Yang Kai had given the ultimatum in front of an entire crowd of Human Masters, but was he truly going to kill all the Divine Spirits if they failed to meet his demand?
The Divine Spirits would not take such an act lying down, and after seeing what happened to Tao Wu, they might very well choose to rebel to defend themselves if they had no other choice. If that happened, it would be extremely detrimental to the Human Race and only benefit their common enemy, the Black Ink Clan.
Thus, even though Yu Zhen was somewhat reluctant, he softened his tone and said, “Three months isn’t very long, and it will be hard to kill two Territory Lords in that time. I’m just a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so I can’t help you with it.”
“You don’t need to help us with the act, Brother Yu,” Zhu Jian quickly said, “However, you’re aware of our situation. We don’t have much information about the different battlefields. We didn’t pay much attention to the battles back then, but now that Sir has given us an order, we’ll surely do our best to meet his expectations. How’s this? When you go back to the Supreme Headquarters, please put in a good word for us, Brother Yu, and find out which battlefield requires the most assistance right now. We’ll head over at once, and we won’t stop until we kill a few Territory Lords!”
Yu Zhen stared at Zhu Jian in surprise, as if he was startled to find that Zhu Jian had a brain after all.
Zhu Jian just flashed him a simple-minded smile.
It was indeed a good strategy. The Human Race were clashing with the Black Ink Clan on over a dozen different battlefields, and the fights were getting more intense by the day. Those at the Supreme Headquarters had overall command of the war, so naturally, they knew exactly what was happening on all the fronts. If Yu Zhen could find a way to get some information from the Supreme Headquarters and give the Divine Spirits a few pointers, then it would be fairly easy for the latter to kill two Territory Lords within three months.
After all, these Divine Spirits could not be considered weak, and there were many of them.
Yu Zhen was laughing happily on the inside. Those at the Supreme Headquarters had been extremely resistant to sending out the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary because they were too unreliable. The Human Race would not have sent these Divine Spirits to Profound Nether Territory as reinforcements if they had other options available.
Even though Yu Zhen was sent along to supervise the Divine Spirits, they were still able to play a few tricks.
[Well, now that Yang Kai has set an example by executing Tao Wu, I bet the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary won’t have the gall to disobey orders again.]
Yu Zhen nodded and said, “That’s not a problem. I’ll help you get this information.”
Zhu Jian quickly cupped his fist, “Many thanks, Brother Yu.”
Zhu Jian finally exhaled, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his chest. With Yu Zhen’s help, they would most likely be able to overcome this challenge. [But, in the process of killing two Territory Lords… who knows if we might suffer any casualties…]
Zhu Jian shuddered when he recalled the way Yang Kai executed Tao Wu. He made up his mind to talk to the rest of the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and warn them to do as told, lest they follow in Tao Wu’s footsteps.
…
“Brother Ou Yang, how do you feel about all of us coming together and submitting a request to the Supreme Headquarters for Yang Kai to become the Army Commander here and oversee Profound Nether Territory?” Wei Jun Yang abruptly asked from his spot on the Universe Fragment.
Ou Yang Lie was taken aback, “Let him be the Army Commander of an entire battlefield? He’s… strong enough, but not experienced enough, don’t you think?”
[I can’t believe Wei Jun Yang would even suggest that.]
No one could deny Yang Kai’s strength. Even after killing three Territory Lords in a row, he could still kill the Divine Spirit Tao Wu with a single thrust of his spear despite being heavily injured. Based on strength alone, none of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Profound Nether Territory were his match; however, Ou Yang Lie did not think it was a wise decision to make Yang Kai the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army.
Yang Kai was too young, still a rising star by all measures. There were many more experienced people above him, including Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were even more experienced in strategy and command than Ou Yang Lie and Wei Jun Yang.
Although there were quite a number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters on the Profound Nether Territory battlefield, none of them was the actual Army Commander who presided over the entire situation. Wei Jun Yang was considered the leader, but he, Ou Yang Lie, Fei Yong Ze, Kong Cheng De, and two other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters all currently shared that responsibility among them.
Whenever a decision needed to be made, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would come together and form a joint plan of action based on the directives set by the Supreme Headquarters.
As it was, Ou Yang Lie was mainly a silent member of this team of Commanders. All he ever cared about was charging at the enemy so he did not get involved in the day-to-day operations of the Army.
Even so, Ou Yang Lie was shocked that Wei Jun Yang suggested having Yang Kai assume full command of Profound Nether Territory. Wei Jun Yang was a powerful Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and would not easily defer to someone else’s authority, though this was not because he was wildly ambitious or power-hungry, it was simply because it was hard to be convinced by someone’s leadership if that person was neither powerful enough nor experienced enough.
“Do you think so highly of him, Old Wei?”
Wei Jun Yang eyed Ou Yang Lie a little helplessly. Everyone else liked saying that he and Ou Yang Lie were two peas in a pod, so that was why they considered each other confidants. Still, why would the Supreme Headquarters feel it was safe to let him be in charge at Profound Nether Territory if he did not have some wits about him?
[Brother Ou Yang is the only one who doesn’t think at all…]
“Why do you think Yang Kai executed Tao Wu?” All of a sudden, Wei Jun Yang asked an off-topic question.
Ou Yang Lie stared at him blankly, “He killed a Divine Spirit who hindered military operations. What other reason could there be?”
[I knew you wouldn’t have picked up on anything else.]
However, Ou Yang Lie seemed to have an epiphany, “That Brat is young and impulsive. He doesn’t have much tolerance and can’t hold himself back. It wouldn’t be good if he was put in charge of the Profound Nether Territory battlefield.”
Wei Jun Yang smirked and shook his head, “What you saw was only the surface intent.”
“Don’t tell me you think there was a deeper meaning behind Yang Kai’s decision to kill Tao Wu,” Ou Yang Lie retorted, frowning before asking, “What was he considering?”
Wei Jun Yang glanced at Bi Xi’s Soul Clone and said, “It’s true that he’s young and impulsive, but I think he executed Tao Wu more to send a warning to the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and to open up an opportunity for reconciliation between them and we Humans.”
Ou Yang Lie paused in thought. He was reckless, but that did not mean he could not think, he just couldn’t be bothered to spend time mulling things over. However, now that Wei Jun Yang pointed this out to him, he had a vague idea of what Yang Kai’s motives had been.
“The Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary have a pretty bad reputation; however, they haven’t committed any grave mistakes thus far, so those at the Supreme Headquarters can’t be too harsh on them. This time around though, their delay led to the deaths of two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. If word of this got back to the Supreme Headquarters, Xiang Shan, Mi Jing Lun and the rest wouldn’t let it slide so easily. According to the rules of the Army, Tao Wu would have to be executed, but could they do that? Perhaps it wouldn’t have been difficult to kill Tao Wu, but it would mean offending all the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and they’re a group with significant strength. Yet, if the Supreme Headquarters did not punish Tao Wu, how would they appease the rest of the Human Army? They would’ve had to choose between two extremely difficult decisions if Yang Kai hadn’t executed Tao Wu.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded in agreement, “Yes. That’s right. That’s what I thought too.”
[As if you can think of this with that dull head of yours…] Wei Jun Yang ignored him and continued, “Once the news got out, it would’ve caused a rift between the Humans and the Divine Spirits. Now that the Black Ink Clan has invaded the 3,000 Worlds, the Humans and the Divine Spirits need to stand together, but this rift might even affect the Divine Spirits from the Ancestral Land and the No-Return Pass since at the end of the day, they’re also Divine Spirits, just like the ones from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. With how things are going in the 3,000 Worlds, who knows when the tides will turn against us? If the Humans and the Divine Spirits can’t work together to fend off our common enemy, then it’ll lead to endless troubles!”
Ou Yang Lie nodded fervently, “En en, that’s just what I was thinking.”
“That’s why Tao Wu had to die, and Yang Kai had to be the one to kill him! That way, the Human Race wouldn’t bear animosity towards the Divine Spirits even after the fact.”
Ou Yang Lie slapped his thigh, “That Brat takes after Big Head Xiang and Big Head Mi! From now on, I’ll call him Big Head Yang.”
He turned around and eyed Gong Lian who was right behind him and admonished him sternly, “You should learn from your Senior Brother Yang! Don’t rush into the battlefield like a fool, use your brain more often.”
Gong Lian was so exasperated he could only feel tired, [I’m not the one who rushes into the battlefield like a fool, that would be you, Honoured Master! Also… when did Yang Kai become Senior Brother Yang to me? He’s a lot younger than me… Well, he’s stronger than me now, so I guess it’s not wrong to call him Senior Brother.]
Naturally, Gong Lian dared not refute Ou Yang Lie aloud.
“Yes, this Disciple will remember,” Thus, he just respectfully replied.
After telling off his Disciple, Ou Yang Lie began discussing with Wei Jun Yang, “I don’t mind if Yang Kai becomes the Army Commander here, but I’m not sure how Old Fei and the others will feel about this.]
Wei Jun Yang chuckled and said, “What’s there for them to think or feel about it? The Old Ancestors are tied up in Wind Mist Territory and can’t leave, and all the battlefields lack capable people who can take charge and be the pillar for others. Yang Kai is powerful and has an enormous Small Stone Race Army with him. If he assumes command over Profound Nether Territory, then he will be the rock that everyone can depend on. Old Fei and the others would want nothing more than that.”
“That’s true!” Ou Yang Lie imagined what the situation at Profound Nether Territory would be like in the future and grinned, “It’s decided, then! Let Yang Kai be in charge of Profound Nether Territory. We’ll be his subordinates and run his errands for him.”
He did not care about prestige or glory. Even though Yang Kai was younger than him, he believed that the Profound Nether Army would be blessed to have Yang Kai as their Commander.
Out of the blue though, a thought occurred to him, “Would Yang Kai be willing to take up the role?”
“He will,” Wei Jun Yang declared with full confidence, [And even if he isn’t, he will have to!]
Aboard the Warship made from Bi Xi’s Soul Clone, Yang Kai closed his eyes and focused on recuperating while Su Yan and the others gathered around him as they did the same.
In reality, if Yang Kai heard Wei Jun Yang’s analysis about appeasing the Human Race Army and mending the rift between the Humans and the Divine Spirits, his response would have been simple, [What the hell are you talking about?]
He did what he did without considering anything else. He executed Tao Wu simply because the latter disobeyed orders!
In Yang Kai’s mind, it was all very straightforward, [I brought you out of the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary to help us kill off our enemies, so why would I keep you around if you don’t put in the effort to do just that?]
Of course, he did mean for it to serve as a warning to the rest of the Divine Spirits and he was fairly certain that they would not have the courage to behave impudently again.
Right now, however, Yang Kai was facing a far more difficult challenge. Even though he was focusing on his recovery, he could sense that Yu Ru Meng was glaring at him.
[Ru Meng, your beloved Husband is truly injured!]
In total, Yang Kai used four Soul Rending Thorn in quick succession, and his Soul was heavily damaged. Thankfully, it had not been four times in a row, as there had been a short break before the last one was unleashed. He was fairly certain he would be unconscious right now if he had used those four Soul Rending Thorn all at once.
While Yang Kai had the Soul Warming Lotus, which meant that the core of his Soul would not be affected, ripping out four large pieces of it within a few days was by no means easy! It would take him quite some time to recover.
[Ru Meng needs to be taught a lesson!] Yang Kai fumed to himself, swearing to spend many long, arduous nights with her doing just that once he recovered.
The Human Race Army was busy tending to their wounds and other cleanup tasks after the battle.
Though the Profound Nether Army suffered significant casualties in this battle, the Black Ink Clan did not have it any better. After such an intense battle like this one, it was likely that Profound Nether Territory would experience a long period of calm.
If nothing unexpected occurred, then it was unlikely that a huge battle would break out for many years, though smaller skirmishes were inevitable.
This was not only true of Profound Nether Territory, but also of all the other Great Territory battlefields.
More than 10 days passed in the blink of an eye, and Yang Kai’s condition had stabilised. Though the injury to his Soul hadn’t fully healed, he had the Soul Warming Lotus continuously nourishing it, so all that was required was time.
He had used Soul Rending Thorns many times by now and was used to getting injured in this fashion.
Moreover, after having torn apart his Soul countless times, his Soul had become more robust and resilient than before.
When he thought about it, this was something that happened often because the path of Martial Dao usually followed the principle of tribulation before success, so the process of constantly tearing apart his Soul and restoring it could be considered a type of cultivation.
It was just that such a cultivation method wasn’t widely usable by others.
At this moment, Yang Kai was summoning Purifying Light and sealing it into a Purifying Black Ink Battleship.
Now, all the battlefields were strained because there were a large number of troops but limited logistical resources.
When fighting against the Black Ink Clan, the first hurdle the Humans had to cross was the corruption of Black Ink Strength. Purifying Black Ink Pills could solve the greater half of that issue; however, with over a dozen battlefields and more than 10 million troops almost constantly engaged in battle, there was a huge demand for Purifying Black Ink Pills. Even after gathering all the Alchemists in the 3,000 Worlds and having them work without rest, there still weren’t enough pills to satisfy the demand.
Without Purifying Black Ink Pills to suppress the corruption of Black Ink Strength, soldiers wouldn’t be able to go all out when fighting the Black Ink Clan and would lose about 30% of their combat efficacy.
Back when they were on the Black Ink Battlefield, the soldiers from all Great Passes had Purifying Light, but after so many years of battle, the Purifying Light from all those Great Passes had been depleted.
Fortunately, Yang Kai had returned, and there was an abundance of Yellow and Blue Crystals in his Small Universe, so they could have as much Purifying Light as they wanted.
Moreover, Yang Kai was no longer the only one who could use Purifying Light, Sun Yan could as well!
In the Chaotic Dead Territory, Yang Kai asked Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan to bestow him more Great Sun and Moon Marks because he was preparing for this moment.
Previously, he was the only one who could summon Purifying Light, which was very inefficient, but now that Sun Yan also had the Great Sun and Moon Marks embedded on the back of her hands, she could help Yang Kai share the burden, so summoning Purifying Light had become less stressful.
Not only that, but Yang Kai was preparing to pass out the remaining nine sets of Marks because once that was done, almost all the battlefields would have someone who could summon Purifying Light, which could greatly relieve the pressure the Human Race was facing.
Of course, if one wanted to take on the Great Sun and Moon Marks, one had to have a Divine Spirit Source and Bloodline.
The Source Strength from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer was too powerful, making it impossible for those without bloodline ties to them to withstand, so only Divine Spirits could accept the two Marks.
Yang Kai had let Wei Jun Yang relay this message to the Supreme Headquarters.
There were now more than a dozen battlefields, so the nine remaining Marks naturally couldn’t be distributed evenly among them. As for how to allocate these personnel, that was a problem the Supreme Headquarters had to solve.
After a long period of being constantly busy, Yang Kai finally had some time to rest.
Since Yang Kai was now proficient in many Grand Daos; whether it be Alchemy, Artifact Refining, or Arrays, he had some attainments in all of them. As the saying goes, those who were able could do more, so he naturally wouldn’t have time to rest.
Today, Yang Kai was repairing a Warship when a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master flew over and landed in front of him before cupping his fist and said, “Sir, someone from the Supreme Headquarters has arrived. Senior Wei and Senior Ou Yang have asked that you head over there and join the discussion.”
“Why do I need to head over there?” Yang Kai was a little taken aback.
Though he was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and could count as a Division Commander, he hadn’t received any official appointment from the higher-ups, so he was still quite free.
However, Wei Jun Yang and the others asked him to head over to join their discussion, which meant they might have something planned for him.
Yang Kai knew that very well because Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were now the mainstay of the Human Race, so each Eighth-Order Master had to take on a leadership role.
The main reason Yang Kai was reluctant to go over was that he felt he had the strength and ability but needed more experience, so if he was officially appointed as a Division Commander, it would be very stressful for him.
Moreover, he still had something important he needed to do. If he were appointed as a Commander, he might not have much time to do that.
*Cough! Cough!* Yang Kai covered his chest and coughed a few times before speaking with a pale face, “Go back and tell Senior Brother Wei that my injuries have worsened, so I have returned to rest.”
While saying so, he didn’t even bother about repairing the Warship and turned around to leave in the direction of his temporary accommodations.
Having just reunited with his many Wives, Yang Kai had many things to say to them, so Yu Ru Meng and the others had transformed a small Universe Fragment near the frontlines into a temporary palace.
No one had said anything about their actions either.
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master let out a bitter laugh before dashing over and stopping Yang Kai in his path. He bowed and said, “Sir, it’s an order from the higher-ups, so please don’t make things difficult for me.”
Meanwhile, he was thinking, [Could this Sir have discovered something? Otherwise, why is he trying to flee?]
With a bitter expression, Yang Kai persuaded the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, “I’m not making things difficult for you. My injuries have indeed gotten worse.”
Saying so, he coughed a few more times and spat out a mouthful of blood…
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was speechless. [Isn’t this a little too exaggerated?]
But seeing that Yang Kai had gone to such lengths to avoid going there, he couldn’t say anything else. Just as he was about to leave, a majestic voice boomed from the Main Conference Hall, “Smelly Brat, get your ass over here!”
Stunned, Yang Kai looked at the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and asked, “Who… is the person that came from the Supreme Headquarters?”
With a slight smile, the Seventh-Order Master replied, “It’s Senior Xiang Shan who personally came over.”
Yang Kai felt frustrated. [Damn Big Head Xiang! Can’t that bastard stay at the Supreme Headquarters to just oversee everything? Why come all the way here?]
While he was complaining inside, his pale face gradually returned to normal as he sighed and beckoned to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, “Come on, let’s go.”
[Since Big Head Xiang has arrived, I should at least give him some face…] Thus, Yang Kai decided that he would go over, but would only listen and not make any comments during the discussion; after all, his goal was to have freedom, so they should just forget about appointing him to a post in the Army.
[If I had known this would happen, I would have returned to the Star Boundary for a visit because Little Senior Sister is still there.]
“Sir, please!” The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master gestured with a smile. His expression was obviously implying, ‘Why waste all the effort playing sick when you could have just complied?’
Soon, Yang Kai arrived before the Main Conference Hall and looked up at its entrance. This Main Conference Hall was also temporarily built, so it didn’t have any strong defensive abilities. After all, they were at the frontlines and might have to face an attack from the Black Ink Clan at any moment. There was no telling when this frontline would be broken through, so building a sturdy conference hall was unnecessary.
This conference hall was built so that the higher-ups had a place to hold discussions, so even a tent would do.
“Senior Brother Yang!” A familiar voice sounded from beside Yang Kai, so he turned to look over and saw that it was indeed someone he knew.
Or, to be more precise, a Divine Spirit he knew.
It was Ji Lao San from the Dragon Clan!
This guy had stopped Yang Kai in front of the No-Return Pass, but was then humiliatingly defeated. However, since Yang Kai’s disappearance after saving him, Ji Lao San no longer held a grudge against Yang Kai.
Now, Ji Lao San greatly admired Yang Kai, but his admiration had nothing to do with Yang Kai’s life-saving grace, because after spending some time with Yang Kai, Ji Lao San had seen Yang Kai’s full abilities.
Not only was Ji Lao San there, but there were also eight other figures, of which all looked quite familiar. Amongst them was a colourful-robed young woman who was squinting her eyes at Yang Kai, making her look quite playful.
Huang Si Niang! The one from the Phoenix Clan at the No-Return Pass. She was the one who gave Yang Kai one of her tail feathers!
Standing beside Huang Si Niang was the stern-looking Feng Liu Lang. It seemed these two were inseparable and went everywhere together; however, Yang Kai didn’t know if they were a real couple.
All nine of these familiar faces were Divine Spirits!
More importantly, most of them were from the Dragon and Phoenix Clans.
Having understood the situation, Yang Kai knew that the Supreme Headquarters had chosen the Divine Spirits who would be receiving the Great Sun and Moon Marks. Also, it seemed like Xiang Shan coming here personally might have something to do with this as well.
These Divine Spirits did not join the Humans in the conference hall but chose to wait outside.
“Brother Ji!” Yang Kai bowed and then proceeded to greet Huang Si Niang and Feng Liu Lang. Since he was unfamiliar with most of the other Divine Spirits, he only nodded at them as a greeting.
It seemed like the Divine Spirits also knew why they came, so they were naturally polite to Yang Kai.
After exchanging some formalities, Yang Kai asked, “Brother Ji, how are Senior Fu Guang’s injuries?”
There were originally two Divine Dragons in the Dragon Clan, but the current Dragon Clan Leader had died in the battle on the Barren Territory, so only Fu Guang was left. Now, not only was Fu Guang the pillar of the Dragon Clan, but he was also the leader of all Divine Spirits.
Yang Kai had long since heard that Fu Guang was injured, but he didn’t know how serious his condition was.
Hearing that, Ji Lao San sighed, “After the battle in the Barren Territory, our Clan Leader died in battle while Senior Fu Guang sustained heavy injuries and almost didn’t make it. He has been restoring his health all these years, but at his level of strength, it is just as hard to heal as it is to be hurt.”
Yang Kai nodded. It was true that cultivators with great strength were not afraid of minor injuries, but if they sustained heavy injuries, it would be even more difficult for them to restore their health. Moreover, judging by Ji Lao San’s words, it seemed like Fu Guang was injured by the Black Ink Giant Spirit God and almost didn’t survive.
“Is he recuperating inside the Dragon Pool?” Yang Kai asked.
Ji Lao San nodded. The Dragon Pool was the origin of the Dragon Clan, so it wasn’t strange for Fu Guang to be restoring himself in there. Back in the day, the Divine Spirits that came from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary were causing so much chaos in the Star Boundary that it actually alerted Fu Guang. In the end, Fu Guang came forward and deterred them from making trouble, which made the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruin Boundary quiet down.
Otherwise, those Divine Spirits would have stayed in the Star Boundary and continued to cause chaos.
Although the Human Race now had Fu Guang as one of their strongest Masters, they wouldn’t disturb him unless it was the last resort.
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai could only sigh as he couldn’t do anything to help.
Turning to look at Huang Si Niang, he took out a tail feather that had lost all spirituality, “Many thanks for giving me this tail feather, Si Niang. It has now returned to its owner.”
Huang Si Niang chuckled, “I, too, wanted to take a look at the view outside, so there’s no need to thank me.” While saying that, she reached out and took the tail feather.
The Dragon and Phoenix Clans took a Bloodline Great Oath, so they couldn’t easily leave the No-Return Pass. When Huang Si Niang took advantage of a bet with Feng Liu Lang to give Yang Kai her tail feather, which in truth was a type of Soul Clone, she did so with the thought of wanting to head outside the Great Pass and take a look at the scenery.
But now that the No-Return Pass had been lost, the Dragon and Phoenix Clans no longer had to abide by their Oath anymore.
The two Clans had mixed feelings about the No-Return Pass because they had been guarding it for aeons and now saw it as their home. However, the No-Return Pass was also a cage to them. Though they wanted to leave the No-Return Pass, they didn’t want to be forced out in such a way.
Sooner or later, they would storm in and snatch the No-Return Pass back from the Black Ink Clan!
It was all laughs at the entrance of the Main Conference Hall.
Whether they were people Yang Kai knew or not, they all swarmed over to talk to him. This couldn’t be helped, because they all knew the reason they were gathered here. Yang Kai had received nine pairs of Marks from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer and was about to give them out, so now they owed Yang Kai.
Moreover, the Divine Spirits were guessing that the Source Marks from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer might not only allow them to summon Purifying Light, but it might also have the effect of purifying their bloodline.
Before today, the Divine Spirits had gone through a selective trial because of the matter of who would receive the marks. In the end, it was these nine who prevailed.
“Stop chattering. Yang Kai, get inside.”
Xiang Shan’s voice came from the Main Hall, obviously knowing why Yang Kai was staying outside with no intentions of coming in.
With a bitter laugh, Yang Kai cupped his fist at the Divine Spirits and announced, “Let’s continue our conversation another day. Please make yourselves comfortable.”
The Divine Spirits didn’t object.
When Yang Kai stepped inside the Main Hall, he felt several dozen pairs of eyes instantly fall on him and look at him as if he was some kind of strange being.
Inside the Main Hall were all Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, with no exceptions.
There were a few that Yang Kai recognised, but more that he didn’t. Sitting upright at the end of the table was Xiang Shan.
Yang Kai didn’t feel nervous, because he was now an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master too, and all of them might not be his match when it came to strength, except for Xiang Shan.
He didn’t know how strong Xiang Shan was because they had never fought each other, but Big Head Xiang had climbed back up after having fallen once, so his ability might have increased even more. He could be considered one of the most powerful Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters alive today.
While facing the crowd, Yang Kai cupped his fist and greeted, “Junior Yang Kai greets Seniors.”
[That’s right. I’m just a Junior with abilities but no experience, so I can’t take up any huge responsibilities!]
His intentions naturally couldn’t escape Xiang Shan’s eyes. Big Head Xiang looked at him with a faint smile but didn’t make any comments.
Instead, one of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters burst out laughing, “Junior Brother, you’re too modest. You are now also an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and have the same cultivation as all of us, so you shouldn’t be referring to us as your Seniors but as Fellow Brothers!”
Another Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master nodded before adding, “We cultivators only care about strength, not age, unless you’re from the same Sect that is. But since you’ve already reached the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm at such a young age and even recently killed three Innate Territory Lords at once, I’m sure you’re going to have a very promising future!”
“Not bad for a person so young. We older ones have high hopes for you.”
Following that was a wave of compliments from everywhere. The only words that weren’t said were that Yang Kai was the future of the entire Human Race.
Yang Kai felt defeated and looked at Xiang Shan grimly. He wouldn’t believe it if someone said Xiang Shan hadn’t colluded with these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to do this.
This group of Eighth-Order Masters had even begun spouting utter nonsense, so it was obvious that they had some kind of hidden intentions.
At that point, Yang Kai felt even more stressed.
After secretly sighing, he knew he couldn’t go against so many of them, so he complied and cupped his fist, “Senior Brothers, you are all too kind. It was just pure luck, so I can’t accept your praise.”
“Let’s continue exchanging pleasantries later. Yang Kai, find a seat and sit down.”
It was then that the crowd stopped chattering. Yang Kai looked around the room and saw Ou Yang Lie beckoning him over, so he immediately went and sat beside him.
Today was just another ordinary meeting between Human Race higher-ups. With over a dozen battlefields, the Masters at the Supreme Headquarters would personally head over to each battlefield and gather intel from time to time. When Profound Nether Territory was almost lost, the higher-ups at the Supreme Headquarters didn’t dare take the situation lightly; moreover, Xiang Shan personally coming here also had a sliver of such meaning.
All the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sitting here were the mainstays of the Profound Nether Army, who were responsible for guarding this place. Therefore, they knew the Black Ink Clan in the Profound Nether Territory very well.
So now, they would proceed with reporting to Xiang Shan about the situation on the battlefield.
As time passed, all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters took turns giving their reports, and Yang Kai now knew more about the situation in Profound Nether Territory.
However, what shocked him the most was that these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were extremely detailed, including how many battles each Army had gone through, how many enemies were killed, how many casualties they had, how many troops they had left, and where they had placed Arrays and other arrangements.
Yang Kai felt curious, [Shouldn’t these basic details already be known? Why do they need to report such trivial things to Xiang Shan?]
Turning his head to look at Xiang Shan, Yang Kai found him sitting upright while seriously listening to every word while nodding occasionally.
The Human Race needed leaders like Xiang Shan to be able to band together when fighting against the Black Ink Clan.
Although Yang Kai had decided to only listen but not speak, it turned out that there weren’t many opportunities for him to get in a word. He had recently arrived at Profound Nether Territory, where he would either spend time at the palace fooling around with his Wives, casting Purifying Light, fixing Warships, or patching up Spirit Arrays. There was indeed not much for him to say as he was fairly ignorant of the general situation.
There was an infinite joy in the activities done inside the bedroom. After spending over 1,000 years in celibacy on the Black Ink Battlefield, 5,000 if the years in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon were counted, Yang Kai felt as though he had finally been set free and returned to the time when he could do whatever he wanted.
All his Wives were constantly blushing every day and Ru Meng wouldn’t lose her temper that much anymore, behaving in a gentle and considerate manner most of the time.
“Yang Kai, do you have anything to add?” Xiang Shan suddenly turned to look at Yang Kai.
Waking up from his thoughts, Yang Kai shook his head like a rattle-drum, “No!”
“If so, why are you smiling so happily?” Xiang Shan frowned.
Yang Kai coughed lightly, “I was just thinking about something interesting…”
Feeling awkward, he gestured towards the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who was currently speaking, “Senior Brothers, please continue.”
[Has Big Head Xiang come all the way here just to make things difficult for me? Can’t I even smile discreetly?]
The conference continued, and the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters narrated the comprehensive situation in Profound Nether Territory.
Half a day passed just like that, and the report on matters in Profound Nether Territory had finally ended. The group of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters felt like their mouths had dried up from all the talking.
It was then that Xiang Shan nodded and looked towards Yang Kai, “Have you understood the situation in Profound Nether Territory?”
Yang Kai was extremely shocked.
[Why is he asking me that?] But he still nodded, “Yes.”
“Very good!” Xiang Shan got up and took a step forward before he boomed, “Star Boundary’s Yang Kai, come forward and receive your orders!”
Stunned, Yang Kai froze, so Ou Yang Lie yanked him to his feet and kicked his butt, causing Yang Kai to stumble forward. When he looked up and saw Xiang Shan’s stern face, he felt his heart sink as he cupped his fist and quickly said, “Sir!”
While looking at him, Xiang Shan quickly said, “Previously, during the critical battle of Profound Nether Territory, Yang Kai killed three Innate Territory Lords on his own and turned the tide of war, successfully saving Profound Nether Territory from its end, making a huge contribution to the Human Race. In the following battles with the Black Ink Clan, he led the charge in every battle and killed numerous enemies, which has won him many Military Merits and demonstrated the spirit our Human Race must follow to obtain victory in his war. Therefore, the Supreme Headquarters has decided to appoint Yang Kai as Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander. From now on, he will command the Profound Nether Army and stand guard over Profound Nether Territory to defend it against the Black Ink Clan!”
Yang Kai was shocked and gawked at Xiang Shan with a blank expression, seemingly wanting to see if the latter was pulling a bad prank on him.
Back when Yang Kai received Xiang Shan’s order to attend the conference between Profound Nether Army higher-ups, he had already mentally prepared himself, thinking that he was about to be assigned some formal posting; after all, he was also an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and according to the rules, he was capable of assuming the rank of Division Commander.
He was thinking of a way to get out of it despite knowing that the chances of that happening were slim, and he had almost accepted his fate and thought if he were appointed as a Division Commander, he could accept it. It was better to have subordinates than to fight alone after all.
However, he never expected that Xiang Shan would make such an enormous announcement.
The Profound Nether Army Commander was the person responsible for overseeing the entire Profound Nether Territory! It was a position completely incomparable to the trivial post of Division Commander!
If Yang Kai accepted the position of Army Commander, all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters sitting here would become his subordinates. Moreover, Profound Nether Territory now had about 600,000 Human soldiers, a number that would increase in the future. How could Xiang Shan just leave all of them to him?
[No, it wasn’t Xiang Shan making this decision!] Yang Kai turned to look at both his sides of the room and saw the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters smiling as they looked at him, especially Ou Yang Lie, who was even winking like he was doing him some big favour!
This was the decision made by all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of the Profound Nether Army!
Without agreement from the ones actually leading the Profound Nether Army, it would be impossible for the Supreme Headquarters to implement such orders. It seemed like Wei Jun Yang and the other Eighth-Order Masters had long since agreed to ‘let’ Yang Kai become the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army!
At this moment, Yang Kai had no words to describe what he was feeling.
Back on the Black Ink Battlefield, the highest post he held was Squad Leader. He had never even experienced being a Battalion Commander, much less a Division Commander, but now, he was suddenly promoted to Army Commander… The difference was too big to fathom.
It now made sense why the Eighth-Order Masters here were being so detailed with their reports. Those matters weren’t for Xiang Shan to hear, they were for him!
They knew that Yang Kai had just arrived in Profound Nether Territory and wasn’t that knowledgeable about the army’s situation, so they used this chance to tell him in detail.
This was clearly a premeditated plot!
Xiang Shan using this chance to come here and appoint Yang Kai as Army Commander might be the real reason for his visit, while everything else was secondary.
[Bunch of old foxes!] Never would Yang Kai have expected that all these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had kept him in the dark about this until the moment they sprung the trap.
He was already a little reluctant to take up the position of Division Commander, but now he thought being a Division Commander seemed quite reasonable. Compared to overseeing the entire Army, looking after a mere Division seemed like a breeze.
Many thoughts flashed through Yang Kai’s head before he quickly declined, “Sir, this Junior is still young and has insufficient experience. The Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army is a critical position, and I’m afraid I might not be able to handle it, so please choose someone else, Sir.”
Xiang Shan replied calmly, “Although you’re still young and inexperienced, no one can compare to you in regards to Military Merits. What’s more, you have all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master here today to support you, so what’s there to worry about? Unless… you’re unwilling to take up this role!”
That was indeed what Yang Kai was thinking, and he immediately nodded, “Sir, please understand. This Junior is unwilling to accept this position, and he does not dare to accept it!”
Once he became the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army, he would have to stay in Profound Nether Territory for a very long time, possibly until the war here was settled. He felt that his talent wasn’t in leading an Army or in devising battle tactics. His talent was in killing Black Ink Clansmen and relieving the pressure on the Human Race. That was something Xiang Shan knew, so why was he so insistent on having Yang Kai become the Army Commander?
Frowning, Xiang Shan asked, “Are you really unwilling to accept this position?”
“Yes!” Yang Kai nodded his head like a chicken pecking rice while looking at Xiang Shan with sincere eyes.
With a light sigh, Xiang Shan said, “You can’t force someone to do what they are unwilling to do. If you’re unwilling to take up that position, I won’t make things difficult for you. As for the Profound Nether Army… the Supreme Headquarters will have another discussion about it.”
Yang Kai cheered, “Sir is wise!”
[Why have I never noticed how easy Big Head Xiang is to speak with?]
“Report!”
Following a shout, a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm soldier ran into the Main Hall and cupped his fist at Xiang Shan, “The Black Ink Clan Army has been sighted advancing from 10 million kilometres outside the eastern front. They appear to be rallying for another attack.”
Under normal circumstances, there wouldn’t be anyone barging into the higher-ups’ conference, but an urgent military situation was an exception.
Obviously, the Black Ink Clan on the eastern front pressing in on them was an urgent military situation.
“Bold!” Wei Jun Yang bellowed, “Those Black Ink Clansmen must be courting death!”
While he spoke, he exuded his majestic Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm aura.
Ou Yang Lie also exclaimed, “It seems like they haven’t learnt their lesson yet.”
