenge of killing a Territory Lord!”
“Good!”
Another Division Commander then stood. She was a middle-aged woman who said smilingly, “This Mistress isn’t as powerful as the two Senior Brothers, but I have a Secret Technique that I’ve never used before. This time, I can seize the chance and try it out on a Territory Lord. Please count me in, Army Commander.”
“Good!”
“No one is comparable to Bright King Cave Heaven when it comes to killing enemies at all costs. I’ll make the first move.”
“Good!”
…
For every ‘good’ that Mi Jing Lun spoke, a bit of energy seemed to have left him. It had been 100 years since he took charge of the North-South Army, but he had never felt more heartbroken than this day.
However, he knew that in order to stop the 400,000 Black Ink Clansmen who were determined to reach the Royal City, there was a price to pay.
Hasty footsteps were heard approaching at that moment, and a person soon entered the room and cupped his fist, “Sirs, a scout has returned and reported that the Black Ink Clan Army will arrive in two hours.”
A glint flashed through Mi Jing Lun’s eyes, “They’re really coming this way.”
A while back, they had speculated on which route the Black Ink Clan Army would follow to reach the Royal City. Although Zhe Chong believed that he was constantly changing directions in a random manner, and the Humans would not be able to anticipate his movements, there were still some regular patterns in reality. These regular patterns had something to do with his unconscious habits, and even he was unaware of it. Nevertheless, Humans could make a deduction based on this information.
Mi Jing Lun and the others had drawn out several possible routes, but they eventually concluded that the Black Ink Clansmen would most likely pass by this place. To be safe, the other Purifying Black Ink Battleship was waiting at the next most likely route.
That way, even if the Black Ink Clan went another way, the North-South Army could promptly rush over.
If the Black Ink Clan didn’t head in either direction, the Humans would have no choice but to fight with them head-on.
Now, it seemed that the Humans were in luck.
“Tell those from the other side to return,” Mi Jing Lun ordered.
“Yes.” The person respectfully left to carry out his orders.
Mi Jing Lun glanced at the other Eight-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, “The battle is about to take place, and you know all the arrangements there are. There’s only one thing I’d like to remind you of.”
After sweeping a glance over them, he cupped his fist and said solemnly, “Please take good care of yourself.”
Ou Yang Lie grinned, “Don’t worry about it. Killing some Black Ink Clansmen is no big deal.”
Mi Jing Lun parted his lips, but he didn’t know what else he should say.
Ou Yang Lie patted his shoulder and left the room. Since the battle was only two hours away, he had something to say to his good-for-nothing Disciple.
The other Eighth-Order Division Commanders left one by one, until eventually, Mi Jing Lun was left alone on the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
The following two hours were quiet as the scouts at the frontline kept sending information back.
What surprised Mi Jing Lun was that the Black Ink Clan didn’t circumvent the region where the Humans were located, despite it being an area filled with universe fragments; instead, they were coming straight in this direction.
It seemed that the Commander of the Black Ink Clan Army had realised something, which was why such a bold decision was made.
That was actually a wise decision, as in truth, the North-South Army had set up traps all around the periphery of many regions filled with asteroids and universe fragments. Regardless of which way the Black Ink Clan Army passed by, they would inevitably fall into some traps.
Only by directly passing through the asteroids and universe fragments would they avoid them.
However, the North-South Army happened to be hiding in this area of universe fragments. With the help of these universe fragments, the Human soldiers could perfectly conceal themselves, then emerge from their hiding spots and attack the Black Ink Clan soldiers when the time was right. Other than that, they could also make use of the complicated terrain to deal with the enemies.
It could be said that as the Humans had to face the Black Ink Clan, who had significantly more people on their side, this area of universe fragments was the best possible battlefield. Now, the Black Ink Clan soldiers were coming to this place. Although they could avoid the traps that the Humans had set up in advance, they had inadvertently selected a terrible battlefield.
The concealment arrays on the Warships were activated, and with the help of the universe fragments, the Humans hid themselves in preparation.
On the ship’s deck, Mi Jing Lun watched as the Black Ink Clan’s scouts entered the region of universe fragments. Although they were supposedly just scouts, there were close to 100,000 of them. The rest of the Black Ink Clan Army followed closely behind them.
Apparently, the leader of these Black Ink Clansmen knew that if the Humans were really hiding in this place, the scouts would be doomed if there were too few of them. In that case, a large number of them should directly barge into the place to intimidate the enemy.
The formation of several hundred thousand soldiers was very long, so it took them an hour before all of them entered the universe fragment field.
Although the scouts had been looking around, they found nothing.
Mi Jing Lun closed his eyes and waited patiently.
Finally, there came a moment when he suddenly opened his eyes and waved his feather fan.
He didn’t seem to have exerted any force with his hand; however, the moment the feather fan pointed forward, the silent region filled with universe fragments suddenly erupted with noise.
The arrays on the Warships started running, and all kinds of lights started shining as various Secret Techniques and artifact attacks shot towards the Black Ink Clan soldiers.
Zhe Chong, who was leading the Army forward, was stunned. Based on his speculation, an area that was full of asteroids and universe fragments should be safe, so he hadn’t anticipated stepping right into a place where the Humans were hiding.
The shock only lasted for a brief moment though as Zhe Chong soon grit his teeth and focused. Since they departed from Great Evolution Pass one month ago, they had gone through a lot of hardships because of the Humans. They would always fall into a trap, after which the Humans would appear out of nowhere and attack them. By the time they managed to reorganise themselves, the Humans would have retreated.
The Black Ink Clan had suffered a lot of setbacks, but they had nowhere to vent their anger.
There were no traps this time, but the Humans had taken the initiative to come at them. Rather than falling into the Humans’ ambush, the Black Ink Clan Army had actually barged into their hiding place.
After all, it wasn’t like 20,000 Humans could encircle and besiege them.
Zhe Chong was determined to make the Humans pay the price for what they had done on this day.
He thus roared, “Kill!”
The moment he gave the order, he felt a ferocious aura locking onto him. He was astounded by the aura that was filled with murderous intent.
Both Armies had been fighting against each other for the past 100 years, and the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Division Commanders had gotten into several fights, so they knew a thing or two about each other.
Zhe Chong instantly felt a sense of familiarity when the aura locked onto him. If he wasn’t mistaken, it belonged to an extremely powerful Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
It seemed that the other party had realised Zhe Chong was the leader of this Army, so he directly targeted him.
Zhe Chong had exchanged moves with this man before and had no choice but to admit that he was no match for him if they were in a one-on-one fight, so the moment he detected this aura, Zhe Chong promptly retreated.
At the same time, the Black Ink Clan soldiers charged forward to protect him.
Zhe Chong wasn’t a fool, so he wouldn’t directly clash with the other party at this point. The biggest advantage the Black Ink Clan had was the large number of people they had on their side, so he certainly would make use of it to deal with this opponent.
With the help of the soldiers around him, Zhe Chong would be safe for a while. Even if they couldn’t stop this enemy, they would be able to weaken him. By then, Zhe Chong would have a way to deal with this powerful opponent.
When he looked up, he saw that there was a man with red hair charging towards him. The person’s World Force had been pushed to the limit, and his entire figure was aflame. Even the space around him warped as he flew forward.
Besides this man, there were also other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters that dashed out from the Humans’ side in a menacing manner, all of them exuding a thick murderous intent with determination written all over their faces.
Zhe Chong felt his heart clenching as he wondered what was going on with the Humans today.
One of them was covered in a layer of golden blood mist, which was a sign that he was drawing on his vitality to boost his strength beyond its normal limits.
One figure was engulfed in brilliant sword light as he shot forward.
Another figure appeared to be sauntering casually across the void, but he had already appeared among the Black Ink Clansmen after taking only one step.
There was another figure that dashed out with a thin smile on her face as she formed a complex set of hand seals, flower petals swirling around her.
…..
There wasn’t any delay at all. The moment the Humans launched an attack, the figures that exuded Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm auras instantly appeared among the Black Ink Clan soldiers.
Wherever these figures went, the Black Ink Clan soldiers collapsed. Although there was a massive number of people on their side, they were unable to stop these figures’ rampage.
The thousands of Black Ink Clansmen in front of Zhe Chong formed a fairly powerful screen as they included about 20 Feudal Lords. Such a group should supposedly be able to ward off an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master for at least a short time.
However, the moment the man with red hair whose figure was burning arrived, these thousands of Black Ink Clansmen were simply unable to stop.
The red-haired man didn’t even make a move as just the flames around his figure were enough to destroy any Black Ink Clansmen that got too close. It wasn’t certain what the secret behind these flames were, but the moment any Black Ink Clansmen came into contact with them, they started burning and howling in pain.
The next instant, the red-haired man reached Zhe Chong and realization struck him.
“Are you insane!?” Zhe Chong exclaimed.
This couldn’t be helped, as he finally figured out what was wrong. The red-haired man was burning his own Blood Essence.
This was a technique that was unique to Human cultivators and Zhe Chong had heard about it from the Black Ink Disciples before. The Blood Essence of a Human cultivator was precious as it was the foundation of their vitality that had been accumulated over a very long time. No Human would burn their Blood Essence if they had a choice. They would only do so during a life-or-death moment.
Even though the cultivator could significantly increase his or her strength for a short time by burning their Blood Essence, the drawbacks of doing so were immense. It was certain that this man would be seriously weakened, and in the worst-case scenario, his foundation would be damaged, causing his cultivation to drop.
The battle had just begun, but the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master before his eyes had already started burning his Blood Essence. What else could it be if he wasn’t out of his mind?
It was just the beginning of the fight, and this Human wasn’t in any kind of perilous situation, nor was there a benefit he had to obtain at all costs.
Zhe Chong couldn’t figure out the reason that compelled this Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to act this way.
Despite that, he knew that he had run out of luck.
Zhe Chong was already no match for the other party in a one-on-one fight, to begin with, and now the latter had increased his strength by burning his Blood Essence, so how was he supposed to ward him off? If this wasn’t the case, the thousands of Black Ink Clansmen Zhe Chong was using as a shield wouldn’t have proven completely useless.
The instant Zhe Chong finished speaking, Ou Yang Lie lifted his hand and summoned a delicate-looking sword into his grip.
It was hard to imagine that a masculine man like him would be using such a delicate-looking sword, but that was indeed the case. This sword was his Natal Artifact, so he wouldn’t show it to others unless it was necessary to do so. That was because he too felt that this artifact didn’t match his image. It was somewhat of a mismatch for a burly man with flaming red hair like him to hold such a delicate-looking sword.
In fact, he hadn’t used this sword for a very long time.
The reason he even summoned this sword now was that he had to kill his enemy no matter the cost.
Ou Yang Lie was a completely different person when he had a sword in his hand.
As he was holding his sword, the aura around him became extremely sharp. His entire figure seemed to have transformed into a sword that was about to be unsheathed. The intimidating Sword Intent caused Zhe Chong to feel a chill running down his spine.
The flame around Ou Yang Lie soon engulfed his sword.
The next instant, Sword Qi burst forth and engulfed Zhe Chong. The red-haired man didn’t hold back anything as he unleashed a series of fatal attacks in quick succession.
Zhe Chong felt his soul leaving his body. He could feel that this Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was set on killing him. This red-haired man had already started burning his Blood Essence the moment he appeared, and he didn’t seem to have the intention of defending himself. It was apparent that he was determined to kill his opponent regardless of the costs.
What was the point of him doing this?
Zhe Chong had no idea how horrifying an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who was determined to kill could be in the past, but he knew now.
Although Zhe Chong fully pushed his own power, he was still no match for the other party. In just several breaths of time, he fell into a complete disadvantage. Faced with the opponent’s attacks, he could only defend himself in a fluster. Battered, he continuously lured the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to the surrounding weaker Black Ink Clansmen in the hopes that these soldiers would help him turn things around.
Ou Yang Lie followed closely behind him. The flickering sword lights caused Zhe Chong’s black blood to scatter across the void; however, Ou Yang Lie was also impacted by the attacks that were coming at him from all directions. His clothes were dyed red with blood.
Just then, a menacing Sword Intent pervaded a particular area of the battlefield. The Sword Intent was unimaginably powerful.
As the Sword Intent spread out, a dazzling sword light emerged.
The next instant, a person’s voice reverberated across the place, “Butterfly Transformation!”
Instantly, the aura of a Territory Lord rose up wildly before fading away forever.
Aboard the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, Mi Jing Lun stood on the deck as he watched the sword light that had exploded. It was the strongest sword technique he had ever seen in his life. The sword technique had surpassed the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm and almost reached the threshold of the Ninth-Order.
It was a sword technique that an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had practised for 5,000 years, and the moment it was cast, only a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could ward it off.
It was the most splendid light in the world.
Mi Jing Lun bent his back to salute the person.
The moment the terrifying sword light exploded, the aura of a Territory Lord disappeared. The next moment, a large number of Black Ink Clansmen lost their lives. Following that, the death of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was felt.
Zhe Chong, who was bombarded with Ou Yang Lie’s attacks, felt his face turning pale in an instant. The Territory Lord who had just lost his life was as powerful as he was. In fact, due to his rather unique constitution, he was even slightly stronger.
However, just 10 breaths after the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had launched their attacks, that Territory Lord had already lost his life.
He was probably the first Territory Lord who had lost his life so quickly after the beginning of a battle between the two Races.
Zhe Chong wouldn’t even dare to imagine what would have happened to him if he were the one who had to deal with that sword attack. All of a sudden, he realised that the red-haired man before his eyes wasn’t so savage after all.
The sword light seemed to be even more oppressive.
Following that, it was as if a chain reaction was set off on the battlefield. All sorts of profound and powerful Secret Techniques burst forth.
Forget the Black Ink Clan, even the Humans had never seen such a wide display of powerful and abstruse Secret Techniques before.
These were the Secret Techniques that one would only use in life-or-death moments, so they wouldn’t easily show them to others.
One could take in everything from the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, so Mi Jing Lun could clearly see all the Secret Techniques that exploded on the battlefield.
Somewhere on the battlefield, a gigantic blood-coloured flower suddenly blossomed and covered the void. A familiar aura exuded from the blood-coloured flower. It was transformed from the Blood Essence of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The moment the blood-coloured flower petals closed up, not only did it entrap thousands of Black Ink Clansmen, but also a Territory Lord.
When the blood-coloured flower reopened half a cup of tea’s time later, there was no one that was alive inside, only warm corpses lying on the flower’s stamen.
In another place on the battlefield, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Bright King Cave Heaven summoned his Divine Manifestation and transformed into a giant. His vitality surged as he rampaged around the battlefield, slaughtering the enemy.
On the other hand, Senior Brother Cheng actually spread out his Small Universe and trapped 10,000 Black Ink Clansmen inside of it. As his World Force undulated, he battled a Territory Lord and an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple all on his own.
In a different place, Ou Yang Lie was besieged by the Black Ink Clan soldiers, but he was still able to gain the upper hand over the Territory Lord with his flaming sword in hand.
With the help of their Warships, the 20,000 soldiers of the North-South Army threw all caution to the wind as they attacked the Black Ink Clan soldiers.
The auras of powerful Masters swiftly withered in different parts of the battlefield, shining like the most splendid lights in the last moments of their lives.
The lights were so dazzling that one present today would never forget this sight for the rest of their life.
Overwhelmed by a heart-wrenching feeling, Mi Jing Lun gently closed his eyes.
When his eyes reopened, the World Force around him surged. As he stomped his foot on the deck, he drove the gigantic Purifying Black Ink Battleship towards the battlefield.
There wasn’t a need for him to stay outside of the battlefield and give orders. The North-South Army, from the weakest of soldiers to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, were not afraid of death, so how was it possible that they would lose this battle?
He also had to leave his own mark in this war. As an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he wasn’t just an Army Commander who was good at strategizing, but also a fighter who could kill the enemy.
From the outset of the battle, the Black Ink Clan Army had descended into chaos. None of them could have expected that the Humans would be so resolute this time. A Territory Lord was killed by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master barely 10 breaths after hostilities broke out.
That was a Territory Lord, not an insignificant Low-Rank Black Ink Clansman.
How was it possible that he was killed so soon?
Although the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master also lost his life moments later, he still managed to kill thousands of Black Ink Clansmen before his death.
Powerful Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples subsequently lost their lives. The brutality and intensity of the battle this time was far beyond the Black Ink Clan’s imagination.
It was the same case for the Humans.
There had never been a battle where they had suffered such immense losses so quickly.
Even when the North-South Army arrived at the Great Evolution Theatre for the first time more than 100 years ago and stopped the Black Ink Clan reinforcements from leaving Great Evolution Pass, there were not so many casualties.
During that battle, only a small number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives, and even then it happened gradually over several days.
This time was different. It had only been two hours since the start of the battle, but 7 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had fallen. If the war dragged on, there would surely be even more casualties.
Those 7 fallen Eighth-Order Masters brought 7 Territory Lords, 3 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, and several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clan soldiers down with them.
Those who lost their lives on the battlefield were the Seniors and Elders of the soldiers still fighting. They had taken good care of them and taught them invaluable lessons in the past.
Now that they were gone, the young had to take up the responsibility.
The Human soldiers were so furious that their eyes had reddened. The death of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters changed the situation on the battlefield. All Humans, regardless of their cultivation and status, went all out to destroy the enemy, not caring about their own safety at all.
20,000 Humans had to face some 400,000 Black Ink Clansmen. Despite the huge difference in numbers on both sides, the Humans were still able to get the upper hand over the Black Ink Clan Army. That was because the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had sacrificed themselves to intimidate the enemy, and all the Human soldiers were united as one.
More and more Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters lost their lives on the battlefield while many Warships were shattered and engulfed in flames.
Universe fragments exploded into dust as the battlefield descended into mayhem.
These several hundred thousand Black Ink Clan soldiers had entered this field of universe fragments in an orderly manner, but as the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters emerged and dealt a heavy blow to them, their formation immediately collapsed.
Suddenly, there came a moment when a huge commotion broke out.
That was because Zhe Chong was killed.
He was the de facto leader of the Black Ink Clan Army, so when he was around, the Territory Lords would obey his orders. Now that he was gone, none of the Territory Lords had the necessary authority to command the rest of the Black Ink Clan Army.
Every Territory Lord had their own thoughts. In such a situation, those Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were like starving wolves. Their powerful auras had locked onto the Territory Lords, and they were determined to kill them at all costs.
This was no laughing matter. The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had proven their determination already.
Faced with these flares, the Territory Lords felt chills running down their spines. They could only tell their subordinates to surround them and protect them from the crazed Eighth-Order Masters.
With more Black Ink Clansmen becoming defensive, there were fewer people fighting back.
On the battlefield, the Human Warships charged around as Secret Techniques and artifacts were continuously shot off, each attack killing more enemies.
The number of Black Ink Clan soldiers was rapidly decreasing, and it was the same case for the Human Warships.
In this battle, both parties had paid an almost unbearable price.
The battle lasted for three days.
Finally, there came a moment when the noise on the battlefield died down. Both parties backed down and confronted each other with a distance of several hundred thousand kilometres between them.
Most of the universe fragments were gone, shattered by the fallout of the clash between the two Armies.
With the shattered universe fragments as the background and the Purifying Black Ink Battleship boldly situated at the front of the fleet, the surviving Humans formed up with their Warships. Smoke billowed from those Warships, and the arrays were heard crackling and exploding. Some of the Warships looked so dilapidated that it was as though they would break apart with just a touch.
Despite that, these Warships that had gathered together were intimidating to the enemies.
Several hundred thousand kilometres away, the Territory Lords and their subordinates had also come together.
There were still significantly more people on their side, but faced with the Humans’ intimidation, the Black Ink Clan soldiers were engulfed in wariness and fear.
After this battle, the Black Ink Clansmen became truly afraid. They finally had a taste of how mad and fearless the Humans could be.
Even the Eighth-Order Masters, whose lives were incredibly precious, were willing to drag the Territory Lords down at the cost of their own lives, so what wouldn’t the Humans dare to do?
These Humans were simply insane!
The reason that the remaining Territory Lords survived wasn’t that they were stronger than the Territory Lords who were killed, it was just that they were luckier as they hadn’t been targeted by those crazed Eighth-Order Humans.
None of the Territory Lords, who were targeted by the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters for death, had survived.
After the unimaginably intense battle, the survivors from both sides confronted each other from a distance. In such a tense atmosphere, they greedily enjoyed the rare peacefulness.
The Territory Lords secretly communicated with each other using their Divine Senses.
The Humans had no idea what they were talking about, but it was apparent that they were discussing whether they should fight or retreat.
To the Black Ink Clansmen, there was no doubt that rescuing the Royal City was important. If the Royal City was destroyed, none of these Black Ink Clansmen would survive for long.
This was the reason 500,000 of them departed from Great Evolution Pass upon learning about what had happened in the Royal City.
It could be said that only the minimum number of people were left behind to protect the Great Evolution Pass. Most of them had set off to rescue the Royal City, which went to show how determined they were.
However, they were intercepted halfway and had suffered tremendous losses.
If they still insisted on heading towards the Royal City, another battle would be inevitable. The Humans had made it clear that they would go to any lengths to stop them from moving forward.
Considering the level of madness that the Humans had exhibited, if another battle broke out, these remaining Black Ink Clansmen wouldn’t be able to break through their blockade. Even though most of the Humans would lose their lives, none of the Black Ink Clansmen would survive.
So, should they keep moving forward?
That was the question that had been troubling the Territory Lords.
There was no doubt that the Royal City was important, but if they lost their lives here, everything else would no longer matter.
Therefore, after a brief exchange of words, the Territory Lords came to a consensus.
They had decided to return to Great Evolution Pass.
It was the second time they decided to retreat to Great Evolution Pass.
The previous time was some 100 years ago. At that time, the Royal City wasn’t in a perilous situation, and the Humans were not so resolute yet. It was the same case for the Black Ink Clan.
This time was different.
All the Territory Lords knew that if they retreated this time, they would forever lose the courage to leave Great Evolution Pass again. They would live or die with Great Evolution Pass.
This was a difficult decision to make; however, things had come to such a point where they no longer had a choice.
Although the Black Ink Clansmen had decided to retreat, they did not scatter about. Instead, with the coordination from the Territory Lords, they withdrew in an orderly manner.
They were worried that the Humans would pursue them while they were retreating as they had experienced such a thing before; therefore, they had to keep their formation intact so that they would be able to deal with the possible attacks from the Humans.
On the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, Mi Jing Lun was slightly pale. The blood on his clothes had dried up and many parts of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship were damaged.
During the intense battle earlier, no one could ensure that they would be safe or that their Warships would remain intact. The only difference was how severe their injuries would be and how damaged their Warships would become.
The feather fan in Mi Jing Lun’s hand had turned dim.
He had been waiting for the Black Ink Clansmen to make a decision.
When he saw that the Territory Lords finally led the remnants of the Black Ink Clan Army in the opposite direction, he let out a sigh of relief.
Honestly, if the Black Ink Clan soldiers insisted on moving forward, the Humans would have no choice but to engage them again. It wouldn’t be hard for them to stop the surviving Black Ink Clan soldiers, but the question was, how many from the North-South Army would still be alive after the dust settled?
These courageous soldiers knew that they might lose their lives at any moment on the battlefield, and it was the same for the Eighth-Order Masters. All of them had proven this in the battle earlier.
As an Army Commander, Mi Jing Lun hoped that he would lead more people to see the day when Great Evolution Pass was retaken while they were still alive instead of letting their names become mere memories on the Monument of Heroes.
That would be meaningless.
He pointed his feather fan forward and said gently, “Let’s see them off.”
Despite his small voice, his order carried across all the Warships. All the soldiers could clearly hear him.
As the Purifying Black Ink Battleship slowly moved forward, the dilapidated Warships followed closely behind it.
The Territory Lords were astounded.
When they realised that the Human Warships were moving as well, they thought that the Humans were not willing to let them go.
This made the Territory Lords furious. They had already disobeyed the order to rescue the Royal City and decided to return to Great Evolution Pass; however, the Humans were still not willing to let them go? Were they so determined to kill them here?
At that instant, the Black Ink Clan soldiers broke into a commotion while the Territory Lords hurriedly suppressed them and ordered them to stay vigilant.
Soon though, they realised that the Humans didn’t intend to fight. Instead, the Humans were just following them with a distance of several hundred thousand kilometres between both parties.
The distance made the Territory Lords feel uneasy; after all, it wasn’t really a safe distance. The Humans could make use of the Warships to launch an attack on them at any moment.
Nevertheless, there was nothing they could do. It wasn’t like they could tell the Humans to back further away, that would just make them appear weak.
With that said, by doing this, the Humans had sent a message to them. They would watch them return to Great Evolution Pass, so they shouldn’t even think about making a detour and heading to the Royal City.
Upon that realisation, the Territory Lords were torn between tears and laughter. They wondered who the Army Commander of the Human Soldiers was. That person was just too cautious.
Since the Humans wanted to watch them return to Great Evolution Pass, there was nothing that the Black Ink Clan could do other than tacitly agree to it.
So what if they don’t agree? It wasn’t like they were willing to fight with the Humans again either.
In such an awkward atmosphere, these two surviving Armies slowly moved towards Great Evolution Pass.
Under Zhe Chong’s leadership, it took the Black Ink Clansmen one month to arrive at this place, but it wasn’t so troublesome when they returned, they just had to go back in a straight line, so it only took them 10 days to arrive at their destination.
With that said, it wasn’t smooth sailing on their way back.
Over the past 100 years, the North-South Army had set up a massive amount of traps around Great Evolution Pass in all directions. Under Zhe Chong’s leadership, the Black Ink Clan soldiers kept changing directions, so they had only triggered some 25% of the traps.
In other words, there were still at least 70% of the traps still left behind.
By going back to Great Evolution Pass in a straight line, the Black Ink Clan soldiers were bound to trigger some of those traps.
Every time they triggered these traps, some of them would lose their lives. Although the Territory Lords had been vigilant, it was impossible for them to avoid these things.
Nevertheless, they were relieved that when they were caught by these traps, the Humans didn’t show any intention of attacking them, they only watched from behind in silence.
It could be said that the journey back to Great Evolution Pass was paved with blood and tears for the Black Ink Clansmen.
When the Black Ink Clan retreated, some of the Humans remained behind at the sight of the battle.
Mi Jing Lun had told some of them to stay so that they could clean up the mess and look for any survivors.
Gong Lian was one of the people who stayed. That was because Mi Jing Lun didn’t sense Ou Yang Lie dying in the battle.
After he killed Zhe Chong, Ou Yang Lie’s aura indeed disappeared all of a sudden, but that wasn’t the same as him being killed.
Therefore, Mi Jing Lun had a reason to believe that Ou Yang Lie was still alive. Perhaps he was just badly injured, so he didn’t even have the strength to return to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship. He had most likely played dead and was now hiding somewhere.
Gong Lian was the best person to handle this matter because he was Ou Yang Lie’s Legacy Disciple. No one in the world was more familiar with Ou Yang Lie than he was.
The area of shattered universe fragments was now filled with the debris of Warships, broken limbs, and hashed meat. The entire void was also full of Black Ink Clouds.
Gong Lian agilely moved around the shattered rocks and debris. When he found Human soldiers who were still alive, he would pull them out and send them to a safe place.
Eventually, there came a moment when he saw a headless corpse.
It was the corpse of a Territory Lord. An aura that was familiar to Gong Lian had been left behind on the wounds. It was the trace of Ou Yang Lie’s Sword Qi.
Since this Territory Lord was killed by Ou Yang Lie, he should have been the Commander of the Black Ink Clan Army.
After staring at the corpse for a while, Gong Lian became at ease and let out a breath. He then said, “Please come out, Honoured Master. You’re no longer a child, so please stop hiding.”
However, no reaction was felt coming from the corpse.
Gong Lian frowned. Suddenly realising something, he hurriedly moved forward and activated his power before slashing across the corpse with his palm.
Although the Territory Lord’s corpse was still sturdy, it couldn’t possibly bear Gong Lian’s attack.
A big cut was formed on the corpse’s stomach, after which a battered figure fell out of it.
Gong Lian promptly supported this figure, only to see that Ou Yang Lie’s face was as pale as a white sheet. His eyes were dyed black, and no part of his skin was intact. His aura was extremely weak, like a candle amidst the storm that might go out at any moment.
Although Ou Yang Lie had managed to kill Zhe Chong by burning his Blood Essence during the battle, his opponent wasn’t a weakling. He was injured by Zhe Chong’s final desperation move; furthermore, he was struck by the backlash of burning his Blood Essence. Surrounded by Black Ink Clansmen, Ou Yang Lie didn’t even have a chance to return to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship; therefore, he promptly decided to activate a Secret Technique to conceal his figure and actually hid inside Zhe Chong’s corpse. That was how he managed to keep himself alive.
It was also thanks to Zhe Chong’s huge figure that he could actually hide inside it.
“Honoured Master, you’re quite miserable!” Gong Lian exclaimed.
Glaring at this good-for-nothing Disciple, Ou Yang Lie snapped, “Brat, if you had come any later, I would’ve killed myself!”
Gong Lian chuckled, “Since you still have the strength to curse at me, it shows that you’re just fine.”
Ou Yang Lie’s eyes became a shade darker as he hurriedly said, “Bring me back to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship right now!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he activated a Secret Technique and passed out, his head slumping to the side.
With a solemn expression, Gong Lian released his Divine Sense and sent a message to his companions, who were looking for survivors nearby. Then, he lugged the unconscious Ou Yang Lie with him and flew towards the fleet of Warships.
He could feel that his Honoured Master was in a perilous situation. Other than the fact that Ou Yang Lie had been struck by the backlash of burning his Blood Essence, he was also invaded by Black Ink Strength. He might turn into a Black Ink Disciple at any moment.
