The three Ancient Dragon Elders gladly accepted Yang Kai, who had such a pure Bloodline, and undoubtedly had a bright future that would greatly benefit the entire Clan.
The old man Elder in the center of the group asked, “Now that Yang Kai has joined the Clan, should his name be included in the Dragon Tome?”
“Yes!” A low voice suddenly came out of nowhere. The voice was loud and it sounded like a grand bell. At the same time, Yang Kai felt a Divine Sense sweeping over him.
The Divine Sense was comparable to Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s.
Yang Kai’s heart fluttered as he realized that the origin of this Divine Sense was probably the Head of the Dragon Clan. The one and only Divine Dragon alive today.
In the Dragon Clan, Young Dragons had bodies that were under 10,000 metres. The strength of those in the Dragon Clan was very different. A newborn Young Dragon was very fragile, perhaps even worse than an ordinary Human cultivator; however, when their body grew to 9,000 metres, they were equivalent to a Human just below the Seventh Order.
More than 10,000 metres, they became Grand Dragons, which was equivalent to Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Above 50,000 metres, they were Ancient Dragons, which were equivalent to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
At 100,000 metres, they became Divine Dragons. That was comparable to a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Old Ancestor.
Of course, the strength and rank were divided as such, but when they really fought, the Divine Spirit of the same realm would most likely be more powerful. The Divine Spirits had too many advantages that the Humans did not.
For example, Yang Kai’s Dragon Form was now 70,000 metres. According to the Ancient Dragon classification, his strength was considerable. If he transformed into his Dragon Form, he could take on a veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Today’s Dragon Clan had only one Divine Dragon. However, this Dragon was not considered to be a Dragon Emperor because Divine Dragons also had those who were weak and strong. The current Head of the Dragon Clan felt that he was not qualified to be considered a Dragon Emperor.
Such a situation was not unique, or even uncommon in the long history of the Dragon Clan; otherwise, the Dragon Clan would have far more than five generations of Dragon Emperors, all of whom were the most powerful Masters of each generation of Divine Dragons.
Yang Kai knew that the Dragon Clan had a Divine Dragon, but he had not seen him yet. This time, the Divine Dragon also did not show up, but only responded when the Ancient Dragon Elder asked a question.
Yang Kai did not know what the Dragon Tome was as he had never heard of it before. When Huang Si Niang told him about the Dragon Clan, she did not mention anything about a Dragon Tome. He did not know if she also did not know about it or simply didn’t mention it for some reason.
As Yang Kai was wondering, one of the male Elders said, “Come with me.”
He then led the way, accompanied by the other two Elders.
Yang Kai followed behind them.
The other Dragons stopped cheering and followed behind Yang Kai solemnly. Sensing this atmosphere, Yang Kai realized that having his name entered into the Dragon Tome was an extremely solemn event for the Dragon Clan.
A short while later, they arrived at a simple temple where the three Elders entered in turn, followed by Yang Kai. As for the other Dragons who followed them, they all stopped outside.
The temple was extremely spacious, but the interior was very simple. It gave an unusually empty feeling.
At the head of the Grand Hall was an altar, which was surrounded by Dragon Force that acted as a kind of barrier.
Yang Kai squinted and saw that the altar seemed to be suspended on an irregular stone slab-like object.
The slab appeared to be about the size of a washbasin and was covered by a restriction. Yang Kai also did not see any other unique objects, and guessed that this was the Dragon Tome mentioned by the Elder.
[What the Hell is this?]
As he was wondering, the three Dragon Clan Elders stood at the three corners of the altar. Each used a Dragon Clan Secret Technique and then with a mysterious Dragon Roar, the restriction opened.
Moments later, the old man Elder shouted, “Open the Dragon Tome!”
After he shouted, the three Ancient Dragons opened their mouths and spat out their respective Blood Essence, which fell into the Dragon Tome.
The seemingly mundane Dragon Tome quickly swallowed up the Dragon Blood from the three Ancient Dragons, and in the next moment, it began to emit a faint glow.
As the Dragon Tome flew out, the male old Elder reached out and caught it. He then turned around, looked at Yang Kai, and said, “The Dragon Tome has existed since the beginning of the Universe and has witnessed the birth of the first Dragon and the inheritance of generations upon generations. Since ancient times, it has recorded the names of 14,362 Dragons. You are the 14,363rd.”
Yang Kai raised his brow slightly at this new information. The Dragon Clan had been around for ages and this Dragon Tome was something that was created when the Dragon Clan first appeared.
He had never heard of this before.
If every pure-blood Dragon was recorded in the Dragon Tome, that meant there were less than 15,000 of them that had been born thus far.
It was an extremely small number.
However, considering the Dragon Clan had extremely long life spans and great difficulties reproducing, the low number was not that surprising.
During this trip to the No-Return Pass, Yang Kai had encountered three Young Dragons, but this was actually quite rare for the Dragon Clan as, in the past, it was not unusual for thousands of years to go by without a single newborn clansman.
The old female Elder looked at Yang Kai with a smile and said, “Perhaps in the past, you did not know of the existence of the Dragon Tome. When your name is recorded in the Dragon Tome, not only does it mark the Clan’s recognition of you, it is also a great benefit for you.”
Yang Kai said humbly, “Please enlighten me, Elder.”
The old woman Elder smiled and said, “Firstly, the Dragon Tome keeps track of the life or death of anyone whose name is recorded within. If a clansman encounters a crisis outside, they can call for help from the Clan by using a Secret Technique which is connected to the Dragon Tome. Secondly, the Dragon Tome is connected to the Dragon Pool. If you really meet with misfortune outside and die, if there is still a trace of your Source spirituality in the Dragon Tome, with the dual powers of the Dragon Tome and Dragon Pool, there is a chance you may be reborn in the Dragon Pool.”
Yang Kai was shocked by this and exclaimed, “Resurrection? As in, back from the dead?”
The Elder nodded, “Indeed!”
Yang Kai was now completely dumbstruck.
The first power of the Dragon Tome was not too significant, but the second ability was completely outrageous.
Yang Kai had experienced a kind of resurrection once before. When he fought with the Great Demon God Mo Sheng in the Star Boundary, his physical body was completely destroyed.
That time, he was able to come back from the dead with the help of the powers of the Immortal Tree and the Soul Warming Lotus. That was a combination of extremely good fortune and opportunity.
Yang Kai did not want to experience that again; after all, dying was not a pleasant experience.
However, who could guarantee that they would not die? Especially in an environment like the Black Ink Battlefield, where Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master perished at a not infrequent rate, not to mention a minor Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters like him.
Recording his name in the Dragon Tome meant that it could be used to basically turn back and bring back a dead Dragon inside of the Dragon Pool. This would be an extremely appealing prospect to anyone.
However, Yang Kai soon realized that something was amiss and asked, “Is there a price to pay for coming back to life?”
It was simply too Heaven-defying to bring back the dead. Previously, he had to refine the entire Immortal Tree before he could rebuild his body, and the Immortal Tree was an extremely precious treasure of the Universe, close to the ranks of Supreme Treasures.
Even if the Dragon Clan had the power of resurrection, it should be impossible to do it at will. If they could, then the Dragon Clan would be truly immortal and indestructible. How could such a community be so withered?
Setting aside the rest, if the Third Generation Dragon Emperor had been resurrected, then Yang Kai would not be standing here today.
The old man Elder nodded and said, “Indeed, it is natural to pay a huge price to be resurrected. Additionally, no one can guarantee the success of this process. Truthfully, the chance of success is very small. In Dragon Clan’s history, the number of times the Dragon Pool and Dragon Tome have been used to resurrect someone is not more than 10, and among these ten attempts, only three succeeded.”
Yang Kai now understood. He knew full well that such a Heaven-defying technique was impossible without serious constraints.
In the entire Dragon Clan’s history, they only attempted about 10 resurrections. One would expect that each time, it must have been for an extremely important member of the Dragon Clan. When the Third Generation Dragon Emperor fell, the Dragon Clan must have done it, but unfortunately, it did not succeed. Otherwise, the Third Generation Dragon Emperor would still be alive.
What’s more, the probability of success was less than 30%, which could be considered very low.
Even if it was very low though, that was also a ray of hope and it was enough to motivate anyone.
The Dragon and Phoenix Clans were worthy of being the heads of the Divine Spirits, who won the favour of the Heavens.
The Dragon Clan had the Dragon Tome which had the powers of resurrection while the Phoenix Clan also had the ability to resurrect with their Nirvana Fire. Even so, both Clans had restrictions placed on them when it came to the act of resurrection.
Such Clans were truly worthy to be the leaders of the Divine Spirits.
“What does Junior need to do?” Yang Kai asked.
The old man Elder said, “Use your Source and leave your mark on the Dragon Tome.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and asked again, “After recording one’s name, does the Dragon Tome place any restrictions on this Junior?”
The old man Elder replied, “Indeed. There is one small restriction.”
“Please tell me, Elder.”
“Do you know why the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan are absent from the greater Black Ink Battlefield?” The old man Elder asked instead of answering.
Yang Kai shook his head. In fact, he had been wondering about this previously.
The No-Return Pass was located at the rear of the Human Race’s defensive line and served as the final barrier to the 3,000 Worlds. Although the location was of great strategic importance, over the years, except for when the Black Ink Clan took over Great Evolution Pass and launched an attack, this place had not encountered any battles at all.
Both the Dragon and Phoenix Clans were powerful in their own right, and as Divine Spirits they had a much higher ability to resist invasion by Black Ink Strength. With there not being any full-blown wars at the No-Return Pass, the Dragon and Phoenix Clans could have easily sent some of their people to support the Human Race on the Black Ink Battlefield, especially when the battles were the most intense.
However, across the entire Black Ink Battlefield, there was no signs of the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan fighting. It was only the Human Race.
“Divine Spirits are not as powerful nor as effective as your Purifying Light in terms of restraining and eliminating Black Ink Strength.”
It was not surprising for the Dragon Clan to know about his Purifying Light, which was a powerful tool for the Human Race to deal with Black Ink Clan. Even though the No-Return Pass was situated at the rear, they would have heard about such a monumental development on the battlefield against the Black Ink Clan.
The power of the Divine Spirits also had a certain degree of restraining effect on Black Ink Strength. The Black Ink Giant Spirit God was sealed in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land by the Third Generation Dragon Emperor and the Phoenix Empress. After countless years, the Ancestral Strength of that place constantly wore down the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s Black Ink Strength, until it finally ground it down completely.
Otherwise, when Yang Kai helped open the seal years back, the Ancestral Land would have been devastated.
“The reason why Dragons and Phoenixes do not appear on the Black Ink Battlefield is related to an ancient agreement between us and the Human Race’s Great Experts.”
The old man Elder continued, “In that agreement, the Dragon Clan and the Phoenix Clan were made responsible for guarding the No-Return Pass. Unless there is an existential threat to the Clan, they are not allowed to leave the No-Return Pass.”
This agreement was simple, but was so important it became known as the Bloodline Great Oath. This was why there were no signs of Dragons and Phoenixes in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, and none of them on the Black Ink Battlefield.
Yang Kai could not understand and asked curiously, “But, why?”
Why would there be such a pact, and how could the Divine Spirit Clans, who were always proud and aloof, accept such terms? This was as good as the Human Great Expert restricting their freedom.
How could the two Clans agree to this?
The male old Elder said, “I do not know what the Ancient Masters were thinking; however, in this current situation, if there wasn’t this agreement, then the numbers of Dragons and Phoenixes would definitely have been fewer than it is now.”
Without this agreement, the Dragon and Phoenix Clans could enter and leave the battlefield at will, but who could guarantee that they would survive the fight? Under the powerful attacks of the Black Ink Clan, even mighty Dragons and Phoenixes could fall.
They could accept a few clansmen dying on the battlefield, but what about significant numbers of deaths? If a few important clansmen died and the entire Clan became agitated and rushed to the battlefield, it might lead to complete extinction.
It was because of this agreement that the two Clans could continue to remain at the No-Return Pass. Although the days were boring, at least they did not need to face the many risks of the battlefield.
From this point of view, perhaps it was not the ancient Human Great Expert who restricted the freedom of two Clans, but rather the two Clans choosing this of their own accord.
“But what does this have to do with this Junior recording my name on the Dragon Tome?” Yang Kai asked with a frown.
The Elder replied, “If you record your name on the Dragon Tome, then you must also honour this agreement.”
“In other words, if I record my name on the Dragon Tome, I have to stay at the No-Return Pass and cannot return to the Black Ink Battlefield?” Yang Kai exclaimed.
“Indeed,” The Elder nodded.
This agreement was known as the Bloodline Great Oath for a reason. If Yang Kai was not a pure-blood Dragon, it would be fine, but now that his Bloodline was pure, once he recorded his name in the Dragon Tome and officially joined the Dragon Clan, he would be subject to the same restrictions. If he broke them, he would face backlash from his Bloodline.
Yang Kai swept his eyes over the three Dragon Clan Elders in front of him, who all appeared very calm.
If Yang Kai had not taken the initiative to ask, they would not have said anything. It was not that they intended to hide anything, for if they did, they could simply have not explained at all.
Of course, the message that Fu Guang sent back on the Dragon Scale indicated that Yang Kai’s Great Sun and Moon Marks were extremely useful to the Dragon Clan. If possible, they wanted Yang Kai to remain at the No-Return Pass.
Not to mention the three of them, there were also other Ancient Dragons in the Clan who either wanted or needed to break through in the future. If Yang Kai helped them with their breakthrough, then their chances of success would greatly increase. Maybe by as much as 30%!
A 30% increase could not be underestimated; after all, over time that would mean a 30% increase in the number of Divine Dragons for the Dragon Clan!
Nonetheless, since Yang Kai took the initiative to ask, they had to explain it clearly. They did not intend to deceive him.
The benefits of recording one’s name in the Dragon Tome were indeed enormous and the possibility of coming back from the dead with the powers of the Dragon Tome and Dragon Pool were very tempting.
However, what was the use of all these benefits if he could not leave the No-Return Pass?
Yang Kai’s trip here was to improve his strength, mainly in preparation for the Human Race’s crusade. If he was now forced to remain in the No-Return Pass, how could he take part in the crusade? He would also have wasted Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s efforts and expectations.
Amidst the silence, the old female Elder said, “Yang Kai, the Source you received is the Source of the Third Generation Dragon Emperor. This Source is remarkable. Additionally, you have transformed from a Human to a Dragon. Once you record your name in the Dragon Tome, you can maintain your Family name and establish a new branch family of the Dragon Clan. This would be a huge contribution to the Dragon Clan!”
The old woman Elder’s message was obvious. If Yang Kai stayed at the No-Return Pass and sired a few more Young Dragons, then the Dragon Clan would add the Yang Family to the existing Fu, Zhu, and Ji Families. Furthermore, he would be the founding patriarch of this new Family!
Not just anyone could receive such an honour. The Dragon Clan has existed for countless aeons, but so far, only three family branches had been established.
As soon as Yang Kai recorded his name on the Dragon Tome, there would be another family branch, and Yang Kai would immediately become the first Ancestor of this Dragon Family branch.
Another Elder, who had not spoken so far, also added, “We’re not asking you to remain at the No-Return Pass and idle for the rest of your life. With your Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, even with your 70,000-metre Ancient Dragon Form, your role on the Black Ink Battlefield will be very limited. However, if you stay in the No-Return Pass, your presence would be of great benefit and importance to the future of the Dragon Clan.”
“If you want, you can also bring your family to the No-Return Pass. Although we are also technically on the Black Ink Battlefield, it has been quite peaceful over the years. Now that Great Evolution Pass has been retaken, the Black Ink Clan can no longer come to harass us.”
“That’s right. You have family in the 3,000 Worlds, right? There is no such thing as security on the Black Ink Battlefield, so your loved ones must be extremely nervous about your safety. How could you continue to let them worry?”
The three Dragon Clan Elders took turns to persuade Yang Kai to record his name on the Dragon Tome and remain at the No-Return Pass.
However, when they saw that Yang Kai remained so indifferent, the three Elders knew that their persuasions were ineffective. Even if he was young compared to them, he was still a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with a strong and resolute heart. If he could change his mind after just a few words of persuasion, then it would be impossible for him to have the cultivation he had today.
The old male Elder said again, “There is no hurry to decide on recording your name in the Dragon Tome. Why don’t you stay at the No-Return Pass for some time and carefully consider first. If you really do not wish to stay, no one can force you to.”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head and said, “This Junior appreciates the kindness of the three Elders, offering me the opportunity to record my name on the Dragon Tome and your invitation to stay at the No-Return Pass. This Junior is eager to live such a peaceful life, but many of my companions are still on the Black Ink Battlefield. The Human Race is about to embark on a grand crusade, but this Junior’s cultivation was too low. Perhaps as the Elders have said, my presence may not make much of a difference on the battlefield, but every pair of hands helps. Millions of my predecessors have fallen on the battlefield to stop the Black Ink Clan. This Junior is not that powerful, but I would like to follow the example of my ancestors. If I fall somewhere on the battlefield, it will only be because I am not strong enough. No one else is to be blamed.”
The old man Elder said solemnly, “So, you’ve made up your mind.”
Yang Kai took a step back, cupped his fist, bowed, and shouted, “For the common people, for the 3,000 Worlds, I will continue to fight until my dying breath!”
The old female Elder sighed softly and said no more.
The old male Elder then said, “In that case, we will not force you. About the matter of recording your name in the Dragon Tome… when the Black Ink Clan has been eliminated, you can come back to the No-Return Pass and we will help you do so.”
“Many thanks, three Elders!” Yang Kai bowed again, “I’ve inconvenienced you for too long now. I shall take my leave.”
“The battlefield is dangerous, be careful in whatever you do.”
Yang Kai nodded slightly, turned around and rushed out of the temple as the group of Dragon Clan members looked on with heavy hearts. He then flew out of the No-Return Pass.
Although the other Dragons were outside the temple, they saw and heard what happened inside and understood that Yang Kai did not record his name in the Dragon Tome.
Zhu Wu You went over to Fu Qian and whispered, “Is that guy stupid? He would rather go out courting death than to take up such a great reward.”
Fu Qian looked on as Yang Kai departed and sighed softly, “Why keep sharpening a sword if you don’t intend to use it?”
Zhu Wu You blinked at him for a moment before he snarled, “You are just as stupid.”
Fu Qian glared at him and barked, “You know shit!”
…..
When he was about to leave the No-Return Pass, Yang Kai stopped and turned his head to look at the Immortal Parasol Tree. He saw Huang Si Niang sitting on a tree branch, looking at him with a smile, and Feng Liu Lang standing next to her.
“Are you leaving?” Huang Si Niang asked with a smile.
“I am.” Yang Kai nodded, thought about it for a moment, turned around again and bowed to her, “Many thanks for helping out with my Wife’s affairs.”
Huang Si Niang waved her hand and said, “Think nothing of it. Is there anything you want to tell her?”
Yang Kai shook his head and said, “There is nothing to say.”
After a pause, he then asked, “The Dragon Clan and the Phoenix Clan had an ancient agreement with the Human Great Experts. After recording one’s name on the Dragon Tome, the Dragon Clan had to remain in the No-Return Pass, how about the Phoenix Clan?”
Huang Si Niang pursed her lips, patted the branch she was sitting on and said, “Once you have your own Nest on the Immortal Parasol Tree, you need to stay at the No-Return Pass.”
Yang Kai nodded blankly. It seemed that both the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan had similar restrictions. For the Dragon Clan, even if one did not record their name on the Dragon Tome, he could still cultivate in the Dragon Pool. However, the same could not be said about the Phoenix Clan. If one wanted to cultivate with the Phoenix Clan, it required possessing their own Phoenix Nest.
Now, Yang Kai understood that if Su Yan really came here, she would be restricted to the No-Return Pass.
Yang Kai cupped his fist and said, “I will take my leave now. If I come back, it will be a triumphant return!”
Huang Si Niang snickered, “Shameless boasting! Then, I’ll wait for your good news!”
As soon as he finished, he dashed away and then a loud Dragon Roar could be heard from the distance. A golden light flashed brightly as the Dragon Pressure faded away!
In the void, Yang Kai transformed into his 70,000-metre Ancient Dragon Form.
He did not do this to intentionally show off. The void was silent and no one would see even if he wanted to show off. He was overjoyed because he had gained so much during this trip to the Dragon Pool. His Dragon Body was only 35,000 metres when he first entered the Dragon Pool, but after emerging, it was 70,000 metres long.
Not only did his size double, but his Dragon Vein and Dragon Bloodline had become completely pure, allowing him to transform into a True Dragon.
This dramatic increase in size meant a huge increase in strength; however, his Small Universe still only had the heritage of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Thus, it would take time for Yang Kai to get used to this sudden surge in power. He had to find a way to adapt, otherwise, it may be a problem if he had to face powerful enemies.
It took Yang Kai half a year to travel from Great Evolution Pass to the No-Return Pass. Now, even if his mastery over the Dao of Space had improved, it would still take roughly half a year for him to return.
This was the perfect opportunity to get familiar with his new strength.
During the journey, Yang Kai swung his Dragon Claws and whipped his Dragon Tail from time to time. Occasionally, he would use Dragon Clan Secret Techniques, and sometimes, he would summon the Azure Dragon Spear. His two Dragon Claws would grab the spear and wield it around as if he was fighting invisible enemies.
If anyone saw this scene, they might think that this Golden Dragon had gone insane.
Yang Kai could not help it though. The Human Race crusade was about to begin, and he did not want to enter the battlefield before he familiarized himself with his newfound powers.
It was a very fruitful trip to the No-Return Pass.
On top of the improvement of his Bloodline, he had gained a massive amount of Space Dao Essence from Su Yan’s Phoenix Nest.
The Space Dao Essence in her Phoenix Nest was created from the Immortal Parasol Tree and contained the mysteries of the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth from the primordial era, so it was a great tonic for Yang Kai.
Although it did not take him to the next level of master in the Dao of Space, it did enhance his comprehension immensely.
The main reason was that Yang Kai’s own attainments in the Dao of Space were already very high, and it would be very difficult for him to ascend to the next level.
Inside the Dragon Pool, when he helped Fu Guang to draw in the Dragon Pool power, the latter even used his Dragon Bead to demonstrate to Yang Kai the mysteries of the Dao of Time.
That enabled Yang Kai to break through the shackles of his understanding of the Dao of Time, reaching the next level of mastery.
His Dragon Bloodline had grown and his two Grand Dao’s had improved tremendously.
At this moment, Yang Kai felt very fulfilled, both in terms of his strength and his perception of the two Grand Daos. He was totally unrecognizable as compared to when he left Great Evolution Pass.
If he could completely digest all the gains from this No-Return Pass trip, Yang Kai believed that his strength would improve by leaps and bounds.
It didn’t take much effort to familiarize himself with the power of his new Dragon Form, all he needed was slow and steady accumulation.
Yang Kai focused more on comprehending the Daos of Time and Space.
The rapid advancement of his two Grand Daos gave him a faint sense of enlightenment.
The Dao of Space was his main Grand Dao, and his achievements in the Dao of Time were perhaps due to his Bloodline. In the past, his mastery over the Dao of Space mainly affected his use of Space Principles, and the Dao of Time, his use of Time Principles; the two were not related to each other.
Even though he had once created the powerful Secret Technique, Sun and Moon Divine Wheel, that was mainly through chance and coincidence. So, he did not give it much deep thought.
But as his comprehension of the Grand Daos advanced, it became clear to him that Time and Space had always been closely related.
Space was unable to exist on its own, and so was Time.
From ancient times until now, the existence of the Universe was interwoven with both Time and Space.
The Sun and Moon Divine Wheel combined Time and Space Principles, but that was something Yang Kai achieved subconsciously. Now when he gave it another look, he noticed that his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel had many flaws and had a lot of room for improvement.
Faintly, Yang Kai was struck with a flash of inspiration. If one day, he was able to perfectly fuse Time Principles and Space Principles, his Sun and Moon Divine Wheel would definitely become much more powerful. It would become possible for him to kill Territory Lords using this Secret Technique even when he was only in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Be that as it may, it was extremely difficult to fuse these two. As Yang Kai tried, his strength fluctuated wildly, but he was unable to accomplish anything. He felt like something was missing.
The feeling of being unable to cross the hurdles to reach your goal when they were within sight and you clearly knew how to reach it was extremely frustrating. It could easily cause one’s mind to grow restless.
This was one of the reasons so many cultivators had suffered from cultivation dissonance while cultivating in retreat throughout history. If one mulled over something too deeply, it would form an obsession, causing their focus to narrow and form an endless cycle of frustration and failure. As a result, they would either lose all confidence or lose their minds, which in turn would cause their Grand Dao to collapse.
Having learned the lessons from history, Yang Kai didn’t want to suffer from cultivation dissonance because of this. So, every time his mood became restless, he would relax and focus on the changes brought about by the growth of his Dragon Form.
By varying his routine, he avoided unnecessary problems.
A few months later, Great Evolution Pass entered his sight.
Yang Kai collected his thoughts and reverted from his Dragon Form. When he saw the dense figures stationed on the walls of Great Evolution Pass, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.
He was really afraid that if he returned too late, he would miss the crusade.
From the looks of it, the crusade had yet to begin. After giving it another thought, he realized that it was not surprising. The round trip to the No-Return Pass cost him a year, and counting the time he had spent at the No-Return Pass, it should be just about five years since he left.
The Human Race Army should not be ready yet.
Space Principles fluctuated as he arrived in front of Great Evolution Pass in a few Instantaneous Movements.
The soldiers on duty had long noticed the strange movements, but after seeing Yang Kai’s face, they quickly let him pass.
When he returned to Great Evolution Pass, he saw soldiers bustling around inside the Pass, as if they were preparing for war.
Yang Kai had no idea about what the situation in the other Theatres was like, but if the crusade were to start right now, the Great Evolution Army would definitely be unstoppable. With the confidence gained from their previous victory over the Black Ink Clan and the addition of the Evil Purging Divine Spears to their arsenal, it shouldn’t be a problem for them to destroy the Royal City.
As for whether they could kill the Royal Lord or not, that would depend on the means of Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Suddenly, a Divine Sense sweep surged from somewhere. Naturally, it belonged to none other than the Old Ancestor.
As soon as the Divine Sense came in contact with him, it withdrew.
Without any hesitation, Yang Kai flew away, following the source of the Divine Sense.
A short while later, he arrived at the Old Ancestor’s residence, where Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was lazily lying on a chair inside her garden. She sized him up before asking, “How was your trip?”
Yang Kai replied respectfully, “It was quite worthwhile. I gained a lot.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao slightly nodded as she teased him, “You didn’t leave your name in the Dragon Tome?”
Yang Kai was taken aback, “You know about the Dragon Tome?”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao pursed her lips, “It’s not like it’s some kind of secret, so why shouldn’t I know about it?”
In truth, the only reason she knew about it was because she was a Ninth-Order Old Ancestor. Ordinary Humans would have never have heard of the Dragon Tome. Even Yang Kai had only learned about it after visiting the No-Return Pass and completely purifying his Bloodline.
“The Dragon Clan wanted me to record my name in the Dragon Tome, but this Junior refused.”
“Mhm,” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao casually nodded. If he really recorded his name in the Dragon Tome, it would be impossible for Yang Kai to return to Great Evolution Pass.
Yang Kai suddenly furrowed his brow and asked, “Were you injured recently?”
He had already noticed that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was a bit pale. He thought it was because her injuries had yet to heal, but after giving it a closer look, he noticed that something was off. Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s aura was clearly unstable.
This could not be due to old injuries acting up.
The only possibility was that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was injured recently.
“I’ve been going to the Royal City more frequently these days,” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao casually replied.
Yang Kai was speechless, “Why fight with the Royal Lord? Isn’t harassing him enough?”
During the previous war, repeated battles had caused the Royal Lord’s injuries to pile up, while Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s frequent visits after the war ended prevented him from healing in peace. Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao didn’t need to fight with him, all she needed to do was disturb him from time to time, frustrating him, and eliminating any chance he had to recover.
Yang Kai could not understand why Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had suddenly become so aggressive.
Saying so, he spread out his Small Universe.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao furrowed her brow at the sight, “It’s just some small wounds. I’ll be fine in a few days.”
Yang Kai shook his head and asserted, “You’re the Old Ancestor, so this matter concerns the entire Great Evolution Army. It’s more important for you to quickly recover.”
The Old Ancestor politely refused, “I know you’re doing this out of goodwill, but I’ve spent a lot of time healing in your Small Universe. My recovery comes at the cost of its Bustling World Essence, which will have some negative impact on you.”
Yang Kai requested once more, smiling, “This Junior understands, but such losses won’t affect me too much. You should focus on healing yourself.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao glanced at him before sighing, no longer insisting.
Suddenly, her expression changed, “Your Small Universe…”
Yang Kai explained with a smile, “My Dragon Bloodline was purified and my mastery over the Dao of Time improved. Now, the flow of time in my Small Universe is faster than before.”
A faster flow of time made it easier for the Old Ancestor to heal her injuries.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had lived there for hundreds of years inside of his Small Universe, so she naturally could sense the changes here.
The Old Ancestor’s injuries weren’t too serious, and she had completely recovered after staying a few months in Yang Kai’s Small Universe, while only a month had passed in the outside world.
After recovering from her wounds, the Old Ancestor suddenly stood up, “Don’t be in a hurry to leave, wait here for me.”
Saying so, she soared into the sky. Yang Kai quickly retracted his Small Universe as his face twitched slightly, staring in the direction the Old Ancestor had left.
After recovering from her injuries, the Old Ancestor had gone to cause trouble for the Royal Lord once more, so it was no wonder she told Yang Kai not to leave. Apparently, he would have to help her heal from her injuries after she returned.
As he had expected, the Old Ancestor returned in less than half a day later, but her condition greatly surprised Yang Kai.
Although he couldn’t find anything wrong with her appearance, Yang Kai could clearly feel that the Old Ancestor’s injuries were much more serious than last time.
Needless to say, he quickly spread his Small Universe and let the Old Ancestor enter to heal.
After a few more months, when the Old Ancestor had completely recovered, she left the Pass once more.
The Old Ancestor returned after half a day again, and this time her face was pale and there were traces of dried blood stains on her clothes.
…..
After repeating this process several times, each time, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was injured more severely. When the Old Ancestor returned from her fifth excursion, Yang Kai finally couldn’t bear it any longer and persuaded, “Old Ancestor, there’s no need to rush. The crusade is imminent. At that time, we’ll first cut his wings and then, with the cooperation of the Eighth-Order Division Commanders, we can slowly take care of the Royal Lord.”
Yang Kai really could not understand what the Old Ancestor was trying to achieve. Although he helped her mend her injuries and the Royal Lord was now even more heavily injured, the Royal Lord could rely on the power of the Black Ink Nest to empower himself. Fighting alone in the Royal City wasn’t beneficial to the Old Ancestor.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao gave him the feeling as if she wanted to quickly finish off the Royal Lord.
Hearing this, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao bitterly smiled, “It’s not what you think. I have my reasons.”
Yang Kai was confused.
As if she felt a little apologetic, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao explained with a smile, “I’m not trying to kill that Royal Lord. His injuries might be quite serious, but it would be quite difficult for me to kill him without the cooperation of the Army. I’ve been going over to visit him only because I want to get something back from him.”
“What is it?” Yang Kai was taken aback.
[Does the Royal have something that belongs to the Old Ancestor? Could it be that she had lost it while fighting with him last time?]
But that should be impossible. With the Old Ancestor’s cultivation, how could the Royal Lord have secretly snatched something from her?
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was silent for a moment, seemingly hesitating about whether or not to tell Yang Kai about this, but in the end, she still chose to give him the answer, “Every Great Pass is a huge Mobile Palace Artifact, you should know this.”
Yang Kai nodded his agreement.
This was something he had learned when he first laid eyes on Blue Sky Pass; however, despite being a type of Mobile Palace Artifact, the Great Passes were simply too large and difficult to control. Even the Old Ancestors overseeing each Great Pass were unable to control them freely despite their fearsome strength.
“Every Great Pass has its own Core, and with the help of that Core, the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors can control their respective Great Passes. With the assistance of others, a Mobile Palace Artifact like the Great Pass can also be used to attack the enemy.”
“The Core is similar to an Array Core of a Grand Array. The Great Pass is nothing without its Core, just a giant, immobile fortress. The Great Pass can’t be used for anything other than for defense in such a state, but if you have its Core, the Great Pass can really be used as a Mobile Palace Artifact. Unfortunately, the Core of the Great Evolution Pass… has been lost. If I’m right, it should have fallen into the hands of the Royal Lord, so I must retrieve it.”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
Judging by the Old Ancestor’s words, if they had the Core, Great Evolution Pass wouldn’t have to remain in place and could instead be brought to the Royal City at some cost. At that time, how could the Royal City possibly resist the powerful Great Evolution Pass? Even if all they did was charge right at the Royal City, the Great Pass would easily smash the Royal City.
However, the Core of Great Evolution Pass had been lost, and without it, Great Evolution Pass could not move.
After giving it another thought, Yang Kai did not find it strange. Great Evolution Pass was in the possession of the Black Ink Clan for 30,000 years. Although they had recovered it now, why would the Black Ink Clan leave behind such an important thing? It was very likely that it had been taken away long ago.
This was the reason why Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had been frequently haunting the Royal Lord. With the crusade approaching, if Great Evolution Pass didn’t have its core, they wouldn’t be able to mobilize the Pass. This would make it impossible for them to coordinate with the other Great Passes.
So no matter what, she had to retrieve the Core of Great Evolution Pass.
Hearing this, Yang Kai frowned, “Since the Core is so important, the Black Ink Clan must have also realized it already, so why would they return it just like that?”
“En,” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao let out a long sigh. The Black Ink Clan definitely wouldn’t return something so important to the Human Race. If she was the Royal Lord, she would rather destroy the Core than let the Humans take it back.
This was also the reason why she had been attacking the Royal Lord so frequently as of late, only to return empty-handed.
“Can’t we refine another one?” Yang Kai asked.
Clearly, there was no hope of getting it back, and Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao must also know this, but she was just doing what she could while leaving the rest up to the Heavens.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao shook her head, “The Core is an ancient artifact and the method to refine it has long been lost in the annals of history. Although the Artifact Refining Great Grandmasters in the Pass have been researching the problem, they haven’t found any clues as of yet.”
The loss of Great Evolution’s Core was only discovered during the recent restoration so they were currently pressed for time. Even Grandmaster Ma Fan and the other Artifact Refining Great Grandmaster were at a loss.
