“There has never been a precedent, but after today there will be many,” Yang Kai grinned meaningfully.
Zhu Jian couldn’t help but laugh, “Given your tiny figure, you have quite a big mouth. How would you be able to make this majestic Zhu Jian recognise you as my Master? Instead, I will give you some opportunity if you submit to me.”
The Divine Spirits of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and their chosen Bearer had a mutually beneficial relationship. These chosen Human cultivators could often benefit from the Divine Spirit and quickly get stronger.
Gu Pan, Qu Hua Shang, Ning Dao Ran, and other powerful youths from that time were all the same.
The Divine Spirits also wished for these Bearers to be as strong as possible because they would be taking part in the Spirit Seizing War. Only when their Bearer was powerful would they be able to seize the opportunity to leave this cage.
Zhu Jian wasn’t lying when he stated he would give Yang Kai opportunities as he actually planned to do so. The notion was, of course, that Yang Kai must pass some of his assessments. Zhu Jian would not want to waste his time if this Human was mediocre.
Saying so, Zhu Jian raised a hoof and pressed it down at Yang Kai. Though his movements weren’t particularly fast, the pressure of a Divine Spirit became stronger with every metre it descended.
Zhu Jian could almost foresee the sight of the Human trembling under his majestic self.
He had done this many times before, and each time, those Humans would submit and become well-behaved.
However, this time was destined to be an exception…
Yang Kai simply lifted his hand and stopped Zhu Jian’s hoof dead in its tracks. The sight was akin to an ant lifting its limb and holding up an elephant’s foot.
“I’m short on time, so let’s stop the nonsense and get right to the point.”
Just as the voice of the Human sounded in Zhu Jian’s ears, he immediately found himself lifted before being slammed down onto the floor.
There was a huge explosion as it seemed like the entire Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary shook. The mountain valley cracked, with spider web-like fissures spreading out from a massive depression that had just been opened up at its centre. From inside the crater, Zhu Jian’s figure could be vaguely seen through the dust and debris.
Zhu Jian was so flabbergasted he didn’t even get angry from being smashed to the ground.
In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Zhu Jian could unleash strength equivalent to a Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, which while powerful, was a huge gap from his true strength. Still, how could Yang Kai toy with him like this when all Humans who arrived here were no stronger than Emperor Realm Masters?
*Hong Hong Hong…*
More bangs and explosions sounded one after another as in a flash, Zhu Jian’s rising wrath transformed into terror. He became dizzy as a result of being repeatedly thrown around and smashed into the ground. He had never before, since his birth, come across a situation that made him feel this helpless.
Only after 100 times did Yang Kai release him. Zhu Jian lay limp on the ground, twitching all over as if all the bones in his body had been dislocated, his eyes filled with fear and uncertainty.
“Acknowledge me as your Master, and I will take you out,” repeated Yang Kai as he stood on the bridge of Zhu Jian’s nose and stared straight into his eyes.
As if just waking from this nightmare, Zhu Jian roared in fright, “You’re not suppressed by the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary!?”
Yang Kai’s might was clearly not that of the Emperor Realm, but of the Open Heaven Realm! Despite never having witnessed the true strength of a Human Open Heaven Realm Master, Zhu Jian could instantly identify that the Human in front of him was someone in the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm.
“Stop talking nonsense and recognise me as your Master already,” Yang Kai urged impatiently.
There were a lot of Divine Spirits in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so he didn’t want to waste time convincing each one of them, he only wanted to dispatch these Divine Spirits to the battlefield as swiftly as possible so that they could be of some use against the Black Ink Clan.
Despite how humiliated Zhu Jian felt, a Divine Spirit’s pride was not something that could be dampened so easily. As for submitting to an ‘inferior’, that was impossible; thus, he roared, “In your dreams! This Zhu Jian will not submit so easily!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly, then complimented him, “Seems your backbone is quite sturdy.”
Immediately, Yang Kai lifted his hand, and the 3,000-metre-tall Zhu Jian floated up into the air. Zhu Jian frantically struggled, but it was of no use as there seemed to be an invisible set of shackles which kept him in place.
The next moment, Yang Kai raised a flame from his free hand, within which a three-legged exotic bird cawed.
Throwing the Golden Crow’s True Fire in his hand towards Zhu Jian, it soon exploded and burned furiously, enveloping the whole beast.
Then, Yang Kai took out a massive knife from somewhere as he swept his gaze back and forth across Zhu Jian’s juicy, meaty body.
By now, Zhu Jian was panicking. The Golden Crow’s True Fire made him suffer excruciating pain, but that was still barely bearable; after all, he was a mature Divine Spirit whose power was just being suppressed by the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. It was an imposed weakness, which did not affect how intrepid his body was.
Though the Golden Crow’s True Fire was indeed impressive, flames of this intensity could not burn him to death.
However, looking at the giant knife, and seeing Yang Kai’s behaviour, it was obvious that he was going to grill him up and eat him.
“What are you doing?!” Zhu Jian shouted in panic.
Yang Kai took out an equally giant honing steel from who knows where and grinned menacingly as he said, “I’ve been told about the taste of a certain powerful Black Ox whose flavour was supposed to be quite exquisite. I’ve always wanted to try such meat, but in the end, l wasn’t able to get my hands on some. You look quite similar to that Black Ox, which should be able to fulfil my wish. What’s more, a Divine Spirit should be more appetising than an ordinary Black Ox.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Zhu Jian roared angrily.
“I wouldn’t?” With a snort, Yang Kai approached Zhu Jian with the now gleaming knife in hand, eying Zhu Jian’s rib-roast section, lifting his blade as if preparing to slice off a piece.
When Zhu Jian saw this Human was being serious, he couldn’t bear it anymore so he hurriedly cried out, “Wait, wait, wait! We can talk this out!”
Yang Kai’s knife rested on his flank as he said, “If you want to say something, speak quickly before it’s too late.”
Zhu Jian was agitated, “I’ll leave you with all I’ve collected during my life. I own many treasures that are very helpful for Humans to cultivate with.”
Yang Kai sneered, “Your ‘treasures’ are all useless to me.”
Zhu Jian tried again, “Then I will give you some of my Source Strength. With it, you will have the opportunity to comprehend the Innate Divine Ability of my Clan!”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai frowned and asked, “What is the Bloodline Talent of your Clan?”
He was oblivious to it previously, but during his trip to the No-Return Pass to cultivate, he had come to understand that every Divine Spirit Clan had their own Bloodline Talent which would awaken once they matured thanks to their Bloodline Inheritance.
For example, the Dragon Clan’s Bloodline Talent was the Dao of Time while the Phoenix Clan’s was the Dao of Space.
Since he didn’t interact with other Divine Spirits much, Yang Kai didn’t know much about them.
Seeing that his interest was piqued, Zhu Jian immediately continued, “The Bloodline Talent of my Clan is one of strength! If you comprehend this Innate Divine Ability, your physical strength will be boundless!”
“Garbage!” Yang Kai immediately lost all interest. When it came to raw physical strength, none exceeded the Dragon Clan! It was a purely useless Bloodline Talent for Yang Kai.
Zhu Jian felt like breaking down. How could he have offered some of his Source Strength if he hadn’t been forced into a dead end? The loss of even a bit of his Source Strength would have a significant detrimental effect on him.
Yet, such huge sacrifices were dismissed as ‘garbage’ by this Human.
“If you have anything else for me in exchange for your life, speak up. Or else, I will start my meal,” Yang Kai threatened.
Zhu Jian sighed, appearing to accept his fate, “What more do I have when you don’t even seem pleased by my Source Strength? Forget it. This is my fate. Please start.”
“Even if you die, you still won’t recognise me as your Master?” Yang Kai questioned.
Zhu Jian was greatly humiliated; even so, his words oozed contempt as he spoke, “Trivial Human, it will bring shame to all Divine Spirits for this Zhu Jian to submit to you! Instead, death will be a relief for me as I will finally be able to escape this prison.”
“What if I wasn’t a Human?” Yang Kai asked. Zhu Jian’s heart tightened as he saw Yang Kai step onto his nose once again and gave him a stern look.
When those words came out, even though Yang Kai’s figure remained the same, the phantom image of a Dragon Head appeared behind him and intense Dragon Pressure erupted forth.
“You’re from the Dragon Clan!?” Zhu Jian asked in shock.
As a Divine Spirit, Zhu Jian could naturally feel the extremely pure Dragon Pressure that washed over him in that instant, something that only a True Dragon could possess. Under this Dragon Pressure, even a Divine Spirit like him couldn’t help but feel inferior.
The Dragon Head disappeared as Yang Kai nodded and declared, “Indeed, I am from the Dragon Clan!”
“Why didn’t you expose your true identity first if you are from the Dragon Clan?” Zhu Jian almost wept. Still, the next moment he attempted to sound intimidating by declaring, “Even if you are a True Dragon, I won’t recognise you as my Master!”
The way he spoke, nonetheless, was not nearly as forceful as it had been before. Clearly, Yang Kai’s revelation of his identity caused Zhu Jian to reconsider his decision.
Of course, Yang Kai, on the other hand, knew what he was thinking; thus, he tempted him again, “I can bring you out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary!”
Zhu Jian looked at him for a while, then shook his head and said, “Impossible, all Divine Spirits that have entered the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary will never have a chance to leave unless they win that fleeting opportunity. This applies to those in the Dragon Clan as well.”
Yang Kai only replied nonchalantly at this statement, “If I say I can do it, I can do it. Just because all of you can’t leave doesn’t mean that I can’t.”
For a brief while, Zhu Jian pondered before asking, “Do you dare to swear upon your Bloodline?”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “Why would I not?”
At this point, Zhu Jian no longer had any doubts. To any Divine Spirit, an oath sworn on one’s Source was binding, while one sworn on their Bloodline was of even greater significance. Violating a Bloodline Oath would result in a Bloodline backlash. In light cases, their Bloodline would forever be destroyed, whereas in the worst case, they would lose their life. Worse yet, a Bloodline Oath concerned not just an individual, but an entire Clan, meaning it was a matter of honour to one’s whole Race and would be enforced with a corresponding level of intensity.
This was one of the most ancient Oaths in existence.
“How are you going to get out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary?” Zhu Jian inquired while frowning.
Yang Kai shook his head, “Of course, I have my own means. You don’t need to ask.”
“Even if you are from the Dragon Clan, I can’t possibly acknowledge you as my Master. Even so, I can swear loyalty to you,” Zhu Jian stated after giving it some thought.
[What’s the difference?] Yang Kai thought; however, seeing how Zhu Jian would rather die than agree to his original request, proved how the Divine Spirits indeed exhibited unyielding pride and arrogance.
This level of conviction was unbreakable, even in the face of death.
“That works too,” Yang Kai nodded, not actually intending to enslave the Divine Spirits here, just to bring them out to fight against the Black Ink Clan. Recognising him as a Master was for nothing but to give it an easy title to understand.
When Zhu Jian cautiously turned to look at Yang Kai, he added, “This type of loyalty needs to be limited to 100 yea…”
It was clear from what he observed that Yang Kai was not someone who could not be reasoned with; thus, he intended to negotiate and gain some advantages for himself.
“3,000 years! You will swear loyalty to me for 3,000 years and I will swear to release you when that time is up,” Yang Kai cut him off and firmly declared.
Zhu Jian seemed to be unwilling. Even for a Divine Spirit like him, 3,000 years was a long time, but before he could even speak, Yang Kai interjected, “There’s no need for any further discussion if you can’t even guarantee 3,000 years.”
When Zhu Jian saw there was no space for negotiation, he sighed dejectedly and said, “Good, 3,000 years.”
It was only then that Yang Kai put him down and retrieved the Golden Crow’s True Fire. This was followed by both sides swearing Oaths upon their Bloodlines. In that Oath, Zhu Jian swore loyalty to Yang Kai for 3,000 years after Yang Kai brought him out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
“Lead me to the other Divine Spirits,” Yang Kai ordered.
Zhu Jian understood instantly that this Human did not only intend to subjugate him but all the other Divine Spirits in the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary as well. No one could escape from him.
However, this matter was not necessarily a bad thing for the Divine Spirits of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. They had always wanted to escape from here, so now that there was such an opportunity, nobody would be willing to pass it up.
Understanding this, Zhu Jian stopped being long-winded and immediately led Yang Kai to the closest Divine Spirit.
After an hour, in front of a cave, Yang Kai waited patiently for Zhu Jian to discuss with the Divine Spirit inside. Sometime later, a three-headed, 3,000-metre-long snake emerged from the caves and looked down at Yang Kai while keeping his head high up.
At a glance, Yang Kai recognized that this was Fei Yi, who had Qu Hua Shang as his Bearer.
The middle head of Fei Yi’s three heads asked, “You are able to take me out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary?”
Yang Kai nodded, “I dare not go against my Bloodline Oath.”
Fei Yi nodded, “If that’s the case, I can work under you for 3,000 years.”
Yang Kai was spared a great deal of hassle thanks to Zhu Jian’s mediation. The two parties once more swore an Oath, just like Yang Kai did with Zhu Jian.
For the next half a month, Yang Kai wandered around the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and met one Divine Spirit after another. The subdued Divine Spirits helped convince the new ones, making things simpler.
As Zhu Jian was the first to surrender to Yang Kai, he played a vital role in the subsequent subjugation process, so he also subconsciously took on the role of leader.
When Yang Kai returned to the Old Tree again, there were over 100 Divine Spirits of various shapes and sizes following him. These Divine Spirits had a wide range of strength, but the one undeniable fact was that all of them were at least on par with Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
The 100 or so formed quite a strong force.
On the other hand, Wu Kuang remained immobile and stuck in place. He was so furious after seeing Yang Kai’s return that his nose puffed smoke. If he were able to speak, he would have cursed Yang Kai to death.
In front of the World Tree, Yang Kai bowed, “Old Tree, I want to send them to the Star Boundary through you.”
On the trunk of the World Tree, Old Tree’s face emerged, “Help yourself.”
Yang Kai nodded and connected to the World Fruit on the World Tree that corresponded to the Star Boundary. Then, he manipulated Space Principles which prompted a Void Corridor to appear in the next instant.
He turned to look at the numerous Divine Spirits following behind and declared, “You can enter the 3,000 Worlds from here. Now that the 3,000 Worlds are at war, we need you to help us in our fight against our enemies. Go to the Star Boundary’s High Heaven Palace and search for a woman named Hua Qing Si. Tell her that I sent all of you as reinforcements. Remember, you must obey her commands when I am not around. If you dare to commit crimes or disobey her orders, I have plenty of ways to make you suffer.”
Many Divine Spirits felt the foreign aura coming from the portal, making them thrilled. Despite Yang Kai’s repeated assurances that he would lead them out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, it wasn’t until they saw his ability in action that they were able to completely trust him.
After going through this portal, they could finally escape the restrictions of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and restore their power as true Divine Spirits.
Zhu Jian cupped his fist and said, “Sir may rest assured, since we have established a Bloodline Oath, we dare not violate it.”
“En. Go.” Yang Kai responded with a nod and a wave.
The first to rush towards the portal was Zhu Jian, who was soon followed by several more Divine Spirits. They all shrunk their figures to travel through the portal, disappearing one after another.
It was only after all of the 100 or so Divine Spirits crossed the portal that Yang Kai shut it.
There would certainly be a disturbance with the arrival of 100 plus Divine Spirits at the Star Boundary, but that was not Yang Kai’s concern now.
Grabbing Wu Kuang, Yang Kai addressed the World Tree, “Old Tree, I need to go to Black Territory. May I ask you for guidance?”
Each fruit on the World Tree represented a Universe World which still had its Grand Dao intact. These Universe Worlds were scattered throughout the Great Territories, but there were none in Black Territory.
This was because the entire Black Territory was a Dead Territory, with no Universe Worlds remaining.
Yang Kai couldn’t enter the Black Ink Battlefield or Black Territory directly, so the next best option was to travel to the Great Territory adjacent to Black Territory and enter from there.
Yang Kai could only consult the Old Tree, because he was unsure which World Fruit corresponded to the relevant Universe World closest to Black Territory. Given that the World Fruits were grown on the World Tree, it would know better than anyone which World Fruit corresponded to which Universe World.
After hearing what Yang Kai had said, the Old Tree said nothing, but one of its fruits immediately lit up.
Yang Kai understood what this meant. As he looked up, he saw a black, almost-withered fruit emanating Black Ink Strength from within. Such fruits were not uncommon and represented Universe Worlds that had been corroded by the Black Ink Clan, quickly losing their World Force and Grand Dao.
This was not the worst-case scenario, but it also wasn’t a good situation. After a few years, the sickly fruits would ultimately become completely black, and in the end, they would eventually wither and fall off.
“Take care, Old Tree!” Yang Kai offered his thanks and headed towards the World Fruit while carrying Wu Kuang.
The small World Fruit got bigger in front of their eyes, and transformed into a Universe World.
When Yang Kai and Wu Kuang recovered, they had already arrived on the outskirts of the Universe World. Looking from afar, a Black Ink Nest was ravenously absorbing the remnants of its World Force. Furthermore, dense Black Ink Strength enveloped this whole Universe World.
Yang Kai sighed even though he had encountered numerous situations like this throughout the years.
This Universe World was on the brink of falling. There was no longer a need to refine a Universe World that was filled with Black Ink Strength like this one.
All the living beings here had already been transformed into Black Ink Disciples, becoming servants of the Black Ink Clan.
Of course, Yang Kai could destroy the entire Universe World, but that meant killing all the transformed Black Ink Disciples as well.
There were hundreds of millions of them, so how could Yang Kai be merciless enough to slaughter them?
At this moment, Wu Kuang finally managed to break free from Yang Kai’s grasp and erupted into a fit of rage, roaring, “You Brat! I will remember this and never let you off!”
But, with a single sentence, Yang Kai tamed his enormous rage.
“I’ll give you a World Tree clone.”
Wu Kuang was momentarily stunned, his anger fizzling out as he asked in disbelief, “Really?”
Yang Kai had obtained three clones from the World Tree. Though Wu Kuang desperately wanted one, he knew Yang Kai wouldn’t be willing to give it to him; if it wasn’t because he was weaker than Yang Kai, he would have already snatched one away.
Unexpectedly, Yang Kai offered a clone to him willingly, which made him both shocked and delighted.
If he were given this clone, which would stabilize and fortify his Small Universe, Wu Kuang would not need to worry about signs of his Small Universe being unstable due to any sudden increase in strength. He could also maximize the effects of his Heaven Devouring Battle Law with no need to worry about any kind of side effects in the future.
Yang Kai then replied, “But, you’ll have to follow me somewhere.”
Wu Kuang became alert at once, “Where?”
“Don’t ask so much. You’ll know when we arrive.” Saying so, Yang Kai simply took out a World Tree clone and threw it to Wu Kuang.
Wu Kuang quickly accepted it and made sure that it was real before becoming overjoyed. As soon as he put it in his Small Universe, he felt that his aura grew somewhat denser.
He could feel that his Small Universe started getting perfected after he had placed the World Tree clone inside, and in time, Wu Kunag was confident there would be even more benefits as the World Tree clone grew.
He also learned about the mystery of the World Tree clone from the World Tree, like how it absorbed the power of other Universes Worlds. With this World Tree clone, he would be able to save many years of cultivation and ascend to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm in no time.
Unlike other cultivators, Wu Kuang was not bound by the restrictions of the Open Heaven Realm. Nobody knew how or why, but after acquiring the body of Great Demon God Mo Sheng, he directly ascended to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Logically speaking, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm should be his limit.
Wu Kuang was currently in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm already, but despite that, he felt that his Martial Dao had not reached its peak. He could still ascend to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm or even the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Over the years, Wu Kuang had thought about this matter a lot, and in the end, he concluded that the Heaven Devouring Battle Law he created was so exceptional, that it broke the innate restrictions of the Open Heaven Realm.
On the other hand, it was unfortunate that the Heaven Devouring Battle Law could only be safely cultivated by him. If it was someone else, he or she would first notice rapid advancement during the early stages of cultivation, but as they continued to cultivate, the backlash would grow. Furthermore, there was only one solution to this, the Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus. However, there was only one such lotus in existence.
Having obtained a World Tree clone, Wu Kuang squinted at Yang Kai, “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll run away?”
To which Yang Kai returned a sneer, “You can try!”
Wu Kuang’s expression instantly darkened. Although he was in the Seventh Order, Yang Kai was already in the Eighth Order. On top of that, this man was proficient in the Dao of Space. In the face of someone superior in both cultivation and speed, Wu Kuang had no confidence he would be able to escape under his watch.
He immediately surrendered, “Gifts blind the eyes. Now that I received a World Tree clone from you, I shall follow you wherever you go.”
Yang Kai gave him a long, thoughtful look, [How carefree of you to say that. I hope you won’t regret this in the future.]
Although Yang Kai had no intention to destroy the Universe World in front of them, he did not intend to leave the Black Ink Nest in this Universe World alone. As he extended his palm and slammed it down, the few thousand metres tall Black Ink Nest was crushed into dust. This caused the Black Ink Clansmen in the Universe World to panic, wondering which Human Race Master had come.
Universe Worlds were beginning to fall, all of them with Black Ink Nests planted on them. The dense Black Ink Strength permeated throughout the Universe Worlds, transforming countless living beings into Black Ink Disciples.
As Yang Kai and Wu Kuang travelled, what they witnessed and heard shocked them.
Yang Kai would not hesitate to eliminate any targets that could be rapidly removed along the way, but he was not focused on removing those Black Ink Nests.
His current task was more pressing.
After a few days, the two came across a Universe World that had a Black Ink Nest on it. One could tell that it hadn’t been here for long by the sparse Black Ink Strength and by how much of the World Force remained.
Yang Kai examined it and asked, “Now that you also have a World Tree clone to stabilize and protect your Small Universe, do you want to keep some living beings inside? If there are living beings living and breeding in your Small Universe, it can greatly help you with your cultivation.”
Of course, Wu Kuang desired it. The Small Universe of a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master had already evolved from immaterial to material, capable of hosting living beings in it; however, owing to how often one would engage in battles, and how detrimental that would be to a Small Universe, few High-Rank Masters would ever raise living beings in their body. With a World Tree clone or one of the Four Universe Pillars to stabilize their Small Universe though, such an option became viable.
The safety of the living beings within Wu Kuang’s Small Universe could only be ensured if it remained unaffected by external shocks.
Wu Kuang already wanted to house some living beings when Yang Kai first handed him the World Tree clone, it was just that he was short on time and had no source of such beings.
Once Yang Kai asked though, he understood what Yang Kai meant and thought that this Brat was quite a good friend for bringing him to a Universe World like this one.
Immediately, he nodded and said, “I’ll go in and look around!”
Saying so, he rushed towards the Universe World.
If Yang Kai and Wu Kuang chose to ignore this Universe World, the living beings within it would all transform into Black Ink Disciples after a few years. This Universe World’s World Force would be completely gone and it would break apart and die soon enough as well.
In this vast Universe, there were countless Universe Worlds like this one.
When Wu Kuang entered the Universe World, he recklessly took in all the living beings he could find. Yang Kai was able to see clearly how Wu Kuang immediately incorporated all of the busy, packed cities of living beings into his Small Universe.
Even the Black Ink Nest and the Black Ink Clan that were plundering this Universe World were not spared.
Wu Kuang’s Heaven Devouring Battle Law could consume everything and anything, so while it might be difficult to take in and resolve Black Ink Strength for others, to Wu Kuang, it was just another method to enrich his heritage.
In less than 10 days, there were no more living beings in this Universe World, they had all been taken into Wu Kuang’s Small Universe.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel surprised. Even though this Universe World was fairly small, and it had recently been attacked by the Black Ink Clan, there were still a billion living beings inside. Being able to take in all those people as a mere Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master demonstrated that Wu Kuang’s Small Universe was far from average.
When Wu Kuang returned happily, Yang Kai purged all the Black Ink Strength from this Universe World and began to refine it.
This confused Wu Kuang, “There are no longer living beings in this Universe World and its World Force is also close to being completely depleted. It can’t be saved, so why bother?”
“I have my reasons,” Yang Kai replied.
Without wanting to bother him, Wu Kuang simply sat cross-legged beside him and began to sort the living beings in his Small Universe. Now that he had collected over a billion of them, he had to properly settle them in and provide what they needed to survive otherwise it would be a waste to have taken them in.
Thus, they both worked in silence.
Two days later, Yang Kai refined the Universe World into a World Bead. The only difference from the others that he previously refined was that this one was empty and devoid of any living beings and had barely any vitality.
After informing Wu Kuang, they continued travelling.
Through this adjacent Great Territory, Yang Kai led Wu Kuang into Black Territory.
As expected, there was no trace of the Black Ink Clan here. This Great Territory simply contained an empty void, so the Black Ink Clan would certainly not be interested in it.
The two arrived at the centre of Black Territory after a few days where the Void Corridor connecting to the Black Ink Battlefield was located.
Previously, Yang Kai used this Void Corridor to return to the 3,000 Worlds from the Black Ink Battlefield. He never imagined that a few years later, he would have to return to the Black Ink Battlefield from here. He felt as if fate was playing with him.
After pondering for a while, Yang Kai turned his head and looked at Wu Kuang, “Do you mind entering my Small Universe?”
Since he was in the Eighth Order and Wu Kuang was in the Seventh Order, it would not be a problem for Yang Kai to keep the latter in the Small Universe as doing so would be more convenient for the next leg of their journey. After all, travelling through the Void Corridor involved many dangers. If Wu Kuang needed to be taken care of on top of that, it would be more burdensome for him.
Wu Kuang frowned, “Why?”
Under normal circumstances, cultivators of higher Orders would not allow strangers into their Small Universe unless they had complete faith in one another because if the detained person caused disturbances in their Small Universe, it was very likely that they would also go through serious issues.
Those of lower Order were also apprehensive about entering another’s Small Universe as doing so basically gave the other party control over their life.
Even though he knew that Yang Kai would not harm him, Wu Kuang couldn’t help but ask.
After Yang Kai explained the reason, Wu Kuang nodded, “Why should I be afraid if you’re not.”
“Come on then,” Yang Kai opened up his Small Universe, and Wu Kuang plunged into it without hesitation.
Without Wu Kuang to burden him, Yang Kai manipulated Space Principles and reopened the Void Corridor that he previously shut, flashing into it.
As he travelled forward, Yang Kai closed the path behind him.
This Void Corridor was an unknown route leading to the Black Ink Battlefield, so Yang Kai definitely did not want it to be revealed so easily, as it might come in handy one day.
After some time, Yang Kai eventually made his way through the Void Corridor and returned to the Black Ink Battlefield once again. He then released Wu Kuang from his Small Universe as soon as possible and gave him a stern look, “Bastard! How shameless can you be!?”
Yang Kai’s rage was, however, understandable considering that Wu Kuang, activated his Heaven Devouring Battle Law while being in his Small Universe and devoured some of his heritage while they were travelling through the Void Corridor.
This was simply unacceptable!
Though Yang Kai quickly overpowered and sealed him, Wu Kuang still got a taste.
Faced with Yang Kai’s scolding, Wu Kuang simply chuckled and asked, “Where are we going now?”
Yang Kai only glared at him in response, [Indeed, old ginger is spicier. Shamelessness has already seeped into his bones. If it wasn’t for his value, I would definitely beat him up without mercy.]
Originally, he had intended for Wu Kuang to stay in his Small Universe indefinitely, making it easier for him to travel; however, as a result of what just happened, Yang Kai was no longer confident about keeping this menace.
Luckily, Wu Kuang hadn’t consumed much of his heritage or he wouldn’t have let him off that easily.
After calming his frustration for a time, Yang Kai grumbled, “Come with me.”
The pair travelled in silence.
Only a few days later, Wu Kuang suddenly realised, “This is the Black Ink Battlefield?”
Despite never having been to the Black Ink Battlefield, he knew a little about it because he used to be a member of the Great Evolution Army in the Barren Territory. There, he hung out with Blood Crow, so he knew that the Human Race were defeated on the Black Ink Battlefield and were forced to retreat to the Barren Territory.
The void was pin-drop silent here, and the Universe Worlds they saw along the journey were all dead, some with traces of mining. Wu Kuang, who was not a fool, recognised this as the Black Ink Battlefield right away.
“En, this is the Black Ink Battlefield!” Yang Kai nodded.
Wu Kuang grew excited at once, “We’re taking the fight to the enemy?”
There was obviously something big waiting for them or Yang Kai wouldn’t bring him to the Black Ink Battlefield for no reason and even give him a World Tree clone as a token of his appreciation.
Wu Kuang believed that all Royal Lords were completely wiped out, and that the two Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods were restrained; thus, the strongest Black Ink Clansmen around were the Territory Lords.
As Wu Kuang had previously witnessed how strong Yang Kai was, effortlessly able to kill a Territory Lord, he misunderstood and thought Yang Kai had brought him here to raise chaos behind enemy lines.
This was precisely what he wanted. When Yang Kai killed the Territory Lord earlier, he didn’t dare to simply consume the remnant strength since his strength had advanced too quickly over recent years, and he needed to stabilize his cultivation.
But with a World Tree clone, Wu Kuang’s Small Universe had now been completely perfected, and he could even vividly perceive how his World Force was constantly being refined and purified by it. Now that his foundation would consolidate itself all on its own, the more strength he devoured, the better it would be.
Yang Kai glanced at him suddenly, nodded and said, “En, we’re going to solve the problem at its source!”
He didn’t want to explain himself, but secretly hoped that Wu Kuang would not despise him too much as what they were about to face might cost him his life!
The pair flew forward while Yang Kai left a trail of Space Beacons behind.
The placing of Space Beacons could save Yang Kai a lot of time when he returned.
Wu Kuang, who had originally been eagerly anticipating being able to have a sumptuous meal, eventually came to realise that something was wrong as the days passed. They hadn’t even come across a single Black Ink Clansman along the way, only the never-ending void.
After he asked Yang Kai multiple times, the latter simply said that the Black Ink Battlefield was too vast and that the Black Ink Clansmen were all assembled around the No-Return Pass right now; so, the two of them still had a long way to go.
Of course, Wu Kuang had no idea where the No-Return Pass was.
He only heard from others that the No-Return Pass was originally the only route connecting the 3,000 Worlds to the Black Ink Battlefield. Initially, it was guarded by the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan, but now the Pass had fallen into enemy hands.
Therefore, Wu Kuang could only follow Yang Kai obediently, despite the fact that he still had some doubts in his heart. He also dared not leave on his own since they had already gone far and this place was devoid of anything that could be used as a landmark for him to find his way back.
Anyone unfamiliar with Black Ink Battlefield would undoubtedly become lost in this never-ending void.
It took a few years, but the pair eventually reached the Late Ancient Era battlefield. Wu Kuang immediately realised the dangers of this place and soon after bore witness to the magnificence of the Celestial Phenomena, something that absolutely could not be witnessed in the 3,000 Worlds.
It took his breath away.
The Late Ancient Era Battlefield contained not only the remains of the Late Ancient Era, but also the remnants of the Human Race Army as they retreated from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction hundreds of years ago.
Yang Kai even spotted a lot of shattered Warship debris along the way!
When the Human Race Army was retreating from Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to the No-Return Pass, he was being chased by the sheep-headed Royal Lord, so he did not know how the Human Race Army was defeated while they were evacuating.
However, after viewing the remnants of the battle, he could imagine the valiant struggle of his allies at that time.
Years passed before the two finally crossed that Late Ancient Era battlefield.
Wu Kuang could no longer stand it, “Brat, what are you planning? We’ve been travelling for almost 10 years. Are you certain this is where the No-Return Pass is?”
Over the last 10 years, the World Tree clone in his Small Universe had grown significantly, and the living beings he had taken in had gradually settled in, but they had yet to encounter a single Black Ink Clansman, which made Wu Kuang lose patience.
When Yang Kai knew that lying was no longer an option, he said, “We’re not heading to the No-Return Pass.”
Wu Kuang exclaimed in rage, “You lied to me!?”
Yang Kai ignored him and continued, “From Chaos, Heaven and Earth first split apart and the first Primordial Light was born alongside the Primordial Darkness.”
Yang Kai began to speak of the many secrets he heard from Cang back then.
Since Wu Kuang had lived longer than him yet never heard about any of this before, he was quickly fascinated and set aside his anger.
The Divine Spirits of the Primordial Era, Monster Race of the Early Ancient Era, the Human Race of the Late Ancient Era…
The change of dominance of these Races represented the change of each era.
Though Yang Kai explained it nonchalantly, Wu Kuang felt as if he personally experienced the unfolding of the events during that time and finally understood the origins of Mo.
After Yang Kai finished speaking, Wu Kuang pondered for a long time and asked, “As you said, if we want to completely eradicate the Black Ink Clan, we need to find the Primordial Light?”
“Indeed.”
Wu Kuang frowned, “How do we find that thing?”
“I already have some clues, but you shouldn’t be concerned about this.”
[I’m too lazy to care anyways,] Wu Kuang thought.
“Wu Kuang, is the Heaven Devouring Battle Law really a Secret Art created by you?” Yang Kai questioned afterwards.
Wu Kuang snorted, “Of course it was created by this King. In this world, is there anyone else who can use this Secret Art?”
Yang Kai shook his head in response, “The Star Boundary is located in a remote corner of the 3,000 Worlds where the Martial Dao is still quite underdeveloped. No matter how gifted you are, without having been in contact with the outside world, how would you be able to create such a magnificent Secret Art like the Heaven Devouring Battle Law? Have you ever wondered why this Secret Art can assist you to quickly enhance your cultivation even up to this day?”