Hence, he wasn’t joking when he said that he would kill himself.
Ou Yang Lie would definitely commit suicide before he was completely corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Although the Humans now had a way to dispel Black Ink Strength, he knew that his Disciple would be the one looking for him, so he was worried that he might accidentally kill his Disciple after he lost his mind.
Fortunately, Gong Lian came to his rescue in time.
Gong Lian moved forward at the speed of lightning; after all, he was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Although he was also injured during the battle, his foundation hadn’t been harmed.
Barely one day later, the pair reached the fleet of Warships and Gong Liang brought his Honoured Master to the inner hall of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
Mi Jing Lun breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving the news.
Many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had lost their lives during the battle. All the others who had requested to kill Territory Lords had perished, but at the very least, Ou Yang Lie, the Southern Army Commander, had returned alive.
After dispelling the Black Ink Strength from Ou Yang Lie’s body and settling him down, Mi Jing Lun returned to the deck and watched the Black Ink Clan Army return to Great Evolution Pass.
It took the Black Ink Clan 10 days to retreat to Great Evolution Pass and many of them had lost their lives along the way.
The North-South Army also returned to where the universe fragment where their forward base was once located.
The forward base, which had once been bustling with noise, was now a cloud of debris. Senior Brother Cheng was no longer around to give them valuable lessons, and many familiar faces were gone for good. As Mi Jing Lun recalled the previous battle, he could still remember the glorious moments before each of their deaths.
All of their sacrifices had not been in vain.
They had managed to ensure that the East-West Army wouldn’t be pincered by the enemy.
The Black Ink Clan reinforcements were intercepted before they could arrive at their destination, and they had suffered immense losses. Many of the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples had been slain. The Humans were united as one and doing their best to stop the Black Ink Clan Army, forcing them to return to Great Evolution Pass.
The news was passed on to the Royal City through the Black Ink Nests.
Che Kong was furious as he argued with Hong Di, who was in charge of Great Evolution Pass, through the Black Ink Nests despite being separated by a distance of billions of kilometres. He accused Hong Di of being useless and urged him once again to immediately come to the Royal City.
However, there was nothing Hong Di could do. Although he wanted to save the Royal City as well, he was powerless to do so. After the previous battle, their collective might had been significantly weakened, and about half of the Black Ink Clan soldiers had lost their lives. Even many Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were killed.
When there were still 500,000 soldiers on their side, they were already unable to break through the Humans’ blockade. Even if they went all out now, they wouldn’t be able to leave Great Evolution Pass.
He certainly knew that the Royal City was in a perilous situation, but there was nothing he could do.
Before, the Black Ink Clansmen might have been able to leave Great Evolution Pass, and as long as they were determined enough and not afraid of the losses, they might be able to break through the Humans’ blockade. Now that many of them had lost their lives though, they were trapped inside Great Evolution Pass.
There was no way out for them other than defending Great Evolution Pass.
However, could they really keep Great Evolution Pass? That was the question every Territory Lord had in their mind.
There had only been 30,000 soldiers on the Humans’ side, but they had managed to toy with and repel nearly a million Black Ink Clansmen for over 100 years. While the Black Ink Clansmen were not aware of it, their strength was gradually weakened, and when they finally came to that realization, it was already too late.
If they wanted to leave Great Evolution Pass, there would only be one chance: If the Humans suddenly lost their minds and decided to attack them.
Given the Humans’ current power, if they decided to invade Great Evolution Pass, the Black Ink Clan could make use of the arrangements they had built up over the past 30,000 years to destroy them.
Only by doing so would they be able to remove the obstacle in front of them and head straight to the Royal City.
Unfortunately, the Humans didn’t seem to have the intention of attacking Great Evolution Pass. Apparently, they knew that it was unrealistic for them to launch an assault given their current power. Therefore, after returning, they set up a new forward base and began resting and recuperating.
10 years after the Black Ink Clansmen retreated to Great Evolution Pass for the second time, an intense battle broke out outside the Royal City.
Both the East-West Army and the Black Ink Clan Army were familiar with such battles by now, because over the past 100 years, a battle of such a scale would take place every twenty years.
Every time, the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord would end up being mutually wounded. The Humans would retreat in a hurry after winning some advantages, then the Black Ink Clan soldiers would chase after them for a bit.
It was an endless cycle that never seemed to change.
The Black Ink Clan had become desensitized to this routine. They had already expected that the battle would happen, and they were well prepared.
There were no longer a million Black Ink Clan soldiers around the Royal City, but there were still about 700,000 to 800,000 of them. Although the Black Ink Nest could continuously replenish the manpower for them, it wouldn’t be able to efficiently do so if there were too many losses.
Furthermore, all the power of the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest was used to help with the Royal Lord’s recuperation. For that reason, the birth of new Black Ink Clansmen was delayed.
Although there were a lot of Black Ink Clansmen, only half of them had any kind of usable strength.
Some Black Ink Clansmen lost their lives in every battle, and as time passed, the collective might of the Black Ink Clan Army gradually weakened.
This time, the battle broke out as usual.
The Old Ancestor took the initiative to raise chaos among the Black Ink Clan soldiers; then, the Royal Lord raced out of the Black Ink Nest and the two of them clashed far away from the Royal City.
The Human soldiers struck from the left side of the Royal City, and a large number of Universe Worlds flew in from the right.
The Humans had been using the same tactic again and again over the years.
The Black Ink Clan knew fully well how to deal with them by now, so both parties were now equally matched during the battle.
Based on past experiences, they just had to fend off the Humans for half a day, and the latter would retreat.
However, this time, many Territory Lords felt that something was off.
The Humans seemed to be prioritizing defence this time. They were the attackers, so it was puzzling that they focused on defending themselves.
Nevertheless, that was indeed the truth.
After making contact, the Black Ink Clansmen realised that the Humans were indeed determined to defend themselves this time. In that case, they were less intimidating to the Black Ink Clan.
But why?
While the Black Ink Clansmen were puzzled, an unusual energy fluctuation was felt coming from the depths of the void.
The direction was where the two top Masters were clashing.
Although they had gone to a battlefield that was far away from the Royal City, the fallout of their battle was still transmitted to this place clearly; therefore, both the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and Territory Lords could sense what was going on over there.
Basically, the two top Masters were equally matched every time they fought, and neither of them could gain the upper hand. They would always end up being mutually wounded.
However, something was different this time.
Suddenly, the Old Ancestor’s aura spiked and the strength and the intensity of her attacks increased dramatically. On the other hand, the Royal Lord’s aura weakened by the breath.
The realisation horrified the Territory Lords.
The outcome of the Old Ancestor and Royal Lord’s battle would critically impact the outcome of the entire war. The two of them had always been equally matched, so why was the Royal Lord suddenly at such a massive disadvantage today?
His weakening aura proved this point, and it was not a good sign for the Black Ink Clan.
Initially, the Territory Lords prayed that the Royal Lord was simply caught off guard somehow and found himself temporarily at a disadvantage; after all, when these two Masters fought, there were naturally times when one of them appeared stronger. Every now and then, one of the two would use a powerful Secret Technique, granting them a slight edge in momentum; however, this kind of situation never lasted long and they would soon return to a state of equilibrium.
Nevertheless, as time passed, the Territory Lords realised that something was terribly wrong.
The Royal Lord’s aura continued to weaken, and there were no signs of him turning things around. There was no doubt that he was being completely suppressed now.
On the other hand, the Old Ancestor’s aura stopped surging as it had already reached its peak, a kind of pinnacle that the Black Ink Clan had never felt before.
The Territory Lords had no idea what was happening between these two top Masters, nor did the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples understand what was going on. However, the difference between the two auras made it clear who was winning.
Compared to the Old Ancestor’s dominance, the Royal Lord’s performance was the exact opposite.
All the Human Warships were connected as one, and all their defensive arrays were fully activated. With the help of the Intertwining Branches Formation, the entire fleet was wrapped in a powerful defensive barrier.
As a result, the Human Army’s attacks were weak, but their defence was impenetrable. Furthermore, they maintained a high degree of mobility, so the bombardment of attacks from the Black Ink Clan could not harm the Humans at all.
The anomalies such as the Humans’ unusual tactics, the Old Ancestor’s sudden dominance, and the Royal Lord’s weakening aura threw the Black Ink Clan into a fluster. The Territory Lords faintly realised what was happening, and following Che Kong’s order, the Black Ink Clansmen hurriedly increased the force behind their attacks on the Human Warships in the hope that they could achieve a breakthrough.
Nevertheless, their attempts were futile.
Then came the moment when the World Force in the distance erupted, after which the Royal Lord’s aura took a sharp dive.
A terrified Che Kong turned to look in that direction, then passed down an order.
The next instant, a few Territory Lords led 8 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and 100,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers out of the battlefield towards the place where the top Masters were fighting.
It was at that moment that the Humans, who had always been on the defensive, suddenly launched an all-out attack. As the Spirit Arrays were activated, countless Secret Techniques and artifact attacks were shot from the fleet of Warships and struck the Black Ink Clan soldiers,
Meanwhile, in the depths of the void, far from the Royal City, two figures were flying forward, one escaping, one chasing.
The person in front was covered in thick Black Ink Strength. It was the Royal Lord.
There were originally two black wings on his back, but only one of them remained now. The other one seemed to have been ripped from his body. The wound was still splattering out black blood, with raw flesh being exposed to the void. He looked extremely miserable.
As the Royal Lord escaped, a look of terror filled his face.
This couldn’t be helped though, as the opponent that was supposed to be his equal suddenly exhibited a power that far surpassed his own. How was it possible that he could remain calm and collected?
He had never suffered from such a huge setback since his ascension to the rank of Territory Lord.
Over the years, he had clashed with many powerful Human cultivators, and he even successfully launched a sneak attack on an Old Ancestor 30,000 years ago after he became a Royal Lord. As he collaborated with another Royal Lord, they managed to kill that Old Ancestor.
Therefore, he had always felt that the Humans were nothing much.
On this day though, the Old Ancestor who had been in a confrontation with him for more than 100 years suddenly experienced an unprecedented surge in strength.
It wasn’t until this moment that he realised what was going on.
It wasn’t that he was weaker than the Old Ancestor. If both of them were at their peaks, he wouldn’t have been so battered even if he was slightly weaker.
However, since he was injured by this Old Ancestor for the first time back then, his wounds had never properly healed. What’s more, he would be injured again and again every 20 years. Before his old wounds could heal, new ones would be inflicted. The same thing repeatedly happened over the past 100 years, and so his injuries had only exacerbated.
Initially, he thought that it was the same case for the Human Old Ancestor. If the information given to him was correct, it was extremely difficult for this female Old Ancestor to recover from her wounds, so how much could she recover in a mere 20 years?
Over the years, the Old Ancestor would always appear to be injured whenever they fought, resulting in them indeed being equally matched.
It wasn’t until this day that he realised he had been deceived.
The Old Ancestor had fully recovered; not just this time, but every time in the past when they clashed. She just pretended to be wounded so that he would drop his guard. As they engaged in intense fights over the years, she gradually ensured that his injuries only deepened.
After accumulating such a huge advantage, she finally bared her bloody fangs today.
Both of them were supposedly equally matched, but one of them was in peak condition while the other was plagued by numerous heavy injuries. There was no doubt about who would win such a fight.
It wouldn’t have mattered if it was just about deciding victory or defeat, but what the Royal Lord was terrified of was that since the Old Ancestor had patiently spent 100 years laying out this trap for him, her intention definitely wasn’t just to injure him again.
What she was after this time was his life!
An Old Ancestor would only exercise such patience and prudence in order to kill a Royal Lord.
Presently, he was remorseful of his own fallibility. He should have figured out that this woman wasn’t as badly injured as he thought. He also shouldn’t have left the Royal City and followed her to such a distant battlefield.
More than anything, he was resentful of the Royal Lord from the Yin-Yang Theatre, who had misled him. If not for the fact that he completely trusted the information she had given him, he wouldn’t have fallen into such a pitiful state.
Regardless, it was pointless to cry over spilled milk. Now, he had to focus on how he could escape from the Old Ancestor and return to the Royal City.
As long as he could return to the Royal City, he could make use of his Black Ink Nest to repel his opponent. With it, he would have the capital to fight back.
However, his chances were slim.
The Old Ancestor had been preparing for this moment for more than 100 years, so she certainly wouldn’t give him a chance to flee. Proof of this was that at the start of the fight, she had lured him somewhere much further away from the Royal City than normal. Now, in his current state, it would take him at least an hour to return to the Royal City.
An hour was more than enough time for the Old Ancestor to cut off his head.
While he was running away, he felt horrifying Secret Techniques coming at him from behind. Although he had been trying his best to dodge and resist, every time he was struck his strength sank even further.
Behind him, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was relentlessly chasing after him. As she performed different hand seals, she cast Secret Techniques that she had never displayed before.
Her expression was calm. She didn’t show any elation or expectation about killing a powerful foe of the same calibre.
That was because she knew that everything was still uncertain before the last moment came.
Even the Territory Lords and Feudal Lords had methods to save their lives at the critical moment, not to mention that she was after a Royal Lord. If he didn’t still think he had a chance to survive, instead of fleeing, he would have turned around and tried to bring her down with him.
Although she had been patient over the years waiting for this day, and had made a lot of prior arrangements, she didn’t have the confidence that she would succeed in the end.
She could only do her best and let the Heavens make the decision. However, from the looks of it, it was highly likely that she would succeed.
…..
Presently, several Territory Lords were leading 8 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and 100,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers over from the Royal City to assist the Royal Lord. The Human soldiers also chose to strike at that moment.
Just by looking in the direction the detachment of Black Ink Clan soldiers was heading, Xiang Shan knew where they were going. If everything went well, this would be the final battle here at the Royal City. The Old Ancestor was the key to winning the war, so the Humans definitely couldn’t let those Black Ink Clan soldiers disturb her.
Therefore, under Xiang Shan’s leadership, the Human Warships did their best to intercept them.
On the other hand, Che Kong led even more Black Ink Clan soldiers to stop the Humans. As both parties clashed, the originally dry battlefield was filled with rivers of blood as countless people on both sides lost their lives.
In the end, the East-West Army was unable to stop the detached force from the Black Ink Clan. Although they had done their best, there were too few people on their side. With Che Kong and his Army restraining the Humans, the Territory Lords still managed to leave with those Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clan soldiers.
During the intense battle, both parties used all sorts of amazing Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities. Be it the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were already aware of it or the Territory Lords who had figured it out, they knew that this clash would determine the future trend of the entire Great Evolution Theatre.
None of them would hold back their powers in such a fight, all of them bringing out their hidden trump cards in hopes of settling things here once and for all.
One hour later, in the depths of the void, the Royal Lord’s injuries had grown worse. Faced with the Old Ancestor’s relentless attacks, he was unable to keep himself safe even though he had focused all his efforts on defending himself and escaping.
If this dragged on, he would perish before he returned to the Royal City.
He had never expected that he would be so close to death one day.
Since the day he became a Royal Lord, he had always believed that he had become immortal and indestructible.
However, only 30,000 years had passed, and it was just the first war he had against an Old Ancestor on his own. It never crossed his mind that this female Old Ancestor would have the capability to kill him.
Compared to others, he had only been a Royal Lord for a very short time.
The Royal City was within his sight, and as long as he persevered for a while more, he could connect with his Black Ink Nest and make use of its power.
Unfortunately, he didn’t expect to have that chance.
Just as dejection was setting in, he saw a large number of Black Ink Clansmen coming to his rescue from the Royal City.
At that, he was ecstatic.
The Human language was an art. Both Races had been in a confrontation with each other for countless years, and although the Black Ink Clan looked down on Humans, thinking that they should become their subordinates and slaves, they were constantly being influenced by the Human Race.
For example, the Humans’ habits and sayings had subtly influenced the Black Ink Clan over the years.
The Royal Lord had heard an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple say that ‘every cloud has a silver lining’, and ‘there’s always a way out’. At that time, he dismissed it, thinking that it was something only a loser would say, and it was complete nonsense.
However, he finally realised that there was some truth in the saying after all.
At the most critical moment, some Territory Lords and several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clan soldiers were coming to his rescue. It seemed there was a silver lining for him.
Behind him, the Old Ancestor’s attacks became even more aggressive. It was apparent that she had spotted those Black Ink Clansmen as well. She wanted to kill the Royal Lord before they could join together, but she was unlikely to be able to achieve that goal in the time allotted.
Still, given the current state of affairs, it was unrealistic to think that these few Black Ink Clansmen could stop the Old Ancestor.
Although there were some Territory Lords, 8 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, and several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clan soldiers, that was not nearly enough to block the Old Ancestor if she was determined to break through their lines.
Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, the Royal Lord released his Divine Sense and secretly sent an order to the Territory Lords who were coming towards him.
The Territory Lords were startled for a moment before resolve filled their faces.
Thick Black Ink Strength started billowing from the Territory Lords’ bodies while the Black Ink Clan soldiers had already done so before the Territory Lords acted.
Endless Black Ink Strength formed into a gigantic Black Ink Cloud. As Black Ink Strength rapidly left their bodies, the Territory Lords and their subordinates felt their vitality weakening by the breath.
To Black Ink Clan, Black Ink Strength was their foundation, just like what World Force was to Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Such a crazy act was no different from an Open Heaven Realm Master shattering their own Small Universe. In the best-case scenario, their cultivation would regress, and in the worst-case scenario, they would directly lose their lives.
Usually, no Black Ink Clansmen would be willing to do such a thing; however, since it was the Royal Lord’s order, the Territory Lords could only oblige, not to mention the Black Ink Clansmen below the Territory Lords.
The moment the Royal Lord’s order was passed down, the lower-ranking soldiers started wantonly releasing their Black Ink Strength. They were clearly more obedient than the Territory Lords, so they had taken action sooner.
On the other hand, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples dashed out of the huge Black Ink Cloud and rushed over to the Royal Lord’s side.
Although they were Black Ink Disciples, whose Small Universes had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength, the Black Ink Strength in their bodies was impure; hence, it couldn’t support the Secret Technique that the Royal Lord was about to cast. That was the reason they didn’t have to imitate the Territory Lords.
The Royal Lord hoped that these 8 would be able to stall the Old Ancestor at least for a while.
At that instant, with the Territory Lords taking the initiative, Black Ink Strength billowed from several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clansmen and formed into a Black Ink Cloud, inside of which more and more of them perished.
Meanwhile, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples skirted past the Royal Lord and clashed with the Old Ancestor.
If these 8 were ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, they would have been able to handle an Old Ancestor for a brief moment by joining forces.
However, they were just Black Ink Disciples, and even though they were in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, they were even weaker than Territory Lords as they had forcibly exceeded their innate limits.
It could be said that they were the weakest Eighth-Order Masters possible.
Such beings wouldn’t be able to intercept an Old Ancestor even if they joined together.
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple at the front only managed to wield his sword once before he was beheaded by the Old Ancestor. Blood spurted from his neck, and the headless corpse was blown away by the impact.
The attack he had cast only caused a flesh wound on the Old Ancestor’s figure.
In order to break through the blockade of these Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples in the shortest time possible, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao focused all her efforts on attacking and didn’t bother defending herself at all. That was because she knew that if the battle dragged on, the Royal Lord might be able to turn things around, and all her previous efforts would all go to waste.
She then landed a palm on an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple, which caused his figure to tremble and his World Force to become a mess. It was obvious that his Small Universe had been struck.
The Old Ancestor didn’t even spare him a second glance. As she brushed past him, this Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple exploded into blood mist.
Seeing that, the other Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples turned pale. When they fought with the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from the East-West Army back then, they already realised that there was a wide gap between their strengths. Although it was a big difference, it wasn’t enough to make them feel despondent. It wasn’t until this moment that they realised they were completely powerless to deal with the Old Ancestor.
Nevertheless, as Black Ink Disciples, they could only obey the Royal Lord. Even the Territory Lords were willing to sacrifice themselves to assist the Royal Lord, let alone them.
Therefore, after the two Black Ink Disciples were killed, the rest of the Black Ink Disciples didn’t hesitate to activate their powers and spread out their Small Universes to cover the void.
Every Small Universe was like a cage, and in order to leave, the Old Ancestor could only shatter these Small Universes.
This was the only way they could think of to slow the Old Ancestor down.
The moment these Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples spread out their Small Universes, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, whose expression had always been calm and indifferent, couldn’t help but appear sorrowful and dejected.
If there was a chance, she would rather bring these Black Ink Disciples back and dispel the Black Ink Strength from their bodies instead of killing them; however, she knew these Black Ink Disciples could no longer be saved even if they were brought back to the Humans’ side. Without the Black Ink Strength’s support, their Small Universes couldn’t accommodate their cultivation and they would inevitably explode.
Perhaps death was the best release for them.
A glow radiated around the Old Ancestor’s figure, and her World Force surged madly.
She directly broke the first Small Universe that served as the cage, then the second, then the third…
When she broke through their blockade, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples behind her, who were seated with their legs crossed, had become extremely frail. The illusory phantoms of their Small Universes were broken, and their World Forces were madly escaping from their bodies.
Their Small Universes had been shattered by the Old Ancestor. When their World Forces were gone for good, they would lose their lives, unless they had a way to repair their Small Universes before that.
Nevertheless, even if they immediately consumed Profound Yin Spirit Fruits, their Small Universes still wouldn’t be fixed. After the Old Ancestor broke through their blockade, the Small Universes of these Black Ink Disciples had become shattered like broken mirrors.
The Black Ink Disciples’ efforts were not in vain though. Although they had only managed to stall the Old Ancestor for a few breaths of time, the Royal Lord had used a Secret Technique to swallow the Black Ink Cloud that was formed from the Black Ink Strength of the Territory Lords and Black Ink Clan soldiers.
The Royal Lord, who was originally listless and weak, became energetic all of a sudden.
However, he had no intention of fighting with Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao. Instead, he put all his renewed strength into escaping towards the Royal City. Although he was now in a better state after consuming so much Black Ink Strength, that was not his own power and was thus somewhat incompatible with him. He wouldn’t have used this Secret Technique if there was any other way around the current crisis.
As long as he could return to the Royal City though, he could make use of the Black Ink Nest to repel the Old Ancestor. That was the power he could control as he pleased.
The moment Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao broke through the blockade of the several Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, she saw the Royal Lord trying to run away. Certainly, she wouldn’t allow that to happen.
On her left palm, Yin and Yang were born, and on her right palm, chaos manifested. As she clasped her hands together, her eyes turned blood red. The next instant, she thrust a single finger at the Royal Lord, who was running away.
Although she didn’t seem to have exerted much force with her finger, the Royal Lord was shaken to his core.
Without hesitation, he turned around and released all the Black Ink Strength he had just consumed. That Black Ink Strength turned into a violent torrent that struck towards the Old Ancestor.
As the brutal forces clashed, the Royal Lord felt a profound power breaking through the Black Ink Strength and piercing his chest, causing black blood to burst from a fresh wound.
What terrified him was that there was a strange power festering in his wound that he could not expel.
His aura plunged again, and he became even weaker than before.
Just as he thought he would lose his life, he lifted his gaze and saw that the Old Ancestor had become far less intimidating.
He was elated, thinking that even though the Secret Technique he was struck with was incredibly powerful, it wasn’t easy for the Old Ancestor to use it.
Seizing the chance, he promptly escaped.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao froze in the same spot for a moment, then gritted her teeth and continued chasing after him.
Behind them, the corpses of the Territory Lords and Black Ink Clan soldiers hovered in the void.
Usually, these Territory Lords and several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clan soldiers wouldn’t all pass away. Although they had released their Black Ink Strength for the Royal Lord to consume, some of them would have survived.
However, be it the Feudal Lords or even Territory Lords, the Royal Lord did not hesitate to absorb all their Black Ink Strength. As he fully activated his power, he drew out every bit of Black Ink Strength in their bodies.
It could be said that these Territory Lords and Black Ink Clan soldiers were killed by the Royal Lord.
They had paid a huge price just to give him a chance to flee.
Outside the Royal City, the East-West Army and the Black Ink Clan Army were still locked in an intense battle. The Humans had gained the upper hand, so there was no doubt that the Black Ink Clan soldiers were on the losing side.
There were two reasons why it turned out this way. Firstly, the Black Ink Clan Army had scattered around. On the left side of the Royal City, they had to intercept the Human soldiers, while some of them had to stay on the right side of the Royal City to deal with the incoming Universe Worlds. Moreover, some Territory Lords had brought a number of Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and 100,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers to rescue the Royal Lord.
For that reason, only 400,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers were fighting the Humans right now.
Secondly, the Black Ink Clan’s collective strength had significantly weakened over the years.
These 400,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers were not comparable to the ones from Great Evolution Pass that the North-South Army had clashed with. The Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass were all elites. However, the ones outside the Royal City were made up of many replacements for those killed in previous battles, so their average power had plunged.
Furthermore, there were dozens of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who took part in this fight, so the Black Ink Clansmen were unable to resist the Humans even though they had the advantage in numbers.
In such a situation, something that was terrifying to the Black Ink Clan happened.
Their pillar of strength, the Royal Lord, was returning from the void, looking completely bloody and battered.
Presently, the Royal Lord was in a miserable condition. Black blood continuously spurted out of the wound on his chest, and while there were originally two wings on his back, only one of them was left now.
Forget the Humans, even the Territory Lords had never seen the Royal Lord so feeble before, which went to show that he had suffered a huge loss in his fight against the Old Ancestor.
The Royal Lord hadn’t returned to the Royal City, but as soon as he entered the range of his Black Ink Nest, he connected with it and madly drew energy from it.
The next instant, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s figure appeared and the two top Masters clashed above the Royal City.
Violent explosions burst forth as the World Force and Black Ink Strength clashed. The space around the Royal City warped and cracked under the weight of the clash.
Although these two top Masters had exchanged moves on several occasions near the Royal City over the past 100 years, the battle on this day was by far the most intense.
Both the Humans and Black Ink Clansmen were acutely aware that this was a life-and-death battle.
What terrified the Black Ink Clansmen was that even though the Royal Lord had the support of the Black Ink Nest, he was still at a clear disadvantage.
This was hard for the Black Ink Clan to accept.
One had to know that with the Black Ink Nest’s help, the Royal Lord could use a much greater power than normal. It could be said that as long as the Royal Lord was within the Black Ink Nest’s range of coverage, no Old Ancestor would be a match for him.
However, it was the complete opposite now.
There was nothing wrong with the Black Ink Nest. Over the years, whenever a battle broke out, there would always be two or three Territory Lords or Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples who stayed back to prevent the Humans from launching a sneak attack and ward off the fallout of the battle between the two top Masters so that the High-Rank Black Ink Nest wouldn’t be harmed. At the same time, countless resources would be poured into the Black Ink Pool to be turned into energy and absorbed by the Black Ink Nest.
The Royal Lord was the problem here.
His injuries were too severe, so even though he had the Black Ink Nest’s help now, he still couldn’t match the Old Ancestor.
If the Royal Lord was killed, how would the rest of the Black Ink Clansmen survive?
After a brief moment of fear and unease, the Black Ink Clan soldiers became even more fierce. The fact that the Royal Lord was at a disadvantage didn’t make them lose the courage to resist; instead, their survival instincts had been ignited.
The leaders of the East-West Army sensitively noticed this. Xiang Shan and Liu Zhi Ping promptly ordered the Human soldiers to put more emphasis on defence so that they could persevere in a prolonged fight with the Black Ink Clan soldiers.
Profound forces undulated as the two Armies clashed. Impacted by the battle between the two top Masters, the Void itself became shattered.
The Royal Lord was in an increasingly battered state. Although he was at a disadvantage, with the help of the Black Ink Nest, he was still someone who was difficult to deal with. The Old Ancestor had launched several fatal attacks, but her attempts proved futile. Instead, she was almost badly injured when the Royal Lord seized a chance to counterattack.
This made her realise she had to be extra careful when dealing with this opponent.
She knew that a Royal Lord was the most powerful Master in the Black Ink Clan who was on an equal footing with an Old Ancestor, so it wasn’t easy to kill one. Nevertheless, this chance was hard to come by. She had spent 100 years trying to shape the outcome of the war, so it would be such a shame if she failed at the last moment.
Therefore, she had to give it a shot no matter what.
One hour later, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao finally found a chance. Just as the Black Ink Nest seemed to stop operating smoothly for a brief moment, she cast a Divine Ability at the Royal Lord.
An unprepared Royal Lord was struck by the Divine Ability and in an instant, he was engulfed in a dazzling light.
At the same time, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao grunted as blood spurted from her lips.
It wasn’t a pretence this time. When she exchanged moves with the Royal Lord in the past, she showed signs of being injured on several occasions, but those were mostly just acts she put on.
This time, she was really hurt. The moment she made a move, the Royal Lord also sent out a fatal attack at her. Instead of dodging the attack, she endured it so that she wouldn’t miss the chance to kill her opponent.
As the light went out though, the Royal Lord’s figure was revealed.
A hint of disappointment flashed through Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s eyes.
The Divine Ability did not yield the result she had hoped for. Although her opponent had become even weaker, he was still able to fight.
If she kept pressuring the Royal Lord, he would be forced to engage in a mutually destructive battle. By then, she might not be able to survive.
[It should end here.] She secretly sighed. It had been 100 years since she started preparing for this day, so it was such a shame that she eventually couldn’t succeed.
With that said, it wasn’t a terrible outcome. At the very least, they had achieved the goal that Xiang Shan had set before they departed from Wind and Cloud Pass.
