10 peak Emperor Realm cultivators were all gathered in the Void Dao Temple. They had long received Yang Kai’s Divine Sense transmission that asked them to get everything prepared.
Some of them had been waiting for this day for many years.
In the Void Dao Temple of today, it was no longer a secret that one could advance to the Open Heaven Realm after the Emperor Realm. It was also no longer a secret that this entire Void World was the Small Universe of the Dao Lord. There were even statues of Yang Kai erected in the Dao Temple for the disciples to worship day and night.
Yang Kai even revealed matters concerning the Black Ink Battlefield to the disciples in the Dao Temple, all so they could make a choice.
Once they step into the Open Heaven Realm, they will have to join the Black Ink Battlefield and fight against the Black Ink Clan.
If they were unwilling to fight the Black Ink Clan, then they could choose to remain in his Small Universe and the Emperor Realm.
These 10 had chosen to advance to the Open Heaven Realm, which meant that they had made the mental preparation to do battle with the Black Ink Clan. In fact, basically every Emperor Realm Master who could take that step made the same choice. Once a cultivator stepped onto the Martial Dao, then they would keep climbing higher to reach even more dazzling sights. Fear of danger was never a reason to stop.
Once they left Yang Kai’s Small Universe and emerged into the outside world, anyone would more or less feel unaccustomed. This had nothing to do with their strength or foundation, but rather the general change in environment; however, they had cultivated to the Emperor Realm after all, so it did not take long for them to settle down.
In the next instant, everyone revealed looks of pleasant surprise and saluted respectfully, “Disciples greet the Dao Lord!”
The disciples paid respects to Yang Kai’s lifelike statue inside of the Void Dao Temple at the beginning of each day and night, so they were naturally incomparably familiar with this face. Moreover, they had expected to meet the Dao Lord himself when they came out, and sure enough, that was exactly what happened.
This was their Dao Lord, and the entire Void World was the Small Universe of this Dao Lord. They were born inside of that Void World where they cultivated and grew, so in some sense, it was the Dao Lord who gave them everything. Previously, they merely worshipped him in a spiritual sense, but now that they had seen him in the flesh, the feeling was even more direct.
It could be said that though the Dao Lord was not the same as their biological parents who gave birth to them, his existence was not far off from that. All the living beings in the Void World could be said to be the Dao Lord’s descendants.
Even though Feng Ying and the others were surprised, they had already heard about this and just looked at the 10 Emperor Realm cultivators who appeared with curiosity.
Only Blood Crow’s eyes were almost popping out of their sockets in surprise.
Since joining Dawn, Blood Crow had always seemed out of place and did not interact with the others at all. If Yang Kai had not dragged him out today, he probably would not have agreed to be here.
Even though he had been around the Black Ink Battlefield for some time, he still knew next to nothing about Yang Kai, so it was unsurprising that he would be shocked at the sight of these Emperor Realm cultivators.
“You have living beings in your Small Universe?” Blood Crow asked in surprise.
There was simply no other way to explain the origin of these Emperor Realm cultivators.
Yang Kai glanced at him, “Is that so strange?”
Blood Crow was incredulous, “Aren’t you worried about disturbances in your Small Universe during a fight, leading to their deaths?” However, he seemed to understand something after saying that, “You must have one of the Four Universe Pillars!”
That was the only way to ensure the stability of one’s Small Universe, and also the only way for an Open Heaven Realm cultivator in the Seventh Order to nurture sentient lives within their Small Universe.
Yang Kai did not explain anything. He indeed possessed one of the Four Universe Pillars in the past, but its function was largely replaced by the World Tree clone. Meanwhile, that World Spring had been given to Ding Yao. Not only did the World Tree clone have the effects of the Four Universe Pillars, but it also had many effects that the Four Universe Pillars did not have.
It was not that he did not trust Blood Crow, there was just no point in explaining.
“What have you brought these Emperor Realm cultivators out for?” Blood Crow asked with a frown, “Even though there are no Black Ink Clansmen here, the Black Ink Battlefield is no place for them.”
Even a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master would be courting death if they were to appear in such dangerous lands. The minimum requirement for the Cave Heavens and Paradises to send people here was the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Right now, all of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivators in each Great Pass were those who had fallen there from the Sixth or Seventh-Order.
Feng Ying smiled, “Senior Brother Blood Crow, why don’t you take a look at these little ones’ conditions?”
Blood Crow frowned and gazed at them before muttering in surprise, “They are all about to ascend?”
“It’s more than merely ascending,” Feng Ying shook her head with the same smile still on her face.
Blood Crow also caught sight of something at this point and he could not help but feel shaken, “They’ve all condensed Sixth-Order Elements in their Dao Seals?”
He had a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation after all, and he was an Eighth-Order Divine Monarch in his past life, so if he looked carefully, he would notice some hints. The 10 Emperor Realm cultivators in front of him all had the aura of Sixth-Order Element Powers inside their bodies, obviously left from the completion of their Dao Seal.
“Exactly so!” Feng Ying smiled.
Blood Crow was surprised and turned to look at Yang Kai to ask, “How did you cultivate them?”
An ordinary Sixth-Order Master may not mean much to him, but that was different for those with the qualifications to advance straight to the Sixth-Order. People like this were considered to elite disciples of any Cave Heaven or Paradise as they were expected to reach the Eighth Order in the future.
In his previous life, that was his limit as well.
One or two was not impossible, but for 10 to appear at once…
A unique method of nurturing them was clearly being used.
Yang Kai did not want to explain too much, but since Blood Crow was asking, he could only reply, “Has Brother Blood Crow heard of the Star Boundary’s World Tree clone?”
Blood Crow tried to recall for a moment before saying, “I’ve heard of it. It is said that the World Tree clone contains miraculous powers that can nurture the living beings of that World.” After escaping from the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, he went straight to the Shattered Heaven and stayed there for some time before finally being scooped up and jailed by Bright King Cave Heaven. During his days in the Shattered Heaven, he had indeed heard rumours about the World Tree in the Star Boundary, but he did not know too much about it since he did not pay much attention to it.
Yang Kai nodded, “That is exactly right, and there is one in my Small Universe right now.”
Blood Crow could not help but gape in awe, speechless for a long time…
[What kind of luck does this brat have? To be able to bring even a World Tree clone into his Small Universe… did the high-ranking members of the Human Race really allow him to do such a thing?]
As the two of them were talking, one of the girls among the 10 Emperor Realm cultivators looked at one of the people in front of her with a look of pleasant surprise.
There was a total of 9 of Dawn’s members who came out during this trip, 8 Seventh-Order Masters and 1 Sixth-Order Master.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was none other than Miao Fei Ping.
Apart from Yang Kai’s three Disciples, Miao Fei Ping was known as the first Open Heaven Realm Master to emerge from his Small Universe.
The names of all of the Dao Temple disciples who dared to step into the Open Heaven Realm were recorded in the Dao Temple for those who came later to honour them.
Miao Fei Ping’s great name was at the top of the list!
Miao Fei Ping was brought here for no other reason than because he was the pioneer to advance into the Open Heaven Realm from Void World, and his presence should boost the confidence of those who came after him. It was also Miao Fei Ping’s request he be brought along.
The female Emperor Realm cultivator was currently staring straight at Miao Fei Ping.
Naturally, Miao Fei Ping noticed her gaze when she was staring so openly. Even though his name was recorded down in the Dao Temple, there was no statue of him, unlike Yang Kai. Even if the disciples of the Dao Temple did know about his existence, they still would not be able to recognize him immediately. After all, more than 1,000 years had passed in Void World since he left.
Four eyes suddenly met, and the female Emperor Realm cultivator seemed to notice that her stare was too blunt, so she smiled apologetically.
Miao Fei Ping nodded his head in greeting.
It was then that Yang Kai spoke, “You are all disciples of the Dao Temple and your aptitude is the best in the Void World. I believe that you more or less have some understanding of the situation in the outside world after living in the Dao Temple all these years. Now that you’ve taken this step, naturally no one will stop you from advancing. However, let me say this first. The Black Ink Battlefield is a place fraught with dangers, and once you complete this step, there will be no going back. Let me ask all of you one last time, are you willing to advance to the Open Heaven Realm and offer your strength to the Human Race, holding no complaints even if you are to die on the battlefield?”
“We are willing!” 10 people shouted in unison. In fact, nobody would say they were unwilling at this point.
Yang Kai was clear about this as well, so he simply nodded, “Since you came from my Small Universe, then you all have a connection with me. In the future, if I find anyone who fears death, disobeys orders, and drags their fellow allies down on the battlefield, do not blame me for taking care of you personally!”
The 10 of them answered respectfully in unison once more.
Only then did Yang Kai flick his wrist, sending out 10 streams of light, “These are Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, they will help you in your advancement, so take and refine them.”
Obeying his order, they all swallowed the Spirit Pills before sitting down cross-legged and circulating their strength.
It did not take long for them to refine a single Spirit Pill, and soon, all 10 of them opened their eyes again.
Yang Kai nodded at Miao Fei Ping, signalling for him to step forward and introduce himself, “My name is Miao Fei Ping. I’m sure all of you are familiar with this Miao!”
The eyes of the 10 Emperor Realm cultivators lit up upon hearing this.
How could they not be familiar with that name? As the first person to emerge from Void Dao Temple and advance to the Open Heaven Realm, Miao Fei Ping’s name could be said to be second only to the Dao Lord, Yang Kai, in the Dao Temple.
They may have felt a little nervous when facing Yang Kai, but they felt more affection towards this pioneer who shared their roots.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Mao!” The female Emperor had a sweet mouth and quickly gave him an elegant bow.
Everyone also followed suit.
Miao Fei Ping cheerfully extended his hand to have them rise, “Advancing to the Open Heaven Realm is not a difficult task, especially since you come from the Dao Temple and have stable foundations. You only need to remain focused when you are advancing. Steady yourselves, and nothing will happen to you. Moreover, Squad Leader… the Dao Lord has given you each a Heavenly Yuan Stabilizing Pill, which can increase the success rate of your advancement to almost a certainty. It is the best advancement Spirit Pill that you can find in existence.”
Everyone’s confidence was boosted by his words.
Miao Fei Ping also talked about the problems he faced during his own advancement so that they all had a clear idea of what to expect.
“The Seniors here will stand guard for you. I will await your successful advancement!”
After saying that, he returned to Yang Kai’s side.
Yang Kai signalled with a nod, “Each of you go with one of them.”
Feng Ying and the other Seventh-Order Masters had been waiting for half a day, so when they heard his words, they naturally did not hesitate to wrap their own World Force around one Emperor Realm cultivator each and bringing them away into the distance.
Soon, there were only three people left in front of Yang Kai.
He could not watch after the advancement of 10 people at once, but three should be no problem. As they were about to go their separate ways, Miao Fei Ping volunteered, “Squad Leader, I’ll take care of one of them.”
Yang Kai turned to look at him and asked, “Are you sure?”
Miao Fei Ping smiled, “Right now, I’m an established Sixth-Order cultivator. It should be no problem for me to stand guard for someone.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Then, you can be in charge of one.”
“Yes!” Miao Fei Ping responded and glanced at the three people left. He thought about choosing one of the male cultivators, but after meeting the gaze of that female cultivator from before, he changed his mind for some reason and smiled, “Junior Sister, come with me.”
8 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and 1 Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Indeed, nothing should happen with them standing guard for a group of Emperor Realm cultivators while they advance to the Open Heaven Realm, especially since these disciples who came from the Dao Temple all had solid foundations and stable Dao Seals. Combining the help of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills that Yang Kai gave them, their advancements could be said to be smooth and steady with only one or two occasional minor hiccups, but nothing dangerous happened.
The heart of the female Emperor Realm cultivator who Miao Fei Ping was in charge of became slightly hurried when she was advancing, but thanks to his timely help, she was able to calm herself and finish her breakthrough without incident.
The Powers of the Seven Elements merged in their bodies, splitting Heaven and Earth apart and creating a Small Universe.
Continuous auras of the birth of universes could be felt in the void.
In a matter of days, 9 Open Heaven Realm Masters had come to this spot, and celebratorily, 19 left.
The newly-advanced Juniors were all overwhelmed with joy. To go from the Emperor Realm to the Open Heaven Realm was a massive leap in strength. If it were merely advancing to the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm, then the jump would not have been too obvious, but all 10 of them had advanced directly to the Sixth Order.
After returning, as long as they focused on stabilizing their realms, then once they familiarised themselves with their power, it could be said that their strength would increase around 100 or even 1,000 times compared to what they had before.
In this respect, the Heavenly Way could be considered unfair.
Those with outstanding aptitude and talent were able to leave their peers far behind in the process of advancing to the Open Heaven Realm.
The fools with no aptitude were left to fumble around at the bottom of the Open Heaven Realm, if breaking through to that realm was even possible.
But when had the Heavens ever been completely fair?
The 10 newly advanced Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivators were left with Feng Ying to bring back to Great Evolution Pass to settle in.
Generally speaking, newly-advanced Open Heaven Realm cultivators couldn’t be relied on because a lot of time had to be spent for one to stabilize their cultivation. One had to familiarize themselves with the new surge of power; otherwise, they would not be able to perform at their full potential when facing off against an enemy.
This could take several years, or even decades.
Fortunately, now that a sort of peace had settled over the Great Evolution Theatre, these 10 newcomers had plenty of time to get used to their situation. This was also the reason why Yang Kai kept holding them in and not letting them out of the Small Universe until now.
During the bloody war with the Black Ink Clan previously, letting them out would only have brought trouble to all parties.
On the way back, the 10 newcomers gathered around Miao Fei Ping, bombarding him with all sorts of questions.
The main reason for that was because Miao Fei Ping shared their roots. They had all come from the Void World, so there was not much of a gap between them. Instead, they had a natural sense of camaraderie with each other.
This was different for Feng Ying and the other Seventh-Order Masters. No matter how amiable and easy to approach Feng Ying and the others presented themselves, these Juniors would still have some reservations.
Miao Fei Ping was also happy to pass on his experiences to the younger generation. Back when they were at Blue Sky Pass, he was often the one who mentored the Open Heaven Realm Masters that emerged from Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
All the Open Heaven Realm Masters who came out of the Void World had received Miao Fei Ping’s kindness.
Faced with everyone’s questions, Miao Fei Ping was naturally eager to answer anything he could and spoke without hesitation.
The sudden change in environment and the sudden acquisition of far greater power meant that the newcomers had a lot of questions they needed answered.
9 of the 10 were exactly that way, while only one of them was silent, but they were still listening intently.
The quiet one was the female Emperor Realm cultivator who Miao Fei Ping was in charge of previously.
After listening quietly for a long time, the young woman seemed to have made some sort of decision and suddenly sped up, coming to the side of Feng Ying who was leading the trip back towards Great Evolution Pass.
Noticing her approach, Feng Ying turned around and smiled, “What happened? Are you struggling with something?”
The young woman shook her head and transmitted her voice silently to her, “Martial Aunt Feng, I heard from Senior Brother Mao earlier that we are all fighting against the Black Ink Clansmen in units called Squads?”
Feng Ying nodded, “That’s right. Squads are the most basic grouping in our Human Army.”
The young woman asked hesitantly, “Then… Then, can I join your Squad?”
Feng Ying was a little surprised. Nobody had ever asked her for such a request before. In fact, many Open Heaven Realm Masters had emerged from Yang Kai’s Small Universe over the years, each one of them starting from the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm at least, with a small minority of them even directly reaching the Seventh-Order.
However, Yang Kai was only responsible for bringing them out, while the rest was not his concern.
It was not that it was too much trouble, he was just trying to avoid arousing suspicion.
After all, more and more people would come out of Yang Kai’s Small Universe in the future, so as time went on, Yang Kai’s lineage was bound to grow immensely.
If these people were to all gather together, an isolated atmosphere might form around them, which could not be permitted on the Black Ink Battlefield.
In this brutal war, origin and status meant nothing, all were brothers and sisters in arms who lived and died together.
Yang Kai was well aware of this, so the cultivators who he brought out back then at Blue Sky Pass were basically all handed to the Army Commanders to be taken care of while he did not need to interfere much.
Right now, there was plenty to do in Great Evolution Pass and everyone was busy; otherwise, Yang Kai would not be leading Dawn’s Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters personally to act as Protectors.
It was easy to see the results of this from Dawn’s current configuration. Out of all the cultivators that came out of the Void World, Miao Fei Ping was the only one who joined Dawn. The rest were all scattered throughout the Squads of different Divisions.
This was also because Yang Kai had known and interacted with Miao Fei Ping for a long time.
If Yang Kai really intended to gather his own forces, then the entirety of Dawn would be in the Sixth Order and Seventh Order. Moreover, he would be highly revered by his subordinates who would not dare to disobey his orders.
When she first heard this young woman’s request, Feng Ying’s first thought was that Yang Kai might not agree; after all, Dawn already had the maximum 50 members, so there was no need or ability for them to take on newcomers.
However, Feng Ying was as intelligent as she was beautiful, so when she saw the young woman blushing while putting forth such a request, combined with the scenes she saw by chance before, she had a faint guess. As such, instead of outright rejecting her, she asked, “Why do you want to join our Squad?”
The young woman replied as if expecting this answer, “The Dao Lord has given us everything we have. Now that this disciple has gained some success in cultivation, this disciple wishes to stay by the Dao Lord’s side and offer her strength.”
This young woman was clearly a bad liar as her eyes were constantly darting left and right while speaking, not at all daring to look straight at Feng Ying.
Feng Ying laughed lightly and questioned, “Truly?”
The young girl nodded incessantly, “Truly!”
“Then swear on it!”
“Ah?”
“Just kidding,” Feng Ying laughed and explained, “Every Squad has an upper limit for members, and even as a Special Operations Squad, Dawn’s upper limit is 50. We currently have exactly 50 members, so if you wish to join Dawn… then the only chance you’ll get is if there is a battle and Dawn’s numbers are cut down.”
The young woman quickly waved her hand when she heard what she said, “In that case, this disciple will not join Dawn. Martial Aunt, just take what this disciple said earlier as nonsense and don’t take it too seriously.”
“However…” Feng Ying’s heart softened when she saw the genuine expression on her Junior’s face, “If the Squad Leader himself asks the Army Commander personally, then perhaps an exception can be made.”
The young woman lowered her gaze timidly and shook her head, “There’s no need to bother the Dao Lord.”
She had never wanted to cause trouble for anyone ever since she was a child, so she wasn’t about to start now.
Feng Ying stared at her for a moment before asking, “What is your name?”
The young woman answered, “Disciple is called Xiao Cai.”
Feng Ying nodded, taking note of her answer, “If there are any questions you have about cultivation, feel free to approach me with them.”
Xiao Cai thanked her respectfully.
At the same time, on the universe fragment where Great Evolution North-South Army’s forward base was once located, as space warped, Yang Kai stepped out of the distortion. Several Open Heaven Realm Masters stationed nearby were surprised when they saw him and could not help but stare for a moment, but they all came over to greet him once they realized who he was.
After handing over the 10 newly-advanced Open Heaven Realm Masters to Feng Ying, Yang Kai came straight here.
It was for no other reason than that the Black Ink Nest was here.
When the Black Ink Clan withdrew from Great Evolution Pass, a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest was left behind. Yang Kai was not sure about the details, but he heard that it was a request from Army Commander Mi Jing Lun to the Territory Lords. Though reluctant, the Black Ink Clan had no choice but to agree.
It had to be said that keeping the Black Ink Nest behind was simply a stroke of genius for the Humans. Yang Kai had no idea what Mi Jing Lun was thinking back then, but once he learned that a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest had been left behind, he had to praise Mi Jing Lun.
If there was anything that the Humans were starkly inferior at in comparison to the Black Ink Clan, then would be their numbers and growth cycle. The next most critical disadvantage they had though was the ability to transmit information.
Transferring information was simply too convenient for the Black Ink Clan, as through the power of the Black Ink Nests, information could be exchanged between Black Ink Clansmen from different Theatres instantaneously, much less within the same Theatre.
In this respect, the Humans were far inferior to the Black Ink Clan. Right now, it was quite easy for Humans to send messages from Great Pass to Great Pass through the use of Space Arrays, but when the Great Evolution Army was out on their campaign, someone had to make the trip in person to deliver messages between the different fronts.
Yang Kai had also received orders to search for the location of the North-South Army near Great Evolution Pass before, and Adjutant Li Xing was also ordered to deliver news to the North-South Army about the final battle at the Royal City. For an ordinary Seventh-Order Master, it was a month’s journey from the Royal City to the Great Pass, and fortunately, he did not have to report back; otherwise, it would be another month on the road.
That was a huge gap in time.
If there were urgent Army matters that had to be passed on, then even a delay of a few hours could cause a major incident, let alone a journey lasting several days to a month.
Mi Jing Lun must have thought about this, which was why he would demand the Black Ink Clan to leave the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest behind. He intended to use it to build up the intelligence network on the Humans’ side.
However, such a thing would be extremely difficult to put into practice.
It was true that the Black Ink Nest was now in Human hands, and it was also a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest that was of sufficient quality; however, it had been half a year since they retook Great Evolution Pass, and Mi Jing Lun was still unable to implement the intelligence network plan that he had in mind.
Yang Kai had been working constantly with the Array Masters at Great Evolution Pass to repair the Space Array, so he was not too sure about what the situation was at this time. The only reason he came here was to create a Low-Rank sub-nest to put into his Small Universe so that he could incubate Black Ink Serfs to allow the Void Dao Temple’s disciples a chance to get some real combat experience against the Black Ink Clan before advancing to the Open Heaven Realm and joining the war.
He had this idea in mind when he was still stationed at Blue Sky Pass; only, it was unfortunate that even though he had moved a sub-nest into his own Small Universe back then, once the higher Rank Black Ink Nest outside was destroyed, the sub-nest was also destroyed, which left him with nothing.
In the Blue Sky Theatre, they couldn’t allow any Black Ink Nests to remain outside; otherwise, the Black Ink Clan might be able to reclaim them sooner or later.
The situation was different now. The Black Ink Clan’s foundation in the Great Evolution Theatre had been severely damaged and even the Royal Lord himself had sustained heavy injuries. Moreover, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao would go and visit him every now and then, leaving him no opportunity to recover.
Under such circumstances, the Humans could make use of this Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest that fell into their hands.
The entire Black Ink Nest was moved over here after the reoccupation of Great Evolution Pass, where Array Masters set up barriers to isolate and contain the Black Ink Strength which was regularly released from it.
The current situation on the universe fragment was clear. The huge Black Ink Nest was located at the centre and isolated by Spirit Arrays so that no Black Ink Strength was spreading out into the periphery, allowing the Human soldiers to move around it freely.
The one currently standing guard here was the Great Evolution Southern Army Commander, Ou Yang Lie.
Even though there was little worry that the Black Ink Clan would try to come and snatch this Black Ink Nest, one could never be too careful. A strong Master was needed on standby, and an Army Commander was undoubtedly the strongest available.
The reason why Ou Yang Lie was here was because he had taken the initiative to volunteer for the post. Since he was still recovering from his wounds, it made no difference whether he stayed inside of Great Evolution Pass or here since the two were now just half a day’s travel apart.
The Southern Army’s temporary Army Headquarters was also located here, so after arriving, Yang Kai received permission to enter and as soon as he did, he saw a slightly pale-faced Ou Yang Lie reprimanding his Disciple.
“You lazy brat! Even dragging your feet when I asked you to go to Great Evolution Pass to pick up some wine! I don’t know what those legs of yours are even for!”
Gong Lian stood in front of Ou Yang Lie with downcast eyes, allowing his Honoured Master to spit all over him without moving. He was clearly no stranger to this situation.
After Ou Yang Lie finished reprimanding him, Gong Lian answered lazily, “Honoured Master, Martial Uncle Mi said that your body is still injured, so you should not drink excessively. He asked me to watch over you so that you can recuperate well.”
Ou Yang Lie glared at him and almost raised his nostrils into the air as he said stubbornly, “Martial Uncle Mi, Martial Uncle Mi, am I your Honoured Master or is Big Head Mi your Honoured Master?”
He jabbed Gong Lian’s head with his finger, “I taught you since young to listen to your Honoured Master, and now look at you! Not listening to anything I say anymore, but you’re happy to listen to anything Big Head Mi says! Tomorrow, I’m going to expel you from my Sect, then you can go and look for Big Head Mi and ask him to be your Master!”
Poor Gong Liang was still a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so watching him being reprimanded like a small child made Yang Kai widen his eyes in surprise.
Moreover… Big Head Mi? Mi Jing Lun’s head was not particularly big…
This scene of a Master scolding his Disciple was so intense that Yang Kai felt that it was better for him not to watch it at all. Just as he was about to withdraw, Ou Yang Lie suddenly turned his head over as if he just saw him and called out, “Yang Boy, you’ve come?”
Yang Kai had no choice but to grit his teeth and cup his fist, “Greetings, Senior Ou Yang!”
Then, he turned to Gong Lian, “Senior Brother Gong!”
Gong Lian returned his greeting.
Ou Yang Lie walked over with a laugh and wrapped his arms affectionately around Yang Kai’s shoulders, “You’ve come just in time. The Inner Sanctum has just sent word that they want you to set up a Space Array here. The materials have already been prepared. Have a look and see where it’s more suitable to set this thing up.”
Yang Kai came to this universe fragment for his own reasons regarding the Black Ink Nest, but he did also have proper business. Xiang Shan wanted him to help them set up a Space Array here so that those from the Inner Sanctum could come and go with ease. Naturally, Ou Yang Lie had been informed beforehand.
“Anywhere is fine, I can arrange the Space Array wherever Senior Ou Yang finds suitable.” Yang Kai smiled back.
Ou Yang Lie sighed, “If only my Disciple was as obedient as you are, constantly talking back to me, it’s just aggravating, wouldn’t you say?”
What could Yang Kai say? He just turned a deaf ear to it.
Ou Yang Lie lowered his voice, “Have you got any wine?”
Before Yang Kai could answer, Ou Yang Lie glanced over with a stern gaze, “Don’t tell me you don’t. I know you’re raising living beings in your Small Universe, so you should have anything and everything.”
The killing intent in those eyes seemed to suggest that he would slaughter him without a burial if Yang Kai dared to let the word ‘no’ slip from his mouth.
Yang Kai sighed, “Senior Ou Yang, you haven’t fully healed yet. You shouldn’t drink.”
Ou Yang Lie bristled, “Don’t lecture me like Big Head Mi. We’ve campaigned against the Black Ink Clan for 150 years, and I’ve been enduring all that time. Now, I can’t even celebrate with alcohol after we’ve won the war? What kind of reasoning was that? Enough with the nagging, bring me some wine!”
Saying so, the arm around Yang Kai’s shoulder grew increasingly heavy, which made Yang Kai feel at once that his bones were about to dislocate…
A short time later, in an open space, Yang Kai was busy setting up a Space Array.
On the side, Ou Yang Lie was sitting in the middle of a pile of wine bottles, drinking happily, cheering in glee after finishing each one in a wonderful mood.
Not far from him, Gon Lian was eyeing Yang Kai with a grimace, which made Yang Kai feel embarrassed to meet his gaze.
Something like setting up a Space Array could not be easier for Yang Kai. With all the materials in place, it took him less than an hour to finish everything.
An Array had already been set up at Great Evolution Pass that synced with this one. Yang Kai personally stepped onto the array to check and made sure that there were no problems before handing it over to their use.
By now, Ou Yang Lie had already drunk his fill and was sitting slumped on the ground, tapping his knees and singing his heart out.
Even though Ou Yang Lie had a gruff appearance, his voice was actually pretty good. Even though Yang Kai had no idea what he was singing, his song had a boldness to it that was quite interesting.
After walking over to Ou Yang Lie’s side, Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Senior Ou Yang, the Space Array is completed.”
“En, good work,” Ou Yang Lie spoke in a good mood, wine bottle still in hand.
“Furthermore, this Junior has a presumptuous request.”
“Speak!” Ou Yang Lie spoke with narrowed eyes that showed an indescribable sense of carefreeness.
“This Junior wishes to obtain a sub-nest to place inside of his Small Universe to aid in the cultivation of the disciples in my Small Universe. Senior should know that many Sixth and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters have walked out of this Junior’s Small Universe. Unfortunately, before stepping into the Black Ink Battlefield, none of them have ever encountered the Black Ink Clan before. If they were able to face some Black Ink Clansmen during their growth period, it will be beneficial to them when they truly enter the battlefield in the future.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded at his words, “Fair enough, but it is useless to speak to me about this. I’m just the doorman here. You’ll have to ask the Old Ancestor for permission.”
Yang Kai answered, “The Old Ancestor has already agreed. She told me to come see you.”
Ou Yang Lie suddenly grinned meaningfully, “It’s useless even if the Old Ancestor agrees.”
Yang Kai was confused, “This Junior does not understand.”
Ou Yang Lie reached out and pointed at the Black Ink Nest enveloped by the Spirit Array behind him, “Because there’s nothing we can do about it right now either.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai was even more confused.
Ou Yang Lie guzzled another mouthful of wine before directing Gong Lian, “Take him in and show him.”
After accepting his order, Gong Lian turned to Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, come with me.”
“Many thanks!”
Halfway through following Gong Lian into the Black Ink Nest, Yang Kai laughed bitterly, “Brother Gong, please don’t blame me. I had no other choice.”
Naturally, he was talking about Ou Yang Lie’s request for wine.
Gong Lian waved his hand, “Honoured Master insisted, so Brother Yang was in no position to resist. I understand. In fact, Honoured Master’s injuries have already stabilized so a little wine won’t hurt him. Martial Uncle Mi is only worried that he might drink excessively, which is why he told me to keep an eye on him.”
Yang Kai sighed, “It’s tough for you too, Brother Gong.”
Gong Lian chuckled, “I owe Honoured Master for raising and teaching me. Now that this Gong has made some achievements in cultivation and can take care of himself, it is naturally necessary to repay those favours to Honoured Master. This much is nothing.”
As they were speaking, they arrived at the interior of the Black Ink Nest.
Yang Kai was naturally incomparably familiar with things like this Black Ink Nest. He had been in and out of many Black Ink Nests, including Low-Rank and Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests.
He was also the one who first found out that the Black Ink Nests could communicate with each other. Before that, the Humans had an inkling but had no proof on the matter.
It could be said that there was nobody more familiar with the Black Ink Nests than him in the entire Human Race.
“Martial Uncle Mi asked the Black Ink Clan to leave this Black Ink Nest behind because he hoped to create an intelligence network for the Humans using it. If we can use the Black Ink Nest the way the Black Ink Clan uses them, then in the future, passing information around will be much easier for our Race. Brother Yang should also know how far away each Great Pass is, and once a war breaks out, it becomes very difficult for Armies to contact each other. If this network could be established, it would be very useful for our future crusade.”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement.
“Currently, there are no problems with feeding it resources. The Black Ink Nest is able to absorb materials instinctually; however, after absorbing the materials, all of the energy will automatically be put towards the birth of new Black Ink Clansmen. We’ve not been able to create sub-nests.”
“Why is that?” Yang Kai frowned. He had seen how higher Rank Black Ink Nests created sub-nests before, so he knew it should not be anything difficult.
“Because we Humans have no way of controlling the Black Ink Nests currently,” Gong Lian explained, “Brother Yang may know that to control the Black Ink Nest, one needs to connect one’s Divine Sense with it Black Ink Nest’s consciousness and become one with it to control it.”
“Indeed!”
“And that is where the problem lies. Connecting to the consciousness of the Black Ink Nest was not a problem, the problem is that the Black Ink Clan has already set up an ambush inside the existing network, so as soon as any Human makes a connection, they are instantly attacked by the force of more than a dozen Territory Lords in an instant. In a contest of Spiritual Energy alone, our Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters are naturally unafraid of any single Territory Lord. However, our people can only fight alone, while the Black Ink Clan can borrow the strength of several Black Ink Nests in order to attack in a group, meaning no Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master can withstand it. The few Eighth-Order Division Commanders who tried before have all suffered varying degrees of injuries to their Soul.”
Yang Kai finally understood.
He had experienced something similar before. Previously, he had also connected to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness to locate other Black Ink Nests, and it was then that he was attacked by the consciousnesses of many Feudal Lords in the strange space.
Fortunately, he had the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, so even though he was facing off against many foes alone, he still managed to defeat the Black Ink Clan.
What the Humans were encountering now was exactly the same issue Yang Kai encountered back then.
The Black Ink Clan must have known that the Humans would try to connect to the Black Ink Nest to make use of it, so they had prepared over a dozen Territory Lords to wait in ambush inside of that strange space. As soon as they sensed the intrusion of a Human’s consciousness, they would immediately attack.