…..
Not only were these two cursing the Black Ink Clan, but the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters all joined in, causing the Main Conference Hall to instantly fill with all kinds of voices.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai frowned, [What is the Black Ink Clan up to? They have just lost a major battle and three Territory Lords. How could they come back for another attack after such a short amount of time?]
Looking back at the Seventh-Order soldier who came to report the news, Yang Kai could see that he was from Great Battle Heaven because he was wearing distinctive golden armour. Undried blood still marred his armour, which seemed to indicate that he was injured.
What caught Yang Kai’s attention though was that the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters of Profound Nether Army were too calm.
[Since the Black Ink Clan Army are rallying to attack, shouldn’t they be discussing a plan of action and dispatching troops to consolidate the eastern front? It’s highly improper of them to just be acting loud and rowdy at this moment.]
While he was lost in such thought, one of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters came forward and cupped his fist to Xiang Shan before saying, “Sir Xiang, I request permission to fight off the enemy!”
Xiang Shan nodded lightly, “It’s rare for you, Division Commander Chen, to be so eager to fight. You have my permission. How many troops are you preparing to bring with you?”
Division Commander Chen answered proudly, “I don’t need much. A single Division will suffice.”
Then, Xiang Shan warned sternly, “The war between the two Races is not child’s play.”
After coldly snorting, Division Commander Chen replied, “It’s just a motley group of weak Black Ink Clansmen, what’s there to be afraid of? If we don’t deter the enemy, this Chen will offer his head up to you!”
“Good!” Xiang Shan nodded unceasingly to show his approval, “Although we Humans are at a disadvantage, we do not lack the thirst for blood and bravery. Division Commander Chen is still so enthusiastic at such an old age. You are a role model to all of us. Therefore, I’ll permit—”
“Wait a moment!” Yang Kai hurriedly interjected.
He was beyond shocked as he listened to this conversation.
[In such an urgent situation, you old Eighth-Order Masters made a snap decision just like that, and Xiang Shan actually agreed to it? What about the difference between the enemy’s Army and ours? What about the number of enemies coming over? With such a lack of information, how could you reach a decision so quickly?]
More importantly, Yang Kai knew Division Commander Chen personally. In regards to age, he was one of the eldest Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but when it came to power, he wasn’t the strongest and would not stand a chance against an Innate Territory Lord.
Under such circumstances, how could this old man have the confidence to say he would only bring a single Division out to fight the enemy?
Was he just bluffing? However, the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters showed no signs of wanting to stop him.
“Yang Kai, do you have something to say?” Xiang Shan turned around to look at Yang Kai.
Feeling his head pulsing, Yang Kai cupped his fist and suggested, “Senior Xiang, if I remember correctly, the number of soldiers in a single Division of the Profound Nether Army is about 20,000, right?”
20,000 Open Heaven Realm Masters was no small number.
One had to know that back at the Black Ink Battlefield, a Division only had 500 to 600 troops. However, all the Open Heaven Realm Masters on the Black Ink Battlefield were Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and above.
The Profound Nether Army even had soldiers in the First and Second-Order Open Heaven Realm, so when comparing the two types of Divisions, although 20,000 soldiers was a lot more than 500, the overall difference in strength wasn’t that large.
“Indeed,” Division Commander Chen nodded, “My Division now has 23,651 soldiers enlisted in it.”
Though the old man was up there in age, his memory had not deteriorated and he knew his troops like the back of his hand.
Feeling speechless, Yang Kai looked at him and asked, “Do you know how many troops the Black Ink Clan has brought over to attack us?”
Division Commander Chen snorted coldly, “Who cares how many troops they have? We will kill them all!”
Once he said that, he didn’t even wait for Yang Kai to respond before cupping his fist to Xiang Shan and announcing, “Sir, this Chen will be off then. This mission to defend our homeland will either end with victory or us dying in battle. If the situation comes to that, I would have to trouble all of you to help us gather our corpses.”
Nodding, Xiang Shan promised, “We won’t let our soldiers’ corpses rot in the wilderness.”
“Division Commander Chen, please wait!” Yang Kai shouted again. He couldn’t let Division Commander Chen run away because the Squad his Wives were in just happened to be under Division Commander Chen’s jurisdiction. It wouldn’t matter to Yang Kai if Division Commander Chen decided to deploy in force to push back the enemy, but if he was going with his Division alone, Ru Meng, Su Yan, and the others would get dispatched too.
“Yang Kai, how dare you continuously interrupt us when we’re discussing sending troops to defend our frontlines! Are you trying to disrupt military order?”
Yang Kai’s heart clenched as he quickly cupped his fist, “I dare not do such a thing! But…”
“But what?” Xiang Shan looked at him coldly.
[But… something isn’t right here…]
Yang Kai looked at Xiang Shan and then at the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters around him. What he saw was Wei Jun Yang looking up at the sky as if nothing concerned him, while Ou Yang Lie was looking down at the floor as if a flower was growing between his feet. Meanwhile, the other Eighth-Order Masters were either huddled together and discussing something or sitting there calmly with their eyes closed as if everything was under control.
At that moment, Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter, [So, this is how it is.]
He knew these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had all fought in no less than 1,000 battles, so there was no way they would act this foolishly under normal circumstances. Even if Division Commander Chen was a reckless glory-seeker, it was impossible for the rest of them to just let him race off to his death.
Moreover, Xiang Shan was a man with incredible tactical insight. The strategy he came up with to reclaim Great Evolution Pass, and the skill with which he executed it were both extremely shocking, so it was impossible for him to immediately agree when Division Commander Chen asked to lead a single Division off into battle with no idea about the enemy’s composition.
If he did, he wouldn’t be Xiang Shan but someone like Ou Yang Lie.
After sighing, Yang Kai explained, “Senior Brothers, you have all lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, do your consciences not hurt at all, working together to trick a Junior like me?”
Snorting, Division Commander Chen insisted, “Junior Brother, whatever do you mean? I’m getting on in years and my mind is not quite what it used to be, please speak plainly.”
Yang Kai gave him a sorrowful look, [You’re clearly the most enthusiastic one in this plan!]
Meanwhile, Xiang Shan still had the same cold expression, “Speak up if you have something you want to say, stop wasting time with all this nonsense.”
[Haven’t I made myself clear enough? It’s you old farts that are playing dumb! I guess it’s true when they say the older a person, the more cunning they are! Judging from this situation, the eastern front… probably isn’t under threat at all. It’s only been about 10 days since the Black Ink Clan suffered serious losses, they wouldn’t dare launch a full offensive so soon.]
This was all just a big show. The Eighth-Order Masters in this room and even the Seventh-Order soldier who came to deliver the ‘report’ were all in on this matter. They were acting out a play with Yang Kai as the only audience member.
[These old farts are obviously trying to force me to do something I’m incapable of. It’s a fake emergency this time, but what about next time? If there really is a next time, this Division Commander Chen will definitely lead his Division to charge the enemy!]
Yang Kai sighed internally. It seemed he couldn’t avoid this matter.
While he was lost in his thoughts, the Seventh-Order soldier shouted again in a voice filled with grief and anger, “Sirs, this situation is urgent, please come to a decision as soon as possible; otherwise, the eastern front might not be able to hold.
*Cough! Cough!*
Then, he spat out a mouthful of blood, seeming to be heavily injured.
[Really? Really??]
Yang Kai glanced at the soldier who was looking straight ahead and had a pale complexion and a depressed aura.
Xiang Shan glared and muttered, “Yang Kai, stand down. Since you don’t want to be appointed as the Army Commander, you have no right to speak here. Division Commander Chen, head back and lead your Division to reinforce the eastern front. If you cannot defeat the enemy, I’ll head over there and behead you myself!”
While cupping his fist, Division Commander Chen replied, “This Chen accepts the order. We will not let you down.”
After that, he turned around and strode towards the door, but he still stared into Yang Kai’s eyes, seeming to say, “If you don’t speak up, this Old Master will really lead my force into battle. It doesn’t matter if there were no enemies at the eastern front this time, because there were enemies in the Black Ink Clan’s camp. Are you afraid now?”
“How could this Junior be qualified for this…” Yang Kai smiled bitterly. However, he was honestly quite touched inside. All these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had worked together with Xiang Shan to act out such a performance for him just so that he would take up the position of the Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander. This was a kind of wholehearted trust that was rare to see.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Kai cupped his fist and boomed, “Since all of you Senior Brothers think so highly of me, this Junior is willing to take up the position of Army Commander and guard Profound Nether Territory. This Junior will risk his life to make sure Profound Nether Territory is never lost!”
“So you’ve changed your mind?” Xiang Shan’s lips curled up ever so slightly as he teased.
While looking at him with a blank stare, Yang Kai didn’t say anything.
[Do I have a choice? Old Man Chen is halfway out of the Main Conference Hall, so if I don’t change my mind, he will really leave. His leaving is not that concerning, but my Wives will definitely have to follow him to the battlefield.]
Then, Xiang Shan stopped playing with him and spoke sternly, “Overseeing Profound Nether Territory is a very heavy task. If this Territory is lost on your watch, you’ll be punished according to military law!”
“Understood!”
“Yang Kai, receive your orders!” Xiang Shan roared before taking out a token, “The Supreme Headquarters hereby appoints Yang Kai as Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army. This is the Army Commander Token. With this, you will assume full command of all soldiers in the Profound Nether Army. If anyone dares to disobey or rebel against you, they will be sentenced to death without exception!”
“We accept the order!” All the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters bowed in unison.
“Yang Kai accepts the order!” Yang Kai came forward and raised both hands to receive the Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander Token, which suddenly felt quite heavy.
This wasn’t just a token, it was a physical representation of the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers that were being entrusted to him.
At that moment, Yang Kai’s aura seemed to have changed and become even more profound and mysterious.
Noticing this, Xiang Shan watched with amazement as the words ‘Heaven’s Will’ appeared in his head.
“Greetings, Army Commander!” Wei Jun Yang chuckled and cupped his fist before bowing. The other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters copied him and did the same. The atmosphere inside the Main Hall was very harmonious.
Division Commander Chen ran back as well and no longer shouted about racing off to kill the enemy.
Of course, Yang Kai wouldn’t take what happened just now to heart and exchanged pleasantries with the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. He would be overseeing Profound Nether Territory in the future, so he would need these old foxes’ help.
“Report!”
Another Seventh-Order soldier dashed into the Main Hall and cupped his fist, “Sirs, there is news from the eastern front. The Black Ink Clan Army has retreated. It seems like their previous actions were just a feint. There is no imminent attack.”
Nodding, Xiang Shan replied, “It’s good that the Black Ink Clan has retreated. Division Commander Chen, you may take a rest as well.”
Division Commander Chen laughed, “The Black Ink Clan retreated before the news about Junior Brother Yang taking up the position as Army Commander was released. It seems like the Heavens are siding with us today.”
The group of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters all nodded in agreement.
Yang Kai looked around and couldn’t help rolling his eyes. Were these old farts still acting even now? They even organized this kind of closing scene to their play! It seemed they really made a full and detailed plan for today.
Thinking back to the time when they gathered at Azure Void Pass to form the Great Evolution Army, Xiang Shan and Liu Zhi Ping were appointed as Great Evolution’s Eastern and Western Army Commanders. On that same day, many of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were appointed as Division Commanders and accepted with great solemnity.
Back then, Yang Kai was just a Seventh-Order Squad Leader.
Never had he imagined he would someday hold the Army Commander Token like today, so he couldn’t help but sigh internally.
Being an Army Commander wasn’t just any duty, it was a responsibility to become the central pillar for an army of hundreds of thousands of soldiers!
[Can I do it?]
Yang Kai didn’t know the answer to that question, but since things had already come to this point, he could only give it his all and do his best. From today onwards, his every decision will affect hundreds of thousands of lives directly.
“I can’t spend too long here. Besides the appointment of Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander, there is one other thing I need to accomplish here.” Xiang Shan spoke up.
Yang Kai put away the token and nodded, “Please say it, Senior Brother.”
At first, he thought it was about the Great Sun and Moon Marks, but that was just a minor matter because he had already given one set of Marks to Su Yan. Moreover, the nine Divine Spirits outside were the ones who had been chosen to receive the Marks, so all that was needed was to call them inside.
He wasn’t expecting Xiang Shan to not talk about this matter but instead summoned his Universe Chart. Then, with a wave of his hand, a three-dimensional virtual image appeared before everyone.
Following that, Xiang Shan moved his hand and pointed at a particular spot, “A month ago, the Supreme Headquarters received intelligence that the cultivators from more than a dozen Sects in the Acacia Territory have been besieged by the Black Ink Clan and are facing a critical situation. If they don’t get any reinforcements soon, they might not be able to hold out much longer.”
Wei Jun Yang frowned, “Where did this information come from? Is it reliable?”
Xiang Shan nodded, “The intelligence was brought to us by a few different roaming Hunter teams, so its likely authenticity was deemed high. Afterwards, the Supreme Headquarters moved and confirmed it.”
Division Commander Chen raised an eyebrow, “Is the Supreme Headquarters asking Profound Nether Territory to send out troops to rescue them?”
“That’s right.” Xiang Shan nodded, “At first, there was no plan to have Profound Nether Territory carry out this mission, but all the other Great Territory Battlefields are engaged in heated conflicts right now, so our side is at a disadvantage and can’t dispatch troops for a rescue mission. However, Profound Nether Territory could be said to have won a great victory during the previous battle, so there should not be any large-scale battles here for the foreseeable future. Therefore, you are the ones most suited to attempt this rescue mission.”
While saying that, he looked at Yang Kai, “Junior Brother, now that you are the Army Commander, you will be responsible for planning and executing this mission! You must bring our trapped allies back safely.”
Yang Kai knew this was also a test to see how he would deal with such matters. Although the Supreme Headquarters had appointed him as the Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander, they also knew that the talents he had shown were mostly in charging into battle and defeating the enemy. He had never shown much talent in things like strategy and tactics.
This mission to rescue the Humans trapped in Acacia Territory was a chance to make a contribution and show off his talents.
Therefore, he immediately cupped his fist, “I have received the order!”
“You can discuss this matter on your own. There is no need to report to the Supreme Headquarters about your plan before carrying it out, but there is one thing you must remember, you mustn’t let Profound Nether Territory fall into the hands of the enemy!” Xiang Shan enjoined them before shouting towards the entrance, “Enter.”
He then turned to look at Yang Kai, “Previously, we’ve received news from Profound Nether Territory that you’ve received nine sets of Great Sun and Moon Marks from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer. These are the nine Divine Spirits the Supreme Headquarters chose to receive those marks. I’ll leave them to you as well.”
“Understood, Senior Brother!”
Later, Xiang Shan, Wei Jun Yang, and the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters left the Main Conference Hall while Ji Lao San and the other eight Divine Spirits came in.
It wasn’t difficult to pass the two marks from the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer to them because they were just drops condensed from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s Source Strength. After the Divine Spirits received them, they only needed to slightly refine them to condense the Great Sun and Moon Marks.
The nine Divine Spirits only took about an hour to complete this process.
Later, Yang Kai distributed the nine Space Rings he had prepared beforehand to them, rings filled with Yellow and Blue Crystals.
With the two Great Marks and a large supply of Yellow and Blue Crystals, there would no longer be a lack of Purifying Light on the various battlefields. This could also greatly lessen the pressure on the Human Race.
It could also lessen the Alchemists’ burden, allowing them to put in more effort to refine other Spirit Pills.
Purifying Black Ink Pills weren’t the only Spirit Pills the Human Race lacked. Open Heaven Pills for cultivation and healing pills for healing injuries were all in short supply.
As for how these nine Divine Spirits would be distributed to each front, that was for the Supreme Headquarters to figure out. Although there weren’t enough Divine Spirits for each Great Territory Battlefield, it might not be too much of a problem for one Divine Spirit to aid two neighbouring battlefields and provide them with Purifying Light.
Xiang Shan was waiting outside, so Yang Kai led the Divine Spirits out before seeing them off.
Once they left, Yang Kai finally said, “Senior Brothers and Sisters, please enter the conference hall!”
The group of Eighth-Order Masters then returned to the Main Conference Hall and sat down. Yang Kai sat at the head of the table and looked around. He saw all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had serious expressions on their faces as they looked straight ahead.
Seeing that, Yang Kai burst out laughing, “Since all of you Senior Brothers and Sisters think so highly of me and choose me to take up the position as Army Commander, I, as your Junior Brother, will not let all of you down!”
The atmosphere suddenly became lively, and Ou Yang Lie slumped back into his chair and beamed, “Our generation of cultivators respect strength above all else. Since your fist is bigger, of course it’s you who will take up the position of Army Commander, but you little br… ahem, Junior Brother, the most important issue you need to deal with now is the matter of Acacia Territory. This is your first mission after your appointment, so you have to do it well.”
Wei Jun Yang added, “Indeed. Since the Supreme Headquarters has entrusted us with this mission, we must do our best to complete the task and not let the other battlefields look down on us.”
Nodding, Yang Kai replied, “Both Senior Brothers are right, but I’ve only recently returned from the outside. Though I have a basic understanding of Profound Nether Territory, I don’t know much about the situation outside of Profound Nether Territory, so I still need you all to catch me up.
Fei Yong Ze looked at him, “Junior Brother Yang, what would you like to know?”
Yang Kai answered, “According to what I know, after the war in the Barren Territory, the Human Race Army retreated and broke up into many different teams to help the cultivators from the various Great Territories retreat and evacuate. However, that was a couple dozen years ago, so those who could evacuate should have already arrived. How could there still be Humans left outside?”
Division Commander Chen sighed and replied, “That’s not a surprise because the purpose of evacuation back then was to let all the Sects move to the nearest territory directly controlled by the Cave Heavens and Paradises. Afterwards, those Cave Heavens and Paradises would have their Masters escort those people to High Heaven Territory. However, the Black Ink Clan moved too fast, so cultivators from a number of Great Territories could not evacuate in time and were surrounded by the enemy. We have suffered quite a significant number of casualties as a result.”
Yang Kai nodded as he knew about such incidents as well. When the Black Ink Clan invaded Swallowing Seas Territory, Yang Kai was fortunately there to lend his assistance.
If Yang Kai hadn’t appeared there at that moment, the cultivators from Swallowing Seas Territory wouldn’t have been able to escape.
In addition to those who failed to evacuate in time, others were ambushed along the way, which might be what had happened to the Humans trapped in Acacia Territory.
When Yang Kai heard this, he frowned, “Forgive my crassness, but if they were intercepted by the Black Ink Clan over 20 years ago, they should all be dead by now.”
Wei Jun Yang raised an eyebrow, “Junior Brother, are you thinking this might be a trap?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Perhaps the cultivators in Acacia Territory found somewhere to hide all these years but have now been found by the Black Ink Clan. Otherwise, they can’t have held out until now.” While he spoke, he used his fingers to tap on the armrest, “What is strange is for word of this to have reached us. Theoretically, Acacia Territory has been entirely conquered by the Black Ink Clan, so if there were any Humans left there, the Black Ink Clan should have easily taken care of them, but of course, dragging on—”
Suddenly thinking of something, he looked at the others below him, “Senior Brothers and Sisters, do you think that the Black Ink Clan are besieging a stronghold to strike at the reinforcements?”
Wei Jun Yang raised an eyebrow, “Why do you ask that?”
Yang Kai explained, “The Black Ink Clan should have been able to easily finish off the cultivators in Acacia Territory but haven’t. It’s obvious that they want to attract our side’s attention, which led to today’s events where Senior Brother Xiang charged us with this matter. We won’t be able to hide the Profound Nether Army dispatching a large number of troops to the Acacia Territory. The enemy is likely planning an ambush in Acacia Territory. There should be multiple Territory Lords and a large Army guarding that place.”
Once he said that, the other Eighth-Order Masters looked at each other and then burst out laughing.
Wei Jun Yang turned to look at Ou Yang Lie and teased, “Are you going to kill a Territory Lord, or are you going to call me ‘Father?”
Rolling his eyes, Ou Yang Lie retorted, “You didn’t win! What’s more, it’s just killing a Territory Lord. How difficult could that be?”
Wei Jun Yang chuckled, “I’ll take it as you choosing to kill a Territory Lord.”
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was dumbfounded as he looked at the others below him, “Senior Brothers, did I say something wrong?”
Division Commander Chen stroked his beard and chuckled, “No, you didn’t say anything wrong. It’s just that your performance shocked us.”
“What do you mean?” That answer made Yang Kai even more confused, [Also, what’s up with Wei Jun Yang and Ou Yang Lie? Why would they say something like calling the other ‘Father’?]
Division Commander Chen explained, “Junior Brother, what you’ve just said is correct. There is a Second Class Great Force, Acacia Sect, in Acacia Territory. During its founding, Acacia Sect discovered a Universe Cave Heaven left by an unknown Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master after their death, which Acacia Sect obtained many benefits from. Didn’t you say the cultivators in Acacia Territory might have found a place to hide all these years? It’s been surmised that they have been hiding inside that Universe Cave Heaven and somehow managed to seal its entrance, which is why it remained safe until today. But their hiding spot has now been exposed, which is why they are now under siege.”
He continued, “It’s not that the Black Ink Clan doesn’t want to deal with them, but it isn’t an easy task to break open a Universe Cave Heaven’s portal from the outside without appropriate skills. Of course, the Black Ink Clan can still do it, but it will take them some time. Also, us receiving this news should also be the Black Ink Clan’s doing. Junior Brother, you were right when you said they were planning to strike at the reinforcements. However, their target is not the various Armies from the Great Territory Battlefields, but the roaming Hunters who have snuck into their territory.”
A short pause later, he elaborated, “There are many Human Masters that are either unwilling to be governed or are simply not used to functioning in an army and working with others, so they choose to become roaming Hunters instead and sneak deep into the Great Territories that the Black Ink Clan controls. Over the years, the Hunters have attacked and killed many Black Ink Clansmen, and traces of them can be found in many Great Territories. There are indeed many Black Ink Clansmen, but most of them are busy battling the Human Race Army, so those roaming Hunters take the chance to cause chaos behind the Black Ink Clan’s lines by destroying Black Ink Nests and raiding their supply lines. The Black Ink Clan is clearly frustrated with this, and besieging those in Acacia Territory is a good opportunity to attract large numbers of Hunters over. They want to clean up as many of them as possible with this one move.”
It wasn’t the first time Yang Kai had heard of ‘Hunters’. They were Human Masters who didn’t join the main Army on the frontlines for all sorts of reasons and would instead form small groups or even act alone to sneak into the Great Territories that the Black Ink Clan had taken over. Then, they would seek opportunities to do damage.
Most of them were proud of their great strength or had some unruliness in their personalities, which was why they didn’t like the strict regulations of the Army.
Hunters generally acted in very small numbers, so they lived dangerous lives where the threat of being wiped out was quite high; however, while the risks were high, the rewards were too.
The favourite activity for Hunters was destroying Black Ink Nests. If they could bring back proof of them destroying a Black Ink Nest to any of the Great Territory Battlefields, they would receive a massive amount of Military Merits. Once they had Military Merits, they could use them to exchange for cultivation resources or other benefits.
At this moment, there were quite a lot of Hunters roaming around outside, and as time passed, even more cultivators joined them.
Everyone had their own way of living, so if they dove into the Great Territories controlled by the Black Ink Clan and caused chaos, it could still be considered contributing to the war effort. Therefore, not only didn’t the Supreme Headquarters restrict such people, but they even richly rewarded the Hunters whenever they succeeded.
Strictly speaking, Yang Kai’s actions before coming here were the standard behaviour of a Hunter. Of course, what he accomplished was far beyond what any team of Hunters could dream to achieve.
He alone had caused chaos at the No-Return Pass and then retreated safely. That was a feat no other Human could replicate.
The Hunters’ actions were indeed dangerous as they were moving around the Black Ink Clan’s territory, after all. Once their whereabouts were exposed, they would be targeted by many Black Ink Clansmen and would have difficulty escaping.
However, narrow escapes were not that frequent. Hunters weren’t foolish enough to sacrifice their lives for nothing, so as long as they acted prudently, they would be able to steer clear of trouble. After that, it was simply a matter of luck whether they survived or not. Moreover, as Wei Jun Yang just mentioned, most of the powerful Black Ink Clansmen were busy battling Human Race Masters on the frontlines, so there weren’t many just sitting behind and guarding their territory.
The Black Ink Clan had taken over many Great Territories, but there were only so many Innate Territory Lords. This meant that they couldn’t guard every territory they had, making it possible for the Hunters to sneak in and hit Low-Rank Black Ink Nests before making their escape, never having to face any true Masters.
With fewer people, the Hunters could more easily find places to hide after they achieved their objectives, which was why the Black Ink Clan found it so hard to deal with them.
Such situations enraged the Black Ink Clan, which caused them to hate Hunters to the core.
Besieging the cultivators trapped in Acacia Territory was a good chance for them to attract many Hunters over. The Black Ink Clan was planning to use this opportunity to wipe out the hidden dangers in their territories so that they could focus more of their attention on battling the main Human force.
After listening to Wei Jun Yang’s explanation, Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter as he asked, “Senior Brother Wei, have you known this since the beginning?”
Wei Jun Yang smiled, “Junior Brother, please forgive us. This was all Senior Brother Xiang’s plan and the final test given to you by the Supreme Headquarters.”
Feeling speechless, Yang Kai asked, “What would happen if I didn’t realize all this?”
Wei Jun Yang smiled apologetically, “Senior Brother Xiang hasn’t gone far, and the news of appointing Junior Brother as Army Commander hasn’t been announced to the Army yet.”
In other words, if Yang Kai wasn’t able to see the bigger picture and accurately assess the situation, Xiang Shan might have returned to take back the Army Commander Token.
When Yang Kai heard that, he rolled his eyes, [Fortunately the news of my appointment has yet to be announced to the entire Army. Although I’m young, I would like to keep some face. These old farts simply won’t act their age!]
He didn’t bother with these things though because he understood that it was normal for these Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters to have some reservations. The Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army was an important and powerful position which could affect the direction of their future battles and the lives of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the Human Race Army, so of course they would act cautiously. Moreover, there was also no fault in the Supreme Headquarters giving out a final test.
In reality, the test was relatively simple, because anyone with half-decent intelligence could think of such things. Only a ruffian like Ou Yang Lie wouldn’t bother thinking things through like this.
Thinking so, Yang Kai snuck a glance at Ou Yang Lie, and as he had expected, the latter seemed to be lost in his thoughts, giving Yang Kai a sense of intellectual superiority.
Wei Jun Yang then turned serious, “Since Junior Brother Yang has seen through the Black Ink Clan’s intentions, it proves that we old folks have made the right choice. Still, the matter of Acacia Territory needs to be dealt with as soon as possible, so please propose a plan of action.”
Yang Kai nodded, “The other battlefields are in the midst of heavy fighting, so for now, only Profound Nether Territory can send out troops. Since the Supreme Headquarters has entrusted us with this task, we must complete it perfectly.”
This was his first mission after he was appointed the Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander, so it was of utmost importance for Yang Kai. Moreover, with a large number of Humans still trapped outside, even if Yang Kai was still all on his own, he would have tried to find a way to save them.
“Senior Brothers, do any of you have a plan in mind?” Yang Kai glanced around.
Kong Cheng De quickly said, “Since the Black Ink Clan intends to deal with the Hunters, there must be at least a few Territory Lords hiding in Acacia Territory. Although we don’t have solid intelligence from the Hunters, I suspect there to be between three and five Territory Lords lying in ambush.”
The Hunters weren’t weak, and though there weren’t any Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters among them, Seventh-Order Masters weren’t lacking.
Feudal Lords could defeat Seventh-Order Masters in greater numbers, but killing them was another matter. The Black Ink Clan’s only option was to have the Territory Lords move if they wanted this thing to be settled conclusively.
Three to five Territory Lords standing guard in Acacia Territory could be said to be an extremely secure arrangement. Of course, the number might be different, but this estimate shouldn’t be too far off.
The arrangement of Territory Lords wasn’t without consideration because the Black Ink Clan needed a lot of Territory Lords to oversee the main battlefield in order to ensure that they had maintained the upper hand when fighting against the Human Race Army.
In addition, Territory Lords who were heavily injured after battling the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters would be sent back to the No-Return Pass to sink into dormancy inside Black Ink Nests to heal more rapidly.
Therefore, although the number of Territory Lords on the whole exceeded the number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and they had the upper hand when fighting against the Human Race Army, the Human Race’s situation hadn’t worsened to the point where they didn’t stand a chance against the enemy.
Now that Yang Kai had brought back a huge amount of Yellow and Blue Crystals and given out ten Great Sun and Moon Marks, the Humans’ situation would only become better.
Fei Yong Ze spoke up, “Let’s plan for the worst. If Acacia Territory has five Territory Lords standing guard, we would have to dispatch eight Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters if we want to rescue the trapped cultivators!”
Eight Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters… That wasn’t a small number, especially when all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in Profound Nether Territory were overseeing important sections of the frontlines and couldn’t be easily transferred. However, only by dispatching eight Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could they be sure they could suppress five Innate Territory Lords. Sending eight was also a precaution against the enemy having deployed more than five Territory Lords.
Though the mission to rescue the cultivators trapped in Acacia Territory didn’t seem difficult, it wasn’t an easy mission to execute.
Moreover…
Yang Kai looked at the crowd of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters around him and noticed that they each had varying degrees of injuries. The previous battle was only about 10 days ago, so these Eighth-Order Masters hadn’t even gotten a chance to heal yet, which meant they could not exert their full strength at the moment.
The Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory didn’t fare much better, so they weren’t a pressing concern, but the Territory Lords in Acacia Territory would all be in peak condition.
Wei Jun Yang was clear about this too, so he proposed, “Perhaps we can ask the Divine Spirits for help?”
In its current condition, it would be difficult for the Profound Nether Army to carry out this rescue mission on its own; therefore, they could only ask others for help.
Hearing this though, Yang Kai shook his head, “The Divine Spirits might not be able to help us.”
Ou Yang Lie frowned, “How can you say that before trying?”
Yang Kai answered, “If the Divine Spirits could help us, Senior Brother Xiang would have told us beforehand, but since he didn’t, that could only mean that the Divine Spirits are also all battling the enemy on the various battlefields. What’s more… a few days ago, the Supreme Headquarters even dispatched the batch of Divine Spirits Tao Wu belonged to, which means that the other battlefields need extra help as well.”
If it weren’t their last resort, the Supreme Headquarters wouldn’t have sent the Divine Spirits from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Hence, even if the Profound Nether Army asked for help, the Supreme Headquarters might not be able to mobilise any manpower for them.
In contrast with the trapped cultivators in the Acacia Territory, the Great Territory Battlefields were more important at the moment. If the Supreme Headquarters had to make a choice, they would rather ensure the safety of the front lines rather than save those trapped cultivators.
“Makes sense,” Wei Jun Yang nodded.
At first, he thought it wouldn’t be much of a difficult task to save those trapped cultivators in Acacia Territory, but now that he thought more deeply about the situation, this matter was indeed a difficult task to complete.
Instantly, they were dumbfounded and didn’t know what to do!
It seemed like the Supreme Headquarters had given Profound Nether Territory a tough mission. Could this also be a test for Yang Kai after being appointed as an Army Commander?
After everyone fell silent, Yang Kai stood up and announced with a determined expression, “I’ll head over myself!”
The crowd of Eighth-Order Masters was shocked, and Fei Yong Ze was taken aback, “Junior Brother, are you really going to Acacia Territory by yourself?”
Yang Kai nodded, “We have no other options besides this.”
Profound Nether Territory couldn’t dispatch eight Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters at once, and they couldn’t ask the Divine Spirits for help, so after careful consideration, Yang Kai decided that acting alone was the best course of action.
Kong Cheng De quickly objected, “Junior Brother, you can’t. You’re now the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army, so how could you risk your safety? Moreover, what will happen to Profound Nether Territory after you leave?”
This statement just made Yang Kai burst out laughing, “Senior Brother Kong, your words are exaggerated. This Junior Brother has just been appointed to the Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander position, but before now, when have I not been roaming around the dangerous territories? Since I was able to safely cross those territories back then, why can’t I do the same now?”
No matter how dangerous Acacia Territory was, could it be any more dangerous than the No-Return Pass?
Yang Kai had safely returned from the very heart of the Black Ink Clan’s headquarters, so a trivial Acacia Territory was nothing to him.
“Moreover… Before I was appointed, Senior Brothers and Sister have kept Profound Nether Territory well organised, so there’s no way that you all won’t be able to do the same without me. The Black Ink Clan here has just suffered a heavy defeat and lost three Territory Lords, so there won’t be any huge battles in Profound Nether Territory for at least a few years.”
Without giving them a chance to talk, Yang Kai concluded, “It’s settled then. I will personally take a trip to Acacia Territory, and once I leave, I must ask Senior Brothers and Sister to guard Profound Nether Territory. This is also the first order I issue after being appointed as Army Commander.”
Since he had put it that way, what could the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters possibly say?
But after careful consideration, it did seem like Yang Kai personally moving was the best option they had.
No longer trying to stop Yang Kai, Wei Jun Yang Said, “How many troops do you intend to bring, Junior Brother?”
Yang Kai answered, “I don’t need too many. How about this… I’ll bring the original members of Dawn. That should be enough.”
When the other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters saw Yang Kai’s enthusiastic state, they felt some lamentation and shame. They were lamenting because the younger generation was growing so fast. Though Yang Kai was the only youngster with a high position now, others from his generation had begun showing their talents on the battlefield and would soon rise up.
These Juniors who had shown their brilliance on the battlefield were the future of the Human Race and were the reason the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors sacrificed themselves to pave the way forward for them.
As for why they felt ashamed, it was because these old fellows couldn’t help Yang Kai…
After calming his thoughts, Wei Jun Yang spoke, “Since you’ve made your mind up, we won’t try to dissuade you, but you must remember that you’re now an Army Commander, so if you find yourself in a dire situation… you must ensure your own safety first.”
“I understand,” Yang Kai nodded heavily.
“Junior Brother, when will you leave?”
“Immediately!”
Wei Jun Yang raised his hand and summoned his Universe Chart. Then, he moved his hands to display an image of the void, “There are three Territory Gates that lead to different Great Territories in Profound Nether Territory. Junior Brother can quietly exit through here,” While he spoke, he reached out and pointed at one of the Territory Gates.
One of the three Territory Gates was guarded by the Human Race so that they had somewhere to retreat if they lost the war. Another one had been taken over by the Black Ink Clan, while the last one was still unclaimed. However, both sides had set up camps there to prepare for any spontaneous battles.
The Territory Gate Wei Jun Yang was referring to was that third gate.
Although the Human Race couldn’t claim that Territory Gate, they could absolutely find a way to send Yang Kai and a small team through the portal. A minor battle would be enough of a distraction to slip through the Territory Gate.
