All this while, whether it be Yang Kai or other Human Race Masters, they had always been borrowing from some sort of special method to present their Dao Strengths.
For example, when Yang Kai used the Sun and Moon Divine Wheel back then, the Sun and Moon would shine together to give rise to the time Dao Strength, which was then complemented by Space Dao Strength, intertwining with it to form the profound Space-Time Strength.
The power of the Grand Dao was, for anyone, an ethereal existence, yet one that firmly existed. It was the foundation and direction for every Open Heaven Realm Master’s cultivation.
Nobody had ever actually seen directly what the Dao looked like…
It was both a limitation of one’s mind and stereotyped thinking.
However, what Yang Kai saw in the Universe Furnace gave rise to an epiphany. The Dao was not invisible nor shapeless. These mountains, the Infinite Rivers, and even the jellyfish Chaos Entities that he kept in his Small Universe, were all condensations of Shattered Dao Essence, so which one of them was not a manifestation of Dao Strength?
If the Shattered Dao Essence could assume a form, then why not the Grand Daos cultivated by cultivators?
Yang Kai suddenly felt as if he had pushed open the door to a new world, and many new insights were being born in his mind…
After calming himself, Yang Kai began circulating the Space and Time Dao Strengths with all his might to spur on their subtleties.
Even though he had cultivated many Grand Daos, the ones with the highest attainments were the Dao of Time and the Dao of Space. At this moment, he had completely abandoned the Dao Strengths of the other Grand Daos and only used the Dao Strengths of Time and Space in order to protect this place.
Under his careful control, Yang Kai wrapped the Dao Strengths around Ou Yang Lie to block the Chaos Entities who were rushing at him, brushing them away without affecting Ou Yang Lie in the slightest.
One had to have a high level of mastery and control over one’s Grand Dao to achieve such a thing, or else the slightest mistake could mean pulling Ou Yang Lie into it as well.
More and more Chaos Entities were gathering, emerging not just from the mountains, but also from the void. Some were even born out of thin air.
This mountain range itself could technically be considered a Chaos Entity as well, and an extremely massive one at that. Only, it was unlike the other Chaos Entities in that it was completely fixed in form, incapable of thought, and also immobile.
However, the Shattered Dao Essence that was stripped off of it could come together again to give rise to new Chaos Entities.
The pill fragrance and aura emanated from the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was so strong that a large number of Chaos Entities were spurred into birth within the mountain range that was so full of Shattered Dao Essence.
After being damaged by Dao Strength, the Chaos Entities that came lunging over often dissipated into nothing before they could even get close to Ou Yang Lie. Nonetheless, their numbers were truly too great. Yang Kai could certainly hold down his own end, but if the others were to deplete their strength, then the defensive line would collapse.
Zhan Tian He and the others were getting anxious…
Ou Yang Lie did not have full confidence to be able to refine the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill to begin with, so if he were to be disturbed by the Chaos entities now, it would make things far worse. There may really even be a chance of failing.
However, they had already done everything they could. They were constantly unleashing Dao Strengths, but in desperation, they could only put their hopes in Yang Kai.
He was the pillar of the Human Race who had performed countless miracles, often achieving feats impossible for all others. They only hoped that he had a solution to the situation at hand; otherwise, if even he came up empty in the face of their predicament, there was truly no other hope.
It was at this point that Zhan Tian He and the others saw where the problem lay.
They should not have had Ou Yang Lie refine the Open Heaven Pill here. Any other place in the void would not have been as bad as this place. Without the mass of Chaos Entities being born from the mountains, any one of them could have dealt with this situation easily; in fact, it may not have mattered if there was no one standing guard for Ou Yang Lie then.
This whole situation could only be attributed to poor information on their side, but there was nothing they could do about it as most of the information about the Universe Furnace came from the one witness, Blood Crow. However, to be fair, he was only in the Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm when he entered the Universe Furnace back then, and he was not from the Cave Heavens or Paradises either. As a rogue character, how could he have known of such confidential information?
Throwing a quick glance over at Yang Kai, they saw him circulating his Dao Strengths and brandishing them freely. His face did not look too panicked, which calmed their anxiety some.
Soon, something unusual caught their attention.
Surprisingly, a mist began forming around Ou Yang Lie…
They had no idea where the hazy mist had come from, but it formed a barrier of protection around him that enveloped Ou Yang Lie into it. Some of the Chaos Entities that failed to be blocked and rushed into the mist would quickly melt away like snowflakes under the blazing Sun, turning into nothing before they could reach Ou Yang Lie.
Zhan Tian He and the rest were shocked!
It was not mist. Clearly, it was a mysterious condensation of Dao Strength.
Instantly, they felt amazed…
[So, Dao Strength can be manifested in such a way?] In all their years of cultivation, nobody had ever told them about that.
And, after tracing the source, Yang Kai turned out to be the cause of the mist!
Though they had no idea what Yang Kai had done to manifest his Dao Strength in such a way, the tense situation from before finally eased up. With the mist of pure Dao Strength as a barrier, the Chaos Entities were simply unable to break through their defence.
The pressure on Zhan Tian he and the others was relieved in an instant, and they were all thoroughly impressed. As expected of this man, he truly was great at creating miracles that nobody else could perform.
As long as Senior Brother Ou Yang Lie did not make any mistakes in refining the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, then there should be no issues.
As they were thinking that, Zhan Tian He and the others were surprised to find that the mist barrier manifested by Dao Strength was still constantly evolving. The Dao Strength around Yang Kai had become increasingly intense, as if the mist barrier was not his ultimate goal.
Sure enough, following Yang Kai’s continuous efforts, the faint particles of the mist as fine as dust began to gather together…
From mist, turning into water…
*Hualala…*
The faint sound seemed to emerge from the depths of their souls, and the moment it did, all of them were taken aback. It seemed like even their own Dao Strengths could not help but resonate in response.
When they looked up, they were immediately met with a shocking sight.
It was not known when a trickle of water had appeared in the mist. It did not seem different from any ordinary stream of water; in fact, this stream of water had come about as a manifestation of the purest Dao Strength.
Water continued to flow, absorbing the surrounding mist and gradually growing in size…
In just a few moments, the stream surrounding Ou Yang Lie disappeared without a trace, replaced by a brook coiling up and constantly spinning around.
It was as if there was a flow of water surrounding Ou Yang Lie and enveloping him into it.
The stream rapidly grew in size, turning into a small river. The river water flowed in a coiling circle, going round and round. There were even some splashes in the river, shooting out instantaneous explosions of Dao Strength. Anytime any Chaos Entity was swept up into the Grand Dao River, they would disappear in an instant as if the water had some kind of devouring effect.
Zhan Tian He and the others slowly stopped what they were doing and just watched the scene in amazement.
They thought that since they had already reached the peak of the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm in their cultivation, then even if there were some differences between them and a legendary figure like Yang Kai, he should still not be too far behind them.
It was only at this moment that they realized that Yang Kai belonged in a different league among peak Eighth Orders…
As expected of a living legend!
The Grand Dao River coiled around, protecting Ou Yang Lie. Countless Chaos Entities rushed into it, only to draw up a splash before disappearing into nothingness, unable to disturb Ou Yang Lie inside of it at all.
Yang Kai kept on circulating the Dao Strengths within his own body to keep the Grand Dao River flowing and expressing the profundities of his Dao Strengths, growing the river in volume.
However, it was not long before he reached his limit and could do no more.
Looking over now, the Grand Dao River was now 10 times larger than when it first took shape, and it was coiling around Ou Yang Lie’s body like an awe-inspiring Water Dragon.
Yang Kai had an expression as tranquil as an ancient well, but he was in quite a good mood inside.
This was no surprise as he would have one more trump card up his sleeve from now on besides the Sun and Moon Divine Seal.
[Since it is an expression of the Daos of Time and Space, then let’s call it the Space-Time River…]
The reason he came about with such an idea was because of the Infinite River that he had encountered in the Universe Furnace World.
If the Infinite River could be formed from rich Shattered Dao Essence, then why couldn’t he form a river with his own Dao Strength?
It was from this thought that the Space-Time River was born.
However, there was still an enormous difference between his Space-Time River and the Universe Furnace World’s Infinite River, which was said to run through the entire Universe Furnace World. On the other hand, Yang Kai’s Space-Time River could only exist in a limited area.
At the very root of it was his own attainments in his Grand Daos. If that could be improved, then the volume of the Space-Time River would definitely increase in turn.
This was not something that could be rushed. Regarding the Dao of Time and Dao of Space, Yang Kai was currently only at the eighth level of mastery. If he could one day reach the ninth level, then there would definitely be quantitative and qualitative changes to his Space-Time River.
Of course, the limitations could also be attributed to the fact that Yang Kai had only just been enlightened to such a method. If more time was given to him to study it, familiarize himself with it, and to gain experience using it, then its might and volume would also improve.
The greatest advantage of the Space-Time River over the Sun and Moon Divine Seal was its sustainability. Currently, Yang Kai was using it to protect Ou Yang Lie, but he could naturally use it to trap enemies as well.
If he had this trump card when they were dealing with Meng Que, then they might have been able to kill him rather than just forcing him to retreat.
If there came a day when the Space-Time River’s volume increased to the point where it was on par with the Universe Furnace World’s Infinite River, then Yang Kai would probably become invincible. Whether it was a Royal Lord or a Black Ink Giant Spirit God, as long as he summoned the Space-Time River and dragged his enemies into it, then they would only be able to reflect on their mistakes for the next several hundred thousand years.
After all, the Space-Time River was created purely by manifestations of the Dao Strengths of Space and Time, thus Time and Space in its waters were infinitely variable.
The creation of the Space-Time River fully displayed Yang Kai’s deep understanding towards Dao Strength, and for Zhan Tian He and the others, was this not an opportunity for them to observe and emulate a true Master?
Yang Kai had opened the door to a new world, and at the same time, brought a surprise that gave them great insight.
Of course, whether they were able to manifest their Dao Strength as Yang Kai did would depend on their own enlightenment and their attainments in their own respective Grand Daos.
This was not a simple matter. Yang Kai’s ability to achieve it was naturally through constant enlightenment and polishing of his own Grand Daos, and the countless years of accumulated experience was what led to his current achievement.
But in any case, the Eighth-Order Masters here had now seen another way that Dao Strength could be used.
The Space-Time River that emerged was still nascent, but it was just like a coiled Dragon protecting Ou Yang Lie, silently eliminating all the endless Chaos Entities that were charging in from all directions.
Zhan Tian He and the others were all freed from their task as Yang Kai alone could completely protect Ou Yang Lie through the use of his Space-Time River.
It wasn’t until Zhan Tian He and the others recovered that they were surprised to realize that Thunder Shadow had disappeared at some point in time, and they had no idea where he went.
Time kept on passing and the strong pill aura of the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill kept on bursting out from the barrier of the Space-Time River. Ou Yang Lie’s aura was also flaring madly, though it had reached a kind of limit long ago.
The medicinal efficacies of the Spirit Pill were currently dissolving the barriers of his Small Universe and breaking his shackles; however, there were many problems with Ou Yang Lie’s Small Universe to begin with. If he wanted to make a successful breakthrough, then it would take more than just removing that barrier to succeed. He had to find the perfect moment through breaking the barriers of his Small Universe and achieving equilibrium of his Powers; otherwise, he would risk losing everything.
There was nobody who could help him through this point. He could only rely on himself.
After an unknown period had passed, Yang Kai, who was fully committed to keeping the Space-Time River running, suddenly had a chance of expression.
Ou Yang Lie’s aura, which had long reached its limit, was fluctuating, signalling that he had reached the most critical point of his breakthrough. Whether or not he could advance to the Ninth Order would depend on the final push.
As a veteran Eighth-Order Master who spent countless years fighting the Black Ink Clan, Ou Yang Lie had never been short of determination or drive.
While Yang Kai was still worrying about whether his breakthrough was still proceeding normally, Ou Yang Lie had already circulated his own aura like mad with a determination to succeed or die.
Yang Kai felt deep respect for this old warrior.
The aura at the peak of the Eighth Order floated and sank hundreds of times in an instant, then the limits were smashed through and Ou Yang Lie’s aura rose wildly. The fallout was so unbridled that even the Space-Time River, which Yang Kai kept at a constant coverage, bulged somewhat unstably.
Sensing the movement, Zhan Tian He and the others, who had been tense and apprehensive the whole time, revealed looks of joy.
All of a sudden, they noticed that the number of Chaos Entities swarming over greatly reduced. Some of them even seemed lost and confused having suddenly lost their target.
This was undoubtedly because the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill had been completely refined by Ou Yang Lie and had lost its pill fragrance which had been attracting them.
The Space-Time River was still guarding Ou Yang Lie, and though Zhan Tian He and the others were eager to see what the situation was like inside, they did not dare to intrude and could only look at Yang Kai with enquiring gazes.
Yang Kai simply nodded lightly.
Success!
The clenched hearts of Zhan Tian He and the rest of the group could finally be let go, and if not for the worry of disturbing Ou Yang Lie, they would have not been able to endure the urge to break out in joyous laughter.
Even though they were not the ones who made the breakthrough into the Ninth Order, they were still overwhelmed with the joy of seeing another Old Ancestor join the Human Race, and one who had been born in this Universe Furnace World at that.
There was no Ninth-Order Master among those who entered the Universe Furnace this time, whereas there were many Pseudo-Royal Lords from the Black Ink Clan here. The enemy had superior numbers and strength to begin with, but with the new addition of a Ninth-Order Master, it would definitely have a huge impact on the Human Race’s situation.
After a few moments, the Space-Time River gradually disappeared. It was Yang Kai who had dispersed the energy, allowing a blazing red figure that looked like he was on fire to exit from there, his powerful aura completely unrestrained. Though he was not targeting them deliberately, Zhan Tian He and the others still felt slightly pressured by it.
Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
Ou Yang Lie, who had successfully broken through his limits and advanced to the Ninth-Order, was undoubtedly more radiant than before. Even his appearance seemed much haler and youthful.
It was not that he was unwilling to restrain his aura, but rather that he could not as he had just broken through to the Ninth-Order and his cultivation was somewhat unstable.
“Haha, hahahaha!” Ou Yang Lie couldn’t help but laugh as he strode forward, causing Yang Kai to not know whether to laugh or cry at. Ou Yang Lie’s smug attitude always gave off the impression that he was an irreverent brute.
However, he could understand how Ou Yang Lie was feeling. Anyone would be ecstatic if they were able to break through to the Ninth Order.
There was basically no one else alive who had witnessed a Ninth-Order Master’s breakthrough, so this was an event worth celebrating.
“I can’t believe this day would come for me! Hahahaha!” Ou Yang Lie stood akimbo, continuing to laugh boisterously with his head facing the Heavens.
He really never imagined that he would one day, in this lifetime, be able to advance to the Ninth Order.
After countless years of battling with the Black Ink Clan and accumulating countless hidden injuries, the situation in Ou Yang Lie’s Small Universe had become a mess. He had also reached his peak in the Eighth Order and had been stagnating there for some 10,000 years.
He had only one wish in this life, and it was to one day die in battle, but not without dragging along several Masters from the Black Ink Clan to be buried with him to make his death worthwhile.
So, when Mi Jing Lun secretly arranged to have Yang Kai bring him to the Black Ink Battlefield to guard those who were going to collect resources, Ou Yang Lie was more than a little unwilling.
Though collecting resources was still of utmost importance for their Race, Ou Yang Lie had spent his entire life directly fighting against the Black Ink Clan, brushing shoulders with death countless times. It was not his wish to hide around with those who had gone to mine resources.
Fortunately, the escape of the Innate Territory Lords from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had forced Yang Kai to send him back from the Black Ink Battlefield to make a report, which gave Ou Yang Lie another opportunity to continue fighting.
When the Universe Furnace projection appeared in Azure Sun Territory, filled with bloodthirst for war, Ou Yang Lie had only one plan, and that was to charge into the Universe Furnace, or more likely, die in Azure Sun Territory, paving the way for the rest of his people in blood. Since he was going to be dying in battle anyway, his life would not have been considered a waste.
Many Territory Lords had already died at his hands, so he had already played his part as an Eighth-Order Master.
Ou Yang Lie was lucky to get the chance to enter the Universe Furnace and was originally planning to search for a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill for Yang Kai, but in the end, it was Yang Kai who gave him the opportunity to make a breakthrough. This twist of fate was simply hard to put into words.
But no matter what, the current Ou Yang Lie was a true Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master of the Human Race!
Yang Kai saluted him with a smile, “Congratulations to Senior Brother for advancing to the Ninth Order. Now, we have another Ninth-Order Master among our ranks!”
Zhan Tian He and the others also saluted him, “Congratulations, Senior Brother!”
Ou Yang Lie quickly withdrew his laughter and returned the salute solemnly, “Many thanks, Junior Brothers and Junior Sister, for standing guard for me.”
They all exchanged glances, then there was another burst of laughter.
After laughing, Yang Kai said, “Senior Brother has just advanced. Why not cultivate for a while to stabilize your cultivation?”
The current Ou Yang Lie was just like the Pseudo-Royal Lords. He couldn’t withdraw his own aura. The reason for that was because the Pseudo-Royal Lords were unable to completely control their strength, which was currently also the case for Ou Yang Lie.
However, the difference for the Pseudo-Royal Lords was that that was how it would always be for them, but the same was not true for Ou Yang Lie. As he continued to improve his control over his strength and stabilize his foundation, the situation would improve with time.
Ou Yang Lie waved his hand, “That won’t be necessary. I have been fighting my entire life against the Black Ink Clan. As for stabilizing my cultivation… Just killing a few of them will work. The more I kill, the more my cultivation will stabilize.”
There was nothing wrong with what he said, so Yang Kai smiled, “In that case, Senior Brother, why don’t you look over there?”
Saying so, he pointed in a certain direction.
Ou Yang Lie looked in the direction Yang Kai was pointing and soon raised his brows, “So, there are those who come knocking by themselves to court death?”
As he said so, he had already turned into a red glow, charging over to the other side.
At the same time, a powerful force suddenly erupted over there, seemingly from Masters engaging in a fight.
It was only then that it dawned on Zhan Tian He and the others, “Were there Territory Lords who were lured in too?”
There were several auras currently erupting from the battle in that direction, one of which was Thunder Shadow who had disappeared earlier.
Zhan Tian He and the others could not figure out when Thunder Shadow had disappeared as their attention had been drawn to Yang Kai’s Space-Time River at the time, much less where he had gone.
Only now did they realize that Territory Lords had long been attracted by the commotion, but they just didn’t dare to rush forward and just waited in the shadows, watching.
Naturally, the enemy’s actions had long been noticed by Thunder Shadow and Yang Kai.
It was most likely Yang Kai who noticed them and arranged for Thunder Shadow to sneak over; otherwise, Yang Kai couldn’t pinpoint their location so accurately.
Ou Yang Lie’s advancement to the Ninth Order was undoubtedly noticed by those from the Black Ink Clan, which made them even more afraid to do anything rash.
It was only when Yang Kai revealed their whereabouts that Ou Yang Lie began to move, forcing the enemy to reveal themselves while Thunder Shadow, who had been lurking in ambush, began attacking to tie down the stronger enemies.
As soon as Zhan Tian He finished his exclamation, the commotion grew even greater. Clearly, Ou Yang Lie had entered the battlefield and was fighting with the Territory Lords.
“Let’s go take a look,” Yang Kai said to them before making his way there, unhurried.
Zhan Tian He and the others followed closely behind.
By the time Yang Kai led them over to the battlefield, the fight was mostly over.
The three Territory Lords who had been drawn to the commotion were fighting against Ou Yang Lie with a Three Fortunes Formation, but these Acquired Territory Lords were still limited in strength.
Ou Yang Lie had just broken through so his cultivation was yet to fully stabilize. If it had been three Innate Territory Lords fighting in Formation, then the battle might take a while, but three Acquired Territory Lords were far too weak to fight him.
One by one, their lives were extinguished. When Yang Kai and the others arrived, they just so happened to see Ou Yang Lie killing the last Acquired Territory Lord with one punch.
Thunder Shadow was staying on the sidelines, showing no intention of helping. He seemed to have been slightly injured, likely from when he was pestering the three Territory Lords earlier, making sure to delay the enemy for a moment. However, the other side had naturally fought back and injured him.
Thunder Shadow’s injuries weren’t serious, he had only been distracting the three Territory Lords for a moment before Ou Yang Lie rushed over.
Ou Yang Lie felt so relieved and happy that he had to yell for joy after breaking through his limit and defeating three strong enemies.
If he were still at the peak of the Eighth Order, then he might not have been able to take on the three Territory Lords, who had formed a Battle Formation, on his own, but now that he was in the Ninth Order, it was no effort killing them at all.
After reaching the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, even going up by a single Order was truly like reaching another layer of the Heavens.
Otherwise, it would not have been possible that the Humans would only have seen so few Ninth-Order Masters among them. Many of the veteran Masters failed to progress once they reached the peak of the Eighth Order due to their own limitations.
Even those like Yang Kai, who could surpass his peers in the same Order, would still be overwhelmed when facing Royal Lords. Apart from escaping through the use of Space Secret Techniques, it was difficult for him to fight such Masters head-on, much less for the other Eighth-Order Masters.
When he saw Yang Kai and the others coming over, Ou Yang Lie suggested, “Junior Brothers and Junior Sister, I will go off searching for more foes. Do you want to come with me?”
Ou Yang Lie was at the height of enthusiasm after just breaking through into the next Order, and he was eager to make his mark in the Universe Furnace World. There were quite a lot of Masters from the Black Ink Clan who came in this time and he was worried about bumping into those Pseudo-Royal Lords previously; but now, Ou Yang Lie was itching to find one of them so that he could practice on them and to stabilize his cultivation through combat.
Yang Kai answered with some amusement, “No need. With Senior Brother’s current strength, I think it will be best for you to move alone. I will bring the Juniors along.”
Ou Yang Lie nodded lightly, “Fair enough.”
Indeed, as Yang Kai said, he was now in the Ninth Order and was experiencing explosive growth in his strength, so it was more suitable for Ou Yang Lie to move separately. As for Zhan Tian He and his group, it would undoubtedly be better for them to go with Yang Kai. They were four Eighth-Order Masters and Thunder Shadow. Even if they did encounter a Pseudo-Royal Lord, they could smoothly use the Five Elements Formation to deal with them. With Yang Kai acting as the Core, they should not be in any danger.
There was no need for them to worry in terms of safety.
Turning his head to look into the depths of the void, Ou Yang Lie smiled, “Big Head Xiang came in as well. I wonder if he has found his own opportunity… I’ll look for him on the way, and if the opportunity arises, I’ll try and obtain a pill for him.”
He had thought about finding a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill for Yang Kai, but it turned out that the latter couldn’t use it. Instead, he became indebted to Yang Kai. Right now, the one amongst the Humans who most urgently needed a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was undoubtedly Xiang Shan. After building up a comradery through long years of fighting alongside each other, Ou Yang Lie had a firm friendship with him.
If Xiang Shan could obtain an opportunity to advance to the Ninth-Order, then the amount of help he could provide to the Human Race would be much greater than Ou Yang Lie.
Yang Kai cupped his fist, “Then, let me wish Senior Brother great success ahead!”
Ou Yang Lie patted him on the shoulder, “Take care.”
Yang Kai nodded.
Ou Yang Lie had one last laugh before turning into a long stream, instantly moving far away. From a distance, his voice was transmitted to them, saying, “Here I come!”
It was a voice that carried great confidence and freedom.
After seeing him off, Yang Kai called out to the group, “Let’s go.”
Zhan Tian He and the rest nodded and naturally followed Yang Kai’s lead. They were much more relaxed with him compared to when they first entered the Universe Furnace.
When the three of them just entered this place, they were all extremely cautious. Though they were not scared of the ordinary Territory Lords or regular Black Ink Clansmen, they had to worry about meeting a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
Unfortunately, what they feared just had to come true as they really did bump into a Pseudo-Royal Lord in the end. If it weren’t for the lone Ou Yang Lie, who had felt the fallout of their battle and rushed over to provide aid, their situation would have been disastrous.
Now, with the inclusion of Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow, the five Masters could form the Five Elements Formation at any time, which would give them full capability to fight against a Pseudo-Royal Lord if they were to encounter another, so there was no need to act as cautiously as before.
The concept of Time and Space in this Universe Furnace World was extremely strange due to the chaotic Shattered Dao Essence that filled the void. Even after several evolutions, there seemed to be no substantive change. Perhaps more evolutions were required in order to lift the invisible fog of the Universe Furnace World, and then the concept of Time and Space would become clear.
They did not have any clear goal in mind either; in fact, whether it be the Human Race or the Black Ink Clan, they had no specific plan for when they entered the Universe Furnace World.
Their greatest target was undoubtedly the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, but nobody knew where they were. They could only wander around to see if they could get lucky.
Thanks to his previous efforts, Yang Kai was able to use the power of the Great Sun and Moon Marks to locate the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, but there were still some limitations. If there was no pill relatively nearby, then there was nothing Yang Kai could do about it.
So, Yang Kai was currently just leading Zhan Tian He and the group around, going wherever they could go with Thunder Shadow perched on his shoulder, faintly circulating his Innate Divine Ability to conceal their movements.
With such cover, even if a Master from the Black Ink Clan were to search around, they would not necessarily find them as long as they weren’t paying too much attention.
Occasionally, they would come across chaotic areas where the Chaos Entities gathered, then they would explore deeper into those places. Though they did not find any Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, they did find some Ordinary Grade ones.
In contrast to the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, there were quite a lot of Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills that were produced by the Universe Furnace. As long as one had the will to search for them, they would eventually find a few.
Though these Ordinary Grade pills were unable to help a cultivator break through their innate shackles, they were still very useful. With the help of these pills, Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters who had yet to accumulate enough heritage could use them to cut down the time needed for them to stay in retreat, allowing them to break through their bottlenecks sooner and advance to the next Order.
This time, many Seventh-Order Masters had entered the Universe. Yang Kai had even met a few such cultivators previously.
It was predictable that many new Eighth-Order Masters would be created after this trip into the Universe Furnace.
As they were travelling, Yang Kai suddenly felt something and changed directions, rushing off into the distance while sending a Divine Sense transmission to Zhan Tian He and the others, “Get ready!”
Zhan Tian He and the others understood instantly that an enemy had been spotted, so they all prepared themselves for combat.
A short while later, two powerful auras entered the range of their senses. From the aura alone, they could deduce that these were undoubtedly two Territory Lords who had entered the Universe Furnace World together.
It was five against two, and with Yang Kai here, it should not be a difficult fight.
Moreover, with the blessing of Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability, the two Territory Lords did not even notice them until they had gotten quite close.
Zhan Tian He and the others could not help but be amazed by this. The Innate Divine Ability of this Monster Race Great Emperor that came from the Myriad Monsters World was truly a nightmare to guard against. Even with foreknowledge now, if Thunder Shadow wanted to sneak up on them, they might still not be able to detect him.
Most importantly, this Innate Divine Ability could not only be used on himself, but also used to conceal others.
They were glad that a Master of this calibre was on their side. If he were an enemy, then he would really be a headache to deal with.
The two Territory Lords who were travelling together did not notice them until Yang Kai struck out to attack them. They had only just circulated their Black Ink Strength and had yet to make a single move when they suddenly heard a gushing sound.
This puzzled the two Territory Lords greatly. How could there be sounds similar to flowing water in this empty void?
When they turned their heads, they saw a huge river sweeping towards them like a torrent. The two Territory Lords were shocked and instinctually sent out an attack at the river.
However, their efforts were futile. Their attacks filled with condensed Black Ink Strength were like stones sinking into the Great River, rousing no reaction whatsoever. Unimpeded, the river washed over the two Territory Lords, swallowing them up without a trace in an instant.
To the side, Zhan Tian He and the others, who had assumed a combat stance all froze and glanced at each other, feeling a little at a loss as their enemy had literally vanished right in front of them.
In a five-on-two battle, there was already no suspense to the outcome, but a lion still fought rabbits with all its strength. Zhan Tian He and the others had been prepared to launch their attacks together to achieve a quick victory.
How could they have known that Yang Kai would not even allow them to act as he summoned his Grand Dao River directly, sweeping the two Territory Lords into it?
Turning their heads to look at Yang Kai, they saw his brow furrow as Dao Strength surged around his body. Then, it dawned on them that he must be trying to test out his new ability on these two Territory Lords.
The Space-Time River had only just been created by Yang Kai. It had previously shone in battle when used to protect Ou Yang Lie, but that was because of the natural restraint Dao Strength had against Chaos Entities.
Whether or not such techniques could truly be used against all enemies, Yang Kai himself was not sure, so he naturally had to run some experiments with it.
The two Territory Lords did not die immediately and were now flailing about inside the Space-Time River, trying to find a way out.
However, the Space-Time River surged turbulently and was rich with Dao Strength. The interplay of Space and Time greatly impaired the senses of anyone who fell into it other than Yang Kai. Unless a Master was far stronger than Yang Kai, or had extremely high attainments in the Grand Daos of Time and Space, finding their way out was basically impossible.
The two Territory Lords were trapped inside like headless flies. In fact, despite being quite close to each other, they could not even sense each other’s presence at all. They were separated by the ever-changing space.
The Space inside of the Space-Time River was somewhat similar to the Space projected by the Universe Furnace when it first appeared. Things that may seem close were in fact very far away.
Yang Kai observed them for a while and could feel the strengths of the Territory Lord struggling inside of the Space-Time River, which made his brow raise.
He did not use the power of the Space-Time River to its fullest, so the two Territory Lords were simply trapped and not suffering any real crisis.
The result that he could see now was that this new technique had far exceeded his expectations in its ability to contain enemies. He had easily trapped two Territory Lords, so Yang Kai felt that there should be no pressure on him even if he were to swallow up eight to 10 more of them.
Even if it was a Pseudo-Royal Lord, Yang Kai felt that he could trap them; and if he could trap them, he had the chance to kill them. After all, Yang Kai was able to enter the Space-Time River himself and attack the enemies inside.
With that idea in mind, Yang Kai dashed into the Space-Time River.
In just a few moments, there was a splash and Yang Kai leapt out, carrying the body of a Territory Lord devoid of life.
It had only been two breaths from start to finish…
Zhan Tian He and the others were dumbfounded. That was a Territory Lord, so how was Yang Kai able to kill him so easily? It was as if he had casually dove into the water, caught a helpless fish, and come back to roast it.
In fact, with Yang Kai’s current strength, it would not be difficult even if he were to face a couple of Acquired Territory Lords head-on; however, with his new tactics, he could move with even more secrecy. Till death, those Territory Lords wouldn’t even be able to see who killed them.
While Zhan Tian He and the rest watched on in shock, Yang Kai casually tossed the Territory Lord’s corpse aside before circulating his Dao Strengths again, causing a current to surge through the Space-Time River, sending waves splashing in all directions.
A faint glimpse of dense Black Ink Strength could be seen escaping from several places, as well as the figure of the Territory Lord trapped inside.
Clearly, another Territory Lord was struggling to escape from the Space-Time River.
After a few moments, when the Dao Strengths receded, the Space-Time River disappeared, and the Territory Lord trapped inside was revealed. Only, it did not take long before the Territory Lord’s vitality was burned out as well. Looking at him, his body seemed to not have a single piece of healthy skin, as if he had been cut a billion times with a sharp blade. Even more bizarre was the fact that the Territory Lord gave off a very, very old feeling, as if he had lived for hundreds of thousands of years before he died…
Zhan Tian He and the others watched in awe at the river formed out of the Dao Strengths of Space and Time, which was truly too bizarre.