Under such circumstances, would any Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master be able to resist? Furthermore, if the few Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had not withdrawn in time, then they might have incurred irreparable damage to their Souls and perished.
Gong Lian continued, “The Old Ancestor has tried it once, but the Territory Lords must have sensed the Old Ancestor’s strength and took the initiative to withdraw when they sensed her. As such, even the Old Ancestor is helpless in this matter.”
It was an awkward situation that the Great Evolution Army was facing.
Despite having the Black Ink Nest in their hands, they had no way of using it effectively, yet it was too much of a waste to just destroy it.
Naturally, the Old Ancestor was not afraid of the Territory Lords; however, after they sensed the Old Ancestor’s strength, the Territory Lords lying in ambush would immediately escape, leaving the Old Ancestor helpless.
Also, it was not as if they could just have the Old Ancestor wait on standby inside of the Black Ink Nest forever.
Yang Kai did not anticipate this situation. He thought that the Humans would long have begun preparing the information network after having obtained the Black Ink Nest for so long, but now it seemed that more consideration was required for this matter.
It was true that he severely injured and even destroyed many Feudal Lord consciousness back then in the strange space of the Black Ink Nest. With the Soul Warming Lotus’s protection, he left the Feudal Lords in a miserable state despite fighting one against dozens, but he was only facing Feudal Lords and one Territory Lord back then.
Now, it was numerous Territory Lords who had set up an ambush in that strange space, and they had a clearly defined plan this time… Whether it be the scale or the situation, it was very different from before.
Yang Kai was confident that his Soul was by no means inferior to any Territory Lord, so in a one-on-one, he didn’t fear defeat. Moreover, with the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, he was fearless against any attack on his Soul.
However, if the number of Territory Lords was too great, then there was not much he could do about it either.
That was unless he could borrow some kind of powerful external force.
After a short pondering, Yang Kai said, “Many thanks, Brother Gong. I will return and see if I can come up with a solution to the situation here.”
Gong Lian didn’t give him a hard time and just smiled, “Take your time with it, Brother Yang, it’s not an urgent matter. What’s more, the higher-ups are also thinking up ideas. Surely it will be solved sooner or later.”
Yang Kai nodded and parted with Gong Lian. Without disturbing Ou Yang Lie who was still enjoying his drinks, he teleported back to Great Evolution Pass through the Space Array that was just completed.
While they were in Blue Sky Pass, Dawn Squad’s members all lived in their own scattered residences; however, now that they had arrived at Great Evolution Pass, the higher-ups took account of the fact that many Squads had been reorganized recently and the members needed to get to know each other better, so basically all the members of each Squad were housed in one place or area.
Dawn was assigned to a large courtyard near the outskirts of Great Evolution Pass with a few dozen houses, enough for all the members to share.
After returning to the courtyard, it was quiet. Save for Ning Qi Zhi, who was still recovering, the rest were nowhere to be seen.
Currently, the entire Great Evolution Pass was in a state of disarray and practically all of the Great Evolution Army’s soldiers were busy reorganizing everything, building or repairing various facilities around Great Evolution Pass, so there was no time for them to idle.
Yang Kai went to see how Ning Qi Zhi’s injuries were doing first and was relieved to see that he had improved a little. It was Ning Qi Zhi’s Small Universe that was damaged in the previous war, an extremely troublesome injury to have for an Open Heaven Realm Master, so the recovery process was also extremely slow.
However, the fact that there were improvements meant that there was nothing to worry about.
This allowed Yang Kai to breathe a sigh of relief. During the bloody battle at the Royal City, losing Qi Tai Chu was already a great heartache for him, so Ning Qi Zhi could not encounter any accidents.
After telling Ning Qi Zhi to take care of himself, Yang Kai left to see the Old Ancestor.
He needed the Old Ancestor’s help to deal with the matter concerning the Black Ink Nest; after all, they had to face off against many Territory Lords who were lying in ambush. Since the Old Ancestor was not able to handle it alone, he could only borrow her strength.
After interacting with Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao for so many years, the two of them had already grown incredibly close with each other, so after arriving at the Old Ancestor’s chambers, Yang Kai entered straight away without having to announce himself or inform anyone.
In a stone pavilion located in a small garden, the Old Ancestor was joyfully chewing on candied fruit, leaving crumbs all over her mouth.
Yang Kai sat down on a chair in front of her and casually poured himself a cup of water, drinking it all, and then sighing deeply, looking preoccupied.
The Old Ancestor didn’t even spare a glance at him.
After finishing one stick of candied fruit, she took out another and continued eating.
If one had to say what kind of thing Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s Space Ring carried the most of, then it had to be snacks. During the days she spent recovering in Yang Kai’s Small Universe, he often took her to the most bustling cities, and even he did not know how much food she had bought and hoarded up during those years.
“Something you need?” The Old Ancestor finally spoke after finishing another stick of candied fruit.
“Nope!” Yang Kai chuckled, “Just thought I’d pay a visit.”
“En,” the Old Ancestor responded casually and did not pay him any more attention.
Yang Kai was wondering how he should bring this up to the Old Ancestor in a less abrupt way. He was mainly here to borrow something from her, and despite how well they knew each other, he would inevitably find it embarrassing to just outright ask for it.
The Old Ancestor had seen through that, but since Yang Kai did not speak, she just left him to stew in his thoughts.
Soon, a small handful of bamboo skewers had already piled up in front of the Old Ancestor. Candied fruits were very sweet, but too much of them were bad for the teeth. Clearly, the Old Ancestor had quite the craving, but after a satisfied sigh, she looked around before her eyes finally stopped on Yang Kai, and she beckoned him with her finger.
Yang Kai quickly straightened his back and put his ear forward, ready to listen to the Old Ancestor’s instructions.
However, the Old Ancestor simply wiped her sugary hands on his sleeve…
Yang Kai’s mouth twitched, “If you wanted to wipe your hands, wouldn’t it have been better if I fetched you some water instead?”
“I prefer it this way!” The Old ancestor snapped back, “What are you going to do about it?”
Yang Kai held his forehead.
After a moment, with her hands cleaned, the Old Ancestor took out a cup from somewhere and pushed it in Yang Kai’s direction.
Yang Kai diligently filled it up for her.
After taking a sip of water, the Old Ancestor spoke leisurely, “Tell me, what have you sought me for?”
Yang Kai told her frankly, “I would like to borrow something from you.”
“Like what?”
“A Soul-type artifact!”
The Old Ancestor was surprised, “What do you need a Soul-type artifact for?”
Yang Kai explained, “To deal with the Territory Lords who are lying in ambush inside of the Black Ink Nests. They have no way of dealing with the Black Ink Nest over there, right? If I had a strong enough Soul-type artifact, then I might be able to solve the problem.”
The Old Ancestor frowned, “Don’t be reckless! Currently, you are no more than a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Each one of the Territory Lords lying in wait is as strong as an Eighth-Order Master. Moreover, as soon as they sense that a Soul is connecting from here, they will immediately launch an attack. Even with a Soul-type artifact protecting your Soul, you might not make it out safely.”
Yang Kai laughed, “Many thanks, Old Ancestor, for your concern, but since I’ve said so, I’m confident in my ability to succeed. Old Ancestor may not know this, but I came into possession of certain treasure during the early days of my cultivation, and with the protection of that treasure, the Territory Lords, and even the Royal Lords cannot do anything to my Soul.”
The Old Ancestor was a little surprised at his words, but she soon asked thoughtfully, “The treasure you speak of, it couldn’t be the Soul Warming Lotus, could it?”
There was a pair of lotuses that were Supreme Treasures of the Universe, the Soul Warming Lotus that nourished and protected one’s Soul, and the Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus that kept the body of the one in possession of it in an immaculate state. Who had not heard of these two Supreme Treasures before?
However, such treasures had always been considered unique existences, and those who were able to possess either of them were those who held great destinies. Not just anyone strong could obtain such a treasure.
If there was any treasure in the world that could allow a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to resist the Spiritual Energy attack of a Royal Lord, then it had to be the Soul Warming Lotus, so the Old Ancestor was able to guess it almost immediately.
Yang Kai nodded, “It is indeed the Soul Warming Lotus.”
The Old Ancestor almost did not dare to believe him, but since Yang Kai had told her so, he was clearly not joking around with her. After a moment of silence, she sighed, “Your luck is really enviable, to be able to obtain the Soul Warming Lotus. Moreover, to obtain it early on in your cultivation… It is no wonder why I have always felt that your Soul did not match your cultivation; it was thanks to the Soul Warming Lotus.”
Since Yang Kai had obtained the Soul Warming Lotus early on in life, after nurturing it for so many years, his Soul would naturally be much tougher and stronger than ordinary.
“It was just by chance!” Yang Kai said modestly. Reflecting on the experiences he went through on his Martial Dao, obtaining the Soul Warming Lotus could be considered his most fortuitous encounter of all.
Only a few people whom he was very close with knew about his possession of the Soul Warming Lotus; after all, it was too precious a thing to be revealing it casually.
As for the Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus in Wu Kuang’s possession, there was perhaps no one else but him and Wu Kuang himself who knew about it.
Even though the Old Ancestor had been healing in Yang Kai’s Small Universe for many years, she had no idea about the Soul Warming Lotus.
“With the Soul Warming Lotus’s protection, you do not need to worry about the Soul attacks of those Territory Lords; however, even if your Soul can fight against the Territory Lords, you still may not be able to defeat them in a one against many fight.”
“That is why I came to see you,” Yang Kai rubbed his hands together and looked excitedly at her, “So that I can borrow a powerful Soul-type artifact!”
The Old Ancestor finally realized, “So, that’s the idea you came up with. With the Soul Warming Lotus to protect yourself, you want to boost your offensive strength with an artifact, and if you were able to severely injure a few of them, then the Black Ink Clan probably will not dare to use the Black Ink Nest to lay an ambush for us again.”
“Indeed!” Yang Kai nodded, “If we can solve this problem, then our people can begin building our own intelligence network.”
“A good plan!” The Old Ancestor nodded, “Unfortunately, I don’t have any Soul-type artifacts to lend you.”
Yang Kai had a speechless look on his face. Of all the possible scenarios he had thought up, he never expected this one.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao said, “When I advanced to the Ninth Order, I gave up on all external aids other than a single favoured artifact. You should know that when one’s cultivation reaches my realm, the greatest thing one can rely on is oneself. Not only are most auxiliary weapons and devices useless, they can even impede the purity of one’s Dao.”
The Old Ancestor’s words sounded as if she were trying to explain the state of a venerable Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to him, but was it still not a kind of teaching?
Yang Kai listened thoughtfully.
The Old Ancestor soon changed the topic though, “Even though I do not have a Soul-type artifact to lend you, I do have something that should suit your needs… In fact, other than you, there is probably nobody else who can properly make use of this thing.”
Yang Kai was intrigued, “What is it?”
The Old Ancestor flicked her hand and a jade slip appeared. Then, she casually tossed it over to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai reached out and grabbed it, then he immersed his Divine Sense and began investigating the jade slip’s contents.
Soon, a look of astonishment appeared on his face, “Soul Rending Thorn? Who came up with such a crazy thing?”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao explained, “In the early days of the Shattered Heaven, there existed an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who lived in seclusion and did not appear in public. He was likely defending against the possibility that the Cave Heavens and Paradises might try to capture him. After painstakingly researching for many years, he thought up such a terrible and unorthodox artifact, mainly to use against the venerable Ninth-Order Masters of the Cave Heavens and Paradises, not knowing that there was not a single Ninth-Order Master present in the 3,000 Worlds. At that time, I was also merely in the Eighth-Order. Since he was involved in the murder of one of my Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s disciples, I visited him and obtained this.”
The Old Ancestor did not mention what became of that Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in seclusion, but since this Soul Rending Thorn was now in the hands of this Old Ancestor, then that Eighth-Order Master’s fate could be easily guessed.
Even if both were in the Eighth Order, two cultivators could have vastly different strengths, especially when comparing those who came from great forces with deep heritages such as those Cave Heavens and Paradises and rogues without any foundation to depend on.
Yang Kai had once been chased down by Bright Sun Divine Monarch Cheng Yang in the Shattered Heaven when he was in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but he was still able to get away from him in the end somehow.
However, if it had been an Eighth-Order Master from any of the Cave Heavens or Paradises back then, he wouldn’t have been so lucky.
That was the difference.
Even though Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had also been in the Eighth Order back then, she had the foundation to advance to the Ninth Order, so how could a vagabond Eighth-Order Master with below-average strength compare to her?
With her taking action personally, the previous owner of this Soul Rending Thorn probably did not fare well.
Still, it had to be said that the man did have some talent to be able to develop this Soul Rending Thorn. If this thing was used well, it could help one defeat a far stronger foe. The developer of this Soul Rending Thorn mainly came up with it to defend himself against Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but if the gap in strength was too wide, it was still impossible for it to have any effect.
The Soul Rending Thorn was both a profound Secret Technique and also a type of artifact, and neither was of any use without the other. With only the Secret Technique but without the artifact, one would be unable to perform the technique, but with only the artifact and without the Secret Technique, it would still also be impossible to use.
The Secret Technique and the artifact were both indispensable.
And, just as the Old Ancestor said, there was nobody that could truly use this thing to its fullest potential but Yang Kai.
To Yang Kai, this was a huge boon.
After bidding farewell to the Old Ancestor, Yang Kai sent out a message and quickly received a reply, after which he went straight towards one of Great Evolution Pass’ walls.
In just a few moments, he arrived and saw a figure working restlessly on a certain part of the wall.
Yang Kai went up to him and greeted, “Grandmaster.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan was busy at work. The World Force in his body was surging and he was sweating as hard as rain. Without even lifting his head, he answered, “You’ve come just in time. Help me with this.”
Currently, the busiest group of people in the entire Great Evolution Pass were the Artifact Refiners and Array Masters. Great Evolution Pass had only been recovered half a year ago, so many things needed these professionals’ help fixing and setting up. All of the Array Masters and the Artifact Refiners were too busy to even pay attention to anything else.
As one of the only few Artifact Refining Great Grandmasters in Great Evolution Pass today, Grandmaster Ma Fan naturally had even less free time than others.
Moreover, he was more motivated to work than anyone else because this was Great Evolution Pass, the place the ancestors of Great Evolution Paradise had guarded. Although it had been lost for 30,000 years, the Human Race was finally able to snatch it back from the hands of the Black Ink Clan.
Ma Fan would put everything that he learned in his life to good use so that Great Evolution Pass could become an impregnable fortress where the mistakes of their ancestors from 30,000 years ago would never be repeated!
He also knew that Yang Kai had the skills of an Artifact Refining Grandmaster, and this was enough to act as an assistant, which was why Ma Fan even accepted a call from Yang Kai earlier. If it had been anyone else, Grandmaster Ma Fan wouldn’t have bothered speaking to him in the first place, must less ask for his help so carelessly.
Yang Kai naturally did not refuse. He went up and asked how he could help, and soon began immersing himself in work alongside Grandmaster Ma Fan.
From the moment Yang Kai arrived until the job was done, almost half a month passed. It was not until Grandmaster Ma Fan had completed the superstructure of a large artifact that they finally stopped.
Both of them were exhausted and left the remaining matters to others to finish up as they found a secluded place to adjust their breathing.
It was only half a day later that Grandmaster Ma Fan finally opened his eyes and took out a wine bottle to wet his lips. After smacking his lips in satisfaction, he sighed, “I’m getting old. I would never be this tired in my youth. I’d be in good spirits even after working non-stop on Artifact Refining for a few years.”
Yang Kai laughed, “You’re still in your prime, you’re not old at all.”
Grand Master Ma Fan glanced at him, “So, what have you sought me for?”
Yang Kai quickly answered, “I came to ask Grandmaster to refine some artifacts for me!”
Saying so, he handed over the jade slip that he had prepared earlier.
Grandmaster Ma Fan accepted it and poured his Divine Sense inside to check it, soon frowning as he asked, “Where did you get this from? It’s quite a sinister thing.”
The jade slip that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao gave to Yang Kai was comprehensive, containing both the Secret Technique and the refinement method of the Soul Rending Thorn. Even though it was not a confidential, or even a particularly important matter, it was still given to him by an Old Ancestor after all, so Yang Kai could not casually pass it around without her permission. So, what he handed to Grandmaster Ma Fan was merely the refinement method, which he had transcribed into a new jade slip.
Even though it was merely the refinement method and was lacking the corresponding Secret Technique, someone of Grandmaster Ma Fan’s capability could tell at a glance what the usage of this thing was. If it were created, there was no telling what kind of treachery and chaos it could facilitate, and that was why he commented on it being sinister.
“The Old Ancestor was the one who gave it to me,” Yang Kai explained, as there wasn’t a need to hide it.
Grand Master Ma Fan was slightly taken aback, but then he took a closer look at the jade slip and said in wonder, “Is there an accompanying Secret Technique for this artifact?”
Yang Kai gave him a thumbs up at once, “Great Master’s vision is truly sharp.”
Grand Master Ma Fan looked up at him, “Since it was given by the Old Ancestor, I won’t ask any questions. Still, I must remind you that using this thing will surely cause grave injury to yourself, so you’d best only use it when absolutely necessary.”
Yang Kai replied seriously, “Rest assured, Grandmaster. I know what I’m doing.”
“En,” Grandmaster Ma Fan rose without commenting further, “Come with me.”
Yang Kai followed behind him.
Great Evolution Pass had its own Refining Hall now.
In fact, since Great Evolution Pass’s reoccupation by the Human Army, the higher-ups had given top priority to establishing a functioning Refining Hall and Pill Hall, two key places that Great Evolution Pass’ foundation would be built on.
However, most of the Artifact Refiners were busy outside, so when the two of them stepped into the Refining Hall, not many people were inside.
Hundreds of Warships were moored at the large square outside of the Hall, both big and small, making for quite a spectacular sight.
These Warships were all in need of repair. When the East-West Army departed from the Royal City to Great Evolution Pass, the Artifact Refiners and Array Masters had already fixed up many of the Warships, but that was only a patch-up job as time was limited.
After arriving at Great Evolution Pass, the priority was to restore Great Evolution Pass, so most of the Warships had yet to be fixed and were thus all moored here.
They had to wait until the Artifact Refiners and Array Masters were finally free before they could be worked on.
After arriving at an open furnace, Grandmaster Ma Fan asked, “Are all the materials ready?”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded.
In fact, the material requirements for the Soul Rending Thorn weren’t high. Apart from one or two rare items, it was mostly comprised of ordinary materials.
On second thought, it was not surprising since it was created by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who was hiding in seclusion in the Shattered Heaven. He naturally had to consider his access to materials, and if the materials needed were too rare, then he would not be able to get them.
After taking out all of the materials, Grandmaster Ma Fan’s Divine Sense surged for a while, and then he tossed the jade slip back to Yang Kai, “I made a few modifications that may enhance their power, but considering that there is still an accompanying Secret Technique, I dare not guarantee that the modifications will be compatible. Have a look at it yourself. If it’s fine, then we will refine the artifacts based on this.”
Yang Kai received the jade slip and looked over it. After a moment, a delighted look appeared on his face, “Sure enough, Grandmaster has discerning eyes. These changes are subtle, but enough to increase the power of these things by about 10%. As for the Secret Technique, it is relatively flexible so it won’t be affected.”
It could be said that the Secret Technique would not be troublesome to perform for anyone as long as they were a cultivator. Only, not everyone could afford the cost of casting it.
So, Grandmaster Ma Fan’s changes had no negative effects.
Since it was confirmed that everything was fine, Grandmaster Ma Fan began refining without dallying.
In fact, Yang Kai himself could have refined them; after all, he was also a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner. However, he was going to be using them against Territory Lords, so having Grandmaster Ma Fan work on them would naturally help to guarantee the Soul Rending Thorns’ might. Moreover, if he were to refine them himself, it would take far longer.
Day after day, Grandmaster Ma Fan refined Soul Rending Thorns while Yang Kai provided some help from the side.
Various subtle Artifact Refining techniques were performed by Grandmaster Ma Fan’s hands, and he did not try to avoid being seen either, oftentimes working with the intent for Yang Kai to observe more closely.
Under these circumstances, Yang Kai was able to make a considerable improvement in the Dao of Artifact Refining, which he had to admit was a surprise.
The first Soul Rending Thorn took Grandmaster Ma Fan a month to complete. The completed Soul Rending Thorn was just like a long needle the length of a finger. It was dark all over, as if it had been coated with a strong poison.
But in fact, this thing was not poisonous at all.
Yang Kai picked it up and studied it, using his Spiritual Energy to refine it a little and found that nothing unusual happened, which meant that the refinement was a success.
He thought that Grandmaster Ma Fan would be able to refine the Soul Rending Thorn faster and faster as time went on, but every single Soul Rending Thorn took him an entire month to finish.
This proved one thing, that though it was Grandmaster Ma Fan’s first time refining this artifact, he had still achieved his limit from the very start, which was why the time consumed in its creation did not decrease with subsequent attempts.
A year later, 12 Soul Rending Thorns were successfully refined and the materials Yang Kai prepared were all used up.
Only then did Grandmaster Ma Fan’s hand stop, “Is this enough?”
Yang Kai grinned, “It’s enough.”
He trusted that the Territory Lords also would not be foolish enough that he would be able to use the Soul Rending Thorns 12 times. It would be best if he only had to kill off a few Territory Lords before they all retreated.
12 of them had been created just in case the unfortunate happened.
Now that the Soul Rending Thorns were ready, Yang Kai bid farewell to Grandmaster Ma Fan and returned to Dawn’s courtyard so he could begin refining them.
The courtyard was still quiet with all of Dawn’s members busy with work outside; however, he did happen to bump into Feng Ying who had returned to check on Ning Qi Zhi’s injuries.
After a brief exchange with Feng Ying and making sure that Ning Qi Zhi’s injuries showed no signs of deterioration, Yang Kai did not find the need to visit him again either.
It was hard enough for a badly injured member to be left to recuperate quietly by himself while everyone was out busy, so it was not good to visit him constantly either.
Just as he was about to walk away, Feng Ying pulled him to a quiet place and whispered, “Squad Leader, can our Squad take on any more people?”
Yang Kai had no idea why she suddenly brought this up and replied, “Blood Crow and two others are joining Dawn so we just happen to have 50. We’re already full, you know that.”
Feng Ying said, “I know, but can’t you go and have a talk with the Army Commander and ask if we can add one more person?”
Yang Kai did not understand, “Who is it that you are so concerned about?”
Feng Ying sighed, “It’s not that I’m concerned, just some things that have been bothering me to see.”
And so, she told him.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded at what he heard, “Truly? How come I never noticed it?”
Feng Ying could not help but roll her eyes, “That’s why I say that you men are all blind. That Miao Fei Ping is like this, and so are you. That day, her eyes were practically melting when she came out of your Small Universe, but you didn’t even notice.”
Yang Kai scratched his head in confusion.
“Based on the time frame, shouldn’t they be in retreat to consolidate their cultivation right now? Why did she come out to ask you to let her join our Squad?” Yang Kai asked.
Feng Ying answered, “No no, she didn’t do that. She just brought it up back then when we were on the way back after they just broke through. I told her that we can only accept members when a battle happens and the number of our Dawn’s Squad members went down, so she said she didn’t want to join Dawn anymore. This girl has a good foundation. While the others are still stabilizing their cultivation, she has already come out of retreat several days ago and specifically came over to offer her help.”
Yang Kai was surprised, “Her cultivation has stabilized after just over a year? Have you checked to make sure?”
Feng Ying snorted, “How could I be sloppy about such things?”
Yang Kai nodded. Thinking back to what she told Feng Ying earlier, he praised, “She’s quite a sensible girl.”
“Yes, and it’s her sensible nature that makes it so hard to reject her,” Feng Ying sighed, “Unfortunately, Miao Boy did not even notice it in the slightest. I don’t even know if he’s really a fool or just acting.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “But Dawn is still full. It’s unfair for us to break the rules for just one person. If I were to bring this matter up, then it would make things difficult for the Army Commanders in the future, too.”
Feng Ying nodded, “Fair enough. Never mind, we’ll see how things go. These are youthful problems either way, I don’t have the time or energy to worry about them.”
“That’s exactly the attitude to have!” Yang Kai nodded. Then, he suddenly changed the subject, “But then again, Senior Sister, it’s time for you to advance to the Eighth Order. It’s not a good idea to stay in the Seventh Order forever.”
Feng Ying squinted at him, “Such matters are dependent on opportunity. If the opportunity is yet to come, then what is struggling through cultivating going to help?”
Yang Kai laughed, “Then, where is Senior Sister’s opportunity?”
“Who knows? Maybe it’ll come tomorrow.” Feng Ying also laughed before turning around and heading out, “I’m going.”
As he watched her leave, Yang Kai slowly shook his head.
Feng Ying had been in the Seventh Order of the Open Heaven Realm for long enough, and she had already accumulated enough to break through to the Eighth Order. Only, she never sensed an opportunity to do so all this while. Still, it was true what Feng Ying said, nobody can say when something like an opportunity would arrive. Maybe one day she will suddenly have the urge to forge ahead and advance to the Eighth Order.
All this while, Feng Ying had been making preparations for that moment. So, no matter when she advanced, she could still ensure that she had the highest chance of succeeding.
After returning to his own small courtyard, Yang Kai opened the Spirit Array barrier to isolate himself from the outside before he sat down cross-legged.
With a flick of his palm, he took out a Soul Rending Thorn. Now that the artifacts were ready, the only thing he had to do was to refine them. The refinement process was also easy, the same as any ordinary Soul-type artifact. One had to pour their Spiritual Energy Sense into it until they formed a solid connection to the artifact itself.
The process of refinement was also a process of familiarisation. Only when the artifact was fully refined could it be used against an enemy with ease.
Compared to creating this artifact, refining it was simpler, so it took only a few days for Yang Kai to fully refine one Soul Rending Thorn.
The hard part was the final step that came after the refinement process was complete!
The refiner had to split a portion of their Soul from themselves and integrate it into the Soul Rending Thorn to render the process complete.
This was akin to sacrificing one’s life for power.
The separation of a portion of one’s Soul and the consumption of Spiritual Energy were two completely different things. Simply expending energy was a type of consumption that could be replenished once it was exhausted and was of no harm to a cultivator.
However, to separate even a thread of one’s Soul was considered a sacrifice.
In short, for every Soul Rending Thorn that he refined, he had to give up a portion of his Soul.
That was where the Soul Rending Thorn got its name from. To rend naturally meant to tear off.
This was why the Old Ancestor said that Yang Kai was the only one in the world who could properly make use of this artifact.
It was also why Grandmaster Ma Fan commented on the artifact being sinister when it received its manufacturing method.
That was because this thing was a weapon that inflicted serious harm to oneself to deal even more devastating damage to the enemy, to a ridiculous degree at that.
Right now, Yang Kai was merely refining it and hadn’t used it against an enemy, yet he already had to give up a thread of his Soul. Once it truly came time for him to face off against an enemy with this thing, then the price he had to pay would be even bigger. When that time came, the more of one’s Soul that one sacrificed, the more powerful the artifact would be as the Secret Technique was performed.
If that were not the case, then the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who was hiding in the Shattered Heaven, would have been able to defend against Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao with this thing at that time.
Even if an ordinary cultivator was to refine a Soul Rending Thorn and cultivate the necessary Secret Technique, it was still difficult to use because giving up a thread of one’s Soul was akin to self-mutilation, likely leading to irreparable damage.
However, it was different for Yang Kai. With the Soul Warming Lotus’ protection and nourishment, even if he did have to give up a part of his Soul, he could eventually heal from the wound, which was the greatest capability that the Soul Warming Lotus had.
It can be said that the Soul Rending Thorn was simply tailored to Yang Kai.
This, combined with his already powerful Soul, if he did get attacked by all the Territory Lords in the strange space inside of the Black Ink Nest, he would still be able to fight back.
Yang Kai was no stranger to separating parts of his Soul. Back then, that was also how Embodiment was born; however, even with preparation, the pain that came from one’s Soul being torn apart was still hard to bear.
It felt as if one’s body was being cut in half by a blunt knife, and one had to remain conscious throughout the entire process and not be distracted by the pain, otherwise, the entire process would fail while still leaving a wound on the Soul.
Yang Kai’s body trembled violently and he was instantly drenched in sweat. Even though the process lasted but a short moment, for Yang Kai, it felt like a million years had passed.
Once he had finally sacrificed a thread of his Soul and merged it with the Soul Rending Thorn, Yang Kai breathed a sigh of relief.
However, at the thought that he still had 11 more Soul Rending Thorns to refine, Yang Kai’s face turned a little dark, inwardly scolding himself for being so foolish as to have asked Grandmaster Ma Fan to refine so many.
However, when he thought of the number of Territory Lords he would have to face, Yang Kai felt like he had to fully refine all of the Soul Rending Thorns even if the price was high.
Any other cultivator would find it difficult to move their fingers after such a gruelling experience. The damage and pain that this process caused were not something that ordinary people could bear. However, with the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai instantly felt a cooling sensation pour into his Knowledge Sea, as if a small invisible hand was brushing over him and smoothing out the pain in his body and filling his heart with comfort.
To feel this kind of relief immediately after excruciating pain was especially indulgent…
After calming himself slightly, Yang Kai took out a second Soul Rending Thorn and repeated the process.
Even with the Soul Warming Lotus nourishing his Soul though, Yang Kai still had to stop for a while and adjust himself after refining 3 Soul Rending Thorns in a row so that his Soul could recuperate.
Normally, it took an extremely long time for an injury on a cultivator’s Soul to heal, and even with the help of the Soul Warming Lotus, it took Yang Kai almost a month to recover from refining the first 3 Soul Rending Thorns.
And so, only after 4 months was Yang Kai able to fully refine all 12.
Without further delay, he went to the universe fragment that housed the Black Ink Nest.
As usual, he first went to see Ou Yang Lie who was watching over this place, and only after receiving permission did he step into the Black Ink Nest under his accompaniment.
The reason why Ou Yang Lie was accompanying Yang Kai was because he was curious to see what plan the latter had thought up to solve this problem that had been plaguing them, and secondly, it was to stand guard for Yang Kai in case something were to happen to him while he was dealing with the Territory Lords.
During this time, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had not tried to enter the strange space again. The few Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who tried and failed previously showed the Humans that any attempt would only be a great risk to them without a proper solution to the problem.
Ou Yang Lie was not sure what Yang Kai was going to do exactly, but he had received some vague information previously from the Inner Sanctum that if anyone was going to solve the problem of the Black Ink Nest, then it had to be Yang Kai.
The source of this information was somewhat obscure, but it did not take much to guess that it was probably related to the Old Ancestor.
Since the Old Ancestor trusted Yang Kai so much, then what was there for him to worry about? However, it was still necessary for someone to stand guard for him.
Soon, the two of them arrived at the centre of the Black Ink Nest.
Ou Yang Lie said, “Kid, you must be cautious. If the situation turns awry, then retreat immediately. Those Territory Lords must be lying in ambush inside. Several have already suffered considerable losses from them previously.”
Even though the Humans had not made any moves for more than a year, how could the Territory Lords become complacent? Under Hong Di’s lead, the Black Ink Clan stationed at Great Evolution Pass were forced to agree to Mi Jing Lun’s condition of allowing them to keep the Black Ink Nest when they retreated. However, now that the Humans had a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest, the Black Ink Clan could only use this method to force the Humans to give it up.
Only by forcing them to give up on the Black Ink Nest would the Black Ink Clan be able to ensure that the Humans would not be able to spy on them when they were exchanging information in the future.
Yang Kai nodded solemnly, “I understand.”
With that, he opened the portal of his Small Universe, and as World Force surged, the Black Ink Nest devoured it like mad. Yang Kai immersed his mind into the stream, forming a connection with the Black Ink Next’s consciousness.
Soon, a familiar yet strange sensation engulfed him, as if his entire being was merging with the Black Ink Nest.
This was a clear sign that his connection was successful.
Connecting to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness was not difficult, and any Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could do it with ease. That was because even though the Black Ink Nest itself had a consciousness, it was not sentient. The Black Ink Nest’s consciousness was more like a platform that could carry one’s Soul and become one with it without distinction.
However, the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness could only ever carry one Soul at any one time. In other words, if Yang Kai connected with this Black Ink Nest’s consciousness, then nobody else could join him from the same Black Ink Nest.
This meant that once an Eighth-Order Master connected with the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness and entered that strange space, they would forever be forced to fight alone.