However, Yang Kai instead asked, “Which Territory Gate is the nearest to Acacia Territory?”
Going through different Territory Gates meant they would have to take different routes. Sometimes, a slight difference might mean they had to cross several additional Great Territories to get to their destination.
Wei Jun Yang studied the three Territory Gates before pointing to the Territory Gate being guarded by the Black Ink Clan, “This one!” He was then slightly stunned and asked, “Junior Brother, don’t tell me you want to go through this one?”
Yang Kai replied, “There’s no time to waste, so we naturally have to take the fastest route possible.”
“Nonsense!” Fei Yong Ze reprimanded, “The Black Ink Clan Army’s main camp is there! How are you going to pass by them? If you get surrounded, you’ll die!”
Smiling, Yang Kai assured him, “That’s why I need the Profound Nether Army’s help.”
Wei Jun Yang thought about it and asked, “You want the Profound Nether Army to pressure the Black Ink Clan? Aren’t you afraid they might suddenly rise up and attack you?”
Yang Kai explained, “I just killed three Territory Lords a few days ago, so the Black Ink Clan is definitely paying more attention to me. Now that I’m overseeing Profound Nether Territory, those Territory Lords might be feeling on the edge, wondering which one of them would be next. Senior Brothers, place yourselves in the Territory Lords’ shoes, if I suddenly try to leave this Great Territory, would you give your all to stop me, or just let me pass?”
Fei Yong Ze was about to continue reprimanding Yang Kai, but hearing this question he frowned and hummed for a moment.
The other Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were looking at each other.
Eventually, Wei Jun Yang spoke up, “If Junior Brother is the only one leaving, of course, they would pick up a fight because the ability you displayed is too shocking, so the Black Ink Clan naturally wants to get rid of you. If you give them the opportunity, why wouldn’t they take it? But if you add the Profound Nether Army…”
[That is another story… Would the Black Ink Clan really make things difficult?]
Originally, the Black Ink Clan here had the upper hand and almost seized Profound Nether Territory completely, but Yang Kai appeared and foiled their plans.
The Black Ink Clan would naturally be wary of a Master like Yang Kai, who could easily kill Territory Lords like they were random chickens or dogs.
Therefore, if such a Master wanted to leave Profound Nether Territory, it would be great news for the Territory Lords, so the Black Ink Clan might really not stop him but welcome him leaving.
Such a plan might sound far-fetched, but after careful consideration, it seemed there was quite a lot of space for manoeuvring.
At that instant, Wei Jun Yang looked at Yang Kai with a complicated expression and remembered how Ou Yang Lie had joked that Yang Kai should be called Big Head Yang.
The next generation was very admirable indeed! If one only had brawn but no brains, they would be nothing more than a ruffian. However, like Yang Kai, people with brains and brawn were the bane of the Black Ink Clan.
“It’s also fine if they don’t let us pass. We can just start another battle,” Yang Kai beamed, “If they still aren’t afraid of me, I’ll just kill another three Territory Lords. There are only so many Territory Lords here, so they will have to let us pass sooner or later.”
Ou Yang Lie felt his blood boiling when he heard that, “I agree! If we really start a battle, I’ll be the vanguard!”
Wei Jun Yang glared at him before looking at Yang Kai, “Even if the Black Ink Clan are willing to let you pass, isn’t your departure the same as telling the Black Ink Clan that their biggest concern has left and that they can start another war without fear while you’re gone?”
Although the Human Race wasn’t afraid to start another battle, they had suffered a significant loss during the last one and still needed time to recuperate.
Yang Kai answered, “They won’t have the guts to do that. Since I can leave Profound Nether Territory, I can return as well. How can they rest assured that I’ve really left? If they see me leave right in front of them, they will only become even more cautious because if they start another battle, they will have to worry about me attacking them from behind!”
After a short pause, he continued, “Moreover, it doesn’t matter if another battle happens. I’ve already distributed many Small Stone Race soldiers to the others. I must say, the idea of treating the Small Stone Race as Artifacts to be refined rather than beasts to tame is quite ingenious. With their addition, the Profound Nether Army’s capabilities are much stronger than they were before.”
The Small Stone Race was a sharp tool when used to deal with the Black Ink Clan, the only problem was that they had very low sentience and were hard to control.
Many times, the Small Stone Race ran off after killing all the enemies. Those with quick reflexes could capture some of them, but those who weren’t quick enough could only watch as they ran away.
When Yang Kai first began giving out the Small Stone Race soldiers, he told others to try using Beast Taming Techniques to control them. Although the method worked, the results weren’t very good.
It wasn’t until one day when an Open Heaven Realm Master tried treating them like artifacts that a new method was discovered.
Using this method to refine Small Stone Race soldiers was far more efficient than using a Beast Taming Technique because this was far easier for most cultivators. By spreading this method, many more Small Stone Race soldiers could be better controlled to kill the enemy and then be brought back after the battle.
After all, not every cultivator knew Beast Taming Techniques, but everyone knew how to refine an artifact.
This methodology was now widespread throughout the Human Race Army. Now, all Humans would use similar techniques to control the Small Stone Race soldiers!
The Open Heaven Realm Master who discovered this method was praised and rewarded heavily by the Supreme Headquarters, which made him the envy of many.
Yang Kai currently only had a single army of Great Sun Small Stone Race and another of Great Moon Small Stone Race on hand, each with 1 million troops. All the others had been distributed to others.
The ones he kept with him were his trump card for dealing with a Royal Lord. There was only one Royal Lord left, and there was no telling when he would encounter him again, so Yang Kai wanted to keep a hidden hand just in case.
Although it hadn’t been long since their last battle, the soldiers of the Profound Nether Army now had several million Small Stone Race soldiers on hand, so the overall combat power of the Army had only increased, not decreased.
If they did start another large-scale battle, the Humans of Profound Nether Territory wouldn’t have to be wary of the Black Ink Clan.
Inside the Main Conference Hall, all the Eighth-Order Masters looked at each other and kept silent.
Yang Kai had made a clear and concise argument to persuade them, so they had nothing more to say.
Seeing that the others were silent, Yang Kai announced, “This matter is settled then. Pass down my order, the centre outpost’s frontline soldiers are to form up and advance towards the Black Ink Clan’s main camp!”
All the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters stood up and bellowed, “Yes, Sir!”
Soon, the Eighth-Order Masters dispersed and returned to the frontline Universe Fragments where Yang Kai’s orders were relayed, and all 200,000 recuperating soldiers moved out.
When news of their operation got out, a few Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters overseeing the auxiliary fronts were shocked. [Is there something going on at the frontline? Didn’t the battle there end recently?]
They went and asked around, and in the end, they were told this was an order from the newly appointed Army Commander Yang Kai.
It was only then that those Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters at the auxiliary fronts found out that the Profound Nether Army had a new Army Commander.
That was because the news of Yang Kai being appointed as Army Commander hadn’t been announced yet.
Now, this matter has caused a stir among the Army.
They said a new broom sweeps clean, and the new broom called Yang Kai was so good at cleaning that he was thinking of cleaning out the Black Ink Clan.
At that instant, some people were worried while some were excited.
The Masters from the auxiliary fronts could only cooperate with those at the frontlines, so they relayed their orders. All the auxiliary front soldiers also began preparing for battle, increasing the Army’s momentum.
Meanwhile, the Black Ink Clan were shocked.
They had lost three Territory Lords last time, and they only had a limited number of Territory Lords at the frontline, so not only was their Army’s combat power weakened, but the Territory Lords were now hiding inside their base camp.
The scene of that Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master killing three Territory Lords was still fresh in their memories, and every Territory Lord was wary of him. Therefore, they didn’t dare take any impulsive actions before they could figure out how to deal with that Eighth-Order Human.
During that last battle, the Black Ink Clan suffered significant losses, but the Humans didn’t fare much better. Everyone thought both sides would pause and rest for at least a few years, but now the Humans were making such a big move within less than half a month!
[Did the Humans get more reinforcements?]
All the Territory Lords appeared and observed the situation, but when they discovered that the Human Race Army was really preparing for war, they all felt worried.
Though they couldn’t figure out what was happening, since the Humans were gathering their troops, it was obvious that they were planning to attack.
At the same time, inside the Main Conference Hall, Yang Kai sat alone while lost in thought, feeling like he was forgetting something.
After careful thinking, he discovered that he was now an Army Commander but didn’t have an adjutant.
Before, no matter whether it was Xiang Shan or any of the other Army Commanders, they all had adjutants, which made it easier for them to relay their orders. After all, it was impossible for people in high positions to do everything themselves.
Profound Nether Army wouldn’t assign him with an adjutant as such people were usually the Army Commander’s most trusted associate.
Yang Kai didn’t have any potential candidates in mind, but he wasn’t in a hurry either. This matter would have to wait until he was back from Acacia Territory.
Hua Qing Si was a good option. While she was the Head Manager for High Haven Palace, not only had she managed High Heaven Palace well but also the Star Boundary by extension.
She was an exceptionally meticulous woman and was perfect for the role of an adjutant.
It was a pity that the Head Manager still needed to oversee High Heaven Palace and had no time to spare.
With the mass mobilisation of the Human Race Army in the Profound Nether Territory, the originally peaceful battlefield became chaotic again.
Not only were the Black Ink Clan caught off guard by this movement, but the Human soldiers were also surprised.
Both sides thought that after the previous battle, there would be a long break before the next round of fighting, but it had only been a dozen days or so, and the Humans were already planning something big.
More than 200,000 Human soldiers moved out and headed for the Black Ink Clan’s base camp.
Meanwhile, all the Humans from each auxiliary front were also deploying to put pressure on the enemy.
One day later, Warships carrying the Human Race Army formed up just 10 million kilometres from the Black Ink Clan’s main base. There was high and low drumming coming from each Warship, fueling the army’s momentum.
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
“War! War! War!”
The Human soldiers roared together, almost shaking the entire Profound Nether Territory.
Although the soldiers were surprised about this sudden mobilisation, now that they were here, they were determined to fight the Black Ink Clan to the death.
On the Black Ink Clan’s side, their Army was also standing by with the Territory Lords standing in the forefront, looking quite gloomy as they felt humiliated.
During the several dozen years of war in Profound Nether Territory, this was the first time the Humans had arrived at their doorstep…
They were usually the ones who initiated the battles, with the Humans always defending or at most, counterattacking, never venturing deep into their territory.
This was where the Black Ink Clan’s main base was located, so they couldn’t stand such provocation from the Humans. If they hadn’t been wary of the Eighth-Order Master who had suddenly appeared that day, the Territory Lords would have ordered their Army to attack already.
When had the Black Ink Clan ever been wary of Humans?
However, even the strongest Territory Lords couldn’t help but tremble when thinking about that strange Eighth-Order Human Master.
That man used less than a half cup of tea’s time to kill three Innate Territory Lords. They had never witnessed such a thing before, but what shocked the Territory Lords even more, was that this wasn’t the first time this Eighth-Order Human had killed Territory Lords like this.
According to the intelligence they received from the No-Return Pass, that Human had caused a huge commotion at the No-Return Pass. He had attacked twice and killed three Territory Lords right under the Royal Lord’s nose. Moreover, he had destroyed seven High-Rank Black Ink Nests!
Even the powerful Innate Territory Lords were like children before this Human.
When that news arrived, the Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory couldn’t believe their ears.
Killing Territory Lords and destroying High-Rank Black Ink Nests was one thing, but to be able to do so in the presence of a Royal Lord was an entirely different matter. What’s more, even the Royal Lord himself couldn’t stop that Human.
The intel they received stated that this Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could control a massive Small Stone Race Army and used it to summon an extraordinarily massive explosion of Purifying Light. When that Human charged through the No-Return Pass, he unleashed that burst of Purifying Light to engulf the Royal Lord and a dozen Territory Lords, causing the latter to all fall to the Feudal Lord Realm. Those Territory Lords were still recuperating inside High-Rank Black Ink Nests now, but it was unknown if they could ever restore their full strength again.
This Human was a terrifying opponent.
No Territory Lord would dare to make a move without first determining where this Human was.
That was why the Territory Lords didn’t dare to act rashly despite the Human Race Army pressing in and openly provoking them. They were afraid that the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master might be hiding among the soldiers, seeking a chance to sneak attack them.
There were more Territory Lords than Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but that didn’t mean the Territory Lords would just let themselves be butchered by that Human.
While the Territory Lords were searching for Yang Kai, Yang Kai had just sent out a message from inside the Main Conference Hall.
Meanwhile, among the Human Race Army was a Warship transformed from Bi Xi’s Soul Clone. Yu Ru Meng took out a communication bead, checked the message inside, and gnashed her teeth, “That smelly man is abandoning us again.”
All the Madams were shocked with Su Yan quickly asking, “Where’s he going?”
Yu Ru Meng shook her head, “I’m not sure. He only said he would be heading out and would be back soon. Also, he asked that we not worry and wait for his return!”
Although his Wives were angry about Yang Kai’s departure, they were stuck in an urgent situation where a major battle might break out at any moment; therefore, they could only force this issue from their minds and focus on the matter at hand.
Inside the Main Conference Hall, Yang Kai had finished sending his message and tried to link his mind with the Old Tree. Instantly, the Void shook and Yang Kai appeared beside the World Tree located in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary.
Looking up at the giant canopy, Yang Kai was shocked because even though it had only been a few years, there was a significant change to the Old Tree.
When he came here last, many of the World Fruits on the Old Tree were withering, but at least they were still hanging on the branches.
This time, there were far fewer World Fruits than before, and even the Old Tree looked sicklier.
Yang Kai realised that the World Fruits on the Old Tree symbolised the known Universe Worlds, and if a Universe World’s Grand Dao collapsed, it would be reflected in its World Fruit, which would decay and eventually disappear.
Over the last few years, countless Universe Worlds had their Grand Daos destroyed and World Force stolen, so the situation reflected on the Old Tree was the loss of many World Fruits.
Just as Yang Kai was looking around, one of the decayed World Fruits fell and disintegrated.
“Old Tree!” Yang Kai called out softly.
The face of the Old Tree appeared on its trunk, revealing a dark-looking face. It seemed like the Old Tree had been affected by Black Ink Strength. In a strained voice, he asked, “Is there something you need?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Old Tree, please look into Acacia Territory and see if there are any intact Universe Worlds there.”
If there were, he could rely on the World Tree’s power and simply teleport to that existing Universe World, saving him much time and effort.
Of course, seeing the current state of the World Tree, Yang Kai knew that chances were slim.
The Black Ink Clan had taken over the Acacia Territory for many years and would definitely not let off any of the Universe Worlds because, to them, they were the most delicious delicacies.
Furthermore, Yang Kai had already refined and collected every Universe World that could be saved. Nonetheless, he came here intending to just give it a try.
Unfortunately, as he had expected, the Old Tree said, “At this moment, besides the Great Territory Battlefields that are being occupied by Humans and the Great Territories behind them, there are no more living Universe Worlds in the other Great Territories.”
Since Yang Kai had expected that answer, he nodded, “I’m sorry to trouble you, Old Tree.”
Calming himself, Yang Kai linked his mind with a Universe World in Profound Nether Territory and took a step forward, immediately finding himself standing above that Universe World.
There were still a few Universe Worlds in Profound Nether Territory that had survived; however, if this was the situation in Profound Nether Territory, it meant the other Great Territories would be in the same situation. After all, there were still Humans stationed there. Therefore, the Black Ink Clan would have to defeat the Human Race Army before consuming the entire Great Territory.
Sighing, Yang Kai moved back to the Main Conference Hall where he found a distinct-looking Warship.
Dawning Light!
At this moment, a group of people standing on Dawning Light’s deck had their heads turned to face the Main Conference Hall. They were the members of Dawn Squad.
Dawn was part of the Great Evolution Army, so when it was dissolved, Dawn naturally joined the Profound Nether Army.
However, Dawn had been assigned to one of the auxiliary fronts rather than the main battlefield. Yang Kai had been so busy these days that he didn’t have time to visit his old friends.
Now, Dawn Squad came!
They had received transfer orders and came here to receive their next assignment, but their higher-ups didn’t tell them who they would be getting orders from.
While they were looking around, a figure suddenly appeared on the deck. Everyone turned to look at the figure and the few in front were overjoyed and called out, “Squad Leader!”
Yang Kai looked at them and saw Feng Ying in the lead. Then, he saw Shen Ao and Bai Yi, as well as Blood Crow and Miao Fei Ping, followed by over a dozen unfamiliar faces…
Not recognizing many of the faces here, Yang Kai fell into a slight trance.
Aboard this very Warship, he had previously fought side by side with Ning Qi Zhi, Qi Tai Chu, and many others. Later, Ren Bing Bai and Yu Zi You joined Dawn, followed by Blood Crow, Zhang Yang…
But now, many of those people were gone. Many Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters had fallen, and even more in the Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order had died.
There were only a dozen or so familiar faces among the entire Dawn Squad.
The Human Race had fought three huge wars, so even a Special Operations Squad composed of the strongest elites below the Eighth Order like Dawn had been reduced to this state. From this alone, it was easy to imagine just how heavy the Human Race’s losses had been over the past 600 or so years.
Dawn could even be considered quite lucky because it still existed, though many newcomers had replaced the old members.
Back in the day, there were four Special Operations Squads in the Great Evolution Army. Yang Kai’s Dawn Squad, Chai Fang’s Old Turtles Squad, Yao Kang Cheng’s Snow Wolves Squad, and Ma Gao’s Profound Wind Squad.
But now, only Dawn remained.
Yao Kang Cheng’s Snow Wolves Squad was wiped out by a Ninth-Order Black Ink Disciple back when the Great Evolution Army attacked the Royal City.
Ma Gao’s Profound Wind Squad was destroyed during the battle at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Chai Fang’s Old Turtle Squad was left with only a few surviving members after the battle in the Barren Territory. Their Warship was also destroyed, so they had no choice but to disband.
Yang Kai sighed. For countless years, generations of Humans fell and were replaced by the following generation. No one knew how many elites had died in this never-ending war, and though it seemed like the Human Race’s situation had only gotten worse, Yang Kai was confident that the 3,000 Worlds would rise from the ashes and would one day wipe out the Black Ink Clan!
All their efforts today were to ensure they could survive and thrive in the future!
“Senior Sister Feng,” Yang Kai nodded lightly at Feng Ying.
Feng Ying had advanced to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm before him, so according to standard procedure, she should no longer be a member of Dawn. However, Wei Jun Yang and the others still called her over, obviously intending for her to assist Yang Kai.
After all, there were many things an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could do that even an elite Squad could not.
“I heard Junior Brother has broken through to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm and came to Profound Nether Territory. I wanted to congratulate you sooner, but the Black Ink Clan on the western front have been quite active lately, so I couldn’t leave. I hope Junior Brother won’t blame me for not coming sooner.”
Yang Kai smiled, “Senior Sister is too kind.”
Then, he nodded at Shen Ao, Bai Yi, and the other familiar faces before looking at Blood Crow and frowning slightly.
It seemed like the Grand Evolution Immortal Blood Light Scripture was indeed incomparable to the Heaven Devouring Battle Law. Yang Kai hadn’t noticed this before, but now that he took a look at Blood Crow, he saw that though the latter had improved a lot, his aura was unstable, which meant that Blood Crow had faced quite a huge drawback while refining Black Ink Clansmen for his cultivation.
“Stop refining Black Ink Clansmen or you might die,” Yang Kai exhorted.
Blood Crow snorted, “You haven’t died, so how could this King die?”
While he sounded stand-offish, Blood Crow was secretly thinking to himself, [This Brat’s luck is truly astonishing. Back at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the others said he was doomed because a Royal Lord was chasing him. Just how did he escape such a strong opponent when he was only in the Seventh Order back then?]
Some 600 years had passed since then, but not only had Yang Kai returned safely, but he did so as an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
As for the Royal Lord who was hunting him back then, no one knew what happened to him.
Blood Crow silently snorted, [They say good people don’t live long, while a scourge lasts 1,000 years. Could that be the truth?]
[If that is true, I’m quite the scourge as well, so I shouldn’t die easily.]
Blood Crow thought about nonsense, while Yang Kai stopped caring about him. Cultivators had to walk their own Martial Dao, and the best Yang Kai could do was remind Blood Crow to be careful. Whether Blood Crow would take his words into account wasn’t something Yang Kai could control.
He wasn’t Blood Crow’s elder or ancestor, so he had no right to interfere.
“Xiao Cai has advanced to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm?” Yang Kai looked at a cute young woman in surprise and couldn’t help nodding, “Not bad. Not bad at all.”
During these years, numerous disciples had left the Void Dao Temple in his Small Universe. Back on the Black Ink Battlefield, several disciples broke through to the Open Heaven Realm. Then, after Yang Kai returned to Void Land, he released some 5,000 more who all broke through to the Sixth Order and Seventh Order, shocking Mo Mei and the others at the time.
Among all those disciples from the Void Dao Temple, the one Yang Kai was most familiar with was definitely Miao Fei Ping.
Miao Fei Ping was the first to ascend from the Void Dao Temple and break through to the Open Heaven Realm, making him the Eldest Senior Brother of all the cultivators from the Void Dao Temple. In fact, there was still a statue of him in the Dao Temple to motivate the younger generation.
Besides him, Yang Kai was most familiar with this young woman called Xiao Cai.
Back at Great Evolution Pass, Xiao Cai regularly visited Dawn’s stationed area and helped out; however, anyone could see that helping out was just an excuse, and her real intention was to visit Miao Fei Ping.
It seemed like there was some kind of story between Xiao Cai and Miao Fei Ping…
In terms of respect, there was only one figure in this young lady’s heart, and not even Yang Kai, the Dao Lord, could compare.
At this moment, Xiao Cai and Miao Fei Ping were standing side by side and looking at each other affectionately, indicating that they had obviously gotten together.
When they saw Yang Kai, Miao Feng Ping and Xiao Cai were also very excited. Ordinary people would find it hard to understand why the cultivators from Void Dao Temple respected Yang Kai so much, but for those who came from the Void Continent, it was different.
“Dao Lord…” Xiao Cai elegantly bowed.
Yang Kai nodded lightly. Xiao Cai’s aptitude wasn’t bad and could even be said to be extremely high. In fact, all those who could leave the Void Dao Temple and break through to the Open Heaven Realm had outstanding aptitudes. Back then, Xiao Cai was able to break through to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm directly, and now she had advanced to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm after a mere 700 years or so.
She must have encountered some kind of opportunity, or else it would be impossible for her to grow so quickly.
However, Yang Kai didn’t ask about it because the opportunities one obtained were considered private matters.
The disappointment in his heart disappeared as he thought that at least Dawn still had over a dozen surviving veteran members.
Yang Kai’s expression then became serious as he announced, “This time, you will be following me on a mission.”
Feng Ying asked, “Squad Leader, what’s our mission?”
Yang Kai replied, “We will be heading to Acacia Territory. There are a few cultivators trapped there, and our mission is to rescue them.”
Frowning, Feng Ying asked again, “There are still cultivators trapped in Acacia Territory?” She didn’t know about this because the Supreme Headquarters had only recently received the news. Though Feng Ying was also a Division Commander now, she was still new and couldn’t get her hands on such news.
Yang Kai nodded, “This mission will be quite dangerous, so if any of you don’t want to take part, I won’t force you to go. If that is your decision, you may leave now.”
Turning around and looking at everyone, Yang Kai saw that the veteran members of Dawn all looked unperturbed and didn’t show any signs of retreating; however, a newly joined Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master spoke up, “Sir, how many troops will be deployed for this mission to Acacia Territory?”
While looking at him, Yang Kai replied, “Dawn Squad plus me!”
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was dumbfounded. How could Yang Kai think to save the Humans trapped in Acacia Territory with just one Squad? Although Dawn was a Special Operations Squad with 50 members, that was still far too few people!
Since the Black Ink Clan could surround the cultivators in Acacia Territory, it meant there would be quite a lot of them, and there might also be Territory Lords guarding that place.
Looking around, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master saw Shen Ao and the others showed no signs of surprise or disapproval; instead, they all looked eager to head out.
After a short pause, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master spoke up again, “Sir, there have been rumours about you killing three Territory Lords on your own during the last battle, are they true?”
“They are!”
Despite knowing that it was unlikely that such news was fake, the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was still shocked when he heard Yang Kai personally admitting it.
When had there been an Eighth-Order Master strong enough to kill three Territory Lords in a row? The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had previously seen battles between Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and Innate Territory Lords, but the powerful Eighth-Order Masters never got the upper hand, which showed how strong Innate Territory Lords were.
Yet now, three such powerful Innate Territory Lords died in one battle, and they were all killed by the same man.
Shen Ao laughed while patting that Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s shoulder, “Old Hou, back when our Squad Leader was in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, he had teamed up with Junior Sister Bai Yi and killed a Territory Lord. Now that he’s an Eighth-Order Master, so there’s nothing unusual about him killing a few Territory Lords.”
Meanwhile, Bai Yi didn’t say anything as she silently noted, [That Territory Lord was already half-crippled, which is why Yang Kai and I were able to kill him. If it had been a Territory Lord in his prime, Yang Kai and I might not have returned alive that day.]
The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master surnamed Hou chuckled wryly as this wasn’t the first time he heard Shen Ao mention this matter. A Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master killing a Territory Lord was indeed an impressive feat, but the Territory Lords from the Black Ink Battlefield were entirely different from the Innate Territory Lords of today.
The current Innate Territory Lords possessed extremely high strength because they had sacrificed all their future potential for immediate power.
Despite there being many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Human Race Army, less than 10 of them could kill an Innate Territory Lord in a one-on-one fight.
Old Hou had previously heard a lot about Yang Kai, and after he joined Dawn, Shen Ao and the others had regaled him with many heroic stories of the past.
Those veteran Dawn members respected Yang Kai to the extreme.
Now that he also had the chance to fight alongside the original Squad Leader of Dawn, the Seventh-Order Master suddenly began looking forward to this mission.
He thus cupped his fist and quickly said, “I am willing to follow you and obey your commands, Sir.”
“We are willing to follow you and obey your commands, Sir!” The crowd vowed in unison.
Yang Kai looked around and nodded in satisfaction, “Good, let’s go!”
The crowd dispersed and took their stations. Soon, Dawning Light turned into a ray of light and shot towards the depths of the void.
At the Black Ink Clan’s base camp, large numbers of Black Ink Clan soldiers were frantically moving about, forming a line of defence. The Human Race Army suddenly moving against them had caught them off guard.
What further confused the Territory Lords though was that the Humans didn’t take advantage of this opening to start a battle and instead just stayed outside while acting like they would strike at any moment.
Such a situation, where the enemy didn’t attack or retreat, made the Territory Lords feel very uncomfortable.
If they weren’t wary of that particular Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, they wouldn’t need to suffer such humiliation.
However, that Eighth-Order Human still hadn’t shown up, and no one knew where he was. The Territory Lords were constantly sweeping the surroundings with their Divine Senses, trying to seek out his whereabouts.
While the Territory Lords were in doubt though, it seemed like someone with high authority had arrived. The Human Army separated to the left and right, and a Warship larger than an ordinary Squad-Class Warship suddenly appeared before the Territory Lords’ eyes.
That Warship was charging straight at the Black Ink Clan’s base camp without any intention of turning around or stopping. What was even more shocking to the Territory Lords was that they saw a familiar figure standing on the deck of the incoming Warship.
It was that Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, the one who killed three Territory Lords in the last battle!
They thought he had been hiding in the dark, but they never expected that he wasn’t even here in the first place. At this moment, he was standing aboard a Warship, looking down on them with insufferable arrogance!
The Territory Lords were furious as they suddenly had a feeling of being humiliated and felt vexed.
Somewhere among the huge Human fleet, atop a Warship transformed from Bi Xi’s Soul Clone, Yue He’s sharp eyes spotted something and she pointed in that direction while yelling in shock, “Madams, Young Master is over there!”
All the women aboard the ship looked over and saw the scene of Yang Kai coming over aboard Dawning Light.
Yu Ru Meng frowned, “What’s he doing?”
The two armies were in a situation where they might start a war at any moment, so how could his Warship charge straight for the Black Ink Clan’s base camp all on its own?
Thinking back to the message Yang Kai had sent her just before, Yu Ru Meng felt confused.
As Dawning Light continued forward, Yu Ru Meng and the others felt their hearts tighten.
Dawning Light had completely separated from the Human Race Army at this point and continued sailing ahead alone. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before they met the Black Ink Clan Army.
If the Black Ink Clan Army attacked them at that point, would their Husband still be alive?
“That bastard!” Yu Ru Meng was furious, [That smelly man never considers us when doing things!]
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
“War! War! War!”
The Human Race Army hadn’t stopped chanting even now, their voices shaking the surroundings. Added to the full might of the Human Race Army assembled here, the Black Ink Clan couldn’t help shivering slightly.
At that moment, if any of the Eighth-Order Masters ordered an attack, the Human Race Army would bravely charge forward.
The war was about to begin!
Dawning Light continued to move forward, confusing not only Yu Ru Meng and Yang Kai’s other Wives, but also the rest of the Humans and the Black Ink Clan.
The two clans had been battling each other for so long, but this was the first time a situation like this had appeared, so the Territory Lords also couldn’t figure out what was going on. However, they had to admit that Yang Kai’s appearance had attracted every Black Ink Clansman’s attention. The invisible pressure formed from all the gazes focused on Yang Kai was so strong that it almost warped the void.
Atop Dawning Light, one of the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters felt his legs trembling as he looked at the Sixth-Order Master beside him with a bitter expression, “Senior Brother, I’m almost at my limit.”
With so many Territory Lords releasing their invisible pressure towards them, the force wasn’t something a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like him could resist, even if it were still a large distance away.
That Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master also looked pale, but he still encouraged the Junior Brother, “Junior Brother, you have to believe in yourself. You can do it. Just hold on as long as you can. The two armies are now facing each other, so if we fall here, we will be embarrassing the entire Human Race while giving the Black Ink Clan something to laugh about.”
When the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master heard that, he instantly gritted his teeth and said, “I understand, Senior Brother. We may shed blood and die in battle, but we will never surrender!”
Following his low shout, he slowly straightened his legs, but he was still trembling while sweating profusely.
The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master noticed that and gritted his teeth as well, trying to hold on as long as he could while feeling confused. Yang Kai said they were heading to Acacia Territory to save the Humans trapped there, so why did he bring Dawn to the frontlines of an impending battle?
After moving forward for a while longer, Yang Kai suddenly raised his hand and exuded his might just as those Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could no longer resist the Territory Lords’ might.
At that instant, the terrifying pressure was like snow meeting the sun, gently melting away.
This foray to the Black Ink Clan’s base camp was not only about passing through the Black Ink Clan’s territory, but also a type of message. Therefore, Yang Kai didn’t activate the protective measures on Dawning Light, leaving it in a completely exposed state.
Seeing Yang Kai easily ward off the Territory Lords’ pressure, the Humans became even more motivated and chanted even louder.
Meanwhile, the Territory Lords all looked gloomy. [That Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master is indeed too powerful, no wonder he was able to escape from the Royal Lord’s grasp.]
Dawning Light continued to move forward and stopped just 3 million kilometres away from the Black Ink Clan Army.
To powerful Innate Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, such a distance could already be considered meeting each other face-to-face because they were within striking distance of ordinary Secret Techniques. Any sudden movement from either side could set off a great battle between the two clans.
During all of the previous clashes, there hadn’t been anyone brave enough to take such actions when both armies were facing each other because it was equivalent to courting death. If the Humans had provoked the Black Ink Clan to this extent, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t have endured it and would have simply attacked.
But now, even when Dawning Light was sitting alone right in front of the Black Ink Clan Army, the Black Ink Clan still didn’t move.
Meanwhile, all the members aboard Dawning Light were nervous and excited.
If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn’t have dared to believe that one man could deter the entire Black Ink Clan alone.
The cultivator surnamed Hou was even more shocked. He was a new member who had joined Dawn only a few decades ago and had heard many anecdotes about Yang Kai from Shen Ao. He used to think that the latter was exaggerating, but after following Yang Kai here, he discovered that all those stories were real!
Not only was the man surnamed Hou excited, but Shen Ao and the other veteran members of Dawn were also elated. Every one of them was smiling and had rosy cheeks.
During the battle at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, Yang Kai disappeared while many members of Dawn were either injured or killed. Later, Dawn almost fractured under the weight of their losses in the following wars. Although new members were joining in, it was difficult for Dawn to return to its former glory.
That was because Dawn lacked a leader.
Now, their leader had returned. This was their first mission, and the first thing Yang Kai did was lead Dawn to stand before the entire Black Ink Clan Army. Under the gazes of both clans, Shen Ao and the others didn’t feel scared but excited, feeling like they had returned to the days when they followed their Squad Leader, Yang Kai, to kill the enemy!
The chants continued to shake the void while both the Black Ink Clan and Human Race Army faced off with Dawning Light anchored between them.
This scene was meant to be written down in history books, destined to be remembered by all who witnessed it today.
Yang Kai raised his hand slightly and signalled the Humans to quiet down.
It was only then that the continuous chants finally ceased.
Then, Yang Kai strode forward on the deck and looked at the Territory Lords who were before him with a smile on his face, “Is there a Commander among you all?”
The Territory Lords either looked gloomy or ghastly pale, but none of them spoke.
While raising an eyebrow, Yang Kai asked, “What’s wrong? Every one of you is a powerful Innate Territory Lord, so you can’t be afraid of me, right? If that is true, you should just return to your Source Domain as there’s no need to embarrass yourselves here.”
The Territory Lords naturally couldn’t stand such provocative words and immediately began cursing Yang Kai from all directions.
However, Yang Kai turned a deaf ear and looked around, sneering, “I will remember all of you who cursed at me. You will be the ones I deal with first!”
Immediately, the roars of indignation and curses stopped. If another Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had made such a threat, the Territory Lords wouldn’t have taken it to heart because they weren’t wary of Eighth-Order Humans in general.
But Yang Kai’s record of killing three Territory Lords was still fresh in their minds, so they didn’t dare to ignore his threats.
The war between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan was ongoing, so if any one of those Territory Lords found themselves alone while being targeted by Yang Kai, they would almost certainly die.
It was also impossible for them to always move together; therefore, the Black Ink Clan’s already weak momentum was dampened even further with just a few words from Yang Kai.
Only then did one Territory Lord with several long arms step forward from the crowd. There was a straight-almond-shaped mark on his forehead, making him look quite strange.
He was originally unwilling to speak with Yang Kai because he knew and had experienced how cunning Humans could be. His way of thinking was simple, when dealing with Humans, it was best to just kill them!
No matter what the Humans said or did, the solution to any matter was to fight.
But if he didn’t come forward now, the situation would only worsen.
Yang Kai looked over and observed the Territory Lord, especially the almond-shaped mark on his forehead, he thought, [That mark isn’t just some kind of decoration, it carries some sort of powerful means.]