After trying it out on the two Territory Lords, Yang Kai was able to make a general assessment of his new technique. The Space-Time River was certainly more useful in terms of trapping and containing opponents, while the Sun and Moon Divine Seal had greater explosive killing power.
In terms of lethality, the two were more or less the same, but the consumption was rather for the Space-Time River; after all, Yang Kai had to constantly circulate his Dao Strengths in order to keep it flowing.
However, it was still within a tolerable range and would not be a great problem as long as the battles did not drag on.
The party then continued on their way.
As time passed, they would occasionally gain a harvest, and if they encountered any Black Ink Clansmen, they naturally wouldn’t have a good ending. If they encountered any cultivators, alone or those in small groups, Yang Kai would take them in temporarily until they gathered enough with the ability to protect themselves before leaving them to form their own groups.
After all, it was not a good idea to gather too many people in one place. While it would ensure their safety, the harvests would also lessen.
In this way, Yang Kai’s group never exceeded 12 in total.
Zhan Tian He and the others never thought that fighting with the Black Ink Clan could be so simple and easy. They had also fought with Masters of the Black Ink Clan, like Territory Lords, on each of the Great Territory Battlefields, and though it was not difficult for them to defeat an Acquired Territory Lord with their strength, killing one was never easy.
However, no Territory Lord so far had been able to escape alive with Yang Kai around. Every last one of them were cleanly killed off.
There was only once that they encountered a Pseudo-Royal Lord moving along with several Territory Lords where both sides charged at each other with full momentum. However, after just one exchange of blows, the Pseudo-Royal Lord was taken aback. After only fighting for a few breaths, the Pseudo-Royal Lord fled in a hurry, but Yang Kai would not relent. He chased down their target with a group of Masters in tow until finally injuring the Pseudo-Royal Lord at some cost to themselves before giving up the chase.
Zhan Tian He and the others naturally understood what Yang Kai was trying to do. Pseudo-Royal Lords were the greatest threats to the Humans in the Universe Furnace World, so even if they were unable to kill them in battle, they had to make sure to injure them to cut down the combat strength of their opponent, lest the Pseudo-Royal Lord cause trouble for the other Human Race Masters.
Those from the Black Ink Clan had difficulty recuperating in this place, so getting injured inside of the Universe Furnace was extremely undesirable for them.
If not for the fact that there were still several Territory Lords with the Pseudo-Royal Lord, Zhan Tian He and the others had to wonder whether Yang Kai could keep him trapped here as well.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord escaped, but the Territory Lords with him were all killed, so it wasn’t a total loss.
This trip had been very fruitful both in battle successes and material harvest.
Those from the Black Ink Clan had also collected some Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills, so after they were cut down, these naturally went into Yang Kai and the others’ pockets.
The only unfortunate part for Yang Kai was that he neither encountered his Human Self nor sensed the existence of another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
For him, his only goal during this trip into the Universe Furnace was to reunite with his other Selves and find Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, of which he had already obtained one, leading to Ou Yang Lie’s breakthrough to the Ninth Order. However, his Human Self was nowhere to be found. Yang Kai had also checked with the other Masters for any news about Fang Tian Ci, but it was to no avail.
They travelled around in the Universe Furnace, experiencing 2 more of the Grand Dao evolutions, and as that number continued to rise, so did the frequency of their encounters with both the enemy and their own people.
This was undoubtedly proof that the space inside this world was gradually becoming clear and not seemingly boundless as it felt before. Perhaps, just as Blood Crow’s information stated, after the Universe Furnace Grand Dao evolved nine times, this Universe Furnace World would reveal its true self.
Several torn-up bodies floated around in the deep and boundless void, alongside some broken artifacts scattered around next to them. One of the corpses had its eyes wide open. Though the body was lifeless, he still stood upright, glaring angrily ahead of him as if he was fighting with all his might even after death.
Besides that, there were even fragments of Small Universes floating around the void with Black Ink Strength lingering around them. Most likely, these fragments were from these people willingly sacrificing them.
Yang Kai and the rest stared at the scene in front of them with heavy hearts.
During this time, they had constantly been taking in other Human Race Masters before they broke up into smaller groups. Now, other than Thunder Shadow, they had five members.
Zhan Tian He and the original two were still with him, while the newcomers were Lin Wu, a recently-joined straggler, and a veteran Eighth-Order Master from Xi He Paradise, Tian Xiu Zhu, an old acquaintance of Yang Kai.
Lin Wu was pretty lucky. He had entered at the peak of the Seventh Order and obtained several Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills in this Universe Furnace World, then found a place to refine and advance to the Eighth Order. It was the reverberations from his advancement that were picked up by Yang Kai and his group, who just happened to be passing by. When they went over to investigate the situation, they had also taken him into their group.
Otherwise, with Masters from the two sides moving around in groups now, Lin Wu would not be in a good position if he ever encountered any enemies moving alone.
The reason he was able to safely refine the Spirit Pill and advance by himself without the interruption of any enemies was undoubtedly because he was extremely lucky; however, at this moment, the face of the newly advanced Eighth-Order Master did not look the slightest bit happy. Instead, he was sad and angry.
There were Eighth-Order Masters who died here, and more than one at that. Judging from the remnants of this battle, there were at least four or five Eighth-Order Masters who died here.
In this Universe Furnace World where Masters from the two sides gathered, every moment was a life-or-death struggle and fights could not be avoided.
Yang Kai and the others had also encountered many battlefields left behind after great fights had broken out, including the bodies of those from the two sides, who had died in battle.
However, it was a first for them to see as many as five Eighth-Order Masters dead in a single fight.
After all, the gathering of that number was enough for a Four Symbols or Five Elements Formation. Even if such a group encountered a Pseudo-Royal Lord, they were not without a fighting chance.
The Pseudo-Royal Lords were more careful in these special conditions, and unless they were not fully confident, they would not fight with such recklessness.
“There had to be at least two Pseudo-Royal Lords, or one accompanied by several Territory Lords,” Zhan Tian He contemplated solemnly, “Some of the Eighth-Order Masters must have just advanced recently, so their cultivation had yet to stabilize, which is why their Small Universes got easily corrupted by Black Ink Strength and they had to sacrifice parts of them in order to avoid being fully corrupted.”
The fragments of Small Universes left behind here had been sacrificed by the Human Race Masters during battle, which also formed the basis of Zhan Tian He’s speculation that they were newly-advanced Eighth-Order Masters.
Even if the Eighth-Order Masters could not best the Pseudo-Royal Lords, their Small Universes would not be so easily corrupted by Black Ink Strength. Moreover, most of them had brought Evil Purging Divine Spears. The Purifying Light sealed within them could be used at critical moments in order to disperse the Black Ink Strength in their Small Universes.
Being forced to sacrifice part of their Small Universe meant that the heritage of their Small Universes as Eighth-Order Masters was still not enough, and even the Purifying Light sealed within the Evil Purging Divine Spears used was not enough.
Otherwise, who would sacrifice a part of their own Small Universe in a battle like this? That would only cause their strength to decrease, and they would die even faster.
Yang Kai was silent.
There was nothing wrong with Zhan Tian He’s assessment, but there could be another possibility! However, it was hard to glimpse any more clues just from looking at the remnants left on this battlefield. The Shattered Dao Essence that filled this void had long washed those clues away.
If it was the other possibility though, then things would be troublesome.
Even Yang Kai’s team could face the danger of losing their lives at any moment.
“We should lay them to rest.” When he saw the Eighth-Order Master who was still glaring furiously even in death, Yang Kai sighed. From his appearance, this must be one of the rising stars that did not die on the Great Territory Battlefields, but died here instead.
Red-eyed, Liu Fei Fei immediately went forward and stored the tattered corpses. She had participated in the war a long time and it was not as if she was new to seeing death. After so many years fighting on the frontline, she had seen countless familiar faces fade away, yet she could not help but feel saddened and pained every time she saw such a scene.
She often wondered why the Black Ink Clan existed, and how great it would be if they had never been.
But the Heavens did not give them what they wished for. They were born in turbulent times, living in the midst of the confrontation between the two Races. In order to rise up and gain control of the Universe, then facing death was inescapable!
Just like with the Eighth-Order Masters who died here. They did not even know who they were killed by, let alone where to seek revenge.
Every cultivator was mentally prepared to face death when they entered the Universe Furnace World, as their Seniors had warned.
Once one entered the battlefield, life or death was up to destiny, and success or failure was up to the Heavens!
After cleaning up the battlefield and collecting the remains of the Eighth-Order Masters who died here, the group continued on their way in silence and with heavy hearts.
This time, many from the two Races had entered the Universe Furnace World, especially the Black Ink Clan. There were 20 Pseudo-Royal Lords alone, possibly more.
While teams like Yang Kai’s were hunting down those from the Black Ink Clan, weren’t the Pseudo-Royal Lords also killing Open Heaven Realm Masters?
The peace agreement that had been maintained for thousands of years had been completely shattered by the arrival of the Universe Furnace. Now it was inevitable for a massive all-out war to break out between the two sides. The real battle that would determine the fate of both Races had already begun, which made the battle in the Universe Furnace World that much more important.
If the Human Race could cull more Masters from the Black Ink Clan here and gain more opportunities, it would be a great help to their situation outside; otherwise, it would give their enemy an even greater advantage.
In the past, whenever the Universe Furnace appeared, the Masters that entered it would fight for not just opportunities, but also the fates of their Race!
Fortunately, this time was a special case. As all of the Black Ink Clansmen which were originally occupying the Black Ink Battlefield had been wiped out, destroying all their previous knowledge and intelligence. As such, the Black Ink Clan was completely clueless about anything relating to the Universe Furnace. In comparison, the Humans had much more information in their possession.
However, this superiority in intelligence was still not enough to determine the final course of this event. The Humans still had to fight hard for victory.
This time, nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills were produced in the Universe Furnace, and currently, the only one Yang Kai had found was the one refined by Ou Yang Lie. The remaining eight were still nowhere in sight.
It would be impossible for the Human Race to obtain all nine pills, a fact Yang Kai understood from the beginning.
Without even mentioning the Black Ink Clan, the native Chaos Spirit Clan were the ones with a unique advantage when it came to obtaining the Open Heaven Pills. The Chaos Spirit Clan were spread throughout the entire Universe Furnace World, so chances were high that wherever those Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills drifted off to, the Chaos Spirit Clan would be the first to find them.
Did Yang Kai not also snatch the Spirit Pill he found previously from those jellyfish Chaos Entities?
Now that only eight of the pills were left, it was very possible for any one of them to have already fallen into the possession of the Chaos Spirit Clan. If the Humans or the Black Ink Clan were able to get to them in time, then they might be able to fight for them, but if they were too late, and the pills were refined by the Chaos Spirit Clan, then it was useless even if they found them.
So, even from the start, Yang Kai felt that the Human Race should be able to secure four of the nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, which would still be a great harvest. Naturally, the more the better. If they could get five or six, Yang Kai could not complain.
He still had the Great Sun and Moon Marks, but finding the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills was still not going to be easy; otherwise, he would not have found only a single one until now.
While Yang Kai was thinking about how he could look for the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills with greater efficiency, he suddenly felt something which caused him to turn and look in another direction, his expression brightening.
This truly was wearing out iron shoes while seeking one’s feet! He was just wondering how he was going to find the remaining Open Heaven Pills when the Great Sun and Moon Marks caught onto a hint of one!
Had fortune come so suddenly that he couldn’t even block it?
Thunder Shadow, who was perched on his shoulder, could sense his delight and asked, “What did you find?”
“A Spirit Pill!” Yang Kai gave him a simple answer before sending a Divine Sense message to everyone, “Hide your presence and follow me!”
Saying so, he took off and flew in that direction. Everyone also concealed their auras in a hurry while Thunder Shadow activated his Innate Divine Ability and enveloped everyone in it.
In the silent void, the group of six Humans and one leopard moved silently, like shadows.
After a few moments, the joyful look on Yang Kai’s face gradually faded away and became serious.
He could vaguely sense Masters fighting up ahead, but since it was still far away, he could not probe the situation, which made it hard to ascertain the strength of both sides.
However, despite the distance, the fallout could still be felt, which showed how extraordinary both fighters were.
[Is it a Pseudo-Royal Lord and an Eighth-Order Master? No! There are only two fighters. If it truly was an Eighth-Order Master against a Pseudo-Royal Lord, they would surely be no match for them. It’s simply impossible for such a fight to be so intense.]
As they continued to move, Yang Kai’s face turned increasingly grave.
At this point, Tian Xiu Zhu, the veteran Eighth-Order Master with the greatest heritage among them next to Yang Kai, sensed it too. He could not help but throw a suspicious glance at Yang Kai. He found it a little hard to understand how Yang Kai was able to detect the unusual situation here and rush over from so far away.
As they drew closer, Zhan Tian He and the others noticed it too. All of them were alert, circulating the World Force inside their bodies and waiting for Yang Kai to give the order for them to attack the enemy.
This was how things went thus far. They would go into battle, winning each fight. There were many Territory Lords who had already died by their hands.
However, Yang Kai suddenly stopped and looked gravely at the source of the disturbance. A golden slit appeared in his left eye which looked both bizarre and majestic at the same time.
The scene that entered his eye made his heart heavy beyond measure.
The situation he had feared most had appeared, and it was happening right before his eyes!
Tian Xiu Zhu also noticed that something wasn’t right, but he did not have Eye Techniques like Yang Kai, so he could not see what was going on in the distance. After a moment, he could not resist the urge to ask, “Junior Brother Yang, who are the ones fighting?”
The shockwaves from the battle were too intense. Before they had even got close, the Shattered Dao Essence here had already been thrown into disorder. It gave the impression that it was a Ninth-Order Master fighting a Royal Lord!
Yang Kai sighed, “It’s a Royal Lord fighting a Chaos Spirit King!”
Everyone was shocked, but then they drew in their breaths, looking at Yang Kai in disbelief.
Yang Kai chuckled bitterly, feeling a headache coming on, “I was hoping that I had seen it wrongly, too, but it is not one of our Masters fighting there!”
There was nothing wrong with Blood Crow’s information. There were indeed powerful existences in the Universe Furnace World like the Chaos Spirit Kings, who stood on equal footing with the Ninth-Order Masters and Royal Lords.
It must have been luck that they had not encountered one thus far, which was an indication that such existences were rare to begin with and were hard to find.
Yet, they would never have expected to bump into one here!
Moreover, Yang Kai had also revealed another piece of information that was even more difficult for them to accept than the presence of the Chaos Spirit King.
“The Black Ink Clan… has managed to create a Royal Lord here?” Zhan Tian He’s face looked extremely grim.
Mo Yu was the only Royal Lord left in the Black Ink Clan after the war in the Barren Territory, so no Royal Lords had entered the Universe Furnace this time. The strongest among them were the Pseudo-Royal Lords that they had created as a temporary measure.
However, a Royal Lord had appeared here now, which obviously meant that they had become one in the Universe Furnace World. In other words, this guy had obtained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and refined it.
Indeed, the Black Ink Clan was lacking in information about the Universe Furnace, but the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills were amazing treasures. One of them landing into the hands of the Black Ink Clan was one thing, but they may not even have that much of an interest in them as their main goal in coming here was to kill the Humans and to ruin their opportunities to prevent new Ninth-Order Masters from being.
However, since such a pill landed into their hands, they could naturally understand its profundity. Just by refining one, one would have the opportunity of advancing and becoming a Royal Lord.
Many of the Black Ink Clan’s Masters had entered this time, so there were bound to be lucky ones who could gain such opportunities, and this Royal Lord must be one such example.
Yang Kai was drawn here by the reaction of his Great Sun and Moon Marks. In other words, there was a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill here, and in fact, after he used his Demon Eye of Annihilation, he saw not only the two figures exchanging blows, but also the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Multi-coloured light was emanating every so often from within a Chaos Entity without a fixed form. What could that be if not a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill?
The Royal Lord must have spotted the opportunity and come to snatch it, but he did not expect there to be a Chaos Spirit King standing guard over this place. Thus, the two got into a huge fight. Under Yang Kai’s observation, the Chaos Spirit King was much stronger than the Royal Lord, and it was very clear that it had the upper hand in this fight.
That was understandable though.
The Royal Lord had only just broken through, so like Ou Yang Lie, he must not have familiarized himself with his newfound power yet and was unable to bring out his full strength. However, it was different for this Chaos Spirit King who became one, at the earliest, when the Universe Furnace last appeared.
The time they had spent in this realm was vastly different, and so their strengths naturally could not be compared.
Moreover, there was not just a lone Chaos Spirit King here. There were many other Chaos Spirit Clansmen who had taken on defined forms! They took on all sorts of different shapes, some appearing like Humans, while others looked not much different from the Black Ink Clan. Layer by layer they gathered, protecting the Chaos Entity that had swallowed the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, awaiting the birth of a new Chaos Spirit King.
“It’s him!” Liu Fei Fei suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone was confused, but Liu Fei Fei explained, “Our comrades that died back there were most likely victims of this Royal Lord!”
It was then that Zhan Tian He and the others finally realized and Tian Xiu Zhu nodded in agreement, “It’s highly likely.”
Yang Kai was unsurprised. In fact, he had suspected a Royal Lord had appeared among the Black Ink Clan when he saw the traces on that battlefield.
With five Eighth-Order Masters joining hands, unless they were met with a truly formidable enemy, there was no way they would have been wiped out. A single Pseudo-Royal Lord would not have been able to achieve that.
However, if it were a true Royal Lord, then that was a different matter.
There were no useful clues left at the battlefield, so it was hard to be absolutely certain, but now that he saw this Royal Lord, everything became clear.
The Eighth-Order Masters must have encountered this Royal Lord, and even in their Battle Formation, they were no match for him and were cut down. After that, the Royal Lord came to this place and discovered the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Currently, one Royal Lord had been created with the help of the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, which meant one less Ninth-Order Master for the Human Race. With this, the advantage gained by Ou Yang Lie’s advancement to the Ninth-Order has also been lost.
Right now, they had accounted for three of the nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills. One was used by Ou Yang Lie to advance to the Ninth-Order, another was used by this Royal Lord, and the third was currently inside a Chaos Entity, which was in the midst of refining it.
Of the nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, six were still missing, and it was uncertain how many of these six the Humans could seize; therefore, no matter what, this third Open Heaven Pill they had found could not land in the hands of the Black Ink Clan. Otherwise, if another Royal Lord was created, then the situation of the Human Race in the Universe Furnace would become extremely difficult.
However, seizing the pill was an exceptionally difficult thing to do as there was a Chaos Spirit King standing guard here. Furthermore, there were dozens of Chaos Spirit Clansmen also present.
This place was most likely one of the gathering spots of the Chaos Spirit Clan since Yang Kai had never seen so many together like this before.
They were not like the stumbling Chaos Entities without consciousness or even a stable form. During this trip, Yang Kai had encountered many Chaos Spirits with the group he was leading, and if a comparison was to be made, the ordinary Chaos Spirit Clansmen were able to exert strength around the Human Race’s equivalent of the Seventh-Order to the Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
One or two was nothing to worry about, but several dozen gathered in one place would be difficult to handle.
Looking over from where he stood, Yang Kai realized that the Royal Lord that the Chaos Spirit King was fighting seemed as if he were riding a tiger. He had attained this identity as a Royal Lord through the help of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill produced in the Universe Furnace World; thus, he knew just how amazing these pills were and was determined to snatch another. Clearly, he could not do much here, but even so, it would be a great shame just to give up, so he continued fighting with the Chaos Spirit King.
Only after reaching a safe place where they could no longer feel the shockwaves of the battle did Yang Kai speak, “Senior Brother Tian, I’ll leave the Junior Brothers and Sisters with you for now. Take them away quickly, as far away as possible.”
Yian Xiu Zhu nodded, “What is Junior Brother planning to do?”
[Could he be thinking of stirring up trouble while the Chaos Spirit King and Royal Lord are fighting?] That was not a sound idea as a battle between two peak Masters was not one that an ordinary person could just step between, not even Yang Kai.
He thought about dissuading him, but Yang Kai added, “There’s a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill there, I have to snatch it!”
Yian Xiu Zhu had to choke back down his words when he heard that while Tian Xiu Zhu was stunned and asked, “There’s a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill there? Did Junior Brother see it?”
Everyone else was also itching with excitement. A Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was basically a guaranteed ticket to becoming a Ninth-Order Master, how could they not be moved?
Yang Kai nodded, “Currently, the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill is wrapped inside of a Chaos Entity that’s refining it; moreover, there’s at least several dozen Chaos Spirit Clansmen standing guard nearby. The Royal Lord must have come to fight with the Chaos Spirit King because he noticed the Spirit Pill there.”
“Several dozen…” Everyone drew in a cold breath.
They had an idea of what the Chaos Spirit Clan was capable of, so with several dozen of them gathered together, they were going to take a lot of work to deal with.
“No wonder!” Tian Xiu Zhu exclaimed in realization. He was wondering why the Royal Lord would clash with the Chaos Spirit King over there. It turned out it was because of the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, “In that case, we will act together with Junior Brother. At least, we can take care of each other.”
Zhan Tian He and the others nodded in unison.
If they wanted to seize this pill from the hands of several dozen Chaos Spirits, if they were not careful, they would land themselves in grave danger. If they were to move together with Yang Kai though, they could at least use a Battle Formation to split up the pressure, which would be much better than Yang Kai having to fight alone.
Yang Kai shook his head, “No. While we may have a higher chance of success if we all go, it will also make us a bigger target. Even if we did manage to seize the Spirit Pill, we may not be able to leave unscathed. It will be easier for me to move about if I just bring along Thunder Shadow.”
Tian Xiu Zhu pondered on his words before nodding lightly, “That is indeed true.”
Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability concealed his presence perfectly. With the blessing of this Divine Ability, he and Yang Kai could approach the pill unnoticed, and with Yang Kai’s skills, he was very likely to be able to seize the Spirit Pill if he burst out and caused a stir. With his proficiency in the Dao of Space, he could then make a speedy escape.
If Yang Kai brought all of them along with him though, his mobility would be seriously hampered.
After understanding this point, Tian Xiu Zhu wore a serious look, “You must be careful, Junior Brother. Seize the pill if you can, but if it’s too risky, then don’t force it. As long as there are green hills, there is no fear of lack of timber. Junior Brother’s safety is extremely important to the future of the Human Race!”
Yang Kai nodded, “I will keep it in mind.”
Tian Xiu Zhu cupped his fist to Yang Kai, then he turned to Zhan Tian He and the rest, “Let’s go.”
Without delay, Zhan Tian He and the rest cupped their fists in farewell to Yang Kai before leaving.
After watching the five of them depart, Yang Kai turned around again, and with Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability activating, he quietly crept towards the battlefield.
As for the safety of Tian Xiu Zhu and his group, there was little need to worry since they could form the Five Elements Formation at any time. As long as they did not bump into a Royal Lord in the Universe Furnace World, or a large group of enemy Masters, they would naturally be in no danger. Even if they did bump into a Pseudo-Royal Lord, they should be able to put up a fight.
A while later, Yang Kai opened his Demon Eye of Annihilation once more after approaching the edge of the battlefield and looked in from outside.
It had to be said that Thunder Shadow’s stealth Innate Divine Ability truly was exceptional. Even at this distance, Yang Kai would very likely have been noticed by the two fighting Masters if he were alone, but under the cover of Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability, neither the Chaos Spirit King nor the Royal Lord were aware that somebody was spying on them.
Yang Kai watched quietly and did not rush into action.
Soundlessly, Thunder Shadow sent his voice over, “How confident are you?”
He was Yang Kai’s Monster Self after all. Though he grew up in a different environment and had different life experiences, causing his personality to differ slightly, he still inherited some of Yang Kai’s characteristics.
Despite how simply Yang Kai had described the plan to Tian Xiu Zhu and the rest, as if the Spirit Pill would fall into his hands with barely any effort, the chances of succeeding were slim from his perspective.
Sure enough, Yang Kai’s response was “Less than 30%!”
The difficulty of seizing the pill lay not in grabbing the pill itself, but rather dealing with the dozens of Chaos Spirits that were in the way; but Yang Kai did not necessarily have to fight them.
With the help of Thunder Shadow’s Divine Ability, he just had to reach a certain distance, then he should be able to seize the Spirit Pill.
The difficult part of this task was going to be how he was going to escape after seizing the pill.
The Royal Lord was currently engaged in a fierce fight with the Chaos Spirit King, seemingly planning to settle their life and death here, but if an outside force were to dive in and seize the pill, Yang Kai was sure that they would immediately join hands to deal with him.
Yang Kai did not even have the confidence to be able to face one top Master, much less two of them, and even the slightest blunder or delay could cost him his life.
The Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was indeed important, but to put his life on the line to seize it was still not worth it.
Hearing this, Thunder Shadow felt his head throb. Less than 30% was too risky in his opinion and he couldn’t help but worry, “Then, what should we do?”
“We’ll wait!” Yang Kai gave a succinct answer.
That puzzled Thunder Shadow, “Wait for what?”
Yang Kai shot a glare at him, which caused Thunder Shadow to become annoyed, “I’m your Monster Self, so in a sense, I’m you. Don’t look at me as if I’m an idiot because that’s just calling yourself an idiot.”
Yang Kai choked for a moment because what Thunder Shadow said was true.
He could only explain patiently, “Look at those two who are fighting. Who do you think is stronger?”
Thunder Shadow answered, “Naturally, it’s the Chaos Spirit King. Is there even a need to ask?”
There was no doubt that the Chaos Spirit King occupied the absolute upper hand in this battle. The Royal Lord was basically pinned down and beaten in the fierce exchange of blows as his rich Black Ink Strength splattered out.
“Then, do you think that there’s an opportunity that the Royal Lord can seize the pill?”
“Of course not!” He could not get by the Chaos Spirit King, much the dozens of Chaos Spirits protecting the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
If Yang Kai had a 30% chance of sneakily achieving his plan, then the Royal Lord, who had already exposed himself, had a 0% chance at all unless he could overpower the Chaos Spirit King.
“If he doesn’t have a chance, why does he continue pestering his opponent rather than retreat obediently? He’s also taking a huge risk fighting the Chaos Spirit King here, and it would not be a pleasant experience for him to be wounded.”
Thunder Shadow instantly realized something, “You mean…”
Yang Kai grinned, “Since he cannot seize the pill from the Chaos Spirit Clan but continues to fight without retreating, I’m guessing there’s a very high chance that he has already called for help.”
“He’s repairing the bridge on the surface while secretly crossing the river!” Thunder Shadow finally understood, and his amber eyes brightened a little, gleaming as if he recalled one of his previous encounters.
This was exactly the same thing he experienced when he was fighting the Territory Lords for the first Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. The Territory Lords had called their allies using the miniature Black Ink Nest they brought with them, and if Yang Kai had not bumped into him by chance, he would have had to flee.
“There may already be Masters from the Black Ink Clan hiding nearby, we just haven’t noticed them.” As he said so, Yang Kai scanned the depths of the void with his golden cross left eye, but he did not find anything.
Thunder Shadow, on the other hand, looked extremely smug, “As expected of myself, to be able to see through things so thoroughly.”
Yang Kai was speechless. With his Monster Self’s boasting, it seemed to not have inherited much of his wisdom, but he could understand; after all, he was from the Monster Race…
The battle between the two Masters went on for who knows how long, and it was not known how much longer it would continue for. Yang Kai did not stay idle, however. It was the first time he encountered a Chaos Spirit King in the Universe Furnace World, and there was even a Master on a similar level fighting it. It was a good opportunity for him to observe their fighting styles and assess their strengths and weaknesses.
Soon, Yang Kai noticed something.
Rather than calling this Chaos Spirit King a peculiar living being, one might as well call it an aggregate of Grand Daos. Its body was purely an amalgamation of various Dao Strengths, formed into a humanoid shape with its own consciousness. The way it fought its enemy was also extremely simple, which was to circulate the various Dao Strengths in its body and smash them into its opponent.
It was simple, yet fierce!
Every blow was Heaven-shattering and Earth-shaking, causing various cracks in the void as it thrust the surrounding Dao Essence into disorder. Inwardly, Yang Kai weighed the odds of how things would go if he were to call Ou Yang Lie over, but there was a great chance that the latter would not be a match for this Chaos Spirit King either.
The rich Dao Essence that filled the Universe Furnace World was the source of the Chaos Spirit King’s power, and it seemed that as long as it was in this World, it would never tire.
After observing for a long time, Yang Kai concluded that this Chaos Spirit King was extremely difficult to deal with, and if he wanted to kill it, then he would have to cut off its connection with the World to deprive it of its source of power.
The Royal Lord clearly noticed this too, so he kept trying to pour out his Black Ink Strength so that he could use it as a barrier to isolate his enemy and stop it from recovering its strength; however, it was all for nought. The Chaos Spirit King was stronger than him to begin with, so it was all the Royal Lord could do to keep himself alive under his opponent’s attacks. How would he be able to do anything else?
The two continued to fight fervently with each other.
All of a sudden, the Royal Lord’s body exploded into a giant Black Ink Cloud that scattered in all directions and he escaped just like that.
The Chaos Spirit King’s Dao Essence shuddered for a moment, then it broke up the Black Ink Clouds, but the true body of its enemy was no longer anywhere to be found. However, it did not give chase and just stood there with an expressionless face, guarding its clansmen behind it.
Yang Kai was dumbfounded.
[Was my guess incorrect? How can that be? If the Royal Lord was not waiting for backup, then why would he keep on struggling against the Chaos Spirit King? What’s more, the Black Ink Clan can communicate with each other through the use of their miniature Black Ink Nests, so why would he not gather help?]
However, the Royal Lord had indeed retreated, which put Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow in an awkward position. First of all, with the cover of Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability, one man and one leopard were lurking not too close from the battlefield, but definitely not far either. The reason why they were not caught previously was naturally because the Chaos Spirit King’s attention was being focused on the Royal Lord.
Now that the Royal Lord escaped, the Chaos Spirit King was no longer restrained, and with what happened previously, even the slightest breeze might cause the Chaos Spirit King to go on alert.
This caused the two of them to not even have the courage to move a single muscle, and Thunder Shadow had even pushed his Divine Ability to its limits before looking over with a questioning expression on its face, which clearly asked, ‘what should we do now?’.
At this moment, he did not even dare to use his Divine Sense to transmit his voice.
Yang Kai had a gloomy look on his face. With how things were now, if he were to choose to withdraw here, then he would undoubtedly expose himself, which would not matter as the Chaos Spirit King was unlikely to come after him, but then his plan to snatch the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill would come to naught.
The pill was right in front of his eyes, so how could Yang Kai be willing to retreat here? This was the key that would allow an Eighth-Order Master to advance to the Ninth-Order!
Yang Kai still believed that his assumption had been right, and that the Royal Lord had withdrawn because his backup was not able to arrive swiftly.
Since his backup was late, there was no point in the Royal Lord wasting his strength here. It would not be too late to wait for reinforcements before making a move again.
So, it did not take very long for Yang Kai to make up his mind to continue waiting! If that Royal Lord came back, it would prove that his assumption was correct, and when that time came, he would have more wriggle room to carry out his plans.
Time gradually passed unnoticed.