The two top Masters tacitly agreed to stop fighting all of a sudden, which directly influenced the two Armies that were locked in an intense battle.
The Black Ink Clan soldiers were still puzzled, but the Humans had already expected this outcome.
Therefore, the moment Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao ceased her attack, the Human Warships started retreating. Considering the fact that the Old Ancestor was watching them, the Black Ink Clan soldiers wouldn’t dare to pursue the Humans and could only let them leave even after suffering so much at their hands.
A moment later, the Humans were already several hundred thousand kilometres away. Although many of the Warships were damaged, the Humans were still a menacing force and certainly had the strength to engage in another bout.
Behind the Humans was the Old Ancestor who stood there in silence. She didn’t make a move, nor did she retreat, as though she was waiting for something.
In such silence, the Black Ink Clan Army felt smothered, as though a mountain was pressing down on them, causing them to be ill at ease.
Time passed by slowly.
A moment later, the Black Ink Clan soldiers broke into a commotion.
This couldn’t be helped, as more than 10 Universe Worlds that were full of arrays came flying at the Royal City. Presently, they could already see the gleaming arrays on those Universe Worlds, so they would arrive in no time.
About 30% of the Black Ink Clan soldiers were still on the right side of the Royal City as they didn’t take part in the previous battle. Their job had always been to intercept the Universe Worlds; that had never changed.
In fact, they had done an excellent job. Other than the first time when they accidentally let a fragment of a Universe World strike the Royal City, they managed to stop all the Universe Worlds in the following battles.
However, they had also paid a huge price for this.
Sometimes, these Universe Worlds would come quickly. They arrived at the Royal City almost at the same time as the Humans. Sometimes, they would be late, not appearing until the Humans retreated.
This was apparently part of the Humans’ strategy, which was to use these Universe Worlds to restrain the Black Ink Clan soldiers. The Humans already had fewer people on their side to begin with, so if they let the Black Ink Clan consolidate all its forces, it would be a tough fight for them.
It was the slowest this time since the Humans started using Universe Worlds to attack the Royal City.
It wasn’t certain whether it was coincidental or intentional. Both Armies had stopped attacking each other, and the two top Masters had halted their fight. It wasn’t until this moment that these Universe Worlds finally arrived.
Without any disruption, it wouldn’t be hard for these Black Ink Clansmen to intercept the Universe Worlds.
Therefore, the moment the Universe Worlds appeared, the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, who had stayed on the right side, started taking action.
A Territory Lord was the first one to charge forward, but as soon as he made a move, he felt a dangerous aura engulfing him.
The next instant, an immense force exploded in his mind, causing him to feel a sharp pain in his head which froze him on the spot.
Knowing that he had been attacked, the Territory Lord was astounded. Moreover, the attacker was none other than the Old Ancestor, who had remained unmoving and silent while hovering in the void.
The Territory Lord didn’t understand why the Old Ancestor had used her Spiritual Energy to attack him as her opponent was supposed to be the Royal Lord.
The two top Masters were confronting each other in silence, so supposedly, when one of them made a rash move, the other would surely react.
Therefore, even though the Territory Lord was astounded, he wasn’t afraid. That was because he believed that the Royal Lord would save him.
Unfortunately for him, he was wrong. The Royal Lord just stood there and stared at the Old Ancestor in silence. The next moment, she charged towards the Territory Lord who had been affected by her Soul Secret Technique and extended her hand, after which she easily beheaded him.
Black blood started spurting out of the Territory Lord’s neck while Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao swiftly returned to her original spot with a head in her hand. The widened eyes of this head suggested that the Territory Lord was unresigned before his death.
In the blink of an eye, a powerful Territory Lord had lost his life.
The other Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, who were about to make a move, froze and stared vigilantly at Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, worried that she would kill them as well.
Soon, they were relieved that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao stopped making another move after killing the first Territory Lord. She remained standing there.
If not for the fact that there was a headless corpse on the battlefield and Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was holding a fresh head in her hand, all the Black Ink Clansmen would have thought that it was just an illusion.
They were all puzzled.
They didn’t understand why the Old Ancestor had made a move all of a sudden. Since the battle had ended, why did she kill a Territory Lord at this point?
They were even more perplexed at the fact that the Royal Lord didn’t react to it at all. Given his power, it wouldn’t be hard for him to stop the Old Ancestor. However, he was just standing there, doing nothing.
The Universe Worlds were rapidly approaching, so if they didn’t stop them now, it would be too late. They would be the ones facing the Royal Lord’s wrath if the Royal City was damaged.
Therefore, even though these Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were wary, they had no choice but to fulfil their duty.
However, the same thing happened again.
The moment they made a move, they were engulfed in a great sense of danger, which caused them to be rooted to the spot. At the same time, the Old Ancestor had disappeared.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao reappeared a moment later, as though she had never moved at all, but there was another head in her grasp.
A strange noise that suggested that another Territory Lord had lost his life was heard coming from the Black Ink Clan’s side.
This horrified the Black Ink Clan soldiers.
The two people who were killed were Territory Lords. The Old Ancestor had consecutively made a move and easily beheaded two Territory Lords. It suggested that without the Royal Lord stopping her, the Old Ancestor could kill anyone as she pleased even though she was injured.
What puzzled them was that the Royal Lord still didn’t react.
However, after the Old Ancestor made a move twice, they finally realised something.
The Territory Lords that she had killed were the ones who took the initiative to intercept the Universe Worlds.
By specifically targeting these two Territory Lords, the Old Ancestor had sent a clear message; she would kill anyone who dared to make a move.
What was she trying to achieve? Was she determined to stop them from intercepting the Universe Worlds? Could they only watch?
That was outrageous!
The Royal Lord, who had been silent since his return to the Royal City, couldn’t take it anymore as he roared, “Don’t go too far!”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao turned to look at him with a pair of dispassionate eyes; then, the next instant, she made a move again.
Having experienced what just happened earlier, the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were wary of whatever the Old Ancestor did. Seeing her disappear, they hurriedly raised their guards.
Most of the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples would be safe, but there would always be someone who was unlucky.
There were no noises that suggested there had been a fight. When Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao reappeared in her original spot, she had grasped a Territory Lord in her hand.
This time, it was a Territory Lord who was alive and kicking, not just a head.
Although the Territory Lord was several times larger than Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, who didn’t seem to exert much force with her hand, he was unable to struggle out of her grasp regardless of how hard he tried.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao gazed at the furious Royal Lord and lifted her blemish-free chin in a provocative manner, “I’ll do whatever I want!”
Saying so, she exerted more force with her hand. As her World Force surged, a horrifying pressure squeezed the Territory Lord.
Soon, the Territory Lord’s figure contorted and a series of bone-cracking sounds were heard. With a horrified look, he struggled fiercely as he looked in the Royal Lord’s direction, pleading with him, “Sir Royal Lord, save me!”
A hint of conflict flashed through the Royal Lord’s eyes, but he soon decided not to make a move.
Countless soldiers of both Races watched as the Old Ancestor, who was standing between the two Armies, squeezed the Territory Lord to death with her World Force. Under such immense pressure, the Territory Lord eventually exploded, his blood and flesh scattering about.
The Black Ink Clansmen were infuriated, but deep down, they were also terrified.
The Old Ancestor had repeatedly made a move and killed three Territory Lords, which went to show how domineering she was. On the other hand, the Royal Lord only watched from the side without doing anything.
They were in an awkward situation.
No Royal Lord was willing to see his Territory Lords being slaughtered without even trying to save them, for that would have a huge impact on his authority. The only reason he would not act was simply because he was unable to save his subordinates.
It seemed that the Royal Lord was more severely injured than the Territory Lords thought; therefore, even though the Old Ancestor killed three Territory Lords and taunted him in such a provocative manner, the Royal Lord could only choke down the insult.
The Territory Lords wouldn’t dare to move a muscle.
Without the Royal Lord’s help, they wouldn’t be able to fend off the Old Ancestor who was determined to kill regardless of how careful they were.
Since the Territory Lords remained unmoving, their subordinates wouldn’t dare to make a move either.
Everyone was just standing in the same spot, so anxious that it was as though they were sitting on pins and needles.
Even though they didn’t make a move though, the Universe Worlds wouldn’t stop approaching the Royal City because of that. More than 10 breaths after the third Territory Lord died, the Universe Worlds arrived.
Given the close proximity, if they still didn’t take action, the 30% of the Black Ink Clan soldiers stationed on the right side of the Royal City would be hit. By then, not only would they be injured or killed, the Royal City would also be devastated as well.
Regardless of whether they made a move or not, they would be doomed.
A Territory Lord finally couldn’t take it anymore as he cast a violent Secret Technique at the Universe Worlds. At the same time, he remained vigilant against the Old Ancestor.
What surprised him was that even though the Old Ancestor had locked onto him with her aura, she didn’t attempt to kill him.
This made him feel ecstatic, as though he had just escaped from death’s door.
With such a precedent, the other Black Ink Clan soldiers also started taking action. At that instant, countless Secret Techniques formed into a black torrent that bombarded the Universe Worlds.
Still, the Old Ancestor remained unmoving.
Seeing that, the Black Ink Clan soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed to them that as long as they stayed in the same spot instead of moving, the Old Ancestor wouldn’t kill them.
However, the truth was different.
The Old Ancestor had been patiently preparing for this day for the past 100 years. Every time she clashed with the Royal Lord, she had to pretend that her injuries hadn’t healed while also suppressing some of her power so that the Royal Lord wouldn’t discover the truth.
It wasn’t easy to deceive a Royal Lord, so it had been a constant struggle for Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao for the past 100 years.
The advantage she accumulated over the years was perfectly hidden by the Old Ancestor, and when there was finally a chance, she unleashed her full might against her opponent. For the first time in her life, she saw hope to kill a Royal Lord, and if not for the Territory Lords and Black Ink Clan soldiers who rushed over from the Royal City earlier, she would have succeeded.
As long as the Royal Lord died, no one else would be a match for her and the Humans would soon fully occupy the Great Evolution Theatre.
Such a victory had never happened before in history.
Initially, she had the chance to set a precedent for the entire Human Race, but her plan was foiled by those Territory Lords and Black Ink Clan soldiers. Although many of the Territory Lords, Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, and Black Ink Clan soldiers lost their lives in the process, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was still displeased.
Since she was unable to end the Royal Lord’s life, it was pointless no matter how many Territory Lords and Black Ink Clan soldiers she killed.
It could be said that she had been vexed since these Territory Lords led the Black Ink Clan soldiers to lend the Royal Lord a hand.
100 years of effort had gone to waste because of them, and there wouldn’t be such a chance again in the future. After suffering such a setback, the Royal Lord would always be wary of her.
When the Royal Lord returned to the Royal City and exchanged moves with her, she knew that there was no longer any hope to kill him, unless she was determined to perish together with him.
Although she was unable to kill the Royal Lord, she could vent her anger on some of these annoying Territory Lords.
The Royal Lord wouldn’t dare to stop her, nor was he able to do so; therefore, he could only watch in silence.
In fact, he even hoped that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao would kill more Territory Lords.
Although the Royal Lord had no idea what kind of an amazing Secret Technique that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had used to kill a Territory Lord in the blink of an eye, after using it three times, he was certain that this Secret Technique had to be quite energy-consuming. That was because even though she was an Old Ancestor, she couldn’t possibly behead a Territory Lord with no effort.
He was just as powerful as an Old Ancestor, so he had the confidence to make such a judgement. That was because it also wasn’t possible for him to kill an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with ease, unless he used his Royal Lord Secret Technique that would only be used in moments of extreme need.
However, once the Royal Lord Secret Technique was cast, the Royal Lord himself would be significantly weakened for a time, which was a huge drawback on the battlefield. Therefore, the Royal Lords never used this trump card unless absolutely necessary.
After the previous battle, the Royal Lord was injured and had fled back to the Royal City in a fluster, but it wasn’t like Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was completely unharmed. If she repeatedly used this Secret Technique, she would soon run out of stamina, giving him an opening to get his revenge.
However, he couldn’t tell the Territory Lords about his speculations, nor could he order them to provoke the Old Ancestor; therefore, he could only watch in silence.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao never made a move again.
She had naturally figured out what the Royal Lord was plotting; moreover, if she continued to make a move at this point, it would be no different from forcing the Royal Lord to engage in a life-or-death battle with her.
After all, the Royal Lord wouldn’t allow the Royal City to be destroyed no matter what. That was because his Black Ink Nest was in the Royal City and was of critical importance to him and the entire Black Ink Clan in the Great Evolution Theatre.
In this silent exchange, the two top Masters each tacitly made a concession in order to not shatter the last sliver of calm. The price that the Black Ink Clan had to pay was the lives of three Territory Lords and the trouble that ensued.
The Universe Worlds were menacing, so although the Black Ink Clan soldiers had done their best to intercept them, they had missed the best opportunity to act because of Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s intimidation earlier.
The moment the Universe Worlds were shattered, the explosions of the installed arrays covered the void and universe fragments of varying sizes rained down on the Royal City.
Countless Black Ink Clan soldiers lost their lives as the Royal City trembled under the impact.
It was apparent that the Black Ink Clan soldiers on the right side of the Royal City were unable to ward off these Universe Worlds completely.
Following Che Kong’s order, the soldiers that had just clashed with the Humans on the left side went over to help. Fortunately, both the Old Ancestor and the Humans didn’t react to this.
As the Black Ink Clan soldiers rallied together, they finally managed to stop all the Universe Worlds.
Several tens of thousands of Black Ink Clan soldiers were killed in the process, and the Universe World where the Royal City was located was severely damaged, losing as much as 30% of its land mass. Many structures in the Royal City had been levelled.
Only the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest remained perfectly intact.
That was because there had always been several Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples guarding the Black Ink Nest. Regardless of how intense the battle between the Races was, they would never move from their posts or let anything harm the Black Ink Nest.
The noise slowly died down.
The Black Ink Clan Army was completely battered.
After staring at the Royal Lord for a while, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao curled up her lips and sneered. Then, she turned around and shouted, “Withdraw!”
Aboard the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, Xiang Shan passed down an order loudly through his Divine Sense, “Retreat!”
The Human Warships turned around and headed to the forward base while behind, the Black Ink Clan soldiers let out a breath of relief.
The battle had finally ended.
On the deck of Dawning Light, Yang Kai sighed.
Before the battle started, he had received a secret order from Xiang Shan to charge towards the Royal City and destroy the Black Ink Nest if there was a chance.
Even though it was a High-Rank Black Ink Nest, it had almost no defensive strength. Given the fact that Yang Kai was a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, as long as he got close enough, he could easily destroy it.
He was the best suited for this job because he was a Master of the Dao of Space.
Since the start of the war, Yang Kai had been looking for such a chance, but there was never an opportunity for him to make a move.
Given his Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation now, it wasn’t hard for him to get close to the Black Ink Nest using Instantaneous Movement, but he couldn’t defeat the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples on guard there. As soon as he appeared, he would be killed by them before he could damage the Black Ink Nest.
It had been almost 150 years since the East-West Army arrived in the Great Evolution Theatre.
Over the years, the East-West Army had clashed with the Black Ink Clan on eight occasions, and each time they managed to kill a lot of their enemies.
It could be said that in this war, they were very close to success, but they ultimately didn’t manage to achieve their goal.
As Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao would always recuperate in Yang Kai’s Small Universe, he had access to information that the average soldiers wouldn’t; therefore, he was aware of the ultimate plan, so the moment he saw the injured Royal Lord returning to the Royal City, he knew that the plan wouldn’t succeed.
However, the end result wasn’t terrible.
The Black Ink Clan soldiers responsible for protecting the Royal City were practically half-dead now with more than half of the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples having been killed. If not for the fact that the Royal Lord could make use of the Black Ink Nest to strengthen himself, they could have easily destroyed the Royal City. Unfortunately, the Royal Lord had returned alive. With the Black Ink Nest’s help, he still had the capital to drag Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao down with him in death.
During a chat with Yang Kai, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao mentioned that Xiang Shan had come up with a strategy for the Great Evolution Army shortly after they departed from Wind and Cloud Pass.
In short, they had to beat the Black Ink Clan to a half-dead state before occupying Great Evolution Pass. That way, they would have ample time to recuperate and restore the Great Evolution Pass. If they managed to reoccupy Great Evolution Pass but didn’t have time to make it operational again, what could they do to protect themselves if the Black Ink Clan decided to start a war with them all of a sudden?
After 100 years of effort, the fall of numerous Eighth-Order Division Commanders, and the deaths of many Seventh-Order, Sixth-Order, and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, they finally managed to achieve this first objective.
Now, the goal that Xiang Shan had set had been achieved, so their next step would be to retake the Great Evolution Pass.
That was the very reason that the Great Evolution Army was founded.
After returning to the forward base, the Humans started getting some rest; however, it wasn’t possible for the Black Ink Clan to do so, especially the Royal Lord. The moment he realised that the opponent he had dealt with for over 100 years had been deceiving him this entire time, there was no way he could quietly recuperate inside his Black Ink Nest with peace of mind.
That was because he couldn’t be certain about how well the Old Ancestor had recovered or whether she would launch another attack on the Royal City again in short order.
In order to prevent such an incident from happening, he had to remain awake on alert at all times.
In this situation, he couldn’t fall into a state of slumber to recover and could only rely on the Black Ink Nest’s power to slowly heal his wounds. However, this kind of recuperation was significantly less efficient than falling unconscious inside the Black Ink Nest would be.
If he could sleep inside his Black Ink Nest, he would fully recover within a couple hundred years; however, given his current situation, he still wouldn’t be fully healed after 1,000 years.
The Old Ancestor had indeed put him in a tight spot.
The East-West Army had returned to their forward base, but this time, they didn’t have much time to recuperate.
The leaders had given an order that they could only remain in the forward base for 10 days before they would set off to Great Evolution Pass and join up with the North-South Army who had been keeping the Black Ink Clan Army over there at bay. They had to get prepared for the final battle to retake Great Evolution Pass.
The soldiers had been waiting for this day for over 100 years.
The moment they joined the Great Evolution Army, everyone thought that they would clash with the Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass when they arrived at the Great Evolution Theatre. They had the confidence that they would engage in a life-and-death struggle and eventually come out the winners; however, as soon as the East-West Army arrived, they directly headed to the Royal City and went on to clash with the Black Ink Clan there for nearly 150 years.
With that said, the outcome of the war proved that the Army Commanders had made the right decision.
Now, the East-West Army had beaten the Black Ink Clan in the Royal City to a pulp, so it would be far easier for them to retake Great Evolution Pass.
It would take them at least a month to arrive at Great Evolution Pass, which was why after such a vicious battle the soldiers were given ten days to get some rest and recover.
Otherwise, the higher-ups would have ordered the East-West Army to immediately set sail for Great Evolution Pass after retreating from the Royal City.
While the soldiers were recuperating, they were also reorganising themselves.
When they departed from Wind and Cloud Pass, there were 30,000 soldiers and 60 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. There were a lot of powerful Masters on their side; however, after 150 years of war, only 20,000 of them were still alive. 10,000 of them had been killed outside the Royal City, most of the time without leaving a corpse behind.
About 10 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had also lost their lives.
That was the result of the East-West Army focusing on defence in every battle. If they were set on attacking the enemy without defending themselves, there would have been far more casualties.
Although some Humans would be killed in each battle, the number of casualties on the Black Ink Clan’s side would always be dozens of times more than that of the Humans.
Every Squad had suffered some losses, with some of them having been wiped out entirely; therefore, it was necessary to do some reorganisation. Otherwise, they couldn’t ensure that every Squad could operate effectively.
They had experienced this kind of reorganisation twice in the past.
However, the previous two personnel shuffles had nothing to do with Dawn. Dawn was significantly more powerful than an ordinary Squad, and Yang Kai was especially outstanding, able to kill Feudal Lords in one move. Therefore, even in pitched battles, Dawn had always suffered very minimal losses.
In this regard, even the Old Turtle Squad, which always emphasised defence, was no match for Dawn. During the second reorganisation, the Old Turtles had been forced to recruit several new members.
In the past, none of the members of Dawn were killed, but this time was different.
The battle that had just ended was completely different from the ones in the past when it came to its level of danger and intensity. Although Yang Kai had killed many enemies, he couldn’t ensure everyone’s safety on the chaotic battlefield.
Ning Qi Zhi was badly injured, while Qi Tai Chu had lost his life.
Qi Tai Chu was the first member of Dawn to be killed in battle against the Black Ink Clan since the Special Operations Squad’s founding. He was also a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Qi Tai Chu was one of the original members of Dawn. Back then, Yang Kai was the one who brought him back from the Black Ink Clan’s territory. When Dawn was established, Yang Kai selected him to be one of the members. Over the years, they had experienced countless life-and-death moments together, so Qi Tai Chu had become an indispensable part of Dawn.
His death made Yang Kai feel heartbroken, and none of Dawn’s members were in the mood to celebrate their recent victory. Some of the female members were extremely sorrowful.
Qi Tai Chu was an experienced Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. He was a mild-tempered person who never hid any secrets when it came to his knowledge of cultivation with the Juniors. Whenever war broke out, he would always take good care of all the members.
It could be said that of all the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Dawn, he was the most popular. One of the female Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had wanted to become his Dao Partner, but he pretended to know nothing because he was a Senior to her.
Although they knew that death was part and parcel of life, they still couldn’t help but feel downcast when someone close to them passed away.
Qi Tai Chu was the only member of Dawn who was killed. The Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were all fine. Dawning Light’s powerful defence and mobility ensured everyone’s safety in every war. If there came a day when Dawning Light was destroyed, all of them would likely lose their lives.
At this moment, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from the Purifying Black Ink Battleship was standing in front of Yang Kai as he said, “Please have a look at this list, Brother Yang. Just tell me if you need any new members.”
The Commanders were the ones who made most of the arrangements; however, considering the fact that the soldiers might have friends they would like to fight alongside with, such a list was produced. The Squad Leaders were entitled to select new members first. If the Squad Leaders didn’t select anyone, the Division Commanders would make the decisions for them.
After taking the list, Yang Kai took a brief look at it and said, “Only one member of Dawn was killed this time. It doesn’t really affect our collective power, so we don’t really need any new members. Please take this list to the other Squads.”
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master smiled and nodded, “The members of Dawn are lucky to have your protection.”
This Seventh-Order Master was the adjutant who visited every Squad Leader with the list whenever there was a reorganisation in the past, but it was the first time he came to see Yang Kai.
In other words, it was the first time there was a casualty in Dawn over the course of 150 years of war.
There was no doubt that the members of Dawn were all elites, but it also had something to do with the fact that Yang Kai was abnormally powerful. This man had earned his respect.
No other Squads in the East-West Army were like Dawn, and no one was clearer than him about this because he was always the one who delivered this list, so he was fully aware of the number of casualties in each Squad.
Yang Kai shook his head. Just when he was about to pass the list back to him, he halted for a moment and asked, “Can I select anyone from this list?”
The person nodded, “The Army Commanders have ordered that the people on the list can be selected by the elite Squads first. Squad Leaders like you can select anyone from the list. You can select several people as long as it doesn’t exceed the limit of your Squad.”
Then, he asked curiously, “Have you changed your mind, Brother Yang?”
Without saying anything, Yang Kai activated his Divine Sense and left some marks in the jade slip. Then, he passed it back to him and said, “I want these three people.”
After taking the jade slip, the man looked into it and nodded, “There are always fewer than 50 people in Dawn. Including these three people now, your Squad has exactly 50 people. Good, I’ll go to the next Squad now.”
Then, he cupped his fist and left.
After he was gone, Yang Kai turned to look at Feng Ying, “I’ll be right back.”
Feng Ying nodded.
Yang Kai then released his Divine Sense. A moment later, he dashed forward in a particular direction.
There was a severely damaged Warship on a barren piece of land. Sparks were seen flying in all directions as Artifact Refiners and Array Masters were busy repairing the Warship.
Every time the soldiers returned from the battlefield, Artifact Refiners and Array Masters would be swamped with work. That was because they were responsible for repairing the damaged Warships.
The state of this Warship showed how dangerous the previous battle was. Minced meat and blood were seen everywhere on the Warship. Most of it belonged to the Black Ink Clan, but some of it was from the Humans.
The Warship was in such a horrible state that it was practically irreparable. At this point, the Warship should have been salvaged for parts and materials as repairing it would be more costly than simply building a new one.
Three blood-soaked figures were standing near the Warship. They were just standing there in silence, which was in stark contrast to the Artifact Refiners and Array Masters, who were busy repairing the Warship.
The three of them were staring forward with hollow eyes and expressionless faces.
As a breeze whisked past, Yang Kai appeared beside them.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he swept his gaze around. Although he knew that every battle with the Black Ink Clan was perilous, and some of the Squads would be completely wiped out, no one had energy to pay attention to such matters on the battlefield.
Now that they had returned from the battle, just by looking at this damaged Warship, Yang Kai could imagine the heroic figures who had fought and died together with it.
Although they had passed away, they had done the Humans proud.
The three people standing here were respectively Seventh-Order, Sixth-Order, and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
After a moment of silence, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master suddenly said, “I’ve killed many disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises before.”
Yang Kai nodded gently, “I know.”
Back then, many disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises were indeed killed by Blood Crow. After that, he fled to the Shattered Heaven and managed to recruit a lot of subordinates. He had also made things difficult for the disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises on several occasions. During that period of time, he had killed many who were training in the Shattered Heaven.
It could be said that Blood Crow had many enmities with the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
“I didn’t willingly come to the Black Ink Battlefield. Compared to being imprisoned for life or simply being killed, I could only choose to come here. Although I have to deal with the Black Ink Clan, there was hope for me to survive. Therefore, when that old man from Bright King Cave Heaven asked me whether I wanted to live or die, I didn’t hesitate to decide that I would come to the Black Ink Battlefield.”
This was a sensible choice. Back then, Blood Crow was captured by Elder Fisherman from Bright King Cave Heaven in the Shattered Heaven and subsequently imprisoned in their Sect. Considering the fact that his cultivation and experience was hard to come by, it would be a shame to kill Blood Crow outright; therefore, he was given a chance to come to the Black Ink Battlefield.
The Black Ink Battlefield was unlike other places; here, the Humans only had one enemy, which was the Black Ink Clan. Grudges from the past would be put aside, and those from Bright King Heaven were not worried that Blood Crow would try to escape or betray them.
Other than doing his best to kill the enemy in order to stay alive, he had no choice.
“Yang Boy, you know that my years of effort all went to waste because of what you did back then, right?” Blow Crow suddenly turned to look at him, as though he was still displeased with the latter over what had happened in the past.
Yang Kai grinned, “If I hadn’t ruined your plan, I wouldn’t have become what I am today.”
Blood Crow slowly shook his head, “I suppose this is simply my fate. In my previous life, the Eighth-Order was my limit. I was unresigned when I was about to reach my predestined time of death, so I spent the rest of my life making special arrangements. If everything went well, I could’ve been reborn as someone with the potential to ascend to the Ninth Order. However, life is indeed full of uncertainties. Who would have thought that a freak like you would show up and wreck everything?”
Yang Kai tutted, “I will never overlook injustice and evil.”
Blood Crow nodded, “Whenever I see you, I have a strong urge to kill you. Likewise, whenever those disciples from the Cave Heavens and Paradises found fault with me, I never went easy on them. Their Blood Essence could help increase my cultivation anyway.”
The Great Evolution Indestructible Blood Light Scripture was a special Secret Art. Even though it bore the name ‘Great Evolution’, it had nothing to do with Great Evolution Paradise. Instead, it worked in similar ways as Wu Kuang’s Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
It could be said that these two Secret Arts were the most amazing ones Yang Kai had ever come across since he began cultivating.
However, in his opinion, the Great Evolution Indestructible Blood Light Scripture was still inferior to the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Yang Kai had dabbled in both Secret Arts, so no one had a clearer understanding of these two than him in terms of their strengths and differences.
“I’m sure they were aware of my background and the grudges I had with the disciples of the Cave Heavens and Paradises in the past,” Blood Crow continued.
He was obviously talking about the members of his original Squad.
“Some of them gave me the cold shoulder. Some of them secretly dismissed me. There were also those who made things difficult for me and snatched my Military Merits,” Blood Crow spoke in a dispassionate tone. He was talking about his own affairs, but it was as though it had nothing to do with him, “But so what? I have my own ways of doing things, and it has nothing to do with others. If not for the unique environment of the Black Ink Battlefield, I wouldn’t have fought alongside these brats.”
Upon hearing that, the Sixth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters beside him glowered.
Unfazed, Blood Crow lowered his gaze and continued, “What’s really laughable though, is that those who dismissed me and found fault with me were also the ones who sacrificed themselves to save my life. I survived, while almost all of them died.”
He turned to look at Yang Kai, “Don’t you think they’re foolish?”
Without waiting for Yang Kai’s response, he continued, saying, “They’re extremely foolish! They all cultivated for so many years to reach where they were. What was the point of all of that if they just threw their lives away in the end?”
Yang Kai replied in a calm manner, “They’re indeed foolish.”
“You think so too?” Blood Crow looked at him in surprise.
Yang Kai nodded, “Weren’t they foolish by sacrificing themselves for others?”
Blood Crow nodded in agreement. After a while, he asked, “Is this what you told me back then? On the battlefield, grudges of the past no longer matter, and we’re all Brothers and Sisters.”
Yang Kai smiled helplessly, “You’re older and more experienced than me. At one point, you were even stronger than me, so why even ask me this question?”
Hearing that, Blood Crow fell silent.
After standing there for a while more, Yang Kai said, “We’ll set off for Great Evolution Pass in 8 days, so get some rest now. We might need to fight the Black Ink Clan again when we arrive.”