“Six Arms!” Back where the Human Race Army stood, Ou Yang Lie snorted coldly.
He had been battling the Black Ink Clan in Profound Nether Territory for a couple dozen years now, so he knew quite a lot about the Black Ink Clan’s Masters here. Though Innate Territory Lords were stronger than ordinary Territory Lords, there were still differences between them, possibly related to how much of Mo’s Source Qi they possessed.
Innate Territory Lords were spawned directly from Black Ink Nests using Mo’s Source Qi; therefore, the more Source Qi used, the stronger that Territory Lord was.
Six Arms was the strongest Territory Lord in Profound Nether Territory and had severely injured Ou Yang Lie during their last battle.
Although Ou Yang Lie kept bragging to Wei Jun Yang that he had also caused significant injuries to his opponent, the truth was that Ou Yang Lie’s wounds were much more severe because while Six Arms was only slightly injured, Ou Yang Lie almost lost half his life.
Xiang Shan had previously snuck into Profound Nether Territory and launched a sneak attack on Six Arms while the Human Race and Black Ink Clan Armies were locked in combat, but was unsuccessful.
Even Xiang Shan couldn’t deal with Six Arms with the element of surprise on his side, which showed how hard it was to deal with this fellow.
Hence, Six Arms was indeed the Territory Lord who could command the Black Ink Clan in Profound Nether Territory.
Ou Yang Lie quickly informed Yang Kai about Six Arms.
On the other hand, Yang Kai’s brow rose slightly. To be able to survive Xiang Shan’s sneak attack meant that this Territory Lord called Six Arms was indeed impressive. If Yang Kai were to compete with Six Arms in terms of pure strength, he might not come out as the winner as it hadn’t been long since Yang Kai advanced to the Eighth Order, meaning his heritage was still somewhat weak.
However, Yang Kai’s biggest advantage when killing Territory Lords now was his Soul Rending Thorns, so if it was he who made the sneak attack, he might have succeeded in killing Six Arms.
While Yang Kai was observing Six Arms, Six Arms was also observing him. Six Arms had received footage of Yang Kai’s attacks on the No-Return Pass and was sure that the Human before him was the one who caused all that chaos. Not only did this Human kill three Territory Lords, but he also destroyed seven High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
Six Arms felt his heart sink as he didn’t dare to belittle Yang Kai, eventually opening his mouth to shout, “Human, who gave you the guts to provoke us?”
Looking around, Yang Kai smiled, “This King came here with only one Warship to discuss some matters with you. Does this count as a provocation?”
Yang Kai touched his chin and nodded gently, “If you think it is, then so be it. What can all of you do about it? If you want to attack, go ahead. See if this King doesn’t beat you senseless.”
While saying that, Yang Kai had his nose pointed upwards, looking incredibly arrogant.
The Territory Lords were furious, and Six Arms also looked grim after hearing these words. During the years they had battled the Humans, they had never been in a disadvantageous position; however, they didn’t expect that the momentum they accumulated for so many years would be smashed by a single Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master aboard a lone Warship.
This Human only had one Warship with him, but the Black Ink Clan was acting like they were facing a powerful enemy. Their behaviour was indeed quite embarrassing.
Seeing the Humans’ side’s spirits rising even further, Six Arms didn’t dare to continue this topic and snorted coldly, “The Black Ink Clan has previously experienced the Human Race’s sharp tongue, so let’s get straight to the point. If you Humans want to start a war, the Black Ink Clan will gladly accompany you.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Good, let’s get straight to the point. I came here today with only the intention of discussing something with you all, not to start a fight. Your side suffered quite a huge loss after the last battle, so you should take some time to recuperate. We Humans have always been generous and would never bully the weak just because we’re strong.”
Meanwhile, Six Arms looked at Yang Kai with a blank expression, thinking that Yang Kai was talking nonsense.
[They don’t want to start a battle? The Human Race Army is already at our doorstep. How can that not be counted as wanting to start a war?]
If the Humans didn’t want to start a battle, the Human Race Army wouldn’t be standing here.
Moreover, the situation in Profound Nether Territory today was that the Humans were weaker than the Black Ink Clan; therefore, Six Arms didn’t know where this Eighth-Order Master found the courage to say that the Humans wouldn’t bully the weak.
Shameless as well as arrogant!
That was the first impression Six Arms had about Yang Kai.
“What do you want to discuss?” Six Arms asked, “If you want the Black Ink Clan to retreat, that is not up for discussion.”
Shaking his head, Yang Kai replied, “I naturally wouldn’t ask you to retreat. The Black Ink Clan in Profound Nether Territory have killed so many of my fellow comrades, so who would I seek revenge on if you guys ran away? No, no, you must stay and not leave so that someday, the Profound Nether Army can kill all of you!”
Six Arms frowned, “If you came here just to taunt us, I don’t see the need to continue this conversation.”
Yang Kai chuckled and cupped his fists, “My apologies. My murderous intent was provoked by your words and I’ve forgotten my original intentions. This King came here today to ask that you grant us easement.”
“Grant easement?” Six Arms looked confused, “What do you mean?”
[Grant what easement? Does the Black Ink Clan have an easement to grant?]
Not only was Six Arms baffled, but the Humans were also confused.
As this was a decision made after private discussion, only a few higher-ups knew the whole story while the ordinary soldiers had no information at all. Moreover, the news of Yang Kai being appointed as the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army hadn’t been released yet either.
Just as they were feeling confused, they heard Yang Kai continue, “I want to leave Profound Nether Territory… through that portal!”
While saying so, Yang Kai pointed at the Territory Gate behind the Black Ink Clan’s base camp.
Once he said that, both the Humans and Black Ink Clan were shocked and finally realised what Yang Kai was referring to when asking to be granted an easement.
They were purely asking for easement because that Territory Gate was under the Black Ink Clan’s control, so if the Black Ink Clan was reluctant to let them pass, it would be difficult for Yang Kai to get past, no matter how strong he was.
However, many were dazedly looking at Yang Kai while secretly exclaiming, [Has he gone mad? How can he discuss such a thing with the Black Ink Clan? Isn’t this the same as humiliating them? If the Black Ink Clan are determined not to yield, it would be impossible for them to agree to this.]
In fact, there were signs of a riot building among the Black Ink Clan Army already. If it hadn’t been for the Territory Lords and Feudal Lords stopping them, the Black Ink Clan soldiers would have already charged at Yang Kai to rip him apart.
The Humans were astonished while the Black Ink Clan was in an uproar. At that instant, the already tense atmosphere became even tenser.
Wei Jun Yang secretly relayed his order for the soldiers behind him to get ready for battle.
Although all the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were on board with Yang Kai’s plan and thought that it was feasible, no one could be sure it would work until it actually did.
If the Black Ink Clan were so enraged by Yang Kai’s provocation that they decided not to endure anymore, the battle today would be inevitable.
Judging by their current situation, the Human Race and Black Ink Clan would have a hard time in the battle because, as Yang Kai said, it hadn’t been long since the previous battle, and both sides still needed time to recuperate.
While the Human Race were secretly arranging their next move, the commotion on the Black Ink Clan’s side was growing louder with even the Territory Lords having gloomy expressions while yelling things like “How dare he?” and “courting death.”
[How arrogant is this Human? Not only did he come here with a single Warship, he even dares to boast so shamelessly! He clearly disdains us Territory Lords entirely!]
Though the Territory Lords admitted that this Eighth-Order Human was indeed very powerful, it didn’t mean they would accept any audacious request he made without reasonable grounds.
If they did, how could the Territory Lords continue to command the soldiers below them? What would their subordinates think of them?
The leader of the bunch, Six Arms, had a dark expression as he stared at Yang Kai while gritting his teeth, “Do you Humans like to joke about such things?”
Yang Kai remained calm, “Do I look like I’m joking?”
Six Arms frowned because he thought Yang Kai was really joking and just using this opportunity to show off his prestige and weaken the Black Ink Clan’s morale, but after careful observation, Six Arms discovered that this Human didn’t seem like he was pulling a poor prank and was sincerely asking them to grant him an easement. Enraged, Six Arms roared, “Impudence!”
Yang Kai casually retorted, “I’m only asking for an easement that wouldn’t cost the Black Ink Clan anything, why are you getting so riled up?”
Hearing that, Six Arms was even more furious. If Yang Kai only wanted easement, the Black Ink Clan naturally wouldn’t suffer any losses, but if they agreed to this request, wouldn’t that be admitting that they were afraid of the Humans? That would be a great blow to the already weak morale of the Black Ink Clan Army.
No matter what, they couldn’t agree to such an outrageous request.
In fact, if the sides were reversed, the Humans wouldn’t grant the Black Ink Clan easement either.
“What if I refuse?” Six Arms asked coldly.
Without saying anything, Yang Kai summoned the Army Commander Token. In an instant, the token glowed and illuminated the void. Then, Yang Kai used his strength to carry his voice throughout the void, “If the Black Ink Clan still won’t let us through after one incense stick’s time, the entire Profound Nether Army and Black Ink Clan will… fight to the death!”
The token floated above Dawning Light, and Yang Kai stood arrogantly on the deck while his voice, boosted by his World Force, sounded deafeningly loud.
The Human Race Army was shocked for a moment before they immediately began chanting so loudly that it felt like the entire Profound Nether Territory would shake apart.
“War! War! War!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
Once the Army Commander Token appeared, no one among the hundreds of thousands of troops in the Profound Nether Army dared to disobey.
It was only now that the Humans learned that the Profound Nether Army had a new Army Commander. Wei Jun Yang was the de-facto Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army before, and though his performance was average at best during the several decades of war, he was at least able to maintain Profound Nether Territory.
But when comparing the two, obviously this new Army Commander was bolder and more courageous.
He had just been appointed and had already made such a big move. That was something the older and more prudent Wei Jun Yang would find difficult to do.
With such an Army Commander overseeing Profound Nether Territory, the Black Ink Clan would no longer have easy days.
“Young Master is the Army Commander?”
Aboard the Bi Xi Warship, Yue He was dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Yu Ru Meng and the others were all shocked as well. Their Husband was the Army Commander? They had no idea about this and hadn’t received any news of this matter. Moreover, Yang Kai didn’t even tell them about this.
But while looking at the figure enveloped by the token’s halo, who was also the centre of everyone’s attention, all the Madams felt an inexplicable sense of pride.
That was their man!
“Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander!” When the Army Commander Token was summoned, Six Arm’s eyes immediately lit up.
The Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who had suddenly appeared in Profound Nether Territory was actually the Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander!
If Six Arms could kill this Human before the Human Race Army moved, that would be a crushing blow to the enemy’s morale.
A sudden urge began to fill his heart as his gaze turned vicious while staring at Yang Kai.
Not only Six Arms, but many other Territory Lords had similar thoughts. At that moment, several Divine Senses surged as the Territory Lords began secretly discussing their next move.
Six Arms soon suppressed such thoughts though while sending a warning to the other Territory Lords to not make any rash moves. This Human before them wasn’t easy to deal with, and if they acted on impulse, they might be the ones killed rather than their opponent, which clearly wasn’t worth it.
Since this Human had summoned the Army Commander Token before the eyes of the two armies, he might have something planned.
While suppressing the anger and ambition inside him, Six Arms said through gritted teeth, “If you Humans want to start a war, so be it…”
[Do you think the Black Ink Clan is afraid?] Since they were forced to this point, no matter how reluctant Six Arms and the other Territory Lords were, a clash between the clans was inevitable.
When Six Arms finished his words, he suddenly stopped and frowned because he could sense another Divine Sense surging inside the void.
It seemed like someone was contacting Six Arms.
Yang Kai smiled as he swept his gaze across all the Territory Lords and finally fixed his gaze on a figure that was enveloped by a dark shadow.
It was another Territory Lord, but he seemed like a shadow and was neither real nor illusory, which was quite strange.
As if sensing Yang Kai’s gaze, the pair of eyes amidst the dark shadow glanced back at him.
A short while later, Six Arms had a strange expression on his face when he raised his head to look at Yang Kai. The anger he felt had disappeared entirely, and he asked with a frown, “Are you only looking for easement?”
“What else can I ask for?” Yang Kai asked him back.
Six Arms coldly snorted and said, “Even if we offered you this easement, do you have the courage to take it?”
The Territory Gate was located behind the Black Ink Clan’s base camp, so if the Humans wanted to go through it, they would have to pass through the Black Ink Clan Army. Weren’t the Humans afraid they might walk into a death trap?
“You’ll know the answer after you accept,” Yang Kai looked at Six Arms with a slight smile.
Though Six Arms was strong, he didn’t have the sharpest mind. In contrast to him, the Territory Lord who looked like a shadow was a quick thinker.
It was the shadow Territory Lord who had contacted Six Arms just now and made him forget about his decision to fight the Humans.
Just like how Yang Kai had persuaded all the Eighth-Order Masters at the Main Conference Hall, that shadow Territory Lord might have realised that Yang Kai’s departure from Profound Nether Territory would benefit the Black Ink Clan.
[Perhaps… they might still be thinking about suddenly launching an attack after I’m halfway inside their territory.]
That was something Yang Kai had to be prepared for. Even though he was sure the Black Ink Clan would likely agree to grant an easement, he couldn’t be sure that they would be able to hold back their urge to kill him.
If that happened, there would definitely be a huge battle today!
However, it didn’t matter if things came to that because Yang Kai had considered such a scenario. He could just kill a few more Territory Lords and bring Dawn to escape any ambush set up at the Territory Gate.
He had a 2 million strong Small Stone Race Army on hand, which was his trump card to use against the last Royal Lord. Although it would be a waste to use them here against mere Territory Lords, Yang Kai wouldn’t be stingy when faced with a critical situation.
After all, Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were still nurturing the Small Stone Race in the Chaotic Dead Territory, so he could just head there and ‘borrow’ some more after a few hundred years.
Therefore, he had nothing to be afraid of!
The two pairs of eyes met each other, one looking sincere while the other seemed doubtful.
A long while later, Six Arms sneered, “Since you claim to have the guts, prove it!” While saying so, he waved his hand, “Let them through!”
Once that order was given, the Black Ink Clan Army gathered in front, separated to both sides and left a narrow path towards the Territory Gate.
The scene stunned the Human Race Army.
When Yang Kai said he wanted to pass through the Territory Gate, everyone thought he was just taking this opportunity to provoke the Black Ink Clan and suppress their momentum; after all, how could the Black Ink Clan agree to such a humiliating request?
Though puzzled, the Human Race and Black Ink Clan had a blood feud, so since both sides had gathered their troops, they would just start another battle. The stronger and the weaker side would be determined after the fighting was finished, so what was the use of such provocation?
However, who would have thought that the Black Ink Clan would agree to such an absurd request and let Yang Kai pass?
[What’s happening? Did the lead Territory Lord lose his mind? Doesn’t he know that agreeing to the request is a big blow to their army’s momentum?]
No matter what the Black Ink Clan were thinking, the Humans were elated.
The Black Ink Clan had given in!
Yang Kai alone had managed to threaten the Black Ink Clan to compromise to this extent. This was something no one had ever seen or even heard of before.
Although they didn’t attack or kill any Black Ink Clansmen today, the current situation was better than slaughtering a couple of Territory Lords!
Before Yang Kai’s arrival in Profound Nether Territory, the situation here wasn’t looking good. They were constantly at war, and the Humans were in an extremely passive situation. Moreover, they would suffer quite a significant loss after every battle.
Profound Nether Territory was almost lost during the last battle.
Now, they had such a new, powerful Army Commander who could ask for an easement from the Black Ink Clan alone and with only a single Warship. Though the Black Ink Clan had snarled viciously, they still compromised in the end.
The hundreds of thousands of Human soldiers looked at the figure above the deck of Dawning Light and couldn’t help but feel astonished. That figure… seemed so high and mighty.
Profound Nether Army had risen!
Once the excitement had died down, the Humans quickly became worried because even the dumbest among them knew that Yang Kai was about to face a life-or-death crisis.
If the Black Ink Clan suddenly decided to attack, Yang Kai and Dawning Light would be utterly surrounded.
Despite their preparations for war, no one could be sure that the Humans could save Yang Kai from the Black Ink Clan’s besiegement in time.
On top of the Bi Xi Warship, Yu Ru Meng and the others felt their hearts leap into their throats.
Their Husband was still so reckless, but they could do anything about it. They could only support their Husband, but… could they stand to watch him battle the enemy alone? Though they were women, they weren’t weaklings.
Ever since they met Yang Kai, they had mostly lived apart. Although that didn’t affect their relationship, these Wives were thoroughly fed up with waiting at home and not knowing whether their Husband would return alive.
If he was destined to die, they wanted to die with him.
Wasn’t living and dying together the best ending for Husbands and Wives?
Yu Ru Meng looked at Su Yan, who just happened to look over at her, and then looked at all the others, their eyes filled with longing.
Having lived with them for over 1,000 years, Yu Ru Meng didn’t have to speak and only had to look into their eyes to know what they were thinking.
With a smile, she called out, “Senior, please!”
Bi Xi sighed, “Can’t you show an old man some mercy…”
Yu Ru Meng smiled and assured him, “It’s just a Soul Clone. I’ll get Husband to make it up to you if you suffer any damage.”
Bi Xi bargained, “I want to cultivate in the Dragon Pool. Help me convey my request to that boy.”
He had a Dragon Clan Bloodline and it was extremely strong, so if he could cultivate inside the Dragon Pool, it would be beneficial to him. However, it was a pity that only pureblood Dragon Clan Members could enter the Dragon Pool, so despite being a veteran Divine Spirit, the Dragon Clan wouldn’t allow Bi Xi in.
More importantly, Fu Guang was still healing inside the Dragon Pool and couldn’t be disturbed.
However, if Yang Kai spoke up for him, perhaps the Dragon Clan could make an exception. Also, Yang Kai had previously saved Ji Lao San’s life, and the Dragon Clan were beings that knew how to repay favours.
“Done,” Yu Ru Meng agreed straight away.
“Sit tight,” Bi Xi reminded them, and the Warship instantly turned into a ray of light and shot forward.
Division Commander Chen, who was overseeing this section of the Army, was shocked when he noticed this, but was too late to stop them as Bi Xi’s Soul Clone had already shot away. At first, he thought it was a Squad acting rashly and was about to reprimand them, but then he saw the female figures on the Warship. He moved his lips, but didn’t stop them because he could roughly guess their thoughts.
At the same time, Yang Kai sensed something and looked behind him to see a Warship speeding over. Yu Ru Meng stood proudly on the deck of the Warship with a group of alluring women behind her.
Yang Kai couldn’t hold in his laughter and stood upright while waiting for them.
Meanwhile, Six Arms had also noticed the incoming Warship and his eyes flashed as he raised his hand to stop the Black Ink Clan from taking any action.
They weren’t sure about the situation on that other Warship, but it didn’t seem like it was looking for trouble, so Six Arms didn’t want to start a dispute over something so minor.
A short time later, Bi Xi’s Soul Clone arrived beside Dawning Light and quietly stopped.
Standing on the Warship, Yu Ru Meng raised her chin daringly at Yang Kai.
In the past, when Yang Kai was fighting all on his own, they could only hide behind him because they weren’t strong enough to help their Husband and share his burdens.
But now, they were all Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and were no longer burdens!
They didn’t want to stay behind anymore and worry every day because they were afraid they might receive bad news about their Husband. Even if they were to die, they would do so together!
“Follow close behind!” Yang Kai nodded lightly at Yu Ru Meng and the others before turning back to look at Six Arms and shouting, “Move out!”
Dawning Light moved forward with the Bi Xi Battleship closely behind. Yu Ru Meng and the others were in high spirits, while Luan Bai Feng was the only one shivering in fear.
[These women have all gone mad!] Even if they were willing to give up their lives for some smelly man, she wasn’t! She and Yang Kai had no feelings for each other, and her life was previously under Yang Kai’s control. It was only when Yang Kai decided to head to the Black Ink Battlefield and removed all names from the Loyalty List that Luan Bai Feng and Chen Tian Fei were able to get their freedom back.
Aboard the Bi Xi Battleship, Luan Bai Feng was so desperate to cry but was unable to shed any tears. If she left the Warship now, she would die, so she could only helplessly stay silent at the back while keeping her guard up.
As Dawning Light and the Bi Xi Battleship moved forward, the Black Ink Clan on both sides stared at them like a flock of hawks, numerous Divine Senses surging about as they communicated with each other.
Meanwhile, on the Human side, hundreds of thousands of Human soldiers remained ready for battle. The Warships had begun humming, prepared to charge at a moment’s notice.
In an instant, no matter whether it was the Humans or Black Ink Clan, both armies were ready for battle.
The Humans were worried that the Black Ink Clan would attack after surrounding Yang Kai and the others while the Black Ink Clan soldiers were just waiting for orders from the Territory Lords. Once the Territory Lords gave the signal, the Black Ink Clan would charge forward and tear the two Warships to pieces.
However, the Territory Lords didn’t make that call.
Under the exchange of Divine Senses, the Territory Lords found it difficult to come to a unanimous decision.
On the one hand, they thought this was a hard opportunity to come by. This might be their best chance to kill this Eighth-Order Human scourge.
Though the other faction didn’t deny this, they were worried about things on a deeper level.
The Humans weren’t idiots. After so many years of battling them, the Black Ink Clan had deeply experienced how deceitful and cunning Humans could be.
Since that Human wanted to pass through the Black Ink Clan Army so recklessly, how could he not have come prepared? Without mentioning the battle that would break out once the Black Ink Clan initiated an attack, would they really be able to kill that Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master if they attacked?
How could this Human have acted so boldly if he wasn’t confident about this matter? Or perhaps… this was what the Humans had planned.
At that moment, the Territory Lords were still arguing in secret. In the end, all the pressure rested on Six Arms’s shoulders because he was their leader in Profound Nether Territory. The other Territory Lords dared not to act rashly without his orders.
On the other hand, Six Arms was sweating profusely.
Several Territory Lords supported the idea of attacking and killing that Eighth-Order Master, so how could he not want to do the same? He had already secretly devised a plan earlier and was just waiting for that Human to head deeper into their ranks before making a move.
No matter what scheme the Humans had, that Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was the key, so the Black Ink Clan would have won half the battle if they had managed to kill him! Even if it meant they would have to suffer huge consequences, it would be worth it.
Such a strong Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was someone all Territory Lords were wary of.
However, just when Six Arms was about to give the order, he suddenly felt a huge sense of crisis wash over him, as if he would immediately die if he made a move!
The sense of danger made him break out in a cold sweat, and he hesitated to decide.
He had never felt time pass so slowly before.
It was as if each breath was a million years long.
Suddenly, the sense of crisis disappeared entirely. Six Arms raised his head in shock and saw that Yang Kai was almost at the end of the Black Ink Clan Army’s formation and was moving straight towards the Territory Gate.
Six Arms felt dismayed, as if he had lost all strength in his body, but he also felt frustrated and relieved at the same time.
It wouldn’t be suitable for them to attack now because they had lost their best opportunity.
At the same time, Wei Jun Yang, Ou Yang Lie, and the others also felt relieved.
Yang Kai and the others had passed the most dangerous area. Since the Black Ink Clan didn’t attack, there was a high possibility that they wouldn’t try anything now; however, they still couldn’t let their guard down because anything could happen before Yang Kai entered the Territory Gate.
Sometime later, Yang Kai had already arrived above the Black Ink Clan’s base camp. He looked down and saw numerous densely packed Low-Rank Black Ink Nests and more than a dozen Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests here. Also, he could make out large numbers of Black Ink Clansmen moving in and out of these nests.
If he made a move now, he could destroy a few Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests, but he didn’t want to cause any chaos because the main purpose of this trip was to pass through this region.
Instead of trying to destroy the Black Ink Nests here, it was better for him to think up a way to wipe out the High-Rank Nests at the No-Return Pass. As long as the High-Rank Black Ink Nests remained, there was no meaning in destroying the Black Ink Nests here and now as all that would do is set off another battle.
Without slowing down, the two Warships sped past the Black Ink Clan’s base camp and soon arrived at the Territory Gate.
There was a Territory Lord and a Black Ink Clan Army standing guard here!
Noticing Yang Kai’s arrival, the Territory Lord took a good look before waving his hand. Only then did the Black Ink Clan Army split apart. Though they were reluctant to accept what was happening, Six Arms and the others had compromised, so he didn’t want to cause any trouble either.
“Human, what is your name?”
Six Arms’ shout came from behind.
Even now, they didn’t even know what Yang Kai’s name was.
Dawning Light had already entered the Territory Gate, so Yang Kai didn’t turn around; however, his voice came from afar, “Profound Nether Army’s Yang Kai!”
“Yang Kai…” Six Arms muttered the name while engraving it in his heart.
Today’s events were a humiliation for the Black Ink Clan, and they had the right to know the name of the one responsible for their embarrassment.
From today onwards, they would spread that Human’s image and name to all the battlefields and remind the Black Ink Clansmen there to be wary of him!
This was how such an enemy Master should be treated!
A moment later, they were gone!
Under the Human Race Army’s watch, Yang Kai led two Warships through the Territory Gate and entered the neighbouring Great Territory.
Meanwhile, the Black Ink Clan didn’t move and just let them leave.
For a while, many were confused because this disastrous world indeed followed the principle of respecting the strong.
The Black Ink Clan had always been overbearing and unruly, but when facing an Army Commander who could kill three Territory Lords all on his own, they didn’t even dare to make a sound. Not only did they agree to such an absurd request, but they also made way and watched them leave without the slightest hindrance.
“The younger generation is indeed more daring!” Wei Jun Yang couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.
Back when they were at the Main Conference Hall, though Yang Kai had successfully persuaded him, he still knew that there was a huge risk to this plan. Any slight problem would have led to a war breaking out between the two sides, putting Yang Kai and those with him in a precarious position.
He wasn’t a fan of such risky moves.
However, this was Yang Kai’s first order after being appointed as the Army Commander, so he couldn’t undermine his authority by disagreeing. This was also why although he agreed to the plan, he also made preparations to save Yang Kai if anything happened.
As it turned out, his worries were all for nothing.
Yang Kai did manage to deter the Black Ink Clan and made them grant him an easement.
The moment Yang Kai led the two Warships through the Territory Gate, Wei Jun Yang had a feeling that he had passed his prime and failed to stifle his laughter.
He was old!
And he couldn’t deny it even if he didn’t want to.
He withdrew his thoughts and looked at the Black Ink Clan before announcing, “Six Arms, the Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander has left. If the Black Ink Clan wishes to start a battle, we Humans are willing to accept the challenge.”
Six Arms looked at Wei Jun Yang before coldly snorting.
[He left? Who knows if he’s really gone? Maybe he’s hiding just beyond the Territory Gate, waiting for us to start a battle so he can sneak up on us from behind.]
Moreover, Six Arms recalled that when Yang Kai appeared that day, he brought along a massive army of Small Stone Race soldiers that helped the Human Race Army attack the Black Ink Clan Army from both sides, causing them to suffer a huge loss.
He couldn’t see any signs of that Small Stone Race Army, so there was no telling where they might be hiding.
Humans were indeed treacherous and filled with ill intentions!
Yang Kai’s figure disappeared, but the Black Ink Clan didn’t show any signs of attacking. Whether they were wary or powerless, such a situation was what the Humans wished for; after all, it wouldn’t do them any good to start a war now either.
Wei Jun Yang and the others soon gave the order, and the Human Race Army that was pressing in at the border slowly retreated in an orderly manner.
A while later, the noisy Profound Nether Territory became peaceful again, and the situation was back to when both armies were separated, each resting, recuperating, and preparing for the next battle.
In the Great Territory beside Profound Nether Territory, Yang Kai turned around and stared at the huge Territory Gate. The Black Ink Clan didn’t set up any defences on this side, so Dawning Light and the Bi Xi Battleship had made it through without any hindrance.
Meanwhile, the others were also looking at the Territory Gate, still unable to believe what had happened.
Their request for easement had gone smoothly!
When Yang Kai was standing before the Black Ink Clan Army’s formation on the lone Warship, they had already prepared themselves to fight to the death.
They all thought that the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t agree to Yang Kai’s request.
In the end, the result was surprising.
It was obvious that the Human Race Army pressuring the Black Ink Clan was only a part of the reason they granted passage while the main reason was the intimidation Yang Kai represented with his powerful abilities.
To the Black Ink Clan, a strong Master like Yang Kai leaving Profound Nether Territory was something they hoped for because, at the very least, they wouldn’t have to worry about him ambushing them for now.
“Squad Leader, why don’t you seal up the Territory Gate?” Feng Ying suddenly asked.
If they sealed up the Territory Gate to Profound Nether Territory, the Black Ink Clan would have no way of contacting the outside world and would also die while being trapped. Then, the Humans only needed to weaken the Black Ink Clan’s forces slowly and could one day wipe them out.
However, Yang Kai chuckled when he heard this suggestion and slowly shook his head, “No. If we did do such a thing, it would only force the Black Ink Clan to immediately start an all-out war. The Profound Nether Army… isn’t ready for such a battle.”
After listening to his reasoning, Feng Ying understood that she was being hasty.
What Yang Kai said was true. The Black Ink Clan had suffered a huge humiliation by granting them an easement, but since Yang Kai had already left, they couldn’t do anything about it. However, if they took the opportunity to seal this Territory Gate, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t just endure anymore. By then, no matter how wary they were, they would still insist on fighting it out with the Humans.
Yang Kai had left large amounts of Small Stone Race soldiers behind, and the Humans might not lose such a battle, but the best outcome would be both sides suffering crippling losses.
The Black Ink Clan could afford such heavy casualties, but the Humans couldn’t.
Yang Kai had thought about sealing the Territory Gate too, but that idea only lingered in his mind for a moment before he gave up on the idea.
At that moment, he suddenly understood something and said, “This is not any one person’s war, it is the entire Human Race’s war!”
One powerful Master could not change the Humans’ current situation alone, not even a group of powerful Masters could do that, only when the Human Race could continuously produce more Masters would they be able to truly defeat the Black Ink Clan.
It was at that moment that Yang Kai understood the intentions of the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors.
The Old Ancestors were already extremely strong, but they still chose to sacrifice themselves on the Barren Territory battlefield to clear a path forward for the younger generation, opening up space for them to grow and mature.
It seemed like the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors had already foreseen everything back then.
The Black Ink Clan had invaded the 3,000 Worlds. Without the Black Ink Clan’s invasion, the 3,000 Worlds would still be flourishing, and many living beings in the numerous Universe Worlds wouldn’t have died.
However, the situation was what it was, and now, the Humans needed to find a way to fight back.
Numerous thoughts surged inside Yang Kai’s head, and he suddenly realised many things that he had never thought about before. That was because he used to be a lone soldier, and though he had great strength, he didn’t need to manage anything and could do whatever he wanted as there would be others to worry about the bigger picture whenever problems arose.
Now that he was the Profound Nether Army’s Army Commander and in charge of the war for an entire Great Territory, he had to think about things from a much broader perspective, allowing him to see things he had never realised before.
He originally thought that after this mission, he would have to find time to seal up a large number of Territory Gates and cut off the Black Ink Clan’s supply lines and communication channels. But now that he thought more deeply about it, that seemed like the worst possible plan.
If he went with this idea, though the Humans would have a chance to wipe out the Black Ink Clan on the dozen or so current battlefields, it wouldn’t bring them any closer to solving the root of the problem. In the end, there would still be an endless number of Black Ink Clansmen that needed to be killed.
To the Humans, the wars in the dozen or so battlefields were a constant source of danger, but also an essential training ground. Life-or-death situations were not only crises, but also opportunities. Flowers grown in a greenhouse would never be as strong as the wild grass that had gone through rain and storms.
For now, the Human Race needed the Black Ink Clan to be their life-or-death enemy. Yang Kai himself got to where he was by going through continuous life-or-death battles with the Black Ink Clan, so he knew how these experiences could help one grow.
There was a vague idea forming in his mind, and perhaps after this mission, he could head to the Supreme Headquarters and discuss it further with Xiang Shan and the others.
For now though, the two Warships continued moving at full speed through the void. Dawning Light was a superior Warship. Back then, it had cost Yang Kai and Dawn an enormous amount of Military Merits to customize this Warship into one with outstanding offensive and defensive capabilities far beyond that of an ordinary Warship, but the Bi Xi Battleship was even better. Although it was just a Soul Clone, Bi Xi was a powerful Mature Divine Spirit, so in terms of speed, the Bi Xi Battleship was even faster than Dawning Light.
Moreover, the Bi Xi Battleship had an extremely strong defensive ability, which was why Yu Ru Meng and the others did not need to worry about protecting themselves. If it hadn’t been for the Bi Xi Battleships’ sturdy defences, Yu Ru Meng and the others might have been injured or even killed during all those large-scale battles despite being Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Since they had the Bi Xi Battleship protecting them, their Squad of women was still fully intact.
Their journey to Acacia Territory would take them through six Great Territories. That was already the fastest route, but even with the speed of their Warships, it would take at least two months to arrive.
This was the route they needed to take even when exiting through the Territory Gate that the Black Ink Clan controlled in Profound Nether Territory. Their journey would be significantly longer if they chose to go through another Territory Gate.
As there were cultivators trapped in Acacia Territory in a critical situation, Yang Kai didn’t want to waste any time, which was why he decided to ask for an easement from the Black Ink Clan. After all, what would the point of arriving late be?
When the Black Ink Clan invaded the 3,000 Worlds, almost every living being in the various Universe Worlds died or was enslaved. Everywhere the Black Ink Clan went, they would destroy Universe Worlds, leaving these previously flourishing places in dead silence.
On the contrary, the Black Ink Clan left all the Universe Temples intact!
The Black Ink Clan could use the Universe Temples to save them a lot of time moving about; therefore, they intentionally left them standing and even posted guards to protect them.
When Yang Kai returned from the No-Return Pass, he used many of the Universe Temples as transit points and also killed every Black Ink Clansman who was guarding them.
Those Black Ink Clansmen left to guard the Universe Temples weren’t very strong, and since the Black Ink Clan didn’t have so many Territory Lords, most of the defences were led by Feudal Lords.
Yang Kai had killed more Feudal Lords than he could count by now.
On this journey to Acacia Territory, Yang Kai didn’t have to make a move to deal with the Black Ink Clansmen guarding those Universe Temples because they were easily dealt with by Dawn and the all-female Squad.
Later, they encountered a few Black Ink Clan teams sending resources to each of the frontlines. Those Black Ink Clansmen naturally wouldn’t have a good end, and the resources they carried were pocketed by the two groups.
This was also something the Hunters enjoyed doing.
Currently, in the entire 3,000 Worlds, besides the 20 or so Great Territories that weren’t fully taken over by the Black Ink Clan, the rest counted as the Black Ink Clan’s territory.