Refining a new Core would not only be extremely difficult, it would also cost an astronomical amount of resources and take an absurd amount of time, probably 1,000 years at best.
1,000 years… a lot of things could happen over such a long period.
The Human Race currently had the advantage in various Theatres, especially in Great Evolution Theatre, so there would not be a better time to launch the crusade and eliminate all the Royal Cities in one fell swoop. If they delayed things for too long, the Black Ink Clan might be able to rise from the ashes once more.
If they couldn’t find the Core of Great Evolution Pass by the time the crusade began, the Great Evolution Army would no longer be able to borrow the power of the Great Pass and would have no choice but to fly over on their Warships to confront the enemy.
In that case, the Great Evolution Army’s casualties would definitely be higher than the other Human Race Armies.
Unfortunately, Yang Kai couldn’t help in this matter. The only thing he could do was heal Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s injuries, hoping that the Royal Lord wouldn’t be able to take her harassment eventually and return the Core.
Although the chances were slim.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai finally understood why the higher-ups had spent so much manpower and resources to rebuild Great Evolution Pass after retaking the Pass after listening to Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao.
He did question why they were so heavily fortifying Great Evolution Pass in the past. Though he did not put it in words and kept such thoughts to himself, he couldn’t help feeling that this was a wasteful endeavour as the Black Ink Clan in Great Evolution Theatre had already been routed and trapped in the Royal City. Thus, restoring the Pass without the Black Ink Clan being capable of attacking them seemed somewhat pointless.
Thus, he thought of it not as repelling assaults by the Black Ink Clan, but rather, for the sake of sentiment.
Now it was clear he had made too many incorrect assumptions.
The various repairs done to Great Evolution Pass were not just for the sake of sentiment or appearance, but rather in preparation for the crusade. As long as they could find the Core, the entire Pass would be their greatest reliance in the coming war.
…
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao continued going out once every two or three months, returning each time with varying injuries.
If she ended up in this state, the Royal Lord definitely wouldn’t have fared any better; after all, he had yet to recover from his past injuries. If it weren’t for the power of the Black Ink Nest in the Royal City, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao would have killed him already.
The current Royal Lord was simply struggling at death’s door.
Whether Great Evolution Pass could get its Core back, the Great Evolution Army would definitely defeat the Black Ink Clan Army when the crusade began. That would be the time for him to lose his head.
However, as time passed, Yang Kai could clearly feel that Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s temper was getting worse and worse. More often than not, she would start cursing the Royal Lord for being ignorant and calling him a stubborn oaf when she returned from the Royal City.
Every time this happened, Yang Kai would choose to remain silent.
Rather, it would be even stranger if the Royal Lord really gave her Great Evolution Pass’ Core just because she went to him and asked for it.
It was just a thought, one Yang Kai didn’t dare say out loud, afraid he would be cursed along with the Royal Lord.
Today, when Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao returned from her trip to the Royal City, she was so gloomy that it felt as if darkness was oozing from her. She landed in Yang Kai’s Small Universe, began healing from her injuries, and began her usual rant about the Royal Lord.
All this went in Yang Kai’s left ear and out through the right as he kept nodding in agreement like a chicken pecking rice.
This had already happened many times before, so Yang Kai had long since become accustomed to it. Now well prepared, he casually took out a stick of candied fruit and handed it to her. The Old Ancestor took a sidelong glance at him before accepting it, but she still did not forget to scold the Royal Lord while she aggressively crunched on the snack.
Yang Kai remained calm, quietly studying the Daos of Time and Space.
Suddenly, Yang Kai raised his head, looking at Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao.
The Old Ancestor was just about to unleash another barrage of curses, but when she noticed his unusual movement, she furrowed her brow and asked, “What is it?”
Yang Kai asked, “Old Ancestor, you said that the Royal Lord keeps denying that he took Great Evolution Pass’ Core, yes?”
This was not the first time the Old Ancestor had mentioned this, but Yang Kai had never taken it seriously; after all, there was nothing he could do to help in this situation except aid the Old Ancestor with her recovery.
While the Old Ancestor was recuperating, most of Yang Kai’s attention was focused on comprehending the Dao of Time and the Dao of Space to improve in the short peaceful time he had on hand. And he had indeed gained a lot over the past few months.
The advancement of his Dragon Bloodline had improved his mastery and understanding of the Dao of Time, and by refining and absorbing the abundance Space Dao Essence in Su Yan’s Phoenix Nest he had enhanced his comprehension of the Dao of Space.
When the Old Ancestor mentioned this matter again just now though, Yang Kai suddenly realised that he had overlooked something very important.
The Old Ancestor rebuked with a snort, “Would he dare to admit to such a thing if he did it?”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before asking, “If Great Evolution’s Core was still there when the Black Ink Clan occupied Great Evolution Pass, would the Black Ink Clan be able to use it?”
The Old Ancestor explained, “Although Great Evolution Pass was created by Humans, in the end, it’s just a giant Mobile Palace Artifact, so with sufficient energy anyone can control it. The Royal Lord is comparable to a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so he wouldn’t be able to control Great Evolution Pass on his own; however, if with the help of the Territory Lords under him, controlling Great Evolution Pass wouldn’t be a problem. After all, the Black Ink Clan has many Territory Lords.”
“Then this situation is a bit strange,” Yang Kai looked at Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, “If they were able to move Great Evolution Pass, why did the Black Ink Clan just leave it here? If I were the Royal Lord, I would have brought Great Evolution Pass back to the vicinity of the Royal City to act as another fortified base of operation. I might have even directly treated Great Evolution Pass as my own Royal City.”
The Black Ink Clan Royal Cities were nowhere near as sturdy as the Human Race’s Great Passes. By making such a Pass into his Royal City, the Royal Lord would never need to worry about the Human’s taking it back, which would give him a huge boost in security and face.
He believed that no Royal Lord could resist this temptation.
The Old Ancestor slightly frowned, “Actually, I’ve also been wondering about this issue as well…”
Yang Kai’s eyes slightly lit up, “Great Evolution Pass’ Core really may not be in the hands of the Black Ink Clan.”
The Old Ancestor shook her head, denying the possibility, “But if the Core is not in the hands of the Black Ink Clan, where could it be?”
“Could it have been destroyed?” Yang Kai asked, “Back then, the Old Ancestor of Great Evolution Pass died in battle. Perhaps someone felt that the situation was dire enough for the Humans that they decided to destroy the Core rather than let it fall into enemy hands.”
At a time of crisis, something as important as the Core would definitely be destroyed rather than left behind.
“While that’s possible, it’s not very likely. Every Great Pass’ Core is extremely sturdy, so only a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could destroy it. When Great Evolution Pass fell, there was only one Old Ancestor here, and at that time, he should have been fighting with the two Royal Lords, so how could he have had time to destroy the Core?”
“Then there’s only one possibility,” Yang Kai stated as he put away his Small Universe and beckoned her, “Old Ancestor, please follow me.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s face was filled with confusion, nonetheless, she quickly chased after him, asking, “What are you thinking?”
Yang Kai shook his head, stating, “I’m not certain, but we’ll know after giving it a try. Old Ancestor, please wait patiently.”
Xiao Xiao didn’t pursue the matter any further.
Soon, the two arrived at Great Evolution’s Space Array Hall.
When the soldiers on duty saw the Old Ancestor arrive, they quickly stepped forward and bowed.
One of the soldiers asked, “Does the Old Ancestor want to go to another Great Pass?”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao shook her head and pointed at Yang Kai, “It’s his business, you should ask him.”
The man nodded and turned to Yang Kai, “Where is Junior Brother Yang going?”
Yang Kai thought for a moment before stating, “I’ll have to trouble Senior Brothers to activate the Hyper Space Array.”
The guards immediately started getting everything set up.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao asked, furrowing her brow, “Do you suspect that when Great Evolution Pass was breached, someone sent the Core to another Great Pass using the Space Array?”
Yang Kai nodded, “If the Core is not in the hands of the Black Ink Clan, and it has not been destroyed, then that is the only possibility left. After all, they did not outright destroy the Space Array, believing that the Humans Race would come back one day to retake the Pass.”
No one knew what had happened 30,000 years ago; after all, on the day Great Evolution Pass fell, except for those who had been captured, almost everyone, from the Old Ancestors to the ordinary soldiers, was wiped out.
However, just as Yang Kai had said, if the Core was not in the hands of the Black Ink Clan and was not destroyed, the only way to send it away was through the Space Array!
Perhaps on that day, someone had stepped through this Space Array, shouldering the heavy responsibility of preserving Great Evolution Pass’ Core!
“If it really was sent to another Great Pass, why would that Great Pass not report it?” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao shook her head in response.
Yang Kai answered with a smile, “If they don’t know, how can they report it?”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was confused.
At this moment, the guard on duty stated, “Junior Brother Yang, everything is set. Where should we set the location?”
Yang Kai stated without hesitation, “Wind and Cloud Pass!”
Saying so, he stepped onto the Array.
The Space Array hummed and energy surged as the lines of the Array flashed, enveloping Yang Kai’s figure in a dazzling glow. By the time the light disappeared, Yang Kai was nowhere to be seen.
At the same time, inside Wind and Cloud Pass’ Space Array Hall lit up. The guards promptly reported the situation, while searching for the source of the disturbance.
Soon, they found out that it was someone arriving from Great Evolution Pass.
A moment later, Yang Kai’s figure appeared on the Space Array.
“Junior Brother Yang!” A Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master cupped his fist and greeted Yang Kai. The last time Yang Kai came here, he was also on duty, so he immediately recognized Yang Kai.
Yang Kai returned the greeting, “Greetings, Senior Brother.”
The Seventh-Order Master asked, “What business does Junior Brother Yang have here?”
Under normal circumstances, very few people would travel between the Great Passes, because each teleportation would consume a massive amount of resources. If it was just information that needed to be shared, then a jade slip would be sufficient.
The Evil Purging Divine Spears, Purifying Black Ink Pills, and even the refining method of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors were all shared with other Great Passes by sending out jade slips.
It had to be something very important for Yang Kai to teleport here in person.
Yang Kai stated outright, “There are indeed some things I need to discuss, may I ask which Army Commander is free right now? I would like to ask them about something.”
The Seventh-Order guard agreed with a nod, “Junior Brother, please wait a moment, allow me…”
Before this person could finish, a voice came from outside, “What’s the matter?”
The moment the voice rang in everyone’s ear, a figure stepped into the hall.
Everyone quickly bowed.
Yang Kai looked over and saw an old acquaintance, Wind and Cloud Pass’ Eastern Army Commander, Yuan Xing Ge!
The last time Yang Kai came here, it was this Army Commander who took him to meet Wind and Cloud Pass’ Old Ancestor.
“Greetings, Senior Yuan,” Yang Kai bowed.
Yuan Xing Ge lightly nodded in response before solemnly asking, “What did you come here for?”
Anytime someone travelled between the Passes, it was accompanied by a major event. So, he immediately rushed over after receiving this news.
Yang Kai replied, “I have something I want to ask you.”
“Speak.”
“When Great Evolution Pass was breached 30,000 years ago, did anything unusual happen with Wind and Cloud Pass’ Space Array?”
“30,000 years ago…” Yuan Xing Ge was speechless, “This Yuan only arrived at Wind and Cloud Pass 10,000 years ago.”
How could he know anything about what had happened 30,000 years ago? It was too long ago. In fact, he wasn’t even born 30,000 years ago.
“Is there anyone alive from 30,000 years ago in the Pass?”
“There is… but they won’t necessarily know about this.”
Everyone had their own duties they were assigned to. Apart from the person guarding it at the time, it was unlikely anyone else would know anything about the matters of the Space Array.
After a moment of silence, Yuan Xing Ge asked, “Is this important?”
Yang Kai earnestly nodded, “It is of critical importance.”
Yuan Xing Ge turned around and stated, “Follow me, I’ll take you to the Old Ancestor.”
There was no point in asking others about this. It was best to just ask the Old Ancestor; after all, it had certainly been over 30,000 years since the current Old Ancestor began presiding over Wind and Cloud Pass.
A moment later, Yang Kai saw Wind and Cloud Pass Old Ancestor tending his cattle in the manifestation of his Small Universe at a secluded location in Wind and Cloud Pass once more.
Receiving Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s reminder, Yang Kai carefully observed this time and found that there was indeed an old ox with a broken horn, secretly guessing that it should be an extremely powerful Monster Beast.
After all, anything that could make Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao pay attention to would be surely extraordinary.
Perhaps sensing Yang Kai’s gaze wandering on its ribs, the old ox, that was casually eating grass, raised its head and mooed.
Yuan Xing Ge stepped forward and whispered a few words to the Old Ancestor, who nodded and asked, looking at Yang Kai, “Why do you suddenly want to inquire about what happened 30,000 years ago?”
Yang Kai cupped his fist and answered, “Reporting to Old Ancestor, Great Evolution Pass’ Core is missing.”
Yuan Xing Ge’s expression slightly changed after hearing this, but this was also well within his expectations; after all, the Black Ink Clan had occupied Great Evolution Pass for more than 30,000 years, so they definitely wouldn’t leave the Core behind.
Be that as it may, what he could not understand was what the loss of the Core had to do with Wind and Cloud Pass’ Space Array 30,000 years ago.
Without waiting for them to ask, Yang Kai explained, “Junior suspects that when Great Evolution Pass was breached, the Human soldiers from that time took the Core and tried to send it to Wind and Cloud Pass.”
The Old Ancestor looked at him with interest, “Why do you think so?”
Yang Kai replied with a serious look on his face, “If I were a Great Evolution soldier 30,000 years ago, and saw that the Old Ancestor would fall in battle and the Great Pass was likely to fall, my priority would be to think of a way to protect the Core. And if I wanted to protect it, the only way to do so would be to send it to a nearby Great Pass via the Space Array.”
The Old Ancestor nodded in agreement, “Hmm, that makes sense. Continue.”
“The Passes adjacent to Great Evolution Pass are Wind and Cloud Pass, and Azure Void Pass. At that time, the situation would have been urgent, so they would have definitely chosen one of these two.”
“Then why Wind and Cloud Pass and not Azure Void Pass?”
Yang Kai explained, “After recovering Great Evolution Pass, this Junior managed to repair Great Evolution Pass’ Hyper Space Array, but during the final tests, something went wrong when I tried to teleport to Wind and Cloud Pass. Something was interfering with the Space Array, preventing a smooth connection from being established between the two Passes. I had no choice but to enter the Void Corridor and break through the interference personally, allowing the Space Array to function smoothly. Senior Yuan should know about this.”
The nearby Yuan Xing Ge lightly nodded in agreement.
That day, when Great Evolution Pass’ Space Array connected to this place, a portal had opened, but nothing came through from the other side. It was only after waiting for a very long time that Yang Kai finally arrived.
As this had never happened before, the soldiers on duty that day immediately reported it to Yuan Xing Ge and the Army Commander of Wind and Cloud Pass’ Northern Army, Tian Lu.
Eventually, Yang Kai did arrive, solving the mystery.
Back then, Yang Kai was unable to understand what went wrong with the teleportation. Although he had transited the entire Void Corridor to investigate, he was still unable to find the reason.
What’s more, apart from the first time, nothing unusual happened with the later teleportations. So, Yang Kai didn’t pay any much attention to this matter. He only thought that it was because the Void Corridor had not been used for a long time and needed to be smoothed out or unblocked.
But now, it suddenly struck him that this was not the case.
There was a high chance that something was stuck in the Void Corridor and was interfering with its stability. So, even if they were able to determine the direction and open the portal, nothing was able to pass through it.
If Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao hadn’t told him about Great Evolution Pass’ Core, it would have never occurred to Yang Kai that these two seemingly unrelated matters were actually closely related.
Obviously, the Old Ancestor understood this and asked, “So you suspect that Great Evolution Pass’ Core was lost in the Void Crack and the power it gave off was interfering with the passage between the two Passes?”
Yang Kai nodded, “That is my hypothesis.”
As for what exactly happened that day, no one knew. And it was impossible to investigate what had happened 30,000 years ago as everyone who knew had most likely already died.
However, if Yang Kai’s speculations were true, then a Great Evolution Pass soldier must have brought the Core with them and tried to send it to Wind and Cloud Pass through the Space Array 30,000 years ago. But, just as the Space Array was activated, the Black Ink Clan must have breached Great Evolution Pass.
The moment the Core was sent, the soldiers must have disabled the Space Array in haste, causing the Void Corridor to become unstable. The Core must have been lost in the Void Crack then because of this, and that is why it had not been found in the last 30,000 years.
“However, these are all my speculations, so I need some kind of proof before taking further action.”
This was the reason why he had come to Wind and Cloud Pass to inquire about the situation. If something unusual had happened with the Hyper Space Array of Wind and Cloud Pass back then, it would greatly bolster his conjecture.
“Mhmm.” The Old Ancestor nodded lightly, “Wait a moment, 30,000 years…is a very long time.”
Even a Master like the Old Ancestor might not be able to recall what happened so long ago. Not to mention, the Old Ancestor might not have been paying attention to the Space Array at the time.
As such, he needed to calm his mind and search his memories for the scene from 30,000 years ago to find some clues.
The verdant mountains and clear waters sunk into silence for the moment as the Old Ancestor’s eyes drooped, as if he had fallen asleep.
Yang Kai and Yuan Xing Ge quietly stood in place, respectfully waiting.
Only a few old oxen were leisurely eating grass nearby.
At first, everything seemed normal, but as time passed, the verdant mountains began to slightly quake and ripples appeared on the calm and clear waters.
It was obvious that the Old Ancestor was mobilizing his strength. It happened in the distant past and there was no specific point in time, so it was not easy to find a small bit of trivial information even for someone as strong as the Old Ancestor.
After half a day, Wind and Cloud Pass’ Old Ancestor suddenly raised his head.
The trembling Small Universe instantly calmed down.
Yang Kai focused his gaze on him.
The Old Ancestor lightly nodded to Yang Kai, “It seems your guess is right on the mark. The day Great Evolution Pass was breached, a portal had indeed opened at our Space Array, but it disappeared right after it appeared. Even the soldiers on duty were unable to locate its origin, so this matter was left unsettled.”
Yang Kai excitedly cried, “So the Core really isn’t in the hands of the Black Ink Clan.”
Although he felt that his guess was correct, it wasn’t until the Old Ancestor here personally confirmed that something unusual had indeed happened with the Space Array that he was certain.
This was great news.
As long as Great Evolution Pass’ Core was not in the hands of the Black Ink Clan, it became a simple matter.
If the Core really was in the hands of the Black Ink Clan, that would be rather troublesome. Although Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had been pressuring the Royal Lord, why would the Royal Lord easily compromise? If he really had the Core, he would definitely not return it unless she killed him.
And how could a Royal Lord who could mobilize the power of his Black Ink Nest be so easy to kill? No matter how serious his injuries were, so long as he was in his Royal City, he could use the Black Ink Nest to fight with Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao. If he was pushed into a corner, he might even be able to drag Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao down with him.
This was something Great Evolution Pass could not bear.
But now… Yang Kai felt a little sorry for the Royal Lord.
Speaking of which, he had been to several Theatres, but he had never seen such a miserable Royal Lord. He was basically bullied and humiliated by Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao time and time again, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Presumably, when Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao asked him for Great Evolution Pass’ Core, a look of despair must have filled his face.
He could do nothing about it if he did not have it.
Yuan Xing Ge asked, “Just now, you said that you vaguely sensed some kind of disturbance in the Void Corridor. Does this mean that Great Evolution Pass’ Core is still there?”
“Yes,” Yang Kai nodded in agreement.
“Can you find it?”
Yang Kai took a deep breath, “This Junior will do his best.”
In this World, there were not many who stood a chance of finding an artifact that had been lost for 30,000 years in the Void Crack.
On the Divine Spirit’s side, the Phoenix Clan with strong Bloodlines might be able to, but on the Human Race’s side, only Yang Kai was capable.
After confirming that Great Evolution Pass’ Core was still lost in the Void, Yang Kai bid farewell to Yuan Xing Ge and quickly returned to the Space Array.
“Senior Brothers, please activate the Space Array.” Yang Kai bowed.
The soldiers on duty immediately started setting everything up.
Yuan Xing Ge was silent for a moment before asking in a low voice, “How confident are you?”
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “I won’t return unless I find the Core.”
Yuan Xing Ge glanced at him for a moment before cautioning, “Your own safety is of utmost importance.”
“I understand!” Yang Kai earnestly replied. The Spirit Array was set, so he stepped forward.
The Grand Array buzzed before a dazzling glow enveloped Yang Kai and he disappeared.
If it was a normal teleportation, Yang Kai would probably appear in Great Evolution Pass after just a few breaths, but this time, he had to enter the Void Corridor to search for the Core, so he had to interrupt the teleportation.
As soon as he sensed the power of Space Principles from the Space Array, Yang Kai immediately used his own Space Principles to resist the pulling force he felt.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai appeared in the turbulent Void.
In the Void Crack, Void Turbulences were the most dangerous thing. These turbulences had no set pattern and moved randomly, like wild beasts.
If anyone who didn’t have a high comprehension of the Dao of Space was pulled into a Void Turbulence, they would lose all sense of direction and become trapped forever.
Only a miserable fate awaited a person trapped in the Void Crack.
Space was an extremely mysterious thing. There had been countless talented geniuses who had led their eras throughout the ages, but how many of them could thoroughly study the mysteries of the Dao of Space?
Even the current Yang Kai didn’t dare say that he had fully comprehended the essence of the Dao of Space, he had simply walked further and saw more of the Dao of Space than others.
He had been to the Void Crack many times, so he was naturally no stranger to this omnipresent Void Turbulence.
Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to find a direction or any kind of regularity here, but for those who were proficient in the Dao of Space, the movements of the Void Turbulence were still quite noticeable.
Although it had been determined that Great Evolution Pass’ Core had been lost in the Void Crack, no one knew where it was exactly.
After 30,000 years, perhaps the Core had drifted far away along with the Void Turbulence’s flow.
What Yang Kai needed to do now was to find some clues that he could use to find the Core in this boundless expanse.
This was undoubtedly a difficult task.
The only piece of good news was that the Core shouldn’t have drifted too far away; otherwise, it wouldn’t have disturbed the stability of the Void Corridor between Great Evolution Pass and Wind and Cloud Pass.
Yang Kai tried his best to recall the place where the Void Corridor was disrupted back then. His figure moved through the Void Turbulence like a fish through water as he pushed his Space Principles.
Meanwhile, Yuan Xing Ge, at Wind and Cloud Pass’ Space Array, ordered, “Send a message to Great Evolution Pass and inform them of the situation here.”
The Great Evolution Army had no idea how long it would take for Yang Kai to find the Core in the Void Crack, but they must still be waiting for news.
The soldier on duty nodded in response and quickly prepared a blank jade slip. He recorded everything that had transpired here with his Divine Sense before activating the Space Array and sending the jade slip to Great Evolution Pass.
The moment the two Arrays connected, Yang Kai, who was in the Void Crack between them, sensed it. Via his Divine Sense, he quickly discovered that something was rapidly passing through the local space.
Very soon, he understood that it should be a message sent by Wind and Cloud Pass to Great Evolution Pass.
[Yuan Xing Ge is quite meticulous, while I was a bit sloppy. I should have reported to Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao before I left. But since Wind and Cloud Pass has sent a message, it should be fine now.]
Yang Kai found nothing as he investigated along the direction of the Void Turbulence flow, which frustrated him slightly. Had he known that Great Evolution Pass’ Core was lost in this Void Crack, he wouldn’t have been so quick to open up the Void Corridor that day. That was undoubtedly the best opportunity to find the Core, because he could find the source of the disturbance.
The source of this disturbance was definitely the location of the Core.
Unfortunately, after he cleared the passage between the two Passes, these clues were also erased.
Nevertheless, there was no point in crying over spilt milk; no one had expected such a situation to occur.
[Perhaps… I could sabotage Great Evolution Pass’ Space Array and try to recreate the event from 30,000 years ago?]
Just as this thought flashed across Yang Kai’s mind, he shook his head and quashed it. Sabotaging the Space Array wouldn’t be a problem, and repairing it wasn’t an issue either, but the chances of reconstructing the exact circumstance from 30,000 years ago were far too low. Even the slightest error could throw the entire attempt off.
Right now, the best solution was to search, slowly and painstakingly. Perhaps he might even obtain some benefits.
Just as Yang Kai was looking around, he suddenly felt a strange reaction from his Space Ring. He quickly stopped and focused his Divine Sense.
The next instant, a look of shock appeared on his face as an extremely rich fluctuation of Space Principles began to radiate from his Space Ring.
Before he could figure out what was going on, a seven-coloured figure of light flew out from his Space Ring. The figure of light twisted and transformed, taking the shape of a young woman in front of him.
Yang Kai stared at the figure before him in shock and muttered, “Si Niang?”
This young woman was none other than Huang Si Niang, who should be back at the No-Return Pass.
[How is Si Niang here, and how did she appear from my Space Ring!?]
[Also, aren’t the Phoenix Clan and Dragon Clan bound by the Bloodline Great Oath that prevents them from leaving the No-Return Pass unless they are under threat of extermination?]
While Yang Kai was reeling from the shock, Huang Si Niang stretched lazily and chanted “I’m finally out!”
After glancing around, she was a little taken aback by her surroundings and muttered, “You’re cultivating the Dao of Space here? No wonder I felt strong fluctuations of Space Principles.”
If it weren’t for the fact that she had noticed the extremely chaotic fluctuations of the surrounding Space Principles, she wouldn’t have appeared.
She had thought that Yang Kai had encountered some kind of enemy and was currently locked in battle, but contrary to her assumption, he was actually swimming through the Void Crack.
Yang Kai sized up Huang Si Niang for a moment before hesitantly guessing, “A Soul Clone?”
When she first appeared in front of him, Yang Kai really thought that Si Niang had come here in person, but after carefully examining her, he discovered that she had not. This should be a type of Soul Clone because the Huang Si Niang in front of him wasn’t as powerful as he had seen before. However, this was clearly somewhat different from an ordinary Soul Clone.
Si Niang had no intention of explaining and just slightly nodded her agreement to his question, “Yup.”
Yang Kai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “That tail feather?”
Si Niang grinned.
Yang Kai smacked his forehead, voicing his thoughts, “I was wondering why you were so generous when we first met, it turns out you had this in mind.”
Back at the Phoenix Nest, Si Niang had said that she had lost a bet with Feng Liu Lang, and as a result, she had to give him a tail feather.
Yang Kai was quite puzzled by this; the two of them had made a bet, so how was he related? But, it was the tail feather of a Phoenix, from which he could comprehend the Dao of Space, so Yang Kai naturally happily accepted it.
But by the looks of it, it wasn’t because of his outstanding charisma and charm, but rather because Huang Si Niang had other plans.
This tail feather wasn’t just an ordinary tail feather. It had probably been refined by Huang Si Niang into something similar to a Soul Clone. She had gifted it to Yang Kai with the intention to sightsee around the Black Ink Battlefield.
Si Niang really liked to join in on the fun, but unfortunately, she couldn’t leave the No-Return Pass, nor did the Black Ink Clan come attacking, so she spent her days in her Phoenix Nest, bored to death.
Although a large number of Humans, who would come to the No-Return Pass and would be sent to the various Great Passes, would appear every few years, they were all ordinary Humans. How could Si Niang lower herself to interact with them?
Yang Kai, on the other hand, was different. He was partially a Dragon at that time. So, giving him a tail feather was no big deal.
In truth, Si Niang hadn’t schemed against Yang Kai in this matter, she just hadn’t told him the whole truth because she had some selfish motives.
Although a Space Ring was a sealed space, with the Phoenix Clan’s attainments in the Dao of Space, it naturally wouldn’t be difficult for Si Niang to escape even if Yang Kai placed the tail feather inside one.
The reason she had appeared at this time was because she had sensed dense fluctuations of the Space Principles and had thought that Yang Kai was fighting with the Black Ink Clan, so she had come out to join in.
As a result, she appeared in the Void Crack.
“Your Soul Clone is not restricted by the Bloodline Oath?” Yang Kai asked.
Huang Si Niang pursed her lips, “It’s just a Soul Clone, why would it receive any restrictions? It’s not a big deal if my main body doesn’t leave the No-Return Pass.”
Yang Kai just nodded along in response.
“What are you doing in such a place?” Huang Si Niang looked around, and when she saw nothing but Void Turbulence, disappointment filled her face.
Although her tail feather was similar to a Soul Clone, it wasn’t really one, so she couldn’t maintain this state indefinitely. At most, she could only manifest around three times before it became ineffective.
This was a waste of an opportunity, so she was truly annoyed.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, was overjoyed, “Si Niang, you came just in time! I have something I need your help with.”
Huang Si Niang couldn’t help but gawk at his happy expression…
After Yang Kai explained the situation, Huang Si Niang nodded, “Understood. Since that’s the case, let’s split up and search.”
Saying so, her figure flickered as she transformed into a seven-coloured streak of light and disappeared into the Void Turbulence.
Yang Kai watched in amazement.
Although his mastery of the Dao of Space had reached an extremely high level and he had no problem traversing through this turbulent Void, Huang Si Niang was a Phoenix with an innate Bloodline Talent for the Dao of Space, allowing her to literally feel at home in this kind of environment. He couldn’t repeat the same feat.
This had nothing to do with mastery.
If he could be considered a person who had practised and mastered the art of swimming, then Huang Si Niang and the other Phoenixes would be fish born in the ocean.
Be that as it may, if he were to think about it from a different perspective, he had his own advantages. Although their Bloodline Talent was indeed powerful and beneficial, it was also set in stone with predefined limits. This was also why the Phoenix Clan was unable to repair the damaged Universe Temples.
The Human Race had made many innovations and come up with a lot of applications for the Dao of Space, something the Phoenix Clan couldn’t compare to.
In any case, it should not be a problem to find the Great Evolution Pass Core with the help of Huang Si Niang.
As for how she would inform him after finding it, that was something Yang Kai was not worried about. The advantages the Phoenix Clan could display here were beyond his reach. Since Si Niang had left so quickly, she definitely had a way to find him again.
Keeping his thoughts to himself, Yang Kai also shuttled through the Void Turbulence and began carefully searching.
Unfortunately, he didn’t find anything, until he sensed a strange movement in the Void near him at some point. Yang Kai focused his senses to investigate and found that a seven-coloured beam of light was rapidly approaching him through the Void Turbulence.
“I don’t know if it’s what you’re looking for, but there’s something strange over there,” Huang Si Niang reported before turning around and leading the way.
Yang Kai quickly chased after her.
A moment later, the two stopped somewhere in the Void Crack, staring at the strange scene before their eyes. Yang Kai became slightly absent-minded at the sight of this.
He had travelled through the Void Crack many times, but he had never seen anything like this.
The Void Turbulence had almost solidified into a sphere-like object. Even now, more turbulence was still being pulled in from the surroundings and merging with this anomaly, slowly enlarging the sphere.
Who knows how long it had existed for it to reach its current size.
“Is this what you’re looking for?” Huang Si Niang asked.
Yang Kai shook his head, “I’m not sure, but it might be.”
There was nothing else in this Void Crack apart from this strange thing; furthermore, the surrounding Void Turbulence was extremely chaotic because of this object, so it was quite possible that it had disturbed the Void Corridor before.
Huang Si Niang looked at it for a moment before replying, “It’s going to be a bit difficult to deal with this.”
Yang Kai humbly asked, “Can you take it out directly?”
Huang Si Niang shook her head, “This thing is formed from an immense amount of Void Turbulence. Even if you could force it open, once the structure is disturbed, the flow around here will surely become extremely violent and chaotic, to the point where this section of the Void Crack will be torn to pieces and scatter about randomly.”
Yang Kai nodded his agreement, “Then we’ll have to slowly peel it open.”
Inside the Void Crack, there was a strange object formed from countless turbulent flows. Not to mention Yang Kai, even Huang Si Niang had never seen anything like it before.
However, Yang Kai could vaguely sense that there was something inside this strange anomaly; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to draw in the surrounding Void Turbulence.
This thing was most likely Great Evolution Pass’ Core which Yang Kai was looking for.
In that case, the only way to extract the Core would be to separate the individual streams of Void Turbulence that had accumulated over the past 30,000 years.
This was undoubtedly an extremely complicated task.
Huang Si Niang felt quite exasperated. Back then, she had given her tail feather to Yang Kai mainly because she wanted to accompany him and find an opportunity to join in on the fun and kill a few Black Ink Clansmen, but the first time she showed herself, Yang Kai was ordering her around like a labourer.
If one were to compare this spherical object before them to a ball of yarn, then the countless turbulent currents in and around it would be the threads. These threads were interweaving and overlapping each other layer by layer in a complete mess. If one wanted to unravel these currents, it would be equivalent to extracting the threads from it one by one until it was revealed what was hidden inside. This required great willpower and patience.
This was undoubtedly the most brute force method, but it was also the only method available.
After Yang Kai reached this conclusion, he took action. He used Space Principles to form a barrier around the sphere, isolating it.
He had to first isolate it because this sphere was constantly drawing in the surrounding Void Turbulence. If he didn’t isolate it, he would never be able to completely clear the turbulent flows.
For the current Yang Kai, forming a barrier was a simple matter.
A moment later, an isolation field created by Space Principles enveloped the sphere.
Space Principles continued to fluctuate as Yang Kai’s Divine Sense surged towards the sphere, searching for weak spots to exploit.
After a while, a stream of Void Turbulence attached to the sphere was drawn out and then pushed out of the barrier by Yang Kai, discarding it into the Void Crack.
The first step was always the hardest. After the first successful attempt, Yang Kai found the second to be much simpler.
After removing several dozen streams of Void Turbulence, Yang Kai turned to the bored Huang Si Niang and called out to her, “Si Niang, don’t just stand there, help me.”
He had no idea how many streams of Void Turbulence had been gathered in this sphere over the past 30,000 years. Some had fused together while others had split apart, so the exact number was impossible to determine. All that was certain was that there was an enormous amount of them. It would take him a lot of time and effort if he were to try to separate them all by himself.
Huang Si Niang glared at him fiercely, “You want this Great Aunt to help? Does it look like I owe you some great debt or something?”
Despite saying so, Huang Si Niang still carried joined in. The next moment, Yang Kai felt powerful fluctuations of Space Principle radiating from her as she drew out a turbulent flow with a gentle wave of her hand.
She was many times faster than him at this.
Yang Kai was extremely impressed. The Phoenix Clan really deserved its title.
Moreover, Huang Si Niang became faster and faster with her subsequent attempts. After a brief familiarisation, her pair of fair hands began to move back and forth, flicking her fingers with great speed. Every time she flicked her fingers, Space Principles would undulate around her, quickly drawing out the turbulent flows around the sphere.