1,000 years ago, the strongest Masters in the Star Boundary were the Great Emperors. It would still be reasonable if the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was only useful up to that level, as it would still remain within the scope of what the Star Boundary’s Martial Dao allowed. However, this Secret Act was still helping Wu Kuang climb through the Open Heaven Realm, which should be impossible.
Wu Kuang frowned this time, but instead of speaking aggressively, he just asked, “What are you trying to say?”
“I don’t think you personally created this Secret Art. It may be regarded as your creation in a certain sense, but… it may not be created by you in this life!”
Wu Kuang was stunned and looked at Yang Kai with a menacing gleam in his eyes, but that was ignored by Yang Kai.
Only after a long time did Wu Kuang calm his thoughts; after all, Yang Kai revealed his biggest secret in one go, which utterly shocked him.
Then, Wu Kuang nodded, “Yes, the Heaven Devouring Battle Law may not have been created by me; however, when I was young, I frequently dreamed of some fragments of this Secret Art in my sleep, which is the foundation of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. If I cultivated according to it, my strength grew steadily, and the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was fully perfected once I became a Great Emperor!”
It was not as if Wu Kuang hadn’t given this matter any thought. He understood why he had dreams about the Secret Art and knew that with it, he could become a Great Emperor.
It was because, in his previous life, he was already one!
In the Shattered Star Sea, he killed multiple Great Emperors all on his own thanks to the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
Over the years, as his cultivation strengthened, Wu Kuang frequently saw visions that he had never experienced before and vaguely suspected that there was more to his origin than met the eye.
Wu Kuang had also come into contact with the theory of reincarnation, even suspecting that he was such a case, but he had no evidence either way.
It was just that he did not expect nor wish for all of this to be revealed by Yang Kai so suddenly.
“Is there something that made you aware of this?” Wu Kuang asked solemnly.
Yang Kai remained silent and just led him forward.
After a short pause, Wu Kuang stopped asking. He knew that Yang Kai would tell him when it was time. If he refused to say anything now, then it was not time yet.
Half a year passed before Yang Kai finally stopped and Wu Kuang hurriedly halted as well.
Just as he was going to ask, he felt something, looked up, and his pupils immediately shrank.
A massive void filled with Warship debris and innumerable dismembered Black Ink Clansmen could be seen in front of them.
Wu Kuang even caught a glimpse of a magnificent Great Pass that was seemingly ripped apart by some overwhelming force.
This was a grand battlefield!
Wu Kuang quickly came to his senses. This must be a recent battlefield as the Warships seemed familiar to Wu Kuang, like the ones the Humans used when he was fighting with the Great Evaluation Army in the Barren Territory.
“This is…” He turned to look at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai kept his silence before saying, “The battlefield outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. This is where the Human Race’s Crusade Force first arrived, and where we met our first defeat.”
Wu Kuang immediately understood as he had heard about the battle at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction too. He just did not expect that he had followed Yang Kai all the way here, travelling for 10 years straight.
Yang Kai then pointed forward, “Beyond this battlefield is the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, which is also the origin of the Black Ink Clan. There, the True Body of Mo is sealed.”
Wu Kuang experienced a startling surge of emotion.
The origin of the Black Ink Clan was already not a secret. The Royal Lords, Territory Lords, Feudal Lords, and even the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods were all created by Mo, showing how powerful Mo was.
“At the end of the Late Ancient Era, the 10 Martial Ancestors received enlightenment from the World Tree to comprehend the Open Heaven Realm. It was under the instructions of the Heavenly Way. Those 10 were well aware of the dangers Mo posed, and they worked extremely hard to set up this Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to seal it. Though they were able to seal Mo, they were unable to completely destroy it. After millions of years, guarding this place, they passed away, one after another, leaving only one in the end. When the Human Race Army arrived here, we met an individual who called himself Cang. It was also through him that the Human Race learned about the secrets of the past.
“Unfortunately, Cang also passed away during the battle here. Currently, this place is no longer guarded. Though Mo is still in a deep sleep thanks to the final trick left behind by another Master, no one knows when it will awaken. If no one stands guard over this place, no one will be able to stop it, and the 3,000 Worlds will be unable to resist.”
“Fortunately, before Cang passed away, he gave me something. And now… I will hand it over to you!”
Saying so, Yang Kai stretched out a finger towards Wu Kuang. Instinctively, Wu Kuang wanted to dodge, but that was impossible in the face of Yang Kai’s vastly superior strength. As Space Principles inundated, he was made immobile.
Wu Kuang could only watch helplessly as Yang Kai tapped a golden light onto his forehead with his fingertips.
In an instant, Wu Kuang trembled hard and his vision went blank.
“Shi, are you still not awake?” Yang Kai said in a deep voice.
Although his voice was soft, it rang like a bell in Wu Kuang’s head. Following the burst of the golden light that Yang Kai placed on him, memories of the past flooded Wu Kuang.
That golden light was actually a piece of Wu Kuang’s past life’s Soul, which had preserved all of his memories.
Back then, when Cang activated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law in front of him, Yang Kai immediately recognised it and hit the mark with a single comment.
Cang was equally as shocked; after all, an old friend of his created this Secret Art millions of years ago. However, Yang Kai was able to recognize the Heaven Devouring Battle Law at a glance, which revealed a lot to him.
After talking with Yang Kai, Cang learned that there was a man named Wu Kuang in this world who also cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law.
Since then, Cang concluded that Wu Kuang was the reincarnation of his friend, because the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was a Secret Act created by Shi.
For precisely these reasons, Cang offered Yang Kai the part of Shi’s Soul that the latter had left in his keeping.
Yang Kai wasn’t aware of what he had been given at the time; still, a Royal Lord pursued him all the way to the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon for it.
Over the years, Yang Kai had also come to understand the importance of the mission Cang had given to him before he passed away. Subsequently, he began to inquire about Wu Kuang when he was in the Shattered Heaven, hoping to find him.
In the end, by fate, Yang Kai met Wu Kuang in a random Great Territory, as ordained by Heaven’s Will.
Now that he had returned that Soul wisp, completing the mission entrusted to him by Cang, Yang Kai heaved a sigh of relief while turning to stare at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Though Wu Kuang was the reincarnation of that Martial Ancestor, he was not Shi himself.
Before Shi was about to pass away, he sent another piece of his Soul away, hoping to be reincarnated, in an effort to find a solution to destroy Mo after his death.
After so many years without any news, Cang thought Shi had failed.
Now that Wu Kuang was brought back by Yang Kai and given back the preserved bit of Shi’s Soul, Yang Kai wasn’t sure if Wu Kuang would do as Cang wished.
The Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction needed to be guarded; otherwise, once Mo woke up, it could not be held captive.
The best person to guard this place was none other than Wu Kuang.
Yang Kai secretly made up his mind that if Wu Kuang was unwilling, he would beat him until he was willing, after all, Wu Kuang was currently not his opponent. So, doing so would not be hard.
The Soul fragment exploded, and information about Shi filled Wu Kuang’s mind, causing his expression to continuously change.
Several days later, Wu Kuang regained consciousness and was plainly lost in thought.
Rather than the free and unfettered Heaven Devouring Great Emperor, he was now unexpectedly burdened with tremendous responsibility, which made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
After observing him in silence for some time, Yang Kai asked, “Do you now understand everything?”
Wu Kuang nodded.
Many questions in this life had now been answered, including how he was able to acquire the Heaven Devouring Battle Law in his dreams when he was a child, and why there were no restrictions when he broke through, even in the Open Heaven Realm. Although he only directly ascended to the Fifth Order, he felt that he had the potential to reach the Ninth Order. After he received that bit of Soul left by Shi, Wu Kuang now possessed vastly more knowledge than Yang Kai.
Now, Wu Kuang couldn’t even tell if he was the Heaven Devouring Great Emperor or Shi.
“Now that you understand, you should know the reason why I brought you here, so make a decision. Whether you stay here and guard this place for Cang, or leave this place and be free,” Yang Kai commented.
Wu Kuang glanced at the Azure Dragon Spear that Yang Kai was playing with and his brow twitched, “If I say no, are you going to stab me to death?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “How could I? Shi is Shi, and you are you. You are both separate individuals. Shi is one of the Martial Ancestors who guarded the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction every day with the world in mind. Even when he died, he did so for the Human Race. He is a true role model. You, on the other hand, are an infamous bandit. Your story is used as a lesson for misbehaving children in the Star Boundary. I can understand if you say you don’t want to stay. Considering that guarding this place is not a matter of a day or two but a matter of thousands or even tens of thousands of years! Not everyone can endure such solitude.”
Even as Yang Kai spoke such words though, the Azure Dragon Spear glinted an icy light.
Sneering, Wu Kuang said, “Stop speaking nonsense. It took you more than 10 years to bring me here. I’m afraid that if I say one wrong word, I’ll die on the spot.”
“You misunderstand me deeply,” Yang Kai stated firmly.
Yang Kai received a cold snort in response before Wu Kuang turned and glanced in the direction of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, “But, there is no need for you to threaten me. I will guard this place from now on!”
Yang Kai raised his brow, “This matter is not forced on you.”
Wu Kuang shook his head and said, “I’m not forced. If I did not want to, I would rather you kill me than stay. This is… my own choice.”
With a serious expression, Yang Kai retrieved the Azure Dragon Spear and lowered his head to Wu Kuang, “Senior is indeed kind and understanding. This Yang Kai would like to thank Senior on behalf of the 3,000 Worlds and Cang. If Mo can be destroyed in the future, much credit will belong to Senior!”
Wu Kuang snorted coldly at his words.
When Yang Kai did not need help from him, he would only address him by his name, now that he had needed help though, he was suddenly ‘Senior’. This Brat’s skin was just too thick.
Yang Kai added, “May I ask Senior, why are you willing to endure thousands of years of loneliness to guard the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?”
Wu Kuang glanced at him, knowing that this Brat was still not assured about him; after all, everything was just a verbal promise at this point. When Yang Kai left, he would have the chance to leave this place; thus, he explained, “Rest assured. Though I am in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, I am still not strong enough. You know more about the characteristics of the Heaven Devouring Battle Law than anyone other than me. The Heaven Devouring Battle Law can help me to greatly enhance my cultivation, and in the vast Universe, there is no place I can benefit more from than this Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.”
Yang Kai instantly understood, “You’re planning to devour the Black Ink Strength here?”
“The Black Ink Strength here is many times denser and purer than in any Black Ink Clansmen. If I can consume the Black Ink Strength here, it will be much more beneficial than killing a few Feudal Lords outside,” Wu Kuang laughed wickedly.
“Senior, you’re indeed wise.”
“Don’t pat my ass, it’s pointless.”
Yang Kai continued, “Although Mo is now in a deep slumber, I don’t know when it will awaken. Senior is currently only in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, are you even strong enough to guard the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?”
This was a legitimate concern. It was possible that Wu Kuang, who was currently in the Seventh Order, wouldn’t be able to exert even 1% of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction’s power. In which case, he might not be able to restrict Mo.
Wu Kuang gushed with pride, “Within 3,000 years, this King can ascend to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. As long as Mo does not wake up before then, there will be no problem.”
Nobody else in this world except for Wu Kuang dared to boast about being able to cross from the Seventh Order to the Ninth Order in a mere 3,000 years.
It was, however, true that Wu Kuang, who cultivated the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, could borrow the power of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to rapidly enhance his strength. This was something he was absolutely confident about.
Once Wu Kuang really ascended to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he would be able to somewhat control the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction; after all, he was not any ordinary Master but the reincarnation of Shi. He and his nine old friends created the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, so naturally, he was more familiar with this place than anyone else currently alive.
Still, 3,000 years was a steep hurdle to vault.
If Wu Kuang found it hard, what more needs to be said about the entire Human Race?
After 3,000 years, even if Wu Kuang ascended to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm and completely took control of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, there was still no way to resolve Mo if the Human Race did not have sufficient strength to fight back and did not find the Primordial Light.
Yang Kai nodded and said, “Then, I hope Senior’s path in the great Martial Dao is as you wish.”
“About the Primordial Light…” Wu Kuang frowned, “Did you ask the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer already?
Previously, when he asked about the Primordial Light, all Yang Kai said was that searching for it wasn’t his concern.
But, now that Wu Kuang obtained that part of Shi’s Soul, and recalling his current life’s experiences, it was no surprise that Wu Kuang guessed that the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer had some relationship with the Primordial Light.
“I did.”
“What did they say?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “They couldn’t explain it clearly. Right now, the only thing that can be said with certainty is that those two do indeed have some connection to the Primordial Light. They might be a part of it but were separated from it somehow. They even did as I asked and tried to fuse together, but it was to no avail. We are still missing a key component.”
Wu Kuang frowned.
The key was missing. If they couldn’t find out what the one missing key was, they would never be able to locate the Primordial Light.
Turning his head to look in the direction of Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, Wu Kuang paused and said, “Do you know why Shi took the risk of reincarnation when he hadn’t reached his predestined time of death? If he hadn’t done so, with the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, he would still have been able to live on for many years, yet he chose to give that all up.”
Yang Kai instantly felt more energised. Despite hearing many ancient secrets from Cang, he had never personally lived during that period. He had a slight feeling that he might have learned a big secret when Wu Kuang asked this out of the blue.
Immediately, he replied seriously, “Senior, please enlighten me.”
“To eliminate Mo, finding the Primordial Light is one way. It was just that Shi sensed that the Primordial Light might not be able to be found, so we could only try the second option.” He turned to look at Yang Kai and said in a deeper voice, “To reach the same realm as Mo or surpass it, and crush it with absolute power.”
Yang Kai was shocked, “What realm is Mo in?”
“Mo possesses the power of Creation, so it is in the Creation Realm. This realm is also the realm that Shi and the other nine had been pursuing, but it is a pity that none were able to achieve it.”
A little distracted, Yang Kai muttered, “The Creation Realm!”
He still remembered that when he and the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Old Ancestors visited Cang, they enquired about that realm from him. Cang only chuckled and claimed that he was only in the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, just further along that path than others.
At that time, Yang Kai vaguely guessed that there might be a higher realm above the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
His guess was now confirmed by Wu Kuang. There was indeed a realm above the Ninth-Order Realm, which was the Creation Realm!
Being in the Creation Realm, Mo could create Royal Lords, Territory Lords and even Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods. This was the might of the Creation Realm.
“Back when Mu dove deep into the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, she witnessed Mo use hints of power that should only belong to the Creation Realm. Through that, she knew that its breakthrough to the Creation Realm was just a matter of time. Due to the characteristics of Black Ink Strength, Mo was born with an innate advantage. So, not long after she returned from inside the Grand Restriction, she sacrificed her life to the restriction to fortify it, leaving behind one last trump card for Cang to play, which must be the reason why Mo is in deep sleep right now,” Wu Kuang recalled the past while seemingly sifting through his new memories.
“Although Mu was an unparalleled talent, she was still a woman, which made her hesitate and act more conservatively. That trump card she left behind can only temporarily keep Mo in check. It is unable to resolve the issue entirely. Compared to her, Shi chose another approach.”
“To reincarnate?” Yang Kai slightly lifted his brow.
Wu Kuang gave a nod, “Shi and the other nine used the power of the World Tree to reach the Open Heaven Realm, but it was also due to this that they couldn’t go beyond the Open Heaven Realm. No matter how high they climbed, they would never surmount the Ninth Order. One needs other means to break this shackle, so Shi chose to reincarnate, hoping to find a way to break through the Ninth Order in his next life.”
“Is there any chance for Senior to do so now?” Yang Kai inquired.
Wu Kuang smiled and said, “The Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters have consistently been the most powerful Supreme Masters of the Human Race since ancient times. The Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm is the limit. Not to mention, I’m only in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm at the moment, making such a breakthrough even more challenging.”
After hesitating for a moment, he continued, “Maybe I will discover more when I reach the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, but for now, my cultivation is just too low.”
Yang Kai was aware that this situation could not be rushed, but finding a way to surpass the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm was indeed another option.
The Creation Realm.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but yearn for it.
Then again, he remembered that the Eighth Order was his limit in this life. To want to break through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm was already close to impossible, not to mention reaching the Creation Realm.
Wu Kuang seemed to have noticed what was going on in his mind, so he turned and asked, “You have already reached your limit as an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Stop thinking about other nonsense.”
With a trace of Shi’s Soul, Wu Kuang gained quite a bit of a Senior demeanour.
Yang Kai only smiled in response, “There’s always hope.”
“The Universe Furnace?” Wu Kuang sneered, “Innate Open Heaven Pills from the Universe Furnace can indeed help you break through that barrier, but the Universe Furnace is the most mysterious entity in the Universe. Nobody knows when it will appear. Let’s say it does appear one day, do you think you’ll have a place among all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from all the Cave Heavens and Paradises? Do keep in mind that the number of Open Heaven Pills that a furnace produces is limited.”
Yang Kai thought secretly in his heart, [If the Universe Furnace shows up one day, and the Human Race manages to obtain its Innate Open Heaven Pills, I should be able to take some for my breakthrough; after all, I have always fought with those above my realm. To allow me to ascend to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm is a better choice than any other.]
The only issue was that the Universe Furnace was nowhere to be found, and no one knew when or where it would appear.
“Other than the Universe Furnace, there is actually another way,” Wu Kuang smirked.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up and he immediately bowed again, “Senior, please enlighten me once more!”
Wu Kuang didn’t explain the method to him directly; instead, he said slowly as he recalled, “At that time, Cang and the other nine each had their own accomplishments. Even though Mu was the only female among them, she was undoubtedly the strongest. Due to this, the other nine were willing to listen and follow her requests. Let’s not talk about what the other nine are skilled at, do you know what Shi is best at?”
[How would I know anything about something so long ago?] Yang Kai muttered in his heart, but he kept his expression completely neutral and simply shook his head.
Wu Kuang did not intend to keep him waiting and simply explained, “Shi was unmatched when it came to developing techniques. Many Secret Techniques and Arts in the 3,000 Worlds stem from Shi’s creations. For example, the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture cultivated by Blood Crow is a semi-finished product created by Shi, one he came up with when trying to develop the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Therefore, these two are quite similar. Honestly, what Shi was first deducing was the Blood Light Scripture. It was after he gained more comprehension that the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was created.”
Yang Kai’s heart skipped a beat at those words. The Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture was a magnificent Secret Art, one that could refine the Blood Essence of others for its user to quickly enhance their cultivation.
Previously, he also felt that the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture had many similarities with the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Both had the ability to refine the energy of others, but the Heaven Devouring Battle Law was unquestionably superior as it could devour anything and everything rather than just Blood.
Yang Kai had no doubts about Wu Kuang’s claim when he said that Shi was best at deducing and creating Secret Arts and Techniques.
After so many years of cultivation, Yang Kai had never come across any Secret Art superior to the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Although it had certain limitations, which was the challenge of cultivating it without the Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus, this drawback did not diminish its power.
If even such a Secret Act could be created by Shi, there was absolutely no doubt in his ability to understand or create other Secret Arts.
Yang Kai understood, “Shi came up with a Secret Art to break through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm back then?”
“It’s more of a combination of a Secret Technique and Secret Art, but yes. Do you want to learn it?” Wu Kuang nodded.
Of course, Yang Kai responded immediately, “Yes!”
“Then, I’ll teach it to you!” Saying so, Wu Kuang stretched out a finger and lightly touched his forehead, just like Yang Kai did before.
Yang Kai did not resist. When Wu Kuang’s finger met his forehead, an abstruse Secret Art instantly appeared in his mind and Wu Kuang’s voice rang in his ears, “This Secret Art was inspired by the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction itself. Although it is considered complete, nobody has ever cultivated it to this day so I’m not sure if it can be successfully used, but if you choose this path, you will have to take responsibility for yourself. Don’t hold me accountable if something goes wrong.”
Yang Kai remained silent as he processed the profundities of this Secret Art and eventually, he understood why Wu Kuang had chosen to give it to him.
This was because he knew that Yang Kai carried the Soul Warming Lotus. Though it was not essential for this Secret Art, it provided great convenience.
There might not be anyone who was better qualified than Yang Kai to cultivate this Secret Art.
Realising this, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling a little sad. He thought that if this Secret Art could help the Human Race to break through the innate limits of the Open Heaven Realm, it could dramatically increase their strength in short order.
There were numerous peak Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the many Cave Heavens and Paradises, but they were all stuck there due to their natural limits. If this Secret Art could be popularized, many Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could quickly be created.
There were only two Ninth-Orders Old Ancestors currently, but if there were even a few more, it would not take long before the Black Ink Clan that invaded the 3,000 Worlds could be driven back. They might even be able to deal with the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods with just 10 more Ninth-Order Masters.
However, this dream was simply not meant to be; after all, the first step to cultivating this Secret Art was a life-threatening gamble. Without the protection of the Soul Warming Lotus, the risk of simply dying right from the start was extremely high.
Even so, Yang Kai again bowed his head, “Many thanks, Senior, for enlightening me!”
After Wu Kuang received his gratitude, he spun around and hurried into the battlefield. From afar, his voice could be heard, “If the Human Race does not defeat the Black Ink Clan within 3,000 years, our race will face extinction. Brat, you’re on your own now.”
Yang Kai sighed softly as he watched Wu Kuang’s figure vanish into the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Although 3,000 years seemed like a long time, when compared to how long it took for a cultivator to fully mature, it was incredibly short.
Nobody could predict what would occur 3,000 years from now, so the only thing the Humans could do now was to strive to grow stronger!
Soon after, Yang Kai took out a World Bead, the one he refined on the way here. It was from the yet-to-be-destroyed Universe World, which had its living beings extracted by Wu Kuang.
Wu Kuang had no idea what he was doing at that time, trying to refine this Universe World; after all, there didn’t seem to be a point.
Although such a World was falling apart, Yang Kai halted its collapse as he intended to use it as a marker.
He could go from one Universe World to another by using the World Tree as a transit point. If he left this World Bead here, he would undoubtedly save years of arduous travelling when he returned in the future.
The Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was a crucial location, and since it was challenging to transmit any news back to the 3,000 Worlds from here. Leaving a World Bead behind in the vicinity would be more convenient for Yang Kai to travel back and forth between in the future.
What’s more, because this Universe World had lost almost all its World Force, it gave off barely aura so it was almost impossible to detect. If Yang Kai had fully restored this Universe World, it might attract the attention of the Black Ink Clan, which could lead to trouble if they visited this place and found out what was going on.
After finding a concealed location, Yang Kai set the World Bead down and attempted to use it to link to the World Tree. Confirming that there was no problem, he felt relieved.
He then turned around instead of going back to the Old Tree, following the direction of the trail of Space Beacons he left on his way here.
When he was coming here, he left a lot of Space Beacons along the way, and with them, he could easily find his way back to the Void Corridor leading to Black Territory.
Three months later, Yang Kai passed through the Spiritless Land and the Late Ancient Era battlefield, arriving at the Void Corridor.
It took him more than 10 years to travel one way, but just three months to return. This was the benefit of the Space Beacons.
Without stopping though, he continued on.
His target was not Black Territory.
Several months later, several majestic Great Passes came into Yang Kai’s vision as he arrived at his destination.
The No-Return Pass!
This was the third time Yang Kai came to the No-Return Pass. The first time he visited here was on orders of Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao to attend the grand ceremony of the Dragon Clan, which helped him to successfully become an Ancient Dragon. It was also during that time that he completely lost his identity as a Human and transformed into a pure-blooded Dragon Clan member.
The second time was to bring Ou Yang Lie and the group of remnant soldiers to the Barren Territory. During that time, Yang Kai had taken out the corpse of Azure Void Pass’ Old Ancestor and the Black Ox to fight against the Royal Lord. To this day, the words of the Black Ox, ‘Go quickly. Niu Niu will stop them’, still rung in his ears.
This was the third time.
This time, Yang Kai came for no other reason than to raise havoc.
The No-Return Pass, the only publicly known passage connecting the Black Ink Battlefield to the 3,000 Worlds, was originally guarded by the Dragon and Phoenix Clans. Now, it had been taken over by the Black Ink Clan, who made this place into their central base of operations. When the Black Ink Clan and the Humans were battling on the Barren Territory battlefield, it was from here that the Black Ink Clan sent reinforcements and supplies, but Yang Kai put a stop to that after he sealed the Territory Gate.
When he came here last time, Yang Kai discovered that there were many High-Rank Black Ink Nests and even more Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests.
In the present 3,000 Worlds and in every Great Territory, countless Black Ink Nests were planted on the many Universe Worlds.
The majority of them were Low-Rank Black Ink Nests, and these nests were capable of devouring the World Force of those Universe Worlds and enveloping them in Black Ink Strength.
Of course, Yang Kai could easily destroy a couple Low-Rank Black Ink Nests, but going around to each individual Universe World to do so was far too inefficient. Instead, he intended to solve the issue at its roots.
There was an intrinsic connection between lower Rank Black Ink Nests and the Black Ink Nest it was spawned from. The lower Rank nests simply could not survive without the higher Rank nest it belonged to. Subsequently, destroying one High-Rank Black Ink Nest was far better than squashing 100 Low-Rank Nests.
Once a High-Rank Black Ink Nest was destroyed, the Mid-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Nests spawned from it would all wither and die.
Yang Kai decided to go all out!
His targets this time were those High-Rank Black Ink Nests.
No matter how many Mid-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Nests were destroyed, the Black Ink Clan could replace them eventually with enough resources. On the other hand, since the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had been shut and Mo was now in a deep slumber, the number of High-Rank Black Ink Nests was fixed. Destroying one High-Rank Nest would mean there was permanently one less High-Rank Nest.
If all those High-Rank Black Ink Nests could be destroyed, no new Black Ink Clansman could be born.
Of course, Yang Kai was well aware that this was unrealistic as there was a Royal Lord guarding the No-Return Pass. As an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he could easily cause chaos, but to destroy every single High-Rank Black Ink Nest was impossible.
The best he could do was to destroy as many as possible.
Outside the No-Return Pass, numerous Great Passes could be seen hovering the void. These Great Passes had been smashed and broken, some were even completely destroyed, all bearing traces of battle between mighty Masters.
However, many of them were still partially intact.
All of these were left behind when the Human Race Army retreated as due to the incredible mass of each Great Pass, they could not be stored inside a Small Universe easily, not even the Small Universe of an Old Ancestor.
This was humiliating for the Human Race!
Furthermore, many Universe Fragments were floating outside the No-Return Pass. Those Universe Fragments were undoubtedly remnants of Universe Worlds that had been dragged back here from various locations on the Black Ink Battlefield by the Black Ink Clan.
There were some Universe Fragments here when Yang Kai last visited, but there were many more today, which should be the result of the Black Ink Clan’s action.
Whether it was the Great Passes left by the Human Race or the many Universe Fragments though, they were all covered in Black Ink Nests.
Countless Black Ink Clansmen flooded in and out of these Black Ink Nests, delivering resources that had been mined from various places.
The entire No-Return Pass was bustling.
For several days, Yang Kai kept a quiet vigil but failed to locate the Royal Lord.
Both the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan had lost almost all of their top Masters. Every Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master save for two had fallen on the Barren Territory battlefield to bring down all but two Royal Lords.
Thanks to the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, one more Royal Lord was dead, so currently, only one remained.
Although Yang Kai did not find any trace of the last remaining Royal Lord, he was certain that he was in the No-Return Pass.
This was currently the most important location for the Black Ink Clan, so where else could their only Royal Lord be if not standing guard there as a precautionary measure?
[Is he trying to heal from his injuries?]
Previously, Yang Kai summoned the corpse of Azure Void Pass’ Old Ancestor, who engaged the Royal Lord in an intense fight. Even though the Old Ancestor was already dead, what he left behind before he died was enough to help Yang Kai to hold the Royal Lord back with the might of a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
It was impossible for that Royal Lord to escape without any injuries.
The best way for Black Ink Clansmen to heal was to rest inside a Black Ink Nest; thus, that Royal Lord was surely inside his Black Ink Nest somewhere as it had only been some 20 or so years since that fight.
That being said, Yang Kai had no way of ascertaining which Black Ink Nest the Royal Lord was in. After scouting around for days, he could tell that there were over 100 High-Rank Black Ink Nests here.
This was in line with the reports the Human Race had previously gathered. A sizable number of Royal Lords came out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restrictions, but most of them had been killed, at great cost to the Human Race.
When the battle at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction ended, only around 100 Royal Lords were still alive, which matched with the slightly over 100 High-Rank Black Ink Nests here.
Now, nearly all of those Royal Lords were also dead, but their Black Ink Nests had been left behind. These were now ownerless, so if the Black Ink Clan were to flourish again in the future, they could use these ownerless Black Ink Nests to become Royal Lords and claim the Black Ink Nest for themselves.
Every High-Rank Black Ink Nest that was destroyed was akin to diminishing the chances of a new Royal Lord coming into existence.
After deducing that the Royal Lord had to be in the midst of tending to his injuries, Yang Kai began scrutinising the No-Return Pass even more closely.
It would take a lot of energy to help the Royal Lord recover, which should be something traceable. Yang Kai wanted to locate the Royal Lord without being noticed as he didn’t want the latter to suddenly pop up when he was in the middle of something.
While there were quite a number of Black Ink Clansmen in the No-Return Pass, the place was not closely guarded. This made sense though as the Black Ink Clan had invaded the 3,000 Worlds and the Humans were in a desperate situation, so how would any of them come running over here?
Furthermore, one had to pass through Barren Territory to get to the No-Return Pass. They would need to reopen the Territory Gate, not forgetting that there was a Black Ink Giant Spirit God there. Thus, the Human Race could not easily get here.
It would not have crossed the mind of any of the Black Ink Clan that an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was just outside the No-Return Pass and eyeing them closely.
Yang Kai did not try to rush things. He was about to do something exceedingly important, so he had to be prudent and patient.
Time flew by in a flash, and soon, several months had passed.
Following Yang Kai’s prolonged observation, he had a fairly good idea about which Black Ink Nest the Royal Lord was in, since a few Black Ink Nests were drawing in far more resources compared to the others. The Black Ink Clan hauled large amounts of resources into these Black Ink Nests every few days.
While resources were also brought to the other Black Ink Nests, new Black Ink Clansmen would also emerge from them at regular intervals. This was true of both the High-Rank Black Ink Nests and the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests.
Only a few of the High-Rank Black Ink Nests did not create new Black Ink Clansmen.
Where did the significant amount of resources go if no new Black Ink Clansmen were being created? Obviously, the resources were being used by a powerful Black Ink Clansman to heal.
Yang Kai memorised the locations of these High-Rank Black Ink Nests before he started selecting his targets.
He was aware that he might not have many chances to attack, and his first move would be the most successful as the Black Ink Clan would not expect an attack from a Human Race Master at this point in time.
Thus, the more Black Ink Nests he could destroy with his first strike, the better.
To accomplish this, Yang Kai switched hiding spots a few times to observe the dispersion of the Black Ink Nests from all sides.
After many more days passed, he finally settled on a plan of attack.
There was a Great Pass that was approximately 300,000 kilometres away from the No-Return Pass. Yang Kai did not know exactly which Great Pass it was, but he chose it because there were two High-Rank Black Ink Nests there.
The other remnant Great Passes had only one High-Rank Black Ink Nest at most, or several Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests instead. He would reap less of a reward by striking those areas.
Therefore, as long as he acted swiftly enough, he could at least instantly destroy two High-Rank Black Ink Nests. Furthermore, there were a few Universe Fragments near this Great Pass, and one of them had another High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
If luck was on his side, he could destroy three High-Rank Black Ink Nests with his first strike, along with a few Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests.
Since Yang Kai had decided on his target, he no longer hesitated. He did not have to do any preparations and he didn’t have to sneak in either.
With a flicker of Space Principles, in the blink of an eye, he moved from his hiding spot to the top of that Great Pass. He had already summoned his Azure Dragon Spear earlier on, and now, he smashed down with it.
With his Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, his attack was far from ordinary.
As World Force swirled, the looming shadow of the spear seemed to shroud the entire Great Pass.
Within the Great Pass, numerous Black Ink Clansmen who had only recently emerged from the Black Ink Nests and were cultivating with the help of the surrounding Black Ink Strength perished. Those who were weaker than Feudal Lords all died, and even the Feudal Lords had a hard time defending themselves from the power of that spear. Those that did not die were heavily injured. As for the two High-Rank Black Ink Nests, they exploded and scattered into countless shattered fragments.
All of the Black Ink Strength that had been stored inside the Black Ink Nests burst out as well. From a distance, the Great Pass now looked like two enormous Black Ink Clouds that were rapidly dispersing into the neighbouring space.
The moment Yang Kai’s attack succeeded, he rushed to the third High-Rank Black Ink Nest nearby.
At the same time, within a High-Rank Black Ink Nest inside the No-Return Pass, a formidable Will awakened from a deep slumber and an enormous figure several metres tall lunged towards Yang Kai.
The Royal Lord’s reaction had been incredibly fast, far faster than Yang Kai had expected. The Royal Lord was already approaching him as soon as he landed his first attack.
This meant that although the Royal Lord was still injured, it was not a serious wound; otherwise, he would not have been able to react so quickly.
A flash of imposing aura locked onto Yang Kai and before the Royal Lord even arrived, waves of a powerful Divine Sense surged towards him. It was clear that the Royal Lord was trying to use his Divine Sense to suppress Yang Kai.
An ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would at the very least be stalled by such an attack if he was lucky enough; however, a flash of coldness emerged in Yang Kai’s mind, and that was enough to entirely rid him of that Royal Lord’s influence. He did not stop moving, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of the third Black Ink Nest.