However, it was different for the Black Ink Clan.
Even though the Great Evolution East-West Army destroyed many Black Ink Nests during the war, there were still many owned by Territory Lords remaining on the Black Ink Clan’s side.
Each of these Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests was representative of one Territory Lord, so they would always have the advantage in numbers.
As Yang Kai’s consciousness connected to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness, he entered the strange space that he was familiar with in an instant.
It was a space completely different from the outside world. It seemed vast, but also small at the same time. Not a hint of vitality could be felt, and the entire world was dead silent.
With a slight thought, Yang Kai brought out his Soul Avatar.
The reason he had to bring out his Soul Avatar was naturally so that he could prepare for the big fight to come.
The moment his Soul Avatar emerged, Yang Kai immediately put up his guard against his surroundings, but to his surprise, the attack that he expected did not immediately come.
No Territory Lords were lying in ambush inside of the strange space, only the rapid movement of a Feudal Lord’s consciousness coming from a certain direction.
By the time Yang Kai’s body moved in order to chase after it, the Feudal Lord’s consciousness had already disappeared.
[What’s going on? Where is the Black Ink Clan?]
Even though Yang Kai thought of many possible scenarios he would face, what he encountered still left him confused.
However, in the blink of an eye, one by one Territory Lord consciousnesses suddenly appeared from nowhere. In the blink of an eye, the originally empty space now contained six Territory Lord consciousnesses.
After these Territory Lords entered the strange space, some who did not transform into their Soul Avatars were just irregular blobs of Spiritual Energy, which were ever-changing. Only two Territory Lords made the same choice as Yang Kai and manifested their Soul Avatars. One looked like an ape, while the other looked like a giant.
Yang Kai instantly understood.
It must have been that the Old Ancestor’s appearance previously surprised the Territory Lords, and that was why they did not dare to appear here before verifying who it was in case they ended up running into the Old Ancestor again.
Even though they did not wait in this space, they had clearly left behind some subordinates to keep an eye on the situation, which explained the Feudal Lord that Yang Kai encountered when he first entered.
The Territory Lords had to verify that it was not an Old Ancestor who entered before they could feel assured.
The Territory Lords were no fools, so how could they allow the Old Ancestor to give them trouble?
This was also the reason why the Old Ancestor was unable to resolve the matter. She was strong, but the decision to fight or not was in the hands of the Black Ink Clan.
On the other hand, the Eighth-Order Division Commanders were helpless against the enemy and would only be putting themselves in danger to face them when they were so seriously outnumbered.
Yang Kai was the best person for the job.
With the Soul Warming Lotus’ protection, he was not worried about being injured, and with the Soul Rending Thorns, it was not a loss to take out an enemy. If he could take down two, that would be a good deal. If he could get rid of a few of them, then he was certain that the Black Ink Clan would not dare to act presumptuously in this strange space again.
The Territory Lords clearly had no intention of greeting Yang Kai. They did not even care which Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master it was who entered this place. Since they had already confirmed that it was not the Old Ancestor, what else was there for them to hesitate about?
Naturally, they grouped up and sent out a barrage of attacks, like they were trying to wash away the disgrace that the Black Ink Clan had suffered in the war over the past 150 years!
So, when the Territory Lords entered this strange space, three of them charged at Yang Kai without even a single word, while the other three assumed a triangle formation as they bombarded him with Secret Techniques.
In an instant, a storm spun up by Spiritual Energy swept over Yang Kai.
The Black Ink Clan had no particular talents when it came to Artifact Refining, arranging Arrays, or Alchemy. Most of them relied on the Black Ink Disciples under their command for such things. However, when it came to cultivating Secret Techniques, they had a special talent for it.
Perhaps that was the Heavenly Way’s compensation.
Who could say for sure?
They were able to freely perform many of the Human Race’s Secret Techniques, and it was all thanks to the teachings of the Black Ink Disciples that were corrupted by their Black Ink Strength.
They had even been able to develop new Secret Techniques based off of the foundations of the Secret Techniques they learned, evolving them to better suit the Black Ink Clan.
And, what the Territory Lords were using now were exactly those powerful Soul Secret Techniques.
Yang Kai could feel the power behind those three Soul Secret Techniques. Even though he was not physically here, his scalp could not help but tingle.
It was no wonder why the Eighth-Order Division Commanders all suffered such heavy losses here. Which Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be able to withstand such a barrage? They would probably be beaten into a cowering ball after just one round of attacks.
Even though the enemy was strong, Yang Kai had no intention of summoning the Soul Warming Lotus.
He could easily block these attacks with the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, but that would just be exposing his trump card from the start.
Taking things slow was preferable in a fight with these Territory Lords. He had to beat these Territory Lords half to death and make them suffer. Only then would the Humans be able to take full control of their Black Ink Nest.
The Territory Lords had ruthless techniques, but Yang Kai was even more ruthless.
As the Soul Secret Techniques blasted his way one by one, he rushed straight towards the Territory Lords that resembled a blob of flowing liquid.
Yang Kai’s actions had clearly startled the Territory Lords.
Many times in the past, they faced off with the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but every one of them would try and flee when faced with their united attacks since nothing good would befall them if they dodged too late.
However, this Human was quite interesting. Not only did he not run away, he even took the initiative to charge at them. Was he perhaps tired of living, and that was why he was eager to have a taste of death?
If that were the case, then these Territory Lords did not mind granting him his wish.
However, a moment later, something even more shocking for the Territory Lords happened.
A flash of Spiritual Energy suddenly burst out of this Open Heaven Realm Master’s Soul and a piercing scream rang out deep within the minds of all of the Territory Lords.
“GAHHH!!”
This was a scream filled with agony that pierced directly into their consciousnesses. Though there was no sound in this space, the Territory Lords could still feel like they could hear it.
The Territory Lords had never heard such a miserable cry before. It was as if that Human was suffering an extremely vicious form of torture, and it made their hearts clench with anxiety.
What they could be sure of was the fact that this cry of agony was no illusion. It was truly miserable and also resulted from a grievous injury.
And indeed it was, for at the same time that Open Heaven Realm Master screamed, his Spiritual Energy noticeably weakened, as if he had become severely wounded all of a sudden.
However, something confused the Territory Lords.
Their attacks had not even landed yet, so how could he be severely injured already?
Only in the next instant did the Soul Secret Techniques released by the three Territory Lords finally envelope the Human Master.
The dead-silent space was sent into turmoil at once.
When the dust settled, only the six Territory Lords’ consciousness were left in that space. The Human’s Soul Avatar had long since disappeared from sight.
The three Territory Lords who had unleashed their Secret Techniques stood still, confused.
The other three Territory Lords, who charged straight at Yang Kai had no choice but to stop as they had lost their target.
The one Territory Lord with the long arms and an ape-like appearance asked, “Did he die?”
At that moment, the energy fluctuations were so messy that they were unable to even notice what end came to that Open Heaven Realm Master.
The other Territory Lord’s Soul Avatar, who had transformed into the shape of an eyeball, laughed coldly, “Even if he isn’t dead, he won’t be alive for long.”
The Territory Lords had no idea whether that Human was dead or not. All they knew was the fact that that Human’s Soul was heavily injured…
No Human could come out of the combined attacks of three Territory Lords’ Soul Secret Techniques unscathed; moreover, something strange had happened to the Human all of a sudden. His Soul suddenly became extremely weak. In such a state, even one of the Humans’ Old Ancestors could not hope to be able to withstand their combined attacks.
“Those foolish Humans really don’t learn their lessons!” The Territory Lord whose Soul Avatar had morphed into the form of an eyeball coldly snorted. After saying that, he suddenly turned to look at one of his companions in realization, wondering, “What happened to you?”
The companion next to him was the one whose Soul Avatar was in the form of a blob of flowing water. At the moment, a very unusual aura could be felt from the Territory Lord’s Soul Avatar. It was as if he was desperately trying to hold his form but was being met with great resistance. His shape was constantly changing and his aura was fluctuating wildly.
This anomaly soon attracted the attention of the other Territory Lords who turned their attention to him.
It was then the fluid-like Territory Lord finally seemed to be able to gather a shred of his strength and spread out his voice, “Save… Save me!”
As soon as he said that, a violent wave of energy exploded inside of his fluid-like body, causing him to howl miserably in pain, and his shape, which had been unstable to begin with, wavered even more.
The other 5 Territory Lords were shocked and they all gathered together quickly. They were surprised to find that a needle-like object had suddenly appeared inside the fluid Territory Lord’s Soul Avatar. It appeared to be some kind of artifact with something like a Soul inside of it, and it was constantly piercing deeper and deeper into the Territory Lord’s Soul Avatar, shredding everything in its path.
The Territory Lords could see the viciousness of this artifact at a glance. If the needle-like artifact was truly allowed to destroy their companion’s Soul Avatar, then even if his body survived, he would lose his Soul and become a walking corpse.
Not to mention the fact that the long needle was still tearing apart his Soul Avatar, causing him to suffer from unimaginable pain. If he could not stop the encroachment of this artifact, then it would be difficult to say whether he could survive or not.
“A Soul-type artifact!” The ape Territory Lord shouted in a deep voice. He also had some Black Ink Disciple subordinates, so he was naturally no stranger to Soul-type artifacts.
Most of the Open Heaven Realm Humans who came to stir up trouble previously had their own Soul-type artifacts which were indeed powerful when activated, but they were still unable to stop their combined attacks.
However, the Soul-type artifact that they were seeing now seemed different. It was far more malevolent than anything they had ever seen before.
Could this be that Human’s trump card?
They had not even noticed when the Human activated this artifact, but obviously, it must have been when things turned chaotic earlier. And, adding to the artifact’s stealthiness, nobody noticed it.
“Resist it! I’ll help you!” The ape Territory Lord shouted and his Spiritual Energy surged.
Not only him, but the other Territory Lords also did the same so that they could help their companion withstand the encroachment of the long needle.
It was then that a familiar aura appeared in the strange space. It was that Human who was screaming so miserably earlier.
He wasn’t dead!
Not only was he not dead, he actually came back at them.
However, he was in the same condition, as the Territory Lords had guessed. He was heavily injured, and his Soul Avatar was also much dimmer compared to before. Even his aura seemed very unstable, strong at times, but weak at others.
“This reckless fool, I’ll deal with him!” The eyeball Territory Lord bellowed, turned around, and charged at Yang Kai.
At the same time, Yang Kai also charged towards him. Halfway there, Spiritual Energy flashed again and another miserable cry rang out.
“Ahhh…”
If one regarded death as their ultimate home, they would not fear charging ahead even when facing ten thousand enemies!
The eyeball Territory Lord was stunned. This scene… was familiar. Just now, this Human had also rushed at them while screaming, and now he was doing it again?
When he thought about what his companion experienced, he immediately raised his guard. One by one, rays of light condensed within the eyeball, each containing a powerful Soul Attack, which turned into a large net that was thrown over Yang Kai.
Yang Kai did not dodge it as his Soul Avatar’s aura weakened rapidly. Opening his mouth, he simply spat out a stream of light.
Even though the eyeball Territory Lord was extremely wary, he was still unable to defend against this bolt of light. As soon as the ray of light appeared, it broke through his net and shot straight into his Soul Avatar.
In the next instant, the net also enveloped Yang Kai and contracted abruptly. Yang Kai’s body turned into glowing wisps of light that disappeared into thin air.
The eyeball Territory Lord did not feel any joy at having won, however. It just hovered in mid-air as if it had been caught under a binding technique, unable to move.
The other Territory Lords who were helping their companion defend against the needle artifact suddenly felt a wave of unease.
As they watched on, the eyeball swivelled to the side and Divine Sense surged. A voice was transmitted to all directions, “Hel… Help!”
The four unharmed Territory Lords wanted to curse…
At the same time, Ou Yang Lie was looking at Yang Kai in disbelief inside the Black Ink Nest.
Soon after Yang Kai connected to the Black Ink Nest, he discovered that Yang Kai’s Soul had suddenly weakened, which was apparently due to sustaining injuries.
Ou Yang Lie couldn’t help but click his tongue as he had already warned this brat to be careful. He told him early on that there were Territory Lords lying in ambush inside of the strange space, but it seemed now that his words had fallen on deaf ears.
Now things were bad. Even though he had no idea what had happened, Ou Yang Lie was still sure that Yang Kai had been beaten up by the Territory Lords after rushing into that space from the changes in his Soul.
Ou Yang Lie silently prepared some Spirit Pills for Yang Kai to heal his wounds once he withdrew; however, despite receiving such injuries to his Soul, Yang Kai showed no intention of retreating. Immediately after, his Soul, which had already weakened considerably, withered dramatically again.
Ou Yang Lie jumped in shock.
Things were really bad now. Yang Kai’s Soul had already shown signs of weakness from suffering severe injuries, but now that he weakened again, he was likely not far from death.
If it were possible, Ou Yang Lie would have wanted to forcibly pull Yang Kai from that strange space, but even he was powerless to do anything in this situation. He could only hope that Yang Kai escaped sooner rather than later, only then would he be able to ensure his survival.
Ou Yang Lie even had doubts as to whether Yang Kai would be able to return alive or not this time. It would also be difficult for him to suffer no consequences in the future. Even if he did not become completely brain-dead, his cultivation might still regress from the Seventh Order.
Just as he was on edge, Yang Kai suddenly came back to his senses with a jolt.
Ou Yang Lie asked anxiously, “How was it?”
When he heard his voice, Yang Kai turned to look at him out of instinct with a dazed look in his eyes.
Ou Yang Lie knew right away that there was trouble. Yang Kai’s hollow gaze was a clear sign of his Soul falling unstable.
He was done for!
However, before he could speak, Yang Kai suddenly crouched down and held his head, screaming, “Ahhhh….”
The scream was so miserable that it broke the hearts of those who heard it and made them shed tears.
Ou Yang Lie felt goosebumps rising on his skin, not for any other reason than for the fact that Yang Kai’s screams reminded him of his own experiences of when his Soul was injured back when he was young.
It was because he had a similar experience that he knew just how much it hurt.
It was not something that anyone could just endure, regardless of how strong they were. It could be said that there was nobody that could withstand such pain!
For a moment, Ou Yang Lie was at a loss as to what to do.
Yang Kai had already begun rolling on the ground.
Ou Yang Lie stepped forward and tried to restrict Yang Kai’s movements with his World Force, then he stuffed all the Spirit Pills he prepared into Yang Kai’s mouth and helped him swallow them before refining them.
The entire process was a mess. Ou Yang Lie had no idea how he was supposed to report this to the Old Ancestor once they returned. It was fine if it were just an ordinary Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but this was Yang Kai.
Even though Purifying Light was no longer the only means that the Humans had to resist Black Ink Strength, Yang Kai was still needed to arrange Universe Arrays. If anything were to happen to him, that would be a terrible loss for the Human Race.
However, some results did seem to have been spawned from his efforts. Yang Kai’s screams gradually calmed down, but his body was still curled up and twitching from time to time. His entire body was covered in sweat.
Ou Yang Lie stood up with a grave expression.
There was currently nothing that he could do in this situation but report to the higher-ups and see whether the Old Ancestor had any method of bringing Yang Kai back at the brink of death.
After transmitting a message to the outside, it wasn’t long before Gong Lian entered. When he saw the injured Yang Kai, he asked in surprise, “What happened to Brother Yang?”
Ou Yang Lie quickly said, “He connected to the Black Ink Nest and was ambushed by the Territory Lords, injuring his Soul. Look after him, I’m going to report to the Old Ancestor.”
This was a serious matter, so even Ou Yang Lie did not dare to handle it carelessly. Passing through the Space Array at once, he returned to Great Evolution Pass.
Ou Yang Lie arrived at the Old Ancestor’s residence, but there was no sign of her there. When he finally gave his report, the Old Ancestor only gave him one answer.
[Just wait and see!]
Yang Kai was already in this state, yet they were just going to wait and see?
If anyone else had said this, Ou Yang Lie would have definitely spat on their face, but these words came from the Old Ancestor, so he did not dare to disrespect her. He could only speculate that perhaps things truly were not as bad as he expected.
After returning to the universe fragment where the Black Ink Nest was located and heading into the Black Ink Nest, what he saw was mystifying.
Yang Kai was now seated cross-legged, meditating. Under Ou Yang Lie’s perception, even though Yang Kai’s Soul was incredibly weak, it seemed to have stabilized.
“What’s going on?” Ou Yang Lie asked his Disciple.
Gong Lian was also flabbergasted and shook his head, “I have no idea. Not long after Honoured Master left, Brother Yang suddenly crawled up, and it has been like this since.”
Ou Yang Lie was scratching his head in puzzlement. How could Yang Kai still meditate and recover on his own after his Soul was so injured?
It seemed like things were not as bad as they thought they were. The Old Ancestor must have known something, but since she did not explain, he did not dare to ask.
For now, he would just wait and see just as the Old Ancestor said!
Immediately, Ou Yang Lie had the Black Ink Nest sealed off to prevent anyone from entering; then, every few days, he would personally come over to check on Yang Kai’s condition.
As time passed, Ou Yang Lie’s astonishment deepened.
That was because Yang Kai’s condition would actually improve upon each visit. Even though the recovery speed was not fast, he was indeed getting better.
It was simply unbelievable. Ordinarily, Soul injuries like those sustained by Yang Kai were irreversible. No matter how one tried to fix them, it was still impossible for one to return to their peak after being wounded so grievously. Being able to keep one’s life was already incredible.
However, from the situation now, it seemed like Yang Kai was well on the road to a full recovery.
After a year had passed, when Ou Yang Lie came to check on him again, Yang Kai’s recovery speed increased noticeably. It was because of his visits every few days that he knew better than anyone what the situation of Yang Kai’s recovery was.
Two years later, the condition of Yang Kai’s Soul had already completely stabilised.
By the three-year mark, he had already been restored to his original condition!
Ou Yang Lie, who witnessed the entire process from beginning to end, was completely speechless. Despite how serious the injuries to his Soul were, it surprisingly only took Yang Kai three years to return to his peak. If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he simply would not have believed it.
Ou Yang Lie had a vague suspicion that Yang Kai must have some kind of astonishing treasure which protected and sustained his Soul; otherwise, there was no way he could have recovered from such injuries. As for what that treasure was… Only a few legendary things could have such a miraculous effect.
[This brat is truly a man of great fortune.]
One day, three years after returning from the Black Ink Nest’s strange space, Yang Kai exhaled deeply.
Even though he had now fully recovered, thinking back to that day’s experiences still made him shudder.
This Soul Rending Thorn was truly too sinister.
Yang Kai had already sacrificed a thread of his Soul when refining each of those artifacts; but even so, he did not have to sacrifice ‘much’ back then and would be fine after resting for some time.
However, while facing the Territory Lords, the portion of his Soul that he had to sacrifice was simply incomparable to when he was merely refining the Soul Rending Thorn.
The best way to describe the experience of using the Soul Rending Thorn was to wound oneself to wound one’s enemy. That was why his Soul suddenly turned so feeble when he attacked those Territory Lords, and why he could not hold himself back from screaming.
Based on Yang Kai’s estimation, even in peak condition, he could only use three Soul Rending Thorns within a short period at any moment. After three uses, he would have exhausted so much of his Spiritual Energy and Soul that he simply couldn’t do it again. If he were to try to make a fourth attack, even with the Soul Warming Lotus’s protection, his Soul would still be extinguished.
That was why he made a firm decision to withdraw from the Black Ink Nest’s space after two consecutive attacks. There was no other choice, for if he stayed behind, he would truly meet his end along with the Territory Lords.
The memories of the days after he withdrew his Soul from the strange space were blurry for him because of the damage he sustained to his Soul. With an incomplete Soul, one’s memory would naturally be affected.
Now that he had recovered, Yang Kai’s face would still darken at the thought of going through the same pain again.
Gong Lian had been watching over Yang Kai all this while, and when he saw the latter wake up, he immediately sent word outside. It was not long before Ou Yang Lie arrived. After looking him up and down, Ou Yang Lie beamed, “I’ve never seen someone like you before who can recover after sustaining such injuries to their Soul. How are you feeling now?”
Yang Kai laughed bitterly, “I’m fine now.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded, “After paying such a huge price, how were the results of your battle?”
Yang Kai grinned and lifted two fingers, “Two Territory Lords. Even if they aren’t dead, they should be critically injured!”
Ou Yang Lie was almost eyeing Yang Kai as if he were a ghost, “Truly?”
“This Junior dares not lie.”
“Then, the two Territory Lords suffered severe wounds to their Souls?”
“Indeed.”
“Good!” Ou Yang Lie was overjoyed.
Ordinary wounds were nothing, but things were different when it came to wounds on one’s Soul. Ou Yang Lie had no idea what sort of treasure this brat had protecting him to be able to recover in just three years after having his Soul reduced to the state it was in back then, but those Territory Lords could not possibly do the same.
Now that Yang Kai told him that two Territory Lords were either dead or heavily injured, it meant that those two Territory Lords had completely lost the ability to fight.
Ou Yang Lie was actually very curious how Yang Kai was able to achieve such a feat when he was only in the Seventh-Order; after all, many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had entered that strange space previously by relying on the strength of their own Souls, but all of them returned in failure. Still, Ou Yang Lie decided not to ask since it was beneficial for the Humans regardless.
As he spoke, Yang Kai got up, “Since this Junior is just about done recovering, I will immediately get to work to take down another two Territory Lords.”
“You can still fight?” Ou Yang Lie was astonished. Even though he was just thinking that even though two Territory Lords were killed, it still couldn’t change the overall situation; after all, there were still many more Territory Lords.
However, he was surprised to see that Yang Kai still had another fight in him.
Yang Kai nodded, “We need to strike while the iron is hot. Now is the time for us to pursue the enemy while we have them cornered.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded, “In that case, you should be careful. Don’t get carried away by momentary success.”
Yang Kai gave him a scare last time, so much so that he had to run over to seek out the Old Ancestor for advice, so he had no idea what it would turn out like this time.
After reassuring Ou Yang Lie, Yang Kai went to the centre of the Black Ink Nest and opened up his Small Universe, connecting his consciousness to it.
Inside the Black Ink Nest’s space, 6 Territory Lords were lurking in different corners just like before.
The reason why there were still 6 was because 2 of them were new. Even though it had been peaceful and quiet in this space for 3 years, the Territory Lords did not dare to let down their guard and remained vigilant at all times.
3 years ago, a reckless Human who did not fear death burst in and used a needle-like Soul-type artifact, heavily injuring 2 Territory Lords.
Even though things did not end well for the Human, the 2 heavily injured Territory Lords did not fare any better.
Despite the best efforts of the other 4 Territory Lords trying to save them, one of the Territory Lords unfortunately had his Soul destroyed and died. The other Territory Lord managed to keep his life, but the long needle artifact was still deeply rooted in his Soul, constantly damaging it. Currently, that Territory Lord was struggling to resist the encroachment of the artifact, and it was not even clear yet whether or not he would succeed in the end.
However, even if he did succeed, his foundation would still be severely damaged, causing a drastic drop in his strength.
The loss of 2 Territory Lords was heartbreaking for the Black Ink Clan, whose strength had already taken a sharp dive in the Great Evolution Theatre.
After that encounter, the surviving Territory Lords reflected on the situation and when they combined it with what their Black Ink Disciple subordinates told them, they concluded that the Soul-type artifact that the Human used must have been some kind of sacrificial weapon, one that damaged the user to deal greater damage to the enemy.
Unfortunately, the Black Ink Disciples had no idea what artifact it was either as none of them had ever heard of anything like it. If they had, then they might be able to figure out a defence.
However, that did not matter too much as such an artifact would surely be difficult to create, and if used, would be equally devastating for the Human who used it.
That Human from before must have already been reduced to flying ashes and smouldering smoke.
Because Yang Kai’s Soul was so powerful, despite only being in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, in Soul Avatar form he was indistinguishable from an Eighth-Order Master; thus, the Territory Lords all thought that Yang Kai was in the Eighth-Order.
Territory Lords were valuable existences in the Black Ink Clan, but so were the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters for the Humans. There was no way that the Humans would be crazy enough to sacrifice multiple Eighth-Order Masters to kill a few Territory Lords.
So, what happened before should not happen again.
Probably…
After 3 years of waiting in ambush, sure enough, there had been no movements from the Human side. This made the Territory Lords who were waiting here both angry and helpless.
They were angry that they were unable to return the favour after having suffered such a huge loss, but helpless as well that even if the Humans did not come, they could only sit and wait here.
Unless the Humans voluntarily gave up the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest, any information that the Black Ink Clan passed between themselves in the future could not be hidden from the enemy’s eyes and ears.
One day, as the 6 Territory Lords were feeling bored, a ripple suddenly broke out in the calm space.
A figure appeared out of nowhere, which caused all 6 Territory Lords to sit up and focus. After ascertaining that it was not an Old Ancestor, they all rose from their ambush spots, ready for an attack. 6 powerful Spiritual Energies transformed into a barrage that blasted in Yang Kai’s direction.
The Soul Avatar that Yang Kai brought out was not his own image, but rather the image of a tall, lanky man.
Since Soul Avatars were formed out of Spiritual Energy, they had no definite shape. Just like before, there was a Territory Lord who took on the shape of an eyeball, and another who was like a blob of fluid. It all depended on their personal preferences.
Even if one did not cultivate any sort of transforming Secret Technique, it was still easy to do this.
However, although one’s Soul Avatar could change its appearance freely, the aura of one’s Spiritual Energy could never be changed. Every cultivator’s Spiritual Energy rippled differently, so even if some people had Secret Techniques that allowed them to disguise themselves as others, there would still be flaws.
So, if one wanted to identify someone through their Soul Avatar, the best and only way to find out who they were was to check the aura of their Spiritual Energy.
Yang Kai had purposefully reined in his power as much as he could this time, out of worry that the Territory Lords would recognize him at a glance. He had even taken on a different image.
As expected, the Territory Lords felt assured when this ‘different’ Human showed up and boldly emerged to launch their attacks against him.
6 powers that were completely silent in the outside world transformed into a variety of visible attacks inside of this strange space, all hitting Yang Kai without fail.
Since Yang Kai did not summon the Soul Warming Lotus’s protection, he was truly strong in will but weak in strength even if he wanted to defend against these attacks.
However, he did not even bother trying to defend himself. He was going to be on the verge of death by the time he was done here anyway, so defending himself or not made no difference.
The 6 attacks sent out by the Territory Lords were no joke, and Yang Kai’s Soul immediately felt shaken. The pain was hard to suppress as it felt as if his Soul was going to shatter right then and there.
In fact, if it was any other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in his place, they also would not be in good shape after taking these six attacks.
It was all thanks to the Soul Warming Lotus that Yang Kai had the courage to engage in such a reckless fight. Even though he did not urge the Soul Warming Lotus to protect himself, it still made his Soul far sturdier than normal.
A long, miserable scream rang out next, “Ahhh…”
At Yang Kai screamed, he charged straight at the Territory Lord that was nearest to him.
Of the 6 Territory Lords, other than the two newcomers, the other four were all stunned.
This scene could not be any more familiar to them. 3 years ago, they encountered the same thing twice, and the result of it was that 2 Territory Lords had been severely injured by that bizarre artifact!
The wail of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was simply a death knell for the Territory Lords.
Then, an even more familiar scene emerged. Following the anguished wails of the Human, his Soul sharply weakened.
At the same time, a familiar burst of energy rippled out.
The face of the ape Territory Lord who had experienced this scene before immediately changed and he exclaimed, “It’s him, it’s him!”
Another Territory Lord, who had experienced the same thing, shouted, “Run, quickly!”
Despite Yang Kai’s disguise, he could no longer hide his identity once his Spiritual Energy burst forth.
The 4 Territory Lords who had fought him before recognized him instantly, but what shocked them even more was how this Human could still be alive.
Even though the eyeball Territory Lord had clearly seen this Human on the brink of death during the last moment, he actually reappeared here after just 3 years, running and jumping like nothing was wrong. Just like last time, he screamed and became weak, but at the same time, rushed in for the kill!
[What’s wrong with this Human!?]
Despite the timely warning of the ape Territory Lord, he still could not save his fellow Territory Lord from his fate.
This strange space was created from the consciousness of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest. It was a platform that connected the consciousnesses of all the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests linked to it. It seemed very large, but at the same time very small without any definite shape.
For someone proficient in the Dao of Space, this was the perfect battlefield.
After sacrificing his own Soul ruthlessly, Yang Kai opened his mouth at an unfamiliar Soul Avatar, and a Soul Rending Thorn turned into a golden light that broke through the confines of space as soon as it appeared, nailing straight into the Soul Avatar’s body.
The Territory Lord was not unprepared. Since the enemy he was facing was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, how could he have lowered his guard down? At the same time as when Yang Kai charged towards him, he had already condensed his power to protect himself.
However, it was all in vain.
The Spiritual Energy that he used to protect his avatar was no different than paper in front of the Soul Rending Thorn, easily tearing.
The Territory Lord’s Soul Avatar was instantly frozen in place, as if he were struck by lightning. The next instant, his figure began to shake.
Yang Kai did not even look at him as his Soul Avatar weakened once more. Then, he turned his head to look towards the ape Territory Lord and opened his mouth again, spitting out another flash of golden light.
The ape Territory Lord feared for his life.
He couldn’t understand how he could be targeted by the enemy despite being so far away from him; however, he was the one who was too loud earlier, so if not him, who else would Yang Kai target?
Space Principles began to surge as a golden light flashed. Almost at the same time, a bright green barrier appeared in front of the ape Territory Lord that looked as if it were made of vines.
This was clearly a Soul-type artifact, and a defensive Soul-type artifact at that. It was not known where the ape Territory Lord got his hands on this thing, but it must have been made for him by a Black Ink Disciple proficient in Artifact Refining.
This Soul-type artifact was of decent grade. Whoever created it must have been at least a Great Master in the Dao of Artifact Refining.
However, even with the Soul-type artifact protecting him, it was only able to block the golden light for only a moment before the green barrier shattered into wisps of light and the Soul Rending Thorn pierced into the ape Territory Lord’s body.
The ape Territory Lord instantly felt an unbearable pain.
At the same time, a frenzy of attacks once again covered Yang Kai from all directions as wild waves of Spiritual Energy rippled through the strange space.
How could any of the Territory Lords go easy on him after discovering that this was the same Human as last time? While Yang Kai made his move, they also sent out their own ruthless attacks.
Using the Soul Rending Thorns twice had caused Yang Kai’s Soul to become incredibly weak. He would not be able to hold on if he were hit by these attacks again, and so he wailed, “My destined end has come!”
With those words, his avatar dissipated, disappearing from sight.
The chaos subsided after just a couple of breaths, but all of the Territory Lords present felt as if they had just walked the border between life and death. Even thinking back to what they just encountered was enough to cause them to shudder.
One tall Territory Lord with bull horns on his head looked left and right nervously, “Was that the same Eighth-Order Human from last time?”
The tall bull-horned Territory Lord was the very same Territory Lord Hong Di who led the retreat of the Army from Great Evolution Pass and gave away the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest to the Humans.
Hong Di was both very lucky and very unlucky.
Several years ago, he led peace talks with the Human Mi Jing Lun that led to the safe evacuation of the Black Ink Clan Army from Great Evolution Pass. However, the price that he paid was a great number of resources, the many fortifications throughout the entire Great Evolution Pass, all of the Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples, as well as his own Black Ink Nest.
No Territory Lord had ever voluntarily given up their own Black Ink Nest before. In all of history, Hong Di could be said to be the very first.
However, it had been worth it since he was able to ensure the safe evacuation of their Army.
To avoid running into the Old Ancestor or the other Human Army along the way, Hong Di had specifically made a long detour after leading his Army out of Great Evolution Pass, and they had to march for an entire month before they finally saw the Royal City again from afar…
However, the Human Old Ancestor literally appeared out of nowhere at that moment.
That was undoubtedly one of Hong Di’s misfortunes.
In that battle, several Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples perished at the Old Ancestor’s hands. There was no need to mention the Black Ink Clan soldiers, as their casualties exceeded 100,000.
Fortunately, Hong Di was unharmed in that battle, not because he fled due to fear of death, but because he was lucky. The Old Ancestor had killed her way in and out of his Army without even sparing a glance at him.
Now that the Humans were trying to stir up a storm using his Black Ink Nest, he naturally could not sit out of this matter. The reason why he did not wait in ambush here before was mainly because he was still recovering from his injuries.
When he encountered the Old Ancestor several years ago, the Old Ancestor may not have spared him a glance, but the fallout from her rampage still wounded him a little.