Upon finishing his words, he turned around and left.
Meanwhile, aboard the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, Xiang Shan, Liu Zhi Ping, and the others had gathered together. The Old Ancestor was present as well for once.
Although she was wounded during the fight against the Royal Lord, her injuries weren’t severe. Considering the fact that the Army would leave for Great Evolution Pass soon, she didn’t find Yang Kai to spread out his Small Universe for her to recuperate.
One of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters spoke up, “We’ll set off for Great Evolution Pass in 8 days. I suppose the Army will be fully reorganised by then. Excluding the 3,000 Artifact Refiners, Array Masters, and Alchemists, we have 16,000 to 17,000 soldiers remaining. Things are not looking bright on the North-South Army’s side either. In order to stop the Black Ink Clansmen stationed at Great Evolution Pass from heading to the Royal City, they directly clashed with some 500,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers, and many of them died in battle. Although the Black Ink Clan forces over there are significantly weaker now, they still occupy Great Evolution Pass. They have been fortifying Great Evolution Pass for the past 30,000 years, so we must not underestimate them. I’m worried that it will be a tough fight to retake Great Evolution Pass.”
The other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters nodded with solemn expressions.
Although they already knew that there would be a lot of casualties when the Great Evolution Army was founded, it never crossed their minds that the most difficult and deadly problem would be retaking Great Evolution Pass.
While the Black Ink Clan soldiers from the Royal City were beaten to a half-dead state by the East-West Army, they still had to deal with those from Great Evolution Pass.
Upon hearing that, Liu Zhi Ping put on a smile, “Perhaps we can retrieve Great Evolution Pass without any losses.”
“Huh?” All the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were surprised to hear what she had said.
The person who spoke earlier asked anxiously, “What do you mean by that, Senior Sister Liu? Will the Black Ink Clansmen return Great Evolution Pass to us without a fight?”
Upon finishing his words, he became startled for a moment and fell into his thoughts.
Realising something, another Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master said, “That might be possible.”
The Humans were already aware that the Black Ink Clan could instantly relay information through their Black Ink Nests, so those stationed at Great Evolution Pass must already know what had happened here at the Royal City.
The Royal Lord was badly injured and was almost killed by the Old Ancestor. Countless Black Ink Clan soldiers were either killed or injured, so they were no longer able to engage the Humans away from the Royal City.
If the East-West Army swaggered towards Great Evolution Pass now, and this piece of news was sent from the Royal City to Great Evolution Pass through the Black Ink Nests, the Black Ink Clansmen over there would certainly be flustered; after all, the East-West Army had an Old Ancestor with them.
Although the Black Ink Clan had occupied Great Evolution Pass for 30,000 years, garrisoned a large Army there, and built up a lot of defences, there was no way to tell if that would be enough to resist a Human Army with an Old Ancestor assuming command.
When Great Evolution Pass was conquered, all the Black Ink Clansmen there would surely be executed.
From the Black Ink Clan’s perspective, if they found out about this news, they would certainly abandon Great Evolution Pass and run for their lives. It was no different from waiting for death by staying in Great Evolution Pass.
Upon that realisation, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters became excited. Now, it seemed that the battle outside the Royal City was indeed the last of this war. It wouldn’t be hard for them to retrieve Great Evolution Pass, they just had to put on an act.
One of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters suddenly thought of something and exclaimed, “Damn!”
Liu Zhi Ping looked smilingly at him, “What’s wrong, Junior Brother Fang?”
Junior Brother Fang explained, “The Black Ink Clansmen at Great Evolution Pass can find out about what happened in the Royal City through the Black Ink Nests, but the North-South Army don’t have access to such information. If the Black Ink Clan abandons Great Evolution Pass and tries to run away, will the North-South Army think that they’re desperately trying to rescue the Royal City? When that happens, the North-South Army will certainly try to stop them. Given the North-South Army’s current situation, casualties will be inevitable if they clash with the Black Ink Clan.”
Another Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master nodded, “You have a point. We have to inform the North-South Army about this as soon as possible. Where’s Yang Kai? Tell him to come over now. Since he’s a Master of the Dao of Space, he should be able to reach Great Evolution Pass in 8 days if he goes all out.”
Even Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like them wouldn’t dare to say that they could arrive at Great Evolution Pass in 8 days from the Royal City. Other than Yang Kai, who was an expert in the Dao of Space, only the Old Ancestor could achieve that.
Although the Old Ancestor wasn’t badly injured, they certainly wouldn’t dare to ask her to be a messenger; therefore, this Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master instantly thought of Yang Kai.
There were a lot of Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the East-West Army, but only a small number of them were worth the attention of these Eighth-Order Division Commanders, and Yang Kai was undoubtedly the most outstanding among them.
However, Liu Zhi Ping just replied with a smile, “Don’t worry about it. In fact, before the battle even started, Senior Brother Xiang had sent Li Xing to head to Great Evolution Pass to inform the North-South Army about it. I suppose he should be with the North-South Army by now.”
Li Xing was Xiang Shan’s adjutant as well as a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. He was the best choice to inform the North-South Army about this piece of news.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were startled for a moment before turning to look at Xiang Shan.
In response, Xiang Shan nodded lightly to show that it was indeed the case.
Admiration was written all over Junior Brother Fang’s face, “You’re indeed far-sighted, Senior Brother Xiang. You’ve already expected this outcome while we’ve only thought about it now. We’re no match for you when it comes to military strategy.”
Xiang Shan waved his hand, “Please don’t be overly humble, Junior Brother Fang. You didn’t think about it because you’re not in my role. If you were the Army Commander, you would’ve expected the outcome as well.”
With a helpless smile, Junior Brother Fang shook his head, “I can never assume your role. There are so many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters here, but none of us have enough authority to be the Army Commander. You’re the only one we can depend on.”
The other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters nodded.
Initially, Xiang Shan’s authority came from the fact that he was appointed to be the Army Commander by the Old Ancestors; but now, he had earned their respect by proving his worth.
There were four Army Commanders in every Great Pass, so there were more than 400 Army Commanders in over 100 Great Passes in total; however, only a small number of them were a match for Xiang Shan when it came to their capabilities.
…..
Meanwhile, a visitor arrived at a new universe fragment where the North-South Army had re-established their forward base.
Upon getting permission, Li Xing strode into the Purifying Black Ink Battleship and saw an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who was clad in scholar’s robes with a feather fan in his hand.
Knowing that this person was the Army Commander of the Northern Army, Mi Jing Lun, Li Xing saluted him.
Although he had never met Mi Jing Lun before, he had heard a lot about him. As he had always been by Xiang Shan’s side, the latter had repeatedly mentioned Mi Jing Lun over the years, saying that Mi Jing Lun was on par with, if not slightly better than him when it came to devising strategies.
Certainly, Li Xing wouldn’t believe it. Over the years, he had witnessed the arrangements that Xiang Shan had made on the battlefield, and his strategies were all top-notch. To him, Xiang Shan’s resourcefulness and foresight were practically peerless, so how was it possible that there was someone in the world who was more talented than he was?
Li Xing believed that Xiang Shan was just being humble when the latter complimented Mi Jing Lun in such a way.
Other than Mi Jing Lun, there was another Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the hall. His hair was fiery red, but his face was as pale as a piece of white paper.
This red-haired Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was the Army Commander of the Southern Army, Ou Yang Lie. It was said that he was a hot-tempered person. 10 years ago, he killed a Territory Lord in the battle against the Black Ink Clan; however, he was also badly injured and almost died during the fight.
It seemed that he still hadn’t recovered even though 10 years had passed.
This was understandable, as the more powerful one became, the harder it was to recover when they were injured, so it could be imagined how long an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would take to recover from a near-death experience.
One had to know that it always took the Old Ancestor at least decades to recuperate. On the other hand, since the day that the Royal Lord was first injured by the Old Ancestor, he had never fully recovered, and that was over 100 years ago.
Besides these two Army Commanders, there were other Eighth-Order Division Commanders from the North-South Army in the meeting hall.
Li Xing saluted all of them one by one.
Presently, Ou Yang Lie was seated on a chair. Before Li Xing could say anything, he asked, “What’s going on over there? Has the East-West Army launched the final attack on the Royal City?”
Over the years, the East-West Army and North-South Army would contact each other from time to time; however, due to the great distance, it would take a person an average of two months to travel back and forth between the two Armies, so their exchanges of information were not frequent. Only when one side had made a major decision would a messenger be sent to inform the other party about it.
Li Xing’s arrival suggested that he had something important to report. Perhaps it had something to do with the final battle against the Royal City, which was why Ou Yang Lie asked that question.
Li Xing bent his back and replied, “Martial Uncle Ou Yang, when I departed, the battle had yet to begin, but they were in the midst of final preparations. If I’m not mistaken, the East-West Army should be engaged in an intense battle with the Black Ink Clan as we speak. It’s even possible that the war has already ended.”
With a smile, Mi Jing Lun asked, “In your opinion, will the East-West Army achieve its objective this time?”
Li Xing nodded, “Yes.”
Mi Jing Lun arched his brow, “Since you’re so confident, it seems the situation over there is quite favourable. I suppose they’ve already won the fight. Well, with Senior Brother Xiang in charge, there’s no way the Black Ink Clan are a match for him.”
Ou Yang Lie pursed his lips, “Since the East-West Army has won, why did Xiang Shan tell you to come over?”
Since the beginning, Ou Yang Lie had always had some complaints against Xiang Shan. This couldn’t be helped, as the East-West Army was responsible for invading the Royal City, thus allowing them to earn a massive amount of Military Merits. On the other hand, the North-South Army had to stop the Black Ink Clansmen from leaving Great Evolution Pass. It certainly wasn’t as fun as attacking the Royal City like the East-West Army had done.
Li Xing replied, “Sir Xiang told me to come over to inform you that you have to be careful of what the Black Ink Clan from Great Evolution Pass might do soon.”
After giving it a thought, Mi Jing Lun nodded, “We indeed have to act prudently. If the Black Ink Clan at the Royal City are really defeated, those from Great Evolution Pass will surely become nervous when they learn about it. Now, they’re only left with two options, they either defend Great Evolution Pass to the last man, or run for their lives.”
At this point, he had figured out Xiang Shan’s intention, “So, I suppose Senior Brother Xiang wants us to just watch and do nothing if the Black Ink Clan tries to flee from Great Evolution Pass.”
Li Xing was slightly surprised at the speed of Mi Jing Lun’s inference, but soon nodded and replied, “That was indeed Sir Xiang’s intention.”
Ou Yang Lie asked, “Do you think the Black Ink Clan will abandon the Pass?”
Mi Jing Lun replied with a smile, “Do you think they would rather sit and wait for death? If I’m not mistaken, after the war, the East-West Army will take a short rest at their base before setting off in a high-profile manner so that the Black Ink Clan from the Royal City notice it and promptly send word to Great Evolution Pass.”
Then, he turned to look at Li Xing and asked, “Is this Brother Xiang’s arrangement?”
Admiration was written all over Li Xing’s face as he replied, “That is indeed his arrangement. Before I departed, Sir Xiang told me to pass on his word that the Army would rest for 10 days after the victory. After that, they will set off for the pass. He wants the North-South Army to pay close attention to what the Black Ink Clan from Great Evolution Pass do. If there is an anomaly, it suggests that the East-West Army has won the battle, while it’s the opposite if the Black Ink Clan do nothing.”
Before he came to this place, Li Xing thought that Mi Jing Lun was overrated. Now, it seemed that this Northern Army Commander was indeed talented in military strategy. At the very least, he was an intelligent person; otherwise, he wouldn’t have figured out Xiang Shan’s intentions so swiftly.
Ou Yang Lie frowned, “Do we just let the Black Ink Clan go if they flee from Great Evolution Pass?”
Mi Jing Lun explained, “We’re unable to stop them even if we wanted to. There’s a lack of manpower in the North-South Army now, so if the Black Ink Clan are determined to escape from the Pass, it won’t matter if we don’t stop them. However, if we do try to get in their way, it will certainly be a tough fight. When that happens, even more of our soldiers will lose their lives.”
Nobody wanted to experience the battle that took place 10 years ago again. During the battle, half of the North-South Army’s soldiers were killed while a number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters willingly sacrificed their lives just to stop the Black Ink Clan Army from reaching the Royal City. Even the Army Commander of the Southern Army, Ou Yang Lie, had almost lost his life.
An Eighth-Order Division Commander furrowed his brows, “There are a lot of Black Ink Clansmen in the Pass right now, at least 20 to 30 Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples as well as 250,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers. If we just let them return to the Royal City and join forces with the Black Ink Clan Army there, it will be a huge problem in the future.”
Mi Jing Lun said with a smile, “We have to be patient in order to achieve our goal. Think about it this way. If the Black Ink Clansmen flee from Great Evolution Pass, it’s no different from giving the place back to us for free. Isn’t it wonderful that we’re able to retake Great Evolution Pass without having to fight again? As for the future… Once the crusade begins, why would we have to fear the forces at the Royal City?”
The reason they had to retake Great Evolution Pass was to prepare for the crusade which would take place in the future. The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were aware of it, and they also knew that the Humans had a trump card to use against the Black Ink Clan. In fact, they had already developed this weapon, but they were still not able to mass-produce it. Moreover, they couldn’t reveal it at this point, so they never used it when trying to retake Great Evolution Pass.
However, once the crusade began, this weapon would surely be of great use. By then, destroying the Royal City would be a simple matter.
When Li Xing looked at the confident Mi Jing Lun, he felt as if the latter was another Xiang Shan. He thought that resourceful senior experts like them could always see things that others were not able to see. In this regard, Mi Jing Lun and Xiang Shan were very similar.
“Let’s just wait and see. If I’m not mistaken, the Black Ink Clan will send over an envoy within 10 days.”
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were astounded upon hearing that as they had no idea why Mi Jing Lun had made such a judgement. Li Xing was equally puzzled.
The blood feud between the two Races had been ongoing for countless years, and every time they clashed, both sides were determined to annihilate each other. There had never been a reason to send envoys to another side before.
However, since Mi Jing Lun had said so, he must have a reason to come to this conclusion.
After passing on Xiang Shan’s words, Li Xing was supposedly free to return to the East-West Army at any time.
Nevertheless, he decided to stay out of curiosity. He wanted to find out if Mi Jing Lun, who was so highly regarded by Xiang Shan, had accurately predicted the future. It would be an eye-opener if the Black Ink Clan really sent an envoy to this place.
…..
In the East-West Army’s forward base, the reorganisation was completed within 10 days. The more complete Squads were reinforced by the ones who had lost more members.
Presently, Yang Kai was standing on the deck of Dawning Light and looking out towards the void.
The Army was ready to set off.
Just then, three people with different auras rushed over from a distance. They were respectively Seventh-Order, Sixth-Order, and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The three of them came to a stop in the void, and the person at the front eyed Yang Kai for a moment before cupping his fist, “Western Army, Second Division, Wind Battalion, Third Squad, Blood Crow!”
“Wen Cheng Jing!”
“Zhang Yang!”
“Reporting for duty!”
Yang Kai nodded and ordered solemnly, “Get onboard!”
The next instant, Blood Crow led the Sixth-Order Wen Cheng Jing and Fifth-Order Zhang Yang to land on the deck.
The Purifying Black Ink Battleship slowly rose into the sky as a loud voice reverberated in all directions, “Set sail!”
“Set sail!” Yang Kai waved his hand and ordered. The arrays on Dawning Light activated, and the fleet of Warships charged towards the void.
On one of the Warships, Grandmaster Ma Fan looked in Great Evolution Pass’ direction and started weeping.
He had been waiting outside the Royal City for 150 years. Now that he could finally head to the place where his Ancestors and Seniors fought the enemy, he was overwhelmed by a sense of sorrow and agitation.
The Human Army’s movements horrified the Black Ink Clan soldiers outside the Royal City.
One had to know that the two Armies had clashed barely 10 days ago, and during that battle, the Royal Lord had been beaten half-dead and many of the Black Ink Clan soldiers were either killed or injured. At the end of that battle, the Human Old Ancestor even put on a display of killing three Territory Lords right in front of the Royal Lord, with the latter not daring to stop her.
Were the Humans preparing to raise a storm again after just 10 days?
The Territory Lords were deluged with a sense of unease, and the lower Black Ink Clansmen broke into a commotion.
However, what surprised them was that the Humans did not head towards the Royal City; instead, they seemed to be heading in a different direction.
All of them could clearly feel the Old Ancestor’s powerful aura coming from the fleet of Warships.
A myriad of expressions came over Che Kong as he looked in the direction the Humans were heading. As he thought of a possibility and realised that something was off, he promptly looked for the Royal Lord.
Presently, the Royal Lord’s face was pale, and his aura was extremely weak. Moreover, he was in a terrible mood.
This couldn’t be helped. Even though the Humans had retreated 10 days ago, the Old Ancestor had faintly locked onto him with her Will from a distance, forcing him to remain vigilant this whole time.
In such a situation, he wasn’t in the mood to recuperate, nor did he dare to do so.
However, on this day, he realised that the Old Ancestor’s aura was moving further away from him. As he released his Divine Sense, he soon understood the situation.
Che Kong arrived at his place at this point.
Before he could speak, the Royal Lord ordered, “Inform the Army at Great Evolution Pass to leave and return to the Royal City.”
Upon hearing that, Che Kong was astonished, “Are we abandoning Great Evolution Pass?”
The Royal Lord shook his head, “Since the Old Ancestor is personally heading to Great Evolution Pass, there’s no way they can hold it.”
Che Kong had already speculated that the Human Army was marching towards Great Evolution Pass. Now, it indeed seemed to be the case. He thus bowed his head, “I’ll send them a message now. However, there are some Human soldiers outside Great Evolution Pass. I’m worried that they might not have a chance to come back.”
The Royal Lord shook his head again, “The Humans will not intercept them again. Just inform them about it.”
Although Che Kong had no idea why the Royal Lord had made such a judgement, he could only oblige.
Just when he was about to leave the place, the Royal Lord suddenly said, “Tell those from Great Evolution Pass to make a detour. They must not run into the Old Ancestor on their way back.”
“Yes,” Che Kong replied and left.
After he was gone, the Royal Lord closed his eyes and clenched his fists tightly.
He was extremely vexed.
Despite having a huge advantage in terms of the number of soldiers and holding the geographical advantage, they were eventually defeated by the Humans, who now had the last laugh. On the other hand, a Royal Lord like him could only hide in the Royal City, not daring to show his face.
The root cause of the problem was that he had underestimated his opponent, thinking that the Old Ancestor, just like him, was still injured every time they clashed in the past. It never crossed his mind that the cunning Old Ancestor had fully recovered each time.
This was the kind of humiliation he could never wash away for the rest of his life.
The East-West Army departed from the base and headed to Great Evolution Pass. If everything went well, they would arrive at their destination in one month.
After 10 days of reorganisation, it could only be said that the soldiers were able to move and fight again, but they hadn’t fully recovered. The injured soldiers were still recuperating in the Warships of their Squads. Meanwhile, the Array Masters and Artifact Refiners were moving between the Warships to repair the artifacts and arrays. They were swamped with work.
Wen Cheng Jing and Zhang Yang, who were new to Dawn, soon familiarised themselves with the other members. Feng Ying had assigned some work and duties to them. On the other hand, Blood Crow, who didn’t seem to get along well with the others, was standing on the deck on his own. It wasn’t certain what was on his mind.
Yang Kai didn’t intend to interfere. It was impossible to expect that Blood Crow could get along with the others. His background, experiences, and temperament meant that he was unable to do that.
However, Blood Crow was already different from his past self. Yang Kai could detect that.
In the past, Blood Crow was forced to come to the Black Ink Battlefield to fight against the Black Ink Clan. But now, he didn’t battle against the Black Ink Clan just because he had to. It also had something to do with his Dao Heart.
Even though his life was saved by the members of his previous Squad, he might not necessarily be grateful to them; instead, he might think that those who were killed in his stead were foolish. Regardless, it was an indisputable fact that his life was saved. He didn’t have to be grateful, but he did have to repay their favour.
This was his Dao.
In the cabin, after examining Ning Qi Zhi’s body, Yang Kai said, “Just get some rest for the time being. Even if there’s a battle, don’t make a move.”
In the previous battle, Qi Tai Chu was killed while Ning Qi Zhi was terribly injured and his Small Universe was damaged. If not for the fact that Yang Kai had come to his rescue in time, his Small Universe would have been shattered.
If that happened, Qi Tai Chu wouldn’t have been the only one who died that day.
Although Ning Qi Zhi had survived, his Small Universe had cracked.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had Profound Yin Spirit Fruits on him.
When he was in Blue Sky Pass back then, he had intentionally planted some Profound Yin Fruit Trees and a massive amount of herbs that could be used to refine Purifying Black Ink Pills in his Small Universe.
They were planted in his medicine garden where Mu Zhu and Mu Lu, the two Wood Spirits, would tend to them. Those herbs would easily grow to maturity under their care.
Furthermore, the flow of time in his Small Universe was much faster than that in the outside world. More than 1,000 years had passed since then, so the Profound Yin Fruit Trees in his Small Universe had borne fruits. Yang Kai had handed 90% of them over to Army to be used by the other soldiers while he kept 10% just in case of emergencies.
Profound Yin Spirit Fruits were the only Spirit Fruits the Humans had found that could repair broken or incomplete Small Universes.
That was the reason Ning Qi Zhi’s life was saved. Although the Profound Yin Spirit Fruit had an amazing effect, it would take a long time before his Small Universe was fully repaired. Before that, he was unable to use his World Force, or his injury would exacerbate.
Upon hearing Yang Kai’s words, Ning Qi Zhi nodded, but he didn’t feel any sense of relief.
Qi Tai Chu had lost his life. In Dawn, Qi Tai Chu, Ning Qi Zhi, and Shen Ao were former Black Ink Disciples that Yang Kai had brought back from the Black Ink Clan’s side. They were friends who had shared countless life-and-death moments together on the battlefield.
Now, Qi Tai Chu was no longer there to drink wine and talk about the Martial Dao with the other two.
Yang Kai gently patted his shoulder and turned around to leave. The moment he left the cabin, he saw the gloomy-looking Blood Crow standing on the deck on his own.
Without intending to talk to him, Yang Kai returned to his room to get some rest.
As soon as he opened the door, he batted his eyes in stunned silence. A moment later, he gently stepped back and closed the door.
Before he could close the door though, a voice called out, “Come in and have a talk with me.”
A helpless Yang Kai tutted and opened the door again. Upon entering the room, he saluted the person who was seated on his bed, “Old Ancestor.”
No one knew when Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had arrived aboard Dawning Light; however, given her Ninth-Order cultivation, no one could detect her presence if she wanted to conceal it.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao shot him a glance and teased him by saying, “What’s wrong? Are you worried that there will be rumours about us? Is that why you left the door open?”
Yang Kai promptly shook his head, “That’s definitely not the case.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao snorted.
A concerned Yang Kai asked, “How’re your injuries? Do you need a place to recuperate?”
Upon hearing that, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao waved her hand, “I don’t need to recuperate for now. We’ll talk about it when we settle down. Moreover, I wasn’t badly hurt in the previous battle.”
A curious Yang Kai asked, “Why are you here, then?”
Obviously, the Old Ancestor wouldn’t have come all the way here just to have a chat with him.
Without beating around the bush, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao extended her hand, “Give me some a few sets of Space Beacons.”
The two of them had lived together in Yang Kai’s Small Universe for hundreds of years now and frequently chatted with each other. On occasion, Yang Kai would mention the methods he had developed in the Dao of Space, hoping the Old Ancestor might be able to give him some insights or inspiration.
That was why she was aware of the existence of his Space Beacons.
Yang Kai didn’t ask why she needed the Space Beacons and just fished out a few sets and passed them to her.
After taking the Space Beacons, the Old Ancestor directly disappeared.
Yang Kai batted his eyes once and realised that she was already nowhere to be seen in the room. Soon though, he heard the Old Ancestor’s voice, “Tell your Squad to relax. There won’t be a battle when we arrive at Great Evolution Pass.”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai was stunned.
He thought that the reason they set off to Great Evolution Pass was to launch the last battle against the Black Ink Clan to retake it. However, the Old Ancestor’s words seemed to suggest that they could get Great Evolution Pass back without a fight.
Would the Black Ink Clan unconditionally surrender Great Evolution Pass to them?
Yang Kai frowned, but as he pondered on the issue, he soon realised the crux of the matter and figured out why she had said as much.
Even though it was no different from letting the Black Ink Clansmen from both sides join forces, it was still of greater benefit to the Human soldiers at the moment. Yang Kai had no idea about the North-South Army’s situation, but the East-West Army had just gone through an intense battle. If they fought again after such a short time, there would surely be massive losses.
If they could retake Great Evolution Pass without a fight, they could prevent a lot of unnecessary sacrifices.
As for the reason that the Old Ancestor wanted some Space Beacons from Yang Kai…
After giving it a thought, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Royal Lord for a moment.
Perhaps in the years to come, the Royal Lord would not be able to recuperate with peace of mind.
In the North-South Army’s base, Li Xing was given a room. By activating the Spirit Arrays, he could cultivate at ease without worrying about any interruption, unless the room itself was attacked.
However, he wasn’t in the mood to cultivate. The reason he didn’t immediately return to the East-West Army’s side after completing his task was that he wanted to find out if Mi Jing Lun’s speculation was right.
At the same time, he wanted to know the outcome of the war on the East-West Army’s side.
He had learned a lot of secrets from Xiang Shan, so he knew that it wouldn’t be hard for the East-West Army to win the battle; however, it remained uncertain whether the Old Ancestor would be able to kill the Royal Lord.
Before the outcome was clear, no one could be certain that there wouldn’t be a sudden turn of events.
It wasn’t hard to find out whether the East-West Army had won the battle. They just had to observe the reaction of the Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass; therefore, Li Xing had been staring in Great Evolution Pass’ direction in an attempt to find out what was going on over there. Nevertheless, the Great Pass was too far away for a mere Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to get a clear look. Regardless of what the Black Ink Clan were doing over there, he was unable to tell.
One day, he suddenly saw a ray of light rushing over from Great Evolution Pass’ direction.
Li Xing’s eyes brightened as he knew that it should be one of the people from the North-South Army responsible for monitoring Great Evolution Pass. Since the person was coming back in a hurry, he must have some news to report to the higher-ups.
As expected, after the person returned, he directly landed on the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
Li Xing had the urge to find out more, but he was worried that it would be awkward for him to do so; after all, he wasn’t from the North-South Army, so he didn’t have the right to head to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship as he pleased.
After waiting for some time, he saw the person emerging from the Purifying Black Ink Battleship, so he promptly went over to stop him and cupped his fist, “Please wait, Senior Brother.”
That person was also a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and as he lifted his head and recognised him, he asked with a smile, “Brother Li from the East-West Army?”
Li Xing nodded, then quickly asked, “Senior Brother, is there any news about the Black Ink Clansmen from Great Evolution Pass?”
The Seventh-Order Master hesitated for a bit, but reckoning that it wasn’t really a secret, he replied, “Indeed, Brother Li. Just now, we detected some unusual movement from Great Evolution Pass. There seemed to be a commotion; however, due to the Great Pass’ barrier, we were unable to find out what was going on regardless of how hard we tried. If it’s just like the information you’ve brought to us, the East-West Army should have won the battle. The Black Ink Clansmen there must be feeling uneasy now after learning the news from the Royal City.”
Li Xing became excited, “That has to be the case!”
The Seventh-Order Master said with a smile, “I share the same sentiment, so I came back in a hurry to report it to the two Army Commanders. Brother Li, I have to return to continue monitoring Great Evolution Pass, so I’ll take my leave now.”
Saying so, he cupped his fist and left the place.
Li Xing, who had been anxious recently, finally relaxed. Since the Black Ink Clan from Great Evolution Pass started making a move, it suggested that those from the Royal City were defeated.
In that case, the East-West Army must have successfully carried out its plan. In other words, they had won.
Therefore, he no longer had to return to the East-West Army. According to the plan, if the East-West Army won the war, they would soon come over and join up with the North-South Army.
As such, Li Xing just had to wait here and could also find out if Mi Jing Lun’s speculation was right.
After bidding Li Xing farewell, the Seventh-Order Master headed straight in Great Evolution Pass’ direction.
A few hours later, he landed on an asteroid where there were two other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. One of them was seen with Demon Qi swirling around his figure. It was obvious that he was from Myriad Demons Cave Heaven. On the other hand, it was difficult to figure out the other person’s background; however, he was clad in a green robe, and his aura felt natural and pure.
Presently, one of these Seventh-Order Masters was seen with a golden left pupil. Apparently, he had activated the Demon Eye of Annihilation.
It wasn’t certain what kind of an amazing Eye Secret Technique the green-robed Seventh-Order Master was using, but his eyes had turned amber, and a flash of light was seen flowing behind his gaze.
They were seated in two different places as they stared in Great Evolution Pass’ direction in an attempt to find out what was going on over there.
There were countless talents in the Cave Heavens and Paradises, so it wasn’t hard to get two people who had cultivated Eye Secret Techniques to monitor Great Evolution Pass.
The three of them were in the same group. Two people were responsible for keeping an eye on Great Evolution Pass while the remaining one served as a runner to report any findings to the higher-ups. There was a clear division of tasks.
A moment later, the disciple from Myriad Demons Cave Heaven grunted all of a sudden. At the same time, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, whose eyes had turned amber, batted his eyes. It was apparent that they had discovered something.
The disciple from Myriad Demons Cave Heaven suddenly said, “There are some Black Ink Clansmen coming over from Great Evolution Pass.”
