The Eighth-Order Master was filled with joy after successfully killing the Territory Lord, but before he could rejoice, Yang Kai’s voice rang in his ear. When he looked up, Yang Kai was already quite a distance away.
At the same time, he also sensed several fearsome auras rapidly heading in his direction.
When the Eighth-Order Master looked towards the auras, he saw five powerful Territory Lords, including Mo Na Ye, heading straight towards him. This scared the Hell out of him and he quickly turned tail and fled in the opposite direction from Yang Kai.
Apparently, Mo Na Ye and the others were not interested in this Eighth-Order Master as their target was only Yang Kai.
Quite a lot of Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory had lost their lives because of Yang Kai, so unless he was killed, not a single Territory Lord could feel at ease.
Furthermore, Yang Kai had already used his ace three times in a row, killing three Territory Lords. Yang Kai did not have the strength to use it again.
The current Yang Kai was like a Tiger without his fangs, so how could Mo Na Ye and the other Territory Lords be afraid of anything? This was a rare opportunity. If they failed to kill Yang Kai this time, who knows when they could find another opportunity like this.
As such, Mo Na Ye, leading the other four Territory Lords, chased after Yang Kai doggedly.
During the chase, they crossed the vast battlefield. At some point, Mo Na Ye and the others heard the beating of war drums from the Human Race. The rhythm was quite distinct and powerful, but they had no idea what kind of order they were issuing.
In any case, the five Territory Lords couldn’t care less about it as all of their focus was on Yang Kai.
Mo Na Ye’s face distorted with frustration after chasing Yang Kai for a while as he realized that even if Yang Kai had become a toothless tiger, they were still powerless to do anything to him because he was simply too fast. They could not catch him, and thus, could not kill him no matter how badly they wanted to.
Just like how Eighth-Order Humans could not do anything if an Innate Territory was determined to escape, Territory Lords were powerless to do anything if an Eighth-Order Master tried to escape with everything they had.
This was also the reason why not many Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords had fallen over the last few decades. When things went south, no one just sat around waiting to die.
Two Eighth-Order Masters had fallen in the battle two years ago mainly because Profound Nether Territory was about to fall and they had no choice but to fight to the death. Had they not been willing to sacrifice their lives, the Humans would have suffered even greater casualties, and they might have even lost Profound Nether Territory to the Black Ink Clan.
Mo Na Ye had fallen into an awkward situation. With the five Territory Lords working together, they indeed had a real chance of killing Yang Kai, but that was only if the other party stopped fleeing and faced them in battle.
This left Mo Na Ye with a stomach full of grievances but nowhere to vent them. He was the one to propose this strategy to Six Arms, and Six Arms had done his part to cooperate; however, if he failed to gain anything despite the fact that they had sacrificed three Territory Lords, Six Arms would definitely lose his temper.
Left with no choice, Mo Na Ye summoned a Black Ink Nest into his hand. It was an extremely small Black Ink Nest, roughly the size of his palm. It was an incompletely hatched Black Ink Nest, and naturally incapable of breeding Black Ink Clansmen. Be that as it may, it could still be used for communication.
This was only a Low-Rank Black Ink Nest, for it was just used for communication so its rank did not really matter.
Mo Na Ye’s Divine Sense surged as he sent a message using the tiny Black Ink Nest in his hand.
Unable to catch Yang Kai, Mo Na Ye had no choice but to request reinforcements.
A short while later, three of the Territory Lords remaining on the primary Universe World where the Black Ink Clan’s main camp was located rose into the sky and flew off into the void.
Frustration piled up in the pursuing Mo Na Ye’s heart as he continued to make new arrangements while the fleeing Yang Kai was completely relaxed. Although the repeated use of the Soul Rending Thorns ended up giving him a splitting headache, he was already used to it by this point so it did not affect him much. At most, his combat effectiveness had suffered a little.
As he was unable to use more Soul Rending Thorns for the time being, he could not bother to engage the Territory Lords. The main reason he was fleeing now was that he wanted to lure these five Territory Lords away from the battlefield.
According to the original plan, the Human Race Army should be withdrawing right about now. The Humans did not have that many Evil Purging Divine Spears, and their Army’s strength was no match for the Black Ink Clan in a straight up fight.
Yang Kai had already heard the beating of war drums, signalling the retreat, and he knew that leading five Territory Lords away would make it easier for the Army to withdraw.
In fact, he could easily escape from his pursuers using Space Principles if he wanted to. Even if the Territory Lords’ auras had locked onto him, so what?
When even Royal Lords failed to capture him in the past, what could mere Territory Lords do?
Since he could escape at any moment, Yang Kai naturally had nothing to fear, and that was why he was letting them follow him.
After a while, Yang Kai sensed something and looked up, vaguely sensing a powerful aura rapidly approaching him.
Yang Kai raised his brow as he muttered to himself, [Someone is blocking the way ahead.]
He thus promptly changed direction.
But a moment later, another Territory Lord rapidly approached him from the front, blocking his way.
Yang Kai changed direction once more.
After about an hour of this situation repeating itself, Yang Kai stopped in the void and looked around.
Mo Na Ye was gleeful as his request for help had not gone in vain. Having been chased and intercepted like this, Yang Kai now had nowhere to run.
[Let’s see how you will escape from this!]
For the distance, Territory Lords’ powerful auras had locked onto Yang Kai like chains. If he made any rash move, he would be showered with attacks from all sides.
As the gap between them was shortened, Mo Na Ye could faintly see Yang Kai’s figure.
While both sides were looking from across the distance, their eyes suddenly met. Mo Na Ye’s eyes were burning with fury, but a look of joy was also present in the depths of their eyes, whereas Yang Kai had a completely calm and stoic look on his face.
Yang Kai’s lips moved up and down, but Mo Na Ye did not hear what he said, but from his lip movements, he could only vaguely tell that Yang Kai was calling him an idiot…
Immediately after, he saw Yang Kai lift his hands as they started radiating yellow and blue light.
Mo Na Ye immediately had a bad feeling and shouted, “Kill him!”
Immediately after giving the order to attack, Mo Na Ye’s aura surged as fearsome Black Ink Strength started to gather, transforming into a pure and powerful Secret Technique that shot straight towards Yang Kai.
The other Territory Lords beside him also simultaneously attacked Yang Kai.
In a flash, the world was flipped upside down.
Nonetheless, Mo Na Ye’s heart started pounding in anxiety because the moment they attacked, the yellow and blue light suddenly converged and transformed into a burst of pure white light. Under the brilliance of this white light, the Territory Lords’ senses that had locked onto Yang Kai were all cut off. Following which, they lost track of Yang Kai’s aura.
When the dust settled, eight Territory Lords converged together, staring at the place where Yang Kai once stood. Yang Kai’s traces were still there, along with faint fluctuations of Space Principles lingering in the void.
Everyone looked at each other while Mo Na Ye’s face filled with such grief that it was as if he had just lost both his parents.
…..
After making a few detours, by the time Yang Kai returned to the frontline camp, the Human Race Army had already retreated. As it was an organized large-scale retreat, even if the Black Ink Clan relentlessly pursued them, they did not gain any advantage.
On the other hand, since the Human spared no expense and used countless Evil Purging Divine Spears, the Black Ink Clan had suffered massive casualties.
When the Eighth-Order Masters saw Yang Kai appear, they hurriedly came forward and greeted him one by one, cupping their fists.
Yang Kai’s gaze alternated between the Eighth-Order Masters. Discovering that despite all of them being injured, not a single one was missing, he lightly nodded, “Everyone who is injured, go and recuperate, we won’t be engaging in any battle for the time being. Also, order the Artifact Refiners in the Army to focus on refining more Evil Purging Divine Spears.”
“Yes, Sir!” Everyone loudly responded.
Yang Kai waved off everyone, “Go, I’m going to heal my injuries.”
Saying so, he headed straight towards his palace, leaving behind a group of Eighth-Order Masters who still had something to say.
This battle could be considered to be the most satisfying battle they had ever fought over the decades they had defended Profound Nether Territory. It was also the first time the Human Race had launched such a large-scale attack.
All the battles they had fought in the past had lasted from half a month to even half a year, but today, from the moment they engaged with the Black Ink Clan to the moment the Army retreated, only half a day had passed, that’s all. It could even be said that this battle was as fast as lightning, yet the results were simply amazing.
Just the number of Territory Lords alone killed in this battle had reached three, while the Black Ink Clan casualties below the Territory Lord level reached the million mark. Although most of the Black Ink Clansmen killed were cannon fodder, there were also many Feudal Lords among the dead.
Although the Profound Nether Army had also suffered some casualties, compared to their gains, it was completely negligible.
All of this was thanks to the Evil Purging Divine Spears.
The Human Race Army had taken a great risk by attacking the Black Ink Clan without any reinforcements. In the past, the Humans had always relied on various pre-arranged defensive emplacements to resist the Black Ink Clan’s attacks, but such a strategy could only prolong the war, not win it. It was not that the Eighth-Order Masters did not want to go on offence, it was just that they did not have the capital to do so.
However, the Evil Purging Divine Spears made up for this shortcoming.
Using the Evil Purging Divine Spears without any regard to the expense had greatly restrained the Black Ink Clan Army. However, in just one clash, the Profound Nether Army had consumed all the Evil Purging Divine Spears they had amassed over the past two years.
And this was when the battle had lasted just half a day.
Without the Evil Purging Divine Spears’ suppression, the Human Race’s casualties would have definitely been tremendous if they had not retreated in time.
Of all the gains though, the death of three Territory Lords was undoubtedly the biggest. No matter how many Black Ink Clansmen were killed, if none of the Territory Lords died, everything would have been useless. The Territory Lords were the top forces of the Black Ink Clan. If the Humans managed to kill all the Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory someday, no matter how many Black Ink Clansmen were left thereafter, they wouldn’t amount to anything.
“Sir Army Commander is young and promising. Every Soul Rending Thorn momentarily stuns a Territory Lord, leaving them at the mercy of us Humans. Just one swing is enough to behead a Territory Lord, like chopping off a melon,” Chen Yuan’s blood started boiling as he recalled the scene of the last battle.
He had killed a Territory Lord with Yang Kai’s help two years ago, and got the opportunity to kill another one during this battle.
“En, Soul Rending Thorns are the best method to attack the Territory Lords. When the Territory Lord who was fighting me was hit by one, his strength plummeted by about 70%. He tried to escape, but Sir Army Commander arrived in the nick of time and stopped him.”
“Sir Army Commander is really brave and unflappable. He even managed to escape safely from the pursuit of five Territory Lords. That’s truly admirable.”
The group of Eighth-Order Masters were chattering like children who had seen something for the first time in their life, singing praises in admiration.
It wasn’t that they wanted to brag, but the dire situation in Profound Nether Territory had suddenly improved after Yang Kai’s arrival, a fact they all had to acknowledge.
“The Soul Rending Thorn is so powerful. I wonder if we can cultivate it too?” Someone pondered.
If this method could be disseminated to everyone, it would be a huge boon to the Human Race as from then on, they could all easily kill Territory Lords.
“From what I’ve heard, this technique requires the use of a special artifact, and the price of using it is too high; both the user and its target will have to endure the pain of their Souls being torn apart. So, it can’t be used by just anyone.”
“Where’s Brother Ou Yang? He’s the most familiar with the Army Commander and he knows about the Soul Rending Thorn the best.” Chen Yuan looked around and soon spotted Ou Yang Lie standing in the corner. He then politely asked Ou Yang Lie, “Brother Ou Yang, you’re here…”
“Go away, I don’t know anything, don’t ask me!” Ou Yang Lie turned around and stormed off.
Chen Yuan scratched his head. He had no idea how he had offended Ou Yang Lie.
After that intense battle, Profound Nether Territory once again fell into a period of calm and quiet. Be that as it may, both the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race knew that this calm was only temporary and the next storm was already brewing.
While the Human Race Army was diligently recovering, the Black Ink Clan’s morale was crumbling.
They still failed to stop the killer even after sacrificing three Territory Lords. This sent Six Arms into a rage while Mo Na Ye was also extremely unresigned.
His original plan was to kill Yang Kai with the combined assault of five Territory Lords, but apparently, this strategy was completely useless. Yang Kai’s ability to escape was top-notch, and he simply refused to face them head-on, giving Mo Na Ye no chance to use this strategy.
Yang Kai was a true thorn in their side. Ever since they had left the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the Territory Lords had never encountered such a difficult and terrifying enemy.
The Black Ink Clan had no way to deal with the current predicament.
The only thing they could rejoice about was that there was only one Yang Kai among Humans! If there were a few more Human Masters like him, the Black Ink Clan would be in a very dangerous spot.
Although Xiang Shan was strong, the Territory Lords were not too afraid of him as they could see the limits of his strength. On the other hand, Yang Kai was simply unfathomable.
Two years later, Yang Kai emerged from retreat and gathered the Eighth-Order Masters to discuss dispatching troops. Though, there was nothing much to discuss. Having gained such a huge harvest in the last battle, all they needed to do was repeat the same strategy.
Obviously, the Black Ink Clan had no way to counter this strategy; after all, they had no choice but to defend themselves if the Human Race Army attacked them. So long as the Black Ink Clan defended themselves, Yang Kai would have a chance to kill.
It might be a simple strategy, but as long as it worked, it did not matter.
After some orders and arrangements, the Eighth-Order Masters left.
Ou Yang Lie, on the other hand, looked at Yang Kai with a bitter expression before leaving, like a wife who had been wronged, leaving the latter quite puzzled.
The Human Race Army launched another attack. Although they had suffered some casualties in the last battle, the Recruitment Hall in High Heaven Territory had seen a massive increase in those signing up to fight, so the Supreme Headquarters had dispatched reinforcements over the past two years. Yang Kai had also pulled 100,000 more soldiers from the Auxiliary Army, so the Profound Nether Army was even more powerful than last time.
When the Black Ink Clan received word that the Humans were on the march again, a solemn look appeared on the faces of every Territory Lord.
They had lost three Territory Lords in the last Human attack, so who knew how many would die during this one?
Even though the Territory Lords were not confident in taking down Yang Kai, they had come up with various countermeasures to deal with his various methods.
After all, the Territory Lords still held a numerical advantage over the Eighth-Order Masters. Not to mention, several more Territory Lords had come from the No-Return Pass to assist.
A day later, the battle broke out between the two races as they clashed in the void, shaking the universe.
The Human Race Army held nothing back this time and immediately summoned their Evil Purging Divine Spears. After two years of constant accumulation, the Profound Nether Army had the capital to squander Evil Purging Divine Spears for a short time.
One after another, glowing white suns flared up in the void. Even though the Black Ink Clan had the absolute advantage in terms of numbers, they were the ones being suppressed in this battle. Countless Black Ink Clansmen fell under this dazzling light, causing many formations to collapse.
Everyone in the Profound Nether Army knew the battle plan. All Warships were to advance and retreat in an orderly manner. As such, none of the Warships recklessly pursued the enemy and instead focused on maintaining their positions regardless of how great their advantage was.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was hiding in the shadows amidst this fierce battle, searching for a target like a predator hunting for prey.
The Black Ink Clan was smarter this time though, with no Territory Lords acting alone unlike last time. Obviously, they knew that once they were alone, they would become victims of Yang Kai’s hunt.
All the Territory Lords were acting in groups of threes or even fours. Everyone in the team was covering each other’s back, making it much harder for Yang Kai to sneak attack anyone.
After searching for a long time, Yang Kai finally decided to act.
He was targeting a group of three Territory Lords. Two Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters happened to be fighting them, and these two Eighth-Order Masters had already used five Evil Purging Divine Spears, but all they had managed to do was weaken their opponent’s strength slightly. They had been unable to gain any kind of advantage.
Fortunately, the Territory Lords were also not using their full strength. All the Territory Lords had diverted some of their strength to defend against the sneak attack that was surely lurking behind them, just like in the previous battle.
As such, even though the two Eighth-Order Masters were hard-pressed, they were still able to hold their ground.
When Spiritual Energy fluctuations suddenly appeared nearby, the two Eighth-Order Masters, who were already prepared, immediately used their strongest methods to attack their opponents without a moment of hesitation.
The three Territory Lords had always been on guard, but frustration and indignance could not help appearing on their faces at that instant, unable to figure out why they were so unlucky. There were so many Territory Lords on the battlefield, but Yang Kai just had to target them.
But before they could react, their heads started ringing as they felt excruciating pain as if their Souls were being torn apart. Obviously, they had been hit by Soul Rending Thorns.
Fortunately, the three Territory Lords had their guards up, so while the damage to their Souls might be unbearable, they still retained enough clarity to instinctually retreat. Be that as it may, the already prepared Eighth-Order Masters had timely attacked one of the Territory Lords together, stopping him in place.
At the same time, Yang Kai appeared and swept his Azure Dragon Spear towards the other two Territory Lords.
He had fired three Soul Rending Thorns almost instantly, so the pain in his Soul was even worse than before. He was in so much agony that he felt as if his entire head was about to explode.
As such, Yang Kai was unable to bring out his full strength.
The result was that the two Territory Lords managed to get past him by working together before escaping in the blink of an eye. By the time Yang Kai wanted to stop them, it was already too late.
He could not help but admire the decisiveness of these Territory Lords.
Without any regret, he decisively turned around and charged towards the last Territory Lord who had been stopped.
It was three against one, and the Territory Lord’s Soul was badly injured, so the result was already decided.
The Territory Lord was killed by one of the Eighth-Order Masters in a few breaths.
At the same time, the drums signalling retreat echoed out as the Human Race Army started slowly withdrawing.
Meanwhile, Mo Na Ye was already rushing towards Yang Kai with four other Territory Lords. Although Mo Na Ye and the other Territory Lords had returned empty-handed last time, they were still responsible for keeping an eye on Yang Kai. They did not participate in the battle as their mission was only to kill Yang Kai. Once Yang Kai appeared, they rushed straight towards him. It did not matter whether they could succeed or not, they had to ensure that Yang Kai could not just run rampant.
Yang Kai had also sensed their auras, which was why he didn’t try to pursue the two injured Territory Lords despite having the ability to stop at least one of them.
The Black Ink Clan chased after the retreating Human Race Army, with the soldiers of both races attacking each across the void, leaving blood and corpses littered everywhere. The Black Ink Clan only retreated reluctantly when the Profound Nether Army reached the defence perimeter of their frontline camp.
In the distance, fire was almost spewing out of the eyes of every Territory Lord. They could not wait to charge the Human Army, but owing to the home advantage the other side had, the Black Ink Clan had no choice but to retreat.
The result of this battle was unsatisfactory, as although they had killed many Black Ink Clansmen, they only managed to kill one Territory Lord. The Territory Lords’ strategy for dealing with Yang Kai’s sneak attack might not completely guarantee their safety, but it could still greatly reduce their casualties.
Although Yang Kai had injured three Territory Lords using his Soul Rending Thorns just like last time, he only managed to kill one.
Compared to losing three Territory Lords like last time, the loss of one Territory Lord was within acceptable range for the Black Ink Clan.
The Human Race thus entered another round of recuperation.
After another two years, the Human Race Army attacked for the third time.
…..
After tasting success during their first attack, the Profound Nether Army would attack the Black Ink Clan almost every two years, and basically, the Black Ink Clan would lose Territory Lords every time. Sometimes it was just one, and sometimes two. Only twice did all the Territory Lords targeted by Yang Kai manage to escape alive with heavy injuries.
Luck was quite a big factor those two times as Mo Na Ye and the four Territory Lords, who were responsible for keeping Yang Kai in check, happened to be nearby and had quickly arrived. Seeing that things were not looking good for him, Yang Kai did not stubbornly try to finish his targets.
In any case, there was over a 50% chance that the Territory Lords hit by Yang Kai’s Soul Rending Thorns would not escape death even with Mo Na Ye and his team keeping a vigilant eye out for Yang Kai.
In just a short span of 30 years, the Human Army had attacked over a dozen times and killed some 20 Territory Lords.
Counting the Territory Lords who had died at Yang Kai’s hands previously, the Black Ink Clan had lost almost 30 Innate Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory alone.
This was an enormous figure.
The entire Profound Nether Territory had basically become the burial ground of the Territory Lords.
The Territory Lords who were slumbering at the No-Return Pass to recuperate were now terrified of being sent to Profound Nether Territory as Yang Kai’s name struck fear into the hearts of all of them.
It wasn’t that the Black Ink Clan had no way to turn things around.
The Human Race’s attacks followed a very set pattern; they would basically attack once every two years. The Black Ink Clan speculated that this was because the Humans needed time to recuperate and reorganize, and also, Yang Kai needed time to heal after using that strange attack.
The Territory Lords were not afraid of the Human Army, they were only afraid of one person, Yang Kai; therefore, after going through the same thing a few times, the Black Ink Clan Army relentlessly pursued the Profound Nether Army when they retreated, trying to take advantage of Yang Kai’s injuries to deal a heavy blow to the enemy.
However, the Universe Fragment where the Human’s frontline camp was located had already become impregnable after decades of preparation. Thanks to various arrangements, the Human Race Army was not completely helpless in facing this assault.
This was especially true now that the Human Race also had Evil Purging Divine Spears in their arsenal. An Eighth-Order Master could kill an Innate Territory Lord with the help of Evil Purging Divine Spears if they got lucky.
The Black Ink Clan’s desire to take down the frontline camp of the Profound Nether Army was no different from a fool’s dream.
The Territory Lords grew even angrier and more frustrated.
Too many Territory Lords had died because of Yang Kai, but they had not been able to do anything about it. They could not catch him, much less kill him. It was as if the entire Profound Nether Territory had become his slaughterhouse. Every time he appeared, Territory Lords would fall prey to his spear, the only difference was whether it would be one or two.
The Black Ink Clan did have many Innate Territory Lords, many more than the number of Eighth-Order Masters, but they still could not bear this kind of loss. If this situation continued, it would not be long before they would lose Profound Nether Territory to the Human Race.
Inside a majestic meeting hall at the Black Ink Clan’s main camp…
Territory Lords were convened, wearing solemn looks on their faces.
The Black Ink Clan in Profound Nether Territory had been having a difficult time these last three decades. Compared to the other Great Territory Battlefields, the Black Ink Clan casualties in Profound Nether Territory were simply astronomical, so much so that Profound Nether Territory received about 30% of all reinforcements sent to the various Great Territories.
It had to be brought to notice that the Black Ink Clan currently occupied the vast majority of the 3,000 Worlds and had abundant resources to use in their innumerable Black Ink Nests to constantly spawn more Black Ink Clansmen. A terrifying number of Black Ink Clansmen were born everyday, and all the members born would be sent to various battlefields like Profound Nether Territory.
Currently, the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race were fighting in over a dozen Great Territory Battlefields. Under normal circumstances, the Black Ink Clan reinforcements would be evenly distributed among these Great Territories, but nothing was normal in Profound Nether Territory. Things here were quite tense and the Black Ink Clan had suffered enormous losses, so naturally, more troops were sent here.
It would have been alright if things were just limited to this, but the crux of the problem was that the Black Ink Clan had lost nearly 30 Territory Lords here, which was by far the greatest loss the Black Ink Clan had suffered in the entire war for the 3,000 Worlds.
And all of this was because of one person!
The Royal Lord at the No-Return Pass had repeatedly summoned and reprimanded Six Arms, leaving the latter disgraced and aggrieved, but what could he do? He also wanted nothing more than to kill Yang Kai, but Yang Kai was cunning and treacherous, as well as terrifyingly strong, so how was he supposed to accomplish this?
Once, even Six Arms almost got himself killed at Yang Kai’s hands as he had used himself as bait to lure the latter out.
As expected, Yang Kai took the bait and attacked him, making a lightning-fast attack that was so overwhelming that even Six Arms couldn’t defend himself. Had Mo Na Ye and the others not saved him in a nick of time, Six Arms would have died then and there.
Having personally stared death in the face, Six Arms was extremely fearful of Yang Kai.
Now, the two-year countdown was rapidly reaching its end.
The Human Race would definitely launch another attack within a month, and when they did, another Territory Lord or two would be killed.
At this moment, all the Territory Lords had been convened in the hall to discuss how to deal with Yang Kai’s sneak attacks; however, when Six Arms presented this question to them, the hall immediately sunk into silence.
This exact same meeting had been convened many times over the past three decades. Every time the Human Race Army attacked, Six Arms would gather all the Territory Lords to discuss possible countermeasures, but each meeting would end up with nothing accomplished.
Watching every Territory Lord remain silent, Six Arms flew into rage, “Are we really going to let him continue to run rampant? He’s just one Eighth-Order Human, yet none of you can think of any way to deal with him!?”
The Territory Lords remained silent. If there really was a way, Profound Nether Territory’s situation would not have been so gloomy all these years.
The Territory Lords had racked their brains and tried all kinds of methods to deal with Yang Kai, but they were simply unable to stop him. No matter what kind of tactics they applied, all of them proved useless.
One of the Territory Lords thoughtfully suggested, “I’m afraid only if Sir Royal Lord took action would it be possible to take down Yang Kai. We Territory Lords are not weak, but if he is determined to escape, we are all powerless to stop him.”
Many Territory Lords, especially Mo Na Ye, nodded in agreement.
All these years, he had been targeting Yang Kai with four other Territory Lords. They had managed to stop him from killing others multiple times, but so what? He had still fled right under their noses.
Space Secret Techniques were truly unmatched when it came to escaping.
“The Royal Lord is guarding the No-Return Pass, a matter of the utmost importance; how can he take action so easily?” One Territory Lord shook his head.
Almost all the High-Rank Black Ink Nests were planted at the No-Return Pass, making it the foundation of the current Black Ink Clan. If the Human Race Masters attacked the No-Return Pass when the Royal Lord was away and destroyed those Black Ink Nests, the Black Ink Clan would become a tree without roots, a river without a source.
The Black Ink Clan only had one Royal Lord left, leaving them in quite an awkward situation, but the Territory Lords were also a little relieved at this situation. If at that time the last Royal Lord had not stayed behind to guard the No-Return Pass, he too would have died in the Barren Territory.
The Barren Territory War was especially tragic, as almost all of the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Humans had sacrificed their lives to kill all but two Black Ink Clan Royal Lords.
Every time the Territory Lords thought back to that battle, shivers would shoot up their spines. Even they were shaken by the ruthlessness the Human Race had displayed that day.
Six Arms stated, coldly snorting, “It’s impossible for the Royal Lord to act, so it is up to us to come up with another strategy.”
Though he dismissed this idea decisively, Six Arms could not help feeling some regret about it. It would not be a problem for the Royal Lord to take down Yang Kai as no matter how great the latter was at escaping, so long as the Royal Lord attacked the Profound Nether Army, Yang Kai would have no choice but to come to their aid.
The Territory Lords remained silent.
Six Arms blew his top again, “Is there really nothing we can do!? Yang Kai is already so strong despite only being in the Eighth-Order! If he breaks through to the Ninth-Order some day, what will happen then!?”
Six Arms’ roar echoed throughout the hall, causing the Territory Lords to look at each other, but they still remained silent.
Mo Na Ye suddenly stated, “If Sir Six Arms is worried about him advancing to the Ninth-Order, you need not be.”
Six Arms looked at him gloomily and asked, “What do you mean?”
Mo Na Ye explained, “According to the information I obtained from some Black Ink Disciples, it is impossible for Yang Kai to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. The Human Race’s method of cultivation is very different from our Black Ink Clan’s. Every Human has their own innate limits, with their future achievements determined the moment they break through to the Open Heaven Realm.”
After pondering for a moment, Six Arms agreed with a nod, “I’ve heard a bit about this. So, is the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Yang Kai’s limit?”
Mo Na Ye nodded, “That’s right. According to the Black Ink Disciples, Yang Kai broke through to Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Originally, his limit was the Seventh-Order, but after consuming something called a World Fruit, he managed to increase that limit to the Eighth-Order. However, this is already his limit. It’s impossible for him to break through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.”
It had been many years since the Black Ink Clan invaded the 3,000 Worlds. So, the number of Black Ink Disciples that corrupted was naturally not small, especially among the Hunters who would accidentally run into large Black Ink Armies or Territory Lords. The Black Ink Clan liked to turn Human cultivators into Black Ink Disciples to make Humans serve them, so there was now an abundance of Black Ink Disciples out there.
This was how they had gathered some of their current intelligence on the Human Race.
Yang Kai was now a great threat to the Black Ink Clan in Profound Nether Territory, so obviously Mo Na Ye tried to find out more about him. Yang Kai’s reputation had also spread far and wide in the Human Race. As such, his initial breakthrough to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm and subsequent consumption of a World Fruit was not a big secret.
It was not surprising that Mo Na Ye had been able to learn about this.
Many Territory Lords looked gratified after hearing Mo Na Ye’s revelation.
As a matter of fact, Six Arms was not the only one who was worried about Yang Kai advancing to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm one day. The other Territory Lords were also worried about this. Yang Kai was already this strong when he was just in the Eighth-Order, so if he really broke through to the Ninth-Order, even a Royal Lord would find it hard to survive a conflict with him. If that really happened, how was the Black Ink Clan supposed to survive?
These Territory Lords were all afraid of being killed by Yang Kai.
One of the Territory Lords stated solemnly, “Nothing is absolute. I heard that the Human Race has a way to break these innate shackles. As long as they can find Open Heaven Pills produced by the Universe Furnace, they can break their limits.”
Mo Na Ye nodded in agreement, “En, that is indeed true, but that so-called Universe Furnace is an Innate Supreme Treasure of the Universe. It is ethereal and cannot be found even if one seeks it out. No one knows when or if it will appear. Moreover, even if this Universe Furnace did appear, why would we allow the Human Race to get their hands on it? The Open Heaven Pills produced by the Universe Furnace might be useless to us, but we can’t let the Humans have them either.”
All the Territory Lords nodded.
If that Universe Furnace really appeared, it would definitely set off a bloody storm. The Black Ink Clan would never allow the Humans to get their hands on it, no matter what price they had to pay.
Six Arms tapped the armrest as he stated, “Let’s not talk about this for now, everyone should think of a way to contain Yang Kai. We’re approaching the two year deadline so the Humans will surely invade again. You don’t want another Territory Lord or two to die, right?”
As soon as he brought this up, the Territory Lords immediately turned pale.
Although there were quite a few Territory Lords present, who knew if they would be the unlucky one this time?
Nonetheless, if they were really asked to find a way to suppress Yang Kai, they simply had no idea…
Just as the Territory Lords were at a loss, a Feudal Lord suddenly rushed in and reported with a bewildered look on his face, “Sirs, there is something going on on the Human Race’s side.”
The Territory Lords turned pale as one of them hurriedly asked, “Is the Human Race attacking?”
“Why is the Human race moving so early? There should still be some time left.”
“Those bastards! I say we ignore Yang Kai entirely! If they can kill a Territory Lord, why can’t we respond by killing their Eighth-Order Masters?”
…
The Territory Lords started shouting all at once, setting off Six Arms once again. Speaking of which, he felt quite aggrieved. In all the other Great Territory Battlefields, the Black Ink Clan basically held the initiative and were able to attack and retreat as they pleased. But Profound Nether Territory’s situation was the exact opposite. When had the Black Ink Clan ever been worried about the Human Race attacking them?
Saying it out loud would be a disgrace.
Looking at the Territory Lords under him all but panicking, Six Arms suddenly felt tired. He looked at the Feudal Lord who had come to report and asked, “Is the Human Race really attacking?”
The Feudal Lord replied, “The Human Race Army is showing no signs of mobilization, but a Human is approaching us. According to the scouts’ report… this person is suspected to be Yang Kai.”
The Territory Lords were all shocked.
Mo Na Ye anxiously asked, “Alone?”
The Feudal Lord nodded, “There is only one person.”
[What the Hell are Humans up to now? What is Yang Kai’s planning?] For the moment, Mo Na Ye was unable to grasp the situation. No matter how strong Yang Kai was, it was foolish for him to come here alone. What’s more, Yang Kai had proven himself to be both cunning and insidious, so he wouldn’t do something as stupid as this without purpose.
Of course, Six Arms also understood this and frowned for a moment before ordering, “Double the scouts monitoring the situation. Immediately report if anything happens.”
“Yes!”
The Feudal Lord accepted the order and left.
Not long after, the scouts indeed sent a series of reports, further confirming the situation.
The Human Race Army was not attacking, but there were signs of large-scale mobilization. This was not surprising though as the Human Race would basically attack once every two years, so the Black Ink Clan was already used to this.
A lone Human was indeed approaching the Black Ink Clan, and that person was none other than Yang Kai, who the Territory Lords feared.
Furthermore, he seemed to be intentionally exposing his whereabouts. He didn’t try to conceal himself at all along the way, and his speed wasn’t fast either. Some Black Ink Clan scouts were even closely monitoring him, but he made no move to kill them.
This made the Territory Lords even more confused.
[What the Hell is he planning?]
[Is he just trying to taunt us?]
This Human was simply too arrogant!
In the void, Yang Kai was flying towards the Black Ink Clan’s main camp at a leisurely pace.
There were many Black Ink Clan scouts hiding along the way, but these scouts were only at the level of Feudal Lords at best so they were unable to hide themselves from his senses.
Yang Kai was indeed unafraid of revealing himself as he was not here to kill anyone, rather he was here to discuss some business with the Territory Lords.
The Human Race Army had attacked the Black Ink Clan over a dozen times during the past three decades, killing some 30 Territory Lords, which was more than enough already. It was the right time for him to initiate his plan as the sooner it was implemented, the better.
Looking towards the depths of the void, he could vaguely see the Black Ink Clan’s main camp that was spread across a few Universe Worlds. He could not wait to slaughter all of them, and why would he not? But not only would this take a lot of time, even if he did manage to kill all the Black Ink Clan troops in Profound Nether Territory, what would that really accomplish?
Perhaps it would ease some of the Human Race’s current troubles, but it would not solve the root of their problem. Ultimately, it would all be in vain.
As long as Mo was still alive and kicking, it would be able to continuously breed more Black Ink Clansmen and even create more Black Ink Giant Spiritual Gods.
If Yang Kai wanted to solve the problem once and for all, he would have to go to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and kill Mo!
