The battlefield was vast and chaotic. In such a situation, it was impossible even for the Ninth-Order Masters to know what was happening everywhere at all times.
Once there was no central coordination and control, the Human’s 12 Armies were bound to fail even if they broke through all the Black Ink Clan’s defences. The Ninth-Order Master leading each of their Armies also had to fight, and did not have much spare energy to observe the general situation.
This situation only exacerbated when the Armies broke through the initial defences of the Black Ink Clan as they were then thrown into a chaotic melee and no longer had a structured formation which was easy to coordinate. Once communications broke down, the situation of each Army became more dangerous.
If the Humans needed help at a particular battlefield, forces needed to be re-distributed to maximize benefits without causing detriments.
If the Humans could exploit the weakness of the Black Ink Clan defense, then they could reap twice the results with half the effort.
To achieve all this, the 12 Armies needed a pair of eyes that could overlook the entire battlefield. It had to be a calm and intelligent mind who could transmit battlefield orders rapidly.
The Supreme Headquarters played this role.
The soldiers at the Great Pass could see the whole battlefield clearly and quickly reported the situation from all positions while Mi Jing Lun and his staff were responsible for analyzing the intelligence and formulating plans in the shortest possible time.
In this way, the 12 Armies would be able to coordinate perfectly as a single unit to pose a deadly threat to the Black Ink Clan in the No-Return Pass.
This time, the Humans came prepared for the battle. Even the intelligent Mo Na Ye did not expect that the Human Race would use tactics such as throwing Universe Worlds filled with Arrays to punch through the Black Ink Clan’s defensive perimeter, causing the Black Ink Clansmen in the No-Return Pass to suffer a considerable loss. Together with Yang Kai’s unpredictable ambushes and ruthless kills, the Pseudo-Royal Lords were all at their wits’ end.
If Yang Kai continued to cut down the Pseudo-Royal Lords, when their number fell below a certain limit, the Black Ink Clan may not be able to stop the Humans even if they went all out.
Therefore, from Black Ink Clan’s standpoint, they had to find a way to break the Human’s current momentum.
Mo Na Ye had a direct interest in Pure Yang Pass, or more directly, in Mi Jing Lun.
Mo Na Ye had never underestimated the importance of Mi Jing Lun and the Supreme Headquarters and had wanted to find a chance to slaughter them all for many years; but unfortunately, Mi Jing Lun had not ever appeared on the frontline battlefields, so he could not do anything about him.
It was a good opportunity, now that the Humans were attacking the No-Return Pass; however, Pure Yang Pass was going to pose some problems. Although this Great Pass had not yet displayed its power, it was clearly repaired and refurbished over the past 20 or so years. Mo Na Ye could not estimate how much of its original power Pure Yang Pass could display at the moment, but he did not doubt that if it was brought into the battle, it would cause a huge breakthrough for the Human Race, and the Black Ink Clan would have to pay a huge price to stop it.
Even before the fighting started, Mo Na Ye had thought about attacking Pure Yang Pass, and since things had come to this point, it was time for him to act boldly.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind as Mo Na Ye’s Divine Sense surged, sending commands in all directions. The next moment, the Black Ink Clan Army on the battlefield suddenly turned from defence to offence, and many of them rushed towards the Human Warships.
The Warships were caught off guard by this sudden onslaught and many were blown to pieces across the battlefield. The Human soldiers inside now did not have the protection of their Warships and were quickly swamped by the boundless Black Ink Clan soldiers. Only a few managed to escape by virtue of their strong cultivation.
The scene looked like a group of sharks tearing at their bleeding prey.
The nearby Human soldiers quickly moved to provide assistance, but this barely stabilized the situation.
At that moment, Mo Na Ye, who had been watching from the No-Return Pass, lunged forward. Along with him, 12 other figures rushed out from the No-Return Pass.
Judging from the unmistakable auras, those were 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords!
There were numerous Black Ink Clan’s Pseudo-Royal Lords. Not all of them were deployed to the battlefield in the previous wars. It was estimated that only 70% of them fought on the battlefield while the remaining 30% were recuperating in the No-Return Pass. They did this to preserve their strength and to guard the No-Return Pass; after all, Yang Kai could turn up at any moment to harass them so Mo Na Ye did not dare to relax his vigilance. If Yang Kai rushed into the No-Return Pass and stirred up chaos, the High-Rank Black Ink Nests would be decimated.
So even though 12 more Pseudo-Royal Lords were coming out of the No-Return Pass, there were still a good number of Pseudo-Royal Lords engaged in the main battle.
Mo Na Ye attacked together with the 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords along with a large Army of a million Black Ink Clansmen, including many Feudal Lords and Territory Lords.
This conspicuous Army rushed towards the disrupted Human lines, and even though the Human Army at that location tried their best to intercept them, they were unable to contain the enemy thrust.
The Human defensive line was torn apart by the Black Ink Clan attack in a short while.
A million bloodthirsty and ruthless Black Ink Clan Soldiers flowed through the gap like a torrent. Led by Mo Na Ye and the 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords, they charged straight towards the direction of Pure Yang Pass, their objective obvious to all.
The Humans on the nearby battlefield saw this, and although they wanted to intercept, they were unable to.
In the next moment, Mo Na Ye, who was leading the Army, suddenly stopped, while the 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords and the million-strong Army continued their rampage, as if they were not aware of this and still charged in the direction of Pure Yang Pass.
Mo Na Ye turned his head and shouted in the direction of the No-Return Pass, “Yang Kai!”
He thought that if he showed any intention of attacking Pure Yang Pass, Yang Kai would definitely show up and stop him; however, Mo Na Ye never thought that the cunning Yang Kai would instead head straight for the No-Return Pass!
Before the Pseudo-Royal Lords at the No-Return Pass could react, he quickly destroyed two High Rank Black Ink Nests!
The Pseudo-Royal Lords were not to be blamed for this as they had no way to conceal their auras; thus, they all stuck out like cranes among chickens in Yang Kai’s senses. All he needed to do was to choose the places where the Pseudo-Royal Lords’ defences were the weakest, and then he could do whatever he wanted.
It was only then that several Pseudo-Royal Lords nearby reacted and rushed to stop Yang Kai, starting a huge fight with him.
This battle rocked the No-Return Pass and the fallout was devastating, decimating several more High Rank Black Ink Nests.
Mo Na Ye quickly turned around and headed for the No-Return Pass, with his heart aching over the losses.
Like the Pseudo-Royal Lords, the High-Rank Black Ink Nest could not be replaced. Without these High-Rank Black Ink Nests, how could the Black Ink Clans create more Soldiers? If the High-Rank Black Ink Nests were all destroyed, the Black Ink Clan of the No-Return Pass would become a river without a source. Their defeat would be inevitable once that happened.
By the time Mo Na Ye rushed back to the No-Return Pass and entered the battlefield, six High-Rank Black Ink Nests had already been destroyed.
Upon seeing this, Mo Na Ye bellowed, “Leave one Formation behind, the others guard the Black Ink Nests!”
Upon hearing his order, the Pseudo-Royal Lords who were ordered to stay with Mo Na Ye joined him in battling Yang Kai while the rest of the Pseudo-Royal Lords formed Three Fortunes Formations to guard their surrounding areas.
Yang Kai did not continue his attacks on the No-Return Pass; instead, he took a step back, dashed past the group of Pseudo-Royal Lords as he glared at Mo Na Ye.
The three Pseudo-Royal Lords did not dare to chase after him, but approached Mo Na Ye and stood beside him.
At this moment, Mo Na Ye looked at Yang Kai with his eyes blazing and gritted his teeth, “Bastard!”
Yang Kai smiled smugly and taunted, “Why do you look so bitter? You deployed your troops against Pure Yang Pass, and you expect me not to do anything? Wasn’t your intention to draw me out? You should be happy that you achieved your goal!”
Mo Na Ye looked at him with a deep frown and his anger slowly eased as he said with a frown, “You saw through my intentions.”
However, he was not faking his anger. Since the beginning of the war, more than a dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords had been killed by Yang Kai and now half a dozen High Rank Black Ink Nests had been smashed. Even if Mo Na Ye had a steady temperament, it was impossible for him not to be furious.
However, his anger was not as intense as expected.
Yang Kai raised his hand, pointed to his eyes, and asked as he glared, “Do you know what these are?”
Mo Na Ye’s mind raced and asked in return doubtfully, “What?”
“Eyes!” Yang Kai replied, “I’m not blind!”
Mo Na Ye was flabbergasted.
Although the battle was in full swing outside the No-Return Pass, two top Masters were simply staring at each other inside the No-Return Pass. They just stared and talked to each other without fighting; however, the tension was very tense and treacherous.
Moments later, Mo Na Ye quickly asked, “Has Mi Jing Lun broken through to the Ninth Order?”
“What makes you think so?” Yang Kai asked with a puzzled expression. The Black Ink Clan should not know about Mi Jing Lun becoming a Ninth-Order Master. Even if they found out about the two newly promoted Ninth-Order Masters, it should have been impossible for Mo Na Ye to know Mi Jing Lun had also broken through.
Mo Na Ye replied with a shrug, “It’s obvious. Originally, I had already guessed that Mi Jing Lun might have become a Ninth-Order Master. After the battle in the Universe Furnace, the Universe Furnace World became a hunting ground for the Humans. The Humans might have obtained another Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pill, and the most logical person to take it would be Mi Jing Lun, but that was all only a guess. When I saw how you reacted just now though, I became 80% certain!”
“So that’s how it is!” Yang Kai appeared to be enlightened, “The attack on Pure Yang Pass was not only to lure me out, but also to verify your suspicions.” After a pause, Yang Kai continued, “Your main purpose must be the latter.”
At this point, there was no point in denying it, as the 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords led a million-strong Black Ink Clan Army towards the Pure Yang Pass, which was outside the battlefield. There was no longer a way to hide the fact that Mi Jing Lun had advanced to become a Ninth-Order Master.
If Mi Jing Lun was still only an Eighth-Order Master, Yang Kai would have to go to their rescue instead of boldly attacking the No-Return Pass.
Since Yang Kai appeared in the No-Return Pass, it meant that he was at ease about Mi Jing Lun’s safety, and in such a large-scale battlefield, only a Ninth-Order Master was able to guarantee their own safety.
Mo Na Ye shook his head and said, “No, the main reason was still to lure you out and pin you down. Yang Kai, you must not underestimate yourself. Everyone from the Royal Lords down to the ordinary Black Ink Clansmen fears you deeply.”
Yang Kai grinned and replied, “Should I feel honoured?”
“Do as you please, I’m just speaking the truth!” Mo Na Ye stared at Yang Kai, as did the three Pseudo-Royal Lords standing beside him. None of them let their guard down even when Mo Na Ye was having a conversation with Yang Kai and any abnormal movement would result in a violent exchange between them.
This was also the reason why Yang Kai was willing to stand here and chat with Mo Na Ye; otherwise, he would have already used Instantaneous Movement to disappear to somewhere else on the battlefield to kill more enemies. However, Mo Na Ye had locked onto him using his aura; thus, even if he tried to use Instantaneous Movement, it would have been disrupted.
After a moment of silence, Yang Kai suddenly said, “Since you have guessed that Senior Brother Mi had become a Ninth-Order Master, aren’t you worried about the safety of those Pseudo-Royal Lords?”
As they spoke, the 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords and the million-strong Black Ink Clan Army had already closed in on Pure Yang Pass. The two sides would clash violently at any moment.
If Mi Jing Lun was still an Eighth-Order Master, then the Black Ink Clan would have had a great chance to capture the Great Pass and kill Mi Jing Lun.; however, now that Mo Na Ye knew that Mi Jing Lun was already in the Ninth Order, it made no sense for him to continue the attack.
It was foolish for them to charge towards danger with no possibility of gains; Mo Na Ye couldn’t make such a choice.
However, that was exactly what he did.
Mo Na Ye replied nonchalantly, “Why should I worry?”
Yang Kai frowned when he heard that. If he did not worry about the safety of his attacking Army, then did that mean that the Humans needed to worry?
At that moment, he saw the Black Ink Clan Army from the No-Return Pass making a very different move. Just as they closed to the defensive perimeter of Pure Yang Pass, this Army, led by 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords, suddenly turned around and charged back towards the battlefield.
In that direction, Human and Black Ink Clan soldiers were in an evenly matched fight with neither side able to send reinforcements within a short period of time. A large Army would be able to change the situation of that local battlefield and allow the Black Ink Clan to gain the upper hand if they rushed over at this moment.
Yang Kai’s expression changed instantly and said, “So this is your plan?”
Mo Na Ye ordered the 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords to lead a million-strong Black Ink Clan Army to attack Pure Yang Pass, hold Yang Kai back, and verify Mi Jing Lun’s advancement to the Ninth Order, but his ultimate objective was to wheel around and attack the Humans from behind to create an advantage for the Black Ink Clan!
[Mo Na Ye!] Yang Kai raged!
Mo Na Ye just said that his main purpose was to hold Yang Kai back, which made him lower his guard; however, even that was a deception.
Yang Kai was particularly annoyed with Mo Na Ye at this moment, who could somehow turn an unfavourable situation around with clever tactics and deliver a blow to his enemies they never expected.
Yang Kai nearly died when he intercepted the Innate Territory Lords who had escaped from Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction thanks to a similar scheme. If it was not for the Universe Furnace’s sudden appearance at the critical moment, Yang Kai might not have survived.
In Pure Yang Pass, Mi Jing Lun looked from the top of the walls at the Black Ink Clan Army, which was getting farther and farther away from Pure Yang Pass. He then looked over in the direction of the No-Return Pass and sighed lightly, “Seems’ I’ve been exposed!”
Before the battle began, he had thought of using himself as bait to lure the Black Ink Clan to attack.
His advancement to the Ninth Order was only now known to the higher-ups of the Human Race while the Black Ink Clan was totally unaware; therefore, after the battle started, the 12 Armies all pressed forward, leaving Pure Yang Pass vulnerable outside the battlefield.
This was to send a message to the Black Ink Clan and Mo Na Ye.
“The Supreme Headquarters is on Pure Yang Pass, and Mi Jing Lun is also on Pure Yang Pass.” As long as the Black Ink Clan could take down Pure Yang Pass, then the Humans would become blind and deaf. When that happened, regardless of how strong the Humans were, even if they could re-capture the Supreme Headquarters, they would eventually be defeated.
This deception was initially successful. Mo Na Ye had an Army charge towards Pure Yang Pass, but just when they were about to engage each other, the Pseudo-Royal Lords leading the way turned around and flew back to the battlefield. Their target had always been the Human Race Army.
If Black Ink Clan defeated the Humans at their targeted spot, then the Black Ink Clan Army would be able to gain a foothold and use that part of the battlefield to expand their advantage.
“No need to hide anymore, let’s fight!” Mi Jing Lun said softly.
The next moment, numerous figures suddenly shot out from Pure Yang Pass and chased after the Black Ink Clan Army with the 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords leading them.
The two leading figures, with powerful auras, were the two newly promoted Ninth-Order Masters of the Human Race. Right behind them were nearly 200 Eighth-Order Masters!
Mi Jing Lun had used Pure Yang Pass and himself as bait, so naturally, he had made all the necessary arrangements!
The garrison of Pure Yang Pass might have seemed obvious at a glance, but under the cover of many Concealment Arrays, the two newly advanced Ninth-Order Masters and a large group of Eighth-Order Masters were quietly lying in wait. If the 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords and the million-strong Black Ink Clan troops dared to set foot on Pure Yang Pass, they would end up with heavy casualties.
For this reason, Mi Jing Lun even hid Shi Da Zhuang and Tang Tao from the public even when the battles began.
However, now that they had been exposed, there was no longer any point in hiding them anymore. They were now Ninth-Order Masters; thus, it was time for them to play a role in the battlefield.
The two Ninth-Order Masters led some 200 Eighth-Order Masters towards the Black Ink Clan Army, and although their numbers were far less than the enemy, their strength was comparable. The two Ninth-Order Masters took point and charged into the enemy Army, slicing through it like a hot knife through butter. Black blood splattered with body parts flying everywhere, leaving a trail of dead and dying Black Ink Clansmen.
It was only when the leading 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords managed to intervene and blunt the Human Race Masters’ assault, halting the wanton slaughter of their subordinates.
“So, you had two more Ninth-Order Masters!” Mo Na Ye remarked calmly as he watched Yang Kai closely, able to sense the violent fallout from the clash even from where he stood.
The sudden appearance of the two Ninth-Order Masters’ auras naturally did not escape his notice.
Mo Na Ye was actually not surprised by this.
Since Black Ink Clan had a new Royal Lord, then the Humans could also have new Ninth-Order Masters. If he counted Mi Jing Lun, the Humans had three more Ninth Orders in just the last 20 years.
It was unknown whether the two new appearances relied on their own accumulation of cultivation to break through, or did so with the help of Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills. If it was the latter, then it did not matter as the number of Supreme Grade Open Heaven Pills were limited and would eventually run out; however, if it was the former, then the situation was untenable.
The Human Race had produced several new Ninth-Order Masters while the Black Ink Clan only gained one new Royal Lord, it was obvious which side had the advantage and time would only exacerbate the situation.
“The Black Ink Clan is doomed!” Yang Kai taunted.
Mo Na Ye scoffed and replied, “Brother Yang underestimates my Black Ink Clan.”
“Oh?” Yang Kai frowned and continued, “Is it possible that a new Royal Lord appeared in the Black Ink Clan? Which one is it? Why doesn’t he introduce himself?”
Mo Na Ye maintained a straight face, “If that is the case, you will find out eventually.”
The answer was so flat and plain it was difficult for Yang Kai to determine if there was a new Royal Lord in the Black Ink Clan or not. He had carefully checked all parts of the No-Return Pass previously but did not find anything.
He had an ominous feeling when he came to the No-Return Pass but could not be sure based on that feeling alone. There were so many Masters from the Black Ink Clan at the No-Return Pass right now, so if he was not careful, he could find himself in a critical situation regardless of the truth.
“So…” Mo Na Ye lowered his eyes, and his tone suddenly lowered, “That’s the end of the small talk!”
Yang Kai raised his brow and asked, “Is it time to fight? No more stalling? I see that your Pseudo-Royal Lords seem to be secretly setting up something. If it’s not properly set up, we can chat a while longer.”
His completely nonchalant attitude made Mo Na Ye’s flaming rage burst out as he roared, “Yang Kai, you arrogant bastard! Do you really think that the No-Return Pass is a place where you can come and go as you wish!?”
Yang Kai looked at him seriously for a long time and then said, “This is the territory of the Human Race, so of course I can come and go as I please!”
“Prove it!”
As soon as Mo Na Ye finished his sentence, the No-Return Pass hummed in all directions as if there was an invisible power swept through it. In the next instant, this huge stretch underwent a subtle change…
This change was extremely inconspicuous, and it was difficult for ordinary people to notice, but Yang Kai only had to scan around to know what happened. He frowned slightly and remarked, “You improved the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array?”
The Black Ink Clan always wanted to use the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array to deal with Yang Kai; however, the Spirit Array was a bit troublesome to set up and could not be done so quickly. On several occasions, the Black Ink Clan would be in the middle of setting up the Array when Yang Kai suddenly dashed away or interfered.
They could only hope for Yang Kai to stay somewhere long enough for them to finish setting up the Array. For example, the first time the Black Ink Clan used the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array was in the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land. They managed to block the entire Divine Spirit Ancestral Land with it, and a Pseudo-Royal Lord personally led numerous Innate Territory Lords to attack and kill Yang Kai.
It would have been disastrous for Yang Kai had he not taken advantage of Ancestral Land’s favourable conditions and if the Pseudo-Royal Lord had been more measured.
Without the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array, there was no way to limit Yang Kai’s Space Secret Techniques, and without limiting his Space Secret Techniques, they had no chance to kill him.
While Yang Kai was chatting with Mo Na Ye, some Pseudo-Royal Lords were sneaking around in the background, which Yang Kai naturally noticed.
Now, the Black Ink Clan had turned the entire No-Return Pass into a huge trap.
Compared to the previous Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array, the current Array was undoubtedly better hidden and covered a wider area. Without Yang Kai noticing, the Array had already been activated.
“Damn!” Yang Kai cursed in contempt.
Mo Na Ye coldly snorted, “Don’t you Humans have a saying, ‘if you often walk next to the river, how can your shoes not get wet?’ You went on three rampages in the No-Return Pass already. Do you really think that I won’t learn from those failures and prepare for today?”
“That’s why you always stayed in the No-Return Pass, so that you could trap me here when I came again. It’s unbelievable that the Black Ink Clan has a talent capable of this.”
This kind of improvement to the Array could only be done by one who had a high attainment in the Dao of Spirit Arrays. The Black Ink Clan had numerous Black Ink Disciples, but they did not have many who were skilled in the Dao of Spirit Arrays and Dao of Artifact Refining; thus, they were still vastly inferior compared to the Humans.
However, it had been so many years that if those Array Masters worked hard enough, they could achieve some gains.
“It’s too late now,” Mo Na Ye raised his hand and pointed at Yang Kai, “Today, you will be buried here!”
Yang Kai glanced around and said grimly, “Aren’t you afraid that the High-Rank Black Ink Nests in the No-Return Pass will be destroyed if we fight here?”
This was where the Black Ink Clan’s foundation was located. Although there were still a large number of Masters, the presence of the High-Rank Black Ink Nests here was also a constraint for the Black Ink Clan.
“That’s why I only let three Pseudo-Royal Lords come to assist me,” Mo Na Ye replied indifferently.
Yang Kai looked surprised for a moment before he nodded, “So that’s how it is.”
There were many Pseudo-Royal Lords at the No-Return Pass, but only three were participating directly in the battle together with Mo Na Ye while the others remained at their posts. They were responsible for guarding the High-Rank Black Ink Nests in their respective areas. None of them could stand up to Yang Kai, but they were more than capable of blocking some shockwaves from hitting the Nests. With them stationed here, the High-Rank Black Ink Nests would most likely not be affected.
“Of course, if necessary…” Mo Na Ye said with determination, “There can be more Pseudo-Royal Lords to deal with you. Simply said, I am prepared to do whatever it takes to kill you today!”
From these words alone, one could see Mo Na Ye’s determination to eradicate Yang Kai.
There was nothing left to say as everything was in place on the Black Ink Clan’s side. As such, Yang Kai simply decided to follow the flow.
He slightly raised his hand, summoned the Azure Dragon Spear, and clenched its shaft. As his Dao Strengths stirred, the Space-Time River began to coil around the long spear.
His fighting spirit began to boil and his killing intent surged. Yang Kai held the spear, pointed it forward, and proclaimed, “Then, let’s see how many of your Masters I kill before I fall!”
“Begin!”
Mo Na Ye and the three Pseudo-Royal Lords lunged forward simultaneously and attacked Yang Kai from opposite sides.
Yang Kai immediately thrust the Azure Dragon Spear forward, sending out a spear shadow filled with Dao Strengths so powerful that it terrified the Pseudo-Royal Lords.
The spear sliced a Pseudo-Royal Lord’s body, drew some black blood, and continued its momentum towards Mo Na Ye’s face.
Mo Na Ye roared and his Black Ink Strength surged, turning into a protective layer covering his body. However, that barrier was directly pierced by the long spear. At the critical moment, Mo Na Ye raised his arm and managed to deflect the spear away from his body.
The tip of the spear still scratched Mo Na Ye’s face and Yang Kai swiftly made a sweep with it, sending the former flying with a powerful strike.
Yang Kai was about to give chase when he felt a powerful force coming at him from behind. It was the three Pseudo-Royal Lords who attacked together, forcing him to draw back his spear to defend himself.
Mo Na Ye quickly regained his balance but still appeared bewildered.
The last time he faced Yang Kai head-on was in the Universe Furnace World when Yang Kai had just advanced to the Ninth Order and he had just become a Royal Lord.
He was almost killed by Yang Kai back then, but Meng Que sacrificed himself for the greater good and helped him to escape.
It had been hundreds of years since that encounter.
Now, fighting Yang Kai once again, Mo Na Ye suddenly found that this bastard seemed to be a lot stronger than back then…
Of course, Yang Kai would certainly become stronger after hundreds of years, but likewise, Mo Na Ye was also much stronger than back then. Both of them still had serious injuries back when they first fought, so neither was able to display their peak strength.
However, Yang Kai had now become much stronger than Mo Na Ye had expected.
He knew how Humans cultivated and understood well that a Ninth-Order Master required many years of accumulation to improve themselves; thus, he could not figure out how Yang Kai managed to grow so much in just a few hundred years.
Mo Na Ye thought that one group of three Pseudo-Royal Lords together with himself would be enough to deal with Yang Kai, but now it seemed that was not sufficient.
Unfortunately, he was not prepared to let more Pseudo-Royal Lords come forward to fight against Yang Kai as just adding more bodies may not help the situation!
The three Pseudo-Royal Lords who were already in a Battle Formation could only withstand Yang Kai’s assault for 10 breaths before they started to crumble under his relentless attacks.
They had previously fought with other Ninth-Order Masters and basically concluded that if they used a Three Fortunes Formation, they would be able to contend with the enemy. Even if they were ultimately outmatched, they did not have to fear dying. However, this killing star seemed to be far more powerful than other Ninth-Order Masters.
Fortunately, Mo Na Ye quickly came over to assist them.
Even then, it was just barely enough to contend with Yang Kai!
The Pseudo-Royal Lords who were tasked with protecting the No-Return Pass saw this and became concerned and gloomy.
It was impossible to realize how powerful Yang Kai was until one actually fought him.
Three Pseudo-Royal Lords in a Formation could compete with a Ninth-Order Master, that was the standard rule, but now, even with Mo Na Ye, who was a true Royal Lord, their power was barely enough to hold Yang Kai back. Yang Kai was even beginning to gain the upper hand over them which was a terrifying sight to behold.
The battle was fierce and ruthless. Several figures darted around as they fought throughout the No-Return Pass. Every single attack on Yang Kai was well coordinated and powerful, which showed how well prepared the Black Ink Clan was for this confrontation. The Pseudo-Royal Lords who were guarding the High-Rank Black Ink Nests were also able to block all the fallout, leaving the Black Ink Nests untouched.
As the battle dragged on, the three Pseudo-Royal Lords who were fighting became wounded and drained, causing their strength to drop.
At that moment, three other Pseudo-Royal Lords flew out from the perimeter, formed a Battle Formation, and joined the fight. Once that happened, the three exhausted and wounded Pseudo-Royal Lords made a feint and withdrew.
“Hmm?” Yang Kai remarked in slight surprise, “So this is your plan?”
Three fresh Pseudo-Royal Lords replaced the three who were exhausted. This tag-team tactic was easy for the Black Ink Clan to execute and sustain as they had enough Pseudo-Royal Lords to rotate into the fight.
As long as the three Pseudo-Royal Lord replacements joined the battle smoothly, Yang Kai would constantly be under pressure.
“Since you’re using this tactic, why don’t you summon more Pseudo-Royal Lords and fight together?” Yang Kai asked as he thrust his spear at Mo Na Ye.
Mo Na Ye dodged, coldly snorted, and counterattacked, “There’s no need for that. The Array has been activated, and the No-Return Pass has been isolated.”
“You want to take me down with minimal effort? That’s a good plan,” Yang Kai raised his brow as he continued his rush towards Mo Na Ye, “Although I have to admit that this tactic is effective, you might have forgotten that there is a major flaw to it.”
Mo Na Ye asked indifferently, “What?”
Yang Kai replied, “The most crucial factor of this plan is you; after all, there is no one to replace you!”
“So what?”
“So…” Yang Kai’s aura suddenly changed and became exceedingly violent, “All I have to do is kill you!”
The Space-Time River, which had wrapped around the Azure Dragon Spear suddenly turned into another spear which had the Dao Strengths attached and shot out towards the three Pseudo-Royal Lords to block all their attacks. Simultaneously, Yang Kai thrust out his Azure Dragon Spear and charged at Mo Na Ye.
Mo Na Ye’s expression changed as he realized that Yang Kai had not exerted his full strength, causing him to stare at his opponent in total disbelief.
[How could he have grown so much in just a few hundred years!?]
However, Mo Na Ye could not afford to think about it at this moment. Yang Kai had obviously grown significantly, but he too had not idled in the last few hundred years and had also grown stronger. Though not as much as Yang Kai, his cultivation was completely consolidated now, he was able to fight back and not just be on the receiving end of Yang Kai’s killing blows.
Black Ink Strength rumbled as a giant Black Ink Cloud billowed, enveloping a huge portion of the void. The Black Ink Cloud resonated with Mo Na Ye’s roar, “How long can you last like that?”
He could see that Yang Kai had used some kind of Secret Technique to boost his strength, but such Secret Techniques always had limitations.
Yang Kai immediately snarled, “Not for long, but it’s enough to kill you!”
“Come!”
The two taunted each other like petulant children within the Black Ink Cloud, confusing the Pseudo-Royal Lords at the No-Return Pass.
Yang Kai was fighting alone while the Human Race Army and the Black Ink Clan Army were engaged in a chaotic melee on the perimeter of the No-Return Pass. While the Humans were woefully outnumbered, they seemed to have the upper hand.
Moreover, Black Ink Clan’s tactical situation was different from that of the Humans.
The Humans had Pure Yang Pass outside the battlefield coordinating their movements. Precise orders were issued from Pure Yang Pass to all parts of the battlefield, so the soldiers only needed to follow these directives and the entire Human Race Army became like a tightly-knit entity. They advanced and retreated together, providing assistance to each other whenever needed.
On the other hand, Mo Na Ye and Mo Yu were both fully engaged in the fighting. Mo Na Ye had anticipated this situation before the war started and had informed several of his subordinates to take over commanding the Black Ink Clan Grand Army; however, they did not have enough experience, and their tactical and strategic thinking were lacking. They did not stand a chance against the battle-hardened veteran Mi Jing Lun.
If the Black Ink Clan did not have the geographic advantage as the defensive side, and could not immediately receive reinforcements, they would have lost the battle already.
However, the Humans also had their concerns. Despite the fact that they had the advantage in essentially all aspects of this battle, the Black Ink Clan still had the two Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods which were eyeing them dangerously.
These two beings were wary of Ah Da and Ah Er, who were still in the Barren Territory, and dared not move from the No-Return Pass just yet; however, they could still launch attacks remotely.
Even the simplest attack from a Black Ink Giant Spirit God was so powerful that it could not be underestimated and many Humans had already been slaughtered by them; thus, it was unrealistic for the Humans to think that they could retake the No-Return Pass in a single battle. Just as the Black Ink Clan had a clear understanding of the situation between the two sides, so did the Humans.
The deciding factor of the war between the two Races was the four Giant Spirit Gods. Whoever could solve the other’s Giant Spirit Gods first would seize an irreversible advantage.
However, how could either Army even attempt to solve the Giant Spirit Gods of the other side?