Obviously, this was an extremely profound application of the Dao of Space.
While Yang Kai was quietly extracting the Void Turbulence, he was also stealing her knowledge in an open and aboveboard manner. He split his attention between Huang Si Niang and his task, appreciating the profound mysteries of the Dao of Space.
This kind of application of the Dao of Space was extremely profound. Someone who had not cultivated the Dao of Space would definitely be bewildered at the sight of this, but it took Yang Kai only half an hour to fully grasp its essence.
For a time, the two of them stood side by side in front of the strange sphere, using their strength to frantically extract the threads from it.
The size of the giant sphere decreased as the Void Turbulence around it decreased.
Whether it was Yang Kai or Huang Si Niang, the speed at which they separated the Void Turbulence became faster and faster until each of them reached their respective peaks.
Yang Kai silently calculated, and according to his current speed, it would take him half a year at most to completely remove the turbulence that made up this sphere. He would be able to see what was hidden inside then.
It was most likely Great Evolution Pass’ Core; after all, nothing else would be lost in this kind of damned place.
However, after a month or so, Huang Si Niang suddenly stopped and turned to Yang Kai, “I can’t persist any longer, I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Saying so, her figure flickered as she flew towards Yang Kai.
When she was halfway, the seven-coloured streak of light transformed back to the tail feather, which was quickly grabbed by Yang Kai.
Whether Si Niang could hear him or not, Yang Kai still thanked her, “Many thanks for your hard work.”
But judging by this, it became clear that the tail feather was indeed somewhat different from a Soul Clone. At the very least, normal Soul Clones wouldn’t exhaust their strength so quickly.
Yang Kai didn’t know if Huang Ning Si could use this clone again, but he reckoned it was possible.
He carefully placed it into his Space Ring. In any case, Si Niang could break through the barrier of the Space Ring herself, so if she wanted to appear, she would show herself.
Without Si Niang’s help, Yang Kai had no choice but to work alone. The original half-year estimate was instantly doubled.
Yang Kai didn’t find this exercise boring though. This experience of extracting Void Turbulence was very rare and happened to be like a test of his mastery over the Dao of Space. He had already reached his limit in terms of speed of extracting the Void Turbulence. If he could break through this limit, perhaps his mastery over the Dao of Space would improve.
From then on, Yang Kai continued to try all sorts of methods to extract the Void Turbulence, gaining a little each time.
At some point, he suddenly stopped and focused his attention on the sphere.
After a long time of extraction, the sphere had reduced to the height of only two people combined, and the thing hidden inside seemed to have finally revealed some clues.
Yang Kai faintly felt a strange energy fluctuation coming from inside the sphere but he did not dare to jump to any conclusions and carefully examined everything again.
The next moment, he was overjoyed. Apparently, his guess was right, this sphere was most likely Great Evolution Pass’ Core.
He continued to draw out the Void Turbulence without any more hesitation.
As the surrounding turbulent flows were stripped away one by one, the true appearance of the thing hidden inside finally revealed itself.
After another 10 days, Yang Kai managed to extract the last of the turbulent flows and finally saw the exact appearance of the thing inside, and that left him baffled.
The thing in his sight was not Great Evolution Pass’ Core like he was expecting, but rather the remains of a Human cultivator.
A long time had passed since this Human had died. The corpse was riddled with wounds with its flesh having withered under the effects of the Void Turbulence
Judging by the state of the corpse before its death, the expression on its face could be considered peaceful.
Yang Kai didn’t know what Order this old man was when he was alive, but he could faintly feel residual Space Principles from his remains.
These residual Space Principles were not something left behind by the Void Turbulence, but rather they belonged to this person from the start.
In other words, this man should have cultivated the Dao of Space to some extent when he was still alive. However, after Yang Kai scanned him, he reckoned that this man should have just started cultivating the Dao of Space.
If that wasn’t the case, the man wouldn’t have remained trapped in the Void Crack and would have found a way out long ago.
It was precisely because of these faint traces of the Dao of Space left in the remains that the surrounding Void Turbulence gathered and gradually formed a sphere-like object.
Looking at the remains in front of him, Yang Kai could imagine how this person had reacted after being trapped here.
No matter what Order this person was when he was alive, it would be difficult for him to find a way out of the Void Crack. If he wanted to leave, he would have to find a pattern to the Void Turbulence.
After many years of observation and study, although he had suffered a great deal, he had finally managed to gain some insights into the Dao of Space. If he had sufficient time to continue cultivating, he might have made some progress in the Dao of Space and escaped.
Unfortunately, for various unknown reasons, his strength was completely exhausted and had no way to replenish his energy. As such, he was unable to resist the Void Turbulence and eventually died of old age or injuries.
After countless years, Yang Kai finally found him.
This scene was quite different from what he had imagined. He thought that 30,000 years ago, the soldiers of Great Evolution Pass had used the Space Array to send the Core to Wind and Cloud Pass at that critical moment, but now it seemed that it was not just a simple delivery of the Core, but someone carrying it.
There was no Great Evolution Pass Core in sight, but Yang Kai wasn’t disappointed, because if it were him, if he fled with the Core, he would not be carrying it by hand.
It must have been stored in this man’s Small Universe or Space Ring.
As the man was already dead, his Small Universe had certainly collapsed. No matter what the Small Universe had inside of it, it would have been destroyed.
Yang Kai turned his focus to the Space Ring on this man’s right hand. He bowed to the corpse before approaching it and removing the Space Ring.
When he scanned it with his Divine Sense, he discovered that all the restrictions on this Space Ring had been removed in advance. In other words, anyone who obtained this Space Ring would be able to easily retrieve its contents.
The removal of the restrictions should have been done by this Senior before his death.
Even though he was in a desperate situation and about to die, he still firmly believed that someone would someday find him and retrieve the thing he had hidden.
Thinking so, he could not leave behind any restrictions on his Space Ring, because if he did, it would only cause trouble for those who came to retrieve it in the future. If the Space Ring was destroyed while trying to remove the restrictions, its contents would be lost.
Yang Kai used his Divine Sense to investigate the contents of the Space Ring.
The large space inside was empty, which was a given as this man must have used up everything he could while he was trapped here.
Inside the Space Ring, there was only an Identity Token and a few artifacts.
What caught Yang Kai’s attention though was a sparkling, translucent white jade tree.
Yang Kai slightly furrowed his brow. He didn’t sense anything special about this white jade tree. It looked like an ornamental artifact.
[Is this Great Evolution Pass’ Core?]
[If not, where is the Core?]
He didn’t touch the small tree; after all, this place wasn’t safe. If the jade tree was really Great Evolution Pass’ Core, it wasn’t suitable to be taken out here.
Yang Kai took out the Identity Token and checked it for a moment before a sigh escaped his lips.
Although 30,000 years had passed, the Identity Token of the various Great Passes of the Human Race hadn’t changed much. That’s why, when Yang Kai saw this Identity Token, he knew that it belonged to a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Because he also had such a token.
The Identity Token contained information about the other party, but unfortunately, even this information had become incomplete under the erosion of time. All Yang Kai could make out was his surname and middle name, which was Zhao and Yi respectively, as for the given name, he could not make it out.
It was truly a pity.
Countless people had sacrificed their lives on the Black Ink Battlefield, leaving only their names behind on the Monument of Heroes.
As for this Senior Zhao, he might not even be able to leave his full name behind.
This was quite a terrible era. Generation after generation, heroes of the 3,000 Worlds laid down their lives on the Black Ink Battlefield.
But it was quite a wonderful era too. Despite countless sacrifices, people kept stepping forward to take the place of the fallen, rising to fight one after another.
It was not that they were not afraid of death. They had finally reached the Open Heaven Realm after painstakingly cultivating for so many years and their lifespans were extremely long, so who wouldn’t want to live a little longer?
Be that as it may, people kept vehemently offering up everything they had for the sake of the Human Race. The peace of the 3,000 Worlds had been forged with the blood and lives of these heroes, despite more than 99% of the people there being completely unaware of the Black Ink Clan’s existence!
After bowing once more, Yang Kai put away the Space Ring and collected the remains of this Senior Zhao before turning around and flying away.
Finding his way back was a simple matter for him, and he quickly found the right direction and flew straight through the Void Crack.
A few days later, at Great Evolution Pass’ Space Array…
The soldiers on duty were staring at the Space Array with rapt attention. Not just them, but even Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was waiting here.
It had been almost a year since Yang Kai had travelled to Wind and Cloud Pass using the Hyper Space Array. Soon after, Wind and Cloud Pass had sent a message to inform of the situation; therefore, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao knew that Yang Kai was searching for Great Evolution Pass’ Core in the Void Crack right now. But whether or not he could find it, or even if Great Evolution Pass’ Core was really lost in the Void Crack, was still speculative.
All the Great Evolution Army could do now was wait.
At the same time, they also hoped that Yang Kai’s guess was correct; otherwise, the loss of the Core would be extremely detrimental to the upcoming crusade.
At some point, the Space Array suddenly began to hum and it lit up as a portal slowly appeared.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, who was watching closely, suddenly narrowed her eyes. The soldiers on duty also hurriedly started moving to locate the source of the transmission.
But before they could figure out what was happening, a pair of hands suddenly emerged from the portal. A mysterious force surged out from those hands as they fiercely pulled apart from each other, forcefully tearing open the portal which had yet to fully take form.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s figure leapt out of the portal and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Although he was proficient in the Dao of Space, staying in the Void Crack for an extended period was anything but pleasant. The feeling of emptiness and chaos would make anyone feel anxious.
Sensing Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s, Yang Kai quickly walked towards her.
“Well?” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao asked.
“I found something.”
While speaking, Yang Kai handed over the Space Ring to the Old Ancestor and at the same time took out Senior Zhao’s remains.
The Old Ancestor’s eyes turned slightly dim when she first laid eyes on the corpse. Only after a moment did she finally examine the contents of the Space Ring.
Soon, she too let out a long sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Yang Kai asked in a low voice, “Is it the Core?”
Xiao Xiao nodded her affirmation, “It’s the Core.”
Yang Kai was finally able to relax. He was really afraid that the white jade tree was not Great Evolution Pass’ Core. If it wasn’t, this trip would have been in vain.
“Is this the soldier who left Great Evolution Pass with the Core that day?” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao asked, looking at the remains.
Yang Kai nodded, “Yes.”
Yang Kai hadn’t carefully examined the remains back in the Void Crack, but now that he had taken them out, he found that there was a huge wound on its back, deep enough to see bone. Even after so many years, it showed no signs of healing.
It was easy to imagine that when Great Evolution Pass was about to be breached, this man surnamed Zhao must have taken the Core and stepped into the Space Array, preparing to send it to Wind and Cloud Pass.
But the moment the Hyper Space Array was activated, the Black Ink Clan must have broken through. The soldiers there had to stop the Space Array from operating, which caused the transmission to go awry, and severely injured him in the process.
With the transmission cut off, Senior Zhao was lost in the Void Crack for countless years before finally succumbing to his injuries.
Before his death, he had made the utmost effort to place Great Evolution Pass’ Core into his Space Ring and remove its restrictions, entrusting the completion of his task to the later generations.
It could be said that if it weren’t for this Senior’s efforts, Yang Kai wouldn’t have been able to find the core so easily. This was a mission handed down 30,000 years ago.
“Bury him with full honours,” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao ordered.
Yang Kai agreed with a nod, “Of course.”
Since the Core had been found, Yang Kai didn’t need to worry about the rest. Under the Old Ancestor’s charge, the Core was installed in Great Evolution Pass before she issued a general order. Immediately after, the auras of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters appeared one after another inside Great Evolution Pass, gathering towards someplace.
…..
Every Great Pass had two extremely special places.
One was the Monument of Heroes, which recorded the names of generations of fallen heroes who died in battle.
The other was the cemetery, the final resting place of the fallen ancestors.
Every battle against the Black Ink Clan was extremely intense, and many had lost their lives in battle, leaving behind nothing but a name on the Monument of Heroes.
But there were still some who died with intact corpses. Their remains were collected by the survivors and buried in the cemetery.
To the soldiers of the Black Ink Battlefield, dying in battle was not the ideal outcome, but it was an acceptable one.
Every soldier who stepped onto the Black Ink Battlefield had the will to lay down their life if need be.
Even after generations of sacrifices, all the soldiers firmly believed that the Black Ink Clan would be exterminated one day, purging the enemy from the Black Ink Battlefield once and for all.
Great Evolution Pass’ cemetery didn’t have many remains of past heroes. 30,000 years ago, the Black Ink Clan had occupied Great Evolution Pass, and although the Monument of Heroes was left intact, the cemetery had to be rebuilt.
The previous cemetery had already been destroyed by the Black Ink Clan. To refine the enormous throne of bones for the Royal Lord, the Black Ink Clan had not only collected the remains of the Human Race Masters from the battlefield, but even the ones buried in the cemetery, which finally led to the creation of the throne of bones for Great Evolution Theatre’s Royal Lord.
At present, this throne had already been dismantled by Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and the remains buried in the cemetery along with the remains of the soldiers who had died in the battle to retake Great Evolution Pass.
There were more than 10,000 remains buried in the cemetery. Many of the martyrs had died without leaving behind anything apart from the mark they had left on the Monument of Heroes.
Yang Kai was quietly waiting in front of the cemetery.
Not long after, a streak of light flew over from the horizon before landing in front of him.
Before saying anything, the newcomer first respectfully bowed towards the cemetery then asked, “What is it?”
Grandmaster Ma Fan had immediately rushed over after receiving Yang Kai’s message, but he didn’t know why Yang Kai had chosen this location.
Normally, no one would come to the cemetery, and every time they did, it meant that someone who had died in the battle was going to be buried.
Those who died in battle didn’t need to be mourned, the survivors only needed to diligently cultivate, raise their strength, and kill more Black Ink Clansmen. This was the best way to comfort the dead.
“Do you know this Senior?” As Yang Kai spoke, he took out Senior Zhao’s remains and placed them in front of him.
Grandmaster Ma Fan shot a glance at them and was instantly stunned.
Although it was impossible to see the original appearance of this man after his corpse had dried out and shrivelled from exposure to the Void Crack for so many years, there still remained traces of his past visage.
In the past, when Great Evolution Pass was in critical need of assistance, all the Open Heaven Realm Masters of Great Evolution Paradise had rushed to the battlefield where they ultimately died in the final battle. If this Senior surnamed Zhao was someone who had come to support Great Evolution Pass, Grandmaster Ma Fan should be able to recognize him.
This was also why Yang Kai had sent him a message.
Senior Zhao had already passed away, but if it was possible, he should try to find out his full name so it could be properly inscribed onto the Monument of Heroes.
Reality proved that Grandmaster Ma Fan recognized this Senior.
Grandmaster Ma Fan started trembling. He knelt on the ground and respectfully kowtowed three times to the remains before slowly standing up and whispering with slightly red eyes, “He is my Great Evolution Paradise’s Martial Uncle Zhao Yi Huan!”
Yang Kai slightly nodded, confirming that Grandmaster Ma Fan was right.
Grandmaster Ma Fan suppressed his excitement and asked, “Where did you find him?”
Yang Kai heaved a sigh, “In the Void Crack between Great Evolution Pass and Wind and Cloud Pass. When Great Evolution Pass was breached, Senior Zhao took the Core and attempted to bring it safely to Wind and Cloud Pass. Unfortunately, Space Array was disabled at that time to prevent the Black Ink Clan from using it and he was trapped in the Void Crack mid-transit.”
Grandmaster Ma Fan immediately understood everything.
Only a few people knew about the loss of Great Evolution Pass’ Core, but Grandmaster Ma Fan was one of them.
This was because Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had made preparations for all eventualities; on one side, she constantly harassed the Royal Lord, asking him for the Core, while one the other, she asked the Artifact Refining Great Grandmasters in the Pass to see if they could refine a replacement.
Unfortunately, even with Grandmaster Ma Fan and the other Artifact Refining Masters skills, their progress was dreadfully slow.
The core of every Pass was an ancient artifact. It wasn’t that the people of that era were necessarily more skilled in Artifact Refining than the current generation, but the Artifact Refiners of that era must have spent an enormous amount of time, effort, and resources to refine these cores. What Grandmaster Ma Fan and the others lacked most to refine a replacement was time.
“So you’ve also found the Core?” Grandmaster Ma Fan suddenly asked.
Yang Kai nodded.
“No wonder…”
It was no wonder so many Eighth-Order auras had appeared just now and gathered. It turned out that the Core had been found. Obviously, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao wanted to borrow the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters’ strength to install the Core and run some tests.
As his Sect Elder’s remains had been found, Grandmaster Ma Fan threw the matter of the Core to the back of his mind and helped Yang Kai bury his Martial Uncle in the cemetery without a moment of hesitation.
In truth, Ma Fan wasn’t that close with this Martial Uncle Zhao Yi Huan. In the era Great Evolution Paradise fell, Grandmaster Ma Fan had only recently entered the Sect and was just one of many young disciples. Although he was highly regarded by his Honoured Master, he hadn’t come into contact with too many top Masters of the Sect. In fact, he had only seen this Martial Uncle Zhao a few times.
He especially remembered the day when all of Great Evolution Paradise’s Open Heaven Realm Masters were mobilized. This Martial Uncle Zhao, like many other Martial Uncles and Ancestors, looked back at Great Evolution Paradise’s gate before leaving and never returned.
When they saw each other again, they were already separated by life and death.
Martial Uncle Zhao’s remains had been found, but the remains of his Honoured Master and many of his Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters who had reached the Open Heaven Realm had not even left a single bone behind.
After burying Senior Zhao Yi Huan’s remains, Grandmaster Ma Fan personally went to the Monument of Heroes to engrave his name on it.
Yang Kai accompanied him.
The remains were brought back by him, so he naturally had to finish what he started.
Yang Kai’s heart sank when he laid his eyes on the numerous names on the Monument of Heroes.
It had only been a few centuries since he arrived at the Black Ink Battlefield, but even so, he had experienced the loss of countless peers.
In the battle against the Black Ink Clan at the Royal City, Qi Tai Chu could be said to have died under his command!
Even if he was proficient in the Dao of Space and was invincible amongst his peers, he could not save Qi Tai Chu’s life in such a chaotic battlefield.
This was his greatest regret on the Black Ink Battlefield so far, and he didn’t want to experience such a thing ever again.
That was why he had to become stronger!
Yang Kai silently prayed that no new names would be added to the Monument of Heroes and that all the soldiers joining the crusade would be able to return safely.
Suddenly, a humming sound reverberated from somewhere inside Great Evolution Pass before it began to violently shake, causing Yang Kai to lose his footing.
Immediately after, figures hurriedly flew high up to investigate in all directions, one after another.
The next moment, an invisible shockwave quickly spread out from somewhere.
Yang Kai’s expression became serious as he turned to look at Grandmaster Ma Fan.
Grandmaster Ma Fan stated in a heavy voice, “The Core has been activated.”
Only now did Yang Kai come to realize what happened. At that moment, he had thought that the Black Ink Clan had come to attack.
To his surprise, it was the Core he had brought back being activated.
As for Great Evolution Pass, with its Core installed, it was completely different from before.
If the Great Evolution Pass of the past was an inanimate object, then the current Great Evolution Pass gave Yang Kai the feeling of a living being, as if it had transformed into a giant beast.
And this giant beast was currently starving. Only the lives of the Black Ink Clan could satiate it.
The tremors disappeared as quickly and suddenly as they came, and Great Evolution Pass returned to normal after just a few breaths.
Like it was a sleeping dragon that suddenly poked its head out of its cave, looked around for a moment, and then withdrew.
Everyone could feel that the Great Evolution Pass had changed.
“The crusade is about to begin, get ready,” Grandmaster Ma Fan stated before flying towards the source of the tremors. He was extremely curious about Great Evolution Pass’ Core and naturally wanted to study it too. If one day the core was damaged, a Great Grandmaster Artifact Refiner like him would be needed to repair it.
Watching Ma Fan’s figure grow smaller and smaller, Yang Kai’s heart began to rapidly beat in excitement.
[The crusade is finally here!]
Whether or not the Humans could finally live in peace depended on the results of this crusade. If they could really purge the Black Ink Clan from the Black Ink Battlefield, there would no longer be any threat to the 3,000 Worlds. Generations of elites would no longer have to leave their homes for the battlefield where their only fate was death.
Yang Kai’s figure flickered as Space Principles fluctuated and he disappeared from his spot.
The concept of a crusade was not something new. Humans had been thinking of launching a crusade for a long time, but this idea had become impossible to implement for various reasons.
First and foremost, the corruption of the Black Ink Strength could not be resolved.
The Humans had countless eras of experience in defending the Great Passes and resisting the Black Ink Clan’s invasion, but if they were to actively go on offence, too many variables would come into the equation. No one could guarantee that a crusade would be successful, and if things didn’t go as planned, the entire Black Ink Battlefield’s defence line would very likely collapse. At that time, even with the Dragon and Phoenix Clans defending the No-Return Pass, they still wouldn’t be able to resist the Black Ink Clan’s invasion and danger would befall the 3,000 Worlds.
It wasn’t until Yang Kai entered the Black Ink Battlefield that real plans for a crusade were gradually formulated.
It was as if he had appeared specifically to make the Human Race’s counterattack possible.
Black Ink Strength, which had given a headache to the upper echelons of countless generations, had been easily resolved after his arrival. Whether it was the Purifying Light or the Purifying Black Ink Pills that were developed later, Humans finally had the means to resist the corruption of the Black Ink Strength. Owing to these two methods, not a single Human had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength in the last few centuries.
Not only that, but many Black Ink Disciples who had appeared on the battlefield had been captured and rescued.
After solving the problem of Black Ink Strength, what the Humans needed to consider next were resources.
Resources were of critical importance in any war. Cultivators needed resources to heal their wounds, cultivate, arrange Spirit Arrays, refine Warships, and so forth.
The Black Ink Battlefield was extremely rich in materials as there was an enormous amount of dead Universe Worlds to mine them from.
Be that as it may, it had been extremely difficult for the Humans to extract these resources. They could only mine a few resources within the range of the Great Passes after every war, and the time they had was never more than a few decades because they had to retreat before the arrival of the Black Ink Clan’s next attack.
A large portion of the resources that the Humans used were sent from the 3,000 Worlds.
As such, the Humans at the various Passes would ration everything, from cultivation resources to food and clothing. Every single piece of material was hard won, and every Open Heaven Pill was extremely precious.
Those, who had never been to the Black Ink Battlefield would find it difficult to imagine that a group of High-Rank Open Heaven Realm cultivators would be living such frugal lives.
But this problem was also solved by Yang Kai’s arrival.
The proliferation of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors made it extremely easy for the Great Passes to mine resources. This mysterious set of artifacts seemed to have been specially invented for the Black Ink Battlefield.
During the war to regain Great Evolution Pass, Xiang Shan had ordered the Artifact Refiners of the East-West Army to refine tens of thousands of puppets just to attract the attention of the Black Ink Clansmen at Great Evolution Pass. The amount of resources he had spent was enormous.
He would have never dreamed of doing something like this before the appearance of the Void Yin-Yang Mirrors.
As the problem of Black Ink Strength and the resources had been taken care of, all that was left was to compare the strength.
In terms of numbers, the Black Ink Clan had an innate advantage. Every Great Pass had a population of around 30,000 Human soldiers, but in the corresponding Theatres, the Black Ink Clan Army always numbered in the millions. Although the vast majority of Black Ink Clansmen had quite low strength, there was no lack of Masters like Territory Lords.
If the Humans didn’t have enough strength, the crusade would only be an empty threat.
Feudal Lords were not of much concern and many died in every war, but killing a Territory Lord was a whole different concept.
The Evil Purging Divine Spear was born for this purpose!
This weapon would play a crucial role in the crusade. To hide this tool, the Great Evolution Army, despite being equipped with such weapons, had never used the Evil Purging Divine Spears no matter how many casualties they suffered in the mission to retake Great Evolution Pass.
Because once it was used, the news would quickly spread to the other Theatres and the Black Ink Clan would have their guards up against it. By then, the Evil Purging Divine Spear’s effectiveness in the other Theatres would become much more limited.
This was a trump card that the Human Race had painstakingly developed and hidden, and it would definitely give the Black Ink Clan a huge unpleasant surprise.
The birth of the Evil Purging Divine Spear was also related to Yang Kai.
Although this artifact was created by Grandmaster Ma Fan, the Purifying Light in every Evil Purging Divine Spear was personally sealed there by Yang Kai.
Considering everything, this crusade was almost driven by a single person, transforming an idea into reality.
How could the Human Ninth-Order Old Ancestors not value Yang Kai? This was why they had paid such a price to reach an agreement with the Dragon Clan to send him to the No-Return Pass.
Even if he was invincible amongst his peers, the strength of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was still insufficient in the grand scheme of things. Only with his new Ancient Dragon Form could he have sufficient strength to protect himself on the battlefield.
Yang Kai still didn’t know what price the Ancestors had paid to obtain the chance for him to enter the Dragon Pond.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao didn’t say anything, nor did he ask as it was meaningless to do so. Killing more of the Black Ink Clansmen on the battlefield was the best way to repay the Ninth-Order Masters.
..…
Yang Kai once again began sealing the Purifying Light into the Evil Purging Divine Spears.
He had already sealed Purifying Light in a lot of spears, but more had been amassed over the years. Now that the crusade was imminent, it was naturally better to have as many of these spears as possible to deal with the Feudal Lords and Territory Lords.
Almost all the Artifact Refiners of the other Great Passes had toiled hard to refine these spears and send them to Great Evolution Pass.
After having sealed the Purifying Light, Yang Kai sent batches of these spears back.
While Yang Kai had his hands full, the soldiers of Great Evolution Pass were not idle. Currently, a large number of Universe Worlds had been gathered at the periphery of Great Evolution Pass and tens of thousands of soldiers were mining resources without rest.
If a war broke out, these calm and peaceful days would come to an end. Naturally, they had to take advantage of this opportunity to accumulate more resources.
Time slowly passed by.
In the blink of an eye, another year had passed.
Outside Great Evolution Pass, the members of the Dawn Squad were bustling about on a Universe World, including Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was already finished with the accumulated Evil Purging Divine Spears two months ago, but he hadn’t gone to rest and had instead come over to help.
If they were to send him even more Evil Purging Divine Spears later, he would naturally seal Purifying Light after they had reached a certain amount.
Suddenly, a staggering aura welled up from inside Great Evolution Pass. Even though it was hundreds of thousands of kilometres away, this aura was still majestic and imposing.
The aura belonged to none other than the Old Ancestor.
All the busy people instantly stopped whatever they were doing and looked towards Great Evolution Pass.
On the other side, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s voice rang out clearly, “Great Evolution Army, gather inside the Pass!”
After relaying the orders, the aura disappeared as if it had never existed.
Yang Kai looked at the nearby Shen Ao as his expression slightly changed.
Shen Ao let out a long sigh, “It’s time!”
Yang Kai slightly nodded in agreement.
The crusade was about to begin!
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai shouted, leading his Squad towards Great Evolution Pass.
In the void, the other Squads who were mining the Universe World also started gathering towards Great Evolution Pass like birds returning to their nest.
In less than an hour, tens of thousands of Great Evolution soldiers had gathered in the central square before the Monument of Heroes.
Although a staggering amount of people had gathered here, not a single sound could be heard. There was only a deafening silence and a fearsome aura permeating the square.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao happened to be standing right before everyone, dressed in plain clothes. On her left was the Eastern Army Commander Xiang Shan and the Western Army Commander Liu Zhi Ping. On her right was the Southern Army Commander Ou Yang Lie and the Northern Army Commander Mi Jing Lun.
Behind them were the Eighth-Order Division Commanders. There were a total of 74 people.
Originally, there were 73, but Xu Ling Gong had advanced to the Eighth Order 200 years ago, so now there was one more.
It might seem like a lot, but one had to remember that when the Great Evolution Army was first established, the four Armies had a total of over 60,000 soldiers and 120 Eighth-Order Masters.
To retake Great Evolution Pass, dozens of Eighth-Order Masters had died, and nearly half of the Great Evolution Army’s soldiers below the Eighth-Order had fallen.
Over the past 30,000 years, besides the day Great Evolution Pass was breached, the casualties suffered in the war to regain Great Evolution Pass were undoubtedly the highest and most tragic.
Every battle with the Black Ink Clan was extremely dangerous. This war was related to survival of the two Races, so everyone had a reason to kill the enemy.
Right then, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s clear and sonorous voice reverberated from the forefront, “More than 360 years ago, the Great Evolution East-West Army was established at Wind and Cloud Pass, and the North-South Army was established at Azure Void Pass. The two Armies marched together towards Great Evolution Theatre, and after a lengthy war spanning over 150 years, we finally managed to regain Great Evolution Pass. Both Armies suffered heavy losses, but… all of their sacrifices were worth it.”
“Retaking Great Evolution Pass means that the Human Race’s line of defence no longer has any flaws! But retaking Great Evolution Pass wasn’t our ultimate goal, it was just the starting point! Perhaps many of you have heard of a crusade over the years and have been eagerly anticipating it. Today, Great Evolution Pass is ready, as are all the other Great Passes.”
“The Black Ink Clan has wreaked havoc on the Black Ink Battlefield for countless millennia, and we Humans have been forced to passively defend the various Great Passes all this time. Although we have paid a great price and sacrificed countless lives, we had no choice but to remain passive, incapable of going on offence. It is not that we did not want to, it was that we simply could not afford to!”
“However, defending alone will not solve anything. Again and again, each generation has left the problem to the next, but it is our era now. Should we leave this problem to the next generation, and let them take care of it? No one wants to see their children and grandchildren fight the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield, unable to see any hope of victory.”
“Our ancestors didn’t want this either. They already did their best, and without their persistence, effort, and sacrifice, we wouldn’t be standing here today and speaking such nonsense!”
“That is why we must embark on this crusade! We now have everything necessary to do so!”
“We are born in a good era, because we will be the generation that completely eradicates the Black Ink Clan. We will witness the end of this great war that has lasted for countless aeons, and every single one of you will play an important role in it.”
“This time, we will trample flat the Royal City and slaughter every single enemy. Not one will be spared!”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s voice gradually became louder as her slender figure rose high up, giving off a noble and majestic aura.
“Kill!” Xiang Shan, who was standing behind her, shouted.
“Kill!” The Eighth-Order Division Commander Masters shouted in unison.
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
The voices of the tens of thousands of soldiers shook the world as the entire Great Evolution Pass was enveloped in a palpable murderous intent. Every soldier felt their blood boil and couldn’t wait to find Black Ink Clansmen to kill.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao raised her hand and the battle cries instantly stopped. Her eyes swept across the entire Army as she gently stated, “The dead cannot bear witness to victory. Only by surviving can we see the end of the Black Ink Clan!”
Saying so, she bowed to the tens of thousands of soldiers.
The several dozen Eighth-Order Division Commander Masters behind her also bowed.
She was paying her respects to all the soldiers who had sacrificed themselves for countless years all so the upcoming crusade could be possible.
Tens of thousands of soldiers bowed in return!
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao straightened up and shouted, “Everyone, prepare yourselves! The crusade… has begun!”
Her figure flickered and disappeared.
The other Eighth-Order Masters also quickly dispersed.
Although Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had said that they would begin the crusade today, Great Evolution Pass was still quite far from the Royal City, so it would take some time for them to reach there.
When the Great Evolution East-West Army retreated from the Royal City towards Great Evolution Pass, it took them a full month to return, and that was travelling in a straight line without any kind of obstructions.
Just as Yang Kai was about to take a step forward, a voice suddenly called out to him, causing him to turn his head and nod slightly.
After instructing the people from the Dawn to leave, Yang Kai made his way to the Eastern Army Headquarters.
The one who had sent him a transmission just now was Xiang Shan.
Yang Kai wasn’t the only one summoned. There were several others as well.
Old Turtle Squad Leader, Chai Fang, Profound Wind Squad Leader, Ma Gao, Snow Wolves Squad Leader, Yao Kang Cheng.
Counting Yang Kai’s Dawn Squad, all four of Great Evolution Army’s Special Operations Squads had been called up. Each of these elite Squads possessed combat power that far exceeded other Squads.
Among them, the Old Turtle Squad was the same as the Dawn, conscripted from Blue Sky Pass while the Profound Wind and Snow Wolves Squads came from other Passes.
Be that as it may, they became members of the Great Evolution Army after being assigned here, no matter their origins.
Yang Kai had cooperated with these two Squads before. When the Great Evolution East-West Army attacked the Black Ink Clan’s rear, he had been ordered by Xiang Shan to head towards Great Evolution Pass in search of the North-South Army. After completing his mission, Yang Kai did not immediately leave and instead joined the North-South Army to block the Black Ink Clan at Great Evolution Pass.
During that battle, he had led these two elite Squads to cut across the battlefield several times, breaking through the Black Ink Clan’s lines and scattering them into more manageable groups.
In that battle, he had used Golden Crow Casts the Sun many times to open the path, killing countless Black Ink Clansmen in the process.
Ma Gao and Yao Kang Cheng were extremely impressed by Yang Kai. They too were veteran Seventh-Order Masters; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to become Squad Leaders of Special Operations Squads.
But they had never anyone as fierce as Yang Kai in their long career on the Black Ink Battlefield.
Although Yang Kai had rarely shown himself over the years, he had interacted with these two, so he was no stranger to them.
The crowd of tens of thousands of soldiers had already dispersed by now. Since the crusade had begun, they naturally had to make preparations to engage the Black Ink Clan.
Only the four Squad Leaders headed towards the Eastern Army Headquarters.
They looked at each other before Chai Fang asked, grinning, “Can you guess why Big Head Xiang is looking for us?”
The corner of Yang Kai’s brow twitched.
Ma Gao and Yao Kang Cheng were even more shocked by Chai Fang’s address…
Although the Big Head Xiang and Big Head Mi monikers started from the Old Ancestor and had already spread across Great Evolution Pass, everyone only used them in private. There really weren’t many people like Chai Fang who blatantly used them in public.
The Old Ancestor felt that Xiang Shan and Mi Jing Lun were both people with thoughts as vast as the sea, so they must have big heads.
However, even if the Old Ancestor and Ou Yang Lie could call them as such, the Seventh-Order Masters could not use such monikers freely.
If Xiang Shan heard them, they would be in big trouble.
Chai Fang didn’t take it seriously, however, and just stated, “‘Big Head’ is the Old Ancestor’s praise for those two, what does it matter even if they hear it?”