Of course, that was impossible to do with just an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Cultivation. Only by reaching the Ninth Order would this even become a remote possibility.
There was only so much one man could do alone. The Human Race’s future depended on the efforts of the entire younger generation.
More and more Black Ink Clan scouts started to gather around Yang Kai, and even Black Ink Clan patrol teams were beginning to move around him, but because of his reputation, none of them dared to get too close.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai kept moving forward.
Chaos and confusion had already broken out in the Black Ink Clan main camp. Yang Kai’s act of venturing into the Black Ink Clan’s perimeter alone was extremely bewildering. Some Territory Lords believed it to be another one of the Human Race’s schemes and that Yang Kai was just bait to attract their attention. They believed that the Human Race Masters were lying in ambush somewhere, waiting for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
Some Territory Lords were clamouring that it was a rare opportunity, saying that the most important thing right now was to use all of the Black Ink Clan’s strength to kill Yang Kai. His death would definitely cripple the morale of the entire Profound Nether Territory’s Human Race Army, leaving them vulnerable and giving the Black Ink Clan an overwhelming advantage.
Listening to their constant bickering and shouting, Six Arms finally couldn’t help but roar, “Shut up!”
The chaotic voices finally fell silent.
Six Arms glanced around with a gloomy expression as his face turned dark and disgraced. The fact that one Eighth-Open Human had sent so many Territory Lords of Profound Nether Territory into utter panic had left him speechless.
Although he knew that it was because many Territory Lords had died at this Human’s hands, his subordinates’ behaviour here had still disappointed him.
After glancing around for a moment, Six Arms’ gaze finally landed on Mo Na Ye as he asked, “What do you think the Human Race’s plan is?”
Although Six Arms and Mo Na Ye had not been on good terms these past few decades, Six Arms had to admit that Mo Na Ye was not only strong, but his mind was also sharp.
Mo Na Ye replied, “The Human Race may not have any plan.”
Mo Na Ye’s reply left the Territory Lords speechless, [What nonsense!? What do you mean by no plan?]
Six Arms’ face turned black. He had lowered himself to ask for Mo Na Ye’s opinion, but he had not expected the other party to give such an answer.
Fortunately, Mo Na Ye quickly continued, “The Human Race Army is showing signs of mobilization, but they haven’t dispatched any troops yet. The scouts also haven’t discovered any trace of other Eighth-Open Heaven Realm Masters moving, which means that Yang Kai really came alone. He didn’t conceal his tracks either, so I think he didn’t come here to start a war. Perhaps… he wants to discuss something with us?”
“Discuss what?” Six Arms raised his brow.
Mo Na Ye shook his head, “I don’t know either. Yang Kai is both strong and bold, but most importantly… His ability to escape is unmatched. He probably thinks that even if he comes here alone, we wouldn’t be able to do anything to him.”
Mo Na Ye felt a little ashamed when he said this last sentence, but it was the truth. He had pursued Yang Kai countless times with four other Territory Lords over the years, but they had never once managed to even hit him.
“So what do you think he’s here to discuss with us?”
Mo Na Ye replied, “It’s just my guess, whether it’s true or not, Sir Six Arms will have to determine.”
Six Arms nodded slightly. To be honest, he also felt this was the case as there was no other explanation for Yang Kai’s strange actions today.
[There is an irreconcilable feud between the Black Ink Clan and the Human Race. Rivers of blood flow every time a war breaks out, so what could Yang Kai want to discuss?]
After a moment of silence, Six Arms stated, “Since that’s the case, let’s go and meet him.”
He then selected 9 other Territory Lords and ordered, “Follow me, as for the rest of you… conceal yourselves and wait for my orders!”
If possible, he did not want to miss an opportunity to kill Yang Kai. If he could kill Yang Kai somehow, they would be able to suppress the entire Profound Nether Territory within a couple of years.
The Territory Lords understood this and immediately obeyed.
In the void, Yang Kai continued to move forward at a leisurely pace. He had already gotten quite close to the Black Ink Clan main camp when suddenly, he looked up and saw 10 figures with powerful auras flying out of a Universe World in front of him. Their leader was none other than Six Arms.
Not only that, Yang Kai also keenly noticed many more Territory Lords hiding in the nearby Black Ink Clouds.
He had already anticipated this, so he just continued moving forward with a smile on his lips, fearlessly.
On the other side, Six Arms couldn’t help feeling a sense of admiration, watching Yang Kai flying towards them in a totally undisturbed manner. [This Human…truly doesn’t know any fear.] No one else would have dared to act like this, for walking into the enemy’s encirclement alone was akin to suicide.
The distance between them was rapidly shortening, and at some point, Yang Kai came to a halt and smiled at Six Arms.
Six Arms almost couldn’t help but give the order to attack.
Yang Kai’s current position was quite tempting to the Black Ink Clan as he was surrounded by Territory Lords from all directions and was locked onto by all of them. The Territory Lords were ready to attack at a moment’s notice, so as soon as Six Arms gave the order, they would rain down Hell on Yang Kai.
[Even if he is proficient in the Dao of Space, he might not be able to escape unscathed, right?]
[Should we attack or not?]
At this moment, Six Arms’ heart rate began to accelerate.
But before he could make a decision, Yang Kai chuckled, “Six Arms, since I dared to come alone, I naturally have the confidence to escape too. I might be surrounded by many Territory Lords, but you won’t be able to kill me. At best, you would only be able to seriously injure me.”
Six Arms’ face turned dark and gloomy, but he did not retort back. The other Territory Lords’ faces also turned ugly as they felt that Yang Kai was being too arrogant.
Had it been any other Eighth-Order Human, the Territory Lords would scoff at these words, but since Yang Kai said them, they had no choice but to take his words seriously. They knew that this Human was no fool. If he didn’t have absolute confidence, why would he dare come here all alone and let himself be surrounded?
Yang Kai continued without any sense of urgency, “So long as I’m alive, you’ll always have to watch your backs. I’ll keep killing one or two of you every time we fight. I wonder how many Territory Lords the Black Ink Clan can sacrifice?”
Listening to this, a Territory Lord beside Six Arms angrily shouted, “Yang Kai, don’t act so arrogantly! Since you’ve come here alone, you can forget about leaving here alive!”
Yang Kai looked at him, sizing him up before indifferently stating, “I remember you. You managed to escape from my hands 10 years ago. Have you recovered yet?”
The Territory Lord immediately choked and couldn’t speak as he subconsciously touched his waist where there was still a deep wound that had yet to heal.
Even to this date, he would tremble in fear whenever he recalled the scene of him escaping from Yang Kai’s spear a decade ago. He was lucky that time as Mo Na Ye and the others had hurriedly come to his rescue, forcing Yang Kai to retreat.
Yang Kai’s tone suddenly turned cold, “The next time war breaks out, you will die first.”
The Territory Lord’s expression changed drastically as terror filled his eyes. He couldn’t help but step back in fear, but the next moment, when he felt everyone’s gaze on him, he felt so ashamed that he wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and never come out.
Although he was ashamed, he did not speak again. He was not confident that he would manage to escape if he was really targeted by Yang Kai on the battlefield
Profound Nether Territory… was too dangerous right now. He wanted to go back to the No-Return Pass to recuperate.
“Enough!” Six Arms coldly snorted as his expression turned ugly.
Yang Kai had come alone, but not only did he not act cautiously, he was even more imposing than ever. Worse, with just a few words, he managed to frighten a Territory Lord under him so badly that he actually stumbled backwards in panic, enraging Six Arms completely.
[How could the Human Race produce such a monster?!]
He stared deeply at Yang Kai and asked, “Your Excellency, you didn’t come here to fight with us, right?”
A calm and peaceful smile appeared on Yang Kai’s lips, “Of course not. I came here mainly to negotiate peace with all of you.”
“Negotiate peace?” Six Arms and the Territory Lords were stunned.
Everyone had guessed that Yang Kai had come here alone for some purpose, but no one had expected him to say something like this.
[Peace? What peace!?]
The Human Race and the Black Ink Clan had been locked in a bloody war for millions of years. The Black Ink Clan could not help but think that Yang Kai had lost his mind. It’s impossible for them to co-exist peacefully. The war between the two races would only come to an end once one side was completely annihilated, yet Yang Kai actually said he came here to discuss peace.
The Territory Lords almost thought they might have heard wrong. They looked at each other, subconsciously thinking that this was another one of the Human Race’s schemes.
Yang Kai, on the other hand, earnestly continued, “That’s right, I’m here to negotiate a ceasefire. Of course, not a complete ceasefire, just one between the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Human Masters.”
Yang Kai then let out a heavy sigh before continuing with a look of frustration, “My Human Race is suffering. We have lost countless people over these years. We even lost the 3,000 Worlds. Now, we are confined to just a dozen or so Great Territory Battlefields, struggling to resist your Black Ink Clan’s onslaught. Not to mention other Great Territory Battlefields, Profound Nether Territory alone has suffered heavy casualties over these few decades of fighting. Every war would result in a river of blood flowing across the void and corpses piling up like mountains. Soldiers sacrifice their limbs, and even their lives to block you all. My Human Race is really suffering deeply.”
Hearing his sorrowful overtures, Six Arms’ face turned red with rage while all the other Territory Lords wore warped expressions.
[What nonsense is this bastard spewing!? It might be the case for other Great Territory Battlefields, but could the Human Race be suffering more than the Black Ink Clan in Profound Nether Territory?]
Indeed, the Human Race suffered casualties in every battle, but compared to the losses the Black Ink Clan endured, the Human Race’s casualties were insignificant. The Black Ink Clan’s casualties here were so high that 30% of all Black Ink Clansmen spawned for battle were sent to Profound Nether Territory just to maintain their lines.
No less than a million Black Ink Clan soldiers would die every time a war broke out here.
Not only that, ever since Yang Kai arrived at Profound Nether Territory, some 30 Territory Lords had been slaughtered by him either directly or indirectly.
[Why is this guy speaking such drivel, and in such a serious manner!?]
[The shamelessness!]
This was a new impression the Territory Lords had of Yang Kai.
Usually, the strong cared a great deal for face, even the Territory Lords did, let alone the Humans. So, with Yang Kai waxing so forlornly like this, the Territory Lords couldn’t help but feel like their horizons had been broadened.
Six Arms’ expression became unsightly as he asked, “The Human Race and Black Ink Clan have an irresolvable enmity, it’s impossible for us to coexist in this Universe, so why are you proposing an armistice?”
He had a feeling that Yang Kai was up to something, so although Six Arms felt that the two races couldn’t agree, he still wanted to ask.
Yang Kai stopped lamenting and replied as a smile appeared on his lips, “I just said it’s not a real ceasefire, only one limited to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and Territory Lords.”
Six Arms thoughtfully murmured, “You mean…”
“It’s very simple. From now on, your Territory Lords won’t participate in the battle regardless of its scale, and the same goes for the Eighth-Order Masters of my Human Race.”
The moment he stated this, the Territory Lords broke into an uproar. Even the Territory Lords who were concealing their auras and hiding in the nearby Black Ink Clouds were shocked and accidentally exposed themselves.
“Really?” One of the Territory Lords excitedly asked.
Six Arms could not help but glare at that Territory Lord, who immediately shut up as shame filled his face.
Nonetheless, Six Arms did not blame him. To be honest, even he was tempted by Yang Kai’s proposal.
Be that as it may, he warned himself that this was definitely one of the Human Race’s schemes and he should not easily believe it. They had all experienced just how cunning and underhanded Humans were.
Six Arms stared deeply into Yang Kai’s eyes, as if he wanted to see into the depths of his soul, and suspiciously asked, “What does Your Excellency mean?”
Yang Kai replied, “I mean exactly what I said.”
Six Arms didn’t say anything more. He couldn’t understand what was going on, so he turned to Mo Na Ye to seek his opinion. Mo Na Ye too furrowed his brow, appearing to be deep in thought.
Yang Kai added, “There is no need to be suspicious. I have sincerely come here to negotiate an armistice with you, and I feel that it’s also a good proposition for the Black Ink Clan. The Black Ink Clan has lost almost 30 Territory Lords at my hands in Profound Nether Territory over these years, yes? If you agree to this ceasefire, I will withdraw from the frontlines too. Of course, the premise is that you and the other Territory Lords also uphold the conditions of the ceasefire.”
An ugly look immediately appeared on the face of the Territory Lords.
The death of 30 odd Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory was a matter of great humiliation for them. By mentioning this, Yang Kai was simply rubbing salt into their wounds, which was truly infuriating.
Nonetheless, it was the truth, and they could not refute it.
Seeing the Territory Lords remain silent, Yang Kai’s smile slowly faded as his tone became dark and cold, “What’s wrong? I’ve shown you sincerity by coming alone to discuss this matter and giving you an enormous concession. Are you still not satisfied? Perhaps I need to kill a few more of you before you agree?”
Saying so, he took out his Azure Dragon Spear and arrogantly declared, “Good, since that’s the case, we all know what will happen next. Every two years henceforth, when war breaks out, I’ll kill one or two Territory Lords until all of you are gone. Let’s see how you dare to disagree then!”
The moment he summoned his Azure Dragon Spear, all the Territory Lords immediately became tense and their aura instantly broke out as they began circulating their Black Ink Strength. The calm and peaceful situation immediately became highly agitated.
Six Arms jumped back in fright, no longer having any thoughts of killing Yang Kai as he quickly raised his hand and stated, “Your Excellency, please don’t be rash!”
Yang Kai pointed his spear at him and asked him in a grim voice, without any trace of politeness, “Agree or disagree, it’s a one-word answer!”
Six Arms was completely infuriated. He was one of the top Innate Territory Lords, and also the Commander of the Black Ink Clan in Profound Nether Territory. Never had he been pointed at and shamed by an Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
If Yang Kai’s proposal had not been so tempting, he would have already given the order to attack.
He solemnly looked at Yang Kai and stated, “Your Excellency’s proposal is truly intriguing, but this ceasefire is really unimaginable, I find it hard to believe you would request it.”
“Why is that?”
Six Arms enquired, “According to Your Excellency’s proposal, the Human Race’s Eighth-Order Masters and our Territory Lords won’t be able to join the battle in the future, which on the surface appears extremely beneficial to my Black Ink Clan. So my question is, what does the Human Race get out of this?”
This was the sticking point he simply couldn’t figure out. The Black Ink Clan in Profound Nether Territory was currently at an extreme disadvantage. They would lose one or two Territory Lords every time a war broke out every two years. Now, every time war was about to break out, the Territory Lords would become restless, terrified they would be targeted by Yang Kai.
However, if they could agree with the Human Race to not send their Eighth-Order Masters into battle after today, it would be wholly beneficial to the Black Ink Clan. Six Arms could not figure out why the Humans would make such a proposal, much less uphold it.
Why would the Humans do something which would not bring them any benefit? Six Arms wasn’t naïve enough to believe that Yang Kai was considering the Black Ink Clan’s interests. The two sides were sworn enemies, so it made no sense.
Yang Kai asked, frowning, “What does my Human Race’s gains from this have to do with you? Why ask so many questions?”
Six Arms solemnly stated, “If Your Excellency can’t give us a satisfactory answer, we can only think that this is some type of sinister plot and we will have to move to capture Your Excellency here today.”
“Do you think you can?” Yang Kai sneered as he swept his gaze around arrogantly.
Six Arms shouted, “Since you’re here to discuss an armistice, show us real proof of your sincerity. Do you really think we Territory Lords are afraid of you?”
Yang Kai pursed his lips in annoyance, obviously not wanting to explain himself, but in the end, he still answered, “Fine, I suppose there’s no harm in telling you. The reason I want to discuss an armistice with you is because I want to let my Human Race’s soldiers rest. Although the Eighth-Order Masters of my Human Race have not suffered any casualties over the past few decades, we have lost far too many below the Eighth-Order, and most of them died because they were caught up in the fights between the Eighth-Order Masters and the Territory Lords. You might not care about the deaths of your weaker Clansmen, but it is very different for my Human Race. Every Human who dies was a loyal patriot of my Human Race. It would not have been an issue had they lost their lives while fighting the Black Ink Clan, even when Masters on our level clash, it is more often those around us who suffer the consequences, dying pointless deaths. As the Territory Lords outnumber the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, the Eighth-Order Masters must go all out and have no ability to care about anything else around them. Even if other Human soldiers get swept up in their battlefields, they can do nothing about it, which is not just heart-breaking, but a costly loss. However, if there is a treaty which prevents the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords from joining the battle, then such situations won’t happen again. It is for this reason I am here today to negotiate a ceasefire with you. Are you satisfied with this answer?”
The group of Territory Lords glanced at each other, somewhat believing Yang Kai’s words.
The important thing was that Yang Kai was telling the truth. Low-rank soldiers of both races were caught up in the clash between the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords every time they fought, and many of them died as a result.
The Territory Lords did not care about the deaths of Low-Rank Black Ink Clansmen, but the deaths of so many Human soldiers obviously troubled the Eighth-Order Masters. Be that as it may, they could not hold back in the current environment.
On top of that, the Territory Lords outnumbered the Eighth-Order Masters, so the Territory Lords would often be able to slaughter their way into the midst of the Human Race Army. At that time, even the Eighth-Order Masters, who were already short-handed, would be forced to rush to block them. This put the Human Race into an even more passive situation.
Six Arms tightly furrowed his brow and glanced at Mo Na Ye, who looked back and lightly nodded.
Although Yang Kai’s answer was still a little suspicious, it was indeed a valid reason.
Six Arms asked, “Can you represent the entire Human Race?”
Yang Kai scoffed, “You wish! Of course, I can’t represent the entire Human Race, but I am the Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army, so I can represent all Human forces in Profound Nether Territory!”
Six Arms probed, “In other words, the scope of this treaty is limited to the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Masters in Profound Nether Territory?”
“That’s right.”
“The Human Race is quite devious, how can we trust you?”
“I can swear, but would you believe me?” Yang Kai looked at Six Arms with a serious expression, “Trust is built based on mutual understanding between two sides. No matter what I say, you won’t believe me anyway, but the fact that I came alone is enough to show my sincerity. You will know whether I’m telling the truth or not after seeing how the Human Race acts in the future. From today on, the Eighth-Order Masters of my Human Race will not take the initiative to take part in the war in Profound Nether Territory. I hope that you Territory Lords can also abide by the agreement. Of course, you can also not abide by it, but I will kill anyone who dares to do so. Don’t think that you’ll be safe if you go into hiding. Even if you scurry back to the No-Return Pass, I can still go there, kill you, then escape!”
The Territory Lords’ expressions immediately became ugly as this was a naked threat.
“I’ve said what I came to say, farewell!” Yang Kai put away the Azure Dragon Spear, turned around, and left, without caring whether the Territory Lords agreed or not.
The group of Territory Lords stared at Six Arms, seeking an answer from him. Six Arms, on the other hand, appeared to be struggling as to what to do.
Only when Yang Kai had truly left did the Territory Lords break the encirclement, while Six Arms heaved a long sigh of relief as a sense of exhaustion hit him. Just now, he was almost unable to hold himself back from giving the order to attack Yang Kai. If he gave the order, this so-called peace treaty would have naturally been broken, and the Profound Nether Army would have undoubtedly retaliated.
The reason why he didn’t give the order was because he wasn’t confident he could take Yang Kai down here as the latter was just too calm.
Six Arms was not the only Territory Lord who let out a sigh of relief. It had to be said that many Territory Lords were tempted to accept Yang Kai’s so-called peace treaty. If they could reach an agreement with the Human Race that the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords would not partake in the battle here any longer, then they would have nothing to worry about in the future.
Over the past few decades, every time the Human Race Army attacked, it would cause the Territory Lords extreme anxiety. No one knew which Territory Lord would become Yang Kai’s target. Only when Yang Kai really made his move could they finally put their pounding hearts to rest.
When Six Arms saw the expressions on the Territory Lords’ faces, he became a little depressed. These Territory Lords of Profound Nether Territory had been thoroughly traumatized by Yang Kai and likely would never recover. He then turned to Mo Na Ye and asked, “What do you think?”
Mo Na Ye confirmed, frowning, “Does Sir Six Arms mean the peace treaty or…”
“Naturally, the peace treaty.”
“It’s a good deal!” Mo Na Ye replied, “Although I doubt we understand all its implications and I don’t think the Human Race will be so kind, if they abide by the agreement, it will be a good thing for us Territory Lords.”
Six Arms nodded slightly in agreement, “I think so too, I’m just afraid that the Humans have some hidden agenda that we’re still unaware of.”
Mo Na Ye added with a smile, “The Territory Lords are the most important targets in Profound Nether Territory, and since Yang Kai is willing to give up the opportunity to kill us to negotiate, it’s not surprising that he has some ulterior motive. It also feels that the reason he gave is lacking.”
“For the consideration of the Human Race soldiers, huh?” Six Arms understood.
Mo Na Ye agreed with a nod, “En, although many of the Human Race’s soldiers have died at the hands of the Territory Lords over the years, giving up on killing Territory Lords for the sake of those weaker Human soldiers is very foolish. Perhaps… there is some greater motivation we haven’t guessed yet.”
Although he realized that Yang Kai was hiding something, Mo Na Ye couldn’t figure it out.
When Yang Kai returned to the Human Race’s main camp, all the Eighth-Order Masters happened to be waiting for him.
Yang Kai raised his head and nodded lightly to the crowd, “It’s settled. From now on, the Eighth-Order Masters and the Territory Lords will not be allowed to participate in further battles.”
Yang Kai had discussed the treaty with the Eighth-Order Masters before heading out. Some were against it, some were puzzled, but none of them endorsed it.
The Human Race had the upper hand in Profound Nether Territory. Everyone believed that they should be taking revenge, especially when Yang Kai could kill one or two Territory Lords in every battle.
The Territory Lords had suffered heavy losses over these past 30 years, but not a single Eighth-Order Master from the Human Race had fallen. If this continued, the Human Race’s advantage would grow bigger and bigger. The Eighth-Order Masters could already imagine flattening the Black Ink Clan Army in Profound Nether Territory after a few more centuries.
As such, no one had expected that Yang Kai would actually want to make a peace treaty with the Black Ink Clan in these circumstances, especially since this treaty was only limited to the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords, which was equivalent to the Human Race giving up their greatest advantage.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai eventually convinced them.
The Human Race must train its soldiers!
The Human Race happened to have many good seedlings who had advanced directly to the Sixth and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm thanks to the Star Boundary World Tree Clone’s feedback. These seedlings had high hopes of reaching the Eighth or Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future. So, if they could grow, it would greatly alleviate or even reverse the decline of the Human Race.
Many of the geniuses who had advanced to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm had entered the battlefield right away, but those who had broken through straight to the Seventh-Order were regarded as precious treasures by every Cave Heaven and Paradise. They were hidden away, where they were given a large amount of resources. They were painstakingly cultivating in seclusion, hoping to break through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm as soon as possible and lead the Human Race out of this predicament.
Even Hua Qing Si of High Heaven Palace had hidden 200 such elites.
But was it possible to cultivate to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm in seclusion?
If it was really that easy to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, the Human Race wouldn’t only have had 100 or so Old Ancestors at its peak.
Even if someone somehow managed to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm like this, they would be like a flower in a greenhouse that had never experienced true winds and rains. As such, their strength would be doubtful.
Yang Kai only managed to reach his current heights because he had forged his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The same was true for every Eighth-Order Master present today.
As such, the Human Race needed to temper their troops! They needed to send the geniuses who had broken through straight to the Sixth and Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm to the battlefields and let them taste real hardship while allowing them to understand the predicament of the Human Race.
However, the current Great Territory Battlefields were a little dangerous to train these geniuses.
The Territory Lords outnumbered the Eighth-Order Masters. Sometimes the Eighth-Order Masters failed to contain all the Territory Lords, giving them a chance to kill unscrupulously. Because of this, even the most talented elites had a high chance of dying.
In fact, many geniuses have fallen over the years because of this.
Losing the geniuses who had advanced straight to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm was one thing, but losing even just one who had advanced straight to the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm would be quite heartbreaking. The purpose of training them was to make them stronger, not to let them die in vain.
On the Barren Territory Battlefield, the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors willingly sacrificed their lives to kill all the Royal Lords to create a safe space for their Juniors to grow. They even managed to severely injure the Black Ink Giant Spirit God to buy more time.
The Ninth-Order Old Ancestors played a huge part in the current status quo the Human Race had managed to maintain, barely holding their ground in a dozen or so Great Territory Battlefields.
Nonetheless, it was not enough.
Yang Kai’s wish to make a peace treaty with the Territory Lords was simply an extension of the wills of the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors. The Old Ancestors had wiped out most of the Black Ink Clan Royal Lords whereas Yang Kai kept the Territory Lords in check in Profound Nether Territory, thereby creating a haven for the Human Race’s younger generation to grow.
This was the reason why the Profound Nether Army had constantly been on the offensive for the last three decades and why he had been indiscriminately killing the Territory Lords on the battlefield.
He was attacking the Territory Lords so that he could force them to accept this peace treaty!
This plan was already in motion when Yang Kai had returned from the Star Boundary, but he had never told anyone about it.
Now, since the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory would not be making any further moves, the Human Race could send their geniuses to this Battlefield, where they could wander between life and death, comprehend the mysteries of the Grand Dao, and stimulate their potential.
Of course, some geniuses would lose their lives in the process; after all, the Black Ink Clan still held the advantage over the Human Race currently, but such losses could be accepted for the future of the Human Race. In any case, a dead genius was not a genius.
The Star Boundary and the Myriad Monsters World were constantly being nurtured by two World Tree clones, so how could the Human Race lack geniuses in the future?
Of course, by doing this, the Profound Nether Army had tied themselves up and let the Territory Lords of Profound Nether Territory gain an immediate advantage. From now on, they no longer had to worry about being ambushed by Yang Kai in battle.
Be that as it may, this war was not just Yang Kai’s war alone, it was a struggle the entire Human Race had to participate in as it concerned its very survival. No matter how strong Yang Kai was, he could not end it alone.
He had advanced straight to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm and then consumed a Mid-Rank World Fruit, which allowed him to have a foundation of the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Owing to this, his current cultivation of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm was his limit.
It would be next to impossible for him to advance to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm without the appropriate opportunity. The current him could kill a Territory Lord with the help of his Soul Rending Thorns, but if he was up against a Royal Lord, he would have no choice but to flee.
In the future, the Black Ink Clan would not be lacking Territory Lords and Royal Lords. After thousands of years, when the advantages created by the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors were completely gone, what would the Human Race do?
What the Human Race lacked was peak Eighth-Order Masters who could kill Innate Territory Lords, and Ninth-Order Masters who would fight neck and neck with Royal Lords in the future!
All of this depended on the effort and growth of the young geniuses.
As such, Yang Kai had to make arrangements while he still had some deterrence against the Territory Lords.
Yang Kai’s reasoning had convinced the Eighth-Order Masters of Profound Nether Army. Many Eighth-Order Masters even felt ashamed after the discussions came to a close. They only saw the current success of the Profound Nether Army and failed to look further into the future. Every time war broke out, the Black Ink Clan was unable to lift their heads, and the Territory Lords would be in complete panic.
Only a few people could see that the current advantage of the Profound Nether Army was nothing more than a reflection of the moon in the water. The Human Race’s advantage would slowly fade away and eventually disappear with time.
When this matter was reported to the Supreme Headquarters, they promptly agreed to the arrangements of the Profound Nether Army. They even deliberately turned Profound Nether Territory into a testing site.
However, the Profound Nether Army had also made preparations to launch an all-out attack when Yang Kai went to negotiate the treaty. The moment the Territory Lords made a move on Yang Kai, the Profound Nether Army would definitely charge out to attack.
Fortunately, Yang Kai’s negotiation went extremely smoothly. The Territory Lords also did not take advantage of the fact that Yang Kai was alone to try to attack him.
Yang Kai’s calmness made the Territory Lords doubt whether they could kill him or not. Furthermore, the treaty was also quite tempting to the Territory Lords. Because of these points, Yang Kai was able to safely return.
After hearing from Yang Kai that the matter was settled, Ou Yang Lie shouted as a look of disbelief took over his face, “Don’t the Territory Lords have any balls?”
Wei Jun Yang smiled, “It’s not that they don’t have any balls, it’s more like they are too afraid of being killed.”
30 Territory Lords had lost their lives at Yang Kai’s hands over the past 30 years, so who wouldn’t be afraid?
Only because of Yang Kai was this possible; if it were anyone else, even if it was Xiang Shan, the Territory Lords would have swarmed him.
If one couldn’t exert this level of deterrence, they would only be courting death if they went into the enemies’ den alone.
“Then doesn’t it mean that we won’t have to do anything in Profound Nether Territory in the future?” Stated an Eighth-Order Master, frowning, [This is going to be boring!]
Ou Yang Lie rolled his eyes and stated, “We can go support the other Great Territory Battlefields.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible.” Yang Kai shook his head, “Although we have made a treaty, Profound Nether Territory still needs Eighth-Order Masters to act as deterrents. Firstly, it would be hard to ensure that the Black Ink Clan don’t go back on their word without sufficient Eighth-Order Masters present. The Black Ink Clan cannot be trusted. We may have agreed to a peace treaty, but if they found an opportunity to devastate our Army, they would definitely take it despite the risks. For that matter, I want to establish 10 forward outposts in Profound Nether Territory, which will require everyone here to oversee them.”
“Forward outposts?” An Eighth-Order Master asked curiously.
Yang Kai explained, “Since we’re going to be training our soldiers, a large-scale Army strategy will no longer be suitable. In the future, the confrontation between the Human Race and Black Ink Clan’s soldiers in Profound Nether Territory will probably only happen on a small scale. Profound Nether Territory is quite large, so we’ll be building forward outposts as places where our soldiers can rest and heal.”
The Eighth-Order Masters immediately understood after hearing this. Wei Jun Yang agreed with this plan, nodding, “You’re right, these outposts can also provide a certain degree of security to our soldiers.”
“That’s right. Training is one thing, but we still need to minimize our losses.”
10 outposts could roughly cover the entire Profound Nether Territory. Even if each forward outpost only needed three Eighth-Order Masters to oversee it, that would still be 30 Eighth-Order Masters.
Because of this, the Eighth-Order Masters of the Profound Nether Army could not easily withdraw, so Ou Yang Lie’s request to go support the other Great Territory Battlefields was simply a fantasy.
“Sir is quite thoughtful,” Wei Jun Yang nodded.
“If none of you have any objections, then let’s start immediately. You can discuss the location of the 10 forward outposts among yourselves, there’s no need to consult me.”
The Eighth-Order Masters glanced at each other, none of them having any objections.
They were already used to Yang Kai acting like an arm-flinging shopkeeper. Basically, the Profound Nether Army’s affairs had been managed by Wei Jun Yang, Kong Cheng De, and the others all these years. Yang Kai was only in charge of a general plan, not the details or implementation.
Soon, the Profound Nether Army began moving.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were divided and sent out in various directions in units of two or three Divisions each.
The Black Ink Clan instantly got the news and sent out scouts to investigate. When the scouts sent back their reports, Six Arms and the others were shocked to discover that the Human Race was establishing numerous outposts in another Profound Nether Territory, each one overseen by several Eighth-Order Masters.
Although Yang Kai had come to discuss a peace treaty with them, the Territory Lords did not completely believe him. No one could guarantee that this was not a scheme of the Human Race.
The treaty did not prevent them from sending out some of their forces to investigate though, so after a few days, an army of over 1,000 Black Ink Clan soldiers appeared near a Human outpost that was recently built, secretly scouting it.
However, their whereabouts were soon discovered and they were pursued by several Human Squads. Although they had suffered heavy casualties, they were not completely wiped out.
The Black Ink Clan kept testing the waters multiple times over the next few months. Although they were hunted down by the Humans every time, the Eighth-Order Masters never came forward. The Human Race was indeed keeping their side of the treaty!
While the Human Race’s military training was in full swing in Profound Nether Territory, Yang Kai had already rushed to Wind Mist Territory.
He had come here to see the last two living Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Wind Mist Territory was the first Great Territory that the Black Ink Clan Army had invaded and it was in complete shambles now. Traces of the Black Ink Clan’s invasion could be seen everywhere and all its Universe Worlds lay in utter ruin.
At the place where the Territory Barrier was breached, Old Ancestors Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing were sitting cross-legged in the void, each of them slowly forming hand seals one after another. Right in between the two of them, an arm that seemed capable of shattering the sky was reaching out through the Territory Barrier.
This arm belonged to none other than the Black Ink Giant Spirit God who had awakened in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land.
When the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was awakened, he had rushed straight to the Barren Territory from the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land. Resisting the fierce attacks of the Human Race Masters, he reached the weak point of the Territory Barrier and smashed it with a single punch, thrusting its arm through two Great Territories.
Since then, the passage between the Barren Territory and Wind Mist Territory had been forced completely open. The Black Ink Clan Army, which was locked in a fierce battle with the Human Race in the Barren Territory, passed through this broken Territory Barrier and flooded into Wind Mist Territory. Ever since, the Black Ink Clan’s invasion became unstoppable.
Soon after that incident, the vast majority of the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors sacrificed themselves to open up an opportunity for the next generation of the Human Race, exterminating all but two of the Black Ink Clan Royal Lords and severely wounding this Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
The surviving Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing led the Human Race Army out of the Barren Territory and ordered the remnants to split up and go to the various Great Territories to preside over a mass evacuation and migration of the Human Race’s cultivators.
As for the two of them, they rushed straight to Wind Mist Territory and restrained the Black Ink Giant Spirit God with a joint Secret Technique, taking advantage of the fact that the Black Ink Giant Spirit God had to keep its arm in place to ensure the Territory Barrier remained open.
In the blink of an eye, nearly 100 years had passed.
Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing had managed to restrain the Black Ink Giant Spirit God all these years, but that also trapped them in Wind Mist Territory.
If the Human Race still had the help of these two Ninth-Order Masters, the situation in the Great Territory Battlefields would not have been nearly as tense as it was now.
When Yang Kai arrived at this place and laid eyes on that thick and enormous arm, his expression still changed, even if it was not his first time seeing it.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God was simply too powerful.
As for Mo, who was able to create the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods, Yang Kai was simply unable to gauge its true depths.