The biggest gain so far for the Human Race was the Black Ink Clan Army feigning an attack on Pure Yang Pass, exposing their backs to the Human’s reserve force.
Outside Pure Yang Pass, the 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords had led a million-strong Black Ink Clan Army towards the rear command post of the Human Race Army before suddenly turning around and heading to a weak spot in the Human’s offensive.
Seeing this, Mi Jing Lun ordered the two newly promoted Ninth-Order Masters to lead 200 Eighth-Order Masters to pursue them.
The Black Ink Clan Army, which wanted to coordinate with their clansmen in the No-Return Pass, was suddenly set upon by these Human Masters. The 12 Pseudo-Royal Lords naturally saw this situation, but instead of confronting the enemy in the open, they ordered their Army to escape back to the safety of the No-Return Pass. Unfortunately, this resulted in half of their subordinates being slaughtered.
Mi Jing Lun looked at the situation on the battlefield from Pure Yang Pass and sighed. After this fight with the Black Ink Clan, he realized that the enemy had more strength than he had expected.
Unlike the Black Ink Clan who did not care about their casualties, every Human Soldier was a rare warrior. Taking the No-Return Pass was just the beginning. The Humans still had to go to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. If too many were killed or critically wounded in retaking the No-Return Pass, how could they embark on the next part of the plan?
So, when Mi Jing Lun dispatched the Army for this battle, he had emphasized the principle of preserving their war potential rather than maximizing the damage to the Black Ink Clan. He endeavoured not to have severe losses in the Army, especially among the high-ranking Open Heaven Realm Masters.
At this point in the battle, the Humans certainly had the absolute upper hand; however, without resolving the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods, there was no way to retake the No-Return Pass. If they continued the fight unabated, there would definitely be more casualties.
In such an intensely violent battlefield, every soldier would consume a lot of strength. Additionally, the medicinal efficacies of the Purifying Black Ink Pills, which were taken in advance, were time-limited. With so many dead Black Ink Clansmen on the battlefield, creating massive amounts of Black Ink Clouds, the protective effects of the Purifying Black Ink Pills were being constantly eroded.
Once the medicinal efficacies of the Purifying Black Ink Pills failed, it would be difficult to fight in an environment filled with Black Ink Strength.
Mi Jing Lun could not help but turn his head and look at the depths of the No-Return Pass, where he vaguely saw several figures in the midst of a fierce battle. Upon seeing this, he frowned slightly and muttered, “Concealing one’s ability by feigning weakness?”
Unlike Mo Na Ye, Mi Jing Lun was aware of Yang Kai’s actual strength as he had discussed this with the latter recently.
After 20 years of cultivating with the power of the two Open Heaven Realm Cradles, Yang Kai’s strength was vastly superior to what it used to be.
With Yang Kai’s current strength, he should not have any problems killing Mo Na Ye, even if three Pseudo-Royal Lords were assisting the latter.
However, the battle seemed to be an even struggle. Clearly, Yang Kai did not use his full strength as he was intending to conceal the extent of his abilities. Mi Jing Lun naturally was not worried about Yang Kai’s safety. Before the battle started, Yang Kai approached Mi Jing Lun and chatted with him privately, planning for various scenarios, including the current situation he was in.
Mi Jing Lun naturally knew why Yang Kai decided to feign weakness, even to the extent of letting Mo Na Ye live!
Revealing his true strength to Mo Na Ye was not advantageous at this moment. It was far more important for the Humans to deal with the two Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods.
Yang Kai decided to conceal his ability and only strike at the critical moment against the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods!
After a few more moments of watching, Mi Jing Lun withdrew his gaze and said to himself, “We’ve met our objective.”
The officers around him immediately focused and waited for the order to be given.
The next moment, Mi Jing Lun declared, “Pass down the order, all Armies are to retreat and regroup at Pure Yang Pass!”
“Yes Sir!” The messages were immediately sent to all the Armies.
At the same time, Pure Yang Pass, which had been outside the battlefield, also moved and pressed forward in the direction of the No-Return Pass as all its artifacts came to life.
Mi Jing Lun then flew up and rushed towards the battlefield.
As a Ninth-Order Master, he should have already taken to the battlefield to kill the enemy; however, he had to remain behind to direct the Armies’ movements.
Now that the battle was coming to an end, there was not much more for him to do. The Human Army only needed to withdraw from the battlefield in an orderly manner according to the original plan, so Mi Jing Lun could finally put down the heavy burden of command and go to the battlefield to act as a lone Ninth-Order Master.
At the same time as Pure Yang Pass began moving, on the battlefield inside the No-Return Pass, Yang Kai muttered, “It’s about time.”
Pure Yang Pass heading to the battlefield was a signal for the retreat of the Human Race Army, and Yang Kai knew it well.
Although he had been fighting alone, he was still taking advantage of the momentum of the Human Army. At that moment, Yang Kai’s extremely fierce attacks suddenly slowed down and he held a stoic expression.
Across from him, Mo Na Ye was drenched in cold sweat as he felt like he just escaped from the gates of death.
He did not expect Yang Kai’s explosive assault to last so long and had almost not survived the onslaught. His body was covered with wounds now, and even though they were not life-threatening, it made him look quite dishevelled.
There had also already been several rounds of Pseudo-Royal Lords who rotated in and out of the battlefield.
He was secretly relieved that Yang Kai stopped his attacks at this point; otherwise, once he was killed, the Pseudo-Royal Lords would have to face Yang Kai on their own. Once that happened, the High-Rank Black Ink Nests would suffer heavy losses, which would make the entire war situation untenable.
“Mo Na Ye!” Yang Kai said after he ‘adjusted his breathing’, “Let me show you something!”
Mo Na Ye kept his cool and remained silent, while he continued his attacks with the three Pseudo-Royal Lords in a pincer move.
“Your Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array…” As Yang Kai spoke, the Space-Time River once again coiled around the Azure Dragon Spear. He then thrust his spear into the Void, causing an eruption of Space Principles that shattered the local space!
“It’s useless against me now!” Yang Kai declared.
With the spear’s thrust and the diffusion of Space Principles, there was a sound of something shattering, and immediately afterwards, the space around the No-Return Pass began to crack in a spider-web pattern.
The Black Ink Clan had tried to use the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array several times to deal with Yang Kai, so naturally he was prepared for this. Even before he entered the No-Return Pass alone, Yang Kai considered the possibility of this Grand Array being set up to trap him.
However, Yang Kai was not worried about such trifles now.
He would have been wary of a Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array 700 hundred years ago as, at that time, if the local Space he was in was really isolated, he would be in a lot of trouble. Unless he killed all the Black Ink Clansmen inside and broke open the Array, it would be impossible for him to use Instantaneous Movement to escape.
But he was not the same as back then!
In the Universe Furnace, he had broken through to the Ninth-Order Master and his strength had dramatically increased after his retreat over the past 20 years.
In addition, Yang Kai refined and devoured various Dao Strengths in the Infinite River in the Universe Furnace World. It was also there that he realized his own Space-Time River was actually the condensed manifestation of all his Dao Strengths. With the power of the Space-Time River, Yang Kai could easily break through the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array arranged by the Black Ink Clan, ruining their plans.
Another point was that this Array was only made by some Black Ink Disciples with mediocre attainments in the Dao of Spirit Arrays at best; thus, the Array they produced was not too effective.
If it had been the Great Grandmaster of the Human Race that devised and set up an array to use against Yang Kai, it would have been more troublesome, but the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array was still easy to break free from.
From the start of the battle today, Yang Kai could have broken the Array at any moment he chose to. What he said about ‘let’s see how many of your Masters can I kill before I fall’ before the fighting started was simply meant to mislead Mo Na Ye.
Mo Na Ye was absolutely shocked the moment the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array was shattered. He did not know much about Spirit Arrays, so he did not expect this one, which he had such high hopes for, to not affect Yang Kai at all.
As such, he and the three Pseudo-Royal Lords who had teamed up with him launched a desperate attack.
This seemed to be a worsening situation, and it was obviously unwise to continue after knowing that it was impossible to contain Yang Kai; however, considering that Yang Kai was also feigning weakness, there was no reason why Mo Na Ye would choose not to take advantage of him when he seemed to be suffering backlash from some kind of sacrificial Secret Technique.
Murderous thoughts flashed through his mind, but Yang Kai suppressed his urge to kill Mo Na Ye here and now; instead, he just summoned a bit of strength to block Mo Na Ye’s blow, making it appear as if the two of them were now evenly matched.
The three Pseudo-Royal Lords in their Formation also attacked from the side, but Yang Kai simply thrust his spear out to force them back.
A single thrust was enough to block these three; after all, Yang Kai was stronger than the other Ninth-Order Masters and Royal Lords by a large margin. Even though he was busy fending off Mo Na Ye, the power of this spear could not be underestimated by the three Pseudo-Royal Lords.
However, as Yang Kai swung his spear, the leader of the three Pseudo-Royal Lords actually raised his hand to block the blow…
The moment contact was made, the Pseudo-Royal Lord’s aura changed subtly!
Yang Kai could not help but be stunned for a moment and quickly cursed in his heart. Even though he had been careful enough, he did not expect to fall for Mo Na Ye’s tricks in the end.
He had to admit that Mo Na Ye was a cunning and highly intelligent foe.
The main reason for this admiration was that Yang Kai had realized that the Pseudo-Royal Lord, who was leading the charge towards him, was not a Pseudo-Royal Lord. He was a true Royal Lord!
This caught him off guard; however, Yang Kai was ready for such surprises.
When he came to the No-Return Pass more than 20 years ago, Yang Kai realized that new Royal Lords would soon be born in the Black Ink Clan, and over the past 20 or so years, the Humans managed to gain two new Ninth-Order Masters, so how could the Black Ink Clan lag behind? It was not certain a new Royal Lord had risen, but there was still a good chance at least one had appeared.
When Mo Na Ye answered Yang Kai’s probing question previously, it was difficult for him to conclude anything; however, he still held the mindset that he would rather believe that there was at least one more. With such a mindset, Yang Kai was constantly on guard against any unknown Royal Lord who might be lurking and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
He subconsciously felt that if a new Royal Lord appeared in the Black Ink Clan, he would be hiding somewhere, looking for an opening to attack him.
However, Mo Na Ye chose to hide the new Royal Lord in plain sight, among a group of Pseudo-Royal Lords!
There were not many differences in terms of the auras of a Royal Lord and a Pseudo-Royal Lord, what set the two apart was that a Pseudo-Royal Lord could not control their strength completely. As a result, a Pseudo-Royal Lord could only exert about 70 to 80 percent of their full strength, despite possessing the foundation of an actual Royal Lord.
It was like two identical wells of water, but the lengths of rope used to draw up water were different. Since one rope was shorter, it could not access the well’s entire water supply. This was the difference between a Pseudo-Royal Lord and a true Royal Lord.
This meant that as long as a true Royal Lord simply released his own aura wildly, it was basically impossible to differentiate him from a Pseudo-Royal Lord. Even if he was in a fight, as long as he intentionally held back part of his strength, he would not reveal any flaws.
So, it was only when he started to attack that Yang Kai realized that among these three ‘Pseudo-Royal Lords’, there was a true Royal Lord!
This was what Yang Kai did not expect. He had been distracted, monitoring the movement all around him, lest a Royal Lord suddenly popped out of nowhere; however, he never anticipated that a true Royal Lord was actually lurking right next to him this whole time.
This arrangement was extremely clever and was definitely Mo Na Ye’s idea.
According to Mo Na Ye’s instructions, three Pseudo-Royal Lords would join him in suppressing Yang Kai, and so far, several batches of Pseudo-Royal Lords had rotated in and out of this battle. After establishing a kind of routine, even if Yang Kai was that astute, he would gradually become blind to such a possibility.
Of course, Yang Kai was doing something similar in trying to conceal his abilities by feigning weakness. Consciously having to hold back was actually an additional burden on him which left him somewhat distracted.
There was no point in blaming himself at this point though. The two Royal Lords were close at hand with one of them in the midst of a violent attack. In Yang Kai’s current ‘weakened’ state, it was impossible to dodge the incoming blow.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind as Yang Kai as he weighed between continuing with the deception or revealing his true strength, counterattacking, and taking Mo Na Ye and the new Royal Lord by surprise. In the end, though, he restrained his murderous intent.
The next moment, the new Royal Lord’s fist found its way through Yang Kai’s guard and struck his chest.
This punch was so powerful that it almost caved Yang Kai’s chest in, and a mouthful of fresh golden blood spurted out, turning into a thick mist of blood.
Yang Kai swung his fist back to repel his new foe before sweeping at him with his spear, forcing the new Royal Lord to dodge out of the way.
Mo Na Ye was surprised that the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array was broken by Yang Kai, but his original plan still worked out, which made up for the embarrassment.
While Yang Kai was fighting with Di Ya Luo, he raised his hand and Black Ink Strength broke through the void, aiming at the back of the former’s head.
If this blow landed, it would be disastrous for Yang Kai!
Mo Na Ye appeared exuberant and eagerly awaited what was to come.
However, at this critical moment, Yang Kai unexpectedly swung his Azure Dragon Spear behind his head and blocked the fierce blow precisely.
Mo Na Ye immediately realized what was happening and yelled, “Don’t let him get away!”
As he shouted, he used his aura to shake the Void, and the nearby Black Ink Masters did the same.
However, when Mo Na Ye and Di Ya Luo pounced towards Yang Kai again, the latter’s figure faded away.
Without the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array, there was no way to limit Yang Kai’s Instantaneous Movement. Even Mo Na Ye’s aura could only interfere slightly with it.
As a result of the interference, Yang Kai showed up not far away and failed to completely escape from the No-Return Pass.
At this moment, he was in a terrible state with his chest sunken considerably and his body covered in blood. His aura was so diminished that it seemed like he might die at any moment.
However, Mo Na Ye knew Yang Kai very well. To a Divine Dragon, recovering from even such serious injuries was not an issue; the only way to ensure Yang Kai was dead, was to kill him on the spot.
Moreover, as soon as he saw Yang Kai’s current location which was close to the Territory Gate, he realized what his nemesis was planning.
At this moment, Yang Kai had only two options to flee. One was to break through the Black Ink Clan’s defence line and escape towards the Human Race Army. As long as the Humans sent some Masters to assist him, he could ensure his own safety.
He was able to sneak into the No-Return Pass silently with the help of Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability, but now that so many Masters from the Black Ink Clan were locked onto him, he could not escape using the same tactic. As such, it was difficult for him to sneak his way out of the No-Return Pass.
If he tried to fight his way out now though, Mo Na Ye would surely notice something was off and re-assess his strength.
Thus, he had only one option left, which was to escape via the Territory Gate which led to the Barren Territory!
Yang Kai’s original intention was to use the Human Army to create chaos in and around the No-Return Pass, engaging as many Masters from the Black Ink Clan as possible so he could find a chance to slip through the Territory Gate into the Barren Territory.
That was why he snuck into the No-Return Pass alone when the opportunity presented itself; otherwise, he could have continued to wander the battlefield and kill with impunity. Yang Kai’s mere presence terrified most of the Black Ink Clan, including the Pseudo-Royal Lords.
The biggest reason for doing this was it was a strategy that he had discussed with Mi Jing Lun before the Army began the battle.
Ah Da and Ah Er remained in the Barren Territory. These two Giant Spirit Gods were strong, but not very smart. So, it was better to have a Human direct and guide them, especially during the critical moments.
Yang Kai was naturally the best candidate for this role.
The two Giant Spirit Gods considered him a friend and he was strong enough to move alone to the Barren Territory and remain there to guard it.
Furthermore, just because Yang Kai was in the Barren Territory did not mean that he could not participate in the battle. He was so strong that as long as he was in the Barren Territory, the Black Ink Clan would have to divert some energy to guard against him attacking the No-Return Pass from the Territory Gate.
The Black Ink Clan would not be as worried had it been any other Ninth-Order Masters remaining behind the Territory Gate.
Yang Kai intended to escape to the Barren Territory all along, but he did not expect the process to be so turbulent to the point he was forced to make such a bitter choice…
Mo Na Ye had also anticipated Yang Kai possibly escaping through the Territory Gate, but he had thought the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array would be enough to stop the latter.
Previously, Mo Na Ye had quite some confidence in the Heaven Sealing Earth Locking Array, but to his disappointment, he now realized that this Array could no longer trap Yang Kai.
So, the moment Yang Kai reappeared, Mo Na Ye and Di Ya Luo led a large group of Pseudo-Royal Lords over. Before they even arrived, powerful Secret Techniques were sent out like a storm towards Yang Kai.
Yang Kai’s face paled. Throughout this battle, he had been concealing his ability by feigning weakness; however, he was now really wounded and facing a deadly threat. The Pseudo-Royal Lords who were responsible for guarding the No-Return Pass were all mobilized. In total, there were now nearly 30 top Masters attacking Yang Kai, two of whom were true Royal Lords. With adversaries of such strength and numbers, even he could not resist them head-on.
In his haste, Yang Kai could only hastily summon his Space-Time River and dive inside to shield himself as he fled towards the Territory Gate.
*Hong long long…*
Explosions rang out as waves surged, causing the Space-Time River to tumble and the Dao Strengths to shake.
Space rippled and cracked near the Territory Gate as Yang Kai disappeared while those chasing after him came to a halt. Mo Na Ye, the leader of the group, ground his teeth and snarled, “He’s still alive after all that!”
Although he had not been able to catch Yang Kai off guard and even landed a heavy final blow, he was absolutely certain that Yang Kai was still alive. He also knew that Yang Kai had already escaped into the Barren Territory through the Territory Gate to join up with the two Giant Spirit Gods.
As he spoke, a strong sense of frustration rose in his heart.
According to his plans, as long as nothing untoward happened, Yang Kai had less than a 30% chance of escaping from the No-Return Pass. However, the most critical Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array did not work as it should. Now, not only was his plan a failure, he had shown his trump card.
Di Ya Luo’s identity had been exposed, and the Black Ink Clan had no more Royal Lords; thus, it would now be all but impossible to kill Yang Kai.
Thinking back on all the years he had been fighting with Yang Kai, Mo Na Ye realized he previously had two good chances to kill this plague but always failed at the last moment. No one could be sure if he was unlucky or if Yang Kai’s fortune was just that much better to always allow him to survive.
Di Ya Luo comforted, “Don’t blame yourself. Although we couldn’t kill him this time, he is definitely severely injured and won’t be able to cause any troubles anytime soon. Additionally, now is not the time to think about him. We should consider the overall situation!”
As a Royal Lord, Di Ya Luo did not have many dealings with Yang Kai. More specifically, he had not suffered many losses at his hands; thus, he did not have Mo Na Ye’s obsession with killing Yang Kai. However, right now, the Black Ink Clan had more problems than just a wounded but still alive Yang Kai.
Mo Na Ye forced himself to calm down, nodded, and said, “You’re right!”
When he was fighting with Yang Kai, he did not have the time or the capacity to think of the situation on the battlefield; however, he immediately noticed something unusual as he observed the fights.
The Human Race Army was withdrawing, while Pure Yang Pass, which had kept its distance all this time, was actually advancing. It seemed to be using the power of its various Arrays and artifacts to provide cover for the retreating Humans.
This was a planned withdrawal which was executed in an orderly and disciplined fashion.
A moment later, Mo Na Ye understood why the Humans chose to withdraw their forces despite having the advantage.
It was true that the Humans had controlled the flow of the battle this entire time and gained many advantages thus far, resulting in a lot of casualties among the Black Ink Clan, including numerous Pseudo-Royal Lords. However, the Human Warships also sustained a lot of damage and many of their Masters had fallen. If the Humans continued to fight, their casualties would only rise as more and more of their Warships were destroyed.
By choosing to withdraw at this point, they could preserve their own strength. Mo Na Ye would also make this choice if he was in such a situation.
To put it bluntly, the Black Ink Clan was now a caged beast and there was no need for the Humans to fight them to the death.
As long as there were a few more battles like this one, when Black Ink Clan’s strength was worn down enough, the Humans could launch a decisive final attack and wipe them out.
“Want to leave? It’s not that easy.” Mo Na Ye coldly snorted as he saw through the Human Race’s intention. This kind of hit-and-run tactic was despicable and clearly Mi Jing Lun’s plot, so he swiftly shouted, “Pass down the order, attack the Humans at all costs. Have all the Pseudo-Royal Lords in the No-Return Pass join the offensive!”
The Pseudo-Royal Lords were shocked by Mo Na Ye’s boldness.
The No-Return Pass was the foundation of the Black Ink Clan as all the High Rank Black Ink Nests were here. The Pseudo-Royal Lords who stayed behind were tasked exclusively with guarding these Black Ink Nests. If they left, the entire No-Return Pass would be unguarded and extremely vulnerable. If at this moment any Human Race Master managed to sneak through, it would definitely cause terrible damage to the Black Ink Clan!
However, the only one who could really achieve this was already badly injured and had escaped into the Barren Territory. Thus, he would not have the strength to cause trouble again… As for the others, there was no need to worry about them accomplishing what that anomaly could do.
Although this order seemed to be a rash decision by Mo Na Ye, it was actually well-considered.
After giving this order, Mo Na Ye and Di Ya Luo took the lead and rushed towards the battlefield, followed by several dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords.
Somewhere on the battlefield, Mi Jing Lun, who had just started killing the enemies, keenly noticed this and sighed, “That guy is really difficult to deal with!”
When an Army was withdrawing from the battlefield, it was most fearful of such a situation. Now, the Humans were bound to incur even more losses.
Thankfully, the advantage that the Humans had gained this time was significant. Even though the Black Ink Clan had responded in the worst way possible, the Humans were still able to withstand the onslaught.
Just as the battle was about to end, the fights suddenly became more intense than before. The orderly withdrawal of the Human Race Army was interrupted by the Black Ink Clan Army doggedly chasing after them, with Masters of both sides clashing in the void.
Comparing the two sides, the Humans were undoubtedly better organized. The 12 Armies coordinated with each other as single units while Black Ink Clan was much more chaotically and haphazardly arranged.
Many of the Black Ink Clan Soldiers that gave chase could not interfere with the Humans meaningfully as they did not coordinate properly and were basically trampling over each other, trying to get ahead.
However, there was still some impact on the withdrawal of the Army. The sudden attacks resulted in numerous losses among the Humans. Many damaged Warships were destroyed and the cultivators on board were crushed.
Seeing the situation deteriorating, one of the Purifying Black Ink Battleships actually turned around and dove into a close-quarters battle, its weapons firing madly as it ploughed its way through the enemy lines. Arriving at the heart of the enemy’s charge, the giant Warship suddenly glowed brilliantly before exploding into a Great Sun made of pure white light, illuminating the entire void.
The Great Sun enveloped a massive area and wounded or killed all the surrounding Black Ink Clansmen, creating an opening for the rest of the Human forces to escape.
The scene was magnificent and the battle-weary soldiers cheered from all corners of the battlefield.
This was how far the Humans were willing to go, how far they could go when they had something to protect!
The 3,000 Worlds was their home, and although it was now an empty shell due to the Black Ink Clan’s wanton plunder, it was still their homeland and none of it would be ceded.
If they wanted to protect their home, they had to uproot the Black Ink Clan once and for all.
The two mighty Armies continued to clash with the Humans fighting hard as they retreated. The Black Ink Clan continued their pursuit for 5 million kilometres before finally stopping.
The relentless and tenacious pursuit of the Humans frustrated Mi Jing Lun and he was tempted to order an immediate counteroffensive; however, considering that most of the Warships were damaged and the effects of the Purifying Black Ink Pills was wearing out, he had no choice but to give up on this risky idea.
The soldiers were very reliant on their Warships for protection. For so many years, the Human Warships were the key to them taking on the numerically superior enemy and prevailing.
Most of the losses in the later part of the battle were due to the destroyed Warships, leaving the soldiers without extra protection.
It was only when the pursuing Black Ink Clan Army retreated like an outgoing tide that this battle finally ended.
The Human Race Army regrouped at their temporary camp three days away from the No-Return Pass. After this battle, the Humans would be unable to launch another full assault on the No-Return Pass within a short time.
The wounded soldiers needed time to heal, not to mention that the logistics were also unable to keep up with the intense consumption.
A large number of damaged Warships needed to be repaired, Evil Purging Divine Spears needed to be replenished, and the Purifying Black Ink Pills had to be refined.
All of this required a lot of resources, so although there were currently three million Third-Order and below cultivators mining supplies in the vast Black Ink Battlefield, it would always take some time to accumulate enough.
A conservative estimate was that for the next two to three years, they would not have the ability to attack the No-Return Pass again.
The Black Ink Clan, even though they had found out that the Humans had set up camp just days away, did not dare to harbour any aggressive thoughts. When the entire Human Race Army withdrew, the Black Ink Clan could still chase after them in order to thin their numbers; however, now that they had settled down and regrouped, it was not wise to disturb them again.
Thus, although the Humans were not far from the No-Return Pass, the two sides co-existed for a long period without much conflict.
One month after the battle, at a certain place in the Barren Territory, Ah Da and Ah Er sat facing each other, looking down helplessly at the space in front of them.
In their field of vision, a figure covered in blood was sleeping quietly. The blood had already congealed and stained the clothes.
The figure slept on his side, suspended in the void as if there was an invisible bed underneath.
Such a figure was small as an ant when compared with the towering Giant Spirit Gods.
This figure was none other than Yang Kai, who entered this place from the No-Return Pass. At the last moment, he used the power of his Space-Time River to block the fierce attacks of the two Royal Lords and dozens of Pseudo-Royal Lords. The impacts were so violent that his own Dao Strengths were severely impacted and his vitality plunged to the point he became delirious. He passed out soon after entering the Barren Territory.
He would not have been able to sleep so peacefully for so long if not for Ah Da and Ah Er watching over him. With their protection, Yang Kai felt safe enough to recuperate in peace.
However, his condition caused the two Giant Spirit Gods to worry about him.
After staring at the tiny figure in front of him for a long time, Ah Da suddenly wailed, “Dead!”
Ah Da had said this so many times that Ah Er was so frustrated, but he still patiently explained, “Not dead! Asleep…”
Ah Da suddenly remarked, “Oh… ate till he was full.”
He had always maintained a routine of napping when he was full and looking for food when he woke up; therefore, he expected that all the living creatures should be the same as him. Since Yang Kai was asleep, he must have eaten enough and was now taking a nap.
When this topic was brought up, Ah Da reached out, rubbed his belly, and grumbled, “I’m hungry…”
Ah Er also instinctively echoed, “En!”
The two Giant Spirit Gods looked at each other gloomily.
At that moment, the sleeping Yang Kai suddenly opened his eyes and sat up slowly. He appeared dazed, drowsy, and stiff for a while before yawning. He stretched his back and mumbled, “That was a good nap!”
It had been ages since he was able to sleep so comfortably. Since his strength became so much stronger, he almost did not need to sleep normally to recover his energy. Now, he took advantage of his wounds and the protection of the Giant Spirit Gods to sleep peacefully and allow his body to heal. Waking up, he immediately felt mighty as a Dragon and fierce as a Tiger. His revitalized energy coursed through his veins and he could not wait to barge into the No-Return Pass and beat those two bastards to a pulp, but then, a huge face suddenly filled his entire vision and thundered, “Are you… hungry?”
The void shook under the thunderous but clearly concerned voice. Yang Kai was nearly blown away by the force of the wind that resulted from the Giant Spirit God’s breath, but he quickly stabilized himself, looked up at the humongous bald head, and knew immediately that it was Ah Da.
Yang Kai chuckled, raised his hand, and waved his hand, “You’re talking about yourself, right? Okay, okay, I know. Back up a little bit, I haven’t forgotten what I promised you the last time!”
When he left the Barren Territory some 20 years ago, he instructed Ah Da and Ah Er to guard the Territory Gate and smash anyone who dared to cross the Territory Gate. He promised them that if they did that, he would bring them food the next time he came.
The two Giant Spirit Gods had done a good job over the years, and it was because of their deterrence that the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods of the Black Ink Clan did not dare to join in the battle a month ago. Yang Kai naturally had to fulfil his promise to them.
Yang Kai raised his hand and flipped it over, and an orb appeared on his palm. He said childishly, “Look, at this. Do you know what it is?”
Ah Da and Ah Er’s eyes were immediately attracted by the orb. They could smell the delicious fragrance that emanated from the orb and knew that this was their food; however, what puzzled them was that this food was not quite the same as what they would eat previously. So, even though their stomachs were rumbling, they resisted the urge to feast.
Yang Kai laughed at the look of the two Giant Spirit Gods before throwing out the World Bead from his hand without further delay.
The little World Bead flew into the void, and as it fell, Space Principles flared, allowing the tiny sphere to rapidly expand. Just a few moments later, it became a complete Universe World.
The volume of this Universe World was just as big as the Star Boundary; however, its surface was full of large pits and there were a number of dark tunnels leading to its interior. These were obviously traces left behind by the mining of resources.
The valuable resources had all been extracted from this Universe World, and since World Principles was collapsed, it was considered as a dead Universe World, which suited Giant Spirit God’s appetite.
Now that the 3,000 Worlds had basically been hollowed out, it was not easy to find such a Universe World. However, since Yang Kai promised Ah Da and Ah Er to bring them good food, he had to keep to his word.
Fortunately, in the 3,000 Worlds, there was still Myriad Monsters Territory, which was the Great Territory adjacent to High Heaven Territory. Myriad Monsters Territory and High Heaven Territory had become the last two Pure Lands of the Human Race.
Yang Kai found this Universe World in Myriad Monsters Territory, refined it into a World Bead, and brought it to this place before restoring it to its original size using his Space Secret Techniques.
Such tasks were easily done by Yang Kai nowadays.
After seeing the delicious Universe World, the two Giant Spirit Gods immediately jumped up and down in joy and ran over to it.
The Giant Spirit Gods bodies were massive, even when compared to such a Universe World. So, they each sat on opposite ends and began reaching out to grab large chunks of it and shoving them into their mouths before crunching it with their massive teeth.
This was the first time Yang Kai watched the Giant Spirit Gods eating in such close proximity, and even though he had seen many things in his life, this was still an amazing sight to behold.
It had been very puzzling to him that the Giant Spirit Gods only eat this kind of dead Universe World. How could such a huge body with terrifying strength be nourished by this? The Universe was indeed filled with profound mysteries that were difficult to understand.
The two Giant Spirit Gods were eating with one hand and grabbing with the other, both smiling happily at Yang Kai.
When Ah Da realized that Yang Kai was staring at them, he handed over a Universe Fragment and said, “Friend, let’s all eat together!”
Yang Kai froze for a moment, then realized what he meant by ‘Friend’.
Ah Da had always called him ‘little one’ or even ‘little ant’, but since he had brought them such good food, he now became their ‘Friend’.
Since Ah Da offered so generously, Yang Kai took the Universe Fragment into his Small Universe, fearing that it would upset him if he refused.