Now, after recuperating for a few years, he finally managed to recover.
Of the 2 previous Territory Lords posted here, one was dead, and the other was in critical condition. Now that two were being added to replace the fallen members, Hong Di was naturally obligated to join.
He heard about what happened last time from the ape Territory Lord, and that was why he asked such a question.
The other humanoid Territory Lord who participated in the last fight nodded at his words, “That’s right, it has to be the same Eighth-Order Human.”
Hong Di wondered, “Didn’t you say that he died back then?”
The humanoid Territory Lord shook his head, “I have no idea about that. Maybe he did not die and we all just thought he was dead, just like this time.”
Hong Di frowned, “You’re saying that he isn’t dead this time either? But we clearly saw him being beaten to within an inch of his life just now.”
The humanoid Territory Lord looked deeply at him, “That’s what we thought last time.”
Hong Di did not ask any further questions and frowned silently. If that Human had some method that could bring him back from the brink of death, then it was very possible that he would come to stir trouble for them again.
But how did that Human achieve such a thing? How could damage to the Soul be healed so quickly and easily? Unless it was not the real Soul of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that entered, but rather something similar to a Soul Clone?
However, that did not make sense either. Even if it were just a Soul Clone, his true body would still be affected if it were destroyed.
While Hong Di was communicating with the humanoid Territory Lord, the other 2 Territory Lords had already gone to examine the injuries of their peers.
The Territory Lord who was first targeted by Yang Kai was a newcomer, just like Hong Di. Not knowing the severity of the situation, he charged in the quickest, and so he was also the most severely injured.
When Hong Di went over to investigate, he saw the long needle artifact that was constantly digging deeper into his peer’s Soul Avatar, seemingly trying to tear it apart.
It was just like the other Territory Lord who was lingering on a last breath of life after facing the same attack.
With just a glance, Hong Di knew that his peers were fated for a tragic end. Even if they did manage to survive, their foundations would still be severely damaged.
When he turned to look at the ape Territory Lord, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since the ape Territory Lord was well-prepared, and he also had the artifact to protect him, his injuries were not too serious. The long needle-like artifact had only drilled halfway into his Soul Avatar, and though it was still trying to work its way in deeper, the ape Territory Lord was able to force it into a standstill by resisting it with great effort.
The other Territory Lords did not dare to dally. With one of them watching over the less fortunate Territory Lord, the other three gathered around the Ape Territory Lord and poured out their Spiritual Energies to lend him a hand.
And so, 10 days passed by.
It was not until a certain moment that the long needle-like artifact was forced out by the ape Territory Lord from his Soul Avatar. Even then, the ape Territory Lord appeared extremely weak and his Soul Avatar was clearly unstable.
The other Territory Lord was in a much worse situation. The long needle artifact had sunken completely into his avatar, so who knows when he would be able to force it out of his body, or if he could even live long enough to do so.
“That Human must not be dead yet. He will come again. That man is strange, he’s no longer someone that we can deal with. We must report this to the Royal Lord and ask him to make a decision!”
The ape Territory Lord declared weakly.
Even though he had seen the Soul of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master being beaten to the brink of death with his own eyes, that was also the case last time. They all thought he was dead, but then he appeared before them again just 3 years later.
The reappearance of a similar situation could only mean that the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could live even if his Soul was shattered.
Perhaps he would come to stir up another storm in another 3 years.
All the Territory Lords present knew that the ape Territory Lord was right. Even though they were powerful Territory Lords, there was nothing more that they could do in this situation.
The only way to resolve this matter now was to report it to the Royal Lord.
Hong Di’s voice was a little weak, “Sir Royal Lord… has not been in a good mood lately.”
Despite being heavily injured, the Royal Lord was unable to enter his Black Ink Nest to sleep and heal from his wounds, so it would be strange if he were in a good mood.
This was all the fault of that dastardly Old Ancestor, who would run over to the Royal City from time to time and show her aura, causing fear and trepidation among the Black Ink Clansmen while also driving the Royal Lord to exhaustion.
She would not attack the Royal City, just sit outside of it and taunt them. The power of a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was released in an unbridled manner, like a beacon of light in the darkness, making the Black Ink Clan feel miserable.
Nobody knew what sort of technique it was she used to be able to mysteriously appear near the Royal City. After she left, the Black Ink Clan organized a large number of soldiers to search the area, but to no avail.
Worse yet, the Old Ancestor would suddenly wheel around from time to time, and none of the Black Ink Clansmen who were sent out would fare well when that happened.
So, for a while now, no Territory Lord dared to draw the Royal Lord’s ire. They had also hidden the death and injury of the previous 2 Territory Lords because they were worried that the Royal Lord’s fury would explode and he would take his rage out on them.
However, the matter had already reached a point that they had no choice but to report it.
They thought that they could stop the Humans from using the Black Ink Nest with their own power, but now it seemed that the methods of the Humans were beyond even their imaginations.
After hearing what Hong Di said, the ape Territory Lord answered weakly, “There’s no need for Sir Royal Lord to act personally. He just needs to agree to allow us to utilize the power of his Black Ink Nest. The next time that Eighth-Order Human returns, we won’t give him the chance to escape.”
Hearing this, Hong Di understood, “If that’s the case, it would not be a problem.”
The ape Territory Lord did not speak too clearly, but how could Hong Di not know what he meant?
The most troublesome thing about the situation they were currently facing was the fact that they were unable to kill off that Human completely. During both of their brief encounters, it seemed as if they had already brought their opponent to the brink of death; but in reality, a glimmer of vitality still remained, and he had escaped.
However, with the help of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest’s power, they could seal off this space completely so that the Human had no way to run. Then, after paying a certain price, the Territory Lords would be able to take him down slowly!
There was no such thing as an opponent that was impossible for them to kill, only a lack of power and opportunity.
While the Territory Lords were discussing their countermeasures in that strange space, Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple were both staring in amazement at Yang Kai.
Just like last time, Yang Kai had become slightly dazed after withdrawing from the strange space with a dull expression. Not only was his expression stiff, even his eyes seemed unfocused.
The last time he saw Yang Kai like this, Ou Yang Lie jumped in shock; however, he was more at ease now that he had some experience.
And, under some careful inspection, he realized that just as he thought, Yang Kai was in a Soul-fragmented state.
When his Soul became fragmented, it was natural for him to appear like a fool.
This made Ou Yang Lie sigh a little as this Yang Boy truly did pay a heavy price to secure this Black Ink Nest. Even though he had a special treasure that could repair his Soul, having to bear this kind of pain over and over again was not something that an ordinary person could do.
If they could really take control of this Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest and allow the Humans to build their own intelligence network, then Yang Kai would be the first to take credit.
Just like last time, Yang Kai collapsed to the ground while hugging his head after a few moments, rolling around on the floor while screaming miserably.
Ou Yang Lie and Gong Lian could not bear to watch, but they had no choice but to stay here and stand guard in case anything happened.
Another few days went by and even Yang Kai’s voice had become hoarse. His entire body was extremely weak and the clothes on his body were drenched over and over again in sweat.
It was only at a certain point that his pitiful screams finally stopped; not that it was no longer painful, but because his Soul had recovered slightly under the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus, allowing him to regain some control of himself.
As Yang Kai forced himself into a cross-legged position, Ou Yang Lie hurriedly handed over the Spirit Pills that he had prepared earlier, which Yang Kai took with a pale face and swallowed down.
Even though he had the Soul Warming Lotus to repair his Soul, having Spirit Pills on hand would still allow him to recover a little faster.
As time passed, the injuries to his Soul gradually mended, and Yang Kai’s aura also stabilized.
The last time he ended up in this state, it took Yang Kai nearly 3 years of recovery to return to his peak.
The amount of time it took him to recover was not much different this time, shorter only by a single month.
The reason why such a difference occurred was because Yang Kai’s Soul had become a little stronger than before.
He had noticed after his last recovery that recovering from these self-inflicted injuries made his Soul a bit stronger than before.
This was an unexpected surprise for him.
The situation now was the same as last time. After the injury to his Soul recovered, it once again became slightly stronger.
Yang Kai felt as if he had unexpectedly chanced upon a method for him to cultivate his Soul…
However, even if this method was quite effective at strengthening his Soul, Yang Kai was quite unwilling to do it. Unless someone was forced to, who would willingly endure such pain?
It was not strange that such a method was able to strengthen his Soul as it was quite similar to how one would temper their body, constantly battering one’s physique then healing would slowly improve their physical quality over time.
It was a method that only those with great perseverance and determination could use.
When Yang Kai opened his eyes, he saw Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple watching him with concern. Yang Kai first reassured them, “I’m fine now.”
Ou Yang Lie could not help but smack his lips, “Are you going in again?”
“Naturally,” Yang Kai nodded. Since he had already started, then he naturally had to see the Black Ink Nest matter through to the end. How could he even have the thought of giving up halfway? However, he still had to ask, “What’s the situation inside the Black Ink Nest currently?”
Ou Yang Lie told him, “I personally went inside to check last time. There aren’t any changes, so I did not dare to stay long either. I withdrew immediately.”
Yang Kai chuckled, “Seems like the Black Ink Clan hasn’t suffered enough yet.”
After going in twice, he used a total of 4 Soul Rending Thorns which injured 4 Territory Lords in succession. Even under such circumstances, the Black Ink Clan had not diverted from their initial plan. It was clear that they were waiting for his return so that they could take revenge.
As some say, one must not attempt the same trick thrice and expect to get away with it. If Yang Kai went in again, he would probably not be as successful as he was the last 2 times. The Black Ink Clan wasn’t made up of fools. Since they had already figured out his trick, there was no way they would just offer themselves up on a platter for nothing.
So, he was almost certain that the Black Ink Clan had prepared some sort of nasty trick and was waiting for him to fall into their trap.
However, he had the Soul Warming Lotus to protect him, so what was there for him to be afraid of?
Without needing to make any sort of preparations, Yang Kai said, “Senior Ou Yang, things may change this time around, but as for what those changes are going to be, this Junior won’t know until he enters. If all goes well, then this Junior will return soon. In the meantime, I will have to ask for Senior to stand guard for me.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded, “Naturally, that is not a problem. You must be careful.”
Without saying anything more, Yang Kai opened up his Small Universe and allowed the Black Ink Nest to devour his World Force. With a surge of his Divine Sense, he connected with the consciousness of the Black Ink Nest.
Yang Kai’s figure appeared inside of the familiar space. This time, he had also taken on an unfamiliar appearance. Even though his identity would be exposed as soon as he made his move, it did not hinder him to put on a disguise.
As soon as he appeared, he noticed several auras locking onto him. The Black Ink Clan had obviously been waiting here for him.
One of the Soul Avatars had even taken the initiative to approach him, but Yang Kai was surprised to find that the Soul Avatar did not hold much malice.
From afar, he transmitted his thoughts over via Divine Sense, “One moment, Dao Brother. I am Si De Kuai, by order…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Yang Kai wailed in agony and spat out a golden light in his direction.
The golden light travelled as quickly as lightning, shooting straight into the Soul Avatar.
The person who called himself Si De Kuai immediately broke out into a cry of anguish as his Soul Avatar writhed violently.
Yang Kai forcibly endured the tearing pain and took a few steps forward. His Spiritual Energy was surging madly, turning into beam-like attacks that shot towards Si De Kuai furiously.
The storm of attacks enveloped Si De Kuai, and in just a short three breaths, the Soul Avatar, which had already been severely damaged by the Soul Rending Thorn, shattered and dissipated into nothingness.
Yang Kai’s face was twisting in pain, but he still looked dumbfounded at the Soul Avatars around him and muttered, “What was he trying to say?”
Honestly, Yang Kai recognised at first glance that this Si De Kuai was not a Territory Lord, but an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple. And, in terms of Spiritual Energy, he was on par with Yang Kai. If they were to compete with their respective Secret Techniques, then it was not known who would win.
However, this guy should have received an order from the Territory Lords to try to communicate with him.
Who knew that Yang Kai would not have that intention at all, immediately releasing a Soul Rending Thorn as soon as he stepped up and attacking him until his Soul Avatar shattered?
He was truly dead, unlike Yang Kai, who had the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus. Si De Kuai’s Soul was damaged to the point of shattering, so there was no chance for him to survive.
All the Territory Lords were dumbfounded at what they saw.
This Human had already killed the man, and now he asks what he was trying to say?
The Black Ink Clan lacked high-end combat strength to begin with, and that Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple was a part of the strength that they were heavily reliant on, yet he had just died here, which was heartbreaking news for them.
The fallout of a Soul Avatar’s death gradually spread out to the Territory Lords who had already surrounded Yang Kai in a closed circle.
Just as Yang Kai expected, things were different this time.
During the previous 2 times, 6 Territory Lords were lying in ambush inside the strange space. This time, the number of Territory Lords did not increase, but there was the addition of 4 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples’ Soul Avatars.
Yang Kai cut down one of them earlier, so only 3 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples remained.
At this moment, the 6 Territory Lords surrounded him in an outer circle whilst the 3 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples formed an inner triangle. The intentions of the Territory Lords were obvious. Since Yang Kai had the means to severely damage their Souls in one attack, they would use these Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples to exhaust Yang Kai’s power first.
In this way, even if Yang Kai were to use his needle-like artifacts, the only ones who would be injured would be the Black Ink Disciples.
Judging from the situation during the first 2 times, this human could only use the long needle artifact twice at most, then his Soul probably wouldn’t be able to withstand more.
So, that meant that this Human in front of them only had one attack left!
The Black Ink Disciple that Yang Kai cut down before did not actually intend to try and negotiate with Yang Kai, he was just trying to get close so he could try to launch a sneak attack on him. However, Yang Kai acted even more decisively, immediately going for the kill without even giving the enemy the chance to speak any nonsense.
The Territory Lords realized from this that no amount of clever strategy would help in front of this Human. The best way to face him was through overwhelming force.
“Attack!” Hong Di gave the order.
The 3 Black Ink Disciples in the inner circle had fierce looks on their faces as they all charged at Yang Kai.
Since Yang Kai only had one attack left in him, then he would not be able to stop them all. The Black Ink Clan would only lose one more Black Ink Disciple, which would be much better than a Territory Lord dying.
As soon as Hong Di’s voice came out, Yang Kai did not hesitate to spit out another Soul Rending Thorn and hit the nearest Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple.
He had no specific target in mind. To Yang Kai, the effects of killing an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple or a Territory Lord was the same. Both could help in weakening the Black Ink Clan’s strength so as to reduce the pressure for the Humans in their future crusade.
The lethality of the Soul Rending Thorn was truly terrifying; after all, the user had to sacrifice a big piece of their Soul each time it was used, and the larger the sacrifice, the greater the strength.
So, despite the fact that the 3 Black Ink Disciples left no openings for him to attack, the Soul Rending Thorn still quickly and accurately pierced into its target’s body.
The Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple screamed at once as his Soul Avatar began to writhe.
The remaining 2 Black Ink Disciples calmed themselves and each blasted a Secret Technique in Yang Kai’s direction.
Yang Kai was so mentally and physically exhausted at the moment that he no longer had the strength to defend himself. His Soul Avatar was torn to pieces at once as if it were a mere rag.
On the previous two occasions, he used the tearing of his Soul as a cover to evacuate from the strange space, but this time, something unexpected happened.
The entire strange space seemed to be sealed off by an invisible force, completely isolating him from the outside world so that Yang Kai had no way of leaving and connecting back to his own body.
It seemed that when the lead Territory Lord called for an attack, an unusual change occurred within this space. The pain in his Soul at that time was so hard to bear that Yang Kai was unable to sense it clearly.
Now, it seemed like the unusual change must have been a technique used by the Black Ink Clan to seal off the strange space and isolate it from the outside world.
[So, it’s this again?]
This was not the first time that Yang Kai had encountered such a situation, as it had been the same back in the Yin-Yang Theatre when he was ambushed by a large number of Feudal Lords and Hei Yuan Territory Lord.
Given the situation, Yang Kai quickly understood what sort of plan the Black Ink Clan had come up with. Undoubtedly, they were trying to trap him here and deny him the chance to escape, allowing them to finally kill him!
It had to be said that the Black Ink Clan did make the right decision this time.
Since this Human that barged into the Black Ink Nest again, and again could not be killed quickly, they had to cut off any chance of him escaping. No Soul could not be killed, it was just that they failed to grasp their opportunities when they had them.
As long as they were able to trap the Human’s Soul Avatar in the Black Ink Nest space, then they could do whatever they wanted to him, especially now that the Human had used his needle artifacts twice in a row and could not use them a third time.
And, to seal off the Black Ink Nest’s space, the Territory Lords had no choice but to have Che Kong and Hong Di, two Territory Lords, take the lead in meeting with the Royal Lord to request the latter’s help during the critical moment.
The entire Black Ink Nest Space was a platform that evolved from the consciousness of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest, to begin with. Naturally, the right to enter and leave that space was in the hands of the Royal Lord.
If they were to seal off this space completely, then they had to have the Royal Lord’s cooperation. Without the Royal Lord’s explicit permission, the Territory Lords had no ability to control this. However, with the Royal Lord’s permission, they could use a simple Secret Technique to seal up the Black Ink Nest Space.
When he was informed about this situation, the Royal Lord let loose a barrage of curses and insults at his disappointing Territory Lord subordinates, but he also had no choice but to cooperate.
The days had been harsh on the Royal Lord. His injuries were piling up with no chance to rest and recover, and now he was facing such a rotten problem, which naturally put him in a foul mood.
Fortunately, he did not take out his rage on his subordinate Territory Lords too much, which allowed Che Kong and Hong Di to breathe sighs of relief.
After confirming that Yang Kai had entered the space, the Territory Lords sent word to the outside so that the Territory Lord waiting on standby inside of the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest could activate its power to seal off the space and isolate it from the outside.
If they did not do this, then Yang Kai would have escaped long ago.
As the strange space was completely sealed off, at the centre of the Black Ink Nest possessed by the Humans, Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple, who were both waiting for Yang Kai’s return, paled instantly.
Gong Lian gasped, “Honoured Master, Brother Yang he…”
Ou Yang Lie also had a grave look on his face and stepped forward to try to get a better grasp of the situation, the look on his face changing constantly.
Just now, the reverberations of Yang Kai’s Soul that they should have been able to feel disappeared completely. In plain terms, it meant that his Soul was gone. Even though his body was still here, it was now just a living corpse.
This was a clear sign that something had happened to Yang Kai inside of the Black Ink Nest Space. When Ou Yang Lie thought back to what Yang Kai said earlier, it seemed that he had anticipated that something different would happen this time around.
However, this development was far beyond what they had expected, with Yang Kai’s Soul essentially vanishing. What were they going to do now?
After a long time, Ou Yang Lie finally showed an anxious expression. From what he could sense, Yang Kai’s Soul had indeed completely disappeared. He could not sense where it was located at all.
Twice previously, even though Yang Kai’s Soul became somewhat vague and indistinct after entering the Black Ink Nest Space, Ou Yang Lie could still feel an invisible connection between it and his body. As long as that connection existed, Yang Kai was fine.
However, that connection had now been severed.
But if his Soul was truly destroyed, then there was no way that the aura of Yang Kai’s body could remain stable. The most likely scenario would be instantaneous death or complete dementia.
Strangely enough, the aura of Yang Kai’s body remained perfectly steady.
This made Ou Yang Lie confused as to what was going on.
After pondering for a moment, he had Gong Lian watch Yang Kai’s body carefully while he left in a flash so that he could find several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters proficient in Soul cultivation to see what was going on.
While Ou Yang Lie was busy, Yang Kai was fleeing like mad while forcibly enduring the tearing pain in his Soul.
He had no choice but to run as only an Old Ancestor would be able to withstand the combined attacks of 6 Territory Lords and 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, not to mention that his Soul already suffered critical damage from using the Soul Rending Thorns.
That was the troublesome part about this strange space that was created by the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness. It seemed both large and small, being of no definite shape, which made Yang Kai’s escape particularly difficult. That was because no matter how he tried to run, his enemy’s attacks would still be able to catch him at any moment.
In just a short few breaths of time, Yang Kai felt like he could run no more.
His entire Soul Avatar was in tatters which severely affected his ability to think and was causing him to make mistakes in his judgment which worsened his injuries.
If this went on, then he would surely be doomed.
Desperately holding onto the last bit of consciousness in the depths of his Soul, Yang Kai did not dare to hesitate anymore when he saw the attacks coming at him from all directions. He finally summoned the Soul Warming Lotus that he had been hiding all this while.
A seven-coloured light blossomed, and in an instant, a seven-coloured lotus appeared in the strange space. The lotus appeared in the form of a bud about to blossom, enveloping Yang Kai’s tattered Soul.
The fierce Spiritual Energy attacks hit the seven-coloured lotus, but caused no damage to it in any way, forming only light ripples on the surface of its petals.
The Soul Warming Lotus was a Supreme Treasure, unique in the Universe. It may not be able to display much strength under normal circumstances, but in the Black Ink Nest Space, where Spiritual Energy ruled everything, there was no strongest defence in existence. None of the attacks of the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples or the Territory Lords could break through its protection.
The Black Ink Clan quickly realized this unusual change; after all, none of them was blind. Who would not be able to see the dazzling seven-coloured lotus that suddenly appeared?
To their shock and incomprehension, while looking delicate and fragile, this thing was incomparably solid, remaining completely unaffected as it hovered silently in the void no matter how fierce their attacks were.
After a while, the bombardment ceased.
6 Territory Lords and 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples surrounded the Soul Warming Lotus, observing it warily.
“What is this?” Hong Di asked. He watched as this lotus flower suddenly appeared to protect the Human that they were about to kill, and the fact that they could not break it even with 8 top Masters of the Black Ink Clan joining forces naturally left him annoyed.
However, he did not recognize what this lotus flower was. If even he could not recognize it, then there was no need to mention the other Territory Lords.
The question now would have to go to the 2 surviving Black Ink Disciples to answer.
One of them, who took on the form of an old man, was frowning slightly. As he observed the Soul Warming Lotus carefully, a vague guess came into his mind; however, he had never seen this treasure before, so he dared not be certain.
He could only ask his companion, “It’s that, isn’t it? This Old Master should be correct.”
The other Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple nodded, “It is as the rumours say. If it truly is that, then it explains why this man has no fear of sustaining damage to his Soul.”
Not counting this time, Yang Kai had already invaded this Black Ink Nest Space twice and used the Soul Rending Thorn 4 times, killing or severely wounding 4 Territory Lords.
Such aggressiveness was alarming, but what puzzled them even more was his ability to recover from his injuries.
This man’s Soul had been fatally wounded, yet he returned running and jumping after just 3 years of recovery. No Spirit Pill or precious treasure could possibly have such an effect, no matter how good they were, save for one legendary object.
“Speak clearly, what is this thing exactly?” Hong Di asked in a stern voice. This was what annoyed him most about Humans. They always seemed to talk in a roundabout manner, which was very unpleasant to listen to.
The old man bowed, “Reporting to Sir, if this servant is not wrong, then it should be the rumoured Soul Warming Lotus.”
“Soul Warming Lotus?” The Territory Lord frowned. Even though he had been dealing with the Human Race for countless years and learned many of their habits, he was still not very clear about some of the Human Race’s more obscure rumours, not to mention something like the Soul Warming Lotus which was basically a mythical existence. Even the Masters of the Human Race themselves would only see such a thing recorded in the ancient books and never in real life.
“It is said that there exist two Supreme Treasures in the form of twin lotuses that grow side by side,” the old man explained, “One is the Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus that grants the holder a flawless body, impervious to all impurities, allowing them to gain twice the result with half the effort in their cultivation. The second is the Soul Warming Lotus that, while useless for one’s physical body, can protect and sustain their Soul. Under the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus, its holder’s Soul constantly grows stronger, and no matter how severe the damage sustained to their Soul, as long as it is not completely destroyed, the Soul Warming Lotus can allow its holder to rapidly recover to their peak.”
“These two Supreme Treasures are unique, with only one of each in existence. Once the first is found, another would never appear again. Not to mention, most had never seen them before, many have never even heard of their existence.”
“What Sirs see before you now must be the Soul Warming Lotus of legend.”
“It’s that precious?” A Territory Lord asked.
The old man nodded solemnly, “A Supreme Treasure of Heaven and Earth is priceless, beyond value entirely. Unless one has great opportunity and great destiny, they can never possess it.”
Hong Di rubbed his chin in thought, “If that is the case, the reason why this man has been able to escape death repeatedly and return unscathed was all thanks to the nourishment and protection of this Soul Warming Lotus?”
“Indeed!” The old man nodded, “It is said that the Soul Warming Lotus first blossoms with three colours, then five, and then finally seven. What Sirs see before you is already the Seven-Coloured Soul Warming Lotus, which is considered its apex. This man must have come into possession of this treasure many years ago; otherwise, it is simply impossible for him to have nurtured it to its seven-coloured form. With the nourishment of such a Supreme Treasure, he will naturally not fear any sort of injury to his Soul.”
The Territory Lords all had ugly looks on their faces now. With such a treasure, it was laughable they even thought they had killed Yang Kai the first time. It now made perfect sense that after just 3 years he was back to full strength and could come back to butcher 2 more Territory Lords.
If they had not sealed the Black Ink Nest Space this time and forced him to summon the Soul Warming Lotus to preserve his life, they would probably still be oblivious to the situation they faced.
Hong Di frowned, “This man is not making any further moves. I think his Soul is too badly damaged, so he must be resting inside of the lotus flower. Based on our previous experiences, it would only take him 3 years to recover completely. Then, he will definitely use those evil artifacts against us again. We have to find a way to deal with him before then. Does anyone have any ideas?”
All the Territory Lords were silent, and the 2 Black Ink Disciples also kept mum.
They had all seen what happened. The attacks of 6 Territory Lords and 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples couldn’t even disturb the Soul Warming Lotus, so trying to break through its defences was clearly a waste of time and energy.
One Territory Lord suggested, “Why don’t we try attacking again? He can only take our attacks now without being able to retaliate, so no matter how powerful this Soul Warming Lotus is, there should be a limit to how much it can take. We might be able to break it.”
The old man’s face twitched as he shook his head, “This is a unique Supreme Treasure, it would be a waste to break it. It would be best if we could recover and refine it.”
Hong Di was impressed by his suggestion, “That is a reasonable thought. If this treasure is so useful to a person’s Soul, then our Black Ink Clan can also make use if it. If we can refine it, then we will no longer have to fear the Soul Secret Techniques of those Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the future.”
The Humans did not have the innately strong physical bodies of the Black Ink Clan, and their growth cycle was also much longer, but the Humans also had their own racial advantages, and that was the variety of strange artifacts and techniques that they possessed.
Especially their Secret Techniques, which practically every Territory Lord had eaten a loss from. Of them, some Soul Secret Techniques were difficult to guard against and were the most troublesome.
If they could really refine this Soul Warming Lotus, then what Soul-type attack would they have to fear in the future? If the Humans dared to perform those Soul Secret Techniques again, then it would only be lifting a stone and dropping it on their own feet.
That was why Hong Di was so impressed with the old man’s proposal.
And, as the most senior Territory Lord here, Hong Di would naturally not step down from this opportunity, “I will try and refine it.”
Saying so, he took a step forward and his Spiritual Energy surged, enveloping the Soul Warming Lotus. Even though the other Territory Lords were displeased, there was nothing they could say.
The 2 Black Ink Disciples exchanged glances and stepped back, looking for their companion that was injured by Yang Kai before and helping him to resist the Soul Rending Thorn that was shot into his body earlier.
Upon entering the Black Ink Nest Space, Yang Kai first killed a Black Ink Disciple before injuring another. The Black Ink Disciple who was injured earlier had been fending off the power of the Soul Rending Thorn this whole time, but he was only a Black Ink Disciple after all, not a true Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it was a difficult struggle for him.
His 2 companions came at just the right time. If they had been any later, then he may not have been able to hold on. Even with 2 companions helping, it took a lot of effort for the Black Ink Disciple to stabilize his condition, but if he wished to force out the Soul Rending Thorn, it would be a long and gruelling task. Moreover, the entire process was bound to be fraught with ups and downs. The slightest misstep could result in a fatal end for him.
The Black Ink Nest Space was quiet for a while, with only the constant fluctuations of Hong Di’s Spiritual Energy breaking up the monotony.
After half a month, Hong Di finally lost patience and withdrew his Spiritual Energy, “Not a single drop is going through this thing. It’s impossible to refine. If any of you are interested, you’re free to try!”
He spent half a month and wasted a lot of Spiritual Energy, yet he came out completely empty-handed, which was extremely vexing for Hong Di. However, he needed to let the other Territory Lords have a try; after all, just because he could not refine it did not mean that others could not.
Anyone would want to give it a try.
After he stepped down, another Territory Lord took his place eagerly.
However, half a month later, he stepped back in disappointment just like Hong Di.
The other 4 Territory Lords tried one after another, but they all failed. This showed the Territory Lord that this Soul Warming Lotus probably wasn’t so easily refinable, especially when its owner was still alive.
If they wished to refine this Supreme Treasure, there was no choice other than to kill its owner first.
However, that Human had been hiding inside of the lotus bud ever since the Soul Warming Lotus appeared, and the Territory Lords had no idea what his condition was currently. How were they going to kill this guy off if they could not break through the Soul Warming Lotus’s protection?
This was simply a problem with no solution.
Just then, the old man came over with bad news, “Sirs, Brother Wan is on the verge of death. Could Sirs please open the space and allow him to return to his body so that he may recover?”
The Brother Wan that he spoke of was the Black Ink Disciple that Yang Kai injured previously.
Hearing his words, Hong Di turned around and saw that, sure enough, the Soul of the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan was unstable and weakening continuously.
Hong Di frowned, “Wasn’t he fine before? Why did this suddenly happen?”
The old man smiled bitterly, “Sir may not know, but for the three of us to remain in a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests with our consciousness connected to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness, we must use our World Force as a bridge. In other words, as long as the three of us are in here, the Black Ink Nest will constantly be devouring the World Force inside of our Small Universes. Counting the time, it has been 2 months since we entered this place. We may be in the Eighth Order with deep heritages, but Brother Wan’s Soul was severely injured, and with the World Force inside his body gradually running out, he can no longer hold on.
Not to mention Brother Wan, even he and the other unharmed Black Ink Disciple could not remain inside of the Black Ink Nest’s space forever. Otherwise, once all the World Force Inside their Small Universes were devoured by the Black Ink Nest, there was a risk of it collapsing, which was the same as them dying.
Their situation was unlike the Black Ink Clan, the Territory Lords may not be significantly stronger than them, but the power within the Black Ink Clan was Black Ink Strength that could connect with the Black Ink Nest at will without the same risks that they had to take on.
The Territory Lords could stay in their Black Ink Nests for as long as they wanted, but the same could not be said for the Black Ink Disciples. Before the power in their Small Universes dried up, they had to return their Souls to their bodies and seal off their Small Universe. Otherwise, they would be sucked dry and turned into withered corpses by the Black Ink Nest.
However, as these two were unharmed, they were able to last longer than Brother Wan.
After hearing what the old man said, Hong Di realized that he had overlooked the predicament of these Black Ink Disciples.
However, he was still hesitant to open up this space.
That was because the Human hiding inside of the Soul Warming Lotus would be allowed to escape once the space was opened. Only the Heavens knew what condition he was in right now, so who could say if he was capable of escaping when given a chance?
The Territory Lords had already paid a very heavy price and even asked the Royal Lord for help just so they could trap this Human here, so how could they be willing to let him escape?
However, the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were currently a force that the Black Ink Clan relied on, so Hong Di was also reluctant to have that Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan just die in vain here.
It was a difficult choice!
Hong Di was indecisive when faced with this predicament.
However, the eyes of another Territory Lord suddenly lit up, “If you Black Ink Disciples are facing this problem, then it must be the same for that Human. Since he could enter this place, it means that he must have connected his consciousness with the Black Ink Nest just as you have, using the World Force of his Small Universe as a bridge. So, there’s simply no need for us to try so hard to refine the Soul Warming Lotus or even attack him. We only need to wait until the power inside of his Small Universe is exhausted, then sooner or later, he will die!”
Hong Di thought it was very logical when he heard it and nodded repeatedly, “That’s right, that’s exactly it!”
The old man’s heart went cold upon hearing this. It seemed like the Territory Lords were saying that they would rather sacrifice the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan than open this space.
However, it must be said that what the Territory Lord said was indeed the best solution at hand.