After a certain amount of time, Thunder Shadow was starting to feel as if he could no longer keep up his Innate Divine Ability. If that failed, then there was a great chance they would be revealed under the senses of the Chaos Spirit King.
Just as Yang Kai was considering whether or not they should retreat for the time being, his expression had a slight change. From the direction the Royal Lord escaped in previously, an undisguised powerful aura was rising, which immediately drew the attention of the Chaos Spirit King who had remained on guard this whole time.
Immediately afterwards, a massive Black Ink Cloud rushed over from that direction, reaching the Chaos Spirit King in the blink of an eye, and a fight broke out once more.
[He’s back!]
Sure enough, the Royal Lord that ran away previously came back. Relieved, Yang Kai shot a glance at Thunder Shadow, who also breathed a sigh of relief and took this opportunity to catch his breath.
With his previous experience fighting the Chaos Spirit King, the Royal Lord was clearly being much more cautious than before. Though he was still no match for the Chaos Spirit King, it wasn’t easy for the Chaos Spirit King to just defeat him either.
As the battle raged on, Yang Kai turned in another direction. There, another powerful aura entered his senses, an aura that was not any weaker compared to the Royal Lord who had shown himself.
This aura was just like a lamp in the dark of night, extremely conspicuous, which reminded Yang Kai of the Pseudo-Royal Lords.
The Pseudo-Royal Lords who did not have full control of their powers found it impossible to contain their auras, so hiding had never been one of their strong suits.
This was, without a doubt, a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
From what Yang Kai could sense, there were even a few Territory Lords gathered around the Pseudo-Royal Lord.
These were undoubtedly the helpers that the Royal Lord called for, which was exactly what Yang Kai had suspected. The Royal Lord was simply trying to distract the Chaos Spirit King in a fight as his other companions took the opportunity to seize the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Without being able to conceal himself, the Pseudo-Royal Lord rushed straight into the gathering of Chaos Spirits with several Territory Lords in tow. When the Chaos Spirit King noticed this, its attacks against the Royal Lord became even more ruthless. It clearly intended to force its opponent to back off quickly. Though the Chaos Spirit King was stronger than the Royal Lord, the difference was not enough to one-sidedly end their fight. Meanwhile, its opponent was putting their all into defending, getting them to back off wouldn’t be easy.
While the Chaos Spirit King raged, the Pseudo-Royal Lord and the Territory Lords stormed into the gathering of Chaos Spirits. A dozen or so Chaos Spirits stayed back to protect their clansman refining the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill while the rest rose to meet the others in battle.
Black Ink Strength spread out and Dao Essence flared. The scene became heated in an instant.
The Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King aside, the Pseudo-Royal Lords and the Territory Lords were able to overwhelm their enemies despite being fewer in number.
With the Pseudo-Royal Lord acting as the vanguard, and the Territory Lords in Battle Formations, they charged right through, and the many Chaos Spirits could hardly hold them back.
Most of these Chaos Spirits were of varying levels of strength, but the majority were only equivalent to Seventh-Order Masters or Feudal Lords, with less than 30% being on par with Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords. How would they be able to halt the charge of a Pseudo-Royal Lord?
Fortunately, there were not only Chaos Spirits who had gained solid forms here, but also an incalculable number of Chaos Entities. Under the command of the Chaos Spirit Clan, countless Chaos Entities rushed towards the Black Ink Clan from all directions, without fear of pain or death, which allowed them to keep the Black Ink Clan in check.
Yang Kai and the others also had a hard time due to the Chaos Entities when they were standing guard for Ou Yang Lie during his advancement. If it were not for Yang Kai’s enlightenment and development of the Space-Time River, things might have gotten out of hand back then.
At the moment, that was exactly what was happening.
The Black Ink Clan’s side must not have expected that these Chaos Entities that they normally wouldn’t bother with would actually be so difficult to deal with when their numbers swelled. It looked as if they had sunken into a Great Sea of Chaos Entities. Amidst them were also several dozen Chaos Spirits who were eyeing them closely.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord was furious. He had already pushed his strength to its peak and spread out Black Ink Strength as far as he could. Forcibly, he cut a bloody path through the encirclement with the Territory Lords following him and lunged towards the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
All they had to do was get their hands on the pill, then they could immediately escape from here, and the Chaos Spirit Clan would have no way of pursuing them in the vast expanse of the Universe Furnace World. Meanwhile, their Royal Lord only needed to keep the Chaos Spirit King busy for a while longer.
At this point, neither side had noticed that a small shadow in the void was approaching the battlefield like a phantom, slowly creeping towards the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Inside the shadow, Thunder Shadow was pushing his Innate Divine Ability to its fullest and was hiding the auras of both Yang Kai and himself as far as possible. Under the blessing of his Divine Ability, they blended in and became one with the shadows.
After waiting for a long time, Yang Kai’s speculation was finally proved correct. The Black Ink Clan had now made their move, so why would Yang Kai stay idle? Whether or not he could seize the pill here would be up to whether Thunder Shadow could bring him close enough or not.
It would not be easy to pass through such a chaotic battlefield. There were constantly Chaos Entities here and there that would inadvertently cross into the shadow, but they were all caught and restrained by Yang Kai.
Fortunately, there were so many Chaos Entities here that neither side noticed the unusual situation going on; otherwise, Yang Kai’s plan would have fallen through.
Yang Kai watched the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill get closer and closer, and just as he was about to reach out to snatch it, a cloud of Black Ink Strength happened to sweep past the shadow where Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow were…
The source was a nearby Territory Lord…
Nobody was too concerned when the Chaos Entities were taken away by Yang Kai, but the feedback the Territory Lord received from the energy it released alerted him instantly. Amid the battle, he raised his head towards the shadow and shouted, “Watch out!”
He thought that it was one of the Chaos Spirits hiding, waiting for an opportunity to strike…
That shout had without a doubt exposed Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow completely. Yang Kai could clearly feel two powerful auras, one from the Royal Lord and the other from the Chaos Spirit King, spreading over from the battlefield. Very clearly, it was the two Masters investigating the situation here.
Yang Kai was so angry that his lungs could burst!
If this could have happened just five breaths later, after Thunder Shadow had brought him close enough, he could have seized the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and used Space Principles to escape, then there would be a great probability that he could have achieved his goal without a scratch.
However, this plan, which should have been safe, ended up being inadvertently ruined by a Territory Lord.
Life was full of disappointments!
Instantaneously, a great gushing river was summoned and covered a stretch of the void, swallowing up the Chaos Entity that had devoured the Open Heaven Pill and was refining it along with a dozen or so Chaos Spirits protecting it nearby.
This turn of events was so bizarre that both sides that were battling each other were stunned for a moment.
Then, a bellow broke out, “It’s a Human! Stop him!”
It was the Pseudo-Royal Lord who reacted first. He was furious that some Human would actually try to remove the firewood from under the pot while they were taking on huge risks, fighting the Chaos Spirit Clan so that they could get their hands on the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
How could that be tolerated?!
The Pseudo-Royal Lord reacted quickly, but there was someone else who was quicker, the Chaos Spirit King who was fighting the Royal Lord nearby.
For the Chaos Spirit Clan, any creature that intruded on this place was an enemy regardless of whether they were from the Human Race or the Black Ink Clan!
So, the moment it sensed an enemy lurking in the shadows, it struck from afar. Though it was being hounded by the Royal Lord and could not withdraw easily, it still opened its mouth in the direction of Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow. In the next instant, it seemed to have shouted, but no sound came from its mouth; however, a formless force travelled through the void, launching an attack towards the shadow where one Human and one leopard were hiding.
Chaos was shattered, and Grand Daos shook.
At that moment, Yang Kai just happened to have summoned the Space-Time River to swallow up the Chaos Entity that had devoured the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, as well as several other Chaos Entities and Chaos Spirits which were protecting it, and he was about to escape using his Space Secret Technique.
When the blast of Dao Essence crashed down on him, Yang Kai felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His chest felt extremely stuffy and it was hard for him to manipulate Space Principles. Even the Space-Time River that he summoned was in turmoil as the water splashed about wildly.
The Space-Time River was greatly destabilized by the attack of the Chaos Spirit King, and with this opportunity, two of the Chaos Spirits who were around the Eighth Order in strength managed to free themselves from its confines.
These two had humanoid forms, and their eyes immediately turned to look at Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow before charging them to attack.
Not only that, the Pseudo-Royal Lord who was nearby also freed a fist out of his fight and punched towards Yang Kai!
In an instant, Yang Kai was attacked from three sides; moreover, the local space was so disturbed at the moment that he could not even hope to escape using Space Principles.
In this life-or-death moment, Thunder Shadow roared and transformed into his original size with thunder markings flashing all over his body. When he charged towards the two Chaos Spirits, Yang Kai also let out a shout as a golden light erupted and a Golden Dragon phantom enveloped him.
As Dao Strength was hard to manipulate at the moment, he had no choice but to maintain it with the help of his Dragon Vein.
However, the Golden Dragon phantom only lasted for a moment before shattering. The fierce power was so overwhelming that Yang Kai’s chest felt like it had caved in. In an instant, who knew how many of his bones had broken. Fresh blood came pouring out, but he managed to keep it down. Gritting his teeth, he shot a cold glare at the Pseudo-Royal Lord and with fierce determination, Spiritual Energy flared madly as he roared, “Die!”
The Pseudo-Royal Lord did not even have the chance to shudder before he felt a strange pain in his Knowledge Sea, as if a long, invisible needle had pierced through the defences of his Soul, causing him to stagger back.
It was a strange technique that targeted one’s Soul! The Pseudo-Royal Lord understood that instantly.
The Black Ink Clan had a lot of information about Yang Kai, and most of them were generally aware of such tricks, but according to what they knew, this was an unpredictable technique that was hard to guard against. Back then, many Innate Territory Lords had been killed by Yang Kai with this very technique, which gained him an infamous reputation.
However, this technique did almost as much damage to its user as its target, and Yang Kai had rarely used it over the last few thousand years.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord never would have expected that Yang Kai would use that very technique against him at this moment, so he was unfortunate to suffer quite a loss from it due to being caught off guard!
Taking an injury to his Soul was a great headache for the Pseudo-Royal Lord, but he quickly steadied himself. He was, after all, a Pseudo-Royal Lord who was not something an Innate Territory Lord could compare to, so he could still resist such attacks.
He was only stalled for a moment, but Yang Kai had already disappeared from sight. Following his aura, he saw Yang Kai not far in the distance, clutching a large river and fleeing alongside the black leopard with lightning flashing all around its body…
Yang Kai knew that a Soul Rending Thorn would not be able to do much to a Pseudo-Royal Lord, and his determined gesture from earlier was just to stall his enemy. After sending out a Soul Rending Thorn, he sent a message to Thunder Shadow and they ran.
Thunder Shadow could not gain any advantage when he fought two Chaos Spirits head-on either. In just a few moments, he was beaten to the point where the lightning around its body had dimmed considerably.
The sudden appearance of a third party not only made those from the Black Ink Clan want to spit blood, but even the Chaos Spirits were distracted. Their main target was supposed to be the enemies from the Black Ink Clan, but now they left them behind to attack Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow!
Yang Kai could even sense that two powerful auras were locked onto him and were swiftly moving towards him.
The Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King!
The two of them had stopped their fight and were now tacitly chasing after Yang Kai.
For the Chaos Spirit King, anyone with the intention of snatching away the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was an enemy.
The Royal Lord clearly did not want the pill to fall into the hands of the Humans either, and especially not Yang Kai’s hands. So, when the Chaos Spirit King tried to withdraw, he did not resist and instead joined forces with it.
This time, Yang Kai had stirred up the hornet’s nest.
Yang Kai grumbled audibly. Everything was going smoothly just as he planned; he would have been completely capable of secretly snatching the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill while both sides were fighting each other, then disappear after that.
However, one accident led him to be chased down by the Masters of both sides!
Yang Kai wished he could rip that damn Territory Lord who exposed him into 10,000 pieces…
Yet, he just had to have trouble with using Space Principles at this moment. While dragging along the Space-Time River with several Chaos Spirits inside, all of whom were struggling to break out, he could not use Instantaneous Movement.
It would not take long for Yang Kai to deal with the captured Chaos Spirits, but that little bit of time was enough for both the Chaos Spirit King and the Royal Lord to kill him 100 times over!
There was practically no way out!
Yang Kai sighed in his heart. In the end, he had no choice but to use that. Whether this venture was still worth it or not, he had no idea.
With a thought, he stretched out his hand and made a movement, and in the next instant, a butterfly that was as vivid as if it were alive suddenly appeared in his palm, its body giving off a soft glow. It danced on Yang Kai’s hand before its wings flapped and a beautiful halo of light emerged.
“Go!” Yang Kai whispered and threw the butterfly over his shoulder.
The butterfly fluttered, then its small little body expanded. In the blink of an eye, the shadow of a large butterfly enveloped the Void.
A halo of blue light swept through the chaos, cleansing the world.
All of a sudden, the butterfly burst into a million points of light.
Many from the Black Ink Clan and the Chaos Spirit Clan, who were chasing after Yang Kai, clashed headfirst into the shower of light, and under its glow, their expressions became indiscernible.
The glow of light suddenly gathered towards a certain point, and in the blink of an eye, a gracefully enchanting figure appeared in the void, blocking the many pursuers.
The Chaos Spirits did not have much of an opinion regarding what they saw, but the Pseudo-Royal Lord’s face paled as he stared at it and exclaimed, “Luo Ting He!”
It was quite a coincidence, but this Pseudo-Royal Lord had come from the Great Territory Battlefield that Luo Ting He oversaw. He had also fought her before and was almost cut down in the process. Naturally, seeing this Ninth-Order Master again here made him fearful.
He could not help but think, [Did this woman also come in?]
But when he focused his eyes on her again, he realized that the woman was not living, rather, it was some kind of manifestation or Divine Ability that was shaped in her image.
However, despite it being a mere manifestation, it was still the Divine Ability of a Ninth-Order Master, so it should not be trifled with. The Pseudo-Royal Lord’s expression turned grave in an instant.
At this point, Yang Kai’s heart felt like it was bleeding.
He had used up such a trump card just like that…
The butterfly was given to him by the newly-advanced Ninth-Order Luo Ting He when they met back then. It was something that was condensed from 500 years of Luo Ting He’s cultivation as gratitude to Yang Kai for his help.
This Ninth-Order Master had been trapped in Yin-Yang Cave Heaven’s Samsara Pavilion and was unable to return. It was by chance that Yang Kai had awakened her memories after experiencing nine reincarnations with Qu Hua Shang, which freed her.
After advancing to the Ninth Order, Luo Ting He had been thinking of ways to repay Yang Kai, but she could not come up with anything she could give him. Considering how Yang Kai was constantly on the move and would often encounter many strong enemies though, she spent her own cultivation to create this butterfly for him, which could be used to save his life during a critical moment.
This was arguably one of Yang Kai’s strongest trump cards that he kept hidden away all this while and never used.
Even when he was chased across the Black Ink Battlefield and nearly cornered by Mo Na Ye, Yang Kai never thought about using it. That was because Yang Kai thought it too much of a waste to use such a thing to kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
But now, he had no other choice. If he didn’t use it, then he really wouldn’t be able to get away.
30 breaths of time!
He only had 30 breaths of time!
Luo Ting He made it clear to him when she passed him the butterfly that summoning it was equivalent to summoning her to fight, but it could only last for 30 breaths.
This Divine Ability could be seen as something akin to a Soul Clone of Luo Ting He; however, considering Luo Ting He’s strength and that of the enemies Yang Kai was facing now, it may not even be able to last for 30 breaths.
Yang Kai needed to get out of here even sooner than that.
Almost as soon as Luo Ting He appeared, a battle broke out. The Pseudo-Royal Lord did not dare to step forward as he was wary of Luo Ting He’s power, but the Chaos Spirit Clan knew now fear. Soon, the Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King had also rushed over.
Yang Kai didn’t even have the time to turn around and look. He just felt Dao Strengths fluctuating behind him and the immense aftershocks of their battle blasted out and nearly knocked him over.
At this moment, he was rushing forward while carrying his Space-Time River. No matter whether it was a Chaos Entity or Chaos Spirit blocking his way, the river would flow out and take them all in to be taken care of later.
Yang Kai didn’t dare to waste any time here. The Chaos Entities weren’t difficult to deal with usually, but it was not a good idea to be getting tangled up with them right now.
As a result, the pressure inside of his Space-Time River was growing greater and greater, making it even more difficult for him to escape using Space Principles.
“Yang Kai, you court death!” A furious roar came from behind him, followed by a fierce attack.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord had somehow made it over to give chase. Yang Kai was exasperated. Luo Ting He’s Divine Ability didn’t seem to be as effective as expected; otherwise, how could this Pseudo-Royal Lord have come over? This was making an already bad situation worse.
However, he knew that it was not because the Divine Ability was not powerful, just that even Luo Ting He herself must not have expected him to be able to stir up so much trouble.
Luo Ting He was confident when she told Yang Kai that day that this Divine Ability could be maintained for 30 breaths of time. In her mind, the greatest danger that Yang Kai could face would be to encounter a Pseudo-Royal Lord alone; however, this Soul Clone of hers was now facing the combined forces of a Royal Lord and a Chaos Spirit King, not to mention many more Chaos Spirits…
To have to hold back so many enemies alone, a newly advanced Ninth-Order Master’s Soul Clone would be severely lacking.
If the Pseudo-Royal Lord wanted to get around her, she may not be able to stop him either.
A powerful force hit Yang Kai on the back, sending his Dragon Scales flying and flaying his skin. This Pseudo-Royal Lord had attacked to kill; after all, they had the chance to seize the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, so how could they allow Yang Kai to come out of nowhere and take advantage of the situation?
So, he was unrelenting in his attack, releasing the full extent of his power.
Any other Eighth-Order Master would surely be at death’s door if not buried on the spot by such an attack; fortunately, Yang Kai had thick skin and strong flesh. Even though his five viscera and six organs were shaken after that attack, he endured the dizziness and used the force of that attack to propel himself further, making a speedy escape.
However, the Pseudo-Royal Lord did not give up his chase.
Several others wanted to follow after him as well, but they were held back by the Chaos Spirits and had no choice but to form Battle Formations to fight. However, without the Pseudo-Royal Lord leading the charge, they were soon racking up injuries, leaving them all quite miserable.
They wanted to shout at the Chaos Spirits and tell them that they did not have the pill, so fighting was useless. They might as well go and chase after the culprit who seized the pill instead; however, they knew that the Chaos Spirit Clan would not pay them any mind. To them, it did not matter whether they were from the Black Ink Clan or the Human Race, anyone who stepped into their territory was an enemy.
The Space-Time River opened up before them, rolling in all the Chaos Entities in its path and forging a way forward. The Dao Strengths of Space and Time was extremely dense within the river, and under the erosion of the Dao Strengths, most of the Chaos Entities quickly melted away into nothing, but their numbers were just too great.
Yang Kai could feel his Dao Strengths quickly draining away. Even the volume of his Space-Time River was shrinking rapidly, which was not a good sign. He was able to pull the Chaos Entity with the Supreme Grade Heaven Pill into the river, but if the Chaos Entity could not be scoured away before the Space-Time River broke apart, then it would be difficult to get the pill.
Worse, there were still some relatively powerful Chaos Spirits inside of the river that were taking advantage of his moment of distraction to go on a rampage, stirring up trouble inside the river.
On the other side, Luo Ting He’s Soul Clone had already summoned her Yin-Yang Fish Divine Ability to envelop both the Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King. The power of Yin and Yang intertwined and transformed mysteriously, turning the area it surrounded into a kind of cage.
Without destroying this Divine Ability, even the Chaos Spirit King and the Royal Lord would find it difficult to break free.
A hint of Luo Ting He’s consciousness was undoubtedly in this Soul Clone, and at that moment, her brow was furrowed. She was trying her best to hold on, but she couldn’t imagine how Yang Kai was able to provoke two top Masters to join hands and chase after him.
The 30 breaths of time she promised him was likely going to take a large dip. It would be amazing if she could even last 20 breaths. Understanding this, she immediately sent her voice to Yang Kai, “Quickly escape!”
Once her Soul Clone failed to hold on, even if Yang Kai had his Space Secret Techniques, the chances of him surviving under the pursuit of two powerful Masters would still be slim to none.
Yang Kai gritted his teeth at her call and pushed his Dao Strengths to the fullest, forging ahead with the help of the Space-Time River.
Five breaths, 10 breaths…
One by one, furious attacks unleashed by the Pseudo-Royal Lord landed on Yang Kai’s back from behind, causing him to stumble each time. In just a short moment, Yang Kai felt as if he had sustained the greatest amount of damage in his life…
All of a sudden, the oppressive force ahead cleared up. When Yang Kai turned his eyes over, he realized that he had finally rushed out of the encirclement of the Chaos Entities and was overjoyed. He immediately circulated his World Force, turning his figure into a stream of light and speeding off into the depths of the void.
“Stop him!” The Royal Lord roared from behind him. He had been paying attention to Yang Kai’s movements even as he was fighting with Luo Ting He’s Soul Clone, so when he saw that Yang Kai was about to break away into freedom, he started to get nervous.
If it were any ordinary Eighth-Order Master, they might be able to escape for a while, but certainly not for long. With a Pseudo-Royal Lord in pursuit of them, there would eventually come a time when they had to bow down and accept death.
However, Yang Kai was different. He was proficient in the Dao of Space and was unparalleled at running away. If they let him escape, then forget a Pseudo-Royal Lord, even a true Royal Lord like himself would not be able to catch him.
With a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill at stake, how could the Royal Lord be willing to let that happen?
Previously, the Black Ink Clan had always believed that the appearance of the Universe Furnace was an opportunity for the Humans, and their many Masters had only entered so as to spoil their chances, killing off any Human Race Masters and weakening their overall forces.
However, when he came upon a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill by chance and advanced to become a Royal Lord, he understood that this was not just an opportunity for the Human Race, but also one for the Black Ink Clan!
The Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills that were born from the Universe Furnace held astonishing power!
After discovering that there was another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill here, he decided to gather up as much help as he could to seize it. Everything was going well at first, until Yang Kai appeared out of nowhere, throwing the situation into disarray…
This made the Royal Lord extremely frustrated. Why could they seemingly never rid themselves of this killing star? He seemed to be practically everywhere, always spoiling their plans!
At this point, whether it be the Black Ink Clan or the Chaos Spirit Clan, everyone was engaged in a messy fight. Only the Pseudo-Royal Lord was chasing after Yang Kai without letting up.
That was mainly because of how powerful he was, so the average Chaos Spirit would not be able to hold him back.
Seeing Yang Kai break away from the battlefield, the Pseudo-Royal Lord was also feeling anxious and circulated his aura madly to lock onto Yang Kai’s figure in case he was to suddenly disappear. At the same time, Black Ink Strength surged, and a series of killing moves were blasted in Yang Kai’s direction.
The blows battered Yang Kai to the point of dizziness, which was especially troublesome to his current situation where he was trying to run away and had to use Space Principles to do so; however, without dealing with the problem that was the Space-Time River, it was simply impossible for him to perform Instantaneous Movement.
Therefore, most of his energy was spent on circulating his Dao Strength and dealing with the Chaos Spirits and Chaos Entities that were trapped inside his Space-Time River.
As for the attacks of the Pseudo-Royal Lord behind him, he had no choice but to bear them with his body.
Unfortunately, even with his potent Dragon Vein, Yang Kai couldn’t last too long.
Thankfully, he still had Thunder Shadow. As soon as he saw that things were looking bad, he leapt out from his shoulders and in a flash of lightning, revealed his true body. He circulated the power of his lightning to shield Yang Kai’s back while fighting back against the Pseudo-Royal Lord who was chasing them across the Void.
However, he could only endure for five breaths…
After five breaths, the lightning around Thunder Shadow’s body dimmed and his aura dropped noticeably, reducing him to a panting mess.
Even though Thunder Shadow was quite strong, no weaker than any peak Eighth-Order Master, he was still far from being able to fight a Pseudo-Royal Lord all by himself.
At this point, Yang Kai had also taken some time out to open up his Small Universe, releasing the few jellyfish Chaos Entities that he had left from before.
Not only that, he also deployed batch after batch of Small Stone Race clansmen…
Yang Kai always kept an army of Small Stone Race inside of his Small Universe that he prepared in order to deal with some critical situations, but even if they could not delay their enemies for long here, he did not care.
With the help of the jellyfish Chaos Entities and the Small Stone Race Army, Yang Kai was barely able to buy himself a few breaths of time.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord’s cold voice came from behind him, “Yang Kai, hand over the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill or die!”
After receiving information from that newly-advanced Royal Lord, the Pseudo-Royal Lord understood what a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill could do. At the moment, he was already a Pseudo-Royal Lord, but if he could refine that pill, then he could become a true Royal Lord!
This should have been his Spirit Pill, so how could he allow Yang Kai to seize it?
Yang Kai, who was still fleeing up ahead, turned a deaf ear to these threats. All of a sudden, he shook the Space-Time River that he had been holding all this while. As the Dao Strengths shook, several splashes came out of the large river, accompanied by several figures.
It was the Chaos Spirits that he had swept up previously!
Usually, it would not have taken him long to eliminate these Chaos Spirit Clansmen with the power of his Space-Time River as under the scouring of such potent Dao Strength, they would quickly be ground away into dust, but the situation now was urgent, so how could Yang Kai bother wasting time and energy to eliminate these fellows?
Since he could not do so, he simply tossed them out.
With that, only the Chaos Entity that had devoured the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was left inside the Space-Time River.
As Dao Strength circulated fiercely, the entire river seemed to have been stimulated. The Chaos Entity had not been very strong to begin with, so how could it resist such corrosive power? Its body soon dissolved, and the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill that had been in its body this whole time fell into the river.
With little effort, Yang Kai easily scooped the pill out.
Seeing this, the Pseudo-Royal Lord who was chasing after him shouted urgently, “Hand that pill over to me!”
“Bite me!” Yang Kai spat out the blood in his mouth. Even though his aura seemed extremely drained, he still looked much more relaxed compared to before.
With the trouble in his Space-Time River dealt with and no other external forces holding him back, it was time to go!
It was at that moment that a powerful aura dissipated in the distance. Yang Kai knew that it was a sign that Luo Ting He’s Divine Ability had expired. In other words, her 500 years worth of cultivation had dissipated.
She had not lasted 30 breaths of time, and probably not even 20; however, being able to last as long as she had was already quite a feat in itself, as she was holding back two Masters with power equal or greater than her own.
Without Luo Ting He’s Soul Clone holding back his enemies, the Royal Lord and the Chaos Spirit King were now charging over quickly. From afar, Yang Kai felt two powerful auras stretching over to lock onto him.
How could Yang Kai dare to dally in this situation? He was confident that he could escape if he was only being chased by a Pseudo-Royal Lord, but if he waited for these two to catch up to him, then he really would be just waiting for death.
On the back of his hand, the Great Sun and Moon Marks appeared. Yellow and blue light flowed, gathering and transforming into a dazzling pure white light that enveloped his body, cutting off the aura of the Pseudo-Royal Lord.
Space Principles surged, enveloping Thunder Shadow who had returned to his shoulder and had almost become a dead leopard…
In the next instant, the Void rippled and their forms blurred.
“Don’t you dare!” The Pseudo-Royal Lord howled and a fierce power was unleashed in Yang Kai’s direction. His ruthless attack crashed against his fading illusory phantom, and the aftershock pierced through the barriers of the Void to chase after him.
In the next moment, the Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King who had finally broken away from Luo Ting He’s entanglement rushed over, but they were too late. From a distance, all they saw was Yang Kai’s fading figure.
The Royal Lord felt his heart drop. He had formulated a plan with the hopes of giving rise to a new Royal Lord, yet he never expected to have prepared a dowry for the Humans instead.
Moreover, the one who seized the Spirit Pill just had to be the infamous Yang Kai. With this loss, the disparity in strength between the two sides was going to become enormous.
Fury was boiling inside of him as the Royal Lord was so angry that he could explode!
*Hong…*
A violent power suddenly blasted over. The Royal Lord stumbled as he was caught off guard and turned around in anger, only to see the Chaos Spirit King coming at him with red eyes.
“What are you coming at me for!?” The Royal Lord was extremely vexed, “The one who stole your Spirit Pill is that Human, so why don’t we stop here and join forces to catch him instead?”
Yang Kai had only just escaped, and he was riddled with injuries, so if they chased after him now, they might just have a chance to catch up. However, this inexplicable being was picking a fight with him instead. How foolish!
That said, he hadn’t been able to figure out just what the hell these Chaos Spirits were. The Humans had Blood Crow to provide them with information, so they had some basic knowledge of and could take precautions against the Chaos Entities and the Chaos Spirit Clan; however, the Black Ink Clan did not have any of that.
This Royal Lord had encountered many Chaos Entities before, but this Chaos Spirit King, who was even more powerful than him, was a first.
He only knew that these strange beings were most likely native to the Universe Furnace World, but he did not know much else other than that.
Based on his previous experiences though, he could tell that the sentience of the natives was not very high.
Trying to explain was pointless. The Chaos Spirit King had just lost a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, which meant that they had lost the opportunity for another Chaos Spirit King to be born amongst them. So, it obviously wanted to vent all of its anger on the Royal Lord.
Helpless, the Royal Lord had no choice but to fight, so how could he still have any energy left to chase after Yang Kai?
Moreover, fighting an opponent who was stronger than himself was not a pleasant experience. What aggravated him even more was the fact that his Black Ink Strength had only a limited use against this powerful enemy…
After a few moments of fighting, the Royal Lord had the intention to run; after all, the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was already gone, so there was no use getting tangled up with the Chaos Spirit Clan any longer. However, leaving wasn’t going to be easy either. After fighting for a while longer, the Royal Lord finally found an opening to withdraw and quickly shot off into the distance.
The Chaos Spirit King gave chase at once, seemingly intent on killing him ruthlessly. This naturally made the Royal Lord so depressed that he could spit blood.
“Sir Royal Lord, save me!”
A Territory Lord’s wail rose from afar as he and his comrades had been surrounded by several dozen Chaos Spirits and were almost failing to hold on.
Originally, they had a Pseudo-Royal Lord leading them, and with the aid of a Battle Formation, they could still defend themselves, but after the Pseudo-Royal Lord had run off to chase after Yang Kai, leaving them behind, they were struggling to fight off so many Chaos Spirits.
Seeing that their Royal Lord was also about to leave, one of them couldn’t hold themselves back from yelling for help.
But how could the Royal Lord have any strength to care about them? The Chaos Spirit King was right behind him. He would have a hope of escaping if he was alone, but if he had to bring along those Territory Lords with him, he would most likely be caught and then killed.
Even though he heard the pleas of the Territory Lords, this newly-advanced Royal Lord did not have the strength to care about them right now. As his body was wrapped in a Black Ink Cloud, he left in a hurry.
Seeing that their Royal Lord had abandoned them, the Territory Lords knew they could not hold on any longer. One of the Territory Lords suddenly withdrew his aura and broke away from the Battle Formation in an attempt to escape alone…
“Don’t!” Another Territory Lord shouted, but it was too late. After one Territory Lord took the lead, the rest followed suit, scattering in all directions, leaving each of them to fend for themselves.
However, they were all still surrounded by the Chaos Spirit Clan. With the Battle Formation, they could still hold on for a while, but now that they had taken the initiative to disperse, how could they still be any match for the numerous powerful enemies around them?