“How many are there?” The Seventh-Order Master, who had just returned to this place, asked anxiously. It would be bad news to the Humans whenever the Black Ink Clansmen left Great Evolution Pass. Every time they did that, there would be a fight with the North-South Army, though the enemy would always be defeated. Therefore, the Seventh-Order Master became nervous upon learning that some Black Ink Clansmen had left Great Evolution Pass.
The Seventh-Order Master from Myriad Demons Cave Heaven replied, “There are only a few dozen of them.”
The green-robed Seventh-Order Master arched his brow, “It seems that Senior Mi’s speculation was right. They appear to be the Black Ink Clan’s envoys.”
Since they were asked to monitor Great Evolution Pass, Mi Jing Lun had told them the reason they had to do so. Just like Li Xing, they were previously puzzled. The blood feud between the two Races on the Black Ink Battlefield was practically irresolvable. They would always engage in a life-and-death fight every time they clashed, so no envoys had ever been sent to the other side before.
They thought that such a thing was unlikely to happen; however, since Mi Jing Lun had said so, they wouldn’t dare to doubt it.
Now, several dozen Black Ink Clansmen were indeed coming over from Great Evolution Pass, and it was apparent that they were not looking for trouble. The only reasonable explanation was that they were the expected envoys.
“Do we act according to the plan?” The Seventh-Order Master from Myriad Demons Cave Heaven raised his brow.
The green-robed Seventh-Order Master nodded, “En. However, we’re not sure how many Feudal Lords there are. If there are too many of them, we might suffer a setback instead.”
The Seventh-Order Master from Myriad Demons Cave Heaven grinned, “Don’t worry. Senior Mi said that even if we make a move, they won’t have the nerve to fight back. There’s nothing to worry about even if there are Territory Lords among them; after all, to them, we still have no idea about the outcome of the war at the Royal City.”
The other two nodded, then activated their Secret Techniques to cover their figures up and hide their auras. At the same time, they sent a message back to the forward base. Soon, several Human Warships secretly set out to ambush the enemies.
After departing from Great Evolution Pass, the several dozen Black Ink Clansmen rushed forward and it only took them about half a day before they arrived somewhere near the asteroid field.
At this point, the Humans could easily figure out how strong these Black Ink Clansmen were.
There were only a few Feudal Lords, while the rest were all High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen. No Territory Lords were present.
It seemed that the Territory Lords were truly afraid of death. They were obviously worried that the Humans would attack them if they came over all of a sudden; therefore, they sent some Feudal Lords first to test the waters.
Since there wasn’t even a single Territory Lord, the Humans who were hiding nearby became at ease.
Just as the Black Ink Clansmen were about to pass by the asteroids, the arrays on the Warships activated. At the same time, Secret Techniques and the powers of artifacts rained down on these Black Ink Clansmen.
Violent energy fluctuations suddenly exploded. Engulfed in a great sense of danger, these Black Ink Clansmen, who were already apprehensive to begin with, were terrified. Flustered, they hurriedly dispersed.
However, under the intense barrage, these Black Ink Clansmen were not spared from misfortune. In an instant, half of them perished.
Before they even managed to steady themselves, the Human Warships had revealed themselves. Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters leapt out and cast their Secret Techniques at the enemies.
The Feudal Lord in the lead dodged the attacks with difficulty while exclaiming, “Wait! We’re not here to fight! Territory Lord Hong Di has ordered us to come here for peace talks with you all!”
His loud voice reverberated across the void.
Naturally, the Human soldiers didn’t bother to respond to him and dismissed his words as nonsense. It seemed that just like what Mi Jing Lun had expected, these Black Ink Clansmen wouldn’t dare to counterattack even if they were attacked. As such, the Humans became even more ruthless with their assault.
These poor Feudal Lords had survived several clashes with the North-South Army, so it could be said that they were elites among the Black Ink Clan. Nevertheless, at this moment, they could only dodge in embarrassment.
Things would only get worse if they kept avoiding the attacks though, and by the time these Feudal Lords realised that the situation could not be salvaged and wanted to counterattack, it was already too late.
Only a cup of tea’s time had passed since the Human soldiers started attacking, but these several dozen Black Ink Clansmen were almost wiped out.
Before his death, the Black Ink Clansman at the front exclaimed, “We’re really here to discuss peace!”
The Humans had never responded to him since the beginning, so he was extremely vexed right until his death.
Although they knew that these Black Ink Clansmen were indeed here for a peace talk, none of the Humans had any pity for them. That was because they knew that these Black Ink Clansmen must have killed Humans before.
On the walls of Great Evolution Pass, the Territory Lords were standing alongside one another as they looked into the distance.
When they saw that the several dozen Black Ink Clansmen were all killed, their expressions turned gloomy.
Even though they were fairly certain that these Black Ink Clansmen would end up in a horrible state, none of them had expected that the Humans would be so ruthless.
With that said, the outcome wasn’t surprising. There was a blood feud between the two Races that stretched back countless years. When one side suddenly wanted to talk peace, the other side certainly wouldn’t easily believe them. It was expected that they would simply attack.
It was for this reason that the Territory Lords didn’t show up in the first attempt. They only sent some Feudal Lords and High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen as a test.
The situation was apparently more troublesome than they imagined.
Hong Di said grimly, “In such a situation, does any one of you have a solution? At a minimum, we have to establish contact with the Humans before we even think about a peace talk.”
If they couldn’t open a dialogue with the Humans, it would be pointless to send more Black Ink Clansmen over.
The Territory Lords fell silent. The incident earlier showed that the Humans would immediately attack when they saw Black Ink Clansmen leave the Great Pass. There was no room for communication, so how were they supposed to discuss anything?
When they learned that their brethren at the Royal City were defeated and the Royal Lord was horrendously injured, they were quite flustered. Over the past 100 or so years, the Human soldiers would attack the Royal City every 20 years. The Black Ink Clansmen from Great Evolution Pass were aware of this; after all, it was easy to transmit information through the Black Ink Nests.
Over the years, even though those from the Royal City would always suffer some losses in each engagement, the losses were not critical. The Royal Lord and the Old Ancestor were equally matched, with neither being capable of killing the other; therefore, they were puzzled as to why the situation had suddenly become so abysmal at the Royal City.
After some inquiries, they learned that the Human Old Ancestor had been concealing the fact that she could recover far faster than anticipated. Over the years, she repeatedly exacerbated the Royal Lord’s injuries, never giving him time to fully heal, while she would make a complete recovery. Finally, after 100 years of plotting, she dropped the pretence and forced the Royal Lord to flee back to the Royal City in embarrassment.
Although the Human soldiers had returned to their forward base, things were not looking good on the Royal City’s side and those from Great Evolution Pass were worried that the Royal City would really be destroyed by the Humans.
Then, they received a piece of news that horrified them.
Barely 10 days after the great battle ended, the Human Army left the forward base they had garrisoned in for over 100 years and headed in Great Evolution Pass’ direction.
That was some shocking news.
There was already a Human Army at Great Evolution Pass’ doorstep, one that had stopped them from leaving this place on multiple occasions. If the Human soldiers from the Royal City joined up with them, the Black Ink Clansmen at Great Evolution Pass would be doomed.
Furthermore, the Old Ancestor was with the approaching Human Army.
It could be said that the moment the Human Armies joined forces, death would become certain for the Black Ink Clansmen from Great Evolution Pass.
The Territory Lords were all incredibly flustered. Fortunately, there was an order from the Royal City that told them to evacuate Great Evolution Pass. Although Hong Di was unwilling to abandon his territory, he could only do so in order to save his life.
However, they still had to come up with a way to leave Great Evolution Pass. Over the years, the Humans would be instantly alerted the moment the Black Ink Clan made a move.
Therefore, if they rashly left Great Evolution Pass, the Humans might misunderstand their intentions, and then a battle would be inevitable.
After pondering on the issue, the Territory Lords concluded that their best option was to negotiate a temporary cease-fire with the Humans first. That was why the several dozen Black Ink Clansmen were sent out.
To them, they had the advantage of knowing things that the Humans didn’t. They were aware of what had happened at the Royal City while the Humans might not necessarily know it; hence, they could make use of this advantage to achieve their objective.
If the Humans found out that those from the Royal City were defeated, and that a fleet of Human Warships was coming over to join them, they might not be willing to discuss peace at all.
From the Humans’ perspective, it would be a wise move to stop the Black Ink Clansmen from leaving Great Evolution Pass and wait for the arrival of their reinforcements before joining forces and wiping them out.
Therefore, a peace talk had to be held and concluded before the Human soldiers from the two sides established contact. Otherwise, the Black Ink Clansmen at Great Evolution Pass would be doomed.
Hong Di swept a glance over these silent Territory Lords and cursed at them in his mind, thinking that they were all useless when their help was needed.
Hence, he could only turn to his Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple, “Zhou Qi, since you’re a Human, do you have a suggestion to deal with this situation?”
Black Ink Strength was seen swirling around the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple named Zhou Qi. His neck was full of abscesses where black pus was seen oozing out. Not only did this person look hideous, his body also stank. It was as though he was a rotten corpse. His smell couldn’t be isolated using any Secret Techniques, so all the Black Ink Clansmen and the other Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples stayed far away from him.
Upon hearing Hong Di’s question, Zhou Qi bent his back and replied, “Sir, when I was younger, I happened to wander around a Universe World where I saw two Human Armies clashing with one another. When the losing side wanted to surrender, they would send a group of people to the other side waving a white flag. When the people on the other side saw the white flag, they knew not to launch an attack. Why don’t we try that?”
“Raising a white flag?” Hong Di was surprised as he had never heard of it before.
Another Territory Lord asked his own Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple, “Is that true?”
After pondering on it for a moment, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple replied, “I’ve heard of it before; however, every Universe World has its own unique customs, so it might not be a universally accepted sign. I’m not sure if it’ll be effective on the Human soldiers over there.”
Hong Di nodded, “We’ll give it a try to find out if it’s effective. Get me a white flag!”
Following his order, the Black Ink Clansmen started getting prepared.
A while later, a white flag was made. The white flag was truly gigantic, as though they were worried that the Humans wouldn’t be able to see it.
A moment later, another group of Black Ink Clansmen departed from Great Evolution Pass. The Feudal Lord at the front raised the white flag and headed towards the North-South Army’s forward base while feeling incredibly apprehensive.
On the monitoring asteroid, the two Seventh-Order Masters who cultivated Eye Secret Techniques immediately spotted this new group.
The Seventh-Order Master from Myriad Demons Cave Heaven couldn’t help but break into laughter, “They’re coming over with a white flag. Are we going to attack?”
“So what if they’re coming over with a white flag? Just kill them all!” A certain Squad Leader rolled up his sleeves as he was ready to kill.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” the Seventh-Order Master, who was responsible for passing on information, shook his head, “The higher-ups have made it clear that we have to eventually negotiate with the Black Ink Clan. It’s reasonable for us to say that we did not know their intentions when we killed their first group of envoys, but now that they’ve made such an obvious gesture, waving a giant white flag, we might ruin the Army Commanders’ plans if we still make a move.”
A cornered animal would strike back at all costs if it was pushed into a hopeless situation, no matter how timid it may be. Earlier, the Humans had killed a group of Black Ink Clansmen, which was fine if all they wanted was to destroy the enemy. However, if they repeatedly killed the Black Ink Clan’s envoys and eliminated any hope of negotiation, that would be disastrous for them as well.
Therefore, upon hearing what the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master said, the others nodded in agreement.
“I’ll make contact with them.” Saying so, the Seventh-Order Master emerged from his hiding place, stood there in the void, and looked condescendingly at the group of Black Ink Clansmen.
From afar, the Feudal Lord at the front spotted this Seventh-Order Master. He was initially anxious, but upon seeing the person’s actions, he relaxed slightly.
He had seen what had happened to the previous group of his clansmen; therefore, after taking on the task, he was worried that he would also perish just like them.
However, since a Human was willing to show up and not immediately attack, it meant that they had figured out their intentions.
Now, it seemed that raising a white flag was indeed useful.
Half a day later, with the Feudal Lords leading the way, these Black Ink Clansmen arrived somewhere near the asteroid. Only one Seventh-Order Master had shown up on the Humans’ side while the others remained hidden nearby.
Despite being alone, this Human gave off a domineering air.
These Black Ink Clansmen stopped at a spot that was 100,000 kilometres away from the Seventh-Order Human. The Feudal Lord, who was holding the white flag, gave a hint to the Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple beside him. The latter took a step forward and cupped his fist, “May I know your name, Senior Brother?”
The Seventh-Order Master glanced at this Black Ink Disciple and let out a sigh. He saluted him back and replied, “Clear Mind Cave Heaven, Mu Tian Zong.”
He wouldn’t have been so polite if it was a Black Ink Clansman who asked him this question; however, the one who spoke was a Black Ink Disciple. His appearance suggested that he could no longer be saved, but he used to be a Human, after all. He was not willingly corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
Every time the Humans came across such Black Ink Disciples on the battlefield, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill them. That was because death was the only release for these Black Ink Disciples.
Nevertheless, in such a situation, it wasn’t appropriate for this Seventh-Order Master to give them the cold shoulder. This Black Ink Disciple used to be a part of the Human Race, and he had fought against the Black Ink Clan on the battlefield before.
The leading Feudal Lord was apparently a clever one as he let this Black Ink Disciple speak while he remained silent. There was no doubt that it was a wise decision.
The Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple nodded, “Great Evolution Pass, Lian Xu!”
Without beating around the bush, Mu Tian Zong asked, “Why has the Black Ink Clan come all the way here, waving a white flag?”
Lian Xu replied, “Senior Brother, the Black Ink Clan of Great Evolution Pass would like to hold peace talks with the Humans. The reason we have a white flag with us is to show our sincerity.”
“A peace talk?” Mu Tian Zong arched his brow, as though he was surprised, “The blood feud between the two Races is irresolvable. Do you think we’ll believe that you want to suddenly discuss peace?”
Lian Xu replied, “It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not. What matters is whether the Army Commanders and the Division Commanders will believe it.”
He basically implied that this Seventh-Order Master had no right to decide how the matter should be handled.
Mu Tian Zong stared back at him and snorted.
It had to be said that the Black Ink Clan had made the right decision by letting a Black Ink Disciple deal with this matter instead of doing it themselves; after all, Black Ink Disciples had a far better understanding of the Human Race.
The Black Ink Disciple Lian Xu went on to say, “Over the past 100 years, the Black Ink Clansmen from Great Evolution Pass have repeatedly clashed with the Army you belong to, and both parties have suffered immense losses. Now, the Black Ink Clansmen are stuck in Great Evolution Pass while the Humans don’t dare to attack rashly. Further confrontation will only drain our strength and waste our time. Now, the Black Ink Clan are willing to return Great Evolution Pass to the Humans. It’s just that we don’t know whether the Humans are willing to accept it.”
Hearing that, Mu Tian Zong secretly sneered.
The truth was that the Black Ink Clan at the Royal City had been defeated, and those garrisoned at Great Evolution Pass had no choice but to abandon this place. However, this Black Ink Disciple spoke in a way as though the Black Ink Clan were doing the Humans a favour by giving Great Evolution Pass back to them.
Did they think that the North-South Army had no idea what had happened at the Royal City?
Just like what Mi Jing Lun had expected, the Black Ink Clan thought that the Humans did not know what transpired at the Royal City, so they wanted to take advantage of it. Despite knowing what was going on, the Seventh-Order Master pretended that he knew nothing as he appeared surprised, “The Black Ink Clan are going to just give Great Evolution Pass back to us?”
Lian Xu nodded, “Great Evolution Pass originally belonged to the Human Race. Now, we’re just returning it to you.”
“What are the Black Ink Clan’s conditions?” Mu Tian Zong appeared tempted, “There’s no way they will give it back to us for free. It’s not like they’re kind-hearted people.”
Lian Xu replied with a smile, “There are indeed some conditions; however, it’s pointless for us to discuss this. The leaders of the two Races will have to meet to make a decision.”
Mu Tian Zong furrowed his brow slightly before nodding, “You have a point. In that case, give me a moment. I’ll relay a message to the higher-ups.”
Saying so, he fished out a Communication Bead and activated his Divine Sense to get in touch with those at the forward base.
These apprehensive Black Ink Clansmen waited in silence, especially the Feudal Lord who was holding the white flag. He had a feeling that some people were watching him from the shadows, which made him feel uneasy.
A moment later, Mu Tian Zong lifted his head and said, “We’ve received an order. Since the Black Ink Clan wants to hold peace talks, tell the Territory Lord who can make decisions to come over. The Army Commanders and Division Commanders will speak with him.”
It seemed that Lian Xu had already expected this, so he shook his head with a smile, “That’s not appropriate. If Sir Territory Lord comes all the way here, and the Army Commanders and Division Commanders intend to kill him, he might not be able to keep himself safe.”
Mu Tian Zong scoffed, “You used to be a Human, so you should know that we don’t go back on our word.”
Lian Xu refuted, “I also know that deception is an essential tool to achieve one’s goal on the battlefield.”
Mu Tian Zong asked impatiently, “What do you think we should do, then?”
“Give me a moment, Senior Brother.” Saying so, Lian Xu turned to look at the Feudal Lord with the white flag and used his Divine Sense to communicate with him.
Mu Tian Zong had no idea what they were talking about, but the Feudal Lord kept nodding his head, as though Lian Xu was actually the leader here.
The Feudal Lord was probably flustered as numerous murderous intents had locked onto him, so he wasn’t in the mood to mull over anything. Therefore, he just let Lian Xu make the decision.
A moment later, Lian Xu said, “I think that the leaders of the two Races should meet at a neutral location to prevent either side from having ill intentions. What do you think, Senior Brother?”
“Where do you think a suitable place would be?” Mu Tian Zong asked.
Lian Xu replied, “A million kilometres away from Great Evolution Pass.”
The distance was still within range of the arrays set up at Great Evolution Pass. The reason Lian Xu had made this offer was to give the Humans room for negotiation, but surprisingly, Mu Tian Zong directly agreed to it, “Good, a million kilometres out from Great Evolution Pass it is.”
His prompt reply startled Lian Xu as he asked in shock, “Don’t you have to get the approval of your higher-ups, Senior Brother?”
A confident Mu Tian Zong replied, “The Army Commanders have given me authority to make the decision.”
He really had gotten this permission when he contacted those at the forward base just now. Mi Jing Lun had already expected this kind of outcome, so he told Mu Tian Zong to just agree to any place that the other party proposed because he was certain that regardless of where the peace talk was held, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t dare to initiate hostilities.
What’s more, by granting a concession here, they could be more aggressive during the actual negotiations.
Lian Xu wasn’t sure if he should believe what he was hearing; however, things had come to such a point where he could only believe this Seventh-Order Master.
No one could have expected that the location of the peace talk would be so easily decided, especially the Feudal Lord at the front. When he returned to Great Evolution Pass with the white flag in his hands, he still felt like he was dreaming.
When he reported the outcome to Hong Di and the other Territory Lords, they were all surprised. They had never expected that the Humans would be willing to hold peace talks just 1 million kilometres away from Great Evolution Pass. How confident must the Humans be to agree to it? Or did they have other arrangements?
Back at the forward base, Mi Jing Lun stepped out of the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
The Eighth-Order Division Commanders behind him were boisterous, some of them wanting to tag along while some of them wanted to sail the fleet out to put pressure on the Black Ink Clan.
After all, the location of the peace talks was too close to Great Evolution Pass. If the Black Ink Clan played any kind of trick, the Humans would suffer greatly.
Mi Jing Lun just let them keep making noise. It wasn’t until they gradually fell silent that he said, “I don’t need anyone to come with me, nor do we have to sail the fleet out to that place. This Mi alone will be enough.”
Seeing that the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were about to raise a fuss again, Mi Jing Lun stopped them by saying, “Don’t worry. The Black Ink Clan won’t dare to make a move this time.”
Ou Yang Lie refuted, “Regardless of whether they will make a move or not, I’m going with you.”
With a helpless smile, Mi Jing Lun replied, “You haven’t recovered yet, so what good will you coming with me do?”
Ou Yang Lie said, “I’m fine. Even if there is a fight, I won’t be a burden to you.”
Mi Jing Lun shook his head, “Just stay here and recuperate. You’re hot-tempered, so it might not be a good thing if you tag along.”
Ou Yang Lie pursed his lips and replied in a muffled voice, “I’ll just keep my mouth shut when we get there.”
“Do you really want to come with me?” Mi Jing Lun gazed at him.
Ou Yang Lie snorted, “You and I are equal in rank, you can’t stop me from coming.”
Mi Jing Lun rubbed his forehead, “Fine. You can come with me, Brother Ou Yang.”
The Eighth-Order Masters broke into a commotion. It was already inappropriate that Mi Jing Lun wanted to go there on his own, but now that the two Army Commanders were leaving at the same time, the North-South Army would be leaderless if the Black Ink Clan decided to kill them both.
Seeing that they just wouldn’t keep their mouths shut, Mi Jing Lun eventually gave an order as the Army Commander and made them shut up.
A moment later, two figures shot into the sky and headed in Great Evolution Pass’ direction.
Somewhere in the forward base, a dazed Li Xing watched them leave with a great sense of admiration in his heart.
The Black Ink Clan really wanted to hold peace talks with the Humans. How strange was that?
He couldn’t believe his ears when he first heard about it. The reasons he decided to stay were that, first of all, he didn’t have to return to the East-West Army’s side, and secondly, he wanted to find out if Mi Jing Lun’s speculation was right.
Now, it seemed that this Army Commander indeed had incredible foresight.
He had stayed by Xiang Shan’s side for a very long time, so he was fully aware that the latter was extremely talented when it came to military strategy. Now, there seemed to be someone who was a match for Xiang Shan.
With such people in charge of the Human Army, why would they have to worry about not winning the war against the Black Ink Clan?
In the void, Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie headed in Great Evolution Pass’ direction alongside each other.
Initially, just like what Ou Yang Lie had promised earlier, he remained silent; however, he soon pushed his promise to the back of his mind as he said, “Old Mi, there’s something I don’t understand. I wonder if you’ve figured it out.”
Mi Jing Lun asked with a smile, “What’s troubling you, Brother Ou Yang?”
Ou Yang Lie waved his hand, “Stop teasing me. I’m good at fighting, but it’s not my forte to think about stuff. So, I need you to explain it to me.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
Ou Yang Lie went on to say, “Judging from the Black Ink Clan’s reaction, those from the Royal City must have faced a tremendous defeat; otherwise, they wouldn’t suddenly want to hold peace talks with us.”
“That’s right. Senior Brother Xiang’s plan was that they’d set off from the Royal City to Great Evolution Pass in a high-profile manner. This news must have been passed on from the Black Ink Clansmen in the Royal City to those in Great Evolution Pass through the Black Ink Nests. If they want to survive, they have to leave Great Evolution Pass within half a month; otherwise, it will be too late.”
Although it would take the East-West Army a month to arrive at this place from the Royal City, the Black Ink Clan had to leave Great Evolution Pass half a month in advance if they wanted to be safe; otherwise, they might come across the East-West Army and the Old Ancestor on the way to their destination, which would be a death sentence.
“Then, do you think that the Royal Lord is… dead?” Ou Yang Lie turned to look at Mi Jing Lun. That was what he couldn’t figure out. Although he had a speculation, he couldn’t be certain.
“The Royal Lord is still alive,” Mi Jing Lun directly stated.
“Why do you think so?”
“Since the Black Ink Clan want to have peace talks with us, it means that they want to circumvent the North-South Army and head to the Royal City. If the Royal Lord had died, the Royal City would’ve been destroyed. In that case, what’s the point of them returning to the Royal City? They could just leave from the back of Great Evolution Pass and make a detour to the left to reach the Wind and Cloud Theatre. Or, they could go to the Azure Void Theatre on the right to join up with the Black Ink Clan there. Since they want to return to the Royal City, it means that the Royal Lord is still alive.”
Upon hearing that, Ou Yang Lie nodded, “Just as I thought. Haha, as the old saying goes, great minds think alike.”
He was just a rough man with nothing but brute force, but he still shamelessly claimed to have a great mind like that of Mi Jing Lun, as though he was an intelligent person. Mi Jing Lun went on to say with a smile, “There’s one more reason I am certain of my conclusion.”
“Oh? What is it?”
Mi Jing Lun pointed at Great Evolution Pass, “If the Royal Lord was killed, the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest would have been destroyed, taking that Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest in Great Evolution Pass with it. Since the Black Ink Nest in the Pass is still alive, it suggests that the Black Ink Nest in the Royal City is alright. So, the Royal Lord must still be alive.”
Ou Yang Lie repeatedly nodded, “Yes, yes. That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
…..
In Great Evolution Pass, just as the Territory Lords were deliberating on whether the Humans were plotting something, a Feudal Lord came over in a hurry and reported, “There are some Humans approaching Great Evolution Pass. Their auras suggest that they are Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters!”
Hong Di and the other Territory Lords were shocked.
Hong Di asked, “How many are there?”
The Feudal Lord replied, “There are only two of them.”
“Are there any Human soldiers behind them?”
“The Human soldiers remain at their base. There are no signs of additional activity.”
Hong Di couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He promptly leapt onto the wall and looked out intently. There were indeed two rays of light rushing towards Great Evolution Pass.
They were indeed Eighth-Order Masters, for Hong Di could clearly sense the Eighth-Order auras exuding from them.
[Are there really only the two of them?] Although they had been enemies for many years, Hong Di couldn’t help but think that these two Eighth-Order Masters were quite bold.
If he was in their shoes, he wouldn’t have the guts to do such a thing.
When the group of Black Ink Clansmen returned and reported to them what had happened, they felt that the Humans must have some kind of scheme they wanted to pull off by agreeing to meet at a place just 1 million kilometres away from Great Evolution Pass for the peace talks. Now, it seemed that there wasn’t any kind of plot at all. The two Eighth-Order Masters were coming over on their own, which made the Black Ink Clan appear somewhat weak and petty.
Seeing that, the Territory Lords fell into a dilemma. If the Humans really wanted to pull a trick, they could have responded in kind; however, that was not the case. What were they supposed to do in this situation?
All the Territory Lords looked at Hong Di, hoping that he would make a decision.
After giving it a thought, Hong Di said grimly, “The Humans are indeed brave, but it’s not like we are all cowards. Does any one of you want to greet our guests with me?”
If he had a choice, he wouldn’t want to leave Great Evolution Pass; nevertheless, he was the owner of this territory and the leader of the Black Ink Clan here. If he didn’t step forward to deal with this issue, who else would?
He swept a glance over these Territory Lords, but they all remained silent. Clearly, none of them wanted to go with him.
He secretly sighed, knowing that the Territory Lords here had been traumatized by the Eighth-Order Humans during the previous battle. In that fight, the Eighth-Order Masters willingly sacrificed their lives just to bring down the Territory Lords with them. At that time, he didn’t take part in the battle because he had to remain in charge of Great Evolution Pass; however, after the dust settled, Hong Di heard all about how tragic that battle was. If he were these Territory Lords, he would’ve felt terrified of these insane Eighth-Order Masters too.
Since no one was willing to go with him, he could only choose someone himself.
He glanced at a Territory Lord whose figure was quite Human-like and said, “You’ll come with me, Nu Yi.”
The Territory Lord was shocked as she had never expected that Hong Di would choose her; however, everyone was looking at her now, and what they were about to do would determine whether the Black Ink Clansmen in Great Evolution Pass could survive, so she could not back down. Therefore, she summoned her courage and nodded, “Yes.”
“Let’s go,” Hong Di waved his hand, flew over the wall, and dashed into the distance. Nu Yi followed him closely.
When he reached a spot that was a million kilometres away from Great Evolution Pass, Hong Di stopped in his tracks and waited patiently.
Nu Yi took a step forward and stood beside him.
The two Eighth-Order Masters were moving at a speed that was neither slow nor fast, so it would take them about an hour before they arrived. However, their majestic auras could clearly be felt, and one could faintly see the figures hidden within the rays of light.
Discovering something shocking, Nu Yi shuddered and exclaimed, “He’s not dead!”
“What?” Hong Di glanced at her in puzzlement.
She pointed at one of the rays of light, “The one with a more violent aura is a red-haired Human. Zhe Chong was killed by him. He should have died in that battle, but it seems he’s still alive.”
When Zhe Chong was killed, she was nearby, so she saw him being beheaded by the red-haired Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with his sword. However, the Eighth-Order Master’s aura soon withered, so she thought that he had perished along with Zhe Chong.
It wasn’t until this moment that she realised the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from back then was still alive.
The familiar aura made her recall the ruthless red-haired man who seemed to not care at all for his own life and she couldn’t help but shudder.
Upon hearing that, Hong Di paid more attention to the Human with the fiery aura. He could detect that even though the aura was imposing, it was somewhat unstable. It was obvious that the person was still injured.
It seemed that even though this Human had survived the battle 10 years ago, he was horribly injured; otherwise, he would’ve recovered by now.
[The Humans…]
After fighting with the Humans for so many years, Hong Di still couldn’t figure out what advantages that this Race had. They couldn’t cultivate as fast as the Black Ink Clan could, they were not as strong as the Black Ink Clan, they also couldn’t endlessly nurture new soldiers like the Black Ink Clan as long as there were Black Ink Nests and resources.
Nevertheless, even after all these years, the two Races were still deadlocked on the Black Ink Battlefield. The Black Ink Clan had never gained the upper hand over the Humans.
If he had to summarise it, Hong Di would say that the biggest strength the Humans had was their resilience.
Races that were not resilient enough were unable to resist the Black Ink Clan.
One hour later, the two rays of light arrived at a spot that was just 100 hundred kilometres away from Hong Di and Nu Yi before stopping.