The old man was merely a Black Ink Disciple after all, so despite how unbearable it was, the Territory Lords had already made their decision and he was in no position to try and convince them otherwise. He could only turn around and glance at the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan, sighing.
However, Hong Di said, “You do not need to worry either. I’ve just thought of something.”
The old man bowed, “Please, Sir.”
“You said before that this Soul Warming Lotus was grows from three colours, five colours, and seven colours, correct? Now that this Soul Warming Lotus has already reached seven colours, it means that this man has possessed it for a long time, correct?”
“Exactly so.”
“Based on your speculation, how many years do you suppose this Human has possessed the Soul Warming Lotus?”
“At least 1,000 years, if not several thousand,” the old man reported.
“That’s right,” Hong Di’s eyes shone brightly, “If my guess is not wrong, then there is a great possibility that this Human is not in the Eighth Order.”
“Not in the Eighth Order?” The Territory Lords and the old man were stunned. They had no idea why Hong Di would make such a guess.
“I had a strange feeling when I fought him before; however, I couldn’t tell exactly what that feeling was. He just seemed different from the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters I’ve faced in the past. Knowing what I know now though, it is obvious that the reason his Soul has reached the intensity of the Eighth Order is because he had the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus. As such, it’s likely he is only in the Seventh Order! If he was truly in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then his Soul should have been far more powerful than an ordinary Eighth-Order Human.”
Hong Di’s speculation was also logical, and the Territory Lords who heard him all nodded repeatedly. And this indeed made sense, for if this Human was truly in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, then after his Soul was nurtured by the Soul Warming Lotus for several thousand years, there was no way his Spiritual Energy would remain at the same level as an ordinary Eighth-Order Human. It would definitely far surpass that.
Now, the Spiritual Energy of this Human was merely on par with an ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so it was clear to see that his true strength was not in the Eighth-Order.
The old man was even more delighted than the Territory Lords at that and exclaimed, “In that case, this man’s strength lies entirely in his Soul, while his true strength should be far inferior to ours.”
Hong Di smiled, “And so, he will not be able to hold out longer than you can.”
“Sir is absolutely correct!” The old man bowed.
If that were the case, then the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan might still have a thin hope. As long as he could outlast the man inside of the Soul Warming Lotus, then once their opponent’s Small Universe dried up, their predicament would be solved and there would be no need for them to seal the Black Ink Nest’s space any longer.
…..
At the same time, at the outpost with the Black Ink Nest in its centre.
Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple were standing by, next to Yang Kai.
Several months had gone by with Yang Kai remaining in this living corpse state without any trace of a ripple from his Soul, yet also with no physical abnormalities showing in his body.
Ou Yang Lie had also invited several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were proficient in Soul cultivation to come and take a look at him previously, but they all came to the conclusion that the connection between Yang Kai’s Soul had been cut from his body, and it should be suppressed and sealed inside of the Black Ink Nest Space.
Since only a single person could connect to a Black Ink Nest at any one time, there was nothing they could do to help on the Human side even if they wanted to.
In this situation, Yang Kai could only protect himself.
While being idle and having nothing to do, Gong Lian suddenly said, “Honoured Master, this Disciple heard that Brother Yang’s Small Universe is raising countless living beings. Even if he doesn’t cultivate, the heritage of his Small Universe is constantly increasing. Is that true?”
Ou Yang Lie smacked his lips, “I’ve heard that too, so it is most likely not false. That means that this boy is a lucky one. Not even an ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would dare to raise living beings in their Small Universe, yet he, as a Seventh-Order brat, had done so. Only the Heavens know how many years of cultivation that will save him in the future.”
Gong Lian looked impressed, “If I were to raise living beings in my Small Universe too, then would I not have to cultivate in the future?”
For him, this was a perfect solution as he always felt cultivation was a huge hassle. If he could increase his cultivation even while lying down and sleeping, nothing would make him happier.
Ou Yang Lie glanced at him, “He has the capital to do so, but do you? The Four Universe Pillars aren’t cabbages you pick up in the market. Without one of the Four Universe Pillars to fortify your Small Universe, once you fought against a powerful foe, your Small Universe would certainly be shaken. When the time came, it would be a disaster for all the living beings inside. Such a sin would not be beneficial to your future cultivation.”
Gong Lian felt a little dejected upon hearing that. Looking at Yang Kai, he really had to sigh with envy.
Ou Yang Lie smacked his lips again, “However, we should be thankful to those living in this boy’s Small Universe. If not for them, he might have been sucked dry by the Black Ink Nest after not returning for such a long time.”
Ou Yang Lie had been observing the condition in Yang Kai’s Small Universe this whole time, which he naturally could not normally check on. However, since Yang Kai had to connect to the consciousness of the Black Ink Nest, his Small Universe remained open the whole time, allowing the Black Ink Nest to devour his World Force. At least, Ou Yang Lie was still able to see some clues.
After a few months had passed, any ordinary Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would have been drained dry; however, the World Force inside of Yang Kai’s Small Universe remained plentiful without visibly decreasing in the slightest. It was clear that the living beings that he raised inside of his Small Universe were working in this case.
Now, there was no need to worry that Yang Kai’s Small Universe would be sucked dry by the Black Ink Nest, and he also had the Soul Warming Lotus to protect his Soul. Even a Royal Lord would not be able to do anything to him inside the Black Ink Nest Space, so there was little to worry about when it came to his safety.
The only thing the Black Ink Clan could do was trap him inside the Black Ink Nest Space, and he had no idea when Yang Kai would be able to escape.
Ou Yang Lie believed that the situation would not change much in the near future, and there was nothing that he could do about it either, so he just waited here and monitored Yang Kai’s status. As soon as anything happened he would immediately report it.
Time passed inside the Black Ink Nest, and in the blink of an eye, another 2 months went by.
It had almost been half a year since the Black Ink Nest Space was sealed off, an amount of time that would barely count as anything for both the Territory Lords and the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples.
At their Realm, one would ordinarily spend upwards of several dozen to 100 years in retreat during their cultivation, so a trivial half a year was just like a snap of one’s fingers.
However, for the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan, this half a year was torturous.
The Soul Rending Thorn was constantly wearing down his Soul, and even with the help of the 2 Black Ink Disciples, it was difficult for him to turn the tides on his condition. If his Soul Avatar could return and unite with his body, then it would provide some help to his current situation.
However, the Territory Lords were too worried about opening the Black Ink Nest Space simply for fear that the Human would escape. Under such circumstances, how could the Black Ink Disciple’s Soul return and remerge with his body?
In addition, the Black Ink Nest was constantly devouring the power inside of his Small Universe, further adding frost to snow and worsening his condition.
He had no idea what the condition of his Small Universe was at the moment, but if too much of its World Force was consumed, it would also kill him.
With the help of 2 companions, he was able to last for half a year, but the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan was starting to slip away.
At the same time, as when his Spiritual Energy began fluctuating violently, the 6 Territory Lords who were watching for any movements from the Soul Warming Lotus turned around just in time to see the Soul Avatar of the Black Ink Disciple surnamed Wan exploding, turning into dots of light and dissipating from the Black Ink Nest Space.
“Brother Wan!” The old man cried out in grief, feeling sad for his fellow peer.
The other Black Ink Disciple also had a mournful expression.
They had done everything they could, but they were unable to save the life of their companion. Before entering the Black Ink Nest on this mission, nobody could have expected that the situation would turn out this way.
They had a lineup of 6 Territory Lords and 4 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. Even if an Old Ancestor were to enter, they could still somehow put up a fight.
But now, 2 Black Ink Disciples were dead, and the Human was still hiding inside of the Soul Warming Lotus, without showing any signs of moving. There was simply nothing the Black Ink Clan could do.
Hong Di’s eyes were practically spitting fire.
[We lost another one!]
After counting the 2 prior times, the battles inside the Black Ink Nest Space had already cost the Black Ink Clan 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and 1 Territory Lord, and there were 3 other Territory Lords left with severe injuries to their Souls. It was not known whether they were even dead or alive at this point.
Such losses could not be considered small for the Black Ink Clan.
After the last war in Great Evolution Theatre, the Black Ink Clan’s forces were nowhere near as strong as they had been before. Whether it be the Territory Lords or the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, their numbers had essentially been halved from what they were just a few hundred years ago.
Suddenly, doubt emerged in Hong Di’s heart.
Was it worth paying such a high price just to force the Humans to give up the Black Ink Nest?
If their plan worked, then of course it would be worth it!
However, they had now experienced several serious setbacks with the Humans only having to mobilize a single person to make them lose so much ground. In the words of the Humans, the Black Ink Clan was now riding a tiger.
The cost was too great, but if they gave up now, how were they supposed to explain themselves to the Royal Lord?
So, no matter what, they had to deal with this Human and seize the Soul Warming Lotus so that they could show their faces to the Royal Lord.
On the other hand, the 2 Black Ink Disciples could only watch as the Soul Avatar of their companion surnamed Wan faded away. Losing a friend, they were both sad and also worried about their own situations.
Even though they were currently unharmed, it would still be a problem for them if they did not return to their physical bodies for a long time due to the Black Ink Nest continuing to eat up the World Force inside of their Small Universes.
They were Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but how long would they be able to last?
A year? 2? Maybe 3? Nobody could say for sure.
In fact, they were already feeling a bit of fatigue. Even though it was not very obvious, it was definitely a result of the depletion of their physical strength being reflected in their Souls Avatars.
This bit of exhaustion was nothing at the moment, but if they allowed this to continue, things would only get worse.
However, they were nothing more than Black Ink Disciples, servants of the Black Ink Clan, so how could they advise the Territory Lords to abandon this plan at this time?
The Territory Lords couldn’t give up easily. The 2 Black Ink Disciples could vaguely foresee the miserable state that awaited them, but now they could only hope that that Human was not in the Eighth, but in the Seventh or even Sixth Order.
Only then would they be able to outlast him.
Time passed in silence.
1 year, 2 years…
The Territory Lords remained unchanged, but the Soul Avatars of the two Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples had clearly dimmed. The fluctuations of their Spiritual Energy had also clearly grown extremely weak, as if they were ailing and sick.
Souls naturally could not get sick, so there was only a single explanation for this occurrence; their bodies in the outside could not hold out any longer. For 2 long years, the Black Ink Nests were constantly devouring the World Force from their Small Universes, so even Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were not be able to hold on.
The weakness of their bodies was being reflected in their Soul Avatars, and that was naturally how things came to appear as they were.
After enduring for so long, the old man could not bear it any longer and came trembling to Hong Di’s side, bowing, “Sir, could you please open the Black Ink Nest Space and allow us to withdraw first? I’m afraid we won’t be able to hold out much longer.”
There was a look of struggle on Hong Di’s face. Frankly, he did not wish to lose 2 more Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples here for nothing; after all, they had already lost 2 before.
He was also happy to have the 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples live.
The reason he did not open the Black Ink Nest’s space previously was because he was worried that Yang Kai would take this opportunity to escape; however, there was no choice but to open the space now. If he didn’t, then the 2 Black Ink Disciples would surely die here.
He couldn’t understand just how this Human could last even longer than the Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. His guess should have been correct. If this Human truly was in the Eighth-Order and had the nourishment of the Soul Warming Lotus for several thousand years, then his Soul would definitely be a great deal stronger than an ordinary Eighth-Order Human’s.
The fact that he only exhibited strength on par with an ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master proved that his true cultivation was not in the Eighth-Order. It was highly possible that he was only in the Seventh Order.
The heritage of a Seventh-Order Small Universe naturally could not compare to an Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s, yet even though these 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples could not last much longer, the Human still showed no signs of weakening.
Now that things had come to this, Hong Di had no choice but to let the 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples retire first while they, the Territory Lords, stayed behind and continued waiting things out.
He had just made up his mind and was about to open up the Black Ink Nest Space, when a weak voice suddenly came from the Soul Warming Lotus, which had been silent all this while, “Yes, yes, quickly open this space. I also can’t hold on much longer so let’s call it a draw. We’ll talk again when we get the chance to meet again next time.”
[There is going to be a next time?]
Hong Di glared and shouted, “Impudence! No matter how amazing your skills are, this time, you will definitely die here!”
The old man’s Soul Avatar trembled as he turned his head towards the Heavens. If he were here in the flesh, then he would surely have burst into tears.
The only ray of hope he had left had just been destroyed by that Human…
He silently stood down and found a secluded corner with his other companion, calming the fluctuations of his Spiritual Energy and trying to minimize the loss of power as much as possible.
His only hope now was that they could last a moment longer than this Human.
Inside the Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai was now chattering non-stop, “You Territory Lords, why are you doing this? Those 2 obviously can’t hold on much longer. If you don’t open up this place, they are going to die here. I don’t care since I’ve killed so many of you already, and now I even got to take 2 more of you along with me to the grave. It’s a win for me no matter what.”
“The Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples on your side are not many now, right? I guess it makes sense. After the war, we Humans suffered huge casualties, so I can only imagine what it was like for the Black Ink Clan. If 2 more of you die, then the loss would be immense. By the way, how are the Royal Lord’s injuries? Is our Old Ancestor still visiting him often? We’re all neighbours so we should check in on each other frequently, but your Race is always so distant and unwelcoming. How boring it is that you don’t even come to visit.”
“Don’t pretend to be mute, I’m dying here. Will it kill you to say a few words to me? Haa… I’ve been cultivating all my life and shook the wind and clouds. Even though I only reached the Seventh Order, I’ve managed to kill quite a few Territory Lords. Unfortunately, the Heavens must be jealous as it seems I’m going to die here after all.”
“Since I’m going to die soon, let me ask you something. Answer me if you can, or don’t if you can’t. The Black Ink Nests are divided into different Ranks, and each Rank is the sub-nest of the Rank above it. In that case, whose sub-nest is the Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest? What gave birth to it? This question has bothered me for a long time, so can you please enlighten me? If you can tell me, then I will also be able to die in peace.”
The Territory Lords were silent, but as they listened to the Human ramble on by himself, they could finally ascertain that just as they suspected, he was not in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, only the Seventh-Order.
Even though it was possible that he was lying, what was the point of doing so now that things have come to this?
What’s more, this situation was exactly the same as they had previously deduced. So, this noisy Human had to be in the Seventh Order, no doubt about it.
How humiliating!
If they had been driven into such a miserable state by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, then so be it, but now, they were actually being made fools of by a Human brat who was only in the Seventh-Order. All the Territory Lords felt great shame, and if possible, they wanted to drag Yang Kai out of the Soul Warming Lotus and make him suffer all kinds of torture to relieve their hatred.
Yang Kai’s voice grew weaker and weaker, “All right, fine. Since you are unwilling to speak, then pretend I never asked. I’m tired, I’m going to sleep.”
Mu Nan Fei, one of Great Evolution Paradise’s 1,653rd-generation disciples, showed a special talent in cultivating since entering the Sect and was highly valued by them, supplemented by the careful education and the training of famous mentors.
He was also hardworking and diligent, cultivating seriously and never disappointing his Elders and just 800 years after stepping onto the Martial Dao, had advanced directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
The day he broke through was a day when the sky opened up for him to fly high like a bird, but before his lofty plans could finally be realized, something suddenly happened to the Sect.
News came from the Black Ink Battlefield that Great Evolution Pass was being attacked by the Black Ink Clan Army and was in a precarious situation. So, Great Evolution Paradise quickly mobilized all its available troops to provide support.
Mu Nan Fei vividly remembered the day when all of the Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Sect, regardless of their Order, their gender, their age, or whether they were in the High-Rank, or the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm, gathered together.
Led by many Eighth-Order Divine Monarchs, tens of thousands of Great Evolution Paradise’s Open Heaven Realm Masters marched out from the Sect and went towards the No-Return Pass before stepping into the Black Ink Battlefield.
Once they arrived at Great Evolution Pass, the situation was even worse than any one of them could have expected.
Far off in the distance came violent energy fluctuations. Naturally, it was the fallout of the Old Ancestor of Great Evolution Pass fighting with the Royal Lords. However, the Old Ancestor was facing 2 enemies, and having already been severely injured from a sneak attack, his aura had become extremely weak.
Outside of Great Evolution Pass, the Black Ink Clan Army poured in like a tide that resulted in many of the Humans either dead or injured.
There was simply no time for them to recover. All of the disciples who came from Great Evolution Paradise to provide support were thrown onto the battlefield as soon as they arrived. For these newcomers who had never fought the Black Ink Clan before, this war was extremely brutal and many perished the moment they stepped onto the battlefield.
Mu Nan Fei’s Dao Partner, a gentle woman who had been accompanying him for 500 years, was killed in that battle.
He was seeing red and had completely lost his mind as he fought madly until he exhausted all the strength in his body.
He had forgotten how that battle ended. He just knew that by the time he was conscious, Great Evolution Pass was gone. The entire Army that had been defending the Great Pass together with the Old Ancestor was completely wiped out.
All except for those of them who were corrupted by Black Ink Strength and transformed into Black Ink Disciples.
It had been 30,000 years since that happened.
The newly advanced Sixth Orders of then were now already in the Eighth Order, and among them, he was different from the rest. That was because he had advanced directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and so his limit was the Eighth-Order, so he did not need Black Ink Strength to break through his shackles.
He could be described as a true Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master that was no worse even when compared to the Human Race’s Eighth-Order Division Commanders. In a one-on-one fight, most Territory Lords may not even be a match for them.
His 30,000-year-long life as a Black Ink Disciple could almost be said to be extremely boring until the Human Armies came to retake Great Evolution Pass.
A bloody battlefield just like the one 30,000 years ago appeared, but this time, it was the Black Ink Clan who were on the losing end. The Humans reoccupied Great Evolution Pass while the Black Ink Clan incurred severe casualties and was forced to retreat to the Royal City, even having to willingly hand over one of their Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests.
The Royal Lord was furious while the Territory Lords were all extremely ashamed, vowing that they must force the Humans to give up that Black Ink Nest of their own accord.
They were quite successful when it came to hindering the Humans from using the Black Ink Nest at first, because the Humans had to connect their consciousness to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness in order to use it. Inside of the Black Ink Nest Space, the Black Ink Clan occupied an absolute advantage.
They had beaten several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and forced them to flee, and even the Old Ancestor had to return empty-handed after her visit. The Territory Lords thought that they had cornered the Humans.
That was until a strange fellow appeared.
2 successive attacks from this Human left 4 Territory Lords either dead or severely injured, and when all the Territory Lords thought that he was dead with certainty, he appeared for a third time.
Another 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples died because of him.
The Territory Lords had been locked in a stalemate with this Human for 3 years now.
That man was protected by the Soul Warming Lotus, so even the Territory Lords could do nothing about him. They could only hope that his Small Universe would be sucked dry by the Black Ink Nest, which would in turn cause his Small Universe to collapse and kill him.
However, after waiting for 3 years, Mu Nan Fei and the other Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple could finally hold on no longer.
In the final moments of their lives, the 2 Black Ink Disciples opened their eyes in unison, seemingly as if something had awoken and resonated between them.
As their gazes met, they could both see the confusion in each other’s eyes.
What had they been doing all these years? Why would they willingly become the minions of the Black Ink Clan? Why would they willingly turn their blades against the Human Race?
How could the sins of this life be washed away by their mere deaths?
Without need for words or deliberation, the 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples emitted a brilliant light in the final throes of their life.
Their extremely weak Spiritual Energy burst into flames all of a sudden, and as they supported each other, they shot across the strange empty space and charged straight into one of the Territory Lords.
The Territory Lords were completely unguarded, with all of their attention focused on the Soul Warming Lotus, or rather, the Seventh-Order Human hiding inside of it.
These days, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would open his mouth and make a bunch of noise from time to time, annoying them to no end.
Though it was annoying, the one thing that was giving hope to the Territory Lords was the fact that this guy’s voice seemed to be getting weaker and weaker, as if he was on the verge of death.
And yet he simply refused to die, clinging stubbornly to life from beginning to end.
The Territory Lords were all sick of him. He wouldn’t live either way, so couldn’t he just make it quick?
Burning the last bit of energy in their Souls, the 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples charged over, but the Territory Lords didn’t notice them at all.
It wasn’t until they rammed into Hong Di, that he suddenly turned around with a livid expression and roared, “What are you doing!?”
If it were any ordinary Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples joining hands like this, then even Hong Di would not be able to withstand it if he was caught completely off guard; however, these 2 were too weak now. Even burning the last of their Spiritual Energy, ramming into Hong Di felt like they were doing no more than scratching an itch.
Hong Di didn’t even feel much impact from it.
The flash of light dimmed, and the 2 figures relying on each other reappeared. However, at this moment, both Mu Nan Fei and the other Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciple’s Soul Avatar were dull to the point of transparency, and they were fading quickly. It was clear that they were about to fade away.
However, Mu Nan Fei laughed, “A fitting death for us. Ancestors of Great Evolution Paradise, this Disciple will set off now!”
The other Black Ink Disciple nodded, “Together, we shall go together!”
With those words, the 2 Soul Avatars faded completely, dissipating as if they had never existed before.
The Territory Lords watched this scene in silence, deep frowns drawn between their brows. Though they lamented the loss of 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, they were more curious about the reaction these 2 showed before death… It was quite strange.
However, they were not given much time to ponder the issue as a powerful burst of Spiritual Energy was released at that moment, followed by the emergence of an extremely dangerous aura.
The Territory Lords were all shocked and hurriedly turned back, only to see that the Soul Warming Lotus had opened up at some point, and the Human who had caused them so much pain was standing in the middle of the blooming flower. Divine Sense locking onto a Territory Lord, a golden light shot out.
None of them had expected this Human to rise up and make trouble for them at such a time, but what puzzled them more was the fact that this Human did not seem weak in the slightest. His Soul Avatar was dense and solid, pervading with an imposing might, just short of glistening to show off his power.
[How could this be!?] The eyes of the Territory Lords almost popped out of their sockets.
Even if he had the Soul Warming Lotus to nourish his Soul, what could he do if his physical body failed to hold on? The 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples were the perfect example of that.
However, looking at this Human now, the past 3 years did not seem to have made a dent in his strength.
[This is impossible!]
Unlike his attacks from before, Yang Kai did not scream miserably this time, yet violent pain still shot through his Soul Avatar, as if his very being was being torn apart. He forced himself to bear with it only so that he could make this sudden attack, and the effects were remarkable.
The attention of the Territory Lords were drawn to the strange actions of the 2 Black Ink Disciples. And, further dulled by the preconceived notion that Yang Kai had no more power to fight, none of them kept their guard up.
The first Soul Rending Thorn hit one of the Soul Avatars of the Territory Lords squarely, sinking in viciously, sending him flying back as he screamed, drawing distance between himself and Yang Kai.
But could Yang Kai still have the energy to bother with him? A second Soul Rending Thorn was already targeting a different Territory Lord.
He originally wished to attack Hong Di, as from their previous exchanges, it seemed that this Territory Lord was of a higher status than the others, so it would naturally be more meaningful to kill him off or at least severely injure him.
Unfortunately, whether intentionally or not, Hong Di was now the furthest away from him.
Yang Kai had no choice but to choose a closer, more certain target.
As the second Soul Rending Thorn came out, the Territory Lords had also aimed a flurry of attacks at Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai did not pay them the slightest mind. He had already summoned the Soul Warming Lotus to protect himself and was not as helpless as he was before, so why would he still have to fear the attacks of these Territory Lords?
Violent Spiritual Energy collided with the Soul Warming Lotus, but only a seven-coloured ripple appeared on its light halo before the attacks were completely dissipated. On the other hand, Yang Kai’s second Soul Rending Thorn broke through the Soul defences of the Territory Lord in an instant, nailing straight into his body.
However, he fared a little better than the first Territory Lord, for he had at least taken some precautions. The Soul Rending Thorn did not dig into his body completely, a small portion of it remaining outside, making it look as if he had been struck by an arrow.
A similar howl of pain left the second Territory Lord’s mouth though as he stumbled backwards, his Soul stirring violently.
Whether it be in its refinement or use, the Soul Rending Thorn had cost Yang Kai a great deal of energy to activate, so it was naturally very powerful.
Its limitations were such that anyone who obtained it would only be able to use it as a one-time trump card, impossible to bring out again after one use.
However, Yang Kai could use it over and over again thanks to the Soul Warming Lotus which would always repair his damaged Soul.
So what did it matter?
Once they saw that Yang Kai had already released 2 Soul Rending Thorns, the remaining 4 unharmed Territory Lords finally breathed sighs of relief.
Based on their past experiences, this Human could at most use that strange artifact twice before becoming incapacitated. It was impossible for him to shoot out a third needle within a short period of time.
Before they could even finish that thought though, a terrifying scene emerged.
As Yang Kai opened his mouth, a third Soul Rending Thorn shot out like a golden light just as the Territory Lords began to relax!
The timing was perfect.
This strike was even more effective than the first and second ones as the Soul Rending Thorn shot straight into the Soul Avatar of a third Territory Lord, disappearing from sight.
Another wail of horror broke out!
Throughout the Black Ink Nest Space, Soul auras fluctuated madly, from the 3 injured Territory Lords to the 3 unharmed Territory Lords, as well as Yang Kai’s. It was pure chaos.
After 3 years of silence, chaos suddenly broke out inside of the Black Ink Nest Space with the final blaze of the lives of 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples as the starting signal.
As their Souls were damaged, the painful wails of 3 injured Territory Lords and Yang Kai’s echoed in unison.
The other 3 uninjured Territory Lords were all on high alert, none of them daring to lower their guards. Who knew if the Human could launch a fourth attack?
They had no idea what that artifact was, but it was something that even the Territory Lords could not defend against, to the point where it could almost be described as a sure hit.
A long time passed before the Territory Lords gradually relaxed, because it seemed like the Human really lacked the strength to attack again. Just from looking at his state, they could tell, for his Soul Avatar seemed to be warping constantly, as if it had sustained great damage. The glow of his Soul Avatar had also dimmed, like it was on the verge of collapsing.
If not for the Soul Warming Lotus’s protection, then such damage would have been enough to extinguish his Soul entirely.
Only then did the 3 Territory Lords dare to check on the injuries of their 3 companions. After a short while, all of them were frowning.
Just like the conditions of the few Territory Lords who were hit in the past, the artifact was able to dig into and shred one’s Soul Avatar. Moreover, it was extremely stubborn and difficult to expel in short order.
Things suddenly became extremely tricky for them.
Hong Di’s face was so dark that the abyss would blush in shame.
6 Territory Lords and 4 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, they had a whole 10 top Masters equivalent to 10 Eighth-Order Human Masters lying in ambush inside the Black Ink Nest Space, but the result? The Seventh-Order Human was able to last until now, leaving them with 3 alive and 3 injured. The 4 Black Ink Disciples had truly perished, without any chance of survival.
Counting the 4 Territory Lords from the previous battles, there were now a total of 11 powerful Masters who had either been killed or seriously injured by this one Seventh-Order Human.
Hong Di could not understand how things had come to this state; however, there was no point in getting entangled with this Human any longer. Even 10 Masters could not kill him, so what could they do now that only 3 Territory Lords remained unharmed?
Were they going to wait until that Human fully recovered and then wiped all of them out?
That would be the epitome of foolishness.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, the thought of withdrawing rose in Hong Di’s heart. Among other things, he had to first get the 3 injured Territory Lords back so they could heal their Souls. Indeed, the dead Black Ink Disciples were a painful loss for the Black Ink Clan, but to lose another 3 Territory Lords would really damage their foundation.
However, the Human seemed to be able to read his mind, and as soon as the thought came to Hong Di, the Human who was wailing incessantly said through clenched teeth, “Want to run? If you dare to open this place, I’ll immediately escape!”
Those words left Hong Di in a horrible mood, not knowing whether to go forward or retreat, there was no need to mention how aggravating that feeling was.
Another Territory Lord howled in anger, “A petty human dares to act so impudently!? You’re just a trivial Seventh-Order brat! It’s pure luck that you’ve lasted this long, how much longer do you think you can last!?”
Yang Kai snickered, “I’m afraid I won’t last for long, but at the very least, I can hold longer than those 3! Why don’t you place your bets!?”
The Territory Lord coldly snorted and said nothing more.
There were only 2 choices for the Territory Lords at this point in the confrontation. First, they could ignore the life or death of their injured companions and continue fighting it out with Yang Kai.
3 years have passed, so even if this Seventh-Order Human’s body could hold out this long, he must be near his limit.
It would be best if his World Energy was depleted before the condition of their 3 peers deteriorated; however, the Territory Lords were concerned that this Seventh-Order Human had some method to replenish his World Force. If that wasn’t the case, it did not make sense for him to be able to last 3 years. If that truly was the case, then wasting any more time with him would be pointless.
The second choice was naturally to open up the Black Ink Nest Space so that both sides could retreat.
However, that would mean that the Black Ink Clan had put in all that effort and capital for nothing, and the 4 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples would also have died in vain. How could the Territory Lords bear to accept that?
The 3 uninjured Territory Lords conversed through their Divine Senses for a moment, none of them knowing which choice to make.
Inside of the Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai was barely able to maintain a trace of mental clarity.
Using the Soul Rending Thorn thrice in succession was no different than an insane test of his ability to cheat death, but it was a chance that he could not miss as he might never get it again.
Currently, with his Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, it would be amazing enough to be able to escape if he truly faced off against a single Territory Lord. If he wished to injure or even kill such a Master, then favourable conditions and an advantageous position were required, along with a good deal of luck.
However, in this Black Ink Nest Space, the number of Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples that he had either cut down or crippled already reached 11.
Of course, that also meant he only had a single Soul Rending Thorn left of his original 12.
This was the best chance he had to reduce the number of Territory Lords without taking too much of a risk. Whether it be for him or the Human Race, this was an extremely rare opportunity.
Thus, Yang Kai was unwilling to leave before finding a way to use his final Soul Rending Thorn.
Otherwise, how could he be in any mood to provoke the Territory Lords? Currently, the best way for him to describe his condition would be a life worse than death. Even the Soul Warming Lotus’ power was barely able to dampen the extreme pain he felt in his Soul.
In spite of his immense suffering, Yang Kai had no choice but to divert some of his attention to the Territory Lords’ movements.
Who knew whether they would open the Black Ink Nest Space or not? If, on the off chance, it did happen and he missed the timing, then he might truly be trapped here forever.
Something else seemed to confuse him, but with his Soul in such turmoil, he didn’t have much energy to be thinking about anything else.
As Yang Kai was in the middle of suffering, the 3 uninjured Territory Lords were also discussing their options.
After only a short debate, the 3 Territory Lords decided to open the Black Ink Nest Space. As things stood, the Human’s physical body showed no signs of withering; otherwise, how could his Soul Avatar have been so full of energy just now?
3 years passed and there were still no obvious changes to his physical body. This Seventh-Order Human must have some special trick that allowed him to maintain the World Force of his Small Universe.
If this went on, once he had a chance to restore himself, the 3 of them would be the unfortunate ones.
Furthermore, the other 3 Territory Lords who were injured could not stay here any longer as this situation was only exacerbating their condition.
Hong Di had an ugly look on his face as he could almost imagine the Royal Lord’s fury when he found out about this debacle.
The withdrawal of his Army from Great Evolution Pass, and his abandonment of his own Black Ink Nest could be said to have been forced, and the Royal Lord was also responsible since it was his order, so the blame could not be put on him.
However, this failure was likely going to affect Hong Di’s position in the Black Ink Clan, but what else could they do now that things had come to this?
Since they finished their discussion, there was no need to delay things.
The Black Ink Nest Space was sealed off by a special technique, and unsealing it was not a difficult task. The Territory Lords just had to use the same technique to open it again.
However, while they were opening the Black Ink Nest Space, the Territory Lords took precautions and opened it for just a brief moment. The 3 uninjured Territory Lords escaped with their injured compatriots at the same time, then they quickly sealed off the Black Ink Nest Space again.
They hoped that the Human would not be able to react in time and then be trapped inside; however, the results were bound to disappoint them. Hong Di had clearly seen the Seventh-Order Human make a quick escape as they were leaving.
The entire Black Ink Nest Space became empty in an instant without any signs of life left behind.
At the universe fragment where the Black Ink Nest was located, Yang Kai woke with a stifled grunt.
Gong Lian, who had been watching over him from the side, came over immediately and helped Yang Kai steady himself while shouting, “Honoured Master, Brother Yang is awake!”
Ou Yang Lie breathed a deep sigh, “Brat, you’re finally back. You really scared me this time.”
Saying so, he stuffed a large handful of Spirit Pills into Yang Kai’s mouth as if they were common candies.
Yang Kai did not even have the energy to thank him and quickly refined and absorbed the pills.