One by one, their auras were buried. Every last one of the Territory Lords was butchered, their Black Ink Strength and hashed remains all that was left behind…
This was probably the reason why the Black Ink Clan could not truly grasp the essence of the Battle Formations. A true cohesive unit would stick together to either cut open a path to survival, or die in battle with honour. They would never choose to leave the Battle Formation like these Territory Lords.
The Chaos Spirit King went after the Royal Lord while the Territory Lords died miserably at the hands of its Chaos Spirit subordinates. On the other hand, the one Pseudo-Royal Lord had left, chasing after Yang Kai after he escaped using Instantaneous Movement.
Yang Kai was badly injured this time, and so was Thunder Shadow, who was almost blown up in the fight. Both were quite miserable at the moment.
Even though they managed to seize the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, they weren’t out of danger unless they shook off the Pseudo-Royal Lord who was chasing after them.
If Yang Kai was alone, he would have nothing to worry about since he could use Instantaneous Movement freely, but now that he had to bring Thunder Shadow with him and with his body so battered, the pressure on him was high.
A single round of Instantaneous Movement would not be enough to shake off a Pseudo-Royal Lord completely.
Earlier, as soon as Yang Kai reemerged from the Void, a blow was sent out by his opponent followed through the spatial corridor and hit Yang Kai, causing him to stagger.
From behind, the Pseudo-Royal Lord’s Divine Sense washed over, obviously trying to determine Yang Kai’s position.
Yang Kai grit his teeth and used Purifying Light in order to shield himself from his opponent’s probing; then, without stopping at all, he left again using Instantaneous Movement.
Yang Kai repeated this several times before he finally left the Pseudo-Royal Lord’s detection range, but he knew that they were not that far apart, and chasing after him was the Pseudo-Royal Lord’s top priority now, so it was best for him to hide.
However, where could he hide in this vast void? If Thunder Shadow was unharmed, then they could’ve hidden themselves with his Innate Divine Ability, but Thunder Shadow had almost been turned into a dead leopard, so how could he still have the energy to use any sort of Divine Ability or Secret Technique?
Forcing down the blood that threatened to surge up his throat, Yang Kai grit his teeth and gathered his strength as much as he could while bringing Thunder Shadow along in a random direction.
A few moments later, the Pseudo-Royal Lord rushed to the vicinity of where Yang Kai was previously and began searching around with his Divine Sense, but he did not find any traces. His face turned dark and he quickly swept away to continue investigating the nearby area.
This was a matter of whether or not he could advance and become a true Royal Lord, so he was determined to dig Yang Kai out. Even though he was currently a Pseudo-Royal Lord, a gap still existed between him and a true Royal Lord.
After reaching his current height, how could he not want to go further?
Moreover, he had a vague feeling that if he did manage to catch Yang Kai this time, then there was a high probability that he would be able to kill him and end his scourge once and for all!
Yang Kai had caused far too much damage to the Black Ink Clan, and many of their people had lived under his threat in their early years, so how could anyone from the Black Ink Clan not hate him to the bone?
That was why he spared no effort in searching for Yang Kai. Even though he had lost sight of the latter, he had no intention of giving up at all. The Pseudo-Royal Lord even sent messages out in all directions, summoning more from his clan to join the search.
For a time, many from the Black Ink Clan within the Universe Furnace began to gather in one place, to the shock of the Humans. Fortunately, the Humans basically moved in groups to form Battle Formations, and those from the Black Ink Clan had other tasks to focus on, so they did not have time to start random conflicts with the Humans.
However, this unusual gathering still raised the guards of the many Humans as they had no idea what the Black Ink Clan was up to.
In the void, Tian Xiu Zhu, alongside Zhan Tian He and his other three companions, stopped in place and looked back from where they came and all of them wrinkled their brows.
This couldn’t be helped as they had already encountered several groups of Black Ink Clansmen who were converging towards a certain direction. Just like the Humans, there was no longer anyone from the Black Ink Clan moving alone. It had been a while since the Universe Furnace opened up. So, after being inside for so long, the Masters of both sides should be able to find allies by now. As for those who did not, it was highly likely they had already been killed or were hiding somewhere, not daring to reveal themselves.
The Black Ink Clansmen that Tian Xiu Zhu and the others encountered during this period were all groups of several Territory Lords. Even though both sides had sensed each other’s presence, neither had any intention of starting trouble with the other. They just brushed by each other from a distance.
Liu Fei Fei was more sensitive among them, so she had noticed the unusual situation from early on and could not help but ask, “Senior Brother Tian, do you think Senior Brother Yang may be in trouble?”
These Territory Lords had quite clearly received some sort of message to gather; otherwise, there was no reason for all of them to be heading in the same direction. Moreover, they were all heading towards where they came from, and they knew exactly what had happened there and what was going to be happening next as well.
Tian Xiu Zhu had clearly sensed it as well and nodded, “It’s inevitable that he’ll stir up some trouble by trying to snatch chestnuts straight from the fire, but there’s nothing we can do to help!”
If they could have provided any help to him, then they wouldn’t have left so easily. There was a great possibility that Yang Kai might draw the attention of both the Royal Lord and the Chaos Spirit King by attempting to seize the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill from right under their noses. When that happened, he could escape by relying on his Space Secret Techniques, but they did not have that ability, so following Yang Kai would only hinder him.
But from the current situation, it seemed that things were not going too well on Yang Kai’s side; otherwise, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t be gathering so many Masters.
“Let’s go look for Ou Yang Lie!” Tian Xiu Zhu quickly made a decision.
The Black Ink Clan had their Royal Lord, and the Chaos Spirit Clan had their Chaos Spirit King; however, the Human Race had a Ninth-Order Master in the Universe Furnace as well. Only by seeking Ou Yang Lie’s help would they be able to provide Yang Kai the capital to fight back.
After making up his mind, Tian Xiu Zhu was about to depart with his group when his expression suddenly changed and he shouted, “Link!”
The faces of Zhan Tian He and the others turned serious, but there was no helping it as a powerful aura suddenly intruded into their perception, and the aura was equivalent to those of a Ninth-Order Master or Royal Lord.
Of course, there was also the possibility that it was a Pseudo-Royal Lord, as there was hardly any difference between them and a true Royal Lord in terms of aura alone. This was especially the case if their aura was fully exposed. The only difference was that the Pseudo-Royal Lords could not fully make use of their power and could only effectively bring out around 70% of what a true Royal Lord could.
The aura they perceived was unfamiliar, so it was obviously not a Ninth-Order Master. That could only mean that it was either a Royal Lord or a Pseudo-Royal Lord!
Their auras linked together and they quickly formed a Five Elements Formation with the veteran Eighth-Order Master Tian Xiu Zhu as the Core, standing by in wait for a fight.
With this Formation, they would still have a chance even if they were to encounter a Pseudo-Royal Lord. But if it was a true Royal Lord, then they would surely be no match for them.
So, after getting into Formation, all of them were secretly praying that it was not a real Royal Lord that was coming over; otherwise, all of them were possibly going to be buried here today.
Xiong Ji reassured everyone, “No need to worry too much. We’ve only discovered one Royal Lord before, but there were a considerable number of Pseudo-Royal Lords who came in. It’s reasonable to say that it’s likely a Pseudo-Royal Lord who’s approaching. There’s no way we’ll be so unlucky as to encounter another Royal Lord, right?”
Liu Fei Fei couldn’t help but glance over at him, “That’s what I was assuming as well, but after hearing you say that… I feel a bad premonition.”
“Calm your minds and concentrate!” Tian Xiu Zhu shouted.
Liu Fei Fei and Xiong Ji shut their mouths at once.
While they were talking, a figure in the distance entered their vision. All they saw was a vast and imposing Black Ink Cloud that was quickly approaching them.
“Xiong Ji, you damn crow-mouth!” Zhan Tian He’s expression changed for the worse. Exactly as they feared, the one who was approaching was, in fact, a true Royal Lord.
Xiong Ji felt depressed. He had only made an offhand remark, yet how did he become a crow-mouth?
It was inevitable that all of them would feel anguished at this encounter. Even in the Five Elements Formation, it was very likely that their fates in the face of this Royal Lord were going to be unpleasant. However, there was no way they wouldn’t even resist when facing an enemy of this calibre.
They were all determined to bite off a chunk of that Royal Lord’s flesh even if they were to die here. They would fight with all their might!
“Prepare for battle!” Tian Xiu Zhu was a veteran Eighth-Order Master, and after experiencing so many life-and-death battles in his life, he was able to calm himself quickly and shouted for the rest of them to focus.
The Battle Formation was running, their auras were connected, and World Force was churning. Tian Xiu Zhu was about to lead his Junior Brothers and Junior Sister into a fight to the death with the Royal Lord, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around to run after being taken aback for a moment.
That left Zhan Tian He and the rest puzzled, but since they were in a Battle Formation, the rest of them could only follow Tian Xiu Zhu under the pull of their auras.
Very soon though, they realized why their Senior Brother Tian had run. That was because it wasn’t simply a Royal Lord coming at them from afar, there was an even stronger aura following closely behind him, one that felt extremely strange. It was unlike a Ninth-Order Master or Royal Lord; instead, it was like…
“Could it be that Chaos Spirit King?” Liu Fei Fei came to a realization.
They were wondering how there could be so many Royal Lords popping out at once, but it was very clear that this was the same Royal Lord that they sensed with Yang Kai back then. The Black Ink Clan didn’t have two true Royal Lords, it was still just one.
Previously, the Royal Lord was fighting against the Chaos Spirit King where the Chaos Spirits were gathering earlier; and at this moment, the Chaos Spirit King was chasing down the Royal Lord, clearly trying to kill him.
However, what confused them was why the Chaos Spirit King would chase him all the way here? Didn’t it have to protect its clansmen? And what about the Chaos Entity that swallowed the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill?
Instantaneously, all of them understood something.
Most likely, Yang Kai had succeeded in seizing the pill and had escaped. The Chaos Spirit King must have mistaken Yang Kai to be on the Black Ink Clan’s side, so it turned its anger on the Royal Lord when it failed to find Yang Kai!
That would explain why there had been so many Black Ink Clansmen gathering in that direction recently. It was very obvious that they were trying to dig out Yang Kai’s location.
Understanding this, Zhan Tian He and the others all glanced at each other, feeling impressed.
As expected of Senior Brother Yang, he had truly succeeded in seizing the chestnut from the fire; and the fact that he got his hands on a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill also meant that a new Ninth-Order Master would soon exist among their ranks! Even more amazingly, he had managed to toss the pot of trouble into the hands of the Black Ink Clan as well.
But now, their situation wasn’t so good. They weren’t as fast as the Royal Lord and the Chaos Spirit King, so it would only be a matter of time before they caught up to them. They had no choice but to avoid them, yet the Royal Lord was chasing after them like maggots on rotting bones. It was very obvious that his intentions were to drag them into the fray so as to divert the Chaos Spirit King’s attention.
Something had to be done; otherwise, they would be forced into a passive position once the Royal Lord made his move.
“Everyone, do you trust this old man?” Tian Xiu Zhu suddenly called out to them.
Zhan Tian He and the others did not understand what he meant, but they could vaguely guess what he intended to do and quickly answered, “No need to stand on ceremony, Senior Brother Tian. If Senior Brother wishes to do something, please act freely!”
Tian Xiu Zhu let out a hearty laugh, “In that case, let us fight the Royal Lord together!”
With those words, he suddenly turned around again and charged towards the Royal Lord.
Behind them, the Royal Lord who was running away had long picked up on these Humans’ presence, and it was also true that he intended to hold off the Chaos Spirit King after him with the help of these Eighth-Order Masters. There was not much he had to do, he just had to stop these Humans for a moment, then there was no way the Chaos Spirit King would just sit back and let them go. When that happened, he could get the Humans to fight the Chaos Spirit King, and then he could take advantage of that opportunity to escape with his superior speed.
It was a sound plan, yet he never would have expected these Humans to have the guts to turn around and attack him. The Royal Lord couldn’t help but be taken aback by this unexpected reaction.
The very sight made him furious. Being chased by the Chaos Spirit King that lacked sapience was terrible in and of itself, but the other party’s fist was bigger, so there was no helping it. However, how did those Eighth-Order Masters dare to underestimate him like this?
“Courting death!” This newly-advanced Royal Lord coldly snorted and raised his hand. Black Ink Strength gathered in his palm before he clenched his fist and threw a punch in Tian Xiu Zhu’s direction.
Inside of the Five Elements Formation, the five Eighth-Order Masters were arranged into a V shape with Tian Xiu Zhu at the lead. Before the Royal Lord’s fist had even reached them, Tian Xiu Zhu had already spat out a mouthful of Blood Essence, which turned into a dense blood mist that wrapped around the five of them, and his already stunning aura rose to another level.
World Force surged fiercely, and all their bodies shone brightly.
The eventual clash caused space to shake for a moment, and several muffled grunts rang out.
The Royal Lord’s body was pushed back slightly, but the mighty Black Ink Cloud remained mostly intact. On the other hand, the streak of blood-red light was blasted back while its glow faded greatly. It wasn’t until they tumbled nearly a million kilometres before the five Eighth-Order Masters managed to steady themselves.
At this moment, the faces of the five Humans were pale, and blood was spilling from the corners of their mouths, especially Tian Xiu Zhu, who had taken the lead. His face had turned almost as white as a sheet of paper, and a part of his chest had caved in.
Even with the five of them assuming the Five Elements Formation, having to take a head-on blow from a Royal Lord still did not go down well for them.
However, Tian Xiu Zhu was laughing loudly, “You two have fun, we’ll be taking our leave!”
Barely maintaining the Battle Formation, he spat out another mouthful of Blood Essence and activated a Secret Technique; then, along with Zhan Tian He and the others, they turned into a streak of red light that quickly moved away.
The aftershocks of a fierce battle could be heard from behind them, as well as the Royal Lord’s unresigned roar of fury, “Humans, I’ll bury all of you and exterminate your entire Race!”
He had originally intended to stop the Eighth-Order Masters here for a while and drag them into the fight, but he never expected them to act against him first before he put his plan into motion.
They had done exactly what he was planning to do!
Under the momentum of the Five Elements Formation, the five Eighth-Order Masters combined their strengths to launch a single attack, but still did not gain much out of it; instead, they had all come out injured. As the Core of the Formation, Tian Xiu Zhu had even briefly trod upon the gates of death, but the result proved that it was undoubtedly the right choice to make.
As a result of the resistance they had put up, the Royal Lord was halted for a moment, even pushed back slightly, which was just enough for the Chaos Spirit King who was chasing after him to catch up.
While two top Masters were now engaged in a close-quarters melee, how could they have any strength left to care about Tian Xiu Zhu and his group?
This truly was snatching life from the gates of death. It was difficult for them to have done something like this without great courage, but fortunately, there was never a shortage of courage among the brave warriors of the Human Race, especially among old veteran Eighth-Order Masters like Tian Xiu Zhu.
Seeking a ray of hope in desperation had always been something that they were best at.
Tian Xiu Zhu and the others managed to escape from a crisis for the time being, but with the varying injuries that all of them suffered necessitated finding a place to hide and recuperate.
The Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King were not fighting again, shattering chaos and tearing apart the void. However, for top Masters such as them, even if there was a noticeable difference in true strength between them, it was not so easy for either side to take the life of the other.
The fight would most likely end in the Royal Lord escaping again in the end, with the Chaos Spirit King chasing after him incessantly…
Elsewhere, Yang Kai felt as if he were a lamp running out of oil.
After seizing the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, he managed to escape with Thunder Shadow. Even though he found an opportunity to recover during this period, the Black Ink Clan would soon discover his trail and he would be forced to flee again, so he did not manage to heal much.
He could sense that a wave of Black Ink Clansmen was constantly converging towards this area. It seemed like the loss of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill had truly irked them.
He was in bad shape now, and so was Thunder Shadow, so he was simply powerless to deal with so many enemies.
Yang Kai had no choice but to constantly move around while finding breathing room to heal.
But if things went on like this, it wouldn’t be long before he had no way to escape and would have to fight to the death.
He had to find a safe place to recover from his injuries; however, though the Universe Furnace World was vast and the terrain complex, it was difficult to find a truly safe place, especially when the Black Ink Clan were currently trying to seek him out.
As he ran, Yang Kai considered his options, and the only place that he could hide seemed obvious.
If he hid inside of the Infinite River that was said to run through the entire Universe Furnace World, then no matter how many Masters from the Black Ink Clan came, they might still not be able to find him.
However, the Infinite River was formed of chaotic Shattered Dao Essence, so if he hid inside of it, being corrupted by the Shattered Dao Essence would still bring great risk to him.
For a while, Yang Kai was at a loss.
The main reason for that was because he currently had no idea how far away he was from the Infinite River.
But no matter what, it was still a way out for him.
While escaping, Yang Kai searched for the location of the Infinite River. During that time, he encountered some Black Ink Clansmen who were trying to seek him out, so he had no choice but to use his Space Secret Techniques, which drained a lot of his energy and exacerbated his injuries.
Following his senses, Yang Kai fled in the direction he thought the Infinite River was, but he couldn’t catch any sign of it no matter how far he flew. This made him doubt himself and wonder whether he had gotten the direction wrong.
But if the Infinite River truly did run through the entire Universe Furnace World, then it wouldn’t matter which direction he went in. He would eventually find it.
All of a sudden, a buzzing sound broke through the world and the Grand Dao shook. The Universe Furnace was evolving again…
[How many times has it been now?]
Yang Kai was starting to lose count. He had no idea whether this was the sixth time or the seventh time.
He quickly stopped in place and calmed his mind to perceive the changes happening around him.
Each evolution was a process of the Grand Dao changing from chaos to order. After nine times, the Shattered Dao Essence that filled the Universe Furnace World would no longer exist, and everything here would no longer be any different from the outside world.
It was a miraculous process, and Yang Kai had a feeling that if one were able to see through the secrets of this evolution, it would come with great rewards for any cultivator, and perhaps even an unimaginable pleasant surprise.
He had calmed his mind to pay attention to the evolutions before, but he was unable to gain anything from them, let alone this time when he was in bad shape and on the run.
Very soon, the evolution was over.
The sense of chaos in the Universe Furnace World had definitely become less apparent, and the Shattered Dao Essence had also grown much thinner. Now, some new pure Grand Dao had even emerged.
The invisible fog that enveloped the entire Universe Furnace was being lifted gradually as the Grand Dao evolved!
It was at that moment that two Divine Senses emerged from the void and probed his position.
Yang Kai’s face turned dark and he quickly manipulated Space Principles to escape. As the chaotic energy grew thinner, it also made it easier for one to scan their surroundings.
A few moments later, two Territory Lords rushed over to this place from different directions, but there was no trace of Yang Kai. However, the lingering fluctuations of Space Principles left behind told a clear story. They hastened to send out messages through their Black Ink Nests in all directions to gather in this direction.
On the other side, Yang Kai appeared with Thunder Shadow, exhausted beyond measure.
He had never tried using Instantaneous Movement so many times with a companion in the same realm before, and it was several times more tiring than if he were to do this alone.
While he was mulling over what to do next, Yang Kai sensed something and sent out his Divine Sense to check in one direction.
In the next moment, the sound of water emerged, splashing deep within his mind.
[The Infinite River!]
Yang Kai was overjoyed. It seemed that his memory had been correct and he was indeed moving in the direction of the Infinite River. Now, he was finally getting closer.
He quickly moved towards the Infinite River with Thunder Shadow and soon saw the magnificent current that looked like it had no source nor end again.
Now that he had found it, Yang Kai started to feel a little hesitant. There was no doubt that hiding in the Infinite River was the only choice he had left. With the Black Ink Clan gathering to search for him, and with him in his current condition, he would sooner or later be surrounded if he did not get a chance to properly recover. When that happened, he would get no response even if he cried out to the Heavens for aid.
However, if he really did enter the Infinite River, Yang Kai had no idea what he would encounter there. The large river was not safe after all.
Unfortunately, he had no other choice right now.
Yang Kai grit his teeth and circulated his power to protect himself and the dazed Thunder Shadow who was on his shoulder. He then leapt into the river, which remained completely silent without even the slightest splash.
The Humans had a lot of information regarding the Universe Furnace World in their hands, of which included information about the Infinite River that was all provided by Blood Crow; however, even though the Infinite River was mentioned in that information, there was nothing said about what would happen if one was to fall into it.
Yang Kai speculated that Blood Crow had neither considered the possibility, or that anyone who fell into the river had died, and that was why no information about it was available.
Yang Kai speculated entering the river was a risky move, and the moment he did he confirmed that theory.
As soon as he fell into the Infinite River, he could feel rich Shattered Dao Essence corroding his body from all directions. It felt as if countless Chaos Entities were attacking him at the same time!
In fact, that was indeed what was going on.
Chaos Entities were formed from Shattered Dao Essence to begin with, so being surrounded by Shattered Dao Essence was no different than being attacked by the Chaos Entities.
Even though Yang Kai had already taken precautions, his body still felt weak in an instant and he could hardly muster any strength while he sank. His mind was even being flooded with all sorts of inexplicable emotions that made him feel pessimistic, despate, and distracted.
The Black Ink Clan was so powerful, could the Human Race really resist them?
Even though it seemed like the both sides could compete as equals, the Black Ink Clan still had Masters on their side that had not been deployed yet. Moreover, there was still Mo, who was sealed in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Even if the Humans exterminated all of the Black Ink Clan in the 3,000 Worlds and the Black Ink Battlefield, it was still impossible to end this war that had started in the early Ancient Era without a way to deal with Mo.
That was an opponent that not even the 10 Martial Ancestors like Cang were able to solve…
So, why was he doing so much to seize the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill? Now, he had gotten himself surrounded from all sides, chased down by his enemies until he had nowhere to go.
With so many gloomy thoughts pounding on his mind, Yang Kai couldn’t help but feel tempted to just sink down and stop caring about all the annoying things happening outside. Becoming a part of this Infinite River did not seem all that bad either…
Suddenly, he realized why Blood Crow’s information did not include anything about what happened when one fell into the river; most likely, all who had fallen in had died!
A touch of coolness spread out in his head like the Sun rising into the sky. Under its impact, all of those distracting thoughts disappeared into nothingness.
Yang Kai quickly circulated his power to stabilize his sinking body and he couldn’t help but break out into a cold sweat.
As he expected, the Infinite River was extremely strange. If the Soul Warming Lotus had not protected him in that moment, then he might truly have met his demise.
The Shattered Dao Essence that was gushing over from all directions contained all sorts of mysterious powers that was simply not something a Human could withstand. That power had the ability to influence the most minute and imperceptible flaws deep within a person’s heart and magnify them infinitely. It was not a power that merely confused a person, but rather a mysterious part of the Grand Dao.
Yang Kai was instantly on alert and took the initiative to circulate the Soul Warming Lotus’s power in order to protect himself.
Turning his head over, he could see a peaceful look on the face of Thunder Shadow, who was perched on his shoulder, his eyes looking blank and hollow. It was apparent that he had also been affected, and even his flesh was showing signs of disintegration.
If one’s body were to disintegrate in this kind of place, then the only result would surely be a death without a burial.
Yang Kai raised his voice at once and shouted, “Thunder Shadow!”
Thunder Shadow turned his head languidly to look at him, but he did not show any signs of responding in the slightest, as if he had already accepted his fate…
Yang Kai panicked. He had the Soul Warming Lotus to protect himself, so he was temporarily able to stabilize his mind, but Thunder Shadow didn’t have that advantage. If this situation continued, then it would not take long before Thunder Shadow really died!
Shattered Dao Essence was scouring them from all directions, and it was because of its influence that both he and Thunder Shadow were acting so strangely.
In that case, the only thing Yang Kai could do was to find a way to shield themselves from the Shattered Dao Essence.
Yang Kai immediately circulated his Dao Strengths of Space and Time to summon his own Space-Time River, coiling it around their bodies and protecting both Thunder Shadow and himself while pushing away the Infinite River’s water.
In the next moment, Thunder Shadow abruptly came to his senses and his eyes were filled with fear at what he’d just experienced, “This river is too strange!”
Not only strange, it was simply evil. Even a Master of Yang Kai’s calibre had fallen prey to it momentarily, so there was no need to even mention how ordinary Eighth-Order Masters and Territory Lords would react.
Even those Pseudo-Royal Lords would likely not have gotten out safely if they fell into the river; however, he had no idea whether Ninth-Order Masters or Royal Lords could withstand the river’s corruption or not.
“En,” Yang Kai answered with a grunt and gritted his teeth, examining his own Small Universe.
He had not paid too much attention to it before, but when he brought out the Space-Time River, he realized that something unusual was happening to his Small Universe.
The Infinite River’s water was not only corrupting his flesh and mind, but also his Small Universe.
At this moment, the World Tree’s clone was swaying in his Small Universe, its gigantic canopy forming a layer of protection like an umbrella, blocking the Shattered Dao Essence’s encroachment.
The realization was fearful to Yang Kai. If the World Tree’s clone had not been here to shield and isolate his Small Universe, then even if he could shake off the influence on his mind with the help of the Soul Warming Lotus, his Small Universe would still have been polluted.
Once the Infinite River’s water encroached upon his Small Universe, it would definitely be filled with great amounts of the chaotic and disorderly Shattered Dao Essence. At that point, he would surely be greatly affected by it. If that were to happen, then not to mention maintaining his original strength, even just keeping his Order from regressing would have been a great outcome.
The dangers of this Infinite River were truly unpreventable.
Yang Kai was now certain that even if a Ninth-Order Master were to fall into this place, they would not have fared well. Even if they were able to withstand the river’s corruption for a time, the integrity of their own Small Universe would still be affected.
The Soul Warming Lotus and the World Tree clone had helped Yang Kai greatly this time around.
He was fine for now, but the need to protect Thunder Shadow with the Space-Time River was a huge drain to his Dao Strengths.
However, it was not too much of a problem for him. Yang Kai carefully adjusted his Space-Time River, reducing its size and volume so as to reduce the consumption.
He only stopped once the Space-Time River was barely enveloping Thunder Shadow. As for himself, he did not need its protection. The Soul Warming Lotus and the World Tree clone were enough.
Even though it was a bumpy process, they had still escaped that situation without much harm in the end. It seemed like jumping into the Infinite River was the right decision.
Without the Black Ink Clan to disturb him, Yang Kai said, “Let’s recuperate for now.”
Thunder Shadow nodded and silently took out a Space Ring before fetching some healing pills and swallowing them.
Though he was from the Monster Race and some Spirit Pills refined by Humans were not usable for him, healing pills were still fine. He had been beaten senseless previously and was now greatly in need of recuperation.
Yang Kai also took out some healing pills and gulped them down, then he silently shut his eyes and began adjusting his breathing.
Yang Kai’s injuries were extremely severe, but his restorative abilities were strong, so his physical injuries were not a big problem for him. Only, his Soul had received some damage from him being forced to use a Soul Rending Thorn against that Pseudo-Royal Lord, which would require the slow nurturing of the Soul Warming Lotus to recover from.
Fortunately, he had only used one, so the injury to his Soul was not particularly serious.
One Human and one Monster quietly recuperated inside the river, remaining still and allowing the river to wash over them.
Meanwhile, another reign of terror had arisen outside due to that Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. There were constantly Black Ink Clansmen gathering, searching for Yang Kai and breaking out into conflict with the Humans who were here.
After several evolutions of the Universe Furnace’s Grand Dao, the situation had become much clearer, unlike before where it would often take long to bump into another living soul. Now, both the Human Race and Black Ink Clan would move in groups and each encounter would end in a bloody battle.
At first, the Humans had suffered a bit of a loss due to the large number of Masters on the Black Ink Clan’s side, but as time passed, the Humans gradually noticed the unusual situation here, especially as Tian Xiu Zhu and the others were also spreading the news, causing more and more Humans to start converging.
Yang Kai had obtained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, but he was currently being hunted down by the Black Ink Clan, and his current status was unknown…
That could, certainly, not be good. The existence of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was equivalent to another Ninth-Order Master, not to mention Yang Kai’s position in the Human Race. No matter what, they could not allow the Black Ink Clan to get him.
Using the Communication Beads that they brought with them, the Humans rallied their allies and swarmed over.
When Ou Yang Lie, the newly advanced Ninth-Order Master, rushed over after receiving the message that had been passed on several times before, the situation had already fallen completely out of control.
Aftershocks from battles between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan could be felt practically everywhere across a vast stretch of the void, throwing the Universe Furnace World into unrest.
Inside the Infinite River, neither Yang Kai nor Thunder Shadow, who were both recuperating, were aware of the situation outside.
After swallowing a large number of Spirit Pills, both of their conditions gradually improved. Some time had passed before Yang Kai felt that his injuries were no longer an issue, and the damage to his Soul was stabilized by the Soul Warming Lotus, though full recovery would take much longer. His current state would not affect his combat capabilities at least.
Yang Kai then checked on Thunder Shadow’s condition, and though Thunder Shadow’s recovery speed was not slow, it still wasn’t as quick as him. Currently, he had mostly recovered from his injuries, but he was still enveloped in the Space-Time River.
Seemingly sensing Yang Kai’s movements, Thunder Shadow slowly opened his eyes to say, “I’m fine now.”
The bodies of those from the Monster Race were extremely strong to begin with, so even though he had been beaten by the Pseudo-Royal Lord until he had almost become a dead leopard, since he survived in the end, it would not be too much trouble for Thunder Shadow to recover.
Yang Kai nodded but was in no rush to leave; instead, he looked down and gazed for a moment, before muttering, “Say, what do you think is inside this Infinite River?”
The most mysterious and magnificent thing inside of the Universe Furnace was undoubtedly the Infinite River. This large river was formed purely out of chaotic Shattered Dao Essence and ran through practically the entirety of the Universe Furnace World. Yang Kai did not think too much about it when he first saw the river. Moreover, he was focused on searching for the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills then and had no time to wonder about such things.
However, through his time in the Infinite River, hiding and recuperating, something came to mind.
Could the Infinite River truly be as simple as it seemed on the surface? The Universe Furnace was the most miraculous treasure in the Universe to begin with, and this was the most mysterious part of it. There was most likely more to this river than met the eye.
Hearing his question, Thunder Shadow became wary, “What are you thinking of doing?”
Even though he was only Yang Kai’s Monster Self, he could vaguely sense that Yang Kai had come up with some dangerous ideas. After all, his true self had never been the type to sit still when something piqued his interest.
Sure enough, Yang Kai said, “Since we have nothing to do, why don’t we go in and take a look?”
Thunder Shadow was speechless, “What do you mean nothing to do…”
There were still many Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills scattered outside, and there were also many Black Ink Clansmen to kill, how could there be nothing to do?
Yang Kai reasoned, “There are probably many of them searching for me outside, including Pseudo-Royal Lords and that Royal Lord. If worse comes to worst, the Chaos Spirit King may be searching for me too. If we go out now, we would end up running around and hiding anyway, so we might as well stay here a while longer and wait for things outside to clear up before heading out.”
[You do have a point…]
Thunder Shadow was silent for a moment, “You’re the Big Brother, so you decide!”
Yang Kai nodded, “Let’s go and take a look, then.”
Saying so, he immediately sank down with Thunder Shadow following close behind him, the Space-Time River coiling around his body and blocking the scouring of the chaotic force.
The Infinite River looked wide and deep from the outside, but there had to be a limit. However, as he sank further down, Yang Kai felt that something wasn’t quite right.