As soon as he finished speaking, an azure hand suddenly stretched out from the Eastern Army Headquarters, grabbing towards Chai Fang.
Chai Fang was beside himself in shock. Just as he was about to dodge, an invisible force restrained him. The giant hand grabbed him and ruthlessly threw him out. Chai Fang disappeared from everyone’s sight, accompanied by his distancing scream.
Yang Kai and the other two shot a furtive glance at the fading figure, but their expressions remained unchanged even after seeing this.
They acted like they didn’t see anything!
Ma Gao asked, “Brother Chai asked a good question, why did the higher-ups summon us this time? Brother Yang, do you know something?”
In the entire Great Evolution Pass, not to mention the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, not even the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would come into such frequent contact with the Old Ancestor like Yang Kai. So, if anyone knew something, it would be Yang Kai.
However, Yang Kai just shook his head in response, “I haven’t heard anything, but since all four of us were called here, it must be related to something only our Squads can do. If I had to guess, they’re calling us to scout out the route, spy on enemy movements, or something similar.”
Yao Kang Cheng nodded in agreement after hearing this, “That makes sense. I heard from my Martial Uncle that since Great Evolution Pass’ Core has been found, the Great Pass can now be mobilized. But even the Old Ancestor alone won’t be able to move such a massive Mobile Palace Artifact. At least 60 Eighth-Order Masters would be needed to help her for things to go smoothly.”
“60!?” Ma Gao’s face was filled with surprise, “Right now, there are a total of 74 Eighth-Order Masters in Great Evolution Pass. With 60 of them gone, doesn’t that mean that only 14 Eighth-Order Division Commanders will be able to move freely?”
“That’s right,” Yao Kang Cheng nodded in agreement, “Those 14 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters probably need to guard the Pass to prevent any accidents, so the responsibility of scouting will probably fall on us. Brother Yang’s guess should be correct.”
Yang Kai suddenly thought of another problem, “Great Evolution Pass’ movement requires the combined efforts of the Old Ancestor and 60 Eighth-Order Masters, so wouldn’t it be the same for other Passes? If so, most of the Passes’ strength will be greatly reduced during the crusade. If they run into the Black Ink Clan Army, they will definitely be thrown into confusion.”
There were currently 74 Eighth-Order Masters in Great Evolution Pass, but that was because there had been 120 Eight-Order Masters when the Great Evolution Army was first established. Although many of them had died in battle, the number of remaining Eight-Order Masters far exceeded the average in the other Great Passes.
It was doubtful whether all the other Great Passes even had 60 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. If so many Masters were required to drive the Great Passes, these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would not be able to easily take action.
For example, Blue Sky Pass which Yang Kai was most familiar with. Originally, it had about 60 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but after transferring Xiang Shan and four other Eighth-Order Masters, it definitely did not have enough.
He had only made a casual guess on why Xiang Shan had summoned the four Squad Leaders over, but by the looks of it, his guess might be spot on.
An Eighth-Order Master could not be easily dispatched, but scouts would be needed to reconnaissance missions during the crusade. The Special Operations Squads were perfectly suited for this kind of mission.
An Army always needed scouts. Even when Great Evolution’s East-West Army retreated from the Royal City, scouts still led the way.
Not to mention, this was the Human Race’s crusade.
As they spoke, they arrived at the Army Headquarters of the Eastern Army.
The one guarding the door was an old acquaintance, Xiang Shan’s adjutant, Li Xing. When he saw the Squad Leaders arrive, he stated with a smile, “The Army Commander is waiting for everyone, please go in.”
There was no need to report anything.
A moment later, Yang Kai and the others saw Xiang Shan standing with his hands behind his back inside the Army Headquarters. A Universe Chart was floating in front of Xiang Shan, his Divine Sense happened to be surging as if he was studying something.
Yang Kai and the others didn’t disturb him.
After waiting for a moment, Xiang Shan finally put away the Universe Chart and placed it on the table before speaking, “Your guesses are correct. I called you here because I want you to leave first and act as scouts.”
The corners of the trio’s brows twitched.
[How much free time do you have on your hands? You heard everything we were talking about on our way. Were you eavesdropping?]
No wonder Chai Fang had been thrown out of Great Evolution Pass when he called out Big Head Xiang.
“On Great Evolution’s side, the Old Ancestor and many other Eighth-Order Masters will need to work together to activate the Core and drive the Great Pass. As such, not many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters are left who can move about freely, and the few who can have their own responsibilities and cannot be dispatched easily. After much deliberation, we concluded that your Squads would be the best to scout the way ahead and identify enemy positions.”
Yang Kai and the others nodded and cupped their fists, “Sir, please explain what we should do.”
Xiang Shan explained, “The goal of Great Evolution’s crusade this time is the Royal City and the Royal Lord! In the last war when we retook Great Evolution Pass, the Black Ink Clan suffered heavy casualties, and the Royal Lord was severely injured. Right now, the forces of the Black Ink Clan are basically all holed up in the vicinity of the Royal City, but because of Old Ancestor’s actions these past few years, the Royal City’s defences have become extremely tight, so even the slightest movement will likely alert the Black Ink Clan Army.”
“In this crusade, our Human Race’s chances of victory are quite high. What we need to consider is how to achieve our goal of wiping out the Black Ink Clan with the smallest losses, so we need to catch them off guard.”
“What you need to do is very simple. First, you’ll set out and scout the situation ahead. If you encounter the Black Ink Clan, try not to engage them if possible, but if you do, you must kill them all. Do not let the Black Ink Clan find out about the Great Evolution Army’s movements.”
In this crusade, with Great Evolution Pass being mobilized, it would be difficult to not be discovered. This was not just a single Warship or two that could use some kind of Spirit Array or some kind of artifact to conceal its movements. If Great Evolution Pass moved, it would naturally be quite grand and majestic, and it would quite easily be detected by the Black Ink Clan from a distance. Once the Black Ink Clan discovered Great Evolution Pass’ movements, they would be able to react in advance and the Great Evolution Army would lose the element of surprise.
That was why Yang Kai and the others needed to set out first. Firstly, to spy on the situation, and secondly, to eliminate any possible scouts of the Black Ink Clan on the attack route.
“You don’t need to worry too much about your safety. The Old Ancestor’s actions over the past few years might have caused the Black Ink Clan to go on high alert, but none of the Territory Lords dare to act rashly because the Old Ancestor has gone to bother them from time to time. The Black Ink Clan soldiers patrolling outside the Royal City will at most be led by Feudal Lords, which should be no problem for your Squads to deal with them.”
The three nodded in agreement after hearing this.
The Territory Lords didn’t dare to show their faces, for they had no idea when the Old Ancestor would show up. If they were caught outside the Royal City and ran into the Old Ancestor, they would die truly meaningless deaths. So, although the Black Ink Clan had many teams out patrolling the periphery of the Royal City, none of them were led by Territory Lords.
Without a Territory Lord, the safety of the four Special Operations Squads was guaranteed.
As he spoke, Xiang Shan suddenly raised his head and glanced towards the door before lightly snorting, “Get in here!”
Chai Fang’s head popped in from the outside, swollen and looking extremely miserable. Still, he walked in with an ingratiating smile and bowed low, “Greetings, Senior.”
Xiang Shan ignored him and turned to Yang Kai, “Your Space Beacons will be very useful. You and other Squads can use them to send messages. If there is any danger, you can also quickly rush to support one another.”
“Understood!” Yang Kai replied.
Ever since Xiang Shan came to learn that the Old Ancestor was able to rush to the Royal City so quickly with the help of the Space Beacon, he had asked Yang Kai to refine as many of them as possible. The materials required to refine Space Beacons were fairly common, but only someone with high proficiency in the Dao of Space could make them. In Great Evolution Pass, only Yang Kai was capable of this.
“It’s going to take a long time to reach the Royal City. All of you should rest for the next half a year before setting off.”
Yang Kai and the others nodded in unison.
After thinking about it for a moment, Yang Kai asked, “Sir, I heard from the Old Ancestor that all the Great Passes will set out for the crusade. Did everyone discuss it beforehand?”
Xiang Shan replied, “Naturally. If we want to completely eliminate the Black Ink Clan, all the Theatres will have to act in unison. Just dealing with one or two would be pointless.”
The Black Ink Clan was born from the Black Ink Nest. Their reproductive ability was far greater than the Humans. So long as one or two High-Rank Black Ink Nests remained, the Black Ink Clan would have a chance to rise from the ashes.
To completely eliminate the Black Ink Clan, all Theatres had to act together and eliminate all the High-Rank Black Ink Nests.
There were differences in strength and distance between the Great Passes and the Royal Cities of each Theatre, so the individual crusades would also look quite different from one another.
For instance, in the Great Evolution Theatre, victory was already set in stone. The Royal Lord, who had yet to recover from his injuries, was simply no match for Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao. Even if he borrowed the power of the Black Ink Nest, he could only offer stubborn resistance.
Without the Royal Lord in the picture, even if the Black Ink Clan had many Territory Lords, the Human Race had the Evil Purging Divine Spears.
The Evil Purging Divine Spears were destined to shine in the upcoming war.
However, in other Theatres, the Black Ink Clan was basically at full strength, so some Great Passes were destined to have a tough battle ahead of them.
Many people might die in this crusade, but if their deaths could bring eternal peace to the 3,000 worlds, every Human soldier was willing to make that sacrifice.
Xiang Shan told the four some more details before letting them leave.
Not long after they left the Army Headquarters, the four heard a humming noise coming from the depths of Great Evolution Pass as it began quaking once more.
Immediately after, many Spirit Arrays hidden in the depths of Great Evolution Pass began operating and started radiating with energy.
The next moment, the Pass that had remained motionless for countless years slowly started moving forward as if it was being pushed forward by an invisible force.
Yang Kai and the others glanced at each other and could see the excitement in each other’s eyes.
With Great Evolution Pass moving forward, the crusade had officially begun.
After bidding goodbye to each other, they returned to their respective residences.
Inside Dawn’s courtyard, Yang Kai summoned all the Squad members and informed them of the plan that would commence in half a year. Everyone instantly rolled up their sleeves in anticipation.
Since they had withdrawn from the Royal City over 200 years ago, they had not fought with the Black Ink Clan again. During this time, the supply of resources was abundant, allowing everyone in Dawn to improve their strength. Many of the Fifth-Order Masters had regained their Sixth-Order cultivation, so they couldn’t wait to fight with the Black Ink Clan.
Unfortunately, they had been busy overhauling the various parts of Great Evolution Pass over the past many years. After Great Evolution Pass had been repaired and reorganized, they had been mining resources. In other words, there had been no opportunity to fight with the Black Ink Clan.
What was the point of simply increasing their strength if they couldn’t kill the Black Ink Clan?
Now, an opportunity was right before them.
Everyone dispersed to rest and condition themselves.
Yang Kai turned his head towards a certain room as a slight furrow appeared on his brow.
Inside this cultivation room, Feng Ying had been in retreat for many years and had yet to exit; no one knew what her condition was.
Back when Yang Kai was making a soup out of the beef gifted to him by Wind and Cloud Pass’ Old Ancestor at Dawn’s camp, Xu Ling Gong happened to come over and drink a bowl of it. He had heard that it was a gift from an Old Ancestor and suddenly received an epiphany. He used that opportunity to break through to the Eighth Order in one fell swoop.
The beef soup was just an ordinary soup and had no special properties at all; nonetheless, Xu Ling Gong had a preconceived notion in his mind and felt that the soup was something mystical and the opportunity did not come from himself but was thanks to the soup.
While observing Xu Ling Gong breaking through to the Eighth Order, Feng Ying also gained some benefits and went into a retreat. It had been 200 years since then, but there had been no movement.
This was also something that had been bothering Yang Kai recently.
Upon arriving at the Black Ink Battlefield, the first person he encountered was Meng Qi, but to protect the secret of the Void Corridor, Meng Qi had decisively committed suicide.
Feng Ying was the second Human soldier he had run into, and it was thanks to her help that he was able to gather a group of Black Ink Disciples, restore their minds, and slaughter his way back to Blue Sky Pass.
After the creation of Dawn, Feng Ying had fought shoulder to shoulder with him, sharing life and death many times over.
Yang Kai was quite excited about the results of her retreat and hoped that everything would go well.
But by the looks of it, Feng Ying’s retreat did not seem to be going smoothly, otherwise there would not have been no movements for the past two centuries.
Outsiders could not help her in this situation though. Everything would depend on her own fortitude and fortune.
Looking towards the room, Yang Kai heaved a light sigh, “Senior Sister, the crusade has begun. If you don’t come out soon, you’ll miss it.”
…..
Every soldier who had just entered the Black Ink Battlefield learned that the Great Passes were really just giant Mobile Palace Artifacts, but since ancient these Mobile Palace Artifacts had only served as the strongest defensive shields and had never been sent into battle before.
Today, the tens of thousands of soldiers of Great Evolution Pass witnessed this magnificent feat.
It wasn’t just Great Evolution Pass, over 100 Great Passes across the vast Black Ink Battlefield set off on their crusade at almost the same time.
It really wasn’t an easy task to control such a massive Mobile Palace Artifact. At least one Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm and 30 Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had to be stationed at the Core in order to just move it.
It also needed 30 Eighth-Order Masters to remain on standby.
Its initial speed was very slow, almost as slow as a turtle’s crawl, but the speed of Great Evolution Pass gradually increased with time.
A month later, it had already reached the speed of an ordinary Dao Source Realm Master.
Another month later, it was comparable to an Emperor Realm Master.
Another month later, its speed was no worse than a Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.
Such a colossus object could be said to be unstoppable when it started moving. Whether it was a big asteroid or an entire Universe World, the Great Pass would smash through it like rotten wood.
Another month later, the speed of Great Evolution Pass had reached its limit, about on par with a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. This was still far slower than the Army’s normal marching speed, but that could not be helped.
At this speed, it would take at least half a year to reach the Royal City.
They had not encountered a single Black Ink Clansman along the way. Just as Xiang Shan had said, the Black Ink Clan in Great Evolution Theatre had been completely defeated and were now too scared to move out, concentrating almost all their forces near the Royal City.
When the speed of Great Evolution Pass had reached its limit, the Old Ancestor and the Eighth-Order Masters were finally able to have a bit of respite and restore their energy. They did not need to constantly use their strength to drive Great Evolution Pass’ Core to accelerate the massive Mobile Palace Artifact.
Meanwhile, the tens of thousands of Great Evolution soldiers did not remain idle either. Many of the Universe Worlds in Great Evolution Pass’ way had been smashed to pieces, and the resources in those Universe Worlds could not be wasted. In other words, the soldiers left Great Evolution Pass one after another to collect the resources from these shattered Universe Worlds under Xiang Shan’s command.
After collecting them, they only needed to activate the Universe Transference Law to return to Great Evolution Pass.
Like this, they picked up a lot of materials along the way.
It wasn’t that Xiang Shan was managing things economically and methodically, but rather that everyone had seriously underestimated just how much Great Evolution Pass consumed to keep moving. Great Evolution Pass had accumulated a massive amount of resources over the past few centuries, but now that it had truly started moving, everyone realized that the consumption of resources was too intense.
Since there was a chance to collect more resources, Xiang Shan would naturally not let this opportunity go. Because once they reached the Royal City, they would not be able to collect them.
A few months later…
The four Special Operations Squads were assembled at Great Evolution Pass’ eastern gate, comprised of a total of 200 Open Heaven Realm Masters, with nearly 40 in the Seventh Order, making up 20% of the total.
This was quite a magnificent lineup.
Although there were many people here, no one was making even a single noise; all of them were just silently waiting.
At a certain moment, Great Evolution Pass’ barriers parted and a gap was opened.
“Let’s go!” Yang Kai shouted as the Dawn’s members, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed out.
Following closely behind them were the Old Turtles, followed by the Profound Wind and Snow Wolves Squads.
After exiting Great Evolution Pass, the four Squad Leaders immediately summoned their respective Warships as their Squad members boarded and took their respective positions.
The Warships’ Arrays started humming before the four Warships shot straight ahead, rapidly flying away from Great Evolution Pass, leaving dazzling trails of light in their wake.
Although Great Evolution Pass’ current speed was fast, comparable to a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master, it was still a colossal entity so it had reached its limit.
A Warship, on the other hand, was different. No matter how slow a Warship was, it would still be much faster than the current speed of Great Evolution Pass.
The four Warships did not immediately scatter. There was still some distance to the Royal City, so this location was safe. Since they would not run into any Black Ink Clansman yet, there was no need to disperse.
To carry out this mission, each Warship had undergone a certain degree of modification, which greatly enhanced their stealth and mobility. Many offensive Arrays were sacrificed for this.
Yang Kai was standing on the deck of the Dawning Light with a Universe Chart in his hand, checking the direction and leading the other three Warships.
Originally, the Human Race Universe Charts didn’t include the topography of Great Evolution Theatre; after all, the Black Ink Clan had occupied Great Evolution Pass for 30,000 years, so no one knew about the exact situation of Great Evolution Theatre.
But as a matter of course, as the Great Evolution East-West Army invaded the Black Ink Clan’s territory on their way to the Royal City, and then on their way back to Great Evolution Pass, the Chart Masters accompanying the Army were able to create a new Universe Chart that would be of great use in the upcoming crusade.
At maximum speed, it wouldn’t take long for the Warships to reach the Royal City, but they were not aiming solely for speed as their job was to maintain a certain lead on the Great Pass to provide reconnaissance information.
The Black Ink Clan was currently terrified of the sudden and elusive intrusion of the Old Ancestor, so no Territory Lord dared to wander outside the Royal City. At the same time, the defences of the Royal City had become extremely tight because of the Old Ancestor’s constant harassment.
The Black Ink Clan’s surveillance range should be half a month’s distance away from the Royal City at the Great Pass’ current speed.
In other words, the four scouting Squads should encounter the Black Ink Clan soldiers monitoring the vicinity of the Royal City within a month and a half if they maintained a two-month lead on Great Evolution Pass.
After sending a Divine Sense transmission to Chai Fang and the other two Squad Leaders, informing the three about the situation, all three of them nodded in response.
The following journey remained uneventful. During this time, all the members of the Squad, except those who were responsible for maintaining the ship’s systems, were quietly cultivating.
A month and a half later, Chai Fang’s voice suddenly rang in Yang Kai’s ears, “Brother Yang, it’s time.”
The meditating Yang Kai immediately opened his eyes and stared deep into the void before slightly nodding.
“Everyone, just shout if you run into trouble, don’t try to be a hero, the Old Ancestor is right behind us. If we win this battle, we won’t have to worry about anything. I hope that I will see all of you at the celebration banquet where we will drink till we pass out!” Ma Gao laughed.
Yao Kang Cheng added, “I have a few jars of fine wine that have been fermenting for 1,000 years. We’ll drink them together at the celebration banquet!”
“You’re making me thirsty,” Chai Fang smacked his lips.
Everyone broke into laughter.
“Disperse!” Yang Kai shouted as the four Warships quickly scattered. At the same time, the Illusion Arrays on each Warship were activated.
If they wanted to hide themselves, Illusion Arrays were the easiest and the most convenient method. Illusion Arrays personally set up by the Array Great Grandmasters of the Great Pass were more than enough to hoodwink the eyes and ears of the Black Ink Clan patrols.
Although nothing had physically changed about the current Dawning Light, if one wasn’t close and didn’t look carefully enough, they would only see an asteroid floating in the void.
Countless asteroids were floating about in the void, so why would the Black Ink Clan pay attention to one more?
Dawning Light kept moving forward at a steady pace.
After 10 days, a slight furrow appeared on Yang Kai’s brow as he stared into the dark void ahead.
The situation was indeed as the Old Ancestor had stated. For the past 200 years, the Black Ink Clan had been trying their best to create a defensive line, fearing that the Humans would once again invade the Royal City.
The Black Ink Clan had suffered heavy losses in the last war, and even the Royal Lord had suffered serious injuries which had yet to heal. Thus, the Black Ink Clan did not want to fight the Humans again.
If it was possible, they would rather give up the Royal City and seek refuge in another Theatre. At the very least, it would not be so vexing.
But that was impossible. The Royal Lord’s Black Ink Nest was at the Royal City; giving up the Royal City was equivalent to giving up the High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
As far as the Black Ink Clan was concerned, the High-Rank Black Ink Nests were their very root and foundation. How could they give one up so easily?
So, they had elected to establish a defensive perimeter in order to block any Human offensive, and the way they did so was extremely simple. By spending an inordinate amount of resources, they had spawned many Black Ink Nests and then used those nests to produce a massive amount of Black Ink Strength to fill the space around the Royal City.
Regardless of what method the Humans could use to deal with the corruption of Black Ink Strength, so long as the Humans were within the range of Black Ink Strength, the Black Ink Clan would always have an advantage.
One had to admit that although this method was expensive and time-consuming, it was quite effective.
At the very least, after over two centuries of hard work, the distance which would need ten days to reach the Royal City had been filled with the Black Ink Strength. Furthermore, the Black Ink Strength was denser, the closer it was to the Royal City.
The Black Ink Clan was like a fish in the water in such an environment, whereas it was anything but easy for the Humans.
The Dawning Light was about a month’s journey from the Royal City, but they were still able to see the billowing pitch-black darkness in the Void ahead. This was the result of the Black Ink Clan’s efforts over the last two centuries.
Because the Old Ancestor often came to the Black Ink Clan territory to harass them, she was well aware of this situation. She had also killed a few Black Ink Clansmen who had left the Royal City to arrange things, but her killing had not produced much effect.
Even if the Old Ancestor killed a group of Black Ink Clansmen, the Black Ink Clan would just send another team, and the Old Ancestor couldn’t just remain here.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow at the sight before him. This environment was extremely unfavourable for the Human Race. Although the Humans would not fear the corruption of Black Ink Strength as long as they were inside a Warship, High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters still needed to go out to fight effectively.
Even if they took Purifying Black Ink Pills in advance, the effects would be greatly reduced if they remained in such an environment for an extended period. Once the effects of the Purifying Black Ink Pill expired, things would turn dangerous for the Humans.
Be that as it may, the Humans didn’t have much of a choice in the face of such a situation. The only option they had left was to use Great Evolution Pass to launch a lightning-fast attack and eliminate the Black Ink Clan as rapidly as possible.
How many Human Masters would die in such a reckless battle?
Yang Kai had no idea, nor did he want to think about it. Any sacrifice was worth it to destroy the Black Ink Clan once and for all, but the fewer the sacrifices necessary, the better.
Silently, Dawning Light sailed through the void and entered the region filled with Black Ink Strength.
This was the outermost ring of the Black Ink Clan’s defensive perimeter. Black Ink Strength here wasn’t very rich, but so long as the Black Ink Clan had sufficient time and invested enough resources, this outer ring would become the inner ring.
Yang Kai secretly rejoiced that Great Evolution Pass had only been preparing for two centuries before setting off for the crusade. If they had delayed a few more hundred years or even 1,000 years, the upcoming war would surely be multiple times more difficult.
The moment Dawning Light entered the region covered in Black Ink Strength, a pair of eyes from over 10 million kilometres away looked over.
They belonged to a Feudal Lord, and after gazing in the Dawning Light’s direction for a moment, he waved his hand.
Immediately after, a High-Rank Black Ink Clansman stepped forward, “Sir Feudal Lord.”
“There’s something strange over there. Something entered the defence perimeter. Go investigate.”
An aggrieved look immediately appeared on the High-Rank Clansman’s face as his heart started rapidly pounding in fear.
This wasn’t surprising though, as the Human Old Ancestor had been coming over quite frequently as of late. Would death not be certain if they were to run into her while checking out the situation?
Nonetheless, as a subordinate of the Feudal Lord, he didn’t dare refuse the latter’s orders.
However, he didn’t go alone to investigate. Although it would not matter how many went if they really encountered the Old Ancestor, it was still better than going alone.
After a while, the High-Rank Black Ink Clansman led a dozen or so others and flew in the direction pointed out by the Feudal Lord.
The team led by the High-Rank Black Ink Clansman travelled a few million kilometres.
Yang Kai had already noticed them rushing over a few moments ago. It was not that Yang Kai was trying to investigate, but rather he could feel the energy fluctuations coming towards them, and they were getting stronger and stronger as more time passed.
Since Yang Kai and the others were here to act as scouts, they would naturally conceal themselves and keep a sharp lookout. On top of that, no one in Dawn was actively using their Divine Sense to scan their surroundings to prevent revealing themselves.
Everyone on Dawning Light held their breaths.
The team of a dozen or so Black Ink Clansmen stopped a few thousand kilometres away from the Dawning Light, and the leading Black Ink Clansman carefully observed them for a moment before the tension left his face.
To his relief, it was just an asteroid, and not the Old Ancestor.
After confirming the situation, he had no intention of approaching to investigate further; after all, this had happened quite frequently over the years. The asteroids and universe fragments drifting through the void had no set pattern and would cross the defensive line every now and then.
After having confirmed that there were no problems, the High-Rank Black Ink Clansman waved his hand and led his team back.
The members of the Dawn immediately breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of their departure.
The High-Rank Black Ink Clansman might not be that strong, and his eyesight might not be that sharp, so if they stayed calm, it was possible he wouldn’t see through the Illusion Array’s disguise. As long as he attacked Dawning Light though, they would have been immediately exposed.
Fortunately, the High-Rank Black Ink Clansman didn’t seem to be the diligent type, which allowed Dawning Light to avoid detection.
Shen Ao stated via transmission, “Squad Leader, there’s something strange about this!”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement.
It was indeed a little strange.
Dawning Light had just crossed the Black Ink Clan’s defence perimeter, but the Black Ink Clan had immediately set out to investigate. There was no way this was just a coincidence.
If it wasn’t a coincidence though, could it be that the defensive perimeter made up of the Black Ink Strength also served as a detection net? Was the Black Ink Clan able to sense anything that entered a specific range?
The Old Ancestor had never mentioned anything about this, so Yang Kai could not say for certain.
Of course, this wasn’t the Old Ancestor’s fault. Every time she came here, she would head straight for the Royal City, so how could she have the time to pay attention to such minor details? What’s more, even if the Black Ink Clan patrols detected the Old Ancestor, the first thing they would do is run, not come to investigate.
Since the Black Ink Clan had arrived as soon as the Dawning Light crossed the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line, it would not hurt to be extra careful.
Dawning Light’s Arrays were already operating at their lowest strength to prevent exposing themselves.
Their original plan was to dive deeper into the Black Ink Clan’s territory and spy on their movements, but after this event, Yang Kai promptly ordered to change the Dawning Light’s direction and continue moving forward at a reduced speed.
He wanted to know if everything that had happened was just a coincidence or if the Black Ink Clan had detected their intrusion. If it was just a coincidence, then it would be a one-off instance, but if they did detect their intrusion… then the four scouting Squads would only be able to play a limited role.
After all, so long as they entered a certain range, the Black Ink Clan would be able to detect them. Dawn was already lucky enough to avoid exposure once, so Yang Kai didn’t dare bet the life and death of his Squad members on something as uncontrollable as luck.
Dawning Light continued drifting forward, silently and stealthily.
Although they were still at the edge of the enemy defence perimeter, they would still occasionally encounter a few patrolling Black Ink Clansmen. All of these patrols were led by Feudal Lords with a dozen or so lower-rank Black Ink Clansmen following them.
Judging by this, it was quite apparent how much importance the Black Ink Clan attached to this defensive line, and how afraid they were of some Human Master breaking into it.
The more this was the case, the more it showed that the Black Ink Clan was at the end of its rope.
Since ancient times until now, when had the Black Ink Clan ever been so passive on the Black Ink Battlefield? They had always been the ones attacking the Great Passes on a large scale. Even if they suffered heavy casualties, they would quickly refill their ranks and make a comeback within a few decades.
Every time, the Humans warded off the Black Ink Clan, but only after painstaking efforts and sacrificing countless lives. Generation after generation, elites were sent from the 3,000 Worlds to the Black Ink Battlefield, but they barely managed to hold the line.
Now, the Black Ink Clan in Great Evolution Theatre no longer had the capital to act arrogantly.
This was the dawn of Humanity’s victory, the glory of Great Evolution Pass.
About half a day later, another team of Black Ink Clansmen flew towards Dawning Light, but they left soon after a brief investigation and finding nothing unusual.
Yang Kai and Shen Ao, who were standing on the deck, looked at each other with serious expressions on their faces.
It wasn’t just a coincidence. The Black Ink Clan could notice any intrusion of their defence line.
“I did not notice anyone spying on us, so how did the Black Ink Clan discover us?” Shen Ao asked in confusion.
Yang Kai thought for a moment before replying, “Perhaps it’s because of the Black Ink Nests.”
“The Black Ink Nests?” Ning Qi Zhi was confused.
Yang Kai slightly nodded, “Old Ancestor told me a few things about the Royal City. After the withdrawal of the Great Evolution East-West Army, there was nothing unusual about the Royal City at first, but after a decade or so, the Black Ink Clan began to set up this kind of defensive line. So where did the Black Ink Strength come from? Naturally, it came from Black Ink Nests.”
Bai Yi suddenly interjected, “I spotted two Black Ink Nests from where we just passed by. Judging by their sizes, they should be Low-Rank.”
Shen Ao was beside himself in shock, “You can see them?”
Bai Yi looked at Yang Kai and asked, “Squad Leader, you can see them too, right?”
The reason she could see this was because as a disciple of Divine Feather Paradise, she had to cultivate Eye Secret Techniques in order to facilitate her archery skills.
Yang Kai also cultivated special Eye Techniques. The Eye Secret Techniques of Myriad Demons Heaven were not inferior to those of Divine Feather Paradise, perhaps even superior in some aspects.
Shen Ao and the others all looked towards Yang Kai with a look of curiosity on their faces.
Yang Kai gave the confirmation, nodding, “Indeed, there were two Low-Rank Black Ink Nests. Just as the Old Ancestor suspected, the Black Ink Clan seems to have gathered all the Black Ink Nests outside the Royal City to set up a defensive line filled with Black Ink Strength.”
Originally, there was one High-Rank Black Ink Nest and nearly 100 Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest in Great Evolution Theatre. Furthermore, there were a few dozen Low-Rank Black Ink Nest under each Territory Lord.
In short, there were at least 1,000 Low-Rank Black Ink Nests spread throughout the Great Evolution Theatre, and that was not even counting the High-Rank and Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests.
Although a number of them had been destroyed during the Great Evolution East-West Army’s incursion, that was only a small part. The Black Ink Clan still had a lot of Black Ink Nests remaining.
Where did these Black Ink Nests go? Others might not know, but how could the Old Ancestor who had attacked the Royal City repeatedly not?
The dozens of Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests had all been moved to the Royal City to be better protected.
The Black Ink Clan had no choice in this matter, as there was no safe place for the Black Ink Clan in the entire Great Evolution Theatre apart from the Royal City. If the Black Ink Nests remained outside, they were at risk of being destroyed by the Humans at any moment.
Furthermore, many more Low-Rank Black Ink Nests were arranged in the periphery of the Royal City, which were then used to produce Black Ink Strength using large amounts of resources, creating a strong defensive line.
In other words, Low-Rank Black Ink Nests could be found almost everywhere in the periphery of the Royal City. These Black Ink Nests would constantly generate Black Ink Strength, filling the defensive line and expanding it outward.
Every time the Old Ancestor attacked, she would destroy many Black Ink Nests, but once she made a move, her position would be exposed, and the other Black Ink Nests were quickly evacuated.
Dawning Light entered the range of two different Low-Rank Black Ink Nests, and they were detected every time. So, it was obvious that the Black Ink Strength did serve as a monitoring tool.
Perhaps the Feudal Lord in charge of the Black Ink Nest could sense when something came into contact with the surrounding Black Ink Strength.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai ordered, “Inform the other three Squads about this and tell them to be on guard.”
The current situation was a bit problematic. If they were lucky, they might be able to smoothly bypass the enemy patrols, but if they were down on their luck, and if one of the Black Ink Clansmen who came to investigate launched an attack at them, Dawning Light would instantly be exposed. The Illusion Array set up on the Dawning Light only had concealing effects, it didn’t provide any form of defence.
Having received the order, Shen Ao quickly took out some Space Beacons and sent messages to Chai Fang and the others.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai turned his gaze in the direction of the Royal City. They were about a month’s journey away from the Black Ink Clan Royal City, so when Great Evolution Pass arrived, it would definitely be discovered by the Black Ink Clan. At that time, the Royal City would quickly be able to gather its forces and prepare for the incoming attack.
A month was more than enough time for the Black Ink Clan to prepare completely.
Whereas Great Evolution Pass would lose its element of surprise.
Was there any way to hoodwink the eyes and ears of the Black Ink Clan?
The only way to do so would be to take down some of the Black Ink Nests in the outer ring without being discovered.
It would be difficult, but not impossible!
Having made up his mind, Yang Kai ordered, “Carefully retreat from here and follow along the edge of the defensive line.”
He planned to first investigate the situation of the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line. The defensive line built using many Black Ink Nest might have appeared like one enormous wall, but in reality, it was bloated and uneven, so there may be some flaws.
The reason why Yang Kai wanted to withdraw was because he did not want to intrude into any Black Ink Nest domains anymore. After all, they would be investigated every time they entered a new detection range.
They might have been lucky so far, but each new inspection increased the risk of getting caught.
Under the prudent control of the Dawn Squad’s members, Dawning light drifted through the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line and retreated.
Once they were out of danger, Shen Ao reported in a low voice, “The other Squads have replied back, the Old Turtle Squad and Profound Wind Squad had the same idea and have withdrawn from the defensive line to search for a gap to infiltrate. On the other hand, the Snow Wolves Squad said they want to go deeper.”
“Deeper?” Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
Shen Ao nodded in response, “Brother Yao said that since the Black Ink Nests are all placed on the outer ring to build the defensive line, once the defensive line is pushed outward, the Black Ink Nests would definitely move along with it. In other words, there are no Black Ink Nests in the inner ring. No Feudal Lords should be guarding the inner perimeter, which would make it safer to set up a reconnaissance position.”
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before replying, “That may be so, but the Black Ink Strength in the depths of the defensive line is also denser, and many Black Ink Clan squads should be patrolling that zone, so it’s not necessarily safer than the periphery. If we get caught in the periphery, we can still find a chance to escape, but if we get caught deeper inside…”
The consequences would be dire.
It had also crossed his mind, but as a scout of the main Army, Yang Kai naturally had to prioritize keeping Great Evolution Pass’ movements a secret.
Eliminating the Black Ink Clan’s eyes and ears, increasing the chances of Great Evolution Pass’ surprise attack being successful was the appropriate choice.