The Royal Lord took this in from afar and roared, “Feeble ant, you court death! I will rip your corpse apart!”
One look and he could tell that the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who suddenly appeared in the No-Return Pass was the one who emerged from the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield several decades ago. This was the same one who charged back from the Barren Territory battlefield and sealed off the Territory Gate.
The memory of Yang Kai was seared into his mind as it was rare for a Royal Lord to suffer this much at the hands of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Over the past few years, the Royal Lord had sent Black Ink Clansmen into the Black Ink Battlefield to search for signs of Yang Kai, but sadly, they found nothing.
The Royal Lord had no idea that when Yang Kai escaped from the No-Return Pass back then, he took Ji Lao San with him through a secret Void Corridor and returned to Black Territory. Thus, the Royal Lord thought that Yang Kai was still hiding somewhere on the Black Ink Battlefield.
He never thought that this Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would appear yet again and destroy two High-Rank Black Ink Nests as soon as he did. It even looked as if he was about to destroy a third one.
How could the Royal Lord allow that to happen?
The High-Rank Black Ink Nests at the No-Return Pass were the Black Ink Clan’s final pillar to rely on. The destruction of any one of them was an unquantifiable loss as it was not merely the loss of a High-Rank Black Ink Nest, but the loss of all the Mid-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Nests that were and could be created from it as well.
The Royal Lord had not fully recovered from his injuries yet, but his wounds no longer affected him much; thus, when he realized who Yang Kai was, he immediately attacked with his powerful Divine Sense. However, what happened next floored him. The Human seemed completely unaffected, and the attack that was supposed to have caught him off-guard and injured him did nothing at all.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Kai was above the third Black Ink Nest. He was about to attack, when a Black Ink Clansman with a slender, pole-like figure appeared from the Black Ink Nest. From his aura, it was clear that he was a Territory Lord.
However, in contrast to a healthy Territory Lord, this pole-like Territory Lord’s aura was noticeably weak. Yang Kai could even see the wounds on his body that had been left by Dao Strengths.
Yang Kai immediately realized that this Territory Lord was injured and had been recovering inside the Black Ink Nest.
Territory Lords also had to remain dormant inside Black Ink Nests when they tended to their injuries, but it would not be easy for them to occupy a High-Rank Black Ink Nest. However, there were a lot of High-Rank Black Ink Nests in the No-Return Pass that were ownerless, so naturally, this Territory Lord could enter one.
While the pole-like Territory Lord was not fully recovered, he was still an Innate Territory Lord and that was enough to pose some challenge to Yang Kai. All he had to do was delay Yang Kai for a short while, and the Royal Lord would be able to come over to deal with the rest.
It was evident that the pole-like Territory Lord knew this as well; therefore, as soon as he appeared, he lunged straight at Yang Kai.
More than one hand was reaching out to Yang Kai. In fact, over a dozen hands were flying towards him. Nine hands grew out on each of the two sides of the Territory Lord’s body.
The 18 hands seemed to envelope all the surrounding space, like a kind of cage.
Faced with this assault, Yang Kai did not retreat and instead charged forward with a flash of coldness in his eyes, unleashing a Soul Rending Thorn.
Yang Kai had long since gotten used to the pain of his Soul being torn apart so his expression did not even twitch as he thrust out his spear.
The pole-like Territory Lord never expected Yang Kai to fight this fervently and launch such a powerful attack right from the start. He was caught off guard and his Soul trembled violently as a needle seemed to pierce right through it. Immediately, he was struck by agony. He was heavily injured in the first place and did not have much strength left in him, so now that he was hit by a Soul Rending Thorn, he lost all ability to fight back.
Yang Kai followed his spear and brushed past the Territory Lord before sending a thrust right into the High-Rank Black Ink Nest in front of him, a Great Sun exploding into existence at the point of the spear.
After striking this blow, Yang Kai shot into the distance without even sparing a moment to look behind him.
The Royal Lord was about to arrive, and if Yang Kai did not leave now, he might not be able to. Furthermore, he sensed numerous other strong auras awakening in the No-Return Pass. Without a doubt, the Black Ink Clansmen who had been recuperating inside the Black Ink Nests must have been awakened as well.
Not too far behind Yang Kai, the pole-like Territory Lord’s head separated from his body and flew upwards as black blood spewed out from his neck…
Once again, the Royal Lord’s Divine Sense surged forward, and at the same time, a ferocious palm slammed into Yang Kai from behind, causing him to stumble as he spat out mouthfuls of blood.
However, he used the force from this attack to flee even further away.
Yang Kai intended to use the Great Sun and Moon Marks to disrupt the Royal Lord’s aura lock on him, but another thought occurred to him and he swiftly changed his mind. Instead, he dragged his injured self further and further away in an attempt to flee.
By using Purifying Light, he could still use Instantaneous Movement and escape from the Royal Lord at a moment’s notice. He was no stranger to performing such a feat. Back when he was under the attack of the sheep-headed Royal Lord, he had used this very trick to widen the gap between him and his foe, and in the end, he managed to flee into the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon.
Today, Yang Kai succeeded in destroying three High-Rank Black Ink Nests and killing an Innate Territory Lord along with tens of thousands of lower-rank Black Ink Clansmen, so everything had been worthwhile!
However, right now, Yang Kai was being doggedly chased down by an enraged Royal Lord.
Once the Royal Lord charged out of the No-Return Pass, dozens of Innate Territory Lords followed closely behind. These Territory Lords were mostly injured in some way and had retreated from the 3,000 Worlds, planning to rely on the many Black Ink Nests at the No-Return Pass to recuperate.
Unfortunately, these Territory Lords were slower than the Royal Lord, and it was only an hour later that they all lost sight of the Royal Lord and Yang Kai. They had no choice but to return at that moment.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai wanted nothing more than to gripe about his situation.
It was not his first time being hunted down by a Royal Lord, but at this moment, he had to avoid using Purifying Light unless absolutely necessary, which meant that he could not shake off his enemy.
The distance between them kept getting smaller, and the Royal Lord continued to launch attack after attack from behind. Each attack was powerful enough to shake the void around them, causing Yang Kai’s body to toss and turn like a rag as more and more injuries piled up.
Thankfully, Yang Kai had thick skin and a tough hide, so he could withstand quite a beating. With the blessing of his Dragon Vein, these long-range attacks were not enough to cause a fatal injury; otherwise, he would not have been able to hold out this long.
In between the attacks, the Royal Lord did not stop sending wave after wave of Divine Sense at Yang Kai to make things even more difficult for the latter; however, with the Soul Warming Lotus protecting his Soul, even attacks from a Royal Lord’s Divine Sense were ineffective against Yang Kai.
And so, Yang Kai bided his time.
He was waiting for the Royal Lord to lose all patience and utilise his Royal Lord Secret Technique.
Yang Kai did not know for certain whether or not his opponent would resort to the Royal Lord Secret Technique as this was not something he could control, so what he was doing right now was gambling.
What he needed to do now was to keep taunting his opponent and enrage the latter.
The Royal Lord Secret Technique was a fatal move against any Human below the Ninth Order. On the Barren Territory battlefield, a Royal Lord had used this exact move to turn Lu An and two other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters into Black Ink Disciples. Although that Royal Lord was severely weakened after using the Secret Technique and was quickly slaughtered, the Black Ink Clan gained three Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples as a result, which then allowed them to revive the Black Ink Giant Spirit God in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land and establish a connection between the Barren Territory and Wind Mist Territory.
It could be said that the Royal Lord’s use of his Royal Lord Secret Technique was one of the most crucial pieces of the puzzle that led to the Black Ink Clan’s subsequent invasion of the 3,000 Worlds! The Royal Lord who had been killed was a heroic martyr for the Black Ink Clan.
In this particular situation, Yang Kai did not have to go to any lengths to do anything else. All he had to do was focus on escaping. He had destroyed three High-Rank Black Ink Nests and killed an Innate Territory Lord, so the Royal Lord who was trying to hunt him down was hellbent on killing him. If Yang Kai could drag this out long enough, there was a decent chance that the Royal Lord would resort to the Royal Lord Secret Technique.
Once the Royal Lord did that, then it would be Yang Kai’s opportunity to strike back!
During the fight outside the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, the sheep-headed Royal Lord had used his Royal Lord Secret Technique, which heavily weakened his foundation, and that was how Yang Kai managed to use the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel to land a devastating blow on the former before eventually killing him.
It was partly luck that led to Yang Kai’s successful killing of that Royal Lord as Yang Kai himself did not know exactly how he managed to do it.
Yang Kai was not fully confident that he would be able to repeat that feat, but if this Royal Lord did use his Royal Lord Secret Technique, then even if Yang Kai failed to kill him, he would still be able to turn it into an equal fight with both sides suffering injuries.
Even in that sort of a lose-lose situation, Yang Kai had the upper hand as he had his Dragon Vein and the essence of the Immortal Tree; thus, his restorative abilities were far superior. The Royal Lord, on the other hand, would have to fall into a deep slumber inside a Black Ink Nest for a long time to recover from grievous wounds.
During such a time, Yang Kai could accomplish a lot in the No-Return Pass.
These were the calculations he made that led to Yang Kai deciding against using Purifying Light to block the Royal Lord’s aura before fully escaping. Since he wanted to provoke his opponent, he had to let his opponent see a glimmer of hope yet fail at every turn.
This was an incredibly risky choice, as one false move and Yang Kai might truly end up dying.
Still, he was willing to make this bet.
The two figures, one the hunter and the other the hunted, travelled further and further away from the No-Return Pass, headed towards the depths of the Black Ink Battlefield.
Even after half a day of chasing, the Royal Lord still did not show any signs of using his Royal Lord Secret Technique. Perhaps in his eyes, it would not be worth it to take such a huge risk just to hunt down a single Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Alas, Yang Kai could not hold out any longer.
Yang Kai could not completely lose his opponent via conventional methods as he was not as powerful either. Anyone would fail to hold out for long when being chased down like this. Upon seeing that his opponent was nearly as close to him as he could safely allow, Yang Kai knew that he might not be able to escape if he did not act now. Thus, he used Purifying Light and enveloped himself.
Instantly, the aura from the Royal Lord which had locked onto him was broken off.
With a flash of white light and Space Principles, Yang Kai’s figure disappeared.
The Royal Lord was stunned by this turn of events, never having expected that an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would have such a mysterious trick up his sleeve. This explained why the Human dared to launch an attack on the No-Return Pass. It was clear that this tactic of his was his trump card.
However, from the looks of it, the Royal Lord deduced that this technique could not be easily used; otherwise, the Human would not have avoided using it until now.
The Royal Lord was fairly quick to react. Even though it was his first time encountering such an occurrence, just as Yang Kai’s figure disappeared, a powerful wave of Divine Sense surged out and detected the lingering Space Principles where Yang Kai had disappeared towards. Following that, the Royal Lord sensed Yang Kai’s aura in that direction.
He was just about to give chase when even that aura suddenly disappeared.
Yang Kai was only in the Seventh Order when he had been chased down by that sheep-headed Royal Lord, and his mastery of the Dao of Space was not as high as it was now; thus, even when he used Purifying Light, he could only widen the gap between him and his enemy without being able to completely escape from their perception.
Things were different now though. Yang Kai was in the Eighth-Order and was more than 10 times stronger than he used to be. Cultivating within the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon had made him even more proficient in the Dao of Space.
Now, he no longer had to play any sort of games with a Royal Lord who was hunting him down.
If one use of Instantaneous Movement was not enough for him to get his opponent off his tail, then he would do it twice. If twice was not enough, then thrice…
Based on how strong Yang Kai was now, as long as he was not struck down in a single blow, or trapped with a Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array, then not even a Royal Lord could do anything to him.
This was the reason why he had the gall to cause trouble in the No-Return Pass.
The Royal Lord’s Divine Sense no longer detected any sign of Yang Kai, and he had no idea how to find him again in this expansive void. He stood still for a moment before his expression changed. He turned back towards the No-Return Pass before clenching his jaw and growling, “Shit!”
The several-metre-high figure instantly turned into a black streak of light as the Royal Lord shot back towards the No-Return Pass.
He just realised that he might have fallen for what the Humans would call a strategy of ‘luring the tiger away from the mountain’! His opponent’s trump card was not something that could not easily be used; instead, that Human had intentionally not used it to lure him away from the No-Return Pass!
The Royal Lord assumed that the Human had a Dragon Clan companion. Considering the Human’s strength and the Dragon Clansman who had been taken hostage by the Black Ink Clan all those years ago, it would be easy enough for the two of them to work together to destroy a few more High-Rank Black Ink Nests.
Anxiety filled the Royal Lord up as he pushed his speed as high as it could go!
At the same time, Yang Kai was stuffing handfuls of Spirit Pills into his mouth and refining them. He had suffered some serious injuries during the chase.
The Royal Lord thought that he had a Dragon Clan companion, which was Ji Lao San whom Yang Kai had rescued from the No-Return Pass back then, but the Royal Lord had no idea that Ji Lao San was not on the Black Ink Battlefield anymore. Yang Kai was acting alone.
However, it was true that Yang Kai was trying to lure the tiger away from the mountain.
Yang Kai had prepared two plans during this chase. If the Royal Lord did become enraged enough to use his Royal Lord Secret Technique, then Yang Kai would make sure that neither one of them left without being heavily injured. If the Royal Lord did not give him the opportunity for that, then he had no choice but to drag his opponent as far out as possible before doubling back to launch another attack.
Yang Kai did not intend to let the injuries he suffered be for nothing.
By repeatedly using Instantaneous Movement, Yang Kai was a lot faster than the Royal Lord. Unfortunately, during his attempt to flee earlier, he could not leave any Space Beacons behind, or else he would have been able to travel even faster.
Still, in less than an hour, Yang Kai could already spot the No-Return Pass in the distance, but he did not charge over right away.
After everything he had done today, all those stationed at the No-Return Pass had gone onto high alert. The Black Ink Clansmen were sweeping the surrounding area and their Divine Senses, forming a large, invisible web around the No-Return Pass. Several Black Ink Clan squads also patrolled the local space, checking for signs of suspicious activity.
Evidently, the loss of three High-Rank Black Ink Nests was hard for the Black Ink Clan to stomach.
Yang Kai stayed out of the Black Ink Clan’s surveillance range around the No-Return Pass and found a secluded spot to sit down and tend to his injuries.
He had led the Royal Lord on a chase that lasted half a day and had arrived back at the No-Return Pass in just one hour. Even going all out, it would take the Royal Lord at least another eight hours to return.
Yang Kai could use this reprieve to recover from some of his injuries, though he did not have a lot of time to spare and would not be able to recover fully. However, under the circumstances, he would take whatever he could. The stronger he was, the better.
[I need to find some divine medicines that can rapidly heal injuries!] Yang Kai thought to himself. The healing pills he had on hand were the ones he exchanged for Military Merits back in Great Evolution Pass all those years ago. They were not low-quality by any means, but they were not the best there were either. The effects of these healing pills were especially limited when in a time crunch.
Yang Kai quieted down as he focused on refining the medicinal efficacies of the pills and stimulating his Dragon Vein to heal the wounds on his body. Within his Knowledge Sea, the Soul Warming Lotus also kept releasing a clear and cool sensation that swiftly restored his damaged Soul.
He did not dare to waste too much time. Four hours later, Yang Kai stood up and turned towards the No-Return Pass, and with a flash of Space Principles, he charged forward again.
Territory Lords with varying degrees of injury were standing vigilantly around the No-Return Pass, their Divine Senses interlaced together.
Half a day earlier, an Eighth-Order Human’s surprise attack had completely humiliated them. Not only did that Human destroy three High-Rank Black Ink Nests, he even killed a Territory Lord as well.
Their Royal Lord had personally chased after the attacker, but they did not know what the situation was like over there.
That being said, they all believed that there was very little chance for the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to survive; after all, there was a huge disparity between an Eighth-Order Human and a Royal Lord.
Right now, what they were wary of was the possibility of that Human having a partner.
The Royal Lord was preoccupied elsewhere, and even though there were a large number of Territory Lords at the No-Return Pass, 80% of them were those who had returned from the 3,000 Worlds to recuperate. Less than 10 Territory Lords here were uninjured.
They could very well suffer a serious loss if a large number of Human Masters attacked them now.
Yet, after waiting around for half the day and seeing no sign of any incoming attack, the Territory Lords let their guards down for the most part. After all, the Black Ink Clan had taken control of the No-Return Pass and the Humans had long since retreated to the 3,000 Worlds. It was unlikely for a large number of Human Race Masters to appear.
Some of the more heavily injured Territory Lords had already returned to the Black Ink Nests to continue slumbering away in recovery.
The remaining Territory Lords were still standing guard, but they were not as vigilant as they were at the beginning.
Just then, a familiar aura suddenly appeared in their midst. The Territory Lords were alarmed as they quickly turned in that direction.
One look and they saw a Human figure manifest out of the blue above a High-Rank Black Ink Nest as a Great Sun rose into the sky.
A ferocious aura of destruction burst forth.
The Territory Lords dashed over at once to attack.
The Human had somehow managed to evade the Royal Lord’s chase! Not only did he not die, but he even wheeled around to attack once more and destroy yet another High-Rank Black Ink Nest!
By the time the Territory Lords rushed to that High-Rank Black Ink Nest, there was no longer any sign of their enemy. Once the Great Sun exploded, the Human Eighth-Order Master that had popped out of nowhere disappeared into thin air.
All that was left was the remains of a High-Rank Black Ink Nest that had been shattered to pieces and a Territory Lord who was in a terrible state.
This Territory Lord had been sleeping inside the Black Ink Nest earlier to recuperate, and although his life was not in any danger right now, he had already been heavily injured and after getting caught in Yang Kai’s attack, his wounds became much more severe.
He appeared after the Black Ink Nest was destroyed, and right now, he looked as if he was in a state of shock, though he was secretly thankful for being lucky enough to survive.
The Territory Lords were infuriated. They could not believe how arrogant that Human was for daring to return even though there were so many of them standing guard. He was clearly disdaining them all.
They started wondering where their Royal Lord was as he had chased after the Human, but the Human had returned while the Royal Lord was nowhere to be seen.
Alas, before they could figure things out, the same aura erupted from a different direction.
Nearly all of the Territory Lords had gathered in front of the Black Ink Nest that Yang Kai had just destroyed, which meant that the other areas were barely protected at all.
Yang Kai had originally intended to attack just once and leave, but with such a good opportunity in front of him, he could not resist showing himself again.
Just as he did before, he used Golden Crow Casts the Sun and a Great Sun rose and crashed down onto another High-Rank Black Ink Nest. This attack turned the Black Ink Nest into nothing but dust, and a host of Black Ink Clansmen who were in the vicinity died as well.
A large crowd of Territory Lords swiftly began rushing over to the newly destroyed Black Ink Nest, but one of them was quick-witted enough to realise what was happening and he roared, “Spread out quickly! Protect all the Black Ink Nests!”
They could not let themselves be dragged around by the nose like this. Their opponent could disappear and reappear on a whim, so even though they had the numerical advantage, their opponent showed no intention of engaging them in a fight. It was clear what this Human was trying to do. He wanted to destroy all the High-Rank Black Ink Nests.
Thanks to this warning, the Territory Lords quickly realised what was going on and immediately separated into different areas to guard all the High-Rank Black Ink Nests.
Thus, Yang Kai could not strike as easily as he did earlier. As long as a single Territory Lord kept him occupied long enough, more could rush over and join the fight.
After destroying the second High-Rank Black Ink Nest, Yang Kai wanted to back off and leave right away, but when he saw that the Territory Lords did not come after him and had, instead, scattered to guard the other High-Rank Black Ink Nests, he no longer felt rushed to escape. He simply remained standing where he was and observed them in silence.
The Territory Lord who had spoken earlier noticed this, and his expression turned grim as well. This Human was behaving far too arrogantly, and it was beyond what these Territory Lords could bear.
His Divine Sense flickered as he communicated with those around him, and all at once, a number of Territory Lords rushed into action and charged towards Yang Kai.
Half a day ago, they witnessed how Yang Kai appeared at the No-Return Pass and killed off a Territory Lord with just a single spear thrust, so they knew that this Human was incredibly powerful. In a one-on-one fight, there was no guarantee that any of them could hold their ground against him.
Furthermore, this Human even managed to escape from a Royal Lord’s pursuit, leaving the latter who knows where.
They knew that Yang Kai was no ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. He had to be one of the strongest Human Masters in that realm.
Thus, the Territory Lords were joining forces because they feared their opponent.
When Yang Kai saw the group of Territory Lords rushing over, he secretly praised the Territory Lord who had taken charge for coming up with an appropriate strategy. If they simply grouped together without thinking things through, then the High-Rank Black Ink Nests at the No-Return Pass would be left unguarded and undoubtedly suffer unimaginable damage.
However, the Territory Lords had split up to guard different areas now and had even organized a group to subdue him. This was the optimal course of action for them.
Yang Kai’s situation was less than ideal. He was fairly injured after being chased down by the Royal Lord for half a day, and although he got to recuperate for four hours or so, he was only able to slightly restore himself.
It would be hard for him to take on a single Innate Territory Lord who was at full strength, let alone a group of them unless he used more Soul Rending Thorns.
However, Yang Kai was not a reckless individual. Since he could not take these enemies on, he chose to avoid them instead.
Yang Kai’s eyes searched around before landing in a specific direction. It was the direction of the first Black Ink Nest he destroyed when he appeared earlier. He raised his hand and summoned his Azure Dragon Spear before smiling in that direction.
While it was true that the High-Rank Black Ink Nest had already been destroyed, a severely injured Territory Lord remained there.
This Territory Lord was the unlucky one who had been recuperating inside the Black Ink Nest and ended up getting caught in Yang Kai’s attack. His injuries, which had taken a turn for the better at first, had now worsened instead. Thus, he was currently in a rueful mood.
All of a sudden, a piercing aura locked onto him from afar and the Territory Lord looked up, only to see Yang Kai flashing him a wicked grin.
“Damn it!” The Territory Lord became alarmed. Naturally, he knew that he had become a target. He was now severely injured and could barely use half his strength. If this Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had set his eyes on him, then he had no way of fighting back, so his immediate thought was to request help from his fellow Black Ink Clansmen.
However, after looking around, he realised that the other Territory Lords who had gathered near him earlier had all scattered off to defend the various High-Rank Black Ink Nests, leaving him all alone.
The Territory Lord was in anguish. He felt as if nothing had gone right for him ever since he walked out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
In the next instant, Yang Kai appeared in front of the injured Territory Lord and his Azure Dragon Spear pierced straight into the latter’s head.
Yang Kai had been prepared to use a Soul Rending Thorn as he was not in a situation to waste much time. Not only would the Royal Lord return at any moment now, but there were also a large number of Territory Lords in the No-Return Pass eager to kill him.
He had to kill this Territory Lord at once before fleeing.
However, even as his Azure Dragon Spear pierced through the top of the Territory Lord’s head, the Territory Lord did not react at all. Yang Kai deduced that it had to be because his opponent’s injuries were too severe, which saved him the need to use a Soul Rending Thorn.
By the time a group of Territory Lords rushed back to this place, there was nothing but a headless corpse with black blood spurting out. These Territory Lords were crushed by what they saw. They were overcome with a crippling sense of humiliation and felt extremely despondent.
It was not just them as all the other Territory Lords felt the same.
Once again, scores of Divine Senses surged out from the No-Return Pass, guarding against Yang Kai, but they no longer detected any trace of that Human.
After a half cup of tea’s time, the Royal Lord who had given chase earlier finally returned, and the Territory Lords who had been in a heightened state of anxiety the whole time could finally relax.
The Royal Lord naturally saw that something happened at the No-Return Pass, as it had not been in this state when he left. His eyes swept over the place and he quickly assessed the damage.
Two more High-Rank Black Ink Nests had been destroyed, and a Territory Lord had been killed as well!
He did figure out that Yang Kai lured him away on purpose, so he knew that there would be another attack on the No-Return Pass, but he still could not accept such an outcome. Clenching his jaw, he roared, “Search everywhere! I don’t care how many sacrifices need to be made, just find me that Human! I must shred his corpse into ten thousand pieces!”
With the order given, Black Ink Clan squads began charging out of the No-Return Pass, heading out in all directions towards the Black Ink Battlefield. Even the majority of the Territory Lords were deployed as well.
Most of the Territory Lords who were injured wanted to bemoan their fate. They retreated from the 3,000 Worlds because they needed to recuperate here, yet this was what they were faced with now. Not only did they not get to recover from their injuries, but they even had to risk their lives in a search for an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
They would have just stayed behind in the 3,000 Worlds if they had known that this would be the case.
Still, seeing that even the Royal Lord was actively guarding the No-Return Pass instead of returning to his Black Ink Nest to recover, none of them dared to voice their complaints and simply did as they were told.
By now, Yang Kai had already fled far away. He was aware that after everything he did, the No-Return Pass would become heavily guarded, and a great number of the Black Ink Clansmen would come looking for him.
He did not mind seizing this chance to kill off a few more Black Ink Clansmen, but right now, it was more important for him to tend to his injuries.
Thus, he continued fleeing at full speed for half a month before he finally located a dead Universe World deep within the Black Ink Battlefield. He made his way into it and opened a temporary cave mansion for himself.
After setting up a series of simple arrays to conceal his aura, Yang Kai finally felt at ease enough to sit down.
Even though Yang Kai sorely wished to destroy every single one of the High-Rank Black Ink Nests, he knew that was not a very realistic thought, unless he could somehow become a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
As someone only in the Eighth Order, if he attacked one too many times, it was bound to backfire on him at some point and he would fail miserably at his goal; after all, if one walked by the river frequently enough, their shoes would eventually get wet.
His first strike had been the most rewarding as the Black Ink Clan had been taken by surprise.
All in all, Yang Kai had destroyed five High-Rank Black Ink Nests and killed two Innate Territory Lords, so he was pretty satisfied with the results of his efforts.
It would not be this easy for him to launch another attack.
In fact, Yang Kai could not even be certain whether or not he would have the chance to take action again.
It was not something that Yang Kai cared all that much about, though. While it would be good if he had the chance to strike again, he could simply return to the 3,000 Worlds if he did not; after all, he had the secret Void Corridor, which had served him well the past few years.
What he needed to do now was focus on his recovery.
As Yang Kai lay low, the Black Ink Clan went on a frenzied search for him all across the Black Ink Battlefield, but in the end, they failed to find any trace of him.
The Royal Lord was filled with pent-up fury and frustration. He had full knowledge of an enemy who was eyeing the No-Return Pass, and he knew full well that this enemy of his was not his equal in battle, but he could not find where this enemy was hiding, pushing him into a constant state of simmering rage.
The existence of that Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master made him feel as if he had a sword hanging over his head, one that could fall at any moment. As a result of this incident, all of the Territory Lords, as well as the Royal Lord himself, feared entering into a deep sleep to recuperate. They had to put up with their injuries and remain on guard.
Six months after Yang Kai destroyed five High-Rank Black Ink Nests, the Human Race Army’s Supreme Headquarters, in a Great Territory which connected to the Star Boundary, had compiled reports from various Great Territories.
This particular Great Territory previously did not even have a name of its own on the Universe Chart and was simply identified with the code E-39.
Numerous Great Territories like this one existed among the 3,000 Worlds. These nameless Great Territories were usually those where the Martial Dao had not matured much or did not possess any resources worth exploiting. Even though they were often home to several Universe Worlds, the cultivators in those places could not free themselves from the shackles of their Universe Worlds and venture out into the Outer Universe.
Some of these Great Territories were even completely uninhabited.
This had been the case for the Great Territory where the Star Boundary was, but due to the Star Boundary’s soaring fame, along with the fact that the most powerful Sect in the Star Boundary was High Heaven Palace, the Great Territory was at one point re-named High Heaven Territory.
It had been several dozen years since the Black Ink Clan opened the passage between the Barren Territory and Wind Mist Territory and invaded the 3,000 Worlds.
The Human Race Army had retreated from Barren Territory under the orders of Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing, the two surviving Ninth-Order Old Ancestors. The Armies were then broken up and Squads were sent to the various Great Territories to organize the mass evacuation.
By now, the Humans had all retreated and migrated as planned.
With the help of the Human Army, most of the great forces arrived safely in High Heaven Territory; however, significant losses were suffered along the way too. An example of this would be the Swallowing Seas Territory. If it had not been for Yang Kai’s intervention back then, all of the cultivators from the entire Great Territory might have been lost.
Some evacuation fleets encountered Black Ink Clan Armies along the way and were either besieged or eliminated.
Even now, some Human refugees had been delayed for various reasons and were still making their way to High Heaven Territory, but the overall situation had been stabilised.
The Human Race Army was now deployed in a dozen Great Territories around High Heaven Territory to battle against the Black Ink Clan Army. Big and small clashes occurred constantly with the Humans and the Black Ink Clan Army both suffering casualties at an alarming rate.
Many of the Humans’ finest elites now fought in these Great Territories, doing their best to hold the line and push back the enemy.
Since Territory E-30 neighboured the Star Boundary and was the only way into High Heaven Territory from the wider 3,000 Worlds, the Human Race Army turned it into their final stronghold in the war against the Black Ink Clan.
Thus, the Army Supreme Headquarters was set up in one of the Universe Worlds in this Great Territory.
The Human Race had never had a Supreme Headquarters before as on the Black Ink Battlefield, each of the Great Passes functioned essentially independently. No one held overall command. In fact, even in the individual Great Passes, the East, South, West, and North Armies all had their respective Army Headquarters.
However, in the present situation, the Human Race could no longer afford to work separately. They had to establish a place where the entire strategic situation could be overseen and general orders could be issued.
This was how the Supreme Headquarters came to be.
There was a single Supreme Commander and over a dozen Deputy Supreme Commanders at the Supreme Headquarters, all of them the most elite Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, holding positions above the individual Army Commanders.
As Old Ancestors Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing were preoccupied with tying down the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, they could not pay attention to anything else. Therefore, the over dozen or so Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters acted as the heads of the Human Race Army.
The strategies to be used in the fight against the Black Ink Clan, the changes to the defence lines, the assignment of the soldiers, everything was coordinated through the Supreme Headquarters.
Xiang Shan, originally the Army Commander of the Great Evolution Army’s Eastern Army was now a Deputy Supreme Commander, and Mi Jing Lun had assumed the role of Supreme Commander.
On this particular day, the dozen or so Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had gathered to discuss the current state of the war. After a lengthy discussion, they came up with a new set of plans to implement.
Xiang Shan glanced around at everyone, “If there’s nothing else, then we can adjourn now.”
These Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters did not just remain in this place. They were elites among the Eighth Order, so they would still head out to fight the Black Ink Clans now and again; however, for the most part, the majority of them remained on duty at the Supreme Headquarters so that they could quickly formulate strategies whenever a crisis cropped up.
Just recently, Xiang Shan received a report that a Territory Lord had separated from the rest of the Black Ink Clan Army in one of the neighbouring Great Territories. Thus, he had been working out a way to kill this Territory Lord. Now was the perfect opportunity to strike, so if there was nothing else that needed to be discussed, he wanted to get on with it.
The other Deputy Supreme Commanders were quiet as they had nothing to discuss, but Mi Jing Lun suddenly raised his hand, “Please hold on, everyone. I’ve recently received a rather intriguing report. Please have a look.”
Bolts of light whizzed out of his raised hand.
Jade slips soon landed in each of their hands as one of them queried with his eyebrow and commented, “A series of Black Ink Nests self-destructed?”
The jade slip had a record of multiple reports from various Great Territories about the sudden collapse of numerous Black Ink Nests. Most of these Black Ink Nests were Low-Rank Black Ink Nests, but there were a few Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests among them as well.
A fairly significant number of them had collapsed throughout over 100 different Great Territories.
Xiang Shan was taken aback, looked up, and asked, “When did you get these reports?”
“10 days ago,” Mi Jing Lun replied.
All of the Deputy Supreme Commanders had important tasks of their own, while Mi Jing Lun was in charge of gathering intelligence and reports. He was the first to know of any news that was transmitted back to the Supreme Headquarters.
“Is this information reliable?” One of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters asked.
Mi Jing Lun nodded, “En. Some of these incidents were spotted by Hunters roaming through the Great Territories under the Black Ink Clan’s control, while some were even discovered from the dozen frontline Great Territories. We can’t confirm the ones in the Great Territories that fully belong to the Black Ink Clan, but I’ve sent people to check the dozen frontline Great Territories, and they’ve verified the reports.”
The ‘Hunters’ that he mentioned were those who had formed Squads to sneak into the Great Territories under the Black Ink Clan’s control to hunt and kill Black Ink Clansmen.
Some of these Hunters were the remnants of the various Army Squads that previously existed, but most of them were also formed by cultivators from the various Second Class great forces.
Cultivators from the Second Class great forces had never taken part in large-scale wars before and few of them were used to fighting in a structured army; therefore, the Supreme Headquarters decided to just leave them be. The Cave Heavens and Paradises no longer restricted the Second Class great forces and many of the Masters from those great forces had ascended to the Seventh Order.
Thanks to the existence of the Hunters, the Black Ink Clan suffered noteworthy losses every year.
However, Hunters generally worked in small groups no bigger than an Army Squad, or a dozen or so people, which meant that it was extremely dangerous for them if they ran into a real Black Ink Clan Army.
At the same time, being few in number meant they could move about more freely and stealthily, so there were pros and cons.
The Hunters mostly travelled through the Great Territories that the Black Ink Clan had seized and six months ago, a number of Hunters reported witnessing many Black Ink Nests in various Universe Worlds all of a sudden began to wither and die.