The arm was currently tightly bound by numerous chains. If one looked closely, one would discover that these chains were actually manifested from innumerable complex runes. Obviously, these chains were the manifestation of the Secret Technique executed by the two Ninth-Order Old Ancestors.
Initially, Yang Kai thought that there would be many Black Ink Clansmen here monitoring the situation or worse, attacking the two Old Ancestors, but after arriving, he realized that he was mistaken. There was not a single Black Ink Clansman here.
This left him quite puzzled. Logically speaking, since the Black Ink Giant Spirit God was so powerful, the Black Ink Clan’s top priority should be helping him escape. In order to help him escape, attacking the two Ninth-Order Masters was the fastest solution.
The reason Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing were able to restrain this Black Ink Giant Spirit God was not because they were stronger, but because they had certain advantages on their side.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God had shoved its arm through a Territory Barrier, meaning its main body was in one Great Territory, while its fist and forearm were in another. This had allowed the Black Ink Clan Army to pass through this opening, but it also helped Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing to shackle the Black Ink Giant Spirit God. While the two Old Ancestors could use their full strength, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God could only exert a fraction of it as most of its strength was used to keep the passage open.
If it weren’t for this, the Black Ink Giant Spirit God would have broken free long ago. In the past, a dozen Old Ancestors had needed to join forces to resist a single, heavily injured Black Ink Giant Spirit God, and even then they were barely a match. Now that the Human Race only had two Ninth-Order Masters remaining, how could they possibly restrain it?
Sensing Yang Kai’s aura, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao opened her eyes and asked in surprise, “Why are you here?”
Yang Kai respectfully bowed, “Greetings, Old Ancestors.”
He was quite familiar with Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao. As for Wu Qing, Yang Kai had met him when he went to Yin-Yang Pass, but he was not that close to him.
Wu Qing nodded slightly in response.
Yang Kai then answered, “I came to see the two Old Ancestors. Is there anything I can help you with?”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao shook her head, “It’s alright, you can’t help us in this matter. How is the Human Race doing recently?”
The two perennially remained in Wind Mist Territory and had no contact with the outside world. Although Xiang Shan had come here twice, he could not remain for long. The last time he had come was some three or four decades ago, and the Great Territory Battlefields happened to be in dire straits at that time.
Yang Kai replied, “The situation is still relatively stable for the time being. Although the fighting never ceases, it will not be easy for the Black Ink Clan to defeat the Human Race. In addition, this Junior is highly valued by the Supreme Headquarters and has been appointed as Army Commander of the Profound Nether Army.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao nodded, “You deserve it.”
Suddenly, a smile appeared on her lips as she asked, “Since you are overseeing Profound Nether Territory, the Black Ink Clan there must be having a difficult time, right?”
Yang Kai thought for a moment before replying, “Junior has negotiated a peace treaty with them.”
Xiao Xiao was taken aback by this revelation, “A peace treaty?”
Wu Qing, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, also frowned and asked, “What treaty?”
“The Human Race must train!” Yang Kai explained his thoughts, to which Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing repeatedly nodded in agreement.
“You’ve considered it carefully. In fact, when Xiang Shan first came here, he also mentioned this matter,” Wu Qing thoughtfully stated.
This time, it was Yang Kai’s turn to be surprised, “Sir Xiang was also considering signing a peace treaty?”
Wu Qing shook his head in response and explained, “He didn’t say anything about a treaty, he was just worried about the future of the Human Race. He said that the good seedlings who had been hidden away might not be of much use in the future; however, he didn’t have any solution to this problem. You on the other hand have already taken a step ahead of him. Good work.”
Yang Kai immediately understood something that had puzzled him. It was no wonder the Supreme Headquarters quickly agreed when he reported the matter of treaty to them. Apparently, Xiang Shan had long considered this issue and had been searching for a solution all this time.
Thinking about it, it was impossible for a prudent and far-sighted man like Xiang Shan to just focus on the present.
“The Black Ink Clan actually agreed?” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao was a bit puzzled.
“After killing enough of them to leave them terrified and traumatized, they naturally agreed,” Yang Kai calmly stated.
Wu Qing and Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao glanced at each other, secretly wondering just how many of the Territory Lord had died at his hand for them to be this afraid.
“Boy, you are quite arrogant for your age.”
Suddenly, a voice rang out in their ears. This voice seemed to be coming from an extremely faraway place, and yet it also seemed someone was whispering in their ears. Obviously, it was the Black Ink Giant Spirit God who was speaking.
Yang Kai could not be bothered with it though and simply looked at the two Ninth-Order Masters and continued, “The situation in Profound Nether Territory has stabilized for the time being, but if we want to train the next generation up, a single Great Territory may not be enough. This Junior is planning on patronizing the other Great Territory Battlefields in the future to open up a few more training grounds.”
Wu Qing agreed with a nod, “Good, but we still need to leave a few as they are. When those brats advance to the Eighth Order, they will need to fight with the Territory Lords to stimulate their growth.”
“This Junior had the same idea.”
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God spoke again, “Brat, why must your Human Race keep struggling so strenuously? Now that Cang and the others have all fallen, the Universe is destined to belong to my Black Ink Clan. The day this Supreme One breaks free will be the day all submit to us.”
Yang Kai frowned and thought for a moment before activating the Great Sun and Moon Marks, creating an enormous ball of Purifying Light that shot straight towards that thick arm.
The ball of pure light immediately disintegrated the lingering Black Ink Strength and the Black Ink Giant Spirit God could not help but let out a groan, but he still continued, “If you submit to this Supreme One now, I can guarantee on the behalf of the entire Black Ink Clan that we won’t corrupt you with Black Ink Strength and will allow you to retain your sentience.”
Yang Kai remained silent for a moment before creating another massive ball of Purifying Light.
In any case, he now had a lot of Yellow and Blue Crystals. Even if he ran out of them, he could still go to the Chaotic Dead Territory and ask Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan for more.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit God groaned again and shut its mouth.
It had finally discovered that the dog that bit him didn’t bark. Yang Kai simply had no intention of communicating with it. If it continued to blabber on, Yang Kai would definitely just use that Purifying Light again.
Although it would not hurt its foundation, the dissipation of its strength was extremely discomforting.
“This thing seems to be full of energy, can the two Old Ancestors restrain it?” Yang Kai worriedly asked.
Wu Qing replied with a smile, “If it decides to escape, the two of us won’t be able to stop it.”
Many things had become clear to them over the past century.
Yang Kai immediately became worried, “Then what should we do?”
If this Black Ink Giant Spirit God really managed to escape, the Human Race would not be able to resist him. Even if Fu Guang came out of seclusion and teamed up with Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing, they still would not be its opponents.
“Don’t worry,” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao reassured, “He would have to pay a huge price in order to forcefully break free right now. At the very least, he will have to leave behind this arm that has crossed the two Great Territories. Furthermore, he is currently injured, so even if he breaks free, his strength will be greatly reduced.”
In the past, when the Black Ink Giant Spirit God awakened from the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land, he traversed through the Shattered Heaven and rushed to the Barren Territory, bearing the bombardment of countless Human Race Masters. No matter how powerful he was, he was still injured at that time, and to break the Territory Barrier, he had no choice but to pay a certain price.
After the Black Ink Giant Spirit God had shattered the Territory Barrier, the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors went all out to kill the invaders. By sacrificing their lives, not only did they manage to completely wipe out all but two Royal Lords, they also heavily injured the trapped Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
“He’s also waiting for an opportunity while healing himself. There won’t be any problem for the time being,” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao explained.
Yang Kai nodded in response, feeling much more relieved. Only now did he understand why the Black Ink Clan had not sent troops to attack the two Human Race Old Ancestors. Even if they helped the Black Ink Giant Spirit God in escaping, he would still need time to heal himself.
On the other hand, this way the top Masters of both races could still restrain each other.
Fu Guang was still recuperating in the Dragon Pool, and it would probably take him hundreds or even over 1,000 years before he could leave. Once he came out of seclusion, he could come and help Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and Wu Qing, making it safer.
What troubled Yang Kai was that he didn’t know where Ah Da had gone.
It had been so many years, but he was still nowhere to be found.
Logically speaking, now that the Black Ink Clan had invaded the 3,000 Worlds and countless Universe Worlds had died, Ah Da should have appeared by now.
Yang Kai suspected that this guy was fast asleep in some remote Great Territory, which would make it all but impossible to find him without an exhaustive search.
“Old Ancestors, you don’t need to worry about the matters of the Human Race, us Juniors will handle them.”
Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao nodded, “Do your best, but don’t feel too pressured. We old fogeys have failed to live up to their expectations and forced the burden onto all of you.”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Do you need anything? Do you have enough supplies?”
Wu Qing replied, “You can leave us just a few supplies, we don’t need that much right now.”
Yang Kai immediately took out some provisions and placed them into a Space Ring before handing them to Wu Qing.
He then bowed again and bid his goodbye, “This Junior will take his leave.”
“Go on,” Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao nodded.
Yang Kai stared at the thick arm for a moment before using Space Principles and teleporting away.
Yang Kai returned to Profound Nether Territory.
In just several months, things had gotten on the right track when it came to training the Profound Nether Army. Based on Yang Kai’s initial plan, they had managed to build 10 forward outposts which served as resting places for the Human soldiers. Every forward outpost was guarded by at least three Eighth-Order Masters to ensure its safety.
During this period, the Profound Nether Army had broken up and scattered around the territory. On the other hand, the Black Ink Clan had repeatedly tested the waters and confirmed that the Eighth-Order Masters indeed wouldn’t make a move, allowing them to finally set their minds at ease.
Now, no large-scale battles were occurring in the entire Profound Nether Territory, though the number and intensity of smaller conflicts had soared.
Since the Human soldiers had scattered around, the Black Ink Clan soldiers had to follow suit. The soldiers of both Races now clashed and killed each other in every corner of this territory.
In every great battle in the past, the fights between the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords were the focal point as well as the key to determining victory or defeat; however, after the peace deal, the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords abstained from taking part in any kind of fighting. Now, the Seventh-Order Masters and Feudal Lords took centre stage. The Squads, led by Seventh-Order Squad Leaders, went all out to destroy the enemy, while some powerful Feudal Lords now rose up to lead their subordinates to slaughter the Humans.
Inside his palace, Yang Kai had started cultivating in seclusion.
It hadn’t been a long time since he ascended to the Eighth-Order in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon; as such, there was still much room for improvement in the Eighth-Order Realm for him.
Nevertheless, to increase his strength quickly, he had to actually sit and cultivate hard. He had been travelling around everywhere for the past 100 years, never having a chance to focus on his cultivation.
This was another reason he was eager to secure a peace deal with the Black Ink Clan. The need to train the next generation of Human soldiers was the primary reason, but Yang Kai also needed such an environment so he could enter retreat to cultivate. The Eighth Order was indeed his limit, but he was far from being at the peak of this Realm.
Right now, he needed to use Soul Rending Thorns to swiftly kill Innate Territory Lords, but if he managed to reach the peak of the Eighth Order, he had the confidence to pull off the same feat without the help of Soul Rending Thorns.
The accumulation process in the Eighth-Order was extremely long. Fortunately, Yang Kai had a World Tree clone.
The reason Duan Hong Chen and the others could rapidly increase their cultivation was that they had the Star Boundary’s help. They were Great Emperors acknowledged by the Star Boundary’s Will; as such, the abundance of heritage in the Star Boundary could be absorbed by them so they could cultivate far more swiftly.
The Great Emperors of the Star Boundary had gained massive benefits by sharing the benefits of a World Tree clone between them, but Yang Kai had a World Tree clone all to himself in his Small Universe.
He wasn’t short on any resources either. What he needed was a stable, safe place to cultivate.
While the Human soldiers were training, Yang Kai had to cultivate hard as well; hence, he had no choice but to secure a peace deal with the Territory Lords.
Yang Kai had one more reason to secure a stable environment for himself; for a long time, he would probably fall into a weakened state. He had no idea how frail he would become, but he was certain that his strength would be significantly weakened.
As such, he had to force the Territory Lords off the battlefield before he could carry out his plan with peace of mind.
Yang Kai ordered that unless it was a critical matter, no one was to disturb him, and then he set up multiple layers of restrictions around his cultivation chamber to ensure he was not interrupted.
A large amount of resources were stored in his Space Ring so that he could use them at any moment. It had come to a point in his cultivation where consuming Open Heaven Pills to cultivate was far too inefficient; hence, he had to refine Seventh-Order or even Eighth-Order sets of resources.
Having said that, even though he had loads of resources, Yang Kai only had a small amount of Eighth-Order ones. The resources he possessed were mostly in the Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order.
All the same, the resources were more than enough.
In the past, no one could ever squander resources to cultivate like him; after all, even though the Cave Heavens and Paradises had a large reserve of Five-Element resources, high Order Yin and Yang Element materials were still extremely rare.
On the other hand, Yang Kai had countless Yellow and Blue Crystals, so Yin and Yang materials were the least of his concerns. On the contrary, it was a lack of high Order Five-Element resources which restricted his lavish consumption.
Yang Kai hadn’t been able to cultivate with uninterrupted focus for a long time, so as a massive amount of resources were consumed by him, he could sense the heritage of his Small Universe gradually increasing. This kind of noticeable growth was quite gratifying.
While cultivating, he also diverted some of his attention to monitor the entire Void Continent, for he had to look for a suitable carrier to carry out his next plan.
Before Yang Kai parted ways with Wu Kuang outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the latter had taught him a method that would help him break through to the Ninth Order. It was a kind of Secret Art created by Shi back when he was alive.
Cang and the others each had different talents, and among them, Shi was skilful in the formulation of Secret Arts and Techniques. Evidence of this was he was the one who created the astonishing Heaven Devouring Battle Law. In modern times, some 50% of all Secret Arts and Techniques that the Human Race had inherited had traces of Shi’s influence.
As such, this method passed down from him was extremely precious.
However, even though Shi had worked out this Secret Art, he had done so after the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was established. No one had cultivated the method before, so no one could be certain if it was even feasible at all.
All the same, Yang Kai didn’t mind giving it a try as the Eighth Order was the limit in his lifetime. Giving a dead horse medicine can’t harm it after all.
This couldn’t be helped.
There was no doubt that as an Eighth-Order Master, he could charge around Profound Nether Territory and slaughter Innate Territory Lords; however, what would happen a few thousand years from now?
By then, there would be new Royal Lords in the Black Ink Clan and new Ninth-Order Masters in the Human Race. As an Eighth-Order Master, how useful would he be then? Any random Royal Lord would be able to kill him with ease when that time came.
Yang Kai wanted to secure a place for himself in the future when battling powerful enemies. It wasn’t like he could just sit back and pin all his hopes on the next generation.
For that reason, he longed to become a Ninth-Order Master.
It would be wonderful if this method worked, but even if it didn’t, there was no harm in giving it a shot.
The Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art was the method that Shi had come up with. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a Secret Art, it was more of a Secret Technique that was supposed to make up for the deficiencies in the Open Heaven Realm method that had been passed down from the Late Ancient Era.
During that era, Cang and the others made use of the World Tree’s power to gain enlightenment into the Open Heaven Realm cultivation method, which allowed the Humans to rise to power and build a foundation that lasted for many generations.
However, there were some clear deficiencies in this Open Heaven Realm method. Strictly speaking, it was incomplete.
That was because every cultivator who used this method to make it to the Open Heaven Realm had their own innate limit.
The Fifth Order was the limit for those who directly ascended to the Third Order. Similarly, the Sixth Order and the Ninth Order were respectively the limits for those who directly made it to the Fourth Order and Seventh Order.
What about the road after the Ninth Order?
The Martial Dao was a long journey of exploration, so there wasn’t a true peak or limit to speak of.
Cang and the others might’ve realised the deficiencies in this method; however, this method was the only option available for the Humans at that time. Given enough time, the Martial Ancestors might have devised a more perfect method of cultivation, but the Great Monsters roamed the Universe in that era and Humans struggled to survive. Hence, they didn’t have time to experiment with and adjust the method.
Cang had said that he was still a Ninth-Order Master, though he was further ahead than the current Ninth-Order Old Ancestors.
He also declared that there was a higher Realm beyond the Ninth Order.
While Cang was stuck in the Ninth Order, it was the same case for Shi, Mu, and the others. That was because the Open Heaven Realm method they had cultivated was incomplete. As such, the road ahead of them had been cut off when they reached the Ninth Order. Regardless of how far they went, they were unable to move past the Ninth Order.
Having been trapped in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction for several million years, Shi kept pondering this issue and eventually came up with a solution. Before he merged with the restriction, he had sent out a thread of consciousness, which surmounted countless obstacles and was reborn. He had the intention to start over and cultivate from the beginning, but unfortunately, his wish wasn’t granted in the end.
Eventually, Wu Kuang, Shi’s partial reincarnation, passed down this method to Yang Kai.
Over the past 100 years, Yang Kai had been trying to comprehend this method. He had memorised every bit of it and fully understood every detail. What he had to do now was put it into action.
According to Shi, it seemed that the Universe itself had a Will. When Mo plunged the Universe into chaos, that Will led the 10 Martial Ancestors to enter the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. With the World Tree’s help, they comprehended the Open Heaven Realm method, which allowed them to fight Mo’s expansion. In the following aeons, those who had the chance to enter the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and obtain World Tree clones were akin to cards that Will had drawn in order to protect itself.
However, those cards were all basically destroyed. Yang Kai was just the latest example and probably the last one.
During the Primordial Era, Divine Spirits ruled over the Universe, and during the Early Ancient Era, the Monster Race was the most powerful force. It wasn’t until the Late Ancient Era that the Humans rose to dominance.
If the Heavenly Way really had a Will, there was no denying it favoured these three kinds of living creatures, for their presence represented three different magnificent eras.
These three kinds of living creatures were probably the chosen ones of the Heavenly Way’s Will during the different eras. If Yang Kai could merge these three favoured existences into his own being, he might be able to make up for the deficiencies and find a way forward in his cultivation.
Although the method sounded abstruse and even a bit fantastical, it wasn’t actually difficult to put it into action.
Yang Kai just had to come up with a way to integrate the powers of these three kinds of living creatures. Simply put, he had to cultivate Soul Clones, which were his Divine Spirit Self, Monster Self, and Human Self. As these three Selves united, he might be able to break through the shackles of the Open Heaven Realm and ascend to the Ninth Order.
It was for this reason that he headed to the Demon Realm back then and retrieved Embodiment. He had to get prepared for cultivating the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art by taking back his other living Soul Clone.
Yang Kai was originally a Human, but in the past, he happened to obtain a Divine Dragon’s Source. Gradually, his bloodline was Dragonized, and after he cultivated in the Dragon Pool, his Human bloodline was permanently purged. Now, he was technically a pure Divine Spirit. Moreover, he was a part of the Dragon Clan, the head of the Divine Spirits. There was no doubt he was formidable in his own right.
As such, he already had a Divine Spirit Self. Now, he needed a Human Self and a Monster Self.
Regardless, Yang Kai decided to cultivate his Human Self first as it was probably the easier one. If there were any problems in the future, he could slowly make some adjustments.
Therefore, during his retreat, while he consumed the resources to cultivate, Yang Kai had also been paying attention to everything on the Void Continent.
Presently, the Void Continent could be considered prosperous. Following Yang Kai’s increase in strength, his Small Universe’s capacity had also greatly expanded. The most conspicuous change was that the Small Universe’s territory had become larger.
As a result, there had also been an increase in population. The flow of time in his Small Universe was different from that of the outside world, and with the World Tree clone’s presence, more and more youths with extraordinary aptitudes appeared. Most of them became part of the major Sects and learned how to cultivate there. When they reached a certain age or level of cultivation, they would be invited to the Void Dao Temple, thus becoming disciples of the Dao Temple.
There were still some conflicts in the Void World. There had been the rise and fall of different families and Sects; regardless, there was one powerful force that had stood the test of time.
It was none other than the Seven Stars Sect.
After all, the Dao Lord was the Supreme Elder of the Seven Stars Sect. As such, no one had the guts to offend Seven Stars Sect; instead, they were all eager to flatter them.
Meanwhile, even though the Seven Stars Sect was the most powerful in the entire Void World, they remained humble and righteous, never committing any kind of outrage or offence since it rose to power several tens of thousands of years ago. For that reason, many talented young people dreamed of joining the Seven Stars Sect, which helped further strengthen the Sect’s foundation and inheritance.
The present Seven Stars Sect was very different from the one Yang Kai had seen in the past. The Sect now occupied countless mountains and rivers, while on the various Spirit Peaks, houses and pavilions could faintly be seen as rare beasts roamed around freely. There was no denying it was now a powerful Sect.
After several tens of thousands of years of accumulation, this Sect, which had migrated from its original location back then, had a very ample heritage now.
Yang Kai hadn’t paid attention to his Small Universe for a long time, so as he looked around Seven Stars Sect, he felt that everything had changed drastically.
There was no doubt he still had some emotional attachment to Seven Stars Sect; after all, his Soul Avatar had stayed in this place for quite some time, and he had even taken his three Disciples from here.
Although he hadn’t found anything useful this time around, he wasn’t disappointed and simply went on to inspect other places.
A few years later, when Yang Kai scanned his Small Universe with his Divine Sense again, something in the Seven Stars Sect caught his attention. His brow twitched as he couldn’t help thinking that he indeed had some predestined fate with Seven Stars Sect.
Other than the fact that he had taken on his three Disciples in the Seven Stars Sect, he had also found his Human Self here.
In fact, he had encountered some suitable options over the past few years, but none were really up to his standards. This was a matter closely related to his future, after all; therefore, he wouldn’t dare to be negligent as he wanted everything to be perfect.
The opportunity he had come across this time was satisfactory.
After some inspection, he stopped hesitating as he began executing the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art. At that instant, his Soul was torn apart and his aura plunged.
When he used Soul Rending Thorns to kill Innate Territory Lords, Yang Kai also tore his Soul apart. By powering the Soul Rending Thorns with a portion of his Soul Essence, he not only destroyed the enemy, but also harmed himself.
However, that feeling of being torn apart was quite different from the present one. As he activated the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art now, Yang Kai felt as if he was slicing himself in half. If not for the fact that he had activated Soul Rending Thorns many times before, this kind of extreme pain would’ve made him pass out directly.
The method that Shi had come up with was ‘intriguing’ to say the least. It would be worth it if it was useful, but if it turned out to be useless, all this pain and suffering would be for nothing.
As his Soul was ripped apart, Yang Kai not only became frail, but he also realised that he had become listless and dazed. His forehead felt scorching, as though he had come down with fever.
Now, he couldn’t even use half of his full strength. If he were to fight an Innate Territory Lord in such a condition, he would undoubtedly die.
He tried to pull himself together as he used the Secret Technique to wrap his Soul Fission with layers of seals. This was a Soul Fission from a powerful Eighth-Order Master, after all, so the average carrier couldn’t possibly bear it. As such, he had to seal it.
When he was done sealing the Soul Fission, Yang Kai let out a long breath. As a thought flashed across his mind, the Soul Fission traversed the Small Universe and descended in a particular direction.
Seven Stars Sect was the strongest Sect in Void World with several tens of thousands of years worth of inheritance. Not only was the inside of the Sect magnificent, but the lands under its jurisdiction were also prosperous.
Several cities surrounded Seven Stars Sect as countless cultivators streamed along the streets.
The Fang Family Village was located some 200 kilometres outside one of these major cities. One of the Fang Family’s Ancestors was a Seven Stars Sect’s disciple; however, his aptitude was weak as he had only managed to make it to the Dao Source Realm.
He passed away 1,000 years ago.
Over the past 1,000 years, the Fang Family had some members who had aptitude for cultivation, but none of them were very talented. As such, they couldn’t restore their family’s former glory.
Now, most people on the Void Continent aspired to be cultivators, and there were a lot who had outstanding aptitudes. Nevertheless, rarely would anyone be considered a prodigy.
Fortunately, the present cultivation environment was much better than it used to be several tens of thousands of years ago. As long as one wasn’t completely crippled, they would have some cultivation talent in them. Having said that, while talent was important, one’s own hard work and will to improve were still the key to achieving success.
The Patriarch of the Fang Family, Fang Yu Bai, was not such a person. His cultivation was weak as he was only in the True Element Boundary. This kind of cultivation was unremarkable on the Void Continent.
All the same, he wasn’t an ambitious person. As time passed, he was no longer as hot-blooded as when he was younger, and more than 10 years ago, he married a woman, and had been living off the heritage he inherited from his ancestors ever since.
His Wife, Zhong Yu Xiu, was even weaker than him as she was only in the Separation and Reunion Boundary. With that said, she was a wise and demure woman.
The married couple lived a harmonious life far away from any kind of conflict. There was no doubt they were happy and carefree.
That was also how most people on the Void Continent lived. Those Heaven-defying geniuses and Masters who could fly through the sky were far removed from most people’s lives.
Nevertheless, Fang Yu Bai had been in a terrible mood recently.
There had never been a lot of offspring in the Fang Family, and for some reason, instead of getting better with time, things had only gotten worse in Fang Yu Bai’s generation.
It had been more than 10 years since he married, and during this period, Fang Yu Bai had never neglected his wife’s needs. To his dismay, however, his wife never became pregnant over the years. As his wife grew older, he couldn’t help feeling dejected, wondering if one of them had some kind of health problem.
Fortunately, they seemed to have the blessing of the Fang Family’s ancestors and six months ago, his Wife was suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of discomfort. She felt dizzy in the morning and would frequently retch after eating anything. Upon closer inspection, the couple was surprised to learn that she was pregnant.
Fang Yu Bai then reported to his ancestors about this piece of wonderful news.
Since then, he had been taking extra care of his Wife as he was worried that she would become ill or injured. He had also stopped her from practising her sword, which was a long-time habit of hers. He wanted her to get more rest so that the child wouldn’t be affected.
Zhong Yu Xiu certainly wouldn’t object to this. In fact, now that she was finally pregnant, she felt quite relieved.
Unfortunately, life wasn’t always so kind.
Half a month ago, Zhong Yu Xiu suddenly realised that there were no longer any movements from her child. She was in the Separation and Reunion Boundary, after all. As such, she was aware of what was going on inside her body.
The realisation horrified the couple and they quickly hired a senior expert to examine her.
The result turned out to be terrible for them. The child in Zhong Yu Xiu’s belly didn’t seem to have enough vitality. As such, it was uncertain if she could even give birth to her child. Now, she could only get enough rest, and leave the rest up to the Heavens.
After seeing the senior expert off, a dejected Fang Yu Bai became even more attentive to his Wife; however, both of them could clearly feel that the vitality of their child was weakening by the day.
Fang Yu Bai was downcast as he wondered why their family was so unlucky. It was extremely difficult for his Wife to get pregnant, and now they were at risk of losing their child.
If the child was gone, there would no longer be any offspring in the Fang Family’s main line. At the thought of this, Fang Yu Bai felt too ashamed to face his ancestors.
On the other hand, Zhong Yu Xiu wept every day. Despite knowing that her emotions would affect her child, she still couldn’t help feeling sorrowful.
It was the sorrow of a Mother who knew she might not be able to keep her child.
One day, Fang Yu Bai was leading his subordinates to inspect the Spirit Farm in the village. Seven Stars Sect had many disciples, and as such, they needed a lot of Spirit Pills to cultivate. Outside Seven Stars Sect, those in the villages like the Fang Family Village would nurture some Spirit Farms where they planted a lot of simple Spirit Herbs to make a living.
In fact, there were many similar villages around Seven Stars Sect. It was thanks to the Spirit Herbs grown in these villages that the cultivation needs of those grassroots disciples were met.
In the Spirit Farm, the Spirit Herbs were growing well. Despite that, Fang Yu Bai was disconsolate as he was worried about his Wife and their child.
Just then, a maidservant rushed over and exclaimed, “Patriarch! Madam said that her belly is in pain, so she wants you to return at once!”
Hearing that, Fang Yu Bai was no longer in the mood to inspect the Spirit Farm and used all his strength to run back to his home.
Upon his arrival, he heard his Wife’s muffled moaning. He dashed into the room and shoved the maidservants and midwives away, only to see Zhong Yu Xiu lying on the bed, her face as pale as a white sheet.
He sat down beside the bed and asked anxiously, “How are you feeling, my Wife?”
Zhong Yu Xiu’s forehead was beaded with sweat, and her clothes were all soaked. It was apparent that she was going through some unbearable pain. When she saw her husband, she was deluged with grievances and pain as she cried, “My belly hurts, my Husband. The child…”
“What happened to the child?” Fang Yu Bai’s face turned ashen.
“There hasn’t been any movement from the child for half a day…” Zhong Yu Xiu wailed.
A six-month-old fetus should have been very active in Mother’s belly, and although the child didn’t have enough vitality, it would still occasionally make some movements and kick his Mother. Now that there hadn’t been any movement for half a day though, it was apparent that things had taken a turn for the worse.
As if struck by lightning, Fang Yu Bai was rooted to the spot. He couldn’t help but lament that their family didn’t have the Heavens’ blessings. His wife was finally pregnant with a child, but she didn’t have a chance to give birth to it. Fang Yu Bai had been working hard all his life, and although he couldn’t be considered a philanthropist, he had never done anything wicked. He wondered why he was so unlucky.
All of a sudden, a maidservant yelped, “Ah! Blood!”
Fang Yu Bai looked down and saw that blood was indeed streaming out of his wife’s lower body. The bed had been dyed red.
“Madam has passed out!” The maidservant exclaimed again.
A terrified Fang Yu Bai called out, “My wife!”
The room descended into a mess. The turn of events caught Fang Yu Bai off guard as he had no idea what to do.
*Kacha…*
A sudden loud clap of thunder shocked everyone in the room. The thunder was different from the ones they had heard in the past as it continued for a long time. The instant the thunder was heard, the entire sky lit up. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky as though trying to tear it apart.
“Thunder on a clear day!” One of the midwives muttered under her breath. One had to know that the weather was lovely today with not a cloud in sight. It was obviously not normal for a clap of thunder to sound all of a sudden.
Fang Yu Bai almost went mad. The Fang Family members had been good people for generations; however, he couldn’t even produce a single heir, which was downright miserable. He wondered if the Heavens were also mourning for him.
Presently, he was at a loss as he had no idea what he should do if the child was indeed dead; after all, he had never experienced such an incident before, so it was only natural that he didn’t know how to deal with it.
The maidservants and the midwives were also flustered and uncertain about what they should do.
While they were despondent, a thud was heard all of a sudden. Initially, Fang Yu Bai didn’t pay attention to it as he only wailed in sorrow.
However, when he heard the same kind of thud for the second time, he realised something was off. He quickly kept quiet and glanced at his Wife’s belly in shock.
If Fang Yu Bai wasn’t mistaken, the sound was coming from his Wife’s belly.
Although he wasn’t powerful, he was in the True Element Boundary at the very least. He could hear sounds that the mortals were unable to hear.
Furthermore, he was very familiar with this kind of sound.
When the child was still fine back then, he would always lean his head against his Wife’s belly to listen to the child’s movements. The thudding sounds were the child’s heartbeat.
“Shush!” He suddenly ordered.
Instantly, the maidservants and midwives stopped weeping and kept their mouths shut.
Seated beside the bed, Fang Yu Bai observed his Wife. He wasn’t sure if it was just an illusion, but he believed that some of the colour had been restored to his Wife’s originally pale face.
*Dong…*
Another gentle thud was heard from his Wife’s belly.
Fang Yu Bai trembled and leaned in close to his Wife before pressing his ear against her belly, waiting anxiously.
*Dong, Dong, Dong, Dong…*
The weak heartbeat was a sign that the child in the belly had been brought back to life. Although the heartbeat was initially in a mess, it gradually began pounding normally. Fang Yu Bai even had a feeling that the heartbeat was stronger than what he had heard in the past.
All of a sudden, his Wife’s belly swelled a little. Fang Yu Bai instantly felt that someone kicked him through the flesh. Even though the kick was gentle, he almost jumped in shock.
“Ah!” He widened his eyes in disbelief as he quickly took his Wife’s wrist and examined her pulse.
A moment later, tears started streaming down his face, “Thank the Heavens!”
The maidservants and midwives looked at each other as they had no idea what was going on.
One hour later, Zhong Yu Xiu slowly regained her senses, and the moment she opened her eyes, she saw Fang Yu Bai beside the bed.
“You’re finally awake, my wife,” Fang Yu Bai was pleasantly surprised. Although he had examined his wife and confirmed that she was fine, it wasn’t until she awakened that he breathed a sigh of relief.
A dazed Zhong Yu Xiu stared at her Husband as her mind gradually became clear. Tears slid down from her reddened eyes as she asked, “What happened to the child, my husband?”
Despite knowing that her child was probably gone for good, she still couldn’t help asking her Husband about it to get a definitive answer.
Fang Yu Bai patted the back of her hand and replied with a smile, “Don’t worry, my wife. The child is fine.”
Zhong Yu Xiu didn’t believe him as she cried, “There’s no need to console me, my husband. I’m able to… accept the truth.”
Hearing that, Fang Yu Bai couldn’t help smiling, “I’m not trying to console you. The child is really fine. You’re a cultivator too; if you don’t believe me, you can examine yourself.”
Realising that her husband wasn’t pulling her leg, Zhong Yu Xiu doubtfully activated her power and carefully examined her body. What she discovered astounded her.
Not only was the child in her belly indeed fine, but she could also feel that the child’s vitality was far stronger than before.
[What’s going on?]
She remembered that her belly was in sharp pain on this day, and there hadn’t been any movement from her child for half a day. Before she passed out, her lower body had even started bleeding.
She was ready to accept the fact that her child was gone for good, but the truth turned out to be such a pleasant surprise.
“Am I dreaming, my husband?” She still couldn’t believe that her child was alive.
Fang Yu Bai placated her, saying, “You’re not dreaming. Everything is going well.”
Unable to hold back her tears any longer, Zhong Yu Xiu started bawling her eyes out. All her worries over the past few days were gone as she could finally vent out her sorrow. Although she was crying, she felt relieved.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry, it might affect the child,” not knowing what to do, Fang Yu Bai could only help wipe the tears off the corners of her eyes.