Ah Da saw this and smiled from ear to ear…
It was a pity that there were so few Giant Spirit Gods now. If there were more than two, perhaps eight or 10, they could have easily retaken the No-Return Pass. All Yang Kai would need to do is lead a Squad of them to get the job done.
Casting such fanciful thoughts aside, Yang Kai turned his head and looked at the Territory Gate. Through the Void Turbulence, Yang Kai could still vaguely see the situation in the No-Return Pass.
After the last battle, the No-Return Pass was obviously more closely guarded, especially the area around the Territory Gate. A powerful figure stood openly, clearly telling Yang Kai that if he dared to venture across, he would be immediately beaten.
Yang Kai coldly snorted, took off his blood-stained clothes, summoned some water from his Small Universe, and washed himself. He then changed into a new set of robes.
Although he had been in a deep sleep, he was extremely sensitive to the passage of time and knew clearly that it was only one month since the last battle.
He estimated that the Black Ink Clan lost at least 20 Pseudo-Royal Lords with even more seriously wounded. It was very troublesome for such Masters to heal, so it would be a long time before they could fully recover.
However, the Humans also needed to recuperate and accumulate supplies for the next battle. Everything took time.
Therefore, although Yang Kai could not get in touch with Mi Jing Lun, according to what they had planned, the next attack on the No-Return Pass would be at least two years later.
Two years was neither long nor short. It was just enough time for Yang Kai to deal with some things.
He had an idea in mind, and it was time to act.
Yang Kai was slightly taken aback, looking at Ah Da and Ah Er. The Universe World had been completely devoured by the two Giant Spiritual Gods in just a short time. When they noticed Yang Kai looking at them, they immediately looked at him eagerly; obviously, the two had not had their fill yet.
Yang Kai immediately stated, “Wait here, I’ll go find you something to eat now. Just like before, keep a close eye on this place. If anyone dares to come out from the other side of the door, beat them to death!”
The two Giant Spiritual Gods nodded their acknowledgment.
Yang Kai had used his actions to prove that he wasn’t someone who goes back on his word. Compared to the promise he made last time, this time, Ah Da and Ah Er naturally looked forward to it with great expectations.
After confirming that the two Giant Spiritual Gods understood his intentions, Yang Kai manipulated Space Principles and rushed towards the Territory Gate connected to the Shattered Heaven.
A moment later, he arrived at the Territory Gate and entered.
The injuries Yang Kai had sustained in the battle a month ago weren’t light, but they weren’t too serious either. After a month of sleep, his physical body had basically fully recovered. The instability in his Dao Strengths wasn’t something that could be so easily resolved, but as long as he didn’t overexert his Dao Strength, it wouldn’t affect him much.
The current Human Race could be said to have mobilized all of their forces to war. Disregarding the many Great Territories that had already become empty shells, even High Heaven Territory and Myriad Monsters Territory only had a few old, weak, and disabled people left behind, as well as some rising stars who had yet to fully mature. They had been born too late, so no matter how outstanding their aptitude was, they had yet to reach the Open Heaven Realm. As such, they weren’t even qualified to join the logistics team to gather resources.
Under such circumstances, Yang Kai’s goal for returning to the 3,000 Worlds from the Shattered Heaven was naturally not High Heaven Territory or Myriad Monsters Territory.
His destination was elsewhere.
Traversing through many Great Territories at his leisure, Yang Kai finally arrived at his destination after nearly three months.
Chaotic Dead Territory!
In fact, when the upper echelons of the Human Race decided to attack the No-Return Pass, Yang Kai had wanted to make a trip to Chaotic Dead Territory first. In the past, he had brought Zhang Ruo Xi here to cultivate with Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. So many years had already gone by, even he had no idea what the results would be.
Because of her Heavens Order Bloodline, Zhang Ruo Xi was not affected by the Open Heaven Realm Method’s shackles. Even though she had initially broken through to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, she still had a chance of reaching the Ninth-Order all on her own. As proof, she had smoothly made it to the Eighth Order many years ago.
Of course, the amount of time that passed shouldn’t have been enough for her to reach the Ninth Order; be that as it may, what Yang Kai valued was not her cultivation, but her amazing ability to control the Small Stone Race.
Zhang Ruo Xi was able to fully control them. Those from this race had intelligence that was even inferior to the Giant Spiritual God’s. It was horribly low, so low that they only acted based on their instincts. Basically, no one could completely control them.
However, the Small Stone Race raised by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan had become a special variation.
These Small Stone Race members were divided into two types, the Great Sun Small Stone Race and the Great Moon Small Stone Race. Because they had grown up absorbing the pure power of Yang and Yin, respectively, they could almost be regarded as living, mobile Yellow and Blue Crystals.
All the Divine Spirits with the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks were capable of controlling these Small Stone Race members that had been reared using this special method. At critical moments, they could even extract the Yin and Yang Energy from their bodies and fuse them into Purifying Light. Yang Kai had used this method many times to kill Masters from the Black Ink Clan.
Compared to Yang Kai and the other Divine Spirits who used the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks to control them though, Zhang Ruo Xi completely relied on the suppression of her Bloodline to do the same, and was actually able to exert a vastly superior level of control akin to moving her arms and legs. She had no need for the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks.
She was even able to have Small Stone Race members form higher-order Nine Palaces Formations. Yang Kai had witnessed her do this up until a Fourth-Order Nine Palaces Formation comprised of over 6,000 Small Stone Race Soldiers.
Even for the Human Race, forming a Nine Palaces Formation was not an easy task, especially at higher Orders. Hardly anyone could even form the Eight Trigrams Formation while no one had ever witnessed a Nine Palaces Formation of Eighth-Order Masters.
However, in previous battles, eight Eighth-Order Masters had successfully formed the Eight Trigrams Formation and used it to kill Pseudo-Royal Lords. Of course, during such battles, it was inevitable that some if not all of the Eighth-Order Masters involved would die from the backlash of using such a Battle Formation while those who managed to survive had their foundations severely damaged.
Even so, given that it had such might, all Eighth-Order Masters wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice their lives so long as they could kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord from the Black Ink Clan. Unfortunately, successfully forming this Battle Formation was not always possible, even if the Masters attempting it were willing to make such a sacrifice.
If an Eight Trigrams Formation formed by Eighth-Order Masters could kill a Pseudo-Royal Lord, then what about the Nine Palaces Formation? It was probably strong enough to kill a Royal Lord!
Unfortunately, no Eighth-Order Masters could achieve this.
By comparison, Zhang Ruo Xi’s ability was simply shocking. It could be said that even if she was only an Eighth-Order Master, the role she could play on the battlefield would not be inferior to any Ninth-Order Master!
Unfortunately, Yang Kai was unable to find any free time after returning from the edge of the Universe so he was unable to visit Chaotic Dead Territory until now.
Yang Kai was quite looking forward to Zhang Ruo Xi’s growth. If everything went smoothly, he was prepared to take her to the battlefield where she could finally show her marvelous ability. This way, it would be easier for the Human Race to retake the No-Return Pass and they would suffer lesser casualties.
On top of that, he also wanted to ask Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan for some more Yellow and Blue Crystals. The Human Race’s current supplies were severely depleted, but the pure Yin and Yang Element materials were indispensable to the war effort.
After passing through the Territory Gate, Yang Kai stepped into Chaotic Dead Territory after a very long time, but the next moment, he was slightly taken aback.
The sight before him was different from the last time he had come to Chaotic Dead Territory. This time, the very first thing he saw was two armies of innumerable Small Stone Race members locked in a heated confrontation in the void.
Looking around, Yang Kai saw that the size of these two Small Stone Race Armies was not small, each totalling at least a million members. What surprised Yang Kai wasn’t their numbers though. The Small Stone Race was found in a remote Universe World in Myriad Monsters Territory. Their living habits were quite similar to that of ants with an ant queen-like existence in each colony. As long as they had enough resources, they could constantly reproduce, so in terms of numbers, each Small Stone Race colony could easily reach an astonishing size.
Yang Kai was also rearing a large number of Small Stone Race members in his Small Universe, but he always prevented the reproduction of these Small Stone Race from getting out of control; otherwise, the entire Void World would become a Small Stone Race World in no time. At that point, there would be no place for the Human Race to stand.
Strictly speaking, the conflict between two million strong Armies was just a small-scale battle for the Small Stone Race.
What surprised Yang Kai was the fact that these two sides were fighting each other at all.
It was true that when Yang Kai handed over the Small Stone Race to Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, it was to allow them to use this method to determine who was the Elder Sibling. It could be said that the reason for the Great Sun Small Stone Race and the Great Moon Small Stone Race’s existence was to fight each other.
But that was only the initial situation.
Since the Black Ink Clan had invaded the 3,000 Worlds, the two Supreme Masters of Chaotic Dead Territory had stopped playing such silly games and instead focused on raising more Small Stone Race Soldiers to give their ‘Little Brother’ Yang Kai to assist in the war.
Yang Kai had looted Yellow Crystals, Blue Crystals, and even the Small Stone Race Armies from them several times. Although these two complained a lot about his open banditry, they had never let Yang Kai return empty-handed. Every time Yang Kai came to ask for their help, he would always reap a bountiful harvest.
The relationship between Yang Kai and the two of them was similar to that of a prodigal son who indulges in debauchery and parents who painstakingly accumulates their family’s wealth. Every time they built up a little savings, Yang Kai would come over and take it away before squandering it all.
But they were willing to do so because they also didn’t want to see the Black Ink Clan rule the Universe. Despite their astonishing strength and ability, they were unable to provide direct assistance in this war between the Human Race and Black Ink Clan where one side was destined to be completely annihilated. The Small Stone Race was the only thing they could offer in terms of combat power.
Thus, the Small Stone Races in Chaotic Dead Territory had stopped fighting each other a long time ago.
The last two times Yang Kai had come here, he had not seen any scenes of conflict, so the scene in front of him was quite shocking.
There weren’t any powerful Masters among the two Small Stone Race Armies, but the battlefield was extremely fierce. Yin and Yang were opposites to begin with, and once the Small Stone Race, which naturally fought amongst themselves, was bestowed with the Yin and Yang Elements, this kind of opposition became particularly prominent.
On the battlefield, the two branches of the Small Stone Race clashed with each other, fighting without any semblance of order. One by one, Small Stone Race members were blown to smithereens. Although no blood was spilled and all the battles were fought on instinct, the intensity of the war was not inferior to any Yang Kai had witnessed before.
Yang Kai quietly observed for a moment before restraining his impulse to intervene.
Relying on the Great Sun and Great Moon Marks bestowed by Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, Yang Kai could easily separate these two Small Stone Race Armies, but because he didn’t know what Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s intentions were, he decided to let things be for now. If these two Supreme Beings of the Chaotic Dead Territory had some kind of special purpose for this battle, Yang Kai’s interference might disrupt their plans.
Bypassing these two warring Armies, Yang Kai flew deeper into Chaotic Dead Territory.
After an hour, Yang Kai’s expression became solemn.
Along the way, he saw many battlefields of varying size, each of which had a large number of Small Stone Race Soldiers locked in combat. The first battlefield he encountered wasn’t very large, and there weren’t many powerful members, but on the largest battlefield, he actually witnessed close to 10 million Small Stone Race Soldiers fighting with each other, with many colossal members that were equivalent to the Seventh-Order and Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.
This made Yang Kai immediately realize that something had gone wrong.
The entire Chaotic Dead Territory seemed to have been drawn into the battle between two Small Stone Races. Every once in a while, Yang Kai would run into a battle either in progress or already over.
[Something is obviously wrong. Even when Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were keen on using the Small Stone Race to determine who was the Elder Sibling, they had never expanded the scale of the battle to this extent.]
This kind of scale could no longer be called a game, but a true war! The number participating in this conflict was no less than the combined total of the Human Race and Black Ink Clan!
What’s more, it had only been about 1,000 years since he last came here, so how could there be so many of them in the Chaotic Dead Territory?
Of course, theoretically speaking, it wouldn’t be surprising for the Small Stone Race to reach this population in 1,000 years with their outstanding reproductive ability as long as there were no restrictions and there were ample resources.
Except, this was Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s territory. They did not have any need to let the Small Stone Race reproduce to this number. Most of these Small Stone Race members were subpar. Their physique was extremely weak, making them even weaker than the Black Ink Clan cannon fodder whose only role was to send themselves to their deaths to spread Black Ink Strength.
In terms of a contest, it was better to nurture more Small Stone Race Masters rather than spend energy to produce many insignificant Small Stone Race Soldiers.
The scene here gave Yang Kai a sense of chaos, as if a massive number of Small Stone Race members had lost control, turning Chaotic Dead Territory’s name into a reality…
When this thought appeared, Yang Kai couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment. Logically speaking, the Small Stone Race shouldn’t have gone out of control with Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan here, but everything he had seen indicated otherwise.
As he continued heading deeper into Chaotic Dead Territory, he saw more and more Small Stone Race members fighting each other.
At one point, Yang Kai suddenly stopped and stared ahead with a look of surprise.
Having reached his current cultivation, there weren’t many things that could surprise him. Even if he were to face the Black Ink Giant Spirit God right now, he would still remain perfectly calm, but the sight before him gave him a strange feeling…
He felt as if something had erupted in the depths of the void.
Three breaths later, a dazzling spot of light appeared in Yang Kai’s field of vision. This point of light was undoubtedly far away, but because it was so bright, Yang Kai could see it clearly even from where he stood.
When it first appeared, this speck of light was only the size of a needle tip, but it spread out at an indescribable speed.
At the same time, extremely powerful energy fluctuations came with it.
Yang Kai could faintly hear a clear bird cry like that of a Phoenix…
The sounds of birds’ cries became clearer and clearer, and multiplied every moment. Soon, the dazzling light filled Yang Kai’s vision.
When the light dissipated, what Yang Kai saw and heard left him dumbfounded.
Much to his surprise, countless strange existences of varying sizes had appeared in the void, resembling Phoenix, but a little different from those from the Phoenix Clan.
Yang Kai immediately recognized these strange existences.
He had seen these things the first time he came to Chaotic Dead Territory with Ah Da.
They weren’t living creatures, but rather masses of pure Yin and Yang Energies, the manifestation of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s power.
The orange-yellow creatures were the manifestation of energy leaking from Burning Light, while the blue-coloured ones were the Serene Glimmer’s power.
Yin and Yang were inherently opposites. When Yang Kai first came to the Chaotic Dead Territory, these unique existences of different colours were fighting against each other just like the Small Stone Race. The confrontation of these two pure opposing energies gave birth to large amounts of Yellow and Blue Crystals, which allowed Yang Kai to reap great benefits.
According to Burning Light and Serene Glimmer, they could not properly control their own strength once it was unleashed. So, from the day they were born, their powers had been constantly clashing with each other, and this was what Yang Kai was seeing right now.
It was also because of this that the two Supreme Masters of the Chaotic Dead Territory were unable to leave this place and help the Human Race. Once they left the Chaotic Dead Territory and entered another Great Territory, that Great Territory would become a part of the Chaotic Dead Territory.
Back then, Yang Kai had thought that if one day the Human Race really couldn’t hold on any longer, he would ask Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan to descend the mountain and wreak havoc. No matter how much these two destroyed, it would still be better than allowing the Black Ink Clan to corrupt everything.
Of course, the situation had not yet reached such a critical level.
As existences whose strength wasn’t inferior to that of a Giant Spirit God, it was quite strange that these two couldn’t control their own strength.
It wasn’t until Yang Kai visited the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land and witnessed its complete history that this mystery was finally solved.
It turned out the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer were incomplete existences. They had been separated from the Primordial Light, so although they had great strength, they were unable to perfectly control it as they were lacking certain pieces of their foundation.
Even the Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan who Yang Kai interacted with were not their true forms, just avatars composed of their energy. From another point of view, they could be considered as manifestations of energy that they could control, so when Yang Kai came into contact with them, there was no danger.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s Heavens Order Bloodline was also incomplete. After the Primordial Light separated Yin and Yang from itself, it arrived at the Divine Spirit Ancestral Land where it dispersed itself and gave rise to many Divine Spirits. The final pure essence of the Primordial Light was what eventually became the Heavens Order Bloodline.
This was also the reason why the Heavens Order Bloodline was able to restrain all Divine Spirits and even allow Zhang Ruo Xi to easily control the Small Stone Race.
Yang Kai had noticed this point, which was why he had brought Zhang Ruo Xi to the Chaotic Dead Territory to meet Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan to cultivate.
However, the clash between the Yin and Yang energies of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer had reappeared for some unknown reason now.
If nothing unexpected happened, these manifestations that looked like Phoenixes were destined to battle each other to the death before transforming into Yellow and Blue Crystals…
However, the existence of the Small Stone Race interfered with this end result.
Yang Kai clearly saw that on a nearby battlefield, two Small Stone Race Armies happened to be engaged in a fierce battle, but the moment the Yin and Yang energies manifested, they all abandoned their respective opponents and pounced towards the Yin and Yang creatures. The Small Stone Race had been raised by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan using their own strength, so the Yin and Yang Energies naturally had a fatal attraction to them.
Under normal circumstances, an ordinary Small Stone Race Clansmen was very small, only reaching an adult Human’s thigh in height, but they seemed to grow bigger and bigger as their strength increased. Be that as it may, they were still no bigger than ordinary Humans before Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Land began feeding them with their pure Yin and Yang Energies.
In the blink of an eye, the countless manifestations of Yin and Yang Energies were surrounded by the Small Stone Race, and even more Small Stone Race members continued rushing over from afar to devour them.
This scene resembled a swarm of ants covering a sweet and delicious meat bun…
This was just the scenes Yang Kai could see, but considering how massive the pulse of light from before was, similar scenes must be happening all over the Chaotic Dead Territory, out of Yang Kai’s sight.
Although the manifestations of Yin and Yang Energies were essentially pieces of the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer and took the form of various Monster Beasts and creatures, they were not alive. As such, even though they were being devoured by countless Small Stone Race members, they didn’t utter a single wail or even struggled to break free, because the Small Stone Race members that were devouring them were just like them in terms of Yin and Yang attributes.
The Great Sun Small Stone Race devoured the Yang Energy creatures, while the Great Moon Small Stone Race devoured those made of Yin Energy…
Yang Kai clearly saw a Small Stone Race member in a certain location, who was originally equivalent to a peak Seventh-Order Master, suddenly started radiating a yellow halo after devouring a large amount of Yang Energy. Immediately after, its body, which was already larger than the other Small Stone Race members, began growing rapidly as its aura reached something equivalent to an Eighth-Order Master!
All the Small Stone Race members who were ingesting Yin and Yang Energies saw varying degrees of improvement.
Yang Kai finally understood how this Chaotic Dead Territory had so many Small Stone Race members now.
To the Small Stone Race, the energy dispersing from Burning Light and Serene Glimmer was a great blessing. With such a massive amount of energy to use as food, the Small Stone Race’s reproduction was naturally smooth, and after many years of accumulation, it wasn’t surprising for them to have reached such a massive number.
The source of all this seemed to be deep in the distant void.
Yang Kai turned his head to look in the direction where the explosion of light originated from. If he wasn’t mistaken, the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer were there, because their energy was dispersing from that direction.
[What happened in the Chaotic Dead Territory over the past 1,000 years? What are Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan up to? What about Ruo Xi?]
Suppressing the many doubts in his heart, Yang Kai took a step forward and manipulated Space Principles, dashing off towards the distant void to investigate.
With a clear goal in mind, Yang Kai sped up and arrived at his destination after an incense stick worth of time.
When he saw what was happening from afar, a furrow appeared on Yang Kai’s brow. To his confusion, a giant oval-shaped object that looked like a condensed mist was occupying a vast amount of space. At first glance, it gave the impression of an egg…
Through the thick fog, Yang Kai vaguely saw a familiar figure. It was none other than Zhang Ruo Xi, whom he had sent to this place many years ago.
At this moment, Zhang Ruo Xi seemed to be sleeping in this ‘egg’, her small figure curled up into a ball. The fog made it impossible for Yang Kai to see her expression, but judging by her sleeping posture, it seemed like she was resting peacefully.
[What is this?] Yang Kai frowned.
Zhang Ruo Xi was here, but what about Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan?
Looking around carefully, Yang Kai’s heart suddenly jumped.
The mist that had condensed into the shape of an egg was obviously filled with extremely rich and terrifying Yin and Yang Energies. Also, two other blurry figures could be vaguely seen drifting through the mist. The Yin and Yang Energies that were basically poles apart actually seemed to be merging together in this strange place.
Yang Kai’s brow slightly rose as he faintly understood what was going on, but this only made him happier rather than shocked. If he was right about what was happening, then the benefits Zhang Ruo Xi would obtain this time would not be small.
The Burning Light and Serene Glimmer were incomplete existence, while Zhang Ruo Xi’s Heavens Order Bloodline was also incomplete, but her bloodline was the primary component of the Primordial Light which, in theory, should allow the opposing pure Yin and Yang Energies to achieve a balance.
Thinking of this, the strange scene in front of him could be explained.
Just as Yang Kai was about to get closer to investigate, a sudden change occurred. A figure suddenly rushed out from the fog and charged straight at Yang Kai.
Because he was worried about Big Brother Huang, Big Sister Lan, and Zhang Ruo Xi, Yang Kai’s complete attention was on the strange egg-shaped object after arriving here, so he had failed to notice anything else out of the ordinary.
Moreover, he really hadn’t expected to be ambushed in this place. More importantly, the ambusher’s aura was exactly the same as the mist, making it the perfect camouflage.
It wasn’t until the other party was charging at him that Yang Kai finally noticed.
The ambusher was extremely fast and was already before him by the time he blinked. When Yang Kai finally caught sight of the figure, he couldn’t help but look surprised.
The one rushing at him was none other than a Small Stone Race member, who was slightly larger than an ordinary Human. At first glance, it gave the impression of someone wearing a set of stone armor.
[This is?]
Along the way, Yang Kai had seen hundreds of millions of Small Stone Race members, but none of them had paid him any attention. However, after coming here, this one suddenly attacked him. Yang Kai had no idea how he had offended it.
The other party’s attack was quite simple; after all, this was a race with low sentience. All it did was charge over and throw a punch at Yang Kai once it arrived in front of him.
Yang Kai casually raised his hand to block.
The strength of the Small Stone Race was directly related to their size. The bigger they were, the stronger their strength. The Small Stone Race members that were as strong as Eighth-Order Master were all 1,000 metres tall and could only be considered giants.
Under normal circumstances, such a Small Stone Race member that was just slightly larger than the Human could not be any stronger than the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Yang Kai could easily block an attack from such a being with his current cultivation.
However, Yang Kai realized how horribly wrong he was the next moment. Much to his astonishment, this punch actually made him stagger back and the palm he used to block it was actually tingling slightly. If Yang Kai hadn’t noticed that something was wrong at the moment of contact and hurriedly increased his strength, this single punch would have sent him flying.
Before he could figure out what was going on, the Small Stone Race member threw another punch at him at incredible speed.
“What the Hell?” Yang Kai was truly shocked and swiftly blocked the attack before fighting back.
The shock in Yang Kai’s heart was indescribable.
This strange Small Stone Race member before him was completely different from those he knew. Just from the strength and speed of its punches, this Small Stone Race member was not inferior to an ordinary Ninth-Order Master!
[Is this guy really from the Small Stone Race?]
Although Yang Kai didn’t know why this Small Stone Race member in front of him had undergone such a strange mutation, he was certain it was absolutely not an ordinary one.
All this time, the strongest Small Stone Race members cultivated by Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were only equivalent to Eighth-Order Masters. In the past, Yang Kai had thought that if Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan could cultivate Small Stone Race members equivalent to Ninth-Order Masters, it would be a great help to the Human Race.
However, this was just a fantasy. It was already Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s limit to cultivate Small Stone Race Soldiers to the level of an Eighth-Order Master. Wishing to cultivate one that was equal to a Ninth-Order Master was simply a fool’s dream.
In the past, Yang Kai had asked them about this matter, and the answer he received was that all of the Small Stone Race members were nurtured by either pure Yang or Yin Energy. The Great Sun Small Stone Race was created by Big Brother Huang, while the Great Moon Small Stone Race was created by Big Sister Lan.
As Yang Kai was intimately aware now, solitary Yin or Yang cannot give birth to true life. These two Small Stone Race Armies that had been cultivated using only one type of Energy had an innate flaw, so it was impossible for them to grow to the level of a Ninth-Order Master, no matter how much energy they absorbed.
In order to solve this problem, their energies needed to be converged and condensed in a kind of Yin Yang Harmony. Only then would there be a slight possibility to go further.
After having not come to the Chaotic Dead Territory in so many years, Yang Kai had not only seen hundreds of millions of Small Stone Race members rampaging out of control, but a Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Master also attacked him. Truly, life was unpredictable.
Be that as it may, the appearance of this Small Stone Race Master in front of him undoubtedly proved that the Small Stone Race could in fact produce existences comparable to Ninth-Order Masters!
[How did this happen?]
Yang Kai couldn’t help but think of the strange mist he had seen as a vague guess popped up in his mind.
Zhang Ruo Xi’s Heavens Order Bloodline was derived from the core essence of the Primordial Light which was the harmonizing factor for the pure Yin and Yang Energies of Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan. Yin and Yang were intertwining inside the mist, fulfilling the conditions required for the birth of a Ninth-Order Small Stone Race.
This discovery greatly excited Yang Kai. The Small Stone Race had given birth to something equivalent to a Ninth-Order Master, which would definitely be of great help to the Human Race! It was the right choice to make a trip to Chaotic Dead Territory.
The mutant Small Stone Race Master continued its onslaught against Yang Kai owing to its limited intelligence, while Yang Kai couldn’t retaliate against it, putting him in a bit of an awkward situation.
“Fortunately, that is all it is,” Yang Kai softly muttered. Because the Small Stone Race’s intelligence was low, it only knew how to punch instinctively. So, even though it had strength and speed comparable to a Ninth-Order Master, its combat capabilities were much inferior; otherwise, it would be quite troublesome to deal with it.
Just as this thought flashed through Yang Kai’s mind, the Small Stone Race Master who had been chasing him all this time suddenly stopped, and did something that greatly stunned him.
It raised its two hands and spread its arms, its palms facing each other as if it was holding a giant, invisible ball.
The next moment, the colour of its eyes suddenly changed, one becoming yellow, the other blue. Their colours weren’t constant either and were instead rapidly changing. At any given moment, the colour of its eyes flickered back and forth.
Seeing this change, Yang Kai’s heart jumped as he instinctively felt something wrong. By the looks of it, this strange Small Stone Race Master had another unknown ability!
Just as expected, following the actions of this Small Stone Race Master, extremely rich Yin and Yang Energies emerged in the space between in its palms. The two forces rapidly circled around each other before merging together like a spinning top, rapidly expanding and transforming into the size of a washbasin in the blink of an eye. As the two energies rotated, the yellow and blue colours also began to blend and change.
“Hmm…” Not far away, Yang Kai stopped and observed, sensing the fluctuations from the ball of energy formed by the fusion of Yin and Yang, quickly deducing the power of this move.
This kind of attack was definitely not inferior to a full power strike from a Ninth-Order Master.
From the moment the Small Stone Race Master halted and began using this mysterious technique, less than a breath of time had passed. Once the Yin Yang Ball was fully formed, the Small Strone Race Master hurled it straight towards Yang Kai.
The recoil from this move even pushed the Small Stone Race Master a few steps back.
Yang Kai raised his brow. This power… was even greater than he had expected.
Nonetheless, the way it used this Secret Technique was far too crude. Although this attack was exceptionally strong, it couldn’t hit him. Yang Kai simply side-stepped and easily dodged the incoming projectile.
Be that as it may, the Small Stone Race Master clearly didn’t intend to stop. After stabilizing its footing, it repeated its actions.
As such, the Small Stone Race Master fired several Yin Yang Balls one after another while Yang Kai continued dodging them casually.
[Is that the only attack it knows?] Yang Kai muttered in his heart. After waiting for a while and confirming that the Small Stone Race Master had no new tricks, he decided to end this.
He didn’t want to kill this Small Stone Race Master. No matter how it was born, it should be closely related to Zhang Ruo Xi, Big Brother Huang, and Big Sister Lan. Furthermore, this Small Stone Race Master would be of great help to the Human Race. It would be a pity to kill a helper as strong as a Ninth-Order Master.
Yang Kai wanted to subdue it.
In order to command a race with such low sentience like the Small Stone Race, the fastest and most convenient way was to activate the Great Sun and Moon Marks.
Immediately, Yang Kai stretched his hands towards it, directing the power of the Great Sun and Moon Marks towards the Small Stone Race Master.
Unfortunately, the infallible control method actually had no effect this time. The Small Stone Race Master who was attacking Yang Kai with Yin Yang Balls was dazed for a moment but then resumed attacking immediately after…
Yang Kai couldn’t help frowning.
The Great Sun and Moon Marks had always been a fool-proof way to command the Small Stone Race. In front of these two marks, even the Eighth-Order Small Stone Race members had always been extremely obedient; this method seemed to have lost all effectiveness with this Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Master.
This was the first time such a thing had happened.
But after giving it a thought, Yang Kai vaguely understood what was going on.
The former Small Stone Race Soldiers had all been cultivated by either Big Brother Huang or Big Sister Lan, so their Marks naturally had a suppressive effect.
However, this Ninth-Order one not only had Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s energies, but also Zhang Ruo Xi’s ability to harmonize them. It had already become a brand-new kind of power, so the Great Sun and Moon Marks’ effects were almost negligible.
Although he had come to such a conclusion, Yang Kai was not willing to just give up and tried to activate the power of his Marks several more times, but to no avail.
Ultimately, he had no choice but to abandon this plan.
[Damn it!]
It wasn’t easy for a Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Master to appear, yet it refused to listen to his orders. Yang Kai wanted to bring it to the battlefield to use as a surprise trump card against the Black Ink Clan. Apart from anything else, if such a Small Stone Race Master didn’t care about its life or death, it wouldn’t be a problem for it to battle a Royal Lord for a short time. Of course, because its attacks were simple and its intelligence was low, it wouldn’t end well for it if it were to fight for too long.
While many thoughts were flashing across Yang Kai’s mind, the Small Stone Race powerhouse seemed to have used up too much of its energy as the yellow and blue colour in its eyes gradually became dimmer after sending out so many Yin Yang Balls.
Immediately, it turned around and flew towards the direction it had come from.
This situation was very much like going back to find food after a fight, not caring if Yang Kai would do anything to it…
Yang Kai couldn’t help but worry about the intelligence of this being. Although it had extreme strength, if it was let loose on the battlefield without any method to control it, it would likely cause just as much disturbance to the Human side as the Black Ink Clan’s.
“Oh well,” Yang Kai relaxed. There was only one such Small Stone Race Master, so even if he couldn’t subdue it, he wasn’t too distressed either.
But this joy only lasted for three breaths before Yang Kai looked in the direction of the returning Small Stone Race powerhouse as two more identical Small Stone Race Masters emerged from the mist!