At the same time, the same thing had happened in the dozen frontline Great Territories where the main Human and Black Ink Clan Armies were clashing. Quite a few soldiers had seen massive Black Ink Nests falling apart for no apparent reason.
As Supreme Commander of the Human Army, Mi Jing Lun was always kept up-to-date on the latest intelligence, so no one doubted his words.
One of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters’ eyes brightened, “Do we have a count of how many Black Ink Nests were self-destructed? How many Low-Rank ones and how many Mid-Rank ones?”
“For now, we’ve confirmed 637 Low-Rank Black Ink Nests and 13 Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests have withered,” Mi Jing Lun replied, “However, this is only what we have found, and what we can find is only the tip of the iceberg.”
There were obviously a lot more Black Ink Nests that had been destroyed than the ones the Humans could discover.
Mi Jing Lun looked around at everyone, “I’m sure you all know what this implies.”
It would not be a big deal if a few Low-Rank Black Ink Nests self-destructed. That would only mean that a Mid-Rank Black Ink Nest had been destroyed somewhere. However, if multiple Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests had self-destructed as well, then the information gleaned from this news was a lot more significant.
Xiang Shan spoke up quietly, “We have not found any High-Rank Black Ink Nests on any of the battlefields, which is why we deduced that the Black Ink Clan left their High-Rank Black Ink Nests back at the No-Return Pass. The Black Ink Clan would consider the No-Return Pass to be a very safe location as we Humans are too busy defending ourselves to attack it. No one would head off to the No-Return Pass to try and mess with them, but from the looks of it now, someone did just that and even succeeded in destroying a High-Rank Black Ink Nest at the No-Return Pass. That’s why the Mid-Rank and Low-Rank Black Ink Nests self-destructed. But, who is this person?”
“Although we have no way of confirming the situation at the No-Return Pass, based on what Brother Ou Yang Lie said back then, there is a Royal Lord who is standing guard there. No ordinary person can stir up trouble right under a Royal Lord’s nose,” Mi Jing Lun declared.
Ou Yang Lie was with Yang Kai when they returned through the No-Return Pass to the Barren Territory, which meant that Ou Yang Lie knew the situation at the No-Return Pass better than anyone in this room. He had naturally told Mi Jing Lun about what he knew.
“Could it be that one of the two Old Ancestors made a move?” One of the Eighth-Order Masters suggested.
Someone else shook his head and refuted that possibility, “The two Old Ancestors are currently busy subduing the Black Ink Giant Spirit God. They can’t go anywhere else, so they wouldn’t have gone to the No-Return Pass. If they did, it would have meant that they defeated the Black Ink Giant Spirit God and we would’ve heard about it if that was the case.”
The crowd continued making various guesses, but they had no way of verifying any of them. Based on the reports they had, they could only figure out that at least one High-Rank Black Ink Nest at the No-Return Pass must have been destroyed. That would explain why many Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests and Low-Rank Black Ink Nests self-destructed.
That being said, they had no way of knowing who did this or even if it was just one person or a whole team of people.
All of a sudden, Xiang Shan looked over at Mi Jing Lun. Their eyes met and they could easily tell what the other was thinking.
“Could it be… that Brat’s doing?”
They could not think of anyone who could accomplish such a feat, but if it was that Brat, then perhaps it might be possible.
Immediately, one of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters asked, “Brother Xiang, who is this ‘Brat’ you speak of? Who do you believe is capable of doing this?”
Xiang Shan did not leave them guessing as he answered, “Yang Kai. I’m sure you’ve heard his name before.”
Everyone nodded in realisation.
One of them piped up, “I heard that he’s now in the Eighth Order, right?”
Mi Jing Lun nodded, “That’s right. Yang Kai is now in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm. He’s also the reason why Brother Ou Yang Lie and his group were able to return from the Black Ink Battlefield.
The one who spoke up earlier continued, “Even if he’s now in the Eighth-Order, he has only just recently ascended. There’s a Royal Lord standing guard at the No-Return Pass, not to mention countless Territory Lords as well. How could he do such a thing all by himself?”
Although this person who spoke knew of Yang Kai and heard about his past exploits, he was unfamiliar with Yang Kai, so it was not surprising for him to feel doubtful.
[He’s no ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. He can easily slaughter Innate Territory Lords and he’s definitely stronger, not weaker than any of you here,] Mi Jing Lun thought to himself.
Ou Yang Lie had told Mi Jing Lun some astonishing things, but as this information involved other matters as well, Mi Jing Lun had classified the reports to prevent information leaks. Not many people knew of these things now, especially regarding just how strong Yang Kai was!
This was a way of protecting Yang Kai to prevent him from getting exposed to the Black Ink Clan and being targeted as a result.
However, judging by what was happening now, even though Mi Jing Lun wanted to protect Yang Kai, Yang Kai was not someone who would keep a low profile. [He has already run off to the No-Return Pass and destroyed High-Rank Black Ink Nests! The Black Ink Clan surely view him as their highest priority target.]
After a moment of silence, Mi Jing Lun said, “Perhaps it might be hard for him to accomplish this alone, but there’s something you shouldn’t forget, everyone. Even if he’s acting alone, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have help.”
“The Small Stone Race Army!” One of the Eighth-Order Masters exclaimed in realisation.
Mi Jing Lun nodded, “Exactly. Previously, Yang Kai travelled to various Great Territories and refined numerous Universe Worlds. He even gave out a lot of Small Stone Race soldiers to the cultivators in those Great Territories for protection, which proved to be a massive boon. Without those Small Stone Race soldiers, many more cultivators retreating from the various Great Territories would have died. According to my calculations, Yang Kai gave out at least 40 million Small Stone Race soldiers, including nearly 100 who had the raw strength of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters!”
Even though it was not the first time these Commanders heard about this, they still could not help but feel thunderstruck when Mi Jing Lun brought it up again.
[40 million from the Small Stone Race…]
[Nearly 100 on par with Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters…]
[Even more that are on par with the Seventh-Order, Sixth-Order, and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters…]
They were all curious as to how Yang Kai cultivated so many Small Stone Race soldiers, creating a massive and powerful army all on his own.
They had already investigated the origins of the Small Stone Race and learned they were a unique species of living beings that came from a certain Universe World in the New Great Territory, which was adjacent to High Heaven Territory. They were only found in that Small Universe World. In fact, there was no trace of the Small Stone Race anywhere else.
However, they had also studied the Small Stone Race there, discovering that they were not fully sentient and quite weak as well. When compared to the massive Small Stone Race soldiers that Yang Kai gave away, it was as if they belonged to completely separate races.
Less than half of those 40 million Small Stone Race soldiers remained now, the rest had died in the battle against the Black Ink Clan. Even so, for the Humans, the 20-million-strong Small Stone Race Army provided indispensable strength in battle. This was especially the case because the Small Stone Race was not susceptible to the corruption of Black Ink Strength. When in battle, they fought valiantly with no fear of death. These characteristics greatly benefited the Human Army in battle against the Black Ink Clan.
As of now, the Small Stone Race had made a name for itself across all the various battlefields and the Humans had also found a way to control and command them. While this method had not been perfected yet, it was still a lot better than before.
It was no longer the same as the way it was last time when people would simply summon Small Stone Race soldiers and have them freely battle the enemy. Under the original circumstances, once these released Small Stone Soldiers killed off all the Black Ink Clansmen, if they were not collected quickly, they would begin fighting among themselves or simply run away, which made things rather awkward…
The Human Race’s failure to command the Small Stone Race partly contributed to the 40 million-strong Small Stone Race Army’s heavy casualties. Once the Humans figured out how to control them though, the loss rate decreased significantly.
Since Yang Kai could give away 40 million of them, it meant that he still had some on hand. Given his abilities, and with the help of a large number of Small Stone Race soldiers, it was not necessarily impossible for him to destroy a few High-Rank Black Ink Nests at the No-Return Pass.
Right now, the Humans had only barely managed to set up a defence perimeter. They drew in all the forces they had and focused on the fight against the Black Ink Clan on a dozen different battlefields, but they could only defend themselves, not having sufficient leeway to launch a counterattack.
However, Yang Kai was able to wreak havoc at the No-Return Pass all by himself. When comparing themselves to him, these veteran Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters felt somewhat embarrassed.
“What a shame!” Someone sighed.
It was a shame that Yang Kai had become a Fifth-Order Master back then. Even though he consumed a Mid-Rank World Fruit, increasing his innate limit to the Eighth Order, that was still his limit. It would be… hard for him to become a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
There was no sign of the Universe Furnace, and no one knew when it would show up. Even if it did, chances were it would lead to an even more frenzied bloodshed as the Black Ink Clan would not let the Humans get their hands on the Innate Open Heaven Pills easily.
“That Brat… Why wasn’t he born into a Cave Heaven or a Paradise…” another Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master remarked lamentably.
Back then, it had been clear that Yang Kai could directly ascend to the Seventh Order, but in the end, he was forced to become a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Everyone knew the reasons behind this situation.
From the looks of it now, the attempt to suppress him back then was a grave mistake, but when considering the Cave Heavens and Paradises’ unspoken rules, they simply had no choice. Naturally, it was also partly due to the selfish motives of certain people.
Still, if Yang Kai had come from a Cave Heaven or a Paradise, who would have tried to keep him down? Quite the contrary, they would have showered him with resources to allow him to quickly reach the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. Based on his rate of cultivation, if he had directly broken through to the Seventh Order back then, he might have already reached the peak of the Eighth Order by now and be set to become a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the near future.
He would surely achieve great things the moment he became a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Xiang Shan gently rapped his knuckles on the table, “There’s no point looking back in hindsight now. Why did you bring this up, Brother Mi?”
Mi Jing Lun wore a serious expression as he commented, “When Yang Kai was with the Great Evolution Army, I interacted with him many times. No ordinary cultivator can compare to him. He is a hero who has done many services for the Human Race. Without him, we wouldn’t have Purifying Light, or Purifying Black Ink Battleships, or Purifying Black Ink Pills. Now that he’s alone at the No-Return Pass, what I want to ask is, should we send help over to him?”
After a pause, Mi Jing Lun added, “That boy simply does not know the meaning of the word ‘restraint’, so he definitely won’t stop. I’m afraid that if something happens to him… we might lose an essential talent!”
“Help him? How are we going to do that? Furthermore, all of our frontlines on the battlefield are barely holding on as it is. We can only manage to defend ourselves, so how can we pull a significant force off our lines to send over to him?” An Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master immediately refuted Mi Jing Lun’s idea. He was not trying to go against Mi Jing Lun on purpose, just stating the reality of their situation.
The Human Race’s defense lines had shrunk to a dozen Great Territories, but their situation still did not look too good either.
Many of the others nodded in agreement.
Someone spoke up and said, “If we want to help an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him, we would have to reassign several Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but each Eighth-Order Master is indispensable on the current battlefield. Where would we pull them from?”
Mi Jing Lun stayed silent for a moment before saying quietly, “If we can’t reassign anyone given our current defence perimeter, then why don’t we give up one of the battlefields?”
Everyone’s jaws dropped at his words, and the one who spoke earlier stared at Mi Jing Lun in disbelief, “Brother Mi, do you think the safety of Yang Kai is more important than the loss of an entire battlefield?”
Countless soldiers had shed blood to hold every single one of the dozen Great Territories. The frontlines were formed from their sacrifices and could not be given up so easily.
Mi Jing Lun’s suggestion shocked everyone to the core.
Mi Jing Lun shook his head, “Giving up one of the Great Territory battlefields doesn’t imply that Yang Kai is more important than them. However, we don’t have enough manpower to maintain all of our current battlefields as it is. If we give up on one, we will reduce the pressure we are under. Also, everyone, don’t forget that Yang Kai is the only one who can use Purifying Light.”
The Eighth-Order Masters fell silent, and moments later, the air was filled with Divine Senses as they began discussing among themselves.
Xiang Shan gave Mi Jing Lun a somewhat helpless glance. This had started as an ordinary conference, but Mi Jung Lun was now suggesting that they abandon one of the battlefields. This was no small issue.
If they did decide to do this, it would cause a lot of disapproval and dissatisfaction.
So many soldiers had died in battle, each of them someone’s Brother or Sister from the same Sect. Who among the living did not yearn to avenge these deaths? Who among them was willing to retreat?
Even though they would still be heading into battle against the Black Ink Clan on a different battlefield, it was not the same.
If things didn’t go well today, Mi Jing Lun would become a target of everyone’s anger and reproach.
At this moment, Xiang Shan sorely missed the Purifying Light that Yang Kai had. The Human Race were having a hard time maintaining their current lines partially because of the lack of Purifying Light. The Human Race had nearly exhausted all the Purifying Light they had, with the little they had retained stored up inside just a few Purifying Black Ink Battleships. The Supreme Headquarters had set aside this supply of Purifying Light for special purposes, such as an Army Commander or other critically important characters being corrupted by Black Ink Strength. They did not have the leisure to use it for day-to-day situations.
Although Purifying Black Ink Pills could purge Black Ink Strength when a person had not been fully corrupted, the efficacy paled in comparison to Purifying Light.
Because of this, it felt as if the Humans had their hands tied when fighting against the Black Ink Clan.
[You Brat! Since you’re not dead, hurry back and create more Purifying Light! Why are you messing around at the No-Return Pass?!]
…..
Meanwhile, on the Black Ink Battlefield, Yang Kai snuck over and was now hiding outside the No-Return Pass.
It had been six months since the day he destroyed five High-Rank Black Ink Nests. He had fully recovered from his injuries by now, but upon returning to the No-Return Pass, he saw that it was still heavily guarded.
Along the way, he encountered countless Black Ink Clan search teams with many Feudal Lords and even a number of Territory Lords patrolling around, keeping a vigilant watch over the surroundings.
[The Black Ink Clan is being too cautious!] Yang Kai grumbled to himself.
What he did not know was that after the chaos he caused at the No-Return Pass earlier on, the Royal Lord flew into an absolute rage. It was not just the Territory Lords, but even he who was standing guard at the No-Return Pass, not daring to enter a Black Ink Nest to recover from his injuries because he had to constantly be on alert in case Yang Kai launched another sneak attack.
The Black Ink Clan’s caution made things difficult for Yang Kai.
Originally, he wanted to attack a few more times and destroy as many High-Rank Black Ink Nests as possible, but from what he was seeing now, this was probably the last time he could act.
[In that case, let’s raise some real havoc one last time!]
Now that Yang Kai had made his mind up, he scanned through the No-Return Pass to find his target.
Soon, he zeroed in on a High-Rank Black Ink Nest on the right side of the No-Return Pass.
Despite not seeing any sign of the Royal Lord or detecting the latter’s aura, Yang Kai knew that the Royal Lord had to be hiding somewhere, waiting for him to show up.
Therefore, as soon as he made his move, he would be on the receiving end of the Royal Lord’s counterattack!
However, there was an obstacle in his path this time around. The Black Ink Clan had not been on their toes when he attacked the last time. That was how he could easily destroy two High-Rank Black Ink Nests with just one strike.
This time, the Territory Lords had spread out to guard the various Black Ink Nests. No matter where Yang Kai showed up, he would immediately encounter a Territory Lord standing in his way.
He chose the High-Rank Black Ink Nest on the right side of the No-Return Pass because the Territory Lord who was guarding that area looked quite worn out. Even his aura was unstable.
[He’s heavily injured, which means he’s an easy target!]
Most of the Territory Lords at the No-Return Pass were injured in some way or another. Yang Kai deduced that they had retreated from the battlefields in the 3,000 Worlds. He did not study them closely the last time he was here, but after observing them this time, he confirmed his inference.
The Black Ink Clan had managed to reopen the Territory Gate to the Barren Territory, which he had sealed up back then.
At the time, Yang Kai thought that he could cut off the Black Ink Clan’s supply lines entirely by simply blocking the portal. Later on, he realised that he had been wrong about that. The Black Ink Clan had a way of reopening the sealed Territory Gates, but it would take some time and they would have to pay a heavy price to do so.
To Yang Kai, this was not entirely bad news. Since the portal was open, it provided another escape route for him to take. If he made his way through the Territory Gate, the Royal Lord would not dare to chase after him quite so readily.
Yang Kai did not need to test the waters with anything else. Launching a swift and direct attack was the best choice under the circumstances.
With that thought in mind, Yang Kai manipulated Space Principles and in an instant, he was above the High-Rank Black Ink Nest, and with a forceful thrust of the Azure Dragon Spear, he stabbed right at the Territory Lord who was standing guard here.
Yang Kai also immediately used a Soul Rending Thorn for good measure.
Soul Rending Thorns were incredibly effective against the heavily-injured Territory Lords around the No-Return Pass as Yang Kai had found when he had a taste of the sweet victory the last time he was here, so he was not stingy this time.
All he had to do was sacrifice a small piece of his Soul, which was something he could bear.
This Territory Lord was unlucky. An Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had severely injured him when he was on the frontlines of the war; thus, he had no choice but to retreat to the No-Return Pass to recuperate. However, after only getting to rest for a few days, Yang Kai had rushed in and raised Hell.
The Royal Lord had given the order and this Territory Lord no longer had the chance to recuperate. He had to keep watch over the area assigned to him in case that Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master launched another attack.
Half a year had passed and after seeing no signs of the Human, this Territory Lord had become less vigilant. Furthermore, he was quite severely injured.
At this moment, he was refining the Black Ink Strength that drifted out from the Black Ink Nest to slowly tend to his injuries. It was not particularly effective, but it was better than nothing.
When space rippled around him and Yang Kai’s spear came crashing down, the Territory Lord could not react immediately as his injury-laden body numbed his ability to sense danger.
The next instant, it felt as if a needle had pierced into his head and an agonising pain coursed through his whole body, causing him to shudder violently and almost knocked him unconscious. The sharp spear grew increasingly larger in his vision as the Territory Lord wanted to defend himself, but try as he might, he could not draw upon his Black Ink Strength. He had to watch as the spear pierced right through his skull.
Yang Kai hit his mark with just one strike, and the formidable power behind his blow did not dissipate as it flew out and annihilated the High-Rank Black Ink Nest below!
Another kill!
At the same time, the Territory Lords who were standing guard nearby jumped into action. They charged towards Yang Kai from all directions, and the Royal Lord’s enormous figure burst forth from within the No-Return Pass as well, a cold and menacing expression filling his face.
He had underestimated this Human’s boldness and recklessness. Initially, he thought that the Human would have to stay in hiding for several years, if not longer, but who would have known that he would show up again just six months?
Thankfully, he did not let his guard down and thus detected Yang Kai as soon as he showed up.
Unfortunately, even though the Royal Lord reacted quickly, he was not in time to save that Territory Lord.
Yang Kai had killed another Territory Lord in the blink of an eye.
However, the Royal Lord was not too affected by this. He considered the loss of a single Territory Lord and a High-Rank Black Ink Nest the price they had to pay in order to kill this pesky Human right here, right now.
No Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could escape with his life in a situation like this when a group of Territory Lords and a Royal Lord had him surrounded.
The Royal Lord had also learned from his previous mistake and channelled much of his energy into disrupting the local space to prevent Yang Kai from escaping by using Space Principles.
However, Yang Kai did not intend to escape this time.
After destroying the Black Ink Nest, he turned around and rushed deeper into the No-Return Pass, as if he wanted to have a showdown against the Royal Lord. The Territory Lords who were moving to encircle him were dumbfounded, wondering if this Human had a death wish?
Just as the Territory Lords were about to celebrate, they saw their closest fellow Territory Lord to Yang Kai howl in agony as he stumbled unsteadily. Yang Kai quickened his pace, and in a flash, he broke through their encirclement.
Yet another Soul Rending Thorn had been used, but Yang Kai did not have the time to kill the second Territory Lord. Between killing these heavily injured Territory Lords and destroying High-Rank Black Ink Nests, Yang Kai preferred doing the latter.
Once he broke out of their siege, Yang Kai raised his spear, and in a burst of light, yet another High-Rank Black Ink Nest turned to dust.
“Bold Human!” The Royal Lord who was charging over roared in fury.
If he included what happened six months ago, there were now a total of seven High-Rank Black Ink Nests that had been destroyed and three Territory Lords who were killed by this single Human, and all of this happened right under his nose, which made him feel deeply humiliated. The Royal Lord no longer wanted to simply rip Yang Kai’s corpse apart anymore. He had made his mind up. If he managed to capture Yang Kai alive, he was going to extract Yang Kai’s Soul and refine it before torturing him until he begged for death.
Even more Territory Lords stormed towards Yang Kai now and their auras were all as sharp as knives as the sent a flurry of attacks towards him.
The entirety of the No-Return Pass was in a frenzy, as if someone had dropped cold water into a boiling pot of oil.
Even though a Royal Lord was charging over, Yang Kai’s expression was still perfectly calm and tranquil.
All of a sudden, he put away his Azure Dragon Spear, and with a wave his hands, two Small Stone Race Armies of over a million each appeared, one bearing the symbol of the Great Sun, and the other the symbol of the Great Moon!
The sudden appearance of so many Small Stone Race soldiers startled the Black Ink Clansmen, but soon, some of the Territory Lords recognised these strange beings.
On the current battlefields, these beings fought against the Black Ink Clan under the command of the Humans. They did not fear being corrupted by Black Ink Strength, nor were they afraid of death. As a result, the Black Ink Clan suffered significant losses at their hands.
That being said, what could these dregs do when faced with so many Territory Lords and even a Royal Lord? No matter how large their numbers were, these strange stone men were no better than ants.
Under Yang Kai’s command, the two Small Stone Race Armies charged towards the Royal Lord; however, as soon as they came into contact with his aura, they were ground to dust. Countless of them turned into rock fragments as the Royal Lord was simply too powerful for the Small Stone Race soldiers to even get close.
Still, numbering 2 million in total, there were enough to swiftly bury the Royal Lord in bodies.
At the same time, Yang Kai found himself completely surrounded by the Territory Lords who came at him from all sides. One of the Territory Lords tried to land a deadly blow immediately and the concentrated Black Ink Strength turned into Divine Abilities that charged straight at Yang Kai.
Even a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would not fare well if struck by such a ferocious attack, let alone an Eighth-Order Master.
However, it was as if Yang Kai did not see the attack coming at all as he simply stretched out his hands. The Great Sun and Great Moon Marks on the backs of his hands started to burn before they lit up in conjunction with the two Small Stone Race Armies.
The next instant, incredibly pure and concentrated Great Sun and Great Moon Energy were drawn out and swiftly combined to form the purest light imaginable.
The Royal Lord, who was surrounded by the Small Stone Race, immediately had a bad premonition. The Territory Lords who surrounded Yang Kai also felt greatly disconcerted for no apparent reason.
A tiny Sun that looked just like the real Sun suddenly exploded outwards with pure, dazzling white light illuminating the entire No-Return Pass. For a moment, several tens of millions of kilometres of the void seemed to glow with unimaginable white radiance.
Countless lower ranked Black Ink Clansmen simply vanished under the intense light.
Even most of the Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques, which were formed from Black Ink Strength that came charging towards Yang Kai disappeared without a trace, leaving just a few dregs to hit Yang Kai, causing him to stagger slightly.
The Territory Lords all howled in pain as they felt their bodies being bathed in the most toxic poison in existence. Black Ink Strength sizzled as it flooded out of their bodies.
The blinding light lasted for 10 breaths before it slowly faded away.
However, by the time the dust settled, the casualties suffered by Black Ink Clan both within and outside the No-Return Pass had climbed to an uncountable height. Many new Black Ink Clansmen had been born in the Great Passes nearest to where the light had shone, but now, not even a tenth of them remained. Although things were a little better on the Universe Fragments and Great Passes that were further out, there were still significant losses there. Only the Black Ink Clan Masters who were on the outskirts of the Great Passes were less affected.
The aura of over a dozen of the Territory Lords who were nearest to Yang Kai plummeted, dropping down to the level of Feudal Lords in one fell swoop, damaging their foundations permanently and sending their minds and Souls into disarray.
The Royal Lord, whom the two Small Stone Race Armies had completely surrounded, was equally stunned and shocked by what just transpired.
The two one-million-strong Small Stone Race Armies had all turned into shattered rocks. Obscuring the Royal Lord’s dishevelled figure. He had been at the centre of that explosion of Purifying Light, so he had naturally suffered the most.
Even though he was a Royal Lord, his aura had been thrown into utter chaos.
He knew about the existence of Purifying Light, but never thought that someone could unleash such a massive amount of it all at once.
Even he would not be able to withstand a few more attacks of such intensity!
The aura of those Territory Lords had dropped to that of a Feudal Lord because their heritage had been ground away, so naturally, the Royal Lord did not escape unscathed either.
Right now, about 10% of his foundation had been destroyed. While this was not enough for his cultivation to regress, even if the Royal Lord fully healed from his injuries now, he would no longer be as powerful as he once was and would need to cultivate for hundreds, if not thousands of years to return to his peak.
If he was struck by another blast of Purifying Light of such might, he was not certain he could even remain a Royal Lord.
Thus, once the light faded away, the Royal Lord instantly looked around to see where Yang Kai was, deeply afraid that the latter would repeat this stunt.
Soon however, the Royal Lord turned towards the Territory Gate and saw a pale-faced Yang Kai standing at its edge, staring back at him with a look of provocation and condescension.
Yang Kai and the Royal Lord locked eyes as Yang Kai made a slitting gesture across his neck, childishly taunting the Royal Lord before turning around and leaping into the portal.
The Royal Lord was so infuriated that he nearly spat blood!
He was about to dash after Yang Kai when he quickly stopped, his expression darkening as he realized a hard reality: He couldn’t leave.
The No-Return Pass was the Black Ink Clan’s most important base, with all of their High-Rank and many of their Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests having been set up here. As he was the only surviving Royal Lord, if an unexpected crisis occurred at the No-Return Pass because of his departure, then it would surely threaten the entire foundation of the Black Ink Clan.
Thus, even though he wished more than anything to chase after that Human and slaughter him, he had to suppress that impulse.
“Sir…” One of the Territory Lords approached the Royal Lord for orders.
The Royal Lord had not given chase, and they did not dare to do so either. Over the last six months, three Territory Lords had died at the hands of that Human and his spear despite him not even targeting them.
His target had only been the High-Rank Black Ink Nests, which all of the Black Ink Clansmen had figured out by now. If he had intended to assassinate Territory Lords instead, the number of dead would not be a paltry three.
Their opponent was far stronger than they could ever imagine.
If they went after him without the Royal Lord, what would happen if that Human had set up an ambush on the other side of the Territory Gate?
No one wanted to be sent off to their death just like that.
However, if the Royal Lord gave the order, then they had to give chase no matter how fearful they were.
Thankfully, the Royal Lord had considered the same possibility. He had personally witnessed just how formidable Yang Kai was, and he knew that the Territory Lords here were mostly injured; therefore, after mulling it over for a brief moment, he quickly said, “Don’t bother going after him!”
His words washed over the Territory Lords like a pardon from the Heavens.
Still, all of them were heavy-hearted.
It could not be helped as they had lost too much.
Not only did they lose another Territory Lord this time, but four High-Rank Black Ink Nests and over a dozen Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests had been destroyed as well.
Initially, that Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had only destroyed two High-Rank Black Ink Nests, but when the dazzling white light exploded around them, the Black Ink Nests that were closest to the epicentre were shattered into dust as well, including two more High-Rank Black Ink Nests.
Over a dozen Territory Lords had also regressed to Feudal Lords, while the others who were showered by the white light had their strength affected to varying degrees.
Their fear and apprehension only increased when they noticed that even the Royal Lord’s aura seemed to have weakened…
Six months ago, that Human appeared out of the blue, destroyed five High-Rank Black Ink Nests, and killed two Territory Lords.
Although he only destroyed four High-Rank Black Ink Nests and killed one Territory Lord this time, the total losses were actually more severe.
And these losses did not even take into account the lower-ranked Black Ink Clansmen, who were immediately vaporized when that burst of Purifying Light hit them.
All of the Black Ink Clansmen had one question in mind. What was that light and why did it have such a horrifying effect on the Black Ink Clan?
All they saw was the Human summoning two Small Stone Race Armies, and then everything went white, literally.
Now, the Small Stone Race Armies had turned into shattered rock and no longer existed.
While the Territory Lords were caught up in their uneasy thoughts, Yang Kai was already waiting on the other side of the Territory Gate, but to his dismay, no one came after him, even though he waited for quite some time.
Once he was certain that the Black Ink Clan dared not come after him, he casually sealed the portal again.
Although the Black Ink Clan had the means to reopen the Territory Gate, it would take them significant time and effort to do so. Yang Kai was more than happy to make things a little more difficult for his enemy.
After taking stock of the outcome, Yang Kai felt fairly satisfied. The only thing he felt bad about was the loss of 2 million Small Stone Race soldiers.
Still, this couldn’t be helped. There was no way he could avoid making sacrifices if he wanted to oppose a Royal Lord. The only thing he could do now to face off against a Royal Lord was to use a large number of Small Stone Races to set off a massive explosion of Purifying Light. Even the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel could not compare to this in terms of effectiveness.
The Sun and Moon Divine Wheel was Yang Kai’s most powerful Secret Technique, but it did not have the special characteristic of being able to directly counter the Black Ink Clan.
Once the portal was sealed up once more, Yang Kai exhaled lightly. He achieved a lot in this risky gambit of his, and suffered significant injuries in the process as, at the last moment, he had to focus on igniting the Great Sun and Great Moon Strengths inside the Small Stone Race soldiers, disallowing him to block the attacks from the various Territory Lords.
While most of the attacks were significantly weakened or blocked entirely by the wave of Purifying Light, with so many Territory Lords attacking him at once, some of them inevitably hit their mark.
However, none of the attacks had been deadly, so Yang Kai simply checked over himself a little without bothering to spend time recuperating. He then turned around and flew in a different direction where he sensed devastating shockwaves emanating from.
The last time Yang Kai was in the Barren Territory, the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race were engaged in a fearsome battle that turned the entire Great Territory into a battlefield.
Now, all that remained were the scars left from that battle.
As he made his way forward, he saw far too many scattered remains belonging to both the Humans and the Black Ink Clan. There were also lots of wreckage from Humans’ Warships, as well as tufts of Black Ink Clouds of varying sizes.
The shockwaves would burst forth in irregular intervals, but each time they did, it seemed like the entire Barren Territory trembled.
The closer Yang Kai got to the source, the clearer he could sense what was causing it.
At last, Yang Kai stopped and stared into the distance as two enormous figures reflected in his eyes.
They belonged to two Giant Spirit Gods.
One was Ah Er, and the other was the Black Ink Giant Spirit God who revived and came out of the Late Ancient Era battlefield.
Yang Kai had surmised as much when he noticed the commotion earlier, but still, he was dumbstruck by what he saw.
It seemed these two really never tired. They must’ve been fighting for over 100 years already, yet they had not even paused to take a break. The Humans and the Black Ink Clan had already retreated from the Barren Territory, but as the fight between the two Giant Spirit Gods was still perfectly even, they continued duking it out.
From the way things appeared now, there was no telling how much longer they intended to continue fighting.
It was fortuitous that Giant Spirit God Ah Er had suddenly appeared and pinned down this Black Ink Giant Spirit God; otherwise, the Human Race would have suffered catastrophic losses on the Barren Territory battlefield.
The fight between two Giant Spirit Gods was violent and brutal. They did not use any Divine Abilities or Secret Techniques and instead engaged in a simple hand-to-hand battle, but every blow delivered was enough to make everything around them quake and shudder. A region of over 10 million kilometres around these two was filled with volatile Void Cracks as space itself seemed unable to withstand the fury of their exchanges.
Yang Kai even wondered whether the Barren Territory would completely collapse if their fight carried on like this for long enough.
After silently observing them for a while, he raised his hands to form a cone around his mouth before yelling with all his might, “Ah Er, kill him!”
As if Ah Er had heard Yang Kai’s cheering, even his tuft of hair started giving off a formidable feeling as his attacks became more vicious.
Yang Kai chuckled and watched them for a little longer before leaving.
He could not get involved in a fight between two Giant Spirit Gods. Though he was in the Eighth Order right now, he could not even get close to them without being sent flying. Only Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could involve themselves in such a battle.
Yang Kai still had a long road ahead of him…
Half a day later, he arrived at a different part of the void. The place here was dark and covered in Black Ink Strength, but strangely, the Black Ink Strength did not scatter or move at all. It was completely concentrated together.
[The second Black Ink Giant Spirit God is standing guard here!]
This Black Ink Giant Spirit God was the one that Lu An and his companion had revived back in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land.
At this moment, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was sitting cross-legged in the void. His towering figure looked like a mountain, and in front of it was the passage that led from the Barren Territory to Wind Mist Territory.
The Black Ink Clan Army had used this breach to invade the broader 3,000 Worlds. One could even say that this place was the starting point that led to everything that happened later in the 3,000 Worlds.
When the portal had not been fully opened yet, Yang Kai had rushed to Wind Mist Territory in time and tried to stop it, but the Black Ink Giant Spirit God rushed from the Shattered Heaven to the Barren Territory and forced his arm right through the half-opened portal, managing to open up the Territory Gate.
Even now, his arm was still stuck in the same position.
It was not what this Black Ink Giant Spirit God wanted to be stuck here, it was simply that he could not move.
Yang Kai looked over and saw abstruse runes that appeared and disappeared along half of that Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s arm which was thrust through the boundary wall. These abstruse runes were crawling around like snakes to form a large chain that locked it in place.
Yang Kai detected a familiar aura from those runes.