It could be said to be a dangerous distance, as to a Territory Lord or Eighth-Order Master, such a distance was no different from being face to face with one another. One could touch the other party just by lifting his hand.
This made Hong Di and Nu Yi tense up.
The lights dissipated and revealed two figures. One of them was clad in scholarly clothes and had a feather fan in his hand. The other was a burly red-haired man.
Unlike how anxious Hong Di and Nu Yi were, these two Humans appeared calm and collected, and upon detecting their anxiety, the red-haired Eighth-Order Master openly sneered.
This made Hong Di secretly furious. They had Great Evolution Pass behind them, and should there be any anomaly, the powers of the arrays and artifacts would rain on these two Humans. Why should he be afraid of them?
On the other hand, these two Humans didn’t have support here. Should there be a conflict, they would surely suffer miserably.
At the thought of this, Hong Di relaxed and cupped his fist, just like how the Humans would usually greet each other, “Hong Di.”
Nu Yi also gave her name.
With a smile, Mi Jing Lun saluted them back, “Great Evolution Northern Army, Mi Jing Lun.”
“Great Evolution Southern Army, Ou Yang Lie.”
Hong Di became startled for a moment. Although the two Races had been in a confrontation for many years, it wasn’t until this moment that he discovered the Humans had named their Army after ‘Great Evolution’. It showed they were determined to retake Great Evolution Pass.
“Although I’ve never heard of your names before, I know that you two are outstanding strategists after dealing with you for so many years. We’ve suffered a lot of setbacks because of you.”
Mi Jing Lun replied with a smile, “Since we Humans are weak, we can only deal with you using strategies. We’re enemies on the battlefield, and both parties never hold back our powers when making a move.”
Ou Yang Lie secretly sent a voice transmission to Mi Jing Lun, “The Black Ink Clan knows how to flatter others as well?”
It wasn’t certain whether he was intentional, as it was a transmission could be heard within a certain range, so Hong Di and Nu Yi could clearly hear him as well. At that instant, they felt embarrassed.
Hong Di suppressed his anger and went on to say, “Although we’ve suffered immense losses, the same can be said for the Humans. Over the years, neither of the two Races has gained the upper hand. Now, we have Great Evolution Pass while you are lacking soldiers. I don’t think you have the power to conquer the Great Pass.”
Mi Jing Lun kept a smile on his face as he replied, “We’re still deliberating on whether we should attack the Great Pass. As for whether we’ll succeed, we’ll find out after we fight.”
Hong Di frowned, “Aren’t you worried that all of your soldiers will be wiped out if another battle breaks out?”
Swaying the feather fan, Mi Jing Lun replied with a smile, “All Humans, from the Fifth Order to the Seventh Order, do not fear death. It is the same for those of us in the Eighth Order. I’m sure that all of you became aware of our determination after the previous battle.”
Hong Di said grimly, “Although I did not personally experience that battle, I did hear about it after. The Human Race is indeed… determined.”
Mi Jing Lun kept the feather fan and said, “Let’s end the small talk here. You sent envoys to our side to ask for peace talks, so how do you want to discuss it? Are you here to talk about which side has the more fearless and heroic soldiers with this Mi?”
Hong Di refuted, “That’s certainly not what I want to talk about. Let us settle things here and now. We control Great Evolution Pass, while you Humans do not have enough manpower to conquer it. Fighting will only drain our strength and waste our time. Great Evolution Pass originally belonged to the Humans, and is irrelevant to the Black Ink Clan’s foundation. After a discussion with the other Territory Lords, we’ve decided to return Great Evolution Pass to the Humans. I’m not sure if you’re willing to accept it.”
Mi Jing Lun replied, “We’ve come all the way here to retrieve Great Evolution Pass. Since you’re willing to give it back to us, why would we not accept it?”
“Good,” Hong Di nodded faintly, “We can return Great Evolution Pass to the Humans, but it comes with conditions.”
Mi Jing Lun replied with a smile, “Nothing is free in this world; we’re fully aware of that. It’s understandable that you have some conditions. As for whether we’ll agree to it, that’s another thing.”
Hong Di continued, “The soldiers of the two Races are fortunate you are such a principled person.”
Ou Yang Lie pursed his lips, as though he was saying this Black Ink Clansman was buttering them up again.
Hong Di ignored him and got straight to the point, “Since the Black Ink Clan occupied Great Evolution Pass 30,000 years ago, we’ve spent a lot of time and effort fortifying it. Other than the various setups, the Black Ink Nest there alone is extremely valuable. If we leave, there’s no way we can keep the Black Ink Nest, so we expect those losses to be borne by the Humans. Therefore, we can give Great Evolution Pass back to you, but you must give us sufficient resources as compensation.”
Mi Jing Lun kept a smile on his face, “That’s understandable. Is there anything else?”
Hong Di was startled, as he had never expected this Human to be so approachable. He thought that the Humans would haggle over everything with him. Besides that, when they talked about where the peace talks should be held, the Black Ink Clan demanded that they take place just 1 million kilometres away from Great Evolution Pass, yet the Humans had directly agreed to it.
It seemed that this Eighth-Order Master was a straightforward person.
“Additionally, we were repeatedly intercepted by the Humans when we tried to leave the Great Pass in the past. We had no choice but to engage in life-or-death battles with you and eventually were forced to return to the Pass. In order to prevent this from happening again, we request your Army to withdraw a 10-day distance either to the left or right of Great Evolution Pass. Only then can we leave without any worries. What do you think?”
“A reasonable request,” Mi Jing Lun nodded, “Will you send some people to monitor us?”
Hong Di nodded, “Yes, I will.”
If they weren’t monitored, there was no guarantee that the Humans would stay 10 days distance from Great Evolution Pass. If the Humans blocked their way again, a battle would be inevitable.
“Do you have other conditions?” Mi Jing Lun asked with the same inscrutable smile on his lips.
Hong Di had no idea what other conditions he should come up with. Getting resources from the Humans was more like a way to show that the sacrifices of the Black Ink Clansmen who were killed in the battle were not in vain. Other than that, the Humans had to stay far away to ensure that the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t be ambushed. These two conditions were enough.
It was pointless to bring up other conditions. It wasn’t like they could tell the Humans to apologise for the death of the Black Ink Clan soldiers. The Humans would never agree to such a ridiculous demand.
As such, Hong Di shook his head and said, “If the Humans agree to these two conditions, we will return Great Evolution Pass to you.”
Mi Jing Lun put on a smile, “You’re a frank person as well. In that case, we should be straightforward with each other. Since you’ve mentioned the conditions you have, I’ll now talk about the conditions we Humans have.”
Hong Di frowned, “The Humans have some conditions?”
Mi Jing Lun said, “Since this is a negotiation, why can’t the Humans propose some conditions?”
Hong Di was rendered speechless, but reckoning that he should hear him out, he nodded, “In that case, please go ahead.”
After a nod, Mi Jing Lun waved his feather fan and said grimly, “The first condition is that the Black Ink Clan can leave Great Evolution Pass, but all the resources, including all fortifications and arrangements the Black Ink Clan has installed, must stay behind.”
Upon hearing that, Hong Di was infuriated, “You want us to leave all resources and equipment behind in Great Evolution Pass?”
He thought he had misheard him.
Then, he turned to look at Nu Yi, who appeared puzzled with a frown.
“Yes, everything.” Mi Jing Lun nodded. Regardless of whether the other party would agree to it, he pointed his feather fan at Great Evolution Pass and went on to say, “The second condition is that the Black Ink Nest in Great Evolution Pass has to stay. The Black Ink Clan cannot destroy it, nor can you bring it away.”
“Impossible!” Hong Di roared. The Black Ink Nest belonged to him, and he had personally hatched it. If it fell into the Humans’ hands, the transmission of information between the Black Ink Clan would be exposed to the Humans. Moreover, Humans had many strange and unusual methods, so he wasn’t certain if they could use this Black Ink Nest to harm him somehow. Therefore, he directly rejected the idea without even giving it a thought. Even if he couldn’t bring the Black Ink Nest away, he had to destroy it rather than allow the Humans to control it.
Mi Jing Lun ignored his outburst directly, and as the smile on his face faded, he looked Hong Di in the eye and declared solemnly, “The third condition is that all Black Ink Disciples must stay.”
This time, Hong Di didn’t explode, because when his fury crossed a critical point and he instead became calm. He stared at Mi Jing Lun with narrowed eyes and replied impassively, “It seems that you’re not really interested in holding peace talks with us.”
With a serious expression, Mi Jing Lun said, “We’re sincere; otherwise, we wouldn’t have come at all.”
Hong Di slowly shook his head, “But I don’t see any sincerity from you.”
“Letting the Black Ink Clan safely leave Great Evolution Pass is the biggest sincerity we can show.”
Hong Di furrowed his brows, “What do you mean by that?”
Mi Jing Lun replied with a smile, “Must I make it clear to you? Alright, I’ll do just that. Over the years, it was the North-South Army that has been fighting against you all. On the other hand, the East-West Army is responsible for destroying the Royal City. 10 days ago, in the battle outside the Royal City, the Black Ink Clan suffered a massive defeat. Many of your comrades were killed, and the Royal Lord has suffered grievous injuries. Now, the East-West Army is on its way here from the Royal City and will rendezvous with us within a month. When that time comes, we’ll have sufficient manpower and the Old Ancestor with us. So, how are you going to stop us even if you hole up inside Great Evolution Pass?”
Hong Di was flabbergasted, “Y-You know what had happened at the Royal City?”
He had never expected that the Humans were aware of what had happened at the Royal City. The reason he even came up with his two conditions was that he thought that the Humans were inferior to the Black Ink Clan when it came to the transmission of information. In truth, the Black Ink Clan would be considered lucky if they could safely leave Great Evolution Pass and return to the Royal City. By bringing up two conditions, Hong Di simply wanted to make the Black Ink Clan appear overbearing while it wouldn’t matter even if the Humans didn’t agree to them in the end.
Therefore, he was surprised to learn that the Humans had found out the outcome of the war.
[How did they find out about it? It would take a person at least a month to arrive at this place from the Royal City. The war at the Royal City only ended 10 days ago, so it was unlikely that the Humans in this place would learn about the outcome so soon!]
The only possibility is that the Humans had already expected the outcome of the war and sent someone to this place to inform the North-South Army about it in advance!
“Are you surprised, Sir Hong Di?” Mi Jing Lun smiled faintly.
Hong Di was a Territory Lord, after all, so after a momentary surprise, he came to his senses and snapped, “Why did you even agree to my conditions, then? Are you messing with me?”
Mi Jing Lun shook his head, “I did not agree to your conditions. I only said that you could bring up your conditions, and we would discuss it.”
Hong Di fell silent.
Without giving the other party time to ponder on it, Mi Jing Lun went on to say, “The East-West Army will arrive at this place in a month; however, we cannot rule out the possibility that the Old Ancestor might act on her own. In that case, she will reach this place from the Royal City within a few days. When that happens, none of you will be able to leave.”
Hong Di shivered at that moment, for the notion of the Old Ancestor coming to this place on her own never crossed his mind, so he quickly objected, “There’s no way your Old Ancestor is not injured after the fight with the Royal Lord. In that case, she has to be recuperating now. What is the point of you bluffing?”
Mi Jing Lun shook his head, “She’s not in a rush to recuperate as retaking Great Evolution Pass is more important. The Old Ancestor is unlike your Royal Lord who fears death. Every time a battle broke out, she always led the charge. So, if all of you want to safely leave Great Evolution Pass, you’d better do it quickly. Leaving within three days would be ideal; otherwise, you won’t be able to when the Old Ancestor arrives.”
Despite knowing that this Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was trying to threaten him, Hong Di was still flustered, for if the Old Ancestor really came to this place on her own, the Black Ink Clan would be doomed.
Over the years, from the information they had gathered through the Black Ink Nests, the Old Ancestor was a woman who could hardly be said to be a reasonable and mild-tempered person.
After giving it a thought for a brief moment, Hong Di said, “We’ll agree to your first condition.”
The resources didn’t matter to them. As long as they could return to the Royal City, they could mine more; therefore, he directly agreed to it.
“Very good.”
“However, I’m afraid I can’t agree to the second and third conditions.”
Mi Jing Lun shot him a dispassionate glance, “If you don’t agree to it, we’ll have no choice but to fight.”
Hong Di grit his teeth, “If we fight, you two will definitely lose your lives.”
Mi Jing Lun replied impassively, “That’s fine. We won’t feel lonely with you two to keep us company on the way to the Yellow Springs.”
At this moment, Hong Di was regretful of the decision he had made before. He shouldn’t have tried to act brave by only bringing Nu Yi with him. Instead, he should have had all the Territory Lords come over. With more people on their side, they could join forces and defeat these two Humans.
Now, it was an embarrassing situation. If a fight broke out here, these two Eighth-Order Masters would undoubtedly die, but he and Nu Yi would probably lose their lives as well. The Eighth-Order Humans seemed to have grown a penchant for mutually assured destruction with Territory Lords.
Seeing that they had reached a deadlock, Nu Yi, who had remained silent all along, suddenly proposed, “Please calm yourselves. Since this is a negotiation, we should keep cool heads. What’s the point of confronting each other now? In my opinion, both of us should make a concession.”
Mi Jing Lun turned to look at her, “What kind of concession will you make?”
Nu Yi replied apologetically, “Please give me a moment, Sir.”
Saying so, she communicated with Hong Di using Divine Sense right in front of Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie.
A myriad of expressions came over Hong Di and a while later, he nodded with a gloomy expression. It was apparent that he was still unwilling, but had no other choice.
It was then that Nu Yi turned to look at Mi Jing Lun and forced a smile, “Sir Mi, I’ve discussed the matter with Sir Hong Di, and we’ve decided that we’ll agree to your second condition.”
“A wise decision,” Mi Jing Lun responded with a smile.
“We have shown our sincerity by agreeing to your third condition, so can you withdraw your third condition to show that you’re willing to make a concession as well? That way, we can reach a peaceful settlement without resorting to needless violence.”
Mi Jing Lun glanced at her with a smile, “You’ve agreed to one of our conditions, so we would appear unreasonable if we did not concede in return. There’s no reason for me to reject your proposal.”
Upon hearing that, Nu Yi was elated; however, before she could speak, Mi Jing Lun went on to say, “Good, since you have shown enough sincerity, we won’t be imperious. This Mi will withdraw our side’s second condition. You can do anything you want to the Black Ink Nest. I don’t care whether you’ll bring it away or destroy it. However, all the Black Ink Disciples have to stay. We will handle them.”
Nu Yi widened her eyes in disbelief as she was lost for words.
She had never expected that Mi Jing Lun would turn the tables on them in such a way by withdrawing the second condition but forcing them to accept the third one.
Beside her, Hong Di sported a dark expression.
Leaving the Black Ink Nest here didn’t really matter, they just had to inform the Royal Lord about it and let the latter use his High-Rank Black Ink Nest to cut off the connection with the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest in Great Evolution Pass, thus ensuring that the exchange of information between the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t be exposed to the Humans.
As for whether the Humans would make use of this Black Ink Nest and cast a Secret Technique to target Hong Di, that could be dealt with in the future. Furthermore, it was unlikely to happen.
However, they couldn’t leave all the Black Ink Disciples here.
Although there were still a lot of Black Ink Clan soldiers in Great Evolution Pass, there were not many powerful ones. In the previous war, a large number of Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples had lost their lives.
If they wanted to leave Great Evolution Pass and return to the Royal City, the power of the Black Ink Disciples would be indispensable. If they left the Black Ink Disciples to the Humans, no one could guarantee that the Humans wouldn’t develop any ill intentions. In that case, how were the Black Ink Clansmen supposed to ward them off?
This was no different from digging their own grave.
The Black Ink Clan wasn’t foolish, so they wouldn’t agree to such a demand. It could be said that the Black Ink Disciples were their bottom line, and they wouldn’t give them to the Humans.
Seeing that Hong Di and Nu Yi fell silent, as though the discussion was about to fall apart, Mi Jing Lun put on a smile, “Do you need to deliberate on it for a moment?”
Nu Yi forced a smile, “Please give us a moment, Sir Mi.”
They then communicated with each other using their Divine Senses again.
It was obvious that Hong Di was furious while Nu Yi appeared concerned.
The discussion didn’t yield any meaningful results. An impatient Ou Yang Lie darted his gaze back and forth between Hong Di and Nu Yu, as though he was thinking about which parts of their bodies he should cut first.
The silent pressure caused these Territory Lords to feel flustered.
This red-haired man was the one who killed Zhe Chong. Given such a short distance between them, they didn’t have the confidence to repel him if he suddenly flared up.
On the other hand, Mi Jing Lun, who was the one who did all of the talking, appeared calm and collected, as though he wouldn’t feel bored even if he had to wait for 100 years.
Certainly, the two Territory Lords wouldn’t let him wait for 100 years, for they were in a hurry while the Humans were not. After all, no one could guarantee that the Old Ancestor wouldn’t come here on her own. If she wanted to, the Old Ancestor would only take her a few days to arrive at this place from the Royal City; hence, the Black Ink Clan had to quickly come up with a solution and leave.
A moment later, they finally made a decision. Again, it was Nu Yi who spoke, “I’m sorry for making you wait.”
Mi Jing Lun asked with a smile, “Have you made a decision?”
Nu Yi nodded, “Just like what I’ve said, we’ll agree to the second condition to show that we’re willing to make a concession. As for the third condition, we can only agree to half of it.”
“What do you mean?” Mi Jing Lun arched his brow.
“Now, we’re only left with Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. There are quite a number of Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples, but there are only a dozen or so Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples,” Nu Yi explained, “We can give all the Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples to the Humans, but Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples must remain with us.”
After a pause, she put on a bitter smile, “Including the second condition, we’ve made a massive concession. If you still refuse to agree to it, then this discussion will end here.”
Mi Jing Lun fell silent.
He was fully aware of why the Black Ink Clan was unwilling to hand over the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. Now, there were not a lot of powerful Masters in the Black Ink Clan, so they had to rely on the protection of those Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples on their way to the Royal City. If they gave the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples to the Humans, they would lose a sense of security. How were they supposed to fend off the Humans if the latter decided to renege on the agreement and attacked them?
In fact, even though Mi Jing Lun had come up with such a condition, he had never expected the Black Ink Clan to agree to it. It was really just his way of testing the waters as he knew there was no way the Black Ink Clan would agree to it.
If he kept on pushing the Black Ink Clan, things would only get worse.
Therefore, after a moment of deliberation, he nodded, “This Mi can see your sincerity. In that case, it’s decided.”
Seeing that he had agreed to it, Hong Di and Nu Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Of these two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, even though this red-haired man, who had remained silent all along, appeared condescending and ferocious, the pressure he gave off was not as great as that of this seemingly mild-tempered man.
He could easily manipulate them into giving in to his demands with his words alone. It wasn’t just about cultivation, it seemed he was well-versed in the art of persuasion.
After the discussion ended, Mi Jing Lun asked, “When will the Black Ink Clan leave?”
Nu Yi remained silent and turned to look at the man beside her.
Hong Di replied, “We need some time to organise our troops. We’ll leave Great Evolution Pass in two to three days.”
They wouldn’t dare to stay for long.
Mi Jing Lun nodded, “In that case, this Mi will order our soldiers to withdraw. When the time comes, we’ll make sure not to get in the way of your return to the Royal City. Do you need to send some people to monitor us?”
“I’ll make the arrangements, so you don’t have to worry about it, Sir Mi,” Hong Di said impassively. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind, then he continued, “Great Evolution Pass used to belong to the Humans, and you lost it 30,000 years ago. Since both of you are here, why don’t you come have a look inside the Great Pass?”
There was no doubt that he was ill-intentioned when he came up with such a suggestion at this point. That was mainly because he was unresigned at the fact that he had been suppressed by Mi Jing Lun’s words since the start of the negotiation.
He did not intend to harm Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie; after all, an agreement had already been reached. As long as both parties restrained themselves, the Black Ink Clan would safely leave this place and the Humans would retrieve Great Evolution Pass without having to fight. It was a win-win situation while another conflict would do both sides no good.
The suggestion was meant to help him vent his anger. If the two Humans did not have the guts to enter Great Evolution Pass, it would show that they were timid. Even if they had the audacity to visit Great Evolution Pass, they would appear nervous and embarrass themselves.
Surprisingly, Mi Jing Lun appeared elated upon hearing the suggestion, “An excellent suggestion. I’ve always wanted to have a look inside.”
Hong Di was dumbfounded.
[He readily agreed to it?]
As a Territory Lord, since he had already spoken, he could only invite them to visit Great Evolution Pass. Composing himself, he guffawed and replied, “You’re indeed a straightforward person, Sir Mi.”
Mi Jing Lun said, “We’ll have a look at the setups in Great Evolution Pass and count the number of Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples. When you leave, I hope that everything inside Great Evolution Pass will remain intact, and all the Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples will remain.”
“Of course, of course,” Hong Di felt bitter in his heart, but he was unable to do anything about it.
On the wall of Great Evolution Pass, the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were shocked to see that after a long discussion, Hong Di, Nu Yi, and the two Eighth-Order Masters were now returning to Great Evolution Pass together while having a seemingly pleasant chat.
[What’s going on?]
The Territory Lords were astounded.
A peace talk between the two Races was unprecedented, so they had practically made history today, but how did that lead to these four now having a casual conversation?
If not for the fact that Eighth-Order Masters wouldn’t be corrupted by Black Ink Strength so soon, the Territory Lords would’ve thought that the two Humans had been turned into Black Ink Disciples.
It only took them a short moment to move across the million kilometres distance.
Hong Di specifically brought Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie to the place where the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples gathered together. He then introduced them to the Territory Lords, “They are the Army Commanders of the Human Race Army, Sir Mi and Sir Ou Yang. I’m sure you’re aware of how powerful they are after years of clashes with the Humans.”
The Territory Lords remained silent as they stared at Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie and mounted pressure on them.
Mi Jing Lun just replied with a smile, “It is my honour to see so many powerful members of the Black Ink Clan.”
Ou Yang Lie was not so polite as he swept a glance over the vital parts of these Territory Lords, which left the latter somewhat vexed.
Oblivious to their fury, Ou Yang Lie continued staring at them.
The two of them were on their own in a place where all the powerful Black Ink Clansmen had gathered together. One of them was calm and collected while the other was bold and fearless. Hong Di reckoned that he was no match for these two when it came to composure. No Territory Lord could act the way these two Humans did if they were in their shoes.
Hong Di felt disappointed as he had failed in his attempt to frighten the two Humans. He then said to the Territory Lords, “These Sirs have come all the way here to take a stroll around Great Evolution Pass. Just attend to your own matters. I’ll keep them company.”
It was only then that the Territory Lords left.
After they were gone, Hong Di asked, “Where do you want to look, Sir Mi? Although we, the Black Ink Clan, have only been in charge of this place for 30,000 years. We’re more familiar with Great Evolution Pass now than the Humans.”
Mi Jing Lun replied with a smile, “Many thanks for taking good care of this place, Sir Hong Di. Let’s just look around.”
Hong Di extended his hand, “In that case, this way please.”
On the wall, Hong Di and Mi Jing Lun shuffled forward alongside one another. Ou Yang Lie and Nu Yi followed closely behind them. Nu Yi wouldn’t dare to get close to Ou Yang Lie, so she deliberately walked behind him, which unintentionally made it look as though she was his maidservant.
A moment later, Hong Di regretted the fact that he had invited these two to visit Great Evolution Pass on a whim.
That was mainly because Mi Jing Lun started criticizing the arrays and artifacts on the walls. As an experienced Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and a former Army Commander of a Great Pass, Mi Jing Lun was familiar with the standard arrangements of a Great Pass.
The setups in a Human Great Pass could be said to be interlocked with one another in a meticulous manner, thus ensuring that they would work efficiently when the Humans fought against the enemies.
Although the Black Ink Clan had been managing Great Evolution Pass for 30,000 years, their setups were a mess. They looked well constructed, but only 50% of their power could probably be unleashed.
If a Human Great Pass was set up in such a way, it would’ve been conquered by the Black Ink Clan a long time ago.
It wasn’t like there was anything Hong Di could do about it. The Black Ink Clan lacked special talents like Array Masters and Artifact Refiners, so they couldn’t arrange exquisite and powerful arrays and artifacts like those in a Human Great Pass.
Even though they had imitated the previous setups in Great Evolution Pass, it was not as good as what the Humans could do. They were unable to make this Pass as sturdy as the Humans could.
Hong Di then led Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie to leap off the wall and walk around the Inner Sanctum.
Mi Jing Lun directly activated his Divine Sense and scanned the surroundings in an attempt to examine the setups in the Inner Sanctum and count the number of Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples.
Hong Di didn’t mind this. Since it had been agreed upon, he’d rather Mi Jing Lun act openly than secretly.
Soon, they arrived at the centre of the Inner Sanctum where there was a square that served as a military drill ground in Great Evolution Pass.
Every Great Pass had its own military drill ground that was quite vast. On special occasions, it could accommodate several tens of thousands of Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The Territory Lord Black Ink Nest was located in this square, and in front of the gigantic Black Ink Nest was a huge jade monument.
Due to the ambient Black Ink Strength, the air inside Great Evolution Pass was tainted with darkness. In this dark world, this bit of white light stood out and captured one’s attention.
Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie stopped in their tracks as they gazed at the huge jade monument.
It was the Monument of Heroes!
There was a Monument of Heroes in the military drill ground of every Human Great Pass. There were no words on the monument, but if one infused their Divine Sense into it, they could see countless names which had been engraved within.
Those were the names of the soldiers who had fallen in the war against the Black Ink Clan in the Theatre of their respective Great Pass.
The two Army Commanders immediately turned solemn.
To the side, Hong Di stared at the Monument of Heroes and said, “After we occupied Great Evolution Pass, we made many new arrangements and changes; however, I decided to keep this monument and have been controlling the Black Ink Nest’s power so that it won’t be affected by Black Ink Strength. Although our two Races are arch enemies that have fought for countless years, we still admire the fearlessness and bravery of the Humans. This monument serves as the reminder to us that the Humans are strong and unyielding. Unfortunately, after 30,000 years of peace, we seem to have lost the instinct and courage to fight against the Humans.”
He let out a sigh, which showed how helpless he felt after losing the war.
In front of the monument, Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie bent their backs with solemn expressions.
There were innumerable names recorded in the jade monument, names of the Seniors who were killed during the long war against the Black Ink Clan in the Great Evolution Theatre.
A moment later, they straightened their backs and turned to Hong Di before saluting him. Even Ou Yang Lie, who clearly held malicious intentions towards Hong Di, did not hesitate.
Hong Di was astounded and asked, “What are you doing?”
With a serious expression, Mi Jing Lun replied, “We have to thank you for keeping this Monument of Heroes.”
A surprised Hong Di said, “I just wanted to motivate the Black Ink Clan. I didn’t keep it for you Humans.”
Mi Jing Lun replied, “That’s good enough.”
Those soldiers had lost their lives and most did not leave anything behind when they fell. Perhaps there was no one alive who could remember their faces any longer, so it would be miserable if their names were forgotten forever.
With the Monument of Heroes intact, at least their names remained. At the very least, 30,000 years after they passed away, there were these two Humans who became aware of their existence and contributions in the Great Evolution Theatre.
After Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie were done going through the names in the Monument of Heroes, they lost the interest to keep strolling around; therefore, they bid Hong Di farewell. Certainly, Hong Di wouldn’t make them stay as he saw them off.
In front of Great Evolution Pass, Mi Jing Lun said, “Sir Hong Di, please organize your soldiers with peace of mind. When this Mi returns, I’ll order the Human soldiers to move further away and to the left of Great Evolution Pass so that you’ll be able to head to the Royal City without interference. I’ll also ensure that there won’t be any traps on the way to your destination.”
He was totally sincere when he spoke. Hong Di believed that Mi Jing Lun’s attitude must have something to do with the Monument of Heroes.
After watching these two Eighth-Oder Masters leave, Hong Di returned to Great Evolution Pass and started organizing the soldiers for the evacuation.
The Black Ink Clan’s scouts scanned the surroundings and confirmed that the Humans had indeed moved further away from the forward base and to its left. There were no more obstacles in the way to the Royal City.
The scouts did not immediately return and instead followed the Humans from a distance. Although Mi Jing Lun assured Hong Di that they wouldn’t do anything shady, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t readily believe them. With the scouts following behind the Humans, they could instantly discover if the Humans were up to something and quickly relay the news back to Great Evolution Pass.
However, the Humans did not do anything unusual as they withdrew from Great Evolution Pass.
After two days of reorganisation, the surviving Black Ink Clansmen left Great Evolution Pass in a hurry. They first rapidly moved in the Royal City’s direction for two days, then turned right to make a wide detour.
They wouldn’t dare to keep moving in a straight line, for they knew the East-West Army was approaching from the Royal City. If they didn’t make a detour, they would run into the East-West Army where the Human Old Ancestor was. The Black Ink Clan Army was unable to oppose such a force at this time, so they had to circumvent the Human soldiers.
Only by doing so could they ensure their safety.
According to the agreement with the Black Ink Clan, the North-South Army moved to a place that was 10 days’ travel from Great Evolution Pass; then, without stopping to rest, they headed straight back to Great Evolution Pass.
10 days later, they arrived.
A myriad of emotions came over these soldiers as they looked at this Great Pass their Seniors had lost 30,000 years ago.
At that time, Great Evolution Pass was conquered by the Black Ink Clan, and from the Old Ancestor to the common soldiers, all were killed except for those who were corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
This was a wound the Humans could never forget. Usually, no one would bring this up; therefore, those who were new to the Black Ink Battlefield like Yang Kai did not know that there was a Human Great Pass that had been conquered before. He actually learned about it from a Territory Lord.