In the void, half a day later, Yang Kai was using Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability to conceal his aura and figure, staring at the egg-shaped mist from afar with a frustrated look on his face.
Originally, he did not regret the fact that he could not subdue the Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Master believing that there was just one such anomaly. He could do nothing about it, but since there was only one, he had no choice but to accept it.
However, Yang Kai later discovered that there was more than one of them!
After half a day of probing and dragging things out, Yang Kai was certain that there were no less than five such Masters! As for how many of them there were exactly, he couldn’t say for sure, because every time these Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters emerged from the mist and attacked him, they would return to the mist once they had exhausted themselves too much. And after returning, they would completely disappear like water merging into the sea.
This was also the reason why Yang Kai hadn’t seen the others before, as their existence was too difficult to detect.
At the very least, there were five of them, perhaps even more. Yang Kai stared at the mist with naked greed and frustration, so much so that both drool and tears almost trickled down his face…
If he could successfully subdue this force, it would be of enormous help to the Human Race in conquering the No-Return Pass; but right now, all he could do was stare from afar. He basically didn’t have the strength or means to subdue these Masters.
The Great Sun and Moon Marks were unable to control these Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters. Left with no alternative, Yang Kai tried to force one of them into his Small Universe to suppress it…
Unfortunately, it was impossible to communicate with them as their level of intelligence was too low. Even when Yang Kai managed to take one in and suppress it, it kept resisting, draining Yang Kai’s energy and strength. If he brought them to the battlefield in their current state, it might even cause some damage to the Human Race.
Helpless, Yang Kai could only release the one he suppressed.
Even when he was unable to subdue these creatures though, Yang Kai was unwilling to just leave like this, feeling extremely depressed.
According to his estimations, since they were created because Zhang Ruo Xi had harmonized both Yin and Yang Energies, only Zhang Ruo Xi could command them.
Furthermore, judging by their behaviour, they seemed to be protecting Zhang Ruo Xi, because as long as Yang Kai didn’t approach the mist, he was completely safe. However, once he got too close, they would immediately attack. This made it obvious they were guarding this place.
Yang Kai didn’t know what Zhang Ruo Xi, Big Brother Huang, and Big Sister Lan had done over the past 1,000 years, but by the looks of it, they seemed to be in the middle of something incredible. The birth of these Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters was simply unimaginable before.
After quietly observing for a long time, Yang Kai had no choice but to quash his greed. Some things in this world couldn’t be forced.
What was certain now was that Zhang Ruo Xi herself was safe, and she was using her Heavens Order Bloodline to harmonize with Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan’s Yin and Yang Energies. Although he didn’t know how long this process would last, once she succeeded, she might be able to step into the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm!
At that time, the power she would control would definitely surpass all Ninth-Order Masters.
[What was that energy turmoil, though?]
Yang Kai couldn’t help but recall the scene he had witnessed some time ago. The Yang and Yin Energies seemed to have gone out of control and exploded out into the Chaotic Dead Territory, causing a large amount of Yin and Yang Manifestations to appear, which were then subsequently devoured by the Small Stone Race.
Judging by the large population and the body sizes of the Small Stone Race in the Chaotic Dead Territory, this was not the first time this loss of control had occurred; it must have happened many times before.
At the same time, because Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan were in a state where their energies were still harmonizing, the Small Stone Race Soldiers in the Chaotic Dead Territory no longer had any restrictions and had reverted back to their original nature, instinctually devouring resources, breeding new clansmen, then fighting to the death. This was the reason why Yang Kai saw so many Small Stone Race members fighting in the Chaotic Dead Territory.
[If the Yin and Yang Energies exploded with such frequency, perhaps I should observe it for a while. I don’t think it will take too long…]
Having come to a decision, Yang Kai decided to spend a year observing the situation here in order to obtain more information.
Time ticked by bit by bit while Yang Kai remained hidden all this while, observing the situation around Zhang Ruo Xi.
Just as he had expected, the frequency at which the energies went out of control was indeed very high. He didn’t even need to wait for an entire year. In just three months, the originally stable fog suddenly started fluctuating wildly. Right then, Zhang Ruo Xi, who seemed to be peacefully sleeping in the middle of the fog, unconsciously let out a groan. Judging by her voice, she seemed to be enduring incredible pain.
At the same time, the Yin and Yang Energies that were constantly flowing and fusing in the mist also became unstable.
In the blink of an eye, a dazzling light began to spread outward with the fog egg as the center
A moment later, just like what Yang Kai had seen three months ago, the entire Chaotic Dead Territory was filled with the manifestations of Yin and Yang Energy, causing countless Small Stone Race members to flock towards them.
After personally witnessing this scene, Yang Kai finally understood the cause behind it.
The Yin and Yang Energies had rampaged out of control simply because Zhang Ruo Xi was too weak…
Of course, her current cultivation in the Eighth Order could in no way be considered ‘weak’ in general terms, but compared to Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan, she was still a slightly bigger ant at best.
Even though she possessed the Heavens Order Bloodline, it was still difficult for her to fully control the power of beings that were born at the creation of the Universe. So, when she tried to harmonize the primordial Yin and Yang Energies, some situations would occur that were difficult to control.
Once such a situation occurred, she would lose control of the Yin and Yang Energies, which would then disperse into the surroundings, resulting in the massive increase of the Small Stone Race in the Chaotic Dead Territory.
Fortunately, the Heavens Order Bloodline was truly amazing, especially when it came to harmonizing Yang and Yin. Every time the energies went out of control, they would be stabilized once more in short order.
After observing the loss of control of the energies from a close distance, Yang Kai was finally able to determine the exact number of Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters.
When the energies went out of control, the Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters who were hidden in the fog also became visible, at which point Yang Kai counted eight of them!
How many Ninth-Order Masters did the Human Race have attacking the No-Return Pass? Including Shi Da Zhuang and Tang Tao who had recently broken through in the last 20 years, there were only 10 of them in total, but there were actually eight Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters!
If Yang Kai could somehow drag these eight Small Stone Race Masters to the battlefield, who knows how many lives they could save!?
Wiping the corner of his mouth, Yang Kai ruthlessly squashed his greedy thoughts again before turning around and flying towards the depths of the void.
He had come here intending to bring Zhang Ruo Xi out so that she could play some role on the battlefield, but by the looks of it, this plan would not work. At the very least, it would be impossible for her to emerge until she had successfully harmonized the Yang and Yin Energies.
Until then, Yang Kai could not take these Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters to the battlefield either, he could only look at them from afar. Since that was the case, Yang Kai decided to take some regular Small Stone Race Soldiers, especially the Eighth-Order ones. This was the main reason he had come here.
His speed was extremely fast and in the blink of an eye after activating his Space Principles, Yang Kai arrived at a nearby battlefield.
At this moment, as the Yin and Yang Energies had erupted not too long ago and a group of Small Stone Race Soldiers happened to have surrounded a manifestation of Yang Energy and were constantly devouring it. Yang Kai teleported over, opened his Small Universe, and activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks, shouting, “Stand aside!”
He didn’t care if the Small Stone Race understood or not, he just wanted to vent his frustrations.
The Great Sun and Moon Marks might have no effect on the Ninth-Order ones, but it was always successful in commanding these ordinary Small Stone Race Soldiers.
With a single command, the Small Stone Race members stepped aside, revealing the Yang Energy Manifestation they had surrounded. The manifestation originally bore a resemblance with Big Brother Huang’s true form, albeit much smaller in size, but after being eaten by the Small Stone Race members, it now looked like a Phoenix Clan member with broken wings.
Yang Kai didn’t mind and directly took it into his Small Universe and suppressed it.
Immediately after, he rushed to the next location.
After so many years of constant war, the Human Race’s demand for Yellow and Blue Crystals had become extremely high. Yang Kai had originally wanted to ask Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan for more Yellow and Blue Crystals, but now that he couldn’t, he could only use this method to collect some.
As such, he had to act quickly, otherwise the omnipresent Small Stone Race would soon devour all of the dissipated Yin and Yang Energies.
For a time, Yang Kai’s figure shuttled back and forth through the void, borrowing the power of the Great Sun and Moon Marks to force all of the Small Stone Race to retreat and obediently hand over their food to him.
Even if Yang Kai was fast though, he had no choice but to stop after an incense stick worth of time, because apart from the Yin and Yang Energies he had taken into his Small Universe, the rest of the dispersed energies had been devoured clean by the Small Stone Race.
Many Small Stone Race members had become stronger, even breaking through their own limits.
Standing still, Yang Kai examined his harvest. Inside his Small Universe, the Yang and Yin Energies suppressed by him had already transformed into pieces of Yellow and Blue Crystals. Some were as small as a fist while others were as large as a house. His harvest was not small, but it was definitely not much.
The main reason was that Yang Kai was a bit slow as he had to carefully observe Zhang Ruo Xi’s situation first, which gave the Small Stone Race ample time to devour most of the dispersed Yin and Yang Energies.
Yang Kai naturally would not be satisfied with such a small harvest so he immediately began traversing through the void.
At the same time, he opened a portal to his Small Universe and kept it open all the while. In any case, Yang Kai wasn’t worried about his own strength leaking with the World Tree clone protecting his Small Universe. This would have been quite a risky move for any other Open Heaven Realm Master as every bit of energy leaking out of the portal was a result of arduous and time-consuming cultivation. The loss of every bit of energy would make one a bit weaker.
Yang Kai also left the Great Sun and Moon Marks on the backs of his hands constantly active.
Everywhere he went, he would collect all the suitable Small Stone Race Soldiers he could find into his Small Universe, just like how the autumn wind would sweep away the fallen leaves.
The selection criteria was simple, all those comparable to Human Race Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters were taken. All the Small Stone Race members who didn’t even have such strength would be useless, even if Yang Kai collected them. If he were to let them out on the battlefield, he would just be sending them to their deaths, so he might as well let them continue to grow stronger here instead.
In just a short month, Yang Kai had taken in more than a couple hundred million Small Stone Race Soldiers into his Small Universe. Such a terrifying number put even Yang Kai’s Small Universe under a great deal of pressure. Although he could still take in more, after carefully weighing the pros and cons, he decided to temporarily put aside this unrestrained method of collecting Small Stone Race Soldiers and instead focus on taking in the elites.
As such, he continued to wander through the Chaotic Dead Territory’s various battlefields for the next two months, specifically looking for the Eighth-Order ones.
He might not be able to subdue Zhang Ruo Xi’s Ninth-Order Small Stone Race Masters, but with the help of the Great Sun and Moon Marks, it wasn’t a problem to subdue some Eighth-Order ones. Right now, the Eighth-Order ones in the Chaotic Dead Territory were in quite a large number, and with the constant dispersion of the Yang and Yin Energy, this number would only continue to increase.
As such, Yang Kai’s actions didn’t have much of an impact on the population of the Small Stone Race. All he needed to do was grasp the balance between the two sides; while he was subduing a certain number of Great Sun Small Stone Race, he also needed to subdue an equal number of Great Moon Small Stone Race members. This way, he wouldn’t break the balance in the Chaotic Dead Territory, which would naturally prevent a situation where one side completely suppressed the other and would eventually wipe it out.
Three months after the last energy burst, a dazzling light once again appeared in Zhang Ruo Xi’s direction, followed by the dispersal of Yin and Yang Energies in all directions, filling the Chaotic Dead Territory.
Yang Kai was well prepared this time. He immediately began competing with the Small Stone Race Armies for the manifestations of Yang and Yin Energies. As such, his harvest was much greater than last time.
When the energy went out of control, he would collect the manifestations, and after the energy stabilized, he would search for the Eighth-Order Small Stone Race members.
Only after more than a year did Yang Kai finally leave the Chaotic Dead Territory.
The Small Stone Race members he had subdued were enough, and he had also collected a large amount of Yellow and Blue Crystals, enough to sustain the Human Race for 1,000 years. Although there was still some time left, Yang Kai didn’t dare to stay any longer.
According to his and Mi Jing Lun’s plan, after the Human Race’s first attack on the No-Return Pass, they would launch their second attack two years later regardless of the previous results; however, sometimes plans couldn’t keep up with sudden changes in the status quo and accidents might occur, causing the second battle to be brought forward ahead of schedule. As such, he had to return to the Barren Territory as soon as possible.
The return trip was uneventful, and Yang Kai returned to the Barren Territory after three months.
Yang Kai had taken three months to reach the Chaotic Dead Territory as well, because he wasn’t in a hurry, and he was injured as well. He was using the journey to slowly recover from his wounds, so he hadn’t used his full strength.
Yang Kai didn’t stop for even a moment on his way back, but the reason why he had spent the same amount of time was because his top speed had fallen.
He had taken in too many Small Stone Race into his Small Universe, which made it difficult for him to circulate his strength. To put it simply, the Small Universe’s burden had affected his strength, lowering his speed.
The moment Yang Kai returned to the Barren Territory, he immediately looked in the direction of the Territory Gate. He could vaguely see the magnificent No-Return Pass, but there seemed to be no sign of a battle. Yang Kai immediately breathed a sigh of relief after confirming this.
However, just to be safe, he still entered the Territory Gate and poked his head out to take a closer look at the No-Return Pass.
As far as the eye could see, the entire No-Return Pass was in an extremely tense state, with soldiers flinching up at the slightest sound. The dense Black Ink Strength was like a thick layer of dark clouds that covered the sky.
Compared to the last battle, the current No-Return Pass had obviously undergone some changes in its defensive arrangements. With the help of the damaged Great Passes, the Black Ink Clan’s perimeter had shrunk, and a large number of artifacts had been placed on these damaged Great Passes. The entire No-Return Pass was filled with a sense of danger.
By the looks of it, the last battle had clearly made the Black Ink Clan aware of their own disadvantages. Although occupying the No-Return Pass gave them the defenders advantage, correspondingly, it made them a fixed target. The Human Race’s strategy of using Universe Worlds to attack them was a perfect example of how their fixed position could be taken advantage of.
As such, even though the Black Ink Clan’s forces were still strong, they had still shrunk their defensive perimeter, greatly increasing their defensive strength.
Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for the Human Race to obtain similar results after the Black Ink Clan had made such changes.
In the last battle, the Black Ink Clan was caught off guard when the Universe Worlds came flying at them. Hundreds of Universe Worlds had various Spirit Arrays arranged on them, so the damage from this assault was immense. Once the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line was broken, the Human Race Army wrought havoc by flooding in through these breaches.
With the current deployment of the Black Ink Clan, even if the Human Race used their previous tactics of launching Universe Worlds, they wouldn’t be able to easily breach the defensive line.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but click his tongue. Although he knew that taking back the No-Return Pass would not be an easy task, he found that it was even more difficult to deal with than he had expected after seeing that the Black Ink Clan had gathered all of their forces.
Just as he was thinking of continuing to observe, more than a dozen fearsome auras suddenly appeared in his vicinity as numerous Secret Techniques came flying towards him from all directions.
Yang Kai hastily withdrew his head.
The commotion here quickly attracted Mo Na Ye’s attention and he instantly rushed out, arriving near the Territory Gate. He took a glance around before coldly asking, “What is it?”
One of the Pseudo-Royal Lords who was stationed here for a long time replied, “Yang Kai’s head just popped out.”
Yang Kai was currently in the Barren Territory with the two Giant Spirit Gods, so how could Mo Na Ye not be on guard against him? Therefore, he had arranged more than a dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords to monitor the Territory Gate after the last great battle, in case Yang Kai suddenly attacked.
According to his understanding of Yang Kai, he knew that this bastard wouldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
When Yang Kai had not recently appeared, much to his surprise, Mo Na Ye guessed that Yang Kai was probably healing himself.
“His head popped out?” Hearing the Pseudo-Royal Lord’s explanation, Mo Na Ye furrowed his brow.
“It’s like this…” the Pseudo-Royal Lord explained as he made a gesture like a turtle stretching its head.
Mo Na Ye’s face twitched as he watched the Pseudo-Royal Lord imitate Yang Kai… [Well, this could certainly be described as his head popping out.]
The Pseudo-Royal Lord continued, “I guess he wanted to investigate the situation here and had no intention of actually coming over.”
“I also don’t think he would dare to,” Mo Na Ye coldly snorted before exhorting, “Be careful, if Yang Kai dares… to pop out his head again, knock him back!”
Mo Na Ye didn’t say anything about killing Yang Kai, because that was impossible. Last time, Yang Kai had still managed to escape in that kind of situation, so how could this menace give the Black Ink Clan another chance to kill him?
“Yes!” The Pseudo-Royal Lords nodded.
Mo Na Ye clenched his fists and lightly coughed before turning around and returning to his Black Ink Nest.
He had also suffered some minor injuries in the last battle. His wounds weren’t serious, at least not to the point where he needed to enter a Black Ink Nest to recover, but he knew in his heart that as long as the battle continued, his injuries would continue to accumulate. Sooner or later, they would develop to the point where he needed to enter a deep slumber to heal, and once that happened, the Black Ink Clan would not be far from defeat.
The fact that the Black Ink Clan needed to enter Black Ink Nests to recover from serious injuries had always been the greatest flaw of their entire Race! The Human Race, who long ago figured this out, never let such opportunities slip by.
After so many years of war, the Human Race had used this flaw to stir up trouble more than once. When the Black Ink Clan invaded the 3,000 Worlds, they had a clear and absolute advantage on the 12 frontline battlefields, but they had never been able to defeat the Human Race Army. The main reason was because the Humans fought back doggedly, putting their lives on the line to trade injuries with the enemy, forcing many Black Ink Clan Masters back to their Black Ink Nests to slumber.
When the Humans were injured, they could quickly recover with the help of Secret Techniques or Pills, but what about the Black Ink Clan? Once their injuries accumulated to a certain degree, they would either be killed or forced to return to the No-Return Pass to recuperate. As such, their advantage in numbers was greatly diminished.
Hundreds of years ago, even though the Eighth-Order Masters knew that they were no match for the Pseudo-Royal Lords, they would still go all out to injure their opponents even at the risk of death. Thanks to the sacrifice of many Eighth-Order Masters, at least a quarter of all Pseudo-Royal Lords were constantly stuck in the No-Return Pass recuperating.
Inside a certain Black Ink Nest, a look of sadness appeared on Mo Na Ye’s face.
Originally, the Black Ink Clan had the upper hand, but now they had fallen to such a state. In the entire Black Ink Clan, perhaps no other Black Ink Clansman could clearly see the turning point of this battle besides him. Even Mo Yu might have no idea.
In fact, back when the Black Ink Clan was forced by Yang Kai to withdraw all their claws and fangs and retreat to the No-Return Pass, Mo Na Ye had already anticipated this day.
Prior to this, the Black Ink Clan held the initiative in terms of overall strength, so all of Mo Na Ye’s plans and arrangements were extremely reliable. It could be said that as long as there were no unexpected accidents, the Black Ink Clan had a 70% chance of winning the war.
Unfortunately for the Black Ink Clan, after the appearance of the Universe Furnace, Yang Kai, who had disappeared for some 600 years, suddenly returned and disrupted everything.
Under his domineering intimidation, Mo Na Ye had no choice but to recall all of the Pseudo-Royal Lords and Territory Lords who had been fighting on the front lines. The abandoned Black Ink Clan Armies were naturally wiped out by the Humans, causing the Black Ink Clan to suffer further heavy losses.
Even that was still fine though, but the key was that the Black Ink Clan had no place to go other than retreating to the No-Return Pass and guarding it.
As such, the Human Race was able to gather all of its forces and no longer need to split up like before. All they needed to do was focus their attacks on the No-Return Pass while not having to worry about any other fronts.
The true turning point of the war between the Human Race and Black Ink Clan was when Yang Kai, who had disappeared for hundreds of years, suddenly reappeared!
After his appearance, the Human Race and Black Ink Clan’s defensive and offensive positions had switched.
Without Yang Kai’s coercion, the Black Ink Clan wouldn’t have been reduced to such a miserable situation. If there was no Yang Kai, the Black Ink Clan would have dozens more Pseudo-Royal Lords today. If there was no Yang Kai, the Innate Territory Lords who had snuck out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction would have all been able to safely arrive at the No-Return Pass. At that time, the Black Ink Clan’s strength would have definitely soared, and the Human Race would not have been their opponent.
Unfortunately, all that was only ‘if’ Yang Kai didn’t exist. Over the years, Yang Kai had slowly shaved pieces of flesh bit by bit from the body of a fat cow that was the Black Ink Clan like a skilled butcher. Even now, the Black Ink Clan still looked powerful, but in reality, they were not far from their doom.
As shrewd and intelligent as Mo Na Ye was, how could he not see that it was impossible for the Black Ink Clan to win this battle? Sooner or later, the Human Race would overwhelm the Black Ink Clan Army and capture the No-Return Pass.
The only fate awaiting the Black Ink Clansmen in the No-Return Pass was to be completely wiped out.
Even if he knew this though, what was he supposed to do? It was impossible for him to escape; furthermore, the Human Race would have to pay a big price to capture the No-Return Pass.
The Humans still had a bigger target after taking down the No-Return Pass. If he could cripple the Human Race Army using the power of the Black Ink Clansmen in the No-Return Pass, even if the Humans won this battle, they would still lose the war.
As long as the Black Ink Clan could unify all under the Heavens and allow Mo to rule supreme, it did not matter if all the Black Ink Clansmen in the No-Return Pass were sacrificed.
The Human Race had already revealed all of their cards, but the strength the Black Ink Clan had shown until now was still just the tip of the iceberg. This war that concerned the survival of the two Races would ultimately end in the defeat of the Human Race.
Mo Na Ye firmly believed this!
At the same time, the Space-Time River stretched across the void in the Barren Territory. Wind and clouds were surging on the surface of the river as Dao Strengths undulated.
Inside the long river, Yang Kai was pushing the Time Dao Strength to its utmost limit, deriving its endless mysteries.
He had borrowed the strength of the Star Boundary and the Myriad Monsters World for the last 20 years to cultivate, which allowed his strength to soar, but he still had room for improvement. According to his own classification of the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm, he was currently only in the mid-stage.
Now, there was no longer a suitable Universe World to rely on to cultivate. If he wanted to simply rely on the accumulation of time to increase his strength, even with Yang Kai’s cultivation speed and his Small Universe’s innate advantages, 2,000 years would likely be the minimum he needed to reach the peak of the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
If he could reach the peak, he wouldn’t be afraid of anyone even if he was up against a Black Ink Giant Spirit God.
But under the current circumstances, what he lacked the most was time.
According to the Supreme Headquarters’ plan, they needed to conquer the No-Return Pass within 20 years before they continued their crusade to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, quelling the Black Ink Clan disaster once and for all. With Yang Kai’s current foundation, even if he cultivated this entire time, he probably wouldn’t make any noticeable progress.
Fortunately, time wasn’t something immutable, especially in front of someone like Yang Kai who was proficient in the Grand Daos of Time and Space.
The time flow of his Small Universe was 10 times faster than the outside world, so a year in the outside world was 10 years in his Small Universe.
Long ago, Yang Kai chanced upon several Temporal Rivers inside the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon which allowed him to cultivate for the equivalent of 4,000 years in just a few hundred years in the outside world, breaking through to the Eighth Order in one fell swoop. His attainments in many of his Grand Daos had also improved during that time.
With all these kinds of personal experiences, it naturally gave birth to some ideas in Yang Kai’s head. But of course, just having ideas was useless, he needed to have the ability to turn them into reality to receive any benefits.
Fortunately, with Yang Kai’s attainments in the Dao of Time, he was already equipped with this ability!
He had once built three Sealed Worlds in High Heaven Palace that were related to the three primary Grand Daos he cultivated, respectively Space, Time, and Spear Dao Sealed Worlds. Not to mention, the Space and Spear Dao Sealed Worlds, the Time Dao Sealed World had a similar effect to his Small Universe. Cultivators who entered it to gain experience would experience a faster flow of time compared to the outside world, but the ratio wasn’t as exaggerated. It was only about one to four.
Even so, the soldiers still flocked to this place, as only one year passed on the outside while one cultivated for four years in the Time Dao Sealed World. It was equivalent to increasing the efficiency of their cultivation by four times.
Therefore, among these three Sealed Worlds, the Time Dao Sealed World was the most popular because even if one wasn’t proficient in the Dao of Time, they could still use this Sealed World to cultivate, while a few who were proficient in the Dao of Time could comprehend the mysteries of the Dao of Time and improve the mastery of their own Grand Dao.
Originally, the three Sealed Worlds Yang Kai had left behind were for the disciples of the Void Dao Temple to cultivate their Grand Daos, but there were no restrictions on entry. Once too many soldiers wanted to enter the Time Dao Sealed World though, which severely affected the disciples who had truly cultivated the Dao of Time, some rules were put in place. Head Manager Hua had no choice but to report this matter to the Supreme Headquarters; after which, the Supreme Headquarters issued an order that one needed a certain amount of Military Merits to enter the Time Dao Sealed World…
Even so, that did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the soldiers.
If it weren’t for the fact that Yang Kai was always on the move and it was hard to get a hold on him, Mi Jing Lun would have asked him to build more Time Dao Sealed Worlds.
It could be said that Yang Kai had been able to create a Sealed World inside of which the flow of time different from the outside world a long time ago, and now that he had reached the Ninth Order, with his mastery over the Dao of Time had reached an even higher level, he was naturally more proficient in such matters.
In fact, when Yang Kai had escaped from the Universe Furnace and was on his way back from the edge of the Universe, he had already started working on this. Yang Kai had not just been hurrying along during his 600-year journey, he had also realized that time was not on his side. No matter how quickly his strength increased, it was unable to keep up with the progress of the war.
If he wanted to completely solve this problem, he had to find a way to gain more time!
After 600 years of painstaking research and many improvements, he had developed a certain method to do exactly that.
At this moment, the Dao Strengths in the Space-Time River stretched across the void were astir under Yang Kai’s control. Soon, Yang Kai had stripped away thousands of Dao Strengths, leaving behind only the last Dao Strength of Time.
This was not difficult for the current Yang Kai. Although his mastery of the Dao of Time had yet to break through to the highest Ninth Level, he had reached the very peak of the Eighth Level.
With this, the Space-Time River transformed into a Temporal River!
It was exactly the same as the Temporal Rivers he had seen in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon all those years ago, but its effects were even more amazing.
Using his full strength, Yang Kai was able to create a flow of time that was 30 times faster than that of the outside world. In other words, while one year passed in the outside world, 30 would go by inside the Temporal River.
Back when he was cultivating in the Great Sea Celestial Phenomenon, Yang Kai would have to search for new Temporal Rivers after exhausting the Time Dao Essence in his previous Temporal River. But now that the Temporal River was created using his own Dao Strength, it would be much more convenient and faster than before. As long as Yang Kai was willing, he could use this Temporal River and enter a state of cultivation at any moment.
Of course, cultivating like this and continuously using his Time Dao Strength was quite taxing on him, but compared to his gains, this was a minor concern.
With the problem of time resolved, Yang Kai now had another problem, which was resources.
This kind of cultivation required an enormous amount of resources, and Yang Kai didn’t have many on hand. He had plenty of Yellow and Blue Crystals, but he lacked Five Elements materials.
As such, compared to his previous worry about the Human Race declaring war early, Yang Kai was now more than happy to see the Human Race go to war sooner.
While he was cultivating in the Temporal River, Ah Da and Ah Er were eating a dead Universe World. This Universe World had been given to them by Yang Kai after he returned from Myriad Monsters Territory.
Giant Spirit Gods fell asleep after they were full, so Yang Kai did not dare to feed them too much at once. As such, although Yang Kai still had a lot of World Beads on hand, he didn’t plan on taking them all out at once.
In the long Temporal River, a large number of materials were refined by Yang Kai as time passed by, building up the foundation of his Small Universe and allowing him to slowly expand his heritage.
After an unknown period, Yang Kai suddenly felt a shockwave and immediately ended his cultivation, exiting the Temporal River.
The shockwave was an agreement between him and the two Giant Spirit Gods. He had asked them to inform him right away if something happened at the No-Return Pass; after all, he was deep in meditative cultivation inside a distorted Space-Time, so his ability to sense outside movements was quite restricted.
At this moment, he jumped out of the river and shot a glance towards the No-Return Pass. As expected, he noticed that the situation there wasn’t quite right. A large number of Black Ink Clansmen had been mobilized to form a defensive line, as if they were preparing for a war.
“The war has finally resumed!” Yang Kai let out a sigh of relief. The supplies he had on hand had almost been exhausted, and if the Human Race did not start fighting soon, he would ultimately have to end his cultivation anyway.
At this moment, seeing the No-Return Pass’ Black Ink Clan’s response, Yang Kai knew that the Human Race Army was on the move.
However, because they were separated by a Territory Gate, he couldn’t clearly see the exact situation of the No-Return Pass, let alone what was happening further away with the Human Army.
However, he was both bold and talented. In a flash, Yang Kai arrived at the Territory Gate using Instantaneous Movement and, just like last time, popped his head out and looked into the distance.
Although he was knocked back by the Pseudo-Royal Lords who were standing guard nearby the next moment, he was still able to catch a glimpse of the Human Race Army approaching from the distant void.
Yang Kai immediately rubbed his palms together. In the battle two years ago, the Human Race had gained the upper hand and killed countless enemies. After two years, the Human Race would be able to obtain a significant advantage in the second attack as well.
Of course, the most important thing was that he was no longer the same person he was two years ago. He had only cultivated for a short time and his strength had not changed much, but…
He was no longer fighting alone, he now had many helpers!
[This battle will definitely shock the Black Ink Clan!]
Contrary to Yang Kai’s itch for action, Mo Na Ye had an extremely solemn look on his face.
The Human Race Army was approaching, and there was also Yang Kai and the two Giant Spirit Gods eyeing them from the Barren Territory.
The two Giant Spirit Gods could basically be ignored for the moment as neither side would easily deploy their strongest forces before the final confrontation began. Both sides had a tacit understanding about this.
However, Yang Kai was different. Mo Na Ye was certain that this bastard wouldn’t be willing to sit still and would definitely kill his way out of the Barren Territory and stir up trouble.
[How annoying! We need to restrain him! Once this guy steps onto the battlefield, all of the Pseudo-Royal Lords of the Black Ink Clan would be in danger…]
Thinking so, Mo Na Ye called out, “Di Ya Luo.”
Standing beside him, the new Royal Lord shot a glance at him, “What instructions does Sir Mo Na Ye have?”
“I need you to block Yang Kai, don’t let him come to the No-Return Pass!” Mo Na Ye concisely stated.
Di Ya Luo’s expression slightly changed as he hesitated, “If it was just me, I’m afraid…”
“The Pseudo-Royal Lords guarding the Territory Gate will cooperate with you,” Mo Na Ye interrupted, “Are you confident?”
Di Ya Luo was silent for a moment before quickly replying, “I will do my best!”
From this answer, it was clear that Di Ya Luo didn’t have much confidence. Mo Na Ye was well aware of this as well; in fact, even Mo Na Ye did not have confidence even if he personally took action. Unfortunately, since the situation had come to this, what more could he say?