After calming his mind and focusing for a moment, it soon dawned on Yang Kai that it was Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s aura.
It was not just Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao that he detected either. There was another person’s aura which was almost as powerful as Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s.
[Wu Qing?] Yang Kai’s brow rose slightly. The Humans only had two Ninth-Order Old Ancestors left. One was Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and the other was Wu Qing. This meant that the two Ninth-Order Old Ancestors were currently in Wind Mind Territory and had used some sort of Secret Technique to restrain the Black Ink Giant Spirit God here.
Naturally these two were no match in a battle against a Black Ink Giant Spirit God, but Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing had chosen the best opportunity to make their move. Back then, the two of them had commanded the Human Race Army to withdraw from the Barren Territory before making a few arrangements and then immediately rushing over to Wind Mist Territory.
At that time, it seemed that in order to maintain the Territory Gate between the two Great Territories, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God could not retract his arm from the breach. The two Ninth-Order Old Ancestors arrived at Wind Mist Territory before the Black Ink Clan Army had fully moved out and then worked together to attach this chain-like Secret Technique to the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s arm.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God could have chosen to sacrifice his arm to free himself from these shackles, but he would lose a lot of his strength if he did so, and he was unwilling to do that.
Therefore, for the past few decades, he had been engaging in a silent battle of patience with the two Ninth-Order Old Ancestors.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God sensed Yang Kai’s arrival and was secretly shocked by the fact that the latter was still alive. At the time, a Royal Lord had specifically left the Barren Territory to hunt Yang Kai down, yet here Yang Kai was, alive and well. If Yang Kai was alive though, then the fate of that Royal Lord was evident.
However, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God showed no inclination of paying any attention to Yang Kai as most of his focus was on trying to outwit the two Ninth-Order Old Ancestors. Simply put, he felt no need to spare a puny ant-like Yang Kai any mind.
He ignored Yang Kai, who did likewise. Yang Kai narrowed his eyes slightly as he quietly took in everything in front of him.
Decades had passed and most of the traces of that great battle had faded away, but Yang Kai could still sense the tragic atmosphere looming over this place.
In the last moments of the battle in the Barren Territory, 33 Old Ancestors sacrificed their lives here, along with the Dragon and Phoenix Clan Leaders. Only Old Ancestors Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing were spared from that tragedy.
The 33 Old Ancestors managed to kill 44 Royal Lords and over a million Black Ink Clan soldiers in their final blaze of glory.
There was no denying how tragic the battle had been.
And, this was the very battlefield where the fight had taken place.
Even though Yang Kai was not present during that last battle and could not witness it, as he stood here now and took in the traces left behind, he could almost imagine what it was like then.
When the Black Ink Giant Spirit God left the Shattered Heaven and came to the Barren Territory, he smashed through the Human Race Army’s defence lines and came here before using his arm to force open the passage between the two Great Territories. This allowed the Black Ink Clan Army to swarm into Wind Mist Territory.
For the Humans, the battle was lost at that moment as the invasion of the 3,000 Worlds could no longer be stopped.
Under those circumstances, the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had two choices. One was to lead the Human Race Army’s retreat and leave the Barren Territory. They could then preserve their strength to fight another day.
They were the most powerful of all the Human Race Masters, and if they chose not to engage in battle, the Black Ink Clan could not do anything to them.
However, the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors chose the second option.
They chose to fight to the bitter end!
The 33 Old Ancestors showed no regard for the cultivation and longevity that they had attained with great difficulty and fearlessly launched a final assault on the Black Ink Clan.
The Dragon and Phoenix Clan Leaders followed suit.
44 Royal Lords had been killed in that battle, which was every single Royal Lord there was save for the one who left the Barren Territory earlier to pursue Yang Kai and the one who stood guard over the No-Return Pass.
Too much had been sacrificed in that battle, but it had also cleared the obstacles that stood in the way of the Human Race’s future.
The Old Ancestors had sacrificed their lives in exchange for giving the younger generation, including people like Yang Kai, time to grow stronger.
It had been over 20 years since then, but as Yang Kai stood in this place, it was as if he had travelled back in time and witnessed the tragedies of that battle. His heart constricted and his Dragon Blood started to boil.
When confronted with 33 Old Ancestors, along with the Dragon and Phoenix Clan Leaders, the Black Ink Clan would have also put up a fierce resistance to withstand their sudden attack. Still, they could not resist the dying determination of these valiant souls.
Once the Royal Lords had been wiped out, the surviving Old Ancestors did not retreat though and instead continued to attack the Black Ink Giant Spirit God who was pinned down here.
In the end, none of them survived.
What they had accomplished in that battle was still showing its effect now as the Black Ink Giant Spirit God did not come out of the fight unscathed. His colossal body was covered in wounds that could not heal due to the many Dao Strengths that crisscrossed around them. Black Ink Strength kept leaking out of the wounds, but the Black Ink Giant Spirit God would absorb it back into his body, and the cycle repeated.
This was most likely the reason why Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing could restrain the Black Ink Giant Spirit God from afar.
If he was completely fine, then even if the two Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm had the advantage of making the first move, it would still be incredibly difficult for them to keep this Black Ink Giant Spirit God locked in place.
It was the heroic sacrifice made by the Old Ancestors back then that allowed the current stalemate to exist.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and looked over at the Black Ink Giant Spirit God as he coldly snorted, “Look at you now, Mo!”
Every Black Ink Giant Spirit God was one of Mo’s Soul Clones, but because Mo was so powerful and was already in the Creation Realm, his Soul Clones were also powerful beyond comparison.
Mo could not be bothered to trifle with Yang Kai. He ran into this Human boy when he awakened in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land and knew that while he was a weakling, he was incredibly proficient when it came to escaping. It was not as if he did not want to kill this Human back then, but the latter did not give him the chance to act.
It was even more impossible for him to kill this Human now that it was restrained and could not move.
Thus, Mo did not wish to respond to Yang Kai’s taunting. What it needed to do now was to build up its energy and break free from the two Old Ancestors. Once it regained its freedom, no one in all of the 3,000 Worlds could stop it.
However, what Yang Kai said next would put an end to Mo’s silence.
“Mo, I just came back from Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction after bringing someone over there. Who do you think it was?” Yang Kai asked with a chuckle.
Mo finally glanced at Yang Kai before answering coolly, “It makes no difference who you sent over there. Mu’s trump card has already been used and Cang is dead. When my true body awakens, the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction will easily crumble apart!”
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, “Don’t be so sure about that. Since I sent that person over, it means I’m confident about this; after all, that person… is an old friend of yours.”
Mo’s expression changed for a moment, but it soon snorted, “Stop trying to scare me. All of this Supreme One’s ‘old friends’ died long ago.”
“Since a Soul Clone like you knows that Mu’s trump card has been used, then you should also know that Senior Cang left me something before he died. You’ve lived since ancient times, so you must be very knowledgeable. Why don’t you try guessing what it was? Why did Senior Cang pass it to me just before he died?” Yang Kai slowly said.
Mo stayed silent.
Yang Kai continued, “How many years will it take before your true body awakens? A few thousand years? Over 10,000 years? What Mu left behind must have been quite powerful, right? But, let me give you a word of advice, you should wake up sooner rather than later, otherwise, it will be too late. Even if your true body wakes up, you still won’t be able to do anything if you loiter for too long.”
Yang Kai was curious to know how much longer Mo’s true body would remain unconscious. Wu Kuang had shamelessly boasted that he could become a Ninth-Order Master in 3,000 years, but if Mo’s true body awakened before then, the situation would become a lot more challenging.
If that happened, Yang Kai would have to find a way to take Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing over to see if they could help Wu Kuang.
However, if he did that, then the Humans’ only remaining two Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would be permanently occupied, and the Black Ink Giant Spirit God here would be completely free.
Mo remained quiet for a long time before asking, “Who did you bring over there?”
Yang Kai chuckled and started to reply, “That person…”
“Don’t tell it too much,” A voice suddenly cut in from somewhere else and interrupted Yang Kai.
Yang Kai was startled at first but he soon snapped out of it and asked hesitantly, “Old Ancestor Wu Qing?”
Wu Qing did not respond; instead, it was Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s voice that rang out, “The Black Ink Giant Spirit God is exceedingly powerful. Be careful. It might try to corrupt you.”
Yang Kai was overjoyed, “How are the two of you doing, Old Ancestor? Is everything alright?”
He never thought that Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing could communicate with him across the different territories, but now that he thought about it, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God had cleared the passage between the Barren Territory and Wind Mist Territory, which meant that the passage was open the whole time. It was unsurprising that the two Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters on the other side could still communicate through that gap.
“We’re alright,” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao replied, “As for you… You should hurry up and return to the Star Boundary. Your Wives miss you dearly.”
Yang Kai chuckled embarrassedly, “You met them, Old Ancestor?”
“Of course,” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao responded in a huff, “They joined the Great Evolution Army earlier on.”
[Not only did I meet them, but that Yu Ru Meng! That annoying little girl never gave me face at all each time we met, always demanding I compensate them for losing their Husband.]
As Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao recalled this, she felt the urge to give Yang Kai a good beating.
“Don’t stay here too long,” Wu Qing said.
Yang Kai nodded and solemnly replied, “Junior understands.”
Mo had been silent for a time, but now, it could not resist cutting in and asking, “Who did you bring over there?”
Yang Kai grinned at Mo, “Why don’t you tell me how many years it will take for your true body to wake up first?”
Mo stared fixedly at Yang Kai and chose not to answer, “Did Cang teach you how to control the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?” [Why would he be asking about my true body if that wasn’t the case? It’s obvious that he’s afraid my true body will wake up and break open the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.]
Yang Kai snorted, “Mo, don’t waste time on these unnecessary questions. Why would I need Cang to teach me how to control the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?”
Mo frowned, “What do you mean?”
Yang Kai looked at Mo dismissively, “Why would I need someone to teach me what I already know?”
Mo’s expression changed as a thought flashed across his mind, “Who are you?” he asked quietly.
“Take a guess!” Yang Kai flashed him a smile.
Mo was furious as it realised just how exhausting it was to communicate with the Human in front of it. After a moment of silence though, it said, “I can answer your question, but in return, you must tell me who you are.”
Yang Kai was startled. There was no rhyme or reason to the things he was saying at random, he merely wanted to see if he could trick Mo into telling him what was going on with its true body. It would be great if he did get the information he wanted, but even if he failed, there was no harm in that either. Plus, his vague and mysterious answers might even serve to rattle Mo.
He was just doing it because he could.
He did not expect Mo to actually lose its cool this quickly.
However, after giving it more thought, Yang Kai realised that this was indeed a child’s temperament!
Regardless of how old Mo was and how many years it lived, it barely had any life experience; thus, it had a childish personality which could be seen in the way it kept pressing on to find out what it wanted to know and was relentless if it did not get what it wanted.
Yang Kai nodded at once, “That works, but how will I know whether you’re telling the truth?”
“Why would I need to lie to you?” Mo retorted arrogantly, “I can’t prove whether you’re telling me the truth either.”
Yang Kai agreed with him on that.
“Don’t tell him any secrets,” Wu Qing reminded.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Rest assured, Old Ancestor. I know what I’m doing.”
Wu Qing hummed in acknowledgement and did not say anything else.
Yang Kai looked at Mo and said, “Go on. Tell me what’s happening with your true body.”
Mo scoffed, “I won’t stoop so low as to lie to you, but how do I know whether or not you’ll keep your promise?”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “Shall I swear an oath first?”
Mo’s expression became extremely unpleasant, “Humans’ oaths are all worthless!” From the looks of it, it had been tricked by a Human’s oath before.
Yang Kai shrugged, “There’s no other way, then. You’ll just have to take the risk.”
Mo stared closely at Yang Kai as if it was trying to see right through him. After a long time, it finally said, “There’s no harm in telling you anyway. My true body will awaken sometime between 2,000 and 5,000 years from now.”
Yang Kai frowned, “That’s such a wide time frame.”
The answer was of no help at all. If Mo’s true body awakened in 2,000 years, then Wu Kuang would definitely not be able to become a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but 5,000 would be ample time.
Mo shook his head and said, “I’m just a Soul Clone of my true body and can only make speculations regarding what’s happening. How can I be sure of anything? However, my true body created three Soul Clones and was affected by the trump card Mu left behind, so it won’t be waking up anytime soon.”
Even though Mo had reached the Creation Realm, splitting off three Soul Clones were still immensely taxing on it. Furthermore, it was also affected by the trump card Mu had left behind back then and thus fell into a deep slumber.
[2,000 to 5,000 years…]
Yang Kai silently pondered to himself. 2,000 years from now, he would have to make regular trips to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to check on the situation as Wu Kuang had no way of getting the word out if something happened there.
As Yang Kai was deep in thought, Mo grew impatient and started urging, “It’s your turn.”
Yang Kai chuckled and did not speak; however, with a quick flash of a certain Secret Technique, large amounts of pure Black Ink Strength poured out of Mo’s wound, which Yang Kai then absorbed and refined.
Mo’s expression hardened, “Shi! It’s you!”
The Heaven Devouring Battle Law was unique, so it went without saying that Mo recognized it at once. What’s more, there was only one person in this world who could use the Heaven Devouring Battle Law, the one who created it!
Yang Kai stopped using the Heaven Devouring Battle Law almost immediately, a faint smile lingering on his face as he remained quiet.
He noticed that Mo seemed to fear Shi, and after giving it some thought, it made sense to him. The Heaven Devouring Battle Law could refine anything, including Black Ink Strength, which made things difficult for Mo too.
As it was, Shi’s efforts back then greatly contributed to the reason why the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction managed to restrict Mo all these years. He kept devouring Black Ink Strength and refining it to weaken Mo.
Among Cang and the others, Mo showed the most respect to Mu, but the one it was most afraid of was Shi.
“I can’t believe you’re still alive…” Mo stared at Yang Kai incredulously.
Yang Kai remained silent with a faint smile on his face.
Meanwhile, over in Wind Mist Territory, Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing, the two Ninth-Order Old Ancestors, exchanged glances with puzzled looks on their faces. They knew about the situation in the Barren Territory, but they had no idea what the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was prattling about.
Who was Shi? One of the ten that included Cang? What did Yang Kai have to do with this person called Shi?
Although the two Human Ninth-Order Masters could not figure out what was happening, the fact that the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was noticeably disturbed was great news to them. They quickly formed hand seals to strengthen their Secret Techniques, and in the next breath, more runes began creeping up the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s arm towards its shoulder. The symbols turned into large chains which were about to lock up its entire torso.
Mo snapped out of its reverie and swiftly countered.
Immobilising one of the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s arms was already the most that the two Ninth-Order Old Ancestors could achieve, and while they managed to make a move while Mo was distracted, their efforts were neutralized as soon as it fought back.
All at once, the glowing runes began flickering, sometimes advancing, other times retreating.
Yang Kai saw what was going on and he swiftly growled, “Stop being so stubborn, Mo!”
Then, with a wave of his hand, a highly concentrated wave of Purifying Light launched straight at Mo.
Wherever the light passed, the darkness receded. The pure light entered the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s wounds next in an attempt to move through its body.
Mo let out a series of roars, and Black Ink Strength gushed out once more to fend off the Purifying Light.
The two lights, one bright and one dark, tangled together as they clashed and neutralized one another.
Yang Kai did not use his Small Stone Race soldiers this time as there was no reason for him to do so. Unlike the situation back at the No-Return Pass, Mo was a sitting duck here and could not move at all. All Yang Kai had to do was extract power from the Yellow and Blue Crystals in his Small Universe and merge them into Purifying Light.
Back at the No-Return Pass, using the Small Stone Race Army to confront a Royal Lord was a surefire way to catch the other party off-guard, but the Small Stone Race provided a great advantage, and Yang Kai did not want to sacrifice them unless absolutely necessary.
The dazzling white light continued to flow out, depleting massive quantities of Yellow and Blue Crystals.
Yang Kai was not in a position to feel bad about using them now though. In any case, if he ran out, he could just go ask Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan for more.
He had never used Purifying Light this way before.
The two lights continued their struggle in the void, but despite giving it his all, Yang Kai failed to break through the Black Ink Strength’s blockade; it was as if the Black Ink Giant Spirit God had endless strength.
Thanks to Yang Kai’s efforts though, Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing, the two Ninth-Order Old Ancestors in Wind Mist Territory immediately felt the pressure they were facing lighten. While they did not know what Yang Kai did, they could tell that he managed to draw most of the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s focus to himself.
The two Ninth-Order Masters naturally did not hold back. World Force flowed freely as they worked together, and soon, the chains around the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s arm became a lot stronger.
This showdown lasted for almost an hour, which was long enough that two mountains’ worth of Yellow and Blue Crystals in Yang Kai’s Small Universe were expended. Even the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks on the back of his hands became burning hot.
Initially, Yang Kai had hoped that he could get rid of this Black Ink Giant Spirit God by using Purifying Light, but now that he tried it out for himself, he realised just how much of a dream that was.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s aura did weaken slightly, but by Yang Kai’s estimate, even if he used up all of his Yellow and Blue Crystals, it would still be insufficient to vanquish this opponent for good.
Moreover, if things carried on like this, Yang Kai could not be sure whether his Great Sun and Great Moon Marks could hold out. The burning sensation on the back of his hands was getting stronger and it felt as if his hands were about to explode.
Still, his actions were not futile. At the very least, with his help, the two Human Ninth-Order Masters managed to further suppress the Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
Yang Kai figured this attack would take the Black Ink Giant Spirit God at least 100 years to recover from.
[Perhaps I should come by now and then, to ease the burden of the two Old Ancestors…] Yang Kai thought to himself.
Since he could not get rid of the Black Ink Giant Spirit God for good, he did not persist any longer. He withdrew his two marks and stopped drawing strength from the Yellow and Blue Crystals.
The dazzling white light lingered for a moment longer before being completely enveloped by Black Ink Strength.
Yang Kai looked over at the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, whose expression was gloomy. Darkness swirled around the giant figure that was undoubtedly furious.
It could have attacked Yang Kai if it had not been immobilised, but after a moment of silence, Mo simply asked, “Who did you send to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?”
Mo was still hung up on this question.
Yang Kai could not be bothered to entertain the Black Ink Giant Spirit God and instead turned towards the passage as he called out, “Old Ancestors, rest assured, the Human Race won’t lose!”
He originally wanted to head over to Wind Mist Territory to check on the two Ninth-Order Old Ancestors, but he did not need to anymore.
With the two of them together, it was unlikely that the Black Ink Clan would try to stir up trouble with them, so there was no reason to be worried about their safety for the moment.
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s voice replied, “Go ahead! As long as Wu Qing and I are still alive, this Black Ink Giant Spirit God won’t be able to leave the Barren Territory!”
Yang Kai nodded before smirking at the Black Ink Giant Spirit God, “Stay strong, Mo. I’ll come back and see you in a few years.”
Mo glared at Yang Kai in fury without saying anything as it recognized this blatant threat!
Yet, it could not do anything about it.
Yang Kai laughed before his figure flickered and flew off.
Two Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods were held up inside the Barren Territory, and the only Royal Lord alive was standing guard over the No-Return Pass. Thus, the strongest Masters among the Black Ink Clan now were merely Innate Territory Lords.
The Humans suffered heavy casualties throughout the many years of crusades, but the Black Ink Clan fared no better. Many of the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had readily chosen to sacrifice their lives for the sake of clearing the way for the next generation. Their sacrifice had given the Human Race a chance to grow stronger. The younger generation would inherit the responsibility of the older generation, and all would work selflessly towards their common goal.
Such was the Human Race’s determination!
With such Will, how could they possibly lose?
Furthermore, Yang Kai now had two World Tree clones with him. If he could find a suitable place to plant them, the Humans would then have two more Star Boundaries.
In the future, the 3,000 Worlds would surely belong to the Human Race!
There would come a time when the Black Ink Clan was completely wiped out, and order would be restored from chaos!
Yang Kai firmly believed this and was eagerly anticipating that day’s arrival.
…..
Profound Nether Territory was one of the dozen or so frontline Great Territories where the Humans were now fighting the Black Ink Clan. This Great Territory was named for Profound Nether Sect, a Second Class Great Force.
In the 3,000 Worlds, Profound Nether Sect was not a prominent one. In fact, it was not even as powerful as the Profound Abundant Sect that Yang Kai went to previously. The Profound Abundant Sect once had two Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters among their ranks, but Profound Nether Sect only had one Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
However, based on the way the great forces in the 3,000 Worlds were classified, Profound Nether Sect was considered a Second Class great force and thus had the right to claim hegemony over a Great Territory.
If a Sect did not possess sufficient strength, then the Great Territory that belonged to that Sect would not be much either. Although there were quite a number of Universe Worlds within Profound Nether Territory, few were suitable for Human inhabitation, and those that were did not have very flourishing Martial Daos.
Second Class Great Force was a general term, and there was a wide disparity between those that fell under this classification. The top Second Class great forces would all have multiple Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, while the weakest of the Second Class great forces might only have one Fourth-Order Master.
Strong Great Forces naturally claimed the best Great Territories, so the weaker ones could only choose the places that few others wanted as their base.
Now that Profound Nether Territory was one of the frontline territories in the war against the Black Ink Clan though, the Human Race had deployed over a million Masters to this Great Territory.
This was an alarming number as the over a million fighters were all Open Heaven Realm Masters. Anyone below the Open Heaven Realm was simply not capable of fighting the Black Ink Clan and did not enter the battlefield. Even if a few over-eager Emperor Realm cultivators tried to force their way in, they would only end up becoming meaningless sacrifices.
On the Black Ink Battlefield, there were usually 30,000 – 40,000 soldiers posted at each Great Pass, all of them Fifth-Order Masters and above, which was simply incomparable to the grand Human Army in Profound Nether Territory.
Now that the Black Ink Clan launched a full-scale invasion of the 3,000 Worlds though, the Order requirement for Open Heaven Realm Masters fighting back was not as strict as it was once. Even First-Order and Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could join the battlefield to kill the enemy if they volunteered to.
Naturally, this decision came with its own set of risks as well. The lower the cultivator’s Order was, the easier it was for Black Ink Strength to corrupt them and turn them into Black Ink Disciples, which would only benefit the enemy.
However, Purifying Black Ink Pills greatly decreased the chances of this happening. As long as a Purifying Black Ink Pill was consumed before one fought the Black Ink Clan, then before the medicinal efficacies wore off, even First-Order and Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would not be corrupted by Black Ink Strength.
While this meant that the demand for Purifying Black Ink Pill ballooned, it was still good that more cultivators could join the fight.
As of now, the Human Race were mainly focusing on defending against the Black Ink Clan’s onslaught, unable to go on the offence.
This was the same across all the Great Territory battlefields.
Here at Profound Nether Territory, the Humans’ forward outpost was set up right in front of the rear Territory Gate. This way, it was convenient for them to guard the Territory Gate and prevent the Black Ink Clan from sneaking through. Apart from that, in the event of a defeat, the Human Army in Profound Nether Territory could still retreat through the Territory Gate and avoid being completely wiped out.
It could not be denied that such an arrangement had been done with a sense of sorrow and helplessness.
Alas, such was the situation that the Humans were in now. As things became more and more serious on the various battlefields, those at the Supreme Headquarters could not avoid planning for the possibility that the Humans might be defeated; thus, having the forward outpost right outside the Territory Gate was the best strategy.
Among the dozen or so Great Territory battlefields, the fight between the Humans and the Black Ink Clan in Profound Nether Territory was not the most intense, but it was still fraught with tension. The one-million-strong Army’s defence line had been quite long at first, but as the Black Ink Clan Army continued to press forward over the recent years, the front shrunk as well. Right now, the region that was under the Humans’ control was less than 30% of what they once had.
Once the Human Race Army retreated to a certain point, they would have no choice but to consider retreating from the Territory altogether, regardless of how reluctant the Humans in Profound Nether Territory were.
It would not be easy to organise the evacuation of over a million soldiers. The Human Race had to prepare their exit strategy in advance, or else, if they showed any signs of disorder, the Black Ink Clan would surely pounce and inflict massive losses.
Compared to the battles between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield, the Black Ink Clan’s invasion now had led to battle between the two sides becoming far more frequent and fierce.
Fights big and small broke out at every moment, and during each clash, both sides continued to suffer casualties.
At the moment, somewhere less than half a day’s journey away from the Humans’ forward outpost, the Humans and the Black Ink Clan were engaged in a relentless battle around a large Universe Fragment.
The Human Race had 300,000 soldiers stationed at this Universe Fragment, which was covered in countless arrays and artifacts to aid them against the Black Ink Clan’s attacks.
This battle had carried on for three months already.
Thanks to the arrays and artifacts installed on the Universe Fragment as well as a steady stream of reinforcements from the rear, the Human Race had managed to fend off the Black Ink Clan’s attacks over 100 times and killed countless Black Ink Clansmen.
That being said, just like the Human Race had reinforcements, the Black Ink Clan did too, and their numbers were far greater.
As of now, the Black Ink Clan occupied nearly all of the Great Territories in the 3,000 Worlds and had planted Black Ink Nests in all of their conquered land. As a result, the Black Ink Clan Army had an endless stream of new soldiers to throw into the war.
Even though many Hunters moved through these Great Territories and destroyed numerous Black Ink Nests, this barely made a dent in the number of Black Ink Nests there were.
No matter how many Low-Rank Black Ink Nests they destroyed, it was no use if the Humans did not destroy their source, which were the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests. Each time the Human Race destroyed one Low-Rank Nest, the Black Ink Clan would immediately re-grow another, so it was merely an exercise in futility that wasted resources.
For the Black Ink Clan who currently occupied basically all of the 3,000 Worlds, they did not lack resources, and furthermore, they were receiving more from the Black Ink Battlefield as well.
The battle was particularly fierce just outside the Universe Fragment. Scores of Human Warships flew about as the light from Spirit Arrays and Secret Techniques shot out to push the Black Ink Clan Army back.
Atop the Universe Fragment, an imposing middle-aged man dressed in a set of golden armour sat cross-legged as he stared out into the battlefield with a look of concern.
The situation in Profound Nether Territory did not look good, but the Human Race could not afford to lose this battle in particular. If they did, then the Profound Nether Army would have no other place to retreat to. They would have to give up the entire Profound Nether Territory, and the Human Race would lose yet another one of their frontlines against the Black Ink Clan.
This outcome was hard for the Human Race to stomach, and a defeat here would surely cause a precipitous drop in morale.
However, the difference in strength between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan was clear, so how were they supposed to hold onto Profound Nether Territory?
The middle-aged man had no answer. He was not an expert in military strategy, what he excelled at was charging in and wreaking havoc! Yet, the situation was deeply worrying right now. Although he wanted to join the fight, his injuries were severe enough that he needed to rest and focus on healing right now, so he had to quell his itch to fight.
All of a sudden, a figure fell from the sky and landed near him. The man stumbled and coughed, blood dripping from the corner of his lips.
The middle-aged man turned to look, and the newcomer grinned, “Tending to your injuries, Old Wei?”
[Isn’t that obvious? Why would I be sitting here if I wasn’t tending to my injuries?] Wei Jun Yang snorted to himself, but as they were old friends, there was no reason to stick to formalities. After thinking briefly, Wei Jung Yang said, “Brother Ou Yang, just focus on healing yourself. Don’t force yourself to keep up.”
The person flashed a stubborn smile, “Don’t just pay attention to my injuries. That Territory Lord isn’t having a good time either! I was so close! I nearly bashed his head apart. Alas, what a shame!”
However, he did sit down cross-legged and stuffed a pill into his mouth.
If Yang Kai was here, he would have recognised the person that Wei Jun Yang addressed as Brother Ou Yang. It was Ou Yang Lie, the one he brought back from the Black Ink Battlefield a few decades ago.
They were all well-acquainted with each other as their paths crossed numerous times at Great Evolution Pass.
The two Eighth-Order Masters shared a preference for charging straight towards the enemy; thus, they got along well and had been friends for many years.
There were quite a few Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Profound Nether Territory as the one-million-strong Human Army was made up of the remnants of the Armies from over a dozen Human Great Passes that fought on the Black Ink Battlefield.
This included Great Battle Pass and Great Evolution Pass.
Wei Jun Yang was the Army Commander of the Eastern Army at Great Battle Pass.
Over the past 500 or so years, the Human Race Armies of the various Great Passes had gone through battles at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the No-Return Pass, and the Barren Territory. These three major wars greatly depleted the Human Race’s reserves.
Thus, when the Human Race retreated to High Heaven Territory and the Star Boundary, the various Great Pass Armies were disbanded and reorganized into Armies named after the dozen or so Great Territory battlefields.
The army here at Profound Nether Territory was the Profound Nether Army.
If they failed to hold their ground in Profound Nether Territory, then the Profound Nether Army would be broken up and re-distributed to the other Armies.
Right now, Wei Jung Yang and Ou Yang Lie were both Commanders in the Profound Nether Army. As long as no Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master showed up, the veteran Eighth-Order Army Commanders would remain in charge.
They were not the only Army Commanders here though as there were several other Eighth-Order Masters who held such a rank.
After quietly tending to their injuries for a while, Ou Yang Lie abruptly said, “It’s hard to fight against these Innate Territory Lords.”
Compared to the Territory Lords they were used to facing on the Black Ink Battlefield, these Innate Territory Lords that came out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction were far stronger.
Back on the Black Ink Battlefield, Ou Yang Lie could kill average Territory Lords if he pushed himself to his limits, though he would suffer serious injuries in the process.
However, when facing off against Innate Territory Lords whose powers were on par with his, even his most fervent attacks did not achieve similar results.
Earlier on the battlefield, he was clashing with an Innate Territory Lord for quite some time, but in the end, both of them were heavily injured and had to withdraw to tend to their injuries.
Ou Yang Lie and Wei Jung Yang both ranked among the strongest Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, so if this was the case for them, then it was not hard to imagine the pressure the ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters faced.
On the Black Ink Battlefield, Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were generally stronger than Territory Lords, but now, the positions had been flipped.
“That’s to be expected,” Wei Jung Yang nodded coolly, “It’s said that the Innate Territory Lords are born straight from the Black Ink Nests and possess a trace of Mo’s Source. They are born with immense strength, but have to sacrifice their future for it.”
Innate Territory Lords could not become Royal Lords because all their potential was exhausted from the moment they were created, but due to this, they possessed great strength from the moment they came to be and could stand toe to toe against the Human Race’s most powerful Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
“I know that. I just don’t like it!” Ou Yang Lie grumbled.
Humans had to work hard and spend countless years to become Eighth-Order Masters. Along the way, they had to brave numerous risks and perils; however, the Black Ink Clan did not have the same problem. A High-Rank Black Ink Nest could give birth to numerous Innate Territory Lords, all they needed was sufficient resources.
Although Ou Yang Lie considered the Black Ink Clan his mortal enemy, he had to admit that their method of creating new Masters was an unsolvable conundrum.
After a moment of silence, Ou Yang Lie asked, “What did those at the Supreme Headquarters say?”
Wei Jun Yang sighed, “They said that if the Profound Nether Army can’t hold out against the enemy, we need to start making preparations to evacuate.”
“Retreating again!” Ou Yang Lie’s expression hardened as he snarled, “We’ve gone from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to the No-Return Pass, from the No-Return Pass to the Barren Territory, and then from the Barren Territory to here. Why are we retreating further still? Will there be any space for the Human Race to survive in if we keep retreating like this? What are Big Head Mi and Big Head Xiang doing!? Aren’t they supposed to be the best strategists!? Can’t they think of a way to ease the situation here!? Sooner or later, I’m going to tear their heads off and kick them around like a ball!”
Wei Jun Yang shook his head, “It’s not a failing on the Army’s part if we can’t stand against the Black Ink Clan. You know the situation that we’re in right now. It’s not necessarily a bad thing if the Profound Nether Army evacuates. The battles in the other Great Territories are just as intense and worrying. If the Profound Nether Army breaks up into smaller units to support the other Great Territories, we might be able to stabilize the situation. My guess is the Supreme Headquarters is considering giving up on Profound Nether Territory because the other Great Territories can benefit from it.”
Ou Yang Lie snorted, “Is that the so-called making sacrifices for the greater good? Don’t listen to that nonsense. If they can give up on Profound Nether Territory today, they can give up on Heavenly Wolf Territory tomorrow, and what about the day after tomorrow? Are they going to give up on Twin Poles Territory too? Why don’t we just give up on all the Great Territories? Everyone can just hide inside High Heaven Territory and gather all of the Human Race’s strength together. I’m sure the Black Ink Clan won’t be able to force their way in then.”
Wei Jung Yang eyed him and said, “You and I both know that what you just said might very well happen!”
Ou Yang Lie’s expression twitched as he knew that it was a possibility… but still, he was unwilling!
After centuries of retreating and evacuating, even their spirits had left as well! He did not want to retreat anymore!
“What about our reinforcements? The Profound Nether Army has a million people, but there are only 300,000 here. Where is the rest of the Army?” Ou Yang Lie asked.
Although he was one of the Profound Nether Army Commanders, he was a man of action and not someone who could be left in charge of strategy and logistics. When the battle started, all he cared about was fighting the enemy. He did not care about plans or the bigger picture. The way he saw it, why make complicated strategies when you can just kill off all the enemies and be done with it?
Thus, Ou Yang Lie did not know much about what was happening with the overall Profound Nether Army.
Wei Jun Yang sighed once more, “Although there were a million of us in the Profound Nether Army at the start, over the years of battle, many have died. We now have just over 700,000 left. Some of them need to stand guard at the forward outpost at the Territory Gate, and some need to fend off the Black Ink Clan at the various bases, so we… won’t be getting any reinforcements.”