Still, they might be able to obtain more information if they ventured deeper.
“Can you still contact him?” Yang Kai asked.
Shen Ao denied, shaking his head, “Brother Yao has already cut off contact.”
Although the disturbance caused by their communication was extremely small, if a Master happened to be nearby, they might notice it.
Since Yao Kang Cheng was leading the Snow Wolves Squad deeper into the enemy defence line, he would naturally not contact Yang Kai and the others. The safest choice would be to keep the Space Beacon in his Space Ring to avoid any possible mistakes.
Yang Kai couldn’t help frowning.
Still, Yao Kang Cheng must have his own plans, so Yang Kai didn’t object. In any case, the other party was a veteran Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Furthermore, there were four Squads present, three of which were on the periphery, so entering the inner circle was indeed a better use of their resources.
Be that as it may, Yang Kai had originally wanted to discuss with the others about letting Dawning Light scout the inner region; after all, he was proficient in the Dao of Space, so if they got caught, he could take the cultivators under Seventh-Order into his Small Universe to escape. Dawn had better chances of escaping if they ran into trouble than any other Squad.
Now that the Snow Wolves had severed contact though, Yang Kai had no choice but to give up on this idea.
All he could do now was hope that everything went smoothly. Yao Kang Cheng was indeed right; all the Low-Rank Black Ink Nests were arranged at the periphery to act as detectors. So, even though the Black Ink Strength was denser in the inner region, it would be easier to sneak around.
At the very least, the Feudal Lords managing the Black Ink Nests would not be able to monitor everything at such a distance.
Perhaps they might gain something different.
Yang Kai threw this matter to the back of his mind and focused on searching for flaws in the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line as Dawning Light moved around the periphery.
They did not have that much time as they had only advanced a two-month distance ahead of Great Evolution Pass. In other words, Great Evolution Pass would be arriving within two months. If they failed to take care of the Black Ink Clan’s detection net by then, the surprise attack would be exposed.
Two months might seem like a long time, but it wasn’t easy to find a gap in this massive Black Ink Strength defensive line.
With the Black Ink Strength continuously spreading over time, the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line was constantly moving outwards. Fortunately, given the vast area that needed to be covered, the outer edge of the defence line did not advance very quickly.
Dawn did not encounter the Old Turtles or Profound Wind Squads as it continued its search.
The Black Ink Clan’s defensive line was a huge sphere centred around the Royal City, covering a range of about one month’s distance from the Royal City.
Currently, the three Squads, including Dawning Light, were moving along the outer arc of this sphere.
The chances of running into each other in such a large area were quite slim.
At a certain point, Yang Kai, who was attentively observing from the deck, seemed to have noticed something as he looked back.
Much to his surprise, a large ‘ship’ was flying straight towards Dawning Light from the depths of the void.
Yang Kai’s heart immediately leapt into his throat.
Much to their shock and dismay, there was a Black Ink Clan ‘ship’ out here away from the defensive line. If it crashed into them, Dawning Light would definitely be exposed. Even if it didn’t crash into them, the Black Ink Clansmen on the ship might try to brush the ‘asteroid’ in their path aside. At the time, Dawning Light would undoubtedly be exposed.
Everyone aboard Dawning Light immediately looked nervous. Yang Kai signalled with his eyes and, in a flash, everyone secretly circulated their strength, preparing to attack at any moment.
If they were fast enough, they might be able to eliminate the Black Ink Clan on the ship before the enemy inside the defensive line noticed anything. Of course, there was also a possibility that they might get exposed. But at this moment, they could only take a gamble.
When they were just 100,000 kilometres away from each other, the Black Ink Clan ship changed directions, almost brushing past Dawning Light as it plunged back into the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line.
Everyone immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
It was quite dangerous. It was not dangerous for Dawning Light to be exposed as Dawn was strong enough to eliminate everyone on the Black Ink Clan ship. However, once they were exposed, things would become complicated for the other three Squads, especially the Snow Wolves Squad which was deep behind enemy lines. The Snow Wolves were in a very dangerous position, and once the Black Ink Clan started investigating more carefully, they would have no place to hide.
Fortunately, it was just a false alarm.
But what puzzled Yang Kai was why there were still Black Ink Clansmen roaming about outside. Where did they come from and what were they doing?
With a flash of thought, his left eye turned into a golden vertical eye. Thanks to the Demon Eye of Annihilation, Yang Kai’s vision pierced through the layers of Black Ink Strength and followed after the ship.
It was not just him observing, Bai Yi was also spying on the enemy, obviously having the same concerns as him.
Under the watchful eyes of the two, the ship headed straight for the nearest Low-Rank Black Ink Nest. When it was halfway there, they ran into a team of Black Ink Clansmen who had come to investigate the situation, whereafter they joined up and continued towards the Black Ink Nest.
Soon, the ship arrived before the Black Ink Nest.
A tall Feudal Lord walked out from the Black Ink Nest and chatted with another Black Ink Clansman who came down from the ship. After receiving a Space Ring from the other party, the Feudal Lord nodded before returning to the Black Ink Nest.
The large ship didn’t stop for long. After handing over a Space Ring, it turned around and once again brushed past Dawning Light before disappearing off into the void.
Aboard Dawning Light, Yang Kai and Bai Yi had seen everything clearly and looked at each other, exchanging glances.
Bai Yi voiced her guess in a low voice, “Resources!”
Yang Kai nodded in agreement, “It has to be.”
Shen Ao and the others, on the other hand, were all confused. A confused Ning Qi Zhi immediately asked, “What are you two going on about? What’s up with that Black Ink Clan ship? And why did it come out so quickly?”
No one else in Dawn had cultivated a powerful Eye Secret Technique, so they couldn’t see what transpired under the shroud of the Black Ink Strength.
Bai Yi shot a glance at Yang Kai, and seeing that he had no intention of explaining, she replied, “The Black Ink Clansmen on that ship are responsible for harvesting and delivering resources. Naturally, they went to continue mining.”
Realization immediately dawned upon Shen Ao, “The Black Ink Clan must have consumed an unimaginable amount of resources to set up such a massive defensive line. Not only are these Low-Rank Black Ink Nests in the periphery consuming tremendous resources, but even the Mid-Rank and High-Rank Black Ink Nests in the Royal City must be consuming resources. Even if the Black Ink Clan has amassed mountains of resources over the years, they might be struggling to make ends meet now. They must be sending these ships out to mine more.”
“En,” Bai Yi nodded in agreement, “The Black Ink Clan must be sending out members to mine resources like the ones on that ship, and none of them are very strong. The Black Ink Clansmen on that ship were basically all Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen, with a few High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen overseeing them.”
The Feudal Lords were all stationed near the Royal City or in the defence line, so such a dangerous task like mining resources could only be left to the High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen. If the Old Ancestor really attacked, they would be the first ones to die.
“Why didn’t we see them before?” Ning Qi Zhi furrowed in confusion.
Yang Kai conjectured, “The Black Ink Clansmen mining resources must come and go in a hurry, and we’ve been travelling around the periphery, so it’s not strange that we haven’t seen them.”
If they had remained in one place to monitor a specific Black Ink Nest, they would have seen many Black Ink Clan ships returning from mining resources, but Dawning Light had been drifting about searching for flaws in the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line, so it wasn’t a surprise they had missed such a quick exchange.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
The Black Ink Clan didn’t patrol outside the defensive line, so the Squads didn’t encounter any danger. On the other hand, they saw Black Ink Clan ships returning from mining resources twice.
It wasn’t until a month later that Yang Kai, who had been standing on the deck observing the defensive line the whole time, had a change in expression. The next moment, his left pupil turned golden as he focused his attention towards the interior of the Black Ink Clan’s perimeter.
After silently observing for a while, he let out a long sigh of relief.
At last, he had finally found a gap which he could exploit.
Perhaps it was because the defensive line outside the Royal City was too large, or perhaps it was because there weren’t enough Black Ink Nests, but the number of Black Ink Nests were noticeably sparser in the defensive line where Dawning Light was currently at.
In this spot, so long as he could somehow take down the three adjacent Black Ink Nests, the gap would be wide enough for Great Evolution Pass to pass through unnoticed.
Of course, Great Evolution Pass would need to coordinate with them; otherwise, the nearby Black Ink Nests would definitely notice such a massive object passing through; after all, the Feudal Lords weren’t blind.
After thinking about it for a while, Yang Kai took out a jade slip and recorded a message on it with his Divine Sense before handing it to Shen Ao, “Send it back to Great Evolution Pass and ask them about their status.”
The position he was eyeing was different from the route planned for Great Evolution Pass’ surprise attack. It was slightly to the left, so if Great Evolution Pass wanted to attack from this position, they would have to change course.
Yang Kai had no idea if Great Evolution Pass would be able to change course or not, so he first sent the message to ask. He would only take action if they could; otherwise, there would be no point in taking down these three Black Ink Nests if Great Evolution Pass could not come here.
The entire plan hinged on Great Evolution Pass’ cooperation and coordination.
Shen Ao quickly sent the jade slip back to Great Evolution Pass through a Space Beacon.
Yang Kai had to wait a bit to receive the reply, a full three hours, in fact. Obviously, Great Evolution Pass’ side needed some time to calculate everything.
Traces of Xiang Shan’s Divine Sense could be felt on the jade slip sent by Great Evolution Pass, with the message reading, “Great Evolution Pass can change course, but it will take a few more days. Be careful.”
It wasn’t an easy task to change the course of a massive Mobile Palace Artifact like Great Evolution Pass. It was completely different from the Warships, which could nimbly and swiftly change direction with the coordination of a few Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The change in the course of Great Evolution Pass required the combined efforts of the Old Ancestor and many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. What’s more, even making a small detour required a massive amount of space to act as a buffer.
Fortunately, Great Evolution Pass was still a month away from Yang Kai’s position at its current speed. If it had been even a bit closer, Great Evolution Pass might not have been able to cooperate.
Xiang Shan’s affirmation meant that his plan was feasible. The problem now was how to approach the Black Ink Nest and quickly eliminate the Black Ink Clansmen guarding it without alerting the enemy.
These Black Ink Nests were only guarded by Feudal Lords, so destroying them was not an issue.
The difficult part was how to prevent the Black Ink Clan on guard from passing on the news.
Communication between Black Ink Nest was far too convenient, and Dawn would inevitably be exposed once they took action. If they failed to immediately kill the Feudal Lords and seize control of the Black Ink Nests, word of the attack would immediately spread.
No matter how convenient the Dao of Space was, it wasn’t much use in this situation.
After pondering the issue for a while, Yang Kai felt that he could only use the Black Ink Clan’s mining teams.
He had seen these teams approach the Black Ink Nests directly, and with his current strength, so long as he was close and found his target, he could instantly kill the Feudal Lord in charge.
He would need to take some risks, but they were still within acceptable limits.
Under this command, Dawning Light slowly stopped and waited quietly.
Yang Kai wasn’t sure when the Black Ink Clan mining teams would return, but as there were so many of them, one would surely appear soon.
After about 10 days, Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and stared off into the void.
A Black Ink Clan ship was rapidly approaching from that direction, and judging by past examples, it would enter the defensive line and transfer the resources to the Black Ink Nest.
After observing the route of this ship, Yang Kai’s Divine Sense undulated as he issued a command.
The next moment, Dawning Light, which had remained motionless for more than 10 days, began drifting again like a rogue asteroid.
In a flash, it happened to be blocking the way of the Black Ink Clan ship.
A High-Rank Black Ink Clansman was standing on the deck, vigilantly scanning the surroundings. Fear was clearly visible on his face.
This was not surprising as the Human Old Ancestor had been attacking Royal City quite frequently recently. Although they were a fair distance from the Royal City, no one knew from which direction the Old Ancestor would appear. If she appeared somewhere nearby, they would not be able to take even a casual attack from her.
As such, he would always be on edge every time he returned from outside.
The reason the Black Ink Clan mining teams came and left in a hurry was firstly because they were entrusted with a crucial mission, and secondly and most importantly, they were terrified of running into the Old Ancestor.
In contrast, mining resources outside was relatively safe.
At the very least, since they were far away from the Royal City and with no signs of the Human Army attacking, there was no threat to them.
After observing for a moment, the High-Rank Black Ink Clansman breathed a sigh of relief. There were no signs of explosions coming from the Royal City, so the Old Ancestor was probably not here.
[Strangely enough, that Old Ancestor seemed to have calmed down quite a bit and has not shown her face for a while. Just a few years ago, she would come every two or three months. Rumour has it that the Royal Lord had flown into a rage over this, and many of his close aides lost their lives due to his rampage.]
He secretly rejoiced that he was not on duty at the Royal City; otherwise, he would have to live a life of constant fear.
An asteroid happened to be blocking their way, but the High-Rank Black Ink Clansman didn’t care.
In the vast void, asteroids like these were fragments of shattered Universe Worlds and could be found everywhere; it was quite a normal sight.
Be that as it may, the Black Ink Clan ships weren’t very sturdy as the Black Ink Clan’s craftsmanship wasn’t very good. The ships at most could be used as big flying artifacts, a far cry from Human Warships which were extremely sturdy. Even an asteroid like the one in their way could damage the ship if they simply rammed into it.
While the High-Rank Black Ink Clansman was feeling faintly envious of the Human Race’s ability to refine Warships, he suddenly noticed something amiss.
Gazing at the asteroid, he was surprised to find that it was constantly changing its direction.
[What’s going on?]
Before this High-Rank Black Ink Clansman could figure out what was wrong, a cold and grim face suddenly appeared in front of him.
He didn’t even sense when the other party had arrived.
[A Human face…]
[Enemy attack!]
The High-Rank Black Ink Clansman’s reaction was quite quick. He realized what was going on in the blink of an eye, and instinctively raised his fist as he was about to shout.
But the surrounding space instantly froze. His hand, which had barely twitched, was frozen in place.
Not only that, an immense pressure came bearing down on him, under which he was unable to muster the strength to utter a single word.
Immediately, a large hand covered his face as everything went black before his eyes and he fell unconscious.
The space around the ship vibrated, and by the time Shen Ao and the others arrived, all the Black Ink Clansmen aboard the ship had been terminated.
There were three High-Rank and a dozen or so Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen on the ship, with the strongest of the three High-Rank Clansmen only equivalent to Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Taking care of such a force was as easy as breathing for Yang Kai.
Dawn quickly boarded the ship, silently and stealthily.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and stored Dawning Light in his Small Universe before ordering, “Everyone below the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, enter my Small Universe.”
Saying so, he opened a portal to his Small Universe.
Now that they had seized the Black Ink Clan’s ship that was transporting resources, they would then be going into the enemy’s defensive line to infiltrate the Black Ink Nest.
Dawn had a lot of members, 50 in total, so if all of them boarded the ship, they would be easily caught no matter how much they tried to conceal their auras. Having just the Seventh-Order Masters outside was the best choice. If they ran into trouble, the Seventh-Order Masters would be able to quickly escape.
Everyone complied and entered the portal, following Miao Fei Ping’s lead.
Soon, only Yang Kai’s group of seven remained on the ship.
Yang Kai quickly understood the structure of the Black Ink Clan’s flying artifact after a quick scan of it with his Divine Sense. The Black Ink Clan’s artifacts were refined by Black Ink Disciples, so there was nothing special about it.
“Take the pill!” Yang Kai ordered again before everyone quickly took out a Purifying Black Ink Pill and swallowed it.
With the World Tree clone in his Small Universe, Yang Kai was not afraid of the corruption of Black Ink Strength, but the same was not true for Shen Ao and the others. Although a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could resist the corruption of the Black Ink Strength for a short time by covering themselves with their own strength, they could not maintain such a state for an extended period. Additionally, resisting the Black Ink Strength’s corruption would greatly consume one’s World Force and also create quite an obvious energy fluctuation which would immediately expose them.
The Purifying Black Ink Pill was the most effective way to prevent the corruption of Black Ink Strength.
Yang Kai looked at Ren Bing Bai and stated, “Brother Ren, you fly the ship.”
Ren Bing Bai agreed with a nod, “En!”
Saying so, he turned and left, heading to the cabin.
Yang Kai pondered for a moment before he flew out of the ship, punched a hole in the bow and tore off a few planks before returning.
All the Black Ink Clansmen on the ship had been killed already, so they didn’t have any way to disguise themselves. All he could hope was that the tattered state of the ship would attract the attention of the Black Ink Clan and make it easier for them to act.
On the other side, Ren Bing Bai had already activated the ship’s Spirit Arrays. The ship hummed as it flew towards the defence line shrouded in Black Ink Strength and plunged into it.
Yang Kai solemnly stated, “Everyone, conceal your auras as best you can. Very soon, a Black Ink Clan patrol will be coming to investigate; at that time, I will restrain them and you will quickly kill them.”
According to his previous observations, every time a foreign body broke into the defence line, the Black Ink Clan team from the closest Black Ink Nest would be deployed to investigate. Of course, it was not an absolute, and there were exceptions sometimes, but it was true for most cases.
While everyone was concealing their auras, Yang Kai did the exact opposite. Not only did he not converge his aura, but he began leaking a large amount of Black Ink Strength.
He wouldn’t have been able to do this if it was in the past. Although his Small Universe had sealed quite a lot of Black Ink Strength, it wasn’t this rich.
But now, there was a Low-Rank Black Ink Nest in his Small Universe, constantly producing Black Ink Strength and incubating the Black Ink Serfs for the disciples of the Void Dao Temple to fight.
It was now easy for him to emanate such rich Black Ink Strength, all he needed to do was pull some from the Black Ink Nest and release it.
In the blink of an eye, the entire deck of the ship was shrouded in a thick layer of Black Ink Strength, concealing everyone’s figures.
The ship rapidly flew forward, but after a moment, Bai Yi suddenly sent a transmission, “A Black Ink Clan squad is approaching.”
Obviously, the Black Ink Nest had sensed that something had entered the perimeter and sent a patrol to investigate.
Both sides quickly approached each other.
Dawn’s Seventh-Order Masters quickly got ready to attack.
A short while later, the investigating squad of Black Ink Clansmen laid their eyes on the ship. At a glance, they could tell that the ship was heading towards the Black Ink Nest and Black Ink Strength was surging from the deck.
The leading High-Rank Clansman was greatly confused though. He had no idea what was wrong with his fellow clansmen and why they were giving off so much Black Ink Strength.
Looking at the damaged bow, it seemed like it had been attacked by someone.
He figured that they had run into Humans outside; otherwise, he was unable to explain the current situation.
While they were still in a daze, the ship suddenly sped up and arrived before them in the blink of an eye. The Black Ink Clan patrol was stunned, and before they could react, the surrounding space solidified as a tremendous suction force emerged from the ship. The Black Ink Clan team was unable to control themselves and were all pulled towards the ship in a flash.
What greeted them next was Dawn’s Seventh-Order Masters’ attacks.
Although there were over a dozen Black Ink Clansmen in this patrol team, since no Feudal Lord was leading them, they were unable to mount any resistance against the Seventh-Order Masters of Dawn and were instantly killed.
Without making any sound or leaking any aura, the ship continued flying forward, as if the Black Ink Clansmen had never appeared.
The disappearance of over a dozen life auras should have been noticed if there were any Black Ink Clansmen nearby, but as the Black Ink Nests were still quite far and Dawn finished everything quickly and without leaking too much energy, they were able to take down the enemy patrol without anyone’s notice.
In any case, this was just the first step. The next test was to capture the Black Ink Nest. If they succeeded in taking down the Black Ink Nest, Dawn would have successfully pried open a gap in the Black Ink Clan’s defence perimeter, but if they failed…
If they were exposed, all they could do was make a big commotion to attract the attention of the Black Ink Clan and use this opportunity to warn the Old Turtle Squad, Profound Wind Squad, and the Snow Wolves Squad that was deep behind the Black Ink Clan’s lines to retreat.
A short time later, the Black Ink Nest was already faintly visible.
The Black Ink Clan had most of their troops defending the Royal City, and the defensive line they had set up was so huge that almost all of the Low-Rank Black Ink Nests had been used. As such, each Low-Grade Black Ink Nest should not have too many Feudal Lords guarding it.
Yang Kai reckoned that there should be two or three at most.
Dawn had more than enough strength to take down such a force without leaving any traces.
Yang Kai sent a transmission to everyone, “Later, I will enter the Black Ink Nest straight away, while you all deal with the Black Ink Clansmen outside. I will also use Space Techniques to assist you.”
In order to cut off the Black Ink Clan’s communication with the outside world, Yang Kai had to enter the Black Ink Nest and instantly seize control of it. Only he could do this.
Shen Ao nodded, “Don’t worry, there will be no disturbances.”
Yang Kai nodded before looking ahead. There was a Black Ink Nest ahead, and many Black Ink Clansmen were gathered outside. One of them even happened to be a Feudal Lord.
The other Black Ink Clansmen also looked over, while the Feudal Lord’s brow wrinkled in suspicion.
This was not surprising though as the ship returning to transport resources seemed a bit strange. Its hull was damaged and its deck was shrouded in a thick layer of Black Ink strength, making it difficult to see inside clearly.
Most importantly, the Black Ink Clan team who had gone to investigate had not yet returned.
It never crossed his mind that a Human would even dare to enter this place, but he instinctively felt that something was off about this situation.
Without waiting for the ship to approach, the Feudal Lord shouted, “Stop! Which team are you with?”
Currently, the resources required by the Black Ink Nests were all provided by the subordinates of the Black Ink Nests’ Feudal Lords, the Royal City was not responsible for them. Not only that, but the Royal City also needed them to provide resources.
After all, every time the Human Race Old Ancestor attacked, the Royal Lord would have to use a large amount of the Black Ink Nest’s power to fight her off, so the consumption was enormous.
Generally speaking, every Feudal Lord had sent more than one team to extract resources, ranging from two to five in total.
As such, the Feudal Lord had no idea which mining team had returned, but he could confirm that they should be subordinates, because his symbol was on the ship.
Yang Kai, who was on the ship, replied in panic, “Sir Feudal Lord, we encountered a Human Race Master outside and were outnumbered, the rest of my team all died in battle!”
Naturally, this was just nonsense to attract the other party’s attention.
As expected, the Feudal Lord’s expression changed after hearing this and he asked in fright, “You encountered a Human?”
The Black Ink Clansmen around him also fell into panic.
It should be known that the Great Evolution East-West Army had attacked the Royal City time and time again, traumatizing the Black Ink Clan. Every time the Humans attacked, the Black Ink Clan would suffer massive casualties.
Since ancient times, there had never been a Theatre like Great Evolution Theatre, where the Black Ink Clan was so completely suppressed and frightened.
They used to look down on the Humans as Great Evolution Pass was the only Great Pass the Black Ink Clan had ever occupied. They believed that the Black Ink Clan Army of Great Evolution Theatre was the most powerful Black Ink Clan Army!
That all changed a few hundred years ago, and ever since that war ended, the Black Ink Clan had invested everything into constructing a defence line of Black Ink Strength to prevent the Human Race Army from attacking again, but now even the mining team so close to the perimeter had encountered Humans?
[Are the Humans about to launch another attack?]
[Will the Royal Lord be able to resist this time?]
[Will Great Evolution Theatre be the first to be conquered by the Humans?]
For a time, many distracting thoughts flashed across the Feudal Lord’s mind.
Meanwhile, the ship was rapidly approaching.
“Attack!” Yang Kai shouted as he urged his Space Principles, enveloping the entire region ahead of him. At the same time, his figure flashed past the Black Ink Clansmen outside and rushed straight into the Black Ink Nest.
He wanted to find the Feudal Lord in charge of this Black Ink Nest and take him down first!
Under the imprisonment of the surrounding space, all of the Black Ink Clansmen immediately went stiff, while the weaker Black Ink Clansmen were fully immobilized.
At that moment, an arrow silently flew out from the ship, almost keeping pace with Yang Kai.
The arrow flew straight towards the Feudal Lord’s chest, and if everything went smoothly, it would have pierced through his body and reaped his life.
But in the end, the other party was still a Feudal Lord. In this moment of life and death, he somehow managed to move his body to the side just a little, so while the arrow still pierced through him, it missed his vitals.
“Damn it!” Bai Yi ground her teeth.
Her archery skills had already reached the realm of perfection, so it would have been a piece of cake for her to kill a Feudal Lord with a single arrow under normal circumstances. She had accompanied Yang Kai everywhere over the years, and countless Feudal Lords had lost their lives to her arrows.
But she could not use any powerful Secret Techniques in this place, so the arrow she loosed was only able to display 70% of her power. She thought that it would be enough to kill her opponent, but contrary to her expectations, she had underestimated her enemy and made a mistake.
Seeing that the Feudal Lord was about to shout, a cold glint flashed past Bai Yi’s eyes as she prepared to fire a second arrow. Her arrow was extremely fast, so she would have ample time to kill the Feudal Lord before he could raise a fuss.
But before she could fire an arrow, a sea of blood suddenly appeared over the Feudal Lord and instantly drowned him. Not only the Feudal Lord, but even the dozen or so clansmen around him were not spared.
A thick malevolent aura was emanating from the suddenly formed Blood Sea.
Although the Blood Sea was giving off an extremely evil aura, it was also extremely restrained.
Just from this, it could be seen that the person controlling it was extremely skilled.
In the entire Dawn Squad, the only one who cultivated Blood Principles was Blood Crow; thus, only he could have cast the Blood Sea.
This was the first time everyone had cooperated with Blood Crow while fighting an enemy ever since he joined Dawn. That’s why, it came as a surprise that he was able to display such a Blood Sea.
Though this technique gave off a skin-crawling aura, it was extremely effective.
At the very least, the Feudal Lord and the dozen or so Black Ink Clansmen who were trapped in the Blood Sea couldn’t make a single sound.
Bai Yi ignored all this and instead fired a few arrows, taking out the High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen who had yet to react.
Just as she took action, Shen Ao and the others also attacked. They all rushed towards the Black Ink Clan without using any Secret Techniques or artifacts to kill as quietly as possible.
Inside the Black Ink Nest, Yang Kai’s figure flickered as he instantly arrived at its core.
He was extremely familiar with the internal structure of Black Ink Nests so he knew where its key positions were.
After looking around and seeing that the core area was empty, with no one guarding it, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
He was really worried that a Feudal Lord would be on guard in this central area. If that was the case, the Feudal Lord would have instantly sounded the alarm about the enemy attacking.
Fortunately, it seemed luck was on their side today.
After giving it another thought, it was not surprising. The main task of the Low-Rank Black Ink Nests set in the periphery of the Royal City was to generate Black Ink Strength and expand the defence perimeter. The Feudal Lords of the Black Ink Nests were surely busy at the Black Ink Pool, so there was no point standing by in the central area; after all, what would they do inside the Black Ink Nest Space, chat with other Feudal Lords?
Without any hesitation, Yang Kai continued deeper, making a beeline straight to the Black Ink Pool’s location.
Finally, he saw a Feudal Lord and a High-Rank Black Ink Clansman.
The High-Rank Black Ink Clansman was standing before the billowing Black Ink Pool, holding a Space Ring and constantly pouring various materials into it for refining.
The Feudal Lord was sitting completely still near the Black Ink Pool, his consciousness apparently linked with the Black Ink Nest.
The Human Race had done a lot of research on the Black Ink Nest they acquired. Furthermore, Yang Kai was stationed in the vicinity of the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest captured by Great Evolution Pass for many years, studying its various functions and characteristics. As such, Yang Kai could tell that this Feudal Lord was controlling the Black Ink Nest to produce Black Ink Strength with just a glance.
Generally, when resources were thrown into the Black Ink Pool, the refined energy could be used in two ways for a Low-Rank Black Ink Nest. First, it could be used to breed more Black Ink Clansmen, and second, it could be used to produce Black Ink Strength.
If no one was present to control the Black Ink Nest, then it would simply perform both functions.
The current task of the Low-Rank Black Ink Nests was to expand the defence line, so the only thing they needed to do was produce Black Ink Strength.
The moment Yang Kai barged in, it was the Feudal Lord who suddenly looked up before the High-Rank Black Ink Clansman could react.
The next moment, Yang Kai’s grim smile entered his sight.
“You…” The Feudal Lord was beside himself in shock, but before he could get up, the High-Rank Black Ink Clansman next to the Black Ink Pool exploded into a blood mist. Immediately after, a strange wave of energy swept over the Feudal Lord, freezing both his body and mind in place.
In a flash, a spear pierced through his head, blowing it apart.
Yang Kai put away the Azure Dragon Spear and breathed a long sigh of relief.
He had taken control of this Black Ink Nest. It might have seemed simple, but any other Seventh-Order Master would never have achieved this.
To make the attack that killed the Feudal Lord, Yang Kai had simultaneously used Time Principles and Space Principles.
Under the Time Principles, the Feudal Lord’s thoughts became sluggish, and under the Space Principles, his body became stiff, rendering him unable to avoid Yang Kai’s fatal attack.
After scanning the Black Ink Nest with his Divine Sense and confirming that there were no more Black Ink Clansmen inside, Yang Kai exited it without any hesitation.
When he arrived outside, he found that all the Black Ink Clansmen outside were dead, all that was left was a billowing Blood Sea.
As Yang Kai focused his gaze, a slight furrow appeared on his brow.
“Help!” Suddenly, Blood Crow’s voice rang in his ear as the Blood Sea parted, creating a passage.
Yang Kai immediately flew along the passage into the Blood Sea. Soon, he saw a Feudal Lord surrounded by the Blood Sea. At this moment, the Feudal Lord was rapidly casting Secret Techniques to attack the surrounding Blood Sea, his body violently surging with Black Ink Strength.
While this Feudal Lord was pretty strong, Blood Crow could easily defeat him given enough time. Unfortunately, the current situation did not allow him to drag things out so he directly sent a transmission to Yang Kai, requesting assistance.
Yang Kai raised his Azure Dragon Spear and thrust it towards the Feudal Lord. The sharp spear broke through the barriers of space and pierced straight through the unsuspecting Feudal Lord.
A fountain of Black Blood immediately gushed out from the Feudal Lord as Yang Kai pulled out his spear.
Immediately, Blood Crow broke into a maniacal laughter.
Yang Kai’s expression instantly changed as he quickly retreated.
Just as he withdrew from the Blood Sea, it strangely converged into a single place, transforming back into Blood Crow. The many Black Ink Clansmen that were previously submerged in Blood Sea were nowhere to be found.
Blood Crow, on the other hand, had a satisfied look on his face, even letting out a loud burp.
A strange look appeared on Bai Yi and the others’ faces at the sight of this.
Yang Kai’s expression became even more serious as he ordered, “Clean everything up and quickly get inside!”
At the same time, Yang Kai reached out and grabbed Blood Crow by the neck, dragging him into the Black Ink Nest.
The Black Ink Nest was pretty big, so Yang Kai quickly found an empty space and let Dawning Light out. Afterwards, he jumped onto the deck, towing Blood Crow by the neck.
Blood Crow tried to struggle his way out but he was unable to break free from Yang Kai’s grasp. His face immediately became ugly as he shouted, “Let me go!”
No matter what, he was still a Senior to Yang Kai, so he found it disgraceful to be hauled around by the neck by a Junior.
“You’re courting death!” Yang Kai shouted, gnashing his teeth, “Do you know what you’re doing?”
Blood Crow gave a lackadaisical smile, “What do you think I’m doing?”
As he spoke, Bai Yi and the others also rushed over and came to the deck in succession, staring at Blood Crow silently.
As if he sensed everyone’s attitude, Blood Crow lightly chuckled, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling disgusted just because I ate a few Black Ink Clansmen?”
Shen Ao corrected, furrowing his brow, “Brother Xue, it’s not like that, but…”
“There’s no need to explain,” Yang Kai glared at Blood Crow, “I know you cultivate the Great Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture and can refine the Blood Essence of others to increase your cultivation, but the Black Ink Clan!? You’ve been on the Black Ink Battlefield for so many years, so I don’t think that you need me to explain it to you. If you refine the Black Ink Clan’s Blood Essence, can you stomach it?”
Blood Crow indifferently replied, “If I can’t stomach it, what would I have eaten all these years?”
Yang Kai’s expression changed, “This isn’t the first time?”
Blood Crow lightly chuckled as a sliver of Black Ink Strength surged in between his brows.
The Black Ink Clan had Blood Essence which could be refined, but that was naturally filled with Black Ink Strength. Refining Blood Essence also meant being contaminated by Black Ink Strength. On the battlefield, the slightest mistake would lead to horrendous consequences; he could be corrupted by Black Ink Strength and become a Black Ink Disciple.
Blood Crow indifferently rebuked, “Don’t speak to me about the Grand Dao. This King resurrected for the sake of greater strength; otherwise, this King wouldn’t have died back then. The Great Evolution Immoral Blood Light Scripture is a wondrous Secret Art, and not nearly as simple as you think. It’s not a problem to refine the Blood Essence from the Black Ink Clan, and as for the Black Ink Strength, there is naturally a way to resolve it now.”
The method he was referring to was none other than the Purifying Light. Not to mention that Yang Kai was right next to him. If Yang Kai noticed something was amiss, he would naturally be able to purify the Black Ink Strength in his body.
Even if there was no Yang Kai, the purifying light sealed inside the Black Ink Purifying Battleships would work just fine.
This was not the first time Blood Crow had refined the Black Ink Clan’s Blood Essence; in fact, he had done so many times on the battlefield. Each time, he would find an opportunity to use the Universe Transference Law to return to the Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
Yang Kai asked in a serious voice, “Are you sure there is no problem?”
Although the Purifying Light could purify and expel Black Ink Strength, it was only effective against the Black Ink Disciples who had been corrupted by the Black Ink Strength. As for Blood Crow, he was actively refining it. Yang Kai couldn’t be certain if there was any Black Ink Strength hidden in him.
“There’s no problem, for now,” Blood Crow slowly shook his head in response, “If some problem really does present itself, just kill me.”
Yang Kai stared deeply at him, “I won’t show any mercy.”
If it really reached a point where even the Purifying Light couldn’t save him, Yang Kai would have no choice but to take his life. This was the path that Blood Crow had chosen, so he couldn’t blame others.
Blood Crow went around Yang Kai and headed for the cabin, wearing an indifferent expression on his face.
Currently, apart from Dawning Light, there were only four Purifying Black Ink Battleships that had Purifying Light in the entire Great Evolution Army. If Blood Crow wanted to safely refine the Black Ink Clan’s Blood Essence, he had to do it in an environment filled with Purifying Light.
Watching him leave, Yang Kai secretly heaved a helpless sigh.