The Black Ink Clan were now mining resources they found in all those Great Territories and sending them to the frontlines. The battle between the Humans and the Black Ink Clan was never-ending, so the demand for resources was enormous.
As such, the Hunters would have many opportunities to snatch these resources.
Although the Hunters could gain Military Merits from killing the enemy and use them to exchange for resources, that couldn’t compare to what they obtained by looting the Black Ink Clan.
Every Black Ink Clan supply team carried an enormous amount of resources on them; therefore, killing them and looting them was far more profitable than simply earning Military Merits on the battlefield.
For the past couple dozen years, the Hunters and Black Ink Clan teams that were tasked with delivering resources had been constantly waging a battle of wits against each other.
This resulted in the Black Ink Clan sending out more powerful troops when transporting resources because they didn’t want the Hunters to snatch away the goods.
There were even some Territory Lords patrolling around the various Great Territories, trying to find any traces of Hunters.
In this way, although Hunters weren’t fighting alongside the Army, they did manage to lessen the burden of the frontline soldiers because they occupied quite a number of Territory Lords.
A part of the dozen or so Territory Lords that suddenly appeared in Profound Nether Territory were dispatched from these patrols.
It was said that back in the day, many Hunters travelled alone and would only have two to three good friends accompanying them. But as the Black Ink Clan began sending larger escorts for the supply teams, the Hunters gradually formed groups similar to Army Squads to respond.
The Black Ink Clan hated Hunters more than any other Humans and wished to slaughter these vultures clean. It was unfortunate for them that the Hunters were all bold yet cautious, and since they were quite strong, the Black Ink Clan couldn’t kill them all off.
The trapped cultivators in Acacia Territory were a great opportunity, so the Black Ink Clan didn’t kill them immediately and instead released news of this matter, trying to lure a large number of Hunters over to wipe them out.
The Black Ink Clan weren’t afraid of the Hunters finding out their intentions because there were always some who didn’t know the immensity of Heaven and Earth and acted recklessly because they believed themselves strong enough to do so.
Moreover, even if the Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory didn’t initially understand why Yang Kai had left, they would soon understand he was moving to save the Humans trapped in Acacia Territory. Otherwise, why would the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army leave instead of overseeing Profound Nether Territory?
As such, Acacia Territory would only become more dangerous and a large number of Territory Lords would surely be lying in wait.
Two months later, Dawning Light and the Bi Xi Battleship finally arrived at Acacia Territory. When the two Warships passed through the Territory Gate, everyone on board, from the members of Dawn to Yu Ru Meng and the others, silently circulated their World Force in preparation for a large battle. However, there were actually no Black Ink Clansmen defending the Territory Gate.
Yang Kai stood on the deck of Dawning Light, his gaze flashing slightly as he observed his surroundings. Thanks to his Demon Eye of Annihilation, he could vaguely detect traces of Black Ink Strength surging on a Universe Fragment in the distance. The Black Ink Clan scouts were most likely monitoring them from afar.
The situation was not too bad. Seeing as the Territory Gate was only being monitored and not defended, it would seem that the Black Ink Clan was not ready to spring their trap yet.
If the Black Ink Clan had deployed a large Army to garrison the Territory Gate, it would be an indication that they were prepared to annihilate the Humans in Acacia Territory once and for all. If that were the case, Yang Kai and the others would already be too late. Therefore, the current situation was undoubtedly what Yang Kai had hoped for.
Yang Kai ignored the Black Ink Clansmen monitoring them, not wanting to startle the enemy. Taking out his Universe Chart, he checked his direction and then guided the two Warships into the depths of the void.
On the distant Universe Fragment, a team of Black Ink Clansmen quietly lay in ambush. The leading Black Ink Clan Feudal Lord was carefully observing the situation at the Territory Gate as it was just as Yang Kai had guessed. These Black Ink Clansmen were only monitoring the movements here while calculating the number of Hunters that entered Acacia Territory.
The sudden appearance of Dawning Light and the Bi Xi Battleship startled the Feudal Lord slightly and he quickly took out a jade slip and poured his Divine Sense into it to check its contents. A short while later, his eyes flashed and he shouted, “Send a message to Sir Mo Na Ye and inform him that those two Warships have appeared!”
Mo Na Ye was one of the Innate Territory Lords overseeing Acacia Territory. Furthermore, he could be regarded as the Commander of this area. His strength was powerful enough that he was not inferior to the Territory Lord Commanders on the primary battlefields.
The Feudal Lord had previously received an order from above to pay close attention to the whereabouts of these two Warships. Although he did not know the reason these two Warships were receiving so much attention, he could only obey the orders he was given. The jade slip he took out earlier contained a detailed description of the two Warships, but he never imagined that these two Warships would actually enter Acacia Territory, just as the higher-ups had predicted.
Located on the Universe Fragment was a Low-Rank Black Ink Nest that had not hatched completely. The Black Ink Nest was only several metres tall and could not produce more Black Ink Clansmen. However, it was not only convenient to carry around but also provided them with a means of long-distance communication.
As soon as the words left the Feudal Lord’s mouth, a High-Rank Black Ink Clansman immediately plunged into the Black Ink Nest to report their discovery to their superiors.
Elsewhere, five figures of different shapes and sizes lay dormant at an extremely hidden and secluded spot. These five figures had concealed their aura to the point where they almost seemed dead. If one was not powerful enough, they might not discover their presence even if they passed by them.
There was no saying how long these five figures had been lying in ambush here, but they didn’t even move a muscle. Judging by their posture, they seemed prepared to lay dormant forever.
At this moment, a large figure in the middle abruptly opened his eyes. He took out a communication bead and immersed his mind into it before checking the contents. His eyes flashed a moment later, and he muttered, “Everyone, Yang Kai… has arrived!”
The remaining four figures opened their eyes at the same time, and their dormant auras quickly began to recover. Although they did not reveal their full strength, their auras clearly indicated that they were Territory Lords.
One of the Territory Lords flicked his forked tongue, hissing softly like a snake as he chuckled, “Did he really come?”
These five Territory Lords were originally tasked with wiping out the Human Hunters that were lured over by the imprisoned cultivators in Acacia Territory. Otherwise, five Black Ink Clan Territory Lords couldn’t remain in Acacia Territory when the battle on the front lines was raging so intensely.
Unfortunately for the Black Ink Clan, the Hunters were simply too troublesome to ignore. Over the years, at least 30% of the resources that the Black Ink Clan transported to the front lines had been intercepted by these Hunters and countless Black Ink Clansmen had fallen at their hands.
The actions of the Hunters enraged the Territory Lords and in retaliation, they began to patrol the various Great Territories in search of the whereabouts of these Hunters. Although their efforts were somewhat successful, the effects were minimal.
The Hunters were extremely cunning and shrewd. If there was the slightest hint of danger, they would not show themselves. On the contrary, they would strike like a thunderbolt and flee at the speed of lightning if their victory was certain.
A large number of Human cultivators had recently been discovered in Acacia Territory. It was a splendid opportunity for the Black Ink Clan; hence, they deliberately spread the news far and wide in hopes of luring many Hunters into rescuing these Human cultivators.
With five Territory Lords and a vast army hidden around Acacia Territory, the Black Ink Clan certainly regarded the Hunters very highly.
According to their original plan, once enough Hunters had entered Acacia Territory, the hidden Black Ink Clan Army would move to secure the various Territory Gates. Then, the Territory Lords would emerge to attack. That was their strategy to block off the enemy’s retreat and wipe them out.
However, they received a critical piece of news from Profound Nether Territory a month ago stating that the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army, Yang Kai, had personally led two Warships out of Profound Nether Territory. His destination was unknown, but there was a high possibility that he was heading to Acacia Territory to rescue the trapped Humans.
They had never heard of Yang Kai’s name before, but his status as the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army was enough to garner the attention of the Black Ink Clan Territory Lords. The Army Commanders of the Human Race were among the strongest Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Fighting any of the Army Commanders was extremely difficult, so if the Territory Lords could kill such a Master, then the morale of the Human Race Army would suffer a heavy blow.
That in itself was enough to be tempting, but Yang Kai’s identity as the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army was not worrying enough to make special plans. It was his other identity that left the Territory Lords unable to remain calm. He was the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who previously caused a huge commotion at the No-Return Pass, destroyed seven High-Rank Black Ink Nests, and escaped alive from the pursuit of the Royal Lord!
It was said that not only were seven High-Rank Black Ink Nests destroyed at the No-Return Pass, but three Territory Lords had also been killed. In addition, the cultivation of more than a dozen Black Ink Clan Territory Lords had regressed to that of Feudal Lords as a result of that battle. They were currently recuperating inside the Black Ink Nests, but it was unknown how long it would take, or even if they could fully recover.
After that incident, the Royal Lord had flown into a rage and issued a command for all the Territory Lords to search for the whereabouts of this Human and kill him no matter the price they had to pay!
Nobody could have expected that Human to appear in Profound Nether Territory, much less become the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army. Furthermore, he was now taking another huge risk by leading just two Warships to Acacia Territory. Not only was this an opportunity for the Black Ink Clan, it was a rare and precious opportunity!
The snake-tongued Territory Lord asked rather excitedly, “Are you certain it’s Yang Kai?”
Mo Na Ye nodded, “It’s almost certain. Although Yang Kai himself was not observed on the Warships, the appearance of those two Warships matches the information from Profound Nether Territory.”
Be it Dawning Light or the Bi Xi Battleship, both were different from ordinary Squad-Class Warships. Their special characteristics were extremely distinguishable. These were the two Warships that Yang Kai had led out of Profound Nether Territory. Since they were currently in Acacia Territory, it was only natural that Yang Kai was too.
“Not bad, not bad. I can’t believe we managed to catch a big one!” The snake-tongued Black Ink Clan Territory Lord looked eager for blood.
Originally, the Black Ink Clan only planned to target the Hunters; however, if they could eliminate Yang Kai along with their original targets, then they would have contributed greatly to the war.
It wasn’t just the snake-tongued Territory Lord who looked excited, the other Territory Lords also had the same reaction.
Yang Kai’s name was well-known throughout the Black Ink Clan. The lower-ranked Clansmen might not know of him, but almost all the Feudal Lords and above had heard his name before. This person was the Black Ink Clan’s greatest enemy!
“We must not act carelessly. Yang Kai attacked the No-Return Pass twice and killed three Territory Lords. In Profound Nether Territory, he only attacked once but killed another three Territory Lords. Although we are Innate Territory Lords, even we would not get away lightly if we encountered him alone.”
Mo Na Ye’s words made the Territory Lords’ expressions sombre. An Innate Territory Lord was very difficult to kill, but be that as it may, the information they received indicated that as many as six Innate Territory Lords had died at Yang Kai’s hands alone.
One of the Territory Lords with fleshy wings on his back quickly said, “It’s not like we’ve never fought Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters before. Even the strongest Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters are nothing special. This Yang Kai is also just an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. It does not make sense for him to be so powerful.”
That was one of the questions that had been puzzling the Black Ink Clan for a long time. It would take more than an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master to kill a Territory Lord so easily. Such a feat was only possible for a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
Mo Na Ye spoke in a solemn voice, “The Human Race has many unpredictable means in their arsenal. In a life-or-death battle, one’s strength cannot be determined through generalised standards. Judging from the information we have on Yang Kai, his true strength might not be as great as shown so far, so he must have used some strange method to kill those Territory Lords in one blow. At the No-Return Pass, the Royal Lord speculated that Yang Kai’s Secret Technique might have something to do with his Divine Sense. That speculation has been confirmed by Profound Nether Territory. It seems that there is a flash of Spiritual Energy every time Yang Kai makes a killing move.” Turning to look around him, he continued, “Everyone, just imagine this scene. What would happen if your Soul was struck by an unexpected and heavy blow and you were then immediately attacked by a Master of equal strength?
The snake-tongued Territory Lord hissed, “We’ll be gravely injured even if we survive the attack!”
Mo Na Ye nodded, “It only takes a moment for Yang Kai to kill, so I believe his method is highly related to this unique Secret Technique of his. Therefore, the most important factor when dealing with him is to protect your Soul and prevent him from finding an opportunity to ambush you.”
The Black Ink Clan was not stupid, so how could they not have learned anything after suffering such heavy losses? Not to mention, Yang Kai had activated the Soul Rendering Thorn in front of the Royal Lord at the No-Return Pass, so there were bound to be traces of his attack that could be noticed.
“In addition, the Royal Lord has observed that Yang Kai also suffered some kind of backlash to his Soul after activating his Secret Technique. He is probably using some kind of sacrificial technique that harms both his enemy and himself. In other words, he can only wield this Secret Technique a limited number of times!”
The eyes of the fleshy-winged Territory Lord gleamed, “Are you certain?”
Mo Na Ye nodded again, “Profound Nether Territory has confirmed this fact. After Yang Kai attacked and consecutively killed three Territory Lords, he did not target the Territory Lords. In other words, using that Secret Technique thrice is his limit. The burden is too great on his Soul for him to unleash it a fourth time.”
One of the Territory Lords with a humanoid appearance, who had remained silent all this time, joined the conversation, “In that case, we will be able to restrain him if four of us act together!”
There were five Territory Lords here, so if four of them were to work together, then one of them would be free to move about. However, if all five of them were to act together, it would be equivalent to being completely restrained by Yang Kai instead.
Mo Na Ye slowly shook his head, “There’s no need to be so cautious. A team of two should be more than enough. Even if Yang Kai were to attack, he could only deal with one enemy at a time. The other one should be fully capable of restraining him. As long as he is restrained, it will be easy for us to take him down together.”
The other Territory Lords nodded in agreement.
Four Territory Lords acting together was certainly making a mountain out of a molehill. It was more than enough for two Territory Lords to cooperate to pin Yang Kai down.
Besides, they could not make a foolproof plan if they wanted to take down somebody like Yang Kai. On the contrary, they had to allow him to exploit so that he would take the risk of attack. If four Territory Lords were to openly work together, he would probably end up hiding without showing himself, which would only make things more difficult for the Black Ink Clan.
“What’s more,” Mo Na Ye continued, “The message from the Royal Lord indicates that Yang Kai is extremely proficient in escaping. His movements are elusive and unpredictable. Yang Kai managed to escape even though the Royal Lord himself gave pursuit. If you encounter him by accident, you must make sure to keep him pinned down at all costs. He must not be allowed to escape!”
The other four Territory Lords nodded, “Understood.”
The snake-tongued Territory Lord eagerly asked, “Mo Na Ye, are we going to tighten the noose now? The big fish has already taken the bait. There’s no need to wait any longer.”
Mo Na Ye was silent for a moment before he nodded, “We can seal off the Territory Gates now, but we should not rush to make a move. There are five other Territory Lords on the way right now and they should be arriving soon.”
The other four Territory Lords were stunned, with the winged Territory Lord asking, “Did you call for more reinforcements?”
There were five other Territory Lords on the way. Combined with the five Territory Lords that were already here, there would be 10 Territory Lords gathered in Acacia Territory alone! 10 Territory Lords against a single Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master… That was certainly a high valuation of their enemy.
“There’s nothing wrong with being cautious!” Mo Na Ye quickly said, “If we can get rid of Yang Kai once and for all, then the Royal Lord will definitely be pleased with our efforts. If a little extra help can accomplish that, why hesitate?”
Seeing as Mo Na Ye had brought up the Royal Lord as his reason, the other Territory Lords could not say anything to refute him.
A short while later, Mo Na Ye issued an order. The Black Ink Clan Armies that had been hiding around the five Territory Gates in Acacia Territory emerged and formed a blockade. There were now a million troops at each Territory Gate, and although no Territory Lords were overseeing them, such Armies were simply insurmountable. Even if an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master tried to break through their defences, the Black Ink Clan would be able to stop them if they disregarded the losses that they would sustain.
Just as Mo Na Ye and others were having their discussion, Bi Xi’s Soul Clone suddenly seemed to notice something and turned to look in a certain direction. There seemed to be an aura that was extremely similar to his coming from that direction. Although they were separated by hundreds of millions of kilometres, the aura from the same Source could not be blocked by such a trivial distance.
He immediately became confused. [Why is he here? If that guy is here, then wouldn’t the little ones also be here? Why aren’t they cultivating in the Star Boundary? Why did they appear in Acacia Territory? They truly do not fear the Heavens! What if something happens to them? How am I supposed to explain it to Yang Kai?]
He quickly calmed himself and sent out a message to the other side, “Why did you bring the little ones here?”
The other side answered quickly, “Why are you here?”
He replied, “It’s a long story. Yang Boy wanted to come to Acacia Territory. Yu Ru Meng and the others insisted on following him, so I had no other choice.”
The other side fell silent for a moment. When he spoke again, he seemed slightly guilty, “Has Yang Boy returned? Ahem… Did he return to the Star Boundary?”
“Probably not,” he responded angrily, “You are too bold! How could you bring them here?”
The other side said, “I had no choice. These little ones had some success in their cultivation; moreover, they are young and ambitious. How could they bear just hiding away in the Star Boundary without doing anything? They’ve been complaining incessantly. As you know, I’ve gotten old. I can’t stand the endless begging and coaxing of the little ones. In a moment of weakness, I…”
“You’re such a useless fool!” Bi Xi’s Soul Clone spat in disdain.
The other side was silent for a moment, “You are me, and I am you. If you scold me, then you are scolding yourself too.”
Bi Xi’s Soul Clone was at a loss for words for a moment. Thankfully, he did not forget the main issue at hand and quickly said, “There’s something wrong with the situation in Acacia Territory. The Black Ink Clan is probably trying to lure us all into a trap. You should take them away before the situation becomes chaotic. You don’t have much time, so move quickly!”
“Good!” The other side responded just as rapidly. It was obvious that he had also realised something was wrong in Acacia Territory.
After their simple exchange, both sides immediately cut off contact. Bi Xi’s Soul Clone couldn’t help feeling slightly melancholic. [Should I tell Yang Kai about this? If I tell him, he won’t be able to ignore their situation, but if I don’t tell him, how will I explain myself if he learns about this matter in the future?]
Just as Bi Xi’s Soul Clone was feeling hesitant and indecisive, Yang Kai suddenly looked back with a frown from where he stood on the deck of Dawning Light. He vaguely felt as though there was a strange energy fluctuation coming from behind him earlier; however, he did not discover anything when he carefully searched for the source, which left him puzzled.
With his strength, it was generally impossible for him to mistake such a subtle feeling, so he couldn’t help feeling worried. [Could someone from the Black Ink Clan be spying on us from the shadows?]
He immediately sent a Divine Sense transmission to Bi Xi’s Soul Clone, “Senior Brother Bi Xi, did you notice anything abnormal just now?”
Bi Xi’s Soul Clone felt extremely guilty but still hastily replied, “No? Did you detect something abnormal?”
Yang Kai felt even more confused, [Could I have been mistaken?]
Just in case, he surged his Divine Sense and swept his surroundings. His investigation immediately revealed the presence of five powerful auras in the distant void, travelling at a high speed.
[Five Territory Lords! The Black Ink Clan sure is determined. I can’t believe that five Territory Lords are overseeing Acacia Territory! It seems the Black Ink Clan truly harbours a deep hatred for the Hunters. Of course, it might also have something to do with me…]
The Black Ink Clan had probably predicted that he would come to Acacia Territory, so these five Territory Lords might have made a special trip here just to eliminate him.
When Yang Kai detected the five Territory Lords, the five Territory Lords also noticed his presence. Their powerful Divine Senses immediately traced back his probe and discovered the whereabouts of Dawning Light and the Bi Xi Battleship. It was just that the distance was too great, so they could not learn much other than that there was a powerful Human Race Master spying on them from afar.
It was one thing if they had not discovered the Warships, but having noticed them, they could not ignore their presence. They were Territory Lords after all. Across the vast Universe, the only two Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were fully occupied and unable to move, so why should they be afraid of anyone? They immediately turned around, transformed into Black Ink Clouds, and rushed in the direction of the Warships.
Aboard Dawning Light, Yang Kai immediately withdrew and concealed his aura so that he resembled a dead rock as he shouted, “We’ve got incoming! Continue at full speed!”
After the words left his mouth, he vanished without a trace.
On Dawning Light, Feng Ying’s expression turned solemn as she hastily cooperated with the rest of the Squad members to fully activate the Warship’s strength. Behind them, Bi Xi’s Soul Clone mustered all his strength to follow.
The two Warships transformed into two streams of dazzling light as they shot forward with astonishing speed, but regardless of how fast they moved, there was no way they could outrun Innate Territory Lords, so the distance between them closed rapidly.
In less than a stick of incense, the two Warships appeared in the eyes of the Territory Lords. When the five Territory Lords detected the two Warships with their Divine Senses, they immediately became overjoyed. An Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and a dozen or so Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters! It was certainly a huge harvest.
These five Territory Lords were the reinforcements that Mo Na Ye had requested. They only knew that they were here to cooperate with Mo Na Ye against a Human Race Master, but did not know the identity of their target.
They never imagined that they would encounter two Human Squads as soon as they arrived at Acacia Territory, much less that their discovery would be so plentiful. In any case, they did not think much of a lone Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master as any one of them was enough to restrain the other party. Nevertheless, they couldn’t help feeling puzzled for a moment. Did the Hunters have Eighth-Order Masters among their ranks?
The situation did not match the information that they possessed. As the Human Race did not have many Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, each one of them was a pillar of strength that would have to join the front lines in the primary Great Territory Battlefields.
Although there were many Hunters, there had never been any Eighth-Order Masters among them. There were many Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, as well as Fourth-Order and Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Needless to say, none were weaker than that. The Hunters who roamed the various Great Territories would not survive without a certain level of strength, so Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters generally did not have the necessary capabilities. Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm was the lowest acceptable limit.
The reason Hunters were extremely difficult to kill was that they were extremely elusive and hard to find. Now that the five Territory Lords had encountered the two Hunter Squads, how could they allow them to escape? They naturally gave chase with all their might.
After a brief period, the distance between them grew even closer.
The pursuing Territory Lords surged their strength, sending out numerous Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques towards Dawning Light and the Bi Xi Battleship. A short while later, the void shook as both Warships lit up with a thick and durable defensive Spirit Array that constantly flashed from the impact. The occasional counterattacks were also easily deflected by the pursuing Territory Lords.
The battle that took place here seemed to set off the entire Acacia Territory.
In the distant void, a Warship was speeding in the direction of a Territory Gate. 10 figures were standing on the deck of the Warship, five of them very young, consisting of both males and females.
There was a pair of children, a little girl with delicate and adorable looks and a boy with a large gaping mouth that dripped with saliva. The little girl constantly wiped his saliva for him, but there was no end to his drool. Be that as it may, she did not show any impatience. She simply repeated her actions over and over again, which made the boy giggle endlessly.
There was a small Stone Man. From his external appearance alone, he seemed very similar to the Small Stone Race which was actively playing a role on the various Great Territory Battlefields. However, a closer inspection would reveal that he was a different species altogether.
Whether strong or weak, the Small Stone Race generally had low sentience. Even the 1,000-metre-tall Small Stone Race members who could rival an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would only act according to their instincts and did not seem to have the ability for autonomous thinking.
On the contrary, the small Stone Man was clearly different. Not only was he sentient, he was highly so. At this moment, he was climbing the edges of the Warship in disinterest as he stared into the void with a look of loneliness and forlornness in his eyes.
There was also an Ominous Beast lying on the deck with its eyes closed. It was obvious that this Ominous Beast was a Divine Spirit of similar rank to Tao Wu that Yang Kai slaughtered in Profound Nether Territory.
Beside the Ominous Beast was a delicate little girl. She was stroking his fur lightly with a leisurely expression. She looked rather young, but her eyes were filled with the vastitudes of countless years. It was obvious that she was not just a simple little girl.
The line-up in this group certainly looked very strange; however, everybody in the group, be it the young people, the two children, or the Ominous Beast, seemed to be rather powerful.
At first glance, even their Warship looked very similar to Yu Ru Meng and the others’. That was another Bi Xi Battleship, one that was modified and formed from Bi Xi’s Soul Clone.
The other party in the communication with Bi Xi’s Soul Clone on Yang Kai’s side earlier was none other than this Warship.
They were both Bi Xi’s Soul Clones; therefore, they had no problems communicating with each other regardless of the distance between them as long as they were in the same Great Territory and unaffected by a Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array or Technique. They could also communicate in secret. Even a Master like Yang Kai could not detect anything. He could only perceive a slight disturbance in the void, which had prompted him to investigate his surroundings. Nevertheless, he never expected to catch the attention of five travelling Territory Lords, which was just an unfortunate coincidence.
When the five Territory Lords in the distance unleashed their attacks, the Heavens shuddered and the Earth shook. Everybody aboard the Warship immediately noticed the commotion and turned to look in that direction.
Among the five youths was a young man dressed in all-white clothes. Even his hair was snow white. His expression became solemn, “A Master from the Black Ink Clan is attacking somebody. Moreover, this aura… It’s a Territory Lord!”
Standing next to him was a young woman. She was also dressed in white, but her hair was black. She nodded at his words, “More than one at that. I believe there are at least three of them, possibly even more.”
The black-haired young woman had a sweet appearance that was somewhat similar to Yang Kai’s.
“Were the whereabouts of a roaming Hunter exposed?” Among the five youths, a simple-looking young man approached the side of the Warship with a vague look of worry on his face.
Over the past few days, the whereabouts of several Hunters hidden in the vicinity had been exposed. The exposure of their whereabouts had naturally attracted the pursuit of the Black Ink Clan; however, the strongest among those Black Ink Clansmen were mere Feudal Lords. Although the people aboard this Warship had rescued many Hunters from the grasp of the Black Ink Clan recently, it was their first time seeing a Territory Lord here, not to mention that there was more than one.
“It will be difficult for them to escape seeing as a Territory Lord is personally attacking them,” standing beside the simple-looking young man was a woman with a cold and sharp expression, making her seem extremely unapproachable. It was only when her gaze landed on the simple-looking young man that a glimmer of warmth entered her eyes.
“Should we rescue them?” Out of the five young people, the last person was a young man with bowl cut and an eager expression, “We’ve never fought a Territory Lord. Eldest Senior Brother, let’s go save them!” His last sentence was directed at the simple-looking young man.
The small Stone Man who had been staring into the void in boredom all this while suddenly leapt up and climbed to the top of the bowl-cut young man’s head. Hammering his chest with his fists, he let out a battle cry. He was clearly very excited, and his fighting spirit was overflowing.
“Let’s save them!” The simple-looking young man announced with a determined expression, “Senior Bi Xi, turn around! We’re going to rescue them!”
Of course, Bi Xi’s Soul Clone ignored the simple-looking young man as he scoffed to himself, [Your Honoured Master is there, why would he need you to save him? We should leave Acacia Territory as soon as possible before he discovers the situation here. If he learns that the little ones are here, this Old Master will be in trouble.]
He thus remained unmoved by their pleas.
Seeing that Bi Xi’s Soul Clone not only showed no interest in rescuing those people but was also moving further and further away instead, the simple-looking young man quickly yelled, “Senior Bi Xi, it’s not this way! The other way!”
While the simple-looking young man was yelling at Bi Xi’s Soul Clone, the cold and arrogant young woman simply leapt off the Warship and sped towards the direction of the commotion.
The bowl-head young man immediately panicked and shouted, “Wait for me, Second Senior Sister!”
Then, he chased after the young woman, his speed quite extraordinary. The small Stone Man tried to grab at the bowl-headed young man’s hair to steady himself, but there wasn’t much to cling onto. With no other choice, he held onto the youth’s ears instead to prevent himself from being thrown off.
“Don’t be reckless!” The simple-looking young man hastily yelled after them; however, his Junior Brother and Junior Sister had already flown off into the distance. With a frustrated grunt, he hurriedly gave chase.
“Little Aunt, let’s go!” The white-haired young man dressed in white shouted. Then, he floated off the Warship hand in hand with the young woman beside him.
The Ominous Beast that had been resting with its eyes closed abruptly stood up while the little girl who was stroking his fur immediately got on his back. In the next moment, flames appeared at the feet of the Ominous Beast and he leapt into the void without hesitation.
Before leaving, the little girl did not forget to reach out and grab the pair of children to bring them along.
In the blink of an eye, there was nobody left on the Bi Xi Battleship.
“I… You…”
Bi Xi’s Soul Clone was desperate to cry, but was unable to shed any tears. He had planned to sneak the little ones back to the Territory Gate and quietly leave Acacia Territory as soon as possible. Who could have known the little ones would be so reckless?
[This is bad! This is bad! I knew I should never have brought them out of the Star Boundary!] He deeply regretted being so indulgent towards them and believing in their promises of just coming out to see a bit of the world. Look at the situation now! They had deserted him and left him alone in the void.
He couldn’t help feeling extremely worried about them, so with no other choice, he quickly turned around and chased after the little ones. While chasing after them, he sent a transmission to his other Soul Clone, “How is the situation on your side? Why did you suddenly start fighting?”
The other party replied, “We encountered five Territory Lords, but it’s nothing to worry about!”
He was shocked by the response and asked, “Five Territory Lords!? How is that nothing to worry about!? Hurry up and hide! The Territory Lords are not to be trifled with. Not to mention, they are Innate Territory Lords. Every one of them is comparable to a peak Eighth-Order Master in strength.”
“No need to worry, it’s just five trivial Territory Lords after all!”
Those words stunned him as he secretly thought to himself, [I don’t have the habit of boasting. What is with my other Soul Clone? There are five Territory Lords! How is that trivial?]
From the way the other party was talking, he did not seem to think much of the five Territory Lords. It had to be said that even Bi Xi’s true body could only handle one Territory Lord at a time. If two Territory Lords were to cooperate against him, he would surely be at a serious disadvantage. Needless to say, Bi Xi had an extraordinary defensive strength, so while he might not be able to defeat two Territory Lords, protecting himself wouldn’t be a problem.
Bi Xi’s Soul Clone had no time to ponder on the issue though, so he could only inform the other party, “The little ones have gone there. Don’t let anything happen to them.”
The other side inquired, “How many little ones came?”
He sighed and helplessly said, “Yang Xiao, Yang Xue, Yang Kai’s three Disciples, Xiao Xiao, Qiong Qi, Liu Yan, Xiao Hong, and even Xiao Hei.”
The other side was clearly shocked, “Did all of them come here?”
These were all the little ones who were left behind in the Star Boundary.
He helplessly replied, “I know. If anything were to happen to them, we won’t have any way to explain the situation to Yang Kai… Ha…”
The little ones had charged forward, so they were bound to run into Yang Kai; therefore, Yang Kai would surely question the reason they were in Acacia Territory. How was he supposed to explain the situation once that happened?
The more Bi Xi’s Soul Clone thought about the situation, the wearier he became. He was such an old man, yet he had to take care of the children of others. The most important point was that he failed to take good care of them.
However, his other self clearly did not have such reservations and became excited instead, “Great timing. Tell them not to expose their whereabouts. We might need their help to kill these Territory Lords.”
He exclaimed in astonishment, “Kill the Territory Lords?”
[When did my other Soul Clone pick up such a terrible habit? Who did he learn it from?]
Although the little ones were undeniably strong, even if all of them worked together, they could only handle one Territory Lord at most. However, the enemy was five Territory Lords! It was only natural to flee as fast as possible when faced with this many overwhelming enemies.
“En. We’re going to kill these Territory Lords! Just trust me,” The other Soul Clone sounded confident and calm.
Bi Xi’s Soul Clone was at a loss for words. They were both Soul Clones of the true body, so there was no differentiating between them in terms of sense or strength, so he could not figure out the reason for the other Soul Clone’s confidence.
Now that things had reached this point though, he could only choose to trust in the other party… which was himself.
As for how to call the little ones back… That was simple. They did not know that the commotion ahead was caused by Yang Kai and simply assumed that one of the Hunter Squads had been exposed. As long as he told them the truth, they would come back immediately.
To prevent them from exposing their whereabouts, he quickly sent a Divine Sense transmission and sure enough, the figures charging forward hastily came to a stop and returned to the Warship.
The white-haired Yang Xiao who was dressed in all white exclaimed in astonishment, “Senior Bi Xi, is Adoptive Father really up ahead?”
The honest-looking Zhao Ye Bai was extremely excited, “Is it really Honoured Master?”
Although the others did not ask any questions, their eyes were filled with pleasant surprise and anticipation.
“That’s right. Yang Kai is there. The Territory Lords are chasing him,” Bi Xi’s Soul Clone replied.
The cold and arrogant Zhao Ya immediately summoned a long spear. Her long hair flew in the wind as her murderous intent flared, “Bold! I must go assist Honoured Master!”
Xiao Xiao, who was standing on top of Xu Yi’s head, also became impatient. He jumped up and down on top of Xu Yi’s head, causing the latter to become somewhat dizzy as a result.
Seeing that Zhao Ya was about to rush off again, Bi Xi’s Soul Clone hurriedly called out, “Calm down. Yang Kai does not want you to expose your whereabouts yet. He might need your help to kill the enemies later!”
Those were the words of the other Soul Clone. It was just that he was not in the position to explain too much under the current circumstances, so he simply took those words as Yang Kai’s. In any case, he believed that his other Soul Clone would inform Yang Kai about the situation and then get back to him.
Zhao Ya did not dare to disobey the orders of her Honoured Master, so after hearing those words, she slowly withdrew her murderous intent and turned to look into the distance. It felt as though the commotion in that direction was getting bigger and bigger.
Liu Yan, who was riding on top of Qiong Qi, frowned and asked, “Senior Bi Xi, although Master has reached the Eighth Order, there are quite a lot of Territory Lords there. Can he… handle them all?”
They knew that Yang Kai had become an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master; after all, he previously stopped to visit Bi Xi’s true body on his way back from the Black Ink Battlefield.
Afterwards, the news spread to the people of the Star Boundary when Bi Xi’s true body retreated there with the cultivators from Void Land.
What they did not know was Yang Kai’s feats over the last several dozen years, including his battle record of killing three Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory. It had not been long since that incident took place. Besides, the Hunters were scattered across the various Great Territories which made it difficult to keep up with the latest news.
Bi Xi’s Soul Clone coughed lightly, “Don’t you know the strength of your Master? Judging by what he said, I’m sure he has his means.”
Liu Yan considered for a moment before agreeing. Since her Master was acting in such a manner, then he must have his own reasons. There was no need for her to overthink the situation, she only needed to obey his orders.
The whole group immediately calmed down while Bi Xi’s Soul Clone exhaled a sigh of relief, [Thank goodness I managed to fool them for now. As for what happens after this… That’s not up to me anymore.]
Activating a Secret Technique, he concealed his aura and secretly moved forward.
Bi Xi not only had an outstanding defence, but his ability to conceal his aura was also unmatched. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for so many Masters to fail at detecting his presence despite passing by Void Land for so many years. It was not until Yang Kai took over Void Land and Zhu Jiu Yin went on a rampage that the sleeping Bi Xi awakened and made his presence known.