Ou Yang Lie opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, all he could do was curse at the situation.
“However, I’ve sent a message to the Supreme Headquarters and requested that they deploy the Divine Spirits to aid us. Judging by how many days it has been, they should be arriving soon.”
“Divine Spirits…” Ou Yang Lie raised his brow.
There were many Divine Spirits who fought alongside the Human Race now. Apart from the Dragon and Phoenix Clans, which had stood guard at the No-Return Pass, there was also a large group of Divine Spirits who came from the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land. What’s more, just over a decade ago, some 100 Divine Spirits suddenly appeared outside the Star Boundary, which gave the Human Race Masters who were on guard there a huge fright.
These Divine Spirits were strange as they had appeared out of nowhere. They did not come from the No-Return Pass nor the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land.
After making contact, the Divine Spirits specifically stated that they wanted to talk to a woman named Hua Qing Si from High Heaven Palace.
High Heaven Palace dared not do anything to slight them and Hua Qing Si immediately came forward, finally figuring out that it was Yang Kai who convinced these Divine Spirits and sent them over from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary to aid them.
The Human Race cheered when they heard this news.
They did not have enough combat power right now, so the sudden appearance of over 100 Divine Spirits was undoubtedly a great boost.
Everyone thought that they would be a powerful backup for the Army; however, no one would have expected that upon arriving at the Star Boundary, these Divine Spirits were not interested in standing with the Human Race in battle. Instead, they remained inside the Star Boundary and threw their weight around haughtily.
In the end, Fu Guang, who had been tending to his injuries, had to come out and teach them a harsh lesson before they restrained themselves.
Following that, Hua Qing Si acted as a mediator and communicated with the Divine Spirits who came from Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Eventually, they were willing to help the Human Race, but they refused to listen to anyone’s orders. If the Humans needed their help, the Human Race had to discuss the situation with them in advance and they reserved the right to refuse.
While the process had been difficult, the 100 or so Divine Spirits were still a force that could not be overlooked.
Now, all Divine Spirits had been separated into several teams, not standing guard over any one battlefield and instead being deployed by the Supreme Headquarters to any of the battlefields that needed aid. This way, the Divine Spirits’ utility was maximised.
There had been several times when the Human Race’s defence lines in various frontline Great Territories had nearly been overrun when the Divine Spirits showed up and managed to turn the tide. Thus, one could say that the Divine Spirits played an essential part in moments of crises that allowed the Human Race to maintain their current lines.
Therefore, when Ou Yang Lie heard that Wei Jun Yang had already sent word to the Supreme Headquarters to ask for help from the Divine Spirits, he felt a lot less worried.
However, he quickly started having concerns again and asked, “The Divine Spirits who’re coming won’t be the ones who came out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, right?”
Those Divine Spirits were a lot less reliable than the ones from the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land and the No-Return Pass.
Wei Jun Yang shook his head, “I’m not sure. There aren’t many Divine Spirits, only six teams in total, and it’s those at the Supreme Headquarters who have to decide which one to send to us.”
The two were still talking when something changed on the battlefield. Although the Human Race was under great pressure, they were still able to maintain a balance with the Black Ink Clan. However, all of a sudden, over 10 incredibly powerful auras burst out on the battlefield. The Human Race Army was caught off-guard and multiple Warships exploded one after the other. Open Heaven Realm Masters were slaughtered as well, and the Black Ink Clan swarmed in from over a dozen different directions.
Wei Jun Yang and Ou Yang Lie who had been tending to their injuries immediately got to their feet with stormy expressions.
“What are those people at the Supreme Headquarters doing!?” Ou Yang Lie ranted, “Why didn’t we get any news that over a dozen Territory Lords were coming over?”
Although there was a disparity in numbers between the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and the Territory Lords on the Profound Nether Territory battlefield, it was only a slight difference and both parties were fully aware of each other’s strength. However, the dozen plus auras that suddenly appeared were all unfamiliar, which meant that they were new and had not been seen on this battlefield before.
While over a dozen Territory Lords was not necessarily a high number, they were all Innate Territory Lords, and with the element of surprise on their side, it was quite possible for them to break through the defence lines.
Wei Jung Yang’s expression was also dark as he quickly said, “Perhaps they did not come from other territories. Every now and then, some Territory Lords disappear after suffering heavy injuries. Those at the Supreme Headquarters have guessed that they might have gone back to the No-Return Pass to heal as they have many High-Rank Black Ink Nests there, which makes it easier for them to rapidly recover. There’s a high chance that these Territory Lords… came from the No-Return Pass.”
Both parties were stuck in a deadlock across all the various battlefields, so if over a dozen Innate Territory Lords left any one of the frontlines, there was no way that the Supreme Headquarters would not have noticed.
Since the Supreme Headquarters did not send out any warnings, it meant that they did not know about the presence of these Territory Lords either.
It was quite likely that these dozen or so Territory Lords came from the No-Return Pass. It was clear that they swarmed here because they wanted to break the Profound Nether Territory’s defence perimeter and claim the whole Great Territory for themselves.
The two Eighth-Order Army Commanders could not spare any more time to tend to their injuries and immediately shot off into the sky, each of them heading for one of the newly appeared Territory Lords.
At the same time, Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from all directions shot out as well.
Both Wei Jun Yang and Ou Yang Lie knew full well that this might very well be the end of the battle here in Profound Nether Territory. The support of over a dozen Innate Territory Lords was enough for the Black Ink Clan to overrun the Profound Nether Army’s defence lines.
Under these circumstances, the Profound Nether Army could not even retreat, for if they did, the newly reinforced enemy would surely hit them from behind and inflict heavy casualties. Their only option now was to push back the Black Ink Clan at risk of their lives, trying to open up a window to evacuate.
This time, it had to be a fight to the death!
The Human Race had encountered this situation far too many times though; thus, even though the crisis had been sudden, the Human Army did not panic or back down.
In the next instant, Masters from both sides began clashing. With the support of a dozen more Territory Lords, the Black Ink Clan Army instantly gained the advantage and began pushing into the Human lines. Countless flashes of light sparked across the void in bursts of varied colours.
In less than half a day, 30% of the 300,000-strong Human Race Army had died, and two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had died as well.
Although the two Eighth-Order Masters had given it their all before their death, they only managed to severely wound their opponents.
None of the Innate Territory Lords had died!
The loss of the two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sent the Human Race Army into a frenzy.
Somewhere on the battlefield, Ou Yang Lie spat out mouthfuls of blood, but he showed no signs of retreating. He kept attacking again and again; however, he was already injured and could not exert his full strength, so how could he best an Innate Territory Lord?
Fortunately, Ou Yang Lie’s ferocity managed to make the Innate Territory Lord he was facing somewhat hesitant; if that had not been the case, the latter would have killed Ou Yang Lie by now.
That being said, the Territory Lord was in no rush. The Humans were on the verge of collapse and the Black Ink Clan was sure to come out victorious, so the Territory Lord had no reason to risk his neck in this fight against Ou Yang Lie. Even if he just dragged the fight out, his side would still win!
Not to mention the fact that there were more Territory Lords than there were Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. The Black Ink Clan had the absolute advantage here.
After more fierce battling, the Territory Lord abruptly shot a menacing smirk at Ou Yang Lie, whose heart jolted at the sight as he had a foreboding feeling.
Just then, a piercing murderous intent came at him from the side, and the Territory Lord in front of him charged towards him as well.
At this life-or-death moment, Ou Yang Lie did not choose to back away. He charged forward and spat a mouthful of Blood Essence on his weapon which instantly glowed brightly.
As the two passed each other, blood spewed out of Ou Yang Lie’s chest, and at the same time, a deep gash appeared on the Territory Lord’s neck. It was so deep that bone was visible and Ou Yang Lie’s Sword Intent lingered around the wound.
The Territory Lord’s expression darkened. Earlier, he had nearly died to his opponent’s blade. It was true that the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could not be underestimated.
Ou Yang Lie slowly turned around and looked at his opponent who had another Innate Territory Lord beside him now. It was the one who had snuck up on him just now.
As it was, Ou Yang Lie could barely hold his own in a one-on-one fight, let alone if he had to fight two of them.
[What a pity!]
Ou Yang Lie sighed lamentably to himself. If he had managed to kill his first opponent just now, his death would not have been in vain; but now, it was unlikely that he would have the chance to do so.
He looked around and saw Wei Jun Yang fending off two enemies despite his injuries. He was at a great disadvantage, and many of the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were in similarly hopeless situations.
How many of the Profound Nether Army could survive this battle today?
Ou Yang Lie’s vision was blurred by the blood dripping down his face, but he could still see that the two Territory Lords did not want to waste any more time and were charging at him together.
“Want to kill me, huh? One of you is coming down with me!” Ou Yang Lie laughed maniacally as the blade in his hand shattered into a burst of light that exploded across the void.
This was an artifact that he had cultivated for many years, and now that it was shattering on purpose, the sudden surge of power it released was quite terrifying.
The two Territory Lords who were charging at Ou Yang Lie sensed danger and immediately moved backwards while he seized this chance to go forward. He had his eye on his first opponent and launched a flurry of attacks that left his opponent in tatters.
Alas, that was all he could do!
After his attack, Ou Yang Lie’s strength swiftly diminished, and the very next moment, he was a shadow of his previous imposing self. The two Territory Lords noticed this and knew that their opportunity had come. Both began unleashing their Secret Techniques, and a series of terrifying Divine Abilities came straight at him.
Ou Yang Lie’s body moved slightly as he wanted to avoid the attacks but did not have the strength to do so. He could only sigh and resign himself to this. In a way, this was preferable for him. Over the last few centuries, the Human Race was forced to retreat again and again, driving him to the limit of his tolerance. Perhaps dying in battle was a better option than slinking away in defeat.
The constant overexertion had left Ou Yang Lie in a bit of a daze, so when a voice called out from nearby, he wasn’t sure if he was hearing things or not.
“Exile!”
A deep voice rang out, and Ou Yang Lie’s figure became hazy as if he no longer existed. The two Innate Territory Lords’ attacks flew straight through Ou Yang Lie’s body and the enormous strength shook the Void, causing Ou Yang Lie to cough up a mouthful of blood, but he was not dead.
As the Territory Lords reacted in shock, a dense murderous intent fell over them.
A great distance away, a golden light broke through the void like a shooting star, weaving through the battlefield from the rear of the Black Ink Clan Army, and wherever it passed, the Black Ink Clan lines collapsed.
In the blink of an eye, the golden light was right in front of them. Profound and mysterious strengths swirled as the glow of a spear swiftly enlarged within the vision of one of the Territory Lords.
The Territory Lord was terrified by the murderous intent that enveloped him. He wanted to fight back, but all of a sudden he felt a piercing pain in his head. Pain wracked his entire body as his Black Ink Strength no longer circulated properly.
In the next instant, the spear covered in multi-coloured light pierced through the head of the powerful Innate Territory Lord, causing his life aura to immediately swell up before bursting apart and dissipating!
All of this only took a single breath, causing the other Territory Lord’s expression to stiffen. He looked over and finally saw a young man with a cold look in his eyes withdrawing his spear. At the same time, the air seemed to quiver and the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who had been on the verge of death immediately disappeared, seemingly sent off somewhere.
The Territory Lord locked eyes with the young man who snapped icily, “What have you all been doing while I was gone?”
While he spoke, space seemed to freeze, and the Innate Territory Lord felt as if he was about to meet his doom. [A Ninth-Order Human Master!? Wasn’t it said that the only two left were held up somewhere else!?]
Where did this Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master come from?
However, upon closer inspection, the Territory Lord noticed that his opponent only had the aura of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, which only confused him further; after all, how could a mere Eighth-Order Human kill an Innate Territory Lord in one blow?
Ou Yang Lie suddenly appeared on top of the Universe Fragment at the frontlines of Profound Nether Territory, covered in blood and in complete disarray. Even his aura was in total disorder.
The intense battles against the Innate Territory Lords seemed to have exhausted all of his energy. His mind was dazed and his head felt heavy. He was on the verge of losing consciousness at any moment and he figured it would take over a year for him to recover from his ghastly injuries.
He should be celebrating his escape from the clutches of death, but he had no clue how he managed to survive and why he ended up here.
However, a theory soon formed in his mind when he recalled the familiar voice he heard earlier.
Thus, he gathered all the strength he could muster and looked out into the void.
Immediately, he saw a familiar figure who was battling the Innate Territory Lord who had snuck up on him earlier.
[It really is that Brat!!] Ou Yang Lie was thunderstruck.
Moments ago, he had already come to terms with his impending death, yet in that life-and-death moment, space around him warped. He sensed that he had somehow merged with the Void at that instant, allowing him to survive the attacks from two Territory Lords.
[Space Secret Technique!]
He knew that Yang Kai was the only one who could do this. Yang Kai also had to be the reason why he suddenly appeared on this Universe Fragment. [That Brat must’ve used his Space Secret Technique to move me here!]
[It’s good that he came!]
Ou Yang Lie exhaled slowly before collapsing to the ground, no longer able to hold himself up anymore. All his strength seemed to evaporate at that moment.
As he watched the Innate Territory Lord scrambling around the battlefield to dodge Yang Kai’s fierce attacks, a strange feeling formed in his heart.
[When did I start feeling a sense of relief whenever this Brat shows up?] It felt as if the Humans would surely emerge victorious if Yang Kai was here.
Ou Yang Lie chuckled at the thought of how old men like him seemed so useless. Despite their millennia of cultivation, in the end, they had to rely on a younger generation when it came down to it.
Yang Kai had saved him twice now if he included what happened back at the No-Return Pass!
“Honoured Master, take this pill!” All of a sudden, a voice called out behind Ou Yang Lie.
Ou Yang Lie turned around and saw his treasured Disciple limping over to him with a bottle raised, one that contained valuable Spirit Pills.
Gong Lian was severely injured as well. There was a large gash across his abdomen that had nearly cut him in half. He would not have retreated from the fight if it had not been for such grave injuries.
Ou Yang Lie glanced at his Disciple’s sorry state before glancing at Yang Kai’s magnificence on the battlefield and could not help but exclaim with a sigh, “How useless!”
This Disciple of his was someone whose talents surpassed many others. He would not have taken Gong Lian in if that had not been the case. Gong Lian was now a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after Ou Yang Lie took him under his wing and put a lot of thought and effort into training him. While Gong Lian was indeed a remarkable talent, that was still nothing in comparison to Yang Kai’s achievements.
[Why did I not consider taking Yang Kai as my Disciple?]
Gong Lian had purposely come over to give his Honoured Master some medicine. He thought that this would lead to a touching moment between the Master and Disciple, so he did not expect to be criticized in such a manner instead and felt rather aggrieved, “Honoured Master, the speed of this Disciple’s cultivation is already fast enough.”
It took him 200 years to become an Emperor, another 100 years to condense his Dao Seal, and yet another 100 years to break through directly to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Then, in less than 1,000 years, he became a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. All in all, he had only been cultivating for about 1,500 years.
Few people in all the 3,000 Worlds became Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters at such a young age.
However, Gong Lian’s Honoured Master just called him useless. The comment made him feel as if he had been stabbed in the heart.
“Haa… never mind. Not everyone is a freak like that Brat. I can’t demand it of you,” Ou Yang Lie sighed once more before taking the Spirit Pill from Gong Lian and consuming it. If his Disciple was considered a genius, then Yang Kai was the most extraordinary genius among all geniuses.
Gong Lian eked out a faint smile, but he felt even more crushed on the inside.
Just then, they sensed the death of yet another Innate Territory Lord. Ou Yang Lie turned to look before loudly exclaiming, “Astonishing!”
As expected, Yang Kai had killed the Innate Territory Lord who snuck up on Ou Yang Lie earlier.
It had not even been 30 breaths of time since Yang Kai’s appearance, but in that short span, he had killed two powerful Innate Territory Lords.
Ou Yang Lie had a feeling that Yang Kai was even stronger now than he was back when they met at the No-Return Pass.
“Look over there, Honoured Master!” Gong Lian noticed something unusual and pointed it out.
Ou Yang Lie followed Gong Lian’s gaze and noticed that the rear of the Black Ink Clan Army was in chaos. A series of Great Suns and Great Moons illuminated the darkness. Under the glare of these lights, countless strange creatures were attacking the Black Ink Clan Army from the back which caused their formation to crumble.
“Small Stone Race!” Ou Yang Lie’s eyes brightened as he quickly figured out that Yang Kai must have brought these creatures here.
In general, the Human Race Masters did know that Yang Kai had many Small Stone Race soldiers with him; after all, the Small Stone Race found in all the various battlefields were handed out by Yang Kai previously.
There were even some Small Stone Race soldiers here in Profound Nether Territory, though their numbers were fairly small. After so many years of fighting, a significant number of the Small Stone Race that Yang Kai had given away back then had died.
The Small Stone Race was useful when it came to dealing with the Black Ink Clan, but they had their weaknesses too. They were hard to control and varied greatly in strength.
Based on the fighting prowess of each of the Races’ armies, when the numbers were equal, the Humans were stronger than the Black Ink Clan, but the Black Ink Clan was a lot stronger than the Small Stone Race.
Therefore, although the number of Small Stone Race was tremendous, many were sacrificed in each battle.
Those at the Supreme Headquarters ran the numbers half a year ago. In total, Yang Kai had given away approximately 40 million Small Stone Race soldiers; however, only about 17 million of them were still alive right now. The remaining 23 million had been slaughtered by the Black Ink Clan.
The loss of 23 million in just a few decades of fighting was deeply alarming. The Human Race would have long been driven to extinction if they suffered such casualties.
There were just over a million Small Stone Race soldiers in Profound Nether Territory; thus, including the one-million-strong Human Army, there were about two million soldiers.
That being said, only 400,000 of the Small Stone Race were deployed to the frontlines of the battlefield while the rest were spread out across the various auxiliary fronts, including the forward outpost.
If that had not been the case, just the 300,000 Humans here might not have been enough to hold the frontlines of the battlefield.
After the fierce battle, it was quite likely that most of the 400,000 Small Stone Race would be sacrificed.
Nevertheless, right now, countless Great Suns and Great Moons were streaking across the sky behind the Black Ink Clan Army, their blinding light illuminating nearly half of Profound Nether Territory.
How many Small Stone Race soldiers did it take for such a display? Millions? Tens of millions?
Ou Yang Lie and his Disciple did not know for sure, but they were certain about one thing. The Black Ink Clan in Profound Nether Territory was in serious trouble!
“Come with me! Let’s charge out at our enemies once more!” Ou Yang Lie’s fervour for battle bubbled up once more, but as he stood up, blood gushed out of his wounds.
Gong Lian jumped in fright, “Don’t do anything reckless, Honoured Master! You’re severely injured right now and can barely exert a tenth of your strength! How can you possibly join the fight? You should be focusing on tending to your injuries right now!”
Ou Yang Lie smacked Gong Lian across the head, “Enough of your nonsense. I know very well what my condition is like right now. I can’t kill any Territory Lords, but I can still kill a few Feudal Lords! Hurry up!”
Saying so, he rushed off without a moment’s hesitation.
Gong Lian was speechless, but since his Honoured Master had rejoined the battle, he could only follow along behind him.
The changes on the battlefield, which included the sudden emergence of a massive Small Stone Race Army behind the Black Ink Clan, caused the entire flow of the battle to change. What’s more, the death of two Innate Territory Lords in a burst of golden light had caught everyone’s attention.
With this sudden change of fortunes, the Black Ink Clan was fully aware that a powerful Master had come to aid the Humans, a Master who could kill Territory Lords as if they were random chickens or dogs.
The other Territory Lords were both shocked and furious. The Black Ink Clan had been planning this operation in Profound Nether Territory for some time now and had even secretly sent out the over a dozen Territory Lords for this purpose. They were right on the cusp of success, but none of them expected a sudden twist at the critical moment. None of the Territory Lords could accept this outcome.
As the streaks of powerful Divine Sense weaved through the void, the Territory Lords could not decide whether to retreat or to continue the attack.
Before they could discuss what to do though, the aura of yet another Territory Lord swelled up before vanishing.
When they looked at where the aura had vanished, they saw the same Eighth-Order Master standing tall with his eyes sweeping across the battlefield condescendingly.
A third Territory Lord had been killed!
All three Territory Lords had been killed in less than a half cup of tea’s time.
The Territory Lords could not hesitate any longer. They were deathly afraid that they would be the next to fall, so they immediately shouted for their forces to retreat.
After receiving the order from the Territory Lords, the Black Ink Clan Army started withdrawing.
Naturally, the experienced Human Race Army could tell what was happening, so even without an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s command, the soldiers began chasing down the retreating enemy. All at once, the Black Ink Clan Army was in the unfortunate predicament of being sandwiched between the Human and Small Stone Race Armies.
Yang Kai’s figure continued flickering across the battlefield as well. Wherever his spear passed, Black Ink Clan soldiers met their demise.
He no longer targeted the Territory Lords, not because he did not want to, but because he could not.
Yang Kai had already reached his limit after using Soul Rending Thorns thrice in a short span of time. Right now, his Soul was cracked and in great agony. If he tried to use another Soul Rending Thorn, he could very well lose consciousness, just like he had back at the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon.
If he did not use a Soul Rending Thorn, then with his current strength, it would be hard for him to kill an Innate Territory Lord who was determined to escape.
Since that was the case, he started slaughtering the other Black Ink Clan soldiers instead.
Attacked from two sides, the Black Ink Clan Army suffered calamitous casualties, but since the Small Stone Race only acted according to their instincts, while they were courageous on the battlefield, they employed no form of strategy.
It was fairly easy for the Black Ink Clan Army to break through the Small Stone Race’s siege with just a few sacrifices.
The tides had changed in a flash for the Human Race who were on the brink of doom just moments ago. The void was thick with World Force as the light from all sorts of Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques blazed across the battlefield.
The Human Race were victorious in this battle!
Now, it was only a matter of how many of their enemies they could destroy today.
The Eighth-Order Masters were truly glad and relieved that victory was theirs. Just an hour ago, it seemed certain that the Human Race would lose. They were already considering sacrificing all the remaining Small Stone Race soldiers to buy time for the Human Race’s evacuation, but everything changed with the arrival of one person.
In a flash, the Human Race Army and the Small Stone Race grouped together as they pursued the Black Ink Clan for several million kilometres, slaughtering them as they went.
Suddenly, Yang Kai’s heart jolted and he turned his head as he sensed a familiar aura coming from a certain direction.
He swiftly leapt across the Void, and in the next instant, he appeared before a certain Warship. As he looked up, he was greeted by several familiar faces, including some that looked coquettish, some glamorous, and some dignified…
Those on the Warship had been alarmed by the sudden appearance of this figure, but once they took a good look at him, their hearts settled back into place.
A gentle expression settled on Yang Kai’s face as he smiled at these people.
The cultivators onboard this Warship were all women with not a single man in sight. They were a true female army, and most of them had intimate relationships with Yang Kai.
Earlier on, he rushed over because he sensed their auras.
All at once, Yang Kai’s heart was flooded with yearning. His mind raced with all that he longed to say to them, but in the end, all he said was a simple greeting, “I’m back!”
Yes, he was back.
It had been around 1,000 years since he left Black Territory, and now, he was finally back. It was nearly 5,000 years since then if he included the time he spent in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon.
While it was a pity that he did not return triumphant, at least he was back!
Yang Kai dreamt of this moment countless times during the crusade against the Black Ink Clan on the Black Ink Battlefield, and at last, his dream had come true.
Yu Ru Meng immediately rushed forward in agitation and Yang Kai opened his arms as he waited for her to fly into his embrace…
However, the Charm Demon Saint simply brushed past Yang Kai and sent forth a Divine Ability that battered the fleeing Black Ink Clan soldiers in the distance.
Yu Ru Meng’s cultivation had reached the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm now!
“Enough of that nonsense. Our priority now is to kill the enemy!”
Yang Kai wore the most awkward expression possible as he stood frozen on the spot with his hands outstretched.
This was not what he had been expecting!
[It has been 1,000 years since your Husband left. Now that he’s back, shouldn’t you all be crying tears of joy and throwing yourselves at me? Shouldn’t we be enjoying the sorely missed warmth and loving embrace? What’s going on? Why are you ignoring my presence instead?]
Meanwhile, Su Yan and Ji Yao who were in front of him were frozen as well. Their eyes reddened, but before they could say anything, Yu Ru Meng called out firmly, “Su Yan, Yao’er, Luo’er, come with me. Yue’er, Hua Shang, Wan’er, Qing’er, you all will form a team as well! Proceed with caution!”
The women’s expressions became solemn when they heard this and the others swiftly rushed forward as the eight women formed two groups before charging out of the Warship.
They formed two Four Symbols Formations, which was the simplest Battle Formation that was commonly used on the Black Ink Battlefield as all it required was sufficient numbers in the same Order. Yang Kai had also used this Battle Formation with other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters from Dawn on occasion. While it was a simple Battle Formation, it allowed the cultivators to cover each other’s backs and combine their strengths. Thus, it was incredibly useful in the chaos of the battlefield.
There were only 10 people onboard the Warship, so now that eight of them left, only two remained.
“Greetings, Sect Master!” Luan Bai Feng, one of the last two, bowed elegantly.
Yang Kai nodded with the sternness that befitted his position as the Sect Master and waved his hand, “At ease.”
Alas, it seemed his subordinates were more reliable…
As for the Madams… They seemed to be showing signs of rebellion. However, Yang Kai could understand their reactions; after all, he did basically abandon them for 1,000 years. It was not surprising that they were upset about it.
These women had every reason to react the way they did.
“Young Master…” Yue He called out with a choked voice.
Yang Kai walked over and stroked her head with a smile, “Good. You’re a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now. I see that you didn’t neglect your cultivation.”
Yue He was not the only one who was now in the Seventh Order; in fact, all 10 women aboard this Warship were in the Seventh Order!
It was not unexpected in the case of Yue He and Luan Bai Feng. They were already in the Sixth Order when Yang Kai left, and during this time, neither Void Land nor High Heaven Palace lacked the resources for cultivation. There was also a World Tree clone in the Star Boundary as well. For those in the Open Heaven Realm like Yue He and Luan Bai Feng, the clone’s feedback effects did not give them any boost to their innate talent, but the environment still boosted their cultivation speed.
Yu Ru Meng and Yang Kai’s other Wives had directly become Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and a number had even become Disciples of Ancestors from the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Naturally, their cultivation would rapidly increase since they did not lack the resources or guidance they needed.
This team of 10 consisted entirely of people Yang Kai trusted implicitly, so it was clear that someone had arranged this on purpose.
No other Squad could possess such a luxurious lineup. If 10 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters joined forces, they were even able to face off against a Territory Lord for some time.
This was probably the reason why none of these women showed any signs of serious injury.
Of course, there was another reason for this as well. Their Warship was a little unique, and Yang Kai sensed it as soon as he came over.
Based on age alone, Yue He was much older than Yang Kai; after all, she had already been a veteran Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master when she first met him.
However, the moment Yang Kai stroked her head, she could not stop her tears from flowing as she stared at him with a teary-eyed smile.
“Kill!” Yu Ru Meng shouted fiercely from in front of the Warship. She did not hold back at all as she mercilessly slaughtered the Black Ink Clan.
[Smelly man! How can he still be getting all sentimental at a time like this? Does he not know the meaning of the word ‘death’?!]
Yang Kai bowed, “Senior, you must’ve had a hard time all these years. Many thanks for your care.”
The Warship trembled slightly as an old voice rang out with a slightly teasing tone, “This Old Master didn’t have to do much. You’re the one… who must work hard from now on.”
This was not a true Warship but rather one of Bi Xi’s Soul Clones.
Naturally, this clone did not possess the full strength of Bi Xi’s true body, but it was similar in strength to a veteran Seventh-Order Master, so it was not weak by any means.
Furthermore, Bi Xi was most proficient in defence. It would not be easy for Yu Ru Meng and the rest to encounter any form of trouble as they had the protection of such a Warship.
These 10 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were paired with one of Bi Xi’s Soul Clones, and this combination was enough for them to fear nothing on the battlefield if they did not target the Innate Territory Lords.
Yang Kai did not know who the Commanders were for the Army here, but it had to be people who were well acquainted with him and knew about his importance. That was why they made these special arrangements for his family.
Thus, Yang Kai made a note of the favour they had done for him.
Yang Kai then turned around and said, “We’ll catch up later. Please take over, Senior!”
That was all Yang Kai said before he rushed out in a flash. He did not focus on helping Yu Ru Meng and the others and instead charged forward with his spear in hand.
Under the looming shadow of this spear, the Black Ink Clan who were trying to flee were shredded like paper. Occasionally, some would survive the onslaught from Yang Kai, but Yu Ru Meng and the others who were following behind would easily deal with them.
The Human Race Army and the Small Stone Race both chased down the retreating Black Ink Clan, turning the once-contested battlefield into a meat grinder filled with mournful screams and furious roars.
“Withdraw!” All of a sudden, a piercing call echoed across the battlefield.
The Humans, who had been fervently hunting down their enemies, finally stopped. They could not continue chasing down the Black Ink Clan anymore, lest they stretch themselves too thin and suffer serious losses from a sudden counterattack. Still, they had already dealt a crushing blow to the Black Ink Clan Army in Profound Nether Territory, making this a triumphant victory.
They could not destroy the Black Ink Clan in one blow, and if they forced the Black Ink Clan into fighting back out of desperation, the Humans would also suffer greatly. Thus, withdrawing after gaining some benefits was the optimal strategy.
Yu Ru Meng and the others swiftly returned to the Warship, all of them breathing heavily and covered in sweat with visible streaks of blood on their clothes. It was evident that they had suffered some injuries in this battle.
No one could guarantee that they would remain unscathed in the chaos of the battlefield as accidents would always happen.
Yang Kai did not return to the Warship right away and instead used his Great Sun and Great Moon Marks to gather the surviving Small Stone Race Army first before rejoining the others. However, no one paid any attention to him. Yue He wanted to talk to him, but a glare from Yu Ru Meng forced her to remain still.
[Haa… All is not well within the family!] Yang Kai lamented to himself as he watched these women sitting down cross-legged, none of them showing any signs of wanting to talk to him. He could not help but miss his gentlest Little Senior Sister.
[If Little Senior Sister was here, she wouldn’t ignore me like this…]
Although he did not see Xia Ning Chang, he knew that she would not be here on the battlefield as her specialty was not fighting. Alchemy was her strong suit.
The Human Race Army’s need for all kinds of Spirit Pills was enormous, so Alchemists like Little Senior Sister had to remain behind in safety to refine Spirit Pills for those on the frontlines.
The Human Race could not afford to lose such talents, so the higher-ups would never allow them to join the battlefield unless there was no other choice.
As the Army retreated, numerous Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters passed by, but they merely nodded to Yang Kai in greeting and showed no intention of coming over.
It was clear that they knew what Yang Kai’s relationship with the women on this Warship was. Since it was his first time reuniting with them, he would have a lot to talk about with his Madams. They were not obtuse enough to disturb him now.
However, they were also puzzled by what they saw. Something was amiss about the atmosphere on the Warship. While there was no fighting, it felt as if the Warship was a frigid purgatory, causing many of them to shudder lightly…
They were also secretly exclaiming over the luck Yang Kai had with love, for he had so many Wives who were all High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. They were truly envious of him.
Bi Xi’s quiet chuckle sounded, as if he was enjoying the show. Luan Bai Feng was also glancing around at the others as she stood by the side. She was the only outsider among this group, but she did not treat herself as one. Instead, she was taking in the strange atmosphere in amusement.
Everyone else was tending to their injuries; thus, Yang Kai joined them awkwardly by sitting down cross-legged and stuffing a fistful of Spirit Pills into his mouth. He looked like an injured animal who was quietly licking his wounds, making for a pitiful sight.
Yue He felt a pang in her heart, but before she could do anything, Yu Ru Meng’s eyes flashed open and shot her a glare.
Yue He sighed. Although her heart ached for her Young Master, Madame Ru Meng seemed to want to teach him a lesson, and it was best for her to stay out of these family issues.
She knew that all the other Madams followed Yu Ru Meng’s leadership and would go along with what she decided.
After thinking about it, Yue He figured that it was probably a good thing to teach her Young Master a lesson so that he would not keep running around all the time. Previously, it was a little better as he only left for a few decades at most, which could not be considered long for cultivators of their Realm. Plus, regardless of where he was, he was still within the 3,000 Worlds back then. However, this time, he left for around 1,000 years and had gone to an extremely dangerous place, constantly putting his life at risk.
Amid the void, people were cleaning up the battlefield and retrieving the bodies of the fallen soldiers. This was done in silence as sorrow and grief spread through the area.
While Yang Kai tended to his injuries, he checked with Bi Xi about the Humans’ current situation.
After the battle at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, Yang Kai spent several centuries running around without even stopping for a moment. He did not partake in the battles at the No-Return Pass and the Barren Territory either; therefore, he knew nothing about the Human Race’s present state.
Now that he was back, the first thing he wanted to do was get some information.
Bi Xi kept nothing from him.
A long conversation later, Yang Kai had the gist of what happened with the Human Race in recent years.
Back when the Black Ink Clan broke through the passage between the Barren Territory and Wind Mist Territory, the Human Race began withdrawing and evacuating with their end destination being High Heaven Territory where the Star Boundary was located.
Yang Kai knew about this in a general sense. He had helped the cultivators besieged in Swallowing Seas Territory and several other Great Territories over the years. Many would not have been able to deal with the Black Ink Clan if it had not been for his assistance and the Small Stone Race soldiers he gave them to aid in their evacuation.