Based on his senses, the depth that he and Thunder Shadow reached was so deep that they could likely have passed through the entire river; but in truth, their bodies were still surrounded in the chaotic flow, as if they had fallen into an endless abyss.
The inside of this Infinite River truly was something special.
Yang Kai became increasingly cautious.
Moreover, the further they sank, the stronger the impact of the water became. Every so often, they could even feel strong currents and turbulence trying to sweep them away.
The Soul Warming Lotus’s power was continuously roused, protecting Yang Kai’s mind to stop him from being affected by the chaotic energy. Inside his Small Universe, the large umbrella-like canopy of the World Tree clone was also growing more and more dense.
After sinking for an unknown amount of time, Yang Kai could vaguely feel that he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. Even with the Soul Warming Lotus protecting his mind and the World Tree clone to seal and stabilize his Small Universe, the scouring of the chaotic force on his body was hard to avoid.
Even his Dragon Form, which was only a step away from advancing to become a Divine Dragon, was unable to resist the river’s erosion!
Yang Kai had no choice but to expand his Space-Time River, coiling it around both Thunder Shadow and himself to relieve the pressure.
But with this, his Dao Strength would quickly be depleted. Previously, it was fine when he was just enveloping the tiny Thunder Shadow with the Space-Time River; but now, Yang Kai had to use it to protect both of them, which more than doubled the consumption.
Dao Strength was tied to Yang Kai’s perception and precipitation of his own Grand Dao, so if he consumed too much of it, it would end up affecting the foundation of his Grand Dao.
As he continued to sink down, it truly seemed there was no bottom to this river. The pressure was growing stronger, and sweat was already starting to bead up on Yang Kai’s forehead.
Sensing that things were not looking good, Thunder Shadow quickly shouted via Divine Sense, “I think it’s about time we head back up!”
If they didn’t have enough strength to leave, then they could end up being trapped here. If that happened, Yang Kai’s Dao Strength would eventually be exhausted, making it difficult for him to maintain the Space-Time River, then both he and the original would perish here.
Yang Kai also felt that it was time for them to head up, but this Infinite River was filled with oddities. He dove so deep yet still saw no signs of an end, so it felt like a waste to just give up like this.
He had a nagging feeling that this Infinite River was not as simple as it seemed on the surface, so after a moment of contemplation, Yang Kai continued sinking deeper, bringing forth more of his Dao Strengths to compensate.
His Grand Daos did not end at the Dao of Time and Dao of Space. The Grand Daos that he had put effort into cultivating also included the Alchemic Dao, Spear Dao, and the Dao of Artifact Refining. He had also absorbed and refined many Grand Dao Rivers in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, each one of them filled with different Dao Strengths. It could be said that the Grand Daos of Yang Kai’s Small Universe were numerous and almost all-encompassing. Only their levels of mastery were different.
This was also the main reason why cultivators from the Void World could practice a wide variety of Grand Daos. The presence of this variety in turn increased the choices of Grand Daos that the Void World’s cultivators could more easily comprehend.
Without the harvest he gained from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon back then, the cultivators in his Small Universe would have a far harder time comprehending Grand Daos Yang Kai was unfamiliar with.
Spear Dao, Sword Dao, Dao of Spirit Arrays, Dao of Artifact Refining, Saber Dao…
Many Dao Strengths were circulated at once, strengthening the Space-Time River.
Seeing this, Thunder Shadow quickly circulated its own Dao Strength. He was a Shadow Leopard and was innately proficient in the Dao of Concealment. Later, when became a Great Emperor, he gained enlightenment into the Dao of Thunder. So, when he circulated his Dao Strengths, the Space-Time River began flashing with lightning, though it also seemed ethereal and was all around a bizarre sight.
Under the combined efforts of one man and one leopard, the pressure instantly became much lighter.
Sure enough, the best way to restrain chaos was with complete Dao Strengths.
While circulating his Grand Dao Strength, Thunder Shadow was complaining, “How did you manage to live for so long?”
The Infinite River was clearly full of dangers, yet Yang Kai was obstinate in exploring its depths. Thunder Shadow was genuinely surprised that he could survive thus far with such a daredevil nature.
Yang Kai laughed out loud, “How could you be born without me?”
[You make it sound as if I’m your Son…] Thunder Shadow was instantly silent.
They continued to sink deeper, and when they reached an unknown depth, the undercurrents suddenly grew even more turbulent, and the impact of each wave would violently sap away the Dao Strength of them both, causing the Space-Time River to flicker in unrest.
After reaching this point, even Yang Kai was starting to think of giving up. Previously, the reason he was able to hold on was naturally because he hadn’t brought out his full power yet. However, it seemed now that he would truly be unable to make it out if he were to continue going any further. Once his Dao Strength was depleted, and he was no longer able to maintain the Space-Time River, it would truly be the end of the road for him.
Investigating the Infinite River was just a passing whim for Yang Kai. It was a pity that he got nothing out of it, but it was not worth it to put too much into this.
However, just as Yang Kai was about to retreat, his expression turned solemn. He could vaguely feel the environment around him was changing, as if it was no longer as chaotic…
Thunder Shadow saw a certain look on Yang Kai’s face and had a bad premonition. Even though he was currently in the same cultivation realm as his original, the difference in their abilities was great. He was completely oblivious to some of the things that Yang Kai was able to sense, so he had no idea what Yang Kai discovered, but he seemed… excited?
As expected, the next moment, Yang Kai dove down with great enthusiasm, and he was even going at a much faster rate.
Thunder Shadow couldn’t help but sigh and swallow his words of persuasion. If his main self wanted to take the risk, then he had no choice but to surrender and join him; after all, he couldn’t just abandon himself and run away.
But soon, Thunder Shadow also noticed that something was not right as he muttered in surprise, “The river… is changing?”
He was also in the Eighth Order, so though he had noticed the changes later than Yang Kai, he did still sense them.
Yang Kai nodded, “It does seem to be showing some unusual changes.”
Deep inside the Infinite River, when the density of the chaotic energy reached a certain limit, an amazing change happened that got Yang Kai excited, and it was also the reason why he insisted on diving further.
As for what exactly that change was, Yang Kai could not describe it for the time being. Perhaps it would become clearer as he continued to descend; however, he could clearly feel the impact of the water surrounding him weakening slightly.
Did things reverse once they reached extremes?
With the weakening of the river’s impact, the pressure that he had to bear naturally lessened, so Yang Kai was in no hurry to retreat now.
He had already gotten through the most difficult part, and now it was, naturally, time for a proper exploration of the Infinite River’s depths. Yang Kai had a feeling that he might be able to touch upon some secrets here that were not known to the world at large.
There may have been those who thought about exploring the Infinite River before, but it would have been impossible for them to reach this far.
It was more than the accumulation of Yang Kai’s heritage that enabled him to reach this place, it was also his other blessings. Whether it was the Soul Warming Lotus to protect his mind or the World Tree clone to protect his Small Universe, these were all conditions that ordinary people could not meet.
Not even the Ninth-Order Masters could copy such a performance!
Moreover, Yang Kai was not inferior to any Ninth-Order Master when it came to attainments in one’s own Grand Daos, he was merely lacking in cultivation. The greatest asset one could rely on to explore the depths of the Infinite River was Dao Strength. One’s cultivation was merely secondary.
That was why Yang Kai could conclude almost for certain that nobody had ever reached this place before, let alone explored the Infinite River’s depths to begin with.
The inside of the Infinite River was originally dim, but at some point, a few faint spots of fluorescence began to appear in the surging river around him.
The fluorescence was divided into two colours, yellow and blue…
It wasn’t obvious at first, but as Yang Kai went deeper, more and more points of light began to appear around him. Looking around him, the lights were like ribbons, floating in the river, their luminescence creating a beautiful and colourful sight as they swayed along the flow of the water.
The colour of those lights felt familiar to Yang Kai; moreover, their auras were not unfamiliar either.
Yang Kai was jolted by sudden enlightenment, “Chaos divides into Yin and Yang!”
Thunder Shadow was also filled with profound thoughts at the sight, but he was not as knowledgeable as his main self, so though he had some understanding, it was not very clear.
Yang Kai’s eyes lit up. The idea to explore the Infinite River’s interior had been a mere whim at the start. Many Black Ink Clansmen were searching for him outside so he just wanted to wait inside of the river for a while longer and let the storm die down; but to gain such an unexpected harvest here was a true surprise to him. He actually witnessed Chaos dividing into Yin and Yang at an unknown depth deep inside the Infinite River.
This was a true evolution of Dao Strength, the primordial separation of Chaos.
Yang Kai steadied himself and concentrated, silently perceiving the changes in the Grand Dao around him.
Only after a long time did he open his eyes again with a thoughtful expression; then, his body moved, continuing deeper together with Thunder Shadow.
The lower down he dove, the more the yellow and blue lights grew in number until at a certain point that was all Yang Kai could see.
Moreover, Yang Kai no longer felt any chaotic Shattered Dao Essence after reaching this place. This was where the Grand Daos of Yin and Yang gathered.
A pure and primordial power surged in this place, openly displaying the ultimate profundity of the two Grand Daos of Yin and Yang.
Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow were practically swimming in an inexhaustible Grand Dao River!
Yang Kai was thrilled, but also felt that it was a pity at the same time.
He was thrilled because of how pure and rich the Dao Strength was in this place. Anyone who came here would be able to absorb and refine it, rapidly increasing their attainments in the Grand Daos of Yin and Yang.
This was primordial Dao Strength which had split from Chaos after all, so there was no way it would not be pure.
It was just a pity that the Daos of Yin and Yang was not the main Grand Daos that Yang Kai cultivated, though he did have some of its Dao Essences in his Small Universe. However, that was only there as a part of what he gained from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon
If a cultivator from Yin-Yang Heaven were to come here, they would truly be like thieves entering a treasure mountain!
For example, Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao, Luo Ting He, and even his own wives Qu Hua Shang and Tao Ling Wan would definitely save centuries, if not millennia of hard cultivation to raise their attainments in their Grand Daos.
He sighed in his heart. Since they couldn’t come here to grab these benefits, he would just have to do it in their place.
When he opened up his Small Universe, it began swallowing up the Dao Strengths in this place as if it had been starving for hundreds of years.
Yang Kai had done a similar thing in the past, inside of the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, but the conditions then were different from now. The many Grand Dao Rivers of the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon were all of varying volume and strength, each of them containing a random Grand Dao. Back then, Yang Kai had taken each one of those Grand Dao rivers into his Small Universe and refined them there.
However, there was no need for that here. The Dao Strengths of Yin and Yang here were so rich that he just had to open up his Small Universe and they would crash inside by themselves.
Currently, a considerable number of Emperor Realm Masters had been gathered in the Void Dao Temple in Yang Kai’s Small Universe. All of them had condensed their Dao Seals and were usually cultivating in retreat or training and sparring with each other.
One female cultivator who mainly cultivated the Yin-Yang Grand Dao felt a stir, as if something new had been added to the world around her, and she couldn’t help but be enlightened to many things all at once. Things that she usually couldn’t understand opened up to her at this moment. She immediately ended her chat with her companion and sat down cross-legged to meditate. This made her companion dumbfounded, completely flabbergasted at how she had suddenly gained enlightenment out of nowhere.
Unseen by others, a vast amount of the Yin and Yang Dao Essence had appeared in Void World, and the amount was increasing in a continuous flow.
By swallowing and refining the Dao Strengths of Yin and Yang, Yang Kai also gained many new insights, and his understanding of these Grand Daos also increased significantly.
Originally, his attainments in the Yin-Yang Grand Dao were not very high. Based on his own classification, he would at most be at the Fourth Level, Traversing a Familiar Path, which was around an average level for a newly promoted Open Heaven Realm Master; however, as Yang Kai continued to refine more of this pure Dao Essence, that rapidly improved his mastery.
Attaining Mastery Through Comprehensive Understanding, Exceeding the Ordinary to Reach the Extraordinary, Standing Above All Others Within Sight, Yang Kai only felt that he was reaching a bottleneck when he was nearing the Eighth Level, Summiting the Peak. No matter how much more Dao Strength he took in, it would be difficult for him to make any more improvements within a short time.
This was within his expectations though.
It was impossible to increase one’s attainment in a Grand Dao without limits simply by swallowing up and refining Dao Strength. One would reach a wall sooner or later.
Just like eating, even the greatest king of appetites would reach a limit of what they could consume, and only by slowly digesting that food could their capital be increased gradually.
Yang Kai did not feel that full right now; after all, his Small Universe was exceptionally large, so he could continue swallowing up more of this place’s Dao Strength; however, he was unable to refine more of it into his own Dao Essence.
He had never thought that he would one day be troubled about finding too much wealth. Pure, practically unlimited primordial Dao Strengths was right before his eyes, free for the taking, yet he was unable to refine it.
However, Yang Kai was still very satisfied with what he’d gained. His attainments in the Yin-Yang Grand Dao were originally only at the Fourth Level of mastery, but he was now at the border of the Eighth Level after such a short amount of time. Even with thousands of years, such a thing would be difficult to achieve simply by cultivating in seclusion.
Yang Kai could vaguely feel that the Eighth Level was a bottleneck for him.
Previously, he had also reached a standstill for a long time before breaking through to the Eighth Level of mastery in the Dao of Space and the Dao of Time, and those were his primary Grand Daos while the Yin-Yang Grand Dao was something he never actively cultivated.
As for the Ninth Level, it was useless to even think about it. Yang Kai himself had no idea how long it would take to make a breakthrough to the mysteries of the Ninth Level.
Though he had no way of refining more, he faced no obstruction when it came to taking it in.
As such, rather than close his Small Universe’s portal, Yang Kai continued swallowing up more of the Dao Strengths as he created a separate, isolated region in his Small Universe to store it for later use.
If the Infinite River had a consciousness and saw what Yang Kai was doing, it would likely feel the urge to cry.
Eating and drinking his fill here wasn’t enough for him, he was even packing up a massive amount of takeaway. Such greed was simply too much!
Yang Kai’s thoughts were simple though. He had reached a bottleneck now, but there was no saying when he would not have the blessing to make a breakthrough later. When that time came, this Dao Strength that he saved would be of use to him in order to raise his attainments again.
Even if he ultimately did not use it himself, he could still bring it to his two wives. They came from Yin-Yang Cave Heaven, so they certainly had a better understanding of the Yin-Yang Dao and could use this to strengthen themselves.
As for Old Ancestor Xiao Xiao and Luo Ting He… They were already in the Ninth Order and had cultivated for so many years. They had most likely reached their own limits in their cultivation, and that was not something that could be changed with outside help.
Thunder Shadow stood aside, completely silent about Yang Kai’s behaviour. Indeed, his true self’s greed was embarrassing, but fortunately, nobody else was there. Moreover… If anyone else were to be faced with such a blessing, they would most likely also find it difficult to refuse.
After taking his fill, Yang Kai was in high spirits. After closing his Small Universe’s portal, he continued downwards with Thunder Shadow.
Diving deeper into the Infinite River did not come without pressure, but it was still easier than the most difficult time they faced here. Fortunately, Yang Kai had some attainments in this Grand Dao to begin with, and those attainments were climbing with each passing moment, so the pressure became less and less. At this point, it had become no more difficult for Yang Kai than an idle walk in his courtyard.
“What sort of changes do you think we’ll see down there?” Yang Kai suddenly asked.
Thunder Shadow was sullen, “Don’t know. I’m not guessing!”
Yang Kai laughed, “Even though you’re from the Monster Race, you still need to use your head a bit more. Monsters without brains don’t survive long!”
Thunder Shadow looked askance at him, thinking to himself, [If you scold me, then it’s equal to scolding yourself, don’t you know? It’s your fault I don’t have more smarts!]
But Yang Kai went on by himself, “It is said that the world began as Chaos, then after many long years of evolution, Yin and Yang were born from it; afterwards, it transformed into… the Five Elements!”
As if to verify his guesses, the river, which was filled only with yellow and blue before, now suddenly had other colours appearing.
The Yin and Yang Dao Strengths were no longer pure. As the two Dao Strengths intersected, traces of other Dao Strengths emerged.
The evolution of Dao Strength was an amazing process. Deep inside of the Infinite River, the yellow and blue colours were gradually replaced by five different colours of light. Gold represented the Metal Element, green represented the Wood Element, blue represented the Water Element, red represented the Fire Element, and brown represented the Earth Element!
The intermingling of five colours caused the interior of the river to become more and more colourful.
Chaos divides into Yin and Yang, and then Yin and Yang transform into Five Elements.
The Grand Dao of Yin and the Grand Dao of Yang could be encompassed into a single Grand Dao just as it could be two separate ones. The Grand Dao of the Five Elements was the same. If it were broken down, then the Grand Dao of the Five Elements would contain five different Grand Daos. There would always be preferences as to which a cultivator focused on during their cultivation.
But for any cultivator, Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements were the foundation of the Dao, and that was because once one reached the Emperor Realm in their cultivation and condensed their Dao Seal, they would have to start refining a complete set of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements materials to split Heaven and Earth apart within their bodies to form a Small Universe.
Even the tallest building had to start with a base, so the Powers of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements were critical.
Therefore, no matter which Open Heaven Realm Master it was, or whatever type of Grand Dao they cultivated, they more or less had some experience with the Daos of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. Only, their attainments would vary in each of them.
In Yang Kai’s case, without the gains he made at the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon back then, even though he had some attainments in the Grand Daos of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, it was merely superficial.
But now, his Yin-Yang Grand Dao was quickly nearing the Eighth Level of mastery, and the Five Elements Grand Dao was also bound to transform here.
Rich and pure primordial Dao Strengths of the Five Elements surrounded his body, but Yang Kai was not in any hurry to take it in and refine it; instead, he was silently experiencing it.
After a few moments, Yang Kai opened his eyes and shook his head slowly.
His attainments in the Five Elements Grand Dao were not very high, so at this moment, he was only able to feel the Dao Strength of the surrounding Five Elements interacting with each other and changing endlessly, but not much more.
However, he was not discouraged. Right now, it was more important to raise his attainments in this Grand Dao.
Yang Kai was starting to feel some pressure again after arriving at this place. The scouring of Dao Strength around them caused the Space-Time River, which had been coiling around him and Thunder Shadow this whole time, to become restless. This was clearly because of his lack of attainments in the Grand Dao of the Five Elements.
As before, Yang Kai opened his Small Universe’s portal and swallowed up the Dao Strength here as much as possible while refining it.
The Five Elements Dao Essence was rapidly accumulating inside of Void World.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but be reminded of the situation back then in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, which was similar to what he was experiencing now; but there, he still had to spend some effort to capture each one of the Grand Dao Rivers. Here, it was completely different. All he had to do was devour Dao Strength.
And, as the concentration of Five Elements Dao Essence increased, more and more disciples suddenly gained enlightenment in the Void Dao Temple and hurried to cultivate in seclusion.
After some time had passed, Yang Kai felt himself reaching another bottleneck, and the Five Elements Dao Essence in his Small Universe could not increase with ease anymore. Even if he took in more Dao Strength, he wouldn’t be able to refine it.
His perception told him that his attainments in the Five Elements Grand Dao were more or less the same as his Yin-Yang Grand Dao now. Both of them stopped near the peak of the Seventh Level.
Sure enough, the Eighth Level was a firm boundary in each Grand Dao that could not be broken through so easily.
Just like before, Yang Kai created an isolated area in his Small Universe and sealed some Five Elements Dao Strength for later use.
As he had previously considered, the sealed Dao Strength of Yin and Yang could be given to Qu Hua Shang and Tao Ling Wan. If he had no use for the Dao Strength of the Five Elements after leaving this place, he could still split them with the other Masters.
There was currently a considerable number of Masters among the Human Race, and though the newly advanced High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were not weak, their accumulation of heritage was still greatly lacking when compared with the older Eighth-Order veterans, especially in terms of attainments in their Grand Daos.
The older Eighth-Order Masters had already reached the limits of their own Martial Dao and were unable to reach higher Realms, but the accumulation of experience through many years still helped to improve their perception of their own Grand Daos.
The young High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters had only cultivated for a short time, especially the fine seedlings who had broken through into the Seventh Order directly. The higher the starting point, the more quickly their cultivation could improve; but one’s comprehension of their Grand Dao may not be able to keep up with such a growth rate.
Many things needed to be polished with time.
This Five Elements Dao Strength would benefit many cultivators when brought out.
As Yang Kai’s attainments in the Five Elements Grand Dao deepened, the pressure on him lessened in turn.
Yang Kai waited until he had secured enough Dao Strength of the Five Elements inside of his Small Universe before stopping and continuing to sink further.
Thunder Shadow suddenly spoke up at that moment, “According to you, Chaos divides into Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang transforms into the Five Elements, then would the next step be the Five Elements give rise to Ten Thousand Daos?”
Yang Kai nodded, “Most likely.”
Thunder Shadow was shaken, “Could such a miraculous evolution happen inside of this Infinite River?”
This was not only the evolution of the Grand Dao, but also the transformation of Heaven and Earth. What the Grand Dao showed here was equivalent to presenting the Universe’s evolution from Chaos, step by step.
Perhaps this was how the vast expanse of Heaven and Earth was created in the long-lost era of Chaos.
These were just vague speculations from Yang Kai, so he dared not make a firm deduction.
One Human and one Monster continued to sink down, and the evolution of Dao Strength around them happened just as Thunder Shadow suggested. As the Five Elements intersected and intertwined, they began to transform into Ten Thousand Daos.
The further down they went, the more brilliant the colours became. Colourful bands of all different colours gathered deep in the river, converging into a turbulent flow.
Even though he had expected it before, Yang Kai still could not help but feel complicated emotions well up within him when he saw this sight with his own eyes.
Exhaling softly, Yang Kai cheered, “Third Brother, we’re rich!”
Thunder Shadow had no time to care about him right now as he had long circulated his power to grab onto a flashing lightning ribbon, opening up his mouth wide and gulping it down.
That was naturally a manifestation of Thunder Dao Strength in its purest, most primordial state…
Thunder Shadow’s mouth was full of lightning as he chewed. Even the pattern on his fur was shimmering. While swallowing, he mumbled, “It really is convenient for you with your Small Universe.”
To devour and refine Dao Strength, Yang Kai need only open the portal to his Small Universe, but not Thunder Shadow. He was from the Monster Race and cultivated the Primal Art, so was without a Small Universe and thus only able to benefit by doing this.
Previously, he was already filled with envy when he saw Yang Kai wantonly devouring and refining the Grand Daos of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. Now, he finally got his turn to reap some benefits.
While refining the Thunder Dao Strength, Thunder Shadow lamented, “It’s a shame that Second Brother isn’t here…”
Yang Kai had not been able to find his Human Self, Fang Tian Ci, all this while. He had no idea where the latter had hidden himself.
Though, it was just a passing lamentation.
Thunder Shadow caught another shadowy Dao Strength ribbon and continued chewing and refining it. As for his poor Second Brother, he had long been tossed to the back of his mind.
Unlike Thunder Shadow, who was selective with what he ate, Yang Kai naturally did not reject anything that came his way, like an ocean open to all rivers.
As the portal was opened again, the colourful rivers flooded into his Small Universe. Despite putting all his effort into refining them, Yang Kai still could not keep up with the speed at which the Dao Strengths were pouring in.
The Dao Essences of all sorts of Grand Daos were constantly accumulating inside his Small Universe, and his attainments were steadily increasing.
Inside the Void Dao Temple, things had been strange recently. Firstly, a female disciple who cultivated the Yin-Yang Grand Dao suddenly gained enlightenment and sank into cultivation. Following that, another three disciples cultivating the Five Elements Grand Dao showed similar signs.
This made the other disciples very envious.
Their cultivation had long since reached the peak of the Emperor Realm, and they had also condensed their own Dao Seals and refined various materials. They were only one step away from advancing to the Open Heaven Realm.
It was just a shame that the Dao Lord never showed himself in these recent years to guide them out, so there was no way for them to leave Void World.
After reaching their cultivation realm, it would be difficult to make any further progress unless they left this world to advance to the Open Heaven Realm.
So, it was inevitable that the others would become envious as they saw these people making gains in their Grand Daos.
Recently, however, more and more disciples were gaining enlightenment, often without doing anything at all. Some were even blessed inexplicably while merely chatting idly and drinking tea with their companions, gaining a sudden understanding of mysteries they could not see through in the past.
For a while, the originally lively Void Dao Temple became extremely quiet. Practically nobody could be seen in the large Dao Temple as all of them had retreated to cultivate…
This was something that had never happened since the establishment of the Void Dao Temple tens of thousands of years ago, so it could only be described as fantastical.
In the outside world, Yang Kai was starting to feel stuffed. If he were asked to cultivate bitterly on his own, then if he had to raise any one Grand Dao to the peak of the Seventh Level, it would take at the very least hundreds, if not up to 1,000 years, even if he were to start from his current level.
However, there was no need to cultivate here. He just had to swallow up the Dao Strengths and refine them.
The pure, primordial Dao Strengths could be refined into Dao Essence and integrated into his Small Universe.
His Spear Dao quickly reached the peak of the Seventh Stage, and so did his Sword Dao, Saber Dao, and even his Dao of Spirit Arrays…
With the accumulation of all these Dao Strengths, while Yang Kai’s Small Universe may not look any different on the surface, it was completely different from before in terms of substance.
Peeking into his condition, Yang Kai could feel that even if the Dao Strengths gathered in his Small Universe did not reach 10,000, it would still likely have reached 3,000…
Nobody had ever cultivated so many Grand Daos before, much less raised so many to such a high level of mastery.
It was not out of Yang Kai’s abilities that he was able to achieve such a thing, but through the combined blessings of two unique opportunities.
The first would be the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, which paved a foundation for his 10,000 Daos, and the second was this Infinite River.
Yang Kai gained a huge harvest back then from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon; only, he was lacking in time and had left in a hurry as soon as he ran out of cultivation materials.
Before leaving, he left a Space Beacon behind so that if he ever had the time, he could go back to it and gather more benefits he left behind in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon.
Unfortunately, he had not been free all these years, nor did he have the energy to do such a thing; after all, to come and go from the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon would take him far too much time. Also, how would he dare to leave when the situation between the two Races was still undetermined?
But now, it seemed like he wouldn’t be needing to go to the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon again. The Infinite River’s benefits alone were enough.
In fact, the Infinite River’s benefits were even more primordial and pure in comparison, and even easier to obtain. Over at the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, Yang Kai still needed to expend some effort and energy to find and then refine the individual Grand Dao Rivers.
While Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow had sunken into the depths of the Infinite River and were reaping great benefits, the Universe Furnace World had already descended into a bloodbath.
With Yang Kai’s move of seizing the Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill as the trigger, both sides had gathered their soldiers and were now engaged in constant clashes with each other, forming rivers of blood with Masters falling frequently.
The battle was not as intense at first, but following Ou Yang Lie’s arrival, the situation became explosive.
This new Ninth-Order Master had been choking down his complaints all these years. Now that he had risen to the Ninth Order, he had to make sure to slaughter more to vent the pent-up knots in his heart; however, the Human Race were unable to gain much of an advantage even with Ou Yang Lie’s participation, and the main reason was the number imbalance. The Black Ink Clan greatly outnumbered them.
Inside this Universe Furnace World, the Black Ink Clan could still communicate with each other using their miniature Black Ink Nests, not only sending out their locations, but also calling for reinforcements from all directions.
But the Humans could not do that. Even though the Supreme Headquarters had made arrangements before their entry, supplying each Master with a special Communication Bead, its usage was limited in comparison to the Black Ink Nests. Naturally, not as many helpers could be called over through that method.
What’s more, the Humans had fewer forces than the Black Ink Clan to begin with. If Ou Yang Lie had not made it over in time, then the Humans would surely have suffered a terrible loss in this battle.
On top of all that, the Black Ink Clan had many Pseudo-Royal Lords on their side.
By the time the Royal Lord broke away from the Chaos Spirit King and joined the battlefield, the limited advantage that the Humans had was gone.
Both sides clashed with the Masters gathered, and the Ninth-Order Master and Royal Lord led the fight until finally, a kind of critical mass was reached and both sides pulled back.
On the Humans’ side, Ou Yang Lie looked over at the situation on the other side and couldn’t help but curse, [Didn’t they say that the Royal Lord was being pinned down by the Chaos Spirit King? How did he come over to support them so soon? That Chaos Spirit King is so useless! How could it let this guy break loose from him so early? As expected, its intelligence is lacking…]
He hadn’t had his fill of slaughter just yet, but it was no longer a good idea for conflict now; otherwise, even if they could gain an advantage here, their side would inevitably incur some losses.
[And where is that Brat hiding? If he was here, then the situation would surely improve!]
He heard that Yang Kai managed to seize another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, and that he’d snatched it from right under the Royal Lord and Chaos Spirit King’s noses…
Only Yang Kai could possibly achieve something akin to fetching chestnuts from a raging fire, but he must have gotten injured during the process and hidden away somewhere to recuperate.
[What about Big Head Xiang? Where did that guy go?] Ou Yang Lie had not heard anything about Xiang Shan since entering this place. In fact, nobody had even seen him since then.
[That guy can’t be dead somewhere, can he? If so, that would be laughable.]
Ou Yang Lie was reluctant to just back away here, but he also had a few scruples about starting a war with their enemies. For a moment, a bitter taste had sprouted on his tongue. He truly wasn’t suited to strategizing as he had always been a fierce general charging in at the forefront of a battlefield. He was most suitable to receive commands and go wherever he was needed to fight rather than give orders.
Seemingly catching onto Ou Yang Lie’s hesitation, the Royal Lord on the opposite end shouted, “Ou Yang Lie, you Humans did not eat any losses this time, but my Black Ink Clan is not gaining any favours either. Why don’t each of us take a step back and call things to a halt here? It won’t be too late to wait until we’re out of the Universe Furnace to settle this fight!”
“Bullshit! If I don’t kill all of you today, then my name won’t be Ou Yang Lie!” Ou Yang Lie barked back a furious response. Even though he did agree with his opponent’s suggestion, and he himself was happy to lead his men in retreating, he could not allow himself to lose in terms of momentum.
The Royal Lord’s expression dimmed and he coldly snorted, “You’ve got a big mouth! If you have the ability, then come forward and show it! I’d like to see how you’re going to kill all of us!”
“Just you wait, I’ll make my way over there immediately!” Ou Yang Lie roared loudly.
However, he did not feel so good after roaring out like that. His rash words had landed himself on the back of a tiger, and how could that be a good thing? He couldn’t just lead his men over to fight. He was not afraid of the Royal Lord, but they had more Masters gathered on the enemy side than what the Human Race could muster up. There were also several Pseudo-Royal Lords standing by. This wouldn’t be an easy fight.
The only advantage they had on their side was their Battle Formations.
The Black Ink Clan had Formations as well, but most of them could only reach the Four Symbols Formation, and it was generally unstable, but the same was not true for the Humans. At worst, they were able to form a solid Five Elements Formation, which would naturally make them stronger than the Black Ink Clan.
However, they couldn’t make up for the numerical disadvantage with that alone. If they really fought here, then it wasn’t just the Black Ink Clan that would suffer, but the Humans as well. Moreover, Ou Yang Lie guessed that there would still be more reinforcements coming over to support them.
[Forget it. If we can’t fight, then the only other option is to back away. As for pride…] Ou Yang Lie wasn’t the type of person to care about such things.