One of the reasons why this group of youths could leisurely wander around the various Great Territories for so many years was undeniably thanks to their outstanding strength, but the other reason was that they had Bi Xi’s protection.
After killing Black Ink Clansmen, they would only need to hide deep within the void. Even if the Black Ink Clan mobilised a large force to search the area, they would have a hard time locating a lone Warship.
At the same time, far off in the void ahead, Dawning Light and the Bi Xi Battleship carrying Yu Ru Meng and the others were being bombarded indiscriminately by the Territory Lords.
Fortunately, both Dawning Light and the Bi Xi Battleship had extraordinary defensive capabilities. As long as they did not suffer an endless barrage of attacks from the Territory Lords at close range, they would be fine for some time.
Bi Xi’s Soul Clone avoided the attacks from the pursuing Territory Lords while at the same time, he sent a secret Divine Sense transmission to Yang Kai and told the other party about the situation on the other side.
[Yang Xiao, Yang Xue, my three Disciples, Xiao Xiao, Liu Yan, Qiong Qi, Xiao Hong, and even Xiao Hei are in Acacia Territory?]
When Yang Kai received the news, he was so shocked that he nearly revealed his aura. Fortunately, he managed to regain his composure quickly.
At this point, he had no time to question why all the little ones were in Acacia Territory. In any case, it would not be too late to question them later. His top priority at the moment was to slaughter these Territory Lords.
After pondering for a moment, he sent a Divine Sense transmission, “Senior Brother Bi Xi, how strong are they now?”
He had not gone back to the Star Boundary since his return from the Black Ink Battlefield, so aside from meeting Xiao Hong and Xiao Hei in Void Land previously, Yang Kai had not seen the others in close to 1,000 years. Hence, he truly did not know their current cultivation level.
However, they were bound to have a certain level of strength if they were courageous enough to become Hunters, and that was especially true for his three Disciples. Therefore, he had great confidence in them.
Bi Xi’s Soul Clone sent a transmission, “After Yang Xiao followed the Dragon Clan to the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, he returned as a Grand Dragon. Yang Xue has been in the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm for many years and should be at the very peak by now. As for your three Disciples… All of them advanced directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.”
Although all the cultivators who came from the Void Dao Temple in Yang Kai’s Small Universe more or less received some inheritance from him, only Zhao Ye Bai, Zhao Ya, and Xu Yi could be regarded as his Legacy Disciples.
Those three little ones had respectively inherited his three Grand Daos, namely the Dao of Space, the Spear Dao, and the Dao of Time.
Among his three Disciples, his Second Disciple Zhao Ya was undoubtedly the most talented in terms of aptitude. Her cultivation speed could be said to progress at 1,000 kilometres a day. Back when she had been cultivating in his Small Universe, Yang Kai had instructed her to suppress her cultivation at all times lest it advance too quickly. Otherwise, she would not receive the full benefits of the feedback from the World Tree clone when he transferred her to the Star Boundary.
Many cultivators originated from the Void Dao Temple, and about 10% of them advanced directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm. However, Yang Kai had yet to meet another cultivator who could compare with Zhao Ya in terms of cultivation aptitude.
She was the kind of individual who was inherently suited to cultivation. No matter the Secret Art or Secret Technique, she would quickly attain mastery over it; hence, she was truly extraordinary even among the myriad geniuses out there.
Xu Yi came next. Although he was not as good as Zhao Ya, his aptitude was undeniably good. His most commendable aspect was that he had great compatibility with the Dao of Time.
Zhao Ye Bai had the worst aptitude by far among the three. To put it nicely, he was average, but to put it bluntly, he was slow.
However, Yang Kai was the most optimistic about Zhao Ye Bai out of his three Disciples.
Being average and mediocre meant that Zhao Ye Bai would work harder and build a stronger foundation. As the saying went, ‘All buildings began from the ground’. The more solid the foundation, the greater the heights one could ascend to.
Zhao Ye Bai might be slow-witted, but he had an extremely keen perception towards the Dao of Space.
Yang Kai sent his three Disciples back to the Star Boundary before he departed for the Black Ink Battlefield; thus, they not only received feedback from the World Tree in the Star Boundary for many years but also enjoyed large amounts of cultivation resources provided by High Heaven Palace. Thanks to these factors, his three Disciples had successively advanced directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm several hundred years ago.
In the past, they would have been treated like the most precious of treasures by the various Cave Heavens and Paradises. As candidates to become future Ninth-Order Old Ancestors, any one of them would have been raised as the future successors of their Sects.
It was just that the powerful feedback from the World Tree in the Star Boundary had resulted in the constant emergence of Juniors who advanced directly to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm nowadays, which made these future Ninth-Order Old Ancestor candidates less rare in comparison.
Even so, any cultivator who advanced directly into the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm would receive the highest level of attention and resources from the Cave Heavens and Paradises because they were the future hope of the Human Race.
Liu Yan, Xiao Xiao, and Qiong Qi had Divine Spirit Bloodlines and Sources, and had cultivated in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land for many years. Now that their Bloodlines had been further purified, they were each comparable to Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in strength. Since they were also experienced Divine Spirits, they were most likely stronger compared to the average Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
As for Xiao Hong and Xiao Hei, they were unqualified to enter the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land because their Bloodlines were too impure. They had been cultivating by Bi Xi’s side all this time though, so while their strength was slightly inferior, it was still comparable to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Out of the 10 people aboard the Warship, there were as many as seven on par with the Seventh Order and three on par with the Sixth Order! If they included Bi Xi’s Soul Clone, they could even put up a fight against an Innate Territory Lord!
They had been Hunters for more than 10 years now. It was partly thanks to the protection they received from Bi Xi’s Soul Clone that they remained safe and sound for so long, but their immense strength also played an important role.
The foundation of anyone’s strength was themselves. If one’s strength was not enough, then one would remain weak and useless no matter how much protection they received from others.
How could Bi Xi fail to see through their intentions when he initially agreed to bring them out? He too believed that flowers grown in a greenhouse would not grow strong enough to withstand wind and rain. Blindly cultivating behind closed doors would not bring about much progress now that the world was in chaos.
Wandering around and fighting the Black Ink Clan would undoubtedly serve as an excellent training experience; unfortunately, the enormous battles between the two Races’ Armies had too many uncontrollable variables. On the contrary, one would have more freedom and convenience as a Hunter.
After learning about the growth of the little ones from Bi Xi’s Soul Clone, Yang Kai couldn’t help feeling amazed. Not only was he growing stronger, but the little ones were also growing stronger. The entire Human Race was working hard to increase their respective strengths. The future of the Human Race was certainly promising!
With the sudden appearance of such a powerful and still hidden reinforcement, Yang Kai realised that he could make some changes to his original plans. He might be able to take this opportunity to let the little ones experience the strength of an Innate Territory Lord directly; after all, none of them had fought such an enemy before.
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he sent out a Divine Sense transmission.
In the next moment, the two Warships immediately separated and fled in different directions, seemingly escaping in a panic.
Seeing this, the five Territory Lords chasing behind the Warships immediately split up and continued their pursuit without any hesitation. Two Territory Lords went after the Bi Xi Battleship and three went after Dawning Light.
To the five Territory Lords, the two Warships before them were undoubtedly big fish. Although an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was protecting the two Warships, they did not think much of her. Only one Territory Lord was needed to restrain that Eighth-Order Master, while the others could easily slaughter the remaining Humans.
That was exactly what the five Territory Lords planned to do. Everything was within their calculations.
Gradually, the distance between them closed to just over 100,000 kilometres. The speed of the two Warships might be fast, but they could not escape from the pursuit of the Territory Lords.
The Human cultivators aboard the Bi Xi Battleship evidently realised this fact. After suffering another round of attacks from the two Territory Lords, countless cracks appeared on the Warship’s shields, and the defensive light barrier seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
When one of the Territory Lords saw the opportunity, he did not hesitate to stretch out a large hand to grab at the Bi Xi Battleship. Black Ink Strength surged and the universe went dark.
In that moment, the Bi Xi Battleship that was escaping in a hurry abruptly turned around and brazenly charged towards the two Territory Lords.
The Territory Lord who attacked just now gave a cold snort, “Overconfidence!”
He then slammed his palm down hard.
These Human cultivators clearly knew that it would be difficult for them to escape their current crisis and had prepared themselves to fight back like a cornered beast.
Numerous Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities blasted out from the Bi Xi Battleship, slamming towards the two Territory Lords. It was just that their attacks seemed weak and pointless to the Territory Lords.
These Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters seemed ridiculously weak. If all the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were only at this level of strength, then they wouldn’t even be difficult for a Feudal Lord to defeat.
Black Ink Strength gathered in the enormous palm as it pressed down on the Bi Xi Battleship. The Warship shuddered violently under the impact. Yu Ru Meng and the others who were standing on the deck lost their balance, looking extremely miserable, their expressions turning ugly.
The Territory Lord abruptly clenched his large hand as if to grab hold of the entire Bi Xi Battleship, laughing loudly as he increased his strength to completely crush its defences. Once the shields were broken, his Black Ink Strength would be able to penetrate the Warship directly.
He had no intention of killing these Humans. Regardless of how weak they were, they were still 10 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. If he could convert them into Black Ink Disciples by corrupting them with the Black Ink Strength, they would become his pawns. He could order them to disguise themselves as Hunters and then kill or lure out others, making his next mission easier.
Due to the scheming thoughts in his head, he held back the strength of his attacks, but it was at that moment that a sense of crisis suddenly washed over him, causing him to panic for some inexplicable reason. He immediately focused his mind and glanced in the direction of the Bi Xi Battleship, hoping to see why these ants were now giving him such a strong sense of terror.
Before he could get a good look though, a flash of Spiritual Energy appeared next to him. Immediately after that, the defences of his Soul were ripped open and he felt as though something was stabbing into his mind, giving him a splitting headache. He howled from the pain, and the Black Ink Strength coming from his large hand that was restraining the Bi Xi Battleship immediately dispersed.
At the same time, a ripple emerged in the Void beside him and a humanoid figure stepped without any warning, thrusting a spear towards him in a slow manner. Both space and time seemed to warp at that moment as many different Dao Strengths fluctuated and wove together as they pierced out.
The spear stabbed out at a speed that could not be considered fast. The Territory Lord suffering from the splitting headache saw the spear heading towards him and tried to avoid the attack; however, to his astonishment, he discovered that he could not avoid the spear no matter what he did.
At that moment, all his senses and reflexes seemed to have been dulled.
The other Territory Lord, who stood beside him but had not made a move so far, gave a loud yell, “Watch out!”
Among the two Territory Lords chasing after the Bi Xi Battleship, one had attacked while the other had held back to monitor the situation.
When Yang Kai attacked, the Territory Lord he targeted suffered heavy damage to his Soul. Although the first Territory Lord could not save himself, the second one quickly recovered from the shock and retaliated. He opened his mouth, and a whip-like black light blasted towards Yang Kai.
It was too late to save his companion, so he could only choose to attack the enemy instead. At this moment, he suddenly discovered that their ambusher was an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
[Two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters! One of them drew our attention while the other lurked in the shadows!]
All five Territory Lords had been distracted by the two Warships and failed to detect the hidden Eighth-Order Master. This was probably not a premeditated plan, but one that they had come up with at the last moment after their whereabouts were exposed.
Although the Territory Lord did not think much of this newly appeared Eighth-Order Human, he did not hold back in his attacks. If the other party did not wish to die, then he would need to withdraw his spear to defend himself. In that way, his companion Territory Lord would survive, but in the next moment, he discovered that he was mistaken.
Despite facing a Territory Lord’s all-out attack, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master who suddenly emerged from the shadows showed no intention of dodging or even responding. The spear in his hand stabbed forward firmly, and he looked as though he was determined to drag his enemy down with him even if he were to die as a result.
[What a fierce and merciless Human! He is not only merciless towards the Black Ink Clan, but also towards himself!]
The Territory Lord was horrified. Nevertheless, this situation was favourable to him. Even though his companion might be heavily injured or even killed by this Eighth-Order Human, he would be able to take down the latter in return. It was not a bad deal. In any case, he was not the one who would die.
Life and death became apparent in an instant!
The Soul Rending Thorn was a double-edged sword that harmed both the enemy and the user. The impact of the attack was enormous, but Yang Kai had experienced the same pain many times before, so he had gotten somewhat accustomed to his Soul being torn apart. Any enemy who was struck by the Soul Rending Thorn would instantly suffer pain worse than death.
In the next instant, the targeted Territory Lord died! The moment his powerful aura swelled up before withering into nothing, the abrupt change was felt in all directions.
The little ones aboard the second Bi Xi Battleship, who were secretly but rapidly approaching the battlefield, were shocked.
After they were told to assist Yang Kai in killing the enemy by Bi Xi’s Soul Clone, they prepared themselves for a difficult, possibly life-threatening battle. Contrary to their expectations though, a Territory Lord was slain as soon as the confrontation began in earnest!
The burst of power that erupted from that direction was too fierce and profound and contained a myriad of Dao Strengths like the Dao of Time, Dao of Space, and Spear Dao. How could Yang Xiao and the others fail to perceive these energy fluctuations?
Many of them were experiencing Yang Kai’s true strength for the first time in their lives! Even if they only perceived the burst from afar and did not witness the scene with their own eyes, that level of strength was enough for them to admire and worship him!
On the battlefield, the Territory Lord who made the first move lost his life on the spot. Similarly, Yang Kai grunted in pain and spat out a mouthful of blood.
To kill the first Territory Lord in a single blow, he had abandoned all forms of defence during his attack. As a result, his flesh was pierced by the black light that the second Territory Lord spat in his direction. Dense Black Ink Strength lingered around his wound, quickly corroding his flesh.
The Territory Lord was filled with a mixture of astonishment and delight. He had known that his companion would suffer a miserable fate. Being ambushed by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master at such a close distance, even an Innate Territory Lord would suffer grave injuries if he survived at all. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help feeling taken aback to see how easily his companion was slain.
It was fortunate that he had injured the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with his counterattack.
Taking advantage of Yang Kai’s vulnerability, he threw his palm out at Yang Kai once more. He was merciless in his attack since he had no intention of trying to corrupt an Eighth-Order Master with Black Ink Strength.
An Eighth-Order Human was not easy to corrupt. During all the years of war between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race, the number of Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who were corrupted by Black Ink Strength could be counted on one hand. Moreover, most of them were only successfully corrupted because a Royal Lord had personally used the Royal Lord Secret Technique on them.
The Territory Lords might be powerful, but they could not corrupt an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with their Black Ink Strength unless they continuously used it to corrode a Human that was completely restrained.
[I have to kill this Eighth-Order Human quickly!] Losing a fellow Territory Lord was not a glorious thing, but killing this Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would be enough to make up for the loss.
At the same time that the Territory Lord attacked, the other Humans aboard the first Bi Xi Battleship sent out a barrage of Divine Abilities and Secret Techniques, accompanied by the momentary emergence of Dragon and Phoenix phantoms. The imposing Dragon Roar and striking Phoenix Cry sliced through the void with unparalleled speed and momentum.
One such attack might be nothing to a Territory Lord, but 10 was another story. Even an Innate Territory Lord would not dare to look down on the combined attacks of 10 Seventh-Order Human Masters, much less if there were several powerful Divine Spirits among them.
[These Humans… were feigning weakness earlier!] The Territory Lord suddenly had a realization.
He previously felt that these Seventh-Order Humans were ridiculously weak, far more so than he had anticipated, but at this moment, he suddenly realised the truth. It was not that these Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were weak, they were just acting on purpose so that he and his dead companion would drop their guard.
This was a trap all along!
The Territory Lord felt a chill shoot up his spine. Faced with the 10 Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities blasting towards him, he did not dare to be negligent in his defence and hastily took action to intercept these attacks. He had no time to bother about the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master whom he injured earlier as, in reality, he did not know whether he could kill the other party even if he attacked again.
That was because the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master’s expression did not change in the slightest even though his flesh had been pierced by a bolt of Black Ink Strength. There was only a look of cold indifference on his face. In the next moment, the spear in the Eighth-Order Humans’ hands transformed into a barrage of spear shadows that covered the entire sky as they rained down on the Territory Lord.
Under normal circumstances, an Innate Territory Lord would be strong enough to defend against the joint attack of 10 Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters; however, defending would be difficult if there were several powerful Divine Spirits among those 10 Masters.
If an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master were to join in, then even the strongest Innate Territory Lord would panic.
A violent force spread out in all directions, causing the void to distort and eventually shatter. Following the brief moment of confrontation, the 10 figures aboard the Bi Xi Battleship were brutally shaken and even the Bi Xi Battleship itself was thrown backwards by the impact.
Yang Kai was also forced back, blood spurting wildly from his wounds.
Likewise, the Territory Lord was in no better condition. After the violent barrage of attacks, his tall figure was left in tatters with countless wounds all over his body and Black Blood trickling from his wounds.
His expression was terrified.
The strength of these Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters exceeded his expectations, and the strength of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was extremely tyrannical.
This Human was no ordinary Eighth-Order Master, but instead one of their peak Masters!
Despite it being such a brief confrontation, the Territory Lord realized that he might not be able to defeat his opponent in a one-on-one battle, much less when the other party had 10 powerful Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters assisting him.
[I have to flee as soon as possible. If not, I will definitely suffer a disastrous fate!] The Territory Lord turned and sped towards his three other companions who were chasing after the other Warship. Only by joining up with them as soon as possible could he escape his imminent death and retaliate against the enemy.
In that fleeting moment, the Territory Lord decided to flee. Taking advantage of the moment when the Bi Xi Battleship and Yang Kai were thrown backwards by the clash, he transformed into Black Ink Cloud with a shift of his body and tried to escape.
“Solidify!” Yang Kai’s gaze remained cold, and following his shout, the surrounding space solidified, causing the speed of the Black Ink Cloud to plummet, as if the Territory Lord was now trying to trudge through a quagmire.
At the same time, aboard the Bi Xi Battleship, the shadow of an enormous spider appeared behind Shan Qing Luo. Moreover, there was a conspicuous crescent Moon on the spider’s forehead.
Heavenly Moon Demon Spider!
When she opened her mouth, a spider web spewed forth to cover the Territory Lord. Numerous bursts of energy that were invisible to the naked eye simultaneously emerged in the surroundings. The energy radiated in all directions and quickly formed a shockingly large net with the Territory Lord in the centre.
The Territory Lord was already being restrained by Space Principles, so stuck in the spider web, he instantly felt excruciating discomfort as he struggled to escape with all his might. Before he could break free from the shackles though, several figures charged towards him from different directions. Meanwhile, the Dragon Roar and the Phoenix Cry became louder!
…..
At the same time, a battle broke out on Dawning Light’s side as Dawn couldn’t escape with three Territory Lords pursuing them.
The reason why three Territory Lords had split chased after Dawning Light was because there was an Eighth-Order Master aboard this Warship.
At this moment, Feng Ying had left Dawning Light to engage one of the Territory Lords in a one-on-one battle. Unfortunately, she had only advanced to the Eighth Order recently, so her heritage was not very strong. A short battle was already enough to push her into a dangerous situation.
Dawning Light was in an even more perilous state. With the strength of Dawn and the abilities of Dawning Light, they would stand a chance of repelling a single Innate Territory Lord, but that was still nothing more than a chance. Now that two such Territory Lords were besieging them, they were no match whatsoever.
The light of the Warship’s shields was becoming increasingly dim, and without its protection, Dawn would immediately be exposed to the attacks of the Territory Lords. The Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters might be able to flee, but those below the Seventh-Order were doomed to die.
Fortunately, Dawn knew that they were not the main force in this operation, so there was no need for them to fight the Territory Lords in desperation. They only needed to buy some time. The speed of the Warship had already been pushed to its limits. Controlled by a group of Open Heaven Realm Masters, the Warship was as agile as a fish in water, constantly changing directions to avoid the incoming attacks. Nevertheless, they could not escape the fate of being pummelled by the enemy.
30 breaths!
That was the maximum amount of time that Dawning Light could hold out against the pursuit of two Innate Territory Lords. Once 30 breaths were up, Dawn would be at risk of total annihilation.
At the 15-breath mark though, the commotion caused by the death of a Territory Lord spread out without warning. The members of Dawn were overjoyed knowing that Yang Kai had made his move.
On the other hand, the expressions of the two Territory Lords chasing after Dawning Light changed drastically and they turned to look in the direction where their companion had fallen, giving Dawning Light some time to catch their breath.
The same was true for Feng Ying. She was at a complete disadvantage, so she had been struggling just to preserve her life. She even had the feeling that the time she could last against her enemy was shorter than Dawning Light. For an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like her who advanced less than 600 years ago, the gap in strength between her and an Innate Territory Lord was simply too great. Although she would not be killed instantly, she was bound to die in a one-on-one battle.
When Yang Kai made his first kill though, the Territory Lord attacking Feng Ying was also affected.
The three Territory Lords were shocked as they all wondered, [What is happening over there?]
It had not been long since they split up, so how did one of their companions die? Immediately after that, they detected the fallout of a fierce battle coming from that direction and the aura of another Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
But… Even if it was another Eighth-Order Master that made a move, it should have been impossible for them to slaughter a Territory Lord in such a short time. Even an ambush would not work!
[What waste!]
Be it Feng Ying’s opponent or the two Territory Lords chasing after Dawning Light, they cursed soundly in their hearts and after a brief moment of shock, their subsequent attacks became more ruthless.
Their companion was dead, so there was nothing they could do even if they rushed over. If their other companion wasn’t a fool, then he would now be making his way towards them, there was no need to go and meet up with him. Besides, it was more important to deal with the Humans before them.
Just 10 breaths later though, the fallout caused by the death of another Territory Lord appeared.
The three surviving Territory Lords were now completely stunned.
The death of their first companion might have been caused by carelessness, but what did the death of their second companion signify? What’s more, the time between the deaths of their two companions was too short.
Just who could have such impressive strength? Was it a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master? But, they did not detect the aura of a Ninth-Order Human, only a single Eighth-Order Master.
A powerful enemy!
When Mo Na Ye asked them to come to Acacia Territory as reinforcements, he mentioned that he was planning to deal with a ‘powerful enemy’.
The five Territory Lords had not paid much attention to the issue, believing that the so-called ‘powerful enemy’ was most likely just one of the strongest Eighth-Order Human Masters. After all, it was not like they had never fought such enemies before. They believed that Mo Na Ye was just worrying for nothing. There were already five Territory Lords in Acacia Territory, so how could they not deal with a single Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master?
It was not until this moment that the three surviving Territory Lords understood the gravity of the situation. This was truly a powerful enemy indeed, one that could even frighten Territory Lords like themselves!
[Should we fight? Or, should we flee?]
This new Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master had slaughtered two Territory Lords in a very short time, so it was obvious that he was far stronger than any other Eighth-Order Human they had ever met. However, he was bound to have paid a heavy price to achieve this; hence, now might be the best time for them to eliminate him.
Before the three Territory Lords could come to a decision, the Territory Lord fighting Feng Ying suddenly felt the space in front of him turning hazy for a moment as a blood-stained young man with a cold expression emerged before him!
The murderous intent radiating from this Human Race Master was practically tangible; moreover, the spear in his hand was clearly stained with the fresh blood of a Black Ink Clansman.
[This aura… Isn’t this the aura of the Eighth-Order Human I sensed just now?] The Territory Lord fighting with Feng Ying turned pale with shock, [How did he arrive here so quickly?]
Despite his surprise, there was one thing that gave him a slight sense of relief. The other party seemed to be quite seriously injured.
Yang Kai was indeed heavily wounded. For the sake of ending the previous battle as quickly as possible, he had ambushed and used a Soul Rending Thorn on the first Territory Lord. Unfortunately, he was pierced by a ray of Black Ink Light shot by the second Territory Lord while he was focused on his first target. It was only thanks to his intrepid physique that Yang Kai remained standing. If it had been an ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master instead, they would have lost most of their combat ability by now.
Afterwards, he cooperated with Yu Ru Meng and the others to slaughter the second Territory Lord in just 10 breaths of time. However, killing the second Territory Lord in such a short time was not without a cost.
He did not use a Soul Rending Thorn to defeat the second Territory Lord, relying solely upon his immense strength in addition to the support of Yu Ru Meng and the others to restrain the enemy. As a result, Yu Ru Meng and the others were wounded in the battle.
Likewise, Yang Kai received additional injuries on top of his previous ones. It was fortunate that such wounds were not critical, and with his recovery abilities, they would not hinder him as long as he did not suffer a fatal blow.
Yang Kai had experienced countless battles of such intensity over the years, and one of the reasons he survived until today and managed to slaughter so many powerful foes was that he often was even more unrelenting and ruthless than his enemies!
The second Territory Lord could be said to be very unlucky. A Territory Lord was hard to kill, and an Innate Territory Lord was even harder to kill. If he had encountered another Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master cooperating with Yu Ru Meng and the others instead, he would have had the chance to escape even if he could not defeat them. Even a Master like Xiang Shan might not be able to stop an Innate Territory Lord like him if he was determined to escape. Unfortunately for him, the person he encountered was none other than Yang Kai, who was proficient in the Dao of Space. Under the effects of the space solidification, the Territory Lord had no hope of escaping, so what else was there for him other than to die in battle?
Yang Kai knew Dawn could not hold out for long, which was why he decided to end the battle as quickly as possible and without any regard for the cost.
He could only unleash three Soul Rending Thorns in a row as it was too risky for him to do so a fourth time, but with the appearance of five Territory Lords, he became greedy and wanted to end all of their lives here today. That was why he refused to use his Soul Rending Thorns unless there was no other choice.
Nevertheless, now was the right time to strike. Yang Kai leapt across the Void and arrived in a flash, then immediately unleashed a Soul Rending Thorn while the Territory Lord facing Feng Ying remained in shock.
The Territory Lord’s Soul was instantly pierced, causing him to howl like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Furthermore, he was struck by the combined attacks of Yang Kai and Feng Ying during the brief moment when the defences of his Soul were ripped apart.
Feng Ying’s Divine Manifestation emerged, and the Myriad Swords Dragon enveloped her body. An overwhelming Sword Intent subsequently pierced towards the Territory Lord while a myriad of Dao Strengths intertwined and interlaced around the Azure Dragon Spear in Yang Kai’s hand.
These two attacks practically blew apart the Territory Lord’s body; however, he did not die. The death of his two companions might have caused him to be more vigilant, so he managed to survive even under such dire circumstances. Nonetheless, his aura weakened significantly.
Yang Kai was genuinely surprised as this was the first time he failed to kill his enemy after unleashing a Soul Rending Thorn, but regardless, he did not have the luxury to ponder over this anomaly. Dawn was in great danger at the moment, and if he did not head to their rescue soon, Dawning Light would be at risk of being blown to pieces.
With a shift of his figure, Yang Kai left the half-dead Innate Territory Lord to Feng Ying and appeared in front of Dawning Light.
At that very moment, the defensive light barrier around Dawning Light shattered to pieces. Led by Shen Ao and the other Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, the members of Dawn assembled on the deck and prepared themselves to fight the two Territory Lords to the death.
Yang Kai’s arrival was just in time.
Faced with the powerful joint attack of the two Territory Lords, Yang Kai could not dodge as Dawning Light was right behind him. If he evaded the attacks, then the members of Dawn would surely suffer severe casualties.
A Great Sun leapt into the sky as a Golden Crow cried out. Immediately after that, the Full Moon rose up as moonlight illuminated the void.
Time Principles and Space Principles wove together as the Sun and Moon shone simultaneously, causing profound Space-Time Strength to permeate the world.
The Sun and Moon immediately began to spiral forward like a giant top towards the two Territory Lords and swiftly enveloped them. In the next moment, a violent force erupted and regardless of whether it was the two Innate Territory Lords, Yang Kai, or Dawning Light, all of them were overwhelmed by the explosion.
Aboard Dawning Light, every single member of Dawn spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and their expressions became sluggish. Likewise, Yang Kai’s complexion turned as pale as a sheet.
The two Territory Lords were in a state of utter shock. They had never seen such a mighty Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master before. Even though the other party was also wounded, their combined attack containing their full power was still blocked by the other party.
The power of the Divine Ability unleashed by the other party earlier… was so overwhelming that it simply seemed impossible to believe. Not just the raw force behind this attack, but the profound effect it had on both them and the world around them was beyond their ability to comprehend.
Even after the shockwave had faded, the mysterious Space-Time Strength lingering around their bodies left them feeling extremely uncomfortable.
[Do we fight? Or, do we flee?]
This newly appeared Human was too strong. If they could kill him here, then all the sacrifices they made in this battle would be worthwhile. Be that as it may, the other party did not seem like an easy target, and they were not sure if it was him or them who would die if they fought here today.
At this moment, the two Territory Lords were certain that this person was the powerful enemy that Mo Na Ye mentioned; hence, they couldn’t help cursing the latter in their hearts. Mo Na Ye only mentioned that a powerful enemy might appear in Acacia Territory but failed to give them any specifics. It was his fault that two of their companions had been killed!
If Mo Na Ye knew what they were thinking, he would have roared at the injustice!
Information about Yang Kai had come directly from Profound Nether Territory where he had slain three Territory Lords in a single battle. It was later confirmed that he was the same Human who caused a huge disturbance at the No-Return Pass.
In response to this information, Mo Na Ye decided to err on the side of caution and made an immediate request for five additional Territory Lords to be sent as reinforcements. He thought that 10 Territory Lords gathered together would be enough to defeat Yang Kai, but who could have imagined that those five Territory Lords who came as reinforcements would encounter Yang Kai before they even had the chance to meet up with the others? The fact that five Territory Lords would be killed one after another in this intense battle was a situation that the Black Ink Clan never even dreamed of.
Just as the two Territory Lords were hesitating over their decision, the commotion caused by the death of a third Territory Lord came from nearby.
It was Feng Ying who had slain her opponent.
The third Territory Lord was struck by Yang Kai’s Soul Rending Thorn just now and also suffered a joint attack from Yang Kai and Feng Ying that blasted half his body away. Although he managed to survive that initial barrage, his strength had plummeted to the point where he had essentially lost all combat capability.
Yang Kai had to rescue Dawning Light, so he did not bother to stick around until the end of the battle. Naturally, Feng Ying exerted her full strength after his departure. She had been suppressed by her opponent and forced into a precarious situation earlier; however, the Territory Lord was no longer a match for her. There was no helping it as his injuries were too severe. It was already impressive that he could bring out half of his full-strength
Under Feng Ying’s fierce onslaught that completely disregarded the damage she sustained, the third Territory Lord only managed to hold out for several breaths of time before he was slaughtered by her!
This was her first time killing a Territory Lord with her own hands after she advanced to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm! However, it was not that impressive a feat as without Yang Kai laying the foundation for her, she was the one who would have suffered a disastrous fate by now.
Feng Ying did not stop there though. Clad in a layer of sword light, she immediately spun around after defeating her opponent and rushed towards Yang Kai.
The two remaining Territory Lords, who had been waffling over their decision to fight or flee, did not hesitate for a moment longer. They were not confident about defeating Yang Kai in the first place, but not only was there another Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master coming to join the fight, they also sensed the other Warship rapidly closing in on them. Things would not end well for them if they were encircled by the enemy; hence, they immediately came to a decision. Their figures flashed, and they fled into the distance.
Yang Kai had taken precautions against their escape though, and seeing them flee, he surged his Space Principles and solidified the local space again. Unfortunately, his injuries were too severe now and he was unable to smoothly mobilize his strength.
If it were just one Territory Lord, he might have been able to restrain his opponent; however, the two Territory Lords cooperated and quickly broke open the blockade to escape.
Yang Kai grit his teeth and raised his spear to pursue. It was not easy to come across the opportunity to slaughter a Territory Lord, so how could he give up so easily? Now that three out of five Territory Lords were dead, killing the last two Territory Lords would be much easier.
Feng Ying followed closely behind while Yu Ru Meng and the others, who were rushing to provide support, also hastily adjusted their course. Aboard Dawning Light, the members of Dawn quickly followed suit after suppressing their injuries.
The two figures and two Warships doggedly moved to intercept the two Innate Territory Lords and in the blink of an eye, they had already crossed a million kilometres.
The persistence of their pursuers enraged the two Territory Lords. They had never suffered such humiliation in all the years since they left the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
[It’s all the fault of that damn Mo Na Ye for giving such an unclear message! We will make him pay for this!] The two Territory Lords vowed in their hearts, but then, their expressions abruptly stiffened as they looked up and stared into the distance.
There… seemed to be an ambush in that direction! Numerous Human Race Masters were waiting up ahead for them!
At the same time, a majestic palace soared through the void. The palace was extremely simple looking but had an ancient air about it. Moreover, there was a plaque above the main gates of the palace with the characters ‘Flowing Time’ emblazoned on it. Two figures stood in front of the palace gates, a young man and woman both dressed in white.
The young man and young woman stared at the approaching Innate Territory Lords, but not only did they seem unafraid, they even seemed excited. It was almost as though they had caught a big fish in their net.
They had clearly cultivated the same Secret Art, and under their joint efforts, the flow of time in the local region became distorted. From the enormous palace, 10,008 glowing grains of sand shot out and the two figures disappeared. The grains of sand flew towards the two Territory Lords and enveloped them, causing their sense of time to dramatically slow.
It was the work of Yang Xiao and Yang Xue!
They were the Inheritance Disciples of the Flowing Time Great Emperor, and ever since they inherited the Flowing Time Temple, they had been cultivating the Dao of Time diligently. In particular, the Dao of Time was Yang Xiao’s Bloodline Talent as he was part of the Dragon Clan. He could gain twice the result with half the effort when cultivating the Dao of Time, and thanks to his careful teaching and her innate talents, Yang Xue also shone brilliantly in this extremely esoteric Grand Dao. At present, their attainments in the Dao of Time had reached an incredible height.
Nevertheless, they were not arrogant or overconfident. They knew that they were no match for a Territory Lord, so they did not attempt to actually harm the two Territory Lords. The gap in their strength was simply too wide for that to be a realistic plan. On the contrary, their goal was only to hinder the escape of the two Territory Lords. Even if they could only delay them for a single breath, it would be enough!
If it were an ordinary Black Ink Clansman, they would have had a hard time defending against such a mysterious Secret Technique; however, the strength of the two Innate Territory Lords was enormous. There was no need for them to search for flaws in this Secret Technique to break through, they simply surged the Black Ink Strength in their bodies as they threw out a punch in unison. In the face of overwhelming force, all tricks and tactics become meaningless!
With a single blow, the flying sand that covered the entire area abruptly recoiled and the giant palace which had seemingly vanished reappeared and was sent tumbling through the void. Under the violent impact, the Flowing Time Temple rumbled loudly as countless cracks appeared all over it. Simultaneously, both Yang Xiao and Yang Xue who were standing at the palace gates coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.