Only after watching his condition stabilize slowly did Ou Yang Lie let out a sigh of relief. He gave his Disciple a look with his eyes, signalling for him to come out of the Black Ink Nest with him.
“What are your orders, Honoured Master?”
Gong Lian asked curiously.
Ou Yang Lie said, “Go back to the Pass and report to the Old Ancestor. Tell her that Yang Kai has made a safe return.”
After receiving the order, Gong Lian left quickly.
As he watched his Disciple’s back, Ou Yang Lie’s tense heart finally relaxed; not because Yang Kai was able to return safely, but because of the Old Ancestor.
Since Yang Kai’s Soul entered the Black Ink Nest Space, he had not returned for 3 years, a fact that could not be hidden from the Old Ancestor.
Everyone knew that something must have happened to Yang Kai in the Black Ink Nest; otherwise, he couldn’t have been trapped inside for so long, but nobody knew what happened exactly.
They could only guess that the Black Ink Clan must have used some sort of trick to seal off the Black Ink Nest Space, preventing Yang Kai from returning.
It was not known how the news had reached the Old Ancestor’s ears, but when it did, she immediately declared she would visit the Royal City to ‘ask’ about the situation.
A panicked Mi Jing Lun hurriedly tried to stop her.
He knew that the Old Ancestor would not just show her aura from afar to taunt the Royal Lord like she had done before. If she really did go there now, then she would definitely attack the Royal City to put pressure on the Black Ink Clan to see if she could help Yang Kai out of his predicament.
Even if she was an Old Ancestor, to attack the Royal City alone still bore serious risk.
How could Mi Jing Lun allow that to happen? He immediately negotiated with the Old Ancestor, and they finally agreed to wait 3 years to see whether or not things would change. If Yang Kai still did not return after 3 years, then the Great Evolution Army would join the Old Ancestor to attack the Royal City!
The reason why they decided on 3 years was because Mi Jing Lun had received news from Ou Yang Lie that it would take around 3 years of time for Yang Kai’s Soul to recover after each attack.
According to Mi Jing Lun’s estimation, the stalemate would definitely break once Yang Kai’s Soul was able to recover.
And now, that did seem to be the case. As soon as the 3-year limit hit, Yang Kai’s Soul returned.
Ou Yang Lie was naturally in a hurry to send Gong Lian to Great Evolution Pass to report the matter. In case the Army really was mobilized and the soldiers followed the Old Ancestor to attack the Royal City, it would be difficult for them to revert that decision.
Sometimes, Ou Yang Lie wanted to cut Mi Jing Lun’s head open to see what was inside. How could he be so far-sighted and always know what others did not?
However, he did not feel discouraged since to him, everyone had their own strengths. At the very least, charging through enemy lines was his strength, something that Mi Jing Lun could not replicate. Moreover… He was manlier than Mi Jing Lun!
News of Yang Kai’s Soul returning quickly reached Great Evolution Pass, and the Old Ancestor, who was ready to mobilize her troops and spur her horse, asserted that she wished to make a trip to the Royal City to visit the Royal Lord and thank him for taking care of her subordinate for the past 3 years.
Mi Jing Lun was unable to stop her this time, nor did he even try to.
Since Yang Kai was fine, then the Old Ancestor would surely act more prudently.
Another 3 years went by in the blink of an eye, and the trauma on Yang Kai’s Soul finally recovered.
The successive recoveries after heavy injuries actually increased his Soul’s strength by about 10% compared to just over a decade ago.
If Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy was comparable to that of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who had just advanced a dozen years ago, then his Spiritual Energy was now on par with an established Eight-Order Master.
This was indeed a shortcut to cultivating one’s Soul, a shortcut that belonged only to Yang Kai. Without the Soul Warming Lotus’ protection, anyone trying to use the same technique would just be digging their own grave.
However, Yang Kai never wanted to cultivate in such a way again after experiencing that much pain. It was simply inhumane torture.
He would not consider using such a method to raise his Spiritual Energy unless he was left with absolutely no other choice one day.
12 Soul Rending Thorns, 10 years of time, entering and leaving the Black Ink Nest thrice. As many as 11 Territory Lord equivalent Masters either died or were seriously injured at his hands, it was an unprecedented feat in all of history.
There were no Open Heaven Realm Masters who could replicate this feat in the Seventh Order or even the Eighth Order.
But Yang Kai knew that the greatest reason why he could achieve such a feat was thanks to the Soul Warming Lotus. He did not achieve it because of his own strength, so even though the results were great, he did not dare to be arrogant.
If he underestimated the Black Ink Clan too much, then he would be the one to suffer a loss in the future.
Right now, there was another matter for him to consider, and it was the strange reactions displayed by the 2 Black Ink Disciples at the final moment inside of the Black Ink Nest Space.
Yang Kai had noticed the unusual reactions of the 2 Black Ink Disciples back then, but he was in no mood to contemplate such a thing at that time. He just instinctively seized the best moment to strike and unleashed a Soul Rending Thorn, severely injuring a Territory Lord.
Then, after 3 Soul Rending Thorns were used, Yang Kai’s Soul was so unstable and he was in such miserable pain that he simply had no energy to be thinking about anything else.
Now that the damage to his Soul had been restored, he naturally recalled the strange movements shown by the 2 Black Ink Disciples at the end of their lives.
There were all sorts of signs that indicated that the 2 Black Ink Disciples had recovered their true natures when their Souls were about to dissipate. Otherwise, there was no way that they would launch an attack on the Territory Lords. Only, they were already too weak at that time, so even if they joined forces, their hasty attack still failed to deal any sort of damage.
How did they break free from the Black Ink Strength’s corruption and restore their true natures?
After some thought, Yang Kai had a vague feeling that there could only be one explanation.
The reason why those two Black Ink Disciples died was not because they were injured or some other reason, but because their Small Universes had collapsed due to their World Force being drained by the Black Ink Nest over a long period.
Black Ink Strength corrupted the foundation of an Open Heaven Realm Master, which meant their Small Universe, which in turn overrode their minds.
Since the Small Universe which had been corrupted had already collapsed, then the foundation that the Black Ink Strength affected was already gone. So, at the end of their lives, they were able to recover their identities as Humans and made a sudden attack against a Territory Lord.
That must have been why they were laughing so unreservedly and so happily before their deaths.
For a Black Ink Disciple, such a death was undoubtedly the greatest release they could have from life.
Yang Kai had heard that the Black Ink Clan had left behind over 100 Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples when they withdrew from Great Evolution Pass as was agreed with Mi Jing Lun.
Even Xiang Shan and the others had no idea how they were going to deal with these Black Ink Disciples, so in the end, they had no choice but to ask for the Old Ancestor’s instructions.
Even though the Old Ancestor was a woman, she had a firm heart and decisive will. With one move, the over 100 Black Ink Disciples were executed.
The Old Ancestor seemed to have used an inexplicable power then to return the Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples to their senses for a brief moment, allowing them to die as Humans in Great Evolution Pass.
This was the best way to honour the warriors who fought against the Black Ink Clan all those years ago.
The fall of the 2 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples was different from those of Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples at Great Evolution Pass, but it was also similar at the same time.
Yang Kai was relieved that at the very least, they died a worthy death. If they truly died on the battlefield as Black Ink Disciples, then they would have died muddle-headed.
Their final attack may not have brought any harm to the Territory Lord, but it did create a good opportunity for Yang Kai to strike.
In that respect, they could be considered to have fought alongside Yang Kai.
At the sound of footsteps, Yang Kai looked up to see Ou Yang Lie approaching.
Ou Yang Lie had come over from time to time to check on him recently just to see how he was recovering from his injuries. Without interrupting, he would just take a glance and leave.
Every time he came, the condition of Yang Kai’s Soul became better. Even after experiencing it twice, Ou Yang Lie had to admit that the Soul Warming Lotus was truly invaluable when it came to matters of the Soul.
With such a Supreme Treasure, would one still have to worry about injuring their Soul?
“You look full of energy, kid. You even look like you’re glowing. Have you recovered?” Ou Yang Lie joked.
Yang Kai got up, “This Junior is fine now.”
Then, he bowed, “Many thanks for standing guard for me, Sir.”
Ou Yang Lie waved his hand, “It’s nothing. Actually, I have a question to ask you.”
“Please ask away, Sir.”
Ou Yang Lie moved closer with a curious look on his face, “After all those years going in and out, how many Territory Lords did you do in?”
Yang Kai’s face twitched slightly. Without bothering to question Ou Yang Lie’s crass use of words, he answered honestly, “2 Territory Lords during the first round, and another 2 during the second. The third round, I managed to get 4 Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples and 3 Territory Lords. 11 altogether.”
Ou Yang Lie’s eyes widened as he listened, thinking back to the battle back then where he nearly lost his life charging into an Army of tens of thousands only to cut down a single Territory Lord.
Yet Yang Kai’s back-and-forth venture netted him 11 casualties…
There was simply no comparison! As he looked at the young face in front of him, Ou Yang Lie sighed inwardly, feeling like a small wave about to be swallowed up by a giant tsunami coming from behind.
But more than that, he was relieved.
Only when the latter wave becomes successful would they, the front waves, have no lack of worthy successors.
Ou Yang Lie did not know how exactly the battle went on inside of the Black Ink Nest Space, but he had also heard some scattered information from Mi Jing Lun over the years and learned that Yang Kai was able to achieve this level of success seemingly because of a strange artifact that was given to him by the Old Ancestor, complemented by the Soul Warming Lotus.
This was something that no other cultivator could emulate.
Yang Kai added, “It is certain that the 4 Black Ink Disciples perished, but this Junior is unsure about the conditions of the 7 Territory Lords.”
Ou Yang Lie broke out in laughter, “At least one of them must be dead. Previously, I heard your Martial Uncle Mi mention that the Old Ancestor just happened to feel the aura of a Territory Lord perishing during one of her visits to the Royal City to see their Royal Lord, and there might have been more than just one death.”
Yang Kai nodded, “In that case, this Junior’s efforts over the years have not been in vain. Sir has come at a good time today. I was just about to make another visit to the Black Ink Nest Space and require Sir’s protection again.”
Ou Yang Lie’s face turned serious, “Boy, one does not play the same trick thrice. After going back and forth from the Black Ink Nest, you’ve killed a total of 11 already, it’s too risky to continue. We’ve already taken a huge advantage of them, so the Black Ink Clan will surely be targeting us.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Rest assured, Sir. If this Junior’s guess is correct, then we may not need to fight the Black Ink Clan this time.”
Of course, he wasn’t afraid even if he did have to fight. He still had one last Soul Rending Thorn that he was itching to use.
“What do you mean?” Ou Yang Lie was confused.
Yang Kai explained, “It isn’t that this Junior is trying to hide anything, it’s merely a guess at this point. I don’t dare to be sure, but we’ll know after another visit.”
Ou Yang Lie looked deeply at him for a moment, feeling at a loss over whether he should let him continue or not.
Yang Kai followed up, “If this Junior does not return within a few days, then I must have encountered the Royal Lord inside the Black Ink Nest Space. In that event, I will need to ask Sir to please inform the Old Ancestor and ask her to rescue me.”
The Territory Lords were unable to do anything to him, so if they were truly planning to fight, then the Royal Lord would have to come out personally.
However, the Royal Lord had also been going through hard times during these years. His wounds were not getting any better and he still had to be wary of Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao showing up randomly at his doorstep, so where would he find the time to deal with him?
So, Yang Kai felt that it was unlikely for him to be attacked this time.
Ou Yang Lie’s mouth twitched, “You really don’t stand on ceremony, but that’s fine. I’ll allow you to go, but you must be careful. If things go awry, withdraw immediately. Don’t go quiet on me again for years like last time.”
“I will remember!” Yang Kai bowed in response and then circulated the power within his Small Universe, opening it, allowing the Black Ink Nest to devour his World Force. With the World Force as a bridge, he connected his consciousness to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness and prepared to enter the Black Ink Nest Space.
After a moment, Ou Yang Lie looked curiously at him, “What are you doing?”
Yang Kai blinked his eyes and turned to look at him, “I can’t enter.”
“What do you mean you can’t enter?” Ou Yang Lie was completely flabbergasted.
Yang Kai said, “I can’t enter the Black Ink Nest Space anymore! Previously, when this Junior’s consciousness connected to the Black Ink Nest’s, I would immediately arrive at the space, but now it seems to have disappeared.”
“Truly?” Ou Yang Lie was astonished, “Let me try!”
Yang Kai did not stop him either and withdrew his power, allowing Ou Yang Lie to try.
After a few moments, Ou Yang Lie had a surprised look on his face, “I really can’t get inside! But how could this be?”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment, “There can only be one explanation for this situation.”
“What is it?”
“Our Black Ink Nest has been cut off by the Black Ink Clan. In other words, the Black Ink Clan has severed all connection with the Black Ink Nest in our possession.”
“Can the Black Ink Clan do such a thing?” Ou Yang Lie was astonished.
Yang Kai explained, “Based on this Junior’s understanding, the situation of the Black Ink Nest Space is as such, each Black Ink Nest has its own consciousness, but it doesn’t have a Will, so it cannot be considered alive. The consciousness of the Black Ink Nest can take the form of a strange space that acts as a platform for the Black Ink Nests spawned from it to communicate with each other and to exchange information.”
“For example, in Great Evolution Theatre, the consciousness of the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest is the highest-ranking platform that allows all Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests’ consciousnesses to enter it. Similarly, the consciousness of our Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest can also be a platform that can allow Low-Rank Blank Ink Nests’ spawned from it to enter. Of course, we do not have any Low-Rank Black Ink Nests, so we are unable to ascertain that.”
“The relationship between the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest and the High-Rank Black Ink Nest is that of subordinate and superior. The former is derived from the latter, and the latter, I’m afraid, has complete control and domination over the former. If the latter has the intention of severing the link with the former completely, then it may not be impossible; otherwise, there is no other way to explain the situation we have at hand.”
Upon hearing this, Ou Yang Lie was silent for a moment, “It’s like a woman who gave birth to a bunch of Sons, and one of them brought home some unwelcome guests to cause trouble, which angered the woman, so she expelled him from the household and cut off their relationship.”
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “That sounds about right.”
Ou Yang Lie laughed, “I think I understand now. Just like Big Head Mi, if you speak in a roundabout way, it’s easy to get someone confused.”
Yang Kai answered readily, “It was this Junior who was not considerate enough.”
Ou Yang Lie waved his hand, “So that means that the Black Ink Clan have completely given up on this Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest in our hands?”
Yang Kai nodded, “That should be the case!”
Ou Yang Lie guffawed, “Truly, we were wearing out iron shoes while seeking our feet, but now we ended up getting it without any effort instead.”
As early as when Mi Jing Lun requested the Black Ink Clan to leave this Black Ink Nest behind, he had intentions of building an intelligence network for the Human Race through it. Only, even if it was him, he would never have expected that the Black Ink Clan would put up such a fierce struggle with them over the Black Ink Nest, unwilling to back down in the slightest.
As a result, there was nothing they could do about it.
After 10 years, Yang Kai’s efforts have caused the Black Ink Clan to give up on the Black Ink Nest on their own initiative, which means that Mi Jing Lun has now more or less achieved what he initially intended to do.
Yang Kai was also surprised since he had only acted to deal with those Territory Lords. He never thought that they would end up taking over this Black Ink Nest completely as well.
The Royal Lord Black Ink Nest may have completely severed its connection with this Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest, which was in the hands of the Humans; however, the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest did not wither away as a result of it. The crux of the matter was that this connection could be severed. Though the space created by the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest could deny access to this Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest, the hierarchical relationship between superior and subordinate could never be broken.
In other words, as long as the Black Ink Nest in the Royal City was not destroyed, then nothing would happen to this Black Ink Nest in their hands.
“Big Head Mi will be ecstatic once he hears the news. I’ll go and tell him now,” Ou Yang Lie left after saying so.
After he left, Yang Kai immersed his consciousness again, opening up his Small Universe and connecting it to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness.
Even though he could no longer enter the space created by the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest’s consciousness, there were no problems when it came to connecting to the consciousness of the Black Ink Nest he was inside. Moreover, he no longer had to put his guard up in preparation for any possible attacks.
Without any disturbance, Yang Kai easily brought the entire Black Ink Nest under his control. As his thoughts shifted, it was as if the Black Ink Nest had become his arms and legs, with all of its functions and abilities within his grasp.
Yang Kai had, after all, many experiences before. Not to mention the Black Ink Nest before him now, even back in the Black Ink Clan’s territory, he had connected to the consciousness of countless Black Ink Nests, so he was no stranger to it.
Only, he was in no mood to mess with anything else back then, so he did not probe too deeply into the Black Ink Nest’s capabilities. But now, things were different. The Humans were trying to make use of this Black Ink Nest to create their own information network. So, naturally, the more he could find out about it, the better.
A short while later, Yang Kai had more or less figured out all the Black Ink Nest’s functions. Though, unlike the last time, preparations to create a sub-nest was not as readily set up.
In a flash, he arrived at the Black Ink Pool and poured a large amount of resources into it as he controlled the Black Ink Nest inwardly to absorb and refine the power within the resources.
The Black Ink Pool was a very important place for every Black Ink Nest. It was also the source of its power, so no matter what resources were put into it, they could quickly be turned into nutrients for the Black Ink Nest.
With these nutrients, the Black Ink Nest could spawn new Black Ink Clansmen or sub-nests. Even when it came to the strange mental Soul Space, energy was required to maintain it.
Of course, Yang Kai would not spawn Black Ink Clansmen using the Black Ink Nest, he only wanted to obtain a sub-nest.
He needed a sub-nest for his Small Universe so that he could familiarize the disciples of the Void Dao Temple with the Black Ink Clan’s special characteristics early on.
The Human Race also required a large number of sub-nests to create its intelligence network. At the same time, he also wanted to confirm his and Ou Yang Lie’s guess from earlier.
He wanted to see whether a higher-class Black Ink Nest was truly able to sever its connection with one of its sub-nests and whether that connection could be restored afterwards.
If the connection couldn’t be restored, then that would naturally be a good thing for the Humans. It would mean that they could rest assured and use the Black Ink Nest in the future.
If the connection could be restored, then they would have to tread carefully; after all, nobody could tell when the Black Ink Clan would suddenly restore the connection and try to spy on the Human Race’s communications. It would also be no small matter if they were to suddenly attack the Humans standing by inside of the Black Ink Nest.
Under Yang Kai’s control, the mass of resources in the Black Ink Pool was quickly refined, and all of its energy was directed towards the surrounding flesh walls.
Soon, a tumour bulged out from one part of the flesh wall.
With only a glance at the tumour, Yang Kai could not bear to look at it any longer. This couldn’t be helped as he could already feel very clearly that what was coming out of the tumour was not the sub-nest that he wanted, but a Black Ink Clansman!
The first attempt was a failure.
Yang Kai was not discouraged. He killed the Black Ink Clansman before it was even fully birthed and tried again.
After several failed attempts, a new aura appeared inside the Black Ink Nest. It was Mi Jing Lun who had rushed over after receiving the news.
He was not alone, however. Xiang Shan and Li Zhi Ping, the two Army Commanders, came with him. Including Ou Yang Lie, all four Army Commanders of the Great Evolution Army were now gathered in this place.
It could be seen how much importance the higher-ups placed on the Black Ink Nest from this alone.
Yang Kai had no choice but to put his attempts on hold and went forward to greet them.
They had already heard the gist of the situation from Ou Yang Lie, so when they saw the situation here, they knew that Yang Kai must be trying to create a sub-nest. Xiang Shan asked at once, “How is it progressing?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I have tried a few times, but have not succeeded so far.”
Xiang Shan nodded, “If the Black Ink Clan can produce a sub-nest, then there’s no reason why we can’t. If a few tries aren’t enough, then just keep at it. One matter should not bother two men. I will leave you to deal with the Black Ink Nest and wait for you to create a sub-nest.”
“Understood!” Yang Kai responded.
Liu Zhi Ping was encouraging, “Do a good job, and if you succeed, I will personally ask the Old Ancestor to grant you more merits.”
Yang Kai answered humbly, “This Junior is merely attending to his responsibilities and dares not take credit for the work done.”
Mi Jing Lun laughed, “You’ve basically injured or killed 11 Territory Lord level figures in 10 years. If such an outstanding feat is not rewarded, then it would seem as if our Great Evolution Army has no order. Think about it and see if there’s anything that you want. Once matters here are settled, you may come forward with your request, and as long as it’s not excessive, we will satisfy it.”
There wasn’t anything that Yang Kai wanted, other than the sub-nest. All his previous actions were aimed at that goal to begin with.
However, since Mi Jing Lun had already spoken, Yang Kai did not drag things out any further and just thanked him.
Xiang Shan also asked about Yang Kai’s struggle with the Territory Lords inside of the Black Ink Nest Space over the past few years. Naturally, Yang Kai explained everything to them without concealing any details.
The Army Commanders listened with raised brows, even Ou Yang Lie.
Even though he knew the outcome, he had never asked Yang Kai the details of the fight. It was only now that he realized just how devious Yang Kai’s method of attack was. Even they would not have been able to resist it if they were the Territory Lords. Unless they gave up on the Black Ink Nest, there was simply no solution for them in this matter.
One does not play the same trick thrice was true for Yang Kai, but also for the Black Ink Clan. After Yang Kai entered and left the Black Ink Nest Space thrice in a row, they made a firm decision to give up.
They did not have too many Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples left to lose after all.
Repairs were still going on in Great Evolution Pass, and the Army Commanders were also busy. After leaving matters here in Ou Yang Lie and Yang Kai’s hands, Xiang Shan and the others soon left.
Ou Yang Lie was a hands-off type of person, so the task of breeding a Black Ink Nest sub-nest was left to Yang Kai, and he did not refuse that responsibility either.
However, the Inner Sanctum was quick to move over a large amount of resources for this matter. After all, Yang Kai was already putting in the work, so it would be unreasonable to have him contribute the materials as well.
With the support of these resources, Yang Kai could rest assured and continue his attempts with increased boldness.
After failing again and again, Yang Kai finally got a hang of the process.
When his consciousness was connected to the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness, he could control the entire Black Ink Nest and use it to move the energy output of the Black Ink Pool.
The countless pits on the Black Ink Nest’s flesh wall were where the Black Ink Clansmen were born. If the Black Ink Nest’s energy was directed to these pits, then naturally, new Black Ink Clansmen would be born.
However, if all the energy was concentrated in the Black Ink Pool and not allowed to flow out, then once the energy reserves reached a certain level, a sub-nest would be created.
Yang Kai had to fail many times before finding this technique. Previously, he had been trying to find where the sub-nests were created, and since the pits were the breeding grounds for the Black Ink Clan, he assumed that the sub-nest would also be born from one of them.
In the end, he realized that something was not right about that speculation, and it turned out that the sub-nests were actually spawned from the Black Ink Pool itself.
After having found the solution, things were simple from there.
With a lot of resources invested, Yang Kai constantly gathered the Black Ink Nest’s energy inside of the Black Ink Pool, and at a certain point, the liquid in the Pool began to form waves as if something was about to rise out of it.
Under Yang Kai’s perception, he could clearly feel that it was a new sub-nest.
The black water parted, and a black growth resembling a flower bud emerged, just like the sub-nest that he saw back then at Zha Gu Feudal Lord’s place.
Yang Kai carefully picked it up and breathed a sigh of relief for a job well done.
However, when he considered how many resources it took to create this sub-nest, he could not help but feel speechless inside. It was no wonder why the Feudal Lords who had their own Black Ink Nests would treat them with such importance, and why most of the Feudal Lords had no Black Ink Nest of their own.
The cost to create a sub-nest was not small, so only a few Feudal Lords had the capital to afford one.
Moreover, this was only a Low-Rank sub-nest. It was not hard to imagine just how much it would cost to create a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest. It would probably cost several dozen to 100 times the amount of resources.
Ou Yang Lie rushed over after receiving the news, and as he looked at the sub-nest in Yang Kai’s hand, not even as large as one’s palm, he clicked his tongue in wonder, “Is this what a Black Ink Nest looks like when it’s just been spawned?”
“Indeed. I’ve seen one before in the hands of a Feudal Lord, and it is no different.”
“What is the next step?” Ou Yang Lie asked.
Yang Kai answered, “Even though the Black Ink Nest has been created, it still requires a significant amount of resources to nurture it. I intend to place this one inside my Small Universe to observe. If all goes well, then more sub-nests can be bred for the creation of our intelligence network.”
“Good!” Ou Yang Lie nodded. Yang Kai was not afraid of being corrupted by Black Ink Strength, so it did not matter if the Black Ink Nest was placed inside of his Small Universe. No one else would not have the guts to do such a thing.
The Humans simply knew too little about the Black Ink Nests, and were ignorant in many ways in regards to them. Take the last time for example. If Yang Kai had not entered the Black Ink Nest Space alone and caused the Territory Lords to suffer huge losses with the help of his Soul Warming Lotus and Soul Rending Thorns, then the Humans would not have known that a higher-rank Black Ink Nest could cut off connection with their lower rank sub-nests.
The Black Ink Nests were the foundation of the Black Ink Clan. If they could uncover all the secrets of the Black Ink Nests, then the Human Race may have less to lose against the Black Ink Clan in the future.
The Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest in the possession of the Great Evolution Army was particularly valuable for that purpose.
Inside of his Small Universe, Yang Kai found a suitable area to plant the Low-Rank sub-nest before using his World Force to seal off a large area around its vicinity, creating a kind of Forbidden Zone.
In this manner, none of the living beings inside of his Small Universe, whether they be part of the Human Race or the Small Stone Race, could possibly get close to the Black Ink Nest, which also prevented it from being damaged unnecessarily.
There was less to worry about with the Human Race as even if they did approach it by accident, it was unlikely for them to raise their hands against this strange thing. However, it was hard to say what the Small Stone Race would do. This was a race with low sentience and acted entirely based on their instinct. Heavens know what reaction they would have if they ever saw the Black Ink Nest.
Incubating the Black Ink Nest was not difficult. Back then, Yang Kai saw how Zha Gu was able to grow his own Black Ink Nest, so he had some idea of what he had to do.
In fact, when he brought the Low-Rank Black Ink Nest into his Small Universe, Yang Kai had already sensed something unusual about it.
From his knowledge of Black Ink Nests accumulated over the years, he could almost conclude that the Black Ink Nests were living things rather than inanimate objects. That was because each Black Ink Nest possessed a consciousness of their own, only that it had no Will.
If it was a living thing, then it should naturally have its own instincts.
The Black Ink Nest’s instinct was to devour all kinds of energy to turn it into nutrients for itself, especially World Force, which for it, was considered the greatest delicacy in the world.
Naturally, there was no lack of World Force inside of Yang Kai’s Small Universe, so it was not strange for the Black Ink Nest to react after arriving at this place.
Yang Kai did not try and suppress it, but rather allowed the nest to devour the energy.
As his madly World Force drained away, the Black Ink Nest, which was not even the size of a palm before, could be seen growing at a visible rate.
And, perhaps due to how pure and rich Yang Kai’s World Force was, the speed at which the Black Ink Nest grew far surpassed that of the growth rate he saw with Zha Gu back then.
After just a few days inside of the Small Universe, the Black Ink Nest had already grown to the height of a man.
A few more days passed, and it was already many metres tall.
More days passed, and it reached as tall as a tall building, and one had to crane their necks to look upon it.
In a month, the small Black Ink Nest had grown to a gigantic size. Even though it could continue to grow, Yang Kai could perceive that no matter what, it couldn’t grow as fast as it did before. At the very most, it would only increase in size a little bit at a time.
Once it reached this point, it was more or less ready.
Controlling his World Force, Yang Kai poured it inside, and the Black Ink Nest resembling a large flower bud expanded and contracted, spreading out rich Black Ink Strength in all directions.
If Yang Kai did not restrict it, then this Black Ink Strength would surely spread out to cover his entire Small Universe, and if that were to happen, all the living beings inside would surely suffer. All of the Humans and the Small Stone Race would likely transform into Black Ink Disciples.
However, as this place was his Small Universe and with the assistance of the World Tree clone, he could control everything with a single thought.
The large area he had previously sealed off with his power was the limit of where the Black Ink Strength could spread. This was also the place where he was going to raise some Black Ink Clansmen, and where they would live.
Only when the entire area became suitable for the survival of the Black Ink Clan did Yang Kai stop and begin using the Black Ink Nest to nurture some Black Ink Clansmen.
Inside of the Small Universe, the current Void Dao Temple was thriving with the elite cultivators from across the entire Void Continent gathered in one place, each of them a rarely seen talent in the outside world. In fact, if their talent was low, then they would not have even been able to enter the Void Dao Temple to begin with.
The Dao Temple had more resources than any Sect in the World and provided cultivators an excellent environment for training. There was also a vast collection of books that were inaccessible to the common man.
The entire Void Dao Temple had already become a self-sustaining entity of his own after being in operation for thousands of years.
The spiritual source of the Dao Temple was, of course, Dao Lord Yang Kai, whose Small Universe was rumoured to be the entire Void Continent, and that everyone was living inside of his Small Universe.
Though they revered him, the Dao Lord was only a legendary figure to them.
The ones in charge of the Dao Temple on the surface were the Temple Master and Deacons, whose aptitudes may not be better than the disciples of the Dao Temple, but they excelled in terms of life experience. All of them were Emperor Realm Masters originating from the top great forces of the Void Continent, so they were mature and stable Seniors, responsible in handling some of the Dao Temple’s administrative matters.
Generally, the Temple Master and the Deacons did not interfere with the cultivation of the Dao Temple’s disciples, and to tell the truth, they were oftentimes unable to even manage them. That was because of the gap present between them whether in terms of talent or current strength.
Most of the time, the only thing they could do was provide care in their daily lives and also logistical assistance.
From a certain point on, a new tradition was born in the Dao Temple. At the end of every year, the disciples of the Dao Temple would burn incense and pray to the Dao Lord Yang Kai’s statue under the leadership of the Temple Master and the Deacons for the good fortune of the disciples of the Dao Temple in the coming year.
The huge and majestic statue which stood at the centre of the square inside of the Void Dao Temple was said to be crafted by the hands of the first Temple Master.
It was because the Temple Master of that generation had seen the Dao Lord with his own eyes.
That day of every year was also the one filled with most excitement in the Dao Temple. As long as one did not have important matters to attend to or was in secluded retreat, they would generally be present.
It was a day of both incense burning and worship.
Thousands of disciples, led by the Temple Master and Deacons, burned incense and bowed down to pray in order.
The disciples were all looking forward to the exciting days to come after this. That was because the day after prayer day was always a time for the disciples to step onto the field and spar with each other, testing the results of what they had learnt during the year. Especially for those who had not been inducted into the Dao Temple for long and whose abilities were still not very strong, they needed to make good use of these few days as it was a time when they could seek out their Seniors to ask for advice on cultivation.
Usually, these powerful Seniors were all in retreat, so they couldn’t be found even if they wanted to seek them out.
At the same time, the Dao Temple’s shopping district would also be open for the disciples to pick up anything they fancied.
Burning incense and praying had now become a major festival in the Void Dao Temple, affecting the entire Void Continent along with it. On this day, the sound of gongs and drums reverberated through the sky with great festivity.
As was always the case in previous years, everything progressed without a hitch; however, just as the ritual was coming to a close, an unnatural wave of energy suddenly spread out.
Everyone in the square looked up in shock as if they had been drawn in by something, all looking up at the statue.
What they saw shook their hearts.
This couldn’t be helped, as the eyes of the statue, which was supposed to be inanimate, were now glowing and filled with spirituality. It was as if the entire statue had come to life.
Everyone felt as if they were being watched silently as the statue’s gaze swept over them.
A commotion broke out instantly among the crowd.
[Is the Dao Lord making an appearance?]
Not to mention the ordinary disciples of the Dao Temple, even the Temple Master and Deacons themselves had no idea what was happening.
In the midst of the confusion, a powerful Divine Sense exploded in everyone’s minds, transmitting a message to them.
“Void Continent, the Black Ink Clan has invaded. If left alone, life will perish and the World will collapse. Disciples of the Dao Temple must set an example. It is your inescapable duty to slay the Black Ink Clan and destroy evil.”
The same words were repeated three times. When the crowd came back to their senses, the statue returned to normal.
After a few moments of silence, the disciples broke out into an uproar, discussing in groups with Divine Senses passing to and fro.
Many of the Dao Temple’s disciples were in the Emperor Realm so they could naturally guess that the Dao Lord must have transmitted a message to them through the statue. This could almost be said to be the Dao Lord’s guidance.