Just as he was about to say a few more words, Ou Yang Lie’s expression suddenly changed and he turned to look in a certain direction.
At the same time, the Royal Lord also picked up on something and looked over in that direction as well.
There seemed to be some unusual movements emerging from that side.
At a distance that seemed to be merely several millions of kilometres away from where they were confronting each other, on a small chaos asteroid, a figure had been hiding since who knew when.
This figure had a brave and heroic aura, with a majestic appearance. It was Xiang Shan, whom Ou Yang Lie was thinking about before!
At this moment, Xiang Shan’s brow was deeply furrowed and his mouth was filled with a bitter taste as he wanted nothing more than to just scream out loud, “Ou Yang Lie, you old fart, you’re going to cost me my life today!”
Since entering this Universe Furnace World, he had been acting alone, but it was not because he was unwilling to join hands with the other Masters, but instead because he never encountered anyone.
He had also been searching for Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills all this while.
He had tried to break through his own bottleneck with the help of Ordinary Grade Open Heaven Pills, but they proved to be of no use. The drawbacks left behind from dropping in Order made it so that only a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill would be able to compensate for them.
His luck was not good, but it was not too bad either.
After searching for a long time, to a point where he was about to grow desperate, Xiang Shan finally lucked out. There, on this small asteroid, he found an unclaimed Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill!
Suppressing his excitement, he had been hesitating for a long time on whether or not he should refine this Spirit Pill here and break through to the Ninth Order immediately, or wait. As long as he could make a breakthrough, then he would be free to roam the Universe Furnace World unobstructed.
Unexpectedly, he had sensed movements of a fight in the distance as soon as he took the pill into his Small Universe, which worried him greatly.
It was too late to move now though, so he immediately took out the many Array Plates that he brought with him, laying out a concealment Array to hide his figure and aura.
He thought that the fight would not last long, and that he just had to wait for it to finish before he could make a breakthrough in peace.
How could he have anticipated that not only did the fight show no signs of ending, but instead intensified greatly. For some strange reason, it seemed like the Masters from both slides were constantly gathering in this very location.
It was only after a long time that the battle finally calmed.
Just now, he heard the shouting of Ou Yang Lie and the Royal Lord… Only then did he realize that it was Ou Yang Lie who presided over the battle on the Human Race’s side.
He was relieved to hear the Royal Lord’s suggestion of stopping for both parties. Xiang Shan nearly celebrated as that would allow him to break through in peace after the Black Ink Clan left.
But then, when he heard Ou Yang Lie shouting about killing all from the Black Ink Clan, he wanted nothing more than to rush out and cover Ou Yang Lie’s mouth…
They had known each other for so long, so how could he not understand Ou Yang Lie’s character? That bastard was going more and more overboard as he shouted, and kept on trying to act strong. The Black Ink Clan wanted to leave, so he should have just let them leave! What reason did he have to force them to stay when he knew he couldn’t win?
But that was not the end of it. The most important point here was that he had already taken the Spirit Pill into his Small Universe, and had been suppressing it all this while, not daring to refine the pill for fear of touching his bottleneck and revealing his location.
However, there was a limit to how long he could suppress it, and it was at that point that it could no longer be suppressed. The medicinal efficacies of the pill were spreading, and the barrier of his Small Universe was beginning to melt and expand. The commotion that would arise from one breaking through to the Ninth Order was not something that could be hidden even while being enveloped in the Spirit Array.
Ou Yang Lie and the Royal Lord had noticed him practically at the same time…
Both sides were shocked. It was a realization that a Master had obtained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and was currently in the middle of making a breakthrough!
But were they from the Black Ink Clan or the Human Race?
Even though the Array was unable to cover up all traces of his breakthrough, it still blurred the perception of outsiders. For a while, neither Ou Yang Lie nor the Royal Lord was able to ascertain whether it was one of their own people making a breakthrough or not.
But soon, everything became clear.
World Force surged on that side, and the stirring resulting from the breakthrough was growing increasingly intense, so much so that it was becoming impossible to ignore.
Now, the Masters on both sides were able to sense it as well.
Ou Yang Lie’s eyes lit up, “It’s one of our people who is making a breakthrough, and this aura…” He realized now who it was who was making the breakthrough.
[This is clearly Big Head Xiang’s aura!]
Just now, he was wondering whether he had ended up dead somewhere, but he never thought that this guy would be quietly hiding nearby to make a breakthrough. It really was a great surprise.
Compared to Ou Yang Lie’s pleasant surprise, the Royal Lord’s face was gloomy as he roared, “A Human is breaking through to the Ninth Order! Kill him!”
He had originally planned to retreat with his soldiers, but how could he leave now? The Human Race already had one Ninth-Order Master, so if they were to raise another, that would be no laughing matter. The only thing he could do right now was try to find a way to kill him before he succeeded in breaking through.
Even if he did not kill him, then he had to make sure to ruin his opportunity. They must never allow the Humans to raise another Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master!
After the Royal Lord gave the order, those from the Black Ink Clan followed him closely and dashed towards Xiang Shan.
Understanding the severity of the matter, Ou Yang Lie rushed after the Royal Lord and yelled, “I’ll stand guard for you, Big Head Xiang! Just try to achieve a breakthrough without worrying too much! When you make it to the Ninth Order, we’ll kill them all together!”
From a distance, Xiang Shan growled, “Damn you, Ou Yang Lie! When I achieve a breakthrough, the first one I kill will be you!”
[Did I dig out your Ancestors’ graves or something?] Ou Yang Lie was dumbfounded.
In fact, he felt that it was Xiang Shan’s fault instead. If not for the fact that Xiang Shan suddenly showed signs of achieving a breakthrough, the Black Ink Clan and Human Race would have retreated. But now, war was inevitable, and many Masters would lose their lives.
Despite his displeasure, Ou Yang Lie still got in the Royal Lord’s way. Presently, only a Ninth-Order Master like him was able to deal with this Royal Lord. Unless the others formed a Six Paths Formation, they would be no match for such an enemy.
After intercepting the Royal Lord, Ou Yang Lie told others to go and protect Xiang Shan. Only then could the latter attempt a breakthrough without worries.
Rays of light, figures, and Battle Formations dashed towards Xiang Shan. Soon, intense battles broke out around him.
This time, the Humans mainly had to defend themselves. Hundreds of Masters formed into different Battle Formations and surrounded Xiang Shan to fend off the Black Ink Clan’s attacks.
Seeing that, Xiang Shan knew it was a chance he must not miss; as such, he released all the suppression and focused on achieving a breakthrough.
However, it wasn’t easy to ascend from the Eighth Order to the Ninth Order, and it would certainly take some time. If the Black Ink Clan managed to breach the Humans’ defence line before Xiang Shan achieved a breakthrough, it would greatly disrupt him. The fallout from the battles already made it difficult for him to stay focused, and if not for the fact that he was a resolute person, he would have already failed.
The battles grew increasingly violent. On the battlefield between the Ninth-Order Master and the Royal Lord, Ou Yang Lie had gained the upper hand. Both of them had just ascended to their current Realms, so they should be equally matched, but in comparison, Ou Yang Lie was fiercer, for he was determined to protect Xiang Shan, which made the Royal Lord appear less intimidating.
Soon, Ou Yang Lie’s expression changed, for he saw the Royal Lord fishing out a miniature Black Ink Nest and activating his Divine Sense during the battle. Apparently, he was trying to contact someone.
[He’s asking for help!] An enraged Ou Yang Lie stepped up his attacks and further suppressed the Royal Lord. Unfortunately, the Royal Lord still managed to send out a message through the Black Ink Nest.
In the depths of the Universe Furnace World, there was a magnificent Black Ink Nest in the remote chaos.
The Black Ink Nest’s aura suggested that it was a High-Rank one; however, since it hadn’t been fully hatched, it wasn’t able to produce new Black Ink Clansmen.
Nevertheless, such a Black Ink Nest could allow injured Black Ink Clansmen to enter and recuperate.
Presently, a powerful Black Ink Clansman was asleep inside. He was none other than Mo Na Ye!
This guy was extremely lucky. Outside the No-Return Pass back then, Yang Kai managed to injure him using the Universe Furnace project’s folded Space. At that time, Mo Na Ye’s life was hanging by a thread.
Unfortunately, just as Yang Kai was ready to kill him, he accidentally touched upon something he should not have, sucking him into the Universe Furnace earlier than expected.
After entering the furnace, Yang Kai was trapped and witnessed the birth of the nine Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, leaving Mo Na Ye hanging by a thread in the outside world.
The moment Mo Na Ye entered the Universe Furnace World, he found a quiet place and hatched his High-Rank Black Ink Nest so that he could make use of it to heal his wounds.
As the one managing the Black Ink Clan, Mo Na Ye had many resources with him, which was why he was able to hatch a Black Ink Nest and recuperate so quickly.
If he didn’t have these resources, he wouldn’t have been able to do that.
While hatching his Black Ink Nest, Mo Na Ye saw a colourful light stream over from a distance and brushed past him.
Despite his injury, he was still fairly powerful, so he immediately grabbed the beam of light and examined it before confirming that it was what the Humans called an opportunity.
The person who most easily obtained an opportunity in the Universe Furnace World was undoubtedly Mo Na Ye, not Yang Xiao and Yang Xue, who had accidentally found a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. In fact, Mo Na Ye was the first one to get such a Spirit Pill.
The moment the pill fell into his hands, Mo Na Ye realised that it was no ordinary thing. He was elated, thinking that there was a silver lining for him. He initially thought that since he entered this place with heavy injuries, he would be doomed. It didn’t cross his mind that he would obtain this kind of reward.
He then stepped into the half-hatched Black Ink Nest with the Spirit Pill. While he refined the pill’s medicinal efficacies, he also made use of the Black Ink Nest’s power to heal his wounds.
The Black Ink Clan in the Universe Furnace World could communicate with each other by relying on his High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
Yang Kai had speculated that there must be a Territory Lord Class or Royal Lord Class Black Ink Nest in the Universe Furnace World, but he wasn’t sure where it was; otherwise, the Black Ink Clansmen couldn’t have communicated with each other, for they needed a more powerful Black Ink Nest to serve as a communication hub.
All of a sudden, the Black Ink Nest shook, causing Mo Na Ye to awaken in shock. He was displeased and furious, but the moment he saw the message sent to him, he was astounded.
The message was simple, [Xiang Shan has obtained a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and is trying to achieve a breakthrough!]
Mo Na Ye was only wary of three Humans who were below the Ninth Order.
The first one was undoubtedly Yang Kai. As a Pseudo-Royal Lord, he had suffered a lot of setbacks because of Yang Kai. In the previous battle, not only had he lost a lot of Innate Territory Lords, but he was also almost killed by Yang Kai, causing him to lose a lot of authority within the Black Ink Clan.
Fortunately, Yang Kai wasn’t able to make it to the Ninth-Order; otherwise, Mo Na Ye would’ve gone all out to kill him instead of compromising so many times.
However, the Universe Furnace’s appearance allowed Yang Kai to have a chance to break through his shackles. Therefore, by entering the Universe Furnace, the Black Ink Clan did not only have to try to kill as many Human Race Masters as they could and stop them from acquiring those opportunities, a more important task for them was to keep an eye on several people and make sure they couldn’t make it to the Ninth-Order.
Yang Kai was ranked first, while Mi Jing Lun came second.
Mo Yu wasn’t interested in managing the Black Ink Clan’s affairs, so ever since Mo Na Ye became a Pseudo-Royal Lord, he had been the one handling all the day-to-day affairs. His counterpart, the Supreme Commander of the Humans, was Mi Jing Lun.
Although Mo Na Ye had never met this Eighth-Order Master before, they had clashed on many occasions as they were both leaders of their respective sides.
While Yang Kai was a great fighter, Mi Jing Lun was an intelligent strategist. Although he wasn’t at the frontline, such a being was more intimidating than those who knew nothing but fighting.
If Mi Jing Lun managed to make it to the Ninth Order and went to the frontline, he would cause unimaginable damage to the Black Ink Clan because he wasn’t merely another Ninth Order Master.
Xiang Shan was ranked third. After all, he was a famous and experienced Eighth-Order Master. Although he wasn’t as powerful as Yang Kai, he was far-sighted and ruthless. It was said that he was the Army Commander of the Great Evolution Army in the past, and Mi Jing Lun had to obey his orders.
The Humans also retrieved the Great Evolution Pass under Xiang Shan’s leadership.
Any one of these three ascending to the Ninth Order would be disastrous to the Black Ink Clan; therefore, even though Mo Na Ye was still recuperating, he was no longer able to sit still upon learning that Xiang Shan had acquired a Spirit Pill and was ready to ascend to the Ninth-Order.
Inside the Black Ink Nest, Mo Na Ye opened his eyes and let the thick Black Ink Strength stream into his body, allowing him to examine his power.
His aura wasn’t different from the past, only more condensed; after all, there wasn’t any difference between a Pseudo-Royal Lord and a true Royal Lord when it came to their auras.
Nonetheless, as Mo Na Ye balled up his fists, he knew that he was no longer the same as when he just entered the Universe Furnace World.
He was able to fully activate his power, which meant that he was now a real Royal Lord.
Moreover, 80% of his injuries had been healed. The Open Heaven Pill’s medicinal efficacies not only helped him achieve a breakthrough but also helped him rapidly recover.
That came as a pleasant surprise to him.
Without hesitation, Mo Na Ye identified the direction and dashed out of the Black Ink Nest, charging towards the battlefield.
Yang Kai would certainly show up for such a major incident. Almost getting killed by Yang Kai was the worst humiliation in Mo Na Ye’s life. Since he was now a Royal Lord, he no longer had to put on an act in front of Yang Kai.
He secretly swore that if Yang Kai had the guts to show up, he would destroy him to get his revenge.
Mo Na Ye was determined to kill Xiang Shan and Yang Kai to weaken the Humans’ strength and morale.
…..
In the meantime, on the other side of the Universe Furnace World, a majestic palace artifact flew across the void, an inscribed signboard with the characters ‘Flowing Time’ hung above its doors.
There were eight Human Masters in front of the palace with a man and a woman, both in white robes, standing at the fore.
Since it was the Flowing Time Temple, the man and woman in white robes were undoubtedly Yang Xiao and Yang Xue.
After getting the Spirit Pill in the desert, Yang Xue refined it and ascended to the Ninth-Order. She had just stopped cultivating in seclusion a while ago. Then, she and Yang Xiao continued to explore this Universe Furnace World.
They came across a group of Humans and there was someone they were familiar with among these people. He was none other than Fang Tian Ci!
At that time, Fang Tian Ci was leading the way for the other Masters in a Formation and was pleasantly surprised to bump into Yang Xiao and Yang Xue. When he realised Yang Xue was now a Ninth-Order Master, he was elated.
Both parties had known each other for many years and had worked together countless times to deal with powerful enemies; therefore, they were pleased to reunite in the Universe Furnace.
Following that, they decided to move forward together.
During this period, Yang Xiao repeatedly activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks on the backs of his hands in the hope that he would acquire more pills, but he couldn’t detect anything at all. This prompted him to wonder if it was just a coincidence when he managed to detect the location of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill by using the Great Sun and Moon Marks back then.
Although they hadn’t found another Supreme Grade Spirit Pill, they had killed some Black Ink Clansmen along the way. They were satisfied with it, especially when they managed to end a Pseudo-Royal Lord’s life.
During that battle, Yang Xue personally made a move and killed the powerful opponent. Chaos shattered and the void collapsed, which astounded onlookers.
Presently, the Flowing Time Temple was hovering in the void as a battle had broken out outside.
Yang Xue single-handedly dealt with four Territory Lords who had formed a Battle Formation. Even though these Territory Lords had assembled a Four Symbols Formation, they were still no match for a Ninth-Order Master.
If they were Innate Territory Lords, they might have persevered longer; however, the Territory Lords who had entered the Universe Furnace this time were all Acquired Territory Lords, so they were generally weaker.
Yang Xue didn’t kill them ruthlessly though; instead, she prolonged the fight intentionally, just like she had against all those from the Black Ink Clan they bumped into along the way. It was a good way for her to adapt to her increased strength.
The others were aware of what she was trying to do, so they didn’t lend her a hand.
Only Yang Xiao was shouting in front of the temple to show his support.
Words like ‘Little Aunt is the best’ and ‘Little Aunt is the most powerful’ just naturally came out of his mouth, which caused Yang Xue to flush. She wouldn’t mind it if he did such a thing in private, but many people were also there at that moment, which was why she was embarrassed.
After shouting for a while, Yang Xiao suddenly sighed.
Fang Tian Ci, who stood beside him, turned to look at him and smiled, “What’s wrong?”
A dejected Yang Xiao sent him a Divine Sense transmission, “Old Fang, she’s a Ninth-Order Master now!”
Fang Tian Ci replied, “En, I know.”
A dispirited Yang Xiao continued, “When will I become a Divine Dragon?”
If he turned into his Dragon Form, he would be over 90,000 metres long, which was equivalent to an elite peak Eighth-Order Master. Although it seemed like Yang Xiao was just one step away from becoming a Divine Dragon, the truth was that it was extremely difficult to ascend from an Ancient Dragon to a Divine Dragon. That was the reason there were only a small number of Divine Dragons in the history of the Dragon Clan. There were only ever two or three Divine Dragons in every generation.
In the past, Fu Guang had been cultivating in the depths of the Dragon Pool for thousands of years, but he didn’t manage to become a Divine Dragon. It was only thanks to Yang Kai that he achieved his goal.
Yang Xiao was confident that he would be a Divine Dragon one day, but that would take a long time.
“She’s my Little Aunt, to begin with, and now she’s more powerful than me. Would I have to rely on her forever?”
He was certainly happy that Yang Xue had made it to the Ninth Order; after all, in this chaotic time, her power could protect her. However, he was downcast because he was less powerful than her now.
When they made a name for themselves in the future, he wouldn’t want others to say he was the man behind a Ninth-Order Master. That would be embarrassing.
He would rather hear others say he was the Divine Dragon beside the Ninth-Order Master.
Having spent many years with Yang Xiao, Fang Tian Ci certainly understood the underlying meanings behind his words, but since he wasn’t in any place to say anything, he only put on a meaningful smile.
Yang Xiao frowned and complained, “You’ve changed, Old Fang.”
Fang Tian Ci asked, “What do you mean?”
Yang Xiao examined him for a moment before shaking his head, “I don’t know, but you’re different from the first time I met you, especially after you became an Eighth-Order Master.”
Fang Tian Ci thought that it was obvious because the things that Yang Kai had sealed off in his Soul gradually awakened as his power increased. Without explaining anything, he only replied with a smile, “You’re reading too much into it.”
A relentless Yang Xiao forcefully wrapped his arm around the man’s neck and questioned through clenched teeth, “Are you looking down on me, Old Fang?”
Fang Tian Ci was torn between tears and laughter, “I am not. You’re the one making a scene.”
Yang Xiao glowered at him for a moment before letting out a sigh, “Forget it. It’s not like relying on a woman is a big deal anyway.”
The next instant, he pushed Fang Tian Ci away and beamed at Yang Xiao, who was returning, asking in a caring manner, “Are you tired or hurt, Little Aunt? You should have just killed these guys, why bother bringing them back?”
Yang Xue felt embarrassed because of his actions, so she glared at him. In any case, she realised that after she made it to the Ninth Order, Yang Xiao started saying nonsense more frequently.
[Is it because he now has low self-esteem? Hmph! Men will be men.]
An Eighth-Order Master suddenly asked, “Senior Sister, have you captured them to extract some information from them?”
Given Yang Xue’s strength, it wasn’t hard for her to kill these Acquired Territory Lords; however, she had captured them alive and brought them back. It was apparent that she was up to something.
The moment the Eighth-Order Master finished speaking, he realised someone was glowering at him. Puzzled, he turned his head and saw Yang Xiao gaping at him.
[Have I offended you in any way?] The Eighth-Order Master was bewildered.
[You’re taking advantage of me!] Yang Xiao was displeased. Since he called Yang Xue ‘Little Aunt’, the man was basically taking advantage of him by calling the woman ‘Senior Sister’.
For some reason, he had been sensitive and diffident recently.
Just as he was ready to argue with the Eighth-Order Master, he saw Yang Xue glower at him. In an instant, he relented.
“The Black Ink Clansmen we’ve bumped into recently are all moving in the same direction. It seems like something has happened over there, so I’ve brought them back to interrogate them,” Yang Xue explained.
She wasn’t sure if the others were aware of such an anomaly, but the Black Ink Clansmen they had come across recently were all converging towards a certain direction in quite a hurry.
Upon hearing her, the others realised that was indeed the case and felt that women were indeed more sensitive. Some of them had noticed it, but they never gave it much thought. Now, it seemed that something had indeed happened over there.
The powers of these four Acquired Territory Lords had been sealed by Yang Xue. Presently, they stood before the woman with horrified expressions.
This couldn’t be helped. Even though they had joined forces, they were still captured alive by this woman. Furthermore, the power she showcased suggested that she was a Ninth-Order Master.
She swept a glance over them and said impassively, “I have some questions for you. Reply to me honestly.”
Suddenly, she pushed out a palm and exploded the first Territory Lord. As blood splashed, Yang Xue’s white robe was unaffected while an unsuspecting Yang Xiao had his clothes dyed black.
Her action not only shocked the remaining three Territory Lords but also the Human Race Masters.
[Didn’t she just say she had questions? Why did she kill him all of a sudden?]
She could’ve directly killed them all, so why did she bring them back and do that in front of them instead?
Yang Xiao looked at the blood stain on his clothes and fell silent. It seemed that Yang Xue was displeased with him and did that intentionally. As such, he felt uneasy.
Oblivious to everything else, Yang Xue stood in front of the second Territory Lord, who was anxious as he said, “Madam…”
Yang Xue cut him off and snarled, “I’m not listening!”
Then, she landed a palm on the Territory Lord and killed him as well.
Black blood splashed onto Yang Xiao again. Although he was well-prepared this time, he didn’t dare ward off the blood. He took a look at Yang Xue and realised she was smiling. It seemed that she had cheered up slightly.
Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and thought it was difficult to be a man.
The Human Race Masters were dumbfounded, not knowing what Yang Xue was trying to do; nevertheless, after pondering for a moment, they soon understood her intentions. They couldn’t help admiring her strategy, though this method was quite horrifying, especially for these captured Territory Lords.
They thought that even though this new Ninth-Order Master appeared demure, she was actually ruthless. At any rate, it shouldn’t be surprising; after all, she was Yang Kai’s Little Sister, so how was it possible that she was weak? If she were a kind-hearted person, she wouldn’t have survived in this chaotic time.
The remaining two Territory Lords were now scared out of their wits.
The Ninth-Order Master captured them and said she was going to ask them some questions; however, instead of asking anything, she began butchering them. Although one of them wanted to tell her everything, she still mercilessly ended his life, which was ridiculous.
The moment Yang Xue stood in front of the third Territory Lord, he almost fell to his knees and said hurriedly, “Ask anything you want, Madam! I’ll tell you everything! Please spare my life!”
He was worried that if he spoke any slower, he would perish like the two Territory Lords before.
This time, Yang Xue didn’t kill him right away and only asked slowly, “Do you want to live?”
The Territory Lord wasn’t sure how to respond to her. Certainly, he wanted to live. Although they were unlucky to bump into a Ninth-Order Master, they would rather not get killed.
The survivors exchanged glances and nodded, “Yes.”
The fourth Territory Lord then said, “Madam, if you insist on killing us, do it at once. However, you’ll never glean any information from us.”
That was audacious of him; nevertheless, it was what they hoped for. If death was a certainty, they naturally weren’t willing to reveal any information.
Now, they only hoped that Yang Xue would spare their lives.
The woman’s unreasonable actions had mentally destroyed them.
After a moment of silence, Yang Xue nodded, “Good. Since you want to live, I’ll give you a chance.”
Both of them were elated and the third Territory Lord asked cautiously, “Will you go back on your word?”
It wasn’t like there was anything they could do in that case, but they now had a chance to survive at the very least.
This time, Yang Xue remained silent while Yang Xiao snorted, “Do you think you have the right to bargain?”
The Territory Lords were crestfallen upon hearing that.
Since they were captives, they no longer had a say when it came to their life or death. They indeed had no right to bargain for anything.
Just then, Yang Xue said, “However, only one of you will get to live. Why don’t you tell me where you’re going and all the information you know? I’ll let the one who can provide the most valuable information live while the other one will die.”
Only one of them would survive, and the chance belonged to the one who could provide the most useful information. There was no doubt it was a devious method, but the Territory Lords knew they had to oblige.
The Human Masters couldn’t help admiring Yang Xue. Although the trick was simple, it was more effective than any torture. She really was Yang Kai’s Little Sister. Although they had heard about her before, she wasn’t outstanding among the talented people in this chaotic time, but after ascending to the Ninth Order, she was bound to become a famous figure among the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan.
Yang Xue went on to say, “Although you have no right to bargain for anything, you don’t have to worry about me going back on my word. Since I’ve said I’ll spare one of you, I’ll fulfil my promise. Humans value our reputation more than the Black Ink Clan.”
She was right in a sense. Over the years, the Black Ink Clan had clashed with Human Masters on countless occasions, but under normal circumstances, the Humans wouldn’t go back on their word.
The Territory Lords exchanged glances before one of them hurriedly said, “We’ve received Sir Xiao You’s order to join him in battle.”
The other one spoke at the same time, “Sir Xiao You told us to help him kill the Human Masters.”
Both Territory Lords had spoken at the same time and mentioned the name ‘Xiao You’. A curious Yang Xue asked with a frown, “Don’t speak at the same time. Take it slow.”
She then turned to look at the Territory Lord on the left, “Is Xiao You a Pseudo-Royal Lord?”
Before the Territory Lord could answer her question, an Eighth-Order Master explained, “I exchanged moves with Xiao You previously; however, he was still an Innate Territory Lord at that time. Since he was powerful, I found it hard to deal with him in a one-on-one fight. If he’s still alive, he should be a Pseudo-Royal Lord now.”
Due to the Universe Furnace’s appearance, all the veteran Innate Territory Lords were summoned to the No-Return Pass to create more Pseudo-Royal Lords. That was the reason there were suddenly dozens of them.
The Black Ink Clan didn’t do this in the past because it was of no help to the overall situation. The birth of dozens of Pseudo-Royal Lords meant sacrificing at least ten times the number of Innate Territory Lords. However, the Universe Furnace’s appearance forced the Black Ink Clan to make such a decision. Only a larger number of Pseudo-Royal Lords could help them secure the upper hand in the Universe Furnace.
Pseudo-Royal Lords could only be made by sacrificing Innate Territory Lords, so the dead ones wouldn’t be remembered while only those who survived could make a name for themselves.
After hesitating for a bit, the Territory Lord on the left said, “Sir Xiao You is a true Royal Lord now. He previously obtained an opportunity in the Universe Furnace and broke through…”
All of them were shocked upon hearing that.
The opportunity in the Universe Furnace he had mentioned must be a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill!
Before entering this place, they had thought about the possibility of Black Ink Clansmen having a chance to acquire Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills; however, that was just a possibility. They certainly hoped for the Black Ink Clan to be unlucky and find no Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills at all.
Nevertheless, the information they had just heard made them wake up to reality.
A new Royal Lord had reached his current Realm by consuming a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill. Not only did it level off the advantage of the Humans for having a new Ninth-Order Master like Yang Xue, it also made the Humans lose an opportunity, which was agonising.
Despite their unwillingness, there was nothing much they could do now; thus,
Yang Xue turned to look at the Territory Lord on the right and muttered, “Go on.”
As though knowing what these Humans were thinking, the Territory Lord quickly said, “As far as I know concerned, there is a new Human Ninth-Order Master.”
A moment later, he added, “I’m talking about someone else; not you, Madam. That Ninth-Order Master is leading the Humans to fight with Sir Xiao You.”
The Human Masters’ interest was finally piqued. Apart from Yang Xue, there was another Ninth-Order Master, which was good news.
Yang Xue had made the right decision by trying to glean information from these Territory Lords instead of just killing them. The Black Ink Clan could share information quickly through the Black Ink Nests while the Humans found it hard to communicate with each other in the Universe Furnace at all.
“Do you know who the new Ninth-Order Master is?” Yang Xue asked.
Just as the Territory Lord on the right was ready to speak, the one on the left shouted, “It’s my turn!”
Yang Xue had said that whoever could provide the most useful information would survive; since it had something to do with his survival, this Territory Lord naturally had to fight for it.
Yang Xue turned to look at him, after which the Territory Lord on the left continued, “The Ninth-Order Master is named Ou Yang Lie!”
Hearing that, all of them were surprised.
Ou Yang Lie was one of the oldest Eighth-Order Masters who had been fighting against the Black Ink Clan back on the Black Ink Battlefield over 10,000 years prior to the invasion of the 3,000 Worlds. He had also made a name for himself in Profound Nether Territory during the war even after that. Everyone present had heard about him before.
Furthermore, it was said that Ou Yang Lie had been left with many concerning hidden injuries from his countless battles against the Black Ink Clan. His Small Universe had been damaged, so he was no longer at the peak of his power.
No one could’ve expected that he would acquire such an opportunity in the Universe Furnace and make it to the Ninth Order.
There was no doubt it was a piece of exhilarating news for the Human Race.
The Territory Lord on the right then said, “The conflict this time started because of an opportunity.”
The one on the left cut him off, “After Sir Xiao You became a Royal Lord, he accidentally discovered another opportunity; however, that opportunity was protected by some native Masters. One of them is just as powerful as Sir Xiao You.”
“A Chaos Spirit King?” Someone postulated.
The Black Ink Clan knew nothing about the Chaos Spirit Clan, but the Humans were aware of it. A native Master who was just as formidable as a Royal Lord must be a Chaos Spirit King.
“I guess so,” the Territory Lord went on to say, “After discovering the opportunity, Sir Xiao You summoned more people to assist him. While he was tangled up with the Chaos Spirit King, he directed others to snatch the opportunity. However, Sir Yang Kai somehow approached them undetected and snatched the opportunity.”
“What!?” Yang Xiao and Yang Xue were both shocked.
Yang Xiao questioned anxiously, “You said my Adoptive Father… That opportunity was snatched by Yang Kai?”
The other Territory Lord nodded, “That’s the reason both sides are engaging in a large-scale conflict. Since the opportunity was snatched away, Sir Xiao You was naturally displeased. He has summoned more people to track Sir Yang Kai down, which caught the Human Race’s attention. That’s why more and more people from both Races are gathering together. We too were on our way there as well.”
They had bumped into these Human Race Masters before they even arrived at their destination; now, only two out of four Territory Lords remained alive.
“How severe are his injuries?” Yang Xue questioned grimly.
Yang Kai snatched a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill while a Royal Lord and a Chaos Spirit King were fighting nearby. Although Yang Kai was unmatched when it came to escaping, he couldn’t possibly flee from such a situation unscathed. There was no doubt he was injured, but no one was aware of his condition.
The Territory Lord on the left shook his head, “No idea. We haven’t heard any news on Sir Yang Kai again.”
“Then ask now!” Yang Xue demanded.
These Territory Lords wouldn’t dare displease her. One of them quickly fished out a miniature Black Ink Nest and communicated with the other Territory Lords.
A while later, he put away the Black Ink Nest and replied, “Sir Yang Kai is badly injured, but no one knows where he is.”