He had also mulled over this before. The Great Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture that Blood Crow was cultivating after returning from the dead was indeed a wondrous Secret Art, but it was equally evil. The user of this technique could only improve their strength by relying on their own cultivation technique, which was quite a slow and tedious process, or by devouring and refining the Blood Essence of the others, which was by far the best option for the users of Blood Light Scripture.
On the Black Ink Battlefield, whether it was the Black Ink Clansmen or the Black Ink Disciples, both possessed quite a lot of Black Ink Strength in their bodies, so refining their Blood Essence was quite a risky process.
Yang Kai thought that Blood Crow wouldn’t be so bold, but by the looks of it, he had underestimated his determination to pursue greater strength.
But who did not pursue greater strength in this miserable era? Yang Kai was also like that, so were the members of Dawn, and so was the entire Great Evolution Army.
Only with greater strength could one play a greater role in the battle against the Black Ink Clan.
Be that as it may, Blood Crow’s method of increasing his strength was somewhat different from others.
Now that it was already a done deed, Yang Kai couldn’t possibly ask Blood Crow to spit out the Black Ink Clansmen, it simply didn’t work like that.
“Have you tidied up things outside?” Yang Kai asked.
Shen Ao reported with a nod, “It’s all cleaned up, but this way, it’ll be easy for us to expose ourselves.”
There should be Black Ink Clansmen outside the Black Ink Nest, defending it. When Yang Kai used the Demon Eye of Annihilation to observe them, he saw that every Black Ink Nest was guarded by the Black Ink Clan.
Now though, this Black Ink Nest was completely undefended. If a Black Ink Clan patrol were to pass by, they would definitely become suspicious.
“Should we put on a disguise?” Shen Ao asked.
Yang Kai refused, shaking his head, “No need. If the Black Ink Clansmen really come to investigate, putting on a disguise would be pointless. Furthermore, we don’t have to maintain this position for long. Great Evolution Pass will arrive in half a month at most, so we just need to hold out until then.”
It shouldn’t be a problem to hold out for half a month. What they needed to do now was to quickly take down the other two nearby Black Ink Nests.
When Yang Kai observed from the periphery of the Black Ink Clan’s defence line, he noticed that as long as he could take down these three neighbouring Black Ink Nests, an exploitable gap would appear.
As long as Great Evolution Pass disguised itself a little and entered through this gap, they would be able to completely avoid the eyes and ears of the Black Ink Clan and make it to the Royal City, catching the Black Ink Clan off guard.
Since everything had gone smoothly when they launched a surprise attack using the Black Ink Clan’s ship. Yang Kai planned to simply use the same method to capture the other two Black Ink Nests.
There was still about half a month before Great Evolution Pass’ arrival, so Yang Kai wasn’t in a hurry to attack the nearby two Black Ink Nests.
What he was more curious about was whether the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line was really as effective as they had thought.
With this Black Ink Nest under their control, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to verify this.
Without any delay, Yang Kai arrived at the chamber where the Black Ink Pool was and opened a portal to his Small Universe, allowing the Black Ink Nest to absorb his World Force and use it as a bridge to connect their consciousnesses.
At first, he felt nothing out of the ordinary, but when Yang Kai immersed his mind and carefully sensed his surroundings, he felt his consciousness expanding. Not only had the Black Ink Nest become a part of him, but even the surrounding void seemed to be within his reach.
The range of his consciousness was the area filled with the Black Ink Nest’s Black Ink Strength, though the further away it was from the Black Ink Nest, the blurrier his perception became.
Nonetheless, he was able to detect a foreign body if it intruded into the region.
As he had guessed, the defence line formed by the Black Ink Strength did serve as the warning system. This was also the reason why the Black Ink Clan sent a team to investigate them the two times they had approached to within a certain range of the Black Ink Nests so quickly.
Although Great Evolution Pass had seized a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest and had done a lot of research on it over the years, they had no idea that it had such a function.
It wasn’t that the people studying the Black Ink Nest were careless, but rather that the Humans had invested all their energy into spawning sub-nests. Why would they even think about producing Black Ink Strength? For one, the Black Ink Strength was highly dangerous to the Humans.
Even the Low-Rank Black Ink Nest in Yang Kai’s Small Universe only gave birth to the weakest Black Ink Clansmen and did not produce any Black Ink Strength beyond what he deemed absolutely necessary.
As such, Yang Kai was also oblivious to this function of the Black Ink Nests.
After carefully examining it for a moment and making sure he hadn’t missed anything, Yang Kai finally relaxed somewhat.
By the looks of it, the Black Ink Clan’s defence line had two purposes; firstly, it served as a detection net, so once a Human broke in, the Black Ink Clan would be alerted, and secondly, it would create an advantageous environment for the Black Ink Clan to fight in.
Over the years, the Low-Rank Black Ink Nests had been constantly producing Black Ink Strength, enveloping the region around the Royal City, making it difficult for Human cultivators to enter this place.
This was the Black Ink Clan’s strategy to protect themselves.
Correspondingly, if the Black Ink Nests’ warning was only effective to this extent, then his previous plan would work. If he could capture the nearby Black Ink Nests, then a gap would appear in defence line. At that time, Great Evolution Pass would be able to pass through and charge straight at the Royal City undetected.
The Black Ink Clan probably hadn’t even imagined that the Great Passes could be moved!
The Great Passes had remained in place for countless millennia. Although they were strong and sturdy, they had only been used for defence, never to attack.
Now, they were being mobilized for the first time ever. The Humans would definitely be able to catch the Black Ink Clan off guard with this move. Furthermore, the influence of the Black Ink Strength on the Humans would be greatly diminished with Great Evolution Pass acting as a barrier and shield. If someone was not able to withstand the Black Ink Strength’s invasion, they could simply return to Great Evolution Pass and recuperate.
This was unlike before, where they could only rely on Warships.
Warships were constantly at risk of destruction, but if the Black Ink Clan wanted to destroy Great Evolution Pass, it would be extremely difficult.
Suddenly, hurried footfalls came from outside. Yang Kai returned to his senses and looked towards the entrance.
Shen Ao hurriedly walked in and looked at Yang Kai with a solemn expression, “Squad Leader, Bai Yi said that a Black Ink Clan team is approaching.”
“How many?” Yang Kai asked.
[That’s surprising. We just seized this Black Ink Nest, and now a Black Ink patrol is coming? Did one of the nearby Black Ink Nests notice the disturbance and come to investigate?]
Dawn was extremely fast and had completely suppressed the fallout from their attack, so being noticed was unlikely, especially since even the closest Black Ink Nests were quite some distance away and there was a thick cloud of Black Ink Strength between them. Logically speaking, it should be impossible for them to detect anything.
“I don’t know,” Shen Ao shook his head.
Yang Kai hurriedly went out and soon arrived outside.
The Seventh-Order Masters of Dawn were hiding at the entrance of the Black Ink Nest, concealing their auras.
Seeing Yang Kai arrive, Bai Yi waved at him and pointed in a certain direction.
Yang Kai focused his gaze, using the Demon Eye of Annihilation, and noticed a Black Ink Clansman was indeed flying towards them.
Only one!
In this place, where everyone moved around in teams of no less than a dozen, it was quite strange to see a lone Black Ink Clansman acting like this.
Judging by the approaching aura, it was a Feudal Lord, and they seemed to be heading straight for this particular Black Ink Nest.
[Damn it!]
Originally, Yang Kai wanted to quickly capture the two nearby Black Ink Nests to prepare for Great Evolution Pass’ attack, but he had never expected such an unforeseen event to occur. Be that as it may, since this Black Ink Clansman had come knocking on their door, Yang Kai and his Squad had no choice but to silence him.
The occupied Black Ink Nest had a huge flaw, which was that the Black Ink Clansmen here had been completely wiped out. With not a single Black Ink Clansman guarding this place, if the other party became even a little suspicious, he would very likely realize that something was amiss.
Nevertheless, Dawn could do nothing about it. Yang Kai could not ask Shen Ao and the others to disguise themselves as the difference between Humans and the Black Ink Clan auras was too great. Their physiques also didn’t match.
Many Black Ink Clansmen did have humanoid forms, and although some were Human-sized, most of them were far taller and imposing, with various warped shapes.
Everyone thus held their breaths.
The Feudal Lord quickly approached.
What made everyone heave a sigh of relief was that the other party appeared to be completely oblivious to the capture of the Black Ink Nest. It did not look like it even crossed this individual’s mind that Humans could accomplish this. He simply approached in a seemingly casual manner.
Soon, the newcomer arrived in front of the Black Ink Nest. The Feudal Lord examined it for a moment before curiously calling out, “Lord Bo Gao, why is there no one guarding this place? Where did your subordinates go?”
Yang Kai’s expression changed slightly as he learned for the first time that the Feudal Lord he had killed inside the Black Ink Nest was called Bo Gao.
Furthermore, this guy appeared to know him.
This made Yang Kai curious about the purpose of the other party’s visit.
Yang Kai immediately had an idea as he replied in a hoarse voice, “The defence line has been frequently intruded upon recently, so they have all gone to investigate. Sir Feudal Lord has his hands full with the Black Ink Nest, so he is unable to reply. Sir, please come inside.”
He couldn’t disguise himself as Bo Gao, so he could only pretend to be one of Bo Gao’s subordinates.
Presumably, the other party wouldn’t be able to find any fault.
“En,” as expected, the other party didn’t suspect anything and simply walked towards the Black Ink Nest.
However, after taking just one step, he instantly retreated.
Yang Kai cursed, gnashing his teeth. This Feudal Lord was quite crafty.
[Perhaps he really hadn’t noticed anything before, but my reply gave him the confirmation that something was wrong, or perhaps the absence of the Black Ink Clansmen alerted him, so he pretended to move forward before retreating.]
This time, Yang Kai was caught off guard.
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s reaction was extremely fast. With a single Instantaneous Movement, Yang Kai appeared beside the Feudal Lord and pounced at him.
The next moment, the Feudal Lord who was about to retreat suddenly froze as Yang Kai’s fist landed on his head, releasing a massive amount of World Force. The Feudal Lord immediately felt dizzy.
But this wasn’t the end of it. Yang Kai got a firm hold of his opponent and began bombarding him with punches.
The Feudal Lord felt extremely aggrieved. He was still a Feudal Lord, but he was being beaten to the point where he couldn’t even fight back. Every time he mustered some strength, it would be dispersed by the other party’s violent assault.
A moment later, he spat out a mouthful of blood as all the colour drained from his face.
Yang Kai grabbed hold of this Feudal Lord and returned to the Black Ink Nest in a flash before throwing him to the ground like a dead fish.
Shen Ao and Ning Qi Zhi glanced at each other, speechless.
[The Squad Leader has grown even stronger.]
Ordinary Seventh-Order Masters couldn’t easily kill Feudal Lords since both were in equivalent Realms, let alone capture one alive, but Yang Kai was able to snatch up the other party like a helpless child.
Although they were shocked, their hands did not stop. Seals were sent out one after another, isolating the Black Ink Nest from the outside world.
After a dozen breaths, the half-dead Feudal Lord slowly regained his senses. He shook his head and opened his eyes, only to see several Humans glaring at him.
The Feudal Lord was beside himself in shock.
Yang Kai summoned his Azure Dragon Spear with a wave of his hand and thrust it straight at the other party’s eyes, arrogantly asking, “Do you want to live or die?”
The Feudal Lord didn’t dare to move and kept his mouth shut, sensing the Azure Dragon Spear’s sharpness.
“If you want to live, then answer my questions and perhaps I’ll spare you!”
The Feudal Lord’s expression changed several times before he grit his teeth and snarled, “Forget it, you won’t get anything out of me.”
He also realized that the other party had no intention of sparing his life.
It was obvious they wanted to obtain information from him, but Humans and the Black Ink Clan could never coexist. So what if he gave them the information they wanted to know? After they were done with him, he would undoubtedly die!
He might as well just commit suicide.
Saying so, the Black Ink Strength in his body started surging as he let out a low roar and he charged at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s spear nailed him to the ground as black blood flowed out of his wounds, “Hmph, want to die? Not so easy.”
He turned his head and shouted, “Blood Crow!”
Blood Crow appeared on the deck and condescendingly looked at the Feudal Lord.
“I’ll leave him to you! Get everything out of him.” While speaking, he tossed the Feudal Lord to Blood Crow with a flick of his spear.
Blood Crow’s eyes lit up as his figure suddenly transformed into a billowing mass of blood mist that rushed towards the Feudal Lord.
A look of fear appeared in the eyes of the Feudal Lord, despite being prepared for death.
He wasn’t afraid of dying; otherwise, his attitude wouldn’t have been so unyielding just now.
However, there was a difference in the way one died.
Although he didn’t know what technique this Human named Blood Crow cultivated, the appearance of this Blood Sea gave him an extremely discomforting feeling.
It pulsed with a malevolent aura not inferior to the one given off by Black Ink Strength.
The Blood Sea continued swirling, without making the slightest noise.
Yang Kai put away the Azure Dragon Spear.
Shen Ao leaned over and whispered, “Is it fine, doing this?”
Yang Kai lightly snorted, “What can I do if he insists? Rather than letting him eat on the battlefield, I might as well let him have his fill right now! If there is no other choice… I’ll handle it personally!” As he was speaking, murderous intent flashed across his face.
Yang Kai would not show any mercy if Blood Crow really got corrupted by the Black Ink Strength.
A moment later, the swirling Blood Sea converged and transformed back into Blood Crow’s figure.
The Feudal Lord who was surrounded by the Blood Sea was nowhere to be found.
Blood Crow’s face was aglow as he could hardly suppress the Blood Qi in his body. After devouring over a dozen Black Ink Clansmen’s Blood Essences, two of which were Feudal Lords, he was just barely holding on, somehow.
On the deck, Blood Crow casually tossed two Space Rings to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai caught them and examined them. One Space Ring was quite ordinary. It didn’t have anything particularly eye-catching, containing the normal amount of wealth a Feudal Lord would possess.
The other Space Ring, on the other hand, was quite eye-catching.
[This guy… was loaded!]
The second Space Ring was filled with all kinds of resources, enough to dazzle even Yang Kai. Although Yang Kai had already seen marvelous things and mountains of treasure before, he couldn’t help but be shocked by the wealth of this Feudal Lord.
The Feudal Lords he had met before weren’t nearly this rich.
Blood Crow clarified, “Those don’t belong to him. The first Space Ring was his, and the second one was taken from the Black Ink Nests.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai raised his head and asked. He had some guesses, but nothing conclusive.
Blood Crow belched before continuing, “This guy came from the Royal City and was tasked to collect the resources from the Black Ink Nests. Let’s put it this way, the Black Ink Nests in the periphery belong to individual Feudal Lords. These Feudal Lords will send out their subordinates to mine for resources. A part of these resources will be used by themselves to produce Black Ink Strength and expand the defence line, while the rest will be kept aside. The Royal City periodically sends people to collect these remaining resources.”
Yang Kai finally understood the gist of the matter.
Right now, resources were extremely important to the Black Ink Clan. Whether it was for expanding the defensive line, or re-supplying the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests or even the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, they all required massive amounts of resources.
Even though the Black Ink Clan had amassed a tremendous amount of resources over the millennia, since they were trapped in the Royal City, they had to find a way to replenish their reserves.
And that source was the mining done by the Black Ink Clansmen in the outer ring!
[No wonder the Feudal Lord suddenly came here alone. It turns out that he was here to collect resources. Judging by the items in the second Space Ring, he must have gone to many other Black Ink Nests.]
“What else?” Yang Kai asked.
Blood Crow answered, “There are about 20 or 30 people in charge of collecting resources like him, all of them scattered in different directions. As you know, the Black Ink Clan’s defence line is quite wide, and quite a distance out from the Royal City, so they need so many people to carry out this task. The Territory Lords won’t bother to do something as tedious as this, so that leaves the Feudal Lords.”
Yang Kai lightly nodded. It was understandable.
Moreover, this should not be the only reason. The Territory Lords were also afraid of Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and had no idea when she would suddenly appear to attack. They would feel much safer in the Royal City than outside on their own.
If a Territory Lord ran into Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao while away from the Royal City, they would just die in vain.
“Interesting!” A grin appeared on Yang Kai’s face as he suddenly thought that he could make good use of this opportunity.
Originally, he had planned to use the same method as last time to take down the two adjacent Black Ink Nests. But doing so entailed too many uncontrollable variables. Luck played quite a big role in them seizing this Black Ink Nest unnoticed.
If they played the same trick again and again, and for some reason, the Black Ink Clan became vigilant, the risk of being exposed increased dramatically.
But this new information had given Yang Kai a chance to employ another method.
He could just pretend to be a Feudal Lord sent by the Royal City to collect resources.
Yang Kai turned to Shen Ao and ordered, “Send a message to Chai Fang and Ma Gao. Tell them to stop sneaking around outside and come here. Also, try to contact Yao Kang Cheng and have them withdraw as well.”
“Yes!” Shen Ao quickly took out some Space Beacons and sent the messages.
Holding the Space Ring in his hand, Yang Kai started stroking his chin, pondering. When Bai Yi and the others saw his eyes darting around, they immediately understood that he was scheming something, so they didn’t disturb him.
Soon after, Shen Ao raised his head and reported, “Chai Fang and Ma Gao have sent their replies. They will arrive in half a day, but I still can’t get in touch with Yao Kang Cheng.”
Yang Kai furrowed his brow. Yao Kang Cheng’s actions were bordering on recklessness, but since he could not get in touch with him, Yang Kai could only hope that everything was going smoothly for him and his Squad.
“You guys stand guard outside in turns. Meanwhile, I’ll keep on the lookout in the central area,” Yang Kai ordered before entering the Black Ink Nest.
On the deck, Blood Crow patted his stomach before turning around and returning to the cabin as he still needed to properly refine the Blood Essence he consumed. A chill ran down everyone’s spine at the sight of this.
Half a day later, Yang Kai, who was keeping an eye out from inside the Black Ink Nest, vaguely sensed a foreign body intruding the Black Ink Nest’s detection range and immediately sent a message, having the rest of Dawn go on high alert.
But shortly after the first disturbance, Yang Kai felt another body intruding on the defence line.
Yang Kai knew that it was the Old Turtle and Profound Wind Squads.
As he had expected, a team of people stealthily made their way over shortly after.
Their leader was none other than Chai Fang.
Chai Fang was quite smart. He knew that the Warship would be too conspicuous, so just like Dawn, he put away the Warship and took everyone below the Seventh-Order into his Small Universe when they entered the perimeter. He only arrived with a few Seventh-Order Masters.
Bai Yi, who was guarding the entrance, had already noticed them and guided them inside.
When he saw Yang Kai sitting by the Black Ink Pool, Chai Fang couldn’t help but be in awe. He immediately cupped his fist and congratulated, “Brother Yang, this Chai admits defeat!”
Their Squad had also been wandering around the periphery for many days. They too were thinking of taking down a Black Ink Nest and hiding inside the Black Ink Clan’s defence line.
But it was easier said than done. Although the Old Turtle Squad was quite strong, it was still difficult for them to silently capture a Black Ink Nest.
On the other hand, Dawn had accomplished just that. Needless to say, Yang Kai deserved the most credit for succeeding in this difficult task. No one was his opponent in the same Realm, so he could quickly crush a Feudal Lord, which was critical to moving about undetected.
“That’s very kind of you.” Yang Kai continued, “Please wait a moment, the Profound Wind Squad will be arriving soon.”
Chai Fang lightly nodded and led his Squad to Dawning Light. After thinking about it for a moment, he also let out his Squad members from his Small Universe.
Unlike Yang Kai, whose Small Universe had a robust foundation, his Small Universe felt slightly bloated after keeping so many Open Heaven Masters inside. If he were to run into an enemy and be forced to fight, Chai Fang would have some trouble circulating his World Force, which would lead to a sharp drop in his strength. Under such circumstances, he just might lose a fight he should have easily been able to win.
The Profound Wind Squad also arrived in a short while. Everyone had gathered except for the Snow Wolves. After asking around, Chai Fang, and Ma Gao finally learned that Yao Kang Cheng had led his Squad deeper into the Black Ink Clan’s defence line.
This made them feel a bit uneasy. Although there were no Black Ink Nests in the inner ring of the defence line and it might be harder to be detected, there was always a chance. If they ran into a large group of Black Ink Clansmen, things could become quite dangerous for them.
Nonetheless, things were out of their hands as they could not reach them.
Without mulling over it much, Chai Fang went straight to the point, “Brother Yang, why have you summoned us here? What orders do you have?”
Yang Kai answered, smiling, “I don’t dare to give you orders, but I do need your help.”
Ma Gao nodded after hearing this, “Brother Yang, if there’s anything you need, feel free to speak. Since we are all tasked with scouting, we should naturally help each other.”
“Then I’ll cut to the chase. It’s like this, I’ve observed from the outside that, although the Black Ink Clan is completely invested in constructing this defence line using the Black Ink Strength, because they have expanded it too much too quickly, it’s not very tight. As long as we can capture three adjacent Black Ink Nests, we can blind the eyes of the Black Ink Clan and Great Evolution Pass will have a chance to quietly sneak past and head to the Royal City unnoticed.”
While speaking, he tapped the floor, “This is the first one. We will need to take down two more nearby, but Dawn needs to remain here in case anything goes wrong. So, I need your help to capture the other nests.”
Ma Gao and Chai Fang glanced at each other before nodding their compliance. The former added, “Since Brother Yang has summoned us here, surely he must have some kind of plan, right? What do you want us to do?”
Yang Kai started explaining, “I do have a plan. Originally, I was planning to use the same trick I used to capture this nest, but now I have a better idea. Previously, a Feudal Lord came here…”
Next, Yang Kai explained what happened with the recently arrived Feudal Lord.
Ma Gao raised his brow, “Collecting resources…”
Chai Fang was not all brawns and no brains, rather he was quite sharp, so he immediately understood what Yang Kai had in his mind, “Brother Yang wants to disguise himself as a person collecting supplies and openly approach the other two Black Ink Nests?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Rather than sneaking around and possibly raising the opposite party’s guard, it would be better to act boldly.”
“Indeed, I’m sure that it would never occur to the Black Ink Clansmen on guard that the person approaching them so blatantly actually had ill intentions towards them.” Ma Gao agreed, “But Brother Yang, there is still a problem. According to what you said, the one collecting the supplies was a Feudal Lord. If you were to disguise yourself, you can at best disguise yourself as a Black Ink Disciple, which would still be suspicious.”
Yang Kai had disguised himself as a Black Ink Disciple more than once. Apart from him, no one else could do this because they did not possess Black Ink Strength, but Yang Kai was different. His Small Universe even had a Black Ink Nest inside, so it wasn’t difficult for him to withdraw some Black Ink Strength.
Yang Kai explained with a smile, “About 20 to 30 people are collecting supplies, and I don’t think that all of them would be Feudal Lords. If some Black Ink Clansman asks, I have an excuse. So long as I can get a chance to approach the Feudal Lord overseeing the Black Ink Nest, we’ll already be halfway to success!”
For Yang Kai, the only problem was how to approach the Black Ink Nest. As long as he could get close to the Black Ink Nest without raising any alarms, the rest was easy. When he led his Squad here, he had completely disregarded the Black Ink Clansmen in the vicinity and charged straight into the Black Ink Nest as he was afraid that the Feudal Lord in-charge of the nest would sound the alarm.
Fortunately, the other party was a bit lax, probably never having expected a Human to be so courageous as to directly charge into his Black Ink Nest.
But Yang Kai couldn’t place his hopes on the carelessness of others for the next two Black Ink Nests. It was better to have everything under his control.
The Black Ink Clan troops stationed at every Black Ink Nest were quite strong, with more than one Feudal Lord standing guard. Since Yang Kai needed to focus on dealing with the Master of the Black Ink Nest, he needed help to take care of the other Black Ink Clansmen.
Since Dawn had to stay here, he was left with no choice but to ask for the Old Turtle and Profound Wind Squads’ help.
“Since Brother Yang has considered things thoroughly, we will cooperate with you. As for how we should act, I hope Brother Yang has planned everything,” Ma Gao quickly agreed.
“But of course,” Yang Kai had formulated a complete plan and quickly explained it to them.
Ma Gao and Chai Fang kept nodding again and again when they heard the plan. They found it to be quite feasible. It would be a piece of cake to take down the two adjacent Black Ink Nests if all went well. In fact, if they had enough manpower, they could capture as many as they wanted.
But if they captured too many, they might expose some flaws. So, it was not necessarily a good thing to take things that far.
After a brief discussion, Yang Kai got up and stated, “We shouldn’t delay. I’ll leave now, everyone, wait for my signal.”
Ma Gao and Chai Fang nodded before exhorting, “Brother Yang, be careful.”
Yang Kai waved and flew out of the Black Ink Nest, heading straight towards the adjacent region.
Usually, a Black Ink Disciple was no different from an ordinary Human, so Yang Kai didn’t need to openly use the Black Ink Strength in his Small Universe to disguise himself. If he did that, he would be exposing a big flaw.
Nevertheless, there was one thing he needed to pay attention to.
The Black Ink Disciples in Great Evolution Theatre had already been cultivating for 30 millennia, so those who had survived had broken through their innate shackles.
In other words, most of these Black Ink Disciples had grotesque deformities. Yang Kai had seen many of these Black Ink Disciples, and all of them had such characteristics.
If he wanted to disguise himself as a Black Ink Disciple, he needed to pay special attention to this.
Fortunately, this was not difficult for him.
As he silently moved the Black Ink Strength in his Small Universe and gathered it on his neck, causing the flesh there to bulge, giving the impression of a tumour.
At the same time, the Black Ink Strength around him became richer and denser.
Anyone who saw this would never imagine he was a normal Human.
Silently calculating the distance between them, Yang Kai crossed the boundary between the two adjacent Black Ink Nest in just two hours, stepping into the adjacent Black Ink Nest’s territory.
Soon after he crossed the boundary, he saw a team of Black Ink Clansmen approaching him. Obviously, they had noticed his intrusion and came to investigate.
Yang Kai didn’t try to avoid them, rather he made a beeline towards them.
The opposite party became a bit vigilant, but after seeing the distant Yang Kai’s appearance, the expression of the Feudal Lord leading the team relaxed.
When both sides met each other, Yang Kai cupped his fist humbly, “Greetings, Sir.”
Although the strength of a Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple was similar to that of a Feudal Lord, a Black Ink Disciple’s status was still relatively low in the Black Ink Clan, so Yang Kai felt it was not a problem to call this individual ‘Sir’.
The Feudal Lord slightly nodded before curiously asked, “Are you here to collect supplies?”
“Yes, Sir!” Yang Kai answered.
Yang Kai secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
When he was investigating the previous Feudal Lord’s Space Ring, he knew that the Feudal Lord had already gone to many Black Ink Nests; otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many materials inside.
Yang Kai was really afraid that the Feudal Lord had already been here. In that case, it would definitely be suspicious if another person came to collect supplies so soon after.
By the looks of it, no one had come here to collect supplies yet.
The Feudal Lord asked, a bit confused, “What about Jiu Ka? Wasn’t he responsible for this region?”
The Feudal Lord who was devoured by Blood Crow was apparently called Jiu Ka! The Black Ink Clan had a very weird naming style, it was very archaic, quite different from the Humans of the current era.
They were probably influenced by the Humans of that era.
Yang Kai put on a forced smile as he gave an excuse, “Sir Jiu Ka said he had other matters to attend to, so he asked me to come here in his place…” He then took a pregnant pause before whispering, “Sir also knows how the Old Ancestor is acting, what if…”
He did not finish the sentence. He just assumed a look that said ‘you understand it, right?’
Hearing this, the Feudal Lord sneered, “That guy really knows how to loaf around. Isn’t he afraid of the higher-ups blaming him?”
To be honest, every Black Ink Clansman in the outer ring was afraid of the sudden arrival of the Old Ancestor, and it wasn’t like it had never happened before. Every time the Old Ancestor came, she would annihilate every Black Ink Clansman in her path.
They were setting up a Black Ink Strength defence line, but the hidden truth was that they were also taking a huge risk. Jiu Ka was terrified of the Old Ancestor and didn’t dare to leave the Royal City. So, it was reasonable for him to order a Black Ink Disciple to help perform his duties.
“Follow me,” the Feudal Lord stated before turning around and flying back.
Yang Kai nodded before flying shoulder to shoulder with the Feudal Lord. Meanwhile, he also kept up with pleasantries, praising and thanking the other party for working hard these days.
He was completely acting like a Black Ink Disciples.
The Feudal Lord was also apparently a talkative fellow. Seeing Yang Kai act so familiar, he also began chatting with him.
But Yang Kai only spouted some useless nonsense and didn’t dare try to obtain any information, lest he expose himself.
After walking for a while, the Feudal Lord casually asked, “Which Territory Lord’s Black Ink Disciple are you?”
Warning bells started ringing in Yang Kai’s heart. He didn’t know if the other party was testing him or just asking casually. The sudden question didn’t give him much time to ponder either, so Yang Kai replied in a casual manner, “I am Sir Che Kong’s subordinate.”
Che Kong Territory Lord’s position was quite high in the Black Ink Clan. During the last war between the Great Evolution East-West Army and the Black Ink Clan at the Royal City, Che Kong was made the Army Commander by the Royal Lord, so it made sense for him to have many Black Ink Disciples under him. It was hard to believe that this Feudal Lord out on the outskirts knew all of them.
Even Yang Kai, who had spent so many years in Blue Sky Pass, did not know all the soldiers of Blue Sky Pass. After all, there were too many of them.
If it was true even for him, the same must be true for the Black Ink Clan.
The other party must have casually asked, so as long as he didn’t reveal too many flaws, it shouldn’t be a problem.
But Yang Kai had no idea if this Feudal Lord was familiar with Che Kong or not.
Hearing Yang Kai’s reply, the Feudal Lord couldn’t help but look at Yang Kai, frowning, “You are Sir Che Kong’s Black Ink Disciple? Why have I never seen you before?”
[Is this guy also Che Kong’s subordinate? I’ll be damned!]
Yang Kai secretly cursed his bad luck. Originally, he had thought of using Che Kong’s name, but now it seems that he had just picked a rock and smashed it on his foot.
If this Feudal Lord really was Che Kong’s subordinate, he would definitely recognize the Black Ink Disciples under Che Kong.
Noticing the suspicion in the other party’s eyes getting stronger and stronger, Yang Kai immediately added with a sigh, “I am Sir Che Kong’s subordinate now, but I used to be Sir Zhe Chong’s subordinate!”
Zhe Chong had died in the battle at Great Evolution Pass a long time ago, so there was no one left to verify his identity.
As one of Zhe Chong’s former subordinates, since his Master died in battle, Yang Kai would definitely have to submit to another Territory Lord.
“So you were at Great Evolution Pass?” The Feudal Lord finally found it logical as to why he had never seen this Black Ink Disciple before.
“Indeed,” Yang Kai nodded his affirmation, now finding this Feudal Lord quite annoying. Had he not worried about giving himself out too early, he would have already stabbed his Azure Dragon Spear straight into the Feudal Lord’s mouth.
Yang Kai’s story might have passed preliminary scrutiny, but he kept his guard up, for there was a flaw in his narrative.
As expected, the other party was not a fool, so a frown appeared on the Feudal Lord’s brow as he asked, “When Sir Hong Di led the Army to retreat from Great Evolution Pass, he had an agreement with the Eighth-Order Human Masters at that time. Not only did he have to leave behind his own Black Ink Nest, but he also had to leave all the Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples behind. How did you make it out of there?”
If Yang Kai had really been at Great Evolution Pass, it would have been impossible for him to appear here.
Yang Kai explained with a sigh, “We tried to break past the Human Army’s blockade to assist the Royal City multiple times, but we never succeeded. During the second battle, I was seriously injured and on the verge of death, so I had no choice but to find a place to conceal myself and stabilize my injuries. It wasn’t until Sir Hong Di retreated from Great Evolution Pass and passed by that I managed to rejoin the Army.”
He was bound to make a slip of the tongue if he kept speaking too much. A single lie would require more lies to cover up. If the Feudal Lord kept questioning Yang Kai, Yang Kai was not sure if he could dispel his doubts.
A look of sadness appeared on his face as he sighed, “We fought many battles at Great Evolution Pass, and lost countless Territory Lords. There, a Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciple like me was just an ant. It’s already a miracle that I survived.”
His words seemed to have touched the other party’s heart, who let out a long, forlorn sigh, “It was the same at the Royal City, even Sir Royal Lord… Forget it, let’s not talk about this anymore. The Humans are still a great threat to my Black Ink Clan, but sooner or later we will wipe them out!”
Yang Kai couldn’t help but nod, “That day will surely come.”
Yank Kai sneered in his heart. Since the Black Ink Clan wanted to exterminate the Humans, why would they let Black Ink Disciples live? The hatred between the two Races was irreconcilable to the point that they had no hope to coexist in this vast universe.
The Feudal Lord remained silent for the rest of the journey.
Yang Kai was more than happy with his situation.
From the other party’s attitude, it was clear that he didn’t doubt Yang Kai. Now, half of his plan had succeeded, the remaining half would depend on whether he could successfully capture the Black Ink Nest.
A moment later, the Black Ink Clan team arrived before the Black Ink Nest.
The Feudal Lord turned around and exhorted Yang Kai, “Wait here, the supplies are with Mao Bo. I’ll go and bring them to you.”
“Many thanks, Sir!” Yang Kai nodded slightly.
Mao Bo seemed to be the name of the Feudal Lord in charge of this Black Ink Nest, the Master of this place.
The leader of the Black Ink Clan team who brought him here was most likely a subordinate of Mao Bo.
After spending some time with the Black Ink Clan, Yang Kai had some understanding of how their hierarchy worked.
There were quite a lot of Feudal Lords under a Territory Lord’s command, ranging from several dozen to 100 or so.
But at most 30 Feudal Lords would have their own Black Ink Nest.
Most of the Feudal Lords did not have their own Black Ink Nest. Under normal circumstances, these Feudal Lords who didn’t have a Black Ink Nest would choose to submit to those who had a Black Ink Nest, which could be regarded as a superior and subordinate relationship, but also a cooperative one.
After all, the Feudal Lords with Black Ink Nest also wanted their territories to become stronger. This way, when they were summoned to fight against the Human Race, not only would they be able to display greater strength, but they would also be able to protect themselves better.
The Master of the first Black Ink Nest occupied by Dawn was called Bo Gao, but there was another Feudal Lord at the Black Ink Nest, who was devoured by Blood Crow.
The situation was very similar to the Black Ink Nest here.
Yang Kai scanned the entire Black Ink Nest with his Divine Sense and found that there were only two Feudal Lords here. One was the one who had brought him back just now, while the other was the one who was in charge of the Black Ink Nest called Mao Bo.