On this day, the Humans finally retook Great Evolution Pass.
The North-South Army had paid a huge price for this victory, but it was all worth it in the end.
No one could guarantee that the Black Ink Clan hadn’t left behind any traps; therefore, the Humans didn’t immediately surge into the Great Pass. Instead, they sent scouts in to investigate.
Soon, they learned that there was nothing unusual in the Inner Sanctum. Not only was everything intact, but all the Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples had remained in the military drill ground.
It seemed that the Black Ink Clan had kept their promise. In fact, they wouldn’t dare to go back on their word. The North-South and East-West Armies, one behind and one in front of them, posed a deadly threat. The Black Ink Clan could only hope that the Humans wouldn’t go back on their word, so how could they dare to pull any tricks?
The Human soldiers then entered Great Evolution Pass.
The first thing they had to do was deal with the Black Ink Nest.
This thing was constantly breathing out Black Ink Strength that permeated the entire Great Evolution Pass, which made the place look quite eerie. Unless they removed the Black Ink Nest, Great Evolution Pass would never be restored to its original glory, and the Human soldiers could never live here safely.
Certainly, they wouldn’t destroy the Black Ink Nest; otherwise, Mi Jing Lun wouldn’t have told the Black Ink Clan to leave it intact.
Although the Black Ink Nest belonged to the Black Ink Clan, it was a great tool for transmitting information. If the Humans could make use of it, it would be immensely useful for the future crusade.
Therefore, this Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest was a treasure to the Humans.
Fortunately, Great Evolution Pass was actually an enormous Mobile Palace Artifact, so although the Black Ink Nest had been around for several tens of thousands of years, it couldn’t really take root in Great Evolution Pass. If it was like other Black Ink Nests that infiltrated and merged with the Universe World it was planted on, they would have no choice but to destroy it.
Mi Jing Lun and the others expended a lot of energy removing the Black Ink Nest from Great Evolution Pass and settling it down on the universe fragment where the forward base was previously located.
As for what they would do with it, they had to meet up with the East-West Army and discuss it with the Old Ancestor.
For now, a few Squads were left to monitor the Black Ink Nest.
There were quite a number of Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples who were left behind by the Territory Lords, adding up to about 100 in total. There were initially many more Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples, but every time they clashed with the Humans over the years, many of them would lose their lives. 100 years later, these people were the only ones left.
None of them had left Great Evolution Pass with the Black Ink Clan. Previously, Mi Jing Lun strolled around Great Evolution Pass with Hong Di leading the way. Just like what he had said, he counted the total number of Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples. Now, all of them were accounted for in this place.
It seemed that Hong Di was worried these Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples would cause trouble for the Humans, so he sealed their cultivations before he left.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have obediently stayed in the military drill ground. They would have run away before the Humans entered the Great Pass.
It was equally difficult to handle these Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples. Mi Jing Lun told some people to watch over them while the Old Ancestor would have to make a decision about their fate when she arrived.
In short, the Human soldiers were swamped with work.
Even though the Black Ink Nest had been taken away by the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, the entire Great Evolution Pass was still filled with Black Ink Strength. The soldiers first had to do their best to remove the Black Ink Strength from the Inner Sanctum.
Fortunately, they were experienced when it came to such matters. In the past, whenever they were done battling against the Black Ink Clan and had to clean up the battlefield, disposing of Black Ink Strength and Black Ink Clouds was a normal part of their work.
Black Ink Clouds provided the best environment for the Black Ink Clan to fight in, but they were only a hazardous obstacle to the Humans. If they never removed them, every Great Pass would be surrounded by thick Black Ink Clouds by now.
For this reason, the Humans had specifically developed an artifact that looked like a fishing net that had no use other than to collect Black Ink Strength like schools of fish. The Black Ink Strength would then be discarded somewhere in the depths of the void.
After 10 days of hard work, the North-South army managed to get rid of almost all of the Black Ink Strength in Great Evolution Pass.
Right then, a scout came over and reported that the East-West Army would be arriving at Great Evolution Pass within a day.
It had been about a month since the East-West Army departed from the Royal City, so it was to be expected that they would arrive around now.
Mi Jing Lun and Ou Yang Lie led the other Eighth-Order Division Commanders to personally greet the East-West Army.
Ou Yang Lie felt a little disgruntled about all of this. It was as though the East-West Army had spent many years fighting against the enemy while the North-South Army had been standing idly by in their homes. In fact, it had been tough for the North-South Army over the years.
However, considering the fact that the Old Ancestor was also coming, Ou Yang Lie had no choice but to tag along.
From afar, they could see the East-West Army’s Warships sailing over, but after a brief count of these Warships, Mi Jing Lun and the others let out a sigh.
The number of Warships suggested that the East-West Army had suffered immense losses over the years.
When the Warships were close enough, they all turned to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship and made their salutations, “Greetings, Old Ancestor!”
However, no one responded to them.
Several figures leaped off the Purifying Black Ink Battleship. They were Xiang Shan, Liu Zhi Ping, and the other leaders of the East-West Army.
They saluted each other. Many of them had never met one another before, even though they were aware of who the other party was. Since they finally met up this time, they promptly engaged in a small talk.
After they were done with the small talk, Mi Jing Lun asked curiously, “Where is the Old Ancestor?”
An embarrassed Xiang Shan scratched his cheek and replied, “I have no idea.”
Mi Jing Lun was astounded, “You don’t know?”
[How could that be? The Old Ancestor was supposed to be with the East-West Army. How is it possible that they have no idea where she is?]
“Please give me a moment, Brother Mi. I’ve told someone to come over. Perhaps he knows where the Old Ancestor is,” Xiang Shan said.
On the side, Liu Zhi Ping put on a helpless smile, “In fact, we don’t even know when the Old Ancestor disappeared. We thought that she had tagged along with the Army, but it wasn’t until just now that we realised she wasn’t with us.”
This was truly embarrassing.
No one in the East-West Army was aware that the Old Ancestor wasn’t with them until just now.
However, she was a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, after all. Although she was injured, Xiang Shan and the others would never be able to track her if she wanted to do something furtively.
Now, there was only one person who might be aware of the Old Ancestor’s whereabouts.
Soon, a Seventh-Order Master was summoned to this place.
Mi Jing Lun took a look and realised that the person was someone he knew. It was Yang Kai, who had previously come to the North-South Army to pass on information about the change in war strategy. Mi Jing Lun still vividly remembered this Seventh-Order Junior. In the first great battle against the Black Ink Clan in the Great Evolution Theatre, it was Yang Kai who led two Special Operations Squads from the North-South Army to crush the enemy Army on the battlefield.
The members of those two Squads had lost all combat capability after a few hours of fighting, but Yang Kai continued charging across the battlefield on his own using just his Divine Manifestation to break up the Black Ink Clan’s formation.
It could be said that this Seventh-Order Master had made a huge contribution in that battle and created a chance for the North-South Army to achieve a breakthrough.
At this moment, Yang Kai was puzzled. He was cultivating on Dawning Light when he was suddenly summoned by the Army Commanders, so he could only come over in a hurry. However, he had no idea why he was summoned to this place.
Seeing that all the leaders of the Army were around, he quickly saluted them one by one and asked, “What orders do you have for me?”
Xiang Shan looked at him, “Do you know where the Old Ancestor is?”
“Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao?” Yang Kai was surprised that they had summoned him to this place to ask about the Old Ancestor’s whereabouts. How was he supposed to know? He had been cultivating aboard Dawning Light since they set sail.
“Xiao Xiao?” These Eighth-Order Masters were shocked, for it was the first time they heard of this name.
The names of the Old Ancestors were basically a mystery. Even the Eighth-Order Masters might not be aware of them; after all, the Old Ancestors had lived for a very long time, so long that many of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were not even born yet when the Old Ancestors first stepped onto the Black Ink Battlefield.
Only those extremely old Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters might know the names of some of the Old Ancestors, but they wouldn’t easily bring such information up, must less tell anyone about it casually.
Therefore, rarely anyone knew the name of any Old Ancestor.
It was expected that they were surprised when they heard Yang Kai mention the Old Ancestor’s name, for it didn’t sound very imposing.
Yang Kai coughed and explained, “100 years ago, the Old Ancestor suddenly declared that from that day on, her name would be Xiao Xiao. It’s a sad story, so let’s not discuss it further. Anyways, isn’t the Old Ancestor with the Army?”
Xiang Shan refuted, “Why would we ask you about it if she was with the Army?”
“I have no idea either,” Yang Kai appeared innocent.
Xiang Shan frowned, “The Old Ancestor has repeatedly recuperated inside your Small Universe over the years, so you’re the closest to her. Do you really have no clue where she might have gone?”
The North-South Army had fought to keep the Black Ink Clan in Great Evolution Pass bottled up all this time. On the other hand, the East-West Army had suffered immense losses to devastate the enemy in the Royal City. Now that the two Armies finally came together, the Old Ancestor was nowhere to be found.
They would be the laughing stock if such news was spread.
Just as Yang Kai was about to shake his head again, he suddenly recalled something and muttered, “I think I know where the Old Ancestor is.”
Liu Zhi Ping asked anxiously, “Where is she?”
Yang Kai replied, “If I’m not mistaken, the Old Ancestor must have returned to the Royal City.”
“She’s gone back to the Royal City?” Liu Zhi Ping was startled.
Yang Kai explained, “This is what happened. When we left the forward base and set sail for Great Evolution Pass a while back, the Old Ancestor came to me to get a few sets of Space Beacons. Like these.”
As he spoke, he fished out a set of Space Beacons.
“Two Space Beacons make up a set. They’re something I learned how to create many years ago and can be considered a kind of space artifact. These two Space Beacons are linked using Space Principles, so you just have to put one of them in a certain place, then channel your strength into the other to activate the link and instantly move to the first one from across a distance. It’s similar to using a Space Array. Initially, they were only usable by those who could use Space Principles, but over the years I’ve managed to improve them to work with World Force. The primary advantage is that these are much more discreet and portable compared to a Space Array.”
As he spoke, Xiang Shan and the others were examining the Space Beacons.
Liu Zhi Ping frowned, “Why did the Old Ancestor ask you for these Space Beacons? Why are you sure that she’s gone to the Royal City?”
Yang Kai explained, “Over the years, the Old Ancestor has been fighting the Royal Lord every 20 years or so to ensure he can’t recuperate in peace. In the final battle, she intended to finish him once and for all, but she failed in her attempt for various reasons, though she did manage to severely injure him. Now that she has gained such an immense advantage, she certainly wouldn’t want to just let him recuperate. However, there’s a great distance between Great Evolution Pass and the Royal City, so even if she is powerful, it would take her several days to reach the Royal City, not to mention all the enemy territory she would have to cross. With the help of my Space Beacons, she can reach her destination far more quickly.”
The Eighth-Order Masters understood what he meant.
Now that the Royal Lord was wounded, denying him the chance to heal himself would give a huge advantage to the Humans. In order to sustain that advantage though, the Old Ancestor had to harass him from time to time. She certainly couldn’t kill the Royal Lord, but just by revealing her aura near the Royal City, she would easily frighten the latter.
To achieve that, these Space Beacons would be the perfect tool.
Liu Zhi Ping fell into her thoughts for a moment, then said, “You mean, since the beginning, the Old Ancestor never intended to let the Royal Lord recover?”
“I believe so.”
It was clear where the Old Ancestor was now. She must have made use of the Space Beacons to head to the Royal City to taunt the Royal Lord. At the thought of this, Liu Zhi Ping couldn’t help offering a silent prayer for the latter. Black Ink Clansmen recuperated by falling asleep in Black Ink Nests, and once they were interrupted, they wouldn’t be able to recover efficiently.
It was imaginable that the Royal Lord wouldn’t be in the mood to recuperate if the Old Ancestor came to harass him whenever he fell asleep.
The reason the Old Ancestor was doing this was obvious; she was preparing for the future crusade.
However, Xiang Shan focused his attention on something else. After examining the Space Beacons for a bit, he asked, “Can these things help the Army to ambush the enemy?”
Since they could make use of Space Beacons to move around swiftly, there would be times when these things might bring unexpected results.
For example, when they were fighting against the Black Ink Clan, they could send a single Squad out as bait. However, when hostilities broke out, 100 people could appear out of nowhere and catch the Black Ink Clan off guard.
“Perhaps,” Yang Kai wouldn’t dare to say whether the idea was feasible or not.
Xiang Shan stopped asking, and then put away the set of Space Beacons. Clearly, he didn’t intend to return them to Yang Kai.
Since they had figured out the Old Ancestor’s whereabouts, they stopped feeling bothered. The Army continued moving towards Great Evolution Pass.
It had been roughly 150 years since the two Armies respectively departed from Wind and Cloud Pass and Azure Void Pass, and they finally came together at Great Evolution Pass.
When they set out, there were a total of 60,000 soldiers and some 120 Eighth-Order Masters in the two Armies.
Presently, as the two Armies gathered together, there were only around 30,000 soldiers and 70 Eighth-Order Masters left.
The rest had died in battle.
…..
In the void, a group of Black Ink Clansmen were rushing towards the Royal City.
They were the ones that had departed from Great Evolution Pass. With Hong Di leading the way, there were several hundred thousand soldiers, and more than 20 Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. They could be considered a substantial force.
Presently, Hong Di was deluged with mixed feelings. First, he had lost his home territory; after all, that was a place he had managed for 30,000 years. Not only had he returned it to the Humans, he had also lost his Black Ink Nest.
Even though he could get a new territory and Black Ink Nest in the future, he was probably the only one who had been defeated, and then forced to surrender his territory in the history of the Black Ink Clan, which was why he felt humiliated.
Second, he had been gripped by a sense of apprehension while heading towards the Royal City.
He wasn’t worried that Mi Jing Lun would deceive him. Although he only interacted with Mi Jing Lun once, he knew that the latter wasn’t a fool. It would do the Humans no good to make things difficult for the Black Ink Clan at this juncture; therefore, Hong Di was not worried that the North-South Army would attack them.
What he was truly worried about was that he might come across the East-West Army and the Human Old Ancestor on the way to their destination.
As such, he led his Army on a wide detour two days after they departed from Great Evolution Pass. They wouldn’t dare to move in a straight line for fear of running into the Human Army on its way from the Royal City.
However, Hong Di was still feeling anxious. Following his order, the Black Ink Clan soldiers hastened their pace so that they could return to the Royal City as quickly as possible.
If not for Hong Di rushing them, they would not have arrived at this place just one month after departing from Great Evolution Pass, considering the fact that they had made a detour.
From afar, they could see the magnificent Royal City, and Hong Di felt his eyes welling up with tears. Although the Royal City now appeared dilapidated, it still gave him a sense of security.
He could even feel the Royal Lord’s aura exuding from the Royal City.
[We’re home! We no longer have to feel on edge all the time!]
Many of the Territory Lords shared the same sentiment. Only when they saw the Royal City could they set their minds at ease.
However, that sense of security was suddenly and abruptly shattered.
An extremely powerful aura that sent a shockwave across the Territory Lords appeared literally out of nowhere in the void.
Although many of them hadn’t faced one before, they could instantly deduce that this aura belonged to a Human Old Ancestor.
The smile on Hong Di’s face froze as he turned to look at the source of the aura.
An alluring figure had appeared just over 1 million kilometres away. It was none other than Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao.
Just as Yang Kai had suspected, by leaving behind some Space Beacons along the way, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao managed to return to the vicinity of the Royal City almost instantaneously.
She didn’t intend to kill the Royal Lord, or even get into a fight with him, she just wanted to make sure that he wouldn’t be able to recuperate in peace. By showing herself like this, she wanted to tell the Royal Lord that she would visit him from time to time, and that he best be prepared to welcome her at a moment’s notice.
Initially, she intended to head straight to the Royal City to make a bit of a scene, but the instant she appeared, she detected a large group of people just a million kilometres away.
As she turned her head, she made eye contact with Hong Di.
This came as a pleasant surprise to her.
She instantly realised that they were the Black Ink Clansmen who had come from Great Evolution Pass; therefore, she joyfully charged towards them.
It would be hard for her to make a move if all the Black Ink Clansmen hid in the Royal City, as with the help of the Black Ink Nest, the Royal Lord could still fend her off.
However, these Black Ink Clansmen were still quite some distance away from the Royal City, so they had nowhere to run, and no one to depend on as the Royal Lord certainly wouldn’t leave the Royal City to rescue them.
The Black Ink Clan Army descended into chaos in the next instant. The Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples joined forces to defend against the Old Ancestor, but even though they could keep themselves safe with some difficulty, they were unable to stop her from slaughtering the lower soldiers.
Therefore, after the Old Ancestor ran into the Black Ink Clansmen from Great Evolution Pass in the void, she managed to slaughter 100,000 of them, including a Territory Lord and 3 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. The rest fled to the Royal City in a hurry.
When the Royal Lord realized what had happened, he was so furious that he coughed up blood.
The Old Ancestor returned half a day after the East-West Army and North-South Army rendezvoused, her aura simply appearing in one of the Purifying Black Ink Battleships.
Apparently, she had made use of the Universe Array aboard to directly return from the Royal City.
None of them asked whether she had achieved anything, for it was apparent to them that she was in a good mood.
Given the situation in Great Evolution Pass though, the Old Ancestor’s good mood didn’t last for long, especially when Xiang Shan led her to the military drill ground where she had to face over 100 Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples.
Since the Black Ink Clan had left, these Black Ink Disciples had been seated with their legs crossed. They did not speak or feel angry, for they knew that they had been abandoned and there was nothing to be done about it.
“We asked Yang Kai to give it a try by bringing a Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple to somewhere else. Even though he had managed to dispel the Black Ink Strength from the Black Ink Disciple’s body using Purifying Light, the ultimate outcome wasn’t pleasant. The moment the Black Ink Strength dissipated, the Black Ink Disciple’s Small Universe ruptured and he perished as a result,” Xiang Shan said in a small voice beside the Old Ancestor, “These people cannot be saved. How should we deal with them, Old Ancestor?”
The Old Ancestor glanced at these Black Ink Disciples and nodded gently, “I will handle this.”
Saying so, she stepped forward.
In front of everyone, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao stopped in her tracks and swept a glance over these Black Ink Disciples. Then, she cupped her fist and bowed to them.
The reason she saluted them was to acknowledge the contributions they had made before they became Black Ink Disciples.
Although they were now Black Ink Disciples, and perhaps they had even killed some Human soldiers in the fight against the North-South Army, it wasn’t their true intention. Their minds had been twisted by the Black Ink Strength.
When they were still soldiers of Great Evolution Pass, they had done everything they could to defend it and ensure the safety of those in the 3,000 Worlds; therefore, even though they were Black Ink Disciples now, they deserved the Old Ancestor’s final respects.
The next instant, an amazing force swept across the entire military drill ground. Affected by the force, these Black Ink Disciples, who were originally expressionless, started feeling some emotions stir in their hearts.
The eyes of many Black Ink Disciples cleared up as they wore faint smiles.
Some of the Black Ink Disciples let out a sigh and closed their eyes.
There were also some Black Ink Disciples whose eyes filled up with tears.
At that instant, they seemed to have found their Human hearts they had lost 30,000 years ago.
The Old Ancestor remained in a bowing posture for a long time, and when she straightened her back, all the Black Ink Disciples on the military drill ground had lost their lives. However, they appeared to be at peace. In the last moments of their lives, they knew they were dying as Humans. That was the best blessing they could ask for.
“Bury them,” the Old Ancestor ordered and turned around to leave.
Xiang Shan respectfully saw her off.
…..
They were in the midst of rebuilding Great Evolution Pass, so the soldiers were swamped with work.
The Black Ink Clan had occupied Great Evolution Pass for 30,000 years, and they had many alterations and arrangements. It could be said that other than the framework, everything in Great Evolution Pass had been changed.
For example, the residences were no longer suitable for Humans. The Black Ink Clan came in many different sizes and shapes, but most of them were still much bigger than Humans; therefore, the residences originally belonging to the Humans were not suitable for them. After they occupied Great Evolution Pass, they started constructing huge and weirdly shaped buildings.
Since the Humans had retaken Great Evolution Pass, these buildings certainly wouldn’t be kept.
There were also those Spirit Arrays and artifacts that were installed on the walls of the Great Pass. They would refurbish what they could, and replace what they couldn’t. There was a lot of work to do.
Nevertheless, these weren’t urgent matters. The foundation of the Black Ink Clan in the Great Evolution Theatre had been severely damaged, so they wouldn’t come over to harass Great Evolution Pass in the near future. The Humans had ample time to make repairs.
That was the reason Xiang Shan targeted the Royal City first instead of heading straight to Great Evolution Pass when devising the overall strategy.
Now, his plan had proven to be effective. The Black Ink Clan were in a half-dead state, so the Humans could focus on rebuilding Great Evolution Pass and not worry about being disturbed.
Many of the things in Great Evolution Pass had been destroyed or modified, with the only original building still standing being the Main Conference Hall.
The Main Conference Hall was already enormous to begin with, so the Black Ink Clan didn’t bother changing it after occupying Great Evolution Pass.
At this moment, Grandmaster Ma Fan wept while kneeling in front of the throne made from bones in the Grand Hall.
The throne was made from the bones of the Human Masters the Black Ink Clan killed when they conquered Great Evolution Pass 30,000 years ago. Every bone in the throne belonged to an Open Heaven Realm Master who was in the Seventh Order at the very least.
The throne was huge, which went to show just how many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had lost their lives in the war 30,000 years ago.
At that time, Grandmaster Ma Fan had just joined the Sect, and Great Evolution Paradise was still considered powerful. He had guidance from his Senior Brothers and care from his Honoured Master, so it had been smooth sailing in his cultivation journey.
One day though, a catastrophe befell his Sect. All the powerful Masters had to leave, down to the Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
In the end, only the weakest disciples and juniors were left in Great Evolution Paradise. All the Open Heaven Realm Masters had gone off to battle.
At that time, Grandmaster Ma Fan knew that his Sect was in dire straits, but he had no idea what had happened; however, after the Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, and Elders all left the Sect, they never returned.
It wasn’t until a long time later that Grandmaster Ma Fan learned the truth through various means. Great Evolution Pass had been conquered, so all the Masters from Great Evolution Paradise had to rush over to provide help. In the end, they were all killed.
30,000 years had passed, and Great Evolution Paradise gradually became insignificant and was replaced by a rising Sect. However, Grandmaster Ma Fan had always yearned to come to the battlefield where his Seniors had fought and retake Great Evolution Pass one day.
That day had finally come.
None of the other soldiers in Great Evolution Pass now could understand how he truly felt at this moment.
It was because of the war 30,000 years ago that the Humans realised the downside of having one Sect guard each Great Pass. Before that, every Cave Heaven or Paradise had been responsible for protecting its own Great Pass.
After they lost Great Evolution Pass, the Humans employed a different strategy to deal with the Black Ink Clan. Masters from all the Cave Heavens and Paradises would be gathered together in each Great Pass. By doing so, they could complement each other’s abilities and better position themselves to deal with the enemy.
Since then, none of the Great Passes had been lost again.
…..
Just like everyone else, Yang Kai was swamped with work and was currently tinkering with something in a certain Grand Hall.
While he was working, Liu Zhi Ping stepped inside.
Seeing her, Yang Kai saluted, “Senior Liu.”
Liu Zhi Ping nodded gently and asked, “How is it going here?”
Yang Kai replied, “It’s better than what I’d expected. The Black Ink Clan seemed to have had the intention of making use of the Space Array here to ambush the other Human Great Passes; so, after conquering Great Evolution Pass, they didn’t damage it. Instead, they actually tried to repair it. However, due to their lack of expertise, they did a sloppy job.”
There was a similar Grand Hall in every Great Pass, and it was also the most important place in a Great Pass. This was because there was a Hyper Space Array in this Grand Hall that could be used to connect to other Great Passes.
It was with the help of these Space Arrays that the Great Passes could communicate with each other; otherwise, it would be extremely difficult for the Great Passes to exchange information, for it would take an ordinary soldier years to travel from one Great Pass to the adjacent one in the expansive Black Ink Battlefield.
The Space Array in Great Evolution Pass was damaged, but it was apparent that it was the Humans who did it, not the Black Ink Clan.
In other words, 30,000 years ago, the moment the soldiers in this place realised that Great Evolution Pass was lost, they promptly destroyed the Space Array so that the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t be able to use it to cause trouble.
However, the person who made a move only damaged the Space Array instead of destroying it. Apparently, he had envisioned that the Humans would retake Great Evolution Pass one day in the future, and they would have to repair the Space Array. If he directly destroyed it, the Humans might not be able to rebuild it in the future.
After occupying Great Evolution Pass, the Black Ink Clan tried to repair the Space Array, but it wasn’t like just anyone could repair this thing. Their 30,000 years of effort didn’t yield any meaningful results and instead turned this place into a mess.
In the entire Great Evolution Army, Yang Kai was the only one who was an expert in the Dao of Space. Since he was able to arrange Space Arrays, there was no reason that he couldn’t repair this one.
Therefore, after the Army entered the Great Pass, Yang Kai received the order and hurriedly came to this place.
He even suspected that, besides helping her with her recuperation, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had also requested he join the Great Evolution Army to repair or even rebuild the Hyper Space Array.
Hearing Yang Kai’s words, Liu Zhi Ping breathed a sigh of relief.
If the Space Array was completely destroyed, it would be quite troublesome to them. If they couldn’t transmit information and establish contact with the other Great Passes, they wouldn’t be able to collaborate with the others when the crusade began in the future.
Since it could be repaired, there wouldn’t be a problem.
“However, I’ll need some helpers and materials,” Yang Kai said.
Liu Zhi Ping nodded, “Repairing the Space Array is among our top priorities right now. Whatever you need, just requisition it.”
Yang Kai nodded as it wasn’t necessary for him to be overly formal with her at this point. He fished out an empty jade slip and infused his Divine Sense into it. A moment later, he passed it to her and said, “I’ve listed all the materials I need. They should be in the Army’s reserve. As for the helpers, just get me some Array Masters.”
Liu Zhi Ping took the jade slip and looked into it before nodding, “I’ll send you the people and materials within half a day.”
Sure enough, just half a day later, several Array Masters came over in a hurry. The materials Yang Kai needed were also sent to this place.
These Array Masters were all respectable figures, and although their cultivations varied, all of them had lived very long lives and had great accomplishments to their names. They were not a match for Yang Kai when it came to combat, but even 100 Yang Kais wouldn’t be comparable to them when it came to arranging Spirit Arrays.
Nevertheless, these Array Masters had little to no knowledge about Space Arrays. This couldn’t be helped, as this was a matter of innate talent. A Master of the Dao of Space had a huge natural advantage when it came to arranging Space Arrays, so although these Array Masters had studied the Space Arrays of different Great Passes, they had only scratched the surface.
Therefore, the moment they heard that Yang Kai needed some people to help repair the Space Array, these Array Masters became fervent and quickly applied for the job. They almost got into a fight because of it.
Eventually, these several Array Masters at the scene snatched the job by suppressing the others with their status and reputation. The Junior Array Masters were disgruntled, but there was nothing they could do about it.
Although they were revered Array Masters, they didn’t put on airs when it came to acquiring new knowledge.
Yang Kai directly instructed them on what to do and assigned jobs to them. This Hyper Space Array was complicated as it could connect to Great Passes that were billions of kilometres away. As such, Yang Kai would personally repair the key components, while the less significant parts were left to these Array Masters.
The creation of the Great Passes dated back to ancient times, and over countless years, generations after generations had built upon the foundations that were there until they were able to reach the scale they had today.
Even though there had been many expansions, the core of each Great Pass would not change too much, firstly because of how important these locations were that even the slightest change may disrupt everything, and secondly because they were powerless to even change anything due to the loss of understanding.
For example, the Grand Hall where the Space Array was located.
This Grand Hall contained a very ancient aura, a legacy of the ancient Great Expert’s work that contained mysteries that were beyond the reach of this generation’s cultivators.
The same was true of the Universe Temples in the Great Territories of the 3,000 Worlds. All of these were legacies of ancient Great Experts.
So, when several Universe Temples fell into disrepair, the Cave Heavens and Paradises were unable to fix them and they were simply allowed to fall into decay until Yang Kai appeared. With the help of the Universe Array inside of the Universe Temples, he gained further enlightenment in the Dao of Space while simultaneously comprehending how to repair and even construct new Universe Arrays.
The Universe Arrays in the Universe Temples and the Hyper Space Arrays in the Great Passes were products of the same era and thus had many similarities.
Yang Kai was able to arrange a Universe Array, so naturally, it was no trouble for him to repair the Space Array here.
It only took time and effort.
After working for half a year, Yang Kai finally completed the repairs.
Inside the Grand Hall, several highly respected Array Masters were gathered together, and when they saw Yang Kai standing at the center of the array, a bald Grandmaster yelled out, “Yang Boy, will it succeed this time?”
This Array Master had high achievements and had reached the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Reasonably, he should not be affected by the ails of mortals, but somehow, his head had gone bald.
Yang Kai gave him a thumbs up, “Definitely!”
Another Array Master, who was as fat as a ball snickered at his words, “That’s what you said last time, and that’s also what you said the time before that when you almost destroyed this thing. Yang Boy, if you’re not confident, then please don’t attempt it.”
During the past half a year, there had been bumps in the road to repairing the array. Many times, after the repairs were ‘completed’ and energy was circulated through it, problems would appear in unexpected places. Sometimes the problems would be small, but sometimes they would be big.
The small problems were no matter and would not cause any real trouble, but if big problems appeared, it could very well lead to the collapse of the entire array.