Zhong Yu Xiu nodded repeatedly, but she couldn’t stop her tears from sliding down her cheeks. It wasn’t until a long time later that she gradually calmed down. While stroking her belly, she bit her lip and said, “The child is hungry, my husband.”
Fang Yu Bai was startled for a moment before guffawing, “Give me a moment, my wife. I’ll tell the cooks to prepare something for you.”
With that, he turned around and left.
The news of his dead child being brought back to life soon spread around. It was also said that lightning struck on a clear day when it happened, which was an unusual phenomenon.
Soon, everyone heard about this incident. All the villagers thought that the Fang Family’s ancestors had done enough good deeds to make the Heavens bring the child back from death’s door.
Those who believed the story became even more respectful of the Heavens, while the non-believers dismissed it as superstition.
After all, the child was still in her belly. Other than the Fang Family members, no one knew if the child had really been resurrected. With that said, lightning had indeed struck from the clear sky on that day, and the news had sent a shockwave across the entire Void World.
Void Dao Temple and the major Sects had sent some people to look into the matter, but they discovered nothing in the end.
Zhong Yu Xiu’s belly became larger by the day, but what was strange was that since the incident that day, her child’s vitality had never become weaker. On the other hand, Zhong Yu Xiu was originally somewhat thin, but she too had gradually become chubby.
10 months into the pregnancy, she was finally ready to give birth. While Fang Yu Bai was waiting anxiously outside the room, the maidservants and midwives kept streaming in and out of the place.
One hour later, a loud cry was heard coming from the room. The next moment, a maidservant rushed over and reported, “Congratulations, Patriarch! It’s a boy!”
At this point, Fang Yu Bai’s face was covered in tears, for he finally had an heir.
There was a new Young Master in the Fang Family, and his name was Fang Tian Ci. Fang Yu Bai felt that the child was given to them by the Heavens. If not for the Heavens having mercy on them that day, the child would’ve passed away.
Since he only had a single child in his old age, Fang Yu Bai doted on him. Although the Fang Family couldn’t be considered wealthy, the Patriarch was still quite generous to his child.
If the average child had been doted on like this since a young age, he would probably grow up to be a willful person; however, Fang Tian Ci turned out to be well-mannered. Despite growing up in a rich family, he had never done anything that harmed others’ interests. Moreover, he was an intelligent and genial person; as such, the villagers in the Fang Family Village were quite fond of him.
As time passed, the child grew up to be a young man.
Fang Yu Bai wanted him to join the Seven Stars Sect, so he had been trying to build a foundation for him by teaching him some simple cultivation methods since the latter was a young boy.
However, much to his chagrin, even though his child was intelligent, he didn’t seem to be a talented cultivator.
It wasn’t until Fang Tian Ci was 13 that he reached the Initial Element Boundary. Another five years later, he finally ascended to the Qi Transformation Boundary.
There was no doubt his aptitude was slightly better than that of Fang Yu Bai, but it was still quite limited. One had to know that World Energy was abundant in the Void World. If one was a prodigy, they would reach the True Element Boundary by the age of 18.
However, Fang Tian Ci was only in the Qi Transformation Boundary, which was two Great Realms below the True Element Boundary.
Certainly, those from the Seven Stars Sect wouldn’t be interested in someone with such weak aptitude. Even the smaller Sects wouldn’t accept him.
As such, Fang Yu Bai decided to give up on this small dream. He was lucky enough to have a child, so demanding him to have a good aptitude for cultivation was downright greedy.
Fortunately, Fang Tian Ci possessed an unwavering spirit and was quite hard-working, so despite his lack of talent, he still built a very solid foundation.
Since he was an only child, his parents weren’t willing to let him leave the village and become anyone’s Disciple in a faraway place; as such, they decided to just teach him at home.
Time went by slowly.
Fang Yu Bai and his Wife were now old and frail. Their cultivation was weak, so they couldn’t enjoy a long life. With the abundance of World Energy in the Void World, even mortals who had never cultivated before could live past 100 years, but there would still come a day when they passed away. Despite being cultivators, the married couple could only live for slightly longer than that.
They increasingly felt that they didn’t have much energy left, and their days were surely numbered.
Fortunately, Fang Tian Ci was married. Although his Wife wasn’t a Young Lady from a wealthy family, their families were equally matched. She had also given birth to Fang Tian Ci’s children.
Several years later, Fang Yu Bai and Zhong Yu Xiu passed away in close succession.
As time passed, wrinkles started appearing on Fang Tian Ci’s face. When he was 150 years old, his Wife also left him for the next world.
He only had one Wife for all his life, just like his parents. His love for his Wife was steadfast and unshakable. Unfortunately, his Wife was just a commoner who had never cultivated before, so she didn’t live for long.
Although he now had some children and even grandchildren, the death of his Wife was still devastating to Fang Tian Ci. He seemed to have aged significantly overnight as his hair turned grey.
His parents were long gone, and even his only Wife was no longer with him. Since there were quite a few Fang Family members now, Fang Tian Ci felt he no longer had any worries.
He summoned his children to the Fang Family’s Grand Hall and informed them about his intention to leave home.
Certainly, his children were not willing to see him depart. Although Fang Tian Ci had been cultivating since he was a young child, he was only in the Immortal Ascension Boundary now. Given his advanced age and frailty, how was he supposed to take care of himself if he went out to explore the world now?
Although it was generally safe in the Void World, the current Fang Tian Ci couldn’t possibly fend off ill-intentioned people on his own should he come across any danger.
All the same, Fang Tian Ci had made up his mind. He only summoned his children to inform them about his decision, not discuss it with them.
Several days later, Fang Tian Ci left the Fang Family Village on his own. Behind him, his children and grandchildren fell on their knees as they watched him leave.
In fact, Fang Tian Ci had no idea why he had decided to go out on an excursion. Supposedly, he was no longer a high-spirited and ambitious youth. At his age, he was supposed to spend his retirement years having fun with his grandchildren; however, there was a voice in his heart that kept telling him that he should go out and see this wonderful world at least once.
This kind of urge had been with him since he was very young.
Unfortunately, his aptitude was unremarkable, and he was weak. When he was young, he couldn’t possibly leave his parents, and when his parents passed away, he was already married with children. His weakness couldn’t help him realise his dream.
Now that his wife was gone, he reckoned that his children and grandchildren no longer needed him. Since he had no more worries, he decided to make his dream come true despite knowing that he might be killed somewhere along the way.
One night, he arrived at a certain mountain and sat down to cultivate.
Since he started cultivating, he had never slacked off over the years. Although his cultivation was weak, he knew that little drops of water made a mighty ocean over time; therefore, he would never miss cultivating every day.
This helped build a solid foundation for him. Although he was no match for some of the talented young people, his True Qi was quite robust for one in the Immortal Ascension Boundary. Rarely would anyone in the same Boundary be a match for him.
However, the moment he started cultivating on this day, he realised that something was off.
He had reached the Immortal Ascension Boundary Ninth Stage 30 years ago, which he felt was his limit. Over the years, he had never been able to break through this bottleneck.
His aptitude and body simply didn’t allow him to walk any further on the Martial Dao.
Nevertheless, on this day, the bottleneck that had blocked him for 30 years showed signs of cracking.
Fang Tian Ci couldn’t help falling into a dazed state. When he examined himself again, he realised it wasn’t an illusion. The bottleneck that had restricted him for such a long time was finally breaking apart.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t ecstatic. After years of cultivation, his personality had become the epitome of calm and collected. He only thought that he was finally able to achieve a breakthrough in his old age, which was unheard of as far as he knew.
Perhaps it had something to do with his decision to go out and explore the world. Now that he had no more worries, nothing could restrict him again. Since his birth, he had never felt more carefree and unrestrained.
He then circulated his True Qi in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough.
Everything went so smoothly to the point where it was hard for him to believe it. Soon, dark clouds gathered in the sky as lightning crackled and thunder rolled.
He knew that the trial of the World’s Grand Dao had come.
His expression remained as tranquil as an ancient well. Following a bolt of lightning, powerful World Energy penetrated his body and cleansed his aged mind.
He gritted his teeth and persevered, enduring the unbearable pain in silence as he realised that he was gradually growing stronger.
It wasn’t until the next morning that the Heavenly Manifestation dissipated. A long and satisfied roar reverberated across the mountains. Fang Tian Ci, who was originally in the Immortal Ascension Boundary, felt his aura surging as he broke through his shackles and ascended to the Transcendent Realm.
The ascension didn’t only bring about an increase in strength, but some of the wrinkles on his face also disappeared. There was a bit of glow on his originally withered skin now.
He seemed to have become much younger overnight as some of his hair had turned from grey to black.
As he washed his face beside a creek and looked at his reflection, he chuckled lightly.
After consolidating his cultivation for a bit, he built a hut on the mountain and started living there.
He was suddenly able to achieve a breakthrough, but the trial of the World’s Grand Dao didn’t only help increase his power, it also allowed him to comprehend something else.
As such, he needed time to go through this new enlightenment.
Years passed as flowers withered and bloomed in a cycle. When Fang Tian Ci left his seclusion 10 years later, his aura had become much more robust. It was apparent that he had moved further into the Transcendent Realm. Besides that, 10 years of cultivation had allowed him to grasp a different kind of power. It was an abstruse power that was unfamiliar to him.
It was none other than the Dao of Space!
There were some cultivators in the Void World who had cultivated the Dao of Space thanks to the Dao Lord’s blessing.
It was rumoured that the inscrutable Dao Lord had cultivated over 10,000 Grand Daos and the entire Void World was filled with the Dao Essences of these Grand Daos. These Dao Essences were intangible, but omnipresent. Only the most talented cultivators had a chance to comprehend them and obtain some of the Dao Lord’s inheritance.
The extraordinary people were already able to connect to the Dao Lord’s Grand Daos before they were even born. After they were born, once they cultivated the Grand Daos that matched their talents, their cultivation would rapidly increase. They would easily be led to enter the Void Dao Temple and become Dao Temple disciples.
It was extremely rare to find people who were born compatible with the Dao Lord’s Grand Daos. Perhaps only one such person would be born in many years. It was said that the first disciple that the Dao Lord had taken on in Seven Stars Sect had caught the Dao Lord’s attention before he was even born.
Everyone was envious of such luck.
It was something that could not be forced; nevertheless, the World’s Grand Dao never stopped anyone from obtaining the Dao Lord’s inheritance.
When Fang Tian Ci went through the trial of the World’s Grand Dao and achieved a breakthrough 10 years ago, he sensed a bit of the Grand Dao’s Dao Essence in the Void World. If anyone came across such an opportunity, they might be able to comprehend something.
Many such people benefited from this experience. Whenever they achieved a breakthrough, they could faintly detect a particular kind of Grand Dao.
This was the Dao Lord’s gift to the Void World.
Although he had cultivated over 10,000 Grand Daos, the Dao Lord was said to be particularly skilful in three of them.
They were the Dao of Space, the Dao of Time, and the Spear Dao.
It was rumoured that the Dao Lord had primarily cultivated these three Grand Daos. Many millennia ago, these three Grand Daos were by far the most conspicuous in the Void World. It wasn’t until a long time later that many other Grand Daos rose to prominence.
Since these three Grand Daos were what the Dao Lord had primarily cultivated, anyone who managed to inherit one of these Grand Daos would be treasured.
When Fang Tian Ci was young, he was unable to achieve any such success, and it never crossed his mind that he would make it to the Transcendent Realm in the twilight of his life. Besides that, he had also comprehended the Dao of Space during the trial of the World’s Grand Dao.
His experience left him torn between tears and laughter.
If he had such an opportunity when he was young, he would’ve tried to make a name for himself and gain a footing in this World; however, after experiencing the vicissitudes of life, he was no longer as ambitious as when he was young. Now, he just wanted to travel around the Void World and take in the wonderful sights he didn’t have a chance to see in the past.
He then left the place where he had stayed for 10 years. As he roamed around the world, he simply followed his whims without having any kind of plan in mind.
Perhaps it was because he had severed ties with his past, he felt different now. After leaving the Fang Family Village, Fang Tian Ci could finally chase his dreams and live the kind of life he had always wanted.
Wherever he went, he stood up for the weak and vanquished evil. When he arrived at any Sect, he would spend some time discussing the Martial Dao with their cultivators.
There were some occasions where he fell into danger. He was once hunted down by powerful Monster Beasts through the mountains. Other times, he had been dragged into plots and besieged by disciples of Sects. Fortunately, as his mastery of the Dao of Space improved, he could always find a way to preserve his life.
These dangerous encounters didn’t hold him back or dampen his spirits; instead, they only made him stronger.
He soon became a famous figure. Despite having cultivated for 150 years, he was still only in the Immortal Ascension Boundary back then. The story of such an ordinary cultivator achieving a breakthrough and becoming powerful sent a shockwave across the world.
There had never been a lack of ambitious but ordinary people in the Void Continent, so when they heard about Fang Tian Ci’s story, many had the misconception that they too could pull off a similar feat.
To some extent, Fang Tian Ci’s story had propelled many ordinary cultivators to work harder; nevertheless, only a small number of them could really break through their shackles like he had.
30 years later, Fang Tian Ci ascended to the Saint Realm from the Transcendent Realm.
He went through a World Trial again, but this time, he gained enlightenment into the Dao of Time.
50 years later, he made it to the Saint King Realm and comprehended the Spear Dao.
Every time he broke through to the next Great Realm, Fang Tian Ci would gain massive benefits. Even his appearance had become increasingly younger.
When he left the Fang Family Village, he was old and frail, but after travelling around the world for a hundred years, he now looked like a middle-aged man. While others grew older with time, he seemed to become younger.
His experiences gave him a unique type of charm, and by now his story had become quite famous. Although he still wasn’t a truly powerful Master, his inspirational journey had become a legend in the Void World. Many families wanted him to join them and offers of marriage were never lacking.
Nonetheless, Fang Tian Ci wasn’t interested in such matters and turned them all down as he continued his journey.
Over the years, he made many good friends, but none of them could keep him company for long. Sometimes, he would feel lonely, but he reasoned that this was the price he had to pay for chasing the Martial Dao.
He never intended to return to the Fang Family Village. After his departure, he decided that he would never go back to his hometown. Since he had left behind some offspring, he had no more worries. As such, he could bid farewell to his past without regrets.
Compared to the talented geniuses, his cultivation speed couldn’t be considered rapid; however, his progress was stable, and he was able to build a solid foundation in every Realm.
As he travelled around the world, he had some friendly matches against cultivators in the same Realm, but was never once defeated. It could be said that he was unrivalled in the same Realm.
Moreover, he had inherited the Dao Lord’s three primary Grand Daos, which made him even more popular.
One had to know that even though some cultivators had the chance to inherit the Dao Lord’s Grand Daos, none of them was like Fang Tian Ci who managed to inherit the Dao of Space, Dao of Time, and Spear Dao altogether.
Everyone was curious about why he had such an opportunity.
Supposedly, a prodigy would show signs of having extraordinary aptitude when they were young, however, Fang Tian Ci was different. He only became powerful when he was well over 100 years old. Although the increase in his strength wasn’t rapid, he managed to achieve something that no cultivators in the Void World had ever pulled off before.
He went from the Origin Returning Realm to the Origin King Realm, to the Dao Source Realm, to the Emperor Realm eventually.
Slowly but steadily, he grew from an insignificant cultivator to an important Master. Now, it had been 1,000 years since he left the Fang Family Village.
Many things had changed during this period. It took him over 1,000 years to go from the Immortal Ascension Boundary to the Emperor Realm. There was no doubt his cultivation speed was slow and his aptitude was terrible.
Supposedly, this shouldn’t have happened. If a cultivator was unable to make it to the Emperor Realm within 1,000 years in a wonderful environment such as the Void World, he wouldn’t be able to achieve it in his lifetime.
However, Fang Tian Ci had pulled it off.
Some people had asked him what his secrets were.
All he could tell them though was that he had no idea. After he left the Fang Family Village, even though his cultivation speed was slow, he never faced any bottlenecks again. In other words, although the increase in his power was snail-paced, he would always make it to the next Realm given enough time. It was unlike any other cultivators who might get stuck in the same Realm forever despite rapidly being able to accumulate enough heritage to break through.
This made the Masters in the Void World have some wild thoughts. Perhaps rapidly increasing one’s strength wasn’t the best way to pursue the Martial Dao, perhaps it was better to build a solid foundation in every Realm before trying to advance further.
With such a speculation in mind, many Sects started suppressing the cultivation speed of their prodigies, but regardless of who attempted this, no one could tell if the results were good or bad.
At this point, Fang Tian Ci, who was an Emperor Realm Master, was invited to the Void Dao Temple.
The Dao Temple was a splendid palace hovering in the sky of the Void World. It was every cultivator’s dream to one day join the Dao Temple.
The existence of the Dao Temple was a wonder in itself. Although it was a palace, there seemed to be an entirely different world inside, one that was both vast and expansive. The first time Fang Tian Ci arrived at this place, he sensed the abstrusity of the Dao Temple. This place also seemed to be filled with the secrets of the Grand Dao of Space.
Moreover, regardless of where a person was in the Void World, they could see the Dao Temple clearly as long as they looked up. It was indeed abstruse.
It was rumoured that the Dao Temple was personally built by the Dao Lord. When the Dao Temple appeared back then, everyone was shocked. Furthermore, the Dao Temple was responsible for selecting the most talented people in the Void World all on its own.
The commoners had no idea why the Void Dao Temple had to select talented people. Over the past several tens of thousands of years, countless brilliant cultivators had been invited to the Dao Temple, and there had never been any news about them since then. No one knew where they were, but it was rumoured that those Masters had shattered the Void and left the Void World to pursue a higher Martial Dao.
Certainly, Fang Tian Ci had heard about these rumours before, but he simply dismissed them; after all, rumours were usually unfounded and inaccurate.
However, it wasn’t until he was invited to the Void Dao Temple that he realised those rumours were indeed true.
Things that were secrets to the general cultivators of the Void World were common knowledge to those in the Dao Temple.
It wasn’t until this moment that he realised the Emperor Realm wasn’t the peak of the Martial Dao. Beyond the Emperor Realm was the Open Heaven Realm, which was divided into nine Orders, with each one vastly different from the previous.
One had to condense their Dao Seal, split Heaven and Earth apart in their body, and form a Small Universe. Only then would they ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.
What’s more, the entire Void World was just the Dao Lord’s Small Universe.
In other words, all beings in the Void World were living inside the Dao Lord’s body.
When Fang Tian Ci learned this truth, he was utterly dumbfounded. He couldn’t be considered an inexperienced man; after all, he had travelled the entire Void Continent for over 1,000 years.
Nevertheless, when he was told the truth about the Void World, he was astonished.
It was at that moment he realised just how immense the Dao Lord’s power was.
Such an expansive world was just the Dao Lord’s Small Universe, making Fang Tian Ci wonder what the extent of the Dao Lord’s strength in the Open Heaven Realm was.
The person responsible for showing him around was a Senior Brother surnamed Liu. He introduced himself to Fang Tian Ci as Liu Jing Shan, and although Fang Tian Ci was actually older than the latter, Liu Jing Shan was stronger as he was a Third-Order Emperor Realm Master.
Every newcomer to the Void Dao Temple would be greeted by someone, who was responsible for explaining the reasons the Void Dao Temple was built and answering any questions that the newcomer might have.
As such, Fang Tian Ci asked what was on his mind freely.
Liu Jing Shan replied with a smile, “We have no idea how powerful the Dao Lord is in the Open Heaven Realm, but there’s no way he’s weak. We suppose he’s either in the Eighth Order or the Ninth Order.”
Every cultivator in the Void World regarded the Dao Lord as a deity, so it was no surprise they would think highly of him when it came to his cultivation.
After a nod, Fang Tian Ci went on to ask, “Senior Brother Liu, since the Void World is just the Dao Lord’s Small Universe, how were those Seniors supposed to shatter the Void and leave this place back then?”
If they were capable of doing that, it would be no different from forming a hole in the Dao Lord’s belly. Fang Tian Ci shuddered at the thought of this.
Liu Jing Shan chuckled and explained, “Well, they didn’t really shatter the Void. They were only led out of the Void World by the Dao Lord. It has something to do with the reason why the Dao Temple has to select talented people.”
“Please enlighten me, Senior Brother,” Fang Tian Ci said solemnly. Having travelled around the world for over 1,000 years, he had learned to be tactful. As such, even though he was famous, he still acted humbly in front of Liu Jing Shan.
“Well, let’s put it this way. The Humans in the outside world are fighting an extremely evil Race. That Race is so powerful that even the Dao Lord isn’t a match for them. If the Humans are defeated, the outside world will be destroyed; therefore, the Dao Lord needs help in the war. The disciples who have been invited to the Dao Temple will be his helpers in the future.”
Hearing that, Fang Tian Ci was shocked, “What kind of Race is it that even the Dao Lord finds it hard to deal with?”
After giving it some thought, Liu Jing Shan replied, “I remember that they’re called the Black Ink Clan. Supposedly, they possess a highly corruptive power. Once a person is infected, they won’t be able to get rid of it. Moreover, the ‘Black Ink Strength’ as it’s called can twist a Human’s mind and nature, turning them into a slave of the Black Ink Clan.”
Fang Tian Ci gasped, “I can’t believe such an evil force exists in this world.”
Liu Jing Shan sighed, “Indeed. It’s said that many aeons ago, some Black Ink Clansmen were brought into the Void World. The Dao Lord brought them in to train the disciples of the Dao Temple, but for some reason, they vanished at a later time. Now, no one knows what the Black Ink Clan looks like or what will happen when a person is corrupted by Black Ink Strength.”
Fang Tian Ci nodded, “In that case, the Humans in the outside world are most likely in a perilous situation.”
Liu Jing Shan replied, “We have no idea. In fact, it has been a long time since the Dao Lord brought anyone out of the Dao Temple. The last time he did so was about 2,000 years ago. He took several thousand people away at once that time, which is why there are only a small number of people in the Dao Temple now.”
After a pause, he continued, “Since the Void World is only the Dao Lord’s Small Universe, the best that the cultivators living here can achieve is the Emperor Realm. If a person wants to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, they must first leave this place. However, if one chooses to leave, they will have to join the battle against the Black Ink Clan and will be at risk of losing their life. Therefore, the Dao Lord fully respects our decision when selecting talented people. If a person wants to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, they can leave the Void World. If one isn’t willing to bear the risk, they can stay in this place. We have full control over this matter, and the Dao Lord never forces us.”
“The Dao Lord is indeed magnanimous!” Fang Tian Ci remarked. There was no doubt they could all potentially aid the Dao Lord if they were brought out of his Small Universe. All the cultivators in the Void World were only able to cultivate thanks to the Dao Lord; therefore, the Dao Lord had the right to take the suitable ones away from this place at will. Nevertheless, he still let the disciples in the Dao Temple make their own choices.
For that reason, Fang Tian Ci greatly respected the Dao Lord.
As they spoke, they arrived at a Grand Hall that was both magnificent and vast. In the middle of it was a gigantic statue, followed by many smaller ones.
“This is the place where our great predecessor’s names are recorded.” As Liu Jing Shan spoke, he then pointed at the statue in the middle, “And that is the Dao Lord’s likeness.”
Then, he saluted the statue with a solemn expression.
Fang Tian Ci looked in the same direction and realised that the statue appeared to be a handsome young man. With his hands behind his back, he looked truly majestic.
This statue was apparently carved by a senior expert as every bit of it seemed to be extremely life-like. Just by standing there, Fang Tian Ci had a feeling that the statue would come to life at any moment.
For some reason though, he found the statue familiar. It was as though he had seen this person somewhere before.
However, as he went through his experiences over the past 1,000 years, he was certain that he had never come across anyone who looked like the Dao Lord.
[How strange…]
While he was doubtful, he still saluted the statue and asked hesitantly, “Since there’s a statue here, does that mean someone has seen the Dao Lord’s true appearance before?”
Liu Jing Shan laughed, “Certainly, no one here has seen his true body before. However, it’s said that the Dao Lord used his Soul Avatar to travel his Small Universe in the past. I suppose you’re aware of the Seven Stars Sect. Back then, the Dao Lord’s Soul Avatar stayed in the Seven Stars Sect for some time.”
There was no doubt Fang Tian Ci was aware of the Seven Stars Sect. In fact, when he was young, his biggest dream was to join the Seven Stars Sect; however, due to his terrible aptitude, he didn’t have the right to be their disciple.
The Fang Family Village was located in the Seven Stars Sect’s territory; as such, he had heard a lot about the Sect.
“It’s rumoured that the Dao Lord is the Supreme Elder of the Seven Stars Sect. Could this be true?” Fang Tian Ci asked in shock.
“It is true. That is the reason Seven Stars Sect has endured all this time. As ages pass, it’s only natural that different Sects rise and fall. The major Sects that were on equal footing with Seven Stars Sect back then are all long gone, but Seven Stars Sect is still as powerful as ever. This is all thanks to the Dao Lord’s legacy.”
Fang Tian Ci was astonished. At the same time, he was curious about why the Dao Lord had used a Soul Avatar to travel around his own Small Universe. [How bored must he be to do such a thing?]
He shook his head to cast such thoughts away, for he wouldn’t dare to be disrespectful to the Dao Lord.
Then, he looked past the Dao Lord’s statue and saw many smaller ones behind it, “Those are…”
Liu Jing Shan explained, “Those are the statues of the Seniors who have been led out of the Void World by the Dao Lord. Do you see that one over there? He’s the Eldest Senior Brother of the Void Dao Temple, Miao Fei Ping. If you have a chance to leave the Void World, you might see him.”
With a solemn expression, Fang Tian Ci sized up Miao Fei Ping’s statue and memorised his appearance. Then, he said, “Could Eldest Senior Brother Miao be the Dao Lord’s first Disciple? I heard that when the Dao Lord stayed in Seven Stars Sect back then, he took on several direct Disciples.”
Liu Jing Shan shook his head, “Senior Brother Miao is the Dao Temple’s Eldest Senior Brother, but he’s not one of the Dao Lord’s Disciples. His Disciples are some other people, but no one knows who they are.”
Hearing that, Fang Tian Ci was puzzled.
Following a sigh, Liu Jing Shan said, “In the past, only a small number of disciples managed to leave the Dao Temple. As such, the Juniors who stayed back made some statues for them. However, as more and more Seniors left, there was not enough space in this Grand Hall for so many statues. Therefore, we no longer make any statues for those who leave. Only their Identity Tokens are enshrined here now.”
Fang Tian Ci looked around and realised there were indeed many tiles adorning the walls. Most places were blank, but some of them had Identity Tokens which contained the names and information of those Seniors.
There was no doubt these Identity Tokens were not as impressive as the statues, but they were still the traces of those Seniors who had stayed here before.
Liu Jing Shan patted the other man’s shoulder and said with a smile, “When we have a chance to leave this place in the future, we’ll leave our own Identity Tokens here as well.”
Fang Tian Ci nodded as he already looked forward to it.
The reason he decided to leave the Fang Family Village and sever ties with the Fang Family was to experience the wonders of the world he had never seen before. After repeatedly achieving breakthroughs and eventually arriving at this place though, Fang Tian Ci realised that there was still so much more he had yet to see and experience.
He had no idea what the other Seniors in the Dao Temple thought, but he was certain he would leave the Void World as long as he had the chance.
He had travelled around this world and seen everything there was to see here; therefore, he was excited to learn that there was a bigger World just waiting outside.
After they left the Grand Hall, Fang Tian Ci asked, “Senior Brother Liu, since the Open Heaven Realm is above the Emperor Realm, what are we supposed to do to split Heaven and Earth apart in our bodies and create our own Small Universes?”
Liu Jing Shan explained, “First of all, you have to condense your own Dao Seal, which is the essence of your cultivation as well as the manifestation of your Grand Dao. If there’s a Grand Dao you primarily cultivate, you have to condense your Dao Seal based on that Grand Dao. After that, you’ll need to refine some precious resources to further your Martial Dao. In any case, since you’re a newly promoted Emperor Realm Master, you’re still some distance away from condensing your Dao Seal. For now, you just have to increase your strength as quickly as possible and reach the peak of the Emperor Realm. Let’s go, I’ll take you to the library, it’s a good place where I’m sure you’ll find something useful, Junior Brother.”
When they arrived at the library, Fang Tian Ci immediately understood why Liu Jing Shan said it was a good place.
There were a massive amount of books containing Secret Arts and Secret Techniques in this library. The best things of all the Sects in the Void World were stored here. There were also things that didn’t seem to belong in this World.
Certainly, these things were no longer useful to Fang Tian Ci; after all, he was an Emperor Realm Master already. As such, there wasn’t a need for him to study any Secret Arts or Secret Techniques. The most pressing issue for him was to quickly increase his strength so that he could ascend to the Third-Order Emperor Realm and condense his Dao Seal sooner.
Fortunately, there was also a massive section of jade slips, scrolls, and books containing precious insights on cultivation in the Emperor Realm in the library. These insights had been written by the disciples of the Dao Temple over the past several tens of thousands of years.
Throughout Fang Tian Ci’s cultivation journey, he had basically explored everything on his own; after all, he didn’t have any Elders to rely on, nor was there a teacher who could give him guidance.
While travelling around the world, he discussed the Martial Dao with the disciples of various Sects and reflected on what he had learned, but that was the only sort of external help he had.
It was fine when he was still a weak cultivator, but now that he was an Emperor Realm Master, Fang Tian Ci was at a loss as to how he should move forward in his Martial Dao.
These insights in the library were what he needed most at this moment.
Fang Tian Ci went on to spend 30 years in the library reading all the insights left behind by the various Seniors. His determination and ability to endure loneliness quickly earned the respect of the other disciples in the Dao Temple.
Everyone knew there were many good things in the library, but few had the level of patience necessary to go through and absorb them despite being in the Emperor Realm as well.
After spending 30 years in the library, Fang Tian Ci finally left. At this point, he had a plan in mind when it came to how to advance his cultivation.
He found an empty courtyard and started cultivating.
As usual, his cultivation speed was quite slow, but he wasn’t in a hurry. He had spent the past 1,000-plus years cultivating slowly to reach his current height, so he was already used to it.
Nevertheless, he didn’t just cultivate in seclusion all the time. When he was free, he would go out and talk to the Seniors of the Dao Temple.
This was his way of doing things and had been throughout his entire cultivation journey.
All the disciples in the Dao Temple were the brightest geniuses who became strong early on in life; as such, everyone in the Void Dao Temple was young, good-looking, and energetic.
On the other hand, Fang Tian Ci, the newcomer, appeared more mature. He was already old and frail when he left the Fang Family Village back then, and although years seemed to have lifted off his face as his cultivation improved, his mentality didn’t really become younger, only his looks did.
Now, he had the appearance of a late thirties or early forties mortal. Based on his looks alone, he indeed seemed older than the Seniors in the Dao Temple. As such, many of them called him Old Fang.
As time passed, Fang Tian Ci’s cultivation became increasingly ample. More and more disciples had been invited to the Dao Temple, but there were still not a lot of them. Someone had estimated that only about 10 people would be led to the Dao Temple every 100 years on average.
There were times when only four to five people were inducted over 100 years.
The Void World was expansive, and countless cultivators were living in it. Despite that, only a small number of people had the right to enter the Dao Temple.
It was said that only those who had the potential to directly ascend to the Fifth Order would be invited to the Dao Temple. That was because if a cultivator was too weak, they wouldn’t be of any help to the Humans in the outside world after leaving this place.
Before Fang Tian Ci’s arrival, the Dao Temple had never invited any Emperor Realm Master who was as old as he was. Regardless, his mere presence meant that he had the potential to directly ascend to the Fifth Order or above.
Fang Tian Ci had a feeling that he wouldn’t only end up becoming a Fifth-Order Master. Although he hadn’t condensed his Dao Seal yet, he had the confidence to reach higher than that.
500 years passed since Fang Tian Ci arrived at the Dao Temple, and he finally made it to the peak of the Emperor Realm. There was no denying his pace was slow.
One had to know that the cultivation environment in the Void World was wonderful to begin with, and the Void Dao Temple was the centre of the world’s essence. Any newly promoted Emperor Realm Master who arrived at the Dao Temple would only take 100 to 200 years to make it to the peak of the Realm. Even for the slower ones, 300 years was generally the limit.
As such, it was unusually slow that it took Fang Tian Ci 500 years to achieve the same.
Another 100 years later, he finally condensed his Dao Seal and started refining the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements Powers.
Just like the other fellow disciples, Fang Tian Ci decided to start with his Wood Element. There was another common route where the disciples would choose to refine their Water Element first, but it was still less popular.
Among the Five Elements, the Metal Element was sharp, the Earth Element was heavy, and the Fire Element was destructive. Only the Water Element and Wood Element were gentle. As such, they were the safest for the disciples to start with.
The kinds of resources these disciples refined would determine their future success. The Order of the materials they initially chose was directly related to how far they could rise in the Open Heaven Realm; however, those who ignored their own limits and took huge risks wouldn’t be able to make it to the Open Heaven Realm as their Dao Seals would simply shatter under the impact.
Therefore, every disciple in the Dao Temple would tread carefully at this point.
With that said, when they refined materials for the first time, they would always aim as high as possible. Most of them would choose Wood Element or Water Element resources in the Sixth-Order or even Seventh-Order.
It wasn’t that they would certainly make it to the Sixth Order or Seventh Order, it was just that Water Element and Wood Element materials were much gentler. As long as one’s Dao Seal was firm enough, it could usually endure the impact of such resources. It was a chance for them to test the limits of their Dao Seals when refining resources for the first time. When they select their second resource, they will know the right path for their future.
Fang Tian Ci had compared his Dao Seal with those of the other disciples, and he felt that it was quite firm and sturdy. He reckoned that it could endure the impact of Seventh-Order materials. As such, he chose a Seventh-Order Wood Element resource first.
Liu Jing Shan took the initiative to ask him about this matter, and when he learned about his plan, he nodded gently, “Junior Brother Fang, even though your cultivation speed is slow, it is for this reason that your foundation is so solid; hence, I think it will be alright for you to refine a Seventh-Order Wood Element resource. Fire is born of Wood though, so you’ll have to be careful when selecting a Fire Element material next time.”