This was something Yang Kai often did as he went around refining over 2,000 Universe Worlds in several hundred Great Territories. One could tell just how many evacuating Great Forces he must have run into solely based on the fact that he had given away some 40 million of the Small Stone Race.
Most of the cultivators in the Great Territories had already evacuated, saving those forces in their entirety. However, many had also been set upon by the Black Ink Clan Army on the way, wiping them out as a result.
There was nothing that could be done about this. The Black Ink Clan had invaded the entire 3,000 Worlds and few Great Territories could defend themselves from such an attack. The weaker cultivators from the scattered Second Class Great Forces could not put up a fight against a massive and organized Black Ink Clan Army.
All hope for the Human Race’s future depended on the Star Boundary as it was a true Open Heaven Realm Cradle. This was the reasoning behind the evacuation plan set by the Human Race’s leaders. Otherwise, there was no reason why out of all the Great Territories in the 3,000 Worlds, the Human Race had to head for High Heaven Territory where the Star Boundary was.
However, not all of the Great Forces could be housed within High Heaven Territory. Firstly, High Heaven Territory did not have a great number of Universe Worlds that could sustain life. That being said, the New Great Territory could ease some of this burden as it neighboured High Heaven Territory and the conditions there were much better, including the cultivation environment. It also had a lot more habitable Universe Worlds than High Heaven Territory did.
The New Great Territory could only be accessed from High Heaven Territory, so Yang Kai had set up a restriction back then to only allow those from Void Land and High Heaven Palace inside. Of course, this restriction was taken down now given the current circumstances.
As long as the Human Race did not lose its hold on High Heaven Territory, the Black Ink Clan couldn’t invade the New Great Territory.
Secondly, the Humans could not resign themselves to surrendering without a fight. If they did stop trying to fight back, then all the Black Ink Clan had to do was target High Heaven Territory. This would put the Human Race in a far too vulnerable position.
Thus, the many leaders of the Human Race came to a decision. They gathered as many Open Heaven Realm Masters as they could and formed over a dozen Armies based on the framework of the remnants of the Armies from the Black Ink Battlefield. These Armies were then posted to defend the surrounding Great Territories with High Heaven Territory at the centre.
Profound Nether Territory was one of these battlefields, along with Heavenly Wolf Territory, Twin Poles Territory, and several others.
Profound Nether Territory was said to have an army of a million soldiers, but after many years of fighting, that was no longer the case, unless the surviving Small Stone Race were counted as well.
Throughout the past few decades, Profound Nether Territory and the other frontline Great Territories were in a constant state of battle.
While the Humans did pay a heavy price in the process, they managed to gather most, if not all of their strength in these dozen or so Great Territories and just barely managed to maintain their current perimeter.
However, from the way things were progressing, the situation was gradually deteriorating.
Over a dozen Territory Lords had appeared out of the blue and joined the main battle in Profound Nether Territory. The Human Race Army had been caught off-guard and suffered significant casualties as a result. Chances were they would have failed to hold onto Profound Nether Territory if the tides had not turned following Yang Kai’s arrival.
If the Humans lost Profound Nether Territory, it would be a crushing blow not only to their Army, but to their morale as well.
The Human Race Army in Profound Nether Territory was formed from over a dozen remnants of previous armies, including the Great Evolution Army, Great Battle Army, Nine Stars Army, and Purple Jade Army.
These Armies had previously gone through the three major wars at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the No-Return Pass, and the Barren Territory; thus, they were truly veterans with a wealth of experience. They formed the core of the Profound Nether Army with cultivators from other various Great Forces making up the rest of the numbers.
This was the reason why Yang Kai ran into Yu Ru Meng and the others here.
Back then, the cultivators from Void Land and High Heaven Palace had joined the fight in the Barren Territory and Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao personally recruited them into the Great Evolution Army.
Thus, they could be considered soldiers who belonged to the Great Evolution Army.
After hearing everything, Yang Kai was secretly relieved. He could have chosen any of the numerous routes that would have taken him back to the Star Boundary, but as he wanted to get there as quickly as possible, he chose the shortest one, which meant that he had to pass through Profound Nether Territory.
He was filled with lingering dread at the thought of how terrible things would have been in Profound Nether Territory if he had not made it here in time.
“Thanks to your pre-empting back then, those from Void Territory were able to prepare in advance; therefore, when the order to evacuate was given, all of the Great Forces of Void Territory were able to leave safely. But, it’s a shame… when we think about the other living beings in those Universe Worlds.” Bi Xi sighed mournfully. The Human Race could not bring all the living beings in those Universe Worlds along with them when the Black Ink Clan invaded, so they must have been turned into Black Ink Disciples by now.
“I’ve already refined those Universe Worlds, Senior. You don’t need to feel bad about them,” Yang Kai said.
Void Territory was considered Yang Kai’s territory, so he would not stand by and do nothing when it faced this existential crisis. When Yang Kai went to Void Territory back then, he purposely checked on Void Land. When he realised that Void Land had completely disappeared, he figured that Bi Xi must have evacuated everyone. At the time, the Black Ink Clan had not invaded Void Territory yet, so Yang Kai refined all the Universe Worlds and took them with him.
Bi Xi froze for a moment, not quite understanding what Yang Kai meant when he said he refined the Universe Worlds, but just as he was about to ask, he saw Yang Kai turning ashen-faced before coughing up a mouthful of Golden Blood. His aura swiftly deflated as he slumped backwards.
Bi Xi was alarmed while cries rang out from all directions.
However, Yang Kai did not end up falling to the ground as a soft and nimble figure caught him.
Yang Kai’s eyelids parted slightly and he saw Yu Ru Meng’s anxious expression.
The others swiftly gathered around him with similarly concerned looks in their eyes.
“Husband, what happened?” Yu Ru Meng asked with a trembling voice. The Demon Saint’s previous coldness was now replaced with great fear and worry.
Yang Kai opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, he spat out another mouthful of blood that dyed Yu Ru Meng’s clothes gold. Then, he rasped, “I-I’m fine. It’s just some minor injuries.”
He tapped his finger ever so gently against the deck of the Warship.
Bi Xi was startled for a moment before he quickly exclaimed, “How can you call that a minor injury? Your aura’s unstable and your World Force circulation is a mess right now. Did you get hit by one of those Territory Lords’ final counterattacks?”
“It’s alright, it’s nothing serious,” Yang Kai insisted weakly.
The more he insisted though, the more fraught the women around him became.
Earlier on, they witnessed from afar the way Yang Kai had slaughtered three Territory Lords in quick succession. It went without saying that an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Yang Kai would have had to pay a heavy price in order to kill three Territory Lords like this.
It was just that he had been hiding his injuries and putting up a strong front earlier.
“Healing pills!” Yu Ru Meng cried out, and Su Yang quickly stuffed a few high-quality Spirit Pills into Yang Kai’s mouth.
Shan Qing Luo quickly kneeled beside Yang Kai and grabbed his hand to check on his injuries, but a moment later, Luo’er frowned. She did not detect any trace of physical wounds, so she stared at Yang Kai in puzzlement and began to ask, “Husband, your injuries…”
Yang Kai forced out a weak smile, “My body’s fine. It’s my Soul that’s injured.”
“Soul Rending Thorns?” Zhu Qing asked grimly.
Yang Kai was taken aback as he asked, “How did you know?”
“Senior Ou Yang told us about them. He told us a lot about you actually,” Xue Yue explained softly.
“Senior Ou Yang… Ou Yang Lie?”
Xue Yue nodded.
Yang Kai came to a sudden realization. Since there were remnants of the Great Evolution Army here in the Profound Nether Army, it was not unusual that Ou Yang Lie was here as well. Ou Yang Lie did know about the Soul Rending Thorns as back then, outside Great Evolution Pass all those years ago, Ou Yang Lie was the one watching over Yang Kai. With just his Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation, Yang Kai managed to kill and critically wound numerous Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Black Ink Disciples inside the Black Ink Nest Space with the help of the Soul Rending Thorns.
From the looks of it, it had most likely been Ou Yang Lie’s doing that led to Yu Ru Meng and the rest forming this special Squad.
Yu Ru Meng noticed that Yang Kai wanted to ask more questions, so she quickly blocked his mouth with her hand, “Stop talking. You should be focusing on tending to your injuries now.”
Yang Kai paused before nodding lightly and settled into a more comfortable position in Yu Ru Meng’s arms before closing his eyes.
The women around him were all beside themselves with worry.
Meanwhile, on the Universe Fragment at the frontlines, the Human Army returned in victory and settled down to rest as well.
However, the news that Yang Kai was seriously injured spread in next to no time; therefore, quite a number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters wanted to visit him, with Ou Yang Lie and Wei Jun Yang at the helm. However, Yu Ru Meng and the others stopped them by saying that their Husband was too injured and could not see anyone as he had to focus on his recovery first.
Naturally, Ou Yang Lie and the others were understanding enough. They asked about the cause of Yang Kai’s injuries, and when they found out it was the price he had to pay to be able to slaughter three Territory Lords, they were deeply troubled.
One of the Eighth-Order Masters brought out some special Spirit Pills he had been safekeeping and passed them to Yu Ru Meng before assuring her that she could focus on tending to Yang Kai. Yu Ru Meng accepted the pills and thanked him.
“That boy killed three Innate Territory Lords in less than an incense stick of time. He… has grown too quickly,” Wei Jun Yang turned back to glance at the Warship that was formed out of Bi Xi’s Soul Clone with an indiscernible expression.
When Wei Jun Yang first heard about Yang Kai back then on the Black Ink Battlefield, the latter had only been a Sixth-Order Junior, yet Yang Kai had the same cultivation as him now.
However, Yang Kai was even stronger and more formidable in battle as he could slaughter Innate Territory Lords who were a lot stronger than ordinary Territory Lords.
In a one-on-one fight, there was no guarantee that even peak Eighth-Order Masters like Wei Jun Yang and Ou Yang Lie could kill an Innate Territory Lord.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai did just that, though it seemed that he had paid heavily in the process.
“Have we grown too old?” Kong Cheng De chuckled. He was originally the Army Commander of the Nine Stars Army’s Southern Army. He and the other Eighth-Order Masters were some of the finest talents back in their day. They had cultivated for many years to achieve the strength they had now, but when they compared themselves to Yang Kai who was generations younger than them, they could not help but feel somewhat ashamed of themselves.
“During the last battle in the Barren Territory, this Old Master didn’t agree with the Old Ancestors’ decision,” one of the old men spoke up abruptly. It was Fei Yong Ze who was originally the Army Commander of the Purple Jade Western Army, “The Ninth-Order Old Ancestors are the backbone of our Human Race, our strongest and most experienced fighters. It’s incredibly difficult for someone to become a Ninth-Order Master. Even after all these years, only a handful of Ninth-Order Masters existed. As long as we Humans still had them, we would still have hope. And yet, during that fateful battle, the Old Ancestors boldly and without hesitation chose to sacrifice themselves in a battle to the death!”
“This Old Master believed that the Old Ancestors made the wrong decision back then. They had been too reckless in entrusting the future of the Human Race to the hands of the younger generation.”
“How about now?” Kong Cheng De turned to look at him.
Fei Yong Ze remained silent for a moment before saying, “Perhaps this Old Master was too conservative and narrow-minded. Let’s see how things go… in the future.”
His opinion had been shaken by the way Yang Kai slaughtered three Innate Territory Lords in one go, but only time could tell whether the Old Ancestors’ had made the right decision back then. It was not something that he could determine just like that.
While the rest carried on with their conversation, Ou Yang Lie was the only one who kept glancing behind him with a brooding expression wondering, [What the hell is that Brat up to?]
The others might not be aware of how formidable Yang Kai was in combat, but the same could not be said for Ou Yang Lie.
Of all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters here in Profound Nether Territory, he was the one who was most familiar with Yang Kai as they had fought alongside each other for many years in the Great Evolution Army. Yang Kai was also the reason why he managed to make it out of the Black Ink Battlefield and arrive at the Barren Territory.
Of course, Yang Kai would not have come out of the battle unscathed after slaughtering three Innate Territory Lords in such a short amount of time, so Ou Yang Lie did not even need to check to understand he had used his Soul Rending Thorns.
Injuries in battle were unavoidable, but nevertheless, Ou Yang Lie did not believe that Yang Kai’s wounds were as severe as they seemed to be. He had witnessed just how indomitable Yang Kai had been when they stormed the No-Return Pass; however, Yang Kai’s aura was currently as frail as a candle’s flame amid a terrifying storm. It was almost as if he would die at any moment.
[Is he really that wounded?]
Ou Yang Lie threw a glance in that direction once more and his eyes flashed perceptively as a thought occurred to him. Soon, he chuckled and snickered, “Crafty brat.”
“What did you say?” Wei Jun Yang turned to Ou Yang Lie.
“It’s nothing,” Ou Yang Lie slowly shook his head. Although he deduced that something mischievous was afoot, he was not about to expose it as this involved someone else’s private affairs. If he did, then he would be offending Yang Kai for no reason.
Ou Yang Lie was certain. [That Brat’s injured alright, but his injuries are definitely not that severe.]
Since Ou Yang Lie did not wish to elaborate, Wei Jun Yang did not try to pry it out of him, “Everyone fought hard in this battle. Let’s return and tend to our injuries first so that we can return to our peak as soon as possible, lest the Black Ink Clan starts getting ideas again.”
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
The Profound Nether Territory Army suffered considerable casualties in this battle, including the loss of two Eighth-Order Masters. Even though three Territory Lords had been killed as well, there were more Territory Lords than Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to begin with.
The injuries that Ou Yang Lie, Wei Jun Yang, and the others suffered were fairly serious, so it was true that they needed to hurry up and tend to their wounds.
However, before they moved away, a figure fell from the sky and landed in front of them before cupping his fist as he announced, “Sirs, the Divine Spirits’ reinforcement team has arrived!”
Ou Yang Lie could not resist snapping, “What excellent timing!”
What was the point if the Divine Spirits only arrived when the battle was over? Were they here to help clean up the battlefield?
If they came earlier, the Profound Nether Army would not have suffered such heavy casualties.
Ou Yang Lie could not be blamed for feeling resentful while the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters felt the same to varying degrees. There had been no sign of these Divine Spirits earlier when the battle was at its fiercest and the Profound Nether Army was on the verge of defeat. That was the time when they needed reinforcements the most. Fortunately, Yang Kai had arrived and managed to drive the Black Ink Clan back with his unstoppable strength. Yet, it was only now that the Divine Spirits showed up.
However, though they were dissatisfied, they knew the situation could not be helped. There were only so many Divine Spirits and the Human Race needed all the help they could get on all the different battlefields. The Divine Spirits who had to rush everywhere to offer assistance were under a lot of pressure too.
Without the support of the Divine Spirits, at least two or three of the Humans’ current frontline Great Territories would have been lost.
The Divine Spirits had contributed greatly to the Human Race’s success in holding off the Black Ink Clan.
Wei Jun Yang sighed, “They’re having a hard time too, Brother Ou Yang, so let’s not mention such things.”
“I know,” Ou Yang Lie huffed.
No one was having it easy. They were all pitifully fighting in a bid for survival.
He was just grumbling for the sake of it.
Even under these circumstances, while the Divine Spirits might have been late, they would not have been too late. If Yang Kai had not shown up, the Profound Nether Army would likely still be stretched thin and the risk of defeat would be looming over their heads right now. The Divine Spirits’ arrival would surely have provided them with much-needed help, and if the Divine Spirits were powerful enough, the Profound Nether Army might even manage to turn things around and score a victory.
“Bring them over,” Wei Jun Yang instructed.
The messenger nodded quickly and did as he was instructed.
Soon, a group of 50 or so Divine Spirits who did not bother reining in their imposing presence approached. All the soldiers nearby backed away from the heavy presence of these Divine Spirits.
Ou Yang Lie frowned as he exchanged looks with Wei Jun Yang, both thinking the same thing, [It’s them.]
Previously, Wei Jun Yang said that the Supreme Headquarters was sending a team of Divine Spirits over as reinforcements. Ou Yang Lie had asked if these Divine Spirits were the ones who came from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but Wei Jun Yang did not know the answer.
It was those at the Supreme Headquarters who made the arrangements; thus, he had no say in the matter.
From the looks of it, the Divine Spirits were indeed the ones from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
It was easy enough to tell. Although these Divine Spirits had a domineering presence, they were basically all on par with Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in terms of strength. Only a few of them were on par with Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Furthermore, only these Divine Spirits would behave this arrogantly.
All the Divine Spirits who sided with the Human Race came from one of three places. They were either from the No-Return Pass, Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, or Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Overall, the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary were weaker than those from the No-Return Pass and the Ancestral Land. It was not because they were weaker by nature, but they had only just left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, so they had yet to fully adapt to the Principles of the 3,000 Worlds, meaning their strength was somewhat suppressed.
This had been the case with Zhu Jiu Yin back then. Her true strength had been on par with an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but once Yang Kai brought her out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, it dropped to that of a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and it took her many years before she returned to her peak.
Thus, upon seeing that these Divine Spirits mostly had Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivations, Ou Yang Lie and the others easily figured out where they were from.
They belonged to the group of Divine Spirits who came out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but this was not all of them.
These Divine Spirits were not all that reliable. When they first arrived at the Star Boundary after leaving the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, they caused quite a bit of trouble. It was Fu Guang of the Dragon Clan who had to step up and teach them a harsh lesson before they reined themselves in.
Many unverifiable rumours regarding these Divine Spirits circulated among the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters…
Apparently, they were cowardly in the face of death and did not do their best in the battle against the Black Ink Clan. Even though they now allowed the Supreme Headquarters to send them out as reinforcements to various frontlines, somehow, they often did things that bungled the Human Race’s chances of winning the battle.
Those at the Supreme Headquarters would not choose to dispatch these Divine Spirits unless absolutely necessary.
In fact, they considered splitting up the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and assigning them to the other Divine Spirit teams, but in the end, they could not do so as these Divine Spirits refused to be separated. If the Supreme Headquarters tried to force the issue, then it would only backfire.
Divine Dragon Fu Guang was now recuperating in seclusion, so there was no one around who could exert authority over these unruly Divine Spirits.
Furthermore, they were related to Yang Kai, so even Xiang Shan and Mi Jing Lun did not want to push too hard when dealing with them.
The reinforcements came in the form of roughly 50 Divine Spirits and one Seventh-Order Human Master.
As a few unpleasant events had happened in the past, a Human Master was now assigned to accompany the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary whenever they were sent into battle. The Human’s role was ostensibly to lead the way as the Divine Spirits were unfamiliar with the 3,000 Worlds, but in reality, their job was there to keep an eye on them. Both sides were fully aware of this.
No one knew which Cave Heaven or Paradise this Seventh-Order Master was from, but as he came over and looked around, his expression was as dark as night.
Once he arrived in front of Wei Jun Yang and the others, he bowed and greeted, “Supreme Headquarters Yu Zhen greets Sirs.”
Wei Jung Yang smiled and reached out to raise him from the bow before nodding lightly at the Eighth-Order Divine Spirits who stood in front, “Many thanks for making the effort to come here.”
Of the Divine Spirits who took the lead, the one who took the form of a middle-aged man chuckled, “It was no effort at all. Rather… Did the battle here end so quickly? I thought you Humans were at risk of being overwhelmed?”
“An unexpected incident occurred and we managed to repel the Black Ink Clan,” Wei Jun Yang replied, but he showed no inclination of sharing in further detail.
Naturally, the Divine Spirit did not bother asking either.
“Oh,” the middle-aged man said in acknowledgement before turning to Yu Zhen, “Since there’s nothing left to do here, does this mean we can go back now?”
Yu Zhen kept quiet, but his expression was icy.
By now, everyone else could tell that Yu Zhen did not get along with these Divine Spirits; however, outsiders would not know what caused the rift between them.
Still, it was rather hard to think favourably of the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. They were different from the Divine Spirits from the Ancestral Land and the No-Return Pass. It would have been more surprising if the Humans heard that Yu Zhen, the Seventh-Order Master who was supposed to keep an eye on these Divine Spirits, had gotten along with them. Perhaps they had shunned him during the journey over here.
“We came all the way here for nothing!” A young man among the group of Divine Spirits grumbled in dissatisfaction, “What a waste of all our efforts to rush over as quickly as possible!”
“The Black Ink Clan here are so weak. They should’ve held out a few more days.”
“Stop trying to talk big, Hou Dou. If you really had to fight against the Black Ink Clan, you might end up peeing your pants. Everyone knows you’re a coward who’s afraid to die.”
A burst of laughter rang out.
The Divine Spirit named Hou Dou immediately retorted, “As if you’re any better, Yan Mo! During the last battle, you were wailing your head off and begging for mercy when that Territory Lord chased after you.”
Yan Mo turned bright red, “That was a Territory Lord! He’s even stronger than an Eighth-Order Human. I haven’t fully restored my strength yet, you know. Once that happens, why would I need to fear a Territory Lord?”
The Divine Spirits thus continued bickering among themselves.
Wei Jun Yang and the others frowned.
They had fought alongside many Divine Spirits during the battle at the No-Return Pass, and even though those Divine Spirits were just as haughty and prideful, always looking down on the Humans, when it came to actually fighting, they were reliable comrades-in-arms whose strength in combat could not be denied.
This was even the case with the Dragon and Phoenix Clans.
As for the Divine Spirits in front of them now… Were they nothing more than a farce? They were standing on the frontlines of a battlefield where the Human Race had suffered countless losses during the earlier battle, and even more of them were injured, and yet, these Divine Spirits turned it into a place where they bickered over who was the bravest.
Still, despite their discontent, Wei Jun Yang and the others could not make any comments as these Divine Spirits had come here as reinforcements.
Yu Zhen seemed to be accustomed to the Divine Spirits’ bickering so he just turned to Wei Jun Yang and asked, “Sirs, is there a need for us to stay here in Profound Nether Territory in case the Black Ink Clan mounts a counterattack?”
Wei Jun Yang glanced in the direction where Yang Kai was resting and shook his head, “That won’t be necessary. The Black Ink Clan suffered significant casualties this time around so they most likely won’t be coming back any time soon.”
[Even if they did, with him around, it would not be hard to defend Profound Nether Territory. The other battlefields might have a greater need for reinforcements.]
“Did we achieve a sweeping victory here?” Yu Zhen exclaimed in surprise.
This was something that had not happened in a very long time. Though the Human Race emerged victorious now and then throughout the various battlefields, those were generally hard-fought wins. After all, if they wanted to force the stronger and numerically superior Black Ink Clan into retreat, they would have to pay a heavy price in the process.
Yu Zhen was ecstatic. If the Human Race achieved a sweeping victory in Profound Nether Territory, the good news was bound to improve the morale of the Armies on the other battlefields.
Wei Jung Yang shook his head and corrected with a bitter smile, “It was a costly victory.”
It could have been considered a sweeping victory if they had not lost two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but they did, so the victory was no longer as sweet.
Yu Zhen paled when he heard this, “Did we lose an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?”
Wei Jun Yang nodded morosely, “Two!”
Yu Zhen’s figure rocked ever so slightly.
Ever since the Human Race Army established the current frontline battlefields including Profound Nether Territory, they had only lost 10 Eighth-Order Masters in total.
Those 10 had been lost throughout the many decades of fighting.
However, two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had been sacrificed in just this one battle alone!
Regardless of how much the Human Race managed to achieve in return, it was still a costly victory.
It was not easy to become an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Those who did were the most talented cultivators among the Human Race, and yet it still took several millennia for one to reach such a height.
Far too many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had died throughout the years of battle, so the surviving ones were now the Human Race’s pillars of strength.
Yet, two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters died in the battle in Profound Nether Territory.
Yu Zhen lowered his head and clenched his fists. His voice quavered as he said, “The two Sirs… need not have died. If we had only arrived sooner…”
Upon seeing that Yu Zhen blamed himself for this, Ou Yang Lie went forward and patted him on the shoulder, “Our two Brothers died honourably. You don’t need to let their deaths weigh too heavily on you. It wasn’t your fault.”
Although two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were sacrificed in battle, they managed to gravely injure their opponents before they took their last breath. Dying on the battlefield was an honourable way for them to go.
Yu Zhen slowly shook his head before all of a sudden, he glared at the Divine Spirits with bloodshot eyes, “You were supposed to come here as reinforcements, but all of you kept causing undue delays. Your lack of urgency resulted in the death of two of the Profound Nether Army’s Eighth-Order Division Commanders. I will report this to the Supreme Headquarters and hope you can give a reasonable justification for your actions when the time comes.”
“What did you say?” Ou Yang Lie and the others were shocked to hear this.
Wei Jun Yang’s expression was grim, “Undue delays? What happened?”
When everyone heard Yu Zhen’s statement earlier, they thought he was merely blaming himself for the situation, but from the looks of it now, it seemed that something else must have happened.
All at once, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters began staring at the Divine Spirits with sharp, piercing gazes.
An undue delay was not something to be taken lightly, and as the one who was tasked with overseeing these Divine Spirits, Yu Zhen’s words carried great weight.
If it was just as Yu Zhen had said and the Divine Spirits did hinder military operations, then it was a serious matter.
Wei Jun Yang and the others believed Yu Zhen’s words without any hesitation or doubt, and they had a good reason for this as the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary had done this in the past.
It happened during the first time they were sent to aid the Humans in battle. They took so long on the trip over that, by the time they arrived on the battlefield, the fighting was nearly over.
As no Human was keeping an eye on them at the time, there was no way of confirming whether or not the Divine Spirits had done this on purpose.
Due to that incident, there was now always a Human Race Master who accompanied the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary whenever they were deployed as reinforcements.
Meanwhile, despite the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters’ gazes, the Divine Spirits were unperturbed. Some of them were on par with Eighth-Order Masters, so they were not afraid of Wei Jun Yang and the other Humans. Furthermore, the Human Race needed their strength. Even if the Human Race discovered anything in their investigations, they could not do anything about it.
The middle-aged man who was in the lead chuckled as he began releasing his Divine Spirit presence to its fullest. Wei Jun Yang and the others were fairly injured in the first place, and now, they became even paler.
He looked at Yu Zhen and retorted coolly, “Watch what you say, boy. Ever since we received the command, we have done our best to rush over as soon as possible. How did we cause any undue delays?”
The pressure from a Mature Divine Spirit was directed fully at Yu Zhen, and it made him feel as if he was being crushed under a mountain. He could barely keep himself upright, let alone speak.
Yu Zhen and the middle-aged man were an Order apart in terms of cultivation.
“What are you doing?” Wei Jun Yang fought back with an imposing presence of his own as he eyed that middle-aged man coldly, “Are you trying to start a revolt in front of the Army? See if I don’t cut your head off!”
The middle-aged man glanced at Wei Jun Yang before snorting, “As if you could!”
The two locked gazes as their imposing presence clashed, but it was clear that Wei Jun Yang was having a harder time as his complexion grew even paler.
The middle-aged man looked around before declaring, “You should be honoured that we Divine Spirits have come to help; however, not only did you not thank us, you even have the gall to spew such nonsense! Unbelievable! The losses you’ve suffered on the battlefield here have nothing to do with us, it’s all because of how useless you are! Even if we did arrive sooner, so what? If you’re useless, you’re useless. You should just die and move on to your next life instead of sticking around and embarrassing yourselves.”
Everyone immediately flew into an uproar.
Ou Yang Lie was on the verge of throwing fists, but he knew that he was in no shape to fight another battle right now, so he forced himself to hold back. Still, he roared in fury, “The Black Ink Clan has invaded the 3,000 Worlds. Both the Humans and the Divine Spirits have to fight together to survive! If we Humans are driven into extinction, do you think the Divine Spirits will be any better off?”
“Well, we’re here, aren’t we?” The middle-aged man smirked.
[We’re only a little late. It’s not a big deal. It’s not as if they lost Profound Nether Territory anyway. Just a bunch of ants whining incessantly.] He would have attacked them by now if it had not been for a few things he had to be wary of.
Yu Zhen spoke up from behind Wei Jun Yang, “Either way, I will report this to the Supreme Headquarters. They will decide what’s right and wrong!”
One of the Divine Spirits snorted, “Your Supreme Headquarters has no control over us. It’s up to us whether or not we’re willing to help the Human Race fend off their enemies.”
In other words, no one could do anything to them if they did not wish to fight.
The Humans were vexed to no end and the veins along Ou Yang Lie’s forehead were throbbing.
100 plus Divine Spirits came out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and quite a number of them were now as strong as Eighth-Order Masters. What’s more, within a few years, these Divine Spirits would only continue to grow stronger as even more of them regained their true strength.
With the way things were going for the Humans right now, no one wanted to offend a powerful group of allies. Even if this news reached the Supreme Headquarters, there was a high chance that nothing would come of it.
Many of the Divine Spirits were snickering, while the middle-aged man in the lead stared at the Humans haughtily.
He dared to behave this belligerently because he was certain that the Humans would not do anything to them, but suddenly, a cold voice sounded, “Even if those at the Supreme Headquarters can’t do anything, what about me?”
The Divine Spirits all froze when they heard this voice and their expressions changed as they swiftly turned towards the direction where the voice came from. They saw a familiar figure approaching.
The middle-aged man frowned, [Why is this little bastard here?]
He did not detect Yang Kai’s aura when he first arrived; however, upon closer inspection, he realised why that was.
Yang Kai was heavily injured and his aura was quite feeble. It was no surprise he had overlooked him when he was in such a state.
As Yang Kai came closer, the Divine Spirits’ expressions kept changing. It had been some 20 years since Yang Kai sent them out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and delivered them to the Star Boundary, but during that time, they heard nothing from Yang Kai and no one knew where he went.
There were only two individuals that these Divine Spirits feared, Fu Guang of the Dragon Clan, and Yang Kai.
The former was strong, so strong they could not afford to offend him. As for the latter… Well, they had sworn a Bloodline Oath with him that they had to abide by.
A group of Women were gathered beside Yang Kai, with Yu Ru Meng and the others looking on in concern. They knew how serious their Husband’s injuries were. He should be focusing on his recovery right now, so why was he running over here and involving himself in this mess?
That being said, it was not as if they could talk Yang Kai out of it, so they came along to protect him.
Soon, Yang Kai stood in front of the Divine Spirits as he eyed the middle-aged man frigidly.
The latter forced himself to smile as he cupped his fist and greeted, “Sir!”
The Divine Spirits quickly followed suit, regardless of whether or not they were doing so willingly.
After all, their Bloodline Oath was in place. They could leave the Great Ancient Ruins Boundary because they pledged their service and loyalty to Yang Kai for 3,000 years. After that, Yang Kai would grant them their freedom.
Since they had to serve Yang Kai, it meant that there was a clear hierarchy. The Divine Spirits were under Yang Kai’s command.
At the time, Yang Kai wanted them to acknowledge him as their Master, but the Divine Spirits were too proud. Even though he was of the Dragon Clan, the Divine Spirits were unwilling to bow their heads. They were only willing to pledge their loyalty and be of service to him for a fixed duration.
Yang Kai did not mind this as to him, there was no difference whether they merely pledged their loyalty or considered him their Master, as long as they helped the Human Race fight the Black Ink Clan.
At the time, Yang Kai assumed that these Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary would be a huge help to the Humans as a lot could be done with 100 Mature Divine Spirits.
He never thought it would lead to such aggravating matters instead.
As a result, he was beginning to regret bringing them out.
He witnessed this today, but what about all the things that happened without him knowing?
Yang Kai stared at the middle-aged man. He did not say anything, but he recognised that this was the Human Form of the Divine Spirit Tao Wu.
Tao Wu could be considered an Ominous Beast like Tao Tie and Qiong Qi. The ancestors of these Ominous Beasts had done things to harm the 3,000 Worlds in the past, so that was why the Old Tree caught them and kept them locked up inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Most of the ancestors of the Divine Spirits inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary were those who had committed great evils. They were lawless and bloodthirsty, and although the crimes of the ancestors had nothing to do with the current generation, the Divine Spirits that Yang Kai had brought out had more or less inherited the callousness and brutality of their predecessors.
These Divine Spirits were completely different from those that came from the Ancestral Land and the No-Return Pass.
Yang Kai turned around and looked at the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who came with the Divine Spirits before nodding at him, “Greetings, Brother Yu!”
“You are…?” Yu Zhen queried doubtfully.
“Great Evolution’s… The Star Boundary’s Yang Kai!”
The Great Evolution Army had been dissolved and was now part of the Profound Nether Army, so he could not introduce himself by his previous title anymore.
“So it is Sir Yang!” Yu Zhen exclaimed in realization.
He had long since heard about the immensely talented Human from the Star Boundary who took less than 1,000 years to go from Fifth-Order to Eighth-Order. He initially thought it was just an exaggerated story, but upon seeing Yang Kai now, he realized that it was true after all.
[He’s really an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master now, though his injuries seem quite serious.]
Yu Zhen knew that Yang Kai had to be a lot younger than him, but he addressed Yang Kai respectfully anyway due to the latter’s higher cultivation.
Yang Kai nodded and asked, “Brother Yu, I heard you saying there were undue delays along the way. What happened?”
Before Yu Zhen could answer, Tao Wu quickly cried out, “That’s just a misunderstanding, Sir!”
Yang Kai glanced at him, “I didn’t ask you.”
Tao Wu tried to explain himself anyway, but Yang Kai cut him off with a cold stare, “Say one more word and I’ll relieve you of your head!”
Tao Wu turned red with fury, but he dared not speak up again.