That was the case of the time before the last where a black hole appeared out of thin air in the Grand Hall that almost swallowed everything and everyone into it.
Fortunately, Yang Kai moved quickly and was able to suppress the black hole; otherwise, these Grandmasters might still be wandering the Void Crack to this day if they were unlucky.
So now, every time Yang Kai activated the array, the Grandmasters would all stand far away lest anything were to go wrong.
“This time will definitely work out!” Yang Kai said with certainty.
Several problems appeared the last few times, but they had all been fixed after the cause was identified, and Yang Kai had verified that there were no more issues this time. If it still did not succeed, then he would have cultivated the Dao of Space all these years in vain.
The recesses in each corner of the array were filled with crystals containing the powers of the Seven Elements. Each crystal was extremely precious and contained the condensed essence of many cultivation materials.
The Puppet Army that Xiang Shan deployed previously also made use of these energy crystals; however, each one of those puppets needed at most a fingernail-sized piece of crystal in order to power it for a long time. For this one transmission test, there were more than 100 crystal placed in the array.
It was because of this immense consumption that the Space Arrays in each of the Great Passes were not used casually.
Divine Sense surging, Yang Kai made one last check to ensure that he had missed nothing before circulating his World Force and connecting with the Grand Array beneath his feet.
The array hummed and a pattern was illuminated. The crystals placed in the recesses were also rapidly drained.
Under the nervous watch of the Array Masters, the Void began to distort at the centre of the array.
The bald Grandmaster raised his brow and cheered, “It’s working!”
Something like this had not happened in the previous few attempts, but the distortion of space now meant that the Space Array was functioning, a sign that it was going to succeed.
The Void twisted more and more, and as the energy drained away from the crystals, a Space Gate at the centre of the array seemed to be vaguely taking shape.
However, it always seemed to fall short, never really taking shape from start to end.
It seemed that the energy crystals were about to be depleted, and if it were to happen before the Space Gate fully formed, then this attempt would fail as well.
The Array Masters could not help but hold their breath.
However, even after waiting for a long time, the Space Gate continued to writhe unstably. Seeing that the energy crystals placed in the Grand Array were about to be completely depleted, Yang Kai suddenly stepped forward and reached out, grasping the constantly churning Space Gate that refused to take shape, and with some massaging, Space Principles rippled like dough being kneaded.
The well-respected Grandmasters were all dumbfounded by this scene.
What amazed them even more was the fact that Yang Kai’s seemingly reckless actions actually had an unexpected effect.
The Space Gate was actually stabilizing.
Immediately after, Yang Kai stepped through it, and at the same time, the energy of the array was fully consumed. The Space Gate turned into a fluorescent glow before disappearing.
Gone with it was also Yang Kai’s figure!
The Grandmasters were stunned.
The energy around the Grand Hall, which had been in disarray due to the activation of the array, had regained its peace. The Grandmasters all looked at each other, wondering, “So, was that a success or not?”
The fat Grandmaster was even more concerned about another matter, “Nothing will happen to Yang Boy, right?”
“Should we report this to the Army Commanders?”
…..
Discussions bounced back and forth as the Grandmasters were at a loss as to what to do, but very soon, they decided to go and report the matter. That was because they had no way of dealing with the current situation, so the only thing they could do was let the higher-ups take charge.
Soon after, Xiang Shan, Liu Zhi Ping, and the others rushed over, and after getting the rundown about what happened, they were also at a loss. Finally, they could only continue up the chain of command and report the matter to the Old Ancestor while waiting for any news from Yang Kai.
With his proficiency in the Dao of Space, he should be able to find his way back even if this attempt was a failure, not to mention that he was the one who took the initiative to step through the Space Gate. He might have his own ideas.
At the same time, Yang Kai was struggling to navigate through the Void.
He was a little confused as to why his previous attempt had gone awry. The repairs had already very much been perfected after going through a few mistakes, and the Space Gate should have opened successfully after the array was activated.
But in actual fact, something seemed to be interfering with it from inside the Void, preventing a stable connection from being established.
Even though the Space Gate did take shape with his help, if he did not find the root of the problem, then the soldiers would still not be able to use the Space Array to travel safely from one Great Pass to another in the future.
If Yang Kai wanted to figure out what was wrong though, he could only investigate it personally.
He was not worried about not being able to get back as he had left a trail of Space Principles along the way, so if he ran into a dead end, he could just return the way he came.
Ever since entering this stretch of Void, Yang Kai discovered that there really was a problem. An invisible force seemed to be preventing him from advancing, even with his mastery over the Dao of Space. Since it could hinder him, what more need be said about others? If they were to come here, then they would likely struggle to even take a step forward.
Yang Kai kept going, but could not find the cause, which made him even more confused.
However, this teleportation could not be considered a complete failure, because he could sense a link to the target of Great Evolution Pass’s Space Array ahead.
During this attempt, his destination was Wind and Cloud Pass, which was one of the closest Great Evolution Pass. If everything went well, then he would have been transported directly to Wind and Cloud Pass’ Space Array.
That was because the Space Gate would only form if the target ahead could be detected.
However, the path was full of obstructions, a sign of another failure, which was extremely contradictory.
Meanwhile, in the Grand Hall where Wind and Cloud Pass’ Space Array was located, several Army Commanders and Eighth-Order Division Commanders were gathered around, led by the Eastern Army’s Army Commander, Yuan Xing Ge, staring intently at the centre of the array.
There was a distorted Space Gate that had been writhing around for more than an hour now.
Every time a Great Pass transported materials or soldiers here, a Space Gate would always open at the centre of the array, but it always opened and closed quickly.
The situation today was unprecedented.
So, the soldiers standing guard here immediately reported the problem when they discovered it, and the top brass of Wind and Cloud Pass came to investigate without daring to dally.
Under the watch of the many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, the Space Gate remained the whole time, but it never took a proper shape.
After waiting for a long time but seeing no other movements, Yuan Xing Ge turned his head around and asked, “Is it possible to see which Great Pass is trying to connect to us?”
One of the Eighth-Order Division Commanders who stepped forward shook his head, “There’s too much distortion, so we are unable to ascertain it.”
Yuan Xing Ge frowned slightly, “What will happen if the Space Gate never takes shape?”
The Eighth-Order Master said, “The worst-case scenario is that the teleportation fails, and whoever was being sent will fall into the Void Crack and stay there for the rest of their life.”
“Is there anything we can do here to help?” The Northern Army’s Army Commander Tian Lu asked, “Even though I have no idea why such a thing would happen, it’s clear that something has gone wrong during the teleportation on the other side. If there is anything we can do to help, then we should try to lend a hand.”
The Eighth-Order Master shook his head, “It’s difficult. Teleportation involves the Dao of Space, and there are no cultivators who cultivate this Dao in Wind and Cloud Pass. To intervene rashly would only make the situation worse, I’m afraid.” After a pause, he added, “In this situation, we can only hope that whoever is coming will be lucky.”
“Then, we shall just wait,” Yuan Xing Ge concluded.
Tian Lu came over and asked in a whisper, “Should we report this to the Old Ancestor?”
Yuan Xing Ge was silent for a moment before shaking his head, “No need. Even though the Old Ancestor’s cultivation is strong, he may not be a solution for this matter.”
It would be a shame for them to bring the Old Ancestor here if he were unable to provide a solution.
As they spoke, the warping Space Gate seemed to distort even more. Surprised, everyone quickly looked over.
In the next moment, a pair of hands suddenly emerged from the Void, spreading left and right as if to tear through a barrier. Following that, someone came out of the Space Gate and shouted, “I’m finally out!”
After saying that, he looked up to see many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters staring at him. Thus, Yang Kai quickly saluted, “Greetings, Sirs!”
30,000 years ago, when Great Evolution Pass was taken, some of the Human soldiers damaged the Space Array in order to prevent the Black Ink Clan from using it to cause trouble.
When the Black Ink Clan occupied Great Evolution Pass, they did not destroy the Space Array, but instead tried to repair it; so, there was no problem with the basic framework of Great Evolution Pass’ Space Array. With Yang Kai personally attending to it, half a year went by, and the repairs were basically complete.
When he activated the array and set the destination to Wind and Cloud Pass, the Space Array could be said to be operating normally, and a Void Corridor was opened between Great Evolution Pass straight to Wind and Cloud Pass.
Only, this corridor was not quite the same as usual. Yang Kai’s way here had been fraught with obstacles, and if not for his mastery of the Dao of Space, it was entirely possible that he would not have made it.
It was a struggle!
As soon as he popped out of the Void and saw the many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters staring at him, Yang Kai’s thoughts spun for a moment before he realised what was going on.
This was the destination he had inputted into Great Evolution Pass’ Space Array, so there must have been signs that someone or something was trying to teleport over, which drew the attention of the higher-ups.
That was the reason why so many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were gathered here.
A few of them were familiar to Yang Kai, so he must have seen them from afar the last time he came to Wind and Cloud Pass.
Yuan Xing Ge nodded lightly, “Which Pass are you from? What has gone wrong with this Space Array, and why did it take so long for you to appear?”
Cupping his fist, Yang Kai quickly said, “Great Evolution Pass, Yang Kai!”
As soon as he said that, a commotion broke out as all the faces of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters changed.
Tian Lu exclaimed, “Great Evolution Pass? You came from Great Evolution Pass?”
“What is the situation at Great Evolution Pass?”
“If you came from Great Evolution Pass, does that mean that it has been retaken?”
…..
One after another, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters asked their questions. It was easy to see just how concerned they were.
After the establishment of the Great Evolution East-West Army at Wind and Cloud Pass, and the North-South Army at Azure Void Pass 150 years ago, the two forces had sailed towards Great Evolution Theatre from opposite directions, pincering the Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass with the intention of recovering it.
For over 100 years, nobody had any idea what the situation in the Great Evolution Theatre was, or how its recovery was progressing.
Every Great Pass was waiting for news from the Great Evolution Army with bated breath.
Even though they knew that the Great Evolution Army was mighty and equipped with the finest arms, almost twice as strong as the force guarding any of the Great Passes, they had to venture deep into the Black Ink Clan’s territory for a war with no shelter or fallback position, no one could say whether they would ultimately gain victory or suffer defeat.
Since the war began, 150 years had passed.
Now, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master suddenly appeared from the Space Array and claimed to have come from Great Evolution Pass. How could the Eighth-Order Masters of Wind and Cloud Pass not feel thrilled to hear the news?
“Did you truly come from Great Evolution Pass?” Yuan Xing Ge asked him. This matter was far too important for them to take lightly.
Yang Kai answered, “Sir can verify it easily.”
An Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master on the sidelines suddenly spoke up, “Yang Kai, this name… Could you be the Yang Kai who can use Purifying Light?”
“It is this Yang!” Yang Kai nodded.
Everyone immediately understood.
There were countless Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters on the Black Ink Battlefield, but if there was anyone whose name could be remembered by the Eighth-Order Masters of almost all of the Great Passes, then Yang Kai was likely the only one.
The emergence of Purifying Light gave the Humans a way to fight against Black Ink Strength for the first time in history, and as the sole possessor of Purifying Light, Yang Kai’s name naturally became widely known.
Only, not many people had actually met him in person. Add on the fact that he had mentioned the three words Great Evolution Pass earlier, and everyone’s focus had fallen on that instead while none of them paid attention to his name.
If it was the Yang Kai who could use Purifying Light, then he had to be from the Great Evolution Army, no doubt about it.
Yuan Xing Ge knew that the Old Ancestor had personally requested that Yang Kai join the campaign to recover Great Evolution Pass. It seemed like his presence was of some help to the Old Ancestor’s recovery.
Though he had no idea what help a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be in the recovery of a venerable Ninth-Order Master, since it was the Old Ancestor who named him, she naturally had her reasons.
“Has Great Evolution Pass been retaken?” Yuan Xing Ge asked.
Yang Kai replied, “Half a year ago, the Great Evolution East-West Army and North-South Army rendezvoused at Great Evolution Pass and successfully recovered the Great Pass!”
“Wonderful!” One of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters exclaimed. They had waited 150 years to hear this news, so none of them could help but be overjoyed.
“How are… Great Evolution Army’s casualties?” Tian Lu asked.
Yang Kai answered in a pained voice, “The total number of soldiers stationed at Great Evolution Pass currently number around 33,000, with around 70 Eighth-Order Masters.”
Hearing this figure, everyone fell silent.
They knew the initial composition of the Great Evolution Army, so this number indicated that after fighting for 150 years, almost half had perished, which was enough to show just how brutal the war had been. It had to be known that such losses were almost the entire garrison strength of a normal Great Pass.
However, all of them knew that this was the price that had to be paid. For the Army to lead a campaign to Great Evolution Theatre without a Great Pass to rely on, and with the Black Ink Clan occupying favourable conditions and an advantageous position, how could they possibly have retaken Great Evolution Pass successfully in 150 years without paying a steep price?
Now, all they could hope was for the dead to rest in peace.
Yuan Xing Ge nodded lightly, “Since you came from Great Evolution Pass, it means that the Space Array there has been repaired. This is an important matter. I must send someone to verify it.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Of course. Only… there seems to be a problem with this Space Array.”
“What problem?” Yuan Xing Ge asked.
Yang Kai gave him a basic summary of what he encountered in the Void Corridor, “However, this Junior has yet to find what the problem is exactly.”
Yuan Xing Ge was silent for a moment before continuing, “We will know once we give it a try.” They had also seen the anomaly with the Space Gate earlier and knew that Yang Kai’s words were true.
At once, they instructed their subordinates to make preparations for a transit to Great Evolution Pass.
The soldiers guarding the Grand Hall were all familiar with the process, so they set up the necessary materials quickly and soon, everything was ready.
At Yuan Xing Ge’s signal, the array was quickly activated.
The patterns lit up and the Grand Array hummed. Following the rapid draining of energy from the crystals, a Space Gate quickly opened!
“Huh?” Yang Kai looked flabbergasted.
He had clearly encountered a problem when he was teleporting from Great Evolution Pass to Wind and Cloud Pass, so going from Wind and Cloud Pass to Great Evolution Pass should result in the same issues; however, from what he could see now, there were no obstructions during this activation of the Grand Array, and the Space Gate was now opened normally.
The cultivator in charge of the array went forward to check before moving over to report, “The array is working fine. It has successfully connected with Great Evolution Pass.”
“Let me see,” As he spoke, Yang Kai had already stepped onto the array and activated his Space Principles, investigating the situation with his Divine Sense.
A few moments later, something that baffled him even more appeared.
During his investigation, he realized that there were indeed no problems this time, which only added to his doubts and suspicions.
[If there were truly no issues, then what happened earlier?]
“I will personally make a trip to Great Evolution Pass,” Tian Lu announced. As Wind and Cloud Pass’s Northern Army’s Army Commander, he was qualified enough both in status and strength for this task, and it was a perfect opportunity to have him investigate the situation personally.
Yuan Xing Ge nodded, “Then I shall trouble you, Brother Tian.”
Without further ado, Tian Lu turned around and stepped through the Space Gate, quickly disappearing from sight.
Yuan Xing Ge did not wait in place, but rather turned to Yang Kai, “You, come with me.”
He had received a transmission through his Divine Sense just now, naturally from the Old Ancestor of Wind and Cloud Pass who noticed what was going on here and had questions for this Yang Kai who had come from Great Evolution Pass.
Yang Kai complied.
Following Yuan Xing Ge, it did not take long for them to arrive at an extremely remote corner of Wind and Cloud Pass which could almost be considered an inconspicuous nook, a place that was easy to miss even for the soldiers in Wind and Cloud Pass who lived here year-round if they did not pay attention.
There were not many buildings here, but it seemed more like some fields and gardens had been planted. It was a land of green mountains and clear waters with several lazy oxen grazing at the foot of the mountain.
Upon arriving here, Yang Kai noticed that this was not truly a part of Wind and Cloud Pass, but rather the Small Universe of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
Everything one could see before them was the scenery inside that Small Universe.
This Small Universe gave one a sense of ease, but it was strange that Yang Kai would be able to step into this Small Universe inside Wind and Cloud Pass without any sense of abruptness. Everything seemed perfectly natural, as if this Small Universe had already become a part of Wind and Cloud Pass.
Yuan Xing Ge stood in front of the old oxen grazing on the grass and bowed to one of them, “Old Ancestor, I brought him.”
Yang Kai’s eyes practically fell out of their sockets. [Why is the Old Ancestor of Wind and Cloud Pass an Ox? Is this his Avatar?]
He had never met the Old Ancestor of Wind and Cloud Pass before. Though, when he had stopped by Wind and Cloud Pass 150 years ago, and Yang Kai had felt the power of the Old Ancestor and the Royal Lord during their confrontation, that was only from a distance.
Surprisingly, the old ox that was grazing on the grass could even speak human words, “So this is the boy? I have some impression of him. That little girl from Yin-Yang Pass told me about him last time.”
The ‘little girl’ from Yin-Yang Pass that he was talking about should be Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao.
They were both similarly Old Ancestors, but there was still a huge difference between them in seniority. The Old Ancestor of Wind and Cloud Pass was clearly much older than Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao.
Yang Kai did not dare to dally and quickly bowed to the old ox, “Great Evolution Army’s Yang Kai greets Old Ancestor.”
A wrinkled face suddenly peeked out from behind the ox, glancing at him with an obscure smile on his lips. He passed the tender blades of grass in his hand to the old ox, feeding it leisurely.
Yang Kai immediately felt embarrassed.
He thought that the Old Ancestor was the old ox, but it never occurred to him that he was actually just hidden behind the cow.
“The reoccupation of Great Evolution Pass is a joyous event. Inform the rest of the Great Passes, this is a matter worth celebrating for all of us,” the Old Ancestor said, “However, this Old Master is more interested in the matters of the fight between the Great Evolution Army and the Black Ink Clan. This Old Ancestor has called you over for no other reason than to find out about what the Great Evolution Army has encountered over the years, so please speak casually.”
“Yes!” Yang Kai answered respectfully.
Even though the Old Ancestor said that he could speak casually, Yang Kai did not dare to take him up on his word.
At once, he told him of the Great Evolution East-West Army’s encounter with the Black Ink Clan Army shortly after their departure from Wind and Cloud Pass, and about how Xiang Shan had deliberately let a Territory Lord escape to lure the tiger from the mountain, as well as about the Puppet Army numbering in the tens of thousands without sparing any resources while they were on the march, which were then released as they approached Great Evolution Pass to draw the Black Ink Clan’s attention while their Army went straight into the Black Ink Clan’s territory to attack. The whole army at that time seemed like a long Dragon, eliminating everything in its wake.
After that, the East-West Army set up camp outside of the Royal City, and with the help of weaponized Universe Worlds, attacked the Royal City multiple times. Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and the Royal Lord fought in each battle, mutually wounding one another before the former recovered inside Yang Kai’s Small Universe. While Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao would always make a complete recovery after 20 years, she would feign being injured so that the Royal Lord would lower his guard. Over the past 100 years, she was able to accumulate a significant advantage, and in their last battle, she was almost able to kill the Royal Lord.
Then, Yang Kai spoke of the bloody battles that the North-South Army fought with the Black Ink Clan Army in order to stop them from leaving Great Evolution Pass and returning to the Royal City to provide reinforcements.
He also spoke of the East-West Army’s withdrawal from the Royal City, the panic of the Black Ink Clansmen at Great Evolution Pass, and the negotiations with the North-South Army which led to the Great Evolution Army taking back Great Evolution Pass without further bloodshed.
Bit by bit, Yang Kai tried to detail everything to the best of his abilities and retell the encounters of the Great Evolution Army over the years.
After he finished, he also felt a bit reminiscent about the campaign that lasted over 100 years. East-West Army’s Xiang Shan and North-South Army’s Mi Jing Lun used their strategic talents to the fullest, and if not for the two of them overseeing their respective fronts, even if they had twice the amount of troops, it would still be a far-fetched dream to recover Great Evolution Pass within just 150 years.
Yuan Xing Ge was silent, so nobody could tell what was on his mind.
After hearing everything, the Old Ancestor nodded, “You have all worked hard.”
Yang Kai did not dare to take credit for the feat and cupped his fist, “This Junior was just one soldier at the front. It was thanks to the dedication and ingenuity of all the Seniors that today’s successes were achieved.”
The Old Ancestor smiled at him, clearly pleased with his humility.
However, the Old Ancestor knew that perhaps even the boy in front of him had no idea what a difference his arrival made to the entire Black Ink Battlefield.
Not to mention the Purifying Light which was able to dispel and cleanse Black Ink Strength, the Purifying Black Ink Pills which were being mass-produced in each Great Pass was also found by Yang Kai when he was exploring a Sealed World. There were also those Purifying Black Ink Battleships that were with each Army. Which one of these innovations did not have this boy’s mark on them?
Now, it was also easier for Humans to mine for resources thanks to the existence of the improved Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
Without all of these, how could the Human Race even have hoped to retake Great Evolution Pass? Furthermore, how could they plan for a future crusade?
It could be said that though the cultivation of this boy in front of him was not very high, he was the key point that brought change to the landscape of the entire Black Ink Battlefield. Even a venerable Ninth-Order Master could not underestimate someone like this because, oftentimes, such existences were able to make great differences with just a small bit of power in places that they themselves do not even realize, which was enough to influence the fortune of an entire Race.
The Old Ancestor did not ask any more questions. He had only called Yang Kai over here to find out about the situation of the Great Evolution Army’s campaign, and now that he knew, he would not bother with saying anything more.
The Old Ancestor continued feeding tender grass to the Black Cattle by hand, appearing just like an old farmer in the mountains, not the least bit imposing.
Yuan Xing Ge withdrew with Yang Kai.
Before leaving, the Old Ancestor gifted Yang Kai several dozen kilograms of beef as a reward for his taking the time to travel here. The beef was very fresh and the blood had still not dried, as if it had just been butchered.
After exiting the Old Ancestor’s Small Universe, Yang Kai carried several dozens of kilograms of bloody beef with him and asked Yuan Xing Ge with an expectant look on his face, “Sir, this beef… is there anything special about it?”
He could not bring himself to ask such a question in front of the Old Ancestor himself.
Now that he was out though, he didn’t have to be so cautious. Yang Kai just could not settle down if he did not find out.
Yuan Xing Ge pondered for a moment before saying, “The texture is… good?”
Yang Kai’s face went dark, “Sir, you know I don’t mean that…” He rubbed his brow for a moment before deciding to speak frankly with him, “Old Ancestor’s beef, will there be any special effects after eating it?”
Yuan Xing Ge advised, “You’ve seen the Black Cattle that the Old Ancestor was feeding. Did you notice it having any sort of divine bloodline in it?”
Yang Kai thought about it for a moment and shook his head, “They were just ordinary Black Cattle.”
Yuan Xing Ge looked askance at him, “Then what were you expecting?”
Yang Kai was suddenly struck speechless, but he was also unrelenting, “Is this beef from the cattle raised by the Old Ancestor?”
Yuan Xing Ge gave him a vague answer, “I suggest you take it back and cook it into soup. The cattle that Old Ancestor rears are somewhat gamey and are not very tasty.”
He spoke, appearing experienced.
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. When he looked at the several dozen kilograms of bloody beef in his hands, he sighed and silently put them away.
In the end, it was still a gift from an Old Ancestor, so he would make some soup with it once he returned and hand it out to the members of Dawn Squad so that they could enjoy the taste. Everyone had been working quite hard, after all, these past 150 years.
After returning to the Grand Hall where the Space Array sat, some Eighth-Order Masters were still waiting there, in no hurry to leave.
Yuan Xing Ge asked, “Has Brother Tian Lu not returned yet?”
An Eighth-Order Master shook his head, “We haven’t received any news yet.”
Yuan Xing Ge nodded before turning to Yang Kai, “What about you? Will you wait here?”
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “This Junior came here to test the effects of the Space Array. Now that the task is complete, it is time for me to return to Great Evolution Pass.”
Yuan Xing Ge did not stop him, “In that case, go on.”
The soldiers guarding this area were asked to prepare the supplies for teleportation and soon, Yang Kai was standing at the centre of the array. Once the Grand Array was activated and the Space Gate opened, he disappeared without a trace.
He was expecting a repeat of what he encountered earlier, but this journey was completely smooth.
Soon, Yang Kai reappeared on the Space Array at Great Evolution Pass, where a group of Array Masters scrambled over to ask about the situation earlier.
Yang Kai gave them a simple rundown of what he experienced, but he himself could not quite figure out where the problem lay.
“Did someone from Wind and Cloud Pass come earlier?”
The bald Grandmaster answered, “En, a man who called himself Wind and Cloud Pass Northern Army’s Army Commander, Tian Lu. He is currently speaking with Army Commander Xiang Shan and the others.”
The fat Grandmaster then asked, “Yang Boy, has our Space Array been fixed or not?”
Yang Kai frowned, “I think we can consider it fixed.”
“Then what happened earlier?”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, “Perhaps there was a blockage in the Void since the corridor between these two places had not been open for so long? Then, after I went into it myself, the blockage was cleared?”
The Grandmaster were all speechless at his uncertain explanation.
However, other than this, there did not seem to be any other explanation. After all, it was only Yang Kai’s first transit where a problem arose. After that, everything was smooth whether it be for Tian Lu coming over from Wind and Cloud Pass or Yang Kai’s return trip.
From this alone, it seemed like the Space Array had been repaired.
Since the repairs had been completed, the higher-ups had to be informed.
Yang Kai personally went to Liu Zhi Ping to report on the matter, and she naturally praised him. At once, arrangements were made for news of the successful recovery of Great Evolution Pass to be passed around to each of the Great Passes.
It was only natural that the entire Race be informed of such good news; after all, everyone was paying great attention to this matter, and the sooner the news got to them, the better.
Soon, a jade slip bearing Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s aura was sent through the Space Array to each Great Pass, with the good news recorded into each of them.
A lot of resources were spent each time the Hyper Space Array was used. Depending on a cultivators’ realm, the consumption of the materials also varied. On the whole, the higher one’s cultivation, the higher the consumption would be; however, if they were only sending things such as jade slips, then the consumption could be minimized.
So, with the current stock of resources at Great Evolution Pass, it was enough to support simple matters such as sending out jade slips.
However, they had to send a jade slip to each of the Great Passes, so it would still take a considerable amount of time to complete.
After many days had passed, Great Evolution Pass had opened and closed the Space Array over 100 times so that they could send out the more than 100 jade slips that they had.
During this time, Yang Kai stayed by the array, monitoring its condition.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly. No abnormalities appeared in any of the activations, so all of the jade slips were also sent out successfully.
With that, it seemed as if Great Evolution Pass’s Space Array truly had been repaired.
Elsewhere, news of their success was met with great joy in all of the Great Passes as 30,000 years of humiliation were finally wiped away.
It was clear to the higher-ups that Great Evolution Pass had been retaken, which meant that the Human Race’s crusade was not far off, so they were all secretly preparing for it.
In fact, as early as when the Human Race decided to take back Great Evolution Pass, they had already been preparing for the crusade. The Evil Purging Divine Spear created by Grandmaster Ma Fan was the greatest weapon for this crusade, and in order to hide it, Great Evolution Army did not dare to use it during the entire war to retake Great Evolution Pass, fearing that news would get out, putting the Black Ink Clan on guard.
If they had made use of the Evil Purging Divine Spears, it would have been much easier to recover Great Evolution Pass and they would have suffered fewer losses, but this would be detrimental to the entire Human Race in the long run.
…..
One day, Yang Kai was leading Dawn’s Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters around, searching for a suitable location.
Dawn was still an incredibly powerful team. Even though they lost Qi Tai Chu in the previous war, they had recruited Blood Crow, so Dawn’s Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters still numbered 8 in total.
Yang Kai’s intention bringing these Seventh-Order Masters out this time was not to stir up trouble with the Black Ink Clan.
The Black Ink Clan in the Great Evolution Theatre were now hiding in their Royal City, licking their wounds, so how could they dare to come all the way to Great Evolution Pass?
These Seventh-Order Masters were all brought here to help act as Protectors.
150 years had passed since Yang Kai departed from Blue Sky Pass, and with the flow of time in his Small Universe being four times faster than the outside, it meant that nearly 700 years had passed in Void Continent.
During these 700 years, many new disciples had cultivated to the peak inside the Void Dao Temple, and there were now 10 youths who had the qualifications to advance to the Open Heaven Realm.
The nurturing of the World Tree clone was constantly impacting Yang Kai’s Small Universe, which allowed Void Dao Temple’s disciples to grow so quickly.
Previously, during the war against the Black Ink Clan in the Great Evolution Theatre, Yang Kai was in no position to allow these disciples to break through, but now that things had settled down, there was no need for him to worry as much as before.
10 cultivators needed to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, so Yang Kai alone could not stand guard for all of them. As such, he dragged all of the Seventh-Order Masters of Dawn out here so that they could help out. With the current vision and abilities of Dawn’s Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, standing guard for these little ones was no problem at all.
It did not take long for him to settle on a spot in the void. After looking left and right and confirming that there were no issues, Yang Kai waved his hand, and as the Void distorted before 10 Emperor Realm cultivators appeared out of thin air in front of him.
There were both males and females among them, occupying half of the numbers each, all of them sharing one characteristic, and that was that they all looked young and vigorous.
There were only two possibilities for a cultivator looking so young, and that was either that they had cultivated beauty techniques, or that they had grown up very quickly. As long as one was able to grow quickly in strength and make progress in their cultivation, then time would not leave as many traces on their appearance.
The Emperors before them were clearly part of the latter. Due to the nurturing power of the World Tree clone, as well as their own innate talent for cultivation, these youths ascended rapidly on their Martial Dao.