Fang Tian Ci nodded in agreement.
It wouldn’t take one a long time to refine a single resource; however, every time these future Open Heaven Realm Masters did so, they had to rest for many years in between. First of all, they had to get used to their powers. Secondly, their Dao Seals were unable to bear another impact in such short order. If they were hasty, all their effort would go to waste.
In just half a month, Fang Tian Ci easily refined the Seventh-Order Wood Element material, and he didn’t feel any discomfort at all. He had a feeling that he could refine a Seventh-Order Fire Element resource next, a realisation that made him feel elated.
As he recalled all the experiences in his life, everything felt somewhat strange.
He had a terrible aptitude, and it wasn’t until he was 150 years old that he left the Fang Family Village to wander the world. His plan was only to travel around a bit before his death, so it never crossed his mind that he would achieve great things one day.
Unlike the other disciples in the Dao Temple, Fang Tian Ci didn’t come from a wealthy background, nor did he have a powerful Master who had guided him when he was young. Also, he never had ample resources and his cultivation speed was incredibly slow. Therefore, it surprised him that with such a method and speed that were unbearable for most people, he was now one step ahead of almost all other disciples.
Only a small number of people in the Void Dao Temple could refine Seventh-Order resources, only 1 in 10 at most.
Liu Jing Shan, who was on good terms with Fang Tian Ci, chose a Seventh-Order Wood Element resource for his first refinement; however, he decided to refine a Sixth-Order Fire Element resource after that because he felt that his Dao Seal wasn’t able to bear the impact of the power of a Seventh-Order Fire Element material. As such, he didn’t dare to push his luck.
It was said that the process of ascending to the Open Heaven Realm was like crafting a barrel. How much water a barrel could hold depended on the shortest stave. Similarly, the Order in the Open Heaven Realm one would achieve hinged on the lowest Order resource that one refined.
There were seven Powers in total, which were Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. Even if one had refined six types of Seventh-Order materials, they would only make it to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm if they decided to refine a single Fifth-Order resource.
The Open Heaven Realm was divided into nine Orders, and every Order was vastly different from the previous one. The difference of one Order might take a lifetime for a person to make up.
Therefore, the disciples in the Dao Temple did their best to refine resources of the highest order possible. At the same time, they would ensure that they wouldn’t exceed their limits.
Fang Tian Ci had a feeling that the ample heritage he possessed now had something to do with his insistence on building a solid foundation. He always stayed in the same Realm for a much longer time than most people did, and as he had sufficient time to consolidate his strength, he ensured that he made everything perfect in every Realm.
Now, he was able to refine Seventh-Order resources because of his perseverance and hard work over the years.
A few dozen or so years after he refined the Wood Element material, he decided to move on to the Fire Element one.
As expected, Fang Tian Ci successfully refined the resource. Then, it was followed by Earth Element, Metal Element, and Water Element materials. After fully refining the Five Elements, he moved on to the Yin and Yang Element resources.
When he was done refining all the powers of Yin-Yang and Five Elements, 500 years had passed since he refined the Wood Element resource for the first time. In other words, it had been 1,000 years since he arrived at the Dao Temple.
Supposedly, when one was done refining the powers of Yin-Yang and Five Elements, they could split Heaven and Earth apart in their body and form their own Small Universe; however, the Void Continent was only the Dao Lord’s Small Universe. Before leaving this place, none could make it to the Open Heaven Realm.
Over the past 1,000 years, about 100 Juniors had arrived at the Dao Temple. Perhaps it was because Fang Tian Ci appeared to be more mature and reliable, these Juniors would often go to him whenever they had any questions regarding cultivation. As such, he had many followers now.
“How many years have you been in the Dao Temple, Senior Brother?”
Under the moonlight at night, Fang Tian Ci and Liu Jing Shan were seated across from each other as they sipped some wine.
Now that Fang Tian Ci was at the peak of the Emperor Realm, his cultivation wouldn’t improve further regardless of how hard he cultivated; therefore, he had some free time. Liu Jing Shan, who was in a similar situation, would frequently visit him with jars and bottles of wine.
Hearing his question, Liu Jing Shan replied with a smile, “I’ve been here for almost 3,000 years.”
“That’s a really long time,” Fang Tian Ci nodded gently. As he made some calculations, he realised that it had been 2,000 years since he started cultivating. On the other hand, Liu Jing Shan had been staying in this place for some 3,000 years. In other words, Liu Jing Shan had already arrived at the Dao Temple before Fang Tian Ci was even born!
A dejected Liu Jing Shan lamented, “Junior Brother, did you know that I’m one of the oldest disciples in the Dao Temple?”
“Senior Brother, you mean…” Fang Tian Ci formed a speculation.
Suddenly, Liu Jing Shan cried, “Junior Brother, my life is quite miserable!”
Following that, he wrapped his arms around a big wine bobble and started bawling.
Fang Tian Ci was startled as he had no idea why his Senior Brother felt downcast all of a sudden. Liu Jing Shan was a future Open Heaven Realm Master who had already refined the powers of Yin-Yang and Five Elements, and he had gone through the vicissitudes of life. Fang Tian Ci wondered why the other man was so sorrowful now.
Fang Tian Ci had no idea how to console him, so he could only pat his back.
A long time later, Liu Jing Shan stopped sobbing and let out a breath. Embarrassed, he said, “I apologize for letting you see such a disgraceful sight.”
Fang Tian Ci didn’t know what to say, so he remained silent.
Perhaps it was because Liu Jing Shan was drunk, and he had no one to talk to about his grievances over the years, but he started speaking about the past, “I was invited to the Dao Temple when I was still young and naïve. At that time, the Dao Temple was bustling with noise with several thousand Seniors in total. Every day, there would be powerful Seniors who hosted forums and preached the Dao. Such experiences were invaluable.”
[Several thousand people?] When Fang Tian Ci learned that there was such a lively period in the Dao Temple back then, he couldn’t help feeling awestruck.
One had to know that the Dao Temple had strict criteria when selecting disciples. Those who could join the Dao Temple all had the potential to directly ascend to the Fifth Order at the very least. On average there would be just 10 new disciples every 100 years, though there were times when as few as four or five would be taken in.
Several thousand people must have been the result of accumulating several tens of thousands of years in the Void World. Furthermore, they were all powerful Emperor Realm Masters. Most of them had condensed their Dao Seals and refined the powers of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements as they were ready to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm.
However, presently, there were only about 300 people in the Dao Temple, which was a significantly smaller number than in the past.
“I only started condensing my Dao Seal 200 years after my arrival in the Dao Temple when, all of a sudden, the Dao Lord ordered that those who were ready to make it to the Open Heaven Realm should gather together. Then, he brought them all away,” At the mention of this, Liu Jing Shan felt downcast as he wiped the tears with his sleeves, “It was a tough time for me. Several thousand Seniors were gone just like that, leaving just 20 or so people behind.”
Although Fang Tian Ci didn’t personally experience it, he could feel how helpless and aggrieved Liu Jing Shan must have been at that time.
The originally lively Dao Temple became silent all of a sudden, and all the Seniors Liu Jing Shan was familiar with were brought out from the Void World. It was only natural that he was dejected.
If he had also been ready to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, he could’ve left with them; unfortunately, he had only started to condense his Dao Seal at the time.
“Junior Brother, do you know why there were so many disciples in the Dao Temple back then?”
“Certainly, it was because the Dao Lord didn’t bring them away.”
“Do you know the reason, then?”
Fang Tian Ci shook his head, “No.”
After taking a breath, Liu Jing Shan explained, “I have no idea either… I reckon that it was because the Dao Lord was held up by something urgent, which was why he hadn’t taken a look at the Dao Temple for several tens of thousands of years. That was why there were so many disciples here.”
After a moment of silence, Fang Tian Ci asked, “Is it possible that the Dao Lord had forgotten about it?”
The Dao Lord was extremely powerful, so it wasn’t likely that there was any emergency that could hold him up for several tens of thousands of years. He might have forgotten about the Dao Temple.
A tearful Liu Jing Shan looked at him as he found his words distressing. As though someone had jabbed a knife into his heart, he was deluged with a sense of melancholy as he cried, “That’s not possible. The Dao Lord will never forget about the Dao Temple. We’re in his Small Universe, so how is it possible that he’s forgotten about us?”
Fang Tian Ci nodded in agreement, “He must be cultivating in seclusion, then.”
Although it sounded strange that the Dao Lord might have cultivated in seclusion for several tens of thousands of years, he was a powerful Eighth-Order or Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, after all, so it was only natural that his cultivation sessions would be extremely long.
Liu Jing Shan pressed his hand against his chest as he felt heartbroken, “Keep quiet if you have nothing better to say, Junior Brother Fang. I’ve been waiting for 3,000 years…”
Fang Tian Ci let out a sigh as he shut his mouth.
After a moment of silence, Liu Jing Shan went on to say, “By the way, do you think the Dao Lord is cultivating in seclusion now?”
He was one of the earliest disciples in the current Dao Temple, and those who had arrived earlier than he did had all left for the outside world. On the other hand, he had been waiting in this place for 3,000 years, and he had no idea how much longer he had to wait to have a chance to leave the Void World.
Fang Tian Ci shook his head. Certainly, he couldn’t possibly know what the Dao Lord was doing. Since his Senior Brother was in a terrible mood, he was worried he would say something wrong that might agitate him again. As such, he decided to remain silent.
In any case, he now knew why his Senior Brother was sorrowful.
It had come to a point where they could no longer improve their cultivation. If they wanted to make it to the Open Heaven Realm, they had to leave the Void World.
Nevertheless, they were in the Dao Lord’s Small Universe, so without the Dao Lord leading the way, they couldn’t possibly leave.
[Senior Brother Liu has been waiting for 3,000 years. It’s only natural that he’s feeling dejected. If we have to wait for several tens of thousands of years, just like what happened back then…]
Fang Tian Ci shuddered as he couldn’t imagine how tough their lives would be if that was the case.
Liu Jing Shan, who was quietly seated, got to his feet all of a sudden and roared, “Dao Lord! Please open your eyes and look at us! All of us at the Dao Temple are ready to fight the Black Ink Clan, but we’re trapped here, unable to put our skills to good use! Is this what you hope to see? Do you want us to wait here until our death? That’s not the kind of life I want!”
Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder rolled. The instant Liu Jing Shan was done roaring, a fissure appeared in the sky and even from a distance, they could see the fissure expand slowly.
Liu Jing Shan and Fang Tian Ci were dumbfounded.
In actuality, it wasn’t a fissure, it was an eye that looked authoritative with a hint of mockery in it. Liu Jing Shan could clearly feel that the eye was staring at him, which made him tremble and caused him to fall on his butt.
The next moment, he heard a sacred-sounding voice that ordered, “To the disciples who are ready to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm and are willing to battle the enemies of Humanity, come to the Open Heaven Palace at once!”
A shockwave rippled through the entire Void Dao Temple as all the disciples, who were ready to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, stopped whatever they were doing and streamed towards the Open Heaven Palace with excitement.
Although the fissure in the sky had disappeared, the intense pressure lingered.
Liu Jing Shan and Fang Tian Ci exchanged glances as both of them were astounded.
Following that, they were deluged with a sense of ecstasy as Liu Jing Shan cheered, “The Dao Lord has heard me! Hahaha! Come, Junior Brother Fang! Follow me to the Open Heaven Palace!”
Then, he raced towards the Open Heaven Palace, followed by Fang Tian Ci.
Liu Jing Shan was evidently excited. As he ran forward, he rattled on, saying, “You’re so lucky, Junior Brother. You’ve just finished refining your Yin, Yang and Five Elements Powers, and the Dao Lord is ready to bring us out of here. Had it taken you a couple dozen more years, you would have to wait for the next opportunity.”
Then, he appeared somewhat frustrated as he muttered, “Why didn’t I have your luck? In any case, we’re finally able to leave.”
When they arrived at the Open Heaven Palace, over 100 people had gathered together in the Grand Hall. There were more people who were still rushing over, all of them appearing joyful. Some of them were just like Liu Jing Shan, who were left behind in the Dao Temple because they were not ready to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm at that time. After waiting for 3,000 years, they finally had a chance to explore the outside world.
All these cheerful people congratulated each other, as though they were celebrating some sort of festivity.
…..
Outside the Star Boundary, Yang Kai was hovering somewhere in the void in High Heaven Territory with Hua Qing Si patiently waiting behind him.
Yang Kai had suddenly returned from Profound Nether Territory and summoned her. Hua Qing Si had no idea what the Palace Master wanted her to do, and when she arrived, the Palace Master said nothing, so she didn’t ask any questions.
Just then, a beam of light shot out from the Star Boundary and reached them in the blink of an eye.
Hua Qing Si saluted him, “Greetings, Senior Iron Blood.”
Zhan Wu Hen nodded gently, then turned to Yang Kai and asked worriedly, “I heard that you were badly injured. Is that true?”
It had been 300 years since the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Masters reached a ceasefire agreement in Profound Nether Territory.
During this period, Yang Kai had never shown up. It was rumoured that he was terribly wounded; however, the place where he cultivated was sealed with many layers of restrictions, and no one dared to disturb him. As such, no one knew if he was wounded or not.
Those from Profound Nether Territory dismissed such rumours; after all, Yang Kai had headed to the Black Ink Clan’s base and forced the peace deal with the Territory Lords on his own back then. There was no doubt it was a bold and impressive feat; one he would not have attempted if he was really seriously injured.
Certainly, such rumours were spread by the Black Ink Clansmen or ill-intentioned Black Ink Disciples to bring down the Humans’ morale.
Yang Kai simply replied with a smile, “Sort of.”
Zhan Wu Hen was stunned while disbelief was written all over Hua Qing Si’s face. They all thought that Yang Kai had only been cultivating in seclusion for the past 300 years. As such, they were surprised to learn he was indeed injured.
“I’ve fully recovered,” Yang Kai added.
His injury wasn’t caused by battling the Territory Lords, it was simply a result of cultivating the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art.
To practise this Secret Art, Yang Kai had to cultivate a Human Self and a Monster Self which were far different from ordinary Soul Clones.
Ordinary Soul Clones wouldn’t be useful; however, the ones formed from the Three Selves Source Reconstitution Art had endless possibilities.
To cultivate the Human Self, Yang Kai had practically split his Soul in two and become frail for the following 300 years. Fortunately, he could gradually recover with the Soul Warming Lotus’s help.
While recuperating, he had also been refining resources to increase his power; therefore, he wasn’t wasting any time.
“Why are you here, Senior Iron Blood?” Yang Kai asked.
When he returned to the Star Boundary previously, only Duan Hong Chen was in charge of this place as the other Great Emperors had left to kill the enemies. This time, however, Yang Kai could detect the auras of several Great Emperors.
Among the Great Emperors of the Star Boundary, Zhan Wu Hen was the most skilful in combat and would never hesitate to volunteer to fight the Black Ink Clansmen. As such, it was a mystery that he was in the Star Boundary now.
Zhan Wu Hen replied calmly, “I have to give the young ones some chances, don’t I?” After a pause, he continued, “Moreover, we have to take advantage of the opportunities only we possess. As Great Emperors of the Star Boundary, we can cultivate far more efficiently by staying here. Only when we ascend to the Eighth Order can we maximize our contributions to the war effort.”
Realising the other man’s intention, Yang Kai replied with a smile, “You’re indeed a far-sighted person, Senior Iron Blood.”
Zhan Wu Hen stared fixedly at him, “I suppose you share the same sentiment.”
“Indeed,” Yang Kai replied, “I sacrificed our immediate advantage and arrived at a peace deal with the Black Ink Clan so that we could build a training ground for the next generation of soldiers. The Juniors will eventually grow to be powerful. When the Seventh-Order Masters ascend to the Eighth-Order, they’ll have to go to a new battlefield. It’s not like we can ask them to cultivate in seclusion forever.”
Zhan Wu Hen nodded, “I agree with you. It’s not fun killing those Feudal Lords anymore. It would be better to ascend to the Eighth Order sooner so that I can take a few Territory Lords’ heads.”
Then, he looked around and asked in puzzlement, “Who are you waiting for?”
Yang Kai explained, “Some of the people in my Small Universe are ready to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm. I have to bring them out.”
Hearing his explanation, Zhan Wu Hen nodded.
Inside the Void Dao Temple, many future Open Heaven Realm Masters had gathered together. There were around 300 people in the Dao Temple currently, and other than roughly 20 who hadn’t fully refined the powers of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, the rest were ready to leave and achieve a breakthrough.
In front of everyone’s eyes, the space in the centre of the Grand Hall contorted. Like a stone dropping into a still lake, ripples spread across the place.
Following that, an oval portal appeared in the originally empty space.
The eyes of these future Open Heaven Realm Masters brightened in an instant.
Liu Jing Shan, who had been waiting for 3,000 years, immediately took action. While the others were still pleasantly surprised, he cupped his fist and said, “Fellow Brothers and Sister, I’ll be going on ahead.”
The next moment, he charged towards the portal and disappeared.
After Liu Jing Shan made the first move, the others stopped hesitating as they streamed into the portal in an orderly manner.
Fang Tian Ci was among the crowd. After the world spun around for a bit, he found himself in an expansive void. As he looked around, he realised there were innumerable Stars in the distance. While hovering in this place, he felt how small and insignificant he truly was.
Liu Jing Shan, who was the first to leave the Dao Temple, came over and tugged Fang Tian Ci’s sleeve before jutting out his chin in a particular direction.
Fang Tian Ci looked in the same direction and saw a young man in some casual robes.
“The Dao Lord!?” He exclaimed.
He had seen the Dao Lord’s statue in the Grand Hall where their Seniors’ names were recorded. The young man in front of him had 90% likeness to the main statue; as such, he could recognise him at first glance.
Besides him, the other future Open Heaven Realm Masters, who had just left the Dao Temple, saw Yang Kai as well, their gazes filled with admiration and fervour.
More and more disciples emerged from the portal, and when the last one appeared, the portal disappeared abruptly.
Yang Kai swept a glance over them and announced, “Since you’ve chosen to leave the Void Dao Temple, you should all be prepared to battle the Black Ink Clan; however, all of you are not powerful enough to do that yet. Focus on your ascension first. All of you are the geniuses in the Void World, and you’ve been nurtured for years in the Dao Temple. I suppose it won’t be hard for you to make it to the Open Heaven Realm. Don’t disappoint me.”
As he spoke, he sent a signal to Hua Qing Si with his eyes.
Seeing that, Hua Qing Si raised her hand and shot out hundreds of light beams before saying, “These are Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills. Consume one before attempting your breakthrough. It will be very useful.”
These future Open Heaven Realm Masters took the Spirit Pills and stared at them, evidently excited.
In fact, they had been getting ready to break through to the Open Heaven Realm for many years, so it wouldn’t be a problem for them to achieve an ascension even without any external aids. Now that they had these Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, they felt even more assured.
They then saluted and thanked the two.
Yang Kai waved his hand, “You may begin now.”
They then dispersed and looked for suitable places to attempt a breakthrough.
Zhan Wu Hen had remained silent all this while, but at this moment, he couldn’t help saying, “If my memory serves me right, you brought a batch of disciples out of your Small Universe just 400 years ago.”
At that time, several thousand people emerged from Yang Kai’s Small Universe. The magnificent sight of so many people achieving an ascension together shocked Bi Xi, Mo Mei, and the others in the Void Land. Although Zhan Wu Hen was not there to witness it, he heard about it at a later time.
To his surprise, there were another 300 good seedlings just 400 years later.
Yang Kai explained, “The flow of time in my Small Universe is different from that in the outside world.”
It was the first time Zhan Wu Hen heard about this, but after giving it some thought, he realised what was going on, “Is it because of Time Principles?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Although only 400 years have passed in the outside world, around 3,000 years have gone by in my Small Universe.”
Zhan Wu Hen did some calculations and realised the flow of time in Yang Kai’s Small Universe was about seven to eight times faster. In other words, a cultivator could grow rapidly before making it to the Open Heaven Realm by cultivating in Yang Kai’s Small Universe.
“There are significantly fewer people in my Small Universe than the Star Boundary; as such, fewer geniuses are produced in the same period; however, due to the difference in the flow of time, the absolute rate at which geniuses are produced isn’t very different from the Star Boundary.”
Currently, several people who had the potential to directly ascend to the Fifth Order and above would appear in the Star Boundary every year.
“What about the percentage of those who have the potential to directly ascend to the Seventh Order?” Zhan Wu Hen asked.
“Around 10% of them,” Yang Kai replied.
Hearing that, Zhan Wu Hen was astounded. The percentage was indeed terrific. It was higher than that in the Star Boundary. Over the years, they had estimated that among those who had the potential to directly ascend to the Fifth Order and above, only 5% of them could directly make it to the Seventh Order. Of course, it must have something to do with the fact that there were far more people in the Star Boundary to begin with.
There was only so much a World Tree clone could do, and with such a massive population, fewer top geniuses were produced as the nourishment was shared between more people overall.
With that said, besides the Star Boundary, the Humans also had the Myriad Monsters World now.
It had been some 300 years since Yang Kai planted a World Tree clone in the Myriad Monsters World, and the nourishment of the World Tree clone had started showing its effects. Now, many soldiers would spend Military Merits to get access to the Myriad Monsters World so that their friends and relatives or disciples in the same Sect could live and cultivate there.
As it had only been a short time since the World Tree clone was planted though, things hadn’t yet stabilised in the Myriad Monsters World.
When the World Tree clone fully grew up a few hundred years later, the Myriad Monsters World was bound to become a second Star Boundary.
More importantly, there were not any Great Emperors in the Myriad Monsters World yet.
That was what the Humans valued the most. The Great Emperors of the Star Boundary could cultivate far faster than others; however, the quotas in the Star Boundary had been fully taken up. As such, there wouldn’t be any new Great Emperors in the foreseeable future.
Nevertheless, the Myriad Monsters World was different as it was basically empty now. If anyone could receive the acknowledgement of the World’s Will and become a Great Emperor, their future would surely be bright.
Moreover, there were a lot of Great Monsters in the Myriad Monsters World. Over the past 300 years, some Great Monsters managed to break through their limits and leave their World. Human Masters would then bring those Great Monsters and use them on the battlefields.
The entire Myriad Monsters World was a treasure trove that was yet to be dug up.
As they spoke, the future Open Heaven Realm Masters had found their own places and consumed the Spirit Pills. Soon, streams of powerful aura were felt coming from all directions in the void.
The sight of nearly 300 people achieving an ascension together was magnificent; however, compared to the several thousand people who had done so at the same time back then in Void Land, what was going on now was less remarkable.
It might take the average cultivator some effort to achieve an ascension, but it had been smooth sailing for these cultivators who came from the Void Dao Temple. That was because most had refined the powers of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements a long time ago, and they were fully ready to achieve a breakthrough. Due to the Void World’s suppression, they were unable to explore the secrets of the Open Heaven Realm, so all they could do was further consolidate their cultivation.
Now that they had left the Void World, there were no more restraints, and with the help of Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, they certainly wouldn’t dawdle.
People like Liu Jing Shan had been waiting for this day for 3,000 years, and they had imagined themselves achieving an ascension on countless occasions.
As these streams of aura expanded, these disciples from the Dao Temple subsequently achieved their breakthroughs.
A lot of them made it to the Fifth-Order and Sixth-Order, but it was the Seventh-Order Masters who caught the most attention.
Zhan Wu Hen soon confirmed that 10% of the disciples who came from Yang Kai’s Small Universe indeed made it to the Seventh Order. In other words, there was 1 Seventh-Order Master in every 10 people.
That was a staggering ratio. For the rest, about 30% of them were Sixth-Order Masters while 60% of them were Fifth-Order Masters.
Given enough time, these people would reach their own limits and become High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters one day.
More and more people broke through to the Open Heaven Realm. Only over 10 people among 300 of them still hadn’t achieved a breakthrough while presently, there were 26 Seventh-Order Masters.
Supposedly, one of these people who was still attempting an ascension would become a Seventh-Order Master.
Those who had made it to the Open Heaven Realm were thrilled as they examined their increased strength.
From the Emperor Realm to the Open Heaven Realm, the increase in power was extreme. As such, new Open Heaven Realm Masters could barely control their strength, and it was especially true for those who had achieved a higher Order.
Hua Qing Si looked in a particular direction and smiled, “There’s another Seventh-Order Master.”
Over there, a disciple from the Dao Temple felt his aura surging as a buzzing sound was heard coming from his body. His Small Universe took shape, and his aura rose from the Emperor Realm to the Open Heaven Realm in an instant.
The aura exuding from him suggested that he was in the Seventh Order.
Meanwhile, Liu Jing Shan was looking in the same direction. When he saw that Fang Tian Ci had achieved an ascension, he was elated, “He succeeded!”
However, the moment he finished speaking, something surprising happened. For some reason, Fang Tian Ci’s ample aura plunged all of a sudden as it dropped from the Seventh Order to the Sixth Order in the blink of an eye.
Certainly, Fang Tian Ci was shocked to find his aura plummeting as well. He couldn’t help grunting as his power became a mess.
“Junior Brother Fang!” Liu Jing Shan exclaimed as he charged towards Fang Tian Ci.
However, the instant he started moving, he felt an immense force pinning him to the spot. Realising the source of the force, he hunched his back and wouldn’t dare to move a muscle.
It was apparent to him that the Dao Lord had made a move.
At that instant, he was relieved. Since the Dao Lord had decided to help, there shouldn’t be a problem with Fang Tian Ci’s ascension, though he appeared to be in a perilous situation.
At this moment, Yang Kai was paying close attention to Fang Tian Ci. Initially, he was surprised to see Fang Tian Ci ascending to the Seventh Order, but when he felt that aura plunging to the Sixth Order, he knew that he had been too naïve.
He couldn’t help sighing as he took a step forward and appeared in front of Fang Tian Ci. Then, he placed his hand on the other man’s stomach and sent a Divine Sense transmission, saying, “Focus and adjust your aura.”
Hearing that, Fang Tian Ci promptly did as he was told.
He had gone through the vicissitudes of life, and it had taken him 2,000 years to become who he was today; as such, he was more sedate than most new Open Heaven Realm Masters. With Yang Kai’s help now, he managed to restore order to his chaotic aura.
One hour later, Fang Tian Ci opened his eyes and examined himself. What he found shocked him.
He had successfully achieved an ascension, but he was only in the Sixth Order, not the Seventh Order.
It was so strange. One had to know that the resources he had refined in the Dao Temple were all Seventh-Order. Supposedly, he would make it to the Seventh Order when attempting an ascension. In fact, he had indeed made it to the Seventh Order, but for some reason, the moment he succeeded, there was a mysterious force that descended on him, which caused his cultivation to drop from the Seventh Order to the Sixth Order.
As he examined himself, he found something even more astonishing.
His Small Universe had materialised!
Although there were no Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Void World, they had some basic information about the Open Heaven Realm in the Dao Temple.
The First-Order to Third-Order were considered the Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm, the Fourth-Order to Sixth-Order were the Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm, and the Seventh-Order to Ninth-Order were the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm.
The Fourth-Order and Seventh-Order were thresholds, and the powers of the cultivators in the different Ranks differed greatly.
The Low and Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, while powerful, could not be considered true powerhouses as their heritage simply wasn’t ample enough. As such, even though they had formed their own Small Universes, they remained immaterial.
Only after one ascended to the Seventh Order would their Small Universe materialise.
Fang Tian Ci was only in the Sixth Order, so his Small Universe should be immaterial, but that wasn’t the case. For some reason, his Small Universe had fully materialised.
Moreover, he was certain that he had successfully made it to the Seventh Order, but for some unknown reason, he dropped down to the Sixth Order all of a sudden.
Everything was a mystery to him. His ascension seemed different from those of the others.
In front of him, a calming voice was heard asking, “Do you feel any discomfort?”
Only then did Fang Tian Ci come to his senses as he promptly replied, “I’m fine. Many thanks for your concern, Dao Lord.”
Yang Kai nodded and placed his hands behind his back.
After pondering for a moment, Fang Tian Ci cupped his fist and said, “Dao Lord, I have a question.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai turned to him and nodded, “Go ahead.”
Fang Tian Ci went on to say, “I think my Small Universe has materialised, but I’m only in the Sixth Order. How is that possible?”
Hearing that, the people around him were surprised. It went against common sense for a Sixth-Order Master’s Small Universe to materialise. Furthermore, they had seen Fang Tian Ci’s Order plunging earlier. As such, his friends and Juniors appeared worried.
Yang Kai looked at him and replied calmly, “There were not many instances where a Sixth-Order Master’s Small Universe materialises, but it’s not unprecedented.”
Hearing that, Fang Tian Ci was shocked, “There were such instances in the past?”
Yang Kai replied, “En, I am one such case. I suppose your mastery of the Dao of Space is quite high.”
Fang Tian Ci replied respectfully, “I only know a thing or two. Dao Lord, do you mean that the transformation in my Small Universe has something to do with the fact that I’ve cultivated the Dao of Space?”
[I didn’t say that!] Yang Kai thought; however, there wasn’t a better explanation now, so he could only nod, “When I ascended to the Open Heaven Realm, I didn’t make it to the High Rank. Nonetheless, the same thing happened to my Small Universe.”
Fang Tian Ci fell into his thoughts, but he was evidently relieved.
It was reassuring to know that there were similar instances in the past, and the same thing had happened to the Dao Lord. As such, it didn’t seem to be a serious issue.
Just as he wanted to ask why his cultivation had dropped from the Seventh Order to the Sixth Order, Yang Kai beckoned to Hua Qing Si.
She came over and called out, “Palace Master.”
Yang Kai ordered, “Bring them to the Star Boundary. After they manage to stabilize their cultivation, send them to Profound Nether Territory to receive some training.”
Presently, there were a lot of Third-Order and Fourth-Order Masters on the different battlefields, and in Profound Nether Territory, there were even First-Order and Second-Order Masters. On the other hand, the weakest disciples from the Dao Temple were in the Fifth Order; therefore, they had to go through some tempering.
However, Profound Nether Territory was no longer sufficient to meet the needs of training the Human soldiers.
That was because too many people had headed to Profound Nether Territory in the past 300 years.
Yang Kai was now preparing to open several similar training grounds.
Only by having more Great Territories that could be used to train the next generation would they be able to meet the Human Race’s growing needs.
Having made up his mind, Yang Kai cupped his fist at Zhan Wu Hen, “Senior Iron Blood, I’ll take my leave now.”
Zhan Wu Hen nodded in response.
The next moment, Yang Kai disappeared from the spot.
The disciples who had cultivated the Dao of Space were awestruck by this display. There was no denying the Dao Lord was a true Master of the Dao of Space. It was thanks to the Dao Lord’s blessing that these disciples had a chance to cultivate the Dao of Space, but none of them were able to see how Yang Kai disappeared just now.
Hua Qing Si then gathered these disciples together and introduced herself before leading them to the Star Boundary.
Liu Jing Shan approached Fang Tian Ci and gently nudged him with his elbow before saying smilingly, “Don’t feel dejected, Junior Brother Fang. The Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm is good as well. Didn’t you hear the Dao Lord say that he didn’t directly make it to the high rank when he first ascended? Given enough time, we can still become as powerful as him.”
He was worried that Fang Tian Ci would feel downcast over the fact that his Order had dropped inexplicably, so he came over and consoled him.
Fang Tian Ci nodded lightly, “You have a point, Senior Brother. I just don’t understand why I failed to make it to the Seventh Order.”
In fact, he didn’t fail. He could feel that he had succeeded, but the moment he achieved his ascension, there seemed to be a force suppressing his cultivation, causing it to drop from the Seventh Order to the Sixth Order.
Regardless, he wasn’t dejected, nor was he dissatisfied. In the past, he was someone with terrible aptitude and in what he believed to be his final years, he just wanted to take in the wonderful sights of the Void World before passing on. It was for such a simple reason that he left the Fang Family Village. It had been more than 2,000 years since then, and he had grown from an Immortal Ascension Boundary cultivator all the way to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. There was still a broad and bright future ahead of him, so he was more than content.
Liu Jing Shan said, “I’m glad that you’ve come to accept it… By the way, that tree is enormous. What do you suppose it is?”
Fang Tian Ci looked in the direction Liu Jing Shan pointed and saw the colossal tree in the centre of the Star Boundary. All the disciples from the Dao Temple were amazed as they had never seen a tree of such enormity before.
In fact, there was a similar tree in the Void World, but no one had seen it before.
Even in one of the newly formed Small Universes here, there was a similar sapling that swayed in the wind. However, the owner of this Small Universe was troubled by other matters and, as such, hadn’t examined himself carefully yet. Otherwise, he would have discovered this sapling’s presence.
After these disciples from the Dao Temple followed Hua Qing Si and landed on the Star Boundary, they dispersed to enter seclusion and consolidate their new cultivation.
On the other hand, Yang Kai headed to the Great Territory adjacent to the Star Boundary. Although there wasn’t any war in this Great Territory, it was extremely bustling. That was because many Human soldiers would gather together in this place to await the Supreme Headquarters’ deployments. Many Alchemy and Artifact Refining bases had also been set up here.
This was the Supreme Headquarters’ Territory, and it served a similar purpose to that of the No-Return Pass back then.
When Yang Kai arrived at this place, he made sure not to alert too many people and soon found Mi Jing Lun in one of the Grand Halls.
When they met up, Mi Jing Lun appeared rather haggard. He was one of the top Eighth-Order Masters, so it was rare to see him looking so exhausted. It was apparent that the affairs in this place had drained his energy greatly.
Seeing the man, Mi Jing Lun was surprised, “You’ve finally stopped cultivating in seclusion.”
Yang Kai nodded, “I’ve just returned from the Star Boundary.”
Mi Jing Lun raised a brow and asked probingly, “What’s your plan?”
Yang Kai glanced at him and laughed, “What kind of plan do you want me to have, Senior Brother Mi?”
Mi Jing Lun let out a sigh, “It seems that we share the same sentiment.”
“We should cut to the chase, then. Which Great Territory is in the most perilous situation right now?”