However, Black Ink Clan in the Void Continent?
The Dao Temple had some knowledge of the Black Ink Clan and knew that the Dao Lord was currently in the midst of a great war with the Black Ink Clan, and the cultivators who walked out of this Void Continent would also join the battle alongside the Dao Lord while facing the risk of losing their lives at any moment. Anyone without that awareness was in no position to make that step.
However, they never imagined that the enemy would one day appear in this Void World.
Could their Dao Lord have fallen into an unfavourable position in his fight outside, thus causing his Small Universe to be infested by the Black Ink Clan?
No one knew the answer, but the message from the Dao Lord was still clearly guiding them, pointing in a certain direction.
The Dao Temple’s Temple Master and Deacons briefly conferred with each other and decided to follow the lead to see what was going on.
A few moments later, three figures took to the skies, heading in the direction where the Dao Lord had pointed them in while the rest of the Deacons stayed behind to pacify the many disciples.
Some days later, the three figures who set off from the Dao Temple stopped and gazed at the murky void in the distance. That place seemed as if it had been stained with ink with an immensely evil power surging inside of it. The oldest of them, the Temple Master, muttered, “The peaceful days of the Void Continent are over.”
Even from such a great distance, the malevolence of the black power there could be felt, so what would it be like if they were to face it personally?
The Deacon on the left was thoughtful, “The Void Continent has been peaceful since the advent of the Dao Temple, and the disciples are lacking in hardship during their training. This may be an opportunity to change that.”
Before the advent of the Void Dao Temple, battle was quite common on the Continent, with each major Sect vying for territory, talents, and resources. Large fights would often break out and even the eradication of an entire Sect was a common occurrence.
One can say that though the average realm of the cultivators on the Void Continent back then was low and gifted people were rare, many heroes fought bravely and fiercely.
However, since the emergence of the Void Dao Temple, all of the cultivators on the continent put their focus on the Dao Temple and were most proud that their disciples could be chosen by it. Who would care about other trivial matters?
It was good that there were no large-scale wars since that meant fewer people suffered and died.
However, this was not an entirely good thing either since the cultivators raised in such an environment would lack the insight and honing of trials of life and death. No matter how high their cultivations became, if they did not encounter any great difficulties along the way, then it would also be hard to entrust them with serious and dangerous missions.
Many years ago, some of the Dao Temple’s Elders realized this problem, but there was no suitable way for them to solve it. They could not just pick an excuse for the Dao Temple’s disciples to kill each other, right?
Even if there was some tension between the large Sects, they would simply exchange weapons of war for gifts of jade and silk upon the intervention of the Dao Temple’s disciples’ mediation.
After all, every Sect now more or less had a few disciples who were cultivating in the Dao Temple.
The appearance of the Black Ink Clan might solve that problem.
The old Temple Master said thoughtfully, “Do you mean to say that this situation is the Dao Lord’s intention?”
The Deacon quickly waved his hands, “A trivial person like me dares not speculate on the Dao Lord’s thoughts. I was just putting it forth as I see it.”
The Temple Master pondered for a moment and said nothing more. As the Deacon said, the appearance of the Black Ink Clan in the Void Continent may not be a bad thing. The disciples of the Dao Temple could make use of it to hone themselves in the future.
The Deacon who spoke earlier looked left and right before saying, “This is a suitable place to set up a base. If we can build a defence line here, then with the Dao Temple’s disciples as the main force and the major Sects providing auxiliary support, we can stop the spread of the Black Ink Clan and protect the peace of Void Continent’s mortals.”
The Temple Master nodded lightly, “Very good!”
With the decision made, one of the three men stayed behind to monitor the movements of the Black Ink Clan while the others hurried back to the Dao Temple. Immediately afterwards, the entire Void Dao Temple was mobilized.
The Dao Temple’s disciples came from all corners of the Void Continent, so as soon as they were mobilized, the forces of the Sects behind them would also begin to move.
In less than a month’s time, a towering fortress was built in the open lands, facing the Black Ink Clan.
As if by some divine providence, a large batch of oddly shaped monsters covered in the colour of Black Ink came to attack as soon as construction was complete.
The Void Continent’s cultivators had known of the existence of the Black Ink for many years, but this was the first time they had seen them, even though these Black Ink Clansmen were just serfs who were hardly worth mentioning in the outside world.
During the battle, the Dao Temple’s disciples charged forward and felled many enemies; however, it was unavoidable for there to be some who were accidentally tainted by Black Ink Strength out of carelessness.
Those who were corrupted by Black Ink Strength all lost their wills and began siding with the enemy.
At this time, the Dao Lord passed down another decree, granting them the refining techniques for the Purifying Black Ink Pill. It was only by countering the Black Ink Strength with this method that they were able to avert danger.
After several victories, the Dao Temple’s disciples wanted to make a counter-attack to cut off the problem at its source, but the Black Ink Strength was so dangerous that it was difficult to progress, thus they were forced to abort their plans to launch a counter-offensive halfway through and retreat to the fortress to gather their strength.
Years went by with this pattern continuing.
Yang Kai opened his eyes. The situation in his Small Universe had already stabilized, and with the energy supplied by his own Small Universe, the Low-Rank Black Ink Nest was able to produce a steady stream of new Black Ink Clansmen. Once they reached a certain level of strength, they would attack the Human defence line and further hone the Dao Temple’s disciples.
These Black Ink Clansmen were not very strong at the moment; after all, their growth period had been too short, so the Dao Temple disciples were enough to deal with them with ease. However, as time passed, stronger and stronger Black Ink Clansmen would begin to appear, so Yang Kai believed that it would become more difficult for them to be dealt with.
However, Yang Kai was mainly intending to train his future troops, allowing the Dao Temple’s disciples to familiarize themselves with the special characteristics of the Black Ink Clan early on, so he naturally would not let things get out of hand.
So, no matter how the Black Ink Clan grew, there was still a limit. They couldn’t surpass the Dao Temple in strength.
Doing so was a great burden to Yang Kai.
After all, the power being absorbed by the Black Ink Nest was the World Force of his own Small Universe.
Yang Kai had already prepared a large amount of resources for the Black Ink Nest to refine, but soon, he realized that he had been worried for nothing.
The Black Ink Nest gave birth to Black Ink Clansmen, and the Dao Temple’s disciples killed them. That in itself was a part of the cycle of life and death, which resulted in a large amount of World Force being produced in his Small Universe.
Even though it was not equivalent to the amount being devoured by the Black Ink Nest, it was better than his energy being consumed one-sidedly.
Currently, though Yang Kai’s Small Universe had expended a lot, he also received sizable returns. It was not an equal exchange, but it was still much better than what Yang Kai had initially anticipated.
By occasionally supplying some resources for the Black Ink Nest to refine and absorb, the loss of World Force in his Small Universe could be disregarded.
Yang Kai’s Small Universe right now was more or less like a miniature Black Ink Battlefield. It seemed that since ancient times, Humans had always had an indescribable tacit understanding on how to deal with foreign enemies.
He had not given the Dao Temple any detailed instructions on what to do, but the Dao Temple had done exactly what the Humans did on the Black Ink Battlefield. They built a fortress similar to the Great Passes and used it as a shield against enemy invasion.
With this large-scale tempering exercise now set up, Yang Kai believed that the next time disciples walked out of his Small Universe, they would carry a different spirit compared to those who came out before.
Fighting and killing should become natural to them! It was impossible to avoid death if they joined the Black Ink Battlefield.
He was looking forward to it.
Over the years, Yang Kai had researched all there was to know about the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest in the possession of the Humans, and also created some Low-Rank sub-nests with its power.
Ou Yang Lie sent these sub-nests to Great Evolution Pass while Mi Jing Lun arranged for men to incubate them in different places so that they could test out the intelligence network.
The results were a success. The Low-Rank sub-nests were able to communicate with each other easily through the space of the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest no matter how far away they were.
Whether or not there was a limit to that distance was yet to be determined; however, the closure of the Black Ink Nest Space and the severance between the connection of higher and lower rank Black Ink Nests had already been tested.
It was Yang Kai who carried out this research.
Since he had been standing inside of the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest these past years, testing matters such as these should naturally be left to him.
When the Humans connected to the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest’s consciousness via the sub-nests and communicated with each other, Yang Kai discovered that he could sense everything without deliberately looking into it.
That was because the space that they were communicating inside of was created by the consciousness of the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest that he was overseeing, so he was aware of everything that happened within it.
Yang Kai could even urge the Black Ink Nest’s consciousness to seal off the Black Ink Nest’s space completely.
Just like what he encountered back then inside of the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest Space, he could block or sever the connection to any specific Low-Rank sub-nest.
The connection could be easily restored if it was merely blocked, but if it was severed completely, then it appeared irreversible. It was equivalent to giving up on the connection between them forever.
In Ou Yang Lie’s words, it was like a mother driving out her rebellious son, forbidding him from entering the house ever again.
The results of these experiments were very valuable for the Human Race.
If Yang Kai had known this information beforehand, he would not have been trapped inside the Black Ink Nest Space for 3 years.
However, Yang Kai could not figure out whether the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest had merely blocked off the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest that he was occupying, or if the connection had been severed completely.
Naturally, it would be for the best if it were the latter, then the two of them would not have to deal with each other in the future; however, if it were the former, then they would have to be careful. If the Black Ink Clan suddenly restored that connection, then there was a high chance that they would launch an attack and make the Humans overseeing the Black Ink Nests suffer a serious loss.
So, if Yang Kai was to oversee the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest, then he had to be careful and prepared at all times.
Great Evolution Pass, Dawn’s courtyard.
During Yang Kai’s many years of absence, the courtyard that Dawn had been assigned to had been beautifully tended by the several female members of the Squad and was filled with fragrant flowers.
Inside of the courtyard was a small bridge with flowing water underneath it, giving the place an idyllic appearance.
At this moment, in the garden, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was lounging lazily on a taishi armchair, sunbathing with narrowed eyes, appearing very comfortable.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai stood to the side with a bitter look on his face.
He had been ordered to return recently to help out with repairing the Great Pass.
The matters regarding the Black Ink Nest had already come to an end and all immediate issues had been worked out. The Black Ink Nest’s capabilities had all been passed on to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master taking his place in overseeing the Black Ink Nest, and there was nothing that anyone could not be rest assured about with an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master taking on that task.
However, Yang Kai reckoned that the ones in charge of overseeing the Black Ink Nest in the future were likely going to do so in rotation.
After all, not everyone was like him, able to ignore the encroachment of Black Ink Strength. Even though Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were stronger than him cultivation-wise, Yang Kai had a unique advantage in being able to resist the corruption of Black Ink Strength.
So, the person in charge of overseeing the Black Ink Nest would have to be replaced at regular intervals, and with great frequency at that.
With the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters taking over, Yang Kai was also happy to regain his freedom and returned to the Inner Sanctum decisively.
These years, he had not been taking part in the rebuilding of Great Evolution Pass since he had been tangled up with matters concerning the Black Ink Nest. When he returned to Great Evolution Pass after more than a decade, he discovered that it had changed completely,
The entirety of Great Evolution Pass was filled with a sombre atmosphere, something that was always absent when the Black Ink Clan occupied this place. Great Evolution Pass now finally regained some semblance of how it once was when the Humans controlled it.
The Great Passes of the Humans could only bring out their true potential in the hands of Humans.
The restoration of Great Evolution Pass was still in progress, and it was impossible for construction to be completed without at least 100 years of effort. After all, there were far too many Spirit Arrays throughout the Great Pass, and many artifacts also needed to be repaired or replaced.
In fact, Yang Kai was a little bit confused as to why they were doing this. Currently, the foundation of the Black Ink Clan in Great Evolution Theatre had been severely damaged. There was simply no way for them to be able to attack the Great Pass again, so what was the difference whether they heavily fortified and armed Great Evolution Pass or not?
As things stood, as long as the Humans did not let their guard down, then the Black Ink Clan should never even think about having the chance to retake Great Evolution Pass.
Moreover, if he was right, then the Human Race’s crusade should not be too far off. Once the Human Army took the initiative to strike, then what would the various fortifications be used for?
However, despite his doubts, the higher-ups surely had their own reasons to do so, and he was not arrogant enough to question them.
When he returned to Dawn’s courtyard, all of Dawn’s members happened to be resting.
Everyone in Dawn had been busy rebuilding Great Evolution Pass, only receiving some free time during the past two months. However, they would have to start work again after resting for another month.
As they chatted, Yang Kai suddenly remembered something and immediately took it out.
It was the beef given to him by Wind and Cloud Pass’ Old Ancestor when he went there to test the Space Array and pass on a report.
He had originally intended for it to be made into soup to share with the members of Dawn, but he had been busy all this while with the Black Ink Nest without any time to spare, so now was the right opportunity to bring it out.
Though Yang Kai originally meant for it to nourish his Squad member’s bodies, it had no such effect.
It was just ordinary beef, while even the weakest in Dawn were in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Even a gift from Wind and Cloud Pass’ Old Ancestor, if it had no spirituality, was nothing more than normal food.
However, it was still a gift from an Old Ancestor, which made it much more symbolic than practical. So, while everyone was free, Yang Kai decided to take it out and share it with everyone.
He had only mentioned that it was a gift from Wind and Cloud Pass’ Old Ancestor, but without saying anything else, Dawn’s members were naturally greatly looking forward to it.
Feng Ying led a few female members to handle the beef and simmer it into soup while Shen Ao and the others brought out long tables and benches, set out some fruit plates and fine wine, and then prepared for a big feast.
This was a rare occasion for everyone on the Black Ink Battlefield, where they could all get together and relax, so they naturally cherished the moment well.
Even Ning Qi Zhi, who was still recovering from his injuries, was helping out.
After years of recuperation, Ning Qi Zhi’s injuries have improved considerably. It should only take a few more years before he fully recovered.
Dawn’s members were drinking and chatting with each other, having a carefree time.
The Old Ancestor had then arrived, drawn over through the fragrance in the air. Yang Kai had no idea how the Old Ancestor’s nose came about, but when the smell of their soup wafted over, she came running over to get a bowl of her own.
Naturally, nobody dared to not welcome the Old Ancestor. In fact, her visit was a great honour for everyone in Dawn.
Only Yang Kai stood by the Old Ancestor’s side with a gloomy face. Looking up, a Great Sun could be seen hanging in the air, and he could feel the power in his Small Universe flowing out of him as if a floodgate had been opened.
“What are you pulling that bitter face for? All I’m asking for is a bit of sunshine from you, is that so difficult?” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao muttered disgruntledly without even raising her eyes.
Yang Kai smacked his lips, “But, Old Ancestor, it takes a lot from me to maintain this Divine Manifestation.”
The Great Sun hanging in the air was no Sun at all, but rather Yang Kai’s Golden Crow Casts the Sun Divine Manifestation.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao liked bathing in the Sun, a habit that she picked up inside his Small Universe.
During her youth with the hunter couple, the hunter personally weaved a wicker chair for the Old Ancestor, and the large wicker chair completely enveloped her small body so that she could sit comfortably in the courtyard and enjoy her leisurely time.
As her teacher at the time, Yang Kai had seen Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao relaxing in her yard countless times.
The hunter couple were mortals in the end, so as they reached the end of their lives 150 years later, they both returned to the Earth.
More than 100 years in Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s life was but a snap of her fingers, but Yang Kai knew just how important those days were to Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, and no matter how much time passed, she would likely never forget even a moment of that period.
Feng Ying came at just the right time to save the day. The beef soup was done, and she brought a bowl over.
Yang Kai accepted the bowl from her and handed it to the Old Ancestor with respect, “Your meal, Old Ancestor.”
Only then did Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao open her eyes and sit up. Taking the bowl from him, she threw her head back and drank it.
Taking advantage of this moment, Yang Kai quickly withdrew his Divine Manifestation.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao glared at him while she was drinking her soup, but Yang Kai pretended not to have seen it.
In just a few breaths of time, the bowl of soup was emptied. The Old Ancestor wiped the fat from her mouth using her sleeve without any care for her image and pouted, “How petty.”
Yang Kai raised a brow.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao said, “Let’s talk about that old man. You spent all that effort to visit him and this is all he gave you?”
Yang Kai answered, “What else should he give, then? I wouldn’t dare to ask for more either.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao lectured him, “The next time you have the opportunity to see him, go and find the old ox with a broken horn and cut some of its flesh. That meat is very nourishing, and just one bite will give even better effects than 100 years of cultivating!”
While speaking, she had even begun to salivate.
Yang Kai quickly moved to cover her. If the members of Dawn were to see the Old Ancestor like this, she might lose all authority in their eyes. Even if the Old Ancestor did not care about her image, he still had to help defend it, which was tiring work.
“That ox… Is there something special about it?”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao explained, “That old man has been taking care of that ox for many years, so it’s brimming with spirituality. The other oxen are the common descendants of that old ox that old man often brings out as gifts to others, but you all act grateful as if it’s some good thing.”
Yang Kai carefully recalled when he saw Wind and Cloud Pass’ Old Ancestor that day, and there was indeed an old ox with a broken horn on its head.
The ‘many years’ that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao spoke of was probably far upwards of 10,000 years.
Any being that old was most likely incredibly powerful…
Yang Kai shook his head like a rattle-drum, “I wouldn’t dare.”
Moreover, without even mentioning whether or not he would be a match for the ox, how could Wind and Cloud Pass’ Old Ancestor take things lying down if he really did cut the flesh from his prized ox?
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was the one who wanted to eat beef, yet she came to incite him. It was simply unreasonable.
As they were talking, a loud laugh was suddenly heard in the distance, “What a strong fragrance of meat. Yang Boy, did you make preparations beforehand knowing that you had guests coming?”
Following the emergence of the voice, Xu Ling Gong appeared, coming in a large stride with two of his disciples behind him, Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue.
When he came over and saw the Old Ancestor, Xu Ling Gong put away his smile immediately and like a Daughter-in-Law seeing her In-laws, he came respectfully before the Old Ancestor and bowed, “10,000 blessings to the Old Ancestor!”
While speaking, he made a look at Yang Kai, asking why the Old Ancestor was here.
Yang Kai returned the look, meaning that the Old Ancestor came to ask for food.
Xu Ling Gong understood.
There was not a single person from Yin-Yang Pass who did not know of Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s gluttony.
In fact, Xu Ling Gong was not here for any business, just that he had been badly injured during their siege at the Royal City and had been recuperating in the years after they occupied Great Evolution Pass. After that, as Yang Kai was busy handling the matters concerning the Black Ink Nest, the two never got the chance to see each other.
Now that he heard that Yang Kai had returned to Great Evolution Pass, he decided to come over for a visit, but who would have thought that he would bump into Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao here?
That made him a little uneasy.
Even though Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was easygoing and did not put on airs, she was still an Old Ancestor. In all of Great Evolution Pass, apart from Yang Kai who had the guts to forgo formalities in front of her, nobody dared to act so presumptuously.
Instead of catching up with Yang Kai, Xu Ling Gong was called over by Shen Ao and the others to come in with his two Disciples and to share soup and wine with Dawn, and they soon settled in.
To the side, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had another bowl of soup and smacked her lips, looking as if she still hadn’t had enough. When Yang Kai went to grab her a third bowl, the Old Ancestor stopped him.
“One does not do the same thing thrice. Two bowls of this stuff are good enough. There’s no reason to have a third bowl.”
Yang Kai was tempted to say, [Why don’t you ever say that when you’re eating candied fruit and steamed stuffed buns?]
The Old Ancestor seemed to notice what he wanted to say and frowned, “What are you thinking?”
Yang Kai answered decisively, “Nothing at all.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao snorted and continued, “Inside of the Black Ink Nest Space, you fought against the Black Ink Clan alone, and as a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, you killed or injured 11 Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples. That’s a huge merit, so tell me, is there anything you want? If it’s not too much, I will happily fulfil it.”
Mi Jing Lun had mentioned this to Yang Kai before, but there was nothing that Yang Kai particularly wanted right now.
He had no shortage of Military Merits. The amount he had accumulated after fighting bloody battle after bloody battle with the Black Ink Clan all these years was already enormous.
He did not wish to cultivate any other Secret Techniques of other Cave Heavens or Paradises as the two Eye Secret Techniques of Myriad Demons Heaven were enough for him to digest for a long time to come. Things such as Secret Techniques should be strong in quality rather than high in numbers.
He had no shortage of cultivation resources either. In fact, right now, no one on the Human side lacked resources.
“Don’t say you don’t want anything,” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao stopped Yang Kai before he could speak, “Big Head Mi is right. Even if you do not want a reward for such a great achievement, the Great Evolution Army still needs to show our appreciation; otherwise, it would seem as if the allotted rewards and punishments are unclear and our system is handled poorly. Now that I happen to be here, I might as well handle this matter.”
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, to think that even a reward could be forced upon someone.
But really, why ‘Big Head Mi’? Ou Yang Lie called him that, and even the Old Ancestor was calling him that.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but ask, “Why refer to Senior Mi as such?”
The Old Ancestor said leisurely, “That man has a mind as vast as the sea, so is his head not big? Big Head Xiang is also the same.”
Yang Kai rubbed his forehead…
[Wonderful.] Not only was there a Big Head Mi in Great Evolution Pass, there was even a Big Head Xiang now. Yang Kai had a deep suspicion that this name actually started from the Old Ancestor.
“You haven’t told me what reward you want yet. I came here personally, so you can’t make me leave empty-handed, can you?” The Old Ancestor urged him.
Yang Kai was about to tell her that there was nothing that he wanted, but then he suddenly saw a graceful figure appearing and placing a bowl of beef soup down in front of Miao Fei Ping, red tinging her shy cheeks before she mustered in a tender voice, “Senior Brother Mao, please have some soup.”
Miao Fei Ping answered politely, “Many thanks, Junior Sister.”
The woman waved her hands, “Senior Brother is too polite.”
At once, Yang Kai pointed with his hand, “Xiao Cai was born from my Small Universe and cultivates the Dao of Space. I have the intention to nurture her properly. If I’m ever too busy in the future, she can help me handle some matters relating to the Dao of Space. I would like to ask Old Ancestor to please allow her to enter Dawn and become one of my Dawn Squad’s members.”
He did not speak very loudly, but how could Xiao Cai not have heard it? She was stunned in place and turned to look at Yang Kai in astonishment.
Since advancing into the Open Heaven Realm, she had been assigned to a different Squad just like the other cultivators who came out of Yang Kai’s Small Universe; however, she would still come around to Dawn to help out now and then.
Now that they had good things to share, Feng Ying naturally would not forget to call this young woman over.
Only, Xiao Cai never thought that she would encounter such a thing today.
Naturally, it was her dream to join Dawn, but after accepting Blood Crow and the others, Dawn was already full. The Army had its own system and it was impossible for them to make exceptions, so Xiao Cai knew that unless someone from Dawn fell in battle, she would never be able to join them.
However, if that opportunity were to come, it would mean that heavy casualties were sustained in both Dawn and the Squad that she was in leading to a mass culling of their numbers.
This was something that she was unwilling to see no matter what.
Yang Kai’s sudden comment came as a pleasant surprise to her, but she also felt at a loss, unsure of what to do for a moment.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was also surprised, “Oh? Are you planning to take on a Disciple? That’s not a problem. Most of these little ones who come from your Small Universe have traces of your Daos, so there would be no one more suitable to guide them than you.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “I don’t need to go as far as taking in a Disciple. I can just give her a few pointers here and there.”
Yang Kai was not even done raising his current three Disciples, so how could he take on another?
To him, three Disciples were already sufficient. In his life, he was proficient in three Grand Daos, and so three Disciples was just right to receive one inheritance each.
It made him feel a little ashamed to say that he had not done his duty as a Master to his three Disciples, only tutoring them earnestly during their time inside of his Small Universe.
Since they came out of his Small Universe, not to mention teaching them, even seeing them was difficult.
Yang Kai did not even know how the three little ones were doing now, but obviously, with their aptitudes, and them living in the Open Heaven Realm Cradle of the Star Boundary, their future achievements should be boundless.
The Old Ancestor said after pondering for a moment, “Dawn is already full at 50 members. Reasonably, you can’t accept anyone else; however, since you asked, we can make one exception, just this once, but it will not become a precedent.”
“Many thanks, Old Ancestor!” Yang Kai bowed.
Over on the other side, Xiao Cai also thanked them with great glee. With the golden word from the Old Ancestor, it meant that she was one of Dawn’s members from now on.
The Old Ancestor waved her hand and looked thoughtfully at Yang Kai, “Was it worth it to you, exchanging such a large merit for this condition?”
Yang Kai smiled, “Merits are dead but people are alive. These things cannot be compared.”
The Old Ancestor nodded lightly and stood up from her seat, “I’m tired. I’m going back to sleep.”
Saying so, she disappeared in a flash.
“Farewell, Old Ancestor!” Everyone stood up in unison a saluted.
With the Old Ancestor gone, the atmosphere also became livelier. The crowd mingled with each other, exchanging glasses and drinking freely.
As they chatted, Xu Ling Gong was stunned to learn that the soup was made from the beef gifted by Wind and Cloud Pass’ Old Ancestor, and soon he sank into a state of introspection.
All eyes turned to him.
The aura inside of Xu Ling Gong’s body suddenly fluctuated in a not-too-natural way, and the noise in the courtyard transformed into noises of wonder and excitement.
Holding the wine cup in his hand, Xu Ling Gong grinned, “I thought there was something strange about this soup, but it turns out it was a gift from an Old Ancestor. Its effects are extraordinary indeed. After gaining such an opportunity today, I can’t let the Old Ancestor’s kindness go to waste. I will go and advance to the Eighth Order at once. Everyone, please wait for my good news.”
With those words, he drained his wine and took to the skies, his aura still fluctuating incessantly.
He left the crowd to stare at each other and click their tongues in wonder.
Yang Kai did not say much when he took out the beef and handed it to Feng Ying and the others to make soup with, only informing them about its source.
The rest of Dawn was filled with anticipation; after all, it was a gift from an Old Ancestor, so it might have some extraordinary effects.
But when they heard what Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao said after drinking the soup, there was no way that they did not know that this beef was just an ordinary thing without any special effects at all.
Only that the Old Ancestor of Wind and Cloud Pass had raised the ox well, and so the meat was able to impart a deep flavour to the soup.
Xu Ling Gong came later and did not hear what Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao said. He did not know the truth of the matter and only heard by chance that it was a gift from an Old Ancestor, so it was a real surprise that he had been blessed by it.
Both Xu Ling Gong’s Disciples were confused at the strange reaction of the crowd, so Qing Kui asked Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, what’s going on?”
Yang Kai laughed, “It’s nothing. Martial Uncle Xu is advancing to the Eighth Order. This is a rare opportunity, so I will go and stand guard for him.”
As he spoke, he had already taken to the air.
Rather than call it standing guard, it was more accurate to call it observing and emulating. In fact, the moment Xu Ling Gong departed, Great Evolution Pass was filled with countless figures taking to the air, a number of whom were in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
They had also sensed the fluctuation of Xu Ling Gong’s aura and realized that someone was going to break through to the Eighth Order. Even if none of them knew him before today, they would still take the initiative to stand guard for him.
Most of these people were in the Seventh Order, and among them, many were also qualified to take the same step. In the Black Ink Battlefield, even though a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master advancing to the Eighth-Order was not a once-in-a-millennium event, it wasn’t common either. It was rare for them to encounter such an opportunity, so they would naturally take this chance to observe the process so that when it was their turn to break through in the future, they at least had an example to learn from.
The qualified Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Dawn also followed suit.
Those under the Seventh Order did not move. Their goal for the time being was to advance to the Seventh Order, so Xu Ling Gong’s breakthrough was of little use to them. Premature exposure would not be beneficial to their cultivation either.
Feng Ying flew side by side with Yang Kai, asking through her Divine Sense, “That meat… is there some sort of mystery behind it?”
Yang Kai laughed, “What mystery could there be? The Old Ancestor said that it was just an ordinary item. You drank the soup too, but did you feel anything special about it?”
Feng Ying shook her head.
Yang Kai said, “This is likely just Martial Uncle Xu’s opportunity. Speaking of which, it has been many years since Martial Uncle Xu advanced to the Seventh Order, so he should have reached the critical point to advance to the Eighth Order. During the attack on the Royal City, he was heavily injured, so perhaps he gained some insight while teetering between life and death. When he heard that the meat was a gift from an Old Ancestor, he formed a preconceived notion that it was some sort of divine treasure. Perhaps that spark of inspiration was all he needed to make this next step.”
This was Yang Kai’s guess, but it should be close to the truth; otherwise, there was no way to explain why Xu Ling Gong would suddenly sense an opportunity for a breakthrough.
This was not the work of the Old Ancestor’s gift, but rather Xu Ling Gong’s own opportunity.
In the void, Xu Ling Gong stood alone with the aura inside his body churning like a tidal wave. He was making the final preparations before advancing.
Millions of kilometres away, Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters stood ready in case anything were to happen. Even though they wouldn’t be of much help if something critical went wrong during Xu Ling Gong’s breakthrough, they could still provide a small amount of guidance, which may turn the situation around for Xu Ling Gong at a crucial moment.
Further out were the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, watching from afar.
Even Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao in Great Evolution Pass was looking over in his direction at this moment.
The battle to retake Great Evolution Pass caused nearly half of the Great Evolution Army’s Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to be lost. Now that there were signs of a Seventh-Order Master making a breakthrough, she naturally would not ignore it.
Breakthroughs in the Open Heaven Realm were different from those below it. Below the Open Heaven Realm, the advancement to a new Great Realm was accompanied by a baptism from the Heavenly Way, which was naturally a risk that came from the outside world.
However, after a Small Universe was created inside the body of an Open Heaven Realm Master, breaking through each Order was really an advancement in one’s Small Universe, so all of the dangers came from within, which could be said to be even more dangerous. The slightest mistake could cause irreparable damage.
As time passed, Xu Ling Gong’s aura tumbled more and more violently. Where he stood, a Small Universe vaguely appeared, and this entire World was expanding and contracting, changing incessantly.
That Small Universe was a manifestation of his Martial Dao and all he had comprehended on that journey.
As time passed, the Small Universe gradually grew in size. This growth was destined to break through the limits of the Seventh Order and reach the ranks of the Eighth Order.
The breakthrough took just over a month, which was considered an extremely short amount of time. As expected of Xu Ling Gong as a veteran Seventh-Order. He had a strong heritage and a solid foundation, so even though the advancement process was not completely smooth, it was still calm and steady.
It was clear that he had been preparing for this day for many years.
Every Open Heaven Realm Master with plans to advance to the Eighth Order was the same. Without sharpening one’s spear before battle, who can guarantee that nothing will go wrong?
At one point, when the might of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm swept through the void, a long cry rang out filled with emotions of joy.
On that day, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Xu Ling Gong successfully advanced to the Eighth Order outside of Great Evolution Pass.
This was the first Human Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to advance in Great Evolution Pass after more than 30,000 years, so it bore great significance.
The Eighth-Order Division Commanders who had been standing guard for more than a month all came forward to congratulate him. Xu Ling Gong exchanged pleasantries with the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters all around with a wide grin on his face, greeting them warmly and happily. It was a proud moment in his life, so why dampen it with restraint and humility?
The Old Ancestor also withdrew her Divine Sense, and soon after, Yang Kai felt a faint fluctuation of Space Principles, appearing for just an instant in Great Evolution Pass.
The corners of his mouth twitched as he realized that the Old Ancestor had used the Space Beacon.
Her intentions were so obvious that even a child could understand.
This was a happy event for the Humans, so how could the Old Ancestor not go to the Royal City to report the good news? Who knew whether the Royal Lord was sick of her yet?
“Let’s go,” Yang Kai called out to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Dawn. Everyone gained something during this observation session. At the very least, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters knew what they should do, and had a better idea of what they were going to encounter when they advanced to the Eighth-Order in the future.
This was very useful knowledge for them, and it would save them from having to go through some detours.
On the way back, everyone was chattering loudly, with only Feng Ying remaining silent.
Yang Kai did not pay too much attention to this small detail along the way, and it was only when they returned to the courtyard that Feng Ying said, “Squad Leader, I want to enter retreat.”
Yang Kai looked at her, a little surprised, “Did you have an epiphany?”
Feng Ying nodded.
Yang Kai smiled, “That’s good. In that case, you better not delay it. Hurry and enter retreat.”
Feng Ying did not hesitate to return to her abode at once, activating the Spirit Array to isolate herself, and began cultivating in retreat.