Actually, ever since the Four Gates Eight Palaces Great Pagoda Array had lost its effect on Yang Kai, the Black Ink Clan no longer had the ability to deal with him at all. This was also the reason why Mo Na Ye knew that the Black Ink Clan in the No-Return Pass would definitely be defeated. A powerful Ninth-Order Master, who could appear and disappear like a ghost and couldn’t be killed or even contained, brought too much pressure to the Black Ink Clan.
Sighing, he could only say, “Do your best.”
Assisted by a dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords, even if Di Ya Luo could not stop Yang Kai from entering the No-Return Pass, it shouldn’t be a problem to keep him busy. As long as they could restrain him somewhat, the other Pseudo-Royal Lords on the battlefield would be able to use their full strength and not have to worry about sneak attacks.
This was also an acceptable outcome.
After instructing Di Ya Luo, Mo Na Ye turned his head towards the depths of the void and coldly snorted, “This move again!”
Similar to what had happened two years ago, the Human Race Army was attacking from left and right, while in the centre, massive Universe Worlds could be seen flying over from a distance.
The Human Race’s strategy of using Universe Worlds to attack was too dirty and despicable, but it was an undeniable fact that although this strategy was simple, it was extremely effective.
In the last battle, the Human Race had used this tactic to tear apart the Black Ink Clan’s defensive perimeter and open multiple gaps in their lines. After tasting the benefits, the Human Race was obviously going to use the same tactic again.
The Black Ink Clan had taken precautions this time however, contracting their defensive line quite a bit compared to last time. As a result, the defensive forces in all directions had become more solid and compact, making it impossible for the Humans to easily break through again.
The Human Race obviously understood this point as well. Over the past two years, a number of Human scouts had been constantly appearing at the periphery of the No-Return Pass, spying on the No-Return Pass. As such, the Black Ink Clan’s deployment and arrangements were no secret to the Humans. Since the Human Race was employing the Universe World attack strategy once again, they must have something to rely on.
“Hm?” As the first Universe World approached, Mo Na Ye quickly discovered that something was wrong.
This was because he only saw one Universe World shooting towards them! It wasn’t like last time when many came flying over together, overwhelming the Black Ink Clan forces in the area where they would strike.
But what could one Universe World do? Although seeing a Universe World come shooting at them was extremely oppressive, a single Pseudo-Royal Lord could easily destroy it with a single blow!
After taking a closer look though, Mo Na Ye suddenly realized that there was indeed more than one Universe World!
In other words, he could only see one Universe World, but there were definitely more Universe Worlds hidden behind the first one. If all the Universe Worlds were lined up, shooting towards the No-Return Pass one after another, it would be possible to create the illusion of there being just one.
[It’s a single-point attack!]
Mo Na Ye immediately understood the Human Race’s strategy. This time, they were clearly aiming at just one spot in the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line.
The Black Ink Clan’s defences were undoubtedly more condensed than last time, but if the Humans focused all their attacks in just one place, even the strongest of defensive lines would be broken.
Mo Na Ye’s heart was gripped with a chill as he secretly cursed the slyness of the Human Race. He quickly re-deployed his troops and powerhouse from both sides of the defensive line to the centre, preparing to face the incoming Universe Worlds.
The battle was about to begin. The atmosphere was extremely tense. The flow of time seemed to have significantly slowed down.
While countless Black Ink Clansmen were waiting anxiously, the Universe Worlds flying over from the depths of the void finally arrived.
Mo Na Ye’s arrangements had the desired effect. Thanks to deploying a large number of Masters from the Black Ink Clan to the location where the Universe Worlds were going to strike, the first Universe World was blown to smithereens before it could even get close.
Just as Mo Na Ye had expected, a second Universe World was revealed right after the first was destroyed.
The second Universe World was also destroyed by the endless Secret Techniques, followed by the third…
Then… nothing!
Mo Na Ye was dumbfounded as he stared at the empty void littered with Universe Fragments, unable to understand how there were just three Universe Worlds. Why weren’t there any more Universe Worlds shooting over now?
The next moment, his expression drastically changed as his black blood turned cold and goosebumps rose all over his body.
He suddenly turned his head towards the direction of the Human Race Army on the left, just in time to see it smoothly change its formation as it sailed forward. The vast number of Warships parted to the sides, revealing the void behind them which had previously been concealed by the massive fleet.
Much to Mo Na Ye’s horror, numerous Universe Worlds were rapidly shooting over from that direction. He could already see at least a dozen of them, but there were obviously more, most of them hidden from his sight. It was hard to tell exactly how many Universe Worlds there were.
Mo Na Ye then turned to look at the Human Race Army on the right, only to see a situation that was identical to the one on the left.
He had fallen into a trap! Mo Na Ye instantly understood what had happened.
The Human Race had deliberately arranged a few Universe Worlds in a straight line to mislead him into deploying more troops to reinforce the centre of their defence line.
However, once he did this, he would fall into the Human Race’s trap.
The three Universe Worlds in the centre were just a distraction, while the real killing blow was hidden behind the Human Race’s left and right Armies.
At this moment, the Human Race’s two Armies had already closed to firing range of the No-Return Pass, and the Universe Worlds’ assault was about to arrive. Even if Mo Na Ye understood the Human Race’s schemes at this moment, there was nothing he could do to stop them.
All he could do now was issue orders at the fastest speed possible and send back the forces he had deployed from the left and right sides. Immediately, numerous powerhouses shuttled back and forth across the No-Return Pass, seemingly in complete chaos.
Of course, the oncoming Universe Worlds didn’t wait for the Black Ink Clan to get back into position. Massive shockwaves swept through the left and right side of the No-Return Pass as the Artifacts hummed and countless Secret Techniques burst out from the No-Return Pass, blowing many Universe Worlds to pieces.
If the Black Ink Clan had the same arrangements as two years ago, this kind of attack would have been enough to completely tear apart the defence perimeter on both their flanks. Once that happened, the Human Race Army would have driven straight through the breach and caught them off guard. As long as they could gain an absolute advantage on any of the fronts, the Human Race would then be able to continuously expand their advantage.
The last battle had gone exactly like this.
However, the new deployment of the Black Ink Clan’s defences had a certain effect. Even though Mo Na Ye had made some mistakes in his initial response this time, at least he had some experience in dealing with the Universe World attacks, so by the time all the Universe Worlds were destroyed, the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line was still holding.
The Black Ink Clan did not need much time to stabilize their defensive line back again, a cup of tea’s worth of time at most. After that, they would still be impregnable.
Nonetheless, how could the Human Race give the Black Ink Clan such an opportunity? Time was a critical factor that affected victory and defeat in war; and clearly, the Human Race had calculated the timing of their every move from the very start. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for the left and right Armies to make way for the Universe Worlds at just the right moment!
While the Black Ink Clan was still trying to reorganize their defence line, the Human Race’s left and right Armies had already arrived.
In a flash, a fierce battle broke out!
On the Human Race side, Divisions were used as a unit, gathering large fleets of Warships that shuttled through the void as one, bombarding huge swaths of the No-Return Pass.
Lives fading away could be felt from all over the battlefield.
The Masters of both sides charged across the battlefield, killing each other with fierce determination.
Xiang Shan still went looking for Mo Yu to continue their unfinished battle.
Ou Yang Lie also clamoured for Mo Na Ye to come out and die, but he didn’t obtain any results.
This time, Mo Na Ye didn’t participate in the battle at all, instead just standing at the centre of the No-Return Pass, observing the entirety of the battlefield. The Black Ink Clan still had a large number of Pseudo-Royal Lords, but in such a grand battlefield, having one more Royal Lord wouldn’t change anything, so it didn’t matter if he actively fought or not.
By the looks of it, the Black Ink Clan was at a disadvantage because they had suffered more casualties than the Human Race, but it wasn’t a big problem. With the current strength of the Black Ink Clan, they still had the ability to defend themselves.
Mo Na Ye also believed that the Human Race didn’t have any intention of taking down the No-Return Pass in this battle. Their strategic intentions were clear at a glance; they would continue to grind down the Black Ink Clan’s forces until they were confident they could wipe them out.
However, Mo Na Ye still felt a little uneasy.
He knew where this uneasiness came from…
Yang Kai!
The battle at the No-Return Pass had already started, so Yang Kai in the Barren Territory would certainly not be willing to be left out. Although Mo Na Ye had arranged for Di Ya Luo and a dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords to restrain Yang Kai, no one could say for sure how effective they would be.
Once Di Ya Luo and the others were unable to stop Yang Kai from entering the battlefield, the overall strength of the many Pseudo-Royal Lords would instantly drop by at least 30% because each of them would have to reserve that much strength and focus to guard against Yang Kai’s sneak attacks.
Under such dire circumstances, that would be a huge blow to the Black Ink Clan.
As such, Mo Na Ye was prepared to personally stop Yang Kai, which was one of the reasons why he had not participated in the battle.
While the flames of war had enveloped the entire No-Return Pass, Yang Kai was also palming his fists in the Barren Territory.
Through the Barren Territory’s Territory Gate, Yang Kai could vaguely see the various strategies employed by the Human Race and knew that this was definitely Mi Jing Lun’s handiwork.
Because even he came to the same conclusion as Mo Na Ye when he saw just a single Universe World shooting towards the No-Return Pass, that it wasn’t just a single Universe World, but a line of them aiming to break through the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line.
But who could have ever known that the Universe Worlds’ surprise attack from the centre was just a decoy and the real killing blow was hidden behind the two Armies.
This method of deception was truly masterful.
War, in the eyes of some people, was nothing more than a barbaric slaughter, but in the eyes of others, it was an intricate form of art.
Yang Kai sighed with relief in his heart. The Human Race had Mi Jing Lun, allowing them to reduce the number of losses they suffered in many previous battles.
Thinking so, Yang Kai stepped towards the Territory Gate. It was time for him to act!
A dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords with Di Ya Luo in the lead stood near the No-Return Pass’ Territory Gate leading to the Barren Territory.
When they saw Yang Kai’s blurry figure through the Territory Gate, they knew that this guy was not willing to be left out and was about to come through, looking for trouble.
This was already within their expectations. The next moment, all the Masters from the Black Ink Clan started gathering their strength, preparing to attack!
A ripple appeared in the Territory Gate as a head suddenly emerged from the opposite side, revealing the face much hated by all the Black Ink Clansmen.
“Attack!” Di Ya Luo shouted before taking the lead and launching Secret Techniques towards the Territory Gate the next moment, the dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords following suit right after.
Yang Kai had obviously anticipated this scene, so he simply stretched out his head before immediately withdrawing it.
If it was someone else, they really wouldn’t be able to do such a thing. An ordinary cultivator, even if they were a Ninth-Order Master, the moment he or she stepped into a Territory Gate, would immediately pass through it and arrive on the opposite side.
Only those who were proficient in the Dao of Space could voluntarily interrupt this process, allowing them to advance or retreat at will.
As such, when the group of Masters from the Black Ink Clan had their attacks reach the Territory Gate, Yang Kai was nowhere to be seen. One after another, the attacks fell into the Territory Gate and travelled to the Barren Territory. However, the attacks had become weak after moving through the folded Space of the Territory Gate and Yang Kai was easily able to block them with a wave of his hand.
Immediately after, he stuck his head out of the Territory Gate and smiled at the nearby Di Ya Luo, “So fierce!”
The response he received was the same as before, more merciless attacks. Naturally, Yang Kai just quickly withdrew.
Hence, such scenes repeated seven or eight times in a row in the next 10 breaths, making Di Ya Luo and the others feel both ridiculous and helpless, enraging them.
The veins on Di Ya Luo’s forehead were about to burst. Although he knew that the chances of failure were high when he accepted the mission to prevent Yang Kai from stepping into the No-Return Pass, as long as Yang Kai could withstand one round of attacks, it would not be that hard for him to force his way out of the Territory Gate with his strength, and the Black Ink Clan would not be able to stop him.
Worse, Yang Kai had the qualifications to do so. He was a Divine Dragon with thick skin and strong flesh, so an attack that was strong enough to severely injure or even kill an ordinary Ninth-Order Master would basically be unable to mortally wound him. At most, he would suffer some minor injuries.
As long as Yang Kai broke into the No-Return Pass, the Black Ink Clan would not be able to restrain him with their current means and strength.
Di Ya Luo had to at least inflict enough injuries on Yang Kai before he could break into the No-Return Pass! If he could do that, he would barely be able to give an explanation to Mo Na Ye.
As the defending party, it should not have been difficult to accomplish this; however, he never imagined that Yang Kai could actually come up with such a shameless plan…
Every time he revealed his head, the Masters from the Black Ink Clan would attack him with all their might, because if they didn’t do so, no one could guarantee that he wouldn’t really leap out of the Territory Gate.
Unfortunately, once they attacked, Yang Kai would just retreat to the Barren Territory and easily neutralize their attacks.
Di Ya Luo was disgusted by Yang Kai’s tactics. The Black Ink Clan should have been the ones with the initiative in this kind of confrontation, but after Yang Kai started doing this, the Black Ink Clan had basically turned into his puppets. If Yang Kai wanted them to attack, they would attack, if he wanted them to stop, they would stop…
[Damn it! Even so, I can’t stop him!] Di Ya Luo lamented in his heart.
Although he and the other Pseudo-Royal Lords could use this method to temporarily block Yang Kai, they couldn’t use it indefinitely as they were exhausting their energy every time they launched an attack. In fact, they had used up a great deal of their strength in just a few rounds of attacks. Although it was a brief confrontation, it felt as if they had been engaging other Human Race Masters for several days; they were both physically and mentally exhausted.
Facing the killing star, Yang Kai, if they didn’t have enough strength to protect themselves, they might be caught off guard once he saw an opening.
With this thought in mind, Di Ya Luo raised his hand slightly and made a gesture, whereupon the dozen or so Pseudo-Royal Lords immediately moved towards him.
Soon, Yang Kai’s head emerged from the Territory Gate again. There was no attack this time, so he wasn’t in a hurry to withdraw and gazed at the nearby Di Ya Luo, grinning, “Not attacking again?”
Di Ya Luo remained silent, staring dead straight at Yang Kai and secretly circulating his strength.
“Since you’re not planning on attacking, I’m coming, okay?” Yang Kai said as he took a step out of the Territory Gate.
“I’m really coming over!” Yang Kai stated again with a teasing look on his face, as if he was playing some kind of interesting game.
Di Ya Luo still didn’t take any action while the Pseudo-Royal Lords too remained silent.
“Good,” Yang Kai didn’t waste any more time and walked out of the Territory Gate before taking a long, deep breath. Clearly, he was in the void and there was nothing he could smell, but he still wore an intoxicated look on his face, as if he had arrived at a wonderful place that he could only dream about.
“Attack!” Di Ya Luo really couldn’t bear it any longer. Knowing that it was the best chance to strike, he took the lead and charged straight towards Yang Kai with the dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords in tow.
The next moment, powerful Secret Techniques rained down on Yang Kai one after another, instantly engulfing his figure and tearing it to shreds.
Be that as it may, no joy could be found on Di Ya Luo’s face, because he could tell at a glance that it was just an afterimage. His powerful Divine Sense swept out like a tide as he kept emitting his aura, locking onto Yang Kai’s erratic movements. While at it, he also led the dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords to chase after their target.
The Pseudo-Royal Lords’ auras had also locked onto Yang Kai’s figure and were constantly shelling the nearby space in order to prevent him from suddenly using his Space Secret Techniques to escape.
Everything that was happening here did not escape from Mo Na Ye’s eyes, but after observing for a while and confirming that Di Ya Luo had Yang Kai pinned down, he finally relaxed a little. In truth, he had no choice but to let Di Ya Luo be in charge of dealing with Yang Kai. If possible, he would rather personally deal with Yang Kai, but the Black Ink Clan Army needed someone to coordinate it, so it was really out of his hands.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, Mo Na Ye would not make a move, as it would just make him waste his strength.
Although he had been a little worried about this matter, by the looks of it, Di Ya Luo was doing a pretty good job. Although there was nothing they could do to stop Yang Kai from stepping into the No-Return Pass, a momentary hiccup was nothing. As long as they could successfully restrain Yang Kai, tasking Di Ya Luo with this would be meaningful.
After the last battle, Mo Na Ye had a rough estimate of Yang Kai’s true strength. He knew that a newly promoted Royal Lord like Di Ya Luo was definitely not his opponent, but with a dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords supporting him, it was impossible for Yang Kai to escape from their blockade. In fact, if Yang Kai wasn’t careful enough, he might even get seriously injured.
After watching for a while longer, Yang Kai’s situation became more and more difficult. He was unable to use his Instantaneous Movement, and as the No-Return Pass was Black Ink Clan’s home ground, he didn’t just need to deal with Di Ya Luo and the dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords.
There were also many other Pseudo-Royal Lords stationed near the High-Rank Black Ink Nests, charged with blocking the fallout from the battle to protect the Black Ink Nests. Although they wouldn’t participate in the pursuit, if Yang Kai passed by them, these Pseudo-Royal Lords wouldn’t mind attacking him once or twice. Yang Kai, who was getting attacked from every direction, had no choice but to flee like a rat.
He was in such a tight spot that he had already summoned his Space-Time River and had it circling around him like a Dragon. Many of the attacks landed on the river, causing it to rock and tremble.
When this scene entered Di Ya Luo’s eyes, he was a little bewildered.
Logically speaking, Yang Kai shouldn’t be so weak. He was even mentally prepared for a bitter battle, but after Yang Kai was surrounded by so many Masters, all Yang Kai could do was take the beating; he rarely had the strength to fight back.
[Have his injuries not yet healed?]
Considering the severe wounds Yang Kai had suffered at the last moment in the battle two years ago, it was understandable if his injuries hadn’t healed.
In fact, Yang Kai’s poor performance was not because of his injuries. After two years of recuperation, whether it was the damage to his physical body or the instability in his Dao Strengths, he had already completely recovered.
There were multiple reasons why this was happening. First, Yang Kai needed to conceal his true strength. Second, the number of Small Stone Race Soldiers he had taken into his Small Universe in the Chaotic Dead Territory was simply too great, with them numbering more than 100 million. Even with his Small Universe’s foundation, this many Small Stone Race Soldiers had become a burden.
In other words, he was dealing with all these Masters while carrying this burden. This made it hard for him to smoothly circulate his World Force, which prevented him from displaying his full strength.
Lastly, he was also making some arrangements, diverting some of his attention to deliver a great gift to the Black Ink Clan!
And at this moment, his preparations were almost complete.
The next moment, Di Ya Luo was shocked, because Yang Kai, who had been fleeing all this time, suddenly switched his strategy. The Space-Time River that had been hovering around him suddenly swept out and covered a vast area of the void.
Everyone within the range of the Space-Time River, including Yang Kai, Di Ya Luo, and the dozen or so Pseudo-Royal Lords, became isolated.
At the same time, Yang Kai changed directions and charged straight towards the Black Ink Clan Masters.
“Be careful!” A Pseudo-Royal Lord shouted.
As the distance between them rapidly shortened, Yang Kai stretched out his hands towards the Black Ink Clan Masters instead of taking out his Azure Dragon Spear. The next moment, the Marks on the back of his hands started glowing.
Alarm bells immediately started ringing in Di Ya Luo’s heart, faintly feeling that something extremely bad was about to happen. Although he had no idea what to expect, Yang Kai’s abnormal actions were definitely part of some sinister plot.
Without wasting any more time mulling over it, he simply shouted, “Attack!”
He immediately charged at Yang Kai, leading the dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords in a brutal, all-out assault.
“You bastards have had your fun attacking me for so long; now, it’s my turn!” Yang Kai roared as suddenly, the Space-Time River which had enveloped a vast stretch of void suddenly disappeared without a trace.
The next moment, a shocking scene appeared in front of all the Black Ink Clansmen in the No-Return Pass. After the Space-Time River disappeared, an enormous number of Stone Man-like creatures appeared where the waters had originally been!
The Small Stone Race were all born with sharp and distinct edges. They appeared simple and stupid, as if they could not harm even a fly. Nonetheless, the moment they appeared, all the Black Ink Clansmen at the No-Return Pass who saw this felt their scalps go numb.
After fighting the Human Race for so many years, how could the Black Ink Clan not recognize these strange creatures? The Human Race had used these creatures to fight against the Black Ink Clan on many battlefields, and had often achieved good results.
When these strange creatures appeared, one of the Pseudo-Royal Lords immediately shouted, “Small Stone Race!”
His voice was trembling because he had never seen so many Small Stone Race Soldiers in one place.
The size of the Space-Time River was extremely large, and using its cover, Yang Kai had summoned 2 million Small Stone Race Soldiers.
Although Yang Kai had actually summoned an even larger number of Small Stone Race in the past, the strength of this Small Stone Race group was far beyond any he had ever brought out before.
During his journey to the Chaotic Dead Territory, Yang Kai had carefully selected each Small Stone Race Soldier, with even the weakest of them being equivalent to a Third-Order Master.
When 2 million such Small Stone Race Soldiers suddenly appeared, the momentum they released was so great that even a Royal Lord like Di Ya Luo was horrified.
Worse yet, with the two glows on the back of Yang Kai’s hands, Di Ya Luo immediately understood what was about to happen. His pupils instantly shrank as he screamed, “Retreat!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he was the first to break through the encirclement and flee.
However, how could he get away?
The two million Small Stone Race Soldiers were deployed evenly by the Space-Time River, tightly blockading this part of the void. Furthermore, Yang Kai went a step further and froze the local space using his Space Principles.
In a flash, every Black Ink Clan powerhouse felt a great resistance around them, hindering their movements. Of course, this kind of resistance was not enough to immobilize them for long. If they had just three breaths of time, they would be able to escape from the Small Stone Race Army’s encirclement.
However, while three breaths was normally just a blink of the eye to such Masters, in this instance, three breaths was an eternity which separated life and death, making it impossible to cross.
“Light will eventually expel darkness!” Yang Kai declared in a low voice, clenching his fists. As he did so, intense yellow and blue glows suddenly emerged from the bodies of the 2 million Small Stone Race Soldiers, filling the void in the blink of an eye.
The yellow and blue lights converged and fused together, blooming into a dazzling white light. The pure white glow was not eye-catching at first, but in an instant, it started rapidly expanding like a Great Sun which had exploded.
Time seemed to freeze inside the No-Return Pass, but a moment later, shrill cries broke the despairing silence.
Shrouded in the white light, every Black Ink Clansman, whether it was Di Ya Luo, the Pseudo-Royal Lords, or even the lowly Black Ink Serfs, were howling in pain. Even the distant Black Ink Clansmen who were bathed in this white light were shrieking in horror.
Purifying Light had always been the greatest nemesis of Black Ink Strength, and the Black Ink Clan’s power was basically entirely derived from Black Ink Strength. When the Black Ink Clansmen were exposed to the Purifying Light, the pain they felt was no different from an ordinary Humans thrown into a boiling pot of oil. This kind of torture was simply unbearable.
While the pure white light was blooming, Yang Kai didn’t remain idle. His figure shuttled through the battlefield like he was walking in his backyard, appearing and disappearing like a ghost, and each time he flickered, a powerful aura would disappear.
After 10 breaths, the pure white light finally faded away.
At this moment, the originally chaotic battlefield had been cleared away. In the void, Yang Kai stood alone, holding a hideous head in his hand. The cut on the head was uneven. It didn’t appear to have been made by a sharp weapon, but rather looked like it had been torn apart with his bare hands. Jet-black blood was still gushing out from the neck.
More importantly, the head was very much alive. It was grimacing in pain and a trace of confusion could be seen in its eyes, as if it was still a little dazed about its current state. Regardless, this trace of life was destined to disappear soon.
On the battlefield, several other mutilated corpses were lifelessly floating about, all of them belonging to powerful Pseudo-Royal Lords.
The surviving Pseudo-Royal Lords looked completely terrified, their eyes filled with horror. The reason they were able to survive was not because they were stronger than their dead comrades, but because they were luckier. Yang Kai simply didn’t have time to kill them.
Originally, the entire No-Return Pass was filled with a massive amount of Black Ink Strength, giving the impression as if it was shrouded in one enormous Black Ink Cloud.
But at this moment, in this environment in which every nook and corner was filled with Black Ink Strength, there was now a spherical zone where the Black Ink Strength was completely purified.
On this battlefield, although Yang Kai was alone, he was like an Army of thousands, putting enormous pressure on the entire Black Ink Clan.
Standing right across him was Di Ya Luo, his face filled with fear. Mo Na Ye, who was supposed to be commanding the Black Ink Clan Army, was also standing beside him, staring at Yang Kai with a solemn expression.
“Are you alright?” While Mo Na Ye was asking this, his eyes remained completely fixed on Yang Kai.
As soon as Yang Kai activated the Great Sun and Moon Marks on the backs of his hands, Mo Na Ye realized what was about to happen and immediately rushed over to help. Fortunately, he had reacted fast enough; otherwise, it would not have ended well for Di Ya Luo.
After the Purifying Light burst, Yang Kai casually took the lives of several Pseudo-Royal Lords before directly attacking Di Ya Luo.
Originally, he had planned to use this opportunity to eliminate a Royal Lord. Under the cover of the Purifying Light, Yang Kai was confident that he could accomplish it without anyone’s notice; however, Mo Na Ye had come to interfere at the critical moment.
This forced Yang Kai to fall back for the time being.
It was still understandable to kill Di Ya Luo by borrowing the intense Purifying Light, but if he were to eliminate even Mo Na Ye, who had come to rescue the former, it would surely raise flags, which would cause the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods to become vigilant.
As such, he could only kill two more Pseudo-Royal Lords to vent his anger.
Nonetheless, the current situation was still acceptable. Di Ya Luo had been enveloped by the Purifying Light, which had affected his strength. Furthermore, he was a newly promoted Royal Lord, so his foundation was probably unstable now. Unless the Black Ink Clan used some kind of sacrificial Secret Technique to restore his strength, he wouldn’t be much more useful than a Pseudo-Royal Lord on the battlefield in the future.
Half of the dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords who had besieged Yang Kai had died, while the remaining half had their foundations severely damaged, causing their strength to plummet.
Trading 2 million Small Stone Race Soldiers for the life of half a dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords was an acceptable price.
After staring at Mo Na Ye for a moment, Yang Kai coldly snorted before tossing the severed head away and taking a step forward, heading towards the No-Return Pass.
Yang Kai’s speed wasn’t fast, but Mo Na Ye didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping him. He did not even issue an order to stop him.
He couldn’t determine how many Small Stone Race Soldiers Yang Kai had left, and until he had did, it would be unwise to continue provoking him.
But the main reason was that the Black Ink Clan no longer had the ability to restrain Yang Kai. Originally, they could still rely on Di Ya Luo, but now that the latter was injured, confronting Yang Kai would be tantamount to suicide.
From the start, Mo Na Ye didn’t want to have any kind of confrontation with Yang Kai; so, since he wanted to leave, all he could do was let him go.
Thus, while the two Armies were engaged in a fierce battle, Yang Kai leisurely made his way from the back of the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line to the battlefield without any hindrance.
Immediately after, a scene appeared that sent all the Black Ink Clan Soldiers into despair.
A portal to Yang Kai’s Small Universe suddenly opened up as an endless Small Stone Race Army rushed out.
This time, Yang Kai didn’t use the Great Sun and Moon Marks to control their movements at all.
Under the stimulation of Black Ink Strength, the Small Stone Race Soldiers immediately charged towards the Black Ink Clan Army the moment they came out of Yang Kai’s Small Universe, without any fear of death.
Attacked by the Small Stone Race Army, the Black Ink Clan’s defence line, which was originally quite sturdy, immediately saw countless casualties.
Not long after, Yang Kai strolled along the defensive line, which resulted in Small Stone Race Armies appearing on every front.
They didn’t cooperate with the Human Race, each and every Small Stone Race Soldier simply acting like a killing tool without any sentience, attacking anyone or anything with Black Ink Strength.
Inside the No-Return Pass, Mo Na Ye watched the entire debacle from a distance, gloom and despair gripping his heart.
Under the current circumstances, it was just a matter of time until the Human Race conquered the No-Return Pass. Only death and destruction was waiting for the Black Ink Clansmen here.
Be that as it may, Mo Na Ye had never been one to sit back and just wait for death. Even if he couldn’t defend the No-Return Pass, he had to try his best to weaken the Human Race Army so that they wouldn’t have the strength to continue their crusade to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Mo Na Ye originally had some confidence that he could achieve this goal, but after witnessing such a huge Small Stone Race Army appear on the battlefield, this confidence was completely shattered.
These Small Stone Race Soldiers basically blanketed the entire battlefield, and they could not be stopped. Their population size was several times greater than the Humans, so using them as cover, the Humans would definitely suffer fewer casualties.
Under these circumstances, it would be extremely hard for the Black Ink Clan to destroy or even critically damage the Human Race Army.
Mo Na Ye couldn’t figure out where Yang Kai had obtained so many Small Stone Race Soldiers!
In fact, Mo Na Ye had done some research on these strange beings known as the Small Stone Race; so, he knew about their characteristics. The only thing he didn’t understand was their origins. From some Black Ink Disciples, he came to learn that the Small Stone Race was a special race brought out by Yang Kai.
But where did Yang Kai get them from? Everything in the Universe had a source.
After suffering countless casualties over the thousands of years of war, the Small Stone Race had gradually faded from the Black Ink Clan’s sight; so, Mo Na Ye had never expected Yang Kai to bring so many Small Stone Race Soldiers to the battlefield before today, catching them off guard.
[It’s Yang Kai again! Every single turning point in the war between the Human Race and the Black Ink Clan is connected to him!]
Mo Na Ye couldn’t help but feel a little regretful. Had he known that Yang Kai had such a card up his sleeve, he would have insisted on keeping him here even if he had to sacrifice more Pseudo-Royal Lords.
But when he gave it another thought, Mo Na Ye realized that nothing was going to change even if he somehow pinned Yang Kai down here. Sacrificing 2 million Small Stone Race Soldiers, Yang Kai had managed to kill a few Pseudo-Royal Lords and injure Di Ya Luo. Even if they managed to pin him down, the Black Ink Clan would have to mentally prepare themselves for even heavier losses.
What Mo Na Ye couldn’t figure out was why Yang Kai didn’t use this method in the battle two years ago and instead chose to use it today. It was simply unreasonable. It would be even more unreasonable to say that Yang Kai had used some kind of method unknown to the Black Ink Clan in the past two years to produce so many Small Stone Race members.
Although he really wanted to find out the reason, Mo Na Ye didn’t have the time to do so.
As over 100 million Small Stone Race Soldiers joined the battlefield, the Black Ink Clan’s originally stable line of defence began to collapse. A large number of the Black Ink Clan Soldiers fighting at the forefront fell, affecting the lives of even the Masters behind them.