As for the others, they were all High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen. There were not too many of them either, about 50 in total.
[This will work!]
[It would be even better if Mao Bo came out of the Black Ink Nest.]
While he was pondering, the Black Ink Clan Feudal Lord returned and handed Yang Kai a Space Ring, “These are the supplies.”
Yang Kai took it and pretended to examine it before putting it away.
Presumably, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t dare to embezzle when it came to this matter.
Cupping his fist, Yang Kai addressed the Feudal Lord, “Many thanks, I’ll head to the next location.”
The Feudal Lord nodded in response.
Yang Kai turned around to leave, but after taking a few steps, he suddenly turned around, slapping his head, “How foolish of me, I forgot to tell you one thing.”
The Feudal Lord asked, “What is it?”
Yang Kai sheepishly looked around before continuing in a low voice, “Sir Territory Lords have found how the Old Ancestor is appearing and disappearing out of thin air. Before coming here, Sir Che Kong ordered me to inform the Feudal Lords about it, so that everyone in the outer ring can carry out a joint investigation to find anything suspicious.”
Hearing this, the Feudal Lord’s eyes lit up after hearing this, “The Territory Lords have already found the reason?”
Over the years, the Black Ink Clan had suffered many losses at the hands of the Old Ancestor, but even now, they still had not figured out how she was able to come and go like a ghost.
This was not only a thorn in Royal Lord and Territory Lords’ hearts, but also a source of extreme fear for the outer ring Feudal Lords.
If they could at least figure this out, they would be much less afraid of the Humans.
The Feudal Lord was overjoyed after hearing Yang Kai say that the Territory Lords had found the how of the Old Ancestor mysteriously appeared and disappeared.
Yang Kai solemnly nodded, “This matter is confidential, so before leaving, Sir Che Kong ordered the outer ring Feudal Lords to use the Black Ink Nest to perform a thorough search.”
“Search for what?” The Feudal Lord asked in a low voice.
“For a certain thing.” While speaking, Yang Kai took out a Space Beacon and handed it to the Feudal Lord, “This.”
“What is this?” The Feudal Lord took it and carefully examined it, but did not find anything special about it.
Yang Kai kindly explained, “I have no idea what this is either, but the Territory Lords should know. What I can confirm is that the Old Ancestor somehow uses this thing to travel to the vicinity of the Royal City.”
“There’s a strange energy lingering around it…” The Feudal Lord muttered.
Yang Kai patiently added, “It should be the energy of Space Principles.”
“Space Principles…” Realization immediately dawned upon the Feudal Lord, “No wonder.”
Obviously, he was not unfamiliar with Space Principles.
“There should be quite a number of these things in the vicinity of the Royal City, so we must carefully search for them. In addition, I would like to ask Sir Mao Bo to step out of the Black Ink Nest so that he can memorize its aura, as Sir Mao Bo is in charge of the Black Ink Nest. It will be easier to investigate with the power of the Black Ink Nest.”
“En,” the Feudal Lord nodded and handed the Space Beacon back to Yang Kai, “Wait a moment, I’ll go and bring Brother Mao Bo.”
“Many thanks!” Yang Kai cupped his fist.
The Feudal Lord entered the Black Ink Nest once more and returned with another Feudal Lord a moment later, who stretched his hand towards Yang Kai after seeing him, “Show me.”
Yang Kai casually tossed as he stated, grinning, “Sir, please look carefully.”
The next moment, 10 Space Beacons flew towards the two Feudal Lords.
The two Black Ink Clan Feudal Lords were taken aback, [So many?]
This was especially true for the Feudal Lord who had communicated with Yang Kai earlier. He had thought that since the Old Ancestor used it to travel, it must be extremely valuable and rare.
But much to their surprise, Yang Kai suddenly threw over 10 of them.
Before they could figure anything out, the Space Beacons suddenly started radiating strange energy fluctuation, and immediately after, figures appeared out of thin air one after another.
Each Space Beacon corresponded to a figure. 10 Space Beacons were equal to 10 people!
Also, the surrounding space instantly solidified, giving the Black Ink Clansmen the feeling of falling into a quagmire.
[What’s going on?] The two Feudal Lords were utterly confused, and so were the High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen.
“Kill!” Yang Kai shouted as he thrust his spear towards Mao Bo.
He was the Master of the Black Ink Nest, so as long as he was taken down, there was nothing to fear.
The moment Chai Fang and the others appeared, they dispersed in all directions. Chai Fang and two other Seventh-Order Masters charged straight at the other Feudal Lord, casting various restrictive methods.
The other seven Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were like wolves in a flock of sheep, ruthlessly slaughtering the High-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen.
“You… Humans!” Mao Bo shouted in horror. If he still didn’t know he had fallen into the Human’s trap at this point, he would have lived all his life in vain.
What he couldn’t fathom was how someone, who looked so much like a Black Ink Disciple, could be a normal Human. Be that as it may, his movements weren’t slow at all. Instantly, his consciousness communicated with the Black Ink Nest and the next moment, the giant flower bud shaped nest started trembling slightly as a tremendous amount of Black Ink Strength surged towards him.
Just like the Royal Lord could use the power of his Black Ink Nest at the Royal City to increase his strength, the Feudal Lords could also do the same. Of course, the boost in strength they received was not nearly as significant as the Royal Lord’s.
At the critical moment of life and death, Feudal Lord Mao Bo had to go all out.
Unfortunately for him, Yang Kai’s spear was faster. It easily destroyed Mao Bo’s hastily condensed defensive barrier and pierced straight through his forehead.
Mao Bo’s eyes cracked wide in disbelief.
He could not be considered as weak among the Feudal Lords, and had even personally killed a Seventh-Order Human in one-on-one combat in the past. Today though, his opponent was only a Seventh-Order Human, but he was simply unable to block that spear thrust.
A powerful shockwave swept outward as Mao Bo’s head exploded, leaving a headless corpse floating lifelessly in the void.
The vibrating Black Ink Nest instantly calmed down after having lost his control.
Yang Kai short forward, smashing Mao Bo’s headless corpse to pieces before rushing into the Black Ink Nest.
There might be other Black Ink Clansmen inside the Black Ink Nest, so he quickly went inside to take total control of it. He did not need to manage the battle outside.
Chai Fang and the others had the absolute advantage and would take care of it properly.
There were indeed a few High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen inside the Black Ink Nest, but none of them was at the core area.
Mao Bo had been staying inside the Black Ink Nest all the while; as such, the High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen didn’t dare to do anything outside their jurisdiction.
Yang Kai went on a killing spree with his spear. After he had confirmed that all the Black Ink Clansmen in the Black Ink Nest had been annihilated, he exited casually.
The battle outside was over by the time he arrived.
The 10 High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Old Turtle Squad were more than enough to deal with a single Feudal Lord and a group of less than 50 weaker Black Ink Clansmen.
The Feudal Lord who had led Yang Kai here fell at the hands of Chai Fang and the other two Seventh-Order Masters in less than five breaths while the remaining small fry were unable to cause any trouble.
By the time Yang Kai emerged from the Black Ink Nest, not only had all the Black Ink Clansmen been taken out, even the battlefield had been cleaned up by Chai Fang and the others.
“Come inside,” Yang Kai beckoned everyone.
Chai Fang and the others entered the Black Ink Nest in single file.
After entering the Black Ink Nest, Chai Fang released the Old Turtle Squad’s Warship as everyone landed on the deck, looking at each other, grinning.
“Is there any problem?” Chai Fang asked in a low voice.
Yang Kai shook his head, “It should be fine.”
The battle was finished very quickly. In addition, there was quite a bit of distance between them and the other Black Ink Nest, so the fallout of their battle wouldn’t reach them.
“I’ll go bring the others,” Yang Kai stated before activating Space Principles and disappearing into thin air, leaving behind only a Space Beacon.
Yang Kai returned a short while after. He then opened a portal to his Small Universe as 40 people walked out one after another.
They were the members of the Old Turtle Squad.
Previously, all the Old Turtle Squad members below the Seventh Order had been left with Dawn to facilitate a rapid deployment. Now that they had taken over this Black Ink Nest, they needed the full Old Turtle Squad to guard it, which was why the remaining members were brought over.
The Black Ink Strength inside the Black Ink Nest was quite dense and strong, so even a Seventh-Order Master would find it hard to bear for a long time. The Purifying Black Ink Pill might provide some help, but it was not suitable for an extended stay in an area filled with Black Ink Strength.
A Warship, on the other hand, could provide firm protection. As long as the Warship’s Defensive Arrays remained intact and active, there was no risk of being corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
Yang Kai didn’t stop to rest after helping the Old Turtle Squad settle down at the Black Ink Nest and immediately headed towards the third target.
This trip was even easier than the last, thanks to his prior experience.
When he met with the Black Ink Clan team, who had come to investigate the situation, Yang Kai didn’t say he was here to collect supplies; after all, such an excuse was a little risky.
If the Feudal Lord he had killed first had already collected the resources from here, he would have to come up with a new story to slip his way out of it.
Saying that the Royal City had discovered how the Old Ancestor mysteriously appeared and disappeared, and wanted all of the Feudal Lords in charge of the Black Ink Nests in the outer ring to carry out a joint search was a much better excuse.
As expected, the Black Ink Clan did not find it suspicious. Not only did they not become suspicious, they even became quite excited.
To them, if they could unravel the mysteries of how the Old Ancestor was randomly showing up out of thin air, they would have a safer future.
After arriving in front of the third Black Ink Nest, Yang Kai used news of the Space Beacons to easily lure out the Master of the Black Ink Nest, and using the same trick, Yang Kai tossed out a handful of Space Beacons and attacked.
But he was cooperating with Ma Gao’s Squad this time.
All the Special Operations Squads were almost equally strong, except Yang Kai’s Dawn Squad, which was much stronger thanks to the latter.
Under the cooperation of 10 Seventh-Order Masters, the Black Ink Clansmen guarding this Black Ink Nest were swiftly wiped out.
As such, the third Black Ink Nest was successfully occupied.
The three adjacent Black Ink Nests covered quite a wide area of the Black Ink Clan’s defence line. Now that they had been captured, a hole had appeared in the detection net. So long as Great Evolution Pass disguised itself slightly, it would be able to pass through this hole and rush to the rear of the Black Ink Clan’s defence line undetected.
Obviously, Great Evolution Pass must have some kind of Illusion Array installed on it, so disguising itself would be a piece of cake.
They had now occupied three Black Ink Nests. Dawn was stationed at one, the Old Turtles at another, and the Profound Wind Squad at the last one.
Things settled down from the moment, but it would be hard to say after some time had passed. The Black Ink Clan would definitely grow suspicious if three Black Ink Nests fell silent for too long, but delaying things for 10 days or half a month shouldn’t be a problem.
Great Evolution Pass would have arrived in half a month at most.
So long as Great Evolution Pass could pass through the defence line, Dawn and the other Squads would only have to keep up this act for a few more days. Even if the Black Ink Clan noticed after that, it would be too late. It would be difficult for them to respond in time. At the very least, it would be difficult for the Black Ink Clan forces stationed at the perimeter to rush back to help defend the Royal City. As such, the forces of the Royal City would be weakened.
Originally, Yang Kai thought that taking down the three adjacent Black Ink Nest was enough, as this was also the minimum requirement for Great Evolution Pass to quietly sneak through the enemy defence line.
But now that he had such a good strategy, Yang Kai felt like he could take over an additional Black Ink Nest.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to take down even more after that, it was just that he was lacking in manpower. Right now, each of the three Squads was guarding a Black Ink Nest, while he alone could guard the fourth. If he took a fifth, there would be no one left to guard it.
After all, it would be difficult for the others to last long in the Black Ink Nest without the protection of a Warship.
Three Black Ink Nests were the lowest requirement. If there were four, it would naturally be better, as the margin for error would be bigger.
Having made up his mind, Yang Kai gave a word of advice to Dawn before continuing on his way without a moment of delay.
The fourth Black Ink Nest was taken down quite easily, just like the previous two. All Yang Kai had to do was use the Space Beacon as an example. The Black Ink Clansmen out in the defence line were extremely concerned about the Old Ancestor, so when they heard that the Territory Lords had solved the mystery of the Old Ancestor’s mysterious appearance and disappearance, they were overjoyed, which easily lured out the Feudal Lord guarding the Black Ink Nest.
But he didn’t expect to be greeted with Yang Kai’s spear.
This time, Dawn’s Shen Ao and the others worked together with him. After taking down the Black Ink Nest, Dawn’s members didn’t stay and instead used their Universe Transference Law to return to Dawning Light.
Yang Kai remained alone at the Black Ink Nest, monitoring the situation in the outer ring.
Everything remained calm and peaceful for the next few days.
He occasionally contacted the three Squads, but nothing unusual happened in their respective areas.
The Black Ink Clan didn’t seem to have many dealings with each other. But thinking about it, all the Black Ink Clansmen inside these Black Ink Nests were extremely wary of the Old Ancestor. If they could hide in their Black Ink Nests, who would be willing to come out?
Even the Feudal Lords who had gone out to collect supplies were on edge.
When Yang Kai had told the second Black Ink Nest’s Feudal Lord, that Jiu Ka Feudal Lord was afraid of the Old Ancestor and had asked him to go, it might have been a casual excuse, but it was clearly not an unlikely scenario.
Otherwise, the Feudal Lord wouldn’t have shown such an expression.
There were still 10 days until Great Evolution Pass arrived!
Today, while Yang Kai was sitting in the Black Ink Nest, monitoring the movements of his surroundings, a Space Beacon on him suddenly had a subtle reaction.
He had a lot of Space Beacons in his possession, basically in sets of two, which corresponded to each other. When they were not in use, he would usually store them in his Small Universe.
But Yang Kai had kept a few on him. These Space Beacons were the ones used to contact the other Special Operations Squads and Great Evolution Pass. He couldn’t put them in his Small Universe, or else, the World Barrier would isolate from the outside world and the others would not be able to contact him.
After a quick check, Yang Kai immediately noticed that the Space Beacon was linked to the Snow Wolves Squad.
The Snow Wolves Squad had gone deeper into the Black Ink Clan’s defence line, and there had been no messages from them since then. In order to avoid exposing their whereabouts, Yao Kang Cheng had taken the initiative to cut off all contact with the outside world.
But today, Yao Kang Cheng suddenly sent a message. Obviously, they must have found something worth reporting.
Yang Kai promptly took out the Space Beacon as a jade slip appeared in front of him the very next moment.
Yang Kai caught the jade slip and scanned it with his Divine Sense. His expression became solemn the very instant.
“Royal Lord!”
There was just an extremely simple message on the jade slip, nothing else.
[Royal Lord? Why did Yao Kang suddenly mention the Royal Lord? Did he want us to be wary of him?]
Furthermore, it was a very short message, as if Yao Kang Cheng was in a rush; otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent such a short message.
It should be brought to notice that recording a message on a jade slip was only a matter of a single flash of thought. It could be considered lightning fast, so why did Yao Kang Cheng only record the words ‘Royal Lord’ and nothing else?
Yang Kai suddenly had a very bad feeling, but he did not try to contact the other party in a moment of worry.
Yao Kang Cheng might have encountered some kind of danger for him to send a message in such a hurry. If Yang Kai rashly contacted him, it might expose the Snow Wolves location.
[Right now, all I can do is wait for him to contact me.]
Yang Kai became sombre as he gripped the Space Beacon, patiently waiting.
One day, two days, three days…
Nothing happened.
Finally, after three days, Yang Kai let out a long sigh of resignation. Since Yao Kang Cheng had not contacted him in these three days, that either meant he was still in danger, or… he had met with some kind of misfortune.
There might not have been any Black Ink Nests in the inner circle of the Black Ink Clan’s defence line, making it comparatively harder to get caught, but it was actually far more dangerous because, if they made any mistakes, it would be difficult to escape.
Yang Kai knew this, and so did Yao Kang Cheng.
Be that as it may, as the Territory Lords did not leave the Royal City unless the situation forced them to, it should not be impossible for the Snow Wolves to escape given their strength, even if they encountered some kind of danger.
Unless they were surrounded by a very large number of Feudal Lords!
When Yao Kang Cheng had sent a message stating that he would take the Snow Wolves Squad deeper behind the defence line, Yang Kai was also considering taking Dawn deeper into enemy territory. After all, Yang Kai was proficient in the Dao of Space and had quite a bit of experience fleeing from mortal danger. It could be said that he was well-versed in the art of escaping.
Unfortunately, Yao Kang Cheng had cut off contact with him before he could suggest this. Yang Kai was unable to reach the former and was left with no choice but to leave him to his own devices.
Originally, Yang Kai thought that even if Yao Kang Cheng was caught, he would not be in any critical danger, but by the looks of it, he had taken things for granted.
Yang Kai used his Divine Sense to activate the Space Beacon, but as he had expected, he received no response.
There could only be two reasons for this. One was that the Space Beacon had been destroyed, and the other was that Yao Kang Cheng had put it in his Small Universe or Space Ring, so he couldn’t reach him.
It was not a big deal if it was the latter. It meant that Yao Kang Cheng was definitely in hiding with the Snow Wolves Squad, but if it was the former… then things were rather disastrous for the Snow Wolves.
What exactly did he encounter?
What did he mean by ‘Royal Lord’?
Did Yao Kang Cheng run into the Royal Lord? If he really did run into the Royal Lord, it was a given for the Snow Wolves Squad to not be able to escape. No matter how serious the Royal Lord’s injuries were, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. A Royal Lord was not someone that a Seventh-Order Master could challenge.
Even Yang Kai himself might not be able to escape if he really encountered a Royal Lord. There was too big of a gap between them, so the Dao of Space might not necessarily be of any use.
If Yang Kai was in Yao Kang Cheng’s place, facing certain death, or worse, capture, he would have destroyed the Space Beacon, and committed suicide if need be!
Because if he was captured by the Black Ink Clan and turned into a Black Ink Disciple, Great Evolution Pass’ operation would be exposed, and all their plans and preparations would be wasted.
Destroying the Space Beacon would also ensure the safety of the other Squads. Only by embracing death would they be able to prevent the news of Great Evolution Pass’ surprise attack from falling into enemy’s hands.
Every Human soldier was well aware of this and was prepared to lay down their life if necessary.
But how did Yao Kang Cheng encounter the Royal Lord?
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao had been harassing the Royal Lord now and then over the past two centuries, especially for the matter of Great Evolution Pass’ Core. She even fought with the Royal Lord several times in recent years, making it impossible for the latter to recover from his injuries and forcing him to hole up in the Royal City to protect himself.
Only by borrowing the power of his Black Ink Nest in the Royal City could the Royal Lord contend with Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao.
The Royal Lord couldn’t stray too far away from the Royal City, for doing so would be akin to courting death.
Logically speaking, no matter how rash the Snow Wolves Squad was, they would never approach the Royal City. So, they could not have run into the Royal Lord.
However, the message Yao Kang Cheng sent contained the words ‘Royal Lord’!
What was going on?
Was the Snow Wolves Squad safe? What did ‘Royal Lord’ mean?
Yang Kai felt a headache coming on, but he couldn’t find any clues.
He had to guard the Black Ink Nest he was occupying and could not travel around to investigate.
After pondering for a moment, Yang Kai informed Chai Fang and Ma Gao about the Snow Wolves Squad’s message and told them to be on guard as there was something strange happening on the Black Ink Clan’s side.
Yang Kai sent another message to Dawn, whereupon Shen Ao arrived at Yang Kai’s side with the help of the Space Beacons.
When they met each other, Yang Kai didn’t waste any time and directly stated, “Brother Shen, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of this place and monitor the situation outside. If there is any movement, please inform me immediately.”
Shen Ao nodded “Alright.”
“Also, when you think you’ve almost reached your limit, get someone else to replace you.”
“Understood.”
One had to be connected to the Black Ink Nest to monitor the surroundings, but doing so allowed Black Ink Strength to slowly seep into one’s body.
As a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Shen Ao’s cultivation was not weak in any way, so if he took a Purifying Black Ink Pill, he could resist such invasion for a while, but not for long.
He had to ask the other members of the Dawn Squad to replace him when necessary. Only by doing so would they be able to monitor the situation outside at all times, so as to prevent anyone from intruding.
This was something Yang Kai had no choice but to ask. If he wanted to find out more about Yao Kang Cheng’s situation, he had no other choice but to place his hopes on the Black Ink Nest Space and see if he could obtain any useful information.
Once his consciousness was connected to the Black Ink Nest, his consciousness would enter the Black Ink Nest Space. In this situation, he would be unable to perceive anything happening in the outside world.
If some Black Ink Clan team came to check on this place, Yang Kai would not be able to hide things from them, and if they attacked him, he might not even be able to react. So, he needed someone to cover for him before entering the Black Ink Nest Space.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have called Shen Ao over.
After making the necessary arrangements, Yang Kai immediately walked towards the centre of the Black Ink Nest.
After a short while, he sat down cross-legged and sighed before opening his Small Universe and connecting his consciousness to the Black Ink Nest, using his World Force as a bridge.
Yang Kai had done this more than once, so he was just traversing a familiar path.
A few days ago, when he had captured the Black Ink Nest, the thought of using this method to obtain some information about the Black Ink Clan did cross Yang Kai’s mind, but it was a little dangerous. Right now, the four scouting Squads’ main purpose was concealment, so not taking any risk was the better choice. So, Yang Kai had not taken any action for the past few days.
However, since the Snow Wolves Squad seemed to be in some sort of trouble, and Yao Kang Cheng’ had sent such a cryptic message, he had no choice but to take the risk and enter the Black Ink Nest Space to investigate.
Nonetheless, he was not afraid of giving himself away. One’s Soul would basically manifest after entering the Black Ink Nest Space, and as each person’s Soul fluctuations were different, even if one could take another person’s appearance, it was impossible to imitate another person’s aura. So, if two people knew each other well, they would be able to recognize each other at a glance.
But who could recognize him in this damned place?
Perhaps one of the Territory Lords may recognize him; after all, Yang Kai had used many Soul Rending Thorns to seriously injury and even kill a number of Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples in order to seize control of the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest at Great Evolution Pass. Those who were still alive would definitely remember his Soul Avatar.
Be that as it may, if the Territory Lord didn’t come into the picture, basically no one would recognize him.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai still felt that it was best to be extra careful, because his Soul was extremely powerful. Although he was only a Seventh-Order Master, his Soul was comparable to those in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm or the Territory Lords.
The sudden appearance of a Soul of such calibre would certainly stick out among a group of Feudal Lords and their subordinates.
Yang Kai was here to gather information, so he didn’t want any complications.
As such, Yang Kai suppressed his Spiritual Energy as best he could and entered the Black Ink Nest Space.
As usual, this vast space seemed to be extremely large, but also extremely small, without any specific concept of space.
Yang Kai didn’t take any specific form, just moving about as a kind of amorphous mist. After a brief examination, he found that there weren’t many Soul Avatars in the Black Ink Nest Space, only about 30 in total, and many of them had remained in the most basic form just like him.
30 was quite a normal figure, as this was the space of a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest. Each Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest should have about this many Low-Rank Black Ink Nests hatched from it.
Most of the people who came here were the Souls of the Feudal Lords under the same Territory Lord, but there were also High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen’ Souls.
The High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen were naturally not the Masters of the Black Ink Nests and had only been ordered to remain here to communicate with the other Black Ink Nests.
It could be said that many of the Soul Avatars left here weren’t the Masters of the Black Ink Nests. Most of them had been ordered to remain here to pass on messages at a moment’s notice and gather information.
This was also the reason why Yang Kai dared to enter this place. If everyone knew each other, he would have been caught the moment he entered.
After entering the Black Ink Nest Space, Yang Kai didn’t immediately take any action. He just quietly waited in a corner, observing the situation
As if everyone sensed that someone new had appeared, the surrounding Divine Senses swept over, but they soon ignored him.
Although most of the Soul Avatars entering this space were acquainted with each other, some unfamiliar faces would come in from time to time, so there was nothing strange about this.
Yang Kai secretly let out a sigh of relief. By the looks of it, he had successfully snuck in.
Inside the Black Ink Nest Space, Divine Senses kept surging again and again as naturally, the various Soul Avatars were communicating with each other. Some Soul Avatars did not conceal their thoughts from outsiders, allowing anyone to read their transmissions, but there were also a few who were secretly sending messages between acquaintances. As for what they were discussing, only they knew.
There were also many people like Yang Kai who just idled by the side, not participating in any chat. As such, Yang Kai did not particularly stand out.
After waiting for a while longer, Yang Kai finally began to wander around, reading the messages in the surroundings.
He did not manage to obtain any useful information after wandering about for half a day. The conversation between these Black Ink Clansmen was quite a mix. Some of them were thinking about how they would invade the 3,000 Worlds of the Human Race in the future and gather a large number of Black Ink Disciples to lord over, while others were worried about the situation of the Royal City; after all, the Royal Lord was seriously injured and the Black Ink Clan in Great Evolution Theatre was trapped. So, the Black Ink Clan’s situation was quite a mess.
There were also a few Black Ink Clansmen who seemed to be diligently cultivating.
After another half a day, Yang Kai had successfully infiltrated a few Black Ink Clan groups and chatted with them.
At the end of the day, Yang Kai had lived in the Black Ink Clan for many years, so he was quite familiar with their habits and lifestyle. As such, he did not reveal any flaws.
Had it been anyone else, they definitely wouldn’t have been able to participate in these conversations, thereby failing to obtain any information on the Black Ink Clan once they exposed flaws.
The conversation between the several Black Ink Clansmen shifted again and Yang Kai was finally able to lead them to a comparison of strength.
Yang Kai added, “The Seventh-Order Humans are equivalent to the Feudal Lords on our side, while the Eighth-Order Humans are on par with the Territory Lords, but if we really fought against a Human of equivalent realm, we rarely win.”
Sighing deeply, he wore a look of worry for the future of the Black Ink Clan.
One of the Feudal Lords disagreed, “There’s nothing we can do about that. Human cultivation mainly depends on a lot of accumulation over time, so their foundation is firmer. We, on the other hand, can use the Black Ink Nests to quickly increase our strength, so we’re naturally lacking a bit in comparison. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have any advantages. Human growth is slow, and it’s not easy for Masters to appear. Although it’s not easy for us either, we’re much better than Humans in this regard.”
Another Feudal Lord agreed, “That’s right, our Feudal Lords might not be the match of their Seventh-Order Masters in a one-on-one fight, and even our Territory Lord might not be their Eighth-Order Masters opponent, but we still have the advantage in numbers.”
Yang Kai poured a bucket of cold water on them, “It is said that many Territory Lords at Great Evolution Pass died in battle, and the Royal City similarly suffered massive casualties. Although many Eighth-Order Masters from the Human Race have also died, generally speaking, it is still the Territory Lords who suffered more casualties. Many familiar faces have long since disappeared, and even the Territory Lords have fallen, let alone the Feudal Lords.”
The Black Ink Clansmen who were merrily chatting with each other suddenly felt a chill run down their spines and none of them was able to respond.
Yang Kai thought that the mental fortitude of these people was too poor, how could they just give up after a few words? Seeing this, he decisively continued to rub salt into their wounds, “Sir Royal Lord also… in this situation, what should we do in the future?”
Everyone let out a long sigh as the hearts of the Black Ink Clansmen tightened up.
A Feudal Lord who had been silent all this while coldly snorted, “So what if the Humans are strong now? Sooner or later, they will be our slaves.”
Yang Kai shook his head, refuting, “We can’t be so blind and arrogant. Before the Human Race Army attacked us, we all used to think that the Humans were nothing, but now we’re trapped in the Royal City, and we are doing everything to form a defence line to prevent the Humans from attacking.”
The nearby Feudal Lords all nodded.
Before the arrival of the Great Evolution Army, the Black Ink Clan of Great Evolution Theatre were extremely proud of themselves, because they were the only Theatre that had managed to capture a Human Great Pass. In the entire history of Humans and Black Ink Clan, the Humans had only lost Great Evolution Pass. The Black Ink Clan had never managed to repeat this feat in any other Theatre.
But the Black Ink Clan here was completely routed when the Great Evolution Army arrived. In the end, the Black Ink Clan was forced to leave behind a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest and all their Seventh-Order Black Ink Disciples in order to escape from Great Evolution Pass. In addition, the Royal City suffered massive damage and casualties.
If they could turn back time, they would never underestimate the Humans again.
The Feudal Lord who was opposing Yang Kai let out a cold snort before rebuking, “The defence line is necessary. It’s fine if the Humans don’t attack, but if they dare do, they’ll definitely suffer.”
Yang Kai curiously asked, “Why is this Sir so confident? Have the higher-ups made some special arrangements that we don’t know of?”
Yang Kai assumed a humble look on his face as he asked while the others in the conversation also became curious.
The Feudal Lord hesitated for a moment, but ultimately, he answered in a low voice, “I don’t know whether higher-ups have made any arrangements or not, but the Royal Lord… seems to have recovered.”
Yang Kai’s heart clenched tight, [The Royal Lord has recovered?]
[How did he recover?]
[That’s impossible! The Royal Lord hadn’t been able to enter his Black Ink Nest to heal all these years as Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao hadn’t given him the opportunity to do so. It’s impossible for the Royal Lord to recover without entering his Black Ink Nest.]
Not only did Yang Kai think so, but the other Feudal Lords also thought the same. One of them quickly asked, “Has the Royal Lord really recovered? Is this news accurate? Where did you learn about this?”
The Feudal Lord stuttered, unable to explain.
Yang Kai’s voice turned heavy as he stated, “Sir, this concerns the Royal Lord, you can’t speak irresponsibly. It’s fine as it was just in between us, but if word of this got out, I’m afraid the Territory Lords will condemn you for speaking nonsense!”
Yang Kai didn’t know if the Territory Lords would really do such a thing, but in any case, making a big deal of things was currently to his advantage.
The Feudal Lord hurriedly defended himself, “I’m not speaking nonsense, it’s just…”
“What?”
“It’s just that… a few days ago, we faintly felt the aura of the Royal Lord’s attack. Although it was only for a fraction of a breath, it was definitely the Royal Lord’s attack.”
When the Feudal Lords heard this, all of them became extremely excited and quickly asked whether it was true or not. The Feudal Lord naturally insisted that he was not the only one who had sensed it as the other Feudal Lord in his Black Ink Nest had also sensed it.
Yang Kai’s heart sank as he asked, “How many days ago?”
The Feudal Lord casually replied, “Three days ago.”
[Three days ago…]
[It was right when Yao Kang Chen sent me that message.]
[Did Yao Kang Cheng really encounter the Royal Lord?]
The Feudal Lords all became excited while Yang Kai too pretended to be overjoyed, but he was in no mood to ask any more questions.
The Snow Wolves Squad had encountered the Royal Lord. By the looks of it, their fate had been sealed; after all, they were only a Special Operations Squad; they might have a chance to escape if they encountered a Territory Lord, but if they encountered the Royal Lord… death was the only possible outcome.
[Yao Kang Cheng must have sent me a message at the last moment to inform me of this, but unfortunately, he simply had no time; so, the jade slip only contained the words ‘Royal Lord’!]
[The Snow Wolves Squad… perished!]
[Most likely, they all died together.]
Yang Kai’s heart ached even more.
The reason for this conjecture was that the remaining three Squads had yet not been found out. If the Snow Wolves Squad still had survivors, they would definitely be turned into Black Ink Disciples. Once they became Black Ink Disciples, not only would Dawn and the others be unable to hide themselves, even Great Evolution Pass’ surprise attack would be exposed.
If they weren’t all instantly killed, suicide was the only option to prevent themselves from being turned into Black Ink Disciples!
Since Dawn and the others were still safe and sound, and there were no unusual movements in the Black Ink Clan’s defence line, it meant that no one from the Snow Wolves Squad had fallen into the hands of the Black Ink Clan.
Murderous intent surged in Yang Kai’s heart as he couldn’t wait to exterminate all the Black Ink Clan Soul Avatars in this Black Ink Nest Space.
Nevertheless, he also knew that if he followed this impulse, the losses would far outweigh the gains.
The reason why the Feudal Lord had only suspected that the Royal Lord had recovered was mainly because of the distance.
All the Low-Rank Black Ink Nests were about a month’s journey from the Royal City. If the Royal Lord was at the Royal City, then even if he attacked, they would not have been able to sense it unless he really went all out.
But why would the Royal Lord go all out against the Snow Wolves Squad?
The Royal Lord would have to be much closer to their Black Ink Nest for them to be able to sense his casual attack. At most, the conflict would be a 10-day journey away from their position.
The Royal Lord would not have left the Royal City if he had not recovered; after all, he would be too afraid of running into the Old Ancestor otherwise.
After staying in the Black Ink Nest Space for another hour, Yang Kai finally found an opportunity to leave.
The moment his Soul returned to his body, he made a quick scan with his Divine Sense and noticed that Ren Bing Bai was the one overseeing the Black Ink Nest currently. Shen Ao should not have been able to hold on and left, asking Ren Bing Bai to take over.
Yang Kai walked to the centre and chatted with Ren Bing Bai a little before asking him to return to Dawning Light.
Ren Bing Bai noticed that something was not right and asked, “Squad Leader, is something wrong?”
Yang Kai nodded, “The Snow Wolves Squad… might be no more.”
Ren Bing Bai was beside himself in shock, “What happened?”
Yang Kai replied, “They might have run into the Royal Lord!”
“The Royal Lord!” Ren Bing Bai involuntarily exclaimed in shock, “They went to the Royal City?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Yao Kang Cheng would not have taken such a risk. He must have run into the Royal Lord outside. When you return, tell everyone to be extra careful.”
“Understood,” Ren Bing Bai solemnly agreed.
After he left, Yang Kai thought about it for a moment before messaging Chai Fang and Ma Gao about the Snow Wolves Squad, telling them to raise their guard to the highest limit.
Nonetheless, if they did encounter the Royal Lord, they would simply be unable to do anything no matter how careful they were. The gap in their strength was too wide. Right now, all Yang Kai could do was pray that they could hold on a few more days until Great Evolution Pass arrived.
Immediately after, Yang Kai also sent a message to Great Evolution Pass to inform them about the Royal Lord’s suspected recovery.
Yang Kai received a reply from Great Evolution Pass soon after.
The Old Ancestor had personally sent him a reply which read, “I’ve got a pretty good idea of the Royal Lord’s injuries. It’s impossible for him to recover in such a short time. Is there a mistake in the information?”
Yang Kai quickly messaged back, informing her of everything he had learned in the Black Ink Nest Space.