With a solemn expression, Mi Jing Lun replied, “Twin Poles Territory. The Black Ink Clan have been sending increasing numbers of troops to that place. It seems that they’re determined to occupy Twin Poles Territory. Although we’re dealing with them for now, I’m sure you know that the number of people on our side pales compared to the Black Ink Clan. They have no qualms about sending their soldiers to die, but it’s completely different for us Humans. Now, Twin Poles Territory is just like the Profound Nether Territory of the past. Although Xiang Shan has gone to take charge there now, it’s impossible to turn the situation around without sufficient power.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Got it. I’ll head to the Twin Poles Territory, then.”
Mi Jing Lun breathed a sigh of relief, “That would be for the best; however, if you show up, Profound Nether Territory…”
Yang Kai sneered, “They don’t have the guts to start a war.”
They had arrived at the peace deal in Profound Nether Territory because the Profound Nether Army had given up its absolute advantage, but if Six Arms dared to let the Territory Lords make a move, that peace deal would be nullified.
300 years ago, Yang Kai was able to make all Territory Lords cower, so 300 years later he could do the same.
Mi Jing Lun was stunned for a moment as he deeply felt that old men like them were gradually being surpassed by the young ones, which made him feel slightly dejected. One had to know that for a long time, Eighth-Order Masters like them had been the pillars of the Human Race for millennia. However, even someone like Xiang Shan was unable to affect the overall situation in a Great Territory on his own.
Although Xiang Shan had decided to assume command of Twin Poles Territory, he could only slow the Humans’ defeat, not stop it, much less reverse the situation.
However, this newly promoted Eighth-Order Master named Yang Kai, who was thousands of years younger than them, was confident to the point that he showed no regard for those powerful Innate Territory Lords whatsoever.
If Innate Territory Lords were like vipers, then Yang Kai was like an eagle hovering in the sky or a fierce wolf waiting in the woods. Be it an eagle or a wolf, his presence alone was highly intimidating to the enemy.
While Mi Jing Lun was dejected, he also felt gratified. It was because the rising stars in each new generation were able to cast a light into the darkness and illuminate a path for the Human Race to move forward upon.
They only had Yang Kai now, but there were bound to be more talented people in the future.
On the Profound Nether Territory Battlefield, the new Open Heaven Realm Masters had started showcasing their strength as they made a name for themselves through the blood and lives of the enemy. They were growing stronger by the day, and they would certainly be important figures in the fights against the Black Ink Clan in the future.
Nonetheless, there was only one Profound Nether Territory, and over the past few hundred years, as more and more soldiers streamed into this place, the originally spacious battlefield now appeared cramped.
If Yang Kai could see this, there was no way Mi Jing Lun and Xiang Shan hadn’t.
The Humans needed more training grounds.
Previously, Mi Jing Lun had wanted to ask Yang Kai to create another Profound Nether Territory; however, after the peace deal was reached, Yang Kai went into seclusion for 300 years.
Before that, Yang Kai had ordered that unless there was an emergency that absolutely required his assistance, no one should disturb him. Although no one knew what Yang Kai was doing, he must have had a very important reason to issue such a command.
As such, Mi Jing Lun didn’t dare to disturb him lightly.
Fortunately, Yang Kai headed to the Supreme Headquarters right after he left seclusion, and he shared the same sentiment as Mi Jing Lun, which allowed the latter to relax slightly.
This young Eighth-Order Master wasn’t only powerful, but he could also see the bigger picture. It was delightful to work with people like him.
“If it’s possible, please create several more training grounds. I’m sure the Black Ink Clansmen wouldn’t dare to make a fuss if you’re the one proposing,” Mi Jing Lun urged.
Yang Kai guffawed, “That was my plan from the start.”
The war in Twin Poles Territory was at a stalemate.
Around 300 years ago, the Black Ink Clan was in a disadvantageous position in Profound Nether Territory, and many of their Territory Lords were killed. Although they arrived at a peace deal with the Humans later, that didn’t mean those fallen Territory Lords returned from the grave.
As though trying to boost their morale and restore their dignity, the Black Ink Clan had intensified their offensives in several Great Territories, and the one where they were the most aggressive was Twin Poles Territory.
Apparently, the Black Ink Clan had made this Great Territory their primary target. Over the years, they had been continuously sending more soldiers here in an effort to use their advantage in numbers to suppress the Humans.
In the past, if the Humans were faced with attacks of such intensity, they would have lost Twin Poles Territory to the enemy already. Nevertheless, with the continuous production of Evil Purging Divine Spears over the years, the Humans were not without the means to resist.
After the Evil Purging Divine Spears were crafted by the Artifact Refiners, the Divine Spirits who were able to use the Great Sun and Moon Marks would seal Purifying Light into them. Then, the Evil Purging Divine Spears would be distributed to the Human Masters who would put them to good use on the battlefields.
For this reason, half of the Evil Purging Divine Spears originally allocated to Profound Nether Territory had been diverted to Twin Poles Territory.
In any case, the Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory wouldn’t dare to make a move; as such, those in Profound Nether Territory didn’t need as many Evil Purging Divine Spears as those in the other Great Territories.
In every great battle, the things that shone the brightest were the Evil Purging Divine Spears when they exploded. These miniature Suns lit up the endless darkness and helped the Humans persevere in battle.
When Yang Kai arrived at Twin Poles Territory, the two Races were already locked in an intense battle. The innumerable Black Ink Clan soldiers hovered in the void, as though trying to announce to the Humans that they were the owners of this place. On the other hand, the Humans could only use the fortresses they had built over the years to fend off the enemies.
The Humans in Twin Poles Territory were no longer able to confront the Black Ink Clan in the open, but even the strongest defence would be broken through one day if it was constantly under assault.
On the battlefield, Human Warships moved around in a narrow range and rained down Secret Techniques and artifact strikes on the enemy. At the same time, the Eighth-Order Masters were soaked in blood as they fought back against the Territory Lords.
Yang Kai concealed his aura and flew towards the battlefield like a phantom.
He didn’t have a particular target in mind, for he didn’t know any of these Territory Lords in Twin Poles Territory. As such, it made no difference as to whom he would kill first.
Since he had cultivated in seclusion for 300 years, he hadn’t used his Azure Dragon Spear for a long time. It was time he let these Black Ink Clansmen know what it felt like to be overwhelmed by fear.
Somewhere on the battlefield, an Eighth-Order Master was in a perilous situation as he was dealing with two enemies at once.
The Eighth-Order Masters were used to such situations by now, and despite being in a tight spot, this one was able to persevere for now. Furthermore, he still hadn’t used his Evil Purging Divine Spears. For this reason, the Territory Lords remained somewhat wary and didn’t dare to go all out, preferring to keep some distance and wear down their opponent.
During the intense battle, World Force and Black Ink Strength clashed as the void trembled. The Black Ink Clansmen who didn’t manage to dodge were either killed or injured by the fallout from this clash.
At this moment, the Eighth-Order Master was focused on dealing with the Territory Lords. He pondered on the feasibility of severely injuring one Territory Lord despite knowing that he would be wounded as well.
When Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords traded injuries, there was no doubt the Humans gained the advantage.
That was because when an Eighth-Order Master was wounded, they could recuperate by consuming Spirit Pills and meditate to restore their strength. However, a Territory Lord couldn’t do that. They could endure the pain if it wasn’t severe, but if a Territory Lord was badly injured, they had to return to a Black Ink Nest and hibernate to heal.
There were not many Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests in Twin Poles Territory, and all of them were currently occupied by wounded Territory Lords. If more Territory Lords were injured, they had to head to the No-Return Pass where there were more Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests, as well as some 100 High-Rank Black Ink Nests.
Over the years, more and more wounded Territory Lords headed to the No-Return Pass to recuperate. On the other hand, the Territory Lords who had recovered would return from the No-Return Pass.
It was by using such mutually damaging tactics that the Eighth-Order Masters effectively limited the number of Territory Lords who took part in the war.
If all the Territory Lords could join the fighting, there was no way the Eighth-Order Masters could fend them off. They would have to give up at least three Great Territories to rally their forces together.
However, once they did that, the Black Ink Clan could also concentrate their forces to regain the upper hand. That was the reason the Humans were not willing to lose any Great Territory.
This Eighth-Order Master soon made up his mind as was preparing to expose an opening at the right moment so that one of the Territory Lords would make a move. He was putting his life on the line, but as long as he didn’t die, he would be able to achieve his goal.
Nonetheless, before he could do anything, a Divine Sense transmission suddenly reached his ear. He was startled for a moment before becoming elated.
Although he never showed a chance of expression on his face, he secretly got prepared.
A few breaths of time later, he bellowed, “Bastards, let’s all go to Hell together!”
Following that, an Evil Purging Divine Spear appeared and turned into a light beam that shot towards one of the Territory Lords. The Eighth-Order Master seemed determined to destroy the other party no matter the cost.
The two Territory Lords were fully prepared, however; as such, they immediately surged their Black Ink Strength and formed a thick Black Ink Cloud in front of them.
This was the method the Territory Lords had come up with to deal with the Evil Purging Divine Spears.
Purifying Light was indeed the archnemesis of Black Ink Strength, and once an Evil Purging Divine Spear was sent out, a Territory Lord would find it hard to dodge regardless of how agile they were.
Since that was the case, their best option was to release a lot of Black Ink Strength to block and offset the Purifying Light’s power.
The instant the light exploded, the Eighth-Order Master and the Territory Lords were temporarily blinded.
However, the battle intensified at that moment.
Just as both parties believed they were on the winning side, fatal moves were cast all of a sudden.
The thick Black Ink Strength was dispersed in the blink of an eye. One of the Territory Lords, who was targeted by the Evil Purging Divine Spear, grunted as his aura plunged.
On the other hand, the unaffected Territory Lord extended his hand towards the white light. Enduring the scorching heat, he sent his attack towards the Eighth-Order Master.
Both parties were in close quarters. Since the Eighth-Order Master had just used an Evil Purging Divine Spear, there was no way he could dodge this attack. The Territory Lord could already imagine the Human spraying out a mouthful of blood.
However, just then, a flash of Spiritual Energy could be felt from nearby. Following that, the attacking Territory Lord felt like something had pierced into his head. The sharp pain in his mind made him lose focus for a moment and his Black Ink Strength faltered.
His hand froze as an excruciating pain suddenly came from his chest.
When he looked down, he saw a spear penetrating through him. A violent force burst forth as his burly figure exploded into countless pieces, which then spread out across the void.
These two Territory Lords had been guarding against the Eighth-Order Master using the Evil Purging Divine Spear; as such, neither of them would have expected that someone would use a Soul attack on them at that moment. The Territory Lord lost his life while completely unsuspecting.
As the blood-spattered, Yang Kai hovered in the void with his spear in his hand and arched his brow.
After his most recent seclusion ended, it seemed it had become easier for him to kill a Territory Lord.
He couldn’t help thinking that an Open Heaven Realm Master, especially a High-Rank one, indeed had to cultivate for a long time to build up their heritage.
Over the past 300 years, Yang Kai had consumed an enormous amount of resources to strengthen his World Force. With the purifying effects of the World Tree clone in his Small Universe, he estimated that he was now 10% stronger than before he entered seclusion.
It was said that old ginger was spicier, and this seemed especially true for Open Heaven Realm Masters.
Now, Yang Kai wasn’t someone who had just ascended to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he could be considered an experienced Master.
Besides the increase in heritage, he also had to literally tear his Soul in half to cultivate his Human Self. This kind of tearing was unlike activating a Soul Rending Thorn where Yang Kai would only sacrifice a small portion of his Soul.
For this reason, he became weak for the past 300 years.
It was only thanks to the Soul Warming Lotus’ help that he gradually recovered.
With that said, the improvement this time was conspicuous. Before, whenever Yang Kai activated a Soul Rending Thorn, he would feel a sharp pain in his head, which he could somewhat endure thanks to many repeated experiences.
However, when he used a Soul Rending Thorn today, the pain he felt was less aggravating.
It went to show that his Soul had strengthened.
Many thoughts flashed across Yang Kai’s mind as the pieces of the dead Territory Lord floated past him.
On the other hand, the Eighth-Order Master, who received the warning from Yang Kai earlier, forcefully struck out at the Territory Lord who had been affected by the Evil Purging Divine Spear.
The turn of events had stunned the Territory Lord as he had no idea why his companion was killed all of a sudden. While in a dazed state, he turned to stare at Yang Kai.
According to their original plan, he would get hit by the Evil Purging Divine Spear and offset the Purifying Light with the gathered Black Ink Strength from earlier on. Then, he would join forces with his unaffected companion. He was confident that they could injure or even kill this Eighth-Order Master.
Nonetheless, his companion was killed in the blink of an eye.
Following that, he saw a spear-holding young man with a dispassionate expression standing beside him.
He found the young man familiar, as though he had seen him before.
“Yang Kai!” After a moment of pondering, he finally recalled where he had come across this young man before.
This guy was Yang Kai, the one who had managed to completely suppress the Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory. He was also the one who had kicked up a storm in the No-Return Pass and even escaped from the Royal Lord’s pursuit.
All the Black Ink Clan’s top Masters had seen Yang Kai’s image before.
It was rumoured that this Human had some mysterious method he could use to kill Innate Territory Lords in an instant.
Some 30 Territory Lords were directly or indirectly killed by him in Profound Nether Territory within just 30 years. The Royal Lord was so enraged by this that he had repeatedly reprimanded Six Arms who was in charge of that place.
Left with no other choice, the Black Ink Clansmen in Profound Nether Territory were forced to accept a peace deal Yang Kai had come up with. As such, the Territory Lords there couldn’t have a hand in the war.
When word got out, the Black Ink Clan Masters in the other Great Territories were both shocked and doubtful. Many of them felt that their comrades in Profound Nether Territory were exaggerating Yang Kai’s abilities. This Human was only in the Eighth Order, after all; therefore, how was he supposed to suppress all the Black Ink Clan Masters in Profound Nether Territory on his own? Even Xiang Shan was unable to achieve that.
This Territory Lord had thought much the same, feeling that Six Arms and the others in Profound Nether Territory were too weak and had simply let Yang Kai run rampant. If this Yang Kai had the guts to come to Twin Poles Territory, he would certainly teach this arrogant Human a lesson.
Now, Yang Kai had really come, and it wasn’t until this moment that the Territory Lord realised how naïve he had been. It was said that Yang Kai was able to cow and intimidate all the Black Ink Clan Masters of an entire Great Territory on his own. Even if there was a bit of exaggeration, there was no denying Yang Kai was powerful, but up until now, the Territory Lord still had no idea how his companion was killed.
There wasn’t any time left for him to ponder though. While he was still in a daze, the Eighth-Order Master struck him with his fist. As the violent World Force exploded, an indent formed on the Territory Lord’s chest, which caused him to spray out a mouthful of black blood.
The Eighth-Order Master was surprised that he had succeeded. It never crossed his mind that the Territory Lord would fall into a dazed state because of his companion’s death. Certainly, he wouldn’t let him off while the other party was beside himself.
He quickly called out to Yang Kai, “Kill him!”
Following that, he charged towards the Territory Lord again.
Certainly, Yang Kai needed no reminder as he shot forward and made sure the Territory Lord couldn’t escape. As he wielded his Azure Dragon Spear, the spear shadows rained down on the Territory Lord. Although his attack seemed unsophisticated, its hidden power was enormous.
As the injured Territory Lord was pincered by his enemies, he swiftly fell into an absolute disadvantage.
10 breaths of time later, the Azure Dragon Spear penetrated the Territory Lord’s head and reaped his life.
Two Territory Lords had died within moments of each other. Despite the noisy battlefield, their deaths couldn’t be concealed.
Everyone on the battlefield froze for a moment when the second Territory Lord fell and countless pairs of eyes turned in the direction of the disturbance.
The Eighth-Order Masters were elated while the Territory Lords were soon overwhelmed with fear.
All of a sudden, one Territory Lord yelled, “Yang Kai!”
At that instant, all the Territory Lords realised who the murderer was.
He was the Human who had suppressed all the Black Ink Clan Masters in Profound Nether Territory on his own. The Royal Lord had even issued a warning to all the Territory Lords to be cautious of this menace.
They had heard about the incident in Profound Nether Territory, and while some felt sympathetic or wary, most dismissed the story; after all, they had never dealt with Yang Kai before, so how were they supposed to know how powerful the latter truly was?
Fortunately for them, after the two Races arrived at a peace deal 300 years ago in Profound Nether Territory, Yang Kai went missing. Based on what the Black Ink Disciples revealed to them, Yang Kai seemed to be cultivating in seclusion.
Nevertheless, he appeared in Twin Poles Territory today, and the instant he did, he managed to kill two powerful Innate Territory Lords.
The Territory Lords, who had dismissed the stories from back then, now knew that what they had heard was true.
It wasn’t that no Territory Lords had lost their lives before in Twin Poles Territory over the centuries; nonetheless, there was no precedent where two Territory Lords died in such quick succession.
There was no denying Yang Kai had some inscrutable methods up his sleeve.
Fear and wariness soon spread across the Black Ink Clansmen.
With the spear in his hand, Yang Kai guffawed, his laugh as loud as thunder as he called out, “I’m back! Did you miss me?”
[Why didn’t you stay gone forever?] The Territory Lords cursed at him under their breath while wondering, [What’s wrong with Six Arms? This madman exited seclusion, but we’ve received no warning from Profound Nether Territory at all.]
However, at this moment, the Territory Lords didn’t have time to curse out Six Arms. When Yang Kai swept a gaze over them, they felt their chests tightening as they were worried they would be targeted next.
Meanwhile, things got much better for the Eighth-Order Masters.
Originally, the Eighth-Order Masters were at a disadvantage as they were greatly outnumbered by the Territory Lords. Nonetheless, at this moment, all the Territory Lords slowed down their attacks as they were wary of Yang Kai, allowing the Humans to catch their breath.
Many veteran Eighth-Order Masters couldn’t help feeling amazed that Yang Kai alone was able to exude such deterrence on so many enemies.
“No one seems happy to see me. That’s fine, I won’t force you to respond,” as Yang Kai wielded his spear, he disappeared from the spot the moment he finished speaking.
The Territory Lords nearby felt their hair standing on end. None of them had seen how Yang Kai vanished; as such, they had no idea where he would reappear.
This kind of uncertainty was extremely unnerving.
At this moment, the Territory Lords could only carefully guard their Souls against any potential sneak attacks.
That was because they knew that once Yang Kai made a move, he would directly use that strange method that could penetrate one’s Soul before launching life-threatening attacks on them.
A shriek was suddenly heard from a certain direction on the battlefield. As expected, a Territory Lord was hit.
The Soul Rending Thorns were extremely powerful, so even if a Territory Lord was determined to protect their Soul, they couldn’t possibly ward it off entirely, only somewhat weakening the impact.
On this chaotic battlefield, once an individual’s Soul was disturbed, they would immediately find themselves in a life-and-death crisis.
The Territory Lords who hadn’t been hit felt relieved, which immediately after made them feel ashamed, but there was nothing they could do about it.
When they looked at the source of the cry, they indeed saw Yang Kai appearing there like a phantom. Working with another Eighth-Order Master, he bombarded an Innate Territory Lord with attacks.
It was the first time the Territory Lords in Twin Poles Territory witnessed Yang Kai’s power.
The power of his spear seemed able to shatter the Void itself, so while the targeted Territory Lord intended to flee, space around him contorted and warped, causing his movements to become sluggish and disjointed. How was he supposed to escape under such circumstances?
Just several breaths of time later, the targeted Territory Lord was horribly injured. His dark blood and Black Ink Strength spurted out of his wounds at the same time as his aura plunged.
Following that, the Eighth-Order Master, who had been dealing with the Territory Lord, pushed out a palm and smashed his opponent into a paste.
[How brutal!] It wasn’t until the Territory Lords witnessed Yang Kai’s power that they realised he was more formidable than what they had heard.
The Eighth-Order Master then flew to the nearest battle to offer his help. On the other hand, Yang Kai remained on the same spot and said something that horrified the Territory Lords.
“Who’s next?”
It was as though he was playing some sort of sick game, and whoever he had his eyes on would die.
Naturally, no Territory Lord volunteered to be the next victim.
Three Territory Lords had lost their lives in a very short period. It seemed that once Yang Kai made a move, he would certainly succeed. It was only natural that nobody wanted to be targeted by him.
The Territory Lords, who originally had the upper hand on the battlefield, started retreating. On the other hand, the Eighth-Order Masters were relentless. They had been suppressed by the Territory Lords for years, so now that the tables had turned, they ecstatically attacked the enemies while the Territory Lords grumbled in annoyance.
Just as the Territory Lords were feeling anxious, another one of them suffered tragedy.
Spirit Energy fluctuations flared up momentarily, then a violent force exploded as a Territory Lord lost his life.
In one of the battles, a brawny Innate Territory Lord with purple skin and hair roared, “He can only use the same move three times! There’s no need to be afraid of him now that he’s used up all his chances!”
There were over 100 Territory Lords who were involved in this battle in Twin Poles Territory; however, this purple-haired Territory Lord was apparently one of the strongest.
In fact, he was the Territory Lord who was in charge of Twin Poles Territory, his status equivalent to that of Six Arms in Profound Nether Territory.
He had been vigilant after he realized Yang Kai’s presence, but he never said a word. It wasn’t until he was certain that Yang Kai had used the Soul Rending Thorns three times that he reminded the other Territory Lords.
There had been three Territory Lords who got struck by the strange Soul attacks, and now that Yang Kai was no longer able to use this trump card again, he became just a slightly more powerful Eighth-Order Master. Therefore, the Territory Lords wouldn’t need to be as wary of him.
Hearing that, the Territory Lords finally came to their senses, [That’s right. Yang Kai has used that move three times already, why should we be afraid of him?]
The Territory Lords, who had been retreating, immediately turned around and, this time, it was the Eighth-Order Masters who suffered.
“You like running your mouth, don’t you?” Across from the purple-haired Territory Lord, Xiang Shan wielded his sabre as the dazzling sabre light formed a crack in the Void.
For the past 100 years, Xiang Shan had been stationed in Twin Poles Territory, and he had exchanged moves with this purple-haired Territory Lord dozens of times. Since both of them were equally matched, neither could destroy the other. Despite facing this imposing attack, the Territory Lord easily dodged it.
However, the next instant, the purple-haired Territory Lord’s expression turned solemn, for he realised that an aura had locked onto him. From the corner of his eye, he could see that Yang Kai, who was over a million kilometres away just a moment ago, had appeared right beside him.
A spear quietly extended towards him and was about to strike its mark.
Instinctively, the purple-haired Territory Lord leaned backwards to avoid the attack. Nevertheless, when he detected the familiar Spiritual Energy fluctuation and was flabbergasted.
[He can still use his Soul attack? Impossible!]
Yang Kai had used the same move in Profound Nether Territory many times before, but in every battle, he only ever used it three times before he became powerless to fight. Why was it different now when he was in Twin Poles Territory?
It was only then that the purple-haired Territory Lord recalled that Yang Kai had been cultivating in seclusion for 300 years, so it was unlikely that his power hadn’t increased at least a bit.
His three-time limit was information the Black Ink Clan had gathered 300 years ago. Now, Yang Kai could probably use the same move four times, maybe even five times!
Upon that realization, the purple-haired Territory Lord regretted opening his mouth. If he had known this would be the outcome, he wouldn’t have called out and attracted Yang Kai’s attention.
Unbeknownst to him, even if he said nothing, Yang Kai had already saved his last Soul Rending Thorn for him.
Xiang Shan was locked in an intense battle with this guy, so it was apparent that the purple-haired Territory Lord was an important figure in Twin Poles Territory, most likely the Commander of the Black Ink Clan’s forces.
If Yang Kai could kill him, he could deal a heavy blow to the Black Ink Clan’s morale in Twin Poles Territory.
Certainly, Yang Kai could recognize such a tempting target.
Around 300 years ago, he could only activate three Soul Rending Thorns in succession. Now that his Soul had become more robust, he could easily use the same move for a fourth time.
As his Spiritual Energy flared, the Soul Rending Thorn was silently sent. The purple-haired Territory Lord’s Soul was torn open, and the sharp pain in his mind caused him to roar.
At the same time, all his Black Ink Strength undulated violently.
Yang Kai’s spear brushed past the Territory Lord’s face, the intense weave of Dao Strengths scraping off a large piece of flesh, drawing an even more pitiful wail from the latter’s lips.
Since his attack was unsuccessful though, Yang Kai swept his spear down like a whip, forcing the Territory Lord back.
At the same time, Xiang Shan swung his sabre, sending out a burst of sabre lights that formed a cage, covering the section of the void around the Territory Lord.
Xiang Shan was a veteran of thousands of battles, so he naturally wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.
The sabre light cage swiftly contracted towards the centre, and when they dissipated, the purple-haired Territory Lord’s battered figure was revealed. His brawny figure was covered in wounds which were so deep that one could see his bones. There was no denying he was in a sorry state.
All the same, he hadn’t lost his life. As his thick Black Ink Strength undulated, a fire seemed to ignite in his eyes as he charged towards Yang Kai instead of backing down.
Now that he was so badly injured and both Xiang Shan and Yang Kai, two of the most powerful Eighth-Order Masters in the entire Human Race, were targeting him, this Territory Lord had no doubt he would die here today. As such, he abandoned all thoughts of escape and instead was determined to drag one of them down with him in death.
Naturally, Yang Kai was his target. As long as he could kill Yang Kai, his death would be meaningful.
The Innate Territory Lord unleashed every last bit of his power, causing even more dark blood and Black Ink Strength to spurt from his wounds. At that moment, the purple-haired Territory Lord was like a fierce God who emerged from the primordial chaos, his majestic presence causing the universe around him to tremble.
Since his return from the Black Ink Battlefield, Yang Kai had dealt with a lot of Innate Territory Lords and even killed many of them. His impression of these Innate Territory Lords was that, even though they were powerful and overbearing, they were also extremely afraid of death.
Bravery was something that had nothing to do with them; however, he finally met an exception today.
It seemed that not all Innate Territory Lords were the same and that some of them were indeed not scared of dying.
Perhaps it had something to do with their situation as well. The purple-haired Territory Lord knew that he was unable to leave this place alive; as such, his fighting spirit had been ignited.
Xiang Shan moved forward to intercept the enemy, wielding his sabre as he sent out a stream of sabre lights to engulf the purple-haired Territory Lord.
Nevertheless, the other party did not even attempt to dodge this flurry of attacks. Although the sabre lights opened even more wounds on his body, the Territory Lord still steadfastly charged towards Yang Kai.
The next instant, he was faced with a spear.
The purple-haired Territory Lord jerked his head to the side, causing the spear to graze his neck. The fresh wound on his neck exploded as his dark blood spurted out, but despite that, he relentlessly approached Yang Kai.
Yang Kai tried to retract his spear, but his attempt failed.
That was because the other party had already clenched the Azure Dragon Spear and exerted an immense amount of force with his hand, ensuring that Yang Kai couldn’t retrieve his weapon.
“Get over here!” Determination was written all over the purple-haired Territory Lord’s hideous face as he thrust his free hand towards Yang Kai.
He had channelled all his power into this attack, causing the space around them to shatter in an instant.
Initially, Yang Kai wanted to use Space Principles to dodge using Instantaneous Movement, but to his surprise, the other party had anticipated this move and preempted him. Furthermore, he had used four Soul Rending Thorns already, so his head was throbbing and his thoughts had become sluggish. With the nearby Void shattered, Yang Kai’s figure was rooted to the spot.
While he was in a dazed state, the purple-haired Territory Lord seized his shoulder.
Black Ink Strength madly surged as Yang Kai’s shoulder was torn into. The Territory Lord’s sharp nails penetrated Yang Kai’s flesh, and even the Dragon Scales hidden under his skin were unable to block the intrusion.
Seeing his gambit succeed, the purple-haired Territory Lord quickly pulled Yang Kai towards himself and trapped him with both arms.
His face was covered with dark blood, so his original facial features were barely visible. When Yang Kai looked up, all he saw was the Territory Lord looking hideous and smug.
“Let’s see how you run away now!” The purple-haired Territory Lord grinned while ignoring Xiang Shan, who was coming at him from behind. Then, he tilted his head back and brought it forward at a remarkable speed.
He was trying to headbutt Yang Kai.
Following a loud crash, with the two tangled up figures at the centre, a violent shockwave propagated out.
Even Xiang Shan found himself staggering back as he had no choice but to retract his weapon for fear of hitting Yang Kai by accident.
*Hong! Hong! Hong!*
The purple-haired Territory Lord repeatedly struck Yang Kai with his head. At this moment, he looked nothing like a powerful Innate Territory Lord with astonishing cultivation. Instead, he was more like a common thug engaging in a backstreet brawl. There were no sophisticated moves to speak of as he seemed determined to destroy the other party by smashing his head open with his own.
The sight stunned all the other Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Masters.
No one had ever seen a Territory Lord acting so brutal.
Yang Kai started seeing stars from the first clash. He had already used a massive amount of Spiritual Energy on top of sacrificing a significant portion of his Soul, which was why he was no longer able to keep fighting at full strength. Now that he was repeatedly struck by the opponent’s head, he found himself in a passive position.
Any other Eighth-Order Master would’ve lost his life by now.
Since his ascension to the Eighth Order, Yang Kai had never suffered such a setback because of a lone Territory Lord before.
Even though he was struck dizzy, he only turned more furious and aggressive.
Yang Kai let go of his spear and grasped the purple-haired Territory Lord’s arms. His face, which was covered with Golden Blood, became hideous as fire burned in his eyes. As the other party tilted his head back, he mirrored the action.
A hint of surprise flashed across the Territory Lord’s eyes, for he thought that Yang Kai had lost all his strength before now.
The next moment, an even louder crash was heard. Xiang Shan, who was hovering nearby, waiting for a chance to strike, was dumbfounded as he felt a violent shockwave rush towards him and push him back even further.
When he looked up, Xiang Shan felt his face twitching as a single thought flashed across his mind, [This brat is crazy!]
The headbutt of a powerful Master was no laughing matter, and now both parties were doing the same thing to each other, so the power of the clash was naturally astonishing.
Xiang Shan even thought he heard the sounds of bones cracking.
*Hong hong hong…*
Several booms were then heard, and with the purple-haired Territory Lord and Yang Kai as the centre, the countless limbs, Black Ink Clouds, and Black Ink Strength drifting in the void were all swept away.
Every time their heads smashed, it was as though two Universe Worlds were colliding, sending shockwave after shockwave across the battlefield.
A moment later, both Yang Kai and the purple-haired Territory Lord saw stars and were close to blacking out, their blood-soaked faces looking more menacing than ever.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai could sense that the other party’s grip had weakened. As such, he exerted more force with his hands while grasping the other party’s arms.
The purple-haired Territory Lord’s eyes shook as his maddened determination turned to shock and disbelief.
He had taken such an aggressive stance because he had been pushed over the edge, but for some reason, his final desperate struggle had only caused this Eighth-Order Master to become even more ferocious than him.
Following another headbutt, the sounds of bones breaking became audible and the Territory Lord’s arms lost all strength.
Yang Kai roared, “All you bastards will never understand what it means to fight for the ones you love!”
They were in the 3,000 Worlds, and this Great Territory was one of the last lines of defence for the Human Race. If they allowed the Black Ink Clan to advance further, their very existence would be threatened.
In this place, all the Human soldiers who had been battling the Black Ink Clan were fighting to protect those who huddled behind them.
Unlike these evil invaders, the Humans did not have a choice to retreat. Since the enemies were brutal and ruthless, they had to be even more savage.
After another headbutt, a clear indent was formed on the purple-haired Territory Lord’s head. His eyes had completely rolled back and his aura was weakening by the breath like a ball leaking air.
All of a sudden, Yang Kai appeared bored as he said dispassionately, “It seems my head is harder than yours.”
Then, he sent out one last headbutt, knocking the purple-haired Territory Lord’s head off while sending a headless corpse flying away.
Yang Kai hovered in the void alone. The pain in his body and Soul almost made him lose his mind; however, his ferocity and murderous intent did not wane in the slightest after he killed his opponent. Instead, he became even more bloodthirsty.
As a high-pitched Dragon Roar sounded as a golden light exploded into existence. Following a series of crackling sounds, a 70,000-metre-long behemoth manifested in the void.
“Kill!”
The Ancient Dragon roared as his Dragon Form whirled around and charged towards a place where many Black Ink Clansmen gathered together. Wherever he went, a trail of bodies formed in the void.
“Kill!”
More roars were heard coming from all directions in Twin Poles Territory. Following the purple-haired Territory Lord’s death and the advent of the Golden Ancient Dragon, the Human soldiers, who had been suppressed for almost 400 years in Twin Poles Territory, charged towards the enemies like maddened beasts.
In the blink of an eye, the Black Ink Clan found themselves on the wrong side of a raging slaughter.
Five Territory Lords had lost their lives in less than an incense stick’s worth of time, which horrified the ones still alive. They finally realised the terror the Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory must have felt 300 years ago.
The deaths of the first four Territory Lords had already caused a storm to rumble in their hearts, but it was the sheer brutality of the fifth Territory Lord’s demise that finally collapsed their will to fight.
It was said that Yang Kai was only able to use his special Soul attack three times before becoming powerless to fight on, but that was no longer the case.
The purple-haired Territory Lord, who was their Commander, was dead. On the other hand, Yang Kai had transformed into a 70,000-metre-long Ancient Dragon and charged straight into the centre of their lines, his majestic presence causing the entire Twin Poles Territory to shake.
At this moment, none of the Territory Lords was willing to deal with Yang Kai, worried that once they were targeted, they would not be able to survive. Hence, they decided to run as far away as possible.
Back then in Profound Nether Territory, Yang Kai had to fight over a dozen battles for 30 years before he fully intimidated the Black Ink Clan there.
In Twin Poles Territory, he still carried his imposing reputation from 300 years ago, and after this one war, the spines of the Black Ink Clansmen in Twin Poles Territory would be shattered and never heal again.
Half a day later, the Human soldiers ceased their attacks. All of them were elated, feeling that they had finally vented out the fury that had been accumulating in their hearts over several hundreds of years. As they returned to their bases and camps, all of them smiled brightly as though they were celebrating some kind of festivity.