Mo Na Ye could only focus on the battle in front of him, issuing a stream of orders one after another, trying to kill as many enemies as possible while resisting the attacks of the Human Race and Small Stone Race.
At the same time, he also didn’t forget to pay attention to Yang Kai’s movements. After Yang Kai had made his way to the battlefield, his presence had restrained all the Pseudo-Royal Lords who had been fighting outside.
The Human Race’s tactic to deal with these Pseudo-Royal Lords was basically to confront them using Battle Formations formed by Eighth-Order Masters. Although the Human Race had many Eighth-Order Masters, the Black Ink Clan had many Pseudo-Royal Lords. Moreover, when three Pseudo-Royal Lords assumed a simple Three Fortunes Formation, they were easily able to restrain the several Battle Formations formed by five Eighth-Order Masters.
Although the Human Race could still use more Eighth-Order Masters, using any more of them would just make it even harder for them to effectively coordinate with each other. It would defeat the purpose and put them in jeopardy.
As such, most of the battles between the top combatants of the two Races were evenly matched. Only a small number of Pseudo-Royal Lords could disrupt the balance, while it took far more Eighth-Order Masters to compensate.
However, when Yang Kai disappeared after rushing out of the No-Return Pass and releasing a massive number of Small Stone Race Soldiers, the situation abruptly changed.
All the Pseudo-Royal Lords who had stepped on the battlefield immediately fell into a disadvantageous position as they were now highly distracted, stretching their Divine Senses to the limit to monitor their surroundings, guarding against any sneak attacks.
It wasn’t until a Pseudo-Royal Lord saw Yang Kai’s figure appear at Pure Yang Pass that they all collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Yang Kai hadn’t launched a sneak attack and had instead gone to Pure Yang Pass, which was undoubtedly good news for the Black Ink Clan on the battlefield.
Be that as it may, they couldn’t figure out why Yang Kai had gone to Pure Yang Pass at this time.
Just like the last battle, Pure Yang Pass, the only Great Pass occupied by the Human Race, was located away from the battlefield, acting as a coordination centre to control the overall situation.
Mi Jing Lun was standing on the city wall with a feather fan in his hand, like a weak scholar, quietly observing the battlefield and issuing precise orders.
In a flash, Yang Kai appeared beside him.
Mi Jing Lun shot a glance at him and asked, “Did you go to the Chaotic Dead Territory?”
The Small Stone Race in the hands of the Humans had almost been completely exhausted after all these years of war. Since Yang Kai could suddenly summon an army of 100 million Small Stone Race Soldiers to participate in the siege of the No-Return Pass, it was obvious that he had been to Chaotic Dead Territory.
“En,” Yang Kai nodded.
“Isn’t this too wasteful?” Mi Jing Lun asked, feeling a bit distressed.
Since Yang Kai bestowed a large number of Small Stone Race members to the various Armies of the Human Race, these strange creatures had made great contributions in many battles. In many small-scale battles, the Human Race had been able to win with their smaller numbers because of the Small Stone Race’s fearlessness.
Years of war had depleted the Small Stone Race, and deprived the Human Race of this huge support. Mi Jing Lun’s heart ached when he witnessed Yang Kai throw so many of the Small Stone Race members into the battlefield in one go.
It had to be known that all these Small Stone Race Soldiers that were deployed on the battlefield could never be recovered, because they would fight until their bodies were crushed to pieces.
Only when a Humans used a beast-taming technique or an artifact refining technique to refine them would they be able to command these creatures with low intelligence.
If the Human Race was like a huge family, then Yang Kai would definitely be the prodigal black sheep. His extravagance made Mi Jing Lun, who was in charge of the daily budget, feel a great deal of pain.
Yang Kai grinned at him, “Don’t worry, I’ve collected a lot this time.”
“A lot?” Mi Jing Lun raised his brow.
“A lot!” Yang Kai repeatedly nodded. Even if he had released 100 million Small Stone Race Soldiers, he still had about three times as many left in his Small Universe.
Mi Jing Lun was relieved after hearing this.
“Senior Brother, please open a portal to your Small Universe,” Yang Kai requested.
Mi Jing Lun naturally knew what he wanted to do and immediately opened the portal. The next moment, Yang Kai also opened a portal to his Small Universe. The two portals quickly overlapped, as if they were about to merge into one.
Soon after, an enormous number of Small Stone Race Soldiers were transferred into Mi Jing Lun’s Small Universe.
Slowly, Mi Jing Lun’s expression changed.
Although he had some inkling from Yang Kai’s answer that he had indeed brought back a lot of Small Stone Race members, he had never expected this number to be so exaggerated.
A moment later, Mi Jing Lun raised his hand and stated, “Enough. I can’t take it anymore.”
After all, his Small Universe’s foundation was not as strong as Yang Kai’s. He had almost reached its limit after accepting 100 million or so Small Stone Race Soldiers. At this moment, the circulation of his World Force was strained so much that if he were to fight the Black Ink Clan in this state, even a Territory Lord could take his life.
“How many more?” Mi Jing Lun asked.
“About twice as many as I gave you.”
Mi Jing Lun was rendered speechless, wondering if Yang Kai had completely raided the Burning Light and Serene Glimmer’s treasury this time. Otherwise, how could he have obtained so many Small Stone Race members?
Helpless, he could only send out a command, “Call Ou Yang Lie and Wei Jun Yang back.”
A messenger immediately sent out the message.
Somewhere on the battlefield, Ou Yang Lie happened to be facing three Pseudo-Royal Lords in a Three Fortunes Formation. He was fighting to his heart’s content, but after receiving the message, he was shocked and quickly withdrew from the battle, rushing towards Pure Yang Pass. Although the Pseudo-Royal Lords wanted to stop him, how could they? They might gain an upper hand while fighting Ou Yang Lie together, but if the latter wanted to escape, they were completely powerless to stop him.
Somewhere else on the battlefield, Wei Jun Yang did the same.
The two had no idea what had happened, but since Mi Jing Lun had called them back during such a battle, it was obviously no small matter.
The two arrived at Pure Yang Pass one after the other. When Mi Jing Lun briefly explained everything, they finally understood why they were recalled.
The Small Stone Race Soldiers couldn’t just be let out in the open. The only option they had was to temporarily suppress them inside a Ninth-Order Master’s Small Universe. After this battle was over, they would then be refined and used by the Human Race’s soldiers.
Ou Yang Lie and Wei Jun Yang didn’t delay things any further. Just like Mi Jing Lun, each opened a portal to their Small Universes before Yang Kai transferred the Small Stone Race to them.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Yang Kai finally breathed a sigh of relief, looking refreshed. His Small Universe had been under pressure ever since he left the Chaotic Dead Territory, which finally disappeared until now.
Of course, he had also kept a few Small Stone Race Masters for his own use, but he could easily afford to keep them without affecting himself.
On the other hand, Mi Jing Lun and the other two looked strained, as if they had eaten too much. Even their auras were unstably fluctuating.
Ou Yang Lie couldn’t help but complain, “Please inform me in advance next time something like this happens.”
He was halfway through his fight with the Pseudo-Royal Lords and was unhappy to be recalled just for something like this. Worse, after this, he could not participate in the following battle.
Yang Kai grinned, “Just bear with it.”
While they were speaking, a figure flew out from the depths of Pure Yang Pass and landed in front of everyone, handing a large number of Space Rings to Mi Jing Lun, “Supreme Commander Mi, all the supplies are in here.”
Mi Jing Lun gestured casually to Yang Kai, “Give them to him.”
The man then handed the Space Rings to Yang Kai, who took them and swept them with his Divine Sense before nodding his acknowledgement, “Quite efficient.”
The Human Race’s supplies had almost been depleted after the last battle, so obviously, these resources had been mined over the past two years.
The Humans had scattered nearly 3 million soldiers throughout the Black Ink Battlefield to mine resources, and with the Universe Temples as transfer points, their efficiency was naturally quite high.
Of course, using the Universe World assault tactic in this battle had also consumed a lot of resources; otherwise, there would have been more.
There were two reasons Yang Kai came to Mi Jing Lun from the No-Return Pass. Firstly, he wanted to hand over the Small Stone Race Army, and secondly, he wanted to ask Mi Jing Lun for some supplies, as well as hand over the Yellow and Blue Crystals he had looted from the Chaotic Dead Territory.
After silently calculating for a moment, Yang Kai stated, “The next battle should still be fought after two years, yes?”
The supplies in his hands were enough for him to last two years. If the Human Race launched a war after his supplies had depleted, he would be able to ask for them once again. This way, his cultivation would not be delayed and he could quickly reach the peak of the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
In the next war, the Human Race would have the assistance of a large number of Small Stone Race Soldiers, so the situation would definitely be different.
“Indeed!” Mi Jing Lun nodded his agreement. The Human Race would also need some time to recuperate after such a large battle. On top of that, mining supplies would also require time. An interval of two years was the absolute minimum.
“How are the Void Guard doing?” Yang Kai asked again.
According to the previous arrangements, the Void Guard led by Li Wu Yi would be setting up Space Arrays leading to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction in advance in preparation for the future crusade. They were ordered to send a report every time they set up a new Space Array, so that the Supreme Headquarters had a good grasp of their situation.
The void was a dangerous place, especially the vast Late Ancient Era Battlefield, which was fraught with many unknown dangers. So, it was necessary to send reports back in a timely manner.
“Everything is going smoothly,” Mi Jing Lun replied, “They have already laid out eight Space Arrays.”
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement. It had only been two years since Li Wu Yi and the others had set out while the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was extremely far from here. Even if they went all out, it would take Li Wu Yi and the others several years to reach the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. On top of that, they also had to stop and arrange Space Arrays while circumventing unknown dangers along the way. It would take them a while to complete this task.
Yang Kai reckoned that they had only covered about 30% of the total distance at most.
“I’ll go and fight, everyone take care!” Yang Kai didn’t say anything else. He simply cupped his fists towards Mi Jing Lun and the others before taking a step forward and disappearing from their sight.
On the battlefield, the Black Ink Clan’s situation became even more dire as the Small Stone Race Army continued their assault, tearing apart many of their defensive lines. Meanwhile, the Human Race Army took advantage of this opportunity to hit the Black Ink Clan, forcing them to retreat.
On the top combatants’ battlefield, the Pseudo-Royal Lords were still holding their ground; however, when Yang Kai used Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability to suddenly appear behind one of the Pseudo-Royal Lords, and pulled him and two other Pseudo-Royal Lords who were in Battle Formation with him into the Space-Time River, the rest of the Pseudo-Royal Lords lost their will to fight.
Mo Na Ye timely adjusted his strategy, issuing one order after another. The Pseudo-Royal Lords and the Black Ink Clan Army began to shrink their lines once again, concentrating their forces to resist the combined assault of the Small Stone Race and the Human Race Armies.
Putting aside how effective this strategy was, at the very least it shrank the battlefield, which would definitely restrict the movements of the Human Race Army further.
Fortunately, the Human Race had no way of effectively coordinating with the Small Stone Race Army. Before this, the Human Race just had to follow behind, filling the gaps that were created; however, once the Black Ink Clan’s perimeter shrank, if the Human Race Army were to advance recklessly, it was highly likely they would be disrupted by the Small Stone Race Army.
This instantly exposed the disadvantages of the Small Stone Race who acted completely on instinct, but this was within the Human Race’s calculations. Compared to the benefits brought by the Small Stone Race Army, the disadvantages could be endured.
While the Small Stone Race Army had achieved brilliant results, their casualties were also quite horrifying.
They had no intelligence and acted purely on instinct; furthermore, as they were born by absorbing Yin and Yang Energies, they had a very keen perception of the Black Ink Strength. Yang Kai had already discovered this characteristic when he acquired the first batch of the Small Stone Race Soldiers from Big Brother Huang and Big Sister Lan.
On the battlefield, as long as the Small Stone Race sensed the existence of Black Ink Strength, they would immediately swarm towards it like cats smelling the scent of a fish and fight to death.
Advancing like this would inevitably result in a large number of casualties among the Small Stone Race.
By the time Yang Kai made his way to Pure Yang Pass from the No-Return Pass, the Small Stone Race Army had lost about 10% of their forces. By the time Yang Kai returned to the battlefield, that number had grown to 30%.
If this continued, the 100 million Small Stone Race Soldiers wouldn’t last for more than half a day.
Had these Small Stone Race members been refined and controlled by the Humans, this kind of situation would have never occurred. Unfortunately, Yang Kai had brought too many of them from the Chaotic Dead Territory this time, so many that even if each person was given 10, they wouldn’t be able to use all of them up. Rather than leaving many Small Stone Race Soldiers idle, it was better to deploy a massive batch to the battlefield to catch the Black Ink Clan off guard.
Although the Small Stone Race Army suffered heavy casualties, the results they produced were excellent. The Black Ink Clan would have never imagined that such a variable would appear in the second attack of the Human Race on the No-Return Pass. Caught unprepared, all of their previous arrangements and contingencies had failed to achieve the desired effect.
Without any strategy, the Small Stone Race Army that only knew how to charge forward and kill the enemy couldn’t last long. Mi Jing Lun had naturally noticed this long ago, so when he felt that the time was right, he ordered his troops to retreat.
The Human Race Army withdrew in an orderly manner, and during this entire process, the Black Ink Clan could only helplessly watch. They were unable to give chase like last time because there were still many Small Stone Race Soldiers that had yet to be killed. If they didn’t kill all of them, there was no way they could leave the No-Return Pass.
As such, when the Human Race Army withdrew this time, they didn’t even need to cover their retreat.
While the Human Race Army was retreating from the battlefield, Yang Kai headed into the No-Return Pass. Under the watchful eyes of a group of Pseudo-Royal Lords, he casually strode into the Territory Gate and returned to the Barren Territory.
When Mo Na Ye witnessed this, his already unpleasant mood became much worse.
Previously, Yang Kai had summoned 2 million Small Stone Race Soldiers and used them to condense a massive burst of Purifying Light, allowing him to kill several Pseudo-Royal Lords and even injure Di Ya Luo. Immediately after, Yang Kai released 100 million Small Stone Race Soldiers directly onto the battlefield. Now, no one could guarantee that he did not have more Small Stone Race Soldiers on him; or rather, he definitely had many more. Combined with his fearsome personal strength, who would dare stand in his way?
Even Mo Na Ye didn’t dare to face him head-on anymore. The fact that Yang Kai did not do much on his way back to the Barren Territory already made Mo Na Ye give thanks to the Supreme One.
It wasn’t until the Human Race Army had disappeared from their sight and Yang Kai had returned to the Barren Territory that the Black Ink Clan’s forces finally retaliated in anger, completely surrounding the Small Stone Race Army that only knew how to charge forward, then wiping them out. Of course, they still paid a price in order to achieve this.
At this point, the Human Race’s second attack on the No-Return Pass had come to an end. For the Black Ink Clan, the result of this battle was even worse than the previous one.
Last time, the Human Race had used the Universe World bombardment tactic to catch the Black Ink Clan off guard, causing them to suffer heavy losses.
Although the effects of the Universe World bombardment had been reduced during this second attack, the Small Stone Race Army brought by Yang Kai had become the hidden dagger that caused the Black Ink Clan to suffer even greater losses than before.
At the end of the last battle, the Black Ink Clan still managed to chase after the retreating Human Race Army, barely managing to save some face, but this time they were not even able to do that.
Shrouded in a rich Black Ink Strength, the No-Return Pass was filled with gloom as fear and despair ran rampant.
What made the Black Ink Clan feel even more desperate and worried was that the Human Race would surely commence a third and fourth attack soon. Judging by the results of the last two wars, sooner or later, the Black Ink Clan would definitely lose the No-Return Pass. At that time, the fate of the entire Black Ink Clan in the No-Return Pass would be doubtful.
Thousands of years ago, when the Black Ink Clan Army broke out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, conquered the No-Return Pass, assaulted the Barren Territory, and invaded the 3,000 Worlds with an unstoppable momentum. Every Black Ink Clansman was in high spirits back then. All of them felt that the 3,000 Worlds was as good as defeated and they were not far away from achieving the grand plan of unifying all beneath the Heavens.
Unfortunately, thousands of years later, the Black Ink Clan was now trapped in the No-Return Pass while all momentum was not on the Human Race’s side.
After the battle, many Pseudo-Royal Lords sought out Mo Na Ye, asking him what they should do in the future. Some of the Pseudo-Royal Lords also tried to persuade Mo Na Ye and Mo Yu to lead the surviving Black Ink Clansmen into the depths of the void; after all, it was not a good idea to just passively take a beating. If they were to retreat from the No-Return Pass and escape into the void, they might have a chance to survive.
Without exception, all the Pseudo-Royal Lords who had proposed this idea were harshly reprimanded by Mo Na Ye. After several examples were made, the Pseudo-Royal Lords who had doubts didn’t dare raise any objections.
In truth, they also knew that if they left the No-Return Pass, the Black Ink Clan would be in an even worse situation, they were just desperate to do something, anything to survive.
…..
In the Barren Territory, the Space-Time River had evolved into a pure Temporal River with a 30-fold difference in the flow rate. Inside the river, Yang Kai was refining the various materials he had obtained from Mi Jing Lun at a terrifying speed, steadily strengthening his Small Universe’s foundation.
The final battle was approaching, so he didn’t have much time to cultivate. Naturally, he was eager to improve his strength.
On the other side, after the battle, the Human Soldiers were all recuperating and refining the Small Stone Race Soldiers that had been distributed to them at the temporary camp of the Human Race. The few Divine Spirits who controlled the Great Sun and Moon Marks had also been given tens of thousands of Small Stone Race Soldiers each because they were able to control them to a certain extent using the Great Sun and Moon Marks and didn’t need to spend any time or effort on refining them in advance.
It could even be said that each of these Divine Spirits would be able to form an Army on their own with these Small Stone Race Soldiers. In the next battle, they would definitely play an extraordinary role on the battlefield.
…..
At the same time, outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the huge Suppressing Black Ink Fortress sat in the void, facing the opening in the Grand Restriction.
During the Human Race’s first crusade, this opening had been made by Cang, who had been guarding this place for millions of years. He had opened this gap mainly to alleviate the increasing pressure inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction; however, Mo was also waiting for this opportunity to escape, and its subsequent plans caused the entire situation to nearly spiral out of control. In the end, Cang was forced to rely on the hidden card left behind by Mu which put Mo into a deep sleep, finally sealing the gap in the Grand Restriction with his remaining strength.
However, in that battle, the Human Race suffered a great loss due to their lack of intelligence on the inside of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. The Human Race were dealt heavy casualties under the pincer attack of two Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods, and had no choice but to retreat.
It was also after that battle that Cang, who had been guarding the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction all alone for hundreds of thousands of years, had fallen.
It was difficult to imagine how this Martial Ancestor had spent hundreds of thousands of years in solitude. Perhaps, to him, death was a form of release.
But as a result, the descendants had to take on the burdens and expectations of their ancestors. Later, Yang Kai brought Wu Kuang to this place and had him assume control of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Yang Kai then arranged for the Suppressing Black Ink Army and Suppressing Black Ink Fortress to be stationed here. After making all the necessary preparations, Wu Kuang once again opened a gap in the Grand Restriction. As before, this was to relieve the pressure inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, because the Black Ink Clan and Black Ink Strength was constantly increasing. Wu Kuang was ultimately weaker than Cang, so he was unable to forcefully suppress it and could only use this method to relieve some of the burden.
Unfortunately, there was no way to completely close the opening this time. The Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was set up in an era long ago, and had been opened a few times now, which had ultimately caused some irreparable damage to it. It was further worsened by Wu Kuang’s lack of ability to control it.
Fortunately, the Suppressing Black Ink Army was stationed outside the opening. Ever since the Suppressing Black Ink Army arrived here, they had fought countless battles against the Black Ink Clansmen that rushed out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Although the situation had nearly spiralled out of control several times, Wu Kuang and the Suppressing Black Ink Army had worked together to resolve these crises.
As Wu Kuang’s cultivation increased day by day, so did his control over the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
In terms of cultivation speed, perhaps no one in this world could compare to Wu Kuang.
When Yang Kai sent him to this place, he had only been a Seventh-Order Master, but now, his cultivation may be higher than Yang Kai’s.
Thanks to the Heaven Devouring Battle Law complemented by the Flawless Purifying Golden Lotus, and the inexhaustible Black Ink Strength, Wu Kuang’s cultivation had improved by leaps and bounds ever since he had arrived here. His cultivation had quickly risen from the Seventh Order to the Ninth Order, and was still continuously rising.
Of course, the biggest benefit of the increase of his control over the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was that the Suppressing Black Ink Army had to face fewer battles.
The opening in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction could no longer be closed, but Wu Kuang was still able to shrink it somewhat. This way, the Black Ink Clan would face even greater restrictions if they tried to rush through the opening. Previously, there might have been some Royal Lords who could force their way out, but now that Wu Kuang’s strength had increased, and his control over the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had also become better, the Royal Lords could not force their way through anymore.
Without the support of Royal Lords, the rest of the Black Ink Clansmen rushing out of the opening were just easy targets before the mighty Suppressing Black Ink Army, no matter how many there were.
The Suppressing Black Ink Army did not have that many soldiers, only a few thousand, but their overall strength was pretty amazing. It could be said that they were the elite of the elites of the Human Race.
Back when Yang Kai and Mi Jing Lun had chosen the soldiers for the Suppressing Black Ink Army, the minimum requirement was the Sixth Order. In other words, if one had not reached the Sixth Order, they would be unqualified to join the Suppressing Black Ink Army.
Furthermore, the Sixth Order wasn’t the limit of the Suppressing Black Ink Army soldiers, they still had room to grow. After so many years, most of the original Sixth-Order Masters of the Suppressing Black Ink Army had advanced to the Seventh-Order.
In the entire Suppressing Black Ink Army, there were only a few whose cultivation remained at the Sixth Order. Besides, some of these Sixth-Order soldiers had reached the peak of the Sixth-Order and could break through at any moment.
In other words, the current Suppressing Black Ink Army, with the exception of a few Sixth-Order Masters, were basically all High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters.
When the Suppressing Black Ink Army was first founded, there were only 400 Eighth-Order Masters, but now, there were nearly 1,000 of them! The extra ones were all those who had broken through their limits over the years. The Suppressing Black Ink Army had no shortage of battles, so it was not that difficult for these proud sons and daughters of Heaven to break through their shackles and advance to the next Order amidst the bloody battles.
In addition, the Suppressing Black Ink Army also had over 100 powerful Divine Spirits.
To top it all off, Divine Dragon Fu Guang and Yang Xue, who had also broken through to the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the Universe Furnace World, were assuming command.
Zhao Ye Bai, Zhao Ya, and Xu Yi were also expected to break through their limits and advance to the Ninth Order soon!
The three of them were Yang Kai’s Legacy Disciples. Each of them had respectively inherited one of Yang Kai’s primary Grand Daos, so everyone had high hopes for them.
In terms of age and seniority, they weren’t much different from Shi Da Zhuang, who had already broken through to the Ninth Order. Perhaps the Third Disciple, Xu Yi’s period of cultivation was shorter as he had started cultivating a little late. Be that as it may, a little bit of delay in the long years of cultivation was not a big deal.
Shi Da Zhuang had already advanced to the Ninth Order, and Tang Tao amongst the rising stars had also achieved the same, so naturally, Zhao Ye Bai and the two others would soon be reaching the Ninth Order as well.
After thousands of years of accumulation, the Human Race would definitely be able to give birth to more Ninth-Order Masters in the near future.
With such a lineup, the Suppressing Black Ink Army could be said to be the most elite group among the Human Race’s forces. They might not have that many members, but they had ample capital to guard the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
However, since the battle 700 years ago, when the Universe Furnace appeared, there had been no movements from the other side of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
For the past 700 years, the Suppressing Black Ink Army soldiers had been doing nothing but cultivating in turns. Fortunately, when the Suppressing Black Ink Army first arrived here, they had brought a lot of supplies with them. Although most of their supplies had depleted over the years, they still had a bit left to use.
On the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, the silver-haired Fu Guang looked towards the opening in the darkness and sent a message via his Divine Sense, “Wu Kuang, how is the situation?”
It wasn’t that he had discovered anything unusual, it was just a routine inquiry done once a month. Judging by this, it was obvious that Fu Guang was an extremely cautious person.
As usual, Wu Kuang’s lazy voice echoed in Fu Guang’s mind, “Some small fish are spying on the opening, but they probably don’t dare to rush out.”
He had already closed the opening to its utmost limit, so if a Royal Lord tried to force his way through, there was a high chance he would die along the way. Even if he didn’t die, he would definitely be severely injured.
In light of this, no Royal Lord was stupid enough to attempt to force their way out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
And without a Royal Lord to keep Fu Guang in check, how could the Black Ink Clansmen inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction dare to challenge the Suppressing Black Ink Army? Although they had been sealed inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, they were not completely ignorant of the outside world. After having fought with the Suppressing Black Ink Army for so many years, they were well aware of their enemy’s strength.
“Stay alert!” Fu Guang exhorted as usual.
Wu Kuang replied, “I know, you all just… Huh?”
Halfway through his words, he suddenly let out a startled cry.
Fu Guang’s expression became serious as he shouted, “What’s wrong?”
However, he didn’t receive any response from Wu Kuang even after waiting for a while. This had never happened before. Fu Guang’s heart immediately jumped to his throat as a great sense of crisis suddenly enveloped him, prompting him to quickly check upon the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
The entire Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was like an enormous beast lying in the void, covering a truly vast area. It was basically impossible to see its end at one glance.
This dark area was completely imbued with Black Ink Strength. If it wasn’t for the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, it was very difficult to imagine just how far this endless darkness would have spread.
Fu Guang could not see any change to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, but his sense of unease grew stronger and stronger.
He knew that something must have happened; otherwise, it was impossible for Wu Kuang to not give any response.
Without hesitation, he shouted, “Prepare for battle!”
The next moment, the entire Suppressing Black Ink Army, whether they were cultivating or on guard duty, began to move. Spirit Arrays lit up one after another and the soldiers took position before the artifacts. In just 10 breaths, the thousands of Suppressing Black Ink Army Soldiers were ready for battle.
A storm was brewing!
Yang Xue flashed over to Fu Guang’s side and asked with a solemn look on her face, “Senior, what happened?”
Fu Guang slowly shook his head in response, “I don’t know!”
Yang Xue’s expression only became even more solemn upon hearing that. Since even Fu Guang had no idea what was going on, it was clear that the situation was already beyond their control.
“Where is Senior Wu Kuang?” She asked again.
“He is not responding.”
Yang Xue knew that things weren’t looking good. Wu Kuang was in charge of overseeing the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, but he was not responding. Could it be that the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had stopped functioning? If so, it would be a disaster for the Human Race.
Just as she was thinking of heading to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to investigate, Wu Kuang’s voice came from the other side, sounding anxious and horrified.
“It’s awake! Be careful!”
These sentences instantly made Fu Guang and Yang Xue’s scalps go numb. They both knew what Wu Kuang was referring to.
Mo, a Supreme Master from the Primordial Era, was the Source of the Black Ink Clan. It was the darkness born alongside the Primordial Light. It was basically immortal and indestructible.
The Suppressing Black Ink Army had always been on guard against it.
In the past, Cang had forced Mo into a deep slumber at the last moment using the trump card left behind by Mu, but no one knew how long this method would last. The only thing they could foresee was that this method would become ineffective sooner or later. Once that day came, Mo would completely awaken.
A Supreme Master of the Primordial Era like Mo, who was likely to be in the Creation Realm, was not someone the mere Suppressing Black Ink Army could stop. Even if the Human Race gathered all its strength, they might not be able to stop it.
Once Mo woke up, no one could guarantee that the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction would continue to suppress it.
By the looks of it, Mo’s awakening had a great impact on the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction; otherwise, they would not have lost contact with Wu Kuang for a short time. He must have been struggling with Mo for control of the Grand Restriction.
In addition, the moment Wu Kuang issued the warning, the boundless darkness that had remained dormant in the void for 700 years suddenly started expanding, as if it had a life of its own.
It looked as if a black balloon was being fiercely inflated.
“Retreat!” Fu Guang shouted as horror filled his eyes.
At the same time, he and Yang Xue joined forces to power the Core of the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, intending to drive this enormous artifact backwards.
Unfortunately, the darkness was expanding at a horrible rate, and was already at the border of the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress before it could even start moving.
A mighty Dragon Pressure broke out from Fu Guang as he promptly activated a Dragon Clan Innate Divine Ability. Time Principles started wildly surging around him, turning into Dragon patterns that swam through the void as if they wanted to freeze time.
Yang Xue took action at the same time. She too cultivated the Dao of Time, so when she cooperated with Fu Guang, they complemented each other perfectly.
Be that as it may, it was to no avail. They could only manage to block the darkness from advancing for a moment before the entire Suppressing Black Ink Fortress was swallowed by it. Everyone in the Suppressing Black Ink Fortress, including Fu Guang and Yang Xue, felt their vision go dark, and soon after lost their sense of direction.
Looking from a distance, the darkness was still expanding, very fast, but then, complex patterns appeared on the edges of the darkness, glimmering and expanding before quickly forming a seal.
Naturally, this was the power of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, a mechanism jointly set up by 10 Martial Ancestors of the Early Ancient Era. It was through this mechanism that they had been able to suppress Mo for countless years.
The pattern started to shrink back, but it was unable to completely suppress the surging darkness. Gradually, a stalemate was formed between them.
After an unknown period, the stalemate gradually stabilized, and so did the darkness that was seething like the ocean after a tsunami; it became completely calm.
In comparison, the area enveloped in the boundless darkness was undoubtedly bigger than before, but under the seal of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the boundless darkness was unable to expand further.
When everything was settled, Wu Kuang’s angry and distraught voice suddenly reverberated across the void, “You dare try to trick me! I’ll kill you sooner or later!”
From Wu Kuang’s perspective, he had indeed been tricked. He had been controlling the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction for so many years that, with his rise in cultivation, his control of the Grand Restriction also increased. Although he still wasn’t as strong as Cang’s, it was already pretty good.
He was also constantly monitoring Mo’s condition.
Up until today, he was certain that Mo was still asleep.
By the looks of it though, he had been tricked by Mo. Apparently, Mo’s condition had changed at some point, but it had been accumulating its strength. Today, it suddenly attacked, catching Wu Kuang off guard.
And at that point, he discovered Mo’s condition.
When he realized that he had been tricked, he thought that Mo had woken up, so he warned Fu Guang.
But all the current signs clearly indicated that Mo had not woken up, at least not completely.
If Mo was in a deep slumber in the past, then at this moment, it was in a half-awake state. Just now, when it tried to seize control of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction from Wu Kuang, it was only an instinctive reaction.
It was only an instinctive reaction while it was just half-awake, but it had nearly caused Wu Kuang to lose control of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. From this, it could be seen that if Mo really woke up, the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction would no longer be able to contain it.