For Xu Ling Gong to advance to the Eighth-Order with one sip of soup was surprising enough; but now, it seemed possible for that soup to birth two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Yang Kai even began to question whether there truly was some sort of mysterious effect from that beef given to him by the Old Ancestor.
However, he did not notice anything special from the soup he drank and even Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao herself said that it was just an ordinary thing.
Ultimately, opportunities were mysterious and unpredictable things. For many of Dawn’s members, the soup was just a tasty meal, but for Xu Ling Gong, it was an opportunity for a breakthrough.
Observing and emulating Xu Ling Gong’s advancement then resulted in an opportunity for Feng Ying.
Opportunity after opportunity, it was a mysterious and inexplicable thing.
Yang Kai had no idea where his own opportunity lay, but he knew that even if an opportunity were to appear in front of him right now, it would be difficult for him to grasp it because he did not have sufficient accumulation in the Seventh Order yet.
Only when he had raised his cultivation to the limit and accumulated enough experience would he have a chance to advance to the Eighth Order.
Still, Yang Kai had an advantage that could not be matched by others. There were countless living beings inside of his Small Universe being born, living their lives, growing old, getting sick, and dying, constantly increasing his World Force. Additionally, the World Tree clone was always refining that World Force, allowing it to become purer and denser than any other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
The purity of his World Force was the foundation that gave Yang Kai the power to suppress his peers in the Seventh Order. Despite being in the same Realm, he was able to exert power several times that of an ordinary Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he was naturally much stronger. In the long run, it would also provide him with a lot of help when he advanced to the Eighth Order.
Yang Kai had no idea how long it would take for him to reach a breakthrough, but he estimated that it would take at least 1,000 years.
Advancement in the Open Heaven Realm had always been a long journey without any shortcuts.
The renovation and reconstruction of Great Evolution Pass was in full swing. As a Grandmaster Artifact Refiner, Yang Kang was extremely busy too. He collaborated with other Artifact Refiners to refine different large-scale artifacts, and then installed these artifacts as Array Cores in various areas all across Great Evolution Pass.
Now that the Pass’ Space Arrays had been fully repaired, many messages from the outside world could be transmitted through it.
As a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai didn’t have many qualifications to have access to any confidential information, but much news of victory was actually purposefully disclosed by the higher-ups, so everyone would eventually be aware of them.
There was plenty of news of victory, as the Human Race’s disadvantage on the Black Ink Battlefield appeared to have vanished overnight. The battle between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race resulted in a resounding triumph for the latter in most of the recent battles as opposed to the constant stalemates of the past.
On the whole, the Black Ink Clan’s forces seemed to be on the back foot. The Human Race joyously marched across the battlefield in celebration, and just like at Blue Sky Pass, forward bases were constructed in the direction of the Black Ink Clan Royal Cities to reduce the Black Ink Clan’s capacity for movement.
This was the change in the situation that had been in a deadlock for countless aeons. On the battlefront, the Purifying Black Ink Battleships, Black Ink Pills, and Void Yin-Yang Mirrors all played critical roles.
If one traced back all of these innovations, it could be seen that there was one person behind them.
Even taking the entire history of the Great War into account, this individual was without a doubt the one who caused the greatest change on the Black Ink Battlefield.
Yang Kai’s days were incredibly busy, but equally fulfilling; it was even fair to say that the lives of the tens of thousands of soldiers in Great Evolution Pass were all fulfilling. On usual days, they would be busy repairing the Pass. Then, they would cultivate during their breaks.
Originally, it was estimated that Great Evolution Pass’ repairs would take 100 years.
But in reality, everything was only finished after almost 200 years.
The Great Evolution Pass of this day was completely different from when it was occupied by the Black Ink Clan previously. It took about 200 years, tens of thousands of people from the Great Evolution Army, and enormous amounts of energy and resources to restore it back to the state of more than 30,000 years ago.
It could be said that Great Evolution Pass was not any weaker than any of the Great Passes now.
With the current Great Evolution Pass and the Great Evolution Army, the Black Ink Clan would never retake it, even if their foundation was restored.
Not to mention, the Black Ink Clan could only turtle around the Royal City, too afraid to cross the Humans.
For the past 200 years, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao occasionally disturbed the Royal Lord, forcing him to remain on alert at all times. After such a prolonged period, rather than his injuries showing signs of improvement, they had worsened.
He was, without a doubt, the most miserable Royal Lord among all other Royal Lords.
Though Great Evolution Pass had been restored, the soldiers remained in a state of heightened tension. Everyone was waiting for the crusade to begin.
The crusade was initially a secret, which only the highest-ranking members of the Human Race were aware of; however, over time, the soldiers of the lower rankings became aware of the direction the Human Race was taking. Naturally, after the ‘seemingly’ unintentional disclosure by the higher-ups.
The war with the Black Ink Clan had continued for far too long, so long that it was impossible to trace it back to when it began. Throughout these endless years, the elite Open Heaven Realm Masters of the 3,000 Worlds were deployed to this battlefield one after another to wage war with the Black Ink Clan generation after generation. All their sacrifices were to protect the Human Race’s last line of defence.
Throughout these years, the Human Race had suffered countless losses.
This situation could not persist indefinitely. Every generation strived to make a difference and eliminate all possible future problems; yet, there was nothing they could do about it.
But now that the stalemate situation had been broken, the Human Race was no longer on the defensive and had what was necessary to take the fight to the enemy.
If they had an opportunity to end the Black Ink Clan once and for all, the Humans on the Black Ink Battlefield would sacrifice anything to seize it.
For this reason, a crusade was required, and it must be a joint crusade of all Humans in every Great Pass. Only with this, could the Black Ink Clan be eradicated.
Otherwise, if any single one of the Black Ink Clansmen escaped from the battlefield, the war would continue.
This cooperation and coordination between over 100 Great Passes was not an issue that could be addressed overnight. The planning alone would take at least 100 years.
Additionally, Yang Kai’s Purifying Light accompanied by the Evil Purging Divine Spear that Grandmaster Ma Fan created would be the greatest weapon to support the Human Race in this crusade!
That was another reason why Yang Kai was so busy these days.
During the last 10 years of Great Evolution Pass’ restoration, a great number of Evil Purging Divine Spears were delivered through the Space Array and given over to him. Once he received the spears, Yang Kai would need to personally seal Purifying Light into each and every single one of them.
There was no way to seek the assistance of others in this matter because only he had the ability to use Purifying Light.
More than 100 Great Passes refined Evil Purging Divine Spears in enormous quantities during the years when the Great Evolution Army was reclaiming and restoring Great Evolution Pass. The number was simply uncountable after the accumulation of over 300 years.
All of these Evil Purging Divine Spears were transported to Great Evolution Pass, so what was presented before Yang Kai was a literal mountain of them. As a result, he had to drive the Purifying Light to seal it into those spears non-stop.
It was terribly dull doing the same thing over and over again. Yang Kai had no idea how many times he had used Purifying Light too; all he knew was that the amount of Yellow and Blue Crystals in his Small Universe kept decreasing.
At this time, he was grateful that he had taken enough Yellow and Blue Crystals from the Chaotic Dead Territory; after all, he had no idea when or even if he could acquire more if they ran out.
During this period of sealing Purifying Light, Evil Purging Divine Spears were still occasionally transported from other Great Passes.
It was until a few years ago that the number finally began to reduce.
Only after another few more years did Yang Kai finish dealing with all the Evil Purging Divine Spears.
Yang Kai hadn’t counted, but he could feel that there were at least tens of millions of Evil Purging Divine Spears sealed with Purifying Light. As a result, almost half of the Yellow and Blue Crystals in his Small Universe had been used up, showing how huge the consumption was.
There were two types of Evil Purging Divine Spear; one designed for use against Feudal Lords, and the other for Territory Lords.
The former was easier to refine and also required lesser Purifying Light; as such, almost 90% of all the spears were of this rank.
The latter was no more than 10%, but that was sufficient.
Tens of millions of Evil Purging Divine Spears were divided among the 100-plus Great Passes, with each one receiving almost 100,000 spears. If such a number couldn’t make the crusade a success, then the Human Race should just give up any hope of defeating the Black Ink Clan.
In Great Evolution Pass, Yang Kai was summoned to the abode of Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao.
Some time ago, he finished dealing with the Evil Purging Divine Spears, and he had been cultivating in retreat ever since.
The crusade was quickly approaching, so he was keen to enhance his personal strength, because only after he grew powerful enough would he be able to make a real difference in the approaching battle.
However, he received a summon from Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao after only a few days of retreat.
When he saw the Old Ancestor, he realised that, as rumoured, the Old Ancestor was not in a good mood.
In recent years, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had been disturbing the Royal City regularly. Despite the fact that she went and returned whenever she pleased, she was still not in a pleasant mood for some reason.
Yang Kai arrived and said cautiously, “Old Ancestor, you asked for me?”
“En. I want you to travel to the No-Return Pass,” Old Ancestor replied.
“The No-Return Pass?” Yang Kai was taken aback when he heard the words, “What for?”
He had heard about the No-Return Pass many times before. Although this was the Human Race’s final line of defence, it was personally defended by the Dragon and Phoenix Clan, with numerous other strong Divine Spirits among them.
According to the information Yang Kai had acquired, a former Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress collaborated back in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land in a great war against the Black Ink Clan. At the cost of their own lives, supplemented by the 16 Sacred Treasures of different Divine Spirit Clans, they managed to suppress and seal a Black Ink Giant Spirit God. At some point after that, the Dragon and Phoenix Clans left the Ancestral Land to take up the role of guardians of the No-Return Pass.
Even after so many years, they hadn’t returned to the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land.
Not only that, but ancient Human Great Experts set innumerable restrictions on the periphery of the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land to segregate the inside and outside and completely prevent the Black Ink Giant Spirit God from escaping.
Back then, when Yang Kai and Xia Lin Lang were chased after by Cheng Yang, they strayed into that Divine Ability Sea and experienced a lot of hardship.
Upon arriving at the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, there were no signs of the Dragon Clan nor the Phoenix Clan, but a branch of the Phoenixes did remain, headed by Qing Luan, Yuan Chu, Yue Zhuo, and Hong Hu.
Countless years passed as the Ancestral Land’s Ancestral Strength wore down the power of the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, eventually turning him into a lifeless corpse, but to do so, much of the Ancestral Strength produced in the Ancestral Land had to be siphoned away.
It was only after Yang Kai arrived in the Ancestral Land and helped unlock the Demon Sealing Land, that the Ancestral Land’s Ancestral Strength began to be restored, making it more suitable for the Divine Spirits to live in.
Su Yan, Zhu Qing, Shan Qing Luo, and the others from Void Land who had Divine Spirit bloodlines were currently cultivating in the Ancestral Land. All of them had Divine Spirit Sources, and cultivating there would undoubtedly bring them great benefits.
Hundreds of years ago, as ordered by Xiang Shan, Yang Kai left the Great Evolution East-West Army to circle behind Great Evolution Pass and search for the Great Evolution North-South Army. At that time, Yang Kai was able to sense the No-Return Pass from afar.
That was all due to his Golden Divine Dragon Source. The Dragon Pool was located at the No-Return Pass, and anyone with a pure enough Dragon Source and sufficient strength could sense the location of the Dragon Pool.
The feeling Yang Kai had at that time was the constant connection between his own Dragon Source and the Dragon Pool.
It was said that the Dragon Pool was the origin of all Dragon Sources, their birthplace so to speak, the root of the whole Dragon Clan.
When Yang Kai initially first stepped into the 3,000 Worlds, seeking out the Dragon Pool was one of his main goals; after all, it was only through finding the location of the Dragon Pool, that he could further cultivate his Dragon Source.
This thought, however, faded as he became stronger over the years.
Unexpectedly, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao actually requested him to travel to the No-Return Pass at this moment.
He had no idea whether there was another deeper intention to it.
“You’ll know why when you get there. No need to ask so much,” the Old Ancestor responded.
Yang Kai hesitated, “But Old Ancestor, the crusade is approaching. If I leave at this time…”
“You don’t need to worry about the crusade. You’re just in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. There won’t be much difference with or without you. Even if you miss it, what would it matter?” Sneered the Old Ancestor.
Yang Kai went speechless.
Perhaps the Old Ancestor thought that her words were a bit too harsh; thus, she clarified, “The crusade is still in its preparatory stage. As long as you don’t take too long, you won’t miss it.”
If the barriers between the 3,000 Worlds and the Black Ink Battlefield were to be described as a wall, then No-Return Pass would be the only hole in that wall.
This was also why the No-Return Pass was known as the Human Race’s final line of defence. If the Black Ink Clan managed to break past this barrier, they would be able to access the 3,000 Worlds, and if that really happened, it was destined that all living beings there would be plunged into misery. The whole 3,000 Worlds would be destroyed and remade according to the Blank Ink Clan’s will.
The No-Return Pass was the last line of defence, while the Great Passes were the outer line of defence.
If one were to stand high enough above and connect each Great Pass, one would notice that they could be arranged to form a kind of semicircle. This semicircle acted as a barrier to split off the 3,000 Worlds from the Black Ink Battlefield, with the centre of it being the No-Return Pass.
As long as the Great Passes were not broken though, the No-Return Pass would never be disturbed, keeping the 3,000 worlds safe.
This was why Great Evolution Pass had to be reclaimed before the crusade could begin. A Pass seized by the Black Ink Clan would leave an opening in their entire defence line. If Great Evolution Pass was not retaken, the Black Ink Clan might exploit this flaw and proceed directly to the No-Return Pass while the Humans were busy with their crusade.
At that point, would the Human Race Armies retreat to defend or continue the crusade? The situation was bound to fall into a dilemma.
In order to eliminate this potential risk, Great Evolution Pass had to be retaken. Fortunately, the Great Evolution Army had worked hard for more than 100 years and had achieved this objective after enormous sacrifice.
There were actually no East, South, West, or North in the vast Universe, as there were no fixed reference points, and the terms such as Eastern Army, Southern Army, Western Army, and Northern Army in each Great Pass were just helpful titles.
If directions were to be taken note of, there were only up, down, forward and backwards according to one’s own point of view in the massive void.
In a certain sense, the No-Return Pass lay behind all the Great Passes. This last line of defence, defended by the Dragon and Phoenix Clan, could be considered as a kind of support to the Human Race.
Yang Kai was perplexed in his early years when he learnt that the No-Return Pass was personally guarded by the Dragon and Phoenix Clans as the Divine Spirit had always been haughty regardless of their origins, something he knew from over 1,000 years of experience.
And these were the leaders of the Divine Spirit, the Dragons and Phoenixes.
How could such supreme Divine Spirits voluntarily assist the Human Race in guarding their final line of defence? It should be impossible; after all, they were of different Races and held no good will towards the other.
The only plausible explanation was that the Black Ink Clan was simply that great a threat. The Divine Spirits also understood the proverb ‘without the lips, teeth would go cold’. In the ancient past, a Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress did not hesitate to sacrifice themselves to seal and suppress a Black Ink Giant Spirit God. How could their descendants possibly disregard the sacrifices of their ancestors?
This was most likely why the Divine Spirits had defended the No-Return Pass for so long.
Yang Kai had no idea if there was some other reason or explanation, and it wasn’t an issue he had to be concerned about either.
Although going to the No-Return Pass at this time was a bit hasty, he might at least fulfil a long-cherished dream and see what the mythical Dragon Pool looked like.
In the void, Space Principles flashed and in the blink of an eye, Yang Kai’s figure flickered in and out of existence.
It was possible to use the Hyper Space Array to directly travel from Great Evolution Pass to the No-Return Pass, which was convenient and fast; however, the restoration of Great Evolution Pass over the past 200 years had been a huge drain on resources. Additionally, materials were tight during preparations for the crusade; thus, Yang Kai could only choose to fly over.
After all, like the Old Ancestor had said, he was proficient in Dao of Space, so he had an advantage when it came to travelling. There was no need to waste resources unnecessarily.
What else could Yang Kai say to that? He could only obey and go.
Before he left, he notified Dawn, telling them he was going out on a mission.
Until now, Feng Ying had not come out from retreat, causing him to worry a little. After she observed Xu Ling Gong advance to the Eighth Order some time ago, she had an epiphany and chose to enter retreat. With her strength and foundation, her breakthrough shouldn’t be much of an issue.
However, there was no update from her even after so long, which was somewhat surprising and concerning.
Nobody else could provide any help in this situation. There were Masters that would guide a cultivator through the early stages of their journey on the Martial Dao, but one could only rely on themselves after one reached the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm.
After all, at this point, other’s methods would no longer be appropriate for another person.
Normally, it would take at least 3 years for a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Master to travel from Great Evolution Pass to the No-Return Pass, but Yang Kai covered that distance in less than half a year.
The journey was extremely dull and uneventful.
When a huge Parasol Tree came into view, Yang Kai knew that No-Return Pass was nearby.
This was the renowned Phoenix Nest, the ancestral home of the Phoenix Clan.
Yang Kai had always wanted to see what the Phoenix Nest looked like. Would a magnificent Divine Spirit Clan like the Phoenix Clan build a nest on the tree just like any other bird? That would be far too degrading.
Naturally, Yang Kai wondered if the Phoenix Nest was only a label; after all, the so-called Phoenix Nest could be referring to a grand palace the Phoenix Clan had built.
After thinking about it for some time though, Yang Kai felt that he was being too nosey. Since he had a Dragon Source in him, he should only be concerned about the Dragon Clan, not the Phoenix Clan.
As he got closer, Yang Kai felt the pulsing of his Dragon Vein, giving him a sense as though he was returning home.
He knew this was due to the connection between his Dragon Source and the Dragon Pool; after all, this was not his real home.
This type of mood, however, unavoidably made him a bit anxious. It was as if he was a wanderer who had been away for many years and was not doing well, forced to return home, not knowing how to deal with the Elders’ questioning.
However, Yang Kai did not get the ‘Elders’ ardent questioning’, but rather provocative Dragon Pressure.
A figure dressed in green blocked his path. The figure was tall and dashing, and had a noble complexion, with bright red lips and glowing white teeth.
But, the gaze from him was not at all welcoming. He sized Yang Kai up from top to bottom from afar, as if he wasn’t sure where to attack first.
Yang Kai could tell right away that this individual was part of the Dragon Clan since the Dragon Pressure gushing from him was far too obvious.
Based on the Dragon Pressure alone, this individual should be a Grand Dragon, which was equivalent to his present rank. As to who was stronger, it was beyond Yang Kai’s knowledge, so he would have to see it for himself.
Yang Kai was taken aback; he hadn’t yet reached the No-Return Pass, so why did this man block his path?
He couldn’t help feeling that his obstruction was intentional.
Since ancient times, many cultivators had travelled from the No-Return Pass to the other Great Passes, but few had returned here, yet the man blocking his way was clearly expecting him.
This man’s Dragon Pressure was extremely strong, implying that he was also one of the best among the other Grand Dragons; however, to Yang Kai, it was nothing more than a gentle breeze.
Not knowing what he wanted, Yang Kai dared not show any hostility, so he took two steps forward and cupped his fist, “Great Evolution Pass, Yang Kai, has travelled to the No-Return Pass under the instruction of the Old Ancestor. Allow me to ask, how should I address this Fellow Brother?”
“I’ve been waiting for you,” the Dragon Clansman in green shook his head angrily, opened his lips and roared. His Dragon Pressure solidified and rushed towards Yang Kai.
As he roared, he charged towards Yang Kai, reached out, and grabbed at him.
His fair hands resembled a woman’s in terms of fairness, yet they possessed deadly power; after all, he was from the Dragon Clan, and naturally had a powerful physique.
Even space appeared to shatter under his grasp.
Not only that, but Yang Kai also felt mysterious changes around him, which made him think he was surrounded by illusions.
“Time Principles?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow, wondering if this Dragon Clan member he just met in the No-Return Pass was skilled in the Dao of Time.
Furthermore, his mastery over the Dao of Time did not appear to be mediocre.
In fact, if Yang Kai had not also cultivated the Dao of Time, he would have most likely been completely overwhelmed by this mysterious change and been defeated without a fight.
When Yang Kai came to his senses, the hand was already in front of him, and there was no way for him to escape.
He didn’t want to fight someone from the Dragon Clan just after arriving here, but according to what his opponent had said, he was clearly waiting for him. In addition, the moment he arrived, he was greeted by this attack. Thus, was all of this the result of some kind of grudge?
[But why? There’s no resentment or conflict between the two of us.]
Yang Kai couldn’t figure it out, but all living beings acted for the sake of their benefit. If the other party was pursuing him in this manner, he must have a reason for doing so.
Even so, in what way could Yang Kai have offended him? Was it because he was not a pureblood Dragon?
Yang Kai couldn’t help but sigh. Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had ordered him to go to the No-Return Pass, and it now appeared that there was going to be nothing pleasant to be expected from this trip. It was no surprise the Old Ancestor didn’t tell him anything.
He could no longer dodge the hand, so he extended his palm to resist it.
On a branch of the Parasol Tree at the No-Return Pass sat a young woman in a colourful attire. Her legs dangled slowly in an extremely relaxed manner.
A young man stood alongside her, with both of them staring into the void.
“Ji Lao San still has such a short temper,” the woman stated when the man in green made his move, “After all, that guy was sent here by the Human Race’s Old Ancestors. How is Ji Lao San supposed to explain it to the Humans if anything happens to that man?”
“The Old Ancestors of the Human Race can’t control the No-Return Pass. What’s more, this matter involves the Dragon Pool. Ji Lao San has been waiting for this day for thousands of years, and when he finally got a chance, some Human wants to jump the line? How could he possibly tolerate it?” Said the young man standing beside her.
The woman turned her head, “Speaking of which, it’s strange the Ancient Dragons consented to the Human Race’s request. Were they out of their minds?”
“People can hear what you say,” the young man replied as the corner of his mouth twitched.
When the woman in bright clothing realised, she stuck out her tongue and swiftly changed the subject, “Obviously, the Humans must have paid a high price, or else the Dragon Clan would not have agreed to it. How long do you think that Human can survive under Ji Lao San’s assault?”
The man replied, “You’re asking the wrong question.”
“The wrong question?”
“You should question it the other way around. How long can Ji Lao San survive the assault from that Human.”
“You are so optimistic about him? Do you know him?” The girl replied in shock.
“I don’t know him, but since the Humans are willing to pay such a great price to send him here, it implies that he has great significance. And naturally, he would not be a soft persimmon that can be crushed so easily,” the young man replied, shaking his head.
The serious attitude of her companion made the colourful-robed young woman ponder.
As he pointed out, the fact that the Humans dared to send this young man over indicated that they had faith in his abilities and that he would encounter challenges once he reached the No-Return Pass. This Human from the Black Ink Battlefield was most likely one that should not be underestimated.
As she rolled her eyes, the colourful-robed young woman asked, “Shall we make a bet then?”
The days were incredibly monotonous for those who lived at the No-Return Pass. This was the final line of defence, and the hundred-plus Great Passes surrounding it were enough to intercept the Black Ink Clan Army.
When Great Evolution Pass was taken over 30,000 years ago, there were daring Black Ink Clansmen that came from Great Evolution Theatre to try and break through the No-Return Pass, but after experiencing the might of the Dragon and Phoenix Clans, no Black Ink Clansman dared to approach it anymore.
The Dragon and Phoenix Clans, being the two most powerful of the Divine Spirits, were naturally bored as they remained at the No-Return Pass. However, they were bound by the oath their ancestors took and were unable to freely roam about.
It was unusual for there to be such a show like today, so people naturally wanted to participate.
“What are we betting on?” The young man replied casually.
“Let’s bet on the visitor and Ji Lao San; who will win and who will lose,” the colourfully robed young woman replied.
“The prize?”
The woman placed one finger on her crimson lips, went silent for a moment, then snapped her finger, “Whoever loses will give the Human a tail feather!”
The young man glanced at her speechlessly. This way, the Human would receive the reward no matter the result.
The girl didn’t give him a chance to respond before saying, “I bet this Human will lose!”
As soon as she spoke those words though, her jaw dropped as an expression of utter disbelief appeared on her face.
She already acknowledged that if the Humans dared to send this youth alone to the No-Return Pass, there had to be something about him that made him special. Nonetheless, Ji Lao San wasn’t weak. He might not be able to do much harm to this Human, but even so, she did not believe he would really lose. It should at worst end in a tie.
Right after she had spoken though, the visitor had somehow grabbed Ji Lao San by his neck, as if it was as easy as grabbing a chicken, and strolled over from the void.
Their figures had appeared right in front of the pair after just a few steps, leaving behind a trail of afterimages in the distance.
“Space Principles!” The young woman with the colourful robe’s eyes were filled with astonishment. With her ability, it was normal for her to notice that this Human had cultivated the Dao of Space, and to an exceedingly high level of mastery at that. Even she would most likely have to acknowledge his superiority.
She had met several exceptional Humans who cultivated the Dao of Space during her long lifespan, but even so, none had reached such mastery over it.
Yang Kai had long been aware that a man and a woman atop the Parasol Tree were watching him, and that numerous Divine Senses in the No-Return Pass were also observing him.
Counting the actions of the man who blocked him, Yang Kai had no idea what the No-Return Pass had been expecting of him. The blocker’s acts might have been due to something personal, but that didn’t preclude the possibility of him being instigated by the higher-ups of the Dragon Clan.
[Are they trying to test me?]
Yang Kai wasn’t sure why the No-Return Pass held such an attitude, but he could also be considered as half a Divine Spirit; thus, he understood that he couldn’t be too modest while dealing with other Divine Spirits.
Due to the extreme arrogance of the Divine Spirits, only those who were more arrogant could speak to them on an equal footing.
As a result, when confronted with the blocker’s attack, Yang Kai retaliated without holding back.
Still, he just didn’t expect this Grand Dragon to be like an embroidered pillow, pretty to look at but overall useless in the end. Yang Kai hadn’t even used any strength yet, but the opposite party couldn’t resist; thus, currently, he was like a stray cat being dragged around by Yang Kai.
This was the simplest conclusion to a battle he had faced since entering the Black Ink Battlefield. Even the Feudal Lords understood how to fight back, but this Grand Dragon had no power to resist him at all.
Yang Kai raised his head and smirked, “Hello, pretty young lady.”
The colourful-robed young woman’s face twitched and she replied, “You have a sweet tongue.”
Yang Kai then passed what he was grabbing on to her, asking, “Does he belong to you?”
She smoothed her hair and shook her head, “He’s someone else’s.”
“Oh,” Yang Kai simply said, recognising that the female in front of him should be from the Phoenix Clan, which was not surprising given that she was perched on the Parasol Tree.
Ji Lao San on the other hand, who was grabbed by Yang Kai, was exceedingly embarrassed and enraged. He had never experienced such humiliation and disgrace in the tens of thousands of years of his life. Worse yet, all the Divine Senses in the No-Return Pass lingered on him, exposing his embarrassment to everyone.
He had shamed the other Dragons as well. How was he going to face his peers and the Phoenix Clan in the future?
“Let go of me!” He struggled hard and his cheeks flushed. He couldn’t figure out how he was instantly seized without even delivering an attack to his opponent.
In his eyes, the other party was nothing more than a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Human.
Although a Grand Dragon was technically equivalent to a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Master, if a battle took place between them, the Grand Dragon always had the upper hand.
No Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could compete with a fully grown Grand Dragon, which was the Dragon Clan’s advantage as the head of the Divine Spirits.
This Seventh-Order Human, on the other hand, simply lifted his hand and easily captured him.
Ji Lao San felt like he was in a bad dream when he recalled what had happened just now. When he came into contact with his opponent, his strength was immediately restrained, making it nearly impossible for him to access the power of his Dragon Vein. This was the reason for his humiliation.
“Quit squirming!” Sensing the Grand Dragon’s struggle, Yang Kai forcefully shook his arm.
That caused Ji Lao San to feel dizzy for a moment, but this only made him feel more embarrassed and irritated. Such humiliation was worse than death for an arrogant Grand Dragon.
Dragon Force erupted all over his body, and even the forceful suppression couldn’t stop it.
When Yang Kai noticed something was wrong, he scowled and lifted his hand, throwing Ji Lao San away. Then, he said, “You and I don’t know each other. Why did you attack me?”
Ji Lao San’s Dragon Force was out because he unleashed his own Dragon Bead. This was a move that was equivalent to risking his life. Still, Yang Kai had felt he could merely resist the power of this Dragon Bead. In fact, if he hadn’t released him, even if Ji Lao San could escape, his Dragon Bead was certain to break, severely damaging the latter’s foundation.
Yang Kai had a Dragon Bead too, so he could identify what just happened and what would happen if he took certain moves.
It was not prudent to half-cripple a Grand Dragon before he even entered the No-Return Pass, so he chose to let Ji Lao San go.
It was necessary to demonstrate one’s strength when in front of those from the Dragon Clan; nonetheless, it was equally important to do so in moderation.
When a high-pitched Dragon Roar erupted, Ji Lao San suddenly transformed into a Grand Dragon close to 50,000 metres long. The Grand Dragon’s head was held high, and his Dragon Eyes glared at Yang Kai as if staring at an ant on the ground. His whole body was full of thick Dragon Scales, as he was clearly inflamed with rage.
Yang Kai was as small as dust in the face of this Grand Dragon.
“Trivial Human, you dare!” The Grand Dragon roared violently, and the void around him shook. With a disgruntled expression, the colourful-robed young woman on the Parasol Tree lifted her hands to cover her ears.
“How dare you humiliate me like this! You must pay the price with your life in the name of the Dragon Clan!” When Ji Lao San finished speaking, he opened his lips and spat forth his Dragon Breath, enveloping the ant in front of him.
Dragon Breath was the most common attack method of the Dragon Clan. Though common, it was extremely strong, especially when delivered by a Grand Dragon. Even a Feudal Lord would vaporize if hit by such a blast. What’s more, Time Principles were woven into this Dragon Breath, so along with terrifying destructive force, it also seemed like the withering of 1,000 years was carried along with this Secret Technique.
No Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could survive an attack like this.
After Ji Lao San’s rage had subsided a little, his Dragon Eyes suddenly widened as if he was struck by lightning.
Against the force of his Dragon Breath, there was a figure that was moving upstream. That figure didn’t seem hurried, in fact, it seemed like it was taking a stroll in a garden. Arriving slowly at Ji Lao San’s massive Dragon Head, he put out his hand to tenderly tap it while saying, “Anger will only bring harm to the body, you should calm down!”
With one tap, the majestic and massive Ji Lao San felt his Dragon Vein shiver violently. Being unable to sustain his Dragon Form, his body shrank rapidly and returned back to his Human Form.
Yang Kai once grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, and said while facing the No-Return Pass, “Great Evolution Pass’ Yang Kai has come to the No-Return Pass under the command of the Old Ancestor. Is there anyone here?”
Noise broke out as the No-Return Pass’ gate, which was originally closed, opened.
Yang Kai bowed from a distance before entering, dragging Ji Lao San along with him.
As he entered the Inner Sanctum, figures on both sides stared at him. The young man and woman Yang Kai saw on the Parasol Tree earlier were also present.
Those stares were a mix of scrutiny and curiosity.
Being able to stand here indicated that these people were either Dragons or Phoenixes, and they had long known that there would be a Human with a Dragon Source coming to the No-Return Pass. However, both Clans did not know much about him. They had been defending the No-Return Pass, so all the information from the outside world reached them from word of mouth. Rumours from the 3,000 Worlds or the Black Ink Battlefield.
The Phoenix Clan was relatively carefree compared to the Dragon Clan; after all, this wasn’t their Clan’s business. In fact, they’d all come here to watch the drama play out.
The Dragon Clan was different, however. They didn’t stop Ji Lao San from picking a fight and causing havoc. It was probably because they desired to test this visitor’s skill; after all, a visitor from the Human Race only brought disadvantages to the Dragon Clan.
Rather than testing him though, what made the Dragon Clan speechless was that they didn’t witness how the Human fought against Ji Lao San at all.
Ji Lao San seemed to lose all strength to resist after this Human simply waved his hand.
Since when did the Dragon Clan become so weak? If that was the case, how did the Dragon Clan establish such a domineering reputation?
Apart from being perplexed, what happened to Ji Lao San surprised the whole Dragon Clan.
If they did not have the answer to this question, the Dragon Clan would be unable to sleep comfortably in the future.
Yang Kai couldn’t resist smiling and nodding at the people on both sides, regardless of how powerful or old they were, as if they were all here to greet him.
Though, that was far from the case.
After walking a short distance, another figure blocked his path. It was a woman, who looked at Yang Kai with fiery eyes and Dragon Pressure radiating from her body.
She was also from the Dragon Clan, and a Grand Dragon at that!