“Impudence!” One of the Territory Lords was livid. [How dare a mere pair of Humans in the Seventh and Sixth-Order block our way just because they have the support of mysterious Secret Techniques?]
Even if they did not dare to confront the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from earlier, how could they fail to defeat a Seventh-Order and a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters?
Just as they were about to unleash a barrage of ruthless attacks, a Warship emerged from behind the Flowing Time Temple and Zhao Ya’s beautiful figure charged out. With an ice-cold expression on her face, she unleashed a barrage of spear shadows that pierced forward with an indomitable spirit.
To her left, the honest-looking Zhao Ye Bai channelled Space Principles into the spear, causing it to become even more blurred and unpredictable. From the right, Time Principles surged and gathered around Xu Yi’s body before he channelled them into Zhao Ya’s spear like Zhao Ye Bai had.
Instantly, Time Principles merged with Space Principles to form a brand-new form of strength.
The three Disciples were highly accomplished in their respective cultivation, and even though each of them had inherited a different Grand Dao from Yang Kai, the long years they spent together gave them an innate understanding and familiarity with each other’s strengths. In turn, this allowed them to work together and achieve the perfect combination attack. This was a Secret Technique that the three of them developed to merge their strengths and defeat more powerful enemies.
The burst of power unleashed by these three Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters was comparable to the attack of an ordinary Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Furthermore, the spear technique had a clear semblance to the one Yang Kai had used.
The two Territory Lords were horrified. Yang Kai’s Sun and Moon Divine Wheel had injured them earlier, and the Space-Time Strength from that attack lingered around their bodies even now. Therefore, it came as a great shock for the combined attack of these three Seventh-Order Humans to contain a trace of that same mysterious Space-Time Strength.
[These three must be related to that Eighth-Order Master from earlier! They are most likely Master and Disciples!]
They immediately made a swift decision in their hearts and unleashed a barrage of ruthless attacks. Under the effect of the violently surging Black Ink Strength, Zhao Ya, Zhao Ye Bai, and Xu Yi convulsed as though struck by lightning. Their complexions turned deathly pale in an instant, and they each spat out a mouthful of blood.
Without waiting for the enemy to strike again, Zhao Ye Bai made a decisive move, wrapping his Space Principles around his Junior Brother and Junior Sister, then forcefully teleporting them 100,000 kilometres away. The Secret Technique unleashed by one of the Territory Lords blasted out only to hit empty space. Nevertheless, the fallout still swept over the trio and sent them flying even further away.
At that moment, three more figures rushed out from behind the surging Black Ink Strength. One of them was a small Stone Man. Leaping through the Black Ink Cloud, he hammered his chest with his fists and gave a deafening roar. At the same time, his small body swelled rapidly and abruptly transformed into a towering giant.
Divine Spirit, Tai Yue!
Xiao Xiao swiped at the two Territory Lords but failed to grab them in his hands, though the reckless effort caused countless broken pieces of rock to tumble down his massive arms.
This attack was followed up by a piercing Phoenix Cry as a scorching flame spread across the void. A Fire Phoenix emerged out of nowhere and opened its mouth to spew burning flames towards the two Territory Lords, warping the surrounding space with the intensity of their heat.
Qiong Qi also charged forward, his figure darting about as his claws slashed out.
Aboard the Bi Xi Battleship, Xiao Hong and Xiao Hei used various Secret Techniques to bombard the enemy from range, while even Bi Xi’s Soul Clone charged forward menacingly.
The two Territory Lords were absolutely incensed now.
This annoying band had hit them with a rapid succession of attacks, and as a result, they did not have time to catch their breath, annoying them greatly. Under normal circumstances, these attacks would not have fazed this pair in the slightest, but what was the current situation? They were desperately fleeing for their lives with two Eighth-Order Masters and two incredibly powerful Warships chasing after them. If they did not escape now, they would soon follow in the footsteps of their three other companions.
“Scram!” One of the Territory Lords roared, causing a violent force to spread out in all directions.
Xiao Xiao, Liu Yan, Qiong Qi, and even Bi Xi’s Soul Clone were instantly sent flying and became dizzy from the impact.
Although none of them were weak, there was still a significant gap between them and an Innate Territory Lord; hence, the all-out assault of the Territory Lords wiped out all their attacks in an instant and even struck them hard.
Nevertheless, that was enough.
In the brief moment their Squad held back these two Territory Lords, Yang Kai, Feng Ying, Dawning Light, and the other Bi Xi Battleship arrived and immediately surrounded the two Territory Lords from all sides.
A huge battle immediately broke out with countless Secret Techniques and Divine Abilities blasted forth. Groans of pain could be heard among the numerous explosions as this confrontation was an all-out life-and-death battle where no one held anything back.
All of a sudden, a hole opened in the encirclement. The two Territory Lords did not hesitate to seize the opportunity and escape through the gap. One of them fled so swiftly that he was a mere dot on the horizon in the blink of an eye. Even Yang Kai failed to stop his escape. On the other hand, the second Territory Lord was one step slower and Yang Kai’s spear swept towards him before he could rush through the opening.
“Stay behind!”
A violent force erupted, forcing the Territory Lord to retreat helplessly in a fit of anger and frustration. He was instantly surrounded again.
Yang Kai did not waste his time on this Territory Lord and hastily sent a Divine Sense transmission to Feng Ying, “I’ll leave things here to you!”
Then, he chased after the Territory Lord who fled earlier.
With the combination of Feng Ying, Dawn, Yu Ru Meng’s Squad, and the group of little ones, they were enough to compete against this Territory Lord. Besides, Yang Kai did not expect them to kill him, just keep him trapped here. He was going to kill the escaped Territory Lord first, then return to deal with the last one.
Space Principles fluctuated wildly as Yang Kai quickly closed in on the escaped Territory Lord; however, his expression changed drastically before he could attack the other party. At the edge of his Divine Sense’s perception range, he detected five mighty auras approaching rapidly from afar.
[There are five more Territory Lords here!?] Yang Kai was thoroughly shocked.
He had initially assumed that the five Territory Lords he encountered were the main force of the Black Ink Clan in Acacia Territory. Even if the five Territory Lords did not make up the entire force, they should account for most of it; after all, there were only so many Territory Lords so they could not be mobilised easily. Who could have known that there would actually be 10 Territory Lords here? Yang Kai never even dreamed that Mo Na Ye, the Territory Lord who oversaw Acacia Territory, would think so highly of him.
After learning that Yang Kai had left Profound Nether Territory and might be heading to Acacia Territory, Mo Na Ye immediately called for reinforcements, but the five Territory Lords who came were extremely unlucky. Before they could meet up with Mo Na Ye, they encountered Yang Kai along the way. As a result, three of them were dead and the other two were wounded.
While Yang Kai was stunned, Mo Na Ye was on the verge of spitting blood.
If Mo Na Ye could gather the strength of 10 Territory Lords, then Yang Kai would not have been able to cause much trouble regardless of his immense strength. Information about Yang Kai came from Profound Nether Territory, and after analysing it, Mo Na Ye did not hesitate to double the number of Territory Lords for this mission. Unfortunately, the five Territory Lords who came as reinforcements seemed to be rather ignorant about Yang Kai; otherwise, they would not have suffered such heavy casualties.
As soon as Mo Na Ye detected the traces of battle in this direction, he immediately led the four other Territory Lords over to provide support. He did not bother to bring any of his subordinates as, in a battle of this level, anybody who was not a Territory Lord would only end up dead.
It was a pity that the commotion caused by the death of the third Territory Lord spread out before they could arrive. There were now just two Territory Lords from their reinforcements left!
From a distance, Mo Na Ye could see the distressed figure of the fleeing Territory Lord.
Yang Kai’s appearance was just as miserable as the fleeing Territory Lord, but the death of the latter’s three companions left him with no courage to fight back alone. Who knows whether this Human was deliberately acting weak to seek an opportunity to kill him?
Upon detecting the auras of Mo Na Ye and the other Territory Lords, the fleeing Territory Lord was overjoyed and rushed towards them with all his might.
“Protect your Soul!” Mo Na Ye shouted a warning hastily.
According to initial speculations, the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master named Yang Kai had a Secret Technique that could severely injure his opponent’s Soul in an instant, allowing him to finish a one-on-one battle against a Territory Lord in a single move. Faced with an enemy like Yang Kai, it was vital for them to protect their Souls in order to survive.
The fleeing Territory Lord was no fool, so after hearing Mo Na Ye’s warning, he recalled the scenes of his three companions’ deaths earlier. Realisation struck him suddenly, and he quickly surged his Spiritual Energy to protect his Soul.
[Bastard!] Yang Kai cursed in his heart.
It would seem that he had used his Soul Rending Thorns too many times, which caused the Territory Lords to notice the flaw in this method. This was within his expectations though. Although the Soul Rending Thorn itself was practically invisible once activated, the large fluctuation of Spiritual Energy could not be hidden from those who were paying attention.
Not only did he use his Soul Rending Thorns to consecutively kill so many Territory Lords, he also activated this Secret Technique right in front of the Royal Lord at the No-Return Pass. If the Black Ink Clan failed to notice anything after so long, then something must be wrong with their heads.
It was just that the Soul Rending Thorns were extremely overpowering because they were fueled by the sacrifice of part of Yang Kai’s Soul. Even if the Territory Lords defended themselves, they could not block out the effects completely.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai no longer had the confidence to swiftly slaughter this fleeing Territory Lord. If he could not kill his opponent in one move, then his opponent would only need to restrain him for a moment before the other five Territory Lords arrived as reinforcements. Once that happened, the one stuck in an unfavourable situation would be him.
After a moment of hesitation, Yang Kai thrust out his spear one last time before turning around without looking back. Since he could not slay his enemy, he decided to give up. Besides, there was another Territory Lord who was trapped behind him. Killing that Territory Lord would be good enough.
The fleeing Territory Lord guarded his Soul carefully after receiving Mo Na Ye’s warning, but contrary to his expectations, it was Yang Kai’s spear that stabbed forward and made a mess of his back. He cursed angrily in his heart, not knowing whether to thank Mo Na Ye or scold him.
Mo Na Ye roared from the distance, “Stop him!”
How could he bear to watch Yang Kai escape? Three Territory Lords had been killed in such a short time, so it would be difficult for him to explain the situation to the higher-ups if they failed to kill Yang Kai here.
Unfortunately, they were still some distance away; as such, he could only call out to the lone Territory Lord who was being chased by Yang Kai.
That Territory Lord naturally ignored Mo Na Ye. It had not been easy for him to escape alive, so his top priority was to join up with his allies as quickly as possible. Staying alive was his primary objective now. If he turned around and pursued Yang Kai instead, he might find himself in a precarious situation if the latter was forced into a corner. Mo Na Ye and the others would not be able to rescue him in time.
A short while later, the six Territory Lords gathered together and Mo Na Ye was practically spitting fire from his eyes. Glaring fiercely at the Territory Lord who looked scared after narrowly escaping death, he roared, “You Gong, are you deaf!? I told you to stop him!”
The Territory Lord called You Gong sneered coldly in response, “If I had tried to stop him, I’d be dead by now!”
[It’s because you didn’t see how easily he killed the others that you can even say something so stupid! If you saw what I saw back there, you’d run even faster than I did!]
Mo Na Ye ground his teeth in frustration; nonetheless, now was not the time to quarrel among themselves. There was still the aura of another Territory Lord coming from up ahead and they had to rescue him as soon as possible, or it would be too late.
“Follow him!” He shouted before leading the other five Territory Lords and rushing forward.
On the other side, the trapped Territory Lord was filled with rage. The people who had trapped him in this place could not be considered very strong. There was only one Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master among them, and she was clearly not his opponent at all.
Unfortunately, the other side had a massive numerical advantage, with almost 30 enemies on par with Seventh-Order Masters alone, many of whom were powerful Divine Spirits.
Two other Warships did not resemble ordinary Warships. On the contrary, they seemed to be the incarnation of a Divine Spirit with extremely thick skin. Thanks to their strong defence, most of the attacks from the Territory Lord were successfully blocked by these two Warships.
As the saying went, ‘A cornered beast will undoubtedly fight back’. That was the best portrayal of the Territory Lord in his current situation. His numerous attempts to break free had been stopped by the forces surrounding him; hence, he was feeling very vexed. He initially rushed here in high spirits as reinforcements only to fall into such a miserable state not long after he arrived at Acacia Territory.
It would have been one thing if his opponent was a Human Race Master he could not defeat. There was nothing much to complain about if his skills were inferior to the enemy. However, the key point was that these people were not such opponents. He could easily kill any one of them in a single blow if they were on their own, but they were extremely hard to handle when they teamed up against him. At this moment, he truly understood the meaning behind the Human saying, ‘Two fists cannot not block four strikes’.
While he was fighting, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. It felt as though his Soul had been sliced open by a mysterious force. The agony was not something he had ever experienced in his life and for a time, he lost control of his strength entirely.
[Shit!] The Territory Lord was panicking now. Any careless mistake could lead to eternal doom in a life and death battle, what more a sudden loss of strength due to damage to his Soul. He knew that he had been ambushed, but he could not figure out how.
In the next moment, countless attacks rained down on him from all directions, and under the violent and chaotic storm, his aura abruptly vanished without a trace! The fourth Territory Lord was dead!
Only a cup of tea’s time had passed since Yang Kai began his assault, but in that short span, the fallout caused by the death of four Territory Lords had already spread throughout Acacia Territory.
“Damn!” Mo Na Ye, who was pursuing Yang Kai, nearly went mad with rage. He had requested five Territory Lords as reinforcements, confident that 10 of them would be enough to defeat Yang Kai. However, he never imagined that You Gong would be the only survivor out of the five sent in such a short time.
For a time, he couldn’t help feeling vexed. If he had known earlier, he would have brought the other Territory Lords to meet their reinforcements immediately. He had not expected Yang Kai to arrive so quickly, or for the five Territory Lords he invited to die so easily.
You Gong also had an ugly expression on his face, but a greater part of him was filled with relief. If not for his swift escape just now, the one being killed right now would have been him instead.
[That Human… How can he be so strong?]
All the current Innate Territory Lords came directly from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Seeing as every one of them was exceedingly powerful, they were confident and arrogant about their strength. They did not think highly of the Eighth-Order Human Masters, so only the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors could frighten them.
It was not until today that You Gong finally learned something new. The Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were not the only ones who could kill them. There was also an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master whose strength was beyond imagination!
“Let’s go!” On the battlefield ahead, Yang Kai’s complexion was deathly pale. He gave a low roar and activated Space Principles to envelope a large part of the void before hurriedly bringing the others with him in a quick escape. They had to flee now; otherwise, the tides would turn on them and the situation would be reversed.
Although they had not suffered any casualties so far, every single one of them had been wounded in the battle and they could no longer exert their full strength. It was mostly thanks to fortuitous timing that they managed to slaughter four Territory Lords in a row, with the other reason being that these five Territory Lords had been overly careless. If they had not split up to chase after Dawning Light and the Bi Xi Battleship, Yang Kai would not have had the opportunity to make a move.
With the deaths of four Territory Lords serving as an example, the other six would no longer be so easy to handle.
If those six Territory Lords caught up to Yang Kai and the others, Yang Kai was the only one with the confidence to escape alive. The others would most likely lose their lives here; therefore, they had to escape immediately. The faster they fled, the better!
Yang Kai’s head was aching after unleashing three Soul Rending Thorns in a row and fighting four Territory Lords to varying degrees, so it was very difficult for him to perform consecutive Instantaneous Movements with three whole Squads in tow. Not to mention, the Dawn was a Special Operations Squad, so instead of a dozen members, they had 50. The more people there were, the greater Yang Kai’s burden. If not for the time constraints, he would have preferred to open his Small Universe for the rest to enter as that would have made things more convenient for him to escape.
Fortunately, he was not the only person who was proficient in the Dao of Space in this group.
Zhao Ye Bai was Yang Kai’s First Disciple. Having been born in Void World, he boasted an inherently high affinity with the Dao of Space. Now that he was in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm, his attainments in the Dao of Space were considered extraordinary even if he could not compare with his Honoured Master.
With Zhao Ye Bai’s support, Yang Kai’s burden was reduced significantly.
Even though it was a long-awaited reunion between Master and Disciple, they were forced to flee for their lives before they could even reminisce about the past. In addition, Yang Kai was severely wounded in the previous battle, so it was only natural for Zhao Ye Bai to step up and contribute under such circumstances. Thus, he mustered all his strength and pushed his Space Principles to the limit.
During the cat-and-mouse chase, they travelled across several tens of millions of kilometres.
Behind them, Mo Na Ye and the other Territory Lords were furious! They initially assumed that it would be easy for them to hunt down the weakened and injured Humans, but who could have known that they would be left behind in the dust of their opponents instead?
The Royal Lord was right. Yang Kai’s ability to escape was unparalleled. It was no wonder that the Royal Lord himself was helpless against Yang Kai at the No-Return Pass.
“They are trying to escape from the Great Territory!” One of the Territory Lords shouted.
The direction in which Yang Kai and the others were escaping was obvious. They were heading towards one of the Territory Gates in Acacia Territory, and their intentions were as clear as day.
This was the most logical choice. With so many injured and six powerful Territory Lords chasing them from behind, it was only natural for Yang Kai’s group to find a quiet place to reorganise themselves as soon as possible. Leaving the Great Territory was the best option as it would not be too late for them to return for revenge after they had recovered.
Seeing as Yang Kai managed to kill four Territory Lords this time, he would surely have another opportunity to kill a few more once he was back at his peak. How many more Territory Lords in the Black Ink Clan would he kill after that? By the time he finished terrorising the Black Ink Clan, the situation in Acacia Territory would fall apart on its own.
“In your dreams!” Mo Na Ye coldly snorted and hurriedly sent out a message.
A short while later, a Feudal Lord with an impressive aura stood in front of the Territory Gate and shouted at the top of his voice, “Sir Mo Na Ye has issued a command! Several Human Race Masters are heading in this direction, and we must stop them at all costs!”
The Black Ink Clan Army of a million troops responded fervently and swiftly got into formation.
This Territory Gate was the same one that Bi Xi’s Soul Clone had wanted to escape with the little ones through, but what none of them knew was that the Black Ink Clan had swiftly deployed an army of a million troops to block this Territory Gate after Yang Kai entered Acacia Territory.
An hour later, a group of people swiftly approached the Territory Gate. Yang Kai looked up and saw a sea of Black Ink Clansmen spreading out into the horizon. The Black Ink Clan Army stood strong outside the Territory Gate, forming a tight barricade around it. Looking at the scale, Yang Kai judged there to be at least a million troops.
Yang Kai could not help cursing at the sight as he wondered why there were so many Black Ink Clansmen here.
An army of a million was certainly not small. Even if he did not detect the aura of a Territory Lord coming from that direction, it would not be easy for him to break through such a blockade. Besides, the Black Ink Clan Army was practically burning with fighting spirit. It was obvious that they had prepared themselves for an intense battle. The Territory Lords chasing from behind must have given them an order to fight to the death to stop them.
[We can’t head this way anymore.]
Under normal circumstances, it would not have been difficult for Yang Kai to break through the Black Ink Clan Army’s barricade, even if they had a million troops on their side. He had the confidence to succeed, eventually, but the circumstances this time were different. Six Territory Lords were chasing after him, so even a slight delay would lead to a disastrous end.
[Damn it, why are there so many Black Ink Clansmen in Acacia Territory instead of on the front lines of the war!?] Helpless, Yang Kai could only change direction and speed towards the next nearest Territory Gate.
One day later, Yang Kai nearly thought that he had gone back to the same Territory Gate when he arrived at the second one and saw another million-strong Black Ink Clan Army.
[What’s going on? It’s just Acacia Territory. Isn’t this an insignificant place? Even if there are Human Race survivors trapped here, is there a need for the Black Ink Clan to mobilise so much manpower? Or, could it be because of me?]
At this moment, Yang Kai had the vague realization that the unexpected incidents in Acacia Territory were related to him, and he was correct.
In the beginning, the Black Ink Clan only planned to use the Human refugees trapped in Acacia Territory to lure out some Hunters and did not deploy many troops or Masters here. After all, 100,000 troops was more than enough to block a Territory Gate as the Human Masters they were expecting to face weren’t that strong or united.
After receiving the news from Profound Nether Territory though, Mo Na Ye deduced that Yang Kai would most likely appear in Acacia Territory. Hence, he hastily mobilised the armies from the nearby Great Territories and invited five additional Territory Lords over as reinforcements. That was how the current line-up was formed.
It would now seem that he indeed had great foresight. With a million troops guarding each Territory Gate, even Yang Kai would not dare to force his way through under the current circumstances.
There were five Territory Gates in Acacia Territory, but based on the situation at the two consecutive Territory Gates he visited, Yang Kai felt there was no need to check the situation at the three other Territory Gates. It was almost a given that the Black Ink Clan would also have heavy defences around those Territory Gates.
At this point, Yang Kai was barely holding on, while Zhao Ye Bai was about to reach his limits. He was wounded in the first place, so after supporting Yang Kai for so long, the burden was too much for him. It was just that he had a stubborn personality, so even though he was as pale as a sheet, he did not utter a single complaint.
“Hurry up and enter my Small Universe!” In the middle of their escape, Yang Kai shouted and opened the portal to his Small Universe.
At this point, he had no choice but to gamble. Once Zhao Ye Bai became exhausted, he would have to facilitate the escape of so many people with his strength alone. Under those circumstances, it would only be a matter of time before their enemies caught up to them.
When Yang Kai opened the portal to his Small Universe, the others did not hesitate and quickly poured inside.
During this brief delay, the six Territory Lords pursuing them quickly closed the distance with Mo Na Ye looking overjoyed as he roared, “Humans! Today you die!”
Immediately after that, the six Territory Lords joined forces and attacked in unison.
The surging Black Ink Strength caused both Yang Kai and Feng Ying to cough up blood. Even Yang Kai’s Small Universe was shaken by the aftermath because he failed to close the portal in time.
Fortunately for him, nothing serious happened since there was a World Tree clone in his Small Universe to shelter it from external forces. Otherwise, the impact would have been enough to put his Small Universe at risk of destruction.
The others, including Bi Xi’s Soul Clone, could enter Yang Kai’s Small Universe to hide, but Feng Ying could not. That was because she was also in the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, the same as Yang Kai.
Yang Kai and Feng Ying’s injuries became increasingly severe, but before the six Territory Lords arrived, Yang Kai grabbed Feng Ying and vanished from the spot with a flash. It was a pity they could not run very far before the Territory Lords would track down their location and pursue them again.
Yang Kai swore fiercely in his heart, [Just you wait. I will definitely pay you back for this humiliation one day!]
Seeing as the Black Ink Clan Army had blockaded two Territory Gates, the same was most likely true for the remaining three. In other words, there was no way for them to leave Acacia Territory. In addition to the pursuit of the six Territory Lords, they were in a desperate situation indeed.
At this moment, there was only one place left for them to go.
Upon making his decision, Yang Kai focused on making his escape. Compared to how mighty he seemed earlier when he slaughtered those Territory Lords, he was now fleeing with his tail between his legs. It truly was the perfect example of karmic retribution. Now that the tides of fortune had turned on him, he was helpless.
“They’re heading towards the Universe Cave Heaven!” One of the Territory Lords quickly figured out Yang Kai’s intentions.
The two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were heading towards the location of a Universe Cave Heaven in Acacia Territory. It was also the place where the other Human refugees in Acacia Territory were hiding at the moment.
The Black Ink Clan only came across this place by accident. The main reason was that the Human Race Masters left the Universe Cave Heaven to investigate the situation in Acacia Territory and accidentally revealed their whereabouts. That was how they were targeted by the Black Ink Clan.
A Universe Cave Heaven was generally hidden in the Void, so if one did not know its precise location and the method to open its portal, it was very difficult for an ordinary person to discover. Even a Territory Lord was no exception to this rule.
Back on the Black Ink Battlefield, there were numerous Universe Paradises and Universe Cave Heavens scattered around each Great Pass thanks to the innumerable Human Race Masters who died in battle. It was a pity that nobody could open these Universe Paradises and Universe Cave Heavens.
In the end, Yang Kai took matters into his own hands and opened these portals. His actions allowed various Great Passes such as Blue Sky Pass and Yin-Yang Pass to set up traps and ambushes in these locations. It was thanks to this method that they massacred large numbers of Black Ink Clansmen.
At present, a Black Ink Clan Army was standing guard outside the Universe Cave Heaven. They had no intention of attacking, only forming a siege around the trapped Humans inside to lure out Hunters who came here to rescue them.
The Humans hiding in the Universe Cave Heaven did not dare to emerge carelessly; after all, there was no particularly strong Master among their ranks. Now that they were besieged by the Black Ink Clan, they could only wait for their deaths; thus, they passed each day in fear and anxiety.
If the location of the Universe Cave Heaven had not been exposed, then they would not have faced any trouble whatsoever. No matter how many Black Ink Clansmen there were, the enemy would not be able to figure out the location of the Universe Cave Heaven if they were not proficient in the Dao of Space. Unfortunately, the location of the portal had been exposed, so it was now very easy for the Black Ink Clan to attack them. They only needed enough Black Ink Clansmen to unleash a fierce onslaught in the direction of the portal to shatter the Void and force it open.
There was no need for too many Black Ink Clansmen. In fact, if two Innate Territory Lords joined forces, it would only take them about half a day to forcefully break open the portal. At that time, none of the Humans hiding within would survive. It was only because the Black Ink Clan wanted to use these Humans here as bait to lure out as many Hunters as possible that those inside the Universe Cave Heaven hadn’t been wiped out a long time ago.
The Black Ink Clan Army was heavily guarding all five Territory Gates in Acacia Territory at the moment. In addition, there were Six Territory Lords doggedly chasing after Yang Kai and Feng Ying.
For Yang Kai, there was only one place they could go to seek shelter under these circumstances.
He knew about the location of this Universe Cave Heaven as, before departing for Acacia Territory, he had already gathered all the necessary information regarding the situation here.
However, he only knew the general position and not the exact location of the Universe Cave Heaven. That was not a problem though for he was a master of the Dao of Space.
Besides, if his guess was right, there would be a Black Ink Clan Army standing guard outside the portal. He only needed to find the location of that Black Ink Clan Army to find the location of the portal. Right now, he could only hope that there were not many enemy troops stationed outside the Universe Cave Heaven. If the Black Ink Clan had another army of a million troops waiting there, he would be in trouble.
Regardless, Yang Kai had no time to consider these matters. His greatest priority was figuring out a method to create some distance from their pursuers. He would need some time to open the portal when he arrived there, so if the Territory Lords chasing him were too close, he would not have enough time to work.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, an idea formed in Yang Kai’s heart.
He excelled at shaking off pursuers. Back when he caused such a huge commotion at the No-Return Pass, even a Royal Lord could not do anything to him, so what were a few Innate Territory Lords worth? It was just that his injuries made manipulating Space Principles difficult. Otherwise, with only Feng Ying travelling with him, he could have flung off his pursuers a long time ago.
A short while later, Yang Kai and Feng Ying abruptly split up and fled in two different directions. The six Territory Lords chasing behind them were momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events before Mo Na Ye gave a low roar, “Split up and chase them!”
The two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were heavily wounded, so Mo Na Ye refused to let a single one escape alive.
You Gong suddenly noticed that the scene in front of him felt very familiar, and upon further consideration, he realised something. [Isn’t this the same situation I encountered when I was travelling with the five Territory Lords who came here as reinforcements?]
At the time, the two Warships abruptly separated and escaped in different directions. The five Territory Lords responded by dividing their forces and giving chase. In the end, Yang Kai hid in the shadows and took the opportunity to ambush them.
[It’s the same thing all over again! This must be part of that Human’s schemes!]
After suffering a terrible loss earlier, You Gong was very wary of Yang Kai; thus, he immediately objected, “We must not split up! We will be defeated by that Human one by one if we do so!”
Mo Na Ye glanced over at You Gong coldly, disdain overflowing from his eyes. [How dare he question my decision at such a critical juncture!?]
“Split up and give chase! Protect your Soul so that you don’t end up being ambushed by him!”
Time was running out, so Mo Na Ye had no time to waste on You Gong and simply repeated his orders with greater emphasis. Yang Kai’s strength was terrifying indeed, but even he had his limits. As long as they took the necessary precautions, it would not be difficult to deal with him.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the six Territory Lords divided into two groups. One group chased after Yang Kai while the other pursued Feng Ying.
You Gong stuck tightly to Mo Na Ye’s side. Among all the Territory Lords present, Mo Na Ye was the strongest. If any unexpected situations were to occur, he was certain that staying by Mo Na Ye’s side would be the safest option.
How could Mo Na Ye fail to realise what You Gong was thinking? The very thought enraged him. [Has You Gong been scared out of his wits!? How is he also considered an Innate Territory Lord!? How embarrassing!]
However, now was not the time for internal squabbles. Their top priority was to eliminate the two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. As for You Gong… He would be sent back to the No-Return Pass to receive his punishment after this incident. Territory Lords were also needed to oversee the Black Ink Clan’s new conquests, so with You Gong being heavily injured, it would be just right for him to be stuck with such a tedious mission.
Observing the figure that flickered around from time to time in a frantic attempt to escape, Mo Na Ye’s expression turned gloomy. How could he fail to see that Yang Kai was heavily injured?
That might be the reason why Yang Kai could not completely escape their pursuit; after all, according to the information from the No-Return Pass, he was perfectly capable of escaping the pursuit of the Royal Lord. There was no reason why he would have such a hard time with the pursuit of mere Territory Lords.
[This time… We might have the chance to eliminate him once and for all! No, we must get rid of him now! If we miss this opportunity, then we will never have such a good opportunity again!] Mo Na Ye made a swift decision and put more effort into chasing Yang Kai.
10 breaths later, both parties travelled several hundred thousand kilometres when all of a sudden, Yang Kai’s fleeing figure distorted and disappeared without any warning. This situation had already been repeated many times, so Mo Na Ye did not panic. He immediately released his Divine Sense and investigated his surroundings. It didn’t take long before he found Yang Kai’s whereabouts, but frowning, he turned to look in a certain direction and discovered that Yang Kai had joined up with that woman again.
[What the Hell is he doing? If he wants to flee separately, then why did he meet back up with her? Unable to understand Yang Kai’s intentions, he could only lead You Gong and the other Territory Lords in that direction.
Mo Na Ye could not understand Yang Kai’s intentions, but for Yang Kai, the truth was simply that he could not remain separated any longer. Feng Ying would be in danger if he did not return.
He could make use of Space Principles which allowed him to swiftly escape, but Feng Ying could not. Her strength was inferior in the first place, and her speed could not compare with the three Territory Lords pursuing her.
In just a few breaths of time, the distance between Feng Ying and the three Territory Lords chasing behind her was already at the limits. If Yang Kai did not return, she would have been in trouble by now.
When Yang Kai returned to Feng Ying’s side, he immediately surged his World Force to wrap around her; then, he continued running forward with her. After running together for some time, they separated again.
This time around, the three Territory Lords chasing behind them were dumbfounded.
When Yang Kai and Feng Ying separated for the first time, the six Territory Lords had no trouble splitting up to give chase; however, there were only three of them here right now. How were they supposed to divide their forces? Faced with an opponent like Yang Kai who could cut down a Territory Lord as though he was reaping wheat, who would dare to act alone? Whoever dared to move alone was bound to die.
They finally figured out Yang Kai’s plan at this moment. Even Mo Na Ye, who was rushing over in a hurry, realised what Yang Kai was aiming for and shouted from afar, “Forget Yang Kai! Chase the woman!”
There were two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, but while Yang Kai was difficult to handle, could the same be said for the Human woman? They only needed to keep a close watch on the woman; after all, Yang Kai would never choose to escape alone. As long as they caught up to her, then she was as good as dead!
The three Territory Lords stopped hesitating and immediately chased after Feng Ying; meanwhile, Mo Na Ye changed directions and went after Yang Kai instead.
A short while later, Yang Kai joined up with Feng Ying again and desperately escaped with her, but it was not long before they went their separate ways once more.
“Paltry tricks!” Mo Na Ye coldly snorted. He firmly believed that Yang Kai was doing this in an attempt to separate them. Under these circumstances, there was no need to bother about Yang Kai though, it was enough for them to just pursue the woman.
[Yang Kai must be out of tricks. How can he keep repeating such obvious and childish tactics? It’s not like I’m a fool. How could I fail to notice what he was up to?]
The same situation repeated a few more times. Be that as it may, the two groups of Territory Lords maintained their targets without wavering. One group of three chased after Feng Ying while the other chased after Yang Kai.
An hour later, Yang Kai suddenly stopped and turned to look back at his pursuers after repeatedly separating from and meeting back up with Feng Ying over a dozen times.
[Is he not escaping anymore? He must be unable to run any further!] The Territory Lords were overjoyed. If they had to be honest, it was extremely exhausting for them to chase after somebody like Yang Kai, who was so excellent at escaping. The most important point was that they couldn’t even catch him, which was an extremely annoying and vexing situation.
However, Yang Kai was no longer trying to run. What did that mean? That meant that he no longer had the strength to flee and was preparing to fight to the death.
Were the Territory Lords afraid of him? If they were alone, then they had to admit that they were scared of him; after all, it only took a moment for Yang Kai to slaughter a Territory Lord. His explosive power was terrifying.
But now, there were six Territory Lords in two groups of three. What was there to fear? As long as they guarded their Souls carefully, then Yang Kai was no match for them whatsoever. Compared to the endless cat-and-mouse chase, they preferred to fight Yang Kai face to face!
The distance between both parties closed swiftly, but be that as it may, Mo Na Ye did not relax his vigilance. While gathering his power, he sent a Divine Sense transmission to the other Territory Lords, “Remain cautious! We should attack in unison. It would be best if we could kill him in one blow!”
The rest of the Territory Lords nodded in agreement and quietly prepared themselves.
In the void up ahead, Yang Kai looked at the two groups of Territory Lords approaching him from both sides and snickered, “See you later!”
After saying that, the space around him warped.
[Is he running again?] Furious, Mo Na Ye roared, “Attack!”
Six mighty attacks blasted towards Yang Kai from two different directions. Black Ink Strength surged as it reached its target, erupting with a violent explosion.
Without waiting for the dust to settle, Mo Na Ye spread out his Divine Sense and investigated the surroundings, but found nothing at all. He had previously been able to locate the other party’s whereabouts almost immediately after Yang Kai escaped, but this time, there was no trace of him or his female companion at all.
Mo Na Ye looked up again and saw that the Void in the direction they had attacked had collapsed. The destructive power of the joint strike of six Territory Lords was overwhelming. Even a Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would not choose to take such an attack directly. It was not that an Old Ancestor could not withstand such a blow, but that they did not need to do such things. As for an Eighth-Order Human, this impact was more than enough to destroy their body.