Once the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was broken, the boundless darkness would start spreading without restraint. At that time, the vast Black Ink Battlefield would be flooded by the boundless darkness, perhaps even the 3,000 Worlds would be engulfed as well.
Although the boundless darkness was no longer showing any signs of abnormality after being sealed by the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, after today’s incident, no one knew when something similar would happen again.
This incident undoubtedly indicated that Mo was not far from completely awakening.
Inside the Grand Restriction, Wu Kuang’s heart was gripped with fear and worry. He had to inform Yang Kai as soon as possible about this so that the Human Race could take precautions; otherwise, it would be too late by the time Mo was awake.
However, he was powerless to do so.
The Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was extremely far away from the 3,000 Worlds, so there were no effective means to communicate with each other. In the past, Yang Kai used to come here using some kind of mysterious method, but after the previous incident where a flaw had appeared in the Grand Restriction, there had been no news from him. It had already been nearly 1,000 years since then…
From what Yang Xue had told him, Wu Kuang knew that Yang Kai had broken through his shackles in the Universe Furnace and successfully reached the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
Be that as it may, that was of no help to the current situation.
Before Wu Kuang could come up with a solution, figures were already charging out the opening in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
The auras radiating from these figures were extremely powerful. Surprisingly, all of them were Innate Territory Lords!
Seeing this, Wu Kuang’s heart sank.
In the past, Wu Kuang had worked in concert with the Suppressing Black Ink Army to block the Black Ink Clan from escaping the Grand Restriction. Even Royal Lords found it hard to force their way out of the opening. For the past 700 years, the Black Ink Clan had not dared to not make any rash movements with only a few small fries constantly monitoring the opening.
But now that the Suppressing Black Ink Army had been swallowed by the boundless darkness, the threat on the outside of the opening had disappeared. Even if Wu Kuang could still maintain his control over the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, he couldn’t stop the Black Ink Clan from rushing out.
Not to mention, because of the Suppressing Black Ink Army, he was unable to put his entire focus on controlling the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. He had to divert some of his attention to look after the Suppressing Black Ink Army.
Having been swallowed into the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction by the darkness, it was tantamount to falling into the Black Ink Clan’s lair. Even if the Suppressing Black Ink Army had countless elites, without Wu Kuang’s protection, only death was waiting for them. With his protection, they could at least survive for a little while.
The only silver lining was that Wu Kuang’s strength had greatly increased over the past few millennia and he was close to the peak of the Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Thanks to this, his control over the opening was stronger than ever. He was still able to prevent Royal Lords from making it through the opening, so the strongest Black Ink Clansmen who could make it out were just the Innate Territory Lords.
As time passed, more and more Black Ink Clansmen of varying strength rushed out of the opening, their faces filled with excitement and joy, like they were prisoners who had finally gained freedom after countless years of imprisonment.
A portion of the Black Ink Clansmen remained near the opening, while the rest quickly flew deeper into the void under the leadership of the Innate Territory Lords.
When Wu Kuang witnessed this, his gloomy mood suddenly lifted.
He had been having a headache over how to send a warning to the Human Race, but he had been unable to come up with a viable plan. But apparently, he didn’t need to deliver any news.
The Black Ink Clansmen who had left this place must have gone to support their allies who were fighting the Humans. Such a huge amount of reinforcements joining the battlefield would definitely draw the Human Race’s attention, especially the appearance of so many Innate Territory Lords. And as long as the Human Race’s reaction wasn’t too slow, they should be able to quickly identify the root of the problem. At that time, the Human Race would definitely know that something had happened to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
This was the case when the Innate Territory Lords snuck out from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction last time. At that time, Wu Kuang’s control over the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was not nearly as firm and he did not even have an inkling about it before Yang Kai came to inform him about it.
Thus, when he saw a group of Black Ink Clansmen heading deeper into the void, Wu Kuang knew that in at most 20 or 30 years, the Human Race would know that something had happened to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. At that time, not to mention others, Yang Kai would definitely come here to investigate.
Nonetheless, Wu Kuang couldn’t help but feel worried. Whether the Human Race came to know about the mishappening of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction sooner or later, it was not going to help him in his current situation in the slightest. Right now, there were two important tasks ahead of him. Firstly, he had to do his best to ensure the safety of the Suppressing Black Ink Army, allowing them to hold on for as long as possible.
Secondly… protecting himself!
The Black Ink Clansmen who stayed behind did not remain idle. These Black Ink Clansmen took out unhatched Black Ink Nests one after another, before Innate Territory Lord took position in front of every Black Ink Nest. Afterwards, these Innate Territory Lords put their hands over the unhatched Black Ink Nests and started infusing their strength into them, allowing them to rapidly grow bigger.
Not counting the years he had spent guarding the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, Wu Kuang hadn’t had many dealings with the Black Ink Clan. The first time he had fought with the Black Ink Clan was after the Human Race retreated to the Barren Territory. As a Human, he had participated in the war against the Black Ink Clan. It was during that battle that he had made a name for himself relying on the treacherous and powerful Heaven Devouring Battle Law, drawing the attention of many Ninth-Order Old Ancestors.
Later, when the Black Ink Clan invaded the 3,000 Worlds, the Human Race had completely shrunk their defensive line, defending just a dozen or so Great Territory Battlefields. Wu Kuang for the most part had acted alone as a Hunter, roaming the 3,000 Worlds to kill Black Ink Clansmen, getting into numerous fierce battles along the way.
He might not have much contact with situations like the one before him, but he knew that if the Black Ink Clan wanted to hatch Black Ink Nests this way, they would need to consume a lot of resources.
Except, what resources could the Black Ink Clan find outside of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction? This vast void didn’t even have ambient Starlight Energy, it was truly a Spiritless Land.
If the Black Ink Clan wanted to extract resources, they would have to venture in the direction of the Black Ink Battlefield, which would take a year or two at best…
But apparently, the Black Ink Clan’s incubation of Black Ink Nests did not require them to consume resources at all; it could also be done using the energy of the Innate Territory Lords themselves. Innate Territory Lords were directly born from Mo and contained a trace of Mo’s Source Strength. On the other hand, the Black Ink Nests similarly manifested from Mo’s Source Strength. It could even be said that both Innate Territory lords and Black Ink Nests shared the same Source. So, devouring the Innate Territory Lords’ energy could also hatch the Black Ink Nests.
After a short time, the aura of every Innate Territory Lord standing in front of the Black Ink Nests became weak to the point that they were trembling. All of their energy had been absorbed by the Black Ink Nests.
Every single one of these powerful Innate Territory Lords died on the spot after all of their energy had been absorbed. Immediately after, a second round of Innate Territory Lords stepped in…
[This is not good…] Wu Kuang thought to himself. How could he not understand the intentions of these Black Ink Clansmen who had remained behind?
Over the years, he had learned a lot about the Black Ink Clan from the soldiers of the Suppressing Black Ink Army, including how the Black Ink Clan created Pseudo-Royal Lords…
Wu Kuang wasn’t afraid of mere Innate Territory Lords, regardless of how many of them there were. Although the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was a Sealing Array, it also had some defensive and counter attacking capabilities. If not, when Cang was stationed here all those years ago, the Black Ink Clan from the Black Ink Battlefield would have already retreated to attack the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction first.
In that era, the Human Race and Black Ink Clan were fighting each other in over 100 Theatres. Each side had over 100 Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters and Royal Lords respectively.
The Black Ink Clan’s overall strength during that time was extremely fearsome, but the reason they chose to fight with the Human Race, instead of withdrawing and attacking the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was because doing so was futile. They would only be wasting their time and energy if they tried.
During the era when Cang was overseeing the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the Black Ink Clan would have had to gather several hundred Royal Lords if they wanted to breach the Grand Restriction from the outside.
During that time, the Black Ink Clan clearly didn’t have such capital as they were always entangled with the Human Race. The two races had been irreconcilable enemies since ancient times and could not coexist, but it was not just about mutual blood hatred. Each race was a deadly threat to the other. Only by completely destroying the Human Race would the Black Ink Clan have a stable space to develop and produce more Royal Lords, which in turn would provide them the capital to threaten the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. As for the Humans, the Black Ink Clan literally fed upon them and the worlds they were born from, so there could be no compromise.
When Wu Kuang took over the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction after Cang’s demise, the overall strength of the Black Ink Clan had drastically fallen. They simply did not have any capital to attack the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Until now!
No matter how many Innate Territory Lords attacked the Grand Restrictions, Wu Kuang would not care. Although the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction had been in disrepair for many years, this was the essence of the 10 Martial Ancestors’ wisdom and strength, it was not so easy to breach.
But if these Innate Territory Lords became Pseudo-Royal Lords…
That would be another matter. The Black Ink Clan did not need too many Pseudo-Royal Lords either, just 500 Pseudo-Royal Lords working together would be able to pose a threat to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Once the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction was breached from the outside, the situation would become extremely dire.
So, when he witnessed the actions of these Black Ink Clansmen, Wu Kuang knew that things had taken a turn for the worst.
Nonetheless, he was in an absolutely passive position at the moment. Even if he could see through the intentions of the Black Ink Clan, it was difficult for him to do anything about it. All he could do was wait and watch.
As time passed, and one Innate Territory Lord after another sacrificed themselves, the Black Ink Nests grew bigger and bigger at an astonishing speed. Just as Wu Kuang had expected, these Black Ink Nests were all High-Rank Black Ink Nests!
In just a few days, almost 300 fully matured High-Rank Black Ink Nest stood tall outside of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
During this time, Black Ink Clansmen kept pouring out from the opening in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction in a steady stream. Although the number of Black Ink Clansmen coming out each time wasn’t great, adding them all up made for a terrifying number.
These newly emerged Black Ink Clansmen also split into groups like before. Most of them flew towards the depths of the void, heading towards the 3,000 Worlds, while the rest stayed behind to prepare to attack the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Inside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, Wu Kuang let out a sigh of relief after confirming the number of High-Rank Black Ink Nests.
This number was still within the limits of what he could bear, but he did not underestimate the situation; after all, he still had to divert a portion of his attention to watch over the Suppressing Black Ink Army, which would make it difficult for him to respond to the attacks from outside of the Grand Restriction.
In the face of adversity, having good news like this was not too bad.
As a large number of Black Ink Clansmen had rushed out from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, things had become less dangerous for the Suppressing Black Ink Army. Now, as long as he was paying close attention to the movements of the Royal Lords, Wu Kuang could basically ensure the safety of the Suppressing Black Ink Army.
Meanwhile, outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, after the High-Rank Black Ink Nests had been erected, the Innate Territory Lords who had rushed out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction began entering them one after another, willingly walking to their deaths with a smile.
After having been fighting with each other for so many years, both the Human Race and Black Ink Clan knew very well about each other, apart from a few confidential pieces of information that only a few authoritative figures knew about.
For instance, the Black Ink Clan was able to create a Pseudo-Royal Lord borrowing the strength of Innate Territory Lords and a High-Rank Black Ink Nest. This was no secret to the Human Race and Yang Kai had even personally investigated this matter.
Be that as it may, even Yang Kai was unable to figure out how the Black Ink Clan used Innate Territory Lords and High-Rank Black Ink Nests to create Pseudo-Royal Lords specifically. All he knew was that the birth of a Pseudo-Royal Lord was accompanied by the demise of many Innate Territory Lords and a High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
It was only today that this secret was being played out right under Wu Kuang’s nose.
While he was watching on, the Innate Territory Lords entered the High-Rank Black Ink Nests one after another, their auras continuously undulating before disappearing. The High-Rank Black Ink Nests standing tall in the void were like starving beasts that kept devouring all the Innate Territory Lords who walked inside.
As Innate Territory Lords kept pouring in, a tremendous amount of energy accumulated inside each High-Rank Black Ink Nest.
At some point, when a certain number of Innate Territory Lords had walked into one of the Black Ink Nests, the aura of the last Innate Territory Lord suddenly soared, while the accumulated power in the Black Ink Nest rapidly disappeared.
After a while, the Black Ink Nest collapsed and disappeared without a trace. Whereas, the final Innate Territory Lord had now become a Pseudo-Royal Lord, their aura soaring to a whole new level.
One Pseudo-Royal Lord after another was born…
Wu Kuang silently calculated for a moment. In order to create a Pseudo-Royal Lord, at least 12 Innate Territory Lords had to be sacrificed, with at most 16 being required. This number wasn’t fixed, but it was always within this range. Furthermore, every time a Pseudo-Royal Lord was born, a High-Rank Black Ink Nest would be consumed.
Within days, almost 300 Pseudo-Royal Lords had been created. These Pseudo-Royal Lords didn’t stop for a moment and immediately flew straight towards the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, as if they had made a prior agreement.
Wu Kuang sighed in his heart. He knew that his good days had come to an end…
A few days ago, after the Human Race’s second attack on the No-Return Pass, the upper echelons of the Black Ink Clan were gathered in the Main Conference Hall of the No-Return Pass.
The three Royal Lords were standing in the forefront, while the Pseudo-Royal Lords were lined up below. The atmosphere in the hall was heavy and gloomy.
Over the past few years, the Human Race had attacked the Black Ink Clan twice, and each time, the Black Ink Clan had suffered great losses. The first time was one thing as the Human Race had caught the Black Ink Clan off guard by attacking with Universe Worlds. It was a completely new tactic the Black Ink Clan had never seen before, so they could not respond immediately to it.
However, the Black Ink Clan had already made preparations to deal with this Universe World attack before the second battle. They had even shrunk their defensive line, yet they were still unable to reverse the situation.
A Small Stone Race Army of over 100 million had brought great benefits to the Human Race, becoming one of the keystones for their victory.
Since Yang Kai was able to release over 100 million Small Stone Race Soldiers at once, it was evident that he still had more with him.
From the start, the Human Race Army was aggressively attacking, determined to retake the No-Return Pass. Now, with the help of the Small Stone Race, they were like tigers with wings.
After the last battle, even the stupidest Black Ink Clansmen knew that the war was already lost. The No-Return Pass would eventually fall, and the Black Ink Clan here was doomed to extermination…
Over the past few thousand years, the Black Ink Clan had held the initiative and absolute advantage in the war against the Human Race; however, things had taken a sharp turn in the last few decades. The Black Ink Clan found it really hard to accept this change in the status quo.
Among the three Royal Lords, only Mo Na Ye appeared to be in a decent condition, while Mo Yu and Di Ya Luo’s auras were slightly unstable, occasionally coughing to show their injuries.
In these two battles, Mo Yu and Xiang Shan had fought with each other one-on-one twice. The latter was a newly promoted Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and his strength and foundation might be worse than a veteran Royal Lord like the former, but he fought with his life on the line every time. Even if Mo Yu was slightly stronger, he still took serious damage from the near-suicidal Human Master.
The Human Race understood that the Black Ink Clan’s biggest weakness was healing. So, when Human Race Masters fought against those Masters from the Black Ink Clan, they frequently did so by trading injuries.
The goal of this strategy was completely cut and dry. If a Human was injured, they could use pills or Secret Techniques to recover, but if a Black Ink Clansmen was injured, they had to slumber inside a Black Ink Nest to properly heal…
However, in the face of such a shameless strategy, there was nothing the Black Ink Clan could do. They could only try to be more cautious in battle and not allow the Human Race to succeed.
As the popular adage goes, one can be a thief for a thousand days, but one cannot guard against a thief for a thousand days. In a battle, there would always come a moment in a battle when one had no choice but to take risks, no matter how careful they were. This was pretty much the case with Xiang Shan in the last two battles, which had inflicted serious injuries on Mo Yu. Of course, Xiang Shan did not have it easy either. Had he not run quickly enough at the last moment, Mo Yu had the confidence that he could kill him on the spot!
The veteran Royal Lord, Mo Yu, could barely be considered to have beaten the newly promoted Ninth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, so his injuries were worth the price. In contrast, Di Ya Luo was rather miserable. His injuries were caused by the burst of intense Purifying Light Yang Kai had created when he summoned 2 million Small Stone Race Soldiers under the cover of his Space-Time River. At the time, six Pseudo-Royal Lords perished, and if not for Mo Na Ye’s timely rescue, the total number of Royal Lords would now be two.
Two of the three Royal Lords were seriously injured. Their condition could be described in just one word, miserable.
The Pseudo-Royal Lords were in an even more miserable state. At a glance, Mo Na Ye found many familiar faces missing. Compared to the grand assembly over 20 years ago, there were 50 fewer Pseudo-Royal Lords!
In just two battles, 50 Pseudo-Royal Lords had perished. This was an unprecedented loss! No matter how many Pseudo-Royal Lords the Black Ink Clan had, they would not be able to withstand such a rate of attrition.
The Human Race did not need to engage the Black Ink Clan many more times in such high-intensity battles. Perhaps the Black Ink Clan would no longer be able to hold on after three more such fights. When the disparity in top Masters reached a certain extent, it would be impossible for the Black Ink Clan to hold their ground on the battlefield.
The air inside the hall was extremely heavy. The shame and pressure of the battle was weighing down on all the Black Ink Clansmen like a mountain.
“Sir!” Mo Na Ye turned to Mo Yu and asked for his permission to speak.
Mo Yu was sitting upright on his thrones of bones, his face a little pale. Hearing Mo Na Ye’s request, he simply raised his hand a little and weakly gave his permission, “Go on.”
“Yes!” Mo Na Ye respectfully accepted. Although he was already a Royal Lord and had the qualifications to sit on the same level as Mo Yu, he had always maintained a certain degree of deference and respect towards Mo Yu. And why not? After all, Mo Yu had given him enough trust for so many years. When Mo Na Ye was still just a Pseudo-Royal Lord, Mo Yu had allowed him to take complete charge of the Black Ink Clan’s affairs. Although this was partly because Mo Yu was not good at managing things, Mo Na Ye was still quite grateful.
A true King didn’t need to do things personally, but rather knew how to use others to accomplish his goals.
After responding to Mo Yu, Mo Na Ye stood up and swept his gaze over the many Pseudo-Royal Lords.
The faces of the Pseudo-Royal Lords instantly went cold as they realized that Mo Na Ye had made an important decision and was about to announce it. The Royal Lords had probably reached a consensus on this decision, and all they needed to do was obey.
As expected, Mo Na Ye calmly and softly relayed his decision a moment later, that sent all the Pseudo-Royal Lords flying into an uproar.
“The next battle will be the decisive one!”
Having relayed this, Mo Na Ye just shut up and let the Pseudo-Royal Lords argue, his heart filled with grief.
He had not expected the situation to develop to this point.
Originally, he had planned that even if the current Black Ink Clan was not an opponent of the Human Race, they would still try their best to damage the enemy as much as possible. So long as they could achieve this, even if the Human Race managed to take back the No-Return Pass, they wouldn’t be able to threaten the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
Even if the entire Black Ink Clan Army at the No-Return Pass was sacrificed, if that guaranteed the Supreme One’s dominion, so what?
Gathering all of their forces and defending the No-Return Pass was the best way to deal with the current situation; in addition, the Black Ink Clan had a certain geographical advantage at the No-Return Pass. As long as they acted appropriately, it shouldn’t have been difficult to accomplish this.
Unfortunately, the intensity and development of the battle had gone beyond imagination.
First, there was the Human Race’s strategy to bombard them using Universe Worlds, which turned the Black Ink Clan Army guarding the pass into a punching bag, and then, there was Yang Kai using the massive Small Stone Race Army to offset the disadvantage of the Human Race’s forces being far outnumbered by the Black Ink Clan’s.
With all these unexpected external factors affecting the battle, the only result awaiting the Black Ink Clansmen at the No-Return Pass was continuously being worn down by the Humans while the Humans wouldn’t suffer much loss.
After at least three and at most five more battles like the one before, it would be impossible for the Black Ink Clan to defend the No-Return Pass.
Rather than being slowly bled to death by the Human Race like this, it would be better to go all out and perhaps even have a chance to severely damage the Human Race Army. Mo Na Ye was not hoping for too much, but as long as they could increase the number of Human casualties by 50% compared to their previous fights, then the price paid by the Black Ink Clan would be worth it.
“Are you done arguing?” After a long silence, Mo Na Ye suddenly shouted, glaring at the Pseudo-Royal Lords, “If you have any doubts, just ask. What are you all arguing about?”
The noisy hall immediately fell silent.
After a long time, one of the Pseudo-Royal Lords asked, “Sir, may I ask if the Supreme One’s Soul Clones will participate in the next battle?”
Mo Na Ye glanced at the Pseudo-Royal Lord and indifferently replied, “Of course they will.”
The Pseudo-Royal Lord’s expression became serious as he saw the determination of the higher-ups.
In both battles, the Supreme One’s Soul Clones had been guarding the No-Return Pass. Although they did provide long-range support, they never left their positions because they had to deter the two Giant Spirit Gods in the Barren Territory. So, their support was extremely limited.
But if these two were to participate in this fight, it would become a true decisive battle.
It was foreseeable that when the two Giant Spirit Gods in the Barren Territory saw the Supreme One’s Soul Clones’ movements, they would respond in kind. Once they rushed over from the Barren Territory, the entire No-Return Pass would become a battlefield. At that time, the High-Rank Black Ink Nests placed here would be completely destroyed.
Without the High-Rank Black Ink Nests, the Black Ink Clan would be like a river without a source; a tree without roots. This was what it meant to go all out; it was the final battle!
This battle was both a crisis and an opportunity to the Black Ink Clan.
No matter the outcome, there was only one ultimate fate waiting for the Black Ink Clansmen at the No-Return Pass, and that was to be exterminated by the Human Race!
There was only one thing they could aim for: to weaken the Humans as much as possible. If they succeeded, the Human Race would lose the ability to launch a crusade to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Even if they failed, they would still weaken the Human Race, so whether they wanted to or not, the Black Ink Clan had no choice but to go all out.
In light of the current situation, the Black Ink Clan still had a good chance of severely wounding the Human Race Army.
In the last two battles, the Supreme One’s two Soul Clones had remained motionless. If the Human Race launched another attack, they might not have considered the possibility of these two also participating in the battle. At that time, as long as the two Soul Clones made a move at the right time, the Human Race Army would suffer a huge blow.
Of course, the two Giant Spirit Gods in the Barren Territory would arrive shortly after, but that was now an inevitability, so it did not matter. Furthermore, it wasn’t that Mo Na Ye had no plans to deal with these two Giant Spirit Gods.
He was confident that with enough Pseudo-Royal Lords, they could hold off those two Giant Spirit Gods for a brief moment, which would give Supreme One’s Soul Clones enough time to bring unimaginable losses to the Human Race Army.
In the Main Hall, only one Pseudo-Royal Lord asked a question, and after obtaining the answer, the Pseudo-Royal Lords no longer spoke.
Since the Supreme One’s Soul Clones were preparing for war, the next battle would definitely be the last for the Black Ink Clansmen at the No-Return Pass!
Mo Na Ye continued, “Judging by the timetable of the last two battles initiated by the Human Race, the next one will probably happen two years from now. The decisive battle is imminent, but both Sir Mo Yu and Di Ya Luo are injured, putting them at a disadvantage. In order to ensure that the final battle will proceed smoothly, the two of them must quickly recover.”
Saying so, he swept his eyes over the Pseudo-Royal Lords below, “So, I need your help. Who is willing to sacrifice everything for the Supreme One?”
Whether it was Mo Yu or Di Ya Luo, both had suffered heavy injuries. If they wanted to fully recover, they would have to slumber inside Black Ink Nests for several decades to a century. Of course, the Human Race would not give them so much time, so they had to resort to other methods to quickly restore these two Royal Lords.
Back in the Universe Furnace, when Mo Na Ye fought with Yang Kai, he was cornered in a hopeless situation, but just as Yang Kai was about to kill him, Meng Que sacrificed himself using the Source Fusion Technique, integrating his strength into Mo Na Ye, which ultimately helped the latter recover and escape.
This was a Secret Technique that only the Pseudo-Royal Lords and Innate Territory Lords could use. As Pseudo-Royal Lords were born with the help of the Source Fusion Technique, they could use the Source Fusion Technique to infuse their strength into other Black Ink Clansmen to help them recover.
Under normal circumstances, the Black Ink Clan would never choose to sacrifice Pseudo-Royal Lords, but desperate times called for desperate measures. They had no choice but to do so.
A Royal Lord in perfect condition would naturally be able to play a greater role in the upcoming battle than a Pseudo-Royal Lord.
After Mo Na Ye presented this question, all the Pseudo-Royal Lords remained muted…
This was also within his expectations; after all, not every Pseudo-Royal Lord had the same courage and resolve as Meng Que. Furthermore, the reason Meng Que helped Mo Na Ye at that time was because he knew he was already doomed to die, so he wanted to make his death meaningful.
This time, when Mo Na Ye asked if they were willing to die for the two Royal Lords, even the Black Ink Clansmen, who were known for their extreme loyalty to the Supreme One, had to think twice about it.
Although he had already expected this, Mo Na Ye was still displeased when it actually transpired before him. Thus, he coldly snorted before rebuking, “It seems that you still have to weigh things in your loyalty to the Supreme One. Since that’s the case, I will be the one to decide!”
Apparently, he was prepared for this and casually picked out two severely wounded Pseudo-Royal Lords.
The two Pseudo-Royal Lords who had been pointed out were naturally depressed. Nonetheless, they didn’t offer any resistance and immediately accepted their orders. They knew that they were picked because even if they participated in the next battle, they wouldn’t be able to play much of a role due to their severe injuries.
After picking two Pseudo-Royal Lords, Mo Na Ye seemed to be a little dispirited as he stated, waving everyone away, “Go and prepare yourselves. Everything will be decided in the next battle.”
All the Pseudo-Royal Lords bowed and were about to withdraw when suddenly, a profound wave of energy suddenly spread from somewhere in the No-Return Pass, quickly enveloping the entire hall. The next moment, a scene involuntarily emerged in the Royal Lords and even the Pseudo-Royal Lords’ minds.
They saw a massive shadow slumbering in the void, along with a massive number of Black Ink Clansmen swarming out of the gap in the giant shadow…
The Black Ink Clansmen who had rushed out of the gap split into two teams. One team flew off into the depths of the void while the other stayed behind to hatch High-Rank Black Ink Nests. Furthermore, the majority of the figures shuttling back and forth were Innate Territory Lords…
The Pseudo-Royal Lords who were about to withdraw were all dumbfounded, and the same went for the three Royal Lords. The expressions of each of the Black Ink Clansmen began to fluctuate.
Soon, they realized what they were seeing.
This was the scene of the situation outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction!
The huge shadow lying in the void was Mo sealed by the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, and that gap was the breach in the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction.
The reason they were able to see this scene in their minds was all because of the Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods.
The Black Ink Giant Spirit Gods were the Supreme One’s Soul Clones, so even though they were far away from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, it was impossible to sever the connection between them and their true body. As such, whatever transpired at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the Supreme One’s Soul Clones were able to quickly sense it and then relay the scene to the minds of all the Black Ink Clansmen.
Witnessing their fellow clansmen bustling about outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, the faces of the three Royal Lords and all the Pseudo-Royal Lords in the Main Hall gradually looked excited and joyful.
A moment later, the Supreme One’s Soul Clones’ voice rang in their ears, “Our true body is about to awaken!”
As this voice rang out, the image in their minds gradually faded away and disappeared.
Inside the Main Hall, the Pseudo-Royal Lords were still in bowing position. Mo Yu, who was originally sitting on the bone throne with a dispirited look on his face, sat up straight. Di Ya Luo, on the other hand, was filled with unrestrained joy.
Mo Na Ye remained in a daze for a long time before bursting into laughter. His laughter was filled with joy at being able to escape from a hopeless situation.
Originally, he had planned to launch a decisive battle against the Human Race the next time they attacked. He had planned to sacrifice everyone and everything at the No-Return Pass to cripple the Human Race Army, but now it seemed that there was no need to be so anxious.
Moreover, judging by the current situation, the Black Ink Clansmen at the No-Return Pass still had a slim chance of survival in the face of the Human Race’s aggression.
So long as the No-Return Pass could hold out for a decade or two, their allies from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction would arrive to support them. When that time came, they might be able to pincer the Human Race Army and turn the tide, ultimately emerging as the winners of the battle!
Of course, even if they were defeated, it didn’t matter. The Supreme One’s Soul Clones had already said that the main body was about to awaken. Once the Supreme One was truly awake, no matter how strong and well-equipped the Human Race Army was, it would be useless. This Universe would eventually be ruled by the Black Ink Clan, and Black Ink would rule eternal!
“Sir!” Mo Na Ye turned around and looked towards Mo Yu.
Mo Yu’s face lit up as he nodded lightly, “I guess we need to change our strategy!”
After obtaining the news from the Supreme One’s Soul Clones, the original plan had to be altered drastically. It could be said that it was the best news they had heard in many years since the Black Ink Clan had withdrawn their forces from the 3,000 Worlds.
Among all the Black Ink Clansmen present, only the two Pseudo-Royal Lords who had been picked out by Mo Na Ye did not show any joy, because no matter how the situation had changed, it did not alter anything for them. Since they had been selected, they had to sacrifice themselves to heal the two Royal Lords so that they could still fight in the next battle. It had to be said that this was truly a tragedy for them.
Time ticked away, and soon two years had elapsed. As expected, the Human Race Army launched their third attack. Similar to the last two attacks, they started the battle with a bombardment of Universe Worlds which cleared the way and asserted pressure on the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line. The Humans then used this opportunity to press forward.
However, compared to the last two times, the effect of the Universe Worlds’ bombardment was negligible this time.
The first time, they had caught the Black Ink Clan off guard, and the second time, Mi Jing Lun’s tactics had proven superior, but how could the Black Ink Clan not be prepared against this strategy after having suffered two serious losses? As such, no matter what kind of tricks the Human Race used this time, the Black Ink Clan had an appropriate response to counter it.
As the Universe World bombardment tactic was not very effective this time, it all came down to a battle between the two Armies to decide the situation.
Fortunately, every Human Race Soldier had refined some Small Stone Race Soldiers over the past two years. Some had refined only two or three, while some had refined as many as several dozen. As for the Divine Spirits with the Great Sun and Moon Marks, each had several tens of thousands of Small Stone Race Soldiers under their command.
Under these circumstances, not only would the Black Ink Clan have to face the Human Race Army, but also the Small Stone Race Army which was several times bigger than the Human Race Army. The current Small Stone Race Soldiers also did not haplessly charge straight towards the enemy’s ranks like they did last time. All of them had been refined by the Human Race Soldiers and controlled properly like artifacts that the Humans could move like their own limbs.
As such, the pressure on the Black Ink Clan Army was enormous.
Yang Kai was also awakened by Ah Er from his cultivation and rushed into the Territory Gate to participate in the battle.
This time, the Black Ink Clan didn’t deliberately try to stop him, only Di Ya Luo was stationed at the vicinity of the Territory Gate with a group of Pseudo-Royal Lords. They were responsible for restraining his movements and preventing him from destroying the nearby High-Rank Black Ink Nests.