The Divine Spirits behind him became restless too.
Yu Zhen was shocked, [Sir Yang possesses such authority! Tao Wu is the strongest of all the Divine Spirits who came out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary! He is as strong as our Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, which is why the other Divine Spirits follow his lead.]
Even those at the Supreme Headquarters dared not impose on these Divine Spirits too much. Yu Zhen could not believe that Tao Wu did not fly into a rage even though Yang Kai showed such disdain for him.
Furthermore, the Divine Spirits had addressed Yang Kai respectfully as ‘Sir’ when he first came over.
[What’s going on?]
Everyone knew that Yang Kai was the one who brought over the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, but none knew what their true relationship was.
Tao Wu and the others did not go around talking about it either. They were Divine Spirits, and it would be a huge loss of face for them if others knew that they pledged their loyalty to a Human.
No one looked into the matter either as Divine Spirits were proud and arrogant beings, so it was already a blessing that they were somewhat willing to help the Humans in battle. Talking about these unnecessary things would only serve to offend the Divine Spirits.
Thus, everyone was taken aback by what they now saw happening.
“Brother Yu, please speak freely,” Yang Kai turned back to Yu Zhen.
Yu Zhen pursed his lips before cupping his fist and recounting, “Supreme Headquarters issued orders for us to immediately make for the Profound Nether Territory battlefield to aid the soldiers here. If we stuck to the original schedule, we could’ve reached here a day earlier and joined the battle, but on the way over, they spent half a day resting after claiming that both their physical bodies and their spirits were drained. After that, we encountered a few scattered Black Ink Clansmen and they insisted on hunting them down, which caused even more delays. That’s why we only arrived here today.”
“Physically and spiritually drained…” Yang Kai scoffed. The Divine Spirits were the epitome of strength and health. Even though they had not fully restored their peak strength yet, how could it be possible for them to be physically and spiritually drained just from travelling? He eyed Tao Wu and the other Divine Spirits coldly. Many of them had sheepish expressions as they probably felt that the excuse was too flippant as well.
“Were there any Territory Lords among those scattered Black Ink Clansmen?”
Yu Zhen shook his head, “There were only a few Black Ink Clansmen reserves who were led by some Feudal Lords.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly.
By now, Wei Jun Yang, Ou Yang Lie, and the others gathered around were livid.
If what Yu Zhen said was true, then the team of Divine Spirit reinforcements could have arrived a day earlier, and if they had, the Profound Nether Territory Army would not have suffered nearly as many casualties. The two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters might not have had to sacrifice their lives either.
Earlier on, when Wei Jun Yang and Ou Yang Lie spoke while tending to their injuries, Ou Yang Lie asked about the reinforcements and Wei Jun Yang said that they should be arriving soon; however, neither one of them would have thought that the reinforcements should have already arrived by then, but had purposely delayed themselves.
Why would they need a group of Divine Spirits to hunt down scattered Black Ink Clan reserves that were only led by Feudal Lords? The Divine Spirits’ task was to aid the Humans on the frontlines of Profound Nether Territory. The main battlefield would have been the highest priority even if they did run into a Territory Lord along the way, let alone a few enemy scouts.
Their most important mission was to aid the Humans on the Profound Nether Territory battlefield, they did not have to bother with anything else.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were beside themselves with rage and couldn’t help cursing the Supreme Headquarters for assigning the wrong team to this task, though they knew full well that the Supreme Headquarters would not utilise these Divine Spirits unless they had no other choice. Chances were that no other reinforcements could be sent over, so that was why they had to deploy these Divine Spirits.
Yang Kai’s expression remained neutral. After hearing what Yu Zhen said, he turned to Tao Wu, “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Tao Wu remained silent, not even trying to claim it was a misunderstanding anymore as he still had his own sense of pride. It was one thing if no one exposed what had happened, but since his deeds had been brought to light, he did not stoop so low as to deny them.
After a while, he declared, “The Humans at the Supreme Headquarters only told us to come and aid the Humans in Profound Nether Territory, and it hasn’t been lost!”
He did not say anything else, but it was easy enough to decipher what he was implying. Since Profound Nether Territory had not been lost, then even if they did cause unnecessary delays when coming over, it was not a big deal as it did not change the overall outcome.
Yang Kai nodded, “That means you admit to delaying your arrival on purpose.”
Tao Wu frowned, [Why are you harping on this? Even if I admit it, so what? Are the Humans going to kill us Divine Spirits? You wouldn’t dare!]
The Humans were already having a hard time holding their frontlines and were stretched thin as they tried to fend off the Black Ink Clan. They were not in a position to make new enemies. Regardless of everything else, the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary provided indispensable combat strength!
“Very good!” Yang Kai’s icy gaze fixed on Tao Wu before all of a sudden, he growled, “Senior Ou Yang, what are the rules of the Human Race Army?”
Ou Yang Lie stepped forward and rattled off, “When the Army is in battle, the punishment for desertion is death! For those who disrupt morale, the sentence is death. For those who hinder military operations… the sentence is death!”
He spat out the last few words venomously.
Yang Kai raised his hand and summoned his Azure Dragon Spear. With the tip of the spear nearly pressing against Tao Wu’s head, Yang Kai asked through gritted teeth, “Do you understand now?”
The air was filled with murderous intent.
Yu Ru Meng and the other women began circulating their World Force in preparation for what was to come.
They would take their Husband’s side no matter what he did, even if he chose to join the Black Ink Clan, so there was no need to hesitate at this juncture.
On the other hand, Wei Jun Yang and the others froze in shock. Although they found these Divine Spirits reprehensible and deserving of death, it would not be easy to settle the situation if it got too far out of hand.
After all, the Human Race still needed these Divine Spirits’ help. The Eighth-Order Masters had long since outgrown the age of holding onto grudges. They held important positions and had to act in the Human Race’s best interests.
What’s more, it was not just one or two Divine Spirits here, it was 50 of them!
There were also another 50 on a different battlefield.
The Divine Spirits were alarmed by Yang Kai’s aggressive approach and could not help but unleash their Divine Spirit pressure as well.
In a blink of an eye, the atmosphere grew tense. Many of the Human Race Masters who had been observing in secret noticed the change and quickly flew over from all directions. They too began exerting their presence to challenge the Divine Spirits.
Yu Zhen was dumbstruck as he never thought things would come to this.
He resented these Divine Spirits and was going to report their misconduct to the Supreme Headquarters, but he knew full well that the Supreme Headquarters could not do anything about it. At most, the Supreme Commanders would reprimand the Divine Spirits, but in the end, they would have to smooth things over without making a huge fuss.
[Division Commander Yang is so brave and decisive. His spear is almost stabbing into the Divine Spirit’s face.]
It could not be denied that the sight the Humans saw now was… incredibly satisfying. The anger that welled up inside them previously was now appeased.
However, after a momentary bout of gratification, they started worrying.
How were they going to settle the situation if it went any further? [We can’t let it come to blows, right? The Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary are firm about sticking together, so if a fight breaks out, it’s our side that will suffer losses.]
How ironic it would be if they survived the onslaught from the Black Ink Clan Army only to die at the hands of these Divine Spirits.
Many others shared Yu Zhen’s worries and a few veteran Eighth-Order Masters were frowning hard as well. [Yang Kai’s still too young. Doing this may feel satisfying for now, but it won’t resolve the issue.]
If things went too far, it would fall on them, the older ones to clean up the mess, so…, why even bother?
With such thoughts in mind, they started communicating with Yang Kai as they reminded him to focus on the bigger picture.
However, Yang Kai’s expression remained indifferent, as if he did not hear them.
Tao Wu seemed to have noticed their transmissions. Just moments ago, his expression was grim, but now, he abruptly laughed and said to Yang Kai, “Do you want to execute me, Sir?”
“Why wouldn’t I execute you?” Yang Kai replied, “You’re their leader, the one who decides what they do, so you should take responsibility for everything.”
Tao Wu shook his head, “If you insist, Sir, then I have nothing to say. However…” He paused and chuckled, “If you’re going to attack me, Sir, then I will respond in kind. This does not go against the oath.”
They were not in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary anymore. While there, the Divine Spirits’ strength had been suppressed and they could not stand against Yang Kai, resulting in Zhu Jian and the others being soundly defeated. As Yang Kai was able to take them out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, they willingly made a Bloodline Oath to pledge their loyalty to Yang Kai for 3,000 years.
No one could break a Bloodline Oath, so they had to abide by its conditions, but if Yang Kai tried to kill them, they had the right to defend themselves; after all, they had pledged their loyalty to him, not their lives.
It would be far too unreasonable for them to have to die at Yang Kai’s whim.
[So what if this brat is an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master? Is my strength not equal to his?] Tao Wu thought.
Furthermore, Tao Wu was certain that Yang Kai was merely trying to scare him, for if Yang Kai did want to go through with it, he wouldn’t need to make such a grand spectacle of things. He would’ve just thrust his spear out and been done with it rather than wasting his breath on all this nonsense.
Tao Wu actually readily welcomed the possibility of Yang Kai attacking him. That way, he would no longer have to abide by his oath and would have the chance to rid himself of the need to serve for 3,000 years.
Many of the Divine Spirits shared the same thought as Tao Wu. 3,000 years was a long time, so if this was their chance to break the chains that shackled them, then it was a good thing as they would be able to regain their freedom.
“Go ahead and fight back. See if I manage to kill you or not!” Yang Kai retorted coolly.
Quite a number of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were still secretly trying to dissuade Yang Kai when all of a sudden, a powerful force was unleashed from Yang Kai’s spear as it thrust towards Tao Wu’s head.
“If any of you want to attack, then go ahead!” Yang Kai bellowed, “Let’s see whether it’s you or me who dies!”
The Human Race Masters were thunderstruck.
The Divine Spirits were stunned as well.
Even Tao Wu gawked in disbelief.
Yang Kai did make the first move, and it was a deadly blow! [It’s not an act. He wants to take my life!]t
Tao Wu was enraged.
He was a Mature Divine Spirit on par with an Eighth-Order Human Master, without a Ninth-Order Old Ancestor Around, he was one of the strongest beings in all the 3,000 Worlds, yet this Brat wanted to kill him just because he was a bit tardy today?
Tao Wu hated being constrained by the Bloodline Oath to begin with, so now that Yang Kai was attacking him, while he did feel angry, he was also thrilled to have the chance to obtain his freedom.
Although Yang Kai’s attack was sharp and powerful, Tao Wu knew it was not enough to take his life; after all, he had been keeping his guard up as Yang Kai’s spear had been pointed at his head the whole time.
Thus, as soon as Yang Kai launched his attack, Tao Wu reacted by unleashing his strength as a Divine Spirit and moved to dodge the spear.
At that exact moment though, a piercing pain coursed through his head, like his Soul was being torn apart. He felt dizzy and his vision grew hazy and even his movements became sluggish.
It would not have been as bad for Tao Wu if that was all. The force unleashed by Yang Kai’s spear was brutal and relentless, but it was still not enough to kill him; at most, he would be heavily injured.
Yet, all of a sudden, a mysterious force shrouded Tao Wu, causing over half of his strength to instantly be suppressed.
He was already in agony over his Soul being ripped apart, and now his Divine Spirit Strength was nullified as well, it meant he could not withstand the menacing blow from Yang Kai’s spear.
A muffled sound rang out as the Azure Dragon Spear pierced right through Tao Wu’s skull, his eyes still wide with fear and disbelief.
His strength diffused into the air as his Blood Essence spurted out, filling the void with a heavy scent of metal.
The Human Race Masters gasped in shock while the Divine Spirits showed a similar reaction.
[He really killed him!]
Tao Wu, a Divine Spirit who was as powerful as an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Master, had been executed on the spot!
Before this happened, both the Humans and the Divine Spirits thought it was unlikely that Yang Kai would follow through with his threat. They assumed he simply wanted to intimidate Tao Wu; otherwise, he would not have exposed his murderous intent.
Tao Wu was not weak by any means, and any sane person would have their guard up when they sensed such potent murderous intent being directed at them.
Wei Jun Yang and the others had already prepared what they were going to say. They were going to wait until Yang Kai had finished with his threats before they came in and smoothed things over; that way, Yang Kai would have a valid reason to hold himself back and the Divine Spirits would not feel too offended. Everyone would still be able to work together in the future under such circumstances.
It never crossed their minds that Yang Kai would kill Tao Wu just like that.
However, Wei Jun Yang and the other Humans were even more confused as to why Tao Wu seemed so… weak. It was not the same when Yang Kai killed the Innate Territory Lords. Although Yang Kai had killed those Innate Territory Lords swiftly and decisively, one could consider it a sneak attack of sorts due to the Soul Rending Thorns.
Firstly, Yang Kai was powerful, and he was also willing to sacrifice pieces of his Soul to use the Soul Rending Thorns. Even an Innate Territory Lord would be caught off guard by such an attack, and therefore, it was not surprising that Yang Kai could seize the opening to kill them off.
In return, Yang Kai had to pay a heavy price.
After all, they saw that Yang Kai stopped attacking any other Territory Lords after killing three of them. They knew it was not because he did not want to continue, but because he could not.
If Innate Territory Lords could be killed off that easily, then Yang Kai could have dealt with all of them by himself and the Human Race would not have to be in such a difficult predicament.
But then, what happened to Tao Wu?
Yang Kai kept his Azure Dragon Spear pointed at Tao Wu’s head for several breaths of time, but even so, Tao Wu still died after a single blow. Weren’t Divine Spirits supposed to be as strong, if not stronger than Humans in the same Realm as them? Did that not apply to the Divine Spirits who came from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary?
The Human Race Masters were confused, but they were still quick to react. All of them began condensing their World Force as they warily eyed the Divine Spirits in front of them.
The Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary were a closely-knit bunch who stuck together no matter what. Now that Yang Kai killed Tao Wu, there was no way of guaranteeing that these Divine Spirits would not rebel; however, even after a few breaths, the Divine Spirits showed no signs of acting, still just stuck in their state of shock.
[Tao Wu’s dead!]
[Yang Kai said he would kill Tao Wu, then he did just that!]
In an instant, the Divine Spirits were filled with trepidation after witnessing Yang Kai’s merciless act.
The Human Race Masters saw Yang Kai killing Tao Wu with ease and assumed that Tao Wu was too weak; they did not notice much else, but the Divine Spirits did.
At that very moment when Tao Wu was killed, a strange force emanated from Yang Kai that suppressed all of their Divine Spirit Bloodlines. When that happened, the Divine Spirits felt as if they were being crushed under the weight of an entire Universe World, making it difficult for them to even breathe.
What kind of power was that?
Most of the Divine Spirits had no clue, but a few of the strongest seemed to have sensed something and stared at the back of Yang Kai’s hands in shock.
There seemed to be some kind of mysterious imprints that glowed momentarily, but they disappeared too quickly, so none of them got a clear look at them.
[Was that the source of that suppressing power?] The Divine Spirits were shaken. If Yang Kai had the power to completely suppress their Bloodlines, it was not a shock that Tao Wu died.
Nevertheless, what was it that enabled him to do so? Even a Master as strong as Tao Wu could not resist it.
These Divine Spirits left the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary not too long ago, so they had no clue that Yang Kai possessed the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks. As it was, not many people knew about these two Great Marks, only the Human Race’s highest authority figures did.
They knew that these two Great Marks gave Yang Kai the ability to use Purifying Light. Without them, it was impossible to extract power from the Yellow and Blue Crystals and then merge them to form Purifying Light.
However, only one or two others knew that Purifying Light was not the only thing these two Great Marks were capable of.
After all, these two marks were personally bestowed upon Yang Kai by the Sun’s Burning Light and Moon’s Serene Glimmer and were formed from those two Supreme Being’s Source Strength.
Even though Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan denied being the progenitors of the Divine Spirits, they were still connected to them somehow. On top of that, their Bloodlines surpassed those of all Divine Spirits, so their Source Auras alone were enough to suppress Divine Spirits by force.
It was similar to the Dragon Clan’s Bloodline suppression. Those of the Dragon Clan with purer Dragon Veins had the natural ability to suppress those whose Bloodline wasn’t as pure.
Back then, when Yang Kai headed for the No-Return Pass on Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao’s orders, Ji Lao San showed up to challenge him.
In just two strikes, Yang Kai easily managed to subdue Ji Lao San. Even when Ji Lao San assumed his Dragon Form, Yang Kai was able to smack him back into his Human Form with just a casual slap.
What Yang Kai relied upon at the time was not his strength or his Dragon Vein as Ji Lao San’s Dragon Vein was not any weaker than his, but rather the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks.
Even Ji Lao San’s Dragon Clan Bloodline was suppressed to the point where he could not fight back, so how could Tao Wu fare any better?
How could Tao Wu possibly survive a sudden attack in the form of a Soul Rending Thorn combined with the suppression from the Source of the two Great Marks?
Yang Kai withdrew his spear and turned to the other Divine Spirits. Earlier, when he attacked Tao Wu, a few Divine Spirits surged their strength, as if they wanted to help the latter, but the two Great Marks nullified everything, and before they could come to their senses, Tao Wu was dead.
Now that Yang Kai was eyeing them coldly, the Divine Spirits turned pale and held their breaths in fear that Yang Kai would attack them next.
Even Tao Wu had died without being able to fight back, so the rest knew they were no match for Yang Kai.
Thus, a strange scene played out in front of everyone. The Humans were grim and alert as they were afraid that Yang Kai’s act of executing Tao Wu would lead to a frenzied response from the Divine Spirits. If that happened, it would undoubtedly lead to a fierce battle, and many more Humans might die.
If that was indeed what was to come, then the irony of the situation could not be missed.
However, the Divine Spirits showed no signs of wanting to avenge Tao Wu; rather, they were cowering in fear and did not even dare to speak up.
[Why do they look so terrified?] Wei Jun Yang and Ou Yang Lie exchanged nonplussed glances.
Were the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary that afraid of Yang Kai? Though it was their first time interacting with these Divine Spirits, they heard a lot about them. These Divine Spirits were a lot haughtier than the ones from the Ancestral Land and the No-Return Pass. During their time in the Star Boundary, they stirred up quite a lot of trouble, and High Heaven Palace had to keep cleaning up the mess they left behind.
Thankfully, they were not completely lawless and never did anything that led directly to the death of others; otherwise, the Human Race would not be cooperating with them now.
In contrast to the Divine Spirits from the Ancestral Land and the No-Return Pass, the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary only had a loose relationship with the Humans.
They aided the Human Race to secure the frontlines of various battlefields, but they did not come under the Human Race’s command structure.
This was the reason why those at the Supreme Headquarters were reluctant to send out these Divine Spirits. There was no way of guaranteeing what they would do.
The Supreme Headquarters would not have sent them over this time if it had not been because there was literally no one else they could send.
However, the Human Race Masters exhaled in relief. They were thankful that a fight did not break out and there was still the chance of peacefully resolving this situation. They now waited to see how Yang Kai wanted to settle the matter.
The atmosphere was fraught with tension as the Divine Spirits stared at Yang Kai with complicated expressions. They were fearful and cautious, but they were also on guard lest Yang Kai attacked again.
“Zhu Jian!” After a long time, Yang Kai finally spoke up again.
A burly, pot-bellied man who was one of the Divine Spirits standing in front mustered up the courage to step forward. He cupped his fist and called out, “Sir!”
“Tell me what all of you swore to me when we were still in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary,” Yang Kai stared at Zhu Jian with a neutral expression.
Zhu Jian was the first Divine Spirit that Yang Kai subdued in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. He came along with this team of reinforcements, and even though he was now in his Human Form, Yang Kai recognised him right away.
Zhu Jian started quaking when he heard Yang Kai’s question as he still remembered that Yang Kai had originally wanted to roast him alive before eating him. He would not still be breathing now if he had not choked down his pride and surrendered back then.
He had already been fearful of Yang Kai before, and now that Tao Wu was killed so easily, he was even less inclined to behave insolently. He respectfully replied, “We swore a Bloodline Oath that pledged our loyalty to Sir for 3,000 years!”
The Human Race Masters were dumbfounded when they heard this.
This was their first time hearing that such a relationship existed between Yang Kai and the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. Pledging loyalty was no joking matter, especially when it involved these haughty Divine Spirits who were all Masters in their own right. No one of such strength and pride would easily serve another, even if only temporarily.
The Humans were filled with curiosity as to how Yang Kai managed to make the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary submit to him as this was not something strength alone could accomplish.
“I thought you’d all forgotten,” Yang Kai sneered.
Zhu Jian lowered his head, “We wouldn’t dare to. No one would dare to desecrate the sanctity of a Bloodline Oath!”
“Good. Now, what were my orders when I sent you all out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary?”
Zhu Jian instantly replied, “To head directly to the Star Boundary, find Hua Qing Si, and obey her commands!” This was the command Yang Kai had given them, so naturally, Zhu Jian still recalled it clearly. In fact, all the Divine Spirits present remembered these exact words.
Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and snorted coldly, “Did you tell her that?”
“Well…” Zhu Jian mumbled awkwardly.
After noting Zhu Jian’s hesitation, Yang Kai knew that he guessed correctly. Hua Qing Si probably had no idea that he had sent these Divine Spirits over to be under her command!
Otherwise, why would the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary be able to act in such an unbridled manner?
“Do you want to die?” Yang Kai’s eyes filled with murderous intent again.
Sweat flowed down Zhu Jian’s forehead as he shouted, “Tao Wu and the others said to Manager Hua that ‘we’ve been sent over to help them’, Sir!”
It was true that Yang Kai had indeed sent the Divine Spirits over to help the Humans, but the Divine Spirits had only relayed this information to Hua Qing Si in a vague manner.
The Divine Spirits did not tell Hua Qing Si that they were supposed to be under her command.
By only saying they were sent to help, they were able to decide what they wished to do.
Their original orders were to be under her command, which meant they had to do whatever they were told to. It was clear that these were two vastly different situations. They had clearly twisted the truth on purpose.
It was probably the result of their pride.
Due to this, Hua Qing Si misunderstood the situation. As the Human Race were now dealing with a powerful team of reinforcements who were supposedly helping the Human Race of their own volition, the Humans would compromise and put up with a lot of things. This allowed the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary to behave even more wantonly.
That was why they could establish a so-called ‘collaborative relationship’ with the Human Race’s leaders, rather than one of subordinates and superiors.
“You’re all quite shrewd, aren’t you!” Yang Kai sneered.
Yang Kai knew he was partly to blame for this too. He had been in a rush to take Wu Kuang to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, so he opened a passage with the help of the Old Tree and sent the Divine Spirits to the Star Boundary without going along with them to ensure things went smoothly.
None of this would have happened if he had just taken a moment to return to the Star Boundary and explain the situation to Hua Qing Si.
Still, it was impossible for him to have predicted these Divine Spirits would act so shamelessly.
“What did Manager Hua instruct you to do?” Yang Kai asked.
Zhu Jian was sweating, “Manager Hua told us to join the battlefields and work together with the Human Race Army.”
Yang Kai coldly snorted, “Is this how you work together with them? The battle in Profound Nether Territory rapidly intensified when the Black Ink Clan snuck in a large number of Territory Lords, causing the Human Race Army to fall into a critical disadvantage, but you lot purposely delayed your arrival. Profound Nether Territory might have been lost to the enemy if I hadn’t returned by coincidence!”
Now it was Wei Jun Yang and the others who looked ashamed.
Yang Kai was right. If it had not been for his sudden appearance, they would have most likely decided to abandon Profound Nether Territory and retreat in order to preserve as much manpower as possible, though the efficacy of such a strategy was questionable at best.
Yang Kai’s cold gaze swept across the group of Divine Spirits, but none of them dared to speak.
Yang Kai was boiling with rage and wanted nothing more than for one of them to jump out and refute him, which would give him the chance to set another example, but none of them dared to come forward.
“Tao Wu said that the Supreme Headquarters had no control over your actions, but since Manager Hua told you to work together with the Humans, it very much meant they have the right to command you! As your leader, Tao Wu hindered military operations and caused the Human Race Army to suffer heavy casualties, so I executed him for his crimes. Do any of you have a problem with that?”
This was a redundant question, as who among them would have the gall to protest now?
After hearing what Yang Kai said, not only did the Divine Spirits not voice any dissatisfaction, but many of them even relaxed. Although Yang Kai had not stated things clearly, his words implied that he was only going to punish their leader, Tao Wu for this. Now that Tao Wu was dead, Yang Kai was unlikely to execute the other Divine Spirits.
“Sir has made a wise decision!” Zhu Jian cupped his fist.
Yang Kai slowly continued, “As the leader of the Grand Ancestral Ruins Boundary Divine Spirits, Tao Wu’s death is justified. Although the rest of you do not deserve to be executed for your misdeeds, that does not mean you can be absolved of responsibility so easily either.”
Instantly, the Divine Spirits started fretting once more as they did not know what Yang Kai would do to them.
“Senior Wei!” Yang Kai abruptly turned to Wei Jun Yang, “We lost two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in this battle, correct?”
Yang Kai had not known about this earlier, but he found out after overhearing the conversation between Wei Jun Yang and Yu Zhen earlier when he was tending to his injuries.
Wei Jun Yang’s expression was grim as he nodded, “Indeed.”
The Human Race had lost two Eighth-Order Division Commanders, while the Black Ink Clan lost three Territory Lords. It seemed as if they were not the ones who lost the most, but in reality, all three Territory Lords had died at Yang Kai’s hands.
If it had not been for Yang Kai’s serendipitous arrival, the Profound Nether Army would have suffered a devastating defeat.
Yang Kai turned back to Zhu Jian and the other Divine Spirits, “You heard that?” he snarled coldly, “Two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters died because you were late!”
Zhu Jian and the other Divine Spirits felt aggrieved, but they dared not refute him.
“Within three months, I want to see the heads of two Territory Lords. I don’t care how you do it, where you do it, or when you do it. The method is up to you, but if you fail to do so…” Yang Kai eyed them once more, “It will be your heads that start rolling!”
The Divine Spirits paled.
“Don’t think I’m joking about this,” Yang Kai continued icily, “There are a total of 49 of you, and three of you have reached the level of Eighth-Order Human Masters. It should be easy enough for you to kill two Territory Lords. Of course, feel free to try and run. If you flee, then perhaps I won’t be able to find you in the vastness of the 3,000 Worlds.”
“We wouldn’t dare!” Zhu Jian replied bitterly. Who would dare to run when their Bloodline Oath was still in effect? Would it even be possible for them to run?
[But, to kill two Innate Territory Lords…]
Even though the Divine Spirits were fairly strong, it was not easy to kill a Territory Lord. All the Territory Lords were accompanied by Black Ink Clan Armies which were at least 100,000 strong. If they wanted to kill a Territory Lord, they would first have to deal with the Army under their command.
Zhu Jian was livid as he thought to himself, [Tao Wu didn’t just smash open his own head, he dragged us down with him too! Why did he have to cause those delays anyway? He’s dead now, but we’re being punished in his place!]
However, despite grumbling on the inside, Zhu Jian knew that the Divine Spirits had been caged up inside the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary the whole time, and now that they finally had a chance at freedom, none of them wanted to risk their lives in any way. They valued their lives more than anything.
This was why the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary were even more cowardly than the Divine Spirits from other places.
“Maybe you can surrender yourselves to the Black Ink Clan and support them instead,” Yang Kai suggested with a smile as he surveyed the Divine Spirits.
Not a peep was heard from the Divine Spirits…
After all, there was no way they were going to do that. If they chose to side with the Black Ink Clan, that would mean offering themselves up to be corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Even though they had a lot more resistance to Black Ink Strength than Humans did, they wouldn’t be able to withstand being corrupted forever.
“I’m tired. I will take my leave now, Sirs,” Yang Kai waved at Wei Jun Yang and the others before heading back to Bi Xi’s Soul Clone. He kept coughing up blood as he walked, looking like he was on the verge of death, and this brought even more heartache to Su Yan and the others.
[He was already injured. Even though it looked as if he easily killed off Tao Wu, who knows what kind of price he had to pay to do so?]
Soon, Yang Kai was back inside the Warship that was made out of Bi Xi’s Soul Clone. He looked deathly pale as he sat down to rest while Su Yan sat behind him so that he could lean against her.
The other women crowded around, expressing their concern and fussing over Yang Kai as he wheezed and gasped…
Yu Ru Meng on the other hand stood back and watched the scene unfold with a clear gaze, scoffing on the inside.
Yang Kai managed to fool her earlier, and as a result, she had been on edge for quite some time; however, she realised that he did not seem like an injured person at all when he killed Tao Wu.
[No physical injuries, but an injured Soul instead, was it?]
She knew very well that he had the Soul Warming Lotus! She had been too concerned earlier, and it had been around 1,000 years since they last met, so it did not occur to her then, but it did now.
[No matter how injured his Soul is, nothing will happen because he has the Soul Warming Lotus to protect and heal it! He will recover sooner or later, but there he is, acting as if he’s about to die!]
Yu Ru Meng snorted when she saw the looks of concern on Su Yan and the other women’s faces.
[Naïve women, fawning all over him like that! It’s really true, the longer the hair, the shorter the wits! Have you all forgotten how he abandoned us for 1,000 years!?]
“Get a move on. Do none of you have any injuries to tend to?” Meanwhile, Wei Jun Yang ordered the Human Masters to disperse.
They were still in a daze over the shocking turn of events, but after hearing Wei Jun Yang’s order, they finally snapped out of it and moved away as they gleefully celebrated on the inside. They had long since heard about the abhorrent behaviour of these Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. The latter’s delayed arrival had also led to the sacrifice of two of the Profound Nether Army’s Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters as well as many lower-order soldiers, resulting in a great deal of frustration and anger.
Thus, they felt particularly gratified when Yang Kai executed Tao Wu. It was as if he had vented all their rage on their behalf.
Ou Yang Lie smacked his lips as he secretly lamented the loss of an Eighth-Order Divine Spirit. [Why kill him off just like that? It would’ve been better to throw him at the Black Ink Clan Army and have him kill them instead. With luck, he might’ve even taken down a Territory Lord.]
[We could’ve extracted that Divine Spirit’s Blood Essence and Source and let the Humans refine them too. It would’ve been a great help.]
Ou Yang Lie thought Yang Kai was being too wasteful. [He’s never been an Army Commander, so he doesn’t know how to make the best use of such resources.]
Once the crowd cleared out, Wei Jung Yang looked at Yu Zhen and said, “Now that the battle in Profound Nether Territory has calmed for the moment, we have a lot of things to attend to here. You should report back to the Supreme Headquarters first. I don’t think we’ll be seeing any battles here in the near future.”
“Yes, Sir!” Yu Zhen cupped his fist and carried out his orders, turning to leave without paying any attention to the Divine Spirits.
However, he had not gone very far away when the Divine Spirits caught up to him. Zhu Jian even went over to Yu Zhen with a sheepish smile, “Brother Yu, Sir Yang has asked us to kill two Territory Lords in three months, but it’s not easy to kill them. Do you have any advice for us?”
Yu Zhen eyed him coldly and said, “How could I possibly dare to give you advice?”
[Aren’t you Divine Spirits supposed to be so high and mighty? On the way over, when you weren’t ignoring me, you were insulting me. Even when I urged you to focus on our mission, Tao Wu just berated me for it. Yet, here you are being so courteous with me…]
Everyone knew that it was hard to kill a Territory Lord as all the surviving Territory Lords were Innate Territory Lords. Every single one of them was powerful; not any weaker than a peak Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
[Why would we need you if those Territory Lords were easily killed?]
Yu Zhen was appeased by the fact that Yang Kai had given the Divine Spirits a challenging task, so the anger and contempt he felt had mostly dissipated.
Zhu Jian sighed and said, “We were wrong, Brother Yu. This Old Ox apologises on behalf of all my fellow Divine Spirits. Sir Yang is angry now, so if we don’t kill two Territory Lords in three months, I’m afraid we might not be able to keep our heads. Sir Yang… cannot be underestimated.”
He had noticed this during his initial encounter with Yang Kai back at the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. This incident just reminded him how vicious and merciless Yang Kai could be.
Yang Kai executed Tao Wu without even the slightest hesitation.
As Zhu Jian thought about it now, he began to think that Yang Kai was not just trying to scare him when he said he would slaughter him and eat his meat. Zhu Jian was certain that if he had refused Yang Kai back then, he would have ended up in Yang Kai’s stomach.
Zhu Jian felt chills, as if he had survived a narrow brush with death.
“What does that have to do with me?” Yu Zhen retorted coolly. He was only there to keep an eye on them. When it came to actual strength in combat, he was a lot weaker than these Divine Spirits.
Zhu Jian sighed, “Brother Yu, although what we did was wrong, having us around benefits the Human Race too; otherwise, Sir Yang wouldn’t have brought us out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary in the first place. Wouldn’t it have been fine to let us live there in peace? If Sir Yang does kill us because we failed to accomplish the task he gave us, it will only benefit the opponent instead. Don’t you think so?”
Yu Zhen glanced at Zhu Jian in surprise, [This Old Ox looks like he’s nothing but a muscle-head, but it seems he does have some wits about him.]
Even though Yu Zhen did not want to bother with these Divine Spirits anymore, he knew that Zhu Jian was right. The Divine Spirits could be a great help to the Human Race, and it would be a waste if Yang Kai just killed them all.
Furthermore, the fact that Yang Kai had given them three months to kill two Territory Lords was something to be taken seriously. If the Divine Spirits manage to do this, it would be wonderful news for the Human Race and all past grievances between them could be considered settled, but if they failed to complete this task, then Yang Kai would be put in a difficult situation.