Yang Xue breathed a sigh of relief. Since the Black Ink Clansmen were not aware of where Yang Kai was, it meant that he didn’t fall into their hands. Given his abilities, he must have escaped and was now recuperating somewhere.
These Territory Lords realised that Yang Kai must be related to this Ninth-Order woman; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so agitated at the mere mention of his name.
They cautiously waited for Yang Xue to calm down before one of them continued, “We have no idea where Sir Yang Kai is hiding with that opportunity. Just as the battle seemed to have reached a stalemate and both sides were preparing to withdraw though, something happened. As a result, the battle intensified instead.”
“What happened?” Yang Xiao furrowed his brow. Although he didn’t take part in the battle, he felt that it was full of twists and turns just by listening to these Territory Lords.
The other Territory Lord explained, “Sir Xiang Shan was suddenly discovered nearby, showing signs of achieving a breakthrough. He must have obtained an opportunity and was preparing to refine it. He probably didn’t expect so many people to gather together in that area…”
All the Humans were now torn between tears and laughter.
They were thrilled because Xiang Shan had also gotten a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and was about to achieve a breakthrough; if he succeeded, the Human Race would have three new Ninth-Order Masters.
That hadn’t even included Yang Kai, who had snatched another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill away.
Nevertheless, the place that Xiang Shan had chosen to hide was quite awkward, which led to the Masters from both sides detecting the fluctuations of his breakthrough. Both parties were about to retreat, but instead got into a massive fight again because of that.
Behind Yang Xue, an Eighth-Order Master cupped his fist, “Senior Sister, since an intense battle has broken out, we should rush over to assist.”
Although they knew little about the situation over there, they believed that the Humans were at a disadvantage; after all, the Black Ink Clan could communicate with each other through the Black Ink Nests over vast distances while the Humans couldn’t. Therefore, there must be more Black Ink Clansmen than Humans over there.
Ou Yang Lie had to hold Xiao You back and protect Xiang Shan at the same time. It was imaginable that the Humans were in a perilous situation.
Yang Xue nodded, knowing that this matter could not be delayed. She initially wanted to slowly glean all the information she could from these Territory Lords, but she was no longer in the mood to do so. The next instant, she drove the Flowing Time Temple forward and instructed the Territory Lords to give directions.
If they were to look for the battlefield on their own, they might not be able to find the location; nevertheless, with these Territory Lords’ help, they didn’t need to worry about anything, for the Black Ink Nests could locate the battlefield.
Although the Territory Lords were disgruntled, they wouldn’t dare disobey Yang Xue. As such, they promptly pointed the way for her.
While on their way, Yang Xue tried to extract as much information from these Territory Lords as possible.
The information they knew was limited, so there naturally came a time when they had nothing else to say.
In the end, they could no longer provide any useful information.
Yang Xue motioned for Yang Xiao to take action, after which he flashed a wide smile at the Territory Lords, one so eerie that they shuddered.
The next moment, they were horrified by what they saw. Two marks appeared on the backs of Yang Xiao’s hands. Yellow light and blue light merged and turned into a dazzling white light.
Purifying Light!
The Black Ink Clan had been battling against the Humans for millennia, so they were familiar with this pure white light. In battle, Human Race Masters would often summon Evil Purging Divine Spears, which contained intense Purifying Light.
However, it was the Territory Lords’ first time seeing someone directly condensing Purifying Light, which was why they were scared out of their wits.
In front of the Flowing Time Temple, Yang Xiao smiled harmlessly, but the two Acquired Territory Lords, whose powers had been sealed, quivered like quails without a home in winter.
They felt that the Humans were preparing to kill them after gleaning all the information from them. Although the Humans had promised to let one of them off, they had now decided to end their lives. It seemed that they were about to go back on their word.
However, it wasn’t like these Territory Lords had the power to resist.
Ignoring them, Yang Xiao activated the Purifying Light and covered them in the dazzling white light. Instantly, these Territory Lords howled in pain as their Black Ink Strength was dispelled and their auras plunged.
A moment later, Yang Xiao retracted his hands.
Although the Territory Lords appeared battered, they were still alive at the very least, but both of them were shocked and puzzled.
[We’re still alive? Does that mean they have decided not to kill us?]
Yang Xiao snorted, “Since my Little Aunt said she will let one of you go, she won’t go back on her word. Or what, did you think I was going to kill you?”
After escaping from death’s door, the Territory Lords acted meekly. Unlike how flustered they were a moment ago, they were now slightly at ease.
They also understood why the Humans were willing to fulfil their promise.
Although the Purifying Light didn’t kill them, it significantly weakened their auras and caused their strength to plummet. They were originally Territory Lords, but now they could only be considered High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen. Several thousand years of cultivation was gone, just like that.
Two High-Rank Black Ink Clansmen were no longer of any use in the Universe Furnace, which was full of powerful Masters. If they came across other Human Race Masters now, they would easily die.
“Since you’ve been cooperative, I’ll let both of you go,” Yang Xiao announced and extended his hand, “Give me your Black Ink Nest!”
Not having the guts to hesitate, they promptly fished out a Black Ink Nest and presented it to him.
Only then did Yang Xiao wave his hand and slap these Black Ink Clansmen out of the temple before bellowing, “Get lost!”
Having just survived a calamity, these Black Ink Clansmen ran for their lives without delay. As for whether they would bump into other Humans and get killed, that was up to luck now.
In front of the temple, Yang Xue asked, “Since you’ve chased them away, who will point out the directions for us?”
“They’re no longer needed. I’ve got the location,” Yang Xiao replied and showed her the Great Sun and Moon Marks on the backs of his hands.
Yang Xue understood what was going on upon seeing that.
Initially, Yang Xiao relied on the Great Sun and Moon Marks to lead them to find a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, thus allowing Yang Xue to make it to the Ninth Order.
During this period, Yang Xiao had been trying to look for another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill using the same method, but they found nothing. As such, they thought that their previous discovery was merely a coincidence.
Now, it seemed that it wasn’t a coincidence. With the help of the Great Sun and Moon Marks, Yang Xiao was able to detect the locations of Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills.
Since Yang Xiao had detected the Spirit Pill’s whereabouts, it suggested that the battlefield wasn’t far away from them. The Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill must be the one in Xiang Shan’s possession.
Yang Xiao turned to look at her, “Little Aunt, I’ve confiscated their Black Ink Nest because I was worried they’ll share our information with the other Black Ink Clansmen. The enemies are not aware that you’ve ascended to the Ninth-Order yet. When we arrive at the battlefield, I’ll divert the Black Ink Clans’ attention while you look for an opportunity to support Martial Uncle Ou Yang to kill the Royal Lord.”
Yang Xue nodded, “Good.”
“Old Fang, you assist Little Aunt,” Yang Xiao then turned to look at Fang Tian Ci. Although he had been emotionally unstable recently, he was once the Leader of an Elite Squad, after all. Given his experience on the various battlefields, Yang Xiao could make some arrangements in an orderly manner.
Fang Tian Ci nodded, “Please rest assured.”
“The rest will form two Battle Formations with me. Let’s go kill those Black Ink Clan bastards!” Yang Xiao shouted. He was high-spirited as they were ready to barge into the battlefield and destroy the enemy.
No one disagreed.
A moment later, they felt the fallout of battles coming from up ahead. Apparently, they were about to arrive at the battlefield.
Fang Tian Ci and Yang Xue exchanged glances before leaping out. As Space Principles undulated, they vanished.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiao drove the Flowing Time Temple forward openly and menacingly. Before they even reached the battlefield, he roared at the top of his lungs, “Yang Xiao of the Dragon Clan has arrived! Black Ink Clan bastards, are you prepared to die!?”
Presently, the Humans were in a perilous situation. Many Human Race Masters had surrounded Xiang Shan and set up a defence line and were mainly fending off the enemies’ attacks.
They were at a disadvantage when it came to numbers, so even if they were unrestricted, they couldn’t possibly gain the upper hand, not to mention that they had to protect Xiang Shan now.
The Black Ink Clan continuously launched powerful Secret Techniques on the Humans in an attempt to shatter the defence line and disrupt Xiang Shan’s ascension.
Ou Yang Lie was unable to help as the Royal Lord named Xiao You was determined to tie him down, giving him no chance to take a breath. He had to defeat Xiao You before he could give Xiang Shan a hand.
He secretly cursed at Xiang Shan for dragging all of them into such a situation. Xiang Shan had chosen the wrong time to achieve an ascension, and worst of all, the location he had selected was so awkward.
Due to various reasons, the Human Race Masters were unable to advance further or retreat. They could only grit their teeth and hold on.
However, if this dragged on, once the Humans’ defence line was broken, things would collapse like an avalanche. Not only would Xiang Shan fail his ascension, but many Human Race Masters would lose their lives, as well.
Just as they were in a deadlock, Ou Yang Lie heard Yang Xiao’s voice all of a sudden. Elated, he roared, “Yang Xiao, go and protect Xiang Shan right away!”
Yang Xiao had seen what was happening on the battlefield, so he didn’t need Ou Yang Lie to tell him what to do. He drove the Flowing Time Temple forward and charged towards the battlefield with seven Human Race Masters in tow. The temple arrived at a weak point in the defence line, after which they started warding off the attacks.
The Black Ink Clansmen on that side were so frustrated that they almost spat blood. Initially, they had the chance to break through the enemy lines. By then, they could go straight to attack Xiang Shan.
Presently, Xiang Shan was attempting a breakthrough, so he was powerless to counterattack. Regardless of whether they could kill Xiang Shan or not in the end, they could make him fail at the very least.
They didn’t expect more Humans to come over at this critical moment. What was more, these Humans had brought with them a powerful Mobile Palace Artifact, which plugged the originally weak point in the Humans’ defence line.
Those from the Black Ink Clan were resentful of Yang Xiao. Nevertheless, the Flowing Time Temple had a robust defence. Since they were unable to destroy it, they decided to attack elsewhere.
Seeing that, Yang Xiao roared, “Where do you think you’re going!?”
The Black Ink Clansmen directly ignored him.
Yang Xiao was anxious, but he couldn’t take the initiative to attack. As such, he bellowed again, “Yang Kai is my Adoptive Father! He can easily slaughter all of you trash from the Black Ink Clan! Since he’s not around now, I’ll teach all of you a lesson on his behalf! If you have the guts, come and fight me!”
Those who were moving away, suddenly all stopped in their tracks. A Pseudo-Royal Lord’s eyes reddened as he glowered at Yang Xiao, “Did you just say Yang Kai is your Adoptive Father?”
Standing in front of the Flowing Time Temple, Yang Xiao looked condescendingly at him, “Yes! Do you have a problem with that?”
“Then you must die!” The Pseudo-Royal Lord roared and shouted, “Tear him apart!”
The next instant, with the Pseudo-Royal Lord leading the way, multiple Territory Lords charged towards the Flowing Time Temple.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiao was surprised by their reaction. He just wanted to curse at the enemies and pin them down; never did he expect them to react in such a way. Seeing that the enemies were coming over, he yelled, “Make ready!”
The seven others he had brought with him already had their auras connected and formed two Battle Formations. With the help of the Flowing Time Temple’s power, they engaged the enemy.
As they fought, Yang Xiao suddenly mocked, “It seems that your aura is unstable, Sir Pseudo-Royal Lord. Did my Adoptive Father punch you or something?”
At the mention of this, the Pseudo-Royal Lord intensified his attacks.
Yang Xiao was startled, for he didn’t expect his speculation to be right. He asked curiously, “What’s your name? When I see my Adoptive Father, I’ll tell him to kill you.”
The Pseudo-Royal Lord said through clenched teeth, “My name is Meng Que! At least now you’ll know who killed you!”
He was one of the earliest Pseudo-Royal Lords within the Black Ink Clan, so there was no doubt he held a prestigious position. However, when Yang Kai formed a Battle Formation with other Humans he managed to injure him seriously, which was greatly humiliating for Meng Que.
Although Yang Kai was badly injured now, he was nowhere to be found. As such, Meng Que was unable to get his revenge.
It was only natural that he wanted to vent his fury on Yang Xiao, who was Yang Kai’s Adoptive Son.
Although he couldn’t kill Yang Kai, Meng Que had the confidence to butcher Yang Xiao. The place where Yang Xiao and the others were located was in turmoil while they were dealing with the bombardment of attacks. Fortunately, they had the Flowing Time Temple’s protection. Otherwise, they couldn’t have persevered. After all, a Pseudo-Royal Lord was significantly more powerful than a Territory Lord. Meng Que being injured and unable to fully use all his power also helped immensely.
On the other side, with the help of Space Principles, Fang Tian Ci and Yang Xue stealthily approached Ou Yang Lie and Xiao You.
Although Fang Tian Ci had earned the moniker ‘Little Yang Kai’, he was still inferior to the true body when it came to mastery in the Dao of Space. Furthermore, Yang Xue was a Ninth-Order Master; as such, he felt pressured bringing her with him and helping to hide her aura at the same time.
“We have to stop here. If we go any closer, the enemy will notice us,” Fang Tian Ci said while stopping in his tracks, “Be careful.”
Yang Xue nodded but wasn’t in a rush to make a move; instead, she was observing the battle and waiting for a chance.
Killing a Royal Lord wasn’t easy, and the timing to make a move was crucial.
As though noticing a powerful presence, Xiao You became uneasy. He had a feeling that someone was staring at him in secret, so he reserved some of his strength. He was initially equally matched with Ou Yang Lie, but now the latter gained a slight upper hand.
Ou Yang Lie naturally noticed this and began openly taunting him. Ignoring the foul-mouthed Human in front of him, Xiao You wondered where his sense of unease came from.
Soon, however, he realised what the source was.
A powerful and unrestrained aura was suddenly felt rushing over from the distance. The aura didn’t have the signature of World Force or Black Ink Strength. Rather, it felt like pure chaos.
[It’s that Chaos Spirit King! I can’t believe that guy found me!]
At that moment, Xiao You was both shocked and flustered.
Xiao You was terrified of the Chaos Spirit King after the traumatising experience previously. He felt wronged since he wasn’t at fault.
He was indeed the one who discovered the Chaos Spirit Clan’s Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill and intended to snatch it, but he didn’t achieve his goal in the end. Instead, the Spirit Pill was stealthily taken away by Yang Kai. The Chaos Spirit King was so stupid though that after the culprit Yang Kai ran away, it targeted Xiao You.
Before coming across Ou Yang Lie, Xiao You had been hunted down by the Chaos Spirit King, but just as he thought he had finally gotten rid of it, this guy appeared all of a sudden.
It was likely that the Chaos Spirit King was attracted to the great disturbance of the battle. Since the Humans and the Black Ink Clansmen were clashing in this place, it was only natural that the Chaos Spirit King would notice the clamour.
Therefore, the moment Xiao You detected the Chaos Spirit King’s presence, he had the urge to flee right away.
He and Ou Yang Lie were equally matched, but if the Chaos Spirit King joined the fight, he wouldn’t be able to deal with the two of them on his own.
He had personally had a taste of the Chaos Spirit King’s power, so he knew that it was stronger than either Ou Yang Lie or himself by a substantial margin.
Nevertheless, he soon calmed himself. The Chaos Spirit King had very low sentience; otherwise, it wouldn’t have relentlessly raced after him.
Now that it was here, regardless of whether it was attracted to the fallout of the battles, the most attractive thing to it wasn’t the Human Race or the Black Ink Clan, it was the Spirit Pill’s aura.
The Chaos Spirit King was enraged because it had lost a Spirit Pill, so now that there was another ripe for the picking, the Chaos Spirit King would likely want to snatch it.
Xiao You now felt that it might not necessarily be a bad thing for the Black Ink Clan that the Chaos Spirit King appeared all of a sudden. Perhaps things would go contrary to the Humans’ wishes and lead to their downfall.
Therefore, he suppressed his urge to flee while dealing with Ou Yang Lie and paying some attention to the Chaos Spirit King’s movements.
Such a powerful aura appeared all of a sudden and charged towards the battlefield, so it was only natural that the Masters of both Races were shocked and doubtful.
Soon, the Chaos Spirit King arrived, and without hesitating at all, it charged towards Xiang Shan. Wherever it went, the Black Ink Clansmen stepped away and let it pass. On the other hand, the Human Race Masters had no choice but to block the Chaos Spirit King from advancing further.
Six Eighth-Order Masters formed a Six Paths Formation and clashed with the Chaos Spirit King. A moment later, these Eighth-Order Masters paled as their World Forces destabilised. Since the Chaos Spirit King was obstructed, it was apparently furious. It roared like a beast as its Chaotic Force swept everyone away before charging forward again.
Helplessly, the Human Race Masters counterattacked with the Six Paths Formation. Again, they were forced to step back as they were no match for the opponent. If this dragged on, it would only take 10 breaths of time before the Six Paths Formation was broken. When that happened, the Chaos Spirit King would break through the defence line and reach Xiang Shan.
“Hahaha!” Xiao You couldn’t help guffawing, for luck was on their side. He was initially resentful of the Chaos Spirit King, but it turned out to be a blessing for them.
It was indeed attracted to the Spirit Pill’s aura and decided to attack the Humans. In other words, the Black Ink Clan had gotten a powerful helper for free.
Certainly, the Chaos Spirit King wasn’t there to assist them, and if the Black Ink Clansmen got in its way, it would attack them as well. Its only target was the Spirit Pill, after all.
That was good news for the Black Ink Clan. To begin with, the Humans were already at a disadvantage, and now they were faced with the Chaos Spirit King’s suppression. It was only a matter of time before they were destroyed.
Across from Xiao You, Ou Yang Lie grew anxious. The Chaos Spirit King’s appearance had undoubtedly exacerbated the situation for the Humans. He wanted to get rid of Xiao You and go over to block the Chaos Spirit King, but Xiao You naturally wouldn’t grant his wish.
He had pulled back his attacks earlier because he was wary of the Chaos Spirit King, but upon realising Ou Yang Lie’s intention, Xiao You took the initiative to entangle them as he mocked, “Where do you think you’re going!? No one can leave unless one of us is killed, hahaha!”
“If you dare laugh again, I’ll knock your teeth out!” Ou Yang Lie roared as his World Force surged, turning him into a ball of fire.
It seemed that the Heavens weren’t on the Humans’ side today. Why were there so many twists and turns during Xiang Shan’s ascension? Although Ou Yang Lie had faced some difficulties during his breakthrough, it had been smooth sailing in general. However, when it was Xiang Shan’s turn, he was faced with all sorts of problems, and even the Chaos Spirit King had come targeting him.
Ou Yang Lie was so incensed that he almost erupted like a volcano.
Meanwhile, Xiao You’s attacks intensified. To make the furious Ou Yang Lie stay, he had given up on his defence so that he could stop his opponent from going to Xiang Shan’s rescue.
Just then, ripples formed in the void, and following that, Ou Yang Lie saw a long sword extending from nowhere, a fair hand gripping its hilt.
[Who is that? Why didn’t I know someone was there before?]
Ou Yang Lie was startled.
The next moment, he was ecstatic because he saw a sword-wielding woman and a man stepping out of the ripples. He was familiar with both of them.
The initially arrogant Xiao You was flabbergasted as though he had been struck by lightning.
A sense of danger overwhelmed him as a powerful aura locked onto him, causing him to feel he was doomed.
He didn’t have time to ponder on what happened, but he knew someone had launched a sneak attack on him. Just as he was haughtily trying to make Ou Yang Lie stay, a Master shattered the Void and attacked him from behind.
Given the sense of danger he felt, Xiao You believed this person must be formidable.
The smile on his face froze as he roared and released a large amount of Black Ink Strength, which turned into a Black Ink Cloud in an instant and totally engulfed his figure.
Nevertheless, the sword still accurately pierced into his back the next instant and then thrust out from the other side. A powerful force exploded and formed a hole in his body.
The Black Ink Cloud broke into ten smaller clouds as Ou Yang Lie released his flames to destroy seven of them in the blink of an eye. However, he failed to harm Xiao You’s true body.
Soon, someone was heard saying, “I’ll leave it to you, Senior Brother!”
The helper had turned into a beam in the shape of a sword and charged towards the Chaos Spirit King.
“Don’t worry!” Ou Yang Lie replied briefly as he recognised that person.
He was shocked deep within, for Yang Xue had also ascended to the Ninth Order. It seemed that she had acquired her own opportunity.
Fortunately, she had come at the right time; otherwise, the Human forces here would’ve been in trouble.
On the other hand, Fang Tian Ci left the moment Yang Xue appeared and launched her sneak attack. Presently, he stood in front of the Flowing Time Temple and joined Yang Xiao and the others to deal with Meng Que and the other Black Ink Clansmen.
Recalling the sight earlier, Fang Tian Ci felt gratified. There was no doubt Yang Xue had made the right decision.
Earlier, he was hiding in the dark with Yang Xue. While they were waiting for a chance to strike, the Chaos Spirit King appeared out of the blue. At that time, Yang Xue only had two choices. The first was to deal with the Chaos Spirit King right away to stop the latter from attacking the Humans’ defence line. It was a huge challenge for the Eighth-Order Masters to clash with such a Master, and if they were not careful enough, they would be killed.
The second choice would be to immediately try to kill Xiao You.
Nonetheless, Xiao You spent most of his power defending himself at that time. Even if Yang Xue made a move, it wouldn’t have brought about meaningful results. Once she was exposed, she wouldn’t have time to join forces with Ou Yang Lie and fight with him.
Therefore, the best choice would be directly clashing with the Chaos Spirit King as that was also the safest bet.
However, Yang Xue chose the third option, which was to keep waiting for the best chance.
The Chaos Spirit King clashed with the Humans, and it would only take a short time to shatter the Six Paths Formation in its way. On the other hand, Xiao You was conceited. Just as he was focused on holding Ou Yang Lie back, Yang Xue decisively took action.
She managed to severely injure the Royal Lord with just one strike, after which she headed straight to confront the Chaos Spirit King.
She had to make a decision quickly, for it would affect the outcome of the entire battle. Her decision was a huge bet, but it also showed her confidence in the Human Race Masters.
She believed that the Humans could persevere for a longer time. Regardless of how powerful the Chaos Spirit King was, the Humans were united. As such, they wouldn’t be defeated so easily.
Those in the Six Paths Formation didn’t fail her, nor did she disappoint the Humans.
Fang Tian Ci couldn’t help letting out a sigh, for the young girl had grown up to be a reliable and independent Master.
That was the sorrow of the times.
He soon pulled himself together and connected his aura with the others to ward off the enemies.
In the void, Ou Yang Lie’s red hair flapped in the air like fire as he looked at the astounded Xiao You and grinned, “You’re dead!”
The moment he finished speaking, he turned into a magnificent flame and dashed towards Xiao You.
A Royal Lord had shocking vitality, so even though Yang Xue had badly injured him, she didn’t manage to end his life. As such, Xiao You was still able to fight.
Nevertheless, he was shocked at the fact that there was another new Ninth-Order Master. Including Ou Yang Lie, there were two now. If they also included Xiang Shan, who was attempting a breakthrough, the Humans had managed to secure three Ninth-Order Masters for their side.
Certainly, he wouldn’t forget that Yang Kai had also acquired a Spirit Pill!
Was luck indeed on the Humans’ side? The Black Ink Clansmen were initially at an advantage, but it was gone for good now that a second Ninth-Order Master appeared abruptly. Could there be even more Ninth-Order Masters lurking out there?
While still reeling from the shock, Xiao You had the illusion that there was another Human Race Master lurking behind him, just waiting to give him a fatal blow.
He almost couldn’t contain his urge to escape.
Nonetheless, he stopped himself from doing so. This was a chance the Black Ink Clan mustn’t miss. If their plan was ruined because he ran away, the Black Ink Clan would suffer immense losses, and he also couldn’t accept the outcome.
Furthermore, the Black Ink Clansmen were not on the losing side. They were still at an advantage when it came to trying to ruin Xiang Shan’s ascension. Also, the new Ninth-Order Master had to contend with the Chaos Spirit King, so she couldn’t stop the other Black Ink Clansmen from advancing.
More importantly, Mo Na Ye was on the way to this place.
As long as Mo Na Ye appeared, they would have one more Royal Lord on their side. By then, the Black Ink Clan would take back control of everything.
Given the deadlock, if any party had one more powerful Master, the outcome of the battle would be affected.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Xiao You mustered his courage and engaged with Ou Yang Lie again.
Although his power had been weakened significantly following Yang Xue’s sneak attack, it didn’t mean he was powerless to fight. As he pulled himself together and focused on defending himself, he wouldn’t be defeated so soon.
The Masters from both sides had tacitly divided the battlefield into three places. The first was where a Ninth-Order Master was dealing with a Royal Lord, the second was where a Ninth-Order Master was clashing with the Chaos Spirit King. The third and final place was where the Human Race Masters, who had formed many Battle Formations to protect Xiang Shan, were fending off the Black Ink Clansmen’ siege.
The battles were so intense that the void itself trembled.
The noise spread in all directions and attracted more Human Race Masters to come over and lend their fellow Humans assistance. Nevertheless, even more Black Ink Clansmen were rushing over as well.
The Black Ink Clan could communicate with each other through the Black Ink Nests, so they could easily summon more people. Mo Na Ye had also stopped recuperating and was on his way.
The Black Ink Clansmen had obviously decided to go all in for this battle where thousands of Masters from both sides were involved. If they won, they would deal a heavy blow to the Humans.
Whenever the Universe Furnace opened up in the past, even though both sides would fight, there had never been such a large-scale battle before.
…..
While the fight raged outside, Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow were oblivious to everything as they swam through the Infinite River. At this moment, Thunder Shadow crouched down on Yang Kai’s shoulder as lightning flickered around him. He seemed to have turned into a lightning ball.
Thunder Shadow was frustrated, but pleased at the same time.
It never crossed his mind that he would one day feel bloated after consuming too much Dao Strength in a single day.
The Dao Strengths in the depths of the Infinite River were pure, primitive, and rich. As long as one could reach this place, they would gain unimaginable benefits.
Unfortunately, even though the Universe Furnace had appeared many times before, rarely could anyone step into the Infinite River. Even the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters could hardly reach Yang Kai’s current depths.
Although the Infinite River didn’t look menacing from the outside, it was actually filled with mortal danger. Without sufficient understanding of their own Grand Dao, one wouldn’t be able to resist the corruption of the currents. It was a challenge to one’s body, Soul, and Grand Daos.
There was no doubt that the Ninth-Order Masters were powerful, and they had strong attainments in their Grand Daos, but they had merely met the criteria. Without the Soul Warming Lotus protecting their Soul, and a Word Tree clone or Four Universe Pillar sealing and stabilizing their Small Universe, they would not be able to move around freely in the Infinite River.
As such, no one managed to snatch the countless opportunities in the Infinite River over the aeons.
At that moment, Thunder Shadow was envious of his main body. As an Open Heaven Realm Master, Yang Kai had a Small Universe, so even if he couldn’t refine the ambient Dao Strengths yet, he could still take them away.
In fact, he had absorbed many Dao Strengths and sealed them in his Small Universe. In any case, he had never closed the portal to his Small Universe, so the Dao Strengths continued to stream into his body.
After giving it some thought, Thunder Shadow realised he shouldn’t be envious. When Yang Kai found his Human Self, the three Selves would be united. By then, all the benefits that Thunder Shadow gained would blend into the main body, and everything else wouldn’t matter.
Upon that realization, he felt less frustrated.
A long time later, Yang Kai closed the portal to his Small Universe as though he was full.
He had split his Small Universe into many areas where different types of Dao Strengths were sealed.
These Dao Strengths looked like coloured ribbons or creeks that moved around in those areas.
Yang Kai had refined a massive amount of Dao Strengths in the Infinite River. Now, it could be said that he had learned over 10,000 Grand Daos. The Grand Daos that he had previously only dabbled in improved significantly and reached the Sixth or Seventh Level.
Even the Grand Daos he had never touched before, which included Thunder Shadow’s Thunder Dao, reached the Fifth or Sixth Level.
Countless Dao Essences were present in his Small Universe now. Following the advancements in his mastery over these Grand Daos, he gained new insights.
Since time immemorial, no one had ever learned so many Grand Daos, nor had anyone attained such mastery in them.
Yang Kai had reached his limit, so he was no longer able to refine more Dao Strengths. He had also sealed many of them in his Small Universe. If he kept doing that, he wouldn’t be able to take it anymore.
He was only trying to escape from his enemies, so he didn’t expect to gain such massive rewards. To him, it was more valuable than acquiring several Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills, which were not useful to him as the Dao Strengths here were immensely beneficial.
Without stopping, Yang Kai brought Thunder Shadow to dive deeper. He wanted to find out what lay at the bottom of the Infinite River.
The progression from the outside to the inside of the Infinite River went like this; chaos split into Yin and Yang, which transformed into Five Elements, which then gave birth to 10,000 Grand Daos.
What else was there after the 10,000 Grand Daos? Was there any further evolution?
To a powerful cultivator like Yang Kai, the secrets at the deepest part of the Infinite River were deathly attractive.
Although the Infinite River was expansive, one could tell from the outside that there must be an end. Nevertheless, as Yang Kai brought Thunder Shadow to explore the river, they seemed to have plunged into an abyss with no end in sight.
There had to be some secrets at the deepest part of the river.
Over 10,000 types of Dao Strengths gathered together. Although they were clearly distinct, they could also integrate. When several related Dao Strengths clashed, they might form an entirely new Dao Strength.
When a particular Dao Strength was stimulated, it might also split into several Dao Strengths.
As Yang Kai dove deeper, he witnessed a lot of wonders.
At the same time, he felt increasingly pressured. At the top of the river, the Dao Strengths were considered peaceful, which was the reason he and Thunder Shadow were able to absorb them.
However, as they went deeper, the Dao Strengths became increasingly unsettled, which mounted even more pressure on Yang Kai.
He had been trying to sustain the Space-Time River to protect Thunder Shadow and himself from the Infinite River’s erosion; fortunately, he had already gained massive benefits by improving his mastery over many Grand Daos. Otherwise, he couldn’t have persevered.
As time passed, the Space-Time River contracted and stuck close to the pair, which was caused by powerful external pressure.
As they went deeper, the originally stable Space-Time River started shaking. Regardless of how hard Yang Kai tried to stimulate his Dao Strengths, he was unable to keep the Space-Time River stable.
At this point, the Dao Strengths had become violent as every coloured ribbon or undercurrent carried immense power. As Yang Kai was struck, he found it difficult to take charge of where he was heading.
Thunder Shadow appeared worried as he had a feeling that his main body was doing something dangerous, but he wasn’t in any place to dissuade him. As such, he could only activate his Dao Strengths and help sustain the Space-Time River to drive off the external force.
A long time later, when the external force reached a critical limit, Yang Kai felt as though he had passed some kind of divide. The originally colourful environment where all sorts of Grand Daos came together descended into chaos all of a sudden, after which he saw nothing but endless darkness.
All the pressure disappeared abruptly, leaving Yang Kai puzzled.
[Did everything return to chaos after the Grand Daos integrated and bloomed? In that case, wouldn’t that make it a cycle? If I dive deeper, would I come across the scene where Chaos split into Yin and Yang, and everything started over on repeat?]
Nevertheless, Yang Kai realised that something was amiss.
The chaos in this place was different from the one at the beginning of the Infinite River, which was desolate and still. The chaos in this place was tinged with a different sort of charm.
The darkness in this place wasn’t pitch black; instead, there were some flickering lights.
As Yang Kai looked at those weak lights, he fell into a dazed state.