At a glance, Yang Kai could tell that the Black Ink Clan’s defensive line had shrunk further. Compared to the first battle, the current defensive line of the Black Ink Clan could be said to have contracted by 50%. Since the defensive line had shrunk so much, the sturdiness of each position had greatly increased.
Although the Human Race was assisted by the Small Stone Race Army, it was not going to be that easy to reproduce the same glorious results as the last two battles.
On the battlefield of the top Masters, Mo Yu’s opponent had changed to Wei Jun Yang.
The injuries Xiang Shan had suffered in the last two battles weren’t light either, so he was unable to completely recover after just two years and had no choice but to let Wei Jun Yang take his place.
What surprised Yang Kai was that Mo Yu had almost recovered completely. It was quite strange as Mo Yu was grievously injured last time, and it was impossible for him to heal so quickly with Black Ink Clan’s recovery speed.
Di Ya Luo’s situation was the same.
Yang Kai couldn’t help but recall his battle with Mo Na Ye in the Universe Furnace and form some speculations in his mind.
Throughout the entire battlefield, the Black Ink Clan had assumed a full defensive stance. Regardless of how aggressive the Humans were, they just focused on defending themselves, unlike the previous two times where they would attack whenever they found an opportunity.
Yang Kai found it a little strange.
It was true that the Black Ink Clan was able to reduce their own losses by completely abandoning offence and focusing on defence, but the Black Ink Clan wasn’t stupid. This would only prolong their death throes, and would also greatly reduce the risk the Human Race Army had to bear. In a huge battle like this, being completely on the defensive would definitely significantly reduce Black Ink Clan’s losses, but the Human Race would suffer even fewer casualties as a result.
This strategy was far worse than the last two battles, where they would still counterattack while defending, which would force the Humans to be cautious in their actions; after all, the Human Race didn’t want to suffer too much damage, which would be detrimental to their future crusade plans.
[How could someone as astute as Mo Na Ye use such a stupid tactic?] Yang Kai was puzzled.
Be that as it may, he did not have time to mull too much over it as Di Ya Luo was already charging towards him leading a dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords. Even though Yang Kai had made the Black Ink Clansmen besieging him suffer great loss by sacrificing 2 million Small Stone Race Soldiers in the last battle and had killed several Pseudo-Royal Lords on the spot, it was not a tactic that could not be defended against. The Black Ink Clan was just caught unprepared last time as none of them had expected Yang Kai to summon so many Small Stone Race members at once. After having been caught off guard last time, they naturally wouldn’t let Yang Kai succeed once again that easily.
Yang Kai was entangled with these Black Ink Clansmen for a while, only displaying his strength as an ordinary Ninth-Order Master. Nonetheless, he still failed to find a good opportunity to break through. Helpless, he could only kill his way to the No-Return Pass and then rush towards Pure Yang Pass.
Just like before, the Black Ink Clan had received some prior instructions, which was why when Yang Kai attempted to kill his way to the No-Return Pass, it was smooth and easy. He basically did not face any obstruction from the Black Ink Clan. In fact, when he approached, they even took the initiative to open up a path so as to avoid provoking him into attacking.
This left Yang Kai completely speechless.
When he successfully arrived at Pure Yang Pass, Mi Jing Lun, who was waiting for him, handed Yang Kai the Space Ring he had prepared in advance and couldn’t help but ask, “Did you really finish all the supplies you took last time? That was quite a lot.”
Although the amount he had given to Yang Kai last time wasn’t excessive, it wasn’t small either; after all, it should have been enough for even a Ninth-Order Master to refine for 100 years.
That amount of resources was enough for a Human Division to fight a local battle.
“My consumption is relatively fast compared to the norm!” Yang Kai casually replied. As he checked the contents of the Space Ring, he found the amount of resources was twice what he received last time. Feeling satisfied, he carefully put it away.
Mi Jing Lun was also baffled by his reply.
It was enough for an ordinary Ninth-Order Master to cultivate for 100 years, yet Yang Kai had used them all up in two years. Under the current circumstances, it was naturally impossible for Yang Kai to waste even a little.
In other words, there was a high chance that Yang Kai had really refined everything he was given.
Mi Jing Lung was very curious about how Yang Kai cultivated, but he still didn’t ask; after all, matters about cultivation were always considered private. Yang Kai’s crazy consumption of resources was also not a bad thing for the Human Race as it meant he was rapidly increasing his strength.
“The Black Ink Clan seems to have changed their strategy,” Mi Jing Lun changed the subject, “What do you think?”
“Maybe they are just struggling to survive?” Yang Kai casually replied.
Mi Jing Lun shook his head, disagreeing, “With as smart as Mo Na Ye is, he can’t miss that doing so will only treat the symptoms but not the root cause. The Black Ink Clan’s current response will only increase the time it takes for the Human Race to capture the No-Return Pass. Originally, we could have seized it within five battles, but now, it may take 10 or more. However, in the end, the price we will have to pay will be much smaller.”
In a battle where the Human Race wanted to capture the No-Return Pass, the amount of time and price to be paid was inversely related. The longer the time the Human Race took, the smaller the price they would have to pay. This was especially true now that the Black Ink Clan had chosen to focus on defence, greatly reducing the threat they posed to the Human Soldiers.
If the Black Ink Clan focused on the bigger picture, they absolutely shouldn’t have used such a strategy; instead, they should have attacked the Human Race with everything they had! That way, the war here might have come to a conclusion in possibly two to three battles.
Of course, even if they didn’t use such a decisive strategy, it would have been wise to respond defensively and aggressively as before.
Since Yang Kai could see this, Mi Jing Lun naturally could as well.
“Then, there’s only one possibility,” Yang Kai firmly stated.
“What possibility?” Mi Jing Lun asked.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Senior Brother, since you already have a guess, why are you asking me?”
Mi Jing Lun waved him off, “Just tell me, I want to know if we’re thinking the same thing.”
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement and replied, “They’re buying time!”
Mi Jing Lun’s expression became solemn as he nodded, “It seems we’re indeed thinking the same thing.”
He also felt that the Black Ink Clan was simply stalling for time. If they were simply trying to prolong their last hour, it would be rather meaningless; however, if the Black Ink Clan had other plans, it would be quite alarming.
“How’s the progress of the Void Guard?” Yang Kai asked in a solemn voice.
“They are about halfway there, with nothing unexpected.”
“Ask them to remain vigilant!”
Mi Jing Lun’s expression slightly changed, “Junior Brother, you mean that the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction…”
Yang Kai added, “I hope not, but the Black Ink Clan’s current strategy is quite worrying.”
He turned his head towards the depths of the void as a hint of concern flickered across his face.
Just as he had said, the Black Ink Clan’s change in strategy made everyone think that something else was going on. If the Black Ink Clan at the No-Return Pass was simply stalling out of fear of death, it would be meaningless, but the situation would be different if they had reinforcements coming.
Where could such reinforcements come from though?
The Black Ink Clan currently had only one source of reinforcements: The Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction!
But if that was the case, something must have happened to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction! What about the Suppressing Black Ink Army then?
Su Yan and his other Wives, his Little Sister Yang Xue, and his three Legacy Disciples were all in the Suppressing Black Ink Army. Even though Yang Kai knew it would be a dangerous mission when he arranged for them to travel there, he still couldn’t help but worry now.
Had Old Tree not fallen into a coma, Yang Kai could have travelled through the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary to arrive at the Universe World he had placed outside the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction with his help. Unfortunately, Old Tree had consumed too much energy assisting Yang Kai previously and he could no longer borrow the former’s strength.
In addition, Yang Kai still needed to remain in the Barren Territory, so that he could cooperate with Ah Da and Ah Er at the critical juncture to take down the No-Return Pass. He could not leave the No-Return Pass until the battle here had ended.
Now, all they could do was wait for news from the Void Guard. Since they were already halfway to the Grand Restriction, if something had gone wrong up ahead, they would presumably find traces of it soon.
After bidding Mi Jing Lun farewell, Yang Kai returned to the battlefield.
Seeing Yang Kai coming back, Di Ya Luo promptly led the dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords out of the No-Return Pass to meet him.
The Black Ink Clan’s stance against Yang Kai was pretty clear, ‘you can come and go anywhere you want as we can’t stop you, but if you want to intervene in this battle, Di Ya Luo will lead our Masters and respond accordingly!’
Yang Kai found it very annoying. If he really went all out, it wouldn’t be a problem for him to take care of Di Ya Luo and these Pseudo-Royal Lords with his current strength, but if he did so, it would definitely draw the Black Ink Giant Spirit God’s vigilance. The losses outweighed the gains.
Helpless, Yang Kai had no choice but to give up on getting entangled with Di Ya Luo. Fortunately, he still had Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability.
Before Di Ya Luo could arrive leading the Pseudo-Royal Lords, Yang Kai was already nowhere to be seen. Right that instant, all the Pseudo-Royal Lords on the battlefield felt insecure.
Di Ya Luo’s Divine Sense surged as he searched for Yang Kai’s whereabouts, but to no avail.
A moment later, a violent battle suddenly erupted in a certain corner of the No-Return Pass, followed by the aura of a Pseudo-Royal Lord vanishing.
Di Ya Luo suddenly looked in that direction and happened to see Yang Kai’s figure flashing past. What he saw next instantly made his eyes pop out.
No one had any idea when Yang Kai had snuck back into the No-Return Pass, but when all the Pseudo-Royal Lords were fighting, distracted by the opponents around them, he suddenly attacked and killed one who was stationed at the No-Return Pass, guarding the High-Rank Black Ink Nests while also destroying the surrounding Nests in the process!
In an instant, four High-Rank Black Ink Nests were reduced to dust, and the Mid-Rank Black Ink Nests and Low-Rank Black Ink Nests that originated from them soon began to wither.
Di Ya Luo cursed in his heart. He had already led his team over to intercept Yang Kai, so it was too late for him to return to provide aid. While it would only take a few breaths to return, Yang Kai could do unimaginable damage to the No-Return Pass in such a span of time.
However, a tide of Black Ink Strength surged towards Yang Kai’s location at that moment, whereupon Yang Kai’s disappearing figure strangely reappeared. Immediately after, a powerful aura locked on to him before reaching him and engaging him in battle.
Mo Na Ye!
Di Ya Luo and his team were specifically keeping a close watch on Yang Kai’s movements, Mo Yu and Wei Jun Yang were locked in a fierce battle, while Mo Na Ye had been overseeing the No-Return Pass, giving the latter a clear picture of the overall situation.
When Yang Kai flew over from Pure Yang Pass and disappeared, Mo Na Ye went on high alert. Although he couldn’t stop Yang Kai’s initial attack, he had managed to interrupt his Instantaneous Movement Technique at the right time moment and drag him out of the Void.
Annoyed and frustrated, Yang Kai could not help but click his tongue as he watched Di Ya Luo and the dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords rush back towards him. He had no choice but to fight while retreating towards the Territory Gate.
Mo Na Ye also withdrew his hand at the appropriate moment, facing off against Yang Kai from a distance.
Soon, Di Ya Luo arrived and stood next to Mo Na Ye, his face filled with anger. Yang Kai had so easily cheated him, causing the No-Return Pass to lose a Pseudo-Royal Lord and several High-Rank Black Ink Nests. This made him look incompetent.
Two Royal Lords and a dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords, such a magnificent lineup was there just to keep an eye on one person. In the entire Human Race, only Yang Kai could receive such an honour.
From the moment the Human Race Army first launched an attack on the No-Return Pass, they basically had maintained the frequency of battles at every two years.
In the first two battles, the Human Race managed to score huge wins and kill a large number of Black Ink Clansmen thanks to the Universe World bombardment strategy and the Small Stone Race Army. In each battle, they had managed to kill between 20 to 30 Pseudo-Royal Lords.
Although the Human Race had also lost many Eighth-Order Masters in the process, it was well worth it.
If the Human Race could replicate this kind of situation, they were confident in taking down the No-Return Pass within a decade.
However, how could everything go smoothly in such a large-scale war which involves millions of lives?
In the third battle, the Black Ink Clan completely changed their strategy, shrinking their defence line to its utmost limit and assuming a completely defensive posture. They were like a tortoise with its head and limbs tucked into its shell. In this kind of situation, it was difficult for the Human Race to achieve anything even with a wide range of tactics.
The situation remained the same for the fourth and fifth battles in the ensuing years.
The Human Race Army even deliberately showed openings at certain places on the battlefield, trying to lure the Black Ink Clan Army into attacking. Nonetheless, the Black Ink Clan remained as steady as a rock in the face of such temptation, completely unmoved by this seemingly easy victory.
Although the Human Race could forcefully storm the defence line, that would undoubtedly result in massive casualties.
The Human Race was left with no other choice. Since the Black Ink Clan had opted for a defensive strategy, they could only slowly wear down the enemy forces.
The only silver lining in this was that the Human Race had complete control of the situation in this kind of battle, allowing them to reduce their losses to an extremely low level.
Of course, aside from the faint uneasiness in his heart, Yang Kai was more than happy to see this kind of situation.
He would have more time to cultivate and grow stronger the longer the battle dragged on. He had his own Temporal River inside which the flow of time was 30 times faster than the outside world. He would cultivate inside the Temporal River after every battle, giving him a full 60 years to cultivate after each fight, allowing him to refine massive amounts of resources which helped constantly grow his strength.
In the tenth year of the Human Race Army’s campaign against the No-Return Pass, after the sixth battle ended, Yang Kai was refining and cultivating in his Temporal River which stretched across the void just like before. But suddenly, a tremor came from outside, waking Yang Kai up.
This was the signal he had agreed upon with Giant Spirit God Ah Er. As he was completely absorbed in cultivation inside the Temporal River, Yang Kai knew nothing about the outside world and had to be informed by Ah Er. Every time the Human Race launched an attack on the No-Return Pass, Ah Er had used this method to awaken him.
Feeling this familiar signal, Yang Kai quickly ended his cultivation and rushed out from the river.
Seeing him emerge, the nearby Ah Er pointed towards the Territory Gate. As Yang Kai turned his head and gazed through the Territory Gate, he noticed faint traces of a battle on the other side.
He had seen this scene many times already. Every time the Human Race launched an attack, he would enter the No-Return Pass from the Barren Territory and single-handedly restrain many Masters from the Black Ink Clan.
Except, a frown had appeared on his brow this time, because it was not yet time to attack!
Although he was absorbed in cultivation inside the Temporal River, he could still feel the passage of time. In the past, he had been able to cultivate for roughly 60 years before the Human Race launched another assault. However, only 10 years had passed inside the River of Time this time.
In other words, it had only been four months since the last battle. This had never happened before.
Yang Kai’s expression couldn’t help but become grave as he realized that something unforeseen had occurred; otherwise, the Human Race wouldn’t have rashly changed their strategy.
In a flash, he rushed towards the Territory Gate, but he didn’t forget to turn around and warn Ah Er before disappearing, “Keep an eye on those two. If they dare to leave, you must promptly come over!”
Ah Er repeatedly nodded, agreeing in a resonant voice, “En!”
Ah Da also chimed in, but Yang Kai believed that he didn’t really understand it…
Just like the past few times, the moment Yang Kai stepped out of the Territory Gate, a dozen or so powerful auras locked on to him. With Di Ya Luo in the lead, a dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords gathered around him, standing in combat readiness.
Yang Kai had to fight with these guys in every battle, but because he had always been hiding his strength, he had never been able to do anything to them. Nonetheless, he had still managed to kill a few Pseudo-Royal Lords after so many battles of wits and courage, so it wasn’t a complete loss.
Their main goal was to restrain Yang Kai to deprive him of the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on the other Pseudo-Royal Lords; furthermore, they were also afraid of Yang Kai’s method of sacrificing Small Stone Race Soldiers, so they rarely had any direct confrontation with him. Most of the time, they would only use their auras to interfere, attacking him from a distance.
However, things were different this time around. The moment Yang Kai appeared, Di Ya Luo shouted, “Attack!”
Unexpectedly, they were the first to charge at Yang Kai. Although the dozen Pseudo-Royal Lords were clearly afraid of Yang Kai, they still braced themselves and followed after Di Ya Luo.
The reason for this change was because of the Human Race Army’s strange movements.
For the past 10 years, the Humans had launched a battle every two years, with no exceptions. But this time, the Human Race Army had actually launched an attack on the No-Return Pass just four months after the last battle.
Obviously, something had gone wrong.
There must be a reason for this deviation! Mo Na Ye, who commanded and deployed the Black Ink Clan Army, might not be able to figure out what the Human Race was up to, but it didn’t stop him from changing his strategy.
While keeping their original defensive strategy unchanged, he ordered Di Ya Luo and his Squad to try their best to stop Yang Kai from meeting up with the Human Race’s higher-ups.
This was quite a difficult task, and if possible, Di Ya Luo would’ve declined this mission. In the past, all they had to do was restrain Yang Kai. So long as they were careful enough, they wouldn’t be in too much danger. But this time, they would have to face him head-on if they wanted to prevent Yang Kai from meeting with the Human Race’s upper echelons.
This was not only a difficult task, but also a very dangerous one. Di Ya Luo still vividly remembered his first encounter with Yang Kai, and how he was severely injured by the latter.
Nonetheless, this mission had to be carried out by him. Mo Yu was entangled by Wei Jun Yang and was unable to escape. Mo Na Ye was responsible for coordinating the Army and couldn’t easily take action. Only he, the most inexperienced Royal Lord, could and had to face the killing star.
Fortunately, Mo Na Ye had also assured that if the situation became critical, he would come to assist him at a moment’s notice!
A battle instantly broke out, the aftershocks spreading in all directions. Fortunately, there were still Pseudo-Royal Lords guarding the No-Return Pass; otherwise, a large number of Black Ink Nests would have been destroyed.
Having fought with Yang Kai many times already, Di Ya Luo was well aware of his opponent’s strength. This killing star was far stronger than any other Ninth-Order Master, and even with so many Pseudo-Royal Lords working together, this battle was still extremely difficult.
When Yang Kai summoned the Small Stone Race Army and activated Purifying Light, Di Ya Luo and the Pseudo-Royal Lords who had been on guard promptly scattered and fled.
A glaring light flashed and enveloped the entire sky, but by the time it faded away, Yang Kai’s figure had already disappeared.
Seeing this, Di Ya Luo, who was still very much on guard, let out a sigh of relief.
He and the other Pseudo-Royal Lords had already tried their best, but they still couldn’t stop Yang Kai, and it was definitely not because they were slacking on their duties.
According to their past experiences, Yang Kai should have appeared at Pure Yang Pass by now.
On the walls of Pure Yang Pass, Mi Jing Lun, who was quietly waiting, suddenly noticed something nearby and immediately sent out a Divine Sense transmission, “Don’t show yourself, just listen to me.”
Yang Kai, who had snuck in here with the help of the Thunder Shadow’s Innate Divine Ability, immediately stopped in place and sent a Divine Sense message back, “I’m here.”
Confirming that Yang Kai had arrived nearby, Mi Jing Lun finally let out a sigh of relief. After a moment of deliberation, he continued, “Our previous worries have been confirmed.”
Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became grave and solemn, “The Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction?”
Mi Jing Lun stared at the battlefield and imperceptibly nodded, “En, the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction!”
When the Black Ink Clan suddenly changed their strategy and completely focused on defense during the third battle, their actions had left Yang Kai and Mi Jing Lun a little baffled, but it also caused them to become vigilant.
In the following conversation, the two of them both agreed that someone as smart as Mo Na Ye was well aware that the Black Ink Clan would not be able to defend the No-Return Pass, and would definitely not employ such a stupid strategy. Doing so would only delay the inevitable and would not affect the final outcome of the war. In fact, it would even allow the Human Race to win at a smaller price.
Only if the Black Ink Clan was waiting for reinforcements would such actions make sense.
In this vast Universe, if the Black Ink Clan really had reinforcements, they would definitely come from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Unfortunately, no one had any inkling on the situation at the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. The only thing the Human Race could do was wait for the Void Guard, who were laying Space Arrays along the way, to reach the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction and investigate the situation.
According to the schedule though, the Void Guard should have yet not reached the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. At best, they should be about 75% of the way there, so it should have been impossible for them to obtain any news.
“A message came from the Void Guard. They discovered a large number of Black Ink Clansmen rushing towards the No-Return Pass from the direction of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction,” Mi Jing Lun said, “They should have all escaped from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Furthermore, their overall strength is very high.”
Hearing this, Yang Kai’s expression suddenly became serious.
There really was something wrong with the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction! Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Black Ink Clansmen to escape in such large numbers.
[Did Mo wake up? What about Wu Kuang? What about the Suppressing Black Ink Army?]
Yang Kai’s emotions were suddenly in turmoil.
Yang Kai had been considering when Mo would wake up for a long time, but he couldn’t be certain of such a thing, nor had he gained anything from probing Mo Na Ye. Perhaps Mo Na Ye himself didn’t know anymore than he did.
Right now, Yang Kai could not rely on the World Tree, so even if he wanted to go to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction to assess the situation, he couldn’t.
His previous worries had come true, and the favourable situation of the Human Race had suddenly become uncertain.
Suppressing his chaotic thoughts, Yang Kai stated, “The problem with the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction should have occurred five or six years ago.”
“It should be,” Mi Jing Lun nodded lightly.
During the third battle, the Black Ink Clan suddenly changed their strategy and went into full defensive mode, which Yang Kai and Mi Jing Lun found quite strange; however, if the Black Ink Clan at the No-Return Pass got word from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction that help was on the way, everything would make sense.
Since they knew about the reinforcements coming from the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, they had opted for an all-out defensive strategy. As long as they could hold on until reinforcements arrived, they might be able to execute a pincer attack on the Human Race and catch them off guard, thereby turning the tables on them.
It wasn’t hard for the Black Ink Clan to get the news about the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. Black Ink Nests not only had the ability to spawn Black Ink Clansmen, but this strange thing also held another advantage in transmitting information that could not be matched by any other known means.
Judging by the situation, the Black Ink Clan’s response was undoubtedly correct. As long as they continued to defend at the No-Return Pass, they would be able to hold out for more than a decade until reinforcements arrived. The only way this wouldn’t happen is if the Human Race decided to launch an all-out attack to take down the No-Return Pass at all costs before their reinforcements arrived.
“Does that mean that the Void Guard encountered the Black Ink Clan’s reinforcements? Was there a clash?” Yang Kai asked.
Mi Jing Lun quickly replied, “Not for the time being. The Void Guard don’t have many people, but each of them is a Master who would be prudent in their actions. On the other hand, the Black Ink Clan Army is marching straight ahead, heading right towards their goal without trying to hide themselves. After the Void Guard discovered the situation, they immediately sent back a warning and then began monitoring the progress of the Black Ink Clan reinforcements. However, the deployment of the Space Arrays will be delayed because of this.”
This was something that couldn’t be helped. According to the original plan, the Void Guard under Li Wu Yi’s lead would set up Space Arrays all along the way to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction. This way would make it much more convenient for the Human Race to attack the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction after conquering the No-Return Pass, saving them all the time which would have been wasted in transit.
But now that they had encountered the Black Ink Clan reinforcements halfway, setting up the Space Arrays had to be delayed. In fact, they even had to remove their own traces to prevent the Black Ink Clan reinforcements from discovering anything.
The moment Mi Jing Lun received the Void Guard’s message, he realized the gravity of the situation and immediately launched the seventh attack. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to contact Yang Kai.
It could be said that the reason this battle was happening was because Mi Jing Lun wanted to contact Yang Kai. As for dealing damage to the No-Return Pass, that was inconsequential today.
Yang Kai sank into contemplation.
[Something must have happened to the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, but no one knows exactly what. The only thing that’s apparent from the current situation is that the Suppressing Black Ink Army is in trouble; otherwise, they wouldn’t have allowed Black Ink Clansmen to escape.]
[In the worst-case scenario, Mo is completely awake and has broken out of the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, while the Suppressing Black Ink Army… has been completely wiped out!]
Suppressing the worry and pain in his heart, Yang Kai tried his best to find a glimmer of clarity in this chaotic situation.
After a long time, he finally spoke, “It should still take the Black Ink Clan reinforcements over a decade more to arrive at the No-Return Pass, so the situation isn’t that bad.”
“But what will come, will come,” Mi Jing Lun softly replied, “We must seize the No-Return Pass before the Black Ink Clan reinforcements arrive; otherwise, once they get here and the Black Ink Clan at the No-Return Pass make a move, we will be facing attacks on two fronts.”
If that really happened, not to mention attacking the Primordial Heavens Source Grand Restriction, it would be difficult to say whether the Human Race Army would be able to make it out alive.
Be that as it may, it was extremely difficult to take down the No-Return Pass in the current situation. The entirety of the No-Return Pass had been set up like a tortoise shell by Mo Na Ye, with no gap for the Human Race to exploit. Even after so many battles, the Black Ink Clan had only suffered some superficial wounds.
Mi Jing Lun continued, “On the bright side, the enemy is in the open while we are in the dark.”
Yang Kai nodded, “This is indeed an advantage. It might not even have occurred to the Black Ink Clan reinforcements that their movements have been exposed.”
One had to admit that establishing a special organization like the Void Guard before the war and making them lay Space Arrays along the way in advance was truly a stroke of luck. If it weren’t for the fact that the Void Guard had set out in advance, and accidentally encountered the Black Ink Clan reinforcements along the way, perhaps the enemy would have arrived without the Human Race’s knowledge. That would have been a total disaster.
“Senior Brother,” Yang Kai called out, “I want to check on these reinforcements.”
“You’re going personally?” Mi Jing Lun was slightly taken aback, “I’ve already sent someone to investigate.”
Yang Kai asserted, “I can only rest assured after checking them personally. I need to verify some things. I hope… the situation hasn’t reached a critical point yet.”
Mi Jing Lun thought about it for a moment before acceding, “Okay, but if you don’t show your face for a long time, there is no guarantee that Mo Na Ye won’t notice your absence.”
“That’s fine, but Senior Brother still needs to devise a new strategy and prolong the battle until my return. Once I’m back we can end things here for the moment.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Mi Jing Lun readily agreed, “Right now, the Black Ink Clan is only focusing on defence. The initiative is in our hands, so we can decide when to end the fighting.”
“I’ll have to trouble you with this then, Senior Brother.” As Yang Kai finished speaking, he surged his strength and flew away. A moment later, he arrived at the temporary Human Race camp located three days away, where there was a Universe Temple with a Space Array.
Noticing Yang Kai’s arrival, the two Void Guards who were stationed here were both stunned, as there shouldn’t have been a reason for him to appear here at this time.
Be that as it may, they didn’t ask any questions. They just readied the Space Array under Yang Kai’s instructions, and let him teleport away.
With each teleportation, Yang Kai went deeper and deeper into the Black Ink Battlefield.
The Void Guard had left behind dozens of Universe Temples in the void over the years, and each was within the range of the previous Space Array. Each Universe Temple was further hidden by a Grand Array. So, in this vast void, if one did not specifically search for it, it would be difficult to find any traces of the Space Arrays.
Furthermore, even if one of the Universe Temples was destroyed for some unknown reason, it was not that big of a problem. The Void Guard still had spare Universe Temples with them and they could easily rush to the damaged location and re-establish the link.
Having said that, this kind of long-distance teleportation using the Universe Temples was a little taxing on ordinary cultivators. If one’s cultivation wasn’t sufficient, they would need to rest for a while after a few subsequent teleportations. In addition, the Space Arrays themselves would also need frequent maintenance for such intense usage.
Fortunately, it was not that troublesome for Yang Kai as he was proficient in the Dao of Space, so this kind of teleportation posed no pressure to him.
After dozens of teleportations, Yang Kai arrived at the leading temple less than three days later.
There were quite a few Void Guards stationed there, numbering in dozens. Originally, they were tasked with arranging more Space Arrays further up ahead, but due to some unforeseen circumstances along the way, they had all been stuck here.
Seeing Yang Kai, everyone, who had been a little anxious all this time, seemed to have found their pillar of support. All of them calmed down and bowed in unison.
“Dao Lord,” Miao Fei Ping stepped forward to take charge.
“Where’s Li Wu Yi?” Yang Kai looked around but didn’t see Li Wu Yi anywhere.
Miao Fei Ping quickly explained, “Senior Brother Li is monitoring the movements of the Black Ink Clan reinforcements with a few Junior Brothers.”
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement, “Is the other party aware of you?”
Miao Fei Ping shook his head in response, “I don’t think so. Senior Brother Li has given them a wide berth all this time. The moment he noticed the Black Ink Clan reinforcements, he immediately ordered us to conceal ourselves while retreating to this position. The Black Ink Clan probably never thought they would be discovered in such a place so their vigilance is lacking.”
Although he had obtained some information from Mi Jing Lun, after hearing it straight from Miao Fei Ping, Yang Kai was finally a little relieved. As long as the Void Guard’s whereabouts were not discovered, there was still room to manoeuvre.
“How do I find Li Wu Yi?” Yang Kai asked again.
Miao Fei Ping immediately took out a Space Beacon and stated, handing it to Yang Kai, “Senior Brother Li has the corresponding Space Beacon on him.”
Yang Kai stretched out his hand and took it; however, he didn’t immediately use it to teleport. After all, he was completely unaware of the situation on Li Wu Yi’s side. If he were to rashly teleport to his position, their whereabouts might be exposed.
Yang Kai activated the Space Beacon for a brief moment before withdrawing his energy, giving Li Wu Yi a sign that someone was about to teleport over. If it was safe, Li Wu Yi would definitely respond.
After patiently waiting for a moment, the Space Beacon in Yang Kai’s hand flickered.
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement and activated the Space Beacon. The next moment, Space Principles undulated before Yang Kai vanished.
In the void, several figures were using their own Space Secret Techniques to conceal their figures and auras. Under this kind of concealment, it was basically impossible for the Black Ink Clan reinforcements to detect their presence.
The leader of these figures was none other than Li Wu Yi. At this moment, he was holding a Space Beacon in his hand, a little puzzled as to why someone from the nearest Universe Temple would send such a signal.
But the next moment, he understood.
As Space Principles fluctuated, a figure suddenly appeared beside him. When Li Wu Yi saw who it was, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
He knew that after he sent the news back, Supreme Commander Mi would send someone to investigate, but he had never thought that it would be Yang Kai himself.
The Void Guard were about to bow to Yang Kai when he waved them off and instead asked Li Wu Yi, “Where are they?”
Li Wu Yi pointed in a certain direction.
Yang Kai looked in that direction and indeed noticed a billowing mass of Black Ink Clouds. He also saw an Army of Black Ink Clansmen rushing forward. From a distance, it looked like a huge sea of darkness was racing through the void.
Yang Kai was secretly shocked as there was a huge number of Black Ink Clansmen, at least 10 million of them!
This number might not be much compared to the number of Black Ink Clansmen participating in the main war; however, if all of these reinforcements were Masters rather than cannon fodder, it would be a terrifying force indeed.