“Is he dead?” You Gong murmured under his breath in disbelief.
Yang Kai and that woman had completely vanished without a trace. Even expanding his Divine Sense to its limits, he could not sense the slightest trace of aura from them.
[Did that powerful Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, who killed four out of five Territory Lords in less than a cup of tea’s time, die just like that? Is he really dead? Was he blown apart to the point where not a single bone remained?]
“That can’t be right!” He suddenly realised something. The death of an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master was bound to cause a large disturbance.
Having killed countless Human Race Masters on the battlefield, You Gong knew that upon death, the Small Universe of an Open Heaven Realm Master violently ruptured more often than not, and the greater their strength, the greater the commotion caused by this explosion. Even if their Small Universe did not rupture though, it would still appear briefly before burrowing into the Void and becoming a Universe Paradise or a Universe Cave Heaven.
It was true that Yang Kai and the woman had vanished without a trace, but there were no accompanying signs to indicate their deaths. Even You Gong had figured out this point, so naturally the others had their doubts as well.
Mo Na Ye’s expression was extremely solemn. His Divine Sense spread out like a tidal wave, constantly exploring into the distance, yet he still failed to detect Yang Kai’s whereabouts. There were only two possibilities that could explain this situation. The first possibility was that Yang Kai was dead, but that was extremely unlikely. The second possibility was that Yang Kai was outside his detection range.
One of the Territory Lords stepped forward to examine the scene, and it didn’t take long before he shook his head and announced, “There are no signs of blood. He probably survived!”
At this moment, Mo Na Ye sensed something. Turning his head to look in a certain direction, he cursed vehemently, “Bastard!”
He finally discovered some unusual spatial fluctuations that were very familiar to him at an extremely distant point. They were the traces left behind whenever Yang Kai activated Space Principles.
[How did he teleport that far?] He simply could not understand. Having seen the way Yang Kai escaped earlier, Mo Na Ye could tell that Yang Kai was heavily wounded. The distance Yang Kai’s figure could teleport had also been quite limited all this time; however, now, Yang Kai had managed to flee to a place that was beyond his detection range in a single leap. That was why he failed to detect the other party’s whereabouts immediately.
[He’s heading towards that Universe Cave Heaven again!]
“After him!” Mo Na Ye was livid. Rallying the other Territory Lords, he sped in the direction where the Universe Cave Heaven was located. At the same time, he sent a message to the Black Ink Clan Army and ordered them to form a heavy guard around the portal. No matter what, he could not allow Yang Kai to enter that Universe Cave Heaven.
At this moment, Yang Kai was urging his power to wrap around Feng Ying while fleeing desperately. He even coughed up blood from time to time. His injuries were severe in the first place, and after the latest battle of wits, his wounds had only worsened. It was lucky that he managed to escape the pursuit of the six Territory Lords with the help of a Space Beacon; otherwise, he would have been in deep trouble by now.
Mo Na Ye had wrongly assumed that Yang Kai was trying to divide the Territory Lords by repeatedly separating and meeting back with Feng Ying. The truth was far from that. After suffering the previous losses, how could the Territory Lords dare to act alone so easily? Yang Kai was simply heading off to secretly place Space Beacons.
The tiny Space Beacons were very difficult to detect unless one was carefully searching for them. Back at the No-Return Pass, Yang Kai had used a Space Beacon to escape the pursuit of the Royal Lord and even wheel around to attack again. His actions had thrown the entire No-Return Pass into a fog of gloom. He had used the same trick today and successfully escaped from the six Territory Lords pursuing them.
Nevertheless, time was short as Territory Lords had great speed. If Yang Kai failed to enter the Universe Cave Heaven before the six Territory Lords caught up again, the situation would become dire.
At the moment, he might not have the strength to kill a Territory Lord even if they met alone. If he disregarded the consequences and used a fourth Soul Rending Thorn, he might stand a chance; however, the greater likelihood was that he would become delirious. He could not take such a huge risk; therefore, he had to enter the Universe Cave Heaven to recuperate as soon as possible.
As to whether or not he could successfully enter the Universe Cave Heaven… Yang Kai himself was not confident; after all, he did not know how many troops the Black Ink Clan had stationed there! He could only hope that there were not too many.
An hour passed, and from a distance, Yang Kai saw a Black Ink Clan Army forming a tight blockade around a certain spot in the void. Moreover, the auras of numerous Feudal Lords flared majestically.
[It’s here!] They had finally arrived at the location of the Universe Cave Heaven in Acacia Territory!
What gave Yang Kai a sense of relief was that not too many Black Ink Clan troops had been deployed here, only 100,000 or so. Although there were many Feudal Lords, it was still a far cry from the million-strong force posted at the five Territory Gates.
In truth, Yang Kai had already guessed that not many Black Ink Clan soldiers would be stationed here. The Black Ink Clan wanted to use the trapped Human refugees here as bait to lure out as many Hunters as possible, so they had put on a good show. If there were too many troops stationed here, then the Hunters would not take the bait. 100,000 troops was neither too many nor too few. Be that as it may, it was enough to build a solid defence around the Universe Cave Heaven yet still tempting enough for the courageous and daredevil Hunters to risk the danger.
Unbeknownst to Yang Kai, if news of his departure from Profound Nether Territory had not spread, then only 600,000 Black Ink Clan troops would have been stationed across the entire Acacia Territory. The initial deployment was 100,000 troops at the Universe Cave Heaven and another 100,000 at each of the five Territory Gates.
It was Mo Na Ye who immediately mobilised all the available troops from the surrounding Great Territories after hearing that Yang Kai might come to Acacia Territory. That was the reason why there were armies of at least a million standing guard at the Territory Gates.
The individual strengths of the Black Ink Clansmen here varied greatly, but most of them were nothing more than cannon fodder. If not for their overwhelming numbers, it would be impossible for them to stop the advance of a vicious fiend like Yang Kai.
Furthermore, Mo Na Ye made sufficient preparations. Not only did he mobilise the nearby armies to increase his available forces, but he also requested the support of five additional Territory Lords including You Gong. It was a pity he failed to predict that You Gong and the others would have such poor luck. All the reinforcing Territory Lords besides You Gong were killed almost as soon as they arrived in Acacia Territory, and You Gong was now essentially traumatized by the enemy.
The Black Ink Clan Army of 100,000 had received the message from Mo Na Ye in advance, so they knew that two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were coming to attack. As a result, the Feudal Lords in the lead were extremely nervous. If not for fear of being held responsible for this incident, they would have fled by now.
At this moment, Yang Kai and Feng Ying were charging forward with a ferocious momentum, so how could the Black Ink Clan fail to notice them? Fortunately, there were only two of them…
They might not be worthy opponents, but Mo Na Ye had ordered them to keep the enemy busy at all costs. Six Territory Lords would arrive soon! An army of 100,00 trying to hold back two heavily injured Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters… should not be an issue! Probably!
Without waiting for Yang Kai and Feng Ying to approach, one of the Feudal Lords in the lead gave a loud shout, “The Humans are coming! Stop them!”
The words had just left his mouth when the two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters in the distance suddenly appeared right in front of him. The man covered in bloodstains reached out a hand and grabbed him. Before he could react, he felt the world spinning around him and his vision turning upside down.
Yang Kai held up the Feudal Lord’s head and tossed it aside with a cold snort. It was bad enough that he was being chased by six Territory Lords, but how dare a mere Feudal Lord challenge him? Who else was he supposed to slaughter if not that particular Feudal Lord?
Beside Yang Kai, Feng Ying summoned her Divine Manifestation as 10,000 sword waves gathered and transformed into the Myriad Swords Dragon. Unleashing her power in all directions, she massacred countless Black Ink Clansmen in an instant. While she might be inferior to an Innate Territory Lord, an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master would have no problem dealing with these Black Ink Clansmen that were no stronger than Feudal Lords.
A portal to Yang Kai’s Small Universe appeared behind him, and the three Warships he sheltered inside sailed out grandly.
“Kill!” Shen Ao yelled from where he stood on the battered Dawning Light. Following a slash of his sword, Blood Crow and the others attacked in unison.
The other two Warships had already received instructions from Yang Kai in advance and split up and moved in two different directions, decimating the Black Ink Clansmen and preventing any chance of them coordinating their response.
Since the Black Ink Clan Army was stationed here, then the portal to the Universe Cave Heaven must be located somewhere nearby. As for the exact location, Yang Kai would need some time to search; after all, he had never been here before.
The three Warships contained nearly 30 Seventh-Order level Masters. Combined with Feng Ying, they surrounded Yang Kai and massacred all the enemies within range. The Black Ink Clan Army were mowed down like wheat in a field, and even the Feudal Lords were rapidly being culled.
The sudden outbreak of battle stunned the numerous figures who were hidden in the void. These people were the Hunters who had been lured over. They formed groups of around five people each, with the largest being ten people in total.
The Black Ink Clan’s plan was very successful. When they actively leaked the news about the trapped Humans in Acacia Territory, many Hunters from the nearby Great Territories snuck in in hopes of rescuing their trapped compatriots.
Before Yang Kai’s arrival, many battles had already erupted across Acacia Territory. Leaving aside others, even Yang Xiao’s Squad had encountered several Black Ink Clan patrols. They had killed numerous enemies and even rescued a few Hunters whose whereabouts had been exposed.
Despite these losses, Mo Na Ye and the other Territory Lords had remained in hiding, causing the Hunters to mistakenly assume that there were no Black Ink Clan Masters in Acacia Territory. Hence, they quickly gathered around the vicinity of the Universe Cave Heaven.
Nevertheless, a Black Ink Clan Army of 100,000 was quite a large force, too much for a few lone Hunters to oppose, so they had been trying to make contact with those hiding in the Universe Cave Heaven. If they could coordinate a joint attack with the Humans inside the Universe Cave Heaven, they might be able to destroy the blockade and seek a way out.
Unfortunately, their efforts had shown no progress after so long. Not daring to act recklessly, these Hunters had remained in hiding and waited for an opportunity. In the end, they managed to wait until Yang Kai arrived!
As soon as the battle broke out, the Black Blood flowed like rivers. The Hunters hidden in the shadows were surprised and excited by this sudden development. What surprised them was that somebody had dared to charge into battle against the Black Ink Clan Army of 100,000! On the other hand, what excited them was that the power emanating from the attacking party was very high. This kind of strength could only be shown by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
For a time, various messages spread across the void.
Most of the Hunters were in contact with each other already, but they had not gathered together out of fear that they might be completely wiped out by the Black Ink Clan. If they were scattered around, the risk of annihilation was lowered. It would not matter too much if one of their parties were found by the enemy as the others could take that opportunity to ambush their enemies and provide support.
“What’s going on? Why did a battle break out without any warning? Did you detect the energy fluctuations of an Eighth-Order Master?”
“There is indeed an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master there. A Division Commander must have come forward. The news about what happened here must have spread to the outside.”
“I knew the Supreme Headquarters would not ignore the situation in Acacia Territory. They must have sent some experts to rescue them.”
“Could this be part of the Black Ink Clan’s schemes? It’s strange that there are trapped Humans in Acacia Territory. If this is all a big conspiracy, then they must be tempting us to reveal ourselves.”
“Bullshit. What schemes are you talking about? Even an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master has made an appearance. How can you claim that it’s a conspiracy? Don’t tell me you’re insinuating that the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master is a Black Ink Disciple.”
“It’s not impossible… The Black Ink Clan has one remaining Royal Lord. The Royal Lord Secret Technique is not something an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master can resist.”
“They are people from the Star Boundary! I saw Yang Xiao and the others! Do you see that White Dragon? That’s Yang Xiao! He is part of the Dragon Clan!” One of the Hunters who was previously rescued by Yang Xiao and the others sent the voice transmission.
“The High Heaven Palace Squad? Is it really them!? In that case, there’s no problem!”
The Hunters were not completely isolated from each other and many even kept in contact, and among them, the High Heaven Palace Squad was quite famous.
The Star Boundary was currently the most important stronghold of the entire Human Race. Likewise, High Heaven Palace was also very well-known. Yang Xiao and the others, who came from High Heaven Palace, were extremely strong, so they were naturally famous among the Hunters. Not to mention, quite a lot of the Hunters hiding in the shadows here had been rescued by the High Heaven Palace Squad in the past.
After realising that the attacking party was none other than the High Heaven Palace Squad, the hidden Hunters no longer hesitated.
“Everyone, when else will we fight if not now!?” One of the Hunter Squads leapt out impatiently. It was hard to tell which Great Force the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master in the lead came from, but he gave a loud shout and rushed ahead with his companions, evidently planning to help out in the battle.
It was certainly impossible for stray soldiers like themselves to contend against the Black Ink Clan Army of 100,000; however, the current situation was different. Two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were taking the lead, and three extremely powerful Squads were with them. If they stepped forward at this time, they would be just in time to help. They had been waiting for so many days just for the sake of an opportunity like this after all.
“Kill!” With someone taking the lead, others quickly followed.
In an instant, numerous Hunter Squads revealed themselves from the shadows. Some raised their arms above their heads and shouted with great fighting spirit. Some remained silent, but their murderous intent blazed around them.
“What a bunch of fools!” One of the other Hunters lamented, “Why are they making such a racket!? Isn’t it better for us to sneak up and catch the enemy by surprise?”
This person was clearly used to acting stealthily; thus, he was very annoyed by the actions of the other Squads who revealed their whereabouts. Despite his complaints, he also rushed forward with the rest of them. There was no helping it. Everybody had already revealed themselves, so there was no point if he alone remained hidden.
Out of the Black Ink Clan Army of 100,000, more than 10% of them died in just 10 breaths of time. Leaving aside an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like Feng Ying, the other three Squads were also filled with talented people and there was no lack of Seventh-Order level Masters among them.
On the other hand, there were no Territory Lords in this Black Ink Clan Army. The Feudal Lords were their strongest Masters here, so faced with so many Human powerhouses, they could only wait to be slaughtered despite having the absolute advantage in terms of numbers.
It was important to note that this situation was playing out under the premise that everybody was already injured. If they were at their peak strength, then they would have butchered the Black Ink Clansmen even faster.
Yang Kai did not make a move as he had to find the location of the portal to the Universe Cave Heaven as soon as possible and open it. Only then could he enter the Universe Cave Heaven to recuperate from his injuries.
The energy in the surroundings was extremely chaotic, which made it slightly harder for him to search for the portal. Fortunately, his attainments in the Dao of Space were extraordinary, so it was not difficult for him to find what he was looking for as long as he concentrated.
A short while later, Yang Kai figured out the general location of the portal. The next steps were simple as he only needed to manipulate Space Principles to force open the gateway. Having done similar actions many times in the past, this was not difficult for Yang Kai.
Before he could open the portal though, he suddenly perceived something and turned to look around. Streams of light were rushing over from all directions. Some of them were yelling loudly while others were unleashing fierce murderous intent.
[Hunters?] He quickly figured out their identity.
These Hunters had been hiding in the shadows, but seeing the battle break out, they immediately revealed themselves. It was clear that they were here to help. Moreover, their numbers were not low. There were at least 1,000 of them altogether. With so many people whose strengths were fairly impressive, they were enough to form a Battalion on their own.
They had chosen not to enter the formal Army, refusing to fight the Black Ink Clan on the dozen or so frontline Great Territories. This was not due to their fear of death though; if they feared death, they would not have chosen to become Hunters. The dangers that Hunters faced were no less than the dangers of fighting on the front lines. In fact, fighting on the front lines was not very dangerous as long as the Army did not collapse. On the other hand, Hunters were bound to die if they accidentally encountered a large Black Ink Clan Army or a Territory Lord.
It was just that everybody had their own way of living. Some preferred a life of excitement, some were not suitable for large-scale military operations, and some believed that Hunters had higher chances of obtaining more resources to increase their strength. There were many different reasons for their choices, but regardless of their motives or methods, they were fighting the Black Ink Clan and contributing to the future of the Human Race.
At this moment, these Hunters leapt out from the shadows just when Yang Kai and Feng Ying were leading their three Squads against the enemy. It could be said that their arrival was extremely timely.
A short while later, the Hunters who rushed out from all directions joined the battle. The situation of the Black Ink Clan Army became worse and worse as a result, and the 100,000 troops reduced in numbers at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.
Yang Kai ignored the massacre around him. At this moment, he was manipulating Space Principles to forcibly open the portal of the Universe Cave Heaven. Thanks to his efforts, a spinning vortex gradually appeared in the Void. The vague aura of another world wafted from within. The vortex seemed slightly turbulent when it first appeared; however, it did not take long for it to stabilise completely.
“Yang Xiao, enter!” Yang Kai shouted.
“Yes!” Yang Xiao, who was killing an enemy, quickly agreed before he rushed into the portal.
At the same time, the trapped Humans inside the Universe Cave Heaven were staring at the vortex that was gradually emerging in the Void with solemn expressions.
The portal was being forced open! For them, that was extremely bad news. The reason they were safe and sound was that the portal to the Universe Cave Heaven had remained closed all this time. They had a chance of survival if they remained hidden inside the Universe Cave Heaven, but the Black Ink Clan would surely pour into the Universe Cave Heaven now that the portal was forcibly opened. How many of them would survive if that were to happen?
With several Squads in the lead, Warships floated in the air. Meanwhile, Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters stood at the ready and communicated with each other through their Divine Senses. Regardless of the circumstances, if the portal was forcibly opened, then their only option was to fight!
Soon, there were faint traces of somebody trying to enter the portal, so they immediately gathered their strength to teach him a harsh lesson as soon as they appeared.
In the next moment, a voice came from the outside and entered the Universe Cave Heaven.
“I am Yang Kai of the Star Boundary. Please do not panic!” The striking voice reverberated throughout the Universe Cave Heaven.
Hearing those words stunned many of the Humans gathering their strength, and then they became overjoyed. That was especially true for those standing on the Warships as they all looked pleasantly surprised.
Yang Kai was here! No wonder the portal was being forcibly opened. They initially thought that it was the work of the Black Ink Clan, but it turned out to be the work of Yang Kai.
Out of the 10,000 Humans hidden here, most of them had heard of Yang Kai’s name. Nevertheless, only those on the Warships had a deeper understanding of his strength. That was because they were warriors who had come from the Black Ink Battlefield!
These Squads were responsible for gathering and evacuating the Humans in Acacia Territory. Unfortunately, they were unlucky and failed to leave in time several decades ago. With no other choice, they could only remain hidden inside this Universe Cave Heaven.
Yang Kai was highly proficient in the Dao of Space, which was not a secret on the Black Ink Battlefield. He once opened countless Universe Cave Heavens and Universe Paradises scattered outside Blue Sky Pass, Yin-Yang Pass, and Myriad Demons Pass, allowing a large number of traps and ambushes to be set inside that killed many Black Ink Clansmen.
If it was truly Yang Kai, then it was not strange for him to be capable of forcing open the portal here.
In the next moment, Yang Xiao rushed out of the vortex in bloodied white clothes. He did not know that a Yang Kai had already sent a voice transmission through, so he hurriedly shouted as soon as he appeared, “I am Yang Xiao of the Star Boundary. I am not part of the Black Ink Clan! Everyone, please do not attack!”
It was not hard to guess the thoughts of those hiding inside the Universe Cave Heaven, which was why he immediately revealed his identity as soon as he entered. It was to prevent himself from being mistaken for a Black Ink Clansman and then being bombarded from all sides. Even if he was part of the Dragon Clan, he would not get away unscathed if he was attacked by a massive, desperate mob.
After revealing his identity, he immediately activated his power to protect himself. In fact, he would have revealed his Dragon Form if not for the fear that he might cause further unnecessary misunderstandings.
Looking around, he saw a large group of people staring at him from all directions. He even sensed the energy fluctuations coming from those who had gathered their World Force and his heart pounded in anxiety. Still, he quickly composed himself and cupped his fist, “Star Boundary’s Yang Xiao greets Fellow Brothers and Sisters.”
He couldn’t help feeling a sense of lingering fear. [Thank goodness for my quick-wittedness. If I had not introduced myself immediately, I would have been beaten to a pulp by now. How can Adoptive Father do this to me? How can he ask me to carry out such a dangerous task? Doesn’t he cherish me?]
One of the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters came forward and cupped his fist, “Red Sun Army’s Li Zi Yu greets Fellow Daoist Brother. What is the current situation outside?”
Li Zi Yu of the Red Sun Army was also a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Although Yang Xiao looked young, they were both Seventh-Order level Masters, so it was not wrong for him to address the latter as ‘Fellow Daoist Brother’.
Yang Xiao hastily answered, “My Adoptive Father was ordered to come and rescue all of you. The Black Ink Clan Army is currently laying siege outside the Universe Cave Heaven, and Adoptive Father is confronting the enemy.”
Li Zi Yu was very doubtful, but that could not be helped; after all, Yang Xiao was covered in blood. Not only were his injuries severe, but it was also evident that he had gone through a tough battle as his aura was fluctuating a bit unstably.
Be that as it may, Li Zi Yu raised his arms above his head and shouted, “Everyone, reinforcements have arrived to rescue us! Follow me onto the battlefield!”
10,000 people immediately cheered in excitement.
They had been trapped in here for several decades now. With the Black Ink Clan Army laying siege outside, they did not dare to leave arbitrarily; however, they knew they were not safe despite hiding inside this Universe Cave Heaven. If the Black Ink Clan forcefully shook the nearby Void, there was a chance that they might discover the portal and the people hiding within. As a result, these people had been living in dread and anxiety over the past few decades. It was only natural for them to be overjoyed upon hearing that rescue had arrived.
When Li Zi Yu raised his arms above his head and shouted, he immediately received an overwhelming response.
“Wait! Wait!” Yang Xiao hurriedly stopped them, “Adoptive Father is planning to enter soon. Please don’t be so impatient.”
Li Zi Yu immediately objected, “They can’t come in! If they come in, then we’ll all become turtles hiding in our shells! While Brother Yang is fighting the enemy outside, we should take this opportunity to rush out and support him. That’s the only method to escape being trapped inside here!”
Having been stuck in here for several dozen years, they knew the pain of being trapped inside such a small place. That was why it was not a wise move for Yang Kai to enter the Universe Cave Heaven. On the contrary, that would be equivalent to binding his hands and feet. It was easy enough to enter, but extremely difficult to leave.
Yang Xiao sighed. How could he not know something as simple as that? But…
“The situation is complicated. Er… Territory Lords are pursuing us. In addition, Adoptive Father and the others are severely injured. They need to come inside and recuperate first.”
“Territory Lords!” Li Zi Yu’s expression changed slightly.
After the crusade, all the Territory Lords at the time were slaughtered, so the current Territory Lords were all Innate Territory Lords who came directly from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, each one of them possessing extremely high strength.
If Yang Kai was being chased by Territory Lords, then he probably came here to escape danger.
During their conversation, a constant stream of people rushed in through the vortex. As many as several dozen people emerged in the blink of an eye.
Yang Xiao looked over but did not recognise any of them, figuring they were the Hunters who had appeared out of nowhere earlier.
Some of the Hunters were acquainted with Yang Xiao, so they enthusiastically exchanged greetings.
Yang Xiao responded with a smile.
Meanwhile, Li Zi Yu and the others beside him turned ashen. They initially thought that Yang Kai’s arrival would allow them to escape this place; however, it turned out that Yang Kai was being hunted by Territory Lords. Where could they escape? Not only were they doomed, but even Yang Kai and the others were doomed. For a time, they couldn’t help feeling heartbroken.
Inside the Universe Cave Heaven, Li Zi Yu and the others were gloomy and depressed. Yang Xiao seemed rather carefree and nonchalant in contrast. As the Hunters poured through the portal, he greeted those he knew and made arrangements for the Hunters to wait by the side.
The number of Hunters who came forward to provide support was not low. There were at least 1,000 of them. Although the portal was open, it would take some time for all of them to pass through it.
Outside the portal, Yang Kai wielded Space Principles to maintain the operation of the portal while he killed some stray enemies from time to time. He was secretly rejoicing over the fact that he had built up such a large amount of buffer time; otherwise, it would have been difficult to deal with these Hunters who appeared out of nowhere. They only came to help after all, so it was inappropriate for him to rush into the portal by himself and ignore them. He had to make sure that they entered before him.
The six Territory Lords were not here yet, but they were bound to arrive soon as he could already vaguely sense their powerful undulations approaching.
The entire Black Ink Clan Army of 100,000 had basically been decimated at this point. With enough time, the Human Race Masters here could have wiped out the Black Ink Clan Army entirely. Unfortunately, it would seem that they had run out of time.
One after another, the Hunters rushed into the portal and vanished out of sight. It did not take long before all of them were gone.
From a distance, Yang Kai vaguely saw the figures of the six Territory Lords, their arrival just a moment too late.
“Everyone inside!” Yang Kai yelled.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the group of little ones from the Star Boundary quickly plunged into the portal without hesitation. Once they were gone, Dawn Squad finally began to make their retreat while Yu Ru Meng and the others brought up the rear.
Before Yu Ru Meng and the others finished entering the Universe Cave Heaven, Mo Na Ye’s furious voice burst out from the turbulent Black Ink Cloud in the distance, “Stop them!”
His words were directed at the remnant Black Ink Clan Army, of which less than 30,000 troops remained of the original 100,000. The Black Ink Clan Army had suffered heavy casualties during that brief massacre, and the surviving troops were terribly frightened. The space surrounding Yang Kai was also notably empty as nobody dared to approach within 100,000 kilometres of where he stood. Nevertheless, with Mo Na Yu’s order, they had no choice but to charge towards Yang Kai despite the crippling fear in their hearts.
Yang Kai coldly snorted as the space around him shattered like a mirror, causing innumerable tiny Void Cracks to spread out into the surroundings. The Black Ink Clansmen rushing towards him were all sliced to pieces before they could even approach, with only a few Feudal Lords being lucky enough to survive.
Be that as it may, it seemed that he was really an arrow at the end of its flight. When he unleashed the Shattered Void Mirror Secret Technique, the portal also showed signs of instability.
“Courting death!” Mo Na Ye was filled with a mixture of rage and joy. He was furious that Territory Lords like themselves were being toyed around with by Yang Kai. On the other hand, he was overjoyed because Yang Kai truly seemed to be on his last legs.
When the words left his mouth, Mo Na Ye raised his hand from a distance and slammed his palm towards Yang Kai. The power of an Innate Territory Lord swept out in all directions and the shockwave was enough to destroy all the Void Cracks around Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s expression became gloomy. Not daring to be neglectful, he responded by raising his hand and throwing his palm out as well.
A violent burst of energy erupted, causing Yang Kai’s figure to sway unsteadily. He coughed up a mouthful of Golden Blood, and his complexion turned as pale as a sheet.
Likewise, Mo Na Ye’s figure was forced backwards slightly, which astonished him greatly. The fact that Yang Kai could still be so ferocious even with such severe injuries was nothing less than shocking. [No wonder he managed to kill so many Territory Lords, his strength truly isn’t ordinary.]
This was the first time he confronted Yang Kai directly, and although it was only an exchange of blows from across a vast distance, he could grasp the depths of Yang Kai’s true strength. [This person is too terrifying! If we fail to kill him here, there is no saying how many other Territory Lords will die by his hands in the future!]
Near the portal, Yu Ru Meng’s Squad, which had been bringing up the rear, had almost finished evacuating. The last to leave was Yu Ru Meng herself. When she saw that the six Territory Lords were about to reach them, she shouted anxiously, “Husband, let’s go!”
Yang Kai nodded and gave Mo Na Ye a vicious look. The look in his eyes was cold, almost as though he wanted to memorise the other party’s appearance. Only then did he slip into the portal.
Following his entry, the opened portal slowly began to close.
Mo Na Ye roared, “After him!”
The look Yang Kai gave him just now frightened him; thus, he became even more determined to kill him. Seeing that the portal was about to close though, he couldn’t help becoming anxious.
Mo Na Ye could sense that Yang Kai was an arrow at the end of its flight. After all, a person couldn’t remain at their peak after killing so many Territory Lords in quick succession. No amount of strength could hold out after such energy-consuming feats.
This was their best chance to kill Yang Kai. If he allowed him to escape into the Universe Cave Heaven and recuperate, then killing him would undoubtedly become very difficult. No matter what, they couldn’t give him a chance to heal himself!
If not for the exchange of blows with Yang Kai earlier that had delayed his pace slightly, Mo Na Ye would have been the first to charge into the portal. Unfortunately, the brief delay caused by Yang Kai’s counterattack had allowed the other five Territory Lords to rush ahead of him.
After hearing Mo Na Ye’s roar, the three leading Territory Lords plunged into the portal without any hesitation.
In the next moment, the portal that had been closing slowly abruptly slammed shut and vanished without a trace! The two Territory Lords following closely behind simply passed through the empty void.
The situation made Mo Na Ye’s heart clench up tight, [Damn it! We’ve been tricked again!]
It turned out that the portal could have immediately been closed… However, Yang Kai made a show of closing the portal slowly to entice the Territory Lords into believing that they could take advantage of the situation. This clearly revealed the other party’s intentions.
[He still has the strength to scheme against us at a time like this!?] Mo Na Ye was filled with disbelief.
At this moment, Yang Kai stood inside the Portal Corridor and cursed vehemently, [Why are there three Territory Lords here!?]
He had only planned to lure one of the Territory Lords inside, but three had managed to plunge in together. This situation was difficult, because his current condition was extremely poor. Although he could deal with one Territory Lord, dealing with three… was impossible.
In the next moment, Yang Kai kicked one of the Territory Lords with a ferocious roar. Space Principles fluctuated wildly in response, “Get out!”
Outside the portal, the two Territory Lords who passed through the empty Void quickly came back to their senses. Among them, You Gong had a frightened expression on his face. He was secretly glad that he had been injured previously, which slowed his speed slightly. If he had been at the front, then he would have been the one to rush into the portal instead.
Thinking back to the tragic deaths of his four companions from before, he couldn’t help shuddering in fear.
At that moment, the portal that had been closed opened up once more and a figure flew out with a muffled grunt of pain. The opened portal slammed shut again in the next instant. Everything happened so quickly that nobody could react in time.
Mo Na Ye was stunned, “You…”
The Territory Lord clutched at his chest with a furious expression, “I was kicked out by him!”
Mo Na Ye’s expression became extremely hideous at those words!
Three Territory Lords had plunged into the portal, but one of them was kicked out by Yang Kai. What did that say about the situation? Yang Kai’s actions confirmed that he was indeed a lamp running out of oil. He was no longer confident about dealing with three Territory Lords at once, so he could only retain two of them. It might be that he couldn’t even handle two Territory Lords at once!
“Break the Void and open the portal by force!” Mo Na Ye gave a low roar.
It was not that they could not open the portal to the Universe Cave Heaven before now; rather, they simply didn’t since they were planning to use the Human refugees trapped within as bait. However, they could no longer delay opening the portal at this moment. If they missed this golden opportunity, they would never receive a better one again.
Mo Na Ye was the first to take action as he slammed his strength into the position where the portal appeared just now. The other three Territory Lords did not dare to hold back and quickly joined Mo Na Ye, and for a time, the Void shuddered and twisted under the immense force.
As Territory Lords, it was easy for them to shatter space. Be that as it may, even they would take some time and effort to force open a portal that was buried so deep within the Void, and it was not like the portal would simply emerge just because the surrounding Void had been shattered, that would take even more effort to achieve.
Mo Na Ye did not know how long it would take for them to force the portal open, but he was determined to kill Yang Kai here!
With four Territory Lords attacking with such ferocity, their power was extremely terrifying. The Portal Corridor and the Void Turbulence had been stirred up as a result, causing the originally stable tunnel to warp and distort fiercely.
Yang Kai was limping painfully. At this moment, he was an absolute mess. It was true that he had kicked one of the Territory Lords out of the portal, but the other party’s last-moment counterattack had also broken one of his leg bones in the process.
He could not perceive the situation outside the portal, but the effects inside the corridor were as clear as day. Suppressing his pain, he manipulated Space Principles to calm the Void Turbulence in his surroundings. Despite his miserable condition, Yang Kai was still able to control his surroundings so that he remained as motionless as a mountain.
The two Territory Lords nearby were not nearly as lucky. Currently, they felt as though their bodies were being torn apart by the Void Turbulence, losing almost any ability to stabilize themselves.
After seeing Yang Kai’s pathetic condition, they had planned to charge at him and quickly finish him off; unfortunately, the actions of Mo Na Ye and the others from the outside left them in an awkward situation. The impact from countless Void Turbulence caused their bodies to tremble violently. It felt as though they were trapped in a quagmire and continuously sinking into the abyss. The more they struggled, the more unbearable they felt.
Under such circumstances, it was an amazing feat just to keep themselves safe, so where would they find the extra strength to attack Yang Kai?
[Mo Na Ye, you idiot!] The two Territory Lords cursed in their hearts.
On the other hand, Yang Kai laughed wildly, [The Territory Lords outside are such good people.]
He felt a twinge of regret about kicking out the third Territory Lord now. If he had known things would develop into this situation earlier, he would have kept him here too. Nevertheless, he knew that he would be in great danger if he had kept the other party here. There was no denying that his current condition was simply too poor to take such risks. He could figure out a way to deal with two Territory Lords, but he probably wouldn’t even have the chance to make a move against three of them.
The disturbance in the Portal Corridor was getting stronger and stronger as the Territory Lords outside were probably increasing the intensity of their attacks.
Mo Na Ye and the others could not be blamed for their actions. There was no denying that Innate Territory Lords were immensely powerful, but they were completely ignorant about the Dao of Space. Even if they were familiar with passing through Territory Gates, from their perspective, they would simply enter from one side and exit on the other, not understanding any of the mysteries behind the workings of the Void Corridor itself.
On the other hand, Yang Kai, who was proficient in the Dao of Space and constantly travelled across the Void, could not be more familiar with this kind of environment.
Inside the Portal Corridor, the two Territory Lords had to exert all their efforts to keep themselves from being swallowed by the Void Turbulence, with no spare strength to deal with anything else.
Yang Kai abruptly made a bold move. It didn’t matter that one of his legs was crippled because he had the Azure Dragon Spear. Summoning the spear, he formed an overwhelming number of spear shadows that rained down on one of the Territory Lords. The power behind his attack was extremely violent and brutal.
The Territory Lord gave a loud roar and tried his best to fight back, but blood just gushed out from his entire body after being stabbed repeatedly by Yang Kai.
When the other Territory Lord saw what was happening, he did not dare to hesitate and immediately stepped forward to help. For a time, the aftermath of the battle spread out across the entire Portal Corridor. The Void Turbulence became increasingly violent and unpredictable as a result.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai quickly retreated. Spitting out a mouthful of Golden Blood, he glared furiously at the two Territory Lords. He had never fought in such a place before, so he was shocked to discover that the Portal Corridor was showing signs of instability after just one exchange of blows with the enemy.