Killing five Territory Lords couldn’t be considered a war-ending achievement; however, in their follow-up pursuit of the enemy, the Human Army managed to slaughter over a million Black Ink Clansmen, which was a huge strategic victory.
All this had been brought about by Yang Kai alone.
While the soldiers were counting their kills, they realised that the biggest contributor, Yang Kai, was nowhere to be found. They speculated that he must be recuperating; after all, he seemed to be badly injured.
In fact, Yang Kai wasn’t just badly injured, he had almost lost his life.
Other than the drawbacks of using four Soul Rending Thorns in quick succession, his clash with the purple-haired Territory Lord later had left him half-dead.
Although his body was robust as he had a Dragon Vein, the series of headbutts still cracked his skull. It would probably take him several years to heal these injuries.
With that said, it was not like he hadn’t gained something after this battle.
After attacking so many Territory Lords using his Soul Rending Thorns, Yang Kai had become confident he could easily kill them, which caused him to underestimate those Innate Territory Lords as he thought that they were too cowardly to use their strength.
Now, he realised he had overestimated himself and underestimated the enemy.
The simple truth was no Innate Territory Lord was easy to deal with, it was only because of his unique methods and great infamy that most Territory Lords simply lost the will to fight when they were confronted by him. As such, he could easily kill many Territory Lords.
However, if every Territory Lord was like the purple-haired Territory Lord he met today, who was willing to sacrifice his life to drag him down with him, things would become far thornier.
The purple-haired Territory Lord was struck by a Soul Rending Thorn, then hit by attacks from both Xiang Shan and Yang Kai at the same time, but he remained undaunted. If this Territory Lord had been at his peak, Yang Kai wouldn’t have the confidence to defeat him without using a Soul Rending Thorn.
He was still an Innate Territory Lord, and as such, significantly more powerful than those Acquired Territory Lords.
Yang Kai was secretly glad that these Innate Territory Lords were unable to become Royal Lords; otherwise, the Humans might not be able to deal with them.
After giving it some thought, he realised that while he shouldn’t underestimate his enemies, he also shouldn’t dismiss his own capabilities. At the very least, he had managed to kill a lot of Territory Lords. Furthermore, it had only been a short time since he ascended to the Eighth Order, so he was still far from reaching his peak.
When he reached the very peak of the Eighth Order one day, Yang Kai was confident he could defeat these Innate Territory Lords with ease with just his own strength.
Back then on the Black Ink Battlefield, Yang Kai and Bai Yi joined forces and killed a badly injured Zhu Feng, almost losing their lives in the process. Now, he had managed to kill several dozen Territory Lords and even a Royal Lord. Although the process was baffling, he had indeed ended a Royal Lord’s life.
While the Black Ink Clansmen were powerful, Yang Kai also gradually grew in strength. He had the confidence that there would come a day when he would be able to destroy any Innate Territory Lords as he pleased, so calming himself down, he began to recuperate in silence.
Yang Kai, who was supposedly in Profound Nether Territory, appeared in Twin Poles Territory all of a sudden and killed five Territory Lords. Even their Commander, the purple-haired Territory Lord, was gone for good, which resulted in the Black Ink Clan Army in Twin Poles Territory being routed. The advantage they had accumulated over the past several hundred years was lost in one go.
When word got out, many Black Ink Clan Masters from different Great Territories were astounded. While they were shocked by Yang Kai’s strength, they were also wary of his recklessness.
Since this Human was in charge of Profound Nether Territory, he wasn’t supposed to go anywhere else. It was unreasonable of him to appear in Twin Poles Territory and slaughter the Black Ink Clan Masters there.
One had to know that Yang Kai had been missing for 300 years before that. Such a period was neither long nor short; however, that was enough for his notoriety to fade somewhat. Still, he was able to shock the Black Ink Clan the moment he reappeared.
Rather than feeling astonished, the Black Ink Clan Masters were mostly anxious when they heard the news.
Yang Kai had appeared in Twin Poles Territory this time, but what about next time? Would he appear in Lang Ya Territory, Soul Shaking Territory, or some other Great Territory?
It was definitely easier to sneak into someone’s house than keep one’s guard up against a thief all the time. If Yang Kai was allowed to go wherever he pleased, it would pose a huge threat to the Black Ink Clan.
They were worried that when they were dealing with the Human Masters at any given time, Yang Kai would suddenly appear out of thin air.
Now, they could only try to restrict his movements. As such, all the Black Ink Clan Masters shifted their attention to Profound Nether Territory.
Since Yang Kai was from Profound Nether Territory, this issue certainly had to be handled by the Territory Lords from there.
Around 300 years ago, the Humans and Black Ink Clan arrived at a peace deal, which stated that the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords had to abstain from taking part in the war. After that, the Humans built 10 forward outposts in Profound Nether Territory for the Humans below the Eighth Order to launch attacks from and recuperate when they were injured.
Similarly, the Black Ink Clan had built several forward outposts as well; however, every forward outpost built by the Humans was guarded by two to three Eighth-Order Masters to prevent any attacks. On the other hand, none of the Black Ink Clan’s forward outposts was guarded by any Territory Lords. That was because they didn’t dare to do so.
Simply put, if it was just three Territory Lords gathered in one spot, they wouldn’t feel secure. Rather than scattering around and letting Yang Kai have a chance to deal with them separately, they reckoned that they would be safer all huddling together.
Therefore, the Innate Territory Lords had either assembled in the Universe World where the Black Ink Clan’s main base was or recuperated in hidden locations, constantly keeping an eye on the Humans’ movements.
Over the years, the Profound Nether Army had broken up as the Human soldiers practically moved around in Squads or small groups as they roamed around the battlefield to battle the Black Ink Clansmen.
On the other hand, the Black Ink Clansmen used similar tactics to fight back. Both parties repeatedly launched sneak attacks and skirmishes against each other which often led to fierce but quick fights. Every breath of time there were countless battles taking place in this expansive Great Territory.
More and more Humans streamed into Profound Nether Territory because it was comparatively safer than the other Great Territories. Both parties wouldn’t fight each other in large Armies, and as such, the Human cultivators could put their innate advantages to good use.
The effects of 300 years of training were starting to show now. Many rising Stars had made a name for themselves. There were also veteran Sixth and Seventh-Order Masters who felt like fish in water as they continued to hone their strength in combat.
Inevitably, there were also some losses. Since the Humans had to train their soldiers in the fires of war, they couldn’t possibly do so without taking casualties. Regardless, the losses were still bearable.
More and more high-ranking officers realised the benefits of training the next generation in Profound Nether Territory; as such, the Juniors with excellent aptitudes, who were previously hidden from the public by the Cave Heavens and Paradises, were all sent to Profound Nether Territory. This allowed them to clash with the Black Ink Clan and experience life-and-death struggles which stimulated their growth.
All in all, even though there were countless battles in Profound Nether Territory, everything was well within the control of the Humans and Black Ink Clan.
For this reason, the Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory could enjoy their lives with peace of mind for hundreds of years as they were no longer worried about Yang Kai launching a sneak attack on them.
However, their peaceful days had now come to an end. With those in Twin Poles Territory leading the way, the Territory Lords from a dozen or so Great Territories joined forces to pressure those from Profound Nether Territory, demanding they deal with Yang Kai.
In the Black Ink Clan’s main base in Profound Nether Territory, many Territory Lords had gathered together in the Main Conference Hall. The atmosphere was rather gloomy.
Six Arms was seated at the head of the hall as he swept a glance over them before solemnly declaring, “Let’s discuss how we should deal with this matter.”
However, no one said a word. With a grim expression, Six Arms snapped, “Are you all dumb!?”
Although they were all Innate Territory Lords, he was the Commander appointed by the Royal Lord; furthermore, he was also the strongest among them. Hence, the other Territory Lords were naturally afraid of him.
One of the Territory Lords spoke up, “Sir Six Arms, it’s not easy to handle this issue. The peace agreement we reached with Yang Kai only states that the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords are not allowed to interfere in the war in the Profound Nether Territory. He hasn’t broken his promise, so what can we do?”
Another Territory Lord nodded in agreement and said, “He has a point. Over the past 300 years, the Eighth-Order Humans have never made a move. It is not an exaggeration to say they have rigidly stuck to the agreement. If we make a rash move, Yang Kai might retaliate by slaughtering us.”
Then, a snort was heard, “That’s what those blockheads from the other Great Territories are trying to achieve. Only when we make a move will Yang Kai be forced to return; that way, they’ll have no more worries while we will be the ones suffering.”
“A clever plot indeed. Just because they fear death, they want us to sacrifice ourselves in their stead?”
“Sir Six Arms, you can not agree to this. If a total war breaks out in Profound Nether Territory again, what happened 300 years ago will simply repeat itself.”
…..
The Territory Lords started talking incessantly as they cursed at the Territory Lords from the other Great Territories for being selfish, but as Six Arms listened to them bicker, he only felt dispirited.
Certainly, he knew what was on these Territory Lords’ minds. They were worried that if Yang Kai returned, they would be butchered by him. Although he was mad at these Territory Lords for being cowardly, he couldn’t really blame them.
Forget the other Territory Lords, even Six Arms himself was wary of Yang Kai.
Around 300 years ago, he was confident that even if he was ambushed by Yang Kai, he still stood a chance to escape. Nonetheless, after what happened to the purple-haired Territory Lord in Twin Poles Territory, his confidence had been smashed to pieces.
He knew the purple-haired Territory Lord was just as powerful as him, but even he was killed by Yang Kai. It was even reported that Yang Kai was extremely brutal in that fight as he literally smashed the other party’s head to pieces by repeatedly headbutting him. Six Arms would feel a chill running down his spine just by imagining this kind of savage fight.
At the same time, he was furious at the Territory Lords from the other Great Territories for being so indifferent. They wanted those in Profound Nether Territory to do something to lure Yang Kai back; however, if the Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory really did that, they would suffer miserably.
The Territory Lords were still arguing and expressing their complaints when Six Arms raised his hand and turned to a particular person, “Mo Na Ye, what do you think?”
Among the Territory Lords, Mo Na Ye was undoubtedly the most meticulous. Although what happened in Acacia Territory back then was a huge failure and humiliation to him, it wasn’t really Mo Na Ye’s fault. In fact, up until this day, the Black Ink Clan still hadn’t figured out how Yang Kai managed to flee even though the Territory Gates had all been sealed off.
Furthermore, he had even taken a large number of Human refugees away with him. It was an unresolved mystery.
Mo Na Ye had been silent all along, and it wasn’t until Six Arms called out to him that he stopped pondering and replied, “Sir Six Arms, have you ever thought about why Yang Kai headed to Twin Poles Territory to raise chaos after cultivating in seclusion for 300 years?”
Six Arms frowned, “Among all the Great Territories, the Humans in Twin Poles Territory were in the most perilous situation. It was said that Xiang Shan had assumed command of their forces there for the past 100 years, but it still wouldn’t take long before the Humans in Twin Poles Territory would be defeated.”
Mo Na Ye nodded, “I think that’s just one of the reasons.”
“Is there another?”
Mo Na Ye shook his head, “I have no idea. All I know is that Yang Kai only made a move in Twin Poles Territory at a critical moment. If he had wanted to lend a hand to the Humans in Twin Poles Territory, he would’ve done so a long time ago.”
“Wasn’t he cultivating in seclusion?”
“Humans can interrupt their cultivation fairly easily. Over the years, the Humans in Twin Poles Territory have increasingly been at a disadvantage, so I’m sure they asked for help on several occasions. If Yang Kai had received such a request, he would’ve made a move early on; however, he only headed to Twin Poles Territory recently.”
After giving it some thought, Six Arms realised Mo Na Ye was right. Still puzzled, however, he asked, “What does that have to do with what happened today?”
Mo Na Ye replied, “It has everything to do with it. First of all, we have to figure out Yang Kai’s intentions, or to be precise, the Humans’ intentions.”
The Territory Lords were perplexed.
Mo Na Ye went on to say with a smile, “300 years ago, Yang Kai acted extremely overbearing, like he couldn’t wait to slaughter us all, but then, all of a sudden, he came over on his own to propose a peace deal with us. There’s no denying it was good news to the Black Ink Clan, but what benefits would the Humans get out of it? Do you all remember what he said at that time?”
Many Territory Lords fell into their thoughts.
One of them eventually replied, “At that time, he said that he was worried the weaker Humans would be injured or killed from the fallout of the fights between Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Masters. Moreover, there were significantly more Territory Lords than the Eighth-Order Masters, so most of the time, without the Eighth-Order Masters’ restraint, the Territory Lords could butcher the Humans to their hearts’ content.”
Mo Na Ye nodded, “Yes, that was what he said.”
“Was that a mere deception?” Six Arms’ face fell.
“Not exactly,” Mo Na Ye shook his head, “However, over the past 300 years, I’ve been observing what’s going on in Profound Nether Territory, and I’ve noticed that even though the excuse Yang Kai gave us wasn’t a lie, he was still hiding his true motive. For the last 300 years, more and more Humans have appeared in Profound Nether Territory, especially Open Heaven Realm Masters in the Fifth Order and above. There have also been a lot of Seventh-Order Masters we have never seen before. Many of those newly appeared Open Heaven Realm Masters weren’t as powerful as the others in the same Order and did not have as stable foundations. It is likely that they only ascended to the Open Heaven Realm recently.”
Six Arms furrowed his brows, “So what?”
Mo Na Ye shook his head with a wry smile as he decided to cut to the chase, saying, “The reason Yang Kai wanted a peace deal with us back then was that he intended to train those soldiers!”
“Training?”
Many Territory Lords frowned and wondered, [What does that mean?]
However, some of the Territory Lords fell into contemplation upon hearing these words.
After pondering for a moment, Six Arms said, “You mean…”
Mo Na Ye continued, “Although all of you have always stayed in Profound Nether Territory, I’m sure you’ve heard about the Star Boundary and the World Tree before.”
All of them nodded.
Even though they rarely stepped out of Profound Nether Territory, they had their own ways of gathering information.
The Black Ink Clansmen had been clashing with the Humans for countless years, and many Human Hunters had been corrupted by Black Ink Strength. With the help of these Black Ink Disciples, the Black Ink Clan had gathered quite a lot of useful information.
The Star Boundary and the World Tree were the names that were most frequently mentioned.
It was said that the World Tree had a mysterious power that allowed the Star Boundary to produce a lot of Human prodigies, many of whom were able to directly break through to the Sixth or even Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Mo Na Ye explained, “You may not have any regard for the Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order Humans born in the Star Boundary, but if given a chance, they will grow to be powerful one day. The Sixth-Order Masters have a chance to become Eighth-Order Masters, while the Seventh-Order Masters will eventually become Ninth-Order Masters. By then, even Territory Lords like us won’t be able to underestimate them. However, compared to the Black Ink Clan, it takes a much longer time for Humans to increase their strength, and cultivating in seclusion might not achieve that goal. As such, these so-called prodigies that the Humans pin all their hopes on need a place where they can fight and grow.”
One of the Territory Lords figured out what he was trying to say, “Mo Na Ye, do you mean the Humans have chosen Profound Nether Territory as a training ground?”
Mo Na Ye nodded, “That must be the reason Yang Kai struck a peace deal with us 300 years ago. Those Human prodigies needed a relatively safe place to grow. As such, Yang Kai’s objective was to restrict Territory Lords like us from acting.”
A Territory Lord roared, “The Humans are indeed cunning!”
Mo Na Ye smiled lightly. There was no denying Yang Kai had hidden his real intentions from them; nevertheless, even if he made it clear to the Territory Lords in Profound Nether Territory back then, they wouldn’t have had the courage to refuse him.
That was because the Territory Lords were horrified by Yang Kai’s ruthlessness.
With a relatively safe place to fight and grow, those prodigies, who had not appeared on the battlefield before, streamed into Profound Nether Territory.
Just then, a Territory Lord asked, “Sir Mo Na Ye, do you think we should start a war in Profound Nether Territory, then?”
Mo Na Ye shook his head, “There’s no need for that. While the Humans need to train their soldiers, we should also take this opportunity and do the same. I’m not sure if all of you have noticed or not, but I know Sir Six Arms must have realized. Over the past 300 years, we have had many more clansmen achieve breakthroughs than in the past.”
Six Arms initially didn’t pay attention to such a matter, but upon Mo Na Ye’s reminder, he nodded, “True. Many more Feudal Lords have been born in recent years than in the past.”
Only 300 years had passed, but if they were given more time, the effect would become even more conspicuous.
Mo Na Ye continued with a smile, “Therefore, the Humans are not the only ones who need to train their soldiers, we must do so as well. There is a firm limit to the number of Innate Territory Lords, but there will be many new Eighth-Order and Ninth-Order Humans in the future. If no new Royal Lords rise up in our Black Ink Clan, we won’t be able to deal with those Ninth-Order Humans when the time comes. As such, we can’t break the balance in Profound Nether Territory. Not only must we not make any rash moves, but we also have to take the initiative to protect our agreement with the Humans.”
The Territory Lords nodded as they listened to him. They weren’t fools, it was just that they knew too little about the Humans; therefore, they were unable to make sound judgements in many situations. Mo Na Ye had been collecting information over the years, especially from the Black Ink Disciples, which was why he was more informed than the other Territory Lords.
Six Arms asked, “What do you think Yang Kai’s intention is this time, then?”
Since they were back to the main topic, Mo Na Ye replied with a smile, “Before striking a peace deal with us back then, Yang Kai killed many Territory Lords to intimidate us. What do you think he’s trying to achieve this time, Sir Six Arms?”
This time, Yang Kai suddenly appeared in Twin Poles Territory and slaughtered five Territory Lords while the Humans also eliminated over a million lower Black Ink Clansmen, which was quite similar to how he behaved back then.
Six Arms’ eyes brightened, “He’s trying to turn Twin Poles Territory into a second Profound Nether Territory!”
Mo Na Ye nodded, “Profound Nether Territory is no longer adequate to satisfy the Humans’ need to train their soldiers, and it’s the same for our Black Ink Clan. As more and more Human cultivators have streamed into Profound Nether Territory, this place has become cramped. The Humans probably don’t just want a second Profound Nether Territory, they likely want several of them.”
“I see,” Six Arms guffawed. He was initially in a tight spot as the Territory Lords from the other Great Territories had come together to pressure him, but now it seemed that it wasn’t difficult to deal with this matter. As long as he spread the news, those Territory Lords would stop blaming him for his inaction. Instead, they would be eager to hold peace talks with the Human leaders.
While he was elated, he also saw Mo Na Ye in a different light. Six Arms initially held some grudges against Mo Na Ye while the latter stayed in Profound Nether Territory; after all, it was because Mo Na Ye had sent false information that caused immense losses in Profound Nether Territory back then. Now, it seemed that those losses no longer mattered.
“With Brother Mo Na Ye around, we don’t have to worry about Profound Nether Territory being conquered by the enemy,” Six Arms laughed.
Just then, Mo Na Ye got to his feet and said, “I’ll have to leave this place, Sir Six Arms.”
Six Arms stopped laughing while the other Territory Lords looked at him in shock.
Mo Na Ye went on to say, “Sir Royal Lord has ordered me to head to Twin Poles Territory at once to take charge of that place. Besides that, I’m told that if the Humans want another peace deal, I will have to lead the negotiations from our side.”
Six Arms was startled for a moment, but he soon realised what was going on.
The purple-haired Territory Lord, who was initially in charge of Twin Poles Territory, was killed. As such, that place was basically leaderless now. Although Innate Territory Lords were all-powerful, there had to be a Commander among them. Mo Na Ye was indeed qualified to fill the role.
However, Six Arms felt jealous when he learned about the Royal Lord’s second order, for he wasn’t aware of it at all, and the Royal Lord apparently didn’t have the intention to inform him.
Perhaps there wasn’t a need to inform him since they had already set a precedent in Profound Nether Territory, but it also went to show that the Royal Lord thought highly of Mo Na Ye.
“It’s good that you’re heading to Twin Poles Territory; however, Yang Kai is there at the moment, so you must be careful.” Six Arms pretended to be concerned.
“Every time Yang Kai makes a move, he recuperates for two years. As such, there won’t be any conflicts in Twin Poles Territory for the moment,” Mo Na Ye replied calmly.
Furthermore, he wasn’t going to Twin Poles Territory to fight with the Humans; instead, he was going to strike a peace deal with them.
Just like what he had said to Six Arms, the Humans were not the only ones who needed to train their soldiers, the Black Ink Clan had to do the same. Once a peace deal was reached, no one party would have an advantage over the other.
Nevertheless, the Humans had realised this much earlier on, while the Black Ink Clan were only just understanding this now.
Then, Mo Na Ye left on his own without bringing any Territory Lords or subordinates with him.
In fact, he couldn’t take any Territory Lords with him. Although there had been a peace deal in Profound Nether Territory, both the Eighth-Order Masters and the Territory Lords wouldn’t dare to leave as they pleased. If there was a significant enough imbalance between the numbers of the most powerful Masters on the two sides, the stronger party might seize the chance and wipe the other out.
The moment Mo Na Ye arrived at Twin Poles Territory, he summoned all the Territory Lords to a conference hall and announced that he was going to hold peace talks with the Humans. All of them broke into a commotion, with some of them angered while others felt relieved.
However, when they heard that it was the Royal Lord’s order, they accepted it without any complaints. Many of them were even elated. If there was a peace deal in place, they wouldn’t have to worry about bumping into Yang Kai on the battlefield.
It wasn’t that they were just afraid of death, but also that they wouldn’t dare to disobey the Royal Lord.
Since a consensus had been reached, Mo Na Ye ordered some Feudal Lords to head to the Humans’ camp and convey his intention to hold peace talks. At the same time, he shared the information he had gathered with the other Great Territories.
This resulted in the Great Territories, which were initially filled with intense battles, suddenly falling silent. Although there were still some conflicts, they were minor skirmishes compared to the full-blown war from before.
What was more, the Black Ink Clan were at a distinct advantage in a number of the Great Territories, but even there they decided to take the initiative to retreat.
It was apparent that they were worried about being targeted by Yang Kai and ending up like those in Twin Poles Territory.
The Black Ink Clan decided to keep a low profile for the moment; after all, the reason Yang Kai appeared in Twin Poles Territory was that the situation there was the most severe for the Humans.
Every Great Territory had over 100 Innate Territory Lords assuming command, and Yang Kai could only kill a few of them at any given time; however, no one could guarantee that they wouldn’t be one of those unlucky few.
While Yang Kai was still recuperating, those Territory Lords were already anxiously preparing for the future. Everything would be fine as long as they didn’t push the Humans over the edge and attract the killing star’s attention.
Three years later, in one of the secret rooms in the Humans’ camp, Yang Kai opened his eyes.
This time, it took him longer to recuperate than in the past. Besides the fact that his Soul had been torn apart, he was also left with many physical wounds from his battle with the purple-haired Territory Lord.
At that time, he repeatedly headbutted the Territory Lord and shattered the latter’s head. As a result, many cracks also formed on his own skull.
After the battle, Yang Kai also stopped underestimating the Territory Lords. He came to realise that it wasn’t easy to deal with any of them if they suddenly rose up without fear of death.
He had a right to comment on this topic, for he had defeated many who were much stronger than him in the past. His ferocity and fearlessness played a crucial part in those victories. The Innate Territory Lords, who were struck by the Soul Rending Thorns and subsequently killed due to their own fear, couldn’t represent all of the most powerful Black Ink Clansmen.
Nonetheless, Yang Kai wouldn’t underestimate himself either.
Regardless of how powerful the Territory Lords were, he had killed many of them, which went to show that he was a capable person, and he would kill even more of them in the future.
In any case, he had to settle the issue in Twin Poles Territory first. Then, he would head to the other Great Territories and slaughter the Black Ink Clansmen there until they were thoroughly terrified of him. Only then would he talk to them.
When he left the secret room though, he realised that someone had been waiting for him. The person promptly cupped his fist with a solemn expression and said, “You’ve finally left seclusion, Sir.”
Yang Kai looked up and realised that he knew this person; it was Xiang Shan’s adjutant, Li Xing. Back then in the Great Evolution Army, Xiang Shan was the Army Commander of the Eastern Army while Li Xing handled the miscellaneous affairs and passed on Xiang Shan’s orders.
Yang Kai had come into contact with him on several occasions.
His gaze could not help being drawn to the other man’s right eye as he asked, “What happened?”
Initially, Li Xing was a handsome and dapper man, but he had become more mature after going through the vicissitudes of life. However, his right eye was blind, and there was a hideous scar that ran across his cheek, looking like a centipede crawling on his face.
Li Xing smiled, “It’s inevitable that we get hurt on the battlefield.”
Meanwhile, he thought back to when, back in the Great Evolution Army, just like him, Yang Kai was only a Seventh-Order Master who actually had less experience. However, Li Xing was still a Seventh-Order Master now while Yang Kai was now an Eighth-Order Master who had made a name for himself.
If they looked further back in history, Yang Kai was only a Sixth-Order Master when he arrived at the Black Ink Battlefield for the first time, while at that time, Li Xing was already a Seventh-Order Master.
On top of that, all the Territory Lords feared Yang Kai. The things that had happened over the past few years changed Li Xing’s worldview.
He finally realised that sometimes, just one person was enough to change the status quo.
At the same time, he felt sorry for Yang Kai, who only directly ascended to the Fifth Order back then. As such, he didn’t have a chance to make it to the Ninth Order in his lifetime.
If he was able to ascend to the Ninth Order, the chances of the Humans winning the war would increase by at least 30%.
Just then, Li Xing snapped back to reality and said, “Senior Xiang Shan has ordered that the moment Sir Yang exits seclusion, you must head to the conference hall at once. The higher-ups want to discuss with you.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Understood.”
In the Main Conference Hall, Yang Kai waited for a moment before the other Eighth-Order Masters appeared and greeted him. While they were having some small talk with smiles on their faces, Xiang Shan arrived.
After they were seated, Xiang Shan tossed a jade slip at Yang Kai and said, “Before we begin, I want you to have a look at this. While you were recuperating over the past few years, things have changed a lot on the battlefields.”
Yang Kai’s heart sank, for he thought that something terrible had happened. As such, he quickly went through the jade slip’s content, but his expression soon turned awkward.
He looked up at Xiang Shan and asked, “What is the Black Ink Clan trying to achieve?”
Unlike what he had imagined, things didn’t take a turn for the worse; in fact, the situation had become quite peaceful across all other Great Territories.
Profound Nether Territory remained the same as there was already a peace deal in place, so more and more Human soldiers continued to stream into that place.
Meanwhile, the Black Ink Clan soldiers in Twin Poles Territory had been staying put. They still clashed with the Humans from time to time, but those were minor skirmishes at best.
What made Yang Kai speechless was the situation in all the other Great Territories.
There were a total of 13 Great Territories where the Humans and the Black Ink Clan Armies were fighting. In most of the Great Territories, the Black Ink Clan held the advantage. In some of the Great Territories, the Humans were not doing much better than in Twin Poles Territory three years ago and were on the brink of being forced to withdraw.
However, after Yang Kai reappeared from 300 years of absence, the Black Ink Clansmen in all the Great Territories collectively retreated.
Over the past three years, only a few large-scale battles took place in the various Great Territories. Furthermore, the Humans were the ones who initiated those battles.
What was more, apart from the Profound Nether Territory, the Territory Lords from the other 12 Great Territories subsequently sent some people to the Humans’ camps to convey their intention to hold peace talks. The peace deals were basically copies of the one established in Profound Nether Territory, which stated that the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords would not participate further in the war.
The Eighth-Order Masters were certainly pleased with the Black Ink Clan’s attitude, but they were not sure if they should agree to it. As such, the Eighth-Order Masters from different Great Territories passed the information to the Supreme Headquarters and let the latter make a decision.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded as he went through the information.
After he stopped cultivating in seclusion, he was looking forward to killing some more Territory Lords. Twin Poles Territory was no longer a suitable hunting ground, as after the incident back then, the Territory Lords here would surely have their guards up. With that said, Yang Kai could head to any other Great Territory. For example, Lang Ya Territory would be a good choice.
Nonetheless, he didn’t expect things to turn out this way.
It was no wonder that the Eighth-Order Masters looked at him with meaningful gazes. The changes in these Great Territories naturally had something to do with what he had done three years ago.
“First of all, I guess they must be wary of you. Secondly, they must have seen through our intentions,” Xiang Shan explained, “While we need to train our soldiers, they do too. As such, they’ve decided to just go with the flow.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Did those from the Supreme Headquarters say anything about it?”
Instead of answering his question, Xiang Shan asked, “What do you have to say?”
Yang Kai had single-handedly changed the status quo of the entire war; as such, those from the Supreme Headquarters had to respect his opinion. Otherwise, they could’ve made a decision on their own instead of waiting for Yang Kai to stop cultivating in seclusion.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai replied, “Even though they’ve seen through our intentions, there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s not like we could have hidden it forever. We can’t possibly give up on our plan just to stop the Black Ink Clan from training their soldiers. We have to strike some sort of agreement with them.”
“Do you think we should agree to it?” Xiang Shan asked.
“Yes, but we still need to negotiate with them. Since they’re the ones proposing peace talks this time, they should send a representative from each of the Great Territories over. Twin Poles Territory is as good a place as any for the talks, so we just need to set a time. Both sides will put their cards on the table and hammer out an agreement. In any case, we can’t make a deal without all the Great Territories being included in the negotiations.”
The reason the Humans had to train their soldiers was primarily to let the young talents of the next generation experience life-and-death struggles, which would stimulate their potential and allow them to reach greater heights sooner.
However, once a Seventh-Order Master ascended to the Eighth Order, they wouldn’t be allowed to take part in the war anymore if every Great Territory was included in this peace deal.
The Eighth Order wasn’t the ultimate goal of the Humans training their soldiers, the Ninth Order was.
As such, they needed a stage where Eighth-Order Masters could shine.
In fact, those from the Supreme Headquarters had considered all this without the need for Yang Kai to say anything. Since they had confirmed their agenda, they needed to decide how many Great Territories the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords couldn’t have a hand in the war and how many Great Territories where things would go on as usual out of the remaining 12 Great Territories, including Twin Poles Territory.
To the Humans, they naturally wanted things to go on as usual in the Great Territories where they had an advantage while obviously the Black Ink Clan would want the opposite.
It was expected that there were bound to be disagreements over the details of this peace deal. These arguments were not only between the Humans and Black Ink Clan though, perhaps there would be some disagreement within the Black Ink Clan as well.
After all, none of the Territory Lords hoped that the situation in the Great Territories they were responsible for would go on as usual.
Knowing what Yang Kai meant, Xiang Shan nodded, “We’ll assemble representatives from our side and hold the conference in two months, then.”
“Those from the Supreme Headquarters can just make the arrangements. I’m fine with anything.”
“You mustn’t go anywhere else these two months. We’ll need you to be there during the peace talk,” Xiang Shan reminded him. He was worried that Yang Kai would disappear when he wasn’t paying attention. Yang Kai was an expert in the Dao of Space and was always elusive. If he wasn’t present during the peace talks though, the Humans would be far less intimidating to their enemies.
“I know,” Yang Kai replied. Certainly, he understood the matter’s importance.
Then, the Eighth-Order Masters discussed the agenda that would be brought up during the peace talk. Although the details weren’t confirmed, they soon had a general idea of what would be discussed.
To the Humans, it was necessary to gain several battlefields that were relatively safe.
The Black Ink Clan must have realised the Humans’ intention, which was why they proposed having a peace talk. While they were forced to do it, they were also pushing a sailing boat along at this point. To them, by killing the Open Heaven Realm Masters on the battlefields, they could strengthen their powers by absorbing the World Force from the Human corpses. They were able to directly grow stronger in battle, which was an advantage that the Humans didn’t have.
Both parties seemed to pin their hopes on the growth of their respective rising Stars, who were the key to their success or failure in this war. The Black Ink Clan had the advantage of having a larger population, so given enough time, there would be a lot of new Feudal Lords, Territory Lords, and even Royal Lords.
On the other hand, the Humans had the advantage of having the Star Boundary, Myriad Monsters World, and Yang Kai’s Small Universe. As time passed, there would be quite a number of Eighth-Order and Ninth-Order Masters rising up from these places.
Perhaps the Black Ink Clan was also trying to avoid a thorny issue.
To the Black Ink Clan presently, Yang Kai was the most difficult problem to deal with as he had managed to kill several dozen Territory Lords. However, once more and more Royal Lords were born, Yang Kai, regardless of how powerful he was, would no longer be a deciding factor in the war.
Naturally, the Black Ink Clan wanted to see the Humans giving up on their biggest trump card.
Despite it being called a peace talk on the surface, both sides were secretly waging a battle of wits. Both parties were preparing for the deciding clashes in the future where one party would emerge as the inheritors of the Universe.
For the next two months, Yang Kai focused on cultivating and did nothing else. He refined sets of cultivation resources and gulped down Open Heaven Pills by the handful.
To him, the most important thing now was to increase his strength and reach the peak of the Eighth Order as soon as possible.
If he wanted to have an impact on the war in the future, he had to strengthen himself first. Given his heritage, it wouldn’t be difficult for Yang Kai to reach the peak of the Eighth Order. At that point, even if he couldn’t make it to the Ninth Order, he wouldn’t be powerless when he came across a Royal Lord.
It was his forte to defeat enemies above his Realm after all.
During this period, many Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords from the other Great Territories arrived at Twin Poles Territory.
They had already chosen Twin Poles Territory to be the place where the peace talk would be held, which was because Yang Kai was there. To the Black Ink Clan, what they wanted to restrict the most was Yang Kai; as such, he had to be present during the peace talks.
As the date of the peace talks was just around the corner, both parties frequently mobilised their soldiers in Twin Poles Territory. Although they believed that there wouldn’t be any problem with the conference, they still had to be prepared.
If the discussion fell apart, a war might break out.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai didn’t cultivate in absolute seclusion this time. In other words, he could exit at any time.
One day, while he was refining resources in his room, Yang Kai realised that the restriction outside had been triggered. When he looked up, he saw a curvy figure stepping towards him.