This time, it was not the Old Ancestor who messaged but Xiang Shan instead. He asked him to be careful and immediately flee if it came to that, meaning he should escape all alone.
Yang Kai’s Small Universe had a World Tree clone; so, he didn’t need to worry about being turned into a Black Ink Disciple. He was also proficient in the Dao of Space. As such, his chances of escaping with his life were still decent.
But if he tried to escape with the others, that would be really unrealistic and everyone would definitely be wiped out.
Yang Kai didn’t reply and instead a deep furrow appeared on his brow.
[The Old Ancestor clearly said that it’s impossible for the Royal Lord to recover, but then again, the Feudal Lord said that he had sensed the aura of the Royal Lord’s attack three days ago. What’s going on here?]
Yang Kai was completely confused.
Everything remained calm and peaceful over the next few days. No Black Ink Clansman visited the four Black Ink Nests occupied by the three Squads, and they remain safe and sound, unexposed.
Yang Kai had entered and exited the Black Ink Nest Space several times. Now, he could be considered a familiar face there and was able to chat with many of the Feudal Lords freely, but despite his best efforts, he was unable to obtain any useful information.
The Feudal Lord who said that he had felt the Royal Lord’s aura had not entered this Black Ink Nest Space since that day, so Yang Kai was unable to find him to ask about the situation further.
All this while, Yang Kai frequently contacted Great Evolution Pass to track their progress.
According to Great Evolution Pass’ original schedule, they should have arrived at the Black Ink Clan’s defence line a few days ago, but as Yang Kai had taken out Black Ink Clan’s eyes and ears by occupying four Black Ink Nests, Great Evolution Pass could now sneak through without being detected. To do this, however, the Pass had to change course, which delayed them for several days.
Today, Yang Kai was sitting in the Black Ink Nest and closely monitoring the surroundings after getting a message.
After about the time it takes to boil a cup of tea, he suddenly felt something intruding into his Black Ink Nest’s detection range, and it was something massive!
Great Evolution Pass had arrived!
Yang Kai instantly scurried outside and looked towards the location where the defence line was disturbed, but he failed to see anything. Not even his Divine Sense could find anything.
Only when he activated his Demon Eye of Annihilation that he was able to see through all illusions and finally make out a massive distorted shadow rapidly approaching.
They might have captured the four adjacent Black Ink Nests and created a hole in the Black Ink Clan’s defence line, but Great Evolution Pass still needed to disguise itself; otherwise, if a random Black Ink Clansman was passing by, he could easily spot the giant Great Evolution Pass.
By the looks of it now, Great Evolution Pass must have activated a fairly large Illusion Array. With this Illusion Array, Great Evolution Pass was completely hidden from ordinary means of detection.
Great Evolution Pass was extremely fast, so it quickly passed by Yang Kai’s Black Ink Nest and continued straight towards the Royal City.
At the same time, several figures flew out from Great Evolution Pass silently like ghosts one after another.
Yang Kai clearly saw everything and promptly used his Divine Sense to guide them over.
A short while later, a total of 500 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters arrived before Yang Kai. He then beckoned to them before leading them into the Black Ink Nest.
He had no idea what Great Evolution Pass had planned or why they had sent 500 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to him, but obviously, the higher-ups had something in mind.
Soon, he became aware of the plan.
Xiang Shan personally messaged Yang Kai and informed him that the main mission of these Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and the four Special Operations Squads was to exterminate as many Black Ink Clansmen and Low-Rank Black Ink Nests in the outermost ring!
Right now, Great Evolution Pass had successfully snuck into the Black Ink Clan’s defence line and was heading straight for the Royal City, but no matter how lax the Black Ink Clan’s security might be, Great Evolution Pass couldn’t remain hidden until they reached the Royal City.
Great Evolution Pass would definitely be exposed midway.
Nevertheless, it was more than enough already. So long as the Black Ink Clan didn’t have enough time to prepare, Great Evolution Pass’ surprise attack would have been a success. The rest of the battle would depend on their respective strength.
Once Great Evolution Pass was exposed, the Black Ink Clansmen setting up the defensive perimeter would be recalled to the Royal City. The three Special Operations Squads and the 500 Seventh-Order Masters’ mission was to kill as many Black Ink Clansmen as possible and weaken the Black Ink Clan forces to lay the foundation for the upcoming battle.
These 500 Seventh-Order Masters did not simply represent their own strength, however. All of them were either Squad Leaders or Vice Squad Leaders.
Their respective Squad members and Warships were all stored in their Small Universe.
These 500 people represented more than 200 Squads!
Yang Kai saw many familiar faces among these 500 people, including Qing Kui and Su Ying Xue.
After Xu Ling Gong had advanced to the Eighth Order, Yang Kai hadn’t seen them for over two centuries, but he had never expected for them to also advance to the Seventh Order.
On second thought though, it was not surprising. Whether it was Qing Kui or Su Ying Xue, both had remained in the Sixth Order for a long time and had accompanied their Honoured Master Xu Ling Gong on the Black Ink Battlefield for several centuries, so it was normal for them to make progress in their cultivation.
Now, the two of them had formed a Squad, and as they were quite familiar with each other, they could kill their enemies quite efficiently.
Qing Kui reported, “Brother Yang, before we came here, the Army Commander said that you will be in charge of this operation. Our only mission is to kill as many Black Ink Clansmen as possible.”
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement, “In that case, this Yang has been entrusted with a big mission. This battle is very important, so I hope Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters will give their all in the coming days.”
An old Seventh Order assured with a smile, “Don’t worry, this Old Master has been waiting for this day for many years. Even if I die, I will not let the Black Ink Clan have an easy time.”
Yang Kai quickly shook his head, “Don’t think like that. Currently, we hold a huge advantage. If you can survive through this, that would be best. The Black Ink Clan has no roots, so their lives are not as precious as ours. Senior Brother, you might not be young, but if you can break through to the Eighth Order, you may be able to live for many more years. Who knows, when you return to the 3,000 Worlds, you may even be able to marry a few beautiful wives and give birth to a few children and enjoy the joys of family life.”
The men in the crowd burst into laughter while Su Ying Xue and the other female Seventh-Order Masters couldn’t help but glare sharply at Yang Kai.
The old man laughed even louder, “Junior Brother is right, then should this Old Master cherish my life a bit!?”
“But of course!” Yang Kai didn’t waste any more time and mobilized his World Force as he stretched his hand out and created a ball of light before him.
“I don’t know how much everyone knows about the situation, so I’ll give you a brief overview.” He pointed at the light spot and continued, “This is the Royal City!”
As he spoke, he activated his Black Ink Strength as it spread outward from the speck of light, becoming thinner the further it went from the speck of light.
“This is the Black Ink Clan’s current defence line, filled with Black Ink Strength.” As he spoke, several light dots appeared at the outermost perimeter.
“Are these the Black Ink Nests?” Qing Kui looked at the thousands of light dots and thoughtfully asked.
Yang Kai nodded his affirmation, “That’s right, these are all Black Ink Nests. The Black Ink Clan now possesses quite few Territory Lord Black Ink Nests and I estimate that several dozen of them have been relocated to the Royal City. Each Territory Lord Black Ink Nest has a few dozen Feudal Lord Black Ink Nests which were either brought over as well or newly spawned to enhance the defence line, so there are somewhere between 2,000 to 3,000 Black Ink Nests in the periphery of the Royal City.”
Everyone was slightly shaken.
Thousands of Low-Rank Black Ink Nests was quite a huge number.
But it was also normal. If there were fewer, the Black Ink Clan would not have been able to set up such a massive defence line.
“Currently, the outermost Black Ink Nests are about a month’s journey from the Royal City,” Yang Kai reached out and pointed to one of the specks of light, “This is where we are, and the three closest Black Ink Nests are also under our control.”
His explanation was extremely simple and clear. Even though everyone had just arrived here, they instantly understood the general situation.
“The Black Ink Clan’s defence line can be seen as a giant sphere, and the Royal City is located in the centre of this sphere. Since the higher-ups want us to take care of the Black Ink Clansmen in the outer ring to have an edge in the upcoming battle, we have to kill as many of these Feudal Lords as we can. The more Feudal Lords we can kill, the more advantage we can gain in the upcoming war.”
“There are more than 200 Squads here, so starting from these four Black Ink Nests, we will move outward, eliminating all the enemies along the way. As long as we move swiftly, we will be able to eliminate many of the Black Ink Clansmen before they know what hit them.”
“According to our prior investigations, there are basically two or three Feudal Lords guarding each Black Ink Nest. One is responsible for the production of Black Ink Strength to expand the defence line, while the other is responsible for guarding it.”
“So, what I’m proposing is that a team of two Squads is the requirement to swiftly crush a nest and kill the enemies guarding it.”
Each Human Squad had at least two Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so if two Squads were to form a team, then four Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would be moving together, which was the bare minimum to guarantee success. Of course, some teams would have more Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and would naturally be stronger.
On top of that, the Humans also had their Warships’ support. As such, it would be a simple matter for two Squads to deal with a single Black Ink Nest.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Yang Kai’s expression then became solemn as he added, “A Feudal Lord can also use their Black Ink Nest to increase their strength when in close proximity, so when you engage the Black Ink Clan here, if possible, start by destroying the Black Ink Nest before targeting the Feudal Lords.”
“In addition… I’m sure all of you have Evil Purging Divine Spears with you. This spear is extremely effective against the Black Ink Clan, but if you aren’t sure that you can take your opponent out, don’t use it so we avoid revealing its existence. The Evil Purging Divine Spear… must be first used on the Territory Lords.”
“We understand,” the old man acknowledged with a nod.
“If you understand, then there’s no problem. Let’s split up.”
Saying so, Yang Kai quickly began to divide the teams. Right now, they had four Black Ink Nests under their control. With over 200 Squads distributed evenly, each of these four Black Ink Nests would temporarily house 50 Squads.
It was naturally impossible for all of them to move together. Once the war broke out, all these Squads would split up and attack the Black Ink Nests in the periphery of the Black Ink Clan’s defence line in pairs.
Of course, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t be so stupid as to remain in place and wait to be killed. Once the Royal City transmitted the news of the invasion, the Black Ink Clan would definitely return to defend it. At that time, it might turn into a pursue-and-kill situation, or even a chaotic battle.
Xiang Shan didn’t expect Yang Kai and the others to be able to exterminate all the Black Ink Clansmen at the defence line’s periphery, nor did Yang Kai think they would be able to do so; after all, taking out thousands of Black Ink Nests without being noticed within a few days was simply not realistic.
They could only do their best to reduce the Black Ink Clan forces.
This could be seen as the vanguard battle of Great Evolution Pass, while the main battle was at the Royal City!
A short while later, all the Seventh-Order Masters left, leaving only 100 or so people behind on Yang Kai’s side. Qing Kui summoned his Squad’s Warship and told them to rest and recover.
With the Battleship’s protection, no one needed to waste their strength to resist the Black Ink Strength’s invasion.
Yang Kai didn’t remain idle either. He constantly entered and exited the Black Ink Nest Space to scout for information.
Great Evolution Pass had already snuck its way into the defence line, but it would still take it a month to reach the Royal City.
Yang Kai didn’t know how long Great Evolution Pass could remain hidden, but the longer it could, the more advantageous it would be for the Human Race. As long as it could avoid detection for half a month, it would not matter if they were exposed after that.
Three days, five days, ten days…
Yang Kai still had not received any news.
Hundreds of Seventh-Order Masters stood ready inside the four Black Ink Nests.
When half a month later, there was still no news, Yang Kai let out a long sigh. Great Evolution Pass’ surprise attack had succeeded. The Black Ink Clan had failed to notice even to this point, so even if they discovered Great Evolution Pass in the next breath, it would be too late for them to make proper preparations.
Not long after, a Space Beacon on Yang Kai finally vibrated as a jade slip emerged out of thin air. Yang Kai promptly grabbed it and scanned it with his Divine Sense and found only one word, “Attack!”
The message came from Great Evolution Pass, and judging by the Divine Sense fluctuations on it, it was sent by Xiang Shan’s adjutant, Li Xing!
Great Evolution Pass had been discovered.
This was no surprise. Great Evolution Pass was so massive that even if it was hidden by an Illusion Array, it was less than half a month away from the Royal City now. It would definitely run into some Black Ink Clansmen and get discovered.
But the Black Ink Clansmen who had discovered Great Evolution Pass should have already vanished from the face of this world, so the Black Ink Clan still hadn’t sent any notice.
In other words, the Black Ink Clansmen in the periphery Black Ink Nests were still unaware of the situation.
This was the perfect opportunity to act. If they waited any longer, once the Black Ink Clan spread the news, Yang Kai and the others would lose the element of surprise.
Yang Kai, who had been sitting cross-legged for half a month, finally stood up, attracting Qing Kui and the others’ attention.
“Move out!” Yang Kai stated in a low voice before messaging Ma Gao, Chai Fang, Shen Ao, and the others.
The next moment, over 100 figures flew out from the Black Ink Nest in groups of two or three. One after another, Warships were summoned as Squad members stepped out from the Seventh-Order Masters’ Small Universes and boarded. After everyone had taken their positions, Spirit Arrays hummed as dozens of Warships flew off in different directions at breakneck speed.
This was the scene at Yang Kai’s Black Ink Nest, but it was playing out at the other three Black Ink Nests too.
At this moment, more than 200 Human Squads spread out from the four Black Ink Nests along the outer ring of the Black Ink Clan’s defence line.
Although there were many people, they moved in an orderly, precise fashion.
A great war was about to break out!
Yang Kai didn’t leave and instead remained inside the Black Ink Nest. Just as the Warships left, his consciousness entered the Black Ink Nest Space.
Without wasting any time, Yang Kai stepped into the Black Ink Nest Space and immediately shouted through his Divine Sense, “Sir Royal Lord has sent a secret order, move closer to me to receive it!”
Inside the Black Ink Nest Space, the two or three groups of Black Ink Clansmen who were conversing with each other all looked towards him strangely.
Firstly, Yang Kai only displayed the Soul fluctuations of a Feudal Lord, so if the Royal Lord had any orders, why would he ask him to relay them?
Secondly, even if there was a secret order, this ‘Feudal Lord’ could simply transmit it throughout the Black Ink Nest Space. Why would they need to get close?
Although some of the Black Ink Clansmen found the situation odd, they did not give it a deep thought as it was related to the Royal Lord.
Not long after, all the Souls in the Black Ink Nest Space had gathered around Yang Kai.
One of the Black Ink Clan Feudal Lords asked, “What instructions does the Royal Lord have?”
At this moment, Yang Kai had taken the form of a Black Ink Clansman that closely resembled Humans. He looked at everyone with a smile before stating, “Sir Royal Lord has determined that there is a Human spy amongst you, so… all of you must die!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the Spiritual Energy he had been hiding all the while erupted all of a sudden and hurtled out in all directions.
When the Black Ink Clansmen heard the words ‘Human spy’, all of them were taken aback, and by the time Yang Kai reached the word ‘die’, they still had not recovered from the shock and were struck by Yang Kai’s fearsome Soul attack with their guards down.
In an instant, overwhelming Spiritual Energy engulfed all the Black Ink Clansmen in the Black Ink Nest Space like a massive tide.
This time, Yang Kai had pushed his Soul to the limit, throwing all caution to the wind. There were easily 50 or so consciousnesses gathered here, many of them Feudal Lords. It would be difficult to find so many Feudal Lords together outside, unless there was a war raging.
More importantly, it would be a troublesome task for Yang Kai to kill so many Feudal Lords in a real battle.
The Black Ink Nest Space was a good place in this regard. As long as his Spiritual Energy outburst was strong enough, Yang Kai would have a chance to eliminate everyone here in one fell swoop.
The very moment his Spiritual Energy burst forth, the Souls of all the High-Rank Clansmen and the seven or eight Feudal Lords closest to Yang Kai instantly collapsed. Even Yang Kai’s Soul was shaken and his Soul Avatar momentarily distorted.
Although his Spiritual Energy was on par with an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s, it was not easy for him to deal with so many enemies like this at once.
The High-Rank Clansmen were helpless in the face of such overwhelming force, but while the Feudal Lords might not have been on guard against Yang Kai, the moment they were attacked, they instinctively fought back. When their Souls clashed with each other, it was too much for Yang Kai to fight so many alone.
Even so, the Souls that had yet to collapse were shaken by this violent outburst and were momentarily stunned.
During the brief interlude that followed, a seven-coloured light suddenly blossomed as a seven coloured lotus flew out from Yang Kai’s body. The next moment, it suddenly expanded into a giant lotus and enveloped all of the Black Ink Clansmen’ Souls.
By the time the Black Ink Clansmen came to their senses, they were already standing on the Soul Warming Lotus.
At the very centre of the Soul Warming Lotus, Yang Kai’s Soul Avatar grimaced in pain, but that didn’t stop him from attacking.
An overwhelming barrage of Spiritual Energy attacks rained down on the Black Ink Clansmen, instantly killing several of them.
All the surviving Black Ink Clansmen turned pale in fright. Up until now, none of them had been able to figure out what just happened, all they knew was that their fellow clansman, who had been spending a lot of time here recently, suddenly erupted with a Territory Lord’s might and went on a killing spree.
Under the intense Spiritual Energy pressure from someone as strong as a Territory Lord, all of them were terrified and restless, as if they were treading on thin ice.
Watching their fellow clansmen around them constantly fall or suffer heavy injuries, the remaining Black Ink Clansmen didn’t dare to remain any longer and immediately tried to leave the Black Ink Nest Space and return to their physical bodies.
But something happened that completely dumbfounded them. Normally, they could leave the Black Ink Nest Space with a single thought, but today, it was as if some kind of force was blocking them, preventing them from withdrawing their consciousnesses, and leaving at the mercy of the other party.
While the Black Ink Clansmen were shaking in fear, Yang Kai was pleasantly surprised.
He never thought that the Soul Warming Lotus could exhibit such an effect. He was just giving it a try, but had not expected this to happen.
This idea came from the time he was previously trapped in the Black Ink Nest Space. In the past, when he tried to wrest complete control of the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest, the Black Ink Clan had trapped him in the Royal Lord Black Ink Nest Space through some unknown method. He was trapped in that space for several years as a result, and if it was not for the Soul Warming Lotus, he would have died.
He did not know how to seal the Black Ink Nest Space, so he took out the Soul Warming Lotus and tried to use it as a kind of barrier to keep everyone enveloped within it from leaving. In the best-case scenario, it would work, and if it did not, he would not have lost anything from trying. Much to his surprise, it indeed worked, and better than he had expected.
At this moment, all of the Black Ink Clansmen had been pulled into the Soul Warming Lotus, so unless they broke through from the Soul Warming Lotus’ restrictions, they would not be able to leave the Black Ink Nest.
[Interesting!]
The Black Ink Clansmen’ wails and curses rang out to no end.
No one could understand why this fellow clansman had become so bloodthirsty.
They were trapped, unable to fight back and unable to escape. Despair soon engulfed all of the Black Ink Clansmen.
Yang Kai didn’t waste any time talking, nor did he use any Soul Secret Techniques, he simply bombarded them with pure Spiritual Energy attacks, relying on his higher cultivation to crush his enemies.
One after another, the Black Ink Clansmen fell.
Yang Kai broke into crazed laughter as he went on a killing spree.
He had spent quite a few years on the Black Ink Battlefield. He had even killed Territory Lords, the backbone of the Black Ink Clan, but there had never been a day when he could kill so many so easily.
It wasn’t just because of a gap in strength though, but also because the Human Race had finally taken the initiative to attack after countless years.
The crusade began with him!
After an incense stick worth of time, Yang Kai turned his gaze to the last survivor. The Soul Avatar of the last Feudal Lord was incomparably dim and as he stared at Yang Kai, he asked in disbelief, “Why? Why are you doing this!?”
Even now, it never occurred to him that Yang Kai might be a Human. When Yang Kai was spending his days here, this Feudal Lord had talked to him many times and Yang Kai had seemed to fit right in, so he really couldn’t understand why Yang Kai had suddenly killed so many of his clansmen.
“Because you’re all wastes. The Royal Lord no longer needs you.” Yang Kai looked at him coldly.
“The Royal Lord doesn’t need us anymore…” The Feudal Lord felt as if he had been struck by lightning and his Soul becoming dimmer. He didn’t want to believe this, but this revelation was quite a huge blow to him.
Yang Kai did not give the opposite party any chance to ask further questions and shot a bolt of Spiritual Energy at him, blowing the opposite party apart.
After just an incense stick worth of time, the once lively Black Ink Nest Space only had one person remaining, Yang Kai. The rest were dead.
Yang Kai might have killed a lot of enemies, but he had to pay a price in the form of damage to his Soul. Nonetheless, he didn’t take these injuries seriously. Thanks to all the times he had used the Soul Rending Thorn, Yang Kai was now accustomed to the pain of having his Soul injured.
As long as his Soul wasn’t instantly destroyed, the Soul Warming Lotus would eventually restore the damage.
Be that as it may, he still regretted a little that he hadn’t cultivated any powerful Soul Secret Techniques. It would have made it a lot easier for him to kill his enemies in this place.
[Should I cultivate some Soul Secret Techniques when I return? Otherwise, I would have no choice but to attack in this clumsy manner the next time I encounter a similar situation.]
But on second thought, there might not ever be a fight against the Black Ink Clan like this again. It would be completely pointless to cultivate such techniques in that case.
Yang Kai ridiculed himself and was about to head out; but suddenly, he noticed something and began carefully inspecting it.
After a while, a strange look filled his face.
Much to his surprise, the Souls of the Black Ink Clansmen he had killed were actually absorbed by the Soul Warming Lotus and refined into pure Spiritual Energy that was now being used to repair the injuries he just incurred.
Yang Kai was ecstatic!
[The Soul Warming Lotus can even do something like this!?]
It had been many years since Yang Kai first acquired the Soul Warming Lotus, but it was only today that he realized that it could actually refine the Spiritual Energy of others for his use.
[Could it be that this is the true way to use the Soul Warming Lotus?]
Thinking back, he realized that he had never dragged an enemy into the Soul Warming Lotus to fight before.
Even during the numerous battles he had fought over the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest, he would only hide inside the Soul Warming Lotus and rely on it to resist the attacks of the Black Ink Clan Territory Lords. When he recovered, he would come out and use the Soul Rending Thorns to kill his enemies before returning to the Soul Warming Lotus to recover.
As such, even though he had killed many Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples, their Spiritual Energy was not absorbed by the Soul Warming Lotus after their deaths.
As far as Yang Kai knew, the greatest use of the Soul Warming Lotus lay in its defensive and restorative capabilities.
Today, he learned something completely different. All the Black Ink Clansmen in this space had died inside the Soul Warming Lotus’ bounds, and when their Souls collapsed, all their dispersed Spiritual Energy was absorbed by the Soul Warming Lotus.
After the Spiritual Energy was purified by the Soul Warming Lotus, it was transferred to Yang Kai, repairing and strengthening his Soul.
This effect reminded Yang Kai of Wu Kuang’s Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus, which also had a similar effect of refining all physical impurities.
If it weren’t for the Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus, Wu Kuang’s energy would have been incomparably impure with his constant use of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, and he would have never been able to have his current achievements.
The Twin Lotuses were Innate Supreme Treasures.
The Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus allowed Wu Kuang to absorb all kinds of energy without any worries. He could absorb anything, and never worry about any form of sequelae.
And as Yang Kai was now discovering, the Soul Warming Lotus could also remove the impurities from any form of Spiritual Energy, allowing the wielder to easily absorb it and strengthen their Soul.
One benefited the physical body, the other the Soul.
Yang Kai could not help but break into laughter after this unintentional discovery. Had he not destroyed the Souls of so many Black Ink Clansmen here today, he would have been forever oblivious to this ability of the Soul Warming Lotus.
But on second thought, even if he had known this earlier, he might not have used this method to kill his enemies.
His Soul getting stronger was a wonderful experience, but circumstances still mattered.
His cultivation was at the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, while his Soul was comparable to an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s. Although his Soul was a realm higher than his cultivation, it did not have much impact on him.
But if his Soul was comparable to a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master while his cultivation remained at the Seventh-Order, there would be an imbalance between his physical body and Soul which would bring about unforeseeable consequences.
More raw power doesn’t always equate to being stronger. Only strength that one could freely control was true strength.
It wasn’t too late to discover the effects of the Soul Warming Lotus though, so Yang Kai didn’t feel that he should be frustrated about this.
Thanks to this pure Spiritual Energy nourishing his Soul, not only did Yang Kai’s Soul quickly recover, but it even grew slightly.
Having finished everything here, Yang Kai withdrew his consciousness and left the Black Ink Nest before shooting off into the void. Immediately afterwards, the Low-Rank Black Ink Nest exploded behind him.
500 Seventh-Order Masters commanding over 200 Squads had already dispersed to attack their targets. It was a perfect opportunity to eliminate as many Black Ink Clan forces as possible before Great Evolution Pass was completely discovered and the enemy reacted.
Yang Kai didn’t return to Dawning Light. Even in his and Feng Ying’s absence, Dawn still had seven Seventh-Order Masters overseeing it. Coupled with a highly customized Warship like Dawning Light, Dawn would not have any problem taking care of a few Low-Rank Black Ink Nests. In fact, even without Dawning Light, Dawn could split up and attack two different Black Ink Nests at once and still have no issues.
Yang Kai used Space Principles to swiftly cover a vast distance in the void.
A moment later, he had already entered the detection range of another Black Ink Nest.
A few breaths after that, the Black Ink Nest was already before him. The Black Ink Nest had just dispatched a team to check who had invaded their territory, and both sides ran into each other just 100,000 kilometres away from the Black Ink Nest. Yang Kai’s aura surged as he thrust the Azure Dragon Spear out, his figure shooting forward as he passed through the Black Ink Clansmen.
The next moment, the Black Ink Clansmen exploded one after another behind him. Even the Feudal Lord leading them was no exception.
The next instant, the Low-Rank Black Ink Nest that was 100,000 kilometres away also suffered a terrible blow. The Black Ink Clan suffered massive casualties and shortly after, a stalwart and grotesque figure flew out of the damaged Black Ink Nest, his eyes filled with anger and confusion.
He was using the Black Ink Strength of his Black Ink Nest to strengthen the defence line, so he was completely focused on his task and was caught completely off guard when the fearsome attack struck his Black Ink Nest. Not only was he injured, but even his Black Ink Nest was almost destroyed.
The Feudal Lord immediately looked towards the source of this attack, only to spot a man holding a spear rapidly approaching him.
The Feudal Lord was beside himself in shock.
[Human!]
[A Human has actually come to attack this place!?]
[I’m not his match!]
Although he didn’t know why a Human was attacking, and alone at that, he could feel just how powerful this person was and instantly knew he was not the other’s opponent.
The Feudal Lord was a little perplexed at the same time. The other party was clearly radiating the aura of a Seventh-Order Master, but he found the momentum of this Human even more threatening than some Eighth-Order Masters he had seen from afar.
After having realized this, the Feudal Lord simply did not dare to remain any longer. But just as he was about to turn around and flee, the space around him froze for a moment.
This one moment was the difference between life and death.
The Azure Dragon Spear lightly brushed past the Feudal Lord’s head, like a light breeze of wind, but that was enough for the Feudal Lord’s head to explode, sending a fountain of black blood spurting from his neck as his headless corpse twitching in place.
Yang Kai’s figure skimmed past the Feudal Lord as he timely picked up his Space Ring while he was at it. The next moment, he was already millions of kilometres away using Instantaneous Movement.
One Black Ink Nest, two Black Ink Nests, three Black Ink Nests…
Wherever Yang Kai passed, all the Low-Rank Black Ink Nests would explode into pieces, and all the Black Ink Clansmen guarding them, whether they were Feudal Lords or High-Rank Clansmen, would die on the spot. All of them were powerless to resist.
The Black Ink Clan’s defence line was massive, so there was quite a huge distance between each Black Ink Nest, but this distance was nothing for Yang Kai thanks to his Mastery of the Dao of Space.
He was able to destroy three or four Black Ink Nests an hour.
No one could match this speed, even an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could not do this. An Eighth-Order Master might be able to eliminate all these Black Ink Clansmen with one move, but in terms of speed, Yang Kai had the distinct edge.
Moreover, Yang Kai’s tremendous combat strength which made him invincible in the same Realm allowed him to exert power nearly on par with an Eight-Order Masters. Ergo, killing these Black Ink Clansmen was as easy as flipping his hand.
This was his greatest advantage.
The Black Ink Nests in the outermost ring of the Black Ink Clan’s defence line were destroyed one after another and not a single Black Ink Clansman at these nests was spared. Nearly 500 Black Ink Nests disappeared in just a short span of half a day.
Almost 10% of these Black Ink Nests had been destroyed by Yang Kai alone, whereas the remaining 90% were taken out by the 200 Squads.
In other words, Yang Kai had eliminated nearly 50 Black Ink Nests in just half a day, while the 200 Squads only managed to destroy two or three Black Ink Nests each on average.
It wasn’t that these Squads were weak. With two Squads working together, each team basically had four or five Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. The Low-Rank Black Ink Nests and their guards were basically powerless against such a force, but the Human Squads wasted most of their time travelling between targets.
After another half a day, the tally had further increased.
The sudden disappearance of so many Black Ink Nests in just one day had not gone unnoticed by the Black Ink Clan.
Great Evolution Pass had yet to be exposed. Even if some passing Black Ink Clansmen noticed Great Evolution Pass, they were quickly silenced by the Eighth-Order Division Commanders guarding it before they could sound the alarm.
However, the mass culling of Low-Rank Black Ink Nests and the deaths of so many Feudal Lords was more than enough to alert the Black Ink Clan.
The Black Ink Clan wasn’t stupid. There must be some reason for so many Black Ink Nests to suddenly lose contact with the Royal City, with an enemy attack being the most likely case.
The Royal City thus issued a series of orders, dispatching teams led by Feudal Lords to investigate the situation.
In the blink of an eye, the Royal City began preparing for battle as a murderous atmosphere filled the air.
Yang Kai had already lost count of how many Black Ink Nests he had destroyed, but he was having the time of his life; he could slaughter members of the Black Ink Clan to his heart’s content without any worries. Thanks to Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s constant harassment, the Territory Lords were too afraid to leave the Royal City unless absolutely necessary. As such, all the Black Ink Nests only had Feudal Lords overseeing them, which was no different from fish on the chopping block for Yang Kai. No one could resist his Azure Dragon Spear.
Not only was Yang Kai on a killing spree, but even the other Squad was swiftly eliminating all the enemies they could find, especially the three Special Operations Squads who left a trail of corpses and blood everywhere they passed by. No Black Ink Nest’s forces could withstand the rampage of these three elite Squads.
At some point, when Yang Kai was heading to another Black Ink Nest, he suddenly caught sight of something strange; a massive Black Ink Nest rapidly flying towards the Royal City. The Black Ink Nest was tightly guarded by dozens of Black Ink Clansmen, who were vigilantly escorting it.
Yang Kai immediately understood that the existence of Great Evolution Pass must have finally been exposed, and so had the destruction of the Black Ink Nests at the hands of Human attackers.
Otherwise, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t have acted in such a manner.
The Royal City’s side should have ordered the Black Ink Clansmen in the outermost ring of the defence line to return and defend.
The Feudal Lords could not bear to part with their Black Ink Nests, so even if they were retreating, they tried to bring their Black Ink Nests along, but this inevitably slowed them down.
In the end, this group of Black Ink Clansmen was unable to escape. Yang Kai chased after them and started another slaughter, which lasted no more than a dozen breaths. When he left, everything was destroyed, even the Black Ink Nest.
After coming across this situation, Yang Kai stopped moving around the periphery and instead started advancing towards the inner circle.
From this moment on, the mission of the 200 Human Squads switched from ambush to pursuit!
Three days later, Yang Kai had no idea where his pursuit led him, nor how many Black Ink Clansmen he had killed. Since the start of his assault, his pace had never halted.
But because the Black Ink Clan had started returning to defend the Royal City and were no longer staying in place, his efficiency had greatly decreased.
Yang Kai needed to find traces of the Black Ink Clan in the vast void.
Fortunately, most of the Feudal Lords couldn’t bear to part with their Black Ink Nests, so even if they were returning to the Royal City, they were bringing their Black Ink Nests with them. And this made them an easy target. He could clearly spot them using his Demon Eye of Annihilation, no matter the great distance between him and them as Black Ink Nests were simply too massive to hide.
Another Black Ink Nest was destroyed by Yang Kai, along with dozens of Black Ink Clansmen. The two Feudal Lords were unable to believe that they couldn’t even withstand a single attack from a Seventh-Order Human Master.
The shattered pieces of the Black Ink Nest flew everywhere.
Just as Yang Kai was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eyes and focused his gaze towards it.
The next moment, his expression changed as he instantly moved towards it and stopped before a door-sized object which did not seem to be crafted from some kind of sturdy metal.
After staring at it for a moment, Yang Kai reached out and picked it up.
After studying it for a moment, his face turned dark and gloomy.
Although he had expected this, when he saw this object, Yang Kai was certain that the Snow Wolves Squad… was no more!
The object in his hand was a material used by the Humans to refine Warships. Specifically, this was an alloy of ores that was sturdy and a good conductor of World Force, which made it extremely suitable for refining the hull of a Warship.
Since he found it here, it meant that a Human Warship was destroyed in this place. This was a part of its wreckage.
Other than the Snow Wolves Squad’s Warship, no other Human Warship could have arrived at this location before now.
Since he had found the wreckage here, what had happened to the Snow Wolves Squad was quite clear.
Combined with the message Yao Kang Cheng had sent him that day, Yang Kai could not help but be shaken up.
Did they really encounter the Royal Lord?
But Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was certain that the Royal Lord had not recovered yet.
This place was still some 10 days’ journey from the Royal City and could be considered the middle part of the Black Ink Clan’s defence line, so how could the Snow Wolves encounter the Royal Lord here?
If the Royal Lord was heavily injured as Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao said, then he would never appear here.
But if the Snow Wolves hadn’t run into the Royal Lord, how could they have been so powerless that even their Warship was instantly destroyed?
It had to be known that as a Special Operations Squad, the Snow Wolves also had a custom Warship which was vastly superior to ordinary Squad-Grade Warships. The Snow Wolves had spent countless Military Merits on their own Warship, requesting the Artifact Refining Great Grandmasters at the Pass to modify and enhance it. With such a Warship and their own strength, even if the Snow Wolves Squad ran into a lone Territory Lord, they would still have been able to retreat without too much trouble.
However, Yao Kang Cheng only had enough time to hurriedly send a brief message before falling silent.