The flickering lights were special beings. They were natural creations, not living creatures. They came in different sizes and shapes. Some looked like Chaos Entities while the others did not.
Yang Kai felt that he had seen these natural creations before, but he couldn’t recall where.
Thunder Shadow, who had been crouching on his shoulder, suddenly said, “Big Brother, I think those things are dangerous.”
As a beast, he instinctively felt that these seemingly ordinary things were filled with unpredictable danger. If they struck them, they would be in hot water.
Oblivious to him, Yang Kai stared fixedly in a particular direction where there was a washbasin-sized existence that looked like seaweed getting tangled up. A round of light glowed in the periphery of that thing.
He had a feeling that he had come across these things before, but he couldn’t remember where, which was odd.
Given his cultivation, Yang Kai was able to remember everything he saw. If he had really seen these things before, he wouldn’t forget about them.
As he looked intently, he soon had an illusion that this washbasin-sized seaweed-like thing was magnifying before his eyes. In the blink of an eye, it became a colossal being.
It was magnificent and ancient. Standing in front of this existence, Yang Kai felt that he was as insignificant as dust, which made him feel flabbergasted.
Then, he came to his senses, finally realising why he felt that these things looked familiar to him. He had also recalled where he had seen them before.
Strictly speaking, the things he saw back then were not the same as the ones before his eyes; they were beings with similar qualities.
They were dangerous Celestial Phenomena that lay in the depths of Black Ink Battlefield.
He couldn’t recognise them at first glance because every Celestial Phenomenon was different. Furthermore, the Celestial Phenomena he came across at the depths of Black Ink Battlefield were massive. The largest Celestial Phenomenon he had seen was just as vast as a Great Territory, and it contained unimaginable danger. Even a Ninth-Order Master or a Royal Lord might not survive if they barged into such a place.
All the Celestial Phenomena on the Black Ink Battlefield were massive and magnificent. Meanwhile, the Celestial Phenomena in this place were petite.
The difference in their sizes was the reason Yang Kai didn’t associate the two together at first. It wasn’t until he took a much closer look at their appearance that he realised what they were. These weak lights that came in different shapes and sizes were none other than Celestial Phenomena.
Yang Kai was astounded as he knew a thing or two about where Celestial Phenomena came from.
It was rumoured that in the beginning when Chaos split apart, 3,000 Grand Daos were unclear. As such, some strange natural creations were born, and they were Celestial Phenomena. It could be said that Celestial Phenomena were strange entities that could be traced back to the ancient source of Heaven and Earth.
In ancient times, the universe was filled with all sorts of Celestial Phenomena, and they were unimaginably dangerous.
That was the reason there were still Celestial Phenomena in the depths of Black Ink Battlefield while there were none in the 3,000 Worlds.
Rarely would anyone head to the depths of Black Ink Battlefield. Even the Black Ink Clansmen wouldn’t go there under normal circumstances, let alone Humans. That was why those Celestial Phenomena still remained intact.
Nevertheless, in the 3,000 Worlds, many Universe Worlds sprang to life and living beings rose to power. As these beings grew and explored, they extracted resources and transformed the environment to better suit themselves, causing the Celestial Phenomena to gradually disappear.
Now, there were essentially no Celestial Phenomena in the 3,000 Worlds. Many had never heard of Celestial Phenomena in their lifetimes.
Yang Kai had the honour to witness the wonders of the Celestial Phenomena, and he had made use of a few of them to get rid of some formidable enemies. He also gained massive benefits in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon; therefore, he was quite familiar with them. However, he didn’t expect to see Celestial Phenomena in the depths of the Infinite River where everything returned to chaos.
Soon, he became doubtful, [Are these Celestial Phenomena just as small as what I saw back then? Was what I saw earlier merely an illusion?]
As he looked intently, he was astounded all of a sudden. Perhaps what he saw was not all there was. The Celestial Phenomena in this place appeared petite because he was in a special environment. They might look very different if they were outside.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai was startled.
In the depths of the Infinite River, 10,000 Grand Daos bloomed before returning to Chaos, which then gave birth to so many Celestial Phenomena. There was also a Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon on the Black Ink Battlefield that had many Grand Dao Rivers inside of it.
Similarly, many undercurrents contained Dao Strengths in the Infinite River.
Previously, Yang Kai wondered why there were so many Grand Dao Rivers in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon; after all, Dao Strengths were extremely abstruse, so it wasn’t likely that they were born out of nowhere. The Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon should have had such power.
However, what if the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon was born from the Infinite River? That explained everything!
Yang Kai was astounded. He didn’t have any evidence to prove his speculation, but he had a feeling that it was the truth.
All the Celestial Phenomena in the depths of Black Ink Battlefield and the ones that once existed in the 3,000 Worlds but disappeared came from this place.
Yang Kai was eager to prove his point, so he dashed towards the Celestial Phenomenon he had paid attention to earlier.
What he saw astonished him. The Celestial Phenomenon was supposedly not far away from him, but regardless of how hard he tried, he was unable to approach it. Space seemed to have been extended infinitely before him, but he didn’t feel any fluctuations of Space Principles.
Furthermore, as he charged forward, the washbasin-sized seaweed-like Celestial Phenomenon was quickly expanding.
As expected, what he had seen wasn’t merely an illusion. The Celestial Phenomenon must be gargantuan, but it was somewhat illusory in the depths of the Infinite River.
Yang Kai stopped in his tracks and stepped backwards. Soon, he realised that everything returned to normal. He then went over to inspect other Celestial Phenomena and realised that they were the same.
He even saw a fog-like Celestial Phenomenon. Upon inspection, he discovered that what looked like dust in the fog wasn’t what it seemed. The particles were unformed Universe Worlds! He remembered seeing a fog-like Celestial Phenomenon in the Universe Furnace, and he was shocked at that time. It didn’t cross his mind that it was born from this place.
All the strange-looking Celestial Phenomena gathered in the depths of the Infinite River, which was filled with ancient and primitive auras. While swimming in this place, Yang Kai seemed to have returned to the ancient times and gotten lost.
A long time later, Thunder Shadow exclaimed, “Big Brother!”
An astounded Yang Kai came to his senses and realised that something was off, His Dao Strengths were dissipating and blending into this place. He quickly stabilised himself and circulated his power to stop his Dao Strengths from leaving his body.
A terrified Thunder Shadow asked, “What’s going on?”
Everything was going well when an anomaly happened. If he hadn’t discovered that something was amiss, Yang Kai would’ve lost his life without knowing the reason.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai was soaked in cold sweat as well. Just now, he had been focusing on observing these bizarre Celestial Phenomena. While witnessing the wonders, he suddenly felt dead deep within. If Thunder Shadow hadn’t called out to him in time, Yang Kai would’ve lost his life.
Under such a circumstance, once all his Dao Strengths were gone, his figure would’ve melted into this place as well. Moreover, the Soul Warming Lotus didn’t react at all while Thunder Shadow was unaffected.
After giving it some thought, Yang Kai realised something. The feeling of lifelessness wasn’t an external force; it was born within him. As such, the Soul Warming Lotus didn’t react in any way.
Such an anomaly happened because his Dao Strengths resonated with the Power of 10,000 Grand Daos in this place.
Thunder Shadow wasn’t as attuned to the environment, so he could remain alert. On the other hand, Yang Kai, who had mastered a lot of Grand Daos, was affected by this place.
After suffering such a setback, Yang Kai became more cautious. This was a dangerous place where he couldn’t be negligent.
Thunder Shadow said, “Let’s go up. There’s nothing interesting here to see.”
He was still terrified. Before this, even though Yang Kai was taking a huge risk, everything was still under control. The turn of events earlier apparently surprised him as well.
There was nothing much Thunder Shadow could do in this place, and once his main body was in danger, no one could save him.
“You don’t understand,” Yang Kai shook his head.
The Celestial Phenomena were indeed not interesting; however, the Power of the 10,000 Grand Daos returning to Chaos and the development of various wonders were the essence of this place.
Yang Kai had a feeling that he had caught a glimpse of something amazing, but he couldn’t fully comprehend it. There seemed to be a wall in front of him, blocking his path. He could faintly see the beauty beyond it, but it was shrouded in fog.
This place seemed to be the deepest part of the Infinite River. Not only were there a lot of Celestial Phenomena, but there was also a long riverbed that was filled with gravel.
Yang Kai had been focusing on the Celestial Phenomena, so he didn’t pay attention to the riverbed, but while looking down, he scooped up a handful of gravel and examined it. Just as he expected, these small stones were not what they seemed to be; instead, they were the collective of different Dao Strengths.
Yang Kai even realised that these small stones were actually the prototypes of Universe Worlds.
“Creation Force?” Yang Kai muttered.
He had heard about the Creation Realm from Cang for the first time. According to Cang, the Realm that was above the Ninth-Order was the Creation Realm!
The only one who had reached that Realm was Mo, who had been shackled inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Even Cang and the other nine Martial Ancestors were not in that Realm. They had merely walked further down the path of the Open Heaven Realm than any others.
One could say that if they reached the Creation Realm, they would’ve been able to kill Mo.
Yang Kai had no idea how abstruse that Realm must be; after all, he was only at the peak of the Eighth Order and had yet to reach the Ninth Order. As such, the Creation Realm was still too far away from him; however, in his opinion, if they wanted to destroy Mo once and for all, someone had to reach that Realm.
Nevertheless, how to ascend to the Creation Realm remained a mystery; otherwise, Mo wouldn’t have been the only one to reach that Realm after so many aeons.
Cang and the other Martial Ancestors were geniuses, but even they were unable to reach that Realm, let alone their descendants.
Perhaps Wu Kuang, who had inherited Shi’s knowledge, knew something; however, he was looking after the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, so he was unreachable.
Yang Kai had never really seriously considered reaching that Realm. To him, the most important task was to break through to the Ninth Order. As such, he didn’t have any energy left to ponder on something so unattainable.
With that said, he seemed to have caught a glimpse of the Creation Realm in the deepest part of the Infinite River.
These were not the nurturing of simple living beings, but rather the wonders of Creation of the Universe itself.
Every stone in his hand was the prototype of a Universe World. If he took them to the outside world, they would probably become Dead Stars with no vitality.
Yang Kai remained in the same spot and fell into his thoughts.
Thunder Shadow was anxious as he was worried that his true body’s Dao Strengths would dissipate again. He stared fixedly at Yang Kai and was ready to call out to him at any moment.
Thankfully, he was relieved that the same thing didn’t happen again. Although Yang Kai remained unmoving like a statue, the Dao Strengths around him continued to flow. Apparently, he was trying to comprehend various aspects of the Grand Dao.
A long time later, just as Thunder Shadow was growing distressed, Yang Kai suddenly moved as all the gravel in his hand fell. He then swam upwards.
[Are we finally leaving?] Thunder Shadow was elated. Although he had gained massive benefits in this damned place, he wasn’t willing to stay any longer.
Certainly, he was pleased that the main body was leaving.
They were faced with many obstacles when coming to this place, but it was much easier when they were leaving. It certainly wasn’t smooth sailing, but it was no longer as difficult as when they tried to head to the depths.
Soon, Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow arrived at the upper part of the Infinite River. The water in this place was filled with Shattered Dao Essence, and if they kept moving upwards, they would be able to leave.
Much to Thunder Shadow’s surprise, Yang Kai suddenly stopped in his tracks and let the river’s Chaotic Force wash over him. He even removed the Space-Time River around himself and only protected Thunder Shadow with it so that the latter would remain safe.
[What is he doing?] Although Thunder Shadow was puzzled, he knew he shouldn’t disturb Yang Kai. As such, he could only wait patiently.
As the violent water washed over Yang Kai, his figure swayed with it. Undoubtedly, it was dangerous to directly come into contact with the Chaotic Force, but it allowed him to see the truth clearly.
A long time later, even his figure started falling apart. His golden blood blended into the river as it disappeared.
Just as Thunder Shadow became apprehensive, Yang Kai suddenly dove deeper and arrived at the point where chaos split into Yin and Yang before he continued to comprehend things.
Yang Kai’s figure was in a terrible state as his skin started cracking. As the water surged over him, a layer of his skin was peeled off. His hideous expression suggested that he was in excruciating pain; however, he gritted his teeth and persevered.
Meanwhile, Thunder Shadow was now completely anxious. If Yang Kai lost his life in this place, he would become a true laughingstock.
Moments later, Yang Kai understood something and dove deeper. Soon, he reached the point where Yin and Yang split into the Five Elements.
His flesh started coming apart. The powers of his Dragon Vein and the Towering Evergreen Divine Manifestation were fully activated, but they did little to stop his injuries from worsening.
When Yang Kai dove deeper for the last time and reached the point where Five Elements split into 10,000 Grand Daos, his aura was extremely weak. He was like a candle amidst the storm, at risk of losing his life at any moment.
His entire figure was covered with blood as the Infinite River’s erosion made him look battered and miserable.
If not for the fact that he still had some vitality left, and the Space-Time River was still being sustained, Thunder Shadow would’ve thought that the main body was dead.
At that moment, Thunder Shadow was ill at ease. He had figured out what the main body was trying to do, but it was a huge risk to take. If an accident occurred, the damage would be irreversible.
In the depths of the Infinite River, Yang Kai’s badly injured figure remained still as he let the water strike him from all directions, his aura constantly weakening until it reached a critical limit and his originally listless eyes suddenly started shimmering.
Just then, Thunder Shadow heard the main body shouting, “I understand!”
The next moment, 10,000 Grand Daos started surging from his injured figure. They were his own Dao Strengths, not those in the Infinite River.
The Dao Strengths integrated and formed a protective layer outside the Space-Time River; then, Yang Kai’s figure shot upwards.
As it happened, the Dao Strengths around him evolved. When he reached the point where Five Elements split into 10,000 Grand Daos, the 10,000 Grand Daos around him evolved into Five Elements. When he reached the point where Yin and Yang transformed into Five Elements, and the Five Elements around him evolved into Yin and Yang.
When he finally reached the upper part of the Infinite River, everything around him returned to chaos.
Moreover, as Yang Kai swam upwards, the Space-Time River around him trembled violently. Thunder Shadow couldn’t help feeling that Space and Time seemed to have turned upside down.
It felt like Space and Time were reversing as flesh started appearing on Yang Kai’s damaged figure out of thin air.
Eventually, he returned to his original state. Although he no longer looked battered and miserable, his aura was still weak.
Nevertheless, he was energetic and elated, “I see!” He then turned to look at Thunder Shadow and asked, “Did you understand?”
Thunder Shadow was on the brink of breaking into tears, [What am I supposed to understand?]
He figured that Yang Kai was trying to comprehend the secrets behind the evolutionary process from Chaos to the 10,000 Grand Daos; however, he had never cultivated the 10,000 Grand Daos before, so how was he supposed to understand anything?
At that moment, he only wanted to tell Yang Kai to stop torturing himself as it was bad for his heart.
Knowing what was on Thunder Shadow’s mind, Yang Kai merely smiled in response.
It wasn’t that he wanted to torture himself, but since the opportunity was there, he just wasn’t willing to miss it.
When he dove into the Infinite River for the first time, Yang Kai used his Dao Strengths to shield himself. As such, he was unable to comprehend anything, nor did he intend to.
It wasn’t until he witnessed the end of the 10,000 Grand Daos at the bottom of the Infinite River that he had the urge to comprehend everything he witnessed.
Therefore, he decided to give up the protection of his Dao Strengths and expose his body and mind to comprehend the wonders of Chaos giving birth to the 10,000 Grand Daos.
Naturally, this process came with huge risks, but the outcome was extraordinary. Yang Kai had gained immense benefits in the Infinite River and even had a feeling that his experience in this place would change the way he cultivated in the future.
Moreover, he formed a doubt after experiencing this whole process.
Was what everyone knew about Mo correct? Was Mo really in the Creation Realm?
In the past, Yang Kai had not doubted it; after all, Cang had said so. However, after Yang Kai went through the process of 10,000 Grand Daos returning to Chaos, he realised that Mo might not be in the Creation Realm.
In any case, that wasn’t what he should be concerned about at the moment. If he wanted to face Mo, he had to solve the trouble brought by the Black Ink Clan first.
As for how his injured figure recovered so rapidly, the truth was it hadn’t.
Currently, both his Dao of Time and Dao of Space were at the Eighth Level, and he had mastered the Space-Time River; therefore, while in the Space-Time River, he could mark a particular point in time and when it was necessary, restore his physical state to that particular point.
It was a new way of using the Space-Time River, which he had mastered in the Infinite River after his understanding over the numerous Grand Daos improved significantly. Yang Kai wasn’t able to use it in the past because other than the Dao of Space and Dao of Time, he hadn’t mastered the other Grand Daos to such a degree.
During the restoration process, Thunder Shadow felt as though Space and Time were reversing when in fact, that wasn’t what happened. Under the Space-Time River’s blessing, Yang Kai returned to a state he had marked at a particular point in time.
Certainly, he had to consume lots of Dao Strength to achieve this, and it was not without risks.
It was a novel technique that would prove to be useful in some situations, but had serious limitations and drawbacks.
Then, Yang Kai turned to look at the depths of the Infinite River with a dark gaze.
He believed that he had only seen the tip of the iceberg and there must be even more secrets in the Infinite River. That was because when the 10,000 Dao Strengths around him returned to chaos, he could clearly feel that something faintly resonated with him from the other end of the Infinite River.
However, he had to fully activate his Dao Strengths to touch upon those endless wonders, so he didn’t have time to pay attention to anything else.
As he thought about it, he realised that the resonance was odd. Where did the resonance come from?
Since time immemorial, the Universe Furnace had appeared many times and allowed many Human cultivators to become Ninth-Order Masters; however, no one had ever seen the Universe Furnace itself.
Even the Ninth-Order Old Ancestors, who had lived for a very long time, had no idea what the Universe Furnace really looked like or where it was.
The Infinite River ran through the entire Universe Furnace World, and there was no doubt it was an important part of the Universe Furnace; therefore, the resonance in the distance was certainly worthy of attention.
Nevertheless, Yang Kai didn’t have time to explore it, for he had been held up in the Infinite River for a long time already. He wondered about the outcome of the fight between Humans and the Black Ink Clan. After some calculations, he realised that the ninth Grand Dao evolution would take place soon.
Once that happened, the Universe Furnace would close.
[It’s time to leave.]
Certainly, he felt that it was a shame. If he had known beforehand, he would’ve immediately explored the Infinite River the moment he entered the Universe Furnace; however, if he had done so, he wouldn’t have acquired a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Trade-offs could not be avoided.
And so, Yang Kai led Thunder Shadow to dash upwards and soon left the Infinite River.
As he scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense though, he was startled.
Thunder Shadow hurriedly said, “There are calls for help everywhere! It seems that they’ve come across formidable enemies!”
Thunder Shadow had a Communication Bead that was used to contact others. He always brought it with him so that he could send or receive information at any moment. Nevertheless, Humans’ communication method was inferior to those of the Black Ink Clan. Since he could receive a message that asked for assistance, it showed that the other party wasn’t far away.
“I’ll ask them where they are,” Thunder Shadow said.
“There’s no need for that,” the moment Yang Kai finished speaking, he charged forward in a particular direction, for he could already feel the fallout of battle.
A moment later, his expression turned solemn.
Although he had detected the fluctuations, he couldn’t feel them clearly. As he moved closer though, he had a feeling that the fights were unusual.
The battle was intense, and the auras were chaotic; moreover, there were a lot of people on both sides, including Royal Lords and Ninth-Order Masters!
[Is this the final battle?]
Yang Kai had never expected that the situation outside had become so violent after he dove into the Infinite River.
Unbeknownst to him, his snatching of a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill was what set off this final conflict.
After successfully stealing the pill, Yang Kai brought Thunder Shadow with him and snuck into the Infinite River. The Black Ink Clan certainly wouldn’t give up searching for him, so they summoned more people over. On the other hand, Humans had to deal with the increasing number of enemies; as such, more and more people on both sides gathered together.
When the Chaos Spirit King joined in, everything flew out of control.
If the Chaos Spirit King was the only issue, even though the Humans would still be at a disadvantage, they could have still persevered. After all, Yang Xue, a new Ninth-Order Master, appeared out of the blue and seriously injured Xiao You.
Nevertheless, when a new Royal Lord joined the battle, the Humans fell into a perilous situation again.
Mo Na Ye had arrived and joined his fellow Black Ink Clansmen!
That was what Yang Kai and Thunder Shadow saw when they reached the edge of the battlefield.
Ou Yang Lie was battling against Xiao You and two groups of Territory Lords who had formed Four Symbols Formations. Xiao You had been wounded by Yang Xue, so he was no longer a match for Ou Yang Lie on his own. Left with no choice, he summoned eight Territory Lords, who then formed two Battle Formations and joined forces with him. There were more Masters from the Black Ink Clan than the Human Race to begin with, so eight of them joining Xiao You wouldn’t change the overall situation.
Only then could they contend with Ou Yang Lie and even gain the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Yang Xue was fighting with the Chaos Spirit King on her own. As World Force and Chaotic Force clashed, the situation was truly intense. Yang Xue was at a disadvantage, but she did her best to keep the Chaos Spirit King at bay.
Yang Xiao and five Eighth-Order Masters had formed a Six Paths Formation and were fighting with Mo Na Ye with the help of the Flowing Time Temple, but they seemed to be in a difficult situation.
Other Humans surrounded a particular place and fended off the Black Ink Clan’s attacks from all directions.
Yang Kai could also sense the fluctuations of a Human Race Master achieving a breakthrough in that direction, and he found the aura familiar.
[Xiang Shan! He’s attempting a breakthrough!]
Only then did Yang Kai realise why the Humans refused to retreat despite being at a disadvantage. They had to protect Xiang Shan, who was lucky enough to have acquired a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill.
Yang Kai initially wanted to give Xian Shan the Spirit Pill he had found, but now it seemed that it was no longer necessary.
It was wonderful that Xiang Shan had his own opportunity, but it was terrible that he attracted the Black Ink Clan’s attention at the most critical moment of his ascension.
Some of the things Yang Kai saw on the battlefield also surprised him.
First of all, he hadn’t seen Yang Xue for many years; as such, he was surprised to learn that his Little Sister was now a Ninth-Order Master. As her Big Brother, he was still at the peak of the Eighth-Order, so while he was gratified, he was also a bit embarrassed.
As he thought about it, he had done a terrible job as a Son and as a Big Brother.
Yang Xue was born because Yang Kai loved venturing into the outside world, so he couldn’t keep his parents company most of the time. Furthermore, they usually wouldn’t get any news on him for many years. Worried that they might learn about their Son’s death one day, they decided to give birth to another child, for they knew that they couldn’t rely on their Son.
That was the reason Yang Xue was born.
However, as her Big Brother, Yang Kai had rarely taken up any responsibility for her. He didn’t keep her company when she was growing up, nor did he teach her how to cultivate when she was young. Even when she and Yang Xiao ventured into the outside world, he had never given her much protection.
Now, just like him, Yang Xue had to join the war to kill the Black Ink Clan, leaving their parents back in High Heaven Palace, waiting for their return.
It was an awful fate for all of them.
Apart from Yang Xue, Yang Kai was also surprised by Mo Na Ye.
That guy was battling against Yang Xiao with his Six Paths Formation on the battlefield, and he had gained the upper hand.
One had to know that Yang Xiao had the Flowing Time Temple’s assistance on top of forming the Six Paths Formation with him as the Core. How was it possible that Mo Na Ye was a match for them?
Mo Na Ye was just a Pseudo-Royal Lord, and he couldn’t have possibly recovered from his near-death situation in such a short amount of time. In the folded Space, Yang Kai all but killed him, so under normal circumstances, a Five Elements Formation should have been more than enough to restrain Mo Na Ye.
As Yang Kai observed them for a while longer though, he became shocked. Mo Na Ye wasn’t as badly injured as Yang Kai thought, and he was no longer a Pseudo-Royal Lord. The power he was using showed that he was a true Royal Lord now!
[Did that bastard obtain a Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill?]
Yang Kai was naturally displeased. It was true that good people would usually die young while a scourge would live a long life. It was a shame that he hadn’t managed to kill Mo Na Ye in the Universe Furnace’s folded Space back then.
Nevertheless, at that time, Yang Kai didn’t expect that his actions would trigger the Universe Furnace’s self-defence mechanism, sucking him into the Universe Furnace World and allowing Mo Na Ye to survive.
Presently, Thunder Shadow still crouched on Yang Kai’s shoulder, using his Innate Divine Ability to conceal both of their auras. While looking in a particular direction then, he sent Yang Kai a Divine Sense transmission, “Second Brother is over there.”
He was naturally aware of Fang Tian Ci’s existence; after all, they had come across each other on several occasions while fighting the Black Ink Clan in the various Great Territory Battlefields; however, it wasn’t until he heard the conversation between Yang Kai and Ou Yang Lie that he realised Fang Tian Ci was Yang Kai’s Human Self.
Yang Kai nodded, for he saw Fang Tian Ci as well.
Presently, Fang Tian Ci was part of Yang Xiao’s Six Paths Formation. It was thanks to their close collaboration that they managed to oppose a Royal Lord like Mo Na Ye for so long.
It wasn’t that Yang Xiao didn’t want to form a Seven Stars Formation. If he could do that, it would certainly help with their situation. At the very least, they would find it easier to fight with Mo Na Ye.
Nevertheless, the Human Race had fewer people on their side as compared to the Black Ink Clan, and all of them were tangled up in fights. If they asked someone to assist them, a different part of the defence line might break.
Furthermore, it wasn’t easy to form a Seven Stars Formation. If they were not close enough and couldn’t collaborate tacitly, it would be better to stick to the Six Paths Formation than forcibly try to form the Seven Stars Formation.
At the very least, it was easier for Yang Xiao to sustain the Six Paths Formation.
In general, things were not looking optimistic for the Humans. Yang Xue and Ou Yang Lie, both Ninth-Order Masters, could still manage to deal with their own opponents; however, Yang Xiao’s team and the ones protecting Xiang Shan were in a perilous situation.
Once Yang Xiao’s group was defeated or the defence line was broken through, the Humans were bound to suffer immense losses.
At that moment, Yang Kai was glad that he didn’t spend any more time in the Infinite River.
To the Human Race, he and Thunder Shadow, who were hiding in the dark, were their best bet to turn the situation around.
Yang Kai had to look for a chance and make a move to lift some pressure off his side.
He could ignore the Chaos Spirit King, for Yang Xue was powerful enough to restrain it. Furthermore, he believed that even if he launched a sneak attack, he couldn’t possibly harm the Chaos Spirit King. If he couldn’t kill it with one strike, it would only become more agitated and aggressive.
Could he deal with the two Royal Lords, then?
Both Royal Lords were not at the peak of their powers. Ou Yang Lie’s opponent seemed to be horribly injured as his aura was unstable; however, he had joined forces with eight Territory Lords to stabilize his situation.
Mo Na Ye was wounded as well, but his injuries weren’t serious.
Yang Kai didn’t have the confidence to kill either of them; at best, he could injure them.
As such, he decided to set his sights on the weaker targets.
The Humans felt immensely pressured mainly because there were over 10 Pseudo-Royal Lords. Even if both parties were in one-on-one fights, the Human Race Masters would still feel intimidated.
Many more Pseudo-Royal Lords had entered the Universe Furnace World, but these were the only ones on the battlefield at that moment. The other Pseudo-Royal Lords were either on their way or didn’t bring Black Ink Nests with them.
As such, the key to this battle wasn’t the fights between the Royal Lords and the Ninth-Order Masters, but Xiang Shan!
As long as they could hold on until Xiang Shan achieved a breakthrough, they could turn the tides as they would have another Ninth-Order Master.
Yang Kai soon made a decision. Given his strength, he wouldn’t be able to kill a Royal Lord; however, with Thunder Shadow’s help, he could probably end a Pseudo-Royal Lord’s life.
After he sent a transmission to Thunder Shadow, they silently flew towards the battlefield.
At that moment, the Black Ink Clan were trying to break through the Human Race’s defence line, but they hadn’t managed to achieve their goal yet. As such, many of them roared furiously.
The Black Ink Clan was at an advantage as they had more people on their side. The Territory Lords could also form Four Symbols Formations, negating a large part of the Humans’ advantage. Nevertheless, the Humans also had Warships with them which allowed them to form a solid defence line around Xiang Shan.
Faced with the bombardment of attacks, the Human Race Masters only had to defend themselves. The Defensive Arrays on the Warships had been fully activated and linked with each other to form a sturdy shield.
Without breaking the Warships’ protection, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t be able to deal a decisive blow to the Humans.
That was the reason the Humans could hold on for such a long time despite having fewer people on their side.
Nevertheless, the Warships were not unbreakable. Once they were damaged, the Humans would have to directly deal with the enemies. By then, no one could tell how much longer they could persevere.
In a particular spot of the defence line, a Pseudo-Royal Lord that looked like a humanoid Ox with horns on his forehead madly released waves of Black Ink Strength, striking the light barrier in front of him, dimming it significantly.
He could feel that the defence line made from Warships in this spot was about to break apart at any moment. Once that happened, the Humans would have to directly face his wrath.
“Ants, you die today!” He growled with bloodshot eyes. Despite being at an advantage, he did not forget to weaken the Humans’ morale as well.
Regardless of whether it was useful at all, he felt much better after shouting it out. He had been in life-and-death fights with the Human Race Masters in the past many times. Before he became a Pseudo-Royal Lord, the opponents he had come across were all difficult to deal with.
This time, hundreds of Human Race Masters were unable to flee. Once the defence line was shattered, slaughter would be inevitable.
It would be a huge victory that the Black Ink Clan hadn’t enjoyed for a long time, so he was naturally quite pleased.
He could already imagine that scene in his mind.
All of a sudden, he felt his chest tightening and a chill shoot up his spine. He was engulfed in a great sense of crisis.
The Pseudo-Royal Lord was startled. Before he could figure out what was going on though, he felt an aura appear from behind, one that was so savage that he felt a sharp pain in his skin.
Someone was launching a sneak attack on him, and the person was powerful!
In an instant, the Pseudo-Royal Lord realised what was going on. Before he could ponder on who stealthily attacked him or how the person approached him without his knowledge though, Black Ink Strength around him exploded to form a protective cover and obscure his exact position.
Nonetheless, his efforts proved useless. The moment his Black Ink Strength exploded out, he felt a sharp pain in his back. A sharp object had penetrated his figure.
He hurriedly turned his head and saw a familiar-looking young man with a cold expression and a murderous gaze.
At the most critical moment, the Pseudo-Royal Lord reacted quickly enough. He leapt forward to widen the gap with his attacker and the weapon left his body, drawing a gush of blood with it. An abstruse power lingered on his wound however, making him feel uneasy.
Behind him, Yang Kai furrowed his brow.
Just as he expected, it wasn’t easy to kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord. With Thunder Shadow’s help, he managed to approach the opponent without alerting him and successfully launched a sneak attack; nevertheless, it was still impractical to try to end a Pseudo-Royal Lord’s life with only one strike.
At the end of the day, Yang Kai was still weaker than the other party.
If the opponent was a Territory Lord, even an Innate one, Yang Kai had the confidence to kill them with one move.
Without hesitation, Yang Kai retracted his spear and released the Space-Time River. The water rushed towards the Pseudo-Royal Lord and swept him up into it.
Before the Pseudo-Royal Lord could shout to warn the others, he disappeared into the river.