“Ahem…” The corners of Yang Kai’s brow twitched, “I’m cultivating.”
The person guffawed, “I know, so I was just giving it a try. I didn’t expect that I could really just walk in like this.”
[That’s because I didn’t turn on all the restrictions so that people outside could contact me at any moment, or else I might have missed the peace talks.]
“Do you need something, Senior Sister Luo?” Yang Kai asked.
The person was none other than Luo Ting He, who was an Eighth-Order Master from Yin-Yang Heaven. Now, she was the Army Commander of Azure Sun Territory.
Out of all 13 Armies in the Great Territories, she was the only female Army Commander.
She and Yang Kai could be considered close friends. When he went to Yin-Yang Heaven to look for Qu Hua Shang in the past, the latter had entered the Samsara Pavilion to avoid pressure from the higher-ups of her Sect. Yang Kai entered the Samsara Pavilion and went through nine reincarnations with her before he managed to restore her memory. After that, he brought Qu Hua Shang out.
Thousands of years before then, Luo Ting He had been trapped in the Samsara Pavilion as well, and there was no word on whether she was dead or alive.
In the process of saving Qu Hua Shang, Yang Kai also managed to restore Luo Ting He’s memories and allowed her to leave the Samsara Pavilion.
Luo Ting He was a rare talent who had directly ascended to the Seventh Order and was now a longtime veteran Eighth Order Master with hopes of breaking through to the Ninth Order soon.
Although there were many Eighth-Order Masters now, only a small number of them had a chance to rise to the Ninth-Order. Out of the people that Yang Kai knew, Xiang Shan and Wei Jun Yang had the potential to do so. Meanwhile, Mi Jing Lun, Ou Yang Lie, and the others had already reached their limits and there was no way they could make further advancements.
After parting ways in Yin-Yang Heaven back then, Yang Kai and Luo Ting He hadn’t met again. He only knew that she was in charge of Azure Sun Territory and that she was the Army Commander of the Azure Sun Army.
He had no idea why she came looking for him all of a sudden.
“The peace talks with the Black Ink Clan will be taking place in a few days,” Luo Ting He sat down across from Yang Kai and said, “I heard that those from the Supreme Headquarters have come up with a general proposal. Out of the 12 Great Territories, six will be included in the peace deal while the other six will remain as they are.”
Yang Kai nodded, “En; however, that’s just the proposal from our side, so the Black Ink Clan might not agree to it. Regardless, there’s bound to be some arguments.”
The Humans were at an advantage in this kind of peace talk, but naturally, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t agree to everything they asked for, and those from the Supreme Headquarters were well prepared for this.
“I hope that Azure Sun Territory will be included in the six Great Territories where things will remain unchanged,” Luo Ting He directly told him about her purpose for visiting.
Yang Kai smiled helplessly, “Those from the Supreme Headquarters will be responsible for the discussion with the Black Ink Clan. I’m only required to show up. Since you have a request, why don’t you head to the Supreme Headquarters and tell Senior Brother Xiang about it?”
[She shouldn’t have come to me!]
Luo Ting He pursed her lips, “I did go to the Supreme Headquarters, but that damn Big Head Xiang didn’t agree to my request.”
Yang Kai was torn between tears and laughter, “Then it’s pointless for you to speak to me either.”
“Why would it be pointless? Don’t underestimate yourself. The Black Ink Clan want this peace deal with us because they’re afraid of you. Your word has a huge influence on the outcome of this conference.”
Yang Kai wasn’t sure what he should make of this, so he just asked, “Does Senior Brother Xiang intend to include Azure Sun Territory as part of the peace deal?”
“En,” Luo Ting He nodded.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai said, “Senior Brother Xiang must have his reasons for making such a decision. I know a thing or two about the situation in Azure Sun Territory, so I’m aware the Black Ink Clan has gained the upper hand over there. If Azure Sun Territory could be included in the peace deal, that would be beneficial to the Humans overall. You’ll gain some benefits as well, so what’s the point of you insisting on maintaining the status quo? Furthermore, it has been quite a long time since you ascended to the Eighth Order. If things become peaceful in Azure Sun Territory, you’ll have plenty of time to cultivate to achieve a breakthrough.”
The moment Yang Kai finished speaking, Luo Ting He became infuriated, “That was what Big Head Xiang said as well! However, if cultivating in seclusion was useful at all, what would be the point of you building a stage to train those brats? Of those in my position, I’ve been in the Eighth Order longer than almost all of them and have essentially reached the peak. Nevertheless, it’s not easy to make it to the Ninth Order. To me, cultivating in seclusion is no longer useful.”
Yang Kai instantly understood what she was trying to say, “Do you want to achieve a breakthrough in battle?”
Luo Ting He questioned, “Isn’t that the ultimate goal of all of this?”
“Do you have the confidence to achieve it?” Yang Kai asked solemnly.
Luo Ting He smiled fearlessly, “I can’t guarantee that I’ll definitely succeed, but I’ll do my best. I know Xiang Shan has chosen Azure Sun Territory to be included in the peace deal to do me a favour; however, I know myself best.”
Yang Kai nodded and fell silent for a moment before saying, “I’ll talk with Senior Brother Xiang, then. However, I’m in no way able to influence his decision.”
Luo Ting He beamed at him, “Many thanks, Junior Brother.”
After Luo Ting He left, Yang Kai didn’t continue cultivating.
There were only a small number of Eighth-Order Masters who had the right to ascend to the Ninth-Order currently, because very few people managed to directly ascend to the Seventh-Order in the past. Such a person only appeared on average once every 1,000 years, and many of them died in battle with the Black Ink Clan over the years.
No one could guarantee when the Eighth-Order Masters like Luo Ting He, Xiang Shan, and Wei Jun Yang, who had the potential to make it to the Ninth Order, would achieve this.
Nonetheless, given the situation that the Humans were in, just one or two Ninth-Order Masters wouldn’t be enough to turn things around.
As long as Mo’s true body wasn’t destroyed, the Humans couldn’t root out the Black Ink Clan. However, it was extremely difficult to kill Mo. Now, Yang Kai still hadn’t the foggiest idea about what the Primordial Light was or where to find it. The only thing he was certain about was that Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had something to do with the Primordial Light.
Two days later, Yang Kai left the secret room as it was time for the peace talks with the Black Ink Clan.
The moment he stepped out of the room, he felt some powerful and unrestrained auras which belonged to Eighth-Order Masters.
In the distant void, where the Black Ink Clan’s camp was located, there were also powerful auras gathered together. The Innate Territory Lords were also trying to make a show of force.
Before the discussion even started, the two sides were already clashing from a distance.
When Xiang Shan registered Yang Kai’s presence, he turned to look at him and nodded.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai sent him a Divine Sense transmission and brought up Luo Ting He’s request, after which Xiang Shan nodded.
“It’s time, let’s go!”
As a roar reverberated across the place, Xiang Shan took the initiative to soar into the void, and he was immediately followed by a dozen or so others.
Noticing the Humans’ movements, the Innate Territory Lords started leaving the Black Ink Clan’s camp as well.
The armies of both Races were well prepared for any possible accidents and the entire Twin Poles Territory was engulfed in a dense murderous atmosphere as a sense of unease spread everywhere. It was as though a little spark would blow everything up.
The location of the peace talk had already been chosen a while back. It was right in the middle of the Humans’ and the Black Ink Clan’s camps.
The Black Ink Clan had even brought a Universe Fragment over from their own camp to use as a platform.
There was a huge table set on the platform, and rough-looking wooden chairs were placed on either side.
The Masters from both parties almost arrived at the same time.
It might have been a coincidence or an agreement, but both parties had respectively sent exactly 13 Masters to this place, one representative from each of the 13 Great Territory Battlefields.
They were supposed to be arch-enemies that could never coexist; nevertheless, due to various reasons, they had no choice but to come together today, which was quite ironic.
The Black Ink Clan Masters were mostly nervous and uneasy, as although they had the same number on their side as the Humans, if a fight broke out, some of them would undoubtedly lose their lives today.
This couldn’t be helped, as Yang Kai was present and had proven he could kill Territory Lords like them with ease.
Nonetheless, they couldn’t exclude him from the discussion; after all, he was the mastermind behind the initial peace deal. As such, these talks would be meaningless without him.
Before this, the Black Ink Clan had thought about sending more Territory Lords, but it wasn’t like the Humans couldn’t do the same by sending more Eighth-Order Masters. In the end, they could only accept this arrangement.
They only dared to steal glances at Yang Kai without looking at him for too long, for they were worried they would be targeted.
These powerful Innate Territory Lords were as timid as mice in a cat’s presence. Although they still pretended to be unperturbed, they were terrified deep down.
In comparison, the Eighth-Order Masters appeared calm and collected.
Yang Kai swept a glance over the Territory Lords and realised he didn’t know most of them; nevertheless, he did recognize two.
He had met them in Acacia Territory back then; in fact, they had appeared in Profound Nether Territory before as well, but for some reason, they were all now in Twin Poles Territory.
The purple-haired Territory Lord, who was originally in charge of Twin Poles Territory, had been killed by Yang Kai, so Mo Na Ye was tasked by the Royal Lord to take over. Since the peace talk was held in this Great Territory, he naturally had to show up.
Meanwhile, You Gong was actually the representative from Profound Nether Territory.
A peace deal had already been established in Profound Nether Territory for over 300 years, and the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords had stayed out of the war as agreed. However, since this was a peace talk that encompassed all the Great Territory Battlefields, Profound Nether Territory couldn’t just stay out of it. Six Arms didn’t want to meet up with Yang Kai; therefore, he only sent You Gong to this place so that the latter could report to him about the outcome later.
Naturally, You Gong didn’t want to come, but he had no other choice as he couldn’t disobey Six Arms’s orders.
As Yang Kai swept a glance over them, You Gong hurriedly hung his head low.
He was still traumatized from the incident in Acacia Territory back then; therefore, Yang Kai’s presence here was like a waking nightmare to him.
As Mo Na Ye observed the Territory Lords’ expressions, he couldn’t help but think that they were all useless. Both parties were there for peace talks, so as long as the Black Ink Clan didn’t cross the line, the Humans wouldn’t attack them. However, the reactions of these Territory Lords from the various Great Territories were quite embarrassing for Mo Na Ye.
As the Commander in Twin Poles Territory, Mo Na Ye naturally couldn’t let the Humans look down on the Black Ink Clan; as such, he extended his hand and said, “Please be seated. We’re all here for peace talks. The Humans always say that even if a deal falls short, both parties shouldn’t fall out. Although these peace talks aren’t really a deal, it’s not so different. Let us set the grudges between us aside for the moment until the peace talks are concluded.”
His calmness infected the other Territory Lords and they soon pulled themselves together.
One Eighth-Order Master sneered, “Destroying the Black Ink Clan is our ultimate goal. There’s no room for mercy.”
Mo Na Ye replied dispassionately, “If destroying the Black Ink Clan is your only goal, all of you wouldn’t have come here. Let’s dispense with the unnecessary probing and get to the main topic, shall we?”
Saying so, he swept a glance over the Eighth-Order Masters and eventually stared at Yang Kai. Then, he nodded gently, “What do you say, Sir Yang Kai?”
Yang Kai smiled, “I’m only here to enjoy the show. Don’t pay me any mind.”
When he was still weak back then, he had never expected that even the powerful Innate Territory Lords would call him Sir one day. It seemed that he was now an intimidating figure to the Black Ink Clan after killing so many of their Territory Lords.
While he was lost in such thoughts, Yang Kai pulled out a chair and took a seat. Then, he placed his legs up on the table and leaned back casually.
Only then did the Humans sit down at the table, followed by the Black Ink Clan Masters.
Realising something, Mo Na Ye turned to look at Xiang Shan and said, “It seems that you’re the lead representative on the Humans’ side, Sir Xiang Shan. Am I right?”
Since both parties had been clashing for years, the top Masters from both Races had heard a lot about each other. Even if they had never met or exchanged moves before, they could still recognise one another the moment they met.
Moreover, before Yang Kai’s rise, Xiang Shan was already a famous figure to the Black Ink Clan. He had been to all the battlefields in over 10 Great Territories, and he had managed to kill a few Territory Lords himself.
Many of these Territory Lords had never met Yang Kai before, but most had at least seen Xiang Shan in the past.
Xiang Shan grunted in response, “En.”
Mo Na Ye said, “In that case, let us cut to the chase. After a discussion with all the Territory Lords from different Great Territories, we’ve come to a consensus. We’d like to imitate the peace deal in Profound Nether Territory. From now on, the Territory Lords and Eighth-Order Masters can’t have a hand in the battles in all the Great Territories. What do you say, Sir Xiang Shan?”
Xiang Shan looked up at him and replied impassively, “No.”
Mo Na Ye kept a smile on his face, as though he had already expected Xiang Shan’s response, “Sir Xiang Shan, do you mean that the Humans do not want a peace deal?”
Meanwhile, he sneered to himself. If the Humans didn’t want a peace deal, they wouldn’t have taken the trouble to show up today. Now, the representatives of the 13 Great Territories from both sides had come together, and since the Humans were here, it showed that they wanted a peace deal as well. Mo Na Ye reckoned that the Humans were only putting up an act.
Xiang Shan said, “We’re pleased with the current situation, so there’s no need to change anything.”
Mo Na Ye refuted, “As far as I understand, the Humans are at a disadvantage in most of the Great Territories. If not for Sir Yang Kai’s appearance in Twin Poles Territory, the Humans would’ve already lost the war here.”
“That was the situation three years ago,” Xiang Shan replied calmly, “Things are different now, so what is the point of you bringing up the past?”
Mo Na Ye frowned, “Sir Xiang Shan, are you trying to say that you want the situation in all the Great Territories to remain unchanged?”
When he noticed Xiang Shan’s silence, he put on a helpless smile, “We’ve shown enough sincerity for this peace talk. Regardless of the advantages we have in those Great Territories, we’ve given up on them and retreated. I’m sure you can see that.”
An Eighth-Order Master scoffed, “All of you are just afraid of Yang Kai. Stop glossing over it, will you? You didn’t have to retreat if you had the guts…”
Before he could finish his words, Mo Na Ye cut him off loudly, “Sir Yang Kai is indeed powerful, and Territory Lords like us find it hard to deal with him. However, every time he makes a move, he can only kill a few of us. After that, he has to recuperate for an extended time. If we wanted to, we could’ve initiated a massive war while he was recuperating and none of you would have resisted us.”
The same Eighth-Order Master snapped, “Give it a try if you dare!”
As he surged his World Force, the Territory Lords were alarmed and raised their guard. At that moment, the atmosphere had become tense.
An unperturbed Mo Na Ye looked at Xiang Shan and said, “A peace deal will be beneficial to both the Black Ink Clan and the Humans. With Profound Nether Territory as an example, I’m sure you’ll make a wise decision, Sir Xiang Shan.”
Xiang Shan replied impassively, “A peace talk at this point will be beneficial to the Black Ink Clan as the Territory Lords no longer have to be anxious; however, what benefits will we get?”
Mo Na Ye said, “Isn’t it your intention to provide a safe space for those below the Eighth Order to fight and grow?”
He initially didn’t want to point it out so blatantly, but he had no choice but to do so now. Xiang Shan’s attitude suggested that the Black Ink Clan had to produce an adequate bargaining chip to make the Humans even begin to bargain.
Xiang Shan wasn’t surprised one bit. Over the years, some Humans had fallen into the Black Ink Clan’s hands and had been turned into Black Ink Disciples. As such, some information about the Humans must have been leaked.
“There seems to be a lot of rising Stars on the Humans’ side. If they’re accidentally killed by the Territory Lords in battle, you will suffer immense losses. After all, a Seventh-Order Master who might turn into a Ninth-Order Master in the future is a rare commodity. Some 300 years ago, Sir Yang Kai slaughtered a large number of Black Ink Clansmen in Profound Nether Territory but still took the initiative to strike a peace deal with us. Wasn’t that part of his consideration? Why are you making things difficult for us when we want a peace deal now? Do you want Profound Nether Territory to be dragged into the war again, Sir Xiang Shan?”
Xiang Shan looked up at him, “Are you threatening me?” It seemed that as long as the peace talk fell short, the agreement in Profound Nether Territory would be nullified as well. In that case, things would revert to the situation 300 years ago, and the Human Juniors would lose their only training ground.
Mo Na Ye replied calmly, “That’s not what I meant at all. I believe there is a phrase among you Humans called ‘standing at death’s door’. We are basically wandering around death’s door by coming to this place. A peace deal is all we want, so we wouldn’t dare to be provocative; after all, if Sir Yang Kai suddenly decides to act out, half of us will likely have to remain here forever.”
Despite knowing that Mo Na Ye’s words were insincere, Yang Kai was still pleased. It felt good to have someone flattering him, especially when that person was a powerful Innate Territory Lord. It was an enjoyable sensation on another level.
Mo Na Ye went on to say, “As for the benefits you’ve mentioned, Sir Xiang Shan, I have to admit that the peace deal will be beneficial to the Black Ink Clan. As such, we’re willing to offer some compensation.”
“What kind of compensation?”
“What about some resources?” Mo Na Ye asked inquisitively, “The Humans need resources to cultivate. For each Great Territory included in this deal, we will provide a certain amount of resources. As for the amount, there’s room for discussion.”
Seeing that Mo Na Ye appeared sincere, the Eighth-Order Masters were tempted.
No one had expected that the Black Ink Clan would be willing to make such a huge concession to secure a peace deal. They couldn’t help suspecting that a peace deal might bring even greater benefits to the Black Ink Clan than they had known.
After pondering for a moment though, they concluded that the Territory Lords were just too terrified of Yang Kai.
There was no denying Yang Kai couldn’t kill many Territory Lords at any given time. If the Territory Lords remained highly vigilant, he might not even kill any one of them; however, no one would be able to be at ease with such a powerful enemy eyeing them in the dark.
“There’s nothing else I can say if you still don’t want this peace agreement,” Mo Na Ye stared fixedly at Xiang Shan and spread his palms.
After a moment of silence, Xiang Shan nodded, “There’s room for discussion.”
The moment he finished speaking, the Territory Lords let out a sigh of relief as they became slightly at ease. Nonetheless, what Xiang Shan was about to say would unnerve them again.
“However, not all Great Territories will be included in the peace deal,” Xiang Shan tapped on the table, “Other than Profound Nether Territory, six places will be part of the peace deal and the other six will remain unchanged out of the remaining 12 Great Territories. If you can’t agree to this, there’s no need for any further discussion.”
Only then did Mo Na Ye realise this was the Humans’ true intention.
After giving it some thought, however, he felt that this condition wasn’t unacceptable. Just like what he had said to Six Arms before, while the Humans needed to train their soldiers, the Black Ink Clan did as well.
When Seventh-Order Masters ascended to the Eighth-Order, they needed a stage to keep on training, and it was the same for the Black Ink Clan when their Feudal Lords became Territory Lords.
As such, it was acceptable that only some Great Territories would be included in the peace deal.
Mo Na Ye turned to look at the Territory Lords and realised that they looked stiff and nervous. At that moment, he couldn’t help but smile helplessly. Although he felt that he should agree to Xiang Shan’s request, it would also put him in a tight spot.
Six out of 12 Great Territories would be included in the peace deal, so only half of the places would enjoy some peace of mind.
However, how was Mo Na Ye supposed to make this decision on his own?
The representatives of each Great Territory certainly hoped that they would be part of the peace deal.
After some deliberation, Mo Na Ye nodded, “We can agree to this, but I also have a condition.”
When the other Territory Lords heard Mo Na Ye’s words, their expressions changed slightly. They quickly tried to recall if there were any grudges or friendship between Mo Na Ye and them. The Royal Lord had put Mo Na Ye in charge of these peace talks, so if the latter wanted to get revenge on them and excluded the Great Territories whose representatives he hated from the peace deal, there wouldn’t be peaceful moments again for them in the future.
“What kind of condition?” Xiang Shan asked with a frown.
Mo Na Ye pointed his finger at Yang Kai, “From now on, Sir Yang Kai must not make a move in any of the Great Territories!”
The Territory Lords were startled as they had the urge to clap their hands for Mo Na Ye.
They had been anxious because they were wary of Yang Kai, but if they could ensure Yang Kai wouldn’t make a move again, they no longer had to worry about anything.
Xiang Shan was slightly surprised as well as he thought to himself, [This Mo Na Ye is a sharp fellow. He directly understood the crux of the matter and made a proposal to deal with it.]
“In your dreams!” A hot-tempered Eighth-Order Master forcefully smacked his palm on the table and stood up. The Humans would be considered foolish if they agreed to such a ridiculous demand. By agreeing to that, they would be removing their strongest trump card, and no one would be able to intimidate the Black Ink Clan again.
An unfazed Mo Na Ye replied with a smile, “Since this is a negotiation, both parties naturally have to make some concessions. It’s not like we’ll let ourselves suffer losses while the Humans reap all the benefits. Even if I agreed to your demands, the Royal Lord wouldn’t.”
“We’ve made the biggest concession by having this peace talk with you, stop being so impudent.”
“That’s why we’re willing to offer a large amount of resources as compensation.”
“We don’t need your resources!”
“If the peace talk falls short, the agreement in Profound Nether Territory will be nullified as well!”
…..
The originally peaceful situation soon turned clamorous. The Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords were cursing at each other across the long table without any poise to speak of. If an uninformed individual arrived and saw what was going on, they might think they had entered a hawker market or something where vendors and customers were haggling back and forth.
Mo Na Ye remained silent. Since he had put forth this condition, the other Territory Lords had to work hard to make sure it would be included in the peace deal. He believed that they wouldn’t want Yang Kai to have a hand in the battles anymore. It was the outcome they all wanted.
“The Innate Territory Lords have an advantage over the Eighth-Order Masters when it comes to numbers, yet you’re now trying to restrict Yang Kai as well? Does that mean we can also limit the number of Territory Lords who will take part in the war!?”
“There’s room for discussion!”
…..
The noise stopped in an instant. All the Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords turned to look at Mo Na Ye.
The Eighth-Order Master who spoke just now was dumbfounded. He was just venting while also making what he considered an outrageous demand to make a point; he never expected Mo Na Ye to actually agree to it.
Faced with all the stares, Mo Na Ye said with a smile, “Why are all of you looking at me like that? Just like what I’ve said before, both parties have to give and take to reach an agreement. It’s not like either party here would accept suffering immense losses. As such, we have to come to an agreement that both sides will find acceptable. Only then would the agreement be possible. If Sir Yang Kai is willing to stay out of all the battlefields, we can place some limits on the number of Territory Lords who will take part in the war at any one time.”
The biggest advantage the Black Ink Clan had was that they had greater numbers than the Humans; this was true of grassroots soldiers, but also of the Feudal Lords and Territory Lords compared to the Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Masters.
It was thanks to this advantage that the Black Ink Clan had gained the upper hand in almost every Great Territory Battlefield. Even though the Humans had Purifying Light and Evil Purging Divine Spears, they still couldn’t overcome this fundamental disadvantage.
After all, the Purifying Light couldn’t be used to deal with enemies on a large scale while it took time to refine Evil Purging Divine Spears. Every Evil Purging Divine Spear that was used was gone for good; furthermore, the Black Ink Clan was now on guard against them, so these artifacts no longer played as decisive a role anymore.
However, if they could limit the number of Territory Lords taking part in the war, the Humans would be able to better stand their ground and limit their losses.
It had to be said that even though Mo Na Ye was a Black Ink Clansman, he understood the Humans very well. Moreover, he was an intelligent and insightful individual.
Yang Kai was suddenly interested. He didn’t pay much attention to Mo Na Ye in the past. Although he had exchanged moves with him in Acacia Territory before and he had come across him in Profound Nether Territory on several occasions, he couldn’t possibly pay attention to all the Innate Territory Lords as there were simply too many of them.
However, on this day, he suddenly had the urge to kill this fellow, for he seemed different from the other Innate Territory Lords.
If they allowed Mo Na Ye to remain alive, he might prove to be a hidden concern in the future.
As though noticing Yang Kai’s murderous intent, Mo Na Ye turned to look at him and nodded, “What do you say, Sir Yang Kai?”
Since the beginning, Yang Kai had never expressed his opinion regarding the peace talks, as though he was only there to watch the show. Nevertheless, Mo Na Ye knew that Yang Kai was the mastermind behind this entire affair. Although Xiang Shan was in charge of the negotiations, both the Humans and the Black Ink Clan had to give serious weight to Yang Kai’s thoughts.
Yang Kai smiled and reigned in his murderous intent. Although Mo Na Ye was a powerful Innate Territory Lord, he was unable to make any further advancements in the future, just like Yang Kai. While Yang Kai had the chance to kill him today, he reckoned that he should prioritise the peace talk for now.
“The conditions we’ve mentioned aren’t sufficient, then.”
Since Yang Kai had been asked to speak, he couldn’t remain silent.
Mo Na Ye said, “There’s room for discussion about anything. If you have any conditions, please state them. We won’t turn you down if they are acceptable.”
Yang Kai replied, “Apart from the six Great Territories we have agreed upon where things will remain unchanged from the current situation, all other Great Territories will be part of the peace deal. If you agree to this, I’ll remove myself from all further battles.”
This was actually to Yang Kai’s advantage as he just so happened to need a lot of time to cultivate so that he could reach the peak of the Eighth Order sooner.
The rising Stars from the Star Boundary, the Myriad Monsters World, and his Small Universe needed battles to temper themselves with to reach new heights, but Yang Kai was different. He had gone through numerous life-and-death battles already and had been baptised in the blood of his enemies many times over. What he was lacking now was only the accumulation of his own heritage.
The reason Yang Kai even took action was to build a solid foundation for the Humans’ future. If he could get greater benefits for the Humans by staying out of the war, he would be glad to do it.
Hearing this, the Territory Lords and the Eighth-Order Masters were startled; however, Xiang Shan’s eyes soon brightened as he realised the crux of the matter.
The Humans had already set the agenda for the peace talk, but it didn’t include restricting Yang Kai from taking part in future battles. If the Black Ink Clan could agree to Yang Kai’s condition, the Humans could consider accepting the other party’s demand.
Mo Na Ye soon realised what Yang Kai meant as well and said with a frown, “Sir Yang Kai, do you mean that the peace deal will include not only the Great Territories where battles are still ongoing, but also the Great Territories that the Black Ink Clansmen have occupied?”
“Yes.” Yang Kai nodded.
Only then did the Territory Lords and the Eighth-Order Masters come to their senses as they fell into their thoughts.
Mo Na Ye smiled helplessly, “You’re a little greedy, Sir Yang Kai.”
In the past, the main battlefields between the Humans and the Black Ink Clan were the 13 Great Territories, which included the Profound Nether Territory. However, many Hunters were active in the other Great Territories that ambushed the Black Ink Clan’s supply teams and reinforcement groups. They also destroyed many Black Ink Nests. More often than not, they caused huge trouble to the Black Ink Clan’s logistics.
For this reason, many Territory Lords would patrol the various Great Territories to deal with those Hunters.
If these ordinary Hunters came across Territory Lords, they were naturally powerless to resist. However, the 3,000 Worlds was expansive, and the Black Ink Clan didn’t have so many Territory Lords. Furthermore, the Hunters were both agile and prudent, so as long as they were not too unlucky, they would be safe most of the time.
However, since the Eighth-Order Masters and the Territory Lords had arrived at a peace deal in Profound Nether Territory, the number of Hunters had shrunk significantly.
As Hunters, they were at risk of losing their lives if they bumped into Territory Lords; however, once they entered Profound Nether Territory, they didn’t have to worry about being targeted by such Masters.
Now that Yang Kai had come up with such a demand though, it was expected that many Humans would aspire to be Hunters again, which would prove to be a thorny issue for the Black Ink Clan.
Currently, the vast majority of the Human forces were concentrated in the 13 Great Territory Battlefields, while some 99% of the 3,000 Worlds had fallen into the Black Ink Clan’s hands. However, since the Universe was so expansive, it was impossible for the Black Ink Clan to perfectly protect such a vast territory. Once a large number of Hunters appeared, the Black Ink Clan would no longer have any peaceful days.
Originally, the peace deal only considered the 13 Great Territory Battlefields, but Yang Kai’s demand had dragged the entire 3,000 Worlds into this.
“What’s wrong? Are you afraid of Human soldiers entering the other Great Territories? Over the years, many Humans have fallen into your hands and have been turned into Black Ink Disciples. If you want me to stay out of the war, there’s a price to pay,” Yang Kai looked impassively at Mo Na Ye.
After a moment of silence, Mo Na Ye nodded, “You have a point, Sir Yang Kai. In that case, we’ll agree to your condition.”
For both parties, there were pros and cons regarding this matter. Once the Hunters entered the Great Territories that the Black Ink Clan had occupied, they would have to bear a huge risk. If they were besieged by the Black Ink Clan soldiers, they would either fight to their death or be corrupted.
Nevertheless, this was also the Humans’ purpose for training the soldiers.
When the Territory Lords saw Mo Na Ye agreeing to it, they breathed a sigh of relief. Everything would be fine to them as long as they could restrict Yang Kai’s movements.
As for whether agreeing to this condition would bring about any terrible consequences, it was none of their business, for Mo Na Ye was responsible for the peace talks today. If anything went wrong, the Royal Lord would punish him first.
At this point, they’d finally built a foundation for an agreement.
The Black Ink Clan’s condition was that Yang Kai must not make a move in any Great Territory from now on.
On the other hand, the Humans had gained quite a few benefits. Apart from the six Great Territories where things would remain unchanged, all other Great Territories would be included in the new peace deal. The Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords were not allowed to have a hand in the war, and as a price to pay for restricting Yang Kai, the number of Territory Lords would be limited in the Great Territories where things would go on as usual.
Moreover, the Black Ink Clansmen were the ones who initiated the peace talk, so they would give the Humans a certain amount of cultivation resources as compensation.
The conditions were discussed one by one, and from the looks of it, the Humans were at an advantage. After all, they had only agreed to one condition, but the Black Ink Clan had to provide some resources and limit the number of Territory Lords who could take part in the battles in six of the Great Territory Battlefields.
However, in truth, the Territory Lords’ ultimate goal was to restrict Yang Kai as only this condition would allow them to be at ease when roaming around the battlefields.
Since the general direction had been confirmed, it was time for some bargaining.
Both parties were red-faced as they discussed the amount of resources that the Black Ink Clan had to give the Humans. Black Ink Strength and World Force kept clashing, as though a fight would break out at any moment.
Nonetheless, they knew that since the peace talks had come this far, there was no way they would fight. The initially cautious Territory Lords could now argue with the Humans as fiercely as they pleased.
If there was one thing the Black Ink Clan didn’t lack, it was resources; after all, they had occupied so many Great Territories and had the entire Black Ink Battlefield to exploit. As such, they could easily extract as many resources as they wanted. However, no one was willing to give their enemies resources for free. They promised that they would give the Humans some benefits, but they immediately became stingy when the discussion started.
The argument lasted for several days, but in the end, the details were confirmed with Mo Na Ye and Xiang Shan who were the lead negotiators for the two sides.
Then, another round of arguments started about the number of Territory Lords that would be allowed in the six unchanged Great Territories.
There were many more Territory Lords than Eighth-Order Masters, which was the fundamental reason that the Black Ink Clan had gained the upper hand in most of the Great Territory Battlefields. The numbers of the most powerful Masters on both sides would influence the state of the war.
Although they had agreed to limit the number of Territory Lords, the Black Ink Clan would never accept being at a disadvantage.
The Humans came up with an outrageous demand as they wanted the number of Territory Lords that were allowed in the battles to be equivalent to the number of Eighth-Order Masters, and naturally, the Territory Lords stubbornly refused.
If they agreed to such a demand, their lives would be truly miserable. It wasn’t easy to deal with the Evil Purging Divine Spears. The reason they were at an advantage was that they had more people on their side.
The discussion this time was even more intense than when they talked about the resources.
They were fine with giving resources away, for the Humans needed time to refine those resources to increase their strength; however, once the number of Territory Lords decreased, they would lose control over the situations in many Great Territories.
Nevertheless, an agreement was reached in the end.
In the six Great Territories where things would remain unchanged, the number of Territory Lords couldn’t exceed the number of Eighth-Order Masters by 50%. In other words, if there were 10 Eighth-Order Masters, there could only be 15 Territory Lords.
The Humans were naturally not pleased with the outcome, for this meant there would still be significantly more Territory Lords than the Eighth-Order Masters. That way, the Black Ink Clansmen were still at an advantage.
However, this did ensure that the enemy no longer had an overwhelming edge which would constantly put the Humans on the brink of defeat, like what happened in Twin Poles Territory. Furthermore, because the Humans had to train their soldiers, this amount of pressure was quite suitable. As such, Xiang Shan agreed to it.
If there was no life-and-death pressure, it wouldn’t be training at all. Cultivating in seclusion would be faster in that case.
Since everything had been discussed, they just had to choose the six Great Territories where things would remain unchanged. At this point, the Eighth-Order Masters remained calm while the Territory Lords were apprehensive.
They were not willing to keep fighting the Humans. If the war continued, they would be at risk of losing their lives.
Nonetheless, they didn’t have any say over this matter.
Xiang Shan and Mo Na Ye took turns to select the six Great Territories where things would remain unchanged. When it was time for Xiang Shan to choose the last Great Territory, he hesitated for a bit before finally choosing Azure Sun Territory.
He didn’t agree to Luo Ting He’s request back then because things were not looking good in Azure Sun Territory; as such, it would be beneficial to the Humans if it could be included in the peace deal.
However, the number of Territory Lords would now be restricted, so even if things remained unchanged in Azure Sun Territory, the situation would improve significantly for the Humans.
Since Luo Ting He wanted to achieve a breakthrough in battle, Xiang Shan could only let her be. Apart from her, Xiang Shan also needed battles to train himself. Without these life-and-death struggles to serve as stimuli, it would be hard for them to grasp the opportunity to break through to the Ninth Order.
In the past, around 80% of Ninth-Order Old Ancestors achieved a breakthrough on the Black Ink Battlefield, while just 20% of them made it to the peak while cultivating in seclusion.